From: Hajia Turai [hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 7:50 PM Subject: RE: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) I am Hajia Turai, The wife of former president Umaru Musa Yar-adua who died and was buried according to Islamic law on 5th of may 2010 after a long protracted illness. i have contacted you to assist me secure the sum of Twenty Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars($28,500,000) which he deposited with a commercial bank in Oversea before he died on the above date mentioned. However, I want this transaction to be a secret between me and you so that the Federal Government of Nigeria or any of the family member will not know about it, as a matter of fact i must to tell you that all the vital information's of the bank where the fund deposited will be giving to you by me, I will urgently need your advice on investment options where we can invest this money in your country. Our sharing term and condition shall be discuses as soon as I hear from you. Finally, I would want you to forward to me the below information's. 1) Your Full Name 2) Your Contact Address and Cell Phone Number. i will be looking forward to hear from you. Remain Bless. Hajia Turai hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com From: Hajia Turai [hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 4, 2016 10:40 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) DEAR, WHAT IS HAPPENING? DID YOU READ MY LAST EMAIL WITH MY ID HAJIA TURAI. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 5:17 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI , My Lawyer details Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com >Wednesday, May 11, 2016 5:17 PMRe: FROM HAJIA TURAI , My Lawyer details Dear, Am sorry for the delay i have been down for days now. Thank you very much for your mail and your reserch of good investment to invest this fund when claim by you. I feel a great relief when i read your email and i have given you my full trust and 100% guarantee since you have given me your words that you will help me despite my condition. Your letter gives me hope even at dieing condition thanks to almighty Allah for providing such good minded person and God fearing person to me. All i want you to do is to act as my beneficiary who will be helping me to receive the funds from a private commercial bank in Abroad. I am sending you the contact details of my lawyer Barrister Robert Tresman, who will send you the needed documents which you will tender to the firm as proof that you are my beneficiary. The original certificate of deposit has been sent to the private commercial bank in Abroad already because i have alerted them that my beneficiary will be emailing them soon. I will also inform my attorney that the document (CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT) and power of attorney should be sent to you as soon as you have contacted the lawyer Barrister Robert Tresman. Below is his contact details of my attorney Barrister Robert Tresman, please contact him so that he can furnish you with the certificate of deposit and power of attorney. MY LAWYER DETAILS: Barrister Robert Tresman. Address: Staple Inn CHAMBERS, 7 Staple Inn, London, Greater London, WC1V 7QH. E-mail Address: stapleinnchamber@outlook.com TEL: (+ 44) 7031979914, 7024040698. FAX: + 448458740650. As a result of that, i have asked my lawyer Barrister Robert Tresman, to prepare the power of attorney in your full names . Please do not disclose this information to anybody no matter the cost because i do not want any breach of information regarding this transaction. Please my dear brother help me because am dying in poorverty here. Thank you for giving me your word of trust to accomplish this mission. Please I cannot talk on the telephone unless by email for security reasons Okay, is only my personal Lawyer that can talk to you on phone if i needed him to call you, his name is Barr.Godwin Akpan, Phone number + 234-80286-00264. Thanks for your mail, your mail has relieved me and I pray to almighty Allah with his infinite mercy to reward you. Remain Bless. Hajia Turai Yar'adua. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 4:38 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com >Wednesday, May 25, 2016 4:38 PMRe: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) DEAR BROTHER, WHAT IS GOING ON? HAVE YOU CONTACTED THE BACK TO PROCEED ON? THANK YOU SO FAR FOR YOUR EFFORT TO SEE THAT THIS FUND IS CLAIM BY YOU. HAJIA TURAI. From: Hajia Turai [hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 5:01 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) Have you contacted the bank? DEAR BROTHER, The " Christianity " i mean is my (Islamic Religion ) i am a Moslam. What is the situation of things between you and the lawyer? Let me know now. Hajia Turai. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 7:35 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) Have you contacted the bank? Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com >Friday, May 27, 2016 7:35 PMRe: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) Have you contacted the bank? I WANT TO WORN YOU FOR THE LAST TIME, DONT EVER INSULT MY PERSON SIMPLY BECAUSE I ASK YOU TO HELP ME WITH THE CLAIM OF THIS FUND, IF YOU ARE NOT READY TO HANDLE THIS TRANSACTION COME OUT OPEN AND SAY IT TO ME, THEN YOU GIVING ME ALL THIS TRASH OF WORDS FROM YOUR MOUTH. WHO TOLD YOU THAT AM LIVING IN THAILAND? DID YOU VISIT NIGERIA AND DID NOT FINE ME? WHY TELLING ME THAT? WHAT I TOLD IS THAT THE FUND IS DEPOSITED IN A BANK IN THAILAND WHICH AM SURE BY NOW, THE LAWYER HAVE RELEASE THE CONTACT OF THE BANK TO YOU. WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT I LIVE IN THAILAND? I WANT YOU TO FOLLOW THE LAWYER STEP TO CLAIM THIS FUND, AFTER THAT YOU WILL TAKE YOUR OWN SHEAR AND SEND MINE TO ME OR I WILL TELL YOU WHAT INVESTMENT IN YOUR COUNTRY YOU WILL INVEST MY OWN MONEY FOR ME. HOPE I HAVE MADE MY SELF CLEAR TO YOU. HAJIA TURAI. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 7:40 PM Subject: Fw: The Will of GOD is in accord with Umar Yar'Adua Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com >Friday, May 27, 2016 7:40 PMFw: The Will of GOD is in accord with Umar Yar'Adua TAKE TIME TO READ THIS STORY What My Husband Told Me Before His Death Turai YarAdua Hajiya Turai Umaru Musa Yaradua has revealed how her husband, former President Umaru Musa Yaradua once told her that his relatives would quarrel with her after his death as they would think he had left so much money. The former first lady who spoke at a memorial lecture in honour of the late president in Katsina at the weekend, also said the late Yaradua was not a materialist leader who believed in accumulating wealth. In fact, he shunned material things as his slogan was service to humanity. There was a time he said to me that Turai, I pity you because when I die you will have quarrels with my relatives because they will think I have so much money in my possession, she said. She said the situation in Nigeria would have been better had the late president survived his ailment because he was a focused, committed and determined leader. Although my husband was sick for a long time he did his very best for Nigeria. Also as governor of Katsina State, he did his best for the state; he is an honest man who believed in service, she said. Extolling his virtues as a leader, Turai said the late President would not give out contract without having the money to pay for it. There was a time I approached him that people are complaining that the government was slow. But he said to me people can say whatever they like but I will not give out contract if I have no money to pay. The late Umaru was a kind of leader that would go out and monitor projects. I could recall when I used to join him to supervise the projects at Umaru Musa Yar adua University, Turai Yar adua Hospital and the roads, she said Read it very well and get back to me, we need to conclude this transaction. Hajia Turai. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 7:45:25 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) SEE ME AND MY HUSBAND AM HERE IN NIGERIA OK, AM NOT PERMITTED TO TRAVEL OUT THE COUNTRY FOR NOW. VIEW THIS PHOTO HAJIA TURAI. From: Staple Inn Chambers < stapleinnchamber@outlook.com > Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 8:08 PM Subject: To the attention of Staple Inn Chambers < stapleinnchamber@outlook.com >Monday, May 30, 2016 8:08 PMTo the attention of Date: 30/05/2016. Attention: Sequel to my previous mail, below I have attached the required documents for your confirmation and to enable you contact the bank. I do apologize for the delay which was due to some circumstances beyond my control. Be informed that I have also, sent on your behalf a letter of authorization to the bank introducing you as the Next of Kin to my client and requesting that they attend to you as soon as you contact. Do note that they will be waiting to attend to you. To the attention of: Mr. Sang Soo Shin. (Senior Account Officer). International Banking Unit, Kasikorn Bank Pcl, Bangkok Thailand E-mail: ebusiness.kasikornbkk@asia.com English Line: (+ 66) 985822667 You can go ahead and contact the bank with the above information and request for the fund release to your favour. Do not hesitate to forward the documents along as the bank will be demanding for them for their verification purposes. If you look at the Affidavit, you will discover that my client has been able to pay for the stamp duty charges so, it is imperative that you contact the bank and complete the transaction as requested. Kindly confirm receipt of this mail and do not hesitate to keep me posted as soon as you contact the bank. Thank you. Yours in service, Barrister Robert Tresman. Staple Inn CHAMBERS. E-mail Address: stapleinnchamber@outlook.com TEL: (+ 44) 7031979914, 7024040698. FAX: + 448458740650. From: Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com > Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 5:11 PM Subject: Re: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) SEE ME AND MY HUSBAND Hajia Turai < hajiaturai2011@hotmail.com >Tuesday, May 31, 2016 5:11 PMRe: FROM HAJIA TURAI (VERY URGENT) SEE ME AND MY HUSBAND Dear Brother, Thank you very much for your mail. I feel a great relief when i read your email and i have given you my full trust and 100% guarantee since you have given me your words that you will help me despite my condition since my death of my husband i have been very sick. Your letter gives me hope to live again, thanks to almighty Allah for providing such good minded person and God fearing person to me. Brother, please know that am good person and i will never do any to hot some one, not even some one that want to help me in life, not even God send like you. This transaction is rick free , you will later see it when you claim the fund from the bank. Please, i want you to follow the direction of the lawyer to make sure this fund is claim by you, the lawyer is a good and he has been working with my late husband when he was still a live, he is a family friend too so he will direct you to achieve this goal. Please my dear Brother help me because am living in poverty here while this fund is a bank oversea. Thank you for giving me your word of trust to accomplish this mission. Thanks for your mail, your mail has relieved me and I pray to almighty Allah with his infinite mercy to reward you. Remain Bless. Hajia Turai Yar'adua. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... Having Marco wear our jersey in the Northwest is comparable to the Seattle Mariners signing Ken Griffey Jr. Marco is a perineal mortgage All Star and Hall of Fame addition to Skyline, says President of Retail Lending, Bill Tessar. Skyline Home Loans is proud to announce Marco Begovich has joined the Skyline team as the Regional Vice President of our Pacific Northwest division. Begovich comes to Skyline with more than 40 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Prior to joining Skyline, Begovich held leadership positions at some of the premier mortgage banking operations in the industry, including running sales and operations for the western half of the United States for GMAC mortgage. Begovich also ran a $4.5 billion region for Countrywide Home Loans. Begovich has previously worked with nearly a dozen current Skyline employees including Dan Rivisto, Divisional Vice President of our Pacific Northwest division and Scott Hoolahan, Senior Vice President of Sales in our corporate office. Begovich is excited to join his former coworkers as he embarks on this new chapter in his career. Having come out of semi-retirement, Begovich chose Skyline because of the companys leadership, vision, and passion for technology and efficiency. Having Marco wear our jersey in the Northwest is comparable to the Seattle Mariners signing Ken Griffey Jr. Marco is a perineal mortgage All Star and Hall of Fame addition to Skyline. Welcome to the family, Marco, says President of Retail Lending, Bill Tessar. The hiring of Begovich is only the latest move in Skylines expansion. Skyline continues to grow, hiring top tier loan officers and opening new branches across the country. ### About Skyline Founded in 1985, Skyline Financial Corp. is a full-service, direct lender based in Calabasas, CA with over 40 branches across the nation. We close more than $3 billion in loans annually, and the company and its employees have won awards for Top Mortgage Lender, Best Companies to Work For, Top Originators and Most Influential Mortgage Executives. To learn more, visit http://www.skylinehomeloans.com. Media Contact: Sonia Le, Vice President, Marketing, Skyline Home Loans sle(at)skylinehomeloans(dot)com Skyline Financial Corp. dba Skyline Home Loans, Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) Company ID# 12072. Arizona Mortgage Banker License #927740, Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act File No: 4130296, Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee, Licensed by the New Hampshire Banking Department License #19536-MB, Ohio Broker/Banker Registration #MBMB-850231-000, Oregon Mortgage Lender License ML-2797, Washington Consumer Loan Company License CL-12072. Refer to http://www.skylinehomeloans.com to see where Skyline Financial Corp. is a licensed lender. Tunstall Americas, the North American division of Tunstall Healthcare Group a world leader in Connected Healthcare has introduced its next generation telecare solution, the Tunstall Vi+ to the U.S. market. The new solution builds on the success of Tunstall Americas market-leading products and solutions. The Vi+ enables personalized care and risk management for seniors and other at risk populations to live independently at home for as long as possible. The Vi+ is a market leading product throughout the world and is now available in the US. With its comprehensive range of sensors, the Vi+ can monitor home environments unobtrusively for high risk events, out of pattern activities and potential emergencies. If a problem is detected, the unit will automatically generate a call to Tunstalls Emergency Response Center so that the appropriate response can be quickly taken. The Vi+s advanced design and features were developed from listening and responding to our customers insights and feedback. The Vi+ has an integral ambient temperature sensor which will alert Tunstalls Response Center if an unsafe high or low temperature is detected, helping to ensure that a comfortable, safe temperature is maintained in a persons home. The units enhanced Virtual Sensor functionality a Tunstall market first enables a proactive, intelligent response to any alerts raised by telecare sensors in the home. For example, if a person gets out of bed in the middle of the night and doesnt return in a pre-set time interval, the unit can interrogate other sensors in the home to establish if the person is simply making a hot drink, or if they may have fallen and need urgent help. Casey Pittock, President and CEO of Tunstall Americas stated, Tunstall entered the US market with the acquisition of American Medical Alert Corp (AMAC) in 2012. Since that time we have introduced many Tunstall products to the market such as the original Vi and CEL personal emergency response systems. Introducing the Vi+ to the US market is pivotal in that it will change the landscape of the Personal Emergency Response service from medical alert box to a Connected Care solution that has a range of products and services that will support caregivers and end users and enable them to live more fulfilling lives at home and on the move. Tunstall Americas provides nationwide 24/7 healthcare monitoring services from HIPAA compliant call centers in New York and Rhode Island. Tunstall also manufactures a wide variety of FDA registered medical alert, telehealth, and medication management products to meet the needs of all people. These products enable personal support services through traditional telephone lines, cellular, and the internet. Collectively, these products and services deliver a seamless connected care experience for people. About Tunstall: Tunstall Healthcare Group, founded in 1957 in England, is the world leader and supplier of Connected Health and Connected Care products and services. Tunstall helps people during emergencies and crisis situations 24/7/365 from dozens of company-owned and operated monitoring centers around the globe. Tunstall connects, talks with, and informs people with in-home technology and services that enhance their independence, freedom, social engagement, health, and wellbeing. Tunstall serves more than 3.5 million people every day in 40 countries. Tunstall Americas (http://www.americas.tunstall.com ) operates Connected Care monitoring centers in Long Island City, NY, and Pawtucket, RI to deliver high-touch personal patient support services 24/7 to customers in all 50 states. We are proud to support the LGBT community in Ann Arbor, Michigan." - Amanda Mills, Manager for Harbor House Harbor House announces its sponsorship and participation with OUTFest!, a festival and fundraiser supporting the LGBT community in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area. All proceeds will benefit the Tim Joy Community Center (TJCC) which is a local nonprofit that provides information, education, social events and advocacy for the local LBGT community members. Amanda Mills, manager for Harbor House said, We are proud to support the LGBT community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our beautiful apartment homes are perfect for anyone looking to live close to the University or downtown. Participating with OUTFest! is a great opportunity to market our apartments while supporting an important nonprofit in our local community. OUTFest! weekend festival and picnic is August 5-8pm in the Kerrytown District of Ann Arbor. For more information on OUTFest!, please visit: http://www.jimtoycenter.org. For more information on Harbor House Apartments, please visit: http://www.harborhouseapts.com. ### ADLINK's COM Express 3.0 Type 7 Express-BD7 Computer-on-Module ADLINK has worked closely with fellow PICMG members to develop this latest module specification and pinout to leverage a new type of low power, server-level silicon that appeared on the market at the end of 2015. ADLINK Technology, Inc., a leading global provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and communications platforms, announced its first computer-on-module (COM) based on the latest PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) COM Express 3.0 specification with new Type 7 pinout, for which ADLINK lead development efforts to bring a server-grade platform and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) capabilities to a COM form factor. ADLINKs Express-BD7 targets customers building space-constrained systems in industrial automation and data communication, such as virtualization, edge computing or other numerical applications, that require high density CPU cores balanced by reasonable power consumption. The COM Express standards new Type 7 pinout, as compared to the Type 6 pinout, does away with all graphics support and replaces it with up to four 10GbE ports and an additional eight PCIe ports, bringing the total PCIe support to up to 32 PCIe lanes. The Type 7 pinout has been specifically tailored to leverage all the functions of low power, headless server-grade SoCs with a TDP below 65 Watts. The Intel Xeon SoCs featured in ADLINKs Express-BD7 support up to 16 CPU processor cores, 32 PCIe lanes, and multiple 10GbE ports. In addition, the Type 7 pinout brings out 10GBase-KR signals, meaning the carrier board designer can choose between KR-to-KR, KR-to-optical fiber or KR-to-copper. A Network Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI) bus is also supported, allowing for Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Board Management Controller (BMC) support on the carrier board. ADLINK is playing a leading role in the PICMG subcommittee that is currently defining the new COM Express 3.0 specification. The committee, which started its work in late 2015, is chaired by ADLINK's Jeff Munch, CTO of Americas, and has just published a preview of the new specification. The preview defines the new Type 7 pinout and allows module manufacturers and customers to start designs before the full specifications are published, which is expected to be the end of Q3 2016. ADLINK has worked closely with fellow PICMG members to develop this latest module specification and pinout to leverage a new type of low power, server-level silicon that appeared on the market at the end of 2015. Type 7 is tailor-made to accommodate these low power, server-oriented SoCs. In addition to the obvious use case in 10GbE data communication, we see many others application areas for these products, such as virtualization, real-time control and even graphics applications using discrete GPU solutions over PCIe x16, " said Alex Wang, product manager for COM Express modules at ADLINK. Our COM Express Type 7 roadmap focuses on creating products with advanced computing performance and multi-core capabilities. Our COM Express products are off-the-shelf building blocks that allow our customers to focus on adding value to their carrier boards, reducing their total cost-of-ownership and expediting their time-to-market. ADLINKs Express-BD7 provides up to 32GB dual channel DDR4 at 1867/2133/2400MHz ECC (dependent on SoC SKU), up to eight PCIe x1 (Gen2), two PCIe x4, one PCIe x16 (Gen3), two SATA 6 Gb/s and four USB 3.0/2.0. The module comes with a build option for an Extreme Rugged operating temperature range of -40C to +85C and supports ADLINK Smart Embedded Management Agent (SEMA), which enables remote management and control of distributed devices. ADLINK's SEMA-equipped devices connect seamlessly to our SEMA Cloud solution to enable remote monitoring, autonomous status analysis, custom data collection, and initiation of appropriate actions. All collected data, including sensor measurements and management commands, are available from any place, at any time via encrypted data connection. For more information on the new PICMG COM Express 3.0 specification and Type 7 pinout, download our technical article. For more information on the Express-BD7, please visit http://www.adlinktech.com About ADLINK ADLINK Technology is enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) with innovative embedded computing solutions for edge devices, intelligent gateways and cloud services. ADLINKs products are application-ready for industrial automation, communications, medical, defense, transportation, and infotainment industries. Our product range includes motherboards, blades, chassis, modules, and systems based on industry standard form factors, as well as an extensive line of test & measurement products and Smart Touch Computers, displays and handhelds that support the global transition to always connected systems. Many products are Extreme Rugged, supporting extended temperature ranges, shock and vibration. ADLINK is a Premier Member of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance and is active in several standards organizations, including PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), and Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies (SGeT). ADLINK is a global company with headquarters in Taiwan and manufacturing in Taiwan and China; R&D and integration in Taiwan, China, the US, and Germany; and an extensive network of worldwide sales and support offices. ADLINK is ISO-9001, ISO-14001, ISO-13485 and TL9000 certified and is publicly traded on the TAIEX Taiwan Stock Exchange (stock code: 6166). For more information, please visit ADLINKTech.com. ### Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner. Nclear Inc. (NCI), an industry leader in nutrient removal technology, today announced the addition of two key individuals that will help them expand the reach of their patented Nclear crystals. Shawn Luton has joined the company in the newly-created position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Jon Henderson, a recognized expert in wastewater treatment, will lend his expertise as a Strategic Advisor. Shawn Luton has extensive experience in the wastewater and stormwater industries, and he will be responsible for NCIs new market development and the coordination of all sales and marketing activities. Shawn joins NCI from StormTrap, where he was the Vice President of Sales for a leading provider of stormwater treatment solutions. Previously, he held management positions with Kristar Enterprises and Advanced Drainage Systems/Hancor, where he managed national wastewater and stormwater industry sales. Shawn graduated at the top of his class with a BS in Civil Engineering Technology from Georgia Southern University, and he completed an Executive Business Management Program at Vanderbilt University. Over the last 16 years, Shawn has served on several industry board associations, and he is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Georgia Section. I am very impressed with NCIs Nclear nanocrystal technology, and with the passion of the management team to make it the leading nutrient removal technology, says Luton. Its exciting to be part of the team bringing this technology to markets throughout the US and around the world. Jon Henderson is a wastewater industry expert, with 40 years of experience managing wastewater facilities, consulting to industry operators, and teaching operator training courses. He is currently the superintendent of the Ellijay-Gilmer County (GA) Water and Sewerage Authority, as well as a professional instructor for the Georgia Rural Water Association. With expertise in both management and training roles, Jon has full spectrum understanding of surface and wastewater systems, and his strategic advice will help NCI better carry out its mission to restore natures equilibrium to the worlds water bodies. Im thrilled to take on an advisory role with NCI, Henderson says. Ive grown familiar with Nclear while working with the Georgia Rural Water Association (GRWA), and I believe that its an ideal solution to a number of nutrient and water conditioning challenges in our industry. NCIs CEO, Mike Mies, says of the new additions to the team, Were extremely fortunate to bring an executive of Shawns experience and talent to our team. Shawn has built sales organizations and developed distribution channels throughout his career, and I am looking forward to him doing the same for NCI as we commercialize our technology. Our efforts will be further enhanced by having Jons advice and counsel. His credentials are unsurpassed in the wastewater industry, which is one of our primary target markets. More importantly, both Shawn and Jon understand and truly believe in our mission. About Nclear Inc. (NCI) NCI is an Atlanta-based environmental technology startup, and is leading the charge against the global problem of nutrient pollution with its patented nanocrystal technology that sequesters phosphorus in water bodies to prevent the growth of dangerous algae. For more information about NCIs patented Nclear crystals, visit http://www.nclear.us. Denodo We selected the Denodo Platform because of its superior performance, capabilities and technology innovation. Denodo, the leader in data virtualization software, today announced that Fastaff Travel Nursing and U.S. Nursing Corporation have selected the Denodo Platform for Data Virtualization to accommodate rapid growth and a need to find innovative technology partners to empower enhanced efficiency. Denodo integrates disparate data sources to enrich an individual nurse profile record, allowing Fastaff and U.S. Nursing to quickly identify the nurses capabilities and match him or her to urgent needs at hospitals around the country. As the pioneer and industry leader in Rapid Response travel nurse staffing, we own a unique market position placing nurses in ten days or less, said Allison Beer, CEO of Fastaff and U.S. Nursing. Data virtualization adds automation to our process by matching well qualified nurses with hospitals to ensure uninterrupted patient care. As innovators in this space, we are committed to using cutting-edge technology in delivering quality patient care where it is urgently needed and, after careful evaluation, we selected the Denodo Platform because of its superior performance, capabilities and technology innovation. Hospitals rely on Fastaff to fill temporary travel nursing positions in highly specialized areas such as pediatric and critical care acuities. Fastaff sources experienced nurses that meet the specific profile hospitals require in very short periods of time due to the urgent nature of the order. However, as one of the fastest growing healthcare staffing companies in America, Fastaff had to ensure that their current innovative processes were scalable for the growth they have been experiencing. Through business intelligence and data analysis, Fastaff recognized that the data virtualization solution offered by Denodo could provide the necessary boost needed to create better healthcare delivery in the U.S. and allow hospitals to meet the demands of patients and communities nationwide. To accomplish this, Denodo creates an abstraction layer above the data sources, assembles a single view of the nurses, and feeds the information to a reporting tool which enables Fastaff to quickly find the most qualified candidate that can provide the necessary care. On the recruiting side, Fastaff employs marketing automation technology to generate leads and capture engagement activity. By integrating the engagement activity data into the nurse profile record, Denodos data virtualization technology helps Fastaff to hone marketing campaigns to deliver smart messages to the right nurse, at the right time, thereby optimizing digital marketing ROI. In the future, Fastaff intends to use data science to push the boundaries of current recruiting methods. Beer adds, We want to be able to mine volumes of data and forecast the demand for nurses in a particular specialty and during a particular time. Big data and Denodos data virtualization technology will help us to accomplish this strategy. We are excited to have been selected by Fastaff to swiftly integrate nurse and employer data, which are dispersed across multiple systems, said Ravi Shankar, CMO at Denodo. Fastaff and U.S. Nursings impending use of predictive analytics to anticipate the demand for nurses even before they occur is avant-garde, and Denodos advanced data virtualization features such as best-in-class performance optimization techniques and self-service search and data discovery capabilities are well suited to meet these needs by accelerating the process from weeks to days. Please Tweet: News: @fastaff_nursing selects @Denodo for #DataVirtualization to Accelerate Nurse Placement and Recruitment http://bit.ly/2ao5sWx About Fastaff Travel Nursing More than two decades ago, Fastaff pioneered the practice of Rapid Response travel nurse staffing. Since then, the company has grown to become the leading provider of urgent and crucial temporary nurses to help hospitals provide continuous, high-quality patient care, while offering premium pay to nurses. In partnering with many of the nations largest and most prestigious healthcare facilities as well as small community hospitals, Fastaff provides enriching employment opportunities to nurses while also providing the highest pay in the industry to meet acute staffing needs and provide unparalleled patient care. In 2016, Fastaff was voted the top 8th workplace in Colorado by the Denver Post. Visit http://www.fastaff.com for more information and connect with Fastaff on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Fastaff and Rapid Response are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned or licensed to Fastaff, LLC. About Denodo Denodo is the leader in data virtualization providing agile, high performance data integration and data abstraction across the broadest range of enterprise, cloud, big data and unstructured data sources, and real-time data services at half the cost of traditional approaches. Denodos customers across every major industry have gained significant business agility and ROI by enabling faster and easier access to unified business information needs for agile BI, big data analytics, web and cloud integration, single-view applications, and enterprise data services. Denodo is well-funded, profitable and privately held. For more information, visit http://www.denodo.com or call +1 877 556 2531 / +44 (0) 20 7869 8053. The group tours a commercial gillnet vessel. Because of the level of care that goes into it, I'm willing to pay a premium because I know he's bleeding his fish...people are really paying attention to that and caring about that, it is really differentiating. Whats the ultimate way to celebrate the best wild salmon in the world? To share it, of course! To round out a fantastic Copper River sockeye salmon season, the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association (CR/PWSMA) hosted five food writers in Cordova, Alaska to show them everything about the Copper River salmon fishery. This group of talented women included: Lauren Grier, food writer Diane Morgan, cookbook author and culinary instructor Kim Sunee, cookbook author, food writer and journalist for Alaska Dispatch News Kenzi Wilbur, managing editor at Food52 Morgan Ione Yeager, food photographer and contributor at The Coastal Table The writers kicked off their tour with an introduction to pristine Copper River habitat at the Copper River Watershed Project, followed by a scenic journey to the Copper River sonar station operated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). The writers were guided on the breathtaking Copper River delta by a local US Forest Service ranger. Not only did they take in stunning glacier views, they also learned about sustainable management of the Copper River salmon fishery. They followed this tour with a management presentation given at the local ADF&G office to better understand the excellent fishery management practices used in the State of Alaska. After chatting with a few fishermen and becoming familiar with their craft, the writers plunged right in with a trip to the Copper River Flats to fish for salmon on a bowpicker, learning how and where Copper River salmon are caught. The following day, they toured a processing facility and saw the high level of care that is taken in handling, cutting and preparing the fish for market. The salmon immersion continued when the writers cooked salmon at home, attended a community dinner and viewed wild sockeye salmon spawning in a local stream. All five women left Cordova impressed by the elegant complexities of fishery management, the incredible natural habitat, the passion these fishermen have for their work, and the natural premium quality of Copper River salmon. Said Morgan, the most fruitful was what a watershed encompasses and how a wild species can be caught and managed sustainably. They also spoke to the high level of quality that is evident in Copper River salmon. Diane said, Because of that level of care that goes into it, Im willing to pay a premium because I know hes bleeding his fishpeople are really paying attention to that and caring about that, it is really differentiating. Visit our website to learn more about Copper River salmon. You can find Copper River salmon retailers near you using our locator. The Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association, a fishermen funded regional seafood development association, works on behalf of the 500-plus commercial salmon fishermen of Coastal South Central Alaska. The association works to build brand awareness for wild Copper River king, sockeye and coho as well as Prince William Sound sockeye, keta, and pink salmon. For additional information contact: Christa Hoover, Executive Director info(at)copperrivermarketing(dot)org http://www.copperriversalmon.org Copper River/PWS Marketing Association Box 199, Cordova, Alaska 99574 t: 907.424.3459 f: 907.424-3430 Elisa Cascade, MBA, DrugDev President of Data Solutions We congratulate Elisa and thank her for her passion for disrupting the clinical trial process, driving change and ultimately helping sponsors, sites and CROs do more trials together. DrugDev executive Elisa Cascade has been named to the prestigious PharmaVOICE 100 list of the most inspiring people in the life sciences industries for her contributions to enabling pharma to use data and collaborate to improve clinical trial efficiencies. A driving force behind the revolutionary DrugDev Golden Number, Elisa is passionate about helping sponsors and CROs create a single source of the truth for global investigators and sites in order to improve relationships and transform clinical trial operations. Leading pharmaceutical companies, CROs and industry collaborations rely on the universal identifier to help them make better site selection decisions and to improve holistic investigator relationships by tracking activity across many eClinical systems. Elisa was chosen as a top Technologist for this years prestigious group. Read her full profile here: bit.ly/ElisaCascadePharmaVOICE100 Taren Grom, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of PharmaVOICE, explained, Were delighted to welcome Elisa Cascade to this years PharmaVOICE 100. When you talk with Elisa you immediately understand her commitment to helping customers use their data better to make more informed decisions. Elisa is recognized in the international pharma community for her passion to create new ways for pharma sponsors and CROs to work together to increase clinical trial efficiency and decrease investigator burden. DrugDev President and CEO Ibraheem Ibs Mahmood a PharmaVOICE 100 alumnus said, The only surprising thing about Elisa being honored on this years list is that its her debut appearance. As a testament to her industry knowledge and business acumen, she spent nearly two decades at Quintiles, inevitably rising to Vice President of the Digital Patient Unit before joining DrugDev in 2013. Elisa isnt just a master of data; she is also at the vanguard of helping customers find the beauty and significance of information to make smart decisions. Im certain Elisa will continue to inspire change throughout clinical research with her leadership. And Im equally as confident that we are barely scratching the surface of the power of the Golden Number she has created for our industry. Elisa has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical research, market research, brand strategy, sales force deployment, health economics and pricing. At DrugDev Elisa is responsible for the part of the unified, cloud-based DrugDev platform that matches clinical personnel and facilities to a universal identifier called the DrugDev Golden Number. The DrugDev Golden Number and broader suite of data searching/hosting and mastering functions in the DrugDev platform power both individual customers and collaborations like the TransCelerate Investigator Registry, the TransCelerate Shared Investigator Platform, and the Investigator Databank. Elisa has an MBA from The Wharton School and a B.S. with High Honors and High Distinction from the University of Michigan. Elisa Cascade said, Im very grateful to PharmaVOICE for including me in this group of truly inspiring people. I share the honor with my colleagues at DrugDev and of course with our customers, who helped shape the vision of what were trying to achieve and have spent many months and years collaborating to make the Golden Number a reality. Its an absolute honor to be named among the other leaders on this list, and an inspiration to see the industry coming together more and more each day to improve the way we work with sites and run our clinical trials. About DrugDev DrugDevs unified clinical suite enables sponsors, CROs and sites to do more trials through industry-wide collaboration, standardization and a beautiful technology experience. Featuring solutions for global site payments, site identification and activation, workflow optimization, learning management, and site and patient engagement, DrugDev helps companies transform the quality and efficiency of clinical trials from startup through closeout. The company also powers the revolutionary TransCelerate Investigator Registry and Investigator Databank collaborations with the universal identifier known as the DrugDev Golden Number. Learn why 9 of the top 10 sponsors and 4 of the top 5 CROs trust DrugDev technology at drugdev.com. Extensis Logo Through our partnership with Typefi, were focused on applying the benefits of font management to automated publishing workflows so fonts cant wreak havoc. Extensis announced today it is partnering with Typefi, the worlds leading provider of single-source automated software for print, online and mobile publishing. The companies will integrate Extensis font management solutions with Typefis end-to-end publishing platform, eliminating font issues that can derail the automated process. Fonts are critical to all steps in the publishing process. They can also be the source of time consuming mishaps. Just one incorrect font can disrupt automated processes and put projects behind schedule, said Toby Martin, VP of Development & Strategy at Extensis. Through our partnership with Typefi, were focused on applying the benefits of font management to automated publishing workflows so fonts cant wreak havoc. Typefi helps customers publish any content to any format, faster. Our goal is to help customers get their content to market quickly, whilst maintaining accuracy and supporting beautifully-crafted design, said Caleb Clauset, Typefi VP Product. Were excited to work with Extensis to further accelerate Typefi workflows by integrating seamless font management. Further details of the collaboration will be released in the weeks ahead. About Typefi Founded in 2001, Typefi empowers publishers to publish more content to more formats, faster, by automating the things publishers do every day. Working with organizations in over 20 countries around the world, Typefis portfolio of customers encompasses names such as Cambridge University Press, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Lonely Planet. For more information visit http://www.typefi.com. About Extensis Extensis font management solutions, including Universal Type Server and FontLink, help companies centralize their font collections, banish font issues and protect organizations from costly compliance issues. For more than two decades, Extensis has helped companies like CBS, Conde Nast and Hallmark streamline their font management so they can focus on their creative process. Celartem, Inc. d.b.a. Extensis All rights reserved. Extensis and the Extensis logo mark, Suitcase Fusion, Portfolio Server, Portfolio NetPublish, Portfolio Flow and Universal Type Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of Extensis in the United States of America, Canada, the European Union and/or other countries. This list of trademarks is not exhaustive. Other trademarks, registered trademarks, product names, company names, brands and service names mentioned herein are property of Extensis or other respective owners. Jesse Trimbach and his father, Joe, in the WNC Run/Walk for Autism Jesse is able to live on his own with support from the Autism Society of North Carolina. The Autism Society of North Carolina will hold its 11th annual WNC Run/Walk for Autism on Sunday, September 11. Runners and walkers of all ages participate in this fun family event, which will start at 1:30 p.m. on the UNC-Asheville campus. Last years race raised more than $46,000 as more than 700 participants, volunteers, and a variety of businesses joined to improve the lives of individuals with autism, support families affected by autism, and educate communities. The WNC Run/Walk for Autism will include a 5K race and a recreational 1K run/walk. The WNC Run/Walk for Autism also gives families a chance to celebrate autism awareness and acceptance with their community with activities for children, music, and refreshments. Vendor space will showcase local businesses, service providers, support resources, and sponsors. The Trimbach family of Asheville has been participating in the WNC Run/Walk for Autism ever since moving to the area six years ago. Jesse Trimbach, who is 28 and has autism, said, Its important to help raise money for people on the spectrum, so they can receive more services and benefits. I feel proud of joining the Run/Walk. Jesses mother, Kathy Trimbach, said, Jesse is able to live on his own with support from the Autism Society of North Carolina. Their staff is trained in autism, since it is their primary focus. And its a collaborative effort between parents and the workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as one out of every 59 children born today will be diagnosed with some form of autism in North Carolina. Proceeds from the WNC Run/Walk for Autism will fund local programs of the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC), the leading statewide resource organization serving people across the spectrum throughout their lifespans: Residential, recreational, vocational, and community-based services that make it possible for individuals with autism to lead fulfilling lives Financial assistance for families in crisis in the Asheville area Support groups, advocacy, and workshops for caregivers and professionals Please visit http://www.runwalkforautism.com or call 800-442-2762 to register, join a team, form a team, sponsor, donate, or volunteer. Background: Claycomb with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus The 2016 Republican National Convention was a major event awaited by Republicans all across the nation. Held in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, between July 18 and July 21, 2016, it attracted a number of notable supporters and prominent figures, including Lloyd Claycomb - the current CEO and Chairman of the Board of United Builders Service, Inc. and AviBree Real Estate Holding, Inc. Recently appointed as Chairman of the Arizona Trump Victory campaign by the RNC, Mr. Claycomb was personally invited to partake in the high-profile event. The Cleveland 2016 Convention presented an excellent opportunity for Lloyd Claycomb to meet with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and discuss policy changes, the Trump campaign, and funding for the Republican Party - all pressing matters that can lay the foundation for an upcoming historic success for the party and nominee. Held significantly earlier than previous election cycles, the Convention allows access to crucial general election funds earlier to give their nominee a strong advantage heading into Election Day. Claycomb, as a major financial donor who raised over $1M for the RNC and Trump Victory campaign, is a firm believer in harnessing the Convention's potential to bridge the communication gap in order to provide voters with the information they need. As an avid philanthropist and supporter of various causes such as autism awareness and many charitable organizations such as Amazing Facts, Our Children International, Maranatha International Volunteers, The Suva, Fiji Mission and the recently launched Our Warriors at Home, Lloyd Claycomb's vision aligned with that of the Host Committee in working with Destination Cleveland as well as several civic and public organizations including the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, TeamNEO, JumpStart, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Neighborhood Progress, Downtown Cleveland Alliance and BioEnterprise, as well as a range of for-profit organizations for the creation and curation of important information. Over $200 million in direct funding, 50,000 visitors, 18 million views on Facebook alone, and over 4.5 million views on YouTube Live demonstrated that the Republican National Convention in Cleveland was, indeed, a success on multiple levels. Hundreds of members of the media and Republican messengers conducted thousands of interviews and many state and national government representatives were able to meet and discuss pressing concerns about the current political climate. Lloyd Claycomb met with Senator Jeff Sessions, Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, Governor of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Ben Carson, Laura Ingram and Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty, and other large donors and supporters of the Republican Party. As a strong supporter of immigration and education reform, Lloyd was able to lay out his views and experience in promoting the creation of sustainable and close-knit communities through the collective professional and personal efforts of local businesses and individuals and partake in ensuring this message reached millions of people nationwide. Quantifind, the company helping marketers eliminate their competitive blind spots and discover how to steal market share by focusing on only the data that drives revenue, today announced it has appointed Jim Harold as Chief Revenue Officer and Paul Emery as Vice President of Engineering. Both will be responsible for continuing to drive the company toward revenue growth and product innovation. The demand for analytics solutions like Quantifind is very high, which is why we have been growing rapidly as a company over the past year, said David Karnstedt, CEO Quantifind. Engineering and sales are key areas for the company as we focus on market expansion and continuing to attract top talent to expand our product capabilities. Were thrilled to welcome Jim and Paul to the team. Both come from impressive backgrounds and have exactly what it takes to position Quantifind as a leading force in the explanatory analytics space. Jim Harold has more than 20 years of expertise driving double-digit growth in businesses with enterprise B2B solutions at the intersection of data, software, and analytics. Previously he was the Group Vice President of Consumer at Acxiom Corporation where he was responsible for a $170+ million business unit including sales, sales support, industry marketing, solution delivery, account management and product management. Prior to Acxiom, Jim was Senior Global Vice President of Sales, Business Performance Solutions Group at Information Resources. "Marketers have mandates to grow revenue and drive sales, but we hear daily how they struggle to find the true signals in the massive amounts of data they analyze, said Jim Harold. My experience in the industry has made it even more apparent that the market needs a company like Quantifind. We help marketers cut through the noise of data overload, refine the information into what matters most and identify what specifically drives revenue. I am excited to join this team and for the future of the company." Paul Emery joins Quantifind from Womply, one of the fastest growing merchant-focused software companies in America, where he was Vice President of Engineering. He brings 25 years of experience in scaling and managing SaaS application development, Big Data infrastructure, test automation and technical operations at venture-backed startups in addition to publicly traded software companies. Prior to Womply, Paul held the role of Executive Vice President of Engineering at Marin Software where he scaled the engineering organization in preparation for the companys IPO in 2013. Too much data is paralyzing marketers. Quantifinds productized data science zeroes in on the data that actually matters. It filters out the noise that doesnt drive revenue and reveals the hidden signals that do, said Paul Emery. Quantifinds approach to unlocking the full potential of data impressed me from the start, and Im eager to leverage my experience to help the company scale and continue on its track of innovation. These appointments come on the heels of a $30 million funding announcement in February led by global investment firm Cathay Innovation, and a recent launch of SIGNUM Analysis, a cloud-based, self-service analytics application that gives marketers a new and innovative way to identify consumer data that drives business performance. About Quantifind Quantifind was founded to help people make better decisions that combine human intuition with the voice of intelligent data. We are a data science company that eliminates your blind spots around where, why and how competitors are impacting your business, and reveals new ways to steal market share. Our productized data science filters out the noise that doesnt drive revenue and finds the hidden signals that do. We provide an intuitive explanatory analytics platform, SIGNUM, anybody can use to discover the biggest opportunities for growth. Quantifinds clients include some of the worlds most well-known brands spanning multiple industries including automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), movies, pharmaceuticals, restaurants, and telecom. Our team is currently 80+ people strong and growing, with locations in Menlo Park, CA; Washington, DC; and New York, NY. For more information, please visit http://quantifind.com. Kerafast promotes access to rare and unique research reagents and helps to facilitate a community of both Providing and Procuring laboratories that work toward the cure of disease Kerafast Inc., developers of an online platform to facilitate accessibility to unique bioresearch materials from laboratories across the globe, today announced an increase in the number of international institutional laboratories adding reagents and services to its catalog. Kerafast now offers reagents and services from 142 partnering academic research institutions, of which 14% are located outside the United States. Recent international institutions to have joined the program include from Israel, Ramot - Tel Aviv University's business engagement center; from Canada, the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University; the University of Gottingen Medical Center in Germany, the University of Oslo in Norway, and Flinders University in Australia. Kerafast promotes access to rare and unique research reagents and helps to facilitate a community of both Providing and Procuring laboratories that work toward the cure of disease, said Dr. Jennifer Rossi, Kerafasts Chief Operating Officer. We are pleased to add more international academic institutions to broaden our portfolio and help to disseminate research materials. These new international partnerships add a variety of unique products to Kerafasts catalog including complement antibodies, reversible streptavidin protein, carboxypeptidase antibody, zebrafish circadian clock model services and cancer angiogenesis services. Since its founding in late 2011, Kerafasts catalog has grown to more than 2,600 products. Through the companys efforts, many rare and unique research materials previously hidden in laboratory freezers have been made available to scientists worldwide via a straightforward research use only click license. Kerafast plans to continue its European and Asia-Pacific expansion over the coming year. About Kerafast, Inc. Kerafast has partnered with >140 prominent academic research institutions internationally that provide thousands of rare and unique Reagents for the Greater Good for the benefit of the scientific community working toward the cure of disease in 52 countries on 6 continents. Visit kerafast.com for more information. Contact: Lisa Merolla Marketing Communications Manager Kerafast Inc. 617.982.7077 lisa.merolla(at)kerafast(dot)com ### Seakeeper Inc., the leader in marine stabilization, announced today the launch of a new trade-in program, offering Seakeeper owners the opportunity to receive as much as a 50 percent discount when upgrading to a new model. The unique program offers customers a streamlined valuation process that makes it easier and more affordable to enjoy the latest Seakeeper technology. Were thankful for the more than 3,000 loyal customers who share our vision and continue to make Seakeeper a success, said Andrew Semprevivo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. With a quick visit to our website, they can upgrade to our newest models with the confidence theyre getting the best price and the best service possible. We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to experience the future of Seakeeper. Through a trade-in portal on the Seakeeper website, customers can enter their current model and automatically receive the discounted pricing on a new unit of their choosing. All current Seakeeper owners will have access to the world-class support of Seakeepers global installation network as well as a two-year warranty on the new Seakeeper model. Kits are also available to adapt existing boat configurations to new Seakeeper models. About Seakeeper Inc. Founded in 2003 by a successful entrepreneur and a naval architect, Seakeeper is the global leader in marine stabilization. Seakeepers innovative technology changes the boating experience by eliminating up to 95 percent of all boat roll, the rocking motion that causes seasickness, fatigue and anxiety. Since selling its first gyro in 2008, Seakeeper has developed a growing catalog of models for an expanding range of boat sizes. Based in California, Maryland, USA, the company has over 125 employees globally, based in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Germany, Dubai and Singapore. Dressed in Black performing at the 2015 Night of Miracles At Zunesis, we believe we're all stronger when we work together. Zunesis is excited to announce Saturday, November 12, 2016, as the date for their fifth annual Night of Miracles. The Night of Miracles is an evening to celebrate having raised the funds to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a hard-working family in Denver, and it has become an annual tradition at Zunesis. The event, which will be held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will feature Zunesis 2016 Habitat partner family, who will receive the keys to their new home during the event. To keynote the event, Zunesis is bringing back international speaker and 9-time New York Times bestselling author, Don Yeager. For nearly a decade, Zunesis has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver in numerous ways, from donating time at corporate build days on Habitat construction sites, to financial donations, to spearheading their own fundraising efforts. The last of these was the original idea behind the Night of Miracles. Zunesis wanted to do more than support Habitat for Humanity on their own; they wanted to provide an avenue for their valued business partners to join them in giving back to the community. At Zunesis, we believe that were all stronger when we work together. Thats why we wanted to create a way for those who partner with us in business to also partner with us in making a positive impact on our community, said Zunesis CEO, Steve Shaffer. Over the years, the Night of Miracles has become an event where multiple businesses work together to achieve one goal: raising enough money to build a home for a family in their community. The evening itself will be a black tie event consisting of cocktails and dinner. Guests will enjoy access to select museum exhibits as well as an inspiring keynote. Most importantly, they will witness just how impactful their donations are as a familys life is changed forever when they receive the keys to their new home. For more information about the Night of Miracles, please reference the attached documents. About Zunesis Zunesis is a leading IT solution provider with locations in Colorado and Nevada. Our vision centers around an intense focus on serving our customers and bringing value to their business through strategic IT solutions. In 2015, Zunesis was added to the CRN Next-Gen 250 list, recognizing them for their innovation and forward-thinking in the industry. Later, in March 2016, Zunesis was named to the CRN TechElite 250 for the 7th consecutive year as a best-of-breed solution provider with deep technical expertise and premier certifications. For more information, visit our website, the Zunesis Blog; or follow us on LinkedIn. Schools are showing all of us how virtual reality will be used in the future Hundreds of thousands of U.S. K-12 students are heading back to school to learn with immersive virtual reality from zSpace. The Silicon Valley education company announced today that more than 400 K-12 school districts across the United States have adopted the all-in-one screen virtual reality desktop featuring education software that is easy-to-use, natural and intuitive to support their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum, as well as art and social studies. Schools are showing all of us how virtual reality will be used in the future,said Paul Kellenberger, zSpace CEO. zSpace created the technology and the content, but its the teachers and students who have found amazing ways to use it to learn and discover, whether theyre solving physics problems, studying cells or creating 3D models. Theyre on the forefront of discovering how virtual reality can be used to enhance our daily lives. zSpaces solution features the world's only virtual reality stylus, allowing students to interact with virtual objects and really understand the science behind them. Unlike other VR solutions, such as head-mounted displays, zSpace enables interaction and group collaboration. And now with the following new software updates, zSpace for Education is an even more powerful environment for learning: Curies Elements, featuring atomic structure and relationships in Chemistry Euclids Shapes, featuring Common Core Math for grades 2 through 7 Windows 10, enabling other instructional experiences including testing Earlier this summer, zSpace also announced: Partnership with Visible Body to bring its more than 4,000 anatomical structures in Human Anatomy Atlas to the platform Collaboration with Google Expeditions to create an end-to-end virtual reality classroom experience In addition to K-12 schools, medical schools and universities are also using zSpace for Health Sciences, CTE, and vocational training programs, not only in the United States, but around the world. In China, there are four Centers of Excellence, where students not only study STEM subjects, but culture and arts, as well. To ensure that all students around the country get a chance to see this transformative technology, this fall, zSpace is traveling to schools and school districts to demonstrate the latest in VR-based learning experiences for science, technology, engineering, art and math curriculums in its Virtual Reality Mobile Classroom. Beginning on August 15, these mobile vehicles will travel the east and west coasts, empowering students to learn by doing. About zSpace zSpace is a leading-edge technology provider that delivers a new way of learning with its flagship product, zSpace. Focused on STEM education, medical instruction, and corporate training, zSpace inspires and accelerates understanding through real world virtual reality. zSpace was named Cool Vendor by Gartner, Inc. and awarded Best New Product by Tech and Learning Magazine. zSpace is a privately held, venture backed company located in Sunnyvale, California, and has been granted more than 30 patents for its innovative technologies. For more information, visit http://www.zspace.com, or follow on Twitter @zSpace. EiQ Networks EiQs SOCVue offering is designed for organizations, such as Bay Federal Credit Union, that must meet very strict regulatory compliance mandates, said Kim Ann King, Vice President of Marketing, EiQ Networks. EiQ Networks, a pioneer in hybrid security as a service, today announced that Bay Federal Credit Union has selected its SOCVue Security Monitoring service to augment the companys overall security posture, provide visibility into its network infrastructure, and satisfy regulatory compliance requirements. EiQ was selected by Bay Federal Credit Union after a careful vendor selection process. EiQ was chosen for its substantial hybrid security as a service offerings and the ability to thoroughly meet Bay Federal Credit Unions cybersecurity requirements. EiQ has greatly enhanced our overall security posture and has provided substantial network transparency to our IT staff as promised, said Tonee Picard, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Bay Federal Credit Union. Utilizing EiQs SOCVue Security Monitoring, we are able to quickly determine the sources of potential attacks and resolve the issues efficiently and effectively. The value of this solution continually impresses the security team at Bay Federal Credit Union. EiQ has proven to be a great and effective tool for managing our network security. EiQs SOCVue offering is designed for organizations, such as Bay Federal Credit Union, that must meet very strict regulatory compliance mandates, said Kim Ann King, Vice President of Marketing, EiQ Networks. Our affordable and effective hybrid security-as-a-service approach is ideal for mid-market organizations that need to protect themselves against an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. About SOCVue from EiQ Networks SOCVue is the only hybrid security as a service that combines people, process, and technology to deliver a cost-effective information security program, including: Co-managed SIEM & Log Management Continuous Vulnerability Management 24x7x365 Security Monitoring by Expertly Trained EiQ SOC Security Analysts Proactive and Continuous Critical Security Controls Auditing Incident Analysis, Notification, and Remediation Guidance Compliance Reporting EiQ Networks is now offering SOCVue Starter Package pricing options. Learn more by visiting: https://www.eiqnetworks.com/managed-services/pricing. About EiQ Networks EiQ, a pioneer in hybrid security as a service, is transforming how mid-market organizations build enterprise-class security programs. Acting as an extension of our customers IT teams, EiQ provides continuous security operations based on best-of-breed technology at a fraction of the cost of alternate solutions. EiQ is a trusted advisor to organizations that need to improve their IT security and compliance posture and protect against cyber threats and vulnerabilities. For more information, visit: https://www.eiqnetworks.com. The Coalatree Kachula V2 is now available for preorder only on Kickstarter.com We wanted to create something more than your average sleeping bag or travel blanket. Something that could be used not just by the avid traveler or outdoor adventurer, but by urban dwellers from all walks of life. Charlie Bessey - Coalatree Founder. Coalatree announced today that it is raising funds on Kickstarter to complete the roll-out of its revolutionary outdoor adventure blanket, The Kachula 2.0. The first iteration of The Kachula was released in 2014 and sold through global retailers including Backcountry.com, Swell, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon. The Kachula 1.0 was a huge success, selling out in both reseller marketplaces and Coalatrees own online store. But, the dedicated Coalatree team, led by Founder Charlie Bessey, knew the blanket could be even better. Over the next two years, Bessey and his team poured over features, capabilities, and design. Ultimately creating The Kachula 2.0, featuring multi-purpose applications, reinforced snaps, waterproof technical fabric, double-sided zippers, and countless other upgrades. We wanted to create something more than your average sleeping bag or travel blanket, Bessey said, Something that could be used not just by the avid traveler or outdoor adventurer, but by urban dwellers from all walks of life. The Kachula 2.0 will be crafted from an eco-friendly, waterproof flannel with ripstop nylon backing sourced from the bluesign, eco-friendly Everest Textile Mill in Taiwan. But, the next step for Coalatree is to work with a producer in America to bring The Kachula 2.0 to life. Funding the roll-out and initial product run is an expensive undertaking. Which lead Coalatree to turn to crowdfunding opportunities. With Kickstarter and the power of the community, we know we can turn The Kachula 2.0 into a reality, said Bessey. Check out the Kickstarter campaign HERE About Coalatree Coalatree, founded in 2010, is dedicated to inspiring sustainability and self-reliance - one grow-bag, one recycled t-shirt, and one community at a time. Sourcing only the finest sustainable materials from throughout the world, Coalatree crafts products from organic and recycled materials. Check out Coalatree products and mission on the Website, Facebook, Instagram, or call +1-385-557-4303. One challenge an electrical engineer faces during the design phase is getting accurate and usable symbols and footprints. Accelerated Designs library is the worlds largest library for EDA symbols and footprints, offering over 7.2 million quality parts. EMA Design Automation (ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, has just announced the acquisition of Accelerated Designs, a company known for its dominance in EDA part library content and solutions including a 7.2-million-part database and its specialist library tool Ultra Librarian. One of the many challenges an electrical engineer faces during the design phase is getting accurate and usable symbols and footprints, said Manny Marcano, president of EMA Design Automation. Accelerated Designs library is the worlds largest library for EDA symbols and footprints, offering over 7.2 million quality parts to choose from. Additionally, Accelerated Designs offers services to enable any IC vendor to quickly and easily create the EDA library content its customers need when choosing their components. The acquisition includes all EDA content and software created by Accelerated Designs. We also hired all of Accelerated Designs existing personnel, both to retain their expertise and so that existing Accelerated Designs customers will experience a business-as-usual transition through the change in ownership, said Marcano. Becoming part of EMA allows me and my team to focus on our core expertise: EDA part creation, library tools, and services, said Frank Frank, president and CEO of Accelerated Designs. With EMAs help in marketing and business development, well be able to expand our offerings and provide more value to our customers. In addition to the existing library of parts, Accelerated Designs Ultra Librarian tool speeds the creation of EDA content for new components. The tool uses the concept of templates to create parts, which increases accuracy, speed, and consistency of part creation and allows global changes to be made to a library. Automation is the key component to the Ultra Librarian tool, allowing a user to build their component accurately one time and then export it to the CAD tool(s) of their choice. Digi-Key partnered with Accelerated Designs in 2015 to provide the unique ability to generate symbols and footprints in the specific format for nearly any EDA tool, said Randall Restle, Digi-Key vice-president of applications engineering. This allows our customers to quickly and easily design in new parts or even obtain customized libraries from a pool of hundreds of thousands of Digi-Keys parts, indexed with a Digi-Key part number, and compatible with their EDA tool. Our successful history with both EMA and Accelerated Designs encourages me that the combination will be a positive change for Digi-Key and our customers. Symbol and Footprint generation has always been a void in the market. EDA vendors have largely ignored it as they need to focus on the features of the EDA toolset. EMA now owns a tremendous wealth of symbol and footprint content, and my goal is to rapidly evolve the Accelerated Designs library to be the Gold Standard for the EDA industry, said Marcano. To learn more about Accelerated Designs, go to accelerated-designs.com and for more information about EMA go to ema-eda.com or call 585.334.6001. About EMA Design Automation, Inc. EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, product lifecycle management systems, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA manufactures TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at ema-eda.com for more information. # # # EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace and the EMA logo are registered trademarks and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc. Cadence and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners. West Monroe Partners, a full-service North American business and technology consultancy, today announced that Mark Huson has joined the firm as a director, based in Seattle, and co-leader of the Mergers & Acquisitions practice in the Pacific Northwest. Huson has more than 18 years of consulting experience, with expertise in organic and inorganic growth strategies, strategic and financial diligence, and merger integration for leading organizations in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Mark is an accomplished consultant and a proven practice leader with the right blend of functional, industry, and technology expertise necessary to tackle the complexities of a merger, acquisition or other transaction, said Brian Paulen, managing director and leader of West Monroes Seattle office. His track record for driving transaction value is exemplary, and he brings valuable strategic and tactical experience to our clients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Mark joins West Monroe Partners from PwC Advisory in Seattle, where he worked with both private equity and strategic buyers on engagements ranging from diligence to post-deal integration planning, execution and optimization. His experience includes work with companies in an array of industries, including technology, communications, banking, insurance, healthcare, consumer goods, retail, hospitality, mining, aerospace, and transportation. This is an exciting time to be helping organizations evaluate, pursue and execute transactions as a path to growth and differentiation, said Huson. West Monroe Partners has distinguished itself as a firm that is able to support organizations from deal evaluation and integration strategy to execution and beyond. I look forward to lending my experience and also continuing to refine my skills as part of our accomplished team. Prior to joining PwC, Mark was a vice president at Kaiser Associates in Washington D.C. and Seattle where he led the firms US Technology & Communications practice and founded its Seattle office. He was also previously an associate in the Financial Services practice at Booz Allen & Hamilton and began his career with Andersen Consultings Financial Services practice in San Francisco. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from Santa Clara University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. About West Monroe Partners West Monroe is a progressive business and technology consulting firm that partners with dynamic organizations to reimagine, build, and operate their businesses at peak performance. Our team of more than 800 professionals is comprised of an uncommon blend of business consultants and deep technologists. This unique combination of expertise enables us to design, develop, implement, and run strategic business and technology solutions that yield a dramatic commercial impact on our clients profitability and performance. mreff Perhaps the most significant portion of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's July 12 500-page unanimous ruling on the South China Sea is the decision on Mischief Reef. According to the ruling, the reef and everything on it legally belongs to the Philippines. This is in spite of China's reclamation of approximately 5,580,000 square meters of land, and the construction of a 9,800-foot runway, radar nests, and what some experts have speculated is a soon-to-be naval base. scs mreef Mischief Reef falls within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines and lies approximately 129 nautical miles from Palawan and 51 nautical miles from Nanshan Island, which is occupied by the Philippines. However, within a day of the PCA's decision, China landed a civilian aircraft on the disputed reef for the first time. Chinese state-run media published photos of the flight crew posing in front of the plane at the newly constructed airport. "That timing was clearly a signal of discontent of the ruling," Gregory Poling, director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider. "The court ruled China's initial occupation of Mischief Reef and its construction of facilities there illegal, so every day that China continues to make use of those facilities it is violating international law." Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 11.04.03 AM Meanwhile, Beijing maintains the Hague-based court ruling has no bearing on its rights in the South China Sea and has therefore reasserted its territorial claims to Mischief Reef. "As I've said before, it [ruling] won't have any effect," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, when asked if China would seek to bolster its sovereignty over the disputed reef. Story continues Earlier this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "impossible" for the ruling to become irrelevant since it is legally binding. flipped mreef The latest sentiment from China makes the Mischief Reef a continued flash point within the region. This is only exacerbated as the US has agreed to continue sailing warships within the area as a pledge to upholding freedom-of-navigation in the region. The US has also agreed to warn China to cease further development of islands within the Philippines' EEZ. Reuters contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: The US Navy just flexed its muscles in the world's most contested region More From Business Insider United Benefit Advisors (UBA), the nations leading independent employee benefits advisory organization, is pleased to welcome Paradigm Group as its newest Partner Firm. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1996, Paradigm Group is an award-winning agency and Middle Tennessees largest independently owned employee benefits consultant and health insurance broker. Their mission is to help their clients stay competitive, compliant, and in command of their employee benefits and human resource programs. We are delighted to announce our new partnership with UBA, says Paradigm Group President & CEO, Bob Levy. This strategic relationship will bolster Paradigm Groups mission to keep our clients competitive, compliant and in command of their benefits programs by providing access to expert resources within UBA. We look forward to working with fellow UBA Partners across the country to share learnings and ideas as we work to provide value and support to our clients. Recipients of the 2015 and 2016 Nashville Business Journal Best Places to Work and The Tennessean Top Work Places awards, Paradigm Groups competitive advantage is their people their high-level expertise and experience combined with a shared commitment to excellence and advocacy for their clients. Their emphasis on teamwork means that a hand-selected team of benefits and human resource subject matter experts supports each client. Their core values of excellence, advocacy, teamwork, collegiality, work/life balance, and relationships based on mutual trust and respect are the lifeblood of Paradigm Groups culture and business approach. Everything from their longevity in the community they serve, their size as being the largest independently-owned insurance broker in Middle Tennessee, and the multiple awards theyve won for being one of the best places to work makes Paradigm Group a sensational fit with the UBA family of Partner Firms, says UBA CEO Les McPhearson. Its evident that the emphasis they place on quality, excellence, and a total commitment to their clients is what separates them from their competition and enhances their growth. As the newest Partner Firm of UBA, Paradigm Group joins a network of employee benefits advisory firms that serve employers of all sizes across the United States, Canada, and Europe. As a combined group, UBAs annual employee benefit revenues rank it among the top five employee benefit advisory organizations in the U.S. ABOUT Paradigm Group Paradigm Group is Middle Tennessees leading health insurance broker/consultant delivering custom benefits solutions to prominent employers in Nashvilles business community. Paradigm Group provides unbiased vendor guidance tailored to your business needs. Averaging more than 15 years of experience, our dedicated team of consultants are ready to help you determine the best benefits offerings while meeting the highest standards of compliance and employee satisfaction. Our business approach is guided by our core values that cultivate excellence, teamwork, and mutual trust with our valued clients, carriers, and vendors. This approach has resulted in more than 20 years of successful advocacy on our clients behalf. For more information, visit http://www.paradigmgroup.net. ABOUT United Benefit Advisors United Benefit Advisors (UBA) is the nations leading independent employee benefits advisory organization with more than 200 offices throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. UBA empowers more than 2,000 Partners to both maintain their individuality and pool their expertise, insight, and market presence to provide best-in-class services and solutions. Employers, advisors and industry-related organizations interested in obtaining powerful results from the shared wisdom of our Partners should visit http://www.UBAbenefits.com. # # # Digital Marketing Academy launches Many of our clients want to know how to better engage their audiences across these [social] platforms, and are looking for guidance. Chutes Digital Marketing Academy will give marketers the foundation they need to expand their social strategies. Today, Chute, the leading platform for powering enterprise user-generated content for brands and destinations, launched the industrys first free, self-paced digital marketing academy, complete with 19 courses covering everything from establishing a brand voice to partnering with influencers to measurement and tracking. Woven throughout the lessons are videos from industry experts, including David Berkowitz, principal, Serial Marketer; Jen Illescas, Senior PR and Content Manager, Karsh & Hagan; Kaitlin Godbey, communications specialist, Travel Nevada; and Matt Peters, founder and creative director, Pandemic Labs. The courses also includes supplemental materials, including research and quizzes. Marketers are constantly under pressure to take on new responsibilities, expand channels and engage with increasingly disparate audiences, Jody Farrar, Chutes VP of marketing and Digital Marketing Academy host said. We created the academy to address some of the basics of creating a digital strategy, to more advanced topics, like discovering and engaging with micro-influencers. Our hope is the academy will serve as a guide for digital marketers just getting started or as a great refresher for those with more experience. Keeping up with the changing rules, algorithms and unique characteristics of Facebook, Twitter Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest is a full-time job, said Matt Peters, founder and creative director, Pandemic Labs. Many of our clients want to know how to better engage their audiences across these platforms, and are looking for guidance. Chutes Digital Marketing Academy will give marketers the foundation they need to expand their social strategies. Academy participants will not only have the free online courses to complete but can also participate socially with a LinkedIn Group Chute Digital Marketing Academy. This will allow participants, as well as others within the industry, to ask questions of each other, share advice in real-time, and network with peers across industries and brands. Curriculum Content Creation: Creating engaging content starts with establishing your brand voice and understanding your audience. Without knowing both, your social strategies will not be as effective. This series covers best practices for creating video, from long-form to short-form. Well also cover how and when to use user-generated content, as well as how to reuse and repurpose content across platforms. Social Media Best Practices: While it may seem like 140 characters or a nice photo shouldnt take that much time, turns out if you want to do it right it does. In this series, well do a deep dive into todays hottest platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Influencer Partnerships: As influencer marketing becomes more commonplace, its important for marketers to know the various types of influencers - from niche to celebrity and the nuances of working with both, plus every type of influencer in between. This series will cover best practices for discovering and engaging with influencers in order to maximize desired results. Measuring Success: No social or digital campaign should start until goals have been established. Its important to know why you spend time and money on an initiative before you begin. Its also important to make sure every stakeholder agrees to the desired outcome and goals. Well also cover what you should measure and what you can measure (some platforms are more helpful than others). Other Details Entry into the Academy is limited. Upon acceptance into the Academy, participants will receive a login and instructions to begin the coursework. Each course is self-paced, so marketers can complete the lessons at their convenience. At the end of each section, theyll be required to complete a quiz, testing their knowledge of the material. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate. Participants should estimate completing the academy in 2-4 weeks. To register, go to http://bit.ly/ChuteDMAI. Wayne State University has received $200,000 from the McGregor Fund to develop a comprehensive plan for students who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as those experiencing difficulty in meeting basic non-academic needs. Without safe and reliable housing, or other basic needs being met, students cannot be successful in college, said Kate Levin Markel, president of the McGregor Fund. We are happy to support this initiative at Wayne State as it works to ensure that poverty and hardship do not stand in the way of earning a four-year degree. The McGregor Fund grant will allow Wayne State to investigate and respond to student homelessness and related needs such as health care, financial planning, and food insecurity on campus. The grant will be used by Wayne State's Transition to Independence Program (TIP), the Helping Individuals Go Higher (HIGH) program, and a committee working on an intensive planning and assessment effort in the summer of 2016 to create a stronger network of student support services and determine the full extent of student need. Through the newly established multidisciplinary Student Needs Committee, the programs will collaborate with on- and off-campus partners to address the issue. The Dean of Students Office will lead the planning phase. We knew the issue was bigger than we anticipated, so we will embark on a full-scale research and information gathering effort, said David Strauss, dean of students at Wayne State. We want all of our students to succeed and that means we need to do more from the non-academic side, too. The support of the McGregor Fund helps us do that. Wayne States First Lady Jacqueline Wilson founded the HIGH Program in 2013 when she met a Wayne State student who had experienced homelessness while attending school. Students in the HIGH Program receive short-term, emergency assistance with the goal of long-term stability and degree completion. We believe Wayne State is a place where every student can thrive, where something like housing insecurity should not hold back a student from success, said Mrs. Wilson. I am grateful to the McGregor Fund for their support of this initiative. Located in the School of Social Work, TIP seeks to improve college access and graduation rates of students from foster care backgrounds. The program provides a variety of wrap-around support services, including academic support, financial assistance, individual counseling, leadership development and more. TIP students are remarkable and show us that they can succeed academically when they are provided services that allow them to prioritize studies over worrying about how to obtain basic needs such as where they will sleep or how they will eat on a given night, said Angelique Day, assistant professor of social work and TIP director. Funding from the McGregor Fund will allow us to expand program capacity while providing critical support to our students that have aged-out of the foster care system. About the McGregor Fund The McGregor Fund is a private foundation established in 1925 by Tracy McGregor and his wife Katherine Whitney McGregor to relieve misfortune and promote the well being of mankind. The Fund has disbursed over $242 million in grants to nonprofits working in human services, health care, education and arts and culture. Learn more at http://www.mcgregorfund.org. Contact: Matt Lockwood Phone: 313-577-9098 Email: mlockwood(at)wayne(dot)edu We are so excited to help educate diesel businesses on the various ways they can utilize the power of internet marketing and adapt it to their business models. For the second year in a row, Autoshop Solutions CEO, Danny Sanchez, will speak at the Association of Diesel Specialists (ADS) Convention. The presentation will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Im honored to be invited back for a second year in a row, Sanchez said. We are so excited to help educate diesel businesses on the various ways they can utilize the power of internet marketing and adapt it to their business models. Sanchez will be presenting Targeting Customers Online: There Are No Silver Bullets, which will focus on getting the right kind of web traffic for diesel businesses. The diesel industry has not had the opportunity to learn about internet marketing, and because Autoshop Solutions understands their pain points the education is geared to address their real-world situations. Autoshop Solutions has had a relationship with the diesel industry for the past few years, and this is the second year Sanchez will be presenting at the convention. Autoshop Solutions client Williams Diesel Service is very involved with ADS, as the owners father is the President of the Association that hosts the convention. The diesel industry recognizes the need for education on internet marketing topics, said Sanchez. Were excited for the opportunity to provide that education to the industry and strengthen our relationship! Autoshop Solutions is an award-winning website design and Internet marketing agency based in Apex, NC. Since 2005, Autoshop Solutions has been helping the automotive industry with custom-designed websites and Internet marketing solutions, including Google Adwords, SEO, Social Media, Direct Mail, Custom Video, and more. For three years in a row, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Autoshop Solutions has been named to the Inc 5000 List of Americas Fastest Growing Companies and awarded seven years in a row by AutoInc. in the Top 10 Websites. Stay connected with Autoshop Solutions on Facebook and Twitter, or contact press(at)autoshopsolutions(dot)com for more information. (PRWEB) August 02, 2016 -- Nicole M. Goodwin, a 15-year legal veteran, a shareholder in the Phoenix office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and chair of the firms Phoenix Litigation Practice, has been elected vice chair of the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) Board of Directors. Goodwin has been involved with SARRC since 2007 and also chairs the Governance Committee. As vice chair, Goodwin helps lead the Board and provide strategic input and fiduciary oversight of the nonprofit organization. Nicole has consistently been a champion for families, specifically those outside of the Phoenix metropolitan area and in underserved communities, said Daniel Openden, SARRCs President & CEO. Nicole is an impactful leader in our community and has supported initiatives such as the expansion of SARRCs inclusive Community School, development of new diagnostic tools, and a partnership with sister nonprofit, First Place AZ, a first of its kind residential initiative for adults with autism. Additionally, Goodwin has been named administrative shareholder of the Phoenix office of Greenberg Traurig. As administrative shareholder, Goodwin will assist in building the firms presence as the Go To law firm in the Valley, mentoring younger lawyers, and enhancing the firms recruiting and business development efforts. Nicole exemplifies the firms culture of servant leadership. She demonstrates true commitment and a willingness to give back to the both our firm and community on a daily basis, said Bruce E. Macdonough, managing shareholder of the Phoenix office. Nicole is an inspiration to colleagues, clients, and all those who know her. About SARRC Established in 1997, the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) is an internationally recognized, community-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to autism research, education, evidence-based treatment and community outreach. SARRC is one of the only autism organizations in the world that provides a lifetime of services for individuals and their families while conducting cutting-edge research. For more information, visit http://www.autismcenter.org. About Greenberg Traurig Phoenix In Arizona, Greenberg Traurig counsels clients on a wide range of critical issues, such as dispute resolution, securities, labor and employment, real estate, public finance, bankruptcy and intellectual property matters. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1,900 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No. 1 on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, third largest in the U.S. on the 2015 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com. Judith Yanacek, President and CEO, New Vitae Wellness and Recovery. I am committed to continuing our companys tradition of offering services that support the successful achievement of recovery goals. New Vitae Wellness and Recovery is pleased to announce that President and CEO Judith Yanacek has obtained her license as a clinical social worker. Yanacek will utilize her clinical skills to advance additional evidence-based, trauma-informed supports for New Vitae Wellness and Recoverys residents and service participants. For Yanacek, education has been a gateway to further her vision of offering supportive care options to the individuals served by New Vitae Wellness and Recovery. I am committed to continuing our companys tradition of offering services that support the successful achievement of recovery goals, said Yanacek. My education and licensure provides a lens to assist others in obtaining or maintaining behavioral and emotional health. I cannot overemphasize the value of education, both for our residents, service participants and for the staff of New Vitae Wellness and Recovery. Yanaceks leadership and emphasis on education has yielded benefits for both employees and service users. In addition to company offerings for staff education, Yanacek also has teamed with local thought leaders to offer complimentary training sessions to community members. Employee benefits include a tuition reimbursement program for employees interested in pursuing higher education. Moreover, the organizations focus on providing educational supports has resulted in more than 40 individuals obtaining high school degrees or general equivalency diplomas (GED) while participating in behavioral health services. Many individuals also have obtained college credits while using New Vitaes Educational Department supports. For Yanacek, celebrating her successful licensure is tempered by her dedication to continue educational supports for others. I am excited to continue our custom of training and educational opportunities, said Yanacek. As we focus on long-term planning, New Vitae Wellness and Recovery expects to increase learning opportunities and supports for individuals served and employees alike in order to ensure personal and organizational success. About New Vitae Wellness and Recovery: New Vitae Wellness and Recovery offers a variety of behavioral health outpatient services, substance use disorder treatment, and brain injury supports. Emphasizing integrated and holistic healing options, all services are provided using the lens of the recovery model to ensure trauma-informed, strengths-based support. Our innovative, intensive care models have the option of blending clinical services with residential assistance to promote individualized wellness. Our continuum of housing options in Bucks, Lehigh, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania includes licensed personal care homes, 24/7 staffed apartments, supported independent living apartments, and a small licensed residential treatment facility for adults to maintain connections with local communities. New Vitae Wellness and Recovery sites include New Vitae Wellness and Recovery Center, New Vitae Philadelphia, New Vitae The Mitchell Clinic, Mount Trexler Manor, Quakertown House, and multiple Young Adult and Pathways apartments. We offer treatment tailored to the unique needs of veterans, young adults ages 18 to 25, and, through our Action Recovery services, those who have sustained brain injuries or have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual DisAbilities. Our specialized services include Intensive Outpatient Program, Certified Peer Support, deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. New Vitae Wellness and Recovery is proud to assist individuals and their families from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and other states across the country. To learn more about our services, please visit http://www.newvitaewellness.com. The Mount Sinai Hospital US News and World Report National Rankings The Mount Sinai Hospital has achieved Honor Roll status in this years U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals guidebook. Mount Sinai was ranked 15th in the nation, out of 20 hospitals on the Honor Roll and approximately 5,000 evaluated by U.S. News. Seven Mount Sinai Hospital departments ranked among the top 20 nationally in their specialties, and four others were among the top 50. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai was also ranked nationally, No. 10 in Ophthalmology. "We are extremely proud of our U.S. News rankings, which validate our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and team approach to personalized patient care," said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, CEO and President of the Mount Sinai Health System. "This is an exciting time for Mount Sinai as we continue to shape health care delivery, develop groundbreaking therapies and treatments, and continue to recruit and retain top physicians, researchers, and medical staff." The Mount Sinai Hospital received top-20 rankings in the following specialties: Geriatrics (No. 3), Gastroenterology/GI Surgery (No. 7), Cardiology/Heart Surgery (No. 8), Diabetes/Endocrinology (No. 11), Nephrology (No. 11), Neurology/Neurosurgery (No. 12), and Ear, Nose, and Throat (No. 20). Ranking in the top 50 were Urology (No. 29), Cancer (No. 38), Orthopedics (No. 42), and Pulmonology (No. 45). The hospital was also recognized as high performing in Gynecology, Psychiatry, and Rehabilitation. Mount Sinai has a legacy of groundbreaking scientific discoveries that have led to improved methods of diagnosing and treating human disease, said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. Our outstanding physicians and scientists ensure that we will continue to be at the cutting edge of biomedical science and clinical excellence. "We congratulate the staff of The Mount Sinai Hospital on their dedication to quality, safety, and service in treating our patients in our community and beyond," said David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor of Anesthesiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. These national rankings are the result of their exceptional care and efforts, and I remain confident that our staff will continue to receive high recognition in the years to come. Along with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System that received national recognition in the Best Hospitals rankings were: Mount Sinai Beth Israel, ranked as High Performing in Neurology/Neurosurgery. Mount Sinai St. Lukes/Mount Sinai West, ranked as High Performing in Neurology/ Neurosurgery and Nephrology. Additionally, The Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked third regionally in both the New York City and New York metro area, and Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Mount Sinai St. Lukes/Mount Sinai West were all ranked 19th regionally and 22nd in the New York metro area, respectively. Go to http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals to view the 2016-2017 edition of Best Hospitals. About the Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient servicesfrom community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nations top 10 hospitals in Geriatrics, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and Gastroenterology, and is in the top 25 in five other specialties in the 2014-2015 Best Hospitals issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinais Kravis Childrens Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. # # # IACET is the gold standard for CEUs, and were proud to deliver courses that comply with its high standards. RedVector, the leader in eLearning and workforce training solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), industrial and facility management industries, has been accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training(IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. RedVector training, which includes online construction courses and engineering continuing education, has proven its compliance with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. With the IACET accreditation achievement, RedVector is now able to offer complete training to Nebraska Engineer and Architect professionals with approved continuing education units or CEUs. In addition to IACET, RedVector has been granted approval for more than 100 accreditations from national and state boards and professional organizations. We are committed to producing high quality continuing education and training and to ensuring that our courses meet the requirements of top professional organizations, said Bobby Person, RedVector Product Director. IACET is the gold standard for CEUs, and were proud to deliver courses that comply with its high standards. About IACET: The International Association for Continuing Education and Training is the premier standards-setting organization for continuing education and training. IACETs strategic mission is to promote IACET standards as a benchmark for quality program delivery. IACET Accredited Providers are an elite group of educators dedicated to quality in continuing education and training. About RedVector RedVector sets the standard for excellence in online continuing education and training for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), industrial and facility management industries and holds nearly 100 state and national accreditations. RedVector offers individual courses as well as large-scale corporate training solutions featuring customizable and easily accessible online universities with a full range of tracking and reporting features. With an online library exceeding 2,250 courses authored by more than 100 subject matter experts, RedVector serves professionals and organizations in all 50 states. The recipient of numerous community honors and industry awards, RedVector was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, call 1-866-546-1212 or visit RedVector.com August 2, 2016 Donny Sebastiani announced today that his familys company has landed Jason Edwards as the Director of Marketing. Jason will be responsible for re-shaping the way the company thinks about its marketing effort, as the family branches out beyond its 110-year history in the wine business. In addition to overseeing the familys wine marketing, he will be responsible for promoting the companys three new, soon-to-be-released craft tequilas, all-natural snacks (almond, pistachio, cashew, and pecan) under the U Gottabee Nutz umbrella, and marketing the organic, all-natural, sparkling water products, which are still in development. Prior to joining our team, Jason most recently held the position of Marketing Director for Huneeus Vintners (The Prisoner Wine Co. & Ritual) where he was part of the key management team that led the development and growth of that very successful brand. Prior to Huneeus, Jasons experience includes Sales and Marketing Manager roles with Eberle Winery, Conway Family Winery and Proprietor of Meze Wine Cafe and Market. Jason resides with his wife and son in Petaluma. Don Sebastiani & Sons places a tremendous importance on design the form and function of how things look and how things work. As such, almost all of their creative and graphic design is done in-house. To further support its in-house design team, the company has added Jeff Brown as the new Web Designer, reporting to Marna Moretti, Creative Services Manager. Jeff was the founder and principal at Downtown Design in San Rafael. Most recently, he was a Visual Designer/Frontend Developer at Global Wine Co., responsible for digital marketing campaigns and front-end web functionality. Jeff will assist our creative team with web design, graphic design and digital marketing across all Don Sebastiani & Sons brands. In addition to the marketing news, the family announced that company veteran Colleen Gettle was promoted to Business Analyst. Colleen first joined the company as Payroll Accountant in late 2009 and then took on the role of Sales Analyst in 2012. Her prior experience was with Torn Ranch and Francis Ford Coppola Presents. Colleen is based in Sonoma and reports directly to company CEO, Donny Sebastiani. The family extends a warm welcome to Jason and Jeff, congratulates Colleen on her promotion and anticipates an exciting second half of 2016. About Don Sebastiani & Sons: Don Sebastiani & Sons is a family-owned beverage and natural snacks company based in the Sonoma Valley, with a winery in the Napa Valley. Principals Don Sebastiani and his sons, Donny and August, are third- and fourth-generation California vintners and merchants. The company was recently named one of the Best Places to Work by the North Bay Business Journal for the third consecutive year; that same publication also awarded company General Manager and CFO Tom Hawkins with the honor of Winery CFO of the Year. For more information on Don Sebastiani & Sons and their wines, please visit http://www.donsebastianiandsons.com/. For further media requests about information, photography or samples please contact: Marna Moretti Creative Services Manager 707.931.2405 mmoretti(at)donandsons(dot)com Attorney Ken Bailey My life, both legally and personally, has been driven by the motto that when someone says I need help, that is a call to action." Texas Lawyer magazine annually recognizes lawyers who made their mark on the legal profession through their extraordinary careers. The publications September issue will include full profiles of the honorees, and they will be honored with an awards ceremony at the Belo Mansion in Dallas on September 13. Bailey was one of only 18 lawyers named to 2016s list of Lifetime Achievers. I want to thank Texas Lawyer for this recognition, Bailey said in a written statement. I am honored and humbled to be included in a list of distinguished legal colleagues who I know either personally or professionally. Bailey founded the law firm that is now Bailey Peavy Bailey Cowan Heckaman (BPB) in 2005 after spending years representing victims suffering from cancer and other lung injuries caused by asbestos exposure, persons injured by explosions and prescription drugs, and representing state governments against companies attempting to fleece state coffers. Most notably, Williams Bailey Law Firm, of which Bailey was a founding partner, represented the State of Texas against Big Tobacco along with four other law firms in 1997. The legal team successfully secured the then-largest multi-billion dollar settlement in the history of the United States, totaling $17.3 billion. Over the past 44 years, I have met so many good and wonderful people who needed assistance, said Bailey. My life, both legally and personally, has been driven by the motto that when someone says I need help, that is a call to action. I hope I am being honored with this recognition for my assistance to those who have asked me for help. I also hope that my relationships, both as a lawyer and a friend, were beneficial for the people I have counseled throughout my career. Baileys success continues at BPB, having secured hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts since the firms doors opened over a decade ago, including the recent recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for victims injured by false and misleading antipsychotic drug marketing practices. His firm continues to litigate against major drug companies and others that profit from selling dangerous products to unknowing consumers. BPB is also a nationally leading firm representing injured and dying victims of asbestos exposure. BPB is a trial-ready and tested firm passionate about fighting for the underdog. With decades of experience, the attorneys at Bailey Peavy Bailey Cowan Heckaman have built a reputation of grit and tenacity in the courtroom, as well as care, concern, and quality service for its clients. Contact Bailey Peavy Bailey Cowan Heckaman directly by calling us at (888) 367-7160, or visit our website at https://www.bpblaw.com. The spirit of camaraderie, respect, openness, sharing culture within and across teams at all levels has played a pivotal role in the success of our company. Leeyo Software, the market-leading provider of revenue cycle automation software, today announced it has been named to the list of Best Companies to Work For, 2016 by Siliconindia magazine. The company was recognized for its effective and mission-critical constructive culture and cross-level camaraderie. Employees are our greatest asset, said Umashankar Sudarsan, Leeyos Vice President, India Operations. The spirit of camaraderie, respect, openness, sharing culture within and across teams at all levels has played a pivotal role in the success of our company. We will continue to build on our momentum in these areas to activate a high performing workforce. Siliconindia conducted a study of the employee strategy framework of a number of companies, selecting Leeyo based on the firms ability to keep its workforce happy, productive and motivated through various initiatives. Founded in 2009, Leeyo has emerged as a trusted partner for leading enterprises, with more than 100 implementations managing over $250 billion in revenue through its flagship product, RevPro. While innovative technology has helped propel the companys growth, its significant account expertise and its people are key to the success. Our employees are recognized as some of the best and brightest in the industry, and our growth is fueled by them, said Jagan Reddy, Leeyo Co-founder, CEO and CTO. With career development an utmost priority for Leeyo, Reddy is excited by the companys growth, both in the U.S. and in India. In particular, he is proud they are able to provide excellent benefits, programs and resources to employees in both locations. About Leeyo Headquartered in San Jose, California, with more than 160 employees across the globe, Leeyos next-generation revenue recognition software rescues companies and revenue teams of all sizes from the chaos of todays manual data entry or customized processes. Leeyos RevPro the most complete revenue recognition solution on the market automates and manages every process facing a revenue team seamlessly integrating with the quote-to-cash processes of any ERP system to deliver unparalleled visibility, functionality and configurability to the revenue recognition and reporting process. Learn more about Leeyo and RevPro at http://www.Leeyo.com. ### Contact: Matt Ream 720-237-7449 matt.ream(at)leeyo(dot)com The most cost-effective way to prepare for the future economy is to create it yourself," says Rick Wilson, President of Miva, Inc. Miva, Inc., creator of the widely used Miva ecommerce software platform, presents MIVACON X, a unique and exciting one-day gathering for ecommerce professionals, exploring the juncture of emerging technology, online culture, and the future economy. Through keynote talks, hands-on breakout sessions, and networking parties, attendees of MIVACON X will collaboratively forge actionable strategies for sustainable growth, at pace with sweeping industry changes. The most cost-effective way to prepare for the future economy is to create it yourself," says Rick Wilson, President of Miva, Inc. Highly personalized approaches to commercial web design, marketing, resource planning, and analysis are becoming increasingly refined through new software tools, and mastery of these personalization techniques will be essential for all online businesses moving forward. Mr. Wilson will draw upon two decades of pioneering on-the-ground experience to present a keynote vision akin to an ecommerce string theory, fusing trends in developing sales channels, mobile tech, branding, vital security concerns, and cloud-hosted commerce. Through intimate breakout sessions, other MIVACON X topics to be explored will include the impact of ecommerce A.I., managing global remote workforces, and leveraging social media 3.0. Practical concerns of running today's successful ecommerce business will be linked to developing trends that every business owner, designer, and web developer must prepare for. MIVACON X will be presented on Thursday, September 29 at the W Hotel Hoboken, a gorgeous modern hotel overlooking the Manhattan skyline from the banks of the Hudson River, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hoboken is easily accessible from lower Manhattan via a 20-minute trip on PATH trains, departing every ten minutes from the 14th St station. With its predominantly young population and abundant cafe culture, Hoboken has in recent years become a hip, artistic alternative to Manhattan and Brooklyn. With gym, spa, restaurant, bar, and easy Uber access, the W Hoboken provides an excellent access point for exploring this exciting neighborhood. Miva will offer web simulcasts of keynote talks and other live content on its website miva.com during the event. Video packages will also be made available for participants who cannot attend in person. This is the first MIVACON X conference, launching a new annual fall event for the company. Every spring, Miva hosts MivaCon in San Diego, California, focusing upon the latest releases of the companys signature software platform. View ticket information and a full schedule of events for MIVACON X at: http://mivaconx.com/ About Miva, Inc.: Miva, Inc., based in San Diego, CA, is the creator of a leading enterprise ecommerce platform which has been used by more than 500,000 online businesses since the company was founded in 1997. In addition to a suite of sophisticated management, merchandising, payment, and systems integrations features, Miva also offers its customers professional design and development services, plus dedicated hosting. For more information, please visit http://www.miva.com. SolveForce has been choosing the best Pro-Business cities to introduce Internet & Phone Bundling (http://solveforce.com) services. Their most recent advancement is to immediately enter Chicago IL & Washington DC. If anyone plans on shopping for broadband, theres a good chance theyve heard about bundles or Triple Play deals. Consumers probably know the basics: 2 or more services combined on a single bill at a discount to what they would cost separately. But what they might not know is how to decide which plan is right for them. Bundles can save consumers a bundle if they know what to look for. Here are some quick and easy service bundle shopping rules that can maximize discounts and minimize the hassle. Bundle Basics The most common bundles are Triple Play bundles that combine phone, Internet and TV service (http://solveforce.com/services/) (3 services, hence Triple Play). Providers may offer multiple bundles at different price points, but they generally have 1 bundle that they advertise more heavily than any others and its usually in the $85-$120 range. This generally means a savings of $15-$30 a month off of the regular price of the services. Expect that most bundles in this price range will include the following: Unlimited telephone service with all of the major options (voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, etc.) TV service with all basic cable, some HD channels and possibly a few premium movie channels Internet service with download speeds from 3mb/s 20mb/s and upload speeds from 512 kb/s to 5mb/s. Telephone service offerings are generally the same for most bundles, but TV and Internet offerings can be very different depending on the provider. For TV service, some providers include many more HD channels than others and there also can be major differences in the number of Movies On-Demand titles that are available. Consumers should make sure to read the fine print if HD offerings are important or if they're a big watcher of On-Demand movies and shows. Internet service speeds can also differ greatly (just look at the ranges above), so everyone should also make sure they read the fine print and this article on Internet connection speeds. Comcast is also offering faster speeds than other cable providers with their Powerboost technology, so look for a Comcast bundle if Fios isnt available in the area but speed is still a top priority. If they are both unavailable, then it may take a little digging to figure out the fastest available connection that is part of a bundle (see below for bundle deal websites). Bundling services usually ends up being the lowest cost route to go. To learn more about SolveForce Internet & Phone Bundle (http://solveforce.com/services/) services, visit SolveForce.com. About SolveForce We are committed to a customers company in every aspect of the customer relationship. If a customers company needs to contact us for any reason, please don't hesitate to call or email us at the earliest convenience. By Phone: (888) 765-8301 By Email: ron(at)SolveForce (dot)com By Website: http://www.SolveForce.com Salons de Beaute offers luxury spacious salon suites for the independent salon professional in a cozier, more relaxed setting with an upscale spa feel. Salons de Beaute is an upscale, twenty-six unit salon suites business that will cater to independent business owners in the beauty and wellness industry. Currently finalizing construction in Lawton, Oklahoma, it is slated for opening in early August. A Salons de Beaute VIP Open House event is scheduled for Monday, August 8th from 2pm to 6pm at 2310 East Gore Blvd. location in Lawton, Oklahoma. The concept behind the development of Salons de Beaute is one where independent "mini salons" can operate in a modern upscale environment, which will allow health, beauty, and wellness salon professionals to easily and affordably run their own independent businesses. "Thousands of salon professionals across the United States are growing their client base and their profitability by owning and operating their own salon businesses at a fraction of the operational cost of traditional large beauty salons," said Deanna Johnson, Managing Partner at Salons de Beaute. "Salons de Beaute offers luxury spacious salon suites for the independent salon professional in a cozier, more relaxed setting with an upscale spa feel." Each individual Salons de Beaute suite includes all the equipment needed to operate a typical full-service salon: a styling chair, cabinet space, shampoo and chair, towel storage, styling dresser with mirror, and dryer chair. All utilities and overhead expenses are included. "Our individually leased spaces offer salon professionals the availability to be their own boss, set individual hours, sell retail beauty products, and keep one hundred percent of the profits," said Johnson. "In other words, they have the opportunity to keep more of the money they work hard for." The well-appointed salon suites interior will feature comfortable waiting areas and complimentary Wi-Fi. Free use of the on-site laundry facility will be available to stylists who lease units within the building. Each salon suite is set up as a micro-business, complete with doors for privacy and locks for security. The building will be accessible to salon suite leasees twenty-four hours a day. The Salons de Beaute management company worked with Lisa Browne Marketing in Houston and KCWMS Content Development Group in Kansas City on a website, blog, and social media endeavors to support the business and promote the leasees. About Salons de Beaute Salons de Beaute in Lawton, Oklahoma features 26 individual salon suites for hair stylists, nail technicians, and aestheticians, as well as a quiet area for massage therapy and aromatherapy. The twenty-six unit salon suites business is located in the Junction Shopping Center on E. Gore Boulevard, near Storage 'R' Us, and across from the Apache Casino Hotel. Salons de Beaute will open for business in August of 2016, but the location is currently offering no-money-down pre-lease agreements to stylists. More Information Visit http://www.salonsdebeaute.net for more information or call 580-695-4581 to reach Salons de Beaute in Lawton, Oklahoma directly. Media Contact: Deanna Johnson Managing Partner, Salons de Beaute Phone: (580) 695-4581 Fax: (888) 570-7758 Email: salonsdebeaute(at)gmail(dot)com URL: http://www.SalonsdeBeaute.net The Apology Amazons CreateSpace provides a new voice of publishing by giving writers a platform to share their ideas and words. Its a great complement to traditional publishing and its opened the door to more writers and more available content. Publishing used to go like this: author writes book, author gets agent, author gets published. It wasnt a perfect system some great books got missed in the slush pile (think how often Andrew Weir, Author of The Martian, got turned down). But now a growing number of writers including first-time author Eric Haggman are choosing to self-publish and self-promote their works. Self-publishing used to be the path of last resort, but not anymore. Now youve got authors who are choosing to self-publish and hitting the New York Times bestseller list, says Haggman. Part of the reason is the rise in electronic, or e-book, sales which are estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 14 percent during 2016-2020, according to a study by Technavio. And according to the Author Earnings Report, self-published books represent 31 percent of e-book sales on Amazon Kindle. What sets this new generation of authors apart is that many of the most successful treat self-publishing as a business. Haggman is a case in point. He used his advertising background along with his wife and business partner, Emily Haggman, to craft a sophisticated social media launch for The Apology, exchanging his entrepreneur hat for authorpreneur. Eric has written an incredible historical thriller that grips you from the first page to the last. My job is to make sure readers hear about it, get excited, read it and spread the word, Emily Haggman notes. The coordinated marketing plan resulted in a flurry of social media buzz, as well as a review in the Gloucester Daily Times. Reviewer Joann Mackenzie picked up on Haggmans credentials noting hes one of many ad men turned authors, Eric Haggman takes a first ambitious step toward joining the ranks of advertising creative directors turned authors whose names will be known to anyone who has ever perused the paperback shelves of airport book shopsit is the preternaturally prolific Pattersonwho Haggman most obviously emulates. Thanks to Amazons new publishing program CreateSpace, the Haggmans published The Apology in less than three months a process that would take much longer in traditional publishing. Amazons CreateSpace provides a new voice of publishing by giving writers a platform to share their ideas and words. Its a great complement to traditional publishing and its opened the door to more writers and more available content, Haggman explains. Being in the advertising business, we understand how important social media is to promote new products, in this case a new book, it offers a way to build an audience base and interact directly with them in a way that was never possible before. Haggman spent two years writing and researching The Apology, which included two month-long, boots-on-the-ground, trips to Asia visiting Vietnam and Japan. The story was inspired by these world travels, Haggmans passion for political conspiracy theories and the inner workings of the criminal underworld, as well as thrillers by his favorite writers including James Lee Burke and Steig Larsson. While researching The Apology, Haggman even met and interviewed a Yakuza member to better understand this incredibly powerful mafia group openly operating in Japan today. The result is a super charged thriller that pits Haggmans protagonist Christian Lindstrom against forces so powerful that theyll stop at nothing to get what they want. Another ad man and author James X Mullen, former CEO of Mullen Advertising clearly felt the pull and posed the question, Is Haggman the new Patterson? In a review of the book he said, The Apology is both a fast-paced adventure novel and an extraordinarily clear and accurate description of the disturbing relationship between the militaristic Japanese and their Chinese pre-war victims. Haggman is a superb storyteller with a visual sense of words who makes this disturbing era come pictorially to life. Read it now because when it's a major Hollywood film, you and I can claim to have discovered this formidable talent. The Apology is now available for purchase on Amazon. For more information, visit theapologybook.com. About The Apology: Filmmaker Christian Lindstrom returns to Vietnam to shoot tourism commercials, only to confront the agony of his past and the power of the Asian underworld to control political eventsincluding the creation and the whitewashing of Japans history itself. For producer Nachi Tanaka, it is the story of the shameful sins of the father coming back to hurt and haunt her family generations later. For the Japanese government, it is a coup detat engineered by powerful business interests with the Japanese mafia -- the Yakuza -- doing their murderous bidding. To learn more about the book, please see the trailer or visit http://www.theapologybook.com. About Eric Haggman: A Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, Eric graduated from Colgate University. He lives on the North Shore of Boston, with his wife, Emily and their Ragdoll cat, Shanghai, who thinks hes a dog. Media Contact: Nick Brown Matter Communications theapology [at] matternow.com (971) 245-4001 If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. In a brief, nine-page final order, the judge in the long-running Georgia State University e-reserves case has rejected the publisher plaintiffs bid for injunctive relief, and affirmed that the publishers must pay GSU's legal fees and costs. In the order, dated July 27, Judge Orinda Evans also denied the publishers motion to refresh the record in the case by gathering new evidence from the most recent academic term. And in a ruling that could cost the plaintiffs millions, she rejected the publishers motion to reconsider the awarding of legal fees, holding that new Supreme Court guidance issued last month in another high profile copyright case was not a factor. The order effectively concludes the case, pending any appeals, and comes after Evans, in March, ruled for the publishers in just four of 48 infringement claims. In June, the publisher plaintiffs argued that a recent Supreme Court decision in Kirtsaeng v. Wiley should get them off the hook for the defendants' legal fees in the GSU case. In Kirtsaeng, the Supreme Court held that fee awards in copyright cases should not be awarded to a prevailing party simply as a matter of course, and that the reasonableness of a losing partys case should carry "substantial weight" in determining whether or not to award fees. But while Evans agreed that the publishers had a reasonable interest in bringing their case against GSU, she suggested that the publishers failure to make their case efficiently warranted a fee award. Noting that the suit was a "test case" organized by the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) and the Association of American Publishers (AAP), "who recruited the three Plaintiffs to serve, Evans held it was "just" for CCC and AAP to pay the Defendants' litigation expenses as well, because of the initial 99 claims 25 had to be dropped, and in 26 other claims the publishers failed to establish a prima facie case. Although the final fee amount is still to be determined, GSU attorneys in April asked the court to order the publishers to pay them roughly $3.25 million in attorney fees, and an additional $85,746 in costs. Evans final order is her second attempt to close the case, and comes after the Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded the case in October of 2014, with instructions for Evans to rebalance her four-factor fair use analysis. In March, however, Evans once again ruled for GSU, holding that GSU faculty's use of digitized course readings was largely protected by fair use. Nevertheless, as they did after their loss in the first trial, the publishers asked the court for a sweeping injunction (based on the four successful infringement claims) that would have, among other things, given the publishers some ability to monitor how e-reserves are being used at GSU. In the end, Evans' final remedy was simply to order GSU officials follow copyright policies not inconsistent" with her decision in the case, and that the essential points of her decision be distributed to faculty and staff. There is some possibility of future violations because the fair use doctrine involves an extremely fact intensive inquiry, Evans conceded, in her order. However, the level of risk is not substantial. First filed in April, 2008, by three academic publishers (Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Sage Publications, with support from the Copyright Clearance Center and the AAP) the suit alleges that GSU administrators systematically encourage faculty to offer unlicensed digital copies to students as a no-cost alternative to traditionally licensed coursepacks. Of course, Evans second final order still may not be the final word in the long-running case. The publishers must now decide whether or not to once again appeal Evans decision. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Three incoming Purdue University freshmen have been awarded Wade Steffey Memorial scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. Madison N. Bright of Lebanon this fall will enter the College of Health and Human Sciences. Morgan M. Wigand from Jasper will enter the College of Engineering and Brett D. Disher of Lafayette the Krannert School of Management. The Steffey Scholarship, named in honor of Wade Steffey, who died from a campus accident in 2007, each year goes to Indiana students to attend Purdue. The award of $2,000 to each recipient has been given since fall semester 2008. Contact: Malissa Ayala, assistant director, scholarships, Purdue Division of Financial Aid, 765-494-5076, ayala15@purdue.edu Sold Out This item is no longer available, but theres still much more to discoverkeep shopping to find something new to love! G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now! CRRC Zhuzhou says that a 30-second charging cycle gives the vehicle an off-wire range of 3-5km, depending on operating conditions. More than 85% of braking energy is also recovered to the energy storage system, which has a capacity of 9500 farads. The four-section bidirectional LRV has a maximum speed of 70km/h and accommodates up to 380 passengers. The contract comprises two lots covering the northern and southern service group. The northern lot calls for the operation of 2.77 million train-km per year on the Munich - Regensburg - Schwandorf - Hof/Furth im Wald line. The future of cross-border services beyond Furth is unclear as the Czech authorities have given no indication whether trains should continue to serve Prague. The southern lot covers the operation of 1.65 million train-km per year on the Munich - Kempten (Allgau) - Immenstadt - Lindau/Oberstdof route. The transitional contract begins in December 2017, with the southern lot expiring in December 2020 and the northern lot ending in December 2022. The transitional nature of the contract reflects major changes for the Alex network in the early 2020s. With the electrification of the Geltendorf - Lindau line, Alex services in the southern lot will become part of the Allgau Diesel Network regional contract as part of a reorganisation of regional services in central Bavaria. The Regensburg - Hof and Regensburg - Furth im Wald lines are also due to be electrified and BEG states that new rolling stock will be required for electric operation. This will improve the operation of services from the Bavarian capital to Hof, Weiden and Furth im Wald, which still require a change between diesel and electric traction. The transitional contract makes provisions for a number of enhancements, including increasing Munich - Furth services from four to seven trains per day. trains will be equipped with new passenger information systems and there will be an increased staff presence on trains. Passengers will also be able to purchase tickets on board without incurring extra charges, and payments in Czech Koruna will be accepted for cross-border journeys. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK After years of the U.S. suffering losses valued in the billions of dollars due to economically-motivated cyber espionage from China, there are some signs that China has begun to reduce its intrusions into U.S. private sector firms' computer networks. What led to this unexpected change in Chinese behavior? Is it because of the high-profile agreement signed by President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping last September? How sustainable is that agreement? And what broader implications does it have for the overall U.S.-China relationship? The answers to these questions carry important consequences for U.S. national interests. It remains somewhat unclear whether China has indeed reduced its intrusions into U.S. private sector computer systems, as some U.S. cybersecurity firms that previously tracked Chinese cyber threat actors have claimed. The nature of hacking is such that it is virtually impossible to ever know for certain exactly what level of intrusion sets are occurring. If China did reduce its economically-motivated cyber espionage, there are a number of possible explanations for why it did so. Some observers have argued that China actually started cutting back several months before last fall's summit agreement, perhaps taking steps to exert greater control over the community of military hackers. Other observers suspect that Chinese hackers may have simply redirected their efforts to other, more valuable or more vulnerable targets in other countries. Others believe China was spurred to curtail its theft of intellectual property by the U.S. indictments of five Chinese military officers in 2014. Such observers also point to the hurried, unscheduled visit to Washington in early September last year of Meng Jianzhu, a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official in charge of political and legal affairs, just after the U.S. announcement that it was planning to push ahead with sanctions against Chinese actors for cyberespionage. In this view, Meng's last minute visit suggests that the Chinese leadership agreed to reduce its hacking of U.S. firms out of a fear that Xi's visit might be preceded by additional U.S. indictments of Chinese hackers. Finally, some analysts worry that Chinese hackers, who were notoriously sloppy in their operational security, may simply have improved their practices and are now better able to mask their behavior, meaning that hacking hasn't actually gone down, it simply isn't being detected as frequently as in the past. None of these explanations suggest that China changed its behavior because it concluded that private sector firms are illegitimate targets. China's assertions about cyberspace norms focus on the right of states to censor access to online information. Moreover, China's economy, the commanding heights of which are controlled by the state, differs dramatically from a market economy, where the private sector and the government are cleanly separated, making the U.S. argument that private sector actors are illegitimate targets an alien one to Chinese leaders. Many observers suspect that China's apparent compliance with the cyber agreement represents little more than a shift in tactics that is probably temporary. Such analysts note that China did not lay down a costly marker, since it did not admit to having previously engaged in cyber espionage. Because it seems unlikely that China has suddenly changed its view of economically motivated cyber espionage wholesale, it is important for U.S. policymakers to keep focused on this issue. The U.S. should make clear that indictments may once again be sought if Chinese hackers resume cyber espionage against U.S. firms. At the same time, the United States should seek to expand the value of the bilateral agreement by supporting the inclusion of U.S. allies and partners so as to guard against possible backsliding or simple retargeting by China. The 2015 cyber agreement should be seen as a potentially important first step, but by no means a final step, toward addressing the broader problem of Chinese espionage. At its heart, reducing cyber espionage against U.S. companies merely addresses a question of means, not ends. Even if China completely eliminates cyber espionage against U.S. companies, it will still continue targeting traditional U.S. national security actors through various means, including cyber espionage. Similarly, Chinese efforts to steal valuable intellectual property and business proprietary information from U.S. private sector enterprises through human agents can also be expected to continue. Additional U.S. attention and resources will be needed to address these challenges. A genuine reduction in Chinese economically-motivated cyber espionage could go some way toward easing tensions in the broader bilateral U.S.-China relationship. But absent changes in Chinese behavior toward U.S. friends and allies, a better attitude toward international law, and improvements in domestic human rights, the ultimate impact of a reduction in economic cyber espionage may simply not go far enough to restore the bilateral relationship to a healthy state. Scott W. Harold is the associate director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, a political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. This commentary originally appeared on The Cipher Brief on July 31, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service iflix is expanding its geographical reach outside south east Asia with its launch this month in Sri Lanka. iflix, which claims four million subscribers in its existing markets of Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, provides offline video viewing for subscribers, who can download content without incurring mobile data costs as part of their subscription.Sri Lanka has some of the highest rates of growth in smartphone adoption in the region. We are thrilled to make iflixs world-leading, smartphone first Internet TV service and exceptional library of the best in international and local content to Sri Lankan consumers. We can't wait for everyone in Sri Lanka to press play, said Firaz Markar, general manager, iflix Sri Lanka.Backed by Malaysias Catcha Group and Evolution Media Capital, iflix also attracted a US$45 million investment from European pay-TV giant Sky in March 2016.The SVOD service offers localised and international content, with each subscription providing users with unlimited access to the service on up to five digital devices. Available series include The Mentalist, Teen Wolf, The Flash, Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Gotham, Supernatural, Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Two and A Half Men, and 2 Broke Girls.As a launch offer, Sri Lankans can sign up for a free 30-day iflix trial, without need for a credit card or payment details. Online video ad platform provider Teads has raised $47 million to expand its presence in the Asian market and acquire ad-tech start-ups. Teads claims to be the No 1 video advertising platform globally, reaching more unique visitors worldwide than Facebooks LiveRail, according to comScore. It supplies technology to publishers in over 40 countries and its formats are used by some of biggest brands across the globe including Volkswagen, Heineken, Nestle, Microsoft and Samsung.The $47 million of new debt financing was put together by a bank syndicate including BNPP, Bank of China, HSBC, Banque Palatine and BPI. The cash will be used to acquire ad tech companies whose technology will be used in an attempt reinforce Teadss position in the video advertising industry , and to fund the companys expansion into the Asian market. Teads already has a foothold in Japan and will expand into South-East Asia in 2016, and China next year. Christian Guinot, former President at MEC China, is joining Teads to drive the Asian operations from the newly set-up Singapore hub.I am very pleased to see that banks are supporting our strategy to pursue M&A opportunities and strengthen our leading position as the number one video advertising marketplace in the world, said Teads executive chairman Pierre Chappaz. This financing demonstrates the trust they have in Teads management capability to keep the right balance between growth and profitability. The report reveals that there were 250 film funds active during the period examined, with 20 new funds created and 21 shut down during the time frame of the report. The yearly average income of film and AV funds in Europe was 2.53 billion. This represents the sum of all profiles of film funds: national/federal funds, sub-national - regional and local funds - and supranational.Three-quarters of film funding in Europe came from national/federal funds, a yearly average of 1.895 billion, while the average yearly spend for film and AV funds in Europe totalled 2.29 billion. Almost three-tenths of the funds in Europe were national/federal. The report also indicated what could be a key driver for investment. That is, the number of fiscal incentive (tax credits, rebates and tax shelter) schemes more than doubled between 2008 and 2014, up from 12 to 26 schemes.Contributions from the national/federal Government and broadcasting levies were the two main sources of financing for film and audiovisual funds in Europe. France alone accounted for a 42% of the incoming resources for film and audiovisual funds in Europe, followed at a great distance by the other four big markets in the EU). This was seen as mostly due to what was described as massive mandatory contributions from broadcasters operating in the country. Khaama Press, July 28, 2016 A 22-year-old woman was shot dead dead by unknown gunmen in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan for having relations with a man over the telephone. The woman has been identified as Gul Jan and has allegedly been killed by the family of her husband in Pashtunkot district. Provincial police spokesman Abdul Karim Yurish confirmed that the woman was married and the incident took place as her husband is Iran for work. No suspect has been arrested in connection to the brutal murder of the woman so far. The latest incident involving the murder of a woman for honor comes amid growing violence against women across the country during the recent months. Earlier a woman was shot dead by her relatives as she was trying to elope with a man in western Ghor province of Afghanistan. The woman was identified as Aziz Gul and was shot dead in Ahangaran area of Ghor in mid-June this year. A teenage girl was also burnt alive by her brothers wife in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan earlier last month, while three sisters were shot dead, allegedly by the militants in Logar province. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in its report released late in November last year said statistic of violence against women, obtained from the registered cases of violence against women during the first six months in 1394 exceeds 2579 cases. The report further added that figure was reported 2403 cases during the six months in 1393 which shows 7.32 percent increase in 1394, the last solar year. As we see a surge in inflation globally, it is now critical that everyone is aware of the implications this will have along every step of the insurance and reinsurance value chain. Though he didn't secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, the rise of Bernie Sanders is said to signal something bigger than Sanders coming in second to Hillary Clinton. In particular, it is said to say something about the political leanings of America's entitled twenty and thirtysomethings who lean Democrat, and who will eventually run the Party. A recent column by a popular conservative writer understandably lamented this presumed evolution. Back in the '90s Democrat Bill Clinton talked of big government in the past tense, but now Sanders is one of the Party's primary faces? The writer commented that Sanders' ardent supporters "are part of a tide of the passionate, the ideological and the underinformed. They have no idea what socialism is or what it has done in the past to great nations." To watch last week's Democratic convention, one might think the columnist has a scary point. Sanders supporters were all over the screen in Philadelphia, and in many cases sobbing when presented with the reality that their unhinged hero wouldn't get the nomination. Never, ever, let it be said again that Republicans and conservatives have a monopoly on the oddballs. Democrats crying over the loss of an unkempt socialist? Some Americans are very spoiled, and very uninformed. Stating the obvious, socialism was a disaster for the parts of the world that suffered it, and it would be a disaster if implemented in the U.S. What requires stressing here is that socialism would be most unfortunate for the poor that it is naively said to help. How we know this concerns how many American immigrants escaped socialist countries, and how few impoverished Americans seek shelter where redistribution is the rule. Life is bleakest for the poor in places where wealth is forcibly shared at gunpoint. The conservative columnist says that young Sanders supporters are the Democratic party's future, but if so, Republicans can look forward to easy majorities in the coming decades. Of course, that's why the columnist's downcast analysis is incorrect. Young voters aren't going socialist, nor are young Democratic voters heading in that direction. There's no story there. It's perhaps hard to imagine the above is true considering the makeup of the crowd at last week's convention, but what did readers expect? It's only natural that the wild-eyed activists would show up to each Party's convention, only to create false impressions. But the convention-going, attention grabbing fringe logically doesn't define an entire group. They're just the most visible. Arguably one of the best historical examples of this concerns UC Berkeley in the 1960s. Back then it was seen as the flowerbed of American-style liberalism. That's the school's reputation to this day. But was it real? Not according to historian Steven F. Hayward. In his 2001 book The Age of Reagan (book one of an excellent two-book series) Hayward addressed Berkeley's reputation only to point out that "genuinely radical students were but a tiny minority of the total student body - 5 percent at the very most - but they enjoyed the advantage of the publicity that accrues to the most extreme position and the loudest bullhorn." Readers might consider Berkeley in the late 60s when trying to divine today's electorate. Just as the fringe made a lot of false noise in the 60s and 70s that didn't reflect the actual country (two straight presidential victories for Republican Richard Nixon), logic dictates that Sanders' supporters are a highly visible minority too. Market signals confirm this truth. If the U.S.'s twenty and thirtysomethings were truly knuckle-dragging redistributionists eager to vote slow growth through wealth confiscation, for-profit companies wouldn't be so eager to win their business. But as USA Today reported last week, "Every major hotel company has designed a new brand to appeal to these consumers in their 20s and early 30s whose purchasing power and desire to travel is suspected to increase exponentially in the coming years." Every major hotel brand is trying to win the business of socialists? Such a scenario defies commercial sense. Socialists wouldn't want to transact with brands known to pursue profits, not to mention that investors wouldn't back these brand expansions if America's youth were moving the country in a direction that ensures poverty. Yet the good news is that the U.S. is plainly not moving in a socialist direction. If it were, businesses wouldn't be currying favor with a demographic plainly uninterested in material things. It's also probably worth pointing out that stocks never price in the present; rather they're a reflection of future expectations. If it were a known quantity that the U.S.'s future was socialist, a declining stock market would have been reflecting this for quite some time. Is this demographic frustrated? Odds are yes. Americans used to muscular economic expansion are experiencing a lighter version of it thanks to growth barriers erected by politicians. But don't a lot of these younger types live with their parents? Supposedly they do, but this just signals yet again how much they like the finer things as opposed to socialist drudgery. You see, it's not that Millennials or twenty and thirtysomethings can't find jobs and places to live on their own, rather they per Charles Murray "can't find a job that will support [them] in the style to which [they] have been accustomed." Twenty and thirtysomethings like high living, and as evidenced by the lengths major brands are going to in order to win their business, the Millennial crowd is poised to make a lot of money in the future necessary to support high living. Arguably the major irony in all of this is that while passion about Bernie Sanders seems real, it's plainly the creation of a rich, acquisitive society that Sanders outwardly disdains. Socialism only "makes sense" insofar as lots of wealth has been created to redistribute, so it's only logical that Sanders would find a fringe to appeal to in the hyperrich U.S. As for his electoral success, chalk it up to whom he was running against. If polls are to be believed, Hillary Clinton apparently can't seem to shake an underfunded opponent who seemingly thrills at saying whatever is on his mind, no matter how offensive. The U.S. hasn't gone socialist as much as Clinton is a truly lousy candidate. That's something to rejoice. The murder last week of French priest Father Jacques Hamel at the hands of two homegrown jihadis in a church near the Norman port city of Rouen marked just the latest in a series of terrorist attacks that have convulsed France. This one, though, carried unsettling echoes from a chapter of French history much older than that of imperial France. As Prime Minister Manuel Valls explained, the terrorists goal was clear: By attacking a priest in a Catholic Church, they sought to turn the French against one another and provoke a war of religion. The premiers remark has a special resonance in France. In the mid-16th century, French Catholics and Protestants, each convinced that God was on their side, began a civil war that waxed and waned for nearly three centuries. Is it possible that Catholics and Muslims are about to launch a similar conflict? Has France -- from the St. Bartholomews Day massacre of 1572 to last weeks attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, from one massacre to another, one religious war to another -- truly come to this? Non, mais (No, but), is the short and not entirely satisfying answer. First, it is essential to note that since the appalling events in the suburban town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, both Muslim and Catholic leaders have worked to find common cause. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, whose Normand diocese includes Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, declared: The news is insupportable, but we will not take up arms; instead, we will try to love. Echoing this sentiment, Georges Pontier, head of the French Conference of Bishops, insisted on the need for courage. The courage not to combat other religions, he announced, but to build brotherly ties with people different from us. At the same time, the countrys leading Muslim organization, the French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM), urged its followers to attend a Catholic church on Sunday as a gesture of solidarity and sorrow. A number of Muslims heeded the call, and at Sundays memorial service at the cathedral of Rouen, more than 100 stood in the pews alongside Catholics. And yet, these calls for charity, community, and courage risk falling on ears that, if not deaf, are increasingly hard of hearing. As the historian of religion Odon Vallet observed, even before last weeks attack a not insignificant number of French Catholics -- already unsettled by Pope Francis advocacy of humane immigration policies and interfaith dialogue -- had already thrown their electoral support to the xenophobic and authoritarian Front National. In the wake of the attack, Odon warned, this reactionary worldview could become the rule, not the exception. A fairly important, if not unanimous movement among French Catholics, Vallet speculated, might demand stronger actions taken against Islamist jihadism, which carries the risk of affecting the entire Muslim community. Has Vallet overstated the case for growing religious polarization? Jerome Fourquet, director of the French Institute of Public Opinion, believes so. He argues that Vallet fails to distinguish between practicing and non-practicing Catholics. It is the latter, Fourquet observes, and not the former who tend to vote for Le Pens Front National. But this is largely a scholastic distinction. After all, a vote for the FN remains a vote regardless of the number of masses attended or confessions made. While the anti-Muslim and pro-Front National sympathies of these non-practicing Catholic voters dismay Lebrun and Pontier, the bishops cannot prevent them from identifying with the Catholic faith. Nor is it clear, in the wake of the pedophile scandals that have rocked the French Church, if its leadership has the moral authority to prevent practicing Catholics from migrating toward the FN if there are further such attacks. For the Muslim community in France, the situation is even more complex. The vast majority of French Muslims are just as shocked by these attacks as their Catholic compatriots. Moreover, the sincerity of Muslim representatives like Anouar Kbibech, the president of the CFCM, cannot be gainsaid when he declared: We are all Catholics. But just as the optimism behind the earlier iteration of that slogan, We are all Charlie, has long since faded, Kbibechs affirmation may not gain much traction. French Muslims are caught in a dilemma: by mobilizing against the attacks carried out by Islamic State loyalists, they find themselves side-by-side with those on the right and extreme right who are opposed against not just Islamism in France, but Islam itself. Equally problematic has been the rise of anti-Muslim acts in France. Already in 2015, the French Collective Against Anti-Islamophobia (CCIF) revealed that anti-Muslim acts -- ranging from graffiti to verbal abuse to physical violence -- had increased more than 20 percent since 2014. Since the attacks in Paris and Nice, this trend has continued, marked by the spread of anti-Muslim hashtags across social media, such as #IslamhorsdEurope (Islam out of Europe), and hostile confrontations on the streets. Tragically, though one third of the victims in the Nice massacre were Muslim, their coreligionists who joined in acts of public mourning were at times met by hostile reactions. [http://www.bfmtv.com/societe/sifflets-crachats-racisme-apres-l-attentat-de-nice-la-france-risque-t-elle-de-chavirer-dans-la-haine-1008730.html] Now that ISIS has, with baleful canniness, struck a small church in a small town that could be anywhere in France, it is likely that suspicions and fears on both sides -- French Muslims and French Catholics -- will deepen a bit more. In his controversial novel Submission, Michel Houellebecq portrays a country that, in 2022, has become a theater of war between Front National and Islamic militias. Such a tableau remains, for the moment, a dystopian nightmare and not a realistic scenario. And yet, in the two years that have passed since the publication of Houellebecqs disturbing work, events have taken place in France, ranging from mass murders to a permanent state of emergency, that seemed unthinkable -- until, that is, they were schemed and acted upon. While a new war of religion in France will almost certainly not take place, it is all too thinkable that such predictions will not discourage the Islamic State from trying to start one. Property details: Cantil, CA - 2.54 Acres, Mobile Homes Allowed, No Back Taxes! This property is 2.54 acres in Cantil, California in Kern County. It's a dirt road off Munsey Road, which runs east-west through Cantil. The zoning allows for homes or mobile homes. The land is close to two automotive test facilities: the Honda Proving Center of California, which is now up for sale for $30 million (or about $7,000 per acre) and the Hyundai/Kia Proving Grounds test facility. Comparable properties are listed in the $20,... Price: $ 99 Seller State of Residence: Washington, D.C. Property Address: Dirt Road off Munsey Road State/Province: California City: Cantil Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 93519 Location: 935**, Cantil, California You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 93519 Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Ikea has responded to Kanye West's interest in working with the furniture store company. ADVERTISEMENT "I have to work with Ikea -- make furniture for interior design, for architecture," the outspoken rapper said to BBC Radio 1 host Annie Mac Monday during an interview. "Yo Ikea, allow Kanye to create, allow him to make this thing because you know what, I want a bed that he makes, I want a chair that he makes," he declared after detailing how he believes students would be interested in a West-designed "minimalist apartment inside of a college dorm." Ikea's Australian Facebook page has since responded with a mock-up design of what a West-influenced piece of furniture might look like. "Hej Kanye, we'd love to see what you'd create...we could make you Famous!" they wrote referencing the rapper's controversial single from his latest album, The Life of Pablo. Back in March, West had visited the Ikea headquarters in Sweden and noted on Twitter at the time, "Super inspired by my visit to Ikea today, really amazing company...my mind is racing with the possibilities." Other highlights from West's interview on BBC Radio 1 included the 39-year-old admitting that his headlining performance at the 2015 Glastonbury festival left him in a "slightly depressed state" following a musical error and his political ambitions stemming from announcing at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards that he would be running for president in 2020. "When I talk about the idea of being president, I'm not saying I have any political views," he said. "I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth." FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "We are numb, we're numb to 500 kids getting killed in Chicago a year, we're numb to the fact that it was seven police shootings in the beginning of July," he continued. "If there is anything that I can do with my time and my day, to somehow make a difference while I'm alive I'm going to try to do it." By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/02/2016 ADVERTISEMENT persistent Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. Drugs, art, wallets, electronics Stealing those things is so passe. Thieves in California have been targeting a new kind of loot: nuts, by the truckload. CNN reports more than 600,000 truckloads of the cash crops were stolen last year. Most of the thefts involve scams and fraud. Thieves exploit a weakness in the complex distribution system that allows them to simply stroll in with fake papers and drive off with a truck full of high-value nuts, including almonds and pistachios. Theyre virtually impossible to track, and sometimes the thefts can go unnoticed for as long as six days. By then the goods have likely been sold off, maybe even shipped to another continent. In California, since the crime doesnt involve violence, its considered a misdemeanor. Put all that together, and the risk is fairly low for a rather high reward. Nut thefts started to surge in mid-2015, when the typical heist went from being measured in buckets-full to truckloads worth millions of dollars. According to a report by Quartz: Food and beverages have replaced electronics as the most-stolen good in the U.S. Criminals are concentrating their efforts on fewer heists of larger value, and as stolen goods go, nuts have a lot of appeal. Theyre expensive. They have a long shelf life. They have no serial numbers and cant be electronically tagged or traced. California produces the most tree nuts in the country ($9.4 billion worth in 2014) which helps explain why that state is a primary target, though insurance industry officials report seeing similar thefts in Arizona and Georgia. Thoughts on the nut thefts? Let us know in comments below or on our Facebook page. This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Thieves Strike a Lucrative New Target in California'. More from Money Talks News The world may soon be a very different place, thanks to the rise of mass-market virtual reality. With the growing public investment in the technology, soon everything from video games and video conferences to employee training and sports practice may be done through the lenses of an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive. Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Post Office Co-owner Tom Poulson, from right, stands with employees Lavaun Palla and Rhonda Stevens. The Post Office is celebrating its 40th year in business this week. SHARE By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight The familiar green awning of the Post Office Saloon has graced downtown Redding for 20 years, but the business celebrated its 40th anniversary on Monday. On Monday afternoon, the same day of the bar's anniversary, co-owner Tom Poulson is alone behind the bar having just finished serving the lunch crowd. "The bar relies on word of mouth. People have brought up its Cheers-west vibe that keeps bringing them back," referring to a bar where everyone knows their name. Over the years the bar has seen a shift in its clientele. Poulson said when the mall made the jump from retail to office space the bar became active during lunch and after people punched out from work. Co-owners Poulson, 62, and Steve Reilly, 51, purchased the business in 1996 and benefitted from the just-established MarketFest. The Record Searchlight reported then that local businesses like the Post Office saw good traffic thanks to the festival and the people who gathered at Library Park. The business was established in 1976, but it was Poulson and Reilly who placed the green awning that greets customers from California Street in downtown Redding. "I've enjoyed the friends and friendships I've made over the years," Poulson said. "I think toward the end I want to thank all the patrons who have stopped in through the years." The small staff know the usual customers and what they order. "That person's order is being put in to the kitchen before they get a chance to sit down," Poulson said. "This place is comfortable and the staff try to make people feel that." Long Island Iced Teas and Bloody Marys are just some of the staples the Post Office is known for, along with its lunch menu that has served several generations of regulars. The crowds that do find themselves at the Post Office on live music nights vary with the bar's calendar dotted with jazz, folk and rock acts. Last year Poulson and Reilly listed the business for sale. Poulson wants people to know it is business as usual at the Post Office. "There is a misconception that since we put it up for sale that the Post Office would be going out of business," he said. "That's not the case. We're still listed to be sold, but we're still here and providing the same service." The owners want to sell the business to someone who would want to keep the Post Office title alive. "That's what we're searching for. We'd like to find someone who would continue some of the traditions," said Poulson. They have received no offers for the business, listed at $225,000. He's been making drinks and serving guests at the Post Office since 1982 when he was an employee. He now keeps regular nine to five hours, unless there is a special event or a reunion at the bar or at the Cascade Theatre. The familiarity Poulson has developed with people goes beyond just a regular job and he credits that to the allure of the bar and its staff. "You have to make sure the staff and customers are happy. That goes hand in hand." Here's the one thing Democratic politicians should fear more than any other potential California event: Latinos stay home from the polls in droves on Election Day in November 2016. It went almost unnoticed beyond Orange County in early 2015, but the events in one contest for a spot on that county's Board of Supervisors should be most instructive. In that race, the virtually unknown Vietnamese-American Republican Andrew Do beat the recently termed out and popular former Democratic state Sen. Lou Correa now running for Congress by 43 votes. This wasn't the classic Orange County campaign in a suburban area where Republicans typically run up huge margins. Instead, it centered on Santa Ana, the mostly Latino county seat that's been the base of power for longtime Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, now running for the U.S. Senate. This supervisorial seat became vacant in 2014, when former county Supervisor Janet Nguyen took over Correa's vacated slot in the state Senate in an election where overall turnout was dismal, but Latinos voted in much lower proportions than the general public. While Latino voters were no-shows in large numbers again in the Do-Correa contest, the Vietnamese-American Republicans who elected Nguyen performed again for Do, with 84 percent of the votes cast by mail. One analysis of the race found that ethnic Vietnamese registered voters were twice as likely to turn in ballots as Latinos. Why were Latinos so derelict about voting? It just may be that California is at last feeling some results from President Obama's determined, long-term policy of deporting as many undocumented immigrants as possible. During his first five years in office, Obama presided over the deportations of 1.9 million persons in this country illegally. That was a massive increase from the 1.1 million deported during the last five years of the previous administration led by Republican George W. Bush. Yes, Latinos know Republicans in Congress stymie every move made by Democrats to provide the undocumented with a path to citizenship, even if it's long, onerous and expensive. But they also see what Obama has done, even though he's attempted to allow illegal immigrants brought here as children to stay indefinitely. When a report from the often reliable Latino Decisions polling firm shows 63 percent of all Latino registered voters are personally acquainted with someone who is undocumented, mass deportations like Obama's speak powerfully. When 40 percent of those same registered voters say they know someone who currently faces deportation, that also makes an impact. It means this: The more undocumented immigrants Obama deports, the more Latino registered voters start to wonder if there's really any difference on immigration between Republicans and Democrats, despite their very different rhetoric. But Obama hasn't cared about this. His deportation policy has long been an attempt to fend off frequent, completely unsubstantiated claims from the Republican right that he is a traitor with a secret agenda of destroying America. So, while every survey shows that immigration for years has been the single most important issue for Latino voters, Obama persists with his defensive mindset and his deportation policy. Now the results are beginning to come in, with first Nguyen and then Do elected in an area long dominated by Hispanic voters. Overall voting figures from 2014 suggest this might not be confined to the Santa Ana area. Only 1.3 million Latino votes were cast in California that fall, 15 percent of the total. Staying home, then, was more common for Latinos last year than for other voters, who also came out in record low numbers. All of which suggests that Obama's deportation policy has already hurt a few fellow Democrats, and could hurt more this fall. Latinos who suddenly became active as voters turned this state solidly Democratic because of their fears after the passage of the anti-illegal immigrant Proposition 187 in 1994. If those same voters become convinced Democrats are taking them for granted, as Obama has, Republicans could stage a significant California comeback. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. Chicago band Vamos released one of the city's best garage rock albums last year with "Spiderbait," a dense and raucous aural kick-in-the-teeth. Since then, the quartet has been spent 2016 touring their butts off and now, they have a new single called "Outsiders." It's a ripping summer jam which boats an earworm chorus of "We're only happy outside." As someone who just spent four days outside at an exhausting music festival and then recovered by watching seven hours of Netflix's "Stranger Things," I'm not sure I agree but I do know that this song is great. Below, watch the sunny and psychedelic video for the track, which is exclusively premiering with RedEye. Advertisement @joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com Last year, Toure Muhammad was challenged by readers of his independent publication, Bean Soup Times, to name some black-owned restaurants in Chicago. "A list came out of New York," he said, "and they wanted to know what, if any, was available to them here. I've had conversations with lots of people, telling me 'I want to find a place with black owners, so I can spend my money in my community.'" So the writer took to researching. Assuming he'd only find 15 to 20 restaurants, Muhammad's initial research yielded over 100 restaurants in Chicagoland that are black-owned. And thus Black Chicago Eats, an open directory of restaurants and chefs, was born. Advertisement Today, the list numbers closer to 200 "and growing," said Muhammad. To celebrate the diversity of black-owned restaurants and cafes, he has declared July 29 through Aug. 12 as Black Chicago Eats week and hopes to encourage diners to step into their neighborhoods to support local businesses and strengthen economies. "Chicago is a food festival town during the summer, and it's the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight," said Muhammad. "We've got Taste of Chicago, Taste of Lincoln Park they do a great job encouraging people to eat food they've never had before. I want to present this list to a wider community with the same purpose in mind talk about the restaurants and encourage people to celebrate cuisine." Advertisement Don't think it's all "soul food," though. "The beauty of this challenge was finding so many diverse, black-owned spots," said Muhammad. Spanning all of Chicagoland, you'll find bakeries, Creole joints, vegan spots, fine dining and coffeehouses. While the food is a huge draw, Muhammad's goal for creating and promoting Black Chicago Eats is twofold. "In my observations, restaurants are one of the biggest suppliers of jobs in their local communities," he said. "Restaurants are hiring cooks, they're hiring servers, cashiers. These restaurants are training folks for future careers in the culinary world." He notes that by supporting these businesses, jobs are sustained, and "they strengthen neighborhoods." The local economy benefits not just from job creation, says Muhammad. Many of the restaurants that Muhammad features provide more than jobs; the owners also actively work within their communities. He cites Quentin Love, owner of Turkey Chop Gourmet Grill in Humboldt Park, for his work feeding the homeless. "(Love) has given out nearly 75,000 meals every Monday," when he transforms his restaurant into a community soup kitchen, said Muhammad. Love took half of his $36,000 winnings from his stint on the Food Network's "Guy's Grocery Games" to fund his soup kitchen, and the other half went directly to fund veterans causes. (Love himself served in Operation Desert Storm.) He told Bean Soup Times at the time, "I didn't plan it, but when I was asked what I would do with the money, I immediately thought of the food kitchen, because I don't get donations, so everything comes out of my pocket." With many of these businesses, their altruistic efforts often go unnoticed. "Many keep their good work to themselves," said Muhammad. "They're noble but don't want to talk about their work, which is bad from a marketing perspective. Some close because of this." But consumers also have an opportunity to rally around these restaurants, supporting the businesses and strengthening their neighborhoods in the process. Black business owners, like any others, says Muhammad, are "mentors, business advisers, peace advocates. Chicago should know who these people are and understand that when they support these businesses, they're getting more than a good meal." We asked Muhammad to namedrop those businesses that are not only leaders in their communities, but also serve up a mean plate of food. Here are five: Advertisement Turkey Chop Gourmet Grill We've already mentioned Quentin Love's restaurant and his altruism, but Love is also dedicated to providing his West Humboldt Park community with healthy meals. At Turkey Chop, you'll find no pork or beef on the menu. Instead, turkey takes the limelight, the featured protein on most of the menu. Chef's favorites include "honey q'd" turkey tips, baked turkey glazed in a house honey sauce, alongside a turkey take on the Maxwell Street Polish. Roasted veggies and soulful collard greens number among the side dishes. 3506 W. Chicago Ave. Brown Sugar Bakery "A favorite of mine," says Muhammad. According to Muhammad, owner Stephanie Hart and her staff attended the Party in Peace fest, handing out 500 cupcakes and hugs. "She just wants to spread positivity." Stop by her Grand Crossing bakery for her caramel treats and cakes, which are so good that when burglars broke into the shop last year, they left valuables untouched but stole everything with an iota of caramel. 328 E. 75th St. Peaches on 47th is known for its fried chicken. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune) Peaches on 47th Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Owner and chef Clifford Rome who also owns a number of businesses in Bronzeville is dedicated to providing job opportunities for young South Siders. "He does an excellent job teaching and training young folks to be professional and service-oriented," says Muhammad. The fried chicken is arguably the best around, with a peppery, crispy batter and served with fluffy French toast. 4652 S. King Drive Advertisement The Down-South BBQ Twist Sandwich from the Original Soul Vegetarian is an example of the meat-free fare the restaurant has been serving since 1983. (Heather Charles / Chicago Tribune) Original Soul Vegetarian Vegan and vegetarian fare is all but de rigueur these days, but Original Soul Vegetarian has made it a mission to serve healthy versions of soul fare since the '80s. "They understood the importance of clean eating back when no one was doing it," says Muhammad. This year, the longstanding restaurant opened an offshoot in the French Market, serving up a rotation of kale, cornbread, curry potatoes, Indian chickpea stew and BBQ jerk wings, among other dishes. 203 E. 75th St. and 131 N. Clinton St. in the French Market. Mikkey's Retro Grill Serving up incredibly affordable old-school burgers into the wee hours of the night, Mikkey's is a recent addition to Hyde Park's dining scene. Owner Erik Nance, who also owns Litehouse Whole Foods Grill, not only plates up giant two-handed burgers rivaling the city's best try the stuffed double cheesy cheese burger but he also employs locals and had served more than 25,000 free meals to Hyde Park's homeless community between both establishments. 5319 S. Hyde Park Blvd. When you visit any of these locations listed on Black Chicago Eats between now and Aug. 12, and share on social media using the hashtag #BlackChicagoEats, you'll qualify for a free meal from a number of the directory's to-be-determined partner restaurants. jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com Twitter @joeybear85 A logjam on the GST front could turn things upside down and turmoil in Gujarat might also have an adverse impact This week the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill is to be introduced to the Rajya Sabha and Q1 results continue to come in. Next Tuesday, Raghuram Rajan will chair his last policy review at the Reserve Bank of India. That will end the series of major central bank meetings after Brexit. This is the GST end game: Either it passes now or it is effectively shelved until the next general elections. Obviously, there will be a strong rally if GST does go through the Rajya Sabha and there appears to be little reason for it being held up any more. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan both stood on status quo. However, the Japanese government has pushed through a major bailout package in the Budget so traders are hoping that this means a liquidity surge in Japan. The Fed's inaction and statement have been taken to imply that it will probably hold rate hikes until the presidential election. RBI is not expected to take any action either. The earning seasons has not been very positive so far. The IT industry's numbers reveal margin pressure. Private banks have seen rising NPAs. Reliance and Maruti have relied on other Income to generate higher profits. L&T has delivered weak guidance and results. Technically, the Nifty continues to look bullish. The Nifty continues to test resistance above 8,600. Every trend following system would suggest staying long until there is a clear trend reversal. In practical terms, news flow will continue to be the driver. The GST passage could push the market into a higher zone. FIIs bought equity in massive quantities in July while Domestic Institutions were net sellers. The breadth has been good since retail has also seemed bullish. A good monsoon has boosted sentiment. The Nifty could run up till the 9,000 level or higher in the next 10 sessions, if the GST is passed. However, in the Nifty Bank, resistance at 19,175 has been tested unsuccessfully and the trend has turned more bearish. A long August 25, 18,500p (247), long August 25, 19,500c (132) costs 379 and it has gained marginally since the last recommendation. This long strangle could go into profit, given just one big down-session or three big up-sessions. The trader could sell the August 11, 18,500p (111) and the August 11, 19,500c (42), this costs 153. If this short strangle is not struck, the premium inflow boosts returns. If it is struck, the long August 25 strangle should gain enough to offset the short strangle losses. There is good open interest (OI) in the Nifty August call chain till 9,000 where the peak is seen. In the Nifty put August chain, there's good OI till 7,500p, with big peaks at 8,000p and 8,500p. The Nifty is currently held at 8,635, with a reasonable premium of 50 on the futures over the spot. The put-call ratio (PCR) has slipped into bearish territory, falling to 0.88 for the August Nifty PCR and to 0.95 for the 3-month set. A bullspread with long August 8,700c (115), short 8,800c (72) costs 43 and pays a maximum 57. This position is 70 points from money. A bearspread with long 8,600p (92), short 8,500p (61) costs 31 and pays a maximum 69. This is only 35 points from money. Obviously the nearspread looks more attractive. There is a promise, almost a guarantee that high volatility will continue. There could be a steep uptrend if the GST passes the Rajya Sabha. But, a logjam on the GST front could turn things upside down and turmoil in Gujarat might also have an adverse impact. Photograph: Reuters Sebi had found irregularities in 21 IPOs between 2003 and 2005. Eleven years on, while 80% of scam-hit investors have been fully compensated, more than 50% of the sum is yet to be distributed, finds N Sundaresha Subramanian. Last month, the Supreme Court passed a judgment quashing a tribunal order against the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in the matter of Opee Stock Link, an Ahmedabad-based operator. Over the next few weeks, the regulator would take steps to recover the disgorged illegal gains of about Rs 14 lakh from Opee and its director, Ashok Bagreecha. The order was a small step forward for the capital market regulator in its endeavour to compensate retail investors hit by what has come to be known as the IPO scam or the demat scam. In its first-ever disgorgement effort, that stretched over several years, the regulator has reallocated unlawful gains of about Rs 41.34 crore to some 1.27 million investors. The remaining amount to be recoverable from the persons directed to be disgorged is either pending in litigation or in the process of recovery. As and when further disgorgement amount is recovered by Sebi, reallocation will be made in future to the remaining 260,000 investors who have already been paid up to Rs 800 (each) in the above distribution, the Sebi spokesperson said in a detailed response to queries by Business Standard. All the 1.27 million investors are benefitted in the said IPO refund exercise and 80 per cent of the said investors have been fully paid by Sebi, he added. The regulator still has to distribute a little over Rs 50 crore. Even though Sebi has passed orders, directing the violators to disgorge the illegal gains, recovery of money from them involves a tedious and time-consuming process and Sebi shall continue to take best efforts in the interest of investors, the regulator added. M S Sahoo, former whole-time member of Sebi, who now holds the same position at Competition Commission of India, said, This was the first-ever disgorgement order in India, first-ever compensation to investors from disgorgement. Sebi and every economic regulator should make all-out efforts to seek disgorgement of unlawful gains from the miscreants, in addition to other permissible penal action, and endeavour to identify victims of the misdemeanour and disburse the disgorged amount to them. Sahoo, who was with Sebi between 2008 and 2011, said the cases could be broadly classified into four. First, through settlement, wherein the entities which made unlawful gains came forward and paid the amount. Sebi passed settlement orders on these. About Rs 30 crore was realised in this manner. Second, disgorgement orders passed against entities which did not come forward for settlement, which were upheld by the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). Almost in all cases, the parties went for appeal and each one of them was upheld by the Supreme Court. However, in many of these cases, the disgorged sums remained unrealised as the Sebi could not do recovery. After getting new powers in 2014, it started recovering some of these sums. Third, there were orders set aside by SAT. Sebi appealed against such orders and these are being quashed by the Supreme Court. Opee Stock Link was one such case. Fourth are those cases sent back to the Sebi by the SAT for reconsideration. In the parallel, the adjudicating officer was passing orders on the monetary penalty. The scam exposed weak links in the system but also led to sweeping changes, effects of which are felt till date. B Narasimhan, former member of council, Institute of Company Secretaries of India, said, The infirmities in the system were exploited to the maximum by the operators. Whatever was not proper (in the system) these people took advantage of it. Subsequently, Sebi has taken several steps to improve the system. Permanent Account Number (PAN) was (made) mandatory for all applications and compulsory ASBA (Applications Supported by Blocked Amount) for all bidders was introduced. The time between allotment and listing has also come down and there has not been a scam of that size since, added Narasimhan, who has worked with the Karvy group in the past. IMAGE: Sebi had investigated and found irregularities in 21 IPOs between 2003 and 2005. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com How the scam surfaced In 2005, Sebis surveillance system started picking up unusual off-market transfers of shares in huge quantities. These were shares of companies about to be listed on the stock exchanges. This evoked the curiosity of the sleuths in Sebi. Usually, an initial public offering (IPO) of equity provides an opportunity for allottees to make a decent profit and exit. Therefore, someone who gets an allotment in an IPO either exits on the listing day itself or holds on for the long term. But, why were these shares changing hands before the price could be discovered? When investigated, a pattern emerged wherein shares from several hundred demat accounts moved to a handful of accounts, from where these were offloaded on listing day. Some market sources said the tip-off actually came from the income tax department, which had randomly picked up the income tax returns of one of the operators. Once a return is picked up for scrutiny, it is almost compulsory for the tax official to find something wrong with it. In this case, it was not very difficult, said a person familiar with the scam. The tax official allegedly found capital gains tax being paid on a huge amount of shares. When he looked into the allotment details of IPOs, the official found that the entity had applied in the retail (individual) category and had not received any shares in the allotment or received much less than what it paid the capital gains taxes for. Then, he wrote to Sebi about something fishy he smelt, triggering detailed investigations. In all, Sebi had investigated and found irregularities in 21 IPOs between 2003 and 2005. IMAGE: Another mode of sourcing photographs was found in the Parag Jhaveri case, where the photographs were lifted from a matrimonial site. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Modus operandi Roopalben Panchal, who along with her associates operated thousands of bank and demat accounts and cornered shares meant for retail investors in several IPOs, became the name by which the entire scam came to be identified. In those days, a photograph was needed to open a savings account, pre-requisite for a demat account. The Ahmedabad-based operator, who some officials said was the wife of a sub-broker, ran a photo studio and advertised in local dailies, saying people who got their photographs clicked would get two copies free of cost. Unsuspecting subjects queued in. Investigators later found that copies of these photographs were used for opening fictitious bank and demat accounts. Another mode of sourcing photographs was found in the Parag Jhaveri case, where the photographs were lifted from a matrimonial site. It is noted that the font and style of the impression as contained in the photos attached to the letter and as appearing on Shaadi.com appear to be the same. This indicates the possible source of the photographs attached to Parag Jhaveris letter and shows the dubious design of the Jhaveri group in opening bank accounts in fictitious/benami names, probably without even the knowledge of the persons whose photographs were abused in such manner, a 2007 order by Sebis whole-time member G Anantharaman said. The first interim order against Panchal and others was passed in the case of YES Bank IPO, which hit the Street in December 2005. As many as 6,315 fictitious demat accounts were opened for subscribing to YES Bank shares, of which 6,221 had the same address 402-403, Shashwat Building, Opposite Gujarat College, Ahmedabad. Subsequently, the investigation expanded to 21 IPOs. In 18 cases, Panchal and associates were involved. This is how they did it: Panchal and her relatives opened bank accounts in their own names with Bharat Overseas Bank (BhOB). Using these bank accounts, they manufactured bank introduction letters for thousands of fictitious names and based on such introduction letters as proof of identity and address, thousands of demat accounts were opened. For example, Arjav (Panchal) opened a bank account number 9550 with BhOB in December 2004. They prepared a list of 1,000 fictitious names, starting with Kunal and ending with Ritu, each having surname Zala. They created 15 such lists with the same set of first names but with a different surname and thereby created 15,000 fictitious identities. They manufactured bank introduction letters, purportedly issued by BhOB, in favour of each of the 15,000 fictitious names by assigning the bank account number 9550 as a suffix to every name. Thus, they opened thousands of accounts with the same address, known as afferent accounts. They paid to each Depositary Participant (DP) the account maintenance charges (AMC) and transaction charges for many of these accounts. Separately, they prepared several lists, each with 50 fictitious identities with same surname in the same order as were in the lists used for opening afferent accounts. Many such lists of 50 persons were purportedly certified by Karvy DP. They opened several bank accounts, each jointly with 50 fictitious persons in a list. These bank accounts enabled the Panchals to avail finance for IPOs from banks. They also obtained finance from many other financiers. With the funds procured from various sources, the Panchals engineered thousands of applications in the retail category over 18 IPOs, according to Sebi orders. For example, the scamsters were able to corner an allotment of 7.3 million retail category shares through applications from 27,444 afferent accounts in the IDFC IPO. In those days, applications up to Rs 50,000 did not require a PAN. Beyond Rs 50,000, a PAN was required. But, no registrar would refuse an application for want of PAN. Sometimes, applications would just have the stapler pins, with no attachment, to give the impression that the PAN copy was originally attached and was missed in transit, said a registrar employee. This meant there was no way of cross-checking duplicate applications by frontline staff at the intermediaries. After the allotment, they also received the consolidated refunds from issuers through the bank and returned the same to the financiers. They repeated this modus operandi over 18 IPOs. In the process, they cornered the shares meant for retail in 18 IPOs and made unlawful gains, Sebi found. The operators did not do it all by themselves. Multiple entities of the Hyderabad-based Karvy group, including Karvy Stock Broking (broking and depositary participant), Karvy Consultants (financiers) and Karvy Computershare (registrar and transfer agents) were found to have played a key role in the scam. It was also prima facie found that the Karvy group had linkages with the key operators such as Roopal Panchal, Purushottam Budhwani, Dharmesh Mehta, etc. They have admitted in their written submissions that certain of them were their IPO sub-brokers. It was prima facie found that KSBL had introduced the bank accounts of these groups, and facilitated the entire process, starting from making IPO applications for them after collecting pay orders from the bank, arranging finance for them till collecting and distributing their refund orders, a Sebi order of 2006 had said. Subsequent investigations which covered 21 IPOs that Karvy seemed to be involved in manipulations of most of them. The subsequent findings, even though they related to transactions which took place prior in time to the two IPOs covered by earlier orders, showed that Karvys involvement seemed to be much more serious than it was originally known, the Sebi order added. An e-mail sent to Karvy through its public relations agency did not elicit any response. IMAGE: An administrator was appointed to look into the refund process to the eligible investors. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Penal action and settlement Action was taken by Sebi against several intermediaries such as the depositories, depositary participants, registrars and brokers. The systems of NSDL and CDSL were strengthened to eliminate multiple demat accounts. The proper Know Your Customer (KYC) framework was put in place. The scam also helped regulator equip itself better internally in terms of surveillance and investigation capacities, said a former Sebi official. Some Karvy entities were debarred from operating in the market. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India passed orders against errant banks. Fines of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh were imposed on BhOB, Citibank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Vijaya Bank for violation of anti-money laundering norms. BhOB was eventually merged with Indian Overseas Bank. After deciding on the disgorgement, the next big question for Sebi was who would get the compensation. It was not easy. A formula was worked out by a committee under the chairmanship of ex-judge D P Wadhwa. It recommended the procedure of identification of persons who were deprived in the said IPOs and the manner in which reallocation of shares to such persons should take place. An administrator was appointed to look into the refund process to the eligible investors. The administrator identified 1,275,000 lakh investors as eligible ones for distribution of a total amount of Rs 92 crore, the regulator said. After initial rounds of recovery of amounts from some of the persons directed to be disgorged, in April 2010, Sebi distributed Rs 23.3 crore. Of these, 799,000 investors were paid the full eligible amount and 476,000 investors who were eligible for a reallocation amount of more than Rs 300 were paid a sum of Rs 300 each, according to Sebi. The regulator added the newly conferred recovery powers under the Securities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014 helped in recovery from more operators. The sums so recovered went into the Tranche-II distribution initiated by Sebi in December 2015. About Rs 18.06 crore was distributed to 463,000 investors in this phase. Keeping in view the cost involved, no distribution was made to 12,000 investors eligible for a reallocation amount of Rs 30 or less. Of 463,000 investors, 203,000 investors were paid the full eligible amounts and remaining 260,000 investors, who are eligible for a reallocation amount of more than Rs 500, were paid a sum of Rs 500 each, the Sebi spokesperson added. 'I want to leave behind the bank stronger and better than when I took over,' SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya tells Niraj Bhatt and Abhijit Lele. IMAGE: Arundhati Bhattacharya was appointed State Bank of India's chairman in 2013. Photograph: Reuters Arundhati Bhattacharya looks out of the window at the sprawling vista of Mumbai's racecourse, the Haji Ali dargah on the Arabian Sea, the glitzy residential skyscrapers, and then her eyes fall on the ubiquitous blue plastic sheets that protect Mumbai's slum dwellers from rain. The chairman of India's largest bank says she is reminded of a couplet from musician and filmmaker Bhupen Hazarika's Bengali song, Ami Ek Jajabor (I am a nomad), which translates to: 'I have seen many skyscrapers, and many big buildings, under the shadow of which lie many homeless men and women.' The most influential Indian woman on Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women is a voracious reader and loves listening to old Hindi and Bengali music. She is reading The Great Golden Sacrifice of the Mahabharata by Maggi Lidchi-Grassi, and says she narrated two stories from the book at a talk she gave to senior management at Larsen & Toubro earlier that morning. We are at By the Mekong, the Asian restaurant on Level 37 of The St Regis, Mumbai. Bhattacharya says while she enjoys all cuisines, she is a sparse eater. She is happy with the set menu, which has both Chinese and Thai, and we start with an assortment of appetisers. She chooses the Kung Pao chicken and steamed shrimp dumplings; we go for the Kung Pao potatoes and stir-fry vegetables. IMAGE: Bhattacharya loves listening to old Hindi and Bengali music. Bhattacharya was appointed chairman of State Bank of India in 2013 and has steered the bank at a difficult time, as loans to highly indebted companies became stressed or non-performing. Did she expect the environment to be so difficult? "It wasn't a surprise," she replies. "However, we did not anticipate the downturn to last this long." She says demand in India holds from the bottom. Rural demand declined due to two monsoon failures, the government's inability to raise minimum support prices as commodity prices declined the world over and lower allocations through the NREGA. Slow growth in the global economy didn't help either. IMAGE: The Seventh Pay Commission and a good monsoon should restore consumer demand. Photograph: Reuters The government and the banking sector have met halfway to solve the stress problem, and things are looking better, she says. On the macro side, the Seventh Pay Commission and a good monsoon should restore consumer demand. There is movement in roads, renewable power and freight corridors, and ports and airports will follow soon. Banks and Bhattacharya, as the boss of the largest corporate lender, have been putting pressure on highly indebted groups to sell assets, raise funds and repay debt, but the process has been slow for various reasons. Some of these firms did sell part of their assets, but many more have been in the pipeline for months now and are yet to bear fruit. "It's a good thing that all these deals are being talked about and some are getting done," she says. "I only hope they speed up." She is quick to add that these are big deals and take time to complete, and that promoters now understand that to get the respect of the market, they need to be less leveraged. IMAGE: 'We did not anticipate the downturn to last this long,' says the banker. Photograph: Reuters Our next course, tom yum soup, is served. Bhattacharya, who holds a master's degree in literature, says she came into banking fortuitously. She took the entrance exam with a few friends for a lark, and got through. She had just a couple of days to pack her bags from Jadavpur University in Kolkata and go to Hyderabad for SBI's training programme. There is also an interesting story behind her decision to pursue her bachelor's in literature. Bhattacharya had secured admission in medicine, but there were problems -- hostel accommodation was not available and the course would take eight years to complete as academic sessions were being disrupted due to the Naxalite movement in West Bengal. Her father was to retire in three years, which, too, was a concern. The family consulted her school principal Father John Moore, the well-known educationist who started the St Xavier's schools in Hazaribag and Bokaro. He said she was a brilliant writer and should pursue a career in writing and journalism. She settled on literature at Lady Brabourne College, which had a 'conservative' hostel. We ask if she gets a chance to write; she says she doesn't, but looks forward to doing it in her one-year cooling period when she retires in September. IMAGE: Bhattacharya says there has never been a dull moment in her career. Photograph: Kind courtesy: Manjulkumar/Wikimedia Commons Bhattacharya's name keeps coming up for key appointments, whether it is the top job at the Securities and Exchange Board of India or the Reserve Bank of India. How does she feel when she sees these reports? "I take all of this with a big pinch of salt; these are a creation of the media." Our main course of rice, noodles with stir fried chicken, Thai curry and tofu in Sichuan chilli bean paste arrives. Bhattacharya says there has never been a dull moment in her career. The system of transfers within the bank ensures there is always something to learn every day. IMAGE: Bhattacharya is not satisfied with customer service. Photograph: Kind courtesy: Manjulkumar/Wikimedia Commons She has had 12 different jobs in the bank across retail, corporate, treasury, human resources and investment banking. Her most challenging assignment was as branch manager at IIT-Kharagpur, where she faced resistance from an active union when the bank went for computerisation. The most exciting role, she says, was in new business development. There was no laid-down method of work and she had to take a lot of decisions on her own. She completed three joint ventures and worked on two technology platforms - net banking and financial planning. Of the lot, the only one that didn't do well was financial planning. She says this would now be rectified with the launch of the SBI Exclusif wealth management service. Even her private sector competitors are in awe of how she has transformed SBI into a smart bank with all the digital forays. SBI became the number one player in mobile banking in April 2015 and had nearly three million mobile wallet users in March 2016. It has bagged two Gartner Cool Business awards for innovation with its missed call banking app, SBI Quick, and digital branch SBI Intouch. Customer service is one area that has improved, but Bhattacharya is not satisfied. IMAGE: Her private sector competitors are in awe of how she has transformed SBI into a smart bank with all the digital forays. "We have put in a lot of effort to train them (the staff) but even then we find knowledge gaps." These typically happen in transactions that are not done often; the people in charge are not able to handle them and give the wrong answer leading to complaints. "I am disturbed about these complaints and would like to not have them." How does she make the elephant dance, we ask. SBI has the ability and the DNA to change, she says. "At SBI, we say that if you need a project to be done, you need to be determined that it needs to be done, put a deadline and it will get done." Is the perception of her being outspoken correct? Bhattacharya is quick to rebut this: "I say what is required to be said. Whatever I have said is in the interest of the system and it has never been taken amiss." IMAGE: Bhattacharya has made it easier for women employees to work in the bank. A late sleeper and early riser, Bhattacharya reaches home around 9 pm and then tackles the paperwork from 10.30 pm to 1 am. That's also the time she helps her daughter with her studies. Things have been tough on the family. The bank has been helpful, she says. After her marriage to a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, her postings were in and around Kharagpur. After that, she was posted in Kolkata and Bhattacharya and her husband would visit each other over the weekend. When she was posted in the US, he joined her and quit IIT. After they returned to India, it has been a long-distance marriage, except for the last one year when he moved to Mumbai. On her journey to the corner office at India's largest public sector bank, Bhattacharya says, "I have been lucky to work in one organisation (for so long); so once the reputation is set, you don't have to keep proving yourself." She says that when women move from one company to another, they have to continually prove themselves. IMAGE: RBI Governor Dr Raghuram Rajan and Bhattacharya at the second SBI Banking and Economic Conclave. Photograph: Reuters "This is something most women face because it is difficult to convince somebody, who is very serious about his job, that you are equally serious." Bhattacharya has made it easier for women employees to work in the bank, and is working on reducing attrition. At the entry level, 37 per cent of SBI's staff are women, but the figure drops to 23 per cent at the total employee level. She says women leave the bank at three stages, typically: Around childbirth, when their children are in Class 10 or 12 and when they have to take care of an ailing parent. SBI has now introduced a two-year sabbatical for such women employees. The bank may also allow women to work from home for two years, she says. In June, SBI announced the merger of five of its associated banks and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself. The merger will happen later this financial year. A challenging task, there is speculation that the government may want Bhattacharya to see it through, and hence the chatter of her extension. Our dessert is nearly over, and we ask how she feels to be on the power list. She laughs: "It's good to be on the power list, but I don't see a practical use of it except when people introduce me to audiences." What is the legacy she would like to leave at SBI? "I want to leave behind the bank stronger and better than when I took over." HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - Aug 1, 2016) - Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704), a global leader in security software and solutions, today announced its collaboration in the arrest of the head of an international criminal network suspected of stealing more than $60 million through business email compromise (BEC) scams and CEO fraud. The arrest is the result of a joint operation by INTERPOL and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission utilizing Trend Micro research to identify and arrest the culprit. "Trend Micro is a strong proponent of public-private partnerships in the constant battle against cybercriminals," said Raimund Genes, chief technology officer for Trend Micro. "We have a collective adversary in those who mean to do harm via technology, and we at Trend Micro do all we can to support law enforcement in apprehending and prosecuting these attackers. This is another a milestone for the cybersecurity community working together." The Nigerian national is believed to be the leader of a 40-person network across Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa that provides malware and carries out attacks. He is also suspected of colluding with money launderers in China, Europe and the U.S. who provided illicit bank account details in which stolen money was housed. "Arrests like this are made possible by partnerships between members of the security community which come together with the common goal of making the internet a safer place," said Noboru Nakatani, Executive Director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. "BEC scams are particularly difficult to combat due to their complexity, which is why public-private sector cooperation is essential." Trend Micro is a strategic partner supporting INTERPOL and its member countries with knowledge, resources and strategies to fight global cybercrime through its Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore. Company Logo http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/3868 About Trend Micro Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cyber security solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 5,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world's most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables users to enjoy their digital lives safely. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.hk. Uber is estimated to have lost around $2 billion in China. India will now become the next big battleground for Uber Technologies after it accepted defeat in China by opting to merge with local rival Didi Chuxing. The fight might have also taught Uber that throwing money without the likelihood of profits in sight can hurt its business. Uber and Didi Chuxing are investing billions of dollars in China and both companies have yet to turn a profit there. "Getting to profitability is the only way to build a sustainable business that can best serve Chinese riders, drivers and cities over the long term, Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick wrote in a blog post. Uber is estimated to have lost around $2 billion in China. In India, it is fighting a pitched battle against Ola. Uber, armed with a substantial part of the $3.5 billion it raised from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, has become aggressive in India, stepping up advertising spend and dropping fares to incredibly low rates, besides offering three-fold incentives to drivers. Being no slouch, Ola too is said to be in talks to raise $1 billion, but has not finalised a deal yet. Didi, which has absorbed Uber in China, is a strategic investor in Ola. However, Ola too is losing money in its fight against Uber. In the financial year 2014-15, the last financial year for which data are available, Ola reported losses at Rs 796 crore (Rs 7.96 billion), 20 times more than the previous year, on revenue of Rs 421 crore (Rs 4.21 billion). Ubers financials are not publicly available. In China, Uber realised they were not going anywhere in the long term. They were burning a lot of money, but that wasnt the issue. The issue was that they were not progressing (in terms of growing market share). "However, in India their market share is growing quite rapidly and they are giving Ola a good fight, said Anil Kumar, the founder and managing director of Redseer Consulting. While Uber launched both its India and China services in August 2013, it has been far more successful at grabbing market share in India. Thats partly because India is a nascent market compared to China, and Ola was a fairly small player when Uber arrived. Bhavish Aggarwal, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Ola, had said the company was doing a mere 2,000 rides when Uber launched its service in the country. Ola claims it has 450,000 cabs and 120,000 autorickshaws on its platform, while Uber claims to have 350,000 cars on its platform. While both claim market leadership, researcher Redseer says Ola has approximately two-thirds share. Uber was seen as one of the few US technology firms making in-roads into the Chinese market, where even giants Google, Facebook and Amazon failed. India, on the other hand, offers a much easier environment for western firms to thrive, with Google ruling search, Facebook dominating social networking and Amazon giving e-commerce leader Flipkart a run for its money. Interestingly, Didi Chuxing and its investor SoftBank have backed Ola. It is also part of a global alliance of taxi aggregators that include US-based Lyft and Southeast Asian GrabTaxi, stitched together by SoftBank and Alibaba, to take on Uber. The alliance seems to have tasted its first victory with Ubers China exit. However, this has also created a situation where Didi is now an investor in Uber, making SoftBank, Alibaba and even Apple (which invested $1 billion in Didi earlier this year) indirect stakeholders in Uber. Uber is just another example of a western company unable to make inroads in China. India is the second largest Internet market that is open for business. "Firms like Amazon and Uber will now focus their energy on playing a longer-term battle in India, said Haresh Chawla, partner at India Value Fund Advisors. In its efforts to fend off Ubers growth in the country, Ola is looking at falling in line with local laws, while Uber staunchly opposes them. Ola has already obtained a licence to operate in Karnataka, the first state in India to introduce rules to regulate taxi aggregators, and has also applied for a licence in Delhi. Uber, on the other hand, is fighting cases against both the Delhi and Karnataka governments in the respective high courts over the validity of state-specific rules and their ability of states to regulate it under the Central Motor Vehicle Act. Uber claims it is a technology platform and should fall under the ambit of the Information Technology Act. Smaller competitors fear customers and drivers on both Uber and Ola may get impacted if India goes the China way, if the two aggregators merge. There is a high probability that a similar arrangement can happen in India and that will lead to a clear monopoly being established. "If that happens, fears of drivers will significantly increase and passengers will be left with no other options, said Siddhartha Pawha, CEO of Meru. In China, the combined entity will be valued at $35 billion, according to a Bloomberg report, with Uber China controlling a 20 per cent stake. Apart from this, Didi will invest $1 billion in Uber at a valuation of $68 billion. Bollywood stars go for the loveliest holidays -- exotic locations with a lot of adventure thrown in. So we decided to document their travels with a special series. We saw Parineeti Chopra have an adventurous Australian holiday while Asin went to Italy. Ileana D'Cruz, meanwhile, chose the Turtle island in Fiji, where she was accompanied by her Australian boyfriend Andrew Kneebone. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram This is how the first morning looked. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram When your beau is an ace photographer, you don't need to worry about getting the best clicks! Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram See what we mean? He can make your embarrassing moments look good too. That's what happened when Ileana discovered the floating mattress doesn't quite float. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram Ileana splashes at the pool. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram The beginning of an awesome tan, like she says. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram The breathtaking view. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram Ileana takes in the sun and sand. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram Another awesome click, thanks to Kneebone. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram Sun-kissed. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram The lady in red takes a stroll. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram 'Beach hair - don't bloody care!' she exclaims. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram Hammock time. Photograph: Andrew Kneebone/Instagram The gorgeous sunset. Photograph: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram Ileana had a great time at Turtle Island and promises to be back! In parts of South Kashmir, especially in Pulwama district, the government's writ has effectively ceased to run. The daily confrontation that follows the lifting of the curfew bears an indescribable fury. For a Valley on the boil, there is ample proof that New Delhi simply does not care. Ajai Shukla reports from Ground Zero of the Kashmir protests. Three weeks after idolised Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in an encounter near Anantnag in southern Kashmir, the Valley continues to seethe. In Srinagar, extended curfews have failed to end furious stone-pelting by violent mobs. This correspondent visit the city's so-called downtown area at 6 pm, after hearing that curfew would be briefly lifted at 6.30 pm. This locality has long been the stronghold of the Mirwaiz of Kashmir, currently the soft-spoken Omar Farooq, whose Awami Action Committee anchors the separatist Hurriyat Conference. But the Mirwaiz, like other Hurriyat leaders, counts for little now. Separatist leadership is now in the hands of fresh-faced Kashmiri youths, some as young as 16, who are following their impulses without coordination or thought. Bearing the brunt of their blind anger against any manifestation of the Indian state is a mixed posse of J&K Police and the Central Reserve Police Force personnel, who have spent the day on "curfew enforcement"; strung out across the locality in exposed groups of three-four troopers. At 6.15 pm, I join them as they reel in towards a central collection point. On their heels follow the "stone pelters" -- official terminology in the J&K security establishment. The daily confrontation that follows bears an indescribable fury. Running out from homes and alleyways, the youngsters use slingshots and their bare arms to hurl large stones that ricochet off protected vehicles and bounce dangerously off the street. The police are under strict instructions to moderate their response; no agitator should be killed or badly injured -- an eventuality that could trigger stepped up violence. Under pressure from the advancing mob, the troopers fire teargas to push back the darting youths. The 12-gauge shotguns are loaded, but held in reserve in case the troopers are getting swamped. After what seems like a lifetime, the police withdraw into heavily-guarded police stations, ceding the space outside to the mob. This frightening contest takes place each time curfew is lifted. I ask Inspector Javed Bhat (name changed to protect identity), who has just overseen this withdrawal, how everyone handles the danger. "We let them vent their anger. As long as no agitator is injured, we consider it a job well done." This sums up the strategy for calming down the Valley after 55 Kashmiri deaths and some 2,000 injuries, including 300 that required hospitalisation. Many of these took place when rampaging mobs were about to overrun police stations and outposts. With panic-stricken troopers firing shotguns at point-blank ranges, the 450 pellets in each cartridge blinded many agitators, stoking anger further. Yet, Srinagar represents the good news for the administration. In parts of South Kashmir, especially in Pulwama district, the government's writ has effectively ceased to run. The locals have begun calling Pulwama a "liberated zone". Shuja'at Bukhari, editor of the Valley's second-biggest English daily, Rising Kashmir, described a procession of 30,000 locals on Sunday, screaming for Azaadi (freedom) at the local "martyr's graveyard". That protest featured several armed militants, including Abu Dujana, the local Lashkar-e-Tayiba commander who hails from Pakistan. On Monday, it was the turn of Shopian, where 10,000 people came out in protest. South Kashmir was the stamping ground of Burhan Wani, who was less a conventional gun-wielding militant than a social media celebrity, with his videos urging Kashmiris to join the Hizbul Mujahideen. Says a senior police officer: "Without firing a shot, Burhan became more dangerous than other militants." So furious was the reaction to his killing that mobs in South Kashmir burnt three police stations to the ground. Police posts were torched. The J&K Police's special operations group, the unit that actually shot down Burhan Wani, paid an especially heavy price: Four SOG camps were set ablaze. Asked whether there is a strategy to regain control, Suhail Bukhari, the J&K government's media consultant, said: "We are avoiding a vicious cycle of violence where each death leads to another, and further inflames the situation." While Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has launched an outreach programme to visit the families of locals killed, there is an eerie silence from New Delhi. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kashmir a week ago, but the prime minister has remained silent. For a Valley on the boil, this is further proof that New Delhi simply does not care. There was little love for the United Progressive Alliance government, under which the Valley experienced three successive summers of turmoil: In 2008, over the proposal to acquire land for the Amarnath Yatra; in 2009, over the deaths of two women in Shopian; and in 2010 over the killings of civilians in Machhil in a fake encounter. Now, there is even greater resentment at the National Democratic Alliance government, with Kashmiris deeply resenting issues like beef ban, the Dadri lynching, and a series of local controversies that are perceived as an assault on the Kashmiri identity -- not least the apprehension that New Delhi intends to change the Valley's demographic profile by establishing "Pandit colonies" and "Sainik colonies". After Gujarat, Dalits in Lucknow shudder to touch a dead cow to skin it for a living after gau rakshaks (cow protectors) thrashed two of their community members on suspicion of cow slaughter in Lucknow last week. Scared of being beaten up, some members of the community approached their contractors to take up their case with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation or other authorities after some of them were assaulted in Takrohi area in Indira Nagar in Lucknow on July 28. "We are aware of the matter and have lodged a complaint with the police against unidentified persons," Additional Municipal Commissioner Avaneesh Saxena told PTI. He said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has also requested police and the district administration to provide security to them so that they can lift carcasses and skin them. He said as an immediate precautionary measure, photo identity cards would be issued to contractual workers engaged in such task. The community members have decided not to lift carcasses till they were issued such identity cards to ensure their security. There have been complaints of increased attacks on the Dalit community members in the city in the past six months. They have been attacked while transporting a dead cow on the civic body's call to lift dead animals so that these do not rot in front of people's houses. They have often complained that when they go to dispose of the carcasses after skinning them, they are attacked by cow vigilantes who charge them with slaughtering the animal. IMAGE: A screengrab of the video showing the Dalit men being beaten up by the cow vigilantes. Haryana Police has booked Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Delhi Cantonment Surinder Singh on the charge of cheating after he was accused of getting a job as a government teacher on the basis of a fake graduation degree. Acting on the complaint of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Karan Singh Tanwar, a former MLA from Delhi Cantonment, the Jhajjar police booked him. Police on Tuesday said Tanwar had moved a complaint before Jhajjar Superitendent of Police seeking registration of a case against the legislator after accusing him of getting the job on the basis of a forged graduation degree. Reacting to the development, AAP leader from Haryana Naveen Jaihind charged it was being done at the behest of the ruling BJP and an atmosphere is being created to browbeat our MLAs. Documents related to his service record, which were procured under the RTI Act by Tanwar, show that the AAP legislator had passed Class XII, whereas he claimed to be a graduate while applying for the post of physical training instructor in a government school of Jhajjar, the complainant has alleged. The complaint against Surinder Singh is that he was employed as teacher in a government school in Jhajjar, a job which he is alleged to have got on the basis of a forged graduation degree. We have registered a complaint and we will get the degree verified, Jhajjar Police SP Jashandeep Singh said on Tuesday. He further added, We have not called him for questioning as yet, first of all we will get the degree verified. The AAP claimed that Delhi police had given him clean chit earlier when similar charge was levelled against him. Jaihind said, At the behest of the ruling BJP, an atmosphere is being created to browbeat our MLAs. Since Delhi police had conducted a separate enquiry and given a clean chit then what is the logic of Haryana police taking cognisance of the same complaint. This is sheer harassment of our party legislator. We are saying if anyone has done any wrongdoing, arrest him and actively pursue the case before courts. But the way the BJP government is acting, it only shows that they are frustrated with AAPs growing popularity. But we are not going to be cowed down by such tactics. AAP party was formed after a revolution. People are wise and the know what tactics the BJP is adopting, Jaihind alleged. So far, 12 AAP MLAs were arrested by the Delhi Police and their Punjab counterpart in various cases since the party came to power in Delhi for a second time in February last year. The party has claimed that its MLAs were being arrested under a conspiracy. Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has kicked up a controversy by suggesting that the Bulandshahr highway gangrape could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the ruling party, drawing condemnation from rival parties. Khan termed the gangrape of a 13-year-old girl and her mother by a group of bandits near Bulandshahr last week as an attempt to "malign" the Samajwadi Party government by those who want to "come to power" in poll-bound UP. Assembly elections in UP are due next year. "It must be investigated whether people, with the opposite ideology or those who want to come to power, are behind this incident in order to malign the government," he said in Rampur. "When innocent people can be murdered for political gains, for votes Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar can happen, when Shamli and Kairana can happen...It is not just a matter of two rapes. It is important to know the truth behind it," Khan was heard as saying in a video that has gone viral on social media. He was referring to incidents of communal violence in the past. Reacting sharply to Khan's statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said Azam Khan has crossed all the limits. "He is doing politics on gangrape now. It's a matter of shame," UP's BJP chief K P Maurya said, and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident. BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. At a press conference in Delhi, BJP's national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the comments by Khan showed how low the ruling party can stoop for votes. In an apparent damage control, Khan today said his remarks were misconstrued since UP was headed for elections. He said punishment is very important in heinous crimes like the gangrape incident. "They(the perpetrators) should be punished every second." "If the government is not sensitive enough to these matters then it does not have any right to speak about people. This is a very painful incident, it's even worse than death. "We understand their pain. We cannot change the truth. If we get into more details more number of people may be involved. This is an insult to the government. Which government will want such an incident?" SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav denied any laxity on part of the state government over the gangrape incident, asking what does suspension of police officials mean? "You cannot accept that all the persons have been suspended. What does it mean? Do you expect them to be suspended before the crime (happens)? No one was sleeping," he told reporters. He also accused the media of being prejudiced towards the UP government, saying "why don't you talk about the girl that was raped and burnt in Delhi? You are never talking about it. You are prejudiced against the Uttar Pradesh government. "We have been living here for the past 25 years, are we not concerned?" he added. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Tuesday expressed hope that there will be a miracle in favour of his party in the upcoming assembly election in the state. The people of Uttar Pradesh have always been springing surprises -- be it 2004, 2007, 2012 or 2017 -- this time they are going to do a miracle in favour of Congress, he said. Babbar is in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents, to take part in Congress president Sonia Gandhis roadshow. Responding to questions from mediapersons if road shows and other programmes would help the party at the hustings, he said, Rest assured...we are among the people...Sonia is here to have darshan and take blessings of Baba Vishwanath in this holy month of Shravan. This is the third major programme of the party in the past few days after 27 saal-UP behal Delhi-Kanpur bus yatra and Rahul Gandhis interactive session with booth level workers in Lucknow. Earlier, Sonia arrived in Varanasi to a rousing reception by party workers for a six-km-long road show. Her cavalcade was accompanied by 5,000-strong contingent of motorcyclists from Lal Bahadur Shastri Babatpur airport to the circuit house. Huge banners and buntings have been put up by party to make the roadshow successful and launch the poll campaign in the eastern region of the poll-bound state. The Bharatiya Janata Party did not fare very well in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh in the last assembly election and the Congress hopes to take advantage make inroads. The BJP, which swept the 2014 national election in the state winning 71 of its 80 Lok Sabha seats, hopes to extend that victory to the 2017 UP assembly elections. IMAGE: Congress leader Raj Babbar during a rally in Agra, UP. Photograph: @RajBabbarMP/Twitter The Bangladesh Police on Tuesday announced a reward of over $25,000 (Rs 16,75,000) for clues leading to the arrest of two Islamists identified as masterminds of the terror attacks at a cafe in Dhaka and an Eid congregation. Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and dismissed army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque have been identified as the brains behind the two terror attacks. The law enforcement and intelligence agencies are trying to arrest Tamim Chowdhury and (sacked and fugitive) major Zia (Ziaul Haque), we seek everyones cooperation in this regard, Inspector General of Police A K M Shahidul Hoque told reporters. The police chief announced two million taka rewards on each of them for information leading to their arrest. If anyone helps to arrest them or inform us after detaining them, we will give Tk 2 million reward for each of them, he said. The IGP said their arrests will result into a significant curb in militant activities. Investigators earlier identified Chowdhury as the leader of reconstituted Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh or Neo JMB and the deserter military officer as main organizer of Ansarullah Bangla Team, which off late appeared as Ansar Al Bangladesh. Independent security analysts earlier said the neo JMB was inclined to Islamic State while ABT was ideologically linked to al-Qaeda though Bangladesh repeatedly declined presence of any foreign terrorist outfit in the country. The briefing came a day after the police chief said that Bangladesh has alerted Indian security agencies that Chowdhury may have fled to India, amid a nationwide manhunt to track down the Bangladeshi-Canadian. He said a massive manhunt is underway to track down Chowdhury. A newspaper earlier reported that Chowdhury appeared as the leader and main financier of a reorganised JMB while Bangladesh earlier attributed the two attacks to the outfit. A police officer familiar with the investigation earlier said evidence gathered from the scene of the July 26 overnight security raid at Dhakas Kalyanpur area, when nine presumed terrorists were killed, led police to identify Chowdhury, believed to be in his mid 30s. The July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant left 22 people including an Indian girl and two police officers dead, while the July 6 assault on an Eid congregation at northern Sholakia killed 2 policemen and a woman. A 29-year-old woman from Bihar, suspected to have links with the alleged recruitment of youths from Kerala to Islamic State, is being questioned in Kerala's Kasaragod by the state police after being taken into custody from New Delhi. The woman, identified as Yasmin Ahmed, was arrested by a special team of Kerala police from Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi when she was about to leave the country for Kabul on Sunday, police said. She allegedly had close connections with Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasaragod, who is the prime suspect behind the 21 missing youths from the state. She was brought in Kasaragod on Monday and produced before a local court after detailed interrogation, a senior police official said. "We took her into custody from New Delhi and brought her here yesterday. She was charged under various sessions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A court here later remanded her to judicial custody," said Kanhangad Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Babu. The woman is suspected to be the second wife of Rashid and is believed to have played a key role in the alleged recruitment of state youths to Islamic State, the official added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to reports that some Keralites had joined Islamic State, had informed the assembly on July 11 that 21 persons were missing from the state. Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad as per preliminary information available, he had said. As per media reports, these people had gone to Syria and Afghanistan and were in Islamic State camps, he said. The Rajasthan government on Tuesday said it will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court's decision acquitting actor Salman Khan in two cases of chinkara (black buck) poaching. "The government is studying the merits and demerits of the case and has decided to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court," the state's Law Minister, Rajendra Rathore, told reporters in Jaipur. The Rajasthan high court had on July 25 acquitted Khan in two cases of chinkara (black buck) poaching in Jodhpur, while observing that the statement of a key witness could not be considered as he had "disappeared" and the defence could not cross-examine him during the trial. The witness, driver of the vehicle in which the actor was travelling when the alleged incidents had taken place, surfaced after the high court verdict and claimed Khan had shot the gazelle. Two separate cases were registered against the actor under section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching two chinkara, an endangered gazelle, in Bhawad village on September 26-27, 1998 and one in Mathania (Ghoda Farm) on September 28-29, 1998. The chief judicial magistrate's court had convicted him in both the cases and sentenced him to one year and five years of imprisonment on February 17, 2006 and April 10, 2006 respectively. The verdicts were challenged by Khan in the Sessions Court which dismissed the appeal in the Mathania case and transferred the one in connection with the Bhawad incident to the high court where two appeals by the state government in connection with the cases were already pending. A Noida-based man whose wife and minor daughter were gang-raped by highway robbers in Uttar Pradesh said that the family of three will commit suicide if police fail to give them justice in three months. We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter... I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide, said the cab driver whose family was attacked and subjected to hours of unspeakable horror. The ultimatum by the family comes amid allegations of police apathy after the gang stopped the family on the Ghaziabad-Aligarh highway on Friday night, robbed them and then dragged off the13-year-old girl and her mother to a roadside field and raping them. Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested the three accused Naresh, Bablu and Rais -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. The Centre has also sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government and details of the incident and steps taken to nab all those involved in it. The crime in Bulandshahr has shocked the country and raised questions about law and order and the role of police in the state. District magistrate Pushpa Singh, who met the family members of the Bulandshahr gang rape victims on Tuesday in Kalan area, said directives have been issued to the police to provide security to the family. "As demanded by the family, they have been assured of arms licence at the earliest," she said. This came on the heels of Bulandshahr SSP Anees Ansaris declaration that there are 6-7 more accused in the incident. Besides Lohiya Awas and old-age pension, the grandfather of the victim will also get monetary help through the Rani Laxmibai Samman, Singh said, adding the locality of their native house will also be electrified. She said all necessary help will be provided to the family by the administration. The gang had brutally gang raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint on Friday night last week after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of "protecting and appeasing" criminals ahead of the assembly polls. The BJP asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to transfer the Bulandshahr rape case to the CBI if he has any "shame" left. The saffron party also alleged that the SP first "appeased" Muslims to get votes and was now looking at criminals through the prism of castes and religions and "appeasing" them. Addressing a press conference, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma also hit out at the state government over its minister Azam Khan's reported comments that the Bulandshahr rape was an outcome of political conspiracy against it. It shows how low the ruling party can stoop to for votes, he said. He also reeled out the state's crime figures between March, 2012 and March, 2016 to claim that criminals are emboldened under the SP rule while people, especially women, live in fear. UP tops the list in crime against women, he said, adding that 2,920 cases of rape were reported during these four years, besides 12,198 murders and 6,015 robberies. "Azam Khan has politicised a horrible incident like this. It shows how low this governments and its leaders can stoop to get votes. If Akhilesh Yadav has any morality and shame left, then he should order a CBI probe so that the victims can get justice," he said. He shared details of cases in which Dalit women were sexually assaulted and questioned if these were also a political conspiracy. Sharma cited comments of a number of SP leaders, including its president Mulayam Singh Yadav, as he accused them of repeatedly making insensitive remarks against women. The SP chief had defended some rape accused, claiming that boys commit small mistakes at times and they cannot be hanged for that, he said. Taking a dig at those who returned their awards over the issue of intolerance, Sharma said they should break their silence over the rape of a woman and her daughter in Bulandshahr. "Their silence is shameful. Why are they keeping quiet? They should speak over such a horrific crime," he said. Police have as yet arrested three persons in connection with the case; Raheesudeen of Sutari village in Bulandshahr, Shahwaiz of Hapur district and Jabar Singh of Gautam Budh Nagar district. Shahwaiz and Jabar Singh have previous cases of looting against them, police said. Sutari village is around 7 km from Dostpur, where the incident took place. Police have detained two others for questioning Babloo belonging to Faridabad and Naresh of Bathinda. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has branded his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as a devil. Trump used this extreme characterisation of Clinton when speaking about the decision of Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont to support her in the election. He (Sanders) made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, Trump alleged. In his rallies, Trump for the past several weeks has been using the word crooked against her. His people are angry at him, and they should be. If he would have not just done anything, gone home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. Of late Trump has been using this new characterisation of Clinton quite frequently. Bernie blew it. He sold his soul to the devil, Trump said in Colorado on Friday. And a few days earlier he accused Sanders of selling out to the devil by having endorsed Clinton. Trump also said Clinton is as crooked as a three-dollar bill. Im putting up money to run my campaign. When you see that Clinton, crooked Hillary, crooked -- shes crooked as a three-dollar bill, let me tell ya. She is crooked, he said. Hillary Clinton is weak and she is ineffective and there is no way you can allow four more years of this stuff to go on. Theres just no way in my opinion, he said. IMAGE: Republican US Presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio on Monday. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters France paid its last respects on Tuesday to Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old priest murdered by jihadists last week, at an emotional funeral held under tight security at Rouen cathedral in northern France. "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light," said Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun. Some 2,000 mourners packed the soaring Gothic sanctuary, with hundreds more watching the ceremony, which began minutes after a heavy rainstorm, on a giant screen outside. A section of pews in the 11th-century cathedral was filled by residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, the nearby industrial town where the two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat as he celebrated mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church. A red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar, with the Rouen diocese explaining that "Father Hamel's death was similar to that of Christ, unjustly convicted and put to death." Another red stole was set atop a white priest's vestment lying over Hamel's coffin. In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners. "It was a duty," Hassan Houays, a Muslim maths teacher from Saint-Etienne, said. "We are here so that we can get along together." Reconciliation was an overarching theme of the mass, which recalled Jesus urging his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Hamel's sister Roselyne told the congregation: "Let us learn to live together. The world has so much need for hope." IMAGE: People attend a funeral service to slain French parish priest Father Jacques Hamel at the Cathedral in Rouen, France. Father Jacques Hamel was killed last week in an attack on a church at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen that was carried out by assailants linked to Islamic State. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/Reuters China will be the nuclear threat of most concern to New Delhi for at least another decade, the latest report by the Arms Control Association says. Greg Thielmann and David Logan -- authors of the report titled The complex and increasingly dangerous nuclear weapons geometry of Asia -- say that that the nuclear arsenals and ambitions of India, Pakistan, and China pose significant dangers and deserve more attention. While Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is designed to counter Indias conventional and nuclear forces, New Delhi measures its own nuclear weapons programme against that of China. Beijing, in turn, judges the adequacy of its nuclear arsenal against the threat it perceives from the United States' strategic offensive and defensive capabilities. And in its efforts to mitigate the ballistic missile threat from North Korea, the United States and its allies in the region are expanding their strategic and theater missile defense capabilities. The complicated nuclear weapons geometry of Asia thus extends from the subcontinent to the other side of the world. Here's what the report states about the three Asian nuclear powers: India Nuclear stockpile: 120 warheads What the report says about India: * Even though India has now flight-tested ballistic missiles that can reach over the Himalayas to target Chinas largest cities, it remains a regional nuclear weapons power. Although India has long aspired to build a nuclear triad, its nuclear forces today still essentially constitute a dyad based on attack aircraft carrying gravity bombs and short-and medium range ballistic missiles, mostly based on land. * During the next decade, it is likely that India will be able to deploy significant numbers of longer-range, land-based ballistic missiles, the Agni-4 (3,500+ km range) and Agni-5 (5,200+ km range), which will be able to cover targets throughout China. (See the table below to see India's nuclear strength) * India's stockpile of fissile materials is estimated to include 5.7 tons of weapon-grade plutonium for non-civilian purposes and 3.2 tons of HEU -- although part of India's HEU is reserved for naval propulsion. * Due to technical realities and doctrinal inclinations, India's nuclear forces will remain an inherently secondstrike system against China and Pakistan for the foreseeable future -- even if it is perceived otherwise in Islamabad. * More than is the case with Indias two potential nuclear antagonists, New Delhi wields its nuclear weapons to enhance its prestige and to gain leverage for winning "a seat at the high table" among the NPT nuclear-weapon states. Equating nuclear weapons prowess with prestige also means that India will be tempted to pursue technological advances in its capabilities whether or not they are required to assure the viability of its nuclear deterrent. China Nuclear stockpile: 230 warheads What the report says about China: * There is little evidence that China is very concerned with Indian nuclear forces -- or with the massive nuclear arsenal of Russia, which from a technical standpoint, potentially poses a much larger threat. * Just over ten years ago, most of China's nuclear-armed missiles and all of its ICBMs were liquid-fueled, silo-based, and each capable of carrying only one very heavy warhead. Today, Chinas missiles are increasingly solid-fueled, road-mobile, and capable of carrying multiple warheads. * Over the last decade, China has added more than 50 nuclear warheads to its ICBM forces capable of hitting the US mainland; within another decade, the number could well exceed 100. (See the table below to see China's nuclear strength) * Although there is not yet evidence that China's political leadership has altered any of its core beliefs about nuclear weapons, nor that the newly-created PLA Rocket Force command implies a change in nuclear doctrine, the modernization and expansion of Chinese nuclear weapons may be harbingers of such changes down the road. * A larger, more sophisticated Chinese nuclear arsenal, at a higher alert level, could also spur both horizontal and vertical proliferation by potentially prompting Japan or Korea to consider their own nuclear programs or motivating India to further expand its growing nuclear arsenal. Pakistan Nuclear stockpile: 130 warheads What the report says about Pakistan: * Whatever the role of national pride in motivating their initial development, Islamabad wields them today primarily to compensate for the growing conventional military superiority of India. As India increases its conventional military edge and economic power, Pakistan will rely more and more on its nuclear forces to counter conventional threats from India. * As of the end of 2014, Pakistan was estimated to have accumulated a stockpile of about 0.19 tons of plutonium and 3.1 tons of HEU. With four reactors (Khushab-I, -II, -III, and -IV) now believed to be operational,23 Pakistan is adding 0.04 tons of weapons grade plutonium to its inventory annually. (See the table below to see Pakistan's nuclear strength) * Pakistan has six types of operational nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and at least two more under development. It has also deployed nuclearcapable, air-launched cruise missiles, is testing ground launched cruise missiles, and apparently plans to develop and deploy sea-launched cruise missiles as well. * Military planners in Pakistan are convinced of its utility by the advocacy of some Indian planners for a "Cold Start" doctrine that would permit Indian forces to seize territory in response to a provocation before Pakistan had a chance to fully mobilize. * Alone among Asian nuclear-weapon states, Pakistan faces serious challenges to the security of its nuclear weapons stockpiles. Terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the Pakistani Taliban, and the al-Qaeda affiliate Jaish-eMohammed, operate out of Pakistan and are supported by some elements of the Pakistani government, like the Inter Services Intelligence directorate. Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, a key plotter of 26/11 Mumbai attacks and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operative was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, SayedAkif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out lifer by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their death. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharifwere handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, on Tuesday observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after the Anti-Terrorism Squad recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage jihad. The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of Vishwa Hindu Parishad). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Gujarat riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. The MCOCA court had last week convicted Jundal under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substance Act and the Indian Penal Code, while others under varying charges. Charges against them under the MCOCA were, however, dropped. The court had accepted the prosecutions contention that the cache of arms and ammunitions that the ATS had intercepted from two cars had originally been procured from Pakistan. While convicting Jundal, and 11 others, the court had observed that ATS could not substantiate the charges of MCOCA against them, even as it accepted direct and substantial evidence presented by the agency in the case. The special court had framed charges against the 22 accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The court had granted bail to ten accused during the trial. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was eventually vacated in 2009. The Bombay high court had also earlier directed the lower court to expedite the trial. An Islamic religious body in Pakistan has demanded the government to include Quranic verses about importance of jihad in the proposed school curriculum. The Council of Islamic Ideology raised serious concerns over not including verses about jihad in the proposed syllabi for public educational institutions. The CII chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani said that that the Federal Education and Professional Training Ministry should include the verses about importance of jihad in curriculum. The council also asked the four provinces to make the teaching of the Holy Quran as a compulsory subject from grade 1 to 12. The issues of verses about jihad and teaching of Quran was raised when the government presented a draft of proposed curriculum before the CII, which is constitutional body, to suggest measures for implementation of Islam in the country. According to CII sources the members of the religious body were not happy to leave an important topic like jihad out of teaching course being set for students. "484 verses of jihad are mentioned in the Quran but they were deliberately not included in the syllabus so students could not be taught about it," CII member Maulana Zahid Qasmi told media. Image: A Pakistani School boy reads a passage from his book. Photograph: Reuters About two months ahead of her 75th birthday on November 21, Anandiben Patel has offered to step down as Gujarat's first woman chief minister. In a Facebook post, Patel said she decided to step down keeping in mind next year's assembly polls and the Vibrant Gujarat summit. The resignation would give her successor enough time to settle down, she said. As she steps down, a look at the top two contenders -- Nitin Patel and Vijay Rupani -- who could become Gujarat's next chief minister. Nitin Patel: The seasoned politician IMAGE: Nitin Patel, Gujarat's health, public welfare and roads and building minister. Photograph: Nitin Patel/Facebook This is not the first time Nitin Patel is being considered a strong contender for the post of Gujarat chief minister. 'I am ready to be the chief minister if the party asks me to take up the job,' he had said in 2014, during the Lok Sabha elections. Considered a seasoned politician, Patel rose up the ranks over the years, especially in the last two years as the second-in-command of CM Anandiben Patel. Currently serving as health, public welfare and roads and building minister in Gujarat, Patel has also been a businessman, having dabbled in cotton ginning and oil pressing. Having contested his first assembly election in 1995, Patel has usually won from the Kadi constituency and became a cabinet minister in the Keshubhai Patel government. He has been in the party for about 30 years and has served in various positions within the organisation. While his industry friendliness could help the state continue to be a favoured investment destination, Nitin has not been favoured among the Patidar community, despite being a member. If chosen for the post, he might face a tough task in placating the community. -- Vimukt Dave Vijay Rupani: Mr Neutral IMAGE: Vijay Rupani is very close to BJP President Amit Shah. Photograph: Vijay Rupani/Twitter Vijay Rupani, who turns 60 on August 2, might get a surprise gift. Speculation is rife that he is one of the top contenders for the CM's post. Rupani was made president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Gujarat unit in February. His appointment, insiders said, was delayed by almost a month owing to differences between Anandiben Patel and BJP President Amit Shah. He replaced the Leuva Patidar leader, R C Faldu, and his appointment came at a time when the party was facing serious challenges from the community. The appointment was seen as a mark of confidence the BJP brass had in the leader from the Baniya community. A Jain Baniya, Rupani does not belong to one of the majority communities in the state; Jains make up only one per cent of Gujarat's population while Baniyas comprise three per cent. The BJP selected a non-other backward classes and non-Patel leader at the helm to avoid a tricky political situation, sources said. Many see Rupani as an Amit Shah confidante. Hence, his appointment hinted at the latter's increased indirect control of the state unit, where rumours of factionalism are rife. Rupani was a cabinet minister with portfolios such as transport and labour & employment. As Gujarat party president, Rupani was required to consolidate the cadre amid challenges such as the Patidar reservation agitation. Also, given the party's poor performance in rural areas during the recent local body polls, Rupani's role was deemed to be crucial in maintaining and improving on the party's prospects in the assembly elections in December 2017. Rupani has also been the party's general secretary and was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Born to Ramniklal Rupani in 1956, Vijay holds a bachelor of arts and an LLB degree. He started his political career as a student activist, and eventually joined the RSS and thereafter the Jan Sangh in 1971. He is the only minister in the state cabinet to have been jailed during the Emergency. Rupani is known to have Narendra Modi's support and in August 2014, when Vajubhai Vala, the incumbent speaker of the Gujarat assembly, resigned as the MLA from Rajkot West, Rupani was nominated by the BJP to contest his vacant seat. He won the by-poll in October 2014 by a handsome margin He is married and has a daughter and a son. -- Sohini Das Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. Two men pushing an autorickshaw through a waterlogged road after heavy downpour in Faridabad on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Army personnel carry the coffin of Sepoy Hasansab Khudavand who was killed in a mine blast at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, in his village Saidpur in Hubli on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala consoles Karnataka Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah on the demise of his son Rakesh Siddaramaiah, in Mysuru on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam due to the heavy rainfall in Shimla. Photograph: PTI Photo A child plays with a peacock after rains in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Photograph: PTI Photo Army personnel display a missile system at Parliament House in New Delhi on Monday. The Indian Defence Research and Development Organization is organising a defence exhibition of tanks, Brahmos missiles along with other equipment at Parliament House to mark the completion of 70 years of independence. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Heavy traffic jam at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway stretch on NH-8 near Atlas Chowk in Gurgaon on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal arrives at Parliament House during the ongoing monsoon session in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo A monorail rake broke down due to a technical snag in Mumbai on Monday. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo A masked protester stands next to a graffiti painted on a road during a protest against the recent killings in Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters - By Sydnee Gatewood Uber has become the latest American technology company to fail at dominating a Chinese market. After a two-year battle for market share, Uber China will sell to rival Didi Chuxing. It joins the likes of Alphabet (GOOGL) and eBay (EBAY), whose attempts to compete in the Chinese market were ultimately thwarted. Apple (AAPL) is the exception, however, as it successfully broke into the Chinese market. Uber was very deliberate in not repeating the mistakes of its predecessors. For instance, instead of trying to control operations from the U.S., the company established local teams around several different cities, allowing for quicker reactions and flexibility regarding competition. The biggest hurdle Uber faced, however, was regulation from the Chinese authorities. Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, personally attended to this himself by frequently traveling to China to meet with officials, gradually helping the company avoid regulatory obstacles. They had other obstacles, however. Uber had to deal with drivers simulating fake rides in order to get commissions. In addition, the company was blocked from marketing on WeChat, China's biggest social network, due to its creator, Tencent (HKSE:00700), being an investor in Didi. The merger will create a new company worth $35 billion, as Didi is currently valued at $28 billion and Uber China at $7 billion. Didi itself is already the product of a merger. In 2015, it merged with rival Kuaidi Dache. On Monday, Didi said Uber and investors in Uber China will take a 20% stake in the company, making Uber the largest shareholder in Didi. In addition, Didi will invest $1 billion in Uber. Representatives from both companies will also take a position on the opposing company's board. Both companies are private, so stock is not available for purchase to the general public. Story continues Disclosure: I do not own stock in any companies mentioned. Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Congress President Sonia Gandhi's roadshow in Varanasi on Tuesday comes to a screeching halt. Gandhi had to cut short the roadshow towards the fag end of the eight-km march route after she fell ill as it wound through the streets of the temple town for nearly three hours. Gandhi was running a high fever and headed back to Delhi. However, reports indicated that she had to put on drip at Varanasi airport. Kicking off the party's campaign for the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi on Tuesday led a massive roadshow in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turf. Sources said despite suffering from viral fever she had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute. "Saddened that due to my ill health, I had to cut my visit to Varanasi. Couldn't visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple either," Gandhi said later. PM Modi prayed for Gandhi's quick recovery and good health. "Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health," he tweeted. The roadshow, which continued for about three hours, was halted for sometime at the Lohurabir roundabout near the fag end of the roadwhow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line. The roadshow later proceeded without Gandhi. The sources said Gandhi complained of uneasiness and after taking rest for sometime, she left the area. Thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow. It was Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became prime minister in May 2014. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of B R Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers criss-crossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later moved to a vehicle with open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. Babbar expressed the hope there will be a "miracle" in favour of his party in the elections. Earlier, Gandhi flew in Varanasi for a day-long programme in Modi's constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. The Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. The Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. Babbar later said that Gandhi had come to Varanasi while she was running fever and insisted that she will go ahead with the visit. During the roadshow, Gandhi felt exhausted and was told by doctors not to continue with her programme, he said. The Congress President also wanted to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple before returning to Delhi but was told not to do so, he added. IMAGES: Roadshow of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Photographs: @INCIndia/Twitter Bored of visiting museums? Well, but this ain't the one to be missed. A temporary museum dedicated to all things ice cream has opened up in New York. Each week, the pop-up promises to mix up its ice cream offerings, treating customers to signature flavours dreamt up by some of the best eateries around. The ticketed pop-up museum, which will be around for one month, is already sold out (Yes, all 30,000 of them). But fear not: we can still give you a glimpse of what's inside there. Scroll below to see: The Museum of Ice Cream promises to tap into childlike memories of summer days and ice cream cones. (Above) A visitor eats an edible balloon at the Museum of Ice Cream across from the Whitney Museum. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images Created by friends Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora, the funky attraction was inspired by a surreal dream Bunn had in which she was floating on a pool of sprinkles. (above) Visitors play into a large pool filled with faux confetti-colored sprinkles at the museum. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images Visitors pose for a snap at the Museum of Ice Cream. The museums Willy Wonka-inspired Chocolate Chamber celebrates the common ice cream ingredient with a chocolate fountain and digital projections of chocolate dripping down the walls, all set to a unique score. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images A woman serves ice cream cones at the Museum of Ice Cream. How much ice cream does each lucky visitor get? One scoop and one soft-serve cone.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images A visitor examines the exhibits at the pop-up museum. The museum has a Scoop Room dotted with trivia. Did you know the world's largest cone stands 10 feet tall? Or that America's favorite dessert first emerged in China in 1000 BC?Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images Visitors enjoy into a large pool filled with faux confetti-colored sprinkles. Vora says a local confection factory did offer him 8,000 pounds of the actual sugar topping, "but that wouldn't be sanitary". Instead, there are 11,000 pounds of tiny artificial dots in the 3-foot-deep pool, which were added bucket by bucket.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images Visitors pose as they visit the Museum of Ice Cream. Thirty-two artists contributed to a room of floor-to-ceiling ice cream-inspired works, including paintings, sculptures and photos. Some are even rideable. Theres a scooper see-saw and an ice-cream-sandwich swing.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images In one room dedicated to ice cream cones, the wall is covered in vague, uncredited trivia -- "cones damaged during production are further ground down into animal feed" -- and guests can suck on a helium-filled balloon made of heated sugar. (above) A visitor poses with an edible balloon. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images An installation called 'Sundae Stag' by P J Linden is among ice cream-themed works of art previewed at the Museum of Ice Cream. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images A woman eats an ice-cream as she exits the Museum Of Ice Cream. "It was a feat to get this built. It was manual. We did it by hand, we had 20, 25 people," Vora said. "It felt like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'."Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images Nepal Maoist chief Prachanda on Tuesday filed his nomination for the election to the post of prime minister to be held on Wednesday that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed the 61-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre president as the candidate for new prime minister, while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded it. The crucial development comes a day after Nepals President Bidya Devi Bhandari gave a fresh call to all political parties to form a majority government when the deadline given to them for forging consensus expired without yielding any results. It is learnt that the Parliament has started preparation for beginning the procedure of electing the premier on Wednesday. Speaker Onsari Gharti has called a meeting of the 596-member Parliament for 11 am to elect a new prime minister after embattled premier K P Oli resigned on July 24, triggering a fresh political turmoil in Nepal. Oli tendered his resignation after two key ruling alliance partners -- Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum-Democratic and Rastriya Prajatantra Party -- decided to support the no-confidence motion tabled against him by the NC and the CPN-Maoist Centre led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. The Maoist chief and former premier known for his anti-India stance is expected to become Nepals 39th prime minister with the support of largest party Nepali Congress, the Madhesis and other fringe parties if there is no dramatic development. Three Madhesi leaders -- Upendra Yadav of Social Forum-Nepal, Sarvendra Nath Shukla of Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhawana Party -- have supported Prachandas candidacy. The Madhesi alliance decided to support Prachandas candidacy after a 3-point agreement with the NC and CPN-Maoist Centre but will not join the government, Karna said. With the support of the alliance, which has 39 lawmakers, Prachandas election as the new prime minister has become almost certain. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist has decided not to field any candidate in the prime ministerial election but vote against Prachanda. The party of outgoing Prime Minister Oli decided to remain as the main opposition party. Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti chief Hardik Patel has likened Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah to General Dyer, the man responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919. Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com reports. IMAGE: Patel, a sword-wielding activist, emerged overnight as the most pressing political threat to the government of Gujarat, as he led a campaign demanding reservations for the Patel community. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters 'If GMDC's General Dyer Amit Shah is made chief minister of Gujarat then we will launch an agitation for his ouster as well,' Hardik stated in a WhatsApp message. The statement comes in the aftermath of the Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel's resignation on Monday which has stirred rumours of the possibility of the state falling under the helmsmanship of BJP president Amit Shah. While speaking exclusively with Rediff.com, Hardik said that the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti would oppose Amit Shah's elevation as Gujarat CM even from Udaipur. If the nation can be run from Nagpur, why can't I run an agitation from Udaipur, Hardik, who has been externed by the Gujarat high court for six months in a case of sedition filed by the Anandiben Patel government, said on the phone. He said he will be back in Gujarat after six months and continue fighting for reservations for the Patidar community. On August 25, 2015 more than 5 lakh people had gathered at Ahmedabad's GMDC ground to demand reservations for the Patel community in govt colleges and jobs. While the agitation remained peaceful during the day, protestors turned violent and indulged in arson and stone pelting leading to police firing in which several patidars lost their lives. The patidars continue to maintain that their agitation was peaceful but the state police lathicharged them leading to the eventual violence. Hardik Patel and other PAAS leaders have since then blamed Anandiben Patel and Amit Shah for unleashing a reign of terror on their movement. Freedom in the World 2016 - Thailand Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Thailand, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48b824.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Not Free Aggregate Score: 32 Freedom Rating: 5.5 Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 Quick Facts Capital: Bangkok Population: 65,121,250 GDP/capita: 5519.4 Press Freedom Status: Not Free Net Freedom Status: Not Free OVERVIEW The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta that seized power in a 2014 coup, continued to suppress political dissent in 2015. Civil society activists were closely monitored, and individuals who expressed anticoup sentiments were frequently summoned for questioning and intimidation sessions known as "attitude adjustments." Nevertheless, some signs of resistance surfaced during the year, including a series of student protests opposing the coup. The government responded with threats, arrests, and charges of sedition. The NCPO lifted martial law in April, but invoked an article of the interim constitution to issue orders that granted its leader unchecked powers beyond judicial oversight, and expanded the authority of military officers in the area of law enforcement. The orders also preserved most of the restrictions on expression and assembly that had been in effect under martial law. Meanwhile, the NCPO's road map for a return to civilian rule was adjusted in 2015, pushing general elections further into the future. A controversial draft constitution that had drawn criticism from across the political spectrum was ultimately rejected in September 2015 by the National Reform Council (NRC), an advisory body appointed by the NCPO. The move triggered a new round of drafting. At year's end, general elections were not expected until 2017; the delays have prompted concerns that the NCPO intends to hold on to power indefinitely. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 7 / 40 (-1) A. Electoral Process: 1 / 12 Under the 2007 constitution that was drafted after the 2006 military coup, Thailand was governed through a bicameral parliamentary system. In late 2013, amid mass antigovernment protests, elections were called in an attempt to end a persistent deadlock between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Pheua Thai Party (PTP) and the opposition Democrat Party (DP) and People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). Elections were held in early 2014, but protests disrupted the voting process in some constituencies, eventually prompting the Constitutional Court to call new national elections. Before the polls could take place, the Constitutional Court found Yingluck and nine cabinet members guilty of abuse of power for 2011 personnel changes that granted the post of national police chief to a relative of Yingluck's; she subsequently complied with the court's order to step down as caretaker prime minister. A military coup in May 2014 forestalled further electoral plans. General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief at the time of the coup, became both head of the NCPO and prime minister. An interim constitution promulgated by the NCPO in July 2014 created a 220-seat National Legislative Assembly (NLA) which formally installed the prime minister and cabinet and the 250-member NRC. The NRC was designed to provide the leadership with recommendations for reform of all aspects of governance and the political process. Both the NRC and the NLA comprised members appointed by the NCPO, and were dominated by current and former military officers and individuals who had opposed the Yingluck government. However, the NRC was dissolved following its rejection of the draft constitution in September 2015. A National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) was then convened to replace it. The new body consisted of 200 members appointed by the head of NCPO, and included academics, representatives of political parties, former members of the NRC, and a significant number of military and police members. The effort to draft a new permanent constitution formed a major component of the military's road map back to electoral democracy. The NCPO, the NLA, and the cabinet had selected a Constitutional Drafting Committee in November 2014, and the panel released its draft in March 2015. It prompted widespread criticism from Thailand's various political factions for weakening political parties and elected officials while strengthening unelected institutions. One controversial section envisioned a crisis committee composed of military and police commanders with the authority to assume executive and legislative powers in an emergency, though the criteria for declaring an emergency were vaguely defined. The draft charter also increased the percentage of Senate seats that would be appointed; introduced the proportional allocation of seats in the lower house, a move expected to encourage the proliferation of small parties and unstable coalition governments; and contained a mechanism that could allow the appointment of a prime minister who was not a member of parliament. The NRC's rejection of the draft constitution in September effectively extended military rule. In October, the military government appointed a new 21-member committee tasked with producing a draft constitution within six months, with the NCPO leadership expressing a preference that the new charter be based on the rejected one. The NCPO's new timeline envisioned an eventual referendum on the charter, the drafting of organic laws, and preparations for general elections, which officials indicated would be held no earlier than 2017. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 3 / 16 (-1) Since Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party came to power in 2001, there have been two main political factions in Thailand's system: the DP, which is today associated with traditional elites, and the TRT and its successors (the People's Power Party and the PTP). The latter have won every election since 2001. While the actions of the NCPO have favored the interests of the DP's core supporters, leaders of both the DP and the PTP have been kept on the sidelines of the political process since the 2014 coup. Following the coup, political parties continued to be regulated under a 2007 law. However, the NCPO enacted measures banning the formation of new political parties and prohibiting existing parties from meeting or conducting political activities, including any party-wide deliberations on the constitutional drafting process. State funding for political parties was also suspended. In 2014 and 2015, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) recommended the retroactive impeachment of 38 former senators and 248 members of the dissolved lower house in connection with a 2013 attempt by Yingluck's PTP to amend the constitution to make the Senate a fully elected body. However, in August 2015 the NLA decided not to take action against the former lawmakers, who would have been banned from politics for five years if impeached. A dramatic expansion of the military government's powers in 2015 further undermined citizens' ability to participate in the political process. In April, the NCPO lifted martial law, but invoked Article 44 of the interim constitution to issue new orders that preserved most of the restrictions on expression and assembly in place under martial law, and went further in granting the head of the NCPO absolute power beyond legislative or judicial oversight. Members of Thailand's ethnic and religious minority groups are poorly represented in national politics. C. Functioning of Government: 3 / 12 The NLA, which serves in place of an elected parliament, passed a number of laws in 2015 that were criticized for infringing on citizens' rights and for being approved without consideration of comments from the public. Corruption is widespread at all levels of Thai society. Several government officials have been investigated for involvement in corruption, and the NACC receives a high number of complaints each year. In January 2015, the NLA, acting on a recommendation the NACC issued the previous year, voted to retroactively impeach former prime minister Yingluck in connection with a rice-subsidy scheme that reportedly incurred a $16 billion loss for the state; she was banned from politics for five years as a result. The same day, the attorney general announced criminal charges against Yingluck, also in connection with the rice-subsidy program. If convicted, she faced a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a lifetime ban from politics. The case was ongoing at the year's end. During 2015, the NCPO faced allegations in the media and from some opposition figures of financial irregularities in an army-supervised project to develop Rajabhakti Park, a new historical park in the resort town of Hua Hin that commemorates Thailand's kings. The army launched an internal investigation into the graft allegations. Following an opaque process, the head of the army announced in November that key figures had been cleared of wrongdoing. In response to a public outcry, the Defense Ministry soon announced its own investigation of the project. In late December, the ministry said that it had uncovered "irregularities" but lacked the authority to investigate further, and that it had passed its findings along to the prime minister. Civil Liberties: 25 / 60 D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 6 / 16 The government and military control licensing and transmission of Thailand's main television stations and all radio frequencies. Most print publications are privately owned. Since taking power in 2014, the NCPO has systematically used censorship, intimidation, and legal action to suppress freedom of speech. Journalists and media outlets risk penalties for violating an NCPO ban on material that "maliciously" criticizes the government or is deemed divisive. Many media workers have been summoned for sessions known as "attitude adjustments," during which military officials interrogate them or issue warnings about their work; the sessions can last for days. Outlets also face suspension and revocation of their operating licenses. The authorities commonly conduct internet surveillance of citizens and media outlets and block sites that are critical of the government or deemed insulting to the monarchy. The government pursued various options to strengthen its control of internet activity in 2015. These included proposing cybersecurity legislation that would enable broader surveillance, as well as planning for a single gateway system to monitor or filter online traffic. The cybersecurity bill was pending at year's end; in October, following a public outcry, authorities said they would not pursue plans to establish a single internet gateway. Defamation is a criminal offense, and charges are often used by politicians and companies to silence opponents, critics, and activists. The 2007 Computer Crimes Act assigns significant prison terms for the publication of false information deemed to endanger the public or national security, and allows the government to review the data of individual web users for the preceding 90 days; it has also been invoked against whistle-blowers and government critics. In December 2015, a mining company filed criminal defamation charges against a 15-year-old student over remarks in an interview with the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) in which she alleged that the firm's activities were contaminating the water supply in her village. The company also sued Thai PBS, seeking 50 million baht ($1.4 million) in damages and a five-year suspension of its broadcasting license. A British human rights activist at year's end faced charges of defamation and of violating the Computer Crimes Act in connection with 2013 allegations that a Thai fruit wholesale company had committed labor rights violations. Separately, in September 2015, a court in Phuket acquitted two journalists from the news website Phuketwan of defaming the Thai navy and violating the Computer Crimes Act; the charges were related to a 2013 report implicating the navy in trafficking of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The Computer Crimes Act was invoked on a number of occasions in 2015 against people who criticized the NCPO on Facebook, or who posted images or video footage showing confrontations between citizens and military personnel. The number of lese-majeste cases has sharply increased under the NCPO. Cases have been used to target activists, scholars, students, journalists, and politicians. In August 2015, military courts imposed record-setting prison sentences of 30 and 28 years, respectively, on two people convicted of insulting the monarchy in Facebook posts. A Thai freedom of expression organization, Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw), observed that sentences in lese-majeste cases handed down by military courts since the coup tended to be more severe than sentences issued by civilian courts. Furthermore, in April 2015, an appeals court overturned a previous lese-majeste acquittal, while in September another appeals court increased the sentence for a defendant convicted of lese-majeste and violating the Computer Crimes Act in 2014, who had initially been granted a suspended sentence. Cases initiated late in the year had the potential to broaden the interpretation of lese-majeste. In December 2015, a man was charged for posting a satirical comment on Facebook about the king's dog; he faced up to 37 years in prison. Also in December, a man was arrested after "liking" and sharing a picture on Facebook that was deemed insulting to the king. He faced a prison term of up to 32 years. While the 2007 constitution explicitly prohibited discrimination based on religious belief, the current interim constitution only states in general terms that rights and freedoms will be protected in line with "existing international obligations." While there is no official state religion, speech considered insulting to Buddhism is prohibited by law. A long-running civil conflict in the south, which pits ethnic Malay Muslims against ethnic Thai Buddhists, continues to undermine citizens' ability to practice their religions. Nevertheless, religious freedom in the majority of the country is generally respected, religious organizations operate freely, and there is no systemic or institutional discrimination based on religion. Academic freedom is constrained under the NCPO. University discussions and seminars on topics regarded as politically sensitive are subject to monitoring or outright cancelation by government authorities, who also require organizers to request permission to hold such events. Academics are subjected to oppressive tactics including summonses for questioning, home visits by security officials, and surveillance of their activities. The junta has also pressured universities to discourage anticoup activism by students, and has pushed schools and universities to adjust their curriculums to include more patriotic themes. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 4 / 12 Prohibitions on political gatherings of five or more people continued to be enforced in 2015, and those who engaged in symbolic actions and protests against military rule faced a spectrum of consequences, including being warned, fined, arrested, or charged with violating NCPO orders. In May, on the first anniversary of the coup, students in Bangkok and outside of the capital who engaged in anticoup demonstrations were detained for violating the ban on assembly. In June, a group of young activists calling themselves the New Democracy Movement organized a series of civil disobedience actions that resulted in the arrest of 14 of the group's members. They were released after 12 days, but at year's end they faced charges of sedition, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison, and will face trial in a military court. Another civil society leader was charged with sedition for supporting the students; the status of the case against him was unclear at the end of 2015. A public assembly law that was approved in May and took effect in August requires protest organizers to notify the police 24 hours in advance of the event, and sets limits on where demonstrations can take place. For instance, gatherings must be organized a certain distance away from royal palaces and government buildings, and may not impede public services. Activists argued that the law was designed to prevent demonstrations by entangling organizers in court battles over the events' legality. Thailand has a vibrant civil society, but groups focused on defending human rights or freedom of expression face restrictions. The NCPO often insists that such activities break laws concerning political gatherings, or create "public disturbances." In June 2015, authorities canceled a panel discussion organized by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at which participants were to discuss human rights in Thailand since the coup. Even activities that are less overtly anticoup in nature do not escape government scrutiny. In 2015, security officials were sent to monitor seminars on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights, environmental issues, and the draft cybersecurity law. Authorities sometimes cautioned organizers against opposing NCPO polices ahead of such events. Thai trade unions are independent and have the right to collectively bargain. However, civil servants and Thailand's numerous temporary workers do not have the right to form unions, and less than 2 percent of the total workforce is unionized. Antiunion discrimination in the private sector is common, and legal protections for union members are weak and poorly enforced. F. Rule of Law: 5 / 16 Although the interim constitution grants independence to the judiciary, the military courts' jurisdiction over certain types of civilian cases, including those related to lese-majeste and national security offenses, effectively compromises judicial independence. Military court cases initiated during the martial-law period feature no right to appeal, but convictions in cases tried after the revocation of martial law in April 2015 can be appealed. NCPO orders issued that month under Article 44 of the interim constitution allow the detention of individuals without charge for up to seven days, as under martial law. The orders also expanded the authority of military officers in the area of law enforcement, permitting them to arrest, detain, and investigate crimes related to the monarchy and national security. To quell anticoup sentiment, hundreds of politicians, activists, academics, and journalists were summoned and detained by the NCPO during the first year of military rule; people who refused summons were subject to criminal punishment. While 2015 did not feature a wave of mass summons at the same scale, the practice of ordering people to report to the NCPO continued. Notably, two politicians from the PTP and a well-known journalist were each temporarily detained in September after being summoned for "attitude adjustments." Separately that month, the NCPO established a temporary detention facility for civilians inside an army base. Two people being held following their arrest for lese-majeste offenses died in custody there under unclear circumstances in late 2015, prompting a statement of concern from the UN Human Rights Office. A combination of martial law and emergency rule has been in effect for over a decade in the four southernmost provinces, where Malay Muslims form a majority and a separatist insurgency has been ongoing with varying intensity and multiple rebel groups since the 1940s. Civilians are regularly targeted in shootings, bombings, and arson attacks, and insurgents have often focused on schools and teachers as symbols of the Thai state. Counterinsurgency operations have involved the indiscriminate detention of thousands of suspected militants and sympathizers, and there are long-standing and credible reports of torture and other human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, by both government forces and insurgents. The police and military often operate with impunity; successful criminal prosecutions of security personnel are extremely rare. Peace negotiations between the government and the dominant southern militant group, the National Revolutionary Front (BRN), were suspended in 2013. However, by the close of 2015, the NCPO had engaged in several rounds of informal talks with the Mara Patani Consultative Council, a coalition of six armed groups. Other regions of the country have generally been free from terrorism or insurgencies. However, in August 2015, an explosion in central Bangkok killed 20 people and injured more than 100, marking the deadliest peacetime bombing in Thai history. Police arrested one suspect in September. Authorities faced criticism for issuing unclear or contradictory statements about the investigation. In Thailand's north, so-called hill tribes are not fully integrated into society. Many lack formal citizenship, which renders them ineligible to vote, own land, attend state schools, or receive protection under labor laws. A 2008 amendment to the Nationality Act was supposed to facilitate citizenship registration, but in practice, a lack of documentation made this difficult. Thailand is known for its tolerance of the LGBT community, though societal acceptance is higher for tourists and expatriates than for nationals, and unequal treatment and stigmatization remain challenges. The new Gender Equality Act, which took effect in September 2015, represents the first antidiscrimination mechanism in the country to outline protections in a way that includes LGBT people. However, equality advocates have expressed concern about overly broad exceptions in the act. Same-sex couples do not have the same rights as opposite-sex couples, but a civil partnership bill is under consideration by the NLA. Thailand has not ratified the UN conventions on refugees. In July 2015, the government faced international condemnation after it forcibly repatriated approximately 100 members of the Uighur ethnic group to China, where they were at risk of persecution and punishment by the Chinese government. The country drew similar criticism in November, when it repatriated two Chinese dissidents who had been registered as refugees by the UN refugee agency. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 10 / 16 Except in areas affected by civil conflict, citizens have freedom of travel and choice of residence. Citizens also have freedom of employment and higher education. The rights to property and to establish businesses are protected by law, though in practice business activity is affected by some bureaucratic delays, and at times by the influence of security forces and organized crime in certain areas. While women have the same legal rights as men, they remain subject to economic discrimination in practice, and are vulnerable to domestic abuse, rape, and sex trafficking. Sex tourism has been a key part of the economy in some urban and resort areas. Spousal rape is a criminal offense. Exploitation and trafficking of migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are serious and ongoing problems, as are child and sweatshop labor. Porous borders and government indifference, if not outright collusion, have helped to fuel migrant smuggling networks operating in Thailand. Renewed attention to these challenges was sparked by the discovery in May 2015 of mass graves along the Malaysian border containing what were believed to be the remains of dozens of ethnic Rohingya people from Myanmar and Bangladesh. The graves were found at trafficking camps where smugglers held migrants captive for ransom. Military and government officials were among those implicated in the subsequent investigations and charges related to these incidents. Authorities have suggested that the August 2015 bombing attack in Bangkok was perpetrated by members of a human trafficking organization who were angry about authorities' increased attention to their operations. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Freedom in the World 2016 - Suriname Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Suriname, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48ba11.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Free Aggregate Score: 77 Freedom Rating: 2.5 Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 3 Ratings Change: Suriname's civil liberties rating declined from 2 to 3 due to the judiciary's lack of financial independence from the executive and the ruling party's deliberate failure to proceed with the long-delayed formation of a Constitutional Court. Quick Facts Capital: Paramaribo Population: 576,000 GDP/capita: $9,933.10 Press Freedom Status: Free Net Freedom Status: N/A OVERVIEW The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), led by President Desi Bouterse, won a simple majority in May 2015 parliamentary elections. The new National Assembly then reelected Bouterse in July. As a consequence of the election result, Bouterse was less likely to face criminal charges for his actions as leader of the country's military regime in the 1980s. A law that had granted him amnesty in 2012 was supposed to be reviewed by a Constitutional Court, but the NDP-controlled legislature has declined to establish the court. Although a November 2015 ruling by another court instructed prosecutors to proceed with Bouterse's trial, it remained unclear at year's end whether they would do so. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 34 / 40 (+1) A. Electoral Process: 12 / 12 The 1987 constitution provides for a unicameral, 51-seat National Assembly. Representatives are elected for five-year terms via proportional representation. The president is elected by a two-thirds majority of the assembly, also for five-year terms. If no such majority can be reached, a United People's Assembly consisting of lawmakers from the national, regional, and local levels convenes to choose the president by a simple majority. The electoral laws meet international standards of fairness. Suriname held legislative elections in May 2015. The NDP became the first single party in the country's history to win a simple majority, taking 26 of the 51 seats. An opposition coalition, Victory 7, won 18 seats. The A-Combination coalition claimed 5 seats, while the Party for Democracy and Development through Unity (DOE) and the Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union (PALU) won 1 seat each. In July, the National Assembly reelected President Bouterse, who was unopposed. International election observers considered the voting to be transparent, free, and fair. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 14 / 16 (+1) Suriname's many political parties operate freely. They often reflect the country's ethnic cleavages. Most parties form coalitions to contest elections; while Bouterse's NDP ran alone in 2015, it had formed an electoral bloc for the previous elections in 2010. The opposition coalition Victory 7, which placed second in 2015, campaigned on promises to fight corruption, strengthen democracy, and repeal the 2012 law that granted Bouterse and 24 other defendants amnesty for their role in extrajudicial killings in 1982. Despite Bouterse's military background, the civilian authorities maintain control over the military. Citizens did not face intimidation in casting their votes during 2015. Ethnic minorities have political opportunities and are protected against exclusion, though the representation of some groups remains low, and the political system has failed to address the interests of indigenous and Maroon communities regarding issues such as land rights. C. Functioning of Government: 8 / 12 Freely elected officials determine the country's laws and government policies, but the government does not effectively enforce anticorruption laws. Widespread official corruption has been linked to trafficking of drugs and other contraband. President Bouterse and lawmaker Ronnie Brunswijk of the A-Combination bloc both face 1999 convictions in absentia for drug trafficking in the Netherlands. In March 2015, Bouterse's son, Dino Bouterse, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison in the United States after pleading guilty in 2014 to drug trafficking and other charges; in a sting by U.S. authorities, he had agreed to various transactions with agents posing as members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A September 2014 report on Suriname's implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption noted a lack of transparency and accountability in the High Court of Justice, the Public Prosecutions Department, the Ministry of Justice and Police, and the Central Government Auditing Bureau. Government officials are not legally required to disclose information on their finances. Suriname does not have laws to facilitate access to information, which is limited in practice. Civil Liberties: 43 / 60 (-1) D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 15 / 16 The constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The media sector is fairly diverse, and internet access is not restricted, though some journalists and outlets reportedly engage in self-censorship in response to government pressure. Defamation and libel remain criminal offenses. Contempt toward or hatred of the government is punishable with up to seven years in prison. Insulting the head of state is an offense punishable with five years in prison and the loss of some civil rights, including the right to vote. Article 18 of the constitution protects freedom of religion. The constitution also bans discrimination on the grounds of religious origin. The authorities typically respect these guarantees and do not infringe on academic freedom. Private discussion is also generally open and free. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 11 / 12 The constitution protects the right to freedom of peaceful association and assembly, as well as the right to demonstrate. The government respects these rights in practice. While workers are free to join independent trade unions, civil servants lack the legal right to strike. Collective bargaining is a legal and common practice. Trade unions are actively involved in politics. F. Rule of Law: 8 / 16 (-1) The country's legal system is based on the Dutch civil system. Defendants' right to a fair and public trial, with the presumption of innocence, is generally enforced. Constitutional guarantees notwithstanding, judicial independence is a matter of considerable concern. President Bouterse, who led the country's military regime from 1980 to 1987, was involved in the abduction and extrajudicial killing of 15 political opponents in 1982. Although he has accepted "political responsibility" for the murders, he has not faced legal consequences for his actions. The parliament pardoned Bouterse and 24 fellow suspects in an amnesty law in 2012. The law's constitutionality was challenged, but it could not be reviewed until the establishment of a Constitutional Court, as called for in the constitution. The legislature has yet to establish such a court, effectively blocking a trial. In November 2015, Suriname's top appellate court, the Court of Justice, instructed the attorney general to proceed with the case against Bouterse and the other defendants, but it remained unclear at year's end whether he would comply. The attorney general is appointed by the president, and the prosecution and court system remains dependent on the Ministry of Justice and Police for funding. While prison conditions are generally adequate, temporary detention facilities suffer from hygienic deficiencies and overcrowding. In March 2015, the National Assembly abolished the death penalty, which had not been carried out since 1927. However, the new legislation also increased the maximum prison sentence from 20 to 50 years and tightened parole provisions for serious crimes. Suriname remains an important transit site for the trafficking of drugs. Violent crimes such as burglary and armed robbery are increasingly common, and police resources are insufficient to address the problem. There are many cases of police abuse. In one prominent incident in 2015, police reportedly assaulted Guyana's ambassador to Suriname. The constitution prohibits discrimination based on race or ethnicity. Nevertheless, the Maroons, descendants of slaves who make up roughly 21 percent of the population, face inequality in areas such as education and employment. Indigenous groups do not enjoy any group rights or special protections. Under Article 41 of the constitution, all natural resources are national property, meaning minority groups can be dispossessed of their lands. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has found this situation to be in violation of international law, and a draft law that would acknowledge the collective ownership rights of indigenous communities has yet to be adopted. Same-sex sexual relations are legal, though the age of consent differs from that for heterosexual couples. The penal code changes adopted in March 2015 added protections against discrimination and hate speech for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people. However, in practice members of the LGBT community continued to face societal discrimination, harassment and abuse by police, and open hostility from some politicians and public figures. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 10 / 16 The government generally upholds constitutional freedoms of internal movement and residence, though the lack of protections for indigenous and Maroon lands leave those communities vulnerable to displacement by unregulated logging and mining operations. Property rights and private business activity are impeded in part by corruption, which is evident in land policy, government contracts, and the issuing of licenses. The constitution bars gender discrimination, but many women face de facto inequality on issues related to marriage, inheritance, and property due to discriminatory local customs. Legal protections notwithstanding, women also experience disadvantages in access to employment and education, and domestic violence remains a serious problem. Women hold about a quarter of the seats in the National Assembly. Women and migrant workers are especially at risk of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and forced labor in various industries, including illegal mining operations. Corruption among officials has facilitated the criminal activities of traffickers. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Freedom in the World 2016 - Philippines Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Philippines, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48bb15.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Partly Free Aggregate Score: 65 Freedom Rating: 3.0 Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 3 Quick Facts Capital: Manilla Population: 102,965,300 GDP/capita: $2,870.50 Press Freedom Status: Partly Free Net Freedom Status: Free OVERVIEW A deadly gun battle in January, combined with technical legal challenges, derailed progress in 2015 on congressional ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BLL), under which a new self-governing region, Bangsamoro, would replace and add territory to the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The BLL was the next step outlined in a landmark 2014 peace treaty between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest rebel group. The agreement, which could end more than 40 years of separatist violence among Moros, as the region's Muslim population is known, must be approved by Congress and in a referendum in Mindanao before going into effect. President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino's popularity suffered during the year due to his role in the January violence in which about 70 police, rebels, and civilians were killed and ongoing corruption. Presidential and legislative elections were scheduled for 2016. In October, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear a case filed by the Philippines regarding its dispute with China over territory in the South China Sea, despite objections from China. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 27 / 40 (+1) A. Electoral Process: 9 / 12 The Philippines' directly elected president is limited to a single six-year term. The vice president is directly elected on a separate ticket and may serve up to two successive six-year terms. Aquino won the 2010 presidential election with 42 percent of the vote, followed by former president Joseph Estrada with 26 percent; several other candidates also competed. The next presidential election was set for May 2016. The leading candidates as of late 2015 included Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manuel Roxas of Aquino's Liberal Party, and independent senators Grace Poe and Miriam Santiago. The candidacy of Poe, who had built a following by distancing herself from entrenched interests and dynastic politics, was challenged based on claims that she did not meet the 10-year residency requirement and was not a natural-born citizen. The case was before the Supreme Court at year's end. In the bicameral Congress, the 24 members of the Senate are elected on a nationwide ballot and serve six-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every three years. The 290 members of the House of Representatives serve three-year terms, with 234 elected in single-member constituencies and the remainder elected through party-list voting. In 2013 congressional elections, a coalition led by Aquino's Liberal Party (LP) took 9 of the 12 contested Senate seats, giving the president's allies a total of 13 seats in the upper house (the LP itself held 4 seats). The remainder went to the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), led by Estrada. The LP captured 110 seats in the lower house, followed by three allied parties with a combined 44 seats, giving the administration a clear majority in that chamber as well. While open and competitive, elections in the Philippines are typically marred by fraud, intimidation, and political violence, though conditions have improved in recent years. The 2013 congressional, provincial, municipal, and village-level ("barangay") elections were largely peaceful, with about 80 election-related deaths, down from 130 reported in the 2010 elections. Other persistent problems included media bias, which tends to favor wealthier candidates, and vote buying. The president appoints the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Although discredited in past scandals, Comelec's performance faced less criticism in the 2013 elections. Registration requirements for the approximately 900,000 overseas voters were eased in 2013. Appointments or promotions in government offices are banned in the period surrounding elections. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 11 / 16 (+1) The Philippines has a strong record of open competition among multiple parties, as demonstrated during 2015 in the preliminary campaigning and other preparations for 2016 elections. However, candidates and political parties typically have weak ideological identities. Legislative coalitions are exceptionally fluid, and members of Congress often change party affiliation. Distribution of power is heavily affected by kinship networks. Political dynasties are particularly prevalent at the provincial and municipal levels, and those that vie for national office often draw on a regional base of support. The nature of election-related funding contributes to the concentration of power: Almost half of the funds for the 2013 Senate campaigns came from less than 4 percent of donors. The activities of armed rebel groups continue to affect political activity in the country. In areas dominated by the leftist New People's Army (NPA), for example, candidates face demands for money in exchange for a rebel "permit" to campaign. The Roman Catholic Church has historically played a significant role in politics. In 2013, several dioceses publicly opposed the reelection of specific senators and House members who voted in support of the 2012 Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (RH Law). In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the party-list portion of electoral framework for the House of Representatives, traditionally meant to represent marginalized or underrepresented demographic groups, could also be open to other groups, including national political parties, provided that they do not stand in the single-member constituency contests. Critics of the decision warned that it would allow the wealthy and powerful to gain more congressional seats at the expense of marginalized groups. Evidence suggests that a number of party-list groups gained seats in 2013 not by representing national sectors or interests as intended, but through substantial support from single geographic regions. C. Functioning of Government: 7 / 12 Elected government officials and legislative representatives determine state policies, but corruption and cronyism are rife, including in business. A few dozen leading families continue to hold a disproportionate share of land, corporate wealth, and political authority. Local "bosses" often control their respective areas, limiting accountability and committing abuses of power. High-level corruption also abounds among national officeholders. In October 2015, Vice President Binay, his son, and several others were indicted for suspected involvement in rigged procurements; graft allegations mounted against Binay after he declared that he would run for president. Separately, Customs Commissioner John Sevilla resigned in April, citing political inference with his anticorruption efforts, and the director general of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Alan Purisima, was dismissed along with 10 other PNP officers in June for graft related to a 2011 government contract. Investigations and trials over lawmakers' misuse of local development funds were ongoing at the end of 2015; the program in question, which allowed discretionary allocations by members of Congress, was discontinued in 2013 after an audit found widespread abuses. The Philippines was ranked 95 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. A culture of impunity, stemming in part from backlogs in the judicial system, hampers the fight against corruption. The country's official anticorruption agencies, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), have mixed records. The PAGC lacks enforcement capabilities. The current ombudsman has focused on major cases against senior government officials and those involving large sums of money, but cases often take several years to be resolved in the special anticorruption court. As of September 2015, the court had a backlog of more than 3,000 cases. President Aquino came to power on a reform agenda and has made some progress on transparency. The International Budget Partnership's 2015 Open Budget Survey indicated significant improvements since the report's 2012 edition. Local governments have been required to post procurement and budget data on their websites, and in 2012 the national government began participatory budgeting at various levels. Both houses of Congress passed versions of a long-awaited freedom of information bill in 2014, but final adoption was not expected before the 2016 elections. Civil Liberties: 38 / 60 (+1) D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 14 / 16 The constitution provides for freedoms of expression and the press. The private media are vibrant and outspoken, although content often consists more of innuendo and sensationalism than substantive investigative reporting. The country's many state-owned television and radio stations cover controversial topics and criticize the government, but they too lack strict journalistic ethics. While the censorship board has broad powers to edit or ban content, government censorship is generally not a serious problem in practice. Potential legal obstacles to press freedom include Executive Order 608, which established a National Security Clearance System to protect classified information, and the Human Security Act, which allows journalists to be wiretapped based on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. Libel is a criminal offense, and libel cases have been used frequently to quiet criticism of public officials. The internet is widely available. However, rights groups have expressed concern about censorship of anonymous online criticism and the criminalization of libelous posts. In 2014, the Supreme Court upheld the libel provisions of the 2012 Cybercrime Prevention Act, but limited liability for online libel to the original author, meaning those who react to or repost libelous comments will not be penalized. The court also ruled that clauses authorizing the government to record phone or internet data in real time and to block websites without a warrant were unconstitutional. Implementing regulations for the act were adopted in August 2015. The Philippines remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported seven murders during 2015, though it could not confirm that the victims were killed in connection with their work. CPJ also ranked the Philippines as the fourth-worst country in the world on its 2015 Impunity Index, noting dozens of unresolved murder cases over the past decade. In February, Eric Vargas was sentenced to life in prison for carrying out the 2010 murder of radio reporter Miguel Belen, but another suspect remained at large, and the organizer of the assassination had yet to be identified. In September, Thai authorities arrested and deported a former Filipino governor and his brother, a former mayor, who had fled the Philippines in 2012 after being accused of ordering the 2011 murder of environmental journalist and activist Gerardo Ortega. They were awaiting trial at year's end. Freedom of religion is guaranteed under the constitution and generally respected in practice. Academic freedom is also generally respected, and there are no significant impediments to free and open private discussion. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 9 / 12 (+1) Citizen activism is robust, and demonstrations are common. However, permits are required for rallies, and police sometimes use violence to disperse antigovernment protests. Various labor rights and farmers' organizations that are dedicated to ending extrajudicial killings and helping families of the disappeared face serious threats, and their offices have occasionally been raided by authorities. Nevertheless, the Philippines hosts many active human rights and social welfare groups, and the civil society sector as a whole has grown more robust in recent years. Trade unions are independent, but in order to register, a union must represent at least 20 percent of a given bargaining unit. Large firms are increasingly using contract workers, who are prohibited from joining unions. Less than 10 percent of the labor force is unionized. Collective bargaining is common, and strikes may be called, though unions must provide notice and obtain majority approval from their members. Violence against labor leaders has been part of the broader trend of extrajudicial killings over the past decade. F. Rule of Law: 5 / 16 Judicial independence has traditionally been strong, particularly in the Supreme Court. The efforts of the judiciary are stymied, however, by inefficiency, low pay, intimidation, corruption, and high vacancy rates, all of which have contributed to excessive delays and a backlog of hundreds of thousands of cases. Judges and lawyers often depend on local power holders for basic resources and salaries, which can lead to compromised verdicts. At least 12 judges have been killed since 1999, and there have been no convictions for the attacks. The trial for alleged perpetrators of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, in which 58 civilians including 32 journalists were killed to stop the registration of a local political candidate, continued in 2015. The process has featured witness intimidation and flawed forensic investigations, and only a portion of the 197 suspects have been arraigned. At least eight witnesses and witnesses' relatives have been killed since 2009. The media have complained of limited access to court proceedings. In December 2015, the National Police Commission dismissed 21 officers for grave misconduct and serious neglect of duty for their role in the massacre. Arbitrary detention, disappearances, kidnappings, and abuse of suspects continue. The police and military have been implicated in corruption, extortion, torture of detainees, extrajudicial killings, and involvement in local rackets. Lack of effective witness protection has been a key obstacle to investigations against members of the security forces. Convictions for extrajudicial killings and other such crimes are extremely rare. In 2014, retired general and former congressman Jovito Palparan was arrested for his alleged role in the kidnapping and illegal detention of two students in 2006. Despite being in jail with his case ongoing, Palparan registered as a candidate for the 2016 Senate race. A 2014 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report revealed evidence of a death squad in Mindanao that was allegedly formed to combat crime and target political opponents. The squad is also alleged to have been hired out for other politically motivated assassinations, including those of a judge, a journalist, and a tribal leader. After pursuing the HRW findings, the National Bureau of Investigation recommended in March 2015 that 29 individuals be charged with the murder of almost 300 people. Kidnappings for ransom remain common in the south, perpetrated in large part by the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf; victims whose ransoms are not paid have been beheaded, including a village chief in August 2015 and a Malaysian businessman in November. Several new foreign hostages were kidnapped during the year. Abu Sayyaf also regularly carries out bombings and other attacks. In September 2015, a regional trial court approved a petition by the Department of Justice to declare Abu Sayyaf a terrorist group, making it the first group to be so labeled under the 2007 Human Security Act. In November, seven Abu Sayyaf bandits and a senior leader and financier were sentenced to life in prison for kidnappings in 2008 and 2011. The government has engaged in peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP). Deadly clashes between the leftist group's militarized wing (NPA) and the Philippine army continue to occur regularly, though the violence has declined under President Aquino. Since the 2014 capture of NPA leader Benito Tiamzon and his wife, a senior CPP official, additional high-ranking members of the organization have been arrested, and multiple trials were pending at the end of 2015. Perceptions of relative socioeconomic deprivation and political disenfranchisement, along with resentment toward Christian settlements in traditionally Muslim areas, have played a central role in the Philippines' Muslim separatist movements. The related conflict has caused severe hardship on Mindanao and nearby islands, and has resulted in more than 120,000 deaths since it erupted in 1972. Both government and rebel forces have committed summary killings and other human rights abuses. Several peace deals have fallen through as a result of the failure to effectively disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate former rebels, but a landmark comprehensive agreement was reached in 2014 with the MILF, paving the way for a new legal and governing framework for the region. In 2015, Congress postponed deliberations on legislation (the BLL) to carry out the peace agreement after a botched police raid in January aimed at capturing Malaysian terrorism suspect Zulkifli Abdhir, known as Marwan resulted in the deaths of not only Marwan himself and two other suspected terrorists, but also 44 elite police officers, 18 members of the MILF, 5 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF, a splinter faction that opposes the peace process), and several civilians. The gun battle was the first violent clash between the government and the MILF since a 2011 cease-fire took hold. In March, the United Nations reported that more than 120,000 people were internally displaced as a result of the confrontation and ongoing violence in the region, particularly between the government and the BIFF. Also in March, a Senate committee and a police board of inquiry concluded that President Aquino, PNP chief Purisima, and PNP special action force commander Getulio Napenas had violated regulations in connection with the operation, as Purisima had been formally suspended due to graft charges and yet planned and managed the police action with the complicity of Aquino and Napenas. The MILF submitted its own report that month, finding that its fighters had acted in self-defense and that the police had violated the cease-fire agreement. Nevertheless, 90 members of the MILF, BIFF, and other armed groups were charged in September for their roles in the confrontation; prosecutors denied that police had violated the cease-fire, noting that they were seeking a terrorism suspect and not MILF members. No action had been taken against Aquino by the end of year, but Napenas was suspended shortly after the operation and later retired, and Purisima was dismissed over the graft charges. Although the BLL was stalled in Congress, other aspects of the peace agreement moved forward, including the decommissioning of some MILF fighters beginning in June. Indigenous rights are generally upheld, but land disputes and local development projects regularly cause friction and sometimes lead to violence. In February 2015, an environmental activist and defender of indigenous people's rights was murdered in northern Mindanao. Indigenous people often live in conflict areas and are targeted by combatants for their perceived loyalties. Villages and schools of the indigenous Lumad community were attacked by anti-NPA paramilitary groups during the year, resulting in multiple deaths and the displacement of many residents. National law does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, though some local protections are in place. The Philippines' largest city, Quezon, adopted an ordinance banning discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people in 2014. LGBT people reportedly face bias in employment, education, and other services, as well as societal discrimination. In December 2015, a U.S. marine was convicted of killing a woman in 2014 after discovering that she was transgender. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 10 / 16 Outside of conflict zones, citizens enjoy freedom of travel and choice of residence. Private business activity is often dependent on the support of local power brokers in the complex patronage system that extends through the country's social, political, and economic spheres. Although more women than men now enter high schools and universities, women face some discrimination in private-sector employment, and those in Mindanao enjoy considerably fewer rights in practice. Divorce is illegal in the Philippines, though annulments are allowed under specified circumstances; Muslims may divorce via Sharia (Islamic law) courts. A 2009 law included provisions calling for women to fill half of third-level government positions, requiring that each barangay open an office to handle cases of violence against women, and recognizing women's rights as human rights. Enforcement of these measures has been uneven. Violence against women continues to be a significant problem, and while spousal rape is a crime, very few cases are prosecuted. A 2015 report by the World Bank noted some legal differences in the treatment of men and women in the Philippines, such as unequal tax status and access to certain government services. In 2014, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the landmark RH Law, which provides state funding for contraceptives in public clinics, reproductive health care, and sex education in schools. However, health workers may deny services in non-life-threatening circumstances if they have moral or religious misgivings, minors must obtain parental consent, and spousal consent is necessary for circumstances that are not life threatening. The Philippines is a source country for human trafficking, which is a growing problem, though tighter restrictions were adopted in a 2013 law. The country's various insurgent groups have been accused of using child soldiers. In a bid to combat another form of exploitation, the 2013 Domestic Workers Act granted household workers a minimum wage, paid leave, and insurance, among other protections. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Freedom in the World 2016 - Pakistan Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Pakistan, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48bc15.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Partly Free Aggregate Score: 41 Freedom Rating: 4.5 Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 5 Explanatory Note: The numerical ratings and status listed above do not reflect conditions in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, which is examined in a separate report. Quick Facts Capital: Islamabad Population: 199,047,300 GDP/capita: $19,309.60 Press Freedom Status: Not Free Net Freedom Status: Not Free OVERVIEW Pakistan was relatively stable in 2015. Terrorist violence decreased by one-third from 2014 levels, though it caused 3,682 fatalities. The decrease was consistent with the widely held impression that the terrorist threat in Pakistan has passed its peak. The government began implementing a 20-point National Action Plan (NAP) during the year, announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2014. The plan included a range of counterterrorist measures including clamping down on terrorist financing, countering incitement to violence, reforming madrassahs, repatriating Afghan refugees, and reforming the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The government made periodic announcements during the year regarding progress in these areas, including the arrest of suspicious persons, inspections of madrassahs, and restricted media coverage of prohibited organizations. In November, the military criticized the civilian government for moving too slowly in implementing the plan. In August, the paramilitary Rangers completed the first stage of a nearly two-year security operation in Karachi that involved targeting high-profile terrorists and criminals. The army continued its operation in North Waziristan, but made little progress in the militant-controlled Shawal Valley. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 20 / 40 A. Electoral Process: 7 / 12 Pakistan consists of four provinces (Baluchistan, Punjab, Sindhi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or KPK) and two federal territories (the Federally Administered Tribal Areas [FATA] and the Islamabad Capital Territory). The Parliament (Majlis-i-Shoora) is bicameral, with a 342-member National Assembly (NA) and a 104-member Senate. The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government headed by a prime minister. An electoral college of the Senate, the NA, and the provincial assemblies elects the president for up to two five-year terms. The Senate provides equal representation to all units of the federation. Each provincial assembly chooses 23 members, NA members representing the FATA elect 8, and 4 are chosen by the NA to represent the capital territory. Senators serve six-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every three years. Members of the NA are elected for five years. Of the 342 seats, 272 are filled through direct elections in single-member districts, 60 are reserved for women, and 10 are reserved for non-Muslim minorities. The reserved seats are filled through a proportional representation system with closed party lists. The seats for women are allocated in proportion to the number of general seats a party gains in each of the provinces. The provincial assemblies employ a similar electoral system. Prominent international and domestic election observers judged the 2013 elections favorably, citing active competition and campaigning, and voter turnout of 55 percent. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) overtook the incumbent Pakistan People's Party (PPP) at the federal level, winning 126 of the directly elected seats in the NA. The PPP won 31 seats and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took 28. Various smaller parties won less than 20 directly elected seats each. The PML-N formed a governing majority with the help of allied independents, and Sharif became prime minister. Lingering controversies around the conduct of the elections were settled in 2015. A national judicial inquiry commission reported in July that the elections had largely been conducted fairly and according to the law, and that irregularities did not distort the popular mandate. It did note, however, that the administration of the elections was at times chaotic and poorly documented. The opposition PTI petitioned election tribunals in constituencies where it claimed there had been egregious abuses. In two 2015 by-elections ordered by these tribunals, PML-N and PTI each one a seat originally taken by PML-N. The 18th constitutional amendment, adopted in 2010, significantly decentralized power from the federal level to the provinces. Under this arrangement, the provincial assemblies and governments have legislative and executive responsibilities, including in health, education, and local government. The 2013 provincial elections left a different party in government in each of the four provinces: PML-N in Punjab, PPP in Sindhi, a PTI-led coalition in KPK, and a National Party/PML-N coalition in Baluchistan. For the first time in 10 years, local government elections were completed in the four provinces and Islamabad in stages from May through December 2015. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 8 / 16 Pakistan has a thriving and competitive multiparty system that allows both voters and candidates a wide choice of parties. Examples of the recent dynamics of party competition have included the successful mobilization of a youth vote by PTI that enabled it to win power at the provincial level in KPK, and PML-N's 2013 defeat of the incumbent PPP at the federal level. However, parties lack internal democracy and financial transparency. Disproportionate influence is exercised by an elite of traditional political families, dubbed "electables," who are courted as candidates by all the leading parties. There is a history of use of accountability mechanisms against national politicians, some of which has been selective and discriminatory. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the sitting PPP prime minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. In August 2015, the PPP protested the detention of another of their former ministers, Asim Hussain, on corruption and terrorism charges. A history of links between political parties and violent gangs in Karachi has stymied political competition there. Terrorism over the past decade concentrated in the north of the country has periodically targeted democratic, secular-leaning politicians, including former prime minister Benazir Bhutto (assassinated after an election meeting in 2007) and multiple representatives of the Awami National Party. The decline of terrorist violence in 2015, however, has reduced the impact on the political opposition. Since 2002, a joint electorate system has allowed members of minorities to participate in the general vote while also being represented by reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies through the party-list system. However, the participation of non-Muslims in the political system continues to be marginal. Political parties nominate members to legislative seats reserved for non-Muslim minorities, leaving non-Muslim voters with little say in selecting the parliamentarians who supposedly represent them. Ahmadis, members of a heterodox Muslim sect, face political discrimination and are registered on a separate voter roll. C. Functioning of Government: 5 / 12 The military and civilian leaderships avoided any visible clash during 2015, although this harmony was achieved in large part by the prime minister's accommodation of the military's preferences on foreign policy and defense. Terrorists, including Islamist extremists, continued to try to intimidate elected governments, most directly with the assassination of the Punjab home minister in a suicide bombing in August. Fear of violence and agitation remained a significant constraint on any moves to review or reform Islamist laws and their application, such as the blasphemy law. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is Pakistan's premier anticorruption body. During 2015, NAB registered cases against politicians of all major parties, including the prime minister. However, there were few signs of progress toward reducing endemic public-sector corruption. Civil society was able to contribute to the debate over legislation in 2015, particularly with a proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill. The current ordinance granting access to information, put in place in 2002, remains poorly implemented and underfunded. A 2012 draft Freedom of Information law has earned praise from international watchdogs but remained pending at year's end. Key aspects of the national security strategy shaped by the military remained opaque and shielded from debate. Civil Liberties: 21 / 60 (-1) D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 5 / 16 Pakistan has a vibrant media sector that presents a range of news and opinions and hosts lively debates on current affairs. There are about 90 television channels, 160 radio stations, and over 200 daily newspapers. However, there is a history of violence and intimidation selectively directed against media figures by both intelligence agencies and violent extremist groups. Four Pakistani journalists were killed in terrorist incidents targeting the media in 2015. Prominent television journalist Hamid Mir of the Geo Network continues to receive death threats after surviving a 2014 assassination attempt. The lack of independent access for journalists to insurgency-affected parts of Baluchistan and the FATA further restrict reporting. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) awards radio and television licenses, maintains a code of conduct, and exercises the power to suspend operators. PEMRA has been accused of taking politically motivated actions. During 2015 PEMRA strengthened its code of conduct to ban hate speech and issued instructions to operators to refrain from giving coverage to prohibited organizations. The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern at the broad scope of the guidelines and the fact that they were developed without media-industry input. More than 200,000 websites are banned in the country because of their allegedly anti-Islamic, pornographic, or blasphemous content, including YouTube. Civil society groups criticized the Electronic Crimes Prevention Bill, drafted in January and amended in September, for being overly broad and being promoted without adequate public debate. At the end of the year the National Assembly was considering a law that contained a broad and vague definition of objectionable content, allowed censorship without judicial oversight, and provided for mass data retention without safeguards. Meanwhile the authorities continued to invest in mass surveillance capacity and the compulsory registration of SIM cards and data devices, prompting concerns about infringement of privacy. Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and protection of minorities have not provided effective checks to discriminatory legislation, social prejudice, and sectarian violence. Members of the Hindu community have complained of vulnerability to kidnapping and forced conversions, and some continue to migrate to India, where they are housed in refugee camps. High-profile blasphemy cases and mob violence have affected the Christian community and others. The most specific discriminatory legislation has been directed at the Ahmadi community, who are prohibited from asserting themselves as Muslims. Sectarian groups continued to attack Shiite Muslims during 2015, including an attack on the annual Moharram commemorations in Jacobabad in which 22 people were killed, and an explosion in a bazaar in Kurram in December that killed more than 20 people. A string of mass shootings targeted the Hazara Shia minority in Quetta, Baluchistan. Many of these attacks were claimed by or attributed to the Lashkar I Jhangvi group. Pakistan has a long history of using education to portray Hindus and other non-Muslims negatively and to rationalize enmity between Pakistan and India. Attempts to modernize education and introduce tolerance into school textbooks have proven slow and controversial. In May, a senior educator involved in textbook reform was forced to leave the country after receiving death threats. Blackberry, a mobile phone manufacturer, withdrew from the Pakistani market in November after the government insisted on having unlimited access to its customers' private data. The threat of accusations of blasphemy or reprisals from the military obliges ordinary Pakistanis to self-censor on topics of religion and security. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 6 / 12 (-1) The constitution guarantees the rights to associate, demonstrate, and organize, but the government sporadically imposes arbitrary restrictions to temporarily ban gatherings or any activity designated a threat to public order. In 2015, the space for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to function was significantly reduced when the Federal Interior Ministry announced its intention to adopt new registration procedures for both national and international organizations, restricting them to pre-assigned areas of activity. Some NGOs, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, were ordered to leave, while 20 international NGOs were placed under investigation, moves that ensured that NGOs operated in a climate of suspicion and uncertainty. The interior ministry also announced a ban on the aid agency Save the Children, though this was later rescinded. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan publicly voiced concern that NGOs were involved in antistate activities such as espionage and financing terrorism. In April, gunmen shot dead human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud in Karachi. The rights of workers to organize and form trade unions are recognized in law, and the constitution grants unions the rights to collective bargaining and to strike. However, many categories of workers are excluded from these protections, accounting for approximately 60 percent of the formal-sector workforce. The procedures that need to be followed for a strike to be legal are onerous. Nevertheless, strikes are organized regularly. Roughly 70 percent of the workforce is employed in the informal sector where there is limited unionization. F. Rule of Law: 4 / 16 Over the last decade, executive interference in the higher judiciary has decreased, and the judiciary in some cases holds the executive to account. However, the broader justice system is marred by endemic problems including corruption, intimidation, a large backlog of cases, insecurity, and low conviction rates for serious crimes. A separate Federal Sharia Court is empowered to determine whether a provision of law goes against Islamic injunctions. Some communities resort to informal forms of justice, leading to decisions outside formal safeguards. The government appointed a new National Human Rights Commission in 2015 that is tasked with investigating human rights abuses and suggesting improvements to the government. Some civil society groups have criticized the new commission for not having power over the security forces. In January, the National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment establishing military courts to try terrorist cases and impose death sentences. In March, the government ended its moratorium on capital punishment. During the year, 303 executions were carried out. The FATA are governed by the president and federal administration. They are subject to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and lie outside the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Supreme Court. The FCR authorizes the government's political agent and tribal leaders to apply customary law and provides for collective punishment. In November, the government announced a new committee to consider options for reforming the FATA that would improve safety in the region and potentially fold them into one of Pakistan's other provinces. The military and the intelligence services enjoy impunity for indiscriminate use of force. Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other abuses are common. Terrorism suspects, Balochi and Sindhi nationalists, journalists, researchers, and social workers have all been victims of alleged disappearance. Two major insurgencies, in the FATA and Baluchistan, and a major security operation in Karachi continued in 2015. Although violence in the FATA decreased somewhat in 2015, militant extremists of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its offshoots continued to threaten and extort from the civilian population while also launching periodic raids against government targets from their bases along the Afghan border. In September, militants attacked the Badaber air base outside Peshawar, reportedly killing 29 people. Pakistan hosts some 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, with approximately one million more unregistered. A generation of refugees has been born and raised in Pakistan, but the community remains subject to chronic insecurity and uncertainty. The first quarter of 2015 saw forced deportations and the closure of businesses in a crackdown on undocumented Afghan refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. The UN Refugee Agency and Pakistani authorities periodically negotiate extensions to refugees' authorized stays. Refugees with inadequate documentation are subject to harassment, threat of arrest, and deportation. They are deprived of access to banking and SIM cards. Members of the transgender and intersex community are authorized to register for official documents under a "third gender" classification recognized by the Supreme Court in 2009. In a ruling in 2011, the court granted them the right to vote, enabling them to participate in the 2013 elections. Nonetheless, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community are subject to societal and legal discrimination. The penal code prescribes prison terms for consensual sex "against the order of nature." Although prosecutions are rare, such laws deter LGBT people from acknowledging their orientation or reporting abuses. Transgender and intersex people face de facto discrimination in housing and employment. They are also refused inheritance rights. Many are forced into prostitution or to beg in order to survive. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 6 / 16 There are few legal limitations on citizens' travel or their choice of residence, employment, or institution of higher learning. The main tool for restricting foreign travel is the Exit Control List, which blocks named individuals from using official exit points from the country. The list is meant to include those who pose a security threat and those facing court proceedings, but on occasion it has been used against civil society activists who have worked on issues embarrassing to officials. In November, the Interior Ministry removed almost 10,000 names from the list and stated it would apply greater scrutiny before adding new names. Pakistan's rampant corruption, weak regulatory environment, and ineffective legal system undermine property rights and economic freedom. In May, the Federal Investigative Agency arrested the head of the Axact company after the New York Times exposed a scheme to market fake degrees and invest the profits into a proposed big-budget television station. A number of reforms have been enacted in recent years to improve conditions for women. However, the implementation of protective laws has been weak, and violence against women continues unabated. In addition to acid attacks, domestic violence, rape, and so-called honor crimes, women face restrictions on voting and education, especially in KPK, the FATA, and Baluchistan. Political parties maintain women's wings that are active during elections. However, currently no women hold posts in the federal cabinet or at the helm of mainstream political parties. Exploitative forms of labor remain common, in particular in the brick kiln industry, where owners have significant political influence that protects them from prosecution. Though bonded and child labor are outlawed, they are widespread in practice. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Freedom in the World 2016 - Kenya Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Kenya, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48be13.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Partly Free Aggregate Score: 51 Freedom Rating: 4.0 Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 4 Quick Facts Capital: Nairobi Population: 44,306,000 GDP/capita: 1358.3 Press Freedom Status: Partly Free Net Freedom Status: Free OVERVIEW During 2015, the precarious domestic security situation in Kenya continued. In April, the Somali extremist group the Shabaab attacked Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya, killing 148 students and injuring more than 100. Following the siege, Cabinet Secretary for Interior Joseph Nkaissery said that, despite intelligence warnings of an attack, local security officials had done little to prepare. Nine regional officials were suspended over the response to the siege. The attack was the latest in a spate of violence by the Shabaab in retaliation for the Kenyan government's involvement in the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Despite the attack, the Kenyan government continued cross-border air strikes as part of an ongoing military campaign against the Shabaab in Somalia and also pursued a controversial domestic counterterrorism campaign. The counterterrorism campaign includes both heavy-handed repression of suspect groups as well as continued heavy police and military deployments in some areas of the country, especially in the northeast. In September, the autonomous Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) released a preliminary report alleging 25 extrajudicial killings and more than 80 "enforced disappearances" at the hands of the Kenyan government as part of its counterterrorism campaign. The report also alleged the use of extended detentions, aggressive interrogation techniques, and several forms of torture. In connection with its counterterrorism strategy, the Kenyan government continued its crackdown on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In October, the government's NGOs Coordination Board threatened to deregister more than 950 NGOs due to alleged financial mismanagement and noncompliance with government regulations, and said that some of the groups were suspected of money laundering and support for terrorist activity. The board also said that, in an audit of more than 10,000 groups, it had found more than 25 billion shillings ($248 million) in donations unaccounted for. Many of the organizations refuted the allegations and some alleged that the government was targeting groups that criticized it. At first, the NGOs were given two weeks to refute the audit findings or be deregistered, but Cabinet Secretary for Devolution Anne Waiguru revoked the NGO Board's ruling, saying that the two-week timeline was unrealistic. This was the second time the government had threatened mass deregistration in as many years. In December 2014, the government deregistered over 500 NGOs, including 15 it accused of having ties to terrorism, for "noncompliance" after they failed to provide financial records. However, nearly 200 groups were reinstated within one week of the ban. Though the government has walked back on civil society crackdowns in both 2014 and 2015, the situation remains uncertain. In 2014, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had withdrawn its case against President Uhuru Kenyatta for crimes against humanity in connection with 2007-08 postelection violence, citing a lack of evidence and the Kenyan government's failure to cooperate. In August 2015, an ICC appeals court reopened an inquiry into whether the government had actively blocked prosecutors in the case. The case against Deputy President William Ruto remains ongoing. In September, ICC prosecutors unsealed arrest warrants for two Kenyan men who had been arrested by Kenyan authorities in July; the warrants alleged that the men were involved in interfering with potential ICC witnesses. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 22 / 40 A. Electoral Process: 7 / 12 Under a constitution approved by voters in 2010, the president and deputy president, who can serve up to two five-year terms, are directly elected by majority vote; they are also required to win 25 percent of the votes in at least half of Kenya's newly created 47 counties. The National Assembly consists of 349 elected members (290 directly elected, 47 special women representatives, and 12 nominated by each party according to their share of the assembly vote), plus 1 ex-officio member elected as speaker. The Senate, created under the 2010 constitution, consists of 67 elected members (47 directly elected, 16 special women representatives, 2 representing youth, and 2 representing people with disabilities), plus 1 ex-officio member elected as speaker. The March 2013 elections were Kenya's first held under the new constitution. There were 8 presidential candidates and over 20 parties competing for legislative seats, aligned into 4 main groupings the Jubilee Coalition, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), the Amani Coalition, and the EAGLE Alliance. Regional and international election observers noted a generally peaceful election period and important improvements compared with 2007, but also serious shortcomings. Some observers pointed to a harsher security environment and a large degree of self-censorship. The Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Kenyatta the winner of the presidential election with 50.07 percent of the vote, with his closest challenger former prime minister Raila Odinga of CORD taking 43.7 percent. Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition took 167 National Assembly seats, 30 Senate seats, and 18 gubernatorial races. CORD won 141 National Assembly seats, 28 Senate seats, and 23 governorships. There were serious questions surrounding the tabulation of the results of the 2013 elections. The IEBC's electronic transmission system failed, and the manual delivery of ballots was delayed and not transparent. Moreover, there was significant confusion initially over the total number of rejected or invalid ballots, as well as controversy over whether to include the rejected ballots in the total number of votes cast in the presidential vote. The framework for the 2013 elections was guided by the requirements set forth in the 2010 constitution, but some aspects, such as campaign finance reform, were not implemented. The IEBC's central members were appointed through a credible process with legislative oversight, yet the body's effectiveness was hampered by ambiguity regarding its mandate and interference from the legislature. In January 2015, Ezra Chiloba Simiyu was appointed to be the board's chief executive officer. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 10 / 16 Citizens are free to organize into political parties that represent a range of ideological, regional, and ethnic interests, but Kenyan parties are notoriously weak, often amalgamated into coalitions designed only to contest elections. In 2015, the member parties of the ruling Jubilee coalition agreed to merge into a single party, but the merger had not taken place by year's end. At the same time, the more fragile CORD coalition rejected calls to merge its parties ahead of the 2017 elections. Under the Political Parties Act, parties that receive at least 5 percent of the votes cast in a national election are eligible for public funds. In August 2014, the High Court upheld the right of three political parties the National Alliance, the Orange Democratic Movement, and the United Republican Party to collectively receive more than $4 million based on the outcome of the 2013 elections. The Political Parties Act also established an independent Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, but an acting registrar has held the position since it was created in late 2011. During the 2013 elections, there were impediments to political choice posed by domestic economic interests. There was pervasive use of unverified sums of money during campaigns due to the absence of an adequate campaign finance law and evidence of direct vote buying by candidates of both parties. The 2010 constitution was intended to reduce the role of ethnicity in elections. Although the Political Parties Act requires each party to have at least 1,000 members in 24 of the 47 counties to ensure diversity, the major coalitions continue to reflect distinctive though rarely exclusive ethnic groupings. The stipulation that all voters must possess a National Identity Card impedes historically marginalized groups from obtaining greater access to the political process, particularly the nearly seven million pastoralists from the upper Rift Valley and North Eastern regions. In December 2015, the ODM accused the Kenyan government of slow distribution of ID cards in opposition strongholds. Security forces' ongoing harassment of Kenya's substantial ethnic Somali population diminishes their political engagement. C. Functioning of Government: 5 / 12 Corruption is a serious problem in Kenya. The country was ranked 139 of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. The government's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) lacks prosecutorial authority, can only pass the results of its investigations to the office of the attorney general, and was plagued by political infighting in 2015. Investigation of the so-called Karen land-grabbing scandal by the EACC implicated several politicians and civil service employees. In June, Cabinet Secretary for Lands Charity Ngilu was suspended from her office, and the director of public prosecutions charged her with obstruction of EACC investigations into the issue. In July, Ngilu and Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Kamau who was also suspended successfully lodged cases before the High Court contesting the constitutionality of the EACC's powers to conduct investigations and recommend prosecution. While the 2010 constitution includes measures for increased accountability and transparency, official prosecutions of corruption have yielded meager results, and no top officials have been successfully prosecuted. An auditor general's report released in July 2015 showed that approximately one-quarter of the spending in Kenya's 2013-14 federal budget had not been properly accounted for, causing a public uproar. The report described "persistent and disturbing problems in collection and accounting for revenue" across many departments and agencies. Shortly before the report's release, Kenyatta signed an agreement with U.S. president Barack Obama outlining U.S. technical support for the Kenyan government's fight against corruption, including curriculum development for a mandatory ethics training for all government employees. Weak institutional capacity has undermined attempts to increase transparency on the budget-making process, procurement, and other government activities. There is little input from civil society. In August 2014, the government launched its Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), a website that documents the procurement process including the tender announcement, bids received, and contracts awarded in order to increase efficiency and reduce direct interaction, and therefore opportunities for bribery, between businesspeople and government officials. In March 2015, Kenyatta issued an executive order requiring ministries to use the system. Later in the month, he made the fight against corruption a theme of his State of the Nation address, directing all officials named in an EACC report on corruption including 12 governors and 5 cabinet officials to step down. Two of the cabinet officials were later charged in connection with the report's allegations. Also in 2015, Waiguru was at the center of a corruption scandal, after investigations indicated that the IFMIS system had been used to make or attempt to make some $8,200,000 worth of illegal payments from the National Youth Service (NYS). In November, Waiguru facing criticism even from some members of the Jubilee coalition resigned, citing health issues. Civil Liberties: 29 / 60 D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 11 / 16 The 2010 constitution strengthened protections for freedoms of speech and of the press, and there is a large, independent, and active media sector in Kenya. In practice, however, several laws restrict press freedom, and the government and security forces harass journalists, leading to self-censorship in some cases. Media outlets avoid reporting on issues such as official corruption or misconduct, counterterrorism operations, or the ICC proceedings, often under threat of reprisals. In October 2015, the National Assembly passed the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Bill, which included controversial provisions restricting journalists' ability to report on parliamentary proceedings and levying heavy penalties on journalists accused of maligning the legislature. However, the bill was never enacted. Meanwhile, Kenya's High Court has yet to rule on the constitutionality of two highly controversial 2013 bills that provided for wide-ranging government control of the media sector, the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill and the Media Council Bill. Under the bills, a new government-controlled board would have the authority to regulate all forms of journalism, including the power to impose potentially crippling fines on media houses and deregistration on individual journalists for alleged violations of a code of conduct, which would be drafted by legislators. In February 2015, the High Court annulled several controversial clauses in a separate bill, the December 2014 Security Laws (Amendment) Act, including significant restrictions on the media. The government does not restrict access to the internet, but it does monitor websites and social media for alleged incitement to violence. The 2014 security law also includes clauses authorizing the National Intelligence Service to "obtain any information, material, record, document or thing" while conducting surveillance of communications. In July, WikiLeaks released a series of e-mails from recent months demonstrating that the Kenyan government had reached out to Hacking Team, a Milan-based surveillance company, to procure software "designed to attack, infect and monitor target PCs and Smartphones, in a stealth way." In a May 2015 e-mail, an unidentified government representative requested that, as "proof of concept," the Hacking Team "urgently bring down" a blog called Kahawa Tungu, which had been reporting on corruption in the Kenyan government; the e-mails show Hacking Team representatives refusing the request. The authorities generally uphold freedom of religion on civil matters. The Islamic (Kadhi) court system, which adjudicates cases related to personal status, marriage, divorce, or inheritance for Muslims, is subordinate to the superior courts of Kenya. In January, the attorney general's office announced the proposed Religious Societies Compliance Rules, a series of regulations aimed at religious institutions and clergy, including requirements that they register with the government. Although Ruto in August mentioned plans to enact the laws, they were not adopted before the end of the year. Religious tension has risen in recent years due to terrorist attacks carried out by the Shabaab and the government's counterterrorism campaign, which has disproportionately targeted Kenyan Muslims and members of the Somali community, including for extrajudicial killings and harassment. In July 2015, Afrobarometer released the results of a survey conducted in late 2014 in which 51 percent of ethnic Somali respondents in Kenya reported that they "always" or "often" faced unfair treatment from the government." For the most part, academic freedom remains secure in Kenya. However, the education system suffers from structural and funding problems. Increasing intimidation from the security forces and ethnically affiliated gangs such as the Mungiki has inhibited open and free private discussion in the country. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 6 / 12 The constitution guarantees freedom of assembly. Local police must be notified in advance of any public meetings, and may prohibit them. The police responded to protests with a heavy hand in 2015, including using tear gas on schoolchildren protesting the sale of a playground to a private developer in January. Kenya has an active NGO sector, but civil society groups have faced growing obstacles in recent years, particularly in light of the government's counterterrorism campaign and the related NGO crackdown. There are about 15,000 registered NGOs in Kenya. In 2014, Waiguru, in her capacity as devolution secretary, appointed a taskforce composed of representatives from government and civil society to consider amendments to a 2013 law, the Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Act, which had not yet been implemented. The task force produced a report in May 2015, drawing criticism from civil society groups, including those that had participated in the task force, who said several restrictive recommendations in the report did not reflect citizen input given at a series of public hearings. A controversial provision to the PBO Act that would have placed a 15 percent limit on all foreign funding for NGOs was dropped in the fall. Trade unions are active in Kenya, with approximately 40 unions representing nearly two million workers. Most unions are affiliated with the sole approved national federation, the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU). In 2014, public-sector workers created the Federation of Public Service Trade Unions of Kenya in the face of government attempts to curb wages. The 2007 Labor Relations Act establishes broad criteria for union registration, leaving authorities with limited grounds for suspending or refusing to register a union. The 2010 constitution affirmed the rights of unions to establish their own agendas, bargain collectively, and strike. In November, COTU called on its affiliates to demand higher wages to account for recent tax hikes. Earlier in the fall, Kenyan teachers' unions had undertaken a five-week strike over pay issues. Negotiations were ongoing in December. F. Rule of Law: 5 / 16 The 2010 constitution enhanced the independence of the judiciary. Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has built the judiciary's image as a trusted institution, and has overseen the creation of a new Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court. The Judicial Services Commission handles the vetting and appointment of judges, and has been cited as a success. A major reshuffling of judiciary staff in April was rumored to be an attempt to dismantle corruption "cartels" within the judiciary. Rule of law does not prevail in many civil and criminal matters. The police are among the most egregious violators of public trust. In July, the Daily Nation newspaper cited interviews with unidentified high-level police officials who claimed that the police service was plagued by tribalism and favoritism, and that bribery was rampant. In October, the National Police Service Commission announced that 63 top police officers had been dismissed for "corruption and integrity issues." There is little protection from political terror, especially for segments of the population that have been caught up in the Shabaab attacks and the counterinsurgency campaign in the traditionally marginalized, mostly Muslim coastal region. However, the Shabaab continued attacks in northeastern Kenya on government and other targets in 2015. In addition to the Garissa University attack, in July the Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on a compound of quarry workers in northeastern Kenya, in which 14 people were killed and 11 injured. In late December, heavy casualties were avoided when Muslims refused to be separated from Christian passengers during a Shabaab attack on a bus in Mandera. Arbitrary arrests, beatings, and extrajudicial killings remained prevalent, with several high-profile cases reported in the coastal region. Police in Mombasa were criticized for detaining dozens of people in response to a series of attacks, including the killing of a senior officer in the police counterterrorism unit. A ban on the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group that advocates for the secession of the coastal region, was overturned in 2012, but its leader, Omar Mwamnuadzi, is regularly arrested on various charges. In June, the government accused 14 people it had arrested in a poaching sting of participating in a scheme to sell elephant tusks to raise funds for the MRC. Ethnic Somalis both Kenyan citizens and refugees from neighboring Somalia continue to be singled out in the wide-ranging roundups, detentions, and deportations in response to Shabaab attacks in 2015, and security forces have often subjected Somali detainees to torture and rape. In recent years, there has been increased social and political pressure to expel the more than 440,000 Somali refugees residing in Kenya, nearly 330,000 of whom live in the Dadaab camp complex. Heavy police surveillance and detentions were noted in Nairobi's Somali-dominated Eastleigh neighborhood in the wake of the Garissa University attack. Consensual same-sex sexual activity is criminalized under the penal code, with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community continued to face discrimination, abuse, and violent attacks in 2015. In May, Ruto declared while speaking at a church service in Nairobi that there was "no room for gays" in Kenya. In July, at a joint press conference with Obama in which the U.S. president urged an end to discrimination against LGBT people in Kenya, Kenyatta described human rights for LGBT people as a "non-issue" in his country, saying Kenya had more pressing concerns. In a significant legal victory for Kenya's LGBT community, in April the Kenyan High Court ruled that the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) could legally register as an NGO under the country's Nongovernmental Organizations Coordination Board Act. The group had been prohibited from registering with the NGO Coordination Board in 2013. A three-judge panel of the High Court, which voted unanimously, called the prohibition unconstitutional. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 7 / 16 Citizens generally enjoy freedom of travel, residence, employment, and education, and have the right to establish private businesses. However, the prevalence of petty corruption inhibits these freedoms, as do discrimination based on gender and ethnicity and banditry in rural areas. Criminal networks and ethnic gangs frequently impede economic activity through extortion and threats. The curfew in Lamu County and the extensive security-force mobilization in other counties, notably Garissa and Mandera, restricted movement and harmed business activity in some areas in 2015. Rape and domestic violence are reportedly common but rarely prosecuted, and spousal rape is not criminalized. Customary law often trumps statutory law, leaving women with few remedies for discriminatory customary practices. Underage marriage is illegal but still occurs. Female genital mutilation has declined among some groups but is widely practiced among the Somali and Kisii populations. Women remain underrepresented in politics. The constitution says the government must work toward "the principle that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender," and the Political Parties Act prevents the distribution of public funds to parties whose elected officials are not at least one-third women. Nineteen percent of representatives in the National Assembly are women, as are some 26 percent of senators. Following a cabinet reshuffle in November 2015, five of 20 cabinet ministers were women. According to the U.S. State Department's 2016 Trafficking in Persons report, Kenya is a source, transit, and destination country for sex trafficking and forced labor. Refugees and asylum seekers from neighboring countries, particularly children, have been vulnerable to trafficking and forced labor in Kenya. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Freedom in the World 2016 - Burkina Faso Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 25 July 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Burkina Faso, 25 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/579f48bf15.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Freedom Status: Partly Free Aggregate Score: 59 Freedom Rating: 3.5 Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 3 Trend Arrow: Ratings Change, Trend Arrow: Burkina Faso's political rights rating improved from 6 to 4, and it received an upward trend arrow, due to the holding of its most successful presidential and legislative elections ever and the subsequent installation of a civilian government, after the ouster of longtime president Blaise Compaore in 2014 and a brief and ultimately unsuccessful military coup in September 2015. Quick Facts Capital: Ougadougou Population: 18,450,400 GDP/capita: $713.10 Press Freedom Status: Partly Free Net Freedom Status: N/A OVERVIEW In November 2015, voters in Burkina Faso elected a new president and parliament in polls described by national and international observers as the freest and most competitive ever to be held in the country. In late December, the inauguration of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and the seating of a new legislature marked the close of a transitional period that began in October 2014, when mass protests led to the resignation of longtime president Blaise Compaore. Kabore's People's Movement for Progress (MPP) won a plurality of seats in the parliament. In September 2015, the presidential guard the Regiment de Securite Presidentielle (RSP), which was loyal to Compaore attempted to stage a military coup. However, the attempt failed when, amid massive popular protests against the RSP's actions, segments of the military backed the transitional government. RSP members shot and killed two dozen civilians during the unrest, which lasted about a week. The failed coup led interim authorities to delay the elections by over a month. The transitional government passed a number of reforms in 2015, including the decriminalization of defamation and laws designed to improve conditions for women. Authorities during the transitional period also reopened investigations into two long-unsolved assassinations those of journalist Norbert Zongo and of former president Thomas Sankara. Both cases saw high-profile individuals linked with Compaore charged by the year's end, with Compaore himself accused of involvement in the latter. POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Political Rights: 21 / 40 (+12) A. Electoral Process: 6 / 12 (+4) Compaore took power after ousting Sankara in 1987, and remained in office for nearly three decades. Supported by his Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party, Compaore won Burkina Faso's first multiparty presidential election in 1991, and subsequent elections in 1998, 2005, and 2010. The CDP won a majority in each of the parliamentary elections during Compaore's time in office. International monitors judged elections in Burkina Faso during Compaore's rule to be generally free but not entirely fair, due to the CDP's privileged access to state resources and the media. A reform in 2000 introduced a limit of two five-year presidential terms. The constitution gives members of the National Assembly five-year terms. Electoral reforms in 2009 extended the right to vote in presidential elections and referendums to Burkinabe living abroad, but they have yet to be implemented. In 2014, Compaore attempted to amend the constitution to allow himself a third presidential term. The move prompted profound political instability and violent protests, leading the military to dissolve the National Assembly that October; Compaore then stepped down from office. Following a brief period of military rule, a transitional government was established in late 2014, composed of representatives from civil society, the former political opposition, the military, and the former ruling party. The transitional government successfully organized and administered the November 2015 presidential and legislative elections. Kabore, of the MPP, a party formed to oppose Compaore's proposed term-limit amendment, was elected president with just over 53 percent of the vote; turnout was more than 60 percent. Kabore's closest rival, Zephirin Diabre of the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), won 29 percent. The MPP won a plurality, but not a majority, in the National Assembly, with 55 of the 127 seats. The UPC took 33 seats, and the former ruling party, the CDP, won 18. Kabore and the newly elected members of parliament were inaugurated in late December. Election observers from local civil society groups, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and international missions noted only minor irregularities in the polls, with many describing the elections as the freest, fairest, and most competitive ever to be held in the country. B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 9 / 16 (+3) The Burkinabe constitution guarantees the right to form political parties. Following the 2015 legislative elections, 14 parties held seats in the National Assembly. In April 2015, the interim legislature voted to modify the electoral code, barring individual politicians who had supported Compaore's term-limit changes from running in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. The CDP contested the modifications at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice, which in July ruled that the modifications were invalid. The Constitutional Court of Burkina Faso nevertheless upheld the reforms in August, leading to the exclusion of a number of candidates from the elections. However, in general the end of Compaore's regime gave way to a freer environment in which opposition parties were able to consolidate popular support during the campaigning period and gain power through the elections. Efforts by the transitional government to reform the RSP were met with hostility from the military elite unit and, ultimately, its leaders attempted a military coup in September 2015. The maneuver sparked widespread protests, and failed after the national military's chief of staff moved to support the transitional government. The coup attempt delayed the presidential and legislative elections, originally scheduled for October, for several weeks. Transitional authorities declared the RSP dissolved in late September. Minority rights are generally respected in politics, though a small educated elite, the military, and labor unions have historically dominated political life. Under the military and transitional regimes, the ability of all groups to exercise full political rights and participate in political life was hindered, but this has been mostly reestablished with the return of an elected government. C. Functioning of Government: 6 / 12 (+5) The creation of the transitional government allowed for policymaking and legislative action, which had come to a standstill following the dissolution of the National Assembly and suspension of the constitution in 2014. The government made several constitutional changes, including removing presidential term limits from the category of rules that may be modified, and setting them at two five-year terms, served either consecutively or separately. The transitional government also removed language regarding a second chamber of the legislature from the constitution; the chamber had never functioned during Compaore's rule. The selection of the members, ministers, president, and prime minister of the interim government was led by elites, leaving the government with little accountability to ordinary citizens. The successful elections and installation of a civilian government at the end of 2015 signified a marked improvement in government representation, accountability, and transparency. Corruption continued to be a problem in 2015, though prosecutors have pursued some high-level cases against former members of the Compaore administration. Burkina Faso was ranked 76 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. Civil Liberties: 38 / 60 (+2) D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 14 / 16 (+1) Although the constitution guarantees freedom of expression, which is generally respected, many media workers practice self-censorship, linked in part to years of impunity for Zongo's murder. The transitional government decriminalized defamation in September 2015. While defamation convictions can no longer result in jail time, the new law prescribes hefty fines of between 1 and 5 million CFA francs ($1,700 to $8,400) for violations; observers caution that such fines, if levied, could force many outlets out of business. There are several private television stations and dozens of private radio stations and newspapers. In July, the transitional government set plans to grant greater legal and financial autonomy to state-owned media outlets; it also set plans to establish publishing regulations that would improve ownership transparency. Journalists were generally able to report freely and critically on the 2015 elections. A number of reporters were attacked while covering events related to the failed coup, during which several media outlets also saw severe property damage inflicted. Large segments of the media community nevertheless continued to disseminate high-quality information during the crisis. The government does not restrict internet access, though penetration is low, with about 11 percent of people accessing the medium in 2015. Burkina Faso is a secular state, and freedom of religion is respected. Academic freedom is unrestricted, though Compaore had relied on repression to quell student-led protests and political agitation. Authorities are not known to engage in intrusive surveillance activities. E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 8 / 12 The constitution provides for the right to assemble, though demonstrations have often been suppressed or banned. The RSP had a history of employing violence to repress mass gatherings. In October 2015, Amnesty International reported that RSP members fired on civilian protesters and bystanders during the unrest that accompanied the failed coup, killing 14 people and injuring hundreds more. While many nongovernmental organizations operate openly and freely, human rights groups have reported abuses by security forces. During the attempted coup, leaders of prominent civil society organizations were targeted by the former presidential guard, and in some cases their property was destroyed. The constitution guarantees the right to strike, and unions frequently and freely engage in strikes and collective bargaining. Although only a minority of the work force is unionized, unions play an important role in the politics of the country and have used general strikes to effectively shut down the public and formal sectors. F. Rule of Law: 8 / 16 (+1) The judiciary is formally independent but has historically been subject to executive influence and corruption. The courts are further weakened by a lack of resources and citizens' lack of awareness of their rights. The last few months of 2015 saw high-profile legal proceedings initiated against a number of officials associated with the former regime. Shortly after the failed coup, its leader, RSF general Gilbert Diendere, was taken into custody along with more than a dozen others; he was charged with murder and threatening state security. In November, Diendere was charged with involvement in the 1987 killing of former president Sankara, though the specifics of the allegations were not immediately publicized. In December, authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Compaore in connection with Sankara's killing; at the close of 2015 the former leader was thought to be in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. Also that month, authorities charged three former RSF members with involvement in Zongo's 1998 murder. Police often use excessive force and disregard pretrial detention limits. Discrimination against ethnic minorities occurs, but is not widespread. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people, as well as those infected with HIV, routinely experience discrimination. G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 8 / 16 The constitution provides for freedom of movement within the country, although security checks on travelers are common. Equality of opportunity has improved somewhat since the establishment of the transitional government; previously, CDP members often received preferential treatment in business matters, including for the acquisition of public contracts. While illegal, gender discrimination remains common in employment and education, as well as in the upholding of property and family rights; it is particularly common in rural areas. In September 2015, the transitional government adopted two laws aimed at the prevention and punishment of domestic violence against women and children. Especially in the northern regions, early marriage contributes to lower female school enrollment and a heightened incidence of obstetric fistula. Human rights groups have recorded a significant drop in the prevalence of female genital mutilation since its criminalization in 1996. Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in women and children. Child labor is present in the agricultural and mining sectors, among other industries. Women from neighboring countries are recruited by traffickers and transported to Burkina Faso, where they are forced into prostitution. Copyright notice: Freedom House, Inc. All Rights Reserved Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Security Council approves 228-strong UN police contingent for Burundi Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council approves 228-strong UN police contingent for Burundi, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a0368d40c.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 July 2016 - The Security Council this evening requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to establish a United Nations police officers component in Burundi for an initial period of one year to monitor the security situation and to support the Office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in monitoring rights violations and abuses in the crisis-gripped country. Acting on the recommendations of the Secretary-General, the Council adopted a new resolution by a recorded vote of 11 in favour with four abstentions (Angola, China, Egypt and Venezuela), which authorized the deployment of a UN police component of up to 228 officersi. Further by the text, the UN police would be placed under the authority of a Senior Adviser to the United Nations and be deployed in the capital, Bujumbura and throughout Burundi. The Secretary-General was further requested "to ensure their progressive deployment." The Security Council urged the Burundian Government and all Burundian parties to cooperate fully in the deployment and activities of the UN police component and to allow UN staff to travel freely and unhindered in places of detention and to prisoners. As for observers and experts from the African Union (AU), the Council urged the Burundian government to allow without delay the continuation of the full deployment of 100 AU human rights observers and 100 military experts. It also urged the Government and other stakeholders to extend full cooperation to those observers and experts and provide them with full access for the purpose of fulfilling their mission. By other terms of the resolution, the Security Council urged all parties in Burundi to reject all forms of violence and to refrain from any action that would jeopardize peace and stability in the country or undermine the inter-Burundian dialogue. It also urged the Government to "respect, protect and ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all." It welcomed the steps taken by the Government to lift some prohibitions on media and civil society, cancel some arrest warrants and release a number of detainees. The Security Council urged the Government to urgently meet other commitments it announced 23 February 2016, to allow all media to resume operations and release all political prisoners. It also urges him to continue to cooperate fully with the OHCHR. The Council went on to expresses its intention to take targeted measures against all stakeholders in Burundi and abroad, threatening the country's peace and security. Regarding the inter-Burundian dialogue, the 15-member Council urged the Government and "all parties committed to a peaceful solution" to participate immediately,cactively and constructively in the political dialogue under the aegis of the Commonwealth of East Africa and endorsed by the AU. Finally, the Council called on States of the region to contribute to the search for a solution to the crisis in Burundi to refrain from any interference, including any support for the activities of the armed movements in any form whatsoever. Burundi was thrown into crisis more than a year ago when President Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term that he went on to win. To date, it has been reported that hundreds of people have been killed, more than 240,000 have fled the nation, and thousands more have been arrested and possibly subjected to human rights violations. South Sudan: UN Mission condemns 'unspeakable acts' of abuse, sexual violence Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, South Sudan: UN Mission condemns 'unspeakable acts' of abuse, sexual violence, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a036ad40b.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 1 August 2016 - The United Nations in South Sudan today condemned unequivocally reports of widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, of women and young girls, by soldiers and unidentified armed men, stressing that such acts constitute grave violations of international human rights law and may be regarded as war crimes and crimes against humanity. "These incidents have been reported from a number of locations, including areas in the vicinity of the Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites near UN House, and also in other neighbourhoods of Juba," said the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in a press statement. Since the fighting erupted in the capital, Juba, on 8 July, the UN has continued to receive reports of this kind of inhumane behaviour, despite calls to all parties for its cessation. Deadly clashes between rival factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar have sent thousands of civilians fleeing city. UNMISS compounds and civilian protection sites have been attacked. Protection of civilians - including the most vulnerable - remains the core priority of UNMISS, the Mission underscored. "Currently, UNMISS is engaged in the active protection of approximately 200,000 civilians in various locations throughout the country," the statement continued. "During and immediately following the conflict, the Mission's uniformed personnel in Juba were committed to providing security for the PoC sites and other UN facilities citywide." To improve the security of vulnerable communities and groups, such as women and children residing in the UNMISS PoC sites the Mission has intensified its patrols in and around the protection sites along with in the wider Juba city area. "As an enhanced protection measure, UNMISS is working with community leaders and protection partners to coordinate peacekeeper escorts of women and young girls leaving protection sites to collect food and non-food items at scheduled times of the day," UNMISS elaborated in the statement. On media allegations that UNMISS peacekeepers did not do enough to protect the victims, the statement continued "The UN takes very seriously the allegations that peacekeepers may not have rendered aid to civilians in distress. The UNMISS Force Headquarters is looking into the specific allegations, in line with its established protocols." UNMISS reinforced its message to all peacekeepers that should incidents of abuse be committed in their areas of security responsibility, "they have an individual and joint duty to act, to prevent harm to innocent civilians." Within its limited resources, UNMISS does its best to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians threatened across the country - despite severe restrictions on its movements, the Mission stressed. The UN mission also urged the country's security leadership to protect its civilians and ensure accountability for any crimes committed by its own forces. "UNMISS notes the commitment given by military leadership to bring alleged perpetrators to account for their actions and it will continue its engagement to see that these commitments are upheld," the statement said. Meanwhile, UNMISS Human Rights and Women Protection Advisers continued to document human rights violations, noting more than 100 separate cases of sexual violence and rape against unarmed innocent civilians - including gang rapes and sexual abuse of minors since the July conflict outbreak. When completed, these reports will be forwarded for follow-up action to the UN Secretary-General, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. UNMISS again called on all parties to take personal responsibility for the immediate sanctioning of the men - in and out of uniform - who were responsible for the unspeakable violence against civilians, and continued to closely monitor that steps are being taken to stop the heinous acts of inhumanity and bring the perpetrators to justice. UNMISS reported that as the lead UN agency on sexual and gender-based violence, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is coordinating the response to ongoing sexual violence - reporting that the PoC referral system and clinical management of rape services were in place and that UNFPA provided post-rape kits and an additional 7100 'dignity kits' for distribution among the most vulnerable women and girls. For uninterrupted delivery of services, training sessions on clinical management of rape continues as well. In wake of renowned lawyer's murder, UN experts urge Kenya to put an end to police impunity Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, In wake of renowned lawyer's murder, UN experts urge Kenya to put an end to police impunity, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a0373740b.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 1 August 2016 - Voicing deep concern over the continuing pattern of extrajudicial executions in Kenya, United Nations human rights experts have called on the Government to halt police violence and ensure accountability for the perpetrators. "The recent murder of a well-known lawyer and human rights defender is having a dramatic and detrimental impact on civil society, especially on those active in the field of human rights," the experts noted in a statement issued late last week, stressing that "this heinous human rights violation should prompt the authorities to take concrete measures to put an end to police impunity." The experts' call came after four police officers were charged with the murder of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda, and their driver; the latest high-profile case in a long list of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Kenya. "The murder of Mr. Kimani, who was renowned for his work with the International Justice Mission, which fights police abuse of power [] is a dramatic loss for the human rights community in Kenya," the experts underscored, adding that: "The fact that Mr. Kimani had been working on a police brutality case around the days he was killed is deeply troubling." The human rights experts further urged the Government of Kenya to speedily address the apparent structural and systemic motives behind police brutality, which should include, but not be limited to, providing adequate support and capacity to the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Mr. Kimani had been representing Mr. Mwenda, who filed a complaint with Kenya's Independent Policing Oversight Authority when a police officer shot at him at a traffic stop following an incident in April 2015. Mr. Mwenda was later accused of various offenses, which his lawyers believe have been fabricated charges to silence him. On 1 July 2016, Mr. Kimani, Mr. Mwenda and Mr. Muiruri were found in a river with apparent signs of torture, one week after they had been abducted by unidentified persons. The experts also expressed grave concern that the disappearance, torture and executions of the three men have been directly related to Mr. Kimani's legitimate work, as a lawyer and human rights defender, in the defence of Mr. Mwenda's rights as a victim of excessive use of force by the police. "It is vital for human rights defenders to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms free from intimidation or fear of reprisals; and for the society as a whole to live in a country respectful of the rule of law," the UN independent experts concluded. Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. Some 25,000 people displaced by military attacks in western Aleppo UNICEF Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Some 25,000 people displaced by military attacks in western Aleppo UNICEF, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a0377a4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. About 25,000 people, including more than 12,000 children, have been displaced last night from a neighbourhood in western Aleppo City by intense military attacks initiated by armed opposition groups, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official in Syria said today, calling on the warring parties to do their utmost to protect all civilians. "Twenty-five thousand people have fled instantly last night from this area, with whatever they could leave the door with," said Kieran Dwyer, Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Syria, in an interview with the UN News Service via Skype from Damascus. He said that armed opposition groups launched a major military offensive late yesterday afternoon and evening, attacking through the densely populated western part of Aleppo City. Intense fighting, involving airstrikes and the use of heavy weapons, artillery and mortars, has continued through the night, and throughout the day today, he added. Mr. Dwyer said that in the affected neighbourhood, people already displaced multiple times had put up temporary shelters in uncompleted high-rise apartment buildings. UNICEF and its partners had been helping them to get water, food, health services, and education so that they could settle for the time being. Then, the fighting erupted, forcing many of them flee to parks, mosques, and wherever "they can feel a bit safe," he said, adding that emergency kitchens have been set up, and for its part, UNICEF is running emergency water trucks. Asked if more people would be displaced, he said that "we don't know what the dynamic in fighting is going to result in. We are watching and responding at every turn." Meanwhile, the eastern part of Aleppo city has been completely cut off from humanitarian aid since early July, he said, noting that UNICEF and all partners are calling for immediate access to the area, where 300,000 people, including over 120,000 children, are in need of nutrition, food, clean water, and health services. The health system in Aleppo has been devastated, with four military attacks on hospitals last week alone, noted Mr. Dwyer, warning that with only 30 doctors left to serve 300,000, the situation in eastern Aleppo is "dire." Regarding the idea of setting up 'humanitarian corridors' that would allow aid to be delivered without hindrance, and civilians to flee the besieged areas safely, Mr. Dwyer said that such arrangements must be run by the UN humanitarian team and partners. If civilians decide to leave, they must be protected at every step, and if they decided to stay, they should be protected from attacks and violence, he added. In New York today, Farhan Haq, the Secretary-General's Deputy Spokesperson, reiterated that the UN calls on all parties to the conflict to allow safe, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. The UN remains deeply concerned over the plight of people trapped in Aleppo, as reports indicate that intense fighting has continued in the last days, and that many stores have closed as food runs low, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, he added, an inter-agency convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, hygiene and other emergency items for 71,000 people in need to the hard-to-reach area of Al Houla, in Homs governorate yesterday. Surgical items were removed from health kits during the loading. Mr. Haq also said that the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura visited Teheran on Sunday, and held discussions with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari on the means of pushing forward the political settlement to the crisis in Syria. Also, on Sunday, Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the spokesperson said, explaining that the meeting was part of regular, ongoing consultations between the Special Envoy's Office and the Syrian Government. Mr. Ramzy informed Syria's Foreign Minister of the Special Envoy's intention to reconvene the intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August, with a focus on the political transition, according to the UN spokesperson. Yemen: Focusing on local suppliers, UN agency reaches thousands more in need of food aid Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: Focusing on local suppliers, UN agency reaches thousands more in need of food aid, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a037da4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has recorded a nearly five-fold increase in the number to whom it has provided assistance in hard-to-reach areas across war-torn Yemen, through an innovative, locally driven voucher initiative. This month, in the hard-to-reach Taiz governorate district of Al Qahira alone, the agency successfully provided 55,000 people with much-needed assistance through the innovative use of food vouchers using a local supplier's network. "Expanding our voucher assistance through a local supplier into Al Qahira is a major breakthrough that allows us to reach every person who needs our assistance," said Purnima Kashyap, WFP Country Director in Yemen, in a news release issued by the agency today. "This approach capitalizes on the presence of markets that are working in the areas where we use it, so as well as helping vulnerable families, it also gives a much-needed boost to the local market," she added. The increase has been made possible through the Commodity-Voucher through Traders' Network (CV-TN) project that allows WFP to supply food commodities to families through a contracted local retailer in exchange for vouchers. Since the launch of this way of delivering assistance earlier this year in Sana'a city, the project has expanded to other parts of Yemen including Aden and Taiz, enabling agency to reach more than 600,000 people compared to only 120,000 in February. According to the agency, humanitarian organizations had been struggling for months to deliver assistance to conflict-affected people inside Taiz governorate, and despite joint efforts and extensive negotiations, reaching the people in need had been unpredictable and difficult to guarantee. Furthermore, when access was made available, the number of people that could be reached was limited due to a short window of opportunity. Each voucher gives a one-month supply of wheat grain, pulses, vegetable oil, salt and sugar as well as Wheat Soya Blend (WSB), a protein-rich blended food provided by WFP through the local supplier. The monthly entitlement is enough to cover the needs of a family of six people. "Expanding the programme [] is an effective way of addressing access challenges as well as speeding up the delivery of food assistance," said Ms. Kashyap. WFP plans to expand its voucher reach to the Al Mudhaffar district of Taiz governorate. The programme has offered additional benefits as well. For instance, it has helped create new employment opportunities and is helping the commercial sector back on its feet. "The retail market was closing down because people did not have the money to buy food on a regular basis, but giving food vouchers to the households and allowing them go to retail markets, they are able to buy food," said Ms. Kashyap in an interview with UN Radio. "We have found that many of the markets are [now] able to employ more people because demand has increased and staff are needed to cater to it," she noted. The WFP Country Director further added that the agency has monitoring and overseeing practices to ensure that the programme is reaching its beneficiaries. She explained that random site visits are conducted to assess effectiveness and telephone calls are made to the beneficiaries to confirm the receipt of the food packets as well as to take their feedback. The agency, however added that additional funds are required to be able to reach a targeted one million people across Yemen through the voucher system by the end of this year. It further noted that a recent study found that more people in the country are slipping into hunger. Out of the country's population of 25 million, 14 million people are food insecure and close to seven million people are 'severely food insecure,' a level of need that requires urgent food assistance. UN rights chief expresses concern about Iraq's fast-tracking of executions Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN rights chief expresses concern about Iraq's fast-tracking of executions, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a0385840c.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 1 August 2016 - The United Nations human rights chief today expressed serious concern that Iraq has created a committee to accelerate implementation of death sentences. The committee, announced by Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, has been mandated to identify procedural or legislative delays in implementation of death sentences passed by Iraq's courts. Given the weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system, and the current environment in Iraq, I am gravely concerned that innocent people have been and may continue to be convicted and executed, resulting in gross, irreversible miscarriages of justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a news release. Fast-tracking executions will only accelerate injustice, Mr. Zeid added, urging the Government not to take any actions that may further weaken the administration of justice and diminish the rights of those subject to criminal legal procedures. Monitoring by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq (OHCHR) has revealed a consistent failure to respect due process and fair trial standards, including a reliance on torture to extract confessions. UNAMI and OHCHR have also noted the lack of transparency, with the authorities failing to provide timely public information on executions. On 6 July, the Iraqi Minister of Justice announced that 45 death sentences have been carried out since the beginning of 2016, three more executions were forthcoming, and amendments to the legal framework to accelerate the implementation of death sentences would be put to the Iraqi Parliament. On 23 July, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of the committee. An estimated 1,200 individuals are on death row in Iraq, including possibly hundreds who have exhausted appeals processes and have received the final decree of the President. The Government of Iraq has not publicly confirmed these figures and usually only announces that executions have taken place long after the event. Mr. Zeid called on Iraq to end the use of the death penalty by establishing an immediate moratorium on capital punishment and to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed. Yemeni peace talks extended for another week UN envoy Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemeni peace talks extended for another week UN envoy, 30 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a038a94.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. With all eyes on Yemeni peace negotiations, the United Nations envoy for the country announced today that the UN-supported talks under way in Kuwait have been extended for an additional week. "We hope that the delegations can utilize this remaining week to achieve progress on the path towards peace," said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, the Special Envoy, who earlier today presented to the parties a proposal for a political solution that draws on the common ground achieved in the preceding weeks. He had requested the extension in a letter to the Government of Kuwait, the host of the peace talks, and met with Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to review the latest developments and the plans for the coming days. In mid-July, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed appealed to the parties, stating that "the time has come for you to take definitive decisions that demonstrate to the Yemeni people the sincerity of your intentions and your national obligations." Vast swathes of war-torn Yemen - 19 out of 22 governorates - are facing severe food insecurity, and the situation within affected areas is likely to deteriorate if conflict persists, according to a new assessment by the United Nations and partners. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis confirms that over half the country's population is living in 'emergency' or 'crisis' levels of food insecurity, with some governorates seeing as much as 70 per cent of their population struggling to feed themselves. Following nearly 16 months of conflict in Yemen, the cessation of hostilities was declared on 10 April and has since continued to provide relief from violence in many parts of the country. But serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. South Sudan: Security Council approves two-week extension of UN Mission Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, South Sudan: Security Council approves two-week extension of UN Mission, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a038cf411.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 July 2016 - The Security Council today extended for two weeks the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), allowing time for its membership to consider options on adapting the operation's mandate amid renewed violence in the world's youngest country. With the mandate of UNMISS set to expire in 48 hours, the Council unanimously approved a short extension - through 12 August - by a resolution that also authorized the Mission "to use all necessary means to carry out its tasks." The Council's action comes as deadly clashes between rival factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar have, since early July, sent thousands of civilians fleeing the capital, Juba. UNMISS compounds and civilian protection sites have been attacked. The UN refugee agency has reported that thousands of South Sudanese, mostly women and children, have crossed into Uganda since fighting erupted, including an estimated 8,337 refugees on 21 July, setting a single-day record since the influx began in 2016. Despite the August 2015 peace agreement that formally ended the war - which began in late 2013 after a simmering political face-off between President Kiir and his then former Vice-President Mr. Machar boiled over - conflict and instability has also spread to previously unaffected areas in the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr-El-Ghazal regions of South Sudan. This past month, deadly clashes in Wau resulted in the deaths of more than 40 people, while up to 35,000 fled their homes. For his part, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged calm on all sides and called on the leaders to do everything in their power to de-escalate the hostilities, saying the "renewed violence is outrageous. It is yet another grievous setback. It deepens the country's suffering. It makes a mockery of commitments to peace." Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters on 11 July, Mr. Ban called for massive reinforcement of UN action in South Sudan, saying: "When a Government cannot or will not protect its people, and when warring parties seem more intent on enriching and empowering themselves at the expense of their people, the international community has a responsibility to act." Two days later, on 13 July, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous told the Security Council that given the unstable security situation in South Sudan following clashes between Government and opposition forces which left some 272 people, including 33 civilians, dead, the UN Mission there should be extended until the end of August to allow a rapid assessment on the need for a stronger mandate. "The Secretary-General's recommendation for a technical roll-over of the UNMISS mandate remains valid and necessary, while we conduct an assessment of the requirements to address the situation on the ground," he said, adding that the temporary arrangement would give the Secretariat time to do a quick assessment, consult the region and the African Union and make recommendations to the Council. He said that if the Mission needed to be reinforced, including through additional troops and more robust capabilities such as attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to fulfil a "protection of civilians" mandate, it would be imperative that such reinforcements implement the same mandate as all other troops, and answer to the same chain of command. DR Congo: six years on, UN envoy calls for action in Walikale mass rape Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, DR Congo: six years on, UN envoy calls for action in Walikale mass rape, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a039284.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Ahead of the six-year remembrance of a mass rape of more than 300 civilians residents of the Walikale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by armed groups, the United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict has called on the international community to be relentless in seeking accountability for the crimes. "We must never forget the victims of one of the most shocking mass rapes in recent history. To all the victims in Walikale and beyond, we say: justice may have been delayed, but it should not be denied," said Zainab Bangura, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, in a press release. "As Walikale remembers today, the world will remember, and will continue to call for the prosecution of all perpetrators, reparations for all victims, and deterrence for the future," she added. In 2010, in Walikale territory, North Kivu Province of DRC, civilian residents in 13 villages on the Kibua-Mpofi road were attacked by a coalition of about 200 soldiers from the Mai Mai Sheka/Nduma Defence of Congo militia, led by Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka; the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), led by Serafin Lionso; and a group of army deserters. Over a period of four days - from 30 July to 2 August 2010 - 387 civilians, including 300 women, 55 girls, 23 men, and 9 boys, were systematically raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence by the assailants in one of the worst mass rape incidents in the country. During the attacks, other human rights violations, including murder, ill-treatment, abduction and looting also occurred, with 1,429 total victims affected, Ms. Bangura said. "The gravity of these crimes indicates that they were not only orchestrated under the command of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, but were used as part of a deliberate strategy to target and intimidate the civilian population - particularly women and girls," the envoy said. "Six years on, we salute the resilience of the survivors as they continue to wait for their perpetrators to be brought to trial. The international community stands with them and will not relent in its quest for accountability for these crimes," she added. The Special Representative noted that the Congolese Government has already completed investigations into the rapes and has issued eight arrest warrants for the crimes. She also said that in March, the military justice authorities in North Kivu Province included the Walikale rapes among a list of priority cases of the gravest international concern for immediate domestic prosecution. "It is, therefore, time for the Government to enforce the existing warrants and bring the perpetrators to justice, including Mr. Serafin Lionso, who is currently in detention," Ms. Bangura said. "Moreover, with regional and international support, efforts must be made to immediately arrest Mr. Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka who is currently under sanction by the Security Council and continues to commit further crimes." "My Office will pursue its support to the DRC's efforts to address all sexual violence crimes," the Special Representative also said. After attack on convoy, UN suspends aid delivery in areas of restive north-eastern Nigeria Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, After attack on convoy, UN suspends aid delivery in areas of restive north-eastern Nigeria, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03aa34.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The United Nations has temporarily halted humanitarian assistance missions in north-eastern Nigeria's restive Borno state after yesterday's attack on a multi-agency aid convoy which had been delivering desperately needed relief aid in a remote area of the region, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on the people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing," UNICEF said in a press statement on the attack, in which unknown assailants in north-eastern Nigeria attacked an aid convoy with UN staff traveling from Bama to Maiduguri. UNICEF also confirmed that one of its staff along with a contractor from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who were injured in the attack were being treated at a local hospital. All other staff from UNICEF and IOM, as well as the UN Population Fund (UNFPA were safe. At today's regular briefing in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson Christophe Boulierac noted the importance of conducting missions in the area, saying: "Earlier in July, UNICEF had shared with the press some very alarming information, according to which, 244,000 children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno state in 2016. Out of those, an estimated one in five, including 49,000 children, would die if not reached with treatment." The spokesperson pointed out that two million people remained inaccessible in Borno state, emphasizing the need to scale up assistance. Mr. Boulierac confirmed that a military escort accompanying the convoy, "which was quite unusual for humanitarian assistance missions," had been able to take UNICEF staff to safety following the attack. "UNICEF's top priority is to reach the children," he underscored, adding that the agency is not in a position to say who was responsible for the attack, only that a security assessment would be under way. He stated that the agencies were screening and treating children for malnutrition and improving access to water and sanitation. UNICEF was also providing medical care, immunization, education and psychological support to the children of Nigeria, especially in Borno state. In response to a question, Mr. Boulierac said that he had no information on any arrests following the attack. Mr. Boulierac stressed that "the convoy had been delivering nutrition, water, sanitation and health support to the more than 25,000 people in Bama who had been displaced by the conflict," noting that it had only recently become accessible for humanitarian assistance. "The situation remains extremely serious and UNICEF wants and needs to do more, but that depends on a range of factors, such as access, security and funding," he explained. "UNICEF wishes to raise awareness among all donors of the gravity of the situation in Borno and to urgently provide resources." UNICEF deplores 'shocking' attacks in northern Syria towns that leave scores of civilians dead Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UNICEF deplores 'shocking' attacks in northern Syria towns that leave scores of civilians dead, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03ad740d.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 July 2016 - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has deplored recent shocking attacks in northern Syrian cities of Qamishli and Idlib, which killed more than 60 people including many children; reiterating that all parties to the conflict should respect international humanitarian law and protect children and civilians. "UNICEF is informed that 32 children are being treated at the main hospital in Qamishli city, many with serious injuries," said a statement issued by the agency. According to reports, the 27 July attack in Qamishli killed more than 50 people, including many children, while the 20 July attack in Idlib killed a schoolgirl along with eight other civilians, when airstrikes hit the school where she was taking her exams. Local hospitals in Qamishli have been overwhelmed treating more than 150 injured people, and injured civilians remain trapped under the rubble as rescuers continue to work to save lives and recover bodies, noted the statement. "UNICEF teams in Qamishli are coordinating with local partners to provide support for the urgent medical treatment of the injured," said the statement. Every day in Syria, children face the deadly threat of violence everywhere and have nowhere safe to go. They continue to be killed and injured in many parts of Syria by attacks in civilian populated areas and against civilian infrastructure. "UNICEF again urges all parties to the conflict in Syria to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect children and all civilians," underscored the statement. UN rights office shocked by inhumane treatment of children in Australian detention centre Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN rights office shocked by inhumane treatment of children in Australian detention centre, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03b5a4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The United Nations human rights office said today it is shocked by video footage that has emerged from Don Dale youth detention centre in the Northern Territory in Australia, showing children as young as 10 years old - many of whom are Aboriginal children - being held in inhumane conditions and treated cruelly. "Some children were held in isolation for extended periods, sometimes for several weeks, in hot and dark cells with no access to fresh air or running water. In one incident, six children were tear-gassed by prison guards," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN Higher Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in the regular bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva. "The treatment these children have been subjected to could amount to a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, to which Australia is a party," he added. The videos, from 2014, show another child hooded and strapped to a chair for several hours. Others are shown being repeatedly assaulted and stripped naked. According to the children's testimony, the abuses took place over several years. Most of the children who were held at the detention facility are deeply traumatized, the spokesperson said. Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that "every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age." Mr. Colville noted that the announcement by the Government of Australia of an investigation into youth detention in the Northern Territory is an "important step." In that regard, he encouraged the Government to extend the scope of the investigation beyond the Northern Territory to establish that such treatment is not occurring in any other place of detention in the country. "We call on the authorities to identify those who committed abuses against the children and to hold them responsible for such acts. The children who were abused at Don Dale should receive psychosocial rehabilitation to overcome the trauma they have suffered," the spokesperson said, stressing that compensation should also be provided. He also called on Australia to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. "This important instrument focuses on the prevention of torture. Under the Protocol, Australia would establish a National Preventive Mechanism which conducts regular visits to all places of detention in the country," Mr. Colville said. "Events at Don Dale clearly show the immediate need to establish such a system of regular visits to ensure that what happened at Don Dale never happens again in Australia," he added. Gambia: UN human rights office concerned over prison sentences of opposition party Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Gambia: UN human rights office concerned over prison sentences of opposition party, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03b9140b.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 July 2016 - The United Nations human rights office today expressed concern over the three-year prison sentences handed down last week to 30 members of the main opposition party in Gambia, including its leader Ousainou Darboe, following their participation in peaceful protests in mid-April. "We also remain deeply concerned that there has yet to be an impartial, independent and thorough investigation into allegations of excessive use of force in the context of the demonstrations, and into the arrest and death in State custody of the former secretary of the party," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at the regular bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva. On 20 July, the Banjul High Court convicted 19 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) for unlawful assembly, rioting, incitement to violence, "riotously interfering with vehicles," holding a procession without a permit, disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession and conspiracy. On 21 July, the Mansakonko High Court convicted another 11 UDP members for the same offences. All those convicted were arrested either on 14 April during a protest for electoral reforms or on 16 April during a demonstration held after the arrest and alleged death in State custody of UDP Secretary Solo Sandeng two days earlier, Mr. Colville said. "We have serious concerns about reported violations of the right to a fair trial. Defence lawyers have said that access to their clients was repeatedly hampered, that the arrests were politically motivated and that due process guarantees were not respected," the spokesperson said. On 8 June, defence lawyers walked out of the courtroom and decided not to take part in further proceedings as the court rejected their applications, including one requesting the Supreme Court to decide on the constitutionality of the proceedings. The trial continued with the accused unrepresented in court, according to Mr. Colville. "We urge the authorities to investigate all allegations of excessive use of force in the context of the April demonstrations, as well as allegations that some of those arrested were tortured and denied access to medical care," he said. Chad: Victims in the case against Hissene Habre awarded reparation Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Chad: Victims in the case against Hissene Habre awarded reparation, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03be54.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 July 2016 - The United Nations human rights office today expressed concern over the three-year prison sentences handed down last week to 30 members of the main opposition party in Gambia, including its leader Ousainou Darboe, following their participation in peaceful protests in mid-April. "We also remain deeply concerned that there has yet to be an impartial, independent and thorough investigation into allegations of excessive use of force in the context of the demonstrations, and into the arrest and death in State custody of the former secretary of the party," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at the regular bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva. On 20 July, the Banjul High Court convicted 19 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) for unlawful assembly, rioting, incitement to violence, "riotously interfering with vehicles," holding a procession without a permit, disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession and conspiracy. On 21 July, the Mansakonko High Court convicted another 11 UDP members for the same offences. All those convicted were arrested either on 14 April during a protest for electoral reforms or on 16 April during a demonstration held after the arrest and alleged death in State custody of UDP Secretary Solo Sandeng two days earlier, Mr. Colville said. "We have serious concerns about reported violations of the right to a fair trial. Defence lawyers have said that access to their clients was repeatedly hampered, that the arrests were politically motivated and that due process guarantees were not respected," the spokesperson said. On 8 June, defence lawyers walked out of the courtroom and decided not to take part in further proceedings as the court rejected their applications, including one requesting the Supreme Court to decide on the constitutionality of the proceedings. The trial continued with the accused unrepresented in court, according to Mr. Colville. "We urge the authorities to investigate all allegations of excessive use of force in the context of the April demonstrations, as well as allegations that some of those arrested were tortured and denied access to medical care," he said. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Malaysia: National Security Council Act gives authorities unchecked and abusive powers Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Malaysia: National Security Council Act gives authorities unchecked and abusive powers, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03c384.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The National Security Council Act that comes into force today empowers the Malaysian authorities to trample over human rights and act with impunity, Amnesty International said today. "With this new law, the government now has spurned checks and assumed potentially abusive powers," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for South East Asia and the Pacific. The new law will grant the Malaysian authorities the power to carry out warrantless arrests, search and seize property, and impose curfews at will. One provision, Section 18, allows the Prime Minister to arbitrarily designate any area in the country a "security area," if he deems it a potential source of "harm." "There is good reason to fear that the Act will be yet another tool in the hands of the government to crack down on peaceful protests under the guise of national security," said Josef Benedict. The special status given to "security areas" could worsen Malaysia's track record of custodial deaths and police brutality. Under Section 35, magistrates and coroners will no longer have to carry out inquests into deaths resulting from operations mounted by security forces within these areas. The National Security Act also allows security forces to use lethal force without internationally recognised safeguards, and grants them broad powers to carry out warrantless arrests. The current government of Prime Minister Najib Razak has often invoked claims of protecting national security to choke peaceful dissent. The National Security Act 2016 is merely the latest in a series of laws that pay no heed to the human rights to a fair trial, freedom of movement, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Malaysia. Most notably, the Malaysian government adopted the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) last year, and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) in 2012, which also include provisions for preventive detention. "The Najib government is increasingly resorting to repressive new laws that are said to protect national security but in practice imperil human rights," said Josef Benedict. Background In 2011, the government abolished the repressive Internal Security Act 1960, pledging to replace it with laws that "find a balance between national security and personal freedom". The ISA had been previously used as a tool to stifle peaceful political dissent. Those arrested under the ISA could be detained without trial for or up to 60 days for investigation. The Minister of Home Affairs could then issue detention orders of up to two years, renewable indefinitely. Over many years Amnesty International has documented cases of torture and other ill-treatment of ISA detainees. In December 2015, the National Security Council Act was passed by both houses of Parliament. It comes into force on 1 August 2016. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Mauritania: Drop all charges and release anti-slavery activists Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Mauritania: Drop all charges and release anti-slavery activists, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03c894.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Authorities in Mauritania must drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release 13 anti-slavery activists arbitrarily detained in an attempt to intimidate and silence human rights defenders, Amnesty International and 16 other civil society organisations said today. The activists will appear before a court on 3 August in the capital Nouakchott accused of rebellion, use of violence, attack against public authority, armed assembly and membership of an unrecognised organization. If convicted, they face a fine and a jail term of up to two years. "These activists are prisoners of conscience who have been falsely accused and are behind bars in order to impede their legitimate work. They have been targeted persistently for their views and must be released immediately and unconditionally," said Kine Fatim Diop Amnesty International West Africa Campaigner. "The long-time persecution has no legal justification. The authorities must end their rule of fear and repression on anti-slavery activists." The 13 anti-slavery activists are members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), a non-governmental human rights organisation that campaigns against slavery in Mauritania. They were arrested between 30 June and 9 July after a protest by the members of a Nouakchott slum community that was being threatened with relocation as the city prepared for an Arab League Summit. None of the 13 activists had organized the protest or taken part in it. Since being charged, they have been allowed to contact their lawyers and families on only one occasion. "There is no justification whatsoever for denying these activists access to their families and lawyers. Every person deprived of their liberty has a right to the assistance of a lawyer and to communicate with and receive visits from their family," said Mamadou Sarr President of Mauritania Human rights organisations forum (FONADH, Forum des organisations nationales des droits de l'homme en Mauritanie). Two other anti-slavery activists were arrested between 20 and 21 July and held incommunicado until 26 July, before being released without charge. According to information received by Amnesty International, they were detained solely because the authorities feared the IRA would cause a disturbance at the Arab League Summit, held on 25 July. Amnesty International and the other signatory organisations urge the authorities to put an end to the intensifying crackdown on anti-slavery activists and ensure that human rights defenders are able to work in a safe and enabling environment. Mauritania has recently adopted a law defining slavery as a crime against humanity. Human rights defenders and civil society organisations campaigning against slavery have often faced undue restrictions from the authorities to exercise their rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Mauritania is a state party, protects the rights to freedom of expression and association. Background Slavery in Mauritania was officially abolished in 1981 and has been recognized as a crime in domestic law since 2007. However, the practice persists, and IRA-Mauritania and other organisations, including SOS-Esclaves, have been documenting and denouncing cases of slavery.The Mauritanian authorities often unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and association of human rights defenders, activists and organisations that campaign against slavery. In January 2015, a court in the southern town of Rosso sentenced two members of IRA, Brahim Bilal Ramdane and Biram Dah Abeid, also a former presidential candidate, to two years in prison for membership of an unrecognised organisation, participation in an unauthorized assembly and assault on security officers. Their sentences were upheld by an appeal court in August 2015. The high court ordered their release on 17 May 2016 after 18 months in jail. The 13 activists in the latest case include the IRA spokesperson, Hamady Lehbouss, and the vice-president, Amadou Tidjane Diop. According to his family, Diop suffers from a heart disease for which he has been denied adequate medical treatment in detention. List of signatories 1. Action des Chretiens pour l'abolition de la Torture ; 2. Africtivistes ; 3. Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l'Homme (France) ; 4. Amnesty International ; 5. Article 19 Afrique de l'Ouest 6. Anti Slavery International ; 7. Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (Mauritanie) ; 8. Association mauritanienne des droits de l'Homme (Mauritanie) ; 9. Collectif Touche pas a ma nationalite (Mauritanie) ; 10. Comite de Solidarite avec les Victimes des Violations des Droits Humains (Mauritanie) ; 11. Forum des Organisations Nationales des Droits de l'Homme en Mauritanie (Mauritanie) ; 12. Groupe d'etudes et de recherches sur la democratie et le developpement economique et social (GERDDES) Mauritanie; 13. Initiative de la Resurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste (Mauritanie) ; Initiative de la Resurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste, IRA (USA) ; 14. Kawtal Ngam Yellitare (Mauritanie) ; 15. Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) ; 16. SOS Esclaves (Mauritanie) ; Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International DRC: Show restraint in handling Kinshasa protests Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, DRC: Show restraint in handling Kinshasa protests, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03cf04.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo must observe restraint in their handling of rival protests in the capital Kinshasa on 29 and 31 July, said Amnesty International today. The ruling coalition - Majorite Presidentielle - has called a rally in support of proposed talks on the electoral process, two days before the opposition coalition - Rassemblement des Forces du Changement - holds a rally demanding that the polls are held on schedule in November, as required by the Constitution. "The authorities must facilitate the right to peaceful assembly for all, including opposition supporters protesting election delays that they regard as a tactic to prolong President Joseph Kabila's stay in power," said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. "Police and other security forces must refrain from using force against peaceful protesters." On 27 July, two people were injured and seven others arrested as police used violence to disperse an opposition gathering in Lubumbashi and Tshikapa, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office in DRC. In January 2015, dozens were killed in the capital and in the eastern city of Goma as security forces broke up protests against a draft law. Government opponents said the draft law would have enabled President Kabila to remain in power beyond his second term. "Restrictions on opposition parties and civil society groups have intensified as the supposed election month draws closer, a worrying trend that must stop," said Muthoni Wanyeki. On 13 May, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered outside a courtroom in the second city of Lubumbashi to support of presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi, after he was accused of hiring foreign mercenaries. He has since left the country for medical treatment and has expressed fears for his safety if he returns to DRC. Background With barely six months left to the end of President Joseph Kabila's second term in December, no election date has been named. The Constitutional Court ruled in May that Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, can remain in office as caretaker President after December if the elections are delayed. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Syria: Fatal airstrike on maternity hospital a potential war crime Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 July 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Syria: Fatal airstrike on maternity hospital a potential war crime, 29 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a03d3e4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. An aerial attack which struck and partially destroyed a maternity hospital in rural Idlib province, north-western Syria, this afternoon appears to be part of a despicable pattern of unlawful attacks deliberately targeting medical facilities, Amnesty International said. The number of casualties in today's attack is not yet clear, but a spokesperson from Save the Children, which supports the hospital, told media there were at least two fatalities. It is unclear who carried out the attack, but it was in an area under the control of armed groups where Syrian and Russian armed forces had been launching airstrikes. "Deliberate attacks on hospitals and medical facilities are serious violations of the laws of war and can never be justified. Hospitals, which have special protection under international humanitarian law, should be safe places for mothers, new-born infants and medical workers - even in the midst of a brutal prolonged conflict," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International. Photos and video footage taken in the aftermath of the attack showed part of the hospital in ruins, with rubble strewn both inside and outside the building. Other photos taken around the time of the airstrike showed new-born babies in incubators. According to Save the Children, it is the area's only maternity hospital, delivering around 700 babies a month. Today's attack comes after four hospitals and a blood bank in eastern Aleppo city were struck in aerial attacks on 23-24 July. According to UNICEF, one of them, a paediatric hospital, was hit twice in less than 12 hours. The latest attacks appear to fit into a pattern documented by Amnesty International of apparently deliberate attacks on Syrian hospitals and medical infrastructure by Syrian and Russian armed forces, which seems to be part of their military strategy. Deliberately attacking medical facilities can amount to a war crime. Indiscriminate attacks, which fail to distinguish between civilian buildings, such as hospitals, and military targets are prohibited and can also constitute war crimes. "Syria and Russia must end attacks on hospitals and medical facilities. All such attacks must be investigated and those responsible for serious violations of the laws of war must be brought to justice," said Philip Luther. The NGO, Physicians for Human Rights, has been tracking attacks on health care workers and infrastructure in the Syrian conflict. Before today's assault, the group had already documented 373 attacks on medical facilities, with 750 personnel killed, the vast majority of them carried out by Syrian government forces and their allies. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Malaysia: New Law Gives Government Sweeping Powers Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 2 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Malaysia: New Law Gives Government Sweeping Powers, 2 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05a7a4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Malaysia's new National Security Council (NSC) Act, which came into force on August 1, 2016, is a tool for repression that should be immediately repealed, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should instead revise its laws to incorporate international human rights standards into the effort to counter terrorism. In December 2015, the government rushed through the broad and vaguely worded law, which gives sweeping powers to a council headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak to declare regions, including the entire country, as security areas to protect "any interest of Malaysia." The law suspends many restraints on police powers in those areas, allowing the authorities to conduct arrests, searches, and seizures without warrants. Each such declaration lasts for six months, renewable an unlimited number of times. "Given the Malaysian government's recent track record of harassing and arresting government critics, the likely abuses under this new law are truly frightening," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. "There are serious concerns that this law will be used as a back door to severe rights violations, using government claims that it only seeks to protect its citizens from terror threats." Enacting this law is a serious step backward on human rights by Prime Minister Najib, who in September 2011 scrapped the country's infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) as part of what he said were efforts to find "the right balance" between national security and personal freedom. He promised new legislation that would protect fundamental rights and freedoms. Instead, the National Security Council Act sweeps even more broadly than the discredited ISA, which allowed the declaration of a security area only if necessary to "suppress organized violence" against people or property by "a substantial body of persons." Moreover, while under the ISA the head of Malaysia's Council of Rulers made the decision to declare a security area, the new law places that authority with a council headed by Prime Minister Najib and filled with his appointees. They include the deputy prime minister, the defense minister, the home minister, the communications and multimedia minister, and the inspector general of police. Once such a declaration is made under the NSC Act, security forces are permitted to limit freedom of movement, conduct warrantless searches for evidence of violation of "any written law," and make arrests without a warrant on suspicion of "any offense under any written law" being committed. The law also permits the security forces to refuse anyone, including journalists, entry to the security zone, or to require anyone to leave the zone, enabling the government to avoid media scrutiny of its actions. The law protects security forces from legal proceedings for any actions they take "in good faith," imposes a sweeping obligation of secrecy on all those involved with the council, and does away with inquests for deaths of anyone killed in the security area "as a result of operations undertaken by the security forces for the purpose of enforcing any written laws." The widely criticized law was published in the Federal Gazette and entered into force without the assent of the head of the Council of Rulers, which had called for the revision of some of the law's provisions. Malaysian nongovernmental organizations, including human rights groups such as Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Lawyers for Liberty, Bersih, and Amnesty International Malaysia, have all called for the law to be revised. The Southeast Asia regional office of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has also expressed concern that the law could be used to impose unjust restrictions on freedom of opinion, expression, and assembly, and said that the Malaysian government should revise the law to bring it in line with international human rights norms and standards. Under international law, the government may limit certain rights, including freedom of movement, expression, and association, on grounds such as national security or public order, but only when necessary and through means that are proportionate to the aim pursued and nondiscriminatory. Although the National Security Council Act has been justified on grounds of countering terrorism, the law is not so limited. The definition of terrorism that the UN Security Council unanimously adopted in 2004 and that the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights subsequently endorsed says that terrorism is an act committed with the intent to kill, cause serious bodily injury, or take hostages with the aim of intimidating or terrorizing a population or compelling a government or international organization. The new law, by contrast, does not even require a threat or likelihood of violence before a security zone can be declared. Even if treated as a law declaring rules to govern during an exceptional "state of emergency," the NSC Act does not meet international standards. To qualify as a state of emergency justifying derogation of rights, the situation must pose an exceptional threat to the life of the nation. The new law, however, allows for the suspension of certain rights within designated security areas merely for threats to the Malaysian economy or "any other interest." While Malaysia is not a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it is nevertheless bound by customary international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and cannot justify this broadly worded law as required for a state of emergency. "This law places enormous power in the hands of a government that has already shown a willingness to use rights-abusing laws to go after its opponents and suppress dissent," Robertson said. "This law will perpetuate just the sort of abuses that Prime Minister Najib claimed he intended to end." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Afghanistan: Forces Linked to Vice President Terrorize Villagers Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 July 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Afghanistan: Forces Linked to Vice President Terrorize Villagers, 31 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05ac84.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The Afghan government should prosecute militia members responsible for killings and other abuses against civilians in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province in late June, 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch interviewed villagers in the aftermath of the attack. The Junbish militia is loyal to First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord long implicated in war crimes, including the deaths of hundreds of Taliban prisoners in November 2001 in the custody of his militia forces. President Ashraf Ghani has reportedly ordered an investigation into attacks by the Junbish militia, and has detained some militia members allegedly involved. "The killings in Faryab are the latest in a long record of atrocities by Dostum's militia forces," said Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The fact that these forces, and Vice-President Dostum himself, have never been held accountable, has undermined security in northern Afghanistan." On June 26, Afghan army and Junbish forces conducted a military operation against Taliban forces in Faryab province, in which the militia forces killed at least 13 civilians and wounded 32 others, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). After Taliban forces left the area, Junbish fighters entered four villages and assaulted villagers whom they accused of supporting the Taliban, killing five and injuring 12. Dostum was elected vice-president in September 2014. In late 2015 he announced that he was reactivating the Junbish militia in response to Taliban military gains in Faryab and Sar-e Pul provinces, and has since overseen military operations in these provinces. In July, Human Rights Watch interviewed residents of the villages that came under attack from forces they identified as Junbish militia. "Hashmat," about 35, a resident of Dawlatabad, said: It was about 8 a.m. I was in my house when about 200 Ranger cars of Junbish militia came into the village. The ANA [Afghan National Army] was not with them. They were carrying guns like Kalashnikovs and shouting "You're Taliban!" and firing as people came out of their houses. "Soraya" a 50-year-old woman from Qadir Doaba, said that militia forces beat her severely on her back with their guns. She said that they told her, "You are Pashtuns, you cannot say anything you have no rights." Her son, "Rasul," about 30, said that the militia forces had entered the village several times over the past eight months, threatening residents and forcing them to hand over food and money. Some villagers told Human Rights Watch that regular Afghanistan military forces stood by when the Junbish forces entered the villages. Although they did not participate in the assaults, they did nothing to stop them or apprehend militia fighters committing offenses. Human Rights Watch documented killings and other abuses by Junbish militia against ethnic Pashtuns in these same villages in the immediate aftermath of the defeat of the Taliban government in late 2001. No militia commanders were ever prosecuted for these attacks. Under the laws of war, which are applicable to the armed conflict in Afghanistan, the government has an obligation to investigate alleged war crimes by its forces or carried out on its territory and appropriately prosecute those responsible. Commanders who knew or should have known about crimes committed by their subordinates but took no action can be held criminally liable as a matter of command responsibility. "Militias like Junbish should have been disbanded long ago," Gossman said. "But because such forces have powerful patrons they have continued to commit abuses with impunity. President Ghani should fulfill his promise to disarm all such illegal groups and ensure that they play no role in the security forces." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Saudi Women Have Had Enough of Men Saying No Publisher Human Rights Watch Author Kristine Beckerle Publication Date 31 July 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Saudi Women Have Had Enough of Men Saying No, 31 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05b374.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to meet a young Saudi womanwe'll call her Zahra. Zahra was smart, eloquent, and funny. She wanted to pursue a degree outside Saudi Arabia in a field not yet available in her country. But, Zahra said, her father, her male guardian, told her "no." When Zahra's sister asked to travel abroad to study, he said the same. When Zahra needed to travel for work, yet again, it was no. Zahra called lawyers seeking help. Once more: No. In Saudi Arabia, the choice was his, not hers. Zahra and her sister were stuck. Over the past year, I interviewed dozens of Saudi women for a Human Rights Watch report on the Saudi guardianship system. Repeatedly, I heard stories like Zahra's ambitious women who have accomplished incredible things, who want to accomplish more, but to whom their male guardians and their government keep saying "No." The veto power a male guardian retains over a woman's choices lasts throughout her life. Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, usually her husband or her father, but in some cases, even her son. She must obtain his permission to travel abroad or to marry, and may be required to get his consent to work or get health care. She may have difficulty taking various other steps as well without a male relative, from renting an apartment to filing legal claims. As Zahra said, "We all have to live in the borders of the boxes our dads or husbands draw for us." Women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia have called on the government for years to abolish the male guardianship system. The government has made some changesencouraging women to work, increasing education opportunities, passing a law in 2013 against domestic violence. When Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled Vision2030, the country's wide-ranging plan for its future, many hoped more change would follow. Yet, in today's Saudi Arabia, women continue to be boxed in. The male guardianship system not only hampers the ability of half of Saudi Arabia's population to show their country just how much they could contribute, but also undermines the Saudi government's own dreams for the country's future. Vision2030 wants to enable women to contribute to the economy. The government encourages women to work, but doesn't penalize employers who won't hire a woman without a male guardian's permission. The state pays for women to study abroad on government scholarships, but officially requires male guardian's permission before they can go and a male relative to accompany them while abroad. I spoke with women who were prevented from attending conferences for work or higher education abroad because they were fighting with their husband, or their father disagreed. Zahra told me: "Whenever someone tells me, 'You should have a five-year plan,' I say I can't. I'll have a five-year plan and then my dad would disagree. Why have a plan?" Guardianship doesn't just hamper women economically. It can condemn women to a life of violence. Saudi Arabia has criminalized domestic abuse, but continues to recognize legal claims brought by guardians against female dependents for disobedience or fleeing the guardian's home. The male guardianship system itself is inherently exploitative, according men an incredible amount of power. Some men have conditioned their consent for a woman to work or travel on her paying him large sums of money. One woman told me that her close friend, who worked at a prestigious university abroad, had to hire a lawyer to negotiate with her father, who was seeking financial compensation in return for granting his daughter travel permission. I spoke with four women who were physically abused by their male guardians. They told me they felt there were no real options for them since the authorities might return them to their abusers or their abusers might bring legal claims against them, perhaps sending them to prison. They wanted to flee Saudi Arabia. But, without their male guardian's permission, they couldn't even leave the country, let alone apply for asylum somewhere else. When Zahra called lawyers asking for their help to transfer guardianship from her father to another male relative, she told them that her father had beaten her and her sister when they were younger, and now was preventing them from work and educational opportunities. Zahra paraphrased their response, "As long as he is not beating you, he can do whatever he wants." The Saudi government should immediately abolish the male guardianship system and let women choose for themselves what paths they will pursue. It is long past due. Zahra, her sister and the millions of other Saudi women held back by this system deserve nothing less. They've heard enough of no. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Iraq: Ban Abusive Militias from Mosul Operation Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 July 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Iraq: Ban Abusive Militias from Mosul Operation , 31 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05c064.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Iraqi military commanders should prevent militias with records of serious abuses from taking part in planned military operations for the city of Mosul. The government's obligation to take all possible measures to protect civilians and ensure respect for the laws of war makes it essential to prevent these groups from participating in the Mosul campaign. Militias with abusive records include components of the mostly Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) such as the Badr Brigades, the Hezbollah Brigades (Kata'ib Hezbollah), and other groups. During recent operations to retake territory from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), Human Rights Watch documented summary killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and the destruction of homes by these and other groups that are part of the government-affiliated PMF. There have been no apparent consequences for these abuses. "Militias that form part of the PMF have repeatedly carried out horrific, sometimes wide-scale abuses, most recently in Fallujah, with no consequences despite the government's promises to investigate," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "Iraqi commanders shouldn't risk exposing Mosul civilians to serious harm by militias with a record of recent abuse." ISIS took control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, in June 2014. It is thought that hundreds of thousands of civilians still remain in the city. In mid-March 2016, the Iraqi army, in cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces, opened a ground offensive from the town of Makhmur, in Erbil governorate, that reached Qayyara, 70 kilometers south of Mosul, by mid-July. This raised the prospect of an imminent assault on Mosul. PMF officials have said their forces would be at the forefront of the campaign against ISIS in Mosul, and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which have also been responsible for abusing civilians, also insist that they will participate. In a June 25 statement, Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Brigades, said, "The PM[F] will take part in the liberation of Mosul, against the will of the politicians who oppose this." In May, prior to the campaign to retake Fallujah from ISIS, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri, and the United States-led coalition spokesman, US Army Col. Steve Warren, said that the PMF would not enter Fallujah. But allegations of abuses of civilians by members of the PMF immediately surfaced after the start of operations on May 24. Members of the Badr Brigades and Hezbollah Brigades, among others, and in at least one instance, Federal Police officers, allegedly beat hundreds of Sunni men escaping the fighting after taking them into custody, summarily executed dozens, forcibly disappeared hundreds, and mutilated at least a dozen corpses. On June 4, al-Abadi said he had opened an investigation into allegations of abuse in the Fallujah operation. Three days later, he announced unspecified arrests and the "transfer of those accused of committing violations to the judiciary to receive their punishment according to the law." Since then, officials have not responded to Human Rights Watch inquiries about the status of the investigation, who is conducting it, or steps taken. The abuses in Fallujah followed numerous earlier allegations of widespread abuses by militias that were part of the PMF, including in Diyala, around Amerli, and Tikrit. Two people told Human Rights Watch that, in March, the Hezbollah Brigades, League of the Righteous (Asa'ib Ahl al-Haqq), and Soldier of the Imam (Jund al-Imam) militias rounded up thousands of Sunni families fleeing the Jazira desert area west of Baiji, Tikrit, and Samarra, and held them in food warehouses south of Tikrit. Another source Human Rights Watch interviewed in March said that a militia fighter told him that he and fellow militiamen had executed dozens of Sunni young men, also from the area west of Tikrit and Samarra. After ISIS claimed two bombings at a cafe in the town of Muqdadiya, in Diyala governorate, on January 11, fighters with the Badr Brigades and the League of Righteous responded by attacking Sunnis, killing at least a dozen people and perhaps many more, local residents told Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch also documented widespread destruction and looting after ISIS had withdrawn in March and April 2015, by the Badr Brigades, Ali Akbar Brigades, Hezbollah Brigades, League of the Righteous, Khorasan Companies (Saraya Khorasan), and Soldier of the Imam militias, all part of the PMF, after battles in al-Dur, al-Bu 'Ajil, and parts of Tikrit. Sunni PMF forces also destroyed property in al-'Alam. Shia PMF militias and Federal Police officers also carried out apparent extrajudicial killings in Tikrit in early April. Human Rights Watch interviewed by phone people who had been recently detained by the Shia militias who said that groups including Hezbollah Brigades and League of the Righteous had abducted at least 160 people, all of whom remain unaccounted for, from al-Dur, south of Tikrit. In September and October 2014, several militias, including the League of the Righteous, Badr Brigades, Khorasan Companies, and Hezbollah Brigades, destroyed buildings in at least 30 villages around Amerli, 80 kilometers east of Tikrit, after lifting the three-month ISIS siege on that Shia Turkmen town. Around Amerli, Human Rights Watch documented abductions of Sunni residents by Shia militias. Human Rights Watch has also documented abuses by Peshmerga and other forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Human Rights Watch has documented serious abuses by ISIS forces and said that ISIS should not use civilians to shield its military objectives from attack. Human Rights Watch also called on all sides not to use child soldiers and to allow civilians to flee to safety. The US-led coalition has conducted aerial attacks on ISIS, including in the recent Fallujah offensive, and advises local forces on ground attacks. Germany trains and provides weapons to Peshmerga and other forces and provides them with weapons. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps provides military advisers to Iraq. On July 12, the US announced the deployment of an additional 560 US troops. The US should request that none of the militias with a record of serious abuses with impunity is put in a position where they could commit similar abuses, including in any Mosul operation. Any military operation to retake Mosul should also include efforts to preserve mass graves for victim identification and justice, both in Iraq and elsewhere. A focus should be the mass grave holding about 600 Shia prisoners whom ISIS captured at Badoush Prison on June 10, 2014, and killed in the nearby desert. The precise killing site remains unknown but, once identified, it requires immediate protection to preserve crucial evidence. "Given the record of abuses by militias, it is crucial for Iraq's military and political leaders to hold accountable those who have violated the laws of war in past operations," Stork said. "It goes without saying those same forces should be kept away from efforts to retake Mosul." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Sri Lanka: 10 Years Since Aid Worker Massacre Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 July 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Sri Lanka: 10 Years Since Aid Worker Massacre, 31 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05c3c4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Sri Lankan authorities have not brought to justice those responsible for the execution-style slaying of 17 aid workers a decade ago this week, Human Right Watch said today. On August 4, 2006, gunmen murdered local staff members from the Paris-based Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger, ACF) at their compound in the town of Muttur, in eastern Trincomalee district. The special court being set up by the government of President Maithripala Sirisena should ensure that the ACF killings and other wartime atrocities are fully and fairly tried with significant foreign involvement, and all those culpable brought to account, regardless of rank or position, Human Rights Watch said. "The failure to provide justice for the ACF massacre is Exhibit A in the breakdown of accountability for serious crimes during Sri Lanka's civil war," said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. "The mishandling of the ACF case shows why a war crimes court needs international involvement to shield it from political pressures." The killings of the ACF workers 16 ethnic Tamils, including four women, and one Muslim occurred after several days of fighting between government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for control of Muttur. The ACF team had been providing assistance to survivors of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The war ended in May 2009, with the LTTE's defeat. The nongovernmental University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) published detailed findings on the Muttur killings based on accounts from witnesses and weapons analysis that implicate government security forces present in the area. The group alleges that two police constables and Sri Lankan naval special forces commandos were directly responsible, and that senior police and justice officials were linked to a cover-up. In July 2007, then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa established the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate 16 major human rights cases, including the ACF case. Families of ACF workers who testified before the commission reported threats by security force personnel. And the commission's international monitors resigned in protest in 2008, citing grave problems with its investigations. The commission's full report was not released until September 2015, and while stating it had insufficient evidence to determine the perpetrators of the ACF killings, it effectively exonerated the army and navy in the massacre and indicated that LTTE forces or Muslim militia carried them out. In July 2013, the Rajapaksa government, facing increasing international pressure, directed state lawyers and investigators to review the case and prepare a comprehensive list of witnesses. Little legal action is known to have taken since then, Human Rights Watch said. The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, in his statement at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 29, 2016, said that a way for the government "to quickly build public and international confidence in its determination to pursue accountability, and meet its obligations under international human rights law, would be to achieve successful prosecutions in some of the emblematic human rights cases pending before the courts." He noted that the ACF case remained in "summary proceedings," although the Sirisena government had "made renewed efforts to facilitate the appearance of witnesses" an apparent reference to permitting remote testimony from abroad. While the Sirisena government has taken important steps to address the serious human rights problems in the country, a number of the commitments made to the Human Rights Council in its October 2015 resolution remain unfulfilled. Most notably, the government has at times backtracked on its commitment to a judicial mechanism for investigating war crimes and other serious rights abuses by both government forces and the LTTE. The October 2015 resolution specifically calls for the participation of foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators, and defense lawyers, which is crucial to ensure that legal proceedings are protected from local pressures and have the independence that a purely domestic process would lack. The gap between the government's formal undertaking to create a tribunal with international involvement and contradictory statements from senior officials has distracted from making real progress on justice issues, Human Rights Watch said. Sirisena has repeatedly said that the justice mechanism will not have foreign judges. However, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera's statement at the Human Rights Council in June that "our commitment to the Geneva resolution remains unchanged" and other remarks from officials about the need for support from victims' groups, which back foreign participation, are evidence that the government intends to abide by its pledge. "The government should honor its international pledge and move forward with a tribunal with foreign judges and other international participation," Ross said. "The families of the 17 ACF aid workers and other victims need full confidence in the court to bring about genuine justice." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Israel: Rules Curtail Gaza Family Visits to Prisoners Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 31 July 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Israel: Rules Curtail Gaza Family Visits to Prisoners, 31 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05cc34.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Israel imposes excessive restrictions on family visits to Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government should abide by international humanitarian law and do more to facilitate contact between prisoners and their families. Israel is holding 334 prisoners from Gaza convicted for, or charged with "security crimes" related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to official information provided to the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. They include two women and a child. An additional detainee is held without charge under the Unlawful Combatants Law. "The Israeli government is unlawfully incarcerating prisoners from Gaza inside Israel and then making it very hard for their families to visit them," said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine director. "The government's security concerns over having these families enter Israel for visits with their loved ones are of its own making." Israel holds most Palestinian prisoners who were apprehended in occupied territory inside Israel, in violation of international humanitarian law prohibitions against transferring residents from occupied territory. It then requires family members to obtain permits from the military to enter Israel to visit them. This means that family members must pass an Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) security screening to visit their imprisoned relatives. While Israel has a responsibility to ensure that prison visits are carried out safely and securely, the authorities have imposed general limitations on Gaza families' entry into Israel that unnecessarily hinder visits to incarcerated loved ones. By contrast, family members of the more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the West Bank are subject to only some of these restrictions, and they can visit relatives more frequently. Family members from Israel are subject only to the conditions that the Israel Prison Service sets. The Israel Prison Service allows prison visits every two weeks for all prisoners and more frequent visits for pre-trial detainees. However, Palestinian families from Gaza can only obtain entry permits for a prison visit from the military every two months at most. In addition, while the Prison Service allows all immediate family members and grandparents to visit security prisoners, the Israeli military will only permit entry into Israel from Gaza for spouses, parents, and children under 16. Siblings, grandparents, and sons and daughters 16 or older are denied entry. Families from the West Bank are not subject to these restrictions. Even though the Israel Prison Service allows up to three adults and an unlimited number of children under 18 for each visit, the Israeli military will grant entry permits to only three visitors at a time, including children. While safety and security considerations need to be taken into account, limiting the number of children is particularly onerous for Palestinians from Gaza, where large families are common. "Family visits have little meaning if sons and daughters can't meet their parents," Bashi said. Israel requires Gaza families to travel to the prisons in buses, under police escort, but it does not provide the buses, leaving the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to organize and pay for the bus service. The government provides a police escort. Family members including young children, the elderly and infirm, and working people need to leave home before dawn on a weekday to see an incarcerated relative, returning in the late afternoon or evening. The visits are for 45 minutes through a reinforced-glass barrier. While holding these prisoners in Gaza is not practicable, because Israel ended its permanent ground troop presence in Gaza in 2005, Israel can and should transfer them to the West Bank, the other part of the occupied Palestinian territory, Human Rights Watch said. The prohibition against removing prisoners from the occupied territory is designed, in part, to allow them to maintain family ties, and the Israeli government should facilitate visits for family members from Gaza to the maximum extent possible. Some prisoners were arrested prior to 2005, when Israel had a permanent ground troop presence in Gaza, and others were arrested in the past decade, during incursions or when they came to the border crossing for passage into Israel. Israel has periodically suspended visits for families from Gaza entirely in response to renewed violence or political developments, most recently in 2014, even though the authorities did not allege that the prisoners or their families were involved in the violence. Between 2007 and 2012, Israel banned all family visits from Gaza, citing, among other reasons, the fact that armed groups in Gaza were holding captive an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, allowing him no visits. Currently, armed groups in Gaza are believed to be holding three Israeli civilians with mental health conditions who crossed into Gaza, and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in the 2014 fighting. Neither those groups nor the Hamas government have provided information to their families, and they have kept them incommunicado and unjustifiably refused visits by the ICRC, in violation of international law. In July, family members of the Israeli civilians and deceased soldiers demonstrated in the path of the buses carrying relatives from Gaza and at the entrance to one of the prisons, temporarily delaying the visits, relatives of the prisoners told Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch said that unlawful acts by the Palestinian groups' detaining these civilians would not justify imposing unnecessary restrictions on family visits from Gaza. Families of prisoners described to Human Rights Watch the restrictions placed on visits to their loved ones. Sana'a al-Hafi, 44, who was convicted of transferring money to Hamas and sentenced to 12 months in prison, is held in a facility for women in northern Israel, said her son Ayman al-Hafi and the rights group Addameer. Ayman al-Hafi told Human Rights Watch that the Israeli authorities have not allowed Sana'a al-Hafi's husband or any of her seven children to visit her, apparently because the government is not willing to facilitate the escort needed for her family members. Two of al-Hafi's sisters living in the West Bank are able to visit her, he said, as there are organized group visits from the West Bank to northern Israel, where many prisoners from the West Bank are held. Abd al-Halim al-Bilbeisi, 48, was sentenced to life in prison for participating in an attack in 1995 that killed 21 Israeli soldiers and an Israeli civilian. Because of Israeli restrictions, his adult daughter and two adult sons have not seen him for periods ranging from 9 to 12 years. Only his wife, Ibtissam al-Bilbeisi, is permitted to visit, every two months. On those days, she leaves the house at 5 a.m. and returns home to the Jabalia refugee camp at about 8 p.m., she said. His daughter Shaima'a, al-Bilbeisi, 23, hasn't seen her father in 12 years. She told Human Rights Watch that she misses him most during important transitions in her life, such as when she began her university studies. International humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Hague Regulations of 1907, which govern military occupation, requires the occupying power to respect the family unit. Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, for example, provides that the "family rights" of civilians are to be protected at all times. Article 49 prohibits transfers of individuals, including prisoners, from the occupied territory, "regardless of [the] motive." And article 76 specifically states that individuals who are convicted should serve their sentences in the occupied territory. The ICRC has publicly been critical of Israel for detaining people outside the occupied territory. Individuals in occupied territories convicted and imprisoned under the occupier's criminal law maintain their rights under international human rights law. Prisoners in all circumstances have a right to protection of their family life, which includes maintaining contact with family members. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the "Mandela Rules") in rule 58 protect a prisoner's right to receive visits "at regular intervals" from family and friends. The Israeli government should comply with its obligations to facilitate visits for family members, to include siblings and children, regardless of their age, in the category of eligible visitors, and to refrain from suspending family visits for reasons unrelated to the security of the visits themselves. To allow for as many children as practicable to visit an incarcerated parent, the military authorities should only count adults among the three visitors per prisoner allowed to enter Israel each time, and admit additional children under 18, consistent with prison safety and security considerations. While holding prisoners in Gaza is not feasible, the Israeli government should transfer prisoners from Gaza to facilities in the West Bank, Human Rights Watch said. Doing so would ensure that the prisoners remain in occupied Palestinian territory as international law requires, and would facilitate visits from relatives in the West Bank. About 7 percent of adult Gaza residents have first-degree relatives in the West Bank, according to the Israeli human rights group Gisha. Family members from Gaza would need to be bused through Israel, so entry permits into Israel would still be needed. However, given its ability to mitigate security risks through the police escort it already provides, Israel should limit entry refusals as much as possible. In particular, Israel should respect the right of all Palestinians to freedom of movement between Gaza and the West Bank, including for the purpose of prison visits. It should allow Palestinians from Gaza who choose to relocate to the West Bank to do so, including in order to be closer to their loved ones. The leading Palestinian prisoner rights group, Addameer, has advocated holding all Palestinian prisoners in prisons in the West Bank. "All prisoners have a right to family visits, which are crucial for maintaining and developing family relationships," Bashi said. "Israel should facilitate regular family contact to the greatest extent possible." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Morocco: New Law Advances Domestic Workers' Rights Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Morocco: New Law Advances Domestic Workers' Rights, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05d224.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Morocco's new law regulating work for domestic workers could help protect thousands of women and girls from exploitation and abuse, Human Rights Watch said today. The new law was adopted by the House of Representatives on July 26, 2016, and will go into effect one year after publication in the official gazette. Human Rights Watch investigated conditions for child domestic workers those under 18 in Morocco in 2005 and 2012, finding that girls as young as 8 endured physical abuse and worked long hours for little pay. Child domestic workers known locally as "petites bonnes" told Human Rights Watch that their employers frequently beat and verbally abused them, wouldn't let them go to school, and sometimes refused them adequate food. Some child domestic workers worked for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for as little as US$11 per month. "This new law is groundbreaking for domestic workers in Morocco, so many of whom have been exploited and abused," said Ahmed Benchemsi, Middle East and North Africa communications and advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "But wage and working hour provisions still fall short, especially the new minimum wage for domestic workers, which is much lower than the legal minimum wage for other workers." Before the adoption of the new law, domestic workers were excluded from Morocco's labor law, leaving them no legal rights to a minimum wage, limits on their hours, and not even a weekly day of rest. The new law requires written contracts and sets 18 as the minimum age for domestic workers, with a phase-in period of five years during which girls between 16 and 18 are allowed to work. It limits working hours for 16- and 17-year-olds to 40 hours a week, and for adults to 48 hours a week, though Morocco's labor law for other sectors sets the limit at 44 hours. It guarantees 24 continuous hours of weekly rest, and a minimum wage of 1542 dirhams (US$158) per month, 60 percent of the minimum wage for jobs covered under the country's labor law. The law also provides for financial penalties for employers who violate the law. "Domestic workers, who are most often poorly educated women and girls from the countryside, work in urban environments where they are isolated," said Benchemsi. "By providing domestic workers with legal, enforceable protection, Morocco is delivering the message that even the most vulnerable workers deserve humane conditions." Human Rights Watch first investigated the use of child domestic labor in Morocco in 2005. A follow-up investigation in 2012 found that the number of children working in domestic work had dropped, but that many children were still working below the minimum age, then set at 15, under terrible conditions. Some girls told Human Rights Watch their employers beat them with belts, wooden sticks, shoes, or plastic pipes. Some worked for more than 100 hours a week. The average salary of the girls interviewed in 2012 was 545 dirhams per month (US$61), less than one-quarter of the minimum monthly wage for the industrial sector. Most child domestic workers in Morocco come from poor, rural areas. Intermediaries frequently recruit them to work in larger cities, often making deceptive promises about their working conditions. Removed from their home and family, many child domestic workers are isolated and do not know where to turn for help if their employer exploits or abuses them. To carry out the new law, Morocco should open a public awareness campaign to ensure that both domestic workers and employers are aware of its provisions. The government should also train labor inspectors and other officials in enforcing the law, and publicize penalties against employers who violate the law's provisions. Labor inspectors should have the authority to inspect anywhere a domestic worker is employed, and to interview domestic workers privately about their working conditions. In 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers (Convention 189), establishing global standards for domestic workers. The convention specifies that working hours for domestic workers should be equivalent to those for other types of work, and that domestic workers should be covered by minimum wage requirements. Although many live-in domestic workers receive accommodations and food as part of their compensation, its value in many cases is unlikely to make up the gap of 40 percent between the minimum wage for domestic workers and other workers covered under Morocco's labor law. The recommendation accompanying the Domestic Workers Convention allows for in-kind payments, but specifies that such payments should be limited to allow for a salary necessary for the maintenance of a domestic worker and her family. Morocco voted to adopt the Domestic Workers Convention in 2011, but has not yet ratified it. To date, 22 countries have ratified the convention, including countries from every region of the world except for the Middle East and North Africa. "Now that Morocco has established legal protections for domestic workers, it should ratify the ILO Domestic Workers Convention," said Benchemsi. "By ratifying the convention, it can be a leader for other countries in the region in protecting domestic workers." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Vietnam: Show Rights Commitment at Australia Talks Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Vietnam: Show Rights Commitment at Australia Talks , 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a05e574.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Australia should press for significant and solid improvement during its 13th human rights dialogue with Vietnam, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam should show its commitment to reforms by immediately releasing all political prisoners and detainees, ending harassment and violence against rights activists, respecting freedom of religion, curbing police brutality, and preventing any punishment of boat people returnees. The agenda and outcome of the dialogue in Hanoi on August 4, 2016, should be made public. "In 2016, Vietnamese authorities have sentenced yet more activists and bloggers to jail, broken up peaceful demonstration by force, and restricted religious freedom," said Elaine Pearson, Australia director. "Australia should use this opportunity to make it clear to Vietnam that empty promises on human rights are not acceptable." In a submission to the Australian government ahead of the dialogue, Human Rights Watch urged Australia to focus on political prisoners and detainees; harassment, violence and restrictions on activists and dissidents; repression of freedom of religion; police brutality; and criminal punishment of Vietnamese boat returnees in contravention of government assurances. In the first half of 2016, Vietnam convicted at least 12 people, including the prominent bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh (a.k.a Ba Sam) and Nguyen Dinh Ngoc (a.k.a Nguyen Ngoc Gia), and sentenced them to long prison terms simply for exercising their basic rights enshrined in the Vietnamese Constitution. They joined more than 100 others who are behind bars for exercising their rights, including Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Ngo Hao, Dang Xuan Dieu, Ho Duc Hoa, Nguyen Dang Minh Man, Nguyen Cong Chinh, Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, and Doan Huy Chuong. The government convicted many of them for political crimes such as "conducting propaganda against the state" (Penal Code article 88), "activities that aim to overthrow the people's administration" (article 79), "undermining national great unity" (article 87), "disrupting security" (article 89), or "abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon national interests" (article 258). At least a dozen of the rights activists and bloggers including Nguyen Van Dai, Tran Anh Kim, Le Thanh Tung, and Nguyen Huu Quoc Duy have been detained since 2015 pending investigation. Peaceful bloggers and activists face violence in Vietnam. In July alone, at least 11 rights campaigners, including La Viet Dung and To Oanh, were assaulted and injured by men in civilian clothes who appeared to be acting as agents of the authorities, activists reported. The authorities place bloggers and activists under house arrest or temporary detention to prevent them from attending various events or protests. In May, police detained the prominent activists Pham Doan Trang and Nguyen Quang A so that they could not join a meeting with United States President Barack Obama during his visit. "Vietnamese bloggers and activists face daily harassment, intimidation, violence, and imprisonment even the simple act of meeting a diplomat entails some level of risk for activists in Vietnam," Pearson said. "Australia needs to unequivocally pressure Vietnam to stop abuse of rights." Vietnamese authorities not only retaliate against rights advocates, but against ordinary citizens as well. In July, during an appeals trial, the government upheld the prison sentences against four people who attempted to travel to Australia by boat in March 2015 Tran Thi Thanh Loan and her husband Ho Trung Loi, Nguyen Thi Lien, and Nguyen Van Hai. They were convicted of "organizing others to flee abroad illegally" under article 275 of Vietnam's Penal Code. Four others were convicted in May and sentenced to two to three years in prison each on the same charges. In both cases, the Australian navy intercepted the boats at sea and returned all the passengers to Vietnam. In both cases, Vietnam gave assurances to the Australian government that it would not punish people for illegally leaving the country but then brought charges against them for organizing the trips. In June, the Australian navy intercepted another boat that carried 21 Vietnamese and sent them back to Vietnam. The Australian government has said that "any potential criminal investigations or proceedings for people smuggling-related offenses are a matter for the Vietnamese government." But these individuals were not punished for unlawfully bringing people into another country with the purpose of financial or material benefit the definition of people smuggling under international law. They were punished for leaving their own country and helping their families, relatives, and friends who willingly went with them. The right to leave one's country is a bedrock right under international law. Prosecuting migrants after their forcible return will only reinforce the refugee claims of others, who now may reasonably fear punishment upon return. The Australian government would do well to press for improvements to Vietnam's poor human rights practices, which only encourage refugee outflows in the first place. "These people threw themselves into a life-risking situation because they were desperate," Pearson said. "The Vietnamese government should show leniency instead of punishing them, and Australia should press Vietnam to keep the promises it made to Australia not to punish the migrants." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . Mayor Costin provides council district update & talks about other city projects A town hall was held at Martinsville City Hall Thursday evening where residents were encouraged to attend and discuss their concerns or questions with Martinsville Mayor Kenny Costin. Reporter-News file photo The Abilene traffic circle, shown here on the right in this undated photo, was part of a $15 million project connecting U.S. Highways 80 and 83 (Treadaway Boulevard). The interchange was dedicated Dec. 28, 1950. The traffic circle has since been replaced. Frontier Texas! now sits at the former site of a scrap metal business, shown in this photo left of the traffic circle. You recently told us who Judge Ely Boulevard was named after so who was Treadaway Boulevard named after? The road honors S.J. Treadaway, a longtime district engineer for the State Highway Department in the Abilene area, according to Reporter-News archives. The Abilene City Commission (this was before the present city manager/city council form of government) named the new road, which was then Highway 83, after him in 1951, shortly after it was built. Newspaper Editor Frank Grimes wrote an editorial urging the commission to honor Treadaway based on a suggestion by Frazer Edmonds. (I have no idea who Edmonds was because a light is burned out in the corner of the newspaper's library and I couldn't tell if there was a file on him.) Anyway, the new Highway 83 was built to relieve traffic downtown. Treadaway, the street, became Business 83 when what we now call the Winters Freeway was built. (Its official state designation is U.S. 83.) Treadaway, the man, worked for years to reroute U.S. Highway 80 through Abilene and the road that would be named after him became part of that project, according to old newspaper articles. The intersection of the two highways was a $15 million project that included underpasses under the Texas & Pacific Railroad and a traffic circle. Today, the interchange between East Highway 80, North First Street, South First Street and North and South Treadaway is controlled by traffic signals. At the dedication of the interchange on Dec. 28, 1950, the Abilene High band played and the Abilene Candy Co. made a 6-foot key out of candy. Instead of cutting a ribbon, the key was broken with a hatchet. An assortment of vehicles representing all modes of transportation drove around the traffic circle, probably getting confused over who had the right of way. Treadaway was born in Lamar County in 1886, according to a biographical form he filled out for the newspaper in 1948. He went to school in Paris, Texas, and Ballinger, before going to Texas A&M and graduating in 1907. He worked for the highway department for 30 years, moving to Abilene in 1938 as district engineer. His dog, Jinx, followed him everywhere at work, according to a newspaper clipping. Treadaway retired from the highway department in 1951 and spent one year designing a system of roads for Abilene containing inner and outer loops. He died in Austin in 1967 at 81. Any other street names anyone wants to know about? Abilene Regional Medical Center will host an event this week in connection with World Breastfeeding Week, which runs through Sunday. The inaugural The Big Latch On will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at the Women's Center in Classroom 3. Women who are currently breast-feeding or are pregnant are encouraged to attend this event to help spread the support and knowledge of breast-feeding. The local event is part of The Global Big Latch On program, which is targeted to communities to normalize breast-feeding as part of daily life. Abilene's event 'will reach out to our community in a way that we have not done before,' said Michelle Ortenzi-Lopez, a registered nurse and lactation consultant at ARMC. 'This is an opportunity to let the world know that Abilene Regional Medical Center supports mothers and families of breast-feeding babies.' For more information, call her at 325-428-3611. SHARE John Lok/The Seattle Times/TNS Sarah Littlefield, professional picker, shows paint-by-numbers artwork she has collected over the years. John Lok/The Seattle Times/TNS Sarah Littlefield has a roster of people she shops for through her business, Seattle Junk Love. John Lok/The Seattle Times/TNS Littlefield has a collection of dogs made out of chalk. John Lok/The Seattle Times/TNS Sarah Littlefield likes to collect vintage blankets, including this one from a hotel in New Mexico. By Nicole Brodeur SEATTLE For Sarah Littlefield, there's decorating gold in that there junk. Picking. It's not the most glamorous way to describe your livelihood, the skill you have been developing for years, the thing you do when you walk into a room stuffed with belongings and know there's something special waiting to be found. But that's what Sarah Littlefield does for Seattle restaurants, retail stores and people who have the money but not the time to search for a Certain Something for themselves or someone else. All of them call on Seattle Junk Love to find what they didn't even know they were looking for, but what Littlefield is skilled at spotting: Pendleton blankets, leather cowboy hats and old signage. And, quite often, the perfect Christmas gift. "I buy things knowing this person is going to want it," Littlefield said recently. "I have a roster of people that I shop for. If I'm lucky, the piece is sold by the time I get to my car." These are especially busy days for Littlefield, whose Etsy shop and Instagram feed carry regular posts of what she's picked from the piles at estate sales and flea markets from Seattle to Mexico, as well as places like New York and her native North Dakota. A Filson Mackinaw coat. A constellation of belt buckles. A battered Thonet chair oozing with restoration potential. "It's that thing when you know you'll never see anything like it again," Littlefield said of her picking technique. "I know what people are on the lookout for." Littlefield, 47, grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, the daughter of an educator mother and a university professor father who was "super curious" about architecture and history, and who could hold forth on obscure subjects like wheat production during the Civil War. At Oklahoma State University, Littlefield's instinct was to become a history major, but instead she got into recreation administration and started hitting estate sales in her free time. It was her way to stay connected with things past and to learn in the process. "Half the fun is the research, the back story," Littlefield said of her finds. "The beauty is in a thing's utility, or history, or the fact that it's site-specific." Littlefield moved to Seattle with a girlfriend in 2001 and worked for a remodeling firm until 2008, when the housing crisis cost her her job. She did staging for a Realtor, which helped her polish her design skills. She saw where one vintage item could anchor, or enhance a room. All the while, she kept at the estate sales, picking up things she found interesting. When Jody Hall was starting Cupcake Royale in 2005, Littlefield helped find furniture, lighting and casework for the stores. "I used the newspaper, Craigslist, drove around with a map," she said, shaking her head and cradling her iPhone like a bar of gold. "It was the dark ages, for sure." What Hall didn't want, Littlefield sold to other restaurants and shops, who asked her to look for more. So did set designers on films and at the Microsoft Studios, as well as private people looking to put some pop, or history, in their homes. Littlefield also took over a corner of the Georgetown shop called District, where Macklemore spotted and bought one of her hats. Recently, she helped Filson with the design of its new store. And she has picked up clients who ask her to search for things such as barware and paintings of saints. In addition to Cupcake Royale, Littlefield has helped with the design of the Salt & Straw ice cream shops in Portland, Linda Derschang's Bait Shop and the Urban Animal veterinary clinic on Capitol Hill. That last job led to her being asked to help design a veterinary clinic in Toronto. It is located in what was once the oldest continuous funeral home in Ontario. There's a lot of that going on here; the old being gutted and repurposed. But that doesn't mean there's a wave of stuff to pick through in Seattle. "It's rough," Littlefield said. "The competition is rough." So rough that she will spend the night in her van outside an estate sale to get in first. There's always a line of shop owners and collectors looking for vintage clothing, tools, records and electronics. "I go in and I look," she said. "It sounds stupid. There should be some science to it. But I can't explain it. More, the trick is to know where to go regionally, based on the age of the cities and the towns. "You used to be able to go to an estate sale in Wallingford, but not anymore. Things have turned over." Maybe you can find some good picking in the old warehouses in Georgetown or South Seattle. But for the most part, it's architectural salvage, "and that's another person's gig," she said. The places to go junking are rural areas, smaller cities. The Midwest. ("My homeland," Littlefield cracked). At the home she shares with her wife, Larisa, Littlefield stores her finds and keeps her own collections of chalk animals, photos of same-sex couples and paint-by-numbers of outdoor scenes. Some things have been impossible to part with: the 1920s-era Calumet Baking Powder clock that once hung in the kitchen of her father's farm. The Trapper Nelson backpack (started by local Lloyd T. Nelson in 1924) on which the owner had sketched his journeys. "I mean, shut up!" Littlefield said, pulling the photo up on her phone. One recent find: A 3-foot-by-6-foot framed drawing of the old Fisher Flour Mill on Harbor Island. It includes a Norwegian ship docked out front, complete with wicker deck chairs; a man driving a delivery truck and another man walking in the front door. Littlefield keeps it on the mantle. It will likely stay there. "I'd sell it to the Fisher family," she said, "but that's about it." In that sense, Littlefield is not so much a picker, as the one who finds the things that people didn't even know they wanted, or needed, or couldn't do without. Sounds about right, she said. "I know it when I see it." Texas' campus carry law went into effect Monday for four-year state universities, but the controversial edict doesn't affect two-year and community colleges until Aug. 1, 2017. The law allows those who have obtained a license to carry a loaded, concealed weapon in college and university buildings. The lead-time is 'certainly of benefit' to Cisco College, said Jerry Dodson, vice president for student services, in an email. 'As a public two-year college, we've had the opportunity to observe the process(es) our colleagues at four-year college/university campuses engaged to develop and implement their policies,' Dodson wrote. The school plans to begin the process this fall by appointing a concealed carry policy committee, he said, communicating with and soliciting input from the college community. 'Final approval of our policy will come from our board of regents,' Dodson said. Colleges and universities are allowed to determine sensitive areas and buildings where concealed weapons will continue to be prohibited, according to armedcampsuses.org. Such areas are to be determined by each institution, the process made by a committee made up of representatives from its student body, staff and faculty. Once those committees have made a decision, the school's board of regents must approve it by a two-thirds majority. According to the website, institutions must display campus policies in a public manner on the school's website and publicize the them in correspondence with faculty, staff and students. Previous laws that allow licensed concealed carry on open campus grounds and in locked vehicles in parking lots remain unchanged. Barbara Beebe, president of Western Texas College, said her school began the process of working with faculty, staff and students during the spring semester with open forums to discuss how it wants to proceed with the mandated law. 'Faculty, administration, police, and campus security were on hand to field questions, clear up any misconceptions or confusion between open carry and campus carry, and hear concerns about students, faculty, and staff potentially carrying guns on campus,' she said. 'A large concern is that no one will know who may be carrying since the weapon will have to be concealed.' During the 2016-17 academic year, there will be additional forums, followed by a recommendation to the WTC Board of Trustees by the required faculty, staff and student committee, Beebe said. 'While we have reviewed the recommendations of Texas four-year colleges, we believe each institution is unique and will be working to formulate a policy that will fit Western Texas College,' she said. SHARE Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders electrified crowds with his promise of free state college and university tuition, its 10-year, $750 billion cost to be paid for in part by a federal tax on financial trading. So popular was the idea among primary voters that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, after first attacking the Sanders plan (correctly) as an unfocused subsidy that would benefit many well-to-do families, has had to incorporate Sandersian rhetoric into the party platform and offer a free-tuition plan of her own, albeit one limited to families making $125,000 per year or less most of them living well above the poverty line. Hers would cost $350 billion over 10 years. Improving on the Sanders plan, Clinton adds measures to keep college costs down and increase accountability for student outcomes. But what if the Democratic nominee's plan overcommits scarce resources to a problem that, while real, is not as bad as she and Sanders say? Despite rhetoric about "crushing" student debt, 44 percent of students at two- and four-year institutions do not borrow at all, and of those who do, 59 percent borrow less than $20,000. The average undergraduate loan burden in 2015 was $17,900.(The average new car loan, according to Experian: $30,000.) Our source for this data is a comprehensive new report on student borrowing issued by President Barack Obama's economic advisers. It concludes that debt distress mainly afflicts certain categories of students (those in graduate school or for-profit undergraduate schools). Otherwise, the typical "amount of debt owed ... remains modest," given the median $1 million lifetime income advantage that college grads can expect to realize. Society has a stake in a well-educated populace, so society should contribute to producing one, as it already does through direct grants, federal loans and in-state tuition subsidies. It is also true, as the large earnings premium suggests, that the benefits from such investment in human capital accrue to individuals who possess it. So it is not unreasonable to ask them to share the cost. What about Clinton's claim that higher student debt is "holding our economy back?" Well, the White House report says it "does not appear to have substantially altered" macroeconomic performance. Why not? Only about 2 percent of households in 2014 had student debt exceeding $50,000, three-quarters incurred it pursuing advanced degrees that confer extra-high future earnings. The Obama administration already has implemented student debt reforms targeted at those most in need, and it has proposed others. Such focused fixes should be what policymakers turn to when, or if, politicking ends and governance resumes. The Washington Post Today in history: On Aug. 2, 1934, Adolf Hitler becomes the dictator/leader/fuhrer of Germany, taking over after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. The country's army pledges its support and what had been a democratic government gives way to the Third Reich. Hitler was stung by Germany's defeat in World War I, blaming 'enemies within.' He joined the German Workers' Party. Later, he promised his new Nazi Germany would last 1,000 years; World War II and his death stopped that at 11 years. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) shakes hands with National Assembly president Heng Samrin (R) during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh, Jan. 7, 2016. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition party officials clashed this week over the relationship their country and its long-time ruler have with Vietnam. The tit-for-tat came as Hun Sen reacted to a post on the prime ministers Facebook page by a Pham Duc Hien, who claimed that Hun Sen has betrayed Vietnam. The post provoked the Cambodian strongman to make an extensive post of his own on Sunday that reads in part: Vietnam is not my boss. Im not obligated to be loyal to her. If you are a legal Vietnamese immigrant in Cambodia, you have to abide by Cambodian law. If you are an illegal Vietnamese immigrant, you have to leave Cambodia. Vietnam and Cambodia have had a fraught relationship for centuries, but the animosity with Hun Sen dates from the 1979-89 Vietnamese occupation that ended the murderous rule of the Khmer Rouge. Hun Sen emerged and was appointed during the period of Hanoi control over Cambodia. As Cambodian foreign minister and then prime minister, Hun Sen played an important role in the 1991 Paris Peace Talks that brokered peace among Cambodias warring factions. Hun Sens Facebook post prompted senior opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Eng Chhai Eang to express surprise at the exchange. A joyous applause? If this political vision is genuine, Cambodians applaud it with joy. Likewise the CNRP welcomes it, he told RFAs Khmer Service. However, to make Cambodians strong at the national and international level, there must be genuine national unity and reconciliation. The CNRP, therefore, calls on all parties to resume a dialogue to prove it. The CNRP has been trying to restart the shaky truce known as the culture of dialogue between Hun Sen and CNRP President Sam Rainsy that eased a months-long political standoff following national elections in 2013. While the CNRP has attempted to resurrect the culture of dialogue, the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has shown little interest in a rapprochement. The prime ministers relationship with Vietnam has been used by the opposition to raise questions about Hun Sens loyalties. Hun Sen has also attacked political opponents who have attempted to make it an issue. In April, Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker Um Sam An was jailed after Hun Sen ordered police to arrest anyone accusing the government of using fake maps to cede national territory to neighboring Vietnam. In 2015 police arrested Sam Rainsy Party Senator Hong Sok Hour after he posted comments on social media that claimed an article in the 1979 Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Treaty was meant to dismantle, rather than define, the border between the two countries. Although the Sam Rainsy Party merged with the Human Rights Party to form the CNRP, the party still holds seats in the Senate. It is expected to fully integrate with the CNRP after the national elections in 2018. CNRP President Sam Rainsy was found guilty Thursday of defaming National Assembly President Heng Samrin over a video the CNRP president posted on Facebook in 2015 that shows former King Norodom Sihanouk giving a speech with the words: We remember that the regime born on 7 January 1979 used their court [system] to sentence [late] King Norodom Sihanouk to death on the accusation of being a traitor. Heng Samrin was president of Cambodia from 1979 to 1992, leading a government installed following an invasion by Vietnam that ended the four-year rule of the bloody Khmer Rouge regime. Heng Samrin contended the Facebook statement had negatively affected his reputation. Sam Rainsy has been living abroad since he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in 2015 because of a warrant issued for his arrest in another defamation case in which he accused Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong of running a prison for the Khmer Rouge. While Rainsy managed to escape Cambodia, Hun Sen has attempted to keep other opposition lawmakers close to home. Im warning you During a recent ceremony to open National Road 44, Hun Sen used a chess game analogy when referring to opposition Senator Thak Lany. Without referring to her by name, Hun Sen said she had attempted to leave the country. Some people were trying to put me in checkmate, but yesterday I put them in checkmate, he said. Now that the case has made its way to the court, I have learned that the person attempted to cross the border through Poipet on July 31 to get some medical treatment. Poipet lies on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Hun Sen added: Im warning you! Dont even think about crossing or youll get arrested! You have to stay here to have a taste of your own medicine. Thak Lany is facing a defamation lawsuit for allegedly making allegations in a speech that Hun Sen had a hand in the July 10 slaying of popular government critic Kem Ley. Its an allegation she denies. CNRP has tasked Lawyer Som Sokong with representing Thak Lany, even though senior CNRP lawmakers say they have little faith in the Cambodian judicial system. Whenever a leader or a person in power wants it a certain way, the court will just follow it, said senior CNRP lawmaker Eng Chhai Eang. Even if we provide a lawyer for her, its just to satisfy the judicial requirement. We do not have any faith in the court. Reported by Chandara Yang and Sothearin Yeang for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. Authorities in Hong Kong have barred several candidates from taking part in forthcoming elections to the citys legislature, citing the candidates' support for independence for the former British colony. Election officials on Tuesday rejected the candidacy of Edward Leung of the Hong Kong Indigenous political group in city-wide elections for seats on the Legislative Council (LegCo) in early September. Leung had already received more than 60,000 votes in a February by-election, and his candidacy was seen as representative of a groundswell of support for independence, particularly among the citys younger voters. The decision by Hong Kongs Electoral Affairs Commission came after Leung had denied supporting independence, signed a controversial new declaration recognizing his home city as an inalienable part of China, and distanced himself from previous comments that were widely reported in the local media. The commission had previously also rejected Hong Kong National Party hopeful Chan Ho-tin, Yeung Ke-cheong of the Democratic Progressive Party of Hong Kong, Nakade Hitsujiko of Nationalist Hong Kong, Chan Kwok-keung, and Alice Lai of the Conservative Party of Hong Kong. But another Hong Kong Indigenous candidate, Baggio Leung, was confirmed as able to run in Edward Leungs place. Ruled from Beijing Edward Leung on Tuesday hit out at the decision to disqualify him, saying Hong Kong is now under the rule of a "dictatorship". Hong Kong nowadays is not a place [where there is] rule of law, Leung told reporters. It is a place ruled a man, by the [ruling Chinese] Communist Party, by [the] Beijing authorities. Leung said the people of Hong Kong will continue to fight for their autonomy, government broadcaster RTHK reported. Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy under the terms of its 1997 handover from Britain to China, but many fear the citys traditional freedoms may now be a thing of the past, as Beijing seeks to wield ever greater influence over the citys media, publishing, and political scene. China analyst Willy Lam said the barring of candidates in elections based on their political views has never happened before. "This is the first time, I think, in the history of Legco elections when returning officers actually make a political judgement based on the views expressed by the candidate on various public occasions," Lam told RTHK. Its difficult to justify, I think, disqualifying them based on these views, which they might change later on if they were elected, he said. Call for review, boycott Meanwhile, the National Partys Chan has vowed to bring a judicial review of the governments decision. The National Party called on other parties to boycott the elections following the barring of candidates. The National Party is honoured to become the first party to be banned from joining a democratic election by the government due to political difference, the party said in a statement on its Facebook page. It said the bans were in breach of Hong Kongs mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Almost 40 percent of young people in Hong Kong favor independence for the city in 2047, when existing arrangements with China expire, a recent opinion survey found. Nearly two out of five people in the 15-24 age group said they want the city to go its own way when the "one country, two systems" policy, promised under the terms of the city's 1997 handover to China, ends. The findings appeared in a recent survey by public opinion researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), who interviewed 1,010 people aged 15 and above between July 6 and 15. Across the whole age range, 17.4 percent said they favor independence post-2047, compared with 39.2 percent of the 15-24 age group. A number of pro-independence candidates announced their bids to run in the Sept. 4 Legislative Council elections last month. The EAC announced on July 14 that all candidates must sign an additional declaration rejecting secession, warning that those who refused could be disqualified. Chinese officials also weighed in with public comments against the candidacy of pro-independence politicians. Reported by RFA's Cantonese and Mandarin Services. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. A Myanmar farmer tends to an opium poppy plantation in Pekon township of Taunggyi district in eastern Myanmar's Shan state, March 5, 2016. Myanmars deputy home affairs minister Major General Aung Soe on Tuesday requested additional police officers and funding to combat illegal narcotics in eastern Myanmars impoverished Shan state where sales and use of methamphetamine and heroin are rampant. Aung Soe told the attendees at a state parliamentary meeting that his ministry is working with the Myanmar military to combat the drug trade there. Nearly 1,100 people, including 128 police officers, are currently dedicated to working on anti-drug measures, he said. We are working on getting more manpower, Aung Soe said. We will also ask for more money to work on anti-drug operations because we dont have enough money to do so. Shan state is plagued by flagrant drug activity with the narcotics of choice being heroin and methamphetamine, an extremely addictive stimulant in the form of a white, bitter-tasting crystalline powder, commonly sold as yaba tablets. Aung Soe statements came as eight Shan state parliament lawmakers discussed anti-drug proposals and approved them for further discussion. The eradication of illegal narcotics is one of the goals of the civilian government under State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto leader, which came to power four months ago. On July 25, the upper house of Myanmars national parliament unanimously approved a motion submitted by ethnic Shan lawmaker Sai One Hlaing Kham to combat rampant illegal drug sales and use in the state. He had submitted the proposal to take more effective action against drug gangs who sell heroin and methamphetamine tablets. Major anti-drug campaigns in northern Myanmars Kachin state, western Myanmars Rakhine state, and central Myanmars Mandalay region during the past two weeks have collectively resulted in arrests and netted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs during the past week. Myanmar is the worlds second-biggest producer of opium after Afghanistan, with most of its poppies, which are used for both opium and heroin, grown in Shan and Kachin states. Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party attend a session in the lower house of parliament in the capital Naypyidaw, March 10, 2016. Ruling-party lawmakers in Myanmars lower house of parliament on Tuesday called on officials to step up efforts to implement a three-year-old anti-corruption law, fearing that its lax execution will hurt Myanmars prospects for permanent peace and development. Corruption remains a major problem in Myanmar as it evolves from decades of harsh military rule to a democracy. I believe we will never have the rule of law, peace, and development in the country if we cant control corruption, said lawmaker Than Win of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party during the parliamentary session. Thats why I am submitting a proposal today to fight corruption, he said. Corruption has become like a serious disease in public administration, and it harms international trade and investment, he said. Than Win also noted that Myanmar is ranked 147 out of 168 countries on Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks nations from best to worst according to perceived levels of public sector graft. It is a shame that Myanmar and Cambodia, ranked at 150, have the worst rankings among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said. NLD lawmaker Myo Zaw Oo said that the anti-corruption law, which took effect in 2013, must be effectively implemented to reduce graft in the public sector. The law was intended to wipe out corruption through a transparent government that protects the public from losses related to graft, to take action against corrupt public officials, to improve the countrys economic development, and to attract foreign investment. Many reports of corruption The countrys Anti-Corruption Commission, set up in 2014 under the law, has received many reports of corruption but has acted on only a few, citing a lack of strong evidence for the remainder, NLD lawmakers said. Than Win urged the commission to thoroughly investigate the thousands of reports it has received to determine their validity. Parliament set up the 15-member commission to investigate allegations of corruption in the country, though some of the appointed members are former military officers and other officials who were put on the panel by the previous military-backed government. Because graft occurs at the highest level of public administration, it is believed that the commission members turn a blind eye to reports that involve high-ranking officials and cronies. In July, parliament approved an amendment to the Anti-Corruption Law, stipulating that the president and speakers of both houses appoint no more than five members to the Anti-Corruption Commission in a bid to strengthen the body and save money, the Eleven Myanmar media group reported. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto national leader, has pledged to tackle the countrys rampant corruption in state institutions. Since her NLD party came into power in April, Aung San Suu Kyi has also spearheaded efforts to end civil war and foster peace, further democratic development, and promote clean and efficient government. Reported by Win Naung Toe for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. About 700 fishermen in Nghi Thiet commune clash with police as the fishermen protest the construction of a cement plant that threatens their way of life, July 30, 2016. Fishermen protesting the construction of a port project benefiting a major Vietnamese cement producer clashed with police on Sunday, with one man beaten as he attempted to get medicine, witnesses told RFA's Vietnamese Service. About 100 plainclothes policemen, along with ambulances and fire trucks blocked the only road accessing Nghi Thiet village on July 30, after as many as 700 villagers attempted to protest the construction project,the witnesses said. The witnesses said 64-year-old Nguyen Viet Nong was beaten as he attempted to walk through the police lines to get medicine. His beating caused the eruption of a broader clash between the police and the fishermen. They all stepped on me At the edge of the village, I saw many policemen blocking the road, Nong told RFA. I told them that I needed to go out to buy some medicine because Im sick, and then I continued walking. One policeman kicked me in the chest, making me fall. Then they all stepped on me. Nong said that he was then forced into a police car, but the car was stopped by the crowd after it had traveled about a kilometer. They opened the door and let me out, he said. A village doctor came to check on me and told me that I was injured in my chest because of their strong kicks. Another fisherman at the scene told RFA, on condition of anonymity, that people from about 400 families had gathered at the demonstration site to protest the low compensation the government has offered them for disruption to fishing. He confirmed to RFA that fishermen and police had clashed and that some people who got bruises, are being treated in Nghi Loc district hospital. The most seriously injured person is still at the Vissai cement office in Nghi Thiet village, he said. According to the Vissai Group website, the company began construction on the cement plant in the Nghi Thiet village port on May 19, 2016. The project was approved by the Nghe An province peoples committee in 2015 and has a projected capacity of 4 million tons a year. It includes an international port that can accommodate ships of up to 70,000 tons. They dont listen to us Another fisherman told RFA that local government officials had briefed villagers on the construction of the plant in November 2015, but that villagers then rejected the government offers, citing economic and pollution concerns. After the second meeting, they still went ahead with the Vissai port project without our consent, the villager told RFA. They did not give us a reasonable compensation for the project. The villager, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the government offered them between 48 million Vietnamese dong (U.S. $1,920) and three million Vietnamese dong (U.S. $120) in compensation for loss of income, depending on the size of the vessel. Building the port facility for the Vissai cement plant will displace the fishermen, and they say the compensation falls well short of what they will need to live when they cannot fish. It is not enough for us to live on, the villager said. When the money runs out what will we do next? How can they help us transfer to other jobs? Where will we live?" He added: "They did not listen to us. Reported by Xuan Nguyen. Translated by Vieth Ha. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. Three Armenian opposition politicians accused of organizing mass disturbances have been sent to pretrial detention. On August 2, a court in Yerevan ordered David Sansarian and Hovsep Khurshudian of the Heritage opposition party, as well as Andreas Ghukasian -- leader of the civic movement Rise Up, Armenia -- to remain in detention for two months as investigations against them continue. A group of armed men linked to the radical opposition movement Founding Parliament stormed and seized a police compound in Yerevan on July 17, demanding that President Serzh Sarkisian free the movement's jailed leader, Zhirayr Sefilian, and step down. Thousands of the gunmen's supporters joined nightly rallies for two weeks, occasionally clashing with police. The gunmen surrendered to police on July 31. The violence claimed the lives of two police officers. Based on reporting by Kavkaz-uzel.eu and Interfax Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian promised to form a government of "national accord" within months, but vowed it would not include "terrorists and their defenders," in an apparent reference to an armed opposition group that surrendered after a two-week standoff with Yerevan police. Over 1,000 people took to the streets of Yerevan on August 1 to call for leniency for the 20 gunmen, who were arrested this weekend after ending their occupation of a police compound in a confrontation that left two policemen dead. While pledging to form a new, more harmonious government, Sarkisian vowed to keep "terrorists and their defenders" out of it -- words police had used in arresting the gunmen, who had demanded Sarkisian's resignation. Sarkisian said after meeting with civil society representatives, religious leaders, and government officials, that the gunmen "hid their emphatically terrorist actions...under the guise of patriotic calls for social justice." Interfax reported that two opposition Heritage party officials who had worked with the gunmen were arrested on August 1 and charged with organizing and participating in mass disturbances: party spokesman David Sanasarian and deputy chairman Armen Martirosian. Sarkisian vowed that the country would not allow anyone to "undermine the foundation of our state." "Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms," he said. "Yerevan is neither Beirut nor Aleppo." Sarkisian said he has ordered a "thorough investigation, a comprehensive and unbiased examination and an open trial" over the incident. Human Rights Watch on August 1 accused the Armenian police of using "excessive force against peaceful protesters" and said they had "assaulted journalists reporting on the demonstrations" on July 29. RFE/RLs Armenian Service said three of its correspondents reporting on the protest were beaten with batons apparently by plainclothes policemen. Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at the human rights group, told AFP that Armenia's investigation into the assaults on demonstrators "should be swift and thorough." In light of the standoff, Sarkisian said, "One thing is clear, the process of the radical changes in Armenia's social and political life" must be sped up. "Yes, it is true that the Armenian authorities are not perfect. Yes, it is true that there are many problems and complex issues in Armenia. Our goal is to give them a speedy resolution." With reporting by AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax When Belarusian voters go to the polls to elect a new parliament in September, it should come as no surprise to anybody that Aleksandr Lukashenka is planning to fix the vote. That, of course, is par for the course. He does it all the time. But what's different this time around is exactly whom the Belarusian strongman is trying to exclude. According to media reports, Lukashenka is taking steps to assure that no supporters of Vladimir Putin's so-called "Russian World" -- those dreaming of uniting the Russian-speaking parts of the former Soviet Union into a single political entity -- win seats in the new legislature. According to a recent report in Gazeta.ru, he has instructed his administration to draw up criteria for candidates that requires them to be loyal to Belarusian independence. The campaign to keep a Moscow-backed fifth column out of parliament coincides with a slight easing of restrictions on Belarus's pro-Western opposition. There is even speculation that Lukashenka will allow some opposition figures into the legislature in hope that the West will recognize the election. Now if nothing else, Lukashenka is a very skilled gamer. He's flirting with the West, presenting himself as a bulwark against Russia -- but he isn't breaking with Moscow. He's cooperating militarily with Russia, but has made it clear that he would not allow his territory to be used to attack a third country. And despite persistent pressure from the Kremlin, Lukashenka has resisted efforts to open a new Russian military base on Belarusian territory. And as a result, he has made himself indispensable to both Moscow and to the West. Not a bad little trick for Europe's last dictator. Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page. Ukrainians have increasingly woken up to the sound of suicide drones as Russia turns to Iranian-made imports to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Now they may have another deadly Iranian weapon to worry about -- ballistic missiles. Cheap but effective, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 "kamikaze" drones have already made a deadly impact in Ukraine. If U.S. intelligence assessments pan out, Russia will soon be able to supplement its use of Iranian suicide drones and its own cruise and ballistic missiles with powerful short-range Iranian Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles. Coming as the Kremlin is reportedly struggling to maintain its depleted stockpile of aerial weapons as it ramps up strikes, the missiles would potentially boost Russia's ability to continue its costly air campaign. Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East defense specialist at the global intelligence company Janes, said having more missiles gives Russia the ability to sustain the bombardment against Ukraine." Going Ballistic The Fateh-110, which was unveiled in 2001 and has a stated range of 300 to 500 kilometers, was developed from a heavy artillery rocket dating from the 1980s. To increase the weapon's accuracy, the Fateh-110 was given a guidance system and movable fins that allow it to be steered as it approaches its target. The Zolfaghar, which debuted in 2016 and also has guidance capabilities, comes from the same family as the Fateh-110 but boasts a much longer range due to its use of a lighter carbon-fiber airframe and a smaller warhead. Binnie said the Zolfaghar's use against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in eastern Syria confirmed that the missile was capable of reaching at least 650 kilometers, which he said is "a statement of how much the Iranian tactical missile program has really advanced over the years." Iran's claim that the Zolfaghar can travel even farther -- up to 700 kilometers -- would put the western Ukrainian city of Lviv within range of strikes launched from Russian territory, while the more powerful Fateh-110 could potentially hit the city from Belarus, which has served as a staging ground for Russian attacks. While there has been no indication that Russia plans to purchase launching systems from Iran, Binnie suggests that the Russian military could pair the missiles with existing equipment because the Iranian launchers were adapted from a Soviet-era system. "It might be possible for the Russians to quickly adapt some old equipment they have lying around into launch systems," Binnie said. The Iranian military, he added, fitted the Soviet system to trucks, allowing for mobility and concealment. "Those civilian trucks can be covered over to make it hard to spot that they're actually missile launchers," Binnie said. 'Lawnmowers' And 'Mopeds' Iranian military drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have been homing in on targets across Ukraine since late August, according to the United States. The buzzing sound of the Iranian Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones, built with off-the-shelf components, have earned them derisive monikers such as "lawnmowers" and "mopeds." But the slow-moving, low-flying drones, which are maneuvered to crash into their target, have proven themselves capable of hitting their mark both in terms of military effectiveness and cost. It is capable of extracting or delivering attrition and damage when launched, but it costs little compared to other UAVs that Russia has in its own arsenal," said Samuel Bendett of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). Ukraine alleges Russia has ordered 2,400 of the Iranian suicide drones, and its military has claimed to have shot them down in great numbers, often using conventional anti-aircraft guns or even small-arms fire. But their ability to be launched in bunches of five -- often from the cover of civilian trucks -- improves their chances of reaching their target. "The Ukrainians are stopping most of these, but the whole point of these drones is that they fly in a large mass," Bendett said. "The air defense does not always catch all of them. All it takes is for several or even one to make it through." The estimated range of the Shahed-136 varies, but Iran says it is capable of traveling 2,500 kilometers. The slightly smaller and older Shahed-131, which has been used by Huthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi targets in the Arabian Peninsula, has been estimated to have a range of 900 kilometers, according to tests conducted by the Ukrainian military. Ukraine's Defense Ministry has published multiple images of downed Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks, and the Ukrainian National Guard on October 19 claimed to have shot down a Shahed-131. Ukraine has also claimed to have shot down a more advanced Iranian combat UAV, the Mojer-6 drone capable of carrying out both reconnaissance missions and aerial strikes within a range of 200 kilometers. There have also been reports of Russian interest in obtaining Irans Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 combat drones. "When launched from any territory that Russia controls or is allied with -- anywhere from the south, from the Donbas, from Belarus -- they're able to strike a lot of Ukrainian targets," Bendett said. In addition to the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia will soon boost its arsenal with Iranian ballistic missiles, as first reported by The Washington Post on October 16, the White House on October 20 said that Iranians are now "directly engaged on the ground" in Moscows war against Ukraine after sending "a relatively small number" of personnel from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to assist Russian forces in using the Iranian drones. Iran has denied sending combat drones to Russia, and Moscow has rejected claims that it is using Iranian UAVs. Images of downed Iranian drones appear to show that they have been rebranded to look Russian-made, experts say, with the markings in Cyrillic naming them as the Geran-1 (the Shahed-131) and Geran-2 (the Shahed-136). Observers are widely skeptical of Russia's denials, noting that the drones are essentially identical right down to the font of the serial numbers. Even Russian Defense Ministry experts have unwittingly admitted that the suicide drones are Iranian. But the rebranding of the drones to make them appear to be Russian has opened the possibility that Moscow could, if it is not already doing so, seek to manufacture or assemble the Iranian drones on its own territory. Sustaining A Campaign The new aerial weaponry fits well with the Russian military's renewed focus on striking military and civilian targets far from the front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine. The air assault has ratcheted up following the October 8 appointment of Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, a former Aerospace Forces commander, to lead the Russian war effort. Just days after Surovikin's appointment, Russia launched the biggest air strikes since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February. Moscow said the drone and missile strikes, which targeted civilian areas and infrastructure in cities throughout Ukraine, were in response to a bomb blast that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. While the Kremlin has accused Ukraine's intelligence services of carrying out the "terrorist" attack on the Crimea Bridge, Ukraine has denied responsibility. Since the initial air assault in response to the bridge blast, Russia has continued to pound Ukrainian infrastructure, often targeting power plants in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said is a deliberate effort to wear down the Ukrainian people by denying them heat and electricity as winter approaches. "Civilian infrastructure is obviously the new layer in this war. The Ukrainian economy is now the target, the Ukrainian population is now the target," Bendett said. Hard To Stop The hypersonic speed and high trajectory of Iran's Fateh-110s and Zolfaghars, should they arrive, would be extremely difficult for Kyiv to counter without a network of high-tech and costly antimissile batteries it currently does not possess. Ukraine has repeatedly requested more advanced missile-defense systems from the West, and in the face of the threat of the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles reportedly sent an official request to Israel this week for components of its "Iron Dome" system. While the United States has said that it is seeking to expedite the process of sending two U.S. air defense systems known as NASAMS, Washington has appeared reluctant to provide more advanced Patriot missile systems. Janes' defense expert Binnie is skeptical that the delivery of the Patriot system, which has proven to be successful in shooting down ballistic missiles, is realistic for Ukraine. "It's eye wateringly expensive and it's probably not really practical because each [missile] battery only covers one city," he said. "You would never get enough batteries to get the coverage you would want. You just wouldn't be able to find them, produce them, and train enough Ukrainians." Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption in weapons deals amid a renewed political crisis over corruption. The move came after Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri denied corruption charges made in parliament by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi and broadcast on state television on August 1. Obeidi said Jabouri and other legislators had lobbied on behalf of companies and businessmen seeking contracts to sell planes, Hummers, cars, and foodstuff to the army, or to appoint soldiers, officers, and personnel at the ministry. After those charges came out, Abadi directed the Integrity Commission, a government body tasked with fighting corruption, to investigate. Obeidi had been summoned to parliament to respond to allegations of graft in the Defense Ministry, which has been accused of wasting billions of dollars in public funds and weakening the armed forces to the point where they collapsed in 2014 in the face of the Islamic State threat. "What happened today was a charade in order for the questioning not to be held," Jabouri said of Obeidi's accusations. He said he would refrain from chairing parliament until he can clear his name. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has issued a travel ban for several parliamentary officials amid corruption allegations. Abadi's office said on August 2 that he had ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those accused in order "to investigate the validity of the allegations." The move comes after Defense Minister Khalid al-Obaidi accused parliament speaker Salim al-Jaburi and other legislators of being involved in corruption and blackmail to finalize deals worth billions of dollars. Obaidi was summoned to parliament on August 1 to respond to allegations of graft in the Defense Ministry, which has been accused of wasting billions of dollars in public funds. Abadi has faced growing antigovernment protests demanding reform and calling for a fight against rampant corruption. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa Police in the South Kazakhstan region have detained more than 30 local residents to prevent possible ethnic clashes amid ongoing tension between local Tajiks and Kazakhs over an unconfirmed rape case. The South Kazakhstan regional authorities say 34 people were detained on August 2 after unknown assailants burned the door of a local shop in the village of Ghani Muratbaev and set two houses and several cars on fire in the nearby village of Dikhan. On August 1, several local residents in the village of Seifullin, mainly Tajiks, were attacked by Kazakhs amid rumors that a seven-year-old Kazakh girl was raped by a Tajik teenager. Police officials said on August 1 that medical examination of the girl did not confirm that she had been raped. Some 170 police officers have been deployed in the area to prevent possible ethnic clashes. With reporting by Tengrinews Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has appointed Levan Izoria as the country's new defense minister. Kvirikashvili announced on August 1 that Izoria would replace Tinatin Khidasheli, who resigned last week ahead of the October 8 parliamentary elections. Kvirikashvili also said that Ketevan Tsikhelashvili would become the state minister for reconciliation and civic equality, replacing Paata Zakareishvili, who also resigned in order to take part in the elections. Khidasheli and Zakareishvili are members of the Republican Party, which had been a part of the Georgian Dream ruling coalition but which is dropping out of the grouping to run on its own in the parliamentary elections. Izoria said after his appointment that his top priority will be "the continuation of Georgia's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration." Izoria had previously worked as deputy interior minister and head of the Georgian Police Academy. Environment Minister Gigla Agulashvili decided to leave the Republican Party and therefore has been allowed to continue in the Georgian Dream coalition government. Based on reporting by Interfax and Civil Georgia Russia's health minister says there is no threat of an outbreak of anthrax spreading beyond the Yamalo-Nenets region, where it has killed one person and infected at least 20 others. Veronika Skvortsova said on August 2 that the anthrax outbreak was "under control and we hope it soon stabilizes and subsides." Russian officials said the outbreak killed a 12-year-old boy in the region in northwestern Siberia and that 20 more people have been diagnosed with the bacterial disease. Officials in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district said on August 2 that a total of 90 residents were undergoing hospital checks. Skvortsova said the Emergency Situations Ministry had set up 80 tents to organize a camp for those stricken or perhaps at risk because of the outbreak. Other families have been evacuated from the infection hot spot. The outbreak, which officials say was fueled by a heat wave, has killed more than 2,300 reindeer in recent days in the remote region 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, where indigenous nomadic people traditionally herd reindeer. The office of Governor Dmitry Kobylkin said all reindeer in the area had been vaccinated and the deaths had stopped. Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, AP, and the BBC Russian President Vladimir Putin says the world faces the most dangerous decade since World War II and predicted that the historical period of the West's "undivided dominance over world affairs" is coming to an end. Speaking on October 27 at a conference of international policy experts in Moscow, Putin said the decade ahead is "probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important...since the end of World War II." Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Putin laid the blame for the situation at the feet of Western countries, which he said have cast aside the norms of international affairs in order to maintain dominance and hold down countries they see as "second-class civilizations." The Russian leader also said he had no regrets about sending troops into Ukraine and sought to explain the conflict as part of the efforts by Western countries to secure their global domination. Putin claimed in his speech to the Valdai Discussion Club, a think tank, that the West had helped incite the conflict and also seeks to stoke a crisis over Taiwan in an attempt to enforce global dominance. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, triggering the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II and driving relations with Western countries that back Ukraine and its drive to be part of the European Union and NATO to their lowest depths since the Cold War. Putin cast the conflict in Ukraine as a battle between the West and Russia for the fate of the second-largest Eastern Slav country. It is partly a "civil war," he said, as Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Kyiv has flatly rejected both of those ideas. The goal of what Russia refers to as a "special military operation" is to take the eastern Donbas region, Putin said, adding that in his view the region would "not have survived" on its own had Russia not intervened militarily in Ukraine. WATCH: A local official told Russian conscripts "You are not cannon fodder" in a video published online recently. The men responded by angrily shouting that, actually, that's exactly what they are. But the war has gone far beyond the Donbas region, with Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, and other nonmilitary structures, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians across the country. Putin used the speech largely to rail against the West, saying it has nothing to offer to the world "except its own domination," and the goal of globalization "is neocolonialism to dominate the world." He said Russia is only trying to defend its right to exist in the face these Western efforts. Putin also asserted that more and more nations refuse to follow Washington's demands and Russia will never accept the West's attempts to dominate the world. Citing gay pride parades and the acceptance of transgender people in Western countries, Putin also defended "traditional values" and said "nobody can dictate to our people how to develop and what society we should build." He also said Russia has never considered the West an enemy and has many things in common with it but will continue to oppose the diktat of Western neoliberal elites. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Putin's speech presented no new ideas. "We don't believe that Mr. Putin's strategic goals have changed here. He doesn't want Ukraine to exist as a sovereign, independent nation state," Kirby said. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Putin's speech can be described as "for Freud," referring to psychoanalysis founder Sigmund Freud. "The person who invaded a foreign country, annexed its land, and committed genocide accuses others of violating international law and the sovereignty of other countries? One truth: The person who started a wind will get a storm. The storm is coming," he said on Twitter. Answering questions from journalists after his speech, Putin reiterated the Kremlin's assertion that Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory. The claim has been dismissed as false by Ukraine and its allies, who say Russia may have raised the matter because it plans to use such a bomb in Ukraine as a pretext for escalation. "It was me who ordered [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu to inform by phone all his colleagues about it," Putin said, adding that Russia does not need to use dirty bombs in Ukraine. Putin also said he supported plans by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit Ukraine's nuclear power plants for inspections. "It must be done as soon and as openly as possible because we know that Kyiv authorities are now working to cover up such [dirty-bomb attack] preparations," Putin said, without giving any exact information proving the claim. Ukraine invited IAEA inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities after the Kremlin made its unsubstantiated claim about the preparation of a dirty bomb -- which would use the explosion of a conventional warhead to spread radioactive material or chemicals over a wide area. Ukraine said it would welcome inspections because it had "nothing to hide." According to Putin, Russia has never talked about the use of nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine despite his own promise to defend Russian territory with any means at our disposal" and saying his words were "not a bluff." "We see no need for [using nuclear weapons in Ukraine]," Putin told reporters. "There is no sense for that, neither political, nor military." Tajikistan announced it would impose fines of up to $100 on journalists who use complicated words that regular readers don't understand, news agencies reported on August 1. "There are instances of some journalists using up to 10 words that are not understandable to a regular reader, viewer, or listener in their content in a single day. By doing so, they are grossly violating the norms of official language," Gavkhar Sharifzoda, head of the Central Asian nation's terminology committee, told a press conference. "There are rules of writing and requirements for observing the norms of official language that we are all obliged to follow," Sharifzoda said. Individual journalists face fines of $75 to $100, and companies $150 to $200, he said. Tajikistan has previously banned giving babies foreign names as well as the Russian version of Father Christmas. The former Soviet republic ended the use of Russian as an official language in 2009, although Tajik, the official state language, is still written in an adapted form of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. Recently, authorities in the country of eight million have complained about the growing influence on Tajik of Farsi and Dari, which is spoken in Afghanistan. Based on reporting by dpa and AFP ON MY MIND August is a weird month for Kremlin-watchers. It's the month when everybody is supposed to be on vacation and nothing ever happens -- except when it does. Except when there is a foreign invasion (Czechoslovakia, 1968; Georgia, 2008), or an economic meltdown (1998), or an attempted coup (1991). August is either cucumber season or crisis season. And usually you never know which it will be. This year, however, is different. With elections to the State Duma coming in September, which will launch a political season lasting until presidential elections in March 2018, few expect this August to be quiet. The elite -- especially those in the security services -- is jockeying for advantage. Governors are getting arrested. Criminal investigations are targeting former untouchables in the Investigative Committee and the Customs Service. And government shake-ups have begun. Seems we're skipping cucumber season this year. IN THE NEWS According to Russian media reports, some 90 people have been hospitalized in the Yamalo-Nenets district of the Tyumen Oblast due to an anthrax outbreak. The International Olympic Committee, which has barred over 100 Russian athletes from the Summer Games starting in Rio de Janeiro this week, is in an open dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency that recommended a total ban on Russians at the event. The Russian governing bodies for weightlifting and rowing have lodged appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to overturn Olympic bans on their athletes. An explosion in a restaurant in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan has injured at least 23 people, some of whom are reportedly in critical condition. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is demanding unfettered access across eastern Ukraine after one of its monitoring missions there was threatened at gunpoint by Russia-backed separatists. The Kremlin says all five aboard a Russian military helicopter downed in Syria have been killed. A court in Moscow has declined to change the suspended sentence of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny to an actual prison term. WHAT I'M READING Here A Hacker, There A Hacker Andrei Soldatov, co-author of Red Web, has a piece in Foreign Affairs explaining how Russian hacking operations work. "What we see now is the worlds most entertaining crowdsourcing effort: teams and individuals all over the world are working on hacking the Kremlins hackers," Soldatov writes. "And that is hardly what Putin expected." Games Siloviki Play In Intersection magazine, political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya explains (in English and Russian) where the rivalries and battle lines are in the current conflict among Russia's security services. The "security services in Russia have been fundamentally shaken in recent months. New structures have emerged, influential figures have disappeared into thin air or have been handed promotions. Others are less fortunate -- their subordinates get arrested. It seems that 'World War II' has broken out among the siloviki," Stanovaya writes. A Memorable Honey Trap Writing in The Daily Beast, Michael Weiss looks back at an elaborate honey trap the Soviets launched in 1956 against the French ambassador to Moscow Maurice Dejean. "The operation involved over 100 officers and agents of the KGB including, incognito, the head of the Second Chief Directorate, the branch responsible for domestic surveillance and the monitoring or recruitment of foreigners inside the Soviet Union," Weiss writes. "Celebrated Russian writers, actresses, painters, and intellectuals, and not a few prostitutes were conscripted for this mission of interlocking plots and subplots, featuring Dejeans wife and the wives of others. Even Premier Nikita Khrushchev played a role in snaring the high-value mark he himself ordered snared. It was a mission of entrapment that repeatedly risked coming undone and likely would have but for the cosmic surety of French womanizing." Moscow And Minsk The Belarus Digest has a new report by Ryhor Astapenia on the state of Russian-Belarusian relations in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. "Since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict began, the Kremlin has persistently tried to expand its control over Belarus, a process that has had quite the opposite effect as Belarusian government policy became more independent in 2014-2015," Astapenia writes. Russia's Stalled Economy Bloomberg has a piece on the debate in the Kremlin over how to get Russia's stalled economy moving again. "After focusing almost exclusively on foreign policy since early 2014, the need to get the economy back into gear is forcing the Russian president to face a painful choice: bow to the demands of the markets or protect his Kremlin-centered system," according to the report. The Limits Of Kremlinology Mark Galeotti has a piece in OpenDemocracy on the perils of Kremlinology 2.0. "Precisely because the inner workings of the Putin regime are so opaque, especially when issues of personal gain and private rivalry are played out through the medium of state action, it is very hard to get solid intelligence on what is happening," Galeotti writes. "We rely on snippets of information that could mean much or little, and which we tend to interpret in such a way that fits our assumptions and expectations. One analysts 'cleansing' is anothers 'crackdown.' We rely on sources who in fact may well know no more than us." A Coup-Proof Military? And in the War on the Rocks blog, Galeotti has a post on "what Turkey can learn from Russia about coup proofing the military." 1990s Redux MIkhail Khodorkovsky's Open Wall portal has a post looking at the organized crime figures connected to last month's raid by the FSB on the Investigative Committee and and arguing that Putin's Russia is looking more and more like the wild '90s. Is TurkStream A Paper Tiger? Reuters has a report looking at the revival of the TurkStream gas pipeline, which has EU officials concerned. "Declarations by Russia and Turkey last week reviving plans for the TurkStream natural gas pipeline linking the two have worried EU diplomats who see it strengthening Moscow's hand -- but analysts say the project is more rhetoric than reality," according to the report. Putin And Erdogan Grigory Golosov, a political science professor at the European University of St. Petersburg, has a piece in Slon.ru looking at how Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are similar -- and how they are different. Nadia Savchenko, the Ukrainian military officer who spent nearly two years in a Russian jail, says she is going on hunger strike for Ukraine's prisoners of war. "I am again declaring a hunger strike against the inaction of government officials of the whole world on the question of the release of Ukrainians from captivity," Savchenko, who was elected to parliament while in prison, said in Kyiv on August 2. "I will keep the hunger strike until the day of a positive result." Savchenko, a helicopter navigator, was captured in June 2014, and a Russian court handed her a 22-year prison sentence after finding her guilty of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists covering the Ukraine conflict. She went on multiple hunger strikes while in custody. Freed in May as part of a prisoner swap, she has regularly called for further prisoner exchanges and direct peace talks with Russia-backed separatists. "What have their patriotic slogans and deceitful actions brought to us? And what has [Ukraine's eastern region of] Donbas gained from this politicized war and from Russia?" Savchenko asked on August 2. "Death, ruins, plundering by Russian combatants, and the rise of its own [local] unscrupulous oligarchs." More than 9,400 people have been killed since hostilities erupted in Ukraines east in April 2014. The United Nations criticized Iraq's move to fast-track death sentences handed out by the country's courts. "Given the weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system, I am gravely concerned that innocent people have been and may continue to be convicted and executed, resulting in gross, irreversible miscarriages of justice," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. The UN has found "a consistent failure to respect due process and fair trial standards, including a reliance on torture to extract confessions" in Iraq, he said. "Fast-tracking executions will only accelerate injustice." Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi created a committee last month to accelerate executions amid growing criticism for the lack of security in Baghdad. An Islamic State group bombing in a busy shopping district in downtown Baghdad killed over 300 people on July 3. After the bombing, Iraq executed five prisoners on death row. Hussein said he understood how such attacks "stoke the fires of vengeance... But vengeance is not justice." Amnesty International says Iraq regularly ranks among the top five countries in the world for executions and so far in 2016, it has executed at least 105 people. Based on reporting by AP and AFP 11 An Afghan police officer secures the road leading to a Kabul guesthouse frequented by foreigners that came under attack by the Taliban. Police said one attacker died when his vehicle detonated and two other militants were killed by police in a gunbattle. One police officer was also killed. (epa/Hedayatullah Amid) A late-night struggle in Richmonds Midlothian Village Apartments on Oct. 15 could easily have led to the death of a suspect, a police officer or a bystander. A Richmond detective battled to the floor with Sequan R. Epps, a man spotted with a bulge under his jacket who resisted a pat-down search and who turned out to be a convicted felon with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and a 27-round clip tucked in his pants. The confrontation ended quietly Monday morning in the seventh-floor courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer, where Epps, 27, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, a stiffer term than the two years authorities believe he would have received in a city court. Epps lawyer suggested he was carrying a weapon to protect himself, his girlfriend and her 3-year-old daughter in their apartment in high-crime Midlothian Village. Richmonds current wave of homicides and cases such as Epps raise questions about the state of Richmonds Project Exile, a widely hailed and copied program credited with cutting Richmonds violent crime nearly two decades ago by shipping firearm violators to far-off federal prisons. Just five years ago, when James Comey, a former federal prosecutor in Richmond, was appointed as FBI director, Exile was one of his oft-cited accomplishments. Exiles champions have included former mayor and now U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine. Definitive numbers were not available, but figures available from the U.S. Sentencing Commission indicate that the number of people prosecuted for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Virginia, which also includes Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, has steadily declined since 2006. Last year, just a third as many people were sentenced district-wide in cases where the firearms charge was the most serious offense as in 2006. Last years total was the lowest since Project Exile began in 1997. Now the number of homicides in Richmond is sharply rising 31 thus far this year and all but seven from gunfire. If murders continue at that pace, the city would have more homicides than in any year since 2006. *** The efficacy of Project Exile has been questioned in studies, and the current rise in murders and drop in firearms prosecutions could be a coincidence. The Richmond and Washington offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not respond to questions about Project Exile last week. Asked if the program was still operating, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorneys office said, We are declining to comment on any Project Exile-related request. Erik Smith, an assistant Richmond commonwealths attorney, said that every two weeks, representatives of his office, the U.S. attorneys office, the Richmond police and the BATF still meet to discuss firearms cases to determine which defendants can have the most positive impact if taken off the street and where such defendants can be most effectively prosecuted, in federal or city court. However, Smith, who has been handling the firearms cases for almost four years, said that fewer cases are being taken by the federal authorities. He said participants still refer to them as exile meetings. But, he said, I think officially Project Exile, as Project Exile, doesnt exist. Were still doing everything the same way, just not as much. The U.S. attorneys office, I think, has changed their focus, Smith said. As recently as November 2013 a publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Project Exile: Still the Model for Firearms Crime Reduction Strategies, crowed that: Project Exile was, by most accounts, one of the most successful violent crime reduction strategies in the United States. But in a May 2015 program profile, The National Institute of Justices Office of Justice Programs listed Project Exile as Not Active. A major part of the Exile program was a massive publicity effort including billboards and advertising on buses that warned firearm violators they would be leaving home for a long time if caught carrying. The project was prompted by Richmonds homicide epidemic of the 1990s. The city, with 200,000 residents, had one of the highest per capita rates in the U.S., peaking in 1994 with 160 homicides. In 1997, when Project Exile began, there were 140 homicides in Richmond. Comparing the first 10 months of 1998 with the same period in 1997, homicides in Richmond were down 36 percent and those committed by firearms down 41 percent, and Project Exile was given a lot of the credit. By 2010, authorities said more than 1,300 people convicted of firearms charges in Richmonds U.S. District Court were sentenced to a combined 8,000 years in federal prisons under Project Exile. Figures for Richmond alone were not available, but the United States Sentencing Commission records show the number of people prosecuted in Virginias Eastern District peaked in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 at 315 and 308, respectively. Those figures do not include people sentenced for gun crimes who were also sentenced for more serious crimes at the same time. From 2006 to 2008, the number of homicides in the city dropped from 81 to 32 and have stayed in the upper 30s and lower 40s since. Some studies have questioned how much Project Exile had to do with the drop in homicides in Richmond. In 2002, the Brookings Institution found that the decrease in gun homicide rates after the implementation of Project Exile was not unusual and would have been likely to occur without it. The study examined gun homicides in Richmond and other East Coast cities from 1990 through 1999 and made two findings: that cities with the highest homicide rates during the mid-1990s experienced the largest decreases later in the decade; and that cities with the largest homicide rate increases in the 1980s and early 1990s also experienced the largest decreases during the late 1990s. Many city, state and federal authorities strongly disagreed. Among them was Kaine, who in 2002 was Virginias lieutenant governor and a former city mayor. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that, We have said all along, and I would be the first to admit, the drop in crime in Richmond has some causes other than Project Exile. But, he added, People would carry a gun around like they were putting a wristwatch on. And then, if they got in an argument, it wouldnt be fists, he said, arguing that Project Exile deterred many from carrying guns. U.S. District judge Henry E. Hudson, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, agrees. I think its had a deterring effect, Hudson said last week. When you realize youre facing a mandatory-minimum sentence for using a firearm, I think that many people have second thoughts. Obviously no program is going to have a totally deterrent effect, but I think it does dissuade a lot of people from using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime because the consequences can be harsh, Hudson said. This is a very strong deterrent, I think, he said of Project Exile. *** Virginia has enacted some tough gun-violation punishments in recent decades, but the federal penalties are particularly harsh. For example, the use, carrying or possessing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug felony or federal crime of violence results in a minimum of 5 years added to whatever other sentence is imposed up to life. Smith said, Sequan Epps was obviously a person of interest to a lot of different law enforcement agencies, and he was looking at a much stiffer sentence with the federal authorities than he would be with us. In court papers the U.S. attorneys office said that Richmond police detective Kenneth Custer and officer Carrie Griffith were in the Midlothian Village Apartments, an area known for violence and drug dealing, that night to assist in the foot pursuit of a suspect. The apartment complex has a no-trespassing policy. With the pursuit over, Epps, who was not known to the officers, was spotted in a breezeway. Asked for identification, Epps said he did not have any. Epps, said police, appeared nervous and kept knocking on an apartment door. Custer spotted a bulge protruding from underneath Epps jacket near his waist. Custer told Epps he was going to pat him down and when his hands reached Epps waist the detective felt the weapon and told Griffith, gun. Just then, the apartment door opened and Epps attempted to rush inside. The two men fell to the floor and Epps began yelling, I have a gun asking his girlfriend to help him. The two continued struggling while Griffith attempted to place handcuffs on Epps, who was eventually subdued. Countering the notion that Epps was armed for protection, Devon Humphreys, a federal prosecutor, pointed out to Spencer on Monday that the clip for the handgun held 27 bullets and that Epps had resisted arrest when he was arrested for a drug crime years earlier. Just prior to sentencing Monday, Mary Maguire, his lawyer, told Spencer that Epps only had one prior felony conviction, the drug charge, when he was 20 years old. This is probably the most tragic childhood that Ive seen in a long time, she said of Epps background. Among other things, he witnessed a great deal of violence including the murder of his father when he was 13 years old. In a sentencing memorandum, she listed a half dozen recent headlines from The Times-Dispatch about shootings and slayings at Midlothian Village. In fact, on the day Mr. Epps was arrested by police, they were present at the Midlothian Village Apartments because of a report of a shooting, she wrote. Spencer sentenced Epps at the low end of the federal sentencing guideline range. He told Epps that his background likely had an impact on his conduct, but that that was no excuse. Youve got to make better choices. If you dont, youll wind up here again, warned the judge. Chesterfield County police are searching for a man who robbed the Shell station at the entrance of the Shoppes at Bellgrade late Monday. About 11:20 p.m., a black man about 30 years old who was wearing a black shirt, black shorts and a dark article of clothing over the bottom half of his face entered the Shell station in the 11400 block of Huguenot Road and demanded money from the clerk, Chesterfield police said. The man left with an undetermined amount of cash. No weapon was displayed during the robbery, but the man implied he had a gun, police said. Anyone with information should contact the Chesterfield County Police Department at (804) 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660 or www.crimesolvers.net. Lawyers for former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell are asking the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate her corruption convictions in light of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision tossing out Bob McDonnells convictions. The justices ruled on June 27 that the jury received erroneous instructions, holding that the definition of official act should be narrower. The high court told the Richmond-based appeals court to determine if under the new definition the evidence was still sufficient for a jury to convict McDonnell. If so, it will be up to the U.S. attorneys office to decide if it wishes to prosecute again. If the appeals court decides there is not enough evidence, it is to dismiss the charges against McDonnell. The instructional errors identified in Robert F. McDonnells case also apply to Maureen G. McDonnells case, and her convictions should therefore be vacated, wrote her lawyers in a brief motion filed Monday. Bob and Maureen McDonnell were convicted of 11 and nine corruption charges respectively in 2014 in a scheme in which official acts were performed in exchange for $177,000 in gifts and loans from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who was CEO of Star Scientific at the time. The U.S. attorneys office and Bob McDonnells lawyers won an order from the appeals court that it hold off taking any actions in the case for 30 days so that both sides can analyze the ruling and discuss their next steps. The appeals court gave both sides until Aug. 29 to file a proposed briefing schedule or a joint status report. Maureen McDonnells lawyers made the same request Monday, asking to hold the case in abeyance until Aug. 29 for a briefing schedule or to submit a joint resolution to this case. The U.S. attorneys office does not oppose the motion, said Maureen McDonnells lawyers. Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and expert on the 4th Circuit, said it is possible the sides are negotiating some type of settlement. Two state senators want the University of Virginia to freeze tuition while they sort out how the university was able to convert surplus revenue into a $2.3 billion investment fund. In a letter to university Rector William H. Goodwin Jr., state Sens. J. Chapman Chap Petersen and Scott A. Surovell, both Democrats, called for a moratorium on tuition increases, effective Jan. 1, while a plan is devised to appropriately reduce the unauthorized surplus of public funds. But the university maintains it only leveraged investment authority granted by the General Assembly in 2006 to create the now slightly devalued fund because of market fluctuations, the value is $2.2 billion. Patrick D. Hogan, U.Va.s executive vice president and chief operating officer, sent a detailed response Monday to earlier requests from 13 delegates and senators for information on how the Strategic Investment Fund was created. The university has never harbored either a desire or a need to withhold information, Hogans response says. To the contrary, the university views the fund as a significant accomplishment of which it is justifiably and publicly proud. According to the university, the fund does not include any state general funds or tuition revenue and consists solely of health system revenues, investment returns, philanthropy, operating reserves and auxiliary revenue. U.Va. says the fund will generate as much as $100 million annually to be used on initiatives to enhance the quality of programs and access for students. However, an increasing number of state lawmakers are challenging the premise of the fund and questioning why it wasnt used to lower costs for students directly. A letter to the board of visitors Monday, signed by eight legislators from western districts, said that $2.3 billion is an extraordinary amount of money that seems to have magically appeared out of nowhere. To put this in real-life terms, this years approved budget for Wise County is just shy of $56 million, Blacksburgs town budget is about $31.5 million and Wytheville has committed itself to a $22.3 million budget. At the same time, Martinsville, one of Virginias most economically strapped communities, can barely keep its municipal head above water, their letter stated. U.Va. spokesman Anthony P. de Bruyn said the university would have no additional comment beyond its official response to the legislative inquiry. Hogans letter addressing the initial inquiry from legislators is accompanied by what he describes as a significant volume of information about the funds creation, plus the release of an op/ed column by Goodwin. The fund, Goodwin writes, is anything but a so-called slush fund, as it recently has been mischaracterized. That makes for catchy headlines, but it is false and irresponsible. Goodwins column appears in todays Richmond Times-Dispatch on Page A11, as does a response from Helen Dragas, known for her unsuccessful attempt to remove President Teresa A. Sullivan in 2012 during her term as rector. Dragas spawned the investment fund controversy with a column she wrote last month for The Washington Post, after her second term on the board of visitors expired June 30. She accused the university of financing programs to enhance its national reputation rather than reducing costs for Virginia students. And she said board members were unaware of the source of the surplus when they approved the investment fund in February. Emails released this week by the university under the state Freedom of Information Act show wordsmithing among board members and senior administrators in how the fund would be described. In a June 2 email, Goodwin tells Hogan to emphasize that these funds are to enhance the university to a level beyond what it is now, not to maintain it. The emails and other documents were released to the lawmakers and to The Times-Dispatch under FOIA. In its response to lawmakers, the university points out that it was granted authority in 2006 by the state to invest endowment funds, endowment income and gifts in derivatives, options and securities. According to the university, a new liquidity policy approved by the board in November 2015 permitted the establishment of bank operating lines of credit. That enabled U.Va. to transfer about $480 million of operating cash for investment with the University of Virginia Investment Management Co. in early 2016. UVIMCO manages endowment funds for U.Va. and its related foundations. Its current value is $7.9 billion, according to the university, including the $2.2 billion Strategic Investment Fund. Previously, the resources that now make up the investment fund existed separately within the universitys accounting system. No strategic investments have yet been made from the fund. The inaugural grant recipients are to be announced in the fall and will require board approval. Hogans response counters allegations that the fund was created in secret. The fund sources all were included on the universitys balance sheet and are subjected to an annual state audit. Virginia undergraduates will pay an average of $545 more in tuition and all mandatory fees to attend a four-year public university this academic year, and even less if the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia are excluded. Community college students will be charged an additional $112, while students at Richard Bland College, the states only junior college, will pay $219 more. In its annual report to the General Assembly on Monday, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia found only a moderate rise in college costs, the result of additional state funding in exchange for lower increases in tuition and fees. The states reinvestment in higher education additional funds for both operations and financial aid made possible the lowest increases in 15 years for most students, said Dan Hix, SCHEVs finance policy director. Those things combined make it a very good time to be a student in the commonwealth, Hix said. The variable rate structures charged by W&M and U.Va. complicate averages, but 97 percent of in-state undergraduate students will see tuition increases of 3 percent or less, he said. With mandatory fees, the average increase for two- and four-year institutions is $369, or 3.6 percent, excluding W&M and U.Va. But the overall cost increase including room and board is $852 at the 15 four-year schools, ranging from a total charge of $18,228 at Norfolk State University to a high of $32,616 at W&M for the 2016-17 academic year. W&M also has the highest charge for tuition and all mandatory fees at $21,234, the amount to be paid by first-year and transfer students. Second-highest is Virginia Military Institute at $17,492. U.Va. will charge $15,714; Virginia Commonwealth University, $13,130; Christopher Newport University, $13,054; and Virginia Tech, $12,852. Those charges include mandatory fees used for instructional costs, which are referred to as education and general, or E&G, fees. But not all mandatory fees are for educational purposes, and they represent about a third of those costs. The non-E&G fees at four-year schools will average $3,960 to cover charges for auxiliary expenses such as athletics, parking, health services and recreation. Thats $178 more than last year, a 4.7 percent increase. The state provides no general fund revenue to support auxiliary functions and limits the permissible increase in these fees to no more than 5 percent annually unless an exception is granted. Lawmakers are taking a hard look at factors underlying escalating college costs, including a two-year study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. As a result, SCHEVs annual report categorizes non-E&G fees for the first time based on program type, in addition to including each institutions classifications. Non-E&G fees range from $1,911 at Virginia Tech to $9,031 at VMI, but such differences reflect the ability to cut costs through a larger enrollment, Hix said, as well as the individuality in our institutions. VMI, for example, includes $2,522 for unique military activities, he said, things like haircuts. You dont see that at any other institution. VMI charges $264 for the barbershop, $383 for the laundry, and $3,243 for athletics. The SCHEV report notes that the infusion of additional state dollars lowered the projected increase by 3 percentage points. Based on the schools six-year plans, the average planned increase was 7.6 percent. The actual average increase for tuition and all mandatory fees is 4.6 percent for two- and four-year institutions, with the average weighted to reflect the variable charges at W&M and U.Va. Despite the bright spots in the report, one troubling trend still holds: In-state students will pay more than half the cost of their education despite an official state tuition policy that puts their share at 33 percent and the states share at 67 percent. According to SCHEV, if the policy goal were to be reached, average tuition would drop by as much as $2,500. But it would take more than $600 million in additional state revenue to reach the cost-share formula. Other findings: A humble and appreciative Tim Kaine returned to Richmond on Monday to say a heartfelt thank you to the people who had helped him rise from a young city councilman to the Democratic nominee for vice president of the United States. But Kaine, who appeared at Huguenot High School with his wife, Anne Holton, was also saying goodbye goodbye to the city and the life he once knew, which may never be the same. Now that he is potentially a heartbeat away from the presidency, Kaine is, for practical purposes, further away from the Richmond life that, even as a U.S. senator, allowed him to be just Tim at weekly breakfast with friends at the City Diner, at a North Side microbrewery on a Friday night, or just driving his black Volkswagen Passat around town, or to the Blue Ridge for a camping trip with his family. When he went to pick up his dry cleaning Monday morning, a Secret Service detail went with him. Kaine said that on Sunday, when he and his wife entered their Secret Service-protected home on Confederate Avenue after a whirlwind week on the road at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, then on a campaign bus tour with Bill and Hillary Clinton through Pennsylvania and Ohio Holton burst into tears. Fatigue? I think that was part of it, Kaine told the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond Free-Press in a joint interview after his speech Monday. And happiness but also a feeling that things have changed. We love our neighborhood so much we dont want to inconvenience our neighbors, he added. (Anne) was more about whether our neighbors would be inconvenienced. So it is at a different level, he continued. Im not sure Im going to be spending too many free hours there. Kaine, speaking in a glass-enclosed classroom down the hall from the gymnasium where he had spoken, said the transition to presidential politics as a candidate is pretty intense, even for someone who has campaigned for presidential candidates in the past. As he chatted, a small army of Secret Service agents waited in the hallway, along with two staff members from his Senate days and a complement of Clinton handlers. I give this speech Wednesday night, then Twitter starts making fun of me like Im the dorky dad, he said, smiling and shaking his head. The fact that that just became a thing who would have believed it? ... But there are also wonderful things, such as being on the bus with Bill and Hillary Clinton schlepping through Pennsylvania and Ohio. ... It was like getting a Ph.D. in politics in 2 days, he said. Elvis Costello was among the artists played on the bus sound system and, upon request, Kaine whipped out his harmonica to play along with the Old Crow Medicine Show song Wagon Wheel. They pushed me to play and I didnt want to disappoint, so I played and disappointed, he joked. On Tuesday morning, Kaine boarded a chartered campaign jet at Richmond International Airport for campaign stops in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He flies to Greensboro, N.C., today and then to Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday. Kaine said he usually knows his schedule 48 hours to a week in advance, but the rest is up in the air and under the control of the tightly managed Clinton campaign. Still, he thinks he will be spending a decent amount of time in Virginia, where Clinton also has the support of the states most powerful elected leaders including Gov. Terry McAuliffe, fellow U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and longtime Rep. Robert C. Bobby Scott. We have a lot of assets but I do know this the Clinton team views Virginia as absolutely critical, Kaine said, adding that the state has moved into the top four of battleground states, along with Ohio, Florida and Colorado. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Republican nominee Donald Trump was in Loudoun County on Tuesday. GOP vice presidential nominee and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will speak in Virginia Beach on Thursday. Kaine and Pence will meet in Virginia on Oct. 4 for the election cycles lone vice presidential debate, which will be held in Farmville at Longwood University. The senator said he has not met Pence, but said the Indiana governor called him after he was named to the Democratic ticket. The debate will not be about Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, but about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, said Kaine. He said Virginia has a checkmate quality to it meaning that he believes Democrats can reach the required 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency without Virginia, but if a Republican doesnt get Virginia, then it makes the path very difficult. The Clinton campaign, Kaine said, is very focused on Virginia. So I know Ill be here a lot. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, turned backlash from Donald Trumps curt remarks about the parents of a Muslim-American Bronze Star recipient into an attack on Hillary Clinton. Garrett, who is running for the 5th Congressional District seat, answered questions Monday after Khizr Khan, of Charlottesville, rebuked Trump and his proposed ban on Muslim immigration at the Democratic National Convention last week. Trump responded, sending a reverberation through the weekend news cycle. Garrett, a military veteran facing former Albemarle County Supervisor Jane Dittmar in the district that includes the city of Charlottesville and Campbell, Nelson and Appomattox counties and part of Bedford County, said he wished his party standard-bearer and presidential nominee had struck another chord. Garrett supports Trumps proposed ban on immigration from Muslim countries with ongoing conflicts involving terrorism. I wish the tone of the rhetoric had been different, Garrett said. He equated Trumps statement to those Clinton made to Fox News on Sunday responding to a speech made at the Republican National Convention by a mother whose son died in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. Garrett pivoted to fire at Clinton for her handling of attacks on the diplomatic compound. Shes worse, and oh by the way, she has blood on her hands. You cant say that about Trump, he said. Upon being asked to respond to Garrett over the phone, Dittmar referred to a statement made Monday by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a veteran and prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict. The statement said although Trump won the party nomination, his treatment of the Khans does not reflect the partys ideals or its candidates. Theres tone and then there are words. [Trumps] words were as reprehensible as his tone, but Im not going to split hairs with my opponent. If hes condemned what Trump has done, then certainly he deserves to be in that group of candidates that John McCain was talking about, Dittmar said. Khan rose to national prominence last week after removing his handheld copy of the U.S. Constitution from inside his jacket and offering it to Trump through broadcast cameras. In a passionate speech, he said he doubted Trump had ever read the Constitution and urged the candidate to look for the words liberty and equal protection of law. You have sacrificed nothing and no one, Khan said in the speech. His son, Humayun Khan, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2000 before becoming an Army captain and serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving in Iraq in 2004, Humayun Khan approached a suspicious vehicle nearing his base, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. After he moved toward the vehicle, it exploded and Khan was killed. He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Trump responded when asked by ABC This Week, and suggested Clintons campaign wrote Khizr Khans speech. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, Trump said to host George Stephanopoulos. I think theyre sacrifices. I think when I can employ thousands and thousands of people, take care of their education, take care of so many things. Trump also implied that Khans wife, Ghazala, stood silently during the speech last week because she had nothing to say or because maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. Khizr Khan then called for Republican leaders to denounce Trump after Trump made those statements. On Monday, Garrett didnt defend Trumps qualifications for the office, but repeated criticism on Clintons handling of a September 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. Four people died in the attack. He said that while Trump hurt somebodys feelings, Clinton is unfit for the office because she didnt lift a finger and she said it didnt matter that four Americans died. I think Mr. Trump is an echelon above Hillary Clinton, Garrett said. Dittmar responded to Garretts statement on Benghazi, saying, this is creating theater out of a tragedy and that the congressional committee report and investigation led by Republicans yielded nothing to condemn Clinton. Dittmar, who lives in the Charlottesville area, said she plans to reach out to the Khans at the appropriate time but that she has not yet met the family. I continue to be surprised by what he says, Dittmar said about Trump. Youd think after a year of this, I wouldnt be. That one was another one that blew me away. I was hoping after that heart-wrenching presentation by Mr. Khan, that this wouldnt take on a political life of its own. I dont think we should create political theater out of anguish. Two state senators Tuesday urged the University of Virginia to freeze tuition while they sort out how the university was able to convert surplus revenue into a $2.3 billion investment fund. Meanwhile, eight legislators from Southwest Virginia are going further: urging the university to roll back already approved tuition increases. In a letter to university Rector Bill Goodwin, Sens. Chap Petersen and Scott Surovell, both Democrats from Fairfax, called for a moratorium on tuition increases, effective Jan. 1, while a plan is devised to appropriately reduce the unauthorized surplus of public funds. But the university maintains it only leveraged investment authority granted by the General Assembly in 2006 to create the fund, which is now being challenged by an increasing number of state lawmakers. Patrick Hogan, UVa executive vice president and chief operating officer, sent a detailed response Monday to earlier requests from 13 delegates and senators for information on how the Strategic Investment Fund was created. According to the university response, the fund does not include any state general funds or tuition revenue and consists solely of health system revenues, investment returns, philanthropy, operating reserves and auxiliary revenue. However, the legislators immediately responded with more questions. A letter to the board of visitors signed by eight Republican legislators from Southwest Virginia said that $2.3 billion is an extraordinary amount of money that seems to have magically appeared out of nowhere. Because of market fluctuations, the funds value is now $2.2 billion, according to the university. Hogans letter to the legislators is accompanied by what he describes as a significant volume of information about the funds creation and an opinion column by Goodwin. The fund, Goodwin writes, is anything but a so-called slush fund, as it recently has been mischaracterized. That makes for catchy headlines, but it is false and irresponsible. Goodwins column, published Tuesday in The Roanoke Times, is a response to Helen Dragas, known for her unsuccessful attempt to remove President Teresa A. Sullivan in 2012 while Dragas was rector. The Southwest Virginia legislators Dels. Terry Kilgore of Scott, Will Morefield of Tazewell, Todd Pillion of Abingdon, Israel OQuinn of Bristol, and Jeff Campbell of Marion, and Sens. Bill Stanley of Franklin, Ben Chafin of Russell and Bill Carrico of Grayson call on the UVa Board of Visitors to immediately roll back already-approved tuition increases or tell us in plain English why that cant happen, and do so in a very public and expeditious manner. To put this in real-life terms, this years approved budget for Wise County is just shy of $56 million, Blacksburgs town budget is about $31.5 million and Wytheville has committed itself to a $22.3 million budget. At the same time, Martinsville, one of Virginias most economically strapped communities, can barely keep its municipal head above water, the eight legislators wrote. Given these realities, we hope you will have a keener appreciation for why legislators of every stripe are appalled at the idea of spending $50 million for yoga and meditation programs. Dragas spawned the controversy with a column she wrote for the Washington Post after her second term on the board of visitors expired June 30. She accused the university of financing programs to enhance its national reputation rather than lowering costs for Virginia students. And she says board members were unaware of the source of the surplus when they approved the investment fund in February. Dragas: A modest proposal for UVa By now, many Virginians are aware of an excess $2.3 billion at UVa thats been called a slu Emails released this week by the university under the state Freedom of Information Act show wordsmithing among board members and senior administrators as to how the fund would be described. In a June 2 email, Goodwin tells Hogan to emphasize that these funds are to enhance the university to a level beyond what it is now, not to maintain it. The documents released to the lawmakers and to the Times-Dispatch under FOIA say the university was granted authority in 2006 by the state to invest endowment funds and income, and gifts in derivatives, options and securities. According to the university, a new liquidity policy approved by the board in November 2015 permitted the establishment of bank operating lines of credit. That enabled UVa to transfer about $480 million of operating cash for investment with UVIMCO in early 2016. Average college tuition increases held in check, state says Virginia undergraduates will pay an average of $545 more in tuition and all mandatory fees to attend a four-year public university this academic year, and even less if the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia are excluded. UVIMCO is the University of Virginia Investment Management Co., which manages U.Va.s $7.5 billion endowment. Before the funds establishment, the resources that now make up the Strategic Investment Fund existed separately within the universitys accounting system. The Roanoke Times contributed to this report. Chilcot confirms what millions of us knew in 2003, the case for war had not been made. It was an unnecessary and illegal conflict, launched on the basis of flawed intelligence, secret diplomacy and with no sound legal basis. It was done on a web of lies to mislead the public. Blair should be put on trial. Its a disgrace that some MPs that voted for the illegal war refuse to apologise. They have destroyed Iraq to a rubble. Ex-squaddies have been demonised for being critical of the illegal war or inferior kit/resources and how they were treated when they were forced out. It has highlighted the sheer lack of oversight, scrutiny and judgement by MPs and failure to listen. They knew best. Not. They swallowed Campbells dodgy dossier. It has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and made both the Middle East and the wider world much less secure. Our thoughts must be with those who lost loved ones, and with the people now living in the abysmal insecurity that followed this war. It is long past time that those responsible are held to account. Blair and all those that voted for the illegal war on a false premise were not prepared to listen to the counsel of others such as Kofi Annan, Hans Blix, Professor Kelly and the late Foreign Secretary Robyn Cooke. They failed to listen to the millions who marched to Stop the War in London and across the UK. As a result, the Iraq war has made the world a more unsafer world. Corbyn was opposed to the war like most of the public. However, unlike Cameron, he stood up and apologised for Iraq for what was a statesman-like speech. MPs have been strangely silent. Blair, Dodgy Campbell and their pals are still in denial mode. Cameron never apologised nor those MPs on both sides who voted for the war not to mention the lack of planning and appalling exit strategy. They had refused to listen and voted against the public and our values. The common denominator with Iraq and the Labour MPs coup against their elected leader is that ALL those who voted for Iraq, welfare cuts and student fees all backed the coup! They are the problem. Tom Watson was again attempting to hoodwink and mislead Labour members and electors and trade unionists, Watson has put the final nail into his own coffin for his macaevelia. He went to Glastonbury in the outset, to appear to be off the radar. Its now believed he was up to his neck, not in the mud BUT coordinating the MP rebels treachery! Labour is being run like a posh boys debating society to defend the status quo. They are so dysfunctional that Jeremy Kyle has turned them down for his show! On Saturday, Corbyn spoke at the Durham Miners Gala. Those MPs that had took part in the treachery were rightly refused entry as it was an attack on our class and movement. It was refreshing to have a genuine Labour leader talking about the very issues that for too long New Labour and Tories have airbrushed away. It was an awesome speech. (It can be viewed on you tube.) The rabble of plotting MPs now resemble the grand old duke of Yorkmarooned at the top of the hill with the members at the bottom telling the MPs...not in our name. The MPs involved have lost the plot and made themselves look very silly! They are too pre-occupied with backstabbing and being wreckers. Why have they pressed the self-destruct button? Its reckless and futile. We now have a stranded eagle! Corbyn has grown the party over four times because he offers real Labour policies not Tory lite. Why are they failing to stand up for the electorate and fight the Tories? Why are they content to support the Tories welfare cuts, rather than deal with the brutal issues caused by austerity? The plotters, snipers and those involved in the coup were offered an olive branch to come back into the fold and work together. Instead they sabotaged talks with our movement and turned their bottom lip up like spoilt brats.so used to getting their own way! MPs now have a stark but clear choice as the wreckers. 1. Some may listen to members and get back in line, roll their sleeves up and do their jobs. Show loyalty and fight the Tories? 2. Stand for immediate re-election and get a fresh mandate? 3. Resign so we can select Labour MPs to fight the Tories and their policies. 4. Defect to Tories or UKIP? Ged Dempsey: Denman Road, Wath upon Dearne The Indian gems & jewellery sector is on a massive preparation mode at present, as the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) 2016 the mother of all Shows, is just round the corner. It is here that the gems and jewellery manufacturers invest in all it takes to exhibit their best innovation, crafted exclusive jewellery, especially for the show. While the Indian industry looks forward to a successful show, all efforts are being consolidated to show the world what India has to offer. Meanwhile, barring a couple of months of jewellers strike crippling the market, the Indian domestic sector has been a supportive sustenance for the gem & jewellery sector. The many festivals in India kept the pace of the business constant with good demand, both for loose polished stones as well as finished jewellery. Jewellery per se has been imbibed in the Indian psyche from time immemorial that the demand will always exist for all types of jewellery, irrespective of any change in economic scenarioeven a slowdown. This year, the industry is optimistic as the good monsoon rains to spur demand domestically. Even in the first quarter, gold demand in India took a hit due to the jewellers strike, a sharp rise in prices of raw materials; and also due to expectations of a duty cut. But, with demand drivers turning positive, it gave the much needed impetus to the gem and jewellery industry. Now, with the country receiving good monsoon rains, the World Gold Council has forecasted demand in 2016 at 850 tn to 950 tn against with 864.3 tn last year. Two-thirds of India's gold demand comes from villages; rural demand will increase a great deal as jewellery is traditionally used for investment. Hopefully, the good monsoon rains may bring back the rural buyers into the jewellery stores once again, which will augur well for the Indian gem & jewellery industry. The jewellery market in India is expected to grow at a rate of 15.95 per cent over the period 2014-2019. The Indian jewellery sector has come a long way from the earlier days when it manufactured the traditional jewellery designs of yesteryears for the domestic market; and followed the buyers designers for the export market. With technological improvement and designing taking the forefront in jewellery manufacturing, Indian manufacturing companies are on par with technologically advanced country in the world sometimes even better. India boasts some of the leading exporters of precious jewellery, for instance AStar Jewellery, the jewellery division of Asian Star Co.Ltd boasts of a 40,000 sq ft state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India. The company is into mass production as well as customized and offers a vast portfolio of gold and platinum jewellery of contemporary , traditional as well as fusion styles. Besides bridal and daily wear jewellery, the company also creates innovative couture jewellery. CVM Exports is a popular manufacturing specialists in handmade studded jewellery, deal in both ethnic and contemporary styles using gems like uncut diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, villandi, parabs, and other gemstones. Their jewellery is available in leading showrooms all over the world. In a recent survey, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and Thought Arbitrage Research Institute recently came to the conclusion that the Indian gems and jewellery sector requires both the government and industry members to drive innovations in new designs, processes and skill development of work force, to sustain in global markets. With the advent of globalization, consumer preferences have rapidly changed; and demand for new and innovative designs are increasing by the day. Such a scenario therefore calls for Indian manufacturers to adopt new methods and engage in building and marketing their brands in the global market, to meet the growing demand for branded jewellery overseas. Currently, the Indian gem & jewellery industry provides employment to around 0.46 million people and this may increase to more than 0.82 mn by 2020, adding over 0.35 mn new jobs. The Industry and the Government should come together to start training institutes and create national centres of excellence for this purpose. What the industry needs is a collective investment in skill development, by introducing training and manpower development programs. For decades India's Gems and Jewellery sector has been contributing in substantially to the country's foreign exchange earnings. Being one of the largest exporters of gems and jewellery in the world, the country exports to UAE, US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Russia, Latin America and China. The overall exports from the Indian gem and jewellery sector stood at $ 3.51 billion during June 2016, indicating an increase of 4.03 per cent over the $ 3.37 billion exported in June of the previous year. Gold jewellery exports (studded and plain) for June 2016 rose by 27.24 per cent to $ 769.09 mn as against $ 604.43 mn a year earlier. Exports of silver jewellery rose to $ 292.00 million in June 2016 as compared to $ 274.78 mn last year. This indicates the opening up of the consuming markets and thus effectively increasing demand for India made jewellery. Today, India is the preferred hub of the global jewellery market because of its position as a source for varied and most exquisite jewellery products. Buyers from all over the world make a bee line to the jewellery shows in India, most importantly to the IIJS, which is organised by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India. At IIJS 2016, one can see every type of jewellery manufacturers, exporters, local wholesalers, retailers the works! Some Industry leaders who would stand out in the crowd would be Gold Star Fine Jewellery LLP, which uses sophisticated technology in manufacturing high-end designer jewellery for bridal as well as regular wear. The companys jewellery is studded with different qualities and shapes of diamonds for the discerning consumer. And Jewelex, a global leader in the industry, have their presence across the value chain from manufacturing and trading loose diamonds to manufacturing and retailing diamond jewellery. The company is one of the top five jewellery exporters of India. Also, KGK Creations (India) Pvt Ltd, a complete value chain enterprise since 1905, is into diamond, gemstone and jewellery business. Another company to shine at the show will be Kama-Schachter Jewelery Pvt Ltd headquartered in Mumbai with offices scattered across Japan, Hong Kong, China and USA. The companys expertise in the art of designing, manufacturing, exporting and marketing of diamond jewellery is well known. Its four factories in India and Hong Kong are equipped with state of the art technology. Companies like Kiran Jewels (India) are highly focused on their business and make waves with their innovative approach, be it in designs or technology. The company owns a well-equipped, high-tech jewellery manufacturing facility in Surat. Strengthened by the parent company, Kiran Gems, this jewellery unit has established a leadership position in the jewellery market. And, there is Priority Jewels Pvt Ltd, the ever growing company, which is one of the top brands in diamond jewellery in India. Using the latest technologies, the company offers high quality jewellery in innovative designs. In recent years, the domestic jewellery sector has witnessed changes in consumer preferences. Demand for innovative designs and varieties in jewellery by consumers is on the increase. Taking the cue, the market savvy jewellers have been able to fulfil this changing demands. With increase in per capita income, purchasing power of consumers have gone up multifold. This translates into increase in sales of jewellery throughout the year; but more during festivals and wedding seasons. There are countless jewellery companies catering to the domestic markets, most of whom will be participating in the IIJS 2016. To name a few, Bhindi Manufacturers, which is another reputed jewellery manufacturing house and is a dream come true for connoisseurs of antique polka diamond jewellery. Sanghi Jewellers Pvt Ltd of Hyderabad manufactures studded jewellery --a fusion of latest innovations and fine craftsmanship -- with state-of-art-technology. Sawansukha Jewellers Pvt Ltd are one of the leading wholesalers and retailers of jadau and diamond jewellery in Eastern India. Popular for its exceptional designs, the company is an Awards winner for exceptional designs from GJEPC, GJF and Oscar Awards and the list goes on. In the coming years, major changes are expected in India with the GJEPC coming out with many initiatives to help grow the jewellery sector. A jewellery park on Thane-Belapur Road has been proposed to boost the Mumbai-based jewellery industry by providing modern facilities and services. The Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) Mumbai, a project of GJEPC, will conduct a three-year Graduate Program in Jewellery Design & Manufacturing Techniques. In collaboration with Welingkar Institute of Management Studies, a course in management has also been introduced -- a boon to youngsters who wish to enter the industry well equipped. In India, the online jewellery market has evolved over the years. Metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore are driving the growth. Intrigued by lucrative prices of online jewellery, young Indians between 24-35 years are driving demand for online jewellery in the country. Though there are more than 20 e-commerce companies operating in this domain, the competition in online jewellery market has remained concentrated among few major players. The market is dominated by Carat Lane, which has recently been acquired by Tanishq, a Tata Group company, which also has an online presence. The online jewellery market presently accounts for less than 0.1 percent of the $55 billion jewellery industry. Another leader in the Online space is Bluestone.com, which is growing at a rate of 100-110% quarter on quarter in terms of revenue. Many more companies are entering the ecommerce space, but it will take many more years for this sector to mature. Right now, entry level jewellery pieces are the ones that are moving well; brick and mortar retailers still monopolize the high-end jewellery business as Indians prefer to visit a store for big buys like bridal/couture jewellery. Analysts expect the online jewellery business to reach around $3 billion in the next 5-10 years. However, the Brick and mortar retailers in India are doing well despite e-commerce boom, having grown at an annual rate of 24% in the past five years. The India diaspora still believe in visiting a store, especially for high end jewellery. The online retail space may have expanded at a much faster rate of about 60% in fiscal 2015, but the pieces sold online are mainly entry level jewellery. While online jewellery business growth has been driven partly by large discounts, the established brick and mortar retailers have shown an unprecedented focus on profitability. So, the Brick and mortar stores are here to stay for a long, long time at least in India. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Broaching the topic of possible damage to forest areas and the Tiger Corridor by mining giant Rio Tintos $331 mn diamond mining Panna project in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh, an environment ministry panel of the Government of India has deferred forest clearance to the project saying it would lead to permanent loss of the high quality forest areas. The project was deferred in March 2016 meeting also as it was falling in dense forest area. It requires clearing of 971 hectares of forest area in Chhatarpur region of Madhya Pradesh. The proposed area falls in the Tiger Corridor between Panna Tiger Reserve and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary. On July 12, the Rio Tinto project, pending for forest clearance since 2014, was discussed at the Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forests; and it was decided to put it on hold. As per the National Tiger Conservation Authority report project can potentially disrupt landscape character vis a vis tiger dispersal around Panna landscape as such this may be taken only when Ken-Betwa (river) interlink is finalised as well as detailed study is done to assess other alternatives, observed the committee. According to the advisory committee, Rio Tinto was asked to explore the possibility of underground mining. But the revised proposal submitted by the company is highly dependent on surface extraction. This, the committee feels, will entail greater extent of forest land use, leading to permanent loss of the high quality forest areas. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished The Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA) has postponed the Thailand Gems & Jewelry Fair slated for September 7-11 2016 to 2017. A dispute regarding the venue of the Fair is the reason for the postponement. It is reported that the TGJTA is now unable to secure an alternate space to organise the Fair this year. TGJTA president, Suttipong Damrongsakul said: We had hoped to resolve the issue by now but unfortunately, despite our full efforts we were unable to do so within the necessary time frame, inspite of our full readiness and preparations. The TGJTA is planning to secure another exhibition venue for the Thailand Gems and Jewelry Fair in 2017. We are highly confident that this move will enable us to ensure greater benefits, and a much better Fair for our members and the Thai gem and jewellery industry. We will provide update on this progress as soon as possible, Damrongsakul adds. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between De Beers and the Namibian government, reportedly took possession of its sixth mining and exploration vessel SS Nujoma, which was built by Norwegian shipbuilders Kleven Verft. The 113-metre long SS Nujoma was named after Namibias founding president. BusinessDay reports that SS Nujoma would join Debmarine Namibias other five vessels the Grand Banks, Debmar Atlantic, Debmar Pacific, Gariep and Mafuta which operate off the southern Namibian coast. "Our Debmarine Namibia crew will sail the vessel from Norway to Cape Town, leaving later this week (end of July), and arriving in late August," Debmarine project head Michael Curtis was quoted as saying. "In Cape Town we will install the sampling system and treatment plant and commission the system before sailing for Namibian waters for final commissioning and testing in early 2017." RMB Namibia co-arranged and funded a $150m term facility, equivalent to 75% of the total cost, with the balance paid directly by Debmarine Namibia. He said SS Nujoma was the most sophisticated diamond sampling and exploration vessel in the world. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their collaboration in promoting and facilitating responsible jewellery supply chains. ARM and RJC share objectives to promote responsible precious metals supply chains, and will continue working together to ensure their standards and assurance models are mutually supportive. Through their collaboration ARM and RJC aim to improve social, environmental and labour practices, good governance and the implementation of ecosystem restoration practices in artisanal and small-scale mining; enhance relationships between large-scale mining and artisanal and small-scale mining; increase market access for precious metals from responsible artisanal and small-scale mining. ARM and RJC see exciting opportunities for a wider inclusion of the ASM sector in responsible global supply chains, and will jointly work with multiple stakeholders to make it happen. ARM and RJC also respond to the industrys demand for harmonisation by aligning aspects of their assurance systems. ARM and RJC will allow for joint Fairmined and RJC Chain-of-Custody audits for those companies who participate in both certification schemes to reduce audit burden. Such measures help to reduce barriers towards more responsible supply chains and facilitate engagement with artisanal and small-scale mining. Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished RTD The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) is will begin testing trains along two new alignments: The R Line in Aurora, Colo., and the G Line through Arvada and Wheat Ridge. RTD began systems integrated testing in July on the first segment of the R Line and with all of the track installed connecting the Aurora Line/I-225 Rail Line from end-to-end of its 10.5-mile-long route and nearly all overhead wiring in place, the project is entering a new phase where light rail trains can be tested on the line. Testing will occur on the segment that runs from Nine Mile Station to Exposition Avenue. The line is scheduled to open in late 2016. As RTD Project Manager Chuck Culig explains, Before we open the line for service, we test all the elements of the rail system to verify that the construction produced a safe and reliable operating rail line. Individual segments of the G Line have been undergoing testing, but RTD will begin testing along the entire length of the line in preparation for its fall 2016 opening. The G Line service is part of the Eagle P3 project and will travel 11 miles between Union Station and Wheat Ridge, passing through northwest Denver, Adams County and Arvada. RTD said communication systems will continue to be tested in conjunction with the trains to make sure the trains, signaling systems, crossing elements, traffic signals and railroad entities synchronize properly. The Cabinet office is slated to release the Japan consumer confidence index for July at 1:00 am ET Tuesday. The index is seen at 42.00, compared to 41.8 in June. Ahead of the data, the yen held steady against its major rivals. As of 12:55 am ET, the yen was trading at 114.58 against the euro, 135.25 against the pound, 105.98 against the Swiss franc and 102.51 against the U.S. dollar. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Forex News Vonovia SE (DAIMF) reported that its FFO, or profit from operations after current interest and taxes, rose 44.2 percent to 387.8 million euros in the first half of 2016, from 269.0 million euros in the previous-year period. FFO per share was 0.83 euros, compared to 0.71 euros last year. EPRA NAV per share amounted to 29.34 euros. Profit for the half-year period increased 74.2 percent to 147.9 million euros from 84.9 million euros a year ago. The increase in profit is due primarily to the full integration of GAGFAH, Franconia and SUDEWO. Rental income from property management increased 23.4 percent to 774.7 million euros from 628.0 million euros in the prior year. Looking ahead to fiscal 2016, Vonovia now expects its FFO, or profit from operations after current interest and taxes, between 740 million and 760 million euros, compared to its previous forecast in a range of 720 million to 740 million euros. The company now projects FFO per share between 1.59 and 1.63 euros, up from the prior range of 1.55 to 1.59 euros. By the end of the year, Vonovia also expects EPRA NAV per share to have risen to up to 31 euros. For the 2016 fiscal year, Vonovia currently plans to propose a dividend of at least 1.05 euros per share. This corresponds to another increase of around 12 percent and a dividend yield of 3.2 percent based on the closing price on June 30, 2016. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News At 3:15 am ET Tuesday, Switzerland's retail sales data for June is due to be released. Sales are forecast to drop 2 percent annually in June following a 1.6 percent drop in May. Ahead of the data, the Swiss franc showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the Swiss franc fell against the euro and the pound, it rose against the yen. Against the U.S. dollar, the Swiss franc held steady. As of 3:10 am ET, the Swiss franc was trading at 1.0826 against the euro, 1.2793 against the pound, 0.9668 against the U.S. dollar and 105.82 against the yen. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Forex News At 3:15 am ET Tuesday, Switzerland's retail sales data for June was released. After the data, the Swiss franc changed little against its major rivals. As of 3:16 am ET, the Swiss franc was trading at 1.0824 against the euro, 1.2787 against the pound, 0.9666 against the U.S. dollar and 105.78 against the yen. At 3:30 am ET Tuesday, SVME credit suisse is set to release Switzerland manufacturing PMI data for July. The manufacturing indicator is forecast to rise to 51.9 in July from 51.6 in June. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Forex News Appearing alongside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday, Billionaire investor Warren Buffett challenged her general election opponent Donald Trump to release his tax returns. Buffett spoke at a Clinton campaign rally in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and offered to meet Trump "any time, any place" to compare their returns. "You're only afraid if you got something to be afraid about," Buffett said. "He's not afraid of the IRS. He's afraid because of you. I will meet him in Omaha or Mar-a-Lago or he can pick the place." "We're both under audit," he added. "And believe me, nobody will stop us from talking about what's on those returns. Send the word to him, if you will." Trump has steadfastly refused to release his tax returns, repeatedly citing an ongoing audit by the Internal Revenue Service. The Trump campaign noted that the real estate tycoon has filed financial disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission, but Buffett argued that is not enough. "As someone who's filled out financial statements and someone who has filled out an income tax return, I call tell you, they are two very different animals," Buffett said. "You will learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he produces his income tax return." The Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO also attacked Trump for his comments about the parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. "How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" Buffett said. "I ask Donald Trump: have you no sense of decency, sir?" Buffett invoked the controversial McCarthy hearings of the 1950s in his criticism of Trump's attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News National delegation in Kuwait meets 18 ambassadors group KUWAIT, Aug. 02 (Saba) The national delegation to Kuwait consultations met on Tuesday with the ambassadors of the 18 countries supporting the political settlement in Yemen. During the meeting, the national delegation gave an extensive explanation about its visions presented through the consultations, which included various political, military, security, humanitarian and economic aspects, stressing its commitment to a comprehensive, complete and not-fragmented solution. The delegation emphasized that Yemen after a year and a half of the brutal aggression and unjust blockade does not assume fragmented solutions and needs a comprehensive solution to end the aggression and lift the siege and achieve the national partnership. It confirmed its keenness on achieving peace at a time the Riyadhs delegation worked to obstruct the consultations since the first day by suspending or withdrawal from the sessions and after all leaving Kuwait yesterday. In the meeting, the national delegation pointed out that the agreement that was signed in Sanaa on the formation of a political council was imposed by internal and external challenges, asserting that it does not affect its readiness to sign a full and lasting comprehensive agreement. The delegation renewed its call to the international community, led by the United Nations and the Security Council, for assuming their responsibility in ending the suffering of the Yemeni people. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [03/August/2016] If Dajuan Harris Jr. is underrated, its not by those at Kansas The villagers of Saleia in Savaii celebrated the official opening of the Embankment Wall and Bridge last week. The village in the district of Gagaemauga No. 2 is located near the coast and lies beside a river originating from the Vaipouli catchment area. The village faces a high risk to river flooding and sea level rise. The construction of the Saleia River Embankment Wall and new Bridge aims to protect both the community and the village and government assets that are vulnerable to the adverse effects of Climate Change such as coastal erosion sea level rise and flooding. The bridge has been upgraded with four open culvert drains to release the water to the sea without overflowing and covers the village. Carried out by Apia Lua Company Ltd , the cost of the project was $2,334, 865.50. The design and the supervision of works was carried out by engineering firm; Tinai and Gordon Associates Ltd. The construction started in June 2015 and was successfully completed in July 2016. The Adaptation Fund Project is a Donor to developing countries and Small Island developing states (S.I.D.S) providing assistance and funding for climate change adaptation and resilience initiatives. The Adaptation Fund (A.F) Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change project provides a holistic and country-wide approach to climate change and it is also served to implement the C.I.M strategy in Samoa. One of the AF project outcomes is to increase the ability of coastal communities to adapt to risks and danger caused by climate change. Three quarters of Samoas population resides along the coastal, an area highly susceptible to erosion, high sea level rise and flooding. Infrastructure and utility services are also located in these coastal zones and are also extremely vulnerable to intense climate events. TOKYO (AP) Japanese electronics maker Funai Electric Co. says it's yanking the plug on the world's last video cassette recorder. A company spokesman, who requested anonymity citing company practice, confirmed Monday that production will end sometime this month, although he would not give a date. He said the company would like to continue production to meet customer requests, but can't because key component makers are pulling out due to shrinking demand for VCRs. Many families and libraries have content stored in the VHS format and want to convert the tapes to DVD or other digital disks. They can do so using VHS/DVD converters, known as "combos" in Japan. Funai will be rolling out such products later this month, the spokesman said. Funai's VCR factory, which is in China, is off-limits to media coverage for security reasons because other products are made at the same plant, he said. Funai began making videotape players in 1983, and videotape recorders in 1985. The company says they were among its all-time hit products. Last year, Funai made 750,000 VHS machines that played or recorded cassette tapes. In 2000, it made 15 million, 70 percent for the U.S. market, according to the company, based in Osaka, central Japan. Other products have also grown outdated with the advance of digital and other technology. That includes film cameras and floppy disks once used to store computer content, which were displaced by smaller memory devices with larger capacity and by cloud storage. Owners of VCRs are not as emotionally attached to their machines as are owners of Sony Corp.'s discontinued robotic dog Aibo, or the Boombox, the portable cassette player, with its deeply resonating speakers and cool designs, said Nobuyuki Norimatsu, nicknamed "Aibo doctor," of A-Fun, a company of engineers who do repairs for discontinued electronics goods. Still, many VCR owners want to dub their videos on their own, rather than sending them to outside companies, because the content is so personal, he said. "To give up on keeping such records is like denying the history of humankind," said Norimatsu. "Production ending is going to present problems for some people." Panasonic Corp. withdrew from making VCRs several years ago, making Funai the only manufacturer. Funai will continue selling VCRs through its subsidiary until inventory runs out and will provide maintenance services as long as it can, the company spokesman said. Videotapes can still be converted using VHS-DVD recorder-players made by other, mostly Chinese, companies. Secondhand products abound in Tokyo's electronics district as well. But a time may come when all such options also disappear. But many are shrugging off the VCR's disappearance as inevitable. "I think only hard-core fans of old machines are going to be using VCRs," said Isao Tokuhashi, author of "My Eyes Tokyo," a book about newsmakers in Japan. Like most people, Tokuhashi invested hours 10 years ago to transfer video he wanted to keep to DVD, and these days stores video in his iPhone and computer. He no longer owns a TV and hasn't recorded any shows recently, he added. "None of my friends still has one," Tokuhashi said of the VCR. Rebels in Syria shot down a Russian combat helicopter Monday amid fierce fighting around Aleppo, killing all five people on board in the deadliest single incident for the Russian military since it became embroiled in Syria's civil war 10 months ago. The helicopter downing came as the Syrian army, under Russian air cover, fought to repel a rebel attempt to break the government's siege of Aleppo, killing more than 800 militants, according to the Russian military. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province while returning to Hemeimeem air base on Syria's coast after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said all three crewmembers and two military officers on board died. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists showed the burning wreckage of a Russian helicopter in footage seemingly taken in the first moments after it crashed. In one video, men, some of them armed, were shown standing near the wreckage taking cellphone photos, some cheering and shouting "Allahu Akbar," or God is great in Arabic. The body of one Russian soldier was seen being dragged by the legs while a man jumped on the half-naked body of another soldier. The helicopter appeared to have broken up as it crashed: Its tail could be seen lying separately from the aircraft's body in flames. A rocket pod was visible amid the wreckage, standard equipment for the Mi-8, a workhorse of the Russian air force which can be used for carrying troops and cargo and attacking ground targets. International human rights groups have repeatedly accused Russia of hitting civilians and using cluster munitions since it began its aerial campaign in Syria. The Russian military has denied hitting civilians, and also rejected claims that its aircraft targeted moderate elements of the Syrian opposition along with its declared targets, the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters from both the Nusra Front and other groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. The Nusra Front announced last week that it was changing its name and relinquishing ties with al-Qaida in an attempt to undermine a potential U.S. and Russian air campaign against its fighters. The group is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. Russia's air campaign in Syria, launched in September, has shored up Assad's regime, which was on the verge of collapse after a series of military defeats last year, and helped it gain key ground around Aleppo and elsewhere. On Monday, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff announced that the Syrian army, relying on Russian air cover, had fended off a massive militant attack intended to break the government's blockade of the rebel-held part of Aleppo. The offensive, launched late Sunday, involved some 5,000 militants, Rudskoi said, adding that the rebels lost more than 800 fighters, as well as 14 tanks, 10 other armored vehicles and over 60 gun trucks. His claims could not be independently confirmed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of militants and government troops were killed in the fighting, but didn't provide exact numbers. Syrian opposition activists said intense fighting was still ongoing in Aleppo on Monday. Rudskoi said 324 civilians had fled the militant-controlled part of Aleppo through corridors opened by the Syrian government on Thursday. He said 82 militants had also laid down their weapons. The U.N. estimates some 300,000 people are still trapped in the rebel-held section of Aleppo, with dwindling food and medical supplies. Its Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, warned last week that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks. The fierce fighting around Aleppo coincided with the passing of an Aug. 1 deadline for a U.N.-supported process to start a political transition in Syria. De Mistura is struggling to restart peace talks among the warring parties in Syria, even as the Syria war has increasingly been handled by diplomacy between the U.S. and Russia. De Mistura said last week that he aims to call a new round of talks between government and opposition envoys in Geneva "toward the end of August," but added he wants to see the outcome of steps agreed upon in Moscow last week between the United States and Russia before setting a precise date. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. is focusing on efforts to "get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful." "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," he said. Monday's helicopter downing marks the deadliest single incident for the Russian military in the Syria campaign. It has brought the official Russian casualty toll to 19, 16 of whom were killed in enemy fire. Last month, two Russian airmen were killed in central Homs province when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were Islamic State fighters. A Mi-28N helicopter gunship crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members, but the Russian military said there was no evidence it came under fire. A Russian warplane was shot down by Turkey along the Syrian border in November, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting. Russia also lost a helicopter in a mission to rescue the plane's second pilot, when a Russian marine was killed. -AP The world is teetering on the brink of a health and food crisis. And although we have plenty of food in Samoa at the moment, that is unlikely to always be the case. The worry is that in countries near and far, there are real concerns about food production. And we are not immune. You see, whereas mankinds negligence has diminished the natural resources on the soil and in the ocean, greed on the part of certain powerful countries and corporate bodies will ensure that when push comes to shove, the smallest countries are bound to be the first victims in this madness. Indeed, as a small nation isolated from the rest of the world we will be among the first countries to suffer. We already know this because its happening in other fronts such as the impact of climate change. Which is why its imperative that we must prioritise local solutions and prepare for the worst. Sure there are global solutions too that are being talked up but the best solutions are the ones that should come from here because we know ourselves, our environment, what works and what doesnt. We say this because if we fail to prepare, our people will be caught off guard and they will suffer as a result. There is no denying the fact that when it comes to the cost of food and basic living items, a trip to the supermarket is a sad experience. A hundred tala certainly doesnt get you far. And thats for people who have a hundred tala. Many of our working population dont even make a hundred tala at the end of the working week especially when you take away all the taxes and loan repayments. Its a tough life but challenges present us with an opportunity. It is perhaps time for us to take stock of where we are with the idea of seriously encouraging our people to plant food wherever they can. In a country where we are blessed with such fertile soil where everything we put in the ground grows, its probably our only response. Before we get to that though, lets take a quick journey to the past. Many years ago, agriculture was the backbone of this countrys economy. Were talking about talo, coconuts, koko Samoa and a few other crops. It was a great time, a time when families in the villages in Upolu and Savaii were able to set up shops, buy buses from working the land. Yes that was possible; the days of the taga koko and taga popo. Those days, however, have become nothing but a distant memory. While the vicious cyclones of the early 1990s and the talo blight that followed contributed much to the decline of the agriculture industry, the governments negligence in developing the sector has not helped. With little exports, this country has become so dependent on aid, remittances and hand- outs, we might as well forget about being politically independent. Weve known for some time now that we need to revive our agriculture industry. Efforts towards that end are now being manifested in the governments talomua programme among other developments. The construction of ala galue, or roads leading to plantations, has also been cited by the government as another way to promote farming. But many farmers say this is not enough. They need incentives. They need subsidies on the prices of essential things such as fertilizer, seeds, seedlings, farming equipment, etc, which most cannot afford. Perhaps farmers as well as all of us should change our focus. Instead of looking at the Government about what it should do, what about thinking ahead for our families and ourselves? There is no guarantee that the cost of living will decrease again, any time soon. Fortunately for us here in Samoa, theres still hope at least when it comes to food. Unlike many other developing and third world countries whose people are now going without, we have a lot of substitutes that we can turn to during times like this. We can always count on talo, taamu, breadfruit, bananas, cassava, yams and other staples. Almost every Samoan family has some sort of vegetable patch, small plantation, or fruit tree that can provide some sort of sustenance when the going gets tough. Once upon a time, most families had fagaga moa (free range chicken) and their own pa puaa (pig farms). These are the best meat because they are local and they are not processed meat. When it comes to drinks, theres always the laumoli, or lemon tree leaves, or Samoan cocoa to resort to when we can no longer afford the cost of coffee, tea, milo and cocoa. How can we forget our niu? Health officials have long lauded both the health and economic benefits of turning to our own food, especially the readily available vegetables and fruits such as papayas, mangoes, vi, guava, oranges and the like. Last Saturday, a letter from Callum Jones hit it right on the button. Published under the headline A bunch of lies, Mr. Jones made some very interesting observations. He wrote: So there is a Samoan Obesity Gene? I call that BS. Google old Samoan Photo and find me one obese Samoan. The problem is that the moa palagi is deemed unfit for human consumption. Check the box; see the approved for export stamp. That means it HAS to be exported and cannot be sold in the U.S.A. The problem is the working culture, where any Principal Officer or A.C.E.O work 10-15hr days. There are many problems, but genes are not one of them. The people promoting the idea that genes determine your health or your early death want you to think that you are not in control and therefore have to rely more on the system to help you. They want you to need more of the drugs they are selling, to sedate you to the slave based system and continue to sell their food they cant sell anywhere else. Take back control. Eat local, Eat Fresh, Eat Colourful. And running around outside or in the gym wouldnt hurt. We couldnt agree more. Now, is a good time to heed those health messages, not only for our good health, but maybe because in most instances, particularly in the near future, we may not have much of a choice. It may be the only things that we have, that we can afford. Have a healthy Wednesday Samoa, God bless! Mr. Ombudsman, Re: Improving capacity to carry out national Inquiries Less than fifty years after Independence the Human Rights Protection Party is seeking to seize control of all Samoan land, tax it and extinguish the ancestral title known as Customary land through a dishonest Customary Land Leasing Scheme. No piece of legislation is more indicative of political corruption in modern Samoa than the Land Titles Registration Act 2008. Even though the Land Titles Registration Amendment Act 2015 No.46 clearly states that Customary Land is not to be registered under the LTRA 2008 it allows leases of Customary Land to be registered under the Torrens System alienating Customary Land from Aiga members unlawfully and unconstitutionally and transferring Sovereignty to the government. Samoans settled Samoa thousands of years ago. Modern Samoans claim ownership of Samoas land and traditional resources through what is known as ancestral ownership. In International Law this birthright is accepted and respected as a lawful claim because those who occupy the land have inherited their rights. This is the highest form of ownership and brings with it complete authority or sovereignty over land and traditional resources. Sovereign owners do not have to fill out forms or please anybody else to control their land for their right is based on their bloodline. In international Law this ancestral right of inheritance can only be set aside deliberately. In Samoa, we, as Samoans, have never given up our traditional rights of ownership over any of our lands and resources. There has never been a meeting with any government or any foreign government with our traditional matai in which our people have been consulted and said to our leaders that we give up the land or any traditional resources given to us by our ancestors. Each family member of the Aiga has rights to customary land ownership and resources which cannot be taken away without their consent. No government has the right to transfer or extinguish the ancestral rights of any Aiga member without their consent gained by a national referendum. It is forbidden to give those rights to any one person by law and end the rights of all Aiga members. No matter that foreigners see this ownership by members of the Aiga as a bar to progress. They must realize that in our land of Samoa we are sovereign. Any plan for progress in Samoa which does not acknowledge the Matai and Aiga as sovereign and return the majority of profit to Aiga and preserve Samoan resources for future Aiga members is unacceptable to the majority of Samoans. We and our resources do not exist to please and profit foreigners. Our duty is to steward our lands and resources for our Aiga and to preserve all of our resources for future Aiga generations. Any plan to profit others by taking land and resources from the Aiga owners is nothing more than theft. All Samoan Customary land is owned by certain Aiga and other Samoans and foreigners have no right to plunder the resources of those Aiga. Maua Faleauto Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it With these words, the 2016 Samoa National Youth Praise Festival was officially opened in front of the government building yesterday. The one-week festival kicked off with a parade from the Police station to the government building. A number of schools, churches and individuals marched. Member of the Council of Deputies, Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa and the Asia Pacific Area Director, Rev. Conrad Parsons were among a host of special guests at the event. The government fully supports this kind of festival because this helps our youths in so many ways, Deputy Prime Minister Fiame said. Theres so much happening to our youth of today and this programme will help each and every one of us to realize more on our roles as Youths for Christ. Most importantly is to know that were created to give praise to our Heavenly Father for He created us in His own image. The Asia Pacific Area Director, Rev. Conrad Parsons congratulated Youth for Christ in Samoa for organizing the Samoa National Youth Praise Festival. My role as a Asia Pacific Area Director is to support young people in the Pacific region to help any young person to have an opportunity to become a flower of Jesus Christ, Rev. Parsons said. Not only that but to become a disciple in the local church.we have more than 50,000 staff around the world who are cheering you on today. We read the story of Israelites grumbling and complaining to God andGod punished them by sending snakes among them and many died. They realized it was wrong to grumble and complain against God and so they were sorry and repentant. In the desert, God provided salvation, God provided healing, God provided life and rescue. To this Praise Festival, we will lift up Jesus together, we will give young people an extra opportunity to look to Jesus and to see Gods love. Gods forgiveness, provisionso that we can know that our Lord paid our sin. For He is a Faithful God. The Youth for Christ organization is not a church, but a group comprising of people from different denominations but with the same aim to impact the lives of young people so that they can be a force for change in their own churches, families and communities. The Festivals last two nights will feature The Katinas in concert at the same venue, free of charge. Whats happening at Praise Festival Wednesday Word of God: Father Muliaumasealii Stowers 1. S.D.A. Lalovaea 2. Catholic Church, Solosolo 3. Nazarene Church, Fasitoo Tai Special: Elijah Tavai 5. Fatu o Viiga Vaitele 6. Catholic Church, Palisi 7. Voice of Christ, Tufuiopa 8. Special Joy Mau Thursday Word of God: Rev Ale Palelei (Methodist Church) 1. Catholic Church (Matagaluega) Leauvaa 2. Methodist Church, Vailoa Faleata 3. Pentecostal Church, Siumu 4. Special Y.F.C. American Samoa 5. Independent A.O.G. Samoa 6. Livigisitone Evangelism Ministry 7. Worship Centre Apia 8. Special Peni Anae Friday Word of God by Leota Kosimiti Latu Worship Prayer by Rev. Conrad Parsons Katinas Saturday Word of God by Leota Kosimiti Latu Worship Prayer by Ps. Samoa Unoi Katinas Fifty-eight graduates of the Australian-Pacific Technical College (A.P.T.C.) celebrated their achievements at Tuanaimato, Gym 1, yesterday. The graduates received qualifications in nine different programmes such as: Carpentry, Commercial Cookery, Early Childhood Education, Heavy Fabrication, Hospitality, Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, Painting and Decorating, Plumbing and Youth Work. This day is your day, you have demonstrated courage, hard work and dedication to your learning, as a result you have been awarded an Australian vocational qualification that is recognized nationally and internationally, said A.P.T.C. Chief Executive Officer, Denise OBrien. You have made sacrifices to undertake your studies at A.P.T.C. We know that for many, you needed to leave your place of work, your family and community for a period of time in order to undertake your studies. We thank your employers and families who have supported you through this time. A graduate with a Certificate III in Plumbing, Isaia Sulusi said that behind each graduate there must have been at least a dozen people providing support in at least a dozen ways. I would like to thank the government of Samoa for maintaining and continuing this wonderful partnership with the Australian government by giving us these precious opportunities to study and to have access to high standards and quality education in a different variety of fields meeting the Australian standards, he said. Also to our employerswe are very happy to say thank you very much for allowing us to study in the A.P.T.C., we appreciate your 100% support. The best way we graduates can show our gratitude is to make the most of the opportunity weve been given and to go forward into the world with the intention of making it a better place for the generations that follow us. And for us, we will pay that debt of gratitude forward." He also thanked all the trainers for the talent and their time they shared. Yes, we know it was their (trainers) job to do it, but what they did for us went beyond the call of dutythank you for your patience. To our families and friends, you dragged us out of bed each morning, made sure we had breakfast and clothed for school, these are just a few of the thousands of ways youve supported us on our journey. This new day marks a new chapter in our lives, the book is our lives and our lives is the story and were going to make good use of it." The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri has dismissed concerns from the Samoa Cancer Society over the governments support for the establishment of Hope 4 Cancer. Asked for a comment, Leausa said the arrival of the Group would benefit Samoa as they will offer another choice for people in terms of treatment. He explained that most patients who are terminally ill with cancer want some kind of relief for their pain. There are people who would rather die than to endure the pain, said Leausa. From my own point of view, Hope for Cancer is another option for terminal patients. They have the option of trying these herbs as it might give them some relief. Its like shopping for treatment where there is Hope 4 Cancer on this side and conventional treatment on the other. Last month, the Samoa Cancer Society (S.C.S) had publicly voiced concerns about the Hope 4 Cancer group. S.C.S. Executive Officer, Shelley Burich, said it would be wrong for patients to be denied the option of going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. What we want to say to the government is if they want to offer alternative treatment, then its okay. But dont do away the Overseas Medical Treatment (O.V.T.), she said. They wont be doing chemo or radio. With the supplements they will be using I dont know about that. We dont know what is in it. So what we are pushing to the government is its wrong not to give that option of radio and chemo because not everyone would want to go the alternative way. However, the Director General said the government would never get rid of the scheme. There are cancers that it (conventional treatment) works well on and there are other cancers that are terminal, said Leausa. This is why this Hope 4 Cancer is an alternative. I dont think the hospital will recommend patients to go straight therethey will make referrals overseas depending on their condition but if they are terminal at least there is Hope 4 Cancer that gives an alternative. Leausa added that any herbs or treatment given by the Hope 4 Cancer would need to be cleared by the Ministry of Health before they can be used. When the flea market in Apia burned down in mid-January this year, more than a few people also had to witness how their livelihood went up in smoke. With support of the Samoa Land Corporation, a new, but only temporary market was built. Back then, each vendor was provided with $1,000 as a compensation amount by the government. Prime Minister Tuilaepa told the vendors that close to five million tala has been expended by the government for the vendors through the cash payments and the cost of erecting the temporary market. This was almost seven months ago. Since then, not much has happened to the newly opened market. The installation of a gigantic tent at the place does not really keep the rain out, but definitely keeps the heat in. Sales pitches take place in the almost dark and certainly sticky atmosphere, where Samoas tourists barely can distinguish the traditionally manufactured handcrafts from each other. A situation that especially bothers some of those, who have to resign themselves to it the vendors. The whole place is very tight. Theres one block of stalls, but it is shared by many different vendors, says Fieta Tuala. The woman from Vaimoso also shares her stall with a colleague at the flea market. The place is narrow, winding alleys are what affects the business in a negative way, with a decreasing number of customers as a result. The customers are forced to look at one stall only for a few seconds until they move on to the next one. It is just too tight to sell our handcrafts to the people, Tuala explains. She also complained about the amount of money Samoa Land Corporation gave away after the flea market was reopened. They gave us a thousand Tala to cover all the damage, but thats not enough. "The goods that were burnt were worth three or four thousand. What was initially described as a temporary solution for the traditional market in Apia, has now become a daily routine for the vendors. But this daily routine with all its new problems is one that Fieta Tuala cannot accept. They should rebuild the place in the way it was before [the fire]. "It is too hot and dark in here and without the right amount of space, we cannot properly talk to our customers. Also, the rain comes in easily because the tent is leaking right above our stall. As for the markets future, Fieta Tuala feels slightly at the governments mercy concerning the current situation. We just come and try to sell our things here and we can only listen to what the government tells us. With this opinion, she is not alone at the flea market. Nimarofa Saufoi from Fagalii Uta is another one of those vendors who faced up to the fact that his workplace might never be equal again to where he used to work. I lost everything in the fire. I do not know when the government is going to rebuild the old market, but at least, we have a place to sell our stuff, which is okay to me. It was a good support from the government to give everyone thousand Tala to restart the business but [] now the market should be rebuilt and put in the right place where we have enough space to also store our stuff. But there are also vendors at the temporary flea market which are satisfied with the current situation. Nervin Laauli from the village of Vaiusu is one of them. The young man describes the market nowadays as the better place to run his business. There were different shop vendors at the old market, but at the moment, I have more customers then I had before, so theres nothing to complain about for me. I also have no problem with the heat. The other market was hot as well. For a successful business, the situation does indeed depend on more than the location. In the end, the customers are what makes the difference. In these terms, the flea markets visitors agree that the place, although it has its problem areas, still is worth a visit when discovering Samoa. It is a bit dark and hot inside, but the people are what makes it pleasant, said Jason Bryce from Australia, who is currently visiting Samoa as a participant of this weeks Pacific Open Water Challenge. Members of one youth gang accused of vandalising properties in the Apia Township are truly sorry for their behaviour. And to show that they are genuinely remorseful, members of the Original Blood Outlaws (O.B.O.) began a community project yesterday to clean up the mess they created through tagging and other means. One of the businesses vandalised by the youths with the name O.B.O. tagged all over the wall received a fresh coat of paint yesterday. From in front of the Princessa Hardware Store at Vaimoso, the youths began their work and continued on by cutting the grass on some of the village lands. An employee of Princessa who was not authorised to speak to the media said she was glad to see something being done. Im happy the village council has stepped in, she said. Its good to see that they are helping to keep the youths in line. We did not lodge a complaint with police or even with the village and I was surprised to see that they have repainted the wall. One of the youths, who declined to give his name in fear of repercussion from members of the public, said they have learnt their lessons. We are truly sorry, he said. We have put a stop to it (gang). On Monday the youths were on their knees before the village council of Vaimoso begging for forgiveness. Village spokesperson, Aulavemai Tafito Selesele said the village does not condone the formation of such groups. They have been forgiven but in moving forward if anything else comes up, it will not be tolerated and the village will deal with them, he said. In the meantime, the village is gathering information and we have found that not all of them are from this sidewe do apologise to the country and those that have been affected and had their properties destroyed by the children. Aulavemai added that the village has selected a special committee to patrol the streets at night. As for O.B.O, the spokesperson said the gang has been told to stop. They have been told that the gang O.B.O. can no longer be spoken of and will be erased starting from today, he said. Some villagers have offered to fund the repainting of some of the businesses that had their properties vandalised by O.B.O. These youths will be repainting it. Aulavemai confirmed that the group is also known as Ola Poo le Oti, which in English translates to Dead or Alive. Prior to dealing with the gang, the Vaimoso Village Council met with the Police. Hundreds of community members gathered on the weekend to celebrate the opening of the new Fale o Samoa in Mangere Town Centre. The multi-million-dollar complex was designed to reflect a traditional Samoan fale (meeting house). It includes a retail area, office space, and indoor and outdoor meeting areas. Auckland Mayor Tauaaletoa Len Brown, who spoke at the opening along with Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and Minister Peseta Sam Lotu Iiga, said it was a proud day. The whole purpose of this magnificent new state-of-the-art consulate was to move it from its old home in Ponsonby closer to where Samoan people live and you certainly couldnt get any closer than this this is the Samoan heart of Auckland. Mangere has the biggest Samoan population in New Zealand and Auckland is the Pacific capital of the world. The celebrations began with a Samoan blessing conducted by a Reverend Minister. After the speeches, a plaque was unveiled by Prime Minister Tuilaepa, and Mangere College pupils sang the Samoan and New Zealand national anthems. The two countries flags were then raised by High Commissioner for Samoa Leasi Papalii Scanlan and MP Sua William Sio. The new building, on the corner of Bader Drive and Mascot Avenue, replaces the consulates previous home on Karangahape Road. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/02/2016 -- Zion Research has published a new report titled Residential Security Market in Europe (Surveillance Systems, Intruder Alarms, Access Control Systems and Software) : Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 - 2020. According to the report, the Europe residential security market was valued at USD 759.2 million in 2014 and is expected to reach USD 1,867.5 million by 2020. Europe residential security market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.11% between 2015 and 2020. Residential security system includes various components such as surveillance systems, intruder alarms, access control systems and software. Residential security is a part of physical security that assures the security of homes and individual. With increasing instances of criminal activities such as burglary and theft in residential buildings and among the aging people has resulted into growing demand for residential security systems in Europe. Residential security system also provides safety against gas leaks, fire, and other hazards. It effectively provides the surveillance services and facilitates an option raise an alarm in case of any emergency. Browse the full "Residential Security Market in Europe (Surveillance Systems, Intruder Alarms, Access Control Systems and Software): Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast 2014 - 2020" report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/residential-security-market-in-europe-35582 Key factor driving demand for residential security in Europe is increasing installations of smart homes. Smart home market in Europe is growing at a rapid pace and is expected to cross 15 billion mark by the end of 2020. Smart home market is on the rise especially in Germany, UK and France. With increasing number of installations of smart home, demand for residential security systems is expected to increase. Moreover, advances in the technology and entry of the new players in the Europe residential security systems market is expected to lower down the price of residential security. This in turn is expected to boost the demand for residential security market in Europe. However, high installation cost and uncertain economic conditions across Europe except Germany is expected to arrest the growth of residential security market. Get Free Sample Report: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/residential-security-market-in-europe-35582#RequestSample Surveillance systems, intruder alarms, access control systems and software are the key segment of residential security market. Surveillance systems segment dominated the residential security market in 2014 with around 35% share in total market. Surveillance systems are witnessing strong demand from end users. However, it is expected to decrease in its market share during the forecast period owing to availability of different substitutes such as cloud-based services. Access control systems market is expected to exhibit fastest growth rate during the forecast period. Some of the key industry participants in residential security market include Honeywell International Inc., Bosch Security Systems Inc., Tyco International, GE Security Inc Ltd., AMX Corp., Control4 Corp., Alarm.com Inc., Siemens Building Technologies AG., and home Automation Inc. This report segments the Europe market as follows: Inquiry Before Buying: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/residential-security-market-in-europe-35582#InquiryForBuying Residential Security Market: Product Segment Analysis -Surveillance Systems -Intruder Alarms -Access Control Systems -Software About Zion Research Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each Zion Research syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients. Contact US: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street,Suite #8138 Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442 United States Toll Free: 855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA) Tel: 386-310-3803 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Website: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/02/2016 -- Market Research Report on FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators Market 2016 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators worldwide. First of all, " Global FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators Market 2016 " report provides a basic overview of the FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry including definitions, classifications, applications and FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry chain structure. The analysis is provided for the FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators international market including development history, FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry competitive landscape analysis. After that, FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry development policies as well as plans are discussed and manufacturing processes as well as cost structures for FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market. This report "Worldwide FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators Market 2016" also states import/export, supply and consumption figures and FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market cost, price, revenue and FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market's gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), as well as other regions can be added in FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators Market area. Get Sample Copy Of Report http://www.qymarketresearch.com/report/79450#request-sample Then, the report focuses on worldwide FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market key players with information such as company profiles with product picture as well as specification. Related information to FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market- capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Aslo includes FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry's - Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market development trends and FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators industry marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, "worldwide FRL Units Filters, Regulators, Lubricators market" Analysis- feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. Read More Research with TOC http://www.qymarketresearch.com/report/79450#inquiry-for-buying While the famous Minoan culture was just beginning, woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) were disappearing from Saint Paul Island, according to a group of paleontologists who have dated this extinction to 5,650 years ago, thousands of years after mainland populations died off. The scientists found evidence that St. Paul Island the largest of the Pribilof Islands, a group of four Alaskan islands located in the Bering Sea experienced a phase of dry conditions and declining water quality at about the same time the mammoths vanished. The findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Past events on St. Paul Island provided a unique opportunity for research, explained co-author Dr. Matthew Wooller, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mammoths were trapped there when rising sea levels submerged the Bering Sea land bridge, and survived several thousands of years longer than isolated mainland populations. Dr. Wooller and co-authors used a variety of proxies things in the environment that can be used to independently document the presence of an organism to investigate the timing, causes, and consequences of mammoth disappearance from the island. In 2013, they collected a sediment core from the bed of one of the few freshwater lakes on the island. Three different spores from fungi that grow on large animal dung were extracted from the core and used to determine when the mammoths were no longer on the island. We see a reduction in the three species of fungus, all of which are associated with the dung of large animals. These spores are a marker for the presence of large animals like mammoths, said lead author Prof. Russ Graham, from Pennsylvania State University. Beside the mammoths, the only animals appearing on the island in prehistoric times were arctic foxes, shrews and polar bears, and there is no evidence of polar bears before 4,000 years ago. Humans did not arrive on the island until 1787 CE. The only large mammals present were mammoths. Sediment DNA from the lake core showed the presence of mammoth DNA until 5,650 years ago, plus or minus 80 years. After that time, there is no mammoth DNA and so no mammoths on the island. The team also measured the stable oxygen isotope ratios of the prehistoric remains of aquatic insects preserved in the sediment from before, during and after the extinction of mammoths. The remains of aquatic organisms living in lakes retain water isotope signatures within their bodies, which allowed the researchers studying their exoskeletons to determine that lake levels had diminished. The remains also changed over time, indicating decreasing lake levels and water quality leading up to the mammoth extinction. Nitrogen isotope analyses of mammoth bones and teeth also signaled progressively drier conditions leading up to the extinction event. Pollen from the lake core indicate that the area around the lake was denuded of vegetation by the mammoths. Like elephants today, when the water became cloudy and turgid, the mammoths probably dug holes nearby to obtain cleaner water. Both of these things increased erosion in the area and helped fill in the lake, decreasing the available water even more. After the extinction of the mammoths, the core shows that erosion stopped and vegetation returned to the area. In essence, the mammoths contributed to their own demise. Five independent indicators of extinction show that mammoths survived on St. Paul until 5,600 years ago, the scientists said. Vegetation composition remained stable during the extinction window, and there is no evidence of human presence on the island before 1787 CE, suggesting that these factors were not extinction drivers. Instead, the extinction coincided with declining freshwater resources and drier climates between 7,850 and 5,600 years ago, as inferred from sedimentary magnetic susceptibility, oxygen isotopes, and diatom and cladoceran assemblages in a sediment core from a freshwater lake on the island, and stable nitrogen isotopes from mammoth remains. Contrary to other extinction models for the St. Paul mammoth population, this evidence indicates that this mammoth population died out because of the synergistic effects of shrinking island area and freshwater scarcity caused by rising sea levels and regional climate change. Degradation of water quality by intensified mammoth activity around the lake likely exacerbated the situation. The St. Paul mammoth demise is now one of the best-dated prehistoric extinctions, the researchers said. _____ Russell W. Graham et al. Timing and causes of mid-Holocene mammoth extinction on St. Paul Island, Alaska. PNAS, published online August 1, 2016; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1604903113 Indias experience shows a wider notion of vulnerability is needed to protect human rights, says Alan Leroux. In 2013, the approval of new clinical trials in India came close to a halt after a ruling by the Indian Supreme Court and new, tougher regulations both responding to unethical practices in trials over previous years. Things now seem set to change. Following industry predictions that clinical trial activity may again increase, the government has stated its intention to rewrite the rules entirely, with reported objectives including to facilitate the ease of doing business. And the research community has called for the government to permit types of research not previously used in the country, including first-in-human trials in healthy volunteers. But Indias experience offers wider lessons relating to the vulnerability of poor and marginalised people recruited in clinical trials. That experience illustrates why vulnerability needs to be recognised as more than a characteristic of particular groups, but as something common to everyone that merits stronger protection of rights. And this ought to be central to our thinking on health, research and justice. Open trial access First, some history. When India relaxed its regulations in 2005 to allow companies to run clinical trials without first running trials abroad, large numbers of patients were recruited to test experimental drugs. Many came from poor backgrounds and had few healthcare options. Eight years later, following reports of unethical conduct, the Supreme Court stopped new trials until a mechanism is put in place to monitor them. After tougher regulations were introduced, the number of trials dropped significantly. Reported injustices included enrolling patients into trials without their consent, and disturbing levels of injury and death. In its decision, the court questioned why many of those harmed received no compensation. The ruling came after NGOs launched a lawsuit against the Indian government it would have been much harder for patients to enforce their rights directly against the companies involved. [1] Besides a huge imbalance in financial resources between patients (and even civil society groups) and the corporations, these companies are often located in different legal jurisdictions, usually in the developed world. Adopting a wider notion of vulnerability into national and international law would translate into concrete ways of improving pathways to justice for individuals, particularly in the developing world. And it would improve corporate accountability for human rights. Alan Leroux From a legal standpoint, it is difficult to allocate responsibility where complex corporate groups are involved, or when those funding drug trials outsource management of their trials to other companies. Adding to these problems is a lack of case law setting out a sponsors precise duties. The odds are stacked against patients in scientific terms too: proving that an already ill patient was harmed by a drug (or the experimental design used to test it) is a highly technical matter in which sponsors hold much of the expertise and evidence. Shared vulnerability These imbalances capture an aspect of vulnerability that has not been widely acknowledged. Vulnerability tends to be viewed as a characteristic of certain groups, such as the old, sick or young, or as a state caused by social, economic or cultural factors. But too narrow a definition misses more widespread vulnerabilities: those reflected in how clinical research and legal systems currently function and even more fundamental aspects of vulnerability. In 2005, the year India opened up to the clinical trial industry, UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) adopted its Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. This includes, at Article 8, a requirement to take human vulnerability into account in applying and advancing medical practice and scientific knowledge. The declaration was adopted by almost 200 UNESCO member states, including India, the United Kingdom and the United States all powerful voices in any international matter. Then, in 2013, the year Indias Supreme Court acted on clinical trials, UNESCOs International Bioethics Committee published a report that placed human vulnerability and personal integrity at the very centre of thought regarding trials, even human experience. [2] It says: The human condition implies vulnerability. Every human being is exposed to the permanent risk of suffering wounds to their physical and mental integrity. Vulnerability is an inescapable dimension of the life of individuals and the shaping of human relationships. Clearly, this notion of vulnerability extends beyond a group characteristic or a state imposed by external forces. We are all capable of being wounded. From this point of view, our common vulnerability has the power to unite our sympathies instead of marking differences. Progress on rights The UNESCO position also challenges the priority of clinical research: no scientific advance will alter the fact that being vulnerable is part of the human condition and it makes no sense to sacrifice any individuals rights to achieve such ends as the eradication of suffering or the advance of knowledge. In other words, clinical trials should only happen if participants rights will be respected. The International Bioethics Committee report also says: Vulnerability is caused or exacerbated by a lack of means and of the capacity to protect oneself. This is a point everyone can appreciate: rights are like empty promises without the means to protect them. What does this mean for clinical trials in India and for drug development? It was hoped that Indias policy of opening up access to trials would improve health standards by attracting investment into the healthcare sector. This was not the case. Instead, many of those recruited had little means of enforcing their rights and in many cases those rights were abused. The country has made improvements in recent years. For example, government bodies, rather than investigating doctors hired by pharmaceutical companies, now decide whether experimental treatments have harmed patients. Strengthened regulations will help, but we should remember that many protective laws were already in place before the Supreme Court ruling. Indias authorities seemed to have slipped into deep slumber over the issue, and here lies the larger problem: a reliance on bureaucratic vigilance and laws that focus on procedures is no substitute for effective, enforceable rights. Some in the clinical research industry assumed that compensation claims would be as effective as elsewhere in the world yet the very poverty of the population that made India so attractive to research organisations should have suggested otherwise. [3] Adopting a wider notion of vulnerability into national and international law would translate into concrete ways of improving pathways to justice for individuals, particularly in the developing world. And it would improve corporate accountability for human rights. [4] Developed countries can also choose to promote, rather than ignore, access to justice beyond their borders in more subtle ways. They are home to most drugs companies, constitute their principal markets and can decide whether or not to accept experimental data derived from trials in India and other countries where access to trials is not matched by access to justice. The broader concept of vulnerability suggests that we should all be concerned when individuals cannot take action to defend themselves. Not only does a well-functioning justice system provide compensation to the injured, it exposes and rectifies bad practice, to everyones benefit. Alan Leroux is a lawyer who has worked within the clinical trial industry. Before training in law, he was a laboratory researcher in the pharmaceutical industry and academia. He can be reached at [email protected] As many may have already known, breastfeeding can have a lot of beneficial effects on newborn babies. However, parents, experts, and others debate on whether or not breastfeeding an older child up to age five or six is a 'healthy' practice for the child. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding should be continued up to two years and beyond. The Morning Bulletin reported that mothers who breastfeed their older child have been looked down on in many occasions, especially when they do it in a public place. Every now and then, articles about a mother breastfeeding her older child, up to age five or six, cause a havoc of reactions from many different people. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated: 'There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer.' The statement was made with good reasons. Even though a lot of Western people may not be accustomed to seeing children being breastfed, it does not necessarily mean that it is not biologically normal. In fact, many non-Western societies have an average breastfeeding period of about three years, and some even longer than that, Mail Online reported. In an article published in The Conversation, Amy Brown, an Associate professor of psychology, Swansea University wrote that there have been studies suggesting that non-human primates stop breastfeeding their young ones around the time when the first permanent teeth comes out, which is about five or six years old in human children. It has also been said that biological norms have health benefits, too, and breastfeeding is no different. According to healthmedicinet.com, a pint of breastmilk during a second year and over will produce 94 percent of a vitamin B12, 75 percent of vitamin A and 60 percent of vitamin C endorsed intake. This means that breastmilk actually increases the defense fighting properties after the first year of life which can reduce the risk of illness for the child. Furthermore, it was also revealed that the longer a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer is. Aside from their health, investigation suggests that longer breastfeeding can boost a child's educational opening and might even assist in their romantic and amicable development. Twenty people overdosed on synthetic marijuana in and around the capital city of the state of Pennsylvania. The district attorney is leading an investigation to make sure this does not happen again. Ed Marsico, District Attorney of Dauphin County said the drug users overdosed over the course of two days last week in the Harrisburg area. Doctors at the emergency room said that users had experienced advanced stages of delirium and some needed to be revived, including one that had to be transferred in the intensive care. "Don't get started on this stuff. It's just bad news," told CBS affiliate WHP. According to Mail Online, investigators said that the synthetic pot responsible was packaged with the word 'Darkness' on it. They think that some chemicals or other substances were added to the artificial pot. Synthetic marijuana is illegal. They usually go by many names and brands like K2, Spice, Darkness, and Space. It contains man-made chemicals that stimulate the same cell receptor in the brain as THC in natural marijuana. "You don't know what you're getting. There's no quality control. This stuff is screwing up people's brains. It's screwing up their bodies. Some of the individuals were in intensive care this weekend," said Marsico. The D.A. said users don't get these illegal substances in corner stores, but on the street like other drugs. A CDC study shows calls for synthetic cannabinoid use spiked 229 percent in 2015 versus 2014. Researchers found that there are chances where the chemicals in synthetic marijuana can cling on to cell receptors much stronger than how THC in natural marijuana does. This can yield stronger effects like an elevated mood or feeling of relaxation. However, synthetic marijuana has also been found to have psychotic effect on some users. According to philly.com, these can include extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia and even hallucinations. Meanwhile, just last month, 33 people were spotted wandering around the streets of New York City like 'zombies' after taking a bad dose of K2 synthetic marijuana. Many of them collapsed on the streets and had to be rushed to the hospital by emergency medical services. Lobsters are one of the few animals in the world that are often said to be "immortal." This is because they show no signs of decline in strength or fertility as they age, and they just continue on growing. However, they do die eventually -- because the process of molting their shell can be an exhausting process. Larry the lobster rescued from restaurant by activists, dies getting shipped to aquarium https://t.co/ILrnipr32u pic.twitter.com/jlTd0HTgto io9 (@io9) July 29, 2016 These creatures also taste great, which is why people pay large amounts of money for them. Larry the Lobster, who was recently caught and was part of the menu of a restaurant on Florida's Sunset Strip -- was a massive piece of meat at 14.98 pounds. IFL Science said that because lobster size are indicative of their age, he was expected to be around 110 years old -- garnering him a lot of attention from seafood afficionados and animal rights activists alike. A man was all set to eat Larry, but a group of local people gathered some money to reimburse the man's purchase money and save the lobster's life. Unfortunately, saving Larry did not fare too well, either, as shortly after he was rescued, Larry eventually died. Larry was sent to Maine State University, where biologists are supposed to monitor his health and assess his chances of survival, but when the styrofoam box containing Larry was opened at the aquarium, he was already unresponsive. The aquarium suspected that he probably died during his long journey, putting and end to the story. The restaurant owner, Joseph Melluso, who was supposed to have Larry cooked told Portland Press Herald, Its very disappointing. It definitely makes for an ugly story for something that had a lot of good energy and good intention behind it. A flour recall has been announced after an E. coli-tainted flour from General Mills caused sickness among 46 people in 21 states. The recall includes batches of unbleached, all-purpose and self-rising flour varieties from General Mills, Gold Medal, Wondra and Signature Kitchens flour. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned residents not to eat raw cookie dough and cake batter, WTHR reported. FDA testing revealed that the raw dough eaten and handled by people affected was made using flour that was produced at the General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri between November 2015 and February 2016. The CDC and FDA have not determined how the bacteria usually found in animal feces got into the flour but they are still currently investigating. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Karen Neil said that since flour is considered a raw agricultural product that does not go through treatment process designed to kill contaminants like bacteria, there is a potential for contamination between the field where it is grown and in the packaging. E-coli bacteria lives in animal intestines that is most commonly spread through contamination from feces. Officials revealed that two strains of E-coli bacteria were found, which can cause diarrhea and abdominal cramps, IB Times reported. Thirteen people have been hospitalized and one has suffered kidney failure according to CDC. Minnesota, where General Mills is based, gathered the most number of affected residents with five while Colorado, Illinois and Michigan each reported four. In response to the allegations, General Mills said they do not believe that the Kansas City plant is the source of the bacteria. However, they have already elevated cleaning protocols out of caution. The company claims that only a small subset of flour produced from their plant can be traced back to the outbreak and no E. coli bacteria has been found in the testing of their manufacturing facility to date. The Zika infection rate is reportedly rising in Puerto Rico. Reportedly, a number of residents have failed to protect themselves against the deadly mosquito bites, which are believed to have made the Zika virus threat exaggerated in the entire country. The Puerto Rico federal and local health officials are feuding on which prevention techniques are the most effective, while the governor's special adviser on Zika virus has quit in disgust. According to the adviser, there are residents who did not take the warnings seriously. Officials believe that thousands of Puerto Rico residents are infected each day, which includes more than 50 pregnant women in the list. A report says that a quarter of Puerto Rico's population may get infected with the Zika virus by December. There are about 5,500 confirmed cases today and 672 of those people are pregnant women, AL reported. In an interview, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC said that the stunning number of infected people reflects an explosion of cases. The proportion of pregnant women who are positive for the Zika virus has risen sevenfold since January. Officials also warned that hundreds of infants may be born with microcephaly in the coming year. The obstetricians in Puerto Rico are currently trying to persuade women to delay pregnancies for the time being and urging infected pregnant patients to have regular ultrasounds. For those fetuses that show signs of brain damage, abortion is quietly recommended, Tampa Bay Times reported. The Zika outbreak also faces an issue over a chemical that the C.D.C. proposed spraying throughout the air. Called naled, it was reported to have successfully eliminated mosquitoes in Florida and Louisiana, but that it did not work in a 1987 outbreak in Puerto Rico. Naled is toxic to animals like fish, birds and bees, and is even banned in some European countries. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla did not support the proposal after protests from some citizens so the leaders are now discussing the spraying of another chemical called Bti. A new study has found that the last groups of woolly mammoths, that lived on a remote Alaskan island some 5,600 years ago, died because of lack of drinking water. It is believed that most of the world's woolly mammoths living on the mainland had vanished about 10,500 years ago. However, some isolated population of the prehistoric animal managed to live for another 5,000 years on the St Paul Island, which is located in the Bering Sea. The study, which has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that it was after sea levels began to rise due to climate change and flooded the Bering Sea land bridge that the island's size shrank. Drier climate conditions led to less rainfall and shallow lakes which ultimately diminished the island's freshwater resources leaving the woolly mammoths thirsty, reported Tech Times. For the study, a team of researchers from the Pennsylvania State University examined traces of mammoth DNA and fungal spores found near a lake on the island to calculate exactly when the animals disappeared. They also studied sediments and the remains of aquatic animals from freshwater lakes, to figure out the condition of the lakes at the time as well as to understand the environmental changes that might have resulted in extinction. It was found that reduced available habitat due to rise in sea levels and lack of freshwater sources made it difficult for the giant animals to survive. In fact, the researcher claim that the mammoths are partially to blamed for the changes. "When they started congregating around these limited water holes, they probably destroyed the vegetation [on the banks], causing more erosion and infilling of the lakes," said lead study author Russ Graham, reported Daily Mail. "Ironically, the mammoths contributed to their own demise." The researchers said that the climate change that the modern world is currently facing could shift conditions even more rapidly as compared to the pace of climate change in Alaska at that time. NASA has a new spaceplane, which will serve as a cargo delivery vehicle. The new spaceplane, the Dream Chaser, looks like a smaller version of the Space Shuttle and was designed to be a supply ship to International Space Station. NASA's new vehicle, the Dream Chaser is being developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation. The Dream Chaser is a reusable vehicle similar to Space Shuttle. The vehicle will be delivered to Mojave desert in California where it will undergo rigorous testing, Telegraph reported. According to reports, it was difficult for Sierra Nevada Corporation to achieve this success. The company's initial target contract is NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability, which will ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. However, it lost the contract to Spacex and Boeing on September 16, 2014. It then changed its focus to another contract, which is the Commercial Resupply Services 2. The contract is for the transport of cargo and supplies to the space station. Sierra Nevada Corporation also faced fierce competition even in the commercial resupply contract as there are competitors with favorable and proven vehicles. In spite of the tough competition, NASA awarded Sierra Nevada the contract along with the orbital ATK and SpaceX. The Dream Chaser will deliver at least six cargos to and from the ISS from 2019 to 2024, Stripes reported. The head of Sierra Nevada space systems division, Mark Sirangelo said that he is proud that the Dream Chaser is now part of the NASA program and will be tested in the same ground where previous successful programs were tested. NASA's decision to select Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser means a lot to the company, according to Mark Sirangelo. He said that there was a lot of historical meaning to them and very thankful for the support they received from NASA. He also said that it was the continuation of the long legacy of America in testing advanced airplanes and leading the world in terms of technology. Bennu, the 500 meters wide asteroid may hit Earth during the latter part of the 22 century, however it won't cause major damage to our world as per reports. Incidentally, NASA is sending the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Bennu next month on a new asteroid sampling mission. The OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) mission, that costs $800 million, is reportedly scheduled to launch from the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sept. 8. The spacecraft will trail after Bennu for two years to get an opportune moment to meet it sometime during August 2018. After chasing down the asteroid, the spacecraft will study it for two years from orbit, after which it will collect around 60 grams of materials from the surface in July 2020. The spacecraft is expected to reach back our planet in 2023, and then researchers the world over will analyze and study the sample materials collected from the comet in numerous ways. The main aim of the mission is to throw more light on the role of primitive, dark and carbon rich objects like Bennu in kick starting life on our planet. "Did these kinds of bodies deliver organic material and water, in the form of hydrated minerals like clays, to the surface of our planet that created the habitability and the environments that may have led to the origin of life?" said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator. "That's the prime mission, to investigate that question". Asteroid Bennu is listed among the most potentially dangerous asteroids, and there is a 0.037 percent chance that it will collide with our planet sometime during the latter part of the 22nd century during a close flyby, according to researchers from NASA. Scientists believe that with the help of the OSIRIS-Rex, they will know more about the asteroid's orbit, which in turn will help them recalculate the impact probability. As per scientists, if asteroid Bennu indeed strikes our planet, then it could devastate a local region but will not cause mass extinction or wipe out life. In addition, researchers hope by the time Bennu is close to Earth, mankind would have already developed enough to nudge the asteroid off its course with kinetic impactors, gravity tractor probes or even nuclear reactors if there is not too much time on hand. He Jianzhong, vice minister of Chinas transport ministry and Sun Licheng, chairman and president of CCS, were present and spoke on the need for CCS to entrench its position as a service-oriented and outward looking classification society both at home and abroad. The vice minister He stressed that CCS should focus on raising the technology bar on specification standards, and introduce more stringent quality control and technical inspection, as well as accelerate international development for the organisation. Sun, the top man at CCS, pointed out that the structural developments ahead for CCS would be in line with Chinas 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), focusing on a few guiding principles such as innovation, green shipping, transparency, internationalisation, modernisation, and service. At the 60th anniversary, CCS also signed strategic cooperation agreements with China Cosco Shipping Corp (Coscocs), China Merchants Group, China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC) and Dalian Maritime University The agreements stipulated that the parties would work together on technology and innovation, R&D, trainings and management system. But a week can be a long time. Indeed, long enough for a couple of large spanners to be thrown into the works. At the beginning of July, China's Cosco Shipping appeared ready to invest some $900m in upgrading the port with the shipyard and cruise sectors a top priority. First week of July Xu said the Hong Kong-listed company planned not only to make Piraeus the biggest commercial port in the Med and one of Europes most important, but also to re-establish it as the ship repair point in the eastern Med, and develop it as a leading European cruise hub. However, the mid-July attempted army coup in Turkey and confirmation a week later of European Commissions determination to bring Athens to heel over claims Greece broke EU state aid rules with regards to aid to Hellenic Shipyards, the countrys largest facility, have seen local optimism stirred by the final privatisation of Piraeus port, turn to pessimism. The commission has taken Greece to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover more than EUR250m ($275m) in what it considers illegal state aid to Hellenic. The EC is also asking the EUs highest court, to impose a one-off fine of $6.72m on the Greek state, with further penalties of $39,170 per day. The penalty covers from the day of its judgement in 2012 until the date Greece complies. In 2008, Brussels found some loans, guarantees and capital injections granted to the shipyard between 1996 and 2002 when it was in dire straits failed to meet EU state aid rules. After its adoption, Greece still has not implemented the commission decision of June 2008, ordering the recovery of over EUR250m of unlawful state aid to Hellenic Shipyards, the commission said in a July 22 statement. The shipyard was privatised in 2002 and became part of German steel group ThyssenKrupp, which sold it to Abu Dhabi MAR in 2010 at the worst of the Greek debt crisis. The EC move comes as interest in re-energising Greece's floundering shipyard sector grows. The EC move was not unexpected, but it had been hoped a more lenient approach would be adopted. The Sname Greek Sector and the Hellenic Shortsea Shipping Association are among those leading the call to revive the sector, pointing to its huge potential as a booster of the Greek economy. However, both also point out the state aid issue is a noose 'around the neck' and both acknowledge Greece is not in a position to pay the amounts being sought. There has been talk for over two years about Cosco ships, and even Chinese navy vessels, being repaired in Greece. Greek equipment manufacturers and logistic companies have also been talking of Cosco's, and China's, growing interest in Greek shipyards. Indeed. Cosco has spoken of building a drydock capable of repairing the largest ships in its fleet linking Asia with Europe. The failed army coup and the subsequent declaration of martial law has caste a very black cloud over the future of the Eastern Mediterranean as a cruise destination, Cosco had aired plans to invest hundreds of millions to turn Piraeus into a major European cruise hub. Indeed, the events of the past weeks have been unsettling for all players. A cable laying vessel reported being fired upon by 16 assailants armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and AK47 assault rifles west of Yemens Jazirat al Hanish al Kabir islands on July 22. Armed security on board the merchant vessel returned warning shots and a nearby warship reportedly acknowledged the masters distress call, scrambling media to report a piracy scare. However the incident, near position 13 37 N - 042 35 E, proved to be an encounter with local Yemeni Security Forces according to United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) who were alerted in the immediate aftermath and have since investigated the episode. The combined military assessment of the incident reported in the Southern Red Sea 22nd July, concludes this was not an attack or act of attempted piracy but an encounter with local Yemeni Security Forces from the Hanish Islands investigating a ship conducting legitimate operations and responding to warning shots from the on-board Armed Security Team, UKMTO reports. UKMTO urged mariners to remain vigilant when transiting the area and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO despite the isolated incident. The warning has been echoed by UK-based maritime security specialists Protection Vessels International (PVI) who say the threat of attacks targeting merchant vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea remains. There have been several reports of suspicious activity in the region in 2016, including sightings of ladders and weapons on board vessels that indicate the continued presence of violent criminal groups in the High Risk Area, PVI said. The Hanish Islands enjoy a hotly disputed history with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen all claiming sovereignty at different times. Last year the archipelago was reportedly the scene of intense fighting between forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi insurgents and forces loyal to acting president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the latter backed by Gulf Arab coalition forces. Reported incidents of piracy since early 2014 have clustered around the Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea, suggesting that the threat originates in Yemen, although the identity of the attackers remains unclear, PVI said of the July 22 episode where the cable layer was steaming at just 0.5 knots north of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Last months attack comes after piracy watchdog International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported attacks dropped to a 21-year low in the first half of 2016. However, IMB director Pottengal Mukundan urged continued vigilance off Somalia despite the kidnap for ransom problem cooling due to the presence of international Naval patrols and private security deployed on merchant vessels. Ships need to stay vigilant, maintain security and report all attacks, as the threat of piracy remains, particularly off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea," he said. "At this point, so many resources have been invested into configuring lifestyles for how people live, work and play around the automobile and highway infrastructure," says Detroit planning director Maurice Cox. "We've come to not even question it. Entire generations have grown up in it and know no other urban paradigm." Wayne Beyea, an outreach specialist in the Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction, describes urban sprawl as development in "places that are otherwise not properly served by infrastructure and the critical mass for successful urban development." In Metro Detroit sprawl dates back to the late 1960s, when residents began to flee the central city for outer-ring suburbs. That trend grew steadily over the ensuing decades, fueled by federally-subsidized highway expansion and housing development combined with racial tensions. Within forty years, hundreds of square miles of rural countryside were transformed into suburbia. Do you think the term "urban sprawl" applies to your community? Tell us in the anonymous survey at right. We'll post your answers >>> Is this a bad thing? It depends on your perspective. Oakland County's Executive L. Brooks Patterson is famous for positing that " one man's urban sprawl is another man's economic development. " And yet there's also ample evidence to demonstrate that sprawling regions are inefficient and costly when it comes to infrastructure and service delivery. Other negative impacts include increased traffic accidents and casualties, congestion, long commutes (which are associated with negative health outcomes), poorer air quality and eroding natural resources. A new wave of sprawl? According to planner Richard Carlisle of , the Great Recession "did for sprawl what planners have not been able to do," slowing or halting countless new developments. But recent signs show that sprawl is creeping back into Metro Detroit. Carlisle/Wortman Associates , the Great Recession "did for sprawl what planners have not been able to do," slowing or halting countless new developments. But recent signs show that sprawl is creeping back into Metro Detroit. Carlisle notes an "amazing coalescence" of interest in urban living in denser developments. That arrangement appeals to millennials who have less money to spend on a traditional larger home as well as boomers who no longer want the responsibility of maintaining such a home. Meanwhile, both groups are increasingly moving towards a less auto-dependent lifestyle. He says the local market still has a long way to go in addressing those shifts, however, and Cox agrees. "The biggest city in the state still hasn't yet fully responded to the trend for more walkable urban placemaking," says Carlisle . "The pressure is now on, and the timing couldn't be better." Investing in downtowns City planners have debated for years on how to address sprawl. As far as national models go, Beyea says the oft-cited (UGB) is the "poster child" for sprawl mitigation. The UGB is a literal line in the sand separating rural, low-density areas from urban, high-density ones. State legislation signed in 1973 required every Oregon city to establish a UGB, but Portland's has been particularly notable for the way it's densified and transformed the state's largest city. "They've been able to have the critical mass necessary for light rail and vibrant entrepreneurship, in terms of new businesses and location of housing," Beyea says. "This urban service area seems to be a concept that has played out well in both larger and smaller communities as a way to curb sprawl." It may be too late (and likely politically untenable) to draw a line limiting urban development in Metro Detroit. But building up a dense urban core is still very much a viable solution, and one that's already shown success. Downtown Detroit, of course, has seen considerable revitalization in recent years, with businesses and mostly higher-density housing proliferating. Cox says that's been driven largely by businesses like Compuware and Quicken Loans making the move downtown. But for the city's next step, he's envisioning a much broader transformation driven by municipal policy. He notes that the city has numerous neighborhoods, from Mexicantown to the Livernois-McNichols area, that have had walkable Main Street-style communities in the past and could again. "We have all of the infrastructures to create a different option, as well as the authenticity of the history of these neighborhoods and institutions that remain," he says. Cox says those neighborhoods could become an attractive "antithesis" to the suburbs, guided by a placemaking plan that breaks down to three basic steps: removing blighted structures, rehabilitating existing housing stock and "greening everything else." He envisions what he describes as "20-minute neighborhoods" for Detroit, where all basic amenities are within a 20-minute walking distance. "In the end, it was land use and zoning that created the suburbs," he says. "It's going to be land use and zoning that reshape this kind of urban, walkable place that Detroit's neighborhoods can be again." A focus on developing walkable Main Street communities has also been a part of the playbook in some suburban communities. The Portland Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is the "poster child" for sprawl mitigation. The UGB is a literal line in the sand separating rural, low-density areas from urban, high-density ones. State legislation signed in 1973 required every Oregon city to establish a UGB, but Portland's has been particularly notable for the way it's densified and transformed the state's largest city.A focus on developing walkable Main Street communities has also been a part of the playbook in some suburban communities. The Main Street Oakland County program has contributed to the revitalization of the county's traditional downtowns. The program claims to have attracted more than $700 million in public and private reinvestment over the past 15 years in 21 downtown communities. One of the earliest communities to embrace its downtown was the City of Birmingham. The city undertook a unique overhaul of zoning regulations, starting with a 1996 master plan which provided for the implementation of a form-based code, the first of its kind in Michigan and one of the first in the United States. The code jettisons traditional zoning regulations, which focus on building usage, to instead emphasize the "form" of a building: its placement, scale, massing, and design. Birmingham planning director Jana Ecker notes that Birmingham's form-based code has helped to preserve and revitalize the city's historic downtown, but it's also helped to transform areas that didn't necessarily have such a pre-existing appeal. The 2007 adoption of a form-based code in the city's Triangle District has replaced urban sprawl-style surface parking lots and strip malls with more attractive mixed-use developments. Ecker says a form-based code is "absolutely" viable for any community. "I think a form-based code approach forces you to look more at the individual approach on the street and to look at how and where the buildings are placed and how it affects the type of environment," Ecker says. "Places with a form-based code are much more likely to be successful, vibrant places where people want to be and want to get out of their car and walk, rather than just drive through." Other experiments in fighting sprawl Revitalizing and densifying downtowns isn't the only solution metro-area communities have tried to the address sprawl. Some have had success with programs that work to preserve undeveloped land that surrounds sprawling areas. The preeminent such effort in Southeast Michigan is , which has purchased the development rights to 49 parcels of land totaling 4,600 acres over the past 12 years. The program is funded in part by a 30-year, 0.5-mill tax levy that Ann Arbor voters approved in 2003. The program preserves existing farmland and other green spaces as conservation easements, allowing current landowners to maintain the properties as they usually do while prohibiting further development on the parcels in perpetuity. Thornton says the city is working hard to build up blocks of greenbelt parcels measuring 1,000 acres or more, creating green corridors around sprawling areas. "We are getting there, but there's obviously a lot more work to do because there's still some development pressure," she says. Another possibility lies in "retrofitting" existing sprawling developments. Consider Farmington's , a 0.75-acre park and community event space that was once a strip mall parking lot. Since its opening in 2005, the pavilion has become a community gathering place that hosts public concerts and festivals, a weekly farmers market, and private events. Farmington Downtown Development Authority executive director Annette Knowles says projects as large-scale as the pavilion can be costly, but the city is considering redeveloping other sites to make more "pocket-sized" event centers in the future. "You have to balance out infrastructure with opportunities to just relax and unplug from buildings and parking lots and things like that," Knowles says. "You can't just have building stock and nothing else by it." Ann Arbor's greenbelt program , which has purchased the development rights to 49 parcels of land totaling 4,600 acres over the past 12 years. The program is funded in part by a 30-year, 0.5-mill tax levy that Ann Arbor voters approved in 2003. Sundquist Pavilion , a 0.75-acre park and community event space that was once a strip mall parking lot. Since its opening in 2005, the pavilion has become a community gathering place that hosts public concerts and festivals, a weekly farmers market, and private events. Working as a region is a must Carlisle says he expects market demand from millennials and baby boomers will drive a shift away from sprawl, with little interference needed at the policy level. But from a public infrastructure standpoint, he says the region needs to establish a comprehensive transit system to serve denser urban neighborhoods and their car-independent residents. "At some point in time we have to begin to understand that there's going to be a whole generation of people that either don't want to or will not be able to own a car," he says. "Frankly, that's going to cross generations." UPDATED 8/3/16 A scuttling of a rare opportunity to advance a transit solution may have been narrowly averted this week. County executives in Macomb and Oakland counties had A scuttling of a rare opportunity to advance a transit solution may have been narrowly averted this week. County executives in Macomb and Oakland counties had put forth objections to the funding and governance structure of the In the meantime, a project to widen I-75 in Oakland County is Beyea says metro-area communities will need to work together to turn the page on urban sprawl. He says s ome of the groundwork for that mentality is already taking root, as some municipalities have started creating resource-sharing agreements out of financial necessity after the recession. Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan 's proposed master plan. The plan had been in development since 2012 and was set to go before voters in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties this November, pending approval by the RTA board. A vote last week failed, with representatives from Oakland and Macomb voting "No." A last-minute compromise may yet send the measure to the ballot, pending a vote by the RTA Thursday.In the meantime, a project to widen I-75 in Oakland County is expected to begin this summer.ome of the groundwork for that mentality is already taking root, as some municipalities have started creating resource-sharing agreements out of financial necessity after the recession. But the next steps, Beyea says , are to create more mutually beneficial solutions between municipalities, continue to bolster Detroit's urban core while densifying and placemaking in the suburbs and, above all, strengthen regional infrastructure. "It's regions, not individual municipalities, that are successful," Beyea says. "We have pockets of success for our communities. But to raise the boat for everybody, we have to be a successful region. This piece is part of a solutions journalism series on Metro Detroit's regional issues, conducted in partnership with Metro Matters and guided by our Emerging Leaders Board This work is funded by the This work is funded by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan . You can view other pieces in this series here Corridors lined for miles with strip malls. Big box stores surrounded by surface parking lots. Winding subdivisions of single family homes.This is the face of urban sprawl, a term that denotes untidy, sparse development. Metro Detroiters have lived with it for over a generation. But demand is changing, and many planners are working towards a new vision of regional life by investing in downtowns and curbing development elsewhere. Image: Virgin Galactic's six-passenger, two-pilot spaceplane takes its first ride down the runway on Monday. Credit: Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic has been awarded a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate its six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship, known as SpaceShipTwo, the company said Monday. The license covers commercial flights of the spaceship, but stipulates that certain conditions must be met before passengers, or what the FAA calls "space flight participants" can be aboard. RELATED: Virgin Galactic's New SpaceShipTwo is Taking Shape Virgin Galactic "must successfully verify the integrated performance of the SpaceShipTwo/White Knight Two vehicle hardware and any software in an operational flight environment before allowing any space flight participant on board during a flight. Verification must include flight testing, and the results must be provided to the FAA prior to conducting a mission with a space flight participant on board," the FAA wrote in an email. White Knight Two is the carrier jet that will ferry SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of about 50,000 feet before releasing it so the spaceship can fire its rocket engine and catapult itself some 62 miles above Earth. RELATED: World's Largest Plane Will Launch Rockets into Space At that altitude, passengers will see the the curvature of the planet set against the blackness of space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness. So far, about 700 people have put down deposits or paid to fly on SpaceShipTwo. Rides cost $250,000. The first SpaceShipTwo was destroyed during a fatal test flight in Mojave, California, on Oct. 31, 2014. Virgin Galactic's sister company, The Spaceship Company, was about 65 percent finished with the second ship at the time of the accident. That vehicle, unveiled in February, started its test flight program on Monday with a taxi ride down the runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port. RELATED: Crimes in Space: Whose Law Will We Use? "The granting of our operator license is an important milestone for Virgin Galactic, as is our first taxi test for our new spaceship," Mike Moses, Virgin Galactic senior vice president of operations, said in a statement. "We still have much work ahead to fully test this spaceship in flight." The company has not yet released a date for the start of commercial operations. Odd news from the United Nations this week: A recently convened panel of international experts and career diplomats have issued a remarkable joint statement, concluding: "Canada and the Netherlands are so cute together!" We're kidding about the joint statement, but the two countries actually do enjoy a uniquely close relationship. From the U.S. perspective, it's like having two good friends hit it off and get married. Everybody wins! Jules Suzdaltsev explains in today's Seeker Daily report. Canada and the Netherlands have a similar international profile. Both are parliamentary democracies with a strong tradition of supporting progressive causes like universal health care, environmental conservation and same-sex marriage. The countries also share some intriguing history. In 1940, Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands as World War Two heated up. Fleeing the conflict, the Dutch royal family took refuge in Canada for five years. The Netherlands' Princess Margriet was born in an Ottawa hospital, which was temporarily declared Dutch territory so that she could obtain dual citizenship. RELATED: Canada And Russia's Complicated Alliance Canadian troops fought alongside the Dutch at the end of the war, and Canada's Air Force carried out crucial airlift missions and food drops to isolated Dutch cities. Many Canadians remained in the Netherlands after the war to help rebuild. The Dutch, in turn, have a long history of migrating to Canada, dating back to the 19th century. Subsequent waves of migration followed after World War I and World War II. Dutch-Canadians remain one of Canada's largest immigrant groups. Canada and the Netherlands also share strong business ties. Bilateral trade between the two nations exceeded $7 billion in 2014 and Dutch seaports play a key role in transporting Canadian goods throughout Europe. Both are founding members of a number of international organizations, including NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation. Diplomatically, Canada and the Netherlands are about as close as two countries can be. How do they keep the magic alive after 70 years? Well, for one thing, the Netherlands even sends Canada flowers every year. No, seriously. -- Glenn McDonald Learn More: CBC News: VE-Day: Why Dutch-Canadian connections have stayed so strong Dutch News: 10 things you need to know about the end of World War II in the Netherlands CBC News: Abdicating Dutch queen was a wartime Ottawa schoolgirl Netherlands-Canada Chamber of Commerce: Trade Information Press Release August 2, 2016 Stop the killings now! - De Lima Decries 'do-it- yourself justice' on war vs drugs Sen. Leila M. De Lima today decried the prevailing "do-it- yourself justice" system carried out under the Duterte administration's war against illegal drugs that resulted to the unabated spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions in the country. In her first privilege speech at the Senate, De Lima said this latest brand of justice flagrantly disregards the basic rights to due process of the law of innocents and suspects alike as guaranteed to them under the Constitution. "We have to continue opposing the murder of the innocents as well as that of the suspects. We must call for the accountability of state actors responsible for this terrifying trend in law enforcement, and the investigation of killings perpetrated by the vigilante assassins," she said. "In the campaign against criminality, we cannot applaud criminal methods merely because we are left unaffected. Life has more value than an accusation written on a piece of cardboard whether you are rich or a scum of the earth. Needless to say, all lives matter," she said. Based on the official records of the Philippine National Police, there are about 395 drug offenders who were killed in police operations - or a daily average of 13 deaths every day from July 1 to Aug. 1. However, for instance, a media research group showed that since May 10, there have been 748 individuals killed in the administration's campaign against illegal drugs, of which 464 were from police operations, 215 by unidentified gunmen and 69 salvaged. "Higher figures are even reported by certain media outlets. I am not saying that all or most of those incidents are cases of summary killings. But several do have telltale signs that several are," the neophyte senator noted. The former justice secretary explained that the sheer figures of deaths by extrajudicial killings and summary executions seems to numb some people desperate to weed out the cruelty of illegal drug trade on Filipino families, especially among children. "The fact that our attention span has waned as I enumerated only a fraction of these killings already shows how desensitized we have grown to the killings as mere numbers and statistics," she said. "We must force ourselves to be reminded that the victims are always flesh and blood to their families and loved ones. Hindi sila suman o dinuguan (They are not rice cake or pork blood stew)," she added. De Lima also lashed out at her critics and detractors who tried so hard to malign her good name and reputation in order to discredit and decimate her from pursuing a Senate investigation into the series of extrajudicial and vigilante killings. "I cannot stay silent in the face of all these blatant lies created in the backroom of a media strategy office suite. I will not fall without a fight," she said, mindful of the malicious demolition campaign launched against her by some quarters. "I will not go into that good night without nary a whimper, while all these misguided men use the President's war against drugs as their platform to destroy any elected public official who dares question the methods by which this war is waged," she added. The Senate justice and human rights committee she chairs and the Senate public order and illegal drugs chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson are expected to open a joint Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial and vigilante killings this month. Press Release August 2, 2016 GORDON'S BILL TO DETER 911 PRANK CALLERS The Philippine National Police activated the nationwide 911 hotline on the first day of August, as it earlier committed. From midnight to 7 am, the PNP monitoring center manned by 45 agents recorded 2,475 calls. Of the total, 304 or 12% were prank calls while 1,119 or 45% were dropped calls. With over of the calls being prank and dropped calls received by agents manning Hotline 911 during the first seven hours of the nationwide hotline's operation, Senator Richard J. Gordon pointed out that now there is even more need for the passage of his SIM Card Registration bill. "We can't have prank calls and dropped calls congesting our emergency hotline so much so that legitimate callers would find it hard to get through. I have the solution for this - my proposed measure which seeks to require the registration of both post-paid and prepaid SIM cards. With SIM cards registered, prank callers will be deterred because they can easily be identified and tracked down," he said. Last June, Gordon filed Senate Bill No. 105 or the SIM Card Registration Act, which aims to deter crime and enhance peace and order in the country by requiring the registration of both post-paid and prepaid SIM cards in mobile phones. "Mobile phones are useful and convenient tools of modern life. While mobile phones have brought speed and efficiency to our transactions, there are individuals who take advantage of this modern technology to commit crimes faster and with greater facility. When used maliciously, these become dangerous tools of crime," he said. Gordon cited as example, criminals who commit kidnapping, estafa, and other crimes can easily consummate their unlawful activities with the use of prepaid SIM cards in mobile phones. He added this does not allow law enforcers to identify these violators and hold them for investigation. The senator stressed that lawless elements must not be granted the privilege of using mobile phones with anonymity to achieve their crimes. "There is a need to require the registration of all SIM Cards in mobile phones both prepaid and postpaid. This will promote responsibility and accountability in the use of SIM Cards in mobile phones as well as provide better law enforcement capability in protecting the public," he stressed. Section 4 of the proposed measure provides that " Every mobile phone company shall be required to register its subscribers, both prepaid and postpaid, and maintain a directory thereof, indicating therein the SIM Card serial number, mobile phone number, name, and address of the subscriber. The bill also seeks sellers to require all SIM card buyers to present a valid ID with a picture and to accomplish a registration form issued by the mobile phone company of the SIM card being purchased. Buyers who will not produce a valid ID will be refused the sale of a SIM card. The seller will also have to submit accomplished registration forms to the same mobile phone company within 15 days from the date of sale. Section 5, meanwhile, provides assurance that the personal information in the SIM card registration will be not be inquired or looked into except when probable cause is determined by a competent judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses, if any. Violators will be meted with a fine ranging from P5,000 to P50,000. Existing subscribers must register their SIM cards with their mobile phones within three months from the effectivity of the law or their SIM cards will be deactivated. Press Release August 2, 2016 EXTEND PAID PATERNITY LEAVE FROM 7 DAYS TO 30 DAYS: PANGILINAN MANILA - Fathers taking an active role in their child's life is good for the father, the mother, the child, the family, and society, said Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan as he filed a bill extending paid paternity leave from seven days to 30 days. "Mas mabibigyang panahon ang tatay na mas makatulong sa pag-alaga ng bagong silang at sa pag-recover agad si misis mula sa panganganak (The father would be given more time to help in the care of the newborn and in the recovery of the wife from childbirth)," he said. The proposed measure, which amends Republic Act 8187 or the Paternity Leave Act of 1996, covers all married male employees in both the public and private sectors, as well as for all deliveries of their legitimate spouse, removing the previous cap that gives fathers this benefit only for the first four deliveries. In the explanatory note of the bill, Pangilinan noted that 79 countries worldwide have enacted laws on paternity leave and 70 of said countries require a paid leave. Citing "The Economist" (2015), he enumerated the benefits of paternity leaves: Fathers are more likely to take an active role in child care tasks; early interaction between father and child has longer-term positive impact on the child's learning abilities; and paternity leave is beneficial to women's careers as child care responsibilities are shared between the father and the mother. Pangilinan is a hands-on father of four and actively involved in their lives. After Congress opened its 17th regular session last week, Pangilinan filed this amendment to the Paternity Leave Act of 1996 and three others: on comprehensive nursing, full subsidy for students in state universities and colleges, and voter education for junior and senior high school students. Pimentels to lead Senate forum on federalism Two Senate Presidents will be present at a public forum which will tackle the proposed shift to federalism to be held at the Senate on August 4, Thursday. Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and his father, former Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., are among the featured guests of the "Federalizing the Philippines" forum hosted by the Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO). The forum will center on a presentation by former Senate President Pimentel on the merits of a possible federal form of government, in place of the current presidential and unitary system. The younger Pimentel, who was elected as Senate President during the opening of the 17th Congress, will deliver the keynote speech for the forum. The Pimentels are among the country's most prominent proponents of federalism, while their partymate, President Rodrigo Duterte, has made the shift to a federal system one of the centerpiece programs of his administration. Also attending the event are Dr. Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government, Dr. Maria Ela Atienza of the University of the Philippines Department of Political Science, and Prof. Edmund Tayao, Executive Director of Local Government Development Foundation (LOGODEF), who will share their own comments and insights on the proposals on federalism. According to SEPO Director General Ronald Golding, the "Federalizing the Philippines" forum is the third part of the Senate Centennial Lecture series, which are being held in celebration of the Senate's 100th year this October 2016. Press Release August 2, 2016 Recto: More cops, patrol cars needed to maximize 911 The rolling out of more 911 lines should go hand in hand with the hiring of more policemen and the purchase of more patrol cars so that the police can effectively respond to distress calls. This was pointed out by Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto who said that the advantages of a 911 hotline will be forfeited if the police will not be able to quickly react to calls for help for lack of manpower and equipment. "Reaching the police in seconds is one thing. Having the police rush to the scene of the crime in minutes is another," Recto said. Recto said the installation of a nationwide 911 system should be accompanied with the induction into service of more policemen and investments in needed equipment like prowl cars and firearms. "Kung hindi, sayang lang ang napakagandang programa na 911 kung wala o kulang o mabagal ang pag-responde," Recto said. Without these resources, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be hard put meeting its "performance guarantee" in the 2016 national budget of a "15-minute response time to 100 percent of distress calls in urban areas," Recto said. Citing official reports like government audit findings, Recto said the PNP has 23,820 "uniformed position" vacancies. Filling these posts, Recto said, will give the nation's 1,489 towns an additional 12 policemen each, "and 41 more policemen for each of the 145 cities." The PNP, he explained, has 174,410 "authorized uniformed personnel positions" of which only 150,590 are filled, according to an official Department of Budget and Management document. Recto said the Commission on Audit's (COA) latest audit on the PNP showed that 16,140 policemen did not have service handguns as of the end of 2015. "The PNP has not attained a 100 percent issuance of short firearms to PNP uniformed personnel," the COA said in its PNP audit for 2015. To remedy this, Recto said the 2017 national budget, the first that President Duterte will recommend to Congress, must contain funding that will end the plight of "gunless policemen." Other critical equipment which must be purchased are patrol cars, Recto added. Recto said it was revealed in last year's House hearings on the 2016 national budget that the PNP lacked at least 3,000 four-wheel patrol vehicles on the conservative estimate that every town and city needed two more each. The PNP also lacked about 830 patrol boats, or one each for every coastal town, Recto said. Despite the lack of motorized vehicles and boats, the PNP still racked up P1.23 billion in fuel, oil and lubricant bills in 2015. The senator said the Duterte administration should also inculcate an "excellent maintenance culture" of vehicles and other equipment in the national police. "Kung madaling masira, madaling magmukhang madungis ang mga patrol cars, nasan kaya ang diprensya kung bakit tila madali mag-depreciate at mabulok ang mga PNP service vehicles?" he said. Recto said more cops with guns and cars are needed as the existing 1 policeman per 690 persons ratio is on the low side," Recto said. "This is on paper, and on the assumption that all cops are on duty at the same time, all the time. May shifts yan, ang iba naka-leave, or schooling, or suspended, or naka-headquarters duty. So the actual number of cops on duty at any given time is really small," Recto said. By plugging PNP shortfall in men and material, "we will be able to keep our streets safe, and businesses secure, by a fully-equipped and well-disciplined police force whose members are one text or call away," Recto said. Press Release August 2, 2016 Recto: Army of gov't casuals must be saved from endo too As government brings the hammer down on illegal contractualization practices of private companies, it should also "practice what it preaches" by regularizing the employment of its thousands of casual workers, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said. Recto said government should "open a pathway to regular employment for thousands of casuals who are eligible for permanent civil service." This, as Recto called for a bureaucracy-wide inventory of temporary workers in the public sector under various rampant hiring schemes like "job order (JO)", "emergency hiring (EH)", and "Memorandum of Agreement" which are all synonyms for "endo-prone employment." Recto was referring to the popular shorthand for "end of contract" or the termination of work after a fixed period which candidates in the last presidential elections vowed to end if elected to office. Recto described the size of casual government employees in the government today as "as big as the Army." After teachers and soldiers, they are the third biggest class of workers, he said. He cited the last inventory of government personnel - done by the Civil Service Commission in 2010 - which pegged the number of contractual workers at 21,315 and casual workers at 97,951 or nearly 120,000. These were workers whose compensation was booked as "personal services" - the bureaucratic term for payroll-related expense. Not captured by the count, Recto said, were casual workers hired pursuant to "job orders", whose pay came from MOOE or Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses. Also not included were workers in subcontracted tasks like security and janitorial services, Recto said. "The fact is, government is one of the biggest buyers of outsourced labor in the country today." In 2014, the national government (NG), not including local governments, spent P11.6 billion for outsourced general services like janitorial (P2.1 billion), environmental and sanitary (P2.1 billion), and security (P3.2 billion). That year, the NG also spent P9.6 billion in the basic pay of its contractual and casual employees. But the local governments spent more - almost P10 billion for salaries of casuals, P3.2 billion for contractuals, and P623 million for emergency, substitute and part-time workers. "We are also spending billions for consultants who are basically contractual employees. Kaya nga dapat mayroong bagong census para malaman ang laki ng casual republic," Recto said. He explained that tapping MOOE to hire personnel has been resorted to by many government agencies "to economize, to keep PS at a low level, to evade paying pension premiums, to avoid the complicated hiring processes, to accommodate persons who are not yet civil service eligible." But for casual employees "who have been in the service for at least five years, who are civil service-eligible, and whose work has been rated excellent," Recto is proposing to government "to start a process on how to bring them into the regular workforce." This should be the sequel to President Digong's order to end endo, Recto said. But this, he admitted, is a tall task considering the huge PS expense of the government which will reach P779 billion this year. "May mga pension repercussions ang regularization. Maraming pressure sa payroll. There's the second tranche of SSL IV, the order to double the salary of soldiers, cops and teachers," Recto said. For local governments to absorb some of their casuals and for them to comply with the Salary Standardization Law IV, Recto said their share from internal revenue taxes must be raised from 40 to 50 percent and in computing the same, some of Bureau of Customs (BOC) collections must be included. Recto has filed a bill increasing the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of local government units to 50 percent, and another bill factoring in BOC's VAT and excise tax collection in computing the IRA. Press Release August 2, 2016 Villar files bill establishing more rehab centers, making rehab expenses free for indigent drug users Sen. Cynthia Villar filed a bill that seeks to establish accessible and affordable rehabilitation centers in every province and city in the Philippines that will cater to drug dependents in order to sustain government's efforts for a drug-free society. In filing Senate Bill No. 718, Villar said the lack of rehabilitation center in the country is now more evident with the number of drug dependents seeking rehabilitation increasing day by day. Under the bill, the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary will establish a socialized scheme for the payment of rehabilitation and treatment expenses of drug dependents where indigent drug dependents will not be required to pay. It also seeks to make rehabilitation expenses chargeable to Philhealth. "The government must be ready to extend help to these drug dependents who should be treated as victims rather than criminals. Ensuring their recovery through rehabilitation and reintegration into the community will be beneficial to society as they will become productive citizens," Villar said. Since the implementation of the anti-illegal drugs drive "Oplan Tokhang," with the assumption into office of President Rodrigo Duterte, over 100,000 drug suspects have surrendered to authorities. Villar said more rehabilitation centers where a drug dependent will be motivated to regain self-confidence, rediscover his working abilities and develop a sense of responsibility for himself, are needed. According to the Dangerous Drugs Board website, there are a total of 44 DOH-accredited rehabilitation centers nationwide, 28 of which are operated by non-government organizations, 12 are government-owned, and four are maintained by local government units. Earlier, Villar has proposed the training of drug users in farm schools as a way of rehabilitation. She said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has allotted P500 million for 45,000 scholars of agriculture-related courses. Duran Farm in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, has started opening its doors to drug users by offering a two-month course on agriculture production. "We have heard a lot of testimonies coming from individuals whose lives have changed after participating in free trainings on agriculture. This is also a livelihood opportunity for drug users who want to start anew," Villar said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Just over 63 years after a cease-fire ended the bitter and bloody Korean War, veterans finally got a memorial in San Francisco on Monday to remember a conflict that many Americans call the forgotten war. The new memorial is a long, curving piece of granite in the Presidio with pictures and plaques to recall a war that lasted three years and cost more than 37,000 American dead and many thousands more Korean and Chinese lives. It was clear Monday that for the veterans who fought in it, and for the Korean people, the war is a clear memory still. It was a war that had to be fought, and I was proud to have fought in it, said Paul Pete McCloskey, a former San Mateo and Santa Clara county congressman who was a Marine lieutenant in a rifle company. We saved a new nation, and we should be proud of saving it. American, Korean and United Nations flags snapped in the breeze behind him as he spoke from a podium at the Presidio National Cemetery. McCloskey was wounded in the war and was awarded the Navy Cross and two Purple Heart medals. It was a bitter war fought in a country full of jagged mountains in torrid summer and freezing winter, as picture panels on the new monument show. One of the panels depicts Marines climbing over a seawall in the invasion of the port of Inchon, a noted victory that seemed to turn the tide of the war. But there were also defeats, particularly in the battles for the Chosin Reservoir. One of the panels quotes Marine Gen. O.P. Smith, who said, Retreat, hell. We are just advancing in a different direction. The war was unpopular in the United States and ended in a stalemate, with Korea still divided between a democratic south and North Korea ruled by a communist dictatorship. It was a savage war, fought at close range. I remember a fight in October 1952, said Marvin Pheffer, who was a private in a Marine rifle platoon. We had seven guys with us, and we lost three of them. We were fighting Chinese troops, and they kept coming. They were so close I could smell their breath. We were in a hellhole, and when it stopped, everything in front of us was strewn with corpses. I was 17 then, right out of high school. Pheffer was glad to be at Mondays ceremony. He thought the war was necessary. The North Koreans who invaded the south in 1950 and the Chinese who intervened later, he thinks, were part of a major communist push. The Russians were on the move, too, he said. We stopped them, Pheffer said. We had to stop them. Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens said the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea was what the Koreans call a relationship forged in blood. Anh Ho-Young, South Koreas ambassador to the United States, recalled the words carved on a similar memorial in Washington, D.C. Americans, he said, came to fight for a country they never knew, for a people they never met. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Kim Jung-Boon, South Koreas vice minister of veterans affairs, said the war devastated South Korea. There were so many homeless and so many orphans. There was no hope, he said. Korea was the poorest country in the world. Now Korea is a shining star in the Orient. So the sacrifice was not wasted. John Stevens, who was one of the main organizers of the Korean War Memorial project, served with the Marine Provisional Brigade at a time when the American and South Korean forces were pushed back into a small area around the port of Pusan. The North Koreans made what they thought would be a final push. If they won, the U.S. forces would have had to evacuate the country. We stopped them, he said. That saved the Pusan Perimeter. That saved Korea. Our next mission, he said. is to inform the public, so that the war will never be forgotten. The Korean War Memorial Foundation, a veterans group, raised about $4 million to plan and build the monument, including $400,000 for long-term maintenance. About $2 million came from Korean War vets, $1 million from the South Korean government, and the rest from Korean and Korean American donors, said Gerard Parker, the foundations executive director. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The family of a man shot dead by four Oakland police officers as he carried a toy gun filed a federal lawsuit against the city Monday, saying the killing violated his constitutional rights and was the result of poor police training. Police said Richard Perkins Jr., 39, pointed a realistic-looking pellet gun at the officers the evening of Nov. 15 in East Oakland. Officers fired about a dozen rounds, killing him. His relatives, however, after watching surveillance-camera footage of the incident, said Perkins had complied with police commands and had warned the officers he was carrying the toy pistol but never raised it. Perkins was a motorcycle enthusiast and father of two who was working on a neighbors house remodeling before his death. He was shot after stopping to admire motorcycles that police had impounded while breaking up an illegal sideshow on 90th Avenue near Bancroft Avenue, the family said. Police referred questions about the case to the city attorneys office. A representative there declined to comment, saying lawyers hadnt yet been served with the lawsuit. The confrontation with the four officers three rookies and one sergeant who had been on the force for seven years happened after Perkins brandished the Desert Eagle replica gun, police said. Perkins was struck by several bullets, some of them in the head and back, according to an Alameda County coroners autopsy report. Perkins mother and siblings said the police account didnt match what they saw when they sat down with homicide investigators and watched footage taken from a gas station surveillance camera. The family said that when Officers Jonathan Cairo, Joshua Barnard and Allahno Hughes and Sgt. Joseph Turner approached Perkins, he held one arm in the air and the other arm lifted up his shirt to show the toy gun tucked into his waistband to forewarn them it was fake. Regina Perkins Bradley, 46, said it would have made no sense for her brother to point a toy gun at officers. Thats just like saying you would want to commit suicide, she said. That wasnt my brother. He loved life. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland on behalf Perkins mother, Ada Perkins-Henderson, 66, and 20-year-old son, Richard Perkins III. It claims the officers were inadequately trained, were negligent and used excessive force, and asks for unspecified compensation. Outside the Oakland federal courthouse Monday, Perkins family said police had been slow to tell them what happened the night he was killed. His mother recalled standing alongside the crime scene tape, not far from her house, and praying as investigators collected evidence, not knowing it was her son who had been shot. She found out two days later, she said. I know they have to go home at night, she said about police concerns for their safety. But they need to be careful when they pull the trigger. The incident was one of seven officer-involved shootings in Oakland last year, five of them fatal. Police and district attorney investigations into the Perkins shooting continue. The Police Department said all four officers involved in the incident have returned to work. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Naomi Nai Palm Saalfield had just landed in New York after a stint in Berlin. Her phone was not yet set up to take calls from the United States, so she borrowed a friends cell. The connection wasnt great, and she was a bit jet-lagged; but that didnt mess with this Aussies mood. Saalfield seemed giddy to talk about her band taking the stage alongside luminaries like Duran Duran and LCD Soundsystem at Outside Lands. Whats more, her friend the one she was staying with in N.Y.C. during her short break from touring is muralist Lauren YS, a.k.a. Lolo, who will be a featured live artist at the festival. Shes one of my besties, and shell be at Outside Lands, too, Saalfield says. Shell be painting, while Ill be playing, so itll be sick! Inspired by global music, everywhere from Ethiopia to Indonesia, Saalfield digs deep when it comes to crooning tunes like Hiatus Kaiyotes hit Nakamarra or creating such complex lyrics for songs like Chivalry Is Not Dead (inspired by the sex scene in Purple Rain). The former, off its full-length debut album Tawk Tomahawk, earned Hiatus Kaiyotes first Grammy nomination for best R&B performance in 2013. The band followed that up with another Grammy nod earlier this year with Breathing Underwater a tribute to Stevie Wonder, Saalfield says but again didnt bring home the golden gramophone, losing to the Weeknds Earned It (Fifty Shades of Gray). The first Grammy loss, we actually really loved the song by Lalah Hathaway (Something). She sings like three notes with her voice at the same time, so when we lost to her that was fine. The second time around it was I dunno, she says, tapering off. Is this going to be a beef article? she quickly asks, with a chuckle. Look, Im a good loser if its some good s, but if its not , she says, again tapering off. Hes actually talented and has a very unique voice. I listen to a lot of Ethiopian music, so its awesome to hear how he does his vocal music. To the untrained ear, he sounds like hes just doing a R&B track, but he does a lot of sick stuff. Hats off to him for changing the pop scene. ... But that song was whack. Still, even Grammy-less, Hiatus Kaiyote is no less a game-changing force itself. With two full albums and two EPs (most recently Recalibrations, Vol. 1, a four-track release featuring new versions and remixes of the bands songs, including an acoustic version of Nakamarra) since 2012, the band led by the ever-eccentric Saalfield on vocals and guitar has attracted quite a fan base, which included Prince. The late, great Purple One was such a fan that he asked Haitus Kaiyote several times to perform at his house. Sadly, Saalfield says, the band never got their schedules to align to make it happen before Princes untimely death in April. But now every time the band performs Borderline With My Atoms, its like a private tribute. It was Princes favorite song, which was cool because its my favorite song that Id written, she says. To me it was my opus; and for that to be the song he liked is just amazing A) he really dug deep into our s, and B) every time I play that, its for him. Will Haitus Kaiyote perform it at Outside Lands? Saalfield, an orphan with a Gypsy soul who admits she hates restrictions of planning or feeling stagnant, says Bay Area fans will just have to come and see. Mariecar Mendoza is the arts content editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email:mmendoza@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFMarMendoza Hiatus Kaiyote: 7:50-8:45 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5. Sold out. Panhandle Stage at Outside Lands, Golden Gate Park, S.F. www.sfoutsidelands.com To see the video of the bands Grammy-nominated song Nakamarra: https://youtu.be/Ozr4KsZBTvQ California fire officials made their first arrest of a hobbyist drone operator this month. Eric Wamser, 57, of Foresthill (Placer County) was arrested for allegedly interfering with firefighting operations flying a drone over the Trailhead Fire, a blaze that burned more than 5,600 acres and displaced hundreds of people. The U.S. Forest Service reports at least 13 instances this year of drones being spotted over wildfires. In at least six of the cases, the result was grounded firefighting aircraft. Fire season is far from over in California. Yet California still doesnt have comprehensive statewide rules on drones, and many attempts to create them have gone nowhere. Theres plenty of blame to go around. Last year, the Legislature passed rules that wouldve made it illegal to fly a hobbyist drone over wildfires, schools, prisons and jails. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the legislation. We feel like the sections in the penal code that have to do with interfering with a firefighter are enough for us, said Janet Upton, deputy director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. We also have trespassing, which we can enact when needed. There are federal regulations about designated airspace. Our major challenge isnt having the authority to deal with people who have made this poor choice, its identifying the drone operator. But not every governmental authority feels that it has enough power to deal with drones. An increasing number of California cities, worried about the safety and privacy of their citizens, have passed laws restricting drone use. The result is a patchwork, and one that might be thoroughly cleared up with state legislation. But this year, it seems highly unlikely that legislation will even make it to the governors desk. Over the past several years, hobby-drone flying has evolved from an eccentric pursuit to a full-fledged industry, complete with lobbyists. Many of these sales are for perfectly legitimate purposes. Farmers use drones to assess crop health and spray pesticides. Aerial photographers are using them to take surveys for cartography services and geographic information system applications. The Consumer Technology Association expects sales of 2.4 million drones this year. Thats a big market, and its one of the reasons industry lobbying helped stall two state bills that regulated drones this session. But those tactics may backfire. More local regulations are likely, and some of them may be far stricter than any statewide law is likely to be. The sooner we have a single set of safety standards for our airspace, the better off well all be. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Just over 63 years after a cease-fire ended the bitter and bloody Korean War, veterans finally got a memorial in San Francisco on Monday to remember a conflict that many Americans call the forgotten war. The new memorial is a long, curving piece of granite in the Presidio with pictures and plaques to recall a war that lasted three years and cost more than 37,000 American dead and many thousands more Korean and Chinese lives. It was clear Monday that for the veterans who fought in it, and for the Korean people, the war is a clear memory still. It was a war that had to be fought, and I was proud to have fought in it, said Paul Pete McCloskey, a former San Mateo and Santa Clara county congressman who was a Marine lieutenant in a rifle company. We saved a new nation, and we should be proud of saving it. American, Korean and United Nations flags snapped in the breeze behind him as he spoke from a podium at the Presidio National Cemetery. McCloskey was wounded in the war and was awarded the Navy Cross and two Purple Heart medals. It was a bitter war fought in a country full of jagged mountains in torrid summer and freezing winter, as picture panels on the new monument show. One of the panels depicts Marines climbing over a seawall in the invasion of the port of Inchon, a noted victory that seemed to turn the tide of the war. But there were also defeats, particularly in the battles for the Chosin Reservoir. One of the panels quotes Marine Gen. O.P. Smith, who said, Retreat, hell. We are just advancing in a different direction. The war was unpopular in the United States and ended in a stalemate, with Korea still divided between a democratic south and North Korea ruled by a communist dictatorship. It was a savage war, fought at close range. I remember a fight in October 1952, said Marvin Pheffer, who was a private in a Marine rifle platoon. We had seven guys with us, and we lost three of them. We were fighting Chinese troops, and they kept coming. They were so close I could smell their breath. We were in a hellhole, and when it stopped, everything in front of us was strewn with corpses. I was 17 then, right out of high school. Pheffer was glad to be at Mondays ceremony. He thought the war was necessary. The North Koreans who invaded the south in 1950 and the Chinese who intervened later, he thinks, were part of a major communist push. The Russians were on the move, too, he said. We stopped them, Pheffer said. We had to stop them. Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens said the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea was what the Koreans call a relationship forged in blood. Anh Ho-Young, South Koreas ambassador to the United States, recalled the words carved on a similar memorial in Washington, D.C. Americans, he said, came to fight for a country they never knew, for a people they never met. Kim Jung-Boon, South Koreas vice minister of veterans affairs, said the war devastated South Korea. There were so many homeless and so many orphans. There was no hope, he said. Korea was the poorest country in the world. Now Korea is a shining star in the Orient. So the sacrifice was not wasted. John Stevens, who was one of the main organizers of the Korean War Memorial project, served with the Marine Provisional Brigade at a time when the American and South Korean forces were pushed back into a small area around the port of Pusan. The North Koreans made what they thought would be a final push. If they won, the U.S. forces would have had to evacuate the country. We stopped them, he said. That saved the Pusan Perimeter. That saved Korea. Our next mission, he said. is to inform the public, so that the war will never be forgotten. The Korean War Memorial Foundation, a veterans group, raised about $4 million to plan and build the monument, including $400,000 for long-term maintenance. About $2 million came from Korean War vets, $1 million from the South Korean government, and the rest from Korean and Korean American donors, said Gerard Parker, the foundations executive director. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate They wore turbans, straw hats and tulle dresses, and grinned broadly, waving tiny American flags. The 19 children who took the Oath of Allegiance at Childrens Fairyland on Monday hailed from China, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Vietnam, the Philippines, Yemen and Indonesia. Each received a certificate to prove his or her citizenship during a ceremony that at several points became a rebuke of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose criticism of Gold Star parents of a Muslim soldier caused a national outcry over the weekend. We know that in the city of Oakland, what makes America great, what makes America proud, is our diversity, said Mayor Libby Schaaf, contorting Trumps Make America Great Again campaign slogan to promote what she says are her citys core values: openness and inclusivity. Schaaf delivered remarks in English and Spanish to welcome the children, ages 3 through 10, who all became U.S. citizens when their parents were naturalized and who on Monday received certificates to prove their citizenship. Comedian and inspirational speaker Michael Pritchard, who hosted the ceremony for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was exuberant. Heres what I say from America: Welcome. We love you. Were so honored that youre part of us, and we care about you deeply, Pritchard said, before regaling the audience with impersonations of various Star Wars characters. Held in Aesops Playhouse a childrens theater with animal sculptures arrayed under a large canopy the ceremony opened with a medley of American folk songs by Tosca, a vocal group from the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Its members led the children and their families in a spirited version of This Land Is Your Land before launching into the national anthem. Robin Barrett, San Francisco field office director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, administered the oath and handed out the certificates, alongside Schaaf and Pritchard. One of the honorees, 10-year-old Filipino immigrant Keira Dulay, led the Pledge of Allegiance. We feel incredible to be here, said Wilber Quintanilla Sr., whose 3 year-old son, Wilber Quintanilla Jr., received his certificate during the ceremony. The elder Quintanilla said he immigrated to the U.S. in 1985 to escape civil wars in his home country of El Salvador. He became a citizen in 2001 and said his wife, Sonia Marcela, is still in the process. Many of the attendees were reluctant to talk politics, and some said they have not paid much attention to the sparring between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump has vowed to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Civic leaders who attended the ceremony at Fairyland had no problem denouncing the Republican candidate. I wish Donald Trump could be here to see what America really is, and what it will become in the future, said Oakland Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the predominantly Latino Fruitvale district long considered an immigrant stronghold. Juan Rubalcaba, whose 4-year-old daughter, Alma Cecilia, received a certificate, was reticent, saying he hasnt decided whom to vote for in November. I dont think its going to be Trump, he said with a tight smile. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan Abruptly and without explanation, federal prosecutors slashed potential criminal penalties for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. from $562 million to $6 million Tuesday while a jury was considering whether the company violated safety laws both before and after the lethal 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno. The decision was made public in a court filing as both sides awaited the jurys verdict in federal court in San Francisco. Prosecutors had maintained, in filings before and during the trial, that Californias largest utility could be punished for any convictions with penalties equal to twice the amount it saved by shortcutting safety laws. They said those savings could be measured by the $281 million that PG&E estimated it would cost to comply with safety standards after the San Bruno explosion leading to a potential fine of $562 million if the federal jury in San Francisco returned guilty verdicts. Jurors would have considered the penalties in a second phase of the trial. But during the fourth day of jury deliberations, the U.S. attorneys office, in a one-sentence court filing, withdrew its request for penalties based on the companys financial gains. The office declined to comment on the reason for the filing. As a result, the maximum fine would be $500,000 per conviction, or $6 million for all 12 counts. U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, who signed off on the prosecutions decision later in the day, will determine the fines for any convictions. PG&E had argued that a post-conviction penalty phase would be needlessly time-consuming and pointless, and prosecutors apparently conceded the point by offering no written rebuttal with Tuesdays filing. Henderson had issued rulings, most recently last week, that would have limited the evidence prosecutors could have used in a penalty phase to tie PG&Es profits to safety violations charged in the case. One ruling upheld the companys argument that safety standards set by state regulators shouldnt be used to measure PG&Es allegedly improper cost-cutting. But it wasnt clear why prosecutors had maintained their intention to seek the higher penalties throughout the trial, only to back off during jury deliberations. The timing is odd, said David Levine, a professor of criminal law at UC Hastings in San Francisco. When prosecutors reduce the punishment they have sought in a case, he said, they usually demand something in return, like guilty pleas to some of the charges. If it was so obvious that the government would just acquiesce, why in the world would they have gone down that path as part of their theory of the case? Levine asked. PG&E did not comment directly on its legal victory, issuing only a statement similar to those it has made earlier in the case: Regardless of this action or the next legal steps, we want our customers and their families to know that we are committed to re-earning their trust by acting with integrity and working around the clock to provide them with energy that is safe, reliable, affordable and clean. The state Public Utilities Commission has already fined PG&E a record $1.6 billion for the September 2010 explosion and fire caused by a defective pipeline seam that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes in San Bruno. The fines, and any penalties in the criminal case, are charged to the utilitys shareholders rather than its ratepayers. In the criminal prosecution, PG&E is accused of 11 felony violations of laws that require gas pipeline operators to inspect their lines closely for potential risks, and to test or replace lines that show signs of hazards and maintain accurate records. The company is also charged with obstructing the federal investigation of the explosion by falsely denying, in an April 2011 letter to investigators, that it had a policy of propelling gas through the San Bruno pipeline and other aging lines at pressures up to 10 percent above the legal limits. PG&E denies ever implementing such a policy. During a 5-week trial, numerous prosecution witnesses, most of them former or current PG&E employees, testified that the company had cut costs by using less-expensive inspection methods that could not detect internal welding flaws like the one that caused the San Bruno explosion. Federal law allows prosecutors to seek fines of up to twice the amount of a companys gain from pipeline-safety violations, unless such an inquiry would unduly complicate or prolong the sentencing. In court filings, PG&E argued that it would be virtually impossible for a jury to calculate its savings as the result of any alleged criminal violation and urged Henderson to rule out the additional penalties. While prosecutors contended PG&Es unsafe practices affected its entire pipeline system, the company said the charges, and potential convictions, were limited to specific pipeline segments that allegedly were improperly inspected or tested. To produce a reliable assessment of ill-gotten gains, prosecutors would have to devise a method of isolating cost savings that allegedly resulted from the particular knowing and willful violations on which PG&E is convicted, the companys lawyers said in a court filing Monday. The prosecutions claim of $281 million in illicit profits is based on a blunderbuss approach that covers the entire pipeline system and is unconnected to the specific charges, the lawyers argued. They said a penalty phase would be lengthy and complicated, with dueling financial experts, and would most likely end in fines lower than $500,000 per count, the maximum a judge could impose based solely on the convictions. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com A 22-year-old San Francisco man was among three people who died over the weekend after attending a music festival in Southern California, officials said. Derek Lee died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, said San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department officials. Investigators were still determining how he and two other attendees at the Hard Summer Music Festival died. Insisting that some degree of privacy survives in an era of technology, a federal judge barred the FBI on Monday from using evidence of conversations that agents secretly recorded outside the San Mateo County Courthouse during an investigation of alleged bid-rigging. The government has utterly failed to justify a warrantless electronic surveillance program that recorded private conversations spoken in hushed tones by judges, attorneys and court staff as well as the five targets of the investigation, said U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco. His ruling came 10 days after a contrasting decision by Chief U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton of Oakland, who upheld FBI recordings of conversations among defendants charged with bid-rigging at the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland and the Contra Costa County Courthouse in Martinez. Hamilton said the defendants in those cases communicated openly with up to 12 people at a time and spoke loudly enough that bystanders could have heard them. But Breyer said the defendants in San Mateo County talked in whispers and took other steps to keep their discussions private. The five men who were the FBIs targets in San Mateo County were charged in October 2014 with conspiring to drive down prices on foreclosed properties at auctions held outside the Redwood City Courthouse in 2009 and 2010 by agreeing to stop bidding at certain levels, and then to share their savings. The FBI initially gathered evidence from an informant and an undercover agent who recorded conversations with the suspects in 2009, surveillance that Breyer described as legal. But after the men became suspicious of the informant and stopped talking to him, the judge said, agents planted microphones at four locations outside the courthouse: a sprinkler box, a planter box, an unmarked police car and a backpack. They did not seek a search warrant or obtain judicial approval for the eavesdropping. The microphones were activated for at least 28 days between December 2009 and September 2010 and recorded about 214 hours of conversations that FBI agents and passersby could not have overheard, Breyer said. He said the recordings picked up a variety of private discussions one between two women discussing details of their personal lives, another between a county judge and a prosecutor. They also captured some conversations that the five defendants had intended to keep private. The mens behavior keeping to themselves, speaking in low voices or whispers, and halting conversations when strangers approached showed that they had a subjective expectation of privacy, even in locations open to the public, and took reasonable steps to protect it, Breyer said. With continuing advances in technology, private conversations may become anachronistic rituals reducing intimate encounters to silent exchanges of notes, the judge said. But that day has not arrived. The ruling, if it stands, will prohibit prosecutors from using the secret recordings as evidence. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko A man with several felony convictions was arraigned Monday on an attempted-murder charge after he allegedly fired a semiautomatic handgun on an Oakland police sergeant trapped in a crashed patrol car. Sgt. Nadia Clark, who was responding to a dispatch call before the wreck July 23, avoided being shot in part because the gunmans weapon malfunctioned, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit by Officer Bradley Baker. The alleged gunman, Marcus Tyrone Moss of Oakland, wasnt involved in the crash, police said. He ran to the scene at 73rd Avenue and Weld Street and made antipolice statements before raising his 9mm gun and shooting at Clark, according to the affidavit. Police have not disclosed what Moss allegedly said, but described him as being emboldened by recent violence against law enforcement and police shootings across the country. After the gun malfunctioned, Moss pointed it again at Clark before running away, police said. Officers arrested him at a Stockton residence five days later based on witness descriptions and surveillance-camera footage, Baker said. Moss works as a contractor, authorities said. He turned 30 on Sunday. During an interrogation, Moss identified himself as being the man in the surveillance footage, Bakers affidavit said. Clark was dazed and helpless after the crash, Lt. Roland Holmgren, head of the Oakland police homicide unit, said as he announced the arrest at a news conference last week. Like a coward, he fired on her. Prosecutors charged Moss with attempted murder of a peace officer and illegal possession of a firearm. He has prior convictions for robbery, burglary and a gun offense, authorities said. Moss is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail and is scheduled to enter a plea Sept. 28. It wasnt immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer or public defender. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov According to Eric Trump, women who are "strong" and "powerful" don't find themselves on the receiving end of sexual harassment. Roger Ailes, the founder and former CEO of Fox News, has recently been accused of sexually harassing many of his female employees. When discussing the subject with CBS's Charlie Rose, Eric Trump said that his sister Ivanka would never find herself sexually harassed. "Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman, she wouldn't allow herself to be [subjected] to it, and by the way, you should take it up with Human Resources, and I think she would as a strong person, at the same time, I don't think she would allow herself to be subjected to that," Trump told Rose. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offers a definition of sexual harassment on their website. Mysteriously absent is any reference to how one might "allow" sexual harassment, regardless of strength or power. Not only are the Trumps apparently too "strong" and "powerful" to be victims of crime, but they don't allow sexual harassment in any of their businesses. "We all run a company, my father runs a company, we take this - that is an absolute no-go anywhere, and that's very much the case," Trump told Rose. The Trump Family owns several businesses, including casinos, a line of shoes, and mail-order steaks. USA Today asked the father of Eric and Ivanka (among others) what he thought should happen if his daughter was sexually harassed. "I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case," said Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump. Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal in part so that victims don't have to find other work or another career, much in the same way that victims of burglary shouldn't have to move. When it comes to discussing women, the candidate has always been characteristically direct. Trump has stated that were Ivanka not his daughter, he might be date her due to her impressive looks. Trump has also made passing reference to a journalist's menstrual cycle during a nationally televised debate to be President of the United States of America, and numerically rates supermodel Heidi Klum as "no longer a 10." As co-founder and artistic director of Pacific Opera Project, a rising Los Angeles company that aims to make opera fun and affordable, Josh Shaw has set Mozarts Cosi Fan Tutte in the cinematic world of Gone With the Wind and fused the composers Marriage of Figaro with Brian De Palmas Scarface. But the Star Trek version of Mozarts Abduction From the Seraglio that Shaw premiered in 2014 was the first work for which he wrote an entirely new English libretto. It hews to the basic story line of the 1782 comedy a Spanish nobleman and a trusty servant rescue his fiancee and her English maid from the harem of a Turkish pasha while tweaking it to satirize the classic 1960s TV series and the sci-fi franchise it begat. This is a parody of Star Trek, no doubt about it. The characters dont have the names Kirk and Spock, but its clear whos who, says Shaw, whos directing the Bay Area premiere of this Abduction this weekend at Festival Opera. The vital East Bay company is celebrating its 25th anniversary by presenting a contemporary take on the Mozart crowd-pleaser that raised the curtain on Festival Opera in 1991. Michael Morgan conducts the cast, the Oakland Symphony and the Festival Opera Chorus during the four shows (Friday-Saturday, Aug. 5-6, and Monday-Tuesday, Aug. 8-9) in the Regents Theatre at Holy Names University in Oakland. Shaw, a tenor who once sang the role of the sidekick servant Pedrillo in a more traditional production of the opera, has always loved the music, with its famously demanding arias Osmin, the pashas foul-tempered overseer, played here by bass Kevin Thompson, sings an impossibly low D and the percussive effects that evoke a Turkish military band. But he found the libretto and its English adaptations dated and, in the portrayal of the Turks, racist. You see pictures of Osmin and the pasha from productions at the Met and theyre in blackface, says Shaw, 37, who was pondering Abduction when the phrase alien abduction came to mind and triggered an idea. Its a simple story. Its an escape opera: Two girlfriends are captured by some evil guys in a faraway place and (the good guys) come and try to save em. It sounds just like an episode from the original Star Trek series. Shaw winced watching some of the original episodes of the show the look of it, the ridiculousness of the plots, the overacting. We exploit all those in this production and decided to flip the personalities of the two male leads, making the princely Belmonte (Brian Cheney) the funny one and Mister Pedrillo (Robert Norman) the sober guy. Pedrillo is Spock, Shaw says. The Vulcan has to be the straight man. Both Cheney and Norman, who share the stage with sopranos S hawnette Sulker (as Constanza) and Sara Duchovnay (Blondie), performed this slapstick-flavored piece, with its scurrying Klingons and dancing Gorn, at its Southern Illinois Music Festival premiere and subsequently in San Antonio and Los Angeles. Cheney, who gets in a little cheeky interplay with the crowd, is such a ham, Shaw says admiringly. And Robert Norman is a hardcore Trekkie and sci-fi fan. He played Leonard Nimoy to a T. Maestro Morgan was game for the project, and Shaw thinks Mozart would approve. He loved to have fun and make jokes and thumb his nose at traditions, Shaw says. I think this does that better than anything Ive ever done. For more information, go to www.festivalopera.org Chinatown sounds The Chinese Culture Centers seventh annual Chinatown Music Festival brings an interesting mix of artists to historic Portsmouth Square on Aug. 13, including jazz pianist Jon Jang with spoken-word artist Amanda Kemp, the traditional San Francisco Guzheng Music Society, the San Francisco chamber group Melody of China, the Los Angeles electronic music maker Gingee, and Jest Jammin, the venerable Chinatown soul band led by the singing and saxophone-playing Rev. Norman Fong. For more information, go to www.c-c-c.org Chinese collection in Berkeley Among other works at the Berkeley Art Museum in the exhibition Summer Trees Casting Shade: Chinese Painting at Berkeley, the First Fifty Years is the museums latest Chinese acquisition: Landscape With Buildings, a huge 14th century landscape painting by Sun Junze. It is on view through Sept. 25. The work comes from the collection of the late and greatly esteemed Cal art history professor and Asian art connoisseur James Cahill, given to the museum by the scholars daughter, the noted new-music pianist Sarah Cahill, in his memory. For more information, go to www.bampfa.org Jesse Hamlin is a Bay Area journalist and former San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. WASHINGTON In a searing denouncement, President Obama castigated Donald Trump as unfit and woefully unprepared to serve in the White House. He challenged Republicans to withdraw their support for their partys nominee, declaring, There has to come a point at which you say enough. While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race. Obama questioned whether Trump would observe basic decency as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs, and condemned his disparagement of an American Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the U.S. Army in Iraq. A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trumps criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominees calls to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. But Obama argued that isnt enough. If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? Obama asked during a White House news conference. What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? No prominent Republican lawmaker responded to Obamas challenge. Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an affront to his partys top elected official, Trump told the Washington Post he wasnt quite there yet on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week. Trumps refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the GOP and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook. Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryans campaign said, Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trumps endorsement. Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire. McCain, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us, referring to his comments on the Khans. Obama argued such denunciations ring hollow as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race. Trumps response? On Twitter, he said, President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States! Judge blocks video testimonys release SAN DIEGO A federal judge who has been a target of Donald Trumps repeated scorn on Tuesday denied a media request to release videos of Trump testifying in a lawsuit about the now-defunct Trump University. . U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel ruled that that legitimate public interest did not outweigh the potential harm the ongoing media scrutiny of the footage could do to the case. Associated Press In the 1950s, North Beach became a gathering place for the Beat Generation, a group of writers, poets and intellectuals who rejected traditional societal standards and instead went in search of their own values through personal exploration. First meeting in New York, some traveled west, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady, who were key figures of this literary movement. Although most of the Beats are gone, echoes of their time here and their words remain. The slideshow above provides the best way to follow in the footsteps of the Beat Generation in North Beach. A California man named Rodney Ginn and his friend got a large and apparently angry surprise when a bear and two cubs broke into Ginn's house near Mammoth Lakes, California. Ginn, maybe feeling the overwhelming need to prove to his friends that this did actually happen, whipped out his phone and caught some of the break-in on camera. Right left, too simplistic. Some of my ideas are far right, some far left, some everywhere in between.As for internet porn, I actually like the British idea of making it opt-in. I bet many sex adicts appreciate that too. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A destructive wildfire that continues to spread in vast and rugged terrain near Big Sur was ignited by an abandoned campfire, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said Tuesday. Although they said they didnt know who was responsible for the campfire, the Cal Fire officials said it was started illegally about 2 miles east of Highway 1 along Soberanes Creek in an isolated area of Garrapata State Park. More for you Pg&E Crews To Begin Rebuilding Infrastructure Damaged By... The Soberanes Fire continued to grow Tuesday, and firefighters estimated it would be weeks before the flames would be suppressed. The burn scar had grown to 44,300 acres larger than the city of San Francisco and was visible from space as heavy smoke billowed from the mountainous landscape of Californias picturesque Central Coast. The fire, which began July 22 and has pushed southeast into Los Padres National Forest, was just 25 percent contained Tuesday. Cal Fire officials said they didnt expect full containment until the end of August. In some locations the fire is still actively burning at night, Cal Fire spokesman Don Jaques said Tuesday. The fire began at an illegal, unattended campfire, Jaques said. Investigators spent 150 hours in the area, seeking to pinpoint the source of ignition. On Tuesday afternoon, it was determined that the impromptu campfire, about 2 feet in diameter, was responsible, Jaques said. The area of the campfire was away from trails and off-limits to hiking. Firefighters in recent days have gotten an upper hand in the wildfires hard-to-reach areas by lighting fires from the containment boundaries toward the advancing flames. The blaze one of the states largest and most destructive this year has destroyed 57 homes. Last week, a privately contracted bulldozer operator was killed when his equipment rolled over while he was fighting the fire. In Yolo County, a grass fire that started Tuesday afternoon had spread to 1,700 acres by 9 p.m. and was burning out of control near Lake Berryessa. It prompted an evacuation of Canyon Creek Resort and Golden Bear Estates in Winters, fire officials said. The Cold Fire, burning in Yolo County off of Highway 128 west of Pleasants Valley Road, started shortly after 4:30 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire was zero percent contained as of 9 p.m. Tuesday. Officials issued an evacuation order for Canyon Creek Resort, an RV, cabin and tent camping site, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. This is the third straight year that Golden Bear Estates has been evacuated. Highway 128 was closed from Monticello Dam to Pleasants Valley Road, officials said. An estimated 500 personnel were on scene with Cal Fire, including Napa County, Winters and Dixon fire crews. There were no reports of injuries or damaged structures. Evan Sernoffsky, Steve Rubenstein and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, srubenstein@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky, @SteveRubeSF, @JennaJourno Is Theresa May using Hinkley Point to hold the French hostage over Brexit? 1 August 2016The SpectatorPlans to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset suffered a surprise setback on Friday after the Government said it wanted to review the decision before it gave the go-ahead. But what are EDF the French company which had approved funding for the project and the French press making of the Hinkley hold-up?With the Brexit vote having tested Franco-British relations somewhat in recent weeks, Theresa Mays decision to review the building of Britains first new nuclear power plant in two decades isnt helping matters with the French press reacting with consternation to the delay.reports that senior EDF executives were planning to uncork the champagne on Friday in a celebration that was hastily cancelled following the governments surprise announcement. The Paris-based broadcaster suggested that Theresa Mays wariness about Chinese investment was the reason for the delay. It also points out that the move emphasises a break away from David Cameron and George Osbornes accommodative policy towards the Chinese. But France 24 also suggests there may be an ulterior motive behind the Hinkley review, suggesting that Theresa May could be taking Hinkley Point hostage ahead of Britains negotiation with the EU.EDF believes the project will be highly profitable and the French government is keen to bolster the French nuclear industry, giving the French press cause to speculate that Theresa May could be hoping that Paris will be more open in negotiations in order to ensure that Hinkley Point goes ahead. But the French finance minister, Emmanuel Macron, is quoted as saying Britains pressing energy crisis means a delay cant go on for long.The French governments determination for Hinkley to get the green light is also reflected in Frances most popular newspaper,. The paper reports that the project is viewed as essential in giving impetus to the aching French nuclear industry. Hinkley Point would certainly be a welcome boost, as recent French nuclear projects in Finland and Flamanville have been plagued by overspending and major technical difficulties. But reflecting on the precarious nature of such projects, Le Mondes editorial also urges caution. Drawing parallels between Hinkley and the Panama Canal, Concorde and the Eurotunnel, the newspaper warns that although big projects are loved by the French, they can be ruinous. Furthermore, the editorial warns that Franco-British relations have become uncertain as the UK looks to extricate itself from the European Union.notes a contrast between Theresa Mays insistence that post-Brexit Britain remains open for business and her reluctance to approve the 18bn Hinkley Point project. The newspaper does, however, state that May did stress that she would be willing to defend strategic British sectors against foreign capital if necessary. However, it seems more likely that the national security implications of the project are keeping Mrs May awake at night. Le Figaro also quotes Theresa Mays joint chief of staff, Nick Timothy, who previously warned that the project would give the Chinese state the ability to block Britains energy production. RIO DE JANEIRO Just days ahead of the Olympic Games the waterways of Rio de Janeiro are as filthy as ever, contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria, according to a 16-month-long study commissioned by the Associated Press. Not only are some 1,400 athletes at risk of getting ill in water competitions, but the APs tests indicate that tourists also face potentially serious health risks on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. The APs survey of the aquatic Olympic and Paralympic venues has revealed consistent and dangerously high levels of viruses from the pollution, a major black eye on Rios Olympic project that set off alarms among sailors, rowers and open-water swimmers. Since the initial results in July of last year, athletes have been taking elaborate precautions to prevent illnesses that could knock them out of the competition, including taking antibiotics, bleaching oars and donning plastic suits and gloves in a bid to limit contact with the water. Antibiotics combat bacterial infections, not viruses. And the AP investigation found that infectious adenovirus readings turned up at nearly 90 percent of the test sites over 16 months of testing. Thats a very, very, very high percentage, said Dr. Valerie Harwood, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. Seeing that level of human pathogenic virus is pretty much unheard of in surface waters in the U.S. You would never, ever see these levels because we treat our wastewater. Though athletes take precautions, what about the 300,000 to 500,000 foreigners expected to descend on Rio for the Olympics? Testing at several of the citys world-famous beaches has shown that in addition to persistently high viral loads, the beaches often have levels of sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad. In light of the APs findings, Harwood had one piece of advice for travelers: Dont put your head underwater. Danger lurks even in the sand. Samples from the beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema revealed high levels of viruses, which recent studies suggest pose health risks particularly to babies and small children. Though local authorities, including Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, have acknowledged the failure of the citys water-cleanup efforts, calling it a lost chance and a shame, Olympic officials continue to insist Rios waterways will be safe for athletes and visitors. Leytonstone Tube attack: Isil-inspired knifeman jailed for life after targeting strangers at Underground station 1 August 2016A schizophrenic knifeman who tried to behead a musician during an Islamic State-inspired rampage at a Tube station has been sentenced to life in prison.Somali-born Muhiddin Mire, 30, targeted strangers at random in the ticket hall at Leytonstone Underground station in east London on December 5 last year.He grabbed fellow passenger Lyle Zimmerman and attempted to murder the 56-year-old after they travelled on the same train from Stratford to Leytonstone, where Mire lived alone in Sansom Road.Mire will serve a minimum of eight and a half years before being considered for parole, and will start his sentence at Broadmoor secure hospital.The whole incident was caught on shocking CCTV and mobile phone footage taken by a passer-by who bravely carried on filming even as Mire lunged at him with the rusty blade.One onlooker shouted at him: "You ain't no Muslim, bruv", after he declared he was going to "spill blood" for his "Syrian brothers".Sentencing him at the Old Bailey, Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, Recorder of London, said that while he accepted Mire was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence, he was also of the opinion he had been motivated by events in Syria.He continued: "In other words, because Muslims were being bombed in Syria, he was going to attack civilians here."That was designed to intimidate a section of the public, and it was to advance an extreme cause."Judge Hilliard added that Mire's "brazen" actions were carried out in order to advance a "religious and extremist cause"."This was an attempt to kill an innocent member of the public for ideological reasons by cutting his throat in plain sight for maximum impact," he said.Flanked by several dock officers and wearing a blue tracksuit top, Mire stared ahead as he was sentenced. In an effort to strengthen relations between neighborhoods and law enforcement agencies, cities throughout the Bay Area and country are taking part in National Night Out events this evening. Always celebrated on the first Tuesday in August, the annual campaign consists of neighborhood gatherings in which neighbors are encouraged to interact with one another and their local law enforcement agencies. Neighbors and community leaders were encouraged last month to register their neighborhoods in preparation for events and visits by police, fire and city officials. "National Night Out is an opportunity for people to help support police-community partnerships and raise crime prevention awareness in their neighborhood by having residents get to know each other," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement. "It's these connections that build communities block-by-block. This is important because the best crime prevention tool ever invented is a good neighbor," Schaaf said. At least 564 block parties have been scheduled throughout Oakland. For a list of all the city's National Night Out events, those interested can visit www.oaklandnet.com/nno . In addition to the hundreds of block parties and barbecues scheduled in neighborhoods all over the Bay Area, police departments and communities have announced events at parks and other locations. The San Francisco Police Department will also be holding 10 events throughout the city for each of their police districts, held in their respective neighborhoods. For information about the events, residents can visit www.sanfranciscopolice.org/nightout . Police in San Bruno will put on an event at Grundy Park at 6 p.m. The event will provide information to residents interested in learning about how to start a watch group in their neighborhood. In San Jose, an event to honor fallen police Officer Michael Katherman will be held at Regional Medical Center of San Jose at 225 N. Jackson Ave. Katherman was killed in June while on-duty in a traffic collision. The hospital will hold an ice cream social at 5 p.m. and will feature helicopter demonstrations as well as CPR and first aid training. The Emmanuel Temple Apostolic Church in Vallejo will hold a resource fair in support of National Night Out, featuring dozens of vendors, free food and clothes and games. That event will start at 6 p.m. at 900 Sixth St., city officials said. BART police will also be participating in National Night Out. Officers will be on hand at several stations, including Ashby, Castro Valley, Montgomery, Pittsburg/Bay Point, Rockridge and San Bruno. At the participating stations, officers will provide safety information, activities and prize giveaways. "In light of all the recent police related tragic events which have occurred throughout the country, this year's National Night Out celebration gives even more significance to the idea that 'the people are the police and the police are the people,'" BART police Chief Kenton Rainey said in a statement. "We recognize and accept it is impossible for us to be successful without support from all the diverse communities we serve." As the events are being held this evening, an alternative community gathering promoting public safety will take place. Night Out for Safety and Liberation will be held at Oakland's Lowell Park around 5:30 p.m. The event, which was put together by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, will focus on redefining public safety without the extra police presence, according to organizers. "National Night Out promotes the idea that building better relationships with police can make us safer, but picnics and block parties with police are not going to end law enforcement violence," Ella Baker Center organizer Darris Young said in a statement. "Right now, people of color are being rapidly displaced from their homes in Oakland. Real community safety is when we all have a place to live, a living wage job and access to health care and education," Young said. The event will feature activities, speakers and performances by Fantastic Negrito and other musicians. In addition to the Oakland event, other Night Out for Safety and Liberation events will be held in more than 25 other cities in California and nationwide. For more information about the event, those interested can visit nosl.me. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A 60-year-old man from New Zealand was struck and killed by a motorcyclist near San Francisco's Union Square on Monday afternoon, according to police. The pedestrian, identified by the medical examiner's office as William Tims, a resident of Hastings, New Zealand, was one of two people struck by the motorcyclist in a collision reported at 4:08 p.m. at Stockton and Geary streets. The second pedestrian, a 53-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said. Police said a 32-year-old man was riding a Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide that hit the pedestrians. No other information about the case, including whether the motorcyclist was cited or arrested, was immediately available from police. LolHomeland Security granted a new temporary amnesty Monday to more than 8,000 Syrians living in the U.S. right now, saying they can remain for up to 18 months longer no matter what their legal status.Secretary Jeh Johnson issued temporary protected status to Syrians, saying that if they are in the U.S. as of Monday and continue to reside here permanently, they can apply for work permits and other documents to remain and live in the U.S. without fear of being ousted.His order applies to some 5,800 Syrians who were granted status under a 2012 TPS program, and 2,500 new arrivals who dont have a more permanent status here.Syrias lengthy civil conflict has resulted in high levels of food insecurity, limited access to water and medical care, and massive destruction of Syrias infrastructure. Attacks against civilians, the use of chemical weapons and irregular warfare tactics, as well as forced conscription and use of child soldiers have intensified the humanitarian crisis, Mr. Johnson said in announcing the new program.Those eligible for TPS include any Syrian illegal immigrants who have managed to sneak into or remain in the U.S. beyond their visa expirations over the past four years.TPS is intended to be humanitarian relief for those whose home countries face a massive natural disaster or war that makes returning both dangerous for the individual, and a potential burden for the home countrys government.mo Walter was at the rally?Donald Trump Jousts With a Crying Baby at His RallyASHBURN, Va. Silent protesters. A group in AARP shirts. A crying baby. They all ended up having to leave Donald J. Trumps rally in Virginia on Tuesday, for various reasons.The silent protesters were escorted out by staffers midway through his speech, and they went silently, with peace signs over their heads. The AARP-clad group left in a similar fashion.But the crying baby was initially welcome in the Trump event, or so the crowd was led to believe.Dont worry about that baby. I love babies, Mr. Trump said. I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Dont worry, dont worry.But Mr. Trumps pacifying platitudes did nothing to comfort the howling infant, whose persistent wails seemed to be getting on the candidates nerves.Actually, I was only kidding, you can get that baby out of here, Mr. Trump said a few beats later with a slight smirk as laughs and a few gasps escaped from the crowd. Dont worry, I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while Im speaking. Thats O.K. People dont understand. Thats O.K.Later in the rally, another baby cried, daring a rebuke from the candidate. But Mr. Trump let the yowls go without reprimand or scolding, and eventually the child calmed down.Senator Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, was swift to pick up on Mr. Trumps baby episode, taking a jab at him as he brought up the issue of prekindergarten at a rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Tuesday afternoon.I saw that Donald Trump kicked a crying baby out of an event earlier today, Mr. Kaine said, so as Im thinking about pre-K, sometimes you wonder who the baby is. The crowd laughed with delight. general, general, general...tsk tsk.At the Democrat National Convention, we saw plenty of liberal figures trotted out to scare America out of voting for Republican nominee Donald Trump. In spite of calling Trumps remarks the previous week dark, fear was the principal product being sold by the left in Philly It didnt end there, either. This weekend, retired Gen. John Allen told ABC News George Stephanopoulos that electing Trump could cause a civil military crisis, the like of which weve not seen in this country.When we swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution, which is a document and a set of principles and it supports the rule of law, one of those is to ensure that we do not obey illegal orders, Gen. Allen said in the interview, which was aired Sunday.Allen apparently wasnt just referring to Trumps statement that he would reintroduce waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques, but that he would bomb the Islamic State group. Apparently, thats an illegal order now, too.Hes talked about needing to torture. Hes talked about needing to murder the families of alleged terrorists, Allen said. Hes talked about carpet-bombing ISIL. Who do you think is going to be carpet-bombed when all that occurs? Its going to be innocent families.What we need to do is ensure that we dont create an environment that puts us on a track conceivably where the United States military finds itself in a civil military crisis with a commander in chief who would have us do illegal things.Thats a pretty damning statement. Unfortunately, its even more damning for the left when you consider who Gen. Allen is.As Erik Prince at Breitbart pointed out, Gen. Allen is far from a dispassionate retired general, merely weighing in on an unspeakable crisis (one might even call it a coup) that might foment itself in the military should Trump be elected.Allen was, at one point, the White House coordinator for anti-Islamic State group efforts . Along with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Susan Rice, and the whole sick crew, he was responsible for the policy of treating the Islamic State as the JV team a bunch of angry, stupid teens who had somehow found Kalashnikovs and were taking their angst out on the world.Hes the one who helped construct a policy where a group with ultramodern weaponry and a Bronze Age ideology were considered to be no threat whatsoever.Thats not all. He was also responsible for the funding and arming of so-called moderate Islamic rebels in Syria. Lo and behold, these were the rebel groups who often decided that their allegiance as well as their funds and weaponry belonged to the Islamic State group. Others merely surrendered their weapons.When it comes to doing things that skirt legality in the name of pursuing terrorists, Gen. Allen was part of the team thats done a great deal worse than anything Trump is proposing.Hes one of the people behind the drone killing of terrorist imam Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, in Yemen. Now, granted, al-Awlaki was a detestable individual, but the American-born cleric had never been charged in court nor had his citizenship stripped. He was the first American citizen specifically targeted and killed withoutdue process. And this is a man who thinks enhanced interrogation techniques are going to cause a military revolt?Leaving aside the mechanics and logistics of this (30,000 emails over two years while he was stationed in the deserts of Afghanistan?How exactly did he ever get around to issuing orders?), theres also the dereliction of duty, not to mention the possibility of blackmail.This is the man who wants to talk about a crisis of military leadership, and this is what hes responsible for. Moreover, hes acting as a surrogate for the woman who allowed the cancer that is the Islamic State group grow into what its become.And he thinks thatat the helm is going to cause the military to revolt It sounds a lot more likely the other way around. Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter if you agree.Who do you think will be better for the military, Trump or Clinton? Scroll down to comment below!oh dear. Blighted, substandard, financing, tax and increment. If ever an agglomeration of words existed that implored a bit of Seussical rhythm and rhyme, these five words enthuse one to chime. Over the past several weeks in Fremont, bountiful opportunity existed for residents to chime in on the debate over Costco Wholesales proposed poultry processing operation. Today the Fremont Tribune completes its TIF series with a look at TIF oversight, the blight question and impacts on public schools. Quick rehash of Latest chicken challenge This Thursday, in the Dodge County Courthouse, the 6th Judicial District Court of the Nebraska will hear a temporary injunction filed by three plaintiffs accusing the alleged illegal blight and substandard declaration of over 400 acres of land just south of Fremont. Three members of the Nebraska Communities United organization filed the suit against the City of Fremont and the Fremont Community Development Agency contending that a Blight and Substandard Study, approved by the City, violated the Nebraska Community Development Law. The blight and substandard designation formally defined in the Nebraska State Statute 18-2103 pave the way for Costco Wholesale to access TIF funding for certain aspects of public improvements and infrastructure related its project. The study claimed and specified various characteristics of the land in question that conformed to legal parameters such as deteriorated structures, faulty street layout, unsanitary/unsafe conditions, floodplain location and more. TIF state oversight Across the nation, citizens are getting a lot more critical about TIF, said Ernie Goss, a professor of economics at Creighton University in Omaha and a prominent Nebraska economist. One of those citizens, Nebraska State Senator Mike Groene, District 42, highlighted issues related to TIF regulation. Speaking with the Fremont Tribune, Sen. Groene said TIF represents a practical tool for developers and municipalities and that the problem lies not with TIF but with its oversight. TIF is a good program if used responsibly, Sen. Groene said. The problem is that we have no enforcement, no oversight by the state. Sen. Groene reiterated words he penned in a 2015 op-ed for the Lincoln Journal Star. He stressed that TIF was meant as an urban renewal tool, one that cities used to redevelop blighted and substandard cores. He highlighted two successful Nebraska TIF projects: Omahas ConAgra River Front and the Haymarket in Lincoln. But he expressed criticism as well. Theyre (developers and municipalities) using it for everything right now, Sen. Groene said. In his Op-ed Sen. Groene wrote: Municipalities are now unilaterally confiscating property tax dollars of our public schools, counties, NRDs and community colleges in order to increase developers profits and avoid the political pain of raising property tax rates. Until somebody sues or we change the law, the economic developers are going to continue to abuse the TIF program, Groene stated. What does the law say? The law of TIF, blight and the but for clause According to Article VIII, section 12 (1978) of the Nebraska State Constitution, the purview of TIF requires that an area be officially declared blighted and substandard. Next, a redevelopment plan and TIF agreement are drawn up. Regulating approval of the TIF agreement falls to what is known as the but for clause of redevelopment law. Basically, the but for clause serves short hand for section 18-2116 of the Nebraska statutes, stating TIF can only be utilized if the redevelopment project would not be economically practicable without it. Goss explained, in order to answer the but for clause, Fremont needs to evaluate if, but for the incentives, would the company (Costco) move (into Fremont)? Jack Frank, vice president of real estate for Costco, has previously said, without TIF funding a tremendous fiscal burden exists for any developer attempting to overcome necessary infrastructure improvements. Goss however, approached the idea frugally. He explained that the Costco plant makes sense in terms of Nebraska agriculture. The state possesses the backward linkages that will sustain the operations of such a large-scale facility. Backward linkages help support the infrastructure of such operations through the provision of commodities like corn to feed chickens and agricultural resources like the University of Nebraska. Theres an appeal for Nebraska (for such a facility) that you dont get in, say ... Nevada, Goss pointed out. The University of Nevada is not set up to support the agricultural field (like Nebraska). He pointed out that the financial incentives offered to retain a developer of such a facility in a Nevada community would probably need to be more extensive than those offered in a Nebraska community. Given that Nebraska has a very strong agricultural industry, I would argue that (Nebraska) could be a little more frugal in awarding incentives when (it comes to) anything connected to agriculture, Goss added. TIF and the school system: Brighter future? As Executive Director for Student Services and Business Affairs for Fremont Public Schools, Brad Dahl knows the fiscal leveraging it takes to support Fremont students. FPS has continued to follow the development of the Costco project and the of TIF funding. (As FPS administrators) we have to be knowledgeable in this area because its how we generate revenue to pay for education in our community, Dahl said. Referencing a Nebraska Department of Revenue 2015 annual report on TIF, Dahl pointed out that of the total taxable value of the entire City of Fremont (approximately $1.3 billion), consists of less than 1-percent that falls under TIF projects. Of the 125 cities cited in the report, only 18 (including Fremont) fall below 1-percent. In Scribner and Snyder, two other Dodge County communities included in the report, 2.5-percent and 12.89-percent, respectively, of their total taxable city value resides in TIF funds. I think that our city has been judicious with utilization of TIF, Dahl said. When it comes to TIF, Dahl stated that of the three TIF categories (commercial, industrial and residential) FPS would not be in support for TIF projects promoting residential development. But the Costco development falls under the industrial category. He clarified that commercial and industrial TIF projects potentially create positive fiscal impacts for FPS, provided that the (TIF) redevelopment does not include expansion of residential dwellings. Such utilization for (residential expansion) without the increased taxable property value could have a negative effect on the districts finances, Dahl said. A commercial or an industrial project, like Costco, could bring benefits to FPS, Dahl said. First, when the TIF repayment comes to an end after 15 years the Costco redevelopment could leave behind a significant increase in the tax base adding to FPS resources. Second, the state aid for school systems is determined by taking the difference between the school needs (e.g. number of students) and the community resources (i.e. ability to generate property tax revenue). Dahl said secondary redevelopment and investment stimulated by Costcos facility could lead to additional students and subsequently more state aid. Truly, we feel the city has followed the process and done its due diligence and we will move forward, said Fremont Mayor Scott Getzschman just prior to the City Council meeting Tuesday night. Getzschmans words came in response to a lawsuit filed by three members of Nebraska Communities United against the City of Fremont. The lawsuit alleges the city illegally blighted land eyed by Costco Wholesale for the development of a poultry processing plant south of Fremont. The blighted designation, which falls within the umbrella of the Community Development Law opens the door for certain financial and development incentives for Costco. An attorney out of Lincoln, Gregory Barton who has spoken for Nebraska Communities United at prior city council meetings, implemented the lawsuit Monday. Nebraska Communities United opposes various aspects of the Costco project. Despite the opposition and unexpected lawsuit, the Costco Wholesale and Lincoln Premium Poultry chicken processing operation, Project No. 1, gained momentum Tuesday night at the Fremont City Council meeting. Council members voted unanimously to approve (8-0) a resolution for the utilization of tax incremental financing (TIF) for the project. Costcos development of a 75,000-square-foot hatchery, 250,000-square-foot processing facility and several 145-foot silos, mill tower and other associated improvements is slated for a large portion of open land located on 421 acres owned by Hills Farm Inc., and belonging to a larger 992 acres of land recently designated blighted and substandard by the City of Fremont. The South Fremont Industrial Redevelopment Plan, approved last week by the City Council contains provisions for the city to enter into an agreement between Costco and the Community Development Agency (CDA) of the City of Fremont regarding a resolution for the issuance of TIF indebtedness. The agreement provided authority for TIF funding to be utilized for extension of municipal services, construction of a wastewater lagoon system, street improvements, utility rate incentives, financing encumbrances and default remedies and reimbursement for losses. TIF operates as a financial incentive tool allowing businesses and corporations to fund certain costs connected with a private development, a common tool used in areas legally designated blighted and substandard in accordance with the Nebraska Community Development Law. In 2015, a report titled the Nebraska Community Redevelopment Tax Increment Financing Project, detailed numerous TIF projects in 125 cities across the state. Solely within the city of Fremont, 2015 saw five projects existing under TIF agreements, according to the report. If approved, the CDA will issue TIF indebtedness (the TIF note) for an estimated $13.5 million to Costco for redevelopment improvements and upgrades of the Hills Farm property. The amount of the TIF note was determined by the projected change in value of the property that the new development will add to the acreage (the so-called increment above base valuation). Repayment of the TIF indebtedness derives from the property tax generated by that additional increment of valuation which will be repaid over a period not to exceed 14 years. The anticipated annual TIF revenue generated for repayment of the TIF note comes to approximately $1,363,500. Over 14 years that annual TIF amount adds up to about $19.1 million, which provides a significant margin above the indebtedness of the initial TIF note ($13.5 million). Lee Hamman, outside council for the City of Fremont, addressed the councilmembers during the meeting. He said the projected property values remained quite conservative, a fact that provides additional assurance that the TIF indebtedness could be repaid in the specified time frame. Others among the large gathering at Christensen Field also rose to express support for the councils decision. Mike Works of Leisure Real Estate Advisors, LLC, works in those areas of property development and spoke directly to issues of TIF. Right now, where construction costs are, its just not possible to develop a project in Fremont, Works pointed out. Tax increment financing bridges that gap. Some however, pointed out that state and federal regulation of TIF and the Community Development Law (CDL) needs more rigorous attention. There is no review process for the Community Development Law, said Theo Mercer, of Telepro Inc. a video, audio and presentation company. Mercer then cited the current lawsuit filed against city regarding aspects of the CDL, explaining that he believes issues and concerns arising out of TIF will only be decided in the courts. If somebody objects to (the CDL), their only recourse is to file a lawsuit and take it to court, Mercer said. David Mitchell, a Fremont resident and attorney, showed adamant support for the council and for utilization of TIF indebtedness. He said he feels that widespread support for the project exists in the Fremont community. In defending TIF, Mitchell added that several projects initially attracted to the Hills Farm area and related property have been lost in the past three years because of TIF unavailability. This lawsuit thats been filed from my perspective, it will have a short life, said Mitchell. Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor, and his running mate, Bill Weld, a former Massachusetts governor, bill themselves as the credible alternative to ClinTrump. The two former GOP governors, who won re-election in bluish states, have a bounce in their step on the campaign trail. Give us one term, America, and if after four years you decide you dont like peace, prosperity and freedom, you can always vote a Trump or a Hillary back into office again, Johnson mugs in a campaign video. Theres trouble in paradise, alas. Many Libertarian-leaning conservatives disillusioned with Donald Trump I am one are looking at the Johnson-Weld ticket and wondering, as Cato Institute Senior Fellow Ilya Shapiro blogged Saturday, Is Johnson-Weld a Libertarian ticket? Shapiro was particularly troubled on two fronts the courts and religious freedom. Reason.TV host Nick Gillespie recently asked Johnson and Weld whom theyd nominate for the U.S. Supreme Court. Johnson answered that he would look for good people who focus on the original intent of the Constitution a good, old-school Libertarian answer. Then Weld threw out two names Justice Stephen Breyer, a Bill Clinton nominee who believes the Second Amendment does not protect the right to self-defense, and Judge Merrick Garland, whom President Obama nominated to fill the Antonin Scalia vacancy. Shapiro told me Garland defers to the government more than anyone Ive studied in depth. It especially troubles Shapiro that Johnson didnt correct Weld. Campaign spokesman Joe Hunter told me that if the ticket should win, top-guy Johnson not Weld would pick justices. Weld, I should note, is no natural Libertarian. He endorsed Barack Obama in 2008. Shapiro also is concerned that Johnson supports government actions that infringe on religious liberty: Johnson is OK with fining a wedding photographer for not working a gay wedding a case from New Mexico where Cato and every libertarian I know supported the photographer and forcing the Little Sisters of the Poor to pay for contraceptives (where again Cato and libertarians supported religious liberty). Johnson told the Washington Examiner that he doesnt believe social conservatives should be able to force their views on others. So he supports laws that force contrary views on social conservatives. To savvy Libertarians, thats an overuse of government power. At times, it feels as if Johnson gets distracted by shiny ideas. During an interview, Johnson was checking all the right boxes until he told me he thought a city might prevent overdose deaths by opening a satellite office that you could come in and test your heroin before you took it. You mean private companies could do the testing? I interjected. Yes, he answered. Too bad we didnt get into the dubious advisability as in: utter insanity of clinics telling junkies they can use a certain batch of heroin. Shapiro is not out to enforce Libertarian purity. I think hed like to see what I want to see a smart focus on more freedom and less government. That means Weld moving closer to Johnson, not vice versa. That means more talk from both men about cutting government spending by 10 to 20 percent and more of Johnson urging Bernie Sanders supporters to focus on opportunity equality in lieu of income inequality, and more shout-outs for the sharing economy. When I asked Johnson to name three regulations he would eliminate if elected, he had no short list. The campaign needs an issues audit, pronto. Hunter reminded me that as governors, both Republicans reflected libertarian values. True, but its been more than a decade since Johnson was a governor, and almost two decades for Weld. The trenches have moved since 2003. This is the year of political disruption. Its great Johnson and Weld are buddies, but how sharp are their knives? Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Republican nominee Donald Trump has been closing the gap on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in recent weeks, but that changed in a big way Monday, according to the popular poll monitoring blog FiveThirtyEight.com. As of Saturday, the blog - which synthesizes polling from around the country to predict elections - had Donald Trump as a slight favorite in the current modeling, at 50.1% to 49.9% chance of winning. The number does not represent the likely popular vote, but rather the likelihood of victory in the electoral college based on state-by-state polling. On Sunday Clinton edged back ahead as a 51% favorite, but by Monday Clinton was seen as having 63.3% to 36.7% advantage. According to the blog, new numbers suggests Clinton is now narrowly favored in Florida, Iowa and Ohio, key swing states where she had trailed in recent days. It's common for candidates to see a "convention bump" in the days immediately following the formal nomination process, but according to FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, Clinton appears to be getting a much larger uptick than her opponent this cycle. "Clinton will potentially exit the conventions in a stronger position than she entered them, perhaps also making up for some of the ground she lost to Trump earlier in July," Silver wrote Monday. Findings released by Gallup Monday suggest that Trump actually may have lost support during the GOP convention, a phenomenon not seen previously by that polling group. The GOP nominee has been put on the defensive in recent days following a verbal spat with the parents of a slain Army veteran which has rallied opponents on the right and the left. The tussle came on the heels of some controversial comments about national security and criticism of his convention, where his chief primary rival failed to endorse him. At a campaign stop in Ohio on Monday, Trump tried to change the subject by raising concerns that November's general election will not be legitimate. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, according to the Associated Press. He told the crowd that he hears "more and more" that the election may not be fair. According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump currently trails Clinton by roughly 60 electoral votes in current modeling. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GAUHATI, India The death toll in flooding from heavy monsoon rains in India has climbed past 90, with about a million people taking shelter in government-run relief camps, officials said Tuesday. Incessant downpours have damaged swaths of land, uprooted trees and snapped telephone cables in dozens of districts in the states of Bihar in the east, Assam in the remote northeast and Himachal Pradesh in the north. A total of 96 people have been killed in the flooding in the three states over the past week, according to state officials. At least 17 rare one-horned rhinos have been killed due to the flooding of vast tracts of Assams Kaziranga National Park, said Pramilla Rani Brahma, the states forest and environment minister. Most of the rhinos killed are calves, separated from their mothers during the massive flooding, Brahma said. The park had 5-foot-high floodwaters in some places, forcing many of the parks animals, also including wild elephants, wild buffaloes and boars, to cross a highway to move to higher ground. The heavy monsoon rains have come after two straight years of drought in India. On Monday, landslides and heavy rains blocked highways leading to Tibet and Manali, a tourist resort in Himachal Pradesh state, with hundreds of people stranded for several hours before rescuers cleared the way, the Press Trust of India news agency said. In Bihar state, around 260,000 flood victims were taking shelter in more than 400 relief camps set up by the state government. At least 400 medical camps have been set up as well to aid people who have spent several nights outdoors after their homes were submerged by rainwaters. In Assam, where floodwaters started receding Tuesday, about 3.8 million people have been affected by the floods, according to state authorities. More than 700,000 have taken shelter in 770 relief camps. In another development, the government plans to evacuate thousands of Indian workers who have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and cannot afford to pay for a flight home. The workers were mostly employed by Saudi construction companies and were laid off amid a slowdown in the industry caused by low global oil prices. PARIS Syrian opposition activist Noura Al-Ameer was combing through her emails late one night when a message caught her eye. The sender was Assadcrimes and he promised information about Iranian meddling in the Middle East. But the email seemed odd. Al-Ameer turned to her husband, cybersecurity trainer Bahr Abdul Razzak, in their small, book-cluttered home in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Have you heard of this group before? Al-Ameer asked. No, he said. But let me check the email. Abdul Razzak, a fellow at Internet watchdog group Citizen Lab, quickly determined that the group was bogus. The email, sent Oct. 3, was an electronic trap one of hundreds of malicious messages that have flown back and forth as rebels grapple with the government of Bashar Assad in Syria. This one had been aimed at snaring Al-Ameer in particular; the website registered by the hacker was in her name, suggesting an attempt to steal her identity. Al-Ameer is a well-known opposition figure, and stealing her data or her identity could have been the jumping off point to attack other Syrians in and out of the country. As Abdul Razzak and his colleagues tried to trace the hackers, they found a trail of digital clues leading to Iran. Their story detailed in a report issued Tuesday by Citizen Lab, an interview with the couple and conversations with outside experts raise the possibility that Iran has gone beyond sending men and materiel to tip the scale in Assads favor. The countrys hackers may have joined the fray as well. Its not a shock, said Al-Ameer, a 29-year-old who spent six months in Syrian government detention before moving to Turkey in 2013. Theyre fighting our people on the ground. I think its normal for any side that fights you on the ground to fight you on the Internet. Evidence of an Iranian link is outlined in a 56-page report by Citizen Lab, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. The group has made a specialty of tracking the hackers whove dogged Syrias opposition, which lead author John Scott-Railton said had turned into something of a petri dish for threat actors in the Middle East. The report says those behind the Assadcrimes website appear to have inadvertently exposed their sites logs, showing evidence that its creators accessed it in part from the Iranian Internet space. The site itself briefly hosted a Farsi-language email service, and a string of data recovered from the malicious code used to target Al-Ameer appeared to refer to a developer who runs a malicious software site registered in the Iranian city of Shiraz. The evidence isnt conclusive but it lets us think that were perhaps looking at a group thats operating from Iran, Scott-Railton said. He cautioned that it wasnt possible to say much about the groups potential sponsorship government or otherwise. Calls to Irans Embassy in Paris were not answered Tuesday. Al-Ameer said that, in a way, the hacking was scarier than when she says she was arrested and tortured at the hands of Assads security forces. 1 Mosque financing: A new foundation will be created to help finance mosques in France and keep out radical benefactors, the head of the French Muslim Council said Monday. Anouar Kbibech proposed the foundation would be used to fund the construction and running of mosques and would be financed by fees paid by businesses in the halal food sector. France is home to Europes largest Muslim community. The debate about the financing of mosques in France was revived by last weeks slaying of an elderly priest in a Normandy church by two Islamic extremists. Some observers have suggested foreign influence over certain mosques could encourage the radicalization of worshipers. 2 Lawyer released: China released a prominent human rights lawyer on bail amid protests Monday outside a court in Tianjin, where supporters of other jailed lawyers and activists condemned the secrecy surrounding the governments yearlong campaign against legal activism. The release of Wang Yu, who was detained last July, coincided with videos of an alleged confession by Wang in which she renounced her legal work and said foreign forces were using her law firm to discredit the Chinese government. Wangs firm, Fengrui, has been at the center of a vast case in which dozens of lawyers and activists have been questioned or charged with subversion. No people were injured, but a family pet died in a Sunday night fire at 2045 N. Platte Ave. Capt. Tom Christensen of the Fremont Fire Department said the call came in around 10 p.m. The fire occurred in a residence on the south side of a duplex. The dispatcher gave us information that it was probably an active fire and when we arrived we had flames shooting out of the bedroom window and there was smoke in the area, Christensen said. A father and son lived in the one-bedroom duplex, but werent home at the time of the fire. Firefighters entered through the front door and found the main concentration of fire in the back bedroom. A person living at the address returned and asked if firefighters had seen a dog. Firefighters immediately began searching and found the medium-size dog. Unfortunately, they tried CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and oxygen, but we were unable to resuscitate the dog, Christensen said. Christensen also said a resident on the other side of the duplex was at home going to bed, when someone knocked on the door and said the neighbors residence was on fire. Bystanders, who saw the fire, got the neighbor out of the residence. There was smoke damage on that side of the duplex. The south side residence of the duplex had major damage in the bedroom. It was a childs bedroom that was a total loss, Christensen said. Christensen said the Red Cross found the family a place to stay. The Nebraska State Fire Marshals office conducted an investigation and determined that overloaded electrical cords in the bedroom caused the fire. Christensen estimated structure damage to be about $30,000 and about $2,500 for contents. No damage occurred to neighboring residences even though flames from the fire scene had been shooting onto another duplex. We were fortunate that it didnt jump to the other duplex, Christensen said. UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he still has very strong concerns about the protection of children in Yemen and stands by a report that saw the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting rebels being added to a U.N. blacklist for killing and injuring about 1,200 children in 2015. Ban said in June that he temporarily removed the U.S.-backed coalition from the blacklist for violating child rights pending a joint review of cases because its supporters threatened to stop funding many U.N. programs. He accused some unnamed countries of exerting unacceptable and undue pressure. He told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the forward-looking review continues and the situation on the ground will be closely monitored. Bans use of the phrase forward-looking indicates that the coalition is unlikely to be put back on the blacklist. Saudi Arabias U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said in June it is our firm belief that this de-listing is final, irreversible and unconditional. The secretary-general said he has held talks with Saudi Arabia at the highest level including with the deputy crown prince and foreign minister to express my serious concerns about the situation on the ground and the devastating impact on children. Since then, he said, he has received information about measures taken by the coalition to prevent and end grave violations against children. I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children, he said. We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented. Jo Becker, childrens rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said Tuesday that the coalition should be returned to the secretary-generals list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemens civilians. Bans annual report on children in conflict said the U.N. verified a total of 1,953 youngsters killed and injured in Yemen in 2015 a six-fold increase compared with 2014 and it attributed about 60 percent of those casualties to the coalition. The U.N. said it also verified 101 attacks on schools and hospitals last year, double the number in 2014, of which 48 percent were attributed to the coalition. The secretary-general added in his briefing to the Security Council that five times as many Yemeni children were recruited into fighting in 2015 than in 2014. Not only in Yemen but in places like Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Syria, Ban said children still pay the highest price in wartime ... (and) suffer through a living hell. Last year, Afghanistan recorded its highest rate of child casualties since 2009, while violations against children in Somalia increased by 50 percent from 2014, and violence against Palestinian and Israeli youngsters continued to take a toll, he said. He said more than half the worlds refugees are frightened children. New Zealand Oil & Gas chief executive Andrew Knight will leave the energy exploration company before the end of the month to pursue other business interests, ending almost five years in charge. Knight will depart the Wellington-based company on Aug. 26, two days after it reports its annual results "in order to pursue his business interests outside the company," NZOG said in a statement. He took over as CEO in December 2011 and had been a non-executive director before that. Knight will also resign his director roles with the company's subsidiaries, including Cue Energy. "Over the last year New Zealand Oil & Gas has adapted to a changed economic context and I am pleased to have contributed to a significant transformation in the company's focus and scale," Knight said. "Coinciding with this process of change the time feels right for a new chief executive to take the company into its next phase." Last week Knight told investors the board was regularly debating whether to resume dividends after returning to profit, though no announcement was imminent, and indicated NZOG would likely be a buyer of part of a chunk of the Kupe oil and gas field half-stake owned by Origin Energy should the Australian energy giant decide to quit its only remaining New Zealand investment of significant size. The company has responded to a slump in global oil prices by reducing exploration spending, quitting its secondary ASX listing, and lowering directors' fees by not replacing former chair Peter Griffiths. NZOG's board will appoint an acting CEO and start looking for a long-term replacement, it said. The shares last traded at 47.5 cents and have gained 12 percent so far this year. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SKO - FY23 Interim Results Announcement Date - 23 November 2022 Downer awarded $490 million road maintenance contract SKC - 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND TRADING UPDATE TCL - Result of AGM TradeWindow secures U.S. footprint with FoodChain ID October 28th Morning Report October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update PGG Wrightson shares rose to their highest level since May last year after First NZ Capital analysts followed the company's profit upgrade yesterday by raising their price target for the stock. The shares rose 6.4 percent to 50 cents, adding to yesterday's 4.5 percent increase after the Christchurch-based rural services company beat earnings guidance for the year ended June 30. First NZ Capital analyst Kar Yue Yeo kept his 'outperform' rating on Wrightson stock and lifted his target price to 65 cents from 50 cents. Wrightson yesterday said trading operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation exceeded $68 million and net profit was about 20 percent higher than the $32.7 million reported in 2015. First NZ's Yeo said that implied ebitda of about $71 million and profit of $39 million in the year just ended. "Despite ongoing headwinds in the fortunes for the New Zealand dairy sector, PGW clearly has gained sufficient market share momentum not only to maintain but also deliver a likely record ebitda in FY16F," Yeo said in a client note to customers. "We continue to like management's growth strategy which focuses on improving existing business through share gain in segments where PGW is under-represented and on segments and geographies with structural growth opportunities." The broking and research house raised its forecasts for the company by about 10 percent per annum in the 2016 through 2018 financial years. Yesterday's upgrade followed an earlier positive revision in June when Wrightson said strong horticulture and beef sectors were making up for the dairy downturn, while its seed and grain business would benefit from higher sales in Australasia offsetting weaker South American results. The company had previously warned flooding in Uruguay posed a risk to earnings, but later downgraded that assessment. The stock is rated an average 'buy' based on three analyst recommendations compiled by Reuters wtih a median target price of 48 cents, taken before Yeo's upgrade. The shares have gained 13 percent so far this year, with the 14 percent gain on the S&P/NZX All Index. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SKO - FY23 Interim Results Announcement Date - 23 November 2022 Downer awarded $490 million road maintenance contract SKC - 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND TRADING UPDATE TCL - Result of AGM TradeWindow secures U.S. footprint with FoodChain ID October 28th Morning Report October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update Ports of Auckland and Napier Port have announced a strategic alliance they say will help improve services for freight customers and save exporters and importers money through a more efficient supply chain. The marine transport hubs will look at ways to align their services, which they said would reduce costs for exporters and importers without providing any detail. "The strategic alliance builds on Napier Port and Ports of Aucklands existing joint venture in Palmerston Norths Longburn regional freight hub and will support Ports of Aucklands regional freight hub network strategy to manage the growing freight market," the operators said in a statement. "This strategy helps to balance freight flows, provides exporters with choice, improves access to overseas markets and reduces exporters costs due to supply chain efficiencies." The deal is the latest in a series of moves by the Auckland port operator to expand its network across the North Island and fend off similar moves by rival Port of Tauranga. Napier Port chief executive Garth Cowie today said the alliance fit with Auckland's weighting towards imports and Napier's strong export base, and better international freight links would benefit Hawke's Bay and support local employment opportunities. Cowie said Napier Port's vision was to become the leading provider of port and logistic solutions in central New Zealand. The operator is planning a new wharf to accommodate larger ships and cargo demand. Last week, the government announced it would invest $25 million in improving road access to the port, part of $245 million being invested in land transport in the Hawkes Bay region over the next three years. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SKO - FY23 Interim Results Announcement Date - 23 November 2022 Downer awarded $490 million road maintenance contract SKC - 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND TRADING UPDATE TCL - Result of AGM TradeWindow secures U.S. footprint with FoodChain ID October 28th Morning Report October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update Tech. Sgt. Jasmine Burdick, Sheppard NCO Academy instructor and native of Charleston, South Carolina, has been in the Air Force for 18 years and 11 months, and is the Instructor of the Week at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, for the week of 2-8 Aug. 2016. Most significant accomplishments: - Completing Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science/Education with magma cum laude honors. - Achieving Master Instructor and Certified Instructor Course Level III instructor accomplishments. Airmans story: I am happily married and have three wonderful children - two boys who are 17 and 14 and a girl who is 12, said Burdick. We have been stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base for six years. Prior to becoming an NCO Academy Instructor, I taught technical training in my primary career field; Aerospace Ground Equipment. I loved being a technical training school instructor as it involved teaching, mentoring, and developing junior Airmen. The NCO Academy Instructor position has allowed me to continue with my passion for teaching, mentoring, and developing Airmen. Supervisor comments: Technical Sergeant Burdick brings years of teaching and instructing experience to her NCO Academy Instructor duties, said Master Sgt. Brandon Rolerson, NCOA communications and testing division superintendent. The Sheppard NCO Academy commandant and her students have lauded her for her positive attitude, professionalism, and knowledge of the curriculum. She cares deeply about the welfare and development of her students and this drives her to perform at the highest levels. Technical Sergeant Burdick is a visible base and community-wide leader. She recently led the Sheppard Air Force Base Air Force Aid kickoff breakfast and she has devoted numerous hours mentoring Burkburnett Junior ROTC cadets. She is always ready to train, mentor, and develop current Air Force members and shape future members as well. The European Council of the EU gave formal approval to the Digital Services Act (DSA) on 4 October 2022, which is the most significant update to the legal framework on digital services since the adoption of the E-Commerce Directive in 2000. During a Tuesday town hall meeting held inside of the Fremont City Council chamber, more than 20 people intently listened as U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry touched on a variety of issues. He discussed his role within the House Appropriations Committee, he talked about current issues with Veteran Affairs, listened to environmental issues and talked about the importance of a strong local government something he knows something about after spending four years on the Lincoln City Council. He also discussed the issues of gun control and gun violence, two issues that have people at odds lately in the wake of so many heinous acts. One audience member implored why Congress isnt doing more to ban assault weapons, to which a number of people in the audience applauded. Fortenberry, however, said that its important to search further into the problem rather than putting a ban on a weapon, something he believes is an infringement on citizens second-amendment rights. I think it goes to the deeper issue of what causes gun violence, the congressman said. If you shift the conversation to the sources of gun violence you get pushed in a couple of different directions and they create options for things that we could actually achieve in public policy that actually may result in a lower number of shooting deaths. Fortenberry highlighted three concepts that could pay dividends in terms of reducing gun violence: better enforcement of felony violators, a period of purchasing downtime if somebody is on the Terror Watch List and dealing directly with the issue of mental health, which Forteberry said, is currently one of the biggest reasons for concern. How do we keep people with issues of deep psychosis away from guns? he asked. It comes down to a record keeping problem and how we adjudicate (make a formal judgement) about mental health. In Lincoln alone, Fortenberry said police have been called 1,400 times this year in reference to situations involving some sort of mental health disturbance. So not all of these people will be adjudicated through the system, Fortenberry said. Some will be held so that they dont harm themselves or others, but some will not. Fortenberry said its disturbing the amount of gun violence America has seen as of late. Its jarring us understandably, he said. These high-profile mass shootings that are happening by twisted people it should jar us, it should affect our conscience. But you have to take a step back and say OK, where are we in terms of aggregate gun violence, where it has fallen dramatically over the course of 20 years. Three weeks ago, Fortenberry said that a mental health bill passed through the House of Representatives that could help the mentally ill better receive the help they so desperately need. This is one bill that received strong bipartisan support because it goes to the heart of fixing the fractured mental health system which is one of the underlying issues here in terms of gun violence, he said. Fortenberry highlighted how his job requires him to wear multiple hats for his constituency. Its my job to protect your safety and your rights, he said. Im a strong supporter of the second amendment. People have the right to self-defense, a right to hunt and to use firearms for recreational purposes. But nobody has the right to kill another innocent person. NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Bill, 2016, with the government making the case for a banking system without loopholes that otherwise permit bad loans to grow. Piloted by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the bill seeks to amend four laws - the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002; the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993; the Indian Stamp Act, 1899; and the Depositories Act, 1996. The bill was passed by a voice vote after the amendments moved by opposition members were either withdrawn or negated. "The present law simplifies the procedures by which there will be a quick disposal of claims of banks and financial institutions," Jaitley said, adding that most suggestions made by a joint committee of parliament on the issue have been accepted by the government. We cannot have a banking system where people take loans and do not repay. "If loans are to be waived off, someone has to step in. We should not create a culture that I have taken a loan and I can sleep well and banks should be answerable. "Write-off will put banking structure into a position where banks are not able to extend loans," he added. Replying to queries on the bill from members, the Finance Minister said the new law will empower the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to examine the statements and any information of asset reconstruction companies related to their business. "The bill further empowers the RBI to carry out audit and inspection of these companies. The RBI may penalise a company if it fails to comply with any directions issued by the central bank," officials said. It says stamp duty will not be charged on transactions undertaken for transfer of financial assets, including loans and collaterals, in favour of asset reconstruction companies. Read Also: Key Bill For Quicker, Easier Debt Recovery Passed By Lok Sabha Modi To Launch '70 Saal Azadi-Jara Yaad Karo Kurbani' WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is leading her Republican rival Donald Trump by seven points following last weeks Democratic convention, according to a latest national poll today. Clinton, who last week scripted history by becoming first woman presidential nominee of a major political party, has 46 per cent support among voters. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee has the support of 39 per cent of voters, CBC News said in its latest poll. Clintons popularity increased by four points after Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week. The race was tied last week after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. With this Clinton returned to her June lead margin. CBS News said while Clinton received a four-point bump after Democratic Convention, Trump received a two point increase in his popularity rating after his convention. However, CBS News pointed that Clintons increase in popularity rating is far less than 13 point bump of her husbands Bill Clinton in 1992. In 2008 and 2012, the outgoing President Barack Obama received a similar bump, while Al Gore in 2000 received a popularity increase of 10 percentage points, but he eventually went to lose the election. According to CBS News polls, positive views of Clinton increased by five points among registered voters, from 31 per cent a week ago to 36 per cent. Her unfavourable views dropped six points: from 56 per cent to 50 per cent. On the other hand, over half of voters continue to hold an unfavourable opinion of Trump. Only 31 per cent view him favourably. As per RealClearPolitics.Comm which keeps track of all major nation al polls, Clinton has an average 2.2 percentage points lead over Trump. Read Also: Indian-American Neera Tanden Makes Fervent Pitch For Hillary Obama Hopeful His Successor Will Take Forward Indo-U.S. Ties: WH Source: PTI STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The "Sun God" faces some dark days. Clifton resident Dennis Ames, who is known as the "Sun God," and also is the son of Wu-Tang Clan founding member Ghostface Killah - pleaded guilty Tuesday to a weapon charge. Ames, 28, an affiliate of the globally renowned rap collective, was busted on July 3 of last year by detectives executing a warrant at his apartment. Police allege Ames is affiliated with the Komrad Militant Bloods gang. Ames tried to flee, two detectives chased him, and he threw a gun - a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson - as he ran, police said. When detectives searched the apartment, they found two bullets and marijuana in his bedroom, police said. The incident wasn't the first in which Ames allegedly ditched a gun. Two years earlier, on Oct. 30, 2013, cops conducting a floor-by-floor "vertical patrol" of an apartment building on the 200 block of Park Hill Avenue came upon Ames and several other people in a stairwell, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case. Ames, who was carrying a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, chucked it and ran, authorities alleged. Police tested the gun and found Ames' DNA on it, and a review of video surveillance showed the defendant carrying the gun prior to the run-in with cops, the law enforcement source said. Ames pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a felony count of attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession. In exchange for his plea, he'll be sentenced Sept. 22 to three years in prison and 18 months' post-release supervision. "Mr. Ames took responsibility for his actions," said Mario F. Gallucci, his lawyer, outside court. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Anthony Morales, the Mariners Harbor man accused of gunning down a mother and her son in their community four months ago, remains medically unfit to appear in court, according to the city Correction Department. Morales' health status was relayed Tuesday during a conference in state Supreme Court, St. George, where the defendant has yet to be arraigned on murder charges stemming from the March 24 slayings of Idelle Rivera, 47, and her son, Anthony Rivera, 21. The younger Rivera's friend, Jose Ramirez, was wounded in the attack, said authorities. Mark J. Fonte, Rivera's lawyer, told the court Morales, 49, remains in the medical ward at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan. At the most recent conference on July 20, Fonte told the court his client needed to undergo additional surgery. Authorities said Morales fled to Pennsylvania after the slayings and was shot there multiple times by authorities after ignoring repeated commands to put his hands up. In June, prosecutors filed a seven-count indictment charging Morales with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and single counts of attempted first- and second-degree murder and second-degree criminal weapon possession. Morales has yet to be arraigned on the indictment, due to his hospitalization. His case was adjourned to Aug. 15. According to a criminal complaint, the slayings occurred between 6 and 6:12 p.m. outside 20 Roxbury St., only steps from the victims' apartment building. Morales lives in a different apartment in the same Mariners Harbor Houses building as the mother and son did, according to police. Detectives are exploring the possibility that a dispute over a car sparked the shooting. Anthony Rivera recently sold a car to the suspect, who was unhappy with the automobile and wanted a refund, a source with knowledge of the police investigation told the Advance. Idelle Rivera was shot once in the head, while her son was hit with three bullets in the head. Ramirez, 22, was shot nine times about the body. In an exclusive interview at his hospital bed after the shooting, Ramirez told the Advance the Rivera family had an ongoing feud with Morales regarding a stolen radio antenna from the suspect's vehicle. Morales lit out for Pennsylvania after the attacks, sparking a multi-state manhunt. Investigators tracked him to West Brunswick Township in Schuylkill County, about 125 miles west of Staten Island. Morales was shot 10 times on March 28 when he ignored repeated commands from authorities to put up his hands before he made a sign of the cross, reached toward his waist and brandished a gun, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters. Morales was rushed to Reading Hospital in critical, but stable, condition, police said. He was later extradited to Staten Island. Prosecutors have said the gun recovered in Pennsylvania was the same weapon with which the defendant had shot and killed the Riveras and shot and wounded Ramirez. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The man who allegedly wore a dress while robbing a Stapleton bank last week turned himself in Sunday and was held without bail during his arraignment in Brooklyn Federal Court Monday, authorities said. On July 25, Jordan Wise, 24, entered the Santander Bank at 81 Water St. wearing a dress, white bra, silver high-heeled shoes, a large hat and sunglasses and displayed a silver handgun to the teller at around 1:25 p.m., according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court. When he reached the window, Wise, the complaint says, told the teller, "give me the money," "put it in a bag," and "hurry up" before exiting the bank with $780. After fleeing the scene, the suspect went into a nearby bodega, King Deli of the Island, on Water Street and changed in the middle of an aisle. "He looked like a woman, he got like a woman's dress," a deli employee previously told the Advance. "When he first came in I thought he was like a woman." The man claimed he had had an argument with his girlfriend and tried to run into the deli bathroom to change his clothes, the worker said. The employee refused to let the man use the restroom, so the man went and quickly took off the dress between the store aisles. He then left the store in jean shorts, white sneakers and no shirt, the complaint said. Police said the defendant put the women's clothing in a black bag and dumped it in a public garbage can. The cops later found the bag that contained a black-sequined hat, the silver heels, black dress, sunglasses and bra. On Sunday, Wise surrendered at the 120th Precinct stationhouse in St. George and admitted to the bank robbery, according to court documents. Wise, the complaint said, told police the weapon was a water gun. The NYPD and FBI released surveillance video of the defendant in the bank and the deli shortly after. "It is my conclusion that the person seen on the video robbing the bank and the defendant are one and the same person," NYPD Detective Michael Gildea said in the complaint. OddoOneill.jpg Borough President James Oddo posted this photo of himself meeting with the next NYPD Commissioner, James O'Neill. (Courtesy of James Oddo) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Borough President James Oddo is leading the social media cheering section for James O'Neill as the new commissioner of the NYPD to succeed William Bratton. Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon praised O'Neill for his support of the Overdose Response Initiative, an effort to stem the heroin epidemic on Staten Island. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that current NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill will become commissioner of the New York City Police Department in September. Bratton said he will be leaving the NYPD next month for a position in the private sector. "I first met Chief O'Neill in Dec 2014," Oddo posted with a photo of himself with O'Neill on Twitter. "I've been super impressed. A great choice. He's is going to be outstanding!" District Attorney Michael E. McMahon hailed outgoing Bratton for his "unequivocal passion for policing and public safety." "While his leadership will be greatly missed in law enforcement, his accomplishments both in fighting crime and improving relations between the community and NYPD will undoubtedly leave a lasting and positive mark on the City of New York," McMahon said. "On a personal note, it has been a pleasure to work with Commissioner Bratton on behalf of the people of Staten Island." D.A. McMahon added, "We had the pleasure of working with Chief O'Neill on the Overdose Response Initiative, and we look forward to building on that positive relationship to better protect and serve the people of Staten Island." The Overdose Response Initiative is a law enforcement program designed to closely investigate overdose deaths and provide support to victims' grieving families. The bid to attack the drug plight at its source involves identifying the dealers and suppliers who peddle heroin, cocaine and pills around the borough and putting them behind bars. The mayor credited O'Neill with leading the NYPD's neighborhood policing program, reorganizing the department's command structure and heading CompStat. "I think he's a good choice," said an SILive comment from Linda Washington. "I love the community policing he's putting in place. I think it will help change things for the better. Congratulations Commissioner O'Neill!" But not everyone is pleased with the choice. "Met the new boss same as the old boss," said SILive poster Chain Reaction. Page Content On Thursday July 28th, 2016, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, William Marlin and a delegation from his ministry and of the ministry of VROMI met with the Prefete Deleguee of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Mrs. Anne Laubies and the representative of the Collectivite of St. Martin, Mr. Louis Fleming to discuss the progress of the Territorial Cooperation Programme for St. Martin/Sint Maarten 2014-2020. The programme which is focused on environment and safety, consists of three main activities with the flagship project being the construction of a joint wastewater treatment plant in Cole Bay. Certain proposed locations caused quite some concerns from the local community and as such the government of Sint Maarten in collaboration with the Prefet and the Collectivite of St. Martin have had a study carried out to have yet another look at the Sint Maarten West basin to consider other possible locations for the construction of the joint wastewater treatment plant. This exercise to identify possible locations was successful and ended with a Multi-Criteria Analysis workshop involving a number of key stakeholders who evaluated a number of other options. During the meeting on Thursday the findings were presented and further discussed. Negotiations with property owners will commence soon. Further to this, the meeting established that the next step in defining the overall governance of the implementation of the programme could commence and it was agreed upon that the cooperation partners would begin this exercise as early as mid-August. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree OMAHA Hillary Clinton brought her presidential campaign to red state Nebraska on Monday, focusing like a laser on metropolitan Omahas 2nd Congressional District presidential electoral vote. Clinton targeted economic growth that will create new jobs and increase income, pointing especially to the need for infrastructure construction and repair. Nebraska, she said, would benefit from investment in clean energy and expansion of broadband into unserved rural areas. The economy is not working the way it should for everyone, Clinton said, repeating some of the message she delivered to the Democratic National Convention last week when she formally accepted her partys presidential nomination. Clintons appearance attracted several thousand supporters to a raucous rally in the gym at Omaha North High School on a hot first day of August. Joining her on stage was iconic Omaha investor Warren Buffett, who took on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, billionaire to billionaire. Challenging Trump to release his income tax statements, Buffett said: Youre only afraid if you have something to be afraid of. Staring at the audience, Buffett said, hes afraid because of you. Referring to Trumps recent criticism of the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier who was killed in Iraq after the father had chastised Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, Buffett invoked the rhetoric aimed at the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy by Boston attorney Joseph Welch in 1954. I ask Donald Trump: Have you no sense of decency, sir? Nebraskas distinctive system of awarding three of its five electoral votes to the presidential winner in each of the states congressional districts was the lure that attracted Clinton to Omaha on a day when she also would campaign in Virginia and Colorado, both of them battleground states. President Barack Obama won that electoral vote in 2008. If she wins the congressional district and is elected president in November, Clinton said, shell return to celebrate with Buffett in the streets of Omaha. 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The Territory is set to reach the milestone by the end of September. The ACT government claims the territory is out performing other trial sites, according to a progress report on the scheme's implementation released on Tuesday. Minister for Disability Chris Bourke said the ACT's NDIS trial was progressing well and was on track to ensuring all eligible participants had appropriate access to NDIS supports. CEDAR FALLS A major furniture warehouse and retail store are coming to Cedar Falls, and it could open up opportunities for expansion into other Iowa communities, including Mason City. The Cedar Falls City Council on Monday approved a development agreement for Furniture Mart USA of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to build a 150,000-square-foot, $6 million warehouse on 18 acres of land in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park. Were really excited, said Jim Heinitz, CEO of the Furniture Mart USA. Bill Hinks, company founder and board chairman, said, The more we looked at Cedar Falls and looked at the growth and the forward thinking of the (city) staff here, we just felt we wanted to be part of Cedar Falls. Were very happy were going to come here, he said. Its a very centrally located spot for us for a warehouse operation. Heinitz said, Were building a store in Dubuque right now. Well be able to go to Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and were looking at Mason City. Furniture Mart USA plans to build a 25,000-square-foot, $1.6 million Ashley Furniture Homestore retail store at a to-be-determined location in Cedar Falls. Company officials said negotiations are in process, but they anticipate constructing a new building. The warehouse and retail store combined would employ about 60 people, company officials said. They hope to complete the warehouse project in the first quarter of 2017 with the retail store to follow. Furniture Mart USA is the sole licensee for Ashley Furniture in Iowa, and officials said both projects fit in with plans for a major expansion in the state. This is a major, major project for us, said Bob Seymour, interim Cedar Falls community services manager. City and Greater Cedar Valley Alliance staff worked on the project the past couple of months. The development agreement the council approved Monday calls for a five-year graduated property tax abatement with 75 percent of the building valuation exempt from taxation the first year, decreasing by increments of 15 percent until the full valuation is on the tax rolls. About $432,000 in taxes would be abated over the five years and $528,000 paid. Annual property taxes are estimated at about $192,000 per year. City staff said no city incentives are being offered for the retail store. Company officials said they are very active in store site negotiations. A Cedar Rapids Ashley Furniture Store store opened in 2014. More than one hundred Canberrans are expected to join a protest in Sydney on Tuesday in an outcry against NSW Premier Mike Baird's decision to shut down the NSW greyhound racing industry. A spokesperson from the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club said speakers will point to "the many errors in the McHugh Report" referring to the damning report of the Special Commission of Inquiry in NSW Greyhound Racing by former High Court judge Michael McHugh. Following the rally against the greyhound racing ban at Hyde Spark in Sydney,a petition with 25,000 signatures will be presented to NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley. Credit:Marina Neil The report found as many as 68,000 greyhounds were slaughtered as "wastage" in the past 12 years "because they were considered too slow to pay their way or were unsuitable for racing". The Canberra Greyhound Racing Club spokesperson said the rally would allege that many supposed 'expert witnesses' falsified qualifications to present misleading evidence. Prosecutors have urged an ACT Supreme Court judge to allow a teenage girl with a disability, who was allegedly sexually abused by her father, to give evidence with an assistance dog by her side. The argument was heard before the start of a trial for the Canberra man, 44, who was charged with two acts of indecency and assault occasioning actual bodily harm allegedly committed against his daughter in 2006 and 2009. The Crown argued the alleged victim's dog would alleviate her anxiety in giving evidence against her father. Credit:Getty Images His case was in court on Tuesday as defence lawyers and the prosecution debated whether the 15-year-old daughter's disability assistance dog should be allowed in the room where she would give her evidence remotely during the trial. Crown prosecutor Jane Campbell said the girl was on the autism spectrum and had an anxiety disorder, which would make it difficult for her to give evidence without becoming anxious, and the dog's presence would help alleviate any distress. The government has been praised for introducing a powerful new scheme to prevent the cover up of institutional child abuse, and for moving to scrap time limits preventing survivors from suing. Two major reforms on historical child abuse came before the ACT Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. Child abuse campaigner and former Marist student Damian De Marco, who was personally thanked by Chief Minister Andrew Barr for his advocacy on the scheme. Credit:Melissa Adams Parliament unanimously passed a strong reportable conduct scheme, which will legally compel institutions like schools to report allegations of child abuse, grooming, or other suspicious behaviour to the ACT Ombudsman. The ombudsman will then monitor the institution's response and scrutinise internal investigations. They said their priority now was working for the benefit of the ACT. The Labor and Liberal senators were officially declared the winners of the ACT's two senate seats at Old Parliament House on Tuesday, following a long and vitriolic election campaign. ACT Senators Zed Seselja and Katy Gallagher were officially elected to the Australian Senate after the Declaration of the Poll at Old Parliament House on Tuesday. Credit:Jamila Toderas The old ACT Legislative Assembly foes are stuck together for another three years after both being returned to the senate. Katy Gallagher and Zed Seselja don't agree on much but when it comes to representing Canberrans, they say they're willing to put their differences aside. "We've got a history, we go back a few years but I think we both take our responsibilities to represent Canberra very seriously," Senator Gallagher said. Senator Seselja said: "There are some things we come together on and obviously we disagree on a lot, but there are some things where we can agree and there's no doubt we both love Canberra and where we can get better outcomes for Canberra we're happy to work together." Both the Liberal and Labor parties recorded a positive swing when Canberrans headed to the polls last month, which appears to have paid dividends for the local senators. Senator Seselja became the first Canberra Liberal promoted onto the front bench when was named the new assistant minister for social services and multicultural affairs while Senator Gallagher has picked up the shadow portfolio for small business and financial services. "We were very confident when we saw the numbers coming in on the night and it's great to see it reflected in the swing toward us, given nationally we didn't so obviously that's encouraging and hopefully it's a reflection of three years of local engagement and hard work," Senator Seselja said. The ACT government will not water down solar access rules for established suburbs, but is pushing ahead with more permissive rules for new suburbs. The government was looking to address complaints about its 2013 changes to solar access - essentially, the extent to which shadows cast by a building on one block can impact a neighbour. The government is changing solar rules for homes in new suburbs, but not established suburbs. While the 2013 changes (variation 306) were designed to stop new houses over-shadowing their neighbours, the government points to unintended problems - with people digging new homes low into blocks and building houses away from their southern boundaries to meet the new rules, creating "lopsided" houses in the streetscape and creating under-used space on the southern boundary. The new solar rules (variation 346) allow an increase in the height of the building envelope. The government says it "rectifies a situation where an existing home has a level of protection which impedes their neighbour's ability to effectively develop their site" and "balances the outcome so both sides of the fence have reasonable access to sunlight so as not to favour one side too much". Hawthorn don't much care if they're perceived as flying under the radar but opponents should underestimate them at their peril, warns premiership forward Luke Breust. The Hawks have quietly gone about their business in their bid to claim a historic fourth consecutive flag. Cyril Rioli is expected to return from injury to play Melbourne. Credit:Getty Images They've racked up nine wins in a row to sit two games clear on the ladder with four matches left in the home-and-away season. But the rise of Greater Western Sydney and the impressive form of Sydney, Geelong and Adelaide have captured much of the media spotlight as the battle for the remaining top four spots heats up. Nick Denton has lost another round to Hulk Hogan. The Gawker Media founder sought bankruptcy court protection Monday in New York, after a Florida judge refused to halt enforcement of a $US140 million ($186 million) damages award in pro wrestler Hogan's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. Gawker itself filed for bankruptcy June 10, a move that temporarily put the brakes on Hogan's efforts to collect on the verdict he won after the online media company posted excerpts of a sex-tape featuring him. Denton was also a defendant in the suit and liable for the damages award. Late last week, a judge in Florida gave Hogan permission to try to collect, rejecting Denton's claims that forcing him to pay up before his court appeals ran out was a threat to freedom of the press. That ruling left Denton with little choice but to seek bankruptcy court protection. Uber now has the money and attention span to better compete in South-East Asia, India, Europe, the US and other parts of the globe where it's facing both regulatory headaches and feisty domestic competitors. What looks today like Uber's capitulation, albeit an extremely rational one, may tomorrow look like a strategic retreat that helped Uber win a global war. Uber's black hole of financial losses in China would have been the biggest question mark if CEO Travis Kalanick gets over his distaste for the public markets. Credit:Qilai Shen The ride-hailing company surrendered in the fierce fight over taxi hailing and on-demand rides in China. Uber agreed on Monday to in effect turn over its operations in China to local rival Didi Chuxing, but only after the US start-up lost roughly $US2 billion ($2.6 billion) battling for dominance in the country. Uber can lick its wounds with the knowledge that the company made its mark in China, even if it didn't win the battle with Didi. Credit:Bloomberg Uber's China surrender doesn't mean the company will win every other battle in every other country. But if it doesn't have to fight on the China front - a market where a well-financed Didi and the long history of US tech incompetence made it extra hard to win - Uber will have better odds of success globally. In selling Uber's China operation to Didi, the San Francisco company will get a $US1 billion investment from its former Chinese rival. Uber already has collected more money than any tech start-up in history, but more cash is fuel for Uber to propel its forces around the world. Perhaps even more valuable will be the 20 per cent stake in Didi that Uber is getting out of the transaction, which will value Didi at roughly $US36 billion. In time, that stake could prove to be one of the best financial windfalls in corporate history. In short, Uber lost a couple billion dollars in China but won a $US7 billion stake in a company likely to be worth much more in the future, especially now that Didi doesn't have to compete with Uber. Uber can also lick its wounds with the knowledge that the company made its mark in China, even if it didn't win the battle with Didi. The Chinese company started out essentially as a dispatch service for conventional taxis. Uber's entry helped push Didi into on-demand rides with regular people doing duty as semi-professional drivers, plus car-pooling services and buses. Competition with Uber made Didi better, and it helped reshape the Chinese transportation market. The ACT government's decision to introduce a bill to scrap the time limits restricting the ability of alleged survivors of child sexual abuse to seek compensation will finally bring the territory into step with NSW and Victoria. Victoria scrapped its statute of limitations provisions a year ago and the NSW government's decision took effect on March 17. Neither jurisdiction has had its court system overwhelmed by a sudden flood of historic compensation cases. Why the ACT government has taken so long to act remains a mystery. Its previous argument, that it was holding off on such action until it was determined whether or not other states or territories would commit to a national redress scheme for abuse survivors, does not compute. NSW and Victoria were happy to abolish their statute of limitations provisions while simultaneously pushing for the scheme of redress. At a press conference to release reports of the investigations she initiated into both incidents on Tuesday, Ms Skinner was under pressure to explain why she should not resign. She said her responsibility was to respond to issues so the public is assured that those who make mistakes are held accountable and problems are fixed. She said she deeply regrets the "devastating error" at Bankstown-Lidcombe. Referring to the St Vincents scandal, she said: "We have put into place things to prevent it happening again. I don't think we can be expected to do much more than that." Is it her fault that a doctor at St Vincents Hospital under dosed more than 100 cancer patients with a chemotherapy drug for more than a decade? And that the hospital tried to cover it up once the problem was discovered? Is it health minister Jillian Skinner's fault that one baby has died and another has suffered severe brain damage because a pipe in an operating theatre at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital was hooked up to nitrous oxide instead of oxygen? The health minister has a huge job. On a typical day, NSW public hospital emergency departments see 6500 people. Seventeen thousand people spend the night; 270 babies are born; a thousand people have surgery, according to NSW Health's website. Some mistakes are inevitable, but it is the minister's responsibility to ensure the system runs in a way that minimises the chance of such grave errors. The system must be rigorous and open to scrutiny; it can not tolerate power plays and crony clubs that operate contrary to patients' best interests. In the Bankstown case, we need to know how the faulty outlet was certified, tested and signed off on. Pending the outcome of investigations, Ms Skinner said she expects responsibility for the tragedy will be shared between BOC Ltd, the private contractor which installed and certified the outlet, and the hospital. Meanwhile, BOC is no longer performing that service and a NSW Health engineer has been stood down. Every medical gas outlet in NSW is being audited, the minister said, and all future gas outlet upgrades will need independent verification. Those steps are timely and appropriate. The same can't be said for Ms Skinner's shocking misjudgment in attending a theatre awards event on the night the news was breaking that one baby had been killed and one was severely damaged on her watch. In the St Vincents case, the report by the state's chief cancer officer Professor David Currow found there was a failure by St Vincent's Hospital's clinical staff to recognise and report the incidences of under dosing of patients by oncologist John Grygiel. Professor Currow also found that a culture of conflict and mistrust exists in the oncology department at St Vincent's Hospital. That is very troubling. So is the email of February 10, eight months after the hospital became aware of the scandal, from its head of cancer services Dr Richard Gallagher to chief executive Associate Professor Anthony Schembri, asking: "Do patients need to be informed?" Again, the minister has taken appropriate action, for example by checking up on treatments of all NSW public hospital cancer patients in the past five years and bringing in a new oversight system for administering cancer drugs. St Vincent's is in effect on notice that its ongoing public funding depends on lifting its game and implementing Professor Currow's recommendations. Ms Skinner claims to have changed the culture of NSW Health so it is more open and accountable than ever. It is good indeed that investigations have unearthed a similar problem albeit on a smaller scale at Sutherland Hospital after a nurse came forward in response to the St Vincents' scandal. Michael Jensen rightly notes the ignorance of the atheist foundation, indicated by its narrow definition of religion. At Bankstown Hospital for 18 years I have noted the great majority of patients, young and old, freely identify with a religion or faith tradition, at least 85 per cent of those Christian. In that time I have met over 20,000 Anglican, Protestant, and "Christian" (mostly Maronite and Orthodox) patients a fairly good sample. They do not have to attend church or have some particular understanding of "God" to justify their self-designation or in order to "belong". (And the foundation's understanding of "God", like its definition of religion, seems to be a very narrow one: a God I myself would not believe in.) A few, indeed, may simply be "cultural Christians" just as some people are culturally Jewish or Muslim, but that in itself is significant and deserving both of record and of respect. Reverend Dr John Bunyan Honorary Chaplain, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Campbelltown To be honest, I'm a Christian. But once again it seems there will be no box designating "Christian" on the census paper. Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Uniting etc. are all denominations of the Christian religion in Australia, not religions in themselves. Other religions also have different expressions and internal divisions, but they don't get split up in the census. One box for all Christians might be a better option for those who wish to declare a Christian faith or association but who no longer see themselves as aligned to any particular "brand" of Christianity. Meredith Williams Dee Why Brutal truth: Sirius is a blockage and needs removing The Sirius building is not a distinguished example of brutalist architecture in this country, unlike the American Express building on George Street, the Australian National Gallery or High Court of Australia in Canberra ("NSW Heritage Council 'disappointed' in Sirius building's impending destruction", smh.com.au, August 2). Nor is it integral to our urban environment as is terrace housing in this part of our city. It is, rather, an obtrusive structure that blocks views of Circular Quay and the eastern suburbs from the Cahill Expressway and does not contribute to its streetscape. We need more housing and more affordable housing in our growing city and we are, surely, mature enough to replace what are, at best, mediocre old buildings with better-designed contemporary ones. Ed Lippmann, architect, Lippmann Partnership, Surry Hills We are perplexed and alarmed by the heritage minister Mark Speakman's comments about the Sirius building. He noted that "whatever its heritage value" the listing cannot be justified as it will diminish the proceeds from the sale of the building. Speakman's argument doesn't make sense as it implies that there is a vast gap between the value of a redeveloped site and that of a rehabilitated Sirius building. There is supposed to be no increase in floor space in any new building on the site. It is very difficult for us to see how such a dramatic windfall for the government could be achieved without a significant increase in floor space. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of not heritage-listing Sirius, from a heritage management point of view, is the government applying the financial hardship test to itself. The policy is supposed to protect private property owners against possible hardships that might arise from heritage listing. If the government is not protecting publicly owned heritage how could it expect the heritage protection system to have any validity as applied to privately owned property? The government is setting a poor example and sending a message that development at any cost is the driver of the government's built environment policy. Kerime Danis president, Australia ICOMOS Dr Cameron Logan director of heritage conservation, University of Sydney Dr Scott Robertson president, Docomomo Australia Brick-wall label is a compliment to PM Kevin Rudd thinks our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is a brick wall ("Kevin Rudd calls Malcolm Turnbull a 'brick wall' to his advancement in UN race", smh.com.au, August 2). While Rudd seems to imply some negativity in this reference, some other thoughts on brick walls may help clarify the situation. As a civil engineer of some decades experience, I have spent some time reflecting on brick walls and have always ended up on the positive side. Brick walls have been tremendously important in our civilisation and have supported many great structures, literally and figuratively. It is surely not too great a claim to assert that even our parliamentary structures would not be where they are today without a lot of bricks. Further, brick walls serve very useful and practical purposes, keeping in what should definitely not be let loose on the world and/or keeping out what is not wanted within our boundaries. So, Prime Minister, I suggest that you take Rudd's comments as a positive and continue being a brick wall as and when required. Frank Johnson Peakhurst The way Kevin Rudd is behaving now demonstrates exactly why he is not suited to a UN role. Kip Morel Roseville Payback behaviour by politicians is rife in all three tiers of government even by prime ministers. The latest and worst example is the present Prime Minister. With a majority over Labor of just one seat, he refuses again to give his predecessor, Tony Abbott any portfolio. Equally crass is Turnbull's refusal to endorse Kevin Rudd's application for the job of secretary-general, a role for which he is well qualified. Rudd was unlikely to beat the other 11 in the contest anyway and that now leaves only one applicant from the vast Asia-Pacific region. It is no wonder the collective reputation of politicians continues to slide downhill. Harry Douglas Katoomba Now Malcolm Turnbull has saved the free world from Kevin Rudd maybe he can get on with governing. Gilly Truman Bowral Voice for homeless What a breath of fresh air to read of Ian Roberts' wish to become part of Sydney City Council and turn a spotlight on the many homeless people that populate our parks and city streets each night ("NRL star to tackle homelessness", August 2). Belmore Park has become a tent city and these poor souls are sleeping in the doorways of the swishest of department stores on Pitt Street mall. We spend so much money lighting up the night sky with New Year's Eve fireworks and during the Vivid festival, but sadly, no one seems to notice all our lost citizens sleeping beneath those same night skies. Greg Vale Kiama Symbol of peace Seventy years on, maybe it's time to forgive, but perhaps not forget ("Discomforting statue divides Sydney's Koreans and Japanese", August 2). Comfort women were a fact of life during World War II and the simple statue planned to commemorate them by Sydney's Korean community should proceed, despite the protestations of the consul-general of Japan. The statue is intended to be a symbol of peace something needed even more in these times, given world affairs. Peter Baker Smiths Lake Government hypocrisy While I feel sorry for the Australian family who will possibly be deported from Scotland because of not being eligible to stay under visa requirements, it seems hypocritical for Australia to make a fuss about this ("Australian family continue fight to stay on in Scotland", August 2). Our government is doing exactly the same with hundreds of would-be immigrants all the time, and often they too have spent years here legally under student or 457 visas but then fail in their bid for permanent residency. They too love our country and want to contribute to making Australia a better place just as the Brain family are wanting to do in Scotland. Judy Christian Castle Hill Double standard on bias Brian Martin has resigned as royal commissioner into Northern Territory youth detention ("PM forced to overhaul inquiry", August 2). He is a former judge of unimpeached integrity but he properly resigned on the basis there may be a perception of bias based on his judicial functions as NT chief justice and his daughter's role as an NT government adviser. In part, this has been a response to vociferous objection to his appointment. Yet one of the new co-commissioners has recently and publicly called for the sacking of the NT government over the issue. I have no doubt that Mick Gooda is an outstanding Indigenous Australian and well suited to his new role but for his comment. Why then, is he not subject to the same test of perception of bias based on his demand that the NT government be sacked? If justice must not only be done but be perceived to be done, does it not occur to others that this is a blatant double standard? Where are those who called for Brian Martin's sacking based on perceived bias? Gerry Allen Blackwall Destruction of TAFE Carole Burns (Letters, August 2) suggests that many students would benefit from leaving school after year 9 and attending TAFE. This would be a good idea except that the state government is actively destroying TAFE as an educational institution. Richard Keyes Enfield Big W gets a fail for marketing nous It sounds as if somebody has cast a ripius offos spell ("Harry Potter fans unleash on Big W", August 2). Peter Miniutti Ashbury As the next instalment, what about "Harry Potter and the Crazy Big W Marketing Policy that Sells Books to People for Less Than They Are Prepared to Pay, but Leaves Hundreds of Customers Disgruntled Because There Aren't Enough Copies to Go Around", followed very soon afterwards by "Harry Potter and the E-Book, Giving Big W the Flick"? Doug Walker Baulkham Hills Pokied out My progressive nonagenarian parents who were both born in 1922 have tried to keep up with technology but are shaking their heads with the new craze "Pokie Men". Coincidentally Alexander Graham Bell the inventor of the telephone died in 1922. If only he knew what was to come. Gerry Coleman Bassendea Tough call Kim Woo (Letters, August 2) may be up for a bravery award after arguing the two little girls rescued after a night in the bush don't deserve one. Craig Moore Bondi Turnbull on thin ice How many more missteps will be afforded Malcolm Turnbull's administration before calls for his replacement are heard ("Man of letters told to take it as read", August 2)? Don Smith Ashfield If a test of our society is how we treat the vulnerable and sick, Australia fares well compared with most other nations. But maintaining a quality health system is a choice, one demanding ongoing investment with knowledge of the areas under strain. It is clear, as Victoria's population continues to grow ahead of the national trend, our hospitals are struggling to match demand. An analysis by The Age has revealed emergency departments in poorer and expanding areas of Melbourne are being forced to cope with a vast influx of patients. The numbers are startling. At Sunshine Hospital in the city's west, more than 1600 more patients attended the emergency rooms between April and June compared with the same time last year. Demand on emergency departments is growing across Victoria. Credit:Fairfax Media It is a pattern. At Frankston Hospital the increase is closer to 2000 more patients. Werribee Mercy hospital, the Northern Hospital in Epping, and Box Hill Hospital have also each experienced a steep rise in demand for emergency services. Across the state, more than 400,000 patients were treated in emergency departments, an increase of 15,581 on the corresponding period in 2015. Coping with additional demand should be seen as a credit to hardworking medical staff. But the quality of hospital services simply cannot be sustained without extra support. The overall figure, which amounts to a 4 per cent increase this year, can mask particular spikes in demand, ballooning by up to 15 per cent at some hospitals. Such a surge will create an unreasonable stress on emergency departments and potentially lead to life-threatening mistakes. The annual ritual of appointing new school leaders is always fairly engaging but never so much as when the process is mirrored on the world stage. The timeliness of recent events allows us to consider the leadership role models young people are seeing and defying. For centuries, the purpose of schools has been debated by philosophers, from Aristotle to Rousseau to Adler. Wenona principal Briony Scott: Schools are the archetype of small groups of thoughtful, concerned citizens. Credit:Domino Postiglione The basic premise is that schools, for good or ill, mimic the world for which our young people will eventually take responsibility. Never has this been further from the truth than today. Schools, in defiance of the world, are increasingly counter-cultural. The Turnbull government's mishandling of the establishment of a royal commission into abuse in the Northern Territory youth detention system is testament to what happens when partisan politics governs the process. The appointment of former Northern Territory Chief Justice Brian Martin, who stepped down on Monday only four days after accepting the job, and the implacable opposition Mr Turnbull has to the idea that a royal commission into youth detention ought to be a national inquiry reek of politics overriding proper process and policy outcomes. Brian Martin will not be involved in the royal Commission into child protection and youth detention systems in the Northern Territory. Credit:Andrew Meares It should have been obvious to Mr Turnbull and George Brandis that appointing a person who was an integral part of a small justice system that has dismally failed the young Indigenous members of that community was inherently problematic. Mr Martin was Chief Justice of the Northern Territory from 2004 to 2010. The royal commission is examining issues from 2006 onwards. That Mr Turnbull, in announcing Mr Martin's appointment last week made a virtue out of Mr Martin's experience in the NT showed he just didn't get it. It was Mr Martin's centrality to the NT justice system over the past decade that was the problem. So why was Mr Martin chosen? Normally a government looking for a royal commissioner asks the Attorney-General to come up with a shortlist of names for consideration. It can take some time before the appropriate person is announced owing to the need for research to be done so as to ensure that conflicts, actual or perceived, are identified and assessed. It is wise to consult the Opposition and in this case, essential to work with Indigenous leaders on the appointment process. But Mr Turnbull and the conservatives who dominate his Cabinet, no doubt wanting to keep the embattled Northern Territory government on side particular given it is facing an election on August 27, opted for someone the NT wouldn't criticise. As Fairfax Media's Mark Kenny put it on Monday: "Had the time been taken and had those betrayed communities been incorporated, including the federal opposition, as Julia Gillard had done when she called the sexual abuse royal commission, then unfair questions as to Martin's suitability might never have gained traction." The second flaw in Mr Turnbull's response to the Four Corners revelations last week was to immediately rule out a broader royal commission looking at Indigenous rates of incarceration in youth detention around Australia. The NT problem is the tip of the iceberg. Indigenous Australians between the ages of 10-17 represent around 5 per cent of the total population in that age bracket. Yet almost 60 per cent of those in youth detention in Australia are Indigenous. This is unconscionable and points to serious systemic and cultural problems with the justice system in this country. Last week a former worker at a north Queensland youth detention centre revealed the physical and mental abuse that she witnessed recently. Professor Eileen Baldry, a criminologist from the University of New South Wales, argued for a national royal commission. "It's in Northern Queensland, Victoria, we know Western Australia, we know that virtually every other jurisdiction has instances of abuse of children in detention, in out of home care, in a range of places," Professor Baldry said. Mr Turnbull's view that a broader royal commission would take too long to make changes is simply wrong. The current royal commission looking at institutional sexual abuse has delivered interim reports as did the Bushfires royal commission in Victoria, established after the 2009 fires. There is no reason why an Australia-wide royal commission into Indigenous youth detention would not do the same. Once again, there is widespread criticism of the federal parliament for failing to reflect the electorate it serves, with the lowest number of federal women MPs in more than 20 years. If it seems like we've had this conversation before, it's because we have. Our path to gender equality is far from accomplished and certainly not assured, despite widespread sentiment that we'll get there soon enough, that Australia is not a sexist country and that we give everyone a fair go. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugs Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna. Credit:AP When asked last year why it was important for him to appoint a gender-balanced Cabinet, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said simply, "Because it's 2015". Yet in Australia in 2016, the response from our elected leaders to questions about the lack of diversity in Parliament reflect a startling lack of understanding about the barriers to increased female participation and some of the levers we can pull to increase the diversity (and likely enhance the performance) of our parliament. Family First Senator Bob Day has clung on to his South Australian Senate seat, beating Labor to the 12th and final spot in that state. The conservative-leaning Senator Day could be an asset to the Turnbull government if and when it needs to negotiate with the crossbench in a messy Senate. The surprise result means Labor's Anne McEwen, who was relegated to fourth on Labor's ticket, has lost her upper house seat after 12 years. Finalised by the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday, the full distribution of preferences in SA also confirmed Nick Xenophon as a powerbroker in the new Senate, with three NXT senators including Senator Xenophon being elected. An unapologetic Attorney-General George Brandis says the greatest driver of former judge Brian Martin's decision to step down from the royal commission into Northern Territory juvenile detention was the unwanted attention on his daughter. Senator Brandis also said accusations of bias levelled at Mr Martin were irrational and that this debate has occurred in the context of a "particularly toxic" NT election campaign, causing people to say "a lot of wild things". Following Mr Martin's resignation on Monday only days after being appointed, the government was forced to appoint former Queensland Supreme Court judge Margaret White and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda as co-commissioners. The initial recruitment of the former NT chief justice Mr Martin had led to calls from Labor for an Indigenous co-commissioner to be added. Senator Brandis said on Tuesday morning that he and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had discussed the idea before the shock resignation and the option was always available. Fading Coalition hopes of passing the union-taming legislation used as trigger bills to force the July 2 double dissolution election were given a boost on Tuesday but the numbers still look tight even if both houses are counted as one in a special joint sitting. In a surprise result at the end of counting in South Australia's Senate race, the anti-union Family First senator Bob Day has emerged as the 12th senator from the central state, displacing Labor's fourth spot and thus ending the career of Anne McEwen. The final result in South Australia is: Liberal 4, Labor 3, NXT 3, Greens 1 (Sarah Hanson-Young), Family First 1. A former housing industry entrepreneur, the conservative Senator Day secured his term with just 0.37 of a quota of first preferences. His return on favourable preference flows, adds to the numbers in favour of the government's Australian Building and Construction Commission and its Registered Organisations bills. The peak body representing Australian universities has urged the Turnbull government to finally abandon the 20 per cent funding cut to universities originally proposed in the Abbott government's politically-toxic 2014 budget. Universities Australia, in its submission on higher education reform, says the cut would drive down the quality of universities, stymie the government's innovation agenda and could harm the lucrative international education market. Urged to abandon funding cuts to universities: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Andrew Meares The cut has been described as a "zombie" measure because it remains baked into the government's budget projections despite being rejected twice and has little hope of passing the Senate. But abandoning it would blow a $3.2 billion hole in the budget. What do I have to do? From August 1, most households will receive a letter from the ABS, addressed "To the Resident". The letter includes a unique 12-digit login code for that household, and instructions on how to complete the census online. Most households are expected to complete the census online. Paper forms are still available for those who wish to use them. If a household is unable to access the internet or would prefer to fill out a paper form, they can call the ABS to request one. Anyone doing so will need their 12-digit census login that arrives in the mail. Paper forms must be completed and returned immediately in the reply-paid envelope What if I'm not at home on census night? The census provides a snapshot of where people are on one particular night. If you're staying with relatives or friends on that night, make sure you're included on their census form. If you have guests staying with you, make sure to include them on your form. For those staying at an accommodation service - such as a hotel, serviced apartment, hostel or caravan park - your accommodation service provider will give you a form when you arrive. ABS field officers will be found at certain locations in remote areas such as truck stops and caravan parks. They will provide you with a census form or information on how to complete the census online If you are overseas on census night, you do not need to complete the form. Is the census compulsory? Yes. Can I be fined for not completing the census? Yes. If a person fails to return a census form, the ABS will firstly notify that person of their legal obligation to do so. If that person still does not return a census form, they may face a fine of $180 a day until the form is returned. The ABS says prosecutions and fines are its last resort. In 2011 there were fewer than 100 instances where fines were issued, and the ABS expects a similar number of fines this year. Is anything changing this year? One significant change in the 2016 census is that the ABS will retain people's names and addresses from census forms for longer. In previous years, names and addresses were retained for 18 months, but that information now will be retained for four years. The ABS announced the change in December, saying it would enable a "richer and dynamic statistical picture of Australia". Are some people concerned about privacy? The ABS's plans to retain names and addresses has attracted criticism from some privacy experts and a former Australian statistician, Bill McLennan, who says it is "without doubt the most significant invasion of privacy ever perpetrated on Australians by the ABS". The ABS says it is "committed to the protection of the privacy and confidentiality of everyone who completes the census". CEDAR RAPIDS Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton havent been strangers to Iowans and their campaigns promise they will be back often over the next 98 days. On the days they arent campaigning in Iowa its likely someone will be traveling the campaign trail for them. Monday, it was Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow who was visiting Democrats coordinated campaign office in Cedar Rapids to encourage Clinton volunteers to make phone calls now so they can celebrate the first woman president come January. Its going to be a beautiful day a little cooler, Stabenow said about the inauguration. And you will have helped make that happen. Stabenow may have been Clintons first surrogate of the general election campaign, but she wont be the last for either candidate. Plentiful and often, Trump Iowa Director Eric Branstad said Monday. Beginning soon, before the Iowa State Fair, he said, the Trump children, personalities and politicos such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich are likely to show up for the GOP nominee. The closer we get to Election Day, therell be surrogates here almost every day, Branstad said. It may seem that Iowans would be spoiled by their access to the candidates themselves. The Clinton campaign has indicated she will visit Iowa soon, and Trump was in Cedar Rapids July 28 and will be in Des Moines. Friday. Clinton spent 42 days in Iowa in the run-up to the first-in-the-nation caucuses and Trump visited for 34 days. However, Branstad said surrogates still serve a purpose. They help share and send that message from their personal perspective how they know, how they respect Mr. Trumps leadership, he said. Thats what Stabenow was doing for Clinton. As a colleague, as someone who has known her for close to 30 years, I understand who she is as a woman, as a policymaker, as someone who is incredibly qualified to be president, she said. In addition to vouching for the official Clinton, Stabenow said she can tell the stories of what I have observed and why I support her. Stories like Clinton joining other female senators Democratic and Republican for regular dinners, hosting a baby shower for a GOP senator or talking about wanting grandchildren and, as a fellow United Methodist, Stabenow said, talking about potluck suppers and a dish to pass. Obviously, the candidate is the most important thing, but what I can do is to add to the depth of the importance of the election and the issues, Stabenow said. The performance of Australian students in literacy and numeracy has flatlined for the past three years despite a significant boost in education funding over the same period. Preliminary data from this year's NAPLAN tests reveal negligible improvement, with federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham calling for a fresh approach to teaching young people. "We need to focus on evidence based measures that will get results for our students because today's results once again show that, despite significant funding growth, we are not getting sufficient improvements in student outcomes," he said. The 2016 results show reading scores have increased by 0.4 per cent since 2013, writing scores have declined by 0.2 per cent and numeracy scores have risen by 1.26 per cent. Over the same time period, federal school funding has increased by 23.7 per cent. A hospital engineer has been stood down and the company that installed the system that delivered the wrong gas to two newborn babies at a Sydney hospital will have its contracts suspended as part of the NSW government response to the tragedy. A baby boy died and a baby girl has been left with serious brain damage after nitrous oxide - commonly known as "happy gas" - was incorrectly connected to the oxygen outlet in one of the operating theatres at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. A total of 36 babies were born in the operating theatre with affected gas outlets, a report by the Chief Health Officer found. Only two babies were treated in the resuscitation unit, where the gas was delivered. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner faced the media on Tuesday to deliver the interim findings of an investigation into the fatal error, expressing her "profound sorrow and sympathy". More than 80 people have been struck down by a national salmonella outbreak linked to a brand of rockmelons, as health authorities warn pregnant women, infants and the elderly to avoid eating the fruit. Red Dirt Melons - a Northern Territory-based supplier - is recalling its rockmelons after Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) launched an investigation into a spike in salmonella cases in several Australian states. The salmonella bacteria was detected by health authorities in South Australia on August 2. Rockmelons on the Red Dirt farm tested positive for the bacterial strain, FSANZ confirmed. Whole rockmelons, as well as pre-sliced melons, can carry the bacteria and should be avoided, health authorities said. Dr Richard Gallagher said in an email "Do patients need to be informed?". Credit:ABC St Vincent's has declined to disclose the identity of the staff member, but it is understood they are a senior clinical manager. Professor Currow said "misleading" statements to the public and the health ministry "had executive sign-off at several levels". The report could not find a compelling reason to explain Dr John Grygiel's decision to flat dose his patents. NSW Health launched the inquiry in February after the hospital was forced to admit the dosing errors following media exposure. In emails marked "confidential" head of cancer services Dr Richard Gallagher asked CEO Associate Professor Anthony Schembri "Do patients need to be informed?". Director of clinical governance at St Vincent's Brett Gardiner recently resigned over the matter. Dr Grygiel gave 103 patients - at least 30 more than first reported - off-protocol doses of the chemotherapy drug carboplatin at the inner Sydney hospital between 2006 and June 2015. The inquiry found no compelling reason to explain why Dr Grygiel chose to administer flat doses of the chemotherapy drug, which dipped between half and one-third of the recommended levels and was not supported by clinical evidence. NSW Health launched the inquiry in February after the hospital was forced to admit the dosing errors following media exposure. St Vincent's chief executive Toby Hall apologied "deeply and unreservedly" to the patients and families affected and acknowledged the original statements publicly released by the hospital were inaccurate. "Quite clearly we have failed to meet the high standards we set ourselves," Mr Hall said. "But at no stage did the hospital set out to deceive. "I personally raised this matter with the head of the Inquiry and asked if he had any evidence to suggest that hospital staff had intentionally mislead the public. And he responded that he had no such evidence," Mr Hall said. Mr Hall said a chief medical officer chose to resign or their own volition, and declined to comment further. "At the heart of this situation is a doctor who incorrectly treated patients," he said. The inquiry found no compelling reason to explain why Dr Grygiel chose to administer flat doses of the chemotherapy drug, which dipped between half and one-third of the recommended levels and was not supported by clinical evidence. Up to 82 patients were given a flat dose of the drug carboplatin between 2005 and 2015, according to email exchanges between hospital staff, despite St Vincent's reporting only 70 patients had been underdosed over a period of three years. "These patients and their families rightly feel let down. Every patient has the right to trust their doctor is abiding by protocols. We will strengthen clinical oversight to ensure no doctor works in isolation again," Ms Skinner said on Tuesday. At least 30 patients had died, though the effect of Dr Grygiel's dosing decisions on survival rates of these advanced cancer patients is not known. The number of patients detailed in the report do not include a large number of cancer patients treated by Dr Grygiel at outreach clinics in Bathurst and Orange. Professor Currow said he would release the findings concerning these clinics on September 16 to give the inquiry enough time to trawl through the vast number of patient records. No other doctors or cancer patients on other chemotherapy drug regimens were affected. NSW Greens Health spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said "covering up such a serious medical scandal is utterly unacceptable and Minister Skinner must ensure that those involved are held to account. "It's essential that there are systems and management in our health system to ensure rogue doctors are identified early and dealt with quickly." "It's not acceptable that a publicly funded hospital can operate without full oversight and accountability to NSW Health. The Minister has to act to assure the public that she is in control." "It is also utterly unacceptable that those patients and their families in Bathurst and Orange and across the Central West will have to wait another month at least to find out whether they have been impacted by this scandal," Mr Buckingham said. Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said Ms Skinner had bungled the handling of the scandal by refusing to hold a special commission of inquiry from the outset. "Her immediate response was to shield the hospital from scrutiny. Sadly, Ms Skinner put the interests of the hospital ahead of patients and their families," Mr Secord said. "Hiding behind a cloak of secrecy and denying there were major questions to answer is a major failure by Health Minister Jillian Skinner." "Unfortunately, the first response from Health Minister Jillian Skinner is to sweep problems under the carpet and to stomp on any fingers trying to lift it up." The government has allocated $6 million over three years for new electronic prescribing software to track chemotherapy prescribing. All public cancer patients who have received treatment over the past five years will be reviewed. Chief Executives of Local Health Districts and Specialty Networks will be required to confirm in writing that patients are being treated in accordance with the appropriate protocols and will also need to confirm in writing that all patients are being provided with sufficient information to make informed decisions about their cancer therapies. The Cancer Institute NSW will independently review these reports, the Health ministry said. The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) is continuing its investigation into Dr John Grygiel's clinical practice. If there are patients with concerns about their treatment, they should contact the HCCC. In a statement via his lawyer, Dr Grygiel said: "The report contains no evidence that a higher dose would have been more effective or that my treatment has caused harm to any patient. I regret that some of my patients and their families have been caused distress by the uncertainty. "As I have stated on many occasions, my only concern throughout my career has been the wellbeing and most appropriate treatment of each patient. This has guided all the clinical decisions I have made," he said. In a day of shocking news for the health ministry, Ms Skinner admitted another doctor at two southern Sydney hospitals incorrectly under treating cancer patients for more than a decade. Dr Kiran Phadke, an oncologist and haematologist at Sutherland and St George Hospitals, was suspended in June. A review found three of his patients under his treatment for up to 13 years had been affected by his choice of treatment, including fears of incorrect dosage. Two are since deceased and the records of another 14 patients are being reviewed. Under dosing of chemotherapy patients but also issues such as "transplantation" would be examined for Dr Phadke's treatments, a Health spokesman said. Mrs Skinner said an investigation into Dr Phadke, at Sutherland and St George, came after a nurse raised concerns in April after the St Vincents case. Dr Phadke has not practiced since April. "I've got a great deal of admiration for the nurses who spoke out," Ms Skinner said. Veteran gay rights campaigner Rodney Croome has quit as the head of the marriage equality lobby group he founded, saying it is at odds with his position on the proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite. Mr Croome has left as Australian Marriage Equality's national director to focus on opposing the plebiscite as the organisation gears up to negotiate with the Turnbull government on the terms of the plebiscite. "I want to dedicate my energies to stopping a plebiscite and having a free vote in parliament instead," he told Fairfax Media. "Australian Marriage Equality needs to be working with the government, especially if there is a plebiscite, and my work against a plebiscite will make that harder for them, so it's better we separate. One month after being praised by the Prime Minister as an "outstanding" candidate for federal parliament, Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun appears set to be dumped by the Liberal party for council elections. Proving that four weeks is an eternity in Sydney politics, Liberal heavyweights asked Cr Mannoun to step down as the party's candidate for mayoralty soon after they were talking up his chances of a historic federal election win. The change in Cr Mannoun's political fortunes came last month, when his home was raided by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Cr Mannoun put out a press release about the raid, saying he was "delighted" about the investigation and that ICAC was acting at his invitation, because he wanted to disprove allegations raised against him. But the key factional figures who decide the party ticket appear unswayed. The chairman of the NSW Heritage Council says he is disappointed by the government's decision to reject a unanimous recommendation to list The Rocks' Sirius building on the state's heritage register - a decision that means the building will almost certainly be knocked down. And Stephen Davies, who has chaired the council since early this year, also said the government should retain some social or affordable housing units in whatever building emerges to replace the Sirius. In announcing on Sunday he would not heritage list the Sirius, NSW Environment Minister Mark Speakman said the government could lose as much as $70 million in sale proceeds if it was included on the register. The government intends to sell the building to fund social housing units elsewhere. Mr Speakman's decision was immediately praised by Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet, who said the building site was expected to attract bids of well over $100 million. The highly anticipated appearance of three of NSW's most senior police officers at the Lindt cafe siege inquest has been delayed after a "regrettable" oversight. Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jeff Loy was, on Tuesday, scheduled to be the first of the state's top police officers to face the inquest, followed by Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione was expected to face the Coroner's Court on Wednesday afternoon. However, in a disappointing setback for all involved in the lengthy inquiry, their evidence has been delayed for another two weeks. Hundreds of residents have expressed interest in a class action lawsuit over the water contamination scare rocking the Queensland town of Oakey, lawyers say. Following a visit from prominent environmental campaigner Erin Brockovich on Tuesday, Shine Lawyers announced it had enough funding to go ahead with the suit. Oakey Army Air Base is at the centre of a water contamination scare. The firm had been working with residents on the possibility of an environmental claim against the Australian Defence Force for at least two years. A spokeswoman confirmed the firm felt its strongest chance sat with a claim of "nuisance", arguing that the army had unreasonably interfered with neighbours' enjoyment of their property. Two serious crashes have been cleared after leaving one man fighting for life and causing traffic delays on Wednesday morning. Traffic has returned to normal on the Bruce Highway following a three-car crash at Murrumba Downs, which blocked two lanes and saw cars banking up past North Lakes. The debris from a serious two-car crash at Chandler was cleared at 8.50am and police were hoping to have the intersection of Old Cleveland Road and New Cleveland Road open by 9.20am. EARLIER A roundup of Capitol and state government news items of interest for Monday, Aug. 1, 2016: NO DIRECT ZIKA THREAT: Gov. Terry Branstad said while the state is taking the Zika virus seriously, he thinks the mosquito-borne virus, which has spread from South America and is now showing up in Florida, is not a direct threat to Iowans. We do need to take the Zika virus seriously. Our Department of Public Health is keeping us informed, Branstad said Monday. We dont think there is a direct threat from mosquitoes in Iowa today. Floridas governor on Monday requested emergency federal assistance after 10 new cases were reported there, according to the Miami Herald. The cases in Florida are believed to be the first in which the disease was transmitted by a mosquito in the U.S. Previous cases of infection in the U.S. were found in people who had traveled to high-impact regions in South and Central America. LAWSUIT SETTLED: The State Appeal Board voted 3-0 Monday to approve a $950,000 judgment to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Family members of Rollin Hoffert alleged in the wrongful death claim filed in Johnson County District Court that pertinent information was not given to the stroke team and failure to recognize signs and symptoms of a stroke which led to the ultimate demise of Hoffert, according to board documents. Under the agreement, Hofferts estate would receive $450,000 from the states general fund and the University of Iowa Physicians organization would pay $500,000 to settle the lawsuit, according to the Iowa Attorney Generals Office. ARTS SUMMIT: About 300 of Iowas cultural art leaders, professionals and advocates are slated to gather Friday for this years day-long Iowa Arts Summit in Des Moines. Gov. Terry Branstad said the annual event is important because it celebrates Iowas creative energy and its impact on the states cultural legacy. The 2016 Iowa Arts Summit is set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines and offers breakout sessions, presentations and insights from Iowas most creative minds about transforming communities through the arts. Standard registration is $50 per person and $35 for artists and students. More information and registration is available at www.iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111. -- Globe Gazette Des Moines Bureau Brisbane's free wi-fi system has seen a massive surge in the past month as mobile phone-wielding Pokemon trainers descended on the inner-city, the council has claimed. The app-based phenomenon has also raised some legal questions for players and those who could find themselves interacting with them. Pokemon Go users have caused a significant usage spike in Brisbane City Council's free wi-fi system. Credit:Brendon Thorne While other Australian cities had fielded complaints about Pokemon Go players congregating around sacred sites, such as war memorials and cemeteries, a Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said that had not been the case in the Queensland capital. "Council does not have any records of complaints about Pokemon Go usage around the city, or any related public safety concerns," she said. Clearly, fibre is a superior technology to copper and the mix of access technologies that NBN Co is currently using to build the NBN. (Even the company's CEO Bill Morrow, as an engineer, says he would love to have a mandate to go all fibre). However, has there really been a sensible and sober discussion on the implications of how we should go about building the NBN and what bang we will really get for our buck? As a telecommunications and technology writer, I'm often asked for my opinion on the Labor and Coalition approaches to the NBN in social settings. It's surprising just how heated these discussions can become and, frustratingly, despite carefully treading a middle ground with lengthy explanations of my view, rarely is it understood. I'm sometimes accused of being a Luddite or, worse, of political partisanship. It's helpful to have a clear understanding of how the NBN came to be to see the problem the ACCC faces now. In November 20005, telco network equipment vendors were courting carriers with the then relatively new copper ADSL2+ broadband technology. They showed that it could give fixed-line broadband a much-needed boost in Australia. But they also made clear that ADSL slowed as copper lengths increased. Telstra, under the leadership of CEO Sol Trujillo, and his COO, right-hand man and fellow US ex-pat Greg Winn, seemed enthusiastic about the technology. However, it hadn't explained how it was going to guarantee uniform service levels as copper lengths between homes and Telstra's exchanges varied wildly. To cut a long story short, it emerged that Telstra had proposed spending $4.7 billion to push fibre deeper into its network (primarily in metropolitan areas) to bring copper lengths down to a standard 1.1 kilometre length. In exchange, it wanted certain regulatory concessions to get a return on its investment. But the wider telco industry was riven with conflict and dissatisfaction over the way Telstra's exerted control over its exchanges and copper assets. Then communications minister Senator Stephen Conroy was faced with a difficult choice. He could make the deal with Telstra but risk the wrath of its rivals. (And Trujillo was not one of Canberra's favourite industry captains). Labor announced that it would put the NBN build out to tender. However, the terms were highly unusual; the successful bidder would win the right to build the NBN in exchange for certain regulatory terms. Labor rejected all the bids and decided to spend over $40 billion serving FTTP to 93 per cent of premises instead. For Winn and Trujillo who was also facing subtly racist attacks in the media this was socialism and they soon returned to the US. The NBN's politicisation made what should have been a bi-partisan political issue an ideological battlefront and pragmatism was thrown out the window. That's not good provenance for any multi-billion dollar spending project. Every fibre builder I spoke to off-record about Labor's NBN build was able to show with very simple calculations that the FTTP business model would fail and that taxpayers would be left with the bill. (And that was assuming that everyone would use the NBN for net access). The point was made strikingly clear to me during a recent trip to Bomaderry on the NSW South Coast, which was one of the first regions to receive FTTP under Labor's NBN plan. I was staying with a retired couple that had many questions about the NBN and the plan they needed. They were satisfied with copper ADSL2+ and a 50GB download quota but they knew that someone was going to come and disconnect it soon (October). The had a fibre termination box installed on their home but didn't truly understand why it was going to be so great. I took 12 steps from the box to the pit it was connected to and said "well, from here to there you might one day, get a Gbps". It was the sort of dazzling term that they would have heard spruiked in the tech press and they seemed impressed. That was until I explained that if they had a reason to do it, and it actually could run it at that speed around the clock, they would use up their current download allowance in a matter of minutes. The real speed would depend on how much their internet provider invested in capacity beyond that little pit; choosing a service would be the same but with the ability to select speed as well as their download quota. Even if they ordered a 100Mbps service, I explained that there was no guarantee that every internet site in the world could zap data to them at that rate. And again, what about their quota? What they told me next starkly exposed the whole folly around the public discussion on the NBN. The couple started pointing to their neighbours' homes. "They're not going to use it. They're not going to use it. They're not going to use it. They don't want to use it... And so it went on for about seven houses down. "What about across the road?" I asked. "No, she has no use for it". They said that their neighbours were happy with mobile phones and mobile broadband. How many billions was Labor planning to spend? How many billions is the Coalition spending on the MTM version? Bomaderry is a retiree area and the situation might be quite different in a more urban setting. But in urbanised areas there's already infrastructure that can be upgraded to improve speeds. (And current official government estimates show that 51 per cent of users connected to the NBN have opted for 25Mbps plans). There's no doubt that regional areas could join the innovation push with better broadband. However, I had to stop and think about the people of Bomaderrys' real hierarchy of needs. Every dollar spent on any either variety of NBN might be taken away from the budget for building them a new hospital, aged and mental health care services, or drug and alcohol counselling (and regional Australia has a growing ice addiction problem). It's not that I think that either Labor's or the Coalition's approach to the NBN clearly trumps the other. Nor do I think that the public should be deprived of the choice for either. If we conducted a plebiscite on the NBN tomorrow and Australia opted for FTTP then, great, so be it. However, have the public really been given enough information to understand the financial and social impact of that decision? Should we really have let urban minority groups and other interested stakeholders control the discourse around broadband policy? The performance of Australian students in literacy and numeracy has flatlined for the past three years despite a significant boost in education funding over the same period. Preliminary data from this year's NAPLAN tests reveal negligible improvement, with federal education minister Simon Birmingham calling for a fresh approach to teaching young people. "We need to focus on evidence-based measures that will get results for our students because today's results once again show that, despite significant funding growth, we are not getting sufficient improvements in student outcomes," he said. The 2016 results show reading scores have increased by 0.4 per cent since 2013, writing scores have declined by 0.2 per cent and numeracy scores have risen by 1.26 per cent. Over the same time period, federal school funding has increased by 23.7 per cent. A young killer who laughed after viciously beating a homeless man to death has been jailed for 20 years in a sentence welcomed by the victim's family. Robert Marshall was 21 when he repeatedly punched Christian Williams to the head and then stomped on his lifeless body with such force he left the imprint of his shoe, on November 18, 2014. Marshall and his mates had been drinking alcohol in Dandenong Park. Now 22, Marshall must serve at least 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering Mr Williams, who had the cognitive functioning of an 11-year-old, following a car crash when he was a boy. A former patient of a deceased doctor accused of sexually assaulting patients is planning to sue his estate for compensation. The patient is also looking into a claim against Cabrini hospital and Australia's health practitioner watchdog. Other victims are likely to join the legal action as more people come forward alleging they were molested by Andrew Churchyard - a neurologist who took his own life this year after being charged with indecent assault. Fairfax Media is now aware of nine people with allegations against the specialist who worked at Monash Medical Centre and Cabrini, with claims of misconduct dating back to 2008. Bree Knoester, a partner with Adviceline Injury Lawyers, said Cabrini Health and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency could also be targeted for their management of Dr Churchyard and the risk he posed to patients. Hotel guests will be able to stay in cells of the former Pentridge Prison B Division that were once the site of bashings, escapes and a murder, under a new development. Anthony Goh, spokesman for Pentridge site owner Shayher Group, said the new Adina Apartment Hotel will "offer guests the chance to stay in a historic converted prison cell" as "a unique accommodation experience". Robert Cogoi, project manager of the Pentridge Prison B Division development. Credit:Penny Stephens He said some other cells will be retained in their jail-era condition and be re-opened for community viewing. The policeman charged with shooting dead a man during a routine traffic stop allegedly had the victim's name, address and date of birth in his work notebook, court documents reveal. It is not yet known however when Leading Senior Constable Timothy Baker recorded the details of the man he allegedly killed - Vlado Micetic. Timothy Baker arrives at the Magistrates Court for his committal hearing on Monday. Credit:Chris Hopkins Mr Baker is charged with murdering Mr Micetic, shooting him three times at point blank range during a routine traffic stop on Union Street in Windsor on August 25, 2013. Mr Baker allegedly told Detective Senior Constable Jarrod Dwyer, who arrived at the scene soon after the shooting, that he knew the identity of the man he had shot. Flights to and from Bali will resume on Tuesday morning after planes to WA's favourite holiday destination were grounded the day before because of an ash cloud caused by a volcanic eruption. A Tigerair flight from Perth was cancelled on Monday while two Virgin Australia flights already on their way to Bali were turned around after voclanic ash again wreaked havoc with travellers to the Indonesian island. Travellers in Bali waiting to return to Australia on Virgin flights have also had their flights cancelled. Jetstar put out a statement just after 5am saying flights to and from Bali would continue on Tuesday morning. It took a while for the rest of the world to catch on to Japan's pet cafe craze, but West Australians have finally come round to it. Following in the paw prints of Subiaco's successful cat cafe, Mandurah businesses Peekaboo Doggy Daycare and Dinner Peace have paired up to host Mandurah's first ever dog cafe, where owners and canines can finally feast together. Alex Wood and Rebecca Wilton with their dogs Kaya and Macie. Credit:Jess Cockerill Dinner Peace provides the usual human cafe food from their van out front, while Peek-A-Boo have their own menu of delicious dog dishes, including scrambled eggs, frittatas, biscuits and more. Dinner Peace owner Sherri Smith was a client at Peekaboo for a while before the idea came about. Police have charged a 27-year-old Balga man with the murder of Perth DJ Jaime Fernandez on July 16. The body of the 41-year-old DJ and event promoter was found at his North Beach Drive apartment in Tuart Hill two weeks ago with no signs of forced entry to the unit. Murdered man Jaime Fernandez. A post mortem indicated he died between 10am on Saturday, July 16 and 8am on Sunday, July 17 after sustaining significant injuries, Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Gorton had previously said. Chilean-born Mr Fernandez moved to Australia with his parents in 1995. DES MOINES -- Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley honored two wounded Iowa veterans Tuesday by presenting them their Purple Heart medals. Grassley got choked up at times during an informal ceremony at his Des Moines office where he presented Purple Heart medals to Don Coderre of West Des Moines and Frank Hawk of Norwalk. Coderre was wounded in action in 2006 while serving in Iraq as an Army specialist during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Hawk was wounded in Vietnam while serving from 1967 to 1969 as an Army specialist in an air mobile brigade dropped off by helicopters to assist fellow soldiers in engaging enemy fire. "Every time the helicopters came in, we knew we were going out to help somebody else get out of trouble. I wasted a lot of ammunition but it was for a good cause," Hawk told reporters after the ceremony. "You see things and do things that you're not always proud of, but that's part of war." Grassley helped both veterans provide documentation to the Army Review Board and battle through paperwork delays and bureaucratic red tape to receive their medals. He told the veterans and their family members in attendance that he wanted to personally make the presentations "because I don't think we take enough time to thank the people who have served and those who have been injured in the process of serving" to protect freedoms and liberties most Americans take for granted. Hawk called the honor "awesome" to be able to share it with his loved ones -- including six grandchildren jammed together on a sofa. He said he went through the tough years when "I couldn't even talk about it" until he received services from the Veterans Administration, which he showered with praise. Coderre said he spent nearly a decade battling paperwork snafus that finally ended when Grassley handed him the Purple Heart to go with an Army Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal with a bronze service star, an Army Service Ribbon, an Overseas Service Ribbon and a Combat Infantryman Badge he earned during his service. "It meant a lot. It's been 10 years in the making," said Coderre, who expected some day to pass his Purple Heart onto his now 6-year-old son. Coderre was the only one Tuesday to address the political controversy over GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent comments about a Gold Star family who lost their Muslim son in combat and previous statements about Arizona Sen. John McCain's time as a prisoner of war. "I dislike it, extremely, especially what (Trump) said about McCain, about being captured and being a prisoner, I thought it was low. I don't care who you are, that's just something that you don't say about a veteran, period," he told reporters. Coderre said he viewed the latest controversy over fallen U.S. soldier Humayun Khan as "dirty politics" where both sides "turned a war hero into a talking point, and it's disgraceful." Grassley steered clear of 2016 election politics Tuesday, telling reporters he did not want to detract from an occasion meant to honor and thank two soldiers who were wounded in battle. "We came to honor two people who shed blood so that you and I could enjoy our freedoms and I'm not going to say anything that detracts from the solemnity of this ceremony because I think we don't often in this country do what we can to show our appreciation for the people in the military," said Grassley. Grassley's 2016 election opponent, Albia Democrat Patty Judge, called on him to join her in demanding Trump apologize to the Khan family. "Our military families deserve much better from a presidential nominee," Judge said in a statement. "Chuck Grassley should join me and demand an apology from Donald Trump -- the candidate he trusts to lead this nation -- as anything less than an apology is an affront to the brave men and women who have served this nation. "Iowans will not ignore these despicable statements, nor will they forget Grassley's refusal to stand up to Trump," she added. "We can never dismiss the sacrifices our veterans and their families make for our nation, but that's exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do." West Australians are being targeted by an aggressive tax phone scam that has escalated in recent weeks. The scam involves fraudsters posing as Australian Taxation Office employees who attempt to force people to pay a fake tax debt by threatening arrest or further action if they don't comply. ATO tax fraud scams have been doing the rounds in WA. Acting commissioner for Consumer Protection WA David Hillyard said the ATO would never make phone calls of this nature and no money or financial details should ever be handed over the phone. "If you receive an urgent, aggressive call threatening arrest, legal action or deportation over a tax debt, do not be afraid, it is not really the ATO," he said. A Perth family's plans to build their dream home has become a nightmare after their building company disappeared without a trace. Graham Ugle said he will now be forced to pay an extra $30,000 on top of the $390,000 he already paid just to complete the home so he can move into it with his heavily-pregnant wife. Despite the banks promising to be more stringent in assessing the financials of borrowers, only 17 per cent of applicants said it was harder to get a loan. Credit:Glenn Hunt Mr Ugle said he employed Kameleon Homes to build a house for his wife, two-year-old girl and soon-to-be-born baby in Kalamunda last July. He said the home was motoring along until a few months ago when he noticed contractors stopped working on the house, claiming they were not getting paid by Kameleon Homes. A Perth woman has lost nearly $10,000 in the fall-out from a Northbridge-based travel agent, Global Plus Holidays, which has collapsed in July. The company shut its offices abruptly in July, with angry customers left to learn their flights had never been booked, or were booked and then cancelled - with the agency allegedly pocketing the refund. Elisabeth Poland (right) may not be able to attend her mother, Niki Anagnostaki's wedding in Greece after being caught up in the holiday agent scam. Elisabeth Poland says her mother, 76, has lost nearly $10,000 in the scam, after she booked flights to fly her to Greece for her wedding. Ms Poland claims her ticket to attend the wedding was cancelled and $7,500 was stolen from her mother's credit card on July 24. Bangkok: Cambodia has told Australia that commercial surrogacy is prohibited in the country as an increasing number of Australian couples seek surrogacy services in the capital Phnom Penh. The edict leaves several dozen Australian couples who have gone to Cambodia seeking to become the biological parents to babies born to surrogate mothers open to possible imprisonment and fines for human trafficking. The couples have ignored warnings they could become entangled in Cambodia's murky and corrupt legal system. The south-east Asian country ruled by strongman Hun Sen has emerged as the latest hub of Asian surrogacy after commercial surrogacy was banned in Thailand, Nepal and India. Beijing: In the first conviction seen since a sweeping year-long crackdown against legal rights advocates in China, a court in the northern city of Tianjin has found human rights advocate Zhai Yanmin guilty of subverting state power. In court proceedings laced with attacks on so-called "foreign hostile forces" including overseas media outlets, court prosecutors labelled the 55-year-old as a paid protest organiser who conspired with colleagues and unspecified foreign organisations to "hype" human rights cases with a view to "systematically undermine state power" while obtaining financial benefit and personal fame. A man films Li Wenzu, left, wife of imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang, holding a paper that reads "Release Liu Ermin" outside the Tianjin court on Monday. Liu Ermin is a wife of one of the activists, who was arrested on Sunday, July 31. Credit: Gerry Shih/AP Zhai, one of four lawyers and rights advocates expected to stand trial in Tianjin this week, pleaded guilty to his charges and was sentenced to three years' jail, with a four-year suspension. Beirut: He was a child actor who rose to fame in Syria as the star of a black comedy about the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, bringing rare joy to its residents. But the city is in mourning after it was reported on Monday that Qusai Abtini, 14, was killed by a missile as he tried to escape through the last road out of Aleppo before it was completely besieged by government forces. Qusai had been travelling with his father, who survived an attack last month during which their car was hit by four rockets. US Army Captain Humayun Khan was killed when he tried to stop two suicide bombers outside his base in Baquabah, Iraq, in June 2004. "That proves the point: he has not read the constitution of this country." And as the pocket copy of the constitution, which Khan held aloft and offered to Trump during his convention speech, became an Amazon bestseller, Trump's surrogates doubled down absurdly. They denounced Khan as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and his late son as a jihadist who wormed his way into the US Army - charges for which they have produced no proof - and claimed that, indeed, Trump is a patriot because "creating jobs caused him to be at work, which cost him two marriages". Khizr Khan, father of fallen US Army Captain Humayun Khan, holds up a copy of the US constitution at the Democratic National Convention as his wife Ghazala listens. Credit:AP On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama weighed in - telling a convention of disabled war veterans that he was "pretty tired of some folks trash-talking America's military and troops". Two of Trump's close advisers, Roger Stone and Al Baldasaro, have been tweeting an article from a fringe Islamophobic website that claims Khan is a Muslim Brotherhood agent who wants to impose Islamic law in the US and that his son died in a suicide bomb attack "before his Islamist mission was accomplished". The tombstone of US Army Captain Humayun Khan in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Credit:AP The strongest condemnation of Trump has come from former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, another war hero mocked earlier this year by Trump because he had been captured in the Vietnam War. McCain said: "Captain Khan, through his selfless action and sacrifice [in 2004], saved the lives of hundreds of his brothers and sisters." Stopping short of revoking his endorsement of Trump, McCain said in a statement: "He has suggested that the likes of [the Khans'] son should not be allowed in the United States - to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasise enough how deeply I disagree with Mr Trump's statement." Members of the McCain family weighed in more stridently than the senator, who has made it clear that he feels obliged to support Trump only because he is locked in a close fight to hold his Arizona Senate seat. McCain's daughter Meghan tweeted: "I would ask what kind of barbarian would attack the parents of a fallen soldier, but oh yeah it's the same person who attacks POWs." And in a blog post, his granddaughter Caroline charged: "A competent commander-in-chief must respond to threats to the republic, but Trump only responds to threats to his ego." An adviser to defeated Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush announced that she was quitting the party, which she said was "at a crossroads, [having] nominated a total narcissist - a misogynist - a bigot". Describing Trump as "despicable", Sally Bradshaw, who was one of the authors of the party's autopsy report following its 2012 election defeat, declared: "This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties - Donald Trump cannot be elected president. "I didn't make this decision lightly - I have worked hard to make our party a place where all would feel welcome. But Trump has taken the GOP in another direction, and too many Republicans are standing by and looking the other way." Alluding to the combat honour awarded to Khan's son, Brian Duffy, who heads the Veterans of Foreign Wars, America's oldest and largest organisation for war veterans which has 1.7 million members, defended Khan's right to challenge Trump. "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," Duffy said. "There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of word-smithing can repair once crossed - giving one's life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard." The Khan brawl has dominated the campaign for five days, in which Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has surged in polls, again overtaking Trump who, following the Republicans' Cleveland convention, had gone ahead of her for the first time - albeit by just 0.9 of a point in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls. By Monday, four days after the Democrat's Philadelphia convention, Clinton was leading by 3.9 points, which is within the margin of error for most polls. And, more importantly, Clinton's "favourability" rating improved by eight points, while Trump's fell by three points. Trump and his surrogates belatedly sought to reposition the debate, claiming it was about national security and terrorism, but talking heads in the media, Republicans and others, stayed focused on what the onslaught on the Khans says about Trump's suitability to be president. "Trump is inevitably going to get worse, not better, as his poll numbers get worse," Tim Miller, a former adviser to Jeb Bush and a frequent Trump critic, told The Washington Post. "When he's being criticised and his back is against the wall, he's going to act out and become more extreme and despicable. Every time we think he's gone as low as he's going to go, he manages to sink even lower. There is no argument for waiting until he behaves better." If Miller is proved right, Republican leaders could find that they will have painted themselves into a corner by failing to challenge Trump's crazy talk earlier. In recent centuries, the greatest crises in British history have been accompanied by deep divisions among our allies, and sometimes within our own country, in the face of the sudden emergence of new dangers. The French Revolution sparked intense debate within Britain, and required a quarter of a century of rallying reluctant allies before the final victory at Waterloo. The rise of the Nazis initially produced apathy and admiration as well as hostility, and only after two years of their violent conquests did the democratic world unite to defeat them. No fans of Western values: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:Getty Images In our own lifetimes, by contrast, we have become used to the idea that our Western values are successful and that we are as one in making sure of that success. Since 1945, US presidents have never given up their global leadership, morally or militarily, even though they have varied in effectiveness. Nato triumphed in the Cold War and grew alongside the European Union. The West has retained the greatest centres of innovation, finance, education and culture. Our languages and computer codes have dominated the discourse of the world. PHILIPSBURG:--- Board and Staff of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library would like to inform the general public of the library closure on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 at 12 pm. The staff will be attending the thanks giving service for our beloved library board member Mrs. Chantal Schaminee- Ringeling who passed away last week. Board and staff members would like to express their deepest sympathies to Chantals family and her dearest of friends. We have lost a treasure, a colleague, a board member and a positive spirit. But our grief at this time is small compared to what Chantals family must be feeling. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. May her peaceful soul rest in His loving arms in peace. The Philipsburg Jubilee library will resume its regular opening times on Wednesday 3rd of August, 2016. PHILIPSBURG:--- HOPE, the political party with aim to Help Our People Excel (HOPE), has its Manifesto Ready, says party leader Mercedes Elektra van der Waals Wyatt in a press release on Monday. We are inviting the general public to the Draft Manifesto launch on Tuesday August 2nd at the John Larmonie Center at 7.30pm. The public has a say in our program, so we invited them to voice their concerns and ideas for solutions with us. We have visited the people over several weeks. Now the people have the opportunity to read about our mission, vision and main program areas, the HOPE press release says. For more information, just visit our Face Book page: HOPE PARTY or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . DES MOINES Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley honored two wounded Iowa veterans Tuesday by presenting them their Purple Heart medals while working to mend fences with an important election-year constituency group in the process. Grassley got choked up at times during an informal ceremony at his Des Moines office where he presented Purple Hearts to Don Coderre of West Des Moines and Frank Hawk of Norwalk. Coderre was wounded in action in 2006 while serving in Iraq as an Army specialist during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hawk was wounded in Vietnam while serving from 1967 to 1969 as an Army specialist in an air mobile brigade dropped off by helicopters to assist fellow soldiers in engaging enemy fire. Every time the helicopters came in, we knew we were going out to help somebody else get out of trouble. I wasted a lot of ammunition but it was for a good cause, Hawk told reporters after the ceremony. You see things and do things that youre not always proud of, but thats part of war. Grassley helped both veterans provide documentation to the Army Review Board and battle through paperwork delays and bureaucratic red tape to receive their medals. He told the veterans and their family members in attendance that he wanted to personally make the presentations because I dont think we take enough time to thank the people who have served and those who have been injured in the process of serving to protect freedoms and liberties most Americans take for granted. Hawk called the honor awesome to be able to share it with his loved ones including six grandkids jammed together on a sofa. He said he went through the tough years when I couldnt even talk about it until he received services from the Veterans Administration which he showered with praise. Coderre said he spent nearly a decade battling paperwork snafus that finally ended when Grassley handed him the Purple Heart to go with an Army Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal with a bronze service star, an Army Service Ribbon, an Overseas Service Ribbon and a Combat Infantryman Badge he earned during his service. It meant a lot. Its been 10 years in the making, said Coderre, who expected some day to pass his Purple Heart onto his now 6-year-old son. Coderre was the only one Tuesday to address GOP presidential candidate Donald Trumps recent comments about a Gold Star family who lost their Muslim son in combat and previous statements about Arizona Sen. John McCains time as a prisoner of war. I dislike it, extremely, especially what (Trump) said about McCain, about being captured and being a prisoner, I thought it was low. I dont care who you are, thats just something that you dont say about a veteran, period, he told reporters. Coderre said he viewed the latest controversy over fallen U.S. soldier Humayun Khan as dirty politics where both sides turned a war hero into a talking point and its disgraceful. For his part, Grassley steered clear of 2016 election politics Tuesday, telling reporters he did not want to detract from an occasion meant to honor and thank two soldiers who were wounded in battle. We came to honor two people who shed blood so that you and I could enjoy our freedoms and Im not going to say anything that detracts from the solemnity of this ceremony because I think we dont often in this country do what we can to show our appreciation for the people in the military, said Grassley. Grassleys 2016 election opponent, Albia Democrat Patty Judge called on him to join her in demanding Trump apologize to the Khan family. Our military families deserve much better from a presidential nominee, Judge said in a statement. Chuck Grassley should join me and demand an apology from Donald Trump the candidate he trusts to lead this nation as anything less than an apology is an affront to the brave men and women who have served this nation. Iowans will not ignore these despicable statements, nor will they forget Grassleys refusal to stand up to Trump, she added. We can never dismiss the sacrifices our veterans and their families make for our nation, but thats exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do. Pregnant Women and their Partners should not Visit Community Near Miami The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an historic warning on Monday, advising pregnant women and their partners to avoid a small community just north of downtown Miami. Agency spokesman Tom Skinner says this is the first time the CDC has warned people not to travel to an American neighborhood for fear of catching an infectious disease. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause of microcephaly, a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected due to an underdeveloped brain. The condition can cause developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, problems with movement and balance, difficulty eating and swallowing, vision and hearing loss, or death. 14 people in Florida have now been infected with Zika virus after being bitten by local mosquitoes. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden announced the warning in separate news conferences Monday. 10 new cases of infection were found by door-to-door surveys of 200 people in their homes and businesses, after being tested by urine and blood samples for the virus or an antibody. Last week Florida state health officials confirmed that four people had contracted Zika from mosquitoes, all in the same 150-square- meter area. It's a mixed-use development with both upscale and lower income businesses and homes. Frieden said this mixed neighborhood composition complicates mosquito control efforts. "New test measurements over the weekend showed a risk of continued active transmission in that area," he said. "Because of this finding, we are advising pregnant women not to travel to that area and if they have traveled there on or after June 15 to visit their health care provider for testing." Local health officials believe that June 15 is the earliest date that the mosquitoes might have passed the virus, which they obtained by biting a person who had returned to the United States with the disease. Four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms, so it's possible that "person zero" had no idea they were infectious. "With 40 million travelers to and from areas where Zika is actively circulating, many can come back who feel perfectly fine," Frieden said. "But the virus could be hitchhiking in their blood." Everyone who travels to one of those areas is asked to consistently use insect repellent for at least three weeks after they return. Additional precautions recommended by the CDC about the Miami outbreak include: Pregnant women who live in or travel to the area should be tested for Zika infection in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, even if they have no symptoms of the virus. Pregnant women and their male and female partners who live in the area should take steps to prevent mosquito bits and use proper sexual protection for the length of the pregnancy, or abstain from sex altogether. Male or female partners of pregnant women who have traveled to this area should use safe sex measures for the rest of the pregnancy. Women and men who have traveled to the affected area should wait eight weeks to conceive after their return. Men with symptoms should wait a full six months. Governor Scott was quick in asking for CDC assistance. "Following today's announcement, I have requested that the Centers for Disease Control activate their emergency response team to assist (the Department of Health) in their investigation, research and sample collection efforts," Scott said. "Their team will consist of public health experts whose role is to augment our response efforts to confirmed local transmissions of the Zika virus." Some CDC personnel are already on the ground, with more arriving over the next few days. Their first task will be to understand why local mosquito control efforts failed. Aggressive mosquito control in the area has had limited results. Friedan suggested the local mosquitoes may be resistant to the pesticide being used, or maybe there are hidden spaces where small amounts of water accumulate, just enough for the insects to breed. "The Aedes aegypti is a really tough mosquito to control," Frieden added. "When Key West had an outbreak of dengue, which is carried by the same mosquito, that outbreak continued for more than a year. It's a demonstration of how intensive the efforts need to be to control the mosquito." On-the-ground testing could take several weeks, and precautions should continue to be taken by everyone living in the area or traveling to and from it. People are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants that are thick enough to repel mosquito bites, use air conditioning and screens on doors, remove any standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs, and apply insect repellent containing 25% DEET to all uncovered skin. The community is just north of Miami. Some local transmission of the virus is expected from mosquitoes but it should not be as widespread as it has been in other parts of the world. That assessment is based on past outbreaks of two similar mosquito-borne diseases, dengue fever and chikungunya, in the United States. The diseases did not spread as rapidly when living conditions included more mosquito-control efforts and the regular use of air-conditioning. Most of the cases of Zika in the United States have been from travel to one of the 60 countries and territories where the virus is actively circulating. Fifteen people have been infected by sexual transmission, and there is one case of a laboratory-acquired infection. Only four states, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska have not yet reported any cases. Until the announcement Friday in Florida, no US cases are believed to have been from local mosquito transmission. Claims of fraud have arisen after each of the last several U.S. presidential elections, especially since the 2000 election, the outcome of which hinged on a prolonged dispute over a victory margin of just 537 votes in the state of Florida. As one common example demonstrates, the election of 2012 was no exception in that regard: Most everyone suspected fraud, but these numbers prove it and our government and media refuse to do anything about it. As each state reported their final election details, the evidence of voter fraud is astounding. Massive voter fraud has been reported in areas of OH and FL, with PA, WI and VA, all are deploying personnel to investigate election results. Here are just a few examples of what has surfaced with much more to come. * In 59 voting districts in the Philadelphia region, Obama received 100% of the votes with not even a single vote recorded for Romney. (A mathematical and statistical impossibility). * In 21 districts in Wood County Ohio, Obama received 100% of the votes where GOP inspectors were illegally removed from their polling locations and not one single vote was recorded for Romney. (Another statistical impossibility). * In Wood County Ohio, 106,258 voted in a county with only 98,213 eligible voters. * In St. Lucie County, FL, there were 175,574 registered eligible voters but 247,713 votes were cast. * The National SEAL Museum, a polling location in St. Lucie County, FL had a 158% voter turnout. * Palm Beach County, FL had a 141% voter turnout. * In Ohio County, Obama won by 108% of the total number of eligible voters. NOTE: Obama won in every state that did not require a Photo ID and lost in every state that did require a Photo ID in order to vote. But whatever voter fraud (if any) might have occurred during the 2012 presidential election, none is evidenced by the example reproduced here. As shown below, all of the statements it comprises are demonstrably false: In 59 voting districts in the Philadelphia region, Obama received 100% of the votes with not even a single vote recorded for Romney. (A mathematical and statistical impossibility). The language used here is a giveaway right at the start that someone was making judgments about something he didnt fully understand: Its not a mathematical impossibility for a vote count to add up to zero, and there is no such thing as a statistical impossibility. (Statistics may indicate that the odds of a particular events occurring are very, very low, but statistics cant prove something to be impossible.) It is true that 59 voting divisions in Philadelphia recorded no votes for Mitt Romney, but given the voter composition of the Philadelphia area (and some Philadelphia wards in particular), and the number of voters in each division, that outcome was hardly a mathematical and statistical impossibility. Barack Obama won the overall vote in the Philadelphia area by an 85% to 14% margin over Mitt Romney; Obama also received greater than 90% of the vote in more than half of Philadelphias 66 wards, and 99% or more of the vote in seven of those wards. That result was hardly surprising given that, as the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, those wards are clustered in almost exclusively black sections of West and North Philadelphia and nationally, 93 percent of African Americans voted for Obama. The Philadelphia wards that trended very heavily for Barack Obama included many divisions of between 200 and 500 voters in which Mitt Romney received a scant handful of votes (and sometimes no votes at all), a result mirroring that of the previous election, in which Republican candidate John McCain got zero votes in 57 Philadelphia voting divisions. When the Inquirer went looking for Republican voters in some of those divisions, they couldnt find any: Many parts of Philadelphia and other big cities simply lack Republican voters, a fact of campaigning that has been true since Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University, said. Although voter registration lists, which often contain outdated information, show 12 Republicans live in the [28th] wards third division, The Inquirer was unable to find any of them by calling or visiting their homes. Four of the registered Republicans no longer lived there; four others didnt answer their doors. City Board of Elections registration data say a registered Republican used to live at 25th and York Streets, but none of the neighbors across the street knew him. James Norris, 19, who lives down the street, is listed as a Republican in city data. But he said hes a Democrat and voted for Obama because he thinks the president will help the middle class. A few blocks away, Eric Sapp, a 42-year-old chef, looked skeptical when told that city data had him listed as a registered Republican. I got to check on that, said Sapp, who voted for Obama. Eighteen Republicans reportedly live in the nearby 15th Division, according to city registration records. The 15th has the distinction of pitching two straight Republican shutouts zero votes for McCain in 2008, zero for Romney. Oh, and 13 other city divisions did the same thing in 2008 and 2012. Three of the 15ths registered Republicans were listed as living in the same apartment, but the tenant there said he had never heard of them. The addresses of several others could not be found. On West Albert Street, Duke Dunston says he knows hes a registered Republican, but hes never voted for one. Thus the results in Philadelphia were reflective not of an impossible statistical anomaly but rather of a general historical trend widely seen throughout the city. In 21 districts in Wood County Ohio, Obama received 100% of the votes where GOP inspectors were illegally removed from their polling locations and not one single vote was recorded for Romney. (Another statistical impossibility). A precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the official voting results from Wood County, Ohio, for the 2012 election shows that Barack Obama received nowhere close to 100% of the votes cast in any of that countys 97 precincts. The highest percentage he achieved in any one precinct was 75.5%. In Wood County Ohio, 106,258 voted in a county with only 98,213 eligible voters. The official Voter Turnout statistics for Ohio show Wood County recorded a total turnout of 64,342 voters, an amount far smaller than the number of registered voters in that county (108,014). In St. Lucie County, FL, there were 175,574 registered eligible voters but 247,713 votes were cast. This statement demonstrates a misunderstanding between the difference in number of votes cast and number of cards cast. The official election results from St. Lucie County, Florida, show, a total of 123,301 votes were cast for the office of President of the United States, but a total of 247,383 cards were cast because St. Lucie County used a two-page ballot (i.e., a ballot consisting of two cards), so every voter who returned both pages of his ballot cast two cards. As the web site of that countys elections board explains: Turnout percentages will show over 100% due to a two page ballot. The tabulation system (GEMS) provides voter turnout as equal to the total cards cast in the election divided by the number of registered voters. Also note that some voters chose not to return by mail the second card. The National SEAL Museum, a polling location in St. Lucie County, FL had a 158% voter turnout. This entry repeats the same error as the previous one. The National SEAL Museum polling location in St. Lucie County had a turnout of 2756 registered voters, but a total of 4469 cards were cast because each voters ballot consisted of two cards. The official vote count from that location for the office of President of the United States recorded 1,473 votes for Mitt Romney and 754 votes for Barack Obama. Palm Beach County, FL had a 141% voter turnout. The official results for the 2012 general election for Palm Beach County, Florida, show that 605,268 out of 870,182 registered voters cast ballots for the office of President of the United States, a voter turnout rate of 69.56%, not 141%. In Ohio County, Obama won by 108% of the total number of eligible voters. This statement is ambiguous because multiple states (Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia) have counties named Ohio. Nonetheless, this statement is false regardless of which of those counties is considered: Mitt Romney won Ohio County, Kentucky, by a 67% to 31% margin. Mitt Romney won Ohio County, Indiana, by a 63% to 35% margin. Mitt Romney won Ohio County, West Virginia, by a 60% to 38% margin. Obama won in every state that did not require a Photo ID and lost in every state that did require a Photo ID in order to vote. In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama did lose in every state that required all voters to provide photo ID, but those states were only four in number: Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, contrary to what is claimed here, he also lost in many states that did not require all voters to provide photo ID: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (NOTE: If you did not live in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, or Tennessee, then your state did not require all voters to provide photo ID during the 2012 general election. As shown on a chart of Voter Identification Requirements by state, only those four states had strict photo ID laws in place during the 2012 general election. All other states either did not require voters to provide ID or accepted some forms of non-photo ID.) ImageWare Systems Sets Corporate Update Conference Call for Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. ET SAN DIEGO, CA (Marketwired) 08/01/16 ImageWare Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: IWSY) (ImageWare), a leader in mobile and cloud-based, multi-modal biometric identity management solutions, will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) to provide a corporate update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. The company will report its results in a press release prior to the call. ImageWare Chairman and CEO Jim Miller and CFO Wayne Wetherell will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period. Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) Toll-free dial-in number: 1-888-504-7960 International dial-in number: 1-719-325-2341 Conference ID: 4356802 Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Liolios at 1-949-574-3860. The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay at and via the investor relations section of ImageWares website at . A replay of the conference call will be available after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through September 9, 2016. Toll-free replay number: 1-877-870-5176 International replay number: 1-858-384-5517 Replay ID: 4356802 ImageWare Systems is a leading developer of mobile and cloud-based identity management solutions, providing biometric secure credential and law enforcement technologies. Scalable for worldwide deployment, ImageWares patented biometric product line includes a highly scalable, multi-modal biometric engine capable of working with a wide array of sensors, modalities, and algorithms. ImageWares identity management products are used for secure credentials, national IDs, passports, drivers licenses, and smart cards as well as both application and physical access control systems. ImageWare products support a wide range of biometric modalities including face, voice, fingerprint, eye, DNA, and more. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with offices in Portland, OR, Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Ontario, and Mexico. For more information about ImageWare Systems, Inc., please visit . Liolios Cody Slach Tel 1-949-574-3860 Townsquared Announces $11.05 Million Series B Funding Round Led by Sierra Ventures and Intuit SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Marketwired) 08/02/16 , the online community designed to help small businesses connect and share resources with each other, today announced that the startup has secured an $11.05 million round of Series B funding. This brings the total amount of funding the company has received to $16.4 million. The latest funding round is led by top-tier international venture capital firm and , the leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small businesses. Additional investors include Jocelyn Goldfein, former Engineering Director at Facebook and former VP of Engineering at VMware, and Pravin Madhani, Angel Investor. Townsquared has been able to establish a strong national presence since the launch of the community with a 115% increase in membership over the last year. The company has earmarked a portion of this funding round to expand into 5-10 additional cities across the country. The community will officially launch in Portland in September with additional cities such as Boston, Chicago, Austin, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami and more on the companys radar. Townsquared will continue to focus on hyper-locality, devoting resources to expanding into additional neighborhoods in each city with an emphasis on community involvement. The company will continue to partner with local police departments, merchants associations, city small business offices, and chambers of commerce to support cross-information sharing and community safety. The Townsquared team is expected to grow by 60% over the next year with hiring planned in engineering, product and city management. At Sierra Ventures we are always looking for large markets where software can create disruptions and entrepreneurs who execute to such opportunities, said Tim Guleri, Managing Director at Sierra Ventures. The multibillion-dollar small business market has tremendous opportunity yet is lacking a common communication and resource platform. We decided to invest in Townsquared because of the companys unique capabilities to connect and help small businesses across the world. Our support for Townsquared is rooted in our common goal of helping small businesses succeed in their local community, said Andrew Westergren, Intuits Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer. At Intuit we help 4.5 million small businesses and believe the power of the network effect helps them win together. Townsquared is continuing to show success in providing small businesses with the myriad of resources they need to thrive and better their local communities. Townsquared also announced a new VP of Product, Andy Bryson. Bryson is formerly the Director of Product Management and Growth at SurveyMonkey, where he built SurveyMonkeys Growth team, leading viral growth initiatives that resulted in the doubling of users to over 30M. Bryson was also responsible for international SEO, as well as infrastructure and growth initiatives that resulted in over 40% international business growth. At Townsquared Bryson will lead the product vision and definition of Townsquareds online and mobile community. He will oversee a team of product managers, designers and data scientists that aims to help small business owners across the country connect, collaborate and share resources. The focus of Townsquared has always been on hyper-locality and achieving density within a market, said Rohit Prakash, Co-Founder and CEO at Townsquared. This is why weve strategically selected our launch markets and focused on expansion within them rather than launching quickly into new cities. In some of our neighborhoods, Townsquared has as much as 70% of the local merchant population participating, as well as local government, police departments and business organizations. Our Series B funding round and the addition of these respected investors will help us continue this success as we expand nation-wide and help the small businesses that play an important role in our communities and the nations economy. Thousands of small businesses across the country have joined the online network to connect and collaborate with fellow small business owners. The community is currently live in San Francisco, Oakland, New York and Seattle. Townsquared was founded in late 2013 by Rohit Prakash and Nipul Patel, who grew up in small business families. Townsquared is the only online community and mobile app specifically designed to help neighborhood businesses be more successful by connecting them to other businesses and local resources. When businesses join Townsquared, they get access to a vibrant community that works together on crime and safety issues, provides neighborhood updates, and gives them the ability to form partnerships and co-sponsor events, as well as organize efforts around government initiatives. Townsquared works with thousands of small businesses across the country and continues to grow and expand into new markets. The company has raised $16.4M in total funding from Floodgate, August Capital, Sierra Ventures, Intuit and more. The Townsquared community can be found at and via the . Cameron Smead Karbo Communications for Townsquared 415.255.6506 Rachel Shatz AVST Helps Customers Future-Proof Their Nortel Investments FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (Marketwired) 08/02/16 (AVST) today announced a Nortel CS1000 future-proof strategy that provides a strategic roadmap for Nortel telephony customers looking to upgrade to Unified Communications (UC). While alternative UC solutions generally require a rip and replace implementation strategy, AVST acknowledges the pride of ownership within the Nortel CS1000 customer community and provides an evolutionary path to achieving their UC goals while addressing near-term security and compliance concerns. To aid in the transfer of knowledge for Nortel customers in transition, AVST has teamed with UC expert Phil Edholm to deliver a free educational webinar titled, Whats Next for Nortel PBX Customers? Many Nortel CS1000 customers are actively thinking about their next steps as a result of end of life/end of support announcements. The challenge for these customers is to decide whether to stay or go, and if to go, where? This webinar will present a strategy to help them: Future-proof their Nortel PBX with the addition of enhanced interoperability to facilitate the transition to a next-generation voice platform Learn best practices for replacing CallPilot voice application platforms running on end of life Windows Server 2003 platforms to address compliance and security concerns Enhance Nortel CS1000 deployments with advanced UC capabilities to improve enterprise productivity Enable an evolution to Skype for Business for next-generation collaboration over time and at their own pace The webinar will take place on Wednesday, August 10 at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern. . All attendees will receive a white paper by Phil Edholm, President and Founder of PKE Consulting, on navigating a Nortel product transformation. AVSTs solution offers the broadest interoperability of any enterprise-class UC platform on the market, enabling Nortel customers to deploy advanced UC applications while leveraging their existing Nortel PBX and addressing short term compliance and security issues. Our focus and commitment is to deliver best-of-breed UC interoperability and applications that provide customers with the ability to leverage and future-proof their current Nortel investments while deploying productivity-enhancing voice, mobile and business process solutions today, said Denny Michael, AVST Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. To learn more about how AVST can help you future-proof your Nortel investments today, please visit . With more than 30 years of continuous innovation, Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) is a trusted developer of software-based enterprise-class Unified Communications (UC) solutions. Our mission is to design, deliver and support communications solutions that transform the productivity of individual workers, teams and enterprises while leveraging the value of their existing and evolving IT infrastructure. Thousands of businesses worldwide rely on AVST to meet their mission-critical communications requirements, align their business with key trends and, with the world-class interoperability and flexibility of AVSTs UC solutions, provide a bridge to their digital future. Headquartered in Orange County, California, AVST maintains facilities in Seattle, Washington, Victoria B.C., Canada and the United Kingdom and has remote sales offices throughout the United States. AVSTs UC solutions are sold and supported worldwide by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners. To learn more about AVST, our products and partners, please visit or you can follow us at , or . Stephanie Olsen Lages & Associates (949) 453-8080 Solar Novus Today Has Been Integrated With Novus Light Technologies Today Visit Novus Light Technologies Today to see all the cutting-edge stories and products that you have come to enjoy on Solar Novus Today. In addition, you will find more information on related light-based technologies. Get the latest solar and renewable energy news delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Green Technologies newsletter CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES NEWSLETTER DAVENPORT U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Davenport on Monday, accused Republican rival Donald Trump of siding with Russia and having a skewed idea of whats in the best interests of the United States. Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, met with about a dozen people at Clintons Davenport headquarters, part of a daylong visit to the state that included stops in Dubuque and Cedar Rapids. Stabenow praised Clintons record as a senator and secretary of state. And she amplified recent criticism that Trumps ties to Russia are troubling. Trumps campaign manager worked with pro-Russia political forces in Ukraine. In addition, Trump said recently that he would help the Baltic states in an attack from Russia only if they met their financial obligations to NATO. Trump has repeatedly called for friendlier ties between the U.S. and Russia. At minimum, he has a very skewed view of what is in Americas best interests when he turns away from our allies and thinks, in fact, that we should be standing with Russia, she said. Either he doesnt know what hes doing and saying, or he is siding with someone who is not Americas friend. Trumps campaign didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Stabenow urged Democrats to unite behind Clintons candidacy. Clinton defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, in the Democratic primary. But in Iowa, which is considered a tossup state in the general election, there still are die-hard Sanders supporters who have not come on board. Clinton narrowly defeated Sanders in the Iowa caucuses. Stabenow appealed to Sanders supporters by noting that we agree on where we want to go. She said Trump and Republicans have a different view of the role of government. Stabenow told reporters polls say that an overwhelming number of Sanders backers will support Clinton. MASON CITY A veteran politician and a political newcomer both said Monday they will be candidates if the council approves Mayor Eric Bookmeyers call for a special election. They are former councilman Max Weaver and Andy OBrien, owner of Action Coaching in Mason City. The council will act on Bookmeyers recommendation at the council meeting Tuesday night. The election would be to fill the at-large seat vacancy caused by the death of Alex Kuhn on July 15. Weaver served three terms on the City Council. This would be his eighth bid for public office. In a political career that dates back to 1995, he has won three council elections, lost three and most recently was defeated in a run for mayor. Asked why he was interested in returning to city politics, Weaver said, I have tried to be very respectful of those in office by staying out of government affairs. But it is pretty obvious on the Prestage issue that there is a big disconnect between city officials and the public with regard to trust. OBrien has been involved in civic activities for many years. In his business he provides coaching to business people in order to make them more successful. His wife, Jodee, is the former executive director of Main Street Mason City and now heads the United Way of North Central Iowa. The council has the option of appointing someone to Kuhns open position or holding a special election. If the council approves the call for an election it will be held Sept. 20. The winner of a special election would serve the remaining 3 years of Kuhns term. The City Council meets at 7 p.m. in the Mason City Room of the public library. John Skipper By Catherine A. Sas, Q.C. Special to The Post Canada welcomes over 120,000n international students each year. Many students come to study English or French to improve their language skills. Some students come for the cultural experience of living and studying in a different country. Most students come with the goal of obtaining Canadian work experience and ultimately, permanent residence. Here are some tips for achieving that goal. Not all schools are equal! It is important to know whether your program of study at your school will entitle you to obtain a post graduate work permit after you complete your program. In order to qualify for a study permit, your school needs to be a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). However, in order to be eligible for the post graduate work permit, a school also has to be a diploma or degree granting institution. Most private language schools or colleges don't meet the provincial criteria for granting a degree, diploma or certificate and you will not be entitled to a post graduate work permit. Many of these private colleges have a work experience component - this is often referred to as a co-op program which combines both study and practical work experience. However, co-op work experience is not accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in support of an application for permanent residence. You must obtain a diploma or degree from an educational facility recognized by IRCC to be able to qualify for permanent residence in the future. Familiarize yourself with the post-graduate work permit process. Obtaining work experience after you graduate is essential to be eligible for permanent residence in Canada's Express Entry system. You can obtain a university bachelor's degree (3+ years), a college diploma (2 years) or a certificate program (8-10 months). With a bachelor's degree or a college diploma, you are eligible for a 3 year post graduate work permit. With a certificate program you can only obtain a 1 year post graduate work permit which will not likely allow you to qualify for permanent residence. You are only eligible for ONE post-graduate work permit so you want to ensure that you are taking a program of study that will entitle you to the three-year post-graduate work permit. Study English or French before you apply. Canadian colleges or universities have minimum proficiency standards for international students to obtain a letter of acceptance. The most common testing method relied on for English schools is the IELTS test. Each school has different standards but most of them require a combined IELTS score of 6.5 or higher. While it is possible to start your studies with a concentrated ESL component, it is recommended to have begun your language studies before you apply. Language is the most heavily weighted factor in the Express Entry system for permanent residence. The higher your language proficiency in either English or French, the better your changes of being offered an Invitation to Apply in the Express Entry system. Language proficiency will also enhance your chances of finding Canadian work experience which is also key to success in the Express Entry system. So start acquiring your language skills before you come to Canada. Take advantage of the opportunity to work while you are studying. International students no longer need work permits to be able to work in Canada. Your study permit entitles you to work up to 20 hours per week while you are attending school. But be sure to be in full time study at all times. If at any time you are not in full time attendance at school, you are not authorized to work and if you continue to work and come to the attention of IRCC you will be given an Exclusion Order and required to depart Canada without finishing your studies. Full time study is defined by the school that you are studying at. Be sure to know what constitutes full time study and never fall below that course load. You are only eligible for the post graduate work permit if you have been studying on a full time basis through out your studies in Canada. Studying in Canada is a good way to obtain your education while experiencing a new culture and environment. It also provides you with an opportunity to obtain Canadian work experience and possibly apply for permanent residence. Under the new Express Entry process, studying in Canada no longer provides for automatic eligibility to apply for permanent residence to Canada. Be sure to be familiar with all the aspects of both the study permit and permanent residence application process to maximize your opportunity to apply for Canadian permanent residence in the future. Catherine Sas, Q.C. has over 25 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to www.canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected]. Recently released data from Stats Canada (January to May 2016) shows exports of farm-raised salmon to key Asian markets is on a record setting pace in 2016, with many markets already eclipsing previous annual volumes. Boosting B.C. exports to Asia is a point of pride for communities and First Nations that work in and support the salmon farm industry, said Jeremy Dunn, Executive Director, BC Salmon Farmers Association. We recently hosted 30 international buyers at the BC Seafood Festival in June, so its great to see our sustainable, healthy product on more plates in Asia. Rapidly growing markets for B.C. farm-raised salmon include Taiwan and South Korea. Overall our sales to Asia are doing very well, thanks in part to excellent quality and B.C.'s strategic location, which allows us to get fresh salmon to market in half the time than any other major salmon producing country, said Nick DiCarlo, Sales Manager for Cermaq Canada. There is a strong global demand for salmon and we can boost B.C.s exports further if provided the opportunity to carefully grow the industry. As a global producer we have the advantage of having our own sales team living in the region and this, along with excellent air logistics, has helped us to quickly reach the right customers, said Dave Mergle, Managing Director for Ocean Quality North America. Our customers really like farmed salmon from British Columbia and we see much future growth ahead. EXPORTS BY THE NUMBERS January to May 2016 export numbers of whole fresh farm-raised Atlantic salmon (Source: Statistics Canada CATSNET Analytics): Exports to Japan are on pace to double in 2016, with farmers already reaching 97% of the total export volume for 2015. Exports to Taiwan for 2016 have already exceeded the 2015 total. Exports to South Korea are up 10-fold over 2015 numbers, with over 29,000 kg exported so far this year. B.C. exported a record 54.4 million kilograms of farm-raised salmon to 11 countries in 2015. Key markets such as China and the United States are on-par or ahead of 2015 exports. China is now B.C.s second most important market, next to the United States; the U.S. has historically been the sectors primary export market and remains so. Salmon farming has a total economic impact of $1.1 billion in British Columbia and accounts for more than 5,000 total jobs. Salmon farmers are working closely with coastal First Nations and have 20 economic impact benefit agreements in place, accounting for 78% of all salmon raised in B.C. What you need to know about Powerball and the $800 million jackpot MASON CITY The threat of losing her daughters forced Bridget Stitt to confront her meth addiction. When she entered the Cerro Gordo Drug Court to monitor her sobriety in March 2015, she was pregnant with her third daughter. After 16 successful months in the program, Stitt, 31, on Tuesday became its second graduate. "I have an amazing life today. That's what's keeping me sober," the Mason City woman said after the ceremony. "Didn't think I was going to be able to do this," she said. "It's so hard to come out of that, especially when you're on the needle," she said. "I'm glad I got away from that. I looked pretty bad. I was pretty bad into it." Struggling with addiction, her low point came when she was on the verge of losing her parental rights in 2013. It sent her in a spiral deeper into drugs, she said. "That was rock bottom, right there," she said. Mason City man credits drug court for giving him 'a second chance' MASON CITY Fifteen months ago Tim Rucker had a potential prison sentence for drug dealing Following a March 2014 drug conviction and failures to get sober, her future looked bleak. "My probation officer said one day, 'I think it's time to go to prison,'" she said. Stitt asked to enter the drug court program. She was told acceptance was not guaranteed. Following her March 2015 entrance into the program, she has passed every drug test and remained sober after her youngest daughter, Kinslea, was born in October. As she held Kinslea, now nearly 10 months old, Cerro Gordo County District Judge James Drew congratulated Stitt on her progress toward sustained sobriety. She will finish her three-year probation from the 2014 conviction. She plans to eventually become a drug counselor to help others with similar struggles, she said. "It's refreshing and exciting to see Bridget be rewarded for the work she's put in for her recovery," said Gretchen Hollander, a parole officer with the Iowa Department of Corrections. Budget cuts forced the cancellation of the former Community Drug Court program in 2010. The county revived the program in January 2015, requiring those who are enrolled to meet weekly with Judge Drew. Drug court was created as an intensive probation program and the last stop for high-risk offenders who would normally be on their way to prison. There were about 25 people in the prior drug court program when it was cut. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. CHARLES CITY | State Sen. Mary Jo Wilhelm, D-Cresco, has rescheduled a listening post concerning the recently privatized Iowa Medicaid program. It will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, in Room 108 of the North Iowa Area Community College Charles City Center. The public is invited. Iowans are still having problems with the transition from Medicaid, our states most important health care safety net, to managed care, said Wilhelm. Just recently I talked to six different families who are having problems with this transition." State Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, will also participate. Iowa Medicaid, a state/federal program, provides health care to about 600,000 Iowa families. Gov. Terry Branstad put for-profit companies in charge of all Medicaid services in January 2015. Call Wilhelm at 563-547-4156 for more information. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea NASA's new asteroid-sampling mission will do a lot of interesting things, but helping prepare humanity for Earth's imminent destruction is not among them. There is indeed a chance that the 1,650-foot-wide (500 meters) asteroid Bennu the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch next month could hit Earth late in the 22nd century. But, mission officials stressed, that chance is slim, and the space rock is not nearly big enough to pose an existential threat to the planet, despite what some media reports claimed over the weekend. [Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (Images)] "We're not talking about an asteroid that could destroy the Earth," OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dante Lauretta, of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. "We're not anywhere near that kind of energy for an impact." Sampling an asteroid If all goes according to plan, the $800 million OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sept. 8. The spacecraft will spend two years chasing Bennu down, finally rendezvousing with the near-Earth asteroid in August 2018. OSIRIS-REx will then study the space rock from orbit for another two years before grabbing at least 2.1 ounces (60 grams) of surface material in July 2020. In 2023, this relatively hefty sample should make it back to Earth, where researchers in laboratories around the globe will analyze the material in a number of ways. The mission team is chiefly interested in learning the role that asteroids like Bennu dark, primitive and apparently carbon-rich objects may have played in helping life get a foothold on Earth, Lauretta said. "Did these kinds of bodies deliver organic material and water, in the form of hydrated minerals like clays, to the surface of our planet that created the habitability and the environments that may have led to the origin of life?" Lauretta said. "That's the prime mission," to investigate that question, he added. There are secondary objectives as well, including learning more about the valuable resources that Bennu-like asteroids may harbor, Lauretta said. And then there's the planetary-defense angle, which has gotten a lot of attention in the last few days. A potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu is officially classified as a potentially dangerous asteroid. In fact, there's an 0.037 percent (or 1-in-2,700) chance that it will strike Earth in the last quarter of the 22nd century, NASA scientists have calculated. Specifically, that's the probability that, during an Earthy flyby in 2135, Bennu will hit a special orbit-altering "keyhole" that will send it on a collision course with the planet later in the century. OSIRIS-REx will help scientists refine those odds, by refining their understanding of Bennu's orbit. (That orbit, by the way, is already the best-known of any asteroid, Lauretta said; thanks to extensive observations since Bennu's 1999 discovery, astronomers have nailed the space rock's orbital radius down to within 20 feet, or 6 m.) "Our uncertainties will shrink, so that will allow us to recalculate the impact probability," Lauretta said. "We don't know which direction it'll go. It could go down, because we just eliminated a bunch of possible keyholes that Bennu may hit. Or it may go up, because in the area that's left we have a higher concentration of keyholes compared to the overall area of the uncertainty plane." OSIRIS-REx's work will also help researchers better understand the Yarkovsky effect, which describes how absorbed sunlight, when radiated away as heat, affects an object's trajectory. Such information will improve knowledge not only of where Bennu is headed, but where it came from, Lauretta said. But to focus on where it's headed what if Bennu does hit one of those keyholes in 2135, and the space rock squares Earth up for an impact in 2185 or thereabouts? What should humanity expect? Such an impact would likely devastate the local area but fall short of wiping out civilization or causing a mass extinction, experts have said. Astronomers estimate that a space rock must be at least 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) wide to cause a global catastrophe. (For perspective: The asteroid thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs or at least to have finished them off was probably about 6 miles, or 10 km, across.) But an impact would not be inevitable, even if Bennu had Earth in its sights. Given a decade or so worth of lead time, researchers say, an incoming asteroid could potentially be nudged off course using fly-along "gravity tractor" probes and/or "kinetic impactors." And if time is not on humanity's side, there's always the nuclear option. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. The billions of stars in the night sky can give rise to the question, are we alone in the universe? The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) seeks to answer that question by hunting for signs of advanced civilizations in the cosmos. The term SETI can be applied in two ways. The first characterizes the quest itself, the search for other advanced lifeforms undertaken by people around the world. The SETI Institute, the second application, leads the charge in the pursuit of broadcasts from life beyond Earth. The SETI Institute The largest player in the hunt for advanced life beyond the solar system, the SETI Institute is made up of scientists, engineers, technicians, teachers, and other support staff. In 1988, NASA began funding a strategy to sweep all directions of the sky in the hunt for life. Observations began in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. However, within a year, Congress terminated funding. The SETI Institute then sought private funding to continue the hunt for advanced life in the universe. Donations from the enthusiastic public have helped continue the hunt for signals from other worlds. According to its website, the Institute has over 100 active projects, spanning astronomy and planetary sciences, chemical evolution, the origin of life and climate change. Project Phoenix continued the targeted search initially instituted by NASA. The program carefully examined regions around a thousand nearby sun-like stars with the world's largest antennae. In a joint project with the University of California, Berkeley, the Institute built 42 individual telescopes that function as a single massive instrument. The Allen Telescope Array, named for benefactor Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft), began observations in 2007. According to the SETI Institute, the array should allow scientists to examine as many as 1 million nearby stars in the next two decades. Hunting for advanced life Extraterrestrial life can be roughly grouped into two categories. The first is the broad classification of life itself, a process that includes microbial and other simple forms. Without civilization and technology, life cannot produce the advanced signals that travel across the galaxy. However, many scientists continue to investigate atmospheres and other characteristics of worlds both in and out of the solar system as part of the search for life beyond our planet. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence looks beyond this broad category in an effort to find advanced civilizations. Most SETI searches focus on the hunt for radio or optical signals that can signify highly evolved alien life. Because life on Earth arose within 100 million years after the planet was habitable, many scientists think that life should evolve on planets with the right characteristics. With billions of stars in the galaxy, each thought to host at least one planet, there are numerous opportunities for life to evolve. The wealth of planets revealed by NASA's Kepler space telescope have produced a slew of potentially habitable worlds for SETI scientists to target. According to SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak, there are three ways to find life on other worlds. The first is to go and look, a process only feasible within the solar system. The second is by studying light from the planet to investigate its atmosphere, currently under way with instruments like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The third is to search for signals that could indicate intelligence. "That's what SETI does," Shostak said in a broadcast. Most SETI searches focus on radio signals, and most of these hunt for narrow-band signals, radio emissions that cover only a small portion of the radio spectrum. Natural objects blanket the spectrum with signals, so finding a signal that only dominated a small region would be suggestive of an artificial source. Scientists also focus on optical searches for advanced civilizations. These hunts involve looking for very brief flashes of light that last only nanoseconds. Messages from other worlds could be deliberately beamed or they could be accidental. Earth has been broadcasting signals since World War II, when radio communications became more common. SETI searches also look for intentional messages transmitted into space. More recently, the SETI hunt has begun to look for communications between two worlds along Earth's line of sight; messages beamed toward a planet or moon in the system could continue on toward Earth. Whether or not humans would be capable of understanding the message is another story. If a civilization is deliberately beaming a message into space, they may seek to distill it to its simplest form. However, if the message is accidentally broadcast or is a message for another world, it is possible that scientists will never be able to decode it. According to the SETI Institute, the signal will reveal a few things about the civilization producing it. Scientists will be able to pinpoint its origination, and changes can help determine how the planet is rotating and moving. "But even though this information is limited, the detection of an alien intelligence will be an enormously big story," the SETI Institute said on its website. "We'll be aware that we're neither alone nor the smartest thing in the universe." Having found the signal, the institute envisions that enthusiasm on Earth will spur humans to build larger dishes more capable of receiving weak signals. It is unlikely that Earth and an advanced civilization far from the sun will engage in much communication. That's because it can take years for a signal to travel from one planet to the other. The closest star, Alpha Centauri, is only 4.3 light-years away. If an advanced civilization exists on a (yet-unseen) planet around the star, it would take over eight years for a signal to travel from Earth to that world and back. In addition to accidental broadcasts, Earth has sent a handful of messages into space. In 1974, a simple message was transmitted from Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Both NASA and Russia have since sent a handful of brief, deliberate signals into space since then, according to the SETI Institute. Verify and confirm When an interesting signal is detected, scientists must first verify it came from beyond Earth. By confirming observations with another radio telescope, they can make sure they have not picked up a human-created signal. Even if the original detector determines that the source didnt come from Earth, additional instruments provide duplication, an important part of the scientific process. "Once an artificial signal is confirmed as being of extraterrestrial intelligent origin, the discovery will be announced as quickly and as widely as possible," said the SETI Institute. "There will be no secrecy, and indeed getting the word out quickly is important as there would be an urgent need to have astronomers world-wide monitor any detected signal 24 hour a day." Other seekers While the SETI Institute is easily the most well-known seeker of signs of advanced civilizations, they are not the only ones. The University of California, Berkeley has several SETI programs under way, including one using the Arecibo Observatory. Italy's University of Bologna also has a radio SETI search in progress. Both Berkeley and Harvard University in Boston have optical SETI searches in progress. In a 2014 presentation to Congress, Shostak predicted that life would be found on worlds other than Earth in the near future. "It's unproven whether there is any life beyond Earth," Shostak said. "I think that situation is going to change within everyone's lifetime in this room." Even if no sign of an advanced civilization is found, the SETI Institute remains optimistic. According to their website, "We are just scratching the surface of what a modern search can do. Failure to find a signal wouldnt prove that were the only thinking beings in the Galaxy. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." "The SETI Institute intends to press the search. Needless to say, the march of technology and new scientific discoveries will influence future SETI strategies. But giving up is not in the cards. Christopher Columbus did not turn around simply because he failed to find any new lands during his first few days at sea." Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTReddor Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebookor Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Editor's note: This article was corrected to reflect the accurate distance to Alpha Centauri. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. 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Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. MASON CITY | Jim Thompson had some sage advice for economic development leaders from around the state who gathered in Mason City Tuesday. "When someone comes to you and says, 'I want to open the biggest, best candy store in your town,' you better be ready for it," said Thompson, a business specialist for Main Street Iowa. He was one of the featured speakers at the kickoff session of the 30th annual Iowa Downtown Conference at The Music Man Square. The conference runs through Thursday. On Wednesday, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will attend a morning session. Also speaking Tuesday morning was Robin Bostrom, business specialist for the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Thompson said there is a four-point Main Street approach to economic development: Political -- in the sense of having organization. Social -- being able to promote. Physical -- knowing the best design for the project. Economic -- framing everything for the goal of economic vitality. "All four points must contribute in order to get the biggest bang for the buck," Thompson said. He said the most frequent mistakes made in economic development are: not understanding what the customer wants. focusing on what is missing instead of what you have. not building strong partnerships. not realizing individual projects fit into a comprehensive strategy. "Projects are part of the process," he said. He also stressed the importance of having a viable downtown. "Your downtown can make or break your recruitment effort," he said. Bostrom said it is important for city leaders to have an ongoing assessment process. "It's knowing what you have. It's having a good data base," she said. When a business prospect comes to town, a good data base will provide what buildings are available, what space there is in those buildings and are essential facts the prospect is going to want to know. Bostrom said retaining businesses does not get the headlines that attracting new businesses gets but is just as important. "You have to work one-on-one on retention," she said. "You need to know what your businesses need." She also stressed the importance of real estate development -- having good spaces available for prospects and paying attention to improving property values. Bostrom told the audience not to underestimate the ability of citizens in helping to recruit businesses by being informed and enthusiastic. CEDAR RAPIDS | A Floyd County farmer has pleaded guilty to selling corn that had been held as collateral for a loan. Leroy Jones entered his plea to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency July 18 in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and sentencing will be at a later date. Court records allege that Jones obtained a $99,920 loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 2014 and a $96,406 loan the following month. He pledged 102,310 bushels of corn as part of the loans. Jones didnt make payments on the loans and sold the corn at the Osage Co-op Elevator in September and October 2015. He allegedly disposed of the proceeds from the sales without permission of the Farm Service Agency, records state. Under the plea, Jones will have to pay $196,327 in restitution and will get credit for $58,645 in farm program payments that were withheld in 2015. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Marsh: That would be a setback for the City. But we expect there'll be another two and a half years before Britain leaves the EU. A lot can happen. European politicians' ability to find compromises never ceases to amaze. SPIEGEL: The UK is looking for a post-EU model. How would this look? Marsh: It is certainly not like the Swiss model, nor Albanian, nor Greenlandic. I hope this doesn't sound nationalistic -- it should be a British way. There is a tendency in Germany to think that the British always want special treatment -- and that is true: We want special treatment. SPIEGEL: And what does this consist of? Marsh: We need to manage a compromise between our expectations and the EU's: We will still pay into the EU budget, but significantly less. We will control immigration more rigorously. And we want to maintain access to the EU internal market. SPIEGEL: Do you really think Europe will allow this? If so, then EU critics in the Netherlands or Austria will wish to emulate this British model and leave the EU. Marsh: That's right; the EU can't be too generous toward Britain. On the other hand, we have time on our side. Britain will probably not have a general election until 2020, while the German, Dutch and French will all go to the polls next year. Prime Minister Theresa May has time to develop Britain's European position. She can build on the UK's special status outside the euro area, where we are one of the largest trading partners. We will find a form of British exceptionalism. Frank Sinatra's "I Did It My Way" may become for the UK, "We did it May way." SPIEGEL: What might this "May way" look like? Will the UK turn itself into a low-tax paradise with minimum regulation? Marsh: We will certainly not become a European version of the Cayman Islands -- we cannot afford that. Banking regulation should be at least as strict as in the EU. The financial crisis has taught us that less regulation leads to poorer results. SPIEGEL: There are a lot of similarities between the prime minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel, this was obvious when May visited Merkel on July 20 in Berlin: They are of a similar age, similar origin and they are similarly pragmatic. Will that help British negotiations? Marsh: There is good chemistry between the two. You can talk of "Angela May and Theresa Merkel" as Europe's new tandem. Yet the chancellor faces the tougher task. Her room for maneuver is narrowing , the more she faces Europe's economic problems: the debt issues in Greece, the banking crisis in Italy, the monetary policy of the European Central Bank. Washington (United States), August 02, 2016 (SPS) - United Nations is preparing a formal proposal for the relaunch of negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco on occupied Western Sahara, the deputy spokesman of the UN chief Farhan Haq said Monday. "A formal proposal is being made to the parties and the neighbouring states," namely the Polisario Front and Morocco, Haq said at his daily press briefing. The UN Security Council said in a resolution adopted in April that the parties to the conflict must prepare for a fifth round. Last Tuesday, the Security Council called for the resumption of talks between the Polisario Front and Morocco culminating in the holding of a referendum on Western Sahara people's self-determination. Farhan Haq said UN envoy Christopher Ross has had several contacts with the two parties to the conflict and the neighbouring countries, over the past weeks, to re-invigorate the Western Sahara negotiation process.SPS 125/090/700 MASON CITY | A former Iowa state trooper accused of stealing drug evidence while stationed at the agency's Mason City post has pleaded not guilty. Michael Haugen, 31, of Forest City, pleaded not guilty to a felony count of falsifying public documents and a misdemeanor charge of third-degree theft. His trial is slated for Oct. 25 at the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse in Mason City. Haugen is accused of taking approximately 150 prescription pills from six criminal cases from 2014 to 2016 from the evidence room at the Iowa State Patrol post in Mason City. Former state trooper charged with stealing drugs MASON CITY A former Iowa State Patrol sergeant who resigned earlier this week was charged A phone call placed Tuesday afternoon to a number Haugen listed in court records rang unanswered. A message could not be left. Haugen resigned his post June 6, citing addiction to opioid painkillers. He said he developed it while seeking relief from painful intestinal disorders. Officials say that Haugen, one of three evidence room custodians, admitted to taking drugs stored in the room a total 18 times from five to eight cases and replacing them with other pills, such as aspirin. The alleged thefts were found in April during an evidence room audit. KENSETT | A court date has been set for a Minnesota man accusing of leading police on a 15-mile chase on Interstate 35 last week. Ibrahim Mohamud, 22, of Faribault, was charged with felony eluding and misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated, marijuana possession, not using a turn signal and following too close. His preliminary hearing was set for Friday in Mason City. Troopers believe Mohamud was high on marijuana when he was involved in a hit-and-run crash about 4:20 p.m. Friday in the southbound lanes near mile marker 188, according to court documents. A state trooper caught up with Mohamud's black Dodge Dart car just south of Clear Lake, but the Minnesotan refused to stop and accelerated to 102 mph, court documents state. He was reportedly stopped after two tires were punctured on a spike strip a Franklin County deputy sheriff threw across the road at mile marker 173 near Latimer. -- Molly Montag. S tellar sales of BMWs new X1 compact SUV together with buoyant business in Britain today helped the luxury German motormaker to cross its second-quarter finishing line with record revenues. The carmaker delivered more than 605,000 vehicles from its main brands, BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce, to customers between April and July. This was nearly 6% more than a year earlier. Demand for the X1 shot up 62% and, in the UK, overall sales rose 11%. That helped BMWs revenues rise 4.5% to a record 25 billion, while underlying earnings beat forecasts to increase 7.9% to 2.7 billion. Other top-sellers in the quarter included the 7 series. New models also boosted Mini sales and various government initiatives in Europe helped BMWs i electric cars make up 4% of overall sales in June. The German firm said total auto sales in the UK were forecast to rise 2.6% to 2.7 million units this year, but warned: the extent to which the consequences of the Brexit decision result in a market-forecast correction still remains to be seen. BMW, which lost its top-of-the-podium position in the worlds luxury-car market to Mercedes in the first half, added it is anticipating record figures for sales and pre-tax profit this year. L ondon hotels are in far better shape than terror-hit Paris despite Brexit woes, according to the owner of the Crowne Plaza chain Intercontinental. Finance boss Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson told the Evening Standard: London had a very good July and guests continue to travel here. It is still a key destination and we are continuing to see high occupancy. He added that a lot of customers are business professionals who will always need to come to the capital for work. His upbeat sentiment comes despite revenue per room falling 3% in the capital in the six months to June 30. The operator of the InterContinental Park Lane blamed the drop on a glut of new hotels, producing more competition, but said overall UK revenue per room was up 1.4%. In Paris, still recovering from last Novembers terror attacks, the firm said challenging trading persists. Revenue per room slumped 19.5%. IHG has also suffered from low oil prices hitting demand for rooms in some of its US business hotels in oil states like Texas. Global revenue fell 8.4% to $838 million (635 million). Pre-tax profit dropped by $160 million to $298 million, largely owing to a one-off property disposal in 2015. It increases its dividend by 9% and said it has 1407 more hotels in the pipeline to join its existing 5070. Chief executive Richard Solomons said: Despite the uncertain environment in some markets, we remain confident in the outlook for the remainder of the year. F ull marks to Sir Andrew Witty. The oft-criticised chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline was one of the loudest corporate voices in the Remain campaign. As long ago as January, Witty said Europe had been a big win for his company and the whole pharma industry: Europe has gone from 27 fragmented, independent, not-talking-to-each-other regulatory authorities in the healthcare space to one. Thats a big deal. But since the vote that will create one single market and one single outlier with its own rules for drugs and drugmakers, he has unveiled a couple of significant deals. Last week, it was the decision to invest 275 million in three of its UK plants. This week, it was a 540 million tie-up with Google owner Alphabet to create a bioelectronic medicines joint venture. Both announcements shout the news that GlaxoSmithKline and Britain are open for business. We could do with more captains of industry telling us what great prospects their companies still have outside the EU and even better bringing in overseas partners to boost their endeavours in this country. Anyone heard from Sir Stuart Rose recently? F or many Labour Party members and supporters this is a trying time. Two polarised camps are emerging with no sign of compromise in sight. Clearly both sides have strong convictions and genuinely have their partys best interests at heart. Yet as the Labour leadership contest drags on it seems increasingly unlikely that the party will be able to unite. Many are wondering what will happen if the Labour party splits. A strong Opposition is essential to any democracy. Governments must be held to account. So this is a pressing concern for Westminster, where Labour are in opposition, but in London it is a greater worry. There are 20 Labour-run local authorities in London, not to mention a newly elected Labour Mayor. Whatever the outcome of the leadership election there are likely to be serious consequences for our capital if the party does not unite behind its leader. While it is unclear how this will end, what is certain is that local authorities in London need strong governance. A divided Labour Party cannot deliver that. Cllr Susan Hall, leader of Harrow Conservative Group It is no surprise that Labour voters are turning their backs on their divided party when Owen Smith is regarded as the man to turn the party around. Smith simply does not match up to previous leadership candidates Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall. With a more credible contender standing against him I feel Jeremy Corbyn would be more concerned about losing the leadership election. S Choudhury I was shocked to read in your paper that the overwhelming majority of paid-up members of Streatham Labour Party, including me, had been deprived of a vote as to whom the local party would nominate for Labour leader. The Streatham partys excuse is that it would have been too difficult to arrange for all members to vote is clearly nonsense. Instead, I would suggest the real reason party members were excluded from having their say was purely political, and chimes with the contempt that many Right-wing Labour MPs have for the grassroots supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. Peter Hurst How can Jeremy Corbyn possibly have a chance of leading Labour effectively when, less than a year into the job, he has been betrayed and challenged by his own shadow cabinet and MPs? Corbyn is the duly elected leader, and if re-elected, should be left to lead in peace. If the Labour Party is presently unelectable, the fault does not lie with Corbyn but entirely with his treacherous parliamentary colleagues, who cant accept Corbyn won an overwhelming victory in the first place. Dominic Shelmerdine Is RideLondon race right for the capital? I live in central London and have just spent almost three hours getting across town on a journey that would normally take 45 minutes. Many parts of London were at a standstill, major bus routes cancelled, large areas of the city closed off. The reason? RideLondon, an amateur cycle ride backed by a major insurance company. I am not sure of the cost in lost business to the city but it has been a major inconvenience to a large number of individuals going about their daily lives, as well as to tourists. I can only think that those who agreed for this event to go ahead were of similar ilk to the male, pale and stale participants. I just hope it is not allowed to happen again. Zoe Pease It was very saddening to hear about Robin Chard, who passed away after taking part in the RideLondon race [August 1]. What should be remembered is his noble effort to give back to Cancer Research by raising money for it not that the event caused travel disruption in London. Some people need to get a better perspective. Richard Hall Hybrids the answer to our toxic air crisis It is welcome news that the City of London Corporation is to stop buying diesel vehicles in a bid to clean up the capitals air pollution (July 29). Londons toxic air crisis means other fleet buyers in London should urgently follow their example. The most cost-effective immediate solution for both fleet owners and private vehicle owners is to switch to a LPG/petrol hybrid. Not only does this result in cleaner air for London but it also has similar running costs to diesel. And with more than 50 LPG refuelling points within the M25, LPG provides a convenient, quicker, cleaner and cheaper solution for our capital. Jane Lindsay-Green, general manager, Autogas Ltd Southern must be Khans priority The already dire situation on the Southern railway network is set to get much worse as the RMT union prepares for a five-day strike starting on Monday. We know how badly commuters are suffering and Wandsworth council, among many others, has called on the Mayor to get to grips with this crisis. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, promised all Londoners zero days of strikes in his election campaign, but Southern customers have suffered industrial action since the day he took office. Khan needs to put Londoners first. Cllr Jonathan Cook, deputy leader, Wandsworth Council Misery of the City Airport expansion The Governments decision to allow the expansion of City Airport is terrible news for east London residents. City Airport already causes misery for those living in Leyton, Leytonstone and Wanstead and expansion will only make this worse, with the number of take-offs and landings at the airport increasing sharply. City Airport was originally built for small aircraft but its continuing expansion without the consent of residents is a clear case of putting the greed of big business before the people. Mark Dawes, Green Party I visit the Ballet National de Marseille the day after the horrific murder of elderly priest Father Jacques Hamel in Normandy, and a fortnight after Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel killed 84 people just 200km along the coast from here in Nice. The dance companys white modernist headquarters, set in a tranquil park under a blazing sun, seems a haven from the worlds more terrifying realities, but everyone here has been affected by the events. There is a silent acknowledgment, says the ballets co-director Emio Greco. We dont really speak about it so much because it is scary to say. But we are realising how fragile we are and how it could happen at any moment, it can take any form. There is immense sadness, of course, but also a need to confirm your identity as a nation, as a people, says Greco. I think we have to stay together. It is bleak coincidence, then, that the work the company is about to bring to London, Body.Dance.Nation.City, comes out of these themes of togetherness and identity. Its a sense of community, the history of the company... the characteristics of Marseille and the relationship to the nation, Greco explains. This is Ballet National de Marseilles first visit to the UK in eight years. Greco took over the company two years ago with Pieter C Scholten. The Italian choreographer and Dutch director have been working as a duo since 1995, their style dubbed extremalism, referring to their minimal use of theatrics just stark sets, lights and the human body combined with their attempts to push that body to extremes of language and emotion. At Marseille (a company founded in 1972 by the great French choreographer Roland Petit), theyve instituted an overhaul, continuing to pull the company away from its classical roots into contemporary dance. They have two main themes for their tenure. The first is Le Corps du Ballet. The corps de ballet is traditionally the name for the lower ranks of a company, the backing dancers supporting the soloists, if you like. But the semantic switch from de [of] to du [of the] signifies that the dancing group is no longer a lesser ideal but the core vision, the essential material of dance. In the studio I see this greater body at work. The dancers move in a seething mass, breathing together, limbs swooshing into strong shapes. They do not time their steps to fixed beats in the music but by sensing the moves of everyone around them they think as one. That contrasts with solo dancers quoting from classical ballets, so there is tension between form and freedom, classical and modern, rigidity and rule-breaking. At one point the dancers line up and whistle the Marseillaise. But its not celebratory, its uneasy (the feeling Brits sometimes associate with zealous waving of St Georges flag). This taps into Greco and Scholtens second theme, Le Corps en Revolte, the body in revolt, where the ballet is used almost for protest, says Greco. The aim is to create a space for demonstration, like Taksim Square. So if their stage is Taksim Square, whats written on their metaphorical banners? Its not a specific message, says Greco. But to show the ability of dance to manifest something that has to do with now, with who we are. Not just a stylistic exercise. There is resistance from some corners when art tackles the real world in all its ugly complexity. Greco tells me that the Front National, Frances hard-Right party, has recently tried to censor art works and performances in Montpellier, Avignon and Lyon in objection to political, religious or sexual content. But it hasnt happened in Marseille, a tolerant city with a long history of immigration and multiculturalism. Marseille has always been a kind of experiment somehow, says Greco. It is another model of living together. Greco and Scholtens work has always been about working across borders. They are making links between Marseille and artists they worked with previously in Amsterdam. In the wake of funding cuts Scholten says it is ever more important for dance to collaborate across the continent. In your country thats a bit charged, he says, laughing. Does he think Britain will become artistically isolated from Europe in the wake of Brexit? When we were last at the Barbican [in 2007 with their previous company], there was already an anti-Europe feeling, says Scholten. We presented our piece Hell, which was incredibly successful throughout the world, and one woman described us as European crap. Not just talking about the piece, adds Greco, but European culture. I dont know if Brexit is going to emphasise this isolation or maybe provoke an urge to create bridges with Europe. The difficulties of living together and understanding each others cultures present themselves in many forms. Marseilles artists may not yet have been targeted by the Front National, but there has been self-censorship as a result of a more sensitive climate. Greco and Scholten had used a muezzins call to prayer in the soundtrack of their latest piece until a Muslim staff member advised them against it. He was fine about it, but we performed this piece in the park, says Scholten, and [if anything had happened] it comes back to you, youre the guilty one, responsible for deaths. That says something about the times were living in. It means we cannot be cutting-edge any more. This is problematic, says Greco. The most dangerous thing is not to censor but to auto-censor. Its really a regression. Artists who want to comment on the world around them must do so with subtlety, he says, but they must do it. When others want to destroy, Greco believes the only antidote is to create, and world events will inevitably make their mark on the work artists produce. Maybe it will encourage us to take back the necessity to be subversive, he says. But to be subversive by creation, rather than by destruction. Body.Dance.Nation.City is at the Festival Hall, SE1 on Friday and Saturday; southbankcentre.co.uk Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout CHARLES CITY A group of North Iowans will attend a state meeting next week to make the case for an overpass near Floyd. A group will have 15 minutes at the Iowa Department of Transportation Board of Commissioners meeting in Sioux City on Tuesday, Aug. 9, to detail why an overpass at Avenue of the Saints and Quarry Road should be placed on the agency's 5-year plan. Floyd rallies for Saints overpass after crash death FLOYD Driving west on the Avenue of the Saints, Sara McDonnell had a sick feeling when she The Floyd County Board of Supervisors phoned the Iowa DOT during a meeting Tuesday, asking to be on the agenda. "I think our effort, collectively, would be a lot better if we got our state representatives, senators and a delegation of concerned people to attend that meeting," said Floyd County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Kuhn. The board also voted to present the Iowa DOT with a letter outlining why it believes an overpass with exit and on-ramps should replace the current at-grade intersection. After traffic fatality, public asked for input on Floyd intersection FLOYD A public meeting will be held Tuesday to discuss whether safety improvements are nee Chief among the concerns are the current semitrailer traffic going to and from the nearby Valero ethanol plant, future traffic that could be generated from a Love's truck stop under construction at the intersection and the community's overall concerns about the roadway. Though the intersection has been a concern to many for years, the effort to get the overpass approved and on the Iowa DOT's 5-year plan found new energy after 23-year-old T.J. Houdek was killed at the intersection on July 18. Nearly 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for increased safety measures at the intersection. Many of approximately 120 people who attended a community meeting about the intersection last week signed hard copies of the petition, which was created by one of Houdek's acquaintances. The Iowa DOT has taken steps to increase safety at the intersection, such as adding center turn lanes. And, though it has not approved an overpass, the state transportation agency has begun the process to build one should the estimated $18 million project get the green light. It finished a required environmental impact study in June and will present its preferred design alternative for an overpass/interchange at a community meeting in November. The preferred design was created with DOT staff input and feedback from two designs presented to the public in June 2012, said Peter Hjelmstad, DOT field services coordinator. He would not release details of the preferred design alternative on Tuesday, saying it would not be announced until the public meeting in November. The two design proposals unveiled four years ago differed in how traffic entered and exited the divided, four-lane highway, but both called for Avenue of the Saints to be elevated with the crossroad running underneath. Both designs also would close the other at-grade intersections in Floyd. W hen it comes to understated sophistication, Sofitel London St James has that je ne sais quoi... Where is it? On a relatively quiet corner in St James's, moments from Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square with Regent Street also on the doorstep. What's the history? Lying between Green Park, Haymarket, Piccadilly and The Mall, the area was originally developed in the 1660s as a residential location for the aristocracy. When this Grade II listed building was introduced it had to blend in with its prestigious surroundings. Designed to house the headquarters of army banking agency Cox and Company in 1923, which later became Cox's and King's, the property was taken over by Lloyd's Bank. It was only when Sofitel came along that it was revamped into a 125,000 sq ft luxury 5-star hotel. Design details: The neoclassical building is surrounded by over 150 listed properties. Inside the interior design is modern with French influences. Pierre-Yves Rochon transformed the former bank into a sophisticated destination with nods to traditional private members' clubs. Rich colour schemes add to the glamour with Hermes amenities in each of the 183 hotel rooms. On the menu: The Balcon is a grand brasserie with Parisian style. The champagne balcony is a striking spot, with a curved staircase leading to the main dining area. OpenTable offers a great value set menu offer (two courses for 21 or three courses for 27) with options including grilled mackerel, pumpkin ravioli, crispy skinned sea bream or a delicious pistachio sponge sandwich to finish. Check for updates at thebalconlondon.com. Best for: A trip which takes in a good mix of culture and shopping. The location means you can be in the National Gallery in five minutes or head to Selfridges following a lovely stroll through Mayfair. Then take in a West End show in the evening. When to go: Tie in a visit with the upcoming La Parisienne by Sofitel show which kicks off for two months from September 26. The photography exhibition takes an intimate look at one of the worlds most captivating communities, Les Parisiennes. Curated by the famous French magazine Paris Match, fashion and culture is explored through the decades, celebrating women whose enchanting elegance symbolises the City of Lights. The two-parter features 22 iconic photos of Parisians dating back to the 1950s from the photography collection of Paris Match, including some shots from renowned photographer Emanuele Scorcelletti. From archived shots of Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda and Sophia Loren (pictured above) through to more recent photographs of Ines de la Fressange and Lou Doillon, these images epitomise glamour. Price: From around 336 per room, per night with rates varying on a seasonal basis. Cool hotels in London 1 /14 Cool hotels in London Midtown cool A bedroom at the Hoxton Holborn Cocktail hour Seymour's Place at the Zetter Marylebone Cosy living Artist's Residence in Pimlico Urban chic A bathroom at the Artist's Residence Light and bright A room at Shoreditch House Supper time Cambridge Cafe, the restaurant at Artist's Residence Eccentric style A deluxe room at the Zetter Townhouse in Marylebone Hotel with a view The Mondrian London Utilitarian vibe The Ace hotel in Shoreditch Plush A four poster room at the new Zetter Smart addition A room at the new Laslett hotel in Notting Hill Book: Online at sofitelstjames.com or call 020 7747 2200. Follow Amira Hashish on Twitter @amiranews and Instagram @thedesigneditor A barrister accused of groping a woman at his Chambers when she refused to have sex said she invited him to her home to "be big spoon", a court heard. Alex di Francesco, 36, allegedly pulled down the 24-year-old's tights and underwear and grabbed her bottom after she had pushed him away. But he insists that briefly slipped his hand into her tights after they had kissed "consensually", and he stopped when she asked him to. The barrister, who was called to the Bar in 2008, said the woman then pleaded with him to come to her home in south London where they would "spoon". Di Francesco said they had been "flirty" after meeting in Daly's wine bar, opposite the High Court, on January 30, and he invited her to his 25 Bedford Row chambers at the end of the night as he collected his belongings. The woman tried on his wig and gown and was taken on a tour of the chambers, ending up lying together on the floor of the grand conference room. Di Francesco said the woman wanted to lie down, asking him to "be big spoon" by lying beside her. "She said 'will you lie with me and be big spoon?'", he told Highbury Corner magistrates court. "Initially I thought it was a slightly odd request, it just seemed like a slightly odd thing to say but I thought it was a way of trying to progress matters." Di Francesco said they had kissed by his desk in the basement, and again when he showed her the impressive conference room with paintings adorning the walls. "I didn't understand the whole big spoon thing, it was a bit odd", he said. "We hadn't embarked upon sex but it was going alright." He said her skirt had ridden up as they lay on the floor and he slipped his hand on to her bottom under her tights. "She quite quickly and abruptly said she didn't want me to do that", he said. "I was surprised given the situation, it didn't seem like an overly forward thing to do in the circumstances, but I immediately pulled my hand away." Di Francesco said the atmosphere changed, he broke the silence by asking about her past relationships and she said she had recently broken up with her boyfriend. "I started to think I need to get out of here, I was caught in a position where we were lying in the dark in chambers with someone who wanted to just lie with me, with someone who had just got out of a relationship", he said. He stood up but said she was "insistent" that he should lie back down again. "She said 'pease lie with me, please be big spoon'", he said. "She stayed on the floor and asked me to continue lying on the floor which I reluctantly did. "I lay back down on the floor, we didn't kiss anymore, we stayed on the floor in relative silence for about five minutes." Di Francesco said he decided to leave, but the woman pleaded with him to come home with her. When he refused, di Francesco said she accused him: "You won't come home with me because I won't have sex with you." The barrister told the court: "It got under my skin, I said that's not true but to be perfectly frank what's the point of going back if that's not what we are going to do." Di Francesco said he has not worked as a barrister since May when he was told there would be a prosecution. "It has been one of the more difficult times in my life", he added. Di Francesco, of London Road, Flamstead, Herts, denies sexual assault. The trial continues. A barrister broke down in tears in the dock as he was cleared of sexually assaulting a woman on the conference room floor at one of the UK's most prestigious chambers. Alex di Francesco, 36, was accused of yanking down the 24-year-old's tights and grabbing her bottom after she had refused to have a one-night stand. The criminal barrister had invited her to look around his office at 25 Bedford Row chambers after they had met in Daly's wine bar, opposite the High Court. He let her try on his wig and gown and they kissed in his basement office, before he took her on a tour of the chambers. She claimed di Francesco had tried to grope her and squeezed her naked bottom when she refused to have sex with him, complaining that she was "pathetic" for not having a one-night stand. But the barrister, who was called to the Bar in 2008, said the woman had lied about aspects of the incident, and insisted they kissed and cuddled consensually until she "abruptly" told him to stop touching her bottom - which he did immediately. Di Francesco, who lives with his father near Harpenden in Hertfordshire, broke down and wept as Deputy District Judge Nicholas Wattam found him not guilty of sexual assault, at the end of a one-day trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court. "You stated in interview you made a misjudgement in taking (the woman) to chambers that night, and I don't disagree", the judge said, but he ruled that he could not be sure of the woman's account of the incident. He said: "She told me when she was in the conference room the room was spinning and she was later sick. I can't be sure events unfolded in the way she described. "Mr di Francesco gave evidence which was consistent and without exaggeration. Specific details were given and his account is credible - I prefer his account. "I accept it is reasonable to assert one thing led to another in a consensual way, but once she gave the impression Mr di Francesco may have stepped over the mark he stopped what he was doing." Di Francesco said he flirted with the woman and her friend in the wine bar, then invited her to look around his chambers at the end of the night as he collected his belongings. They kissed at his basement desk, she tried on his wig and gown, and they locked lips again in the grand conference room during a tour. Mr di Francesco said the night turned "odd" when she lay on the floor and asked him to join her as "big spoon". "Initially I thought it was a slightly odd request, it just seemed like a slightly odd thing to say but I thought it was a way of trying to progress matters, he said. "It was an error in judgement, I should have said I don't want to lay on the floor." He said they were kissing on the floor when he slipped his hand under her tights and on to her bottom, but she immediately told him to stop. "I was surprised given the situation, it didn't seem like an overly forward thing to do in the circumstances, but I immediately pulled my hand away", he said. Di Francesco said they lay in an awkward silence for several minutes, and when he tried to leave the woman begged him to come back to her house in south London to "spoon" some more. "I started to think I need to get out of here, I was caught in a position where we were lying in the dark in chambers with someone who wanted to just lie with me", he told the court. Di Francesco said she then berated him for refusing to come home with her and threw up in the chambers disabled toilet before they went their separate ways. He said he "thought I might get an apology" from the woman, but instead she called the police and reported him for sexual assault. The barrister put his career on hold to fight the charge, and was supported in court by friends and colleagues. Jeremy Dein QC, a senior colleague at 25 Bedford Row, praised him as "friendly, polite, and respectful person", while other colleagues told the court di Francesco was never inappropriate with women. During his evidence, di Francesco admitted the unusual chambers tryst, in the early hours of January 30, had been "foolish" and "stupid", adding that the fallout "has been one of the more difficult times in my life". He was found not guilty of one count of sexual assault. A criminal barrister groped a woman at his Central London chambers when she refused his offer of a drunken one-night stand, a court heard today. Alex di Francesco, 36, took the 24-year-old alleged victim to his office at 25 Bedford Row chambers when she refused to believe he was a barrister. He showed off his wig and gown and let her try them on, it is said, before taking her upstairs to a conference room for sex. Di Francesco is accused of pulling off the womans tights and underwear and groping her, then grabbing her bottom really hard when she refused to have sex. The lawyer is then alleged to have said: Are we not going to have sex? Di Francesco, who was called to the Bar in 2008 and joined 25 Bedford Row in May last year, is on trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court accused of sexual assault. The alleged victim said she found di Francesco arrogant during their initial conversations at a wine bar, and told the court he had zoomed in on an holiday snap of her in a bikini on Facebook, telling her she had a really nice bum. Prosecutor Dilichi Onuzo said di Francesco met the woman on a night out on January 30, chatting about his past criminal cases and the NetFlix show Making of a Murderer. He told her he was a barrister, and at first she didnt believe him, she said. They went on Google and saw what he said was correct. There was conversation about whether he had a wig and gown. The woman said she agreed to go with di Francesco to his chambers when the bar closed, telling the court she didnt see any danger signs and trusted him because of his job. Im aware how it looks but at that time I had no reason to believe there was an issue, she said. Ms Onuzo continued: She then went with him to his chambers at 25 Bedford Row, he took her to his office and showed her his wig and gown. She then tried on his wig and gown. Ms Onuzo said they went upstairs to a conference room where di Francesco tried to kiss her but she pulled away. She asked to lie down - she felt quite sleepy. She lay down on the floor facing away from him. He then came and lay down in front of her face, she said he pulled down her tights and pants. She pushed him away and pulled her tights back up. He then grabbed her bum really hard and asked are we not going to have sex? She said no, he then told her to grow up, she was 24 - why wasnt she having one night stands? She felt he was aggressive and confrontational because she wouldnt have a one-night stand. The woman said she broke down crying and then threw up, the court heard, while di Francesco is accused of laughing at her. In interview, the barrister denied sexual assault and said the woman had consented to him touching her. He said she was lying about pulling away from him and they had kissed consensually before lying down on the floor. Di Francesco was educated at Birmingham University and the London School of Economics before studying for two years at law school. He joined Lamb Building Chambers in 2008 before switching to 25 Bedford Row last year. Di Francesco, of Flamstead, Herts, denies one count of sexual assault. The trial, in front of Deputy District Judge Nicholas Wattam, continues. A doctor who risked his life to save a musician attacked in a Tube station by an Islamic State-inspired knifeman today said the rampage must be a wake-up call for Britains mental health services. Muhiddin Mire, 30, yelled this is for Syria, Im going to spill your blood as he tried to behead Lyle Zimmerman, 56, at Leytonstone station in December last year. Matt Smith, 28, from Waltham Forest, was returning home after an 11-hour shift at Homerton University Hospital when he walked into the aftermath of the rampage. The junior doctor gave Mr Zimmerman first aid while Mire continued to run around the station lunging at strangers with a rusty blade. Smali-born Muhiddin Mire was jailed for life Footage of the attack went viral after video caught an onlooker shouting, You aint no Muslim, bruv. Mire, a former Uber driver, has a history of mental illness and his family had twice taken him to A&E and twice called the police because of his condition. He had seen his GP and was waiting to be referred to a mental health unit when he launched his attack. Mr Smith was yesterday praised by the Old Bailey judge along with other passers-by who came to the victims aid. Mire will be detained indefinitely at Broadmoor and if ever deemed well enough to be sent to prison must serve a minimum of eight-and-a-half years. Mr Smith said: A life sentence is justified. Mr Mire was charged with attempted murder which was right, he tried to behead someone. But he had mental health issues so I have to feel a bit sorry for him. His family had been trying to get help for him and werent able to get it in time. If he had received treatment for his mental health it might not have happened. It should be a wake up call for the Government and the NHS. A sentencing hearing heard how Mire had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and a persecution complex. Doctors say he increasingly identified with Islamic extremism as his mental health deteriorated, believed he was possessed by spirits and thought Tony Blair was his guardian angel. A 27-year-old Londoner has been arrested after a car packed with cannabis was allegedly driven the wrong way along a motorway for five miles. The man, from London, was detained in Staffordshire last night after a Ford Galaxy travelled northwards along the hard shoulder of the M6. Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) attempted to stop the vehicle at about 8.40pm on the A449 but it then joined the southbound carriageway of the M6 at junction 13 near Stafford. The vehicle then exited the motorway at junction 14 and the man was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving, dangerous driving and failing to stop. Approximately 12kg of suspected cannabis was found inside the car and the man, who remains in custody, was further arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug. A second occupant of the car, described as a black male dressed in dark clothing, ran off and has not been found. DCI Paul Bentley, of Staffordshire Police, said: "Thankfully no-one was injured during this incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy. "Thanks to proactive policing by colleagues from CMPG, and partnership working between them and local policing officers, we have seized a large amount of drugs and taken a potentially dangerous driver off the road. "Our investigation into the incident is still ongoing, with inquiries to trace the second suspect continuing." A man was stabbed to death in a cafe in north-west London in front of horrified customers. Emergency services were called to Kilburn High Road to reports of a stabbing around 7pm on Monday. Police officers found a 48-year-old man at the scene who was suffering from stab injuries. He was taken to a north London hospital but was pronounced dead at 8.15pm. The scene around Efes Cafe on Kilburn High Road was cordoned off while police dealt with the incident. Witnesses claimed the victim was the owner but this could not immediately be verified. Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq, whose constituency office is doors away from Efes Cafe, said: "I am liaising with police on both sides of Kilburn High Road this morning after hearing reports of a stabbing yesterday evening. "I would advise everyone to remain calm until the picture of this tragic event becomes clearer, however the whole community will be thinking of the victim at this time. A 21-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is being held at a north London police station. A police cordon was set up outside the cafe today / Ben Morgan Footage from the scene taken by an onlooker showed a young man being pinned to the ground by a police officer outside the cafe. In the background, several other uniformed officers can be seen tending to someone on the floor by the food counter inside. The victim's next of kin have been made aware, but police are awaiting a formal identification of him. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are currently investigating the crime as a murder. Anyone with information should call police on 020 8721 4622, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. This page is being updated A man serving a 16-year sentence for murdering student Meredith Kercher has filed a request to have his conviction overturned. Rudy Guede, from the Ivory Coast, is currently serving time in an Italian prison for the 2007 murder. Miss Kercher, 21, was found stabbed to death in 2007 at the apartment she shared with US student Amanda Knox. Guede has always denied killing Miss Kercher. New trial: Rudy Guede is serving 16 years for Meredith Kerchers murder Italian media said the lawyers filed the request on Tuesday, contending their client is innocent. They also noted Ms Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, who steadfastly proclaimed their innocence, were definitely acquitted last year by Italy's highest criminal court. Guede's conviction ruled he committed homicide "acting with others", but he is the only one to be definitively convicted of the murder. It is unclear if a new trial could be granted since he has exhausted his appeals. Additional reporting by the Press Association. A cafe owner was stabbed to death in front of horrified customers, reportedly with a machete. Customers desperately tried to save father-of-two Huseyin Gulbudak after he was stabbed inside his shop in Kilburn High Road. Mr Gulbudak, owner of Efes Cafe and Restaurant, was found by police at his cafe around 7pm yesterday suffering from knife wounds from what onlookers described as a machete-type blade. The 48-year-old was rushed to a north London hospital but was pronounced dead an hour later. The scene in Kilburn where a man was murdered at a cafe Owner of the Good Ship, John McCooke, said two of Mr Gulbudak's customers tried in vain to fight off the knifeman. The 49 year-old told the Standard: "My colleague was having a cuppa across the road from there and she arrived inside saying there was a bit of a commotion going on. "The bar manager went out to have a look and there were tables and chairs flying around. Then he saw a guy with a knife in his hand. "A pair of pensioners tried to fight him off with no joy and apparently the attacker closed the door and the shutters. Stab victim: Huseyin Gulbudak Mr McCooke added he had known Mr Gubuldak since opening the Good Ship and that he was a lovely man. He added: "He looked like a guy who was having a hard life. He was a really nice guy and cheerful despite all of that." Brian Mannion, 50, owner of the Black Lion pub, knew the victim since he started running the cafe 15 years ago. He said his death was devastating. He said: Its devastating really. He had been there running the cafe for 15 years. I would pop in every day to have a tea and a quick chat. A police cordon was set up outside the cafe today / Ben Morgan Within 10 minutes the scene was cordoned off last night. Lots happens in the High Road so I thought it was a minor altercation which happens frequently in Kilburn. I can't believe it." A 28-year-old worker from a nearby cafe said: I was with my colleague and it was busy but suddenly all these cars and vans and ambulances turned up. "There were two ambulances, police cars and vans. So many police. I know the owner. He comes to work in the morning and goes home at night. He was very hard working. A manager from nearby Cjon Properties, Osman Macci, said he had been told by a colleague that the weapon used in the cafe was a machete. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at the scene, and was being questioned today at a police station. Anyone with information should call police on 020 8721 4622 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. P olice are hunting a sex attacker who assaulted a woman on her way to the gym in east London. The 25-year-old woman was approached from behind while on her way to a morning workout near Westfield shopping centre in Stratford. Detectives with the Metropolitan Police have today released CCTV images of the suspect who launched his attack in Penny Brookes street. The assault took place at some point between 6.10am and 6.30am on Friday, February 26. As the victim made her way down the road, she was approached by the stranger from behind and then sexually assaulted. The suspect captured on the video footage is described as a man of medium build, wearing a dark jacket with a light fur trimmed hood. He was seen wearing a rucksack and dark tracksuit bottoms with writing down the legs. Police are keen to hear from anyone who may recognise the man shown on CCTV or who witnessed the incident. Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 020 8217 5414 or via 101 quoting reference number 210408, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. P rofessionals are putting their health at risk by bingeing on unlimited alcohol at trendy bottomless brunches, a leading health expert has warned. The phenomenon, where diners can take advantage of all the prosecco, champagne or Bloody Marys they can drink with breakfast, has been branded a health hazard by a psychiatrist at a prominent addiction clinic in the UK. Dr Omair Ahmed, consultant psychiatrist at the Priorys Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham, said the trend is encouraging dangerous levels of drinking among professionals and fuelling drink-driving. He said drinking unlimited quantities of alcoholic fizz early in the morning and often on an empty stomach were particularly potent. The bottomless brunch has become increasingly popular across London with restaurants, cafes and bars typically offering a meal with two hours of unlimited mimosas - a cocktail of equal parts champagne and fruit juice - or bellinis - prosecco with peach puree. Others advertise unlimited Bloody Marys or breakfast Martinis. "Brunch is one of those meals that people think justifies alcohol before midday. It is inextricably tied to the drinking culture, Dr Ahmed said. And restaurant brunches are communal experiences which appeal very much to working professionals. In busy cities, sometimes the weekend mornings are the only time groups of friends can manage to get together." A leading Aids charity has won a High Court battle over whether a preventative treatment for HIV hailed as a "game-changer" can be funded by the NHS. NHS England had claimed it had been told it did not have the legal power to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) because it is a preventative treatment. It has been labelled as a "highly effective" anti-retroviral drug that is used to stop HIV from becoming established after it has been transmitted to someone. But Mr Justice Green, sitting in London, ruled that NHS England "has erred in deciding that it has no power or duty to commission the preventative drugs in issue". The ruling was a victory for the National Aids Trust (NAT), which brought the case to court. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by more than 90 per cent but the row erupted earlier this year after NHS England said it would not routinely fund the drug. However, that does not guarantee NHS England will fund the treatment, even if the body accepts the ruling. Allowing NAT's application for judicial review, Mr Justice Green said on Tuesday the core of the legal challenge was about "the allocation of budgetary responsibility in the health field". He said: "No one doubts that preventative medicine makes powerful sense. "But one governmental body says it has no power to provide the service and local authorities say they have no money. "The claimant is caught between the two and the potential victims of this disagreement are those who will contract HIV/Aids but who would not were the preventative policy to be fully implemented.. "In my judgment the answer to this conundrum is that NHS England has erred in deciding that it has no power to commission the preventative drugs in issue." Alternatively, said the judge, NHS England has "mischaracterised the PrEP treatment as preventative when in law it is capable of amounting to treatment for a person with infection". Campaigners have said that while the majority of gay men use condoms to prevent being infected with HIV, there is also an "ethical duty" to provide PrEP to those who do not. And they said the drug would provide an additional defence against HIV - and would not be used simply as an alternative to safe sex. Dr Michael Brady, medical director at the HIV/Aids charity Terrence Higgins Trust, welcomed the findings and described the drug as "a game-changer". He said PrEP offered "another line of defence" against HIV, alongside condoms and regular testing. Dr Brady said: "We urge the Government, NHS England and local authorities to make PrEP a key priority in the fight against HIV." In March, NHS England decided the treatment was a preventative service and was therefore not its responsibility. It has said local councils are in charge of funding preventative health services. The judge gave NHS England permission to appeal against his ruling at the Court of Appeal. Dr Jonathan Fielden, NHS England's director of specialised commissioning and deputy national medical director, said the appeal would be against the conclusions reached by the judge as to the scope of NHS England's legal powers under the National Health Service Act 2006. Dr Fielden added: "In parallel with that we will set the ball rolling on consulting on PrEP so as to enable it to be assessed as part of the prioritisation round. "Of course, this does not imply that PrEP - at what could be a cost of 10-20 million a year - would actually succeed as a candidate for funding when ranked against other interventions. "But in those circumstances, Gilead - the pharmaceutical company marketing the PrEP drug Truvada - will be asked to submit better prices, which would clearly affect the likelihood that their drug could be commissioned." L ondons worst ever rogue trader has warned that the devastating losses he caused could absolutely happen again because of the pressure on City workers to make profits. Former UBS employee Kweku Adoboli said that behaviour in the investment banking industry had not changed since his fraud conviction in 2012. Adoboli cost the Swiss bank 1.4 billion through a complex succession of false deals made in a desperate bid to cover losses and hide the vast risks he was taking. He was jailed for seven years at Southwark crown court after being found guilty of two counts of fraud. But in an interview with the BBC, a year after his release, the 36-year-old said the risk of a re-run had certainly not gone away because traders were told to make money for their banks no matter what. He added: I think the young people Ive spoken to, former colleagues I have spoken to, are still struggling with the same issues, the same conflicts, the same pressures to achieve no matter what. And this goes back to the structure of the industry. People are required to take risk to generate profit, because yields in the industry are consistently compressed. And if investment banks continue to chase the same level of profitability as they have in the past, the only way to generate those profits is to take more risk. But from a politics angle, the desire is to limit that risk-taking, to limit the profitability but you have these conflicted goals. Where the conflict comes is where people fall into this grey zone, so I think it can absolutely happen ag-ain. Especially as we go into what could be the next phase of the great financial crisis over the next 12 to 24 months. The former independent school head boy, who has lived in Britain since he was 12, is now fighting attempts to deport him to Ghana, where he was born. He insists he can help the City to reform by sharing his experiences. Adoboli is one of only a tiny handful of City workers who have been jailed for their crimes despite the wave of revulsion expressed towards the excesses of the financial services sector since the 2008 banking crisis. However, he said he did not feel like a criminal and expressed doubts about whether custodial sentences were the right punishment for financial crime: I think people need to be held to account for their failings but Im not entirely sure and this is a rather controversial view blame and sending people to prison is the answer. It might help society to know people are being held to account but it doesnt solve the problems. This is why I say blame is not the answer. People do need to be held to account. I went to prison. I learned from it. Adobolis losses were twice as big as those of the original rogue trader, Nick Leeson whose 827 million losses led to the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995. Adoboli was described by the prosecution at his trial as a master fraudster and sophisticated liar. He has always maintained his UBS colleagues were aware of his actions, a claim the bank denied. No charges have been brought against any other UBS traders. Adoboli said: I am devastated not for myself but for my institution and the people I have worked with. The very first thing I did when I was arrested was say Im sorry beyond words. I unreservedly apologise for what happened it was a huge failure ...the only way to move forward is to face it with full honesty. A chef at upmarket burger restaurant Byron was deported without being able to see his pregnant wife, activists claimed last night at a protest against the chains role in an immigration sting. Campaigners claimed that the companys treatment of illegal workers, who were reportedly rounded up after being called in to attend fake training sessions, had ripped families apart. Police surrounded the chains Holborn branch yesterday as scores of protestors lined the pavement chanting and waving banners condemning the firms handling of the swoop which saw 35 workers from Albania, Brazil, Mexico, Nepal and Egypt held for immigration offences. So far, 25 have been deported. The company has defended itself, saying it had a legal obligation to help authorities. Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack told the Standard: I heard that the wife of one of the deported workers is actually pregnant and he was taken away without the chance of saying goodbye. Days ago activists released cockroaches in the branch / Lucy Young Its about the family and friends of people who are left behind as well. That child will be born without a father who has been ripped from their family. You dont need to be pro-migration to realise that employing people, having them pay tax and contribute to the company for years and then turn them over to authorities without any responsibility for the chaos caused is the wrong thing to do. Byron had earlier pleaded with protesters to respect the safety of customers and staff after activists said they released locusts and cockroaches into the Central St Giles and Holborn branches on Friday. A statement was read to the crowd from a chef who had been taken away in the most brutal way and has been deported. He said: It made me feel like I never had before. My heart was completely broken about everything. Police surrounded the chains Holborn branch yesterday / Lucy Young We were a family but they took some piece of me. I cant do anything but pray. Ewa Jasiewicz, of Unites hotel workers branch, said: Byron handled the situation appallingly, now public opinion is on the side of the deported workers who were mistreated and disrespected. This is the sharp end of it people who dont have the right documents being discarded like trash. But the protest triggered a backlash on social media, with hundreds supporting the restaurants decision to co-operate with the Home Office. One wrote on Twitter said: Sad to see how people support illegal immigration and breaking the law outside Byron in Holborn today. Byron said in a statement: Byron was unaware that any of our workers were in possession of counterfeit documentation until the Home Office brought it to our attention. We carry out rigorous right to work checks, but sophisticated counterfeit documentation was used in order to pass these checks. Demo: An activist carries a cutout of Paddington Bear / Lucy Young We have cooperated fully and acted upon the Home Offices requests and processes throughout the course of their investigations: it is our legal obligation to do so. We have also worked hard to ensure minimal impact on our customers while this operation was under way. The chain carried out the correct right-to-work checks on staff members but had been shown false or counterfeit documentation, and will therefore not face civil penalty action, the Home Office said. A London couple have told how they were beaten unconscious in a brutal homophobic attack while on a family holiday. The married couple, known only as Tristan and Vestal, from Lewisham, were assaulted on night out in the Greek island of Mykonos. The pair were returning from a popular gay bar when they were struck from behind and punched and kicked as they lay unconscious on the ground. Both men said they were targeted by thugs because they are gay. Tristan, 42, told the Standard: I can remember walking up a hill and turning round because Vestal wasnt with me. Left shaken: His partner Vestal has been suffering from low mood since the attack / GoFundMe I could see he was talking to someone we didnt know and was being pinned up against some railings. I said to him Vestal, we need to go and he said he would deal with it. It was the last thing I could remember. When I woke up my head was feeling battered and my two front teeth were missing. I cradled Vestal who was also unconscious. He only came to when he was in the hospital. The attack has left both men very shaken after they arrived back in south London to continue their recuperation. Holiday snap: The couple visited Mykonos for a family holiday / GoFundMe He added: We had to deal with the port authorities and the local police after the incident but all I wanted to really do for the rest of the holiday was lie in a darkened room. It was utterly depressing and emotionally very raw. The attack has left us feeling really shaken up and after suffering from headaches, dizziness and general fatigue since returning to the UK. We are convinced this was a homophobic attack because we dont think it can be anything else. Anyone who knows Vestal knows he is the most friendly, non-threatening person there is. The victims said police are investigating the attack but the area where it took place was not covered by CCTV. Helping hand: Friends have set up a fundraising page to help the couple following the attack / GoFundMe The attack took place on the evening of July 19, the couples second night on the Greek island after they flew out with relatives. Tristan added he still needed extensive dental treatment following the assault, which sparked friends to set up a GoFundMe page to help restore his smile. So far, more than 6,600 has been raised, surpassing the funds 5,000 target. Friend Daniel Hillman said: Anybody who can spare even a small donation to help with the costs of helping restore Tristan's truly wonderful smile would be so appreciated. Tristan and Vestal are an amazing couple, they are positive, accepting, loving and will always support their friends and family in times of need. Through hard work and some hard times they stand tall as an example of true love. Kelsea Little, spokesperson for GoFundMe.com said: "We are saddened to hear about this terrible attack on a loving couple. We wish Tristan and Vestal a swift recovery and we're pleased to see their community coming together to support them." A major crackdown on rogue minicab drivers in London was launched today. Mayor Sadiq Khan ordered an extra 250 compliance officers to be deployed over the next year to target drivers of private hire vehicles and other cabs operating illegally. This will quadruple the current team of just over 80 officers, tasked with enforcing the capitals rules for black taxis and other cabs. The move comes after a surge in the number of private hire vehicles on London streets, by 40,000 in the the last year alone to more than 110,000, according to the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA). The new compliance officers will focus on hotspots of illegal private hire car activity including the West End and the City. I want Londoners to feel safe when they take a taxi or minicab and that is why I have approved a major increase to the size of our team that targets touts and illegal activities, said Mr Khan. Steve Burton, Transport for Londons director of enforcement and on-street operations, added: Illegal minicab activity not only poses a serious risk to passenger safety but undermines licensed, law abiding taxi and private hire drivers. He warned rogue minicab drivers flouting the law that they will be caught and dealt with robustly. The expansion of the policing of the cab trade was welcomed by the LTDA. Its general secretary Steve McNamara said: It is so refreshing to have a mayor who recognises the danger posed to the travelling public by illegal minicab activity and is prepared to act to ensure their safety. Funding to pay for the new officers will come through changes to private hire operator licensing so that larger firms pay a greater share of the costs of enforcement. Uber also backed the extra officers. Tom Elvidge, the companys general manager for London, said; Its important that people only use a properly booked car from a licensed private hire operator. Transport for London, the Met and Westminster Council have been running Operation Neon since May to target rogue drivers at weekends. So far, nearly 10,000 private hire drivers have been advised and moved on to keep roads clear for taxis and booked private hire cabs, more than 5,000 were reported for not wearing their badge, and nearly 500 for not having a badge and were stopped from working for the rest of the evening. A total of 65 drivers were reported for plying for hire offences, 1,265 for parking on taxi ranks and 2,916 parking tickets issued. Mr Khan has also pledged to clean up the capitals taxi fleet to make it the greenest in the world. All taxis in London will from October 3 be required to accept card payments, including contactless. Daniel Ishag, the founder of cab comparison and booking app Karhoo said: "Safety of passengers is paramount and we will only work with accredited and licensed fleets. "With the ability to pre-book with Karhoo as well as book instantly, and the fact we are both in central London and surrounding areas, there is now no need to get into an unlicensed vehicle." O rganisers of a food and music festival billed as Londons biggest pizza party today apologised after revellers complained of long queues. Some 7,000 people bought tickets priced between 25 and 49.50 for MySliceFest on Saturday, which promised a day full of fun, food and a dash of mayhem... guaranteed to deliver. But scores of people who attended have since taken to social media complaining of long queues for pizza and its depressing location in a car park next to Wembley Stadium. More than 160 people have joined a Facebook group proposing a class action if they are not given a full refund. Jennifer Roebuck, 42, from Belsize Park, a former head of music sponsorship at Orange who worked at festivals including T in the Park and Glastonbury, is among those leading the proposed legal claim. Complaints: Pizza fans faced huge queues for a slice / Methods Unsound She told the Standard: It was diabolical, quite simply one of the worst events I have ever been to... an unmitigated disaster. Me and my friends spent almost 50 each getting in and didnt get a slice of pizza. She added that if the organisers do not offer refunds we will be taking legal action. You cant stand for it. Katie Pole, 26, a supply chain co-ordinator from Kingsbury, said she and her friends had left after 90 minutes spent queuing without getting any pizza: It was a complete and utter disappointment. We wanted to support a festival in the local community but it was a joke. We ended up going to Pizza Express. Scores of customers complained at long queues and the quality of food on offer / Chris Wheatley Organisers today admitted the event had not lived up to their high expectations and insisted they would learn from the experience. A spokesperson for the festival said: Were really sorry some people felt the queues for pizza let down their experience of MySliceFest... In spite of this, thousands of people did enjoy our unique festival of music and pizza, and well be learning from what worked and what we needed to improve on as we go forward. The organisers denied the festival had ever run out of pizza, but said last minute cancellations by two vendors put a disproportionate strain on the remaining vendors. They added: The total attendance was about 7,000 guests. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. A spokesman from Wembley Park, which owns the site where the event was held, said they had contacted the organisers to find out more about the issues raised. He added: We understand they are responding to complaints on an individual basis and we will be monitoring the situation. C roydon schoolchildren reportedly spat on animals and one pupil was knocked unconscious during a rowdy end-of-term trip to London Zoo. The Croydon Advertiser reported how zoo bosses complained following the visit from Year 7 pupils at St Andrews Church of England High School as they "ran riot" at the attraction in Regent's Park. It was claimed unsupervised children spat on birds within the Snowdon Aviary while one pupil was taken to hospital after he was shoved into a glass panel, knocking him unconscious. Pupils were also heard swearing while some were asked to leave educational classes because of "behavioural issues". The Advertiser reported an email was sent from a zoo boss condemning the schoolchildrens behaviour which was described as boisterous with a lack of adult supervision. Tally: Zookeeper Janet Abreu counts Humboldt Penguins during the annual stocktake / Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Visitors to the zoo on the day of the trip also allegedly complained. The note, addressed to head teacher Kerry Targett, said staff at the zoo were incredibly disappointed by the complaints and a serious first aid incident. According to reports, one pupil was taken on a stretcher to hospital after he was knocked unconscious for about three minutes. When a first aider was called in response to the incident, they discovered the injured child had been lifted out of a rain forest area at the zoo. Mrs Targett told the Advertiser "one or two" children were "unable to uphold our high expectations of behaviour" on the trip which took place on July 13. She told the newspaper: "Early in July our whole Year 7 group experienced a wonderful day at London Zoo. "For the majority this was a great opportunity to find out about the wonderful breeding programmes that are in place to save some of our most endangered species. "For one or two there was a level of excitement which meant they were unable to uphold our high expectations of behaviour. "Suitable sanctions were put in place in line with our behaviour policy and in partnership with their parents." "A small number of students disappointed me with their behaviour but those students who were not following school procedures have been suitably sanctioned and parents informed." Rachel Haydon, London Zoo's senior learning manager at ZSL London Zoo, said: "Our trained staff responded immediately to the events during the St Andrew's School's visit, and we followed up with the school to make sure the young boy who was injured was OK, and to outline some of our concerns with their visit. "We were pleased that the head teacher at St Andrew's took our feedback seriously and let us know of the immediate actions the school took." T heresa May was today warned against appointing David Camerons righthand man Ed Llewellyn as Britains next ambassador to France. Labours deputy leader Tom Watson stressed that if Mr Camerons former chief-of-staff is handed the plum diplomatic post it risked further undermining public confidence in the honours and appointment system. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker today approved the UKs current ambassador in Paris, Sir Julian King, to become European Commissioner for security. The Foreign Office has not confirmed Sir Julians replacement, though Mr Llewellyn has been widely tipped for the post. But his appointment in the wake of the storm over Mr Camerons resignation honours list threatens to spark a new cronyism row. Mr Watson said: If its true that Ed Llewellyn is being lined up as ambassador to France, Theresa May must block his appointment. She cant walk away from this cronyism row which risks undermining public confidence in the honours and appointments system. Labour MP Wes Streeting also called for serious scrutiny to ensure the most suitable heavyweight career diplomat is appointed to the Paris job. Mrs May has said she will not interfere in Mr Camerons recommendations for honours in his resignation list, which is said to include many No 10 aides, Remain supporters and other allies. Sir Julian was not expected to be handed a high-profile portfolio given Britains vote to quit the EU. But Mr Juncker stressed that security was a pressing challenge and the wave of terror attacks in France, Germany and Belgium underlined the need for swift progress. Sir Julian will be expected to come up with concrete measures to tackle terrorism, prevent radicalisation, disrupt organised crime and fight cybercrime, he added. The new commissioner has also been tasked with dealing with returning foreign terrorist fighters, improving information and intelligence sharing and boosting protection for critical infrastructure and soft targets. Despite the Brexit vote, the UK remains a full EU member with the right to one of the 28 seats on its powerful Commission until it has formally left the bloc. Sir Julian was sent to Brussels to fill the vacancy left when former commissioner Lord Hill resigned in the wake of the referendum. A Downing Street source described the reports that Mr Llewellyn, who has significant experience in diplomatic negotiations, was set to become Paris ambassador as just speculation. Mrs Mays new Cabinet committee focused on developing the UKs industrial strategy met for the first time today. Its aims include promoting a diversity of industrial sectors and spreading growth across the regions. A British man has made it to fifth position in an international search for a Vincent Van Gogh lookalike. Steve Monk-Chipman, from Oxford, submitted his photo to an art project after a friend told him he looked a bit like Van Gogh. If he wins, he will travel to Canada to have a bronze cast of his head made by a Canadian sculpture and be given 5000. Mr Monk-Chipman, who works in PR, said: A colleague told me that I looked a bit like Van Gogh before we even knew about the competition, but that is the first time anyone has ever mentioned it to me. Loading.... I sent off my application about a month ago and just started post stuff on social media then it took off and I was interviewed on TV and the radio. If I won, I would be most excited about the trip to Canada. And obviously the statue is cool too. Mr Monk-Chipman has received over 12,000 votes so far and is the only British man in the top ten. But he needs an impressive 44,000 votes to overtake the most popular choice. The project is being run by artist Douglas Coupland who is scaling the world trying to find a model for his sculpture. On the I am Vincent project website, he wrote: I'm currently crowd-sourcing the planet looking for Vincent van Gogh's closest lookalike. It could be your next door neighbour. It could be a guy at work. It could be you. If you think you look like Vincent van Gogh, please submit your photo. Distinct likeness: Steve was told he looked like the artist / Steve Monk-Chipman The person who I think best resembles Van Gogh will be given 5000 and will be flown with a guest to Vancouver for a unique experience and to be 3D-scanned. Their facial data will become Vincent van Gogh's likeness on the final sculpture, forever immortalizing them in bronze and on a plaque bearing their name. A young British man who travelled to Syria to fight Islamic State jihadists has been killed, according to his father. Dean Evans, 22, of Reading, died while fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Manbij, a city in the Aleppo district of Syria. It is understood he was fatally wounded during an operation to reclaim the city from Islamic State forces. His death was confirmed in a Facebook post by his father John who posted a tribute to his son with a picture of him in military uniform. Tributes: His death was announced on Facebook by his father John while Kurdish fighters have also paid tribute / YPG/Youtube He wrote: 'To all my friends and family for those who knew my son Dean Carl Evans the young age of 22 sadly lost his life in Sierra (sic) fighting for our country. I would like to say a massive big thank you to all my friends and family who sent there condolence for the loss of my son. He would have been very proud and would have regarded you all as his brothers and sisters, thank you again. It is believed the 22-year-old was a volunteer fighter with the International Brigades of Rojava, a global group battling against so-called Islamic State. He apparently fought with the YPG, also known as the Peoples Protection Units, a group of trained Kurdish soldiers. Kurdish fighters paid tribute to Mr Evans and a Slovenian man who was also killed during the gun battle. A message read: Two warriors were revolutionary and combative spirit in the front lines. It added the pair fought without hesitation to protect the people of this region. His death has neither been confirmed or denied by the Foreign Office. A spokesman said: "The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria. "As all UK consular services there are suspended, it is extremely difficult to confirm the status and whereabouts of British Nationals in Syria. Anyone who does travel to these areas, for whatever reason, is putting themselves in considerable danger. A woman attempted to drag an eight-year-old boy into a car after asking if he wanted to see puppies, sparking a major abuction alert. The youngster, who had been playing hide and seek with his friends at the Chorlton Water Park in Manchester, fought off the woman, who was described as white and wearing a bobble-type hat and sunglasses. With the help of his friends, the boy managed to pull away before running off. Greater Manchester Police said the woman had been sitting in the back of a vehicle - described as a grey Toyota 4x4-type car with tinted windows, side steps and a spare wheel on the rear, which was parked near where the children had been playing. The woman then shouted to the boy to go over and, as he went towards the vehicle to see what she was saying, she asked him if he wanted to see some puppies, before grabbing his top and attempting to drag him into the back of the car. The attempted abduction took place at around 5.45pm yesterday. Police said there were two men in the front of the vehicle, both described as white and one was said to be speaking on the phone. Detective Inspector Paul Walker, from GMP's City of Manchester Team, said: "Clearly this is a worrying set of circumstances and I understand people will be alarmed when they hear news of this incident, but we have a number of officers currently investigating what has taken place here and we are making numerous inquiries to trace the people involved. "If anyone was in the area of the Chorlton Water Park early on Monday evening, and you remember seeing this grey Toyota 4x4-type vehicle, then please get in touch and tell us what you saw. Your information may seem trivial to you, but it could be important to this investigation." Anyone with information is asked to contact police at West Didsbury police station on 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. B arack Obama has suggested Donald Trump is unfit for the presidency as he launched a scathing attack on the Republican nominee. The president blasted Mr Trump in the wake of a row over Mr Trumps comments about a Muslim family whose son died while serving with the US army in Iraq. He challenged Republican leaders to withdraw support for the business tycoon after he criticised Khizr and Ghazala Khan following an appearance at the Democratic National Convention. Mr Trump questioned whether Mrs Khan did not speak at the event because she was prevented by her faith while he described Mr Khans comments as vicious. Criticised: Donald Trump has been rebuked by Democrats and Republicans following comments he made about a Muslim family whose son died in Iraq / EPA/JIM LO SCALZO Mr Obama said: The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job. His comments come after Mr Trump was criticised by high-profile Republicans including Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, and one-time Republican presidential nominee John McCain. However, the men have continued to back the outspoken billionaire. Mr Obama added: The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? There has to come a point at which you say, somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world. Mr Trump hit back at the president as he took aim at his White House rival Hillary Clinton. He said: Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. A love-struck Dutchman who waited for ten days at an airport in China for a girl who never showed up has been taken to hospital with exhaustion. Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, flew from his home in the Netherlands to Changsha in central China to meet his 26-year-old girlfriend Zhang for the first time. Despite being stood up, Mr Cirk waited in the airport for 10 days for his lover to arrive. He was eventually removed by Chinese emergency services and taken to hospital where he was treated for exhaustion, CCTV news reported. After news of the hopeless romantic's ordeal went viral, CCTV news contacted Zhang who told them she thought her beau was joking when he said he was going to visit her in China. She admitted she had been offline when he arrived as was undergoing plastic surgery in another city. Broken man: Alexander Cirk was admitted to hospital with exhaustion after his long wait (CCTV News/Facebook ) / CCTV News/Facebook She said: We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous toward me. Mr Cirk booked a return flight to the Netherlands and was due to travel back home yesterday after being released from hospital. However, hopeful Zhang has said she wanted to continue their romance and would meet the Dutchman when he recovers. A young mother who allegedly pointed a shotgun at police during a stand-off in the US has been shot dead. Korryn Gainess five-year-old son was also shot during the siege at their home in Randallstown, Maryland but his injuries were not fatal. Baltimore County Police would not confirm whether the boy was struck by a bullet fired by police or his 23-year-old mother. Her death has been condemned across the US by friends, relatives and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. Tributes: Korryn Gaines was shot dead by police on Monday It comes in the wake of highly controversial police shootings of people of colour across the US, which has sparked worldwide protests including in London. Police said three officers executed an arrest warrant on Ms Gaines and a man at the same address on Monday morning. A force spokesperson said the man was wanted for assault while Ms Gaines failed to appear in court over traffic charges including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after she was stopped in March. After officers heard a man and woman talking inside and what appeared to be a child crying, police used a key to open the door where they found Ms Gaines brandishing a shotgun in one arm and holding her son in the other. Police stand-off: Authorities respond to the scene in Randallstown, Maryland / Maya Earls/The Baltimore Sun via AP The spokesperson said: The officers retreated to the hallway outside the apartment and called for additional support. The male suspect ran from the apartment with a one-year-old boy - one of two children in in the apartment with the couple - and was apprehended by police. The armed woman remained inside with the five-year-old boy, and a barricade situation began at about 9.40am and continued throughout the afternoon. The apartment building was evacuated as Ms Gaines was involved in a stand-off that lasted several hours as she refused to surrender. Police said an officer opened fire at around 3pm after Ms Gaines pointed her shotgun at an officer and said: If you don't leave, I'm going to kill you. She allegedly returned fire with two shots, which missed officers, and died at the scene after she was struck multiple times. The spokesperson added a body camera programme was being rolled out in the Baltimore County Police service but did not say whether the incident was filmed. Names of the officers involved in the incident are expected to be released on Wednesday after they were placed on administrative leave. A vigil is due to be held at Baltimore City College on Friday from 7pm. M orrissey has announced a string of Australian tour dates but has banned meat from all venues. The former Smiths frontman, who recently said that he had no interest from any UK record labels, will perform across Australia in October this year. But the 57-year-old has said that he will not allow any kind of meat products to be sold or eaten on the premises. Speaking to New Limited, he said: I wish more artists would adopt this. But we go to China this year and its such a flesh-eaters paradise that we feel certain there will be skewered dog for sale somewhere. The halls in Taiwan and Iceland would not go flesh-free, so we refused to book the dates. Its a matter of humanitarian progress. Morrissey has also refused to perform a show in Brisbane as he has been heckled there a number of times. He said: I didnt want to return to Brisbane because Ive played there twice and on both nights I was heckled, which doesnt bother me that much, but even if I reply with something snazzy, the heckler always wins because the night has been soured and we no longer feel welcome. Thats life. Morrissey then and now - in pictures 1 /5 Morrissey then and now - in pictures The South Bank Show A young Morrissey featured on the South Bank Show (Picture: ITV/REX) The Smiths Morrisey was the frontman for the ever popular band The Smiths Morrissey performing with the Smiths at the Liverpool Empire back in 1991 morrissey.jpg Morrissey still has huge success as a solo artist, and is on tour now Morrissey recently revealed that he would be playing his hometown of Manchester for the first time in four years. But the Manchester Arena gig will be his only UK show, after saying last year that he had no more plans to perform live in the UK. A statement on his website read: There is absolutely no way that we can generate any interest from record labels in the United Kingdom, therefore the imminent two nights at Hammersmith are likely to be our final ever UK shows. Im already seeing pictures of little ones heading back to school. The summer has gone by so quickly. Back to school time can be exciting. New clothes, notebooks and other supplies have been in the store for at least a month. As a junior high student, wed go through the piles of folders looking for the latest in Lisa Frank. I remember my little brother always insisting on a new Trapper Keeper, even though he didnt necessarily need one. With four kids, our family didnt have a lot of extra money come school time. However, we got our fair share and always came to the first day of class stocked up. However, the unfortunate reality is that not all kids can come to class on that first day of class or even the 10th day of class. For whatever reason, their family isnt able to afford new clothes, new notebooks or even the latest Trapper Keeper, or whatever the in school supply is this year. Last month, Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska took applications for families that will need assistance with school supplies. They are not able to help everyone, but every little bit helps. As part of its Stuff the Bus promotion, the United Way of Western Nebraska will collect school supplies to try to help out area school children through CAPWN and in eight school districts: Scottsbluff, Gering, Mitchell, Morrill, Minatare Bayard, Bridgeport and Banner County. Supplies are distributed to students, allowing them the tools to succeed in school. Right now, school supplies are being accepted via collection containers at the Scottsbluff Main Street Market, Walmart and the United Way office. If youre unable to get to any of those locations, the Star-Herald is currently collecting school supplies this week. As United Way director Stephanie Black says, Everything is welcome, it all adds up. No donation is too small. Grab a package of pencils while you are walking by the school aisle. Throw in a notebook another time. Youre probably just spending a couple of dollars, but some kid is getting the supplies they need. Its one very small way to make a difference. Monetary donations will also be accepted to purchase pre-paid gift cards. The gift cards will be given to the schools for them to use on items they are short on. Monetary donations can be mailed to or dropped off at the United Way office, 1517 Broadway Suite #106, Scottsbluff NE 69361. For more information, call United Way 308-635-2522. There are just a few days left to Stuff the bus. 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To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. Tuesday, 02 August 2016 10:29:52 (GMT+3) | Shanghai Zhejiang Province-based Chinese steelmaker Hangzhou Iron & Steel Co. (Hangzhou Steel) has announced that it expects to record a net profit of RMB 340 million ($51.28 million) for the first half of the current year, compared to the net loss of RMB 296 million in the same period last year. Hangzhou Steel stated that its major asset reorganization and optimization of product structure amid the rising trend of finished steel prices have contributed to its net profit in the given period. The first task of any political campaign is to frame the question it wants voters to answer. Donald Trump wants this election to be a referendum on change: Are you happy with the way things are going in America? Hillary Clinton wants the election to be a referendum on Trump: Are you ready to hand the nuclear codes to an authoritarian with a hair-trigger temper? Theres more to the campaign, of course: conflicting worldviews, competing policies. But the battle to frame the question was a significant part of what the conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia were about. Trumps message was that the United States is in crisis and that he alone can change its course; Clintons was that the countrys problems are solvable but Trump doesnt have the temperament to be commander in chief. Both questions are potentially effective. The desire for Big Change is broad and deep. In the most recent Pew Research Center poll, 71 percent of Americans said they are unsatisfied with the countrys direction. Thats what has propelled Trumps candidacy. From the beginning, Trump has cast himself as an iconoclastic indeed, gleefully disruptive change-maker: a non-politician who denounced the establishments of both parties and promised to scrap traditional policies on everything from the federal debt to trade. The Pew poll found that 77 percent of voters were convinced that he would bring about real change, although most of them thought the change would be for the worse. When it comes to change, Trump can fairly claim to own the brand. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, who works for Clintons SuperPAC, Priorities USA, says satisfying the thirst for change is probably his candidates biggest challenge. He pointed to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in which 56 percent of voters said they preferred a candidate who will bring major changes to the way government operates, even if the changes are unpredictable; only 41 percent said they preferred a steady approach with fewer changes. Clintons task, he said, is to persuade voters that she will make (voters) lives better as president. That was, of course, a theme in Philadelphia but only one of many; its not clear that it broke through the clutter. Its an important pitch for two kinds of voters: white working-class men and women who have felt neglected by the Obama administration, and Bernie Sanders voters, especially young people, who arent enthusiastic about turning out for Clinton. But some are skeptical that she can get there at all. I dont think she can plausibly campaign as the candidate of change, David Axelrod, Obamas chief strategist in 2008, told me. She has been a fixture in American politics for such a long time. Instead of change, Clinton wants to focus on Trumps temperament, his biggest flaw in voters eyes. In the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, voters said that was their top concern about the Republican; 65 percent called him too volatile, slightly ahead of the percentage who called him offensive and intolerant. (Clintons biggest flaw was dishonest, at 69 percent, followed by wont make needed changes.) This issue of temperament is central to the whole debate, Axelrod said. He cited a line from Clintons speech: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons. I really think the race comes down to this, he said. This is the critique I think that has the power to move the most people. Indeed, Clinton devoted more than twice as much time in her speech to lambasting Trump as to outlining her plans for the economy. Trump doesnt seem to notice that his bull-in-a-china-shop style makes voters worry that hed be a bad fit for the White House. His own wife has beseeched him to be more presidential, but hes ignored the advice. Instead, he has frequently disrupted his own campaign most recently by suggesting that Russia should hack into Clintons private email server. (He later said he was joking.) So it shouldnt be hard for Clinton and her surrogates to keep the question of his temperament alive. But that hasnt knocked him out of the race; far from it. Judging from the head-to-head polls, change is narrowly beating temperament as the top question on voters minds. As long as thats true, Trump for all his gargantuan flaws has a real chance to win. Tuesday, 02 August 2016 09:57:44 (GMT+3) | Shanghai Jiangsu Province-based Chinese steel producer Nanjing Iron and Steel Co. Ltd (Nanjing Steel) has announced that it has registered an operating revenue of RMB 10.875 billion ($1.64 billion) for the first half of the current year, declining by 8.36 percent year on year, with a net profit of RMB 146 million ($22.02 million) compared to the net profit of RMB 34.8374 million recorded in the same period last year. In the first half of the current year, Nanjing Steel produced 4.3199 million mt of pig iron, 4.4217 million mt of crude steel and 4.0482 million mt of finished steel, indicating respective year-on-year increases of 2.15 percent, 3.34 percent and 3.16 percent. Tuesday, 02 August 2016 00:06:01 (GMT+3) | San Diego Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. announced today that it has acquired all of the capital stock of Alaska Steel Company, a full-line metal distributor headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska Steel provides steel, aluminum, stainless and specialty metals and related processing services including shearing, sawing, plasma and flame cutting to a variety of customers in diverse industries throughout Alaska including infrastructure, energy and mining. For the year ended December 31, 2015, Alaska Steel's net sales were approximately $33 million. The company will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance's American Metals Corporation subsidiary and current management will remain in place. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "Alaska Steel represents Reliance's entry into the important and significant Alaska market and furthers our geographic, customer and product diversification," commented Gregg Mollins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Reliance. "Alaska Steel has a well established reputation in Alaska and is known as the reliable provider for quick, on-time delivery of quality products and services. We are very pleased to have Alaska Steel join the Reliance family of companies." Tuesday, 02 August 2016 16:29:45 (GMT+3) | Istanbul According to data released by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), in June this year the value of South Africa 's exports of base metals and articles thereof totaled ZAR 11.86 billion ($850.1 million), down 1.4 percent from May. In the first half of this year, South Africa 's export value of base metals and articles thereof increased by 10.1 percent year on year to ZAR 68.58 billion ($4.91 billion). In June of the current year, the country's imports of base metals and articles thereof amounted to ZAR 4.63 billion ($332.53 million), decreasing 4.1 percent from the previous month, while in the first six months South African imports of base metals and articles thereof rose by 1.4 percent year on year, amounting to ZAR 30.6 billion ($2.19 billion). Tuesday, 02 August 2016 23:05:21 (GMT+3) | San Diego Higher ex-Brazil Galvalume prices have done little to stymie orders from US -based buyers. One source close to SteelOrbis has indicated that despite Brazilian steelmakers having increased Galvalume offer prices by 8 percent, foreign clients, including those in the US , are open to booking tons at the new price point.At current, ex-Brazil Galvalume coil is available to the US at $864/mt, FOB conditions. In comparison, June export cargos from that same country were sold at $725/mt FOB. Brazilian steelmakers exported 12,100 mt of Galvalume coil during that month, most of which were shipped to US -based buyers.India-based sources however, say orders from US -based buyers have fallen stagnant, with one trader-sources adding that transactions have come to an almost complete halt. This trend is still largely tied to uncertainty with US flat rolled steel prices; many market players predict that US domestic HDG and Galvalume prices will soften from current levels, but whether the price dip comes after the summer, or after the first of the year, has yet to be known.Offer prices to the US from Turkish steelmakers are also being heard; US -based sources have confirmed seeing an uptick in interest in booking tonnages from that country due to the very attractive price points. At current, Turkish 0.012x40.875 G30 coil is available at a US sales price of $43-$44 cwt. ($948-$970/mt or $860-$880/nt), which is more than $6.00 cwt. ($132/mt or $120/nt) below US spot market prices. Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (659) Net income of $17.9 million; EBITDA of $31.8 million Quarterly distribution of $0.4125; up 13% versus prior year Completed $92 million equity offering; proceeds used to reduce debt EL PASO, Texas, Aug. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Refining Logistics, LP (NYSE:WNRL) today reported second quarter 2016 net income attributable to limited partners of $17.9 million, or $0.33 per common limited partner unit, which compares to $15.9 million and $0.34, respectively, in the second quarter of 2015. Second quarter 2016 EBITDA was $31.8 million and distributable cash flow was $25.1 million; this compares to $27.0 million and $17.4 million, respectively, for the second quarter of 2015. "WNRL realized improved net income and delivered its 10th consecutive quarter of distribution growth. Our strategic location in the Delaware Basin allows us to continue to achieve good financial performance," said WNRL Chief Executive Officer and President Jeff Stevens. In May, WNRL issued 4,312,500 common units, with proceeds of approximately $92 million which were used to reduce debt. On July 26, 2016, the board of directors declared a quarterly cash distribution for the second quarter of 2016 of $0.4125 per unit, or $1.65 per unit on an annualized basis. This distribution represents a 2.5% increase over the first quarter 2016 distribution of $0.4025 per unit. Stevens concluded, We continued to invest in the business as we completed additional crude oil gathering lines and storage tanks. These projects will allow us to capture the growing crude oil production that we see in the Delaware Basin. We continue to target mid-to-high teens distribution growth through 2018 while keeping our debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio below four times. Overall, the Partnership is well-positioned for continued growth. Conference Call Information On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET, WNRL will hold a webcast and conference call to discuss the reported results and provide an update on partnership operations. The webcast can be accessed at Western Refining Logistics, LP's website, www.wnrl.com. The call can also be heard by dialing (844) 831-3028 or (315) 625-6887, pass code: 35351266. The audio replay will be available two hours after the end of the call through August 16, 2016 by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406, pass code: 35351266. About Western Refining Logistics, LP Western Refining Logistics, LP is principally a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership formed by Western Refining, Inc. (NYSE:WNR) to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals, storage tanks, pipelines and other logistics assets related to the terminalling, transportation and storage of crude oil and refined products. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, Western Refining Logistics, LP's assets include approximately 685 miles of pipelines, approximately 8.4 million barrels of active storage capacity, distribution of wholesale petroleum products and crude oil trucking. More information about Western Refining Logistics, LP is available at www.wnrl.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to our financial information presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), management utilizes non-GAAP measures to facilitate comparisons of past performance. This press release and supporting schedules include the non-GAAP measures Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) and Distributable Cash Flow. We believe certain investors and financial analysts use EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow to evaluate WNRLs financial performance between periods and to compare WNRL's performance to certain competitors. We believe certain investors and financial analysts use Distributable Cash Flow to determine the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders. These additional financial measures are reconciled from the most directly comparable measures as reported in accordance with GAAP and should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, financial information that we report in accordance with GAAP. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements reflect WNRLs current expectation regarding future events, results or outcomes. The forward-looking statements contained herein include statements related to, among other things: WNRL's good operational performance in the Delaware Basin; WNRLs investment in its business, including additions to the crude oil gathering system and storage capacity; growing crude oil production in the Delaware Basin and WNRL's ability to capture such growth; WNRL's distribution growth and ability to keep its debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio at target levels; and WNRLs positioning for continued growth. These statements are subject to the general risks inherent in WNRLs business. These expectations may or may not be realized and some of these expectations may be based upon assumptions or judgments that prove to be incorrect. In addition, WNRLs business and operations involve numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control, which could result in WNRLs expectations not being realized, or otherwise materially affect WNRLs financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Additional information relating to the uncertainties affecting WNRLs business is contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission to which you are referred. The forward-looking statements are only as of the date made. Except as required by law, WNRL does not undertake any obligation to (and expressly disclaims any obligation to) update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date such statements were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Results of Operations The following tables set forth WNRL's summary historical financial and operating data for the periods indicated below: Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per unit data) Revenues: Fee based: Affiliate $ 53,965 $ 47,465 $ 105,893 $ 92,943 Third-party 677 679 1,367 1,302 Sales based: Affiliate 126,525 164,576 224,054 297,347 Third-party 397,435 523,184 715,327 951,708 Total revenues 578,602 735,904 1,046,641 1,343,300 Operating costs and expenses: Cost of products sold: Affiliate 123,870 162,191 219,019 292,699 Third-party 380,386 501,835 680,827 913,028 Operating and maintenance expenses 37,574 38,058 76,475 74,429 Selling, general and administrative expenses 5,758 6,279 10,823 12,234 Gain on disposal of assets, net (802 ) (160 ) (901 ) (244 ) Depreciation and amortization 7,325 6,670 14,469 12,562 Total operating costs and expenses 554,111 714,873 1,000,712 1,304,708 Operating income 24,491 21,031 45,929 38,592 Other income (expense): Interest and debt expense (6,414 ) (6,248 ) (13,466 ) (10,212 ) Other, net 14 18 (104 ) 35 Net income before income taxes 18,091 14,801 32,359 28,415 Provision for income taxes (217 ) (148 ) (478 ) (351 ) Net income 17,874 14,653 31,881 28,064 Less net loss attributable to General Partner (1,262 ) (3,174 ) Net income attributable to limited partners $ 17,874 $ 15,915 $ 31,881 $ 31,238 Net income per limited partner unit: Common - basic $ 0.33 $ 0.34 $ 0.61 $ 0.66 Common - diluted 0.33 0.34 0.61 0.66 Subordinated - basic and diluted 0.36 0.34 0.64 0.66 Weighted average limited partner units outstanding: Common - basic 26,409 24,017 25,429 24,001 Common - diluted 26,427 24,051 25,441 24,023 Subordinated - basic and diluted 22,811 22,811 22,811 22,811 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (Unaudited) (In thousands) Cash Flow Data Net cash provided by (used in): Operating activities $ 34,209 $ 15,400 $ 58,999 $ 48,132 Investing activities (7,470 ) (14,673 ) (13,592 ) (41,200 ) Financing activities (37,830 ) (10,349 ) (72,450 ) 17,320 Capital expenditures 8,328 14,846 14,569 41,490 Other Data EBITDA (1) $ 31,830 $ 27,048 $ 60,294 $ 51,276 Distributable cash flow (1) 25,090 17,440 47,618 39,209 Balance Sheet Data (at end of period) Cash and cash equivalents $ 17,562 $ 78,550 Property, plant and equipment, net 320,493 316,642 Total assets 483,221 563,748 Total liabilities 466,139 463,174 Division equity 128,264 Partners' capital 17,082 (27,690 ) Total liabilities, division equity and partners' capital 483,221 563,748 (1) We define EBITDA as earnings before interest and debt expense, provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization. We define Distributable Cash Flow as EBITDA plus the change in deferred revenues, less debt interest accruals, income taxes paid, maintenance capital expenditures and distributions declared on our TexNew Mex units. The GAAP performance measure most directly comparable to EBITDA is net income. The GAAP liquidity measure most directly comparable to EBITDA and distributable cash flow is net cash provided by operating activities. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives to GAAP net income or net cash provided by operating activities. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are: EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt; EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; and EBITDA, as we calculate it, may differ from the EBITDA calculations of our affiliates or other companies in our industry, thereby limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow are used as supplemental financial measures by management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors and commercial banks, to assess: our operating performance as compared to those of other companies in the midstream energy industry, without regard to financial methods, historical cost basis or capital structure; the ability of our assets to generate sufficient cash to make distributions to our unitholders; our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures; and the viability of acquisitions and other capital expenditure projects and the returns on investment of various investment opportunities. Distributable Cash Flow is a standard used by the investment community with respect to publicly traded partnerships because the value of a partnership unit is, in part, measured by its yield. Yield is based on the amount of cash distributions a partnership can pay to a unitholder. Although distributable cash flow is a liquidity measure, it is presented in this reconciliation to net income as supplemental information. We believe that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures provides useful information to investors in assessing our financial condition and results of operations. The GAAP measure most directly comparable to EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow is net income attributable to limited partners. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as alternatives to net income or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income attributable to limited partners. These non-GAAP measures may vary from those of other companies. As a result, EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow as presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. The calculation of EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow includes the results of operations for the TexNew Mex Pipeline System for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016. The results of operations for the TexNew Mex Pipeline System are excluded from the EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow calculations for the comparable periods in the prior year because a retrospective adjustment of these performance measures is not a representative measure of performance results. The following table reconciles net income attributable to limited partners to EBITDA for the periods presented and Distributable Cash Flow for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (Unaudited) (In thousands) Net income attributable to limited partners $ 17,874 $ 15,915 $ 31,881 $ 31,238 Interest and debt expense 6,414 6,248 13,466 10,212 Provision for income taxes 217 148 478 351 Depreciation and amortization 7,325 4,737 14,469 9,475 EBITDA 31,830 27,048 60,294 51,276 Change in deferred revenues 1,446 1,215 3,678 2,447 Interest accruals (6,072 ) (8,908 ) (12,781 ) (9,633 ) Income taxes paid (64 ) (580 ) (94 ) (581 ) Maintenance capital expenditures (2,050 ) (2,117 ) (3,479 ) (5,082 ) Distributions on TexNew Mex Units Other 782 782 Distributable cash flow $ 25,090 $ 17,440 $ 47,618 $ 39,209 Logistics Segment Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except key operating statistics) Statement of Operations Data: Fee based revenues: Affiliate $ 43,053 $ 36,279 $ 83,969 $ 71,054 Third-party 677 679 1,367 1,302 Total revenues 43,730 36,958 85,336 72,356 Operating costs and expenses: Operating and maintenance expenses 18,317 18,506 39,317 36,758 General and administrative expenses 548 886 1,263 1,865 Gain on disposal of assets, net (5 ) (5 ) Depreciation and amortization 6,119 5,563 12,080 10,378 Total operating costs and expenses 24,979 24,955 52,655 49,001 Operating income $ 18,751 $ 12,003 $ 32,681 $ 23,355 Key Operating Statistics: Pipeline and gathering (bpd): Mainline movements (1): Permian/Delaware Basin system 55,953 43,873 52,719 40,213 Four Corners system 58,047 51,486 55,257 48,679 TexNew Mex system 10,375 3,398 11,460 1,708 Gathering (truck offloading): Permian/Delaware Basin system 17,823 24,019 19,178 23,316 Four Corners system 11,133 12,950 11,947 11,812 Pipeline Gathering and Injection system: Permian/Delaware Basin system 11,302 5,911 9,594 3,775 Four Corners system 27,225 22,081 25,831 21,327 TexNew Mex system 343 171 Tank storage capacity (bbls) (2) 845,514 619,893 836,858 620,198 Terminalling, transportation and storage: Shipments into and out of storage (bpd) (includes asphalt) 393,037 389,220 390,647 390,263 Terminal storage capacity (bbls) (2) 7,385,543 7,482,152 7,385,543 7,486,337 (1) Some barrels of crude oil in route to Western's Gallup refinery and Permian/Delaware Basin are transported on more than one of our mainlines. Mainline movements for the Four Corners and Delaware Basin systems include each barrel transported on each mainline. During the second quarter of 2015, we began shipping crude oil from the Four Corners system, through the TexNew Mex Pipeline System, to the Permian/Delaware system. (2) Storage shell capacities represent weighted-average capacities for the periods indicated. Wholesale Segment Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (Unaudited) (In thousands, except key operating stats) Statement of Operations Data: Fee based revenues (1): Affiliate $ 10,912 $ 11,186 $ 21,924 $ 21,889 Sales based revenues (1): Affiliate 126,525 164,576 224,054 297,347 Third-party 397,435 523,184 715,327 951,708 Total revenues 534,872 698,946 961,305 1,270,944 Operating costs and expenses: Cost of products sold: Affiliate 123,870 162,191 219,019 292,699 Third-party 380,386 501,835 680,827 913,028 Operating and maintenance expenses 19,257 19,552 37,158 37,671 Selling, general and administrative expenses 2,153 2,250 4,058 4,446 Gain on disposal of assets, net (797 ) (160 ) (896 ) (244 ) Depreciation and amortization 1,206 1,107 2,389 2,184 Total operating costs and expenses 526,075 686,775 942,555 1,249,784 Operating income $ 8,797 $ 12,171 $ 18,750 $ 21,160 Key Operating Statistics: Fuel gallons sold (in thousands) 311,486 310,811 626,429 614,242 Fuel gallons sold to retail (included in fuel gallons sold above) (in thousands) 83,721 79,023 163,562 154,286 Fuel margin per gallon (2) $ 0.025 $ 0.037 $ 0.027 $ 0.032 Lubricant gallons sold (in thousands) 1,846 3,014 4,047 5,971 Lubricant margin per gallon (3) $ 0.89 $ 0.78 $ 0.78 $ 0.72 Asphalt trucking volume (tons) 4,876 3,875 Crude oil trucking volume (bpd) 42,092 48,992 38,801 46,037 Average crude oil revenue per barrel $ 2.17 $ 2.51 $ 2.20 $ 2.63 (1) All wholesale fee based revenues are generated through fees charged to Western's refining segment for truck transportation and delivery of crude oil and asphalt. Affiliate and third-party sales based revenues result from sales of refined products to Western and third-party customers at a delivered price that includes charges for product transportation. (2) Fuel margin per gallon is a measurement calculated by dividing the difference between fuel sales, net of transportation charges, and cost of fuel sales for our wholesale business by the number of gallons sold. Fuel margin per gallon is a measure frequently used in the petroleum products wholesale industry to measure operating results related to fuel sales. (3) Lubricant margin per gallon is a measurement calculated by dividing the difference between lubricant sales, net of transportation charges, and lubricant cost of products sold by the number of gallons sold. Lubricant margin is a measure frequently used in the petroleum products wholesale industry to measure operating results related to lubricant sales. Investor and Analyst Contact: Retail Investors Contact: Media Contact: Michelle Clemente Alpha IR Group Gary W. Hanson (602) 286-1533 Dylan Schweitzer (602) 286-1777 Chris Hodges Jeffrey S. Beyersdorfer (312) 445-2870 (602) 286-1530 WNRL@alpha-ir.com Former New York Gov. David Paterson has joined a high-profile Stifel Nicolaus office in Manhattan. Stifel, which is based in St. Louis, announced Paterson's hiring Tuesday but FINRA's BrokerCheck report indicates that he has been registered with the firm since May 11. Paterson will be director/investments on a Manhattan brokerage team that also includes Ed Moldaver, the author of two books on "Logical Investing," and Wayne Chrebet, a former wide receiver for the New York Jets. Paterson became governor of New York in 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned. He served until the end of 2010. The BrokerCheck report indicates that Paterson has a regulatory matter to clear up. It says that in 2014, he was notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission that "certain stock grants" were not reported to the SEC in a timely fashion. The report doesn't say which company issued the stock, but Paterson was a director of Moon River Studios, which was attempting to build a movie studio near Savannah, Ga. An SEC filing says that he received 29,565,217 shares when he joined the board on Feb. 22, 2014, and that he "resigned from all positions with the issuer" on May 27, 2015. Moon River, also called Medient Studios, was trading for about 1 cent a share in February 2014, which would have made Paterson's stake worth about $295,000. OTC Markets Group says it no longer quotes the shares because they have been labeled "buyer beware." Edgewell Personal Care swung to a profit in the fiscal third quarter but the results missed Wall Street. The Chesterfield-based consumer products company reported net income of $36.7 million, or 61 cents a share, for the quarter ended June 30, compared with a loss of $72.5 million, or $1.17 a share, a year earlier. Excluding items, Edgewell earned 66 cents a share. Analysts were expecting, on average, adjusted earnings of 78 cents. Net sales dipped 4 percent to $645 million. The end of the third quarter marked the one-year anniversary of Edgewell's spinoff from battery maker Energizer Holdings into a standalone company that makes Schick razors and Banana Boat sunscreen. The company saw sales declines in all its major product categories including shaving products, sun and skin care and feminine care. The company said it expects full-year net sales to decline 4 percent. Net earnings are estimated to be between a range of $176 million and $185 million for the full year. A Georgia broker pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in an insider-trading ring that reaped millions of dollars in illicit profits from Ukrainian hackers who pilfered corporate press releases before they were published. Leonid Momotok, of Suwanee, Ga., admitted he controlled a brokerage account used in a five-year scheme. At a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes, he admitted he placed and profited from trades based on information he knew was stolen. "I knew that this inside information was being passed to traders like myself and on the basis of this information, I executed trades on New York stock exchanges," he said. "It was bad judgment and I am very sorry." Momotok, 48, was one of nine people charged in a case that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and New Jersey described last year as the largest scheme of its kind ever prosecuted in both the scope of the alleged hacking and the number of traders involved. Momotok was indicted on conspiracy, securities fraud, money laundering and other charges. The most serious crimes of securities fraud and wire fraud carry terms of as long as 20 years in prison. As part of a plea deal, Momotok pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreed not to challenge a prison sentence of not more than nine years when he is sentenced Dec. 9. He and his attorney, Linda Moreno, declined to comment as they left the courtroom. The case highlights an unusual intersection of securities fraud and hacking. Prosecutors said the ring employed a criminal alliance of traders and hackers who infiltrated PR Newswire Association, Marketwired and Business Wire, obtaining more than 150,000 unpublished news releases ahead of market-moving news. Traders made about $30 million in illicit gains. The ring gained access to the three services by launching a series of orchestrated cyber-attacks using malware and obtaining the log-in credentials of newswire employees, according to the government. Hackers then circulated "shopping lists" of companies about to issue news releases, such as Panera Bread Co., Caterpillar, Home Depot and Advanced Micro Devices, the government said. Members of the ring in the U.S. and the Ukraine, including Momotok, then traded on the leaked news releases ahead of their publication, prosecutors said. Millions of dollars were laundered when they were transferred to Europe, Asia and elsewhere using shell companies, according to the government. Momotok's co-defendant, Vitaly Korchevsky, called the alleged "linchpin" by prosecutors, is accused of making $17 million. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial. Another co-defendant, Alexander Garkusha, pleaded guilty in December and is cooperating with the U.S. He hasn't yet been sentenced. A fourth man isn't in custody. Of the five charged in New Jersey, two have pleaded guilty and charges are pending against the other three, according to court records. The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard was arrested in Missouri in 2000 for driving while intoxicated, and the Better Business Bureau warned warned consumers about doing business with the balloon touring company he used to operate in that state. Authorities haven't publicly named anyone killed in the crash, saying it could take a while to identify the bodies. But Alfred "Skip" Nichols, 49, was identified as the pilot by his friend and roommate Alan Lirette, who said that Nichols was a good pilot. "That's the only thing I want to talk about, is that he's a great pilot," Lirette said, speaking to The Associated Press from a house he shared with Nichols in Kyle, Texas. "There's going to be all kinds of reports out in the press and I want a positive image there too." Authorities say the balloon, which was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture Saturday morning near Lockhart, which is about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio. Margaret Wylie, who lives a quarter-mile from the site, said she heard popping sounds and saw what looked "like a fireball going up." National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine what caused the crash, said board member Robert Sumwalt. He said the pilot was licensed to fly the balloon, but that it was too soon to say whether he had a criminal history. A Missouri police officer, though, told The Associated Press that Nichols was arrested there in 2000 on a felony driving while intoxicated charge and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in 2002. The officer said that based on photographs, he is confident the man arrested in Missouri is the same man who piloted the Texas balloon. Nichols had lived in Missouri before moving to Texas. He was known as "Skip" in both places and owned a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County at the time, said the officer, who spoke to the AP on condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to comment publicly. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 2008 that the Better Business Bureau had warned consumers about doing business with Nichols, the third time since 2000 that Nichols had gotten an unsatisfactory record for not responding to complaints. The paper quoted the BBB as saying Nichols was on probation in Missouri for the distribution, delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance and that when asked to respond, Nichols said, "I prefer to make no comment on that." DENVER, Aug. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mutual Reinsurance Bureau, an Illinois-based company that reinsures diverse companies across the U.S. and internationally, and StoneRiver, Inc., a trusted insurance technology partner with solutions across multiple business lines, today announced that Mutual Reinsurance has selected StoneRiver's Universal Reinsurance System (URS) to increase efficiency and ensure accuracy in the reinsurance administration for its business partners. The company selected URS to move away from reliance on a legacy system using old technology. The URS system will provide a modern and comprehensive reinsurance administrative system with full underwriting, claims, accounting, and reporting capabilities. Mutual Reinsurance Bureau Vice President and CFO Scott Johannsen said, "Our company has a long history of helping insurance companies band together to meet their reinsurance needs. To address current regulatory and reporting requirements, we wanted URS for its strong automation that will provide auditable processing, manage complex reinsurance transactions, and quickly respond to new reinsurance offerings." StoneRiver Senior Vice President Thomas Chesbrough noted, "We are very pleased that Mutual Reinsurance Bureau is joining our large community of reinsurance clients. URS propels insurers to even greater levels of efficiency by automating some very labor-intensive processes." About Mutual Reinsurance Bureau Mutual Reinsurance Bureau is a reinsurance underwriting association that arranges and effectuates reinsurance agreements with insurance companies on behalf of its assuming members. Since 1921, the company has provided unquestionably strong security to insurance companies along with knowledgeable underwriting and timely claims processing. About StoneRiver, Inc. StoneRiver delivers the industry's widest range of value-oriented technology solutions and services to insurance carriers, agents and broker-dealers. This versatile product group encompasses front-office, policy, claims, rating, underwriting, billing and reinsurance automation for all major business lines. Hundreds of companies of all sizes rely on StoneRiver software and processing solutions to achieve a competitive edge. Customer satisfaction and client success are the continuing goal, and are in large part achieved by maintaining and valuing strong, long-term customer relationships. ST. LOUIS A woman and her 16-year-old son were found stabbed to death Tuesday morning at a home in St. Louis. Another of the woman's sons was in custody in their deaths. The victims Tyra Shannon, 41, and her son, Lawrence Strawbridge were found by a relative in a home in their home in the 3900 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue, near Vandeventer Avenue, about 9:30 a.m. Both had apparent stab wounds, police said, and were pronounced dead on the scene. Another son, 21, was arrested at the home. Police gave no other information about the deaths and didn't reveal a possible motive. The address is in the Greater Ville neighborhood. JEFFERSON CITY When Emily van Schenkhof sat down for a session on human trafficking put on the Missouri Attorney Generals Office, she wasnt expecting presenters to admit that theyd never tried a trafficking case. But data provided by the Office of State Courts Administrator showed her why that could be. Of 20 human trafficking charges in Missouri between 2010 and 2015, 14 were dismissed. It doesnt mean those offenders werent prosecuted, or didn't see jail time, said van Schenkhof, the deputy director of Missouri KidsFirst, a group that advocates for policies that prevent child abuse. Typically, they plead to a crime like rape or child abuse, she said, and the trafficking charge gets dismissed. During a free two-day training last week, the Attorney Generals Office teamed up with the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute to educate state prosecutors and law enforcement on how to develop a human trafficking prosecution. My office is providing this training to help Missouris prosecutors and law enforcement to recognize trafficking, bring traffickers to justice, and assist the victims, Koster said in a statement when the training was announced in May. His office couldnt be immediately reached for comment. Some sessions were open to representatives from advocacy groups, like van Schenkhof. Topics discussed included interviewing techniques for talking to victims, investigative tips, and the ethics surrounding human trafficking case studies. Getting prosecutors and police more comfortable and familiar with human trafficking charges would mean more frequently penalizing traffickers to the fullest extent of the law, van Schenkhof said. In child advocacy centers were seeing trafficking cases charged under other crimes. If theres a way to get us 20 to 25 year sentences for folks who do this, I think we need to use it, she said. Its a tool were not using in this state. Still, theres been a variety of other efforts to combat the state's trafficking problem, including legislation signed into law last month that expands the crime to include advertising the availability of a minor or non-consenting adult for sex or pornography. Another new law adds victims of human trafficking to those eligible to participate in the Secretary of States Safe at Home Program, which keeps their address confidential and unavailable to their abusers through public records. Both were pushed by the Missouri Human Trafficking Task Force, a panel of lawmakers created in 2015 to raise awareness of the issue and centralize efforts scattered throughout the state. Theyre still working on how to combat the problem without constantly reinventing the wheel, said Rep. Elijah Haahr, a Springfield Republican who chairs the task force. Thats one of the things were always talking about. How do we collaborate with all these units, governmental and non-governmental? Haahr said. We dont want people doing the same duplicative thing other groups are doing. We want to all be pulling in the same direction. With regard to the governmental side, Kosters recent training sessions and Secretary of State Jason Kanders expanded Safe at Home Program are just a couple of examples. The Missouri Department of Transportation also has a partnership with a group called Truckers Against Trafficking, which works with state departments to distribute educational materials to truck drivers. The idea is for the drivers to learn how to identify potential victims during their travels. And U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, who has sponsored federal efforts to eliminate trafficking, conducted her own training in March to help educators understand the effects of trafficking in schools. Now its a matter of grappling priorities of lawmakers and state agencies with those of the victims organizations on the front lines. Were missing some coordination. Theres a lot of good people doing good things, but were missing a strategic vision, van Schenkhof said. We need a statewide plan. Theres clearly so much interest. Awareness can be a big part of that, not just for truck drivers and prosecutors, but for citizens too, something Gov. Jay Nixon pointed out after signing the human trafficking bills from the spring session. We tend to think of trafficking as something that happens in distant, undeveloped countries. But the tragic reality if that right here in the United States, human trafficking is a real and growing problem, Nixon said. The next steps for the task force, which terminates at the end of this year, will be looking at a budgetary component where state tax dollars are appropriate and can have an impact helping victims, Haahr said. One thing well be looking at is housing. Some victims need housing for up to two years, and thats incredibly expensive, so were looking at proposals to deal with that, he explained. Haahr also said he hopes the current momentum the state has for tackling the issue doesnt let up anytime soon. There are so many things, funding higher ed theres always other stuff that occupies the central amount of time we have, Haahr said. I think sometimes after passing a trafficking package theres this thought, that okay, weve done that, now we have to go back to these broader issues. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Roughly half of a small Missouri town burned Saturday after a wildfire spread quickly from a farm field and destroyed or heavily damaged 23 buildings. No one died and only one person was injured, but the less than 100 people living in the town of Wooldridge had to be evacuated. The blaze was sparked in a field by a combine that was harvesting crops. Cooper County Fire District spokesman Jim Gann said Sunday that between 4.6 and 5.4 square miles burned before the fire was controlled. Wooldridge is a town of less than 100 people about 20 miles west of Columbia along the Missouri River. A separate fire Sunday prompted some evacuations in the Kansas City area. A suicide car bomb attack in the eastern city of Benghazi targeting Libyan troops killed 23 people and wounded dozens of others Tuesday, a hospital official said. The official said the wounded were still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city, Libya's second largest. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the al-Qaida affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account. The attack comes after the United States started an air campaign on Monday in the central city of Sirte, the last bastion of the Islamic State extremist group in Libya. The strikes followed a request made by the internationally-recognized government and presidency council in the capital, Tripoli. The two executive bodies were formed after the United Nations brokered a deal among Libya's rival factions. Libya has descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and the killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since 2014, the country has been divided between two governments and parliaments, and a loose set of militias and tribes. The U.N.-brokered government led by Fayez Serraj aimed at healing the rift, but a crucial vote of confidence has yet to be obtained from the parliament. The parliament in eastern Libya does not recognize the U.N. government, and many in the east are angry that Serraj's administration invited foreign military intervention without the eastern parliament's consent. The U.S. airstrikes, which were authorized by President Barack Obama, are supporting the militias of Misrata, a city next to Sirte that is leading the anti IS-operation. Misrata forces have been battling IS since May in fierce fighting that has killed and injured hundreds of militiamen. LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Amazon and NatWest add to economic worries Friday, October 28, 2022 - 12:39 Outlooks by US e-commerce platform Amazon and UK lender NatWest added to investor fears of dwindling consumer activity, pushing down London and other stock markets on Friday. "Having held the line for most of this week, the FTSE 100 finally caved to the negative pressure from big tech disappointments across the pond," AJ Bell head of investment analysis Laith Khalaf said. "The FTSE 100 may be under-represented on the technology front but the wider hit to sentiment from some of the world's largest companies dropping the ball couldn't be entirely avoided." Amazon was down 12% to $97.74 in pre-market trade in New York on Friday, as the e-commerce platform late Thursday reported a decrease in third quarter net income on foreign exchange headwinds, but did book a rise in sales. However, Amazon's guidance for fourth-quarter revenue of $140 billion to $148 billion was below consensus expectations of $155 billion and represented annual top-line growth of just 2% to 8%, noted analysts at Wedbush Securities. "Take a breadth, it wasn't that bad," the broker said. Wedbush lowered its Amazon price target to $140 from $175, but kept its 'outperform' rating. Apple fared better after its own quarterly result, the stock rising 0.5% before the US open. In London, the FTSE 100 index was down 36.77 points, or 0.5%, at 7,036.92, fighting its way back from steeper loss seen earlier in the session. At this level, the blue-chip index has added 1.0% this week. The mid-cap FTSE 250 was down 193.63 points, or 1.1%, at 7,036.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.96 points, or 0.7%, at 803.50. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 701.18, the Cboe UK 250 down 1.2% at 15,346.29, and the Cboe Small Companies down 0.3% at 12,368.06. In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.3%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was 0.5% lower - with both following a similar pattern as the FTSE 100 of repairing harsher opening losses. Helping the mood improve in Germany, its economy expanded in the third quarter, according to flash estimates from the Federal Statistical Office, a significant outperformance over market consensus. Europe's largest economy is thought to have grown by 0.3% in the third quarter versus the previous quarter. Market consensus - according to FXStreet - forecast a 0.2% contraction. Versus the year prior, Germany's gross domestic product is estimated to have grown by 1.1%, again well ahead of consensus, which was predicting a 0.7% rise. ING said: "Looking ahead, the surprise growth in the third quarter does not mean that the recession narrative has changed. All leading indicators point to a further weakening of the economy in the fourth quarter and there doesn't seem to be any improvement in sight. "Companies and households are increasingly suffering under higher energy bills and ongoing high inflation, adjusting consumption and investments. The government's latest support package, if not implemented retroactively, will be too little too late to prevent a winter recession. It will only be able to soften such a recession." Keeping the DAX in the red, however, was a 2.5% drop for shares of automaker Volkswagen. VW posted a drop in earnings despite a significant increase in revenue as it dealt with an increase in costs. In the three months that ended September 30, pretax earnings dropped 4.7% to 2.94 billion from 3.08 billion the year before. While the Wolfsburg-based carmaker's revenue increased 24% to 70.7 billion from 56.93 billion last year, the company's cost of sales widened to 58.04 billion from 48.01 billion last year. It also faced increasing administrative expenses and a negative financial result of 1.33 billion, swung from a positive contribution of 484 million last year. Meanwhile, recently spun-off subsidiary Porsche AG delivered an increase in profit in its first report as a separate company. Porsche was 1.7% lower. The euro traded at $0.9938 midday Friday, down from $0.9984 late Thursday, continuing its slide slower after yesterday's dovish European Central Bank update. The ECB said interest rates would need to be raised "further" - a slight change in language after it previously said rates would need to be hiked over the "next several meetings". All eyes are now on the US Federal Reserve, which announces an interest rate decision next Wednesday. Markets are hopeful for signs of a pivot by the central bank, which has raised rates rapidly in a bid to tame inflation. The Bank of England's next rate decision is a day after its US counterpart. In London, Centrica was the best performer large-cap on Friday, gaining 5.7%. The gas utility has reopened its Rough natural gas storage facility off the east coast of England after completing "significant engineering upgrades" over the summer. Centrica, which owns British Gas, said the facility is operational for winter. The facility increases the UK's storage capacity by 50% despite it operating at just 20% of its previous capacity. Stuck to the bottom of the FTSE 100, NatWest slumped 9.3%. The bank reported strong income growth in the third quarter, boosted by both increased lending and higher interest rates, but it warned it is keeping a close on eye on any change in behaviour from its customers. "At a time of increased economic uncertainty, we are acutely aware of the challenges that people, families and businesses are facing up and down the country. Although we are not yet seeing signs of heightened financial distress, we are very conscious of the growing concerns of our customers, and we are closely monitoring any changes to their finances or behaviours," Chief Executive Alison Rose said. High-street banking peers Lloyds and Barclays lost 3.6% and 3.3%. British Airways-parent International Consolidated Airlines tumbled 3.4% lower, despite posting a positive quarter. IAG swung to profit in the third quarter, as revenue improved on pre-pandemic levels, despite lower capacity. It swung to a pretax profit of 1.01 billion from a loss of 714 million a year before. Revenue nearly tripled year-on-year to 7.32 billion, from 2.71 billion. Passenger revenue saw the strongest recovery, growing to 6.42 billion from 2.00 billion. Compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, it was 22% higher. Looking ahead to the open in the US on Friday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was poised to open 1.1% lower, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was pointed down 0.2%, and the wider S&P 500 down 0.7%. The Nasdaq is facing continued pressure from a disappointing series of tech earnings. Sterling was quoted at $1.1539 midday Friday, down from $1.1573 at the London equities close on Thursday. The dollar was trading at JP147.65 midday Friday in London, sharply higher from JP145.90 late Thursday. The yen was under pressure after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government approved a hefty economic package that will include government funding of about JP29 trillion, about $197 billion, to soften the burden of costs from rising utility rates and food prices. Inflation has been rising in Japan along withside globally surging energy prices, while a weakening of the yen against the dollar has increased the cost of all imports. Announcing its latest policy decision on Friday, the Bank of Japan kept its long-standing lax stance in place. The central bank has kept its benchmark rate at minus 0.1% since 2016. Gold was priced at $1,648.70 an ounce midday Friday, lower from $1,662.60 on Thursday evening in London. Brent oil was trading at $94.49 a barrel, soft from $94.75 late Thursday. Still to come on Friday, three is the personal consumption expenditures inflationary gauge from the US at 1330 BST. Core PCE is the Fed's preferred inflationary measure. Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bermudas Parliament has passed an impressive recent raft of new corporate legislation to update the islands legal framework, stimulating growth and keeping the jurisdiction globally competitive amid ever-changing market demands. Over the past 15 months, a total of nine bills related to international business were passed by Bermudas House of Assembly and Senate, paving the way for more streamlined and effective operations across industry sectors. One of the most important components of achieving success in this effort is working in collaboration with entities across the government and the private sector to develop and implement policies and initiatives aimed at improving our economic performance, said Minister of Economic Development Dr Grant Gibbons, whose team piloted the legislation. This collaboration resulted in the enactment of numerous bills that received bipartisan support in the legislature, and which made significant enhancement to our legislative framework governing partnerships, companies, trusts and contracts. Business-related bills passed since May 2015 included four amendments to key acts governing partnerships and companies: Partnership Amendment Act 2015 (Partnerships Act 1902) Exempted Partnerships Amendment Act 2015 (Exempted Partnerships Act 1992) Limited Partnership Amendment Act 2015 (Limited Partnership Act 1883) Companies Amendment Act 2015 (Companies Act 1981) These legislative reforms were designed in response to private-sector demands to improve Bermudas product offering and increase its competitiveness as a jurisdiction of choice, the Minister said. In particular, the updates create more flexibility in the management and operation of partnerships, facilitating, for example, changes in partners, clarification of partner responsibilities, and partnership relocation to and from Bermuda. The vast majority of partnerships on the Bermuda register are private or closed investment funds, Gibbons noted. The Ministry is therefore taking a multi-faceted approach to stimulating growth specifically in Bermudas asset-management industry and increasing the number of asset managers conducting business in Bermuda. Other legislative reforms included the passage of several significant pieces of new legislation aimed at modernising Bermudas menu of corporate and trust products: Limited Liability Company Act 2016 Perpetuities & Accumulation Amendment Act 2015 Contracts (Right of Third Parties) Act 2016 Partnerships and Companies Amendment Act 2016 Bermuda International Interests in Mobile Equipment Act 2016 (Cape Town Convention) This augmentation of our legislative platform is critical for Bermuda to maintain our long-standing reputation as a blue-chip international financial centre, said BDA CEO Ross Webber. The driving principle is to make doing business in Bermuda sustainable so companies can prosper and we can attract appropriate new business to our domicile. We applaud the efforts of government, the legislature and industry, particularly the BDA Legislative Reform Committee, to successfully achieve these much-needed amendments. Industry has welcomed the reforms, notably the recent Limited Liability Company (LLC) Act. As a hybrid entity combining features of both corporations and partnerships, LLCs are commonly used in the US for private-equity funds and other asset-management structures, as well as trusts and private-client vehicles. Bermudas LLC legislation is expected to appeal to US counsel. Bermudas LLC legislation is closely modelled on Delaware law, and will therefore be easily understood and accepted by US legal advisors, said Graham Collis, a Director in the Corporate Department at Conyers. LLCs should provide an attractive alternative for US-based corporate clients and represent a key selling point for Bermuda. Another key piece of legislation passed at the end of this years Parliamentary session last week was the Bermuda International Interests in Mobile Equipment (or Cape Town Convention) Act 2016, which brings the islands aviation sector in line with global standards. It caps a number of years of successful collaboration with the UK Department of Transport and the UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills, noted Gibbons, explaining the Cape Town Convention Treaty was first ratified by the UK and then extended to Bermuda and other British Overseas Territories (BOTs). The Treaty extension and the recently passed Bermuda Act gives Bermuda clients access to the same international standards for registration of sale contracts, security interests and legal remedies for financing default that have become accepted practice for aircraft and aircraft-engine financing as set out in the Cape Convention and Protocol, he said. Thomas Dunstan, Director of Bermudas Department of Civil Aviationthat is transitioning to a semi-autonomous body this yearsaid the Cape Town Convention and Protocol aimed to facilitate financial transactions involving aircraft and aircraft engines, as well as expand opportunities and reduce costs. This is a great step forward for Bermuda in the aircraft-registry business, Dunstan said. It puts us on a level playing field with states that have previously ratified the convention, and gives us a competitive edge above those that havent. CONNECTING BUSINESS The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business here smooth and beneficial. A nuclear plant project invested by China General Nuclear Power Corporationin in UK is seen in this file photo.[Photo/VCG] China urged Britain to reach a decision on a controversial multibillion dollar power station project as soon as possible, as a key minister behind London's closer ties with China was reported to be considering resigning. The newly-appointed government of Prime Minister Theresa May caused shock by delaying a formal decision on a China-backed nuclear project at Hinkley Point in western England. China's Foreign Ministry on Monday urged London to make a decision as soon as possible and pointed out that both Britain and France, whose power company EDF is building the power plant and which is providing two thirds of the 18 billion pound ($23.7 billion) price tag, had strongly supported the project. China is providing a third of the funding. China General Nuclear Power Corporation, the country's biggest nuclear operator in terms of capacity, said on Monday that it understands and respects the UK's decision. "We are fully prepared to work with the French company EDF to push the project, providing safe, reliable, and sustainable source for energy to the UK," CGN said in a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo. A spokeswoman for May said on Monday that Britain will continue to seek a stronger relationship with China. "With the role that China has to play in world affairs, in the global economy, on a whole range of international issues, we are going to continue to seek a strong relationship with China," the spokeswoman said. Jim O'Neil, the former Goldman Sachs chief economist who coined the phrase 'BRICs' in 2001 to reflect the growing power of the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, may quit the government. He was appointed as a Treasury Minister under George Osborne, the former chancellor of the exchequer, or finance minister, who was sacked by May when she took over in July. The Financial Times reported that Lord O'Neill has told friends he could resign in September unless May can explain why she wants him to stay on. O'Neill is widely seen as the main architect behind Osborne's enthusiasm for closer ties with China and feels the policy toward Beijing may have shifted under the new administration. Last week newly-installed chancellor Philip Hammond, on a visit to Chengdu for the G20 Finance Ministers meeting, said the UK wanted to conclude a free-trade agreement with China as soon as possible after Britain's exit from the European Union is finalized. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE: MGT) announced that representatives of its management team will be presenting at DEF CON 24 in Las Vegas on Thursday, August 4 - 7, 2016. MGT Capital will also celebrate the release of Demonsaw 3.0 on Friday, August 5th, 2016. "DEF CON is the premier hacker convention in the world. Once every year the greatest hacking, programming, and maker minds come together for four days of camaraderie, competition, and an open willingness to share information. All ages attend DEF CON, bringing together a unique and timeless blend of creativity, curiosity and free and open dialogue about the subjects that matter most to us. There is no judgment, and very few rules. It is within these walls that issues like privacy, warrantless wiretapping, personal liberties, and freedom of digital expression are discussed. Some of the greatest minds living today will wander the halls of this convention, some dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and others in business casual. But make no mistake, we are all here to learn," stated Eric "Eijah" Anderson, founder of Demonsaw and proposed Chief Technology Officer of MGT Capital. "MGT represents the future of cyber-security as much as the DEF CON audience. We are taking the lead and are forever in the debt of the staff, volunteers, and "Goons" at DEF CON for uniting such an incredible group of thinkers and tinkerers. We invite you all to an exclusive Demonsaw 3.0 event that will welcome the best and brightest of the DEF CON community to an evening of celebration," concluded Eijah. To register for Eric "Eijah" Anderson's Thursday workshops, DEF CON participants should arrive at the 3rd floor of the Bally's Jubilee Tower to register on site. Workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Las Vegas Ballrooms 1-7. For further details and to register for the Demonsaw 3.0 celebration, attendees can visit: https://demonsaw.splashthat.com/ In its 24th year, DEF CON is one of the world's largest annual hacker conventions. Attendees include anyone with a general interest in software, computer architecture, phone phreaking, hardware modification, and anything else that can be "cracked." DEF CON consists of several tracks of well-known hackers speakers about computer and cracking-related subjects, as well as social events and contests. This year's event is being hosted at the Paris & Bally's in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are available at the door, and there is no pre-registration. Nobilis Health Corp. (NYSE: HLTH) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Arizona Vein & Vascular Center ("AVVC") and its four affiliated surgery centers operating as "The Arizona Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery" ("ACMIS"). AVVC and ACMIS are leading clinical and surgical providers for vascular, radiology, podiatry, and general surgery, with five locations in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. The acquisition expands Nobilis's presence in two high-growth geographic markets and increases its multi-specialty offering with a new vascular surgical division. Dr. L. Philipp Wall, an award-winning, board-certified vascular surgeon, founded AVVC and ACMIS. Dr. Wall will join Nobilis as President of the newly created Nobilis Vascular Division. This new division will allow Nobilis to expand the vascular brand into existing and new markets. Key Highlights of the Transaction The purchase price is $22.0 million plus a performance-based earn-out based on growth in Adjusted EBITDA. The purchase price is comprised of $17.5 million of cash, $2.25 million in the form of a convertible note, and $2.25 million of restricted stock. AVVC and ACMIS produced approximately $20.0 million in revenue and $6.0 million in Adjusted EBITDA in 2015. Nobilis will expand AVVC and ACMIS service lines to Nobilis facilities in the Houston and Dallas markets following closing. The transaction is expected to be accretive to 2016 earnings per share. This transaction adds five locations (five clinics and four surgery centers) in the Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona metropolitan areas and launches a new vascular brand that the Company plans to offer to other Nobilis markets. The Company expects to drive additional volume into these clinics and multi-specialty surgical centers utilizing its proprietary marketing and sales capabilities. "By adding Dr. Wall, his centers, and his dedicated staff to the Nobilis team, we now have a platform upon which Nobilis can build a national presence in the treatment of vascular diseases. These centers offer the highest quality of care for our patients who are suffering from vascular diseases, which are among the most common medical conditions affecting older Americans," explained Harry Fleming, CEO of Nobilis. "We're proud to add to our network this talented group of physicians led by Dr. Wall and the world class facilities where they work. This acquisition reflects our disciplined strategy to pursue acquisitions that leverage our marketing capabilities, expand our footprint in growing markets, and meet our stringent requirements for the type of high quality patient care that we believe drives sustained growth and value creation. In addition, the acquisition adds a new brand to our offering of branded surgical procedures, which we expect to offer in other Nobilis locations, specifically those in Dallas and Houston. We are also very excited to have Dr. Wall join our management team and look forward to continuing to build upon Arizona Vein & Vascular Center's success to date," said Mr. Fleming. "We are very excited to join the Nobilis Health team," said Dr. Wall. "We look forward to expanding our existing business and for the opportunity to offer our suite of vascular services to Nobilis markets." Nobilis is currently negotiating several other acquisitions that would add additional markets to further expand the vascular brand along with other brands in the Nobilis portfolio. By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) on Tuesday said it has reached a $486 million settlement of litigation accusing it of causing big losses for shareholders by concealing safety risks associated with its Celebrex and Bextra pain-relieving drugs. The accord is subject to negotiation of a final settlement agreement with the plaintiff shareholders, and would end more than 11 years of litigation against the drugmaker and several officials, including former Chief Executive Henry McKinnell. It was reached nearly seven years after Pfizer agreed in September 2009 to pay $2.3 billion to settle a U.S. government probe into the marketing of Bextra and other drugs. Pfizer said it has set aside reserves to cover the entire shareholder settlement, which requires court approval. All defendants denied wrongdoing. "This resolution reflects a desire by the company to avoid the distraction of continued litigation and focus on the needs of patients and prescribers," Pfizer said in a statement. Gregory Joseph, a lawyer for shareholders including the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana, declined to comment. The lawsuit covered shareholders who bought Pfizer stock between Oct. 31, 2000 and Oct. 19, 2005. Pfizer's market value fell by roughly $70 billion from early October 2004 until the day after the class period ended. Shareholders accused Pfizer of having concealed tests that began in 1998 and which suggested health risks associated with Celebrex and Bextra. Safety concerns mounted in late 2004 when rival Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) withdrew its Vioxx drug because of associated cardiovascular risks. Pfizer pulled Bextra from the U.S. market the following April. The shareholder litigation had been dismissed in July 2014, but was revived on April 12 by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which cited errors by the lower court judge. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Phil Berlowitz) By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb targeting security forces in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed at least 22 people and wounded 20 on Tuesday, a commander of the forces and medical officials said. The blast occurred in a residential area in the Guwarsha district, the scene of fighting between security forces loyal to Libya's eastern government and an alliance of Islamists and other opponents. The alliance, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, said it had carried out the attack, according to a statement posted on media sites linked to the group. It claimed that 28 people were killed and as many as 70 wounded. Benghazi has been plagued by violence since Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar launched a military campaign against the Shura Council two years ago. His forces have advanced in several areas in recent months, but still have not gained full control of Benghazi. It was the fourth vehicle bombing in the city in a week, though the toll from Tuesday's blast was far higher than in previous attacks. The attack targeted a gathering of the special forces unit of the LNA, said Fadel al-Hassi, another LNA commander. A Reuters witness said the powerful explosion reduced a three-story building to rubble, and that 10 vehicles, some of them armored, had been destroyed. Four field commanders were reported among the dead and some soldiers' bodies were trapped under the rubble. Haftar's forces are allied to a government that has been based in eastern Libya since 2014, when armed groups set up a rival administration in the capital, Tripoli. A United Nations-backed government moved into Tripoli earlier this year, but Haftar and the eastern government have so far rejected it. Tuesday's attack came a day after Haftar's forces claimed control of a strategic entry point to Guwarsha that had long been held by Ansar al-Sharia, a group linked to al-Qaeda that is part of the Shura Council. Islamic State also has a presence in the area, and last week claimed another suicide attack in Guwarsha that left at least three members of the security forces dead and 25 wounded. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it is in the United States' national security interest to support the Tripoli-based government's fight against Islamic State, a day after his administration said it launched air strikes there. In recent days, air force jets allied to the LNA have been on the offensive in Derna, about 250 km (155 miles) east of Benghazi, conducting strikes against a separate Shura Council coalition that is active in the city. (Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by John Stonestreet, G Crosse) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chris Christie, a close ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, distanced himself on Tuesday from Trump's feud with the Muslim family of a slain U.S. Army captain, according to Politico. Christie, the governor of New Jersey, said criticisms of the family of Captain Humayan Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, were "inappropriate." "I didn't see Mr. Khan's speech at the DNC, but I'll just say this: I'm a father and I just cannot imagine the pain of losing a child under any circumstances," said Christie, who endorsed Trump after ending his own White House bid, according to Politico, which quoted Christie's comments from a news conference at the New Jersey State House in Trenton. (Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. (the Fund), a New York Stock Exchangelisted closed-end fund trading under the symbol DDF, declares a monthly dividend of $0.0525 per share. This dividend is payable Aug. 26, 2016, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Aug. 12, 2016. The ex-dividend date will be Aug. 10, 2016. The Fund is a diversified closed-end fund. The primary investment objective is to seek high current income; capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of its total assets in income-generating equity securities, including dividend-paying common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and other equity-related securities. Up to 35% of the Funds total assets may be invested in nonconvertible debt securities consisting primarily of high yield, high risk corporate bonds. In addition, the Fund uses leveraging techniques in an attempt to obtain a higher return for the Fund. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. The Fund has implemented a managed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund is managed with a goal of generating as much of the distribution as possible from net investment income and short-term capital gains. The balance of the distribution will then come from long-term capital gains to the extent permitted, and if necessary, a return of capital. Even though the Fund may realize current year capital gains, such gains may be offset, in whole or in part, by the Funds capital loss carryovers from prior years. For federal income tax purposes, the effect of such capital loss carryovers is to convert (to the extent of such current year gains) what would otherwise be nontaxable returns of capital into distributions taxable as ordinary income. The use of such capital loss carryovers in this circumstance will produce no tax benefit for shareholders, and the capital loss carryovers available to offset future capital gains of the Fund will be reduced. Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, this tax effect attributable to the Funds capital loss carryovers (the conversion of nontaxable returns of capital into distributions taxable as ordinary income) will no longer apply to net capital losses of the Fund arising in Fund tax years beginning after Nov. 30, 2011. The actual determination of the source of the Fund's distributions can be made only at year end. Shareholders should receive written notification regarding the actual components and tax treatments of all Fund distributions for the calendar year 2016 in early 2017. About Delaware Investments Delaware Investments, a member of Macquarie Group, is a global asset management firm that offers a wide variety of equity and fixed income solutions for individual and institutional investors. Delaware Investments is supported by the resources of Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG; ADR: MQBKY), a global provider of asset management, investment, banking, financial and advisory services. Visit delawareinvestments.com for more information. Delaware Investments is the marketing name for Delaware Management Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Advisory services provided by Delaware Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information about Delaware Investments, visit delawareinvestments.com or call 800 523-1918. Neither Delaware Management Company nor its affiliates noted in this document are authorized deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL). MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise. 2016 Delaware Management Holdings, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006994/en/ Investors Computershare 866-437-0252 delawareinvestments.com/closed-end or Media contacts: Delaware Investments Daniela Palmieri, 215-255-8878 or Jessica Fitzgerald, 215-255-1336 Source: Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. Citi Bike is expanding its footprint today, introducing new docking stations north of 85th Street in Manhattan for the first time since the bike share program officially launched in May 2013. As of today, new stations have opened at East 88th Street/Park Avenue, East 88th Street/5th Avenue, West 87th Street/Amsterdam Avenue and West 87th Street/West End Avenue in Manhattan. In total, 28 new docking stations will be added in this stretch of Manhattan in the coming weeks. This round of expansion will add a total of 140 docking stations, stretching up to 110th Street in Manhattan on the east and west sides of the island, as well as in Brooklyn, with new Citi Bike stations planned for a large swath of Brooklyn between Red Hook and Prospect Park. Here's a map with the current docking stations in blue and the immediately forthcoming docking stations in yellow. (Citi Bike via Streetsblog) In addition to the new docking stations in previously unserved areas, Citi Bike will be adding 16 new stations to parts of the Upper West Side and Upper East Side that already have Citi Bike, to increase docking station density. As Streetsblog explains, "density is a key factor in the success of bike-share systems since it cuts down on the time users spend walking to and from stations." "Bringing Citi Bike to all of the Upper East Side and Upper West Side is a great and necessary next step but it captures how much work we still have yet to do," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement. "Citi Bike is a new transit option with the capacity to empower communities and fight inequality, so we are committed to bringing these docking stations further uptown to an even wider and more diverse audiencewhich I am proud to say is what we will be doing in the months ahead." Citi Bike currently has more than 100,000 annual members. By the end of 2016, Citi Bike expects to have 600 total docking stations and 10,000 bikes, up from 6,000 bikes in its initial launch in 2013. Next year Citi Bike plans to bump up to 12,000 bikes, and is expected to expand up to 130th Street in Manhattan, farther into parts of Crown Heights, and into western Queens. To celebrate today's expansion, Citi Bike is offering $25 off Annual Memberships through the end of August, details here. (This discount knocks the annual fee down to $130, from $155.) Ride safe, and watch out for President Obama's motorcade. CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings expects to assign a rating of 'A(EXP)' to Empresa Nacional del Petroleo's (ENAP) proposed senior unsecured debt issuance of USD700 million due 2026. A full list of ENAP's ratings follows at the end of this release. ENAP intends to use proceeds from the proposed notes to fund the tender offer for up to USD600 million of the company's bonds with maturities in 2019, 2020 and 2021; the remaining proceeds will be used to finance working capital and for general corporate purposes. ENAP announced the tender offer on July 19, 2016. The tender offer expired yesterday. After the tender, the principal amount outstanding of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 notes will be USD700 million. The notes will rank pari passu in priority of payment with all other ENAP's senior unsecured debt. The notes would be rated the same as all of ENAP's senior unsecured obligations. As in the rest of ENAP's long-term financing, the only covenant for this debt issuance is a change of control clause. KEY RATING DRIVERS ENAP's ratings reflect its 100% ownership by the Chilean state and the sound credit profile of its parent. The company has strong legal, operational and strategic ties with the state, and possesses strategic importance to Chile given it assures a significant portion of the country's energy supply. ENAP owns 100% of the refining capacity of the country with 230 thousand barrels per day, meeting approximately 59% of the internal demand, and representing around 30% of the country's energy matrix. As a state-owned company, ENAP's Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating (FC IDR) is strongly linked with the credit profile of the Chilean sovereign (FC IDR 'A+'/Outlook Stable), although direct financial support provided by the government has been limited. --Strong Government Support ENAP's ratings reflect the company's 100% ownership by the Chilean state and the strong credit profile of its parent, and Fitch's analysis includes the assumption that the State of Chile will continue to provide timely and sufficient support to the company in the event of financial distress. The Chilean government is strongly involved in ENAP's business as the Ministry of Finance approves ENAP's budget and any new debt assumed by the company; additionally, the Minister of Energy is president of the company's board. In 2015, government support materialized in the form of a payment of close to USD90 million as compensation for subsidies granted by ENAP for natural gas consumption in the Magallanes region. Additionally, the government's energy agenda announced in 2014 included a USD400 million capital increase for ENAP, which will be made in conjunction with a Corporate Governance law for the company that, submitted to Congress in January 2016. This bill is currently under consideration by the Chilean House of Representatives. Finally, the Chilean Government has stated that ENAP will be the vehicle through which the state will promote investments in several segments of the electric / oil & gas market in Chile. In February 2016, the government enacted law 20.897 allowing ENAP to participate in power generation. In the past, government support has been reflected in a temporary capitalization of retained earnings at ENAP's subsidiaries since 2009 (and approved until 2017), suspension of dividend payments over the past seven to eight years, and a USD250 million equity injection in 2008. Although the Republic of Chile does not explicitly guarantee any of ENAP's indebtedness, all of the financial debt has a Change of Control Clause. --EBITDA Generation Expected to Normalize During 2015, ENAP's cash flow generation has come well above Fitch's expectations in spite of the sharp reduction of international oil prices. As of the last 12 months period (LTM) ended March 2016, ENAP recorded an EBITDA of USD731 million. As prices recover, refining margins are expected to stabilize and compress. Going forward, ENAP's normalized EBITDA is projected in the range of USD550 million to USD650 million, at least until 2018-2019, when investments in improving the refining capacity mix are expected to improve the company's cash flows. Current investments in E&P in Argentina and Magallanes, and in power generation in Chile are also expected to improve the company's EBITDA generation. --Improving Credit Metrics Although ENAP's financial performance has improved since 2013, leverage remains high for the rating category and Fitch does not foresee any room for deleverage for the next few years. For the LTM ended March 2016, leverage measured as debt to EBITDA was 5.2 times (x), decreasing from 6.3x as of year-end 2014 (YE14), with interest coverage ratio of 4.4x. EBITDA generation for 2015 reached historical highs mainly attributable to an improvement in refining margins offsetting the limited negative impact on E&P margins. The limited exposure that ENAP's E&P business segment has to international oil prices has strongly mitigated the impact of the collapse in prices. Only operations in Egypt (25% of the company's E&P production) are exposed to international prices. Additionally, the company hedges most of its exposure to crude oil price volatility between the moment the crude oil is bought and the time it is sold through time spread swaps and other hedging instruments, protecting the business' margins. Fitch expects the company will maintain high leverage for its rating category in the 6.0x-6.5x times assuming a normalized EBITDA of USD550 million-USD650 million. Fitch anticipates continued strong parent support, which could include the assumption of the USD400 million in 2017. Metrics are expected to improve over the mid-term. KEY ASSUMPTIONS Fitch's key assumptions within the rating case for the issuer include: --2016 consolidated capex of USD650 million; --USD400 million capital injection for 2016-2017; --Subsidies for gas consumption in the Magallanes Region remain in place; --Continuous state support. RATING SENSITIVITIES ENAP's ratings could be negatively affected by a downgrade of the Chilean Sovereign rating. In addition, any weakening of legal, operational and/or strategic ties with the government could put downward pressure on ENAP's ratings. A positive rating action is not envisioned due to the company's weak capital structure and financial profile for its rating category. LIQUIDITY ENAP's liquidity remains relatively weak, although it has showed an important improvement over the past two years, as the company refinanced a large portion of its short-term debt and improved its debt maturity profile. Cash on hand as of March 31, 2016, amounted to USD302.8 million, while short-term debt was USD543 million. ENAP's liquidity is reinforced by committed lines of credit for close to USD100 million. Financial maturities for the next three years (2016-2018) are manageable and range between USD280 million and USD410 million per year. In 2019, ENAP will face maturities for USD702 million, mainly bonds. The tender offer in combination with the proposed issuance will allow the company to refinance in advance upcoming maturities. Fitch does not see this as a major risk due to the company's proven access to the financial markets. Fitch expects access to local and international markets to remain strong and based on a strong government support. FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS Fitch currently rates ENP as follows: --Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) 'A'; --Senior unsecured notes USD 300 million due 2019 at 'A'; --Senior unsecured notes USD 500 million due 2020 at 'A'; --Senior unsecured notes USD 500 million due 2021 at 'A'; --Senior unsecured notes USD 600 million due 2024 at 'A'; --Senior unsecured notes CHF 215 million due 2018 at 'A'; --National Scale Long-Term Rating at 'AAA(cl)'; --Senior unsecured notes CLF 9.75 million due 2019 at 'AAA(cl)'; --Senior unsecured notes CLF 2 million due 2017 at 'AAA(cl)'; --Senior unsecured notes CLF 4 million due 2033 at 'AAA(cl)'; --Bond Program 303 at 'AAA(cl)'; --Bond Program 585 at 'AAA(cl)'; --Bond Program 823 at 'AAA(cl)'. Date of Relevant Rating Committee: Dec. 21, 2015. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com. Applicable Criteria Corporate Rating Methodology - Including Short-Term Ratings and Parent and Subsidiary Linkage (pub. 17 Aug 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=869362 Additional Disclosures Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1009841 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 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/20160802006417/en/ Fitch Ratings Primary Analyst Cinthya Ortega Director +1-312-606-2373 Fitch Ratings, Inc. 70 W. Madison St. Chicago, IL 60602 or Secondary Analyst Alejandra Fernandez Director +56 2 2499 3323 or Committee Chairperson Lucas Aristizabal Senior Director +1-312-368-3260 or Media Relations: Elizabeth Fogerty, +1 212-908-0526 [email protected] Source: Fitch Ratings HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) will host a conference call on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, to discuss the third quarter 2016 financial results. The call will begin at 8:00 AM Central Time (9:00 AM Eastern Time). The company will issue a press release regarding the 2016 third quarter earnings prior to the conference call. Halliburtons third quarter press release will be posted on the Halliburton website at www.halliburton.com. Please visit the website to listen to the call live via webcast. In addition, you may participate in the call by dialing (866) 854-3163 within North America or (973) 935-8679 outside North America. A passcode is not required. Attendees should log in to the webcast or dial in approximately 15 minutes prior to the calls start time. A replay of the conference call will be available on Halliburtons website for seven days following the call. Also, a replay may be accessed by telephone at (888) 266-2081 within North America or (703) 925-2533 outside of North America, using the passcode 1675143. Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With over 50,000 employees, representing 140 nationalities and operations in approximately 70 countries, the company serves the upstream oil and gas industry throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir - from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production through the life of the field. Visit the companys website at www.halliburton.com. Connect with Halliburton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006643/en/ Halliburton For Investors: Lance Loeffler, 281-871-2688 Halliburton, Investor Relations [email protected] or For Media: Emily Mir, 281-871-2601 Halliburton, Public Relations [email protected] Source: Halliburton DALLAS & FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mouser Electronics, Inc. today congratulates the recipients of its annual Mouser Best-in-Class Award. Mouser honored the winners at an August 1st awards ceremony, recognizing the exceptional individuals from Mousers manufacturer partners who best supported the global distributors marketing programs and new product introduction (NPI) launches by demonstrating best-in-class performance and collaboration. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006766/en/ Mouser Electronics awards its 2016 Best-in-Class recipients. Pictured on the back row from left are Glenn Smith, Catherine Cote, Adam Osmancevic, Julie Fajardo, Caroline Wells, Dee Fuller, and Jeff Newell. Front row from left are Neil Hutchinson and Mandar Deshpande. Not pictured: Jack Meyer. (Photo: Business Wire) Winners of the Mouser Best-in-Class Award are selected using five main criteria: Promoting product lines within Mouser, partnering strategically with the Mouser team, working together to launch new products, finding creative solutions to grow Mouser and manufacturer market share, and maximizing Mousers unique value proposition within their own businesses. At this years ceremony, Mouser introduced the new Presidents Award and recognized three recipients. The Presidents Award honors the extraordinary individuals from Mousers manufacturer partners who have won the Best-in-Class award five or more times, demonstrating consistent exemplary performance. Mouser would like to thank all of the devoted professionals who won the Best-in-Class Award this year, said Glenn Smith, Mouser Electronics President and CEO. Each of them has played an important role in helping us introduce and promote their companys products to our customers. This years winners were chosen from hundreds of business colleagues working across our base of outstanding suppliers. I would also like to recognize those individuals who have won our Best-in-Class Award five or more times by giving them our new Presidents Award. This is an amazing achievement as the pool of potential winners each year is very deep. Presidents Award recipients are:Cheryl Swaim, KEMETDoug Lippincott, PanasonicSteve Nye, Vishay Intertechnology Winners of the 2016 Mouser Best-in-Class Award are:Adam Osmancevic, LumiledsCaroline Wells, Omron ElectronicCatherine Cote, Cypress SemiconductorDee Fuller, AmphenolJack Meyer, MolexJulie Fajardo, TDK/LambdaMandar Deshpande, TE ConnectivityNeil Hutchinson, Murata To learn more about the awards and recipients, visit www.mouser.com/bestinclass. With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering Whats Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 22 global support locations and stocks the worlds widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics website is updated daily and searches more than 10 million products to locate over 4 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools. About Mouser Electronics Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 4 million products online from more than 600 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 500,000 customers in 170 countries from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com. Trademarks Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006766/en/ Mouser Electronics Further information, contact: Kevin Hess, 817-804-3833 Senior Vice President of Marketing [email protected] or For press inquiries, contact: Kelly DeGarmo, 817-804-7764 Manager, Corporate Communications and Media Relations [email protected] Source: Mouser Electronics, Inc. The office building of health insurer Anthem is seen in Los Angeles, California February 5, 2015. Connecticut and New York prosecutors reached out to No. 2 U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc on Thursday, a day after the firm said it was a victim of a cyberatt By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health insurer Anthem Inc (NYSE: ANTM), which is fighting the government to save its merger with rival Cigna Corp (NYSE: CI), asked a judge on Tuesday to decide on the deal by the end of the year and to split its case off from the government's challenge of a second merger of insurance companies. The Justice Department filed lawsuits on July 21 asking a federal court to stop Anthem's deal for Cigna as well as Aetna Inc's (NYSE: AET) planned acquisition of Humana Inc (NYSE: HUM). This means that a judge will decide if the deals can go forward. Anthem asked on Tuesday for its case to be tried separately from Aetna's deal for Humana, arguing that while all four companies are health insurers the Anthem deal is focused on commercial health insurance while Aetna's merger challenge is focused on Medicare Advantage. "There are no material efficiencies to be gained - and likely only confusion - from conducting the proceedings jointly," Anthem said in its filing on Tuesday. The company also asked the court to rule on its merger by the end of the year in order to have enough time to win approval from state insurance regulators, several of which suspended their reviews. "Anthem believes that the merger must close by April 30, 2017 or Cigna will declare that it is terminating the merger agreement the next day," Anthem said in its filing. Deciding the case will be Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Bates was named to the bench in 2001 by President George W. Bush, and handed the government a big defeat in a 2004 merger challenge when he allowed Arch Coal to buy Triton Coal Co. "He is a very favorable draw for the defendants in this case," said Stephen Weissman, who was on the team that won the Arch Coal case. "He's not antagonistic to the government, he's not. But he scrutinizes. He doesn't defer." Anthem has argued that its planned $45-billion purchase of Cigna will give it greater leverage to negotiate better prices from healthcare providers and pass those savings to consumers, including those signing up for "Obamacare" plans on public exchanges. The Justice Department, for its part, said the multibillion-dollar deals would reduce competition, raise prices for consumers and stifle innovation if the number of large, national insurers fell from five to three. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Bernard Orr) A fisherman repairs his boat overlooking fishing boats that fish in the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, at Masinloc, Zambales, in the Philippines April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Supreme Court said on Tuesday people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year, issuing a judicial interpretation defining those waters as including China's exclusive economic zones. An arbitration court in the Hague ruled last month that China had no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions in the sea, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case. None of China's reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the court decided. China's Supreme Court made no direct mention of the South China Sea or the Hague ruling, but said its judicial interpretation was made in accordance with both Chinese law and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the Philippines had brought its case. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," the Supreme Court said. "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties ... and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." Jurisdictional seas covered by the interpretation include contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, it said. People who illegally entered Chinese territorial waters and refused to leave after being driven out, or who re-entered after being driven away or being fined in the past year, would be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and could get up to a year in jail, the Supreme Court said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," it added. China's defense minister Chang Wanquan warned of offshore security threats, especially threats from the sea, and said China should prepare for a "people's war at sea" to safeguard national sovereignty, the official Xinhua news agency reported. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. China periodically detains fishermen, especially from the Philippines and Vietnam, and Chinese fishermen also occasionally get detained by other claimants in the South China Sea. Separately, China's military has inaugurated a memorial to servicemen who died in 1974 clashes with South Vietnamese forces that resulted in China cementing its rule over the Paracel Islands, the People's Liberation Army Daily said. The memorial, on Duncan Island, commemorates the 18 Chinese who died, the paper added. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sue-Lin Wong; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) People walk out of the headquarters building of Didi Chuxing in Beijing, China, May 18, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon BEIJING (Reuters) - A merger between Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and the China unit of U.S. rival Uber could face its first hiccup after China's commerce ministry (Mofcom) said on Tuesday it had not received a necessary application to allow the deal to go ahead. However, Didi said there was no need to seek regulatory approval, saying the two ride-hailing companies' lack of profits meant they weren't required to file with the ministry. Didi's acquisition of Uber's China operations, announced on Monday, will create a roughly $35 billion ride-hailing giant and could raise monopoly concerns as Didi claims an 87 percent market share in China. Uber China is the second largest player. Mofcom, one of China's anti-trust regulators, said at a news briefing that the two firms need to seek approval for the deal to go ahead. It had been unclear previously whether such a filing would be required as both firms are loss-making in China. "Mofcom has not currently received a merger filing related to the deal between Didi and Uber," ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said. "All transactors must apply to the ministry in advance. Those that haven't applied won't be able to carry out a merger" if they fall under applicable anti-trust and merger rules, he said. In an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday, Didi contested Shen's assertion that the firm is required to apply for approval. "We are in close communication with authorities," said Didi. "Some of the financial metrics of the transaction did not meet the filing requirements. UberChina and Didi are not profitable yet, and UberChina's turnover in 2015 didn't meet the 400 million yuan ($60.30 million) trigger requirement for the anti-trust process." Didi and Uber have been in a fierce battle in China, spending billions of dollars to subsidize rides and win users. Other players, however, could step up competition. Jia Yueting, head of LeEco, the parent of smaller ride-hailing rival Yidao, said in a social media post the firm would offer steep rebates to attract passengers to help avoid a monopoly in the market. "Yidao will soon kick off an even more aggressive cashback campaign," according to a translation of Jia's posting provided by a LeEco spokeswoman. Regulations released last week that take effect on Nov. 1 legitimize ride-hailing, but prohibit services from offering rides below cost. ($1 = 6.6336 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Jake Spring, Paul Carsten and Li Zimu, Norihiko Shirouzu and Beijing monitoring team; Editing by Ian Geoghegan and Adrian Croft) A well-wisher holds a picture of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital where he is residing, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's 88-year-old king, the world's longest reigning monarch, has been treated for a low fever and a "possible infection" in his blood, the palace said in a statement on Monday. The palace, in what it said was a monthly update on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's health, said a team of physicians also monitored the monarch last month for a build up of cerebrospinal fluid. News about the king's health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is deeply revered. The king has been treated for various ailments over the past year at Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital and was last seen in public on Jan. 11, when he spent several hours visiting his palace in the Thai capital. Anxiety over the king's health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included military takeovers and sometimes violent street demonstrations. "In the month of July 2016 a low fever was present," said the palace statement. "Blood tests showed a possible infection and physicians therefore had to administer antibiotics. After the treatment His Majesty's condition showed some improvement." In a June statement the palace said the monarch was being treated for "water on the brain", or hydrocephalus, a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain. "The medical team has continuously monitored the condition of the cerebrospinal fluid and found drainage of cerebrospinal fluid throughout the month of July to be satisfactory." News about the royal family is tightly controlled in Thailand, where laws protecting the royals from insult make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Editing by Mike Collett-White) By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday said a cache of exceptionally rare gold coins stolen from the U.S. Mint in the 1930s belongs to the U.S. government, not the Pennsylvania family that possessed it for decades. By a 9-3 vote, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said Joan Langbord and her sons Roy and David cannot keep the 10 "double eagle" 1933 $20 gold pieces, estimated to be worth several million dollars each. Monday's decision could end a decade-long battle that began after the Langbords, heirs to late Philadelphia jeweler Israel Switt, found the coins in a safe deposit box and asked the Mint to authenticate them, only to have them seized in 2004. "The Langbord family fully intends to seek review by the Supreme Court of the important issue of the unbridled power of the government to take and keep a citizen's property," its lawyer Barry Berke said. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen said: "This ruling properly establishes that the United States is the lawful owner of the 1933 Double Eagle gold coins." The coins were among 445,500 double eagles struck by the Philadelphia Mint, but never circulated as President Franklin Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard. Most were melted down but some were smuggled out, including one sold to Egypt's King Farouk and later in a 2002 auction for $7.6 million. The government said some coins were stolen by the Mint's cashier with help from Switt, the father of Joan Langbord. Though Switt was not charged, the government said the Langbords were "the family of a thief" and should not benefit. In July 2011, a jury said the government could keep the coins, and in August 2012 the trial judge agreed. But in April 2015, a three-judge appeals court panel ruled for the Langbords, saying the government missed a 90-day deadline after they formally claimed the coins to seek a forfeiture under the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act. In Monday's decision, however, Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman said that deadline did not apply, and the government was trying merely to repossess its own property. "A seizure alone does not initiate a forfeiture proceeding because it does not implicate a transfer of legal title," he wrote. The full appeals court also refused to grant a new trial, saying errors at the 2011 trial were harmless. Circuit Judge Marjorie Rendell, who wrote the April 2015 decision, dissented. She said the majority rendered CAFRA's protections "largely meaningless" by accepting the government's "say-so" that it owned the Double Eagles and had no intention of forfeiting them. The case is Langbord et al v. U.S. Department of the Treasury et al, 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 12-4574. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr) As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 2, 2016 Registration No. 333-212638 _____________________ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 _____________________ PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE FORM F-6 REGISTRATION STATEMENT under THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 For American Depositary Shares of MOTIF BIO PLC (Exact name of issuer of deposited securities as specified in its charter) N/A (Translation of issuer's name into English) THE UNITED KINGDOM (Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization of issuer) THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON (Exact name of depositary as specified in its charter) 225 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10286 (212) 495-1784 (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of depositary's principal executive offices) _______________________ The Bank of New York Mellon ADR Division 225 Liberty Street, 21st Floor New York, New York 10286 (212) 495-1784 (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) Copies to: Brian D. Obergfell, Esq. Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP 120 Broadway New York, New York 10271 (212) 238-3032 It is proposed that this filing become effective under Rule 466 [ ] immediately upon filing [ ] on (Date) at (Time). If a separate registration statement has been filed to register the deposited shares, check the following box. [X] CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a) may determine. The prospectus consists of the proposed Form of American Depositary Receipt included as Exhibit A to the Form of Deposit Agreement filed as Exhibit 1 to this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement which is incorporated herein by reference. PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS Item -1. Description of Securities to be Registered Cross Reference Sheet Item Number and Caption Location in Form of Receipt Filed Herewith as Prospectus 1. Name and address of depositary Introductory Article 2. Title of American Depositary Receipts and identity of deposited securities Face of Receipt, top center Terms of Deposit: (i) The amount of deposited securities represented by one unit of American Depositary Receipts Face of Receipt, upper right corner (ii) The procedure for voting, if any, the deposited securities Articles number 15, 16 and 18 (iii) The collection and distribution of dividends Articles number 4, 12, 14, 15, 18 and 21 (iv) The transmission of notices, reports and proxy soliciting material Articles number 11, 15, 16 and 18 (v) The sale or exercise of rights Articles number 13, 14, 15 and 18 (vi) The deposit or sale of securities resulting from dividends, splits or plans of reorganization Articles number 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 (vii) Amendment, extension or termination of the deposit agreement Articles number 20 and 21 (viii) Rights of holders of Receipts to inspect the transfer books of the depositary and the list of holders of Receipts Article number 11 (ix) Restrictions upon the right to deposit or withdraw the underlying securities Articles number 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 21 and 22 (x) Limitation upon the liability of the depositary Articles number 13, 18, 21 and 22 3. Fees and Charges Articles 7 and 8 Item - 2. Available Information Public reports furnished by issuer Article number 11 PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS Item - 3. Exhibits a. Form of Deposit Agreement dated as of ____________, 2016, among Motif Bio plc, The Bank of New York Mellon as Depositary, and all Owners and Holders from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder. - Filed herewith as Exhibit 1. b. Any other agreement to which the Depositary is a party relating to the issuance of the Depositary Shares registered hereby or the custody of the deposited securities represented. - Not Applicable. c. Every material contract relating to the deposited securities between the Depositary and the issuer of the deposited securities in effect at any time within the last three years. Not Applicable. d. Opinion of Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP, counsel for the Depositary, as to legality of the securities to be registered. Previously Filed. e. Certification under Rule 466. - Not Applicable. Item - 4. Undertakings (a) The Depositary hereby undertakes to make available at the principal office of the Depositary in the United States, for inspection by holders of the ADSs, any reports and communications received from the issuer of the deposited securities which are both (1) received by the Depositary as the holder of the deposited securities, and (2) made generally available to the holders of the underlying securities by the issuer. (b) If the amounts of fees charged are not disclosed in the prospectus, the Depositary undertakes to prepare a separate document stating the amount of any fee charged and describing the service for which it is charged and to deliver promptly a copy of such fee schedule without charge to anyone upon request. The Depositary undertakes to notify each registered holder of an ADS thirty days before any change in the fee schedule. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that all the requirements for filing on Form F-6 are met and has duly caused this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on August 2, 2016. Legal entity created by the agreement for the issuance of American Depositary Shares for ordinary shares of Motif Bio plc By: The Bank of New York Mellon, As Depositary By: /s/ Slawomir Soltowski Name: Slawomir Soltowski Title: Managing Director Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, Motif Bio plc has caused this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, New York, on August 2, 2016. Motif Bio plc By: /s/ Graham George Lumsden Name: Graham George Lumsden Title: Chief Executive Officer and Director Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on August 2, 2016. /s/ Graham George Lumsden Chief Executive Officer and Director Graham George Lumsden (principal executive officer) /s/ Pete Meyers Chief Financial Officer and authorized Pete Meyers representative in the United States (principal financial and accounting officer) * Chairman Richard Morgan * Director Charlotta Ginman-Horrell * Director Jonathan Gold * Director Zaki Hosny * Director Mary Lake Polan * Director Bruce Andrew Williams * Director Robert Bertoldi * By: /s/ Pete Meyers Name: Pete Meyers Attorney-in-fact AUTHORIZED U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MOTIF BIO PLC as Authorized U.S. Representative By: /s/ Pete Meyers Name: Pete Meyers Title: Chief Financial Officer INDEX TO EXHIBITS Exhibit Number Exhibit 1 Form of Deposit Agreement dated as of __________, 2016, among Motif Bio plc, The Bank of New York Mellon as Depositary, and all Owners and Holders from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder. =============================================================== MOTIF BIO PLC AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON As Depositary AND OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES Deposit Agreement Dated as of __________, 2016 =============================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS 1 SECTION 1.1. American Depositary Shares. 1 SECTION 1.2. Commission. 2 SECTION 1.3. Company. 2 SECTION 1.4. Custodian. 2 SECTION 1.5. Delisting Event. 2 SECTION 1.6. Deliver; Surrender. 2 SECTION 1.7. Deposit Agreement. 3 SECTION 1.8. Depositary; Depositarys Office. 3 SECTION 1.9. Deposited Securities. 3 SECTION 1.10. Disseminate. 4 SECTION 1.11. Dollars. 4 SECTION 1.12. DTC. 4 SECTION 1.13. Foreign Registrar. 4 SECTION 1.14. Holder. 4 SECTION 1.15. Insolvency Event. 4 SECTION 1.16. Owner. 5 SECTION 1.17. Receipts. 5 SECTION 1.18. Registrar. 5 SECTION 1.19. Replacement. 5 SECTION 1.20. Restricted Securities. 5 SECTION 1.21. Securities Act of 1933. 5 SECTION 1.22. Shares. 6 SECTION 1.23. SWIFT. 6 SECTION 1.24. Termination Option Event. 6 ARTICLE 2. FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES 6 SECTION 2.1. Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares. 6 SECTION 2.2. Deposit of Shares. 7 SECTION 2.3. Delivery of American Depositary Shares. 8 SECTION 2.4. Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares. 8 SECTION 2.5. Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. 9 SECTION 2.6. Limitations on Delivery, Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares. 10 SECTION 2.7. Lost Receipts, etc. 11 SECTION 2.8. Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts. 11 SECTION 2.9. Pre-Release of American Depositary Shares. 12 SECTION 2.10. DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System. 12 ARTICLE 3. CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES 13 SECTION 3.1. Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information. 13 SECTION 3.2. Liability of Owner for Taxes. 13 SECTION 3.3. Warranties on Deposit of Shares. 14 SECTION 3.4. Disclosure of Interests. 14 ARTICLE 4. THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES 14 SECTION 4.1. Cash Distributions. 14 SECTION 4.2. Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights. 15 SECTION 4.3. Distributions in Shares. 16 SECTION 4.4. Rights. 17 SECTION 4.5. Conversion of Foreign Currency. 18 SECTION 4.6. Fixing of Record Date. 19 SECTION 4.7. Voting of Deposited Shares. 20 SECTION 4.8. Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities. 20 SECTION 4.9. Reports. 22 SECTION 4.10. Lists of Owners. 22 SECTION 4.11. Withholding. 22 ARTICLE 5. THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY 23 SECTION 5.1. Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Depositary. 23 SECTION 5.2. Prevention or Delay in Performance by the Depositary or the Company. 23 SECTION 5.3. Obligations of the Depositary and the Company. 24 SECTION 5.4. Resignation and Removal of the Depositary. 25 SECTION 5.5. The Custodians. 26 SECTION 5.6. Notices and Reports. 26 SECTION 5.7. Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc. 27 SECTION 5.8. Indemnification. 27 SECTION 5.9. Charges of Depositary. 28 SECTION 5.10. Retention of Depositary Documents. 29 SECTION 5.11. Exclusivity. 29 ARTICLE 6. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION 29 SECTION 6.1. Amendment. 29 SECTION 6.2. Termination. 30 ARTICLE 7. MISCELLANEOUS 31 SECTION 7.1. Counterparts; Signatures. 31 SECTION 7.2. No Third Party Beneficiaries. 31 SECTION 7.3. Severability. 31 SECTION 7.4. Owners and Holders as Parties; Binding Effect. 32 SECTION 7.5. Notices. 32 SECTION 7.6. Appointment of Agent for Service of Process; Submission to Jurisdiction; Jury Trial Waiver. 33 SECTION 7.7. Waiver of Immunities. 34 SECTION 7.8. Governing Law. 34 DEPOSIT AGREEMENT DEPOSIT AGREEMENT dated as of __________, 2016 among MOTIF BIO PLC, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales (herein called the Company), THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation (herein called the Depositary), and all Owners and Holders (each as hereinafter defined) from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued hereunder. W I T N E S S E T H: WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide, as set forth in this Deposit Agreement, for the deposit of Shares (as hereinafter defined) of the Company from time to time with the Depositary or with the Custodian (as hereinafter defined) under this Deposit Agreement, for the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares so deposited and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts evidencing the American Depositary Shares; and WHEREAS, the American Depositary Receipts are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A annexed to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as set forth in this Deposit Agreement; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows: ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS The following definitions shall for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated, apply to the respective terms used in this Deposit Agreement: SECTION 1.1. American Depositary Shares. The term American Depositary Shares shall mean the securities created under this Deposit Agreement representing rights with respect to the Deposited Securities. American Depositary Shares may be certificated securities evidenced by Receipts or uncertificated securities. The form of Receipt annexed as Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement shall be the prospectus required under the Securities Act of 1933 for sales of both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares. Except for those provisions of this Deposit Agreement that refer specifically to Receipts, all the provisions of this Deposit Agreement shall apply to both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares. Each American Depositary Share shall represent the number of Shares specified in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, except that , if there is a distribution upon Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.3, a change in Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.8 with respect to which additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered or a sale of Deposited Securities under Section 3.2 or 4.8, each American Depositary Share shall thereafter represent the amount of Shares or other Deposited Securities that are then on deposit per American Depositary Share after giving effect to that distribution, change or sale. SECTION 1.2. Commission. The term Commission shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States or any successor governmental agency in the United States. SECTION 1.3. Company. The term Company shall mean Motif Bio plc, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, and its successors. SECTION 1.4. Custodian. The term Custodian shall mean The Bank of New York Mellon, as custodian for the Depositary in Manchester for the purposes of this Deposit Agreement, and any other firm or corporation the Depositary appoints under Section 5.5 as a substitute or additional custodian under this Deposit Agreement, and shall also mean all of them collectively. SECTION 1.5. Delisting Event. A Delisting Event occurs if the American Depositary Shares are delisted from a securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares were listed and the Company has not listed or applied to list the American Depositary Shares on any other securities exchange; except that a change in the segment of the securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares are listed shall not be deemed a Delisting Event. SECTION 1.6. Deliver; Surrender. (a) The term deliver , or its noun form, when used with respect to Shares or other Deposited Securities, shall mean (i) book-entry transfer of those Shares or other Deposited Securities to an account maintained by an institution authorized under applicable law to effect transfers of such securities designated by the person entitled to that delivery or (ii) physical transfer of certificates evidencing those Shares or other Deposited Securities registered in the name of, or duly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer to, the person entitled to that delivery. (b) The term deliver , or its noun form, when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) registration of those American Depositary Shares in the name of DTC or its nominee and book-entry transfer of those American Depositary Shares to an account at DTC designated by the person entitled to that delivery, (ii) registration of those American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt on the books of the Depositary in the name requested by the person entitled to that delivery and mailing to that person of a statement confirming that registration or (iii) if requested by the person entitled to that delivery, execution and delivery at the Depositarys Office to the person entitled to that delivery of one or more Receipts evidencing those American Depositary Shares registered in the name requested by that person. (c) The term surrender , when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) one or more book-entry transfers of American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of the Depositary, (ii) delivery to the Depositary at its Office of an instruction to surrender American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt or (iii) surrender to the Depositary at its Office of one or more Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares. SECTION 1.7. Deposit Agreement. The term Deposit Agreement shall mean this Deposit Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement. SECTION 1.8. Depositary; Depositarys Office. The term Depositary shall mean The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York banking corporation, and any successor as depositary under this Deposit Agreement. The term Office , when used with respect to the Depositary, shall mean the office at which its depositary receipts business is administered, which, at the date of this Deposit Agreement, is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. SECTION 1.9. Deposited Securities. The term Deposited Securities as of any time shall mean Shares at such time deposited or deemed to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, including without limitation, Shares that have not been successfully delivered upon surrender of American Depositary Shares, and any and all other securities, property and cash received by the Depositary or the Custodian in respect of Deposited Securities and at that time held under this Deposit Agreement. SECTION 1.10. Disseminate. The term Disseminate , when referring to a notice or other information to be sent by the Depositary to Owners, shall mean (i) sending that information to Owners in paper form by mail or another means or (ii) with the consent of Owners, another procedure that has the effect of making the information available to Owners, which may include (A) sending the information by electronic mail or electronic messaging or (B) sending in paper form or by electronic mail or messaging a statement that the information is available and may be accessed by the Owner on an Internet website and that it will be sent in paper form upon request by the Owner, when that information is so available and is sent in paper form as promptly as practicable upon request. SECTION 1.11. Dollars. The term Dollars shall mean United States dollars. SECTION 1.12. DTC. The term DTC shall mean The Depository Trust Company or its successor. SECTION 1.13. Foreign Registrar. The term Foreign Registrar shall mean the entity that carries out the duties of registrar for the Shares and any other agent of the Company for the transfer and registration of Shares, including, without limitation, any securities depository for the Shares. SECTION 1.14. Holder. The term Holder shall mean any person holding a Receipt or a security entitlement or other interest in American Depositary Shares, whether for its own account or for the account of another person, but that is not the Owner of that Receipt or those American Depositary Shares. SECTION 1.15. Insolvency Event. An Insolvency Event occurs if the Company institutes proceedings to be adjudicated as bankrupt or insolvent, consents to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, files a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any applicable law in respect of bankruptcy or insolvency, consents to the filing of any petition of that kind or to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian or sequestrator (or other similar official) of it or any substantial part of its property or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or if information becomes publicly available indicating that unsecured claims against the Company are not expected to be paid. SECTION 1.16. Owner. The term Owner shall mean the person in whose name American Depositary Shares are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for that purpose. SECTION 1.17. Receipts. The term Receipts shall mean the American Depositary Receipts issued under this Deposit Agreement evidencing certificated American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement. SECTION 1.18. Registrar. The term Registrar shall mean any corporation or other entity that is appointed by the Depositary to register American Depositary Shares and transfers of American Depositary Shares as provided in this Deposit Agreement. SECTION 1.19. Replacement. The term Replacement shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 4.8. SECTION 1.20. Restricted Securities. The term Restricted Securities shall mean Shares that (i) are restricted securities, as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, except for Shares that could be resold in reliance on Rule 144 without any conditions, (ii) are beneficially owned by an officer, director (or person performing similar functions) or other affiliate of the Company, (iii) otherwise would require registration under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the public offer and sale thereof in the United States or (iv) are subject to other restrictions on sale or deposit under the laws of England and Wales, a shareholder agreement or the articles of association or similar document of the Company. SECTION 1.21. Securities Act of 1933. The term Securities Act of 1933 shall mean the United States Securities Act of 1933, as from time to time amended. SECTION 1.22. Shares. The term Shares shall mean ordinary shares of the Company that are validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable and that were not issued in violation of any pre-emptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company; provided , however , that, if there shall occur any change in nominal or par value, a split-up or consolidation or any other reclassification or, upon the occurrence of an event described in Section 4.8, an exchange or conversion in respect of the Shares of the Company, the term Shares shall thereafter also mean the successor securities resulting from such change in nominal value, split-up or consolidation or such other reclassification or such exchange or conversion. SECTION 1.23. SWIFT. The term SWIFT shall mean the financial messaging network operated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or its successor. SECTION 1.24. Termination Option Event. The term Termination Option Event shall mean an event of a kind defined as such in Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.8. ARTICLE 2. FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES SECTION 2.1. Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares. Definitive Receipts shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as permitted under this Deposit Agreement. No Receipt shall be entitled to any benefits under this Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless that Receipt has been (i) executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary or (ii) executed by the facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary and countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar or a co-registrar. The Depositary shall maintain books on which (x) each Receipt so executed and delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and each transfer of that Receipt and (y) all American Depositary Shares delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and all registrations of transfer of American Depositary Shares, shall be registered. A Receipt bearing the facsimile signature of a person that was at any time a proper officer of the Depositary shall, subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, bind the Depositary, even if that person was not a proper officer of the Depositary on the date of issuance of that Receipt. The Receipts and statements confirming registration of American Depositary Shares may, following consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, have incorporated in or attached to them such legends or recitals or modifications not inconsistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement as may be required by the Depositary or required to comply with any applicable law or regulations thereunder or with the rules and regulations of any securities exchange upon which American Depositary Shares may be listed or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, or to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular Receipts and American Depositary Shares are subject by reason of the date of issuance of the underlying Deposited Securities or otherwise. American Depositary Shares evidenced by a Receipt, when the Receipt is properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, shall be transferable as certificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. The Depositary, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the Owner of American Depositary Shares as the absolute owner thereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in this Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes, and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Holder of American Depositary Shares (but only to the Owner of those American Depositary Shares). SECTION 2.2. Deposit of Shares. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, Shares or evidence of rights to receive Shares may be deposited under this Deposit Agreement by delivery thereof to any Custodian, accompanied by any appropriate instruments or instructions for transfer, or endorsement, in form satisfactory to the Custodian. As conditions of accepting Shares for deposit, the Depositary may require (i) any certification required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, (ii) a written order directing the Depositary to deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person or persons stated in that order American Depositary Shares representing those deposited Shares, (iii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that those Shares have been re-registered in the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar in the name of the Depositary, a Custodian or a nominee of the Depositary or a Custodian, (iv) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in each applicable jurisdiction and (v) an agreement or assignment, or other instrument satisfactory to the Depositary, that provides for the prompt transfer to the Custodian of any dividend, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property, that any person in whose name those Shares are or have been recorded may thereafter receive upon or in respect of those Shares, or, in lieu thereof, such agreement of indemnity or other agreement as shall be satisfactory to the Depositary. At the request and risk and expense of a person proposing to deposit Shares, and for the account of that person, the Depositary may receive certificates for Shares to be deposited, together with the other instruments specified in this Section, for the purpose of forwarding those Share certificates to the Custodian for deposit under this Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon each delivery to a Custodian of a certificate or certificates for Shares to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, together with the other documents specified in this Section, that Custodian shall, as soon as transfer and recordation can be accomplished, present that certificate or those certificates to the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, for transfer and recordation of the Shares being deposited in the name of the Depositary or its nominee or that Custodian or its nominee. Deposited Securities shall be held by the Depositary or by a Custodian for the account and to the order of the Depositary or at such other place or places as the Depositary shall determine. The Depositary shall, as soon as practicable, provide written notice to the Company if Deposited Securities will be held other than by the Depositary or a Custodian. The Depositary shall make reasonable efforts to comply with written instructions received from the Company not to knowingly accept for deposit under this Deposit Agreement any shares identified in those instructions at the times and the circumstances specified in those instructions, in order to facilitate the Companys compliance with the securities laws of the United States. SECTION 2.3. Delivery of American Depositary Shares. The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon receipt by that Custodian of any deposit pursuant to Section 2.2, together with the other documents or evidence required under that Section, that Custodian shall notify the Depositary of that deposit and the person or persons to whom or upon whose written order American Depositary Shares are deliverable in respect thereof. Upon receiving a notice of a deposit from a Custodian, or upon the receipt of Shares or evidence of the right to receive Shares by the Depositary, the Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall deliver, to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto, the number of American Depositary Shares issuable in respect of that deposit, but only upon payment to the Depositary of the fees and expenses of the Depositary for the delivery of those American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9, and of all taxes and governmental charges and fees payable in connection with that deposit and the transfer of the deposited Shares. However , the Depositary shall deliver only whole numbers of American Depositary Shares. SECTION 2.4. Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall register a transfer of American Depositary Shares on its transfer books upon (i) in the case of certificated American Depositary Shares, surrender of the Receipt evidencing those American Depositary Shares, by the Owner or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer or (ii) in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10), and, in either case, duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. Upon registration of a transfer, the Depositary shall, without unreasonable delay, deliver the transferred American Depositary Shares to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto. The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall upon surrender of a Receipt or Receipts for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination of such Receipt or Receipts, without unreasonable delay, execute and deliver a new Receipt or Receipts for any authorized number of American Depositary Shares requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered. The Depositary, upon surrender of certificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall, without unreasonable delay, cancel the Receipt evidencing those certificated American Depositary Shares and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall, without unreasonable delay, cancel those uncertificated American Depositary Shares and register and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary may appoint one or more co-transfer agents for the purpose of effecting registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and combinations and split-ups of Receipts at designated transfer offices on behalf of the Depositary. In carrying out its functions, a co-transfer agent may require evidence of authority and compliance with applicable laws and other requirements by Owners or persons entitled to American Depositary Shares and will be entitled to protection and indemnity to the same extent as the Depositary. SECTION 2.5. Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. Upon surrender at the Depositarys Office of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby and payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9 and payment of all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with that surrender and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall be entitled to delivery (to the extent delivery can then be lawfully and practicably made), to or as instructed by that Owner, of the amount of Deposited Securities at the time represented by those American Depositary Shares, but not any money or other property as to which a record date for distribution to Owners has passed (since money or other property of that kind will be delivered or paid on the scheduled payment date to the Owner as of that record date). That delivery shall be made, as provided in this Section, without unreasonable delay. As a condition of accepting a surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities, the Depositary may require (i) that each surrendered Receipt be properly endorsed in blank or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank and (ii) that the surrendering Owner execute and deliver to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be delivered to or upon the written order of a person or persons designated in that order. Thereupon, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to deliver, subject to Sections 2.6, 3.1 and 3.2, the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and local market rules and practices, to the surrendering Owner or to or upon the written order of the person or persons designated in the order delivered to the Depositary as above provided, the amount of Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares, and the Depositary may charge the surrendering Owner a fee and its expenses for giving that direction. At the request, risk and expense of an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares for withdrawal of Deposited Securities, and for the account of that Owner, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward any cash or other property comprising, and forward a certificate or certificates, if applicable, and other proper documents of title, if any, for, the Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares to the Depositary for delivery at the Depositarys Office or to another address specified in the order received from the surrendering Owner. SECTION 2.6. Limitations on Delivery, Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares. As a condition precedent to the delivery, registration of transfer or surrender of any American Depositary Shares or split-up or combination of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, Custodian or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of Shares or the presenter of the Receipt or instruction for registration of transfer or surrender of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees as provided in this Deposit Agreement, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, including, without limitation, this Section 2.6. The delivery of American Depositary Shares against deposit of Shares generally or against deposit of particular Shares may be suspended, or the registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of outstanding American Depositary Shares generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Depositary are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission, or under any provision of this Deposit Agreement, or for any other reason. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Deposit Agreement, the surrender of outstanding American Depositary Shares and withdrawal of Deposited Securities may not be suspended, subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing of the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders meeting, or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, and (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the American Depositary Shares or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities. The Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under this Deposit Agreement any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities. The Depositary shall notify the Company, as promptly as practicable, of any suspension or refusal under this Section that is outside the ordinary course of business. SECTION 2.7. Lost Receipts, etc. If a Receipt is mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen, the Depositary shall deliver to the Owner the American Depositary Shares evidenced by that Receipt in uncertificated form or, if requested by the Owner, execute and deliver a new Receipt of like tenor in exchange and substitution for such mutilated Receipt, upon surrender and cancellation of that mutilated Receipt, or in lieu of and in substitution for that destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt. However , before the Depositary will deliver American Depositary Shares in uncertificated form or execute and deliver a new Receipt, in substitution for a destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt, the Owner must (a) file with the Depositary (i) a request for that replacement before the Depositary has notice that the Receipt has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser and (ii) a sufficient indemnity bond and (b) satisfy any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Depositary. SECTION 2.8. Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts. The Depositary shall cancel all Receipts surrendered to it and is authorized to destroy Receipts so cancelled. SECTION 2.9. Pre-Release of American Depositary Shares. Notwithstanding Section 2.3, unless requested in writing by the Company to cease doing so, the Depositary may deliver American Depositary Shares prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 (a Pre-Release). The Depositary may, pursuant to Section 2.5, deliver Shares upon the surrender of American Depositary Shares that have been Pre-Released, whether or not that surrender is prior to the termination of that Pre-Release or the Depositary knows that those American Depositary Shares have been Pre-Released. The Depositary may receive American Depositary Shares in lieu of Shares in satisfaction of a Pre-Release. Each Pre-Release must be (a) preceded or accompanied by a written representation from the person to whom American Depositary Shares or Shares are to be delivered, that such person, or its customer, owns the Shares or American Depositary Shares to be remitted, as the case may be, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days notice, and (d) subject to all indemnities and credit regulations that the Depositary deems appropriate. The number of American Depositary Shares outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Release will not normally exceed thirty percent (30%) of all American Depositary Shares outstanding; provided , however , that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard that limit from time to time as it reasonably deems appropriate. The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in connection with Pre-Release. SECTION 2.10. DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.4, the parties acknowledge that DTCs Direct Registration System ( DRS ) and Profile Modification System ( Profile ) apply to the American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated securities and holding of security entitlements in those securities through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register that transfer. (b) In connection with DRS/Profile, the parties acknowledge that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting a registration of transfer and delivery as described in paragraph (a) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of that Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.3 and 5.8 apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS/Profile. The parties agree that the Depositarys reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile system and otherwise in accordance with this Deposit Agreement shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary. ARTICLE 3. CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES SECTION 3.1. Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information. Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Holder may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares, the distribution of any dividend or other distribution or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until that proof or other information is filed or those certificates are executed or those representations and warranties are made. The Depositary shall provide the Company, upon the Companys written request and at the Companys expense, as promptly as practicable, copies of any information or other materials which it receives pursuant to this Section 3.1, to the extent that such disclosure is permitted under applicable law. If requested by the Company, the Depositary will provide an estimate of the expense involved in complying with a request of this kind. SECTION 3.2. Liability of Owner for Taxes. If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable by the Custodian or the Depositary with respect to or in connection with any American Depositary Shares or any Deposited Securities represented by any American Depositary Shares or in connection with a transaction to which Section 4.8 applies, that tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner of those American Depositary Shares to the Depositary. The Depositary may refuse to register any transfer of those American Depositary Shares or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares until that payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions or the proceeds thereof, or may sell for the account of the Owner any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares and apply those dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds of any sale of that kind in payment of that tax or other governmental charge but , even after a sale of that kind, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall remain liable for any deficiency. The Depositary shall distribute any net proceeds of a sale made under this Section that are not used to pay taxes or governmental charges to the Owners entitled to them in accordance with Section 4.1. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a sale of Deposited Securities under this Section, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them. SECTION 3.3. Warranties on Deposit of Shares. Every person depositing Shares under this Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that those Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued and fully paid and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company and that the person making that deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every depositing person shall also be deemed to represent that the Shares, at the time of deposit, are not Restricted Securities. All representations and warranties deemed made under this Section shall survive the deposit of Shares and delivery of American Depositary Shares. SECTION 3.4. Disclosure of Interests. When required in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, the Company may from time to time request each Owner and Holder to provide to the Depositary information relating to: (a) the capacity in which it holds American Depositary Shares, (b) the identity of any Holders or other persons or entities then or previously interested in those American Depositary Shares and the nature of those interests and (c) any other matter where disclosure of such matter is required for that compliance. Each Owner and Holder agrees to provide all information known to it in response to a request made pursuant to this Section within the specified time limits. Each Holder consents to the disclosure by the Owner or any other Holder through which it holds American Depositary Shares, directly or indirectly, of all information responsive to a request made pursuant to this Section relating to that Holder that is known to that Owner or other Holder. The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts, at the Company's expense, to comply with written instructions requesting that the Depositary forward any request authorized under this Section to the Owners and to forward to the Company any responses it receives in response to that request. If the Company notifies the Depositary that it restricts rights to vote or transfer Deposited Securities with respect to which a disclosure request of the kind referred to in this Section 3.4 has not been complied with, the Depositary shall use reasonable efforts to follow instructions it receives from the Company to give effect to those restrictions to the extent practicable. ARTICLE 4. THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES SECTION 4.1. Cash Distributions. Whenever the Depositary receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall, subject to the provisions of Section 4.5, convert that dividend or other distribution into Dollars and distribute, as promptly as practicable, the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively; provided , however , that if the Custodian or the Depositary shall be required to withhold and does withhold from that cash dividend or other cash distribution an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. However , the Depositary will not pay any Owner a fraction of one cent, but will round each Owners entitlement to the nearest whole cent. The Company or its agent will remit to the appropriate governmental agency in each applicable jurisdiction all amounts withheld and owing to such agency. The Depositary will forward to the Company or its agent such information from its records as the Company may reasonably request to enable the Company or its agent to file necessary reports with governmental agencies and regulatory bodies of any applicable jurisdiction. Each Owner and Holder agrees to indemnify the Company, the Depositary, the Custodian and their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against, any claim by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced withholding at source or other tax benefit received by it. If a cash distribution would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that cash distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event . SECTION 4.2. Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.11 and 5.9, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 on Deposited Securities (but not in exchange for or in conversion or in lieu of Deposited Securities), the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable, cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary and any taxes or other governmental charges, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively, in any manner that the Depositary deems equitable and practicable for accomplishing that distribution (which may be a distribution of depositary shares representing the securities received); provided , however , that if in the reasonable opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners entitled thereto, or if for any other reason (including, but not limited to, any requirement that the Company or the Depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges or that securities received must be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be distributed to Owners or Holders) the Depositary deems such distribution not to be lawful and feasible, the Depositary may adopt, following consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, such other method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and distribution of the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.1. The Depositary may withhold any distribution of securities under this Section 4.2 if it has not received reasonably satisfactory assurances from the Company that the distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of securities or other property it would otherwise distribute under this Section 4.2 that is sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution. If a distribution under this Section 4.2 would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event . SECTION 4.3. Distributions in Shares. Whenever the Depositary receives any distribution on Deposited Securities consisting of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may, and shall if the Company so requests in writing, deliver to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively, an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as that dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and issuance of American Depositary Shares, including withholding of any tax or governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 and payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 (and the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of the Shares received (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution). In lieu of delivering fractional American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of those fractions (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.1. If and to the extent that additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered and Shares or American Depositary Shares are not sold, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed on the Deposited Securities represented thereby. If the Company declares a distribution in which holders of Deposited Securities have a right to elect whether to receive cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of those things, or a right to elect to have a distribution sold on their behalf, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company, make that right of election available for exercise by Owners in any manner the Depositary considers to be lawful and practical. As a condition of making a distribution election right available to Owners, the Depositary may require reasonably satisfactory assurances from the Company that doing so does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act of 1933. SECTION 4.4. Rights. (a) If rights are granted to the Depositary in respect of deposited Shares to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Company and the Depositary shall endeavor to consult as to the actions, if any, the Depositary should take in connection with that grant of rights. The Depositary may, to the extent deemed by it to be lawful and practical (i) if requested in writing by the Company, grant to all or certain Owners rights to instruct the Depositary to purchase the securities to which the rights relate and deliver those securities or American Depositary Shares representing those securities to Owners, (ii) if requested in writing by the Company, deliver the rights to or to the order of certain Owners, or (iii) sell the rights to the extent practicable and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to Owners entitled to those proceeds. To the extent rights are not exercised, delivered or disposed of under (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Depositary shall permit the rights to lapse unexercised. (b) If the Depositary will act under (a)(i) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon instruction from an applicable Owner in the form the Depositary specified and upon payment by that Owner to the Depositary of an amount equal to the purchase price of the securities to be received upon the exercise of the rights, the Depositary shall, on behalf of that Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the securities. The purchased securities shall be delivered to, or as instructed by, the Depositary. The Depositary shall (i) deposit the purchased Shares under this Deposit Agreement and deliver American Depositary Shares representing those Shares to that Owner or (ii) deliver or cause the purchased Shares or other securities to be delivered to or to the order of that Owner. The Depositary will not act under (a)(i) above unless the offer and sale of the securities to which the rights relate are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Depositary has received an opinion of United States counsel that is reasonably satisfactory to it to the effect that those securities may be sold and delivered to the applicable Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933. (c) If the Depositary will act under (a)(ii) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon (i) the request of an applicable Owner to deliver the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of that Owner to an account specified by that Owner to which the rights can be delivered and (ii) receipt of such documents as the Company and the Depositary agreed to require to comply with applicable law, the Depositary will deliver those rights as requested by that Owner. (d) If the Depositary will act under (a)(iii) above, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the applicable Owners and pay the net proceeds to the Owners otherwise entitled to the rights that were sold, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise. (e) Payment or deduction of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and payment or deduction of the expenses of the Depositary and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges shall be conditions of any delivery of securities or payment of cash proceeds under this Section 4.4. (f) The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make rights available to or exercise rights on behalf of Owners in general or any Owner in particular, or to sell rights. SECTION 4.5. Conversion of Foreign Currency. Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable, convert or cause to be converted by sale or in any other manner that it may determine that foreign currency into Dollars, and those Dollars shall be distributed, as promptly as practicable, to the Owners entitled thereto. A cash distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners based on exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9. If a conversion of foreign currency or the repatriation or distribution of Dollars can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary may, but will not be required to, file an application for that approval or license. If the Depositary determines that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof that is required for such conversion is not filed or sought by the Depositary, or is denied or, in the reasonable opinion of the Depositary, is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same. If any conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make that conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent practicable and permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold that balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the account of, the Owners entitled thereto. The Depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates and, in those cases, acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under this Deposit Agreement and the rate that the Depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The Depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained in any currency conversion under this Deposit Agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, subject to the Depositarys obligations under Section 5.3. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions is available upon request. SECTION 4.6. Fixing of Record Date. Whenever a cash dividend, cash distribution or any other distribution is made on Deposited Securities or rights to purchase Shares or other securities are issued with respect to Deposited Securities (which rights will be delivered to or exercised or sold on behalf of Owners in accordance with Section 4.4) or the Depositary receives notice that a distribution or issuance of that kind will be made, or whenever the Depositary receives notice that a meeting of holders of Shares will be held in respect of which the Company has requested the Depositary to send a notice under Section 4.7, or whenever the Depositary will assess a fee or charge against the Owners, or whenever the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary otherwise finds it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same as, or as near as practicable to, any corresponding record date set by the Company with respect to Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners (i) who shall be entitled to receive the benefit of that dividend or other distribution or those rights, (ii) who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at that meeting or (iii) who shall be responsible for that fee or charge or (iv) for any other purpose for which the record date was set, or (b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.1 through 4.5 and to the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owners on a record date fixed by the Depositary shall be entitled to receive the amount distributable by the Depositary with respect to that dividend or other distribution or those rights or the net proceeds of sale thereof in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively, to give voting instructions or to act in respect of the other matter for which that record date was fixed, or be responsible for that fee or charge, as the case may be. SECTION 4.7. Voting of Deposited Shares. (a) Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares at which holders of Shares will be entitled to vote, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, Disseminate to the Owners a notice, the form of which shall be in the sole discretion of the Depositary, that shall contain (i) the information contained in the notice of meeting received by the Depositary from the Company, (ii) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of the laws of the England and Wales and of the articles of association or similar documents of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of Shares represented by their respective American Depositary Shares (iii) a statement as to the manner in which those instructions may be given and (iv) the last date on which the Depositary will accept instructions (the Instruction Cutoff Date ). (b) Upon the written request of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, as of the date of the request or, if a record date was specified by the Depositary, as of that record date, received on or before any Instruction Cutoff Date established by the Depositary, the Depositary may, and if the Depositary sent a notice under the preceding paragraph shall, endeavor, in so far as practicable, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of deposited Shares represented by those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the instructions set forth in that request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the deposited Shares other than in accordance with instructions given by Owners and received by the Depositary. (c) There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in paragraph (a) above in time to enable Owners to give instructions to the Depositary prior to the Instruction Cutoff Date. (d) In order to give Owners a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Shares, if the Company will request the Depositary to Disseminate a notice under paragraph (a) above, the Company shall give the Depositary notice of the meeting, details concerning the matters to be voted upon and copies of materials to be made available to holders of Shares in connection with the meeting not less than 30 days prior to the meeting date. SECTION 4.8. Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities. (a) The Depositary shall not tender any Deposited Securities in response to any voluntary cash tender offer, exchange offer or similar offer made to holders of Deposited Securities (a Voluntary Offer ), except when instructed in writing to do so by an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares and subject to any conditions or procedures the Depositary may require. (b) If the Depositary receives a written notice that Deposited Securities have been redeemed for cash or otherwise purchased for cash in a transaction that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of those Deposited Securities (a Redemption ), the Depositary, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Depositary and the Company), shall (i) if required, surrender Deposited Securities that have been redeemed to the issuer of those securities or its agent on the redemption date, (ii) Disseminate a notice to Owners (A) notifying them of that Redemption, (B) calling for surrender of a corresponding number of American Depositary Shares and (C) notifying them that the called American Depositary Shares have been converted into a right only to receive the money received by the Depositary upon that Redemption and those net proceeds shall be the Deposited Securities to which Owners of those converted American Depositary Shares shall be entitled upon surrenders of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 or 6.2 and (iii) distribute the money received upon that Redemption to the Owners entitled to it upon surrender by them of called American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 (and, for the avoidance of doubt, Owners shall not be entitled to receive that money under Section 4.1). If the Redemption affects less than all the Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall call for surrender a corresponding portion of the outstanding American Depositary Shares and only those American Depositary Shares will automatically be converted into a right to receive the net proceeds of the Redemption. The Depositary shall allocate the American Depositary Shares converted under the preceding sentence among the Owners pro-rata to their respective holdings of American Depositary Shares immediately prior to the Redemption, except that the allocations may be adjusted so that no fraction of a converted American Depositary Share is allocated to any Owner. A Redemption of all or substantially all of the Deposited Securities shall be a Termination Option Event . (c) If the Depositary is notified of or there occurs any change in nominal value or any subdivision, combination or any other reclassification of the Deposited Securities or any recapitalization, reorganization, sale of assets substantially as an entirety, merger or consolidation affecting the issuer of the Deposited Securities or to which it is a party that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of Deposited Securities and, as a result, securities or other property have been or will be delivered in exchange, conversion, replacement or in lieu of, Deposited Securities (a Replacement ), the Depositary shall, if required, surrender the old Deposited Securities affected by that Replacement of Shares and hold, as new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement, the new securities or other property delivered to it in that Replacement. However , the Depositary may elect to sell those new Deposited Securities if in the reasonable opinion of the Depositary it is not lawful or not practical for it to hold those new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement because those new Deposited Securities may not be distributed to Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or for any other reason, at public or private sale, at such places and on such terms as it deems proper and proceed as if those new Deposited Securities had been Redeemed under paragraph (b) above. A Replacement shall be a Termination Option Event . (d) In the case of a Replacement where the new Deposited Securities will continue to be held under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing the new Deposited Securities and the number of those new Deposited Securities represented by each American Depositary Share. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a Replacement, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them. (e) If there are no Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares, including if the Deposited Securities are cancelled, or the Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares have become apparently worthless, a Termination Option Event occurs and the Depositary may call for surrender of those American Depositary Shares or may cancel those American Depositary Shares, upon notice to Owners. SECTION 4.9. Reports. The Depositary shall make available for inspection by Owners at its Office any reports and communications, including any proxy solicitation material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of those Deposited Securities by the Company. The Company shall furnish reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material to which this Section applies, to the Depositary in English, to the extent those materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission. SECTION 4.10. Lists of Owners. Upon written request by the Company, the Depositary shall, at the expense of the Company, furnish to it a list, as of a recent date, of the names, addresses and American Depositary Share holdings of all Owners. SECTION 4.11. Withholding. If the Depositary determines that any distribution received or to be made by the Depositary (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge that the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, all or a portion of the distributed property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in the amounts and manner the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay those taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of that sale, after deduction of those taxes or charges, to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively. ARTICLE 5. THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY SECTION 5.1. Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Depositary. Until termination of this Deposit Agreement in accordance with its terms, the Depositary shall maintain facilities for the execution and delivery, registration, registration of transfers and surrender of American Depositary Shares in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall keep books for the registration of American Depositary Shares, which shall be open for inspection by the Owners at the Depositarys Office during regular business hours, provided that such inspection is not for the purpose of communicating with Owners in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or a matter related to this Deposit Agreement or the American Depositary Shares. The Depositary may close the transfer books, at any time or from time to time, when deemed expedient by it in connection with the performance of its duties under this Deposit Agreement or at the written request of the Company. If any American Depositary Shares are listed on one or more stock exchanges, the Depositary shall act as Registrar or appoint a Registrar or one or more co-registrars for registry of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with any requirements of that exchange or those exchanges. SECTION 5.2. Prevention or Delay in Performance by the Depositary or the Company. Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Holder (i) if by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any other country, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the articles of association or similar document of the Company, or by reason of any provision of any securities issued or distributed by the Company, or any offering or distribution thereof, or by reason of any act of God or war or terrorism or other circumstances beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company is prevented from, forbidden to or delayed in, or could be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing and therefore does not do or perform, any act or thing that, by the terms of this Deposit Agreement or the Deposited Securities, it is provided shall be done or performed, (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in this Deposit Agreement (including any determination by the Depositary to take, or not take, any action that this Deposit Agreement provides the Depositary may take), (iii) for the inability of any Owner or Holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of this Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or Holders, or (iv) for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of this Deposit Agreement. Where, by the terms of a distribution to which Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 applies, or an offering to which Section 4.4 applies, or for any other reason, that distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners, and the Depositary may not dispose of that distribution or offering on behalf of Owners and make the net proceeds available to Owners, then the Depositary shall not make that distribution or offering available to Owners, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse. SECTION 5.3. Obligations of the Depositary and the Company. The Company assumes no obligation nor shall it be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder, except that the Company agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. The Depositary assumes no obligation nor shall it be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder (including, without limitation, liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities), except that the Depositary agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the American Depositary Shares on behalf of any Owner or Holder or any other person. Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in relying upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be liable for any action or non-action by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary. The Depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system in connection with or arising out of book-entry settlement of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or otherwise. In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote. The Depositary shall have no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to the tax status of the Company or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Owners or Holders as a result of owning or holding American Depositary Shares. No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provision of this Deposit Agreement. SECTION 5.4. Resignation and Removal of the Depositary. The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary hereunder by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, to become effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of that appointment as provided in this Section. The effect of resignation if a successor depositary is not appointed is provided for in Section 6.2. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 90 days prior written notice of that removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 90th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary and (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment as provided in this Section. If the Depositary resigns or is removed, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York. Every successor depositary shall execute and deliver to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment under this Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary receives notice from the Company that a successor depositary has been appointed following its resignation or removal, the Depositary, upon payment of all sums due it from the Company, shall deliver to its successor a register listing all the Owners and their respective holdings of outstanding American Depositary Shares and shall deliver the Deposited Securities to or to the order of its successor. When the Depositary has taken the actions specified in the preceding sentence (i) the successor shall become the Depositary and shall have all the rights and shall assume all the duties of the Depositary under this Deposit Agreement and (ii) the predecessor depositary shall cease to be the Depositary and shall be discharged and released from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement, except for its duties under Section 5.8 with respect to the time before that discharge. A successor Depositary shall notify the Owners of its appointment as soon as practical after assuming the duties of Depositary. Any corporation or other entity into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act. SECTION 5.5. The Custodians. The Custodian shall be subject at all times and in all respects to the directions of the Depositary and shall be responsible solely to it. The Depositary in its discretion may at any time appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be one of the Custodians under this Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary receives notice that a Custodian is resigning and, upon the effectiveness of that resignation there would be no Custodian acting under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable after receiving that notice, appoint a substitute custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be a Custodian under this Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall require any Custodian that resigns or is removed to deliver all Deposited Securities held by it to another Custodian. SECTION 5.6. Notices and Reports. On or before the first date on which the Company gives notice, by publication or otherwise, of any meeting of holders of Shares, or of any adjourned meeting of those holders, or of the taking of any action in respect of any cash or other distributions or the granting of any rights, the Company agrees to transmit to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the notice thereof in English but otherwise in the form given or to be given to holders of Shares. The Company will arrange for the translation into English, if not already in English, to the extent required pursuant to any regulations of the Commission, and the prompt transmittal by the Company to the Depositary and the Custodian of all notices and any other reports and communications which are made generally available by the Company to holders of its Shares. If requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary will Disseminate, as promptly as practicable, at the Companys expense, those notices, reports and communications to all Owners or otherwise make them available to Owners in a manner that the Company specifies as substantially equivalent to the manner in which those communications are made available to holders of Shares and compliant with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares are listed. The Company will timely provide the Depositary with the quantity of such notices, reports, and communications, as requested by the Depositary from time to time, in order for the Depositary to effect that Dissemination. The Company represents that as of the date of this Deposit Agreement, the statements in Article 11 of the Receipt with respect to the Companys obligation to file periodic reports under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are true and correct. The Company agrees to promptly notify the Depositary upon becoming aware of any change in the truth of any of those statements. SECTION 5.7. Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc. If the Company or any affiliate of the Company determines to make any issuance or distribution of (1) additional Shares, (2) rights to subscribe for Shares, (3) securities convertible into Shares, or (4) rights to subscribe for such securities (each a Distribution ), the Company shall notify the Depositary in writing in English as promptly as practicable and in any event before the Distribution starts and, if requested in writing by the Depositary, the Company shall promptly furnish to the Depositary either (i) evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary that the Distribution is registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or (ii) a written opinion from U.S. counsel for the Company that is reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary, stating that the Distribution does not require, or, if made in the United States, would not require, registration under the Securities Act of 1933. Nothing in this Section 5.7 or elsewhere in this Deposit Agreement shall create any obligation of the Company or the Depositary to file a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 in respect of any securities or rights. The Company agrees with the Depositary that neither the Company nor any company controlled by, controlling or under common control with the Company will at any time deposit any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities. SECTION 5.8. Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and each Custodian against, and hold each of them harmless from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to any fees and expenses incurred in seeking, enforcing or collecting such indemnity and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) that may arise out of or in connection with (a) any registration with the Commission of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or the offer or sale thereof in the United States or (b) acts performed or omitted, pursuant to the provisions of or in connection with this Deposit Agreement and the American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (i) by either the Depositary or a Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates, except for any liability or expense arising out of the negligence or bad faith of either of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, employees, agents and affiliates. The Depositary agrees to indemnify the Company, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and hold them harmless from any liability or expense (including, but not limited to any fees and expenses incurred in seeking, enforcing or collecting such indemnity and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) that may arise out of acts performed or omitted by the Depositary or any Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates due to their negligence or bad faith. SECTION 5.9. Charges of Depositary. Except to the extent the Company is a depositor of Shares or an Owner, the Company will not be responsible for any of the fees set out in the following paragraph. The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering American Depositary Shares or to whom American Depositary Shares are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or a delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 4.3), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable (including SWIFT) and facsimile transmission fees and expenses as are expressly provided in this Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5, (5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3 or 4.4 and the surrender of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.5 or 6.2, (6) a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to this Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1 through 4.4 and Section 4.8, (7) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.2 or of rights pursuant to Section 4.4 (where the Depositary will not exercise or sell those rights on behalf of Owners), such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities under this Deposit Agreement (for purposes of this item 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners, (8) in addition to any fee charged under item 6 above, a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) per annum for depositary services, which will be payable as provided in item 9 below, and (9) any other charges payable by the Depositary or the Custodian, any of the Depositary's or Custodians agents or the agents of the Depositary's or Custodians agents, in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charges shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing those Owners for those charges or by deducting those charges from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions). The Depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable, or by selling a portion of any securities to be distributed, to Owners that are obligated to pay those fees. In performing its duties under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the Depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions. The Depositary, subject to Section 2.9, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in American Depositary Shares. SECTION 5.10. Retention of Depositary Documents. The Depositary is authorized to destroy those documents, records, bills and other data compiled during the term of this Deposit Agreement at the times permitted by the laws or regulations governing the Depositary. SECTION 5.11. Exclusivity. Without prejudice to the Companys rights under Section 5.4, the Company agrees not to appoint any other depositary for issuance of depositary shares, depositary receipts or any similar securities or instruments so long as The Bank of New York Mellon is acting as Depositary under this Deposit Agreement. ARTICLE 6. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION SECTION 6.1. Amendment. The form of the Receipts and any provisions of this Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by written agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners or Holders in any respect that they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment that would impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or that would otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding American Depositary Shares until the expiration of 30 days after notice of that amendment has been Disseminated to the Owners of outstanding American Depositary Shares. Every Owner and Holder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, shall be deemed, by continuing to hold American Depositary Shares or any interest therein, to consent and agree to that amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. Upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the form of Receipt, including a change in the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share, the Depositary may call for surrender of Receipts to be replaced with new Receipts in the amended form or call for surrender of American Depositary Shares to effect that change of ratio. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner to surrender American Depositary Shares and receive delivery of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law. SECTION 6.2. Termination. (a) The Company may initiate termination of this Deposit Agreement by notice to the Depositary. The Depositary may initiate termination of this Deposit Agreement if (i) at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary delivered to the Company a written resignation notice and a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4, (ii) an Insolvency Event or Delisting Event occurs with respect to the Company or (iii) a Termination Option Event has occurred. If termination of this Deposit Agreement is initiated, the Depositary shall Disseminate a notice of termination to the Owners of all American Depositary Shares then outstanding setting a date for termination (the Termination Date ), which shall be at least 90 days after the date of that notice, and this Deposit Agreement shall terminate on that Termination Date. (b) After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9. (c) At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under this Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it hereunder, unsegregated and without liability fo *** Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced an agreement to sell Network Power to Platinum Equity and a group of co-investors. The transaction is valued at $4 billion and Emerson will retain a subordinated interest in Network Power. The sale of Network Power is expected to close by December 31, 2016, subject to customary regulatory approvals. This agreement marks a major milestone in the strategic portfolio repositioning we announced last June, said David N. Farr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emerson. By selling Network Power to Platinum Equity, we have achieved a successful result for our shareholders as part of our plan to streamline Emerson to create a more focused company with significant opportunities for growth and profitability in our core served markets. We believe Network Power has a bright future ahead and Platinum Equity is well-positioned to help the company continue to thrive and realize its full potential. With revenue of approximately $4.4 billion in fiscal 2015, Network Power, based in Columbus, Ohio is a leading provider of thermal management, A/C and D/C power, transfer switches, services and information management systems for the data center and telecommunications industries. "I'm very proud of the relationship and mutual trust that the Emerson and Platinum Equity teams have built with one another," said Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores. "Emerson is a world class company that we know shares our commitment to creating value, and this is an important investment in a business that will be a cornerstone in our portfolio. It plays to our core strengths. In addition to our capital resources, we will deploy our global operations skills to build on the foundation Emerson created and take this business to another level. The proposed sale marks Emersons second divestiture to Platinum Equity in the last three years. In November 2013 Emerson sold a 51 percent controlling stake in its embedded computing and power business, which Platinum Equity rebranded Artesyn Embedded Technologies. "Emerson has been a great long-term partner and we are pleased to collaborate again, said Platinum Equity Partner Jacob Kotzubei. We have worked extensively with Emerson to customize a divestiture solution for Network Power that is beneficial for all sides and aligns with the long-term strategic goals of the business. Network Power is recognized as a global leader in infrastructure technologies and we are confident that working together with management we can further extend that position as a standalone company. Network Power will continue to be led by Scott Barbour, who has been Executive Vice President of Emerson and Business Leader for Network Power. Barbour added, We firmly believe Platinum Equity is an ideal partner as we continue to drive efficiency in our operations and invest to bring innovative products and services to our customers. The work weve done at Network Power in recent years ensures we are well prepared for an ownership transition and have the right foundation in place to be successful. Please see our Form 8-K filed on August 2, 2016 for additional information regarding this transaction. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Centerview Partners LLC served as financial advisors to Emerson and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP served as legal advisor. *** Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced they have entered into separate agreements to sell certain of their respective Medicare Advantage assets to Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) for a total estimated $117 million in cash for both transactions, based on the estimated number of members in the plans involved in the transactions. The transactions are subject to the successful completion of Aetnas proposed acquisition of Humana, CMS approvals and actions, and customary closing conditions, including state and other regulatory approvals. As a result of the transactions, Molina is expected to gain approximately 290,000 Medicare Advantage members in 21 states, preserving robust competition for seniors choosing to receive Medicare coverage through Medicare Advantage plans and addressing a key concern of the U.S. Department of Justice in its challenge to the Aetna-Humana transaction. Our agreements with Molina promote competition within the large, diverse and highly regulated Medicare industry, and ensure that seniors continue to have an abundance of options when they decide how to receive Medicare coverage, said Mark T. Bertolini, Aetna chairman and CEO, and Bruce Broussard, Humana president and CEO. We believe that these divestitures taken together would address the Department of Justices perceived competitive concerns regarding Medicare Advantage. We are confident in Molinas ability to deliver continued access to quality care for our members in these areas. On the Aetna-Humana combination, Bertolini and Broussard commented, We look forward to making our position clear in court, where the facts will show that our combination will result in a broader choice of products, access to higher quality and more affordable care, and a better overall experience for consumers. The Medicare Advantage plans involved in the transactions include certain Aetna Medicare Advantage plans in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, and certain Humana plans in Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah. Aetna and Humana expect to continue administering their respective plans involved in the transaction for a transition period following the closing to provide consistency for Medicare beneficiaries involved. The companies remain committed to vigorously defending their pending transaction against a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to block it. Aetna and Humana remain confident that their transaction is in the best interest of consumers, particularly seniors who elect to seek Medicare coverage through affordable, high-quality Medicare Advantage plans. For more information on the competitive dynamics of traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, visit http://www.aetnaandhumana.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Medicare_MA_Competitive7.21.16.pdf For more information on the overall benefits of a combined Aetna-Humana, visit http://www.aetnaandhumana.com/why-were-combining/building-a-healthier-world/. *** salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) announced entering an agreement to acquire word processing app Quip for a reported $750 million. For more color, click here. *** New York REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NYRT) and The JBG Companies ("JBG") announced that they have mutually agreed to terminate their previously announced master combination agreement, effective immediately and agreed to release each other from any further obligations under such agreement. Randolph C. Read, Chairman of the Board of NYRT commented, "After extensive discussions with our stockholders, the NYRT Board of Directors determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to terminate the combination agreement effective immediately. We respect the views of our stockholders and are committed to acting in their best interest. The Board is taking action to realize the value inherent in our business." Matt Kelly, Managing Partner of JBG commented, "While both parties in this transaction believed that the JBG-NYRT combination represented a clear path to maximizing long-term value for NYRT stockholders, investors were clear in their preference for a liquidation to generate near-term cash. Because we were unable to modify the transaction to the degree that would likely have gained shareholder approval, we decided it was more expedient to simply terminate the agreement rather than proceed with a shareholder vote. Our agreement to terminate will now permit the NYRT board to proceed with the asset sale plan its shareholders desire and will enable JBG to return to investing through its private fund management business." NYRT also announced today that, following the termination of the master combination agreement with JBG, NYRT's Board of Directors has determined, after extensive and careful consideration of strategic alternatives available to the Company, that it is in the best interests of NYRT and its stockholders to adopt a plan of selling individual assets (the "Asset Sale Plan"). Under the Asset Sale Plan, the net proceeds from such asset sales would be distributed to the Company's stockholders, subject to complying with the Company's existing credit facility, Maryland law, and any other obligations required of the Company. The NYRT Board also instructed management of the Company to seek a new financing to prepay its existing credit facility in full, provide additional capital for the Company to exercise its option to acquire the 51.1% of Worldwide Plaza that the Company currently does not own, and to provide the Company increased flexibility to sell assets and distribute the permitted proceeds to stockholders (the "Refinancing Plan"). The current credit facility had an outstanding balance of $485 million as of August 1, 2016. The Company is pursuing the Refinancing Plan partly because the existing credit facility does not permit a liquidation or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. Mr. Read said, "After conducting a thorough review and analysis of the Company's strategic alternatives, and in consultation with outside financial and legal advisors, the Company's Board has determined that, following the termination of the proposed JBG transaction, selling the Company's assets pursuant to the Asset Sale Plan is both prudent and, in the Board's view, the best way to monetize and realize the current value of our assets. The Board has taken into consideration the considerable feedback it has received from our stockholders." Michael Happel, Chief Executive Officer and President of NYRT, said, "NYRT has high quality, well leased assets in one of the best real estate markets in the world and our balance sheet is solid. Throughout the strategic review process, the Board has evaluated various potential transactions and I believe the Board's decision to begin selling individual assets, while maintaining compliance with our existing credit facility and Maryland law, is the best way to realize value for our stockholders, and in a manner that does not preclude a sale of the Company should a compelling offer be made." The Asset Sale Plan outlines an orderly process for the sale of the assets NYRT is permitted to sell under its existing credit facilities and Maryland law while continuing to insure that it complies with all the provisions of such facilities. Throughout the strategic process conducted by the Board, the Company engaged with a significant number of potential buyers who were interested in acquiring individual properties from the Company. The Company intends to re-engage in discussions with parties that had indicated interest in individual assets of the Company as well as seek other qualified buyers, with the goal of entering into asset sale agreements as permitted under all the Company's obligations. Release from Standstill Agreements and Potential Additional Company Offers If at any time, including after the Asset Sale Plan has commenced, the Company receives an offer for a corporate transaction that, in the view of the Board of Directors, will provide superior value to our stockholders in comparison to the value of the estimated distributions under the Asset Sale Plan, the Asset Sale Plan could be abandoned in favor of such a transaction. In connection with our program to market our properties, the Company will release all entities (other than JBG) that remain subject to standstill agreements from those standstill obligations with the Company. Mr. Read commented, "With the release of these standstill obligations, we are further demonstrating the resolve of this Board to encourage any third party to make a compelling offer for the entire Company." Additional Details on the JBG Termination, the Asset Sale Plan, and the Refinancing Plan Under the terms of the termination agreement with JBG, NYRT will pay JBG $9.5 million as reimbursement for certain costs. As part of the termination, the $55 million "topping fee," including any "tail" thereon, no longer applies, and all parties have released each other from any future claims or liabilities against each other with no further monetary obligations to JBG. NYRT asset sales are unlikely to close until the Company's new financing is put in place. Both the termination of the master combination agreement and the Asset Sale Plan were approved by NYRT's Board of Directors by a vote of five directors voting for and one director voting against. Additional details on the JBG Termination, the Asset Sale Plan, and the Refinancing Plan are contained in NYRT's Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 2, 2016. To keep up on all the Mergers & Acquisitions data in real-time, go to our M&A Insider page. A man was fatally shot while sitting in a double-parked SUV on a Brooklyn street early this morning. A woman who was also in the SUV and is reportedly the man's girlfriend was wounded. Police say that shooting occurred just before 1 a.m. in front of 675 Halsey Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Responding officers found the male driver and female passenger shot inside a double-parked 2007 Mercedes Benz SUV. The woman, 22, was taken to Kings County Hospital where she was treated for a gunshot wound to the torso. The driver, Ernest Brown, 33, was pronounced dead at Interfaith Hospital; he had been shot in the head and torso. PIX 11 reports that the shooter was wearing "a dark blue-colored hoodie" and "walked up to their vehicle and fired at least 12 times at point-blank range. Brown, a handyman and the father of eight children, had been shot last year. The mother of one of Brown's children told NBC New York, "He tried to do right. He lived by his kids. All he wanted was the best for his kids." A relative told PIX 11 that Brown might have been targeted because of an old "beef." "This is Brooklyn, you don't what's going on in the streets. He don't have nothing to do with it but by being with someone they don't like and it just goes back and forth." The NYC Health Department is urging New Yorkers to avoid the Miami neighborhood of Wynwood, a shopping and restaurant-heavy area known for its brightly-painted murals, after Florida health officials confirmed at least 14 cases of Zika virus within a one-mile radius there. "New York City's Health Department is updating its current travel warning for Latin America and the Caribbean to include this area of Miami," Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said Monday, in a joint statement with Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio. "The fact that Zika is spreading locally in this Miami neighborhood means that pregnant women, women trying to conceive, and their sexual partners put themselves and their unborn child at risk of potential Zika infection when visiting this area." The NY Times reports that at least 12 men and two women have tested positive for Zika in Wynwood, though it wasn't immediately clear if either of the women were pregnant. An advisory from the Florida Health Department urges anyone who lives in Wynwood, or has traveled to the neighborhood since June 15th, to get tested for Zika, use condoms, and use lots of buy spray. Anyone with plans to travel to Wynwood is urged not to try getting pregnant for at least eight weeks after their trip. The uptick in cases in Miami also has the Center for Disease Control (CDC) concerned about the effectiveness of insecticides, which are tricky to spray en masse in cities. In Wynwood, mosquito control has been spot-treating with portable sprayers. "Aggressive mosquito control measures don't seem to be working as well as we would like," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden told reporters on Monday. Zika, a disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, is primarily a health concern for women who are either pregnant, or have plans to become pregnant. According to the CDC, the virus can cause babies to be born with microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. The disease can be spread through sperm during sex (in at at lease one case, a woman infected her male sexual partner), so the travel warnings are directed at men and women in equal measure. While the culprit mosquitoes have yet to be found in New York City, the Mayor's Office is taking precautionary measures, including extensive mosquito spraying in NYC neighborhoods. Late last month, the first baby was born with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus in New York City. The team of experts working to save a young male orca, which has been alone for around a week, are out on the water again this morning. Founder of the Orca Research Trust Dr Ingrid Visser says the hope is to get the young calf back with his family as soon as possible. About 200,000 criminal, family, youth and civil matters come before the District Courts every year, where 160 judges make about 25,000 decisions, sentences or orders. Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue says from now on, a Publications Unit working under an editorial board of senior judges, will select for online publication those decisions considered of high public or legal interest and which meet criteria for publication. This calendar year, the website expects to publish about 2500 decisions, rising to about 4000 next year. Chief Judge Doogue believes the website will provide timely access to a wide range of significant decisions across all jurisdictions. Its hoped this will improve understanding of the court process and contribute to the open administration of justice. The information will serve the profession and legal community as well as the general public, by providing access to accurate, complete information about significant cases without the need to navigate individual court registries. Criteria for publication in the criminal jurisdiction include sentencing notes and reserved decisions from judge-alone trials in cases of more serious offending, or cases where there has been discussion of high-level principles. In the civil jurisdiction where volumes are lower, the aim is to publish all reserved judgments and costs awards, injunction decisions, judgments discussing interpretation of the District Court Rules, appeals from tribunals, and decisions related to professional bodies. In the Family Court, selection criteria differ depending on the legislation that proceedings are brought under. For Youth Court, while criteria of public or legal interest will apply, there will also be emphasis on points of law on which there is little or no previous authority. All decisions resulting from proceedings brought under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 will be published automatically because this is a requirement of that legislation. Chief Judge Doogue says the large volumes of cases in the District Courts mean not all decisions can be published, and she stresses that the service is not intended as a substitute for news media attending court. Where there are statutory reporting prohibitions or suppression orders, such as in some Youth Court and Family Court proceedings, the website uses different names or initials and removes all identifying information. The website was developed on time and under budget. Theyre hot property in Australia and the United States, a sought-out live act on the international festival circuit, but this month Sons of Zion are bringing the aroha home to Aotearoa. The Sons of Zion: Hungover Tour sees the much-loved Kiwi band play 14 dates across the North Island, including shows at the Lava Bar in Rotorua on Friday, Mount Maunganuis Totara Street on Saturday, and the Hui Bar in Ohope Beach the following weekend. Known for their unique fusion of rock, dub, RnB and reggae, Sons of Zion are Rio Panapa, Samuel Eriwata, Joel Latimer, Zane Graham, Caleb Haapu and Matt Sadgrove. Since forming in 2007, the band have gone from strength-to-strength with two full length albums under their belts and a string of char-topping songs including three #1 singles in Hawaii. Theyve also carved out a name for themselves as one of the top live bands on the world stage and have toured with the likes of Katchafire, Kora, Black Seeds and Ladi6, and played some of the biggest festivals in New Zealand like One Love, East Coast Vibes, Rhythm N Alps and Homegrown. Earlier this year Sons of Zion released their new hit single Hungover and are currently working on a new album, a US tour lined up for later in the year, and a return to the One Love Festival in 2017. SunLive has one double pass for the Mount Maunganui show to giveaway to one lucky reader who can tell us the name of the venue where the gig is taking place? Enter online at www.sunlive.co.nz under the competition section. All entries must be received by Thursday, August 4. Sons of Zion are preforming at Rotoruas Lava Bar on Friday, August 5, Mount Maunganuis Totara Street on Saturday, August 6, and Ohope Beachs Hui Bar on Saturday August 27. Tickets from $25 and are available online from www.ticketspace.co.nz Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga has released a consultation document today which proposes change to the legal status of e-cigarettes. Currently the sale and supply of e-cigarettes containing nicotine is prohibited in New Zealand. However people are buying them online and importing directly for personal use, Mr Lotu-Iiga says. The proposal is to make the sale and supply of all e-cigarettes lawful in New Zealand with appropriate controls. The proposals would mean restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to people aged 18 years and over. The changes would prevent e-cigarettes being advertised and ban their use in smoke-free areas. We also have to consider various quality and safety issues which may pose health risks to users and non-users. Ensuring e-liquids are sold in child proof containers to prevent accidental poisoning is one obvious safety measure. E-cigarettes are relatively new and evolving products. There is scientific consensus that they are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. I welcome feedback from the public on the future regulation and control of E-cigarettes, says Mr Lotu-Iiga. Consultation opens today with submissions closing 5pm on September 12. You can see more here: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/policy-options-regulation-electronic-cigarettes-consultation-document Source: Office of Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga. Through the scheme, funding of more than $2 million is available to help Maori collectives realise the economic potential of their assets by contracting a commercial advisor to provide professional business advice and mentoring. The Maori Innovation Fund helps Maori organisations gain the skills, knowledge and networks they need to take full advantage of new and existing commercial opportunities, Steven says. It has the potential to grow Maori assets and create jobs in the regions. The feedback from the first year of the fund last year has been good and we expect the demand to remain high. Each investment will be for a maximum of $75,000 over one year. Collectives are required to co-fund their commercial advisor to a minimum of 25 per cent. Te Punaha Hiringa: Maori Innovation Fund, provides a wide range of Maori organisations and coalitions with a unique opportunity, Te Ururoa says. Each recipient has the potential to use this funding to support its own endeavours, identify opportunities, get new ventures off the ground or grow existing businesses. Funding this year was awarded to a range of organisations including Pukeroa Oruawhata Group which is planning a major lakeside development in Rotorua. The group intends to develop a health and wellness tourism precinct with the potential to bring a wide range of health and leisure visitors to the area. Te Kopere o te iwi o Hineuru Trust has also been awarded funding for a commercial advisor to assist them in their plans to develop Woodstock Station. The farm itself is a site of cultural significance as it sits on part of a sacred maunga, Titiokura. This is a very special place for the Trusts iwi as well as being an initial commercial venture into land-based business. This is the second year that this funding has been available and some changes have been made to the 2016 round. These changes aim to target the scheme towards high-potential Maori collectives that will benefit most, Steven says. We are confident that this funding will make a significant difference and we look forward to watching it accelerate the development of commercial propositions for Maori organisations. More information including the full list of successful applicants is available here. New Zealand dairy farmers have significantly reduced their operating costs in the face of sustained low milk prices a reflection of the industrys resilience and innovation. DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says while the milk price will continue to keep pressure on farmers this season, the industrys performance in cost-cutting on-farm means break-even costs have been reduced. State Highway 2 is open after truck and car crash which left five people dead. The crash at the intersection of Dawsons Road happened about 8.15pm when a car pulled out of the road. Police are continuing to receive reports of burglaries and thefts from unlocked vehicles and homes on the Kapiti Coast, particularly around Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay. Trailers and tools have been a popular target and Police are urging residents to ensure these items are secured and, where possible, kept out of sight. Detective Sergeant Rebecca Cotton, of the Kapiti Mana Tactical Crime Unit, said: Despite the targeting of insecure property being highlighted in the media last month, the trend has continued which is disappointing for both Police and victims of these opportunistic crimes." Police are working hard to reduce victimisation as part of the Prevention First strategy, but we need the community to assist us by reducing their own risk and securing their property." This includes ensuring that their homes, garages and any vehicles in driveways are left locked when not in use, regardless of whether occupants are on the property at the time. Kapiti Mana Police are committed to dedicating staff and technology to the prevention and investigation of burglaries and dishonesty offending. There is a focus on crime hotspots and Police are increasing patrols to minimise further victimisation. We recognise the impact crime has on victims, and will continue to prioritise our proactive tactics as appropriate," said Detective Sergeant Cotton. "Our aim is to make sure people feel safe in their communities." Anyone who sees anything suspicious in their neighbourhood that could be linked to a crime is asked to call their local Police station, or leave information anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Source: New Zealand Police. Ellis TITUSVILLE, Florida -- Brevard County Circuit Court Judge John Dean Moxley, Jr. has ruled in favor of Brevard County Clerk of Court, Scott Ellis, that the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast (EDC) is subject to the Florida Sunshine public records law and must produce its documents related to BlueWare In a letter instructing Ellis' attorney, Curt Jacobus, Esq. of GrayRobinson, P.A., to prepare a final judgment, Moxley, Jr. held, "The documents in the possession of the respondent [EDC] as a private entity must be produced as public records, because Brevard County has delegated a statutorily authorized function to the respondent and the records generated by the respondents performance of that duty are public records." "Economic development and nurturing economic advances promulgated by the Chambers of Commerce are appropriate governmental functions...," Moxley stated. "...the scope of the contract delegated economic development of Brevard County to the Economic Development Commission of Floridas Space Coast, Inc. Accordingly, any records generated in carrying out those duties are public records subject to inspection." Moxley, Jr. did grant the request of the EDC's attorney, Kimberly Rezanka, Esq. of Dean Mead, P.A., that if the EDC believes records are not subject to inspection, to provide a privilege or exemption log to the Court specifying the basis for non-disclosure. Otherwise, the EDC must disclose the documents to Ellis. Judge Moxleys opinion affirms what our office has asserted since January 2013: the EDC is subject to the Florida Public Records Act when working on behalf of the County as its economic development agency," Ellis said in a statement. "The EDC has been delegated the Countys economic development duties by contract since 1989. The EDC receives $1.4 million of taxpayer funds annually as part of that contract. We believe the ruling is a true victory for the right of the taxpayers to know how their monies are expended." "The commitment exhibited by Curt Jacobus and Alec Russell of GrayRobinson, P.A. to the publics right to review public records is commendable," Ellis added. "The arguments for the Court were well presented and the research extremely thorough." In light of the Courts ruling, we look forward to working with the EDC as it complies with our unfulfilled request for records. We clearly recognize certain documents are exempted by FS 288.075 and will honor the courts decision to review said documents for applicability. EDC CEO Lynda Weatherman 2011-03-02-sdc-levea1.JPG William LeVea leaves Cayuga County Court on Wednesday morning March 2, 2011 after being sentenced to a 6-18 years in prison by Judge Thomas Leone for causing the death of 41-year- old Christopher Spack of Camillus in a road rage crash. A state parole board has denied LeVea's request for parole for the fourth time. (Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com) Auburn, NY - The New York State Parole Board has denied road-rage killer William LeVea's fourth application for parole, the Cayuga County district attorney said Monday. This was LeVea's third application for an early release based on a medical parole for a non-terminal illness. The board earlier denied LeVea's application for regular parole. "That's great," said District Attorney Jon Budelmann. "He's had enough chances." LeVea, 85, formerly of Fulton, was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated in March 2011 for the death of Christopher Spack, 41, of Camillus, in a high-speed drunk driving crash. On Nov. 20, 2009, LeVea repeatedly rammed Spack's truck until he sent it spinning into the path of a Chevy Silverado driven by Bradley Leyburn, of Cato. Leyburn was seriously injured in the crash. Leyburn's passenger Patrick Walton escaped without serious injury. LeVea was sentenced to 6-18 years in prison in Cayuga County Court. "Our Office joins the family of Christopher Spack, and with Bradley Leyburn, Patrick Walton, and all of the other victims and families of victims of William LeVea's violent history, in thanking the parole board for considering all of the facts and determining that this defendant should not be released on a non-terminal illness medical parole," Budelmann said. LeVea was initially denied medical parole following a hearing in 2014. His second medical parole was denied after a hearing in November 2015. In July of 2015, LeVea was denied parole at his first regularly scheduled parole hearing. He applied for a third medical parole hearing in July. LeVea is currently in the Fishkill Correctional Facility. Carl Ritter II Carl Ritter II (Provided by Fulton Police Department) FULTON, N.Y. -- A Fulton man led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen Dodge Durango while impaired by drugs, then crashed the sport utility vehicle, Fulton police said in a news release. Fulton police tried to stop the stolen blue 2005 Durango at 8:47 p.m. Thursday in the 400 block of Hannibal St., but the driver -- later identified as Carl F. Ritter II -- refused to pull over, the release said. Instead, Ritter continued driving at speeds ranging from 60 mph to 90 mph and lost control of the SUV, police said. Ritter crashed the Dodge Durango, which had been reported stolen July 17 from Fulton, into two telephone poles in the 800 block of Oneida St., according to Fulton police. The vehicle came to rest on its roof, and Ritter got out and ran, police said. Officers said they apprehended Ritter a short distance from the crash. Ritter, 29, of 408 1/2 Hannibal St., Fulton, was charged Thursday with third-degree grand larceny and first-degree reckless endangerment, both felonies; third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operator and driving while ability impaired by drugs, all misdemeanors; and multiple vehicle and traffic violations, including speed in zone, reckless driving, improper passing, driving on sidewalk and failure to stop for a stop sign. Ritter was arraigned in Fulton City Court and sent to the Oswego County jail. Ramos arrests.JPG Isreal Ramos, left, and Juan Ramos, right (Syracuse Police Department) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Officers discovered heroin and cocaine Thursday while arresting a parolee who attacked a witness, police said. Isreal Ramos, 27, of 132 Hartson St., Syracuse, was arrested Thursday by the Syracuse Police Department and charged with assaulting and intimidating a witness. He was also arrested on drug charges after police found narcotics in his home, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a Syracuse police spokesman. Ramos assaulted a 55-year-old man on June 29, Helterline said. The victim, who suffered a head injury, may have given police information about an incident that occurred near his Syracuse home, he said. Helterline said police typically do not identify crime victims. Parole officers were responding to Ramos' Hartson Street home on July 28 when they discovered drugs, Helterline said. Parole officers reached out to special investigations detectives, who responded to the home and found heroin and cocaine, he said. At the time of the parole visit, Ramos was also wanted on a warrant for the June assault, Helterline said. For the assault, Ramos was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and first-degree intimidating a witness, both felonies. He was also charged with first, third and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies, along with and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. Another man was arrested on drug charges after police responded to the Hartson Street home. Juan Ramos, 36, also of 132 Hartson St., Syracuse, was charged with third, fourth and seventh-degree degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia. Isreal Ramos is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center without bail. According to state records, he is on parole for a drug-related conviction. Juan Ramos is not listed in custody. st joe career 2 St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center (Paul Finch) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The manager of a mobile mental health unit at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center found a way seven years ago to ramp up revenues, according to a registered nurse who used to work there. The former manager, James Marsh, decided to start hiring unlicensed counselors as a way to increase the volume of visits, for which Medicaid reimbursed the hospital $1,060 apiece, according to the RN, Catherine Lembo. Many of the counselors didn't have mental health training, and some didn't even have college degrees, according to court papers that lay out Lembo's allegations. Some of the counselors were former security guards at St. Joe's, the court papers said. Lembo will get $560,000 for blowing the whistle on St. Joe's use of unqualified counselors in the mental health unit for years. That money will come out of a $3.2 million payment St. Joe's will make in a settlement with state and federal prosecutors over the hospital's use of unqualified mental health counselors. St. Joe's president and CEO, Kathy Ruscitto, denied Lembo's claim that ex-security guards were working as counselors. There were times when security guards would accompany a qualified counselor on a patient visit because of the sometimes dangerous circumstances, Ruscitto said. But the guards were not evaluating patients, she said. St. Joe's had gotten approval from the state Office of Mental Health repeatedly since 2007 for the workers who counseled mental health patients, Ruscitto said. It wasn't until March that hospital officials realized they weren't meeting the regulations for how qualified those workers had to be, she said. As soon as federal and state investigators notified the hospital of the problem, St. Joe's corrected it, Ruscitto said. "It was a misinterpretation of unclear regulations, quite frankly," Ruscitto said. "There was no intent on anybody's part not to meet the regulations." The hospital was sending competent staff on the visits -- people with bachelor's degree in an appropriate area, she said. But the regulations required one of the workers to be a certified psychiatric social worker or higher, she said. Lembo's lawyers claimed in court papers that St. Joe's schemed to defraud Medicaid by using unqualified counselors as a way to do as many mental health visits as possible "to ramp up its revenue while minimizing costs." Under the settlement the government, St. Joe's agreed only that it didn't bill Medicaid in accordance with the regulations, said St. Joe's general counsel, Lowell Seifter. It did not admit to any of Lembo's other allegations, he said. Lembo estimated that certified social workers evaluated only about 10 percent of the patients, court papers said. The use of unqualified workers put patients at risk, Lembo's lawyers wrote in court papers. She cited the case of a patient who was evaluated by an unqualified counselor and committed suicide after being discharged. "Those allegations are not proven," Seifter said of that claim and others of Lembo's. "Had we gone to court, we would've challenged many of the allegations in her complaint. But we decided it was more appropriate to settle the case." Lembo reported her concerns to St. Joe's corporate compliance department in May 2013, the court papers said. Soon afterward, Marsh was suspended from his job as manager of the hospital's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, and later resigned, the court papers said. Seifter confirmed that Marsh is a former hospital employee, but would not comment on the circumstances of his departure. Two other CPEP employees were either fired or resigned after Lembo came forward, her court papers said. Ruscitto said no one, including Lembo, notified hospital officials about the lack of qualified counselors working in the mental health unit. "There was no time prior to (March of this year) that anyone, through our hotline or internally, ever raised this as an issue," she said. "We would've fixed it before this." The CPEP staff is made up of "very dedicated mental health professionals," Ruscitto said. "They have done an excellent job of serving the community since 1994, and I don't think there's any question about the work that was done, the care that was provided or the treatment of patients. This is a billing issue." Lembo could not be reached for comment. Her lawyers, with the Rochester firm of Thomas & Solomon, said in a news release that she saw St. Joe's was exposing a vulnerable population to great risk. "Instead of sitting back and allowing this conduct to continue, our client took the brave step of contacting us and blowing the whistle," the release said. Contact John O'Brien anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-2187 George W. Bush President George W. Bush, shown at a meeting in 2008, served in the Air National Guard. (Charles Dharapak / AP file) To the Editor: The media never fail to amaze with their ability to jump on an issue and add ad hominem comments, particularly if it compliments their partisan agenda. A case in point. During Khizr Khan's emotional speech at the DNC Convention he chastised Donald Trump as having "sacrificed nothing and no one," and the Muslim lawyer stated his belief that Trump has never read the Constitution. During Chris Wallace's "Fox News Sunday" program, his panel discussed the flap that has occurred arising from Trump's comments about Ghazala Khan, Khizr's wife, who stood mutely by his side. One of the members of the panel, Panamanian-born Juan Williams, was able to include in his musing the fact that Donald Trump never served in the military because of his 4F classification. True. However, Trump is not alone. I can find no evidence that the following served in the military: Bill Clinton (who avoided the draft). Barack Obama. Joe Biden (4F Classification). Juan Williams. Sen. Tim Kaine. While Al Gore seems to have conflicts between his version of his stay in the U.S. Army (08/07/1969 - 05/24/1971) and his tour of duty in Vietnam (less than five months beginning 01/08/1971). He asked for an "early out" and was granted same. (Source Carolyn Gargalo, Rightgrrl Co-Founder, dated 08/10/1999, updated 10/09/2000). George W. Bush's Air National Guard service is a mish-mash of misinformation, incomplete records and "spinning," but he did serve. Dick Cheney asked for and received four Yale student draft deferments beginning on his 18th birthday on 01/26/1959 and a final fifth deferment on 01/26/1967 because he was a new father and 26 and no longer eligible for the draft. It has become the norm in our media for personalities and luminaries to go "off point" to denigrate one they disagree with. One other disturbing media issue is the justifying of a partisan favorite's ill-advised, careless, or insubordinate act by comparing it to a similar action of another who is preferably one that doesn't enjoy the media's partisan bias. Journalism is described as: "the work of collecting, writing and publishing news stories and articles in newspapers..." (source Cambridge English Dictionary) Punditry is defined as: "the expressing of expert opinions" (source Collins Dictionary) Pundits are not journalists. Journalists are not pundits. The bias of our print and electronic media have given rise to 'PUNDJOURNALISM', a mixture of hard news and opinion. Cold, hard, unadulterated truth based on certifiable facts may be an admirable time-in-memorial quest that has yet to achieve the "purity of purpose." Chet Braun Skaneateles Richard Hanna.JPG U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a three-term Republican from Oneida County, represents the 22nd Congressional District. Hanna is shown speaking last month to firefighters in Binghamton. (Provided photo) Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, represents New York's 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. By Richard Hanna Our country is desperate for a functioning two-party system. A system that understands that compromise is the sweet spot of peace in a pluralistic society that values tolerance and inclusiveness. Not these endless attempts to run the table in two- and four-year cycles that produce few results and parties that seem to regard gridlock as an accomplishment. Government has become unable to address big problems. Talking points are presented as if they were solutions. Critical issues like tax reform, infrastructure, immigration, the environment and any future investments in people and assets are relegated to the opinions of the extremes of both parties. Electing Donald Trump will only make this worse, much worse. Months ago I publicly said I could never support Trump. My reasons were simple and personal. I found him profoundly offensive and narcissistic but as much as anything, a world-class panderer, anything but a leader. Little more than a changing mirror of those he speaks to. I never expect to agree with whoever is president, but at a minimum the president needs to consistently display those qualities I have preached to my two children: kindness, honesty, dignity, compassion and respect. I do not expect perfection, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins. I have long held the belief that the Republican Party is becoming increasingly less capable of nominating a person who is electable as president. The primary process is so geared toward the party's political base, which ignores the fact that we have largely alienated women, Hispanics, the LGBT community, young voters and many others in general. Thankfully gerrymandering does not protect candidates in a national election. If I compare the life stories of both candidates I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways. A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable -- almost gleefully -- using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices. A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Think about those average people who paid for his choices. In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country. Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small. But she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters. Mrs. Clinton has promoted many of the issues I have been committed to over the years including expanding education and supporting women's health care. While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing. I trust she can lead. All Republicans may not like the direction, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Our response to the public's anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate. Ted Cruz Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., addresses delegates during the third day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (AP file / Carolyn Kaster) By Janell Ross | The Washington Post Here we are again. After the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, decided that a speech given by the father of fallen soldier Capt. Humayun Khan amounted to a "vicious" attack, and after Trump described the delivery of this speech as possible evidence of the oppression of Muslim women; after a surrogate claimed that Khan's father is an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood (an Islamist political and social movement); and after Trump claimed that the dispute was not about the Khans but "radical Islam," Trump got the equivalent of a tsk-tsk from many a Republican official. That's an unseemly attack on a Gold Star family, more than a few said. But my support for the Republican nominee - well, that's unwavering, they seemed to also say. This is a cycle, by now familiar. Very few Republicans stand to emerge entirely unscathed. But it's starting to look like at least one 2020 contender may emerge ahead: Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas. Here's how the Trump controversy cycle plays out for Cruz. First, Trump says something - sometimes by his own initiative, sometimes in what he considers necessary pushback - that heretofore has been considered out of bounds, an endorsement of some form of bigotry or an idea that is anti-democratic. Then, after a great and collective clutching of pearls, Trump and his surrogates defend those comments, sometimes expand on them. Finally, Republican party officials and elected office-holders indicate that while the comments were out of bounds and not representative of the party, they will, however, support Trump, the party's presidential nominee. It happened after Trump's announcement speech declaring undocumented Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals who are part of a larger Mexican government conspiracy to rid that country of its dregs. It happened after Trump declared Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., damaged and less than heroic goods because he spent time as a prisoner of war. It happened when Trump implied that a reporter questioned him pointedly during a debate due to hormonal and demeanor fluctuations caused by that reporter's menstrual cycle. It happened when Trump called for a temporary ban on all Muslim immigration (the impetus for Khan's speech) and when Trump dragged his feet in disavowing the support of one of the KKK's most well-known members, now a Senate candidate who has said he plans to ride Trump's political wave. It happened when Trump said a federal judge of Mexican American origin could not do his job due to his heritage. After each of those incidents, prominent Republicans stepped forward to express their disappointment but continued support. Sometimes that support was directed at a Republican nominee they did not mention by name but whom they committed to nonetheless. Some declined to show up to the party's convention but have made no public comments about their voting plans. One tried to split the difference and "attended" the convention via videotaped address. Many, many Republicans have condemned Trump's many comments but also remained steadfast in their presidential endorsement, including McCain. McCain's decision is noteworthy because he is a former POW and the father of young men who have served in this country's wars. He issued a statement with a searing rebuke of Trump's attack on the Khans on Monday. And he is a Republican in the middle of a heck of a reelection fight. Is that why his Trump presidential endorsement still stands? If so, McCain is not alone. Few prominent Republicans have gone as far as Cruz and showed up at the GOP convention and said afterward in a televised speech that he could not support Trump's presidential bid. Cruz pretty much stands alone as a Republican who came to Cleveland, and within the same week said that the nominee's regular turn to personal and group aspersions, references to conspiracy theories and actual untrue non-facts make Trump a man whom he cannot and will not endorse or defend. Republican party operatives and officials live in a no-doubt difficult moment. With each passing day of the still-young general election season, they face moments in which they must choose between party and principles. Some may be genuinely troubled but have kept silent out of the hope and belief that a President Trump would nominate conservative Supreme Court justices who will shape the country for the next 30 or more years. Some have said little or tried to condemn the comments without condemning Trump's candidacy in hopes that Republicans and swing voters will still show up and vote for or against Trump, but certainly for all the Republicans further down the ballot. Some might be genuinely appalled by the Democratic candidate. Still, a look just at the ranks of Trump's one-time competition in the 2016 Republican primary race reveals this: Cruz stands almost alone as a once and future presidential hopeful in his clear rejection of Trump. And it's a rejection that came just before Trump laid into Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of a solider killed in action, for behavior beyond the pale of acceptable politics. Yes, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, R, declined to attend the party's July convention, even though the event was held in his state. He has said he is unlikely to vote for Trump. And sure, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, R, did not attend said convention and has said that he will not vote for Trump, and issued a tweet describing Trump's statements about the Khans as "incredibly disrespectful." Neither of them ventured onto the convention floor. Meanwhile, Ben Carson has described Trump as a candidate he supports but who needs to work on his outreach to minority voters. Carson went to the convention and joined New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, in delivering a speech condemning Trump's rival, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, in terms the two men seemed to hope would remain with voters longer than anything Trump has said. According to Carson, Clinton may have a close personal relationship with Lucifer. And according to Christie, she is guilty of many crimes and near-crimes. Sen. Lindsey Graham also stayed away from the convention and has said he won't vote for Trump or Clinton - but seems unlikely to mount a repeat presidential bid. Former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee have said they will back Trump, and have been critical of Republicans who won't. Gov. Rick Perry is in this camp, too, despite having been one of the first 2016 candidates to describe Trump and his commentary as not befitting a president. That's not exactly a collective profile in 2016 candidate courage. Beyond those who ran for president this year, there are possible 2020 contenders, such as House Majority Leader Paul Ryan, who has often led the "Trump does not speak for our party" clean-up crew. He has condemned Trump's comments on several occasions, then followed with general expressions of support for the Republican nominee. A number of current and former members of Congress, party operatives and advisers have done basically the same. The Atlantic.com made a list. But the long lens of history delivers pictures far different from those visible in this moment. In them, party concerns and long-term career goals rarely generate the kind of flattering portraits which conflicts shaped by principle tend to do. Translation: When books about the 2016 race are written, Cruz - not Ryan or Sen. Marco Rubio - is shaping up as the one most likely to emerge looking like something of the hero. The man many a GOP critic described as a self-serving malcontent last month may be just that. But with time and space, Cruz won't just be a man who delivered a speech that put him in the camp of those who would not back Trump. He will be the man who showed up in Cleveland and stood his ground in front of Trump himself. This week, there may be a few fellow Republicans wishing they'd done the same. Donald Trump has received a Purple Heart, but he did it in a "much easier" way than military servicemembers who are given the medal. Trump's record on the military is currently under heavy scrutiny following his controversial comments about the family of a slain Muslim-American soldier. The New York Times released a report this week that also raised questions about the GOP nominee's own draft deferments. That didn't stop one member of the armed service from showing Trump his respect by giving him his Purple Heart at a rally in Ashburn, Virginia, ABC News reported. "I said to him, 'Is that like the real one, or is that a copy?" Trump told the crowd at the rally. "He said that's my real Purple Heart -- I have such confidence in you. And, I said, 'Man that's like, that's like big stuff.' I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." The Purple Heart is given to armed servicemembers who are wounded in combat. Trump has never served in the military, though he once said he "always felt that I was in the military" because he went to military school, according to The Washington Post. Trump received four draft deferments for education and one for a medical injury. He claimed to have received a doctor's note saying that he had bone spurs in his heels. But the New York Times report this week questioned that claim, noting that Trump could not provide a copy of the note or the name of the issuing doctor, and requests for the document by the Times went unanswered. The servicemember who gave Trump the Purple Heart was retired Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman, who was wounded in action in Iraq in 2007, according to Politico. Trump invited Dorfman to appear onstage with him. The two posed for photographs, but Dorfman declined to speak. 2016-08-02-RichardHanna.jpg U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, says he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president. Hanna said the GOP nominee, Donald Trump, is unfit to serve. The three-term congressman is shown speaking July 18, 2016, with students from the National Institute of Science and Technology's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. (Provided photo) WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a three-term Republican, said Tuesday he will vote for Hillary Clinton for president because Donald Trump is "unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country." Hanna becomes the first Republican member of Congress to publicly declare he will vote for Clinton in November. Other GOP members of Congress have refused to endorse Trump, but until now none had promised to vote for his Democratic opponent. Hanna announced his decision Tuesday morning in an op-ed and interview exclusive to Syracuse.com. The retiring congressman previously said he could never support Trump, but he had stopped short of backing Clinton. Now Hanna's decision could give political cover in the coming weeks to other like-minded GOP members of Congress who have criticized Trump, but have not said whether they would support Clinton. Hanna, who represents an eight-county district in Upstate New York, said in an interview that he considered giving his support to Clinton for several months. He decided to take action this week after watching Trump criticize the Muslim American parents of a U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq, he said. Trump clashed with Khizr and Ghazala Khan after they appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention last week. Trump roughly dismissed the couple's criticism, and suggested Ghazala Khan was prevented from speaking at the convention because of her Muslim faith. Hanna said it's unthinkable that anyone would criticize Gold Star parents. "I saw that and felt incensed," Hanna said in an interview. "I was stunned by the callousness of his comments." He added, "I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes?" Hanna, 65, of Barneveld in Oneida County, announced plans in December to retire when his term expires at the end of the year. But even before the announcement, he had developed a reputation for his independence and criticism of the most conservative of the Republican House caucus. He has frequently split with his GOP colleagues on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, and is among only 13 Republican House members to acknowledge that humans have contributed to climate change. In his op-ed Tuesday, Hanna said he finds Trump "deeply flawed in endless ways" and "unrepentant in all things" including the use of bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his choices. "In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier," Hanna wrote. "Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country." Asked if he was concerned about potential backlash from his fellow Republicans in Congress, Hanna said, "I can't look back in my life when I leave this job and know that I didn't speak the truth when it was important to do so." Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Dadey Trump.jpg Onondaga County GOP Chair Tom Dadey poses with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Buffalo in April 2016. Dadey says Republican Rep. Richard Hanna has stabbed the party in the back by supporting Hillary Clinton. (Provided photo) WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The co-chair of Donald Trump's campaign in New York blasted Rep. Richard Hanna on Tuesday after he became the first Republican member of Congress to say he will vote for Hillary Clinton rather than someone who is "unfit to serve our party." Tom Dadey, chairman of the Onondaga County Republican Committee and one of Trump's earliest supporters in New York, spared no words in criticizing his fellow GOP member. "It's shameful that Congressman Richard Hanna has today announced his intention to vote for Hillary Clinton as our next president of the United States, but it's not at all surprising," Dadey said in a statement. "Despite running with the designation of the Republican Party and using its apparatus to get elected and re-elected to the U.S. Congress, Rep. Hanna has effectively stabbed our party and its hardworking rank-and-file members in the back," Dadey said. "It would hurt more if he had ever acted or voted like a Republican during any of his three terms in Congress." Dadey said Hanna's decision to support Clinton effectively supports a third term for President Barack Obama. "It's sad that after palling around with the liberal elite in Washington, D.C., Richard Hanna doesn't see the clear choice in this election," Dadey added. "It's a choice between more of the same in Hillary Clinton and someone who will break through the status quo in Donald Trump." Hanna's office had no response Tuesday. Dadey did not comment on Trump's recent criticism of Muslim American parents of a U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq. Hanna said Trump's comments directed toward the Gold Star family convinced him to go public Tuesday with his support for Clinton. Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffett Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, waves to members of the audience as she and Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, arrive at a rally at Omaha North High Magnet School in Omaha, Neb., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (Andrew Harnik | AP) OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump -- including escorting people to the polls himself. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton in Nebraska Monday, Buffett savaged Trump's business record, questioning his bankruptcies and asking why the Republican presidential candidate won't release his tax returns. The so-called "Omaha Oracle" then announced a new campaign called "Drive 2 Vote," designed to bring out voters in Nebraska's second congressional district, which offers a single Electoral College vote to the district winner. "I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," said Buffett, adding that he had reserved a 32-seat trolley for the day with a goal of getting the highest-percentage turnout of any congressional district in the country. "Let's give America a civics lesson." Nebraska is one of two states that assign some electoral votes based on the results within congressional districts. While the state is Republican overall, President Barack Obama won a vote here in 2008 in the more liberal district where Clinton appeared Monday, which includes Omaha and the suburbs. The boundaries have since been redrawn to make the district less blue. The Midwestern stop came amid a clash between Trump and a Muslim-American family who spoke against him at the Democratic National Convention. Trump responded by attacking Khizr and Ghazela Kahn, whose son served in the U.S. Army and was killed in Iraq in 2004. Buffett called Trump's comments "the final straw," arguing that his family had not sacrificed like military families. Buffett, who endorsed Clinton last year, was the latest in a series of business leaders attacking Trump as Clinton seeks to woo moderate and independent voters. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban campaigned with Clinton over the weekend, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a searing indictment of Trump's economic proposals during the Democratic National Convention. Before several thousand people gathered at an Omaha high school, Buffett challenged Trump to agree to a meeting where they would both release their tax returns. He also said that after Trump listed his casino and hotel company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995, investors lost money, even though "in 1995 when he offered this company, if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent." Buffett repeated long-held assertions that the tax code favors the wealthy, which Clinton echoed, pledging to pay for new programs through more taxes on the rich. Clinton also continued the assaults on Trump, criticizing him for making products overseas. She promised to "support the kind of small businesses that Donald Trump has consistently stiffed." Clinton enthusiastically received Buffett's plan to get out voters and upped the ante. She said that if the district has the highest percentage of voters and if she wins, then she'll come back soon "and Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together." Amid cheers Clinton added, "Maybe if we're really lucky he'll wear his Elvis costume again." Joe Biden same-sex wedding Vice President Joe Biden is pictured officiating a wedding between White House staffers Brian Mosteller, left, and Joe Mahshie, right, in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 1, 2016. (Twitter | @VP) Vice President Joe Biden presided over his first wedding ceremony Monday. The Syracuse University alumnus officiated the same-sex ceremony for two White House staffers, Brian Mosteller and Joe Mahshie, in Washington, D.C. Biden's office said he obtained a temporary certification from the District of Columbia before the ceremony. "Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house," he wrote on Twitter afterwards. "Couldn't be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys." His wife Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States, retweeted the moment and cheered: "Love is love!" Time reports the intimate ceremony took place in Biden's residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in front of Mosteller and Mahshie's family. According to E! News, Mosteller is the director of Oval Office operations, working under President Barack Obama, and his husband is a trip coordinator for First Lady Michelle Obama. Biden and Obama both publicly endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012. Mosteller, described as "the man who can basically read President Obama's mind" in a Washington Post profile earlier this year, said he was open about his sexuality in the early days of Obama's campaign. They hugged the morning after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage last year. "When I was young, I couldn't fathom that I could ever have a partner, and now I was with the president of the United States and, together, we were talking this kind of partnership, and it was not only public but so very normal," Mosteller, 40, told the newspaper. "How often does a boss talk about love? Now, how often does a boss contribute to our country's blessing of your love?" SHARE TUESDAY'S RECURRING EVENTS ARTS/CRAFTS Alizarin Crimson Art Studio: Over 30 years of Fine Art Instruction Painting Classes-All Levels. 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Cedar Pointe Plaza, 2611 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. All ages. 772-287-7030; Alizarincrimsonstudio.net. Professional Teaching Staff: Georgia Abood, Kate Wood & Jennifer Pollack. All Ages Oil Painting: Individually tailored oil painting classes with Kate Wood. Join anytime. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Alizarin Crimson Studio, 2611 E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. All ages. $25. Register: 772-287-0835; katewoodartist@comcast.net. Art Classes: Learning to paint for beginners or improve existing skills. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m./1-4:30 p.m. Kane Center, Salerno Road, Stuart. Adults. $25/$20 members. Register: 772-221-7640; brendaleigh737@gmail.com. Painting Class: For Beginner Students. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $20/$25. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Painting Class: For Experienced Students. 1-4:30 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $20/$25. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Peggy's Art Studio: Enjoy 3 hours of uninterrupted painting. Noon-3 p.m. MCP&R Log Cabin Senior Center, Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Multigenerational. $3. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. Children/TEENS Family Story Time: 10 a.m. Ages: 0-12 months. Hoke Library, 1150 N.W. Jack Williams Way, Jensen Beach. 772-463-2870; library.martin.fl.us. Family Story Time: 11 a.m. Ages: 1-4 years-old. Hoke Library, 1150 N.W. Jack Williams Way, Jensen Beach. 772-463-2870; library.martin.fl.us. Family Story Time: Weekly story time designed for families. 10-10:30 a.m. Robert Morgade Library, 5851 S.E. Community Drive, Stuart. Ages: 0-3 years and up with parent. 772-463-3245; library.martin.fl.us. Lighthouse Story Time & Crafts for Kids: Story time & craft activity under the Lighthouse Seminole Chickee. 10:30-11:15 a.m., Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. Ages: 8 and under. RSVP required: 561-747-8380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 19-26 months. 9-10 a.m. Florida Arts & Dance Studio, 938 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. 772-288-4150. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 27-60 months. 10:15-11:15 a.m. Florida Arts & Dance Studio, 938 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. 772-288-4150. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 3-11 months. Noon-1 p.m. Florida Arts & Dance Studio, 938 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. 772-288-4150. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 12-18 months. 1:15-2:15 p.m. Florida Arts & Dance Studio, 938 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. 772-288-4150. Preschool FUNdamentals: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 S.W. Matheson Ave., Palm City. Ages: 3-5 years. 772-288-2551; library.martin.fl.us. DANCE Adult Summer Dance Camp: Classes and Social Parties for Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country Dance. 4-10 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Ages: 18+. $100 to $300 per month per person. Register: 609-356-2973; gloriana@jensenbeachballroom.com. Ballroom Dance Class/New Season: 6:30 p.m. 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Ages: 16+. $9 pp. per class. Register: 772-529-3325; sdancer516@aol.com. Dance Classes: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country and Club group and private classes. 1-9 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Discounts available. Register: 609-356-2973; www.JensenBeachBallroom.com. Group Dance Lessons: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country. 6 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. $10 per person. 609-356-2973; jensenbeachballroom.com. EXERCISE/HEALTH Basic Yoga for Inner Peace: One hour basic yoga poses and half-hour of guided meditation. 10-11:30 a.m. Unity of Stuart, 211 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. Adults. $10. Register: 772-214-0892; www.unityofstuart.org. Gentle Chair Yoga: Gentle Chair Yoga. 11 a.m.-noon. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 55+. $8/$10. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Hip Pop Fitness: Dance your way to fitness. River Walk Center, 600 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce. 6:30 p.m. Ages: 18+. 772-224-4506; chrystalismoments16@gmail.com. Zumba Gold: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $4/$6. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. OTHER Carpro Autospa Night Car Show: 6-8 p.m., weather permitting. Lowe's Stuart, 3620 S.E. U.S. 1, Stuart. 772-285-3320. Piano Instruction: Beginners to concert level. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Shirley Heifetz, Jensen Beach. Ages: 8+. Registration: 772-934-6812. Toastmasters: Join us for lunch and experience what Toastmasters is about. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Palm City Presbyterian Church, large room in back, 2700 Martin Highway, Palm City. Ages: 18+. palmcityorators@gmail.com. WEDNESDAY'S RECURRING EVENTS ARTS/CRAFTS Alizarin Crimson Art Studio: Over 30 years of Fine Art Instruction Painting Classes-All Levels. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Cedar Pointe Plaza, 2611 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. All ages. 772-287-7030; Alizarincrimsonstudio.net. Professional Teaching Staff: Georgia Abood, Kate Wood & Jennifer Pollack. Imaginative Drawing Class: 4:30-7:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 15+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. Rendering in Mixed Media: Learn to Draw colorfully with more than just a pencil. 7:30-10:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 16+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. CHILDREN/TEENS Family Story Time: 10:30 a.m. Ages 1-3 years. Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 S.W. Matheson Ave, Palm City. 772-288-2551; library.martin.fl.us. Family Story Time: 11:30 a.m. Ages: 0-12 months. Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 S.W. Matheson Ave, Palm City. 772-288-2551; library.martin.fl.us. CLUBS Marine Corps League: Meeting for qualified U.S. Marines, Navy F.M.F.-Corpsmen & F.M.F.-Chaplains. 7 p.m. Stuart-Jensen Elks Lodge No. 1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. Ages: 17+. Fee/dues after joining. 800-979-9096; info@martinmcl1045.org. DANCE Adult Summer Dance Camp: Classes and Social Parties for Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country Dance. 4-10 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Ages: 18+. $100 to $300 per month per person. Register: 609-356-2973; gloriana@jensenbeachballroom.com. Ballroom Dancing: 4-5 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $8/$10. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Dance Classes: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country and Club group and private classes. 1-9 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Discounts available. Register: 609-356-2973; www.JensenBeachBallroom.com. Dancing and Karoke: Music and Dancing at the Elks with Permanent Affair, open membership night. 6-10 p.m. Stuart-Jensen Elks Lodge 1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. Ages: 21. 772-287-0277; elks1870@bellsouth.net. Group Dance Lessons: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country. 6 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. $10 per person. 609-356-2973; jensenbeachballroom.com. EXERCISE/health Aerobic Sitting Exercises: 9-10 a.m. MCP& R Log Cabin Senior Center, Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Ages: 50+. $2. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. Yoga: For caregivers, family, cancer survivors hosted by How Big is Your Brave. 6-7 p.m. 2026 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. Reservation: www.howbigisyourbrave.org/programs. Zumba Gold: 9-10 a.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $4/$6. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. OTHER Citizenship Class: Free citizenship application assistance and preparation for the citizenship test. 6-8 p.m. Robert Morgade Library, 5851 S.E. Community Drive, Stuart. 772-463-3245; library.martin.fl.us. Life Skills Discussion Group: Have you got something you would like to discuss? 1-3 p.m. MCP&R Log Cabin Senior Center at Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Multigenerational. $2. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. Lighthouse Sunset Tour: View the spectacular sunset atop the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Time varies by sunset. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. Children must be at least 48" to climb. $20 or $15 for Members. Reservation: 561-7478380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Marine Corps League Monthly Meeting: U.S. Marines, Navy F.M.F. Corpsmen & F.M.F. Chaplains. 7 p.m. sharp! Stuart-Jensen Elk's Lodge #1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. 772-919-8800; jjwilsonmcl1045@gmail.com. Piano Instruction: Beginners to concert level. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Shirley Heifetz, Jensen Beach. Ages: 8+. Registration: 772-934-6812. LOOKING AHEAD Line Dancing: 5-6 p.m. Aug. 3. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $30/$36. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Jensen Beach Neighborhood Advisory Committee: Meeting. 5 p.m. Aug. 3. Jensen Beach Community Center, 1912 N.E. Jensen Beach Boulevard, Jensen Beach Photography Class: Photography Class. Noon-1 p.m. Aug. 4. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 21+. $90-$100. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Writing Artist Statements, Bios and More: Part of Arts Council Summer Series for Artists. 9:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 5. Court House Cultural Center, 80 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. $20 for Arts Council members; $25 for nonmembers. Reservation: 772-287-6676; www.martinarts.org. Dinner/Dance Fundraiser: Dinner/Dance Fundraiser for Adult Day Program. 5-7 p.m. Aug. 5. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. $12. Ticket: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Back to School Bash: The festivities will include video game demos, a dance performance, goody bags with samples and offers, giveaways, and a variety of vendors providing service. Noon-4 p.m. Aug. 6. Treasure Coast Square, J.C. Penney Courtyard, 3174 U.S. 1, Jensen Beach. Great Back Pack Give Away: Free fully stocked back packs for children K-8. 8-11 a.m. Aug. 6. St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 5150 S.E. Railway Ave. Cove Road A1A, Port Salerno. Back To School Fair: 400 free Backpacks, Lunch, Kid's Haircuts, Eye Exams, Clothing, etc. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 6. Trinity United Methodist Church, 2221 N.E. Savannah Road, Jensen Beach. 772-334-3404; www.trinityjb.org. Pup Crawl: Begins at Spoto's and then heads to Sneaki Tiki, Crafted Keg and then ends at Terra Fermata; dogs must remain on lead. 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Spoto's Oyster Bar, 131 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart. $20. Ages: 21. Benefits the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast. 772- 600-3211. 2nd Annual Pup Crawl: Pup Crawl to benefit HSTC Shelter Pets. 5:30-10 p.m. Aug. 6. Downtown Stuart starting at Spoto's Oyster Bar, 131 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart. Ages: 21+. $20 per person. Ticket: 772-600-3211; czanetti@hstc1.org. Barn Theatre Auditions: Barn Theatre Auditions for "The Haunting of Hill House". 7 p.m. Aug. 7, 8, 9. The Barn Theatre, 2400 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. www.barn-theatre.com. Biologist Beach Walk: Public insight into LMC's research department. 6:45-8:30 a.m. Aug. 8.-Sept. 30. Loggerhead Marinelife Center, 14200 U.S. 1 Juno Beach. Ages: 8+. $12. Ticket: 561-627-8280; www.marinelife.org/beachwalk. Backpack & School Supplies Distribution: Free Backpacks and School Supplies. Noon-2 p.m. Aug. 10. The Salvation Army of Martin County, 821 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Stuart. Grades: K-8. 772-288-1471; Maria.McGowan@uss.salvationarmy.org. Jazz Dance Class: 1-2 p.m. Aug. 10. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $30/$35. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Coffee With A Cop: McDonald's and the Martin County Sheriff's Office are hosting. 8-10 a.m. Aug. 11. McDonald's, 3600 S.W. U.S. 1, Wedgewood Commons, Stuart. Sailfish Splash Waterpark: Free admission day to Martin County residents. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 11. Sailfish Splash Waterpark, 931 S.E. Ruhnke St., Stuart. Tales from the Archives: Learn historical research & new findings from our Museum's collection. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. RSVP: 561-7478380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Estate & Long-Term Care Planning: Estate & Long-Term Care Planning. 3 p.m. Aug. 18. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch: Hang 20 Surf Dog Classic Pre-party and fundraiser. 5 p.m. Aug. 18. Guanabanas Waterfront Restaurant, 60 N. Highway A1A, Jupiter. Donation. RSVP: 561-737-5311; www.furryfriendsadoption.org. Lighthouse Moonrise Tour: View the Full Moon from atop the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. 7:15 p.m. Aug. 18. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. Children must be at least 48" to climb tower. $20 or $15 for Members. Reservation: 561-747-8380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Beach 2 Beach 5k: Run/walk to benefit South Fork High's cross country team. 6:45 p.m. Aug. 19. Jensen Sea Turtle Beach, 4191 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach. $18-$25. Register: 772-521-3548; www.active.com/jensen-beach-fl/running/distance-running-races/beach-to-beach-5k-2016?int. Parent University: 9 a.m.-Noon. Aug. 20. Martin County High School, 2801 Kanner Highway, Stuart. martinschools.org. Hearts at Home: Hearts at Home, Congestive Heart Failure-Focused Care. 10:30 a.m. Aug. 22. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Hearing Health Event: Get your free hearing checked out by an expert. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 23 & 25. Professional Audiology Associates, 1045 Southeast Ocean Blvd., Ste. #4, Stuart. Reservation: 772-220-8354; www.hearinghealthusa.com/event/free-hearing-health-event-stuart-fl/. Human Trafficking Coalition of the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee: Guest Speaker: Representative Gayle Harrell. 10-11 a.m. Aug. 23. Martin County Sheriff's Office, 800 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart. Brain Boosting Workshop: Four Week Brain Boosting Workshop. 3-4 p.m. Aug. 24. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Club Scrub River Paddle II & The End of Summer: Fundraiser that will benefit JDSP Camp Murphy Mountain Bike Trails. 8 a.m. Aug. 27. Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Swim Beach River Area, S.E. U.S. 1, Hobe Sound. Clubscrub.org. Treasure Coast Yard Sale: Community yard sale & auction. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 27. Martin County Fairgrounds, 2616 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart. All Ages. $0-50. Register: TreasureCoastYardSale.com. SEPTEMBER Bankruptcy and Fair Debt Collections Know Your Rights: Clinics on Bankruptcy and Fair Debt Collections. 6 p.m. Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 7, Dec. 5. Port St. Lucie Civic Center, 9221 S.E. Civic Center Place, Port St. Lucie. Register: 772-466-4766; www.FRLS.org. SHARE Tyler McLaughlin, 27, 2200 block of 16th Street, Vero Beach; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Elizabeth Boccard, 48, Melbourne; warrant for violation of probation, resisting an officer with violence, battery on an officer. Tanner Wolf, 20, 1200 block of 40th Court, Vero Beach; aggravated assault/domestic violence. Calius Judon, 18, 1500 block of 15th Circle, Vero Beach; out-of-county warrants, St. Lucie County, grand theft, burglary of an auto, boat or conveyance. David Wright, 25, 4200 block of North Cypress Green Lake, Vero Beach; warrant for sexual battery on a person, 12 or older by a perpetrator over 18. James Taylor, 52, 500 block of Sloane Street, Sebastian; out-of-county warrant, St. Lucie County, lewd and lascivious molestation by an offender over 18 on victim, 12 to 16. Antwavian Chavis, 37, 500 block of 12th Road, Vero Beach; warrants for domestic violence aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, domestic battery. Arrested in St. Lucie County. SHARE Peytn Shaddinger, 37, 8100 block of Southeast Coconut Street, Hobe Sound; warrant for fugitive from justice, Collin County, Texas, possession of a controlled substance. Nicole Girlando, 28, 700 block of Northeast Vanda Terrace, Jensen Beach; battery on a person older than 65. Armando Mendez, 18, 15000 block of Southwest Chickee Street, Indiantown; tampering with a witness; false imprisonment. Shunta McGrady, 51, West Palm Beach; petty theft. Steven Chavez, 21, 11000 block of Southeast Federal Highway, Hobe Sound; possession of cocaine. Branden Rowlands, 21, 1700 block of Southeast Palm Beach Road, Stuart; out-of-county warrant, Essex County, fugitive from justice. Joshua McNamee, 23, 2300 block of Southwest Danforth Circle, Palm City; sexual intercourse while infected with HIV/multiple partners. Shawn Bernard, 39, 9300 block of Southeast Duncan Street, Hobe Sound; out-of-county warrants, Palm Beach County, burglary of a structure, petty theft, dealing in stolen property, giving false information to a pawnbroker. Craig Armstrong, 45, Blythewood, South Carolina; attempted burglary. Ryan Moyer, 31, 600 block of Southeast Palm Beach Road, Stuart; possession of a controlled substance (heroin); possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam). Ashley Messina, 28, Henrico, Virginia; possession of a controlled substance (heroin). William Hoffman, 33, 5000 block of Southeast Federal Highway, Hobe Sound; domestic battery by strangulation; tampering with a witness (depriving victim from calling 911). William Phillips, 36, Fort Lauderdale; warrant for retail theft in concert with others. Adam Panchley, 36, 1500 block of Northeast 21st Terrace, Jensen Beach; warrant for violation of probation, soliciting the sale or delivery or marijuana. Camilo Zuluaga, 50, no street address, Hobe Sound; grand theft of a motor vehicle. SHARE Gregory Bradford, 36, Plantation; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Justin Drury, 41, no street address/city; warrant for transmission of material harmful to minor by electronic equipment. Davonte Richardson, 20, 4000 block of Avenue J, Fort Pierce; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill; criminal mischief; firing a weapon discharge from a vehicle. Kyle Shuman, 27, 300 block of Southeast Wallace Terrace, Port St. Lucie; fleeing/eluding failure to obey officer's order to stop. Jason Moniz, 33, 3800 block of Southwest Savona Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; burglary of an unoccupied conveyance. Aaron Davies, 29, 200 block of Northeast Orchard Street, Port St. Lucie; petty theft. Kenneth Martinek, 48, 2300 block of Southeast Luau Avenue, Port St. Lucie; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Jamal Magras, 21, 3900 block of Southwest Hablow Street, Port St. Lucie; passing a forged/altered bank bill/note/check/draft. Heather Parsons, 32, 1600 block of Southeast Berkshire Road, Fort Pierce; escape. Jamie Carreau, 26, Titusville; warrant for out-of-county warrant, Brevard County, possession of alprazolam. Kenneth Moore, 38, 2600 block of Royalt Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, sale of cocaine, trafficking in cocaine. Anthony Pearson, 28, 5000 block of LaSalle Street, Fort Pierce; possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted state felon. Major Barnes, 25, 6600 block of Miramar Avenue, Fort Pierce; possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted state felon; warrant for violation of probation, possession of firearms. Michael Buchanon, 3000 block of Mcneil Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, sale or delivery of marijuana. Mark Anderson, 19, 400 block of Northwest Ravenswood Lane, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver. Kathleen Martin, 62, 200 block of Oakridge Drive, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, cultivation of marijuana. David Fox, 29, Orlando; driving while license suspended, third or subsequent offense. Anna Martin, 30, 2000 block of 36th Avenue, Vero Beach; possession of cocaine. Michele Ohara, 49, 1100 block of Joy Lane, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, grand theft. Jernecia Purter, 22, 300 block of Bethany Court, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, battery. Bradly Borozny, 30, 2400 block of South 25th Street, Fort Pierce; aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (domestic violence). Stephen Smeltzer, 66, 3200 block of South 7th Street, Fort Pierce; aggravated battery. Rana Mckibbin, 39, 2400 block of Loquat Road, Port St. Lucie; possession of cocaine. Edwin Hill, 40, 900 block of North 20th Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, sale, manufacture or delivery of cocaine. Calvin Paige, 19, 600 block of Ixoria Avenue, Fort Pierce; grand theft; possession of a forged/altered instrument. Jackson Bryant, 23, 1600 block of North 29th Street, Fort Pierce; re-admit, driving while license suspended. Jacob Deangeles, 19, 1900 block of Southeast Odonnell Lane, Port St. Lucie; re-admit, sale, manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to sell marijuana. Stanteria Smith, 18, 200 block of Bethany Circle, Fort Pierce; robbery. George Cammarasana, 54, no street address/city; child abuse intentional act. New cafe serves handcrafted donuts with water view in Jensen Beach Lazy Dog Donuts in Jensen Beach serves coffee and handcrafted pastries and a view of the Indian River Lagoon view from its patio. The tombstone of US Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan is seen in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Fellow Republicans are joining the rising chorus of criticism of Donald Trump for his disparagement of the bereaved parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim who was awarded a Bronze Star after he was killed in 2004 in Iraq. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) By Isadora Rangel of TCPalm Republican veterans running to represent the Treasure Coast in Congress said they support Donald Trump despite his recent incendiary remarks about a fallen soldier's family. The three candidates running to replace U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy didn't entirely agree with Trump's comments about Capt. Humayun Khan's parents, who gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention last week. Khan's father, a Muslim, criticized Trump for calling for a ban on Muslims and accused him of not knowing the Constitution. Retired Army Sgt. Brian Mast, who lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, said both Trump and the Khans were "in the wrong," but he said Trump lacked "tact" for his comments. Mark Freeman, a doctor who served as lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, said Trump was "just defending himself" when he said the Khans had no right to criticize him and likened his work as a real estate developer to the Khans' sacrifice when they lost their son in Iraq. Freeman, however, said he disagrees with Trump's comments that Khan's father delivered the entire convention speech because Khan's mother was not allowed to speak. Freeman's campaign has been sending mailers with pictures of him and Trump with a tag line "It's time to make America safe again." Carl Domino, who served in Vietnam and retired as a Navy commander, said the controversy is a "minor issue." He said he's known Trump since 1998 and "he's a successful leader." "Donald Trump is the best presidential candidate and he says things I don't agree with," Domino said. "But contrast it with Hillary (Clinton)." Domino, Freeman and Mast denounced Trump's previous attacks on U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam prisoner of war. Trump said at a forum in Iowa, "I like people that weren't captured." McCain rebuked Trump for his remarks about the Khans. Yet the three Republicans running in congressional District 18 said they would rather have Trump as president than Clinton. "I'm not going to sit here and in any way try to pretend I agree with all the things that Donald Trump says," said Mast, who served as an Army bomb disposal expert. Independent Carla Spalding, who served in the Navy, couldn't be reached for comment. It's unclear whether she supports Trump. Khizr Khan holds his personal copy of the US Constitution while addressing delegates on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. (FILE PHOTO) SHARE The tombstone of US Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan is seen in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Fellow Republicans are joining the rising chorus of criticism of Donald Trump for his disparagement of the bereaved parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim who was awarded a Bronze Star after he was killed in 2004 in Iraq. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Related Coverage Veteran candidates' support for Trump unfazed by Khan flap By Ledyard King, USA TODAY WASHINGTON Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday it's "unfortunate" that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and the Muslim parents of a slain Army captain are feuding, choosing not to join some other Republicans who have condemned Trump's behavior in the back-and-forth. Rubio, who is running for re-election, tried to walk a middle path when questioned about Trump's feud with Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala Khan. He described the Khans' son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, as a "hero," but said he agrees with Trump that stronger measures are needed to prevent radical jihadists from entering the U.S. "We have Americans who are Muslims who are patriotic and love this country, as evidenced by the Khan family," the senator said. "We also know that there are parts of this world, where there are terrorists that are trying to get into the United States, and it's not that we don't want to allow people in, it's that in many cases we can't because we don't have a way to vet them." The Khans, who immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan, gave a moving tribute to their son on the last night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday. During his speech, Khizr Khan slammed Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States and asked of the GOP nominee, "Have you even read the U.S. Constitution?" Put on the defensive, the brash billionaire attacked the parents, issued a statement saying Khan had "no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things." Some Republicans, notably Arizona Sen. John McCain, decried Trump's remarks. "In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents," McCain said in a statement Monday. "He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." Rubio, who supports Trump's presidential campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton despite some major policy disagreements with Trump, was more circumspect. "I think it's unfortunate," the senator said of the situation. "Look, (Capt.) Khan is a hero, for every measure. I think his parents are heroes and they have a First Amendment right to speak out on their politics, as all Americans do. Their son died for the Constitution and I honor that. (But) let's remember that (Capt.) Khan lost his life in the hands of radical jihadists. They took their view of their faith and used it to justify killing innocents and attacking them. So that's why it's a complex issue." Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, who is running for Rubio's seat, blasted Trump's comments about the Khans. He also criticized Rubio for not taking a harder stance against the real estate mogul. "Captain Khan was a hero and his brave parents deserve unflinching gratitude for their sacrifice," Murphy said. "Instead, they were viciously attacked by Donald Trump, a bully who has put personal profit before serving our country at every opportunity." Though he disagrees with Trump's call for a broad ban on allowing Muslims into the country, Rubio said more needs to be done to monitor who gets into the U.S. "We live in a world now where we have to know exactly who's coming in, why they're coming, who they are, and what they're up to," he told reporters. "And that becomes harder when they're coming from countries that don't even have a functional government." Contributing: Eliza Collins, USA TODAY Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking Henry Aragon, of Palm City, tends to the growth around the support structures for the pipes that transport the heat transfer fluid to and from the 190,000 tempered mirrors that make up Florida Power and Light's Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in 2010. Opinion columnist Gil Smart asks, was Martin County farsighted or foolish not to work with biomass plant? (FILE PHOTO) What if you heard that a major industrial employer was thinking about coming to your town, creating hundreds of jobs and generating, over time, millions in tax revenue? Most people would be pretty psyched. This type of thing doesn't happen that often in postindustrial America, as Donald Trump might tell you on the campaign stump. But take it a step further. Let's say this potential employer is on a tight deadline. For the project to get done, it has to cut through the red tape, and there are reams of red tape. How flexible should your community be? Or should your community be inflexible, in effect saying: 'Here are the rules, here's the process, you follow it to the letter or you can go away'? By now you've figured out I'm not talking about some theoretical proposal. I'm talking about a now-scuttled plan by a firm called EcoGen, which wanted to build a biomass plant in Indiantown, within shouting distance of Florida Power & Light Company's Martin Power Plant and the Indiantown Cogeneration facility. The idea was to grow eucalyptus trees on fallow citrus land nearby, burn it in the plant and sell the output to FPL. It might have been a great deal for Indiantown, as construction and operation of the plant was projected to generate more than 500 jobs, including 160 permanent positions. The economic spinoffs and local spending could have boosted the local economy. It also might have been a fantastic deal for Martin County taxpayers, as the plant was projected to generate some $450,000 a year in local tax revenue. All of this, however, would have required bending the rules. And when it comes to development, Martin County is about as flexible as a steel beam. EcoGen was hustling to meet a deadline to deliver power to FPL. It had taken longer than anticipated to swing a land deal; and then, the 78-acre site where EcoGen wanted to build was zoned agricultural. So the company proposed "swapping" zoning with an adjacent 78-acre parcel EcoGen also controlled, land which was zoned for industry. To do this, and to get permission to build outside the Primary Urban Service District (which bordered the proposed plant location to the north and east) EcoGen needed the county to OK amendments to its Comprehensive Growth Management Plan. Problem was, the "official" application period didn't start until September. EcoGen didn't have that much time. So the firm asked the county to get the ball rolling immediately by initiating the amendments itself. That set off sirens among those who fret about growth in Martin County. They argued EcoGen shouldn't get special treatment, that the company should wait its turn like everyone else, lest the whole approval process be compromised and important questions missed. County commissioners initially backed the zoning swap, but then county staff perhaps swayed by the critics recommended against cutting EcoGen a break. Faced with missing its deadline and what it no doubt viewed as hostility toward its proposal EcoGen pulled the plug. So no special treatment, no comprehensive plan amendments. Also, no jobs and no tax revenue. Among those asking the county to slam on the brakes were the Guardians of Martin County, a group focused on growth management that sent a letter to the commissioners, urging them to "follow established rules and procedures for making changes to the Comprehensive Plan that protects and preserves the unique quality of life shared by all Martin County residents." The missive was signed by Virginia Sherlock, a Stuart attorney who said the Guardians didn't oppose the proposal per se. "There was a lot about it they liked," she said, including the idea of renewable energy, the job prospects and more. "What the Guardians objected to was the process," she said. Process is important. The question is: Should it be paramount? There were many questions about the EcoGen proposal that needed to be answered, and, presumably, would have been during the review process. But it's hard to shake the feeling that virtually any other community, eyeing the potential jobs and tax revenue , would have said to EcoGen, 'How can we work with you?' Whereas Martin County said: 'Harrumph. The line forms over there. 'And don't ask for no favors.' I get the high-minded arguments about our "quality of life" and worries about urban sprawl. I get the desire to defend the integrity of the Comprehensive Plan and the reality that rules exist for a reason. I just wonder whether Martin County doesn't sometimes let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Gil Smart is a columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart. RACE: Indian River County School Board, District 5 TERM: Four years CANDIDATES: Tiffany Justice, Vero Beach John Kim, Vero Beach WHO CAN VOTE: All Indian River County voters can vote in this nonpartisan race KEY ISSUES: Accountability, literacy, finances, charter schools RECOMMENDATION: Justice and Kim, both graduates of St. Edward's School, are well-versed on local school issues. Justice will have three of her four young children in public school this fall. Kim says one of his strengths is he has been educated in public and charter schools, too. Kim says he'd provide a fresh perspective because he is single, owns a produce business and, at 23 years old, relates to younger students. Justice is a go-getter. She successfully lobbied the Indian River County School Board to speed up funding of renovations of her children's Beachland Elementary School as its PTA liaison. While both claim to support charter school funding, Kim's support is concrete. He's backed by local charter leaders. His goal is to improve vocational education to help non-college-bound students get good jobs. Much of Kim's campaign, however, seems like platitudes from a populist conservative playbook: Keep Washington and Tallahassee out of education, end unfunded mandates and decrease testing things he can't control as a local board member. He can control what he calls "liberal bias" in textbooks. It's not surprising. Kim's resume lists jobs working for state and U.S. House members and the Republican Party of Florida. And he recently gave an impassioned speech about government overreach at a local Donald Trump rally. Justice is less dogmatic. The question is whether she can become more than an advocate and hold school administration accountable. Justice insists she wants to set benchmarks for the schools superintendent and student literacy. She's volunteered with the local Learning Alliance nonprofit, which seeks to have 90 percent of third-graders reading at grade level by 2018. Many of her supporters are connected to the alliance. Both Justice and Kim would be articulate, engaged board members. Justice gets the nod for her greater experience with the local education community. WE ENDORSE: Tiffany Justice SHARE Notorious pirate Black Caesar By Greg And Alice Luckhardt, YourNews contributors STUART Many stories have been told through the years about supposed sightings of phantom vessels or ghost ships at sea, the Flying Dutchman being an example. Probably few people in Martin County, however, know that one such apparition of what appeared to be the phantom ship of pirate Black Caesar was seen on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River in the early 1920s. The unexplained, eerie "event" was witnessed by Wallace William Stevens, at one time a resident of Stuart and even reported in an article years later on Jan. 25, 1931 in the Sunday magazine of the Atlanta Journal. Wallace, born July 28, 1899, was a highly respected man, the son of Stuart's first newspaper (Stuart Times) publisher, Will Stevens, and therefore very unlikely that the seemingly unbelievable story was fabricated. He no doubt saw or at least honestly thought he had seen a mysterious "glowing" vessel on the water. It is a documented fact that Black Caesar plied the waters of the Gulf Stream east of Florida in the early 1700s. He had a base of operations at the southern end of what would later be named Biscayne Bay. The Florida coastline's natural features, with its inlets, coves, bays and hidden or protected waterways provided a perfect haven for a pirate ship and crew to hide out, possibly even bury stolen treasure. Ships loaded with gold and silver, some sailing from the Spanish-held colony of Cuba to St. Augustine, would be inviting prey. Most assuredly Caesar was familiar with and certainly had opportunity to sail in the waters around what would be Martin County. According to legend the area surrounding the St. Lucie may have even been a favorite location for the notorious pirate Don Pedro Gilbert in the 1800s. The life and death of Black Caesar is an interesting story. Born about 1680 of African descent, he was supposedly once a tribal chief, being an intelligent, tall, strong young man. During the era of slave trade, Caesar somehow managed to elude capture, but was eventually tricked and lured with others onto a ship to be transported to the Caribbean for sale. During the voyage, as the ship neared southeast Florida, a violent hurricane swept the vessel into the reefs. However, he and a befriended crew member escaped in a longboat to safety on the small islands at the south end of Biscayne Bay. In order to survive, the two men used that longboat to approach ships at sea, pretending to be shipwrecked sailors, then boarded the vessel stealing supplies, guns, ammunition or whatever was wanted from the crew, often taking hostages to eventually be included in a "pirate" gang. Caesar was quite skilled at using an axe, sword or pistol and could easily defeat most any opponent. He and the pirate crew were able to avoid capture by escaping into the inlets between Elliot and Old Rhodes Key, hiding out on the mangrove islands. From approximately 1707 to 1717, the raiding and plundering continued, with accumulation of a massive stockpile of treasure, some of which Black Caesar may have buried on or near these islands. He recruited more pirates and even began a brothel with women he had captured. Caesar was known to have been at Nassau in the Bahamas before deciding to join the crew of another infamous pirate, Blackbeard (Edward Teach) off the North Carolina coast. Caesar was immediately appointed a lieutenant due to reputation. Blackbeard traversed the waters of the West Indies to the Carolinas and Virginia, British colonies in 1716. He attacked all types of vessels, often slave ships, sometimes to increase the pirate crew, which were mostly Africans. By this time, the British Royal Navy was determined to rid the seas of these pirates! The opportunity came on Nov. 22, 1718, when the British and Blackbeard battled at Ocracoke Inlet at the North Carolina colony. The fighting was fierce, Blackbeard being shot more than once and stabbed at least 40 times before he was finally killed, as was most of the crew! The British cut off the head of the notorious pirate, hung it on the ship's flagpole and tossed the body overboard. Black Caesar was captured and constrained attempting to ignite the powder magazine to blow up the entire ship, including its crew and assailants, as had already been decided and ordered by Blackbeard should he be killed. Caesar and the surviving crew were arrested for piracy and taken to Williamsburg, in the colony of Virginia to stand trial, which took place four months later. NOTE: Due to the article's total length, a continuation will appear as a separate vignette next week. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Manufacturers are eager to lay the bricks and help pave the road to better, more personalized healthcare through integration of connected devices in the new Internet of Medical Things. Compared to other industries, healthcare has been inherently conservative and slow to embrace innovations such as the cloud and the Internet of Things but thats changing. Innovative tech products and services are making it harder for healthcare providers to ignore the potential benefits of connected medical devices and the IoMT, according to Ian Shakil, CEO of Augmedix. Were seeing this firsthand, as major healthcare systems including Sutter Health, Dignity Health, CHI and TriHealth scale Augmedixs service across their organizations with a mission to rehumanize the doctor-patient relationship, he told TechNewsWorld. Little Gadgets and Big Data People aged 65 and older made up about 14.7 percent of the United States population in 2014, and that figure could reach 20 percent, according to Administration on Aging projections. Although the over-65 population will continue to drive up healthcare costs, new support for aging in place and efforts to shorten hospital stays could alleviate that strain. However, thats dependent on device manufacturers and software developers getting the customer experience right for both patients and providers, suggested Virtual Health CEO Adam Sabloff. The valuable data rendered from connected medical devices, such as wearables that monitor blood pressure and other vitals, is relatively useless if never presented to a patients care team in an easy to read, actionable manner, he told TechNewsWorld. This is where innovative end-to-end solutions come into play. Virtual Health maintains a cloud-based platform that aggregates and integrates data from a range of sources and formats to give care teams a 360-degree view of the patient. That allows physicians to intervene and provide proactive care before a condition manifests or worsens, said Sabloff. Patients will truly benefit from the IoMT only when end-to-end solutions are fully leveraged to help clinicians access and act on valuable data provided by wearables and other remote monitoring tools, he added. Encouraging Adoption Mobility and data management are key to the IoMTs success, according to Keith Cooper, CEO of Constant Therapy. When medical care or therapy is untethered from a face-to-face office visit, patients can receive more and consistent care on any day in any place, he told TechNewsWorld. Constant Therapys tools for brain rehab offer users five times more speech and cognitive therapy than conventional approaches, the companys internal studies concluded. As for data and analytics, the companys digitization of cognitive therapy delivery has made information about a patients strengths and deficits instantly available and clearly understandable. Deeper insights and data tracking can lift the veil on understanding, Cooper said. Complementing that are interoperability and a compelling customer experience. Interoperability to a large degree entails building in system support for all major mobile devices, and building products that are fresh and engaging, said Michelle de Haaff, vice president of marketing and customer success at Glooko. Freshness includes features that enable patients to share and get new insights from their data, get remote support from a care team, and even incentives that can keep them coming back for more, de Haaff told TechNewsWorld. Culture Change To drive adoption of IoMT systems and to achieve more end-to-end solutions, hospital administrators, vendors and manufacturers must cooperate to lead healthcare through a culture change, said Joel Cook, senior healthcare solutions manager at Stanley Healthcare. Remote consultations, social sensors, gadgets that offer guidance on health and wellness, analytics-driven regimens and other IoMT innovations are driving a cultural transformation that could move modern medicine into its next era. The keys to success are a clearly defined use case, Cook told TechNewsWorld, and goals that are agreed upon by all the stakeholders. The Internet of Medical Things, Part 2: Devices and Apps Comcast has found itself on the receiving end of a $100 million consumer protection lawsuit by the state of Washington, for allegedly misleading 500,000 Washington consumers and deceiving them into paying at least $73 million in subscription fees over the last five years for a "near-worthless protection plan" without disclosing its significant limitations. Attorney General Bob Ferguson briefed the media about the lawsuit this afternoon, saying that the nation's biggest cable company incurred in more than 1.8 million individual violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act. At the heart of the issue is Compact's $4.99 a month Service Protection Plan. This plan covers the cost of all service calls, including those related to inside wiring, and customer-owned hardware connected to Comcast services. But according to Ferguson, Comcast did not appropriately disclose that the plan does not cover repairs to any 'wall-fished' wiring---wiring inside a wall---which constitutes the vast majority of wiring inside homes. The Attorney General's office also found that when customers reached out to Comcast, 75% percent of the time, Comcast representatives told these customers the plan covered all inside wiring. The lawsuit also claims Comcast consistently and intentionally charged customers for work that should have been covered by this $5 monthly fee. In addition, the state also accuses Comcast of credit check violations. New customers are subject to a credit check when signing up, but can pay a deposit to forgo a check. Apparently, in many cases Comcast ran the check even when people opted out, or improperly collected deposits from customers with high credit scores. After being creeped out to the core by American Horror Story's latest string of teasers, more details about season 6 continue to be revealed. This time, fans are learning more about this year's theme. The set of teaser trailers gave us some insight to what we can expect this season. We know that it will take place in some kind of rural farm setting, complete with weapons like the sickle. Viewers can expect monsters of some sort in the more half-human, half-demon sense that hint at the baby from Murder House, as well as those that potentially live under the house of this season's main character. Fans were also introduced to a family that appeared only as black silhouettes with green eyes (just like Lady Gaga's in another promo). While it's hard to make out, it appears that the female and child are dressed in long dresses, with the man in a suit-like ensemble with a hat all very Puritan-esque. While this all piqued our interest, TMZ published the first images from the AHS season 6 set that further hints at this Puritan theme. The photos obtained feature one that has the word "Croatoan" sketched into a tree. This is a reference to the true story surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony. 'American Horror Story' -- New Set Photos Hint at Lost Colony (PHOTO GALLERY) https://t.co/ey5J9jLu9b TMZ (@TMZ) Aug. 1, 2016 For those unfamiliar with this story, here's the quick history lesson: Known as the "Lost Colony," the Roanoke Island colony was founded by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in August 1585. It was located in what is known as today's Dare County in North Carolina. However, the original colonists returned to England a year later after suffering from Indian attacks and a low food supply. Then, in 1587, John White (friend of Raleigh and later governor of the colony) led a second group of 117 colonists to settle there. White traveled back to England to bring back more supplies, and by the time he returned in 1590, the entire colony had mysteriously vanished. There were no signs of attack, and nothing not even skeletal remains were found at the deserted colony. The only thing found was the word "Croatoan," the name of the Native American tribe that lived in the area that was traced into a fencepost. It is known that a severe drought occurred during those years, but if that was the cause, bodies would have been found. Some believe the colonists might have joined the tribe. Croatoan was also the name of an island located nearby. The colonists could have relocated to the island; however, before White left, he instructed them to carve a Maltese Cross in a tree if they were forced to leave the colony. That was not found. The mystery continues to baffle archaeologists today and has been the true-life inspiration behind many ghost stories. Ryan Murphy and gang have not officially announced American Horror Story season 6's theme yet, but TMZ also reported to seeing actors dressed in Pilgrim clothing. While this means no modern-day take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre, we have high expectations for the potential story of the Lost Colony. Source: TMZ 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA plans to launch a probe that will study an asteroid that may possibly hit and destroy Earth in the future. The U.S. space agency is set to launch the unmanned Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft on Sept. 8 to collect rock samples from Bennu, an asteroid estimated to measure 1,614 feet. Discovered in 1999 and named after an Egyptian mythological bird by a North Carolina third grader who won an asteroid-naming contest, the space rock is an example of a near-Earth object or NEO Solar System bodies with orbits that bring them close to Earth. Bennu crosses our planet's orbit every six years and it gets closer each time. More than 100 years from now in 2135, the asteroid may possibly enter a "keyhole" between the Earth and the moon, which may potentially alter the asteroid's orbit and place it on course for the Earth. Although there is a small chance for impact, the consequences would be catastrophic if this happens. Mark Bailey of Northern Ireland's Armagh Observatory said that the asteroid falls within the size of an object that can cause a global catastrophe. Once the asteroid hits Earth, the event would generate an equivalent of setting off 3 billion tons of high explosive, which is about 200 times the strength of the atomic bomb that was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan. Another reason astronomers want to study the asteroid is that it may offer clues on how life began on Earth and how the Solar System evolved. Scientists believe that the asteroid is rich in carbon, a key ingredient in the organic molecules that are needed for life. Organic molecules have been found in comet and meteorite samples, which suggests that some of the key ingredients of life can be created in space. "Bennu's experiences will tell us more about where our solar system came from and how it evolved," said Edward Beshore, who is part of the OSIRIS-REx mission. "Like the detectives in a crime show episode, we'll examine bits of evidence from Bennu to understand more completely the story of the solar system, which is ultimately the story of our origin." The OSIRIS-REx is supposed to reach the asteroid in August 2018, where it will send a probe to collect gravel and soil from Bennu's surface. The OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S mission that will carry samples from an asteroid back to planet Earth. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The final days of an isolated population of Alaskan woolly mammoths have been lonely and thirsty. As the dawn of human civilization began to rise some 5,500 years ago, these island-dwelling woolly mammoths were surviving on a remote piece of land that was once part of the Bering Strait. The isolated woolly mammoths had been the second-to-the-last known population in the world, living on a tiny Alaskan island thousands of years after their cousins and relatives have gone extinct. However, they also did not survive. Now, a new study reveals what might have pushed the prehistoric animals to extinction. Researchers point to rising sea levels and lack of access to freshwater as the culprit. The Perils That Woolly Mammoths Faced To begin investigations, a team of scientists analyzed layers of a dated sediment core unearthed from a lake on St. Paul Island. This helped them estimate that the woolly mammoths went extinct approximately 5,600 years ago. The Bering Sea Island, where the mammoths once lived, had a phase of dry conditions and declining water quality at about the same time the prehistoric animals vanished, researchers said. According to Matthew Wooller, the study's co-author and a director of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility, the woolly mammoths had been trapped on the island when sea levels began to rise and flooded the Bering Sea land bridge. The isolated woolly mammoths on the island survived 5,000 years longer than mainland populations, but it was the lack of freshwater on the island that doomed them. Isotope Analysis In 2013, a group of experts gathered a sediment core from the bed of a freshwater lake on St. Paul Island. Wooller and colleagues then measured the stable oxygen isotope ratios of the remains of aquatic insects that were preserved in the sediment. The preservation had happened before, during and after the mammoths' extinction. Because the fossils of aquatic insects still retain water isotope signatures in their bodies, researchers studied the organisms' exoskeletons and found that the lake levels had decreased. Scientists also discovered that the remains of the aquatic insects from the core changed over time. This suggests that lake levels and water quality were diminishing up to the extinction of the woolly mammoths. Furthermore, a nitrogen isotope analyses of mammoth teeth and bones revealed significantly drier conditions up until the extinction event. Authors of the study said these lines of evidence of plummeting lake levels offer a strong case for what truly pushed the animals to extinction. "It paints a dire picture of the situation for these mammoths," said Wooller. Why The Findings Are Important The new report not only revealed how Alaskan woolly mammoths went extinct, but it also exhibited the vulnerability of small island populations to climate change. In fact, St. Paul Island slowly shrank to 110 square kilometers (42.47 square miles) as sea levels began to rise, reducing the chances that mammoths could transfer to a new area with freshwater. Conditions on the island also changed for 2,000 years before the mammoth extinction. Wooller said that modern climate change could progress more rapidly, making the story of the St. Paul Island relevant today. Details of the new study are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A leaked Sprint promotional planogram for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 suggests that the phablet will be "big, bold" and "beautiful." Various rumors about the Galaxy Note 7 have been surfacing in the smartphone market and the leaked Sprint planogram confirms some of them. A previous Tech Times report has highlighted that Samsung will introduce a redesigned S Pen stylus with new Air Command menu for the Galaxy Note 7. The planogram says that the Galaxy Note 7 will have "the most powerful and precise S Pen yet." The upcoming mobile phone from Samsung will be water-resistant like its predecessor. Sprint's leaked marketing material says that the device will have "fast autofocus for clear photos, even in low light." Samsung was criticized by customers for not including a microSD card slot in the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Note 5 launched in 2015. The Korean company seems to have listened to customer feedback and the Galaxy S7, which was launched in February, came with a microSD card slot. Speculations are rife that Samsung will re-introduce a microSD card slot in the Galaxy Note 7, and the Sprint planogram affirms those rumors. Customers of the new device will be able to increase the storage capacity to up to 256 GB with a microSD card. The leaked Sprint planogram does not reveal any other details, but the Samsung offering is expected to include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 6 GB of RAM. The handset is likely to come running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy Note 7 on Aug. 2 and carriers are also preparing for the expected rush because of the device. Best Buy prematurely listed the Galaxy Note 7 on its website with a "coming soon" status. The retailer realized the error and was swift enough to take down the listing. According to another Phone Arena report, an unnamed Verizon Wireless employee has also confirmed that the carrier will start taking preorders on Aug. 3. Galaxy Note 7 fans in Dubai can already preorder the phablet for AED 500, or about $130. The Galaxy Note 7 is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated smartphones of this year. Samsung is yet to confirm any details of the handset but just like its predecessors, the Galaxy Note 7 is estimated to be one of the most powerful Android mobile phones at launch. It remains to be seen if the Galaxy Note 7 lives up to the expectations and if can attract smartphone enthusiasts. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Washington state is pressing charges against Comcast for $100 million, after a year-long investigation. State Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson has announced that he is ready to take on Comcast's practice of placing "profits before people." The AG's investigation exposed the company for misinforming clients about its Service Protection Plan (SPP) and charging them with improper service call fees. According to the lawsuit (PDF), Comcast is accused of more than 1.8 million violations of Washington's Consumer Protection Act. The data carrier purportedly deceived nearly 1.2 million subscribers from the Washington State via a so-called "Comcast Guarantee." Beth Hester, the vice president of Comcast for external affairs, claims that her company cooperated with the AG's office to remedy all problems and concerns. She adds that Comcast even tweaked some of its policies as a result of the AG negotiations. "[W]e're surprised and disappointed that they have instead chosen litigation," Hester says. She adds that Comcast will set up a "vigorously" legal defense. Ferguson notes that the enterprise has no reason to act surprised, as the company did little to remedy its problems until recently. The AG has established himself as a state representative who is unafraid to lock horns with important names from all industries. In 2015, Ferguson made some enemies in the tobacco industry after he proposed setting the legal age for smoking at 21 years old. Johnson & Johnson and iYogi are more examples of global brands that Ferguson took to court. The lawsuit makes three main charges against Comcast: The AG affirms that Comcast misled about half a million consumers from the State of Washington. The suit points out that Comcast falsely advertised a "protection plan" with significant, undisclosed limitations, for which the clients shelled out a total of $73 million in subscription fees in the past five years. Comcast was luring customers into purchasing a monthly $4.99 SPP in order to avoid extra charges should a technician make a home visit to fix an issue. The company has dubbed the plan as "comprehensive," suggesting that all expenses for service calls would be covered by subscribing to it. What Comcast omitted to tell its clients is that repairs to any "wall-fished" wiring are not covered by the plan. Keep in mind that almost all of its subscribers' home wiring is wall-fished. The AG's suit says that in three out of four cases, Comcast members told customers that the plan takes care of all inside wiring. The AG's suit states that Comcast asked subscribers that were not part of the SPP to pay for services that were normally free of charge. The AG points out that the 1.2 million Washington customers who signed a Customer Guarantee were deceived. The Guarantee specifically underlines that Comcast does not charge clients for service visits that are due to faulty networks or malfunctioning Comcast equipment. The AG alleges that Comcast did nevertheless charged many Washington customers that faced issues that were a direct consequence of problems with the network or Comcast's own equipment. The suit explains that the company permitted its field technicians to "to add services charges to a normally not charged fix code." Last, but not least, investigation from the AG unveiled that Comcast indulged in numerous improper credit screenings. Comcast asks its customers to make a deposit when having equipment installed, but the sum might be waived in the case of a customer with a high credit score. The investigation uncovered that in more than 6,000 instances, Comcast forced clients to pay the deposit despite having high credit scores. Ferguson is determined to see Comcast pay for its shady practices. The suit asks for more than $73 million, in order to compensate subscribers who poured money into the SPP. For service calls that were labeled improperly, the state demands Comcast to pay an estimated sum of $1 million, minimum. On the credit report issue, the AG wants that the improper credit checks deleted from the credit reports of those affected. If it loses the legal action, Comcast will have to pay about $2,000 per each violation of the Consumer Protection Act. The AG also demands that Comcast delivers a public information campaign to clarify to customers the contents and limitations of its SPP. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency has been plagued by cybersecurity issues for months, starting with her email controversy to the recent hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). However, cybersecurity experts seem to side with Clinton in her march toward the White House, and what better proof of that than holding a fundraiser for her campaign during Black Hat? The Black Hat event is scheduled to take place on Aug. 3, in Las Vegas, and the fundraiser should commence during the evening hours of the event. During the first half of the event, all attendees will be welcomed. However, a ticket is necessary for the second part of the event. Should you want to grab one, take note of the various prices: for young professionals they cost $100, while a host committee ticket is much heftier at $2,700. Intermediate price-range tickets are available for $250 - bronze, $500 - silver and $1,000 - gold. Jeff Moss, who is the man behind the creation of security conferences DefCon and Black Hat, will attend the event alongside Jake Braun, Department of Homeland Security ex-security consultant. Despite Clinton not being present at the event, the coordinator of her campaign's Cybersecurity Working Group, Michael Sulmeyer, will be there. Insiders familiar with the scheduled topics stated that the three experts will discuss policies and challenges regarding cybersecurity. The fundraiser comes in a timely manner, as only a few days ago, reports surfaced about Clinton's campaign getting hacked. As part of the DNC hack, one of Clinton's analytics data program also suffered a breach. The good news is that no internal systems of the campaign were affected in the cyberattack. Cybersecurity experts pointed fingers at Russia as the source of the hacks. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, caused quite a media hype after urging Russia to unveil any of Clinton's emails. It is not the first time that Clinton's campaign hosts fundraisers with a tech theme. During past events, the focus of the fundraiser was on women's presence in the technology sector and national security. Keep in mind though that putting cybersecurity at the center of a campaign fundraiser is a premiere for any presidential candidate from the United States. "This event was organized by supporters without any involvement from the campaign," says a campaign representative. During the Black Hat convention, Clinton will be in San Francisco at a fundraising with leaders from the tech industry. It should be noted that most tech firms seem to side with Clinton in the upcoming elections. What chances do you think Hillary Clinton has in becoming the first female President of the United States? Let us know in the comments section below. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tesla, Solar City Agree To A $2.6 Billion Merger | TechTree.com After more than two months of concerted debate over the wisdom of creating a giant green company, Tesla formally announced last night that it would acquire SolarCity for USD 2.6 billion, thus uniting two Elon Musk companies into a single monolith that sells everything from solar panels to batteries and auto-driving green cars. Of course, the decision to formally unite comes on the back of several years of collaborative effort between Tesla and SolarCity, the latter founded by Musks cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive. The South Africa-born Canadian American Musk has held the position of Chairman for both companies, besides being their largest shareholder. Though the deal hasnt come as a surprise to many, Musk will have his task cut out while persuading the shareholders of both companies that the deal will boost revenues and drive shareholder value northward. A report published in the New York Times says that this transaction needs majority shareholder approval from both companies. Completion of the deal may come down to whether enough investors have the patience to accept the near-term headaches while waiting for Musks long-term vision, the article says. And what is this big idea? Quite simply to store the power generated by SolarCitys panels in Teslas batteries, thus bolstering use of solar energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuel across the world. While analysts are wary about how long such an idea would take to fruition and investors arent exactly holding on to their horses either. On his part, Musk is quite clear that the merger was critical to fulfill his vision. This is really all part of solving the sustainable energy problem, is how he described the rationale behind the acquisition during a call with analysts post the announcement, the NY Times report said. In a related report published on CNBC.com, Musk is quoted as saying that the idea behind the acquisition is that there is one sales process, one installation process, one service contract, one phone app to monitor things. However, what he doesnt explain is how the company plans to overcome challenges related to ramping up production in the years to come. Of course, there are those who argue that Teslas current offer only represents about half the value that SolarCity boasted of twelve months ago. The decline obviously is a result of the companys slowing growth and complex financial structure and increased scrutiny of government subsidies for solar rooftop panels. So, when Tesla comes to its rescue, tongues are bound to wag, given that both entities are majority owned by Musk himself. To the naysayers, it appears as though Tesla is lending an olive branch to SolarCity. For the rest of the world, such a deal promises economies of scale in electrical energy management systems, battery manufacture and marketing. Whatever be the case, Musk appears keen to make a difference to the state of sustainable energy. In the process, whether he makes money or loses it is something that only time can tell. TAGS: Tesla, Solar City LGs V20 To Be The First Android Nougat Smartphone | TechTree.com Whats cooking between LG and Google? Last night the Korean major announced that their latest V20 smartphone would be the first to sport Android Nougat operating system. So does this mean that Google has abdicated its right to launch the new OS from one of its own Nexus brand devices? Of course, with LG one is never quite sure as published media reports indicate. A report in TechCrunch.com says that LG has kept most of the information about the new launch under wraps. Besides a promise to ship the phone in Q3 (which is now), there is not much that is known about the V20, apart from the fact that it succeeds the V10, which was a massive Marshmallow-based handset that garnered positive reviews. The company had informed analysts during a recently convened earnings report about the successor of the V10. The official LG website gives bare details about the purported launch and thereafter goes on to describe what the Nougat will bring to the updated version of the phone. It may be recalled that the LG V10 was launched last October and came with some interesting features like a screen-within-a-screen, dual front-facing cameras, a robust display and pretty solid build quality. So, what is the excitement all about? Is it that Google has done something different this time by allowing another company to launch a phone with its latest updated OS? Or is it that people would be keen to check out the successor to a phone that provided a new lease of life to LGs lame duck phones division? At Techtree.com, we believe that it could be the latter. The V10 that launched last year was quite wacky. Besides the dual-screen, the dual-cameras facing one side, the phone had a strong build. In some ways, it replaced the phablet, an experiment that cost the company a few sniggers and several hundred thousand dollars. On top of this, there is also the fact that LG has built most of the Nexus phones for Google. Between Huawei and LG, the companies have been taking small profits in lieu for the large volumes that the business can generate. Maybe, for once Google wants to do its long-time partner a good turn by allowing it to launch its latest operating system. Maybe, someone at Mountain View feels that the over-sized screen that the V20 is likely to sport could just be a better bet for new Nougat users as compared to what the Nexus has in store for them. TAGS: Android Nougat, Android N, LG V20 Robotics Is Now The Hot Topic In City Schools | TechTree.com When it comes to robotics, it was assumed that the subject would only be restricted to the scientific and industrial engineering community. But as the subject gains more and more popularity, it is being noticed that young school kids are taking an active interest in learning about the subject from a young age in their classrooms. Several schools such as Indus World School, Daly College, Choithram International, Choitram School, Emerald Heights International School, St. Raphael's Girls School, GD Goenka Public School, Army Public School, Mhow now have dedicated labs and classes being conducted on the subject, and it all starts from students at the age of 8, reported TOI. Principal of GD Goenka Public School, Poonam Saini said, "The students work on 3-D working models and learn basics of science and robotics from class III in their composite science lab which is named as Avishkar lab. The lab has been designed by experts from Delhi who keep upgrading it regularly." Her school has been hosting state-level inter-school robotics competitions for over 2-years now and will one this year as well. Beginning in 2014, 32 schools from Madhya Pradesh took part and the number had gone up to 45 in the year 2015. Some of the schools have taken other initiatives such as organizing seminars by experts, such as the Indus World School, whose principal Titiksha Ojha explained the initiative saying, "We created the lab for students four years back. The students start learning from class 5. They learn to assemble robots under the guidance of mentors with an engineering background." The efforts don't just end here; the school has been sending students to international competitions such as the International Robotics Competition, which is giving the young guns a global exposure from an early stage. In fact, come November and the schools, mentioned above, are actually planning to send students to the International Robotics Competition which will take place in Delhi. Image via roboticstrends.com TAGS: Robotics, International robotics competition, Education A 40 anos de Malvinas "Revisar el pasado es pensar el futuro". La frase de la presidenta de Telam, Bernarda Llorente, resume el espiritu del documental coproducido entre la agencia de noticias y el canal publico de TV sobre la cobertura que los medios de comunicacion hicieron del conflicto, plagada de censura y mentiras. Una autocritica necesaria para mirar hacia adelante en un (ya viejo) contexto de fake news y negocio informativo. The eurozone is plagued by rampant inflation. In September, the annual inflation in the bloc stood at 9.9 percent. | Read More The next few days offer a fleeting chance to catch the music of two visiting Aussie musicians, Phil and Trudy Edgeley. Some folks already caught them at Out to Lunch in mid-July or at a Free Ceramics Solid 15 concert, where this writer got to enjoy a show. Friends of Helena musician Max Hay (who has a definite case of world wanderlust), the Edgeleys met him at a concert in Australia and they all hit it off. This is their second visit to Montana, and this time they came for six weeks. Their upcoming shows include: Aug 5 - Philipsburg Brewing in Philipsburg - 5 p.m. Aug 6 - Jesters Bar in Helena - 10 p.m. Aug 9 - Bert and Ernie's in Great Falls - 7 p.m. Aug 10 - Legal Tender in Clancy - 5:30 p.m. And if youre heading to Spearfish, South Dakota, in August, look them up. On a recent Wednesday morning, they met at a local quarry to play a couple of their original tunes and talk about music. We play a lot of blues clubs and folk clubs, and restaurants and bars that are music venues, said Phil of their Australian gigs, as well as a few house parties and a lot of festivals. Phils been doing shows for years, but in the past decade or so Trudy quit her day job at the University of Sydney and joined him. How do they describe their music? Well, thats a complicated question, replies Phil, who migrated to Australia from England 26 years ago, bringing some Brit music traditions with him. We like to push 65 to 70 percent originals, he said. You just might hear tinges of brass band, folk, Celtic and Delta blues influences. Theyll also venture into traditional music and interpretations of music they like. Phil trained formally on trombone and played in a local town band his grandfather led, he said. Lately, youre a lot more likely to hear him play a Weissenborn-style lap slide guitar -- as well as a fingerstyle guitar. Phils inspiration for writing a song is often a feeling, he said, like songs about lost love, while Trudy tends to write songs about the human condition, domestic violence or racism. Trudys musical heritage traces to her family roots -- the Solomon Islands, as well as Australian Aboriginal, Jamaican and Irish. She also likes gospel music. My dad was in a choir. And he and his brothers used to sing gospel music in the streets. Her favorite instruments are the cajon and ukulele. Shes probably the lead songwriter right now, said Hay. Her inspiration is basically through life experiences and people sharing their stories with me, she said. Some of it is from my heritage, frequently oral histories. I like the dynamic between them on stage, said Hay, who may add a little electric guitar and harmonica into the mix. They work together like a team -- not to mention their instruments and style. You dont get that music around here. For more information about them and their music, visit philandtrudyedgeley.com. From the cyan blue waters of Belize and the grasslands of Liberia all the way back to Montana, Erin Farris-Olsen, executive director for the Montana Watershed Coordination Council (MWCC), has literally traveled the globe promoting environmental conservation. A graduate in environmental studies and communication from Carroll College and natural resources law from the University of Oregon, Farris-Olsen admits that shes always had a passion for conservation. I first started volunteering for public education programs in high school when I worked as a counselor for our public school program that brought 6th grade students into the outdoors for a week of science curriculum, she said. Before MWCC, Farris-Olsen clerked for the Montana Supreme Court and ran a statewide program to improve public access to the court system. While not directly focused on environmental work, that position afforded Farris-Olsen valuable opportunities to get involved with the community. I observed first-hand that it was impossible for many people to be concerned about environmental health when youre not sure how youre going to care for your family week to week, said Farris-Olsen. My experience working directly with Montana communities has inspired my work to raise community awareness on watershed health. Farris-Olsen also worked on some environmental awareness campaigns in Liberia and Belize through the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW). Specifically, she traveled to those countries to develop tool kits to assist in public participation in environmental issues. It was that model of supporting locally that led initiatives that motivated her to return to Montana to work in her own community. I wanted to employ the same professional strategy I utilized abroad of seeking creative and simple systems for delivering information that empowers communities to become more sustainable, said Farris-Olsen. In June of 2015, she officially became MWCCs executive director. Farris-Olsen explained that it was the enthusiasm and passion of the board members for MWCC that first got her interested in joining. MWCC is a statewide network of more than 60 watershed groups that provide training, information sharing and capacity building. As the sole staff member, Farris-Olsen works with the board on organizational development and program administration. Save it to say, I have a full plate currently, said Farris-Olsen. But thanks to her past experience on Carroll Colleges award-winning speech and debate team, Farris-Olsen already has the skill set to accomplish her goals. My experience in speech and debate helped me realize the impact of community dialogue, she said. It provided me the opportunity to practice communicating ideas to diverse audiences. In a position like this, there is always so much more to do, but not a week has gone by where I havent been truly grateful for my role in what MWCC is accomplishing for Montana watersheds, said Farris-Olsen. Japanese security provider Alsok is set to become a key member in Vietnams security industry by investing in the countrys number four player. Nikkei Asian Review cited sources as saying that the company has decided to buy a 49 percent stake, the limit of foreign ownership in Vietnam, in Royal Hai Phong Security Service in the northern city of Hai Phong. Alsok, officially known as Sohgo Security Services, opened a subsidiary in Vietnam in 2009 and has been selling security equipment to Japanese companies operating in the country. The new one billion yen (US$9.75 million) deal is expected to raise the companys annual revenue to around $10 million, in line with the income for local top security companies in Vietnam. Alsok plans to put 1,800 security guards at the Hai Phong company through a training program developed in Japan. In the long term, it plans to provide services to Vietnamese companies and local government agencies as well, the sources said. Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Tuesday with Vietnam hitting a one-month low, after a few companies reported poor earnings this season, hurting market sentiment. The Vietnam index closed 1.9 percent lower, dragged down by financial stocks with Vinamilk, the country's top-listed firm by market value, slipping 1.9 percent. Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank shed 0.67 percent after posting a fall in second-quarter profit. Vietcombank,, the country's top lender by market value fell 2.8 percent, and is planning to issue up to VND8 trillion (US$358.7 million) worth of bonds in 2016, the Vietnam Plus web site reported. "Bank results were quite scary," said Farhan Rizvi of Credit Suisse (Singapore) Ltd. "Things are not looking good for them with operating profits dropping and provisions rising. In case of stocks such as Vinamilk, investors were focused on profit-taking," he added. The Vietnam government forecast a weak economic outlook on Friday which continued to hurt sentiment. Singapore shares finished 1.2 percent down as their major constituent - financial stocks - lost ground, with the biggest lender DBS Group being among the top losers on the index. Philippine shares lost 0.4 percent, after blue-chip company Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co reported a 33 percent drop in quarterly profit. Thai shares also edged down. The Thai central bank is expected to leave its policy rate unchanged, when the policy committee meets on Wednesday, according to a Reuters poll. Asian shares tracked the falls on Wall Street and edged lower, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipping 0.4 percent. "Markets will be moving sideways because of the start of the 'ghost month' tomorrow," said Mikey Macanaig of Sunsecurities Inc. Thai retail giant Central Group has declared around VND2 trillion (US$89.6 million) in tax on its acquisition of Vietnam's biggest foreign-owned supermarket chain Big C, local media reported. Big C Vietnam, which declared the tax on behalf of its new owner, has paid VND380 billion ($17.03 million) of the amount, Tuoi Tre newspaper said on Monday, citing an unnamed source from the Ministry of Finance. The rest is expected to be collected later. The source did not comment on why the sum was much lower than the official estimate of VND3.6 trillion ($159 million) by the ministry's General Department of Taxation. In June the department sent letters to Central Group and France's Casino Group, the chain's former owner, demanding them to pay tax on the $1.04 billion deal and threatening to block the ownership transfer. It reportedly said in the letters that the companies were far behind their tax obligation. According to the department, Vietnam's laws stipulate that businesses have 10 days to pay taxes on the sale of their holdings after their negotiation is completed. The Big C deal was made public on April 29. At the end of last month, the tax authority reminded the companies of the tax again, saying they will be fined 0.05-0.07 percent per day for late payment. Big C is the largest foreign-owned retail chain in Vietnam with 33 supermarkets and 11 convenience stores. Many big players such as Vietnam's largest retailer Co.op Mart, Japan's Aeon, Thailand's TCC and South Korea's Lotte were interested when Casino announced its sale plan at the end of last year. Vietnamese electronics retailer Nguyen Kim, 49 percent owned by Central Group, also joined the Thai conglomerate in the acquisition of Big C. Their respective stakes have not been disclosed. A store in the northern town of Ha Long has been fined VND500 million (US$22,500) for accepting payment in US dollars and yuan, local media reported. On July 23, authorities inspected the Ngoi Nha Mo Uoc (Dream House) store on National Highway 18A and found prices of many products being listed in the foreign currencies, a practice that is banned in Vietnam. The store sells furniture, bedding and clothes, among other products. The store owner Bui Thi Muoi admitted to the violation. The fine was issued by the State Bank of Vietnam. Earlier on May 30, inspectors found the same violation at the store and even caught an employee accepting Taiwan dollars. They proposed a hefty fine of VND800 million. However, the State Bank of Vietnam did not approve the fine, saying the case had expired by the time they received relevant documents from Ha Long authorities. In January, an investigation by Dan Viet news website found the store and two others in Ha Long, Hai Anh and Tan Sinh The, listing prices in foreign currencies. Lu Van Thuong, 25, is being treated at the Le Loi Hospital in Vung Tau. Photo: Nguyen Long Vung Tau police are investigating the death of a man who runs a self-balancing scooter rental service in the southern beach town, allegedly after a fight with several tourists. According to initial investigation, the incident happened at around 10 p.m. on Monday by Thuy Van Beach when a quarrel broke out between several service providers and a group of about 10 tourists. It was unclear as to what they were arguing over. It is believed that two rental men, Ty and an unidentified person, suddenly stabbed Lu Van Thuong, 25, one if the tourists. They attempted to run away on a motorbike but were stopped by the tourists, who then allegedly attacked Ty with their motorbike crash helmets. Ty died soon later. Thuong, severely wounded, was rushed to hospital. His condition is now stable. Police are looking for other people involved in the case. Seven men were tried for stealing and trading jet fuel in Ho Chi Minh Tuesday A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday sentenced three ex-workers of Jetstar Pacific to two years' imprisonment for stealing more than 8,100 liters of jet fuel in 2015. Four other men were sentenced to suspended sentences of between 18 months and 2 years for trading the stolen fuel, according to the ruling by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City. Nguy Nhu Thanh, Do Van Hung and Le Van Hung were in charge carrying maintenance engineers to Jetstar aircraft at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and fuel taken from the aircraft to a storage for regular tests. They stole the fuel, worth nearly VND120 million, during the delivery between December 2014 and January 2015. They sold it to Vu The Hung and Vu Van Dung who then hired Huynh Duc Dung to resell it to Tran Van Suu. At the trial, a representative of Jetstar Pacific said the carrier wouldn't demand a compensation since the police had helped it recover most of the stolen fuel. A poster showing cabin crew from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is displayed during a prayer at a school in Petaling Jaya Australian MH370 search authorities are hopeful a wing part found in Tanzania will shed light on how the flight crashed, amid a lack of public information on debris found a year ago. As the underwater hunt far off Australia's west coast draws to a close without any sign of the plane, there has been speculation the flight's final resting place may be outside the current search zone in the southern Indian Ocean. The Malaysia Airlines jet was carrying 239 passengers and crew when it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The first debris linked to MH370 -- a two-metre-long (almost seven-foot) wing part known as a flaperon -- washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion a year ago. But it has remained in the hands of French investigators, leaving questions unanswered on how the airliner entered the ocean. "We have also seen some analysis from the French that suggests that it's a possibility that (the flaperon) was in a deployed state," Peter Foley, the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB)'s head of MH370 search operations, told Channel Nine late Sunday. A deployed state, which means the flaperon was extended for landing, could suggest that someone was at the controls -- the "rogue pilot" theory -- when the aircraft entered the water. Investigators have considered all scenarios, but alternative possibilities could potentially have debris fields three times the current search zone, ATSB's former chief Martin Dolan told AFP in March. The current area was defined under the "most likely" scenario that no-one was at the controls and the plane ran out of fuel. But Foley told the commercial broadcaster that if the pilot was still in control of the plane or control-ditched the aircraft, it could potentially have had an extended range of flight. A team of Italian scientists said last month the debris zone may be a further 500 kilometres (310 miles) north. Foley said he was hopeful the wing part found off Tanzania, which is in Canberra for analysis and was confirmed by Australia on Friday to be "highly likely" from MH370, could reveal how the plane crashed. "We are looking to see whether or not we can work out whether that flap was extended at the end of flight... it suggests a different end-of-flight scenario," he said. The Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments, where most of the passengers were from, have agreed that when the target area is fully searched, expected around December, they will pull the plug unless "credible new information" emerges. The head of a traditional drug addiction treatment center, Ustad Ahmad Ischsan Maulana, prays with two recovering drug addicts who sit immersed in a herbal bath in Purbalingga, Central Java, Indonesia July 27, 2016. Rizki Mulyadi sits half-submerged in a steaming herbal bath, hands folded in his lap and head down. Mulyadi hopes the concoction he is bathing in and the Islamic teacher who makes it will help him overcome a six-year addiction to the drug of choice for many in Indonesia: crystal methamphetamine, or "meth". The traditional rehabilitation center in Purbalingga village on Java island says it has treated hundreds of addicts like Mulyadi, 26, with herbal teas and baths, prayer and counseling. President Joko Widodo says drugs pose a bigger danger than Islamist militancy and he has ordered an intensification of a drugs war that has included the execution of drug traffickers, the latest last week when three Nigerians and an Indonesian faced a firing squad. But while raids, arrests and punishments pick up, state funding for rehabilitation, that weans people off drugs and cuts demand, is dwindling. That leaves thousands of people like Mulyadi with few affordable options in a country that within years has gone from being a drug transit point to one of Southeast Asia's biggest markets for narcotics. "We need support in terms of budget to be able to rehabilitate all drug users in need," Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indra Parawansa told Reuters. Recovering drug addicts and staff at a traditional rehabilitation centre participate in physical activity during a prayer session led by Ustad Ahmad Ischsan Maulana in Purbalingga, Central Java, Indonesia July 27, 2016. "Our budget alone is not enough for that, it is experiencing a decline." The government estimates there are six million drug users in the country of 250 million people. Of those, more than 1 million are addicted to meth, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2013 report. But less that one percent of dependent users got treatment in 2014 compared with a global average of 16 percent, it said. Indonesian law mandates rehabilitation for people caught with small quantities of drugs. But many end up in crowded jails. "Many of those who are in prison should not be sentenced to prison at all, they should be sent to rehab," Parawansa said. Parawansa's ministry aims to rehabilitate 15,000 drug users this year on a budget of 87 billion rupiah ($6.6 million). Next year, it will only get funds to help 9,000, she said. While rehabilitation funding has been cut, the president has tripled the budget of the national counter-narcotics agency, known as the BNN, to 2.1 billion rupiah ($160,000). It also draws on the police budget. A spokesman for Widodo, asked about the cut to rehabilitation spending, said many areas were seeing tighter budgets, and it did not mean the president did not value rehabilitation. Recently arrested drug trafficking suspects, including foreigners, wait for the start of an illegal narcotics destruction event at police headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia July 21, 2016. "The president is concerned about how to prevent the spread in drug use and rehab programs are part of that," said the spokesman, Johan Budi. "We need to be hard on smugglers and traffickers, and that explains why the president is taking a hard approach, but that doesn't mean the war on drugs is at the expense of rehabilitation. Both law enforcement and rehabilitation are happening at the same time." Herbs and faith Indonesia is not the only country to take a hard line. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has also declared a drug war and about 300 suspected dealers were shot dead in July, most in vigilante killings, police say. Thailand has also for years been tough on drugs but its soaring prison population has recently prompted a re-think and the downgrading of meth from a Category 1 drug to reduce numbers in jail. Critics say Widodo's stand on drugs criminalizes victims and makes the path to recovery that much harder. "They want to build more prisons but they should be building more rehab centers and making more treatment options available," said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch in Jakarta. The center in Purbalingga is one of 160 such facilities across Indonesia that use traditional methods. There are 18 government rehab centers and almost 400 private ones and public clinics using more conventional means. Ahmad Ischsan Maulana, head of the Purbalingga center, said his clients must stop all drugs when they arrive. Recently arrested drug trafficking suspects are forced to take part in the destruction of illegal narcotics at police headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia July 21, 2016. Picture taken July 21, 2016. "I get them to quit immediately and replace their intake with herbs," he said. "That relieves withdrawal symptoms without side effects," said Maulana, known as "the boiling teacher" because of the hot baths. His small complex of dormitories houses about 30 people. "What's important is our faith in Allah who is the only one that can heal us. No doctor can heal us of drug addiction." He says none of this clients has come back but he does not monitor people after they leave. Mulyadi said he was determined to stop drugs. "I've come here to rebuild my relationship with my family," he said, showing off a tattoo on his chest of his five-year old son. Migrants and refugees arrive at the Trapani port, with the Aquarius vessel on July 22, 2016 after being rescued at sea The Italian coastguard said the bodies of five migrants were recovered from the Mediterranean Sunday, while more than 6,500 people had been rescued off Libya since Thursday. In one operation by the Italian navy vessel Vega, "five migrants were picked up out of the sea, three people were resuscitated and two were already dead," the coastguard said on its Twitter account. The German aid group Jugend Rettet added that its ship Iuventa had taken part in the same operation to save 130 people packed onto a rubber dinghy that was taking on water, and had also recovered two bodies. A fifth body was found aboard a fishing boat from which some 470 migrants were rescued by the Italian navy and the Malta-based aid group MOAS. Sunday's rescue missions off the Libyan coast brought 1,100 migrants and refugees to safety overall, bringing the total to 6,530 since Thursday, said the Italian coastguard which coordinates the operations. According to the latest figures from the UN's refugee agency earlier this week, more than 89,000 people, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have arrived in Italy by sea since the start of the year in search of a better life in Europe. The tally is comparable to the total of 93,000 recorded for the January-July period last year. More than 3,000 migrants have died trying to make the crossing, an increase of more than 50 percent compared to the same period in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government fire weapons during a battle with IS fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 21, 2016. U.S. planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, responding to the U.N.-backed government's request to help push the militants from their former stronghold of Sirte in what U.S. officials described as the start of a sustained campaign against the extremist group in the city. "The first air strikes were carried out at specific locations in Sirte today causing severe losses to enemy ranks," Prime Minster Fayez Seraj said on state TV. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes did not have "an end point at this particular moment in time". Forces allied with Seraj have been battling Islamic State in Sirte - the home town of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi - since May. The militants seized the Mediterranean coastal city last year, making it their most important base outside Syria and Iraq. But they are now besieged in a few square kilometers of the center, where they hold strategic sites, including the Ouagadougou conference hall, the central hospital and the university. Seraj said the Presidential Council of his Government of National Accord, or GNA, had decided to "activate" its participation in the international coalition against Islamic State and "request the United States to carry out targeted air strikes on Daesh (Islamic State)." The air strikes on Monday - which were authorized by U.S. President Barack Obama - hit an Islamic State tank and two vehicles that posed a threat to forces aligned with Libya's GNA, Cook said. In the future, each individual strike will be coordinated with the GNA and needs the approval of the commander of U.S. forces in Africa, Cook added. This was the third U.S. air strike against Islamic State militants in Libya. But U.S. officials said this one marked the start of a sustained air campaign rather than another isolated strike. A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 31, 2016. The last acknowledged U.S. air strikes in Libya were on an Islamic State training camp in the western city of Sabratha in February. Although it does not include the use of ground troops beyond small special forces squads rotating in and out of Libya and drones collecting intelligence, the air campaign opens a new front in the war against IS and what American officials consider its most dangerous component outside Syria and Iraq. Obama authorized the strikes after a recommendation by U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Washington took part in air strikes in 2011 to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya which helped topple Gaddafi. The country has struggled since then and Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine in April that the intervention "didn't work". Operations in Sirte and suburbs "I want to assure you that these operations are limited to a specific timetable and do not exceed Sirte and its suburbs," Seraj said, adding that international support on the ground would be limited to technical and logistical help. "GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL (Islamic State) thus far around Sirte, and additional U.S. strikes will continue to target ISIL in Sirte in order to enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance," said Cook, the Pentagon spokesman. The White House said U.S. assistance to Libya would be limited to air strikes and information sharing. "There are unique capabilities that our military can provide to support forces on the ground and that's what the president wanted to do," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Air Force One on Monday. But that coordination will be a challenge, experts said. Local forces in Libya fighting Islamic State are diffuse and fragmented, with no single center of command, said Frederic Wehrey, a Libya expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington who recently spent three days with fighters in Sirte. "U.S. and Western diplomatic strategy has been to try to boost this GNA, but I think there are certain limits," Wehrey said. "It's not the sort of conventional military operation we would think of where there's a central point of contact." U.S. and Libyan officials estimate that several hundred Islamic State fighters remain in Sirte. Brigades mainly composed of militia from the western city of Misrata advanced on Sirte in May, but their progress was slowed by snipers, mines and booby-traps. Those forces have complained that assistance from the government in Tripoli and external powers was slow to materialize. At least 350 of their fighters have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded in the campaign. Libyan fighter jets have frequently bombed Sirte, but they lack the weapons and technology to make precision strikes. Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government fire artillery towards IS fighters positions in Sirte. Islamic State took advantage of political chaos and a security vacuum to start expanding into Libya in 2014. It gained control over about 250 km (155 miles) of sparsely populated coastline either side of Sirte, though it has struggled to win support or retain territory elsewhere in the country. The GNA was the result of a U.N.-mediated deal signed in December to end a conflict between two rival governments and the armed groups that supported them. But it is having difficulty imposing its authority and winning backing from factions in the east. Western powers have offered to support the GNA in its efforts to tackle Islamic State, stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean and revive Libya's oil production. But foreign intervention is politically sensitive, and the GNA has hesitated to make formal requests for help. U.S. officials were developing military options in Libya earlier this year. But enormous hurdles, including struggles in the formation of a unified Libyan government strong enough to call for and accommodate foreign military assistance, stood in the way. Small teams of Western countries' special forces have been on the ground in eastern and western Libya for months. Last month France said three of its soldiers had been killed south of the eastern city of Benghazi, where they had been conducting intelligence operations. A 27-year-old Missouri man was arrested Sunday after his girlfriend reported he pushed and choked her. Bradley James Daugherty of Chaffee, Missouri, was given a bond of $10,000 in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court on a felony charge of his third partner or family member assault offense and a misdemeanor count of unlawful restraint. Officers responded to a female requesting law enforcement and reporting an assault by her boyfriend, identified as Daugherty. The victim reported Daugherty pushed her, causing her to strike the back of her head on a wall, and then choked her three times within 10 minutes, according to an affidavit filed by the arresting officer. The victim further alleged that she attempted to leave but was blocked by Daugherty, the affidavit says. The officer observed injuries consistent with being choked, the affidavit says. Baton Rouge police say the suspect in an armed robbery of a Circle K convenience store a week ago may be behind about a dozen other robberies A 49-year-old man is facing two felonies and a misdemeanor charge alleging that he threatened and later lunged towards police officers. Timothy Rae Sadler was reportedly in handcuffs at St. Peters Hospital Saturday when he threatened two police officers, according to an affidavit by the arresting officer. Sadler allegedly made repeated threats that he would shoot the officers, referencing several police shootings, the affidavit says. While walking to a patrol vehicle, the arresting officer alleges that Sadler lunged at the other officer and made a biting motion. The officer reported that he feared Sadler would cause bodily harm, according to the affidavit. Sadler appeared in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court Saturday on two felony charges of assault on a peace officer and a misdemeanor assault charge. His bond was set at $25,000. When public school students return to classrooms on Monday they will face a new, mandatory topic -- financial literacy. Under a 2016 state law, students will be taught the basics of money management, depending on age and grade. The issue was previously optional for schools. But state Rep. Gene Reynolds, D-Dubberly, sponsor of the bill, said changing times means instruction in personal finances is a must for public schools. Reynolds said much of the financial literacy taught in civics, business math and other courses is out of date. "And we have gotten away from skill-type courses and concentrate more on standardized tests," the former educator said. Topics expected to be taught include savings, banking, mortgages, investing, earning and how to buy a house. "A lot of kids, they get out and they haven't a clue," Reynolds said. The legislation was backed and promoted by the Louisiana Bankers Association, which like credit unions, the FDIC and other institutions, offers money management tips online. In a column Tuesday in American Banker magazine, Robert T. Taylor, chief executive of the LBA, praised the new law. The measure, House Bill 401, won Senate approval 36-0 and passed the House 90-0. "Under the law, students will have 12 years of personal financial instruction, from the first to 12th grades, with the goal of empowering them as confident, informed future consumers," Taylor wrote. He said that, in 2007, Texas began requiring high school students to take personal financial coursework as a requirement for graduation. Taylor cited a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, which said after the Texas rule took effect researchers found "notable improvements in credit outcomes for young adults who take personal financial coursework for graduation." He said the legislation here stemmed from informal chats with state lawmakers starting in 2014. "It is a pretty simple concept," Taylor said Tuesday. Letters: The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act has not fulfilled its promise Five years ago in July, legislation was passed to address problems in the financial markets Under the bill, teachers have to incorporate financial literacy into existing classes, such as math. That arose from concerns by the Louisiana School Boards Association and others that requiring a new course amounted to an unfunded mandate on financially-pressed school districts. Scott Richard, executive director of the LSBA, said his group was fine with the final version of the bill. "I think Rep. Reynolds, as many others, realized our kids, our students of today, need to be smart about managing money," Richard said. Bill would require some high school students to attend community college to receive TOPS Students earning a 20 on the ACT who typically could use their state TOPS award to attend Reynolds said he wants to see the impact of this year's law before deciding whether a half credit in financial literacy needs to be part of the curriculum. Judge tosses 3 of 6 counts against noted N.O. breast surgeon; DA vows to appeal Judge tosses 3 of 6 counts against noted N.O. breast surgeon; DA vows to appeal For her, the centre of the play is the relationship between Macbeth (played by Chris Zuber) and Lady Macbeth (Jenna Roberts) and how it changes as events proceed on an increasingly dark path. Director Jordan Best says Macbeth is like a bullet train. It's the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, but the brevity works to its advantage as it speeds through its single storyline without extraneous subplots. The play tells the story of the Scottish thane Macbeth, who hears three witches prophesy that he will become king of Scotland. He plots with his wife, Lady Macbeth, to murder the king, Duncan, and seize the throne. But the action they intended to unite them in ultimate power and prestige ends up driving them apart and destroying them. "Something that's important to me, Chris and Jenna is that they are not villains at the beginning of the play and not two people who set out to do something dreadful. They're two ambitious people who do something as a means to an end without thinking about the consequences of what they're doing." She cast Zuber and Roberts, both in their 30s, as the couple so as to have them young enough to feel ambitious and eager to go further in life and old enough that they were starting to feel the passing of time, helping to give them the impetus to commit a heinous act of treachery. Best says she wanted to bring out the complexity of the characters and their relationship and didn't want to paint them as one-dimensional villains but a loving couple who act together for a variety of motives. Macbeth, having recently been victorious in battle and given new honour by his king, is doing quite well for himself and though tempted, doesn't feel quite so compelled to act at first, but Lady Macbeth, being a woman and essentially powerless, keenly wants the status that being queen will bestow, Best says. "She's ambitious and a little bit desperate [but] I don't think she forces him to do it, though it's very deeply important to her. He wants it too but she wants it so much and he loves her so much he does it for her." But though they both hope the murder will be free of consequences, it isn't, ultimately isolating them both from the kingdom and driving both mad, though this manifests itself in different ways, Best says. A Canberra man accused of raping a girl and using her to produce child pornography has pleaded not guilty to a string of alleged sex crimes. Jeffrey David Lee, 47, was charged with 23 offences in the ACT Magistrates Court last month. He faces three counts of sexual intercourse with a girl, eight counts of using the same girl to produce child pornography and accessing child pornography during 2012. Lee has also been charged with assault, intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and unlawful confinement against the same child. The court previously heard four bestiality charges were linked to incidents that allegedly took place between 2011 and 2013. Allan Roye Montana Al Potter, 78, of Clyde Park, Montana passed away peacefully at his home with his wife and son at his side. A celebration of Als life will be held on Saturday, August 6th, 2016 at 2pm in The Music Barn on his property, 1822 Highway 89 North, Clyde Park, MT 59018. We will have a jam session, potluck and BYOB celebration. Al was born on April 23, 1938 in Missoula, Montana to Edward and Hazel Potter. He and the family moved to Everett, Washington when he was 18. He worked odd jobs as a security guard, window washer and a musician. At 25 Al joined the Everett Fire Department. He served faithfully for 26 years. During that time he was married and blessed with two daughters, Jodi and Lisa. He was later married to Cheryl Lilienthal on July 8th, 1979 and they were blessed with a son, Lonnie. Following Als retirement he and Cheryl moved to Helena, Montana where they purchased a bar to operate together. They ran Montana Als Silver City Bar for the next 12 years. After that they retired to the Shields Valley where they purchased their home and have resided for the past 14 years. Al was a man of many talents. His passion was always music and in particular guitars. He played guitar, fixed guitars, tuned guitars, built guitars and collected guitars. At one time he owned the largest and most complete Vintage Fender Instrument collection in the world. His other gifts were woodworking, carpentry, crafting, art and joke telling. Al always enjoyed playing his guitar, writing songs and singing. He had an amazing voice and could whistle like no other. In 1997 he, his brother Steve, and friends recorded an album together; Montana Al - Bull Headed. One of his favorite songs he wrote was for his beautiful, loving wife called "She's My Rose (Cheryl's song)". Al is survived by: his loving wife of 37 years Cheryl. Children, daughter, Jodi (Marvin) Huguenin of Lake Goodwin, WA; daughter, Lisa Paulsen of Aberdeen, WA and son, Lonnie Potter of Helena, MT. Grandchildren, Michelle, Robyn, Chad, Andrew, Tyler and Zachary, great-granddaughters, Samantha and Paisley. Siblings, Beverly, Cleve, Melba, Steve and Kevin. And many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Hazel Potter and a sister, Edna. Arrangements are under the care of Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory. Online condolences may be shared at Franzen-Davis.com. Having voting for self-government almost 30 years ago, the ACT's newest politician, Val Jeffery, said it had been "a circus" since the beginning and he had been sorely disappointed. Self government had brought insecurity, uncertainty and bureaucrats, he told the ACT parliament, delivering his maiden speech. Since self government, not one kilometre of rural gravel roads had been sealed, the Tharwa bridge had been ignored until having to be closed for seven years for rebuilding, Smith's Road bridge had been "set up to wash away", the Angle and Point Hut crossings had never been raised, the 50-year-old water supply had been left to fail, and the school had been closed. Val Jeffery with Giulia Jones and the Liberal team after his maiden speech on Tuesday. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Bushfires were possibly a greater threat to Canberra than terrorism, Mr Jeffery said, recalling a lifelong involvement in fire fighting, and memories back as far as the 1939 bushfires. Under self government, fire management had been moved from an independent bushfire council to bureaucrats, and rapid responses had gone "out the window", resulting in the disaster of 2003. Standards Commissioner Ken Crispin has cleared Chief Minister Andrew Barr of breaching the parliamentary code of conduct, but acknowledged serious concerns about his video endorsement of the Dexar Group. "Whilst .. I am not satisfied that the chief minister was not motivated by a desire to promote the public interest in the manner claimed, I think that a fair-minded lay observer might reasonably apprehend that there was a real and not remote possibility that the decision was influenced by partiality towards the Dexar Group," Dr Crispin wrote in his report tabled in the ACT parliament on Tuesday. But a conclusion that perceptions of a conflict of interest were reasonable, did not, of itself, demonstrate a breach of the code of conduct, Dr Crispin found. The Dexar Group is an arm of the Independent Property Group, a beneficiary of government business and a long-term Labor Party donor. Dexar holds a half-share in Purdon Planning, which also has a long list of government contracts under its belt. The government should bring in local businesses to help urgently create a prison industry program that produces goods and services for the outside population, an inquiry has found. A Legislative Assembly committee inquiry has also warned the Human Rights Commissioner currently has no ability to take human rights complaints from individual prisoners, a flaw that could be fixed by expanding her powers, or through the appointment of an official prison visitor. An inquiry has recommended that local businesses be used to urgently create prison industries within the Alexander Maconochie Centre, which would cater to the general population. Credit:Rohan Thomson The Alexander Maconochie Centre was subject to a damning auditor-general's report last year. It found the prison was falling well short of expectations in its rehabilitation and education of inmates. Before its opening in 2008, the jail aimed to be human rights-compliant and to focus heavily on reducing re-offending through rehabilitation. MAB Corporation has offloaded a service station and convenience store complex on Melbourne's West Gate Freeway for $22.5 million. The Melbourne-based developer finished building the petrol and fast food outlet at the foot of the West Gate bridge on the city side earlier this year and partially leased the complex to Viva Energy Australia. MAB Corporation has sold a new service station and convenience store complex on Melbourne's West Gate Freeway for $22.5 million. Viva controls Shell and Coles Express outlets and is a tenant on the site along with Hungry Jack's and Red Rooster: all are on 15-year terms returning total net income of $1.41 million. Savills Australia's Clinton Baxter said the property sold to a local private investor on 5.5 per cent yield and was the largest sale of a petrol station anywhere in Australia for more than 10 years. The maker of V energy drinks and the Coca-Cola Company are locked in a fierce legal battle over who can own the colour green. Frucor Beverages' attempt to register the shade Pantone 376C is now heading to the Federal Court after Coca-Cola successfully blocked its application to trademark the colour used on the packaging of its V drinks. Coca-Cola blocked Frucor's attempt to trademark the colour used on its products. Credit:Joe Armao Frucor's application to IP Australia, first made in 2012, would have stopped other companies using the colour on other energy drinks. Coca-Cola objected on the grounds that Pantone 376C did not distinguish V because other soft drinks already used similar colours, including its own "Green Storm" variety of Mother energy drink. Canberra's own Professor Andrew Blakers has been investigating the viability of pumped hydro electricity storage. The concept is extremely simple, and the costs well understood. It consists of little more than a pair of oversized farm dams, with a generator connected to the grid. When electricity is abundant and cheap, water is pumped to the upper dam. When the price is high, water flows back down, generating both electricity and profit for the producer. Water goes around and around between the two reservoirs, and there is no need to dam any river. All basic stuff which has been used around the world for many years. Australia's coal power stations are approaching the end of life, and their replacement cannot be justified for either economic or environmental reasons. The transition to fully renewable electricity is not nearly as difficult or as expensive as it may seem. Even better, Professor Blaker's analysis shows that it can be without additional cost to consumer. Rod Taylor, Giralang Life is market fresh John Thistleton ("Market forces gather, but producers confident of strong growth", July 28, p3) mentions that farmers' markets here may be suffering from a trend in America where people increasingly attend markets to socialise rather than buy. Socialisation is an important function of markets, especially In regional areas, where the local market is a major focus for a community. Market stallholders also consistently state that the market social environment itself is an important reason for their involvement. The evidence from numerous markets around Australia points to the increase in community engagement consequent on the establishment of the local market. In Murrumbateman, for example, our village market has made great strides in bringing our community together at our fortnightly market. The rise of farmers' markets reflects a trend for many consumers towards the twin goals "freshness" and "local" and away from the large, impersonal and global characterised by the supermarket. That's got to be a good thing. John Thorn, chairman, Murrumbateman Village Market Ugly on the horizon The Manuka Oval light towers are ugly and grotesque and they are just portents of what is to come. The foreboding presence of those light towers have desecrated one of Canberra's most precious heritage environments. We have so few historical places in Canberra, so why can we not preserve this soulful, cherished enclave of Manuka with its two old churches and bell towers, the "picture" theatre, village-style shopping centre, the surrounding heritage homes, streetscapes and trees, the swimming pool and beautiful Telopea Park? Over time Manuka has developed into a very special social centre with all the above amenities. Manuka Oval was designed as a village oval to complement the surrounding landscape and buildings in keeping with W. B. Griffin's plan of "A Vision Splendid". Sports stadiums do not belong in the middle of old suburbia. The towers stand like six steel monuments to the greedy regime of property development, symbolically dwarfing the two church towers. As for the proposed crass development of stadium, units, hotel and car parks, can it! Frances Dowling, Narrabundah Nothing new Perception, as is often said, is everything. However, as someone who is neither friend nor associate of Justice Brian Martin but one who has known him professionally and, unexpectedly, as a witness, his ethical falling on his sword for reasons associated entirely with febrile perceptions, misguided or otherwise, is to be respected, but equally to be deplored. He would have brought to the inquiry an eminence, impartiality and independence and, importantly, an insider's knowledge of the particular, perhaps peculiar, environment of the NT few others could. Nevertheless, I suspect that this new inquiry, with or without Martin as with those inquiries which preceded it will make no appreciable difference to the lamentably serial circumstances which have ignited this latest (forced) foray into the state of "indigenous affairs" in the NT, and arguably elsewhere in Australia. A. Whiddett, Yarralumla Development brings traffic To encourage the use of light rail, the ACT government is swamping the Northbourne Avenue corridor with apartment complexes. They are ignoring their responsibilities and shying away from alleviating major ramifications that are occurring, especially in Forbes Street, Turner where road usage has intensified dramatically. The Environment and Planning Directorate continues to approve developments with exits and accesses into this street. Several complaints have been lodged regarding the excessive volume of traffic causing safety risks, especially during peak hours, but there has been no attempt to remedy the dilemma of drivers having to give way to oncoming vehicles. Blocking right of way by allowing parking on both sides of the road has led to drivers breaking the law by having to use high beam as a safety precaution. The David Street/Wattle Street/Macarthur Avenue intersection is a black spot that has caused several major accidents and with the completion of Mantra near Forbes Street this serious problem will escalate. The onus is on the government to carry out rectifications to reduce the impact on the transportation network in this narrow, badly lit street and protect the safety of the community as a whole by thinking seriously about clamping down on development. Cal Walters, Turner Trams not answer I would like to demonstrate to Denis Robinson (Letters, August 2) that the prospects for Northbourne Avenue and the tram are dismal. When stating that bus-ways were a more cost effective solution to the Northbourne Avenue traffic predictions, Infrastructure Australia noted: "The congestion causes delays to both cars and buses with between 12 and 15 minutes additional travel time in the morning peak compared to the middle of the day. During morning peak periods Northbourne Avenue carries approximately 3,000 vehicles per hour over three lanes with frequent traffic lights." The population growth figures quoted by the ACT government in its business case for light rail predict an additional 35,000 residents in Gungahlin and 13,000 in North Canberra by 2031, leading to a potential doubling of AM peak traffic demand on Northbourne Avenue (6000 vehicles per hour or about 7200 persons per hour). The business case states that the light rail will carry 5193 passengers in the AM peak (two hour period) in 2031, so how will the other 9207 people travel? If it is by other vehicles on Northbourne Avenue, that will constitute an increased demand of 800 vehicles per hour over the existing near saturated conditions. If that is the situation with light rail in 2031, what will happen in 2040? The problem is that a street level tram system cannot grow in capacity to meet big growth in demand, and the existing services just get slower. A. Smith, Farrer Wind of change G. Papadopoulos, B. Hatch and J. McKerral (Letters, July 27) are wide of the mark in their criticisms of renewable electricity. In South Australia, both the average wholesale price and the frequency of price spikes are declining. SA is only weakly connected to the eastern states with long power lines of relatively low capacity. The recent short price spike there was directly caused by an outage of the interconnector to Victoria. SA will soon obtain half of its electricity from local wind and photovoltaics, and this diversification of its power supply explains the improvement in its electricity system. In hindsight the decision of the ACT government to source 100 per cent of its electricity from wind and PV is inspired. The price of gas is rising due to a shortage caused by massive exports to Asia from Queensland's new LNG terminals. In response the wholesale price of electricity is also rising, to a level similar to the unsubsidised price that the ACT government is contracting from new wind and PV farms. This means that we are obtaining carbon-free electricity at approximately zero additional cost compared with electricity from coal and gas, and we have additionally eliminated the risk of future price rises from carbon pricing. The ACT has the lowest retail electricity price of any state, and this is very likely to continue. The low and falling cost of PV and wind means that they now comprise half of new generation capacity installed worldwide each year, and virtually all new generation capacity installed in Australia. Professor Andrew Blakers, Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, ANU Negative gearing Negative gearing never became a big issue during the recent elections as Labor's measures to combat this tax-avoidance pathway, by confining it to new homes, was limited by a "grandfather" clause. The clause allowed the continuation of arranged losses by investors on residential properties to offset the tax on their income derived from other, more profitable sources. Negative gearing is dividing the nation. Billions of dollars are lost to the government, annually, by this crude tax-avoidance measure, First home buyers are outbid at auctions by investors encouraged by conservative governments to buy established homes for rental purposes , This enables governments to reduce public housing stock, adding to the long waiting time for potential tenants , many of whom cannot afford the rent sought in the rental market. Like an episode from past class-divided societies, wealth inheritance of property is growing rapidly, encouraged by governments pandering to a voter base of privileged tax avoiders. We must not let the Australia dream of home ownership be destroyed. Keith McEwan, Bonython TO THE POINT The Canberra Times wants to hear from you in short bursts. Email views in 50 words or fewer to letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au HYPOCRISY ON RUDD The blatant hypocrisy of (some) federal ALP parliamentarians condemning the government for not supporting Kevin Rudd for the UN Secretary-General's position is breathtaking. Graeme Rankin, Holder SPEAKING CHINESE One cannot but think that Malcolm Turnbull has not supported Kevin Rudd's nomination for the UN's Secretary job because Kevin speaks Chinese. John Rodriguez, Florey EARN YOUR PAY Could someone tell me what Brendan Smyth will be doing to earn $300,000 a year? Deidre Woodger, Weston CHRISTIAN LOVE Christians will seek to love and accept all people. To celebrate and advocate for gender diversity however, is at odds with the greatest commandment for the Christian, which is to love God, and seek to find an identity in Jesus, rather than in a gender or sexual expression. Arthur Connor, Weston TEACHINGS OF ISLAM The atrocities being conducted in the name of Islam and Jihad have no link with the real teachings of Islam. I am surprised how so-called Islamic State terrorists can justify their actions of brutality against innocent people and children. Usman Mahmood, South Bowenfels, NSW PROBLEM AT SOURCE Have any of those having apoplectic fits over the Four Corners story ever worked in a detention or correctional centre? Instead of passing judgment on those who have to deal with the end product, more attention should be given to addressing the problem at its source. Owen Reid, Dunlop REFUGEE SHAME I hope that the badly-needed NT royal commission will be followed by an equally needed one into the refugee detention system that so shames Australia. John Dargavel, Florey PUBLIC CONCERN Pity that Dyson Heydon did not show the same sensitivities to public concern about perceived bias as Bryan Martin obviously has. Ian De Landelles, Murrays Beach, NSW SIGNS OF SPRING Recently, I was swooped by the first magpie of spring. What's next? Blowflies in August? Philip Winkworth, Campbell Sixty-five years ago, America faced the challenge of a snarling demagogue who captured the imagination of millions by fusing legitimate fears of an external enemy with the cultural, regional and demographic resentments of people who disliked the changing nature of our postwar country. Then, as now, a demagogue could draw upon widespread weariness with imperfect and occasionally complacent liberal leaders, important or petty security scandals, the grind of military stalemate in an inconclusive long war. Then, as now, the demagogue benefited from apologists and enablers who privately wanted him defeated but would not take risks or bear political costs to confront him openly . Then, as now, his political adversaries were divided and hesitant in their efforts to formulate an effective response. Then, as now, parts of the Republican Party gave a vicious demagogue a congenial political home. Of course, history doesn't repeat itself. Donald Trump is no Joe McCarthy. For one thing, President Eisenhower and other Republican gatekeepers never allowed McCarthy near their party's nomination for president. For another, America is a far more cosmopolitan and diverse nation today than it was at the close of the Korean War. But history does sometimes rhyme. The Democratic National Convention brought an unexpected echo of the McCarthy era. The occasion was a speech by immigration lawyer Khizr Khan, 65, of Charlottesville, Virginia. Khan's son Humayun, a posthumously decorated Army captain, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. The elder Khan immigrated in 1980. He has spent more than half of his life in the US. His oldest son founded a biotech company where his youngest son now works. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority adds that "you may not operate your drone above a large gathering of people (for example, fireworks, at sporting events, over crowds at the beach or groups of protesters) and the privacy of other people should be respected by not flying near homes and backyards." What can you do, though, when drones still come and you don't know who is filming and for what purpose? Not much at all. The federal Privacy Act does not cover the actions of individuals in their private capacity including the use of drones by individuals and excludes small businesses. A patchwork of other laws and rules means you might be able to stop the drones ogling you. But as the Australian Privacy Foundation told a federal parliamentary committee in 2014, our laws are focused on data privacy. As such, "the biggest problem is not drones per se; drones exacerbate existing massive deficiencies in surveillance law in Australia". That parliamentary committee recommended that the federal government consider introducing legislation by July 2015 to provide protection against drones with particular emphasis on protecting against intrusions on a person's seclusion or private affairs. "Nothing has changed since," says Greg Tyrrell, the executive director of the drones industry umbrella group the Australian Unmanned Systems Association. "It's a problem when people do the wrong thing. It hurts the reputation of the industry." The association believes public concern over privacy needs to be proactively addressed in the same way concerns about safety would be managed. In May 2015 the association and Liberty Victoria proposed a general prohibition, with civil penalties, on surveillance of private activity using a surveillance device without consent. There would have to be intent or recklessness; an understanding that each person held a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to certain activities and locations but not others; and appropriate exceptions to protect beneficial surveillance. The spread of drones is about to accelerate again when new rules begin in September to allow businesses to fly small drones under 2 kilograms in weight without a licence. Sorry if I sound wide-eyed, but I was mightily impressed when I visited China as a guest of the Australia-China Relations Institute. Obviously, we were directed to the best rather than the worst but, even allowing for that, it was still impressive. Those guys are going places. In a hurry. I was struck by how fast-moving the place is in several senses. We argue interminably about getting a high-speed rail link, while the Chinese just get on with it. We took the bullet train from Beijing to its nearest port, Tianjin, 140 kilometres away. So smooth you didn't really notice how fast it was going. The government-run China Daily announced while we were there the plan to have 30,000 kilometres of high-speed track built by 2020. You could be sceptical except they already have 19,000 kilometres installed. The political conventions are over and the presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been selected. Now the United States faces 14 weeks of a general campaign that promises to be nasty and unpredictable. The conventions offered contrasting political displays and levels of organisation and highlighted the stark differences between the two parties and their candidates. These differences were echoed in the refrains heard most often from the candidates Trump claiming that "I alone can fix it" and Clinton saying "we can, we will fix those problems" and the refrains were reflections who stood beside the candidates on the convention stages and will be with them on the campaign trail. Key among Clinton's supporters is President Barack Obama. He used his speech at the convention not just to endorse Clinton as the Democrats' nominee, but to hand her the baton for what will be in essence, should she win, the third term of an Obama presidency. The speech was also clearly a bookend to his 2004 Democratic Convention speech, when Obama first came to public attention. In that speech he talked about the values that bind a country and enable someone with his name, background and colour to succeed, redefining the "American Dream" to emphasise the commonalities shared by all Americans. That theme is even more pertinent in 2016. Obama sought to counter Trump's "midnight in America" claims and to harness the optimism and "yes we can" spirit that propelled him into office in 2008. "This is not your typical election," Obama said during his convention speech. "It's not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government." As Tintina Resources revises its application to mine copper near a tributary of the Smith River, the companys new CEO touted the projects design and emphasized the hiring of local workers. John Shanahan was appointed CEO by Tintinas board of directors in June following Bruce Hoopers stint at the helm. Hooper was an employee of Australian majority owner Sandfire Resources while Shanahan comes from the Troy Mine, shuttered this spring following sale and drop in copper and silver prices. Tintina is currently addressing deficiencies in its mine operating permit before reapplying with the state to develop the Black Butte Copper Project near White Sulphur Springs. The project has spurred controversy between advocates seeing economic potential and opponents concerned about effects on water quality for Sheep Creek, a tributary of the Smith. Shanahan, coincidently also born in Australia, believes the Black Butte Copper project near White Sulphur Springs can set a new standard for mine operation. I looked at a project like the Black Butte Copper Project, how well its designed, and frankly I want to be a part of it, he said. If you do it correctly you can operate to the highest standards and still maintain a pristine environment. Shanahan became available after his former company, Revett Mining Co., was acquired by Hecla in June and announced Troys closure. Revett had operated the mine for about a decade with Shanahan serving on its board starting in 2005 and becoming CEO in late 2008. Hecla also owns the proposed Rock Creek and Montanore mines in northwest Montana. The three-decades old Troy Mine shares some similarities with Black Butte in terms of tonnage, but the copper grade of about 3.5 percent at Black Butte is far higher than the .75 to .8 percent in Troy, Shanahan said. It is the higher grade that makes Black Butte viable when Troy could no longer turn a profit, he said. We were honest with everyone in Troy, and they knew it was a low-grade operation, and we knew there were certain metal prices that worked, he said. We made the most of it while we were there but unfortunately when we took care of maintenance, the economics at the time meant it couldnt work. Shanahan contends that the overall economic impact to northwest Montana was positive despite the recent closure announcement. But it is that boom and bust cycle that has opponents of Tintinas mine concerned. It demonstrates that this is not an economic plan that is sustainable when youre basing assumptions on international commodity prices and boom and bust economics that rely on natural resources, said Derf Johnson, Clean Water Program director and staff attorney for Montana Environmental Information Center. Youre also competing against operating in other countries that can produce copper cheaper. It isnt due to environmental regulations but youre competing in an international market. Troy Mines safety and environmental record The Troy Mine was originally developed by Asarco with Revett operating for about the last decade. During Shanahans tenure on the board and as CEO, Troy suffered one fatality in 2007, an event he described as devastating. In April 2008 the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported Revett was fined nearly $420,000 six months after the fatality when inspectors with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration found additional safety violations described as flagrant. The events caused Revett to examine its safety procedures, which is ultimately the responsibility of the CEO, Shanahan said. Once at the helm in late 2008, he implemented additional safety programing including for outside the workplace, he added. This company worked very hard at pulling it all together and improving its safety record, he said. A culture of safety doesnt happen overnight. With Shanahan as CEO, federal citations dropped every year while employee numbers stayed relatively flat until this years sale, according to MSHA records. In 2010, Revetts subsidiary Genesis Inc. received a pair of state environmental infractions, one for failing to install a particulate monitor and the second for polluting state waters with copper and lead from a tailings pipeline leak. State officials documented pollution from the leak for eight days. Rivett was fined more than $61,000 with 90 percent suspended and constructed containment boxes near creek crossings to capture any potential future leak. That project was valued at $129,000, state records indicate. We sat down with DEQ and said, These things arent supposed to happen, and heres our solution to it, he said. The good news is there were no lasting effects. DEQ has not identified long-term environmental impacts from the mine. Shanahan noted that the 30-year-old design of the Troy Mine posed many challenges for Revett. Revett did not built the Troy Mine, which meant there were some legacy issues that we have to deal with, and a major one is mine layout, he said. Lets be very honest, if you were designing the Troy Mine today, youd do it differently. The mines design continued to plague operations with hazardous rock falls, causing Revett to scale back mining in 2012. Libby resident Bill Martin, vice president of environmental watchdog Cabinet Resource Group, has followed the Troy Mines development through different ownerships. While he blasted Asarco as operators and noted some environmental concerns the state failed to respond to in a timely manner, Revett with Shanahan as CEO marked an improvement, he said. The big story, the history of Asarco and the overall history of the mine is bad, but the second iteration with Shanahan was the best it ever was, Martin said. They wanted to make money but were willing to talk to us and keep us informed on many things. The chief environmental concern related to the Troy Mine has been sedimentation and contamination in Lake Creek where baseline data was largely unavailable to environmental regulators as they initiated the first environmental impact statement for a mine in the state, Martin said. Lake Creek offered pristine water when he moved to the area 41 years ago, but today sedimentation has reduced the quality of trout fishing and drinkability. Its hard to say exactly what happened but there was a lot more stuff that happened and no action was taken, Martin said, adding that it is unclear if area logging also contributed to sedimentation. What's next at Tintina? Shanahan emphasized the differences he sees between Troy and Black Butte. By relying on stat-of-the-art technology and best management practices, he is confident the mine can be developed responsibly. You can do it because its right from the start and youre not trying to dance around legacy issues, he said. Tintina is currently revising its application for a mine operating permit. DEQ returned the first application with a list of deficiencies and the company is under no deadline to reapply. Since coming on board, Shanahan says he has met with both opponents and supporters. Opponents, including MEIC and Trout Unlimited, have aggressively campaigned against the mine including billboards, videos and individual contacts. Citing minings often poor environmental record in the state and cleanup left to taxpayers after companies walk away, the groups contend that the renowned Smith River is too precious a place to risk. The Smith as a resource supplies irrigation water for local agriculture and supports a number of river guides. Since it's Montanas only permitted river and known for stunning scenery, the odds of drawing a coveted permit are long and often mean years of waiting. The group Save Our Smith has collected nearly 10,000 signatures this year in opposition. I understand what (opponents) concerns are but I also know that a lot those concerns are just ill founded, Shanahan said. This is not a project being developed 100 years ago. Concerns also include a potential influx of labor into Meagher County in the form of man camps. Based on his work in Troy, Shanahan says he will emphasize training a local workforce to work at the mine. Some skilled labor will need to be imported but locals tend to have a higher commitment and make better employees, he said. The best people you have are from the area, he said. I can give you the benevolent answer that its the right thing to do, but I can also give you the corporate economic answer that its the right thing to do. While acknowledging opposition from multiple landowners along the Smith, Shanahan says he has largely found strong local support. These are people that love that area, and Ive been absolutely amazed at how involved people have become, he said. The community in general is extremely supportive but not supportive of the project at any cost. Theyre supportive of a project done responsively, meets it commitments, operates safely and is cognizant of its commitments to the environment. The government's razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives is a recipe for instability and backbenchers will be able to hold the government to ransom, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has claimed. Mr Shorten said the rejection of former prime minister Kevin Rudd's bid to be the next United Nations secretary-general was a case of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in a tight Parliament, being "held hostage to his right-wing puppet masters pulling the strings". "Before the election, the LNP, the Liberals, had 90 seats in the Parliament. Now they are reduced to a margin of one vote. That means Mr Turnbull is on probation from his backbench," Mr Shorten said. "It means stability in Australia depends on Mr Turnbull keeping the goodwill of individuals such as the erratic member for Dawson, Mr [George] Christensen and others. What Labor offers today ... is we will be constructive in the new Parliament. That is what Australians want to hear." Liberal backbencher Cory Bernardi says his new Australian Conservatives group has recorded more than 50,000 online registrations and raised enough money to hire a spokesperson. The right-wing South Australian senator launched the group in July, amid his high-profile complaints about the Coalition's election campaign result and criticism of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's performance. Conservatives hope the group will ultimately rival the progressive lobby group GetUp!, with Queensland MP George Christensen saying "if we do nothing, we will let the forces of socialism and globalism conquer". On Monday, Senator Bernardi used an email seeking donations to report more than 50,000 people had filled in a registration form on the Australian Conservatives website. The Australian Federal Police won't take any action over a Queensland Labor election-day text message to voters claiming Medicare was under threat from the Coalition. The Liberal Party filed a police complaint over the text message in the wake of the July 2 election result, but an AFP spokesman said on Tuesday no investigation or charges would proceed. Voters reported receiving the text message urging them not to vote for the Coalition, which appeared to come from a sender under the name "Medicare". "Mr Turnbull's plans to privatise Medicare will take us down the road of no return. Time is running out to Save Medicare," the message said. The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has ordered the Australian government to provide a resettlement plan for immigration detainees being held on Manus Island, with answers required this week. On Tuesday, the court said a plan for resettlement of the about 900 asylum seekers being held on Manus should be offered on Thursday, after ruling in April that the Australian-government funded detention centre was illegal. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was contacted for comment after the ruling on Tuesday night. Some experts and human rights groups expect the latest ruling will delay determination of the next steps for the detainees, many of whom have spent years in detention under the control of the centre operators and the PNG government. Barnaby Joyce said he would do whatever Malcolm Turnbull decided. Turnbull, as we know opted for a Captain's Pick and rolled his foreign minister and the majority of his Cabinet to kibosh Rudd's hopes to contest the job because in his view, Mr Rudd "lacked the interpersonal skills" for the job. (As though that was Malcolm Turnbull's, a man known for his own robust personal style, call to make!) [My report/Fairfax] In other politics news: In cutting the official cash rate to record low on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia has declared the property bubble over. Predictably the major banks didn't pass on the full rate cut but somewhat surprisingly, raised their short-term deposit rates. [Jacob Greber/Fairfax] The NT Corrections Commissioner says his officers have started receiving threats and fear reprisal attacks following the disturbing Four Corners program on the treatment of juvenile detainees. [Sky News] Aboriginal elder Professor Tom Calma has called for Nigel Scullion to quit the post after he admitted prior reports of juvenile detention didn't "pique his interest." [Michelle Grattan/The Conversation] Steve Ciobo is on a trade mission to Indonesia and is hopeful of striking a free trade deal within 18 months although details are incredibly sketchy. [Jewel Topsfield/Fairfax] 3. Same-sex marriage activist quits lead movement Rodney Croome. Credit:Graham Tidy Further to yesterday's "must-read" by Stephanie Peatling on how the gay marriage plebiscite could easily go the way of the 1999 republic referendum, Rodney Croome, the indefatigable head of the Australian Marriage Equality, the main organisation championing change has quit to fight against the looming plebiscite. [Fairfax] This is always a difficult fork in the road for movements. Think of the Greens in 2009. They could have supported Kevin Rudd's emissions trading scheme and potentially stopped the eventual rise of Tony Abbott. Instead they said the ETS wasn't good enough, blocked Labor's best efforts and contributed to the rise of the Liberals. It's a difficult question for the marriage equality movement. Should they accept and negotiate the best terms possible on the plebiscite, something that Malcolm Turnbull himself thinks is pointless and is only sticking to because it was Tony Abbott's policy and he can't upset the right-wing dominated party room on this issue? Or should the organisation continue to oppose the plebiscite even though there's no guarantee the gay-marriage supporting PM could ever muster the courage or the political smarts to effect a vote in Parliament? Same-sex marriage is talked about as one of the biggest political headaches inside the Liberal party coming Malcolm Turnbull's way. That's not incorrect. But its also a critical moment for the left and supporters of change. 4. 'Chlorine gas' dropped on Syrian city Unverified images purporting to show victims of a gas attack in Syria. Credit:Screenshot, Syria Civil Defence More than two dozen are injured after the gas was reportedly dropped onto the residents of Saragib near where a Russian military transport helicopter was shot down by rebels hours earlier. [Lisa Barrington/Reuters] Opposition forces say the chemical weapons were dropped by the Assad regime, in retaliation for the shooting down of the Russian helicopter. [Raf Sanchez/Telegraph] 5. 63-year old woman gives birth A 63-year-old Tasmanian woman has become the oldest woman to give birth in Australia. Credit:Channel Seven A 63-year old woman is reported to have become the oldest woman to give birth in Australia. The woman and her 78-year old partner conceived their first child, a baby girl, using IVF and a donor embryo overseas. [Karen O'Sullivan/7 News] Monash University professor Gab Kovacs says providing IVF to anyone over 53 is "irresponsible" [Therese Allaoui/Herald Sun] 6. Iris scanning on new Samsung Note 7 The Note7 retains its unique stylus, which allows users to write on the screen as if they were taking notes with a pen on paper. Credit:John Davidson Samsung again picking up where tired Apple left off. It's new Note, a combined tablet/phone device, has just been unveiled and it features iris scanning. [Dan Seifert/The Verge] It copies the S7 Edge phone's curved glass and waterproof function, which not only saved my bacon the other night when I accidentally dropped it in the bath (TMI I know, my apologies) but also proved a winner in the rooftop infinity pool in Barcelona a couple of weeks back! NSW health minister Jillian Skinner has copped a fierce barrage of criticism as a cluster of major hospital scandals were laid bare in a single day. On Tuesday, Ms Skinner faced renewed calls to resign and damaging questions over critical errors under her watch, after she delivered the findings of separate investigations into the St Vincent's chemotherapy dosing scandal, and the fatal neonatal gassing error at a Sydney hospital. A hospital engineer has been stood down and BOC Ltd has had its hospital contracts suspended after nitrous oxide was incorrectly delivered to two newborn babies at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, leading to the death of a baby boy and the permanent brain damage of a baby girl. A total of 36 babies were born in the operating theatre with affected gas outlets, a report by the Chief Health Officer found. Only two babies were treated in the resuscitation unit where the gas was delivered. The travelling public could be facing lengthy delays at the nation's airports next week as thousands of Department of Immigration and Border Protection staff walk off the job. The Community and Public Sector Union has notified the department its members will strike for 24 hours from midnight on August 12, with international airports, ports and other sites likely to be affected. Some CPSU members in other departments will also hold a one-hour stop work meeting on the day. The action is in protest over the continuing enterprise bargaining deadlock which has dragged on for nearly three years. Union strike action could lead to long delays at international airports next week. Around three-quarters of the Commonwealth's 150,000 public servants remain without an enterprise bargaining agreement despite several attempts to break the deadlock and a series of failed votes. Many of the Commonwealth's largest departments are yet to reach an agreement with staff, with workplace rights and conditions central to the union's demands. The CPSU said the impacts of the nationwide strike would vary from location to location, but with 60-70 per cent of front-line airport staff union members, the impact could be significant. Dramatic footage has emerged of a terrifying armed hold-up in Sydney's inner west involving a luxury Audi that has been linked to a string of violent robberies across the city. Armaguard truck footage captured the moment the grey Audi RS6 - with gun-toting offenders inside - closes in on a cash-in-transit van on Bay Street in Glebe on March 4, 2013. Two of the balaclava-clad men carrying assault rifles can be seen threatening one of the van's security guards while witnesses to the broad-daylight robbery flee. One gunman grabs the guard's pistol and fires a shot into the air. Despite their violent efforts, the offenders can't get into the van. Wollongong MP Noreen Hay has announced her resignation from the NSW parliament after 13 years. Hours after Fairfax Media revealed the announcement would be made, Ms Hay released a statement on Tuesday confirming that she would leave parliament at the beginning of next month. Wollongong MP Noreen Hay is set to announce her resignation from parliament Credit:Sylvia Liber "It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the people of Wollongong for the last 13 years," she said. "Therefore it is with great regret that I announce my intention to retire from the parliament effective 1 September, 2016". A 48-year-old accused rapist targeted two young, drunk men walking home late at night, offering them a lift before sexually assaulting them, according police. Detectives are also investigating whether the Moorooka man, due in court on Wednesday, could be linked to a string of other sexual assaults in Brisbane over the past 10 years, a police spokesman confirmed. Police allege a Moorooka man picked up another man walking home in Fortitude Valley. Credit:AFR Police alleged about 4am on July 2, the man approached a 22-year-old walking home drunk in Fortitude Valley and offered him a lift. The younger man got in the car and was allegedly driven to a street in Brisbane's north and sexually assaulted, before escaping and raising the alarm at a nearby service station. WASHINGTON -- "The best darn change-maker I ever met in my entire life." So said Bill Clinton in making the case for his wife at the Democratic National Convention. Considering that Bernie Sanders ran as the author of a political revolution and Donald Trump as the man who would "kick over the table" (to quote Newt Gingrich) in Washington, "change-maker" does not exactly make the heart race. Which is the fundamental problem with the Clinton campaign. What precisely is it about? Why is she running in the first place? Like most dynastic candidates (most famously Ted Kennedy in 1979), she really doesn't know. She seeks the office because, well, it's the next -- the final -- step on the ladder. Her campaign's premise is that we're doing OK but we can do better. There are holes to patch in the nanny-state safety net. She's the one to do it. It amounts to Sanders lite. Or the short-lived Bush slogan: "Jeb can fix it." We know where that went. The one man who could have given the pudding a theme, who could have created a plausible Hillaryism was Bill Clinton. Rather than do that -- the way in Cleveland Gingrich shaped Trump's various barstool eruptions into a semi-coherent program of national populism -- Bill gave a long chronological account of a passionate liberal's social activism. It was an attempt, I suppose, to humanize her. Well, yes. Perhaps, after all, somewhere in there is a real person. But what a waste of Bill's talents. It wasn't exactly Clint Eastwood speaking to an empty chair, but at the end you had to ask: Is that all there is? He grandly concluded with this: "The reason you should elect her is that in the greatest country on earth we have always been about tomorrow." Is there a rhetorical device more banal? Trump's acceptance speech was roundly criticized for offering a dark, dystopian vision of America. For all of its exaggeration, however, it reflected well the view from Fishtown, the fictional white working-class town created statistically by social scientist Charles Murray in his 2012 study "Coming Apart." It chronicled the economic, social and spiritual disintegration of those left behind by globalization and economic transformation. Trump's capture of the resultant feelings of anxiety and abandonment explains why he enjoys an astonishing 39-point advantage over Clinton among whites without a college degree. His solution is to beat up on foreigners for "stealing" our jobs. But while trade is a factor in the loss of manufacturing jobs, even more important, by a large margin, is the emergence of an information economy in which education, knowledge and various kinds of literacy are the coin of the realm. For all the factory jobs lost to Third World competitors, far more are lost to robots. Hard to run against higher productivity. Easier to run against cunning foreigners. In either case, Clinton has found no counter. If she has a theme, it's about expanding opportunity, shattering ceilings. But the universe of discriminated-against minorities -- so vast 50 years ago -- is rapidly shrinking. When the burning civil rights issue of the day is bathroom choice for the transgendered, a flummoxed Fishtown understandably asks, "What about us?" Telling coal miners she was going to close their mines and kill their jobs only reinforced white working-class alienation from Clinton. As for the chaos abroad, the Democrats are in see-no-evil denial. The first night in Philadelphia, there were 61 speeches. Not one mentioned the Islamic State or even terrorism. Later references were few, far between and highly defensive. After all, what can the Democrats say? Clinton's calling card is experience. Yet as secretary of state she left a trail of policy failures from Libya to Syria, from the Russian reset to the Iraqi withdrawal to the rise of the Islamic State. Clinton had a strong second half of the convention as the Sanders revolt faded and as President Obama endorsed her with one of the finer speeches of his career. Yet Trump's convention bounce of up to 10 points has given him a slight lead in the polls. She badly needs one of her own. She still enjoys the Democrats' built-in Electoral College advantage. But she remains highly vulnerable to both outside events and internal revelations. Another major terror attack, another email drop -- and everything changes. In this crazy election year, there are no straight-line projections. As Clinton leaves Philadelphia, her lifelong drive for the ultimate prize is perilously close to a coin flip. Charles Krauthammer is a columnist for The Washington Post. Police are searching for a man in a yellow Pokemon onesie after a vehicle was damaged at a Cairns unit car park at the weekend. Witnesses told police they had seen a man in a yellow Pokemon onesie along with another man and woman at a Clifton Beach unit car park in the early hours of Sunday but didn't call police initially because they thought the group was playing smartphone game Pokemon Go. Witnesses initially thought the group were playing Pokemon Go. Credit:Brendan Thorne Police said a vehicle had been broken into and moved to another car park in the unit block where the exterior panelling was spray painted. The man in the yellow onesie was described as having a skinny build and aged in his 20s. A Queensland police officer accused of drawing his gun on a motorist in the state's outback has lost a legal bid to stop charges against him going ahead. Stephen Patrick Flanagan, 45, was charged with one count each of common assault and deprivation of liberty after allegedly drawing his firearm on a driver suspected of speeding near Longreach in May 2015. Footage from the officer's dashboard camera and the driver's partner's phone was played to the court. Credit:ABC News Lawyers for the suspended senior constable pursued an application for a permanent stay of proceedings in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday, arguing there had been "an abuse of process" when police decided to charge him after conducting their own internal probe. In his submissions, barrister Peter Callaghan had described the matter as "a case like no other" and said Flanagan was subjected to an internal disciplinary interview in which his right to silence was "completely overwritten". Moves to discipline police for drawing their weapons could backfire, resulting in officers or the public being "injured or worse", the Queensland Police Union has warned. Newly re-elected QPU general secretary Mick Barnes said he was concerned there was a trend within police headquarters to discipline officers for drawing their weapons. The police union is worried about officers hesitating. Credit:Joe Armao In an environment requiring police to be "hyper vigilant", he argued the reaction to "two recent incidents" could lead to officers hesitating, with potentially dire consequences. "Because of a highly publicised matter currently before the courts, officers are hesitating when called upon to act, which may in turn place them and the public at greater risk," he said. A Brisbane state school teacher has been charged with child exploitation following a sting by Queensland's crime commission. It's alleged the 54-year-old used a computer to access pornographic material at his Tingalpa home, which was raided by the Crime and Corruption Commission on Monday night. A teacher has been charged with child exploitation offences. The commission alleges the man was using peer-to-peer computer software to access the material. But it says there's no evidence the man committed any offences against children he taught. A former employee of Melbourne's Trinity Grammar School has been committed to stand trial over 41 historical sex offences against five boys. Mark Watson, whose work involved caring for boarding school students, faced a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court last month. He was committed to stand trial in the County Court in relation to the charges. Trinity Grammar School in Kew. Credit:Penny Stephens The abuse is alleged to have taken place between 1975 and 1978. Two of the victims, aged around 12 and 13, were students at the Kew private school. Dimi Ioannou of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers said she was handling compensation claims of at least one victim against the school. Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant Willow had endured a lot of pain and gained a reputation as a fighter in her short life, but it was only on Monday that her keepers realised the "sweet, adorable little thing" was not going to make it. The six-week-old calf had been battling a blood-borne infection for a fortnight and was showing signs of improvement, but over the weekend her condition worsened. The zoo's head veterinarian, Michael Lynch, said he could see the animal was in pain. Her knees had swollen it was an ominous sign the staphylococcus infection had penetrated the bones in her legs and on Monday night she was taken to the University of Melbourne's Werribee vet clinic for a CT scan that confirmed her vets' worst fears. Know more? Email scoop@theage.com.au "Delays happen, cancellations happen. However, there is no excuse for failing to communicate with your passengers and for not updating your flight status," she said. A Choice review has found Jetstar's add-on travel insurance is up to 134 per cent more expensive than similar standalone policies. "No one from Jetstar seemed to be informed and every request for help was met with a referral to an online form." Ms Foley is not alone. "The help and support from Jetstar has been non existent," wrote David Meffert to Fairfax Media. He and his wife's flights were cancelled on Monday by the airline due to the volcanic ash in the approaches to Denpasar International Airport. Jetstar informed them that the earliest flights back to Melbourne would not be until next Monday. When the pair discovered an earlier flight to Brisbane on Tuesday night they were told it would cost them $300 with no promise of a complimentary flight back to Melbourne. Meanwhile, Lizzy McCallum questioned Jetstar's decision to go ahead with its Monday evening Sydney to Bali flight only to have to turn it around somewhere to the south of Broome. The flight was delayed on the tarmac, which Ms McCallum believes was due to concern about the ash cloud. Three hours into the flight, people started to notice on screens attached to the back of seats that the plane was heading back to Sydney. "Everyone was like 'what the hell?'" Ms McCallum said. "Then the pilot came on and said 'yes, ladies and gentleman, we have had to turn around'." Due to a curfew in Sydney, the flight was diverted to Melbourne, where passengers were put up in hotels. Ms McCallum, who lives in Canberra, said Jetstar's communication to passengers was "pretty good". However, she said it was chaos once they landed about 2am, with hundreds of tired people lining up at the Jetstar counter to speak to the few staff members who were arranging hotels. "Nobody knew what was going on," she said. Ms McCallum and her partner were back in long lines at Melbourne Airport on Tuesday afternoon hoping there would be no more delays getting to Bali for their holiday. "Once you have had to do a U-turn, the trust is gone," she said. "Until we land, I won't relax." Flight path of JQ35. Credit:Diana Taranto Jetstar responded to the criticism, saying affected customers were sent text messages and emails. A spokeswoman said the Foleys' flight was still scheduled to leave Bali when they were advised to go to the airport. "The flight was only cancelled when the incoming aircraft was not able to safely land in Denpasar due to the ash cloud," she said. "Our teams have worked tirelessly to keep our passengers up to date in what has been an evolving situation." The spokeswoman said the airline had done a "great job" organising hotel accommodation and transfers for hundreds of customers , as well as providing meal vouchers, after two extra unscheduled flights arrived in Melbourne late on Monday night. She defended the decision to depart Sydney for Bail, saying meteorologists had deemed it safe for the plane to fly at the time. "Unfortunately, the weather forecast changed six hours later when the flight neared Bali and we made the decision to return to Australia," she said. Incredible photos have emerged of a bouncy castle flying through the air at a race meet in Kalgoorlie on Sunday - fortunately with nobody aboard. Amazingly, nobody was injured when the bouncy castle was torn from its moorings and tossed more than 300 metres from near the main straight at the Kalgoorlie-Boulder race meet. There was a moment of panic when a Racing Gaming and Wagering steward dived into the inflatable castle and tried to deflate it with a rock when he saw what looked like a small child bobbing up and down as the inflatable took flight. It turned out to be a "pirate figure" in the castle. Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club CEO Tim Beaver said seeing the Jump 4 Us Party Hire castle airborne was "very scary". "You don't put your hands on my flight attendant!" As far as epic one-liners on airplanes go, it's not quite Harrison Ford growling "Get off my plane!" before tossing his Russian nemesis off his jet in the 1997 political thriller Air Force One. "You don't put your hands on my flight attendant!" the pilot said before taking on the unruly passenger. Credit:YouTube But unlike in the aging action flick, this time the line was delivered in real life. The heroic moment occurred on July 21 aboard an American Airlines flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the Charlotte Observer. BILLINGS -- A Lockwood home was severely damaged Monday in an early morning structure fire and the homeowner said her family was unharmed thanks to an early alert from dogs in the home. Alex Wiley said the fire was discovered at about 2 a.m. after she and her husband noticed an unusual amount of barking from their Boston terrier and two dogs they were watching for a friend. If it wasnt for them it might have been too late for us to get out of the house, Wiley said. The Lockwood couple have six children ages 6 to 16, and all were able to escape the burning home without a scratch. The family lived in the home on the 200 block of Suburban Drive for about eight years before the fire. They watched from across the street as firefighters worked to mop up the fire until about 6 a.m. It was horrible. We were just wondering if there was anything that was good in the house anymore, everything was just on fire, the garage and everything, Wiley said. Her family wasnt allowed into the home as fire investigators processed the scene. They left the house with nothing more than the pajamas they were wearing. Wiley said she didnt know what could be salvaged from the home but one special item was already saved. She previously had a daughter pass away and firefighters found a box of her possessions tucked away in a closet. The cause of the fire is unknown as of Monday morning. Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office and Lockwood Fire and Rescue are handling the investigation, said Capt. David McKinney, of Lockwood Fire. McKinney said the fire started at the rear of the home, but the precise ignition point was unknown early Monday. Jakarta: More than 13,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers will on Wednesday launch a class action in the Federal Court in Sydney against the company responsible for the worst oil spill in the history of Australia's offshore petroleum industry. Maurice Blackburn Lawyers is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for the loss of income it says the farmers suffered when their seaweed plots died after the 2009 Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea. 'A long fight': seaweed farmer Daniel Sanda is in Sydney for the launch of a class action against PTTEP Australasia over the Montara oil spill. Credit:Steven Siewert "Our investigations show that the operator of the oil rig has a serious case to answer for cutting corners that endangered lives, the environment and the livelihoods of thousands of seaweed farmers," said Maurice Blackburn managing principal Ben Slade. He said the seaweed farmers, who are from East Nusa Tenggara, one of Indonesia's poorest and most remote provinces, suffered "north of $200 million" in loss of income. Beirut: A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down hours earlier. The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Dr Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which they suspect was chlorine, in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. "Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gases. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas," said the spokesman. SEE ALSO: Mazda Research And Buyers Guide: Specs, Safety, Comparisons Prices IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported July U.S. sales of 27,915 vehicles, representing an increase of 2.8 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales through July are 173,269 vehicles. Key July sales notes: Mazda CX-5 had its best-ever July with 10,831 vehicles sold. This number represents an increase of 13.7 percent over July of 2015, and marks the carline's best month since December 2015 . . The all-new Mazda CX-9 continues to post strong sales, recording its best month since March 2013 . CX-9's 2,243 vehicles sold represent an increase of 41 percent YOY. . CX-9's 2,243 vehicles sold represent an increase of 41 percent YOY. As Mazda's CUV numbers remain strong with 14,573 sold in July, 63 percent of buyers chose models equipped with Mazda's i-ACTIV All-Wheel Drive system. The system is available as an option on Mazda CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9 models. Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported July sales of 4,114 vehicles, down 8 percent versus July of last year. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom. Month-To-Date Year-To-Date July July % % MTD July July % % YTD 2016 2015 Change DSR 2016 2015 Change DSR Mazda2 - 10 (100.0)% (100.0)% 3 283 (98.9)% (98.9)% Mazda3 8,103 9,504 (14.7)% (14.7)% 59,484 64,381 (7.6)% (7.6)% Mazda5 17 551 (96.9)% (96.9)% 346 6,835 (94.9)% (94.9)% Mazda6 4,341 4,841 (10.3)% (10.3)% 27,804 37,148 (25.2)% (25.2)% MX-5 Miata 881 1,130 (22.0)% (22.0)% 6,265 3,784 65.6% 65.6% CX-3 1,499 - N/A N/A 11,001 - N/A N/A CX-5 10,831 9,530 13.7% 13.7% 62,442 62,873 (0.7)% (0.7)% CX-9 2,243 1,591 41.0% 41.0% 5,924 10,848 (45.4)% (45.4)% Total Vehicles CARS 13,342 16,036 (16.8)% (16.8)% 93,902 112,431 (16.5)% (16.5)% TRUCKS 14,573 11,121 31.0% 31.0% 79,367 73,721 7.7% 7.7% TOTAL 27,915 27,157 2.8% 2.8% 173,269 186,152 (6.9)% (6.9)% Selling Days 26 26 178 178 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mazda-reports-july-sales-300307676.html SOURCE Mazda North American Operations CONTACT: Carley Hummel, Mazda Information Bureau, 714-913-9942; Eric Booth, Mazda North American Operations, 949-727-6144 RELATED LINKShttp://www.mazdausa.com In what one former associate of Glenn Beck described as the last gasp of a dying empire, the volatile right-wing radio, streaming video, and cable television personality is suing his longtime former chief executive, Christopher Balfe, whom Beck fired in December 2014. The suitin which Becks privately held company, Mercury Radio Arts, is the plaintiff and seeks a jury trialalleges fraud, breach of contract, dereliction of duty, and various other misdeeds. I feel terrible for Glenn and I hope he finds the help that he needs, Balfe, who worked closely with Beck for nearly two decades before their split, said Monday in a statement to The Daily Beast. The lawsuit speaks for itself, said a spokesman for Beckthe only comment provided. Beck, meanwhile, told listeners and viewers Monday of his syndicated radio program, which is video-streamed on his paid-subscription site TheBlaze.com: I am[Becks wife] Tania and Iare both really saddened by this and saddened that it has come to this. The 16-page complaint was filed quietly Friday in Dallas County, Texas, District Court, and apparently leaked Sunday night as an exclusive to the Lawnewz.com website, with another account splashed on GlennBeck.com. There are articles that have come out today on apparently lawsuit websites. Im not going to give them publicity, Beck told his fans. And youll see more articles, I would assume, over the next few days. Its an ongoing legal matter. And youre not going to hear me talking much about it. Then, despite his insistence on not giving publicity to stories about the lawsuit, Beck recited the web addresses of the articles in question. He is, of course, well known for changing his mindcampaigning hard during the Republican primaries for former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, for instance, mere months after announcing with spectacular fanfare that he was leaving politics for good. Becks lawsuit is sharply at odds with previous expressions of gratitude he made three months after Balfe, along with fellow ex-Beck executive Joel Cheatwood, left Mercury Radio Arts, where Balfe was chief operating officer, and its subsidiary The Blaze, where Balfe was CEO. Chris and Joel helped me build one of the industrys first truly independent multi-media companies, Beck declared in March 2015, after Balfe and Cheatwood, who had steered Becks cable television career at HLN and Fox News, announced their formation of a new digital media company, Red Seat Ventures, and took several more top Beck executives with them. I am sad to see them go but they left our company with an incredible foundation. Balfe retained minority ownership in The Blaze after he left, according to the lawsuit, and two sources familiar with the arrangement told The Daily Beast that his deferred compensation agreement featured monthly payments to satisfy around a million dollars that Balfe is owed under the agreement for both his ownership stake and his pro-rated share of company revenues. But in recent weeks, say these sources, The Blaze has experienced cash-flow problems and has been having trouble paying vendors, while the websites online traffic has plunged from around 26 million monthly global unique visitors in January 2015, the month after Balfe was dismissed, to around 10 million currently, according to the measuring service Quantcast. Several more key executives have departed in the past year, along with Becks longtime television agent, George Hiltzik, as well Georges son Matthew Hiltzik, who recently resigned as the outside publicist for Beck and his companies; New York PR maven Davidson Goldin now has that account. In another blow to The Blazes financial stability, the cable television distributor Cablevision recently stopped carrying Becks programmingrepresenting an annual loss to The Blaze estimated at more than $2 million in subscriber fees and advertising sales, according to the sources. These sources described Becks lawsuit as a pre-emptive strike. They said that in June, after failing to receive his regular check, Balfe notified Becks company that if he wasnt paid quickly, he would be exploring his options to obtain the money due him. This none-too-veiled threat prompted Beck to file his own lawsuit claiming, instead, that Balfe actually owes him moneya portion of the $13 million Beck claims Balfe was paid as an executive between 2009 and 2014. This is a shockingly excessive amount that far exceeds appropriate compensation for companies of Mercury and TheBlazes size and financial performance, the lawsuit contends. But back in March of last year, when Balfe and Cheatwood were launching Red Seat Ventures, the 52-year-old Beck gushed: I am truly grateful that we remain friends and am very excited to see what they do next. Their friendship didnt survive, however, after Beck hired a little-known tech entrepreneur named Jonathan Schreiber, a diehard superfan of Becks syndicated radio program, who arrived in September 2014 from Israel via Miami, networked his way into Becks inner circle, gained the bosss confidence and began accumulating power in the operations of both Mercury Radio Arts and The Blaze. According to company employees, as The Daily Beast reported last February, Beck seemed to have become infatuated with Schreiber, who first showed up at The Blazes now-defunct Manhattan studios, and later had been regularly spotted in Becks expansive, glass-walled office at the rambling company headquarters in the Dallas suburb of Las Colinassometimes hugging his idol after a heart-to-heart. Schreibers Orthodox Judaism apparently was in sync with Becks ardent religiosity as a Mormon convert, although staffers said Schreiberwho became president of Becks parent companyhad an off-putting, arrogant manner with underlings, who gave him the nickname Voldemort. Back in February, as Beck increasingly complained about Balfe and others who had helped orchestrate his career, Schreiber defended his own leadership to The Daily Beast. Glenn Beck, brilliant media mogul, realized he was unhappy in the direction his company was going so he brought in new blood, he said in an email. The goal being to put the company in the right direction. Through that process we separated with many people. Some will be missed, some less so. He added: I am very proud of my work here, I am very proud of the culture we have created AND PROUD OF [his capital letters] the people WE have been able to bring in to the fold No one likes to admit that they are not here because of themselves, it must be Voldemort. Stephen Colbert really hit the ground running on Monday after an exceptional two weeks of live shows around the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. As the Late Show host promised last week, his iconic Colbert Report segment The Word is back. But for legal reasons, it will now be known as The Werd. And once again, the target of The Werd Monday night was Donald Trump. Laying out the GOP candidates latest scandalhis disgraceful response to Khizr Khan, the Muslim father of a fallen U.S. Army captain who spoke out against Trump at the DNCColbert arrived at tonights Werd: What the F?or What the family? as he said it stood for due to space restrictions. Not only did Trump insist that his business success should count as a sacrifice in the same way the Khan family sacrificed their son, but he also maligned Khans wife Ghazala, questioning whether she was allowed to speak due to her religion. As Ghazala Khan later explained, she was too grief-stricken to speak from the DNC stage and instead chose to stand stoically by her husbands side. Yes, Trump knows a good husband allows his wife to say something, Colbert said, as the bullet point to his left finished the joke with, ... That Michelle Obama Already Said. An ordinary candidate, faced with near-universal condemnation, would stop there, Colbert continued. But instead, Trump has continued to post angry tweets directed at Khan, who, as he put it, does not know me, and therefore should not be allowed to criticize him. How could you possibly judge a presidential candidate unless youve met them? Colbert asked. Well, Ive met Donald Trump. So I am on solid ground when I say, Donald, youre being a dad-bag, which again, due to space, weve had to shorten. The screen revealed Colberts true feelings: D-Bag. At 10:40 on Sunday night, a longtime adviser to Donald Trump tweeted that Khizr Khanthe Gold Star father whos emerged as one of the candidates most effective criticswas an agent of an Islamist cabal. Its an opinion, less than a day later, thats become an article of faith to many in Trumpworld. Its also the product of the fevered imagination of Theodore Shoebat, the pseudonymous conspiracy theorist and Islamophobe who has made a career of spreading nonsense. That is, when hes not calling himself a proud fascist. His dad and fellow conspiracy-monger, Walid, isnt much better. He swears that Zika is a punishment from God, and likens homosexuality to cannibalism. Trump and his team have long leaned heavily on conspiracy theorists and online bullshit artists for many of their most memorable moments. Trump suggested that Ted Cruzs father was part of the plot to kill JFK. (Wrong.) He claimed that large numbers of American Muslims openly cheered fall of the Twin Towers, when no evidence for such celebrations exist. And then theres the whole birther thing. But suggesting that the father of a fallen U.S. soldier is secretly an enemy of Americathats new. Thank Walid and Ted Shoebat for that. Walid Shoebats biography reads like a cautionary tale. Born in Bethlehem to an American mother and Palestinian father, he claims to have been a radical Muslim, a member of PLO, and a prisoner in Jerusalem. Then, Shoebat says, he was recruited for radical jihad. Its a story that even the most ardent Muslim-haters say is untrue. Shoebat says he accepted Christ as his Lord and savior in 1994. Today, he peddles this biography to rally concern about Islam and paranoia about jihadists hiding in every mosqueand every college. The U.S. university campuses are a major recruiting ground for terrorists, he claimed. Its all the more telling, then, that he attacked Khizr Khan, the father of an Iraq War hero, as an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood, which he believes to be the cartel and mother umbrella of all terror organizations. The deeply incriminating information about Khizr Khan apparently stems from an academic article he wrote about Islamic Law. Because Khan cited a Muslim Brotherhood leader as an important source for his article, the Shoebats accused him of being the organizations acolyte in a blog post published on Sunday. Khan wrote [the paper] in the eighties while he was in Saudi Arabia, the motherland of Wahhabism. This would never be possible unless Khan clearly had the support of the Saudi Wahhabist religious institution, the Shoebats concluded. In Egypt, the Brotherhoods birthplace, however, it often competes with Wahhabist parties in elections. Khan runs a law office that provides immigration services. Thus, Most likely Khan was working to bring Muslims into the county, the Shoebats conclude. They fail to mention that Khan, the proud father of a servicemember who died a hero, boasts proudly about providing pro bono legal services for U.S. military families, right there on his homepage. But the Shoebats dont follow Trumps lead of only casting doubt on the deceased heros parents. They impugn the character of the fallen soldier, Capt. Humayun Khan, himself. They compare him to the likes of Nidal Malik Hassan, the Muslim-American soldier who carried out the massacre at Fort Hood. Is it likely that Khans son was killed before his Islamist mission was accomplished? Only another type of investigation will determine that, they wrote. Do they ever mention how many soldiers have died because of Muslim traitors? Do they ever bring up how many Christians in the US military were killed? Yet the modernists and homosexuals continue to attack Christians. But not even calling an American hero a terrorist stopped Trumps advisers from pushing the unsavory story. Shoebats willful lies about Khans beliefs and history were picked up and tweeted as gospel by Trumps veterans affairs adviser, Al Baldasaro. Baldasaro pushed out the article comparing Humayun Khan to a terrorist to his Twitter followers. Read the truth about your hero, Mr Khan who used his son as Political Pawn, he wrote. Trump confidant Roger Stone, who no longer serves the campaign in an official advisory role but is nonetheless close to the nominee, also tweeted the inflammatory article. Mr. Khan more than an aggrieved father of a Muslim sonhes Muslim Brotherhood agent helping Hillary, Stone tweeted with a link to the fabulist narrative. Perhaps the Trumpkins approving tweets should come as no surprise. After all, the Shoebats and Team Trump have a common enemy: Hillary Clinton. Shoebats son Ted, best known for his homophobic screeds, is also behind such masterpieces as Read About the Horrific Ways Hillary Clinton Will Have Children Murdered if She Becomes President. Hillary (or should I say, Hitlery), the post begins. This woman is absolutely evil, a modern day Jezebel, Ted rages, before copying and pasting from The Christian Post. The American people cannot vote in this female Hitler! (And he also claims that gays are an inherently violent group that thirsts to kill Christians. In one tweet, he even identified himself as a proud fascist.) A whole section of Shoebat.com is dedicated to slandering top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin. She also has deep ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the Shoebats. And, just like Donald Trump, Shoebat suggested that the Khizr Khans speech was carefully crafted by a Clinton operative. In fact, Khan spoke extemporaneously about his son and his frustration with Trumps proposed policies. In May, the elder Shoebat announced that he quit air travel two years ago for fear of his planes being taken down by Muslim pilots. And he believes the Zika virus, which has been linked to encephalopathy in newborns, is Gods punishment for sin, likening its spread to HIV. Both, he suggests, are punishments for a sinful sexual nature. God says throughout the Bible that He can only put up with so much. When God gets angry at times He sends His private armies, Shoebat wrote. In Joel 1-2 it was locusts and in Isaiah 18:1-6 it was mosquitos. Read the verses. And while hes less focused on the gay agenda than his son, Walid told radio host Joe Miller in March 2015 that Islamic tyranny is just the start of a slippery slope to cannibalism and homosexuality. After Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS and slaughtered 50 Americans at a gay club in Orlando, Walid Shoebat said that the only ones moaning over fifty gays slaughtered are liberals, idiots and gay lovers. A CNN expose on the elder Shoebat in 2011 found that he rakes in a hefty salary from lecturing and book sales, but that details to back up his self-reported biography are few and far between. (A 2014 tax return obtained by The Daily Beast for the Forum for Middle East Understanding, Shoebats nonprofit, said it brought in a gross income of more than $1.7 million. Shoebat was paid $87,995, it said.) CNN reporters in the United States, Israel and the Palestinian territories found no evidence that would support that biography, the report read. (Even Debbie Schlusselanother far-right critic of Islam, who targets many of the same groups as Shoebatcalled him a fake terrorist and dismissed him as unhinged.) The CNN reporters found no relatives to confirm his story, and no evidence of a firebombing he had allegedly participated in, nor records from a Jerusalem prison verifying his incarceration. They found inaccuracies in the information he presented at a conference, and sometimes whole organizations have denied publishing research Shoebat attributed to them. Shoebat responded to the CNN profile on his website, accusing the network of collaborating with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group Shoebat is critical of, in carrying out this political assassination of Mr. Shoebat. But hes never publicly produced proof of any of the improbable claims in his life story. Shoebat did not respond to a Daily Beast request for comment. For transgender woman Linda Thompson, life in prison is preferable to life on the streets. On July 27, Thompson entered a Cheyenne, Wyoming, bank with a handwritten note: I have a gun. Give me all your money. The teller gave her thousands of dollars. But instead of making a getaway, Thompson stopped a few steps outside the bank, throwing the cash in the air and handing it to strangers while she waited for police to arrive. I just robbed the bank, I want to go back to prison, Thompson told police, according to court records obtained by the Associated Press. Thompson told cops that she had been homeless, unable to find room at a shelter, and beaten by four men in a park. Thompson had recently been released from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, where she was serving a second-degree robbery sentence. Coffee Creek Correctional is by no means an easy place to live (its been sued for sexual abuse), but it is an all-womens facility, something Thompson had fought decades to access as a trans woman. From age 3, Thompson said she knew she was transgender. In an interview on Cruel and Unusual, a 2006 documentary on trans women in male prisons, she recalls praying to look like other girls. Dear God, when I wake up, that thing will not be there, she said. I will look like Susie from across the street. When she came out as a woman in 1991, she was fired from her job at a Wyoming oil rig. Every time I went to try to get a job for something I knew how to do, Id have to show ID and theyd say, Oh, Linda Patricia Thompson, but youre a guy, she remembered in the documentary. We cant have that here. Out of work and money, Thompson was arrested in 1997 for stealing scrap metal and was sent to the mens ward of an Idaho prison. While she identified as a woman, her appeals to be transfered went unanswered. The warden in the Idaho state penitentiary said something like transgenderism is not a disorder, and it wont be as long as I run this prison, Bruce Bistline, a lawyer who represented Thompson told The Daily Beast. That set up a battle of the wills. The penitentiary said gender was determined by genitalia, but they wouldnt provide access to gender reassignment surgery, or the hormone treatments Thompson had been taking before her incarceration. So Thompson performed the surgery herself, cutting off her testicles with a razor blade and demanding medical treatment. The warden still refused, so Thompson cut off her penis, a dangerous operation that nearly killed her. But the surgery was an act of catharsis, she said in Cruel and Unusual. When I cut the thing off it was like 100,000 tons of hate and animosity towards myself was all of a sudden just lifted off my shoulders, she recalls in the documentary. Man, I could fly. I was light. I was happy. For the first time in my life, I loved myself. After returning from a brief hospitalization, Thompson sued the state in 2000. She enlisted Bistline and another lawyer, who won her an out-of-court settlement with the state and got her temporarily transferred to facility in California, where she was given estrogen treatments. Even this reprieve meant consequences for Thompson. She was later transferred back to the Idaho mens ward, where Bistline says she was reportedly punished for taking her shirt off. The warden wouldnt recognize her as female and punished her for acting like a man. Once outside prison, Thompson faced the same troubles as before: no jobs, no shelter, no resources. Homeless shelters and mission groups turned their backs on her. Im not allowed at a shelter. Im not allowed at a rescue mission. This is wrong, she said in Cruel and Unusual. This is an unfortunately common situation for transgender people facing homelessness in rural areas. There arent a lot of homeless facilities elsewhere and many might be religiously based, so they might discriminate, Andrea Zekas, policy director for LGBTQ advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon told The Daily Beast. When trans people leave incarceration no matter where, they are often left without knowing where to go. There often not a lot of resources. Thompson unsuccessfully sought work in four states before ending up behind bars again, this time for stealing copper wire from a construction site, her other lawyer, Lea Cooper, told Into the Fray. She told the judge she did it [got arrested] on purpose, because she didnt have any more options, Cooper said. On a subsequent arrest in 2010, Thompson landed at Oregons Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, finally a womens prison. When her sentenced neared its end in June this year, Thompson reportedly said that she did not want to be released and that she would not do well on parole. Thompson told police last week she couldnt find space at a homeless shelter and was beaten by four strangers while sleeping in the park. By Wednesday, Thompson had had enough. Armed with her handwritten note and the threat of a gun, she walked into the Cheyenne, Wyoming, bank branch and demanded everything they had. Then she sat outside and waited for a squad car to take her someplace safer. The lying started at 7:27 a.m. and did not stop until after dark. Even for Donald Trump, Monday, Aug. 1, was a banner day for bullshit. With 100 days until Election Day, the Republican presidential nominee decisively rejected suggestions that he make some attempt to appear statesmanlike in his campaign against Hillary Clinton, opting to commit fully to the erraticism and dishonesty that characterized his performance in the Republican primary. Monday was a dive, hair-first, into a general election strategy not yet seen before on American soiland a strategy for existing as a human being in the world not usually seen outside the bowels of the New York City subway system after 2 a.m. Typed into the ether on Twitter, shouted at the people of Columbus, Ohio, at a town hall, or yodeled at a rally to the cable cameras and citizens of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the steady stream of nonsense could not be corked. That is, until the fried chicken arrived. In the afternoon in Ohio, Trump said he sometimes tweets while in bed in the morning, so lets picture him there, bundled in rich silks, when he said at 7:27: This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart! This is some very lazy spin. The story is about Trumps unprecedented sustained character assault on the parents of a Muslim American soldier, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber. His father, Khizr Khan, addressed the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week and, in doing so, pointedly criticized Trumps candidacy. Trump, in turn, responded by insinuating that the soldiers mother, Ghazala Khan, had remained quiet because their Muslim faith doesnt permit women to speak (in reality, shes said, shes so overcome by grief that she often cannot speak). Trump then suggested that Khizr Khan doesnt have a right to say Trump has not read the Constitution, which is a rather convincing piece of evidence in favor of Khans argument. Meanwhile, Roger Stone, Trumps longtime adviser and the one-time business partner of his campaign chairman, pushed out a conspiracy that Khan has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood before correcting himself and claiming that, actually, Khan praises Muslim Brotherhood but is tied is tied to Saudi Jihadis [sic]. Moving on. At 8:50 a.m., Trump again took to Twitter to claim, When I said in an interview that Putin is not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down, I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea! So with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. Thats what I said! That is not what he said. Here, Trump is asking that we pay attention only to what he says he meant to say. On ABCs This Week on Sunday, George Stephanopoulos questioned Trump about his operatives weakening the Republican platform with respect to Ukraine. Trump first said he wasnt involved in that effort, and Id have to take a look at it, which is an incredible admission of ignorance in itself. He then said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hes not going into Ukraine, OK? Just so you understand. Hes not going into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down and you can put it down, you can take it anywhere you want. Except Putin is already in Ukraine, having seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Stephanopoulos corrected him. Well, hes already there, isnt he? he asked. Well, hes there in a certain way, Trump said, uneasily, but Im not there. You have Obama there, and, frankly, that part of the world is a mess, under Obama. After clarifying his remarks Monday morning, Trump returned to the scheduled programming we have come to expect: a succession of six tweets sent out in five minutes, lancing CNN for its supposed unfairness. The network, he claims, is biased toward Clinton, despite employing multiple pro-Trump talking headsincluding Corey Lewandowski, his own former campaign manager who continues to receive payment from Trumpand the network rarely casts a panel without one of them present. Once onstage in Ohio around 3 p.m., Trump didnt slow down. I have to tell you that the fire marshal, they turned away thousands of people, they turned away thousands of people, Trump said. This is a common refrain for the candidate, intended to be a sign of his immense successstructures made for everyday assemblies and monster truck rallies just arent big enough to hold all of his fans. In reality, the Trump campaign has made a habit of outselling the venues it hosts events in, an old optics trickpacked rooms and long lines, after all, look better than a crowd with holes in itbut its still very much a trick. Its why people across the country with (free) tickets to see the candidate have frequently been left waiting outside for hours instead. Its a testament more to the campaigns immaturity than its popularity. Criticizing Clinton for her rhetoric on the VA, Trump said he has raised a lot of money for vets. He neglected to mention that he only donated the $1 million he promised in February, four months later, after reporters questioned him relentlessly about his failure to do so, and after lying about having done so. Trump then said, Were gonna build the wall and Mexicos gonna pay for the wall, a reliable applause line hes used since the beginning of his candidacy, although he has never explained how he plans to convince Mexico to do this, or offered any evidence that Mexico would be willing to do this. Next, he told a story about his friend who builds massive plants, among the biggest in the world and, having found it impossible to turn a profit in America, is doing business in Mexico, which this friend calls the eighth wonder of the world. Trump provided no details about who this friend who surely exists is or when this conversation with this real friend occurred. His spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, did not respond when asked for this information. He decried outsourcing, not mentioning that his own Trump-branded merchandise is made in other countries and that he recently filed a petition for 78 visas to staff his resorts with foreign workers. Were not safe, he then said, stoking fear of violence even though violent crimemurders, rapes, robberies, assaultsis down considerably from 2008. He went on to claim that Syrian refugees who come to America are unknown entities. We have no idea who they are, he said, which is false. The screening process for refugees is rigorous and can take years. You know, they stole our passport machine, Trump then said, referencingand bunglinga December intelligence report that said ISIS may have obtained the technology to manufacture passports. The report did not say the passport machine was American and that ISIS had stolen it from us but that it was a Syrian passport printing device. He pivoted to politics, and back to the primary. If I wouldve spent two more days here in Ohio I wouldve won, he said. Trump lost there to the governor, John Kasich, by more than 11 points, more than 200,000 votes. To have made up for that in two days of campaigning, he wouldve needed to take a few dozen school gymnasiums hostage with a hairspray canister. When he took a few questions from the audience, things got even murkier. One man wanted to know what Trumps plan to repeal Obamacare is. Trump responded by first saying that whats more important is the military, and he will rebuild the military. He then said he has a plan to repeal the health care law, but he never got around to explaining what the plan entails. Were gonna have plans now that we cant even talk about, he said. He claimed his plan would at once be less expensive than the current law and cover everyone, which sure sounds like a public option, something favored by liberals. We have something coming thats gonna be great, he said. After that, he took some time to talk to Sean Hannity on Fox News, pre-taped for the 10 p.m. hour and remote from Harrisburg. We have thousands of people who wont be able to get in tonight, Trump said. He downplayed his campaign against the Khan family and allowed Hannity to conflate the issue with Trumps policy on Syrian refugees. She will appoint justices that will make our country Venezuela, he said of Clinton. And then he was back onstage. They sent away over 5,000 people outside! he said, which was not true, and again, on a much smaller scale, a manufactured event by the campaign. He claimed Pennsylvanias manufacturing decline was caused by Hillary Clintons policies. Clinton, a former first lady, senator from New York, and secretary of state, never created policy for the state of Pennsylvania. Theres a valid argument to make that Clintons outsize role in her husbands administration makes her partially culpable for and responsible for both the bad and good that came of his time in officeit comes into particularly sharp relief on gay marriagebut to lay the blame for an entire states economic decline entirely at her feet is disingenuous. Trump then mocked other politicians for using a teleprompter during their speeches. He did not address his frequent use of a teleprompter these days. And then things went really off the rails, not that they were on very tightly to begin with. Discussing Bernie Sanderss dour expression at the Democratic National Convention, Trump said it was because he made a deal with the devil. Then he took things a little further. Shes the devil, he said of Clinton. He made a deal with the devil. Asked if Clinton is the antichrist, or if the campaign has any response to Trump labeling her the devil, a spokesperson for Clinton did not respond. Trump then claimed, I dont know Putin, by the way, although in the past, he claimed the opposite. During a Republican primary debate, Trump said, I got to know him very well. Hes since clarified that he doesnt think theyve ever met in real life, and he doesnt know what it means to know someone very well, like he said he knew Putin. There were more innocuous lies, of course, like when Trump told the crowd in Pennsylvania, I got along with everybody, or when he claimed, so many people have said this is one of the greatest movements in the history of American politics, without specifying which people said that, or when. We have 6,000 people outside whove been forced to leave! he said again, despite that not being true. And then he claimed an unnamed liberal writer told him it doesnt matter if he wins, hell go down in history nevertheless. I could name 50 companies that moved out of Pennsylvania and moved to Mexico and other places, Trump said. Asked to provide a list of those companies, his campaign did not respond. Trump then settled into a plush leather chair the color of marshmallow on his private Boeing 757. On the headrest, stenciled in gold, was the Trump seal. He smiled for the camera, holding the finest silverware as he prepared to slice into a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The half-empty bucket rested on a copy of The Wall Street Journal and some handwritten notes. With his mouth full of fast-food poultry and his hands gripping a knife and fork, for a blissful few moments, Donald Trump told no lies at all. When she took her three sons to her fallen captains grave, former Army Pfc. Vanessa Brenes-Ramirez did not even think to speak to them about his religion. She did tell her boys how Capt. Humayun Khan had been the very soul of kindness and decency. How he had made her feel safe. How he had always said leaders lead from the front. How he understood that you have to know what it means to be at the bottom before you can rightly be at the top. Her first encounter with that philosophy in action had been during a field training exercise in September of 2003, several months before her unit, the 201st Forward Support Battalion, deployed to Iraq. A sergeant had ordered her to dig a foxhole after she had been on guard duty all night. She was already exhausted, but she had set to digging when Khan happened past. What are you doing? Khan asked by her recollection You just did guard duty. Go sit down. Sir? a stunned Brenes-Ramirez asked. Go sit down, Khan said. Thats an order. The 19-year-old private found herself sitting and watching an officer work the shovel. The sergeant returned. What are you doing, sir? the sergeant asked Khan. Im helping, Khan replied. And helping was what Khan continued to do as he settled with the unit at a base in Iraq that was dubbed Warhorse. He was the 27-year-old force protection officer, in charge of base security, and he had a way of making everybody feel more secure. He had a keen strategic and tactical sense, seeming to know exactly what to do when. He was always attentive when his soldiers were on guard duty, making sure Brenes-Ramirez and the others had coffee when they wanted coffee and water when they needed water. I felt like he was my protector, Brenes-Ramirez would say. He was all in. There was no inbetween for him, Brenes-Ramirez would recall. She did not consider Khans religion. I didnt even know he was a Muslim, she would recall. He was American. Thats what he was. All the colors we saw were green. Then came the morning of June 8, 2004. Khan had worked the overnight detail but wanted to see some security improvements a sergeant had been making to the front gate. By one estimate, eight other Americans were in the vicinity of the gate when an orange vehicle approached. Khans first concern was that none of his soldiers get hurt, and he called for everybody to get down. But Khan was also likely concerned about the two Iraqis who were in the front seat. He was no doubt mindful of earlier incidents in which an approaching vehicle had failed to stop when ordered and the guards had opened fire with unfortunate results. He approached the taxi and held up his hand for it to stop. The Iraqis responded by detonating a 200-pound bomb. One of those who came running was Sgt. Laci Walker, then 21. She had never heard Khan speak ill of anybody and knew him always to look for the best in people. All the soldiers loved him, she would later say. He was just so good, and everybody looked up to him. Walker could have stayed back in Germany when the unit deployed, but she insisted that Khan take her with him. I liked to be on guard duty when he was in charge, Walker would recall. I knew it would be safer. I knew he would be the one looking out for me. Walker would add, I didnt even know he was a Muslim. She was off duty when she heard the explosion, and she got on a handheld radio. She learned that a vehicle-borne device had exploded at the gate. She was initially told there had been no American casualties, but when she arrived a fellow sergeant told her there had been one. He asked, How are you with body parts? Walker would recall. I said, No problem. Who is it? And he told me and I puked my brains out. Brenes-Ramirez was not by the gate at the time of the explosion. She would say that of the aftermath she remembered only the tears. All I can tell you is Ive never seen so many people cry, she would say. Grown people. I mean hitting the floor crying. A sergeant who had been present at the blast told her that Khan had been a protector to the end. [Khan] told everybody, Get down! she would say. He sacrificed himself. She would also say, He was our hero. And she would say, We all would have done that. All of us. Thats how the Army is. You dont look at what religion somebody is. Or where they are from. And she would say, If Capt. Khan could pay the ultimate price, I could too. More tears came nearly a dozen years later, when she took her three boys to Arlington Cemetery this past January. She initially went to visit her brothers grave. He had also been in the Army and had died in a car accident the October after Khans death. Khan was buried nearby, and she took the boys to his grave as well. She told them of a leader like none other, a captain who had been her guardian angel. Her eyes began to well as if time had only magnified the loss. Her 9-year-old, Nicholas, sought to comfort her. Mommy, he lives in your memories, the boy said by her account. Her husband is a soldier he had deployed with her unit and they had spoken to their boys about the importance of honor. The moment now came when all three boys, Nicholas and 7-year-old Dominick and 5-year-old Michael, stood before Khans headstone and saluted. It was quick little moment, Brenes-Ramirez later said. The month before, in December, Hillary Clinton had cited Khan and his heroism when she delivered a campaign speech in Detroit. Video from that appearance was played at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week. Khans father then stood at the podium with Khans mother and delivered a heartfelt rebuke to Donald Trump for his bigotry and his denigration of the principles for which their son gave his life. Among those who watched the remarkable seven minutes on television was retired Gen. Dana Pittard, who had been the brigade commander at Warhorse when Khan was killed. Pittard had been aware that Khan was Muslim, as was another captain in the unit and as were several other soldiers. Khan had proven helpful in relations with the Iraqis. But he had made his loyalties clear. He said, Im an American. Im an American patriot. Pittard would recall. Pittard had been stunned by the sudden void when that car bomb robbed the world of the captain it had been so lucky to have. There was so much promise for the future, Pittard said. He was such a good person. It was so wasteful that he died. The Army had determined that the suicide bombers were from a cell of the Ansar al-Islam group in northern Iraq. We went after the cell, Pittard would tell The Daily Beast. We were pretty aggressive. Last week, Pittard was stunned to see Khans face appear on the TV screen as he watched the Democratic convention with his family. Pittard then saw Khans father and mother at the podium. Pittard remembered that after he had sent them a letter of condolence, he had received a letter from them. Mr. and Mrs. Khan wrote me back thanking me, Pittard told The Daily Beast. Pittards family has voted Republican since Herbert Hoover, and he has never been the kind of general to comment on political matters, but he felt he had to say something about Trumps subsequent attack on Khans parents. He figures that at the very least Trump does not understand how deeply the military feels about its Gold Star families and how much all military families have given over these past 15 years of war. The Khan family is our family, Pittard said. A video of the parents at the convention reached Walker via Facebook. I did not know he was of Muslim heritage until I heard Hillary Clinton say it, Walker told The Daily Beast. He would not want to be remembered as that Muslim solider. He would want to be known as the soldier who died for his country. Word also reached Brenes-Ramirez. She understood that Khans parents were compelled by more than politics. They were just standing up for him like he stood up for us, Brenes-Ramirez reasoned. Brenes-Ramirez said she had taken a photo of Khans grave when she and her boys visited Arlington and that she had afterward made a painting based on it. That quick moment when her boys saluted the tombstone had been too spontaneous for her to have taken a picture. But the image stays with her and should stay with all the rest of us whenever anybody speaks of this most American of soldiers who died for his country and leaves us with an example of a true leader. It was beautiful, she told The Daily Beast. And young Nicholas is right. Khan does live in the memories of mommy and so many others. ASHBURN, Virginia At his rally in Northern Virginia today, Donald Trump found a new foe: a baby. After a week spent attacking Gold Star parents, Ghazala and Khizr Khan; asking Russia to hack the United States; and saying Tuesday he always wanted to get the Purple Heart, the Republican presidential nominee ordered a screaming infant to be removed. Even before his rally started, security escorted protesters out of the high school auditorium where the audience had assembled. And during his speech, a group of young Muslim students protesting against Trump turned their backs on him and were then removed. But they werent the youngest people to be ejected. About 30 minutes into Trumps characteristically rambling speech, a baby in the audience started crying noisily. And at first, Trump seemed pleased, even waxing poetic about the loveliness of childhood. Dont worry about that baby, he said. I love babies. I love babies. I hear that baby crying and I like it. I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Dont worry, dont worry. The moms running around likedont worry about it. You know? Its young and beautiful and healthy and thats what we want, OK. About a minute later, though, as the baby continued to caterwaul, Trump snapped out of his pro-baby reverie. Actually I was only kidding, he said. You can get the baby out of here. Thats all right. Dont worry. I think she believed me that I love having a baby crying while Im speaking. Thats OK. People dont understand. Thats OK. Trumps decision to boot the baby drew mixed responses from attendees. One young woman in the audience, 18-year-old Starbucks barista Christin Hensley, called Trumps criticism of the mom degrading. I thought that was rude! she said. Other women in the audience thought it was funny. Jillian White, from Round Hill, said she thinks moms shouldnt bring babies to Trump rallies. As a woman, come on, you dont bring a baby to a rally of a bunch of adults, she said. Her friend Devin Gannaway concurred. When youre in a movie theater, you dont leave your child crying in a movie theater, she said. Unlike most politicianswho see babies as prime pander timeTrump appears to want to keep them as far away as possible. In 2011, he allegedly had a meltdown when a female attorney asked for a break during a deposition to pump breast milk for her 3-month-old baby. He got up, his face got red, he shook his finger at me and he screamed, Youre disgusting, youre disgusting, and he ran out of there, the attorney, Elizabeth Beck, told CNN. Even his own kin seem to repulse him in their early years. In a 2005 interview on Opie and Anthony, uncovered by Buzzfeed News, Trump recoiled at the question as to whether he changed diapers ahead of the birth of his fifth child, Barron. Do you actually change diapers? host Anthony Cumia asked. No, I dont do that, he said. Theres a lot of women out there that demand that the husband act like the wife, and you know, theres a lot of husbands that listen to that. So you know, they go for it. If I had a different type of wife, Trump added. I probably wouldnt have a baby, ya know, cause thats not my thing. Im really, like, a great father, but certain things you do and certain things you dont. Its just not for me. Trump also made creepy comments about the physique of his daughter Tiffany when she was a baby. When the host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous asked him during a 1994 episode how the newborn took after his then-wife, Marla Maples, he gave a detailed response. Well, I think that shes got a lot of Marla, he said. Shes a really beautiful baby, and shes got Marlas legs. We dont know whether shes got this part yet, but time will tell. This part referred to boobs, as Trump gestured toward his chest when he made that comment. And a recent photo of him holding two crabby-looking infants and mirroring their facial expressions also suggests there may be little room for infants in his comfort zone. The Trump familys deep roots in Germany stretch back to the war-ravaged seventeenth century, when the family name was Drumpf. In 1648, they simplified the name to one that would prove to be a powerful brand for their latter-day descendants. Looking back from the twenty-first century, it turns out to have been an interesting choice. Donald no doubt enjoys the bridge players definition of trump: a winning play by a card that outranks all others. But other definitions include a thing of small value, a trifle and to deceive or cheat as well as to blow or sound a trumpet. As a verb, trump means to devise in an unscrupulous way and to forge, fabricate or invent, as in trumped-up charges. Donald Trump never knew his grandfather, Friedrich, who died when Donalds father, Fred, was only twelve years old. As a rogue entrepreneur, however, Friedrich cast a century-long shadow over the Trump family with his passion for money and the flouting of legal nicetiessuch as erecting buildings on land he did not own. Friedrich Trump grew up in the winemaking region of southwest Germany, in the town of Kallstadt, where hard work meant a roof over ones head, not riches. His father had died when Friedrich was only eight years old. In 1885, at the age of sixteen and facing mandatory military service, Friedrich left his mother a note and did what millions of other Europeans with few prospects at home were doing: fled Germany for the United States. Enduring a surely difficult North Atlantic crossing in a packed steamship, Friedrich eventually landed in New York, where he moved in with an older sister, Katherine, and her husband, both of whom had immigrated earlier. Before long, the young man decided to go west, eventually settling in Seattle, where he opened The Dairy Restaurant. It also had a curtained-off area that most likely served as a low-rent whorehouse, according to Gwenda Blair, who had the familys cooperation in her history of the Trumps. In 1892, Friedrich became a citizen, lying about his age in the process by saying hed landed in New York two years before he actually had. Two friends accompanied him to the proceedings to attest to his good character. One was a laborer, the other a man whose occupations included providing accommodations for what Blair politely called female boarding. Friedrich was the genesis of many Trump family traditions in America, but voting was not among them. In fact, his grandson Donald would run for president after failing to vote in the 2002 general election and, as records indicate, in any Republican primary from 1989 until he voted for himself in 2016. Friedrichs great-grandchildren were even less diligent in their civic duties. When Donald Trumps name appeared on the New York State primary ballot in 2016, his daughter Ivanka and son Eric, both in their thirties, could not cast ballots because they had neglected to register as Republicans. They blamed the government, saying they should have been allowed to change from independent to Republican at the last minute. But the primary voting rules, however outmoded, had been law in the Empire State for many years. The siblings had months in which to change their registration so they could vote for their father. A family tradition Friedrich Trump did start in America, however, was the art of prospering but wanting more. Friedrich sold his restaurant/bordello and set up a new business about thirty miles north. Rumor had it that the oil-rich Rockefellers planned a big mining operation in the area. On a piece of land he didnt own, right across from the train station, Friedrich built a hotel of sortsone intended mostly for, shall we say, active short stays, not overnight visits. Building on land he did not own foreshadowed the terms under which his grandson Donald would acquire the Florida mansion Mar-a-Lago: with a mortgage that Chase Bank agreed in writing not to record at the courthouse. In the end, the mining project fizzled and only a few got out better off than they were when they arrived. Among them was Friedrich Trump, who had, by that point, Americanized his name to Frederick. He went by Fred. Hearing about the Klondike gold rush, Frederick headed for Canadas Yukon Territory. He had no interest in the hard physical labor of panning for gold in frigid streams; Frederick mined the miners. He built a sort of bar and grill, calling the joint The Arctic. It offered hard liquor and sporting ladies, as the prostitutes were called. Again his timing was impeccable. He arrived when the gold rush was at its height. By the time the gold was running out and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were riding in, Fred Trump had made a small fortune to take with him as he skedaddled back to America. In 1901, at age thirty-two, Frederick Trump returned to Germany, where his mother introduced her now-rich son to eligible young ladies. Frederick, however, took a liking to a woman his mother did not care for, a twenty-year-old blonde named Elizabeth Christ. Just six years old when her husband-to-be had slipped away to America to avoid the German draft, Elizabeth had grown into a well-endowed adulthood. Trump men favoring busty blondes would become a family pattern. Frederick took his new bride to America and scouted for opportunities to increase his fortune, by then worth a half million dollars or so in todays money. But Elizabeth had no love for bustling New York and its stark contrasts between wealth and want. She desperately wanted to go home. In 1904, Frederick, with his young wife and their infant daughter, sailed back to Germany. Once there, however, he had to convince the authorities to overlook his draft dodging. Hoping the fortune he brought into the country would impress the authorities, in September 1904 he explained his absence to the government in writing: I did not immigrate to America in order to avoid military service, but to establish for myself a profitable livelihood and to enable myself to support my mother in Kallstadt. German authorities didnt buy it; they ordered him to leave. Donald Trump has not yet been asked whether this episode of family history plays any role in his unconstitutional proposals to deport an estimated eleven million immigrants who entered the country illegally, including those whose children are American citizens, or if he thinks of it when suggesting that the United States block soldiers and sailors who are Muslim from returning to America. Excerpted from The Making of Donald Trump by David Cay Johnston, published by Melville House, and reprinted here with the permission of the publisher and the author, who retain all rights. Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of an IRE medal and the George Polk Award, David Cay Johnston is author of five books and the upcoming The Prosperity Tax: A New Federal Tax Code for the 21st Century Economy. He is a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at Syracuse University College of Law and Whitman School of Management, and a columnist for The Daily Beast and Investopedia. I think theres the belief that somehow the whole system in Washington is not on the levelthat its tilted against the ordinary citizen. And the reason people have that view is because theyre right: it is tilted against the ordinary citizen and it does favor the rich. That is Tom Downey, a former U.S. Congressman from New York turned founder of the high-powered lobbying firm Downey McGrath Group, Inc., and one of many talking heads in Meet the Donors, a damning new documentary that just made its premiere on HBO. The film comes courtesy of Alexandra Pelosi, the daughter of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. There is a brief showdown between Pelosi Jr. and a right-wing lobbyist who took out vicious attack ads against her mother that showed the former House Speaker as a city-destroying Godzilla-like monster. Despite the family ties, this remains a fairly nonpartisan examination of the corrupting influence of money in politics, and how the American political system is no longer a democracy but rather a plutocracy. The American publics mounting frustration with this corrupt system has, in part, led to the rise of populist candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Late last year, The New York Times published a terrifying study on how just 158 wealthy families have provided nearly 50 percent of the funds raised for presidential candidates with their eye on the White House. They were mostly white, rich, older, and male, and hailed from the finance and energy sectors. Just 158 families, along with companies they own or control, contributed $176 million in the first phase of the campaign, a New York Times investigation found. Not since before Watergate have so few people and businesses provided so much early money in a campaign, most of it through channels legalized by the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision five years ago. The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision changed the playing field, allowing both nonprofit and for-profit corporations to be treated as people, thereby prohibiting the government from regulating their political expenditures (coincidentally, this whole hullabaloo was over the right-wing nonprofit Citizens Uniteds desire to air a propaganda film, Hillary: The Movie, just prior to the 2008 general election). This led to the creation of super PACs, or political action committeesvessels that individuals, corporations, and other organizations can pour large sums of money into in order to influence elections, typically via attack ads. Conservative strategist Karl Rove notoriously oversaw super PACs that spent over $300 million on Republican candidates during the 2012 election year. Meet the Donors opens with some fun historical context, explaining how money has been synonymous with politics in America since the Founding Fathers. For example, George Washington used all the funds raised during his first political campaign on booze to woo thirsty voters, while Andrew Jackson gave birth to the phrase spoils system for giving so many government jobs to his financial backers. It then transitions to the post-Watergate era, where the campaign finance system was specifically tweaked to avoid corruption, with general election campaigns publicly funded through taxation. This practice lasted until President Obama, who opted out of $84 million in public funds in favor of raising $778 million privately to finance his campaign. Part of the problem is that U.S. presidential elections have become a wildly costly endeavor, and this cost is on the rise. In 1996, the two major parties spent $448.9 million on the general election; in 2012, they spent $6.3 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. So, when you have an obscenely large amount of money required to run for POTUS combined with the ruling of Citizens United, its given us this nightmare scenario where corporations and the uber-wealthy wield disproportionate power over elections, and by extension government as a whole. Pelosi went out to interview many of this high-powered donors who are pulling the strings in the 2016 presidential election, starting with the one ZIP Code that sees more political donations than any other in the country: 10022, or the Upper East Side of Manhattan. There, she attends a fancy fundraising dinner for Hillary Clinton thrown by Bernard Schwartz, a telecomm magnate turned hedge-funder and hardcore Democratic donor. He says hell personally spend approximately $1 million on this election, and regards it as a privilege. The reason why I favor Hillary Clinton is not because I agree with any of the things she saysthere are some things I disagree withbut I think she has the personality to be a leader, and thats what we need in the White House, he says to a roomful of power brokers. When asked what he gets in return for his investment, Schwartz, like many of the talking heads in Pelosis film, claims to not exert any influence over the political decision-making processbefore claiming just that. I dont ask for politicians to do what I say, he says. I want them to hear me when I have a problem. Were introduced to stock wizard Foster Friess, who donates millions to conservative Christian candidates, e.g. Rick Santorums 2012 presidential run. When I was growing up in a small northern Wisconsin town, our school system, our families, our church, and our government all had the same value system, and now we are torn apart by so many different tugging values that I want to be part of the system that brings us back to the Judeo-Christian value system that made our country great, says Friess. I know many people dislike me because of what I donate to, but thats OK. I dont mean to make myself more important, but they gave Jesus a pretty rough time for all the things he talked about, he continues, before adding, I definitely think Jesus is a Republican. Im just joking! We meet big-time donors like John Catsimaditis (CEO of Gristedes) and Bruce Charash (a cardiologist) who seem to donate purely for the thrill of photo ops and hobnobbing with presidentsor as Charash explains it, the more you have pictures with powerful people in your office, the more powerful people think you are. People do really act differently when they think you have power. But more disconcerting are the big-pocketed elites whove managed to nab important roles in the administrations of presidential candidates theyve helped fund, like Elizabeth Bagley, a longtime Clinton fundraiser who was appointed Ambassador to Portugal under President Bill Clinton, or Penny Pritzker, who, according to her brother J.B., became Secretary of Commerce under President Obama after serving as one of his primary fundraisers. Brad Freeman, who helped raise a lot of money for George W. Bush during his 2000 presidential run, elucidates just how slimy the whole pay-for-play enterprise is. When President Bush won the election in 2000, many of my friends were getting ambassadorships, cabinet positions, and other very senior positions in the government. He called me and said he had something very important hed like me to do, and I got very excited, recalls Freeman. I didnt want an ambassadorship, which he knew, and as he was talking it was going through my mind in slow-motion what it could be, and Id somehow come to the conclusion that he was gonna ask me to head the CIA, and I was very excited. He then started talking about when I was visiting at the mansion, how close I got and how I bonded to his cat, Ernie. He said, Brad, Ernie has not been declawed, so we cant take him to the White House. Laura and I would like you to take Ernie during my administration. Another eye-opening example of how big money influences politicsand contributes to the overall toxicity of present-day political campaigningcomes through in an interview with T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire oilman who personally funded the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attack ads against John Kerry in 2004 that, he claims, won the election in 2004 for Bush. First, Pickens says, I never asked President Bush for one thing I cant think of anything he did that made me a dime, and then moments later hes describing how he tried to get the Natural Gas Act passed on Capitol Hillan amendment to the Transportation Bill that would have called for diesel gas to be replaced with natural gas for heavy-duty trucks. The move pitted Pickens, with investments in natural gas, against the multibillionaire Koch brothers, who are the biggest political donors in America. I had against me the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers had other reasons of wanting diesel instead of natural gas, says Pickens. I think the Koch brothers are sincere conservative people. If it fits the bottom line, fine. Pickens lostan outcome he credits to the Koch brothers wielding more political influence, and donating more to various Republican candidates, than he does. In this case, I think they had a better bidder. I think the Kochs had more influence than I did. I think they had more influence and, over time, sure, they outspent me, he says. On the other end of the energy spectrumbut someone with plenty at stake financially, toois Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager and founder of NextGen, which is pushing clean energy. He pumped $74 million into the Democratic midterm elections in 2014, making him the biggest single individual donor in the country, and is currently spending millions on anti-Trump ads. But Steyer says that while hes been transparent about the money hes donated, most of the money that influences politics in America you wont find on OpenSecrets, including the Koch brothers, who he stresses act with as little transparency that they can get away with. You went to the list of people who disclosed the money they gave, he tells Pelosi, shaking his head. The big money in politics is dark moneyits money you cant trace, and where it isnt disclosed, and where it shows up in the political system anonymously. In other words: The problem is even worse than we imagine. Even though there is little to laugh about in war-torn Aleppo, 14-year-old Qusai Abtini was able to make people smile. The popular comedic child actor starred in a televised sitcom set on the streets of Aleppo, where the crew filmed scenes even as bombs exploded nearby. Tragically, news has just been released that he was killed when his fathers car was hit by a missile last month as they tried to escape the city amid intensified bombing. According to the BBC, which first reported his tragic death, Abtini played the main character in the sitcom Umm Abdou the Aleppan, which was a weekly show about daily life in a war zone that has been likened to I Love Lucy. All of the child actors played adult characters and Abtinis Abu Abdou depicted a hard-handed Syrian husband whose wife Umm Abdou, played by a young girl known as Rasha, was always up to mischief, including trying to form a radical feminist faction, which he was able to talk her out of because of her fear of rodents. Many of the episodes dealt with normal life, from marital spats to grocery woes, all against the backdrop of power cuts and bombings. In several episodes real bombs can be heard in the background as the child actors brace against the noise. The show, which ran for 30 episodes on Halab Today TV, which was an opposition television station that was shut down in 2015, has somewhat of a cult following among Syrians who have escaped their homeland. In an interview with the Associated Press, the shows director Bashar Sakka described Qusai as a very talented boy who he discovered after the young boys drama teacher introduced them. We were looking for an intelligent boy, Sakka told the Associated Press in Turkey, where he now resides. We wanted him to be free with ideas, and without fear of Bashar Assad's regime and its ruthlessness. Even before his fame, Abtini was well known among those opposing Assad. According to local media reports, he was often seen leading protests and rallying his friends to stand up to the regime. He even starred in several opposition videos. Qusais older brother Assad, who is a fighter in the Free Syrian Army, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph describing his brother as a hero. He was loved by everyone, he used to lead the revolutionary protests in the streets. He was their poster boy, the older brother said. But he was my little brother. Every time I see kids in the street now I cry thinking of him. It feels like my heart will stop beating. According to the Associated Press, Abtinis father, who was wheelchair bound after he was wounded when a missile struck their home, attended the boys funeral holding up a poster accusing the Assad regime of killing his son: Qusai, Abu Abdu the Aleppan. You are a little hero. You scared the regime with your giant acts so they killed you. Its hard to find a craft bartender in America who doesnt know Simon Ford. For more than 10 years, he worked as a brand ambassador for drinks giant Pernod Ricard, traveling the country to spread the word about Absolut Vodka, Beefeater and Plymouth gins, and more. (Hes also the longtime emcee of the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, the liquor industrys equivalent to the Oscars.) In 2012, Ford quit his job to launch The 86 Co., a line of spirits designed by and for bartenders, including Aylesbury Duck Vodka, Cana Brava Rum, Tequila Cabeza and, of course, the eponymous Fords Gin. Youll find the companys distinctive bottlesdesigned to be ergonomically comfortable to pick up and pour, and for reuse holding juices and syrupsbehind top cocktail bars everywhere. Ford moved from New York to Los Angeles soon after he started the company, and hes discovered a wealth of great cocktails in the West Coast metropolis. Here are three of his favorites. Under My Thumb at Sassafras Saloon The exquisitely decorated Sassafras Saloon brings old New Orleans charm to the heart of Hollywood, serving up Big Easy classics like the Hurricane and Sazerac, as well as original cocktails that are perfect for beating the heat. Case in point: this bubbly sipper. Its just a G&T, but the tonic is a house-made lavender one, using botanicals designed to pair well with Fords Gin, including pink peppercorns and fennel seed. Its even named in the gins honor: Fords is distilled on a still named Tom Thumb. Saladito at The Varnish Downtown LAs Coles has been around since 1908 and has a credible claim to having invented the French Dip, the citys signature sandwich. Today, Coles still serves delicious sandwiches (and has a very impressive bar), but hidden behind an unlabeled door in the back of the restaurant is The Varnish, a tiny speakeasy with impeccably constructed drinks. Of those, Fords current fave is the Saladito, a deceptively simple mix of mezcal, honey and lime. Its a staggeringly complex twist on the Daiquiri, garnished with chile salt for a little heat, to boot. Lucky Smoke at The Spare Room Occupying the mezzanine level of the opulent Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The Spare Room offers more options for fun than just about any other bar in town: Besides the amazing cocktails, theres a two-lane bowling alley (rental includes custom George Esquivel bowling shoes) and a gaming parlor featuring elegant custom-made editions of everything from dominoes and playing cards to Monopoly and Jenga. The Lucky Smoke is a strong-and-stirred cocktail that still manages to showcase the bar menus tropical/tiki feel, mixing Japanese whisky and Jamaican rum with banana liqueur and the unique grassy-coconut flavor of pandan leaf. Check out our complete Three Drinks travel guide to cocktails. For its Monday cover story, the New York Post resurfaced another round of titillating exclusive nude photos of Melania Trump (nee Knauss), this time in bed and cozying up to a naked Scandinavian model. The Menage a Trump feature is part deux of a scoop that was low-hanging fruit even for the Post: on Sunday, the tabloid ran a front-page photo of a nude Melania with stars photoshopped over her nipples like pasties. The pictures were taken in 1995 during a photo shoot for a now-defunct French magazine, when the Republican candidates wife was 25 and known as Melania K in the modeling world. Trump, whom the Post has endorsed, was seemingly complicit in their re-publication: he was quoted in Sundays feature defending himself and his wifebut mostly himself. This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania, he told the paper. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common. On Monday, Trumps senior adviser Jason Miller described the photos as a celebration of the human body as art, adding that theres nothing to be embarrassed about. Miller is right, of courseeven if he sounds utterly disingenuous. But where is the feminist defense of Melanias creative and sexual expression? Why havent Lena Dunham and her body positivity-championing cohorts chimed in on Twitter? Why didnt Amy Schumer call out the Post for taking a cheap shot at Melania? Wheres Emily Ratajkowskis nude #solidarity selfie? With the exception of Patricia Arquette, who defended Melania early Monday morning on Twitter (So @MELANIATRUMP was naked. She was a model. Now leave her alone.), theres been a dearth of prominent feminist voices on the repackaged nudes. To be sure, Melania Trump chose to pose naked and isnt a victim here. Its not as if the nudes were publicized without her consentat least not the first time around, when they were taken in the mid-1990s. But the timing of the photos re-publication, along with the never-before-seen exclusives that ran in Mondays paper, makes this a particularly tasteless stunt. It comes amidst outrage over Donald Trumps feud with the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier; amidst Trumps promise to crack down on pornography; on the heels of his remarks that Russia should hack the private email server Hillary Clinton used while she was secretary of state (and subsequent insistence that he was being sarcastic, of course). Given the circumstances, the nude Melania photos look like a convenient distraction for the Trump campaignGawker and The View mulled whether it was an attempt by the campaign itself to throw a wrench in a particularly negative political news cycle, using Melania as a scapegoat. It also comes on the heels of Melanias bungled RNC speech, a passage of which was plagiarized from a 2008 convention speech by Michelle Obama. The Trump campaign lied and filibustered for 36 hours before an in-house speechwriter took responsibility for the lifted words and phrases. It was supposed to be Melanias big moment, one of precious few times when she would emerge from backstage and say something substantive, and she was humiliated. As New Yorks Rebecca Traister argued, Trumps team failed her by not hiring a better speechwriter to work with the woman running to be Americas first lady. The Posts resurfaced photos seem like less of an attempt to humiliate Trump than to humiliate Mrs. Trump. Its not the nude photos themselves that are embarrassing, but that Melania continues to prove a scapegoat for her husbands reckless presidential campaign. All the more reason, then, for prominent feminists to speak up about the Posts tasteless covers. Perhaps they havent done so because Melania is not a feminist herself, at least not publicly. Could this be why feminists are not rushing to the defense of a woman who isnt part of their tribe, particularly when the woman is the trophy wife of one of the most-disliked presidential candidates in history? Surely Dunham and others would be outraged if the Post had resurfaced nude photos of Ivanka Trump, who is at least well-spoken and sides with women in her speechesand advocates for working women via her fashion-focused blogeven while promising that her grotesquely misogynistic father will Make America Great Again. Melania Trump, by contrast, is a bimbo with fake tits and a rich husband. Or at least thats the image weve been sold. Mrs. Trump has taken few opportunities to prove otherwiseand so the Lena Dunhams of the world have little interest in standing up for the Melania Trumps of the world. Just this April, the agency issued less than a slap on the wrist to Entergy Nuclear Corporation for its security guards' falsification of safety inspections for missed fire watches at its Pilgrim and Waterford (LA) nuclear power plants. Recently, Entergy's Palisades plant dismissed 22 security guards under investigation for the same falsification violation. The malfeasance extends to supervisors who then falsified company time cards for fire patrols that never happened. How far does this extend up the corporate management ladder? Bring on the soft cushions and the NRC will find out. Genius - let the nuclear industry self-report its own violations! The list goes on. At the Exelon-owned Braidwood, IL nuclear power plant, starting in 1996, millions of gallons of water contaminated with tritium (radioactive hydrogen) leaked from the plant for 10 years while Exelon covered it up. The tritiated water spilled onto roadways and into ditches, contaminating nearby agricultural fields, ponds and the drinking water wells of surrounding homeowners. Two on-site NRC inspectors supposedly failed to notice the lake of radioactive water flooding on and off the site. The NRC's solution was to allow the industry to self-report future leaks through an unenforceable voluntary honor system; a guarantee for further cover-ups. This despite revelations including in a report by my organization Beyond Nuclear - Leak First, Fix Later, and by the Associated Press that radioactive leaks were likely occurring at almost every nuclear plant in the country. At the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio, the NRC chose to risk losing Toledo and the Great Lakes after years of saving owner FirstEnergy the trouble and expense of finding and fixing a growing and eventually gaping corrosion hole in the reactor vessel head. Just three-sixteenths of an inch of a bulging stainless steel inner liner was all that remained on the six-inch thick reactor pressure vessel lid - and all that prevented a likely meltdown. Official estimates found that the lid could have breached under the reactor's extremely high pressure in just several more weeks of operations, had the reactor not finally shut for refueling and a long delayed inspection. Both FirstEnergy and the NRC had known the risks but chose to gamble public safety and allowed the plant to keep operating anyway. At least on this occasion there was some punitive action. The NRC's own Office of Inspector General concluded that the agency had suppressed an order finalized by its own staff to require an early shutdown of Davis-Besse to inspect the corrosion problem. Instead the agency allowed continued operation in deference to FirstEnergy profit motives. The plant eventually closed for two years, costing ratepayers $600 million. Davis-Besse was fined first $5.45 million and then an additional $28 million, the largest such financial penalty in NRC history. But such outcomes are rare. Instead, collusion with industry is endemic at the NRC. Who is watching? Certainly not Congress, to whom the NRC is supposed to answer but which has rarely asked the agency to explain its negligence. Instead, there have been scores of close calls at US nuclear plants -166 in the last decade alone according to Greenpeace. The NRC has issued dozens of license extensions to old, decrepit reactors and denied none. 'The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of the nuclear power industry' All this should have changed in 1974 when the Energy Reorganization Act divided the then Atomic Energy Commission into two new agencies - the NRC and what would become the Department of Energy. This was done to create a dividing line between nuclear regulation and promotion, with the NRC assuming the former role. But the umbilical cord never got cut. The NRC didn't just climb straight back into bed with the nuclear industry. It crawled back into the womb, as former NRC commissioner and now critic, Peter Bradford, told the New York Times: "The NRC inherited the regulatory staff and adopted the rules and regulations of the AEC intact." Meanwhile, since the agency's inception, many outgoing NRC Commissioners have sailed away in golden parachutes straight into plum nuclear industry jobs. The first NRC commissioner, William A. Anders (1975-76), went on to General Dynamics, where he earned $40 million in two years. Thomas M. Roberts (1981-1990) was asked to resign from the commission by critics in Congress due to conflicts of interest. Nils Diaz (1996-2006), exited the commission to become Chief Strategic Officer for Blue Castle Project, described as "leading the West in New Nuclear Power." Jeffrey S. Merrifield (1998-2007), was investigated by the Project On Government Oversight while still a commissioner for getting contracts for the Shaw Group for whom he subsequently went to work, as well as having his travel tab paid by GE while job seeking there during his NRC tenure. Richard Meserve (1999-2003), who resigned during the Davis-Besse scandal, received a 2012 Nuclear Energy Industry Leadership Award from the industry's lobbying arm, the Nuclear Energy Institute, as testament to his industry loyalty. Former NRC Chairman, Dale Klein, (2006-10), now works for Japanese utility Tokyo Electric Power Company, at the center of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, where he oversees the corporation's ongoing reactor restart effort. William D. Magwood, IV (2010-2014), resigned his commission seat to join the Nuclear Energy Association (NEA) in Paris, replacing Stephen Burns who took a new position as ... Chairman of the NRC Commission! A few former commissioners, including Bradford (1977-82) and Victor Gilinsky (1974-84) became stern critics of the agency after their tenures. "The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of the nuclear power industry", Gilinsky said. "It's common knowledge in Washington that anyone nominated to be a commissioner to the NRC has to be pre-approved by the nuclear industry", Union of Concerned Scientists senior scientist, Edwin Lyman told Forbes. "In order to get a more independent mindset, you've got to break that stranglehold." Just like Japan's 'nuclear village' The Japanese parliament found that out after it commissioned a causal study on the Fukushima disaster in 2012. When the independent investigators delivered their verdict, they described the calamity as "man-made" and attributed it to collusion between government, regulator and TEPCO. The NRC seems bent on repeating those mistakes while Members of Congress continue to do the bidding of the nuclear industry lobby and little to represent the safety and wellbeing of their real employers: all of us. Do those nice fat checks from lobbyists buy their silence? Do they just not care? Or are they in fact worse than the NRC itself? The industry is once again pitching for a reduction in what it sees as burdensome regulatory oversight. Will Congress agree and slash the NRC budget to streamline what is already a rubber stamp system on safety? Meanwhile, the NRC continues to look the other way on violations of its own safety regulations. It is happy to ignore potentially deadly defects and age-related degradation at the country's nuclear plants in order to save the beleaguered industry any additional expense. It will choose to risk potentially tens of thousands of lives to keep that revolving door spinning and the pathway clear to cushy jobs in the nuclear industry. That's worse than collusion and negligence. It's criminal. Are we outraged yet? Linda Pentz Gunter is the international specialist at Beyond Nuclear, a Takoma Park, MD environmental advocacy group. In 2014 Paul Younger co-authored a paper in the in the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 'Quantification of potential macroseismic effects of the induced seismicity that might result from hydraulic fracturing for shale gas exploitation in the UK', calling for a lighter regulatory regime for fracking operations. The paper states: "it is our hope that the contents of the present paper may be of value in guiding these authorities towards an improved regulatory process, to avoid unfairly disadvantaging the new shale gas industry relative to existing industries". 'Misrepresenting the University' According to the emails, the idea for "removing [Smythe's] access to a University of Glasgow email address" appears to have been first suggested by Younger in a 16th July 2014 email to John Chapman, vice-president of the College of Science and Engineering, Dorothy Welch, deputy secretary to the court, and Maggie Cusack, a professor in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences. The email, titled "Misrepresenting the University of Glasgow", was prompted by a BBC Radio Scotland interview given by Smythe, a former chair of geophysics at the university's geology department, where he criticised fracking. Younger wrote: "I wish we had the wherewithal to go further, but it would not appear that the Univ [sic] statutes allow us to 'strike off' emeritus status from anyone claiming it, no matter the depths of turpitude to which they sink." In response, Welch wrote: "I have sent a 'cease and desist' letter to David Smythe asking him not to give the impression of misrepresenting the University. I would hope that would be sufficient but we need to continue to be alert. "We cannot easily withdraw access to UoG email [sic] as it was part of an agreement when he left us; that said, if he continued to bring the University into disrepute we could escalate the situation. I'm not willing to do that just now though. We don't have a procedure for withdrawing emeritus status but I have flagged to HR that we need to develop one." The 2014 letter, signed by court secretary Newall asks that Smythe make it clear his views "are not necessarily representative" of the university. It reads: "A number of my academic colleagues are concerned that the views you have expressed, particularly on the subject of shale gas, are not consistent with the work currently being undertaken at the University." A later email on 23 July 2014 from Younger, a former fracking advisor to the Scottish Government, to court secretary Newall, as well as Chapman, Welch and Cusack, reads: "Various industrial research partners have suggested an open letter to major newspapers making clear he does not speak for us." It does not appear, however, that any such open letter was ever published. What followed instead was a protracted internal battle to stop Smythe affiliating himself with the University, including a series of articles in the national press that August. Younger took to the pages of the Telegraph and the Daily Mail to criticise Smythe's views on fracking as "pseudo-scientific scaremongering" and accused Smythe of "fraud" for allegedly misrepresenting his credentials as a chartered geology - something Smythe has since admitted was a mistake. Expert evidence opposing fracking and coial bed methane production Smythe, 69, who now lives in the South of France, spent 10 years working as a consultant for the oil industry after he left the university. He first became concerned about fracking when plans for shale gas exploration were announced in the Languedoc area of France where he resides. Since then, he has submitted a series of objections to fracking plans in Britain and served as an expert witness on the issue of coal bed methane near Falkirk in 2014. He also submitted evidence in 2014 arguing against Cuadrilla's plans for shale gas exploration in Lancashire. Commenting on the 2014 letter from the university, Smythe asserted: "I have never 'misrepresented' the university; on the contrary I have always made it clear that my opinions are my own." According to his website, Smythe hasn't published any journal articles since 2003. In January of this year, however, he submitted a discussion paper on the environmental impacts of fracking for open review at the journal Solid Earth Discussions. Roughly three days after it was published, Smythe's University of Glasgow online access was terminated. Smythe's paper was ultimately rejected by the journal due to the volume of topics covered in it. He plans to resubmit a new, more condensed version soon. But as he argued: "The real argument to me isn't just about fracking and whether Paul Younger is right and I'm wrong, or vice versa, it's a more fundamental issue of freedom of speech." Access to email and scientific documents terminated Emails dated 4 February 2016 show the final decision to deactivate Smythe's email account was made by Newall. One of these emails, sent by the head of the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, Martin Lee, confirms Lee was in contact with Solid Earth Discussions regarding Smythe's Glasgow email. Addressed to Newall, it reads: "I have just got a message from the journal saying that Smythe's Glasgow e-mail address is still active. Could you please investigate - I think you had spoken to IT Services last week about deactivating the e-mail." Newall replied: "IT Services has deactivated the email account, having received a request via HR from the School ... I expect Professor Smythe will challenge this, and will argue that, as an Emeritus Professor, he has a right to an email account. But I am comfortable with the decision." Smythe plans to pursue legal action over the issue and says he aims to launch an online crowdfunding campaign to support the costs: "I'm arguing that I have these rights which are in perpetuity and they have no right to cut me off." The aim, he said, "is to get back my legal rights of access so that I can carry on doing scientific research. There are other areas of research that I'd much rather be working on than studying the fine details of environmental contamination from fracking. But I feel at the moment that I have to pursue this because it's the right thing to do." "Many people write to me in desperation asking if I can help them out to fight a particular planning application. So, I feel a moral pressure to help these people as far as I can." Kyla Mandel is Deputy Editor of DeSmog UK. She tweets @kylamandel. This article was originally published by DeSmog.uk. This version includes some additional reporting by The Ecologist. Photo courtesy of the Henderson Police Department A dump truck overturned at U.S. 60 and Barret Boulevard in October 2015, dumping a load of dirt at the intersection. The truck also struck an electrical box. SHARE By Gleaner Staff The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced plans to upgrade stop lights at the U.S. 60 intersection with Barret Boulevard in Henderson on Thursday. KYTC crews have been converting protected/permitted 5-section traffic signal head arrangements to 4-section heads with flashing yellow arrows across the region as their work schedule has allowed, according to a news release from the KYTC. The upgrades are designed to improve traffic flow efficiency and enhance safety. Kentucky Sen. Dorsey Ridley asked the KYTC to study the U.S. 60/Barret intersection shortly after motorcyclist Codi Samples of Henderson was seriously injured in a crash in April at the site. "My office is literally there at the stoplight," Ridley said at the time. "I have watched more accidents as I'm on the telephone looking out the window." Based on that study, the intersection was moved up the timeline for installation of the new traffic signals. The KYTC said it reviewed crash history at the intersection and found a number of rear-end crashes on all legs of the intersection, but no other significant crash patterns. Transportation engineers also conducted a speed study for U.S. 60 at this location. They found no need for a speed limit change. The biggest change for motorists is that most turns at the intersection will now have a green arrow indicating right-of-way to turn followed by red, then a flashing yellow to indicate turns are permitted after yielding to oncoming traffic. The only direction that will not have a flashing yellow turn signal will northbound traffic on Barret (heading out from Walmart). The KYTC asks that motorists be alert for changes in traffic flow and that they use caution as workers replace the lights Thursday. Some work at the site could continue into Friday. SHARE By Tom Loftus, USA TODAY NETWORK The Courier-Journal FRANKFORT, Ky. After all the revenue and savings from budget cuts had been counted, and all unbudgeted expenses were paid, Kentucky's General Fund produced a surplus of $52.7 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. But the Bevin administration's budget director and the chairman of the House budget committee disagreed Monday on how this surplus should be split between two state government reserve funds. Budget Director John Chilton reported the final 2015-16 fiscal year surplus during a meeting of the legislature's interim budget committee. Chilton said that under the new 2016-18 budget bill passed by the General Assembly in April that half of that surplus will go to the state's "Rainy Day" fund to guard against future shortages while half will go to a new Permanent Pension Fund for future outlays to address the crisis of underfunded public pension systems. But Rep. Rick Rand, the Bedford Democrat who chairs the House budget committee, said that all of the surplus must go to the Rainy Day Fund under a directive in the previous state budget. Rand said the provision giving half of a surplus to the new Permanent Pension Fund applies to the new budget and any future surpluses generated at the end of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 fiscal years. "This is something we disagree on," Rand said after the meeting. "All I can say is that we're going to be looking into it and try to work it out." Chilton and his top staff reported that a surplus of $52.7 million is good news but must be understood in the context of the overall $11 billion annual General Fund. And Chilton warned that lingering financial concerns mean policymakers must remain cautious. "No. 1 on the list is that pensions are still severely underfunded," Chilton said. "A (pending) pension audit will give some specific sense as to what the underfunding is, but it's probably in the range of $35 billion or more." The General Fund surplus is what is left over after all tax revenues are counted, added to savings from state agencies (including budget cuts of 4.5 percent that Bevin imposed on most agencies), and unforeseen and unbudgeted expenses are paid. Chilton's presentation made a point of noting that all but one of the state constitutional offices headed by elected officials voluntarily agreed to the 4.5 percent cut last year. The exception, Chilton noted, was the office of Attorney General Andy Beshear, which declined the request for a 4.5 percent or $470,000 voluntary reduction. Beshear's office later issued a statement that said, "The Attorney General's Office is always willing to do its part, but we could not participate in what we believed to be another illegal attempt to cut the previous fiscal year budget." Beshear has filed suit challenging Bevin's cuts on state university and community college budgets for last fiscal year. Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate ruled Bevin has the authority to make those cuts, but Beshear has appealed that decision to the Kentucky Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in that case this month. The Bevin administration has set aside $17.8 million in an escrow account which is not included in the surplus of $52.7 million for last year which will either go to the universities or back to the General Fund surplus, depending on the high court's final ruling. Mediapolis' Zaugg ready to run down his dream at state cross country Zaugg and the Bulldogs will run in the Class 2A boys race at 2:45 p.m. Friday at Fort Dodge Mortons sells a perfectly suitable box of kosher salt. Its $2.49 for three pounds. Then along comes Ben Jacobsen from Oregon, whose salts price is 650 percent higher. But his isnt just any ole salt: It is pulled from a handpicked spot in the Pacific Ocean and run through a complex process of purification. It is not salt to just salt things. His is a highlight -- a finishing salt, the flaky crystals that chefs sprinkle on food right before serving to give it a pop of flavor. Jacobsen launched his company in 2011 and called it Jacobsen Salt Co. He knew his price would make some scoff -- but that plenty of others would be willing to be impressed. The challenge was to keep the product quality at the highest level possible and continuously improve quality over time, he says, and to convey the story of how our salt is made and why it is so special. You already know the precious word for businesses like Jacobsens: artisan. As their businesses cross the threshold from hometown maker to national internet fodder, those who make handcrafted, high-quality goods -- the kind of pursuit were seemingly losing in this digital, high-yield manufacturing age -- are an inspiration to many: Theyre living the dream! Following their passion! Sometimes it seems as if everyone stuck in the rut of a corporate job is ditching it for an artisan pursuit, like bottling soul-cleansing kombucha, hand-making organic mayonnaise or concocting another lowbrow-meets-upscale-meets-esoteric riff on an everyday item like beet horseradish. But rarely do you hear the other side of the story, about what happens after the burst of publicity fades and a business must stand on its own. Half of these ventures -- classified as microenterprises, having fewer than five employees -- fail within five years, and 90 percent fail within 10 years. (Thats according to the International Economic Development Council.) The truth is, its really hard to make a sustainable living selling artisanal wares. Production costs are high, and profit margins tend to be small because the product isnt being mass-produced. The products are, by their very nature, something consumers want a lot more than they need. But there are success stories -- many of them, in fact. And although their wares are different, the top artisan entrepreneurs all share a common drive: They werent satisfied selling at their local market and reaching their 4,250 Instagram followers. Instead, they knew when to set aside their passion-filled creators cup and guide their business like, well, a business. That salt? Jacobsen is now harvesting 18,000 pounds of the stuff a month. Hes still selling it at $5.50 a pound. And he employs 30 people. Thats not just an artisan business -- its the real thing. The artisan movement took shape amid the Great Recession in the late aughts, thanks to an unemployment number that spiked to 10 percent. Many people had lost their jobs and realized theyd have to create their own. The farm-to-table movement coincided with this, with more people prizing local and simple food, and that elevated the value of all things homemade. A generation of young professionals began viewing artisan jobs not as blue-collar service work but as credible and hip. Etsy, Instagram and Pinterest fueled it all, allowing the makers to easily tell their stories and connect directly with consumers. But not all these new artisans were prepared for the task ahead. Patricia Greene, a professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College, repeatedly saw the same problem. Greene, who is also the national academic director for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which helps startups with access to capital and support, would regularly hear from artisans looking for funding. So often when I hear pitches, she says, all Im hearing about is the product for sale, not the business. They need to say, This is what my business can do and how I will make that happen. Put another way: These people are taken with how cool their product is but cant describe how they will actually sell it. Greene says every artisan should ask themselves an important question: Do I have an idea, or do I have an opportunity? Funders want to hear about that opportunity. Heres how Joe Heron talks about his: We would never do bourbon, he says, even though he lives in bourbon-soaked Louisville, Ky. Its a space that is well served, and served well. And so, his new Copper & Kings distillery stands out by making brandy. Heron is keen at reading the field. In his previous venture, he developed Crispin Hard Cider at a time when very few people were making hard cider. He sold it to MillerCoors in 2012 for an undisclosed (although reportedly large) sum. Now hes filling another void in the American spirits landscape by selling an after-dinner beverage last consumed by your grandfathers grandfather. Over its two-year lifetime, Copper & Kings sales jumped from 10,000 bottles in 2014 to an anticipated 60,000-plus this year. Heron credits the uptick to how hes selling the spirit as much as to whats in it. He could wax poetic all day long about his brandy being matured in bourbon barrels, without sugar or caramel coloring, but he knows that will only get him so far. The product story is the start, but it is not the finish, he says. Once a distributor is hooked on the story, and can understand what makes a business so special, they need to see a hardened sales strategy. Otherwise, he says, you just have ornamental art, not a consumer product. At Copper & Kings, Heron pitches distributors a 12-month outlook highlighted by what drinks could be made with his brandy during the different seasons and possible promotions pegged to high-traffic sales periods, like the holidays. He has also perfected the art of making his distributor an ally. Always remember that distributor management sees your company as an opportunity, and the distributor sales reps see you as more work, says Heron. Your job is to bridge that gap. How? By making their job easier, from providing all point-of-sales tools to product training. The more a salesperson thinks they can sell of your product -- and therefore the higher commission theyre excited to reap -- the more effort theyll put into you. Distributors support and work for companies that work for them, Heron says. Its a two-way street. But as an artisan prepares for that growth, they also need to do some hard math. To succeed in selling an artisanal product, the owner must figure out how to make production runs, costs, etc., fit the business model, Greene says. Small-batch, high-quality products are expensive -- and thats OK, to a point. Consumers will certainly pay more for better products, but they also may see that purchase as a one-off luxury. The art, Heron says, is to get quality and price in balance so people buy more than once. That is how you grow. Andreea Ayers learned this at a pivotal time. In 2006, when she was pregnant, she and her husband moved from New York City to Boulder, Colo. She wanted a change from a career in marketing and became an entrepreneur -- launching a T-shirt business and a consulting business. In 2013, she was thinking about how flower-scented soap made her happy, so she decided to enter the soap business. She found a manufacturer to produce organic, handmade soaps and called her company Soaps to Live By. Each bar was stamped with an inspirational word such as hope or shine, giving someone a shot of morning motivation as they scrubbed their toes. She sold 6,000 bars -- retailing for $8 each -- through her website in the first nine months. A local real estate agent bought 900 to gift to clients. And with a production cost of $2 per bar, she made a 300 percent profit on each sold directly to consumers, and 100 percent margins on bars sold wholesale to retailers. Those were great numbers, she thought. But to truly grow, she knew shed need to get her soaps into stores. So she sent about 150 soaps to every Whole Foods buyer in every region, and then followed up until she got her first 'yes.' Thats when trouble began. Whole Foods asked Ayers to bring her price down to $6.50 a bar. It also wanted her to ship the soap for free. Ayers tried to negotiate a new deal with her manufacturer, asking for a lower cost in exchange for a higher order. But the manufacturer said no: Ayers was already ordering 2,880 bars each order, which put her at its lowest cost. So even if I increased my order, my price would stay the same, says Ayers. I got locked in with a manufacturer who wasnt very flexible. Were she to do it again, she says, shed have found a partner whose terms fit her immediate needs and projected future needs. But now she was stuck. She couldnt find a new manufacturer to make soaps that were both organic and handmade -- two of her selling points -- and couldnt lower her price and still earn enough money. So she said no to Whole Foods, and, three months later, she closed the business entirely. Her story has a rare happy postscript: Earlier this year, an investor asked to buy Soaps to Live By. According to Ayers, he has access to friendlier manufacturing costs and is making Whole Foods needs a priority. If the new owner can negotiate a price that works for both of them, says Ayers, I would love to see the soaps there. The brand relaunches this summer. So, back to the salt. How did Jacobsen sell a mass commodity for such a high price? The answer: His artisan product was never designed to be a small operation. In 2011, he had just closed his mobile app company, MobSpot; the platform recommended apps to users. He was looking for a new venture and, inspired by Oregons local food culture, realized that nobody made local salt. It was there for the taking -- freely pulled from the Pacific Ocean. Jacobsen, then 35, spent two and a half years learning the trade. He tested 25 spots by himself along the Pacific Northwest coast, seeking the best source of saltwater. Then he began the formidable challenge of actually making salt. Harvesting equipment -- which runs saltwater through a 10-day process -- wasnt available in the States. We had to custom fabricate all our equipment, including 600-gallon stockpots that no one else makes, he says. To fund this, he raised $28,000 on Kickstarter (all donors received samples) and another $100,000 from family and friends. He knew the average foodie wasnt going to pay $11 for a two-pound bag of his unknown salt, so he courted big-name chefs. One of the first to bite was Portland chef Gregory Gourdet (a popular 'Top Chef' competitor), whom Jacobsen connected with through a mutual friend. The first time we met, I provided him a small bag of salt out of the back of my Subaru in the parking lot of the commissary kitchen I was using, says Jacobsen. Other chefs caught wind of this Oregon salt seller, right at the time Portland was becoming a national sensation for its foodstuffs. Thats what led to his big break. In July 2013, celebrity chef April Bloomfield was on 'The Tonight Show,' and host Jimmy Fallon asked her to name her favorite salt (because, you know, Jimmy Fallon). She said it was Jacobsens, and the next day, the salt-makers website crashed for a few hours due to high demand. Today Jacobsen has 500 direct chef accounts, including three-Michelin-star chef David Kinch at Manresa in California and Jean-Georges in New York. And where the chefs are, the retailers follow: Hes now in Williams-Sonoma and has added lower-cost products like salted caramels and spicy honey. Just like that, a pricey, precious little company has transformed itself into something lasting. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Have you ever passed on a business idea because you lacked deep expertise? Youre not alone. Being an outsider means theres a lot you dont know (known unknowns). And a lot that you dont know that you dont know (unknown unknowns). Related: The Framework That Transformed the U.S. Wine Industry But, bear with me, because these are actually good things. I should know: When it comes to building a business, Ive learned firsthand that a little naivete goes a long way. Six years ago, I founded Vivino with my co-founder, Theis Sndergaard. Since then, 18 million wine drinkers have downloaded our Vivino app, which can look at the label of any bottle of wine and offer its rating, review and average price. Along the way, Vivino has become the worlds largest wine community and changed the way people discover and buy wine. Im often asked if deep wine expertise fueled our growth -- after all, ours is a pretty insular industry. But, when I respond, people are surprised to hear that I spent decades -- not out toiling in some vineyard -- but in the world of internet security. In fact, I had zero experience with wine, beyond feeling clueless trying to choose a good Cabernet at the wine store. But I had an idea: I saw how crowd-sourced reviews were driving growth in the categories of music, books and movies; and it didnt make sense to me that wine, now a $300 billion dollar industry, wasnt following suit. That's why I believe that my being "green" -- naive -- when it came to wine was one of the biggest reasons our company has seen such rapid growth. How is that possible? The answer is that its very easy to get too close to a project, focusing on the wrong thing entirely or approaching it with built-in prejudices that can be blinding roadblocks to creativity. But, being on the outside, as I was, youre without industry blinders, and free to approach problems in ways that simply arent possible from a place of familiarity. Here are a few things Ive learned about how to put an "outsider" perspective to work in building a new business. 1. Dont get bogged down by the old way. Trust your instincts in making a product you love, not a product that pleases industry insiders. Just because things have always been done one way doesnt mean that thats the best way to do them. Take the wine industry, for example: When I entered the scene, its sales and marketing mechanisms were decades old; many of them had been set in stone years ago, back when family ownership and organized crime were king. Needless to say, they didn't reflect the way customers find or buy products today. Clearly, an easier way to discover great wine was needed. Related: 10 Business Lessons Learned From the Founders of America's Biggest Wine Brand That's how we came to develop Vivino as a tool to untangle the intimidating experience of buying wine. And that didn't always go over well: Many in the industry werent shy about challenging our approach. From their vantage point, it was obvious we needed to focus on engaging them -- the experts, retailers and wineries -- and start small. They said we should focus on just one region, one wine style. We didn't do that. Instead, unburdened by the weight of legacy, and beholden to no one, we moved forward with the people who mattered the most to us: wine drinkers at every level of expertise. We focused on building a community that provided valuable information to the entire world of wine. Another industry with a similar, weighty legacy? Automobiles. The car industry needed disrupting, as well: When Elon Musk launched Tesla Motors in 2003, the last successful American car company to make it had been Ford -- more than 100 years earlier. Musk took an audacious bet, with an all-electric vehicle lineup, when everyone else was still knee-deep in traditional technology. Tesla also cast aside the industry-standard dealership model in favor of direct sales. By ignoring the way things had always been done and trusting his instincts, Musk isnt just remaking an industry, hes changing the world. 2. Dont wait for the 'perfect' opportunity. When we set out, people would ask, "Why dont you wait for wineries to give your their data? And my response was, why? We didnt have time to wait; the need was there and the moment was now. Against the advice of trusted advisors, we created our wine app and database ourselves. I knew that if we built something that connected with wine drinkers, the industry would have no choice but to pay attention. So far, thats working out. I am also committed to not looking back. I always make the right decision, even if I make the wrong one. Thats because I firmly believe in adjusting, optimizing and making things work. So, of course, while I dont really always make the right decision, once its made, we accept it, work with it and move on. This approach isnt the comfortable one: Its what works. And, if you follow it, its what will set you apart. 3. Think like your consumers. Thinking like an outsider helps you fish where the fish are. Know your ideal customer inside and out -- not just who they are, but what communities theyre a part of, where they go for information, what they do in their spare time. While Im curious by nature, Ive never tried to become a wine expert. How would that help? Id rather see things from a consumers viewpoint, experiencing and using our product just like they do. What new feature would make their discovery of a new wine easier? What are my own pain points when I buy wine at the grocery store? That perspective is what improves Vivino every single day. 4. Pushback is good (. . . with education and dialogue). Once you break into an industry, you will get pushback. Guaranteed. Those ingrained in a certain world may not understand your idea or may say it cant be done. The history of innovation is full of critics who didnt believe. So, dont be discouraged by hearing "no." Many investors turned us down: They thought we needed an insider. We understood their perspective: Sometimes insiders see things that need fixing, and that leads to great innovation. But that wasn't our path. So, we looked for, and eventually found, people who believed in our approach. We also learned some things along the way. What we learned. Bridges between old and new ways of thinking are worthwhile; and you build them through education, open dialogue and trial and error. Certainly, people are skeptical of change. But once you listen and take opposing opinions into account, youll be better informed, better able to show critics why your idea works and better schooled in what the business imperative will be. Yelp is a great example. Its dedicated to engaging with business owners, hosting free webinars, for instance, that educate traditional industries on how to use the platform to grow their businesses. Yelp also maintains an open dialogue through its Small Business Advisory Council. Each year, the company selects a diverse group of business owners to be on the Council, which serves as the voice of small businesses in the Yelp community. This dialogue isnt just for show; the company takes the Councils feedback into account for shaping new business initiatives; and members collaborate with Yelp to brainstorm new ideas. We decided to emulate that example. The wine industry as we found it was tech-averse, but Vivino worked with retailers and wineries to build connections directly to consumers, in a way that had never before been possible. This translated to more consumer awareness, more wine sales for wine-makers and more Vivino users. Everybody could win. So, that's been the lesson we've learned: Once you have an engaged audience, keep an open dialogue. Constantly push yourself to be better and to integrate new thinking into your business. The more input you get from consumers, partners and others, the smarter youll be. And the "outsiders perspective"? It isnt just about you -- its about everyone around you. We built Vivino for consumers to have as much wine information at their fingertips as possible. We made mistakes, got pushback and gained industry knowledge in real-time. But ultimately we made a product for people just like us: everyday wine drinkers simply searching for their next great bottle. Related: A Storied Winery Runs Toward Tech, Reaps the Rewards These lessons work no matter what youre building. Dont wait for it to be perfect and dont let industry barriers hold you back. Make something better than all those insiders can imagine. They'll come around. You'll see. Related: How to Be Successful Even When You Don't Know What You're Doing How to Harness Joseph Schumpeter's 'Forgotten' Path to Innovation: Organization 6 Companies Backing Rio Olympic Athletes Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK While most high school seniors were enjoying summer vacation, 23 of them spent the summer taking classes to receive their last credits to graduate. I had a rough journey. It was not easy getting here, but Im here now thats all that matters, said Eric Vento, 18, certificate in hand. While only about 18 students showed up to the ceremony, Dan Sullivan, guidance counselor at Brien McMahon High School and orchestrator of the ceremony, said all 23 seniors that had taken remedial summer classes managed to graduate on Tuesday. Were so very proud of you, we mean that sincerely. We know that at times its been a circuitous journey, but yet youre here, he said to a crowded room in City Hall. State Sen. Bob Duff, Mayor Harry Rilling and Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski all spoke to the crowd, congratulating the graduates for following through to get their diploma even after a potentially bumpy path getting there. Berdine Joseph, a former graduate of Norwalk, sang the national anthem and the song For Good, from the musical Wicked. Its not how you start its how you finish, she told the students. Rilling described the graduates as having a stick-to-it-ness for not having given up after not graduating on time. The tendency perhaps would have been to become discouraged, to give up, to not follow through, say You know what? Im not going to do this. But you didnt, he said. He said he hoped the graduates carried a little bit of Norwalk with them, wherever they went, and make the places they choose to call home a little better because they were there. Duff described the road these seniors took as perhaps being bumpier than others, a notion that was echoed by a former graduate of Norwalk High School, Desiree Waters, who was invited to speak by Sullivan as a special guest to the ceremony. Waters, 25, is a first-generation student, coming from a low-income family in Norwalk. I know what its like to go through school and have obstacles and I wanted to give back and give an encouraging word. Sometimes you just need an extra push, she said. She said that though she didnt have to take summer classes, its a vital service to the community. She said in many cases, its not the students fault they couldnt graduate for some, environment or home lives or other factors outside of their control prevented them from graduating. But even if it is their fault, she said, it would be wrong not to give them a second chance. You do get second chance in life. Everybody deserves a second chance, whether it was their doing or not. And theyre young too, when youre young you make mistakes, Waters said. She graduated from Nyack College in 2014 with a bachelors degree in social work, which is her current profession. She plans to go back to school to get her masters degree. Meanwhile, Vento said he plans on taking a gap year to work and save up money before heading to Norwalk Community College next fall, where he plans to study culinary arts. I always liked to cook, he said. I always grew up cooking with my grandma, shes Costa Rican and wed make dishes together ... We cook to this day, all the time. He said high school was a rough journey but that if he can accomplish his career goals, then its all worth it. I want to open my own restaurant, but infused with Costa Rican food, he said. You dont see those around Norwalk. SFoster-Frau@CTPost.com; @SilviaElenaFF OMAHA Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton praised the economic progress in Nebraska and across the country, and said shes ready to lead America to address its continued economic challenges. Clinton, speaking at Omaha North High School on Monday, said the United States has come back from the Great Recession. But she said too many people havent received a raise since the financial crash and theres too much inequality and too little opportunity. Clintons campaign billed her event as an opportunity to discuss her commitment to building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. As president, Clinton said her overriding mission would be to help the country create more jobs with rising incomes. Anybody who is willing to work hard, she said, should be able to find a job that pays well and can support a family. We do have to rewrite the rules so the economy works for everyone, not just those at the top, she said. Clinton used much of her speech to outline a series of economic and education proposals. She made pledges to provide the biggest investment in good paying jobs since World War II and the boldest investment in infrastructure since building the interstate highway system. If we invest in infrastructure were going to put millions of people to work, and were going to lay the foundation for new jobs, Clinton said. She proposed: helping bring economic development to rural communities, building up the electrical system to support clean, renewable energy sources, spreading broadband internet access, investing in science and engineering education, providing tuition-free college for the middle class and supporting new union job and apprenticeship initiatives. Were going to help people build a better future, she said. Omahas Warren Buffett, one of the countrys wealthiest people, introduced Clinton. Buffett said Americas distribution of wealth through the country is not living up to its potential and has left some people behind. In Hillary Clinton, you have somebody that cares about that, Buffett said. Buffett said the system wont cure itself and it certainly wont be cured with Donald Trump. A crowd of protesters arrived as attendees were still filing in to get in the door. But hundreds of Clinton supporters waited to go into Omaha North High School for the speech. Shakuan Smith and his grandmother were among the first in line of attendees, arriving about 8 a.m. Smith, 18, has served as Omaha North High Schools class president; he graduated in May and aspires to become a U.S. Senator. He said he thought Clinton had done a good job of persevering and staying above negative comments. Its history in the making, Smith said. Shes pushed what a woman can do in government. His grandmother, Maggie Smith, has been a longtime supporter of Clinton and said she was looking forward to hearing Clinton on her birthday. Last week, she enjoyed watching all the speeches at the Democratic National Convention. It was pretty good, Maggie said. Michelle (Obama) tipped it off for us. Hailee Clark drove 3 hours from Broken Bow to take both of her young daughters to see Clinton in Omaha. Stella, 4, and Gwyn, 2, wore American flag bandanas and white T-shirts with Hillary for Prez on the front and You go girl on the back in pink letters. Clark had explained the historical significance of Clinton being the first woman to be a major partys presidential nominee to the girls while they watched the Democratic convention. When Stella saw the glass ceiling break in a video during the convention, she turned to Clark and said, She is a queen, referring to Hillary. Clarks family has been longtime Democrats and Clinton supporters. It could be that the first president that (my daughters) remember is a woman, Clark said. How empowering that would be for them. Omahas Grant Mussman, an insurance agent, said he attended the rally hoping to hear more about two concerns that could affect his business: the rapid increase in the minimum wage and a new federal rule that will require overtime pay for everyone who earns up to $47,500 a year. Those issues were not specifically discussed. Still, he said, Clinton is clearly the better candidate, and he was thrilled about Omaha investor Warren Buffetts introduction of Clinton. It gave me chills, he said. Claire Zeleny, 10, who was there with her sister, 8-year-old Katherine, said she had heard women couldnt be president. Clintons nomination made her think I could be president if I wanted to, Claire said. World-Herald staff writer Alia Conley and Roseann Moring contributed to this report. The first task of any political campaign is to frame the question it wants voters to answer. Donald Trump wants this election to be a referendum on change: Are you happy with the way things are going in America? Hillary Clinton wants the election to be a referendum on Trump: Are you ready to hand the nuclear codes to an authoritarian with a hair-trigger temper? Theres more to the campaign, of course: conflicting worldviews, competing policies. But the battle to frame the question was a significant part of what the conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia were about. Trumps message was that the United States is in crisis and that he alone can change its course; Clintons was that the countrys problems are solvable, but Trump doesnt have the temperament to be commander in chief. Both questions are potentially effective. The desire for Big Change is broad and deep; in the most recent Pew Research Center poll, 71 percent of Americans said they are unsatisfied with the countrys direction. Thats what has propelled Trumps candidacy. From the beginning, Trump has cast himself as an iconoclastic indeed, gleefully disruptive change-maker: a non-politician who denounced the establishments of both parties and promised to scrap traditional policies on everything from the federal debt to trade. The Pew poll found that 77 percent of voters were convinced that he would bring about real change although most of them thought the change would be for the worse. When it comes to change, Trump can fairly claim to own the brand. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, who works for Clintons SuperPAC, Priorities USA, says satisfying the thirst for change is probably his candidates biggest challenge. He pointed to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in which 56 percent of voters said they preferred a candidate who will bring major changes to the way government operates, even if the changes are unpredictable; only 41 percent said they preferred a steady approach with fewer changes. Clintons task, he said, is to persuade voters that she will make (voters) lives better as president. That was, of course, a theme in Philadelphia but only one of many; its not clear that it broke through the clutter. Its an important pitch for two kinds of voters: white working-class men and women who have felt neglected by the Obama administration, and Bernie Sanders voters, especially young people, who arent enthusiastic about turning out for Clinton. But some are skeptical that she can get there at all. I dont think she can plausibly campaign as the candidate of change, David Axelrod, Obamas chief strategist in 2008, told me. She has been a fixture in American politics for such a long time. Instead of change, Clinton wants to focus on Trumps temperament, his biggest flaw in voters eyes. In the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, voters said that was their top concern about the Republican; 65 percent called him too volatile, slightly ahead of the percentage who called him offensive and intolerant. (Clintons biggest flaw was dishonest, at 69 percent, followed by wont make needed changes.) This issue of temperament is central to the whole debate, Axelrod said. He cited a line from Clintons speech: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons. I really think the race comes down to this, he said. This is the critique I think that has the power to move the most people. Indeed, Clinton devoted more than twice as much time in her speech to lambasting Trump as to outlining her plans for the economy. Trump doesnt seem to notice that his bull-in-a-china-shop style makes voters worry that hed be a bad fit for the White House. His own wife has beseeched him to be more presidential, but hes ignored the advice. Instead, he has frequently disrupted his own campaign most recently by suggesting that Russia should hack into Clintons private email server. (He later said he was joking.) So it shouldnt be hard for Clinton and her surrogates to keep the question of his temperament alive. But that hasnt knocked him out of the race; far from it. Judging from the head-to-head polls, change is narrowly beating temperament as the top question on voters minds. As long as thats true, Trump for all his gargantuan flaws has a real chance to win. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Muhammad Shodiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Revolutionary changes are now taking place in the financial system. Deposit insurance is an integral part of the financial fractional reserve banking system. Under fractional-reserve banking, banks are allowed to act as financial intermediaries between borrowers and savers, and to provide longer-term loans to borrowers while providing immediate liquidity to depositors. However, a bank can experience a bank run if depositors wish to withdraw more funds than the reserves held by the bank. To mitigate the risk of bank runs and systemic crises when problems are extreme and widespread, governments regulate and oversee commercial banks, provide deposit insurance and act as the lender of last resort to commercial banks. This structure was put into place twelve years ago through the enactment of the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Act 2004. The rationale of establishing this kind of system was clear: to prevent a recurrence of the catastrophic financial collapse that occurred between 1997 and 1998. The new system was intended, among other things, to restrain competition, not only among financial industry groups but also within the banking industry itself. It is responsible, in considerable part, for the structure of depository institutions that has evolved and the nature of the supervision and regulation of depository institutions. Islamic deposit insurance has become more relevant of late due to the development of Islamic finance, which has grown rapidly not only in the Muslim world but also across the Western world. Today, the Islamic financial landscape has been dramatically transformed into a vibrant, dynamic and competitive global intermediation mechanism. The industry is supported by more than 300 Islamic financial institutions in over 75 countries and its assets are projected to grow to US$4 trillion globally by 2020. There are two levels of sharia compliance issues in the implementation of the deposit insurance system. First, sharia compliance issues within the fractional banking reserve system framework. Second, sharia compliance issues within conventional deposit insurance schemes. Fractional-reserve banking ordinarily functions smoothly. Relatively few depositors demand payments at any given time, and banks maintain a buffer of reserves to cover depositors cash withdrawals and other demands for funds. However, during a bank run or a generalized financial crisis, demand for withdrawals can exceed the banks funding buffer, and the bank is forced to raise additional reserves to avoid defaulting on its obligations. Related to the implementation of the fractional banking reserve system in Islamic banking institutions (IBIs), there are issues to do with the reserve structure that is incompatible with sharia principles. Islamic deposits are accepted by IBIs based on sharia principles. They are offered under various sharia contracts such as safe-keeping (wadiah)and profit-sharing (mudharabah). Deposits are accepted under a safe-keeping contract (wadiah). Under this mechanism, the deposits are held in trust and utilized by the bank at its own risk. The depositor does not share in the risk or return in any form. Any profit or loss resulting from the investment of these funds accrues entirely to the bank. Another feature of such deposits is the absence of any condition with regard to deposits and withdrawals. Demand deposits under a safe-keeping contract should be backed by 100 percent reserves. The deposits accepted under a profit-sharing contract (known as a profit-sharing investment account or PSIA) are mudharabahplacements made by an investor (PSIA holder) with an IBI, which acts as entrepreneur. The IBI invests the fund in sharia-compliant business activities, such as the provision of financing and investment in sukuk. Any profit from such activities is shared between the PSIA holder and the IBI according to an agreed profit-sharing ratio. Any losses are borne by the PSIA holder, except in the case of the IBIs mismanagement or negligence, where losses are borne by the IBI. Since losses are borne by the PSIA holders, some have argued that PSIA holders should not enjoy protection or zero percent reserve. The Chicago economists were the first to propose 100 percent reserve banking. The economist Irving Fisher proposed a system of 100 percent reserve banking as a means of reversing the deflation of the Great Depression. He wrote: 100 per cent banking would give the Federal Reserve absolute control over the money supply. Recall that under the present fractional-reserve system of depository institutions, the money supply is determined in the short run by such non-policy variables as the currency/deposit ratio of the public and the excess reserve ratio of depository institutions. Islamic and conventional deposits in Indonesia are protected under a conventional deposit insurance system, which is administered by the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (IDIC). Deposit insurance is relatively new to the Islamic financial world and has attracted a lot of interest as regards understanding its permissibility from a sharia perspective, and the differences between Islamic or sharia-compliant and conventional deposit insurance systems. The basic principle of all Islamic financial transactions is that they must be free from elements that Islam strictly prohibits, i.e. interest (riba), uncertainty(gharar) and gambling (maisir). In any financial transaction, interest or usury exists when there is an unequal exchange of two interest-based or usurious commodities or an exchange of money for money with different quantities, different values and at different times. Under the deposit insurance system, a bank pays a premium to the deposit insurer and, if the bank is wound up, the deposit insurer reimburses the insured depositors. The acts of the deposit insurer in collecting the premium from the bank and reimbursing the insured depositors of the bank is deemed to be an interest-based transaction. Based on the above, deposit insurance does involve the exchange of money for money and the exchange occurs with different values and at different times. Hence, some sharia scholars would argue that it is an interest-based transaction and therefore non-permissible. The interest element could also exist in deposit insurance when the deposit insurer is involved in interest-based transactions or activities. This can happen when the deposit insurer protects deposits, invests the deposit insurance funds, lends to troubled banks or obtains external funds (when in deficit), as all these activities are based on interest. In addition to interest, uncertainty and gambling, Sharia also does not allow certain other elements to exist in a deposit insurance system. For instance, deposit insurance funds must not be used for the purchase of liquor and pork, or any activities prohibited under sharia. *** The writer is a sharia banking practitioner. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erlinda Ekaputri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The floods and landslides that recently struck several parts of Indonesia emphasize the fact that climate change is no longer just a prediction, but is inevitable. From the many natural disasters in the past three years, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) data show that 95 percent of 1,053 incidents in 2016 were related to hydrometeorological causes such as floods and landslides, which killed 157 and affected around 1.7 million people. In his speech in 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said climate change affected people of all ages and gender albeit in different scales and intensity. However, the most vulnerable are the poor, while women are disproportionately affected as compared with men, with a ratio of 4:1. According to the World Bank ( 2008 ), 61 percent of victims from the Myanmar hurricane were female, 80 percent from the Aceh tsunami and 67 percent from Hurricane Gorky in Bangladesh. Women also endure greater ongoing suffering from the impacts of climate change. For example, failed crops causing food scarcity may further result in a sharp increase in malnutrition among women and girls as many traditions prioritize food for men and boys as the breadwinners of the family. During long droughts, women must walk as far as 10 kilometers just to fetch a bucket of water for their families. These circumstances may lead to the misperception that women are more vulnerable to the impacts of disasters because of their weak physical characteristics; in reality, it is gender inequality that contributes to the high proportion of womens suffering amid disasters. A study conducted by the London School of Economics on natural disasters in 141 countries in 1981-2002 concluded that in situations where women had no social or economic rights, the number of women victims tended to be higher than men. The study further found that once these rights were balanced between the two genders, the proportion of fatalities between men and women tended to be equal. Another factor is that women are seldom involved in decisionmaking processes to access and utilize land and livelihood resources, which furthers their vulnerability to the impacts of natural disasters. Ironically, although women are the most vulnerable, they are not equipped with sufficient knowledge or skills to prepare themselves to face the impacts of climate change. Various policies on climate change still embed a gender bias. Policies on information access related to climate change should apply different strategies for women in adapting to climate change. Women lack access to information on the impacts of climate change and related policies. If the information is provided in the form of brochures, leaflets or other print media, the government apparently does not take into consideration the fact that the literacy rate of women remains low. The illiteracy rate of women aged above 10 is double that of men. The higher the illiteracy rate and the greater the difficulties in accessing information, the greater womens vulnerability. On the other hand, the successful initiatives of women in applying their knowledge and skills in adapting to climate change are not necessarily acknowledged. There is only minimal involvement from women in discussions and policy development on climate issues, from the community level up to the international level. Meanwhile, women themselves often lack confidence, given limits on freedom of expression. With high risk of natural disasters and climate change, Indonesia should empower women to play a more significant role in adapting to climate change. This could start with collecting gender-segregated data that includes data on the peoples level of understanding of climate change, their various concerns, the initiatives taken and other relevant issues. With this data pool, issues related to disaster mitigation and adaptation for both men and women could be addressed. It would be naive to develop policies and strategies without valid data. Second, women should be involved in developing policies and decision making on climate issues. Information on climate issues should be accessible particularly to those in rural areas that depend on agriculture and forest products as their source of livelihood, in which the climate is an important factor in determining successful harvest or crop failure. Third, through cultural reconstruction in the community, women should have equal rights to education and healthcare and be provided with the skills to survive independently. This would encourage women not only to help themselves but also to contribute to their society in mitigating the impacts of disasters and climate change. With this drive, women can become assets rather than a burden in any disaster or climate change mitigation efforts. As Mary Robinson and Wangari Maathai stated in the Huffington Post in 2010, The battle to protect the environment is not solely about technological innovation it is also about empowering women and their communities to hold their governments accountable for results. *** The writer is knowledge management coordinator for the USAID LESTARI project. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Muneeza Naqvi (Associated Press) Mumbai, India Tue, August 2, 2016 When Bilqis talks about having circumcised her daughter, she goes back and forth on how she feels sometimes within the same sentence. The 50-year-old doctor defends what is widely known as female genital mutilation within her small, prosperous Shia Muslim sect in India, saying it's a mild version that amounts to "just a little nick. No harm done." Yet she also acknowledges regret and guilt at putting her daughter through a practice the United Nations calls a violation of girls' rights. "It's really nothing, it changes nothing," repeats Bilqis, who asks to be anonymous except for her religious name because of the personal nature of the subject. But she adds: "I have no doubt in my mind that it is not helpful. ... If I had a young daughter now there's no way I would have her circumcised." The struggle within Bilqis and her Dawoodi Bohra community reflects a growing debate over the best way to address a custom that is proving stubbornly hard to eradicate. At least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of female genital cutting, according to the U.N. 70 million more than in 2014 because of increases in both population and reporting. And the U.N. predicts the number of victims will increase significantly over the next 15 years because of population growth. Faced with this prospect, experts in the respected international Journal of Medical Ethics in February proposed permitting small female genital cuts that "uphold cultural and religious traditions without sacrificing the health and wellbeing of girls and young women." But this approach is already carried out in the Bohra community and is proving highly controversial. "They always say it's just a nick and a touch, but there are incidents where things have gone horribly wrong," says Masooma Ranalvi, who broke the silence around female genital mutilation in her community last year with a series of online petitions that sought to ban it. (Read also: Egyptian girl dies during female circumcision) Ranalvi remembers when she was 7, her grandmother promised her candy and ice cream. Instead, she was taken to a dingy room in a back alley. Her dress was pulled up and her legs and arms held down. A sharp pain followed. She came home in tears. She only understood what had happened in her 30s, when she read about female genital mutilation. The Dawoodi Bohras are an affluent trading community of about a million people concentrated mostly in Mumbai, but also seen across the United States and Europe. Observant men wear white and gold embroidered caps, and women a long, colorful tunic and a scarf over their hair. The Bohras are known for their liberal attitude toward the education of women, yet the community is also tightly controlled by an entirely male clergy. From Mumbai to New York, medical professionals perform circumcision for girls or khatna with the blessings of the religious head known as the Syedna. The procedure goes back to the community's roots in Yemen. Circumcision has become a battleground for the two Bohra men vying for succession, the half-brother and the son of the former Syedna. The half-brother says it is time to end the practice. The son says the tradition must continue and notes that Bohra men are also circumcised. Activists protest that the two cannot be compared because male circumcision has some health benefits. Alefiya, a 34-year-old social worker in the United States, remembers the khatna being done by her grandmother's sister in a cold basement in New York. It was awkward and painful, she says. Alefiya, who asked for her full name not to be used for privacy, objects as much to the message sent as to the act itself. Older Dawoodi women call the clitoris "haraam ki boti" or sinful flesh the flesh that can lead a woman astray. "It's horrible, it's disgusting, that these completely natural experiences are made to feel dirty," she says. "The guilt of sexuality is always on our heads." Bilqis was circumcised as a child but has only the faintest memory of it. It was neither harmful nor traumatic for her, she says. As a doctor, however, she remembers a child coming to her after being cut too deep, requiring blood vessels to be cauterized. Fifteen years ago, she circumcised her daughter out of a sense of religious obligation. When it was done, she remembers thinking, "One social milestone passed. One responsibility dealt with." Sameena, now 22, is a graduate student at an Ivy League school in America. She is gradually coming to terms with her clear memory of being circumcised at age 7. It didn't hurt, but the memory makes her uncomfortable, although she can't say exactly why. The next time it came up was when she was 15 or 16, with other Dawoodi Bohra girls at school. When she asked, her mother told her it was something done in their community. Spurred in part by the increasing discussion around khatna in her community, Sameena began researching it. First there was denial, and then fury. She says many Bohras are misled to believe that Islam condones the procedure. She has confronted her mother, but her anger is really at the community. She wants the Bohra religious leadership to come out against the practice. "It's not going to end by not talking about it. You have to keep bringing it up as something that should not be done," she says. "That's the only way to tackle it." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Asmara Wreksono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The rise of new heroes in movies and TV has created a wave of fans who only know the actors for the characters they have played recently. Therefore, were taking you on a journey to when superheroes were still in comic books and their present-day actors were heartthrobs stealing attention in romantic-comedy roles way before Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-Man and Mr. Robot were born. Only You Before he played a tech billionaire and donned the Iron Suit as the popular superhero Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. played a softly spoken romantic in the 1994 hit film Only You. In the movie, Marisa Tomei plays Faith Corvatch, a bride-to-be with cold feet who flees to Italy in search of her true love, Damon Bradley. Downey plays Peter Wright, a shoe salesman who poses as Bradley after he falls in love with Corvatch at first sight. In 2016s action hit Captain America: Civil War, Marisa Tomei makes a brief appearance as Spider-Mans Aunt May, who flirts with Downeys Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Many believed it was a nod to their legendary 1994 Only You collaboration. Only You is now considered a classic romantic comedy. 13 Going On 30 Dr. Bruce Banner is loved by many for his cool and calm demeanor, but is also adored for his gigantic superhero alter ego, The Hulk. While the Jekyll-and-Hyde-type superhero is the role people recognize the most, Mark Ruffalos versatility in the acting world is not to be ignored. Back in 2004, he starred alongside Jennifer Garner in 13 Going On 30, a romantic comedy that tells the story of a 13 year-old who wishes to be 30. Ruffalo plays geeky Matt Flamhaff, who has a crush on his schoolmate Jenna Rink (Garner). Clueless Before he played the genius Scott Lang and slightly annoying Ant-Man, Paul Rudd made a dazzling appearance in the 1995 teen flick Clueless. Rudd stars as Josh Lucas, an environmental science student who happens to be Cher Horowitzs (Alicia Silverstone) ex-step brother and love interest. Those who arent really into movies but are very into TV series may have caught Rudds appearance in the 1990s sitcom Friends where he plays Phoebe Buffays (Lisa Kudrow) boyfriend, Mike Hannigan. Rudd is also a camera darling who often appears on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and other non-drama shows. Bed of Roses Who knew that the underground activist Mr. Robot had such a rosy past? Back in 1996, Christian Slater played Lewis Farrell, a flower shop owner struggling to get over the death of his wife and child while at the same time falling in love with Lisa Walker, played by Mary Stuart Masterson. Although Slaters role in Bed of Roses is not comedic, the Mr. Robot star displayed a rare acting feat: being romantic and vulnerable, while and at the same time maintaining his manliness. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 An exhibition showcasing the State Palaces painting collection to the public is now open to the public and will run until Aug. 30 at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta. Dubbed 17/71: Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan (Painting the Struggles of Independence), the exhibition is being held as part of the 71st Independence Day celebrations and features 28 artworks painted by 20 renowned artists and the country's first president, Sukarno. (Read also: State Palace painting exhibition) Aside from being a center of political events, the State Palace also has an aesthetic side as it is home to a large art collection that needs to be preserved, curator Mikke Santoso told a press conference on Monday. (Read also: Paintings from palace collections to be exhibited in August) "Memanah", a piece by Henk Ngantung. As the original painting made on plywood has started to decay, it has been reproduced by Haris Purnomo. (JP/Masajeng Rahmiasri) Regarding the correlation between art and independence, Mikke said that art was a form of individual expression, which was one of the manifestations of freedom and independence. Mikke added that the paintings displayed at the National Gallery were only 1 percent of the total 2,800 owned by the State Palace and most of them were collected during the Sukarno era. In general, the exhibition consists of three themes: portraits of important independence struggle figures, social conditions in the revolution era, and traces of independence struggles from the Dutch colonial era to the 1950s. (Read also: Rarely seen palace paintings available for public viewing) Among the 28 paintings, there are at least five deemed as iconic, which Mikke dubbed as having the most important meaning and more than just one story to tell". They are Memanah, a picture by Henk Ngantung that is usually hung in the room where the proclamation of independence took place; Penangkapan Pangeran Diponegoro (The Arrest of Prince Diponegoro) by Raden Saleh that is highly detailed and is rich in intrinsic meaning; Kawan-Kawan Revolusi (Revolution Comrades) by S. Sudjono that is said to have been one of the most treasured paintings of Sukarno; Rini, which was painted by Sukarno himself; and Gadis Melayu dengan Bunga (Malayan Girl with Flowers) by notable Mexican artist Diego Rivera. The exhibition is open to the public between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Joe McDonald (Associated Press) Beijing Tue, August 2, 2016 Uber Technology Ltd. and its main Chinese competitor are combining their ride-hailing operations in China, ending a costly battle to attract riders. The announcement Monday marks the latest foreign technology brand to tie up with a local partner in the face of intense competition in China. Yahoo, eBay and others have turned over Internet operations to Chinese partners or withdrawn. Didi Chuxing said it would acquire Uber China and operate it as a separate brand. In exchange, Uber said it will receive a 20 percent stake in Didi Chuxing that will make the American company its biggest shareholder. Uber founder Travis Kalanick will join the Chinese company's board while Didi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei joins the Uber board. (Read also: Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing company) No financial details were released. The Chinese business magazine Caixin, citing unidentified sources, said the deal valued the combined company at $35 billion. That would make Uber's share worth $7 billion. "This agreement with Uber will set the mobile transportation industry on a healthier, more sustainable path of growth at a higher level," Cheng said in a statement. Ride-hailing services in China have grown rapidly but suffered heavy losses. Kalanick told the Canadian technology platform BetaKit in February the company was losing $1 billion a year in China. "Didi has been a fierce competitor and I respect all that Didi and their team have accomplished," Kalanick said on his Facebook page. He said the merger "frees up substantial resources" for other Uber initiatives including food delivery and self-driving cars. Foreign technology brands have struggled in China's populous but intensely competitive market. In June, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sold its Chinese online operation to JD.com Inc., the country's No. 2 e-commerce service. (Read also: Pokemon Go Uber could be the next big thing) Didi was formed by the February 2015 merger of competing ride-hailing services launched by Chinese Internet giants Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group following a similar battle for customers. Monday's announcement came after the Chinese government on Thursday announced its first rules for the ride-hailing industry, confirming its legal status after repeated run-ins with regulators. Uber, headquartered in San Francisco, operates in more than 60 Chinese cities and plans to increase to more than 100 by the end of 2016. Didi Chuxing, previously Didi Kuaidi, operates in some 400 Chinese cities. It said the company completed 1.4 billion rides in 2015. The company said in June it raised $7.3 billion from investors in what it described as one of the world's largest private equity funding rounds. That included $1 billion from Apple Inc., which became a strategic investor alongside Tencent and Alibaba. Last September, Didi Chuxing and Lyft of the United States agreed to link their services to allow travelers to use them in each other's markets. In December, their alliance added India's Ola and Southeast Asia's GrabTaxi. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Indonesias first president Sukarno was known as an art lover and had a penchant for painting. He completed a number of paintings and caricatures during his lifetime. Mikke Susanto, curator of the Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan exhibition, told kompas.com on Monday, Sukarno started painting in university back in 1926 when he was 25 years old. His first paintings were small, about the size of an HVS paper, and he used watercolors as the medium. Throughout his life, he made several paintings and caricatures. One of his paintings can be found in his isolated house in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Mikke added. One of Sukarnos paintings currently on display at the National Gallery is titled Rini. It features a portrait of a woman, highlighting her youthful face, pointed nose and unsmiling stare. A flower is tucked behind the womans ear and she wears a green kebaya (traditional blouse) and brown jarik (batik skirt). "Rini", painting by IR. Sukarno. Displayed in National Gallery, Central Jakarta until end of August.(JP/Masajeng Rahmiasri) In a book on Sukarnos painting collection, palace painter Dullah wrote: Bung Karno went for a retreat in Bali. Dullah, palace painter, was invited to come along. As usual, in Bali, Dullah attempted to do a painting, however he did not have time to complete the painting and had to just have the sketches as he had to go back to Jakarta. At the end of November and beginning of December 1958, Bung Karno returned to Bali for another retreat, this time for 10 days. This time, Dullah did not come with him. It turns out that Bung Karno completed Dullahs sketch into a painting that is presented on this page. Of course there are a lot of changes and additions to the original sketch. Who Sukarno depicted in the painting remains a mystery. This work of art has become important due to the mystery of the model. Some say this is an impression of the figure of Sarinah Sukarnos wife. Some also say this is a visual perspective of a kebaya and jarik-wearing Javanese woman. However the face suggests it is a mix of the Sasak tribe and Javanese tribe, Mikke explained. Aside from the mystery, Sukarnos painting is also considered to have exquisite beauty, backed by advanced painting techniques. This is an advanced technique. To draw a side-facing anatomy like this is not easy. To draw these kinds of hands is also not easy considering you have to be cautious about the effect of lighting. In terms of coloring, green, brown, black and sepia are in harmony, Mikke added. Throughout his life, Sukarno collected 2,800 paintings, 28 of which are being shown to the public in the Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan: Koleksi Seni Rupa Istana Kepresidenan Republik Indonesia (Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan: The Republic of Indonesia State Palace Art Collection) show. The public exhibition runs from Aug. 2 30 at the National Gallery and entry is free. (asw) TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. SPRINGFIELD A former Decatur nursing home office manager will begin a 7-month federal prison sentence in late August after pleading guilty to fleecing residents out of $40,000. The Illinois State Police announced Monday that Kristin Chaudoin, 34, had appeared before a U.S. District Court judge July 22 in Springfield for sentencing on charges of embezzlement, wire fraud and related offenses. The Decatur woman also was sentenced to serve 7 months of home confinement when she completes her prison term, and she was ordered to pay more than $36,000 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. She was also ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution to Aperion Care, which has since taken over the two nursing homes involved: the Lincoln Rehabilitation Center in Decatur and the North Church Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jacksonville. Police say Chaudoin was caught following an eight-month investigation launched in December 2013 by the State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau and the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General. Detectives were alerted after a complaint was filed by the Illinois Department of Public Health alleging multiple resident trust funds were being plundered. The investigation concluded that Chaudoin had raided four such funds; she had entered a guilty plea in federal court on Aug. 5, 2015. It is disturbing to see someone taking advantage of people they have been entrusted to care for, said State Police Capt. Brian Ley. Our hope is our investigations, coupled with aggressive prosecution, will reduce the amount of fraud and embezzlement occurring against senior citizens in Illinois. The police also credited the Jacksonville Police Department, the Morgan County State's Attorney's Office and the Illinois Attorney General's Office with assisting in the investigation of Chaudoin. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Tanjung Balai Mon, August 1 2016 While social media has been influential in effecting positive changes in society, it can have the opposite effect, as witnessed by the communal strife in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, which resulted in the torching of several Buddhist temples over the weekend. Messages, circulating on the Facebook and WhatsApp messaging services, played a key role in inciting some Muslims in the area to take action against members of the local ethnic Chinese community following an incident involving a member of the Chinese-Indonesian community complaining about the volume of the adzan (call to prayer) at a local mosque. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama stressed on Tuesday that he would not seek endorsement from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), saying that the support of three parties is more than sufficient for him to contest the 2017 election. Three parties are enough. How could I register? The registration [for PDI-P candidates] has already been closed, Ahok said at City Hall on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com. The three parties the Golkar Party, NasDem Party and Hanura Party have a combined 24 seats in the Jakarta Council, enough to meet the gubernatorial ticket threshold of 22. Ahok also expressed his reluctance to comment on next Februarys election, saying that he would like to focus on completing his term as city governor until October. Dont talk about the election anymore. We are focusing on completing our work. In fact, we have a lot of time as registration [to the elections commission] begins on Sept. 19, said Ahok. Representatives of Hanura Party on Monday met with PDI-P leaders to invite the citys most powerful party to support Ahok and nominate his current deputy, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, to run alongside him again. Acting chairman of PDI-Ps Jakarta chapter Bambang Dwi Hartono, however, said the party was still considering various factors before it decided on its gubernatorial candidate. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The testimony of executed drug convict Freddy Budiman to a human rights activist has opened an investigation by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the National Police into the possible involvement of their officers in the distribution of drugs in the country. We are investigating the matter and expect Pak Haris to provide us evidence related to the testimony, BNN chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said Tuesday. He was referring to Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) coordinator Haris Azhar, to whom Freddy gave his testimony. The drug convict told Haris that he had received assistance from the BNN, National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to run his drug business. Haris later wrote an article based on his meeting with Freddy, which he said took place on Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java, in the middle of 2014. Haris article went viral on social media on July 28, one day before the drug kingpin was executed on Nusakambangan. Echoing the BNN chief, National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen Boy Rafli Amar said his institution was examining the testimony but that it could only analyze the content of the testimony because it was disseminated in a written statement without a voice recording. We think that his testimony was related to his psychological condition as he was sentenced to death [in 2012]. He would do anything to escape, he told journalists. It was stated in the article that Freddy had given around Rp 450 billion (US$ 34.42 million) to the BNN and Rp 90 billion to top police officials throughout his time as a drug lord. It was also mentioned that BNN officials had once asked the Nusakambangan warden, Sitinjak, to remove two surveillance cameras monitoring Freddys activities. (wnd/ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Tue, August 2, 2016 The narcotics division of Denpasar Police has arrested a British national over the alleged possession of crystal methamphetamine, popularly known as sabu-sabu. The man, identified only by his initials KH, could face a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, police said. Denpasar Police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Nyoman Artana told a press conference on Tuesday that the arrest followed a week-long investigation into reports from the public. "Several people have reported to the police that they had often spotted a foreigner [] with a syringe, who they suspected of being a drug user," Artana said. Police personnel apparently arrested KH in a hotel on Jl. Sriwijaya, Legian at midday on July 25. They had followed KH as he left his hotel on his motorbike before detaining him, Artana said, adding that the officers had found several syringes on the British citizen's motorbike. "He claimed he used them for consuming drugs," Artana explained. Police later searched KH's hotel room, where he had been staying for the last four months. They allegedly found four small packages of sabu-sabu weighing a total of 0.62 grams, in addition to four syringes containing at least 0.68 grams of sabu-sabu and 47 empty syringes. "The suspect claimed he was a drug user and all the drugs were only for his personal consumption," Artana said. "During the interrogation, KH said he had bought the drugs from a dealer in Kuta for Rp 4 million [US$306]," Artana said, adding that KH had been found to have overstayed in Bali, as he had entered Indonesia on a tourist visa in July 2015. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Beijing Tue, August 2, 2016 China's navy has fired dozens of missiles and torpedoes during exercises in the East China Sea that come amid heightened maritime tensions in the region, underscoring Beijing's determination to back up its sovereignty claims with force if needed. The live-fire drills that began Monday follow China's strident rejection of an international arbitration panel's ruling last month that invalidated Beijing's claims to a vast swath of the South China Sea. That led to days of angry statements from Beijing, followed by live-firing naval exercises in the South China Sea and the launch of regular aerial patrols in the area. On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said the East China Sea exercises were aimed at improving the "intensity, precision, stability and speed" of its military. "An information technology-based war at sea is sudden, cruel and short, which requires fast transition to combat status, quick preparation and high assault efficiency," the ministry said. The drills include ships, submarines, aircraft and coast guard forces, illustrating China's growing emphasis on integrated training under realistic conditions. China's navy has been closing the gap with its US rival in both ship numbers and technology, including the deployment of advanced anti-ship missiles, nuclear submarines and the country's first aircraft carrier. While global attention has been drawn to the South China Sea, where five governments exercise territorial claims overlapping with China's, Beijing also operates extensively in the East China Sea, where it claims a string of uninhabited islands controlled by Japan. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani, Ina Parlina, Haeril Halim and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bali Tue, August 2 2016 Indonesia and Malaysia are committed to increasing cooperation in securing the Sulu Sea amid repeated armed robbery and kidnapping incidents in the tri-border area with the Philippines. Following a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Monday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo expressed his concerns over the recent kidnappings of crew members in those waters. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Julie Pace (Associated Press) Washington Tue, August 2, 2016 Angry and anxious, Republican lawmakers and veterans groups hastened to disavow Donald Trump's repeated criticism of a bereaved military family Monday, but the GOP presidential nominee refused to back down. He complained anew that he had been "viciously attacked" by the parents of a Muslim US Army captain who was killed in Iraq. Arizona Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war, led the charge, saying Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the nation's oldest and largest veterans organization, called Trump out of bounds for tangling with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son was killed in 2004. "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," VFW leader Brian Duffy said. Democratic President Barack Obama chimed in, too, addressing the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta. He said of families who have lost family members in the military service: "No one has given more to our freedom and our security than our Gold Star families. ... They represent the very best of our country." A growing chorus of GOP lawmakers chastised Trump for sparring with the Khans, who appeared at the Democratic convention on behalf of Hillary Clinton. But like McCain, none revoked his support of the GOP nominee in the White House campaign. In an emotional appearance at last week's convention, Khizr Khan criticized Trump for proposing to temporarily freeze the entry of foreign Muslims into the US and accused him of making no sacrifices for his country. The billionaire businessman challenged that assertion and also implied Ghazala Khan's religion prevented her from speaking. On Monday, he tweeted that "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same." In his first rally after the controversy blew up, Trump spoke at length and took several questions at a town hall rally in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday never once mentioning the Khans. Nor did he mention them at a Monday night rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. But when asked about Khizr Khan on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," Trump responded, "I guess it's part of my life." "His son died 12 years ago," Trump added. "If I were president, his son wouldn't have died, because I wouldn't have been in the war, if I was president back then." His running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was confronted at an event in Nevada by a woman who said her son serves in the USAir Force. The woman asked Pence how he can tolerate what called Trump's constant disrespect of American service members. As the crowd jeered the woman, Pence tried to quiet them down. He called the Khans' son "an American hero" and said, "We cherish his family." For some of Trump's allies, the dispute is just the latest example of a troubling pattern: The real estate mogul hitting back at perceived slights or insults, regardless of the political implications. He has stunned rivals with his ability to survive self-created controversies during the GOP primaries but faces a broader set of voters in the general election. Indeed, some Republicans said privately that it was the timing of this flare-up that had them on edge the spectacle of their candidate tangling with a military family just three months before Election Day. McCain was among several lawmakers many facing re-election this fall who distanced themselves from Trump's comments Monday. Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was "deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war." Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said, "My advice to Donald Trump has been and will continue to be to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether it's from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton." Trump advisers have spent months trying to help the political novice do just that. Aides say Trump often professes to understand the risks of fueling a controversy, but he can get drawn back. "It's just who he is," said Stuart Jolly, a former campaign staffer and current national political director for the pro-Trump Great America PAC. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has advised Trump, said, "He'll have to learn to grow out of it." While Trump and his allies often blame the media for keeping controversies alive, the businessman himself often fans the flames. After winning the primary, he spent days criticizing a US district court judge's Mexican heritage. He also refused to disavow a campaign tweet about Clinton that appeared to feature the Star of David. In spite of those storms, Trump remains in a close race for the White House with Clinton. And few Democrats appear ready to declare Trump's criticism of Khan a turning point. Democratic pollster Paul Maslin said that while "ninety-nine percent of me says this is devastating for Trump," Clinton backers can't assume that another few days of bad headlines will sink a candidate who "simply defies all natural laws of American politics." Thursday night, the Pakistan-born Khizr Khan told the story of his son, US Army Capt. Humayun Khan, and questioned whether Trump had ever read the Constitution. During the speech, Ghazala Khan stood quietly by his side. Trump responded in an interview with ABC's "This Week," saying: "She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." Asked Monday on MSNBC if Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said, "I don't want to hear anything from him and I don't want to say anything to him." ___ Associated Press writers Erica Werner, Bill Barrow, Jonathan Lemire and Scott Sonner contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Tue, August 2, 2016 Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Philippine National Defense Minister Delfin N Lorenzana are in Nusa Dua, Bali, for the third Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting on Tuesday. Among the key issues they will discuss is maritime security around the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. Ryamizard emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation when dealing with security challenges associated with the country's sea borders. "This meeting is not only important but also shows the robustness of the strategic partnership and defense cooperation between the three countries, Ryamizard said at the opening ceremony of the meeting. I feel very optimistic with the steps taken in this trilateral cooperation, considering that since the first meeting on the sidelines of ADMM in May in Laos, we have had the foundation of the same views and thoughts," he added. The Bali meeting is a follow up to the joint declaration on maritime security signed by the three countries on May 5. The meeting will center on the mechanism for joint sea patrols, as well as discuss efforts to prevent piracy and terrorism in regional waters. The talks come after the abduction of three Indonesian sailors in Malaysian Sabah waters in early July, less than a month after the kidnapping of seven Indonesian ship crew members by Philippine militant groups in southern Philippines waters. The kidnapped sailors are still being held hostage by the militant groups. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 Jakarta: The country saw its foreign tourist arrivals decrease in June during the fasting month of Ramadhan, after breaking a record in the previous month. Foreign tourist arrivals fell 1.69 percent year-on-year (yoy) and 6.29 percent month-on-month (mom) to 857,700 in June, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Monday. Visitors from Singapore and China were the first-and second-biggest contributors during the month. The fasting month this year lasted the entire month of June, a little bit different from last year when the fasting month only made up half of June. People held back from visiting during the fasting month, BPS head Suryamin said on Monday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Bali Tue, August 2, 2016 During an impromptu inspection of Benoa Port in Bali, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has claimed that dozens of fishing boats formerly owned by foreign companies had seemingly disappeared from the country's waters. In order to evade inspection, she said, some local boat companies had refurbished foreign fishing boats, which are usually made from fiberglass, to look like local fishing boats by covering them with wood. The boats were supposed to leave Indonesian waters after the 2014 moratorium on foreign fishing vessel permits ended on Oct. 31 last year. When the moratorium was first imposed, there were 152 former foreign vessels prohibited from fishing in Benoa, 134 of them from Taiwan and eight from China. The rest were from Japan, Belize, Thailand and Vietnam. However, as of July 2016, the ministry's illegal fishing prevention task force (Satgas 115) found that only 63 were left. "Instead of carrying them back to their countries of origin, the owners of the boats have modified them to look like local boats, so that they can still operate in our waters, which is against the law," Susi said on Tuesday at the one of the biggest ports in central Indonesia. Mohammad Rohani, 47, a worker at the port, admitted that hundreds of fiberglass boats had been modified, but said he did not know that it was illegal, and that he only carried out the instructions of the local boat company he worked for. "The modification of one boat can take months," he added. (dmr) The election of Barack Obama was a unique moment in the long and complicated history of race relations in America. A huge symbolic barrier had collapsed. Never before was there so much optimism about escaping the grim clutches of the past. We had made a new start that would lead to new heights. Hope was infectious. Most whites voted against Obama, but on the eve of his inauguration, 55 percent of whites, as well as 75 percent of blacks, thought his presidency would improve race relations. The profound symbolism of a black man in the nation's highest office could hardly be overstated. "Even in polls taken earlier this year, a majority of African-Americans said that a solution to the country's racial problems would never be found," CNN reported shortly after the election. "Now blacks and whites agree that racial tensions may end." One African-American told CNN, "I've seen this country vindicate itself." When urban crime declined significantly in Obama's first term, some experts attributed it to the psychological impact of his election. Urban blacks had a new confidence, wrote Ohio State University historian Randolph Roth, and "their greater trust in the political process and their positive feelings about the new president led to lower rates of urban violence." That was then. This is now: Fox News star Bill O'Reilly, whose show has had the highest ratings in cable news for over a decade, responded to Michelle Obama's speech noting that the White House was built with slave labor by saying those slaves were "well-fed and had decent lodgings." When that comment drew criticism, O'Reilly accused critics of "lies and deception and propaganda." There were two things of note there: that a mainstream white commentator would suggest things weren't so bad for 18th-century slaves and that when he was upbraided for that suggestion, he would claim mistreatment. But the uproar was a vivid reminder that whites and blacks, as groups, still have incompatible perceptions. When some whites hear of "well-fed slaves," they heed the adjective. Blacks hear only the noun. When some whites hear references to slavery, they take it as an aggressive personal affront, not a simple recognition of history. The racial climate, which looked so promising in 2008, has deteriorated. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found 69 percent of Americans describing race relations as bad -- three times the figure in 2009. Three-quarters of blacks have a positive view of the Black Lives Matter movement, but only one-third of whites do. Having an African-American in the White House made race an inescapable part of discussions that once could skate over it. Obama's position also has threatened the security of whites who tend to regard blacks negatively. To have the nation led by one of "them" rather than one of "us" has been deeply unsettling. When a black president laments racial injustice, it carries a sting that such comments lacked when delivered by a white one. When Obama expressed sorrow over the killing of Trayvon Martin, a Fox News contributor said he was inciting racial violence. Any show of black dissatisfaction with the status quo evinces fury among some people of European descent. The Democratic convention segment featuring Mothers of the Movement -- black women who have lost children to gun violence or in encounters with police -- provoked the conservative National Review to denounce the Democrats as "anti-white," even though their national ticket features two whites. Such sentiments existed before Obama arrived, and they can be inflamed by events unconnected to him -- such as black protests and riots after the killings of Michael Brown and other unarmed African-Americans. Even Obama's departure may not soothe this white group. The nation's shift away from a white majority is not going to stop when the next president takes office. Black Lives Matter will not fold its tent. The disturbing videos that appear when police kill or brutalize African-Americans will keep coming as long as the incidents occur. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, it's possible that white anxiety will subside. But the impatience of blacks, deprived of the solace of Obama, may only grow. If Donald Trump becomes president, he will sow triumphalism among resentful whites and a sense of betrayal among blacks. The repercussions are incalculable. Maybe one day we'll escape the clutches of our racial past. But the day that seemed close at hand eight years ago looks impossibly distant today. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 One year. Thats how long national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia enjoyed profits after years of losses. In the first half of this year, the company was back in the red. Garuda recorded US$63.2 million in losses in the January-June period of the year, compared with $29.3 million in profits it enjoyed in the corresponding period last year. The companys revenue, meanwhile, fell by 4.1 percent to $1.76 billion from $1.84 billion last year. Garuda Indonesia president director Arif Wibowo said various factors had contributed to the decline, including the deployment of new aircraft and global economic growth coming in below expectation. The company will put into service 17 new aircraft this year, nine of which were deployed in the first semester. However, its seat load factor which measures the capacity utilization of an airline fell 5 percentage points to 70.8 percent in the first half of the year. The routes with wide body [aircraft] to Europe, Japan and Korea have not been satisfying, he said on Monday when addressing the airlines load factor. On average, this is our investment in the low season, which will gradually pay off with a better load factor in the second semester which in general is the high season. The company also opened up several new routes for domestic and international flights, including from Jakarta to its new UK base in Heathrow, Jakarta to Madinah, as well as Jakarta to Silangit, North Sumatra, to help the government spur tourist visits to Toba Lake. So far, the load factor for flights to Heathrow, which include a transit in Singapore, had climbed to 80 percent from around just 50 percent in the first quarter, he said. Garuda Indonesia has increased its available seat kilometers (ASK), which measures its carrying capacity, on routes to Europe by 70.7 percent and to China by 38.5 percent, while domestic routes saw a 9.1 percent ASK increase. On average, this is our investment in the low season, which will gradually pay off with a better load factor in the second semester which in general is the high season, Arif said. The company said that a loss suffered by its low-cost subsidiary Citilink also contributed to Garudas overall losses due to the tight price war among low-cost airlines and the lower ceiling fares set by the Transportation Ministry. However, the board of directors remains positive on the outlook for the second semester on the back of estimated higher demand, especially during the recent Idul Fitri holiday, as well as its cargo business and the expansion of Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Banten. Garudas newly appointed CFO and risk management head Helmi Imam Satriyono claimed that during July, the company recorded an all-year high of $250 million in revenue, mostly due to Idul Fitri travel demand. We also have umrah [travel demand] around November or December. So we are optimistic, he said, referring to the newly opened Jakarta-Madinah route. He said the companys new focus on cargo would also jack up revenue, which currently stands at $20 million per month and is expected to rise to $30 million per month in the second semester. From January to June, revenue from Garudas cargo business increased by 8 percent to $107.78 million. The company, which would be the only airline flying from the soon-to-launch Terminal 3, was also pinning its hopes on the massive new terminal to generate more traffic for the airline. Terminal 3 will be a good weapon for us, Arif said. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita Dewi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The government is planning to complete its revision of Law No. 11/2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) in September, two months later than the initial deadline in July, an official has said. Henri Subiakto, who heads the government's working team on the laws amendment, said the government and the House of Representatives had completed discussions on 33 points in the problem inventory list for the draft revision. "We just have to complete eight more points in the problem inventory list," he said in a discussion at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. The House was forced to delay the completion of its revision of the 2008 ITE Law because House Commission I, which oversees information and communications, must first complete the screening process for the new Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) commissioners. Among key articles on the problem inventory list, which have already been discussed, include the ones on criminal charges for defamation. Although the government and House legislators have agreed to reduce prison terms for defamation to less than five years, both parties still have differences of opinion on the matter. The government has proposed a four-year sentence for those involved in online defamation while the House has not yet proposed a specific prison term for the crime. The current 2008 ITE Law stipulates a maximum sentence of six years in prison for people charged under Article 27. Article 27 states that people can be criminalized if they deliberately distribute, transmit or create accessible electronic information or documents containing slanderous or defamatory language. Despite strong criticism from activists over its potential to violate free speech, it is likely the government and the House will pass the draft revision, which upholds the controversial article on online defamation. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has joined Malaysias halal e-commerce website to tap into a larger international consumer base for local products, while at the same time giving local consumers easier access to imported halal products. The halal business sees a large market of 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide with a variety of products ranging from food, cosmetics, to pharmaceuticals. Markets for the halal business include the ASEAN region led by countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, which have a large Muslim population as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Now that Indonesian businesses have joined Malaysias e-Halal, a commerce directory portal of halal products not only from Malaysia but other countries such as China and India, Kadin chairman Roslan P. Roeslani said the country should not only be a market for halal products but also a producer and supplier. E-commerce platforms are becoming increasingly popular to showcase Indonesias potential, from big players to smaller enterprises, he added. Current trends show that the halal business and market will continue to grow. In 2014, the global halal market value reached US$2.3 trillion. As long as there are Muslims in this world, the halal market will continue to thrive. We must see the business opportunity in this, while still upholding Islamic values, Rosan said during an event to introduce e-Halal in Jakarta on Monday, adding that Indonesian products can be accessed through the official portal, kadin.ehalal.com. Malaysias halal industry is more developed and advanced than Indonesias, but the latter could still work to catch up and learn from Malaysias experiences. Indonesias potential is not only in food and beverage, Roslan explained, but also cosmetics, such as the popular Wardah, and fashion. E-Halal director Michael Teh said although most of its suppliers were Malaysian, it hoped to add Indonesian suppliers to its list from the cooperation with Kadin. E-Halal was launched in Malaysia in May and now has hundreds of products, from prawn crackers and baby food to fresh vegetables and bath salts. Michael said suppliers may join e-Halal for free, so long as their products are certified halal from the local issuing authority. From Indonesia, for example, products must receive halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). All our suppliers must be certified, and we will verify the certifications they upload. Our concept is to enable and safeguard halal suppliers to reach the world of e-commerce, he said during the same occasion. Malaysian International Trade and Industry Ministrys Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) CEO Dato Seri Jamil Bidin said Malaysia and Indonesia must cooperate in developing the halal industry, which holds large economic potential. Amid the increasingly borderless global trade, it is important to seize opportunities and develop with sophisticated technology like e-halal, Jamil said. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 After years of discussion, Indonesian and Malaysian banking authorities have finally inked an agreement that will supposedly make banking operations easier for each local lender. On Monday, Indonesias Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Malaysias central bank, signed a bilateral agreement enabling both countries to establish banking subsidiaries with domestic privileges. President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak witnessed the signing, which took place at the Merdeka Palace. In addition to banking, the leaders also witnessed the signing of a follow-up agreement on the establishment of the Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries. Indonesia welcomes the agreements that have been signed, both the host countrys agreement for the secretariat council of palm oil producer countries and the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework [ABIF] agreement between the Financial Services Authority and Bank Negara Malaysia, Jokowi said in a joint press statement following the bilateral meeting. Najib concurred and said the two countries were doing well economically at present. Malaysia is the second largest investor in Indonesia and we want trade between the two countries to reach US$30 billion, he said. The banking agreement is the first of its kind among ASEAN countries. OJK deputy commissioner Mulya Siregar said that liberalization of the banking sector within ASEAN was not running smoothly, even though ASEANs financial services were dominated by banking. This is a strategic agreement to increase the role of local banks in ASEAN based on what has been arranged in the ABIF, he said at a press conference. Indonesian banks have historically had a difficult time penetrating Malaysias market due to the latters strict regulations regarding foreign banks. However, the new agreement will allow Indonesian banks to enjoy similar domestic privileges already cherished by their Malaysian counterparts. OJK international and institutional affairs director Triyono said Indonesian banks would enjoy low fees in admission and ATM transactions. For instance, admission fees will hover at 5.2 million ringgit (US$1.3 million), half of what local Malaysian banks are required to pay. However, Indonesian banks will still be required to meet capital requirements of 300 million ringgit, but negotiations are possible if they cannot fulfill the requirement within five years. The agreement also stipulates that both countries must allow the same number of banks to operate in their respective territories. At the moment, Malaysia already operates two banks in Indonesia CIMB Niaga and Maybank Indonesia. For it to operate a third bank, it must first open the door for Indonesia to establish two lenders there as well. Banks expanding within ASEAN must fulfill the requirements of a Qualified ASEAN Bank (QAB). To qualify, a majority of a banks shares must be owned by an ASEAN native. It must also have strong capital and a good banking history. Mulya said the OJK was currently working toward negotiating similar agreements with Thailand and Singapore. It is a little more difficult to enter Singapore, so we will probably conclude negotiations with Thailand first. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Tue, August 2, 2016 Indonesia has invited the Philippines and Malaysia to take joint action to resolve security threats in the Sulu Sea, the Philippines. The three countries must start to closely cooperate to secure the waters following increasing threats by militant groups in the Philippines, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said at the third Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting in Nusa Dua Bali on Tuesday. The meeting is being attended by Ryamizard, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Philippine National Defense Minister Delfin N Lorenzana. "In this meeting, it is important that we make a new agreement to maintain stability and peace in the Sulu region," Ryamizard said. Ryamizard stressed the importance of the second meeting in Manila in July that resulted in several agreements, such as those on joint maritime patrols, intelligence exchange and the finalization of standard operational procedures. "Now is a right time to conduct a series of activities, including sharing information and intelligence and implementing joint maritime patrols for the safety of the people and the vessels," Ryamizard stressed. "Implementation of the agreement must be conducted as soon as possible due to the high intensity of threats, such as the hostage-taking of several Indonesians by militant groups, he added. Ten Indonesians are being held hostage by militant groups in the Philippines. "I really appreciate the attempt of the Philippines to release the Indonesian citizens," said Ryamizard. "I hope this cooperation can be implemented immediately. We realize that there are differences in operating systems as well as in legal aspects of this trilateral cooperation. However, I believe that the working group must discuss this matter and agree to establish an appropriate mechanism," Ryamizard added. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on Monday signed a document on standard operating procedures (SOP) for trilateral maritime cooperation, marking the official start of coordinated joint sea patrols to secure regional waters. The signing of the framework was the result of a two-day trilateral defense ministers' meeting held in Bali from Aug. 1 to 2, where the ministers discussed follow-ups from a joint declaration on maritime security made in Yogyakarta in May. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu asserted the importance of the immediate implementation of the joint sea patrol to his counterparts, especially to tackle piracy and transnational crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking and drug smuggling. The cooperation will be of great significance to overcome security challenges in the countries border sea areas, which have been rife with threats in recent months, Ryamizard said in a statement released by the Defense Ministry on Tuesday. At the occasion, Ryamizard suggested that Malaysias Hishammudin Hussein and the Philippines Delfin Lorenzana conduct joint navy and army exercises, including establishing a military post to intensify coordination as well as intelligence sharing. The officials discussed deploying security personnel to guard commercial ships passing through Sulu waters in the Philippines, including a system to allow naval vessels to enter another nations territory. They also mulled joint efforts to secure the release of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors held hostage by Abu Sayyaf splinter groups in the Philippines. The push for joint patrols came on the heels of the abduction of three Indonesian sailors in Malaysias Sabah waters in early July, less than a month after the kidnapping of seven Indonesian crew by Filipino militants in southern Philippine waters. The July incident marked the fourth abduction of its kind this year. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has assured that Indonesia would maintain good relations with Turkey despite its rejection of Ankara's request to shut down nine schools it claims are affiliated with an organization led by Fethullah Gulen, who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of being behind a recent failed coup attempt. "We, Indonesia, always respect the law and sovereignty of other countries. For this reason, Indonesia also asks for other countries to respect the applicable law and regulations in Indonesia," Retno said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. The minister recently rejected the request made by the Turkish government, which was conveyed through its embassy in Jakarta, saying that the schools have not violated any laws in Indonesia. "I have coordinated with the Education and Culture Ministry, I have also crosschecked with the Foreign Ministry's data. Since August 2015, we no longer have any cooperation [with the association anymore]," Retno said, referring to the Indonesian-based Turkish NGO Pacific Countries Social and Economic Solidarity Association (Pasiad), as quoted by Antara news agency. Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy has visited several of the schools and found they no longer had a partnership with Pasiad, which is associated with the organization the Turkish government has dubbed the Gulenist Terror Organization (FETO). The ministry found one of the schools, Kharisma Bangsa in South Tangerang, had severed its ties with the organization as stipulated by Ministerial Decree No. 31/2014. (liz/evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has fulfilled an earlier promise to meet cement factory protesters from Mount Kendeng in Rembang, Pati, and Grobogan regencies, Central Java at the State Palace on Tuesday. Jokowi, accompanied by Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki, received 17 representatives of the community. Teten told the press that in the meeting Jokowi offered solutions to determine which part of the karst mountain could be exploited and which parts could not. Currently, the construction of a cement plant by PT Semen Indonesia is 95 percent complete. However, a mining operation will be located 10 kilometers from the plant. "The mine is included in the area that needs to be assessed through a strategic environmental assessment," Teten said. Jokowi assigned presidential office staff to lead the strategic environment assessment. Teten asserted that no mining should take place during the assessment. Last April, nine female protesters from Mount Kendeng cemented their feet to express their objections. The women said they only wanted to be able to farm in peace without being disturbed by cement factories, which they said would diminish the water supply in the area. Karst mountains are known have a large capacity for water retention. Last week, the Kendeng protesters returned to Jakarta and set up a protest camp near the State Palace. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tue, August 2 2016 On July 25, The Jakarta Post published an article by Harry Purnomo on possible impacts of Brexit on Indonesias timber industry and FLEGT licensing. In response, I wish to clarify some important points. It is important not to exaggerate the impacts of Brexit. First, the UK will remain an economic and political great power. We will remain internationally engaged and outward looking. Brexit will not change that. We are determined to make a success of our new future. Second, the Prime Minister has made clear that although we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe. Britain will continue to work with our European partners to boost trade and economic growth and to tackle the shared challenges we face. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is a minority group that is entitled to state protection, according to the Wahid Foundation. Yenny Wahid, the foundations executive director, said Islam ensured the right to life for all people, including those considered sexually deviant. LGBT people existed around the time of the prophet Muhammad 15 centuries ago. They were called khuntsah, she said in a discussion in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday. Yenny is the daughter of late president Abdurrahman Wahid, the former leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia. On Monday, the foundation announced the results of a survey conducted in April in cooperation with the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI). The survey revealed that 26.1 percent of the 1,520 respondents across the country's 34 provinces disliked LGBT people. Meanwhile, 38.7 percent of respondents did not harbor any dislike toward other groups. Other disliked groups included communists (16.7 percent), Jews (10.6 percent), Christians (2.2 percent), Shiites (1.3 percent), Wahhabis (0.5 percent), Buddhists (0.4 percent) and Chinese-Indonesians (0.4 percent). We conducted the survey in April, when the LGBT issue went viral on social media. Therefore, the respondents were influenced to name LGBT people as the most disliked, Yenny said. (rez) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Bin Haji Tun Abdul Razak has said he wants to double trade with Indonesia to US$30 billion in the coming years. Last year, trade between the two countries was valued at $16.6 billion. As of April this year, trade value reached $4.58 billion. "Malaysia is Indonesia's second best investor and we want to boost trade to reach $30 billion in the following years," Najib said during a visit to the State Palace on Monday. To meet the target, the two countries agreed to revitalize the Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC) agreement, enhance business-to-business communication and expand market access. The second JTIC was held in Jakarta on June 29-30 with several agreements signed, including on a review of the border trade agreement. Malaysia is among the five top countries injecting foreign direct investment (FDI) into Indonesia after Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with a value of $1.78 billion in 448 projects. Najib said the country wanted to increase investment in Indonesia, including in road and property projects. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on the Muslim world to stand firm against the Islamic State (IS) movement, saying the terrorist groups activities contradict with Islamic teachings. There is nothing Islamic about a group that practices such barbarities and it is crucial that Muslim-majority countries take the lead in condemning IS, Najib, a patron of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation, said in Jakarta on Tuesday. We must fight their lies with the truth about Islam. We must oppose with all our might their attempts to indoctrinate our young people, and to take advantage of those on the margins or who have lost their way, Najib said during the opening ceremony of the 12th WIEF at the Jakarta Convention Center. Najib also stressed that Malaysia stood firmly against IS and related groups, both in Malaysia and other countries. He said his government had set up an initiative called the Regional Digital Counter-Messaging Communications Center just outside Kuala Lumpur to detect the movements of radical groups in the country. It is soon to be operational and we will gladly share our expertise in preventing radicalization, and in helping to deradicalize men and women who have fallen for the deceits of this un-Islamic group, he added. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Tue, August 2 2016 In the wake of crimes involving school-age children in Merangin regency, Jambi, the local administration has imposed an informal curfew on children and teenagers to prevent them from gathering outside their homes late at night. Regional authorities recorded three cases involving teenagers over the past week. There must be a limit to when school-age children hang out, Merangin Deputy Regent Khafied Moein said on Monday, adding that the regency administration was concerned about the high number of criminal cases involving minors. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Medan Tue, August 2 2016 Former North Sumatra governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho stood trial on Monday for his alleged role in a graft case centering on the misappropriation of social aid funds. Gatot, already convicted of graft in a separate case, was charged with embezzling more than Rp 4 billion (US$308,000) from the provinces 2012/2013 social aid funds. Prosecutor Rehulina Purba said Gatot conspired with former National Unity and Community Protection Agency official Eddy Sofyan, who has already been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in the case. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 House of Representatives deputy speaker Fadli Zon said on Monday that the government must explain the reasons behind its decision to execute only four of 14 death-row inmates scheduled for execution last week. The Gerindra Party politician questioned whether the stays of execution for the 10 convicts were due to calls from foreign governments. The Attorney Generals Office [AGO] is not being clear about this. What is going on? Is there a party asking for the execution to be held? he said as quoted by kompas.com. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The Indonesian Navy has said it is ready to take part in coordinated joint patrols with Malaysia and the Philippines. Navy spokesman First Admiral Edi Sucipto said on Tuesday the Navy was ready to deploy its personnel to the field at anytime. To arrange the equipment needed for the joint patrols, including Indonesia's primary weapons system, called Alutsista, the Navy should, however, first wait for a briefing from the headquarters of the Indonesian Military (TNI), he said. "Our main duty and function is to prepare our personnel, Alutsista, and our strategic plans. We are now waiting for the command from [TNI] headquarters," Edi said on Tuesday. Defense ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines gathered in Bali for the third Trilateral Defense Ministers' Meeting, which ended on Tuesday. In the two-day meeting, they discussed follow-up measures to a joint declaration on maritime security signed by the three countries in Yogyakarta in May. In Yogyakartas meeting, high-ranking officials signed a document on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for trilateral maritime cooperation, which marked the official beginning of coordinated joint sea patrols among the three countries to secure the waters in the region. The push for the implementation of the joint patrols came on the heels of the abduction of three Indonesian sailors in Sabah waters off Malaysia in early July, less than a month after the kidnapping of seven Indonesian crew members by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines. Julys incident marked the fourth abduction of its kind this year. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) may hold the key to the Jakarta governorship given the ruling party's success stories in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election and 2014 legislative and presidential election, as the party's support is being sought after by candidates for next years gubernatorial election. As the ruling party with a streak of victories in recent elections, specifically the victory of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the last presidential election, support from the PDI-P would significantly boost a candidates chances, political analyst of Charta Politika Yunarto Wijaya said on Monday. Looking at it from political psychology, the candidate supported by the PDI-P will [essentially] be supported by the government, Yunarto told The Jakarta Post on Monday. (Read also : Ahok welcomes Sandiaga as his possible rival) Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and Gerindra party candidate and businessman Sandiaga Uno both hope to win over the party led by chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri for next year's election. Ahok, who had already secured the support of the Golkar, Nasdem and Hanura parties has also stated his hopes for the PDI-P's endorsement. The PDI-P, as the party holding the most seats in the Jakarta City Council, can nominate its own gubernatorial candidate according to the threshold set by the General Elections Commission (KPU). Although, the party has yet to announce its selection. The Gerindra Party had started intense coordination with the PDI-P and even offered the governor post to the PDI-P if paired with Sandiaga as deputy governor and agreed to form a coalition, a Gerindra Jakarta campaign team member said over the weekend. Ahok could potentially win by a landslide if he secured the PDI-Ps support. There would not be any contenders strong enough to defeat Ahok if that happened, Yunarto predicted. "But if the PDI-P decided not to back Ahok, it will definitely impact the outcome of the election because Ahok would have to run against the strongest political party [in the city and country]," he added. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has not yet made a decision regarding its candidate for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, saying that it is still intensely communicating with other political parties. "The party will observe the political dynamics in August before declaring its gubernatorial candidate, PDI-P deputy chairman for organization, regeneration, and membership affairs Djarot Saiful Hidayat said in Jakarta on Tuesday. On Monday, representatives of the Hanura Party met with PDI-P leaders to invite the largest party in the city to support incumbent governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who has already received endorsement from the Hanura Party, NasDem Party and Golkar Party. Our principle is to strengthen the political partys role [in the countrys politics] by communicating with other political parties such as Hanura, Gerindra and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)," Djarot, who is also Jakarta deputy governor, said. He added that the PDI-P was scheduled to have a meeting with the National Awakening Party (PKB) on Tuesday. As the largest party, with 28 seats on the City Council, the PDI-P is the only party that could nominate a candidate without forming a coalition with other parties. Djarot said that the PDI-P was not in a hurry to declare its gubernatorial candidate. The General Election Commissions (KPU) registration period for candidates is from Sept. 19 to 21. Therefore, the PDI-P still has enough time before it must declare a candidate, Djarot said. Within the PDI-P, there are factions that support Ahoks nomination and those who prefer someone from within the partys ranks, such as Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini. It is believed that PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri will have the final say about the partys candidate. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Acting chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggles (PDI-P) Jakarta chapter, Bambang Dwi Hartono, met on Tuesday with Gerindra Party gubernatorial candidate Sandiaga Uno amid the partys efforts to nominate its own candidate. We have communicated with Mas Sandiaga Uno. We met this morning, Bambang said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com on the sidelines of a PDI-P meeting with the National Awakening Party's (PKB) representatives. He, however, declined to comment on the details of what had been discussed during the meeting, but said that a number of big political parties were in the process of establishing a great coalition to nominate a Jakarta gubernatorial candidate. The PDI-P, the largest party in the city with 28 seats on the City Council, is the only party that has a gubernatorial ticket without needing to establish a coalition with other parties. However, the PDI-P is reportedly still in talks with other political parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the PKB and the National Mandate Party (PAN). To establish a great coalition, all political parties will meet. Not only two [the PDI-P and Gerindra], said Bambang. Until now, two candidates have been declared for the election, incumbent Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is supported by the Golkar Party, the Hanura Party and the NasDem Party, and Sandiaga, who is nominated by Gerindra. Gerindra, however, said Sandiaga would be named a deputy gubernatorial candidates should the PDI-P choose against establishing a collation with Gerindra. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 State-owned energy giant PT Pertamina announced on Monday the acquisition of France-based oil company Maurel et Prom with the purchase of 24.53 percent of its shares from Pacifico. Pertamina vice president of corporate communications Wianda Pusponegoro said the acquisition was part of Pertamina's strategy to bolster its upstream footprint around the world. "This impressive step demonstrates Pertaminas strong commitment to ensure Indonesias energy security," Wianda said Monday. Pertamina signed an agreement with Pacifico to purchase 24.53 percent of Pacifico's share in Maurel et Prom for a price of 4.20 euros per share plus a potential 0.50 euro earn-out per share. The earn-out will be paid if, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, 2017, the Brent price remains above US$65 per barrel during all trading days within a period of 90 consecutive calendar days. The completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval from relevant authorities. Maurel et Prom is an independent oil company engaged in the extraction and production of hydrocarbons, listed on Euronext Paris and headquartered in Paris with a market capitalization of 550 million euros. The group carries out most of its business in Africa through the exploitation of onshore production assets in Gabon and Tanzania, as well as a 21.37 percent stake in Seplat Petroleum, one of the leading indigenous operators in Nigeria with a production of 43.4kboe/d in 2015. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The United Development Party (PPP) is hoping to cooperate with other parties -- except the Golkar, NasDem and Hanura parties -- to establish a coalition to nominate a candidate for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election. Golkar, Hanura and NasDem have nominated incumbent Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama as their gubernatorial candidate. PPP secretary-general Arsul Sani told journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday that his party was considering forming a coalition with the Gerindra Party, which has nominated businessman Sandiaga Uno as the partys gubernatorial candidate. "For the PPP, Sandiaga Uno is a potential candidate that we may back. Moreover, he has to seek PPPs nomination if he wants our support, Arsul told journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday. He said the PPP had hired an organization to conduct a survey on the electability of figures who have the potential to run as gubernatorial candidates. The party is also communicating with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Other figures being considered by the PPP are Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, Crescent Star Party (PBB) chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra and former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki. The PPP, which has 10 seats on the Jakarta Council, must form a coalition to meet the electoral threshold of 22 seats on the City Council to nominate a gubernatorial candidate. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 ASEAN is in a rush to achieve connectivity within countries and among nations in the region, which is mandated in the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity 2025. ASEAN Connectivity 2025, part of the ASEAN Community, includes physical connectivity by improving infrastructure within the region, institutional connectivity, as well as people-to-people connectivity. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 Some 300 Indonesian students in Turkey are seen at risk of losing their education stipends as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens his grip on national security following the failed coup attempt in mid-July. The government says it will have to come up with a way to safeguard their education, as their scholarships are funded by the Turkey Pacific Countries Social and Economic Solidarity Association (PASIAD), an NGO Ankara has linked to the failed putsch. The PASIAD has been linked to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by his political opponent Erdogan of orchestrating the July 15 coup attempt that resulted in the death of at least 246 people in Turkey. Security has been tightened in Ankara to forestall any future attempts to overthrow Erdogan, and Indonesian students have been questioned by local authorities, officials say. Ministries were now teaming up to brainstorm ideas to ensure students would not fall victim to Turkish efforts to root out political dissidents, said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, the Foreign Ministrys director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad. Our ambassador in Turkey received instructions from the Foreign Minister to take anticipatory steps [in response to] President Erdogan pointing his finger directly at Gulen as the coups mastermind, Iqbal told reporters on Monday. He said steps had been taken to raise awareness about the post-coup situation, whether directly or through the local Indonesian Students Association (PPI), and urged the stipend receivers to drop any contact with PASIAD or other parties with political links to Gulen. The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara has routinely set up events with the PPI urging Indonesians to refrain from any suspicious activities and has informed students that Gulen has been a target of the Turkish government over the past year. The ministry has even offered the ambassadorial residences at the embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul as temporary safe-houses for students to find reprieve from the Turkish governments measures. Our Indonesian friends are innocent; they have no background or the political motivation [to act on behalf of Gulen]. It is pure coincidence that their scholarships were funded by that foundation there is no ideological link between them and their benefactors, Iqbal explained. The governments response comes on the back of a move by Erdogan to sweep the entire country in the hope of uprooting the movement that allegedly aimed to remove him from the presidency. On July 23, Erdogan ordered the closures of thousands of private schools in Turkey in his first decree while imposing a state of emergency after the failed coup. Soon after, he urged other countries to shut down schools affiliated with Gulen, including Indonesia. A few days later, the Turkish Embassy in Jakarta uploaded a statement, expressing hope that the Indonesian government would support Ankaras fight against the terrorist organization led by Gulen. Responding to the pressure from Turkey, Jakarta has shrugged off the possibility of closing any schools, asking Ankara to respect the prevailing laws in Indonesia and reiterating the importance of upholding sovereignty. Iqbal too underlined the governments commitment to stay out of Turkish domestic politics, saying it was a gesture of respect for the Erdogan government. I hope it will have no effect [on the safety of our Indonesian nationals there], he said. Meanwhile, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Charles Honoris said there was no need for the government to heed Erdogans call to close down nine Gulen-affiliated schools in Indonesia, dismissing the Turkish Presidents advances as paranoia. The lawmaker, who is on the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, called Turkeys call for solidarity scare tactics and an emotional reaction by Erdogan at a time when his political position was on the line. Theres no need to respond; this is mere paranoia on Erdogans part. According to my observations, what happened in Turkey was something very personal and life-threatening for him, Charles told the The Jakarta Post. _______________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 Indonesians might be unfamiliar with Tajikistan, but the government has turned to the small Muslim-majority country in Central Asia in relation to counterterrorism efforts. On Monday, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to President Joko Jokowi Widodo at the State Palace, during which the two agreed to improve on what Jakarta deemed important areas of cooperation counterterrorism and efforts to wipe out illicit drugs. Indonesia has the largest Muslim-majority population in the world, while Tajikistan is a country of around 8 million people that remains among the poorest former Soviet states. Both are members of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati underlined on Tuesday the need to strengthen engagement and cooperation between the government and business players to stimulate the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia. Stronger engagement and cooperation was one of three important factors that would lead to growth in the sector, she added. "Through this, there will be greater opportunities for SMEs to be in the drivers seat of Indonesian economic growth. They have always been an important player in creating jobs, serving as an important cushion each time the countrys economy faces a huge shock," she said in Jakarta on Tuesday. The newly appointed finance minister highlighted the importance of SMEs for Indonesias economic growth during the opening of the 2016 World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), themed "Decentralising Growth, Empowering Future Business". Sri Mulyani further said it was expected the 12th WEIF would not only bring the stronger engagement and cooperation needed, but it would also foster cultural exchange through the Moca Fest. Held on the sidelines of the two-day-forum, the festival aims to provide an opportunity for members of the younger generation to start doing business. The minister said that as the second step, the government needed to nurture innovation as the number of new businesses supported by digital technology had been increasing rapidly in the global economy. "Innovation will create value and definitely lower costs," she asserted. Sri Mulyani further said that events where start-up players could meet investors were very important to facilitate the transformation of new ideas into feasible concepts."We need to transform all of these into concrete actions," she said. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Ankara Tue, August 2, 2016 Turkey's justice minister sent a document to the United States Tuesday seeking the arrest of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whom Ankara accuses of instigating an attempted coup on July 15. Bekir Bozdag sent a "second written document" requesting Gulen's arrest, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest. Ankara has demanded Gulen's extradition over the failed coup, which left 271 people dead. Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course. The Turkish government launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulen's movement, which it characterizes as a terrorist organization and which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally. In Turkey, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs on suspicion of being involved in the movement. "They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it urgent'," Anadolu quoted Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament. "We wrote to them that there are serious claims and statements that Fethullah Gulen has a finger in the attempted coup. That is why he needs to be detained urgently. [We wrote] that we have intelligence that he can escape to third countries," Bozdag said. "I hope that the United States decides in Turkey's favor, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns this leader of a terror organization to Turkey." The minister said that if Gulen leaves the US for another country, it would be with the full knowledge of US authorities. "If he escapes then the US would either have turned a blind eye or approved of it," Bozdag said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2, 2016 The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) has declared its support for Rizal Ramli, the former coordinating maritime affairs minister, for Jakarta governor in 2017, saying that Rizal was preferable to incumbent Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who has been leading in recent electability and popularity polls. "Rizal has better leadership experience and is intellectually sharper than Ahok. We believe Rizal will be able to better manage the city than Ahok, KSPI president Said Iqbal said at a press conference on Tuesday. The confederation sees Rizal as a smart economist who cares about the citys underprivileged, especially the laborers. Rizal has assisted laborers as an advisor in their fight to have the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) endorsed, the KSPI said. "We're sure Rizal will not refuse our request to him to run as governor," Said said. The KSPI said Ahoks policies sided more with businessmen and rich people. The confederation has also criticized the city administrations forced evictions and Ahoks insistence on continuing with the reclamation project in Jakarta Bay. Under Ahoks administration, the minimum wage has increased from Rp 2.3 million (US$164) in 2014 to Rp 2.7 million in 2015 and Rp 3.1 million in 2016. The increases in the minimum wage were met with resistance from businesspeople. Ahok has supported the increases to the minimum wage and has challenged companies to sue the city administration. The unions, however, wanted the wage set at Rp 3.3 million during negotiations this year. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Frederica Sizilia Priyanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 Ready to rock: Best friends Dan Churchill (left) and Hayden Quinn pose next to GiGi, their Volkswagen Beetle, in Shark Bay, Western Australia. In TLCs latest program, best friends Dan Churchill and Hayden Quinn head off on an adventure around Australia with GiGi, their rusty but trusty 50-year-old Volkswagen Beetle, to do what they love most: surfing, cooking and exploring lesser-known corners of the country. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 The West Jakarta Immigration Office is stepping up its surveillance of overseas visitors with the launch of the Foreigners Supervision Application (APOA) on Monday. The APOA, a collaboration between the immigration office and West Jakarta municipality, enables the public to directly report suspicious activities from foreigners in West Jakarta through the municipalitys official website barat.jakarta.go.id and the immigration offices apoa.imigrasi.go.id. Reported activities are followed up with administrative and field surveillance by officers from the immigration office, which is part of the Law and Human Rights Ministry. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nicholaus Prasetya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, August 2 2016 Indonesia must mourn once again after Buddhist temples in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, were burned down by a mob a few days ago. Allegedly sparked by a small dispute regarding a complaint about mosque loudspeakers, the incident lengthens the list of intolerance acts in Indonesia, alongside unresolved ones. When will such incidents end? Regardless of who governs this country, they have to face a great deal when trying to tackle intolerance. Most of the problems occur because of indecisiveness and a lack of stern action when dealing with hard-liners. Faced with hard-liners, law enforcers often seem totally impotent even though they are supported by advanced equipment. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Star/ANN) Shah Alam, Malaysia Tue, August 2, 2016 Police will investigate the authenticity of a letter sent to a Negri Sembilan police station on Monday, claiming that Islamic State (IS) militants are targeting several top leaders. Those named included Prime Minister Najib Razak, his deputy Ahmad Zaid Hamidi, Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar. Three ministers named were Salleh Said Keruak, Azalina Othman Said and Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as well as deputy minister Nur Juzlan Mohamed. Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was the foreign leader named as a target in the two-page letter entitled IS threat. Photocopies of the photographs of the leaders targeted were attached to the letter. The letter also claimed there were about 700 IS militants in Negri Sembilan but police have dismissed the claim. They believed the sender was attempting to boast about the influence of IS in Malaysia. Wrapped in a brown paper, the letter and the photos have been handed over to the Forensic Department. Police are in trying to establish the identity of the sender. Commenting on the latest threat letter sent to the Nilai police station, the IGP said the Negri Sembilan police had received at least four similar threats recently. Since the letters were sent through postal service, we will check its origin and senders. These letters were sent to several police stations in the state, including that in Port Dickson and Nilai, Khalid told reporters at the Selangor police contingents Hari Raya open house on Tuesday. Khalid said the police would not take the matter lightly and would investigate the individuals behind the threats. The motive is unclear as several foreign leaders were also mentioned in the letters. These threats will not weaken our spirits in carrying out our duties as police personnel, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Bangkok Tue, August 2, 2016 BANGKOK (AP) Thailand's military government announced Monday that it intends to sue a former prime minister for billions of dollars in losses it alleges were incurred by her administration's rice subsidy program. The Cabinet official in charge of the prime minister's office, Panadda Diskul, said a specially appointed committee has determined that 286.64 billion baht (US$8.2 billion) in revenues were lost under the scheme, and that former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is liable for about 200 billion baht ($5.8 billion) of the total. Yingluck was forced from office in May 2014 when a court found her guilty of abuse of power in a personnel case. The army ousted her government shortly afterward. The military-appointed interim legislature later formally impeached her on charges of mismanaging the subsidy program, barring her from political office for five years. She is currently on trial for alleged dereliction of duty in administering the program, a criminal charge under which she could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. Her supporters believe she is being persecuted by the army and by other political opponents of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup after demonstrations accused him of corruption, abuse of power and insulting the monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His ouster set off sometimes-violent battles for power between his supporters and opponents, including the military. He has been in self-imposed exile since 2008 to escape a prison sentence on a corruption charge. His supporters say the country's political establishment opposes him because his electoral popularity threatens their entrenched privileges. The rice subsidy program was a flagship policy that helped Yingluck's Pheu Thai party win the 2011 general election. Yingluck has argued it was aimed at helping poor farmers, who were paid about 50 percent above what they would have received on the world market. The government evidently hoped it could drive up the world price for rice by warehousing vast supplies, but other producers such as Vietnam took up the slack instead, bumping Thailand from its spot as the world's leading rice exporter. Panadda said some 13.3 million tons of rice were purchased and stored by the government, but less than 1 million tons ended up being exported. He said the government would also seek compensation from Yingluck's commerce minister, Boonsong Teriyapirom, and several lower-ranking officials. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Guo Kai (China Daily/Asia News Network) Tue, August 2, 2016 Chinese scientists are researching a new type of aerospace vehicle that will take even those who have never had training to space in about 10 years' time at a much lower cost compared to the current price. China Central Television (CCTV) reported Monday that scientists from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have started work on a new vehicle integrating different kinds of engine technologies. The vehicle will integrate air-breathing engines, such as turbine and ramjet engines, and rocket engine, which would allow it to operate as a normal plane in the atmosphere and as a rocket in space. Researchers said the new vehicle will be reusable and take off and land at normal airports, without the need for special launch pads like the current rockets require, which will reduce cost substantially. Zhang Yong, a scientist from the corporation, said they expect to master key technologies in about three to five years, and significantly improve the vehicle's capability during the application. The vehicle is expected to be used for suborbital flight and orbital insertion by 2030, Zhang said. The expeditions will be between dozens to hundreds of kilometers from the earth. (Read also: Virgin Galactic gets space tourism rocket operating license) Compared with the space shuttles and the partially recovered carrier rockets, the new vehicle integrating different engines has much more advantages in maintenance and application, CCTV reported. In early July, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, an institute of the corporation, said on its website that it was coordinating with other institutes to study the new vehicle. Yang Yang, an engineer of the institute, said that common people will not need special training to travel to space on the vehicle. He said the current rocket engine provides great propulsion during the start of flight, adding overload times of people's weights, which is unbearable for most people, but people would be able to endure the slow acceleration on the new vehicle. Currently, people enjoy real space travels through two ways - the suborbital flight that allows people to enjoy couple of minutes of weightlessness but it costs more than $100,000 and the orbital flight that costs around $20 million. Some private companies, especially in the US, can provide suborbital flights. But if people want an orbital flight, then they would have to go on a Russian space ship at present. The US company SpaceX's carrier rocket with reusable parts has started cargo service to the International Space Station, but it is still unclear when it will be able to provide private space travel service and it might cost tens of millions, according to reports. On the 17th of July 2016 Daredevils of Sassoun , a group of political opponents, seized an important police department in Yerevan, claiming immediate release of their leader Jirayr Sefilian detained illegally since several weeks, the resignation of president and the release of all political prisoners in the country. On the 18th of July an anti-crisis committee has been created, whose main purpose was to organize and lead peaceful demonstrations by serving as a mediator between government and rebels, to avoid violence and bloodshed. While citizens were peaceful demonstrating, police used unequal forces by kidnapping peaceful protesters, organized mass arrests of hundreds of people, accompanied by beatings and other atrocities. On the 30th of July, one of board members of this committee, Davit Sanasaryan, has been kidnapped by four civilians, presented themselves as police representing. Since that day Mr Sanasaryan is illegally detained by the police. Mr Davit Sanasaryan has over 10 years of experience of political and social activities. He has always been an active member of community, but never in favour of violent actions and never appeals or did any statement of violence during his whole political carrier. Since 2013 Mr Sanasaryan has been member of the City Council. Member of "Heritage" party since 2007, Mr Sanasaryan is the party's spokesman. Between 2008 and 2010 he was the leader of young wing of the party and represents the party in assembly of the European People's Party between 2007 and 2012. As a political and legal advisor in Armenian Parliament, active political and social activist, hes an initiator and member of more than 30 human rights, social, civic and public initiatives and NGOs. He was arrested while he was taking care of his father in hospital, who was injured by police attacks earlier during the day. Four persons in civilian, presenting themselves as policemen, tried to arrest him, without any warrant of arrest. Mr Sanasaryan refused to follow them, asking to come back with a warrant and clear explanation of the reason of that matter. Instead of that, he was attacked by this four, beaten and lost conscious. His mother, presented on site, tried to save Davit form this rapt, but these four continued to follow Mr Sanasaryan even after the intervention of medical staff, who brought Mr Sanasaryan to intensive care unit. The medical staff was accompanied by those four and few minutes later we have been informed that Mr Sanasaryan was not taken to the intensive care unit, but to National Security Service, where completely false and unfounded charges of inciting riots have been raised against him. According to the article, based on which he is charged, Mr Sanasaryan risks from 2-4 years to 4-10 years of prison. The article is ridiculous and false, having for purpose just to keep Mr Sanasaryan in jail, isolate him from society and neutralize his activities. Moreover, since his detention, his family is refused to pass food, clothing and book. He has bodily injuries and abrasions, which shows that he was subject to physical torture and persecution, but he has no medical care provided. The civil initiative Davit Sanasaryan considers this arrest illegal and strongly demands the immediate release of Mr Sanasaryan. The civil initiative Davit Sanasaryan reports that its currently calling to various diplomatic and international organizations, as well as international media, to join and support the demand of Mr Sanasaryans immediate release. "Davit Sanasarian" Civil Initiative July 31, 2016, Yerevan, Armenia More than half a million EU citizens in the UK may not have qualified for permanent residency rights at the time of Brexit, according to new analysis. Under existing rules, those from the bloc who have lived continuously in Britain for at least five years automatically have a permanent right to reside. A study by think tank the Social Market Foundation assumed that Article 50 the formal mechanism to leave the EU is triggered next year and the process takes two years to complete. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) It found that by 2019 more than 80% of the 3.6 million EU citizens currently living in the UK would meet the five-year requirement. The paper said: Given the likely protracted nature of Brexit, it is probable that all EU citizens arriving in the UK before 2014 and continuing to reside here will have permanent residency rights by the time Brexit actually occurs. Because the five years rule is EU law it would be very difficult for the UK Government to rescind it before formally leaving the EU. However, the think tank said as many as 590,000 people living in the UK may not have residency rights once the Brexit process has concluded. New work on EU citizens in UK. Most have/will acquire residence before a 2019 Brexit. ca.590,000 without that right. pic.twitter.com/qGeQNrzv7j Emran Mian (@emranmian) August 1, 2016 Emran Mian, director of the Social Market Foundation, said: There are 3.6 million EU residents currently living in the UK. Our analysis suggests that, while the majority have or will acquire permanent residence, the right to remain in the UK of almost 600,000 people may be at risk if the UK leaves the EU in 2019. Britain is expected to seek to introduce controls on free movement rules following the vote to leave but details of the system are yet to be outlined. Ministers have come under pressure to provide a firm guarantee about the status of EU citizens already in the country. (Liam McBurney/PA) Mian said: The Government should now provide its own analysis and articulate a plan for starting discussions. Until it does, EU residents living in the UK, the businesses which employ them and the communities in which they live, are subject to uncertainty which will become more worrying as time goes on. Last week a Commons committee suggested that post-Brexit attempts to limit immigration and uncertainty during negotiations could spark a surge in arrivals. MPs called on the Government to set out a cut-off date and end uncertainty for EU nationals who are already in the UK, warning they must not be used as bargaining chips. (Kaname Muto/AP) A Government spokesman said: At present, the UK remains in the EU. This means that EEA, Swiss and UK nationals continue to have the same rights and status that they had before the referendum. The Government wants to be able to guarantee the legal status of EU nationals who are living in the UK, and we are confident that we will be able to do this. But we must also win the same rights for British nationals living in European countries. It's summer and the British rain and drizzle has returned (for most parts of the UK), so what do you do now? Well, you could try reading one of these... 1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon Now a show in the West End, Haddons novel is about a high-functioning autistic teenage boy named Christopher, and is a real page-turner. 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The Plague Albert Camus Camus absurdist novel is one that must be read at some point in your lifetime. Set in the hazy atmosphere of Oran, Algeria, Camus presents a town in a coastal region cut off from the rest of the country after several of its residents contract the plague. Important concepts such as the nature of destiny and the human condition are explored, but if youre not really interested in philosophy, its still a really good read. 5. The Pelican Brief John Grisham For those interested in American politics, this book is for you. It begins with the assassination of two Supreme Court Justices, who appear to have diverging views on many issues. So why have they both been killed? Young law student Derby Shaw proposes a theory, which turns her life inside out and upside down. 6. Around the World in 80 Days Jules Verne Translated from its original French, many may know Vernes novel for its hilarious film adaptation starring Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan; but the book is just as good, if not better! Met with ridicule at his suggestion that he can travel around the world in 80 days, the main character, Phileas Fogg, sets off in a bid to win the bet and prove his sceptics wrong. 7. Getting Rid of Matthew Jane Fallon Often overshadowed by her famous husband Ricky Gervais, Fallon catapults you into a world where a cheating spouse, having finally left his wife, moves in with his mistress of 4 years. The only problem is, within a week, shes realised she doesnt want to live with him anymore 8. The Humans Matt Haig Haig reminds us what it is to be human in this fantastically written book. It follows an alien who has inhabited the body of a maths lecturer at the University of Cambridge. It cant be! But it is. Examining the challenges we undergo as humans, reading this book will make you both smile and cry, often at the same time. 9. The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion This humorous novel shows that there truly is someone for everyone. Simsion throws together two seemingly incompatible individuals, one of whom has been suggested to be the worlds -most undateable man. This book will have you crying with laughter. 10. The Monk: A Romance Matthew Lewis Finishing the list with a classic, The Monk: A Romance is often forgotten when thinking of Gothic novels. It was published in 1796, just before Lewis turned 20 quite an achievement. The novel tracks the fall of Ambrosio, a highly admired monk, and takes place in an eerie monastery in Madrid. This book will have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. You have no excuse to be bored this summer. If you cant get out and enjoy the sunshine, stay in and indulge in a whole other world. (Ben Birchall/PA) What are the changes? Who will be affected? When does it happen? (Chris Radburn/PA) So how will it all actually work? Who decided this? (Johnny Green/PA) How are students reacting? What effect will it have on universities? Theres no doubt that going to university is expensive, and it might be about to get even more so if you were planning to rely on a grant. If youre heading off to uni this September, the changes that George Osborne brought in will affect you. Heres everything you need to know.Previously students going to university in England could apply for grants, but now they have to apply for loans instead.Over half a million of the poorest students.Unfortunately, the changes came into effect yesterday. George Osborne announced the shift in his last July budget, coming into effect on August 1.Before this week, students with a family household income of less than 25,000 could apply for a grant of 3,387. This grant was offered on a sliding scale, for students from households of up to 42,620. Not much, but incredibly helpful for lots of students. Now students living away from home in London can apply for a loan of up to 10,702, and those outside of London can get up to 8,200. The crucial difference between the two is that the loans have to be repaid. The same process will apply as tuition fees once youve started earning 21,000 or above you will have to start paying your loans back.According to the Independent , a group of just 18 MPs helped to implement this change in a 90-minute debate with 10 Ayes and eight Noes. It was not passed by a parliamentary vote.Angrily, as you can imagine. Sorana Vieru, the NUS Vice president, described it as a move that basically punishes poorer students simply for being poor in an interview with BBC Breakfast.Its likely to decrease the number of applications to English universities, as many poorer people will no longer be able to afford the high costs. This will adversely affect social mobility, decreasing the diversity of universities which already have a reputation for being a haven of the middle classes. Ohrid! You've never heard of it, right? Don't worry, neither had I until this time last year. I had a friend who was on a mission to travel to twelve different countries during every month, he was scouring SkyScanner for cheap flights to any random and obscure places he could find. And, does it work? With flights ranging for forty pounds return to Copenhagen to the slightly more expensive flights of fifty-five pounds to Budapest, you are bound to find a deal within your price range, whether you find yourself on a tight budget or have lavish amounts to spend, you will never fail to find the flight perfect for you. So, finding myself crammed in the back of a taxi with a driver that assumed we were German, so spoke almost no English, the seven of us managed to find ourselves on the glorious lakefront of Ohrid, with a sweltering average temperature of 25 degrees. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. Surrounded by hills, Lake Ohrid is huge, bordering with the neighbouring Albania; which you can just make out in the distance. The air is stuffy, but don't let that put you off, because it didn't stop me from enjoying the scenery. The only way I can convey to you how sensational it was, is through the pictures my friends and I took. Admittedly, this trip was rather impulsive, and I was going with a few people I'd met for a short period of time; but would that stop you from jetting away to a country you'd probably only heard of due to the migrant border crisis only last year? Luckily, we found ourselves flying home before any of that news had hit home. With an exchange rate that none of us really got the grip of until the last day, which we found out was one Great British Pound to about 78 Macedonian Denar, we found ourselves paying an average of 30 pence for a bottle of Macedonian beer. Of which, if you ask any student, I'm sure will be a fan. So, beer it was for lunch and dinner and the occasional early breakfast tipple. You couldn't keep us away from a cheeky pint at every chance we could find an excuse for; which we eventually convinced ourselves we didn't need after, maybe, the second pint. Iconic sites of the city include the ruins of St. Clement and St. Panteleimon, overlooking the lake. We went a little off piste trying to make our way to the site. It was more that we had stumbled upon it by chance, wading through knee-length grass and climbing up crumbling hills to get there. But, that was all part of the fun of it! Not knowing exactly where we were or where we were headed; but being under the scorching sun whilst we trekked. If you're unbelievably pale like myself, I can't recommend slapping on that factor 50 sun cream more! My shoulders were burnt for the nest two months. There's also the church of St. John at Kaneo, situated on the headland of Ohrid. It was a maze to get there; but once high above the water's surface we could see for miles. Just be aware, that if you want to enter the churches, many of them require women's legs to be covered, so be sure to wear something respectful to the local culture. If you want something a little more grand, visit King Samoil's Fortress, which will allow you to look further inland into Ohrid. You'll find yourself wondering why this tiny gem of a city has not been talked about more. We were lucky to find ourselves on Google Maps, as we were passed several times by a Google car, near the Ancient Theatre of Ohrid, which one of my friends managed to find months later! Once we had experienced our little bit of Macedonian culture, we were lucky to stumble upon a small beach bar on the far left side of the laker, the Cuba Libre Beach&Bar. With a vast array of classic cocktails, and the lesser known, you can find yourself stretched out on one of their sun loungers sipping on a Blue Hawaiian, either watching the sun set over the lake, or under the stars listening to light beating music at night. Unheard of and unknown to me and many of my friends I went with, we cannot thank SkyScanner enough for suggesting those all important cheap return flights. I fell in love with this city as sson as I saw the lake and I can't recommend it enough for those wanting to explore the lesser known and peculiar areas of Europe. With a flurry of bars, hotels and hostels located right on the lake front, you won't be short of places to stay, to wine and dine, or just to explore. So, if you're not looking for a boozy lads holiday, or just want a place to chill, explore and gain a little bit of culture whilst enjoying cheap booze and food, then Ohrid should be on your list. I can, honestly, say it is one of the most beatiful places I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Watching President Serzh Sargsyans deadpan and monotone speech the other night regarding the two-week standoff between the armed Sasna Dzrer group and what passes as law enforcement in Armenia, I wonder if the Armenian head of state realizes that a sizeable majority of citizens just dont trust him and that most despise him and the regime he symbolizes. Maybe Sargsyan just doesnt care what people think of him. It could also be that he and his cronies live in a world so far removed from the trials and tribulations of the common-folk, that they really cant see beyond their villas and the walls of the presidential palace. In front of a zombie-like assemblage of so-called intellectuals, clergy, and representatives of different segments of society (whatever the hell this means), Sargsyan took a hardline approach, proclaiming: From now on we will allow no one to take our country hostage. We will allow no one to undermine the foundation of our state. Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms. Is Sargsyan for real? Does he realize just how hollow and hypocritical he sounds by mouthing such declarations? Such smoke and mirrors; truly a shining example of doublespeak that even Orwell would have been proud of. The country, far from being held hostage by a band of Artsakh War vets and disgruntled citizens who were mad as hell and couldnt take it anymore, was actually held hostage for two weeks by the regimes law enforcement arm and the thugs they payroll to quash any political dissent. When cops and special forces rampage through residential neighborhoods detaining protestors left and right and see fit to beat journalists and citizens exercising their constitutional rights of freedom of expression and assembly, whose country is actually being held hostage? If Sargsyan were to come clean, he would have proclaimed: We will not allow anyone to undermine the foundation of our power and authority. If, as Sargsyan states, Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms, the logical question arises What alternatives do you suggest, Mr. President? When Sargsyan makes superficial reference to the civil war in Syria, stating that such a development is ruled out in Armenia, the president really needs to do his homework. Its actually because Assad failed to provide viable options to those Syrians who opposed his authoritarian regime that the civil war there spiraled out of control. Sargsyan would do well to learn some lessons from the mistakes made by Assad who countered public protest with increasing violence and a clampdown on dissent. Further along in his speech, Sargsyan says: In Armenia a simple truth, which it seems could not be debatable in the first place, has prevailed. That truth lives in our system of values, in our mentality, in our kind, and is about our heritage. Anyone can dislike the authorities, or the government, or the President, can be categorically against our policies. However, dislike cannot be a reason for glorifying those who attempt to solve problems with arms. Such rhetoric turns the issues that gave rise to Sasna Dzrer and the simmering public discontent in Armenia on their head. Nowhere, in his speech does the president say what measures he and the government will take to alleviate the root causes of the underlying problems facing society today in Armenia. Its as if he shares none of the responsibility and that all his pronouncements over the past seven years since he seized control of the country to initiate real reforms throughout all sectors of society have been mere window dressing. These hollow utterances were more to appease the international community than to address the festering disillusionment and despondency of average citizens. Does anyone actually take Sargsyan at his word when he stated the following? Yes, it is true that the Armenian authorities are not perfect. Yes, it is true that there are many problems and complex issues in Armenia. Our goal is to give them a speedy resolutionAt this stage our goal is also to form the authorities of national accord, in which issues will be solved under a wide consensus. Not perfect? Who is asking for perfection? People want to see a sustainable process of real change. Most dont see such a process. Repeated election fraud, economic monopolization, a judiciary in the pocket of the authorities, lack of engagement between citizens and civil administration, exploitation of the countrys natural resources by a privileged fewthe list goes on and on. Speedy resolution? National accord? Is Sargsyan living on the same planet as the rest of Armenias citizens. Whats Sargsyans concept of a speedy resolution to the ills holding Armenia back for realizing its true potential. Other than platitudes, whats his, and by extension, the master plan of the ruling Republican Party. I shudder at the thought. Maybe he refers to his overnight decision to join the Russian-backed Eurasian Economic Union rather than greater political and economic ties to the EU. National accord? The country, under his leadership is becoming increasingly polarized, not the other way round. Doesnt Sargsyan realize that the seeds for the civil war he ostensibly seeks to avoid have already been sown? It will pit the haves against the have-nots, the powerful against the powerless. The regime may see fit to cut the budding stalks of the civil war to come, but the seeds underground will keep flowering. Can Sargsyan, or whoever the figurehead of the ruling powers that be in Armenia, push through the necessary changes to avoid such a clash of interests in the future? I truly have my doubts. Nor can I say, with any degree of conviction, who or what political force, has the vision and ability to get Armenia back on the right track. All I can say for sure is that the man who currently presides at 26 Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan has become the proverbial Hans Christian Andersen emperor stripped of his clothes and credibility. The sooner people, in Armenia and overseas, see Sargsyan for what he really is, a man who rules through coercion rather than consent, the sooner we can agree that he and the powers he represents need to go. 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Hong Kong shuts down as Typhoon Nida hits HONG KONG: Hong Kong shut down today (Aug 2) as Typhoon Nida brought violent winds and torrential rain, with hundreds of flights cancelled and the stock market, schools and businesses closed, as the storm headed across southern China. transportweathermarineconstruction By AFP Tuesday 2 August 2016, 09:45AM Hundreds of flights were axed after Typhoon Nida swept past Hong Kong late yesterday evening (Aug 1). Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP Gusts of 151 kilometres per hour whipped the city and rain lashed down during the night, and authorities warned of floods and landslides. Streets were deserted this morning as school was suspended and workers stayed at home, with buses and trains operating only a very limited service. Hundreds of flights were axed after the storm swept past Hong Kong late yesterday evening (Aug 1). An airport authority spokesman said only 200 flights will run between 6am and 6pm local time on today (4am to 4pm today Thai time). On a normal day, the airport would handle 1,100 flights. More than 150 flights had already been cancelled yesterday as Nida approached, leaving stranded passengers to sleep on the floor in the departure hall. I came here at 6am but the counters have closed... there have been no notifications at all, one passenger bound for Australia told Now TV. Hong Kongs flagship carrier Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair cancelled all of their flights in and out of Hong Kong for 16 hours, from 10pm Monday until 2pm Tuesday local time. The stock market shut for the morning as the Typhoon 8 storm signal the third-highest category remained in place. Around the city, more than 200 people sought refuge in government shelters as the rain poured down. But dedicated fans of new augmented reality game Pokemon Go, which has many in the city glued to their smartphones even more than usual, wrapped up in waterproofs to keep hunting monsters as the storm blew in. Southern China hunkered down as it braced for Nida to make landfall later today, with the city of Guangzhou issuing its first-ever red storm alert. Anyone living in the storms projected path were told to prepare three days worth of food and other essentials, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Its the strongest typhoon to hit the Pearl River Delta since 1983 and will bring severe flooding, Xinhua cited local official He Guoqing as saying. The cities of Zhuhai and Shanwei in Guangdong province also issued red alerts the highest in Chinas four-tier, colour-coded warning system. Shenzhen, where Xinhua reported the storm hit at 3:30am local time, issued a yellow one, the third most severe. All work, production, and classes in Guangzhou are suspended during the alert. Members of the public have been advised to stay indoors, Xinhua reported. Guangzhou Railway Corporation said all trains departing from Guangdong would be cancelled today, with hundreds of thousands of passengers affected. More than 220 flights out of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai airports were cancelled before the storm today, the Sohu news portal said. Nearly 2,000 workers constructing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge were evacuated and more than 2,000 others working on an offshore oil platform were relocated, Xinhua said. Nida brought strong winds and torrential rains to the northern Philippines over the weekend, while southern China has already been hard-hit by storms this summer. Super Typhoon Nepartak left at least 69 dead in Taiwan in July after making landfall in the mainlands eastern province of Fujian despite being downgraded to a tropical storm. PIWC Meet & Greet Coffee August Start From: Thursday 11 August 2016, 10:30AM to Thursday 11 August 2016, 01:00PM Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. 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Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police was notified of the accident, near the Tha Ruea Shrine on Thepkrasattri Rd south of the Heroines Monument, at 2:30am. Police arrived with Kusoldharm rescue workers to find a BMW that had struck a roadside streetlight sideways. The driver, Pichet Thongtongkaew, 30, suffered a minor head injury. Of his two passengers, Pichet Nualchuay, 33, suffered a broken left leg and Thanawit Salam, 21, suffered only minor injuries. The driver (Mr Pichet) said it was raining while they were heading to Phuket Town, said Capt Kraisorn. When they reached the curve (in front of the Tha Ruea Shrine), he lost control of the vehicle and crashed, he said. Police have yet to confirm whether Mr Pichet will face any charges for the accident. 4 candidates seek two four-year terms on Codington County Commission Two of the three Codington County Commission seats have challengers this year. Here's what you need to know. 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. President Barack Obama answers questions during a joint news conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Obama slammed Donald Trump as "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House and challenged Republican lawmakers to drop their support for their party's nominee. "There has to come a point at which you say enough", Obama said. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) In this April 6, 2016, photograph, a technician files down an imperfection on the door frame of an unpainted Titan truck as she also inspects the stamping for imperfections that can be eliminated prior to the vehicle going to the paint shop at the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss. On Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of manufacturing activity for June. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, left, and The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford shake hands following a meeting in Ankara Turkey, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Dunford visited U.S. military personnel stationed at Turkey's Incirlik air base Monday. He will later meet Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Turkey's Chief of Staff, Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was briefly held captive by the coup plotters during the putsch. (Hakan Goktepe/Pool Photo via AP) It appears that layoffs en masse is becoming a norm across many startups in the country as evidenced by the news about Flipkart laying off around 700 people that went viral recently. Startups are grappling with the problems of decline in funding and cash crunch. Besides, consolidation in the startup space will lessen the number of companies, leading to further layoffs. Many startups had received handsome funds last year and hired people in large numbers without having in place effective strategies for their deployment and exigent situations. Laying off people is not the only problem faced by startups. Their biggest concern is survival in the market. "Last year, the first thing any startup did upon getting funded was to hire people. But back then investors of these startups were focused on client acquisition. This year, that changed to unit economics, leading to layoffs. It is rather ironical that most of these tech startups had to cut jobs due to technology deployment which shows their immaturity in hiring. Most of them overlooked the need to put in place robust recruitment and HR systems before hiring," Kamal Karanth, MD, Kelly Services and KellyOCG India told THE WEEK. Experts say though Flipkart has cited poor performance as the reason for layoffs, it has more to do with not having enough funds to sustain salaries of employees they hired. "I feel that startups like Flipkart have overhired people and they are now redundant from a revenue generation perspective. The company also has been grappling with the problem of generating new funds for their business. Besides Flipkart, other startups are also facing similar problems and do not have new funding cycles and cash to burn to sustain the salaries of many of their people," Alok Shende of Mumbai-based Ascentius Consulting pointed out. According to analysts, the layoffs in many startups will be across the board but more at the entry level as these companies have very few employees at the top and senior management level. "The Indian startup scene will see a lot of consolidation and the number of players will go down and so will the employees...Jabong, which was acquired by Myntra, has a full fledged HR and a marketing department and so does Myntra. Consolidation will do away with the dual positions in many of these startups. Our firm is already getting CVs from senior and mid-management level people working in Flipkart and Jabong. Many of the CEOs in these startups will start feeling shaky about their positions. This is because they were hired on very high salaries and it will not be feasible for many startups to sustain their high salaries in the absence of proper funds," Kris Lakshmikanth, founder and CEO of Head Hunters India Limited, told THE WEEK. Besides, these layoffs will make many new job seekers wary about joining the startups. "The news about placements from IIM Ahmedabad not being honoured by Flipkart was enough to dent its image," Lakshmikanth added. Many of the youngsters who joined startups have found work exciting initially, but began facing issues gradually. "Candidates who join startups do so for the potential to learn and grow which is not possible at the same scale in an established entity. Most of them are aware of the risks involved in joining a startup. However, job seekers may grow wary of startups that attract too much of flak from traditional and social media and avoid them," Karanth pointed out. Experts also feel that problems will continue to grapple these startups. "The perception that startups are very lucrative and different has been largely created by the media. Now, people are realising the problems in these startups and things are not very rosy. Long working hours, unrealistic targets and salary cuts have been haunting the startup employees in the near past," said Shende. 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by a special MCOCA court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convictsMohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convictsMohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharifwere handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three othersMushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, on Tuesday observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of the total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage "jihad". The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. After facing flak for laxity, the Akhilesh Yadav government has sent a two-page report on the horrific Bulandshahr gang-rape case to the Union home ministry. The report, prepared by the state home department, has said that so far three persons have been arrested and four state police officials have been suspended in connection with the case. The state home department has also said that it has taken prompt action against four police officials for not taking swift steps and a probe is underway in the matter. The officials suspended include SSP Bulandshahr Vaibhav Kishan, SP city Rammohan Singh, circle officer Himanshu Gaurav and SHO Ramsen Singh of Kotwali Dehat, says the report . The report is now with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and he will share the details of the report in the Parliament if the issue was raised by the members. The MHA on Monday shot off a missive to the state government seeking a report on the horrific incident. However, the state home department was awaiting a final nod from the top brass to share the details with the Centre. The report was dispatched late Monday evening, even as the Akhilesh Yadav government has directed the DGP to personally monitor the developments and ensure a speedy probe into the case. The brutal crime has already given fodder to the political parties to launch a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party government ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due next year. In the light of Bulandshahr gang-rape case, arch rival and BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday alleged that there was a complete breakdown of law and order in the state under the incumbent government. Last week, a woman and her teenage daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of armed robbers, who waylaid their car on the Delhi-Kanpur highway. The rape survivors were travelling with four of their family members to Shahjahanpur from Noida when their car was ambushed near Dostpur village in Bulandshahr The group of bandits took the family to an isolated area nearby the highway and robbed them of cash, jewellery, mobiles and other valuables. The men of the family were beaten up and tied with ropes, while the woman and her minor daughter were allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint. With the death of four more people, lightning has claimed as many as 56 lives in a span of four days in Odisha, officials said. One person died due to lightning each in Bolangir, Jagatsinghour, Khurda and Cuttack, officials in the special relief commissioner's office said. While a youth of Deuliapatna village in Khurda district was killed when lightning struck him this afternoon, a person of Uttarabanki Gholapur village in Athagarh block of Cuttack district died after taking shelter under a tree during rain and thundershower. A youth of Balia Gopinathpur village in Jagatsinghpur district and an old man of Roda village of in Bolangir district were killed in lightning strike. While 41 people had died due to lightning in various places on July 30, as many as 11 deaths were reported on July 31, officials said. The maximum number of eight deaths were reported from Balasore district, there were seven casualties each in Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Khurda district, six in Cuttack, four each in Jajpur and Dhenkanal, three in Nayagarh, two each in Keonjhar and Nabarangpur, and one each in Puri, Deogarh, Kendrapara, Jharsuguda, Bolangir and Jagatsinghpur districts. Is Kerala's money order economy in trouble? Nearly 10,000 Indians are stranded in the Gulf states and 3,000 of them are in labour camps with no food for the past ten days. With Kerala contributing the major share of the migrant workforce and their remittance fuelling the state's growth engine, Kerala may have to brace for an uncertain future. For the last few decades, the Kerala economy has thrived on remittances made by the migrants. The Malayali exodus to the Gulf started in the 1970s, when the local unemployment rate reached an all-time high and the Gulf economy was booming. Fighting the extreme weather conditions, the Malayali workers laid the foundations of the Gulf economy and ensured a prosperous life for their families back home. The harsh conditions and oppressive labour laws never stopped them. There have been films and novels portraying the migrant life. In Benyamin's award winning novel Goat Days, Najeeb, the protagonist, who is a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, says his "fervent desire was to sit in a bit of shade for some time." According to 2014 figures, there are about 24 lakh Malayali workers in the Gulf, up from 13.6 lakh in 1998. They sent home Rs 1 lakh crore last year. The Gulf migrants have faced several crises, ranging from the Kuwait war to the global recession of 2008, and now another bout of recession caused by the falling oil prices. As the new crisis unravels, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh is expected to reach Riyadh to take stock of the situation. Nearly 10,000 Indians working for Saudi Oger company are stranded in labour camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. In Riyadh alone, 3,175 employees have not received their salaries for the past eight months. Now the company has stopped providing them food as well. The Indian government has started supplying them free rations with the help of the Indian diaspora. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha, If any Indian worker abroad is unemployed, he will not sleep hungry. The government takes full responsibility to feed them. If they get another job, that is fine, but if they want to return home, then I assure you, we will bring them home. The government is holding talks with the Saudi government for arranging exit visas for the stranded labourers. With more and more companies closing their operations and the number of visas getting restricted, the Gulf dream of an average Malayali is likely to turn sour, just like Kerala's remittance-dependent economy. The word 'West' from the name 'West Bengal' might be removed. The Mamata Banerjee government on Tuesday decided to recommend that West Bengal be changed to Bengal. "It was a long pending plan. The cabinet led by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to rename West Bengal as Bengal in English and Bango in Bangla," said government spokesman Partha Chatterjee. Chatterjee said the decision would be put before the West Bengal state Assembly for ratification. In the Assembly, Trinamool Congress leads with a huge majority. The West Bengal government had earlier wanted to rename West Bengal as Paschim Banga. But this was turned down by the central government in 2015. The opposition parties too did not support the move. This time, both Congress and CPM are expected to support the change. The Left front too, under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2001, had tried to change the name to Bengal. But the NDA government had refused to accept the suggestion, but Calcutta was changed to Kolkata. The reason behind the change of name is that West Bengal is always listed last during government programmes and procedures. After Assembly clears the name with mandate, the matter would go to Union home ministry which would place a proposal in front of the Union cabinet. Only then would the name be changed. During her last visit to Delhi to attend the inter-state council meeting, Mamata Banerjee had taken up the matter with Home Minister Rajnath Singh. It is learned that she had convinced both the home minister and the Prime Minister during her trip. Kolkata based industrialist and MD of Patton Industries, Sanjay Budhia said, "This is very positive and much awaited change. The word West was superfluous in the present context. Now, there is no East and no West, Bengal is the best." Meanwhile, the attempt by central government to change the name of Calcutta High Court to Kolkata High Court has encountered problems as the Calcutta High Court itself refused to accept it. Thousands of people, including VIPs and common folks, bid a tearful adieu to Rakesh Siddaramaiah, elder son of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, before his mortal remains were laid to rest in the family farmhouse at T. Katur, about 20 km from here. "The last rites were performed at the farmhouse before sunset as per the 'Halumatha' tradition under the guidance of Niranjananda Puri swamiji in the presence of seers, priests, relatives and family members of Siddaramaiah amid tight security," an official told IANS here. Rakesh, 39, died of multiple-organ failure on Saturday at Antwerp University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Even before the cortege carrying Rakesh body arrived at the farmhouse from Mysuru in a convoy, accompanied by the Chief Minister and his family members, people gathered in large numbers around the farmhouse to have last glimpse of the departed soul. "Public was not allowed inside the farmhouse for security reasons, privacy and to avoid inconvenience to the family members during the last rites," the official said. In the afternoon, it was a sea of humanity at the exhibition grounds in Mysuru where the flower-decked cortege was kept for paying last respects by the public. Thousands of people came from far and nearby towns and villages to pay homage to Rakesh. Many were seen grieving for the untimely death and loss of a young leader. Among the VIPs who offered floral tributes to Rakesh were state Governor Vajubhai Vala, Union Minister Sadananda Gowda, Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, former JD-S Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, state cabinet ministers, lawmakers and leaders of political parties. The cortege was brought here in a special aircraft from Bengaluru after it was flown from Brussels by an Emirates Airlines flight earlier in the day. Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, their daughter-in-law and younger son Yathindra accompanied the cortege from Brussels. Holding back tears and with folded hands, an emotional Siddaramaiah stood by the cortege and expressed gratitude to all the people who came to the venue for paying respects to Rakesh and sharing his grief over the personal tragedy. Elaborate security arrangements were made by the district authorities to regulate the flow of mourners in thousands and prevent any untoward incident. Apart from people from Mysuru, Siddaramaiah's home city, hundreds of others from his Varuna village and Chamundeshwari, which he represents in the legislative assembly as the ruling Congress lawmaker, made a beeline for a last glimpse of Rakesh's body, which was kept on a raised dais for paying homage. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Balubhai and his family are not used to getting attention. That is no surprise because what they have been getting all their lives were discrimination and disregard. The dalit family in Mota Samadhiyala village in Una, Gujarat, makes a living from skinning dead cows. On July 11, two members of the family, along with two other dalits, were brutalised by the cow vigilante group Gau Rakshaks for skinning a dead cow. Balubhai's house has not stopped getting visitors ever since visuals of the incident went viral on social media, leading to a national outrage. VVIPs made a beeline for Balubhai's house. Chief ministers and national leaders came down to offer support. But what has really moved the family was the stream of dalits who have been visiting. What the family has gone through has had a profound impact on the community in Gujarat and the rest of India. A village of 3,000 people, Mota Samadhiyala has around 150 dalits. Violence against them is nothing new. However, the sight of four dalit youth made to stand in a line and battered with sticks and metal rods for skinning a dead cow burst open the seams of pent-up anger in the community. The visual was shot and proudly shared by the cow vigilantes. Later, the police found that the cow was killed by a lion. Dalits, especially the youth, were so angered that they went on the war path, blocking highways, burning vehicles, and some of them even attempting suicide in protest. Its impact has been felt across the state, and its reverberations are being heard nationally, strengthening the narrative that the hindutva ideology is anti-dalit. Around the same time, in the neighbouring Maharashtra, the demolition of a building in Mumbai threatened to undo all that the Narendra Modi government had done to 'appropriate' the legacy of Bhimrao Ambedkar. Thousands of people ignored the monsoon downpour and marched to Azad Maidan protesting the demolition of Ambedkar Bhawan, which had housed the Buddha Bhushan Printing Press established by Ambedkar and kept many documents written and published by the dalit icon. The call for the protest was made by Ambedkars grandsons Prakash and Anandraj, and the turnout gave a clear indication of the future of dalit politics. Tactical move: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the stone laying ceremony of Dr Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi | PTI The angry dalit is bad news for the BJP. The anguish and frustration of the community, which continues to exist on the margins of society, is finding expression in protests. Queering the pitch for the BJP is the growing feeling that hindutva forces are in conflict with dalits. A day before the Una violence, a group of people barged into the house of a dalit in Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka and assaulted the family for alleged cow slaughter. Seven people, including two Bajrang Dal activists, were arrested for the attack. A few months ago in Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Bapurao Tajne, a dalit labourer, dug a well on his own because the villagers did not allow his wife to draw water from a common well. Critics of the Modi government say the hindutva brigade has been emboldened since the BJP came to power. There has been a new-found enthusiasm for cow protection, and it is now targeting dalits. New avenues have been opened up for attacks on dalits, said Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary. One of these new avenues is the entire question of cow protection They are making it an issue for such attacks. Skinning and disposal of dead cattle is traditionally a dalits' job. It is an occupational issue for them, said thinker Chandra Bhan Prasad. However, the hindutva brigade in its love for mother cow is looking at even this as against the religion. The ban on beef enforced by the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has hit the livelihood of thousands of dalits in the state. The beef ban hurt the community economically, said Vaibhav Chaya, activist and poet. Also, attacks on dalits have increased since this government came. K. Raju, chairman of the Congress's scheduled castes wing, said crimes against dalits increased by 20 per cent in 2014. The BJP governments, both at the Centre and in the states, have not handled these cases properly, he said. There were 47,064 instances of crime against dalits in 2014, he said. Angry young men: A dalit protest in Ahmedabad | PTI What happened in Una, however, was a tipping point. Dalits in Gujarat refused to dispose of carcasses after that. And, in a show of protest, dalits dumped dead cows outside the office of the Saurashtra district collector and government offices in Gondal and Surendranagar. Balubhais family says they do not want to continue with the traditional occupation. Why should we do it? To be thrashed? asked Vasaram, who was beaten by the vigilantes. The police have arrested only 16 of around 40 people involved in the attack. Gujarat has a shoddy record of dealing with crimes against dalits. The conviction rate in such cases in the state is just 2.95 per cent, said P.L. Punia, chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes. The national average is 22 per cent, he said. The trigger of the current dalit resistance, probably, was the suicide of the 26-year-old Rohith Vemula, a research scholar in Hyderabad University, in January. The BJP's student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, has had confrontations with dalit students before and after the suicide. And, the Modi government has been accused of suppressing the dalit voice on campuses. In May last year, the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, derecognised Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, which had organised debates critical of the government. The ban was later revoked. The dalit discontent could cost the BJP dearly in elections. Last November, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a review of the reservation system. It was perceived as anti-dalit and it damaged the BJPs prospects in the assembly elections in Bihar. The loose cannons in the party also stoked trouble. Union minister V.K. Singh used a dog analogy while referring to the killings of dalits in Haryana in 2015. The anology drew heavy flak. The government has failed in protecting the dignity of dalits, instilling confidence in them and implementing schemes. This has created a feeling that the BJP is anti-dalit, said Raju. In July, the party's vice president in Uttar Pradesh Dayashankar Singh made a highly derogatory remark against Mayawati, leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, which draws its support mainly from dalits. It could not have been timed worse, as a major tactical move of BJP president Amit Shah for the assembly elections was to appeal to dalits other than the Jatavs. For good measure, Shah had taken a dip in the Shipra along with dalit sadhus during the Simhastha Kumbh and eaten dinner in a dalit house in Uttar Pradesh. Keen not to let go of the political opportunity, Mayawati flew back to Lucknow in the middle of the Parliament session to chalk out a strategy to capitalise on the controversy. She has asked party leaders not to issue statements without her permission. The shrewd politician that she is, Mayawati does not want to alienate the non-dalit voters. The BJP is conspiring to have a caste war in UP, she said. Desperate to control the damage, the BJP is planning to depute its dalit MPs, ministers and leaders to meet dalit representatives in the state. Dalits make a substantial 32 per cent of the population in Punjab. But that has not stopped them being the victims of cow vigilantism. The Akali Dal-BJP government here has been a failure in reining in the cow vigilantes and taking action against the perpetrators of hate crimes against dalits. Even in Gujarat, probably the BJP's strongest turf, the dalit discontent can alter the equations. Dalits were a Congress vote bank, but a sizeable chunk moved to the BJP after the Godhra carnage in 2002. In 2002, when they wanted to fight against the Muslims, we were considered Hindus, and now we are considered dalits, said activist Vijaysinh Parmar. In 1997, the killing of ten dalits in Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar colony in Mumbai led to the consolidation of dalits in the state against the Shiv Sena-BJP government. The alliance lost the elections two years later. The new wave of protests could spell trouble for the BJP in the upcoming civic polls in the state, negating any goodwill it earned by making dalit leader Ramdas Athavale a Union minister. Anand Teltumbde, an authority on dalit issues, said the BJP's attempt to attract dalits to its fold was with an eye on making India a Hindu Rashtra. It realised that the dalit votes were crucial in this project and began going whole hog after them, he said. It has already tried all kinds of acrobatics: coopting most dalit leaders into its fold, exhibiting its bhakti towards Ambedkar, memorialising things that he touched or set foot on. But the inherent contradictions between dalits and hindutva, he said, are defeating these efforts. The RSS rejected the idea that violence against dalits reflected on its ideology. RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha said even the worst critics of the RSS could not blame the Sangh for atrocities against dalits. For years, the RSS has been using its might to end the binary between dalits and non-dalits. There is no trace of untouchability among swayamsevaks, he said. The BJP said atrocities against dalits were on the rise even when the United Progressive Alliance was in power. If you look at the National Crime Records Bureau data, 2007 onwards, there has been an increase, said BJP leader G.V.L. Narasimha Rao. The greatest number of incidents have been reported from UP and Bihar, where the BJP is not in power. He said the Modi government had made genuine efforts to improve the lot of dalits by making the SC/ST Atrocities Act more stringent, focusing on implementation of schemes meant for dalits and encouraging dalit entrepreneurs through schemes like Make in India. Unfair treatment: Family members of the youth who were beaten in Una; (below) the four men attacked by the cow vigilantes. When it comes to dalit issues, few political parties have a straight record. Recently in Karnataka, the upper-caste Vokkaligas slapped a penalty on four dalit women for entering a temple in Sigaranahalli, in the Lok Sabha constituency of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal (Secular). The Congress government in the state and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have often been accused of being mute spectators to the widening rift between upper castes and dalits. Though the politics of the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu is inherently against upper castes, dalits seldom benefit from it. Dalits in Tamil Nadu are almost politically orphan; their assertion systemically trashed by both the DMK and AIADMK. Politically speaking, dalits in Tamil Nadu are much worse than those in Bihar and UP, said C. Lakshmanan, assistant professor at the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies. Parties like Thol. Thirumavalavans Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Dr Krishnasamys Puthiya Thamilagam, however, have started consolidating dalit votes. Being heard has always been a struggle for dalits. Now they seem to be finding a voice through different modes of protest. In Madhya Pradesh, some 50 dalit families from two villages in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans constituency wrote an application on July 22 seeking permission for euthanasia. The reason: the land allotted to them by the state government in 2002, when the Congress was in power, has not yet been given. Most dalit protests have been spontaneous, but also leaderless. The protests in Gujarat were driven by local groups. In Madhya Pradesh, a dalit group called Megh Sena was formed in January. It has 10,000 members and held a rally in Indore to protest caste discrimination and atrocities. The youth are playing an important role in the resistance, using social media to mobilise support and organise protests. Certainly, dalits are angry and this anger is going to pour out in the coming elections. The problem is, there is no alternative for them and largely for the people in electoral terms. But wherever that alternative is available, say in UP, the BJP will have slim chances of winning, said Teltumbde. Where would these protests take them to? It had the potential to force a change, said Shan Mohammed, a member of Ambedkar Students Association. Rohith Vemula belonged to this group. Rohiths demise led to different campaigns. There were student protests in Mumbai, in rural Maharashtra and in the villages of Andhra Pradesh. This is a continuation of that protest, he said. A more visible change would be the coming together of dalit groups and communist parties. Said Anant Prakash Narayan, former vice president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, JNU is known to be a communist campus. But it took up the issue of harassment and death of Vemula, an Ambedkarite, in a forceful manner. Ambedkar has become more relevant than ever before, as dalits make their voice heard against atrocities. And, as Punia says, it is a good sign. With Nandini Oza, Niranjan Takle, Ajay Uprety, Deepak Tiwari, Prathima Nandakumar, Lakshmi Subramanian and Lalita Iyer University of Wisconsin graduate students volunteer at the Simpson Street Free Press during its Summer Writing Workshop to help students edit Fun and fundraising will go hand in hand on Tuesday, August 2nd as the Five Towns will be welcoming Our Place for one of the most highly anticipated charitable events of the year. Endless barbecue, a dizzying selection of fine wines, a premium cigar bar and a virtual cornucopia of sushi will be just part of the attraction, with a competitive volleyball tournament that will have onlookers cheering for their favorites all through the night taking center stage at the event. The Ultimate Guys Night Out & Backyard Volleyball Tournament, presented by GFI Realty, will be kicking off rain or shine off at 6:30 PM at the home of Ushi & Esti Stahler in Lawrence. More than just an exciting evening with incredible food, the event is expected to draw almost 400 attendees and will raise much needed funds for Our Place, which provides a wide range of services for troubled teens including drop in centers, a 24 hour hotline, 12 step support groups, rehabilitative services and vocational and educational placements. Over the years support for Our Place has grown beyond our wildest expectations, said Rabbi Aryeh Young, director of Our Place. As the need for our services has grown we have been humbled by the generosity of our friends who have continued to come through for us time and time again, allowing us to continue providing vital services to those who come to us for help. As in previous years, the talent continues to increase and competition at the tournament is expected to be stronger than ever, explained event chairman, Asher Jungreis, with 17 participating teams joining from not only the Five Towns, but also, Manhattan, Lakewood, Queens, Brooklyn, Teaneck & Riverdale. We are truly attracting top Jewish athletes from throughout the tri-state area, Jungreis added. There are no words to express our gratitude to the many individuals and entities whose generosity allows us to continue operating, said Rabbi Young. Today more than ever, we have seen the need for having healthy outlets, productive programming and a stable environment for our young adults which keeps them from sliding into destructive habits. None of what we do could be possible without community support. Sponsors for the evening include GFI Realty Services, American Dream, MYDA Advisors, The Triple Net Group, Meridian Capital Group, Cash For My Miles, Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, the Valberg family, Gourmet Glatt, SeniorCare EMS, RME Group, Chase Abstract, the Taub family, Eden Wok New Rochelle, Junee, Franklin Group, Jet911, The Melohn Group, Junee Jr., Rosenberg and Steinmetz PC, Transport Luxury Auto, Herzog Wine Cellars and Marzipan. For more information or to register visit Our Place online at www.volleyball.OurPlaceNY.org or contact Rabbi Young at 516-512-4494 or [email protected]. The hush hush surrounding the cessation of cornflakes production of Telma (Unilever) in Israel has many wondering as the product is a mainstay in many homes and it is now missing from supermarket shelves. According to a Ynet report, the reason is a mysterious case of contamination that has forced the company to halt production and may lead to a recall. The shortage also applies to the Deli-pecan cereal. The report states the company tried to hide the problem, not even reporting to the Ministry of Health or the public, but the media has picked up on it nonetheless. An unspecified bacteria has been detected in the factory, compelling shutting down the production line. Ynet tried on several occasions to contact Telma and Unilever officials for an official response, but mum is the word. No one is talking to the press for now. Ynet health affairs correspondent Rotam Elizera tried to probe the matter via Health Ministry channels, learning Unilever is not keeping the ministry in the loop either. A company source is quoted saying thousands of boxes of cornflakes are currently being inspected to determine if they are safe and in the hope of determining the cause of the bacteria that halted production. After the story hit the media, Unilever issued the following statement: Our company regularly preforms rigorous testing of all products before they are sent to the marketplace. Sometimes, these tests result in temporary shortages of a product. However, our company never compromises on the quality and integrity of product. Of course, all the companys products, including Telma breakfast cereals, are safe for use. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Police during the night of 26 Tammuz (Sunday to Monday) operated in the PA (Palestinian Authority) village of Svechra, working with IDF troops. During a search of the village, a makeshift Karl Gustav assault rifle was found along with ammunition. The homeowner was taken into custody. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Police spokesman) Likud and Bayit Yehudi are locked in a dispute surrounding the establishment of a public broadcasting authority (PBA), an escalating dispute that may threaten the stability of the government coalition. The machlokes reportedly found a place at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday 25 Tammuz, as the new entity which was to begin at the end of the Gregorian year is now pushed off for an additional 18 months due to the actions of Minister Miri Regev and others, who feel the government must maintain an element of control over the new authority. Adopting an even more controlling approach, Minister Ofir Akunis feels that the Prime Minister should and must have final say regarding all appointments over the new public broadcasting authority. However, Bayit Yehudi leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked are far away from the opinions of their Likud colleagues, insisting the public authority must be just that, independent of government control. Bennett also feels that pushing off implementation for another 18 months will leave the journalistic community disappointed and even lead to distancing themselves from the new channel. He feels the new PBA must be totally independent of government intervention. The tensions flared and the ministers went head-to-head over other matters too, including the cabinets handling of Operation Protective Edge, which is a prominent topic again ahead of an expected State Comptrollers report on the military offensive. Bennett slammed PM Netanyahu over recent days, insisting he is lying and the cabinet never discussed Hamas terrorist tunnels as is claimed. The Prime Ministers Bureau issued a strongly-worded statement insisting the matter of the Hamas tunnel threat was indeed discussed by the cabinet numerous times, contradicting Bennett. Likud released a statement calling Bennett and Shaked The darlings of the left-wing and Noni Moses (who is the publisher of Yediot Achronot) who backs the never-ending attempts by Bennett and Shaked to harm both PM Netanyahu and Likud. Bayit Yehudi counter-attacked, accusing PM Netanyahu of firing live ammunition inside the APC (armored personnel carrier) which is the right-wing camp. He is firing again at the Right as was the case when he backed the Disengagement Plan, voting for Gush Katifs destruction read the Bayit Yehudi statement, adding This was the case with the construction freeze in Yehuda and Shomron, and surrendered to Hamas and declared his backing for a Palestinian state at Bar Ilan University referring to Mr. Netanyahus famous Bar Ilan address. PM Netanyahu on Sunday clarified his position, explaining there is a need for a media that will represent the entire political spectrum and that is why the public broadcasting authority is necessary. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Shas leader Minister Aryeh Deri accuses journalists, chareidi affairs correspondents in particular, of targeting Shas unfairly. Deri feels they are acting against Shas and working to promote the agenda of Yachad, the party headed by former Shas leader Eli Yishai. Deri spoke with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) host Razi Barkai, explaining the attack against Shas is truly unprecedented, being orchestrated by a small group of journalists. He feels that they have been against him for three years, since he returned to Shas. Deri accuses these chareidi affairs reporters of working to further Yishais agenda, a voice that is not heard at present in the cabinet. They want a different kind of Shas but they will become accustomed a bit at a time. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Machane Tzioni party leader MK Yitzchak Herzog explains that any chance of entering the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has passed and it is no longer a consideration. We have heard enough about that joke Herzog told Walla News, adding Netanyahu had a historic dramatic opportunity to create a centrist government capable of leading a true diplomatic process that compel the sides to take bold steps with the Palestinians but he preferred a narrow right-wing government. This is his problem. He explained that PM Netanyahu had an opportunity as they were discussing his party of 24 entering the coalition instead of continuing to head the opposition but Yisrael Beitenu has entered and the decision has been made and the opportunity has since passed. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A police investigation has been ongoing against two family members of Muhmad Abu Khadir, the Israeli Arab youth who was abducted from Beit Haninah and murdered by Jews in the Jerusalem Forest in 2014. Jerusalem police confirmed the ongoing investigation has led them to learn two family members of Abu Khadir appeared to be panning a revenge attack on July 2nd, which marked the second year of the murder of Muhmad. They also recovered two weapons, a Karl Gustav rifle and Kalashnikov assault rifle. The two suspects, Nasr, 19 and Mohammed, 21, were indicated in the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday, 25 Tammuz. They are residents of Shuafat. The indictment includes rioting, assaulting police, firing a weapon in a residential area, illegal possession of a weapon and arson. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Fellow Republicans are joining the rising chorus of criticism of Donald Trump for his disparagement of the bereaved parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim who was awarded a Bronze Star after he was killed in 2004 in Iraq. The roll of GOP senators publicly taking Trump to task reached at least five on Monday, including John McCain of Arizona, who said in a statement that the fact that Trump won his partys nomination doesnt give him unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said the Khans deserve our gratitude and honor; anything else is inappropriate. The other three senators, all running for re-election and distancing themselves from Trumps controversial statements, are Roy Blunt of Missouri, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rob Portman of Ohio. Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said hes dismayed by criticism of the parents, and both Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have issued statements praising Khan. Pushing back, Trump complained Monday that he had been viciously attacked by Khans father at the Democratic National Convention and in the days that have followed. Trump broke a political and societal taboo over the weekend when he criticized Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Khizr Khan did strongly criticize Trump during the convention and after, and his wife has joined in since then. Trump stoked further outrage by implying Ghazala Khan did not speak while standing alongside her husband at the convention because she is a Muslim woman. Trump tweeted Monday that Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same. He said the focus should be on radical Islamic terrorism, not the parents. Khizr Khan told CNN on Monday that We want to be out of this controversy. That is not our style, even as the couple kept up a round of TV appearances. Said his wife: My religion or my family or my culture never stopped me from saying what I want to say. I have all the rights as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter. At last weeks convention, Khizr Khan criticized Trump for proposing to freeze the entry of foreign Muslims into the U.S. and accused him of making no sacrifices for his country. On Monday, Blunt advised Trump to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether its from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton. Senators running for re-election and Senate and House leaders are concerned that the Republican nominee will damage their own campaigns. The continuing controversy risks setting back whatever progress Trump made during his convention at winning over the independent voters who will probably be key in the fall election. Yet hes repeatedly made inflammatory statements at little apparent political cost and sometimes to his benefit going back to the beginning of the campaign when he challenged the heroism of McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and branded Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. Many of his supporters have been drawn to his tendency to say the politically unthinkable. The question is whether this, finally, is a step too far. For the second time in a week, Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, issued a statement that appeared designed to put some space between the two men. The father of a Marine, Pence said Sunday that he and Trump believe Capt. Khan is a hero and his family should be cherished by every American. Last week, Pence said Russia would face serious consequences for meddling in U.S. elections at roughly the same time Trump appeared to encourage it, telling reporters he would welcome Russia unearthing emails that Clinton deleted from the private servers she used while secretary of state. Pences statement came after an afternoon of debate among his aides as to whether he should find a way to dissociate himself subtly from Trumps comments, according to a person familiar with the internal campaign conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss them publicly. At the Democratic convention, the Pakistan-born Khizr Khan told his sons story, questioned whether Trump had ever read the Constitution and said you have sacrificed nothing. During the speech, Ghazala Khan stood quietly by his side. Trump responded in an interview with ABCs This Week, saying: If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. Ghazala Khan wrote in Sundays Washington Post that she did not speak because talking about her sons death remains difficult. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry, she wrote. (AP) A Russian transport helicopter was shot down in opposition rebel territory in northern Syria on Monday and all five crew and officers on board were killed, the Kremlin said, in the deadliest single incident for the Russian military since its entrance into Syrias civil war. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province, where Russian warplanes frequently targeted rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assads forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the chopper was returning to the Russian air base on Syrias coast after delivering humanitarian goods to the city of Aleppo. But video uploaded by opposition activists showed a rocket pod next to the wreckage The helicopter had three crew members and two officers deployed with the Russian center at the Hemeimeem air base on the Syrian coast, Russian officials said. From what we know from information provided by the Defense Ministry, all those who were on the helicopter died, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman told journalists. The ministry statement released earlier said their fate was still unknown. Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Russians died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimize losses on the ground. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters both for the al-Qaida branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front and other groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assads forces. The Nusra Front announced last week that it was changing its name and relinquishing ties with al-Qaida in an attempt to undermine a potential U.S. and Russian air campaign against its fighters. The group is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. International human rights groups have repeatedly accused Russia of using cluster munitions against civilians and rebels since it began its aerial campaign in Syria last year to shore up Assads forces. Russian officials say they are fighting extremists in Syria, but have frequently targeted more moderate elements of the Syrian opposition. Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists show the burning wreckage of a Russian helicopter in footage seemingly taken in the first few moments after the helicopter crashed. In one video, a rocket pod can be seen next to the wreckage. People standing nearby are seen taking cellphone photos and shouting Allahu Akbar, or God is great in Arabic. The helicopter appears to have broken up as it crashed, its tail can be seen lying separately from the aircrafts body in flames. In other videos, the body of one purported Russian soldier is seen being dragged by the legs while an unidentified person stands on the body of another soldier, also purportedly Russian. Mondays helicopter downing was the deadliest for the Russians since Moscow began carrying out airstrikes in Syria in support of Assads forces last September. In July, two Russian airmen were killed in the central Homs province when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were Islamic State fighters. An Mi-28N helicopter gunship crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members, but the Russian military said there was no evidence it came under fire. A Russian warplane was shot down by Turkey along the Syrian border in November, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting. Earlier on Monday, a Syrian military official said that government forces repelled an attack by insurgents that was an attempt to break the siege imposed on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo. The development came a day after Syrian rebels launched the offensive to break up the governments siege of eastern, rebel-held part of the city. The U.N. estimates some 300,000 people are still trapped in the rebel section of Aleppo, with dwindling food and medical supplies. The U.N.s special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura warned on Friday that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks. Opposition activists said intense fighting was still ongoing in Aleppo on Monday. The Syrian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, did not elaborate. (AP) U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, talks about issues affecting the nation and Wisconsin's 3rd District, which he represents in Congress, during a listening session in April at the Juneau County Courthouse in Mauston. PHOTO BY KEVIN DAMASK/JUNEAU COUNTY STAR-TIMES An FBI electronics tech has pleaded guilty to funneling sensitive information to China. Kun Shan Chun entered the plea on Monday in federal court in Manhattan. The 46-year-old Chun was accused of giving a Chinese official photos of documents displayed in a restricted area of the FBIs New York office. Prosecutors say he also provided an FBI organizational chart and revealed the identity and travel plans of an FBI agent. Chun faces up to 27 months in prison at sentencing on Dec. 2. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Chinese Embassy in Washington. (AP) Government health officials warned pregnant women Monday to avoid a Zika-stricken part of Miami, after the number of people feared infected through mosquito bites in the U.S. climbed to 14. In its highly unusual and perhaps unprecedented travel warning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said expectant mothers should get tested for the virus if they have visited the neighborhood since mid-June. All 14 cases are thought to have occurred in Miamis Wynwood arts district, a trendy, fast-gentrifying neighborhood of warehouses, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked for a CDC emergency response team to help the state combat Zika, which after sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean is beginning to spread in the U.S. The White House said a team will be sent quickly. Health officials last Friday announced four cases of Zika that they believe are the first ones contracted from mosquitoes on the U.S. mainland. Ten more cases were announced Monday. Zika infections in pregnant women can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including extremely small skulls. The outbreak has led to more than 1,800 serious defects. CDC officials said they could not remember another time in the 70-year history of the agency when it told members of the public not to travel someplace in the U.S. The travel warning covers an area of about one square mile in Wynwood to the east of Interstate 95 and south of I-195. Its large enough, health officials said, to provide a buffer around the suspected hot zone. The tropical mosquito that spreads Zika travels less than 200 yards in its lifetime. Some experts said thats far too small a radius. Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical medicine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, said the CDC should be more cautious and expand the travel advisory to all of Miami-Dade County. If youre pregnant or think you might be pregnant, avoid travel to Miami, and possible elsewhere in South Florida, he said. Im guessing most women who are pregnant are doing that. I dont think theyre sitting around for the CDC to split hairs and fine-tune it to a specific area. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said the narrowly drawn warning was dictated by science and not by any concern for Floridas crucial tourism industry. He said it was based on the nations ability to contain outbreaks of other diseases carried by the same mosquito. There wouldnt be a technical or scientific basis to give a broader recommendation, Frieden said. U.S. health officials have said all along that while isolated clusters of Zika may occur in this country, they do not expect major outbreaks like those seen in Latin America, because of better sanitation and mosquito control and widespread use of air conditioners and window screens. At the same time, health officials expressed concern that they continue to see moderately high numbers of the Zika-carrying mosquito in the area, despite aggressive use of insecticides. This is a very difficult mosquito to control, Frieden said. Florida health officials said they have tested more than 200 people in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties since early July. The CDC emergency team will help Florida officials investigate the outbreak, collect samples and control mosquitoes. Of the 14 people infected, two are women and 12 are men. Eight patients showed symptoms of Zika, which can include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. The others had no symptoms. The disease is often so mild that most people dont know they are infected. We will continue to keep our residents and visitors safe utilizing constant surveillance and aggressive strategies, such as increased mosquito spraying, that have allowed our state to fight similar viruses, the governor said in a statement. (AP) Less than four years ago, the Republican Party tapped a few respected party officials to help the GOP find its way forward. This week, one of them says shes leaving the party driven out by Donald Trump. While not a household name, Sally Bradshaws decision to leave the GOP rocked those who make politics their profession. The longtime aide to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was one of the five senior Republican strategists tasked with identifying the partys shortcomings and recommending ways it could win the White House after its losing 2012 presidential campaign. Now, she says, shell vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if the race in her home state of Florida appears close come Election Day. Sally is representative of an important segment of our party, and that is college-educated women, where Donald Trump is losing by disastrous margins, said Ari Fleischer, who worked with Bradshaw on the GOP project and was a senior adviser to President George W. Bush. Trump has moved in exactly the opposite direction from our recommendations on how to make the party more inclusive. Fleischer still supports Trump over Clinton. But Bradshaw is among a group of top Republican operatives, messengers, national committee members and donors who continue to decry Trumps tactics, highlighting almost daily with three months until Election Day the rifts created by the billionaire and his takeover of the party. This past weekend, the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch (coke) told hundreds of donors that make up his political network that Trump does not embrace, nor will he fight for, free market principles. Thats one reason Kochs network, which has the deepest pockets in conservative politics, is ignoring the presidential contest this year and focusing its fundraising wealth on races for Congress. Donors and elected officials gathering at a Koch event in Colorado said they accepted the Koch brothers decision, even if it hurts the GOPs White House chances. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, among the high-profile Republicans on hand, refused to endorse Trump and referenced now defunct political parties, such as the Whigs, when asked about the health of the modern-day GOP. The party is not really what matters. Its the principles, Bevin told The Associated Press. Another of those in attendance, House Speaker Paul Ryan, didnt even mention his partys presidential nominee during his speech to the group. Yet he referenced an election he called personality contest devoid of specific goals or principles. Liberals and those on the political left are hardly fully united around Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, whose convention was interrupted on occasion by supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. But after beating Sanders in the primaries, Clinton took steps to win over Sanders and his supporters including agreeing to changes to the partys platform. Trump has shown little such inclination, pushing ahead instead with the approach and policy proposals that proved successful in the GOP primary. Among the key recommendations of the post-2014 report that Bradshaw helped write was for the party to be more inclusive to racial and ethnic minorities, specifically Latino voters. One of Trumps defining policies is his call to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, and forcibly deport the millions of people many of whom are Hispanic living in the country illegally. Bradshaw told The Associated Press her decision to change her voter registration in her home state of Florida was a personal decision, with the tipping point being Trumps criticism of the Muslim mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq in 2004. In an email to CNN, Bradshaw wrote that the GOP was at a crossroads and have nominated a total narcissist a misogynist a bigot. Her decision to leave the party isnt a good sign, given the role shes played at the national level with the RNC and the high esteem in which shes held, said Virginia Republican Chris Jankowski, among the nations leading GOP legislative campaign strategists. Another member of the panel that examined Mitt Romneys 2012 loss is Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committee member from Mississippi. In a message to the AP, he joined the many Republicans who called on Trump to apologize to the family of the late Capt. Humayun Khan, a suggestion the billionaire has rejected to date. Like Fleischer, he does not plan to follow Bradshaw out of the party, but insisted that Trump must work harder to unify it. If we are to gain anything by this, Donald Trump must show he wants to unite Americans so he can win in November and the best way to do this would be to apologize, Barbour said. Theres no excuse, particularly for his comments about Mrs. Khan. (AP) The Knesset on Monday 26 Tammuz passed the amendment to the education law and as a result, chareidi schools that receive state funding are no longer compelled to teach math and English. It is pointed out that in essence, nothing is changing since that law was set to go into effect in the future so in the schools, nothing has change. It is also pointed out that while the government no longer compels them to teach math and English, schools such as Chinuch Atzmai, that teach secular subjects, will continue doing so. The vote in Knesset passed by a 41 to 28 margin. Yesh Atid feels that the Ministry of Education should link state aid to teaching core subjects, primarily math and English. The Education Vaad of Degel Hatorah published a notice in chareidi newspapers informing the tzibur that nothing is changing regarding the curriculum of talmidim in affiliated schools. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The children of Rabbi Miki Mark HYD, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting near Otniel a month ago, visited the kever of their father on Monday 26 Tammuz to mark the shloshim. They children asked reporters to get their message out to the world, that their father was murdered in a terrorist attack and one of the terrorists was a member of the PA (Palestinian Authority) law enforcement community. The second terrorist, a known Hamas affiliate who was imprisoned and released by Israel in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal. They explained on the one hand, PA leader Abu Mazen is presented as a peace broker while he heads a terrorist organization. This is the reality they explain, as was proven in the past. The PA leadership is made up of representatives of Hamas who wish to kill Israelis. The children further explain that the PA continues to indoctrinate its young one with a philosophy of attacking and murdering Jews and the State of Israel, calling on the State of Israel To strike these families in a strong painful fashion towards making certain the message gets out, that the price of terror will be high, and it will not be worthwhile. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) NYPD Commissioner William Bratton announced his resignation on Tuesday and will be replaced by Chief of Department James ONeill. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Brattons resignation at City Hall on Tuesday. James ONeill, currently the Chief of Department, will be taking over as the new commissioner. We will never forget or fail to honor the achievements of Bill Bratton, de Blasio said. He and I have developed an intense bond over these last 31 months and I am happy for the future. Bratton said he was leaving with reluctance. I wish I had more time, chronologically, to stay around for three or four years to work on the issues that are going to take that long to straighten out, he said. I dont have that type of time. He said he received an offer in the private sector that for him and his wife is extraordinarily exciting. Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, issued a statement saying Bratton is finally doing what is right for the members of the NYPD and the people of New York City. We wish him well and look forward to a new direction for the NYPD, he said. De Blasio said he has tremendous faith in ONeill as the citys next police commissioner. ONeill burns with a passion to keep making things better, to keep finding the next innovation and he is going to be an extraordinary leader for this department, de Blasio said, adding ONeill is ready to take this department where its never been before in terms of a truly deep and consistent bond between police and community. De Blasio said ONeill has been the architect of the departments neighborhood policing program, which works to strengthen the relationship between police and the community. He said the program would be in place in 51 precincts by the fall. Housing Chief Carlos Gomez will succeed ONeill as Chief of Department. ONeill has held the departments highest uniformed position since November 2014. (AP) [COMMUNICATED CONTENT] On Wednesday, August 10,2016 Shema Kolainu Hear Our Voices, a school and center for Children with Autism, will host their Annual Legislative Breakfast at the Renaissance Ballroom located at 5902 14th in Brooklyn, New York at 8:30 AM. Established in 1998, by Dr. Joshua Weinstein when it opened its doors to three young school children the first school and center of its kind, today, close to a thousand children benefit from Shema Kolainus center and home based services and programs in home and center based programs to children on the autism spectrum in all 5 boroughs of NYC. Founder and CEO Dr. Joshua Weinstein declared, This is a remarkable feat accomplished only with Hashems help. Dr. Weinstein will open the program offering a warm welcome to all champions of Autism advocates. The Annual Shema Kolainu legislative breakfast is hosted annually to educate legislators about the urgency of Autism care and research, raise support and awareness and share ideas about working toward combating Autism through effective public policy and legislation. Communal, civic and religious leaders, philanthropists, and elected officials will be participating to pay tribute to several outstanding public officials for their role in furthering the mission of Shema Kolainu. Several outstanding officials and communal leaders will be honored for their proven dedication to increasing educational opportunities for children with Autism spectrum disorders. They are: NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio who oversees the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Health + Hospitals, Human Resources Administration who will be presented with the City Leadership Award in recognition of her her outstanding commitment to the most vulnerable in our citys population. Dr. Alan Kadish who as President of Touro College and University System heads the nations largest Jewish-sponsored institution of higher education. More than 18,000 students study at 32 schools in four countries. One of the leading educators of healthcare professionals in the U.S., Touros graduates pursue careers in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, occupational, physical and speech therapy and more. Dr. Kadish has expressed his commitment to families touched by autism through Touros multi-faceted Autism Center and through ongoing education of health professionals to serve the needs of patients with autism. Shema Kolainu is grateful to Dr. Kadish for his commitment to their mission to enhance the quality of life of children with autism and their families. Greetings will be heard from NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. As is already a tradition at the Shema Kolainu breakfast, Menachem Lubinsky, CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting and Kalman Yeger Esq. will be masters of ceremonies. To RSVP contact The Friedlander Group by email: [email protected] By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times PROBLEMS WITH INSECTS Believe it or not, there are three different areas in which Halacha and pineapples intersect. These areas have to do with insects, the laws of Orlah, and the bracha that is recited on them. The first issue is one that, perhaps unbeknown to the average consumer is a huge halachic problem. INSECTS We will begin with insects. Mites or other insects can be found in three different areas of the pineapple. They can be found on the crown and on the leaves of the crown. These leaves are often infested with curly white worms. Mites can also be found on the outside of the pineapple. Originally, party planners at various Jewish simchas would often use the pineapple skins to garnish fruit platters. However, it was soon discovered that mites which had originated from the outside of the pineapple skin actually got into the cut up fruit. Upon discovery of this problem, most of the party planners agreed to refrain from decorating fruit platters with pineapple skins. The mites enter the pineapple from the outside and often worm their way into the blossom cups of the pineapple. Indeed, since the blossom cups extend into the flesh of the pineapple, they are technically within the pineapple itself. The brown spots on the outside of a cut-up pineapple may often have mites. This can present a problem if careful attention is not paid as to how the pineapple is cut up. Dole pineapple juice, for instance, when checked with a mesh cloth will more often than not will reveal mites. Individuals who cut up pineapples should make sure that no part of the blossom cup remains on any pineapple slice and that they rinse off the cutting board after the blossom cups have been cut off. This author was told that when many of the kosher agencies became aware of this, they made changes to how the pineapple was processed in the companies in which they supervise. PACKING IN PINEAPPLE JUICE Dole and Del Monte brands pack their slices in 100 percent pineapple juice. Many of the Jewish companies instead packed their canned pineapple in sugar water. The reason for this, it seems, was because the juice would often have mites. There are two ways that companies produce juice from pineapples. They will either take the entire pineapple, peel and all, and use enzymes to remove even more juice from the fruit. A second method is that they take out the center core and get juice out of it. Ungers, under the New Square Kashrus Council, only made production where the second process was used. However, this too proved to have mite infestations. To address this issue, the New Square Kashrus Council decided to substitute the pineapple juice with a syrup made of sugar, water and citric acid. That was done in January of 2015. They were the first Kashrus agency to require this. MITE PROBLEM NOT ELIMINATED WITH SYRUP According to Rabbi Wagshal, administrator of New Square Kashrus Council, although substituting syrup for pineapple juice did address much of the problem, the problem was not entirely eliminated. New Square checked one hundred cans of the pineapple cans produced under their supervision. They found three mites in the hundred cans. Although technically there is a rationale that this is not considered miyut hamatzui, New Square felt that it was not ideal. Their first and last product was in January of 2015. The New Square Kashrus Council now does have a system as to how to produce mite-free pineapples, but the company is getting back to them as to how much the requested additional machinery to rinse the cut up pineapples will cost, and whether it would justify the outlay. It should be noted that if one does wish to avoid mites, pineapple juice should be avoided and the slices and or chunks should be washed from any pineapple juice. For those canned pineapples in syrup, there still may be mites in 3% or so of them. Each person should consult his own Posaik as to what to do. IS THERE A PROBLEM OF ORLAH? The second halachic issue has to do with Orlah. The first three years of a trees fruits are called Orlah and are forbidden to be eaten. We may also not derive benefit from them. The laws of Orlah apply in Chutz Laaretz, and we rule that it they even apply to the fruit trees of a gentile. There is a concept that when we have a doubt in Chutz LaAretz in regard to Orlah we are lenient. However, regarding pineapples, it is well near impossible for the fruits not to come from the first three years. But lets go back for a little history. The pineapple is originally a product of South America, and did not exist in Jewish communities in the times of the Rishonim. In 1493, Columbus found it on the island of Guadalope and brought it back to Europe. One of its properties was that it protected sailors against scurvy. The Jewish sailors on Columbus ships were probably the first Jews to encounter it. They were probably the first to decide whether it was a tree or a bush. The pineapple plant is a herbaceous perennial. That means that it is not woody, and the plant dies down to the ground every year, but has roots in the bottom that make the plant rise again. That issue is not a moot point, however, as this halachic issue is being presented to Poskim by a Lakewood based Talmid Chochom. There are essentially two sources in the Talmud that deal with the issue of how we define a tree. In Brachos 40a, the Gemorah deals with one issue. The Tosefta in Klayim (3:13) states that when its leaves stem from its trunk, it is a vegetable and when its leaves do not it is considered a tree. The Rosh (as explained by the Bach) is of the opinion that if its trunk exists in the ground from year to year and its leaves do not come from the trunk it is halachically considered a tree. The Ramah (Siman 303) is of the opinion that a plant is only considered a tree when its trunk is above the ground from year to year, but if it is below the ground it would be considered a vegetable. This is based upon the opinions of the Gaonim. The opinion of Rav Hai Gaon is that if its branches last from year to year, it is considered a tree, and if not, it is considered a bush or vegetable. The Chayei Odom (51:7 see Nishmas Adam as well) writes that anything that remains from the trunk from year to year is considered a tree. The Rambams view as well seems to have pineapples as emanating from a tree. There are a few factors, however, that can make the case that it is a vegetable one cited in the Birchei Yoseph (YD 294 quoting the Maharam Alshich) that if the quality of the fruit reduces significantly as the tree continues to grow then it is considered a vegetable. Rav Shlomo Zalman Revach from Eretz Yisroel concludes that it is a vegetable for this reason (See Chelkas HaSadeh Vol. I Orlah #15). When the issue was presented before Rav Hershel Schachter of the OU, he responded that the Chazon Ish (Orlah 12:3) held that if the tree does not live beyond the fourth year in Chutz LaAretz, and that if it produces fruits in the first year, and that if the quality of the fruit reduces significantly as the tree continues to grow in Chutz LaAretz we are lenient. It is this authors understanding that the issue is still before other Gedolei HaPoskim. Hopefully, we will have their opinions shortly. BRACHOS The issue of whether to recite a HaAdama or a HaEitz would be dependant upon the conclusion to the previous section, but we know that if one recites a HaAdama on a fruit of a tree one has fulfilled the blessing as well (see SA 206). The question is, however, is it preferable to have a different vegetable in which one would recite a HaAdama instead of doing so on the pineapple? The Birchei Yoseph and the Shaages Aryeh both indicate that if there is another HaAdama present than that is preferable. The author can be reached at [email protected] The seventh volume of Not Your Usual Halacha has just been released. The authors books can be purchased at amazon.com Theresa May better act fast otherwise her promise to outlaw or take a critical look at foreign takeovers will be a waste of time. There will be nothing left to sell. Top of the list for intervention, after the Hinkley nuclear delay, should be Softbanks 24billion bid for Britains chip-design champion ARM. Selling would be a terrible betrayal of Britains investment in a high-tech future. It looks as if the other mega-deal on the horizon, the Deutsche Boerse merger of equals with the London Stock Exchange, may be losing momentum fast after the reluctant approval of Frankfurt investors. But there is other worrying stuff ahead. Challenge: Theresa May better act fast otherwise her promise to outlaw or take a critical look at foreign takeovers will be a waste of time Qatars stake building in IAG, the owner of British Airways, could lead to the UK ceding effective control to a Gulf state. The US Committee on Foreign Investment would have a fit if Qatar, a supporter of Hamas regime in Gaza, were to come anywhere near one of its major carriers. Further down the pecking order the maker of iconic Raspberry Pi computer Premier Farnell has been bid for by US electronics rival Avnet, having gazumped an earlier offer from Switzerlands Daetwyler Holdings. Another technology innovator joins all those already sold, including software writers Logica and Misys and Mike Lynchs Autonomy that was chewed up and spat out by Hewlett Packard. As for creative Britain, one of its glittering jewels Pinewood Studios, home of the Bond franchise, Star Wars and the Carry On films, is about to fall into the hands of US-owned private equity firm Venus Grafton Sarl. The price may seem irresistible but selling the very stage where Harrison Ford nearly came to a nasty end on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is treasonable. Pity the late Carry On matron Hattie Jacques wasnt there to cushion the fall. Downing Street needs to get a move on before our tech, financial and cultural champions are defenestrated and skills, patents and corporation taxes are denuded yet again. Green mail The ugly spat between Sir Philip Green and the chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Frank Field is unedifying. Green should know better than to challenge Field, who is regarded as a saint in the Commons for the tremendous work he has done on pensions and welfare reform over the decades. It is a pity that Field allowed himself to be drawn into a tit-for-tat row with Green and engaged in harsh rhetoric, calling Green evil. Similarly Green should have been restrained by his expensive army of advisers from outrageously accusing a Commons panel, which took thousands of pages of evidence, from being a kangaroo court. It comes as no surprise that MPs are continuing their inquiries into Green, his informal advisers Goldman Sachs on the BHS deal and the long-standing relationship between Goldman and the Green family. It was inevitable that Lady Tina, as the ultimate owner of so many of the Green assets, would be drawn closer into the affair as the complexities of Greens business empire and its tax status came under closer scrutiny. The biggest ongoing concern are the arrangements to keep the BHS pension fund afloat with its 571million buyout solvent. None of this is an academic matter for the 20,000 former employees and retirees who after a lifetime of saving rightly are fearful about the future. Green claims to be negotiating in good faith, but if that were the case he would have put funds into escrow with a chosen custodian months ago when it was clear BHS was heading into administration and wind-up. You cannot bargain with peoples lives as if you are flogging lampshades in a street market. Greens idea that he can simply float away on his yacht the Lionheart if people are not nice to him is a fantasy. As the former recent owner of BHS, he cannot do so. There have been a number of cases, such as Carrington Wire, where the owners have been forced to cough up after a Section 89 notice has been served. The regulator has the powers to take matters to the courts if necessary to force payment. Authoritative sources suggest that Green could be in for a bill of 200million-300million if the matter is to be settled. The King of the High Street still has to make arrangements to properly fund the Arcadia pension fund where the buyout costs have been put as high as 190million. This is a big number and after the BHS affair one can understand why employees from senior executives downwards might be nervous. Greens unfulfilled pledges, threats and the like are unconscionable. He should stop the cruising, put his shirt top back and do the decent thing without delay. Sour taste If anyone ever tells you UK ownership doesnt matter, ask the National Farmers Union. German dairy processor Muller scooped up UK quoted Robert Wiseman dairies in 2012 and Dairy Crest milk production in 2015 with no one saying moo to a cow. Now the NFU is complaining that at a time of rising milk prices Muller has put September prices on hold depriving large numbers of its 1,900 farmer suppliers of income after two desperate years in the doldrums. Trinity boss Simon Fox says the company's focus is on digital PROFITS SOAR Trinity Mirror shares have jumped after the group reported soaring profits and a 10million share buyback. The publisher of the Daily Mirror and Sunday People made 45.2million in pre-tax profits in the six months to July 3, compared to 12.1million a year earlier. Revenues rose nearly 30 per cent to 374.7million and debts were nearly halved from 92.9million to 44.9million. It was helped by the acquisition of Local World in October, and it expects to deliver 12million in savings by 2017. Trinity Mirror announced a dividend hike of 5 per cent to 2.1p per share, and said it would buy back stock worth 10million to reflect its confidence in its cash flow and generate returns for shareholders. Trinity Mirrors strong performance came despite the failure of its New Day publication, which launched in February but folded after 10 weeks. Other challenges faced include its pensions deficit of 426million and its bill to settle claims against the company for phone hacking, for which it has set aside 41million. Shares rose 6.3 per cent, or 4.75p to 79.75p. SOLAR SCHEME Electric car maker Tesla launched an agreed 1.97billion bid for Americas SolarCity, which makes solar panels. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has ambitious plans for carbon-free energy and cars. By combining the two firms Musk thinks there will be savings in manufacturing costs. Tesla will have to tap investors for more cash to fund the deal. TREATMENT BOOST Health tech company Allied Minds has been given the go ahead for clinical trials for treatments for diseases causing blindness. The SciFluor division of the firm will test eye drops for patients with conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. Shares fell 2.4 per cent, or 8.9p to 361.4p. TECH DEAL RedstoneConnect has agreed a 12million contract for its tech service. The AIM-listed firm specialises in so-called smart buildings, which links different systems such as heating, lighting and security to each other over the internet. The contract will run over five years with an un-named financial institution. Shares rose 7.1 per cent, or 0.1p to 1.5p. CURRY FAVOUR Indian bank Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) has issued the worlds first masala bond in London, raising 30billion rupees (340million) in the process. Senior swung up on a strong update that saw revenues at the engineering solutions firm rise 4 per cent to 450.5million in the first six months of the year, although operating profit fell 24 per cent to 37.5million. The firm said trading in its emissions control products division, Flexonics, was subdued and there were no signs of recovery yet. It is focusing on cost cutting including reducing staff numbers and directing production to its more competitive locations such as Mexico and Malaysia. But the aerospace division is doing well and the firm said it expects a stronger second half of the year. It also announced an interim dividend of 1.95p a share, up 6 per cent on last year. Troubled: Senior said trading in its emissions control products division, Flexonics, was subdued and there were no signs of recovery yet The upbeat update pushed shares up 9.8 per cent, or 20p to 224.9p. Ferrexpo soared after revealing it had made the final repayment on its 318.2million finance facility. It has been paying back the loan for 24 months. Shares climbed 16.8 per cent, or 7.75p to 53.75p. But Keller Group, which specialises in foundations and piling, tumbled. While revenue climbed 12 per cent to 849.7million in the six months to June 30, operating profit fell 6 per cent to 35.6million. Keller said it was on track to deliver its medium-term objectives but that performance in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia had been disappointing. Brokers Peel Hunt cut the shares from a buy and shaved 90p off its target price for the stock to 1140p. STOCK WATCH - AVACTA Avacta provides services to help with biotech research and development. Yesterday the firm climbed on positive preliminary results for the year to July 31. It is developing Affimer, a protein used in diagnosis and treatment for various conditions. Avacta is focused on blood clotting disorders and oncology. These are all at a pre-clinical stage but they aim to be a more effective alternative to antibodies. Revenues had grown 19 per cent to 2.15million in the year, but losses are likely to be around 4.5million. Shares climbed 2.4 per cent, or 2p to 86.5p. Keller acquired two firms in the six months; Brazilian contractor Tecnogeo for 11.8m, and the assets and certain liabilities of Australian marine construction business Smithbridge for 1.8million. Shares fell 10.7 per cent, or 109p to 910p. Meanwhile, the taste for takeovers continues. A deal for plastic products firm RPC Group to merge with British Polythene Industries, which was announced in June, has gone through ahead of schedule. In July some 99.9 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the deal just 17 voted against it. Investors in British Polythene will receive 470p in cash for each share they own as well as 0.6 of a new RPC share, which will start trading today. RPC said in June that the acquisition was an opportunity for it to enter the polythene films market in Europe through an established firm. RPC shares slipped 0.8 per cent, or 6.5p to 856.5p. Security risk management firm Red24 climbed as it was revealed iJet was in preliminary discussions to potentially make an offer for the business. IJet, which is also involved in risk management, has until August 29 to either announce a firm intention to make an offer or declare that it does not want to. Red24 rallied 22.9 per cent, or 4.75p to 25.5p. Back on the FTSE 100 (down 0.45 per cent, or 30.48 points to 6693.95) miners took the top spots. Anglo American advanced 2.2 per cent, or 18.3p to 848.8p as RBC raised its rating on the stock, while BHP Billiton boomed 2 per cent, or 18.6p to 963.3p despite the oil price slipping slightly to $42.11 a barrel. Associated British Foods, the firm behind Twinings Tea and Primark, climbed as Deutsche Bank upped its rating to a buy. It also added 200p to its target price to the stock to 3200p. Shares gained 1.7pc, or 46p to 2737p. Intertek, which provides testing and certification services, was one of the days big fallers. Thats despite the firm reporting that revenues had risen 13.6 per cent to 1.2billion, and pre-tax profit had leapt 7.3 per cent to 149.2million in the first half of the year. The company also said it doesnt believe Brexit will impact on its growth opportunities, with 92 per cent of its revenues coming from outside the UK last year. Investors are set for an interim dividend of 19.4p a share, some 14.1 per cent ahead of a year ago. Spencer Black: The best and the worst of political platforms A 90-year-old widow is facing a 177,750 bill to pay off the mortgage on her home, which was worth just 22,500 when it was taken out in 1989. The sickening contract will be triggered the moment she decides to move home, landing her with a bill that will see her mortgage provider Barclays pocket a 690 per cent profit. After losing her husband last year, Mrs T is now living alone in their three-bedroom semi-detached family home in Essex. However because of the contract they signed 27 years ago, it is unlikely that she will ever be able to afford to downsize. Mr and Mrs T were among tens of thousands of homeowners who signed up to this type of mortgage in the 1980s. Known as a shared appreciation mortgage, no interest is charged, but instead the lender grabs a percentage of any future uplift in the value of the home when it is sold. Worrying: The sums involved in shared appreciation mortgages can often be very high indeed (posed by model) This type of mortgage has been completely withdrawn now but thousands of homeowners who took them out in the 1990s are still tied into them. Mr and Mrs T signed away a 69 per cent share of any increase in the value of their family home; some loans involved giving away as much as a 75 per cent share. When the loan was agreed, Mr and Mrs T's house was valued at 95,000. It is now worth 320,000, which means Barclays' share of the uplift is worth around 155,250, which when added to the loan value of 22,500 is 177,750. Barclays insists that the contract stands because the product was not missold; borrowers had to obtain independent legal advice about the terms of the mortgage before signing. If house prices hadn't risen so dramatically, the sum to be repaid would have been considerably lower. However, arguably when the mortgages were signed, few could have foreseen the phenomenal rise in house prices that Britain has seen over the past two decades. Mrs T's son got in touch with This is Money after he discovered details of the mortgage while helping his mother to sort out her finances following her husband's death. 'My blood ran cold when I found out,' he said. 'I can't deny they signed the contract but I know that my mum had no idea what she was signing and my dad would be horrified if he'd lived to see my mum forced to pay this amount of money. DO YOU OR YOUR PARENTS HAVE ONE OF THESE MORTGAGES? Please get in touch; we'd love to hear from you. sarah.davidson@thisismoney.co.uk I'm really worried that she isn't going to be left with enough to live on when she sells. She's going to have to downsize at some point but the cash left over once she's paid off Barclays isn't going to buy her another home mortgage-free. She's 90 - if Barclays hold her to this, it's just horrifying.' He added: 'My parents had no idea what they were signing with Barclays they told me at the time theyd taken a bit out of the house just to have some cash, but not to worry as thered be plenty left over for me and my sister.' To make matters worse, Mrs T's late husband, a war hero decorated for his service on Russian convoys in WWII, worked as a warehouseman for the Radio Times and had his pension raided by Robert Maxwell the media tycoon who took millions of pounds from his own companies pension funds. My dad was worried about money because he'd lost his pension to Robert Maxwell and it was in his local Barclays branch that one of the clerks told him about the loan Mrs T's son adds: 'My dad was worried about money because he'd lost his pension to Robert Maxwell and it was in his local Barclays branch that one of the clerks told him about the loan - he would never have known about it had this guy not put the idea into his head. 'And even worse, my parents didn't even spend the money they took out - they just wanted it there for peace of mind.' Kelvin MacKenzie, founder of consumer action site A Spokesman Said, has slammed the banks for failing to renegotiate the terms of these loans and called for compensation to be paid to those affected. He said: 'The fact that these vile mortgages were ever dreamt up in the first place is an utter scandal. And the thousands of people who still have these deals at usurious rates should be compensated by the banks that marketed them. HOW MUCH?! THE SUMS INVOLVED IN SHARED APPRECIATION LOANS The owner of a 200,000 house in 1998 would sign up to a SAM and be given 50,000 cash. If that house were sold in 2014 for 600,000, the owner would be required to hand over 350,000 to redeem the mortgage. So: Sale price: 600,000 House value when SAM taken out: 200,000 Increase in value: 400,000 75% of increase in value: 300,000 Original loan: 50,000 Total repayable: 350,000 (a return for the bank of 600%) 'They were primarily sold to people, most of them elderly, who had no idea they would lose most of the value of their homes. The banks preyed on peoples trust and naivety. 'As things stand, if someone has lost nearly all of their only asset, then its all of us taxpayers who will pay for their care when they need it. All so the banks can trouser these outrageous returns.' How do shared appreciation mortgages work? Shared appreciation mortgages were pioneered in the 1980s, when mortgage regulation was a lot looser than it is today. Bank of Scotland and Barclays both offered homeowners the option to release a cash sum worth up to 25 per cent of the value of their home interest-free. The catch was that when the property was sold, the loan would have to be repaid in full plus up to an eye-watering 75 per cent of any uplift in value of the property. The banks say they had no way of knowing house prices would experience such stellar rises over the past three decades. House prices in the UK have risen by an average of 232 per cent since 1989. On the flipside, had there been little or no uplift in value then less would be owed when the property was sold. What did Barclays have to say? Explaining its shared appreciate mortgage policy generally, Barclays said it recognised at the time of agreements being made that they 'would not be suitable for everyone' and therefore ensured that: The mortgage seller was required to explain the mortgage to the customer and evidence this by completing a confirmation of discussion form, a copy of which was given to the customer Confirmation was required from the customers solicitor or legal adviser that they had obtained independent legal advice about the terms of the mortgage This complied with and exceeded the bank's obligations under the mortgage code. In relation to Mrs T's case, it added: 'Barclays took extensive legal advice and counsel relating to all aspects of the shared appreciation mortgage scheme, including the contents of the brochure promoting it. Against this background, we are satisfied that the brochure was accurate and did not result in any misselling of this product.' Barclays and Bank of Scotland both offered shared appreciation mortgages Complaints procedure The mortgages were sold in a very different time, when mortgage regulation was much more relaxed and banks not subject to the code of ethics that bind them today. The same mortgages would not be sold today. However mortgages taken out before regulation was tightened up in 2004 are not subject to the new rules, even if the loans are still outstanding today. Mr T's son believes his parents did not realise the implications of taking a shared appreciation mortgage. If this is the case, there would normally be grounds for complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service and possible recompense. However the ombudsman does not have authority to consider complaints concerning products taken out before 2004. The fact that these vile mortgages were ever dreamt up in the first place is an utter scandal. The thousands of people who still have these deals at usurious rates should be compensated Banks do have something called voluntary jurisdiction, which means the ombudsman can be given special permission to look at complaints against mortgage sales made before 2004. Under those circumstances, the ombudsman might be able to take on the case but, just to confuse things, both of the banks that sold shared appreciation mortgages did so using smaller subsidiaries that were unlinked to the main business. A spokesman from the ombudsman said: 'We dont expect customers to navigate this, so if anyones unsure they should get in touch and well check the Financial Conduct Authoritys database to work out if we can help. 'The sums involved in shared appreciation mortgages can often be very high indeed especially if youre planning on using the money from selling your house to downsize. 'The complaints the ombudsman receives about these products tend to arise after some time has passed since the original sale and often at distressing times, like the death of a partner or the homeowner finding their situation has changed and they need more help and support. 'We also hear a number of complaints from family who werent aware or dispute the fact that their relatives agreed to what they were taking out.' It is for exactly this reason that these products are now far more heavily regulated and indeed no lender now offers shared appreciation mortgages - not that this helps those carrying the burden already. Borrowers left bereft of help Bank of Scotland says it 'actively tries to assist customers claiming financial hardship'. It said: 'For customers who feel trapped in an unsuitable property, we can help them move to a more suitable property that they have found. For those customers who contact us experiencing financial difficulties and are looking to downsize, we may be able to offer a supplemental mortgage to add to their equity to enable them to buy a modest home in their target area. In other cases where the customer does not want to move but are having mobility issues such as getting up or down stairs, we may be able to provide them with a grant for a stair lift.' Barclays meanwhile set up a hardship scheme in 2007, under which it will give customers a loan or grant to fix, for example, a broken roof. But it was too little too late for many who took these loans. The Shared Appreciation Mortgages Action Group was set up in 2009 by a law firm to fight for redress for affected borrowers, raising 1.5million for a class action. They won the support of a judge who agreed the case should be heard but the banks appealed and the case never made it to court, leaving the complainants owing millions in their banks' legal costs. A 540million world-leading medical research centre is to be built in Hertfordshire in a partnership between GlaxoSmithKline and Google. The facility will pioneer treatments in bioelectronics, where small devices are implanted in a patient to monitor and change electrical nerve signals in the body. These typically can be used to target illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma. The joint venture, called Galvani Bioelectronics, will be based in Stevenage with a second research hub in San Francisco. Medical boost: GlaxoSmithKline is joining forces with a unit of Google's parent firm Alphabet to invest 540 million into a joint venture with headquarters in the UK It will be owned 55 per cent by Glaxo and 45 per cent by Verily, the life sciences division of Googles parent company, Alphabet, and will employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. The partnership has been hailed as a major boost to the UKs science and technology industry, which is renowned as a world leader for innovation. It is also a boost for the country following the controversy of recent takeover attempts where overseas buyers tried to buy British tech pioneers such as ARM Holdings and Premier Farnell. GOOGLE'S MEDICAL IDEAS Contact lenses for diabetics to check their glucose levels. A spoon for people with hand tremors. A major project to collect genetic information to create a picture of a healthy human. Health-tracking and disease-detecting wristbands. Advancements in surgical robotics in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Kris Famm, Glaxos head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said: We have had really promising results in animal tests, where weve shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism. Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years. The implants will consist of an electronic collar that wraps around nerves and could be submitted for regulatory approval by 2023. The first devices will be around the size of a medical pill to be inserted via keyhole surgery, but the aim is to eventually make them as small as a grain of rice. Electrical impulses have been used to treat serious health conditions in the past, using methods such as pacemakers for heart problems and, more recently, deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinsons disease and severe depression. Pioneering treatments: An artist's impression of a close up of a bioelectronic implant 'cuff' wrapped around a bundle of nerves Last year EnteroMedics won US approval for a device to help obese people control their appetite. But Galvani will explore new territory by shrinking the technology down to the size of a pill. These implants will coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. The venture is named after 18th century Italian scientist Luigi Galvani who led the field of bioelectricity when he discovered that he could make the leg of a dead frog twitch using electricity. His findings led to the invention of the voltaic pile, the first electric battery, by Alessandro Volta in 1800. The company will be chaired by Moncef Slaoui, Glaxos head of vaccines. Although Slaoui is retiring from Glaxo next March, he will continue to steer Galvani. The venture marks Glaxos second big investment in the UK since the vote to leave the EU, following an announcement last week that it will spend 275million on drug manufacturing. A Baraboo native has written a movie script for the first time, and chose for her topic well, the first time. Kara Hakanson is raising money to produce fifteen, a coming-of-age comedy. The independent short delivers a realistic and comedic story of a girl losing her virginity. Like the experience itself, the script is real and funny and awkward. In addition to writing the film, Hakanson will act in it and serve as producer. Shooting is set to begin Aug. 22. An online fundraising drive seeks to raise $16,500. I have to wear so many hats, she said. To L.A. and back Hakanson graduated from Baraboo High School in 2011 and attended the University of Minnesota, where she planned to study journalism. But she found herself disillusioned with her studies, and wistful for her days acting back home at the Al. Ringling Theatre. She dropped out of college to pursue film, serving an internship with a Twin Cities film festival and working on student television projects. In time Hakanson felt if she was serious about an acting career, she needed to head for Los Angeles. I just decided, I need to move out to L.A., she said. I didnt know if I was going to come back or not. The aspiring actress couch-hopped with friends of friends at first, and ended up staying out west for a year-and-a-half. In that time, she learned acting is a tough racket, especially for an average looking woman. Hakanson quickly tired of reading for the role of the lead characters best friend or the girl next door. Eating cereal for dinner every night was no picnic, either. I was really tired of having $20 in my checking account all the time, she said. Seeds of inspiration Hakanson was dismayed by the types of roles available to women in Hollywood. She followed advice of people inside the industry, who told her to write roles for herself. Last April, Hakanson started writing fifteen, a process that took a year. I came back with that attitude and that drive, she said. This was a story I needed to get out. Last October she returned to the University of Minnesota, where shes studying film and laying the groundwork for producing her movie. Hakanson also holds down two part-time jobs. This can prove challenging, as she has learned being an independent filmmaker is itself a full-time job. Its one thing to dream about being an actor or a filmmaker, but its another thing to do it, Hakanson said. You really, really, really have to love it if you do it. Getting feedback Hakanson handed her script to many people, inside the film industry and out, over the past year. They praised her for creating a unique and realistic take on the loss of innocence, told from a female perspective. People laugh, which is good, she said. So far, fifteen has raised 15 percent of its goal, with less than a week to go for the online fundraising drive. Hakanson has approached many contacts for donations, including her high school teachers. You really become appreciative of other people, of their help, she said. She hopes fifteen will help launch a career that will allow her to write scripts that provide a healthy representation of women. She vows to hire women in her film crews. Im hoping this film will get out to as many people as possible, Hakanson said. She also hopes to prove artists dont have to leave the Midwest to make movies. People who want to move out to L.A.: You might not have to, Hakanson said. Just to let you know. A Baraboo man convicted in 1994 of manipulating a young woman into non-consensual sex on more than a dozen occasions will be released from prison this month. Walter E. Cline has served only 20 years of a 30-year sentence for sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman 14 times over a three-year period. However, the 59-year-old inmate must be released later this month because of an old state law. I want to be clear that the mandatory release date is based on the judgment of conviction provided by the sentencing court, said Wisconsin Department of Corrections spokesman Tristan Cook. DOC has no discretion to unilaterally change his release date. That authority rests with a court. Under old sentencing laws, Cook said, the DOC was required to release individuals once they had completed two-thirds of their sentence, which would be 20 years for a 30-year sentence. Wisconsin lawmakers have since adopted Truth in Sentencing, under which offenders are sentenced to a term of prison time followed by a period of community supervision. However, that law only applies to felonies committed on or after Dec. 31, 1999. The old law applies to Clines sentence. He was released for a short time on community supervision in 2012 and tracked with a global positioning unit. However, his probation was revoked because he was found to have viewed pornography on a computer and started a Facebook account without approval from his probation officer. Cline was sent back to prison at that time. But his mandatory release date Aug. 16, according to the DOC. He will be living in the Baraboo area. Case was unusual The young woman who made allegations against Cline said she came forward after years of mistreatment because she just broke down. She alleged that Cline who moved to Baraboo from Arkansas started out by trying to touch her inappropriately, and that his actions progressed from there. One night, the woman said, Cline offered her a soda. She drank it, but later became sick and lost consciousness. The woman later learned that Cline had taken nude photos of her while she was unconscious. Authorities said Cline later used those photos against her, threatening to show them to her boyfriend if she didnt perform sexual favors. Prosecutors said Cline forced entry to the womans home on multiple occasions and forced her to perform sexual acts on him, even using a knife to threaten her. Cline allegedly photographed and recorded non-consensual sexual encounters with the woman on more than 100 occasions. Investigators uncovered evidence of the nude photos Cline had taken, as well as audio and video recordings of the assaults. The case went to trail in September 1994. Cline testified that the woman posed for the photos because she wanted to act like a model, according to an article in the Baraboo News Republic. His attorney told jurors the woman made up the story to conceal her affair with Cline. He called her a liar and a manipulator. According to a newspaper account, the jury took just 45 minutes to convict Cline in what was described as one of the most unusual sexual assault cases to come through the Sauk County court system in recent years. Six years later, while serving prison time, Cline was convicted of peeping into staff bathrooms at the Waupun Correctional Institution to observe female guards. He was sentenced to an additional 30 days in prison. He appealed both convictions, but lost. Notice to precede release Cline may be released prior to Aug. 16. However, information about his exact release date and where he will be living were not available from the DOC on Monday. Baraboo Police Chief Mark Schauf said his department will notify the public prior to Clines release, as required by state law. Cook said Cline will again be placed on community supervision, and his location will be tracked at all times. He also will have to maintain regular contact with local law enforcement. Our big priority here is rehabilitating the offender, but also public safety, Cook said. He will be placed on GPS monitoring. He will be on community supervision. Cline is a lifetime registered sex offender. Use of information in Wisconsins sex offender registry to threaten, harass or intimidate a registered sex offender is illegal. Based on new information received in a 27-year-old cold case, Kenosha County officials on Thursday plan to exhume the body of an unidentified baby found dead in 1989. According to a release from the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, investigators received new information about the incident roughly a year ago and reopened the homicide investigation. Trappers found the male infant, who had been born alive, below the Des Plaines River Bridge near highways 45 and N in the Town of Paris on Nov. 9, 1989. The detectives working the case have developed a person of interest, according to the release. With permission of cemetery officials, investigators plan to exhume the body, buried at St. John's Cemetery in Randall, in order to obtain DNA evidence. The case was "periodically reviewed" along with other cold cases over the years, according to the release. The Sheriff's Department, the Kenosha County Medical Examiner's Office and representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will attend the exhumation at the cemetery, located at 9900 336th Ave. in southwest Kenosha County. 1989 account paints chilling picture The Sheriff's Department also provided the original 1989 news release about the infant's death. The sheriff at the time, Allan K. Kehl, made a "personal appeal" to Kenosha citizens regarding the infant's killing. "This baby boy was discarded under the bridge like so much garbage," Kehl wrote. "This baby boy, once alive at birth, now lies cold and lifeless with no name or history, deprived of life by someone who would not or could not care for this child." Kehl called for "members and associates of the medical profession" to help assist his department in the release. He also asked citizens to contact the department if they knew of a "neighbor, coworker, or anyone" who was pregnant, due to deliver at about the time of the infant's discovery and no longer had their child. "Our intention is to locate the mother of this child to complete our investigation and to insure that another child will not grow for nine months and be allowed to experience life for a brief moment and then spend eternity cold and nameless," Kehl wrote. Sheriff's officials did not indicate whether the person of interest identified by detectives is related to the infant. JUNEAU A 27-year-old former Waupun man was found guilty Monday of charges related to the sexual assault of a 3-year-old boy. Robert J. Moungey entered no contest pleas to a felony count of party to a crime of first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 12 and two felony counts of possession of child pornography. As part of the plea agreement, seven other counts of possession of child pornography were dismissed but read into the record. Dodge County Circuit Court Judge John Storck said that under state statute the sexual assault charge carried a minimum of 25 years of initial confinement. Stork also revoked Moungeys bail and ordered that he remain in Dodge County Jail until his sentencing on Oct. 4. Moungeys wife, Cassandra J. Scheuers, 26, Waupun, also is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 12. She could face up to 60 years in prison. Moungey also is facing one felony charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13 and one charge of child sexual exploitation in Green Lake County. According to the criminal complaint, deputies were contacted to check the welfare of Scheuers on May 27, 2015, but found she was at the Waupun Police Department. According to the criminal complaint, Scheuers reported that she saw Moungey on a laptop computer with young naked girls displayed on the screen. She also said Moungey had shown her a video of him sexually assaulting a 1-year-old girl. Scheuers said that on one occasion, Moungey had tied a 3-year-old boy up to a bed with a restraint system used for bondage. Moungey asked her to sexually assault the boy, and she did so while the he took pictures. Scheuers said Moungey contacted her and sent her one of the photos via a message. She said he told her she could face the same criminal charges as he might face. According to the criminal complaint, Scheuers told police she assaulted the toddler because she was worried that Moungey would hurt her. The restraint system was taken to the Waupun Police Station. A detective was granted a search warrant and was able to retrieve a laptop and an external hard drive. Scheuers gave permission for the equipment to be taken. The electronic equipment was taken to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations in Madison. A computer forensic analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation discovered 16 movies and 473 images containing child pornography on the computer and external hard drive. The analyst said that some of the still photos showed what they believed to be Moungey having sexual relations with a 1- or 2-year-old child. The photos analyzed showed a number of different child victims ranging in age, gender and nationality. Many of the child victims were believed to be 5 or younger. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By William Lewis In presidential elections every four years, it appears that most voters vote mainly for the presidential candidate and have little interest in the vice presidential candidate. That may be true up to a point, but in some national elections vice presidential candidates can make a difference in the election results. In the presidential race in 1988, incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush lost the election to Democrat Bill Clinton. If Bush had had a different candidate for vice president than Dan Quayle, he might have been re-elected to a second term as president. Quayle during his four years as vice president from 1989 to 1993 was involved in various controversies and did not seem to be a very effective leader. In 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. It would seem that she hurt the ticket more than she helped it. McCain might have had a better chance against Barack Obama if Sarah Palin had not been on the ticket. Most presidential candidates choose running mates based on their ability to immediately assume the office of president, if necessary. That is what Obama indicated when he chose Sen. Joe Biden to run for vice president. Recently Hillary Clinton gave as her most important reason for choosing a running mate, the ability of the candidate to immediately step in and assume the presidential office if necessary. Republican Donald Trump cited as a major consideration for choosing a vice presidential candidate, Mike Pences knowledge and experience in the federal government. Vice presidents are also chosen on the basis of which area of our country they come from to give the ticket a geographical balance. When we look back into the history of vice presidential selections, it can be said that the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson then becoming president hurt the reconstruction effort after the Civil War. Lincoln would have been far more effective in dealing with the problems after the Civil War than Johnson. It is usually accepted that Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, who became president due to the assassination of President William McKinley, proved to be a very successful president after moving up to the presidency in 1901. We can only wonder if John F. Kennedy had not been assassinated, whether he would have handled the Vietnam War much more effectively than President Lyndon Johnson. Johnson had assumed the presidency after the death of Kennedy. The vice presidency is a very important office. That is especially true when the vice president becomes president. The vice president has few official duties. The president usually assigns the vice president responsibilities. In recent years the vice president has spent a lot of time on foreign policy matters. The vice presidency has become a crucial office and will remain so during the 21st century. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Gina Martinez Chun Man Tse of Flushing has died following an assault 10 days ago that left him unresponsive, police said Monday. The 68-year-old man was found unconscious July 22, when police arrived at 45-15 Colden St. He succumbed to his injuries and died Saturday, police said. State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) planned to hold a news conference Tuesday to talk about Tse and his family. Cleaman Anderson, 44, of Flushing, has been arrested in connection with his death and charged with assault of an elderly person over the age of 65, police said. According to the criminal complaint filed by the Queens district attorney, video surveillance shows Anderson approaching Tse and striking him in the head, causing him to fall on the ground. When police arrived on the scene, they found Tse on the ground bleeding from the mouth, unable to communicate and with a swollen eye, according to prosecutors. Tse was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition, police said. He sustained a fractured skull, frontal and temporal contusions and swelling and bleeding from the brain, prosecutors said. Anderson admitted to prosecutors that he was involved in a collision with Tses car, the criminal complaint said. He claims Tse grabbed his sisters arm and when she pulled away and Anderson approached Tse, he made a fake maneuver and fell to the ground on his own, according to complaint. Mayor Paul Soglin is floating the idea of the city taking over the soon-to-be-vacant Oscar Mayer property on the East Side as long as city taxpayers dont have to pay for it. Soglin told the Wisconsin State Journal the Oscar Mayer buildings could be demolished and the site cleaned up, with the help of federal funds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers cleanup grants but only if the land is publicly held, Soglin said. The city should consider the possibility of acquiring the 72-acre property at 910 Mayer Ave., just off Packers and Commercial avenues, the mayor said. It is an option. We wouldnt pay for it. It would have to be given to us, he added, in a brief interview Monday. Kraft Heinz Oscar Mayers parent company since Kraft Foods merged with H.J. Heinz in July 2015 announced last November that Madisons Kraft and Oscar Mayer operations will end in early 2017. Oscar Mayer has been processing meat in Madison since 1919, including hot dogs, thinly sliced turkey and ham, and a wide variety of lunch meats. At its peak in the 1970s, the plant employed more than 4,000; when the closing announcement came, there were about 1,000 Kraft and Oscar Mayer employees left in Madison. Kraft Heinz said it would pursue a buyer for the property, which includes an eight-story office and meat-processing building. Asked if the corporation has received any offers, if a deadline has been set for proposals or if donating the property to the city might be considered, Kraft Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen said, in an email, Kraft Heinz has no comment. Soglin met Monday with city, state and business representatives to discuss the pending shutdown. They agreed to look closely at steps that other communities have taken after large employers have left, and to see what resources are available to prepare the site for redevelopment. It would cost an estimated $10 million to $20 million to tear down the buildings and conduct an environmental cleanup of the property, said Natalie Erdman, director of city planning, community and economic development. Erdman said its premature for the city to decide what might be done with the land. Lots of people have lots of ideas, Erdman said. The parcel is still owned by Kraft Heinz (which has) a broker who is actively marketing the site. So they are in control. Erdman said Kraft Heinz has not asked the city for any rezoning or other land use changes, at this point. Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce president Zach Brandon, who also attended the meeting, said finding one tenant to take over the sprawling property with its aging buildings would be like finding a needle in a haystack. As for the possibility of a city acquisition, he said, No one in the room was opposed to the city taking possession of the parcel, with some caveats, such as demolishing the buildings. I dont want to take any creative opportunity off the table, but keeping the option open for the city (to take over the property) is a smart idea, Brandon said. He said the best use of the land is for employment, as part of a larger East Side corridor that could extend as far as the Dane County Regional Airport on International Lane. The Oscar Mayer site is historically, a linchpin parcel that could become home to businesses in the burgeoning health care and health information fields in the Madison area, Brandon said. These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them Phoenix Nuclear Labs has received two one-year contracts with the U.S. Army valued at a total of $3.6 million. In a $2.6 million contract, the Monona company will build an advanced neutron radiography system to detect defective munitions. A variety of weapons will be checked, such as grenades, artillery shells and missiles, as well as their components, down to the chemical explosive charges used to activate ejection seats in fighter planes, said Phoenix Nuclear Labs spokesman Evan Sengbusch. This will be a third-generation system, Sengbusch said, and will be the first such system to be installed in a munitions production facility. Phoenix Nuclear Labs has not been told where it will be located. The company also is getting $1 million to further develop technology called NEMESIS, or Neutron-Emitting Mobile Explosives Sensing and Identification System. Its designed to detect mobile explosives from a large distance. Founded in 2005, Phoenix Nuclear Labs has received more than $8 million in Department of Defense contracts so far. The company has 25 full-time and six part-time employees. SHARE By John Ingle of the Times Record News Mixed opinions abound on a ride share company rolling into town. Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Tride is requesting the Wichita Falls City Council reconsider its "Vehicles for Hire" city ordinance to authorize a rideshare company to operate within the city. The council will consider whether to allow it with regulations including fingerprints for background checks, or allow it without regulations. The company indicated in its letter that it would like to be operating here before Hotter'N Hell Hundred weekend, which is the last weekend of August. John Burruss, director of Aviation, Traffic and Transportation for the city, said he thinks having another option for people in Wichita Falls is another layer of transportation for residents. He said he also understands the side of taxi companies, especially if the Tride is held to less regulatory standards than local cab businesses. "There are good arguments to be made in either direction," he said. "My biggest concern, and I'm going to speak openly about this tomorrow (Tuesday), is I think there should be some type of background check on any type of (rideshare) drivers. We do that for the taxicab companies, of course." Burruss said people accessing Sheppard Air Force Base, for example, go through a background check. Any vehicle-for-hire business serving Wichita Falls is going to be serving the base, too, and will need the background check. He said the fingerprint and background check requirement is what is preventing Uber from coming to Wichita Falls. Kevin Callahan, president of Skylark Taxi since 2005, said his concern is if the councilors will make special concessions for existing taxi companies if Tride is able to operate without regulation. "In order to be a viable operation, to give one company special benefits, which part of this ordinance might do, I think they would have to look at doing that for everyone," he said. "You have to keep a level playing field." Tride's letter to the council indicates that the company and drivers carry high levels of auto insurances coverage; they don't use "surge pricing" or "prime-time pricing" at the rate that competitors do, suggesting competitors can charge more than five times the regular rate at peak times; and they are in favor of having their drivers fingerprints taken for the purpose of a background. However, the company indicates it would like to "conduct our background check, then allow the driver to complete the background check within the first 30 days" because "the nature of this business being a part time way to earn extra income and some people may do one ride and realize it isn't what they want to do." Callahan said while Skylark has used a mobile application in the past, the Wichita Falls company would rather talk to customers from the onset instead of no communication until pickup. He said he is also very concerned about credit and debit card security when it comes to the mobile apps and protecting his customers. Callahan said he has an account with Uber, another rideshare company, and has used their services in Dallas, New York and Las Vegas and has used taxicab companies in various places and talks to the drivers of both to learn more about the industry. "What I've found in every place I go is normal rates are very competitive," he said. "Uber, Lyft, every one of these that I've seen some will, a lot of times, double their rates at night when they say that they're busy, whereas cab companies don't ever do that." Callahan explained that taxi rates are set by the city council and companies can choose to operate below or at that rate, but they can't go above the rate at any time for any circumstance. He said they have and will continue to offer lower rates for Sheppard airmen as well as economically challenged people who otherwise wouldn't have a way to get to work. Burruss said it typically takes 30 days for an ordinance to go into effect after it is passed by council, but the council would also have the option of making it effective immediately. He said he expects there to be a lengthy discussion on the matter during Tuesday morning's council meeting. The meeting will be at Ray Clymer Exhibit Hall while council chambers continue to be remodeled. SHARE Cook was charged with criminal solicitation-murder for remuneration.. By Times Record News A Seymour man was arrested and charged in an alleged plot to have someone killed. Justin Lee Cook, 22, was arrested in Wichita Falls on Friday. An investigation was conducted by the Baylor County Sheriff's Office, Seymour Police and the Texas Rangers. According to Seymour Police, the agencies received electronic and video information that Cook was attempting to pay for the killing of his former girlfriend and a person involved with the ex-girlfriend. The arrest was done by Department of Public Safety officers and a Texas Ranger after surveillance of Cook showed him getting money to pay for the killing. Cook was jailed in Wichita County on charges of criminal solicitation-murder for remuneration. His bail was set at $250,000, and he remained in jail Monday. The Baylor County Banner contributed to this report. By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News The city of Wichita Falls has ruled out three theories developed during its investigation into the July deaths of two city workers at a wastewater treatment plant, a city official said Monday. Elevated hydrogen sulfide levels at the plant are thought to have caused the deaths of maintenance employees Daniel Arrendondo and David Sheppard last month, but city investigators have not yet determined what caused the buildup of toxic gas that killed them. Documents obtained by the Times Record News through a state open records request reveal that city investigators initially pursued three theories as possible explanations: an influx of sulfur into the plant from an industrial company, the introduction of a biofuel product known as glycerine and construction activity in the area. None of those lines of inquiry have panned out thus far, said Russel Schreiber, the city's director of public works. "All three of these have been eliminated as the cause of the elevated (hydrogen sulfide) concentrations," Schreiber said. "We are conducting additional testing with the guidance of (an engineer) to determine if this an uncommon occurrence or if it is the norm for our wastewater." City of Wichita Falls; Inter-Office Memorandum, Pt. 1 On July 2, Arredondo and Sheppard were conducting repairs on a pipe valve that was leaking sewage when they inhaled lethal amounts of a poisonous gas known as hydrogen sulfide. Neither man was wearing a breathing mask or air tank when found unconscious by first responders. Both died after being taken from the scene by ambulance. A report initially released by the city indicated it was "unusual" for hydrogen sulfide gas to rise to lethal levels inside that area of the plant. Shortly after the deaths, the city launched an inter-departmental investigation with several lines of inquiry. Documents show city officials hypothesized that an influx of sulfur from an industrial company may have been to blame, but no companies were identified as having large enough sulfur discharges to cause the workers' deaths. Then an investigator with the city's Risk Management Department interviewed Harold Burris, wastewater collection/treatment superintendent, who said that the city had recently begun allowing "production companies" to dump the chemical byproduct of biodiesel production at the plant. The chemical, glycerin, was being dumped into the wastewater system by a tanker truck the day Arredondo and Sheppard died. City of Wichita Falls; Inter-Office Memorandum, Pt. 2 "This project began two weeks prior to the incident, and is common practice among Texas municipalities," the investigator wrote, paraphrasing his conversation with Burris. "The production companies use municipal wastewater treatment plants to dispose of the glycerine and it is easily broken down by the bacteria present in the wastewater treatment process." Burris also noted, however, that the chemical is introduced into the plant in such a way that it is not brought into contact with the pipe Arredondo and Sheppard were repairing. Schreiber, the city's public works director, also expressed doubt that glycerine could have produced the gas. He later was proven right after a probe was conducted by Frisco-based engineering company Freese and Nichols Engineering. Another theory that was explored: whether ongoing construction at the plant resulted in elevated hydrogen sulfide levels. Archer Western, an Atlanta-based construction company, won a $16 million bid early this year to amend the chemical matrix at the plant and make other improvements. The work is being done as part of a larger project to push effluent wastewater from the treatment plant to Lake Arrowhead. The company initially was asked to cease pushing water from the work site to the plant during the investigation, but the work also proved to be unconnected to the deaths. Without any definitive answers, the city's investigation continues. Here's what to know as the annual dove hunting season approaches FILE - This undated file image posted on a militant website on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), now called the Islamic State group, marching in Raqqa, Syria. The Islamic State group has killed dozens of its own members over the past weeks in a hunt for spies and informants after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes hit a number of high-level jihadis. (Militant Website via AP, File) SHARE "At some point there is going to be a terrorist diaspora out of Syria like we've never seen before. Not all of the Islamic State killers are going to die on the battlefield." FBI Director James Comey, July 27, 2016 A French teen slits the throat of an elderly priest in France. Islamic State claims credit. A truck driver barrels over hundreds of men, women and children celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. Islamic State claims credit. Gunmen rampage through a nightclub in Orlando, and a health center in San Bernardino, bombs explode at airports in Brussels and Istanbul, a car bomb in Baghdad kills more than 180, a suicide bomber in Ansbach, Germany, wounds 15 The stomach-churning headlines come in rapid-fire bursts now. Behind them all, the same terror inspiration: Islamic State. Chilling thought: Last week, FBI Director James Comey said the worst could be yet to come when the U.S. and its allies crush Islamic State in its self-anointed caliphate in Iraq and Syria. When, not if. The defeat of Islamic State could disperse hundreds of fighters to the West, including the U.S., Comey says. The scale of the potential threat is "an order of magnitude greater than anything we've seen before." Is Comey suggesting that America and its allies go easy on Islamic State to prevent the dispersal of defeated terrorists? Not at all. It's logical to expect that Islamic State will ramp up attacks as it loses territory to a U.S.-led coalition. But Islamic State won't be appeased or contained if its enemies back off. It won't hesitate to inspire and launch more terror attacks against the U.S. and its allies. Islamic State would use any respite to grow stronger, to threaten more of Iraq and Syria, to spur even greater conflict in the Middle East. That's why this page has urged America and its allies to squeeze harder on Islamic State. Help Iraqi forces and other allies capture the key Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, Islamic State's de facto capital, and Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Some encouraging developments: NATO is muscling up its anti-terrorism forces, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg writes in The Wall Street Journal. That includes training more Iraqi officers and providing logistical, strategic and intelligence support across the region to fight Islamic State. On Thursday came reports that the U.S. is poring over a huge trove of intelligence about Islamic State fighters who have trekked into Syria and Iraq and, in some cases, returned home. That could help Western security forces blunt some future attacks, whether in Europe, America or elsewhere. After the truck rampage in France, the U.S. and Russia agreed to cooperate militarily to end the Syrian civil war. We'll see if that is more than a diplomatic feint by Russian President Vladimir Putin: Is he serious about ramping up the fight against Islamic State? Putin has reason to help crush Islamic State after terrorists bombed a Russian jetliner out of the sky last year. He knows, too, that the terrorist suicide bombers who attacked the Istanbul airport in June reportedly came from Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Close enough to home, Vlad? The U.S. coalition has a better shot at prevailing over Islamic State with Russian help, or at least without Russian interference. Islamic State gains its credibility by battlefield successes, by the territory its fighters hold, the numbers of people they terrorize, the brutality they inflict on the weak and innocent. If the U.S. and its allies extinguish Islamic State, the terror inspiration flickers out. A terrorist diaspora is a terrible possibility to contemplate. But far worse is a rising Islamic State, inspiring more savagery against civilians across the West. Comey calls violence directed or inspired by Islamic State "the greatest threat to the physical safety of Americans today." That may be an exaggeration particularly to people in some of Chicago's violence-wracked neighborhoods. But imagine how much greater the threat if Islamic State thrives, expands its vicious reach. If a terrorist diaspora is the price of victory, then let's make it as small as possible and as soon as possible. Chicago Tribune File-Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) SHARE Marvin White, Wichita Falls To assume what a person will do or not do is left only to the imagination. Sen. Cruz pledged his support to any candidate who was the winner of the primary, and again I will stress the point, that if you are not a man/woman of your word, what else will you lie about? At one time in history, a word, a handshake or a pledge meant something. As you can see, in today's political arena, it means nothing. Too bad that this is now our United States of America. John Kashich did not show up at the convention, so what he did or did not do is on him. He did not blatantly speak at the convention. Ted Cruz represented Texas, and true Texans are not like that. Well, at least I hope not. Two people were killed Monday in a house fire in Vernon County that burned the house nearly to the ground, officials said. The Sheriffs Office said firefighters were searching for the two victims, whose identities have not been released pending notification of family. The fire, at a house off of Valley Avenue in the town of Forest, was first reported at 6:53 a.m. Monday by a passing motorist. The two citizens reported a fully engulfed structure fire that was almost burned to the ground, Sheriff John Spears said. Firefighters from Hillsboro and La Farge, EMS from Hillsboro, the Wisconsin Fire Marshals Office and Vernon County Emergency Management and the Coroners Office were at the scene. The investigation into the fire is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Vernon County Sheriffs Office at 800-637-2123 or 608-637-2124. Detroit Tesla wants to put its car and energy storage businesses under one solar-powered roof. Tesla said Monday it will buy solar panel maker SolarCity Corp. in an all-stock deal worth $2.6 billion. The deal must still be approved by the government and shareholders at both companies. Thirteen-year-old Tesla makes two luxury vehicles the Model S sedan and Model X SUV as well as Powerwall and Powerpack energy storage units for homes and businesses. The company said Monday the SolarCity deal would create a one-stop shop for cleaner energy. With one service call, customers could get their solar panels installed and connected to a Powerwall, which preserves energy for later use. Users could also get the system hooked up to chargers for one of Tesla's vehicles. "This is really all part of solving the sustainable energy problem," said Elon Musk, the chairman and biggest shareholder of both companies. But some have questioned the wisdom of the deal, which combines two money-losing companies that already have a lot on their plates. Tesla is working feverishly on its new, lower-cost Model 3 sedan, which is due out by the end of next year, as well as pickups, electric buses and semi-trucks. It's in the midst of building one of the world's largest factories in Nevada to make batteries. And it's under investigation by the government after the semi-autonomous Autopilot system in its Model S failed to prevent a fatal crash in Florida. Ten-year-old SolarCity is the top provider of residential solar panels in the U.S., and installs about one-fifth of all commercial solar panels. But the company said Monday that it experienced lower-than-expected residential bookings in the first half of the year, so it's reducing its full-year guidance for megawatts installed. Others have questioned the conflicts of interest in the deal. Musk owns a 26 percent stake in Tesla Motors Inc., based in Palo Alto, Calif., and a 22.5 percent stake in SolarCity Corp., based in nearby San Mateo, Calif. Musk's cousins, Lyndon Rive and Peter Rive, run SolarCity. Glens Falls The Hyde Collection has received a gift of artwork and cash valued at $11 million from a Schenectady architect who is donating his entire collection to the museum. The Hyde will build a new 1,500-square-foot exhibition space, to be called the Feibes & Schmitt Gallery, that will be dedicated exclusively to the display of modern and contemporary paintings, prints and sculpture. It is projected to open by next summer. "This is transformational for the museum," said its director, Erin Coe. The gift, which more than doubles the Hyde's holdings of modern art, is from Werner Feibes, 86, who last year gave the Hyde 55 artworks from a collection he assembled over more than half a century with his partner in work and life, the late James Schmitt. The men, a couple for 65 years, were the principals of a Schenectady architectural firm that designed many public buildings, including the city's police headquarters and the main branch of the county public library. The men have no children or heirs. They were married in March 2013, two months before Schmitt died at age 87. The new gift comprises 105 works worth an estimated $10 million, mostly paintings and works on paper, with about 50 sculptures as well. Coe said the Feibes-Schmitt collection is especially strong in works by the late Spencertown artist Ellsworth Kelly, a longtime friend of the couple, who designed the studio adjacent to his home. Other postwar art luminaries represented in the collection, which focuses on nonobjective art, pop art, abstract art and minimalism, are Jean Arp, Grace Hartigan, Keith Haring, Sol LeWitt, Robert Motherwell, George Rickey, Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg and David Smith. "Jim Schmitt and I always considered art as ideas expressed through a visual medium," Feibes said in a statement released by the museum. "For more than four decades, we collected these ideas, and it gives me great pleasure to share them with the Hyde and with the public." The gift of art and $1 million in cash, as well as the plan for the new gallery, will be officially unveiled Wednesday during a ceremony at the Hyde. It is the museum's biggest donation since Charlotte Pruyn Hyde bequeathed her home and art collection to establish the institution in 1952. Coe said the gift is also believed to be one of the largest to any Capital Region arts institution in more than a decade. The Feibes & Schmitt Gallery will be built within the existing museum, carved out of what is now storage space behind the Charles R. Wood Gallery, the Hyde's largest exhibition space. The new gallery's inaugural show next summer will showcase highlights of the Feibes-Schmitt collection, and the Wood gallery will offer a complementary exhibit of Kelly works, Coe said. Feibes and Schmitt "assembled their collection very carefully and with fine judgment," Paul Turner, professor of art emeritus at Stanford University, told the Times Union when last year's gift was announced. "The works are of superb quality ... and their personal friendship with several of the artists also gives their collection a distinctive character." Feibes and Schmitt's relationship with the Hyde began in 2003, when they loaned artwork around which the museum built the show "(Form)ation." Schmitt became a member of the Hyde's collections committee, a position he held until his death. Feibes often accompanied Schmitt to committee meetings, Coe said, and he was considered an unofficial member. Feibes, who was traveling Monday and unavailable for comment, said in a statement provided by the museum that although he and Schmitt loaned pieces from their collection to major metropolitan museums many times over the decades, and representatives of those museums had approached the couple about donating, they preferred to give their works to a smaller institution. "At the Hyde we could make a difference," he said. "We also felt that the Hyde was in need of a larger emphasis on modern and contemporary art, and we had the ability to make that happen." Feibes, who as a child fled the Nazis in his native Germany with his family, met Schmitt, a native of Erie, Pa., and a World War II veteran, at the University of Cincinnati, where both were students. Their mutual interest in modern architecture led them to abstract and other nonrepresentational artwork, and the collecting bug bit them in the 1950s. At one point, Feibes told the Times Union last year, he fretted to Schmitt that they were buying too much art. "What else are we going to do with our money?" Schmitt replied. "Invest in stocks and bonds and look at certificates? That's no fun." After living with their collection in the home in Schenectady's historic Stockade district that he and Schmitt bought in 1956, Feibes said he is ready to pass it on. "We believed that you really cannot own art," he said in the statement provided by the museum. "We are simply custodians of these acquisitions. ... The Hydes set an example by sharing their art with the public. Now ... it is time to continue that sharing and to bring the sharing up to date with modern and contemporary art." sbarnes@timesunion.com 518-454-5489 @Tablehopping http://facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic ALBANY A Canandaigua man was indicted Thursday on charges that he threatened to commit a mass shooting at the Stratton VA Medical Center. According to the indictment, Robert J. Seifert, 58, made phone calls on June 15, threatening to kill a Veterans Affairs police officer, "kill everybody at the Albany VA," and go to the Stratton VA Medical Center "with my Uzi and ... start shooting people up." COLONIE An Albany woman was arrested for allegedly have her two children in the car when she drove two men with a "large amount of heroin" and half-gram of cocaine each, town police said. Police said they stopped Robin Lynn Emory, 36, for driving without her lights at 1:19 a.m. Thursday on Troy-Schenectady Road and Utica Avenue. WATERFORD Workers at the Momentive Performance Materials silicones factory in Waterford are voting Tuesday and Wednesday to OK a potential strike after union leaders rejected the company's contract offer. The IUE-CWA and the company have been in talks since early June on a new three year deal. The company gave the union its "last, best and final" offer on July 22, a proposal union officials rejected. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Troy The city launched its effort to raze 10 buildings and partially demolish another when contractors on Tuesday tore down 3 Cragin Ave. The kickoff for the demolition was delayed when the contractor didn't have the paperwork necessary to raze the fire-damaged two-story building. After about an hour's delay, the paperwork arrived and Provincial Contracting Services sent its equipment in to raze the building. The former residence twisted and shuddered as it was ripped to pieces. Mayor Patrick Madden said the city and Troy Community Land Bank are working together to battle blight. The number of derelict buildings have mounted in the North Central neighborhood, the city's poorest. "It will send a message to the neighborhood that we hear their complaints," Madden said. The demolition "will be a real morale booster." Alan Miller, who lives next door at 1 Cragin Ave., said his spirits were lifted. "I'm very excited," he said. The streets as a whole is going to be a better neighborhood." The house was deemed too dangerous for firefighters to enter in case of a fire. Miller thanked Madden for moving ahead with the demolition program. The other buildings slated for demolition are 47 Glen Ave., 16 Cragin Ave., 790 River St., 102 W. Glen Ave., 326 First St., 1029 Sixth Ave., 76 Tyler St., 2518 Fifth Ave. and 186 Hill St. There will be a partial rear demolition at 791 River St. PSC is razing six buildings for $132,000, according to the city. The total price for demolitions is about $242,000, the city said. A tanker truck carrying about 3,000 gallons of liquid asphalt overturned and spilled on Highway 14 in Rock County Monday afternoon, closing the highway for about five hours so crews could clean up the spill. The crash happened at about 5:00 p.m. at the Highway 14 intersection with South Van Allen Road in the town of LaPrairie, just east of Janesville, the Sheriff's Office said. Owen Budd, 45, of Beloit, was driving the semi-tanker truck north on Van Allen Road and was trying to make a right turn onto Highway 14, when the rear wheels of the tanker went into the ditch at the corner, causing the tanker to overturn, taking the cab with it. Budd suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mercy Hospital in Janesville. The asphalt spilled into the ditch, so Rock County Emergency Management and the Department of Natural Resources were notified of the spill. Traffic was rerouted since Highway 14 was closed between Highway O and Milton-Shopiere Road for over five hours, so crews could right the truck and tanker and remove the spilled asphalt. No citations were issued and there was no indication that any of the asphalt got into a waterway. Washington Sen. John McCain sharply criticized Donald Trump's comments about the family of a fallen Muslim Army captain, a rebuke that provided an opening for other vulnerable Republican senators to do the same, even though they all stopped short of rescinding their endorsements of him. "While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," McCain, a war hero whose service and capture in Vietnam were also once derided by Trump, said in a remarkable and lengthy rebuke of his party's presidential nominee. Within an hour, other embattled Republican senators offered their own condemnations. They were soon joined by President Barack Obama, who chastised Trump without naming him, and the head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Brian Duffy. Duffy said his organization would not "tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression." Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., whose husband is a veteran of the Iraq War and who is fighting to win a second term, said Monday that she was "appalled" by Trump's comments. A spokeswoman for Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, also weighed in, as did Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. They denounced Trump's words but did not reverse their endorsements. "I remember how much I worried about my son Matt during his years of active duty," said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. "The Khans have made the greatest possible sacrifice for our country; they deserve to be heard and respected." Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, told The Des Moines Register: "Mr. Trump's comments are not in line with my own beliefs about how the members of the military and their families should be treated." Despite the intensifying criticism from Republican Party leaders, Trump on Monday showed no sign of relenting in his clash with the Khan family. Trump on Monday continued to criticize Khizr Khan, whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. Trump complained that Khizr Khan had become a ubiquitous presence in the media since his Thursday address at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in which he excoriated the Republican presidential nominee. "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same," Trump wrote on Twitter. In a second post Trump said the campaign should be focused on terrorism. "This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S.," he wrote. "Get smart!" At a town hall gathering Monday in Columbus, Ohio, Trump did not mention the Khans but said of veterans, "I know the vets. I think I have tremendous supports with the vets." Even as pressure increased from establishment Republicans who have been calling for repudiation of Trump, neither House Speaker Paul D. Ryan nor Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has pulled his support for Trump's candidacy. They offered statements Sunday in support of the Khan family, but did not mention Trump by name. For congressional Republicans, Trump's inflammatory remarks are a vexing challenge. On one hand, they want to distance themselves just enough to try to grab support from voters of both parties who do not intend to vote for Trump but may split their tickets. But they do not want to outright flip on their prior endorsements of Trump because they need his supporters' votes to win, too. "These candidates have refused to walk the tightrope the media creates and have instead forged their own path, with their own views and sentiments about an agenda for the future," said Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff, who now works as a Republican consultant. "By defining the race on their own terms, they have reminded voters they have a senator who is looking out for their interests regardless of how they may feel about the presidential nominees." Republican leaders believe they need to continue to support Trump, if only to provide cover for the party's candidates up for re-election. Republicans struggle to name policy positions of Trump that they prefer to those of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, but they often settle on their fear of the type of justices a President Clinton would name to the Supreme Court. Said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. "I certainly am concerned about that, too, and I know it will cause some people to ignore or justify statements he has made that for many of us raises concerns." McCain is the embodiment of the internal conflict Republican candidates face. Reverence for the military has been at the core of McCain's career and he has a close allegiance to families of those killed in conflict. "I wear a bracelet bearing the name of a fallen hero, Matthew Stanley, which his mother, Lynn, gave me in 2007 at a town hall meeting in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire," McCain wrote. "His memory and the memory of our great leaders deserve better from me." "Make no mistake: I do not valorize our military out of some unfamiliar instinct," he wrote. "I grew up in a military family, and have my own record of service, and have stayed closely engaged with our armed forces throughout my public career." He added: "I claim no moral superiority over Donald Trump. I have a long and well-known public and private record for which I will have to answer at the Final Judgment, and I repose my hope in the promise of mercy and the moderation of age. I challenge the nominee to set the example for what our country can and should represent." Meanwhile, Trump postponed his Thursday appearance in Plattsburgh, according to a tweet from Plattsburgh Press-Republican Editor Lois Clermont, who attributed the city's mayor, who cited a scheduling conflict. Albany Lauding the nine-state cap-and-trade emissions program as good for business and the environment, 45 New York companies and investors are asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to double the yearly reduction of carbon emission allowances to 5 percent after 2020. In a letter that will be sent Tuesday to the nine governors whose states participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, investors and companies ask Cuomo and the other governors to endorse a 5 percent annual decrease in CO2 emissions allowances, which is double the current yearly reduction, between 2015 and 2020. The letter is signed by 31 companies, including such prominent names as Gap, The North Face, Clif Bar, IKEA North American Services, Levi Strauss, Staples and Unilever. The second letter is from 14 investment organizations that manage a combined $35 billion in assets. "We hold investments across many sectors of the economy and see the value of clean energy policies in helping companies and investors grow profits, save money, and mitigate the risks posed by climate change," the investors wrote. RGGI "has been good for business and good for the region, but its work has just begun," the letter said. Anne Kelly is the senior policy director at Ceres, a nonprofit organization that works with companies and investors to advocate for sustainable business practices, and she reached out to the companies and investors who ultimately signed the letters. "Cap-and-trade works when you lower the cap," Kelly said. "That's vital. That's how you keep making progress." The RGGI program is now under a regularly scheduled program review, which happens every three years. Part of that review, which is expected to conclude before year's end, is determining whether any adjustments to the carbon cap are necessary. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The policy through 2020 is to lower the carbon emissions cap by 2.5 percent each year. "It's fine to do 2.5, but given the ... momentum around energy efficiency, given the success of RGGI so far and all the progress we have made the past couple years, it seems completely reasonable to go with a 5 percent reduction," Kelly said, adding that this was "not a pie-in-the-sky." nburroughs@timesunion.com 518-454-5012 @Nickatnews Albany No one seems to know where the money went for SUNY Polytechnic Institute's new $25 million silicon carbide chip manufacturing facility. Last week, The Pike Co. of Rochester pulled workers off the project, part of a $500 million research partnership between SUNY Poly and General Electric Co. called the New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans, including $135 million in state funding, in 2014 for the consortium, which aims to create a market for power control chips made out of silicon carbide that GE developed at its Niskayuna research center. Pike is one of the most experienced high-tech construction firms in the state and was hired by GlobalFoundries to oversee more than $2 billion in expansion projects at its Fab 8 computer chip factory in Saratoga County over the past five years. The company also was involved in the design of a second chip factory at the site that has yet to be built. The company's owners, Thomas Judson Jr. and Rufus Judson, also are major Cuomo donors, having given a combined $30,000 to Cuomo's election committee since 2010. Pike wrote a letter to SUNY Poly officials on July 26 saying it was stopping all work on the silicon carbide project "due to a lack of payment" for work dating back to February. Pike said it had been unable to pay vendors and subcontractors on the project as well. Bill Tehan, Pike's chief financial officer, said the company hasn't been told why it isn't being paid, or when the payments might come. He said the total contract is for $25 million. "It's not an insignificant amount," Tehan said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Cuomo and state legislators approved $33.5 million for the silicon carbide manufacturing facility in the state's most recent budget, and Empire State Development Corp., the state's economic development arm, had scheduled a public hearing on the funding back in March. However, it appears that the ESDC board has yet to sign off on the funding, according to public records. The state comptroller's office says it has not received any disbursement requests for SUNY Poly projects since April and it has no knowledge of the status of the silicon carbide project. A Cuomo spokesman did not know the status of the grant money either. lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Colonie Donald Trump's ugly response to the parents of a dead war hero makes this a good time to revisit the valor of Mohsin Naqvi, who joined the Army four days after Sept. 11 and died in Afghanistan seven years later. Naqvi was a patriot. He loved his country, gave his life for it and is buried at Evergreen Memorial cemetery in Colonie. He was also a Muslim. "My son was 26 when he died, and his wife was a widow at 22," Nazar Naqvi said Monday. "Don't you think that's painful for us? Especially when we hear Donald Trump on television, don't you think that's painful for us?" More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse Naqvi wasn't watching when Khizr Khan gave his celebrated speech at the Democratic National Convention. But he has since watched Khan on YouTube and knows what the grieving father said. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims," said Khan, whose Army captain son, Humayun Khan, died when he ran to halt a vehicle carrying a suicide bomber, likely saving the lives of troops on guard duty he had told to take cover and those at a mess hall nearby. "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery?" Khan later asked, with his wife at his side. "Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." Then came Trump's disgraceful answer, which included a smear of Ghazala Khan. "His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there," Trump said in an interview with ABC. "She had nothing to say. She probably maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." Trump, who did concede that Khizr Khan "looked like a nice guy," was asked what he had sacrificed. He should have said that no sacrifice can match that of the Khans or other parents of fallen soldiers. He should have spoken with humility and decency. Instead, he bragged. "I think I have made a lot of sacrifices. I've work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've done I've had tremendous success." Sorry Donald, but those aren't sacrifices. Not even close. Trump would later say Khan "had no right" to question him and would claim that the father had "viciously attacked" him because, you know, he's the victim. I don't think I've ever been more angry, more sickened by a politician's words. Apparently I'm not alone. Consider the scathing response from John McCain, who said the party nomination "is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." The Republican from Arizona also said Humayun Khan's "name will live forever in American memory, as an example of true American greatness." The same is true of Mohsin Naqvi. He grew up in Newburgh, the son of immigrants from Pakistan. He was 19 when the World Trade Center fell. "He wanted to punish those people who had hurt this country," Nazar Naqvi said of his son's rush to join the Army. "We told him to wait until he finished his education. But he said, 'No, that would be too late.'" Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Naqvi fought in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where his religion sometimes brought taunts from Army officers. Still, he re-enlisted for a tour of Afghanistan and was deployed a day after his wedding at the al-Fatima Islamic Center in Colonie. Three months later, Naqvi was among four Army soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in eastern Afghanistan. His body was returned to the al-Fatima Islamic Center for the funeral. I asked his father if he had any words for Trump, who has at times called for a ban on Muslims entering the country and government surveillance of mosques. "I would tell Trump, 'Act like an American. Act like an educated person,'" Nazar Naqvi said, adding that he agreed with what Khan said. "We sacrificed for this country, while Donald Trump didn't do anything," Naqvi said. "He went bankrupt four times and said he was taking advantage of the system. That's not doing what's best for the country. Money is everything for him, not the country." Naqvi, 69 is a registered Republican. The traditional conservatism and values of the party appeal to him, he said. But he won't vote for Trump. "If Trump is elected as president, that will be a disaster for the United States," Naqvi said. "The United States stands for freedom and justice and people from around the world come here for that. "He doesn't believe in those values." cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill Waterford Workers at the Momentive Performance Materials silicones factory in Waterford are voting Tuesday and Wednesday to authorize a potential strike, as their union and the company remain at an impasse on contract negotiations. IUE-CWA Local 81359, which represents 700 workers at the Momentive plant, is holding the vote at the Halfmoon Firehouse on Hudson River Road in Waterford, although CWA President Chris Shelton would give the final OK on any worker walkout. Word of the strike vote comes a week after IUE-CWA leaders rejected a "final" three-year contract offer from Momentive that included raises and a ratification bonus but a steep rise in health care costs. Union officials were upset that the company publicized its proposal as its last and final offer even though the union had previously said the offer would not be acceptable to its members. It is unclear if the union will end up striking. Local 81359 President Dominick Patrignani said the company has also asked the union to return to negotiations on Thursday in Syracuse, with talks continuing Friday if needed, offering the possibility that a strike could be averted. Momentive spokeswoman Tina Reiber told the Times Union Tuesday that although the company has made what it calls its final offer to the union, talks can still be fruitful. "The company has negotiated in good faith and is always willing to discuss the merits of its (offer) as well as to answer any questions the union has or to consider any counter proposals the union may wish to submit," Reiber said. "We remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement. We believe that by working together, our best days are ahead of us." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Union officials are stressing to workers that a strike would only be used as a "last resort." "We need all union members to vote," Patrignani said in a message to workers on the union's web site. "We need a unanimous turn out to vote yes to authorize a strike if needed. A strong 'yes' for authorization gives us bargaining power. This will only authorize the union to use this if needed. A strike requires several more steps before being used, including CWA authorization and the CWA will exhaust everything that they can do before a strike. A strike will be a last resort used by the union." lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison Guilderland Roy Stevens, a scientist who led the state's development of HIV testing methods, died Thursday at 81. A Guilderland resident for 55 years, Stevens had battled lung cancer since last fall, according to his son Scott Stevens of Clifton Park. Roy Stevens was a researcher in the Wadsworth Center Laboratories of the state Department of Health, retiring 25 years ago as director of the Laboratories for Retrovirology & Immunology. He was remembered by colleagues as an outstanding virologist and immunologist whose efforts helped New York respond to the 1980s epidemic of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. He also assisted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in developing HIV testing for newborns. "When the HIV crisis hit, Roy took the lead in New York State's response for the development of HIV testing methods and for certification of other laboratories in the state to assure high-quality monitoring," said David O. Carpenter, director for the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, who was director of the Wadsworth Center labs at the time. Scott Stevens, 59, remembers those years as "exciting times" in his father's career, when Roy Stevens traveled to San Francisco, Prague, Budapest and other destinations to speak about his work. Yet he was not one to brag, according to Karim Hechemy, Stevens' close colleague, who retired in 2003. Always the gentleman, Stevens was a calm voice of reason in any situation, Hechemy said. "I never heard him raise his voice to any technologist working for him," Hechemy said. "I'm sure he was mad, but he never showed it." During his tenure, Stevens was author or co-author of more than three dozen peer-reviewed papers. He served on the editorial boards of professional publications and belonged to numerous scientific associations. He was an adjunct associate professor in the Microbiology Department at Albany Medical College (1982-91) and associate professor at the UAlbany School of Public Health (1988-91). After retirement, he started a consulting business, and also volunteered with the American Cancer Society and AARP, and as a trustee of Bender Scientific Laboratories. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Roy Stevens approached matters in his personal life with the same scientific method he used on the job, Scott Stevens said. If someone made a casual but erroneous statement about the cause of disease living under power lines will make you sick, say Roy Stevens would counter: "That would be preposterous." And then he'd explain that the hypothesis would be easy to test, and likely had been tested. In his leisure time, Roy Stevens enjoyed outdoor activities with his sons Scott and Mark, now of Palm Coast, Fla. He was married to Shirley (Brehm) Stevens for 60 years. When Roy Stevens became ill in the fall, his family suddenly became aware of how much care he had been providing to Shirley in recent years, Scott Stevens said. Shirley Stevens died of congestive heart failure in May, at age 82. chughes@timesunion.com 518-454-5417 @hughesclaire THE ISSUE: The latest statewide standardized test results are being analyzed. THE STAKES: The new state education commissioner's approach has scored well.Both the proponents of higher education standards and those who say New York state does too much testing may claim some success with the release of the latest year-end assessment results but the jury is still out. More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse For the second year, the "opt-out" movement had urged parents to pull their children from the English language and math assessment tests. New York was one of many states where citizens rebelled over what they called excessive testing that interfered with the teaching process and provided little value to students or teachers. Officially, the numbers of students who exercised their right to skip the annual tests stayed about the same as last year, when one out of five sat out. The math scores mirrored last year too, but a 6.6 percent bump in English language assessment scores was regarded a victory by standards supporters. One area that deserved a higher score this year over last is the way the testing process was handled. MaryEllen Elia, who took over as the state's education commissioner just 13 months ago, immediately crossed the state to try to quell the firestorm left by her predecessor, John King, and the botched rollout of tougher new standards then known as Common Core. Ms. Elia arrived on the scene just after the opt-out revolt had taken hold. She pledged to reach out to local districts, teachers and parents, and promised to listen. Yet she didn't depart from the message that raising academic achievement was essential, and that testing, with modifications, was a necessary part of that process. Some quick changes resulted. This year's assessments had slightly fewer questions, while still rigorous, and students were given more time to complete them. The switch of companies developing the tests dumping Pearson PLC for Questar Assessment won over some critics. Ms. Elia also bridged gaps by bringing in teachers to participate in preparing the tests. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. But by far the biggest change was Gov. Andrew Cuomo backing off, at least for now, on his controversial and ill-conceived insistence that improvements in standardized test results be the primary way to measure a teacher's performance. The still-new commissioner says the testing process will continue to evolve, but she's optimistic the new standards (no longer called Common Core) are taking hold. She points to higher test scores in the younger grades, where teachers have had the new curriculum longer and are successfully adapting it into their pedagogy. Ms. Elia notes that all students will benefit as teachers steer the class work to areas needing more attention. While the analysis of year two of the opt-out effort continues, Ms. Elia recognizes that opt-outs won't go away, but she pledges more changes will come to regain parents' trust. Whether she can gain support of both parents and teachers remains to be seen. If she does, it will keep New York on track for higher standards, and our children will be the winners. [August 02, 2016] Arbor Networks Clinches the 2016 Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Anti-DDOS Solution Vendor of the Year (On-Premise) Award SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbor Networks has clinched the 2016 Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Anti-DDOS Solution Vendor of the Year (On-Premise) award. The award was presented to Arbor at the 13th annual Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific ICT awards, held at the Equinox Restaurant, Swissotel The Stamford in Singapore. Mr. Vu Anh Tien, Industry Analyst, Cyber Security, Asia-Pacific at Frost & Sullivan said that Arbor Networks continued to sustain its strong growth of 20.8 per cent year-on-year in 2015 by leveraging on its strong brand name as the leading expert in the DDoS solution market. "The company's continuous technological innovations and commitments to help businesses combat sophisticated DDoS attacks continued to resonate well in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly among telcos, internet service providers, managed security service providers, and finance industry," he added. He also said that Arbor Networks provides a holistic approach for DDoS protection, offering customers a broad range of solutions with comprehensive capabilities of attack detection and mitigation. "In addition, the capabilities to provide customers with country-specific threat intelligence, strong industry expertise and supports for its partners and customers enabled it to gain even stronger popularity among regional businesses," he added. "We're honored to be chosen by Frost & Sullivan for this recognition as the leading on-premise DDoS solutions supplier for Asia-Pacific. This award recognizes both the great team we have at Arbor, as well as our regional partners who are so critical to our success," said Jeff Buhl, Arbor Networks Vice President for Asia-Pacific. The contenders for the Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific ICT Awards were evaluated on a variety of actual market performance indicators which include revenue growth, market share and growth in market share, leadership in product innovation, breadth of products and solutions, major customer acquisitions, and business and market strategy, amongst other category-specific criteria. A team of 30 leading Frost & Sullivan analysts and consultants based in Asia-Pacific were involved in the short listing, evaluation and research process, applying the same thorough approach that has been the hallmark of Frost & Sullivan globally. The findings of the detailed examination are then presented to a panel of independent judges comprising influential personalities, decision makers and thought leaders in Asia-Pacific's ICT industry, who have in themselves pushed the boundaries of innovation and corporate excellence, in deciding the recipients in each award category. About Arbor Arbor Networks, the security division of NETSCOUT, helps secure the world's largest enterprise and service provider networks from DDoS attacks and advanced threats. Arbor is the world's leading provider of DDoS protection in the enterprise, carrier and mobile market segments, according to Infonetics Research. Arbor Networks Spectrum advanced threat solution delivers complete network visibility through a combination of packet capture and NetFlow technology, enabling the rapid detection and mitigation of attack campaigns, malware and malicious insiders. Arbor strives to be a "force multiplier," making network and security teams the experts. Our goal is to provide a richer picture into networks and more security context so customers can solve problems faster and reduce the risks to their business. To learn more about Arbor products and services, please visit our website at arbornetworks.com or follow on Twitter @ArborNetworks. Arbor's research, analysis and insight, together with data from the ATLAS global threat intelligence system, can be found at the ATLAS Threat Portal. 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. 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 organization 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 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] AudioEye Business Update TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AudioEye, Inc. (OTCQB: AEYE) ("AudioEye" or the "Company") surpassed $1M ($1,153,572 YTD) in unaudited cash contract sales bookings for year-to-date 2016. Complete with a new management team and a fully productized set of service offerings for all sectors, the Company expanded its footprint in the federal government space and achieved significant traction in mid-to-large corporate entities in several key target market verticals across the U.S., including, but not limited to: Education, Retail, Restaurant/Food & Beverage, Banking & Finance, and Healthcare. "We have created a service offering with credible pricing that provides digital accessibility and inclusion solutions for businesses and organizations looking to conform with ADA-related initiatives, policies and mandates," stated Chief Executive Officer, Todd Bankofier. "Equally significant and core to our corporate mission, we provide our customer's users with adaptive web enhancement tools that make the user experience personalized, universal, and much more inclusive for a much broader audience of people, including the ever-growing population of individuals with disabilities." Settlement of Shareholder Litigation AudioEye also announced today that it reached an agreement in principle to settle the consolidated securities class action lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, titled In re AudioEye, Inc. Sec. Litig. The consolidated case was brought against the Company and two former officers following the restatement of the Company's 2015 quarterly financial statements. The agreement was reached in connection with a voluntary mediation led by Bob Meyer, a mediator with JAMS in Los Angeles. The settlement agreement is subject to definitive documentation, shareholder notice, and court approval. The terms of the agreement include a settlement payment to the class from the Company's insurer, with no admission of liability by any party. "We are plased to reach a settlement agreement on the securities class action and believe it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders," said Dr. Carr Bettis, Executive Chairman of AudioEye. About AudioEye, Inc. Incorporated in 2005, AudioEye provides enhanced web access and usability for its clients' customers through AudioEye's Ally platform. The Ally+ product allows AudioEye's clients to reach more customers , build more brand loyalty , retain more customers and secure more repeat business . AudioEye's common stock trades on the OTCQB under the symbol "AEYE". The Company maintains offices in Tucson and Atlanta. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements in this press release about AudioEye's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, prospects, financial condition, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under the federal securities laws. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe", "anticipate", "should", "intend", "plan", "will", "expects", "estimates", "projects", "positioned", "strategy", "outlook" and similar words. You should read the statements that contain these types of words carefully. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. There may be events in the future that AudioEye is not able to predict accurately or over which AudioEye has no control. Other risks are described more fully in AudioEye's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements reflect management's analysis as of the date of this press release and AudioEye urges you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. AudioEye does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events or uncertainties after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Non-GAAP Financial Measures AudioEye has provided in this release information related to bookings that has not been prepared in accordance with GAAP. AudioEye uses this non-GAAP financial measure internally in analyzing its financial results and believes it is useful to investors, as a supplement to GAAP measures, in evaluating our ongoing operational performance. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our use of non-GAAP financial measures may not be consistent with the presentations by similar companies in our industry. Bookings are comprised of the total value of new customer contracts closed during a specified period, including license, maintenance, services, term license and subscription renewals, that we believe to be firm commitments to provide our software solutions and related services. Bookings by their nature are significantly based on estimates and judgments that we make regarding total contract values, and our bookings growth projections are not meant as a substitute measure for revenue in accordance with GAAP. We believe our annual bookings growth projection is useful to investors as an additional means to reflect our annual business performance. These non-GAAP estimates are not measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP, and we are unable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their directly comparable GAAP financial measures because the information described above which is needed to complete a reconciliation is unavailable at this time without unreasonable effort. For further information, please contact: David Kovacs Strategic Consultant AudioEye, Inc. (866) 331-5324 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334212LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/audioeye-business-update-300307332.html SOURCE AudioEye, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Central Logic Secures Growth Funding from Iron Gate Capital and Mercato Partners Central Logic, the leading provider of transfer center and on-call scheduling technology solutions for healthcare systems, closed on a Series C growth equity financing in July led by Iron Gate Capital of Boulder, Colo. and Mercato Partners (News - Alert) of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Series C was put in place to ensure the company meets the market demand for its suite of products. In addition to its market-leading Transfer Center and On Call Scheduling software, Central Logic released two new software modules this year in business intelligence and post-discharge patient communication. "Central Logic has experienced remarkable growth over the past few years. Its software suite has broadened to address mission critical market needs by hospitals for a truly optimized patient flow: improved efficiency, actionable business insight and intelligence, and lower readmission rates," said Ryan Pollock, managing partner of Iron Gate Capital. "They are the clear leader in their field and we are excited to be a Central Logic shareholder and partner." Used by nearly 500 healthcare customers around the country, Central Logic's products are built on a cloud-based, SaaS (News - Alert) architecture. The company's solutions, which seamlessly complement other electronic health records technologies, provide integrated, automated reports to uniquely help hospitals gather, track, interpret and provide actionable reporting of real-time data from inside and outside their four walls to increase transfers and reduce patient "leakage." Central Logic solutions also track post-acute care, enhancing patient satisfaction and lowering readmission. "We are thrilled to welcome Iron Gate Capital to the Central Logic family. They, along with Mercato Partners, clearly recognize the quality of our product suite as well as our ability to serve the needs of our customers," said Jennifer Holmes, Central Logic president and CEO. "We are passionate about delivering innovative solutions to improve our clients' data visibility, thus creating better care for patients and facilitating more efficient health industry decisions. Having the support of these respected equity firms gives us strong backing for our current and future growth plans." "The return on investment that health systems realize when using Central Logic technology is remarkable," said Alison Wistner, managing director at Mercato Partners. "We are excited to continue our affiliation with a true industry leader that is enhancing the market with unparalleled innovation. With our latest investment, we are committed to helping Central Logic continue to expand their business and improve the patient experience across the board." In 2015, Central Logic strengthened its leadership team by appointing Jennifer Holmes to president and CEO. Holmes, a 28-year healthcare industry veteran, has held executive positions with companies such as MedAssets, EKOS, Guidant Corporation and Boston Scientific. Additionally, the company streamlined its customer service and product innovation and management focus by realigning the responsibilities of its founders. With the new infusion of equity announced today, Ryan Pollock from Iron Gate Capital joins Central Logic's board of directors. About Central Logic As the industry's leading provider of innovative transfer center and on-call scheduling technology, Central Logic's team works collaboratively with nearly 500 hospitals and has thousands of healthcare customers or relationships - including physicians, administrators and healthcare staff - to design and implement patient flow software solutions that increase admissions and capacity. Founded in 2005, the company helps hospitals and systems measurably increase the number of patient admissions and patient transfer volumes while maximizing hospital staffing, efficiency and care coordination. For more information, visit www.centrallogic.com. About Iron Gate Capital Iron Gate Capital is a unique growth equity investment firm formed by operating executives over a decade ago to invest their own capital in emerging growth companies. Iron Gate represents over 65 HNW and family office investors across the USA and Europe and has completed 25 investments. The group's operating experience is significant and its networks are broad and deep across multiple industries. Iron Gate seeks to invest $3-10 million in each opportunity and targets companies at an early growth stage, with the potential to triple top line revenue over a three-year period. For more information, visit www.irongatecapital.com. About Mercato Partners Mercato Partners is an active growth investor in technology, branded consumer and digital media companies, and is one of the top-performing funds in the nation. Mercato seeks equity investments in high-growth, market-leading businesses and has a distinct competency in helping companies accelerate sales, develop new channels and expand to new markets. For more information, visit www.mercatopartners.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006390/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Chief Compliance Officer of Amedisys Joins Jones Walker Jones Walker LLP announced today that Jeffrey D. Jeter, former Chief Compliance Officer of Amedisys, has joined the firm's Baton Rouge office as special counsel on the firm's healthcare practice team. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005513/en/ Healthcare and Compliance Attorney Jeffrey D. Jeter Joins Jones Walker (Photo: Business Wire) Amedisys President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Kusserow, speaking about Mr. Jeter's character and qualifications said, "Jeffrey Jeter was an influential and important part of Amedisys. He was extremely conscientious in building a very strong and comprehensive compliance program during his 16-year career at Amedisys. He always promoted a culture that encouraged ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance. He did this with hard work and a good sense of fun." Mr. Jeter brings to Jones Walker a rare and exemplary blend of skills as both an in-house compliance officer and a healthcare prosecutor. His deep experience will give firm clients greater access to counsel in managing anti-fraud and ethics programs, securing and protecting private information, and litigating cases involving alleged fraudulent activities. "From my years of experience as a Jones Walker client, I have long known that the firm is an indispensable business partner that consistently provides exceptional legal talent with unparalleled client service. I am now honored to be joining this tremendous team and I look forward to continuing to deliver quality and value for all of our clients," said Jeter. Prior to joining Jones Walker, Mr. Jeter was with Amedisys for more than 15 years as a Chief Compliance Officer. In this role he was responsible for the oversight of the anti-fraud and ethics program for the national home health and hospice services provider. He administered policy development, training, and enforcement for more than 16,000 employees and managed audit oversight of more than 400 home health and hospice agencies in 37 states across the country. He also served as the company's Chief Privacy Officer and was responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of the company's protected health information. During his years with the company, Mr. Jeter was primary transactions counsel for 18 merger and acquisition transactions totaling $255 million. Mr. Jeter began his legal career as an Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice in the Criminal Division, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit where he was responsible for investigating, charging, and prosecuting Medicaid fraud offenses, as well as crimes involving the abuse and neglect of residents of skilled nursing facilities. In this role he drafted the State's Fraudulent Remuneration (Anti-Kickback) Statute and oversaw enforcement of health care anti-fraud laws and elder-protection statutes. During his tenure with the Louisiana Department of Justice, his agency was recognized as the nation's top Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Jeter received his juris doctor degree from Louisiana State University Law Center in 2006, a Masters of Public Administration from Louisiana State University in 2000, and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Texas Christian University in 1993. Additionally, he is a graduate of the prosecutor training course at Northwestern University School of Law. Additional Commentary about Jeffrey Jeter: "Over many years of working in the domains of clinical practice, national medical association leadership, national healthcare advocacy, and with a large post-acute care provider, I have rarely encountered an attorney like Mr. Jeffrey Jeter. His depth and breadth of knowledge of healthcare law, along with his integrity, place him at the top of his profession. Couple these with his communication skills, and Mr. Jeter stands alone in my opinion." - Dr. Michael O. Fleming, the Former Chief Medical Officer of Amedisys Inc., Past President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Past President of the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians, and Founding President of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum "We are delighted to have Jeffrey join Jones Walker. I have known and respected him for years and am pleased that our clients will now benefit from his deep knowledge of the essential role that compliance plays in any healthcare organization--from due diligence and mergers and acquisitions to internal investigations to responding to and defending government inquiries. Most of all, Jeffrey understands how to operationalize compliance to turn it from a fearsome risk to a strategic advantage." - Kevin O. Ainsworth, partner with Jones Walker's Baton Rouge office About Jones Walker Jones Walker LLP (www.joneswalker.com) is among the 120 largest law firms in the United States serving local, regional, national, and international business interests with offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, and Texas. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational, public and private corporations, Fortune 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005513/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A 19-year-old man accused of robbing a teen near an East Side department store Monday night was located and arrested. Christopher Rayford was taken into custody following the robbery that was reported at about 8:30 p.m. near Marshalls on Zeier Road, across from East Towne Mall, Madison police said. Police were dispatched to the store for an armed robbery involving a 17-year-old male victim. "Rayford and an accomplice allegedly took personal items from the victim and fled the scene," said Sgt. Shannon Blackamore. The other suspect was not located. Police didn't say what type of weapon was used during the robbery. Nobody was injured. [August 02, 2016] Crystal Icenhour, PhD Elected First Woman Chairman of Virginia Bio Crystal Icenhour, PhD, CEO of Aperiomics, has just become Board Chairman for Virginia Bio, the first woman in the organization's 24-year history to hold this position. Dr. Icenhour has served on the 24-member Board since 2007 and as Vice Chairman for the past two years, focusing much of her energies toward capital formation for the association's member companies. She has worked with Virginia Bio staff and Board of Directors to develop greater awareness in the Commonwealth of Virginia about the importance of the biotech industry and to advance supportive policies and funding. She will continue efforts to engage the investment community and to "help the world appreciate what a great resource the Commonwealth of Virginia is for companies in the biotechnology industry." Citing a positive confluence of proximity to federal government agencies and resources, of some of the best higher education institutions in the world, and of earnest support from Governor Terry McAuliffe and state agencies, Dr. Icenhour sees Virginia as a biotech hub that will continue to develop and create products, jobs, and a healthy economy to benefit the state, the nation, and the world. "It's been a great pleasure to work with our staff and my fellow volunteers with Virginia Bio for the past several years. I am excited to continue our work at a new level for my two-year term as Chairman." "Dr. Icenhour's experience and success in translating science from university research to the clinic and maretplace, and building high-tech biotech companies provides great perspective and insights into our membership and the opportunities ahead for Virginia," said Jeff Gallagher, CEO of Virginia Bio. "We are so fortunate to have a Chairman who is not only a consummate entrepreneur, but also a believer in working collectively to 'grow the pie' - across the industry, the Commonwealth and the region." As she looks ahead to her first year as Chairman, Dr. Icenhour is especially excited about the upcoming Women Building Bio: The XX Factor event to be held September 29, 2016 at the Inova (News - Alert) Center for Personalized Health in Fairfax, VA. This first-time event in Virginia will showcase women leaders in the bioscience industry in a day-long event focused on building inclusive and stronger research, companies, institutions, teams, and individuals. The intended audience is for all stakeholders (men and women) in the BioHealth Capital Region. With topics ranging from diversity and inclusion to identifying sources of capital, conference leaders come from the highest echelons of biotech companies, research institutions and government. ABOUT CRYSTAL ICENHOUR, PhD Crystal Icenhour, PhD, was recruited as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Aperiomics, a biotech firm based in Ashburn, VA. Before joining Aperiomics in 2014, she was President and Chief Science Officer of Charlottesville-based Phthisis Diagnostics, where she was a co-founder and led the company until it was acquired in 2013. She also created the consulting firm of Icenhour Biotech in 2014. She was recently invited to participate in the White House Microbiome Initiative hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Aperiomics was selected this spring by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce as the 2016 Health & Life (News - Alert) Sciences Innovator of the Year in their annual Greater Washington Innovation Awards competition. She was a finalist for the 2016 Women in Technology's Annual Leadership Awards in the category of Small Business Entrepreneur. In addition, Aperiomics was selected as a member of this year's competitive Springboard Enterprises Health Innovation Hub which accepts only ten companies each year for a concentrated mentoring program designed to serve as an ongoing accelerator program for women-led entrepreneurial companies. Aperiomics has developed technology that pairs next generation sequencing with data analysis to provide accurate pathogen identification; from a single test their process can detect the presence of over 16,000 microbial species, including bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasites. Dr. Icenhour holds a PhD in Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a BS in Biology from the University of Tulsa. She was a Research Fellow at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a Senior Research Fellow at Duke University Medical Center. In 2007, she was Chair of the National Postdoctoral Association. ABOUT Virginia Bio Founded in 1992, the Virginia Biotechnology Association (Virginia Bio) is the statewide trade group that promotes the scientific and economic impact of the biotechnology industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Association and one of the three founding partners of Mid-Atlantic Bio, the first regional bioscience convention that combines academia, the commercial bioscience industry, and the venture capital community in one event. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia Bio sponsors student internships, workforce development initiatives, and serves as the primary contact point for the media, government officials, researchers and students regarding the bioscience industry in Virginia. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006954/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Derek Lam International Reduces Time to Market with Centric PLM American fashion design firm Derek Lam International LLC, known for its luxury and contemporary women's clothing, shoes and accessories, has announced a successful Centric SMB PLM implementation. Centric SMB is a cloud-based PLM solution available on a subscription basis (SaaS (News - Alert)) and is tailored for emerging businesses to help them speed product development, improve costs and increase market responsiveness. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005379/en/ Derek Lam International Reduces Time to Market with Centric PLM (Photo: Business Wire) Derek Lam, whose brands are Derek Lam and Derek Lam 10 Crosby, is a leading New York fashion designer known for his modern approach of blending minimalist designs with a calculated simplicity and a touch of thoughtful detailing. Runway collections, which reflect classic American sportswear with a modern sensibility, are highly acclaimed for their distinctive take on luxury. With demand quickly growing, Derek Lam International knew they needed to implement an efficient design and development process. The firm's future growth would require a modern, centralized PLM system that is rich in functionality and easy to use. They would also need to simplify collaboration between their internal teams. Derek Lam International's prior system had functionality limitations and therefore was not adopted by users as extensively as the company envisioned. After conducting extensive research of PLM solutions, the company chose to switch to Centric SMB. "The challenge was findng the right balance between creativity and structure," says David Meir Sasson, Chief Operating Officer of Derek Lam International. "We had heard that Centric was used by best-in-class fashion companies to grow business and streamline production from concept to store shelf. And when we saw the solution, we knew it would be a fit for our brand." Sasson said one of the key benefits of Centric is how it facilitates communication. "Now all of our departments - Design, Marketing, Development, Production, Finance and Sales - will have access to the same information. Better communication promotes a natural workflow and will improve collaboration between our teams. Best of all, by reducing the amount of administrative work required, our designers will now be able to focus solely on creativity, which is crucial for our brand." "We view Centric as a partner that really understands fashion and one that can support our business as we continue to scale," he adds. "We're delighted to partner with Derek Lam International," says Chris Groves, CEO of Centric. "Implementing the right PLM tool, one that is as innovative and dynamic as the Derek Lam brand itself, is a significant step in the design company's evolution. We look forward to supporting Derek Lam International as it achieves new heights in the fashion industry." Derek Lam International, LLC (www.dereklam.com) Derek Lam was founded in New York City, in 2003, by Derek Lam, Designer, and Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, CEO. Derek Lam 10 Crosby was launched in 2011. Derek is from San Francisco, California and attended Parsons (News - Alert) School of Design. The Company creates luxury products with a modern sensibility, known for its calculated simplicity and thoughtful detailing. The collections include women's clothing, shoes, handbags and eyewear. Derek is an award-winning CFDA designer and member. The work has been exhibited at the Museum of FIT, Kennedy Center and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Centric Software, Inc. (www.centricsoftware.com) From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in capitals around the world, Centric Software develops technologies for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, footwear and consumer goods. Its flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class promotional planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality and collection management functionality, tailored to fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB, a cloud based SaaS solution, packages provide emerging businesses with extensive PLM solutions, based on innovative technology and key industry learnings. Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion and Apparel PLM. Red Herring named Centric in its Top 100 Global list in 2013 and 2015. Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other product names and brands may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005379/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] GoSendMe Global Mobilizes to Prepare and Send Matched Workers to Boost Ministries Around the World GoSendMe Global (GSM), an equipping and sending ministry based in the United States that partners with and provides resources to select Christ-centered missions around the world, announced that it is open and fully engaged to fulfill its Kingdom purpose. GSM identifies mission-minded individuals and provides them the training, counsel and support needed for work with established ministries in need of their unique skills and calling. "GSM has a dual mission," said Rob Casey, pastor, missionary and founder of GSM. "We are deeply aware of the ongoing struggle that many called by God face to get to the field. And we understand the deep need that missionaries and NGO's around the world have for well-matched and trained workers to serve with them. We disciple mission candidates, assist in prepaing them, and unleash them into Kingdom work they are uniquely gifted and called to do. By doing this, we equip our partnering ministries with highly targeted talent, skills and resources to serve and fulfill their purpose." GoSendMe Global is involved in humanitarian outreach, sending teams of relief workers to aid in the refugee crisis in Lesvos, Greece. Other efforts include sending workers to help with Christian outreach efforts in Sierra Leone, Nicaragua, India and Peru, as well as partnering with those fighting human trafficking in the U.S. As an independent Christian ministry, GoSendMe Global is searching for Christians with a heart to serve to fill various roles within the ministry, including helping search for mission candidates, training and discipling interns and serving on both long- and short-term mission teams. About GoSendMe Global: GoSendMe Global is a faith-based Christian sending ministry based in the United States that partners with American missionaries and churches to make disciples and reveal the Kingdom of God anywhere in the world. The 501(C)3 organization, headquartered in Sherman, Texas, and led by founder Rob Casey specializes in identifying, training and discipling people for field missions and bringing resources and support to select Christian and humanitarian ministries around the world. Those interested can learn more at www.gosendmeglobal.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006278/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] GSMA Launches 2017 Mobile World Congress The GSMA today announced the first details of the 2017 Mobile World Congress, including exhibitors, sponsors, programmes and activities taking place at the annual mobile industry event. Under the theme "Mobile: The Next Element", Mobile World Congress will be held 27 February - 2 March 2017 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuic. The GSMA expects that more than 101,000 professionals from across the mobile industry and adjacent industry sectors will attend Mobile World Congress 2017. "Over the past three decades, mobile has evolved from an emerging communications technology to a phenomenon that is now at the foundation of everything we do. It has inextricably changed how we communicate, interact, work and play as individuals, and it's transforming entire industries, bringing new levels of productivity and efficiency to enterprises," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "The 2017 edition of Mobile World Congress will highlight just how elemental mobile has become in our everyday lives and the positive impact it is having for billions of people around the world." Exhibition Puts Spotlight on Innovation As always, the exhibition at Mobile World Congress brings together the leading players from across the mobile ecosystem, as well as adjacent industry sectors such as automotive and consumer electronics, putting the spotlight on the innovative products, services and technologies that are shaping the mobile landscape. More than 2,200 companies will exhibit at Mobile World Congress 2017, including major brands such as AOL, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford (News - Alert), Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HTC, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, LG, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Oracle, Orange, Philips Lighting, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung (News - Alert) Electronics, SAP, Sony Mobile, Telefonica, Vodafone, Volkswagen and ZTE, among others. Relocated to Hall 4, the GSMA Innovation City will again be a highlight of the Mobile World Congress exhibition, with confirmed partners including AT&T, Cisco Jasper, KT (News - Alert) Corporation and Sierra Wireless. In a unique space spanning nearly 2,000 square metres, attendees will immerse themselves in technology-led experiences that illustrate how mobile-connected products and services are improving the daily lives of citizens and businesses. From healthcare to agriculture, home to office, and connected cars to global transport logistics, the Innovation City provides key insights on the future of mobility. NEXTech: The New Mobile World Congress Destination New for Mobile World Congress 2017, NEXTech in Hall 8.0 is one of the event's most exciting destinations, with pavilions and experience zones showcasing cutting-edge technology trends, as well as theatres hosting a range of partner events and educational sessions. NEXTech Pavilions will bring together the companies leading innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, drones, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and virtual reality/augmented reality, among others. In the Drone Zone, attendees can learn about the latest developments in consumer and commercial drone technology, including live demonstrations in the "flying cage", while the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Zone will be dedicated to the evolution and advancement of robot technology. Attendees will also have the opportunity immerse themselves in a series of 360-degree experiences in the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Zone or visit the IoT Pavilion to see how millions of "things" are getting connected, creating smart homes, smart cities and smart industries. Back for a second year, the Graphene Pavilion will showcase the impact of graphene on many of the building block components of the mobile industry, such as display, sensor and chip technologies, among others. Partner Programmes and Power Hour sessions, developed by leading players from across the mobile ecosystem, provide invaluable learning opportunities for Mobile World Congress attendees. The first cofirmed Partner Programmes include Adobe, Gionee Communication Equipment, Huawei, IBM (News - Alert), Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), McCann Worldgroup, MMS - Modern Marketing Summit (formally Mobile Media Summit), Phillips, Taiwan Excellence and Visa. ICAR is the first confirmed Power Hour Presenter. For more information on the exhibition, including opportunities in NEXTech, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition/. Mobile World Congress Conference Programme The conference at Mobile World Congress will be held 27 February - 2 March and will explore topics such as connecting the unconnected, digital commerce, digital content, disruptive technologies, enterprise mobility, financial services, IoT and connected living, mobile identity and privacy, next-generation networks and security, among others. The Call for Papers for the Mobile World Congress conference is currently open and submissions will be accepted through 23:59 GMT on Friday, 16 September. For more information on the conference, including the Call for Papers, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference/. Four Years From Now (4YFN), the global business platform for the growing community of technology startups promoted by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the GSMA, is returning for its fourth year, with the programme taking place 27 February -1 March at Fira Montjuic. The upcoming edition will be led once again by globally recognised experts in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation and will focus on connecting the entrepreneurial community through one-to-one investor meetings, pitching competitions, "pitch the press" sessions and networking activities. 4YFN will also include a range of conference sessions, workshops and interactive discussions, as well as exhibition. MWC Tours: Maximising Attendance at Mobile World Congress Building on the success of the inaugural programme in 2016, GSMA will again offer the MWC Tours, a series of topic and exhibition-focused tours to address the specific needs of different audiences at Mobile World Congress. The 2016 programme included tours that focused on specific technology areas such as 5G, the IoT and mobile media, as well as tours designed to help new Mobile World Congress attendees navigate the venue and identify the exhibits, activities and programmes that will meet their individual requirements. For more information on the MWC Tours programme, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/start-here/get-involved/. World's Largest Carbon Neutral Trade Show In July, the 2016 Mobile World Congress was officially certified as carbon neutral and Mobile World Congress was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest carbon neutral trade show for the second year in a row. In 2017, the GSMA is focused on further reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the event, offsetting any outstanding emissions as necessary. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/about/carbon-neutral/. Get Involved at Mobile World Congress 2017 For more information on Mobile World Congress 2017, including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress on Twitter (News - Alert) @GSMA using #MWC17, on our LinkedIn Mobile World Congress page https://www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-world-congress or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mobileworldcongress/. For additional information on GSMA social channels, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/about/contact/social-media/. The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona through 2023. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, visit www.mobileworldcapital.com. -ENDS- About the GSMA The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005772/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] SIGFOX and UnaBiz Anchor French and Taiwanese Collaboration on Global Internet of Things Testbed SIGFOX, the world's leading provider of dedicated communications service for the Internet of Things (IoT), and UnaBiz, an IoT network operator in Asia, joined French and Taiwanese officials announcing creation of a global Internet of Things testbed in Taiwan. With the SIGFOX IoT network as its centerpiece, the testbed will provide global IoT connectivity to Taiwan's huge electronics manufacturing industry and demonstrate multiple applications and use cases. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005999/en/ From left to right: Philippe Chiu - Managing Director - UnaBiz Ma-Li Yang - Redactor in Chief - Global Views Monthly Pao-Chung Ho - Executive Vice President - Institute for Information Industry (News - Alert) Benoit Guidee - Director - French Bureau in Taipei C.K. Lee - Minister - Minister of Economic Affairs Ludovic Le Moan - CEO - SIGFOX Henri Bong - CEO - SIGFOX Chaney Ho - President - Advantech (News - Alert) Y.C. Chang - Managing Director - ETC (Photo: Business Wire) The Aug. 1 announcement came at a launch event in Taipei with C.K. Lee, Taiwan's minister of economy; Benoit Guidee, director of the French Office in Taipei; SIGFOX CEO Ludovic Le Moan; UnaBiz CEO Henri Bong and a panel of industry and government experts, including Chaney Ho, Advantech president; Wei-Bin Lee, CIO of Taipei City, and Ming-Whei Feng, dean of the Smart Network System Institute of the Institute for Information Industry. In addition to supporting Taiwan's goal of becoming the "Silicon Valley of Aia," where new and disruptive technologies thrive, the nationwide network and testbed will also provide to SIGFOX the benefits of Taiwanese design and manufacturing expertise as it scales globally, Guidee said. Taiwan's large high-technology manufacturing sector has extensive experience in developing high-quality products at competitive prices. "SIGFOX is not only one of the best ambassadors of La French Tech spirit, it is also a large contributor to the entrepreneurship ecosystem in France through its European IoT Innovation Hub: the IoT Valley," Guidee said. "By bridging the IoT Valley with Taiwan design and manufacturing capabilities, I am convinced that France and Taiwan have a great opportunity to shape together the future of the IoT in the world. France is thus inviting Taiwan to use SIGFOX as a gateway into a global market and, by doing so, simplifying the integration and accelerating the go-to-market strategy." UnaBiz, which announced only three weeks ago a strategic partnership with ENGIE and SIGFOX to deploy the network in Singapore, will lead the network deployment in Taiwan, which is expected to have nationwide coverage in early 2018. "This extension to Taiwan is key in our regional development strategy, because Taiwan has the largest ecosystem of devices and solutions to accelerate the adoption of IoT use cases globally," said Henri Bong, CEO of UnaBiz. With this rollout, Taiwan will be the 23rd country globally, the second in Asia and the fourth country in the Asia Pacific region to have SIGFOX's two-way IoT coverage, which provides low-cost, energy-efficient connectivity for countless devices that will make up the Internet of Things. Taiwan's six largest cities or districts, containing half the country's population of 23.5 million, will have coverage by mid-2017. The rapid rollout in all countries is facilitated by the fact that SIGFOX's infrastructure is far lighter than traditional wireless network infrastructure. "This collaboration between Taiwanese electronics companies, which are among the most competitive and efficient in the world, and SIGFOX will strengthen the SIGFOX ecosystem as it speeds learning and the implementation of IoT design and use cases," Le Moan said. "It also will provide demonstrations of how SIGFOX's seamless IoT network can foster unprecedented industrial manufacturing efficiencies that could benefit companies everywhere." "We will go to work immediately to create strong partnerships with key players in the local ecosystem along the whole IoT value chain, from silicon vendors to design houses and device manufacturers," said Bong. "This dynamic process will spark entrepreneurial and creative responses for making the IoT come alive. As part of that process, UnaBiz will leverage on the Taiwanese ecosystem to complement SIGFOX's global ecosystem of partners in order to offer the largest catalogue of IoT devices worldwide." About SIGFOX www.SIGFOX.com About UnaBiz www.UnaBiz.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005999/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Teleperformance Recognized as 2016 Best Workplace in Latin America by Great Place to Work Regulatory News: Teleperformance (News - Alert) (Paris:RCF), the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the 25 Best Multinational Workplaces in Latin America by the prestigious Great Place to Work Institute. Teleperformance's operations in Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic were included in the rankings with proven exceptional leadership and employee management, while also cultivating a trusted workplace culture. Companies nominated for Great Place to Work list go through a rigorous application process and are selected and ranked predominantly on the basis of employees' response to the Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey. The results found employees in Latin America believe in Teleperformance's values of creating a positive work environment and culture, and where opportunities for career growth are prevalent. "It is a special honor to be named among the top 25 Best Multinational Workplaces in Latin America," said Juan Sada, Chief Executive Officer, Teleperformance Nearshore Region. "This recognition reflects our commitment to people, which is fundamental to our business model. I would like to thank our employees in the Latin America region for their devotion in pursing the company's commitment to offer great customer experiences." "Our Teleperformance team in Latin America is committed to exceptional customer service, which can only be accomplished through a positive culture so our people look forward to making a real difference on each interaction," said Paulo Cesar Salles Vasques, Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, Teleperformance Group. "We are all proud to see our outstanding teams in Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic recognized for their hard work, dedication and passion by te distinguished Great Place to Work Institute." Executives representing Teleperformance Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic accepted the award at a ceremony at the Fairmont Mayakoba Resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico on May 19. "Congratulations to Teleperformance for being part of the list of Best Companies to Work in Latin America," said Lesslie Perez de Davidovich, Regional General Manager, Great Place to Work Institute, Central America. "This is due to the company's efforts to ensure trust, belief in the company employees work for, pride in achievement, and a culture of positivity. The degree of pride in the organization, and the levels of authentic connection and camaraderie employees feel, are also essential components. We appreciate Teleperformance's commitment to helping build a better society in Brazil, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic, each a Great Place to Work." In addition to being acknowledged as a Best Multinational Workplace in Latin America, Teleperformance was recognized as Best Workplaces in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Central America & the Caribbean: Caribbean origin (Dominican Republic), Central America & the Caribbean: Multinationals (El Salvador & Dominican Republic) and Central America & the Caribbean: over 1,000 employees (El Salvador). ABOUT GREAT PLACE TO WORK Great Place to Work Institute began the search of the Best Companies to Work for in 1981 and sees its mission in supporting companies to build Great Workplaces characterized by trust, pride and camaraderie. Great Place to Work is in 45 countries with more than 5,500 organizations, representing over 10 million employees all over the world. ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE GROUP Teleperformance (RCF - ISIN: FR0000051807 - Reuters (News - Alert): ROCH.PA - Bloomberg: RCF FP), the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, serves companies around the world with customer care, technical support, customer acquisition and debt collection programs. In 2015, it reported consolidated revenue of 3.4 billion ($3.7 billion, based on 1 = $1.11). The Group operates 147,000 computerized workstations, with close to 190,000 employees across 311 contact centers in 65 countries and serving more than 160 markets. It manages programs in 75 languages and dialects on behalf of major international companies operating in a wide variety of industries. Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: STOXX 600, SBF 120, Next 150, CAC Mid 60 and CAC Support Services. They also have been included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index since December 2015, with regard of the Group's performance in corporate social responsibility. For more information: www.teleperformance.com Follow us: Twitter (News - Alert) @teleperformance View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006339/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Viewics Secures $10.5 Million in Capital, Closes Funding to Bring Advanced Analytics to Healthcare Viewics, the healthcare-focused analytics company that provides hospitals and health systems with management solutions, today announced a $10.5 million capital raise led by existing investor Canvas Ventures and new investor Roche Venture Fund, whose portfolio includes 23andMe, Flatiron, and Lumos Pharma. City National Bank also contributed capital. The funds will be used to further expand Viewics' analytics platform and management solutions, as exemplified by the recent launch of the company's management solution for chronic kidney disease. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005701/en/ "Hospitals, health systems, and accountable care organizations are under intense pressure to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs," said Dhiren Bhatia, co-founder and CEO of Viewics. "The value-based market is changing how these organizations track, measure, and report performance. Our customers recognize this shift, and are using Viewics' solutions to achieve these goals across their organizations and patient populations." By combining its easy-to-implement, HIPAA-compliant platform with data-driven management solutions, Viewics provides advanced analytics that help health systems and ACOs realize clinical, operational, and financial benefits within weeks, without placing additional burden on organizations' information technology resources. "Viewics' vision extends well beyond business intelligence software; it's about driving improvements across healthcare organizations by leveraging laboratory data and providing fast, tangible business value," said Gary Little, general partner at Canvas Ventures. "Viewics is developing new products and features faster than any of their competitors. Clearly they are well positioned to be the dominant player in the healthcare analytics space." Simon Meier, investment director for the Roche Venture Fund, will take a seat on Viewics' board of directors. Viewics will use this financing to scale its business and continue to innovate in ealthcare management solutions by driving data intelligence and collaboration across healthcare organizations. About Viewics Viewics provides unprecedented access to disparate healthcare data to surface actionable intelligence and empower data-driven decision-making. Through expertise and focus on healthcare analytics, Viewics delivers proprietary, best-in-class technology for data extraction, cleansing, and transformation to quickly unlock insights that deliver invaluable clinical and financial impact, while reducing burden on IT. The HIPPA-compliant solution puts the transformational power of analytics into the hands of healthcare professionals in clinical, financial, executive, and IT roles. The solution is customized and supported to enable organizations to move with agility, make decisions based on accurate data, see insights at-a-glance, and deliver great impact. For more information, visit viewics.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. About Canvas Ventures Named a "Top VC Firm to Watch" by the 2015 Forbes Midas List, Canvas Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. Gary Little, Rebecca Lynn, Paul Hsiao, and Ben Narasin serve as the firm's general partners. They are "thesis investors" and currently concentrate on the areas of digital health, fintech, enterprise, big data, and marketplaces. The Canvas partnership was formed in August 2013, and has invested in Viewics, HealthLoop, FutureAdvisor, Everwise, CrowdFlower, Totango, Transfix, Zola, and Eden. Previous to Canvas, the partners made early-stage investments in Doximity, Lending Club, MuleSoft, Houzz, Evernote (News - Alert), NexTag, Check, Elance-oDesk, Zenefits, Dropcam, Kabbage, and more. Visit us at www.canvas.vc. About Roche Venture Fund The Roche Venture Fund invests in innovative biotech and diagnostics companies to develop commercially successful life science companies. Based in Basel with an office in South San Francisco, RVF is the corporate venture fund of the healthcare company Roche. RVF invests globally with a portfolio of over 30 companies in 10 countries. For more information, please visit www.venturefund.roche.com. About City National Bank With $41.2 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 74 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $55.7 billion in client investment assets. City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 36 other countries. For more information about City National, visit the company's website at cnb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005701/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] World's Biggest Student Cyber Security Games Expand to India, Middle East, and North Africa BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The world's largest student-run cyber security event, founded 13 years ago by the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, will expand this year to NYU Abu Dhabi and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where finalists from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States will compete simultaneously in November 2016. The schools also announced they are accepting registrations for the Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) elimination rounds in August and September, which last year pitted nearly 20,000 students from high schools through doctoral programs against global competitors, all working from their own computers. The competitions will challenge their knowledge of virtually every aspect of information security, from hardware and software penetration testing and protection to digital forensics and government policy. This year the best students from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States will earn travel awards to participate in the final rounds, which will be held November 10-12, 2016 at IIT Kanpur, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Tandon. At the regional CSAW campuses, students will network with top professionals who serve as judges, hear experts address emerging issues, meet recruiters eager to fill what is expected to be a shortfall of 1.5 million cyber security professionals by 2020, and face tough competition from teams from other schools. The CSAW games were founded by Professor Nasir Memon, now chair of the NYU Tandon Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and his students. Students continue to design the contests under the mentorship of information security professionals and faculty and run them from NYU Tandon's student-led Offensive Security, Incident Response and Internet Security (OSIRIS) lab, home also to weekly Hack Nights. "Data security is a critical global issue. Attackers know no national boundaries, and neither should those who protect our personal privacy and institutions," Memon said. "We are pleased that IIT Kanpur, a world-leading engineering school, recognized the ability of CSAW to engage and educate information security students and decided to introduce the contests to students throughout India. I am equally excited about the role that NYU Abu Dhabi will play this year. In the past CSAW brought high school teams to New York. This year, thanks to the leadership of students and faculty, it will expand its reach to high school and university students across the Middle East and North Africa." Memon heads NYU Abu Dhabi's cyber security program, as well as NYU Tandon's. "With hobby hackers, foreign state actors, terrorist organizations and other adversaries abounding, cyber security is not just a computer science issue but a national security issue. IIT Kanpur is delighted to join hands with the New York University Tandon School of Engineering to bring the cyber security awareness competitions to India. We hope that Indian institutes and universities will participate i large numbers and show their competitiveness against the teams from all over the world," said Manindra Agrawal, the N. Rama Rao Professor in the IIT Kanpur's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Each of the regional finalist competitions will vary slightly in the content. Winners of the final rounds can walk away with cash prizes, scholarships, and more. Bragging rights are often the biggest motivator CSAW has become a boldface line for recruiters and university admissions officers. This year, CSAW will include: Capture the Flag (CTF) hacking competition This cornerstone challenge attracts upwards of 10,000 remote players each year and provides entry- and mid-level problems to solve at the preliminary stage. Students find themselves competing against professionals and amateurs of all ages in the September remote round, but only the best undergraduate teams qualify for the 30-hour-long marathon of the final round, which is notoriously difficult. High School Forensics The entryway into cyber security, this competition attracts students who enjoy solving puzzles, in this case a fictional murder mystery. To encourage newcomers, NYU Tandon students and their mentors developed an online, self-taught curriculum and offer digital workshops. Embedded Security Challenge In the world's oldest hardware hacking contest, a Blue Team from NYU Tandon designs a target system. Everyone else Red Teams will hack it, to mimic real-world attacks. The finalists will present their findings to security experts in this challenging, research-oriented contest. Applied Research Competition To participate in what is recognized as the most prestigious Best Paper Award for young researchers, doctoral students must submit papers that have already been published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at conferences. Policy Competition Challenging contestants to think about the big picture of law, policy, economics, and governance, this competition requires students to develop a policy paper proposing how to overcome market failures in cyber security and better protect consumer privacy and critical infrastructure. Department of Homeland Security Quiz Held during the finals, this trivia contest challenges students on technical knowledge as well as history and current events. This year players can use their own smartphones thanks to an app written by former CSAW student team leader Kevin Chung . . Security: Open Source This new, one-day workshop for professionals, organized by NYU Tandon Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Brendan Dolan-Gavitt, will bring open-source software authors to NYU Tandon and NYU Abu Dhabi to explain their tools. Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition Competitors will be invited to pitch commercially viable ideas for real-world security problems to potential funders. The 2016 CSAW is supported by Gold Sponsors Palo Alto Networks and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Silver Sponsor IBM; Bronze Sponsors Navy Civilian Careers-U.S. Navy, NCC Group and Raytheon; and Supporting Sponsors Bloomberg, Cubic Corporation, and Intel. For more information and to register, visit https://csaw.engineering.nyu.edu. Follow @CSAW_NYUTandon. Preliminary rounds for the Embedded Security Challenge will be held in August; the other preliminary challenges will be in September. About the NYU Tandon School of Engineering The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, when the NYU School of Civil Engineering and Architecture as well as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly) were founded. Their successor institutions merged in January 2014 to create a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. In addition to programs at its main campus in downtown Brooklyn, it is closely connected to engineering programs in NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, and it operates business incubators in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu. About IIT Kanpur Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, is one of the premier institutions set up by the Government of India. Registered in 1959, the institute was assisted by nine leading institutions of U.S.A in the setting up of its academic programs and laboratories during the period 1962-72. With its record of path-breaking innovations and cutting edge research, the institute is known the world over as a learning centre of repute in engineering, science and several inter-disciplinary areas. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government. For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in. About NYU Abu Dhabi NYU Abu Dhabi consists of a highly selective liberal arts and science college (including engineering), and a world center for advanced research and scholarship all fully integrated with each other and connected to NYU in New York. Together, NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global network university, with faculty and students from each campus spending "semesters away" at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents. For more information, visit http://nyuad.nyu.edu/en. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151013/276541LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-biggest-student-cyber-security-games-expand-to-india-middle-east-and-north-africa-300307680.html SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Avigilon Corporation to Host Second Quarter 2016 Investor Conference Call on August 15, 2016 VANCOUVER, CANADA, August 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Avigilon Corporation ("Avigilon") (TSX: AVO), provider of trusted security solutions, today announced that it will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2016 second quarter results on Monday, August 15, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. ET; 2:00 p.m. PT. The call will be hosted by Alexander Fernandes, Avigilon's Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, and Ric Leong, Avigilon's Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. All interested parties are invited to participate. Avigilon expects to report its financial results for the second quarter that same day after the close of markets. CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS: DATE: Monday, August 15, 2016 TIME: 5:00 p.m. ET; 2:00 p.m. PT DIAL IN NUMBER: 647-427-7450 or 1-888-231-8191 TAPED REPLAY: 416-849-0833 or 1-855-859-2056 Available until 12:00 midnight (ET) Monday, August 22, 2016 Reference number: 55474904 LIVE WEBCAST: http://ir.avigilon.com or http://bit.ly/29Zfuzs Webcast will be archived for 90 days About Avigilon Avigilon Corporation provides trusted security solutions to the global market. Avigilon designs, develops, and manufactures video analytics, network video management software and hardware, surveillance cameras, and access control solutions. To learn more about Avigilon, visit www.avigilon.com. 2016, Avigilon Corporation. AVIGILON and the AVIGILON logo are trademarks of Avigilon Corporation. For further information: Darren Seed Vice President, Capital Markets & Communications T: (604) 629-5182 [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Certain information and statements in this news release contain and constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements normally contain words like 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing' and similar expressions, and within this news release include any statements (express or implied) respecting Avigilon's planned timing for a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2016 second quarter results and associated financial statements (the "Financial Results"), its planned hosts for the call, and its planned timing for its reporting and disclosure of the Financial Results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, including, without limitation, assumptions that: Avigilon will be able to hold the conference call on the date and time set out in the news release, that Mr. Fernandes and Mr. Leong will be available to host the conference call, that the Financial Results will be completed in a timely fashion and released on the schedule set out in the news release, and that the associated requirements with respect to the completion of the Financial Results, including without limitation the auditor review, officer certification and Board of Directors' approval, will be completed in a timely fashion to facilitate the timeline set out herein. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Avigilon's business, as more particularly described in the "Risk Factors" section of Avigilon's Annual Information Form dated March 1, 2016, which is available under Avigilon's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements set out herein include, but are not limited to, unforeseen events, developments or factors causing any of the aforesaid expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant. Although Avigilon has attempted to identify factors that may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, predicted, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of Avigilon. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avigilon undertakes no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement. SOURCE Avigilon Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] JD England reflects on time as Mayor of Mitchell before stepping down JD England reflects on his time on the Mitchell police force, his first term election by just four votes and his accomplishments in office. A possible funding increase for the University of Wisconsin System that would be tied to UWs performance in certain metrics is still on the table for the next state budget, a spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker says. As Walker also touts a plan to extend the freeze on in-state tuition at UW, university officials warn keeping that cap in place without increasing the Systems budget threatens UWs future and could ultimately drive up college costs. Walker told UW and most other state agencies in a letter last week that they should send his office proposals for the 2017-19 budget that dont include any new funding, saying, All agencies should assume there will be zero growth in state appropriations. But on Tuesday, spokesman Tom Evenson said Walker is still considering options for additional funding for UW that would be based on performance measures. Walker said in June that he was looking into new outcome-based funding for the university system, comparing it to money Wisconsins technical colleges receive based on criteria such as graduates job placement and the number of degrees awarded in high-demand fields. The governors office has not indicated what criteria would determine performance-based funding for UW. Walkers letter, which was sent to the heads of state agencies July 25, also says the governor wants the freeze on in-state UW tuition that has been in place since 2013 extended for another two years to help keep universities accessible to students. UW spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said System officials are also committed to keeping costs in check and plan to introduce new affordability initiatives in their budget proposal later this month. But UW System President Ray Cross said Tuesday that lawmakers cant keep tuition capped without providing state funding. Continued budget cuts and frozen tuition cannot be sustained, Cross said in a column released Tuesday. Wisconsin is at a crossroads. We can either choose to invest in our future, in the future of our children and in the future of our state, or we can give the university System a lower priority and put our future at risk. The choice is ours. UW supporters noted that many of the Systems campuses reduced class offerings and advising services as they managed both the tuition freeze and a $250 million funding cut in the 2015-17 state budget. A freeze without state investment can mean fewer classes and more time to graduate, costing students more in the long run, Marquis said. Should the governor maintain a freeze, we hope he will fund our new initiatives so that college remains affordable for Wisconsin families. Walker also said he plans to seek increased funding for K-12 education in his budget proposal, which he will present early next year. Governor Walkers top priority is more funding for K-12 public schools and continued property tax relief, Evenson said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kennedys Creek Music Festival is set to return for another year in 2016 and to mark its seventh year as one of Australias best regional festivals, organisers have unveiled one of their biggest lineups yet. Punters heading down to the foothills of the beautiful Otway Ranges this October will witness performances from Australian punk rock legends Cosmic Psychos, as well as Dorsal Fins, Rat & Co, and many more. This unique three-day BYO boutique camping event prides itself on showcasing the best established and up-and-coming local talent Australia has to offer amongst the picturesque backdrop of regional Victoria. The all ages, family-friendly event is capped at just 1,000 punters to ensure everything is cosy and comfortable for all punters. Camping is included in the ticket price and the event routinely sells out so act quick. Kennedys Creek Music Festival Cosmic Psychos Dorsal Fins Rat & Co The Shaolin Afronauts Broadway Sounds The Pretty Littles Alex Lahey Leah Senior The Mary Goldsmiths The Naysayers I Know The Chief The Living Eyes The Fire Alive Japan For Gullies Alister Turrill Big Dead Gums Ted ONeil (Vasco Era, Big Scary, Brother James) Chook & Moluck DJs Friday, 21st October Sunday, 23rd October 2016 Kennedys Creek Public Hall Grounds, Kennedys Creek VIC Tickets: Kennedys Creek Music Festival Some of the Australian music worlds biggest names often leave doors of opportunity ajar, just waiting for the right kind of professional music fan to come knocking. Our regular Music Jobs column is the place where well help you grab the proverbial handle and walk on through, as we take the pain out of scrolling through endless (and sometimes shady) job listings to provide you a selection of killer career opps in the music world. No free work or internships here, just authentic chances to break into the music industry. So update your CV, brush up your cover letter writing chops, stop dreaming, and start doing what you love for a living. Publicity And Digital Marketing Coordinator At Live Nation Worldwide touring and events company Live Nation are hiring. The role? To assist the digital and communications team in the smooth operation and implementation of all tour related publicity, promotional and advertising campaigns in Australia and New Zealand and maintain the integrity and detail of all internal systems utilised by the Digital Marketing, Promotions and Publicity functions. If this ones for you, have a look at the listing on Pedestrian. Radio Presenter At ABC If Horsham sounds good to you, theres an opening as a breakfast radio host with your name on it. ABC Regional in Horsham has a vacancy for a highly motivated content maker with the ability to thrive in a time critical environment. Working to the Chief of Staff, you must be able to create engaging cross-media content for the local audience. The successful applicant will initially present the Breakfast program but may be required to create content elsewhere. You can find out more over at ABC. Marketing Coordinator, Contemporary Music At Sydney Opera House Ever wanted to work in Australias most iconic (and spikiest) music venue? The Sydney Opera House is hiring. As Marketing Coordinator, you will assist the Campaign Manager in the delivery of innovative & effective marketing campaigns for programming at the Sydney Opera House, concentrating on contemporary music and others performance genres as required. Check this one out on Grapevine. Producer At Southern Cross Austereo SCA are looking for someone to produce the stuff you hear between the music: the commercials. Working closely with the Production Director and creative writers, you will produce high quality commercials for the SCA network, this role will give you a lot of creative freedom as you develop innovative and relevant content that is targeted for the listener demographic, client and requirements of the station. You will ensure that all on air content meets relevant station guidelines and on air codes of practice before going live. Check out the full job listing at Grapevine. Licensing Manager At Music Sales Creative The team at Music Sales Creative are hiring a Licensing Manager to work in their Sydney offices. Do you know (& love) your music across all genre & decades, are big on administrative excellence and have a background in Music Licensing & Copyright? Essential experience includes Experience in Music licensing and Copyright within publishing company / record company / copyright society & a thorough understanding of rights administration, among other things. More info over at Pedestrian. Production Editor At Triple J triple j are looking for someone who knows the difference between good content and great. This is a newly created role that will work with all the triple j network stations triple j, Double J and Unearthed to drive and support the distribution of our digital content, as part of the broader ABC Radio digital strategy. Have a look over at Grapevine. Marketing Analyst, APAC At Spotify Got a mind for marketing and data, and a love of music? Stop dreaming, start streaming. We are looking for a Marketing Analyst to join the band and help drive a data-first culture across Spotify. As a Marketing Analyst, your mission is to turn terabytes of data into insights and provide the APAC Marketing teams with analytics that help them to plan and measure their marketing performance. Read up more on this one on LinkedIn. Marketing and Communications Director At Queensland Music Festival Keen to work your marketing and communications magic on a large-scale music festival? The role of Marketing & Communications Director is to devise and manage the implementation of a cohesive marketing, communications and public relations strategy for all activities of the Queensland Music Festival, including projects/events outside the Festival period. Have more of a look over on LinkedIn. PRIOR TO RUNNING FOR POLITICAL OFFICE MOST PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA WHO PAT CONTRERAS WAS OR ANY OF HIS SO-CALLED ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!! I was gonna skip this post but I figure it's better to make it quick rather than regret that I didn't write anything on a topic that's worthy of consideration . . .Tomorrow, Pat Contreras could be one of the very select few Latinos to earn a statewide Democratic Party win in Missouri if he pulls off a primary upset . . . During his campaign he touted his Kansas City credentials and connection to the community in his press material . . . But here's the problem . . .It's gets worse . . . A lot of his campaign rhetoric claims a connection to the Westside that simply can't be proven in action, word or deed. There are a lot of places to help out around this neighborhood given constant gentrification fighting, an uptick in burglaries or even helping the KCPD and their valiant CAN Center work . . . Pat Contreras wasn't involved in any of that . . . In fact, one of his relatives is a DJ who does a really great job with weddings and parties who has a much more widely acknowledged reputation on the Westside and Northeast than this Latino upstart candidate for Treasurer.Like it or not, the candidacy of Mr. Contreras is simply about Missouri Democrats seeking more "diversity" in their line up with a guy who is a smart man with a great resume but very little connection to the community that he claims to represent. Mr. Contreras attended a great school and he looks good in a suit but that's about his only qualification for Missouri Treasurer as far as I can tell.. . . But we know who Judy Baker is . . . Every Missouri Democrat understands that Ms. Baker is a constant loser who can't tear herself away from the political life and a desperate search for affirmation. Still, she's very honest about her affiliations and connections to the political game . . .You decide but this one small post is the only bit of media offered to fact check a politico and a Democratic Party diversity effort that seems a lot like window dressing . . . THE KANSAS CITY BLOODY SUMMER OF 2016. Not so long agoin order to earn a bit of goodwill and make people forget that her music isn't as good as her pix . . .In what could be a more thoughtful move as Kansas City confronts rising crime and temperatures our blog community offers a suggestion . . .Consider for a moment . . . The Mayor's pizza parties haven't really stopped a Summer crime spree that has moved away from The Plaza but now targets nearby neighborhoods and continues to plague Hyde Park. Also, there is no soul so cynical that would turn away free ice cream or lament the fact that urban core kids get a free cone whilst dodging bullets and enduring sub-par schools. Food for thought, maybe a KCPD ice cream truck is a much better way of building community goodwill rather than the Mayor's politically motivated andand the upcoming "Rock The Block" party that always ends in disaster.Nevertheless, we like is that ourwhilst the citizens task force violence has not only excluded police but also remained silent amidYou decide . . . The further back we look through history, the more diverse the people are. This isnt surprising, given the fact that many nations today are basically tribes that found their way to todays world. And each of these tribes is as diverse as the places they hailed from. Europe is no different. During the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th century AD), Europe was in a period of transition. The Roman Empire had recently fallen, and barbaric tribes were on the move, pushed forward by the invading Huns. The Arabic Moors were settling in the Iberian Peninsula, the Viking Age was just beginning, and the Byzantine Empire was carrying on Romes legacy in the east. Well, here are some peoples who were also calling parts of Europe their home during those times. Most people today have all but forgotten about them, but their legacy still remains here and there. 10. The Hutsuls Ukraine The Hutsuls are a group of Ukrainian pastoral highlanders inhabiting the Carpathian Mountains in present day West Ukraine. Their origins are shrouded in mystery. Scholars today cant even agree on where their name comes from. Some say that the name was originally kochul (nomad), which became kotsul, and then hotsul. This referred to the Kievan Rus, who fled for the mountains during the Mongol Invasion of the 13th century. Others believe that the name derives from a sub-tribe of Cumans or Pechenegs, the Uzians, or from a tribe allied with the Ostrogoths the Hutsians. More recent theories say that the name Hutsul comes from the Romanian word for brigand. Whatever the case, these people have been living in the region for a long time, at least from the 9th century AD, and are still there today. They have a long lasting tradition in forestry, logging, and sheep herding. Theyve even been credited for having created the breed of horse known as the Hucul pony. Farming in this region was virtually nonexistent during those times, with the main focus being on animal husbandry. Today, roughly 25,000 Hutsuls live in the region. Most are in Ukraine, while the other 4,000 live in present day Romania. 9. The Principality of Hum Bosnia and Herzegovina Hum, more commonly known to the locals as Zachlumia or Zahumlje, was a Principality during the Early Middle Ages of what are now Bosnia and Herzegovina, and parts of Croatia. Zachlumia is a derivative of Hum, from Vlach (Vulgar Latin) culme, meaning hill. Zahumlje is named after the mountain of Hum. The name Herzegovina comes from the term Hum. The inhabitants of the region were Slavic migrants who colonized the area during the 6th century. They mixed with the Romanized people already living there. The House of Visevi, which is Hums hereditary dynasty, probably descended from the Slavic Litziki tribe populating the upper streams of the Vistula River. During the second half of the 7th century, the Avars occupied the whole region of Dalmatia and sacked the towns, enslaving and displacing the local population. The principality of Hum was among these places. Some of these Avars might have permanently settled the area. Nevertheless, they attacked Constantinople in 626, but were defeated by the Byzantines and stopped being an influential force in the region. Shortly after, in 630, the Serbs settled Hum under the protection of the Byzantine Emperor. 8. The Vascones Spain Located in the Northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, the Vascones were an Indo-European tribe. Theyre considered by many to be one of the oldest on the continent. Not very much is known about them before Roman colonization, but what is known is that they are the ancestors of present-day Basques, who live there today. Their languages seem to have similarities, but to date the Vascone language hasnt been successfully translated. Before and during Roman rule, the territories of what is now Basque country were shared by the Vascones with three other smaller tribes: the Varduli, Caristii and Autrigones. What happened to them is a matter of debate, but they were more than likely assimilated by the Vascones during the following period. Later, they extended their reach northwards, across the Pyrenees into French Aquitaine. This region became to be known as Gascony, which derives its name from the Vascones. In the 5th century AD, the Vascones began to see a period of constant strife with the advancing Vandals, Alans, and Suevi tribes, as well as the Visigoths, who were given the province of Aquitaine by the Romans. Later, further conflicts erupted between the Vascones and the Franks, as well as the Goths and Visigoths. With the Arab Invasion in 711 and the rise of the Carolingian dynasty, the Vascones/Basques were under new threats. After Charlemagnes death, his son Louis the Pious provoked a new rebellion in the region, led by Gartzia Semeno. A relative of his, Enecco Arista, took power in Pamplona around 824. This is when the Kingdom of Pamplona was born, later known as the Kingdom of Navarre. 7. The Kvens Upper Scandinavian Peninsula Contrary to popular belief, the Vikings never did control the whole of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The lands predominantly belonged to the Kvens and Sami of Kvenland since Neolithic times. Their numbers were bolstered by the coming Finno-Ugric peoples from the east, somewhere around the third millennium BC. Kvenland encompassed most of modern day Finland, part of northwestern Russia, and two thirds of Sweden and Norway. Up until the Medieval Period only the southern most parts of the peninsula in Norway, Sweden, and Finland were under control of the Norse. The Kvens, together with the Sami, formed the ancestral basis for modern day Finland. To the Swedes, Kvenland was known as Osterland, or the eastern land. Their organization was mostly tribal based, with a possibility of local kingships here and there. When talked about in Norse materials or sagas, these kingships were inflated to a national level. It is believed that the Yngling royal family, the oldest Scandinavian dynasty, hailed from Kvenland. This is not entirely proven. What is for sure, however, is the Norse religion and folklore, which come from the Kvens. Something absolutely characteristic to shamanism from the Ural and Eurasian regions (from where the Kvens originated) is the cosmogony in the higher/middle/lower worlds division, evident in the nine worlds from Norse myth. 6. The Frisians The Netherlands and Germany Originating from a larger family of peoples, the Frisians are closely related to the Jutes, Warns, Angles, and Saxons, and spoke a language similar to English. Their forefathers settled the coastal, clay-districts of present-day Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen as early as 700 BC. Much like today, the region encountered periodical flooding, with sea levels rising every few centuries. Thats why the inhabitants mostly lived on man-made mounds, called terps. Later, they fell under the protectorate of the Roman Empire, having to pay regular taxes in the form of cowhides. With the fall of the Romans, Germanic tribes swept over Western Europe. For the first time, they formed organized states. Groups of Frisians, together with the Chaukians, went on to create a new tribal alliance that became the Franks. Other Frisians, together with the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, crossed the North Sea and formed present-day England. They also created their own Frisian Empire, which peaked in the 7th century. Its lands were mostly on the coast, from north Belgium to southern Denmark. The North Sea was even called Mare Frisicum during this period. The Frisians controlled trade routes from Friesland to England, France, Scandinavia, and northwest Russia. Even today, the Frisian language is recognized as official in the Netherlands and taught in schools throughout the province of Friesland. The small village of Hindeloopen, with a population of around 870 people, has its own Frisian dialect. Its the smallest community in the world to publish its own dictionary. 5. The Picts Scotland Known as Picti (the painted ones) by the Romans, these people can trace their lineage back to the Celts in terms of language and culture. They inhabited the eastern and northern parts of present day Scotland. Because of the Picts, the Romans were unable to successfully conquer the whole of Britain. They were the main reason for Hadrians Wall (Picts Wall) being built. Even though they lived on the outermost fringes of the continent, the Picts were skilled artists and traders. They created some of the most beautifully carved stones and jewelry north of Rome itself. They were even making use of the Golden Ratio in their designs. Thats something found only in nature, or a handful of other man-made structures like the Notre Dame Cathedral or the Egyptian Pyramids. Another interesting fact about these people is that they were among the last on the continent to practice a matrilineal succession, meaning that they were tracing their descent through a female, rather than male line. Since they had no written language of their own, most of what we know about the Picts comes from outside sources. We unfortunately dont know what they called themselves, or what religion or traditions they were practicing. However, the Picts played an active role in British history throughout the Early Middle Ages. They defeated the Anglo-Saxons on several occasions, creating a clear north-south divide on the island. The Picts played an integral role in the early formation of Scotland. 4. The Krivichi Belarus The Krivichi, or Krivichians, were a tribal confederation of different ethnic groups of Slavs who occupied regions of Belarus and western Russia. Theyre mentioned in the Kievan Rus chronicles, though how they came to the region is still up for debate. Whatever the case, they played an intricate role in developing the area in terms of trade. They connected the towns of Novgorod with the town of Pskov, which gave them easy access to the Baltic Sea. They acted as middle men between the Vikings to the north and the Byzantine Empire to the south. By the end of the first millennium, the Krivichi had built many agricultural settlements with traces of ironworks, jewelry making, and several other crafts. Archeological digs have uncovered many long burial mounds where the druzhinniki (members of princely retinue, or bodyguards) were interred in a sumptuous manner, alongside their weapons and other riches. By the middle of the 9th century, the Krivichi went under the suzerainty of the Kievan Rus. They took part in Prince Olehs and Prince Ihors campaigns against Constantinople in 907 and 941, respectively. Both attacks failed to take the city, but sparked a period of good trade relations between the Vikings and the Byzantines. During this period, however, the Krivichians were broken up into three principalities under the rule of the Vikings. Together with the Drehovichians, they made up the ancestral basis for both the modern Russian and Belorussian people. The modern word Krievs means Russian in Latvian. 3. The Pannonian Avars Hungary The Avars were a nomadic horse-warrior people, whose origins are not entirely known. They are believed to have come from present day Mongolia. Their departure towards the west was most likely sparked by losing power in the region to the Gokturks. Once on the European continent, they made contact with Emperor Justinian I of the Byzantines. He hired them to protect the Empires borders to the north. After Justinians death in 565 AD, the new Emperor, Justin II, canceled their agreement and the Avars started looking for a permanent home. Together with the Lombards, they defeated and removed the Gepids from Pannonia (present-day Hungary). Now, established on the Pannonian plains, the Avars built their headquarters near Attilas old capital and fortified it. This place became known as The Ring. From here they began several campaigns of expansion in all directions, enlarging their kingdom. They fought and defeated the Franks in 570, following with a campaign against the Byzantines. After ravaging Moesia, they were finally defeated near Adrianople in 587. With the death of their ruler, Khan Bayan, around 602 AD, the Avar Khanate went into a slow decline. Just like the Huns, the Avars lacked any real central government capable of managing large numbers of sedentary people. They began to fight among themselves. Emperor Charlemagne of the Franks took advantage by attacking them in 795 AD. One year later, the Avars were ruled by the Franks. Their legacy, besides the iron stirrup (which they introduced in Europe), was the major shift in demographics wherever they raided or settled. The Avars are responsible for uprooting and displacing large numbers of people, who then had to establish their cultures elsewhere. 2. The Sorbs Germany During the second half of the 5th century, many Germanic tribes living in areas of present-day East Germany moved toward the Mediterranean. The vacuum left behind was filled by Slavic peoples collectively known as Wends. They assimilated the remaining Germans, and by the 7th century most of the region was Slavic speaking. Among these Wends were also the Sorbs, whose territories reached as far North as Berlin. Their earliest surviving mention was in 631 AD, in Fredegars Chronicle, where they were described as Surbi and under the rule of Dervan. Initially subordinates to the Franks, the Sorbs declared their independence after the Frankish defeat of 632, in the face of Samos Empire (a political union of Slavic tribes). Over the coming centuries, the Sorbs fought several battles with the Franks and upcoming Germans. In 939, Gero II held a feast where he murdered 30 Sorbian princes, resulting in many Sorbian revolts against German rule. From this period onward, the region became more and more Germanized. It now forms an integral part of modern day Germany. Around the Bautzen and Cottbus in Lusatia, some Slavic speakers survived and identify themselves as Sorbs even to this day. Their numbers, however, are dwindling. There are only around 60,000 living in the region since the fall of the Soviet bloc. Even if many dont know how to speak the Sorb language, some still practice the old traditions like the lapanje kokota (rooster plucking), a summer harvesting ritual. 1. The Alans Pretty Much All Over the Place The Alans were an Iranian steppe people who, from the 4th century BC, settled the area between the Black and Caspian Seas, north of the Caucasus Mountains. They played an important role in shaping Medieval Europe. They were the only non-Germanic people to build important settlements in Western Europe, and dominated the late Roman Empires foreign affairs. With the arrival of the Huns, the Alans broke into two parts. Some remained behind in Alania, while others pushed forward. Among the latter, some settled within the Byzantine Empire, though most went into Western Europe. Together with the Visigoths and Vandals, the Alans passed into Gaul and Spain, reaching as far as North Africa. The Alans and Romans were able to defeat Attila the Hun in 451 AD, sparing much of Western Europe from the Hunnic onslaught. After Attilas death, the Alans settled in large numbers along the middle course of the Loire in Gaul under King Sangiban, as well as on the lower Danube with King Candac. In 461 and 464 they also made incursions into Italy. By the 5th century AD, the Alans became fully Christianized and gradually lost their Iranian language. The Alans are credited for their introduction of mounted warfare tactics into Western Europe, as well as armoring themselves and their horses. The Spanish province of Catalonia is just a slight deformation of Goth-Alania. The name Alan, in all its variations and languages, comes from the tribe. They also left an imprint in Celtic poetry, e.g., the cycle of legends concerning King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. They introduced a now-extinct dog breed, the Alaunt. It was used in the still-popular sport of hunting on horseback with hunting dogs. This practice was introduced into Europe byyou guessed it: the Alans. Other Articles you Might Like Greeks often pride themselves in producing scientists and brilliant minds that distinguish themselves in academia abroad at the highest levels. This is not far from the truth, as many professors of Greek background staff world renowned universities and lead research and studies in many fields, pioneering great scientific breakthroughs. Here is a list of 12 of the most prominent bright minds that came out of Greece and are offering their insight and services to foreign educational institutions. Nicholas Christakis (Physician and Sociologist, USA) Nicholas Christakis, born in 1962, is a Greek American physician and sociologist at Harvard University. He was listed among TIME magazines 2009 100 most influential people . Christakis conducts research on social factors that affect health, health care, and longevity. His current work is principally concerned with health and social networks. Thanasis Economou (Nuclear Scientist, USA) Nuclear Physicist Thanasis Economou is a scientist whose name is linked with most of NASAs 50 year history. Born in Grevena Greece, Economou left the country int the aftermath of WWII. In 1964, he completed his studies in nuclear physics at Charles University in Prague, joined the Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research at the University of Chicago which he never left and began working for NASA, as its youngest scientist at the time. He contributed to NASAs missions to the Moon (1966-1968), NASAs Apollo program (1961-1975), and developed tools and techniques that enabled several of NASAs famous missions to be carried out successfully, such as the Mars Pathfinder mission (1993-1997). John Papandriopoulos (DSL Researcher, Australia) Leading DSL Researcher John Papandriopoulos is a Melbourne born (1978) Greek-Australian. His research interests are in the optimization of communication networks he has developed technology to make broadband 100 times faster. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2006 from the University of Melbourne, and he was a Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne in 2007 before relocating to California to join Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment (ASSIA), Inc., the worlds leader in Dynamic Spectrum Management of xDSL lines. Professor Stan Skafidas $10 chip puts Australia on the fast track The worlds smallest (55 mm) digital wireless chip bears the signature of a scientist of Greek origin, Professor Stan Skafidas. This new silicon chip developed is predicted to revolutionise the way household gadgets like televisions, phones and DVD players talk to each other: it transmits 5 Gbps over a wireless connection and offers users a tenfold increase in volume capacity, for 10$. The GiFi was unveiled on February 22 at the Melbourne University-based laboratories of NICTA, the National Information and Communications Technology research institute. Dr. Alexander Kitroeff (Associate Professor in History, USA) Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens, Greece and was educated in the United Kingdom where he received a B.A. in Politics at Warwick University in 1977, an M.A. in History at Keele University in 1979 and a D.Phil. in Modern History at Oxford University in 1984. His doctoral dissertation, completed at St. Antonys College, examined the history of the Greek diaspora in Egypt between the two world wars. In 1996 he began teaching at Haverford College, where he is presently Associate Professor of History. Dr. Constantin Polychronakos (Paediatric Endocrinologist, Canada) Dr. Polychronakos was born 18 April, 1948, in Edessa, Greece, and obtained his MD degree from the Aristotelian University in Thessaloniki (1972). He then immigrated to Canada where he trained in Paediatrics and Paediatric Endocrinology. He has been on faculty at McGill (Department of Paediatrics, associate in Experimental medicine and Human Genetics) since 1983, at the rank of full professor since 2000. Dr. Apostolos Papageorgiou (Pediatrician, Canada) Dr. Apostolos Papageorgiou, Pediatrician and Neonatologist-in-Chief at the Jewish General Hospital and St. Marys Hospital, is an internationally recognized expert in neonatology. He is also a Professor of Pediatrics and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University, having won the Osler Award for Outstanding Teacher and the Kaplan Award for Best Clinical Teacher. Dr. Papageorgiou also continues to serve as an adviser to governments, universities and hospitals, helping to organize perinatal services and train obstetricians, neonatologists and family practitioners from countries such as Greece, Poland, Morocco, Armenia, China and the former Soviet Union. He is the recipient of the Quebec Association of Pediatricians Prix dexcellence in 2002. Nicholas S. Zeppos (Chancellor, USA) Vanderbilts eighth chancellor promised my hardest work and reflected about the journey of his family from Greece to America as he addressed the entire Vanderbilt community for the first time as chancellor. The board unanimously and enthusiastically elected Zeppos to the position, said Chairman of the Board Martha Ingram. Chancellor Zeppos has contributed his talents in many different capacities, she said. He has seen Vanderbilt through important moments in our history, and has led our evolution into a truly global university. Katerina Harvati (Paleoanthropologist, Germany) Dr. Harvati is a paleoanthropologist specializing in Neanderthal evolution, modern human origins and the application of 3-D geometric morphometric methods to anthropology. In addition to her current post as senior researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Evolution, Harvati is adjunct Associate Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York Graduate Center. She has conducted fieldwork in Europe and Africa, and is currently directing paleoanthropological fieldwork in Greece (Aliakmon Paleolithic/ Paleoanthropological Survey project). Joseph Sifakis (Computer Engineer, France) Joseph Sifakis is a CNRS (Centre National De La Recherche Scientific) researcher and the Founder of Verimag laboratory, in Grenoble, France. Joseph Sifakis is recognized for his pioneering work on both theoretical and practical aspects of Concurrent Systems Specification and Verification. He contributed to emergence of the area of model-checking, currently the most widely-used method for the verification of industrial applications. Vicky Pryce (Economist, UK) Vicky Pryce, the new joint head of the UKs Government Economic Service is not only the first non-Treasury official to land the job, she is also the first woman and was born abroad, in Greece. Its a big achievement having made it despite my background coming from another country as she says. Pryce is also the chief economist at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Born in Greece, in 1952, she came to London to study at the LSE and went on to a glittering career as chief economist for, among others, KPMG, Exxon Europe and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Vicky Pryce is married to Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat leadership contender. George Paxinos (Psychologist, Australia) George Paxinos, professor and researcher in the area of psychology and the human brain, was awarded the distinction by the Australian Psychologists Research Organization for his contribution to science. Paxinos was born in Ithaki and studied in the US. Since 1973 he has been living in Sydney Australia where he works at the University of New South Wales and collaborates with various universities and research centers such as Cambridge and Oxford. Dr. George Paxinos paved the way for future neuroscience research by being the first to produce a three-dimensional (stereotaxic) framework for placement of electrodes and injections in the brain of experimental animals, which is now used as an international standard. Dr. Paxinos has been honored with more than nine distinguished awards throughout his years of research. With 35 published research books, 115 refereed journal articles, 2 reviews, 25 book chapters and 13 CD-ROMs, he is currently President of the Australian Neuroscience Society and the IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience. Source: Minipress.gr RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Both Prime Ministers underlined the importance of the IGB pipeline and cooperation on energy matters A series of bilateral agreements were signed on Monday in Sofia between the Greek and Bulgarian government, with energy being at the forefront. Agreements were also signed for cooperation in education, science and culture. In the statements that followed their meeting, both the Prime Ministers of Greece Alexis Tsipras and Bulgaria Boyko Borisov underlined the importance of cooperation in energy. The Greek PM noted that the construction of the IGB (Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria) pipeline is critical in the further development of bilateral relations and as such a priority project that will offer major benefits to both. Accompanying the Greek Prime Minister in his trip to Bulgaria was the Minister of Infrastructure, Transports and Networks Christos Spirtzis, who met with his Bulgarian counterpart and discussed a series of issues, including the railway link between Alexandroupoli and Burgas. Talks were also carried out over the management of the dams in Bulgaria, in order to prevent floods in the Evros River during the winter months. The Bulgarian PM commented that an agreement was reached for his country to fill its artificial lakes only by 80% in the fall. Mr. Borisov added that meeting between unions and farmers from both sides will take place in September to resolve any border issues. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold, vying to unseat Sen. Ron Johnson, faces a challenger in Tuesdays primary, Scott Harbach. Harbach did not answer a Wisconsin State Journal candidate questionnaire, but his website says he is a private investigator. The website slams political correctness and a biased media while pledging to make religious freedom and national security his top issues. Russ Feingold Age: 63 Address: Middleton Family: Christine, wife; Ellen, daughter, Jessica, daughter Education: BA, UW-Madison; BA, University of Oxford; JD, Harvard Law School Public service: Wisconsin state senator, U.S. senator Scott Harbach Did not answer questionnaire. Why are you the best candidate to represent your party in the November election? Feingold: Since launching this campaign, Ive visited each of Wisconsins 72 counties at least twice. And what I hear from Wisconsinites from Polk to Dane County is the same: middle class and working families are struggling to get by in an economic system that favors multi-millionaires and corporations over working families. ... Ill stand up to the D.C. special interests and fight for middle class and working families. What vote by members of your party last session do you disagree with most? Feingold: Im firmly against the Trans Pacific Partnership because its a raw deal for Wisconsins workers and businesses. Over the years, bad trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA have consistently shipped jobs overseas, upending hardworking middle class families. ... I know the TPP would be more of the same, which is why I stood up to a Democratic president, urging both Democrats and Republicans to vote against it. What is your top agenda item that you would like to pass if elected? Feingold: My top priority is to create an economy that works for Wisconsins middle class and working families. I would immediately focus on passing a federal minimum wage increase, enacting guaranteed paid leave for workers, protecting the retirement security of working Americans and seniors alike, and making higher education more affordable. ... We must also use all of our resources to defeat ISIS and other groups who seek to attack the United States. The prices for globally traded hardwood chips fell to a record low in May 2016, while softwood chip prices reached the highest level in seven months, according to the latest FOEX Chip Price Indexes. Global trade of hardwood chips have trended upward for six years and totalled almost 24 million tonnes in 2015. By far, the two largest wood chip importing markets are Japan and China, both countries with limited forest resources to supply the pulp industry with sufficient wood fibre. The general price trend for hardwood chip traded overseas have been downward since late 2011 when the FOEX price index (PIX-HCG) reached a record high of almost $207/odmt (oven dry metric ton). In May of this year this index was $167.29, representing a 19.1 per cent decline in four and a half years. Some of the biggest price declines in the past 12 months have been for hardwood chips shipped from Australia to China, from South Africa to Japan, and from Uruguay to Portugal. The FOEX softwood chip price index (PIX-SCG) has also fallen from a peak almost five years ago, but the price decline has been less dramatic than that of hardwood chips. During 2016, the SCG index has actually increased to reach $165.55/odmt in May, which was the highest level in seven months. The major price increase so far this year has been for softwood chips exported from the US to Turkey. The majority of global softwood chip trade is in Europe, as opposed to the hardwood chip trade, which is concentrated to Asia. FOEX Indexes is a private, independent company which specialises in providing audited, trade-mark registered price indices for pulp, paper, recovered paper, biomass and wood chips. Financial institutions use the FOEX Indices as benchmarks when setting prices for swap deals and other financial instruments hedging against product price risks. The PIX Indices are trademark registered by FOEX Indexes. - TradeArabia News Service DAppolonia, the independent engineering consulting company of Rina Group, is currently working on the design of a new five-star heritage hotel in the historical Samhan District of AdDiriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This project, which aims to bring together the historical look and feel of approximately 40 historic mud buildings in the Samhan District with a modern five-star hotel, is under the supervision of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, and is the first hospitality related renovation project in the country. DAppolonia was appointed as lead consultant for the design of the hotel by Nuzul Saudi Heritage Hospitality Company, established as an initiative led by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTNH) to maintain national heritage through utilizing of some historical sites and buildings across the kingdom as hotels specialized in heritage hospitality. DAppolonia will provide engineering services up to detailed design development, and support Nuzul Hospitality with technical supervision and recommendations for construction according to the BREEAM International 2013 scheme and DAppolonias Quality Management System. The project area sits inside the Unesco buffer zone; so all techniques used to restore buildings also need to be compliant with Unesco protocols. Andrea Tomarchio, project manager, DAppolonia said: "We are pleased to be able to preserve the integrity and heritage of these historic buildings. Ensuring that the design is environmentally friendly and energy efficient has been a key consideration in making the site available for modern use in a sustainable way, that will mean it lasts for years to come. Alessandro Odasso, Infrastructure and Transport Business Development manager, DAppolonia noted: Our long-standing expertise in heritage requalification engineering lent itself perfectly to this project. We have carried out many similar design and supervision projects in historic sites of Italy and in the hospitality industry, providing us with extensive experience for this design project. The proposed hotel design includes a souk in which traditional goods will be marketed and a museum area where traditional construction systems will be displayed and workshops can be conducted to teach restoration techniques, including those used to restore the Samhan District. This unique experience will highlight the restoration of the heritage site and reflect the countrys traditions, origins and culture. These are key elements in passing technical knowledge and skills down to future generations, which, due to the sustainable design of the hotel, can be taught for many years to come. - TradeArabia News Service University of Bahrain (UoB) has implemented a campus-wide wireless network infrastructure from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, offering connectivity for over 26,000 students and 1,800 staff. Kanoo IT, a division of E K Kanoo Group, Arubas integration partner in Bahrain carried out the implementation and was instrumental in the success of the project. Attiya, director of IT Center, University of Bahrain said: We wanted our staff and students to take advantage of the mobility revolution as our goal is to transform into a digital university. A high performance Wi-Fi network would be fundamental to this vision. As smartphone penetration in Bahrain exploded, we began to see these devices become much more prevalent in our campus. We were presented with an opportunity to introduce new mobile services but needed to upgrade our wireless infrastructure, Attiya added. With a campus that sprawls over 5 sq km in area and up to 10,000 simultaneous users on the wi-fi network, high-density, security, ease of installation and configuration, and rapid troubleshooting were key requirements for success. At the time of our Wi-Fi overhaul, we also upgraded our core network with switches from a different technology vendor. However, the integration was seamless which helped keep the project on track, said Attiya. An immediate benefit of the upgrade has been the improvement in data transfer speeds and the ability of each AP to handle a high-density of simultaneous connections. This ability has proved to be of vital importance in areas where students tend to congregate. Alabdi, head of Information Networks Division IT Center, University of Bahrain said: We offer a unique mobile app for student registration and during this period of the academic year, we have up to 600 students in one particular area. But since each Aruba AP can handle 100-120 simultaneous connections, we manage this peak volume with a minimal number of APs. Arubas ClientMatch technology automatically connects client devices to the best possible access point. By eliminating sticky clients, the feature has enabled seamless roaming between APs without any noticeable drop in wireless network performance, explained Alabdi. Arubas solutions greatly simplify the administration and management of the wireless network. Each of the 450 APs can be centrally monitored and controlled and even updates can be pushed out centrally without the need for manual intervention. Furthermore, the solution supports a wide number of mobile device platforms. This has been of paramount importance since we see all types of devices and mobile operating systems connecting to our network. Yet, we never see users facing challenges due to this factor, said Alabdi. UOBs confidence in its wireless network is further extended by the limited lifetime warranty that is offered on Arubas APs. Through its support contract with Kanoo IT, the University also enjoys same day replacement guarantees on vital components in the network. Security has been another key area that Arubas solution has managed to address. Thanks to Arubas built-in firewall, we have a high degree of security without added complexity. Furthermore, the solution easily integrates with other security devices in our environment, said Alabdi. With the first phase of the upgrade successfully completed, 70% of UOBs campus now enjoys Wi-Fi coverage. Our plan is to extend this coverage in phases based on the requirements of the various departments within the campus. With the continued support from Aruba and Kanoo IT, we look forward to expanding our network infrastructure, allowing it to match the growth and usage within the University, he added. TradeArabia News Service Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) has signed a $100 milllion financing deal with Saudi Arabia's Samba Financial Group, said a report. The facility will go towards financing the construction of the companys fifth cement plant, added the Peninsula Qatar report. In 2014, the company signed the letter of intent with Fives FCB, France, for the construction of the fifth production line with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per day (tpd) of clinker. The estimated cost was QR950 million ($260 million). The fifth production line is expected to become operational within the next 27 months, taking the company's total clinker production capacity to 17,000 tpd and the grinding capacity to 20,000 tpd of cement. Iran is likely to approve a new model for oil contracts on Wednesday, said the countrys oil minister, adding that priorities will be jointly owned oil and gas fields. Iran hopes to draw as much as $50 billion a year from oil major such as Italy's Eni SpA and France's Total SA to develop its oil and gas fields, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying in the Iran Daily News, which cited Bloomberg. Most of the companies that have expressed interest are European, Zanganeh noted. The investor-contract makes clear that domestic reserves belong to the state, Zanganeh recently told Irans Seda Weekly. Zanganeh has previously said that Iran's oil industry needs $200 billion in investment in the wake of international sanctions being lifted. Of that total, $130 billion would go into upstream projects and $70 billion into downstream refineries and petrochemical plants. The Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP), with a capital expenditure of $2.7 billion, is scheduled for commissioning towards the end of 2016, a top official was quoted as saying by the Times of Oman. SRIP will enhance capacity by 70 per cent to meet the growing requirement of petroleum products in the country as well as supply additional volumes to aromatics and polypropylene plants, said Musab Al Mahruqi, chief executive officer of state-owned Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic). With SRIP, Sohar Refinery will add 82,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its existing capacity of 116,000 bpd taking the total capacity to 198,000 bpd, he said. This indicates a 70 per cent growth in fuel production 141 per cent for diesel, 34 per cent for gasoline, 98 per cent for kerosene/jet fuel, 93 per cent for LPG, 159 per cent for naphtha and 56 per cent for propylene, he added. Meanwhile, another major venture - Muscat Sohar Product Pipeline (MSPP) project - will entail a pipeline connection between Mina Al Fahal Refinery, Sohar Refinery with an intermediate terminal at Al Jifnain, as well as the pipeline connection from Al Jifnain to the new Muscat International Airport. Al Mahruqi said that Liwa Plastic Industries Complex (LPIC) is one of the biggest among the three major projects being executed by Orpic over the next four years. LPIC includes a steam cracker and its associated downstream units to utilise the refinery light ends and the C2+ from Omans natural gas in order to produce an additional 1.2 million tonnes of polymers annually as well as motor gasoline (MTBE), the Times of Oman report said. The project, which will have a capital expenditure of $6.5 billion, is in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase and is scheduled for commissioning in 2020, it added. Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in Jordan received 3,424,461 passengers during the first half of 2016, registering a 5.4 per cent climb compared with the same period last year. Aircraft movements (ACM) and cargo traffic figures also recorded discernible increases as of the end of June 2016, achieving overall year-to-date (YTD) surges of 5.7 per cent and 6.6 per cent respectively. For June, which largely coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, Airport International Group (AIG) the Jordanian company responsible for the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of QAIA, reported the airports first decline in monthly passenger figures this year in comparison to 2015. The airport welcomed a total of 551,750 passenger in comparison to 593,006 passengers received in the same month last year, registering a year-on-year decrease of 7 per cent. Following a consistent streak of traffic growth since the beginning of 2016, QAIA registered 6,008 ACM as opposed to 6,124 ACM in June 2015, effecting a 1.9 per cent drop. QAIA also handled 8,727 tons of cargo set against 8,874 tons throughout June of last year for a fall of 1.7 per cent. Were very pleased to have recorded such strong overall traffic growth during H1, despite Junes decline in year-on-year passenger, aircraft movement and cargo traffic results. This was largely due to Junes coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan marking a period when travelling generally tends to slow down, said Airport International Group CEO, Kjeld Binger. Nevertheless, we look forward to witnessing a resurgence in traffic statistics in the months to come, especially given the approach of Eid al-Adha, the remainder of the summer holiday. - TradeArabia News Service You can opt out of certain types of cookies (e.g. those used in social media sharing) by choosing "I do not accept". The website will still largely function well, but with slightly less functionality in places. To manage your cookie preferences in future, visit the "Cookie Statement" link at the bottom of any page. Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Mohali, August 2 The Mohali Municipal Corporation today resolved to start the city bus service, charge commercial tax on paying guest accommodations being run from residences in the town and build 1,000 houses for economically weaker sections at a House meeting held at the MC Bhawan here. Contrary to expectations, the meeting passed off peacefully with all councillors giving their nod to 22 issues, except two, on the agenda. The House approved a plan for plying buses on at least 12 routes initially. These routes include the railway station, Mohali (RSM) to the PGI, the RSM to the ISBT-43, airport to the ISBT-43, Landran to the ISBT, Phase VI, RSM to the ISBT, Phase VI, airport to the ISBT, Phase VI, Mohali to Banur, Mohali (Sector 65) to Nayagaon, Kharar to the RSM, Kharar to Zirakpur, the ISBT, Phase VI, to Zirakpur and Landran to Zirakpur. Mohali Mayor Kulwant Singh said under the scheme, over 100 buses would be introduced in the first phase of the project. The route plan would be sent to the Director, State Transport, for checking its feasibility before the start of the operations, said the Mayor. Commercial tax on PG accommodations In an apparent bid to regulate the PG business being run by residents from their houses, the House approved commercial tax on all PG accommodations in the town. However, the House exempted the rural belt of the town from it. The MC will start charging commercial tax from owners of PG accommodations soon. Such owners have to pay water and power bills at commercial rates, said Kulwant Singh. To get the figure of such accommodations, the MC would take the help of GMADA, which has completed a survey in this regard. EWS houses Another issue approved by the House at the meeting was the construction of nearly 1,000 houses for economically weaker sections at Sohana village. The project will cost over Rs 100 crore. We have 10 acres for the purpose, said the Mayor. MC Commissioner skips meeting On expected lines, Mohali MC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta skipped the meeting, deputing his subordinate Naresh Batta, superintendent, to attend the proceedings in his place. Gupta said he had given the reasons for skipping the meeting to the state government. I have some other important work to do, said Gupta. Gupta had left the previous House meeting midway after a fracas with Mohali Deputy Mayor Manjit Singh Sethi and other councillors. SAD-BJP councillors side with Commissioner SAD-BJP councillors refused to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting, claiming they did not agree with the point in the minutes that Gupta had not maintained the decorum of the meeting on July 15. Of the 23 councillors of the SAD-BJP combine, 21 signed the note in this regard, said Bharat Bhushan Maini, a senior SAD councillor, after the meeting. House resolution against Commissioner The differences between Sethi and Gupta widened further with the former managing to pass a resolution against the latter at the House meeting, saying that the Commissioner was wrongly in possession of two MC houses in the town. He (Gupta) should either vacate the official house or should be asked to pay rent for one of the government houses at the prevailing market rate, said Sethi. Gupta said they (the House) have no authority to raise questions over the perks and privileges being given to me by the state government. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 Another snatching incident has been reported from Sector 40 in the city in which a man lost his mobile phone, taking the count of snatchings to 11 in seven days. Police sources said efforts were being made to curb the snatching incidents. The mobile phone was snatched from the victim, Jai Ram, a resident of Sector 56, in Sector 40 by two scooter-borne miscreants, who were riding an Activa scooter. The victim has alleged that he was also thrashed by the miscreants. The police said the statements of the youth were being verified. SP (City) Navdeep Brar said some of those involved in the snatching incidents had been identified and a hunt was on to nab them. The rising number of snatching incidents has instilled a sense of insecurity among city residents. Jalandhar, August 1 Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh today raised the issue of Vienna riots in Parliament and demanded immediate cancellation of all cases registered against Dalits. MP stated in the parliament that when the guru was killed in Austria, the community members resorted to peaceful protest but certain anti-social elements too joined in the protest and resorted to violence. After the incident, the government registered 75 cases against Dalits of which the status of 30 cases was still unknown, while remaining 45 cases were filed in the court. Out of 45 cases, Dalits were acquitted by court in 20 cases while 25 cases were still sub-judice in the court. In 2013, Punjab government released a notification stating that dalits booked in the case should compensate the loss of properties reported during violence. Vienna Kand Sangarsh Committee representative Chaudhary Kamal Bhairon extended thanks to the MP for raising the issue in parliament.TNS Shelley Walia IMBUED with an abiding faith and deep sense of optimism, the First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama, delivered a poignant address at the Democratic Convention. She exhorted the audience to acknowledge the great American story, which had given her husband and her, the first African-American President and First Lady, a chance to wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. It was a historic moment, a rallying cry to all Americans that they are stronger together. The exuberance and hope of the American promise articulated by Michelle and reiterated brilliantly by President Obama sits uncomfortably on the vexing complexity of race relations in America. While he may be the shining star on the hill, there are millions still in the darkness of racial inequality and a gross opportunity deficit. Change is slow, change is hard, said Obama, but its inevitable and will result in a more perfect Union. One of the great instruments of this change was Martin Luther King. In March of 1965, he led thousands in an epic march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery. This was the final moment of the Civil Rights Movement. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law and schools desegregated. But after 50 years, massive demonstrations rage through the country against segregation and police atrocities. In such a time, it is important to ask: In the last 50 years, has America progressed on matters of race, or are we stalled, or even moving backward? The meaning and limits of American freedom calls for a serious scrutiny to understand race matters in the US. The origins of the present day racism are complex and multi-dimensional. The foundation of the country was laid on a brutal base of violence, the small white population decimating the Native American population. With the next rigorous task of building the infrastructure, who else could the colonisers fall upon but the African slave? It is a horrific legacy that will forever haunt the vaulted edifice of the supreme power of the country. In the years that preceded the election of President Obama as the first Black President of the United States, racism was more covert, with blacks generally living in dilapidated ghetto- like projects, poorer and far less educated than the whites and the other new immigrants who began arriving in droves in search of the American Dream. They were beginning to sink further and further behind, the gap between them and the more educated, affluent whites and the new immigrants became insurmountable, leading to frequent bouts of violence and rebellion against the dismal state of their lives. The police, with whom the black population has always had a relationship fuelled by a mix of fear, resentment and agitation, were seen as a symbol of oppression, fairly accurately evidenced in the case of Rodney King in 1991 that led to a wild unleashing of violence, laying the groundwork for a deeply troubled relationship between the blacks and the police and large swathes of the white race. With the election of Obama, a sizeable proportion of the white population accepted the result that the Democratic process had thrust on them and reconciled to living with the reality. Some felt that the result of the election had vindicated them from the blemish of racism, while the blacks rejoiced at the dawn of a new era. Both proved to be false. The chasm resulted in the growing inequity between the rich and poor, the blacks and Hispanics comprising a disproportionate percentage of the poor, causing the ripping apart of the social fabric, accompanied as it was with the disenfranchisement resulting in higher rates of crime and incarceration of blacks. The worsening situation was further exacerbated by the increase in the rate of unemployment amongst the under-educated white population in the aftermath of the decimation of the heavy industry and large geographies in the mid-west and south that began to suffer through the same levels of acute poverty, crime, drug abuse and economic disparity that the minorities of blacks and Hispanics had been suffering for a prolonged period of time. This caused a profound resentment in the underprivileged, the self-entitled whites who began to blame all their woes not on their lack of education but on other racial communities stepping into their jobs. And the fountainhead of all their trouble was, of course, the Black President who was not watching out for their welfare. In this dangerous milieu came the biggest demagogue of all: Donald Trump. He built his entire campaign on this divisiveness, decrying diversity, and lamenting that the white people and their culture had been overrun by other races. This strategy of attacking Mexicans as criminals and calling for a ban on Muslim immigrants played hugely well and divided the nation even further. The mainstreaming of such offensive ideas into public conversation is an aberration reminiscent of the political climate of the 1940s Germany. Race now has begun to unabashedly matter as much to the whites as to the blacks. Loss of jobs, the rise of black activism as well as the rise of a black President has instilled in the minds of the white Americans that they would be soon outnumbered. These changes have strategically dialled up the racist rhetoric used by Trump to build his constituency. The recent incidents of overriding violence wreaked by the police upon young black males and the carnage that followed with the brutal murder of five Dallas police officers by a black sniper, only makes a bad situation drastically worse. This comes on the heels of a long history of violence perpetrated on black youth, some mercilessly shot to death for petty crimes. And in this extremely volatile nexus of crime, violence and poverty is the easy availability of powerful automatic weapons. The solution has to be multi-pronged. Gun control needs to be legislated sensibly and education should be seen as an antidote to a racist mindset. There is a tremendous amount of outreach that is required on both sides, an undertaking that has to be approached openly and wholeheartedly. The American civil society of the future depends on how well it quenches racial difference and the inbuilt animosity. Why indeed should we choke our fury when racial hatred is real, and repression of any kind dehumanising? Symbols do matter. And an army tank, with its gun-turret pointed towards Parliament House, makes a very unhappy sight. And this symbolism decidedly gets additionally rancid with Brahmos missiles stationed at Vijay Chowk. Newspapers have published photographs of the tank and missiles positioned, all as part of an exhibition being organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). DRDO has rightly earned a reputation of being a vastly under-performing and grossly over-rated organisation among the pantheon of holy cows, beyond reproach and scrutiny. Still it has been allowed to display its doubtful wares at Parliament House. The members of Parliament may be our law-makers but that does not make them experts in making any knowledgeable decisions. The DRDO exhibition is a clear case of over-sale. And these photographs do convey a disquieting picture. One newspaper even felt constrained to caption its photograph: This is not a coup! It can only be hoped that when the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Suchitra Mahajan, allowed the parking of a tank outside Parliament House, she was totally unaware of the distressing imagery at work. With all due respect to her office, she has been a very ordinary and a very mediocre member of a political party that had always tried to make a fetish of its respect and preference for the soldier. The ruling BJP may have its own political agenda in injecting a heightened degree of militarism in our public discourse, but as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha she has an institutional obligation to see to it that this temple of democracy does not get slighted, even inadvertently. We live in times when the phony politician deliberately and cynically invokes patriotism to enlist the voters support for his unsavoury quest for power. This is a global trend. India and its politicians are no exception. But the country needs to remember that politics of nationalism invariably leads to dangerous jingoism which in turn instigates prescriptions of tests of patriotism. Nationalism is a healthy and empowering sentiment and the soldier is always worthy of respect and a salute. But in these ugly times the democratic voices need to remain vigilant against any creeping militarism. Chandigarh, August 2 An Aam Aadmi Party legislator has been booked for having secured a job as a government teacher on the basis of a fake degree, Haryana Police said on Tuesday. Surinder Singh, a Member of Legislative Assembly from Delhi Cantonment, was arrested after BJP leader Karan Singh Tanwar a former lawmaker of the same assembly segment lodged a complaint against him before Jhajjars Superintendent of Police. Singhs service records which Tanwar secured through the Right to Information Act show Singh to be a graduate but he had only passed Class 12, the complaint claimed. Singh is a teacher in a government school at Jhajjar. "The complaint against Surinder Singh is that he was employed as teacher in a government school in Jhajjar a job that he is alleged to have got on the basis of a forged graduation degree," Jhajjar Police SP Jashandeep Singh said. He said police would first confirm the authenticity of the degree. Naveen Jaihind, an AAP leader from Haryana, claimed Delhi Police had altready cleared Singh of the same charges. "At the behest of the ruling BJP, an atmosphere is being created to browbeat our MLAs. Since Delhi Police had conducted a separate inquiry and given a clean chit, what is the logic of Haryana Police taking cognisance of the same complaint? This is sheer harassment of our party legislator (sic), he claimed. "We are saying if anyone has done anything wrong, arrest him and actively pursue the case before courts. But the way the BJP government is acting, it only shows that they are frustrated with AAP's growing popularity. But we are not going to be cowed down by such tactics. The AAP was formed after a revolution. People are wise. They know what tactics the BJP is adopting," Jaihind claimed. Twelve AAP MLAs have so far been arrested since the party came to power in Delhi for a second time in February last year. PTI Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 Opposition parties and farmer organisations in the state are bracing up for a political face-off with the Manohar Lal Khattar government on the issue of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the national crop insurance scheme launched by the Narendra Modi government. While both the Congress as well as the INLD have rejected the scheme terming it anti-farmers, farmer organisations have also come out against the scheme. Prahlad Singh Bharukhera, president of the Haryana Kisan Manch, today alleged the PMFBY was anti-farmers and had been initiated to benefit insurance companies. We have chalked out a plan to submit memorandums against the scheme across the state and will hold a big farmers rally against it at Sirsa by the end of August, he said. State Congress president Ashok Tanwar today alleged the Khattar government was misleading farmers on the issue of crop insurance scheme. Before coming to power, the BJP had promised implementation of the Swaminathan report to farmers. However, the ruling party forgot its promise after forming the government. The ruling partys anti-farmers attitude can be gauged from the fact that it had failed to compensate farmers whose cotton crop was damaged last year, said Tanwar. Harpal Singh, general secretary of the All-India Kisan Sabha said his organisation was in favour of crop insurance, but not in the manner the Khattar government wanted to implement it. The scheme is not going to benefit farmers, who will have to cough out Rs 1,000 per acre without any benefit. On the other hand, the private companies will not only extract money from gullible farmers, but will also get richer by funding from the government, said Harpal Singh. He alleged the loss of crops due to heat or cold waves were not covered under the scheme and farmers would not get any benefit if his crop did not fetch remunerable price. Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala have already rejected the scheme. The PMFBY is an ambitious scheme of the NDA government at the Centre and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13. Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 The state BJP leadership, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, ministers, legislators and members of the state executive, are gearing up for a different kind of four-day pathshala beginning at Surajkund (Faridabad) on August 4. The whos who of the central leadership, including BJP chief Amit Shah, are expected to train the novice state BJP leadership in the nuances of organisational, legislative and administrative aspects of governance at the picturesque Surajkund during the four-day session. Besides, think tanks and ideologues of the BJP and its parent organisation, the RSS, will provide food for thought to the state leadership. State BJP spokesman Rajiv Jaitley told The Tribune today central leaders would dwell in detail on the Central schemes at the training session so that the state leadership could go to the public to counter the Oppositions propaganda. The state leadership, in turn, will take the message to booth-level workers to strengthen party organisation and expand its base, he added. Most of the BJP legislators, including Khattar and his Cabinet colleagues, are greenhorns in the art of politics and governance. The inexperience of the state government, including that of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, had largely been blamed by the Opposition for the slow pace of development in last two years. BJP chief whip Gian Chand Gupta, meanwhile, hoped the training programme would go a long way in honing the skills of ministers and MLAs ahead of the forthcoming Assembly session beginning on August 26. Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 The National Health Mission (NHM) employees from across Haryana have threatened to go on strike on August 9 and 10 to protest against staff rationalisation. The NHM Employees Association has submitted a notice regarding the strike to the Mission Director and also demanded regularisation of their services. Hundreds of health workers fear losing their jobs as the National Health Mission (NHM) has begun the process to rationalise its staff by at least 20 per cent. Recently, the Mission Director of the NHM in Haryana Rajiv Rattan had sought details of the staff to be rationalised from officers of the various health programmes. Surender Gautam, president of the Association, said over 12,000 persons were employed under the NHM. Many of them had been in the service for past 18 to 20 years. He said, We were appointed after the posts were duly advertised in newspapers. Interviews were held by the selection committee. Over the years, our members have worked hard to improve the social indicators like the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and gender ratio. The present governments election manifesto promised to regularise the services of contractual employees, but now, the government wants to take away our jobs on the pretext of rationalisation. Surender Gautam said in the talks held on May 31, the authorities concerned had promised the pay the salaries by 10th of every month and not to remove any worker. Atul Kumar, general secretary of the association, alleged the NHM employees were made to work for more than 48 hours a week and not paid for months against the International Labour Organisations (ILO) mandate. He said their request for a meeting with Health Minister Anil Vij and the ACS (Health) had been declined. Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 Haryanas decision to adopt the Prime Ministers Fasal Bima Yojana to insure crops may have run into rough weather with the Opposition parties and farmers unions opposing it tooth and nail, but that hasnt deterred the state from setting a target of 40 per cent insurance coverage. Sources in the state Agriculture Department said against a traditional insurance coverage of 15 to 20 per cent, as seen in the last few years, the PMFBY is likely to cover nearly 40 per cent of over 16 lakh farmers in the state. The Government of India has set a target of 50 per cent coverage in three years. Given the varied climatic conditions and crop patterns, Haryana has adopted the scheme for eight major crops, including wheat, paddy, maize, cotton and mustard. Among these eight crops that Haryana has chosen, 80 per cent of the kharif crop and 90 to 95 per cent of the rabi crop will be insured in Haryana, a senior officer of the Agriculture Department said, maintaining the loanee farmers had to take the scheme compulsorily since banks wanted an insurance cover for loans given. While the premium in the state ranges between 2 to 3.5 per cent, officials of the Agriculture Department explain that the farmer will have to deposit a premium of 2 per cent only, while the rest will be shared by the Haryana Government and the Government of India. In case of crop damage, the insurance cover will take care of 90 per cent of the value of the crop, the department maintains. For the purpose of the insurance scheme, the department has divided Haryana into three clusters with the idea of clubbing different crops and climatic conditions in one zone. The idea behind dividing the state into clusters was to get maximum coverage for the state, while offering the insurance companies a bouquet of areas so that risk-assessment is uniform. This was designed to make it an attractive option, since the companies would have been cautious about extending the cover in areas with higher risk potential where irrigation and power supply is poor and the climatic conditions are less conducive, an officer explained. Though Haryana, essentially, has assured irrigation in 85 per cent of the state and power availability in most places, there are very few pockets that qualify as potential high-risk areas. This prompted the state to opt for yield-based insurance scheme over a weather-based one. Though the officers admit there are a few grey areas since the scheme is very new, sources maintain that these will be taken care of in due course of time. BKU takes out march, demands friendly policy Karnal: Farmers under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Sewa Singh Arya faction) today held a kisan mahapanchayat at Karan Park against the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Terming the scheme as anti-farmers, they took out a procession in the city to highlight their plight. They handed over a memorandum to DC Mandeep Brar at Mini-Secretariat and demanded a farmer-friendly policy. Sewa Singh Arya, state president of the BKU, led the mahapanchayat and said the government had been implementing the policies to loot the farmers. The government should revoke the decision and the crop damage should be assessed at the acre level, not the village level, Arya demanded. The government should include the tubewell, transformer theft, death of farmer due to any farm-related cause in it, he said. He accused the government of playing into the hands of private insurance companies. Karnal, TNS Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, August 2 As many as five departments of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) has come under the scanner of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the regularisation of increased seats for postgraduation courses in these departments. The state government has increased two to three seats for the postgraduate (PG) courses in the departments of general surgery, radiology, medicine, chest and TB, obstetric and gynaecology to produce specialist doctors. There is a shortage of specialists in zonal and civil hospitals of the state that in turn affects patient care in the peripheries, said IGMC officials. Medical Council of India inspectors checked records pertaining to the departments of general surgery, including patient care, beds, surgical equipment, labs and operation theatre, which are mandatory for PG courses. They are likely to inspect the facilities at radiology, medicine, chest and TB, obstetric and gynaecology soon, said an Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital official. Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital principal Dr Ashok Sharma, who assumed the charge yesterday, said the MCI inspection was a routine affair. All PG courses are being run as per available resources and any shortcomings pointed out by the Medical Council of India will be put in place in the college, he added. Dr Sharma said the postgraduate courses were running smoothly in the medical college and they hoped that the Medical Council of India would regularise all PG seats. Most of the departments under the Medical Council of India inspection fulfil all mandatory condition and the team is likely to interact with us to share their observation, he said. Tribune News Service Shimla, August 2 Technical Education and Transport Minister GS Bali said today that the Centre had approved 75 electric buses and a CNG station at Una. This has set the stage for starting the electric and CNG buses to the Rohtang Pass and other key hill stations. Addressing a press conference here, Bali said the state had urged the Centre to fund buses on the 90:10 ratio, but it had agreed to fund the 50 buses, while rest were being funded in the 75:25 ratio. We are still fighting to get Centre fund all buses in the 90:10 ratio as the state has limited fund and the Centre is not compensating Himachal for protecting environment, he added. Bali said the CNG station would come up at Una for which approval had been received. We will start the CNG and electric buses as directed by the National Green Tribunal, he added. Bali said the first batch of the hydro-engineering college, collaborated by the NHPC and the NTPC with fund worth Rs 37.50 crore on the 62 bighas at Bandla, would start next year. The college would have four undergraduate-level courses in civil, mechanical, electrical and computer science engineering with the capacity of 60 seats in each. M Tech in hydro-engineering would start after the first batch passed out. Bali said each constituency now had an ITI. Now each district had one polytechnic. Two more polytechnics had been notified for Basantpur in Shimla and Rehan in Kangra district and second pharmacy college was being started at Nagrota Bagwan. He said Hotel Management and Catering Technology Institute was coming up at Parour, Palampur. About 1,000 teaching and non-teaching posts have been created and were being filled in various technical institutes, while all ITIs had now principals. Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 2 One civilian was killed and another was critically injured in police firing during a clash at Lethpora in Pulwama on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway this evening. The police said the incident took place when protesters threw stones at the official vehicle of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Ramban, when it was on its way from Srinagar to Ramban this evening. Locals, according to reports, were protesting against police excesses in the village, when the official vehicle reached the spot. Suspecting it to be an attack on the official vehicle, the police guard of the SDM opened fire in which two protesters were injured. One of the injured, identified as Farooq Ahmad Kuthay, later succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, in the first such attack on a ruling PDP leader, two petrol bombs were thrown at the house of senior PDP leader and Education Minister Naeem Akhter in Civil Lines here on Monday night, causing minor damage to the house. In the attack that occurred around 11.30 pm on Monday, the window panes were broken and minor damage was caused on the front of the house, at Parraypora locality, about six kilometres from central Lal Chowk, along the road to the Srinagar airport. No one was injured in the incident as the house was vacant as the minister and his family shifted to a high-security government house on Gupkar Road here last year. A close relative, who lives in the house, was not present at the time of the incident, family sources said, adding that he was undergoing treatment at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital. Akhter, who is also the government spokesman, took over as the minister first in the PDP-BJP coalition Government led by former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in March last year. He was again inducted into the Cabinet by Mehbooba Mufti, who took over on April 4 this year, three months after Mufti Sayeeds death. On last Saturday, stones were thrown on his cavalcade in the Sumbal area of Bandipora district in north Kashmir when he was returning to Srinagar after taking stock of the law and order situation there. He had escaped unhurt and was escorted out of the area by the police. PDP leaders have become the target of protesters following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district on July 8. PDP MLA from Pulwama Mohammad Khalil Bandh also came under the attack of stone-throwers on July 17 when he was travelling at night in his constituency. His driver lost control of the vehicle resulting in an accident, injuring him seriously. Bandh, a former minister, is undergoing treatment in New Delhi. Another PDP MLA from Kokernag, Abdul Rahim Rathers hotel was damaged by an irate mob early last month. Elsewhere in the Valley at least 15 persons were injured in protests and clashes today. Security forces used teargas shells to disperse protesters while the overall situation remained under control. Three persons received pellet injuries during the clashes with the police at Trehgam in Kupwara district. The residents were protesting the arrest of a local youth. One of the injured has been shifted to Srinagar. At least 10 persons have been injured in the protests followed by clashes in Sopore. The areas falling under five police stations of downtown Srinagar and Anantnag town of south Kashmir continued to reel under the curfew on day 25 of the prevailing unrest today. Restrictions continued to be enforced in other areas of the Valley, the police said. In south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulama, Kulgam and Shopian, stray incidents of violence were reported. Peaceful rallies and roadshows were taken out at many places. In the Mattan area of Anantnag, the police chased away the demonstrators who were stopped from taking out a rally. The police fired teargas shells and pellets to disperse the demonstrators, who fled leaving their vehicles behind. The vehicles have been seized and at least three protesters arrested. Mona Giving up material comforts and distractions, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is enjoying his time off from politics, practicing spirituality in the serene hills of Dharamshala. Vipassana, by no means an easy course. It takes one away not only from the phone, papers, television but also everyone and everything one is used to, turning one an absolute hermit. And Kejriwal is not the only one to give up a regular life and opt for a meditation retreat. Spirituality is no longer restricted to the old and retired but increasingly practised by the young and happening. Here is talking to few meditation enthusiasts sharing their take about the spiritual realm they enjoy exploring. Living in the moment When driving if you are aware of when you accelerate, break and all that is coming along the road, you enjoy the ride. Similarly, if you are conscious of what you are doing, you enjoy life better too. I follow guided meditation, take regular sessions and try to practice in between. Meditation for me is living in the present. Thats what I try to do. What I am doing, why and how whether observing my breath or steps while walking or eating with full joy is what I try to practice and take sessions with like-minded fellows at regular intervals to keep on track. Living here and now helps one to be in a good state, physically and mentally. That makes life easier and beautiful. Neeraj Sharma, 39, Designer Vastradhara Nourishing the soul Every few months, I and my wife Kanwalpreet pack our bags and leave for Osho Nisarga, Dharamshala. Mobile switched off, away from our business, its time to nourish our souls. About 10 years back I read Osho and embraced meditation. The very first retreat had transformed me. Money, name and fame are part of life but not the destination. Today you are at peak, then you fall down for thats the way life is. But whats more important is to know the real purpose of why we are on this earth. Ever since coming into Oshos fold, lifes not been the same for me, not am I the same guy. Now how I have transformed is difficult to put in words but can only be experienced. Vikas Anand Dev, 30, co-founder VKAN - Boutique Design Consultancy For clarity of mind I was a mess before I discovered meditation. Always thinking about the future, no control on anger and then perpetually regretful about my reactions. It was then that I got into the Art of Living. While the circumstances remained the same, I am a changed person. If anyone says or does wrong to me, I dont waste my energy on it. I am able to move away from the situation. Sometimes we lack the clarity of mind. To get that, meditation is the only answer. I am a regular at retreats. Yes, just like any youngster, I too have too much on my plate but its all about prioritising. Pritish Goel, 18, law student at Rayat Bahra University Calm and collected I was in my teens when I first read about Vipassana. I always wanted to explore it but it actually happened in 2014. Since then I make it a point to attend at least one 12- day-course and few short ones in-between. They say meditation makes miracles happen but its not like that. When one is tense, all our energy is scattered. Meditation helps sort out ones thoughts. Once focused, one does benefit in all walkspersonal and professional. Post Vipassana I am a much calmer person, in touch with the real me. And, I am fortunate to enjoy the by-products too. I have come across opportunities that I never dreamt of, and make use of them. Now, I have the time and money to pursue passions that I couldnt earlier. So yes, Vipassana is and going to be a significant part and parcel of my life. Shalini, 43, corporate trainer, Abhivyakyi mona@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 2 A few AAP volunteers expressed discontent during a meeting with state convener of the party Sucha Singh Chhotepur at the Rotary Bhawan here today. They expressed dissatisfaction against the entry of leaders from other parties and said despite having worked for long, they were not being treated with respect while outsiders were given precedence. Some of them alleged that teams from Delhi were coming and conducting surveys to give ticket only to those having big bank balance while others said they found it difficult to coordinate with party leaders from Delhi. Chhotepur assured them that all issues would be settled by the state body. Chhotepur said before allotting the party ticket, volunteers were being given an opportunity to recommend the names of prospective candidates. One of the party members said there were 800 volunteers and 30 claimants for the party ticket, but the ticket could only be given to one deserving member. He said other parties did not even listen to volunteers, but the AAP convener had been coming to meet volunteers of all zones. He said other parties could rake up emotions of people over petty issues to keep AAP away from power, but the party workers need to educate people about the same. Earlier, Chottepur said the SAD-BJP and the Congress had let people of the state down by not keeping their promises. The state had been ruined due to corruption and mafia, under the patronage of the state government, he added. He said wrong policies of the SAD-BJP government were forcing youth to go jobless and is also resulting in suicides among farmers. Mumbai, August 2 The 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven people sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)--were handed out life sentence by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Prounoucing the sentence, the court said all seven convicts would serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif--were handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan--were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court, while sentencing all 12 convicted, on Tuesday observed that it had taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, 10 years after the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 people and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Of the 22 accused, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of the two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team had chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage jihad. The judge had also accepted prosecutions case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district in Maharashtra, drove to Malegaon and a few days later escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal deported to India in 2012 Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. The MCOCA court had last week convicted Jundal under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substance Act and the Indian Penal Code, while the others under varying charges. Charges against them under MCOCA were, however, dropped. The court had accepted the prosecutions contention that the cache of arms and ammunition that the ATS had intercepted from the two cars had originally been procured from Pakistan. While convicting Jundal and 11 others, the court had observed that the ATS could not substantiate the charges of MCOCA against them, even as it accepted direct and substantial evidence presented by the agency in the case. The special court had framed charges against the 22 accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The court had granted bail to 10 accused during the trial. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was eventually vacated in 2009. The Bombay High Court had also earlier directed the lower court to expedite the trial. PTI Lucknow, August 2 Virtually rubbing salt into the wounds of the traumatised family battling the stigma of rape, UP Minister Azam Khan described the Bulandshahr episode as a political conspiracy. Speaking in Rampur, the minister did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of an opposition party in gang-rape of a mother and daughter near a highway in Bulandshahr. Demanding a probe into the matter, he suspected a conspiracy to defame the government just when polls were round the corner. Reacting to the remark, the victim family said, We dont want politics. We dont want politicians visiting us. We want justice. Our child has barely spoken after the attack. UPs BJP chief KP Maurya said, Khan is doing politics on gangrape now. Its a matter of shame. TNS UP highway again: Teacher gangraped Bareily (UP): A teacher was on Tuesday allegedly abducted in broad daylight and gangraped in a field along a state highway linking Delhi-Lucknow National Highway 24. She was abducted by three criminals and forcibly made to sit in a car before being taken to a sugarcane field where the crime was committed and the act was videographed, police said, adding the survivor was left in the field by the criminals who fled after committing the heinous act in Khadua road under CB Ganj police station. PTI Lucknow, August 2 It is not just the Opposition that is out to target Prime Minister Narendra Modis emotive connect with the Ganga. Statistics show very little has been done in the past two years of BJP rule in spite of spending Rs 2,958 crore of the Rs 3,703 crore allocated to improve the condition of the river. The response to a poser under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by a Aishwarya Sharma, a class X student from the city, to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has revealed that the much-hyped Namami Gange programme is largely on paper, much like the previous schemes declared in the past 30 years. In her RTI question on May 9, the 14-year-old Lucknow girl had sought answers to seven queries, which included details of the number of meetings the Prime Minister chaired on the issue, budgetary provisions and the expenses so far. Subroto Hazra, the central public information officer with the PMO, forwarded the query to the Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry for a response. KK Sapra of the ministry responded on July 4 and the answers explicitly show that Modis Ganga Maiya ne bullaya hai (Mother Ganga has summoned me) credo, which endeared Modi to the masses, especially in Varanasi, was little beyond an attempt to milk sentiments and votes. The ministry said Rs 2,137 crore was allocated for the national mission of Ganga cleaning in 2014-15. This was cut by Rs 84 crore to Rs 2,053 crore. But the union government, despite the hype, spent only Rs 326 crore, leaving more than Rs 1,700 crore unspent. The situation did not change much in 2015-16 either and, in fact, the union government slashed the budgetary allocation from the proposed Rs 2,750 crore to Rs 1,650 crore. Of the amended budget, Rs 18 crore was unspent in 2015-16. This is completely baffling, keeping in mind the high-decibel campaign by Modi on cleaning the Ganga, said an upset Aishwarya, adding she was deeply disappointed. For the current 2016-17 fiscal, the student said the Union Government did not have any details of the expenses so far of the Rs 2,500 crore allocated. IANS Legal Correspondent New Delhi, Aug 2 The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Odisha government to pay additional compensation to the victims of anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal district in 2008. The order will benefit families of those killed, the injured victims and whose houses were destroyed or damaged. The apex court delivered the judgment on a PIL by Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, seeking protection, compensation and rehabilitation. The SC clarified that the enhanced compensation would be in addition to the payments already made. New Delhi, August 2 'Pay ransom but in bitcoins', was the message received by a diagnostic centre in north Delhi whose computer server was hacked into from outside India. The CBI's cyber cell recently registered a case against unknown people after being approached by the diagnostic centre with a complaint and a ransom note from the hacker demanding $1300 (Rs 88,000 approximately) but in bitcoins. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The case has been registered under Section 384 (extortion) of IPC and various sections of Information Technology act. The servers of the diagnostic centre have been hacked and all the files encrypted by the hackers who left a message 'your data is encrypted'. Subsequently the diagnostic centre received emails from the hacker demanding ransom. Bitcoin is a virtual currency which can be generated through complex computer software systems with solutions shared on a network, although the process is complex and such 'mining' can be done only on very powerful servers. RBI is yet to come out with a clear regulatory framework for bitcoins, which have gained currency across the world in recent times. However, for the time being the central bank has issued an advisory cautioning general public against use of bitcoins and other virtual currencies. PTI New Delhi, August 2 The alleged suicide by a woman AAP worker, for which Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan has been arrested, was the result of police inaction on her complaints of death threats, Aam Aadmi Party said on Tuesday, rebuffing allegations against its functionaries. AAP leader Ashish Khetan released a set of documents to back the partys assertion. In a letter, written on June 10, the deceased had complained against the police, and not AAP, he said. Another leader of the party, Sanjay Singh, questioned polices refusal to act against Uttarakhand BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat against whom a woman has filed a complaint of sexual assault in New Delhi. Under the pressure created by AAP, police did file charges against the main accused Ramesh Bhardwaj but those were too lenient, resulting in him getting bail. Then she was relentlessly harassed. She was told that Kejriwal will not save her. In her complaint, she had named ASI Mukhtiyar Singh and demanded action. But he was merely removed from the case. Her shop was pelted with stones and she received threatening calls and chits, Khetan told reporters. Khetan claimed the polices remand application for Chauhan does not contain any of the allegations being raised. Singh said polices arrest spree would only expose Prime Minister Narendra Modis mentality. The woman allegedly committed suicide at her home in North-West Delhis Narela and died during treatment at LNJP Hospital on July 19. The BJP has alleged that the AAP MLA was responsible for her suicide. Khetan demanded action against all the police officials related to the case who sat on her complaints. He wondered why Bhardwaj was initially let off despite the woman having levelled serious charges against him. There is no rule of law in Delhi. The only job of the police is to arrest AAP MLAs and defame the party, he said. PTI Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Varanasi, August 2 Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched the partys Uttar Pradesh poll campaign from the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, daring the top BJP leader in his own den. However, she had to halt her roadshow due to ill health after a strenuous day and decided to fly back to Delhi. Sonia was to conclude her roadshow with garlanding of Kamlapati Tripathi's statue in Varanasi. Owing to ill health, she had to cut short the party's show and also had to cancel her visit to Kashi Vishwanath temple. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Sources said Gandhi was suffering from viral fever but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute Local Congress MLA Ajai Rai said Gandhi was put on a saline drip at the airport. The hospital at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has also been alerted, he said. As per Congress sources, Gandhi was feeling better and will return to Delhi by the special plane which had brought her to Varanasi. Earlier, the Congress president arrived at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport here in the morning through a chartered flight. Her cavalcade passed through the heart of the city led by around 2,000 bikers and scores of cars in a show of strength. After Sonia Gandhi took ill during the roadshow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pray for her quick recovery and good health. Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2016 Gandhi, accompanied by Congress UP chief ministerial face Sheila Dikshit and party general secretary incharge of the state Ghulam Nabi Azad, boarded an SUV after waving to enthusiastic cadres who had thronged the airport carrying Tricolours in their hands. Entire top Congress brass of UP was at the airport to receive the Congress chief who continued to wave to crowds from inside her vehicle as her cavalcade traversed the narrow alleyways and roads of Varanasi, a city Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to transform into Kyoto. Cashing in on the lack of development in Varanasi, she kickstarted Congress Dard-e-Banaras campaign to tell people of the BJPs empty promises and frilly campaign. Varanasi has around 106 of the 403 assembly seats of UP which goes to polls next year. Gandhi drove home the partys poll message, 27 Saal UP Behaal during the roadshow that started 2 pm. The Congress was voted out of power in UP in 1989. The SP formed the government in the state with support from the Congress which has since not captured power in Indias largest state which hugely impacts the general election results. With agencies Kolkata, August 2 The West Bengal government on Tuesday decided to rename the state as 'Bengal' after its earlier proposal of rechristening it 'Paschim Bango', made in 2011 when the Trinamool Congress took office, failed to receive the Centre's approval. "The cabinet took up a proposal to rename the state as 'Bengal' in English and 'Bango' or 'Bangla' in Bengali. Now we are giving a new proposal and will convene a special session of the Assembly on August 26 to pass a resolution to this effect," state minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters after the meeting. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Giving the example of states like Odisha and cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, he said the word 'Bengal' has a deep connection with the state's culture and heritage and so the decision to rename it. Another reason for changing the name is that whenever there is a meeting of all states, West Bengal figures at the bottom of the list which is prepared in alphabetical order. "Our CM gets to speak last. There is little time left," a minister said. Any change in the name of the state would require approval of Parliament. The proposal has been welcomed by the state's intelligentsia though some said no decision should be taken in haste. Welcoming the move, Sahitya Akademi award winning writer Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay said, "I am very happy. I wanted it much earlier. Banga is the original name, so it is not a change. Dadasaheb Phalke award recipient actor Saumitra Chatterjee said, "West Bengal has no meaning. The name 'Bengal' is more reasonable". Poet Nirendra Nath Chakrabarty, another Sahitya Akademi award winner, however, said, "No decision should be taken in haste in this regard. Opinion should be taken from the intelligentsia regarding the name change, he said. He, however, admitted that if the state is called Bengal, alphabetically it will go up in order of precedence of which there are some advantages. Former vice-chancellor of Visva Bharati and historian Rajat Kanta Ray, however, made a dissenting note favouring retaining 'West Bengal'. The BJP also criticised the decision, saying the TMC wants to wipe out the history of painful Partition that the country had witnessed in 1947. "The state government has nothing to do. That is why they are either painting the state with blue and white paint, or are trying to change names. Actually they are trying to wipe out the painful history of Partition," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said. When asked if the state stood to benefit from going up in the alphabetical order, Ray said, "It is no argument. That way the state will not benefit." Novelist Samaresh Majumder, writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen, also winner of Sahitya Akademi award, welcomed the proposed change in name. "Why the state should be called Paschimbanga when there is no Purbabanga (now Bangladesh). Bangla is better", Majumder said. "I welcome the change. I did not like the name Paschimbanga," she said. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya wondered why the state's name should be changed. He suggested that a committee be formed with a cross section of intelligentsia to go into the issue. Union minister Babul Supriyo favoured 'Bengal' as the new name of the state. "Bengal is fantastic but not Bango", he said. Trinamool Congress MP Sugata Bose dubbed the state cabinet decision as "very good", saying "The name can be Bangla or Bango anything". PTI Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 2 The Punjab Government is all set to give a go-ahead to a conversion policy for industrial plots in the states 45 industrial estates/focal points. The aim is to woo the industry ahead of the assembly elections. The government has already reduced power tariff for industrial consumers. The conversion policy was brought up by the Housing Department in the Cabinet meeting on Friday. With the industrial activity in the state slowing down, especially in the manufacturing sector, the industrialists have been long demanding such a policy on the lines of the ones in Haryana and Chandigarh. A lot of industrial units have been lying shut and the proposed policy will allow some commercial activity in focal points. Under the policy, allottees will be allowed a mixed use of their industrial plots i.e. for commercial purposes as well as institutional use. Official sources say initially, the policy will be introduced for the focal points in Ludhiana and Mohali where around 30 per cent of the plots have no industrial activity. The conversion will only be allowed for plots which are situated on the external/internal circulation roads with a right of way (RoW) of 18 metre and above, keeping in view the congestion likely to be created on account of increased intensity of traffic and parking of vehicles. The plots will be allowed to be used for the services sector hotels, malls, warehousing and for setting up institutes. The sources say a decision on the floor area ratio (FAR) is yet to be taken. Presently, an FAR of 1 is allowed in the industrial areas of Punjab, while Haryana allows an FAR of 1.25 and Chandigarh 2. RS Sachdeva, co-chairman, Punjab committee of PHD Chamber, who was part of the discussions on the policy, said they were seeking an FAR of 2 in Punjab. We want the Gurgaon model for the conversion of industrial plots in the state, he said. Officials say the policy will be announced this month after parameters regarding the cutoff date for the industry, FAR and the area of plots that can be converted for retail, institutional or warehousing use, are set. Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 Raising the issue of three Punjabis allegedly stranded in Libya, SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra today asked the government to intervene and ensure their safe return. The MP raised the matter during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, saying, It was heartening to hear External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday when she informed that the government is making all-out efforts to rescue the stranded workers in Saudi Arabia. A similar situation prevails in Libya where three Punjabis (all from Ludhiana) have been taken hostage by their employers. I urge the government to carry out a similar exercise to rescue them, he added. The Anandpur Sahib MP said these workers Sarbjit Singh, Titu Bansal and Malkiat Singh were being tortured by their employers and their mobile phones have been taken away from them. Their family members are unable to contact them and are scared about their safety, Chandumajra added. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 2 Interpol has issued a Red- Corner notice against UK-based NRI Baldev Singh Deol wanted in the kidnapping and murder of hotelier Ranjit Singh Power. The deceaseds family has emailed the notice to the city police. The development will help the police in extraditing the accused once he is traced. AS Power, ADCP, said a family member of the deceased had also telephonically informed him about the notice. A local court recently framed murder charges against the accused Sukhdev Singh, a relative of main accused Deol. Ranjit Power was received at the Amritsar airport by Baldev Singh on May 8, 2015. On the way home, Baldev, along with his accomplice Sukhdev, allegedly strangulated him and threw the body in the Bhakra canal near Anandpur Sahib. The NRIs body was recovered from near a dam situated on the Pehowa-Ambala road, 20 km from the Ambala city on June 1. Power owned the four-star Ramada Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region of England. NEW DELHI, August 2 (PTI): AN array of Opposition leaders hit out at the Government's economic policies-devaluation in particular-and the handling of the Viet Nam crisis during the resumed debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of no-confidence in the Central Council of Ministers. While Mr. A.K. Gopalan, leader of the Left Communist group, forecast Congress defeat in a number of States in the forthcoming General Election, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, S.S.P. and Mr. K. Manoharan, DMK, castigated the Government for devaluing the rupee. Acharya Kripalani regretted that the moral authority of the Congress and the Government had been lost. He appealed to Congressman to search their hearts and put their house in order. The Government, the Acharya went on, did not deserve a no-confidence motion. "It deserves our pity, because it is slowly and slowly falling down by its own weight. Tribune News Service Dehradun, August 2 People held a protest at Premnagar police station following rape of a teenager in Premnagar here today. They alleged that the police didnt register the complaint and instead threatened the victims parents. The protest resulted in a traffic jam in the area. Most of the shops in the area were closed in protest against the apathetic attitude of police officials. They dont take action. Instead of registering victims complaint, the police harassed her and her family members at the police station, the protesters said. The teenager said her neighbour raped her after entering the house forcefully when her parents had gone to a nearby market. The girl told her mother about the incident when she returned. Area residents said the police, instead of arresting the accused, discouraged the victims parents from filing an FIR. They allegedly threatened the family. Shopkeepers of the area, after coming to know about the familys ordeal, downed their shutters and along with residents staged a protest against the police. During the demonstration, traffic jams were witnessed on Chakrata road, Premnagar and adjoining areas. SP (City) Ajay Singh reached the spot to pacify the protesters. He assured residents of quick action to arrest the accused. A medical examination of the victim will be conducted. A case will be registered against the accused, he added. Beijing, August 2 Raising its pitch over tensions on the disputed South China Sea, China today called for preparations for a "people's war at sea" to counter offshore security threats while its top court warned foreigners of criminal liability for violations of its maritime rights. Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan has warned of offshore security threats and called for substantial preparation for a "people's war at sea" to safeguard sovereignty. Speaking during an inspection of national defence work in coastal regions of east China's Zhejiang Province, Chang called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chang said the military, police and people should prepare for mobilisation to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. His comments followed verdict of international tribunal on July 12 that struck down China's claims over the South China Sea and raised tensions between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the East China Sea. PTI Beijing, August 2 Raising its pitch over tensions on the disputed South China Sea, China on Tuesday called for preparations for a "people's war at sea" to counter offshore security threats while its top court warned foreigners of criminal liability for violations of its maritime rights. Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan has warned of offshore security threats and called for substantial preparation for a "people's war at sea" to safeguard sovereignty. Speaking during an inspection of national defence work in coastal regions of east China's Zhejiang Province, Chang called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chang said the military, police and people should prepare for mobilisation to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. His comments followed verdict of international tribunal on July 12 that struck down China's claims over the South China Sea and raised tensions between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the East China Sea. Two days ago while addressing a reception to celebrate 89th founding anniversary of the 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA), China said it will "staunchly" protect the country's maritime rights and interests and is "fully confident and capable of addressing various security threats and provocations". The PLA will "unswervingly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests including territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests," Chang had said. "It will always stand ready to be called upon and be able to fight and win," he said. Meanwhile, China's Supreme Court today issued a regulation to reaffirm its jurisdiction over the country's territorial seas and warned Chinese and foreigners of criminal liability for violations like illegal fishing, Xinhua reported. The explanation provides clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, it quoted a statement by Supreme People's Court (SPC) as saying. The regulation, taking effect on Tuesday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests," it said. The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction, the statement said. According to the regulation by the SPC, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions, including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The regulation also addresses Chinese citizens or organisations engaged in fishing in fishing zones or the open sea under co-management between China and other countries, according to signed agreements. The interpretation specifies the standard of conviction and punishment for illegal marine fishing those who illegally enter Chinese territorial waters and refuse to leave after being driven away, or who re-enter after being driven away or being fined in the past year, will be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and will be fined and sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, detention or surveillance, it said. The penalty also applies to those who illegally enter China's territorial seas to fish but do not engage in "illegal fishing" under the law, it said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," defining punishments for fishing without a license in order to encourage legal fishing, the statement said, adding that it also promotes judicial assistance and international cooperation on marine affairs. The SPC move is seen as an attempt to provide legal cover to China's maritime claims over all most all of the South China Sea (SCS) in the backdrop of the judgement of the tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, (PCA) quashing China's nine-dash line claim over the SCS. It also upheld the Philippines rights over the area claimed by Manila. China has rejected the tribunal verdict delivered in response to the Philippines' petition, which the PCA said is binding. While Beijing said the tribunal's verdict was null and void as it is illegally constituted, today's regulation by the top Court was expected to provide a legal cover for Chinese military and coast guard to effectively implement China's claims over nearly 90 per cent of the SCS and back the rights of its fishermen to continue fishing in the areas. Besides the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contests China's claims over the area with counter claims. The Court regulation followed assertions by the Chinese military to protect the country's maritime rights and interests in the backdrop of increasing tensions over the SCS after an international tribunal struck down Beijing's claims. PTI Cola the dog, whose front legs were hacked off with a sword by his owners neighbour in Thailand, can walk again after being fitted with prosthetic legs. Video from charitable organisation Soi Dog Foundation shows Cola taking his first steps with his new front legs, wagging his tail and playing. The footage uploaded on the foundations Facebook page last week received more than 7 million views. Cola was rescued in May. Around nine months old at the time, the dog was attacked after chewing on a pair of shoes belonging to a neighbour, the foundation said in a separate Facebook post. One of his front legs was completely severed and the other was hanging by a thread, said John Dalley, co-founder of the Soi Dog Foundation. Cola, who was taken to a specialist clinic in Bangkok, is now in Phuket and recuperating. Reuters Washington, August 2 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton the devil, taking name-calling a step further, media reports said. (Also read: Trump attacks media; calls CNN Clinton News Network) At a campaign rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Trump on Monday night told the crowd that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made a deal with the devil when he agreed to back Clinton and help bring his supporters on board for her campaign, CBS News reported. He made a deal with the devil, Trump said, adding. Shes the devil. He made a deal with the devil. Trump went on to say Sanders and his supporters all knew he made a bad deal when he endorsed Clinton last month. Trump has linked Clinton to the devil before, saying in the past that Sanders sold his soul to the devil but this is the first time he has been so explicit in his attack, NBC News reported. Such language adds to the barrage of other insults he levels at her regularly, the most popular with his supporters being the moniker, Crooked Hillary. He did admit, however, to looking forward to meeting Clinton later this fall on the debate stage. I look so forward to the debate with Hillary, I look so forward, NBC News quoted the Manhattan billionaire as saying. Last week, Trump was in the midst of criticism from Democrats and Republicans for his remarks about a US Muslim soldiers parents. Former Republican candidate John McCain became the latest senior party member to criticise Trump for his attack on the parents of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq, at the age of 27. Trump created controversy by suggesting that Humayuns mother Ghazala Khan had been prevented from speaking alongside her husband Khizr Khan at the Democratic convention last week. The soldiers parents told the BBC it was time to stand up to Trump but he accused them of viciously attacking him. IANS Tokyo, August 2 Pope Benedict XVI did it. Dutch Queen Beatrix did it. So why is it so hard for Japans elderly emperor to abdicate? Public broadcaster NHK reported last month that Emperor Akihito (82) wanted to abdicate in a few years, something unprecedented in modern Japan. Ordinary Japanese sympathise with his apparent desire to hand over to Crown Prince Naruhito but the idea faces stiff opposition from Prime Minister Shinzo Abes conservative base. Conservatives have already raised objections to changing the law to let Akihito step down, citing problems ranging from his title and possible strife with a new emperor, to worry the next step would be letting women succeed and pass on the throne, anathema to traditionalists. Even more, conservatives fear that a debate over the imperial familys future would divert political energy from Abes push to revise the post-war, pacifist constitution, which they see as a symbol of defeat, but admirers consider the guarantor of Japans democracy. Abes ruling bloc and allies last month won a two-thirds majority in parliaments upper house, which, with a similar grip on the lower chamber, clears the way to try to change the charter. Revisions also require approval by a majority in a referendum. Once considered divine, the emperor is defined in the constitution as a symbol of the unity of the people with no political power. Unlike some European monarchies, Japan has no legal provision for abdication, though many emperors abdicated in the pre-modern era. In what would be an unprecedented move, Akihito may appear live on television on August 8 to outline his concern that age and health problems he has had heart surgery and prostate cancer mean he cannot do his job fully, but avoid using the word abdicate, media say. There are no signs Akihito was influenced by Benedicts retirement as pontiff in 2013. But he may have been inspired by Queen Beatrix, who at age 75 announced her abdication on television that same year, the third Dutch queen to step down since the war. Reuters London, August 2 Former British Prime Minister David Camerons 1,50,000 pounds wax work at Madame Tussauds here has been moved into the archives leaving the space of the Downing Street replica empty. As a reflection of some of the post-Brexit turmoil in the UK, the museum confirmed this week that the fake No 10 door will remain without representation as the world-famous wax museum has traditionally only featured elected prime ministers. As a result of Theresa May succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister, Camerons Madame Tussauds figure has been removed from the World Leaders area of the London attraction, Nicole Fenner, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, told PTI. As to whether well be creating a figure of Theresa May traditionally, we havent featured likenesses of unelected Prime Ministers. However, it is still early days in Mays administration, but if, as it appears, she remains Prime Minister for the foreseeable future, we will review this policy and potentially fill the vacancy outside No 10, she said. May entered Downing Street last month after Cameron had stepped down as Prime Minister on June 24 the day the result of a referendum on Britains membership of the European Union (EU) was announced in favour of leaving the economic bloc. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, the star campaigner for Brexit and newly-appointed foreign secretary in Mrs Mays Cabinet, has survived the upheaval by keeping his spot at the wax museum at Londons Baker Street. Meanwhile, Cameron likeness, which cost around 1,50,000 pounds to create, will remain in the attractions archive where the 132-year-old museum keeps all of the moulds, heads and hands of every figure ever made. The Downing Street set is part of a wider World Leaders display, which most recently welcomed Narendra Modi to its collection. His figure has been extremely popular with guests since being launched earlier this year in April, the museum spokesperson said in reference to the Indian Prime Minister. Modi, dressed in a kurta and jacket with hands joined in namaste, stands besides present day leaders Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Francoise Holland, as well as political heavyweights of the past like Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill. The heads of US presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are already prepared so the election winner can be installed in November. #WaxClinton or #WaxTrump? Only one will be inaugurated @MadameTussauds. Well find out on Election Day November 8, 2016, the museum said in a tweet this week. Madame Tussauds has featured elected world leaders ever since it was founded as a travelling show in 1802 by French artist Marie Grosholtz. PTI Islamabad, August 2 The construction of a gate complex at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham was completed on Tuesday. Construction on the Bab-e-Pakistan gate complex, which began on June 12 this year and led to escalation of tension between the two countries with both sides trading fire and causing casualties on the border, has been completed, the News International reported. Security officials at the gate will check the movement of illegal people to and from Pakistan, the report said. One of the gates will be used to enter into Pakistan, while the other will allow people to leave the country. According to the security officials, the gate will promote peace not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan. Pakistan has blamed a number of terror attacks in the country on Afghan nationals who crossed the border illegally. IANS Islamabad, August 2 Further needling India, Pakistans Parliament has unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and demanded the UN Human Rights Commission to send a fact finding mission to the Valley to investigate it. The 34th session of the National Assembly (the Parliament), which began last evening with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, extended its support to the Kashmiris. The National Assembly of Pakistan strongly condemns the recent atrocities perpetrated on innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces, said the resolution passed late last night. It said the use of pellet guns was deplorable and is against the canons of international humanitarian laws. This House denounces these reprehensible acts...It is confident that these blatant violations of international law cannot deter the valiant, oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir from continuing to press their demand for realisation of their right to self-determination, which is enshrined in numerous UN Security Council Resolutions, it added. It reiterated Pakistans continuing political, moral and diplomatic support for the struggle in Kashmir. The resolution pressed the government to urge the international community, inter-governmental and inter- parliamentary organisations, international nongovernmental organisations and civil society and media to ask India to immediately stop alleged violations of the human rights. It also demanded that the Human Rights Commission in Geneva should be requested to immediately send a fact finding mission to Kashmir to investigate alleged Human Rights violations by Indian security forces. PTI Kathmandu, August 2 Nepal Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is all set to become the Prime Minister for the second time as he filed his nomination today after receiving crucial backing from the agitating Madhesis by signing a three-point agreement. The 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre presidents candidacy was proposed by Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was seconded by senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara, ahead of tomorrows election that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre signed a three- point agreement with the Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by Prachanda, the only official candidate for the race. Madhesi parties, which have the combined strength of 42 in the 595-member Parliament, have also hinted that they would join the government led by Prachanda. Before filing his nomination paper for the Prime Ministers election, Maoist chief Prachanda and NC chief Deuba signed the agreement with the Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, who assured the Madhesi communities of addressing their demands through political understanding and amendment to the Constitution. Although the former premier with anti-India stance is only one candidate, there will be voting for and against Prachanda and it is likely that CPN-UML and its alliance will vote against him. The Prime Ministers post has remained vacant since last week after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation following the Maoists withdrawal of support to the coalition government. Despite media reports that a senior leader of CPN-UML, probably, former Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam, would contest against Prachanda, the party took a last-minute decision not to contest the election, clearing a way for the Maoist chief to become the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal. He has earlier served as PM from 2008 to 2009. As the agitating United Madhesi Front has decided to vote in favour of Prachanda, he is expected to get at least 360 votes, though only 298 votes are required for winning the election. PTI Chicago: Texas has become the eighth US state to allow guns on campuses, a controversial decision that comes on the 50th anniversary of a deadly sniper rampage at the University of Texas in Austin which claimed 14 lives in 1966. Its president Gregory Fenves said the emotionally charged issue would likely be little noticed on campus. Critics claim their free speech rights would be violated because students with guns would create a fearful atmosphere and stifle the open expression of ideas. AFP Pokemon creators Twitter account hacked New York: After hacking Pokemon Go servers last month, hacking group OurMine on Tuesday broke into the Twitter account of John Hanke, the CEO of US-based software company Niantic that created the popular GPS-based augmented reality game with Nintendo. OurMine took control of Hanke's account and posted a series of tweets, including one that identified Hanke's password as "nopass". IANS Islamabad, August 2 Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan, on Tuesday hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue while backing Islamabads stance to send an OIC team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations. Turkey fully supports Pakistans position on Jammu and Kashmir, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference here with Pakistan Prime Ministers adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz. Cavusoglu said Turkey was an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. Hopefully its next meeting would be held in September, he said. I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue, he said. Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and demanded sending a fact finding team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations there. Forty-nine people have been killed in Kashmir in clashes since security forces killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Cavusoglu, who is in Pakistan on an important visit after a failed military coup, thanked Islamabad for being the first country to denounce the coup attempt. He said Turkey was taking steps against those involved in the coup staged by supporters of US-based influential Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. He said Gulens organisations pose a risk or threat to the security and stability of every country. This terrorist organisation has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organisations. In the past, we supported them but we didnt know they had a hidden agenda, that they were trying to take over power in Turkey through such attempts, he said. He said that Pakistan and Turkey supported each other against terrorism. On his part, Aziz pledged Pakistans unequivocal support for a democratic, peaceful and stable Turkey under the dynamic leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan. He noted with satisfaction that both sides have agreed to continue to tackle the menace of terrorism and defeat the scourge. The two sides also exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and the need for a lasting political solution. Aziz said the two countries shared similar views on migration crisis and the plight of Syrian refugees. He said Pakistan and Turkey hosted the largest refugee population in the world. PTI The new structure of Turkeys Supreme Military Council (YAS) will better represent the civilian government, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Sunday. In the wake of the July 15 attempted coup, the government has changed the make-up of the YAS to give more seats to Cabinet ministers, including Bozdag, and less to the military. Previously, the president, prime minister and defense minister had been among the limited civilian representation on the council. The change and increase of civilian authority in the Supreme Military Council means that in the promotions, civilians will be decisive, Bozdag told Kanal 24 TV. The appointment of senior officers is one of the councils primary functions. In changes to bring the military further under government control following the coup bid, which saw more than 230 people martyred, the commands of the army, navy and air force will answer directly to the Defense Ministry. The president and prime minister will also have authority to issue direct orders to commanders without the need for approval from elsewhere. Anadolu Agency Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said there is no doubt the U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen was at the center of July 15 coup attempt. In remarks made to the media at his official residence in Ankara late Sunday, Yildirim said military schools had been the source for Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). "They have taken the control of the [military] schools, and they have fortified their power from these schools," he said. "The ones who tried to refute it are in a vain effort. Fetullah Gulen is at the center of the coup," he added. Under a statutory decree, seen as part of the Turkey's current three-month state of emergency, military personnel found to be national security threats as well as members of FETO, or linked to FETO, have been stripped off their military ranks and expelled from the army. The decree also closes all of Turkeys war academies, military high schools, and high schools that train non-commissioned officers, to be replaced by a new university called the National Defense University underneath the Defense Ministry. The university will offer new institutions to train staff officers and give postgraduate education, including war academies and vocational schools that train non-commissioned officers. In addition, the decree assigns Ankara's Gulhane Military Medical Academy and military hospitals across Turkey under the Health Ministry. About his phone call with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on the extradition of Gulen last week, Yildirim said: "What I said to Joe Biden was: 'Let the evidences speak for itself after July 15.' What evidence? He tried to stage a coup, killed people, and yet you still ask for 'evidence'." He said he would receive the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, at the Cankaya Palace Monday. "U.S.A. is our strategic partner, so we just rely on their official declarations." Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20, just days after a group of rogue military officers were defeated in their July 15 coup attempt. During a state of emergency, the Cabinet has the right to issue statutory decrees under the president of the republic without regard to routine procedures and restrictions in Article 91 of the Constitution. These decrees were first published in the official gazette and then submitted to parliament for ratification. More than 230 people were killed and nearly 2,200 injured in the coup attempt, which Turkish officials have repeatedly said was carried out by FETO, led by Gulen. Anadolu Agency An NCO with Turkeys gendarmerie has described his links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in a chilling account of the way the group recruits boys and young men to serve its goals. The 28-year-old sergeant gave his testimony to prosecutors in Hakkari, southeast Turkey, following the bloody July 15 coup attempt that saw more than 230 people killed as military officers loyal to FETO try to seize power. The soldier, identified only as S.A. in prosecution documents, confessed his links to the group, said to be headed by U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, after being appalled at the bloodshed in Istanbul and Ankara. I deeply regret that I had relations with FETO, he said in his statement. They are an insidious structure that deceived the whole nation and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The sergeant, originally from Bingol province in eastern Turkey, described how he was approached by Gulenist students at high school and went on to join the group at university before they instructed him to enlist in the military. He enlisted with the help of Gulensits who gave him the answers to the entrance exam and eventually became a member of the technical intelligence staff involved in wiretapping in the weeks leading up to the December 2013 wiretapping scandal that shook Turkish politics. S.A. told prosecutors how he was provided with four telephone numbers by his FETO contact just a month before the scandal, which saw a number of ministers and officials close to Erdogan accused of corruption in an investigation that was heavily reliant on wiretapping. The government has said FETO-linked police and prosecutors were behind the wiretapping inquiry, which targeted more than 7,000 people, in an effort to bring down the Justice and Development (AK) Party government. I just memorized those numbers but did not even check to whom the numbers belonged to avoid any legal sanction, S.A. said. He was posted to the Intelligence Department of Gendarmerie Regimental Command in Izmir when he carried out the eavesdropping. Following the wiretapping scandal, S.A. said he began to see the facts and cut his ties to FETO, also known as the parallel state for its infiltration of state bodies, particularly the police, judiciary, military and education system. He added: Due to the illegal demands that they asked me to do previously, I was expecting that they might attempt a coup against Turkeys legitimate government. High school recruitment Recalling his introduction to the group, S.A. said he was a high school student when he met a group of older university students. The university students offered help with my school courses, saying they did not want any money in return. This is how I met the parallel state. Later, I began to meet them regularly on Sundays at a house where we also prayed and read parts from Fetullah Gulens book Eternal Light. In his final high school year he earned a scholarship at a private school to prepare for the university entrance examination. However, his Gulenist brothers persuaded him to cram for the exam at a FETO-linked school. In 2006, he started a science degree and reunited with his Gulenist friends who offered him accommodation. Over the next four years he lived in shared houses with the brothers -- moving address every three or four months. A number of students who had financial problems and needed a place for accommodation preferred those houses of the parallel state, he said. Describing these years, S.A. said the houses never had television or the Internet and students were banned from smoking or drinking alcohol. He later became his houses imam and would meet others weekly to discuss Gulens messages, which he said were mostly of a religious rather than political nature. However, he and his fellow students were encouraged to vote for the AK Party and said they were directly instructed to vote in favor of the changes offered in a 2010 referendum to bring Turkeys constitution into line with EU rules. S.A. told prosecutors that FETO members operated secretly and did not necessarily tell one another their real given names -- surnames were never shared. In addition, recruits were told to change their mobile phones and numbers twice a year. The instructions were part of a rigid system demanding complete obedience, he added. It was this obedience that saw him move out of FETO-linked housing in his final year at university to stay with friends. It was an order to obey, he said. I also bought a new phone with a new number. Erzurum meeting Cutting obvious ties to other FETO members could be seen as preparation to adopt a clandestine cover and cover up any ties to the group. His future role for the organization became apparent shortly before he left university, when he was called to a meeting in Erzurum, Gulens home province in eastern Turkey. A person called Bulent in his forties was addressing to a group of around 60 university students, S.A. said. He told us that he knew Fetullah Gulen in person... He said that a great religious scholar appeared in the world every century after the Prophet Muhammads death and that Fetullah Gulen was the 14th and last of those scholars. Following the two-hour meeting, the students were interviewed individually. S.A. told the man who interviewed him he wanted to become a teacher but was told he should join the military. He protested but was reminded of the importance of obedience and told Allah would punish him if he disobeyed. Affected by the atmosphere that day, I agreed to take the military examination, he said. He passed the initial exam and was later briefed by one of the FETO imams on how to handle an interview, including denying links to the group. A further military exam saw FETO members supply S.A. with the answers to the test. In a meeting in an Ankara hotel, a man who identified himself as Selami gave him a list of questions and answers. S.A. reacted against the immorality of cheating and said he was successful enough to pass through his own efforts but Selami told him to use the answers to ensure a patriot such as him would enter the military rather than traitors. I was convinced again, he said. The following day he passed the exam, having deliberately got five of 50 answers incorrect. Selami was to be his regular contact after he enrolled at the Beytepe Gendarmerie Schools Command in Ankara in 2011. He told me that being cautious was highly significant and advised me to pray secretly... and not to discuss overtly religious matters with anyone I said OK but did not do what he suggested as praying secretly did not make sense to me. Two years later, the wiretapping scandal broke and S.A. broke his ties to FETO. After volunteering his testimony, he is now waiting to hear if he will be prosecuted for his role in the shadowy organization. Anadolu Agency A senior police officer wounded in an air strike during the July 15 attempted coup succumbed to his injuries Sunday, a hospital source said. Chief Superintendent Bulent Yurtseven was injured when a police special operations center to the south of Ankara was bombed, killing 42 police officers. Yurtseven, 48, had been treated at Hacettepe University Medical Faculty Hospital, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. More than 230 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 people injured in the coup attempt, which the Turkish government has said was carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization led by U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Anadolu Agency SPRINGFIELD - A taxpayer group has some fixes they say are severe but necessary to shore up the states growing unfunded pension liability. Taxpayers United of America released their 10th Annual Report on Illinois State Pensions. The highlights include more than 15,600 state pensioners collecting more than $100,000 annually. More than 92,300 pensioners make more than $50,000 annually. Taxpayers United of America Executive Director Jared Labell said for the top 400 pensioners the average pension contributions made over an entire career is only about $40,000 more than what the average annual pension is. For many of these pensioners theyre already recouping all of their contributions barely over a year of retirement. Theyve already made that money back, Labell said. A German court decision to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressing a rally in Cologne was criticized as anti-democratic by EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik on Sunday. In a series of tweets, he said the ruling by the Constitutional Court, which upheld the decision of a local court that Erdogan could not address the rally celebrating the defeat of the July 15 coup via video link, was an utter backsliding in freedom of speech and democracy. The minister added that it was such a shame to see that [the] EU fails in upholding democracy and showing solidarity with a candidate country in the face of a coup threat. Police had opposed Erdogans address to Sundays rally for security reasons. Celik said the decision to ban Erdogan was completely against democratic values. He added: This court decision also goes against freedom of speech and right to assembly. More than 230 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the coup attempt, which the Turkish government has said was carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization led by U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Anadolu Agency Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu late Monday had a Twitter spat with his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurtz. Writing about a recent interview that Cavusoglu gave to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Austrian foreign minister tweeted, "I do not accept Cavusoglu's ultimatum and turn it back. The EU cannot proceed with dependencies and must protect its borders." In the interview, Cavusoglu had said, "We [Turkey] will have to take a step back from the readmission deal and March 18 agreement if visa-free travel is not granted to Turkish citizens." He added that Turkey is expecting an exact date from the EU for visa-free Schengen zone travel and the EU should not see this as a threat. Replying to Kurtz's tweet, Cavusoglu later said, "Das ist nicht [This is not] ultimatum Sebastian, it is my opinion. Freedom of expression, my friend." The Schengen area is a 26-nation region in Europe where passports are not needed. The readmission agreement between Turkey and the EU was signed in 2013 and went into effect in 2014. The deal enabled EU to return illegal migrants who traveled through Turkey back to Turkey in order to be processed before they are sent back to their country of origin. Citizens of Iraq and Syria, which make up the majority of illegal migrants, are not part of the deal. The March 18 deal aims to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Also under the deal, EU leaders agreed to cut visa requirements for Turkish citizens and accelerate Turkey's EU membership bid. Anadolu Agency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday sent letters to the leaders of three major political parties inviting them to attend and speak at the Democracy and Martyrs Rally set for Sunday in Istanbul. Presidential sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said the letters signed by the presidential secretary general, Fahri Kasirga, were sent to the respective secretaries general of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party chairman, Binali Yildirim, as well as Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli. The letter hailed the courageous and determined resistance of the Turkish nation which helped defeat the July 15 coup attempt by a group of Fetullah Gulen terrorists in the Turkish Armed Forces, disguised in military uniform. The letter also touted the strong stance shown by the parties in the name of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law both during and in the coup bids aftermath, which has become a symbol of people coming from all walks of life standing united to protect the country and the future of its people. The ongoing democracy watches across the country will culminate in a Democracy and Martyrs Rally to be held at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7 in Istanbuls Yenikapi Square, it said. The massive rally was announced by Erdogan Saturday, billed as an event that would attract participation from citizens, political leaders, top military officers, musicians, and athletes. "Let the nation be there together," Erdogan said. "Accelerating the process of normalization is extremely important for our country." Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly July 15 coup attempt, which martyred more than 230 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. The U.S.-based preacher is also accused of running a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. Anadolu Agency US drama The Girlfriend Experience has been renewed for a second season. The Steven Soderbergh series, based on his 2009 feature of the same name, starred Riley Keough as an intern at a prestigious law firm and high-end escort. Starz has given the series another 14 episodes but it will focus on entirely new characters and plotlines. The first season of The Girlfriend Experience allowed us to accommodate all viewing appetites with the traditional weekly episodic premiere schedule as well as a binging option for the entire 13-episodes, said Carmi Zlotnik, managing director at Starz. Were excited to offer Starz subscribers a second season that will explore new GFEs, clients and relationships as we take viewers back into this world that questions the price of intimacy and its emotional consequences. Soderbergh is set to return as one of several executive producers, with Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz to serve as showrunners, writers and directors. It airs in Australia on Stan. Source: Variety The first episode of You Cant Ask That has an ABC broadcast tomorrow night, together with a run on iview. The series, in which misunderstood, marginalised Australians answering anonymous, online questions begins with questions about what its really like to be a wheelchair user. What would happen if you gave people the chance to ask societys outsiders the questions they were too embarrassed, too shy, too awkward and too scared to ask? What would happen if those stereotyped minorities were given the right to answer those questions with dignity and depth? The answer is an exercise is stereotype busting. You Cant Ask That, a ten part ABC original series, confronts prejudice and discrimination in a highly entertaining format, offering genuine insight into the lives of Australians who live with labels, whose days are filled with the sidelong glances and silent disapproval of others. The series plunges joyfully into the lives of short statured Australians, wheelchair users, the transgendered, Muslims, ex-prisoners, fat people, Indigenous, sex workers, the terminally ill and the polyamorous. It asks forthright and at times uncomfortable questions, which result in illuminating, moving and surprising answers. Series guests include: 76 year-old transgender woman Dr. Rosemary Jones, disability rights advocate and wheelchair user Kelly Vincent, short statured comic Imaan Hadchiti, sex worker and porn star Lucie Bee, former prisoner and infamous escapee John Killick, niqab-wearing Muslims Anisa and Sadia Khan, and Indigenous dancers from Elcho Island in far North-Eastern Arnhem Land, Danzal Baker and Wakara Ganderra. These are just some of the 70 faces who make this one of the most diverse projects to grace Australian television. You Cant Ask That is life-affirming, insightful, hilarious and refreshingly inappropriate television. But more importantly, it gives some of the most judged and least understood Australians the chance to be heard. 9:20pm Wednesday on ABC. Just this week, another conservative Ben Shapiro was told he could not speak here with the University sighting security concerns. This event was to be sponsored by the Young America's Foundation. Shapiro appear on the Megyn Kelly Show with the clip below. Earlier in the year, the DePaul Republicans were told they could not chalk. Chalking is the act of writing political messages on a sidewalk that will wash away with the next rain causing no permanent damage. Apparently chalking something like "Trump 2016" offended somebody causing emotional distress. Illinois Review reported on this in April. DePaul University, the nation's largest Catholic University located in Chicago's Lincoln Park has been a hotbed of political activity recently. The issues seem to involve mostly "conservative " free speech. https://www.google.com/amp/insider.foxnews.com/amp/article/50615?client=safari A couple months ago former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum was allowed to speak to a small group under heavy security at DePaul. Santorum often speaks about the sanctity of life and pro family issues, which I guess is too controversial. I arrived five minutes late and was not allowed to enter due to security concerns. It appears I was banned. That speech went off without a hitch but there was a huge security presence of DePaul security, private security, 35 administrators, and Chicago Police. I left the DePaul event to head up to Northwestern University to hear another conservative speaker coincidently the same night. That speaker was John Stossell, author and Fox News contributor. I was late for that event yet entered without incident as there was no visible security there. Some good news here for free speech. DePaul College Republican Vice President John Minster (sophomore) got the chance to ask a question of President Obama during a town hall on race relations and police held in Washington DC. "Why always look at these situations through the prism of race?" Minster asked. The president answered resulted in a 12 minute somewhat rambling rant. See the full clip below from ABC NEWS. . http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/obama-questioned-police-shootings-prism-race-40593663 Free speech is under attack in America. The question is, will DePaul University continue this practice with censoring conservatives? We hope they change their minds. Mark Weyermuller is small business person, real estate professional, and conservative activist in Chicago. He is a citizen journalist and regular contributor to Illinois Review. Mark can be heard weekly on the radio in a "man in the street segment" at 10:31pm as a regular guest on the Stephanie Trussell Show heard Sunday nights 9pm-midnight on WLS 890-AM. Russian-backed militants launched 54 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day. Some attacks were launched, using the weapons banned under the Minsk Agreements. This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center. "In Donetsk area, the enemy used 120mm mortars and heavy machine guns on the site between Avdiyivka [18km north of Donetsk] and Krasnohorivka [29 km west of Donetsk], as well as in Troitske [69km west of Luhansk]. In addition, the enemy launched attacks, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms, near Avdiyivka [18km north of Donetsk], Mayorske [45km north of Donetsk], Novhorodske [34km north of Donetsk], Zaitseve [67km north-north-east of Donetsk] and Opytne [11.5km north-west of Donetsk]," the report reads. In Mariupol area, the tense situation was observed in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), where terrorists used 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian strongholds. ol Festive events are planned on the occasion of Day of highly mobile Airborne Troops in Zhytomyr, the press-service of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has reported. Celebration will be attended by the state leaders, top Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine representatives. tl A recruitment center has opened in Odesa on 1 August for recruiting and strengthening combat capabilities of Ukrainian Naval Forces, a part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, spokesman for the Navy Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleh Chubuk has told Ukrinform. "Creation of the center is an important step towards the strengthening of Ukrainian professional Navy. The center consultants will help potential candidates realize the benefits of Navy service, choose the appropriate profession and location of service and take care of the applicants before the contract signing," the press service cited First Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Rear Admiral Andriy Tarasov. The recruitment center of the Naval Forces is located at 4 Maryinska Street. It is planned to open another Navy recruitment center in Mykolayiv, said the press service of the Navy Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. tl More than 43,000 service members have concluded contracts for military service with Ukrainian Army since January 2016, Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Chernobay has told a briefing, Ukrinform has reported. "Ukrainian citizens continue to conclude contracts for military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 6,000 soldiers and sergeants and 760 officers signed a contract with the Army in July. Thus more than 43,000 persons, including almost 4,600 officers signed contracts with the Armed Forces," said Chernobay. He said that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine continues to encourage members who are selflessly performing their military duty. The Defense Ministry awarded 116 service members in the anti-terrorist operations only last week. tl Trading House Socar Ukraine will supply diesel fuel priced at UAH 17,700 including VAT to state-owned Ukrzaliznytsia railway operator, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia has reported. "Ukrzaliznytsia and Trading House Socar Ukraine signed a contract for supplying diesel fuel on August 1, 2016. The seller is to deliver 14,087 tonnes of fuel under the contract at the price set at UAH 14.69 per a liter," the report said. Socar Ukraine won the first tender for purchasing diesel organized by Ukrzaliznytsia. The total amount of the purchase amounted 42,000 tonnes and it was divided into three lots. The oil trader shipped 730 tonnes of diesel fuel immediately following signing of the contract on 1 August. TL NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine is seeking a total of over USD 26.6 billion in compensation from Russias Gazprom within trial at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. The hearing is scheduled for autumn. This was reported by the press service of the NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine. "Gazprom is suing us for USD 38.7 billion, together with interest. We are seeking USD 26.6 billion. The hearings in both trials are scheduled for autumn," the statement reads. As reported in early July, according to Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev, the hearing at the Stockholm arbitration in the dispute between Ukrainian and Russian gas companies on the agreements on gas supplies and gas transit, concluded back in 2009, would begin respectively late September and late November - early December 2016. ol Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Volodymyr Lapa, has held a meeting with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ireland to the Czech Republic and to Ukraine, Charles Sheehan, the press service of the Ukrainian State Service on Food Safety reports. "The sides discussed mutual cooperation in the sphere of veterinary medicine and food safety, the development of bilateral trade between the two countries, reads a report. Also, the issue of possible imports of Irish beef, pork and dairy products to the Ukrainian market was considered, as well as competitiveness of Ukrainian products on the Irish market. The both sides agreed to develop mutual cooperation. iy German Foreign Ministry has explained the difference between the change of power in Kyiv in February 2014 and the coup in Turkey in July 2016. In response to a readers comment on Facebook, the Foreign Ministrys web team wrote that those events were "incommensurable", DW reports. The representatives of the German Foreign Ministry wrote, inter alia, that President Viktor Yanukovych signed the memorandum on peaceful settlement of the crisis in the presence of representatives of France, Germany and Poland amid the mass protests on the Independence Square in Kyiv in late 2013 - early 2014. After the memorandum was signed, the comment says, Yanukovych, as well as the majority of Ukrainian ministers, fled Kyiv on the night of February 21-22. "On February 22, 2014, the Ukrainian Parliament, being the only competent, democratic and legitimate public authority, unanimously voted in favor of the new law on the appointment of presidential elections," the German diplomats noted. "The coupists in Turkey, the comment reads further, planned to establish a military dictatorship, sending tanks into the streets and planes with air raids against their own people." ol U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt sees progress in combating corruption in Ukraine. However, he notes that Kyiv should still do much. He said this in an interview with the Der Standard Austrian media outlet, zn.ua Ukrainian portal reports. The main achievement, according to him, has become establishment of the new institutions such as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The diplomat also noted that the oligarchs in Ukraine were not so strong and influential now as they had been few years ago. "The oligarchs have weakened. We had a similar problem in the United States in the early 20th century, when there were Rockefeller and Carnegie. However, we tamed the problem. Ukraine has just started this process and should still do much," the ambassador added. ol The revenue of local budgets in Ukraine has doubled compared with the figures in 2014, according to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "Yesterday I spoke with representatives of the Finance Ministry - our local budgets have been over-fulfilled by 43%. This is due to the resource that we gave to local authorities under the program on decentralization, including the budget one. And respectively there was also 40% surplus over 2015 compared with 2014. I can say that [revenues of] local budgets have doubled compared with the year 2014. And I'd like that all citizens can feel that local authorities have twice as much money, that they [local authorities] do not keep them on the accounts, deposits, but [use them] to build roads, [road and street] lighting, to grant fares (on favorable terms), the President said at a briefing in Zhytomyr on August 2.. According to Poroshenko, local budgets can fully finance fares on favorable terms for servicemen who have ATO combat status. iy About 1,000-2,000 women die from domestic violence in Ukraine every year. Ukrainian MP Iryna Lutsenko said this at the inter-agency meeting on fulfillment of the National Action Plan to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 "Women, Peace and Security" in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "About 1,000-2,000 women die from domestic violence in Ukraine every year. Another 3 million children in Ukraine are victims and are involved in domestic violence," she said. According to Lutsenko, who visited Kharkiv region with a similar trip three days ago, it is especially important to combat domestic violence in war-torn Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The lawmaker noted that women made up 54% of the total working population of Ukraine, "and therefore we cannot ignore their safety and safety of their children." ol School in Ternopil region will receive 737 new computers by the begging of a new school year, according to the head of Ternopil regional education department, Olha Khoma. Schools of the region will get 737 computers under the Education and Science Ministrys program. All the computers are new and will be used purely for children education, she told an Ukrinform correspondent. According to Olha Khoma, the distribution of computers among Ukrainian schools was carried out in line with the number of children living in a particular area. As earlier reported, the Government allocated UAH 200 million from the national budget to purchase new computers for Ukrainian schools. iy Thari Ismael and his family are living in a communal kitchen in a camp for displaced families in Habbaniyah, Anbar Governorate, Iraq. UNHCR/Caroline Gluck HABBANIYAH, Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq The temperature hovers above 50 degrees Celsius in Habbaniyah camp, a dusty place of refuge in the Iraqi desert, and there is no shade for thousands of families taking shelter here. I met 53-year-old Thari Ismael and his family in a flimsy, plastic-sided building originally intended as a communal kitchen. There were no tents available, so we moved in here, said Thari, a father of eight. Some camp residents want us to move so they can cook in this place, but there is nowhere for us to move to. Two days earlier, the family, who lived in a rural area on the outskirts of Falluja, were hooked up to the power grid, allowing them to use an air cooler and fan provided by UNHCR. It makes a big difference things are much better, Thari said, but still, daily life is hard. Youngsters try to stay cool with wet towels as temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius in a camp for displaced people in Habbaniyah camp. UNHCR/Caroline Gluck A woman who fled Falluja shelters in a tent in al-Iraq camp, Ameriyat al-Falluja, as the temperature surpasses 50 degrees Celsius. UNHCR/Semih Bulbul Families who fled violence in Falluja live in harsh conditions at a camp set up by the Iraqi Government in the desert in Ameriyat al-Falluja. UNHCR/Semih Bulbul Families with young children who fled fighting in Falluja arrive at the camp in Ameriyat al-Falluja, Iraq. UNHCR/Semih Bulbul The Ismaels are among the many former residents of Falluja who have fled their homes since late May, escaping a government offensive to retake the city from extremist groups. Camps like Habbaniyah were a hasty response to the massive displacement that ensued. More than 87,000 people fled Falluja and neighbouring areas to escape air strikes by government and coalition forces, and shelling and tight controls by the extremist groups who governed their daily lives for two-and-a-half years. However, their relief is being sorely tested by the harsh conditions they now face on the ground. We are so thankful to be safe with our children but we are still afraid to go back. Thari's wife, Sawsan, 42, told me how the family took three days to escape, crossing the Euphrates River, where they lost jewellery and identity documents and saw other families drown. We are so thankful to be safe with our children," she said. "But we are still afraid to go back. Sawsan also spoke of her concern at the health of her daughter, who has a kidney ailment. Her other children have developed diarrhoea, caused, she said, by drinking contaminated water. Families struggle in heat and dust of Iraqi desert camp Walking around the camp, it was clear that conditions were far from ideal, although more assistance was reaching people. UNHCR, with its partner, Muslim Aid, was distributing emergency relief items at one camp I visited two days earlier and planned extra distributions for families at this camp. Many families were still sharing tents; people soaked towels in water and wrapped them around their heads to try to stay cool, but they say they sleep for only a few hours at night because of the heat. Many had developed skin conditions, possibly because of the heat or as a result of conditions in the camp. Residents complained of insect bites and scorpion stings. It was especially difficult for female-headed households whose husbands and older sons were absent, having been separated for security screening by the authorities when families reached safety. We want to know where the men are, said Hamdia Hadi, a 45-year-old widow. Her 19-year-old son was taken away for questioning two months earlier. Its a disaster to be here without my son. I have three girls, and one is sick at the moment. I rely on him. I cannot return home to Falluja until he joins us. Falluja is a place of bad memories. I dont think I can ever return there. Munira Mohammed, a divorced mother of four, shares a tent with her sister and her sisters six children. My children are all afraid of the insects, the creatures we find in the camp, she said. Even though its not easy, we prefer to stay here. Back in Falluja, our house was demolished by an air strike, and for five months before we left we moved around the city, staying in empty houses. Now we are all alone. Falluja is a place of bad memories. I dont think I can ever return there. The authorities have already begun clearing Falluja of booby traps and mines, hoping that displaced families will soon be able to start to return. More than 3.3 million Iraqis have been displaced by the conflict, and the humanitarian situation is likely to worsen in the months ahead. Pledges of extra humanitarian funding at a donors conference in Washington in July were a welcome step, allowing agencies such as UNHCR to fund contingency plans, set up camps and pre-position tents and emergency supplies before the next emergency. It is with deep sadness that UNHCR confirms the death of our colleague Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, killed in a bomb attack on Tuesday 26 July, in Mogadishu, Somalia. Ahmed lost his life when one of two vehicle-borne explosive devices was detonated close to Mogadishu International Airport. At least 13 people are now confirmed to have been killed. Other UNHCR colleagues sustained light injuries caused by the blasts. Ahmed had been working as a Protection Associate with UNHCR in Somalia since April 2012. He is survived by his wife and three children. UNHCR's Somalia Representative and other colleagues are in contact with his family, and are offering support and solidarity at this difficult time. A minute of silence was observed in Ahmed's memory at UNHCR's Headquarters in Geneva at 15h00 today. The tragic loss of Ahmed highlights the risks taken by colleagues working in the worlds most complex and insecure field locations to bring life-saving protection and support to those in need, and their deep courage and commitment. I had the honour of meeting Ahmed and his colleagues on a recent visit to Mogadishu, and on behalf of all UNHCR staff, wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to his family and express our deep solidarity with the Somalia team. said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. LONDON/ERBIL, 2 August 2016 UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor travelled to northern Iraq last week to see how the conflicts sweeping across Iraq and Syria are devastating childrens lives. Tens of thousands of children have been killed, injured, separated from their parents, forced to work, tortured and recruited into fighting. During his visit McGregor travelled to Debaga camp where he met with families that have escaped brutal violence currently taking place in areas surrounding Mosul in the north of the country. He also spent time with Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqi families in camps and communities around Erbil. The situation for children in Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Around 3.6 million children one in five are at serious risk of death, injury, sexual violence, abduction and recruitment into armed groups. Many are being ripped from their families and forced to flee on their own, often making dangerous journeys and falling into the hands of traffickers. Children uprooted by conflict can find themselves alone, without family and in grave danger. No child should be alone. Many of the children Ive met in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes, risking their lives on dangerous journeys and have been exposed to unimaginable horrors, said UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor. The world is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis and we must do more to protect the extraordinary number of children who have been torn from their homes by violent conflict. One girl I met called Mirna told me how her family slept in a disused, half-constructed shopping mall for over a year. The community donated food, clothes and supplies to her family and really came together to welcome displaced people. This act of humanity should be replicated everywhere, especially on our own doorsteps. Its up to us to tell our friends, our neighbours and our governments that refugees are welcome. This September world leaders will meet to discuss the global refugee crisis at two crucial summits in New York. UNICEF is urging leaders to be strong, compassionate and bold in their commitments to protect children on the move. McGregor witnessed how UNICEF is reaching families fleeing the Mosul area with lifesaving food and water, child protection services and healthcare. Many of the people he met, who had been previously trapped, had not had access to healthcare, education or basic services for over two years. UNICEF is working to protect children across Iraq and Syria, delivering life-saving food, clean water and vaccines, as well as providing education and psychological support. However humanitarian aid cannot keep pace with the tremendous needs of children. ### Rumor mills have not ceased swirling speculations around the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The next iteration of Samsung's popular "phablet" is rumored to hit the store shelves on August 19, at least at T-Mobile. The smartphone will probably be released for other carriers around the same time as well, however specific details on that are not available just yet. Nevertheless, several reports reports have divulged details centering on the phone's innards and how it will look like. With info for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 just pouring at this point, a slew of leaks from 9to5Google have been authenticated by acclaimed leakster Onleaks. And consumers who are keen on buying the Galaxy Note 7 but are still in two minds as far as virtual reality is concerned, the South Korean smartphone manufacturer has something amazing waiting for them too. First, the smartphone; the Galaxy Note 7 will feature a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display coupled with 1440x2560 of resolution. The smartphone is rumored to come in a form factor that boasts the following dimensions: 153.5mm (length) x 73.9mm (width) x 7.9mm (height). The Galaxy Note 7 will pack a 12-megapixel rear camera with an ability to shoot 4K videos (and boast built-in image stabilization features), and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfie addicts. As far as internal specs are concerned, the Galaxy Note 7 includes a mammoth 64 GB of onboard storage paired with 4 GB of memory. It's likely that the Galaxy Note 7 will be up for grabs in various storage configurations; however no specifics about that or how it would affect the device's price are currently available. In addition, rumors doing rounds hint a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 chip or even the latest 821 quad-core chip for the Galaxy Note 7. That said, there is a possibility that it might come with some sort of Exynos chip, or even a totally difference chip configurations based on the various regions where the smartphone will be released. If rumors proved to be true, the Galaxy Note 7 will feature a USB-C port for data transfers and charging. The device will pack a robust 3,500 mAh battery, which users may or may not be able to remove/replace. For buyers who prefer to use older charging cable and plugs may get a USB-C to microUSB adapter with their new smartphone. But that's not all, the purported smartphone will boast an iris scanner - a cutting-edge way to corroborate into one's device, PC Mag reported. Samsung will also be taking the wraps off a brand new iteration of its Gear VR headset in conjunction with the Galaxy Note 7, featuring a larger field-of-view as compared to existing Gear VR headset - 110 degrees versus 96 or so - and come with a USB-C port for connecting up the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung is expected to make an official announcement about the Galaxy Note 7 toward the beginning of August. Also, Samsung is sticking with the "seven" naming although there was no Galaxy Note 6. In Neah-Kah-Nie, a new after school program has grabbed everybody's attention. This fall, a Satanic Temple is trying to bring an "After School Satan Club" to Nehalem Elementary School. "We've just reached out to the school," says Finn Rezz, one of two heads of the provisional Portland chapter of the national organization of the Satanic Temple. The representative wanted the school to know that they are offering the course. Oregon Live has it that Rezz chose Nehalem because the school has a "Good News Club." They are interested in offering the alternative. The Good News Club is a Child Evangelism Fellowship after school program. In the website, it is a Bible-centered group made up of born-again believers. It has under 78,000 clubs world wide. Rezz explains that his Satanic Temple provisional chapter chose Portland. He adds that his group is "non-theistic" Satanists. The main goal is to focus on science and rational thinking. Rezz adds that the "After School Satan Club" will promote "benevolence and empathy for everybody." Compared to "The Good News Club" which talks of "hellfire." "What we're offering is an alternative that looks at things from a secular and humanist point of view," says Rezz. He points out that the group is an organized religion that promotes free thought. Rezz insists that the Satanic Temple should be allowed in schools that houses "The Good News Club." The after school-hours club will still need parental permission. When Kayleen Talbert was asked about her thoughts on the Satanic Temple, she says that as a Christian, she does not like the idea of it. However, she is not opposed to it because there is a right to freedom of religion in America. Would you like your kids to be enrolled in a Satanic Temple after school program? After five police officers were shot and killed during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, Rohini Sethi went to Facebook to express her thoughts about the tragic event. "Forget #BlackLivesMatter. More like AllLivesMatter." was her social media post. Sethi is the vice president of the Student Government Association at the University of Houston. Afterwards, the post was deleted. But it was not until over 43,000 students saw her post and then vented their own outrage on Facebook. The Washington Post has it that her status went viral. Minority student groups reacted to the post. Citing it as a hateful and inflammatory post. They described Rohini as an unbecoming leader. They denounced her as a representative of the entire student body. She also receives a stipend from the student fees. As a fire-back, the student body organized a new hashtag called #RemoveRohini. They called her out to resign or be removed from the student office. Student body President Shane Smith said that her post was very divisive. The student campus became upset with her. In the same way, they lost confidence in her ability to represent the student body. They feel that "she did not understand or respect the struggles in their lives." During a recent Student Government meeting, Smith had taken over temporary control to sanction Sethi. She was suspended from her role and she also acknowledged to take a three-day cultural sensitivity workshop. However, later on Sethi fought back saying she disagreed with the SGA's decision. She wanted to address her post and create a dialogue about race and cultural sensitivity. University of Houston students are already engaged in such discussion. Ten percent of the student body is African American. One student named Kadidja said that there is fear. "For her to say on her social media 'forget black lives matter,' it's almost as if to say if all of us were to die tomorrow, she wouldn't care." Different people have different views regarding the movement. Here is a video about BLM. August 2 2016 NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have sold the 9.5 acre site of the former Victoria Infirmary to Sanctuary Group to facilitate a residential-led development.The hospital has lain vacant since last October following the transfer of services to the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, sparking a flurry of bids from house builders and developers.Sanctuary, a non-profit provider of care services and housing, have pledged to retain key heritage features of the sprawling hospital in addition to new build homes although (apart from one listed building) no decision has yet been taken as to which features to preserve.Peter Martin, Sanctuarys group director of development, said: We are delighted to be buying the old Victoria site and are committed to listening to local communities to select the best development solution.Our plans are to retain the key heritage features of the site while delivering a beautiful place to live.A pre-planning consultation drive will now get underway over the coming weeks together with the appointment of a project architect. August 2 2016 David Wilson Homes have published a new batch of images illustrating the interior design at their development of 94 apartments and town houses in Glasgows west end.More than 20 properties at The Botanics have already been sold for a combined value of 10m on land formerly occupied by the BBC off Queen Margaret Drive prior to their move to the Clydeside.Estelle Sykes, sales director of David Wilson Homes in the west of Scotland, said: For the discerning buyer, The Botanics is the ultimate lifestyle choice. The west end has earned a reputation as Glasgows most stylish area and our development is in the perfect location to make the most of the many shops, bars, restaurant and cafes.And of course, the apartments also come with parking which, as current residents of the area will explain, is practically unheard of.CDA Architects have designed the 45m development which is scheduled to complete by spring 2016. It was 1997 when the Japanese Local Organizing Committee last hosted the ICS Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. With the cooperation of Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, we are therefore pleased to propose to host the ICS 2016 Annual Meeting in Japan once again, after a period of 19 years. The convention venue is located in the heart of Tokyo, providing high-tech facilities, unrivalled convenience of access and user friendliness. Tokyo is a City of Academia with a safe, clean, and green atmosphere, and also offers abundant cultural attractions, coupled with its status as a gourmet paradise. We whole-heartedly look forward to seeing you in Tokyo in 2016. Page Content If your child is planning to study abroad, recent world events may have you rethinking those plans. Study abroad leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offer several tips to enhance safety and communication. Study Abroad Director Eric Yonke is also a parent whose children have completed overseas programs. They gained confidence in themselves and greater appreciation for what many Americans take for granted. This is a moment when your student steps out on his or her own. Its a privilege to observe and one of the greatest educational gifts we can give as parents, Yonke said. Parents have safety conversations with children at several pivotal points in life, he noted: starting junior high, getting a drivers license, going to college. Study abroad moves the conversation to a global scale, he said. For concerned parents, a bit of context is helpful. The homicide rate is higher in Milwaukee than Cameroon, said Sam Dinga, of the UW-Stevens Point Academic and Career Advising Center. He has led the winterim trips to Cameroon since 2009. We know these areas and how to navigate them and avoid locations of concern, Dinga said. I dont want to die either. If a situation occurs that may jeopardize safe travel, a trip would be canceled or rescheduled, Yonke said. They offer several suggestions to put parents at ease about their childs study abroad experience. Lea rn about the country where your child plans to travel. Understa nding its history, culture and geography can help family members be more comfortable and knowledgeable of the experience. Those concerned about Ebola may note that a case has never been reported in Cameroon. Travel between African countries is not easy, so disease does not spread as readily, Dinga said. Establish times and frequency of communication before your child leaves. Whether its a daily message, weekly call or Facetime visit, plan for regular contact. And remember the time-zone differences. Remember, no news is no news, Yonke said. While you may be anxious to hear from your child regularly, not hearing may mean theyre out learning and having fun. B e sure your student has arranged for phone service reliable 24 hours a day. Relying on WiFi is not good enough, Yonke said. UW-Stevens Point travel leaders are required to know how to reach a student traveler in case of an emergency. Recognize its OK to have concerns. As a parent, Im coping with my own fears fears of the unknown, fear our child is so far away, Yonke said. Realize, too, your child will learn and grow, become more confident and independent. Realize that what you say and do as a parent affects your childs experience. If you are anxious and fearful, your child may be worried or spend precious time abroad trying to reassure you. Trust the trip leaders. They have carefully planned the itinerary and work with partners in the host country to ensure safety and security. Check international media in addition to American news reports. Be aware of world events and political climate of countries, and encourage your student traveler to do the same. The U.S. State Department posts travel warnings, which are a good source for current information. The UW-Stevens Point Study Abroad office also registers all its participants with the State Departments Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP registers all U.S. enrollees with the U.S. consulates and embassies in their host countries. If anything happens anywhere on the same continent, Yonke tells students to contact family members to say theyre OK. An infectious disease, natural disaster or terrorist incident may concern family members, even if its hundreds of miles away. Please understand that your parents are going to worry about you know matter what, Yonke said. He encourages students to acknowledge that in a positive way and talk about how you will address it. And for more context, Dinga says: If you saw the list of diseases you can get in Wisconsin, you may not want to travel to Wisconsin. UW Trustees Education Initiative Director Selected An experienced administrator who has helped lead education reform efforts in Ohio has been selected to direct the University of Wyoming Trustees Education Initiative, aimed at elevating UWs College of Education to national pre-eminence in preparing K-12 teachers, counselors and administrators. Rebecca Watts, currently the associate vice chancellor of P-16 initiatives with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, has been named executive director of the UW Trustees Education Initiative. She is scheduled to begin her work at UW Sept. 19. This is an incredibly difficult and challenging position, requiring in-depth knowledge of professional educator preparation at the college level as well as a thorough understanding of K-12 education, says Dave Palmerlee, UW trustee and chair of the Trustees Education Initiative Board. Dr. Watts bridges this gap in such a way as to give us great confidence in her leadership and abilities going forward. Palmerlee says Watts was selected from a strong field of candidates after interviews with members of the Trustees Education Initiative Board, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, College of Education faculty and staff members, and members of Wyomings P-12 education community. Watts has held her current position with the Ohio Department of Higher Education since 2012. Before that, she was the chief of staff to the president of Ohio University, a position she took after serving as deputy to the president of Murray State University in Kentucky. She also worked as the public information officer for the Illinois Board of Education superintendent. Watts holds a bachelors degree from Sangamon State University in Springfield, Ill.; a masters degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield; and a doctorate from Ohio University. Dr. Watts brings a lifetime of leadership experience spanning both higher education and P-12 reform, College of Education Dean Ray Reutzel says. She will be an articulate spokesperson for the Trustees Education Initiative, having demonstrated an ability to bring a wide array of stakeholders together to achieve a common cause. I believe she will do just that with this initiative. She has my support and that of the college in moving this agenda forward in a bold way. The Trustees Education Initiative was established by the UW Board of Trustees in fall 2014 to elevate the UW College of Education to national pre-eminent status in professional educator preparation, ultimately to improve and enhance K-12 education in Wyoming. The hiring of an executive director is part of the initiatives strategic planning phase, which also includes hiring expert research consultants to help teams composed of faculty, K-12 personnel and other stakeholders evaluate eight of UWs existing educator preparation programs by studying pre-eminent programs across the country. The goal of the first phase is to produce a strategic plan to transform UWs entire suite of educator preparation programs. The plan developed and approved by the Trustees Education Initiative Board and the UW trustees will be implemented by the College of Education in the second phase, during 2018-2020. Funding the initiative is a five-year, $5 million grant from the Daniels Fund, a major nonprofit organization founded by cable TV pioneer Bill Daniels. One of the Daniels Funds core objectives is improving the quality of the K-20 education system to ensure increased student achievement. A few years ago, Wild Turkey bourbon reached out to Matthew McConaughey. They wanted him to be the face of an upcoming campaigna smiling face sipping a glass in a print ad. But McConaughey isn't your average celebrity. So he had plans beyond the average celebrity endorsement. The Oscar winner, musician, Southerner and self-described whiskey lover didn't want to simply pitch the product. He wanted to get involved. Really involved. He's now the creative director for Wild Turkey bourbon. And one of his first orders of business was to fly down to Kentucky for a tour and plenty of tasting (including a nip from a stash that was bottled before Prohibition). The end result is a short film that's peak McConaughey and plenty entertaining. Cheers. SHARE Contributed photo Maurice Albert Haley, of Los Angeles, was arrested in connection to an April 12 armed robbery of a jewelry store in Thousand Oaks. By Marjorie Hernandez of the Ventura County Star A Los Angeles man pleaded not guilty to several felony charges in connection with the April 12 armed robbery of a Thousand Oaks jewelry store. Maurice Albert Haley appeared Tuesday before Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Young for arraignment. Haley, 23, is facing one count second-degree robbery and two counts of assault with a firearm. Haley also denied special allegations of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm, using a firearm and prior felonies. According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Haley was involved in a robbery at about 1:15 p.m. April 12 at Albert's Jewelry Designs in the Oakbrook Shopping Center in Thousand Oaks. When deputies arrived at the scene, they confirmed a robbery had occurred and gunshots were exchanged between two alleged robbers and a store employee. The robbers then fled the scene. Investigators allege Haley was shot during the gunfire. Officials said DNA evidence collected at the scene was matched to Haley using the Combined DNA Index System, a group of databases administered by the FBI. Investigators said they worked with law enforcement agencies throughout California and Nevada as they looked for Haley. Sheriff's Senior Deputy Steve Michelac said witnesses said there were at least two people involved in the incident. No one else was injured during the gunfire, Michelac said. Investigators are not releasing the identify of the other suspect or suspects pending further investigation, Michelac said. Las Vegas police arrested Haley about 3 p.m. July 14 at an apartment in North Las Vegas, investigators said. Officials said Haley is a "documented gang member" and has been convicted of robberies in Los Angeles County in 2008 and 2010. Defense attorney Jacob Glucksman said Tuesday he could not comment on the DNA evidence investigators said they found at the scene. "Mr. Haley has pleaded not guilty and denies the allegations against him," Glucksman said. "Further details and specifics about the charges that he is facing continue to emerge. Until such time as witnesses and evidence are brought to court on the record, I will reserve further comment on specifics of the allegations. Mr. Haley understands that at this time, these are merely allegations." Haley was ordered back in court on Aug. 8 for an early disposition conference. He remains in Ventura County jail in lieu of $750,000 bail. SHARE Contributed photo Maurice Albert Haley, of Los Angeles, was arrested in connection to an April 12 armed robbery of a jewelry store in Thousand Oaks. By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star A Los Angeles man is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court on Tuesday morning in connection with an April 12 armed robbery of a jewelry store in Thousand Oaks. Maurice Albert Haley's arraignment comes more than two weeks after he was arrested at an apartment in northern Las Vegas, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said on Monday. Thousand Oaks police deputies were called to Albert's Jewelry Design store in the Oakbrook shopping center about 1:15 p.m. on April 12 after being told of gunshots in the area. At the time, investigators said the shots were fired during an attempted robbery at the store. But on Monday, authorities said deputies confirmed that "a robbery had occurred at the jewelry store" and that the robbery suspects had fled the scene. Deputies said at least two suspects entered the store and that one of them exchanged gunfire with a store employee. "The exchange of gunfire resulted in an injury to the suspect," the sheriff's office stated on Monday as they announced Haley's arrest and arraignment. Investigators also said on Monday that they identified Haley, 23, as a suspect after collecting DNA evidence at the scene and later using the Combined DNA Index System, a group of DNA databases administered by the FBI. Sheriff investigators said they worked with law enforcement agencies throughout California and Nevada as they looked for Haley. Las Vegas police arrested Haley about 3 p.m. on July 14 without incident, investigators said. They also said Haley has been convicted of robberies in Los Angeles County in 2008 and 2010. Haley was being held in Ventura County Jail on Monday on bail of $776,000. SHARE FILE PHOTO By Christian Martinez, christian.martinez@vcstar.com A 35-year-old man said he was assaulted early Tuesday morning in Oxnard, police said. The Oxnard Police Department reported the man walked into St. John's Regional Medical Center at 2 a.m. with stab wounds. The man said he had been assaulted in the area of Cloyne Street and East Pleasant Valley Road, officials said. Authorities said officers could not identify a crime scene at the location the victim described. Oxnard police officials said detectives are investigating the incident. SHARE STOCK PHOTO By Wendy Leung of the Ventura County Star The Oxnard Fire Department will hold a training session for those who are interested in becoming a damage reporter. On Wednesday, fire officials will teach residents and business owners how to report damages after a natural disaster. Participants of the free one-hour course will learn how to use a mobile app to feed damage information to the city's Emergency Operations Center. A damage reporter must have a smart phone or a tablet. According to emergency personnel, one of the biggest challenges after a major earthquake or other disasters is gathering information quickly on the extent of damages in the community. A damage reporter can help authorities by using the mapping software in the app to communicate location and damage assessment to authorities. According to city officials, Oxnard is one of the first cities in the country to implement this mobile technology. The project is federally funded. The training session begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Oxnard Fire Department headquarters, 360 W. Second St. STAR FILE PHOTO Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce President Tracy Sisson Phillips, shown here attending a ribbon-cutting in 2013, says the chamber will be moving to new quarters on Channel Islands Boulevard. The move is expected in the fall. SHARE By Anne Kallas, Special to The Star The Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce is moving from its small office at the Port Hueneme Historical Society Museum on Market Street to a storefront on Channel Islands Boulevard. Chamber CEO Tracy Sisson Phillips said she hopes the move will be made sometime this fall. The exact location hasn't been finalized. "There's a lot of history at the museum. We definitely have a soft spot for that location," Sisson Phillips said. "But from a business standpoint, it's not in what is the business district, if you could say Hueneme has a business district. It's the retail or professional offices along the Channel Islands Boulevard corridor." Port Hueneme Interim City Manager Carmen Nichols said the chamber and the city were operating under an agreement that recently expired. The city owns the museum at 220 N. Market Street, and staff from the chamber was helping to keep the museum open longer hours. "The chamber has been maintaining office space at the museum since 1973," Nichols explained. "As part of that agreement, the city paid an annual fee to the chamber for monitoring and providing staffing to keep the museum doors open. The agreement expired June 30." Nichols said that over time, the chamber found it more difficult to provide the required staffing, so a different arrangement was needed. "A move like this will make the chamber's corporate office more visible to both the public and its business partners and will allow more office space for expansion," Nichols said. Sisson Phillips said she hopes the chamber eventually will be able to offer support services to small businesses, as well as a general meeting place. The chamber, which was founded in 1940, works to promote businesses in Port Hueneme. But Sisson Phillips said that because the city is wrapped around Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme and the Port of Hueneme, growth potential is limited. "Port Hueneme doesn't have a lot of big businesses, and we never will," she said. "We're not going to have an Amgen or Haas Automation. We have developed as a city. "We are blessed to have the Port of Hueneme as a chamber member," she added. "But with the contractors on the base we're limited because of access. We do have some of the port's tenants as chamber members." One way the city could attract more revenue would be to expand its beachside operations, Sisson Phillips said. To that end, the chamber has been offering regular Hueneme Sunset Suppers at the beach, with various food trucks. "The suppers bring knowledge of our great little beach," she explained. "We're not Zuma Beach; we're not Santa Barbara. We're challenged because of coastal regulations and our current developments. There's not a lot of opportunity to build on the beach. It becomes a challenge getting people to realize that the seven to eight miles from the 101 to Port Hueneme is not that far." During the June 6 Port Hueneme City Council meeting, a split council voted to allocate $5,800 to the chamber to be used "at the city manager's discretion." There was already a $5,800 allocation for the chamber, but the council had eliminated the additional $5,800 stipend to keep the museum open. "The relocation of the chamber to a storefront on Channel Island Boulevard is a much more appropriate location, closer to our business district and much more visible," Port Hueneme Mayor Doug Breeze said. Sisson Phillips said she was pleased with the council's decision. "We have a very good relationship with the city of Port Hueneme," she said. "The council has been very supportive of our efforts to increase economic development in the city." For information about the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce, call 488-2023 or go online to www.huenemechamber.com. AP file photo This aerial view shows the broken water barrier of San Francisquito Canyon after the St. Francis Dam burst on March 13, 1928. SHARE ROB VARELA/THE STAR 26TH Congressional District candidate incumbent Julia Brownley. By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star A bill that would establish a national memorial to honor the victims of the St. Francis Dam disaster was endorsed Tuesday by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. The bill has passed the House and is pending in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Julia Brownley, who appeared before supervisors to seek their support, said afterward that she saw no obstacles to passage. Federal funding and private donations would pay the cost, she said. She said the failure of the dam is a "story of epic loss" but also represented a time when the community pulled together to recover. Supervisor Kathy Long urged the board to support the legislation co-sponsored by Brownley, D-Westlake Village, and Rep. Steve Knight, R-Lancaster. Brownley said the monument would be located near the site where the dam failed in 1928, located in the San Francisquito Canyon about 10 miles north of present-day Santa Clarita. The collapse sent a 180-foot wall of water into the Santa Clara River and inundated Fillmore, Bardsdale and Santa Paula on its 54-mile race to the sea. The failure killed more than 400 people and ranks as the second-worst disaster in California after the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco. Today, the only visible remains of the dam are weathered, broken chucks of gray concrete and rusted handrails that lined the top of the dam, Long wrote in a letter to the board. She said the site is often subject to the theft of historic artifacts, graffiti and vandalism. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Five years of drought has left trees dying and dead across California, including in Point Mugu State Park. SHARE JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Scott Holm of Newbury Park avoids a dead tree as he rides along Two Foxes Trail at Point Mugu State Park. Trees in the park been particularly hard hit by the drought. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR A tree lies near Two Foxes Trail inside Point Mugu State Park. The drought seems to have taken the steepest toll on coast live oaks. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Five years of drought has left trees dying and dead across California, including in Point Mugu State Park. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Five years of drought has left trees dying and dead across California, including in Point Mugu State Park. By Cheri Carlson of the Ventura County Star Dave Edwards has hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains for decades, but the view has changed in the past few years. Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees have died, leaving hillsides with gray and brown patches. Five years of drought has shortchanged trees on water and nutrients. Trees dried out and insects moved in. "It's not just in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's all over the state," said Edwards, a volunteer with the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council. "I have never seen it like this." He and other volunteers spend weekends maintaining trails. Lately, that work has included clearing trees and fallen limbs. "We started seeing it really two summers ago. In my career here, I haven't seen this before," said John Tiszler, plant ecologist and certified arborist with the National Park Service. He came to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in 1997, at the tail end of another drought. Back then, he remembers how field mice desperate for water would go after trunks of younger trees to find moisture. But he saw no evidence back then of what has happened now. When a tree dies under more typical conditions, it can look fairly healthy. But there is usually rot inside the tree that causes it to fall over, he said. "Now, you see them just go brown and die in place, just standing," Tiszler said. "That kind of rapid death for a tree is pretty unusual." State and federal officials have called California's tree die-off unprecedented one that increases the risk of wildfire and, in some cases, means spending more money to remove dead trees. The U.S. Forest Service has estimated 66 million trees have died throughout the state over the past several years. Local cities and parks also have reported thousands of trees lost to drought stress. Of the native, local trees in the Santa Monica Mountains, the drought seems to have taken the steepest toll on coast live oaks. Tiszler has started to see leaves drop early on sycamore and valley oak trees, which might be a sign of their response to drought conditions. Brush also has died off. But so far, it has only been the coast live oaks that have been dying. It's not just younger trees, but some of "the oldest, grandest trees" have died, Tiszler said. Edwards said Point Mugu State Park, which is also part of the Santa Monicas, seems to have taken some of the biggest hits. "We're seeing more than usual," said Craig Sap, district superintendent for California State Parks, of trees dying off. The Springs Fire in May 2013 burned much of the park that stretches from Newbury Park to the ocean. "We cleared a lot of trees after the fire," Edwards said. Now, the park has had several years of drought on top of the early-season fire. Volunteers are at it again, helping maintenance staff keep the trails clear. "We've been going out quite frequently," Edwards said. National Park Service: Swath of dead and dying trees near Gillette Ranch. Tiszler estimated the national recreation area has spent tens of thousands of dollars to remove trees that could be hazardous to people or property. Tiszler was concerned it might be one of the invasive species of insects that have spread through Southern California attacking the park's trees. But so far, they've only found tiny native beetles, about the size of the tip of your pen. A healthy tree typically has the ability to handle the insects, he said. "The tree is so drought stressed and weakened that at some point it becomes amenable to an insect attack and just dies off." Get involved: For more information about the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council and ways to volunteer, go to http://www.smmtc.org/. SHARE It's kind of brilliant for the Ventura County Fair to regularly book the band Styx. Not only do the 1970-80s rockers serve up the kind of cheesy rock anthems sure to draw lots of baby boomers, but their classic hit "Too Much Time on My Hands" sums up why the fair is such a relief every August for parents of kids out of school for the summer. Yes folks, our annual ode to livestock, corn dogs, carnival rides, classic rock and just about everything else Americana begins Wednesday in Ventura and runs for 12 days, through Aug. 14. We love this time of year, and not just because it gives us lots of video to post, pictures to print and the chance to see what kind of disgusting food or crazy job our fair-loving reporter Tom Kisken will take on. While politicians lie and Rome burns, we rely on Tom to give us the truth about bacon-wrapped pickles and kiddie rides called Pirates Revenge. Sure, if you've been to one Ventura County Fair, you've been to them all. But that's the beauty of it. In a world where your cellphone is obsolete two months after you buy it and your job can disappear faster than you can say "outsource," you can always count on the sheep smelling the same and the food being delicious but bad for you at the Ventura County Fair, now in its 141st year. The fireworks still go off every night (Ventura dog owners know that well), and the theme "A Country Fair with Ocean Air" hasn't changed in years. Your kids even your teens love it year after year, too. Pull them away from Netflix and Final Fantasy XV and put them in front of some racing pigs, and they just melt. One big question this year, though: How many Pokemon will we be able to catch at the livestock arena? Actually, kidding aside, the fair will sport numerous new features and upgrades this year, as it does every year. We're glad to hear the 300,000 or so people expected to attend will have to walk through metal-detecting body scanners this year. Despite some high-profile incidents in the past a motorist shot by police two years ago after crashing into a fair gate, a homicide near the fairgrounds in 2013 the fair is one of the safest places to be on a hot summer day. Still, the body scanners will give us some extra peace of mind in these troubled times. "There may be a slightly longer wait to get in, but we will do our best to keep things moving with safety uppermost in our mind," fair CEO Barbara Quaid said. We think the fair is worth the wait. The fair also will have more "grounds entertainers" those who circulate among the crowds including stilt walkers. The Home Arts area arts and crafts, quilting, knitting, that sort of thing has been revamped, as have photography displays. Part of the fair's appeal is its seaside location near Surfers Point in Ventura, which usually offers some respite for residents of inland areas baking in August heat. Another huge plus is the strong involvement of 4-H, Grange and FFA, which helps connect young people interested in agriculture to their community and vice versa. Unlike some other fairs, ours remains a celebration of local agriculture. The hundreds of volunteers are another key to success. Whether it's a nonprofit group running a food booth, youth dancers performing on stage, or a hobbyist group teaching children how to carve wood, the volunteers bring life to all the nooks and crannies of the expansive fairgrounds. For more information on the fair, visit venturacountyfair.org or call 648-3376. To follow Tom Kisken's exploits and other fair news, check out VCStar.com. Which leads us to the cheesy ending: If you need an escape this summer, in the words of Styx, "Come Sail Away" to the Ventura County Fair. SHARE Southern California firefighters are mired in another dreadful summer of drought-fueled wildfires, trying to protect an increasing number of homes built in fire-prone rural areas. You can add the fall and probably winter to that, too the region is so dry that "fire season" has little meaning anymore. All of that is bad enough without some of us making it worse by doing dumb things like flying drones that interfere with firefighting or refusing to leave our homes even when flames are near. But both continue to be problems, as evidenced by incidents last month, although some legislative and technological help has arrived on the drone front. We cannot stress enough the importance of having an evacuation plan in advance and then heeding the call to leave much sooner than later especially if you live in a rural or semirural area. And that applies to a lot of you, according to an Associated Press story last week reporting that 44 million homes have been built on the edge of wildlands in the Lower 48 states. One such area is the site of the recent Sand Fire near Santa Clarita, which burned more than 41,000 acres, destroyed 18 homes, killed a man and led to the evacuation of 20,000 people. We were dismayed to read last week that firefighting efforts were hampered by people who ignored the evacuation pleas. Because saving human lives always comes before saving property, some firefighters "felt that they lost additional structures because they had to stop what they were doing to help citizens evacuate," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. Instead of dousing flames, firefighters become "traffic directors," another official said. That's because when you wait to evacuate, you can end up blocking emergency vehicles and getting trapped in a traffic jam of fleeing procrastinators. Several years ago, two people in Big Tujunga Canyon tried to ride out a wildfire in their hot tub and were seriously burned. Five people were trapped by flames at a Gold Creek ranch after ignoring the evacuation orders. In 2008, fire officials here considered a policy modeled after one in Australia that encouraged people to leave early in case of fire but helped them prepare to protect themselves if they stayed. The next year, nearly 200 people died in Australia wildfires. So our fire officials rejected that model and instead instituted Ventura County's "Ready, set, go!" plan, which encourages residents to get themselves and their properties prepared for wildfires and evacuations. Visit vcfd.org/Ready-Set-Go for the details. The drone problem surfaced again in the Sand Fire and last month's Pine Fire, which burned 2,304 acres in the Sespe Wilderness 11 miles north of Ojai. On July 3, a drone was spotted near helicopters fighting the Pine Fire. The drone's pilot was located and the drone grounded. In June, firefighters battling blazes in the San Gabriel Mountains spotted drones and had to halt air operations. Such drone flying already is illegal. But Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, helped get a provision inserted in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill to also allow civil penalties of up to $20,000. Brownley's office said firefighting was interrupted at least 18 times last year and delayed or halted 10 times because of unauthorized drone interference. We were happy to learn that President Obama signed the bill last month. The real solution to these drone-flying dummies, however, may lie in a U.S. Interior Department pilot project launched last week that uses a smartphone app and real-time wildfire information to create virtual boundaries, or geofences, that drones can't cross. Now, if we could only develop an app that does just the opposite for people who won't evacuate. It was the night you had been waiting for all year! The 2nd Annual Miss D Legs competition was back! (Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel). Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel. Thirty-four of Vegas sexiest models headed downtown to the D Casino Hotel Las Vegas to compete for the title and their share in $5,000 prize money. Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel. These girls know how to make an entrance. Strutting their stuff, the girls took their seat on the Ds World Famous Longbar as a massive crowd gathered around pulling out every camera they could find. Kicking up their sexy red high heels, the girls posed for photos mirroring the famous D logo! Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel. Who else would you get to host a competition full of girls with legs for days? Everyones favorite Reality star with horns, Horny Mike from the popular TV series Counting Cars joined the D Vice-President Mike Palm to emcee the event. One-by-one the girls made their way on the stage as a group of D VIP players had the honors of judging the competition. The girls were met with cheers and screams as a large crowd on Fremont Street made it known who was their favorite. Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel. The competition was tough this year as it was a tight race on who would be top leg! Finishing as first runner up was the beautiful Emmy Adams, who also holds the title of 2016 Miss Nevada USA. Its not every day a Playboy Playmate passes on her sash! Last years winner, Daisy Lea, was on hand and presented the 2016 Winner, Julita Palomera, with the coveted sash. After the competition, the winners gathered on stage and posed for photos. What a leg-citing night! Theres no doubt that the D Casino Hotel delivers the hottest party in town. From leggy ladies to talented flair bartenders, its time you experienced for yourself all the fun they are having at the D! Named as one of the top 10 haunted houses in the nation by USA TODAYs 10 Best for 2015 and recognized as one of the nations best haunted attractions for 2014 by Travel Channel, Fright Dome is celebrating its 14th Anniversary for the 2016 Halloween season. Fright Dome Las Vegas 2016 httpvh://youtu.be/TXZFZVsO0NE Taking over The Adventuredome at Circus Circus the entire month of October, Fright Dome will feature 250,000 scare feet of fear, six new haunted houses, four all new scare zones, live shows and much more. Fright Dome owner Jason Egan is looking to fill more than 400 positions for this season ranging from guides, actors, sideshow entertainers, strolling entertainers, stage performers and other unique hires. With this being the events 14th Anniversary of horrifying the masses on the renowned Las Vegas Strip, Egan is looking for the creepiest, most terrifying cast he has ever hired including interactive positions for newly designed houses. Egan hasnt forgotten those with a slightly less frightening resume as the hauntreprenuer also is looking to fill positions for management, promotional staff, makeup artists, FX specialists, retail sales and more. Applicant interviews will take place on the dates listed below at Circus Circus in the Skyrise Casino Tower on the promenade level. All applicants must bring a valid government-issued ID and Social Security card and must be 18 or older to be considered. Costumes, face paint and masks are not permitted inside of Circus Circus during the interviews, applicants are encouraged to instead bring portfolios, photos, etc. to showcase past work. According to the timetable of the merger, announced by AB Inbev yesterday, shareholders from both companies will meet independently on September 28 to vote on the deal. SABMiller's board agreed last week to an improved 79 billion ($104.3 billion) offer. AB InBev recently secured approval from the European Union, United States, and China for the merger. The final terms of the merger will be published on the companys website on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the deal would be the largest-ever in the consumer goods sector and the fourth-largest takeover in history. After the deal is completed, AB InBev will dominate nearly every major market and have an estimated 28.4 per cent share of the world market, nearly three times its closest rival, Heineken NV. SABMiller established a subsidiary in Vietnam in 2006. Currently, it has one office and a factory in the southern province of Binh Duong, with a capacity of 500,000 hectolitres per year, producing brands like Zorok and Gambrinus. In Vietnam, SABMiller sells famous brands, such as Peroni and Pilsner Urquell. AB Inbev set foot in Vietnam last May with the inauguration of its factory in Binh Duong, with the annual capacity of 50 million litres. Both brewers regard Vietnam as a potential market because the countrys beer consumption has been increasing steadily at around 10 per cent a year. SABMiller was reportedly one of the potential suitors of Vietnams most popular beer producer Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco). France has around 2,500 mosques and prayer halls across the country AFP/Joel Saget "There is no place ... in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques, and who don't respect certain republican principles, notably equality between men and women," the minister said. "That is why I took the decision a few months ago to close mosques through the state of emergency, legal measures or administrative measures. About 20 mosques have been closed, and there will be others." Cazeneuve was speaking after a meeting with leaders of the French Council of the Muslim Religion. There are some 2,500 mosques and prayer halls in France, about 120 of which are considered to be preaching radical Salafism, a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam. He said that since 2012, 80 people had been expelled from France, and dozens more expulsions were under way, without giving further details. The meeting comes as France struggles with an unprecedented jihadist threat that has seen a raft of terror attacks, most recently a truck massacre in Nice which killed 84, and the murder of a Catholic priest in the Normandy village of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The repeat attacks have raised tough questions about security failures, but also about the foreign funding of many mosques. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said last week that he would consider a temporary ban on foreign financing of mosques, urging a "new model" for relations with Islam. Cazeneuve confirmed that authorities were working on a French foundation for Islam which would guarantee total transparency in financing of mosques "with rigorous respect for secular principles." Honda's net profit slipped more than six percent in the April-June quarter. (Photo: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno) The Japanese automaker blamed an income tax increase for its net profit in the April-June quarter slipping 6.1 per cent to 174.6 billion (US$1.7 billion). However, the bottom line figure still beat market expectations owing to stronger sales in the United States and China, the world's biggest vehicle market. Honda also said operating profit rose 11.5 per cent as cost cuts helped offset a rally in the yen - which takes a bite out of exporters' profits - and temporary production shutdowns at factories in southern Japan. The region was hit by two strong earthquakes in April that left 49 dead and caused widespread damage. Some of the country's biggest firms, including Honda and rival Toyota, were hit by factory outages in the wake of the disaster. Last week, Japan's number-two automaker Nissan blamed the yen's surge and struggles in its home market for the first decline in April-June net profit in four years. Toyota reports quarterly results this week. Japan's automakers have been sideswiped by the scandal at Takata, which 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 problems and scores more have been injured, while the crisis has sparked the recall of some 100 million airbags worldwide. The crisis has dragged on profits at Honda, which is Takata's biggest airbag customer. The Civic sedan maker cited the parts scandal for a nearly 33 per cent plunge in fiscal year to March net profit. Analysts said it may not be out of the woods yet. "Honda is expecting a recovery this fiscal year, but the future of the Takata recall issue is still uncertain," said Shigeru Matsumura, analyst at SMBC Friend Research Center. "Quality control costs remain Honda's top concern." Honda, also a major motorcycle producer, expects net profit in the current fiscal year to March 2017 to rise 13.2 per cent to 390 billion. Revenue is forecast to fall 5.8 per cent to 13.8 trillion. EuroCham offers insight on the draft decree for SOEs Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment has announced a draft decree highlighting the establishment of a committee to be in charge of managing state-owned enterprises. Oliver Massmann, chair of the Legal Sector Committee under EuroCham in Vietnam, spoke with VIRs Thanh Thu about the need for this committee. Do you think that the establishment of this committee is necessary for Vietnams current economy? Why? The establishment of a committee to manage state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and separating SOEs from their managing ministries, is a positive move by the government. The ministries will not be put in a position where they have to adopt policies to regulate all enterprises within their managing authority, and at the same time having to care about their interests in their SOEs. The ministries will also have no chance or no incentive to be biased towards SOEs. In other words, all enterprises will be treated equally, regardless of whether they are SOEs or private. The proposal to establish the committee is extremely important, especially if SOEs do not profit, investment activities are inefficient, and state ownership capital is poorly managed - this could potentially lead to a loss of state assets. It is noted that a state capital investment corporation (SCIC) was established with the expectation to perform the same duties of representing state ownership in SOEs. Still, if an SCIC is only an agency under the Ministry of Finance, it would not be equally leveraged with an independent of other ministries. Thus, it is necessary to have another independent committee to take over SCICs responsibilities. Is this model being applied in other nations? This model is very similar to that in Germany during the reunification between East and West Germany. The current model in China is considered as closely similar to the proposed one in Vietnam. However, instead of only establishing a committee at a central level, meaning that the committee will not take over SOEs under provincial management, the ministries of Public Security and Defence, public enterprises, and state-owned commercial joint stock banks; this committee in China is established at all levels, from the central to the provincial one. It could be a good start to have the committee at central level. EuroCham recommends that after a trial period to test the efficiency of the model, it should be implemented at all provincial levels under a central management. Could you elaborate on EuroChams recommendations? According to the draft decree, chairman and vice-chairmen of the committee will be appointed by the prime minister. EuroCham is concerned that ministers or vice-ministers of other ministries may have to take the chairman or vice-chairmen position of the committee, concurrently with their ministerial role. This will not be efficient. Instead, the management of the committee must include both Vietnamese and foreign experts. The committee should have at least one foreign expert as a member, someone who has worked as a manager for private companies with a successful track record. A foreign expert must not necessarily be the decision-making person, but he or she would be an important contributor to the committee. Members of the committee must be independent and not be representatives from the selected ministries who have certain interests in some SOEs, or else neutrality cannot be ensured. The committee must act as an investor responsible for all investment activities of state capital before the government. Only by doing so can SOEs play the same game with the same rules as in the private sector. In addition, it is important to create an operation regime for this committee to achieve transparency for the public. Transparency is a critical issue, especially for a committee that holds huge state assets worth around VND5.4 quadrillion ($245.45 billion). A Tesla Model S car on display in Shanghai, China. (AFP/Johannes Eisele) Tesla announced the bid in late June, but it drew jeers on Wall Street, in part because of skepticism over the motives of Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, who is also chairman of SolarCity as well as its biggest shareholder. Some analysts also questioned whether the deal - which still requires shareholder approval from both companies - would divert Tesla's attention from an ambitious plan to significantly expand electric-car production in the next few years. But Tesla argued the combination would meet the needs of a growing portion of consumers who are environmentally focused and will be drawn to the opportunity buy their car from the same company that would install a solar-powered fueling station at their homes. Tesla said that the buyout would also enable it to achieve lower hardware and marketing costs and boost manufacturing efficiency, creating the "world's only vertically integrated sustainable energy company," it said in a statement. "There is natural parts integration here where there isn't for gasoline and cars," said Musk. "You don't want the gas station at your house." The all-stock transaction values SolarCity at US$25.37 a share, below the original range discussed in June of between US$26.50 and US$28.50 a share. The agreement allows SolarCity to solicit alternative proposals for 45 days. The boards of directors of each company have signed off on the deal. However, the agreed acquisition requires approval from a majority of shareholders of both companies. Musk, who holds 21.1 per cent of Tesla and 22.5 per cent of SolarCity, will not be able to vote as a shareholder on the deal. SEARCHING FOR PROFITABILITY Musk has announced an ambitious goal of producing 500,000 electric cars a year by 2018, which would take it from being a niche producer of luxury sedans to a mainstream competitor in the auto industry. Skeptics have questioned those targets. Tesla reported a loss of US$282.3 million in the first quarter and has had annual losses the last five years. SolarCity lost US$21.5 million in the first quarter and also has a record of annual losses. "It's combining two companies that are cash-flow negative," said Efraim Levy, analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence. "That creates the potential for dilutive capital raises." While there is some strategic logic over the long-term, the deal likely dims the chances of Tesla turning a profit in the near term, he said. "If you're buying (Tesla) on the anticipation of it becoming profitable, or big-time profitable, in the next few years, this is going to set back your plan, if they ever become profitable," Levy said. But Trip Chowdhry, analyst at Global Equities Research, said Tesla's vision is to "create a whole new industry" akin to Amazon, which lost money for years. Profitability is not the most important factor in evaluating Tesla, he said. "When you create an industry, you only win because of speed," Chowdhry said. SolarCity shares tumbled 7.4 per cent to US$24.72, while Tesla lost 2.0 per cent at US$230.01 Miami-Dade mosquito control worker Carlos Vargas sprays to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae at a home in Miami, Florida. (AFP/Rhona Wise) "We advise pregnant women to avoid travel to this area," said Centres for Disease Control and Prevention chief Tom Frieden, noting that the virus can cause the birth defect, microcephaly. The area to avoid is inside a one-mile section north of downtown Miami, a popular arts and restaurant district known as Wynwood. Women who are pregnant and may have travelled to the area since Jun 15 are urged to talk with their doctor, Frieden added. Women who are pregnant in the area are also urged to use barrier protection during sex, or to abstain in order to lower the risk of transmission from a partner. He also recommended people use mosquito repellant, wear long sleeves, repair screens and drain any standing water in the area to prevent the spread of the mosquitoes. "In Miami, aggressive mosquito control measures don't seem to be working as well as we would have liked," said Frieden. He said it was possible that mosquitoes are resistant to insecticides currently being used, or that they may have hidden breeding areas that haven't been found yet. Frieden said most people with Zika do not show any symptoms. "Nothing that we have seen indicates widespread transmission but it is certainly possible there could be sustained transmission in certain areas." FIRST LOCAL CASES IN US On Friday, Florida officials announced the first locally transmitted cases of Zika in the United States with all four linked to the same area in Miami. Early Monday, Governor Rick Scott said the number of identified cases had jumped by 10 to 14. The cases mark the first time the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects and is considered particularly dangerous for pregnant women, is known to be spreading via local mosquitoes in the United States. In Wynwood, there was no sign of panic. Merchants said they sensed no decrease in customers, while many tourists and residents learned of the outbreak because of the unusual presence of several news media in the heart of the Art District. "So much crazy stuff happens in the city I don't think people will freak out over it," said Michaela Castro, a 19-year-old student. Others simply said they knew but were not bothered by the news. Over 1,600 cases of Zika have been previously reported in the US, but most were brought by travelers who were infected elsewhere. The virus can also spread by sexual contact. EMERGENCY TEAM EN ROUTE The CDC is sending an emergency team of specialists to help the Florida response, Frieden said. Two of the 14 cases involve women and the rest are men. At least six were not showing any symptoms but were identified during door-to-door surveys and testing. Frieden said the decision to issue a travel warning is an unusual measure for the continental United States. "We can find no similar recommendation in recent years," he told reporters on a conference call. A travel warning for the US territory of Puerto Rico was issued in January when Zika began to circulate there. According to the World Health Organization, 67 countries and territories have reported mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2015. Brazil has been particularly hard hit, with more than 1,700 babies born with unusually small heads, a key feature of microcephaly. Frieden said that each child born with microcephaly can require US$10 million in medical costs over a lifetime, but convincing people to take strong measures against Zika can nevertheless be a challenge. "The tragedy of a preventable case of a severe birth defect is something I think we have to make very clear to people," he said. "It is truly a scary situation but it is not immediately apparent to people that it is this kind of significant risk." Funding for the Zika response has also been a source of dispute among US lawmakers. President Barack Obama asked for US$1.9 billion in February, but Republicans protested, saying the money should be taken from funds previously set aside for Ebola. Congress went on summer recess last month without approving any legislation for Zika funds. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Phnom Penh does not do Beijings bidding. That was the strong message Cambodias foreign minister had for his critics at a press conference on Friday. It comes amid unprecedented criticism that Phnom Penh had again prevented ASEAN from adopting a unified stance on the South China Sea dispute. At major ASEAN meetings July 24-26 in Vientiane, Laos, a bevy of diplomats accused Phnom Penh of stonewalling to stop ASEAN from issuing a strongly worded rebuke to China on it actions in the sea dispute. Pundits took to traditional and social media using terms such as vassal, satrap and sugar-daddy to describe Phnom Penh and Beijings relationship. Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, who led the Cambodian delegation in Laos, responded to the criticism in the press conference by first asking a question: What has Cambodia done in this matter? Sokhon answered his own question: [Cambodia] maintained its rightful stance that it would not side with any party. Cambodia had done ASEAN a service, he continued, acting effectively as a peacekeeper. [Cambodia] has contributed considerably to preventing the situation in the South China Sea from falling further into a deteriorated atmosphere via the facilitation of all relevant parties, he said. Not everyone is buying that story. Cambodia has become increasingly financially dependent on China over the past decade. Hundreds of millions have poured in from Beijing for major infrastructure projects: dams, roads, bridges; business development: factories, apartment blocks, agriculture, as well as substantial military aid. Critics have long warned that such support could influence the direction of Cambodias political development, and those fears appear to be coming to fruition in Cambodia taking Chinas side against ASEAN in the South China Sea dispute. Just prior to Cambodia standing firmly in Chinas corner in Vientiane, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that China had pledged another $600 million in assistance. China has provided the Cambodian government a great deal of economic aid and substantial military assistance, said John Ciorciari, a professor in public policy at the University of Michigan. Perhaps more importantly, China provides aid in a way that buttresses the CPP leadership against domestic challenges and international pressure to reform. That gives China considerable leverage in Phnom Penh, Ciorciari told VOA Khmer in an email. For China, the South China Sea is a crucial foreign policy issue. Cambodian leaders attach less importance to the issue, making it an issue on which they are willing to follow China's lead. By defending Chinas interests in regional meetings, Cambodia has immobilized ASEAN, which requires consensus to take an organizational stand on the issue, Ciorciari said. And that immobilization helps China keep the South China Sea dispute out of multilateral channels and in bilateral channels, where Beijing has greater bargaining power, he said. Claimants like Vietnam and the Philippines would have to look outside of ASEAN for help in any event, but the inability to forge a unified Southeast Asian position clearly weakens their negotiating positions vis-a-vis Beijing, he said. In 2012, at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia successfully prevented the regional body from issuing a communique due to wording related to the South China Sea. It was the first time in ASEANs history that it was unable to issue a communique after one of its annual summits. While other ASEAN states may criticize Cambodia, they still need to be careful, because if they are too strident in their condemnation of Phnom Penh it may push the Cambodian government more deeply into the open arms of China, Ciorciari said. In the short term, Cambodia benefits by supporting China over the South China Sea. However, in the long-term, the costs to Cambodia could be considerable, said Ou Virak, founder of Future Forum, a think tank based in Phnom Penh. Cambodia would gain from being truly independent regarding the South China Sea issue, Ou Virak said. In the long term, well lose benefit because first and foremost, we show our stance as a Chinese puppet in the dispute. This is what the world perceives. It affects our reputation, he said. In the future there could be a fragility in ASEAN Cambodia gained a lot from ASEAN that made it strong, he added. We should take ourselves off this issue. Meaning, there should be no stance. Whatever stance we take, there are [countries] angry at us. If we support the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries involved in the dispute, China will be angry at us. If we support China, the Americans, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, are angry at us, Ou Virak said. It is not time for us to show any stance that could evoke anger from others. We should focus on our internal issues in order to stand strong for ourselves first. The Chinese ambassador on Tuesday thanked Cambodia for its stance on the South China Sea dispute. Not only the government of China, but also millions of our people appreciated Prime Minister Hun Sens stance, Bu Jianguo said. In July, Cambodia agreed to an additional $600 million in aid and loans from China, reportedly in exchange for diplomatic support over the South China Sea issue. However, Bu said that the money was unconnected to its disputes with other Southeast Asian nations. China wishes to support Cambodia for positive economic growth, he said. Ou Virak, founder of the Future Forum think tank, said Cambodia should stay neutral in over the South China Sea. It could make Cambodia become alone in the future and we will gradually entirely depend on China [if we support them in the disputes], he said. Kung Phoakk, president of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was possible that there had been an alignment of interests, rather than a clandestine agreement. If they [China] appreciate and support Cambodia, then thats their choice, he said. On Monday, Wang Ti, the Chinese foreign minister, praised Cambodia for not issuing a statement in the wake of an international arbitration court ruling that went against China. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said Cambodia would not interfere in the internal affairs of other Asean states, or the relationship between China and Asean, by taking sides in the row. Editors Note: Joachim Baron von Marschall, Germanys ambassador to Cambodia for the past three years, left the country last month and is headed to a new posting in Ecuador. His departure came amid heightened tensions between the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and the main opposition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). It also came immediately after the July 10 murder of popular political commentator Kem Ley. On July 19, his last day in the job, the ambassador spoke by phone with VOA Khmers Sophat Soeung about the problematic political climate in Cambodia today, the current economic situation and why he is cautiously optimistic for the countrys future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. In the three years of your term, youve witnessed both the ups and the downs of Cambodian politics. Is the overall trend of Cambodias political development more upward or more downward? What I see is sort of an oscillation between periods of a fairly liberal relaxed atmosphere and then times of tensions. Ive seen the tensions at the beginning of my stay here and I see it at the end, but looking at the history since the early 1990s, it seems that there has been these fluctuations a number of times. But, what I believe is that since the last elections, it has become evident that there is a shift of paradigm and that more people than before are willing to express their dissent, more people show that they are critically analyzing and looking at what the government is doing and I think the election result has made that very clear. So I think in the long-term trendand we are talking five ten years or morethis shift will be felt. In the short term, it may still look as if its just the old up and down that we have already seen in the last twenty years. What do you think is the main cause of this paradigm shift? The main cause is demographics. It is a fact that Cambodia has a fast-growing population and there are many young people and their number is growing and that will be already felt at the next election, there will be more than one million new voters who vote for the first time. And this young generation is quite demanding that they want opportunities for themselves. They want good jobs, they want a good education. They want to live in an environment of free of fear and tension and these demands will be felt more and more. And thats what I would think makes this shift of paradigm. What hope do you see for Cambodias democracy ahead of the anticipated national elections in 2018? I think we need to look at the medium- to long-term in order to come to optimistic conclusions. In the short-term, I would say we have to be very realistic. What I see is a government, a ruling party which is totally determined to stay in power. They have made this clear just yesterday again, when this decree was issued that now also the army, the security forces, which have committed themselves to maintaining the power of the CPP, will play an important role in both the preparations and the conduct of the election. I think these are all very clear signals that there is a desire on the part of the government to maintain the status quo. How much that fits to the image of a democratic parliamentary system, that I leave to the imagination and judgement of the listeners. But I would say again, lets have a realistic look at things and lets put our hopes into the medium to long-term development. How hopeful are you about Cambodias economic future? I think Cambodia, being part of ASEAN and the ASEAN Economic Community, has a great potential and if economic policy or overall politics are being conducted in a clever way, then this potential will bear its fruit in the longer run. I have no doubt about it. Definitely, also the growth rates have been very impressive at least on the paper. But I think we also need to analyze what is driving this growth. When we are doing this, we also need to keep in mind the structure of the Cambodian economy and certain key parameters like productivity. If we are looking at this closely, then we come to the conclusion that even though the 7 percent per annum are quite impressive, one has to apply a certain degree of caution also because it is not a forgone conclusion that this growth will continue. Cambodia is heavily depends on export markets and Cambodias economy is also heavily dependent on the influx of foreign capital. That means Cambodia is very depend on external factors also that it cannot control itself. So, in order to get the necessary degree of immunity against the external shocks, a lot has to be done to increase productivity and also to increase diversification of a Cambodian economy and to provide for sufficient domestic demand that the economy will be growing. Domestic demand means there is more equality in terms of income and wealth. The wealthand Global Witness has pointed this out, but that was already known before, it was really nothing new, no new insightThe wealth is so [unequally] distributed that it cannot serve the sufficient stimulator for domestic demand. This is by the way not just a phenomenon that is unique only for Cambodia. We see this in many parts of the world. The fact that too much wealth is held by too few people and this also takes away resources that are needed in order to stimulate domestic demand. I think this is an insight that the decision-makers of the country need to keep in mind when they are really determined to keep the economy going and to assure the economy will also grow when external factors shift. Can you elaborate on what you see as the most pressing economic issues for Cambodia? Indeed, the fact that Cambodia has reached lower-middle income status is something that is certainly deserved appreciation and at the same time again, like I said with the growth of 7 percent, you need to critically analyze what really determines the status and then you come to the conclusion that it is just the calculated average that has led to Cambodia passing a certain threshold which has been said a definition of lower-middle income status. It doesnt say anything about how that wealth, how that income that is the basis of this calculation has been generated and how its distributed and if we look at the distribution, then we find that there are very few people that are very rich; there are some people who are what we would call a middle class in Western countriesnot terribly rich but well to dothen, there is a huge amount of people that are very close to the poverty range still. If you look at this distribution, then I wonder how you can hope to have a solid and continuous development of domestic demand and domestic growth driven by domestic factors. There needs to be a redistribution of wealth if that should really happen in a way that is sustainable. That means the tax system has to be improved and certainly its implementation has to be improved. It means that also the attitude, the mentality of those who are in the established part of societythat attitude needs to change in the sense of taking on more responsibility for the whole, for the country as a whole. What is your view of the governments claims it is reforming? Yes, there has been a lot talk about reforms and we have seen also a number of steps that one could term as reform efforts. I see it particularly in the area of education. I have seen some of it also in the area of the economy and the area of commerce. Certain operational procedures have been reformed and improved. Theres no doubt about this. But true reform, I think will only comeor a development will come that deserves the term reformwhen there is a willingness to increase the amount of merit and professionalism in this administration and to decrease the importance that connections and clientele networks play. I cannot see how reform that deserves this name can come about without the shift in that respect. As the ambassador for Germany, which funds a lot of development projects in Cambodia, are you satisfied with these reforms? I dont hear that youre satisfied with it. Am I right? I think you are right. I wish that many of the younger people that I have talked to, that are brilliant, that are well-educated, that are aspiring, if they were given the chance to actively participate in governing this country, in decision-making of this country and I feel a lot of frustration in these young people that they are not given this opportunity. I feel unless there is a healthy mix of the older generation that brings about experience with the younger generation that brings about dynamism and creativityonly with such a healthy mix, I feel, can the governance system be changed in such a way that we see in a reform-oriented policy. What is the best thing the post-war generation, who make up some 70 percent of the population, can do to help their country? First of all, they should stick to their aspirations. They should continue learning and educating themselves. They should maintain the curiosity and their critical mind. And they should have patience because their time will come. I have no doubt about this. When that will be? I do not know. But I feel they should stay loyal to their country in that they stay here, even though this may mean a stretch of time, a period where their aspirations cannot be fully fulfilled but they should keep their long-term goal in mind and never forget that what they do is also for the good of their country and not just for themselves. Do you think there going to be like a culture shift in terms of aspiring for a more democratic way of life? I believe that indeed the younger generation is more open to this sort of global influences which also include thinking in terms of democracy and democratic power sharing. Because that also caters to the needs and the aspirations of young people. They want to share power. They want to participate in the power and they can only hope to do that if there is a system that gives them a voice or where they can cast their vote in favor of certain development that they feel they need. So, democracy to them is also something that will help them to reach their goals. Whether this will really change the political culture in this country in a dramatic way? I do not know. We always have to look at the geographical location of Cambodia and Cambodia is not a country that is located in the West. Its an Asian country and it is not completely detached from political cultures that are surrounding the country, starting with China in the north but also other ASEAN member states around Cambodia. They have their own political culture, and Cambodia cannot entirely detach itself from that. So, there may beand I think that is quite fine and legitimatethere may be an indigenous form of democracy that may not be entirely the same as we know democracy and define democracy in Western countries. What I think is important is that whatever we call itdemocracy, Asian democracy, Western democracythat it enables people to share in power, to bring about also political change, to have a peaceful change of government also, when a majority of people so desire. That is important. That change can happen without violence and without bloodshed. Any political system that can guarantee this, I think, deserves attention and deserve support. Is there anything I didnt ask that you would like to talk about? Yes, theres one thing that is very much occupying my mind and that is how to overcome the present polarization, this present situation of speechlessness between the CPP and the CNRP. I am of the firm view that only if there is a minimum of communication on a high level between the two parties, can we hope that things develop peacefully in the run-up to the elections. I really hope that decision-makers will take careful steps and will not be led by emotions and by hate because what I see is at present a climate that is very much characterized by negative emotions, by hate, by fear, by anger, by doubt, and by lack of trust. And these things can only be overcome in a dialogue. And I wish very much that all parties concernedand that doesnt include just the ruling partywill make their level best to overcome these elements because it is this atmosphere that then leads also to things like the murder of Kem Ley and other activists before him. Only in overcoming this sort of atmosphere can we hope that these things will not reoccur. Finally, do you have a message for the people of Cambodia? Yes, I would like to encourage all Cambodians to strengthen their belief in their country, their believe in themselves because I can see the potential for Cambodia. And I would very much hope that in a few years from now, this potential would be developed more than it has been developed right now. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has said he stands behind comments he made in the wake of the murder of government critic Kem Ley last month that prompted the premier on Monday to take him to court. A day after Hun Sen filed a claim for defamation at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court against Rainsy, who had implicated the prime minister in the killing in a Facebook post, he doubled down on the accusation in an email to VOA. I believe that the government is behind the criminals who gunned down Mr. Kem Ley, in the same way it was behind the grenade attack in 1997 that killed at least 16 people, and in the same way it was also behind the assassination of [unionist] Mr. Chea Vichea in 2004 and that of [forest activist Chut Wutty] in 2012. All these acts of political violence pertained to state terrorism, he wrote. My belief is based on the target and pattern similarities that characterized these assassinations and on the fact that only the government had the means and the capabilities to conduct such brazen attacks, to arrange for their cover-up and to ensure a total impunity for the perpetrators and their mastermind, he added. He went on to say that if the government had nothing to hide it would have allowed an independent and credible investigation with international participation to take place. Sok Eysan, a ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, urged Rainsy to return from self-imposed exile to face the charges. I am afraid he would not admit his wrongdoing. But if he does, then he should present himself at the court [to determine] if his actions were constructive criticism or defamation. Hun Sen filed the complaint against Rainsy on Monday and requested the court impose a symbolic fine of 100 riel (about 2 cents). IS militants launched a massive assault on various parts of the Kot district in Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province last month. Dozens of villagers were killed and hundreds displaced. In the remote village of Qalajaat, Niaz Bibi watched as IS fighters invaded her home and murdered five of her nine sons, who lived together in their family house. They first shot them and then beheaded them, Bibi, a mother of 12, told VOA in a telephone interview. The house was targeted, family members told VOA, because some of Bibis sons were affiliated with the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a resident force set up by Afghan government to help protect villages from insurgents. IS and Taliban militants have been targeting Afghan local police members who play an instrumental role in maintaining the government's authority in isolated areas. The Afghan government estimates it has around 30,000 ALP members. 'Burns my heart' The restive Kot district, which borders Pakistan and has about 160,000 residents, has been hard-hit by IS militant activities recently. In some areas, the group has closed public schools and replaced them with its own schools and religious seminaries. One of Bibis surviving sons and one of her 30 grandchildren were seriously wounded in the attack on their house. A few days earlier, Bibis oldest son, who was also affiliated with the police force, also was killed by IS. We were targeted because we had joined the local police force to protect our homes and villages, said Bibis injured son, Ateeq Ullah. The familys accounts were confirmed to VOA by the local governor. Surviving family members fled after the attacks. The Islamic State militants "burned our villages and looted our properties, Bibi said. The woman added she never had a chance to bury her sons but was grateful that other villagers gave them a proper burial. Only Allah knows what I am going through, she told VOA. What can I do? It burns my heart. Bibi is trying to care for her orphaned grandchildren and her daughters-in-law. My sons were married. They left behind widows and 30 young boys and girls, she said. Mourning fathers, brothers Afghanistan is a patriarchal society where men are in charge of the family and are the primary bread winners. When men die, in many cases women are not allowed to remarry or go back to their parents. Mothers and children are often left destitute. I miss my father. I cry as I remember him, said 9-year-old Rahela, one of Bibis orphaned grandchildren. Rahela told VOA that she attended a village school before the family fled. Along with four siblings and several cousins, Rahela temporarily dropped out of school while the family was in hiding. After weeks of battles against IS, the Afghan government said this week that the area was cleared of IS. But Bibis family remains traumatized and wants help. I can hardly cope with the situation. I am under extreme pressure [with] 30 orphans, a wounded brother and nephew, homelessness, security threats. surviving brother Sayed Amin told VOA. Now that we have lost everything, we strongly demand the government to provide us protection and a place to live in. Fearing for the future Provincial authorities say Bibis family will not be abandoned, because their loved ones "sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. Authorities have provided basic emergency assistance to the family, including 100,000 Afs ($1,460) for each dead relative and 50,000 Afs ($730) for each wounded one, said Nangarhars governor, Salim Khan Kunduzi. The family also has received clothes, tents and food supplies, the governor said. He told VOA the provincial government was planning to provide free education and boarding to the orphans through the Department of Social Affairs. Attaullah Khogyani, the governor's representative, told VOA that security forces have killed more than 120 IS fighters, including senior commanders, and have captured a key IS base. But Bibi knows that IS will not give up easily and she fears a return. She hears that IS is targeting her remaining three sons and have prepared suicide bombers for the mission. Aid workers in Syria's war-ravaged northwest said Tuesday that a helicopter dropped barrels of toxic gas on a town near the besieged city of Aleppo. At least 30 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which workers say was dropped overnight near the site where a Russian helicopter was downed hours earlier by rebel ground fire. The extent of the chemical injuries was not immediately known. By late Tuesday, there were conflicting reports about who launched the attack. Rebel fighters trying to break the Aleppo siege and government forces encircling the city blamed each other for using the poisonous gas, believed to be chlorine. Physicians in the town of Saraqeb told reporters that as many as five containers of chlorine hit neighborhoods there shortly before midnight. One physician told a reporter for al-Jazeera television that he was certain the chemical was chlorine because the highly toxic agent has been used against the area in the past. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or its Russian allies, who are battling rebels for control of the area in what observers describe as some of the fiercest fighting in months. However, the Syrian state news agency SANA later accused rebels of firing rockets armed with toxic gas into government-controlled areas of nearby Aleppo, killing at least five people. The report did not provide details. The Russian helicopter downed Monday crashed about 15 kilometers from the site of the chemical attacks. Months-long fighting Fighting has raged in and near Aleppo for more than two months. Monitors from the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights report at least 6,000 people have been killed or wounded in the past 80 days. The government of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly been accused of attacking rebels with crude chemical bombs. Earlier this year, the Syrian-American Medical Society (SAMS) said chemical weapons attacks have killed nearly 1,500 people since civil war broke out in Syria more than five years ago. The SAMS report, released in March, documented 161 chemical attacks in Syria, and linked the vast majority of them and the resulting civilian casualties to the Assad government. The massive bicycle parade that Sonia Gandhi planned to kick off her Congress party's election campaign in India's Uttar Pradesh state was cut short Tuesday when her doctor said she had a fever and should return to Delhi. Gandhi's 10,000-bicycle parade targeting the ruling BJP party and what Gandhi says are the failed promises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to go through the northeastern city of Varanasi. Gandhi, 69, began her six-kilometer road show at a statue devoted to B.R. Ambedkar, a low-caste dalit and architect of India's constitution. She was standing in a sport utility vehicle, waving at supporters for hours, before taking a break at a local hotel. Canceled segments of the road show included two "meet the press" stops, prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and a rally and speech at a statue of former Congress politician Kamlapathi Tripathi, who led the state in the 1970s. While the event was meant to draw attention to Congress party criticisms of Modi, the prime minister tweeted that he'd heard of Gandhi's illness and wished her a speedy recovery. The opposition party accuses Modi of failing to keep promises to the state, including cleaning the Ganges river and reviving the handloom industry. However, defeating the party in next year's election will be difficult. Varanasi is loyal to the BJP and Modi, who has represented the city in parliament in addition to being prime minster for the past two years. Even the Uttar Pradesh Congress party leader, Raj Babbar, has said that his party needs a "miracle" to regain support in the state. An African Union peacekeeper in Somalia has been sentenced to a year in prison and demoted in rank for selling military supplies and fuel in the black market in Mogadishu. The sentence is notable as the first time a soldier with the AU mission, AMISOM, has been publicly prosecuted in Somalia, and a rare example of soldier being punished for selling guns and ammunition, a common practice among both AMISOM and Somali National Army soldiers. The Ugandan soldier, Major Pop Francis Origi, was one of 18 AU soldiers put on trial Tuesday by an AMISOM military court for various offenses. Journalists were invited to witness the trials. Along with his sentence, Origi was demoted in rank to captain. The judge adjourned the trials for the other 17 soldiers to a later date. In June, Somali security officers arrested five AMISOM soldiers from Uganda, which has the largest number of troops in the 22,000-strong mission, and ten civilians for selling military supplies and fuel in the black market in Mogadishu. They were found in a garage in Mogadishu with improvised detonators, fuel, sandbags and empty ammunition boxes. The police said they caught the men as they were trying to sell the equipment to civilians. For years, soldiers with AMISOM and the Somali National Army have made extra money by selling military supplies to Mogadishu arms dealers or even their opponents in Islamist militant group al-Shabab. On Monday, the Somali government pledged to work with the newly-appointed AMISOM force commander, Djiboutian Lieutenant-General Osman Noor Soubagley, to defeat al-Shabab and restore peace to Somalia. U.S. President Barack Obama says he is optimistic that Congress will eventually approve the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal even though both 2016 presidential candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, oppose it. Obama, who leaves office next January, offered his prediction Monday in an interview with The Straits Times ahead of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's state visit to Washington, culminating in a White House state dinner Tuesday night. But Obama acknowledged that congressional approval of the sweeping pact will be difficult in the U.S., where many workers have suffered as employers move operations overseas or take advantage of technological advances in manufacturing to increase production while cutting their workforces. "The politics around trade can be very difficult especially in an election year," Obama said. "There are legitimate concerns and anxieties that the forces of globalization are leaving too many people behind and we have to take those concerns seriously and address them." "But the answer isn't to turn inward and embrace protectionism," Obama said. "We can't just walk away from trade. In a global economy where our economies and supply chains are deeply integrated, it's not even possible." The American leader said he remains committed to the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership "because it's a good deal for America, for the region and for the world. TPP advances America's economic and our strategic interests. It would eliminate 18,000 tariffs basically taxes on American products and help us sell more American exports to the Asia Pacific." "It will help strengthen our relationships with partners like Singapore and lay the foundation for even greater cooperation in other areas," Obama said. "It will make sure that we're writing the rules for trade in the 21st century." Clinton, as Obama's first-term secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, was a staunch TPP advocate, saying it "sets the gold standard in trade agreements." But last year, in the months-long campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, she said the details in the agreement did not meet her standards and turned against it. Clinton said it did not clamp down on currency manipulation and lacked patent protection provisions for drug companies in poorer countries. Clinton said she wants "more new, good jobs for Americans, for raising wages for Americans. And I want to make sure that I can look into the eyes of any middle-class American and say, 'This will help raise your wages.' And I concluded I could not." Trump has built his support among blue-collar workers by opposing trade deals, the pending Pacific deal, as well as the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada enacted when Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was in the White House. China has announced stiff penalties for people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters, including those it describes as its sovereign areas in the South China Sea. The countrys supreme court on Tuesday said fishermen illegally entering Chinese waters more than once in a year will be subject to fines and up to a year in jail. The court also laid out penalties for harvesting coral or giant clams. Last month, a United Nations-backed court in The Hague ruled that China had no claim to the waters in the South China Sea, including a 200-mile economic zone in the Spratly Islands. Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan has warned of offshore security threats saying China should prepare for a "people's war at sea" in an effort to safeguard national sovereignty. Chang called for a "recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea," according to the Xinhua news agency. He said the Chinese military, police and people should "prepare for mobilization to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Japan, meanwhile, in a security assessment Tuesday, said Beijing risks triggering "unintended consequences" by its aggressive stance. China has conducted an effort throughout the South China Sea in recent years, transforming reefs into artificial islands that can support military installations, ignoring competing claims in the region by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as the Philippines. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Beijing's territorial claims in the region have "no legal basis." An estimated $5 trillion in global trade passes each year through the South China Sea, which is home to rich fishing grounds and a potentially vast wealth of oil, gas and other natural resources. A veteran of the U.S. Civil War is making his way across the country nearly 100 years after his death. On Monday, the cremated remains of Jewett Williams were handed over at a ceremony to a group of motorcycle-riding military veterans for a journey back to his home state of Maine. Williams, who was 21 years old in 1864, joined the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the tail end of the war. The regiment was reportedly part of the Union force that accepted Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Hospital records show Williams died in 1922 at an insane asylum in Oregon, just a few months after being admitted. The asylum, now called Oregon State Hospital, used to cremate patients whose bodies were not claimed by family. The ashes were put in canisters and stored in a shed. The Patriot Guard Riders, a nonprofit organization that performs services for fallen military heroes and deceased veterans, will provide Private Williams a long-awaited escort back home. The Oregon chapter of the group received the remains Monday. They will ferry the ashes east, passing them from one state's club to the next. Williams' journey home will wind through at least 19 states and cover more than 3,200 miles. The bodies of 120 migrants believed to have been trying to reach Italy by boat from Libya have been found off the Libyan coast over the past 10 days, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. "We are getting this information from Libyan authorities that we are collaborating with," said IOM spokesman Joel Millman. The bodies had been discovered near Sabratha and had not come from previously known shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. Mainly African migrants are taking often unseaworthy boats from Libya to Italy, gateway to Europe. Nearly 8,000 were rescued at sea between Friday to Monday on that central Mediterranean route, Millman told a briefing. It is a longer and more perilous journey than that from Turkey to Greece, largely shut down since a deal was struck between the European Union and Turkey in March, although 174 migrants did make it by sea to Greece over the weekend, IOM said. More than 257,000 migrants and refugees have already entered Europe by sea this year through July 27, and for the third straight year, at least 3,000 others have died, the agency said. A total of 4,027 migrants or refugees have perished worldwide so far this year, three-quarters of them in the Mediterranean, Millman said. The figures represents a 35 percent increase on the global toll during the first seven months of 2015, he said. A car bomb apparently targeting soldiers loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan government killed at least 22 people Tuesday and wounded more than 20 in Benghazi. Military officials said the blast took place in the city's Guwarsha district. A coalition of Islamic militants called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries claimed responsibility. Forces loyal to the government in the east have been fighting against the militants for control of Benghazi since 2014. Libya has been in political and economic turmoil since dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011. A U.N.-backed government was installed in Tripoli this year to replace an Islamic government that had seized the capital. But the administration headquartered in eastern Libya refuses to accept it. Cuba said on Monday it was not willing to rush talks with the United States over multi-billion-dollar claims and counter-claims and would agree only to an accord that addressed the grievances of both sides. Washington is seeking upward of $10 billion, mainly for properties nationalized in Communist-run Cuba after its 1959 revolution. Havana, meanwhile, wants at least $300 billion for economic damage wrought by the U.S. trade embargo and for the harm caused by acts of what it describes as U.S. aggression. Settling the claims is key to normalizing relations between the former Cold War foes. The two sides held their second round of talks on the matter last week, after a first round last December. A State Department official told reporters the United States wanted to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and the two sides had agreed to hold more regular meetings. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno told reporters this likely was an "aspiration" of the State Department, given there had been no actual agreement on future meetings. "We have to follow the appropriate timetable. We cannot force it," Moreno said in a briefing on the talks in the Foreign Ministry. Cuba and its northern neighbor re-established diplomatic relations a year ago after decades of hostility and have since signed deals on the environment, postal services and direct flights. The two countries were not yet negotiating their respective claims, Moreno said, but were holding informative talks on a matter of "highly elevated complexity." The Cuban government has reached settlements with other countries for expropriated assets. But it cut off negotiations with the United States when bilateral relations soured in the 1960s. Moreno said the claims talks with the United States were much more complex than they had been with Canada and European countries because of the need to address damages caused by the trade embargo. "We are talking about a process in two directions," Moreno said. "Cuba will not accept unilateral solutions." The Egyptian media erupted in excitement during the coup attempt in Turkey, prematurely declaring it successful. A headline on one prominent paper read, The military forces message: relationships with the world will continue. Even weeks later, many Egyptians who follow their governments lead in its disdain for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, deem the coup attempt successful in at least one respect: It made the Turkish president look bad. It did not succeed because he is still in power, said 22-year-old Sherif Adel on his way home from a job interview in Cairo.But he did lose a lot. In the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt, tens of thousands of people in Turkey have been arrested, detained or fired in a crackdown on suspected mutineers, drawing criticism from human rights groups. Egyptian commentators jumped on the crackdown. Some suggested Erdogan himself staged the coup as an excuse to purge his enemies. At the United Nations, Egypt blocked efforts to release a Security Council statement calling on the international community to "respect the democratically elected government of Turkey." Turkey fired back insults. Erdogan said Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi "has nothing to do with democracy. He killed thousands of his own people, according to Egyptian state-owned news organizations. In response, the Egyptian foreign ministry released a statement saying the Turkish president "is continuing to confuse matters and lose the compass of sound judgment." And as Turkey continues to demand the U.S. extradition of Fethullah Gulen, the 75-year-old cleric accused by Ankara of plotting the coup, officials in Cairo suggest Gulen may find political asylum in Egypt. Political Islam The already-strained relationship between Egypt and Turkey will continue to deteriorate, analysts say, as long as both countries maintain their stances on Islamist politics. "Egyptian-Turkish relations simply boil down to the Muslim Brotherhood," said Ziad Akl, a senior researcher at the Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo. "Egypt will support any kind of action that will get rid of that mentality." Sissi took power in 2013, overthrowing the elected, yet deeply unpopular, President Mohamed Morsi, who led the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood party. In the years since, Sissis government has banned the Muslim Brotherhood and branded it a terrorist organization. Turkey, which supports the Muslim Brotherhood, was allied with Morsi and continued to bate Sissi, even after he was formally elected in 2014, calling his initial ascension to power the product of a coup, not a popular revolution as Egyptian government supporters insist. The failed coup in Turkey also vaguely echoes 2013 events in Egypt, and on the streets of Cairo, some Egyptians are re-visiting the political polarity that had faded from public discourse amid current economic woes. Many people have the idea that Turkey is a country that supports the Muslim Brotherhood, and that they are terrorists, observes 32-year-old Mahmoud, a bus driver. But I think the Turkish leadership is respectable. Potential consequences The million dollar question becomes: Would regional alliances be the same after more disturbance? asked Akl, of Al Ahrum.Could we witness growing bipolar relations? A bipolar relationship between two countries loosely describes a rivalry between two large powers that develop exclusive alliances. For example, during the Cold War, a country could be allied with the United States or Russia, but not both. Rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two largest powers in the Middle East are often said to have bipolar relations, with battle lines drawn in multiple wars behind the two giants. Turkey and Egypt are on the same side in conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq, and their coalitions abilities to fight could be damaged if their relationship crumbled. At present Turkey and Egypt maintain normal relations despite the squabble. Akl added Turkey-Egypt relations are not likely to disintegrate as acutely as Iran-Saudi relations, which have had no formal diplomatic ties since early this year. The two countries consider each other an imminent threat, supporting opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. But nothing in this region is simple.Saudi Arabia and Iran officially support the same side in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the fight against Islamic State militants. Besides hindering mutually beneficial economic ties, souring relations between Egypt and Turkey could make regional politics more complicated, said Akl. And the consequences of escalation could be dangerous for all, added Khalifa Gaballah, the foreign affairs editor at Almasry Alyoum, a prominent Egyptian newspaper. The continued estrangement and tensions is not just a hazard to the two countries, he said.It also is potentially harmful for the whole region. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to face a backlash, from both Democrats and members of his party, over his critical comments about the family of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq President Barack Obama called Trump "unfit" to be president. Key Republicans, including Senator John McCain, have also spoken out against Trump following his recent remarks. Trump and Khizr Khan, father of a U.S. Army captain killed in a 2004 car bombing in Iraq, have been exchanging daily verbal broadsides since Thursday at the Democratic National Convention. There, the elder Khan cited the service of his slain son, Humayun Khan, to counter Trump's proposal to restrict Muslim immigration to the United States. In what has become the most enduring image from the four-day extravaganza, Khan held up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and challenged Trump to read it. Khan, a Muslim from Pakistan, was asked during an interview Monday with VOA's Urdu service whether he thought anything useful would come from his feud with Trump. "It really has come out ... that a significant, larger number of Republicans are asking him to tone down, change those derogatory remarks about minorities not only just Muslims but other minorities," Khan said. The attitudes of people who disparage Muslims and others, Khan said, "can only be conquered by setting good examples, being a good citizen of this country. Then, they will begin to realize that there's no difference between them and us." Khan said he was worried about the consequences if Trump becomes commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, and wondered whether U.S. forces would follow Trump's commands. Khan's wife, Ghazala, stood silently while her husband spoke at the convention, prompting Trump to intimate that she was not allowed to speak because she is a Muslim woman. Speaking in Urdu, Ghazala Khan said Islam teaches that husbands and wives are equal and that her husband said everything for both of them. She has said in other interviews that she gets emotionally overwhelmed when thinking about her dead son. Trump's continued belittling of the Khans has been denounced by President Barack Obama, as well as leading Republican Party members, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Gold Star Mothers. The group represents women who have lost a son or daughter in battle. "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates," McCain said. "It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Trump and running mate Mike Pence have called Humayon Khan, killed while facing down a suicide bomber in Iraq, a hero. Trump wrote in a Twitter post Monday that this debate is not about Khizr Khan, but about "radical Islamic terrorism." "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same Nice!" he tweeted. Trump also told a town hall meeting in Columbus, Ohio, that the entire electoral process is corrupt and that he fears the November election "is going to be rigged." Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, made no mention of the Khan controversy during her campaign appearance Monday in Omaha, Nebraska. She focused instead on the economy. She said that special interests and big money are paralyzing the U.S. Congress and that anyone willing to work hard deserves a job that pays enough to raise a family. She challenged Trump and his financial and industrial empire to manufacture things in the United States instead of using factories overseas. A spate of new polls show that Clinton has regained her lead since the Democratic convention. A new CBS News survey shows her leading Trump 46 to 39 percent in voter preference, while a CNN poll gives her a 52 to 43 percent lead. Trump enjoyed a small advantage in the polls after the Republican convention in mid-July. Officials in Florida are asking the federal government for help combating the outbreak of Zika after identifying 10 new cases of the disease over the weekend in a 2.5-square-kilometer neighborhood near the states southern tip. Federal aid Governor Rick Scott took the step after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control warned pregnant women Monday not to travel to the area just north of Miami where new cases of Zika virus infections have been identified. While Florida is seeking federal aid, Scott said Florida will continue its efforts to fight Zika. We will continue to keep our residents and visitors safe utilizing constant surveillance and aggressive strategies, such as increased mosquito spraying, that have allowed our state to fight similar viruses, he said. The White House said Monday that it will oblige Scotts request. A team is being deployed by the CDC in short order so that we will be able to work with Governor Scotts team on the ground in South Florida, White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters. Scott said all known cases of Zika in Florida were caused locally by mosquitos. So far, 14 cases have been identified in the area. Of those infected, 12 are men and two are women. State health officials believe the spread of the Zika virus is limited to a square kilometer area in Miami-Dade County, just north of downtown Miami. The area is rapidly gentrifying and has numerous construction sites where standing water can collect and serve as a breeding area for mosquitos. Scott said the most important thing people can do to help the prevention effort is to eliminate any standing water. Containing breakouts "The biggest thing is: no standing water, no standing water, and then no standing water, and then no standing water," he said. In addition to the travel warning aimed at pregnant women, the CDC said pregnant women in the Miami area should make every effort to avoid mosquito bites. Officials identified six of the new cases by conducting door-to-door community surveys. On Friday, officials announced four cases of the Zika virus, believed to be the first cases contracted from mosquitos within the 50 U.S. states. Since early July, Florida health officials said they have tested more than 200 people in the Miami area for exposure. More than 1,650 people in the mainland U.S. have contracted the virus in recent months, nearly all while traveling in other countries. U.S. officials have said they do not expect broad outbreaks like those in Brazil and in some other Latin American countries. Aggressive mosquito control efforts in Florida were announced on Friday but the CDC said mosquito control efforts are not working as well as expected. Health officials have reminded the public that most people with Zika don't know they are sick and that infection during pregnancy can cause babies to develop birth defects. The former secretary-general of the ruling Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement has formed an advocacy group to spearhead efforts to bring peace to South Sudan under U.N. administration. Pagan Amum sees "South Sudan Reborn" as a collective effort to help the country out of its political, humanitarian and economic crisis. The former SPLM leader told South Sudan in Focus in an exclusive interview that he wanted the international community to directly intervene in South Sudan in order to save it from collapsing. The SPLM, now a political party, grew out of the Sudan People's Liberation Army that fought in the country's civil war, which ended in 2005. Amum described the new organization as a platform for advocacy and education, a campaign to keep South Sudan from collapsing into chaos and disorder, a campaign to engage the region where South Sudan is located, the IGAD region, the African continent, the United States, [Britain], Norway and other members of IGAD partners and the international community ... to come to the rescue of South Sudan. IGAD, or the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, is an eight-nation trade bloc based in Djibouti. The purpose of South Sudan Reborn, Amum said, "is to bring the violence to an end through calling on the United Nations to take over South Sudan. Make way for technocrats President Salva Kiir; his longtime adversary, former First Vice President Riek Machar; and all other political leaders have failed to run the country, Amum said. President Salva Kiir took the country to a civil war, which he made very brutal and tribalistic, and now the genie is out of the bottle and it is out of control, he, adding, President Kiir has miserably failed to take the country back to peace. Amum is urging all political leaders, including Kiir and Machar, to step aside and make way for technocrats. He argues that a group of professional South Sudanese would be able to stabilize the country, build the institutions of governance and prepare for elections at the end of a transitional government, which would be carried out with the support of the United Nations and South Sudan's neighbors. Asked how he would solve the problem of tribal forces allied with military commanders in both camps those who support Kiir and those who support Machar Amum conceded the issue of tribal factions trying to impose their authority on the country remains a problem. The present situation is dangerous, Amum said, and is leading to the disintegration of the young South Sudanese state. The grave of a Muslim U.S. soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., has been getting an unexpected boost in visitors, thanks to what many consider unkind remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump sparked a firestorm when he lashed out at the parents of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan after the fallen soldiers father, Khizr Khan, disparaged the real estate mogul in a speech last week at the Democratic National Convention, saying Trump sacrificed nothing for his country and essentially calling him unfit for office. The two have been embroiled in a war of words ever since. A by-product of the feud has been a steady flow of visitors to the gravesite of Captain Khan, who was killed in a 2004 suicide car bombing during the Iraq War. They come to pay their respects to Captain Khan, with some laying flowers around his tombstone, which is engraved with a crescent and star, symbols of his Muslim faith. Cemetery spokesman Stephen Smith told VOA there certainly has been more interest, but there is no way to quantify it other than seeing more visitors going to Section 60, where Captain Khan is buried. Arlington National Cemetery, is considered a national shrine for Americans who honorably served in the U.S. military during every war in U.S. history and during times of peace. Located in the southeastern state of Virginia just south of the U.S. capitol, it is the final resting place for over 400,000 service members, veterans and their relatives. Eligibility requirements for in-ground burial at Arlington are the most stringent of all U.S. national cemeteries. Those killed in the line of duty or being a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart or certain other decorations are among the many requirements. In an interview with VOA, Khans father, Khizr Khan, described his sons death, saying he ordered his men to hit the ground as he approached oncoming terrorists in a car with an outstretched arm. As a trained military officer he knew what the danger was, otherwise he would not have ordered the men to hit the ground. That is the message of Islam. That is the message of peace, he said. As a result of Captain Khans death, his parents and brothers have unwillingly joined the ranks of American Gold Star families, immediate relatives of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been killed in combat or in support of certain military activities. Captain Khan, who was of Pakistani descent, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart after being killed in Iraq. The Bronze Star recognizes acts of heroism performed in ground combat by a person in any branch of the Armed Forces. Initially introduced as the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, the Purple Heart is the nations oldest military award. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs describes the Purple Heart as one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to service members killed or wounded in war by the enemy. Captain Khans father, a lawyer, said during his speech at the Democratic convention that Our son Humayun had dreams, too, of being a military lawyer. But he put those dreams aside the day he sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. The death toll in flooding from heavy monsoon rains in India has climbed past 90, with about a million people taking shelter in government-run relief camps, officials said Tuesday. Incessant downpours have damaged swaths of land, uprooted trees and snapped telephone cables in dozens of districts in the states of Bihar in the east, Assam in the remote northeast and Himachal Pradesh in the north. A total of 96 people have been killed in the flooding in the three states over the past week, according to state officials. At least 17 rare one-horned rhinos have been killed due to the flooding of vast tracts of Assam's Kaziranga National Park, said Pramilla Rani Brahma, the state's forest and environment minister. "Most of the rhinos killed are calves, separated from their mothers during the massive flooding," Brahma said. The park had 1.5-meter-high (5-foot-high) floodwaters in some places, forcing many of the park's animals, also including wild elephants, wild buffaloes and boars, to cross a highway to move to higher ground. The heavy monsoon rains have come after two straight years of drought in India. On Monday, landslides and heavy rains blocked highways leading to Tibet and Manali, a tourist resort in Himachal Pradesh state, with hundreds of people stranded for several hours before rescuers cleared the way, the Press Trust of India news agency said. In Bihar state, around 260,000 flood victims were taking shelter in more than 400 relief camps set up by the state government. At least 400 medical camps have been set up as well to aid people who have spent several nights outdoors after their homes were submerged by rainwaters. In Assam, where floodwaters started receding on Tuesday, some 3.8 million people have been affected by the floods, according to state authorities. More than 700,000 have taken shelter in 770 relief camps. Iraq's prime minister has issued a travel ban for several parliamentary officials accused of corruption. The ban was ordered as a "temporary measure" against those accused and will remain in place until an investigation is completed, according to a statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office. The ban came in response to claims by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, who on Monday, told lawmakers that parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri, and several other lawmakers had tried to blackmail him to secure lucrative government contracts. Obeidi made the accusations as he was being questioned by parliament in response to allegations of corruption in the defense ministry. Abadi has ordered the country's anti-corruption commission to investigate the allegations. The U.S. military launched more strikes against Islamic State targets Tuesday as Libyan forces said they were advancing inside the terror groups stronghold of Sirte. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, told reporters the U.S. had conducted five strikes Monday and two so far Tuesday in support of forces affiliated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). "The finish line is in sight," Davis said, "and we are helping [the GNA] get there." President Barack Obama, speaking at the White House, said, "It is in Americas national security interest in our fight against ISIL to make sure that [the GNA is] able to finish the job." ISIL is another acronym for Islamic State. Davis said the air operation, dubbed Operation Odyssey Lightning, was limited to the U.N.-backed government's fight to retake Sirte from IS and would probably last weeks rather than months. This is a finite period of time and a very finite mission," Davis said. The strikes Tuesday hit an IS rocket launcher and a heavy equipment excavator. Strikes on Monday hit two T-72 tanks, an insurgent fighting position and two construction vehicles. Davis said one of the tanks struck Monday had been a menacing problem in the al-Dular neighborhood in southwestern Sirte. It had been used against civilians and had repeatedly beaten back advances by GNA-aligned forces. We have already seen, since we struck it just yesterday, GNA forces have moved into that neighborhood, Davis said. The GNA-aligned forces have spent several months whittling down IS territory along the coastline of the Gulf of Sidra from Tripoli to near Benghazi. Davis said that thanks to GNA-aligned fighters, IS control in Libya has essentially collapsed to the city center of Sirte. Forces associated with the Government of National Accord have faced improvised explosive devices, small arms and sniper fire in their fight to retake the city. The Pentagon estimates IS fighter numbers have been reduced from thousands in the city to fewer than 1,000. Awadh Alsrya says he has two birthdays: "One, when I was born in Iraq, and the July 4th is my second birthday. Born to Palestinian refugee parents in Iraq, the 58-year-old never had been a citizen anywhere. But on American Independence Day, he took the oath of citizenship along with his two youngest sons and 80 others at a national historic landmark in this central Virginia university town. The lifelong refugee from a war that happened a decade before his birth finally had a county to call his own. Life-long dream When I passed my [citizenship] test," Alsyra recalled, "I cried because this was my dream for 58 years. It was a long time. I was waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting." The family lived in Baghdad, where Alsrya ran a successful grocery businesses with an Iraqi partner. Then came the U.S.-Iraq War in 2003, followed by outbreaks of sectarian violence. Every day when I open my door, I see dead bodies in the street," Alsrya said. "When I go to my store, I see dead bodies in the street. This is not life. And when his business partner was shot and killed, and his wife was shot in the shoulder, the family packed up and left Baghdad. Alsrya says he was consumed by fear. I closed everything. I didnt need anything. I lost all my money, all my businesses. I only wanted to save my sons and my family to live because I thought one day, one week, one month later, my sons might get killed. They lived in a refugee camp in the Iraqi desert near Syria for more than three years. Water shortages, scorching heat, freezing cold and periodic fires that engulfed tent homes were a way of life. Another move The family came to the United States six years ago through the U.S. State Departments refugee program. They resettled in this city, where they had a relative who'd made a home after helping U.S. officials in Iraq. Alsrya still remembers his arrival. Believe me, the first day when I came to America, I dont know what happened inside of me, I just felt this is my country. Since then, Alsrya has worked as a frozen and dairy associate in a grocery store, which is in line with his former businesses in Iraq. His youngest son, who is in college, also works there part time. Alsrya says he likes the job. " I want to give back America because she gave me a citizenship. I want to give her more. Until now for six years, I didnt take a vacation. The Alsryas are among more than 3,000 refugees resettled in the area by the International Rescue Committee since 1998. Harriet Kuhr, executive director of the group's Charlottesville office, explains: There are jobs for them here. And then as they become more stable, they are opening their own small businesses. It just really adds a lot of diversity but it also adds economic impact. So the refugees are not takers. They are giving back by helping the community grow economically. Life is good The family bought a house in the city two years ago. Standing on the porch overlooking his backyard, Alsrya says his life is good. "You see now, I stand in my house. I am happy," he said. "But in Iraq, at this time you can't stand here outside of your house. Maybe somebody, some people kill you." Shortly after becoming U.S. citizens, Alsyra and his sons, Amjad, 24, and Majed, 21, proudly applied for passports for the first time in their lives. His wife and elder son had become citizens earlier this year. Majed will take the oath of citizenship later this month. May my god give me more time to live," Alsrya says. "I will give back to America more, more, more, more, because America helped make my dream come true. Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday kickstarted her bid to reshape the British economy for a post-Brexit world, reviving the once unfashionable concept of industrial policy 30 years after Margaret Thatcher killed it off. May chaired the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economy and Industrial Strategy in her Downing Street offices, bringing together the heads of 11 other ministries to set out her vision for a state-boosted industrial renaissance. "The prime minister emphasized that the objective of the government's new industrial strategy should be to deliver an economy that works for all," a spokesman said in a statement issued after the meeting. After a referendum campaign that revealed dissatisfaction in many of Britain's struggling post-industrial regions, May is pitching a plan to reunite the country and strengthen her grip on power by raising the prospects of those who she casts as "hardworking people." The June 23 vote to leave the European Union has raised serious questions about the future of the world's fifth-largest economy, with some surveys indicating a recession, a hit to consumer confidence and a possible fall in investment. The challenge is to find a formula that arrests a decades-long decline in Britain's manufacturing sector by helping firms tackle the challenges posed by globalization without blunting the market forces that make them competitive. The meeting focused on ways the government could support growth in different areas of the country, the spokesman said. Finance Minister Philip Hammond told the meeting that by reducing the productivity gap between the rest of the country and London and the southeast, economic output could rise by 9 percent, adding over 150 billion pounds to the economy. Playing to strengths Ministers agreed the strategy should also be focused on "playing to the country's strengths while also creating an economy that is open to new industries, particularly those that will shape our lives in the future," the spokesman said. That push that could help carmakers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan and aerospace industry leaders like BAE Systems to weather the Brexit storm. It is also geared to support the creation of new technology firms such as microchip designer ARM, which was sold to Japan's SoftBank last month for $32 billion. Experts say recent efforts at implementing closer cooperation between the state and industries such as carmakers and aerospace have been partially successful, but need to be scaled up and placed at the heart of government thinking. "The very fact that the new prime minister is chairing this committee, I hope, addresses one of the weaknesses of the last two administrations ... that is the relative lack of joined-up thinking, a cross-governmental approach," said Terry Scuoler, head of the EEF manufacturing trade body. "If this committee chaired by the prime minister states something, it is going to be potent." While policy detail is scarce, the strategy is likely to combine state-backed investment in traditional infrastructure such as roads and rail with funding for modern essentials such as broadband and lower energy costs, along with a push to train more of the highly skilled workers that industry says it needs. Creating right environment Industrial policy has a toxic legacy in Britain. It was once used to help failing national champions through a series of flawed policies in the 1960s and 1970s that sought to arrest a decline in manufacturing influence. "We're not getting into the business of picking winners it's more about creating the right environment," a government source said on condition of anonymity. Already, less than a month after the fallout from the Brexit vote swept her into power, May has two major industrial headaches. Last week, she surprised French utility EDF and China with a last-minute decision to review their project to build a nuclear plant in Britain, calling into question her approach to Chinese investment, which is seen as a crucial source of infrastructure cash. Speaking after the meeting, the spokesman said Britain would continue to seek investment from around the world. May also has to deal with Tata Steel, which put thousands of jobs under threat earlier this year when it said it wanted to sell its British steelmaking operation, citing high energy costs and low global steel prices. The firm is now investigating a possible joint venture instead of a sale. "If Theresa May backs British manufacturing that is steel-intensive, then suddenly there's a market here for British steel and that could make Port Talbot [steel plant] a viable operation," said Ben Orhan, analyst at IHS Global insight. "[But] it really depends where the focus is going to be." Possible political prize The refocusing of Britain's economic policy, which for the last six years was aimed at balancing the books and heavily reliant on foreign money to replace state infrastructure spending, also carries a potentially huge political prize. With the opposition Labor Party, long seen as the champion of the working classes, locked in a vicious internal ideological struggle and losing sway in its traditional heartlands, May has an opportunity to win over those who saw voting "Leave" in the EU referendum as a "nothing to lose" protest vote. "The Brexit vote and euroskepticism was strongest in former manufacturing areas, where the industry has gone, the good jobs have gone and people feel disaffected," said David Bailey, professor of industry at Aston Business School. "If May's going to do something about reconnecting, manufacturing has got to be part of the story." Mexican banks, determined to avoid a return to past woes, are reining in lending to the country's indebted state governments, some of whose leaders have recently become the focus of corruption allegations. The drop in bank lending to the states this year has been the sharpest since the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and coincides with a jump in liabilities in several states in the past five years. In the first half of 2016, commercial banks agreed 11 loans to local and state governments worth 8.471 billion pesos ($451 million), less than half the sum from the same period in 2015, when 32 loans went out, according to finance ministry figures. This year's decline was the steepest since 2009, when the financial crisis pushed Mexico into recession, the data show. Four states Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Nuevo Leon and Chihuahua accounted for close to half of the 70 percent jump in local government liabilities between 2010 and 2015, which stood at 536 billion pesos ($28.52 billion) at the end of December. "We now have more cautious policies to avoid cases of over-indebtedness," said Armando Acevedo, the executive in charge of local lending at Grupo Financiero Interacciones, a major lender to states and municipalities. In June, Moody's downgraded GFI's ratings, citing "rising asset risks deriving from the bank's large exposures to Mexican regional and local governments." And over the next six weeks, Moody's did the same to Veracruz and Chihuahua, while Quintana Roo, home to tourist hub Cancun, had its outlook lowered by Standard & Poor's. Mexico has suffered two major financial crises in recent decades in 1982 following a national default, and in 1994-1995, which was accompanied by a sharp currency devaluation. The Mexican government insists there is no problem, and a law passed in April means lending rules are now tighter. "I detect a much more analytical banking sector," said Marcela Andrade, head of the Finance Ministry unit responsible for coordinating with local governments. "It's more obvious they're looking more at who they lend to." Political fallout Banks insist they are not retreating from regional borrowers, which are dominated by the 31 states and Mexico City. "What we have done is be much more careful about which states we're lending to," said Luis Robles Miaja, board president of BBVA Bancomer in Mexico. Another top Mexican financier, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that he was seriously concerned about corruption and financial mismanagement in states including Veracruz, and had sought to reduce his exposure. Signs of retrenchment are evident. Between December 2015 and June 2016, commercial banks' total outstanding loans among states and municipalities dropped 3.1 percent to 324.3 billion pesos, according to central bank figures. In contrast, their loans to the private sector rose 5.6 percent to 3.477 trillion pesos. Local governments account for a small fraction of total liabilities, but allegations of corruption have been punished by voters in the four states at the center of debt concerns. Ruled by President Enrique Pena Nieto's PRI going into 2015, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Nuevo Leon and Chihuahua have all since fallen to the opposition, which has accused the outgoing governors of fraud or embezzlement. They deny the allegations. There are even fears some states could need a bailout. "Veracruz is broke," said Armando Rios Piter, senior member of the Senate finance committee in the center-left opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution, which captured the state in coalition with the center-right National Action Party in June. The South Korean Foreign Ministry, during its weekly press briefing on Tuesday, did not address the reported defection of a North Korean national allegedly seeking asylum in Seouls diplomatic mission in Hong Kong. Beijing also has refrained from comment on reports that Jong Yol Ri, an 18-year-old North Korean student who was attending an international mathematics competition in Hong Kong, last week sought refuge in the South Korean consulate, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper. Hong Kong police have since increased their presence around the Far East Finance Center where the consulate is located. Chinas hard line South Korea is not expected to make a public plea to China to allow the North Korean student to leave for Seoul or a third country on humanitarian grounds. "If you pressure Beijing too much they could do it just for the sake of really going the other way, instead of responding to public pressure," said Arnold Fang, East Asia researcher for the human rights organization Amnesty International in Hong Kong. Instead, the two sides will likely engage in quiet negotiations. To discourage asylum seekers, Beijing is known to wait months and even years before expelling defectors to a third county. "During a period of one to two years, which is not short, [the South Korean government] negotiates with the Chinese government and the defectors are expelled, by about that time people tend to forget," said Kim Yong-hwa of the North Korean Refugees' Human Rights Association in Korea. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, an almost constant influx of North Korean asylum seekers climbed the walls of foreign diplomatic missions in China. On one day alone in 2004, 44 North Korean men, women and children entered the Canadian Embassy in Beijing seeking asylum. Forcing asylum seekers to remain basically as captives inside foreign diplomatic missions in China, and increasing security on both sides of the Sino-North Korean border, has greatly reduced the number of North Korean asylum seekers in China in recent years. Harsh penalties for the families that defectors leave behind has also greatly decreased overall defections from the North, especially among the elites. Underground railroad North Koreans still cross into China to escape extremely impoverished conditions at home. But most organizations that aid North Korean defectors today avoid seeking asylum in China or expecting any assistance from the South Korean government. "We do not seek governmental help and they have not offered it. And were fine with that arrangement," said Tim Peters, the director of Helping Hands Korea, a Christian aid organization for North Korean defectors in Seoul. An estimated 100,000 undocumented North Koreans currently live in China, most near the border area. Christian organizations, human rights groups, as well as private guides who charge thousands of dollars, help defectors in China arrange for transportation and documents to secure passage to a bordering country. Some, like Vietnam and Mongolia, have imposed stricter border security. Many now head to Laos or even try to continue on to Thailand, where the government has allowed North Koreans safe transit to South Korea. The journey for defectors is fraught with danger and physically demanding, usually requiring several long bus trips. "The fear of forced repatriation is a nightmare that they face 24 [hours], seven [days a week], 365 days a year," said Peters. Beijing considers defectors economic migrants rather than refugees, and will forcefully repatriate undocumented North Koreans, even though the United Nations Committee Against Torture warns that returning defectors face systematic torture and harassment in the North. Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. Held for months by the Nigerian government and confined to a house in the capital for the foreseeable future, Amina Ali, a schoolgirl who was rescued after two years in Boko Haram captivity, may never be the girl she once was, her mother fears. Amina, one of more than 200 girls abducted from a school in Chibok in April 2014, and her four-month-old baby were rescued in May near Damboa in the remote northeast, by soldiers working together with a civilian vigilante group. After a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, in the hope she would shed light on the fate of the other kidnapped girls, Amina has since been held in a house in the capital Abuja for what the Nigerian government has called a "restoration process." But her mother, Binta Ali, who has spent the last two months in the house, is concerned about Amina's welfare and future. "Before she was kidnapped, she wanted to further her education," Binta told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Chibok, having briefly returned there to seek medical treatment. "But now she is afraid of schooling, and she wants to be close to me at home," said Binta, adding that Amina wants a sewing machine so that she can start a business making clothes. Binta said she was also worried that her daughter was being pressured into following Islam, having been forced to convert from Christianity to Islam by Boko Haram militants during her captivity. "Amina herself does not want to remain a Muslim," Binta said, explaining how an Islamic teacher had visited the house several times and told her daughter to maintain her new faith. "She did not want to see him," Binta said, adding that the teacher had stopped visiting after she complained about him. Garba Shehu, Buhari's spokesman, said that Amina's confinement in the house had nothing to do with religion. No longer afraid Boko Haram kidnapped 219 girls from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014, as part of their seven-year-old insurgency to set up an Islamic state in the north that has killed some 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million. Some girls escaped in the melee but parents of those still missing accused former President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's then leader, of not doing enough to find their daughters, whose disappearance sparked a global campaign #bringbackourgirls. Binta said she was shocked to hear about the hardships faced by her daughter as a captive of the Islamist group. Amina and the other girls, starving and with nothing to cook with, resorted to eating an entire bag of beans and maize raw. "I cannot imagine how a human being can eat raw maize and beans like a goat," Binta said. Amina also told her mother how some of the kidnapped girls had died in captivity, while others suffered broken legs or went deaf after being too close to explosions. But she pleaded with her mother not to break the news to the families in Chibok. "Other parents have been coming to visit me since I returned," Binta said. "But I have not told them anything, even though I know some of those whose daughters have died." Despite her fears over Amina's religion and education, and uncertainty over when she will be allowed to return home, Binta said she still had reason to be positive about her daughter. "She used to be very afraid," Binta said, explaining how Amina would talk to herself during the night prior to her kidnap. "But now she sleeps soundly. She is no longer afraid." North Dakota has became the latest state to have its voter identification law blocked by a federal court, adding to a string of recent rulings across the United States that such measures disenfranchise minority and lower-income voters. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction against the law on Monday, writing in his ruling that the voter I.D. law adds "substantial and disproportionate burdens" for Native American voters compared to other voters in the state. "No eligible voter, regardless of their station in life, should be denied the opportunity to vote," Hovland wrote. The injunction, however, does not permanently strike down North Dakota's strict laws, which were passed by a Republican-led legislature to curb voter fraud. Critics say such laws drive down minority or low income voters who are more likely to not own a state-issued photo I.D. North Dakota joins North Carolina and Wisconsin, where voter-I.D. restrictions were struck down Friday by the courts. Seven Native American voters filed a federal law suit against North Dakota measures, which were passed in 2013 and 2015. In the lawsuit, they argued that there were too many barriers to obtain a photo I.D. They said there are no motor vehicle license offices on reservations and many Native Americans cannot afford to obtain an I.D., social security card, or birth certificate. Before Republicans in North Dakota passed its voter I.D. law, a constituent could present a broad range of documents or simply take an oath affirming their identity. North Dakota Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger told the New York Times North Dakota would go back to using less restrictive identification rules that were enforced before the 2013 law was enacted. On Friday, a U.S. court of appeals struck down a law in North Carolina that requires voters to show photo identification before casting their ballot. The three-judge panel ruled the law, passed in April, had "discriminatory intent" because it would primarily affect minorities and poor people. A federal judge found that parts of a Wisconsin voter identification law passed by state Governor Scott Walker were unconstitutional. In his ruling, the judge said the law's attempt to prevent a perceived threat of election fraud by requiring photo identification or a lengthy petition process would lead to "real incidents of disenfranchisement. . . . particularly in minority communities." The judge called the law "a cure worse than the disease." Earlier this month, a Texas photo-identification law for voters was ruled discriminatory by a U.S. appeals court. The judge in that case sent it back to a lower court to decide whether the law was meant to be discriminatory. He also asked the lower court for a short-term solution to be put in place for the November elections. Other states that have photo-identification laws for voters include Georgia, Indiana, and Virginia. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, about 11 percent of American citizens do not have a government-issued photo I.D. U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that Barack Obama "will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States" after Obama called Trump "unfit" to lead. "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. I said that last week and he keeps on proving it," Obama said Tuesday at the White House. But a former U.S. Marine attending a Trump rally Tuesday in Virginia told VOA he thinks Trump will be "a great commander-in-chief." A female Trump fan called him "the real deal." The outspoken Trump added another controversy to his growing list Tuesday when he accepted a Purple Heart medal from a retired lieutenant colonel before the rally in Ashburn, Virginia. Trump said the former soldier told him the gesture was intended to show confidence in him. The Purple Heart is awarded to a U.S. serviceman or woman wounded in combat, or posthumously awarded to someone killed in battle. It is a sacred U.S. military tradition. Trump, who says he regrets never serving in the military, said he was honored by the soldier's gift. The audience chuckled when he said he had "always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." But a spokesman for the Military Order of the Purple Heart organization, John Bircher, was not amused. "It is absolutely horrible for anyone to wear or have the Purple Heart medal who is not entitled to it," Bircher told CBS News. "Donald Trump did not get the Purple Heart and there's no 'easy way' to get it. I don't think he has any clue as to the meaning of the Purple Heart medal." Khan backlash Obama, who has endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton as his successor when he leaves office in January, challenged Republicans to repudiate Trump, saying his complaints against Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, after they endorsed Clinton at last week's Democratic National Convention were offensive. The Muslim American couple's son was killed fighting for the U.S. in Iraq in 2004. "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country," Obama said of Trump. "The fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge about critical issues, in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job." Gold Star families in the U.S. are those that have lost relatives while fighting in the U.S. armed services. 'Failed leadership' In response, Trump accused Obama of "failed leadership." Trump said that Obama and Clinton, his first-term secretary of state, had "destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria" to Islamic State jihadists. The Republican nominee said they also had sent America's "best jobs overseas to appease their global interests." "We need change now," Trump concluded. In a highly unusual attack on his possible replacement, Obama questioned why Republicans continue to endorse Trump, even as numerous Republican lawmakers have condemned his comments about the Khans, sometimes criticizing Trump by name and other times denouncing his comments but not mentioning him by name. Trump said the the Khans had "viciously attacked" him at the Democratic convention and then complained that they continued to assail his candidacy in a series of television interviews in recent days. Khizr Khan said Trump had made no sacrifice for the U.S. as great as his son, Humayon Khan, killed by a suicide bomber while protecting other soldiers. Trump, in one interview last weekend, said he had made sacrifices for the United States by creating "thousands of jobs" and providing workers benefits to improve their lives. Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential contest, said he deeply disagrees with Trump's suggestions that Muslims like the Khans should not be allowed in the country. "It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party," McCain said. "While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." McCain was a Navy combat pilot during the Vietnam War and spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. Earlier in the campaign, Trump denigrated McCain's status as a war hero, saying he prefers people who do not get captured. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said the families of military service members are owed "the utmost respect." "Mr. Trumps comments are not in line with my own beliefs about how the members of the military and their families should be treated, and respect for the people who serve our country is something both presidential campaigns could use more of," he said. A group of 23 families of fallen soldiers released a letter to Trump calling his comments "repugnant and personally offensive." "When you question a mother's pain, by implying that her religion, not her grief, kept her from addressing an arena of people (at the Democratic convention), you are attacking us. When you say your job building buildings is akin to our sacrifice, you are attacking our sacrifice," they wrote. "This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency. That kind decency you mock as 'political correctness.'" The group Veterans of Foreign Wars said Trump's comments are "out of bounds." "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," VFW national commander Brian Duffy said. Righting the wrong Khizr Khan was asked during an interview Monday with VOA's Urdu service whether he thought anything useful will come from his feud with Trump. "It really has come out, It really, really has come out that a significant larger number of Republicans are asking him to tone down, change those derogatory remarks about minorities, not only just Muslims but other minorities," Khan said. He further expressed worry about the consequences if Trump becomes the commander-in-chief of the U.S. military and wondered whether U.S. forces would follow his orders. Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, called Humayon Khan a hero and blamed the policies of President Barack Obama and Clinton for allowing Islamic State to overrun a "once stable Middle East." Trump wrote in a Twitter post Monday that the debate is not about the Khans, but about "radical Islamic terrorism." What's next Much of Trump's speech Tuesday in Virginia focused on the economy and terrorism. He said it would be "a good thing" to partner with Russia and others and "knock the hell" out of Islamic State. He also said electing Clinton as president would mean four more years of Obama's policies. If that happens, Trump says, the country would be "finished." Clinton suspended her campaign Tuesday to attend the funeral in Rhode Island of her friend Mark Weiner, a Democratic party donor and fundraiser. Weiner died of cancer last week at 62. Clinton plans to resume her campaign Wednesday in Commerce City, Colorado. Trump is scheduled to speak in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida. Dozens of leading civil rights activists gathered earlier this summer at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York, the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender synagogue in the United States. It was two days after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. But they weren't there to mourn. The group that included Evan Wolfson, often described as the architect of the modern same-sex marriage movement, was there for action. The participants discussed how to mobilize the same grassroots machinery that moved marriage equality from political pipe dream to reality in a matter of years, this time in the name of gun safety. That meeting was the first of many solidifying an alliance between advocates for gun control and gay rights. Prominent leaders in both movements have created a working group, hashed out strategy and are planning a Washington, D.C., rally that aims to capitalize on one of the hallmarks of the gay rights movement street-level activism. 'Sleeping giant' awakened Veteran gay activists are helping manage campaigns for state ballot measures this fall that would expand background checks for gun buyers. Representatives of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. gay advocacy group, plan to lobby for gun safety laws in visits with members of Congress during their recess this month and with state lawmakers when they return to session next year. Gun control advocates, who have seen legislative efforts repeatedly stymied by a reluctant Congress and the gun lobby, said they welcomed the help from a community that Wolfson described in an interview as a "sleeping giant that has been awakened." But Orlando was catalytic for gays on both sides of the gun issue. Since the shooting, membership swelled 500 percent to more than 8,000 in Pink Pistols, a pro-gun gay group with the motto: "Armed queers don't get bashed." A spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association declined to comment on how gay rights groups were approaching gun control. The gun lobbying group has encouraged gays and other minorities to use guns for self-defense. Building grassroots support The Orlando shooting bolstered ongoing efforts by the gun control movement to borrow from the same-sex marriage playbook: Take the fight to the states and build grassroots support. "In many ways, we took a page right from the political arc of marriage equality," said John Feinblatt, director of Everytown for Gun Safety, the anti-gun violence group founded by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Is it going to win overnight like a light switch? Absolutely not but neither did marriage equality." Like Mark Glaze, his predecessor at Everytown, Feinblatt is a gay advocate whose involvement has reinforced the strategic ties between the two movements. Similarly, Zach Silk, who helped lead the successful 2012 Washington State same-sex marriage ballot initiative, went to work on gun safety weeks after the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre that same year. In 2014, he helped pass a referendum on expanded background checks, and he is currently working for a comparable initiative in Nevada. Matt McTighe, a veteran strategist for same-sex marriage ballot initiatives, is working with Everytown as a consultant on a background checks referendum in Maine this fall. The ballot measures attempt to capitalize on something the same-sex marriage movement didn't enjoy at the outset: broad public support. Polls show modest measures, such as expanded background checks, are overwhelmingly popular. Several federal courts have upheld state limits, such as military-style assault weapons bans, that go beyond the background checks in pending ballot measures. The legal terrain is defined by the landmark 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Heller, which ruled the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to own guns. "It's hard to see what item on the gun control agenda would be barred under Heller," said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America. Power of storytelling Gun control supporters have adopted another tactic from the same-sex marriage movement: putting a human face on the issue. Everytown has been building a survivors' network so victims can share their stories. "Freedom to marry came from storytelling meeting people in love who wanted to have families like everyone else," Feinblatt said. "We have a 1,000-member network who are turning grief into political action." Gay rights groups, like the National LGBTQ Task Force, plan to draw on deep ties they have developed with state and federal lawmakers through years of lobbying. Still, leaders worry progress could stall as the raw emotions surrounding Orlando fade. To that end, some groups are emphasizing the gay community's vulnerability to hate crimes and domestic violence. "This is an everyday issue for our community," said Meghan Maury, the senior policy counsel for the National LGBTQ Task Force. "It won't be sustainable if we only talk about this in the context of Orlando." Pakistan assured Turkey on Tuesday it is exploring legal measures against educational and other institutions linked to Fethullah Gulen, whose followers Ankara blames for last months abortive coup. The 75-year-old Muslim cleric, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, has denied involvement. We are going to protect the schools and students as far as those are concerned under some alternative arrangements whereas their [other] activities have to be managed or curbed in whatever way our Turkish brothers would like us to do, Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz said in Islamabad. He was addressing a joint news conference with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and congratulated Turkey for its victory for democracy and liberty. Ankara has been pressing Pakistan to shut down Gulen-linked establishments in the country and has intensified pressure since the coup. Thousands of Pakistani students are enrolled in Gulen's network of some two dozen schools operating in Pakistan for more than two decades. He runs several business entities and has established a branch of his so-called Rumi Forum in the country, a think tank platform promoting intercultural and intellectual dialogue. Cavusoglu said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already shared documents with Pakistani leaders about activities of Gulens group in Pakistan. But he agreed with Aziz that students and their families should not be affected badly while trying to resolve the issue. We have full cooperation with Pakistan in that regard. I am sure the necessary measures will be taken and we have to be very careful with such organizations and their causing risk or threat for the security and stability of every country that they have presence, said Cavusoglu. Under Erdogan, traditionally close ties between Pakistan and Turkey have deepened and expanded. The Turkish foreign minister strongly defended demands for shutting down Gulens international establishments and a nationwide crackdown the government has unleashed on alleged coup plotters. We are taking all the necessary legal measures against the plotters of the coup, namely the terrorist organization Feto, headed by Fethullah Gulen based in Pennsylvania. All those responsible will be brought to justice. This bloody terrorist organization has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organizations, said Cavusoglu. Gulen's Islamist Hizmet movement is believed to be running some 2,000 educational establishments in about 160 countries. Turkish authorities have in recent days dismissed 1,400 military personnel while more than 50,000 have lost their jobs and over 18,000 have been detained for allegedly playing a role in the unsuccessful uprising. Gulen, Erdogans opponent, has lived in the U.S. for nearly two decades. Turkey is demanding Washington extradite him and has sent documents to U.S. authorities on Gulens alleged involvement in the failed coup. Pope Francis has created a special commission to examine the role of women deacons in the Catholic Church. "After intense prayer and mature reflection, His Holiness has decided to institute the Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women," the Vatican press office said in a statement Tuesday. The pope has appointed Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as president of the 13-member commission. In addition to Ladaria, six women and six men from academic institutions around the world will serve on the commission, the statement said. The Vatican did not set a date for the commission to begin work or a deadline for it to reach conclusions. Francis accepted a proposal to create the official study commission during a closed-door meeting with some 900 superiors of women's religious orders, gathered in Rome for their triennial assembly on May 12, 2016. Francis' move however, did not suggest that the church would permit women to become priests. One of his predecessors, Pope John Paul Two, categorically rejected that option, following a 1994 study. The rank of deacon is one below a priest, and, as every other ordained Catholic ministry, is reserved for men. Deacons are ordained ministers but not priests. They can perform many functions of the priesthood, such as preside at weddings, baptisms and funerals, and preach, but not celebrate Mass or hear confessions. Currently, married men, who are excluded from the Roman Catholic priesthood, can serve as deacons. Historians say women served as deacons in the early Christian church, but Francis has noted that the deaconesses of the early Church were not ordained as they are today. An Ethiopian professor of political science based in the United States says Ethiopia finds itself at a crossroads with an uncertain future unless the government holds free and fair elections. This, as tens of thousands of people in Gonder, a city in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, protested Sunday calling for a change of government because of what they say is unfair distribution of wealth in the country. Charges of ethnic discrimination Getachew Metaferia, professor of political science at Morgan State University, said the root causes of the Gonder protest and the Oromia protests of last year can be found partly in the Ethiopian governments ethnic-based federalism policy. The first one is ethnic-based federalism that has created a dichotomy situation lets say between Amaras and the Oromos, the Oromos and the Tigray. The second is the expansion of the territory of the Tigray people to include an area called Wolgait-Tegede in the Gonder region where the uprising is taking place right now. The people in Welkait-Tegede say that they are Amaras and not Tigrays. So, they should not be incorporated in the Tigray region, he said. Lack of democracy in Ethiopia Metaferia also said another cause of the uprisings in Ethiopia is what he called the worsening democracy situation in Ethiopia. There is no human rights protection, no freedom of speech, freedom of the press, he said. He said another reason for the uprising is the widening gap between the haves and have nots. There is poverty, abject poverty. There a few elite people who are benefiting. The head of the Amhara Regional State government communications office, Ngusu Tlahun, spoke to Ethiopian television and said the town and regional state governments would address the demands made by the protestors on Sunday concerning development and good governing. 'The problems would be corrected and solved in time," he said. However, he said the protestors had carried a flag that he said did not represent the one recognized by the Ethiopian constitution. In response to a similar protest last month, the Ethiopian government blamed individuals who it said have been receiving financial and weapons assistance from terrorist and anti-peace forces based in Eritrea and a third country. Use of force by government criticized Professor Metaferia said another source of the protests could be the Ethiopian governments use of force against protesters in the name of fighting terrorism. I can also say that the heavy-handedness of the government, using a special force called Agazi. A semblance of resistance, a semblance of opposition leave someone to be killed by the Agazi force. So this is the government that has created more or less a police state. These are the root causes of the situation taking place in Gonder, Metaferia said. Metaferia said he sees no peaceful future for Ethiopia unless the government mends its policy to incorporate all Ethiopians rather than use the divide and rule technique. What do you expect from a government claiming 100 percent seats in parliament in spite of this popular uprising? Opposition leaders are in prison. So, with that kind of situation there can be no peace in the country. Hopefully the governments foreign friends will strongly advise the government to open and let there be free and fair elections, Metaferia said. Typhoon Nida weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday, but still had strong winds and heavy rains as it moved away from Hong Kong and further into southern China. Forecasters said average winds were about 40 to 60 kilometers per hour with the center of the storm in Guangdong province and moving west-northwest Tuesday afternoon. The storm shut down Hong Kong as it passed through overnight and Tuesday morning, forcing hundreds of flights to be canceled, stock markets to close and people to stay home from work and school. The Hong Kong Observatory said most of the city received more than 100 millimeters of rain, while the Landua Island section had more than 200 millimeters. Forecasters expect the storm to weaken further as it moves into Guangxi province by midday Wednesday and near Yunnan province by Thursday. In a major development toward the understanding of the biology of depression, researchers have identified 15 regions of the human genome associated with depressive illness. Investigators conducted what's known as genome-wide association studies involving nearly 500,000 people, comparing genetic variations of those who said they had suffered from depressive symptoms with people who said they had not. The newly discovered regions will give scientists places to look in the human genome where specific depression genes may lurk. Until now, it's been a challenge identifying genes that are responsible for mood disorders because of the hundreds of thousands of genetic variants that scientists suspect are involved. Each gene confers a small amount of risk of developing depression, said Roy Perlis, director of the Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnosis at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and a co-author of the study, published in the journal Nature Genetics. Healthy people have some of these variations, he said, but if enough genes are involved, depression can be the result. "Our primary interest is how do we go from finding these genes, to making new kinds of treatments so we can better treat depression," Perlis said. The lifetime risk of developing a major depressive disorder, experts say, is anywhere from 15 to 20 percent. Symptoms of depression range from sadness, loss of appetite and lack of enjoyment in life to mood swings. Pinpointing specific sites Until now, Perlis says research has focused on a small number of targets in the brain. The data involved in the latest study came from an organization called 23andMe, a company that specializes in creating genetic profiles for people wanting to learn more about their ancestry. In this case, the information was from individuals of European descent who agreed to participate in the studies. Investigators sifted through the entire genomes of the participants, comparing genetic variations between the two groups. A detailed analysis revealed more than a dozen genomic regions that increase a person's risk for depression, including 17 specific sites containing genes implicated in the mood disorder. Some of the sites pinpointed by researchers are located in or near genes involved in brain development. Two gene regions had been previously identified. One of the regions for depression had been associated with epilepsy and intellectual disability. Another contained a poorly understood gene in the brain. The latest analysis identified them as being significantly associated with depression. Reduce the stigma The next step, Perlis says, is to look at other ethnic groups to try to identify brain regions that play a role in development of mood disorders. Perlis hopes the findings begin to change society's negative perceptions about mental illness. "Because the more we can illustrate to people that these are brain diseases, that they are affected by genes that influence brain development, my hope is that it will start to reduce the stigma that goes along with depression, he said. So that in this sense, I hope this will have an immediate impact." But don't expect new treatments for mood disorders anytime soon. According to Perlis, the discoveries are only the beginning of what will continue to be an ongoing exploration for the biological underpinnings of depression. A court in Tianjin Tuesday handed down a guilty verdict for Chinese rights defender Zhai Yanmin, who was given a three-year jail term with a four-year probation period after being found guilty of state subversion. Activist arrested, detained Zhais verdict came one day after the alleged release of lawyer Wang Yu, both of whom were among those 300-odd rights activists arrested since China started its nationwide crackdown on lawyers last July. Human rights groups questioned the fairness of Zhais trial, which they say has been marred by multiple procedural violations including a three-day notice to Zhais family. Three other rights activists Hu Shiquen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping on the same charge of subversion were also said to be standing trial on Tuesday, but no court decisions have been disclosed yet. Zhais wife, Wang Qianling, has been restricted from leaving home since late last week and was never informed of the trial, according to the group Chinese Human Rights Defenders. Rights groups argued that the verdict, along with Wang Yus public confession, aim to send a warning to other rights advocates in China. Coerced confession They want to make an example out of one individual. And the other activists are the ones who will be given the most harsh sentences and be under control for years, but might not be imprisoned immediately, the rights groups researcher Frances Eve said. Since 2014, Zhai, 55, had been detained several times for rallying for the release of other rights defenders and supporting the Occupy Hong Kong protests. After being taken into custody, he pleaded guilty this June during a televised confession on state CCTV. In his closing remarks on Monday, Zhai told the court that he accepted the ruling and has no intention to appeal. After my business venture went bumpy, I befriended with the wrong group of people and learned about subversive theories such as democratization, a multiple-party system and the peaceful transfer of power, Zhai said, according to a video posted on local media. After reflecting on what I have done in the past, I now feel deeply regrettable, he read from a pre-scripted statement. During an exclusive interview aired on local media on Monday, lawyer Wang Yu also expressed her remorse over having collaborated with so-called foreign hostile forces. [Ive been] to countries including England, Switzerland and Thailand, where I was given trainings and attended meetings on how to attack and smear the Chinese government as well as tactics to avoid investigation, Wang said. Those were very wrongful actions. And I will never be used by those people, she added without identifying who those people are. In contrast to her usual style of being articulate and eloquent, Wang appeared to speak in broken sentences from time to time. She said that during her year-long detention, her legal rights have been well protected while pointing fingers at her colleague Zhou Shifeng, head of Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing, as an incompetent lawyer. Scripted confession Li Yuhan, one of the two lawyers representing Wang Yu, believed that the detained lawyer wasnt speaking her mind freely. Well-versed in Chinese law, Wang Yu should have known better that her rights have been infringed and she is not guilty of any charges solid facts which Li said only made her public confession unreasonable. My partner Wen Donghai and I have firmly believed that she has broken no law. Even if she had over-reacted during past court sessions, those behaviors didnt constitute any criminal offense, Li said. Wen, another defense lawyer of Wang Yu, was barred from leaving China in March on suspicion of endangering state security. Kit Chan of Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Concern Group, also suspected that Wang Yus confession was coerced as it was similar to that of Zhao Wei, whose whereabouts remain a mystery after her alleged release in early July. So the message behind the Chinese governments maneuver is clear to make her self-incriminate, discredit the rights lawyers community and to set the tone for upcoming trials on rights activists, Chan said. Inside China, they can create a kind of public opinion. See! This person, who is the main figure in the incident. She came about to criticize the lawyers community as shepards of cases. They have been creating troubles. And this is the kind of message wanting to spread inside China to prepare for the trials, she argued. France laid to rest the 85-year-old priest, Father Jacques Hamel, who was killed by two Islamic extremist last week as he celebrated morning mass. Hundreds of mourners gathered Tuesday in the cathedral of Rouen, in northern France, for the funeral mass held under tight security measures and presided over by Rouen's Archbishop Dominique Lebrun. "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light," Lebrun said. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and other French officials attended the ceremony. Hamel was killed by two teenagers who slit his throat and took others hostage. The suspects were shot dead by police in the town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, about 6.5 kilometers south of Rouen. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through a video released by the militant group. On Sunday, Muslims attended Catholic masses in places of worship across France and Italy in a show of solidarity days after Hamel's murder. Archbishop Lebrun thanked the Muslim worshipers "in the name of all Christians," adding that "in this way you are affirming that you reject death and violence in the name of God." A series of terrorist attacks in France, claimed by Islamic State, has raised questions about the foreign funding of many mosques, in addition to tough questions about security failures across the country. Cazeneuve said Monday that since December, authorities have shut down nearly 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam. There is no place in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques," the minister said. South Korea fined German automaker Volkswagen $16 million and banned it from selling 80 different models of cars on Tuesday, saying the company fabricated emissions and noise-level tests. The decision announced by the environmental ministry is the latest blow to Volkswagen, which for the past year has been dealing with the revelation it fitted vehicles with devices to cheat on emissions tests. Last November, South Korea fined Volkswagen $12.7 million and stripped certifications for more than 125,000 diesel-powered vehicles. On Tuesday, it added another 83,000 vehicles to that list along with the new fine. The affected cars include those sold under the Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley brands. Environmental ministry official Hong Dong-gon told reporters that if Volkswagen applies again to get its cars certified, it will face a tougher review process. "Rather than just going through the papers, we will conduct a thorough review which will include on-side inspections and visiting the German headquarters if necessary," he said. The company apologized and said resolving the matter quickly is a top priority. Volkswagen has operated in South Korea since 2007. Its much bigger market in the United States has brought larger consequences from the emissions cheating scandal, including a nearly $15 billion settlement in June to resolve legal claims by Volkswagen owners. Volkswagen marketed its diesel engine cars as being both more fuel efficient and better performing than those with regular gasoline engines. But 11 million cars were fitted with the devices that switched on anti-pollution controls during tests, but shut off during normal driving, allowing more pollutants into the air. Despite more than 80 consecutive days of sustained bombardment of rebel-held Aleppo, civilians are barely using humanitarian corridors to flee the war-shattered Syrian city. A few dozen families have trickled out of Aleppo using the corridors established over the weekend by the Syrian regime, which has been trying to tighten the noose around eastern parts of the city held by opposing rebels since 2012. The Russian military has reported that fewer than 200 civilians and 69 militants have fled down the corridors. The tiny number that has taken the opportunity to escape is testimony to the determination of defenders and civilians remaining in rebel-held eastern districts to resist the onslaught, say activists. Up to a quarter of a million people remain in the Syrias onetime commercial capital. But some residents in conversations over Skype with VOA say some families who would like to flee, are afraid of using the four humanitarian corridors that lead into regime-controlled territory because they fear being detained - as happened in Homs in 2014 when there were mass disappearances among those who took up a government offer to leave the then-besieged city. Assad regime and Russian media outlets have claimed rebels are preventing civilians from leaving - a claim residents contacted by VOA dispute. U.S. officials say the government offer for civilians to flee is an attempt to depopulate rebel-controlled areas, making it easier for the regime to seize them and to further demonstrate the dramatic shift of fortunes in Syrian President Bashar al-Assads favor since Moscow launched its military intervention on his behalf last year. Little hero At least 6,000 people have been either killed or injured in the past 80 days in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a monitoring group. Among those killed was a child actor who became famous as the star of a black comedy about life in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo. Almost 30 episodes were made; the filming itself was an act of defiance amid the daily bombardments. Fourteen-year-old Qusai Abtini was killed last month after his father decided they should leave the city. The child star of the first sit-com produced in rebel-held territory was famous for his toothy grin. The car he was traveling in was struck by four rockets as the family tried to leave before government forces seized the last remaining major route out of the city. At a symbolic funeral for the child actor - a video was posted online - his father is seen sitting in a wheelchair holding a placard reading, Qusai, Abu Abdu the Aleppan. You are a little hero. You scared the regime with your giant acts so they killed you. Surprise offensive The deaths are not only coming on the rebel side, although the vast number is among insurgents and their civilian supporters. Monitors said Tuesday that at least 30 people, including children and women, were killed in government-controlled areas from recent shelling by rebel forces. The shells, targeting surrounding areas controlled by the Syrian regime near rebel districts, were part of a major, surprise offensive to break the siege launched Sunday by a mixture of Free Syrian Army militias and an alliance of mainly Islamist rebels this time in southern Aleppo. The Islamist alliance led by Jabhat Fatah al Sham (known as Jabhat al-Nusra prior to the groups July 28 claimed split from al Qaida) has managed to capture two south Aleppo villages and a military center used by pro-Assad Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. For nearly a month, rebels have tried unsuccessfully to break the siege by seizing back control of the Castello Road, a major road into opposition-held east Aleppo that links to routes into rebel-held territory to the north and west of the city. Last week the rebels came close. Russian help The insurgents offensive south clearly took regime forces off guard, pushing them back several kilometers and according to the pro-regime media outlet Al Masdar, forcing the Russian air force to come to the aid of the government forces in southern Aleppo. Analysts believe the battle for Aleppo will have major repercussions, impacting the dynamics of the long-running war. The siege of Aleppo looks set to be a major pivot point in the Syrian crisis, says Charles Lister, an analyst at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank. He adds: While Russias intervention in Syria in September 2015 transformed the balance of power on the ground, it was a later Iranian push from early-2016 that facilitated the siege of Aleppo itself. As Iranian-backed pro-regime forces steadily closed in on key strangle points like the Castello Road, Russia saw itself gradually sucked into a battle in which its airpower is now a crucially important factor. Now that the siege is in place, no party to the pro-regime alliance can afford to let it slip. Whatever the ultimate outcome, further military escalation and civilian suffering in Aleppo promises only to make political efforts to solve Syrias crisis even harder, he says. Rebels say they have made fast and quick progress with their southern offensive. Their aim is to capture a major regime artillery base, another 2.5 kilometers from their new frontline in the southwest of the city. Certain licensed gun holders are now allowed to carry concealed handguns into Texas public college classrooms after a new law went into effect on Monday. Supporters of the controversial measure say it can help prevent mass shootings, while critics claim it could endanger safety on school campuses. The "campus carry" law, pushed by the Republican legislative majority and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, made Texas among a small group of states that allow students to carry concealed handguns on campus. The law took effect on the 50th anniversary of a shooting rampage at the University of Texas at Austin, when sniper Charles Whitman an engineering student and former U.S. Marine took aim from a clock tower and killed 17 people. The incident marked the first mass shooting at an American school. One of the Texas laws supporters is Claire Wilson James, the first person to be shot by Whitman. Pregnant at the time, she was hit by a bullet in the belly and lost her unborn child. Starting at four-year institutions The new law permits license holders at least 21 years old to carry concealed handguns at four-year public colleges and universities, including the University of Texas system, which has more than 214,000 students. The states public two-year campuses and junior colleges have until August 2017 to implement the law. Each institution can determine certain sensitive areas where handguns are prohibited. Guns must be holstered and kept out of sight. They cannot be displayed in class. What campus carry does is that It only authorizes those who go through the special training and background to carry firearms, according to the governors office. Private institutions such as Texas Christian, Rice and Baylor universities still can ban guns under the new state law. The only private college that has allowed guns on campus is Amberton University in the Dallas suburb of Garland. It has 2,000 students. Restrictions apply Some University of Texas professors lobbied against the law, arguing that youth, firearms and college life could make up for a deadly situation. At the University of Texas at Austin, the systems flagship campus, many students and faculty members protested against the new measure. Administrators, who estimate that fewer than 1 percent of the campus roughly 50,000 students are licensed to carry, last week posted an update about the provision on the UT website. Faculty can declare their offices a gun-free zone by posting signs announcing it. In student dorms, residents can have handguns in common areas such as dining rooms and lounges, but not in their private rooms. Remember that there is no storage on campus except in a privately owned vehicle, the campus website says. "There are so many students battling the stress of campus. Some are unstable and we dont know who has a gun, Courtney Dang, a third-year UT student at Austin, told Reuters. Protection vs. safety Opponents of the law fear the measure will lead to an increase on campus suicide. Gun rights advocates consider the law an important protection, saying its key to self-defense in case of gun violence. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Texas is among eight states permitting concealed weapons to be carried on college campuses. The others are Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin. Donald Trump's outspoken style helped get him the Republican Party's nomination for president, but his critical comments about the family of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq have brought condemnations from party officials and veterans groups. Senator John McCain said he deeply disagrees with Trump's suggestions that those like Army Captain Humayon Khan should not be allowed in the country. "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates," McCain said. "It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." McCain was a Navy combat pilot during the Vietnam War and spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. Earlier in the campaign, Trump denigrated McCain's status as a war hero, saying he prefers people who do not get captured. Senator Chuck Grassley said the families of military service members are owed "the utmost respect." "Mr. Trumps comments are not in line with my own beliefs about how the members of the military and their families should be treated, and respect for the people who serve our country is something both presidential campaigns could use more of," he said. Khan's father, Khizr, and mother, Ghazala, appeared at the Democratic National Convention with a message calling Trump disrespectful of Muslims, women and Republican leaders, and also questioning if Trump has sacrificed anything. Trump responded by saying he was attacked by the Khans and saying he sacrificed a lot in putting up buildings and creating jobs. He also questioned why Ghazala Khan did not speak at the convention, which she said she was unable to do while seeing a picture of her son. A group of 23 families of fallen soldiers released a letter to Trump calling his comments "repugnant and personally offensive." "When you question a mother's pain, by implying that her religion, not her grief, kept her from addressing an arena of people, you are attacking us. When you say your job building buildings is akin to our sacrifice, you are attacking our sacrifice," they wrote. "This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency. That kind decency you mock as 'political correctness.'" The group Veterans of Foreign Wars said Trump's comments are "out of bounds." "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," VFW national commander Brian Duffy said. Khizr Khan was asked during an interview Monday with VOA's Urdu service whether he thought anything useful will come from his feud with Trump. WATCH: Khizir and Ghazala Khan Talk to VOA "It really has come out, It really, really has come out that a significant larger number of Republicans are asking him to tone down, change those derogatory remarks about minorities, not only just Muslims but other minorities," Khan said. He further expressed worry about the consequences if Trump becomes the commander-in-chief of the U.S. military and wondered whether U.S. forces would follow his orders. Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, called Humayon Khan a hero and blamed the policies of President Barack Obama and this year's Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, for allowing Islamic State to overrun a "once stable Middle East." Trump wrote in a Twitter post Monday that the debate is not about the Khans, but about "radical Islamic terrorism." He said later at a town hall meeting in Columbus, Ohio that the entire electoral process is corrupt and he fears the November 8 election "is going to be rigged." Clinton made an appearance in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday, but did not make any mention of the Khans and Trump, instead focusing on the economy. A number of new polls since the Democratic convention ended last week indicate Clinton regaining her lead. One from CBS News put Clinton ahead 46 percent to 39 percent, while a CNN poll put her lead at 52 to 43 percent. Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi has proposed a junior minister who is a family member as his candidate to replace sacked Prime Minister Habib Essid, politicians said on Tuesday, drawing accusations of nepotism from the opposition. Critics in the opposition and Essebsi's own Nidaa Tounes party have in the past accused the president of trying to line up his son to replace him - charges his supporters deny - in a throwback to the regime of autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. Opponents said they would protest the choice of Youssef Chahed, and critics on social media posted with the hashtag "keep your relatives at home" in Arabic. Local media and sources close to his party said Chahed is the nephew of Essebsi's son-in-law. "Essebsi got rid of Essid so he could put in place someone close to him and have them follow orders," said Jilani Hammami, with the opposition Popular Front party. "This is a step back to when one family ran everything." Tunisian lawmakers voted on Saturday to dismiss Essid in a no-confidence ballot, clearing the way for a new government of unity that Essebsi wants to push through delayed economic reforms. During negotiations over the new government, Essebsi put forward Chahed, a senior official in the ruling Nidaa Tounes party and the minister for local affairs in the outgoing government, said Issam Chebbi, a party official. Chebbi said negotiations will continue on Wednesday in Carthage presidential palace and parties will give their responses about the proposal. Essebsi has until Aug. 10 to name a new premier. Essebsi is already facing widespread criticism from the opponents over what some see as his attempt at a hereditary transfer of power to his son Hafed, the new leader of Nidaa Tounes. That caused a split within the party. Allies of the president dismiss claims they are looking to place his son into a position of influence. Chahed, 41, obtained a doctorate in agricultural sciences from France. He is also a researcher and university professor in agricultural economics and has taught at several Tunisian and French universities. Since its 2011 revolution to oust Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has emerged as a democracy praised as a model for the region. But militant attacks have tested the government and political infighting has slowed economic progress. Essebsi has said the country needs a more dynamic government ready to take strong decisions to bring about the liberalization and cost-cutting required for an overhaul of the North African state's economy. Three Islamist militant attacks last year - including gun attacks on foreign visitors at a museum and a beach resort - have badly damaged the tourism industry, which makes up around 8 percent of the economy and is a major source of jobs. A group of Turkish lawmakers is in Washington to press U.S. officials to honor Ankara's request for the extradition of a former imam accused of orchestrating the Eurasian country's latest coup attempt. "We would like to see America take some serious steps" against Fethullah Gulen and, while mulling Turkey's extradition request, "put him in custody or prevent his activities" on U.S. soil, Kamil Aydin, a lawmaker from the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) told VOA. He and three other Turkish lawmakers met U.S. officials Monday at the Justice Department before proceeding to further talks at the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. The meeting at the Justice Department "was very collaborative," said the delegation's leader, Taha Ozhan, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Commission in Turkey's Grand National Assembly. Ozhan, a member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned of serious consequences for U.S.-Turkish relations and the global fight against terrorism if Washington does not heed Ankara's extradition request. During remarks at the Turkish Embassy, Ozhan asserted that regional and global stability could be affected if Gulen remains in the U.S. or is allowed to flee. He said Gulen, a legal resident in the United States, heads a global terrorist organization "with more offices than the United Nations." U.S. response State Department officials are reluctant to discuss the status of the extradition request, defaulting daily to a response that documents submitted by Turkey are being studied at the Justice Department. Several U.S. diplomats, speaking on the condition they not be named, have expressed skepticism about Turkey's alarmist characterization of Gulen's movement and worry that the extradition demand is jeopardizing a decades-old strategically important bilateral relationship. What is certain about Gulen's well-funded group is it has millions of followers in Turkey and regards Erdogan as a dictator. Since the July 15 coup attempt, the Turkish president using powers under a state of emergency has severely cracked down on alleged Gulen sympathizers, purging tens of thousands of soldiers, prosecutors, judges and civil servants. Dozens of media organizations have been ordered to shut down, and journalists detained. "I believe the U.S. will not allow a terrorist organization to take hostage our relations," said Ozhan, describing it as unacceptable that the 75-year-old Gulen, legally residing in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is allowed to appear daily on television and "freely contact anybody he wants." Gulen, in interviews, has denied any involvement in the coup. Turkey is a NATO member and critical ally in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, making its Incirlik Air Base available for airstrikes against the extremist group. Concerns were raised when Turkish authorities temporarily cut electrical power to the facility after the coup attempt. Military strain U.S. military generals have openly expressed worry about key colleagues in the Turkish military being taken into custody since the attempted coup and persistent rumors in Turkey that the United States played a role in it. Thousands of citizens poured into the streets to oppose the uprising, which appeared to instantly unite partisans across Turkey's bitterly divided political spectrum. In an attempt to demonstrate support for Turkey's elected government and soothe the frayed military relationship, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, met Monday in Ankara with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. The general reiterated to the prime minister that Washington condemns the coup attempt and fully supports Turkish democracy. The United States should show a "clear and decisive stance," Yildirim told Dunford, according to the prime minister's office. Turkey on Monday announced it had detained 11 soldiers who allegedly attacked a hotel where Erdogan was staying when the coup attempt began. It said nine generals and 300 other soldiers implicated in the attempted government overthrow remain at large. Numerous observers of Turkey characterize the country as torn between two Islamic movements: one led by an increasingly authoritarian Ergogan, who is criticized as weakening rule of law and governing institutions, and the other by the enigmatic Gulen, who lives in virtual isolation in a sprawling rural American compound. Gulen was previously put on trial in absentia in Turkey in 2000, and acquitted in 2008. Uber Technologies has caused a stir in the tech industry by selling its China business to rival Didi Chuxing. The deal by Uber came just two days after Beijing legalized the ride-hailing business. It also raised rival Didi to a near-monopoly position in China. Business analysts said the deal has thrown up some essential pointers for investors about what works in the Chinese market, and what does not. There may be useful lessons for the tech industry as a whole, experts said, referring to the controversial model of running money-losing businesses in the hope of future returns. "To some extent, the deal shows the difficulties of foreign companies going up against well-connected Chinese competitors with deep pockets," said Scott Kennedy, deputy director at the Freeman Chair of China Studies in Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said. It also highlighted the "basic challenge of making the ride-hailing business profitable in China." Government hand Unlike several other business deals involving Chinese companies, there is no indication that the government was involved in encouraging Didi or making life difficult for Uber, many analysts said. "I think Uber China vs. Didi was a fair fight. There wasn't a lot of regulatory or state action favoring any side," said Jeffrey Towson, professor of investment at Peking University Guanghua School of Management. "China's Internet companies today are very fast and sophisticated. Offered mobile services and apps are generally more advanced than those found in the West". Uber was at a disadvantage because it was the last entrant in the Chinese market, and was forced to compete with a rival with strong links with the Internet platforms Alibaba and WeChat, he said. He cited the fact that Expedia gave up on the Chinese market after trying to develop a toehold for 10 years because it was the last entrant in the market. The deal came amid a plunge in the sales of Apple products in China, and the release of new products imitating Apple's design by local rivals like Xiaomi. Xiaomi recently launched an "air" laptop, and a mobile phone with three cameras that go beyond the existing range of iPhones. Monopoly concerns The Uber-Didi deal, however, might not be a sure thing. China's Ministry of Commerce is giving signs it is worried about creating an unshakable monopoly in the ride-hailing business, which uses technologies that can be replicated in food distribution and other online businesses. The ministry said on Tuesday that the deal will need government approval. Businesses that have the potential of monopolizing the market have to go through anti-trust investigation, it said. "The near-monopoly of Didi on the Chinese market is not a good message for customers, as prices might rise," explained Jost Wubbeke, head of the program for economy and technology at the Mercator Institute of China Studies in Berlin. The Internet market is generally moving toward concentrating market power in the hands of few enterprises, Wubbeke said. "However, the market is very dynamic, and new challengers can still easily rise." Both Uber and Didi have lost money in China. Business experts are asking how long companies can sustain the model of making deliberately making losses in the hope of future gains or drawing new investors. The question involves many companies in the Internet industry who are making losses in their core businesses, but surviving on fund infusions from optimistic investors. "The fierce battle for market shares was a big loss-making business for both companies. With huge losses in China, but only modest market influence, Uber had to surrender to Didi," Wubbeke said. "I think the more important issue is the basic question of whether online ride-share apps can be profitable. Uber is struggling to make ends meet everywhere, and it is depending for survival in part on the enormous pool of funds it has amassed from investors," Kennedy of CSIS said. Nadiya Savchenko, the Ukrainian servicewoman-turned-lawmaker who spent two years in a Russian jail, announced a new hunger strike on Tuesday to speed up the release of other Ukrainian prisoners-of-war, accusing Ukraine's president of ignoring their plight. Savchenko's return from Russia in May via a prisoner swap was a PR coup for President Petro Poroshenko. But her membership of a main opposition party and vocal criticism of key policies threaten to make her a thorn in his side. She has been campaigning for the release via prisoner swap of the around 25 Ukrainians still held by Russia or pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, but said the Ukrainian authorities were not committed to securing their freedom. "I suggested concrete actions to the president of Ukraine - we need to start initiating the handover of people," she said in a news briefing. "But the children of Petro Oleksiyovych (Poroshenko) aren't in captivity, while he spits on your children," she said, addressing the parents of Ukrainian prisoners. She called on relatives of those still in captivity to protest outside government and presidential buildings in Kiev on Aug. 8. Savchenko, who spent much of her time in Russian jail on hunger strike, said she would hold a new strike until progress is made on the prisoner exchange. Releasing prisoners-of-war is one of the terms of the 12-point Minsk peace deal, which was brokered between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in February 2015 with the aim of ending a conflict which has killed over 9,400 since April 2014. Other conditions, including a complete cessation of fighting in Ukraine's eastern territory and a pull-back of heavy weapons from the front line, have also not yet been fulfilled, raising concerns the ceasefire agreement could collapse. Poroshenko and other politicians had not done enough to end the fighting, Savchenko said. "Not one chocolate factory has been turned into a bullet factory," she said, referring to Poroshenko's confectionery business. Savchenko, a helicopter navigator, was captured by pro-Russian rebels while volunteering with a ground unit in eastern Ukraine and handed over to Russia on accusations of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists. Her defiance at Russian authority while in captivity earned her a hero's welcome when she returned to Ukraine and she has said she could run for president at some stage. Honduras must develop a long term approach to combat the impact of drought exacerbated by climate change and put the poorest and most vulnerable at the center of government initiatives and funding, a U.N. special envoy said. Two consecutive years of severe drought linked to El Nino - a warming of the Pacific Ocean's surface that causes hot and drier conditions - have decimated crops and battered subsistence farmers in the "dry corridor" running through Honduras. One in four in the country of 8 million people are affected by drought and are struggling to feed themselves, according to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). "The impacts are aggravated and exacerbated by climate change," said Mary Robinson, U.N. special envoy for El Nino and climate change, by telephone from Honduras at the start of a visit to the Central American nation. Honduras is highly vulnerable to extreme weather linked to climate change like hurricanes, floods and drought, while unequal access to land, deforestation and soil degradation has exacerbated the impact of El Nino on rural areas, experts say. The prolonged drought in Honduras has slashed bean and maize harvests by up to 90 percent in some areas, triggering higher food prices. This has worsened hunger among poor farming families who have resorted to cutting meals, and caused many Hondurans to leave home in search of better prospects in the United States. "We need to make it clear that people are bereft of their own resources and we are seeing malnutrition and acute malnutrition among children," Robinson, a former Irish president, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "It's absolutely necessary to understand that this is the new normal." Resilience Around a quarter of all young children in Honduras aged between six months to two-and-a-half years suffer from chronic malnutrition, WFP figures show. Robinson said the government should not do more to strengthen the ability of subsistence farmers to withstand the longer dry spells, more frequent floods and hotter temperatures linked to climate change. She said this involves "putting people at the center" of government policy to help those in poor rural communities, particularly children, hard-hit by the drought. Women-led initiatives to boost agriculture that focus on managing water better, planting trees and diversifying crops is one way to boost resilience, she said. "There is a need for a genuinely integrated approach that is objective and fair," Robinson said. Trust needs to be forged between communities and the government, Robinson said, noting that little support was given to small-scale farmers, while large amounts of government funds were spent on building dams and large-scale palm oil projects. The United Nations says a U.N. appeal for $44 million to provide food aid and water to 250,000 Hondurans in drought-stricken areas is a quarter-funded so far. Drought has also hit hard other parts of Central America, and in Haiti. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that around 3.5 million people are struggling to feed themselves in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and of that number, 2.8 million are relying on food aid to survive. The U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday that he still had very strong concerns about protecting Yemen's children from airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting there. Ban Ki-moon made the remark during a briefing to the U.N. Security Council on his annual report about children in armed conflict. The report, which includes a blacklist of entities that harm children in war, this year listed the Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen as one of the parties that kills and maims children and engages in attacks on schools and hospitals. The Saudis protested their inclusion on the list. Ban, bending to what he said was undue pressure and threats of losing funding for lifesaving U.N. programs, agreed to take the coalition off the blacklist until a review could be completed. I have since received information on measures taken by the coalition to prevent and end grave violations against children, Ban told the council. I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children. They must always come first. He said U.N. officials would continue to engage with Saudi officials about their concerns, but that the content of the report stands. Ban told member states, If you want to protect your image, protect children. His special representative on children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, said the goal of the report is not to cause discomfort, but rather to bring about change for boys and girls confronted by violations the international community considers abhorrent. Saudis point fingers Saudi Arabias U.N. ambassador, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, condemned the governments of Israel and Syria for their exploitation of children, including the Syrian regimes targeting of schools and hospitals one of the same charges alleged against Saudi coalition forces in Yemen. Al-Mouallimi said his government makes children a priority and has set up a group to investigate the allegations. We will submit the findings to the U.N. as soon as possible, he said. He again dismissed accusations that the Saudis had pressured Ban to remove them from the blacklist, saying, We never applied any such pressure on the secretary-general. Human rights groups called again Tuesday for the coalition to be returned to the blacklist. "Unlawful airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition have killed and maimed hundreds of children in Yemen and damaged dozens of schools, but the coalition strong-armed the secretary-general in an attempt to escape scrutiny, said Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch. The coalition should be returned to the secretary-generals list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemens civilians." U.S. officials Tuesday responded dispassionately to accusations made by an angry Turkish leader, who last month survived a coup attempt, that the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is certainly free to express his views and his frustrations as he sees fit, said State Department spokesman John Kirby. Erdogan reiterated in a televised address earlier Tuesday that actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," and those whom Turkey "imagined to be friends are standing by the coup plotters and by the terrorists." The State Department spokesman insisted that despite Erdogans increasingly provocative comments, what matters is the partnership with Turkey is going forward. Erdogan, in his speech, directly called on the United States to extradite a former imam who the Turkish president alleges was the mastermind behind the plot to overthrow the democratically elected government. What kind of strategic partners are we, that you can still host someone whose extradition I have asked for?" Erdogan asked. Imam denies link Fetullah Gulen, a 75-year-old Erdogan rival who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States for nearly two decades, has denied any connection to the uprising. Turkish officials, meanwhile, say they have sent a second set of documents to the U.S. government detailing why it is urgent to arrest Gulen, whom Ankara regards as leading a terrorist organization. U.S. officials will not directly comment on the requests from Turkey, stating only that documentation has been received and is being analyzed, but no judgment has apparently been made on whether there has been a formal extradition request, as Ankara insists it has submitted. I dont want to set an expectation up that were going to be able to give you a blow-by-blow of the process as it works its way through, Kirby told reporters. The Turkish president lashed out at Washington and the countrys other NATO allies a day after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim an encounter designed to try to narrow the rift that has developed since the July 15 coup attempt. Purge follows coup bid The violent attempted overthrow by elements of Turkeys military, which fired on unarmed civilians, left more than 230 people dead. The Turkish government has subsequently been purging tens of thousands of perceived internal enemies under a state of emergency enacted after the coup. Erdogan defends his crackdown as necessary to prevent Gulen supporters from attempting another coup. A group of Turkish lawmakers is visiting Washington and New York City this week to press for Gulens extradition. We would like to see America take some serious steps against Gulen and, while mulling Turkeys extradition request, put him in custody or prevent his activities" on U.S. soil, Kamil Aydin, a lawmaker from the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party, told VOA on Monday. He and three other Turkish lawmakers have been meeting U.S. officials at the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. Numerous observers of Turkey characterize the country as torn between two Islamic movements one led by an increasingly authoritarian Erdogan, who is criticized as weakening the rule of law and governing institutions, and the other by the enigmatic Gulen, who lives in virtual isolation in a sprawling rural American compound. Gulen was previously put on trial in absentia in Turkey in 2000 and acquitted in 2008. The U.S. Army is training southern African soldiers involved in peacekeeping missions and disaster relief operations. Nearly 200 military personnel from seven countries are taking part in the Southern Accord an annual two-week training that kicked off Tuesday in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe. Brigadier General Jon Jensen, deputy commanding officer for U.S. Army Africa, told reporters in Lilongwe that for the first time, this year's training includes how to effectively respond to natural disasters. "We have brought some U.S. military personnel that have extensive experience in disaster response, [situations such as] hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding to help look at all contingencies and possibilities of response here in Malawi," he said. Malawi has for the past two years experienced severe flooding. Last year, nearly 200 people were killed, and thousands of hectares of crops were washed away. The United States has gradually increased military training and assistance for African governments as part of efforts to keep the continent stable. The Southern Accord training typically focuses on peacekeeping and relief operations. Malawi currently has about 850 troops deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission there. The U.N. troops are sometimes called upon to battle militias or rebel groups in Congo's eastern provinces. "We are not doing just traditional peacekeeping, we are actually doing the fighting, said Lieutenant General Griffin Supuni, chief of Malawi's army. And to fight in terrain like the DRC, to effectively operate in the DRC, you don't just wake up one day, take your uniform and rifle and you march in the jungles of DRC. You have to train." This year's field training will include shooting exercises and parachuting. U.S. prosecutors announced an indictment on Monday against two former top officials at Venezuela's anti-narcotics agency, including one who became the head of the country's national guard, over allegations that they took part in a cocaine distribution scheme. The indictment, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, charged Nestor Reverol, the ex-general director of the anti-narcotics agency and onetime commander of Venezuela's National Guard, and Edylberto Molina, a former sub-director of the drug agency who later became a Venezuelan military attache posted in Germany. The indictment, expected since December when Reuters first reported the sealed charges were pending, follows a series of U.S. enforcement actions and probes that have linked individuals tied to the Venezuelan government to international drug trafficking. Neither Reverol, 51, or Molina, 53, could not immediately be reached for comment. Reverol has previously rejected U.S. accusations that Venezuela has failed to curb shipments of illicit drugs. The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the indictment, from January 2008 to December 2010, Reverol and Molina took payments from traffickers in exchange for helping them distribute cocaine that would be imported into the United States. While acting as officials at Venezuela's National Anti-Drugs Office, Reverol and Molina alerted traffickers to future drug raids or the locations of law enforcement officers, prosecutors said. They also took steps to stop or hinder investigations to allow drug-filled vehicles to leave Venezuela and arranged for the release of people arrested in drug cases as well as the release of cash and drugs seized by law enforcement, prosecutors said. As a result, drug traffickers who obtained cocaine from Colombia were able to transport the drug to Venezuela and then transport shipments of hundreds or even a thousand kilograms of cocaine to Mexico and Central America, the indictment said. At least some of those cocaine shipments were then illegally imported into the United States, the indictment said. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in a statement the indictment reflected ongoing U.S. efforts to fight against the ability of drug cartels to infiltrate and corrupt top levels of foreign governments and law enforcement. "Nothing can be more damaging to law enforcement's efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs than when corrupt public officials violate the public's trust by actively assisting drug traffickers in their deadly criminal activities," Capers said. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday campaigned alongside Democrat Hillary Clinton at a rowdy rally in his home state of Nebraska, where he challenged Republican Donald Trump to release his tax returns and said he would personally drive people to the polls in November. After delivering a forceful rebuke of Trump's recent statements about the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq, Buffett said he wanted to surprise Clinton and "make a little news" by announcing the launch of a get-out-the vote effort. "I pledge today that on Election Day, Nov. 8, I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," Buffett said. Buffett also said he was backing a website, Drive2Vote, that would coordinate transportation to cast votes and that he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for the same purpose. "I'm going to be on it all day. I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes," Buffett said. Buffett, a Clinton backer, said his goal is to generate the highest voter turnout in the congressional district that includes Omaha of any in the country. Nebraska is one of just two U.S. states that award electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is based in Omaha, stressed that this gives power to Omaha residents to affect the outcome of the election. Clinton responded to Buffett's pledge with a promise of her own, if his turnout goal is met. "Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together! Maybe if we're really lucky he'll wear his Elvis costume again!" Clinton said. Buffett earlier challenged Trump to release his tax returns, something that presidential candidates typically do. The New York businessman has said he cannot do so until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit. "Now I've got news for him," Buffett said. "I'm under audit, too, and I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime, before the election. "I'll bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return ... and let people ask us questions about the items that are on there," Buffett added, saying Trump was "afraid" not of the IRS but voters. Buffett spoke for nearly 30 minutes to a raucous capacity crowd of roughly 3,100 in a high school in suburban Omaha with Clinton sitting at his side. He said the "final straw" was an ABC interview with Trump that aired Sunday in which Trump criticized Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan. The Khans took the stage together at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, and Khizr Khan delivered a speech about his son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. He also attacked Trump for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump has said he was "viciously" attacked by Khizr Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen and a Muslim, when he publicly doubted the real estate developer had read the U.S. Constitution. Trump also questioned whether Ghazala Khan, who stood at her husband's side during the address, was "allowed" to speak. Khan had also said that Trump had "sacrificed nothing," prompting Trump in his ABC interview to say, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices." Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Trump. "No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan," Buffett said. "We've both done extremely well during this period and our families haven't sacrificed anything." On an early morning walk through the Romanian capital's newest park, photographer Helmut Ignat points out cormorants, harriers, terns and several other birds flying high over the marshes. "We're in luck, all the birds are showing themselves," said Ignat, who discovered Vacaresti park in 2011 on assignment from National Geographic. Word was beginning to spread that a wild wetland had sprung up between apartment buildings not far from downtown Bucharest. Ignat is one of four founders of the Vacaresti Nature Park Association, which has spent the last four years lobbying authorities to grant the wetlands protected status. "We must have met local and central public authorities more than 250 times," said its director Dan Barbulescu. Advocacy paid off. The government gave Vacaresti protected status in May, one of Europe's largest urban wetlands. Vacaresti is the result of a communist-era plan to build a lake in southern Bucharest, one of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's many projects to overhaul the city. Abandoned in 1989, it was a massive pit surrounded by a concrete embankment that hid it from view. Nature took over and created 183 hectares (452 acres) of wilderness where experts have identified almost 100 species, including the protected red-breasted geese, egrets, Western marsh harriers, European pond turtles and otters. "No one was expecting that behind this embankment so many people pass by every day there was such life, a rich, balanced ecosystem," Barbulescu said. "Bit by bit nature has built a place that lives without intervention." The environment ministry is expected to appoint a park manager by year-end. The association will compete for the job. The wetlands need protection from trash, fires and poachers. Squatters need relocation. A longtime park squatter could become its first ranger, Ignat said. Gigel Enache has been living in Vacaresti for the past 18 years, and he is almost part of the ecosystem. He arrived with a wife, a four-year-old daughter and a horse and carriage. Now 50, he has nine children aged 4 to 22. They live in improvised huts of cardboard and tarps on the water's edge, without plumbing, steady income or health insurance. The children bubble with excitement and questions around visitors. Enache used to sell scrap metal for cash and now gives occasional visitors boat rides. He can't afford to move, but even if he could, apartment living is not for him. "I don't have anywhere else to go, otherwise I wouldn't have lasted here for this long," he said. "But I will die in an apartment building. I am used to being free. I have 18 years of wilderness." Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on Sunday protesting against the government of interim president Michel Temer, who is replacing suspended president Dilma Rousseff. Pro-Rousseff demonstrators walked through major avenues shouting Temer out and rallied in Rio's main square. While in Sao Paulo, some asked for Rousseff to be permanently impeached. He [Temer] doesnt work for the poor. I was only able to finish college under the Lula government and thanks to my hard work I have a postgraduate degree, Patricia Abranches, a protester, told Folha de Sao Paulo. Rousseff was suspended for allegedly violating fiscal laws in May. A Senate trial on permanently removing her is expected in late August. Temer will open the Summer Games on 5 August. Rousseff's allies have promised protests for August 5, the same day of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. "[The government of interim president Michel Temer] still is not the government elected by us, but we need to clean it up. He needs to clean up everything but has to start with himself. I'm not against Temer, I'm in favor of Brazil, Marci Fionda, a protester, told the Associated Press. Some said the protest against Rousseff is a way for the people to send a message to Brazils senate. If 54 out of 81 senators voted against her, Rousseff will be permanently removed and interim president Temer could stay on the job until the end of her term in 2018. "And the other message that we're sending is, to Congress as a whole, that we want laws approved that make it easier to put the corrupt in jail and not the opposite and that is what they are trying to do, which is to make it easier for the corrupt to escape from jail," Charles Putz, a protester, told AP. Protests in Brazil were not only about who gets to keep the presidency until 2018. On Wednesday, members of Amnesty International protested outside the Summer Games headquarters in Rio de Janeiro against the killings committed by the police around the time of big sporting events in the city. According to organizers, police killed more than 40 people during May 2016 in the Olympic city alone. With more than 85 thousand security force members in Rio, Amnesty International officials are worried that the violence and killings could increase. In the years that mega sportive events take place there is an important increase in the number of people killed by the police in the city of Rio and the state of Rio, Renata Neder, Human Rights adviser for Amnesty International Brazil, said. Youth said to be members of President Robert Mugabes ruling Zanu PF party and those belonging to former Vice President Joice Mujurus Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) have clashed in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, ahead of a ZimPF rally scheduled for Saturday. The skirmishes that started at Shackelton suburb have now spread to the towns central business district. Politically-motivated human rights violations in Masvingo province have surged by 61%, a local rights group has claimed. In its latest regional survey, Community Tolerance, Reconciliation and Development Trust said about 321 cases of human rights violations were recorded in the first quarter of this year compared to 201 at the same period last year. Tajamuka-Sesijikile Campaign is seeking police permission to stage a peaceful march tomorrow on the proposed introduction of bond notes in Zimbabwe. We will give you an update on clashes between President Robert Mugabe and war veterans. And the Mighty Warriors hope for a win against hard-hitting Germany in their first match at the Olympic Games in Brazil. Stay tuned for these stories and more coming up on Studio 7 at 7:30 pm on 9-0-9 Medium Wave and on the 4-9-3-0, 5-9-4-0 and 1-5-4-6-0 shortwave frequencies. We also broadcast on www.channelzim.net. Please check us out on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. This evening on Livetalk our hosts of the Connection Ntungamili Nkomo and Tatenda Gumbo will be talking with listeners about the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African leaders, which is taking place in Washington DC. The fellows, including about 60 Zimbabweans, are expected to meet with President Barack Obama tomorrow. Participate by sending your messages on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. The number again 001 202 465 0318. You can also post comments on this Facebook wall or send us your number so we can call you back. Please note that we are livestreaming on all Studio 7 Facebook pages. Stay tuned!!!!!! The shortage of cash in Zimbabwes banks has resulted in an upsurge of the use of so-called plastic money and electronic transfers. This according to finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa who was quoted by the state-controlled Herald newspaper. Chinamasa said government is in the process of installing and activating point of sale machines in all government institutions. Zimbabwe is currently facing serious shortage of the United States dollar which was adopted as one of the main currencies. The central bank recently reduced charges for all electronic transactions to ease pressure on banking clients and promote the use of electronic banking services. Businesses and individuals have been reluctant to use plastic money but, according to economic commentator, Bulisani Ncube in an interview with Studio 7, people have no choice but to use the plastic money due and they are now realizing the benefits compared to the use of cash. Said Ncube: My take is that yes, the uptake is up not because of anything but because people have no choice. They were put in a situation whereby you either use plastic money or you are forced to go to the bank for many days taking your money in bits and pieces. He said now people have accepted the use of plastic money as they are also enjoying the benefits. He said businesses also have no choice but to have the point of sale machines or else they will not be able to have good business. War veterans leaders Headman Moyo and Hoyini Samuel Bhila were arrested after handing themselves to the police on Tuesday. Senior Assistant Police Commissioner Charity Charamba told Studio 7 by phone that the police were still questioning the two over a communique released by the war veterans body.Moyo is the deputy national chairman of the war veterans body while Bhila is the vice chairman for Harare province. The two's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, could not comment as she said she was at the police station attending to her clients. Mtetwa is also representing the secretary general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Victor Matemadanda, who was arrested yesterday while attending a court hearing of his organization's spokesperson Douglas Mahiya who was later released on bail. At the same time, High Court judge Justice Lavender Makoni on Tuesday granted an order barring the Zimbabwe Republic Police from interfering with planned anti-bond notes peaceful marches organised by Transform Zimbabwe party scheduled for Wednesday in Harare. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyers Sharon Hofisi and Kennedy Masiye represented the opposition party. Transform Zimbabwe is urging Zimbabweans to march to Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasas offices where they will deliver a petition rejecting the bond notes. Masiye said the police had previously barred the march saying it will disrupt the smooth flow of humans and vehicles in the city and security concerns saying the situation in the country was volatile. Youth said to be members of President Robert Mugabes ruling Zanu PF party and those belonging to former Vice President Joice Mujurus Zimbabwe People First or ZimPF clashed on Tuesday in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, ahead of a ZimPF rally scheduled for Saturday. A minibus in which the ZimPF youth were travelling in was impounded by suspected Zanu PF youth. The skirmishes that started at Shackelton suburb spread to the towns central business district. Indications are that four people were injured in the clashes between the rival party youth after Zanu PF youth conducted a door-to-door campaign to mobilize local people for their rally on Saturday. Zanu PF is set to allocate residential stands to its party supporters on Saturday while Mrs. Mujurus party, will be holding a rally at Gadzema Grounds. Zanu PF is also planning to hold a rally on the same day near Gadzema Grounds. One of the injured ZimPF youth, Kudzai Romani, said he was attacked by the suspected Zanu PF youth when he went to rescue a female party member. Another ZimPF youth Patrick Tsomondo, who was also injured, said he was attacked when he went to retrieve keys of a minibus that was allegedly impounded by Zanu PF youth. ZimPF provincial leader Prosper Gavanga blasted the police for allegedly taking sides with Zanu PF by failing to apprehend some of the ruling party supporters. But Zanu PF member Tommy Mwanza, who was on the scene, defended his youth saying they were attacked while having their routine meetings. Romani said they wont be intimidated by the political disturbances as they are solidly supporting Mrs. Mujurus party. Police were not readily available for comment. Three MDC-T youths, Taruvinga Magaya, who is Harare provincial youth assembly secretary for home affairs, Goodrich Mucherera and Chrispen Mundandi were arrested Monday by police on allegations of sparking public violence. The arrests followed brutal attacks on the opposition partys Harare MDC-T youth by suspected Zanu PF militia in Kambuzuma on Sunday at the launch of their #MyZimbabwe Campaign that left eight of them hospitalized. According to Bridget Nyandoro who is the deputy information and publicity secretary for Harare province Youth Assembly, they were first attacked during the morning when they were still preparing for the rally. Nyandoro said they managed to repel the attackers as they out-numbered them, but the suspected Zanu PF supporters re-grouped after the rally with reinforcements being bused from Mbare, Machipisa in Highfield and Kuwadzana. We are very sure and confident that these people were from Zanu PF because whilst we were at the rally our security team saw some kombis that were coming in from Mbare, Kuwadzana and Machipisa. They gathered at the Harare province Zanu PF chairpersons house in the Joshua Mqabuko area ... They had a short meeting and regrouped at the chairpersons house, Nyandoro said. She added that they could not report the attack to the police because some of the injured, who had sought refuge at a local police station, were briefly detained on allegations of sparking the attack. Nyandoro said those arrested were detained at Harare Central Police Station and were expected to appear in court Tuesday. Some Zimbabweans on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against police brutality saying the government should ensure that civilians are tormented for taking to the streets to air their grievances against President Robert Mugabe and other issues. The demonstration was organized by Restoration of Human Rights and Unemployed Youths Organisation. It was not cleared by the police. The protesters urged the police to stop brutalizing peaceful marchers that are expressing genuine grievances. Tinashe Zhakata, Restoration of Human Rights, spokesperson told Studio 7 that the role of the police is to protect citizens and not beat them. Joh Madya, one of the protesters, said despite the alleged police brutality, Zimbabweans were no longer afraid of the law enforcement agents. Ishmael Kauzani, the chairperson of the Unemployed Youth Organisation, bemoaned the loss of lives caused by the heavy handedness of the police. His sentiments were echoed by Donald Mavhudzi, a member of the #Tajamuka/Sesijikile Campaign, which participated in the protest. The protesters however failed to get to the Central Police Station after the police blocked them before they reached the place, which is synonymous with the arrest of civic society leaders and members of the public. Meanwhile, unemployed graduates say they will go ahead with a demonstration against lack of jobs Wednesday even if it has not been sanctioned by the police. Marion Louise Dahlke, 86, died on October 23rd at Grace Pointe Crossing in Cambridge, MN. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, October 28th at Anderson Funeral Home. Photo: Mike Marsland/Getty Images Benedict Cumberbatch, he of Sherlock and The Hobbit fame, furthered his commitment to British literature today by signing on to star as a man running from the law in the upcoming adaption of Geoffrey Households Rogue Male. The 1939 thriller is about an English hunter (Cumberbatch) who decides to aim his shotgun at a dictator in an unnamed nation who might remind you of a certain mustachioed monster that controlled Germany at that time. When the sportsman is caught by this dictators secret service, he is tortured, but he escapes on a ship heading to London. He ends up hiding out in the countryside, battling the harsh elements, as both foreign agents and the police try to track him down. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cumberbatch is also producing the film, while Macbeth writer (the 2015 movie, not the play) Michael Lesslie has been tapped for the screenplay. Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images On Monday at the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills, people of color working in Hollywood dug deep into the question of diversity hires on television. They offered a range of perspectives on the prevailing frustrations in the industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Colorism is a big issue. The elephant in the room is always the dark skin, actress Tichina Arnold of Starzs Survivors Remorse said, pointing to her own arm and saying women of color, color, color. Survivors Remorse director Victoria Mahoney said this is understandable, considering skin tone is a topic that is hard to even navigate within the [black] community. Mahoney talked about an upcoming Survivors Remorse episode where the A-story line is about colorism. When I met with Mike [OMalley, the showrunner] initially, one of the things that I spoke about thats important to me is the difficulty to navigate the community, and have light skin and dark skin be an issue, she explained. On the day of when we were shooting, we all had to have these very delicate conversations, and it was really crucial for me to make sure that the individuals in the scene had input. Its incredibly hard for female directors of color. Although director Anthony Hemingway (Underground; The People v. O.J. Simpson) said that we are definitely coming into a time where there are more opportunities, thanks to TV One, Starz, El Rey, and other channels that actively seek out minority programming, Mahoney added that Survivors Remorses OMalley had to take to Twitter to find a female director of color for his series because he couldnt find anyone from the agencies: Im a four-percenter. Often today not 30 years ago and not 100 years ago when people hire people of color, they usually hire male. When they decide to hire women, they usually hire white in order for me to get out of that four-percent, I need co-conspirators theres a cat that gets a $250 million film at Sundance. He goes straight to a $140 million franchise. But Ive been directing TV for five years multi-cams, all kinds of shit and someone was just talking about whether Ive got experience. She said that theres a line in the sand, and what my job is now is I have to move that line in the sand and confront people who are very comfortable in old, old ways of thinking. Its exhausting. Its boring Im starving for something else. Diversity hires are also a concern for below-the-line jobs. We have to be at the table on every single level; and it goes for TV One as well, said DAngela Proctor, the senior vice president of programming and production for that channel. Were an African-American network, but at the same time, we may use a white production company. I cannot have it when I go to set and my entire cast is black and everyone below the line is white. Even when we get shows that have non-white casts, theyre often steeped in stereotypes. Im dying to see a Latino family show thats not criminals, said Carlos Coto, the showrunner for El Reys From Dusk Til Dawn. I want to make a Latino show without the word cartel in it. That would be awesome. There are still way too many girlfriend parts for women. I could have a resume thats 50 pages long if I would take every role thats offered to me where Im playing the girlfriend, said actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell, adding that she took her lead part on WGNs Underground because she wasnt just the girlfriend. Thats definitely been the challenge, is fighting these stereotypes that people oftentimes write because its just easy to just write us as one-dimensional people. The vacant Johnny Carinos building at 1411 N. Valley Mills Drive has not yet officially hit the market, but several real estate agents and the owner of the structure said Monday they think it will attract considerable interest from potential users and a deal will close within six months. Hoppenstein Properties owns the 6,300-square-foot building, and office staffer Vivian Griffith said Austin-based Fired Up Inc. had not returned the keys or officially confirmed the closing of the eating establishment as of the close of business Monday. But on July 20, a note appeared on the door saying the restaurant was out of business. The closing came in the wake of a bankruptcy filing by Fired Up, which operates 84 Johnny Carinos locations. Were trying to get in touch with their bankruptcy attorney in Dallas to determine their status on moving out, said Griffith, who visited the restaurant Monday and saw through the window that tables and chairs remain in place. As soon as we get the keys and everything settled, we will start showing the building. She said Hoppenstein Properties is not prepared to disclose a lease price and would not comment on what Fired Up was paying. The lease with Johnny Carinos was set to expire next year, said Griffith, whose company now must pursue occupants for at least two vacancies in Hoppenstein-owned shopping centers. Broncs Restaurant, which specialized in down-home cooking in large portions, closed earlier this year in Westview Village, at Waco and Valley Mills drives. I can say Carinos never missed a payment, and I believe the closing was due to the bankruptcy and not necessarily a failing of the Waco location, she said. Johnny Carinos opened locally in 1997, converting the former Po Folks home-style restaurant in Brazos Square into the Italian eatery. In its heyday, Carinos generated lines and waiting lists as it competed with another dining anchor on the opposite end of Brazos Square, a Fuddruckers hamburger restaurant. Griffith said she would gladly lease the building to an existing establishment in need of more space, but I really would like to see somebody we dont have in Waco. Pat Farrar, a local commercial real estate specialist, said Carinos location on one of Wacos busiest thoroughfares has a lot going for it. But how long it will remain on the market is the million-dollar question, Farrar said. Im sure Fuddruckers does well in that same center, and I dont think 6,300 square feet is bad, though fast-casual sizes are trending downward. They should be able to find a tenant, but who knows when? Timing concerns Farrar said the looming presidential election and the timing of the Carinos vacancy may become factors against swiftly finding a replacement. Im just not getting as many calls today as I was six months or a year ago, Farrar said. Weve got a lot of new restaurants in Waco, and the last volley of lookers may be satisfied. It is getting close to the time of year when restaurants want to wrap up their moves for the year and begin looking to January and 2017. Realtor Randy Reid, another commercial specialist, said Waco is somewhat overbuilt with restaurants, so buildings are not getting filled as quickly as they were a year or two ago. Well have to see how supply and demand shakes out. If we have too many, some are going broke. If we need more, other people are looking at the market. He said the Carinos spot would not necessarily have to remain a restaurant, though Carinos created an identity there for nearly 20 years. He noted the longtime Chilis building in Parkdale shopping center, Bosque Boulevard and North Valley Mills Drive, is under contract to a medical-related prospect. Reid said in his travels nationally he has noticed more farm-to-table restaurants using organic ingredients and locally farmed produce that includes beef from grass-fed cattle, meat from free-range chickens and butter from grass-fed cows. He said Waco could use a restaurant that focuses on something like that. Some local residents continue to clamor for a Joes Crab Shack or Landrys Seafood, and Ive heard rumors about seafood places coming to Waco since I got into this business in 1984, Reid said. But a seafood place can prove much more popular being on a lake or on the coast, which is where many of the best ones are located. He added, In Central Texas, you lose a little bit of that attraction, which probably is one reason weve struggled to get one. Realtor Brad Davis, also a commercial agent, said restaurant growth in Waco has boomed, but there are still a lot of concepts not here. Speaking of Italian, Im surprised Macaroni Grill has not located here yet, Davis said. I see no reason the Carinos space cant get filled by the end of the year if access is provided pretty quickly. The interior and exterior both are nice-looking. Its a no-brainer. How about a Cheesecake Factory? said commercial agent Donna Dwyer, who prospects for eating establishments. Several agents said restaurants with a distinctive look of their own must consider the cost of renovating the exterior of Carinos. Meanwhile, Mary Baris, whose popular Italian restaurant at 904 N. Valley Mills Drive suffers from limited parking, said she would like to know more about the Carinos building. The trials of being a new parent can cause stress and familial strife, but a new organization is hoping to provide early childhood development support for at least 75 McLennan County families before their children start kindergarten. Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support, or HOPES, will host a kickoff event from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday at Lions Park, 1716 N. 42nd St. Families can take in a free day of fun and amusement rides before school starts and learn about how HOPES can pair educators with households to help with child development through age 5. The event also will offer free vision screenings. HOPES operates statewide and is funded by grants from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, but this is the first affiliate for McLennan County, co-director Carlos Gutierrez said. One of the primary functions of the grant will be home visits aimed at engaging and guiding parents, and the local HOPES program uses the Parents as Teachers initiative as a model for the home visits, Gutierrez said. Parents as Teachers is a national organization that trains and certifies educators to work with families on enhancing school readiness, according to its website. The main focus of our program is to really provide that additional place of support in that crucial, early phase of life, Gutierrez said. Obviously, your child is going to have a lot of teachers throughout their life, but the first teacher they have is you as a parent. So we want to be able to give the tools and information to help them be able to be the best parents they can be. HOPES has three certified Parents as Teachers educators who can handle 25 families each. It also funds two Parents as Teachers for Waco ISD through its grant, Gutierrez said. The program is open to any family or parent looking for help, he said. Waco ISD has been using the Parents as Teachers model for about 20 years, he said. Educators go into a familys home for an hour at a time throughout the week and provide information, resources, activities and education about early childhood development, he said. The program is to strengthen a childs bond with mother and father, not to criticize a familys parenting styles, said Kenda Fox, one of the local Parents as Teachers educators. Im excited to be focusing on all of McLennan County, especially the rural areas that really dont have the different resources like people who live here in Waco, Fox said. Just getting to know the families and being a support for them as they prepare their kids for kindergarten is a huge thing. Im excited, too, because our program is a lot about reading books, and parents wanting to read books to their kids. Thats something I have always been passionate about, and so Im looking forward to teaching the parents the proper way to read to their kids, so their kids can enjoy it. HOPES co-director Amanda Harman knows exactly how essential that extra support can be, she said. The mother of a 2-year-old herself, she said having a strong support system is crucial to the parenting process. Having (positive parenting skills) modeled for you is a huge need, and having that extra support has been really helpful for me, Harman said. So often we dont realize we need help, so this is something that doesnt just say, Hey, I need help, Im not doing too well, but Hey, I could use this extra boost of confidence in my parenting abilities. Thats what I really hope HOPES can do and offer for families. For more information, call the HOPES office at 732-0482. A decade ago, methamphetamine was a major problem in Texas and across the nation because of the availability of ephedrine and other cold medicines to make the drug. After these cold medicines were regulated in 2005-2006, there was a decrease in meth production and indicators of use and misuse dropped. But now a new methamphetamine epidemic is quietly rising in the southern and western states, all while media headlines and lawmakers focus on the increasing number of deaths due to heroin and prescription pain pills. I should know, Ive studied patterns of substance abuse for more than 40 years. Specifically in Texas, this new methamphetamine epidemic appears intertwined with increases in yet another problem: sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. What has happened is that we have a new precursor, phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), which is used by Mexican drug cartels to make methamphetamine. When made with P2P, meth is much more potent and has more ability to produce greater intoxication and enhanced dependence. And the problem is getting worse. In 2015, 91 percent of methamphetamine tested in forensic laboratories in the United States was made with P2P from Mexico. Because of the demand in the United States, the kilogram amount seized at the Mexico border increased 37 percent between 2010 and 2015. Last year, the Dallas and Houston DEA divisions ranked methamphetamine among the top two drug threats in their areas, similar to Atlanta and Los Angeles. More available methamphetamine means more misuse and overdoses. In Texas, the number of people being admitted to treatment programs has doubled, as has the number of calls to poison centers specifically due to meth overdose. Methamphetamine has become the major drug problem in areas of Texas previously dominated by heroin.. The methamphetamine epidemic in the Lone Star state is also going hand in hand with another troubling trend: increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, particularly among young men who have sex with men. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows that the proportion of men who have sex with men and use meth has gone up in the last five years in Dallas, for instance, it has increased from 9 to 45 percent. Is there a link between these two trends? The problem seems to be that meth use in this population encourages risky or unprotected sex. We need to confront these intertwined epidemics of methamphetamine and HIV immediately. Although behavioral treatments have shown usefulness in improving treatment adherence for individuals with meth dependence, there are no medications approved to treat methamphetamine craving and dependence. There still is no cure for AIDS, but there is at least one drug, a pre-exposure prophylaxis, that, if taken exactly as prescribed, can prevent infection by the HIV virus. Studies have shown the risk of getting HIV infection is lower if the pill is taken daily, safe sex practices are used and condoms are used during any kind of sex. The solution is education and advocacy. Users of methamphetamine and those engaging in risky sex must understand the dangers in which they are placing themselves and their friends. We all need to remember the lessons that those who survived the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s learned the hard way. Through regular use of condoms and medication compliance that is, taking the pre-exposure prophylaxis drug daily we can prevent another potential AIDS epidemic. Jane Maxwell is a research professor in the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. While Trib Q&As with candidates running for high office last winter revealed little inclination toward compromise on the always hot issue of abortion, Republicans touting pro-life agendas might attract more of a following if their actions mirrored their talk. Excellent case in point: Failure by Republican leadership in Congress to approve funding to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus before taking the rest of the summer off. Do these people realize when mosquitoes are most active? Do they care? So much for bold vows by Republican lawmakers that they had the maturity and resolve to demonstrate leadership when they assumed control of both houses of Congress in January 2015. Examples abound where theyve failed miserably, but this latest example should embarrass anyone who claims the Republican Party is a pro-life party. Reports indicate a baby was born with microcephaly in Harris County last month and thus became the first Zika-infected infant in Texas. And while the mother was apparently bitten in South America, yet other reports in Florida indicate that more than a dozen people have now been bitten by homegrown mosquitoes also carrying the feared Zika virus. Should any of us be concerned? Medical experts say different folks react different ways to the virus, with some showing few if any symptoms. The real danger is to pregnant women who, once bitten, can give birth to deformed, brain-damaged babies. For any pro-life lawmaker, this should be a call to arms in terms of commitment to public welfare above all else. So how did the Republican-led Congress handle it? Somewhere in the sausage-making process of forging legislation to fund not only state efforts to battle the mosquitoes but also to fund a vaccine, Democrats and Republicans got into a battle over such things as whether to restrict display of the Confederate battle flag in federal cemeteries. This is an example of why more and more people distrust Congress: a bipartisan bill crafted in the spirit of compromise and clearly benefiting all Americans is undone by controversial riders that promptly render an entire bill unacceptable. Yes, one can blame short-sighted Democrats for derailing this bill, given provisions such as the Stars and Bars rider and yet another wounding of Obamacare. But the Republicans hammering the bill into final form also decided to insert just enough poison pills into the process to compel Democrats to refuse it. Surely mature party leaders on both sides could have agreed to stand-alone bills regarding controversial matters unrelated to the Zika virus especially given the high risk to the unborn. The irony of this from a cynically political perspective: Those most likely to suffer from the Zika virus live throughout the South the very heart of the Republican Partys constituency. China is in touch with all sides related to Afghan issue, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday when asked to confirm the reported visit of a Taliban delegation to Beijing last month. China wants the Afghan government and Taliban to hold peaceful talks as soon as possible to restore peace and stability, the foreign spokesperson office replied to China Daily through a written statement. The statement neither confirmed nor denied the reported visit of a Taliban delegation, only saying that China is in touch with all relevant sides. China will continue to play a positive and constructive role, and it has always supported the Afghan peaceful resolution process under the principle of "guided by Afghan people, and owned by Afghan people", said the statement. According to a Reuters report, a delegation led by Abbas Stanikzai, head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, visited Beijing from July 18 to 22 at the invitation of the Chinese government. The report, quoting a senior member of the Taliban, said the Taliban delegation "informed Chinese officials about the occupation by invading forces and their atrocities on the Afghan people". While meeting in Beijing on Sunday with Qadam Shah Shahim, chief of staff of the General Staff of the Afghan National Army, Defense Minister Chang Wanquan expressed gratitude toward Afghanistan for the country's support in fighting the terrorist East Turkestan Islamic Movement, according to a statement released by the ministry on Sunday. Shahim said Afghanistan would like to deepen cooperation with China in fighting terrorists including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the statement said. Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The Atheist Foundation of Australia is sponsoring a campaign to increase the numbers of people ticking "no religion" in the census on August 9. To do this, it is trying to convince Australians who ordinarily identify with a religion that they actually shouldn't. I am all for the census being an honest and true reflection of the state of the nation. I do not want to inflate the figures so as to give an artificial indication of the influence of religious institutions in Australia. Some of the arguments that the foundation has put forward are convincing. For example, having Christian "values" doesn't make you "Christian". And the AFA want people to stop writing "Jedi Knight" or "Pastafarian" because these answers don't count towards the "No Religion" total. No argument from me on either of these. But the campaign is guilty of laughable overreach on two counts. First, the foundation wants people to count children and teens as having "no religion". It argues that you can only validly claim to have a religion as an adult. So, it wants me, an Anglican minister, to tick "No Religion" for my four kids, even though they all go to church weekly, read the Bible for themselves, and profess to having a Christian faith. I have no doubt, from the vigorous debates we have around the dinner table, that their beliefs are very much their own. Anyone who has worked with children in religious education will be able to tell you that children very often have their own religious beliefs that are not simply parroting what their parents tell them from a very young age. I know atheist children of religious parents and Christian children of atheist parents. But even if a child shares, at this moment, the religion of her parents, that does not invalidate her beliefs. Of course, children's religious views are in the process of being shaped throughout childhood. But so are their views on absolutely everything. Osama bin Laden's group advised that Islamists should emphasise taking care of civilians they conquered. Islamic State hasn't heeded its words but the US should. Credit:AP Could a movement calling itself Islamic State survive without being able to defend and hold an Islamic state? It looks increasingly likely that we're going to find out, and sooner than most of its enemies had dared hope. After being chased out of its other cities and urban centres in Iraq, the group now holds only a single Iraqi city, its de facto capital in Iraq Mosul. And after two months of intensifying pressure by Iraqi-led forces, there is evidence that Daesh is on the cusp of losing it. Mourners remember victims of the terror attack in Nice. Credit:AP "Many Daesh families and leaders in Mosul have sold their property and sneaked out towards Syria," Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said at the weekend. Iraq's government has promised to retake Mosul by the end of the year, a timetable that would allow US President Barack Obama to claim success against Daesh in Iraq before he relinquishes power in January. Demonstrators chant pro-IS slogans in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which Iraqi forces have promised to retake by the end of the year. Credit:AP Daesh has been preparing its followers for the accelerating loss of its territory in Iraq and also in Syria, the connected landmass that comprises its so-called caliphate. "While we see our core structure in Iraq and Syria under attack, we have been able to expand and have shifted some of our command, media and wealth structure to different countries," a long-standing but unnamed Daesh operative was quoted as telling The Washington Post two weeks ago. The Obama administration's point man on Daesh, also known as ISIL, Brett McGurk, said recently: "Overall in Iraq, we've liberated about 50 per cent of the territory from ISIL and more than 700,000 Iraqis have returned to their homes in areas that ISIL used to control." And it's losing ground in Syria too, a fact it's trying to conceal from its subjects. Reports from Daesh-controlled areas say that the jihadis have been closing internet cafes and destroying TVs and satellite dishes. It is this battlefield retreat that helps explain the proliferation of terrorist attacks around the world in recent weeks. The Daesh operative explained that, when would-be recruits make contact lately to offer to join the fight, "we tell them to stay in their countries and rather wait to do something there". As the centre of its empire collapses, it has energised its agents at the periphery. As Daesh loses the core of the caliphate in Iraq and Syria, it orders individual terror attacks in Germany and France. Another way of looking at it is that as its project in wholesale domination fails, it increasingly turns to retail mayhem. "As IS continues to lose territory, it will likely ramp up the levels of violence," a terrorism expert at America's RAND Corporation, Seth Jones, told ANU's National Security College last week. "It's likely to get more violent until it calms down." Unfortunately, as the central project of the "caliphate" is slowly strangled, the murderous convulsions of its various peripheral limbs are sowing fear and despair in the target nations. Even as the "caliphate" comes apart, just as bin Laden foresaw, its hateful mayhem continues to tear at the security and harmony of the civilised world. Bulldogs World, a website devoted to the jowly breed, cites a stunning figure among its frequently asked questions: More than 90 per cent of bulldog puppies are delivered by Caesarean section. That's because the puppies have such enormous heads that they can't fit through the mother's birth canal and that's just the beginning of bulldog medical woes. Birth defects, such as flat chests, have led to high puppy mortality. A skeletal disorder common to the breed causes high rates of hip dysplasia. Bulldogs' wrinkly faces beget acne and eye problems. Their underbites often mean dental troubles. But the biggest issue is their smushed,"brachycephalic" faces, large palate and narrow nostrils visages their wolf ancestors might not even recognise as canine. They can cause a bulldog to pant like mad while exercising, slobber like a fountain while resting, choke and gag while eating, suffer from heat stroke, and, to top it off, have unusually wicked flatulence. The life expectancy of an English bulldog is now an average of six years. Credit:AP The litany of health problems common to the English bulldog, as the breed is formally known, has been at the centre of a controversy over breeding in Britain since 2008. That year, a damning BBC documentary on purebred dogs' poor health and welfare, "Pedigree Dogs Exposed," prompted several independent reports and caused the UK's Kennel Club to modestly revise its standards for several breeds, including the bulldog. Neil Pedersen, a veterinarian at the Centre for Companion Animal Health, at the University of California, said he noticed the argument in Britain boiled down to two sides. On one were animal rights activists and veterinarians, who said bulldogs had been so inbred and selectively bred to conform to breed standards that they were doomed unless crossed with other breeds. On the other were breeders, who denied there was a problem or said it could be addressed through carefully engineered mating, which has for generations been done using dog pedigrees family trees, essentially. Some fish may cope with the changing chemistry of the oceans linked to global warming by permanently setting their body defences to night-time levels, the time of day when they find seawater least hospitable, a study says. Man-made carbon dioxide, released into the air by burning fossil fuels, forms a weak acid when mixed with water that can harm marine life in what is likely to be a worsening effect of global warming this century. The spiny damselfish produces offspring with flexible body clocks that help adapt to ocean acidification. Fish adjust their bodies every day because levels of carbon dioxide naturally in the seas peak at night and dip during sunlight hours when algae, seaweed and other plants absorb carbon dioxide to generate energy. The study of spiny damselfish, a small species from Australia's Great Barrier Reef, found that those best able to tackle high carbon levels in the water produced offspring with flexible body clocks that helped adapt to acidification. A Pakistani refugee has drowned at a waterfall on Manus Island. The ABC has reported that the man, Kamil Hussain, went missing at around 4pm near the town of Lorengau. He was found after a two hour search by police. The Manus Island detention centre. Credit:Andrew Meares Australia's Immigration Department says it is aware of the man's tragic drowning. "Australian government representatives remain in close contact with the Royal PNG Constabulary [police] which is managing the situation," a spokesman from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said. Indonesia and Australia have recommitted to finalising a free trade deal within 18 months despite the appointment of a new Indonesian trade minister in last week's cabinet reshuffle. New Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita stressed there would be "no change to the schedule" after meeting his Australian counterpart, Steve Ciobo, on Tuesday. Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo (right), meets with former Indonesian trade minister Thomas Lembong (left) and new Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita (centre) in Jakarta. Credit:Jewel Topsfield Mr Ciobo said his visit to Jakarta - his first trade-related trip since the election - reflected that concluding the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement was his "most significant priority" as trade minister. "We are all committed to as comprehensive a free trade agreement as possible," he said. FORT POLK -- The goal of the Army is to create combat training scenarios that are demanding for Soldiers to mimic the stress, challenges and frustrations of a deployment. At Fort Polk, Louisiana, the Joint Readiness Training Center provides that realistic environment for rotations of joint and combined arms training, including this July's rotation of the New York Army National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The training replicates the complexities of full spectrum operations, from the evacuation of noncombatants from a battlefield to counterinsurgency to combat operations against a well-trained opposing force. The realism for Soldiers and units helps prepare units for combat, offering lessons for Soldiers without losses. The JRTC goal is to develop adaptive leaders, confident units, and sharpen capabilities across the range of military operations for the combat brigade, integrating all of the combat multipliers on the battlefield, such as artillery, aviation, naval gunfire, engineering support and integrating special operations. With more than 120,000 acres and six live fire facilities, the training areas of JRTC offer rotational units more than seven scenarios for a deploying Army task force. Several mock towns and villages in the fictional country of Atropia feature the variety of players expected on a battlefield: a well-trained opposing forces (OPFOR), civilians, criminals, insurgents, police forces, friendly military forces and even news media role-players. Not to mention livestock, such as goats, donkeys and wild horses that share the landscape with Soldiers. "At one point, horses tripped our perimeter flares," said Massachusetts Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Fred Rockett, an explosives ordnance technician with the 387th Ordnance Company (EOD). The unit supported the brigade in responding to roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices during the training. The entire training area includes high-tech systems to monitor the action and observer-controller/trainers (OC/T) to evaluate unit actions. Using the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System, all of the weapons systems employed at JRTC have battlefield effects that require all of the routine unit functions to treat and evacuate wounded, replace equipment or resupply units. "Weather, heat, downpours, wind, dust, animals, humidity, they get all the realistic training they can," said JRTC OC/T Staff Sgt. Kevin Maddox from Fort Polk who has mentored units training here for four years. "They got everything thrown at them." Maddox has been part of 38 unit rotations to the JRTC since 2012 and had praise for the troopers from the New York Army National Guard troopers from B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry as they maneuvered through the training area. "The National Guard is very good with doctrine and (their) platoon functions are great," Maddox said about the reconnaissance troopers. "They did good with handling OPFOR and maintaining noise and light discipline. It's impressive that they are able to maneuver the terrain like they are," Maddox said. In the field for his first rotation, JRTC OC/T Capt. Sam Averitt said that JRTC is one of the best training opportunities for infantry units that simply can't be replicated anywhere else. Part of the learning experience for Soldiers, Averitt said, is adjusting to integrating all of the brigade's Soldiers and resources that they've probably never worked with before. "It's very realistic," said Averitt. "If a vehicle goes down, you have to do the proper paperwork and maintenance and everything you would do if it actually broke down. Same goes for notional deaths. They have to literally pick them up, put them in the vehicle and bring them to the morgue, then the morgue has to do their job and go through all the steps and paperwork that they would do if it was real." The OC/Ts are both battlefield judges and mentors for the rotational units, offering guidance to improve the tactics and techniques as the battle unfolds. "The OC/Ts are very knowledgeable," said 1st. Lt. Corey McCrary, a scout platoon leader with the Louisiana Army National Guard's 2-108th Cavalry. "They bring a lot to the table." "Overall it's a great experience," said Sgt. Alexis Bruno, a sniper from Brooklyn, N.Y.,, assigned to the Headquarters Company of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment. "The role players make it seem real, and we're fighting in a fully functional city and interacting with residents," Bruno said. The civilian interactions from role-players are meant to challenge and sometimes frustrate Soldiers, said Sgt. Jacob Cutlip, a cavalry scout assigned to the Louisiana Army National Guard's 2nd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment. "A media person jumped on our vehicle and started asking questions right before we went on mission," Cutlip said. Cutlip deployed to the rotation to serve as part of the brigade's 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry, the reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition squadron based in Niagara Falls, N.Y. As demanding as the training can be, the rotation is great training, said New York Army National Guard Pfc. Brent Gerwitz, deployed for his first annual training as a cavalry scout with B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry. "(I) got hit right away as we entered the box and was like oh, this is actually happening and its going to be like this all the time," Gerwitz said. "My training just kicked in. The OPFOR is good at what they do, they definitely trained for this, but so have we." Many of the Soldiers learned quickly that reactions to the local civilian role-players could have real impact on their training. Treat people in the villages harshly during the day and that same person might turn become a terrorist that night. "We just treat people with respect and they react to what you do," Bruno said. "It definitely keeps you on your toes," Gerwitz said. Combining the weather of the hot Louisiana summer with the pace of operations for the Soldiers, along with the stress of fighting a well-trained opposing force and adding the lack of showers, hot food and cold water, the Soldiers were faced with challenges unlike any other training event short of combat. "This is very realistic," said New York Army National Guard Spc. James Allen, a cavalry scout with the 2-101st Cavalry. "We are all in it together, we are all suffering." "It's as real as it can get," said Sgt. 1st Class Dana Meek, a cavalry scout from the 2-101st Cavalry. The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and Task Force Hunter deployed for training at Fort Polk with more than 5,000 Soldiers coming from more than 30 different states for the JRTC rotation 16-08. The brigade deployed to Fort Polk July 9 for the rotation and is expected back at home armories the first week in August. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Rain. High 69F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Thundershowers overnight following a period of rain early. Low near 60F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Search of Mayfield home snares alleged meth trafficker and two others By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 02, 2016 | 05:58 AM | MURRAY, KY Four people were arrested in Calloway County Monday on drug and other charges, and police are searching for another man. According to the Calloway County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to a home on College Farm Road in Murray in search of 33-year-old Carlos F. Aguero Jr. of Murray, who was wanted on felony warrants for 1st degree bail jumping. During their search for Aguero, deputies found others who had active criminal warrants. They also reportedly found drugs in the home, including cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and assorted drug paraphernalia. Deputies arrested 30-year-old Daniel R. Garner, of Murray on an arrest warrant out of McCracken County for failure to appear on traffic charges. Garner was also charged with possession of cocaine, trafficking cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, trafficking marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies also arrested 33-year-old Carrie B. Aguero, of Murray. She was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Two others, 28-year-old Robert D. Aguero, and 20-year-old Erica Rogers, both of Murray, were arrested on active warrants out of Calloway County. All four were booked into the Calloway County Detention Center. Deputies are still searching for Carlos Aguero. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. On a day the federal government confirmed a $15 million commitment to the Winnipeg Art Gallerys construction of the Inuit Art Centre, the lingering question was, Where is the province? Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr announced the federal contribution to the $65 million project at the WAG on Tuesday. This unique centre will bring the wonders of the north to the south and allow visitors to learn more about this majestic part of Canada; its people, its culture, its history and its future, Carr said. Canadas stories shaped by our immense diversity deserve to be celebrated and shared with the world. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr at Tuesday's anouncement supporting the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre. With this announcement we know that Winnipeg will continue to excel, but now not only in our own community and across this great nation, but around the world. Winnipeg deputy mayor Mike Pagtakhan was also at the ceremony, speaking to the citys previous commitment of $5 million. However, no member from the recently elected PC government was among the seated government representatives. The previous NDP government had committed $15 million towards the arts centre prior to being ousted in the April provincial election. Premier Brian Pallister has publicly stated that all NDP commitments are currently under review. In a prepared statement attributed to Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Rochelle Squires, she said the government is reviewing the commitment. We appreciate the WAGs understanding as we continue to engage on a value for money audit of commitments of taxpayer dollars, she said. Construction on the four-storey centre, to be build adjacent to the existing WAG, is expected to begin sometime early in 2017 and be completed in 2019. The project will include the construction of exhibition spaces, a glass-enclosed visible art vault, closed art storage, a conservation facility, art studios, a two-level interactive presentation theatre and classrooms. The Inuit Arts Centre will be the first of its kind in the world and contain 27,000 works. Its also part of a bigger picture, part of a larger plan, noted WAG director and CEO Stephen Borys. Canadians are among the leaders in an international effort to recognize the power, the importance and significance of indigenous culture and its vital role in a greater reconciliation. Everyone has a place on this journey and the Inuit Art Centre is just one of the ways the WAG is helping create a sustainable, respectful environment for understanding and healing. At its most creative, the centre will bring something of the Canadian Arctic to Winnipeg, he added. But at its strongest and most impactful, the Inuit Arts Centre will be a place of transformation to indigenous art, a place where we learn about each other as well as ourselves. Borys did refer to the the unprecedented support from our municipal and federal governments towards the project. When asked about the status of the provinces commitment, Borys said he was not really concerned. They have obligations, he added. We are in almost daily dialogue with them on this project. They are aware of it. And I expect a very positive outcome very soon. The fact is their pledge would be incredible. They have many things to review as a new government. And we have given them all the information that they require to make a decision. MICHAEL MALTZAN ARCHITECTURE Artist rendering of an aerial view of the Inuit Art Centre and Winnipeg Art Gallery. Carr, meanwhile, said the centre would be an addition to the very powerful constellation of attractions that include the Forks and Assiniboine Park Conservatory and Journey to Churchill exhibits. The MP was confident the investment would pay for itself in general revenue. We know that people will come here, they will spend money, they will stay in hotels, they will buy food, they will bring their friends, they will speak well of Manitoba and what it uniquely offers. And that can only be good for us, he said. And the Inuit artists? They will have access to millions of people who will see and appreciate their work, Carr added. Northerners have been very much a part of this from the beginning and will be very much a part of it in the future. Carr didnt want to speculate on the fate of the provinces commitment, however. The province will make its own decision, Carr said. Were making the argument that this is a priority for the government of Canada. Its a priority because we believe that the opportunity for Canadians, and really for citizens of the world, to have access to this magnificent collection which is the most important collection of its type anywhere that other levels of government will appreciate how important this is. randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @randyturner15 If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Patti Kusturok is now officially among this continents greatest fiddle players. The Winnipeg musician was inducted Sunday into the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame. Kusturok, known as Canadas old-time fiddling sweetheart, is a three-time Canadian Grand Masters Champion who is a fixture in festivals, performances, music camps and kitchens across North America. It is such an incredible honour; it really hasnt sunk in yet even though Ive known for a couple of weeks, she said. Im still walking on Cloud 9, said Kusturok, who accepted the award in a video message. She couldnt get a flight in time to attend the ceremony in Osceola, N.Y., after performing the previous night in North Dakota. Its surreal. To see the names that are in there now and to be alongside them, I cant believe it. Kusturok joins Canadian fiddling icons such as Don Messer, Al Cherny, Ned Landry, Ivan Hicks, Calvin Vollrath, Graham and Eleanor Townsend and Andy Dejarlis in the hall. Kusturoks acceptance video included a three-song performance, accompanied by Winnipeg musician Jeremy Rusu, which she opened with her original composition Memories of Eva, written with her son Alex Kusturok in honour of her mother Eva, who died in 2007. Her son Alex is also an accomplished fiddle player. I had half of the tune in my head and couldnt think of something to go with it and apparently Alex had the same thing going on in his head. It was after my mom had passed away, we just sat down and put the parts together and it fit well, Kusturok said. It was in 2008, Alex was only about 16 years old at the time. It felt like I had the middle of a fiddle tune in my head so I asked Alex if he could write something to go with it and he said he already had something. It was kind of eerie, actually, because we put it together and it seemed to fit so nicely. Kusturok said she was proud to play the song for the induction ceremony because of its emotional connection to her family. That was the only time weve ever written anything together, she said. My mom would have been just so proud. She was my biggest supporter and took me to all these fiddling things as a child. If I wanted to play, she made it happen. Kusturok said she began playing at age four in the Suzuki Method which involved the accompanying parent learning at the same time. It gave her a solid musical foundation and strong belief in the importance of music for children. Music is really important because it brings people together as a family, Kusturok said. The kind of music that we play, its all about getting together with your family and friends in a kitchen or living room and just sharing music. We do that all the time. Wherever we travel, going to fiddling events, theres always a jamming element that happens. Kusturok teaches fiddling to 40 students and estimated that she performs 50 to 75 times a year in addition to teaching at workshops and music camps each summer. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Patti Kusturok It was a fitting honour to be given to Patti. She has devoted her life to the preservation of fiddle music as an iconic art form in Canadian culture, Graham Sheppard, president of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association, said in a statement. He attended the induction ceremony. The North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to traditional fiddling in North America, a media release stated. Fiddle associations and fiddle experts across Canada and the United States nominate and vote for deserving candidates. Inductees receive a commemorative plaque. While she said her son is her favourite fiddle player at the moment, Kusturok mentioned several of her greatest influences as Vollrath, Reg Bouvette and Graham Townsend. Local fiddle fans can see Kusturok perform Aug. 18 when she plays at Louis Riel House at 6 p.m. and then at Stonewall Quarry Days on Aug. 21. She will also be participating next month in the Mass Appeal Winnipeg event, a series of concerts performed by and for the public presented by the Winnipeg Arts Council, and encouraged other musicians to participate. Events are Sept. 1 at Union Station (choir), Sept. 8 at The Cube (horns), Sept. 15 (ukuleles) with Kusturok serving as the music director for the Sept. 10 fiddle event at St. Norbert Farmers Market. ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Britains recent decision to leave the European Union is expected to take a bite out of the second-quarter earnings of Winnipeg-based insurance industry giant Great-West Lifeco, one industry analyst said. Gabriel Dechaine, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity Group, noted more than 40 per cent of Great-Wests earnings come from its European businesses, most of which are in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Dechaine noted the British pound and the euro have both declined in value against the Canadian dollar since the June 23 Brexit vote. That has prompted him to reduce his Q2 earnings-per-share forecast for Great-West by two cents to 70 cents from 72 cents. Dechaine is also forecasting the price of Great-West shares will decline to $33 from his previous forecast of $34. Were already on our way to that, he added. My (new) target is 33 (dollars), but I wouldnt be surprised if it went below that. Great-West shares, which trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, closed Friday up 10 cents at $33.91. A spokeswoman for Great-West, which is scheduled to release its second-quarter results Wednesday, declined to comment on Dechaines forecast. Instead, she referred to a written statement the company issued the day after the Brexit vote. In that statement, president and CEO Paul Mahon said the company will continue to work closely with its U.K.-based customers, business partners and regulators over the next few years as the U.K. and the European Union enter a period of negotiation and agree on their new relationship. Our companies in Europe have strong, stable businesses and a diversified investment portfolio. They are appropriately capitalized. We remain committed to these markets, Mahon said. We have undertaken an in-depth analysis of the potential risks to our businesses, and notwithstanding the potential for increased market volatility and uncertainty that may arise, our businesses are resilient, and we maintain significant financial flexibility. The company noted it has a long-established presence in the U.K. through its Canada Life subsidiary, and said it remains committed to maintaining and building those businesses. As well, it has deep roots in Europe through Irish Life, Canada Life in Germany and its reinsurance businesses, it added. murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The rich get richer when it comes to older, well-established Winnipeg neighbourhoods attracting new residential developments. Osborne Village, which is already the most densely populated neighbourhood in the city, is getting another new apartment building. This time its a four-storey, 41-unit complex to be built on two properties west of the intersection of Stradbrook Avenue and Nassau Street North. Two houses have been demolished to make way for the new structure. Site excavation is underway, and the new building is expected to be completed by the fall of 2017. Well Start owner Guan Sun decided to make the $9-million development a collection of rental properties because demand for rentals is stronger. Rents will be based on rates at the time of its completion in the fall of 2017. A relatively new Winnipeg firm Well Start International Investment and Consulting Ltd. is the developer behind the project. Pre-Con Builders is the builder. Although Osborne Village has seen its fair share of new infill residential development over the last decade or so, the spokesman for another local developer that has been active in the area Ventura Developments Inc. welcomes Well Starts new project at 570 Stradbrook Ave. More investment is a good thing, vice-president Tim Comack said. It just brings in more people and helps to further the redevelopment and gentrification of the area. I think the area that has benefited the most from the building boom weve seen in the last 10 years has been Osborne Village, as far as mature communities (are concerned), he added. But we just see it as more good happening. Ventura has completed one new condo development in the Village the 36-unit Village Junction Condos on Stradbrook Avenue and is about to start construction on a four-storey, 48-unit condo complex at the corner of River Avenue and Mayfair Place. It has acquired a third property in the area, where it plans to build another condo complex, Comack added. Well Start owner Guan Sun launched the company in 2009 while he was in his final year of engineering studies at the University of Manitoba. He said the company has done about a dozen smaller, infill condominium projects in the Dorchester/Corydon/Stradbrook area since then. This is its first rental-apartment development and its largest project to date. Originally from Vancouver, Sun said he came here to attend the U of M and decided to stay and launch his new venture here rather than return to the West Coast. Its an easier place to start your own business, he explained. It requires less equity than in Vancouver. He said Winnipeg architect Ernie Walter originally purchased the two Stradbrook Avenue properties with the intention of building two multi-unit condo complexes one on each property. After he died in late 2013 and Well Start took over the project, Sun decided to switch to rental units and to build one larger building instead of two. He said the rationale for switching was the demand for new condos has softened, while the demand for apartments remains strong. SUPPLIED An artists rendering of the proposed four-storey, 41-unit apartment complex at 570 Stradbrook Ave. The project is the largest thus far for developer Well Start International Investment and Consulting Ltd. Sun said he jumped at the chance to redevelop the Stradbrook Avenue property because its a very nice area and a prime location. He also considers Fort Rouge to be one of the few established neighbourhoods in the city where its economically feasible to tear down an old building and build something new. In other areas, its just not worth the trouble. He said if this project is successful, hell likely try to do more infill developments in the area. Although parking spaces, public or otherwise, can be hard to come by in densely populated neighbourhoods such as Osborne Village it shouldnt be an issue for tenants in Well Starts new building. Jarrod Stevens, project manager for Pre-Con Builders, said the complex will have 59 parking stalls 25 in the underground parkade and 34 on a surface lot at the rear of the building. Stevens said the $9-million project will feature six one-bedroom, 32 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom apartments. Sun said theyll range in size from about 800 to 1,100 square feet, and rental rates will be based on market rates at the time of completion. Know of any newsworthy or interesting trends or developments in the local office, retail, or industrial real estate sectors? Let real estate reporter Murray McNeill know at the email address below, or at 204-697-7254. murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The federal government is still not prepared to say how it will address the crisis at the Port of Churchill, eight days after the staff were laid off and the port shut down. Jim Carr, the minister of natural resources, and the senior Manitoba cabinet minister in the Trudeau government, said Tuesday he is gathering intelligence on the ground and is meeting with mayors and chiefs in Winnipeg Wednesday. This presumably will be a new chapter, Carr said about the history of the operation of the railway and the port that has faced many operational challenges since 1997 when Omnitrax acquired the railroad from CN and the port from Ottawa. SUPPLIED / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Port of Churchill The operators of the port and of the railraod have determined they are no longer interested in those operations, said Carr. The government of Canada will look at the impact of those decisions on the people of the north and the people along the line. Carr would not give any indication what sort of action is being contemplated. He said there has been no communication that hes aware of between Omnitrax and Ottawa. The government of Canada will assess the impact of these announcements (by Omnitrax), we will talk to the people who are most affected, namely the people who live in Churchill and the people who are dependant on the railraod then across the government of Canada we will determine the appropriate next step, he said. When Carr meets with civic leaders and parties closely connected to the port and rail line Wednesday, hes going to hear them call for the federal government to re-nationalize the port. Thats what Churchill Mayor Michael Spence is calling for. Its also what the the 73-year old advocacy group, the Hudson Bay Railway Association, wants. Elden Boon, president of HBRA, will be at the meeting. It is critical that we get involved with the federal government on this, Boon said. It is going to take the feds to implement change up there. For one thing, the port needs to be re-nationalized. The Hudson Bay Railway Association is particularly interested in the movement of grain to the Port of Churchill. Boon said it was a drastic move to close the port because lots of grain was in place to be shipped there this year. He said there will be huge repercussions from the port shutting down. Our association has spent 73 years promoting the port and this this might be the most challenging situation we have ever had to deal with, he said. Regardless of what actions Omnitrax is currently engaged in, Carr, the former CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba, is well aware of the sentiment that Ottawa should play a larger role in the operation of the port. In 2011, when Carr was the CEO, the business council released a short report called A Northern Strategy for Manitoba. Among other recommendations, the report said, The governments of Canada and Manitoba should declare the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway as critical national infrastructure. We need to bring the federal government into the discussion with strong support from the province and the business community. Manitoba cannot go at this file alone; the expenditures are too large and the national ramifications justify federal government involvement. Good policy and appropriate investments will improve Canadas competitiveness and stimulate economic growth. Don Leitch, Carrs successor as CEO of the business council, echoed those sentiments Tuesday. The federal government has to be a part of any solution, Leitch said. Now that Omnitrax said it wants to sell the operations, Leitch said it seems clear no one wants to buy it unless there is public money involved. If the public puts up the money, why give it to a third party, irrespective of how deserving they may be, if you are the one financially backstopping the whole thing? Leitch said. That is the problem. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA A former chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal and a Winnipeg lawyer are among seven people who will help choose the next judge named to the Supreme Court of Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new process for picking Supreme Court justices Tuesday that will see a non-partisan, independent advisory board review applications to the high court and deliver a short list of three to five candidates to Trudeau for consideration. The board will be chaired by former prime minister Kim Campbell, and will include four members designated by the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Judicial Council, the Federation of Canadian Law Societies and the Council of Canadian Law Deans, as well as three members appointed by the minister of justice, two of whom have to be from outside the legal community. Jeff Hirsch Two of the seven members come from the legal community in Manitoba. Justice Richard Scott, who retired as the chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal in 2013 after 22 years in the role, is the designate of the Canadian Judicial Council on the board. Scott is currently working as an arbitrator and mediator at Hill Sokalski Walsh Olson in Winnipeg. Jeff Hirsch, a partner at the Winnipeg firm Thompson Dorfman Sweatman and the current president of the Federation of Canadian Law Societies, will represent that organization on the board. Its an honour, Hirsch told the Free Press Tuesday. Hirsch said the federation was approached within the last month about the possibility of a new Supreme Court appointment process, and while the federation wasnt consulted about the process, it is pleased to be involved on the board. He said having the legal regulatory community and the legal profession as a whole involved in choosing new Supreme Court justices is important. Justice Richard Scott We think its a very positive step in terms of process, Hirsch said. Scott couldnt be reached for comment Tuesday. Additional members of the board include: Camille Cameron, dean of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University; former Northwest Territories premier Stephen Kakfwi; Lili-Anna Peresa, president of Centraide of Greater Montreal; and Susan Ursel, a senior partner at a Toronto law firm and chair of the Canadian component of the African Legal Research Team supporting Envisioning Global LGBT Rights. The first applications for the high court will be accepted until Aug. 25 at 1:59 a.m. Central. The next vacancy on the court will open in September with the retirement of Justice Thomas Cromwell. mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/08/2016 (2279 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Store shelves in Churchill might look sparse this week. The town on the shore of Hudson Bay is beginning to feel the effects of a reduction in freight services, cutting its access to supplies ranging from fresh food to lumber. The change comes from Omnitrax Canada, which announced its intention to cut freight services on its northern rail line in half last week, reducing shipments to one train per week from two. Sunday marked the first scheduled shipment to be cancelled since the announcement. Supplied Everybodys in the same situation, said Churchill Mayor Mike Spence on Monday. Spence said stores relying on goods that would ordinarily have been brought in by freight will have to wait until later this week to replenish their stock. We wont see (a shipment) till Wednesday. We probably wont see it on the shelf until Thursday, Spence said. Its going to, naturally, have some effects in terms of your groceries and especially your fruit products when youre only getting one shipment a week, he added. Spence said the way freight shipment carried, essentially, everything that supports (our) community. Its all your groceries, all your perishables, all your, basically, everything, he said. Last week, Derek Reimer, an official from the North West Company, said the company will use expensive air transportation to fly in fresh produce for its Northern Store in Churchill. Well continue to assess the situation, he said. In the short term, consumers wont see price increases as a result of higher transportation costs. Omnitrax announced the change just days after it revealed the closure of the Port of Churchill, the largest single employer in the town. When its operating at full capacity, it employs up to 90 people about 10 per cent of the towns population. It will be the first time since the Second World War the Port of Churchill has not been shipping grain. This is devastating to the community, Spence told the Free Press last week. Were affected big-time. Omnitrax has so far been silent on the issue. Calls last week and on Monday went unanswered. Meanwhile, local leaders are trying to salvage the 2016 shipping season, with farmers preparing to harvest what is expected to be a record-setting grain crop that would otherwise have gone through the Port of Churchill. Leaders from at least a half dozen northern communities met with provincial cabinet ministers in a hastily convened meeting on Wednesday. Spence told the Free Press they are now trying to put together an action plan that might include some sort of lease of the facilities with temporary management and marketing support to drum up business and keep the port going this year. The Port of Churchill was owned by a Crown corporation called Ports Canada until its sale to Denver-based Omnitrax in 1997. Canadian National railway also sold the line to Omnitrax at the same time. with files from Bill Redekop, Larry Kusch, Martin Cash aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Winnipeg police have made two arrests in separate homicide cases. A second suspect has been charged with second-degree murder in the violent death of 26-year-old Cyril Weenusk of Oxford House, who was attacked near the MTS Centre in the early morning of July 5. Renelle McDougal, 20, of Winnipeg, was arrested July 29 after police publicly released images of a potential suspect. Police sought a court order to release the images because at the time they thought the suspect might be underage. Also accused of second-degree murder in that case is Geordie Douglas Wood, 22, of St. Theresa Point, who was arrested July 15. FACEBOOK Cyril Quentin Weenusk Weenusk didnt know his alleged attackers, police said. The father of four was visiting Winnipeg when he was attacked at Portage Avenue and Donald Street. It was a random occurrence between two parties and an altercation ultimately escalated into violence, Const. Rob Carver said. In a second homicide case, police arrested and charged 61-year-old Erskine Ruggles with manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Kingston Paul inside a suite in the 100 block of Bannerman Avenue on Thursday. The victim was shot at about 11:30 a.m. inside the multi-family building after a dispute police say may have been drug-related. There is a drug connection, to the accused and the victim being in the same place at the same time, but not necessarily to the shooting, Carver said. Police recovered the gun, which wasnt registered to the accused or the victim. The victim and the accused knew each other, Carver said. It looks like they may have shared the same residence at some point; Im not sure if that constitutes living together or not, Carver said. Ruggles is known to police, with a criminal record dating back more than 30 years. In 1995, he was found not guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Stony Mountain inmate Bertrand Myran. Most recently, in 2006, he was sentenced to 40 months in prison for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and being unlawfully inside a dwelling. In February 2015, the victim, Paul, was charged with robbery and mischief under $5,000 for allegedly attempting to steal a taxi and allegedly threatening the driver with a knife, then slashing the vehicles tires. The charges against him were stayed in April 2016, court records show. Police are not actively searching for any other suspects in either case, Carver said. staff Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Western Canadas oldest Jewish cemetery is in one of the last places youd expect to find it hidden away in the bush at the centre of a development boom in Transcona. This poor little cemetery is stuck in the middle of nowhere, said Bill Croydon, whos lovingly tended Children of Israel cemetery for the last eight years for Congregation Shaarey Zedek. The cemetery located north of Reenders Drive just behind the Kildonan Place mall was used from 1883 until 1935. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bill Croydon, the Shaarey Zedek maintenance supervisor, opens the gates to the Children of Israel Cemetery. It is the oldest Jewish Cemetery in Canada. To get there now, a visitor can park behind the empty Target store, walk north across Reenders and then wade through a field of thigh-high Russian thistle towards the cemeterys 12-foot chain link fence. The gate is locked but some of the gravestones are close enough to the fence that they can be read. Many have inscriptions in Hebrew and symbols such as two hands forming a priestly blessing with the fingers spread to form a V. Its a gesture that was borrowed and adapted by Yiddish Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy, who popularized it as the Vulcan gesture for live long and prosper. Its a fascinating place but we dont know a lot about it, said Ian Staniloff, executive director of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. Not many people know about it. Before the development boomed, the cemetery was dealing with a different type of encroachment. Poplar branches and bush threatened to overrun the graves. But that was before Croydon, whos worked for Shaarey for 33 years, took over maintenance and had the surrounding trees cut back. Pieces of wood still remain in the fence from branches that grew through and around it over the decades. We maintain it and cut the grass and make sure it looks decent, Staniloff said. We laid all the headstones down because they were falling down or being vandalized. While its not easily accessible, those who do come are often people looking for their roots, Croydon said. Its interesting to hear the stories. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The oldest gravestone at the cemetery belongs to Muriel, a young girl who died just short of 8 months in 1883. Last year, Croydon took a visitor from New York inside the locked gates to look for the gravestone of his great-grandmother whose murder was never solved. He cant remember the name nor the grave but Croydon, whos not a Jew, said he often thinks of newcomers and their struggles at a time when survival was so difficult. You look back at 1883, and there was nothing here. Taking care of a sacred place that holds so much history and meaning for so many is rewarding, he said. I take a bit of pride in that. To make sure the deceased at Children of Israel and seven other Jewish cemeteries in Manitoba are never forgotten, the Genealogical Institute of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada photographed 15,637 gravestones throughout the province. The names, dates of birth, dates of death and the location of the deceaseds graves have been entered into a massive database. It took 35 volunteers more than 1,200 hours to compile the information. Lynn Roseman, who helped co-ordinate the photography project, has a personal interest in the Children of Israel cemetery. Her husbands grandfather Akiva Mittleman purchased a plot, family lore says, for $5 in 1915 or so. The land for the cemetery was purchased in March 1883 for $300. The first burials were in June of that year, when five infants were exhumed from a flood-prone Thomas Street cemetery and re-buried there after a dedication ceremony. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The top of one of the gravestones at the Children of Israel Cemetery. The first person to be buried was Muriel Werthein, a seven-month-old baby who died Jan. 1, 1883, according to the Manitoba Historical Society. Little is known about her short life or the circumstances of her death but, in researching the Children of Israel cemetery, Roseman has gained some insight into the people and the times in which they lived and died. Most people think of cemeteries as somber places, but Children of Israel has some delightful stories to go with it, Roseman says. A passage from Scott de Groots essay in Jewish Life and Times quotes Wolf Moskowitz, who was at the cemeterys dedication ceremony in 1883: We got off the sleigh and, in parties, we circled the area as if to lay official claim to the place. After this procedure, we recited a number of chapters out of the Psalms, we sang hymns and partook of the liquor, each man shouting Le-chayim (to life). We then danced in the snow covered field and completed thereby the dedication ceremony. Many of the original headstones were made of wood but only one remains the one for Avraham Yitzak Steinman, who died Jan. 31, 1892. Its it housed at the Jewish Heritage Centre but isnt currently on display, Roseman says. The last burial at Children of Israel cemetery was Frank Druxerman, who died June 20, 1933. More than 80 years later, surrounded by commercial and residential development, getting to the cemetery to cut the grass every week has become a challenge for Croydon. He got permission from Storageville on Reenders Drive to cut through its property and drive his four-wheel-drive truck over hills, around a boulder and through waist-high grass and weeds to get there. As he nears the cemetery fence, a deer resting in a glade in one of the areas last woodlands gets up and bolts. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS New developments are springing up around the cemetery. Soon, the cemetery will have a new neighbour Shindicos 340,000-square-foot Shops of Kildonan Mile. An aerial view of the project on Shindicos website shows the Reenders Drive strip mall cutting around three sides of the cemetery. We respect the burials and site, Shindico CEO and president Sandy Shindleman says. West Transcona area is rivaling any other area as a desirable place to live, with the expanding residential and strengthening retail. Its Transconas time to shine, Shindleman adds. Our development will add to this. He says it wont make it harder to get to the cemetery, adding the cemetery has an easement off Almey Avenue to the north. However, neither homeowners on Almey nor Croydon knew exactly where or how to access the cemetery from the avenue, short of trespassing through someones yard. No matter how much development creeps up on the cemetery, it will never be overtaken by it or moved, Staniloff says. I cant imagine us ever doing that. In the Jewish faith, its not a very common thing to move a body. It would be very disrespectful. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bill Croydon, the Shaarey Zedek maintenance supervisor, at the Children of Israel Cemetery. It is the oldest Jewish Cemetery in Canada. It would also be very difficult, he says. You would need rabbinical approval, never mind provincial approval. We own the land and have an easement that will always allow access to the cemetery. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The University of Manitoba is trying to hire a midwifery instructor to start work a month from now and is negotiating with the Ontario Midwifery Education Program to deliver training at the Fort Garry campus. Its the latest twist in the ongoing saga of a University College of the North midwifery degree program that has produced nine graduates since 2006 at a cost of more than $8 million to the province. And its even more bizarre senior staff of Education Minister Ian Wishart, the Opposition NDP, and even the U of M communications staff were all unaware Tuesday afternoon of the new developments. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES UCN hopes the midwifery program will be offered in September on the University of Manitoba campus. In an email to Manitoba midwives sent out late last week, U of M nursing professor and director of midwifery Prof. Kellie Thiessen advised: We are pleased to announce that formal negotiations have been confirmed with Ontario MEP, to accommodate the Manitoba midwifery students. We will continue to work with Ontario to ensure the Manitoba students can continue on in their midwifery education trajectory. We have negotiated a partnership that will allow these students to complete their didactic courses in fall 2016 and then continue on in all required clinical placements (in Manitoba), commencing winter 2017. We will continue to work at a long-term sustainable midwifery education program for the province, ensuring access to midwifery care for all women, in all geographical regions of Manitoba. We will update the midwifery profession as details become known, said Thiessen. Meanwhile, the universitys human resources office posted a job July 28 for the immediate hiring of a midwifery instructor to work from next month through the end of term Dec. 16. Details are at http://wfp.to/e9D. Thiessen did not respond to interview requests Tuesday. It was not clear what the developments mean for 14 University College of the North midwifery students who completed the first year of their studies, but have been in limbo since June, when the province announced the existing program would not continue. The 14 women entered the UCN program last September. The plan was that they would transfer to the U of M next month to continue their studies under an expanded joint program the former NDP government instructed the two schools to establish in 2013 for classes beginning this fall. However, the joint program would not exist until the U of M gave its approval which didnt occur until last January and additional annual government funding of $844,000 was in place. The NDP was voted out of government in April without having approved the funding, and the Conservatives opted not to keep former premier Greg Selingers financial promise until problems were sorted out with the original midwifery program. Late Tuesday afternoon, Wisharts staff released a formal statement: We continue to work with our post-secondary partners to ensure the midwifery students in Manitoba who have already invested significant time and effort towards their studies can complete their coursework uninterrupted. We are also committed to the establishment of a a long-term, sustainable solution for midwifery education in this province, said the ministers spokesman. However, Wisharts office would not say if the minister had been aware of, or was involved in any way, with the actions that the U of M is taking. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Is it time for Canada to adopt a mandatory voting law? One part of the electoral reform agenda presented by the Liberal party in the 2015 election was to have a parliamentary committee study the possible adoption of compulsory voting. If this became law, the electorate would be legally required to vote and a failure to do so without a valid excuse would result in a penalty, probably a modest fine. Voters could still cast empty or spoiled ballots if they wished to protest the mandatory legislation. Improving turnout is the principal reason advocates call for the adoption of mandatory voting. More than 20 countries have laws in place. Australia has a long history of compulsory voting (dating to 1924). It is generally viewed to have a sound democracy in which turnouts in national elections are routinely in the low 90 per cent range. In contrast, from 1970 onwards, turnouts in Canadian elections declined slowly, with occasional exceptions such as the 2015 election. In most elections during the past four decades, turnout was in the low 60 per cent range. When 40 per cent or more voters do not bother to vote, and the victory of the winning party is based on receiving 40 per cent or less of the votes cast, claims of legitimacy and a mandate by the governing party is seriously weakened. A related concern is young people, aboriginals, lower-educated and low-income citizens (these categories overlap) are less likely to vote and this may mean political parties and governments are less responsive to their concerns. According to its proponents, compulsory voting is a simple and inexpensive way to both increase turnout and to encourage parties to appeal to all segments of society. However, there are complicated philosophical, legal, political and administrative issues to consider. Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees eligible citizens the right to vote and advocates of mandatory voting argue against the notion of an inverse right not to vote. Because there are a number of societal benefits arise from voting, such as ensuring more representative, responsive and legitimate governments, requiring people to vote is justified in the same way we insist people pay their taxes and serve on juries. Critics counter non-voting is a form of political speech that sends a message of dissatisfaction with the political system and/or the actors involved or simply reflects a rational calculation that one vote will make no difference. Another critical perspective is compulsory voting will bring politically ignorant voters to the polls in greater numbers. Poorly educated and inattentive voters, it is argued, are more susceptible to sensational advertising, including negative attack ads. Bringing apathetic and ill-informed voters to the polls may lead to random voting that counters the votes cast by conscientious voters who make the effort to inform themselves about the issues and party stances. Advocates for mandatory voting offer several counter arguments. First, voters may be ill-informed but they are not dumb. Regardless of educational background and socio-economic status, all of us have trouble understanding the complexities of modern government. Second, many people claim to be disgusted by the negativity of modern campaigns and the requirement to appeal beyond their traditional base of supporters may cause parties to become less mindlessly adversarial in their appeals to voters. Third, with guaranteed higher turnouts, parties could spend less time and money on get-out-the-vote activities and more on policy development. There are also many practical legal and administrative questions related to the adoption of such a law. Would it require an amendment to the constitution or simply a change to the Canada Elections Act? What circumstances would qualify as a valid reason for non-voting? If fines were used as a sanction for non-voting, what would be the amount and which public body would collect them? There are many other such practical questions that need to be asked and answered. If a new, more complicated voting system was adopted simultaneously with mandatory voting, voter confusion would be high, leading to problems at the polls and more invalid votes cast. The debate over mandatory voting raises the question of how low turnout must be to justify compelling people to vote. In the 2015 Canadian election turnout increased over the 2011 election by seven points to 68.3 per cent. Compare that to the United States where the 38 per cent turnout in the 2014 mid- term elections for Congress prompted President Barack Obama to call for consideration of mandatory voting. The bottom line is low turnout is a symptom, not the real problem. Turnout is not the only measure of the health of a democracy. For some time there has been growing disillusionment with the political process. Politicians and parties need to give citizens more reasons to have greater confidence and trust in the political process rather than adopt a compulsory mechanism to solve a perceived problem that may not be as persistent as the claims made by those who advocate for making voting mandatory. Paul G. Thomas is professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Donald Trump, the outspoken Republican presidential nominee, is at it again. This time he wants to put in place extraordinary or extreme measures in light of recent terrorist attacks to screen French citizens entering the United States. Europeans are also understandably concerned about Trumps recent comments about NATO. He maintains he wont necessarily come to the defence of Alliance partners if they are attacked (as stipulated under Article 5 of the Charter). Apparently, it will all depend on whether they are pulling their weight financially or if they have fulfilled their obligations to us. He went on to add: I would prefer that we be able to continue, but if we are not going to be reasonably reimbursed for the tremendous cost of protecting these massive nations with tremendous wealth Then yes, I would be absolutely prepared to tell those countries, Congratulations, you will be defending yourself. EVAM VUCCI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS files Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This marks the first time that a candidate for the U.S. presidency, or a sitting president, has placed conditions on American security guarantees for its western allies. These intemperate remarks have obviously unnerved Americas European defence partners. NATO secretary-general, Jans Stoltenberg, was quick to respond to Trumps surprising statement. Two world wars have shown that peace in Europe is also important for the security of the United States, he stated pointedly. But what does all of this mean for Canada-U.S. relations? Clearly, there is no more important bilateral relationship for Canada than its close relations with the U.S. We already know his promise to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is not what Ottawa and Mexico City wanted to hear. But what would a Trump presidency mean for the key Canada-U.S. defence relationship? It is worth mentioning criticizing Canadas lack of defence spending was often a common refrain from a number of U.S. ambassadors to Canada. But Trumps NATO comments, when applied to Canada, put an entirely different and clearly unwelcome spin on U.S. defence relations with Canada. Canada currently has hundreds of defence-related agreements, arrangements and declarations with the United States. And both countries work closely militarily in the defence of North America through the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). But what if Canada is not seen by a Trump White House as fulfilling its obligations to the U.S. to defend North America? Will he abrogate or undermine the multitude of signed agreements with Canada? Will he call into question the 1940 Ogdensburg Agreement or an earlier pledge by the U.S. to protect Canada? In a 1938 speech at Queens University, U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt promised the people of the United States will not stand idly by if Canada were to be attacked. That was followed by the August 1940 defence co-operation agreement signed by prime minister Mackenzie King and Roosevelt that established the Permanent Joint Board on Defence (which still exists today). All of that planted the seeds for future security arrangements and extensive defence co-operation between the two neighbours. But Trumps remarks about free-loading could undo much of that earlier groundwork. And it could have profound implications for Canadas defence of its sovereignty in the Arctic. Indeed, a less than friendly or unco-operative U.S. defence partner would spell bad news for Canadas claim to the Northwest Passage and an exclusive economic zone in the North. Moreover, I doubt Canadians are prepared to spend the kind of money on our military if Trump substantially reduces defence co-operation with Canada. It could also lead to the termination of the 1958 Canada-U.S. Defence Production Sharing Agreement, which benefits Canadian defence-related companies in exporting their equipment and armaments to the U.S. Its just really hard to know how bad things could get if Trump breaks with Canada in terms of continental defence. Still, the best thing for officialdom in Ottawa to do right now is just sit tight and wait and see what unfolds in the U.S. presidential election. It may be Trump is simply blowing smoke for domestic political consumption and has no intention of actually following through should be become president in November. In the meantime, though, members of Canadas military should quietly reach out to their U.S. counterparts to remind them of the mutual benefits of continued North American defence co-operation. For there is little doubting who the loser would be if a president Trump decided to pick up all his Canada-U.S. defence chips and simply walk away from the table. Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Folklorama kicked off its 47th year on July 31 and the Japanese, and Ukraine-Kyiv pavilions are ready to entertain guests in northwest Winnipeg. The festival celebrates diversity in Winnipeg, giving the different communities a chance to share with others more about their culture through dancing, music and culinary specialities. Folklorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival in the world, according to the International Council of Organizations of Folklore and Folk Arts. The Japanese pavilion is at St. Josephs Parish Hall (515 College Ave.) and the Ukraine-Kyiv pavilion is at Maples Collegiate (1330 Jefferson Ave.) during Folkloramas first week, running July 31 to Aug. 6. Go to folklorama.ca/find-a-pavilion to check times and other pavilions. We are a melting pot. Its important that everybody be aware of everybodys culture, so this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase that, Ukraine-Kyiv ambassador Marcia Romaniuk said. I think it helps with tolerance and acceptance. Japanese pavilion ambassador Sally Ito added Folklorama helps people reacquaint themselves with their culture. After time passes we forget things. We forget stories. Its great to be involved so that I can reacquaint myself with the culture that Im from, Ito said. Both Ukraine-Kyiv and Japanese pavilions youth ambassadors commented they enjoyed meeting the other ambassadors and learning about their cultures. Some pavilions I didnt even know existed until I became an ambassador, so now Im excited to go check them out and learn more about their culture, Ukraine-Kyiv Adrianna Krawczuk said. Romaniuk thinks its important to keep their cultures values and traditions alive because thats what forms a persons character. Its difficult to maintain the heritage. Were not in our natural surrounding, she said. If you dont have somebody thats going to remind you of those stories and tell you those stories and those traditions, well, then where are you gonna get that? she said. Japanese pavilion youth ambassador Seika Dyck said because Japan is always changing, the Japan her mom visited is not the same one she visited. She said the elders are also learning about the newer culture because its constantly changing. We are representing Japan young and old, Dyck said. While Ito was getting ready for Folklorama, she investigated many things about Japanese culture. She was able to learn about kimono with Canadian-born-Japanese, who have maintained the traditions, and she is thrilled she can now pass that on to her daughters. Its interesting to see what people in North America are doing with kimono and then the Japanese look and see the way the tradition is approached and manipulated and changed in another context, Ito said. Folklorama runs until Aug. 13. More information is available at http://www.folklorama.ca. Folklorama kicked off its 47th year on July 31 and the Japanese, and Ukraine-Kyiv pavilions are ready to entertain guests in northwest Winnipeg. The festival celebrates diversity in Winnipeg, giving the different communities a chance to share with others more about their culture through dancing, music and culinary specialities. Ligia Braidotti From left to right: Ukraine-Kyiv pavilion ambassadors Marcia Romaniuk and Adrianna Krawczuk and Japanese pavilion ambassadors Sally Ito and Seika Dyck at the Folklorama office on July 27. Folklorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival in the world, according to the International Council of Organizations of Folklore and Folk Arts. The Japanese pavilion is at St. Josephs Parish Hall (515 College Ave.) and the Ukraine-Kyiv pavilion is at Maples Collegiate (1330 Jefferson Ave.) during Folkloramas first week, running July 31 to Aug. 6. Go to folklorama.ca/find-a-pavilion to check times and other pavilions. We are a melting pot. Its important that everybody be aware of everybodys culture, so this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase that, Ukraine-Kyiv ambassador Marcia Romaniuk said. I think it helps with tolerance and acceptance. Japanese pavilion ambassador Sally Ito added Folklorama helps people reacquaint themselves with their culture. After time passes we forget things. We forget stories. Its great to be involved so that I can reacquaint myself with the culture that Im from, Ito said. Both Ukraine-Kyiv and Japanese pavilions youth ambassadors commented they enjoyed meeting the other ambassadors and learning about their cultures. Some pavilions I didnt even know existed until I became an ambassador, so now Im excited to go check them out and learn more about their culture, Ukraine-Kyiv Adrianna Krawczuk said. Romaniuk thinks its important to keep their cultures values and traditions alive because thats what forms a persons character. Its difficult to maintain the heritage. Were not in our natural surrounding, she said. If you dont have somebody thats going to remind you of those stories and tell you those stories and those traditions, well, then where are you gonna get that? she said. Japanese pavilion youth ambassador Seika Dyck said because Japan is always changing, the Japan her mom visited is not the same one she visited. She said the elders are also learning about the newer culture because its constantly changing. We are representing Japan young and old, Dyck said. While Ito was getting ready for Folklorama, she investigated many things about Japanese culture. She was able to learn about kimono with Canadian-born-Japanese, who have maintained the traditions, and she is thrilled she can now pass that on to her daughters. Its interesting to see what people in North America are doing with kimono and then the Japanese look and see the way the tradition is approached and manipulated and changed in another context, Ito said. Folklorama runs until Aug. 13. More information is available at www.folklorama.ca Arts programming at Saint Marys University of Minnesota has received more than $180,000including recent grants of $100,000 from the Hiawatha Education Foundation and more than $75,000 from the Minnesota State Arts Boardin support of performances and programming for the 2016-17 seasons at the Saint Marys University Performance Center and Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA). In total, the Saint Marys University Performance Center has received more than $50,000 to bring world-class performances to the Winona community through the Page Series. Saint Marys Page Series brings community audiences and professional performing artists together through performances of music, theater, comedy, dance, and youth programming, as well as free educational events throughout the year. This years Page Series season includes a variety of artists from around the world including the Shanghai Acrobats of the Peoples Republic of China and The Second City from Chicago. Visit the Performance Center online at pagetheatre.org to view upcoming events and to purchase tickets. MCA has received more than $135,000 to to offer programming in dance, music, visual art, and theatre, year-round. Classes, lessons, workshops, and camps are offered for children ages 18 months and older through adults at the Valencia Arts Center. This summers offerings include Winona Arts Camp, tap dance workshops, summer dance intensives, and more. Visit MCA online to learn more. For many farmers in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin, the weather couldnt have been better for growing corn and soybeans. The commodity prices for the crops, not so much. Greg Boldt, grain department manager for Farmers Coop Elevator, which serves farmers in southeast Minnesota, said forecasts are projecting a glut of corn and beans this year, with more than 2 billion bushels of corn left over after demand, putting downward pressure on prices. Rain makes grain is an adage Boldt used to describe this years July, which he said was one of the wettest in more than a century. Yields could be up as much as 15 bushels per acre from the average due to the good weather, which has also helped the crop mature quickly. The corn crop is at a point where even an early frost wouldnt hurt us, Boldt said. This year has just been the perfect storm. Agriculture experts are predicting a bumper crop of corn with more than 94 million acres of the grain planted across the U.S., up more than 6 million acres from 2015. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin are seeing near-record levels of acres planted to corn this year with a good chance for above-average corn and soybean yields. But crop prices havent recovered much after dropping last year to $3.40 per bushel for corn and $8.50 per bushel for soybeans, according to the USDA, which resulted in losses for many farmers. With the costs of fertilizer, fuel and labor at $4 or more per bushel, Trempealeau County Extension Ag Agent Steve Okonek said many farmers will struggle for the second year in a row to see a return on their investments. Hopefully, farmers have been on top of their finances and can come out the other end of this, he said. It gets hard, Gene Baumgarten, a farmer near Tomah, Wis., said. You know you arent progressing any. Baumgarten said his farm, with its 350 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, is doing OK even though the prices he receives for his crops and the milk his dairy cows produce have dropped from the highs he saw in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Other neighbors, whose debt is more highly leveraged, arent doing as well. For us, were doing OK, he said. We had some of our crops contracted, which has been good for us. Dried grain can be stored up to several years, and Allied Cooperative Director of Grain David Rappa said he recommends Wisconsin farmers who havent marketed their crop yet to store it until the spring and take a look at prices again. He said knowing the cost of production can help farmers know what price they need to receive to break even, and with discipline and patience, farmers can usually find profitable market conditions. Farmers with high debt loads wont fare as well as those who paid things down and took advantage of the good years, Okonek said. For the most part, the agriculture economy is healthy as he said many farmers and bankers remember the lessons from the 1980s when too many farms with high debt contributed to the decades farm crisis. There are things farmers can do to weather the downturn and keep their debt-to-asset ratios at good levels, Okonek said. While equipment prices have dropped as well, farmers can sell the extra. Other farmers could give up or sell some of the extra land they have or find other ways to be more efficient. There is a lot of fine-tuning that can be done, Okonek said. If there is any slack, now is the time to take care of it. Hopefully, farmers have been on top of their finances and can come out the other end of this. Steve Okonek, Trempealeau County Extension ag agent A new program at Winona Senior High School is meant to prepare students for local manufacturing jobs that often go unfilled. Organizers say the REACH program will introduce high-schoolers to Winona companies in need of employees, and then give those students the skills theyll need to land and perform those jobs. A collaboration between the high school and the Winona and Minnesota chambers of commerce, the program is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2017. We have kids who are struggling, said Mark Anderson, principal of Winona Senior High School. They might not see their path through 12th grade connecting them to a job. With this program, were looking for students who want to stay in Winona and find a career kids on track to graduate, but who need a little push to stay focused on what they can do after high school. Every year, REACH will enroll about 30 juniors who are expected to remain in the program until they graduate. If all goes according to plan, Anderson said, they will spend the summer between their junior and senior years working at paid internships. Anderson said the school shouldnt have much trouble finding enough students, that its more likely well have to turn students away. Those who get accepted will take field trips to local employers and spend their schooldays working toward certificates in their desired fields. Theyll learn how to write an effective resume, to give a good handshake, to mesh with their future colleagues. There are some programs in the state that are like this, Anderson said, but nothing to this extent. REACH also will bring students to local colleges Winona State University and Minnesota State College Southeast for career fairs and other events. Organizers say theyre looking for every student enrolled in the program to graduate high school, and then almost immediately enter college or the workforce. I see this as the perfect storm of opportunity, said Della Schmidt, president of the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, in a press release. We will change the lives of our young people by offering them a vision and a pathway to their future. Anderson said the school will meet with parents in February or March, introducing them to the program. To be considered, students must submit an application and complete an interview with the school. They should know by May if theyve been accepted. JUNEAU Dodge County and local fire departments may be closer to an agreement about purchasing water safety equipment over the next few years. Beaver Dam Fire Chief Alan Mannel and Clyman Fire Chief Eric Howlett attended the Dodge County Board of Supervisors Executive Committee meeting Monday to broach a proposal about the county contributing to the expense of water rescues in the area. Beaver Dam Fire Department wants to purchase water and ice rescue equipment and has asked towns that are part of the Beaver Dam Fire Association to share some of the water rescue costs. Town of Beaver Dam officials have objected, and say the sheriffs office should step up and take responsibility for water rescues. In trying to work out a solution Dodge County Chairman Russ Kottke, Dodge County Administrator Jim Mielke and County Board Supervisor David Frohling met with Howlett and Mannel in June. There was no agreement during the meeting and it would be up to the Dodge County Board of Supervisors to approve any agreement, Mannel said. We discussed what we, the fire departments, needed and what they thought the county might support, Mannel said. At the end of the day, we thought it was reasonable to start with the $100,000 for three years. The soonest it could be added to the countys budget is 2018, Mielke said. The Dodge County Fire Chief Association, which includes all the fire departments in Dodge County, as well as some of the border communities like Columbus, Waupun, Allenton and Hartford, would also contribute to the fund. Mannel said the fire association would discuss where the need is greatest for water rescue equipment and they hope to get requests from around the area in the near future. Mielke said to be considered by the county a formal request would need to be presented by the fire chiefs association. The request would be reviewed along with all other capital project funding requests, Mielke said. With the upcoming primary election set for Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Star-Times is running profiles of all three candidates for Juneau County district attorney, beginning with challenger Kenneth Hamm on July 27. Challenger Stacy Smith was featured in the July 30 issue, and we conclude our profiles with incumbent Mike Solovey. Despite a negative opinion from county officials and some members of law enforcement, district attorney Mike Solovey hasnt wavered in his bid to seek re-election. In fact, just minutes after the county board gave Solovey a 17-0 vote of no confidence in March, he told the Star-Times that, despite pressure to step down, he had no intentions of doing so and would run a vigorous campaign to continue serving as Juneau Countys lead prosecutor. Solovey maintains the push to have him leave the office is politically motivated. County Board Chairman Alan Peterson has told local voters not to vote for Solovey in letters to the media. In addition, Solovey believes one of his challengers, Kenneth Hamm, was handpicked by county officials to run against him. Stacy Smith, Vernon County Assistant District Attorney, is also on the ballot for next Tuesdays primary election. In 2012, Solovey defeated incumbent Scott Southworth in the August primary and Smith in the November general election. While some local officials believe Solovey has had a negative impact in the D.A.s office, Solovey believes hes improved the offices reputation and efficiency since taking over in January of 2013. I eliminated unfavorable publicity that Juneau County had locally, nationally, and even internationally, Solovey said. I also eliminated personal, partisan and political agendas. Solovey also said that no lawsuits have been filed against him or his office and no re-call threats have been posed against him by the voters. Prior to 1990, Solovey said political influence from a powerful and privileged few with the Juneau County business community determined who served for district attorney. It was not always a good system just because you were a good old boy and your daddy had a lot of money, you werent necessarily the most qualified for the position. The state started noticing problems with this from county to county, Solovey said. Effective Jan. 1, 1990, the Wisconsin Legislature changed the law and every one of the 71 district attorneys, who had been employees of the respective counties they served, ceased to be county employees and became state employees. Solovey said the intent of the law change was to shield D.A.s from the corrupting influence of the powerful and privileged few. The D.A.s were under local pressure and if they didnt make certain decisions, they might not be the D.A. for very long and terms were only two years back then, Solovey said. The purpose of the law change was to restore a semblance of separation of powers as well as fairness, impartiality, independence and consistency. What happened in 90s was the powerful became a little less powerful because they didnt hold the purse strings and justice became more just. Unfortunately, that law was easier to enact then to put into power. In the past few years Solovey believes he has eliminated politics and political influence from the office, which he said has been a double-edged sword. I believe I have only one client, which is all the people and one duty, which is to see justice done, he said. In the past 43 months, there has not been one single private citizen that has complained about the office or a negative letter to the editor or critical letter printed in the local papers. Solovey also stated that no employee in the office has been fired, quit, demoted or requested to be transferred. In court, Solovey maintains that no case has been neglected and no jury trial lost where the evidence of guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Despite claims from challengers Hamm and Smith that Solovey has backed away from high-profile cases, the incumbent said hes been able to keep up with the workload and become more efficient despite cuts in personnel and the departments budget. According to Solovey, he eliminated a backlog of cases referred to Southworths office that were never charged. Solovey also said there hasnt been any real problems in his office of a legal or ethical nature, despite claims from county officials and local law enforcement heads. He said his office has stayed within the countys budget allotment every year. Production has never ground to a halt or even slowed, Solovey said. There have been differences of opinion that may have been spirited or personal, but it never got to the breaking point. If reelected, Solovey would like to keep the public openness hes fostered the past few years and serve the county to maintain justice. As for his opponents, Solovey believes Hamm has a simplistic view of the D.A.s duty and doesnt have the experience to be a successful D.A., at least not for a few years. I just dont think hes ready; maybe several years down the road he will be, Solovey said. In describing Hamm, who has run for D.A., including other positions, before, Solovey said, In Stacys case, its kind of like always the brides maid, never the bride. Solovey, a Chicago native, comes from a law enforcement family. He had relatives who served for the Chicago Police Department, which ignited his passion for law. Solovey previously served two terms as the countys lead prosecutor in the 1970s. He worked in private practice in both Lake Geneva and Chicago from 1979-1995 and also served as founder and chief executive officer of U.S. Environmental Testing and Consultants, Inc. In 1996, Solovey returned to Juneau County with his wife, Kristy, daughter, Sara and son, Mike. State and local election officials are bracing for another round of voter confusion after two federal judges struck down several voting-related laws recently. Neither ruling will affect next weeks fall primary election, but they have potentially wide-ranging implications on the November vote for president, U.S. Senate and state legislative races, said Michael Haas, the states top elections administrator. Our main message at this point is that people understand that nothing changes these rules for the August election, Haas said. We, as well as the municipal clerks, will be doing our best to educate voters after the primary and as soon as we can. Municipal clerks are awaiting more information from the state Elections Commission and legal advice on whether the court decisions are likely to stick. If they do, voters could see expanded days, hours and locations for early voting, and the small number of voters who lack a photo ID would be less likely to be turned away at the polls. On July 19, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled that anyone without a valid photo ID could sign an affidavit at his or her polling place in order to vote in November. Then on Friday, U.S. District Judge James Peterson struck down a raft of laws Republicans have passed since 2010 that have limited early voting to weekdays between certain hours at one location per municipality, upped residency requirements from 10 to 28 days and prohibited the use of expired student IDs for purposes of proving ones identity. Haas noted that neither ruling negates the requirement that voters present a photo ID at the polls in November. That law has been upheld by a federal court, though in response to a separate motion as part of that case, Adelman ruled that an affidavit option must be available for voters starting in November. The state Department of Justice plans to appeal both rulings and ask for a stay of the decisions. On Monday, DOJ filed an emergency motion seeking a stay of Adelmans decision to avoid subjecting the state and the public to substantial and irreparable harm. Republicans have called Petersons decision an infringement on states rights by an activist judge. Both judges were appointed by Democratic presidents. Haas said he hopes the appeals court will rule on a stay soon so that elections officials can have clarity heading into the general election. He expects the primary results will be certified by Aug. 24. Federal and state laws allow absentee ballots to be issued starting Sept. 22. DOJ spokesman Johnny Koremenos said given Petersons decision, municipalities are free to move forward to comply with the order. But he cautioned that the states appeal is likely to prevail. The law is very much in flux, therefore any changes made by local governments to comply with Judge Petersons decision at this time may need to be halted if the court of appeals were to stay some or all of his order, Koremenos said. Given the current composition of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and a recent decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals invalidating similar laws in North Carolina, its possible the recent Wisconsin court rulings will be upheld, said UW-Madison law professor Robert Yablon. A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit upheld Wisconsins voter ID law in a previous case, but the full 7th Circuit rejected a request for the entire court to hear the matter on a 5-5 vote. One of the judges opposing that motion has since retired, making it possible the full court will hear both the Adelman and Peterson cases. Yablon noted that while the district judges were bound by the 7th Circuits voter ID ruling, the full 7th Circuit could decide to take up the issue again and invalidate Wisconsins voter ID law entirely. Going up to the 7th Circuit presents some risks and opportunities for both sides, Yablon said. The plaintiffs have a pretty good chance of at least keeping on appeal what theyve already gotten, just based on where the numbers stand in the appellate courts. Under the law that Peterson struck down, in-person absentee voting, an increasingly popular option in Madison and Milwaukee, was limited to weekdays in the two weeks before an election between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Level playing field When they passed the law, Republican lawmakers said it created a level playing field for smaller municipalities that dont have the staff or resources to offer early voting on weekends. Democrats said it was a blatant attempt to suppress Democratic constituencies in large urban areas. New York University Law School professor Samuel Issacharoff, a federal election law expert, said attempts to curtail early voting hours have been struck down in other states. Such laws tend to block so-called souls to the polls voter drives, in which primarily black, urban voters who tend to vote Democratic take buses after church on Sunday to early voting locations. Courts have been very skeptical of attempts to influence an election by manipulating the voter rolls, Issacharoff said. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said his office was prepared to handle the impact of Adelmans ruling, but Petersons ruling dramatically changes what happens across the city and the county. McDonell said he anticipates Madison will extend the hours for early voting for the November election, including on the weekends. He also expects there will be additional locations to facilitate voting, particularly on UW-Madisons campus. But any changes will require advance planning, he said. Weve got to make decisions now, McDonell said. Youve got to hire, youve got to train, youve got to print materials. All of these things are going to be going on in August. Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl did not respond to a request for comment. Milwaukee Election Commission executive director Neil Albrecht hailed Petersons ruling as very positive because during the April primary, when photo ID was reinstated after being on hold for years because of court challenges, there were hundreds of disproportionately minority and low-income voters turned away. Access to voting should be given the same level of scrutiny as purported efforts to prevent fraud, Albrecht said. The restrictions to early voting were troubling in their intent and very problematic to voters. Albrecht said his current focus is to work with state and local officials to provide clear information to the public on voting access requirements. Wood County Clerk Cindy Cepress, president of the Wisconsin County Clerks Association, said clerks across the state are awaiting guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Cepress said shes not aware of any widespread disenfranchisement of voters in rural parts of the state akin to what Albrecht described happened in Milwaukee. But she agreed there has been confusion about the law. Ive been doing this for 14 years and the only thing constant in these 14 years is, its been one change after another, Cepress said. I can see that voters dont know which way to turn. They dont know whats currently in effect. Its very difficult to overcome the misinformation that happens out there. City leaders are struggling to figure out what to do with a local service dog that was declared vicious by the Portage Police Department. Under city ordinances, vicious dogs are banned from residing within the city limits, but a city panel could not resolve an appeal by the dogs owner Tanya Klingbiel of East Edgewater Street on Monday. Twice the panel voted and reached a 2-2 stalemate regarding upholding or overturning the vicious designation against the dog known as Oddyssey Rose. The Police Department made the declaration after Klingbiel admitted that Oddyssey Rose repeatedly attacked another household dog. Klingbiel surrendered Oddyssey Rose to the Sauk County Humane Society, but is seeking to get the dog back. The dog that was attacked has since been euthanized because of cancer, according to Klingbiel. I need Odyssey back. I have had four seizures since she has been gone, Klingbiel told the citys Legislative and Regulatory Committee while sobbing Monday. Klingbiel said she has post traumatic stress disorder, seizures and mobility issues that the dog assists her with. She said she trained the dog specifically for her issues. She knows hand signs and verbal signs, Klingbiel said. Her husband Jason said it is extremely difficult to get another service dog. Common Council members on the committee wrestled with the issue for about an hour-and-a-half Monday before deciding to take no action. The committee will await more information about how the dog in question being a service dog applies or does not to the citys ordinance. We need more information, Rita Maass, chairwoman of the Legislative and Regulatory Committee, said near the end of the discussion. Earlier in the meeting, Maass had tried to uphold the vicious declaration by the Police Department, citing the citys vicious dog definition, which includes the following criteria: Has on two or more occasions bitten, injured, killed, damaged, or attacked any person or domestic animal on public or private property. That makes it pretty clear, Maass said. I cant see anything to overturn [the police officers] declaration, Maass said. Maass voted with Common Council member Jeff Monfort, while Common Council members Mike Charles and Mary Hamburg voted to overturn the decision. It is just tough, Hamburg said about the situation. Charles, meanwhile, cited a report from the Sauk County Humane Society, that said the dog received positive reviews during a behavior test. [The humane society] has not seen any dangerous behavior out of the dog, Charles said. When Sgt. Michael Schutz responded to the incident that prompted the declaration at Klingbiels home, he found the floor, door and Oddyssey Rose covered in blood and the victimized dog, known as Skai Vena, almost lifeless, the officer said. Klingbiel told Schutz that the dog that Skai Vena had a 3-inch long laceration that was about 1-inch deep, according to the police report. I dont know what happened, Klingbiel said, while noting that Oddyssey Rose had only been spayed about 10 days before. Maybe that had something to do with it. During the hearing Monday, Officer Schutz said that prior to the attack there were a handful of pending citations against Klingbiel regarding illegal pets, unlicensed pets and too many pets in the residence. Klingbiel admitted to temporarily taking care of a pet fox and skunk for someone else. Klingbiel said currently there are only two other pet dogs in the household. Near the end of the meeting, city leaders discussed the possibility of lessening the declaration against Oddyssey Rose to dangerous. The dangerous declaration comes with a host of risk mitigation rules including fencing, muzzling, added insurance and extra fees. It was unclear if those rules would prevent Oddyssey Rose from functioning as a service dog going forward. The committee will get more information about that matter before reconvening to make a decision. Ultimately, the Common Council would need to uphold the panels decision. It is unclear when the committee will take up the matter again. It could be in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Oddyssey Rose will remain at the Sauk County Humane Society. Common Council member Marty Havlovic, who is the fifth member of the committee, was excused from Mondays meeting. That led to only four votes being cast. Rick Dodd has been mayor of Portage since April and a big part of his mission is to change the way residents look at city leadership and the Common Council. He guesses the Council has a 50 percent approval rating and that many of those who have a negative opinion have been turned off by a perception that city leaders think they know whats best for you. Dodd said it is time for transformation through empowering employees and community members. This whole transformation is not going to happen overnight, Dodd said. It is going to be a slow process. The process, he said, starts with quarterly listening sessions intended to seriously inform the future direction of the community. The first one was conducted July 25 at the Portage Public Library and was attended by about a dozen people. What I dont want to happen is me coming down and saying this is what we need to do because I may not see the big picture of where we would like the city to go. Or I may not see, because I am too close to stuff, what the real issues are, Dodd said. Dodd will also be getting together with key community stakeholders from downtown business, industry, schools, and service organizations to come up with a shared mission and vision. We could sit down as a Council and do this, and then wed have to go out and explain it, sell it, and get people to buy in. The hope is that by getting all these people together, we dont have to do that, he said. The goal is to focus all the groups on a common mission to better the community to get them at the bigger vision level to move Portage in the right direction, Dodd said. The best way to get things done is to get the voice of the people behind you, saying yes, this is where we think this should go. Setting standards What hes hoping to do as mayor isnt that different than what Dodd does for a living, as a senior standards engineer at GE Healthcare. At work, he ensures international design standards are applied to new GE medical devices and he sits on some of the committees of the international standard-setting body that writes those standards. This is a worldwide organization that we are involved in, he said, noting that a recent meeting in Chicago included about 120 people from 30 nations. The work has led Dodd to various parts of the world, including China in recent years. These standards are like the ordinances that we have to follow to build a medical device, he said comparing his two jobs. What I am trying to do (at city hall) is not a whole lot different, if you think about it. I am trying to get a bunch of different people to come together. It is a give-and-take process, you need to be able to see the big picture of where things should fall into place, but you also have to be able to stand up and say this is what I personally think. Then write these things in a way that everybody can understand, agree to, and implement. Constructive criticism Listening sessions can be very uncomfortable, Dodd said. People are criticizing things that you may feel is in the best interest of the city. The key will be to make sure the listening sessions are productive. They can very easily turn into a gripe session, so they will have to be kept in tow, because those things sort of snowball and you are not getting any productive stuff, he said. But constructive criticism is one of the best things you can seek, he said. And if you listen, you might actually win people over, he said. If something actually moves forward with that, then people can see it is starting to help a little bit. The last thing you want to do is listen to people and say nope, I dont like any of that and move on to something else, Dodd said. That we know best vibe is something that has always bothered him, he said. That attitude comes from a different generation and it is going to take a while to break through. For a while, I think everybody felt their comments fell on deaf ears because things never got done, or things got done so slowly that they didnt realize it, Dodd said. Empowering staff The transformation that Dodd seeks, however, isnt just external, it is internal too. Dodd wants city staff to think differently about their work. I want them to take ownership of their job and feel like they can make the decisions, take the projects and run with them, and not have to say I have to sit back and wait for this committee meeting to say yes I can do that, he said. The goal is to get city staff to attend more ribbon cuttings, community meetings and other events, increasing passion and goodwill for the city among both workers and the public. It is getting them to want to do some of this stuff and entitling them to do this stuff without permission, Dodd said. I dont want to be the front person out there all the time, even though I will do that when I need to be there, but it is to get the people that do the work out in front. Dodd admits it is a challenge to empower public workers, who are under added scrutiny by Council members and the public; but it is not impossible. It just takes a little bit more. I know certain administrations felt that they should spend all their time in the office, Dodd said. To me, this is as much part of their job as doing what they do back in the office because yes they are public employees and you need to see them out in the public. Dodd is well aware that if there is no progress during his mayoral term, it could be a failed three-year experiment. Careful not to say hed run for another term or not, Dodd said hed like to see some listening session suggestions become reality. Some of them are probably not going to get done in three years, because they are a bigger process than that. You have to take the baby steps before you can start to walk and run, Dodd said. We are all in this big sandbox together and no one can say they are going to take their bucket and shovel and go home, because that is just not going to work. The best way to get things done is to get the voice of the people behind you, saying yes, this is where we think this should go. Rick Dodd, Portage mayor If Columbia County officials were looking for solid, certain answers about the future of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, they didnt get them at last weeks special Intercounty Coordinating Committee meeting in Juneau. But county supervisors and UW-Extension Columbia County representatives who attended the meeting on Wednesday spoke, for the most part, positively about what theyd heard, when they reported about the meeting at Mondays session of the County Boards Agriculture, Extension and Land and Water Conservation Committee. Extension is facing a permanent cut of $6.3 million in the states budget part of a $250 million cut in expenditures for the UW System, of which Extension is one component. Patti Herman, UW-Extension Columbia County family living educator, said she senses, from the Juneau meeting, that Extension officials are sticking with plans to keep an Extension presence in all 72 Wisconsin counties, but to organize all but the states most populous counties into multi-county administrative regions. The proposal to group Sauk, Columbia, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties into one region seems unlikely to change, Herman said. However, Karen Nelson, UW-Extension Columbia County 4-H and youth development educator, said that while the multi-county organizations might be administrative in nature, it wouldnt necessarily follow that all local Extension programming would originate from the regions as they are proposed. But if there will be a regional leader in each Extension region and if so, what that leaders role will be in administration and programming remains to be seen. Its also less than certain, Herman said, that the number of Extension staff members working in Columbia County would be significantly smaller. At Wednesdays meeting in Juneau, County Board Chairman Vern Gove pointed out that Columbia Countys new buildings, now under construction alongside the Portage Canal, would have space for about the same number of Extension staff members as now work in Columbia County. Gove asked whether cuts to Extension would result in wasted space in the new Administration Building. Rick Klemme, dean and director of the UW Cooperative Extension, said Wednesday that counties can expect to have the same Extension staffing as they have now, at least through February 2017 and probably for most of all of the year. The staffing question was particularly relevant on Monday because the Extension submitted its proposed 2017 budget to the committee, which calls for expenditures to be substantially the same as this year. Supervisor Andy Ross of Poynette, who attended the session in Juneau, said most of his constituents say they know what Extension is, but theyre often hard-pressed to name one or more Extension program. Some of the programs offered by Columbia Countys Extension educators include: The Master Gardener program. 4-H. Home and Community Education, a program that originally existed to offer practical advice to rural women, but which now also includes numerous volunteer activities. Cooking With Local Food, a monthly program in the summer about how to choose and prepare locally grown food. Several programs for people engaged in farming, including help with creating a nutrient management plan, in the interest of minimizing soil and water contamination from more fertilizer than is needed. A Farm-to-School program, to bring locally produced foods into school lunches. During the summer, weekday lunches for children in two Portage locations and monthly education programs on selecting and cooking with local produce. Efforts to get more and better broadband connections to rural areas, including Columbia County. When Ross tells them that these programs and others are the work of Extension, he said, the constituents respond, Oh yeah, thats pretty good work. Committee Chairman Mike Weyh of the town of Lewiston noted that previous discussions with state officials about Extensions future have left him with more questions than answers and to some degree, thats still true. Nevertheless, Herman said, Extension officials have realized the need to improve communications with counties about the future of Extension, and sessions like the one in Juneau are steps in the right direction. The word loser is spoken with such contempt these days, a man might like to forget the losses in his own life that taught him something about good judgment. The money he invested in that casino in Atlantic City that went bust, the university course he enrolled in that promised to teach him the secrets of success and instead he wound up unemployed and 40 grand in debt, the candidate whose hat he wore who turned out to be tone-deaf and deluded dumb, dumb, dumb, and yet his loved ones did not chortle and point and do the nyaa-nyaa, they put an arm around him and said, This is how we learn. And it is. Dumb things Ive done: too many to mention. Quit a job out of pique. Twice. Got mad at a newspaper reporter. Had a fit of road rage, forgetting that I was holding my phone with a colleague on the line. Tried to train a dog by yelling at him. The list goes on. And what you discover from doing dumb things is this: you have friends. Youre in a circle. Youre covered and that is more valuable than marble walls and golden faucets. Walter Mondale took a historic shellacking in 1984 and made his way back to Minnesota where he is loved and honored, one of our own. Wherever he goes, people smile at him. He is blessed. So am I. I walk around St. Paul and people smile at me because theyve heard about my speech to the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society in which I analyzed the themes and motifs in For Whom The Sun Rises, forgetting that its actually For Whom The Bell Tolls, plus it was written by Hemingway. But this is how you find out who your friends are. I gave a speech at my friend Studs Terkels 90th birthday party, told the story of his life though he had heard most of it before, and said that the old mans graduate school was the lobby of his mothers low-rent hotel near Bughouse Square in Chicago where he listened to the clientele, the unemployed railroadmen and alcoholic typesetters and old radicals and young couples with no luggage who inquired about the hourly rate, most of them low on cash, but with attitude. He got a law degree, became an actor, then got into TV. It was 1949. He had his own show on NBC and was doing well until an American Legion guy accused him of being a commie and the show was canceled, which saved Studs from premature success and led to his long happy career in radio. He respected people who had lost, he could see the possibilities in defeat. Whenever I visited Chicago to see Studs, I was surrounded by his friends who then, ex officio, became my friends. He lived to be 96 and he died with Johnnie Walker in one hand and a cigar in the other. I went to see him the summer before he flew the coop and he was full of prune juice, reminiscing about his days as a gangster on soap operas, worried about whether his hero Obama would be elected. He wanted to live long enough to see it but he didnt want to if it wasnt going to happen. I convinced him that Obama was a sure bet. Finally, he said, Ninety-six is long enough. I had my share. He died four days before Election Day, 2008. He was born a month after the Titanic went down and he went out as Obama was coming in. What a life. I had two uncles and an aunt who went down young from heart attacks because they didnt live long enough to enjoy the advances in cardiac surgery that wouldve extended their lives, and here I am, older now than my elders and still cruising along, my heart set on reaching 96, simply to enjoy the view and maybe take up whiskey and cigars again. We made our mistakes back in the 20th century, Lord knows, but we never nominated a man for president who brags about being illiterate. Coolidge had his limits. Warren G. Harding spent more time on his hair than strictly necessary. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a piece of work. But all of them read books. When I envision a Trump Presidential Library, I see enormous chandeliers and gold carpet and a thousand slot machines. God help us. I mean it. Were in trouble down here. We are the land of more than 10,000 lakes and we have the boats to prove it. Minnesota ranks No. 1 in the country for most boats per capita at more than 540,000 motorboats, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. With that ownership comes responsibility. So its appropriate we are the first state in the nation aimed at carbon monoxide poisonings caused by boats. A Minnesota law going into effect during the next year requires boats with enclosed areas that accommodate people include carbon monoxide detectors. The deadly gas can build up from an idling motor, generator or faulty motor exhaust system. Although carbon monoxide poisoning deaths caused by boats are not a common occurrence, it has happened three times in Minnesota over nine years, including that of 7-year-old Sophia Baechler. She died in October on Lake Minnetonka when carbon monoxide, which is colorless and odorless, leaked from a hole in the boats exhaust pipe. Sophias parents are both doctors who tried to save her, but the poisoning hit hard and fast. She died fewer than 10 minutes after complaining of a headache and lying down. It was determined a muskrat had chewed through the exhaust pipe, creating a hole underneath a mattress area in the watercraft. The family pushed for the detector law to prevent other avoidable loss of life. Detection is simple and relatively inexpensive, with hard-wired marine-certified carbon monoxide detectors soon to be required on affected watercraft. Although the law doesnt kick in until next spring, theres no reason for boaters to wait. Installing a detector today could mean a safer boat ride tomorrow. A Reedsburg business that has expanded across the state has reached a milestone. Vierbicher Associates turned 40 this year. The land and community consulting company started in Reedsburg and now has offices in Prairie du Chien and Milwaukee. The Reedsburg site, which was founded by James Vierbicher, is still the business headquarters. The company is employee owned, said Principal Kurt Muchow. Vierbicher has about 55 workers, he said. Projects About half of Vierbichers work is with municipal clients; the other half is private entities, he said. Private development, however, helps drive municipal projects. Storm-water management and streets make up a large portion of Vierbichers assignments. The company not only helps with design but also funding, assisting communities in seeking money from grants and Tax Incremental Districts (TIDs), he said. Municipalities face challenges thanks to storm-water runoff codes but that change has proved beneficial for companies like Vierbicher. Cities are altering or building streets to address water quality and they need Vierbichers services, Muchow said. In Madison, Vierbicher is busy thanks to new subdivisions, Muchow added. Vierbicher also does business with multi-family home, hotel and assisted living developments, said Project Manager Gary Woolever. Muchow said its important to watch market fluctuations. You have to follow the money and react to whats hot, he said. Advancement Technology has changed the nature of the business. Employees now have access to unprecedented amounts of information, database software and graphic design tools. Muchow said its possible to gather information in the field, process the data and then draw maps. New software allows companies to generate elaborate, detailed designs. What was once a simple sketch or line drawing is now a computer-generated image with dimensions and colors. Noteworthy projects Vierbicher has several high-profile projects on its record. In Reedsburg it was part of the Westside Storm Sewer and Groundwater Interceptor and the Lakeside Foods protection levee. Its services were used by Menards on the stores in Baraboo and Johnson Creek as well as the expansion in Madison. In DeForest it has worked on a business park and storm-water management program. It also has multiple footprints in Madison, leaving its mark on the Grand Central Apartments, Arbor Gate, apartments at 1001 University Avenue and Bentley Green Condominiums. Vierbicher also served another homegrown Wisconsin business, the New Glarus Brewing Company, when it needed to expand. Dewey Street in Reedsburg is on the horizon. In 2018 the company plans to reconstruct the road from Main Street to south of the railroad tracks. There wont be any major changes but the reconstruction will include bike lanes, Woolever said. Hindsight Muchow said its difficult to believe that so much time has passed. The business started downtown, moved to East Main Street for a few years and then settled at its current location on Viking Drive in 1997. At the time that stretch of street wasnt as developed but it has grown up in recent years due in big part to traffic to and from the Dells. Forty years slip by awful fast, Muchow said. For more information about Vierbicher, visit www.vierbicher.com. Surrounded by blank walls where pictures taken over 44 years once hung and the faint sound of a radio playing nearby, Jim Kelter swept the cut hair from the floor of his Sauk City barber shop for the last time July 30. When finished, he sat down in his own barber chair, not quite believing it was his last day in the shop. Kelter and his business partner, Chuck Theobald, who retired in 2013, were well known for their barber shop that was more of a social gathering place where sometimes guys even came in for haircuts. Its been a really good 44 years, Kelter said. My customers have been like my family. Kelter first opened his own barbershop on the corner of Phillips Boulevard and Water Street in Sauk City in 1972. You might say he had a good shot at it. One day I wanted to go to Ace Hardware and buy a new shotgun, Kelter said. I was walking into the store and the old guy who used to cut my hair was walking out. He said come on down to the barber shop I want to talk to you. I said Im buying a new shotgun and Ill be right down. He said, no, come down now. Kelter left Ace Hardware without buying the gun and went directly to Clarence Whitmans barbershop. By the time he left that evening, hed signed a lease and wrote out a check to take over Whitmans shop. When I walked out of there that night, Id written a check for the barbershop and not the shotgun, Kelter said. When I went home, I told my wife, youll never guess what I bought tonight. She said, yeah, you got your new new shotgun. I said, no, I bought a barbershop. Kelter stayed at Phillips and Water Street until 1978 when he moved to his final location next to the Gym Bar on Water Street. A few months later, Theobald joined the shop and the two have cut hair for three, sometimes four generations of Sauk Prairie area families. I was fortunate to have Chuck, Kelter said. We had a lot of the same interests. We hunted and fished together and we had the same ideals about things. The two met in barber school in Madison when they were about 25, but then both went to work at other shops in the area until Kelter set up business in Sauk City. In barber school, we had anatomy, physiology, bacteriology and sanitation and things like that, Kelter said. They only gave us one semester of psychology. We could have used another semester of that. Theobald visited the shop July 28, ahead of Kelters last day. Hes a lot older than me, Theobald said. You can tell by the looks. His birthday is April 26 and mine is May 8. They both turned 73 this year. The pair often ribbed each other, like two comedians who happened to cut hair during their shtick. Whenever I was in town and had the time I would stop in, Theobald said. We were together 35 years. Its something special when two people can work together that long. Mike Sitton has been a customer for years and said hed miss the jokes and cajoling. He had always had a smile and a funny story, Sitton said. He always made us feel right at home. He was like a member of the family. Charlie Horton said he visited the shop whether he needed a haircut or not. Hes known Kelter and Theobald since they set up shop together. A customer once asked why they didnt just give Horton a key. He said he used to get phone calls at home asking whether the shop was open that day. When theres nothing to do, you go in and hang out, Horton said. Every day four or five go in there without getting a haircut just to talk and find out whats happening. Kelter said in retirement he would do more fishing, go to Ho-Chunk Casino more often, and visit his only child Lori Zenker and his two granddaughters in Toledo, Ohio. When asked who he would miss the most, Kelter shot back: Every one of my customers. Hes a ballyhoo artist who has to cover up his shortcomings by wild accusations. Hes the desperate loudmouth and character assassin whose sensational allegations get the biggest headlines. Hes the greatest asset the Kremlin has. Hes Wisconsins late junior Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Bet you thought it was Donald Trump. Well, actually, it is now; but back in the 1950s, President Harry Truman applied these characterizations to McCarthy, Trumps demagogic lodestar. Twenty-something Trump mastered many of McCarthys sleazy techniques and even hired McCarthys, red-baiting consigliere, Roy Cohn, who subsequently served as Trumps mouthpiece and mentor for 13 years. In What Donald Trump Learned from Joseph McCarthys Right-Hand Man, The New York Times observed: Cohns influence on Trump is unmistakable the gleeful smearing of his opponents, the embracing of bluster straight out of the Cohn playbook. According to the Times, Cohn was disbarred for unethical, unprofessional and particularly reprehensible conduct. Facing disbarment, Cohn summoned Trump to testify to his character. McCarthy to Cohn to Trump: We 2016 electors are witnessing the passing of a torch bearing a smutty, smoldering foul flame, which if fanned in this Novembers election could conflagrate this country. Do the right thing: Extinguish it with your vote. Robert Reid, Wisconsin Dells What will legislators do about transportation funding? And when will they actually do it? Those are two good questions that voters should be asking of every state representative and every state senator who faces election this fall. Dealing with the crisis in transportation cant be put off any longer. And finding Band-Aid solutions that just kick the problem down the road is no longer sufficient. Legislators need to find a long-term sustainable answer to how to fund road maintenance, transit options and new roads. And they need to make sure that its based on a user system by which those who use the roads pay for them. Everyone pretty much agrees on that; but theres little agreement on how to solve the problem. A long-term solution requires a combination of tools and strategic thinking. What do we want and what are we willing to spend? It also requires that all the players come together for a healthy discussion. We think the answer lies in a combination of modest gas tax and fee hikes, cutting back or delaying some road projects and finding more efficient ways of building them (as Gov. Scott Walker has suggested) and considering alternative revenue such as a vehicle-miles-traveled system or tolls. Borrowing might be necessary, too, but that should be kept to a minimum. Legislators were just given another reminder of the seriousness of the issue by the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau, which reported that the state will need another $939 million over the next two years to match what lawmakers approved in the last state budget. So the state is nearly $1 billion short at the same time that a growing chorus of local government officials, citizens, transit users and road builders say Wisconsin is falling woefully short on meeting its infrastructure needs. Reports by TRIP, a national transportation research group, and a 2013 state commission detail the problem: TRIP reported that, statewide, 42 percent of major roads are in mediocre to poor condition; in Milwaukee, its 56 percent; in Madison, 68 percent. More than 2,000 (14 percent) of the states bridges are in need of repair or modernization. And those are just maintenance issues. What about the need to complete major projects such as the Zoo Interchange and the I-94 and I-90 corridors? Yes, the state can delay some projects and perhaps there are some that arent necessary at all but how long before increasing traffic and an increased desire for more mass transit options put a real crimp on the states economy? Walker says he wont allow gas tax or fee hikes unless corresponding funding is cut from other state programs. OK, but how does he propose to pay for roads aside from cutting projects? And where else would he cut? Corrections? Education? Aid to local communities? Health care? Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) said he was open to other ideas, but considered raising the gas tax the best option because it is paid by state residents as well as visitors to Wisconsin. Its not necessarily the fiscally conservative position to simply say no and to continue to delay projects and delay growth of our system and capacity in our transportation system thats going to drive our economy for the next 30 years, Nygren said. Nygren makes a good point, but hes missing a larger one. With ever more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrid and electric vehicles, gas tax increases cannot provide a long-term solution by themselves. Theyll have to be part of the picture, but so will other revenue, including perhaps a VMT system or tolling, which every good Badger loathes but which the state is nevertheless studying. The transportation problem is a bipartisan issue: Democrats in Milwaukee County suffer just as much as the Republicans in Waukesha County when roads go to pot. It requires a bipartisan solution. And it requires one soon. Manos, Office of Environmental Health and Safety win CSHEMA awards A Campus Leader Who Cares: Dennis Manos, William & Marys vice provost for research, won an award from the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association recognizing his support of safety initiatives. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Environment, Health & Safety staff (From left) Fire Safety Officer Brad Meirs, Environment, Health & Safety Specialist Corinta Harris and EHS Director Sandra Prior display the award-winning keychain/ornaments. Photo by Joseph McClain Photo - of - Hide Caption The Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) recently recognized William & Mary with a pair of awards. The universitys Office of Environmental Health and Safety is involved in both awards, being a nominator for one and a nominator and recipient of another. I usually say that the Environmental Health and Safety Office is the EPA, the OSHA and the Public Health Department for William & Mary, Sandra Prior explained. All the regulatory things, but we also are a training center for CPR and first aid. Its a tough job and Prior says it would be a great deal tougher without the intelligent, engaged support her office receives from Dennis Manos, the universitys vice provost for research. For his support of the EHS office, Manos was recognized as a Campus Leader Who Cares by CSHEMA, the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association. CSHEMA is a professional organization of campus safety personnel in the higher education and research communities. Prior is the director of William & Marys EHS office. She said she nominated Manos for the CSHEMA award to recognize his support of her offices efforts to improve both policy-and-procedure initiatives as well as for the many and varied individual instances in which small-to-moderate sums are required for equipment or training to make William & Mary an even safer scientific community. Manos says that he is grateful for the honor, but insists that all credit belongs to Prior and her staff, Environment, Health & Safety Specialist Corinta Harris and Fire Safety Officer Brad Meirs. Sandra struggles in a very difficult environment. Her contribution to safety isnt always recognized, and she struggles with very difficult circumstances, Manos said. If she does her job absolutely perfectly, day after day, endlessly no one will ever notice. In turn, Prior cites Manos support for numerous safety initiatives in her letter nominating him for the Campus Leaders Who Care Award. She said Manos has been willing to chip in when a lab needs some piece of equipment and her own slim budget wont stand the strain. Priors nomination letter says that Manos willingness to make the hard decisions in favor of safety has been valuable as well. The partnership between Manos and Priors office is evidenced by a set of teaching and research labs that run largely without incident. Weve had some things happen that make us pay closer attention, but weve not had anyone seriously hurt, Prior said. I attribute that to being incredibly lucky or having incredibly good people. And I think its a combination. Shortly after receiving notification that Manos had won the Campus Leaders Who Care Award, Prior learned that her office had received a second honor from CSHEMA. EHS won an a marketing award for single use of media, given to a single piece of marketing media (poster, video, photo, etc.) targeted to any specific area of occupational safety and health on an academic campus. The item that won the award was a keychain, a brainchild of Harris. Harris explained that she wanted an item to replace the stuffed fire safety dogs, popular promotional items that Meirs used to reinforce staff training. I wanted something that would exemplify safety as a whole laboratory safety, industrial safety and not just fire safety, Harris said. She sat down and designed a keychain with a fob reading, You are the key to safety. There was a surprise when EHS took delivery of the items: When the first batch came in they were much bigger than we anticipated, Harris said. Prior had an inspiration of her own. The key fobs might be a little big for some people to use as keychains, but she saw that they were just a nice size for Christmas ornaments. She took a bunch of the keychains to the main facilities buildings, where there were large poinsettia plants on hand for the holidays. She went after hours, hanging the keychains like ornaments. She added a sign, inviting people to take a keychain/ornament to decorate their own tree. It was a popular move, so Prior went on to decorate a number of yuletide greenery with the ornaments. We got the word out about safety, Prior said. A lot of people didnt get one, so they asked me for one, to take home and put on their own Christmas tree. Getting the key chains into the homes was a great way to promote safety in the home as well because safety doesn't stop at the end of the work day. She said that some people like the large fobs for their original intended use as keychains. But when it became time to reorder, EHS opted for a smaller version, but one thats still big enough to use as an ornament. CSHEMA presented the awards at its 63rd annual conference in Austin on July 24. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Belarus plant work suspended after installation mishap 02 August 2016 Share Russia's Rosatom has offered to replace the reactor shell its workers dropped during installation work last month at Belorussia's first nuclear power plant, in Ostrovets, in the Grodno region. Meanwhile Mikhail Mikhadyuk, deputy energy minister of Belarus, has said a decision would be taken on the use of the equipment only after a thorough investigation of the "abnormal situation". Assembly of the reactor vessel for Ostrovets units 2 at the manufacturing plant in Russia (Image: Rosatom) Rosatom's deputy director general, Alexander Lokshin, said yesterday that construction workers preparing to install the reactor vessel failed to secure it properly. According to Associated Press, Lokshin said the vessel "slipped down slowly and touched the ground softly" in the 10 July incident. The reactor was not damaged, he said, but Rosatom "stands ready" to replace it with another if that would help restore public confidence in the project. Mikhadyuk said yesterday that the general contractor of the project would bear costs of the incident. According to the BelTA news agency, he said the multiple construction and assembly works for the project are proceeding to schedule, but "mounting of the shell of the reactor" has been suspended. The minister added: "Only two scenarios are possible: either we use the same shell once its safety is confirmed. Or we replace it. There is no other option. But now it is up to the experts. Our priority is the unconditional safety of the nuclear power plant." Rosatom subsidiaries OKB Gidropress and Atomstroyexport are inspecting the reactor vessel. The results of the inspection will be sent to the project's customer - the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Company - and to Gosatomnadzor, specifically, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry. AEM-Technology, another Rosatom subsidiary, said in May that it had completed assembly of the reactor vessel for the VVER-1200 unit 2 of the Belarus nuclear power plant. In March, AEM-Technology announced it had completed assembly of the internals for unit 1 of the plant. The reactor vessel itself was shipped there in October last year. Operation of the first unit of the Ostrovets plant is scheduled for November 2018 and the second unit in July 2020, to give 2340 MWe net capacity on line. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics The pop star is set to continue performing after a much-needed break Ellie Goulding has officially resumed touring after being diagnosed with severe insomnia and exhaustion a few weeks ago. She made her return on July 31st at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. The 29-year-old pop star previously had to cancel two festival performances after being advised to stay home by medical professionals. In fact, she was told that exhausting her voice any further could cause permanent damage to her vocal cords. The Love Me Like You Do hitmaker took a short vacation to Saint Tropez in France before stepping back on stage. After delivering an energetic set (including a short stint on the drums) Goulding shared her joy about resuming what she loves doing most. She stated on Twitter: Best show of the year damn @lollapalooza (sic) This followed by an Instagram post, adding: I know people use this world for so many differed reasons But I am BLESS-ED. What a night @lolapalooza (sic) Goulding took part in nearly 100 performances in 2016. Her unexpected diagnosis led to her feeling frustrated, but acknowledged the need to recuperate. She stated: My doctor said my voice might not bounce back. They did a bunch of tests on me and I have been diagnosed with exhaustion. Im a hard worker. I dont cancel anything unless I really need to, but my doctor said, Ellie, your voice is going to burn out. Glastonbury was the point where I realized I was pretty exhausted. Its all good though Im feeling really positive about the rest of the year. The artist will soon travel to New Zealand and Australia later this year to continue her world tour. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Elephant (illustration) By: Wayne Morin (Scroll down for video) A young girl has died while visiting a zoo with her family, according to police in Morocco. Rabat police said that the 7-year-old girl was at the Rabat Zoo with her family when an elephant threw a rock at her. The rock hit the girlas head, and she began bleeding. She was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead. According to the police investigation, the girl was trying to take a picture of the female elephant when it threw the rock at her head. There was no tall fence around the zoo enclosure. Animals and visitors are separated by a ditch and wooden sticks. A spokesperson for the zoo said that this was the first time a visitor was killed by an animal. They apologized to the family, and said that the zoo meets the requirements of international standards. Tied to tree (illustration) By: Tanya Malhotra (Scroll down for video) Police launched an investigation after a homeowner tied up and killed a burglar who broke into his house in middle of the night, according to police in Alabama. Leroy police said that the incident unfolded on Friday night, after 31-year-old Cleveland Jones Gully broke into the home of 68-year-old Nathanial Johnson. Johnson told police that he was sick and tired of people breaking into his home, and was determined to catch the suspects and have them arrested. Around 11:30 p.m., Johnson heard someone trying to open the door of his mobile home. Gully then attempted to break the door in order to gain access to the home. Johnson ran outside to confront Gully, but the burglar jumped or fell off the stairs of the home. Johnson jumped on Gully, and tied his hands behind his back. He then put duct tape on Gullyas mouth, and tied him to a tree with electrical tape and wire. Johnson then called 911, but when officers arrived at the scene, Gully was already dead. So far, no charges have been filed as police do not believe that Johnson intended to kill Gully. The bride and groom kissing after learning their wedding was saved by staff members By: Mahesh Sarin (Scroll down for video) A bride and groom of the United Kingdom, were very touched by the love and kindness they were shown by strangers. When Adam Sanders and Amanda Mularczyk, both 35, became engaged two years ago, they immediately booked their wedding venue. They booked the party for 200 guests at the South Marston Hotel and Leisure Club, in Swindon. However, when the time came to host their wedding, the hotel was experiencing financial difficulties, and they were forced to close the place. Less than 48 hours before the coupleas big day, the owners of the wedding hall called their workers for a meeting and announced that they were closing. All the staff members were fired. Amazingly, the staff members pleaded with them to keep the venue open until Sunday, in order not to ruin the bride and groomas big day. 15 staff members offered to work for free, and they gave the couple their dream wedding. First Look At 750k Fat Boar Wrecsam Investment In To Town Centre This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Aug 2nd, 2016 A new restaurant is is coming to Wrexham town centre, and we take a first glimpse at how it will look As we revealed back in May to a tremendous local reception, the Fat Boar team had chosen the old Black Horse pub on Yorke Street in the town centre as their next location. Co-owner, along with Don Bircham and Barry Horne, Rich Watkin told us this afternoon, We are looking to bring something to town that might not exist already. To get what we will offer you might have to go to Chester, Liverpool or even Manchester. We asked why Wrexham was chosen for their next venture, Rich told us: I am from Wrexham, it would almost be disrespectful to our roots not to come here next. Mold is smaller, and it was right to try there first and it has given us a great grounding. Fat Boar Wrecsam will be 25-30% bigger, and, well it just had to be in town! No other location in Wrexham would have suited us more than this pub. The plans for what has been described as a 750k development, show around 80 covers with more seating outside for when the weather is nice, with an open kitchen and specialist cocktail area much like the popular Mold restaurant. The ground floor plans show the huge gutting and remodelling of the existing pub building that will be taking place. It is thought once open and running at full capacity around 35 jobs will be created. The development has been the first time we have heard an unprompted reference to the multi million pound Arts Hub development up the road in the Peoples Market, with Rich stating: It can only help, anything that can bring people in to town can help. Speaking of possibly sparking further investments Rich spoke of how a new Deli and Alehouse had opened in Mold after the Fat Boar had itself opened: He said: You can never link things directly and say it was because of us, but I would like to think we have helped. For Wrexham I would hope a domino effect would happen, with others following suit. The plans for upstairs show the new additions of a double floor glassed area and balcony space which will look over to the landmark Eagles Meadow suspension bridge. Plans are being finalised and are expected to be submitted formally for consideration by Wrexham Councils Planning Committee in the near future, with contractors due to be on site to move quickly to get the conversion underway. The documents shown to us today include various mood and concept board pages giving a hint to the style that will be adopted, much in keeping with the feel of the existing Mold offering. Bookings are already being taken for early December including for what is likely to be a very busy opening Christmas. On Saturday, nearly 600 people gathered before Gare du Nord in Paris demanding the truth about the circumstances of the death of 24-year-old Adama Traore in police custody on July 19. The rally, planned by the Traore family, was halted by police. Traores death triggered riots in his hometown, Beaumont-sur-Oise, and in several other Paris suburbs, where security forces were deployed under the French state of emergency to crack down on the protests. CRS riot police blocked the procession, citing an order by the Paris police prefecture to prevent it from taking place. The prefectures communique claimed the protest ban was necessary for reasons linked to the protection of the institutions, to the preservation of public order, and to ensure the security of the protesters themselves. It claimed that authorisation to protest had been denied because the application had been filed too late, after the deadline of three days before the event. This reactionary ban is yet an attack on the right to assemble and to protest, amid the all but permanent state of emergency imposed by the Socialist Party (PS) government of President Francois Hollande. When youth and workers protested again the PSs regressive labour law this spring, the PS sent riot police to crack down on protests, and ultimately took the unprecedented step of threatening to ban protests outright. Claims that the Traore family and its supporters are a threat to public order are brazen lies. Insofar as these claims have any foundation in fact, it is that the police and the French state fear that allowing any expression social opposition to police brutality will lead to an uncontrolled explosion of social anger. Many French suburbs suffer from deep social crises, and in particular from soaring youth unemployment, and in recent years they have witnessed mass urban riots pitting police against the population, notably in 2005 and 2007. By banning the rally, the authorities are seeking to whitewash the lies told by the authorities in the aftermath of Traores death. New autopsy reports have revealed that Traore died of asphyxia, refuting various, mutually contradictory police accounts of Traores death that attributed it either to cardiac arrest or to infections of his internal organs. The first autopsy report highlighted an infectious phenomenon on several organs, including the lungs and liver, and no kind of violence to cause death, which remains unexplained. Traores family then requested another autopsy by an outside expert. The new autopsy report by the outside expert, the Medical-Legal Institute of Paris, found no evidence of heart disease or internal infections. The asphyxia that caused his death was likely the result of overwhelming force employed by the police during his arrest. We used only the force that was strictly necessary to control him, police claimed. However, they added, He had to bear the weight of all three of us at the moment that he was arrested. The Traore familys lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, said, We have the cause of his death, asphyxia. Given the statements of the police, I would propose the hypothesis that the cause of death was compression of the thorax. The police got three people together to crush him, that could be a weight of approximately 240 kilograms. Another lawyer retained by the family, Frederic Zajac, wondered how it was possible that the outside expert report has found no infection while the first autopsy had revealed a serious infection of the lungs, liver and trachea. The problem, is that this young man of 24 years of age died of an asphyxia syndrome whose mechanisms the experts cannot determined, Zajac said, who asked that the truth be uncovered. In a statement, a relative of Traore declared, First they said it was a heart attack, then an infection, now it is asphyxia. What are they hiding from us? What really happened? From the beginning, youth in the neighborhood said the arrest took place in a violent fashion. My brother died over a week ago, and we still do not know what caused his death. It is very difficult to mourn him under these conditions, wrote Lassana Traore in the statement. Traores family is demanding a third autopsy report, which has been rejected by the judge handling the case. Two parallel investigations are conducted by the Research Section and the General Inspectorate of the Gendarmerie (paramilitary police). The Global Times, a state-owned Chinese newspaper, last weekend published an editorial bluntly warning the Australian government against interfering in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Entitled Paper cat Australia will learn its lesson, the comment declared: If Australia steps into South China Sea waters, it will be an ideal target for China to warn and strike. The editorial followed the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague supporting virtually all of the US-sponsored Philippine case challenging Beijings maritime claims, including Chinas historic right to much of the South China Sea. Beijing, which did not participate in the court proceedings, has declared that it will ignore the PCA decision. The Global Times branded Australia as one of the most delirious countries that immediately supported the arbitration result and claimed China must abide by it, and also signed a joint declaration with the US and Japan. The US-Japanese-Australian declaration was signed after a meeting on the side-lines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos last week. While divisions among ASEAN members resulted in a vague joint communique that did not mention The Hague decision, the joint declaration insisted that the ruling was final and binding on both parties. In remarks obviously directed against China, the three countries expressed strong opposition to any unilateral coercive action that could alter the status quo in the South China Sea. They urged all states to refrain from such actions as large land reclamation and the construction of outposts as well as the use of those outposts for military purposes. For the past 18 months, Washington has mounted an increasingly shrill campaign against Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, citing land reclamation and militarisation in particular. The US Navy has conducted three freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) by sending destroyers within the 12-nautical-mile limits of islets under Chinese administration. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out last week at the US, Japan and Australia, declaring that the issue was a test of whether you are peacemakers or troublemakers. He described The Hague ruling as a farce and berated the three countries for playing up the South China Sea issue and regional tensions, targeting China. The Global Times, however, singled out Australia, pointing out its inglorious history in relation to Aborigines, and its hypocrisy in relation to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the Philippine case was heard. It highlighted Australias territorial claims in Antarctica, which are not widely recognised internationally, and its manoeuvring in relation to UNCLOS on its claims to the Antarctic continental shelf. Australia showed blunt double standards as if no one had a memory of what it did and said over the Antarctic, the editorial stated. Australia is not even a paper tiger, its only a paper cat at best Australia has unexpectedly made itself a pioneer of hurting Chinas interest with a fiercer attitude than countries directly involved in the South China Sea dispute. But this paper cat wont last. The editorial is not an official statement but the generally hawkish Global Times is owned by the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) official organ, the Peoples Daily. I think the editorials of the Global Times are not exactly the Chinese governments position, but in a way it does reflect the displeasure of the Chinese government, Shi Yinhong, a Renmin University professor, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Beijing is well aware that the Australian government confronts a dilemma in balancing between its largest trading partner China, and its longstanding strategic ally, the United States. In an implicit threat of economic retaliation, the editorial noted that Australia has signed a free trade agreement with Chinajust last year. In the immediate aftermath of The Hague decision, US Vice President Joe Biden visited Australia and met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, stressing the importance of the long history of Australian support for US-led wars. Undoubtedly behind closed doors, Biden put pressure on Canberra to mount its own freedom of navigation operations to intrude into Chinese-claimed territory in the South China Sea. The Global Times editorial is a clear warning that Beijing will retaliate economically and possibly strike militarily if Australia steps into South China Sea waters. The declaration is not only a measure of the extremely sharp tensions in the South China Sea but also of the political bankruptcy of the CCP regime. It is certainly the case that the prime responsibility for the dangerous situation in the South China Sea lies with Washington, which has recklessly ratcheted up its confrontation with Beijing to sow divisions between China and its neighbours. The US is recklessly inflaming flashpoints throughout the region as part of its pivot to Asia aimed at subordinating China to the interests of American imperialism. However, the CCP leadership is incapable of making any appeal to the working class in China or internationally. Instead, Beijing is on the one hand seeking to cut a deal with Washington while on the other whipping up nationalism and engaging in an arms race that only intensifies the danger of war. The Chinese foreign ministry announced last week that China and Russia would conduct naval exercises in the South China Sea in September. While the two navies have held joint war games before, next months operations are far from routine as claimed by spokesman Yang Yujun. In the wake of The Hague ruling, the US could well seize on the opportunity to once again raise tensions in the strategic waters. Russia has backed Chinas claims in the South China Sea. The CCPs more hawkish elements, such as the Global Times, recklessly suggest a more confrontational strategy, utterly indifferent to the potential catastrophe that a conflict between nuclear-armed powers could bring. An incident involving Chinese and Australian warships in the South China Sea, whether deliberate or accidental, could quickly involve the US and escalate out of control. Less than four days after appointing former Northern Territory (NT) chief justice Brian Martin to head a royal commission into the sadistic abuse of boys inside the NTs juvenile detention centres, the Liberal-National Coalition government was forced to replace him yesterday. The inquiry will now be conducted by two co-commissioners, notably top-level indigenous bureaucrat Mick Gooda, who has been the federal governments Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner for almost seven years. He will front the inquiry alongside another senior ex-judge Margaret White, who was a member of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the state of Queensland, for more than 20 years. The government was confronted by widespread hostility to the inquiry, which Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull announced last week. Its obvious purpose was to try to defuse public outrage over the physical assaults, tear-gassing, illegal solitary confinement and other abuses committed against children as young as 10, mostly indigenous, that were broadcast on the Australian ABCs Four Corners program last week. Protests in cities around Australia last weekend, denouncing both the abuses and the royal commission, provided a glimpse of the widespread anger and disgust. Goodas appointment is an equally blatant bid to head off that hostility by putting an indigenous face on the royal commission, whose assigned task is to whitewash the abuses and protect those politically responsible. Above all, it is to cover over the basic class issues involved in the brutal treatment of some of Australias most impoverished and oppressed layers of the working class, both indigenous and non-indigenous. Having presided over the NTs highest court for six years, from 2004 to 2010, under an NT Labor government, when some of the broadcast abuses occurred, Martin was too obviously associated with those responsible. In resigning, he cited perceived bias and conflicts of interest. But Gooda is no less responsible for the abuse that pervades the entire juvenile detention and prison system, and not just in the NT. As social justice commissionerone of the nine heads of the official Australian Human Rights CommissionGoodas job was supposedly to monitor the human rights abuses being perpetrated against indigenous people. During Goodas tenure, the sickening treatment of boys in the NT facilities, and similar brutality in other states, was already publicly documented. Most recently, a report by the NT childrens commissioner into the solitary confinement of boys for up to 17 days and the tear-gassing of six teenagers was presented to the NT government last September, as reported by the World Socialist Web Site. Gooda is part of a thin layer of Aboriginal bureaucrats, academics and business people who have been integrated into the state apparatus and political establishment to suppress any opposition by indigenous people to their appalling social conditions. As social justice commissioner, he has been paid between $247,810 and $339,460 per year, putting him in the top 1 percent of income recipients in Australia. A vast class gulf exists between indigenous leaders like Gooda and the overwhelming majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who live in poverty-stricken working class suburbs, rural towns and remote settlements without access to jobs and proper social services. Imprisonment rates are soaring as governments and their police, prison and judicial apparatuses respond to the worsening social problems and deepening discontent with increasingly repressive laws and brutal policing and sentencing practices. Another member of the well-off stratum of indigenous leaders is NT Chief Minister Adam Giles, who is a vehement proponent of the law and order agenda. Gooda has a record of serving in top government jobs for more than 30 years, during which time the conditions of life for indigenous people and the working class as a whole have deteriorated. Before being appointed by the Rudd Labor government to the Human Rights Commission post in 2009, Gooda was the CEO of a federally-funded Aboriginal health research centre. Before that, he was the CEO of the now defunct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission established by the Hawke Labor government in 1990 as a token form of indigenous representation. Gooda previously co-chaired the Close the Gap program, launched in 2008 by the Rudd government, officially aimed at raising the employment, education, health and life expectancy of indigenous people. Most of the seven limited targets are not being met, and indigenous employment levels have fallen further, from 53.8 percent in 2008 to 47.5 percent in 201213, because Aboriginal youth and workers are among the worst affected by the ongoing destruction of jobs in mines and other basic industries. Labor Party leader Bill Shorten immediately welcomed the revamping of the royal commission, as a means of overcoming the great scepticism in the community about it. Shortens response underscored the underlying bipartisan effort to employ the royal commission to head off the public outrage. Labor is more confident about this inquiry now the government has decided to include now an Aboriginal co-commissioner, he said. Shorten last weekend proposed the appointment of indigenous co-commissioners so that the inquiry would not be perceived as a con job. Black nationalist groups also rushed to praise the appointment of Gooda and White. Jackie Huggins, the co-chair of the National Congress of Australias First Peoples, said she was delighted. She told the Guardian Australia: I know these two people personally and I know they will bring to the inquiry the experience, rigour, and integrity that is required to do this. The enthusiastic support for Gooda, a tried and trusted functionary of the state apparatus, is an attempt to divert the anger and outrage over the abuse of Aboriginal juveniles along the lines of divisive black nationalism. The organisers of last weekends protests, the so-called Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, blamed whites for the brutality, and depicted the violence as a purely racial issue. In reality the treatment meted out to indigenous youth is part and parcel of the increasingly repressive measures used against working class youth regardless of their skin colour, language and cultural background. Goodas appointment recalls that of a similar figure, Pat Dodson, now a Labor senator and shadow junior minister. Dodson was one of the five commissioners on the Hawke governments 198791 Aboriginal Deaths in Custody royal commission, which ensured there were no prosecutions for 100 killings at the hands of police and prison officers over the previous decade. That inquiry brought down more than 300 recommendations that strengthened the powers of the authorities, while adding a layer of indigenous officials to the regime. Since then, the number of Aboriginal deaths in custody each year has only increased, and the rate of indigenous incarceration has more than doubled. Turnbulls royal commission debacle has heightened concerns in ruling circles over the capacity of his fragile and faction-riddled government to deliver the far tougher measures, including sweeping budget cuts. In todays Australian Financial Review, chief political correspondent Phillip Coorey said the first cabinet meeting for three months had both bungled the royal commission and mishandled the rejection of ex-Prime Minister Rudds bid for nomination as UN secretary-general. Far from the July 2 federal election resolving the crisis facing the government and political establishment as a whole, it has set the stage for an even more explosive one. The federal Labour Court in Erfurt on July 26 declared a strike by air traffic controllers to be illegal. The air traffic controllers union GdF must now pay millions in damages to the airport operator Fraport AG following the strike in February 2012. In February 2012, ground controllers held a nine-day strike at the Rhein-Main airport to enforce an arbitrators decision that granted them their own contract with better pay and shorter working hours. Ground controllers are airport employees who coordinate ground traffic and accompany aircraft prior to take-off and after landing as guides or follow-me drivers. Fraport AG did not want to accept the arbitrators decision presented, even though they appointed an arbitrator, CDU politician Ole von Beust, and went to court against the strike as it took place, as well as claiming for damages. The Verdi trade union, a member of the German trade union confederation DGB, and its works council chair at Fraport, Edgar Stejskal, stabbed the workers struggle in the back and declared their solidarity with Fraport labour director Herbert Mai, a former union leader of the OTV, the predecessor to Verdi. Stejskal denounced the strike of a splinter group as detrimental to social peace. During the strike, a Labour Court ruling in Frankfurt declared the strike to be illegal because some of the demands remained subordinate to German labour laws restricting industrial action. The controllers trade union (GdF) subsequently halted the strike and called off a planned strike by tower-based air traffic controllers. They had intended to join the strike in solidarity with their ground-based colleagues. The bargaining dispute was ultimately concluded in March 2012, when GdF and Fraport agreed on a new contract for ground controllers, on terms much worse than the original demands. In addition, Fraport demanded damages of 5.2 million, and received backing for its demand from Lufthansa and Air Berlin, who also intended to go before the courts to claim damages for cancelled flights. As a result of the February 2012 strike up to 1,700 flights were cancelled. In March 2013, the Frankfurt Labour Court decided in favour of the GdF and rejected calls for damages. The Frankfurt judges ruled at the time that even though the strike had only been about the wages of 200 ground controllers, it had not been, as the plaintiffs claimed, disproportionate. It had been far from threatening the existence of the affected companies, Fraport and Lufthansa, and the strike had not threatened the general well-being of the public at any point. The impact of the subsequently announced solidarity strike by tower-based controllers on the airport could not be determined, because it ultimately never took place, the judges ruled. The Hesse Labour Court confirmed this ruling six months later. The second legal opinion explicitly rejected the claim that the ground controllers strike had been illegal and added that even the formal error of breaking the collective agreement during a period of labour peace did not change the fundamental course of the strike. This has now been decisively overruled by the First Senate of the Labour Court in Erfurt under court president Ingrid Schmidt. The complaints of Lufthansa and Air Berlin, against whom the strike was not directed and who were affected only indirectly by it, were dismissed, but Fraport AG was ruled to be entitled to pursue its financial damages claim in the relevant state labour court in Hesse. The Erfurt ruling is a major attack on the right to strike, and particularly for small, profession-based unions. Paying millions in compensation to Fraport could threaten the very existence of a union like the GdF, which has only 4,000 members. The latest Federal Labour Court ruling goes far beyond all previous judgements. The online web site airliners.de wrote, Compensation payments for damages by trade unions as a result of labour struggles have generally been the exception in Germany. The ruling represents a paradigm shift. All previous judgements on the issue considered the formal error of the GdF as a matter of detail. The Frankfurt labour court, which brought an end to the strike with its February 2012 ruling, even suggested avoiding issuing any ruling if the contract partners would get together and resume negotiations. The court saw no need for the immediate break-off of the strike, which was only due to last another day. This was only contradicted at the time by the company side. At the time, Thomas Ubber, the lawyer for the complainant firms, threatened the GdF with possible elimination, as airliners.de reported. GdF leader Matthias Mas correctly pointed out that a trade union facing millions in damages for every small detail could no longer freely decide on the realisation of workers interests. For over a year, the right to strike has been under intensified attacks from the major concerns, government and DGB trade unions. In May 2015, the federal parliament passed a contract unity law. It is directed against the profession-based unions and states that collective agreements in a sector where there are more than one trade union need only be concluded with the union which has the most members among the same group of employees. The law was tabled by labour minister Andrea Nahles (SPD) and sought to suppress all independent initiative in the workplace with the help of the DGB unions. Strikes in the air traffic control sector have proven particularly troublesome for airline companies. The business head of the federal association of German air traffic concerns (BDL), Matthias von Randow, announced several months ago he would intervene strongly to ensure that every strike by air traffic controllers would be thwarted by arbitration. In January 2016, Irish airline company Ryanair initiated an online petition to secure a ban on all air traffic controllers strikes in the European Union by the European Commission. The result of the petition, titled Keep Europes skies open, remains unclear. The greatest threat to the right to strike and all workers rights comes from the trade unions themselves. They have subordinated themselves completely to the capitalist system and see their main task in suppressing the class struggle. The DGB unions, such as Verdi at the airports, have long sacrificed the goal of equal pay agreements and decent working conditions for all employees to the economic interests of the airline companies. In the name of competitiveness, they allow companies such as Fraport and Lufthansa to impose layoffs and wage dumping, and to transfer a growing number of sectors to private contractors, where workers have absolutely no representation of their interests. The experience of the ground staff in particular, hundreds of whom are poorly paid contract workers responsible for loading, guarding and cleaning planes in all weathers, putting their health at risk, provides an insight into the decades-long sell-out of the unions. It is no coincidence that Ingrid Schmidt was appointed as a judge to the Labour Court in the mid-1990s at the suggestion of the SPD and trade unions. As president of the court, she delivered the keynote address at the end of last October at the German works council awards, in which she praised co-determination and the work of the works councils. But the profession-based unions in Germany offer no alternative. The GdF, UFO, Cockpit association, the doctors Marburger Bund union and the recently established airport union IGL all emerged as a reaction to the betrayals of the DGB unions. However, they all share the DGBs nationalist, pro-capitalist perspective. The profession-based unions concentrate solely on a specific group of workers and turn a blind eye to the international political developments driving the attacks. For example, none of the unions in Frankfurt reacted to the strikes by air traffic controllers in France or Belgium two months ago. The WSWS referred over a year ago to the connection between the introduction of the contract unity law and the return of German militarism. The WSWS wrote at the time, It would be an illusion to believe that profession-based unions or greater militancy can defend the interests of the workers. While opposition to the corrupt machinations of the trade unions in industry is growing, it is becoming clearer every day that the struggle against layoffs and social cuts is directly bound up with the fight against militarism and war. Within weeks of Avigdor Lieberman and his nationalistic Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Is Our Home) party joining Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahus Likud-led coalition, the government has authored a raft of legislation that is little short of fascistic. Last week, the Knesset passed legislation that will allow a three-fourths majority, 90 of the 120 members, to suspend serving legislators (MKs). The law is one of a number that allow disqualification of candidates and candidate lists for incitement against the state of Israel or support for the armed struggle of an enemy state or terror group against Israel. The law is so loosely written that any verbal expression of sympathy for Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza could be interpreted to justify expulsion of a member of the Knesset. It is aimed initially at Hanin Zoabi, who is one of the 13 members of the Joint Arab List, a coalition of the four Palestinian parties in Israel, and who joined the Knesset in 2009. She has been prominent in opposing Israels brutal suppression of the Palestinians. She became the bete-noire of the ultra-nationalists for joining the Turkish flotilla as it tried to breach the naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, witnessing the Israeli commandos raid on the Mavi Marmara that killed 10 activists on board. There have been repeated attempts to strip her of her parliamentary immunity and disqualify her for election. In July 2014, she was suspended from the Knesset for six months as retribution for saying five days after the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinians, Is it strange that people living under occupation and living impossible lives, in a situation where Israel kidnaps new prisoners every day, is it strange that they kidnap? They are not terrorists. Even if I do not agree with them, they are people who do not see any way to change their reality, and they are compelled to use means like these. Zoabi said she encouraged the Palestinians to declare a popular uprising and impose a siege on Israel instead of negotiating with it. Earlier this year, she was fined and given a six-month suspended prison sentence for accusing Arab-Israeli police officers of being traitors. Zoabi also said that Israels agreement to pay compensation to the families of the flotilla raid victims as part of a deal to restore full diplomatic relations with Turkey amounted to an admission that Israels soldiers were murderers. Earlier, Ayman Odeh, leader of Hadash and chairman of the Joint Arab List, had threatened to resign from the Knesset if any members of his coalition are expelled. He said that Netanyahu wants politics for Jews only by alienating and infuriating the Arab public to the extent that it boycotts the next elections and thus no longer constitutes a political force capable of joining other opposition parties to bring down the government. The bill follows Netanyahus remarks during last years election about Arabs streaming to the polls in droves last Election Day, the outlawing of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement and the uprooting of the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran. A few days ago, the authorities seized 325 acres of Bedouin land around the village of al-Araqib in the Negev for the construction of Jewish homes, and detained several residents who were protesting the bulldozing of their land. Two weeks ago, the Knesset approved the so-called Transparency Law, which requires nongovernmental organizations that receive more than half their financing from foreign governments to disclose their donors identities in their publications, advertising and meetings with public officials. The new law targets some two dozen human rights and left-wing groups, including BTselem, Peace Now, Breaking the Silence and Yesh Din, critical of Israels policies toward Palestinians within the occupied territories and Israel. Last year, then-defence minister Moshe Yaalon banned Breaking the Silence from any contact with the military, accusing its members of being traitors. The Transparency Law leaves the far more numerous settler and ultra-nationalist groups untouched, since they largely get their funding from private donations from abroad. According to Haaretz, American donors, including the late Irving Moskowitz, a casino mogul, and the Christian evangelical preacher John Hagee, channelled at least $220 million in tax-deductible payments over a four-year period to settler NGOs. Netanyahu made the claim that the Transparency Law was necessary to prevent an absurd situation, in which foreign states meddle in Israels internal affairs by funding NGOs without the Israeli public being aware of it. He himself is subject of a police investigation because all of his recent election campaign contributions have come from overseas sources. US billionaire Sheldon Adelson funds the loss-making free daily newspaper Israel Hayom that operates as the mouthpiece of the Netanyahu government. The original version of the law would have required groups in receipt of funding from overseas governments to wear special tags when visiting the Knesset, implicitly branding them as traitors. These efforts come amid Israels brutal crackdown on the unrest provoked last summer by right-wing elements, with the support of the security forces, over access to the Al-Aqsa mosque complex. Since October, more than 220 Palestinians have been killed, thousands injured and hundreds arrested in response to the attacks by lone Palestinian youths in the West Bank and Israel, who have killed some 30 Israelis and two Americans with stones, screwdrivers and knives, or their cars. While the number of attacks has fallen, the Israeli security forces have continued to respond with extreme brutality, killing Palestinians on a weekly basis, including 26 Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza, and implementing collective punishmentillegal under international law. This has included demolishing the family homes of the alleged attackers, expelling Palestinian residents from Jerusalem, revoking the work permits of Palestinians who work in the settlements or in Israel, and imposing curfews and lockdowns. A third measure is Israels new Anti-terrorism Law, which dramatically widens the range of offences to include sympathising with, encouraging and failing to prevent terrorism, gives Israeli police sweeping new powers to arrest suspects and deny them access to lawyers, and mandates long jail sentences. The legislation is legitimised under the rubric of opposing terrorist activities of both Palestinians and Jewish extremists. However, its real immediate targets are Israels own Palestinian citizens, some 20 percent of Israels 8 million-plus population, and East Jerusalem residents. They can be penalized for any political activity in solidarity with the Palestinians in the occupied territories, who are subject to a separate system of Israeli military courts. More generally, these measures are aimed at preventing and suppressing any united opposition on the part of Jewish and Palestinian workers and youth to government policies. The recent anti-Muslim remarks made by Donald Trump against Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Pakistani-American parents of an officer killed during the US occupation of Iraq, have been seized on by the Clinton campaign and the Obama administration to attack the Republican presidential nominee from the right and present the Democratic candidate as the advocate of patriotism and militarism. The barrage against Trump has quickly taken on the character of a full-scale campaign, with extensive coverage in major daily newspapers and round-the-clock attention from network and cable news, including multiple interviews with the Khans. Particularly significant has been the condemnation of Trump by veterans groups usually aligned with the Republican Party as well as many Republican senators, candidates and other office-holders. Eleven families in the Gold Star Mothers of America, a congressionally chartered patriotic support group for the parents of soldiers killed in action, issued an open letter to Trump demanding an apology on Monday. Your recent comments regarding the Khan family were repugnant and personally offensive to us, they wrote. We feel we must speak out and demand you apologize to the Khans, to all Gold Star families, and to all Americans for your offensive, and frankly anti-American comments. On Monday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, one of the two largest veterans organizations, with 1.7 million members, blasted Trump for his comments about the family of Captain Humayun Khan, killed by a suicide bomber in 2004. Brian Duffy, the groups president, issued a statement declaring, Election or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed. At the convention of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Atlanta, President Obama condemned Trumps comments without mentioning the Republican candidate by name. No oneno one has given more for our freedom and our security than our Gold Star families, he said. Our Gold Star families have made a sacrifice that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. They represent the very best of our country. Obama presented himself as an advocate for the military. As commander in chief, Im pretty tired of some folks trash-talking Americas military and troops, he told the DAV. Our military is somewhat smaller after two major ground wars [have] come to a close. Thats natural. And were gonna keep doing everything we need to do improve readiness and modernize our forces. Obama went on to celebrate the military power of American imperialism and his own willingness to use it, declaring that, despite claims by critics like Trump, the United States possessed the most capable fighting force in history and were going to keep it that way. He reiterated his support for NATO, saying, In the face of Russian aggression, were not going to turn our back to our allies in Europe. It is clear by now that in bringing Khizr Khan onto the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to deliver a brief critique of Trumpas part of a line-up of speakers proclaiming that Hillary Clinton would be a far superior commander-in-chief than Trumpthe Clinton campaign prepared a trap for the Republican candidate. Khizr Khan, an immigration lawyer in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, spoke about the death of his son, one of the first Muslim-American soldiers killed in the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. He denounced Trump for his racist call to ban Muslim immigration, but did so largely in patriotic terms, claiming that such bigotry would undermine the US military in the fight against terrorismthe pretext employed by successive US administrations to destroy much of the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. Trump responded with a crude attack on the Khan family, suggesting that Ghazala Khan, the soldiers mother, had been compelled, either by her husband or her religion, to remain silent at his side during his six-minute speech. She has since denounced Trump as unfeeling and hypocritical. The Clinton campaign is using the issue, not to indict Trump as an anti-Muslim racist and demagogue, but to accuse him of being unpatriotic and anti-military because of his slurs against the family of a soldier who gave his life for his country. Speaking at a church in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Clinton said that Khizr Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didnt he? She continued, And what has he heard from Donald Trump? Nothing but insults, degrading comments about Muslims, a total misunderstanding of what made our country great. She went on to link her professed devotion to the US military to her religious faith, adding, Tim Kaine [her running mate] and I are people of faith. Embracing religion along with the military is in keeping with the overall strategy of the Democrats in the post-convention period, which is to outflank the Trump campaign on the right and seek to win sections of the Republican Party either to support Clinton openly or at least to distance themselves from Trump. The first dividends from this effort were cashed in on Monday, as Senator John McCain, a war hawk and Republican presidential candidate in 2008, became the most prominent Republican and Trump supporter to denounce his attack on the Khan family. McCain released a lengthy written statement that did not disavow his grudging endorsement of the Republican nominee, but criticized Trumps slurs against the Khan family in blistering terms. In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldiers parents, McCain wrote. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United Statesto say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. He added, While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. Similar statements were issued by a bevy of Senate Republicans, including those in closely contested re-election bids in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri, as well as by former presidential contenders Lindsey Graham, John Kasich and Jeb Bush, who have all refused to support Trump. Bushs top political adviser, Sally Bradshaw, announced her resignation from the Republican Party and said she would vote for Hillary Clinton in Florida if the race appeared to be close. In all of the media furor, there has been no criticism whatsoever of the war that led to Humayun Khans deaththe illegal and unprovoked war of aggression that led to the death and maiming of tens of thousands of US soldiers and the killing or maiming of more than a million people in Iraq, and the conversion of millions into homeless refugees. Clinton, Trump and the entire US political establishment of both big business parties supported this war and support its continuation today in Iraq and Syria. Last week at the Democratic National Convention, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama delivered lengthy speeches filled with platitudes and bromides, but they did not bother to mention one extremely important piece of information. They did not tell the American people that, even as he spoke, Obama had just ordered the US military to carry out a major new act of war. With the air strikes launched against the Libyan coastal city of Sirte on Monday, US imperialism has embarked on a major new escalation of its protracted military intervention in a region that has seen the killing and maiming of millions in unending US invasions, bombings, targeted assassinations and regime-change operations over the course of a quarter century. The Obama administration ordered the strikes without congressional authorization or bothering even to make a pretense of explaining the rationale for this latest act of war to the American people. A Pentagon spokesman, asked about the legality of the bombings, cited the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which sanctioned military action against those who planned and executed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and those who supported them. Fifteen years later, the argument that this applies to anyone killed by US bombs in Libya is absurd on its face. Ostensibly, the bombing raids are aimed at aiding a group of militias aligned with the Western-backed Government of National Accord to prevail against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has controlled Sirte since February of last year. In reality, the desperate conditions in Sirte and throughout Libya are the direct product of the 2011 US-NATO war for regime-change that ended with the toppling of the Libyan government and the lynch mob murder of its leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Washington and its allies relied upon Islamist Al Qaeda-linked militias that were subsequently funneled, along with massive stockpiles of Libyan arms, into Syria to carry out an even bloodier, and ongoing, regime-change operation in that country. Those who took over Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi and the city most devastated by the war, consisted of these former US proxy forces who returned from the Syrian killing fields. The dropping of more American bombs on Libya, whose economy and society have been destroyed by the US-NATO intervention, will hardly resolve the countrys crisis. That is not their purpose. Rather, this fresh eruption of American militarism is meant to serve as another assertion of US hegemony in the region. It is also a pointed threat to Washingtons adversaries under conditions where the debacles produced by the CIA-orchestrated war for regime-change in Syria and the failed US-backed coup in Turkey have raised tensions between the US and Russia to the boiling point. The World Socialist Web Site has warned for some time that the current US election will be followed in short order, no matter which capitalist party prevails, by a new eruption of American militarism. Traditionally, the US ruling establishment has held off on major new military interventions until after elections, so as to prevent the question of war from becoming an issue before the voters. The bombing of Libya, however, makes clear that they cannot wait, so sharp is the crisis confronting US imperialism. One thing is certain, the attack on Libya was not planned yesterday. High-ranking officials who spoke before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, including, besides Obama and Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, were well aware that a new military intervention was imminent. The bombs dropped on Libya make clear the significance of the conventions non-stop glorification of the military and the fascistic chants of USA, USA used to drown out even the muted and scattered expressions of opposition to war. New and far more dangerous wars are being prepared and will not be postponed. On the final day of the convention, Jeremy Bash, a top Clinton foreign policy advisor and former chief of staff at both the Pentagon and the CIA, told the British daily Telegraph that a Syria policy review will be one of the first items of business for the national security team. He described the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad as a murderous regime and vowed that the new administration would get him out of there. According to the report, he described a foreign policy more hawkish than that of the current administration. The current administration is already carrying out daily bombing raids in Syria that over recent days have killed hundreds of civilians. It has deployed hundreds of special operations troops on the ground in support of US proxy forces. It has proven incapable, however, of propping up the so-called rebels, consisting of the Al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and other Islamist militias, against a Russian-backed offensive by Syrian government forces. Under these conditions, a more hawkish policy can mean only one thing: a direct military intervention against the Assad regime and a confrontation with the Russian and Iranian forces that are supporting it. Once again, the meaning of the convention rhetoric is revealed. The McCarthyite rhetoric against Russia in connection with unsubstantiated claims that Putin was behind the WikiLeaks release of Democratic National Committee emails exposing DNC machinations to rig the primary process in Clintons favor was aimed at preparing public opinion for a military confrontation between the worlds two largest nuclear powers. It is far from clear that such a confrontation can be held off until a new administration takes office, or even until the November election. The imminent collapse of the rebel stronghold in the Syrian city of Aleppo and the move toward rapprochement between Turkey and Russia are driving Washington toward new military actions. It may not be able to wait to carry out the military escalation for which the Democratic convention set the stage. The world situation is on a hair trigger. Outside of the intervention of the working class, a third world war is not only a threat, but an inevitability. As the International Committee of the Fourth Internationals February 18, 2016 statement Socialism and the Fight Against War makes clear, the decisive question is the building of a new mass antiwar movement of the working class, armed with a socialist and internationalist program. It states: The permanent war of the bourgeoisie must be answered with the perspective of permanent revolution by the working class, the strategic goal of which is the abolition of the nation-state system and the establishment of a world socialist federation. Five Russian servicemen were killed Monday when US-backed Islamist opposition militias shot down a helicopter in northwestern Syria's Idlib province. The downing of the helicopter took place as fighting raged in Aleppo between US-backed opposition militias and Russian and Syrian government forces. The helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb, halfway between Aleppo and Khmeimim air base, where many Russian aircraft operating in Syria are housed. It was the single biggest Russian loss of life in Syria since Moscow launched a military intervention to back the Syrian regime in September of last year. Russian Defense Ministry official Sergey Rudskoi said, Today there has been a terrorist attack that resulted in the loss of a Russian military transport helicopter Mi-8, which was returning to base after completing a humanitarian mission to deliver food and medical supplies to Aleppo residents. It carried a crew of three and two officers from the Russian center for the reconciliation of warring factions in Syria. The helicopter was gunned down over territory controlled by the al-Nusra Front terrorist group and related groups of the so-called moderate opposition. The French daily Le Monde confirmed that the wrecks identification number indeed corresponds to that of a helicopter that is armed but used for research and medical evacuation purposes. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the helicopter had indeed delivered humanitarian aid to Shia villages near Aleppo surrounded by Sunni Islamist opposition forces. While it remains unclear how the helicopter was shot down, there is a very real danger that this event could escalate into an all-out diplomatic or even military confrontation between Russia and the United States. There are multiple reports that the embattled Islamist forces in the area, which are linked to Al Qaeda, might have shot down the Russian helicopter with a missile provided by the US government. Ive heard some local sources where the helicopter was downed speaking of the possibility of MANPADsshoulder-mounted surface-to-air missilesbeing used in that context, freelance journalist Alaa Ibrahim told Russian state-owned Russia Today . The Reuters news agency wrote that there was a prospectwhich could cause a major diplomatic incidentof the helicopter having been brought down by a US-supplied weapon. It continued: The United States has equipped some rebel groups with TOW anti-tank missiles, which can also be used against helicopters. It is quite possible that Washington provided such weapons to the Islamist opposition for use against Russian and Syrian government forces. The US is growing increasingly desperate as the situation facing its Islamist proxies, whom it has supported for five years in a bloody war for regime-change against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, grows darker by the day. The military situation appears to be turning decisively against the Islamist opposition militias. The noose around east Aleppo has been tightening ever since July 7, when Syrian regime forces cut the Castello road going north from Aleppo to Turkey. Decimated by Russian air power, the anti-Assad forces were stunned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans announcement earlier this month that he would seek better relations with the Syrian regime. They now fear that Turkey may permanently cut off their supply lines. The opposition faces being crushed across the entire north of Syria and is mounting a desperate last-ditch offensive to try to break the encirclement of its forces in Aleppo. US-backed forces are attacking Aleppo from the southwest of the city, trying to rescue opposition forces who find themselves encircled by Syrian government forces in the east of Aleppo. That city, which has been devastated by four years of fighting and looting by Islamist militias, is now being plunged into some of the most violent fighting it has seen. The Islamist counterattack is being mounted by two militias, the al-Nusra Front, until last week Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, which has renamed itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front for the Conquest of Syria), and Ahrar al-Sham. The areas of Aleppo held by the US-backed forces have long been critical to the Islamist opposition, giving it a foothold in what was once Syria's economic capital, near key supply bases in Turkey from which the NATO powers have supported it. Russian sources said 42 civilians had been killed and 98 wounded as opposition militias shelled areas of Aleppo held by Syrian government forces. They claimed that the opposition forces had suffered a major defeat after they launched an offensive with four suicide attacks by al-Nusra fighters in armored vehicles rigged with explosives. Syrian regime forces counterattacked, with air support from Russian strategic bombers. Rudskoi stated, More than 800 militants were killed during the fighting; 14 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, more than 60 vehicles with mounted guns were destroyed. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Aleppo. Areas of the city controlled by the opposition are home to an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people. There are mounting reports of shortages of food and other basic supplies. Russian officials claim they have gathered 14 tons of humanitarian supplies, of which 2.5 tons have been delivered by helicopter or other means of transport, and they are appealing to residents to leave via humanitarian corridors set up around the city. Virtually the entire population remains trapped in horrific conditions, however. Russian military sources themselves claim that only 169 people managed to flee through the humanitarian corridors this weekend. They also reported that opposition militias had executed four people whom they caught trying to flee through the corridors. US, European and United Nations sources are charging Russian and Syrian government forces with carrying out war crimes in Aleppo. UNICEF claimed that four hospitals and a blood bank had been hit by air strikes, and US Secretary of State John Kerry attacked the Russian humanitarian corridor strategy for potentially being a ruse. However, the attempts of Washington and its NATO allies to posture as humanitarians, shocked by the violence of the forces led by Moscow and Damascus, are shot through with hypocrisy. It was they who launched the proxy war that has now cost an estimated 400,000 lives. Airstrikes by US war planes in northern Syria have killed more than 200 civilians in just the last two weeks. Washington and its allies have worked closely and openly with rebel forces such as al-Nusra that are linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist group that carried out the September 11 attacks in the US. They continue to shield them as part of their drive to topple Assad and deprive Russia of a key ally. Whatever embarrassment al-Nusra's ties to Al Qaeda may cause in Washington, powerful sections of the US ruling elite are signaling that they will continue backing the opposition. There is a grave danger that, in order to rescue its Islamist proxies from defeat, the US government will launch a broader intervention in Syria and the Middle East that could provoke an all-out military collision with Russia. The HBO television comedy Veep, created by Scottish television director and filmmaker Armando Iannucci, recently completed its fifth season. Since it began airing in 2012, the series has garnered considerable critical acclaim, particularly for Julia Louis-Dreyfuss performance as US Vice President Selina Meyer. The series has received numerous awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Louis-Dreyfus has won four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance. The series follows Meyers political foibles and misfortunes as she struggles, usually fruitlessly, to increase her power and popularity in Washington. Hopelessly inept and holding no principle that she would not sacrifice for the sake of short-term political gain, Meyer flounders from one disaster to the next. She is surrounded by a supporting cast of yes-men and glad-handlers, including her perpetually overstressed chief of staff, Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky), her cold-blooded deputy communications director, Dan Egan (Reid Scott), and her childish and fawning personal aide, Gary Walsh (Tony Hale). A series of personal crises brings down the sitting president, and Meyer assumes the office, having only a matter of months to govern before the ensuing election. At the start of the fifth season, the election has resulted in an electoral college tie, and Meyers team must engage in a series of underhanded maneuvers to secure the presidency. Iannucci, whose previous works include the BBC political comedy The Thick of It and the Iraq war satire In the Loop, has stated in an interview that Im hoping that [the show] is an honest exaggeration of what actually happens in official Washington. Indeed, in fits and starts, the series manages to capture something of the vacuousness of American political life, and the results are occasionally amusing. In the end, however, the show pulls far too many punches to be an effective satire, and even ends up offering a backhanded endorsement of the very people it purports to mock. Veep is at its strongest when it lampoons the fraud and stupidity of D.C. politics, particularly the focus-group-tested political doublespeak that has become so ubiquitous in official circles. Meyers speeches are meaningless pap, filled with paeans to freedom and democracy, which comically contrast with her cynical and profane offstage persona. From the title of Meyers ghostwritten book, Some New Beginnings: Our Next American Journey, to her campaign slogan, which promises Continuity with Change, the emptiness of modern politics is effectively mocked. (Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull used a similar slogan in his 2016 campaign, apparently unwittingly.) A recurring joke has Meyers team tasked with crafting speeches and press statements that straddle both sides of an issue without saying anything of substance. One character memorably resolves to write the Gettysburg Address of tightrope-walking, say-nothing bulls***. The members of the press corps are presented as a cadre of self-promoting scavengers. One reporter, when deciding whether to run a smear story based entirely on unsubstantiated rumors, explains, We put it out there, and something will arrive that backs it up. Thats journalism 101. What the characters lack in intelligence, they more than make up for in vicious careerism. Dan Egan is particularly notable in this regard. Nasty, ruthless and emotionally stunted, he calculates every move, personal and political, with the sole aim of furthering his own career. In addition to his role in Meyers administration, Dan becomes, at various points, a CNN analyst, a corporate lobbyist and a CBS talking head, shifting between the public and private sectors with ease. Certain scenes effectively portray the corruption at the heart of modern politics. In one episode, Meyers senior strategist colludes with an executive from a Google-like company. The former wants a damning story about one of Meyers rivals to remain front and center; the latter wants tax breaks for tech firms. They both cynically refer to the public and its concerns in the exchange. When they reach a dirty deal, the conversation concludes: I do admire the power of the public, says Meyers strategist. Aren't they magnificent? responds the tech firm executive. Another plot thread has Meyer quite literally in bed with the big banks, as she engages in a sexual relationship with a high-powered Wall Street executive and later pledges to offer his bank a major bailout. The dialogue is laced with profanity, far more than the average crass television series. Presumably, this is intended to give the characters and proceedings a realistic or shocking quality, but the effect is more numbing and tedious than anything else, especially in later seasons. Indeed, Veeps biggest shortfall is that, for all its coarseness, it is still quite timid in its portrayal of the ugly side of American politics. The series largely focuses on the minor scandals that dominate day-to-day political reporting. Gaffes, misstatements, silly campaign ads, volatile poll numbersthe characters (and the shows creators) obsess over such things. While manufactured controversy is no doubt a pervasive part of Washington life, there is precious little mention in Veepof war policy, drone strikes, bombings and assassinations, episodes that surely consume a great deal of a real presidents focus and attention. While the shows creators might consider these topics too serious to tackle in their light political comedy, that only highlights the limitations of their approach. Whats more, while Veep does portray the misanthropy of the Washington elite (Meyer at one point refers to a devastating mudslide as the funniest kind of natural disaster), the shows creators justify this by portraying regular Americans as almost universally backward and imbecilic. Crowds are easily suckered in by Meyers patriotic rhetoric. One gets the sense that, for the shows creators, leaders like Meyer are what the American public deserves. Though the series purports to satirize the Washington elite, its overall outlook accepts far too much of the official D.C. line. This was most glaringly on display in an episode focused on US relations with China. The volatile situation in the South China Sea is presented entirely as a result of Beijings belligerence. One character remarks that the Chinese claim on disputed islands destabilizes the whole region. Meyers aggressive negotiations, in which she secures a deal to free Tibet, are presented as a major triumph. Apparently, to the shows creators, the people who run the US government might be idiots, warmongers and cretins...but at least theyre our idiots, warmongers and cretins. The creators have proven unable to locate the source of the rot that has so degraded American politics, and the resulting satire cuts only skin deep. The debased political situation in the US is not the result merely of the stupidity or selfish careerism of the officials involved (though it certainly doesnt help matters), but of the terminal crisis of American capitalism. Insofar as the artists refuse to dig deeper, the show has continued to lose steam. The fifth season, the first without Iannucci as showrunner, is easily the series most tepid. The political system in the US is ripe for a genuinely savage satire, but audiences, unfortunately, wont find it here. For all its foul language, Veep lacks bite. MIAMI (AP) - A former Miss Florida USA winner is suing the pageant after organizers took her crown and accused her of cheating. The Miami Herald (http://goo.gl/IPv586) reports that attorneys for 24-year-old Genesis Davila filed the suit Monday, asking a Miami-Dade circuit judge to issue an emergency injunction restoring her title. The suit also seeks $15 million for defamation. Davila was crowned July 16 in Fort Lauderdale and then dethroned six days later. Pageant director Grant Gravitt Jr. cited an Instagram post showing Davila getting professional hair and makeup help, a violation of pageant rules. Davila's lawyer, Richard Wolfe, presented an enlarged photo of the post during a Monday news conference. It showed the photo was dated more than a week before the contest. Miss Florida USA released a statement saying they couldn't comment on pending litigation. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 8/1/2016 8:37:30 PM (GMT -4:00) TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Leon County Sheriff Mike Wood will be visiting the White House to attend a briefing on the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing report. The report, which was completed in May 2015, makes recommendations and discusses issues related to policing and community relations. Law enforcement professionals from around the nation are expected to be in attendance. "As the Sheriff of Leon County, the capital county of the fourth largest state in the United States, I welcome this discussion," said Sheriff Wood. "I also proud of the fact that Leon County and the Leon County Sheriff's Office are leaders in the field of law enforcement and community relations." Wood is scheduled to be in Washington D.C. on Aug. 4. LIBERTY COUNTY, FL (WTXL) - The Liberty County Board of County Commissioners is having an emergency meeting Monday to discuss a budget appeal. Sheriff Nick Finch claims the currently approved budget doesn't allow for safe operations of law enforcement services and poses a threat to the health, safety and well being of his staff. But the board says that it appropriated the amount requested by the sheriff. The matter is being heard by the Florida Cabinet Tuesday. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - A new trial date has been set for a Tallahassee man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her 3 young children in 2010. Henry Segura is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Brandi Peters, her 6-year-old twin daughters and 3-year-old son. The family's bodies were found in their home on Saddle Creek Run. Segura was expected to go to trial at the end of August. However, his attorney asked to travel to Italy to get a DNA sample from a known drug trafficker whose DNA they say was found at the scene. Segura is now scheduled to go to trial in March 2017. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Police say an 84-year-old man stabbed his wife during an argument that began over the sloppy peeling of mangoes. The Palm Beach Post (http://pbpo.st/2aiFswn ) reports Uriel Bradshaw was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated battery with a weapon. An arrest report says Bradshaw was eating mangoes in a bedroom of the couple's West Palm Beach home. His 65-year-old wife became irritated when she saw he was putting pieces of the mangoes on the floor. Police say the Bradshaws began arguing and he lunged at her with a steak knife. She told investigators he stabbed her twice. She banged on the walls to alert her daughter to call police. Bradshaw says he doesn't remember stabbing her. He's being held on a $10,000. Jail records don't indicate whether he's hired a lawyer. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) umbent Jeff Stowe in a race for the District 4 seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners in May. Troy Phillips' campaign website says he is a 10-year combat veteran. He also served in the Persian Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) The Knesset approved overnight Monday the cancellation the requirement to teach core subjects at ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) educational institutions. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The proposal, which passed the second and third readings in the Knesset in a 41:28 vote, means that Haredi institutions will now be eligible for government funding without being required to teach their pupils basic subjects such as math, science, and English. The amendment, promoted despite objections from Education Minister Naftali Bennett, effectively annuls a planned reform led by Yesh Atid in the previous government, which was due to come into effect during 2017. A yeshiva (Photo: Amit Shabi) The cancellation of the reform was one of the main conditions set by the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism in its coalition agreement with the ruling Likud party. "The members of Knesset voted against the children of Israel," said MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union) on Tuesday morning. "Against them studying, heavens forbid, English, math and science. This is a sad day for the State of Israel, in which the coalition decided to act based on the false principle that 'ignorance is power.'" The budgeting of educational institutions that don't teach core subjects will now be done based on criteria set by the education minister. There are currently 430,000 students learning in ultra-Orthodox institutions, 30,000 of them in institutions that are no longer required to teach core subjects. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) have been embroiled in another public confrontation this week, this time over the new Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC). Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Their latest clash came in the wake of an ongoing dispute between the two over the State Comptroller's report on Operation Protective Edge and the threat of tunnels from Gaza. During a government meeting on Sunday, several of the Likud party's ministers made comments against the IPBC, including Culture Minister Miri Regev who wondered: "What good is the corporation if we can't control it?" Bennett vs. Netanyahu (Photos: Alex Kolomoisky, Yair Sagi) Bennett retorted that communications ministers over the past few years have been from the Likud party, adding "Why are you complaining? Start controlling." The Bayit Yehudi leader asserted that the Likud party was trying to undermine the journalists working for the IPBC. The clash at the government meeting led the Likud party on Sunday evening to issue a statement, in which it dubbed Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, also of Bayit Yehudi, "the left wing's champions." Bennett's party responded the next morning, accusing Netanyahu of "cutting off the nose to spite the face. "Just as he did when he voted in favor of the Gaza Disengagement and the demolition of Gush Katif; or as he released the most terrorists in the history of the State of Israel; when he froze (settlement) construction; when he surrendered to Hamas; when he declared the establishment of Palestine in Bar Ilan; and as he counts the number of kippah-wearing journalists in the media. And the most absurd thing was that he cut off the nose to replace it with Bougie (Isaac Herzog), (Stav) Shaffir, (Merav) Michaeli and Yossi Yona." Bayit Yehudi officials claimed Netanyahu was systematically fighting against the free press in Israel and stressed that they were not scared of a confrontation with the prime minister. "Any attack will be met with an attack," the officials said. The ruling party returned fire, coming out with a statement shortly after Bayit Yehudi's scathing criticism, which accused Bennett of being a leftist. "Bennett is panicking because he knows the truth. He who was elected by the right is perserving the legacy of (Palestinian poet Mahmoud) Darwish at Israeli schools and fights tooth and nail to maintain the left-wing's hegemony in the media," the Likud statement said. "Bennett hasn't been with the right for a very long time. Along with his 'brother' (Yair) Lapid, he keeps digging tunnels to undermine the Likud rule." Coalition chairman MK David Bitan also slammed the Bayit Yehudi leader, saying "We're tired of him. It's always the same story. He needs to make up his mind and tell us what he wants." Officials in both parties, however, stressed that despite the recent rift between Netanyahu and Bennett, the education minister has no intention of quitting the coalition and ending the partnership between the two parties. Communications Ministry Director-General Shlomo Filber, a close confidant of Netanyahu, is mediating between the two. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu), exasperated by the latest squabble, told Yedioth Ahronoth, "It's 37 degrees (Celsius) in Jerusalem, which must be affecting the ministers as well. They need to take a vacation before they end up in the hospital." Relatives of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was murdered by a Jewish extremist in Jerusalem two years ago in what he claimed to be an act of vengance for Jewish blood, were indicted for a number of crimes including hurling Molotov Cocktails and rocks and even for posession of a firearm. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter On Monday, Ynet learned that the police and the Shin Bet believed, according to an investigation, that Nasser (18) and Mohammed Abu Khdeir (20) intended, along with a number of other suspects, to carry out a large terror attack on Jerusalems light rail station on the anniversary of Khdeirs murder to avenge his death. Arrest of Mohammed Abu Khdeir's cousins ( : ) X The investigation lead to their arrest and other suspects close to the victim from Shuafat. Some of them are already known to the police for previous offences. More than a month ago, intelligence information was received from various sources indicating that the relatives of Khdeir had established contact with other people to perpetrate a quality attack on the Jerusalem light rail. Mohammed Abu Khdeir was murdered in 2014 (Photo: Reuters) The arrested suspects remained silent at the beginning of the investigation and refused to cooperate with the security services. However, three weeks later they confessed to a number of crimes including the hurling of rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police and the Jerusalem light rail. During the investigation it became clear that they were not affiliated with any terror organization or implicated in any nationally-related crimes prior to these offences. They claimed, however, that the situation changed after the murder of their relative and said they wanted to avenge his death. It was the murder, the police informed, that was the primary trigger for the planned attack. Jerusalem light rail (Photo: EPA) According to the information received by the police the suspects were in possession of a Carlo gun which they had already fired in the past in residential areas in preparation for the attack. The light rail was chosen as the target since it is thought to be, among national extremists, a symbol of the Israeli regime in East Jerusalem. The details of the operation to arrest Khdeirs relatives and other suspects were placed under a gag order in order to avoid disruptions in the investigation and the prevent any possible planned attack being carried out. According to the law, suspects can be arrested for security-related crimes for 35 days before being officially charged unless approval for an extension is granted by the state attorney general. By the end of the arrest period, a plethora of evidence had been compiled which sufficed to bring the suspects to trial. In light of the evidence gathered, official indictments were issued against them on Sunday which allowed for their continued custody until the conclusion of the procedures. Other suspects are currently being investigated in order to issue more indictments in the case. The defense lawyer of the suspects, Mohammed Mohammed, said that he was privy to information pertaining to the investigation. However, the accused categorically deny the charges leveled against them. The Israeli high-tech and social gaming company Playtika will be sold to a Chinese consortium for $4.4 billion in the third largest sale of an Israeli company in history. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Playtika is a Herzliya-based online game company founded in 2010. The companys most popular game is Slotomania, which mimics real-life slot machines that allow the player to gamble with virtual currency. Playtikas games are played by over six million people around the world. The sale to Shanghai-based Giant Network Technology ranks closely behind that of Chromatis, which was acquired by Lucent in the year 2000 for $4.5 billion, and that of NDS, which was acquired by Cisco in 2012 for $5 billion. The company says that the deal will ensure that the Herzliya headquarters and management structure will remain intact. Playtika also has offices and studios in Australia, Belarus, Canada, Japan, Romania, and the United States. The transaction is still subject to regulatory approval, and the sale is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. BEIRUT - A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down hours earlier. A spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas in Saraqeb. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. Syria Civil Defense workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify that. "Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defense was not able to determine the type of the gas," said the spokesman. Israeli security forces conducted several operations in Palestinian towns overnight Monday, arresting at least ten terror suspects and seizing weapons, ammunition, money, and vehicles that were all suspected to have been used or had been allocated to be used for terror purposes. After conducting two waves of arrests over the past several days, troops raided the house that had sheltered the shooter, Mohammed al-Fakih, after the terror attack that killed Rabbi Michael Mark and arrested a relative of his for aiding him. Additionally, IDF and police forces seized a car that was purchased by the terrorist with the alleged intention of using it for another attack. IDF troops in Hizme confiscated funds that it claims were meant to be used by the Hamas terror organization. The troops also arrested the individual who had the money in his possession. Security forces using police intelligence discovered a Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition in the village of Urqub Jamla and arrested the individual hiding them. They also seized two vehicles in the nearby village of Sair that were used to carry out terror attacks as well. Seven terror suspects were arrested overnight in other routine IDF activity throughout the West Bank. Three of them are members of Hamas, while the rest are suspected of participating in violent riots directed at Israeli civilians and security forces. They were taken for questioning. Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze'ev Elkin has recently asked the head of the Authority for National-Civic Service, Sar-Shalom Jerbi, to increase the number of available slots for young Palestinian women who wish to volunteer in East Jerusalem schools. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The trend began in 2011, with several dozens of young Palestinian women from East Jerusalem volunteering in the national service, mostly in their area of residence. Today, there are some 100 young Palestinian women who graduated from high school and are now volunteering in schools, kindergartens, HMO clinics, etc. "It is in our national interest to extend this trend," Elkin told Ynet's sister-publication Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday. Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Photo: Yaron Brener) In a letter to the head of the national service authority, Elkin wrote: "The Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry is working in conjunction with the Education Ministry to improve the quality of life in East Jerusalem by strengthening the Israeli school curriculum and the schools that teach it. "When we examined the issue with the Jerusalem municipality, we found that there is a need and a demand for more national service slots, mostly among young women who seek to volunteer at elementary schools, whose help significantly improves the quality of education in those schools," Elkin stated "I view national service as having the utmost importance in helping minority populations to integrate into Israeli society, particularly residents of East Jerusalem. I am therefore asking that more resources are dedicated to the matter." A school in East Jerusalem (Photo: Ahmad Jarbly) The Authority for National-Civic Service added 30 slots for young Palestinian women, saying "Bolstering the young women from East Jerusalem using national service in the local education systemwhich follows the Israeli curriculumcould help in significantly increasing the quality of the education in those schools. In addition, doing national service could significantly help the young women themselves in acquiring professional experience so they could work in the field of education in the future." The new volunteers will start working at schools in East Jerusalem starting September 1, with the opening of the new school year. They will receive all of the same benefits as Jewish girls do at the end of their national service. Elkin, meanwhile, is examining the option of including young Palestinian men in national service as well in an effort to reduce the tensions in the city, encourage employment in the area and strengthen Israeli sovereignty in that part of the capital. How did Hezbollah, situated in Lebanon, succeed in interviewing former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, MK Tzipi Livni and Maj. Gen. (res.) MK Eyal Ben-Reuven and Tomer Weinberg who was injured in a patrol vehicle from which IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were kidnapped. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A documentary was broadcast last Saturday on the Hezbollah-affiliated satellite channel Al Mayadeen featuring some of Israels most senior politicians and military officials during the second Lebanon War in 2006. In the first segment of the three-part documentary entitled What happened in 2006, the Israeli intervieweeswhich include former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, MK Tzipi Livni and Maj. Gen. (res.) MK Eyal Ben-Reuvenare heard discussing the war and the kidnapping of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. Tzipi Livni on Hezbollah documentary In addition, the documentary included an interview with Tomer Weinberg who was injured and managed to flee the patrol humvee which was ambushed by Hezbollah militants before the IDF soldiers were abducted. In February an Italian journalists called Michele Monni approached me and said he was gathering material for an extensive article about the kidnapping, Tomer Weinberg told Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday. Weinberg is heard on the documentary describing at length the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping. The moment that the firing started I realized that it was coming from Hezbollah. I opened the door of the humvee, I didnt look at my friends who were sitting on the back seats and I fled. In the documentary one of the Hezbollah narrators says, We interviewed the soldier who was injured and who managed to escape but his capture was not part of the operational order which is why we didnt take him. Former Defense Minister Amir Peretz interviewed The first part of the series also features an interview with former head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate Amos Yaldin, and concludes with a preview of the next two episodes showing excerpts of an interview with Tzipi Livni who served as justice minister in 2006. Amos Yaldin, said on Monday that he was not interviewed by the satellite Hezbollah-affiliated television channel Al Mayadeen and insisted that they simply took excerpts from other interviews with Israeli television channels. However, the account provided by Tomer Weinberg on Monday sheds new light on the matter: In February Michele Monni presented himself as a journalist for the Italian ANSA news agency in Rome. He asked to interview me about the kidnapping. I declined the offer a few times and explained reconstructing the incident could worsen my mental and physical state, Weinberg recalled. Amos Yaldin The Italian journalist didnt give up and I eventually agreed to be interviewed. When he came to my home he told me he was staying in Jerusalem and came to visit me specially because the Italian people are extremely interested to hear your story, and it is important they hear the circumstances of the kidnapping, he explained. Tomer Weinberg Weinberg said that the interview lasted more than an hour during which the journalist asked him if he would agree to be interviewed against a background of footage of the kidnapping. He categorically refused, however. The Italian journalist explained that his producer was pressuring that I be photographed next to the footage and offered me $2,000. I immediately said no and told him there was no chance. Weinberg, who today works in high-tech as a developer for computer software did not see the Hezbollah film but explained that he has since been made to feel like an outcast since it was aired. Eyal Ben-Reuven My friends shamed me because after all that I told the Italian journalist, they showed only a tiny part of it which implies that I escaped from the vehicle and abandoned my friends. All at once the memories from the incident came rushing back and I became anxious. Since the film was shown I have not been into work, he admitted. Tzipi Livnis and Amir Peretzs spokesmen said on Monday that they were also tricked and were told that the filming was intended for the BBC and Italian television. At no point were they told that the interviews were being filmed for Hezbollah. Scene of kidnapping from Lebanon War According to the Italian journalist, he received angry phone calls from both senior politicians spokespeople who duly reprimanded him: How could you do this to us? How could you not tell us that this was an interview for a Hezbollah television channel? Despite the anger, Monni insisted that he had also fallen victim to a trick: I also didnt know that the interviews I was sent to do in Israel were intended for Hezbollah, the Italian journalist claimed in his defense. (Palestinian TV producer) Ahmed Barghouthi, who hired me in Jerusalem, told me that he was preparing interviews for a show to be aired on the BBC and on Al Jazeera. I work a lot with this producer and I took on the task. Responding to the accusations that he presented himself as a journalist for an Italian news agency and thereby deliberately misled his interviewees, Monni refused to comment. Furthermore, on Monday he denied that he ever offered Weinberg money in exchange for the aforementioned filming conditions: When I realized that the Hezbollah channel broadcast the interviews and not Al Jazeera or the BBC, I understood that I had been used and I came out looking like a liar to my interviewees. I am scared of losing my job, said Monni. I am a professional journalist and I have no connection with Al Mayadeen or Hezbollah and I have no interest in being in contact with them. Tomer Weinberg is an extremely nice individual and he says that he has no idea how the interview wound up on Al Mayadeen. Ali Abu Hassan, 20, from the Hebron area, is the terrorist who was stopped while attempting to carry out a bombing on the Jerusalem light rail two weeks ago, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Abu Hassan, a civil engineering student at the Polytechnic University in Hebron, made the pipe bombs he planned on using for the attack himself. According to prosecutor's statement filed by police on Tuesday, Abu Hassan left a will at the university before setting out to commit the attack. Ali Abu Hassan (Photo: Gil Yohanan) A Jerusalem police investigation found that the terrorist carried out tests before the attempted attack, practicing setting off explosives in open areas in the Hebron district. At first, he built and blew up a small pipe bomb, and after the success of this test he built a bigger bomb from several pipes, adding shrapnel to increase the damage the explosive could do. After the success of this test, he built a similar bomb, put it in his bag, and left for Jerusalem. The pipe bombs Abu Hassan built (Photo: Police Spokesman) While searching for a location to carry out his attack, he also entered a restaurant and considered setting off his bomb there, but eventually decided he could hurt more people by blowing it up inside a light rail car. Other weapons found at Abu Hassan's possession (Photo: Police Spokesman) On July 17, near 9am, Abu Hassan arrived at the Jaffa Center stop, where he was observing passersby. It was then that he was spotted by a vigilant security guard who asked Abu Hassan to open his bag for inspection. The terrorist ignored the request, which led the security guard to restrain him by force while another guard took the bag. Abu Hassan's arrest (: ) X Abu Hassan could not set off his bomb while he was questioned by the security guard because it could only be set off by lighting a fuse, which he could not do. While the fuse would have allowed Abu Hassan enough time to escape the explosion, he told interrogators he "didn't mind committing suicide." During his interrogation, Abu Hassan expressed regret for his actions. The court extended his remand until Friday, when he will be indicted for attempted murder. The arms haul was part of a "larger conspiracy to eliminate" the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia in the aftermath of the 2002 riots. By Vidya : 26/ 11 Mumbai attacks handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari aka Abu Hamza aka Abu Jundal along with six others have been sentenced to life in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Judge AL Anekar of the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Act (MCOCA) court ruled that all the convicts will pay a fine of Rs 20,000, failing which they would have to suffer another year in jail. Two other convicts have been handed 14 years rigorous imprisonment, while three others have been given eight years in jail. advertisement The MCOCA special court had said the arms haul was part of a "larger conspiracy to eliminate" the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia in the aftermath of the 2002 riots. The defense had argued for leniency to be shown as many convicts had been in jail throughout the trial. However, special public prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade drew parallels with the1993 serial bomb blasts conspirator Yakub Memon's case, saying that the convicts can't be set free merely on the ground that they have already spent around 10 years in custody. THE ARMS HAUL CASE The case pertains to the May 8, 2006 operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad in which three terror suspects travelling in a car were nabbed on the Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad. The ATS recovered from them 30 kg RDX, 10 AK-47 army assault rifles, 3,200 rounds of ammunition and other things, which were reportedly intended for carrying out terror strikes in the country. Another suspect vehicle managed to give the slip to the ATS. It was believed to have been driven by Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who escaped to Pakistan. Prosecutor Bagade had told the court last week, "One tempo filled with arms is still at large. Repetition of the offence is still possible. There may be another module." The convicts have been found guilty under various sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Explosives Substance Act, and the Arms act. JUNDAL'S ROLE According to the prosecution, Jundal, who was deported from Saudi Arabia in 2012, was the one driving the other vehicle which had managed to flee. Jundal allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance. In May 2006 itself, he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan on a fake passport obtained with the help of LeT operatives. He is currently facing trial in the 26/11 terror attack of 2008, in which according to the crime branch, he was sitting in the control room in Pakistan and guiding the fidayeens. & --- ENDS --- The Knesset launched an Israel-Rwanda Parliamentary Friendship Group to be chaired by Israeli -Ethiopian MK Avraham Neguise (Likud) in an effort to build upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus efforts to expand ties with African countries on Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Both Rwanda and Israel built themselves after horrors their people endured, said MK Neguise at the opening ceremony. Now we look to the future. We now have the opportunity to further strengthen the relations between the countries in a variety of fields, specifically in parliamentary relations, Neguise added. Netanyahu with Rwandan President Kagame in Rwanda (Photo: Kobi Gideon) Prime Minister Netanyahu had already expressed a desire on Israels part to seize upon the benefits of strong bilateral ties with Rwanda, during his visit to Rwanda last month. Im excited about the future of your country, the future of your continent, Netanyahu told Rwandan President Paul Kagame on July 6. Were determined to work together in so many fields to secure a future of security, prosperity and peace for all our peoples. At the launching ceremony in Jerusalem, Rwandan Ambassador to Israel Joseph Rutabana stressed that Netanyahus visit to his country was a milestone, which moved Israeli-Rwandan relations forward and that the determination to build upon that milestone was mutual. On the Rwandan side, there is a significant desire to deepen the parliamentary ties, the ambassador noted. The Knesset demonstrated a practical interest in advancing ties with the African continent earlier this year in February, with the establishment of the Lobby for Relations between Israel and African Countries, which is also chaired by MK Neguise. Recently in Israel, a Palestinian terrorist killed Hallel Yaffa Ariel, a 13-year-old girl who was stabbed to death while sleeping in her bed at home. The next day, another Palestinian terrorist shot and killed Rabbi Michael Mark, a husband and father of 10, and injured his wife and two kids as they drove before Shabbat. Several weeks earlier, in a restaurant at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv, several Palestinian terrorists who deceptively dressed as Orthodox Jews shot and killed four people and injured 16 more. The Sarona Market is a vibrant atmosphere where people go to enjoy the company of friends, family, strangers, and to soak in its modernity. But terror struck. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter My heart aches more than I can put into words not only for these recent tragedies, but for every tragedy the people of Israel have had to endure. When will it stop? When will Israelis be able to live in their country without the fear, without the danger? Imagine going to a market with some friends one evening, driving in your car, or even sleeping in your bed, and suddenly your night turns into a threat to your life. This is the reality Israelis may face at any moment. However, critics of Israel have rationalized terror as an acceptable occurrence. They view it as okay because its Israel, so thats expected. They think fear and sometimes death is the price Israelis must pay simply for living in Israel. But lets think about this for a moment. Should Israelis constantly live in fear because of where they live in the world? There is no reason to legitimize the violence Israelis are subject to, no matter where within Israel it occurs. Theres a double standard that Israel faces. When the rest of the world feels personally threatened by terror, they ask Israel for advice on how to overcome it. But when Israel is threatened by terror and implements its defenses, oftentimes the others blame Israel as the problem. How is it fair that the same terror happens worldwide yet when it happens to Israel, its rarely even considered terrorism? Security forces in a restaurant (Photo: Reuters) Many non-Israelis, especially those in the media, have accepted and justified the terror Israelis face. In order to establish any type of remedy to the lives of Israelis, critics must recognize and understand that there is no reason Israelis should be exposed to the intimidation, fear, and terror they face on a daily basis. My mind is filled with questions. Why did this happen? When will the terror stop? How can the world accept terror in Israel as okay but terror in other countries as horrific? I have family in Israel. I have friends in Israel. I have a people in Israel to whom I belong. I am worried about their lives, about their well-being. But, I am not scared. I am not scared because I know the perseverance of Israelis. I have seen not only how they live, but how they live despite the undue risks, threats, and dangers they face. Israelis are a willed people. They will not take no as the answer if they know the true answer is yes. Oftentimes I see support for Israel in the form of condemning an attack or signing a document expressing support. These are good actions, and the support is admirable. However, what Israel needs is not only a world who will support it verbally. It needs active support. It needs unconditional support for the security of the citizens of Israel. Supporters should take action without fear of how they will be perceived by the public. Go visit Israel and share your experiences with others, speak up when you hear people accept or justify the terror Israel endures, understand that Israelis are just like you and me and they want to live normal, peaceful lives. If the safety of Israelis is truly a concern, the worldwide perception of supporting Israel should not play a role in deciding whether or not to extend this support. This should not be a left-wing or right-wing issue. Were talking about innocent lives here. We must oppose terror on Israelis, for justifying it contradicts human dignity. ANKARA- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the European Union Tuesday of not upholding its side of an EU-Turkey agreement on migration, saying that promised funds and visa-free travel for Turks in the EU had not been delivered. The agreement was instrumental in stemming the flow of people heading from Turkey to the nearby Greek islands. Under the deal, migrants and refugees arriving on Greek islands from March 20 on faced deportation back to Turkey. Among incentives offered in return, Turkey would receive funding to help it care for refugees it is hosting, while its citizens would also be granted visa-free travel in the EU. But plans to loosen visa rules in particular have run into trouble. The EU demands that Turkey fulfill a list of criteria first -- notably, a The hotel bill has passed its second and third reading, calling for a change in the hotel industry, and will help to lower hotel prices. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "I believe that there will be a tangible change within the next two years," said Tourism Minister and sponsor of the bill Yariv Levin (Likud). "We're talking about situation whereby over 8,000 new hotel rooms will be built over the next four years, including in popular hotel chains which aren't currently in Israel." Hotels on the Tel Aviv beachfront (Photo:Shutterstock) The bill is expected to enable hotels to obtain building permits quicker and more effectively. According to Levin, "It's clear that this will increase (the supply of hotel rooms), increase competition, and lead to a reduction in prices." The tourism minister added, "The plans ensure that there will be a fast track for permits for hotel construction and concentrate the hotels into one general committee in a single quick procedure. This will enable us to bring entirely new hotel chains here for the first time." Levin added that he would give perks such as "allowing 20% of the rooms to be come apartments. This would make the building projects more economically viable, and would expose these hotels to Israeli lines of credit." Regarding opposition from environmental groups who claim that the beaches will be negatively impacted by the building projects, Levin said "I've never gotten the kind of reactions which I've encountered when pushing for this bill for any other bill, reactions which have included literal violence, bullying, and a gross deception of the public. There has been no damage caused by this bill not to environmental values, nor to beaches." Finance Minister Moshe Kahalon (Kulanu) has requested that an amendment to the law be made whereby hotels are not allowed to be built within 100 yards of the beach. Levin responded, saying "I was personally very disappointed with Kahalon's behavior on this issue. I think that he is looking to receive a big gold star for saving Israel's beaches." NICOSIA- Britain's defense secretary says Cyprus' support for the air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq has been essential in sustaining almost 3,000 combat missions so far this year. Michael Fallon said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Tuesday that the Royal Air Force hasn't kept such an operational tempo in a single theater of conflict in more than 25 years. Britain maintains two military bases on Cyprus including RAF Akrotiri from where anti-ISIS missions are being flown. SANAA- The US Central Command says the military has conducted two counterterrorism airstrikes targeting al-Qaida's branch in southern Yemen this month, killing seven militants. CENTCOM says in a statement Tuesday that six al-Qaida operatives were killed in an airstrike on July 16. An earlier airstrike on July 8 killed one al-Qaida operative. It didn't give details on the location of the airstrikes. The statement adds that the airstrikes "put consistent pressure on the terrorist network," preventing it from "plotting and executing attacks against US persons, our homeland and our allies." The video "Fuck You Tel Aviv," commissioned by Tel Aviv bar Biggy Z, spends its first three minutes cataloguing the city's ills, but towards the end, it morphs into an ode to Tel Aviv and one of the best promotional videos that Israel has seen in recent years Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Ran Tal and Nimrod Magal, third-year film students from Tel Aviv University, made the film for Biggy Z. Said Danny Halevy, one of the partners in the group that owns the bar, "Tel Aviv's place in Israeli society is very significant." He stated that both residents of Israel's second-largest city and those who only visit occasionally would be able to identify with the clip's sentiments. 'Fuck You Tel Aviv' X He added, "It's extremely Israeli to (simultaneously) hate and love, to complain and to say that it's the only place that you're ready to live. To complain is to love Israel unconditionally." He explained that all the griping is in good fun, identifying himself with one of the Tel Aviv stereotypes mocked in the video: "I'm a Tel Avivian surfer who runs barefoot into the sea myself. The humor is on us, and we hope that people will understand that and not take offensive. The French, as well, whom we really love." Biggy Z's Facebook page posted that the video itself is "a takeoff of Edward Norton's monologue from the film The 25th Hour from 2002." One of the film's creators, Ran Tal also answered questions on the final product: 'Fuck you, Tel Aviv; you're so fucking expensive!' (Photo courtesy of Biggy Z) Were you really afraid that people wouldn't get to the end and think that it's a hate video? Tal : "There's always the fear that they won't watch it all the way to the end. On paper, there were a lot of things that we cut, like buses, taxis, taxi drivers, parkingbut we wanted to get it down to three minutes." Halevy : "We knew, and we wanted and intended that it wouldn't be too long, and also that there would be the right build-up. The end left me chills, and it's hard to give me the chills. We knew that we needed to end the film with a positive feel. Let me be clear, we're crazy about Tel Aviv, even though it's not easy to operate here in bars, and we get pretty fed up with city at times." 'Fuck you, Tel Aviv, with your liberalism.' (Photo courtesy of Biggy Z) Asaf Zamir, the deputy mayor, has already shared the video on Facebook. Halevy : "Yes, and it's the same municipality that sends me inspectors at night But we appreciate the help, and the deputy mayor is a good friend of ours, even though at times we're disappointed with how the municipality's conducts certain things." Tal : "I saw. It surprised and didn't surprise me. Big snaps. It strengthens what we've done and gives legitimacy to this video's existing. When the deputy mayor shared the 'nonsense' that we made, it says a lot about him and a lot about the city." 'And what the hell is matkot?' (Photo courtesy of Biggy Z) Of all the things that you showed in the film, what's the biggest "Fuck you"? Halevy : "I don't know; the matkot (a beach paddle game) maybe." Tal : "Maybe all these viral videos?" At a press conference to mark a year since the beginning of construction on the Red Line near the Israel Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said "despite the gloomy forecasts of traffic jams from Netanya to Gadera and of the area becoming infested with rats, we have overcome everything." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The work on the Red Line light rail train which is due to connect the cities of Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, and Ramat Gan has taken a giant leap forward with the introduction of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which will be used to dig the train tunnels 90 feet under the surface. The TBM itself is a monster of a machine. At 300 feet long, 800 tons, and 22.5 feet wide, it's able to not only dig 75 feet of tunnel a day, but also lay down the concrete to reinforce and build the tunnel. It's crewed by 25 people, and has everything from bathrooms, a dining room, and an observation deck. The segment of the light rail construction next to the Israel Diamond Exchange (Photo: Motti Kimchi) Four TBMs are expected to begin digging within the next year, with two working from east to west, and two working from west to east. Additionally, dozens of Chinese construction workers have been working on the line over the past year. "I welcome the work being done by both the Israeli workers and our Chinese brothers," said Minister Katz. One of the Chinese foreign workers on the project (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The project embodies the strength and determination of our projects. It an integration of our need for a light rail in the Tel Aviv area, and working with the best people as a result of free and open competition." The minister noted that Israelis were worried that foreign companies would come in and leave the Israelis out of a job, but that the project is bringing in work for a multitude of people. The TBM in action in Europe (Photo: Gettyimages) "Several Israeli companies were worried, but what we see here is that there is in fact a lot of cooperation with Israeli companies. The project involves thousands of people. By the end of the project, the light rail is expected to serve 70,000 people something which will enable people to drive less in private vehicles, and use more public transportation. Preparing the ground for the green and purple lines Meanwhile, it was announced that construction on the green line between Herzliya and Rishon LeZion, and the purple line between Tel Aviv and the Tel HaShomer area is set to begin in 2018. The Green Line - the second line to be built in the Gush Dan area - will be 26 miles long, going from Herzliya in the north to Rishon LeZion and Holon in the south, passing through the center of Tel Aviv. The Purple Line meanwhile will include 44 different stops, and travel for 11 miles. Construction on this line is expected to last until 2021. It will begin next to the Savidor Mercaz train station in Tel Aviv, continue south and east to Givatayim and Ramat Gan passing through Sheba Medical Center, Bar Ilan University, and finally ending in Kiryat Ono and Or Yehuda. WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Roma Holocaust survivors and community leaders paid tribute at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp Tuesday to its Roma and Sinti victims who, like the Jews, were condemned to destruction under Nazi Germany's murderous ideology. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum said that hundreds took part, with Roma participants joined by Polish government officials, members of the Jewish community, diplomats and others. In total some 23,000 Roma and Sinti died in the so-called "Zigeunerfamilienlager" ("Gypsy family camp") at Auschwitz-Birkenau or in the gas chambers. In total, hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti were killed in the Holocaust. Auschwitz (Photo: Associated Press) The leader of Poland's Roma community, Roman Kwiatkowski, spoke of the need for solidarity - citing Pope Francis, who recently said the world is in a state of war. "We need solidarity all the more. Especially us Roma, who have never started any war but are the victims of each of them," he said in a speech to those gathered, according to details provided by the Auschwitz museum. "With all my heart I thank all of those who are not Roma for choosing to be here with us today, to honor the memory of our murdered brothers. They were also your brothers." A letter from Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo was read out in which she spoke of the duty to remember what "hatred and the rejection of humanity" can lead to. The head of Poland's Jewish community, Leszek Piszewski, said his community joins the Roma in their suffering and expressed concern that the world is forgetting about the lessons of World War II. Commemorations are held every year on Aug. 2, marking the day in 1944 when the last group of nearly 2,900 Roma and the closely related Sinti at the Nazi camp in occupied Poland were killed in the gas chambers. BEIRUT- A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas - suspected to be chlorine - in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province. Baby affected by the chlorine gas attack in Idlib province (Photo: EPA) The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defense uniforms. "Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gases. The Syrian Civil Defense was not able to determine the type of gas," said the spokesman. The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment. Later, state news agency SANA said rebels had fired rockets armed with toxic gas on the government-held old quarter of Aleppo city, killing five people and causing eight to have breathing difficulties. It gave no further details. Rebels have denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. Alleged chlorine gas canister dropped in Idlib province (Photo: EPA) The SNC said of the reported use of poison gas in Saraqeb: "After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases. "The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous Security Council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless to the Assad regime." The Civil Defense spokesman said it was the second time Saraqeb had been hit by toxic gas. The group was aware of around nine suspected chlorine gas incidents across Idlib province since the conflict began, he said. Downed Russian helicopter in Syria (Photo: Reuters) The US State Department said it was looking into the reported use of chemical weapons in Saraqeb. "I'm not in a position to confirm the veracity of (the reports)," said spokesman John Kirby. "Certainly, if it's true, it would be extremely serious." Monitors at the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence on all sides in the civil war, said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, wounding a large number of citizens. Russia's defense ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb during the day on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. The panel, which was formed to probe AAP MP Bhagwant Mann for live-streaming his Parliament trip, has found him guilty of breaching the security of the House. Sources said that Lok Sabha members are unanimous that Bhagwant Mann is guilty and action should be taken against him. Photo: PTI By India Today Web Desk: The nine-member parliamentary panel probing AAP MP Bhagwant Mann for live-streaming his trip to Parliament has unanimously found him guilty of breaching the security of the House. Sources have told India Today TV that the Lok Sabha members are unanimous that Mann is guilty and action should be taken against him. While there is difference of opinion over the degree of punishment, a final decision is expected tomorrow morning. advertisement Some members of the committee want only reprimand for the Aam Aadmi Party leader, while others think a stronger action should be taken against the comedian-turned-politician. There is also a possibility that the committee might seek more time to review the security aspect of the case. AAP MP Bhagwant Mann barred from Parliament till 9-member panel submits report in live-stream row MPs slam AAP leader Bhagwant Mann for posting Parliament video on social media LIVE-STREAMING PARLIAMENT VISIT Mann had live-streamed his trip to Parliament last month and posted it on Facebook, triggering outrage from other members of the House. Mann had defended the action, saying he was educating his supporters about parliamentary proceedings. A few MPs are already collecting signatures on a letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urging her to take a strong action against Mann. Mahajan had banned Mann from attending the Lok Sabha till the committee appointed by her in the video controversy submits its report. Members of the panel allege that the Sangrur MP was not serious during the probe, because despite an apology before the Lok Sabha Speaker, he continued to press with his demand to summon Prime Minister Narendra Modi too "for inviting the ISI to the Pathankot air force base". Backed by his party, a defiant Mann had repeatedly accused Modi of compromising the national security by inviting the Pakistani spy agency to a crucial military establishment. A Pakistani team had visited Pathankot in March as part of its probe into the January attack. "SEND MANN TO REHAB ON LOK SABHA COST" Meanwhile, a section in the Lok Sabha has also demanded that Mann should be sent to a rehab centre for alcohol de-addiction "on the Lok Sabha's expenditure". Last month, in the middle of the video row, suspended AAP MP Harinder Khalsa had alleged that he would feel nauseous in the House because of the "stink of alcohol" emanating from the chair next to him, occupied by Mann. Khalsa, who sits at seat number 495 in Lok Sabha, complained against Mann, who is allotted seat number 496, in a letter to Mahajan, who said she is looking into the matter. Also Read: advertisement Did AAP MP Bhagwant Mann deliberately violate Parliament rules? Bhagwant Mann will be jailed if he does it again: AAP MP in the dock for posting Parliament video Bitter fight breaks out in Rajya Sabha over Bhagwant Mann's video --- ENDS --- PRAGUE- Czech President Milos Zeman believes his country should refuse to take in refugees to ensure they cannot commit "barbaric attacks", his spokesman said on Tuesday. Zeman, whose role is largely ceremonial, is the country's most vocal opponent of immigration, opposing even the government's modest plan to take in 80 Syrian refugees this year, a tiny proportion of the millions fleeing civil war. Zeman's spokesman told a regular news conference that Islamist attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks proved his point. Paris It used to be the Tour de France that would raise to the headlines, albeit for only a short time, anonymous towns and villages across France. Last week, it was ISIS: Before the terrorist attack in a church, few in France had ever heard of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, the small village along the Seine that, since the Industrial Revolution, has become a charmless suburb of laborers outside of Rouen. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Many were also surprised to hear of a church that holds mass in the middle of the week at the end of July, what with the French vacation season reaching its peak. Quite a few churches don't always hold mass, a pillar of the Catholic faith, on a regular Sunday: Priests, like parishioners, are diminishing, and the churches are becoming architectural monuments and tourist sites. Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old priest who was slaughtered on the altar of his church, and his meager flockthree nuns and an elderly coupleare almost a caricature of the state of French Catholicism. But this is just a partial picture. French Catholicism has gone through a deep transformation. As a reaction to the radical secularization that began in the 60s, and not any less, the strengthening of Islam in France, a new generation arose of believers and activists characterized by religious engagement and not hesitating to speak out about political issues, as well. The recent fight against the law permitting couples of the same sex to marry and adopt children is an example of both their numbers and their determination. Slaughtered priest Jacques Hamel The principal characteristic of the New Catholics is that they feel like citizens of the Church, not its subjects. Despite the religious zeal and pride in their belonging to the Church, they don't automatically accept its official line, such as regarding immigration or Islam. They also don't hide the gap between themthe vast majority of them are conservatives tending towards the political right wingand Pope Francis, who is perceived as a liberal. Many of them feel today more Catholic than the Pope. These processes have placed the New Catholics before a powerful temptation: community politics. In view of the success of the organized Jewish community in defending what it views as its interests, and Muslim attempts to copy it, why shouldn't the Catholics adopt this course of action? The murder in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray put an end to this. Anyone who, in the hours after the terrorist attack, offered condolences to "the Catholic community in France," received rapid and severe responses from completely secular republicans, surprisingly: In France, there are Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim communities, but there is no, and there cannot be any, Catholic community, as Catholic Christendom is the historical faith of the nation and one of the pillars of Frenchness. Although the official discourse is carefully neutral, many spontaneously express that Catholics in France have a special status. If, up until a few months ago, those who sought to introduce to the preamble of the constitution that France's roots are Christian would have been accused of Islamophobia, then what is taking place now is no less than redesigning the French consensus. A few years after Nicolas Sarkozy tried to have a public discussion on the question of national identity and met with ridicule and vehement opposition, ISIS is forcing it today on French society. Every terrorist attack poses before the French a new fundamental question, such as the boundaries of the freedom of expression. The latest (for now) put on the agenda the place of Catholicism in the collective identity. Before the new enemy, France is not just making preparationsit's also discovering and redefining itself. PARIS - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday a victory by US presidential candidate Donald Trump could make politics more conservative around the world and said the real estate magnate made people "feel nauseous". A Trump victory in November could also affect France's presidential election in the spring of 2017, said Hollande, who has not yet announced if he will seek reelection. "If the Americans choose Trump, that will have consequences, because an American election is a world election," the Socialist leader told journalists. "It could lead to a very strong turn to the right in the world, or to a correction ... the American campaign shows issues that will be reflected in the French campaign," said Hollande, who will face strong competition from far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen if he chooses to run. "A certain number of excesses have ended up making people feel nauseous - even in the United States - especially, as Donald Trump did, when criticises the memory of a soldier," he said. This Account has been suspended. While moving on the Agra-Delhi highway NH-2, India Today found that there was hardly any patrolling being conducted by the local police despite a senior official's claim. By Siraj Qureshi: The Bulandshehar gangrape incident has created an uproar in the entire country over the lack of security on highways. Families are now fearing late night highway travel in UP as although the state government is committing to do its best to safeguard the highways, there hardly appears any action being taken in this direction. While moving on the Agra-Delhi highway NH-2, India Today found that there was hardly any patrolling being conducted by the local police despite a senior official's claim that 16 police patrol vehicles had been deployed on the highways passing through Agra. Similar was the state of the Agra-Jaipur and Agra-Gwalior Highway. advertisement Social activist and president of Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber Prahalad Agarwal told India Today that Agra is a tourism-centric city and thousands of tourists arrive in Agra every day, a large number of them in the form of families traveling via road. The security of these tourists, especially with foreign tourists is of utmost importance as any incident with the tourists coming to Agra could be a disaster for the tourism industry of the city and could mar the reputation of this city globally. Prakash Gokhale, who had arrived in Agra from Delhi and was on his way to Jaipur with his family, said that after Bulandshehar, highway travel was appearing scary. he said that he had come to Delhi from Mumbai by air and had planned to make the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi trip by road but he is now thinking it would have been better if he had taken train tickets for his family. Ashok Jain Oswal, the chairman of Ashok Oswal Group said that the administration should take steps to restore the confidence of the people in highway travel. ALSO READ: After Bulandshahr gangrape horror, India Today finds UP policemen sleeping on duty --- ENDS --- The Congress' Vice President, in a tweet, said, "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat wont save the BJP." Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a sharp dig at PM Modi today on the resignation of Gujarat CM. By Press Trust of India: A day after Anandiben Patel decided to step down as Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi today said making her a "scapegoat" would not save the BJP in Gujarat as the 13-year Narendra Modi rule in the state was responsible for its "burning". "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat wont save the BJP," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle. 13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) 2 August 2016 advertisement GUJARAT CM STEPS DOWN The Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday decided to step down, saying it was time for new the leadership to take over as she is soon going to turn 75. Anandiben Patel, who turns 75 this year, resigns as Gujarat CM Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled by the end of next year and Congress is upbeat as it had put up a good showing in the rural areas in the western states panchayat elections. The party has been out of power in the Gujarat for over two decades. The state has been witnessing an agitation by the Patidar community to fulfil their quota demand while Dalits are up in arms after seven persons from their community were flogged by a group at Una for skinning a dead cow. RESIGNATION WAS OVER DUE: CONGRESS Terming Patels resignation as "overdue", Congress on Monday accused the BJP leadership of trying to protect her in spite of "growing unrest" among Dalits and the Patidar community over her handling of issues related to them. All India Congress Committee General Secretary, in-charge of Gujarat, Gurudas Kamat also said if she is made a Governor of any state or accommodated into the Union cabinet, then it will amount to rubbing salt on the wounds of Dalits and the Patidar community. Also Read: Anandiben's resignation result of AAP's fight against corruption: Arvind Kejriwal Who will be Gujarat's next Chief Minister as Anandiben Patel quits? --- ENDS --- The opposition YSR Congress has called for a state-wide bandh (shutdown) in Andhra Pradesh today in protest against the alleged failure of the TDP government to get a special status to the state. By India Today Web Desk: The opposition YSR Congress has called for a state-wide bandh (shutdown) in Andhra Pradesh today in protest against the alleged failure of the TDP government to get a special status to the state. The Congress and the Left have extended their support to the bandh. Meanwhile, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has also decided to continue its protest for the special status. The party's MPs will stage a dharna at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament today against the Centre's refusal to grant the special status. Here are the latest updates The YSR Congress, the principal opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, has appealed to the people to take part in the bandh and express their protest over the failure of the BJP in according the Special Category Status to the state. The Congress, the CPI and the CPM have extended their support to the bandh. "Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made several promises, including grant of special status, to Andhra Pradesh during bifurcation in 2014. It is the responsibility of the central government to fulfil those promises," CPM politburo member Prakash Karat said. Meanwhile, unhappy over the Centre's stand, the ruling TDP - a member of the BJP-led NDA government - is continuing its protest against the Centre over the special status. On Monday too, TDP parliamentarians had staged protests both inside and outside Parliament. They tried to disrupt the proceedings in the Lok Sabha. TDP Lok Sabha MPs rushed to the Speaker's podium, demanding that the government fulfill its commitments under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The TDP decided to launch its protest after Finance Minister Arun Jaitely told the Rajya Sabha last week that Andhra Pradesh can't be granted special status but the Centre would handhold the state until it became economically stable. Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, on Monday met PM Modi to brief him on the developments in the state. Naidu is believed to have conveyed to Modi that growing distance with an ally would not be good for the coalition. The TDP has two ministers in the Union ministry. The fissures between BJP and TDP are being seen as so serious that there is speculation that the party led by N Chandrababu Naidu could even walk out of the NDA. advertisement --- ENDS --- Latest News Washington, DC - The United States is gravely concerned by the actions of the Nicaraguan government and Supreme Court to limit democratic space in advance of presidential and legislative elections in November. We strongly urge the Nicaraguan government to create a more open environment for free and fair elections that will allow the Nicaraguan people to determine the future of their country. On June 8, the Nicaraguan Supreme Court stripped the opposition Independent Liberal Party (PLI) from its long recognized leader. The Supreme Court took similar action on June 17 when it invalidated the leadership of the Citizen Action Party, the only remaining opposition party with the legal standing to present a presidential candidate. Most recently, on July 29, the Supreme Electoral Council removed 28 PLI national assembly members (16 seated and 12 alternates) from their popularly-elected positions. Credible elections and political plurality are fundamental to any strong democracy. Nicaraguan civil society, business leaders, and religious leaders continue to advocate for a strengthening of democratic institutions, a separation of powers, and a fair electoral process. We call on the Nicaraguan government to respect the voices of its people and take the steps for fair and transparent elections that permit the full participation of all Nicaraguan citizens, including by allowing opposition parties to operate independently. Latest News Los Angeles, California - Research by UCLA biologists published today presents strong evidence that the scientific reason advanced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act is incorrect. A key justification for protection of the gray wolf under the act was that its geographic range included the Great Lakes region and 29 Eastern states, as well as much of North America. The Fish and Wildlife Service published a document in 2014 which asserted that a newly recognized species called the eastern wolf occupied the Great Lakes region and eastern states, not the gray wolf. Therefore, the original listing under the act was invalid, and the service recommended that the species (except for the Mexican gray wolf, which is the most endangered gray wolf in North America) should be removed from protection under the act. A decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act may be made as early as this fall. In the new study published in the journal Science Advances, biologists analyzed the complete genomes of North American wolves including the gray wolf, eastern wolf and red wolf and coyotes. The researchers found that both the red wolf and eastern wolf are not distinct species, but instead are mixes of gray wolf and coyote. The recently defined eastern wolf is just a gray wolf and coyote mix, with about 75 percent of its genome assigned to the gray wolf, said senior author Robert Wayne, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. We found no evidence for an eastern wolf that has a separate evolutionary legacy. The gray wolf should keep its endangered species status and be preserved because the reason for removing it is incorrect. The gray wolf did live in the Great Lakes area and in the 29 eastern states. Once common throughout North America and among the worlds most widespread mammals, the gray wolf is now extinct in much of the United States, Mexico and Western Europe, and lives mostly in wilderness and remote areas. Gray wolves still live in the Great lakes area, but not in the eastern states. Apparently, the two species first mixed hundreds of years ago in the American South, resulting in a population that has become more coyote-like as gray wolves were slaughtered, Wayne said. The same process occurred more recently in the Great Lakes area, as wolves became rare and coyotes entered the region in the 1920s. The researchers analyzed the genomes of 12 pure gray wolves (from areas where there are no coyotes), three coyotes (from areas where there are no gray wolves), six eastern wolves (which the researchers call Great Lakes wolves) and three red wolves. There has been a substantial controversy over whether red wolves and eastern wolves are genetically distinct species. In their study, the researchers did not find a unique ancestry in either that could not be explained by inter-breeding between gray wolves and coyotes. If you did this same experiment with humans human genomes from Eurasia you would find that one to four percent of the human genome has what looks like strange genomic elements from another species: Neanderthals, Wayne said. In red wolves and eastern wolves, we thought it might be at least 10 to 20 percent of the genome that could not be explained by ancestry from gray wolves and coyotes. However, we found just three to four percent, on average similar to that found in individuals from the same species when compared to our small reference set. Pure eastern wolves were thought to reside in Ontarios Algonquin Provincial Park. The researchers studied two samples from Algonquin Provincial Park and found they were about 50 percent gray wolf, 50 percent coyote. Biologists mistakenly classified the offspring of gray wolves and coyotes as red wolves or eastern wolves, but the new genomic data suggest they are hybrids. These gray wolf-coyote hybrids look distinct and were mistaken as a distinct species, Wayne said. Eventually, after the extinction of gray wolves in the American south, the red wolves could mate only with one another and coyotes, and became increasingly coyote-like. Red wolves turn out to be about 25 percent gray wolf and 75 percent coyote, while the eastern wolfs ancestry is approximately 75 percent gray wolf and 25 percent coyote, Wayne said. (Waynes research team published findings in the journal Nature in 1991 suggesting red wolves were a mixture of gray wolves and coyotes.) Although the red wolf, listed as an endangered species in 1973, is not a distinct species, Wayne believes it is worth conserving; it is the only repository of the gray wolf genes that existed in the American South, he said. The researchers analyzed SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) tiny variations in a genetic sequence, and used sophisticated statistical approaches. In the more than two dozen genomes, they found 5.4 million differences in SNPs, a very large number. Research by UCLA biologists published today presents strong evidence that the scientific reason advanced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act is incorrect. A key justification for protection of the gray wolf under the act was that its geographic range included the Great Lakes region and 29 Eastern states, as well as much of North America. The Fish and Wildlife Service published a document in 2014 which asserted that a newly recognized species called the eastern wolf occupied the Great Lakes region and eastern states, not the gray wolf. Therefore, the original listing under the act was invalid, and the service recommended that the species (except for the Mexican gray wolf, which is the most endangered gray wolf in North America) should be removed from protection under the act. A decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act may be made as early as this fall. In the new study published in the journal Science Advances, biologists analyzed the complete genomes of North American wolves including the gray wolf, eastern wolf and red wolf and coyotes. The researchers found that both the red wolf and eastern wolf are not distinct species, but instead are mixes of gray wolf and coyote. The recently defined eastern wolf is just a gray wolf and coyote mix, with about 75 percent of its genome assigned to the gray wolf, said senior author Robert Wayne, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. We found no evidence for an eastern wolf that has a separate evolutionary legacy. The gray wolf should keep its endangered species status and be preserved because the reason for removing it is incorrect. The gray wolf did live in the Great Lakes area and in the 29 eastern states. Once common throughout North America and among the worlds most widespread mammals, the gray wolf is now extinct in much of the United States, Mexico and Western Europe, and lives mostly in wilderness and remote areas. Gray wolves still live in the Great lakes area, but not in the eastern states. Apparently, the two species first mixed hundreds of years ago in the American South, resulting in a population that has become more coyote-like as gray wolves were slaughtered, Wayne said. The same process occurred more recently in the Great Lakes area, as wolves became rare and coyotes entered the region in the 1920s. The researchers analyzed the genomes of 12 pure gray wolves (from areas where there are no coyotes), three coyotes (from areas where there are no gray wolves), six eastern wolves (which the researchers call Great Lakes wolves) and three red wolves. There has been a substantial controversy over whether red wolves and eastern wolves are genetically distinct species. In their study, the researchers did not find a unique ancestry in either that could not be explained by inter-breeding between gray wolves and coyotes. If you did this same experiment with humans human genomes from Eurasia you would find that one to four percent of the human genome has what looks like strange genomic elements from another species: Neanderthals, Wayne said. In red wolves and eastern wolves, we thought it might be at least 10 to 20 percent of the genome that could not be explained by ancestry from gray wolves and coyotes. However, we found just three to four percent, on average similar to that found in individuals from the same species when compared to our small reference set. Pure eastern wolves were thought to reside in Ontarios Algonquin Provincial Park. The researchers studied two samples from Algonquin Provincial Park and found they were about 50 percent gray wolf, 50 percent coyote. Biologists mistakenly classified the offspring of gray wolves and coyotes as red wolves or eastern wolves, but the new genomic data suggest they are hybrids. These gray wolf-coyote hybrids look distinct and were mistaken as a distinct species, Wayne said. Eventually, after the extinction of gray wolves in the American south, the red wolves could mate only with one another and coyotes, and became increasingly coyote-like. Red wolves turn out to be about 25 percent gray wolf and 75 percent coyote, while the eastern wolfs ancestry is approximately 75 percent gray wolf and 25 percent coyote, Wayne said. (Waynes research team published findings in the journal Nature in 1991 suggesting red wolves were a mixture of gray wolves and coyotes.) Although the red wolf, listed as an endangered species in 1973, is not a distinct species, Wayne believes it is worth conserving; it is the only repository of the gray wolf genes that existed in the American South, he said. The researchers analyzed SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) tiny variations in a genetic sequence, and used sophisticated statistical approaches. In the more than two dozen genomes, they found 5.4 million differences in SNPs, a very large number. Wayne said the Endangered Species Act has been extremely effective. He adds, however, that when it was formulated in the 1970s, biologists thought species tended not to inter-breed with other species, and that if there were hybrids, they were not as fit. The scientific view has changed substantially since then. Inter-breeding in the wild is common and may even be beneficial, he said. The researchers believe the Endangered Species Act should be applied with more flexibility to allow protection of hybrids in some cases (it currently does not), and scientists have made several suggestions about how this might be done without a change in the law, Wayne said. Co-authors of the study include lead author Bridgett vonHoldt, an assistant professor at Princeton University and former UCLA graduate student and postdoctoral scholar who worked in Waynes laboratory; Beth Shapiro, UC Santa Cruz associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology; Jacqueline Robinson, a UCLA graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology in Waynes laboratory; and Zhenxin Fan, an assistant professor at Chinas Sichuan University, who was a visiting graduate student in Waynes laboratory. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Turner Endangered Species Fund, the Wilburforce Foundation, and the Morris Animal Foundation. Latest News Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Benin as you celebrate the 56th anniversary of your nations independence on August 1. Benin and the United States enjoy a close friendship that is firmly rooted in the interests we share and the values we uphold. Your countrys position as one of the leading pillars of democracy in West Africa was reaffirmed by the free and fair elections conducted this year. My government looks forward to working closely with you in the year ahead to promote good governance, sustainable economic growth, access to quality health care, and security for all your citizens. On this joyous day, I wish all Beninese happiness and prosperity. Living Section West Lafayette, Indiana - Communication skills hampered by smart phones, engaging in mob mentality, anonymity of communicating online and a lack of willingness to hear the other side during the presidential election are fueling incivility among virtual friends and in online communities, according to a Purdue University communication expert. Whether the locus of our passion is for or against Bernie, Hillary, Donald, or Obama, the voice of current public discourse is now trumpeted through untethered social media and partisan broadcast companies. And much of it borders on the angry, cruel and irrational, says Glenn Sparks, professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication. There has never been such a critical time when people need to cultivate their listening and empathy skills, says Sparks, who is an expert in mass media effects. He has studied how communication technologies affect interpersonal relationships. Technology has revolutionized how we keep in touch with those far away while giving others a glimpse into our personal lives they didnt have before. It also has altered the kinds of relationships we have face-to-face, Sparks says. The constant time spent on phones and tablets has impeded our ability to have conversations and participate in daily discussions in general, so engaging in hot-button issues online can lead to a new level of hostility and disrespect. Sparks also cautions that online postings by individuals, organizations or media outlets are often intended to stoke incivility to generate more views and posts. People are losing the ability to have conversations in general, because part of having a conversation is listening, and we often forget that and it doesnt always translate well to online forums. Thanks to technology, whether it be a dedicated TV news program or personally selected Twitter accounts, people can choose which limited information sources they learn from. This selective exposure leads people to avoid ideas, individuals, groups or even general information they find disagreeable, Sparks says. This dampens intellectual curiosity as well as tolerance to hear or respect the other side. Sparks is the co-author of "Refrigerator Rights: Our Crucial Need for Close Connection with Will Miller, who is a lecturer in the Brian Lamb School of Communication. A woman from Arkansas (US) built a free pantry for locals after getting inspired by the concept of free libraries. By India Today Web Desk: You must have heard about free libraries or free-food fridges, but have you heard about a free pantry? Yes, you read that right. Arkansas (US)-based woman Jessica McClard is putting up smiles on millions of faces. After getting inspired by free libraries, Jessica came up with the idea of introducing a free pantry for the needy or homeless. advertisement Set up in a yard in front of a church in the city of Northwest Arkansas, her efforts have received a lot of applause from locals, who were quick to fill up the pantry with all kinds of toiletries, canned food, stationery items, personal hygiene and other supplies. Surprised by the quick response, Jessica wrote in a Facebook post, "Went to re-stock the LFP (Little Free Pantry), and someone beat me to it! Thank you, good people, of NWA (Northwest Arkansas)...felt like Christmas morning." Also read: People are leaving food for the homeless in this fridge installed by a Kochi restaurant Residents also celebrated the last day of school by putting bubbles, plastic bugs, candy bracelets and sidewalk chalk in the pantry box for little kids. Jessica's innovative idea soon became an internet sensation and also inspired many people around the world to start a similar open pantry. The Little Pantry Shop Facebook page, which has more than 11k followers, has been sharing similar stories of other people getting inspired by the idea and installing free pantry boxes in their backyards/cities to help people who cannot afford basic healthcare and food. Talking about the items that are in high demand, Jessica told ABC News, "Personal hygiene items for sure. Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers, feminine hygiene products, paper goods are great too, paper towels and toilet paper. I get asked about high temperatures and whether food could really spoil, but the turnover rate is so high it's never been a problem." But more than anything, McClard hopes that her Little Free Pantry "helps someone who may be in a tight spot and to let them know they're not alone."Picture courtesy: Facebook/ The Little Free Pantry --- ENDS --- Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - Today,just after 12:00 noon a fire was reported in the area of 4th Avenue and 26th Street. This information was then updated to a garage on fire in the 2500 block of 8th Drive. First arriving Yuma Fire Department personnel found heavy smoke and fire coming from a two story building at 2539 South 8th Drive (at the corner of 8th Drive and 26th Street). The lot where the fire was occurring contained two residential structures, and several additional storage sheds in close proximity to each other. The fire spread between these structures, with an additional neighboring house also being damaged. Although there was at least one elderly occupant in one of the structures at the time of the fire, they were able to evacuate safely with the help of a family member. It took at least two hours to bring the fire under control, with fire fighters remaining on the scene for several additional hours working to completely extinguish the fire and resulting hot spots. Temperatures at the time of the fire were in the 100s, with fire personnel needing to be rotated frequently on the fire line due to the intense heat. Personnel and apparatus from the Marine Corps Air Station Structural Fire Department, Somerton Fire Department, and San Luis Fire Department were utilized in various capacities (firefighting, rehabilitation of personnel, logistics and coordination). The Yuma Police Department also provided necessary traffic and crowd control. The origin and cause of this fire is under investigation. Due to the weather, a particularly important piece of equipment was the YFD Rehabilitation vehicle. It was used to cool down, monitor, and rehydrate personnel to allow them return to fighting the fire. Although not its first use, this was the most significant use of this vehicle to date. It was recently placed in service and had been constructed by YFD personnel who repurposed an older delivery vehicle that had belonged to the department for many years. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Stiri pe aceeasi tema - President Klaus Iohannis on Monday signed decrees on appointment of two new members to the National Statistical Council, informs the Presidential Administration, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help - President Klaus Iohannis will participate, on Thursday and Friday, in the first meeting of the European Political Community and in the informal meeting of the European Council, which is taking place in Prague, in the Czech Republic, the Presidential Administration informed, told Agerpres. Fii - We need zero tolerance for plagiarism, and the new education laws must include explicit provisions on preventing and punishing this toxic phenomenon of the educational environment, said President Klaus Iohannis on Monday morning, at the opening of the university year at the Ion Mincu University of - President Klaus Iohannis will lead the Romanian delegation that will participate in the high-level segment of the 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, on Tuesday and Wednesday, in New York, the Presidential Administration informs. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. - Romania co-chairs, at the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis, the thematic line "Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession" within the Transforming Education Summit - TES, due to take place from Friday to Monday, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, informed the - President Klaus Iohannis will attend, on Monday, September 19, the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that will take place at Westminster Abbey in London, the Presidential Administration announced. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook - President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Monday, the decree for the decoration of maestro Cristian Macelaru, principal conductor of the WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Cologne and artistic director of the "George Enescu" International Festival. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste - President Klaus Iohannis declared on Monday that there has recently been an intense and natural debate on the future of education, showing that he expects the debate to continue in Parliament until a legislative form that helps teachers to fulfill their aspirations is reached. Fii la curent VILLANOVA, PA and BRYN MAWR, PA Aqua America, Inc. (Aqua) today announced a partnership with Villanova Universitys College of Engineering to provide mentorship opportunities, hands-on water quality expertise and foundation support for the colleges international service work. As part of this partnership, Aqua leadership and engineers will travel with Villanova faculty and students to various projects internationally to provide engineering and water infrastructure expertise. Aquas on-site engagement with Villanova begins with a trip to Nicaragua on August 4 and a visit to Panama on August 11. Members of Aquas leadership team will accompany the Aqua team that includes engineers and water quality experts. They will travel with Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL) representatives to inspect water project sites, meet with community members and connect with local nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners. The partnership reflects Aquas greater initiative of partnering with community-based nonprofit organizations that advocate for the environment. An important part of the success of the Villanova program has been working with in-country partners who have the capacity to implement these projects. In the Alto Bayano region of Panama, VESL has been providing engineering support on water-related infrastructure projects for 25 years. In collaboration with local NGOs, they have helped to develop one of the largest rural water supply systems in Central America. Similarly, over the past decade, the college has worked with local partners in Waslala, Nicaragua to design and implement water supply networks that provide safe drinking water for rural communities. Through the Aqua America partnership, VESL hopes to improve the sustainability of water delivery services in these areas, while creating unique learning opportunities for its local partners and student participants. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Aqua America in what is a true partnership, said Villanovas Dr. Gary A. Gabriele, Drosdick-Endowed Dean of Engineering. Aqua is VESLs first corporate partner to put boots on the ground, and we look forward to the continued growth of this partnership. Aquas President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Franklin highlighted that the company has a long history of demonstrating commitment to the communities it serves. Because this commitment has become part of our culture, it will continue long into the future, Franklin said. When we consider how fortunate we are to live in the United States where clean drinking water is almost taken for granted, we must consider what other human beings in other countries endure each day to find clean water for their children to drink. Franklin noted that with this in mind, Aqua made the decision to take a small portion of the Aqua foundation budget and combine it with the talents its employees possess to make a meaningful difference for those who live in these countries. He added, As one of the nations leading water companies, our mission is to protect and provide Earths most essential resource. In our own small way, we will demonstrate our commitment in a few communities outside the U.S. where clean, safe drinking water is so desperately needed. We look forward to leveraging our expertise and partnering with Villanovas distinguished College of Engineering faculty and students on this program. Aqua supports environmental projects through the Aqua Charitable Trust and forming important partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations within the companys territory. This partnership with Villanova marks the first time Aqua will be taking its commitment internationally. Villanova is highly regarded in the area of water resource management and sustainability. In addition to offering graduate degrees in sustainable engineering and water resources and environmental engineering, the university is home to the Villanova Center for the Advancement of Sustainability in Engineering and the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership. Given this area of expertise, in addition to Panama and Nicaragua, VESL water projects are underway in Ghana, Honduras, India and Madagascar. The colleges other service projects include robotics for unexploded ordnance removal in Cambodia, and mobile health programs in Nicaragua. More than half of Villanovas engineering undergraduates participate in service-learning projects or experiences. About Aqua America: Aqua America is one of the largest U.S.-based, publicly traded water utilities and serves nearly 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. Aqua America is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WTR. Visit AquaAmerica.com for more information, or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica. About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova Universitys Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu. Mohammad Azam Khan created another controversy by alleging that a "political conspiracy" might be involved in the gangrape of a Noida-based mother and daughter on a busy highway near Bulandshahr last week. By India Today Web Desk: Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammad Azam Khan today created another controversy by alleging that a "political conspiracy" might be involved in the gangrape of a Noida-based mother and daughter on a busy highway near Bulandshahr last week. Known for his bizarre comments in the past , the Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said in Rampur on Monday night that the investigative agencies should explore the possibility of some opposition party being involved in the gang rape. While justifying the action against policemen on the issue, the minister further said that the government should also keep a watch on opponents as "people can stoop to any levels" in politics. "To get power, politicians can get down to any level. They can murder people, trigger riots, kill innocent people, so the truth has to be found out" he added. advertisement Reacting sharply to the statement, state BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. "If you cannot bring succour to the victims, one should not add injury to insult" he said while demanding that UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav apologise for the conduct and statement of his ministerial colleague. Eight armed men stopped the family car on the Delhi-Kanpur highway early Saturday morning. The men dragged the members to nearby sugarcane fields and proceeded to rape the teenager and her 38-year-old mother. The other members of the family were tied up. The family has threatened to commit suicide if the culprits are not "caught and hanged" immediately. Five persons have been arrested so far while a massive manhunt is on to nab the main accused. Also Read Azam Khan urges Centre to probe Zakir Naiks activities Last week on my day off from work, I landed up at a friends place to let my hair down at the end of a really hectic week.

It is here that I met this pretty, young lady, a Hotel Management Trainee at The Taj in Delhi, studying in some UK university. She happened to be a friend of my friend.

Very upfront and very talkative, she immediately found out that I work for Zee News, noticing the strap of my office ID hanging from my pocket.

Call it her charm or my chatting prowess; we immediately struck a conversation without any formal introduction.

I would love to pat my back for being a very good listener because within minutes of our meeting, she was telling me about how her fiance proposed her publicly and how embarrassed she was then. And then it happened.

In the middle of the conversation, I casually mentioned how I slipped on stairs just a day before Eid and missed the festivities because of being injured.

Her beautiful eyes spread wide in amusement rather than disbelief as her immediate reaction wasYou dont look like a Muslim.

I must admit that the reaction was purely genuine as after all it is not everyday that she sees a Muslim wearing a Wrangler jeans and T-Shirt, sporting Reebok shoes and talking about Hard Rock , Linkin Park and Chester Bennington, sitting at a Cafe Coffee Day at South Campus of Delhi University.

Though, this was not the first time that somebody reacted like this, it was probably the first time that I tried to find out whether I should be happy or angry at this reaction.

I dont know if it was due to the recent terror incidents or just the bluntness of the girl, but for the first time ever in my life, I bothered to find out whether it is good or bad if I dont look like a Muslim.

Call it a branding, marginalisation or pure stereotypes, but people in general still perceive a common Muslim as the Kurta wearing, beard flaunting and skull cap sporting breed. This inspite of top Bollywood stars being Muslims.

And after the recent terror attacks, a bomb is presumably added to this attire.

So, unknowingly I have become the moderate face of Muslims among my peers, because though I keep fast for the holy month of Ramzaan I dont offer Namaz five times a day and also because I keep saying Alhamdulillah every time I sneeze but dont sport a beard.

Another thing: I just fail to understand that why casual acquaintances start telling me about the other Muslim friend with whom they shared a great rapport, about how they know everything about Ramzaan fasting, Eid, Sewaiyan, some Pir Baba who used to give taweez and how not all the Muslims are terrorists and India seriously requires a secular mindset to completely understand the minority communities, as soon as they realise that I am also a Muslim.

I mean, these things are good but one need not necessarily know all these to become my friend or to strike a chat with me. I think one can talk of any topic of common interest. But these are stereotypes. They are hard to do away with.

I dont know when this stereotype will make way for the real imagery. But till the time it happens, I am happy surprising pretty, young ladies. Television actress Shiny Doshi has quit the show Bahu Hamari Rajni_Kant as the actress was not happy with the way her character was being developed. By India Today Web Desk: Television actress Shiny Doshi was not exactly pleased with the way her character was being developed on the show Bahu Hamari Rajni_Kant, and has quit the show recently. Shiny had only been on the show for the past couple of months. The actress was introduced as the male lead, Shaan's (Karan V Grover) love interest. Also read:After Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant, get ready to welcome another humanoid Shiny Doshi with the cast of Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant. The actress captioned the picture as gonna miss u all. Picture courtesy: Instagram/shinydoshi15 "It was supposed to be a triangle where I was the other woman in the lead actor's life. But my character was not developed well and there was no scope for improvement either. There was no challenge while performing any scene. And then suddenly a decision was taken to turn the character negative. So, I have decided to quit the show," Shiny told The Times of India. A still from the show. Picture courtesy: YouTube advertisement The show's makers will now apparently focus on Rajni and Shaan's chemistry as the viewers seem to like their pair better. Karan aka Shaan said on the subject, "Rajni and Shaan have always shared a great chemistry, so that was not the only reason for Shiny's track to end. Shiny is a good actress but there was not much drama in this track and maybe that's why the ratings dipped." Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged Russia to "restrain" itself and the government in Syria as fierce fighting there continues on the day he had hoped political transition could start. "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," he told journalists. Kerry said the government`s attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. "The target date was set with the agreement that the parties were going to be able to go to the talks and begin immediately to negotiate," he said. "But because of the continued offensive operations of the Assad regime, the opposition found it impossible to sit in Geneva and actually negotiate without the cessation of hostilities." President Bashar al-Assad`s forces have surrounded rebel-held districts in the city of Aleppo, one of the main front lines in the conflict ravaging the country since 2011. Aleppo`s southern edges have been ravaged by intense fighting in recent days as rebels seek to ease the government siege and cut off the regime`s own access route into the rest of the northern province. Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of an international effort to bring Assad`s regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups. Hopes for the existing peace process rest on a UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-country International Syria Support Group. Under the roadmap, signed by both Syria`s ally Iran and Assad`s pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire would precede Geneva-based talks on "political transition." The plan, endorsed by the UN in December, calls for the creation of a transitional body that should have taken place on August 1, followed by a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. "Almost all of the time, from the moment of the announcement of the target date until today, has been consumed by trying to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful," Kerry said, implicitly acknowledging the failure to meet the roadmap so far. "These are important days to determine whether or not Russia and the Assad regime are going to live up to the UN, live up to the cycle, or not," Kerry said. "And the evidence thus far is very, very troubling to everybody." "We will see in the course of the next hours, few days, whether or not that dynamic can be changed." nr/mdo/grf Vijayawada: The state-wide bandh, called by main opposition YSR Congress demanding that the Centre grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, affected normal life with business activity coming to a standstill and educational institutions remaining shut. The Congress and Left parties extended support to the day-long shutdown. Scores of opposition workers were taken into custody by police in several areas across the state as they tried to organise protests and prevent plying of state-run transport corporation buses. State Road Transport Corporation suspended its services as a precautionary measure to prevent any damage. While educational institutions declared a holiday, banks and other commercial establishments did not open their shutters. In Vijayawada, YSRC workers were taken into custody when they staged a protest outside the bus station and prevented movement of buses. Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party MLA from Ponnuru in Guntur district sat on a day-long "deeksha" at the statue of Acharya N G Ranga in the town demanding that the BJP government honour its promise and grant special status to AP. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to support the state by all means as it suffered heavily because of the irrational bifurcation," Narendra said. In Vizianagaram, YSR Congress workers staged protests outside deports of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC). They also protested on national highways, police said. YSR Congress MLC Veerabhara Swamy, along with party workers, staged a protest outside an APSRTC depot in Vizianagaram town and the MLC was later taken into preventive custody, I-Town Sub-Inspector G Venkataraman said. 45 other YRS Congress workers were detained in Vizianagaram city, the officer said. APSRTC officials said bus services have improved later in the day. Police said no untoward was reported so far. New Delhi: Stepping up pressure on the Centre over its demand for granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh, the Telegu Desam Party (TDP), held a protest in the Parliament complex on Tuesday. Today is the second day of protests by TDP MPs in the Parliament over the issue. Yesterday, TDP members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha staged a protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament complex. They held placards and raised slogan 'We want justice''. TDP, a constituent of the NDA, has two ministers in the Union ministry. The TDP decided to launch protests to bring pressure on the BJP-led government after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely told the Rajya Sabha last week that Andhra Pradesh can't be granted special status but the Centre would handhold the state until it became economically stable. Meanwhile, YSR Congress party leaders today held a separate protest at Gandhi statue in Parliament over the same issue. Earlier, the TDP had hinted at reviewing its ties with ally BJP and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for granting special category status to the state, saying they are "life and death" issues for the new state. Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu said, "We have waited with hope for two years. If the Prime Minister can spare two hours, the problems can be solved." "What is our mistake that you are doing such injustice to us (AP)? You have no authority to do injustice to us. We are part of India and we are paying every tax, contributing to your (enhanced) income," Naidu told the Centre The BJP, that supported AP's bifurcation, had "much more responsibility" (in implementing the Act and granting special status). It can't escape from it," he asserted "With all my political experience I am requesting. Our MPs will meet the Prime Minister and take up these issues and based on his response we will chalk out our future course of action," the TDP chief said. With PTI inputs Kabul: The Afghan Taliban publicly executed a 19-year-old woman in northern Sar-e-Pul province for abandoning her family due to domestic issues. Azada, the girl, was first tried in a desert court and then shot dead on Monday by her brother and Taliban militants in Kohistanat district, Khaama Press reported. According to a government official, the girl left her home about two months ago and took shelter in a house. She was brought back by her brother who promised to ensure her safety. The latest public execution comes amid growing violence against women in the country. Earlier, a 22-year-old woman, Gul Jan, was shot dead by her family in Pashtunkot district for speaking with a stranger over phone. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in a report issued last year said the statistic of violence against women during the first six months last year was 2,579 cases. Dhaka: Bangladesh Police on Tuesday announced a reward of over USD 25,000 for clues leading to the arrest of two Islamists identified as "masterminds" of the terror attacks at a cafe here and an Eid congregation. Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and dismissed army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque have been identified as the brains behind the two terror attacks. "The law enforcement and intelligence agencies are trying to arrest Tamim Chowdhury and (sacked and fugitive) major Zia (Ziaul Haque), we seek everyone's cooperation in this regard," Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque told reporters here. The police chief announced Tk 2 million rewards on each of them for information leading to their arrest. "If anyone helps to arrest them or inform us after detaining them, we will give Tk 2 million reward for each of them," he said. The IGP said their arrests will result into a "significant curb in militant activities". Investigators earlier identified Chowdhury as the leader of "reconstituted" Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) or Neo JMB and the deserter military officer as main organiser of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which off late appeared as Ansar Al Bangladesh. Independent security analysts earlier said the neo JMB was inclined to ISIS while ABT was ideologically linked to al-Qaeda though Bangladesh repeatedly declined presence of any foreign terrorist outfit in the country. The briefing came a day after the police chief said that Bangladesh has alerted Indian security agencies that Chowdhury may have fled to India, amid a nationwide manhunt to track down the Bangladeshi-Canadian. He said a massive manhunt is underway to track down Chowdhury. A newspaper earlier reported that Chowdhury appeared as the leader and main financier of a reorganised JMB while Bangladesh earlier attributed the two attacks to the outfit. A police officer familiar with the investigation earlier said evidence gathered from the scene of the July 26 overnight security raid at Dhaka?s Kalyanpur area, when nine presumed militants were killed, led police to identify Chowdhury, believed to be in his mid 30s. The July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant left 22 people including an Indian girl and two police officers dead, while the July 6 assault on an Eid congregation at northern Sholakia killed 2 policemen and a woman. Lahore: A caravan of relief material mobilised by the JuD in Pakistan for distribution in the Kashmir Valley was halted on Tuesday near the Line of Control (LoC), triggering protests, officials said. The caravan of dozens of trucks and ambulances left Muzzafarabad in Pakistani Kashmir early on Tuesday for Srinagar and was stopped by police in Chakothi village near the LoC. The vehicles are loaded with essential supplies like rice, oil, fresh and dry vegetables, clarified butter, baby food and medicines. There were also ambulances with doctors and para-medics. The relief materials and ambulances were put together by Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), charity wing of the proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Islamist group. The group is headed by Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack for whose capture the US has announced a bounty of $10 million. Although the JuD is outlawed in Pakistan, it is known to operate more or less freely through its various fronts. Sayeed frequently addressed public rallies. People in the caravan staged a noisy demonstration in Chakothi, insisting that they be allowed to proceed to the Kashmir Valley in India, the FIF said. "The caravan will not leave this place till the material is sent to the Kashmiri people who are suffering from over three weeks due to the Indian atrocities," it said. Hafiz Abdul Rouf of FIF said markets in the Kashmir Valley were shut due to curfew and restrictions and that Kashmiris were suffering badly. "If the two countries can use this route for trade, why can't it be used for humanitarian relief?" he asked. The widespread protests in the Kashmir Valley following the killing of militant Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. Karachi: Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf owned more properties under defence housing schemes than previously thought, a media report said on Tuesday, days after a top court ordered authorities to confiscate his bank accounts and property. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) confirmed three bungalows were named after the 72-year-old former President, who is currently said to be in Dubai for purported medical treatment. The DHA wrote a letter to the district and session court confirming their presence, Geo News reported today. According to details in the letter, Musharraf has a 2000- yard bungalow in Phase 8, Defence. He also owns two plots in DHA phase 8, DHA stated. However DHA has remained silent over a bungalow in Army Housing Scheme which is considered one of the main properties of the former military dictator. Quoting sources in DHA, the report said that Musharraf in fact has two properties in Army Housing Scheme, something that even the court was unaware of. District Judge South (Karachi) Nazir Amin Memon had initiated action based on the Special Court judge's ruling on July 19, in which the court had ordered freezing of Musharraf's assets and properties. The district judge had ordered seizing of four bungalows belonging to the former president for not appearing before it during proceedings of a high treason case despite repeated notices. The district judge in a letter had asked the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to take action and submit a response in three days over the matter. Musharraf flew to Dubai in March for purported medical treatment after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on his foreign trips and it is believed that he may never return to face a slew of several high-profile cases against him. The Special Court in one of its previous rulings had declared ex-president Musharraf a 'proclaimed offender'. In March 2014, Musharraf was formally indicted over treason charges for imposing emergency and the Provisional Constitutional Order on November 3, 2007. Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Facing impeachment following elections in 2008, he resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. He returned in 2013 to contest elections but was implicated in several high-profile cases. He is facing trial in illegal detention of judges in 2007. Musharraf has also been charged in connection with the 2007 assassination of prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Melbourne: A Melbourne-based street artist had covered a provocative mural he painted of US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton following public decency complaints against him. The artist was threatened with a council fine after which he responded by covering the painting with a niqab. Maribyrnong council took issue with the original mural, which depicted Hillary Clinton wearing a revealing swimsuit with $100 notes tucked into it. The council said residents complained about the piece, which was painted on to the side wall of a scooter shop in Footscray, 5-km west of Melbourne. The council also later released a statement which said the mural contravened its gender equity policy. We believe that this mural is offensive because of the depiction of a near-naked woman, not on the basis of disrespect to Hillary Clinton, and it is not in keeping with our stance on gender equity, the council chief executive, Stephen Wall, said. With the council threatening the owner of the building with prosecution and a fine if the mural was not removed, the artist, known as Lushsux, had his Instagram account deleted after posting the image to the social media platform. However instead of removing the mural, Lushsux covered up the swimsuit by painting a niqab over the top of it, leaving only Clintons eyes showing. Next to his work, he painted the message: If this Muslim woman offends u, u r a bigot, racist, sexist Islamophobe. This is no longer a wall of a supposed "offensive and near naked" Hillary Clinton, a beautiful Muslim woman. pic.twitter.com/M7Uzr4gqBC LUSHSUX (@lushsux) August 1, 2016 Watch the artist covering the provocative mural with a niqab here. New Delhi: With Arvind Kejriwal set to spend a substantial amount of time campaigning in poll-bound states and his deputy Manish Sisodia increasingly taking over his official as well as some non-official works, the latter's clout in the government affairs is "set to grow". Sisodia on Tuesday convened a meeting of MLAs of South Delhi on development works at Secretariat here. When in the capital, Chief Minister Kejriwal calls meetings of MLAs on issues pertaining to their areas. Though the government is unlikely to make an official announcement in this regard, Sisodia would also be taking care of important files normally routed through Chief Minister's Office. "As the CM will be busy with campaigning in poll-bound states including Punjab, Goa and Gujarat in coming days, Sisodia will take over chief ministerial responsibilities. "Today, Sisodia's meeting with South Delhi MLAs clearly suggests his increasing clout in the government affairs," a source said. In recent past, many AAP government and party advertisements have carried AAP government and party advertisements have carried Sisodia's pictures. Led by its convener Kejriwal, AAP is gearing up for the Assembly elections in Goa, Punjab and Gujarat, scheduled for next year.AAP is gearing up for the Assembly elections in Goa, Punjab and Gujarat, scheduled for next year. Sources also said the Deputy CM will hold district-wise meetings with MLAs on development works, where he will discuss issues with officials concerned. In the Kejriwal government, Sisodia, who has charge of 11 departments, is holding key portfolios including finance, education, services, information technology, vigilance, law & justice, and revenue. At present, Sisodia is looking after chief ministerial works as Kejriwal has gone on 10-day vipassana session in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. When Kejriwal had gone to Bengaluru for treatment of cough, Sisodia had taken care of chief ministerial works. After Sisodia, his Cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain has responsibilities of maxim seven departments. Last month, Sisodia was relieved of the charge of Urban Development and it was given to Jain. Prague: Czech President Milos Zeman says the country should refuse to take in refugees to ensure they cannot commit "barbaric attacks", his spokesman said on Tuesday. Zeman, who holds a largely ceremonial post, is the country`s most vocal opponent of immigration, opposing even the government`s modest plan to take in 80 Syrian refugees this year, a tiny proportion of the millions fleeing the civil war. Islamist attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks have proved his point, Zeman`s spokesman, Jiri Ovcacek, told a regular news conference. "Our country simply cannot afford to risk terrorist attacks like what occurred in France and Germany. By accepting migrants we would create fertile ground for barbaric attacks," Ovcacek said. "The President does not agree with any acceptance of migrants in the Czech territory." The Czechs and other central Europeans have been the most critical of the European Union`s response to the unprecedented migration crisis in which over a million people entered the bloc last year. The government opposes an EU quota system to re-distribute asylum seekers but has not followed Slovakia and Hungary in challenging it in the courts. Hungary holds a referendum on October 02 to ask its citizens whether they accept the EU system. It is not clear how Brussels will be able to force those countries to take in refugees against their will. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka`s government has agreed to taking in 80 Syrian refugees from a Turkish camp, something President Zeman opposes. Sobotka said in a newspaper interview on July 30 that it was not possible to have uncontrolled migration but that using "collective guilt and saying every Muslim is a terrorist" was not the way to proceed in countering threats. He was unavailable to comment on Tuesday. A CVVM institute poll in May found 61 percent of Czechs are against taking in war refugees, up from 52 percent last October. Another 34 percent said refugees should be accepted only until they can return home. By PTI: Vijayawada, Aug 2 (PTI) The state-wide bandh, called by main opposition YSR Congress demanding that the Centre grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, affected normal life with business activity coming to a standstill and educational institutions remaining shut. The Congress and Left parties extended support to the day-long shutdown. Scores of opposition workers were taken into custody by police in several areas across the state as they tried to organise protests and prevent plying of state-run transport corporation buses. advertisement State Road Transport Corporation suspended its services as a precautionary measure to prevent any damage. While educational institutions declared a holiday, banks and other commercial establishments did not open their shutters. In Vijayawada, YSRC workers were taken into custody when they staged a protest outside the bus station and prevented movement of buses. Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party MLA from Ponnuru in Guntur district sat on a day-long "deeksha" at the statue of Acharya N G Ranga in the town demanding that the BJP government honour its promise and grant special status to AP. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to support the state by all means as it suffered heavily because of the irrational bifurcation," Narendra said. PTI DBV NRB SMN RYS --- ENDS --- London: In a shocking statement, a British Muslim cleric has said that having sex slaves is "permissible in Islam". An undercover reporter recorded Ali Hammuda, an imam at a Cardiff mosque, as telling children as young as 13 that the day of judgment is close. Hammuda, who was born in Palestine but brought up in the UK, explained a series of Hadiths (sayings attributed to the Prophet Mohammed) at the Al-Manar mosque: One of the interpretations as to what this means is that towards the end of time there will be many wars like what we are seeing today, and because of these wars women will be taken as captives, as slaves, yeah, women will be taken as slaves. And then, er, her master has relations with her because this is permissible in Islam, its permissible to have relations with a woman who is your slave or your wife, said the English Islamic Programmes officer at the mosque. Notably, Hammuda is accused of radicalising three British citizens who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State in 2014. The recordings were made by undercover reporter Rizwan Syed for Hardcash Productions while probing into Islamist militants in the UK in October 2014. Ankara: Turkey on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of the investigation into last month`s failed coup, local media reported. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. Istanbul: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey`s Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement. Turkey, meanwhile, issued arrest warrants for about 100 staff, including doctors, at Ankara`s main military hospital, and even fired football referees in a new phase of the crackdown after the failed coup that has seen some 18,000 detained and caused international consternation. "Unfortunately, the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters," said Erdogan in a typically combative speech at his presidential palace, denouncing "those who we imagined to be friends". Erdogan lashed out at Germany`s judicial authorities for not allowing him to address via video conference a weekend rally in Cologne in his support. "Bravo! The courts in Germany work very fast!" Erdogan said with heavy irony. He accused Germany of allowing leaders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to address previous events via video conference. The President, who had previously alluded to foreign states` involvement, gave his strongest indication yet that external powers could have played a role. "This coup was not just an event planned from the inside. The actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," Erdogan said. Turning directly on Washington over its hosting of Gulen, he asked: "How can it be, when we are strategic partners... you keep on hiding and sheltering him?" Already strained ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been aggravated by the failed putsch, with some government ministers even alleging Washington could have had a hand in the plot, which US officials firmly reject. Erdogan also rounded on the European Union, saying it had "not yet lived up to its promises" in a deal on reducing the flow of migrants to Europe.Police searched the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital and detained some 50 staff including military doctors, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting police sources. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed detention warrants had been issued for 98 staff. The official said staff there were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials say exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey`s generals were fired in the wake of the coup. This was the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in a clampdown under a three-month state of emergency which has also hit journalists and academics. Turkey`s football authorities meanwhile fired 94 officials -- including referees and assistant referees -- in the wake of the coup, the football federation said. Police also detained at least 36 people over a sex tape scandal that felled the leader of the main opposition party in 2010, with prosecutors linking the affair to Gulen. Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 and has denied any involvement in the putsch. Turkish authorities stepped up pressure on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending a new package of documents to the American authorities, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "He needs to be arrested urgently as we have intelligence that he might flee to a third country," Bozdag added. Erdogan snapped at the Italian authorities over an investigation into his eldest son Bilal, who was studying in Bologna, on suspicion of involvement in money laundering. "Let Italy`s judges deal with the mafia, not my son," Erdogan said in an interview with Italian news channel Rai News24, warning the issue could affect relations with Rome. Turkey has also launched a sweeping overhaul of state institutions, sacking tens of thousands of civil servants and shaking up the military. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government had started "virus and traitor cleansing" to weed out Gulenists from state institutions. The Hurriyet daily said the overhaul would also hit the powerful intelligence service which would be split into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence, in line with Britain`s system where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5. Meanwhile, Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci said the overall cost of the coup on the Turkish economy could amount to $100 billion ($89 billion). Panaji: Goa opposition MLA Naresh Sawal has made a controversial statement in the state assembly by saying the hands of those accused of corruption should be chopped off. Sawal made the demand in the Goa Assembly. "If the government is serious about acting against corruption, then they should cut off the hands of those who are corrupt," independent MLA from Bicholim Naresh Sawal said. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government of going slow on curbing corruption. Reacting to Sawal's charge, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar asked Sawal to exercise caution while making statements in the assembly. "It looks like the MLA has come with his sword unsheathed. This is a democracy and in a democracy, even if a person is known as an established criminal or a cheat, it has to proven so.'' "You cannot cut off the hands of thieves. This is a democracy. He should realise that," Parsekar said, adding that his government was serious about eradication corruption. Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday said that hardly a penny is spent on his numerous visits to Delhi. His comments were in response to questions from media about the modest expenditure of Rs 500 which was spent on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the latter's two visits to Goa. "So what. I go to Delhi on so many occasions, not even a penny is spent," Parsekar said. In a written reply tabled on Monday during the ongoing monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, Protocol Minister Dilip Parulekar had said that Kejriwal's visit to the coastal state had cost the exchequer an expenditure of only Rs 500, which was spent on buying a floral bouquet. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary Board is all set to meet on Wednesday morning to decide upon the next successor of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, according to a News18 report. As per the report, the Parliamentary Board will announce the name of the next state chief minister after the party meet. On Monday, Anandiben Patel offered to resign maintaining it was time for a fresh face to take over the state's reins as she would be soon turning 75, understood to be the undeclared age bar in the party for holding a ministerial position. According to a media report, Patel, who took charge as Gujarat's first woman chief minister on May 22, 2014, could be appointed as the Governor of the state. Notably, during Patel's over two-year-old tenure, the BJP for the first time in the post-Narendra Modi era in Gujarat has faced multiple challenges including defeat in rural areas in the civic polls, a powerful agitation by Patel community for OBC quota and the ongoing Dalit unrest over the flogging incident after the skinning of a dead cow in Una. BJP president Amit Shah said the party's Parliamentary Board will decide on the replacement for Patel, who will turn 75 on November 21. Though top party sources are tight-lipped about the likely replacement for the state's first woman chief minister, Nitin Patel, the number two in the state's cabinet and Gujarat party chief Vijay Rupani are seen as the front- runners. Nitin Patel enjoys the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom he had served as a minister in Gujarat, and hails from the influential Patidar community, who has traditionally supported the BJP but have been unhappy with it over the government's handling of their quota stir. However, some party leaders feel that he lacks a mass base and may not be an ideal replacement for Anandiben Patel, whose lack of political tact was blamed for escalation of Patel and Dalit issues. Rupani, a confidante of Shah, enjoys support within the party. He, however, belongs to the Jain community, which is numerically insignificant. Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, a grassroots leader, and Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya, the state party general secretary, are also being seen as contenders for the hot seat. Speculation has also been rife that Shah, a Gujarat MLA, who was among the contenders to replace Modi as the chief minister in 2014, could replace Anandiben Patel. New Delhi: A day after Anandiben Patel decided to step down as Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi today said making her a "scapegoat" would not save the BJP in Gujarat as the 13-year Narendra Modi rule in the state was responsible for its "burning". "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle. The Gujarat Chief Minister yesterday decided to step down, saying it was time for new the leadership to take over as she is soon going to turn 75. Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled by the end of next year and Congress is upbeat as it had put up a good showing in the rural areas in the western state's panchayat elections. The party has been out of power in the Gujarat for over two decades. The state has been witnessing an agitation by the Patidar community to fulfil their quota demand while Dalits are up in arms after seven persons from their community were flogged by a group at Una for skinning a dead cow. Terming Patel's resignation as "overdue", Congress had yesterday accused the BJP leadership of trying to protect her in spite of "growing unrest" among Dalits and the Patidar community over her handling of issues related to them. All India Congress Committee General Secretary, in-charge of Gujarat, Gurudas Kamat also said if she is made a Governor of any state or accommodated into the Union cabinet, then it will amount to rubbing salt on the wounds of Dalits and the Patidar community. Chandigarh: A shocking incident of corporal punishment has now come to fore in Haryana, where a class IV student was allegedly chained for not completing his homework at a madrassa. The incident took place at Nushrat Ali Islamic Madrasa in Haryana. The boy was rescued by the police later. The father of the boy had lodged a complaint with police and demanded the arrest of the erring teachers of the madrassa. After initial probe into the matter, it has now come to light that the student was chained to prevent him from bunking classes on a regular basis. The teachers claimed that the student fled home from the madrassa on Monday without completing his school work and thats why he was chained as a disciplinary action. "We did it to stop him from fleeing home during school hours," teachers reportedly told the police. The police registered a case against two teachers of the madrassa including Sabir and Mubarak under various Sections of the IPC, including 506 (threatening to life) and the Juvenile Justice Act. Meanwhile, the chairperson of district child welfare committee Satpal Kaur has formed a team to probe the incident. Mumbai: Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and six other convicts were awarded life imprisonment in 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case on Tuesday. Two others have been sentenced to life imprisonment and three others were awarded eight years jail term, besides penalties, by a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. Jundal and 11 others were found guilty in 2006 Aurangabad Arms haul by the MCOCA court last week. Special MCOCA Judge Shrikant Anekar acquitted eight others in the case while trial of two accused have been separated. he trial, which had resumed in 2013 after the arrest of Abu Jundal, had concluded in March this year before the MCOCA court here. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. The Indica, allegedly driven by Jundal, managed to give police the slip. Jundal, who hails from Beed district of Maharashtra, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan, according to the state police. He was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. The court had last year framed charges against the LeT operative in connection with 26/11 attacks case. While the BMRCL is in damage control mode, the main reason behind the occurrence of the sinkhole will be looked into by the metro rail experts. Srinivas was lucky as his motorcycle had crossed the sinkhole just a few meters away or else he would have landed inside the sinkhole. By Rohini Swamy: When Srinivas was driving on one of the busiest roads of Bangalore called K G Road, he did not expect to see the road cave in in front of his eyes. At first he stopped to see whether he was seeing the right thing, but by the that time several others too gathered around the place. It was a large sinkhole that had opened up on that road just above the area that the metro tunnelling is taking place. Srinivas was lucky as his motorcycle had crossed the sinkhole just a few meters away or else he would have landed inside the sinkhole! As soon as the information of the large sinkhole reached the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials, they rushed to spot and cordoned off the area. advertisement The BMRCL have been working in that area and he underground tunnelling has been taking place for a few months now. BMRCL CLUELESS Vasanth Rao, the Public relations officer of the BMRCL said that they are yet to ascertain as to how tube and-in took place but they are now in the process of repairing the road. The filling in of the sinkhole will be done according to certain procedures. The area would first have to be packed with a filing material which would include sand and a misfire of other materials and finally concrete will be poured to complete the procedure. While the BMRCL is in damage control mode, the main reason behind the occurrence of the sinkhole will be looked into by the metro rail experts. This so that they may know how to handle the situation as he metro work progresses in that area. ALSO READ: Delhi pothole death: Kin accuse AAP government of laxity Chennai: An AIADMK MLA took the `devotion` to J Jayalalithaa to a new level when he said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister inspired Hillary Clinton to make history by becoming the first female presidential nominee from any major political party in the US. Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Coonoor MLA A Ramu on Tuesday insisted that Hillary won the Democratic candidature only after she had met Amma in 2011. The legislator said the historical meeting between Jayalalithaa and Hillary five years ago became the 'pillayar suzhi' (a symbol or a lucky omen). "The historical change (for a woman to contest) in the US started in Tamil Nadu and it is a proud moment for all of us. Our Amma is the reason for a woman to contest for the first time in the US," said Ramu. "Today, the world is celebrating this meeting for its historical importance. During the meeting, Hillary understood Amma's personality and was awestruck by her proficiency in English and her encouragement. Finally, accepting the assuring words of respected Amma, an overwhelmed US Secretary of State went back to become the presidential candidate. I would like to record that the reason for this is respected Amma," Ramu said. In Tamil Nadu politics, many instances of such levels of sycophancy have been recorded in the past. New Delhi: The Indian High Commission in London had allegedly allowed a service provider to levy a fee at an "arbitrary rate" in handling fast track business visas resulting undue benefit of Rs 10 crore to the private entity, said government auditor CAG. In a report tabled in Parliament, it said the service provider, handling visa support service was permitted to collect 25 pounds from each applicant for the fast track business visa in place of the normal charge of 7.70 pounds, from 2010 to 2015 that resulted in a benefit. "Permitting the service provider to handle fast track business visa with a service charge at an arbitrary rate (GBP 25) in place of the normal service charge of GBP 7.7 resulted in an undue benefit of Rs 10.72 crore to the service provider during the period March 2010 to February 2015," the CAG said. The High Commission had entered into an agreement in 2008 with VF Services (UK) Ltd for various visa support services. The CAG said the Mission did not go for any negotiation, estimation of cost and market survey before allowing the service provider to collect GBP 25. It said the new service provider had agreed to render the same service at GBP 7.44 with effect from March 2015. The report also criticised the Indian Embassy in Washington for its "failure" to comply with laid down procurement process while awarding annual maintenance contract of IT equipment to a "dubious" firm and consequent "irregular" payments if Rs 1.36 crore to it. Citing one example of alleged irregularities, the CAG said an amount of USD 1,56,450 (Rs 97.94 lakh) was paid to M/s ATC from May 2012-March 2015 towards annual maintenance cost of two servers and 16 desktops. It said "the price of two servers purchased in 2007 was USD 6,118. Thus, the present cost of annual maintenance of servers works out to 705 percent of the price of the servers." The report also said "incorrect" adoption of prevailing official exchange rate by High Commission of India in Ottawa and its Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver in June 2010 instead of the exchange rate for visa fees as required under the manual and unwarranted downward revision of service fees for "renunciation" of Indian citizenship and penalty on misuse of passports in March 2013 resulted in less collection of revenue of Rs 27.01 crore. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on August 9 launch a programme called '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Kurbani' (70 years of independence: Do recall the sacrifices). "The campaign is aimed at developing a feeling in every person that nation is first and individual is secondary," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here after a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party. "It will provide an opportunity for the people to recall the supreme sacrifices made by freedom fighters during freedom struggle," Naidu said. A week-long "Tiranga Yatra" to evoke nationalism and patriotism will also be undertaken from August 15 on the occasion of Independence Day, he said. Members of Parliament and state legislatures have been asked to take part in the Yatra carrying the Tricolour and visit their constituencies. At the meeting, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed the members about Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which is to be presented in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Later, talking to reporters Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said, "We hope GST will be passed." New Delhi: A Member of Parliament from Punjab on Tuesday sought the Centre`s intervention to secure the release of three Punjabis allegedly held hostage by their employers in Libya. Shiromani Akali Dal`s Lok Sabha member from Anandpur Sahib, Prem Singh Chandumajra during Zero Hour on Tuesday drew the central government`s attention to the plight of the three Punjabis held hostage in Libya. Those held hostage are Sarabjit Singh of Latala village, Titu Bansal of Bowani village, and Malkit Singh from Ghaloti village, all three from Ludhiana district. All of them are welders, Chandumajra said. The MP said the three were allegedly kept in illegal confinement by their employers who had taken away their passports. They had not been paid their salaries, he added. "The families of the three alleged that their passports had been seized by the officials of the oil company in which they were working, and hence they were not in a position to return. They had left for Libya on April 28. Their families have come to know about their plight from some other Punjabis working there as they were not even being allowed to contact anybody by phone," the MP said. New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had to leave the party's impressive roadshow in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi midway due to high fever, returned to the national capital on Tuesday night. After receiving treatment at the VIP lounge of the Varanasi airport, Sonia arrived in Delhi accompanied by Varanasi CMO and a cardiologist. She was taken to Army's Research and Referral hospital for a check-up, party leaders said. Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son Rahul Gandhi, along with other Congress leaders, received her at the Delhi airport. Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi said "She was unwell for the last couple of days before but since the programme was there, she was very keen to go." Congress general secretary and UP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters at the airport that Sonia Gandhi was suffering from dehydration which led to fever, but was stable now. In a statement, Sonia said that she was saddened to cut short her Varanasi visit due to ill-health. Thanking the people of Varanasi for their support, Sonia said: "I will come back very soon, and then visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple." In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi prayed for Sonia Gandhi's quick recovery and good health and spoke to Congress' chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit to inquire about her party chief's condition. Gandhi, who reached Varanasi earlier on Tuesday to launch the party's campaign for 2017 Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh, took ill towards the fag end of the eight-km march route and had to abort it. She was taken to a lodge where doctors attended to her and advised her rest. Ghanshyam Srivastava, a doctor who attended to her, said she was feeling dehydrated and running high blood pressure (88-172) as well as fever. Local Congress MLA Ajai Rai said Gandhi was put on a saline drip at the Varanasi airport. The hospital at Banaras Hindu University(BHU) had also been alerted, he said. The 69-year-old Gandhi also cancelled her planned visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. The sources said that Gandhi was suffering from viral fever but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute. The roadshow, which continued for about three hours, was halted for some time at the Lohurabir roundabout near the fag end of the eight-km march route from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line. The roadshow later proceeded without Gandhi. The sources said Gandhi complained of uneasiness and after taking rest for some time, she left the area. Thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow. It was Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister in May 2014. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of BR Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers crisscrossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later moved to a vehicle with an open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the roadshow passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. Babbar expressed the hope there will be a "miracle" in favour of his party in the elections. Earlier, Gandhi flew in here for a day-long programme in Modi's constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight the lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: With thousands of Indians reeling under severe financial crisis in Saudi Arabia after losing their jobs, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh on Tuesday night left for the Gulf nation to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back those who want to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, the Indian embassy there has launched an initiative to collect details of the Indians laid off by their employers. Currently, a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about others residing in different parts of Saudi Arabia. Singh left for Jeddah tonight and MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said his on-the-ground assessment will determine the future course of action. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to a slowdown in the Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by the government of that country. The Indian mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot buy it. Earlier today, Singh's ministerial colleague in the MEA MJ Akbar, who looks after issues relating to the Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indians who have lost their jobs. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues." "Glad to receive support and assurances from the Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," Akbar said in a series of tweets. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had yesterday said that all affected Indians will be brought back. A team from the Indian embassy had yesterday met Saudi labour officials to complete procedures relating to the protection of legal dues of the workers once they have departed from the country. Swarup said the Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, where the Ambassador sought their help in collecting information about the affected workers. They were provided a proforma on which the requisite information is to be submitted to the embassy. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. MEA officials said Singh will reach Jeddah early tomorrow morning and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. He is traveling to the Saudi city via Dubai. Swarup said 4,072 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger are living in nine camps in Riyadh and one in Dammam, while 1,457 workers belonging to M/s SAAD Group are putting up in two camps in Dammam. Five workers from M/s Shifa Sanaya are in a camp in Riyadh and 13 workers who were employed with M/s Taiya Contracting Company are staying in one camp. "A total of 5547 Indian workers belonging to 14 camps are being provided assistance by Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Of these, food was required by Indian workers in one camp each in Riyadh and Dammam. "In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah all of whom have been provided food by the Indian Consulate. Hence, there are a total of 7700 affected Indians workers in 20 camps," said Swarup. The Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday in Riyadh. "The information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit / continue / transfer is being collected separately," said the MEA Spokesperson. Making a statement in Parliament yesterday, Swaraj had said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," she said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. Srinagar: As tension continues in Kashmir over Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's killing by the security forces, hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has attempted to flare up the ongoing protest by writing 'Go India Go Back' slogans on the walls of houses here. Geelani is long known for his anti-India and pro-Pakistan sentiments. At numerous occasions in past, Gilani has openly advocated for Kashmir's integration with the hostile neighbouring country. The separatists have tried to play with the sentiments of people over Wani's death and continue to enforce bandh in the Kashmir Valley over his encounter. Meanwhile, curfew and restrictions continued in the Kashmir Valley, which remained shut for the 25th consecutive day. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti lambasted the separatists for trying to flare up the tension in the Valley. She said the separatists wanted Kashmir to become like Syria. Mincing no words, the Peoples Democratic party chief accused them of ignoring the need of imparting education to the children and instead educating the youth to indulge in stone-throwing incident. Mufti who interacted with members of the civil society in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday, appealed for a collective effort to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Officially imposed curfew and protest shutdown called by the separatists through weekly protest calendars have crippled life in Kashmir since July 9, a day after Wani's death in a gunfight. Lahore: A Jamaat-ud-Dawah caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, on Tuesday, staged a sit-in at the Line of Control at Chakothi, saying they will not leave unless India receives relief materials brought by them for Kashmiris. "We will not leave from the LoC till India agrees to receive the relief goods and medicines we have brought for Kashmiris of Srinagar," said Hafiz Abdur Rauf, chairman of the Falayh-i-Insaniat Foundation, a sister organisation of JuD. Talking to PTI over the phone from Chakothi, Rauf said the Pakistani army and police had stopped them near the LoC at Chakothi. "We have requested the Pakistani authorities to speak to the Indian army to receive the relief goods, dry food and medicines we have brought here in more than 10 trucks for our injured Kashmiri brethren who are in dire need of it," he said. The JuD caravan left from Muzaffarabad for Chakothi this afternoon and reached its destination after getting a welcome at Ghari Habibullah, Natian Wala. According to Ahmad Nadeem, a JuD member who is also part of the caravan, all business activities remained closed in Chakothi and the people gave a warm welcome to them. He said it has been decided in principle that not a single participant will leave till "our just demand is met". "Tomorrow more people will join this sit-in to put pressure on the authorities concerned to persuade India to accept the relief goods," he said, adding that the FIF and JuD just want to hand over the relief goods to the Kashmiris as 'no politics' was involved in it. Talha read out the message of his father Hafiz Saeed to the participants of the rally expressing the resolve that "Kashmir will become (part of) Pakistan". Srinagar: Moderate Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday warned those indulging in illegal constructions in and around Dal Lake here under the garb of ongoing unrest to stop their activities immediately. The reports of unauthorised and illegal constructions coming up at various places especially on the Dal and foreshore road is a cause of concern. We warn such people to stop their activities forthwith, Hurriyat said in a statement here. It asked the people to take such shameless people to task. At this crucial juncture of the resistance movement it is incumbent upon all people especially the youth to act with discipline, maturity and responsibility so that no harm is caused to our sacred cause, and no one is allowed to give it a bad name, the statement said. The Hurriyat claimed "agencies have infiltrated elements into the movement to sabotage the programmes of the unified resistance leadership to spread disillusionment and create division and discord among the people on sectarian lines". Staying alert and defeating such forces is the collective responsibility of the people at this time, the statement said, adding it is also important that hooliganism of all sorts is discouraged. It asked people to cooperate with the local print and electronic media, saying they were reporting the facts even at times risking their lives in the line of duty. It is important no hurdles are created for the media people in discharging their professional duties and they are not harassed as some reports suggest, the statement added. Srinagar: Separatists attacked the house of Education Minister Naeem Akhtar with two petrol bombs, shaking the calm but tense Kashmir Valley largely bound in continuous curfew and separatist-called shutdown, police said on Tuesday. The attack on the minister`s house here took place late on Monday but no one was hurt, police said. The attack took place in the upscale neighbourhood of Parray Pora. One of the bombs exploded in the compound, causing minor damage to a window. The other hit the outer wall of the house. "The bombs exploded without causing any damage, one in the lawn and the other outside the compound wall," a police officer said. The minister is at present living in a government accommodation in the high security Gupkar Road in Srinagar. It was the second attack on Akhtar. Earlier, on Saturday he had a narrow escape when his car convoy was assaulted with stones near a village in north Kashmir where he had gone to take stock of the security situation. On Tuesday, according to police, there were no violent clashes reported from anywhere in the valley. But protest demonstrations were held at many places with people chanting pro-freedom slogans during rallies in south Kashmir and Srinagar. Police said the curfew continued in some areas of south Kashmir while restrictions on the assembly of four or more people remained in force in Srinagar city and other districts of Valley, which has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of rebel Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Nocturnal protests were held in Shopian district. But some semblance of normal activities of life was noticed in parts of Srinagar city as private vehicles and pedestrian movement for the second day almost after three weeks. Traffic on both the Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Jammu national highways resumed during the night. Train services, educational institutions, banks, post offices and government offices -- except essential services like health, water supply, electricity, food supplies, police and fire services -- remained shut here for 25th day. Three children between the ages of 7 and 10, all three brothers, were chained by their legs by their father and teacher after they refused to go to a madrassa. The mild punishment included chaining the boys by their feet at the mosque. By Rohini Swamy: After the shocking incident in Yamunanagar where a child was chained by his leg in a madrassa, here is a similar shocker from the IT capital Bangalore. Three children between the ages of 7 and 10, all three brothers, were chained by their legs by their father and teacher after they refused to go to a madrassa. Siraj Wahab, the father of the three children, had huge expectations from his sons. However, the three boys refused to study in the madrassa he was sending them to. Frustrated over their refusal to attend the madrassa, he approached the teacher at the madrassa in HSR layout and asked him to talk to the boys and make them understand why they needed to attend the madrassa. The maulana, in turn, thought a mild punishment would scare them into attending school. The mild punishment included chaining the boys by their feet at the mosque. advertisement The HSR layout police received a tip-off and went to the madrassa in plain clothes. They spoke to the children who related their horror. The police later arrested the father and the teacher. They have been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act and will also be punished under wrongful confinement under the IPC. The Child Welfare Committee has also been roped in to counsel the children who had been crying profusely due to the mental trauma they have undergone. Watch the video here Srinagar: One person was killed and another injured in fresh violence in Kashmir on Tuesday even as normal life remained disrupted for the 25th consecutive day due to strike called by separatists in the Valley. With this the death toll has gone up to 50. One person was killed and another injured when the personal security guard of a senior government official opened fire to ward off a mob which was trying to set ablaze the vehicle of the official, police said. The incident took place at Lethpora area of Pulwama district on Srinagar-Jammu national Highway at around 8.30 pm, the police official said. He said the government official, identified as Baburam, was stopped by a mob when he was on his way to Ramban in Jammu division and asked to alight from the vehicle. As soon as the official and his personal security guard got off the vehicle, the mob tried to set it ablaze prompting the security personnel to open fire. In another incident, a group of protesters pelted stones on a police station in Trehgam area of Kupwara district. The police personnel retaliated by firing tear-gas shells, resulting in injuries to three persons. One of the injured was referred to a hospital here and his condition was stated to be critical. Many shops and business establishments had opened after sundown on Monday as the separatists had announced a relaxation in the agitation programme to allow people to buy essentials in view of the prolonged shut down since July 9 in the Valley. However, all markets remained closed today and public transport was off the roads in view of the strike call given by the separatists. Curfew remained in force in six police station areas of the city, Anantnag town, Kokernag and Khanpora in Baramulla district as restrictions on assembly of four or more people continued in entire Kashmir, a police official said. "Curfew is in place only in six police station areas of Srinagar city -- Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Batamaloo and Maharajgunj," he said. The separatist groups have been spearheading the agitation to protest the civilian killings during the protests following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Protests broke out across Kashmir Valley on July 9, leading to clashes with security forces in which 50 people have been killed and over 5600 persons injured. Mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped in the entire Valley where the postpaid mobile telephony services have been restored across all networks. Mangaluru: Thirteen more Sri Rama Sene activists were on Tuesday arrested in connection with the 'raid' on a school here over alleged forcible teaching of Urdu and Arabic languages, taking the total of arrests in the case to 16, police said. The activists were arrested on the charge of trespassing into the St Thomas Aided Higher Primary School in Bondantila near here. The incident took place on June 30. Around 50 Sri Rama Sene activists had raided the school for 'forcibly' teaching Arabic and Urdu to students. On a complaint from the school headmaster, three activists were arrested yesterday. Meanwhile, the headmaster said that classes (in Urdu and Arabic) were being conducted for 40 students every?Saturday?on the request of parents. Chief Whip of the Congress in the state Legislative Council Ivan D' Souza condemned the raid by the activists. In a statement, D'Souza said he had asked the city police to be tough against groups trying to disturb peace and tranquility. He also visited the school and spoke to students and teachers. Nashik: Incessant rains pummelled the city and other parts of district on the third consecutive day on Tuesday, triggering flood in Godavari river which has crossed the danger mark in the city. Many rivers across the district are also in spate due to heavy rains. While one elderly woman was killed in wall collapse in the district, a couple is feared washed away in flash flood in Umrale village. Unabated downpour which gained intensity in last 48 hours, caused waterlogging in areas like Ramwadi, Bohorpatti, Bhandi Bazar, Saraf Bazar and in some slum pockets. As authorities released water from Gangapur dam, the river level rose significantly, causing many bridges in Old Nashik area to undergo water. "Irrigation department released thousands of cusecs of water from Gangapur, Darna, Palkhed and other dams following heavy incessant rain. This caused flood in Darna, Kadva and other rivers in the district," said an official from district collectorate. The Nashik City Police took to Twitter to apprise the natives of the situation due to heavy rainfall. Security Warning : 42000 cusecs water@05:00 pm is released from Gangapur dam. Keep you and your family safe!! pic.twitter.com/bqlF9pOkm8 Nashik City Police (@nashikpolice) August 2, 2016 1/1. Heavy rain in #Nashik request to all Don't get panic Help everyone Don't spread rumors Avoid shortcuts, bridges Nashik City Police (@nashikpolice) August 2, 2016 1/2@nashikpolice Heavy rain in #Nashik request to all Take bigger roads, highways Don't stand near to tree or old structures Nashik City Police (@nashikpolice) August 2, 2016 In Nashik city, Godavari river water gushed into many areas adjacent to the river. Many ancient temples located on the banks of the river submerged due to flood while few steps of famous Naroshankar temple near 'Ramkund' are also under water. The administration has already alerted people staying in vicinity of the river to move to safer places as more water is likely to released from Gangapur dam in night. Authorities have declared holidays to schools and colleges for two days in view of rains. Senior officials, including Police Commissioner S Jagannathan and Collector Radhakrishanan are closely monitoring the flood situation. Meanwhile, heavy rush of people to witness flood caused traffic snarls in areas like Someshwar, Old Nashik, Holkar Bridge, etc. According to an official, all seven doors of Nandur Madhmeshwar dam were opened today, which caused flood water to gush into Chandori and Saykheda villages. The administration has sought help of 300 Army jawans to meet any eventuality, especially in Chandori village. In a rain-related mishap, a 75-year-old-woman was killed when wall of her house collapsed at Induri village in Dindori taluka. A couple, identified as Ashok Karate and his wife Sakhubai, are feared washed away in flood at Umrale village, an official said.In late evening, police closed for traffic the 150-year-old Victoria bridge as a precautionary measure in view of flood. An 18-month-old toddler who was trapped in his shanty near Khetwani Lawns on Untwadi Road due to water-logging, was rescued by police, a senior officer said. The rain fury caused gushing of water into basement of a mall. Civic corporation has shifted people living near the river to schools and community halls in view of flood, stated a press release. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: The Supreme Court, Tuesday, said that the compensation given to the victims of the 2008 communal riots was not adequate. The apex court directed the Odisha government to give additional compensation to the riot victims. The ethno-communal riot in Odisha's Kandhamal district had left at least 38 people dead. The riots broke out following the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his associates. More than 25,000 Christians had fled their homes in Kandhamal after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs, who held Christians responsible for the murders. The police, however, blamed the murders on the Maoists. Coimbatore: In a shocking allegation, a couple on Monday said that their two daughters were being held captive by Coimbatore-based Isha Yoga centre and had been made sanyasins. The couple has sought the help of the District Collector to set their daughters, Geetha Kamaraj (33) and Latha Kamaraj (31), free. In a petition to the collector, retired professor Kamaraj alleged that his two daughters, who had gone to the centre to learn yoga some time ago, were "brainwashed" and forced to stay there. The Yoga centre's head had allegedly made the two tonsure their heads and wear saffron clothes. Kamaraj said he wanted to marry off his daughters. The Centre was not allowing them to mingle with outsiders, Kamaraj, who had come to the collectorate with his wife, said. The Vadavalli resident alleged that he was not even allowed to meet and talk to his daughters, who were M Tech and B Tech degree holders and holding good posts, he said. Expressing apprehensions about their safety, he requested the collector to immediately intervene and get them released. Efforts to get a reaction from the Yoga centre were of no avail. (With PTI inputs) Lucknow: After Gujarat, Dalits in Lucknow shudder to touch a dead cow to skin it for a living after "gau rakshaks" (vigilantes) thrashed two of their community members on suspicion of cow slaughter here last week. Scared of being beaten up, some members of the community approached their contractors to take up their case with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation or other authorities after some of them were assaulted in Takrohi area in Indira Nagar here on July 28. "We are aware of the matter and have lodged a complaint with the police against unidentified persons," Additional Municipal Commissioner Avaneesh Saxena told PTI. He said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has also requested police and the district administration to provide security to them so that they can lift carcasses and skin them. He said as an immediate precautionary measure, photo identity cards would be issued to contractual workers engaged in such task. The community members have decided not to lift carcasses till they were issued such identity cards to ensure their security. There have been complaints of increased attacks on the Dalit community members in the city in the past six months. They have been attacked while transporting a dead cow on the civic body's call to lift dead animals so that these do not rot in front of people's houses. They have often complained that when they go to dispose of the carcasses after skinning them, they are attacked by cow vigilantes who charge them with slaughtering the animal. Faridabad: The probe in Bulandshahr gang-rape case has revealed that one of the three main accused in the horrific highway crime, was a quarrelsome man who was thrown out of his home and disinherited. 22-year-old Bablu, who was sent to a 14-days judicial custody along with two others, hailed from Aterna village in the Faridabad district of Haryana, said Bhupendra Singh, DCP, Ballabgarh. Acknowledging his violent nature since chidhood, father Roopchand said the family was shocked by the news and wanted him punished. "He must be punished for this grievous crime. No one from the family or village will go to defend him," he said. Roopchand further said Bablu was banished from the family home two years back and since then he was driving a taxi in Bulandshahr. "Eight years back, he was disinherited from the property after he engaged in physical violence with family members. But he didn't reform and brutally thrashed his grandfather two years back after which he was shown the door," said Bablu's father. "He used to visit the village sometimes but was never allowed to enter our home," he added. Bablu has no criminal record in Faridabad and no links with any local gang, DCP Bhupinder Singh said. Last Friday night, alleged Bawariya gang members had brutally gangraped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with the family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh Police had on July 31 arrested the three accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after a massive hunt for a gang of dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. Facing flak from the Opposition, the state government had suspended five police officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. The matter had an echo in Lok Sabha yesterday when BJP members hit out at the UP government over the law and order situation and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the gang-rape in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. "The (Uttar Pradesh) government has failed to take action in the shameful and painful incident. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should resign as he has failed to govern the state. Such incidents have also happened in the past," Keshav Maurya, BJP`s Uttar Pradesh chief, told reporters. "The party and the central government stand by the family. We will meet Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) and demand a CBI probe into the incident," he added. The delegation led by Maurya also met the victims at their residence in Noida today. UP BJP Pres Keshav Maurya led party delegation arrives in Noida to meet Bulandshahr rape victims&their family membrs pic.twitter.com/KKYmNJMUeG ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 A group of armed bandits stopped a family car on the Delhi-Kanpur Highway last Friday night, dragged out a 38-year-old woman and her teenage daughter and gang-raped them. The other members of the family were tied up and brutally thrashed by them. Bulandshahr: While the brutal gang-rape of a woman and her teenager daughter has shaken the entire nation, this is not the first case that has happened near the bypass on National Highway- 91. A Times of India report quoting some local villagers said that just 12 days ago a group of men had "brought a woman in a tempo and gang-raped her late into the night". "This is not the first time such a case has happened ", claimed residents of Dostpur village where a gang of robbers raped a 35-year-old Noida woman and her teenage daughter after waylaying their car on Friday night. The villagers further claimed that crime is rampant on this stretch of the NH as it is deserted with no street lights or police picket. "We got the news and immediately reached the spot after which the men fled. The woman was distraught, dishevelled. We stopped a police vehicle passing by and handed over to them a mobile phone and some clothes that the men had left behind. The police pocketed the phone and left. They later told the woman to come to the police station. We don't know what happened to her after that. She was in a bad shape and needed help from the police," Devraj Thakur, former pradhan of the village, was quoted as saying. Another villager claimed that rapes happen here every few months but everyone is not able to muster the courage to file a report with the police. Even police don't file cases even as the dangerous stretch has become a safe haven for criminals who often target travellers here. The Dostpur villagers lament that had the police been vigilant in its patrol, the crime could have been averted. Kuldeep Sharma, another resident of the village, added, "All this started after the highway came into existence 18 months ago. Rapes occur occasionally but incidents of loot and dacoity are becoming commonplace here." DIG (Meerut range) Lakshmi Singh, however, brushed aside these claims. "This is at best the rumour mill at work. We do admit there have been a few lapses. We are doing everything in our means to bring the culprits to justice.'' Report also quoted police sources saying that ''two similar incidents" had occurred in the district on May 7 and May 12 this year. The modus operandi in both the case was same - something was thrown at the vehicle to stop it, the occupants led out at gunpoint and then robbed and assaulted. Lucknow: Days after the heinous gang-rape of a woman and her minor daughter on NH-91 near Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, another woman, a teacher, was violated on Tuesday at a road near the Bareilly-Delhi highway, police said. The assailants also filmed the gang-rape and threatened to post it on social media sites if she complained. The woman has, however, reported the matter to the police and named two persons in her FIR. She told the police that as she was on Khandua road on way to school, a car stopped near her and she was forcibly pulled inside by two people. They raped her in the moving car and dumped her later in a field adjacent to the highway. Inspector Rakesh Kumar, of CB Ganj police station, said the family of the victim was informed and a report has been lodged in the matter. "We are investigating the matter and hope to arrest the culprits soon," he added. The education ministry of Bangladesh has ordered to shut down all branches of Peace School in country as it has no legal permission to carry out its activities. By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Bangladesh government has ordered shutting down of all 'Peace Schools' in service across the country as the country bans Zakir Naik's Peace TV. The education ministry of Bangladesh has ordered to shut down all branches of Peace School in country as it has no legal permission to carry out its activities. The Dhaka Education Board has been asked to cancel the registration of Peace School at Dhaka's Lalmatia for 'its involvement with controversial activities'. The Bangladesh government does not have any specific information on how many schools are being operated with the word 'Peace' in their names. advertisement The education board said they only approved temporarily an English medium school at Lalmatia to operate under the name Peace School. The others do not have any such permission. The government has banned Peace TV after allegations were brought against Naik that at least two of the Gulshan attackers were inspired by him. In the background, it has been known that there are 27 Peace International School and College in Bangladesh. In Dhaka, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Gazipur, Noakhali, Feni are one of them. In the capital city Dhaka there are three campus of Peace Schools like in Lalmatia, Malibagh and in Uttara. These Peace Schools are led by the principles of Dr. Zakir Naik. ALSO READ: Bangladesh bans televangelist Zakir Naik's Peace TV --- ENDS --- Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will meet the victims of the Bulandshahr gang-rape case on August 4, reports said on Tuesday. The development was confirmed by news agency ANI, which reported that UP CM will meet Bulandshahr gang-rape victims on August 4 in Ghaziabad. UP CM Akhilesh Yadav to meet Bulandshahr gang rape victim's family on 4th August in Ghaziabad (UP) ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 The Uttar Pradesh government is reportedly facing Opposition attack on the issue and the fast declining law and order situation across the state. Causing more embarrassment to the Samajawadi Party government, its senior minister Azam Khan today called the Bulandshahr gang-rape case a political conspiracy. Azam Khan's insensible remark has drawn a sharp reaction from the Opposition parties, which had earlier pressed for the resignation of Akhilesh Yadav over the brutal gang-rape of a Noida-based mother and daughter near Bulandshahr bypass and also asked him to own up moral responsibility for the heinous crime. Former Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati demanded a personal explanation from Akhilesh on whether he would be able to return the lost honour of the victims. Around six armed men stopped the family car on the Delhi-Kanpur highway early on Saturday morning, according to the FIR registered later on Saturday. The armed men dragged the members to nearby fields and proceeded to rape the teenager and her 35-year-old mother. The other members of the family were tied up, the FIR added. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Raj Babbar said the Bulandshahr incident was yet another blot on U.P. and sadly showed that there was jungle raj in the State. It is complete chaos under the watch of the Chief Minister, he said. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also trashed the ruling Samajwadi Party government in the State and a member said that in Akhilesh rule, the compensation of a lost honour was Rs 1 lakh. The panel, which sent a fact-finding team to Bulandshahr on Sunday, also questioned the lethargy of the police in reacting to the crime. Meanwhile, the police claimed that they have arrested three accused and they were identified by the victims. A 300-member task forced was set up on Sunday to arrest the attackers. The Chief Minister has suspended the Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishan, SP (City) Rammohan Singh, Circle Officer Himanshu Gaurav, SHO Ramsen Singh and four other officials for dereliction of duty. Lucknow: The father of the 14-year-old girl who was gangraped at gunpoint in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahar district, on Monday blamed the Uttar Pradesh police's laxity and attitude. The victim's father, who is a cab driver by profession told media, "Had the police helpline number 100 been working, the accused would have been behind bars." He said, "We tried the police number 100 for 15 minutes but either got a busy tone or no response." On Friday night, a 35-year-old woman and her teenage daughter were pulled out of a car and gang-raped while the men of the family were tied up and beaten in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr. The family was on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-91. Their nightmare didn't end when the police and doctors came into the picture. "We were attacked by at least 12-15 robbers at around 1.30 am. When the police finally arrived, it was after 5 am," the victim's father said. "It took us hours to convince cops to send a team. When they finally came we had to beg them to register our case, they didn't believe us," a victim's relative told media. Facing flak from the Opposition, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government suspended five police officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. Bulandshahr: There has been no headway in the investigation into the gang-rape and robbery committed on NH-91 on Friday night despite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announcing that the case would be cracked within 24 hours. Questions have been raised by locals as to whether those arrested were really involved in the crime in which a woman and her teenaged daughter were gang-raped, and their belongings robbed. Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh said the police arrested three persons in haste to fulfil the assurance of the chief minister. Innocent people are being harassed by the police, he alleged, adding that the real culprits are being spared under political pressure. Earlier, the police arrested three suspects who were presented before the local court which sent them to 14 days judicial custody in Bulandshahr jail. The suspects have been identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa Hapur; Rahees, a resident of Sutari Bulandshahr, and Jabar Singh, a resident of Rabupura in Gautam Budh Nagar. "We are looking for other culprits whose role in the crime has been revealed during the investigation," DIG of Uttar Pradesh Police Laxmi Singh said. Meanwhile, the victims told IANS that the police was apathetic towards their plight and did not provide any medical treatment. Neither were there any counsellors to deal with their trauma, the victims said. It was only when the crime was reported in the media that the police swung into action, they added. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday prayed for Sonia Gandhi's quick recovery and good health after the Congress president suddenly took ill during a roadshow in Varanasi. As she became sick at Lohurabir, she was taken to a lodge where doctors attended on her and advised her rest. She is flying back to New Delhi. She also could not visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Taking to Twitter, the PM said: Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2016 Later, Modi also spoke to Sheila Dikshit, who was accompanying Sonia and inquired about her health. Modi also offered to send a doctor and an aircraft to bring the Congress president back to Delhi, sources said. Earlier, Gandhi paid floral tributes at a statue of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. As she went around the city, a large posse of motorcycle riders accompanied her. The entire city has been plastered with Congress flags and banners. Senior state and central leaders were with Gandhi from the time she began the campaign. She waved back to the supporters and, at times, greeted them with folded hands from inside her bulletproof vehicle. Security personnel had a tough time keeping the crowds at bay. Varanasi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched her party's campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election with a massive roadshow in Varanasi but had to cut short her visit. The Congress president had to call off her road show in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency mid-way because of high fever. She is now returning to Delhi. She also cancelled her planned visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. The sources said that Gandhi was suffering from viral fever but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute. The roadshow, which continued for about three hours, was halted for some time at the Lohurabir roundabout near the fag end of the eight-km march route from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line. The roadshow later proceeded without Gandhi. Ghanshyam Srivastava, a doctor who attended to her, said she was feeling dehydrated and running high blood pressure (88-172) as well as fever. She was administered electoral and told to rest. The 69-year-old leader, who was initially travelling in a car, was later moved to a vehicle with an open sunroof. "It is because of the crowds thronging her, humidity and exertion," said a Congress source. Gandhi called off the remaining leg of her road show and was set to fly back to Delhi, the source said. Earlier today, thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow from the Circuit House. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of BR Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers crisscrossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. Gandhi came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the roadshow passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. This was Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight the lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats -- Amethi and Rae Bareli -- in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while BJP and its ally Apna Dal secured 73 seats out of total 80. The UP Assembly Elections outcome will also have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishor had planned the campaign strategy of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in the Bihar Assembly polls. (With PTI inputs) Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan, who created a controversy by alleging that a 'political conspiracy could be behind the recent Bulandshahr gang-rape, on Tuesday went into a damage control mode. Khan defended his 'conspiracy' comment and told media, "I did not say Bulandshahr gang-rape was 'virodhiyon ki shaazish' (conspiracy by oppositions). What I said was that elections in Uttar Pradesh are nearing and so many such incidents are happening. It needs to be investigated." Earlier today, the Samajwadi Party leader asserted that the brutal gang-rape of the mother-daughter duo in Bulandshahr could be a political conspiracy. "Elections are near and a desperate opposition can stoop to any level to defame the government," Khan alleged. Reacting to Azam Khan's insensitive statement, the father of minor victim had asked, "Will Azam say the same thing about his family?" Revealing that his daughter has stopped speaking and is constantly crying, the victim's father asked the minister,"Will Azam Khan call it a political conspiracy if his own kin were victims." Shahjahanpur: Shahjahanpur district administration has extended security to the family members of Bulandshahr gangrape victims as demanded by them. District magistrate Pushpa Singh, who met the family members of the victims today in Kalan area, said directives have been issued to the police to provide security to the family. "As demanded by the family, they have been assured of arms licence at the earliest," she said. Besides Lohiya Awas and old-age pension, the grandfather of the victim will also get monetary help through the Rani Laxmibai Samman, Singh said, adding the locality of their native house will also be electrified. She said all necessary help will be provided to the family by the administration. The gang had brutally gangraped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint on Friday night last week after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. New York: It`s the ice cream truck that police hope can defrost any lingering iciness from ordinary Americans on particularly hot days: meet the latest $89,000 addition to the Boston police fleet. Festooned in balloons and unveiled to the public on Monday, the blue-and-white van is marked with police insignia and has "Free Ice Cream" written in large blue letters underneath a serving hatch. "If you had told me 30 years ago that the Boston Police Department would have an ice cream truck as part of its patrol force... I would`ve said you were crazy," said city police commissioner William Evans. The truck is part of a city community policing effort set up in 2010 to reach out to children. The initiative has already handed out more than 120,000 free pots of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. A police spokeswoman told AFP that the truck had been donated by the Boston Police Foundation and was valued at $89,000. Although it will not make daily patrols it will be out in force at community events or on particularly hot days in the city, she said. "I absolutely love the new truck," Evans said. "The goodwill it generates between my officers and our city`s young people is undeniable and nothing short of remarkable." Police said the ice cream is donated by a local Massachusetts dairy. Hong Kong: A high-profile Hong Kong pro-independence leader said Tuesday he had been barred from standing in upcoming parliamentary elections -- the latest candidate backing separation from mainland China to be disqualified. The apparent ban for Edward Leung, of the Hong Kong Indigenous party, from the September vote came despite him signing a controversial new form declaring Hong Kong is an "inalienable" part of China. Critics have slammed the new stipulation by electoral authorities as political censorship and an attempt to deter prospective candidates from advocating self-determination or independence from Beijing. Some activists are calling for more distance or even a complete breakaway from the mainland as fears grow that freedoms in the semi-autonomous city are disappearing due to Beijing interference. Campaigners, including Leung, have challenged the declaration form in court and at least 13 prospective candidates have refused to sign it. Leung, 25, eventually signed last week, despite his open advocacy for an independent Hong Kong, in the hope the authorities would validate his candidacy. But he said he had been barred from standing. "This election is a dark election, an election that is being controlled," Leung told reporters late Tuesday. "Every day Communist China rules (Hong Kong)... I won`t be able to enter the Legislative Council. So what else can I do? Revolution!" His party accused the electoral commission of "trampling the will of the people, abusing administrative power and giving up political neutrality". "There is no way the crime of selecting candidates according to political goals can be easily forgiven," it said in a statement. The statement added a government officer handling Leung`s case had explained she did not believe he had changed his pro-independence stance when notifying him by email that his application had been unsuccessful. Leung later walked into a government briefing for election candidates and raised his middle finger at the speakers before departing to cheers and chanting from hundreds of supporters outside, some of whom wore balaclavas. Other pro-democracy politicians also walked out of the meeting carrying banners saying "Defend fair elections". The founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, Andy Chan, was one of three other hopefuls barred in recent days from standing in the September vote. Chan had refused to sign the declaration form. The other two prospective candidates disqualified were also part of the "localist" movement, which is pushing for more autonomy for Hong Kong after mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win political reform. Beijing and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said advocating independence goes against the city`s mini constitution, known as the Basic Law, and that independence activists could face legal consequences. Various government departments including the electoral office made no comment Tuesday. Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under an arrangement that guarantees civil liberties unseen on the mainland. But concerns have grown that such freedoms are now fading as Beijing increases its influence across a range of areas, from politics to the media. Beijing: Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan on Tuesday warned of offshore security threats and called for substantial preparation for a "war at sea" to safeguard the country's sovereignty. Chang said this during an inspection of national defence work in coastal regions of Zhejiang province, Xinhua news agency reported. He called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea. Chang said the military should prepare to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also asked the military to promote national defence education among the public. While the Bhopal Municipal Corporation was removing the hoardings critical of Madhya Pradesh CM, the Congress workers tried preventing them. The Congress workers were immediately detained. By Rahul Noronha: About a dozen Congress leaders were arrested in Bhopal after they were attempting to prevent Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers from removing hoardings critical of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Legislative Affairs Minister from the Congress office at Roshanpura today. The Congress workers put up a hoarding on Jawahar Bhawan, a building owned by the MP Congress Committee. The hoarding targeted the alleged corruption in the Simhastha fair- an issue that the Congress has been raising for some time now. advertisement Soon afterwards, a team from the BMC arrived at the spot and started removing the hoarding and some posters from the office. CONGRESS PREVENTED THE REMOVAL, ARRESTED Congress workers attempted to prevent the BMC staffers from removing the hoardings and a minor altercation broke out. Just then the police moved in and detained Congress leaders including former MLA PC Sharma, corporator Guddu Chauhan and state Congress spokesperson KK Mishra among others. "When BMC staff came to remove the hoardings, we told them that Jawahar Bhawan is our property and permission is not required to put up hoardings on it," said spokesperson KK Mishra. "We have detained the Congress leaders for disrupting the work of public servants under section 353 of the IPC after they prevented BMC staff from removing hoardings. Whether the hoardings are legal or illegal is for the municipal corporation to decide," said IG Bhopal, Yogesh Chaudhry. The Congress has alleged corruption in the execution of works for the recently concluded Simhastha in Ujjain. The issue witnessed sharp exchanges between Congress and BJP workers during the monsoon session of the assembly concluded recently. Also Read: Potholes disrupt traffic in Bhopal, citizens blame civic authorities --- ENDS --- New Delhi: In a clear violation of international norms, China continues to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan, a US think-tank has claimed. Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA) said in its latest report: "China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls. However, Beijing's decision to continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade." Given the serious question mark on Beijing's track record on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, the ACA has given China a poor "F Grade" on nuclear weapons related export control. China is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. At the IAEA General Conference in 2015, China said it carries out "stringent reviews" on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress and in March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016. "Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG," the report said. "Pakistan, which is neither an NPT member nor under full- scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under NSG rules," it argued. "China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime. However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before Chinas acceptance into the NSG in 2004," the report said. In February 2013, China is reported to have signed a formal agreement to build the Chashma-3 reactor. In January 2014, there were reports that China and Pakistan were discussing three new reactors. At a February 2015 press conference in Beijing, a Chinese official confirmed that China "has assisted in building six nuclear reactors in Pakistan". The report alleged that the 2013 deal on the Chasma-3 also contradicts the consensus document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, which "reaffirms that new supply arrangements" for the transfer of nuclear materials and technology should require that the recipient accept "IAEA full-scope safeguards and international legally-binding commitments not to acquire nuclear weapons." China applied to join the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2004, but its membership was blocked. Prior to the MTCR application, China committed in 2000 not to assist, "in any way, any country, in the development" of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. With PTI inputs Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks set to put priority on stability when he rejigs his cabinet and top party line-up on Wednesday, retaining key ministers and tapping a veteran lawmaker who favours big spending as ruling party number two. The reshuffle comes as Abe tries to rev up economic growth, handle multiple diplomatic challenges and eyes the possibility of staying in office after his term as ruling Liberal Democratic Party president ends in 2018. Abe, already Japan`s longest ruling premier in a decade, will retain his right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, along with Finance Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Fumie Kishida, media reports said. All three have held their posts since Abe took office in December 2012, pledging to reboot the deflation-plagued economy and bolster Japan`s global diplomatic and security presence. LDP policy chief Tomomi Inada, a hawkish Abe ally and potential premier, will get a portfolio - possibly defence, trade or agriculture - while Economics Minister Nobuteru Ishihara may be retained along with Health, Welfare and Labour Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, according to the reports. Japanese media said another would-be successor, Shigeru Ishiba, minister for regional revitalisation, was considering declining to stay in order to prepare for a run at Japan`s top job when Abe`s LDP leadership term expires in September 2018. PARTY LINE-UP On Wednesday, Abe will also recast the LDP executive line-up. His expected appointment of Toshihiro Nikai, 77, a big spending advocate with friendly ties to China, as LDP secretary general was seen by analysts as signalling the premier`s hopes for a third term, since Nikai has already indicated his support for the extension, which would require a change in party rules. "Abe is seeking to perpetuate his power. He is not grooming any successor other than Inada, and she won`t be ready yet," said Sophia University professor Koichi Nakano. Abe is trying to rev up his "Abenomics" recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy, fiscal spending and reform, which has so far failed to spur sustainable growth despite huge monetary easing. On Tuesday, Abe`s outgoing cabinet was set to approve 13.5 trillion yen ($132.04 billion) in fiscal steps as part of efforts to revive the flagging economy with cash payouts to low-income earners and infrastructure spending. Some experts worry Abe will divert too much energy to trying to revise Japan`s post-war, pacifist constitution now that his ruling bloc and allies have the two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament needed to start the process. Changes must also be approved by a majority of voters in a referendum. Abe also has a full diplomatic plate. He is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on the sidelines of a Sept. 2-3 multilateral forum, where he hopes to make progress in a decades-old feud over disputed islands. He then travels to China for a Group of 20 summit, where he may have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sino-Japanese ties remain frayed by a dispute over tiny isles in the East China Sea and Beijing`s growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea. Everett: Prosecutors have filed three charges of aggravated first-degree murder against a 19-year-old accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend and two young men to death at a party in suburban Seattle over the weekend. Allen C Ivanov also faces one charge of attempted murder, accusing him of shooting and seriously wounding an 18-year-old man, and one count of first-degree assault. Police say Ivanov admitted during interviews after his arrest that he committed the shootings at a home in Mukilteo early Saturday. They say he was upset that his ex-girlfriend, Anna Bui, appeared to be moving on with her life after their recent breakup. The charges were filed yesterday in Snohomish County District Court. Aggravated murder can bring the death penalty in Washington, but Governor Jay Inslee has declared a moratorium on capital punishment. Ivanov's lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Paul Kramer, the father of the surviving victim, Will Kramer, told a news conference at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle that he feels fortunate his son is still alive, The Seattle Times reported. His son still has a tube in his chest to drain bleeding after being shot in the back. A bullet shattered his left shoulder blade. "Life is so precious," he said. "I pray that we collectively find ways to live in peace, in harmony and in love." Kramer said his son was sitting with three friends when the shooting broke out. Two are now dead. "He lost some dear friends, and that has scarred him," Paul Kramer said. After Will was wounded, he hid between a barbecue and a fireplace. He then ran out into the yard and hid in some bushes, his father said. Anna Bui, Jake Long and Jordan Ebner were killed. All were 19 and 2015 graduates of Kamiak High School, where Ivanov also attended. Ivanov and Bui were both students at the University of Washington's Bothell campus. Kathmandu: The leader of Nepal`s Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after KP Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in Parliament. "We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister`s post," deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one", led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2008, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli`s coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. The Maoists and Nepali Congress are in talks with United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) -- an alliance of protesting parties -- in an attempt to secure their votes. "The talks so far have been positive and we are inclined to support him in the election tomorrow," said Lal Babu Raut, vice-chairperson of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, one of the member parties of UDMF. "We are hopeful that our grievances against the constitution will be addressed by the new government." More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal`s transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution -- particularly over the rights of marginalised communities -- have failed to yield agreement. The slow pace of reconstruction means that millions of Nepalis are still living in tents or makeshift huts after a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people in 2015. Cairo: A suicide car bomb attack in the eastern city of Benghazi targeting Libyan troops killed 23 people and wounded dozens of others today, a hospital official said. The official said the wounded were still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city, Libya's second largest. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the al-Qaida affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account. The attack comes after the United States started an air campaign on Monday in the central city of Sirte, the last bastion of the Islamic State extremist group in Libya. The strikes followed a request made by the internationally- recognised government and presidency council in the capital, Tripoli. The two executive bodies were formed after the United Nations brokered a deal among Libya's rival factions. Libya has descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and the killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since 2014, the country has been divided between two governments and parliaments, and a loose set of militias and tribes. The UN-brokered government led by Fayez Serraj aimed at healing the rift, but a crucial vote of confidence has yet to be obtained from the parliament. The parliament in eastern Libya does not recognize the U.N. Government, and many in the east are angry that Serraj's administration invited foreign military intervention without the eastern parliament's consent. Beirut: A Syrian rescue service operating in the rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down hours earlier. The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which they suspect was chlorine, in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. "Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas," said the spokesman. The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment. The SNC said in a statement: "After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gasses. "The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous security council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless for the Assad regime." The Civil Defence spokesman said it was the second time Saraqeb had been hit by toxic gas. The group was aware of around nine suspected chlorine gas incidents across Idlib province since the conflict began, he said. Monitors at the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence on all sides in the civil war, said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, wounding a large number of citizens. Russia`s Defence Ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb during the day on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged the loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. DENIALS The helicopter came down roughly mid-way between Aleppo and Russia`s main air base at Khmeimim in the western province of Latakia, near the Mediterranean coast. Russian air power began supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad late last year, an intervention which tipped the balance of the war in Assad`s favour, eroding gains the rebels had made that year. The Russian Defence Ministry said the Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo as it made its way back to Khmeimim. No group has claimed responsibility for downing the helicopter. Government and opposition forces have both denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war. Western powers say the government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks. The government and Russia have accused rebels of using poison gas. U.N. investigators established that sarin gas was used in Eastern Ghouta in 2013. The United States accused Damascus of that attack, which it estimates killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Damascus denied responsibility and blamed rebels. Later that year the United Nations and the Syrian government agreed to destroy the state`s declared stockpile of chemical weapons, a process completed in January 2016. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed in late 2015 that sulphur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, had been used for the first time in the conflict, without saying which party in the many-sided conflict it thought had used it. Manila: Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said today. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said yesterday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... So their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. A foreign ministry statement said that "most of the workers want to leave these companies but only after settling their dues". The Pakistan embassy had set up special centres and a fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. Islamabad: Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan, on Tuesday hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue while backing Islamabad's stance to send an OIC team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations. "Turkey fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference here with Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz. Cavusoglu said Turkey is an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. Hopefully its next meeting would be held in September, he said. "I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said. Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and demanded sending a fact-finding team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations there. Forty-nine people have been killed in Kashmir in clashes since security forces killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Cavusoglu, who is in Pakistan on an important visit after a failed military coup, thanked Islamabad for being the first country to denounce the coup attempt. He said Turkey was taking steps against those involved in the coup staged by supporters of US-based influential Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. He said Gulen's organisations pose a risk or threat to the security and stability of every country. "This terrorist organisation has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organisations. In the past, we supported them but we didn't know they had a hidden agenda, that they were trying to take over power in Turkey through such attempts," he said. He said that Pakistan and Turkey supported each other against terrorism. On his part, Aziz pledged Pakistan's unequivocal support for a democratic, peaceful and stable Turkey under the dynamic leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan. He noted with satisfaction that both sides have agreed to continue to tackle the menace of terrorism and defeat the scourge. The two sides also exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and the need for a lasting political solution. Aziz said the two countries share similar views on migration crisis and the plight of Syrian refugees. He said Pakistan and Turkey host the largest refugee population in the world. Ankara: Turkey on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month`s failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number. Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied. The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. "GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued," the official said. "There is strong evidence suggesting FETO members infiltrated this institution to slow down the career progress of their rivals within the military and fast-track their supporters." Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials have said exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey`s generals were fired in the wake of the coup. Turkey has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the July 15 power grab attempt and launched a crackdown that has seen some 18,000 people detained. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in the clampdown, which has also hit journalists and academics. Under a previous decree, GATA and other military hospitals have been transferred to the control of the health ministry. Istanbul: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey`s Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement. Turkey meanwhile issued arrest warrants for about 100 staff, including doctors, at Ankara`s main military hospital, in a new phase of the crackdown after the failed coup that has seen some 18,000 detained and caused international consternation. "Unfortunately, the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters," said Erdogan in a typically combative speech at his presidential palace, denouncing "those who we imagined to be friends". Erdogan lashed out at Germany`s judicial authorities for not allowing him to address via video conference a weekend rally in Cologne in his support. "Bravo! The courts in Germany work very fast!" Erdogan said with heavy irony. He accused Germany of allowing leaders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to address previous events via video conference. He said Turkey had previously also handed Germany a list of more than 4,000 wanted militants without having any response. The president, who had previously alluded to foreign states` involvement, gave his strongest indication yet that external powers could have been played a role. "This coup was not just an event planned from the inside. The actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," Erdogan said. Turning directly on Washington, he asked: "How can it be, when we are strategic partners and I ask you on behalf of my country to hand someone over on the basis of a national security strategy document, you keep on hiding and sheltering him?" Already strained ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been aggravated by the failed putsch, with some government ministers even alleging Washington could have had a hand in the plot, which US officials firmly reject. On a visit to Turkey on Monday, US General Joseph Dunford condemned the coup attempt. Police searched the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital and detained some 50 staff including military doctors, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting police sources. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed detention warrants had been issued for 98 staff. The official said staff there were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials say exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey`s generals were fired in the wake of the coup. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in a clampdown under a three-month state of emergency which has also hit journalists and academics. Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 and has denied any involvement in the putsch. Turkish authorities stepped up pressure on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending a new package of documents to the American authorities, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. Bozdag said "he needs to be arrested urgently as we have intelligence that he might flee to a third country."Turkey has also launched a sweeping overhaul of state institutions, sacking tens of thousands of civil servants and shaking up the military. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government had started "virus and traitor cleansing" to weed out Gulenists from state institutions. The Hurriyet daily said the overhaul would also hit the powerful intelligence service which would be split into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence, in line with Britain`s system where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5. Erdogan has been scathing about the failure of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) to warn him in a timely manner about the coup, complaining he found out when his brother-in-law called up. Meanwhile, a government minister gave the overall cost of the coup on the Turkish economy, warning the cost could amount to $100 billion. "Warplanes, helicopters, weapons, bombs, buildings: 300 billion lira. Maybe I am underestimating a bit," Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci said, in comments published in Hurriyat. Modi said, when the new law comes into force it will become so draconian that nobody would be able to get bail. He said that seizure of family from whose house liquor bottles are found and life imprisonment to the accused was Talibani in nature. Sushil Modi has demanded that Lalu should use his position in the Mahagathbandhan government to scrap the draconian Bihar Prohibition & Excise Bill 2016. Photo credit: PTI A day after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar made a complete U-turn of including toddy in the list of intoxicants and later excluding it from the newly drafted Bihar Prohibition & Excise Act, 2016 apparently under pressure from RJD President Lalu Prasad, former Deputy CM Sushil Modi asked Lalu to use his veto power to scrap the draconian bill. NOT LALU'S JOB advertisement Nitish government had first included toddy in list of intoxicants to be banned in the state while tabling the bill in the Assembly on Friday but sources say that Lalu's intervention compelled the government to take a U-turn. However, former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi asserted that it was the pressure from the BJP, LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan and HAM Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi that forced the government to roll back it decision. IT'S A TALIBANI LAW: PM MODI Now, Sushil Modi has demanded that Lalu should use his position in the Mahagathbandhan government to scrap the draconian Bihar Prohibition & Excise Bill 2016. He said that the same bill was 'Talibani' in nature as it provisioned arresting and sending to jail all the members of the family above 18 years of age if liquor was found in their house. "If someone throws an empty bottle of liquor into Lalu's and Rabri Devi's house at night, both Lalu and Rabri along with their minister sons will have to go to jail. Why should the entire family face punishment for the crime of one person ?", said Sushil Modi. Modi said, when the new law comes into force it will become so draconian that nobody would be able to get bail. He said that seizure of family from whose house liquor bottles are found and life imprisonment to the accused was Talibani in nature. "Even in cases of rape and dacoity, there is provision for punishment for few years but possessing liquor bottles would attract life imprisonment", said Modi. --- ENDS --- Ankara: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said he has withdrawn lawsuits against about 1,500 people, including opposition politicians, journalists and writers, for insulting him or his office. Speaking in a live interview with CNN Turk, Yildirim yesterday said he withdrew the lawsuits on Monday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also said he will drop insult lawsuits against him, as a gesture toward the opposition as they seek to forge better relations in the wake of a failed July 15 coup. Yildirim announced the withdrawal of the lawsuits after saying he was determined to continue working more closely with the opposition. The ruling party's policies have often been seen as polarizing. "There are so many issues we can solve through dialogue," Yildirim said. "This country belongs to all of us." Delhi: Top Viacom Inc executives recently held discussions with National Amusements Inc to settle litigation surrounding the media empire of Sumner Redstone, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. However, the talks fell through last week, ahead of a key ruling by a Delaware judge on Friday, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The Delaware judge ruled that Redstone`s lawyers must defend in a trial his move to oust five directors from Viacom`s board and suggested that he wants to get a better picture of the 93-year-old media mogul`s mental capacity. Under the terms that were discussed by Viacom executives, Chief Executive Philippe Dauman would agree to depart the company and Chief Operating Officer Tom Dooley would become interim CEO, the Journal said. Several board members of Viacom would also eventually relinquish their posts, the Journal said. National Amusements is Redstone`s privately held movie theatre company through which he owns 80 percent of Viacom. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton, billionaire investor Warren Buffet said that he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, waves to members of the audience as she and Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, arrive at a rally at Omaha North High Magnet School in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo: AP) By AP: Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump, including escorting people to the polls himself. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton in Nebraska Monday, Buffett savaged Trump's business record, questioning his bankruptcies and asking why the Republican presidential candidate won't release his tax returns. The so-called "Omaha Oracle" then announced a new campaign called "Drive 2 Vote," designed to bring out voters in Nebraska's second congressional district, which offers a single Electoral College vote to the district winner. advertisement "I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," said Buffett, adding that he had reserved a 32-seat trolley for the day with a goal of getting the highest-percentage turnout of any congressional district in the country. "Let's give America a civics lesson." Nebraska is one of two states that assign some electoral votes based on the results within congressional districts. While the state is Republican overall, President Barack Obama won a vote here in 2008 in the more liberal district where Clinton appeared Monday, which includes Omaha and the suburbs. The boundaries have since been redrawn to make the district less blue. The Midwestern stop came amid a clash between Trump and a Muslim-American family who spoke against him at the Democratic National Convention. Trump responded by attacking Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son served in the U.S. Army and was killed in Iraq in 2004. Buffett called Trump's comments "the final straw," arguing that his family had not sacrificed like military families. BUFFET ENDORESED HILLARY IN 2008 Buffett, who endorsed Clinton last year, was the latest in a series of business leaders attacking Trump as Clinton seeks to woo moderate and independent voters. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban campaigned with Clinton over the weekend, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a searing indictment of Trump's economic proposals during the Democratic National Convention. Before several thousand people gathered at an Omaha high school, Buffett challenged Trump to agree to a meeting where they would both release their tax returns. He also said that after Trump listed his casino and hotel company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995, investors lost money, even though "in 1995 when he offered this company, if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent." Buffett repeated long-held assertions that the tax code favors the wealthy, which Clinton echoed, pledging to pay for new programs through more taxes on the rich. Clinton also continued the assaults on Trump, criticizing him for making products overseas. She promised to "support the kind of small businesses that Donald Trump has consistently stiffed." advertisement Clinton enthusiastically received Buffett's plan to get out voters and upped the ante. She said that if the district has the highest percentage of voters and if she wins, then she'll come back soon "and Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together." Amid cheers Clinton added, "Maybe if we're really lucky he'll wear his Elvis costume again." Also read: Jayalalithaa inspired Hillary to run for President, claims AIADMK MLA --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh informs the Azerbaijani forces made 27 ceasefire violations in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijani contact line. The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight August 1-2 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime for 27 times by firing more than 300 shots from various caliber weapons at the Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. The Defense Army forces adhered to the ceasefire regime and continued confidently conducting their military service. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. On August 3, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission will conduct a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, in the Askeran direction near Bash Karvend village, press service of the NKR MFA informed Armenpress. From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring will be conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden). From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring will be conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistant Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria). The NKR authorities have expressed their readiness to assist in conducting the monitoring and to ensure the security of the OSCE Mission members. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. At least six policemen were killed and four others wounded in a PKK bomb attack in eastern Turkey, officials said, reports Anadolu. The incident happened in the eastern Bingol province when the PKK forces detonated an explosive-laden car targeting an armored police vehicle. The wounded were immediately hospitalized. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The United States called on Russia and the Syrian government on Monday to refrain from offensive operations in Syria, as fighting continued on the day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hoped a political transition could begin, reports Reuters. Asked if he was dismayed Aug. 1 had come without a political transition to help end Syria's five-year civil war, Kerry said the target date was set earlier this year when there were hopes political talks could take hold amid a reduction in violence. However, a "cessation of hostilities" that began in February has now all but unraveled. In the latest incident, a Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, killing all five people on board. "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," Kerry told reporters. "These are important days to determine whether or not Russia and the Assad regime are going to live up to" the effort to end the violence and to resume peace talks, Kerry said. "The evidence thus far is very, very troubling to everybody." U.S. officials have suggested that a Russian and Syrian "humanitarian operation" for the besieged city of Aleppo is a ruse to evacuate civilians so that their forces can go after militants in the city who oppose Assad's rule. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. A convoy has set off to deliver over 18 tons of humanitarian cargo to refugee checkpoints in Aleppo, the Russian Center for reconciliation of warring parties in Syria said on August 2, reports TASS. Individual food rations, food packages, flour, sugar, cereals, canned fish and meat will be delivered to humanitarian centers set up at checkpoints for civilians and militants that laid down arms. The convoy will have to drive over 500 kilometers in dangerous conditions to provide refugees with necessities. The convoy will also deliver medicine to Aleppo, the center added. On July 28 Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russian and Syrian militaries are starting a large-scale humanitarian operation in Aleppo. Four humanitarian corridors will be established there. Civilians will be able to leave Aleppo via three corridors, while one more corridor may be used by militants who wish to lay down arms. The defense minister also ordered to airdrop food, medicine and necessities to civilians in Aleppo. TBILISI, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian says the peaceful settlement of the situation in the Police station was possible thanks to the Armenian leaderships prudent, patient and balanced approach, reports Armenpress. In a meeting with the Armenian FM in Tbilisi on August 1, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili expressed his deep concern over the situation in the seized Police precinct by the gunmen in Yerevan and extended his condolences to the Armenian leadership over two victims stating that Georgia welcomes the steps which resulted in the peaceful settlement of the issue. The Armenian FM expressed gratitude to the Georgian PM for the condolences and the support to the efforts for the peaceful settlement, and said the issue has been solved thanks to the Armenian leaderships prudent, patient, balanced approach and the adopted correct decisions. In the morning of July 17 gunmen stormed a Police HQ in Yerevan and took hostages demanding the release of Zhirayr Sefilyan, who was imprisoned a month ago, charged with illegal possession, transportation and acquirement of weapons and ammunition. Police Colonel Artur Vanoyan has been killed by the gunmen during the ambush. Colonel Aram Hovhannisyan, Lt. Colonel Hrach Khosteghyan, Corporal Gagik Mkrtchyan received gunshot wounds. The hostages were released within a week, but on July 27 the gunmen took hostage the paramedics who came to show medical assistance to the wounded in Police station. On July 30 a police officer Yuri Tepanosyan has been killed by sniper fire from the seized police precinct. On July 31 the gunmen laid down the weapons and surrendered. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. There is no shortage of people who could make it into the bad books of the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, reports The Guardian. Theres the whistleblower and journalists who uncovered tax avoidance on a vast scale in his native Luxembourg. And the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, who has alarmed EU leaders with a series of authoritarian and populist policy announcements. A whole chapter could be devoted to perfidious Brits, chief among them Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. While the true list of his enemies remains secret, Juncker has revealed he keeps a little black book to note down the names of people who cross him. I have a little black book called Le Petit Maurice where for the past 30 years I have noted when someone has betrayed me, the EU president told the Belgian newspaper Le Soir. Juncker explained it wasnt very full, because people rarely betray me. He added: I am not vengeful, but I have a good memory. Junckers black book was a constant companion during his 18 years as prime minister of Luxembourg. He would tell people attacking him: Be careful. Little Maurice is waiting for you. Although it is tempting to imagine Juncker has devoted pages to Nigel Farage, the EU president claimed he respected the Ukip leader and found him very funny and erudite. But Juncker, known for his exuberant bear hugs and back-slapping greetings, was also at pains to explain he had not embraced Farage when they last met at the European parliament in Strasbourg. I whispered something in his ear that was not a compliment. The photos gave the impression that I embraced him. He also said he regularly called Orban a dictator to his face, and he described his humour as calculated, rather than cynical. The Luxembourger took charge of the European commission in 2014 after almost two decades running the grand duchy, as well as eight years in charge of eurozone finance ministers meetings. Two men opened fire inside a judge's chamber in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh court killing a man. This story has everything that you'll see in a Bollywood masala flick. Read on. One of the accused who opened fire inside the Hanumangarh court. By Sharat Kumar: It was a usual day at the Hanumangarh court on Monday (August 1). Proceedings at various courts inside the premises went on smoothly until several gunshot were heard triggering chaos. People were seen running for cover as two men brandished country-made pistols aiming at a man accused in a murder case inside judge's chamber. Alert cops, however, nabbed the two attackers who tried to flee from the spot after the shooting. A man who was injured in the shooting succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. advertisement WHAT HAPPENED AT HANUMANGARH COURT A local Congress leader Balram Bakaria was produced at the ADJ Court-2 in connection with a murder case. Bakaria's friend Harish Singhi was also present in the court. Two men - Dharmendra and Sukhbir alias Mahanta - also reached the court with an aim to take revenge of the murder of Sukhbir's brother in 2009. Balram is one of the main accused in the murder case. Why this dreaded gangster's Facebook update has Rajasthan Police worried As soon as Balram entered the courtroom, Sukhbir opened fire on him. However, Harish, Sukhbir's friend came in between and was shot. The two attackers who opened fire inside Hanumangarh court. Taking advantage of the commotion in the courtroom, the attackers tried to run away from the spot, however, cops on duty nabbed them with the help of people. "Balram...you're lucky today...we will definitely kill you one day," Sukhbir kept on shouting while being taken away by the police. Both Dharmendra and Sukhbir were arrested and are being interrogated by the police. Harish, 40, was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him dead. THE REVENGE STORY According to the police, Balram and his aides killed Sukhbir's brother Kuldeep Singh in 2009. Balram was made the prime accused in the case. He alongwith Harish and one Monu Singh were produced in the court when they were attacked by Sukhbir and Dharmendra. MINISTER'S SON INVOLVED IN MURDER? The police has also named Rajasthan irrigation minister Ram Pratap's son Amit Sahu in the murder case. Sahu has however rubbished the charges, saying he has no links with the criminals. Sahu's minister father said that his son is a victim of political conspiracy. Also Read: Constable killed in Karkardooma court shootout, 2 injured, 4 arrested Dreaded gangster escapes in filmy style in Rajasthan --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, AUGUST 2 ARMENPRESS. The court has upheld the motion of arresting Vice-President of the Heritage party Armen Martirosyan, Armenpress was informed by the Armenian Judicial Department. He has been arrested for 2 months in suspicion of organizing mass disturbances on July 29 in Yerevan. He has been charged under the Article 225 point 1 of the Criminal Code. On July 29 the march coming from the Freedom Square to Khorenatsi Street approached to the Police precinct where the Police forces conducted control. A clash occurred as a result of which the Police took actions to disperse the rally. Due to these actions a number of people received injuries of various degrees. Armen Martirosyan was also heading the march. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Security party Garnik Isagulyan says the negotiations with the gunmen, who seized the Police station, have never been stopped, reports Armenpress. During the last 15 days Armenia faced many difficult days. But in the last stage, I think, the gunmen understood that there is no other option. I think they understood a simple truth: they are actually being used, he said. He said NKR MP Vitaly Balasanyan has already started the defense of the gunmen. Vitaly Balasanyan is deeply concerned over the faith of the guys. I think he will visit Armenia in a week again and will hold meetings with the guys, Garnik Isagulyan said. In the morning of July 17 gunmen stormed a Police HQ in Yerevan and took hostages demanding the release of Zhirayr Sefilyan, who was imprisoned a month ago, charged with illegal possession, transportation and acquirement of weapons and ammunition. Police Colonel Artur Vanoyan has been killed by the gunmen during the ambush. Colonel Aram Hovhannisyan, Lt. Colonel Hrach Khosteghyan, Corporal Gagik Mkrtchyan received gunshot wounds. The hostages were released within a week, but on July 27 the gunmen took hostage the paramedics who came to show medical assistance to the wounded in Police station. On July 30 a police officer Yuri Tepanosyan has been killed by sniper fire from the seized police precinct. On July 31 the gunmen laid down the weapons and surrendered. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the dialog between French-Armenian Richard Demirci and the police officers carrying out ID check in Ataturk Airport, Demirci was kept in the airport and then taken to Foreigners' Department in Kumkap, Armenpress reports citing Agos. Richard Demirci's son Daniel Demirci told about what happened to Agos: On Sunday, police stopped the car that my father was in and carried out an ID check. My father gave his passport and then the police officers said, This is a French passport. When my father said that it is a French passport, they asked whether he is Turkish. After my father said, No, they asked, You speak Turkish. Your birthplace is Siirt. How come you are not Turkish? And my father replied: I am an Armenian with French nationality. After that, police officers said that he is a terrorist and ordered him to step out of the car. They took him to the place where they keep foreigners. Making him wait there for a while, they took him to Foreigners' Department in Kumkap. He stood trial on Monday and then deported. He has been going to Turkey once in a month because of his business activities. Now that an exclusion order is issued, he is not able to go to Turkey anymore. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to Armenpress inquiry over the arrest of the Russian citizen with Armenian origin Marat Ueldanov-Galustyan in Azerbaijan. Marat Ueldanov-Galustyan has been arrested on June 9 under the Article of 234.4.3 of the Azerbaijans Criminal Code which proposes punishment for illegal preparing, producing, acquiring, maintaining and transferring large amount of drugs. His sister Mariana Mirzoyan insists that false charge has been accused against his brother, and it is already one and a half months they have no information about him. Earlier she also informed that during that period the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan has not visited his brother. The Russian MFA told Armenpress that respective measures are being taken towards the protection of rights of the Russian citizen. We are taking measures towards the Russian citizens protection of rights set by the law regardless of his nationality within the framework of the international law and bilateral agreements, the Russian MFAs statement says. The letter of the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan addressed to Mariana Mirzoyan says the Russian Embassys representative has visited her brother Marat Ueldanov-Galustyan. In response to our request, the Azerbaijani side has provided relevant information over the case. On July 28 the Embassys representative has visited Marat Ueldanov-Galustyan. Currently the investigative operations are underway. He doesnt find him guilty. A lawyer has been hired for him, the letter reads. The Embassys representative conveyed Mariana Mirzoyans letter to her brother, and then Marat Ueldanov-Galustyan wrote the response letter. Armenpress also talked with Mariana Mirzoyan who confirmed she received her brothers letter. My brother wrote everything is good with him, but we all understand that he could not write the contrary. When will all these end? It is unfortunate that the Russian Embassy acts in such a way. I again called the Embassy, wanted to talk with the representative dealing with brothers case, I was informed he left for a working trip until August 12. They didnt say who now deals with brothers case. I am terrified from the thought what can happen with Marat during this period, Mariana Mirzoyan said. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on August 2 the USD exchange rate was 476.04 AMD which is a decrease of 0.34 drams compared to the previous day, reports Armenpress. The euro appreciated by 0.76 drams forming 532.97 drams, and British pound increased by 2.07 drams forming 629.56 drams. The Russian ruble dropped by 0.05 drams forming 7.14 drams on August 2. The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 313.91 AMD, gold-20,656.45 AMD, and platinum 17,600.8 AMD. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Arayik Khandoyan one of the gunmen who ambushed and captured the Police precinct in Yerevan has been charged. Khandoyans attorney Arayik Papikyan told ARMENPRESS the charges are filed according to Article 218, paragraph 3, point 1 of the Criminal Code (Hostage taking) and Article 235, paragraph 3 (illegal acquisition, possession, transportation and use of firearms and ammunition). Khandoyan is currently in custody in the Vagharshapat detention facility. Attorney Arayik Papikyan doesnt rule out that the preventive measure may be chosen today by the Court. The gunmens case has been transferred from the National Security Service to the Special Investigative Service. Regarding his other two defendants Ashot Petrosyan and Hovhannes Harutyunyan, who are currently in the hospital of the Correctional Department, attorney Papikyan said :They are good, they are gradually recovering. Conditions are comparably normal after our complaints. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis has set up a special commission to study whether women will be allowed to become deacons in the Catholic Church, BBC reported. The issue has historically troubled the Church, with many opposing the appointment of females. The commission of seven men and six women will study the issue, and look into the historical role of women in the early years of the Church. Deacons are a clergy rank one below priest. They are ordained ministers who can preach or preside over weddings and funerals, but cannot celebrate Mass. Supporters say women are poorly represented within the church and that appointing female deacons would give women greater sway in decision-making. The Pope first remarked in May that he was willing to set up a commission to study the issue. He had told senior members of women's religious orders he was open to the issue of considering female deacons: "It would be useful for the Church to clarify this question. I agree.'" The Vatican also clarified that the Pope was not considering the possibility of ordaining women priests. Currently all Catholic priests and deacons are male. Priests must be celibate, but deacons can be married men. It was two years ago, addressing a meeting of international Catholic theologians, including both men and women, that Pope Francis first raised the possibility of opening up more posts to women inside his Church. He said "women are the strawberry on the cake and there is need for more of them". The remark, with its perhaps unintended overtones of male chauvinism, was taken as demeaning by some Catholic women. But now the Pope has appointed 13 leading theologians from various parts of the world to look into the historical role of women in the early years of the Church. Pope Francis's immediate predecessors declared that women could never be ordained as priests, but now a new chink appears to have opened in the protective armor of the Roman Catholic Church's all-male and all-celibate clergy. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The Guardian published an article on the everyday lives of the residents of Movses village, Armenia. Anzhela Ayvazyans granddaughter was coming out of kindergarten when the shooting started. As soon as the five-year-old heard the gunfire, she put her head down and ran straight home. Shes a clever girl, says Ayvazyan, she knew not to stop anywhere. This time nobody was hurt, but everyone knows that in Movses, a tiny village in the north-east Berd region of Armenia, the snipers will attack again. As Ayvazyan says, its just a matter of time. For families in Movses, this attack in late July is part of daily life. The village sits just 300m from the Azerbaijani border and locals say that 90% of their village is under surveillance from an Azeri observation post to the east, with many homes in plain view of snipers. Ararat Avalian, the mayor of Movses, has lived in the village for all his 55 years. You can hardly find anyone whose house does not bear bullet marks, he says. His house was shelled in September last year. They just shoot randomly. They know people live in the area, so they are sure at least a little harm will come to someone, the mayor told The Guardian. For local people living in villages on the volatile border, life is getting harder with each outbreak of renewed fighting. Anahit Badalian, who runs the Berd Womens Resource Centre, an organisation employing women to produce traditional handicrafts, is researching the psychological impact of the conflict. She says more than 86% of women suffer from mental health issues such as depression, stress and neuropsychological conditions thought to be related to the hardships of life on the border. Ayvazyan says her life is filled with constant stress. Her husband served on the frontline for 22 years before retiring, and now her son is in the military. When on duty, men can be away for two-and-a-half months at a time. Ayvazyan has trouble sleeping and worries for her son as the toll of fighting has affected the nerves in his face. He has problems controlling his mouth and his vision has been impaired. Nearby, down the only road that snakes through Movses, past the school, the rows of shops outside of which children play with stones in the beating afternoon sun, lives Kima Alipyan. She wearily shows a bullet still lodged in her bedroom wall. Last August it was crazy, every evening at 7pm they would start shooting. If one day they didnt shoot at 7pm everyone wondered why arent they shooting? We got so used to it. So many years have already gone by and here we are. I am so tired of this. Our children grew up with this and our grandchildren are growing up with this. It isnt getting better, its getting worse. Today Movses has a population of 2,156, but Avalian estimates that between 300-400 will leave for Russia this year. It is like that for every family, there are no jobs, so they leave, says Ayvazyan. Ayvazyan once tried to leave, too. Years ago I went to Moscow, to find work, but I only stayed for four months, it was too difficult to be away from Armenia, Movses, my home. I lost eight kilos, I just couldnt live there. This is my home, it is what I know. Along with fellow residents Taguhi Adamyan and Hasmik Zaqinyan , Ayvazyan is determined to stay, keep her village alive and provide for her family. Working at the Berd womens centre, they use crochet skills they learnt as children to make and sell delicately woven toys and Christmas decorations. Since I was five years old I have been doing crochet, my grandmother taught me, soon I was making things for friends, family, neighbours, says Ayvazyan. Badalyan, working in partnership with Timothy Straight who runs the Yerevan-based Homeland Development Initiative Foundation, saw the potential in craft skills and knew they could find a export market for them. Right now, Ayvazyan is making dozens of snowman decorations to send to the United States. When I am making the snowmen I always think that I was never able to go to America or go travelling or anything, but now, with my snowmen, in a way I can go to all the places that I wasnt able see, she says. The women now have more orders than they can fulfil. But we want more, and we keep getting more, we make things so fast, our work is flying away! says Alipyan. For Ayvazyan, her daily batch of crochet takes her mind off her troubles and the stresses of village life and gives her enough money to survive. My crochet is more than a hobby or a job, it is my life. The Chief Minister is anxious that incidents like the one in Bulandshahar may further dent the image of his government which already faces flak from the opposition parties over poor law and order situation. By Balkrishna: Startled by the furore over the Bulandshahar gang rape issue with the elections are around the corner, the Uttar Pradesh government has moved swiftly to begin damage control. None other than the Chief Minister is now monitoring the the developments in the case. He is receiving regular updates from the senior officers on how the investigation is moving. advertisement The family of the victim has threatened self immolation if they don't get justice within three months. IMPORTANT DECISIONS On Monday, talking a lesson from the Bulandshahar incident, two important decisions were taken by the government. One, within the next 48 hours, the Uttar Pradesh police will identify the vulnerable stretches of Highways in the state and and deploy additional police force. Taking to Mail Today, the DGP of UP, Javeed Ahmed said the instructions have already been passed on and the process to identify the highways which are prone to crime and where gangs are known to be active, will be completed very soon. Then additional police force will be pressed on duty for patrolling. It has also been decided that the Uttar Pradesh Police will raise a special force to make the highways safer. It may be called Highway Patrolling Police and will be fully equipped with modern equipments and weapons to take on the criminals who hunt on highways. A proposal to raise such a squad was under consideration for quite some time in UP, but the decision was lingering because of the allocation of funds and man power. But now the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has decided to press the panic button and has asked the DGP to implement it as soon as possible. POLICE EXPOSED The Chief Minister, probably is anxious that incidents like Bulandshahar may further dent the image of his government which already faces flak from the opposition parties over poor law and order situation. Another lacuna of UP Police which was badly exposed in the Bulandshahar incident was the unreliable Dial 100 police helpline. It came to light that the victims kept on trying to get help from the police by dialing 100 when the criminals left. But the number was either busy or was not picked up. Ultimately, they called up a relative for help. DGP Javeed Ahmed admitted that currently there are problems with the dial 100 helpline. But insisted that come 2nd October and UP will have a system of police control room which will rival the best in the world. A ultra modern control room is under construction in Lucknow currently. Once ready, any call to police from anywhere in the state will land at this command center and the nearest police station will be pressed into service immediately.The maximum time the police will take to reach will be twenty minutes, claimed the DGP. advertisement ALSO READ: Bulandshahr gangrape, Parrikar's Aamir jibe rock Parliament Bulandshahr gangrape victims' family: If not given justice in 3 months, we will commit suicide --- ENDS --- German airline Lufthansa said its profits for the year will reach "approximately previous year's level" of 1.8 billion euros rather than the "below previous year" earlier forecast German flag carrier Lufthansa warned Tuesday that "horrific" terror attacks in Europe were having a "tangible impact" on business, with second-quarter profits down 17 percent. Advance bookings were down sharply, the airline said, as net profits for the three months ending June came in at 437 million euros ($488 million). "Horrific terror attacks are making people feel unsafe," chief executive Carsten Spohr said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "Because of repeated terror attacks in Europe and political and economic uncertainty, advance bookings, especially on long-haul flights to Europe, have fallen significantly," finance director Simone Menne said. The weak profits came despite the lower oil price, which resulted in a fuel cost boon of 597 million euros. Compared with the figure for the first half of 2015, net profits took a 55 percent blow, falling to 429 million euros. Lufthansa had already said last month that the jittery atmosphere in Europe was hitting its business and considered "a complete recovery as not likely anymore." Its European rival Air France-KLM also warned last week about the impact of recent attacks on the airline. Air France-KLM's chief financial officer Pierre-Francois Riolacci said unit revenue fell by 5.6 percent in the second quarter, which he put down to the sluggish global economic recovery and "most of all the effect of the terror attacks that have struck Europe in recent quarters". A spate of attacks targeting France and Germany at the height of peak tourist season in Europe has hurt the industry. France, the world's top tourist destination, is reeling from an attack at the Riviera town of Nice on Bastille Day when a gunman drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd of revellers, killing 84. That was the third major strike against France in less than 18 months, coming just eight months after Islamic State gunmen and suicide bombers stormed bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium in Paris, killing 130 people. Story continues In January last year, 17 were killed in another assault at various sites including the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris. Germany was meanwhile hit in July by an axe attack that left five people-- including four tourists from Hong Kong -- wounded, a gun rampage, a machete assault and a suicide bomb attack. A spokeswoman for the German tourism board told AFP last week that "there haven't been any cancellations" in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in Europe's biggest economy. But in France, flight reservations following the Nice attack were down 20 percent. Between January and July 10 arrivals to France by air were down 5.8 percent, and down 11 percent to Paris. US President Barack Obama hosts Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) for a State Arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, August 2, 2016 Facing fierce opposition to a landmark Asia-Pacific trade deal, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday made a last-ditch economic and strategic case for Washington setting the terms of global trade. Painting the 12-country pact -- which does not include China -- as part of a battle with Beijing for regional influence, Obama also warned strengthening anti-trade forces that they could not roll back the tide. The pact is strongly backed by the White House -- where it is seen as a key part of Obama's "pivot to Asia" -- but is opposed by both presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It has yet to be ratified by Congress, where legislators have one eye on the November elections. "Right now I'm president, and I'm for it," Obama said tersely, indicating a fresh push to get it passed before he leaves office in January. "If we don't establish strong rules, norms for how trade and commerce are conducted in the Asia-Pacific region, then China will," Obama said as he hosted Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House. "We are part of a global economy. We're not reversing that. It can't be reversed." Instead, Obama said the vexed Trans-Pacific Partnership was part of the answer to questions like "how do we make sure that globalization, technology, automation, those things work for us, not against us?" In a pitch to the political left, he also said that because of TPP, labor standards in Vietnam were improving and Malaysia was more seriously tackling human trafficking. Lee gave Obama some political support, calling for the deal to be passed and warning America's reputation in the world was "on the line." "Your friends who have come to the table who have negotiated, each one of them has overcome some domestic political objection, some sensitivity, some political cost to come to the table and make this deal," he said. "If at the end waiting at the altar the bride doesn't arrive, I think there are people who are going to be very hurt -- not just emotionally but really damaged. For a long time to come." Story continues With remarkable candor, Lee said rejecting the TPP would hurt not just Japanese leader Shinzo Abe but security relations with Japan, one of a number of countries in Asia that the United States is treaty-bound to protect. Lee said that countries like Japan would rethink whether America's military support could be guaranteed. "It's an absolutely serious calculation which will not be said openly, but I have no doubt will be thought," he said. By Allison Martell and Rod Nickel (Reuters) - A Husky Energy Inc oil spill into a major Canadian river on July 20 was the third in the same area in eight months, government records showed, and could put new pressure on the province of Saskatchewan's energy regulator to improve its monitoring of pipelines. The economy ministry is the energy regulator in the western Canadian province and officials there told Reuters it has never physically inspected the 19-year-old Husky pipeline since it was constructed. "In some ways, the oil industry in Saskatchewan has been given a free pass by the province," said Emily Eaton, a University of Regina professor who studies the energy industry. "Pipelines seem to be a particularly under-regulated part of the industry." The two earlier spills - in December 2015 and June 2016 near the North Saskatchewan River - have not previously been reported. And while government records show there are hundreds of small hazardous waste spills in Saskatchewan each year, oil spills from pipelines are not as frequent. Over the last 12 months, 11 spills were reported and three were from Husky pipelines in the Lloydminster area, where the company operates the Saskatchewan Gathering System. Three others were from Penn West Petroleum Ltd pipelines near Kindersley. Asked about the leaks, Husky said it takes every incident seriously, and is conducting a full investigation. On Dec. 30, less than three gallons of oil spilt about six kilometers (3.7 miles) south of the North Saskatchewan River. On June 7, 53 gallons of oil spilt within a few hundred meters of the river, affecting about 100 square meters of ground but not reaching the water. On July 20, more than 50,000 gallons of oil and diluent spilt, running into the river and forced two cities to shut down parts of their drinking water systems. Government records showed all three spills were reported within a five-kilometer radius. In the past few years, the province's energy regulator has been criticized for doing too little to monitor operating pipelines. A 2012 report from Saskatchewan's auditor found that while the economy ministry regulated the construction of new pipelines, it had "no documented processes to regulate existing pipelines." In 2014, the auditor found that problem had not been fixed. The economy ministry told the auditor in 2014 that it was planning to amend two laws, adding "more substantive provisions regarding pipeline integrity", but those changes have not been made. It has reorganized staff and developed new policies and procedures to guide their work. Asked whether it had inspected the pipeline that failed, the regulator said it had not. The ministry said that because pipelines are underground, it is "most effective" to review company-submitted processes and test results. Husky Energy conducts monthly tests with a device that travels through the pipeline looking for flaws, and inspects the pipeline every two years. The Saskatchewan regulator has physically inspected other pipelines. In neighboring Alberta, the larger Alberta Energy Regulator said it regularly inspects pipelines across the province. Asked whether it was fair to connect the Husky oil spills to weaknesses in the provinces' regulatory system identified in 2014, the economy ministry said it was too early to draw conclusions. "Throughout the course of our review, we will further examine our regulatory practise," the ministry said. "Should the review identify any necessary changes, we will be prepared to act quickly to make those changes." (Additional reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary; Editing by Amran Abocar and Grant McCool) Ecopetrol subsidiary Cenit is investing close to $4 billion to optimize the performance and expand the capacity of six of Colombia's seven major crude oil pipelines. (Map courtesy of Ecopetrol S.A.)Click here for high-resolution version SANTA BARBARA, CA --(Marketwired - August 01, 2016) - QS Energy, Inc. (QSEP) Global Energy Markets Regional Update: South America This is the second installment of our overviews of the world's most important oil producing regions. We provide these updates to share with investors our insights on today's highly dynamic global energy markets and to highlight strategic deployment opportunities for our AOT technology in these high-output areas. South America is the fourth largest continent (6,890,000 square miles) and is rich in natural resources which include gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin, natural gas and oil. Collectively, the nations of South America produce some 6,000,000 barrels of oil daily and several of these producers have emerged as important exporters to the United States and other global markets. Although the peoples and nations of this part of the Western Hemisphere are often referred to as Latin America, our worldview is better informed by geology and the hydrocarbons underfoot and subsea, rather than by language and culture. At a later date we will be providing a separate regional update on Mexico, currently the 10th largest producer in the world. We believe Mexico represents an exceptional market opportunity for us as it is on the brink of massive new upstream production. After 75 years of state control, our neighbor to the south is auctioning off access to its most desirable deep water production blocks in the Gulf. Global energy powerhouses such as Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, British BP, French Total SA, Spanish Repsol, Norwegian Statoil and Mexican Pemex are expected to bid on the drilling rights which will likely yield 90,000 barrels per day according to Mexican officials. South America: Poised for Growth A subcontinent of the Americas, South America consists of twelve sovereign states, plus French Guiana and the Falkland Islands, bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Among these nations, oil production is highest in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador. Known reserves in South America make up roughly 20 percent of the world's provable underground and subsea oil deposits. The greatest concentrations of oil and natural gas on the continent are found in the Orinoco Belt and Maracaibo Basin, both in Venezuela, and the area adjacent to El Tigre, a 75-mile, north-south trending fault in Argentina. Two significant basins located in deep water offshore Brazil's southeast coast provide that nation with close to 3,000,000 barrels of daily output, placing it first among South American countries and ninth in the world. Story continues The wealth brought by the wide range of export commodities found throughout the continent has resulted in both prosperity and economic stability as well as corruption, strife and political upheaval. Most of the energy resources in South America have historically been controlled entirely by state-owned petroleum entities. Emblematic of the nationalized nature of the oil and gas industry in this region is the history of Petrobras. Created in 1953 when the Brazilian government granted Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) a legal monopoly over all its hydrocarbon resources, the company has grown substantially beyond its primary production regions of the Reconcavo and Carmopolis oil fields and offshore Campos and Santos Basins. Today Petrobras is ranked 58th on the Fortune Global 500 List and owns or controls oil and gas assets in 16 countries which include Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. However, this semi-public multinational corporation has endured periods of mismanagement and corruption and is currently $128 billion in debt. A highly publicized $3 billion corruption scandal in 2014 rocked its leadership and entangled several highly placed government officials, the fallout of which continues to destabilize Brazil's leadership. The second largest producer of hydrocarbons on the continent, Venezuela (ranked 12th globally), nationalized its oil industry in 1975, creating Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Ecuador's Petroecuador is also state-owned, created from the original national petroleum company Corporacion Estatal Petrolera Ecuatoriana (CEPE) formed in 1972. Colombia's national oil company, Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos, was chartered in 1948 and subsequently launched in 1951 to supersede the Tropical Oil Co., the nation's first producer. In 2003, the Colombian government restructured it as Ecopetrol S.A., a public stock-holding corporation. On April 1, 2013 the pipeline and other transportation-related assets of Ecopetrol were transferred to Cenit (Cenit-Transporte y Logistica de Hidrocarburos S.A.S.) a wholly owned subsidiary. Fortunately, after generations of heavy-handed nationalization of hydrocarbon resources, a wave of investment-friendly privatization is sweeping through South America. Many of these governments are now opening up access to their resources by partnering with foreign energy companies and auctioning off mineral rights to their largest deposits of oil and gas. Venezuela's PDVSA has entered into joint ventures with Chevron, China National Petroleum Corporation, Repsol and others to initiate several major projects that will require over $100 billion in capitalization. AOT Infrastructure Optimization Projects As one of the most liberalized of the formerly completely state-owned energy entities, Bogota-based Ecopetrol is now intently pursuing foreign capital and joint venture partners. Earlier this year the company announced Ronda Campos 2016, an open auction of 20 of its most prized production assets, kicking off its five-year strategy for "creating sustainable value and more efficient operation of assets" in an effort to generate maximum profitability for its shareholders. Producing over 60% of its national crude oil output and owner of Reficar, its biggest refinery, Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia one of the top 50 largest oil companies in the world. However, the nation's 5,200 miles of primary and secondary crude oil of pipelines are woefully inadequate to transport its daily output of roughly 1 million barrels per day. An overreliance on tanker trucks to transport crude has been a costly drag on margins and resulted in reduced competitiveness, especially in today's supply surplus global market. In response to the government's commitment to improving energy infrastructure, Ecopetrol's subsidiary Cenit, operator of the bulk of the nation's oil and gas pipelines and hydrocarbon storage facilities, spent $732 million (USD) in 2014 to increase pipeline capacity. As a result, daily takeaway was expanded by 150,000 barrels per day to a total of 954,000 bpd (crude oil) and 231,000 bpd (naphtha and other hydrocarbons). To continue this aggressive expansion of the Colombian pipeline infrastructure To reach the Ministry of Mines and Energy's goal of a national pipeline capacity of 1.4 million bpd, Cenit plans to invest approximately $4 billion (USD) by 2019. In addition to optimizing the performance of existing pipelines, takeaway capacity will be expanded through ambitious construction projects in each of Colombia's primary crude oil production regions. Following an initial presentation to a major Columbian oil pipeline company's leadership, we are currently in the process of discussing the potential deployment of customized AOT systems in support of their plans to favorably affect the flow of crude oil through existing lines and deliver overall better efficiencies of their sprawling infrastructure. The opportunity for improving the performance of their operations with strategically placed AOT systems provides an ideal application of our patented technology. The bulk of crude produced in Colombia ranges from heavy to heavy sour to intermediate, most of it requiring diluents such as naphtha to encourage acceptable flow rates. Among the heaviest grade of Colombian production are Castilla Blend from the plains region which is transported by pipeline to Covenas port in the Gulf of Morrosquillo on the Atlantic Coast; Magdalena Blend, a heavy sour crude produced in the Magdalena Medio basin; and Vasconia crude, produced by mixing output form the plains region and the Upper Magdalena. Due to this Columbian company's status as a vertically-integrated energy entity, controlling vast aspects of exploration and production, transportation and refining, they present us with the potential to use our industrial hardware in a variety of configurations to deliver greater efficiencies throughout their operations. In pursuit of additional opportunities within the Colombian energy sector, we have established an agreement with Finamco SA, an asset-based lender active in high-growth and emerging markets in Columbia. Working with Finamco management we expect to continue to benefit from introductions to senior management at several of the other 12 private sector crude oil producers active in this market, beyond the one that they have already provided. As in other pending overseas AOT projects, our goal is ensuring the most favorable terms possible for our shareholders and maximum return on investment for the customer. In our next Regional Update we will discuss the Chinese and Russian energy industry and our collaborative efforts to adapt AOT technology to subsea infrastructure in the North Sea and other offshore applications. We invite you to contact us anytime with your questions, comments or suggestions at investor@QSEnergy.com or sales@QSEnergy.com. For QS Energy news and articles concerning the energy industry, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. For further information about QS Energy please read our SEC filings at www.sec.gov, and, in particular, the risk factor sections of those filings. Safe Harbor Statement: Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. Please visit the following link for our complete cautionary forward-looking statement: http://www.qsenergy.com/site-info/disclaimer. Sincerely, Greggory M. Bigger CEO & Chairman QS Energy, Inc. www.QSEnergy.com Disclaimer All statements and expressions are the sole opinion of the company and are subject to change without notice. The Company is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. It is strongly recommended that any purchase or sale decision be discussed with a financial advisor, or a broker-dealer, or a member of any financial regulatory bodies. The information contained herein has been provided as an information service only. The accuracy or completeness of the information is not warranted and is only as reliable as the sources from which it was obtained. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment in this or any other company. Information contained herein contains "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical facts and may be "forward looking statements". Forward looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Forward looking statements may be identified through the use of words such as "expects", "will", "anticipates", "estimates", "believes", or by statements indicating certain actions "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/7/31/11G108752/Images/qs_energy-625aa51aa52daafaa7536a6375889b74.jpg STEM UC Berkeley Camps Show Middle School Girls Ins and Outs of Engineering Middle school girls received a major dose of real-life engineering exposure during four week-long camps held this summer at the University of California, Berkeley. For the third year the school hosted "Girls in Engineering," which brings 30 students in grades 5-7 together for one week to build prosthetic arms and robots, develop communication and team skills, go on field trips to local companies such as Twitter and Pixar and meet with female researchers and students who demonstrate the technology they're developing. This non-residential camp is intended, the university explains on its website, to help close the "gender gap" in STEM fields. Taught by Berkeley female faculty, staff and students, the program promotes leadership skills and encourages campers to pursue further education and careers in engineering and related fields. For its part, Berkeley's undergraduate program in engineering has a female population of about 24 percent, above the national average of 19 percent, as reported by the American Society of Engineering Education. During the latest camp, one area of emphasis was learning how 3D printing and open-source file sharing can be used to create custom hand prosthetics for children who need them. The girls watched a video about Sophie's super hand, a project begun in the University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), one branch of which is housed at Berkeley. "The big thing with kids' prosthetics is that they outgrow them quickly and need new ones. Another thing is that these prosthetics are customizable," said mechanical engineering doctoral student Aimee Goncalves to the girls. Goncalves led participants through assembly of prosthetic hands "fresh off the printers," as an article about the program reported. The five hands built by the girls ended up being shipped to a project called the Prosthetic Kids Hand Challenge, which matches makers of prosthetics with kids who need them. Added Girls in Engineering program director Lizzie Hager-Barnard, "We hope to see some of these girls back here on campus in another five years or so." Although the 2016 camps have ended, the university is accepting applications online for both San Francisco area middle school campers and high school volunteers for its 2017 camps. The program is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation, flash memory firm SanDisk and anime company Crunchyroll. By Maha Siddiqui: As Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ramgopal Yadav stepped out of Rajya Sabha today he was confronted with questions on the Bulandshahr gangrape case and lapses by the police. The visibly miffed senior leader claimed that the Akhilesh government had taken action by suspending the erring cops. He alleged that an anti-Samajwadi Party narrative was being created by the media about the law and order situation in the state. He said similar incidents have taken place in other states in the past but no other government has been hauled over the coals like the UP government. SP's main rival in the state, Mayawati's BSP has been seeking Akhilesh Yadav's resignation calling him a complete failure in managing law and order in UP. Mayawati today backed the victims' demand that justice should be delivered within three months time. The victims' family has threatened to commit mass suicide if the investigation process slowed down. advertisement MATTER POLITICISED AHEAD OF ELECTIONS Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel said that even if Akhilesh Yadav acted swiftly after the incident, the question still remains as to why the brazen criminal act happened in the first place and that too on a national highway. On allegations of the SP that the matter was being politicised ahead of the UP polls she said, "What is the role of a politician in a democracy? Are we not supposed to raise issues of concern? What does the Samajwadi Party expect us to do?" Meanwhile, her ministerial colleague Mahesh Sharma was seen gunning for the CM's head. Bulandshahr MP, Bhola Singh of the BJP said that the way the investigation was conducted left a lot to be desired. He claimed that the victims were pressurised to identify people who may not be related to the case. The Congress also continued to attack the SP government in UP suggesting that the police was not entirely under the CM's control and someone else was calling the shots. Also read: Ruthless, organised and disgusting: All about the Bawariya gang behind Bulandshahr gangrape MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've identified 15 regions of human DNA associated with depression. These regions may contain genes that increase the risk of depression, said the researchers, although the study does not prove these genes cause depression. "Identifying genes that affect risk for a disease is a first step towards understanding the disease biology itself, which gives us targets to aim for in developing new treatments," said corresponding study author Dr. Roy Perlis. He's with the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "More generally, finding genes associated with depression should help make clear that this is a brain disease, which we hope will decrease the stigma still associated with these kinds of illnesses," he said in a hospital news release. The researchers analyzed data from more than 300,000 people of European ancestry that was collected by the consumer genetic profiling company 23andMe. More than 75,000 of the people in the study had been diagnosed with or treated for depression. The analysis pinpointed 15 regions of DNA, including 17 specific sites, significantly associated with depression risk. Several of these sites are located in or near genes known to be involved in brain development. "The neurotransmitter-based models we are currently using to treat depression are more than 40 years old, and we really need new treatment targets. We hope that finding these genes will point us toward novel treatment strategies," said Perlis, who is also an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "Another key takeaway from our study is that the traditional way of doing genetic studies is not the only way that works. Using existing large data sets or biobanks may be far more efficient and may be helpful for other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, where traditional approaches also have not been successful," Perlis said. The study was published online Aug. 1 in the journal Nature Genetics. More information The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on depression. Betts Recruiting works with individuals to understand their goals and experience to round out a successful partnership and can help you recruit for: Lead Generation, Sales Engineering, Customer Success & Account Management, Individual Contributor Sales, Sales Leadership, and Marketing. Let us help you today!Click here for high-resolution version LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - August 02, 2016) - As the tech industry in London continues to expand, so too does the demand for qualified and skilled sales professionals. Betts Recruiting (Betts Recruiting, Inc.), the leading sales recruitment firm for rapidly growing companies throughout the US and Europe, released its "2016 Sales Salary Trends Review." The company's salary guide is based on extensive research, as well as local and national employment data gathered from Betts Recruiting offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. The "2016 Sales Salary Trends Review" includes average base salaries, years of experience, and OTE (on-target earnings) for common sales positions ranging from entry level to senior level roles. Included below are the highlights from this report. "This year has been an exciting time for London and the rest of Europe. We've seen tech companies ramp up their hiring efforts and become more competitive with their compensation packages. With the current political shifts in the UK and the EU, hiring managers are realising how important it is to secure top talent for their companies, and the market will become even more dynamic and selective. Our 2016 Sales Salary Trends Review gives hiring managers a great snapshot of the hiring market and London's current hiring trends." - Carolyn Betts Fleming, CEO and Founder of Betts Recruiting Sales Development Representatives More and more companies are realising the need for talented Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). The sales development representative role encompasses lead generation and inside sales. These positions are integral to sourcing new customer prospects and driving a company's sales funnel. Tech companies are open to new university graduates as well as employees with one to two years of experience. Finding a Sales Development Representative takes an average of 2 weeks to 6 weeks. Typically, Betts Recruiting has seen this position hired 40% faster than their more senior counter parts, Account Executives. Story continues Years of Experience Base Salary OTE Graduate Sales Role/Entry Level 25,000 - 28,000 30,000 - 40,000 6 months - 1 year 28,000 - 35,000 40,000 - 50,000 1 year - 3 years 35,000 - 45,000 50,000 - 60,000 Account Executives Account Executives manage the entire sales process, from cultivating initial relationships with a prospective client to handling contract negotiation. Account Executives generate the client base of an organisation. This position is typically comprised of individuals who have shown success in one or more sales roles in the past and have the personality, skills, and drive to hit quota on a regular basis. While Betts Recruiting has seen Account Executives hired in as little as 2 weeks, it can take up to 10 weeks depending on the individual company's hiring process. Years of Experience Base Salary OTE 1 year - 3 years 35,000 - 45,000 50,000 - 60,000 3 years - 5 years 45,000 - 60,000 90,000 - 120,000 Customer Success Managers A growing client base requires Customer Success Managers (CSMs). Customer Success Managers maintain a company's quality of service after the sale has been completed. This is a newer role that companies have started hiring for over the last two to three years. CSMs improve the relationship between a customer and a company by ensuring a company's product or service is implemented smoothly and efficiently, helping to improve customer experience with the product, and helping companies to increase the overall customer lifetime value. It takes approximately 4-10 weeks to hire a Customer Success Manager. Years of Experience Base Salary OTE 1 year - 3 years 30,000 - 50,000 33,000 - 75,000 3 years - 5 years 50,000 - 80,000 55,000 - 96,000 5 years - 7 years 80,000 - 95,000 88,000 - 114,000 Sales Leadership Hiring a Sales Leader is crucial to the success of an organisation. A great Sales Leader will build a scalable sales process and accelerate growth, having a long-term effect on revenue. A poor Sales Leader, or no Sales Leader at all, can cause a company to stagnate and eventually wither away. Sales Leaders help generate revenue generating quotas and pipeline goals. The average time to hire for a Sales Leader is between 10 weeks to 20 weeks depending on the company and industry. Years of Experience Base Salary OTE 7 years+ 125,000 - 150,000 150,000 - 300,000 About Betts Recruiting Betts Recruiting is the leading global recruitment firm specialising in recruiting revenue-generating talent such as Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success for innovative and fast-growing companies. Betts brings a customised approach to each search, ensuring hiring managers find the best person for each position they are looking to fill and job seekers find the best company for their background, skills, and interests. Betts Recruiting works with all individual candidates to understand their goals, career growth, and experience. This method ensures companies only see top quality candidates and are able to quickly move forward in their hiring process. Betts Recruiting's London office partners with companies and job seekers in England, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Betts also has four U.S. offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Austin, and New York. Some of Betts Recruiting European clients include: ToutApp, GuideSpark, Wrike, Intercom, Localytics, AppDirect, OpenDNS, Contentful, Qubit. You can find Betts Recruiting on Twitter @BettsEU and on LinkedIn. Follow Betts for sales news, interview tips, hiring best practices, and more. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/7/26/11G108140/Images/commute_Ad_largerectangle_336x280-28ac0dc3dabf8afca0afe8622e969ef6.jpg Chernobyl's nuclear disaster has left the place a ghost town. After 30 radioactive years, the place could become world's largest solar farm. By India Today Web Desk: Inhabitable by humans, the ghost town of Chernobyl had as many as 50,000 people living there, 30 years ago. The town now could become the world's largest solar farm. Also Read: Meet the 90-year-old man who still lives in the nuclear wasteland According to the news site, Electrek, the Ukrainian government has decided to make use of the 1,600 square mile (4150 square kilometer) "exclusion zone", which surrounds the former Chernobyl nuclear power station. They are planning to build the world's largest solar farm there. Holy radioactive smokes! Twitter - @businessinsider According to the Ukraine's ecology minister -- Ostap Semerak -- the Ukraine government is currently negotiating with four Canadian energy firms and two US investment companies. The government is aiming for a six-month construction schedule to build a 1 GWh solar plant. Although, other plants of similar capacity have already in planning stages, this Ukrainian endeavour would be the largest in the world if it were completed today. Twitter - @historyinmoment - Chernobyl Nuclear power station 1986. advertisement A Greenpeace report ahead of the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl nuclear disaster cites a Belarusian study estimating the total cancer deaths from the disaster at 1,15,000, in contrast to the World Health Organisation's estimate of 9,000. A child drinks an anti-radiation iodine solution in a Warsaw clinic following the Chernobyl disaster. - Reuters Chernobyl was a site for energy production in its former capacity and already has transmission lines. "The Chernobyl site has really good potential for renewable energy," Ukraine's ecology minister -- Ostap Semerak -- said. "We already have high-voltage transmission lines that were previously used for the nuclear stations, the land is very cheap and we have many people trained to work at power plants," he said. Also, Electrek raised a valid concern about whether the workers involved in the solar plant construction would have to wear radiation suits and whether the would have shortened work days to limit exposure. COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho, Aug. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Jersey Mining Company (OTCQB:NJMC) (NJMC or the Company) announced today that it has closed a private financing and will use the funds to resume underground production at its Golden Chest Mine project near Murray, Idaho. NJMC President John Swallow stated, With our financing complete, we can now advance toward resuming operations at the Golden Chest Mine. After an anticipated six-month rolling start, we expect gold production of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 ounces over the following two years. With consolidated ownership, quality infrastructure, and the New Jersey Mill in-place, we believe we are exceptionally well-positioned to take advantage of rising gold prices. Mr. Swallow continued, With a productive mine in a great location, and without the financial burdens of high initial CAPEX and/or greenfield exploration costs, we have an excellent head start in evaluating expansion at Golden Chest as well as other opportunities around the region. NJMC closed a private placement through GVC Capital LLC, whereby accredited investors have forward purchased 904 ounces of .999 gold at $935 per ounce, to be delivered or converted to cash at the investors option starting December 1, 2016 and quarterly thereafter, over two years as gold is produced from the Golden Chest Mine and New Jersey Mill. In combination with the previously announced subscription by Company management (through Ophir Holdings LLC) for 500 ounces of gold on the same terms, NJMC has sold forward 1,404 ounces of gold at its anticipated per ounce cost of production for total proceeds of $1,312,740. The mine plan has a 3,000-tonne per month production target with all material to be processed at the Companys nearby New Jersey Mill. The mine plan is focused on the main Skookum Shoot orebody which remains open down-dip with substantial exploration potential in other areas including up-dip and on-strike extensions. Company management believes the Golden Chest property has district-scale production potential for the longer term, not only near the recently constructed mine, but in areas of past exploration and historic production. A compilation study recently integrated all available modern exploration data from the property and across the Murray area. This includes work by Cominco, Newmont, NJMC, Golden Chest LLC, and recent mine lessee Juniper Resources LLC. NJMC recently announced that it is set to begin small-scale open-pit mining operations at the Golden Chest from a starter pit containing an estimated 13,000 tonnes of mineralized material with excellent potential for expansion. Open-pit mining this summer and fall is expected to generate cash flow while the underground mine workings are dewatered. See the NJMC news release dated June 21, 2016 for more details. For more information on NJMCs Golden Chest Mine project, visit the Company website at www.newjerseymining.com. About GVC Capital LLC GVC Capital LLC is an innovative investment-banking firm headquartered in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village, Colorado. It focuses primarily on providing comprehensive investment banking services to underexposed and undervalued microcap companies. GVC Capital is committed to a simple operating philosophy: provide exceptional emerging companies with the financial and professional resources necessary to achieve long-term goals, fulfill outstanding potential, and maximize shareholder value. Member: FINRA/SIPC About New Jersey Mining Company New Jersey Mining Company is headquartered in north Idaho, where it is deploying its mining and milling expertise to build a portfolio of advanced-stage assets with near-term cash flow potential and leverage to higher gold prices. NJMC built and is majority owner and operator of a 360-tonne per day flotation mill and cyanide leach plant. The Company is also 100-percent owner of the Golden Chest Mine project, an historic lode gold producer that was recently expanded, modernized, and operated by a world-class lessee. NJMC also holds a 50-percent interest in the Butte Highlands Gold Project. Ownership interests in a mill and two mines set NJMC apart from other junior resource companies. These assets were developed with more than $50-million of investment dollars from New Jersey and other companies. Management owns more than 15-percent of NJMC stock and has participated in prior financings and made purchases in the open market. The Companys common stock trades on the OTC-QB Market under the symbol NJMC. For more information on New Jersey Mining Company, please contact: Del Steiner, Chairman & CEO Email: dsteiner@newjerseymining.com Forward Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. The words anticipate or anticipated, estimate or estimated, project or projected, intend, expect or expected, believe, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that New Jersey Mining Company believes are reasonable but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risk that anticipated production levels are not attained, the risk that the mine plan changes due to rising costs or other operational details, the risk that complications arise during the dewatering of the underground workings, the risk that the Company is unable to obtain sufficient funds necessary to resume underground mining at the Golden Chest, the risk that gold recovery percentages are lower than expected, the risk that the gravity gold circuit is not operational or does not improve gold recovery, the risk that oxidization levels remain the same or increase as the pit deepens, the risk that different portions of the mineral deposit respond differently to processing, the risk that Junipers internal engineering studies are incorrect, the risks and hazards inherent in the mining business (including risks inherent in developing large-scale mining projects, environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions), changes in the market prices of gold and silver and a sustained lower price environment, as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. NJMC disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TriCore Reference Laboratories (TriCore) is joining forces with the University of New Mexico's (UNM) College of Pharmacy, creating a unique opportunity for pharmacists & laboratorians to partner in the laboratory environment to improve patient outcomes. Laboratorians and pharmacists create a powerful team to affect the Triple Aim of: improved patient experience, reduced healthcare costs, and improved population health. TriCore has long been a teaching partner with UNM School of Medicine students, residents and fellows as they work in an actual medical laboratory. TriCore is now providing training for pharmacy students, residents and fellows after Pharmacy school. Pharmacists will benefit from knowledge about the lab industry and gain insight on how the lab and pharmacy intersect. "Coordinated care is a team sport. We can't accomplish this mission without each profession learning from one another on the overall cost of healthcare delivery," said Khosrow Shotorbani, CEO of TriCore. "We envision that this partnership will result in value based decisions focused on improving population health while reducing overall costs." Over the next year ten students from the College of Pharmacy will participate in the newly created Population Health Management rotation. These students will support TriCore's clinical solutions enterprise, focusing on the pharmacy-laboratory interaction. The students will be in a non-traditional pharmacy setting learning how lab results play a vital role in healthcare and how combining pharmacy and laboratory information supports improved screening, diagnosis, and treatment for many diseases. One example of this is the appropriate use of antibiotics to reduce microbial resistance and the spread of infections by resistant organisms. Dr. Monique Dodd was a lab technologist at TriCore when she decided to attend UNM's College of Pharmacy. In 2014, she received her PharmD degree and returned to TriCore to complete a one-year residency program and a one-year fellowship. Dr. Dodd has focused on infections and the need to prescribe the right drug critical for antimicrobial stewardship. "This collaboration between the lab and the College of Pharmacy is a new and exciting opportunity for pharmacy students and pharmacists. Having an understanding of laboratory technology and the predictive and diagnostic value of the results enhances the ability to determine optimal care for patients. Ultimately, a pharmacist in this setting has better information to engage with physicians, health systems and Managed Care Organizations on making better clinical decisions for optimizing healthcare." UNM College of Pharmacy dean and professor, Lynda Welage, PharmD said, "We are delighted with our growing partnership with TriCore. It is an incredible laboratory to prepare pharmacy students, clinical pharmacy fellows and other healthcare trainees for future opportunities in healthcare. We thank TriCore for supporting our educational mission and look forward to enhancing our collaboration with them in the future". Larry L. Georgopoulos, PharmD PhC, UNM College of Pharmacy said, "The College of Pharmacy values its teaching partnership with TriCore and the unique teaching venue where our pharmacy students, residents and fellows learn how partnering with laboratorians will improve patient experience, reduce healthcare costs and improve the population health of New Mexicans." Dr. Nick Dayan, TriCore's Chief HR Officer, said, "We are committed to enhancing the educational resources in our community and keeping the strength and talents of New Mexico's best pharmacists and laboratorians within our state." About TriCore Reference Laboratories TriCore Reference Laboratories is an independent clinical reference laboratory providing a complete range of services to health care professionals across the Southwest as well as pathology consultation services to clinicians across the country. TriCore also provides investigational services including FDA-regulated clinical trials, IRB-approved studies, device and diagnostic instrument testing, serving global biotech firms as well as academic clients. Visit www.tricore.org for more information. BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Rumphius Foundation, a grant making organization dedicated to strengthening community, promoting education and protecting the environment, is proud to announce that it has awarded grants to Friends of Acadia and Fit Girls of Wilton Maine. The grants support two programs that will have immediate impact on our national parks and a group of young girls. With the 100th anniversary of Maine's Acadia National Park, a place near and dear to Rumphius Foundation Founder Michael Schuller, the foundation sought a way to help reduce the park's waste and protect Acadia's diverse landscape. Working with Friends of Acadia and the National Park Service, the Rumphius Foundation is funding the first rehydration station in Acadia National Park. The rehydration station will provide a place for thousands of Acadia National Park visitors to refill their water bottles, reducing the number of plastic bottles left behind. This first rehydration station will be located at Sand Beach, one of the park's most popular destinations. The long-term goal is to add more hydration stations throughout Acadia and encourage visitors to reduce their waste by going plastic bottle-free. "Mike would love this initiative to reduce plastic bottles in the park, as he spent every summer of his 63 years enjoying the beauty of Acadia," said Rumphius Foundation Director Candace Schuller. "Mike could never take a hike through Acadia without stooping to pick up any litter he spied in his path. We are thrilled that we can be part of this important step toward reducing Acadia's waste, creating a new standard for sustainability and making the park more environmentally-friendly." The second 2016 grant was awarded to Fit Girls of Wilton Maine, a running and reading nonprofit that offers a weeklong summer camp entitled "Run and Read into Summer." The program is focused on building the self-esteem of young women through literature and exercise. The Rumphius Foundation is subsidizing a weeklong day camp for 9-14 year-old girls, allowing the program to be offered to the families at no cost. Campers will read Newbery Medal winning author Cynthia Lord's new book, A Handful of Stars, and then be able to discuss it with her. During the weeklong program campers will also be introduced to the importance of a healthy active lifestyle and exercise, including running and yoga.Fit Girls' mission is to encourage physical health,personal growth, self-esteem and confidence in young women. "Fit Girls is very grateful for being selected as a recipient of this year's Rumphius Foundation grant," said Fit Girls Director Deb Aseltine. "Thanks to another kind donor books will be given to each girl at no cost and even the author herself will be making a visit to the camp during the week. The generosity of so many has helped keep the summer camp be at zero cost to the girls and their families." The Rumphius Foundation makes grants annually and is currently seeking grant proposals for 2017. Grants are made for activities that conform to the mission of the foundation. Proposals for 2017 must be received by February 28, 2017. To submit grant proposals, and make donations please visit www.rumphiusfoundation.org. About The Rumphius Foundation Established in 2013 by Michael C. Schuller, The Rumphius Foundation is a nonprofit organization designed to help communities and educators strengthen the future of our young and the environment. Named after the children's book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, in which the central character seeks to make the world a little more beautiful, the foundation makes grants to nonprofit projects that promote community, education and sustainability. Through these projects, the foundation strives to remind the next generation to leave the world more beautiful than they found it. For more information on The Rumphius Foundation, please visit www.rumphiusfoundation.org. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ By PTI: From K J M Varma Beijing, Aug 2 (PTI) A prominent Chinese activist was today given a three-year suspended jail sentence for subverting state power, the first public trial since the year-long nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers. Zhai Yanmin, who was arrested in July last year as part of a crackdown on legal activism, has been found guilty of subverting state power after a one-day trial in Tianjin. advertisement Zhai, described as unemployed resident of Beijing by state-run news agency Xinhua, was among 300 lawyers and activists arrested since July last year as part of a nationwide government campaign against legal activists. Announcing the sentence, Tianjin No 2 Intermediate Peoples Court ordered that Zhai, 55, will have to serve a minimum three-year term should he fall foul of the law within the four-year probation period. Three more activists from Zhais law firm Fengrui, which specialises in human rights cases, are on trial in Tianjin. The cases have provoked international criticism and accusations that they are politically motivated. The court also deprived Zhai of his political rights for four years. The court was told that Zhai and the three others "conspired and plotted to subvert state power," and "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." Zhai pleaded guilty and declined his right to appeal, Xinhua said. "With the help and education of the government, I recognise the severity of my crimes. I plead guilty and express my sincere remorse," Zhai was quoted as saying. He was first exposed to concepts such as the "colour revolutions" and "peaceful transition" online, the court said in a statement. "He then joined an underground church led by Hu Shigen and gradually developed plans to overthrow the state socialist system," it said. Since 2012, Zhai has attempted to incite people to subvert state power by use of the online resources, the court said. "Zhai, together with underground church members and lawyers, engaged and managed illegal petitioners to organise public gatherings, hype up legal cases and incidents, attack the countrys judicial system and carry out activities aimed at subverting the state power and socialist system," the statement said. These activities endangered the state and society, it added. "The court handed down a light sentence because he confessed, testified against others and repented. Moreover, the court decided that Zhai posed no major threat to the community," it said. PTI KJV PMS --- ENDS --- Beer lovers from all over world take part in a race where they have to down a bottle of beer before each lap. By Reuters: International competitors took to the track for a different kind of race during the weekend -- the Beer Mile World Classic -- where they ran laps after chugging beer. US and Canadian so-called "Beer Milers" travelled to London for Sunday's intercontinental drinking race where participants swig a can or a bottle of beer, no less than 355 ml and with a minimum of five per cent alcohol before running each lap. First beer at the world beer mile. Great day #BeerMile pic.twitter.com/kNxWNTkhIc Dale KingClutterbuck (@KingCluttss) July 31, 2016 advertisement The process is repeated four times on a track of one mile (1.6 km) distance. Those unable to keep the drink down face a penalty lap. "You really have to have good chugs but you also have to have...consistently fast laps too," said Canadian Corey Bellemore, who won the Elite Men's race with a time of 4:34 minutes. "If you can chug like 8 seconds per beer, then you'll be fine if you can run...fast laps too." --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: This spine-chilling dashcam footage shows a Tornado ravaging Bac Ninh Province in north Veitnam. As the driver gradually reverses from the storm, the dashboard camera captured metal sheets flying away, trees falling, buildings collapsing and the Tornado completely flattening the entire area. The footage looks like it's a sequence from a Hollywood flick. Local media reports confirmed that no one was killed or injured but the mad storm was visible from almost from 4 km (2.5 miles) away. via GIPHY Quang Tung, an engineer working near the area, said, "It broke many trees and utility poles and blew off many iron sheet roofs. When it was over, the entire residential area in Yen Trung commune was a 'mess.' Typhoon season wreaks havoc in Veitnam and the typhoon named Mirinae marks the first storm this year. The typhoon landed in the two northern provinces of Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces on the evening of July 27. advertisement WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: By PTI: Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today expressed his governments resolve to rid Pakistan of terrorism and make the country a safe place for people of all religions and ethnicities, hours after two Hazara Shia Muslims were shot dead by Taliban militants. "We will make Pakistan secure for every ethnicity and religion," Sharif said while chairing a meeting on internal security and the National Action Plan (NAP). advertisement He said the country is on the right track and the government will enable citizens to reap the benefits of a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan. Minorities in Pakistan have faced numerous casualties for more than a decade following the rise of extremism and terrorism in the country. The premiers statement comes just hours after two members of the Hazara minority community were gunned down by unidentified assailants in Quetta, the capital of Pakistans restive Balochistan province, in an apparent sectarian attack. Sharif termed "extremist ideology" a global threat and said that Pakistan as a frontline state in the war on terror had "confronted the blowback of terrorists for several years". Pakistan had suffered socially and economically since it began to fight extremism and terrorism, Dawn quoted Sharif as saying. "No other country has suffered to this extent," he said. The premier said he believed NAP and Operation Zarb-i-Azb military operation have played a major role in cutting down the frequency of terror activities in the country. "The gains in the National Action Plan and Operation Zarb-i-Azb, and progress achieved so far will be consolidated through well-coordinated and concerted efforts at the federal and provincial levels with the backing of the national resolve," Sharif said. PTI AKJ AKJ --- ENDS --- By PTI: From Aditi Khanna London, Aug 2 (PTI) Former British Prime Minister David Camerons 150,000 pounds wax work at Madame Tussauds here has been moved into the archives leaving the space of the Downing Street replica empty. As a reflection of some of the post-Brexit turmoil in the UK, the museum confirmed this week that the fake No 10 door will remain without representation as the world-famous wax museum has traditionally only featured elected prime ministers. advertisement "Asa result of Theresa May succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister, Camerons MadameTussaudsfigure has been removed from the World Leaders area of the London attraction," Nicole Fenner, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, told PTI. "As to whether well be creating a figure of Theresa May ? traditionally, we havent featured likenessesof unelected Prime Ministers.However, it is still early days in Mays administration,butif, as it appears, she remainsPrime Minister for the foreseeable future,wewill review this policy and potentially fill the vacancy outside No 10," she said. May entered Downing Street last month after Cameron had stepped down as Prime Minister on June 24 ? the day the result of a referendum on Britain?s membership of the European Union (EU) was announced in favour of leaving the economic bloc. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, the star campaigner for Brexit and newly-appointed foreign secretary in Mrs May?s Cabinet, has survived the upheaval by keeping his spot at the wax museum at Londons Baker Street. Meanwhile, Cameron likeness, which cost around 150,000 pounds to create, will remain in the attractionsarchive where the 132-year-old museum keeps all of the moulds, heads and hands of every figure ever made. The Downing Street set is part of a wider "World Leaders" display, which most recently welcomed Narendra Modi to its collection. "His figure has been extremely popular with guests since being launched earlier this year in April," the museum spokesperson said in reference to the Indian Prime Minister. Modi, dressed in a kurta and jacket with hands joined in namaste, stands besides present day leaders Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Francoise Holland, as well as political heavyweights of the past like Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill. The heads of US presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are already prepared so the election winner can be installed in November. "#WaxClinton or #WaxTrump? Only one will be inaugurated @MadameTussauds. Well find out on Election Day ? November 8, 2016," the museum said in a tweet this week. Madame Tussauds has featured elected world leaders ever since it was founded as a travelling show in 1802 by French artist Marie Grosholtz. PTI AK UZM AKJ UZM --- ENDS --- advertisement By PTI: From Lalit K Jha Washington, Aug 2 (PTI) The alleged Russian hacking into the emails of the Democratic National Committee and its presidential candidate is unlikely to have much effect on US-Russia ties, US President Barack Obama said today. "In terms of how it affects our relationship with Russia, look I think weve already got a lot of differences with Russia on a whole bunch of issues," Obama told reporters at a White House news conference when asked about hacking into the email systems allegedly by Russian agencies. advertisement "But I think that we have been able to try to stay focused on those areas where we still have a common interest, understanding that we have deep disagreements on issues like Ukraine. Perhaps, potentially, we have an interest in bringing an end to violence in Syria, how do we balance those issues. That is pretty standard state craft at this point with Russia," he said in response to a question. "If in fact Russia engaged in this activity, its just one on a long list of issues that me and (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin talk about, that I have got a real problem with. So, I dont think that it wildly swings what is a tough and difficult relationship that we have with Russia right now," Obama said. "But its not going to stop us from still trying to pursue solutions, so that we can, for example implement the Minsk Agreement, and get Russia and those separatists to lay down arms and stop bullying Ukraine. Thats not going to stop us from trying to make sure that we can bring a political transition inside of Syria that can end the hardship there," said the US President. PTI LKJ NSA --- ENDS --- A former FBI employee with top secret security clearance is set to face up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to being an agent of the Chinese government. Originally born in China, Chun was a naturalised US citizen who had been an employee of the FBI for 19 years. Reuters photo By Indo-Asian News Service: A former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee with top secret security clearance is set to face up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to being an agent of the Chinese government. Kun Shan Chun, also known as Joey Chun, was arrested by the FBI in March after an undercover operation and appeared in a New York court on Monday, CNN reported. advertisement The 46-year old confessed to providing "sensitive" FBI information to an individual with connections to the Chinese government on a number of occasions, the Justice Department said in a statement. Originally born in China, Chun was a naturalised US citizen who had been an employee of the FBI for 19 years. According to the complaint, Chun tried to recruit an undercover agent to provide him with confidential information, which he said could be exchanged for cash if it was sent to his associates in China, reports CNN. Chun pleaded guilty to one charge of acting in the United States as an agent of China without providing notice to the Attorney General. In a statement announcing the outcome, New York Southern District US Attorney Preet Bharara said, as an American who had worked as a foreign agent, Chun had "betrayed our nation". "And when the perpetrator is an FBI employee, like Kun Shan Chun, the threat is all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," CNN quoted Bharara as saying. Chun will be sentenced on December 2. --- ENDS --- By PTI: From Sajjad Husssain Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) The first husband of a Pakistani- origin British woman who is accused of killing her for allegedly converting to Shia Islam, was previously jailed for his involvement in a gun attack over a land dispute. Samia Shahid, 28, was killed in July 20 in Pandoori village of Mangla area of Jhelum in Punjab district. advertisement Chaudhry Shakil, a cousin and former husband of Samia, had a criminal record, Dawn quoted local people of the area as saying. He is one of the suspects in the murder case. They said Shakil had faced 18-month jail on charges of firing and injuring a resident of Dhok Sahi near Pandoori. Their claim was confirmed by police officer Aqeel Abbas who said the shooting had taken place over a land dispute. Shakil had also contested the last local bodies elections for the post of a general councillor of his village in November 2015 but lost. Samia, from Dhok Pandori village, Jehlum, had come to Pakistan from Dubai over two weeks ago to see her ailing father and was allegedly murdered on July 20. Syed Mukhtar Kazim, second husband of Samia, told police her wife had been killed by her family members for marrying against the will of her parents. The villagers Dhok Pandori village said a paternal aunt of the deceased woman had also died under identical circumstances nearly 25 years ago since she had also sought divorce from her husband which her family was not ready to accept. That aunt was later found dead at her parents home but her brother Chaudhry Shahid, the father of Samia, and other family members had then declared that she (aunt) had committed suicide. They said the matter went unnoticed at that time as nobody approached police. Shahid, also a suspect in the case lodged by Syed Mukhtar Kazim, the second husband of the deceased woman, had initially told police that her daughter had died of heart attack. Later he said that she committed suicide. The inquiry team had grilled Shakil, on an interim bail till August 6, during his personal appearance on Saturday to record his statement. The investigation team had also recorded the statements of Shahid and complainant Kazim. Two female suspects in the case, including Imtiaz Bibi, the mother and Madiha Shahid, the sister of the deceased, are yet to record their statements. Jhelum police had requested the Lahore Forensic Laboratory to complete its analysis of Samias body samples to determine the cause of her death. advertisement They said since the case was under international spotlight, they wanted to conclude investigation at the earliest. PTI SH UZM AKJ UZM --- ENDS --- Big police heads have rolled in Uttar Pradesh after the Bulandshahr gangrape case, but a reality check has revealed that the law officers of the state have not learnt a lesson from it. By Anindya Banerjee: India Today Television team visited 14 police stations in Uttar Pradesh and has come out with shocking details of tardiness and lackadaiscal attitude of the policemen in the state. Policemen were caught napping on duty in 12 out of 14 police stations visited by India Today. Big police heads have rolled in Uttar Pradesh after the gangrape of a mother and daughter in Bulandshahr last week. But a reality check has revealed that the law officers of the state have not learnt a lesson from it. advertisement "You can do anything on camera, that does not mean people were caught napping for real. No one is negligent. Can't you see we have taken action against the police officers? They have been suspended. The media never questions other state administrations on such issues. They just go after UP. Similar incidents happen in Delhi, when have we seen the media go after them?" said Yadav. SLEEPING WHILE WIRELESS CHIRPED In Chola police station of Bulandshahr, for instance, a policeman was found sleeping while messages kept flooding on the wireless. In police stations in Allahabad, things were no different. At Sarai Enayat police station, the policeman in-charge and on duty was caught sleeping with his head on the office table. When asked why he was sleeping on duty, he replied - "I am not sleeping, but on duty." At Jhushi police picket, policemen were sleeping inside a room while on duty. Again, when asked as why they were sleeping, the reply was that they were actually on duty. SLEEPING COPS WOKEN UP BY INDIA TODAY Near Handia bypass, the traffic sub inspector and the police were sleeping and were woken up by the reporter. When India Today's team reached Gajraula police station, the sleeping policemen suddenly came to action and tried to awaken others. The table which was meant for filing FIRs and complaints was used as a bed by a policeman there. Policemen were caught napping in Premnagar and Dehat police stations too. When the Sub Inspector of Dehat was asked why he was sleeping, he replied that he had just finished sawan duty and that's why he was sleeping. In Najibabad, a policeman on duty was found sleeping inside a mosquito net. When the reporters tried to wake the officials there, they started hitting at the camera before apologising. Policemen at Sahanpur police station argued shamelessly with the reporters' team after they were caught sleeping inside the police station. At Bhaneda police station, all three policemen on duty were sleeping inside the police station in undergarments. When questioned, one of them ran away and another policeman replied that he was on duty till 2.30 am. advertisement At Sallhapur police station, a police constable was found in deep sleep. When asked whether he was on duty or not, he said he had sustained a major injury in legs. But surprisingly he said that he had received order to keep vigil through the night. At Muratganj, a policeman was caught napping on a chair. Another policeman was found sleeping inside a jeep during patrolling in Sarvanpur village. SLEEPING WITH THEIR RIFLES In Etawa, policemen were found sleeping with their rifles. When the reporters asked them what will happen if someone ran away with their rifles, one policeman tried to escape while the other felt sorry. Watch the video here ALSO READ: Bulandshahr Gangrape: SP alleges politicization of the incident Ground report: Hours after the gruesome gangrape, Bulandshahr still as vulnerable Bulandshahr gangrape victims' family: If culprits are not hanged, we will commit suicide --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Kickstarting the Congress's Uttar Pradesh campaign in the run-up to the crucial Assembly election due early next year, Sonia Gandhi held a road show in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, today. The Congress president arrived to a rousing welcome in the eastern UP town, with party workers lining up both sides of the road from the airport and raising slogans hailing her. advertisement After reaching the Babarpur airport, she spent some time in the VIP lounge and then drove off for her scheduled road show. On way, as her cavalcade emerged out of the airport, hundreds of enthusiastic Congress workers showered petals on her and asked her to lead the party to power in Uttar Pradesh. She waved back to the supporters and, at times, greeted them with folded hands from inside her bulletproof vehicle. Security personnel had a tough time keeping the crowds at bay. Newly-appointed UP Congress chief Raj Babbar told reporters that he was sure the people of the state will back the party in the Assembly polls in 2017. "The people of UP have always shown miracles. In 2004 they gave us many MPs, in 2007 they gave a mandate to the BSP, in 2012 to the SP and in 2014 to Prime Minister Modi. I am sure that in 2017, the miracle is going to be in our favour" he said, adding that Sonia Gandhi had come to Varanasi, the Lok Sabha seat of Modi, to seek the blessings of Baba Vishwanath of Kashi. --- ENDS --- IS Promotes Attacks in America, Bangladesh, France, and Germany in Naba 41 Its riding on the success of Shanghai Disneyland. The aviation firm is expected to sustain high single-digit growth as it rides the tailwind of Chinas aggressive aviation efforts. According to a report by UOB Kay Hian, China Aviation Oil Singapores stellar set of 2Q results is an indication that the firm is the right proxy for Singapore investors to tap Chinas aviation industry boom. Going forward, we expect CAO to continue to enjoy high single-digit growth for its jet fuel distribution business which is underpinned by the Chinese governments push in the general aviation industry while profit contribution from its SPIA associate continues to grow, UOB Kay Hian noted. Meanwhile, the success of Shanghai Disneyland, as well as the increasing importance of Shanghai as a global business hub, means that SPIA will continue to generate strong recurring income for the group, with growth rates expected to increase to an even more impressive 12%. We further note the potential for future growth as the Shanghai airport builds a new terminal that will allow it to become one of the worlds top three busiest airports in 2019, UOB Kay Hian noted. More From Singapore Business Review Swiss food giant Nestle said Tuesday it would spend two billion pesos ($43 million) in the Philippines on a plant to produce a key ingredient for its Milo beverage. Nestle Philippines chairman Jacques Reber said the plant, due to be completed in October 2017, would produce a malt extract currently imported from Singapore. Eventually the new plant will provide the local supply, possibly using Philippine-grown cassava which in turn will help Filipino farmers, Nestle said in a statement. Nestle already has five plants in the Philippines and has invested almost 14 billion pesos in the country over the last five years, the company said. mm/sm (Bloomberg) -- U.S. credibility is on the line over a Pacific trade pact that faces a tough approval process in Congress, Singapores Prime Minister said Monday, warning about risks to the U.S.s reputation in Asia if the deal falls through. As well as being an economic game-changer, the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, which does not include China, could add substance to Americas engagement in the Asia Pacific region, Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech in Washington D.C. The pact has been signed by the 12 member nations but is yet to be ratified by most of them. For Americas friends and partners, ratifying the TPP is a litmus test of your credibility and seriousness of purpose, Lee said. Every one of the TPP signatories has had to make sacrifices in order to accept the TPP agreement, and jointly bring about this win-win outcome. As the U.S. presidential election draws closer, the TPP is at risk of being caught up in the wash of a growing anti-trade mood, which has seen both two candidates for the White House state publicly they oppose the pact. If ratified and implemented, it would cover around 40 percent of the global economy. For a video of Trade Minister Ciobo speaking on BTV, click here. The Obama administration has said its committed to ratification and has highlighted a brief window after the election and before the new Congress takes effect as the best chance to get it through. The TPP is the centerpiece of President Barack Obamas broader economic and military rebalancing to Asia as Chinas clout grows. Lee is on a state visit to the U.S. and will meet Obama. The World Bank estimates the deal could raise gross domestic product by an average 1.1 percent in member countries by 2030. It would be the biggest U.S. trade deal since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. The pact goes beyond typical trade agreements that focus mostly on reducing tariffs by highlighting stricter safeguards for patents and leveling the playing field for companies that compete with government-backed businesses. Story continues For an explainer on the political issues behind TPP, click here. The issue is sensitive in the U.S. because Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton only began voicing her concerns about it late last year. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently said Clinton would seek to fix parts of the deal after winning the general election, but later reversed himself, and her campaign has said its not interested in renegotiating. If Congress fails to pass the TPP it would be a significant missed opportunity, Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Tuesday in Jakarta. I do think that would lead to a worse outcome for not only all 12 countries involved in the TPP but also for the U.S., Ciobo said, adding he was cautiously optimistic it would be ratified by Congress. U.S. trade representative Michael Froman last week said tweaking the deal is not an option as it is a carefully balanced agreement. Lee reinforced the point that TPP must pass as it stands, saying that nobody wants to reopen negotiations. We know this has been politically difficult, its a very tough election year, Lee said. Economic uncertainty has led to concerns about jobs, worries about competition from overseas. Those are understandable, even valid concerns, but we hope all parties will focus on the longer term, bigger picture, he said. (Updates with Australia trade minister in eighth paragraph.) --With assistance from Jason Scott and Andrew Janes To contact the reporter on this story: David Roman in Singapore at droman16@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Nasreen Seria 2016 Bloomberg L.P. By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Godrej consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) today said it has acquired two newly set up hair care firms in Zambia and Senegal to ramp up presence in African market. GCPL, through its Africa-based step down subsidiary Darling Group has acquired 100 per cent shares in Hair Credentials Zambia and 51 per cent in Weave Senegal. advertisement "The target companies will now start their operations in the respective geographies," GCPL informed BSE. It has acquired "100 per cent consideration in Zambia and 51 per cent in the entity in Senegal," GCPL said. The company further informed that it has paid "nil consideration" for acquisition as "the target entities are newly formed and will be capitalised as required for their operation from time to time". Both the companies will start their hair extension and hair care business in their respective countries, GCPL said. Earlier on April 1, GCPL had announced to acquire USbased Strength of Nature LLC, a leading company of hair care products for women of African descent. PTI KRH ABK --- ENDS --- Jitters have filled the market as investors became increasingly concerned over the health of the Singapore property market. This ranges from the developers call for the government to lift the additional buyers stamp duty (ABSD) to worrying over the empty shops in Orchard Road. Recently, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has released the new 2Q2016 statistics report on Singapores property market. From which, we have highlighted the five segments of the Singapore properties below. Hopefully, it will provide some clarity amidst the volatility. ResidentialStabilising Prices, High Vacancy Source: Residential Property Price Index, Urban Redevelopment Authority Source: Residential Property Price Index, Urban Redevelopment Authority As per 2Q2016, Singapores residential property market continued its 11th consecutive decline since 3Q2013. However, the decline is the mildest in the 11 quarters as it fell by a mere 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ).This is supported by the uptick in sales volume on the high-end market and recent launches that include GEM Residences and Stars of Kovan. In the resale market, a four consecutive month of month-on-month (MoM) growth was seen in the private residences segment. It is supported by a pickup in transaction volume that includes recently completed projects such as OUE Twin Peaks according to the data from SRX. 2016 is expected to be the year of peak supply with 21,608 units completing, and vacancy rate in the residential market is predicted to break its record high. Stabilising property prices will decrease the likelihood of the government lifting the ABSD despite the rising vacancy rate. Pressure will be on the property investors who depend on the rentals to meet instalments. OfficesCorrections Ahead Source: Office Rental Index, Urban Redevelopment Authority Source: Office Rental Index, Urban Redevelopment Authority The office segment continues its decline as office rents posted a decline of 3.5 percent QoQ and 9.9 percent year-on-year (YoY). Grade A office continues to suffer as its rental declined more than the overall market with a 4 percent QoQ decline and that translates to a 17 percent decline from its peak in 1Q2015. Story continues The market will continue to work in favour of the renters as the office segment sees a fourth consecutive quarter in negative office space absorption. Landlords will have to lower their rents in order to retain or attract new tenants. IndustrialRemaining Strong Industrial properties have remained stronger than expected to withstand the downturn in the Singapore property market. This includes business parks, which are generally used as offices when Grade A offices face enormous pressure. Demand for business parks is high with limited supply going forward and a high pre-commitment rate for new projects. In the recent months, we have seen major corporations becoming anchor tenants of business parks and even built to suit projects. Currently, there is a trend of consolidation of operations among major corporations in Singapore with Hewlett Packard (HP) being the most recent example. Business parks have a natural advantage over offices given the cheaper rents and availability of large spaces. News reports have also identified Johnson & Johnson as the possible anchor tenant at Ascent Science Park. You may follow the link here for the article for HPs consolidation of operations. CommercialWinter Is In Orchard Source: Retail Rental Index of Central Area, Urban Redevelopment Authority Source: Retail Rental Index of Central Area, Urban Redevelopment Authority The retail segment remains challenged, and shops in Orchard Road continue to remain out in the cold. In 2Q2016, overall shop rental fell by 3.9 percent QoQ or 8.9 percent YoY. Challenges in the retail sector include increased supply, rising costs and threats from e-Commerce. The softer rental comes mainly from the central area as rents dropped by 4.1 percent. On the other hand, fringe or suburban malls performed relatively defensively as occupancy rate remains stable. Follow this link here to view our in-house report on the slump of Orchard Road. HospitalityRebounding The rebound of tourism has brought back the hospitality sector that has seen a tough year in 2015. For the first five months of 2016, visitors to Singapore increased by 13.3 percent YoY to 6.9 million. This is driven by the influx of Chinese tourists from Mainland China, which overtook Indonesia as Singapores largest tourist market. Despite the recovery in tourist arrivals, there are still challenges faced by the hospitality industry. Room supply is expected to increase by 6.4 percent this year, which translates to an approximate 3,930 rooms. Look out for the Part Two of the article to find out what are the three stocks to consider. Ben Broyd and Dead Dave AKA the Bad Boi Cru headed out from Blighty to sail the concrete seas of Europe last week, enlisting Sox en route to complete the hype. Heres nine minutes of guaranteed stokeage from their first week in Belgium, exploring the concrete deposits of the mighty Concrete Dreams and hitting some rad looking street spots to boot in the search for Chin. Theyre out there for a whole summer, so consider this chapter one! I guess if Fred Gall is cheering then you're either doing something very right or very wrong. "Hey, isn't that your friend? He's lying down there being pissed on..." Street and transition skating from the UK, US and Spain fuelled by a diet of 80s power ballads. Newsletter Terms & Conditions Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out STEM MIT Continues STEM Education Programs Supporting Diversity The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) now has the financial support it needs to continue three free STEM education programs for high school and middle school girls. The three STEM education programs aim to diversify the computer science and engineering community by introducing students who are underrepresented and underserved in the field to computer science. These students include women, students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and students who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American/Pacific Islander, according to MIT. MIT will use a $1 million gift from the Hopper-Dean Foundation to alleviate costs for the three programs, including reducing or eliminating program fees and providing transportation to students. Additionally, the gift supports publicity and outreach for the Society of Women Engineers at MIT. The programs are: Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy, CodeIt and the Womens Technology Program. SEED Academy is a nine-semester program for public middle and high school students from the surrounding area. Students will focus on a single technical area, ranging from mechanical engineering to robotics to synthetic biology, according to the SEED Academy website. Through hands-on instruction, students will understand practical application of math and science concepts. CodeIt, founded by a team of undergraduate women engineers at MIT, is designed to encourage more girls to explore and pursue computer science. This is a weekly hands-on program for middle school girls with little or no programming experience. You will develop computer science skills, participate in interactive workshops and connect with other students, according to the CodeIt website. Students work with experienced MIT mentors to learn fundamental programming concepts. Lastly, the Womens Technology Program works with high school girls to spark their interest in the future study of engineering and computer science. The four-week academic and residential summer program is designed for girls who are outstanding in math and science, but have had few opportunities to explore engineering or computer science. Participants work closely with female teachers and mentors on hands-on, team-based projects. The Hopper-Dean Foundation is a California nonprofit supported by Heidi Hopper and Jeffrey Dean. The foundation has made similar donations to other institutions in the past, including a $1 million donation to support diversity initiatives at the University of California, Berkeley made earlier this year. Further information about the three programs is available on the MIT News site. - Police in Uganda have warned that they will use poop teargas to disperse people during riots - The poop tear gas reportedly smells like human faeces and stays longer on the human body - The announcement was made after several police officers were disciplined for beating up Kizza Besigye's supporters According to The Observer Fred Enanga, a spokesperson for the Uganda police said on a radio station that the smell emanating from the tear gas will linger on the victim for a long time. This, in turn, will make other people shun those with the foul smell. The officer's warning comes after the public decried police brutality witnessed when police officers beat up former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye supporters. READ ALSO: Ugandans thrashed in the streets for celebrating the release of Kizza Besigye Ugandan police use coloured teargas to disperse supporters of opposition leader Kizza Besigye A section of officers who brutality beat up Besigye's supporters are now under disciplinary proceedings following the public outcry. The Ugandan police officers now say they will adopt the stinky tear gas after announcing they will drop the use of itchy pepper spray, live and rubber bullets. Poop Spray which is reportedly not dangerous was developed by the Israel and United States of America (USA) governments to aid officers during riots. READ ALSO: MP losses seat after failing to answer Standard Three questions The spray is a mixture of eight chemicals smelling like human faeces. The stench is so strong it has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being one of the smelliest substances. Watch video of Ugandan police officers beating up Kizza Besigye's supporters; Image: Telegraph Source: TUKO.co.ke - A woman in Machakos county has been chopped off both hands by the husband for failing to get a child - Jackline Mwende aged 27, also suffered multiple injuries both on her neck and head. - According to available information, the man had issues with his fertility as diagnosed by doctors A man in Machakos county has chopped off his wife's both hands since she could not get a child. Jackline Mwende aged 27,was attacked by his husband Stephen Ngila,34 with a panga where she also suffered multiple injuries on neck and head. READ ALSO:Kirinyaga woman sets husband on fire for suspected cheating Mwende who is a shopkeeper said before the attack,she had separated with her husband for three months after failing to secure the pregnancy. The woman has since gone back to her parent's home in Kathama village after being discharged from Machakos Level 5 Hospital READ ALSO:Man Flees After Setting Wife On Fire Over Lover's SMS The man had fled after committing the brutal attack,but was later arrested by police. Relatives say Mwende had always wanted to leave her abusive husband but was being persuaded by her pastor's to stay back. Cases of domestic violence have increased in Kenya affecting even senior citizens in Kenya.Just a few months,Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula reported to police that he had been attacked by his wife. This later expose Wetangula into a public ridicule especially in the social media given culturally, a man is seen as inferior when he admits being beaten by the wife. Source: TUKO.co.ke * Wind power production set to rise substantially * Consumption stable, reactors out longer * Curve turns south, confidence fizzles out FRANKFURT, Aug 2 (Reuters) - European spot electricity prices fell on Tuesday on rising wind power production but stayed relatively high because of nuclear outages in the region. German baseload power for day-ahead delivery was down 2.35 euros at 29.75 euros ($33.30) per megawatt-hour (MWh). The equivalent French contract was at 30.6 euros/MWh, down 1.6 euros. Temperatures are cooling down somewhat in the region. In Germany, there will be a short-lived blip on Thursday, and France will likely see temperatures in line with normal patterns for this time of year, traders said. Latest Thomson Reuters (TR) data showed that wind power output in Germany is due to more than treble to Wednesday when it will stand at 8.7 gigawatts (GW). German solar output will stay at a modest 3.7 GW and power demand level off by 0.2 GW in France and Germany put together. In nuclear supply, Germany's Gundremmingen C plant has added two days to its annual maintenance outage while Grohnde is to remain closed until Aug. 10 for an unexpected fault to be fixed, having initially closed last weekend for three days. French nuclear supply is 1.4 percentage points down from last Friday's levels and Switzerland's biggest reactor at Leibstadt will be closed, as scheduled, from Aug 2 to 27. Prices along the forward power curve were down as coal and carbon fell in sympathy with shaky oil, whose price remains exposed to excess production, although both crude prices on Tuesday managed to edge a little higher. German baseload power for next year, the Cal '17 contract, was down 45 cents at 27.05 euros/MWh. The equivalent French contract, which is less liquid, also shed 35 cents to 32.35 euros/MWh. European coal prices for 2017 lost 0.9 percent to $61.25, having only recently ended a long decline to establish themselves above $60. Front-year EU carbon allowances were 0.2 percent down at 4.37 euros a tonne. Story continues In eastern European power, the Czech year-ahead position shed 70 cents to 27.75 euros while the day-ahead position lost 2.55 euros to 30.2. In market statistics, EEX bourse data for July showed that 244 terawatt hours of power futures were traded in that month, up 41 percent from the same month a year earlier. However, Epex Spot, also part of the EEX Group, said total day-ahead and intraday power volumes in July of 43.8 TWh lagged those a year earlier by 9.9 percent. ($1 = 0.8933 euros) (Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Adrian Croft) By PTI: Panaji, Aug 1 (PTI) Goa will launch a marine plane service in the next tourist season, the state government told the Legislative Assembly today. Replying to a question by independent MLA Naresh Sawal, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said the planes (flying from the airport) would land in Mandovi river. "Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted detailed audit andrecommended (that the state get)necessary compliancesfor the approval of service," the minister said. advertisement "The compliances will be met and submitted to DGCA post monsoon as operations and infrastructure set-up are suspended during the monsoon," he added. "Also, clearance from captain of ports is awaited. Service is likely to be launched commercially in coming season after receiving all permissions," the minister said. A hot-air balloon service has already been launched. It would be available from October to April at Panchayat Ground at Asolda, he said. "The expenditure to introduce the service in Goa is nil as all the investment to start and run the service will be borne by the successful bidder," he said. Goa Tourism Development Corporation will receive a revenue share in the business generated by the private agency, Parulekar said. PTI RPS KRK BSA BAS --- ENDS --- * Indonesia, Malaysia sign agreement on banking reciprocity * The move would link 2 largest Islamic banking sectors in SE Asia * Each country to allow formation of 3 banking groups * Mandiri eyes retail banking, remittances in Malaysia -exec (Adds comment from Mandiri) By Eveline Danubrata and Bernardo Vizcaino JAKARTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to give their banks greater access to each other's markets, part of wider integration efforts among Southeast Asian economies. The move would link the two largest Islamic banking sectors in the region, and give Malaysian banks a potential lead in accessing the world's biggest Muslim-majority country which remains restrictive to foreign lenders. The heads of Indonesia's financial regulator and Malaysia's central bank Bank Negara Malaysia signed the pact at the state palace in Jakarta, the Indonesia Financial Services Authority (OJK) said in a statement late on Monday. (http://bit.ly/2aG6tOy) "The agreement is aimed at reducing an imbalance in the market access and banking activities of both countries through the presence of banks that fulfill certain conditions in each jurisdiction, based on the principle of reciprocity," the statement said. Under the deal, each country will allow the formation of three banking groups which would be afforded the same treatment as local lenders. In the case of Malaysian banks, this number will include banking groups that are already operating in Indonesia, the statement said. Malaysian lenders CIMB and Maybank already have businesses in Indonesia. Indonesian state-controlled lender PT Bank Mandiri Tbk plans to expand in sectors such as retail banking and remittance services in Malaysia, Corporate Secretary Rohan Hafas told Reuters in a text message on Tuesday. (Reporting by Eveline Danubrata in Jakarta and Bernardo Vizcaino in Sydney; Additional reporting by Cindy Silviana; Editing by Richard Borsuk and Kim Coghill) Ares Management is reportedly seeking to raise more than $45bn for its latest batch of funds. Idea Capital Funds, the private equity arm of Gruppo De Agostini, has held a 188.5m third close for its Taste of Ital YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The citizens of Armenia and Uzbekistan can spend 90 days in the other country without a visa. The Armenian Government approved the draft inter-governmental agreement which was presented by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. He said the signing of the agreement is necessary in terms of boosting the bilateral relations, strengthening mutually beneficial economic, trade and other ties between Armenia and Uzbekistan. The agreement aims to regulate the regime of mutual visits of the citizens of both states. It defines that the two countries citizens with ordinary or diplomatic passports can visit the other country without a need to obtain a visa, Armenpress reports, FM Nalbandian said. Taking into account that Uzbekistan has proposed to sign a bilateral agreement in this field, as well as Uzbekistans policy in the CIS, the Armenian Foreign Ministry supports signing the mentioned agreement. The stage is set for the passage of the Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill tomorrow in the Rajya Sabha, facilitating the Goods and Services Tax (GST). By Javed M. Ansari : The stage is set for the passage of the Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill tomorrow in the Rajya Sabha, facilitating the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The highlight of the GST Bill that has been circulated to MPs includes doing away with the 1 per cent tax on inter state transactions - a categorical assurance from the Centre to compensate the states for five years the losses incurred by them on account of the GST - and the setting up of a GST council to resolve disputes that may arise out of its recommendations. advertisement The Congress has reason to be satisfied with the Bill. The government has accepted two of the three key demands that the Congress party had put forward. The Amendment Bill stipulates the doing away with the 1 per cent inter state tax and the setting up of a dispute resolution mechanism. The third major demand of the Congress was capping the tax rate in the Constitution. This was opposed by some of the states. The government has found a way out by agreeing to mention the rate in the GST law. Since this is a Constitution Amendment Bill, it needs to be passed by two thirds majority of the House. It was initially meant to be taken up on Tuesday but was deferred by a day inorder to accommodate the Congress party because the Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and four other Congress MPs are in Varanasi today attending party president Sonia Gandhi's roadshow in the city. The BJP and the Congress have issued a three-line whip to its MPs asking them to be present in the Upper House and to vote in favour of the Bill. Other parties too have decided to follow suit. The Bill is unlikely to encounter any resistance in the House given that apart from the NDA, the Congress, Left, DMK, TMC, JDU, RJD, NCP, BSP have all pledged their support to the crucial Bill. What is GST Bill GST Bill: Govt reaches out to opposition --- ENDS --- India Today's investigative crew found out the anti-Dalit discrimination ran much deeper in the land of the Father of the Nation. By Arun Singh, Amit Kumar Chaudhary: In a corner of a dusty village near Ahmedabad, a temple stands out as an unusual project. It's being built by a low-caste woman, Pintooben. She is the sarpanch of Rahemalpur village and is using her personal savings for the construction of the new shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. As she walks through the winding lanes of Rahemalpur to show the temple to India Today's special investigation team, the middle-aged woman stops short of climbing its unpainted steps. advertisement Like numerous other fellow Dalits excluded from religion in Gujarat, Pintooben is not allowed to enter the sanctum of any Hindu house of worship. Custodians of the mainstream religion have drawn the boundaries for her and other low-caste worshippers. After villagers demanded a new temple at Rahemalpur, the Dalit sarpanch generously sponsored its construction. From India Today magazine: India Dalit dilemmas She says he has so far spent Rs 10 lakh to build the holy place. "It's my own money, not the panchayat's," she tells India Today's investigative reporters. The sarpanch earns her living from selling the produce out of her 35-bhiga land. "I was asked (by the people) to build it, so I gave the money for its construction. The devotion for God also resides inside," adds Pintooben. "GOD IS DEFILED" BY DALIT PRESENCE She invokes internal divinity during her conversation with undercover reporters because she's aware religion bars her from physically showing up at sacred sites. And that's where the high symbolism of pluralism surrounding her efforts as a Dalit to build a temple fades out. "You are spending so much, wouldn't you like to step into the temple?" asks an India Today reporter posing as a tourist. "I'd like to, but there's opposition. There can be a ruckus," she says. "One among 100 may be there to object and say the temple has been defiled, the god has been defiled." Pintooben summed up the fears of Gujarat's Dalit community socially banned from regular religious practices. Last month, four low-caste men were stripped, humiliated and beaten with belts and rods for skinning a dead cow. The video of the assault, which triggered widespread Dalit protests, reflected the snarling aggression of the state's dominant groups against the downtrodden. GANDHI'S GUJARAT But India Today's investigative crew found out the anti-Dalit discrimination ran much deeper in the land of the Father of the Nation. The team observed untouchability, outlawed after independence, remains sanctified by religion. Disguised as regular visitors, India Today's reporters toured several temples in the state. advertisement They noticed almost all of them nursed the ancient notions of purity and pollution, the bedrock of untouchability. Temples were found to be shunning Dalits brazenly to preserve the so-called piety of the faith's upper-caste elders. "You are welcome if you want to come in, but these men can't go inside. These people will sit outside," warns the priest of a Kali temple at Kota village in Gandhinagar as he segregates upper-caste worshippers from the low caste. He would not allow the Dalit faithful into the hall housing the goddess. So, they sit at the temple doorstep, a separate vase placed for them at the sill to take the tilak from. Priests refuse to touch them. "Will you not even give them the tilaks?" asks an India Today's undercover reporter. "They'll do it with their own hands. None of us does that," replies the priest. Between the doorway and the gods stands a firewall that Dalits can't cross. They can't even partake of prasad with others, which is delivered to them separately. DALITS AS PARIAHS This ostracization is drawn from a wretched, antiquated belief that stigmatizes Dalits as a burdensome contamination and exalts their isolation as purification. "If they sit where they are sitting now (which is outside of the sanctum), we do nothing. But if they come inside, we'll purify it with the holy water from the Ganga," explains a advertisement temple caretaker, outlining age-old prejudices that label one type of people contagiously toxic. Upper-caste priests like him treat the Dalits as pariahs both because of their occupations -- such as leatherwork and menial jobs -- and their birth. Regardless of constitutional freedom and protection, the Dalits in Gujarat suffer religious alienation. Even at big, touristy shrines like the Swami Narayan Nutan Mandir at Kotha in Gandhinagar, they are outcasts, as India Today's reporters saw. "They (the Dalit worshippers) can have the sight of the gods from a distance but not from inside (of the sanctum)," says a temple custodian. Living in terrible poverty and humiliation, the community has apparently reconciled to unconstitutional decrees. At the famous Nag temple at Unava in Gandhinagar, Dalit devotees recoil inside their designated borderlines. Temple seniors here justify the Dalit prohibition, citing their own convoluted theories on karma. "They are prohibited... It's their karma," argues a Nag temple caretaker. THE DALIT QUESTION In ancient art, stratifications are depicted in the primordial being. It shows the Brahmans born from the head, the Kshatriyas from the arms, the Vaishyas from the legs and the low-castes from the feet of the creator. advertisement The "cleanest" top is supreme and cannot mix with the bottom. So, the temple caretaker defends estrangement of Dalits as a divine order. "God has prohibited them (from entering), not us. ...This is his (god's) ban," he insists. "Will they be doomed if they enter?" asks the reporter. "Yes, now you understood. It's his (god's) miracle. That's why they don't come in," he answers. A low-caste worshipper waiting outside claims Dalits are forced out physically if they ever walk into the temples. Too meek to resist, they bow to the pressure. At another temple dedicated to Lord Ram, at Sadra in Mehsana, the priest blatantly displays upper-caste supremacy over faith, saying he's well within his right to deny entry to Dalits. "If it's your private house, will you permit them? It's your home, it's your will whether or not admit anyone in," he says, juxtaposing a public house of worship with a private estate. DALITS SCARED IN GUJARAT India Today's team found out Gujarat's low-castes are now too scared themselves to visit temples. Their fears are seemingly as deeply entrenched as the discrimination itself. "The (upper-caste) villagers are very powerful. Five to seven men will be there at the temple. If I go there, they'll beat me up, reprimand me," says Mukesh, a Dalit at Vautha village near Ahemdabad. "They'll beat (me) inside the temple (if I ventured in)." A fellow female Dalit, Rekha, echoes his concerns. She tells India Today's crew that Dalits like her are not allowed to walk into the shrines. Therefore, she avoids them altogether. At Morva village in Mehsana, Mangal hasn't ever gone to a shrine since he was born. "Why haven't you?" asks a reporter. "It will create a controversy, a tussle. That's why," replies the Dalit. There shouldn't be any tussle. Life should pass peacefully, without fights and controversies." Several local temples confirm Dalits themselves stay away from the holy places. "They don't come. They know what it (the custom) is. If they want to sing a hymn, they can do it at their homes," claims a priest at a temple in Vani village. This his age-old practice, he says, is impregnable. The poor and the prosperous Dalits comply with it alike, he claims. "There's no declared rule. But it's prohibited. Whatever their education may be.... We have so many senior officials from the Dalit community. ...They (just) visit the village. It's a custom. They won't touch me. They'll only greet with Jai Siya Ram." Also Read: Gujarat Dalits continue to protest, refuse to pick cattle carcasses from roads Award Wapsi again: Dalit writer in Gujarat to return state honour over Una flogging --- ENDS --- Extremist and banned outfit Jamat-ud-Dawa plans to hold rallies in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and the capital Islamabad. By Hamza Ameer: As Pakistan gears up to host the South Asian Association for Regional Conference in Islamabad tomorrow, in which Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend also; extremist and banned outfit Jamat-ud-Dawa has announced for countrywide protests in major cities across the country. Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the prime suspect behind Mumbai terror attacks and with suspected linkages on the Pathankot and the recent escalations of tensions in Kashmir, will be leading protests and rallies, denouncing the Pakistani government for not banning the Indian Home Minister to land in Islamabad. advertisement JuD plans to hold rallies in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and the capital Islamabad. On the other hand, Pakistan government has taken special measures and enhanced security parameters primarily focused on safety of routes and smooth management of the SAARC conference. Over 1500 security officials have been deployed in Islamabad including Police, Rangers and SSG commandos formulating a three-tier security framework safeguarding the SAARC conference. Special security arrangements have also been enforced for the Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Sources say over 200 SSG commandos have been assigned to ensure security of the Indian Home Minister while squads have been assigned to ensure safety on the routes of his movements during his stay in Islamabad. PAKISTAN'S AGENDA OF THE SAARC CONFERENCE Pakistan's Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has been holding pre-SAARC meetings and consultations to formulate its agenda for the SAARC conference. Other than the progress on the Pak-Afghan relations on security and border management, government sources confirm that Pakistan aims to keep recent intensifications in Kashmir as its prime agenda of the conference and also looks forward to address its efforts made in the investigations done into the Pathankot attack case. Sartaj Aziz conveyed Pakistan's concerns over Kashmir in his recent address in the National Assembly: "We strongly condemn the brutalities done by India in Kashmir after the killing of the 22 year old Kashmiri leader BurhanWani on the 8th of July. Killing of innocent unarmed Kashmiris including young children is condemnable." "I want to reiterate that the freedom struggle in Kashmir is a movement primarily being run and led by the people of Kashmir. India's continued allegations on Pakistan's involvement in it is nothing more than a joke." "India's attempt to accuse Pakistan over the tensions in Kashmir is not only unreasonable, but is also a clear violation of the United Nation resolution also." "We feel the pain and anguish that Kashmiri people are going through and take their pain and sufferings as ours." "Pakistan has always extended moral, humanitarian and diplomatic support to Kashmir's demand of right to self determination. And we will continue to do so." advertisement Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be landing in Islamabad tomorrow afternoon. It seems that the visit will be limited to the SAARC conference, as no sideline meetings have been scheduled. However, Hafiz Saeed and his organization in Pakistan have raised many eyebrows over the ongoing protests and rallies, especially when Pakistan government has kept Hafiz Saeed and JuD under its terror watch list. The visit of the Indian Home Minister carries great importance, as it will be the first visit of an Indian lawmaker to Pakistan since the Pathankot attack. But analyst believe that it will not yield any positive progress into normalization of tied between India and Pakistan and will be overshadowed by accusations from both sides over the Kashmir issue. Pakistan government has been criticized for its weak stance on the Kashmir issue with New Delhi and has been blamed for trying to put it on the backburner. With Nawaz Sharif, already under fire over corruption and revelations made about his family in the Panama papers by the opposition parties; hosting the Indian Home Minister in the SAARC conference has further increased the compression, being strongly protested by the opposition parties. advertisement ALSO READ: Hafiz Saeed overseeing attacks by ISIS fighters in Afghanistan: Voice of America Pakistan playing a dirty game in Kashmir, is behind the current unrest: Rajnath --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Textile minister Smriti Irani's Twitter feed is generally used for disseminating information about the achievements of her government and, at times, to exchange barbs with her detractors, but yesterday witnessed an interesting trend. Dressed in a Bihari silk saree, Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani initiated a trend, '#IWearHandloom' and urged her followers to 'support Indian weavers' by sharing their pictures and further tagging five more. Irani, however, tagged four--Anandiben Patel, Devendra Fadnavis and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh respectively as well as Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Pudduchery. advertisement In about 24 hours that the trend began, it attracted the attention of many of Irani's colleagues like Ministers of State, Piyush Goyal, Jayant Sinha, Kiren Rijiju as well as officials like NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao among others. With Irani re-tweeting nearly everyone with #IWearHandloom, many Twitter users including journalists too joined posing either individually or with their group. Sporting icons Vijender Singh and Virendra Sehwag too bit the bug. Irani stated that the initiative would help spread awareness about nearly 43 lakh weavers in the country. The centre had recently, before posting Irani to the ministry from the previous one at the Human Resource Development , announced a Rs 6000 crore package with an aim to create 10 million new jobs in the coming three years. However, the largest formal job creating sector with a counted strength of 105 million employees is locked in a tough battle with neighbouring Bangladesh and other Asian entities. --- ENDS --- It was announced last week that the eir Elevation Awards 2016 are open for business and are calling on entries from Irelands fastest growing companies of 2016. The closing date for award entries is September, 22nd, 2016, The eir Elevation Awards 2016 are a unique recognition of the growth and ingenuity of the fastest growing businesses across Ireland and the specific reasons for their success. With a spotlight on innovation, international scalability, differentiation and strategic investment to the Irish economy, the Awards celebrate the success of Irelands fastest growing companies. There are seven categories including Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences, Social Entrepreneurship, Emerging fast Company Award, FMCG, Services, and Technology. The winners will be announced at the eir Elevation Fast Company Awards Lunch in The Marker Hotel on November, 4th, 2016. The overall Grand Prix Winner receives a media package to the value of 50,000 with Business & Finance Media Group which includes advertising and editorial, print and digital, and all category winners receive two places to attend the 42rd Annual Business & Finance awards on December 15th at the Convention Centre Dublin. Chairman of the judging panel, Ian Hyland said, "We were delighted with the level of entries to the eir Elevation Awards in the inaugural year and were overwhelmed by the quality and the incredible revenue growth of the businesses over such a short period of time together with their potential for international scalability." Last years winners included Voxpro, Ocean Harvest Technology, Cupprint, Rye River Brewing, FoodCloud, Revive Active Products, Vizor Ltd and 3D4Medical. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Modified On Aug 03, 2016 04:51 PM By Nabeel The year 2016 has had its ups and downs for the auto industry. The year started with the Delhi diesel ban and odd-even rule, but since then, things has gotten a lot smoother. Now, we have entered the second half of the year and its time for some exciting new and facelift/update launches. While these cars will be launched across the span of next five months, most of them are expected to arrive around the festive season. Here is a list of 19 cars which will cost less than Rs 19 lakhs. The chatter for this car began a long time ago and it was finally teased to the Indian audience at the 2016 Auto Expo. The 0.8-litre Kwid is doing phenomenally well in the Indian market with its segment above features and muscular looks. The 1-litre and AMT variants are also expected to be very successful in the market. The 1.0-litre Kwid has made its debut in Brazil alongside other India bound cars like the Kaptur and the Koleos. The Tata Tiago has started to gain momentum in the market. This car will soon be launched with an AMT transmission, which will make it more attractive in the market. The AMT offers a comfortable city drive which becomes a blessing in the bumper to bumper traffic. The car features a 1.2-litre Revotron, three-cylinder petrol engine and a 1.05-litre Revotorq three-cylinder diesel engine out of which, the petrol is expected to get the automatic upgrade. Another entry from Tata, this car is highly acclaimed for its design. It is essentially a Tiago with a boot. This sedan looks beautiful and might get some feature upgrades too. It is expected to carry the same engine options of the Tiago and cost somewhere around the Rs 4.2 lakh mark. This car has been on the books for a long time. Finally, there are signs that this car will debut around September. The car has also been spotted in the country, which means it is in its final phase of testing. Chevrolet Beat ACTIV and Essentia (Beat sedan) were showcased at the Auto Expo and now the carmaker has confirmed that Beat Activ, Beat facelift and Essentia compact sedan will make it to production. Expected to launch this month, this Mahindra is being entrusted to revive the Bolero name in the country. As this will be smaller than four metre in length, the carmaker will most likely install a 1.5-litre mHawk diesel engine, which is also found in the other sub-four metre SUVs of the brand. The 1.5-Litre TDI engine of the Polo and the Vento is undergoing a turbo update. This engine will develop more power and will be launched soon. While the current tune generates 104PS in the Vento, the update will bump it up to 109PS. This update is expected to happen in October. Launched recently, the Ameo is the first sub-four metre sedan by the German automaker. The sedan is as of now only available in three petrol trims and the diesel variants will be on sale in the festive season. The petrol mill in the Ameo is a 1.2-litre unit and the diesel will be a 1.5-litre unit borrowed from the Polo hatchback. The TDI Ameo was last spotted testing a few days back, check it out. A phenomenal success, the Elite i20 is one of the highest-selling Hyundai models. To take it a step further, Hyundai will soon introduce an automatic variant of the car, which will be mated to the petrol engine. This gasoline mill is a 1.2 MPi unit which has a power output of 83PS. The Baleno on steroids, this car has fans eagerly waiting ever since it was showcased at the Auto Expo. Featuring a turbocharged 1.0-litre motor, this car has the power of 108 horses under its belly and gets disc brakes all around. This car will most likely be launched in late October. The entry-level Toyota sedan will undergo minor changes this year. The facelift will have reworked front and rear bumper along with minor body changes. Also, there might be a digital instrument cluster and some minor tweaks in the interiors. Showcased at the Auto Expo, this crossover hatchback is a more luxurious avatar of the Avventura. It is expected to come with a 1.4-litre petrol motor and a 1.3-litre 16V MULTIJET engine. It will also feature plush interiors with a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It's about time Skoda rolls out the updated Rapid. This car will feature minor body tweaks along with an upgraded equipment list. The facelift might have a similar front look as seen on the Octavia and the Superb, with sharp rectangular headlamps and vertical black coloured slats. The car will get a new bonnet, ORVMs with integrated side blinkers and redesigned headlamps and taillamps. Tata's take on an adventure vehicle, this pickup has been the go-to vehicle for the people who like to take the road less travelled. Now, Tata is coming out with a facelift for this pickup which will boast both equipment and design changes. Tata Motors has launched an updated Xenon in South African, called 'Evolve'. The updated includes a new front bumper, a roll-over bar, nudge guards at the front and the rear and updated alloy wheels. Inside, it gets leather upholstery, power windows, integrated music system with navigation and Bluetooth and a tilt-adjustable steering. SsangYong has seen some success with the Rexton SUV in India. To further capture the SUV space, it will launch the Tivoli in India, which is a global success. This is a compact SUV and will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster. The Tivoli in Europe has a 1.6-liter petrol and diesel engines. These are most likely to enter the Indian market. The next-gen Elantra is all set to be the next head turner for Hyundai. It has a beautiful shape and comes packed with features. It is based on the second iteration of Hyundais Fluidic Sculpture design language and will be launched in September in India. This sedan will feature a 4.2-inch LCD screen which will provid a host of information. Also, it will come with Hyundais latest 7.0-inch and 8.0-inch infotainment systems, which support both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. Tata's answer to the Innova Crysta, the Hexa will be a sedan SUV cross and has muscular looks. It will come feature packed with a 400Nm diesel engine. This vehicle will come equipped with six airbags and Electronic Stability Program (ESP). Also, the car will have four drive modes -- Automatic, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough-Road. The Toyota Innova Crysta has witnessed an overwhelming response in India. It has become the highest-selling MPV/SUV in the country, beating the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Vitara Brezza. The bookings for the petrol variants of the MPV have begun and it will be launched soon. The mighty Polo GTI is all set to rip off its rubber on Indian tarmac. This car launches itself from 0 to 100 kmph in 6.7 seconds, courtesy the 1.8 TFSi petrol motor which produces 192PS of power and 250Nm of torque. The next big thing from Maruti, the Ignis hatchback will be placed below the Baleno and above the Swift and will most likely be sold through the NEXA outlets. The car will most likely feature the 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.3-litre diesel engine. There is also a possibility of Maruti introducing a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the hatchback. There are some reports which suggest that this car will now be launched in 2017 so as to cope with the rising demand for the Vitara Brezza. These cars have the potential to change the Indian automotive market. With majority of the cars being from Tata, Maruti and Hyundai, customers all over India will soon have a wide new range of vehicles to choose from. Also Read: Maruti Cars Get Costlier By Up To Rs 20,000 Published On Aug 02, 2016 05:12 PM By Khan Mohd. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas, has informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the ministry has decided to make BS-IVcompliant fuel available across the country by April 2017. This will be done in a phased manner. Initially, BSIV-compliant fuel was supplied to the whole of north India, which includes J&K (except Leh/Kargil), Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and the bordering districts of and parts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. This phase one target was achieved by April 2015. In the next phase (starting from April this year), all of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and the Union territories of Daman & Diu, Dadra-Nagar-Haveli and Andaman & Nicobar, parts of Maharashtra, as well as parts of Gujarat will be covered. In this phase, the special corridor linking Rajasthan, Gujarat and other parts of northern India to the ports on the west coast will also be supplied with the BSIV-compliant fuel. In an earlier ordinance dated May 22, 2015, the ministry had conveyed to all the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and stakeholders that it would be upgrading directly to BSVI-compliant fuel from the current BSIV by April 2020. As a first step towards this target, the OMCs have already started pumping in investments of up to Rs 30,000 crore in order to upgrade their refineries to achieve complete BSIV-compliance by 2017. Once this is achieved, an additional capital of approximately Rs 30,000 crore is expected to be injected to ensure that the refineries are BSVI-compliant by April 2020. The ministry added that carmakers are ready and have not cited any inability to make their vehicles BSVI-compliant by the said date. Mali Minister of Health Dr. Marie Madeleine Togo, dressed in white, visits a village where Guinea worm disease no longer exists. Under her leadership and in partnership with The Carter Center, the disease is on the brink of being eliminated in Mali. (Photo: The Carter Center/ S. Moussa) Dr. Marie Madeleine Togo is the minister of health for the Republic of Mali, responsible for protecting her almost 17 million fellow citizens from all kinds of diseases and dangers. That covers a lot of people and myriad maladies, but her work to eliminate Guinea worm disease goes beyond a professional interest in public health. At the conclusion of the 2016 annual program review at The Carter Center, when health program partners from all over the world gathered in Atlanta to discuss progress and strategies, Togo confided her own familys experience with the disease. Some of you may giggle when I tell you that I am the best-placed person to speak of the fight against Guinea worm in Mali, she told former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and dozens of her peers. When the program started in Mali in 1992, that country had 16,024 recorded cases of Guinea worm in 1,164 villages, she said, and half of the cases were in Dogon county, where the health minister is originally from. As of the end of 2015, Mali had detected only five cases among the last 22 in the world, whereas once there were millions. Dogon county now is free of Guinea worm. It was a true scourge in our area, Togo said. We called it the illness of empty silos because we are an agricultural people, and the cases would occur during field work seasons; it wasnt unusual to see three, four, or five people in a family affected by Guinea worm. Can you imagine? These families wouldnt be able to harvest their fields. Because of Guinea worm, we had families, sometimes half an entire village, suffering food insecurity. For the health minister, this was a first-person history. I narrowly escaped the Guinea worm, she told her hushed listeners. As young girls, Togo and her sister would fetch water for their family. However, Im afraid of water, she confessed. When I go to the sea shore, I sit down and say I cant go further. It was my sister who would go get water for herself and for me, and she is the one who got Guinea worm. I escaped because I was afraid of water and used my headscarf to filter the water I consumed. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org Partnership to Provide Treatments for up to 16 million people ATLANTAThe Carter Center and Noor Dubai Foundation have announced a new four-year partnership to accelerate efforts to eliminate blinding trachoma in Ethiopia by 2020. Ethiopia has the highest known burden of trachoma in the world, with an estimated minimum of 67 million Ethiopians at risk of disease. This partnership focuses on the Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia, the hardest hit by this blinding disease and aims to greatly reduce the burden and the suffering this blinding disease causes in the worst known region of the world. The important partnership between The Carter Center and Noor Dubai Foundation will help ensure that people in Ethiopia will not endure needless suffering and pain from blinding trachoma, said Ambassador Mary Ann Peters (ret.), Carter Center CEO. We are grateful for their support and committed to work together toward the goal of elimination by 2020. Trachoma, the worlds leading cause of preventable blindness, is a bacterial eye infection found in impoverished, isolated communities lacking basic hygiene and access to water and adequate sanitation. Repeated infections over time lead to scarring causing an inward turning of the upper eyelid a very painful condition called trachomatous trichiasis which causes the eyelashes to scrape the eye causing blindness when left untreated. International efforts to eliminate trachoma are based on the World Health Organization -recommended SAFE strategy a combination of interventions that includes Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement. To accelerate progress and strive to meet the elimination target of 2020 set by the Federal Ministry of Health for the Amhara region, The Carter Center-Noor Dubai collaboration, in strong partnership with the Amhara Regional Health Bureau, will support all components of the SAFE strategy for the next four years. We are proud to continue our work with The Carter Center to provide treatments that will prevent blinding trachoma in Ethiopia, said His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of Chairman of Noor Dubai Foundation. Since Noor Dubais inception in 2008, the Foundation has worked with various international charities to alleviate the suffering of the blind globally and to serve those in most need of our services. This project is of significant importance and will greatly improve both the social and economic conditions of families who will receive treatment for trachoma. Trachoma can be found in over 50 countries, most in Africa and the Middle East, and a few countries in the Americas and Asia. Globally, 232 million people are at risk for trachoma, and over 4 million are at immediate risk for blindness from trichiasis. The Carter Center works with partners and ministries of health to control and prevent trachoma in the following six countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda. The Carter Center works with many partners including the World Health Organization, which leads an alliance of interested parties to work for the global elimination of trachoma, the Alliance for Global Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020 (GET 2020), the International Coalition for Trachoma Control, and the International Trachoma Initiative charged with management of Pfizer donated Zithromax. The Carter Center "Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope." A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. Noor Dubai Foundation Noor Dubai Foundation is a UAE-based charity focused on the prevention of blindness and visual impairment globally. It was launched as an initiative in 2008 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and was later established as a Non-Governmental Organization( NGO) by Law in October 2010. Over 24 million individuals from all over Africa and Asia have benefited from the Foundations free treatment and preventive programs which includes provision of eye glasses and medication. A member of the newly launched Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives foundation, Noor Dubai continues to strive towards fulfilling the Vision 2020 initiative of a world free from preventable forms of blindness. Fast Forward: Students to participate in alumni-led career preparation week Students participate in a career workshop at Connecticut College. This month, 20 Connecticut College students will participate in Fast Forward, a weeklong intensive college-to-career preparation workshop led by alumni professionals. The five-day, multi-track program will provide a real-world perspective in the areas of finance/entrepreneurship, law, non-profit organizations and health professions. This is another exciting opportunity Connecticut College students have to develop the career and networking skills they need to be successful in todays interconnected and global workforce, said Noel Garrett, dean for academic support and director of the Academic Resource Center. Participants will receive in-depth, interactive training in developing a marketing plan and personal brand; public speaking and presentation; financial literacy; and finance and business practices. They will follow one of four industry tracks: business/entrepreneurship, law, health or non-profit. All sessions will be led by Connecticut College alumni. The program, which runs Aug. 7-12, will begin with an opening dinner and keynote address by Trustee Annie Scott 84, director of information technology at Middlesex Community College and founding member and first president of the Board of Directors of the Brass City Charter School. Throughout the week, students will have opportunities to assess their skills with mentorship and guidance from Conn alumni and employers. They will also receive extensive feedback from professionals in their fields and develop a personalized plan for achieving their career goals. This program is especially appealing to me because it provides the opportunity to get a head start on fine tuning the communication and personal skills necessary in almost any career, while also giving participants a chance to create connections with successful alumni, said Erin Martin 19, who plans to complete Fast Forwards health track. I am particularly excited to meet with Connecticut College alumni who are now experienced in the field I hope to pursue. Fast Forward is sponsored by the Colleges Academic Resource Center. There is no cost for students to participate. The workshop is part of the Colleges four-year career program, an integral part of the Connecticut College experience that complements the academic rigor inside the classroom and prepares students for 21st century careers. Through the program, all students are eligible for up to $3,000 for an internship in the summer before their senior year. Recently, the program was named one of the top 20 in North America by the Princeton Review. August 1, 2016 Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes Benz, is putting its diesel emissions cheating allegations behind it with a $1.5 billion settlement with the U.S. government and the state of California. Two federal agencies and the California attorney generals office charged the German automaker with using a defeat device to make it appear that its diesel engines were in compliance with emissions standards when they were not. Another German carmaker, Volkswagen, was the first to face these charges when it was revealed the car employed software that reduced emissions only when the vehicle was being tested. As it turned out, the engines could not meet emissions requirements and deliver the promised fuel economy. In early 2017, Volkswagen agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties to the U.S. government and spent billions more buying back affected vehicles from consumers. According to the Daimler settlement, the company sold close to 250,000 diesel-powered vehicles in the United States with engines that failed to comply with state and federal laws. Officials say the settlement, which includes civil penalties, will also require the automaker to modify vehicles so that they meet emissions requirements. Payment to California The agreement will pay around $700 million to settle numerous lawsuits filed by consumers. It will also compensate the state of California with a $300 million payment that includes $17.5 million to the California Department of Justice for future environmental enforcement, monitoring, and investigation. Longterm, if you cheat, you're going to get caught, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Daimler is finding that out today. But theyre not the first nor likely the last to try. In a statement issued to news outlets, Daimler said it disputes allegations that it cheated and said the settlement does not reflect any admission of guilt on its part. It said the settlement resolves the civil proceedings without making any determination that Daimler vehicles used cheat devices. By resolving these proceedings, Daimler avoids lengthy court actions with respective legal and financial risks, the company said in its statement. Four containers of illegal Chinese firecrackers, which were smuggled into India via the sea route, was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. The crackers were found hidden inside the containers and bogus names and addresses were given By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: A huge import consignment of illegal Chinese firecrackers was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Nhava Sheva. Four containers of the illegal cargo were being smuggled into India via the sea route. The shipment of the illegal Chinese firecrackers, valued at Rs 7.2 crores, were seized by the DRI, last week. The crackers were found hidden inside the containers and bogus names and addresses were given. The declared cargo was 'Adhesive Tapes' and 'Badminton Rackets'. THE CASE Fireworks are restricted for import under the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015 - 2020. All Fireworks fall under the category of restricted goods and can be exported or imported only in accordance with a permission or a public notice issued in this behalf. advertisement Further as per Rules 7 and 10 (2) of the Explosive Rules, 2008, read with Section 5 of the Explosives Act 1884, firecrackers can be imported only against a licence issued by the Chief Controller of Explosives. In case of the seized firecrackers, "no one came forward with licence for clearance of the goods and these goods are apparently imported by misdeclaring them in the Import General Manifest as 'Adhesive Tapes' and 'Badminton Rackets' with the intention of removing them clandestinely", the source said. 'MADE IN CHINA' FIRECRACKERS ARE BANNED IN INDIA In 2014, the imported 'Made in China' fireworks were also banned by the Indian government, as they were deemed potentially dangerous. According to DRI, most of these imported crackers are friction-sensitive and can easily explode if dropped and injure persons in the vicinity. This led to a countrywide alert to prevent such products from being smuggled into the country. Around two years ago, the Union ministry of Home Affairs had also issued advisory to all chief secretaries of Indian states, cautioning them about the illegal smuggling of Chinese firecrackers, which often contain high doses of potassium chloride and the banned potassium chlorate, which can lead to fire incidents. Police Accused in Wrongful Death by Seana Sperling In 2000, I interviewed a Chicago woman, an immigrant from Nicaragua, who claimed the Police murdered her son. I cant call the Police. How do I trust these people again? A Chicago woman no longer feels comfortable calling 911 after the shooting of her son by Police two years ago. The Police of Downers Grove, Illinois, shot Greg Palma after a four-hour standoff where he had barricaded himself in his apartment. A host of unanswered questions still surrounds the case. Ms. Palma, Gregs mother, has contacted many agencies, enlisted the help of lawyers and spent thousands of dollars, trying to make sense of her sons death. According to Palma, the authorities completely disregarded her sons basic human rights, used excessive force and even went so far as to lie about events to defend their actions. The following is from the office of Palmas lawyer. (FAX from office of Robert J. Klein Attorney at Law, April 17, 2001.) This Federal case involves what we believe is a wrongful death, in that the Downers Grove Police Department, Officer James Edwards, shot and killed our client, Gregory Palma, while (GP was) exiting his home and turning himself into the Police at an agreed and specified location. The Police claim that Mr. Palma made a run for it while carrying a sawed off shotgun and that he shot at the officers causing them to return fire and subsequently kill him. I believe that the evidence will show that the alleged sawed off shotgun, was never discharged Ms. Palma said that on April 21, 1999, the woman who lived in the downstairs apartment from the Palma residence called the Downer's Grove Police claiming Greg was trying to break into her apartment with a chainsaw and a shotgun. Palma said she arrived on the scene at approximately 5:30 to 6:00 PM. A battalion of Policemen arrived along with a SWAT Team. I asked the Police to (let me) speak to my son who was barricaded in our apartment. I told them I would get him out for them, but the Police refused to let me speak to Greg and they detained me across the street at Lincoln Center. I explained that Greg was handicapped and had no criminal record, but they refused to let me near the apartment. I thought Greg was afraid of being hurt or killed, Palma said. Earlier that morning, she said that Greg had asked her not to go to work that day because he feared the Police would kill him. At the time I thought Greg was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome because of a terrible accident that hed had in 1997. Around 9:00 PM the police told me Greg had put his guns out, she said. Greg owned two rifles and a small gun--all registered so the police knew that he had guns. Then I was told that Greg had been handcuffed and was on his way to the Downers Grove Police Station where I was to meet him. As we were walking toward the front door on our way out of Lincoln Center, the Police detained me an additional two to three hours in the corridor. I kept asking about my son and they kept telling me that Greg was fine and this was routine. When they finally took me to the station I was informed that my son was dead. I was not allowed to go near my son or my apartment. News Release from Downers Grove Police Department, April 22, 1999: At approximately 5:50 PM on Wednesday April 21, 1999, officers from the Downers Grove Police Department responded to a 911 call at a duplex at 928 Maple in Downers Grove. The female caller, who lived in the downstairs apartment, indicated that the male resident of the upstairs apartment was attempting to force entry into her residence. When officers arrived at the scene, the subject, Gregory J. Palma, age 35, had returned to his upstairs apartment and was breaking out windows. He also displayed a firearm. The Downers Grove SWAT Team was called in and negotiators made contact with the subject. The DuPage county Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police, and the Darien and Westmont Police Departments also responded. After several hours of negotiations, the subject agreed to exit the residence and surrender. He then ran from the rear of the residence carrying a shotgun. The subject fired the shotgun and struck Downers Grove Police Chief Graves, who was standing nearby. The bullet struck Chief Graves in the lower legs. He was treated and released from Good Samaritan Hospital. Officers returned fire and fatally struck the subject. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured. The investigation is continuing. In response to the news release Palma had several comments. Police Chief Graves was injured by concrete shrapnel from a bullet fired by Officer Edwards. When Officer Edwards shot Greg, a bullet shattered the concrete steps. The Police Departments claim that Greg had shot Police Chief Graves was defamation of character. According to Palma, the Downers Grove Police had put out the faulty news release the day after the incident, April 22, even though they knew that Greg had not fired a gun. Greg had no gunpowder on his hands and none of Gregs weapons had been fired. Also, I was told he had been handcuffed and in the pictures that I took at the funeral home it shows that he had deep marks on his wrists that appear to be from handcuffs. In regard to the windows, Palma said she had noticed that they seemed to have been broken from the outside not the inside because glass was inside along the walls. They also mention running. Greg was disabled and had trouble walking and going up the stairs of the apartment. a July 27, 1997 accident had crushed his pelvis, Palma said. This happened in South Carolina when he was working on a wall and it collapsed, injuring him. Greg underwent three surgeries and Doctors pieced the pelvis together with metal plates and nails. He spent 2-1/2 months in intensive care and eight months in a wheelchair and then began receiving Disability Benefits. He also suffered 70% nerve damage in his legs. In April 1999 Greg was still under the care of Dr. Miller who specialized in pelvic fractures. He was still having a hard time walking and suffered pain from nerve damage, said Palma. Palma said she wasnt allowed to see her sons body until three days later. She said she photographed his body and had her lawyer send the photographs, X-rays and other forensic data to Doctor Paulino Medina Paiz at the National University of Anatomy in Leon, Nicaragua. (Palma is originally from Nicaragua.) The Doctor indicated that there was bruising on the wrists and a severe contusion on the mandible among other trauma to Gregs body. Palma believes her son was handcuffed and beaten. Currently Palma is facing a lawsuit. Chief Graves is suing Greg's estate, which I am the holder of. Consequently, it is costing me money that I don't have and causing tremendous emotional stress. I believe this is a form of harassment by Chief Graves towards me, to break me down and create more pain and stress, Palma said. Over the past year and a half, Palma said there has also been subtle harassment. She said, One of Gregs dogs was poisoned and my flower pot at my business was knocked over for the first time in all the years Ive had the shop. She also said that on a few occasions complete strangers had followed her and said, Die old bitch. Palma said, I never had any of these problems until the Police shot Greg. I believe they want to put a stop to my inquiries about my sons death, but Im not stopping. Palma said that at times she feels frightened. The power went off the other night and I was scared, but I have no one to turn to. I cant call the Police. Palma died of stomach related illness three years after this interview according to a friend of hers, Christine Lamb. I submitted this article to the Chicago Baffler in 2001. I hadnt heard anything (the usual rejection letter) so I emailed asking if they had received it. They said they hadnt and said they had recently had a fire in their office. In 2001, I began experiencing minor harassment from strangers on the street. E-personation and workplace mobbing. This has continued and the harassment has grown exponentially. Franklin to Direct Office of Diversity and Inclusion Greta Franklin Aug. 2, 2016 BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Greta Franklin has been named director of Illinois Wesleyan Universitys Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). She replaces Brandon Common, who was promoted to Assistant Dean of Students for Campus Life. Franklin most recently served nearly five years as associate director of multicultural affairs at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. In this role she developed and coordinated academic and personal development programming for the RISE peer mentoring program in addition to leadership and management of numerous other programs and events for multicultural students. She previously served three years as assistant director for student life at a campus of the Community College of Baltimore County, and was an associate director for campus life at Vassar College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) and a masters degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. ODI at Illinois Wesleyan is dedicated to the promotion of a campus community that appreciates, encourages and celebrates diversity with the purpose of bettering students to thrive in an increasingly diverse and global society. By paying particular attention to the experiences and needs of underrepresented and marginalized students, ODI services student populations including but not limited to: multiracial, African American, Latino/a-Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer (LBGQ), first generation students, transgender non-conforming (TGNC), and women. Franklin said she believes the broad range of her experiences will benefit her new role at Illinois Wesleyan. I believe my personal experience as an African American, first generation college student from a working class background informs my work as a higher education professional, she said. I can empathize with the experiences and challenges that underrepresented students encounter during their time in college. She said ODI provides a safe and brave space for not only students from underrepresented populations, but all members of the campus community to discuss issues pertaining to diversity, inclusion and social justice. I am a big proponent of observing what is currently done and continuing what is working well and revising what can be improved. Former Kerala Minister R Balakrishana Pillai today said that it was not up to the courts to decide if women should enter Sabarimala. By Revathi Rajeevan: Former Kerala minister and Kerala Congress (B) chairman R Balakrishna Pillai today said that it is not for courts to decide whether women must enter Sabarimala. Pillai was issuing a clarification after an audio clip with statements derogatory to religious minorities, allegedly belonging to him sparked off a controversy on Monday. "It is not right for the courts to decide if women must enter Sabarimala. It is for the head priest to decide," he said adding that the same rule of gender equality does not apply to other religious communities. advertisement "I was only asking that if Muslim women tomorrow ask for right to enter mosque what would happen. There would be consequences," he said in Kollam. PILLAI'S APOLOGISES FOR ALLEGED HATE SPEECH An audio clip of Balakrishna Pillai's speech during a meeting of NSS (Nair Service Society) in Kollam's Pathanapuram surfaced on Monday where he has allegedly made statements that are against minorities. Pillai said that the speech was taken out of context and was doctored alleging that there was a conspiracy behind the act. "When I said for every ten Christians or Muslims, there is a church or mosque, I meant to say that there must also be more NSS units according to population for administrative convenience. While we have one NSS unit for about 200 families, there would be four or five churches and mosques for the same," he added offering an unconditional apology for his alleged hate speech. Following a petition by two organisations, the Kollam police has began inquiry into the alleged hate speech. A case is yet to be registered. Also read: Sabarimala temple: First ever meeting of head priests held, entry restriction continues --- ENDS --- - Abdulmumuni Jibrin, a former chairman of the House committee on appropriation has been summoned by the APC - Jibrin's summoning is not unconnected with his move to deal with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara - Dogara might soon have his security details withdrawn by the government Embattled ex-chairman of the House Committee on appropriation, Hon Abdulmumuni Jibrin has been summoned by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Abdulmumin Jibrin Reports suggest that on Monday, August 1, the APC sent a letter to Abdulmumuni Jibrin, summoning him to appear before a disciplinary committee at the partys national secretariat in Abuja not later than the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2. READ ALSO: Just In: If Buhari does this, Nigeria will be destroyed forever? Premium Times reports that the ruling party said all attempts to reach Mr Jibrin (who has remained underground for almost two weeks) by telephone calls and text messages were unsuccessful, leaving the party with no choice than to write to him. In the letter, dated August 1, 2016, and signed by the partys Deputy National Chairman for the Northern Zone, Lawal Shuaibu, the APC expressed cautioned Mr. Jibrins over his media campaign against the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other principal officers over allegation of budget fraud. To say the least, it is absolutely unacceptable to resort to media war as a means of settling scores without recourse to and/or exhausting the partys internal dispute resolution mechanism, the party said. Jibrin was removed as chairman of the appropriation committee in controversial circumstances on July 20 on allegations of betrayal of trust. The lawmaker fought back, embarking on a vicious media campaign to have Dogara; his deputy, Yusuf Lasun; House Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, removed from office. (Ogor is the only PDP member of the four.) Jibrins campaign had seen him release details about how the passage of the 2016 budget was handled by lawmakers in a way that portrayed them as fraudulent. On July 29, he disclosed that he had dispatched incriminating documents to the authorities, who immediately swung into action. By July 30, the State Security Service sealed the Appropriation Committee Secretariat in the White House Building of the National Assembly. On Monday afternoon, Jibrin posted on his Twitter page that he had visited the EFCC, the ICPC, the SSS and police headquarters to personally hand in petitions against Mr. Dogara and his colleagues. In the APCs letter to Jibrin, the party said the Kano lawmakers action underscored a blatant disregard for party supremacy and its existing dispute resolution mechanism, adding that it would work to ensure that it instilled discipline on all members. As a disciplined party, the constitution of our party has made adequate provisions on ways of resolving any issue among our members, Mr Shuaibu said. It behoves on the party to take all necessary steps in order to ensure that no member of the Family brings dishonour to the party. The APC, therefore, reiterated its notice for Mr. Jibrin to appear before the party tomorrow, urging him to be guided accordingly as he digested the content of the letter. You are, therefore, by this invitation, expected to appear before the undersigned at the APC National Secretariat on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2016, at 2 p.m. Kindly note that failure to and/or refusal to honour this invitation will amount to a decision you have made not to submit to the party. Shortly after Jibrin announced his visits to law enforcement agencies offices where he deposited submitted petitions, Mr Ogor immediately welcomed the move. Its a welcome development, Mr. Ogor told newsmen. "Now that he has pushed the matter to the EFCC, then Nigerians should exercise patience to see what the truth of the matter is." Another lawmaker, Adams Jagaba, on Monday said Jibrin should desist from further defaming him and other lawmakers with the budget padding mess. Jagaba said the warning became necessary after he learnt that Mr. Jibrin had named him alongside others who he accused of attempting to fraudulently inflate the 2016 budget figures, saying he had been a long time proponent of selflessness in public service. Mr. Jagaba, chairman of House Committee on Interior, said he lived a modest life, unlike Mr. Jibrin who allegedly occupied posh personal apartment at the highbrow Maitama District of Abuja with very expensive automobiles. According to Jagaba, Jibrins car fleet included Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs and Range Rover vehicles, he noted that Jibrin moves around with a very long convoy of expensive cars with host of security guards armed to the teeth. Jagaba said his distaste for corruption dated back to his days as the chairman of teh House Committee on Anti-Corruption, saying he was amongst those who championed the course for a total rejection of bribes allegedly given to lawmakers by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a tenet he said he had continued to uphold ever since. Ordinarily, I would have ignored the said publication, but I am compelled to respond for posterity sake. Without sounding immodest, my anti-corruption crusade dates back to my first term between 1999 and 2003, when I exposed the plot of the Presidency which attempted to bribe Honourable Members for the purposes of effecting a leadership change in the House of Representatives. As Chairman, House Committee on Anti-Corruption then, I exhibited the money meant for that plot on the floor of the House at plenary. Again, in 2012, during the scandal that was referred to as FAROUKGATE, my name was mentioned. However, after thorough investigation by the Police and other relevant agencies, I was exonerated and given a clean bill of health, Mr. Jagaba said. Jagaba said he had continued to maintain a 2013 Toyota RAV4 mid-size SUV, saying Mr. Jibrin is the one who allegedly had cause to be afraid of facing consequences of his action. It amazes me, therefore, for Hon. Abdulmumini to petition the EFCC to investigate me for living above my means without giving any proof. As a third term member of the House of Representatives, I live in a rented three-bedroom apartment that has no Boys Quarters. Amongst the cars I drive, the most expensive one is a 2013 Toyota RAV4 2.2 litre engine. I do not move around with a convoy of expensive cars. If as a third termer and at fifty-six (56) years of age this is a summary of my life-style as stated above, I have nothing to fear. Can this be said of Hon. Abdulmumini who is less than forty (40) years old and only a second termer? Certainly not, Jagaba said. Hon. Abdulmumini may claim that he has been into business for a long time. But the question remains, what type of business? Before his election in 2011, he was a lecturer. It is a known fact that he was arraigned by the EFCC in 2012 for some shady deals he got involved. It is characters like him who should tremble in fear at the mention of the name of EFCC. I hope I should not have cause to pick up my pen on this issue again, as Hon. Abdulmumini may not find it palatable. My counsel to him, therefore, is: Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. "Jibrin could not be reached for comment for this story. "Mr. Jibrin has repeatedly rejected calls for him to back down on his campaign, saying he wont retreat." READ ALSO: Enjoy surfing on the fastest browser - UC browser Meanwhile, indications emerged Sunday that security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara may be withdrawn on the orders of the Federal Government over the controversy surrounding the 2016 budget. Vanguard reports that a document linking the Majority leader of the House, Femi Gbajabimila with constituency projects worth over N4 billion which is domiciled in Osun and Niger States against the initial N1.8 billion constituency projects allocated to him was in circulation. This is just as the secretariat of the House Appropriation Committee was on Sunday still under the watch of about four security operatives. Security sources hinted that the withdrawal of security aides to the principal officers allegedly fingered in the budget brouhaha was ensure that there was no obstruction on the course of investigations. Investigations revealed that the security personnel that were guiding the appropriation committee secretariat were not the regular operatives from the National Assembly. Meanwhile about 27 civil society organisations have raised the alarm of alleged conspiracy with external forces against the leadership of the House of Representatives, saying that if nothing was done to apply caution, it would threaten the democracy in the country. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the national coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko alongside other 26 CSOs, said "It is disingenuous for the sacked Appropriation committee chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin to make any claims of exposing massive corruption in the House, accusing speaker Yakubu Dogara of moves to personally smuggle N30bn into 2016 budget." He said that the understanding of the powers of the National Assembly seems to say that the legislature is constitutionally empowered to vet proposed budget since these elected officials were not rubber stamps of the president. In the same vein, the Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has broken his silence over the budget padding scandal rocking the lower chamber, following accusations of budget fraud made against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and others by former appropriations committee chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin. Mr Gbajabiamila remained silent since the House descended into a crisis that has drawn the attention of anti-corruption agencies, and sparked calls for the Speaker to step aside. Gbajabiamila gave his position via emails sent to members of the House on Monday, August 1. He confirmed to this newsmen that he disseminated the message in which he asked not to be dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of. Jibrin had last year withdrawn from the speakership race to back Dogara who was then running a tight race against Mr. Gbajabiamila, the then anointed candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress. There were speculations last week that Mr. Jibrin had teamed up with Mr. Gbajabiamila to unseat the Speaker. But Gbajabiamila, through his media aide, Wasiu Olanrewaju, told newsmen that he had no deal with Mr. Jibrin or any problem with Dogaras leadership. He however called for investigation of the allegations, and cautioned against taking sides. The Lagos lawmaker circulated emails to colleagues after some unknown people sent text messages around suggesting he was part of a group working discreetly to force a leadership change in the House. Premium times reports that the anonymous message was sent from phone number 08119106894. It reads: "Plot to destabilize the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the AGF working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin & SGF has (sic) drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the transparency group who recently met with Tinubus wife will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as Deputy. This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi in his allegations. The 8th House wont be anybodys rubber stamp. We will resist them like the senate resisted them." But Gbajabiamila in his email to lawmakers, denied claims made in the anonymous message. He said: Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it. I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of only for the good of the House. The Speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious but I have since worked hard to heal the wounds some of which still fester amongst members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring all tendencies in a House I lead together and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other Principal officers in a bipartisan manner and in the interest of the institution and members. It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform and very quickly too. Yes, allegations have been made but I strongly believe judgment should not be passed based on allegations. We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. This should be our guide. I plead with all members. The mudslinging must stop. This text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilize the House is a throwback and echoes our dark post Speakership election history. The resurfacing or resurgence of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House and let me quickly add that it will fail. In a related development, Linus Okorie, a member of the House of Representatives from Ebonyi state, has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of plotting to remove the speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara and the entire house leadership. The lawmaker claimed the presidency was plotting to do this by capitalizing on the allegations raised by Jibrin Abdulmumin, the former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, who was sacked recently. In a statement issued on Monday, August 1, Okorie, who declared his loyalty to Dogara, said the plot would fail as the speaker and other members of the house had not done anything illegal. Meanwhile Dogara has been advised to resign as to spare himself a national embarrassment that seem imminent. Lagos lawmaker, Moshood Oshun, the chairman of the state House of Assembly committee on public account (for state) gave the advise on Monday, August 1, 2016 as Jibrin delivered petitions to security and anti-graft agencies against Dogara. Oshun said their resignation would allow for effective investigation into the allegations against them by Jibrin. He however warned that the matter should be handled with caution just as he also said he would not take sides or conclude until investigation was fully conducted. Source: Legit.ng Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez never had to feel like an outsider in Bollywood. The Dishoom actor opens up on her B-Town experience. By India Today Web Desk: Jacqueline Fernandez stepped into Bollywood just seven years back. Today, she is a star in her own right working with the biggest stars, being part of 'big' movies, and much is expected of this 30-year-old actor and rightly so. In a recent interview, the Dishoom actor said that she was welcomed "very warmly" into the Hindi film industry and that she was never made to feel like an outsider. WATCH: Jacqueline Fernandez and Tiger Shroff shake *it* hard in Beat Pe Booty from A Flying Jatt ALSO READ: Jacqueline Fernandez wants to do a superhero film ALSO READ: Jacqueline's answer to silence all 'dating Sidharth Malhotra' rumours "Really strangely, I never did (feel like an outsider) because I was welcomed very warmly. I was never really made to feel like an outsider," the Sri Lankan beauty told IANS. advertisement But coming from Sri Lanka, she did not know Hindi, and very obviously had to deal with language issues in Mumbai. "Initially, I had the language problem but that kind of got worked on and people were too very supportive of it and very understanding about it as well," said Fernandez. Jacqueline became a known name in her homeland when she was crowned Miss Universe Sri Lanka in 2006. She then went on to make her Bollywood debut with 2009's Aladin opposite Riteish Deshmukh. She became a sex symbol with the release of 2011's Murder 2 and since then, she has worked with the who's who of Bollywood like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor. Elaborating on her journey so far, Jacqueline said, "I have met some really amazing people along the way who have really kind of helped me in this journey. Without them, none of this would have been possible." Besides doing films, the actor is presently appearing on television as well. She is the judge of the ninth season of the celebrity dance-based show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa on Colors channel. The actor recently appeared in Rohit Dhawan's action film Dishoom starring Varun Dhawan and John Abraham. She will be seen next in choreographer-turned-director Remo D'Souza's upcoming superhero film A Flying Jatt starring Tiger Shroff. By Pramod Madhav: There may be a host of reasons behind Hillary Clinton's decision to run for president, but if an AIADMK MLA is to be believed, it was her meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa that inspired the Democrat leader to throw her hat in the ring. During discussion hour in the Tamil Nadu assembly, Ramu, AIADMK MLA from Coonoor, claimed that one of the main reasons the United States got its first woman presidential candidate was an inspiring visit with Amma herself. MEETING AMMA Ramu said Hillary visited Jayalalithaa back in 2011 as US Secretary of State. That hour-long meeting, he claims, was behind Hillary's firm decision to run for President of the United States. Of course, Hillary did meet Jayalalithaa in 2011 and even invited the CM to visit the US, reportedly to discuss the development that had taken place in Tamil Nadu. advertisement IMPRESSING WITH ENGLISH? Ramu claims that her meeting with Jayalalithaa left Hillary mesmerised and she also came away impressed with Amma's fluency in English. Incidentally, Jayalalithaa had congratulated Hilary Clinton back in July when she was nominated as the Democratic Party candidate. "In creating history, you have given voice and hope to the cause of women empowerment across the world," Jayalalithaa had said, adding that it was a matter of immense pride and satisfaction for all women in the world and particularly for women involved in democratic electoral politics. Of course, while Ramu was sincere about his statement, his claim sparked a laughter riot in the opposition benches. Also read: Why Hillary is a safe bet for India Legit.ng is #1 online trusted source of the latest news in Nigeria. We are covering Nigeria news, Niger delta, world updates, and Nigerian newspaper reviews. We guide our readers to the world of politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion, lifestyle and human interest stories. Speaking at the inaugural function All India Youth Federation conference, JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar said, "In America, Trump says Muslims and blacks should go out and in India, Modi's leadership is also speaking on the same lines against the Muslims, Dalits and other minorities." By Press Trust of India: JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar yesterday alleged that US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were speaking the same language against "Muslims and other minorities". "Both are speaking against Muslims. In America, Trump says Muslims and blacks should go out and in India, Modi's leadership is also speaking on the same lines against the Muslims, Dalits and other minorities", Kumar, who is also leader of All India Youth Federation (AIYF), said. advertisement Speaking at the inaugural function of the three-day National General Council meeting of the AIYSF, he alleged "Facist spokespersons of RSS are propagating anti-Mulsim politics." He also took a swipe at Modi for his comparison of Kerala with Somalia. Kerala being a developed state in education, social and economic sectors and its hospitality attracts people from other states and many parts of the world as well, he said. But Modi had compared such a state to Somalia. "BJP's national council meeting is going to be held in Kozhikode soon and when Modi learns more about Kerala he will realise what he said was a mistake," the AIYF leader said. On the campaign against beef eating, he alleged that "without addressing the basic problems faced by the youth, RSS and BJP are punishing people in the name of cow and flaring up communal feelings in order to divide the people." Also Read Kanhaiya Kumar at India Today Conclave: Kashmir an integral part of India --- ENDS --- Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Rakesh , a businessman, died of multiple organ failure while on a trip to Europe in Brussels (Belgium) on Saturday. By Mail Today Bureau: Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is known for withholding his emotions, on Monday couldn't control his tears, as his son Rakesh was cremated in the presence of his family members, relatives, politicians and thousands of followers in his farmhouse near Mysuru. Politicians, cutting across party lines and forgetting their rivalry, consoled Siddaramaiah and paid their last respects to Rakesh. The last rites of Rakesh Siddaramaiah were performed near Mysuru. ORGAN FAILURE Rakesh (39), a businessman, died of multiple-organ failure while on a trip to Europe in Brussels (Belgium) on Saturday. The CM and his family members had flown to Brussels after hearing about his deteriorating health condition. On Monday, Rakesh's body was brought to Bengaluru from Brussels. Later, his body was taken in a special aircraft flown from Bengaluru to Mysuru. Siddaramaiah and his family members accompanied his son's body all the way from Brussels. His body was kept at a public ground in Mysuru to enable the CM's followers to pay their last respects. advertisement Former CMs HD Kumaraswamy, BS Yeddyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge, AICC General Secretary incharge of Karnataka Digvijaya Singh, ministers in the Congress government and scores of former ministers attended the cremation of Rakesh. ALSO READ: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Rakesh passes away in Belgium Yesterday, king of Nexus rumors Android Police reported that a new launcher could be in the works for the 2016 Nexus devices, previously reported to be manufactured by HTC with the codenames Marlin and Sailfish. The new launcher would bring substantial visual changes to the current Google Now Launcher, but the core user experience would remain largely the same. As APs David Ruddock notes, the first big change is the removal of the app drawer icon. To be clear, the app drawer itself is still there, just the icon has been removed. Early reports around Android Nougat stated that Google was looking to remove the app drawer from Android in a future version, a possibility I vehemently protested, and the removal of the icon could be a compromise from the Mountain View team. Perhaps Google just wanted a way to fit more icons into the dock, meaning the app drawer and its icon had to go. More likely, though, is that Google may be warming its core users up to a future life without the app drawer by making its existence less immediately apparent. For now, though, the drawer lives on and is accessible by swiping up from the new frosted section of the screen that houses your dock apps. There is also a small arrow in the frosted section that you can tap to immediately open the drawer. Once opened, the app drawer is nearly identical to the current Now launcher version, save for a redesigned search bar. To close it, simply swipe down from anywhere that isnt the notification or nav bar, or hit the back button. I dont love the idea of a frosted section, but I understand the need for a visual indication that one area behaves differently than another. It does ruin the simple elegance stock Android has had since it made the notification bar and dock wholly translucent, though, which is a minor step backward. All together, the launcher retains Googles good design sense, and is in general a sleek and modern interface, so there is not much to complain about in actuality. There is also the fact that I have not seen it with my own eyes, and it may look very different once, if ever, it hits Nexus phones, so nitpicks are essentially barbarous. The other big change, and infinitely more noticeable upon a glance, is the removal of the signature Google Search widget. Its been replaced by a calendar widget (which, while handsome, is not removable and thus tragic) and a G button/pull-tab. Tapping the G opens search, but nothing happens if you pull it. One could safely assume that will change in the final release given the orientation of the button screams for it to be pulled. Google is notorious for cutting new software designs at the last minute, so its possible none of this will actually see the light of day. But the evidence is quite strong, especially when you consider the companys push into AI with the Google Assistant, and the likelihood that the new service will play a large role in the 2016 Nexus phones. Removing the search bar may be a visual push to users to utilize the new assistant functionality. Of course, we wont absolutely know for certain until Google unveils Sailfish and Marlin sometime later this year. Usually its in the October-November range, but with reports that Android Nougat could be released as early as this week, we may not have to wait that long this time around. New Maruti S-Cross Facelift receives revised exterior styling with a modified front end boasting of new bonnet, prominent chrome grille, headlights with integrated DRLs and an updated bumper. At the rear, no significant changes are evident while revised bumper and tail lamps were seen. Maruti S-Cross facelift was unveiled in Hungary last year. Already launched in the UK, for a starting price of 14,999 (INR 12.93 lakh), the crossover now gets ready for India launch, which is going to take place this month. Speaking about interior updates, it comes with new instrument cluster with multi information display, a new dashboard design and modified seating with fresh color schemes. It also gets Marutis new touchscreen infotainment system which is powered by SmartPlay. It takes care of rear parking display, navigation, and infotainment. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is also compatible. Engine specifications to be seen on new Maruti S-Cross Facelift will be same as on offer with current S-Cross. This will be in the form of 1.3 liter diesel engine generation 90 PS and 200 Nm. Top of the line variants will get 1.6 liter diesel engine generating 120 PS and 320 Nm. Transmission option on offer will be a 5 speed MT and 6 speed MT. Features on offer with top end will include 17 inch alloys, projector headlamps with LED strips, front and rear parking sensors, wheel arch extensions, heated door mirrors, cruise control with speed limit, dual zone climate control, front fog lamps, roof rails, skid plates, rear privacy glass, radar brake support, leather upholstery, heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, etc. 2017 Maruti S-Cross Facelift will be produced from the companys plant in Manesar. Expect the price to range from INR 8-11 lakhs, ex-showroom. Once launched, it will rival the likes of Renault Duster and Hyundai Creta. More details will be revealed once the car is launched later this month. TVS Motor Company and BMW Motorrad are reportedly working on another product (most likely a naked RR310) BMW Motorrad India has still not updated its entry-level G 310 siblings to BS6 emission norms. Sharing platform with the Apache RR310 at TVS Motor Companys manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, the G 310 R and G 310 GS are two of the most expensive single-cylinder motorcycles available in the country. At an initial asking price of Rs 2.99 lakh and Rs 3.49 lakh ex-showroom, one would find it hard to justify its desirability (especially when compared to a KTM India product). In a few European markets, the G 310 siblings are considered as excellent starter motorcycles. Even in India, both single-cylinder BMW motorcycles offer an enjoyable ride but just not enough for what you pay. However, various reports state that BMW Motorrad India could introduce a massive price cut of up to Rs 75,000 for their BS6 versions read more details. Apparently, the German two-wheeler manufacturer and its Indian partner plan to introduce another motorcycle from the shared platform. Most likely, it would be a naked avatar of the TVS Apache RR 310. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis may have brought about a delay in its development. Chetan Kale has modelled, textured and rendered an interesting BMW G 310 RR concept on Blender. With subtle tweaks, Chetan has added the 2019MY BMW S 1000 RR super sports fairing on a G 310 RR chassis. Alongside its wheels and exhaust, the tail section mostly remains untouched. Even though the TVS RR 310 is a faired G 310 on paper, chances of BMW Motorrad introducing a single-cylinder faired motorcycle in its base portfolio are not bleak. The baby S 1000 RR could be a success in markets such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines where models such as the Yamaha YZF-R15 and Suzuki GSX-R150 are quite popular. On the other hand, the Indian market is already unhappy with the way BMW Motorrad priced the G 310 siblings. This will change if their BS6 updates come with the substantial price drop mentioned above. In the outgoing BS4 format, the BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS make 33.6bhp @ 9,500rpm and 28Nm @ 7,500rom from a 312.2cc liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder motor. The same engine has become BS6-compliant in the 2020MY TVS Apache RR 310. Output figures have witnessed a slight variation at 33.5bhp @ 9,700rpm and 27.3Nm @ 7,700Nm. The 6-speed transmission in the TVS boasts of a slipper clutch as well. BS6 versions of entry-level BMW G 310 series should come in the same configuration. Source Ducati has launched its flagship adventure tourer, Multistrada 1260 Enduro in India. It is available in two colour schemes Red and Sand, and priced at Rs.19.9 lakhs, and Rs.20.23 lakhs, respectively. As compared to the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro, launched in 2016, 1260 Enduro gains in features, electronics and an updated engine. It enters a segment where BMW R 1250 GS, and Triumph Tiger 1200 XCx show off their prowess. New Multistrada 1260 Enduro is open for bookings at company dealerships, and marks a new chapter for true off-road enthusiasts and adventure tourers in India. It is seen with some on road and off road centric features, and comes powered by a 1262 cm3 Ducati Testastretta DVT engine capable of 158 PS power and 128 Nm torque at 7,500 rpm. It receives Ride by Wire and four riding modes of Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro and electronics among which are semi active Sachs suspension at 185mm front and rear and a 30 liter fuel tank capacity offering over 450 km range. Multistrada 1260 Enduro also gains in terms of better ergonomics over its predecessor. It comes in with a new seat, well positioned handlebars and centre of gravity which is lower than that offered on the Multistrada 1200 Enduro. It also gets Ducati Quick Shift Up and Down for enhanced riding experience, fluid upshift and down shift gear meshing and sits on spoked wheels measuring 19 front and 17 rear. The advanced electronics also include 6 axis Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit, Bosch Cornering, Ducati Cornering Lights and Ducati Wheelie Control. DWC and DRC can be set to one of 8 different levels or can be deactivated completely. The company has also added Vehicle Hold Control to the new 1260 Enduro allowing for more efficient uphill starts while the bike also sports a Bosch IMU which interacts with semi active Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) Evolution control system. The on-board electronics and connectivity features can be accessed via a 5, full color TFT screen with Ducati Multimedia System which connects to the riders smartphone via Bluetooth. This allows for access to calls, text messaging and music. Sergi Canovas, Managing Director of Ducati India said, With its debut back in 2016, Multistrada 1200 Enduro made its place among the hearts of adventure motorcyclists and now, Multistrada 1260 Enduro presents a much more refined and an out-and-out adventure biking experience. The all-new adventure tourer is armed with all the necessary credentials to take on the toughest terrains that can be thrown at it. Built to impress, the all-new Multistrada 1260 Enduro is now more accessible and is poised to impress & excite hardcore adventure riders. Occupying the sporty end of the adventure bike spectrum, the Multistrada 1260 Enduro marks an all-new chapter for true off-road enthusiasts and adventure tourers in India. Ducati is offering the Multistrada 1260 Enduro with long maintenance intervals and oil change at 15,000 kms and a Desmo service at 30,000 kms. Bookings have opened at all company dealerships in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. The fifth generation Honda CRV SUV has been launched in India today. Unlike previously, when the SUV was only offered with a petrol engine, this time India gets petrol as well as diesel engine option. New Honda CRV petrol is priced from Rs 28.15 lakhs, while the CRV diesel is priced from Rs 30.65 lakhs. Top end diesel is priced at Rs 32.75 lakhs. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi. First showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo, the new Honda CRV is a premium luxury SUV which is offered as a five seater with petrol variant and as a 7 seater with diesel variant. It receives new comfort and convenience features, many of which are first time being offered in the segment. New Honda CRV dimensions will stand at 4,571 mm length 1,885 mm width and 1,667mm height. Wheelbase is increased by 41mm at 2,662 mm while interior leg room is increased by 53mm. Boot space is also larger. Overall, the car looks much bigger than before. It also looks a lot more attractive and imposing. Though not as imposing as similarly priced other SUVs in the segment. Interior features include a new 7 touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and voice controls. Seats get wrapped in leather while there is a premium touch all across the interiors (wood, leather and metal accents throughout). Features include two zone climate control, USB charging ports at the rear. Second row seating will get reclining seatbacks with dedicated AC vents while driver seat will be way power adjustable. To be offered for the first time with a diesel engine, the 2018 Honda CR-V will be powered by a new 1.6 liter diesel engine offering 120 PS power at 4,000 rpm and 300 Nm torque at 2,000 rpm mated to a new ZF 9 speed automatic gearbox. It will also get a 2.0 liter i-VTEC petrol engine mated to a CVT automatic transmission. There is no manual transmission on offer. Diesel engine claims 14.4 kmpl. The new CR-V will be offered in two wheel and four wheel drive options (only diesel). The new Honda CR-V will compete against the likes of Toyota Fortuner and the upcoming Mahindra XUV700. Hyundai India launched the new Creta in March, while the new Verna was launched last month With over 850 Hyundai Showrooms and 1,000 workshops having opened, with compliance to the strictest guidelines in terms of safety and hygiene, sales have taken off to a good start. Hyundai Motor India Ltd, has announced cumulative sales of 12,583 units for the month of May 2020 with most demand seen for its new Creta, the new Verna facelift, Venue, Elite i20 and Grand i10 NIOS. Cumulative sales of 12,5823 units sold in May 2020, included 6,883 units sold in domestic market and 5,700 units which were exported during the past month. The company strictly abides by all safety and hygiene precautions at all of its plants, showrooms and workshops so as to ensure safety both of its employees and customers with 100 percent social distancing and regular sanitization of facilities. The new Hyundai Verna facelift, which was launched in May 2020, is the companys third major launch this year, following that of the Aura and the second generation Creta. Hyundai Verna facelift was opened for bookings in the month of March 2020 as launch was initially scheduled for the same month. However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the country, this launch was postponed. Hyundai Verna is presented in four variants of S, S+, SX and SX(O). It sports several exterior and interior updates with a front fascia with a dark chrome grille with LED headlamps and LED DRLs. It is also seen with new LED tail lamps, twin tip muffler and new bumper while it sits on new diamond cut alloy wheels. The interiors of the Hyundai Verna facelift is seen with added space. There is an 8 touchscreen AVNT with HD display, digital instrument panel and a 4.2 colour TFT MID. Ventilated seats, wireless phone charger, driver rear view monitor, an electric sunroof and tyre pressure monitoring system are among its updates. It is also a fully connected vehicle and comes in with BlueLink connectivity offering 45 features. The 2020 Hyundai Verna facelift gets 3 BS6 compliant engine options. These include a 1.0 liter turbo GDI petrol engine offering 120 PS power and 172 Nm torque, 1.5 liter petrol capable of 115 PS power and 144 Nm torque and 1.5 liter diesel making 115 PS power and 250 Nm torque. 2020 Hyundai Verna takes on the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento. IAF Chief, Arup Raha has taken his first flight aboard Indias indigenous light compact aircraft Tejas in Bangalore today. Along with this, he has also inaugurated LCA paint hangar at Bengaluru and paid a visit to production line of the aircraft. Indian Air Force has ordered 120 Tejas aircrafts with 100 being its upgraded version. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), manufacturer of LCA Tejas will hand over fourth such aircraft to IAF by end of June 2016. LCA Tejas has been many years in the making. It was supposed to take the place of the obsolete MiG 21 but was bogged down by delays. LCA Tejas has also gained attention of foreign buyers with Sri Lanka and Egypt showing interest in purchasing this fighter jet. However, both countries are keen on the current version of Tejas and not on the upgraded model.LCA Tejas was also in action at the recent Bahrain Air Show as well as the 2016 DefExpo. Twin seater LCA Tejas will comprise first squadron of IAF to be used for training and familiarization. Modifications include Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refueling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles. A total of 6 such aircrafts will be made this year with upgraded Tejas to cost between INR 275 crores and INR 300 crores. These fighter jets are required for tackling threats from both Pakistan and China. IAF is down to just 33 fighter squadrons with 16 to 18 jets which also include obsolete 11 squadrons of MiG 21s and MiG 27. The Tejas squadron with four jets will come up in Bengaluru in July, operating from HAL hanger while it will be shifted to Sulur later. Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier, said he did not desire to escalate the feud with Trump and said, " We are as concerned as Donald Trump is about the safety of this country." Donald Trump got into a feud with Khizr Khan, the father of a slaim Muslim soldier. By Indo-Asian News Service: The father of the slain Muslim US soldier at the centre of a controversial feud with Donald Trump said on Monday he had no desire to escalate the conflict and that it's time to "join hands with good Muslims", even as the Republican presidential candidate attacked him again on Twitter. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama joined the fray later on Monday, implicitly rebuking Trump for his comments, while his party member Senator John McCain condemned businessman-turned-politician's remarks and urged the GOP nominee to "set an example for the US." WE NEED A LEADER TO UNITE US, NOT DISRESPECT US: KHAN Khizr Khan, the soldier's father, was a guest on "New Day" on CNN on Monday with his wife Ghazala Khan, and delivered the criticism of Trump amid an extended plea for unity and empathy. advertisement "Communities coming together is the solution. We are as concerned as Donald Trump is about the safety of this country. We are a testament to the goodness of this country," he said. "We need a leader that will unite us, not disrespect, not by derogatory remarks. I feel bad about the discourse that this campaign, this election campaign has taken." "That's all I wish to convey to him. That a good leader has one trait -- earlier I said -- empathy." Also Read: Father of a Muslim US soldier and ex NYC Mayor tells why Trump is a terrible choice OBAMA BACKS KHAN, SLAMS TRUMP Though Obama's comments to veterans in Atlanta on Monday afternoon didn't mention Trump by name, the President seemed to offer support to Khan's perspective. "No one has given more for our freedom and our security than our Gold Star families," Obama said, adding that those families "represent the very best of our country." "They continue to inspire us every day and every moment," CNN quoted Obama as saying. "They serve as a powerful reminder of the true strength of America." Khan, in his appearance on "New Day", exhorted Trump to take policy steps that would curtail extremism, not exacerbate it. "Let's make those policies and implement them. But let's not create, strengthen the hands of enemies by these remarks, by these statements. Believe me, these statements strengthen their recruitment process," he said. TRUMP HITS BACK: TALK ABOUT RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM But even as the Khans expressed their desire to leave the controversy behind, Trump responded to the criticism during the interview on Twitter. He wrote, "Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and is now all over TV doing the same - Nice!" Trump also tweeted that the focus should be on "radical Islamic terrorism," not the Khans. "This story is not about Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather radical Islamic terrorism and the US. Get smart!" Trump's criticism of the Khans sparked a major attack from the Clinton campaign -- and a severe backlash within his own party. SENATOR McCAIN CONDEMNS TRUMP On Monday morning, Senator John McCain issued a sharply-worded statement condemning Trump's remarks and calling on the GOP nominee to "set an example for our country and the future of the Republican Party". In the statement, McCain wrote: "In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States -- to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." "In the end, I am morally bound to speak only to the things that command my allegiance, and to which I have dedicated my life's work: the Republican Party, and more importantly, the United States of America. I will not refrain from doing my utmost by those lights simply because it may benefit others with whom I disagree, CNN quoted him as saying. Also Read: In US, a campaign to rope in a million Muslims against Donald Trump Khizr Khan shakes US presidential race Trump has black soul, needs counselling on empathy: Khizr Khan 2020 Mahindra KUV100 BS6 CNG is expected to make the same output as its BS4 counterpart The Mahindra KUV100 made its debut back in 2016. While the initial response to the micro-SUV was good, sales started to fall flat within a few months. Later, Mahindra tried to infuse some new life in the product by bringing in a facelift, which too didnt click well. At the moment, the Mahindra KUV100 is offered with four powertrain options. This includes petrol, CNG, diesel and electric as well. The electric version, known as the eKUV100 or KUV100 electric was recently launched at Auto Expo 2020. Now, automotive enthusiast Athavan has spotted a test mule of a BS6-compliant Mahindra KUV100 with a CNG sticker. The test mule seems to be based on a lower-end variant of the regular KUV100. It featured steel rims and non-body coloured door handles. Mahindra is expected to continue with the same mFalcon 1.2 litre petrol motor on the BS6-compliant KUV100 CNG variant. The engine currently dishes out 82bhp and 115Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed MT which sends power to the front wheels. The ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of the current combination is 18.15 km/kg. We dont expect a major change in any of these figures post the BS6 update. With the KUV100, Mahindra had tried to start a new segment of micro-SUVs in the country. However, the plan didnt work out exactly in Mahindras favour. While there are more offerings in the segment, like the S-Presso and Ignis, the overall segment hasnt churned out numbers as per initial estimates. Still, there are other OEMs which are planning to launch their offerings in the segment. These include the HBX from Tata Motors and a new product from Datsun. Talking about Mahindra, the Mumbai-based OEM has been losing market share consistently. Its sales dropped to around 11K units in Feb 20. It also slipped from being the third-largest OEM to being the fifth in the list, behind Kia and Tata Motors. The new generation products from Mahindra were expected to bring in the much-required push to revive sales. However, the delay in their launch might mean more troubled times for Mahindra. The OEM was earlier scheduled to launch the next-generation variants of the Scorpio, Thar and XUV500 this year. Due to certain internal developments, only the next-gen Thar will be brought to the market this year. The next-gen Scorpio and XUV500 will be brought in only in 2021. In the interim, the OEM is updating its existing line-up to make it BS6-compliant. If Paul Simon were to write a song about the bacteria in Richard Lenski's long-term evolution experiment, or LTEE, it could be titled, "Still Changing After All These Years." In a paper published in the current issue of Nature, the Michigan State University John Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and an international team of researchers used cutting-edge technology to study tens of thousands of generations of E. coli bacteria. They sequenced the entire genomes, or genetic code, of the bacteria to pinpoint the genes with beneficial mutations that gave the bacteria a competitive edge over their ancestors. The bacteria from different generations of the LTEE have been stored in freezers for nearly 30 years, but they were brought back to life to look for the changes in their DNA. Being able to go back into the freezer to study samples from years ago is one of the reasons Lenski calls the LTEE "the experiment that keeps on giving." "One of the nice things about such a long-term experiment is that new technologies come along that didn't exist when I started the LTEE in 1988," said Lenski, who's part of MSU's BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action. "The first bacterial genome was not sequenced until 1995, and now, in this single paper, we've sequenced 264 complete genomes from this one experiment." The team sequenced hundreds of E. coli genomes to examine how the bacteria had changed in their DNA over 50,000 generations. The researchers found more than 14,000 changes across the LTEE's 12 populations. Each population changed in different ways, but there were some important commonalities as well. Most significant, and most simply, the mutations were concentrated in a subset of the genes -- those where mutations gave the bacteria a competitive edge. One of the striking differences that arose between populations is that half of them evolved to mutate at much higher rates than the other populations, even though they all started from the same ancestral strain that had a low mutation rate. "Even in the simplest microcosm we can imagine to study evolution -- a single bacterium kept in the laboratory under monotonous conditions for years -- we are learning new things about the rates and processes of evolution," said Jeffrey Barrick, an assistant professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. "This quantitative information is important for human health, as it improves our ability to predict how bacteria evolve, particularly in chronic infections and in our microbiome." This paper is the product of several wonderful collaborations, Lenski said. Noah Ribeck, MSU postdoctoral researcher, developed some of the mathematical theory used to interpret the data. Barrick, a former MSU postdoc in Lenski's lab, created software for analyzing the genomes. Olivier Tenaillon, with Universite Paris Diderot (France), helped lead the study. Researchers from University of Massachusetts, ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Universite Grenoble Alpes (France), Institut de Genomique (France), and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France) also contributed to this research. Lenski's long-term evolution experiment has now surpassed 65,000 generations. His research is funded in part by the National Science Foundation. Migratory birds often use warm, rising atmospheric currents to gain height with little energy expenditure when flying over long distances. It's a behavior known as thermal soaring that requires complex decision-making within the turbulent environment of a rising column of warm air from the sun baked surface of the earth. But exactly how birds navigate within this ever-changing environment to optimize their thermal soaring was unknown until a team of physicists and biologists at the University of California San Diego took an exacting computational look at the problem. In this week's online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists demonstrated with mathematical models how glider pilots might be able to soar more efficiently by adopting the learning strategies that birds use to navigate their way through thermals. "Relatively little is known about the navigation strategies used by birds to cope with these challenging conditions, mainly because past computational research examined soaring in unrealistically simplified situations," explained Massimo Vergassola, a professor of physics at UC San Diego. To tackle the problem, he and his colleagues, including Terrence Sejnowski, a professor of neurobiology at the Salk Institute and UC San Diego, combined numerical simulations of atmospheric flow with "reinforcement learning algorithms" -- equations originally developed to model the behavior and improved performance of animals learning a new task. Those algorithms were developed in a manner that trained a glider to navigate complex turbulent environments based on feedback on the glider's soaring performance. advertisement According to Sejnowski, the "reinforcement learning architecture" was the same as that used by Google's DeepMind AlphaGo program, which made headlines in 2016 after beating the human professional Go player Lee Sedol. When applying it to soaring performance, the researchers took into account the bank angle and the angle of attack of the glider's wings as well as how the temperature variations within the thermal impacted vertical velocity. "By sensing two environmental cues -- vertical wind acceleration and torque -- the glider is able to climb and stay within the thermal core, where the lift is typically the largest, resulting in improved soaring performance, even in the presence of strong turbulent fluctuations," said Vergassola. "As turbulent levels rise, the glider can avoid losing height by adopting increasingly conservative, risk-averse flight strategies, such as continuing along the same path rather than turning." In the two, three dimensional color graphs (shown above), the scientists illustrate how an untrained glider (at left) takes random decisions and descends, while the trained glider (at right) learns to employ the characteristic spiraling patterns in regions of strong ascending currents, as observed in the thermal soaring of birds and gliders. (The colors indicate the vertical wind velocity experienced by the glider. The green and red dots indicate the start and the end points of the trajectory, respectively.) The researchers write in their paper that, based on their study, "torque and vertical accelerations" appear to be the sensorimotor cues that most effectively guide the most efficient soaring path of birds through thermals, rather than differences in temperature. "Temperature was specifically shown to yield minor gains," they write adding that "a sensor of temperature could then be safely spared in the instrumentation for autonomous flying vehicles." "Our findings shed light on the decision-making processes that birds might use to successfully navigate thermals in turbulent environments," said Vergassola. "This information could guide the design of simple mechanical instrumentation that would allow autonomous gliders to travel long distances with minimal energy consumption." "The high levels of soaring performance demonstrated in simulated turbulence could lead to the development of energy efficient autonomous gliders," said Sejnowski, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Other members of the research team were Gautam Reddy, a physicist at UC San Diego and the first author of the paper, and Antonio Celani of the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. The study was supported by a grant from the Simons Foundation. Epilepsy is an extremely common disorder affecting people of all ages, from infants through teenagers to older adults. One of the most mysterious things about this disorder is that about 6 percent of the people with epilepsy have an unusually high incidence of sudden unexpected death. In a paper published today on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine report how a mutation in a gene involved in the regulation of calcium inside brain cells can help trigger blackouts of the brainstem, the center that controls heartbeat and breathing, and increase the risk of sudden unexpected death. "Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy -- SUDEP -- turns out to be the most common cause of premature death in people with epilepsy. It's not accidents or suicide, it's just this unexplained mortality," said senior author Dr. Jeffrey L. Noebels, professor of neurology, neuroscience, and molecular and human genetics and director of the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory at Baylor. "Most people with epilepsy live long lives and do not seem to have an increased risk of SUDEP. But there is a subset of people at additional risk. We have been looking for genes that cause epilepsy to see if any of them might give us a clue as to who might be at risk. Specifically, we have been looking at genes that might explain what appears to be a collapse of the cardiac and respiratory system after a seizure." In their years-long quest to understand the cellular and genetic mechanisms that may trigger SUDEP, Noebels and his colleagues have studied the genes that are involved in the heart beat. Some of these genes already are known to be related to sudden unexpected cardiac death. "We wondered whether some of those same genes could also cause seizures if they were expressed in the brain and, if so, whether those genes would also place people with epilepsy at risk not only for having epilepsy but also an abnormal heart beat and risk of death," said Noebels. "In our first experiments we found several genes that actually filled that description: they are expressed in the brain and the heart, and mutations of those genes cause an abnormal heart beat and epilepsy in mouse models." The researchers then found that these same genes carry an additional risk for a phenomenon called spreading depolarization, a slowly-progressing, temporary electrical blackout of a region in the brain. During a blackout, the brain cells in that area cease their activity until it is restored. "Spreading depolarization is well known in people with migraine headaches," said Noebels. "Many people with migraines have an aura or a sensation before they feel pain. If the blackout occurs in the visual cortex, the region of the brain that helps us see, then the person can suddenly go blind. If it occurs in the motor region of the brain, they become weak on one side of the body. And then they develop a terrible head pain. It's called migraine aura. After 20 to 30 minutes, they recover their vision or their ability to move. Not all migraines have an aura." In 2015, Noebels and Dr. Isamu Aiba, a research fellow in neurology at Baylor, published a paper in Science Translational Medicine in which they described in a mouse model what would happen if spreading depolarization, the blackout of brain activity, occurred deep in the brainstem, which controls the heart beat and breathing. advertisement "We worked with mice carrying genes that predisposed them to epilepsy and premature death. We found that, indeed, it's much easier to trigger these blackouts experimentally in the brainstem of those mice, while in normal mice we could not trigger them at all," said Noebels. "Mice could have seizures and nothing would happen, but then one seizure would finally trigger a blackout event in the brainstem." In the current paper, Noebels and colleagues studied another gene -- RyR2 -- which is also expressed in the heart and known to cause heart problems. They showed that RyR2, which is also expressed in the brain, also causes epilepsy in mice and sets up an electrical surge that makes a fatal blackout likely. "What is especially interesting about RyR2 is that it works inside the cell as a regulator of intracellular calcium. Ions such as calcium are important because they affect the release of neurotransmitters, the molecules that mediate communication between brain cells," said Noebels. "RyR2 is a mutation -- we call it 'leaky' RyR2 -- that increases the normal amount of calcium inside the cell, which, in turn, triggers the release of an increased amount of neurotransmitters. And that increased release of neurotransmitters somehow makes it much easier to trigger a blackout." Noebels is director of the Center for SUDEP Research located at Baylor College of Medicine. Researchers at eight other institutions are members of the Center and are dedicated, like Noebels' group, to increasing the understanding of epilepsy and deadly complications such as SUDEP. The Center and the groups of scientists are supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. For Noebels and colleagues, the discovery of how the "leaky" RyR2 increases the chances of SUDEP is a step forward toward a future in which neurologists could sit with a patient and their family and have a conversation about the possibility of offering accurate prediction of the risks of SUDEP and effective interventions. Isamu Aiba and Xander Wehrens, both with Baylor College of Medicine, also were contributing authors of this paper. Support for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health Center for SUDEP Research Grants NS090340 and NS29709; NIH HL089598, HL091947, HL117641, and HL129570; American Heart Association Grants 13EIA14560061 and 14POST20130031 and the Blue Bird Circle Foundation. Oxford researchers are developing a tool to make it much easier and cheaper to diagnose pneumonia -- the number one killer of children under 5. Their latest research is published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Currently, correctly diagnosing pneumonia and understanding how severe it is requires specialist doctors and expensive equipment like X-ray machines. Neither is available to community health workers in developing nations, where 99% of the annual 1.1 million childhood pneumonia deaths happen. Elina Naydenova from Oxford University's Institute for Biomedical Engineering explained: 'With the nearest hospital hours away, generalist health workers depend on a set of guidelines known as IMCI. These can sometimes be good at identifying cases of pneumonia but not so good at screening out cases that are not pneumonia. There is also huge variability across users. In settings, where there isn't a clinical expert to set a conclusive diagnosis, the number of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions has increased as a result -- depleting vital drug supplies and adding to the problem of antibiotic-resistant infections. We wanted to apply smart engineering to develop a robust automated system that was consistently more accurate.' Accurate diagnosis can cut death rates by 42% but involves more than just correctly identifying if a child has pneumonia. Health workers also need to judge how severe the infection is to decide whether a child needs referral to hospital, and whether the infection is bacterial or viral to decide if antibiotics will have any effect. However, they need to be able to do all this with only a basic set of easily portable equipment. For an automated system to be effective, it needs to be able to work with data from that basic equipment, so the Oxford team took the in depth data from a clinical study in the Gambia and used machine learning techniques to see whether they could develop an algorithm that could diagnose pneumonia. Elina said: 'For identifying pneumonia we found four features that can be measured with two pieces of equipment. Heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation can all be measured using a pulse oximeter. Temperature requires a thermometer. These are things that can be made available to a health worker with basic training. 'Using these four measures, we achieved 98.2% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity [ie -- they could correctly identify 982 out of every 1000 pneumonia cases and only falsely identified pneumonia in 25 of every 1000 people without the disease], compared to IMCI, where the best performance is 94% sensitivity and 69% specificity.' By adding an assessment of two lung sounds, using a stethoscope, the team were able to work out the severity of an infection with 72.4% sensitivity and 82.2% specificity (IMCI achieves 79.3% and 67.7% respectively). Adding a test for the biomarker C Reactive Protein (CRP) delivered 89.1% sensitivity and 81.3% specificity, although the team point out that this would involve additional cost. Finally, by assessing heart and respiratory rates and oxygen saturation in tandem with a biomarker called Lipocalin-2, the team could identify whether pneumonia was bacterial or viral with 81.8% sensitivity and 90.6% specificity. When IMCI was applied, it was 100% sensitive to severe bacterial infection but 0% specific -- all severe viral cases would also have been prescribed antibiotics that would have made no difference. Whilst low-cost tests for these biomarkers are not yet commercially available, a number of research teams around the world are already looking into developing such tests for use in resource-constrained settings. Elina said: 'We have identified a set of features that could offer an alternative to the combination of X-rays and blood cultures only available in a well-equipped hospital. These will be used in a mobile application linked to a set low-cost diagnostic equipment, which we will be trialling in the next couple of years.' New observations recently published in Nature Communications show that warm deep water also reaches the large Filchner ice shelf in the southern Weddell Sea. Warm ocean water of open ocean origin is continuously flowing into the cavities below the ice shelves in the Amundsen and Bellinghausen Sea, west of the Antarctic peninsula, thus melting them from below. New observations recently published in Nature Communications show that warm deep water also reaches the large Filchner ice shelf in the southern Weddell Sea. This ice shelf is located in a cold part of Antarctica, where the water on the wide continental shelf separating the ice shelf from the deep ocean mostly is at or below the surface freezing point of -1.9C and melt rates below the ice shelf is accordingly low. New winter time observations We know that pulses of warm deep water are lifted up on the continental shelf during summer, but the warm water has never before been observed as far south as the Filchner ice shelf. Our observations show that the warm water intrusions continue to flow southward during the autumn, reaching further south than what we previously thought. We dont know how much of this water that enters the ice shelf cavity, but the strong tidal currents in the region will bring it at least a couple of kilometers into the cavity, says Elin Darelius, researcher at the University of Bergen, Uni Research and the Bjerknes Centre. This is probably not a new phenomenon; we simply have not observed it before. The southern Weddell Sea is covered by heavy sea ice during winter and our research ships can only access the area during the short Austral summer. During the summer cruises we observe the summer inflow of warm water onto the shelf, but when it reaches the ice shelf front a couple of months later were long gone. In January 2013 Elin Darelius led a scientific cruise onboard a British ice breaker to the Filchner ice shelf. They installed instrumentation to measure temperature, salinity and currents in the water just north of the ice shelf front. A year later the instrumentation was recovered and the results are sensational enough to be published in Nature communications. Wind driven The new observations can also explain what drives the southward flow of warm water: it is driven by the wind. When the wind blows along the coast in the east, it sets up a current that then follows the topography southward towards the ice shelf. advertisement There is a clear connection between the currents we observe and the wind. When the wind picks up, it takes about 15-20 hours for the ocean current build up, explains Darelius. In 2011 a dozens of Weddell Seals in the region were equipped with oceanographic sensors, and one of them chose to spend the winter at the Filchner Ice shelf front. Every time it dove to the bottom in search of food the oceanic properties were registered. During that winter, no warm water was observed to reach the ice shelf front. According to Darelius, it is the wind that determines how much warm water that enters the continental shelf and how far south it reaches. A group of German researchers have earlier presented results from a climate model suggesting that the relationship between the wind and the warm inflow will cause the inflow to increase as the wind forcing changes in the future. The melt rates below the Filchner ice shelf would then increase dramatically. Their results have been questioned since the model that was used is relatively coarse, but Darelius points out that the new observations show that the relevant mechanism appears to be correct. Moving ice from land to sea The ice shelves that fringes Antarctica are typically hundreds of meters thick and they are the floating extension of the thick ice sheet inland that covers more than 98% of Antarctica. In the German predictions the ice shelf melt increases dramatically. The ice shelf then thins, and it can no longer hold back the inland ice which accelerates towards the sea. As ice is moved from land to the sea the sea level rises. The contribution to sea level rise from the melting of Antarctic ice is expected to increase in the future, but the uncertainty regarding the rate and quantity is large. Researchers from Germany and the UK are currently leading a large European project around the Filchner ice shelf of which researchers from Bergen and the Bjerknes center are a part. We are installing instrumentation below, within, on and in front of the Filchner ice shelf. We need to understand how the system functions today to be able to say something about how it might change as our climate change, says Darelius. In January she returns south to install new instrumentation, this time together with a French expedition. Meanwhile, her colleague Svein sterhus at Uni research will join a German group that are to drill through the ice to install oceanic instrumentation in the ice shelf cavity. Geoscientists from Heidelberg University have discovered accumulations of magma in the Andes sufficient to have set off a super-eruption but which, in fact, did not. Such eruptions, which expel enormous quantities of magma, are the largest volcanic events on earth. Together with colleagues from the USA, researchers from the Institute of Earth Sciences discovered that magma volumes of supervolcanic proportions have been continuously accumulating in the Altiplano-Puna region since the last super-eruption nearly 2.9 million years ago. These magmas, however, did not reach the surface to trigger a catastrophic eruption but instead slowly cooled at depth and hardened into plutonic rock. The results of the research were published in the journal Geology. "A supervolcanic eruption spews out more than 1,000 cubic kilometres of magma, which accumulated over time in reservoirs close the earth's surface," explains Prof. Dr Axel Schmitt of the Institute of Earth Sciences. "In turn, these reservoirs are fed from deeper layers in the earth's crust and the underlying mantle. During an eruption, the overlying rock layers collapse into the empty magma chamber and form depressions, known as calderas, of up to 100 kilometres in diameter." Axel Schmitt indicates that there have been at least seven super-eruptions in the Altiplano-Puna region within the last ten million years, the most recent one about 2.9 million years ago. What remains unclear is why no further major eruptions have occurred since then and whether the region can now be considered inactive for such events. Using samples from five comparatively small lava domes in northern Chile and southeast Bolivia, the Heidelberg researchers and their American colleagues investigated the most recent eruptions whose chemical composition matches the supervolcanic magmas from the region. They determined the age of very small zircon crystals from these lava flows with the aid of a high-spatial-resolution mass spectrometer. "The mineral zircon forms almost exclusively in magmas, so its age revealss when those magmas were present under the volcano," explains Axel Schmitt. "The astonishing result was that the ages of the zircons measured from all five of the smaller volcanoes extended continuously from the time of the eruption 75,000 years ago back to the last supervolcanic eruption." Prof. Schmitt reports that model calculations demonstrated that zircon formation is only possible over such protracted durations if the inflow of magma amounted to approx. one cubic kilometre over 1,000 years, which is unusually high for a relatively small volcano. "This means that over a long period of time a magma volume of supervolcanic proportions must have accumulated under the five lava domes, which then solidified into plutonic rock at depth." The volcanologist explains that the lack of a major volcanic eruption does not necessarily indicate that magmatic activity has come to a complete halt. Perhaps the rise in magma from deeper regions merely slowed during the last 2.9 million years, forming an enormous body of rock known as a pluton. "However, our results also show that a relatively small increase in the long-term magma recharge from about one to five cubic kilometres in 1,000 years would recreate conditions favouring a catastrophic supervolcanic eruption. A new super-eruption in the Altiplano-Puna region would be possible, but only after a long lead time," explains Prof. Schmitt. Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of California in Los Angeles also contributed to the research. All material things appear to be made of elementary particles that are held together by fundamental forces. But what are their exact properties? How do they affect how our universe looks and changes? And are there particles and forces that we don't know of yet? Questions with cosmic implications like these drive many of the scientific efforts at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Three distinguished particle physicists have joined the lab over the past months to pursue research on two particularly mysterious forms of matter: neutrinos and dark matter. Neutrinos, which are abundantly produced in nuclear reactions, are among the most common types of particles in the universe. Although they were discovered 60 years ago, their basic properties puzzle scientists to this date. Alexander Friedland, a senior staff scientist in SLAC's Elementary Particle Physics Theory Group, works on techniques that pave the way for future analyses of neutrino bursts from supernovae. Studying the details of these powerful star explosions helps scientists understand how dying stars spit out chemical elements into deep space. Natalia Toro and Philip Schuster, associate professors of particle physics and astrophysics at SLAC, look for something even more enigmatic. They develop ideas for experiments that search for hidden particles and forces linked to dark matter, an invisible form of matter that is five times more prevalent than ordinary matter. "Alex, Natalia and Philip are significant additions to the SLAC family, whose outstanding expertise tremendously strengthens our research in areas of national priority," says JoAnne Hewett, head of the lab's Elementary Particle Physics Division. Neutrino physics and dark matter research are among the five science drivers for U.S. particle physics identified in 2014 by the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel. Neutrino research also ranked high in the 2015 long-range plan for nuclear science issued by the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee. advertisement Neutrinos from Across the Country and from Across the Galaxy One of the major neutrino projects with SLAC involvement is the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at the planned Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) -- the world's flagship neutrino experiment for the coming decade and beyond. Researchers will send a neutrino beam produced at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois to the Sanford Underground Facility in South Dakota. After travelling 800 miles through the Earth, some of these neutrinos will be detected by the DUNE Far Detector, which will eventually consist of four 10,000-ton modules of liquid argon located 4,850 feet underground. The ultrasensitive neutrino "eye" will measure how the three known types of neutrinos, called flavors, and their antiparticles morph from one into another during their underground journey. This study will provide crucial insights into the relative masses of neutrino flavors and the possibility that antineutrinos behave differently than neutrinos, which could potentially help explain why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter. The experiment will also follow up on hints that there may be more than three neutrino flavors in nature. "To help DUNE reach its full potential, my work addresses a number of fundamental questions," says Friedland, SLAC's first neutrino theorist, who joined the lab in the summer of 2015. "How can additional neutrinos be incorporated into our theories? Are there also additional forces? Is there a link between neutrinos and dark matter? How do neutrinos interact with atomic nuclei in the detector material?" In addition to neutrinos from Fermilab, DUNE will also be able to detect very brief neutrino bursts from supernovae -- powerful explosions of massive stars with cores that can no longer resist gravity and collapse to form dense neutron stars. advertisement "Such a burst should be an exquisite probe of neutrino properties," Friedland says. "Our goal is to understand how to read the signal and optimize our detector for it." Supernova explosions are important events in the universe. They inject chemical elements, synthesized inside stars over their lifetimes, into space, including crucial elements of life. Friedland hopes that DUNE's data will reveal never-before-seen details in the related neutrino bursts that could open a window into the processes inside dying stars. "Our calculations show that those neutrino signals have a certain time structure that is linked to what's going on in the star," he says. "Measuring these minute details could help us understand the different stages of a supernova, from the collapse of the star's core to the outward propagation of powerful shock waves." Such detailed analysis can only be done by looking at neutrinos. Unlike other particles, which frequently interact with their surroundings on their way out of the star and therefore carry the imprint of this complicated environment, neutrinos stream out nearly undisturbed and deliver direct information about the processes in which they were set free. "Supernovae go off without warning, and detectable ones don't occur very often," says Friedland, who co-leads the DUNE supernova working group. "Although the next supernova neutrino burst may be a decade or more away, what will be seen then is affected by crucial decisions about the detector design made now. My job is to make sure that we'll be prepared." SLAC provides a unique environment for the pursuit of this line of research, according to Friedland. "The lab is building a strong neutrino program, with experimentalists and theorists working closely together," he says. "It also unites a number of disciplines under one roof that stimulate and complement each other, from particle physics to astrophysics to computing." Before coming to SLAC, Friedland was at Los Alamos National Laboratory, first as a Richard P. Feynman Fellow and then as a staff scientist. He received his doctorate in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000 and pursued postdoctoral research at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey from 2000 to 2002. In addition to neutrinos, Friedland's studies look into unknown ultraweak forces in nature, extra dimensions beyond space and time and the effect of postulated particles on the evolution of stars. Searching for 'Light Dark Matter' Another burning question researchers around the world are yearning to answer is: What is dark matter? With 85 percent of all matter in the universe being dark, this invisible substance has tremendous influence on how the cosmos evolves. Although scientists know that dark matter exists because it gravitationally pulls on ordinary matter, they have yet to find out what it is made of. At SLAC, Natalia Toro and Philip Schuster search for entire dark sectors of hypothetical particles and forces that could be linked to dark matter. "We work on a number of small-scale experiments that have a real shot at discovering what dark matter is or what it isn't," Schuster says. "Unlike most dark matter searches, which focus on rather massive particles, we look for much lighter ones, in a mass range that is surprisingly unexplored." The researchers participate in two experiments that hunt for light dark matter at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia: the Heavy Photon Search (HPS), for which the scientists developed the theoretical framework, and the A Prime Experiment (APEX), which they co-lead. Both experiments hope to catch a glimpse of dark photons -- hypothetical carriers of a new force -- that could potentially be produced when powerful electron beams slam into a target. Toro and Schuster are also members of a collaboration that proposed a third experiment at Jefferson Lab to search for dark matter, the Beam Dump Experiment (BDX). Similar searches could also be done at SLAC once the upgrade to the lab's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is complete. The future LCLS-II will produce X-rays from a rapid sequence of electron bunches -- up to a million per second -- that will fly through the facility's linear particle accelerator. "We're developing ideas for an experiment that would use the dark current of LCLS-II's electron beam," Toro says. "This is a small number of unused electrons in between the main bunches that we could extract and shoot into targets for light dark matter searches." A proposal based on this concept is the Light Dark Matter Experiment (LDMX), whose young collaboration is led by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Minnesota and SLAC. At the moment, the parasitic use of LCLS-II is only an idea, but Toro and Schuster have already teamed up with members of SLAC's Accelerator Directorate to think about how these experiments could be designed and, most importantly, operated without interfering with X-ray laser operations. Together they are exploring the possibility for a future facility for Dark Sector Experiments at LCLS-II (DASEL). "The lab has a unique culture of vibrant collaborations," Toro says. "It creates an ideal environment to follow through with our projects from beginning to end. Here we can establish the theoretical foundation, work on the engineering aspects and turn them into successful experiments, all in one place." The husband-and-wife team joined SLAC's faculty on Dec. 1, 2015. In addition to their work on dark sectors, the couple shares a variety of other research interests, such as searching for new physics in data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European particle physics laboratory, and making theories that aim at better understanding the spin of massless particles. "It's great to share your passion for the most basic aspects of nature also outside work," Schuster says. "We amplify each other's excitement and hold each other to high standards. On top of that, it's also a lot of fun to go off on wild research adventures and explore new places together." If you wish to witness nature's fury in it's full form, volcanic eruptions are the best option. But what if the volcano was sporting a beaming smile while spewing fiery lava? By India Today Web Desk: The Kilauea volcano seems to be in the Halloween mood a wee bit early. Image of a mysterious Halloween-pumpkin like volcano spotted in Kilauea volcano located in Hawaii was captured by photographer Mick Kalber of Paradise Helicopters. The tour company which organises scenic flyovers of the Hawaiian Islands, shot this mysterious emoji-like formation during a helicopter ride over the Puu Oo Crater. advertisement WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: The volcano Kilauea nicknamed Big Island in Hawaii has been active since 1983 and the smiley face in the 25 meter deep carter formed way back in February but it has recently gone viral, thanks to the footage released by Paradise Helicopters. Kilauea is considered one of the world's most active volcanoes and its lava has reached the Pacific ocean for the first time since 2013. Watch the stunning video of molten lava spilling into the ocean: --- ENDS ---

Soi Dog Foundation

When a neighbor saw the puppy chewing on his shoes, he chased the dog away and confronted the owner. The owner apologized for the 9-month-old puppy's behavior and offered to pay for the damage. Instead of taking payment, the neighbor took a large sword and hacked off the puppy's front legs. The owner rushed the puppy, named Cola, to a veterinary clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, but she didn't think the puppy would survive. Cola had lost a lot of blood, and infection had set in. Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Guy Falls In Love With His Little Meatball Of A Foster Dog The clinic did what it could for Cola, but wasn't equipped to fully treat his injuries. When animal lovers learned about Cola, they alerted Soi Dog Foundation, a nonprofit group that helps homeless, neglected and abused dogs and cats in Thailand. Soi Dog offered to cover the costs to send Cola to iVet, a specialist clinic in Bangkok. Cola managed to recover, but his owner was terrified to take him back home. The neighbor would serve a month in jail for his crime under Thailand's newly enacted Animal Welfare Act, but the owner worried Cola would be poisoned or hurt again following the ordeal. When Soi Dog offered to take Cola into its care, the owner was relieved and grateful. Cola spent a couple months recovering at iVet. The veterinary staff fitted Cola with a wheelchair contraption so he could get around, but he quickly learned how to hop on his back legs like a kangaroo. "Cola is very clever and adapted rapidly," John Dalley, cofounder of Soi Dog, tells The Dodo. Cola might have found a way to get around, but he still faced incredible mobility issues. So Dr. Aom at iVet used her engineering expertise to create prosthetics for Cola. On the day Cola got fitted with his prosthetics, Gill Dalley, the other cofounder of Soi Dog and John's wife, visited Cola for the first time. Gill herself had lost both her legs after contracting septicemia, a serious blood poisoning condition, when she was trying to rescue a stray dog in 2004. The connection between Cola and Gill was instant. "A very special bond began to develop," says John. "Gill and Cola quickly became best friends - they definitely have a unique bond of love and empathy." Gill and Cola's love for each other was so strong that Gill decided to adopt Cola. Gill and John arranged for Cola to fly to the Thai island of Phuket so he could live with them. With his new prosthetics, Cola can now enjoy walks with his new family, but John explains that they still have to be careful. "We have to do this slowly as his stumps can soon develop sores," says John. "Gill fully understands this. When she lost her own legs, it took her time before she could wear her prosthetics all day." Cola is also free to chew whatever he wants, and as much as he wants. Gill and John certainly prefer for him to chew on his dog toys, but they don't get angry when he chews on his prosthetic straps ... which John says he often does! This is the way Hank's incarceration comes to an end. Not with a bang. But with two tiny words written on a Facebook post that were heard around the world. "Hank's home." After spending 19 nights in a government kennel - every one of them sleepless for both the dog accused of being a pit bull and the family he was torn from - Hank was reunited with his family on Tuesday afternoon. This browser does not support the video tag. Leonard Collins When he was returned to his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hank ran to his owners, Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows. And the family dog licked away the best kind of tears. "When he ran to us, Joanne cried," Collins told The Dodo. "We were both delighted to see him." And then came the hugs. Leonard Collins The first thing his family did was take him for a walk to get reacquainted with his old neighborhood. But things had changed since Hank's incarceration. Everyone, it seemed, knew the dog. Several times, people stopped Hank in the streets to wish him well. Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend Leonard Collins And Hank, despite his time away, seemed in the best of spirits - even though he had to wear a muzzle in public, as a condition of his release. Leonard Collins On July 14, Hank was seized from his family home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on suspicion of being a pit bull - even though his owners, Collins and Joanne Meadows, maintained he's a cross between a Labrador and a Staffordshire bull terrier. Still, the law - Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 - appeared to paint breeds in the broadest brush strokes. Leonard Collins Collins and Meadows weren't home at the time. So authorities - eight police officers and four dog wardens - simply left a note. From there, Hank was ushered to an unknown location. He would have no access to his family. For his first few days, he never left his kennel. Leonard Collins But outside of those cold walls, the prisoner of Belfast found a voice. In all, around 300,000 people signed a petition demanding the dog's release. The swell of support for Hank captured headlines around the world. And on July 28, the Belfast City Council announced it would give Hank an exemption. "This means that, although assessed by an appropriate expert to be a pit bull terrier type, he can be returned to his owners, following court approval with conditions, most of which are mandatory under this legislation," the council noted in a release sent to The Dodo. Leonard Collins But Collins says what truly saved Hank's life was the massive tide of public support. "It was the primary factor," he says. "Without that, Hank might have never gotten out." Leonard Collins Indeed, while Hank is back where he belongs, so many dogs - and their families - continue to be victimized by breed-specific legislation. From the U.K. to Canada to the U.S., dogs are being seized and put down for no other reason than the way they look. Leonard Collins

Vicki Kiely

A young elephant who was being paraded along a beach in Phuket, Thailand, for tourists wasn't supposed to be there at all. A microchip revealed that Nang Chok, who is estimated to be 5 or 6 years old, was smuggled from the Surin province, over 700 miles away. The young elephant was forced to give rides in the heat. | Vicki Kiely The man who led Nang Chok along the beach (by her ear) in searing heat is now in custody for smuggling her from where she was born. "She's been here a couple months for sure," Vicki Kiely, an animal advocate living in Thailand, told The Dodo. "She was there working all day and it has been 100 degrees or more some days." Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Wild Horse Loves To Play With A Little Donkey The littered yard where the young elephant was kept alone | Vicki Kiely "She is very gentle and well-behaved," Kiely said. "But we know how they become so 'well-behaved.'" This browser does not support the video tag. Vicki Kiely Kiely is referring to the "training crush," the practice of crushing elephants' spirits so that they can become tame for tourist attractions, like elephant treks. And Thailand is a hot spot for this kind of treatment. A 2010 report from World Animal Protection surveyed 1,688 captive elephants at 118 establishments across the country found that most of these elephants were in terrible shape. Vicki Kiely "Cruelly taken from the wild or bred in captivity, these elephants are separated from their mothers and family groups at just a few months old," the report said. "Elephants destined for the tourist industry experience great physical and mental trauma. Isolation, starving, hitting and beating are just some of the methods used to initially break their spirits and get them to behave and perform." For elephants, being apart from other elephants is cruel enough, since these animals are very social by nature. Girl elephants, like Nang Chok, stay with their families for their whole lives in the wild. Vicki Kiely Nang Chok is temporarily under the care of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office. "We will hold Nang Chok for 30 days until a suitable location has been chosen, where we will send her," Surajit Witchuwan, of the Livestock Office, told the Phuket News. But Kiely worries that Nang Chok will wind up in an elephant trekking camp, where she'd be forced to give rides to tourists, rather than a sanctuary. While Nang Chock's fate remains uncertain, advocates are trying to get her moved to a sanctuary rather than a trekking attraction. Vicki Kiely It didn't take long for villagers in southern India to realize there was a problem with the water supply. It was highly unusual for the local well to make nightmarish howling and screeching sounds. When someone peered over the edge, the problem was quickly identified. Yup. Leopard at the bottom of the well. How exactly that leopard managed to become trapped at the bottom of a 60-foot hole wasn't immediately clear. But what was obvious? The animal would soon drown. Someone tossed a bundle of branches down the well into the water to act as a life preserver - and the 3-year-old female leopard readily clambered aboard. Wildlife SOS India Soon, a team arrived at this small village in Maharashtra, India, from Wildlife SOS, a rescue organization with a history of saving animals from bad situations. The group, led by veterinarian Ajay Deshmukh and joined by officials from the state forestry department, realized hauling an understandably skittish wild animal from a very deep hole would prove no easy task. "Due to lack of proper net covers," a forestry department official said in a press release, "a large number of wells in rural Maharashtra villages remain exposed, thereby increasing the risk of wild animals getting trapped in them." The team opted to lower a crate down to the struggling leopard. But at first, the dangling box didn't exactly scream, 'Here to help!' to the animal. Instead, it seemed to make the leopard angry enough to take a few swipes at it - swipes that sent her perilously off balance. Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Guy And Wild Shark Have Been Best Friends For Decades This browser does not support the video tag. Wildlife SOS India But with persistence from her rescuers, the leopard got a little more curious about the box. Or, at least, she realized her options were slim to none. With slim having just left town. This browser does not support the video tag. Wildlife SOS India The leopard finally seemed to accept the lifeline, first chewing a little on the edge before clambering inside. This browser does not support the video tag. Wildlife SOS India It wasn't easy to find the tiniest resident of a bustling animal shelter in Southern California. The 2-month-old Chihuahua was cowering at the very back of the very last kennel. Almost as if he didn't want to be found. Marley's Mutts But there was something about the puppy, who would come to be called Little Crow, that stood out to Amy Klein, who works with the animal rescue group Marley's Mutts. "His head was absolutely enormous," she tells The Dodo. Marley's Mutts Not only that, he only seemed to walk only in wobbly circles. They were the telltale signs that Little Crow suffered from hydrocephalus, which is essentially water on the brain. But nothing else about Little Crow added up. He was supposedly found on the streets as a stray. "I can't imagine what that means, given his size, but a lot of times people will turn in animals and say they found them as a strays, as opposed to saying the truth," Klein says. "It costs money to surrender one of your pets." Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Guy And Wild Shark Have Been Best Friends For Decades Marley's Mutts Then there was the fact that Little Crow should be blind due to the fluids weighing on his central vision center. But he not only sees his world, he pounces on it. This browser does not support the video tag. Marley's Mutts And he's supposed to be able to use only 20 percent of his brain. Yet he listens to commands and already knows how to sit. This browser does not support the video tag. Marley's Mutts Did we mention that if the fluids were drained, his brain would literally collapse? Or that he shouldn't be around at all? He was scheduled to be put down just a few days after Klein found him. Don't tell any of that to Little Crow. You see, since he's been pulled from the shelter and taken in by a loving foster family, he thinks he's just a puppy. He loves stuffed toys. This browser does not support the video tag. Marley's Mutts And looking at himself in the mirror. It's hard to blame him. Marley's Mutts Because the fluids in his brain couldn't be drained, Little Crow was put on medication in the hopes the swelling would ease. And it did. "His brain swelling has gone down considerably," Klein notes. "To the point of his eyes are no longer bulging on the sides of his skull." Now, when he visits the clinic for a checkup, veterinarians gather around him because this is what a medical miracle looks like. This browser does not support the video tag. Marley's Mutts "The doctors are so flabbergasted that when he was brought in for his meeting with the neurologist, other veterinarians at the hospital came running to meet him," Klein explains. Little Crow, true to the great Native American leader he was named after, is a warrior. He may not live the longest life. He may someday develop seizures or crippling headaches. But if Little Crow has taught us anything, it's that no one should bet against a miracle. And that even impossible dogs have a heart full of possibilities. Marley's Mutts

Tiana Cabana

XO was found wandering the streets of Brockton, Massachusetts, all alone and in terrible condition. He had no collar or microchip, and was taken in by the City of Brockton Animal Control. Second Chance Rescue NYC When he arrived at the shelter, 1-year-old XO weighed only 15 pounds. After being checked out by a vet, it was determined that he suffered from demodectic mange, as well as a severe secondary skin infection. Dodo Shows Soulmates Pig Loves To Launch Himself Onto His Dad's Lap Despite his health issues, XO was an extremely happy little guy. He loved attention from anyone who would give it to him, and really just wanted to play and be loved, despite his uncertain past. XO also suffered from "happy tail" when he came into the shelter - meaning he was so excited after being rescued that he wagged his tail until it bled. "Although he has been through it all in such a short amount of time, that doesn't get him down," Alyssa Ellman of Second Chance Rescue NYC told The Dodo. "He is truly so outgoing and loves to follow you around, wag his tail and take treats from you." The shelter contacted Ellman and Second Chance in hopes that they could help secure a foster home for the tiny puppy. Before long, XO was pulled from the shelter. As soon as Ellman met him, she fell in love and knew it would not be hard to find him a home. "The second I got to animal control and I saw his face and looked into his eyes, I couldn't help but tear up," Ellman said. "Seeing that tiny boy in such bad condition breaks my heart." Ellman chose XO's name because despite his condition, all he wanted to do was give hugs and kisses to everyone he met. XO is now in a loving foster home and doing much better than when he was first brought in. He's gained 10 pounds since his rescue, but still has a long road to recovery in terms of his mange and skin infection. Luckily, he has the best home to recover in, with a foster mom who loves him very much. Second Chance Rescue NYC NewLeaf Travel, a Winnipeg upstart offering discount airfares, is taking direct aim at its main critic, filing a defamation lawsuit against the consumer advocate who has raised concerns about its operations. The company, which launched last month after a false start over licensing questions earlier this year, is accusing Gabor Lukacs, a self-described airline passenger rights advocate, of an unrelenting, aggressive and malicious attack, targeted at NewLeaf and at NewLeafs potential and existing customers. The statement of claim, filed in Manitoba last month, alleges that Halifax-based Lukacs, is making false and malicious statements on his Airline Passengers Rights page on Facebook and in Twitter posts, suggesting NewLeaf is operating illegally. NewLeaf Travel, which calls itself a low-cost air travel company, originally announced plans to begin operating in February. But when questions emerged about whether NewLeaf needed to be licensed by the Canadian Transportation Agency, it suspended sales in January and refunded customers. After a review, the Canadian Transportation Agency sided with NewLeaf, arguing it was merely a ticket reseller and not an airline, as it contracts all flying including pilots and flight attendants with Kelowna-based Flair Air. As a result, the agency deemed it not to be an airline, and it does not need a licence, or does not need to put down a significant deposit. Lukacs was not satisfied with that ruling, and has filed a formal appeal of the agencys decision, with a hearing expected in the fall. Lukacs has repeatedly cautioned travellers not to buy a ticket with NewLeaf, saying they have no recourse should NewLeaf go out of business. And on the eve of NewLeafs launch in late July, Lukas also filed an injunction request, arguing NewLeaf should be required to put up $3.7 million in financial security, to ensure passengers wont be stranded anywhere. For an extended period of time, NewLeaf Travel Company has been criticized by one individual, said NewLeafs president and CEO Jim Young in an emailed statement. Fair criticism is always welcome, Young said. When that criticism crosses the line and provides statements of fact which are incorrect or correct facts which are utilized and converted to unsupported theories and conjecture NewLeaf Travel Company must take steps to protect its public image. NewLeaf said it has sent copies of the lawsuit on July 18 as well as July 26, the same email address Lukacs uses for his appeal of the CTA decision. But Lukacs says he has not received any lawsuits by email. He said he wrote to NewLeafs lawyer Brian J. Meronek on Monday, advising him of his address in Leicester, England, where Lukacs is currently staying while attending a conference, and urged NewLeaf to serve him there. For the past eight years, I have been assisting passengers and advocating for the rights of the travelling public. I have done so as a public service, said Lukacs in an email to the Star on Tuesday. I have not made any statement about NewLeaf that is not factual, or based on documentation or the law, he added. Jeremy Cooperstock, a McGill University professor who has long been at odds with United Airlines, sees NewLeafs actions as an effort to silence a critic. They are taking a page right of out United Airlines playbook, trying to silence a critic with onerous proceedings, said Cooperstock. Cooperstock has been sued twice by United over his website Untied.com, and is awaiting a decision from a Quebec judge, after hearings were held in the spring. A separate lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in Federal Court in December. SHARE: ST. PETERS BAY, P.E.I.After almost eight years on the market, a massive beachfront P.E.I. mansion has been sold for what is believed to be an Island record. Real-estate agent Michael Poczynek said in an interview Monday that the roughly 1,250-square-metre house in Cable Head East sold for around its current asking price $4.75 million, which is the highest figure he knows of based on a database of Island listings. Poczynek said the six-bedroom home had been listed millions of dollars higher, but the owner, Philadelphia architect and businessman James Carr, decided to drop the price after years on the market produced only a handful of showings. The biggest challenge is that Prince Edward Island is a bit under the radar, Poczynek said. You dont have a lot of people looking for product like this. Poczynek said its possible the home was originally overpriced after the financial crisis in 2008, so they brought it in line with the current market. The agent said brokers advertised the property to foreign investors, specifically in China, but most seasonal real-estate buyers on the Island hail from elsewhere in Canada and the United States. The previous owner has never spotted a whale from the tower, but says it provides a wonderful view of the ocean. David Fleming, an agent with Bosley Real Estate Ltd., said $4.75 million would buy a middle-tier house in Torontos Rosedale neighbourhood or a beautiful house in Forest Hill. Comparing P.E.I. properties with Toronto properties is difficult, however, because some of the homes amenities and their sizes arent similar. In Toronto, we dont really have use for a whale-watching tower. We also dont really have shore like that. The only place you can really find something like that is in the Bridle Path area where youre looking at that kind of acreage and that kind of square-footage, Fleming said. I guess you could ask Drake what its going to cost him to build his monstrosity (in Bridle Path), but youre probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of $16 to $20 million dollars. Elli Davis, an agent who works in Central Toronto with Royal LePage, was most surprised to hear the P.E.I. property was on the market for eight years. Thank goodness Ive never had a listing for eight years! Ive had one for almost one year to sell. Thats unusual in Toronto, Davis said. Poczynek said the 4.5-hectare property, complete with a private beach, was purchased by a North American businessman who plans to use it as a summer home as well as offering it for short-term rentals. It will be Prince Edward Islands highest-end weekly rental, he said. Weve had a ton of requests for weddings, for anniversaries, for Christmas, for photoshoots ... everybody and their brother has wanted to do something in this house. A standout feature of the property is its four-storey whale-watching tower, accessible via spiral staircase. Poczynek said the owner hasnt seen any whales, but its still a beautiful view of the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Poczynek said no expense was spared in the home. The flooring was imported from a quarry in South America. The stone walls and patios are capped in Pennsylvania flagstone, which according to the agents website, (gives) the house a natural feel that blends into the surrounding landscape. Carr oversaw every detail of its construction, Poczynek said, and is only parting with the home because it became redundant. A lot of these properties people use them, and they enjoy them and then their lives change, he said. They expect their family and kids ... to come and visit, and they never do because they have their own lives. Correction August 3, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the property has a view of the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, it looks out on to the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. With files from Jessica Botelho-Urbanski SHARE: A one-and-a-half-month-old baby girl's body went missing from her grave in Lucknow. The police is yet to ascertain what actually happened. Cops are also taking help of sniffer dogs to ascertain what actually happened at the graveyard. (Photo for representation only) By Anup K. Srivastava: Mohammed Ansar was yet to come to terms with the death of his one-and-a-half-month-old baby girl. But when he reached the grave of his little daughter a day after he buried her there, a greater shock hit him. The body of the child was missing from the grave which was found dug up. The corpse was nowhere around. advertisement CORPSE GOES MISSING FROM GRAVEYARD Mohammed Ansar and his wife Shabnam, resident of Lucknow's Billochpura, were blessed with a baby girl in June. However, the newborn's health was not stable since birth. Her condition suddenly deteriorated on Monday (August 1). She was rushed to a local hospital but the doctors failed to save her. The baby's body was buried at the Aishbagh graveyard. A day after, when Ansar and some of his relatives reached the graveyard for Fatiha (prayers) they were shocked to see that the grave was dug up and body of the child missing from the spot. WHO DUG UP THE GRAVE? A police team reached the graveyard soon after being informed about the incident. The cops were also baffled as to how a body can go missing from inside a grave. "We have registered a case and investigating the matter. The watchman and caretaker of the graveyard have been taken into custody and being quizzed," Circle Officer Vimal Kumar Srivastava told India Today. Cops are also taking help of sniffer dogs to ascertain what actually happened at the graveyard. Sources said that initial investigations are pointing towards involvement of individuals into occult practices or some animals. Also Read: 5 bodies go missing from graveyard in Bihar EXCLUSIVE: Delhi's dead can't R.I.P, burial grounds shrink due to rapid urbanisation and encroachment --- ENDS --- OTTAWAIf the federal government is serious about finding a new fighter jet for Canadas air force, it should launch an open competition immediately rather than continue the nonsensical process now underway, a former senior bureaucrat says. Ottawa had set a Friday deadline for aerospace manufacturers to respond to a questionnaire seeking details about the costs and capabilities of their fighters that might serve as a potential replacement for the aging CF-18s. But Alan Williams, who once oversaw defence procurement, dismissed that as a waste of time that belies the Liberals own claim that the air force needs new fighters fast. If you really think that there is some kind of urgency and there is a capability gap, the fastest way to solve it is to run a competition, said Williams, who previously served as assistant deputy minister in charge of materiel for the defence department. If a competition was started tomorrow, within a year youd have a winner picked, he said Tuesday in an interview. One of the possible contenders the Lockheed Martin F-35A got a boost Tuesday when the U.S. air force declared the new jet was combat ready. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of air combat command, said the jet had met criteria for initial operational capability. That includes the capability to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression and destruction of enemy air defences with a squadron of between 12 and 24 aircraft, the air force said in a news release. Its an important milestone for an aircraft that has been dogged by technical challenges during its development. Lockheed Martin was one of five aerospace manufacturers that responded to Ottawas call for more information about their fighter jets. The others were the Boeing Company, Dassault Aviation, Eurofighter and Saab Group. The federal government says it will use the responses to make an informed decision on the path forward to a future fighter fleet. But Williams is sharply critical of that exercise, saying the government is doing little more than treading water by seeking information that he said is largely already in the public domain. It really is totally, totally a waste of time, he said. Why theyre going through all this crap is really mind-boggling. He said the true capabilities of each aircraft would only be disclosed to government during a formal bidding process, when the manufacturers can be assured such details wont be made public. All the secretive stuff on performance they will only convey in a competition where its all protected, Williams said. He said the Liberals should fulfil their election pledge for an open and transparent competition to replace CF-18s, especially since the government claims that the aging state of the existing fighters will leave the air force with an unacceptable gap in meeting operational demands. If we really do something, stop screwing around, go out and tell the world what you need, put out your statement of requirements in the public domain . . . and let people bid, Williams said. He said both Conservative and Liberals have bobbled the file. He said the Conservatives erred by committing to the F-35 at a time when the jets cost and capabilities were unknown. Indeed, that decision was later reversed after the federal auditor raised concerns about the swelling price tag for the sophisticated fighter. Yet Williams said the Liberals have made missteps as well, notably when Trudeau pledged during the election that his government would never buy the F-35, a commitment that has them all tied up in knots now, Williams said. This jet may turn out to be the right jet for us. But the process is whats critical here, Williams said. A defence department spokesperson said Tuesday that the responses to the questionnaire would not be released. Responses received through the consultation process are subject to commercial confidentiality and form advice to Ministers, and as such will not be publicly disclosed, Daniel Le Bouthillier told the Star in an email. SHARE: Families of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls from across Canada have arrived in Ottawa to hear how the federal government will convene an inquiry into their lost loved ones. Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett will announce the roles and responsibilities of the chief commissioner and five other commissioners on Wednesday. The $40-million inquiry will have broad powers, and commissioners can compel witnesses to testify. They will travel from coast to coast to hear testimonies. Among the family members in attendance will be Sharon Johnson. Her sister, Sandra Johnson, 18, was found brutally murdered in Thunder Bay. A man walking his dog discovered Johnson, lying on the ice of the frozen Neebing-McIntyre floodway, on Feb. 13, 1992. Laurie Odjick will also be in attendance on Wednesday. Her daughter Maisy, 16, along with her friend Shannon Alexander, 17, have been missing since September 2008, from Maniwaki, Que. The two were supposed to head to a dance and then sleep over at Alexanders place when they disappeared without a trace. I hope the families voices were heard, Odjick said, referring to the goals of the inquiry and how it will be conducted. I would like to see all recommendations that were made by family members implemented across Canada. The inquiry will examine systemic issues of violence, including poverty, cultural and historical causes of the vulnerability of indigenous women. Canadians have demanded an inquiry into the more than 1,181 murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls. Former prime minister Stephen Harper refused to hold an inquiry, but current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made earlier vows to hold one if he was elected. Indigenous leaders and families of the lost women want to see solutions to help lift the lives of indigenous women. And they want answers from police forces on how they can better communicate with families. That includes investigating cases faster, and being more transparent and communicative with families. Bennett has said policing will be part of the inquiry. As Ottawa makes its announcement on Wednesday, a Northern Ontario reserve continues its fight for more police help investigating the death of a young mother. Charnelle Masakeyashs partial remains were found in June in Mishkeegogamang First Nation, 500 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. Her remains were scattered near where members of her family live. The 26-year-old mother of three children was last seen walking along Hwy. 599 near Pickle Lake in November. After an extensive, community-led search, Masakeyashs jaw bone was found in a doghouse, said Melissa Skunk, one of the Mishkeegogamang community members who participated in searches for her remains. Her skull and other bones were later recovered in the same area. Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray-McKay said Ontario Provincial Police investigators are conducting a death investigation. Gray-McKay said she was told by authorities it is not a homicide probe because it is extremely difficult to tell how Masakeyash died, due to the remains left and the condition they are in. That isnt good enough for Gray-McKay or Masakeyashs family. She didnt end up in our backyard without something happening to her. The family knows something happened to her. And so do we, says Gray-McKay, speaking for the family and nearly 1,100 on-reserve community members. Mishkeegogamang, also known as Mish, has suffered its share of tragedies. Eleven women and men have gone missing or have been murdered since the 1960s. When it was reported that Masakeyash was missing, the community organized search parties and spent months searching in the bush and around Pickle Lake. The OPP confirmed the Masakeyash case is being examined as a death investigation and urge any members of the public who have more information to come forward. People are hurting and need to be supported. In Northern Ontario, we have a lot of murdered and missing indigenous people, said Gray-McKay. In remote communities, sometimes police are slow to respond to calls for help or have dismissed tips brought to them, said Gray-McKay. There has to be something more applied to the police, she said, adding that missing persons cases need top priority. Mishkeegogamang searchers had the assistance of dive teams, dogs and helicopters because they maintained the pressure on police, she said, adding the community constantly appealed to indigenous and police leaders for help. I feel for families who arent able to do it, Gray-McKay said. Masakeyash was last seen on Nov. 6, 2015. Gray-McKay and Skunk both actively searched for Masakeyash. Skunks aunt, Sarah Skunk, disappeared without a trace in 1995. The 43-year-old frequently travelled from the Thunder Bay area to the West Coast. Sarah came from a large family and they want to know what happened to her. For years, they said they heard nothing from the police on the investigation into her disappearance. Nishnawbe Aski Nation police, a northern indigenous police service, has now taken over her case from the OPP. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Police Sgt. Jackie George told the Star there is nothing new to report. There were no signs of a disturbance where Masakeyashs remains were found, Melissa Skunk said. It just doesnt make sense. Was she placed there? It has been suggested that wolves killed her, Skunk said, but the searchers never found evidence of animal activity. Wolves are frequent visitors on the reserve. The OPP has officially stopped searching for any other body parts. She was found 500 metres off the trail. What was she doing in that area? Skunk asked, adding that Masakeyash was afraid to go into the forest on her own. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a report in 2014 that said 1,181 aboriginal women and girls were murdered or missing in Canada. However, indigenous leaders and activists fear the number is much higher. Last year, the Star compiled a list of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls after the RCMP refused to release names and details. The Star discovered that contrary to what the RCMP found in its 2014 report, a high majority of indigenous women and girls did not know their killers. The Star found 44 per cent of women were victims of strangers, acquaintances and serial killers. That was based on a review of 750 murder cases, 224 of which remain unsolved. SHARE: OTTAWAIndigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett will meet families of missing and murdered indigenous women tonight on the eve of the governments formal announcement of an inquiry into the deaths and disappearances. That Wednesday announcement will mark the end of the governments role in shaping the design of the inquiry and the beginning of work for the commissioners. It is expected that five commissioners will be appointed to the body. They will have the power to summon witnesses and to compel them to give evidence. The federal government has earmarked $40 million over two years for the inquiry but Bennett has said this is a placeholder budget. Key themes raised in pre-inquiry consultations included policing practices and the justice system, the role of colonialism and residential schools and poverty. SHARE: FORT SEVERN FIRST NATION, ONT.Police are asking residents of a remote northern Ontario First Nation to remain inside as they investigate a report of shots being fired. The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service says the lone officer posted at the Fort Severn detachment reported shots were fired early Tuesday near the Fort Severn Hotel, where the officer lives. Sgt. Jackie George says a combined response team of officers from Nishnawbe-Aski Police and Ontario Provincial Police were deployed to the scene and the local officer was assisted to safety. George said in an email that the investigation was ongoing and she could not further details. Residents of Fort Severn First Nation were being asked to be vigilant, remain indoors and call police with any information about the incident. Fort Severn First Nation is located approximately 850 kilometres north of Thunder Bay near the shore of Hudson Bay. SHARE: OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Liberal government will change the manner in which a Supreme Court justice is selected. As part of the new process, Trudeau says former prime minister Kim Campbell will chair a new independent and non-partisan advisory board to recommend candidates for the high court. In a letter published Tuesday in the Globe and Mail, Trudeau writes that the new appointment process will be open, transparent and will set a higher standard for accountability. He said the application process will be opened so any Canadian lawyer or judge who fits such criteria as being functionally bilingual can apply for the high court. Once a candidate has been selected, writes Trudeau, members of Parliament will be able to directly engage with the nominee before she or he is appointed to the Supreme Court. The board to be chaired by Campbell will have seven members. Four will be designated by the Canadian Judicial Council, the Canadian Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies and the Council of Canadian Law Deans. The remaining three will be prominent Canadians, at least two of whom will be from outside the legal community, appointed by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. Gone are the days of governments Liberal and Conservative alike nominating Supreme Court justices through a secretive backroom process, wrote Trudeau. Canadians deserve better. SHARE: A brazen daylight shooting in the Danforth Village on Sunday afternoon left a driver with injuries to his leg and arm. A shooting near Yonge-Dundas square early Sunday morning wounded two men in their early twenties. In Christie Pits park, a shooting during a Saturday morning fitness class left one man seriously injured and another grazed by a stray bullet. And early on Monday morning in Little Italy police responded to reports of gunshots to find shell casings but no victim at least at first. The victim made his way to the Toronto Western Hospital, but police say he is refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Police continue to search for suspects in the four shootings over a long weekend that also saw Torontos fortieth homicide of the year, and a dramatic six-hour negotiation between Emergency Task Force officers and a man in crisis armed with a knife on a bus, that ended with no injuries. The spate of shootings all took place in relatively busy areas over the balmy weekend -- temperatures hovered around 25C perhaps further proof of the well-documented link between warm weather and increased crime. A 58-year-old man was fatally stabbed in the neck Friday evening in a rooming house in the Church Street and Charles Street East area, possibly after an altercation. He was identified by police as Stephen Russell. In a tragic freak accident, a 52-year-old man from Tillsonburg, Ont. died Sunday afternoon after being struck by lightning while mowing his lawn as a storm approached. Local media reported that the man, identified by the OPP as Dave Johnson, was a beloved husband and father of two who owned a pet store. Also on Sunday, a man in his twenties accidentally drowned in a backyard swimming pool in Newmarket. Police were called to the home after 6 a.m. The victim did not live at the home. Police managed to coax a man in crisis armed with a knife off a bus in North York after a six-hour negotiation. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and no injuries were reported, to the man or to the passengers or driver of the bus. Const. Craig Brister says charges have been laid but the details will not be released until the man appears in court Tuesday morning. In another incident, police say a 15-year old boy pepper-sprayed two teens sitting on a park bench in the Parkwoods area at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and robbed them at gunpoint. The boy, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with robbery with a firearm, robbery with an offensive weapon, administer noxious thing with intent and possession of a prohibited weapon. The weekend also saw a series of traffic accidents, including a cyclist killed after being struck from behind by a vehicle on Highway 5, north of Hamilton. Another cyclist was hospitalized from the same Sunday morning collision with life-threatening injuries. On Friday night two pedestrians were struck one fatally after a TTC bus collided with an SUV in Scarborough. Both pedestrians were men in their sixties. On Monday at around 2 a.m. a TTC bus collided with a car in Malvern, injuring the five people in the car. Police have said no one on the bus was injured. A two-car collision in Brampton on Saturday evening sent a 19-year-old to hospital with life-threatening injuries. In the early hours of Sunday, a Brampton man was airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after his vehicle flipped into a ditch. Three other men in the car were released with minor injuries. Police have said witnesses describe the car speeding. In Toronto on Saturday night, a car crashed into a pole on Park Lawn Rd, south of the Queensway. The driver was hospitalized with serious injuries. Police are investigating the cause of the crash, the car was reported to have been moving erratically. Anyone with information related to any of these incidents is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). With files from Star Staff SHARE: Imagine being thousands of kilometres from home, in a place where few people understand who you are or where you come from. You turn to social media, hoping to find a community, and instead youre inundated with ignorant or hateful comments about your people and your home. What do you do? If youre York University grad student Alejandro Mayoral Banos, who hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, you build the Indigenous Friends app. There is no space in cyberspace for aboriginal people, Banos said, so we decided to create this space. The online world can be inhospitable for many indigenous people, especially youth, he said, where even well-meaning Facebook posts can draw out vicious, racist comments. Indigenous Friends is free of that. The app works much like Facebook, where verified users create accounts using a unique log-in code, and network with others nearby. Theres even an elder on call. Although its still only in beta testing with about 35 York students using it attention is growing. Banos has joined forces with The North-South Partnership for Children, a charity that works with 30 remote First Nations communities across Northern Ontario. Together, theyre hoping to get the app into high schools across Northern Ontario. Some in Whitehorse, Yukon, are also interested. Partnership director Terry McCaig sees many indigenous students from northern communities who feel stripped of their community and support systems, and believes Indigenous Friends could be a lifesaver. Through her work with the partnership, she and her husband became close with the family of Jordan Wabasse. Wabasses disappearance became part of a recently concluded inquest into indigenous youth who went missing or died under mysterious circumstances in Thunder Bay. In Wabasses case, the inquest ruled his death undetermined, and his family may never know what happened. Indigenous Friends is the kind of tool that might keep youth like him from falling through the cracks, she said. It makes me think that if Jordan had had something like this, maybe hed still be with us, McCaig said. If you think he was in a crisis and he committed suicide, immediate help is available on the app. If you think that he was being chased and was murdered, theres a button for 911, she said. Banos said the experience of travelling to Toronto from his home in Oaxaca helped him understand the struggles many Canadian indigenous students face, especially those from remote northern communities. With a background in computer programming, his thesis examines the connections between indigenous culture and technology. He said building an app made sense. The apps users can tap into a web of supports everything from emergency crisis counselling to advice on applying for financial support and where to find the most affordable local grocery stores. An I need help now button sends contact and location information immediately to someone designated to help. York University says it has about 350 self-identified indigenous students. Banos said finding a way to bring them together was key. He teamed up with Yorks aboriginal students centre, which connected him with a circle of supporters including Mohawk elder Blu Waters. I think its very important that Alejandro is following the protocols that indigenous people have followed since the beginning of time, Waters said. Waters plays an important role within the app shes the elder-on-call. With the push of a button, any student can reach out to her whenever help is needed. My phone can ring at 2 a.m. in the morning with a kid in crisis, and Ill answer it, she said. Everything about Banoss app has been designed and built with indigenous traditional perspectives in mind. Users are assembled into one of five clans eagle, owl, wolf, bear or turtle and connected with a wraparound web of support. That web is based on the four human dimensions of the medicine wheel and rooted in traditional knowledge. Thats a critical element, according to Waters. Because of the damage of residential school, (students) often dont understand their heritage, and they feel embarrassed or shy, Waters said. Our reconciliation is taking place, but its still a tiny little drop in the bucket. For people who werent raised in their indigenous culture, theres always going to be that little piece that is going to call them, she said. SHARE: Victims of wage theft across Ontario have lost out on $28 million over the past six years because the Ministry of Labour failed to collect the pay owed to them by law-breaking bosses, new statistics show. Just $19 million of the $47.5 million stolen from out-of-pocket workers since 2009 has ever been recovered a disturbingly low success rate, according to a government-commissioned research project requested by the Star. Yet it found less than 0.2 per cent of bosses guilty of monetary violations are ever prosecuted. Our study showed that (Employment Standards Act) enforcement is still largely complaint driven but that many employees face barriers, like fear of retaliation, that inhibit them from making complaints, said Leah Vosko, one of the lead researchers and a professor at York University. Moreover, even when violations are validated by the ministry, penalties are rarely imposed on employers and the dispute resolution system provides opportunities for employers to avoid paying employees all that they are owed. The research was conducted for the Ministry of Labour as part of its Changing Workplaces Review. An interim report on that process designed to bolster protections for precarious workers was released Thursday and identified serious problems in the ministrys enforcement efforts. A Star investigation into wage theft earlier this year showed around one third of stolen entitlements in Ontario are never recovered, a finding corroborated in the numbers compiled by Vosko along with labour expert Eric Tucker of York University and Ryerson sociology professor Andrea Noack. Their study shows that the accommodation and food services industry were the most likely to break the law: 78 per cent of complaints assessed by the ministry in that sector turned up violations. Across all industries, 85 per cent of assessed complaints about unpaid wages or termination pay were found to be valid. Small businesses were also found to be far more likely to be in violation of employment laws. Some 80 per cent of assessed complaints from employees at small firms with fewer than five employees turned up a violation. That figure was around 50 per cent for companies with more than 200 workers. The total entitlements that workers are assessed as being owed can be substantial, the reports goes on to say. About half are consistently for $1,000 or more, a loss which may result in employees inability to meet their basic expenses, or cause them to incur debt. For low-wage employees that is a huge burden they have to bear, said Avvy Go, director of Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. I think more prosecutions, more penalties, more notices of violations all of those are very important. Since 2012, the ministry has launched just 41 prosecutions of law-breaking bosses or 0.18 per cent of cases with confirmed monetary violations, according to the research. South of the border, numerous jurisdictions have moved to get tougher wage theft Los Angeles, Americas wage-theft capital, has instituted heavy automatic fines for such violations. Toronto restaurant worker Jonathan Ozols, 30, has been owed more than $875 for three years and said he wants to see enforcement that works in his city Health inspections have been very stringent, they happen quite often, and theyre very thorough. I think (we should have) the same kind of thing with labour they come in every two or three months, look over everything, make sure everything is safe, workers rights, wages, pay, breaks, everything, Ozols said. The study recommends numerous fixes, including expanding the ministrys workplace inspection blitzes instead of relying on workers risking their jobs to make a complaint. It also suggests making the complaints process safer and more accessible, for example, by allowing workers to make anonymous or third-party complaints. It also says that re-establishing a provincial wage-protection fund, which pays out workers when the money hasnt been recovered from their bosses, could be the most straightforward and certain way to guarantee wage-theft victims get what they are owed. At the end of the day, you can have all the best protections in the world, Go said. But if the employees cannot have their rights enforced, if their rights only exist on paper, it is not going to improve their life conditions. SHARE: Bedrettin El-Muhammed didnt worry about signing a $1,735 monthly lease for a three-bedroom apartment in March, even though his family of seven would be receiving an allowance of just $1,600 a month as government-assisted Syrian refugees. That is because his five children, ages 13, 11, 9, 7 and 5, were eligible for about $2,000 a month in federal and provincial child benefits. But a chronic delay in processing time for child benefits has been a hardship for the El-Muhammeds and many other Syrian refugees without private sponsors to fill the gap. The family from Aleppo, who moved out of the shelter at the Toronto Plaza Hotel on March 21, has spent the last of a one-time federal grant of $5,400 to cover first- and last-months rent and other start-up costs for their new life in Canada. But for weeks, the El-Muhammeds have lived on the edge, counting on the food basket they pick up once a month from the ISNA mosque while running grocery bills on a credit card that has a $1,000 cap. We are very grateful to Canada and its people. We feel peace and safe here, said El-Muhammed, 36, who owned a small oil distribution agency back home. But we struggle just to make sure we have food to feed our children. The El-Muhammeds and other government-sponsored Syrian families would have had no trouble making ends meet, but a Senate committee says a delay in receiving child tax benefits from the Canada Revenue Agency has meant they are coming up short in paying all their bills. For El-Muhammeds family, the relief finally came late last week, almost four months after they applied for the benefits, in a lump sum backdated to April. While Syrian families sponsored by private community groups are also caught up in the delay, they can count on their community support network to bridge the gaps until the benefits kick in. COSTI, the settlement agency tasked with the government-assisted Syrians resettlement in Toronto, said the government allowances are in line with the social assistance rate for Canadians, but since most Syrian families are large, the meagre government support must be supplemented with child benefits. Its been a real struggle. The child tax benefits can make a big difference, said Mario Calla, COSTIs executive director. But the benefits take about three months to implement. That makes the first three months extremely difficult for them. Jamal Khan, who runs an elder abuse prevention group, received a call for help in early June from a Muslim friend raising money to buy food for a group of Syrian newcomers. Khan and his volunteers have since donated and raised money to buy food for some 34 families. There are more people requiring help that we dont know of, said Khan, a retired staff sergeant with the Toronto Police Service. These people all have large families and are affected by the delays in child benefits. Canada has already screened them. We trusted them and brought them here. We should expedite the processing of their child benefits applications. In early July, a Senate committee made the same call to the federal government so the refugees do not face undue financial hardship one interim recommendation of its ongoing study into the Syrians integration. Canada has welcomed thousands of Syrian refugees with fine words and open arms, said Senator Jim Munson, chair of the Senate committee on human rights. These alone are not sufficient to address the very real and very urgent problems. The revenue agency insists its processing time has not increased due to the inflow of Syrian refugees and says completed applications usually take up to 10 days to process with first payments delivered around 45 days from the receipt of the application. As part of the contingency plan, the CRA worked closely with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to ensure that all benefit-related questions were answered and to quickly resolve any problematic cases that may have arisen, said CRA spokesperson David Walters. No processing issues have been brought to our attention so far, although the CRA remains available to help IRCC with the settlement of refugees. Walters said Syrian refugees applications are not treated any differently and hence there is no separate tracking mechanism to identify the number of Syrian child tax benefit applications received or in the queue. Immigration Minister John McCallum said he is aware of the challenges the Syrian newcomers face. When you bring in 25,000 refugees in very quickly over four months, it will never be perfect, he said during a stop in Halifax this month. There will always be hiccups or challenges along the way. SHARE: Mohamed Harkat an Algerian who says he was wrongly accused of being an Al Qaeda sleeper agent hopes he can finally win his freedom and the right to stay in Canada. What the government is doing is wrong, and its not fair, Harkat said in an exclusive interview with the Star. And they got the wrong guy. Harkat, who came to Canada in 1995 and claimed refugee status, has been fighting deportation since his arrest on a national security certificate in December 2002. He still dreams of one day becoming a Canadian citizen, even though his life in Canada has been very different from what hed expected. I thought one day I would have children, a house, a family . . . everything is destroyed. When I met Sophie, we had a plan to buy a house and have children. The 47-year-old Harkat says hes innocent and will face torture and persecution in his native Algeria if he is deported. Canada Border Services Agency did not comment on the specifics of the case, but confirmed that Harkat is under a removal order, following a Federal Court decision upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. Esme Bailey, a senior media spokesperson for CBSA, added that the removal order can only be enforced once due process under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act has taken place. A February 2016 CBSA document marked top secret states that, should Mr. Harkat be allowed to remain in Canada, it can be presumed that, given the opportunity, he would work toward the ends espoused by the Bin Laden Network. It recommends his removal from Canada. His lawyer, Barbara Jackman, plans to argue, in a formal petition to the public safety minister, that Harkat will face torture and persecution if sent back. She also plans to argue he is not a threat to Canada and should be allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds. In early September, she will seek an exemption from deportation. Canadian law does not allow deportation to a country where torture will occur unless there are exceptional circumstances. You send him back with the public profile hes got, and its asking for him to be further detained and tortured, Jackman said. I cant see anything exceptional about Harkats case that would require he be deported to torture. Amnesty International Canada has taken on Harkats cause. Right from the beginning we have taken a position that he would face human rights violations and have been opposed to his deportation, said Alex Neve, secretary-general of the human rights organization. He would almost certainly be detained upon return. Theres a very good risk he would be held in incommunicado detention once imprisoned. Individuals that are in incommunicado detention are the ones at greatest risk of torture. Although under the threat of deportation, Harkat says: The one thing I always remind myself is, Im still in Canada. If Im in Algeria, I would be dead a long time ago. Harkat blames Islamophobia for what some would describe as his Kafkaesque arrest, imprisonment in solitary confinement for a year and house arrest. Jackman agrees. Thats the real root of the Harkat case: Islamophobia. She maintains the Canadian government, after the U.S. terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, used security certificates to make a point, either to a specific community or Canadians generally, that the country is taking care of terrorists. As for Harkat, he denies being a sleeper agent and says an unknown informant set him up for inexplicable reasons. The former gas station attendant and pizza delivery driver fled Algeria to escape a military-backed government. He first fled to Saudi Arabia and then worked in Peshawar, Pakistan, for five years for the Muslim World League, helping refugees. He has never been charged with a crime but has been held under the security certificate regime, which allows Parliament to deport foreign-born terrorism suspects. The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that the security certificate policy was constitutional. The governments case against Harkat was built on statements from two informants one of whom didnt pass a lie-detector test and 13 wiretapped phone conversations, recorded between 1996 and 1998, that were destroyed. A Federal Court judge ruled in 2010 that Harkat was a member of the Al Qaeda network and was linked to Saudi-born Ibn Khattab, Canadian Ahmed Said Khadr and Abu Zubaydah. And the judge ruled that Harkat was a terrorist threat to national security. That decision was overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal in 2012, then reinstated by the Supreme Courts decision in 2014. Harkat denies all the allegations. Since his arrest in December 2002, Harkat has spent more than three years in jail including a year in solitary confinement and many more under house arrest. He had a tracking anklet removed last year. Harkat, who was studying to be an electronics engineer in Algeria before he fled, is described by friends and family as a kind and loving man. Since his arrest, he has battled depression and is now in therapy, he said. And a recent surgery to his rotator cuff has made it difficult to do the things he loves, like fixing things and carpentry. Raised on a farm, he was one of eight children in his family, all boys. His mother kept trying to have a girl, he joked. But it didnt happen. Hes a lovely man who loves life and nature, said Ottawa friend and supporter Robert Marois. He likes to work with wood. Added another friend and supporter, Ria Heynen: This man is so gentle and kind . . . theres not a milligram of hatred or aggressiveness. His wife, Sophie, says she has never doubted his innocence. They met at the gas station where he worked after Sophie had been on a bad blind date. He had such big brown eyes, and he was smiling behind the counter, and he was being so friendly. After that initial meeting, she found excuses to go to the gas station. They began dating, then married in 2001. And then he was picked up. From the start it was obvious that it was a mistake, that he was innocent, recalls Sophie of her husbands arrest. It was impossible that the person they were describing was the person I married. His supporters include prominent Canadians such as former U.N. ambassador Stephen Lewis, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and Queens University associate law professor Sharryn Aiken, as well as Maher Arar, who cleared his name after being wrongly accused of being a terrorist. Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus brother, Alexandre Trudeau, has also written to the minister of public safety on Harkats behalf, saying: Moe considers himself Canadian: he loves this country, he came here to escape persecution and for a better life, and he does not belong anywhere else. Organizations such as the Canadian and B.C. civil liberties associations have added their voices to those asking Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale to exempt Harkat from deportation. If Goodale decides there is no risk of torture and opts to send Harkat back, Jackman says there will be a constitutional challenge. But Harkat is hopeful the new Liberal government will decide he is not a threat to Canada and will allow him to stay. I got arrested before the Americans went to war in Iraq. And now weve already left the war. And Im still in this condition. And Im still suffering. Its time to give me my life back, he says. Adds Sophie: Weve lost 14 years of our life. We dont have kids because of this. We dont have good jobs because of this. We dont own a home. We dont have normal lives because of this. Its time for it to end . . . Hes an innocent man who is facing torture. Hes an innocent man who has been put through hell. With files from Tonda McCharles and The Canadian Press SHARE: A man in Saudi Arabia tried to play with a tiger who was not in the mood to be disturbed. What happened next will not please you. By India Today Web Desk: Be careful what you play with, 'cause it just might bite you! That's a fair warning you should keep in mind when you're entering a tiger's cage. But turns out, a man in Saudi Arabia didn't take that seriously when he attempted to cuddle with his friend's pet tiger. A video that was posted on YouTube recently shows the unidentified man running from the big cat inside its cage, while another man (clearly his friend) can be heard having a fit of laughter at the sight of him being chased by a tiger. advertisement Reports say the man was trying to "play with the tiger", who was clearly not in the mood for it. The film, however, only shows him running from the beast seconds before it grabs him by his foot. Thankfully, someone intervenes with a stick and rescues Mr Wanna-Play-With-Tiger before he becomes the pet's lunch. The video ends with a snapshot of the man's wounded leg. But the chase has its share of amusement, see it for yourself here: Read more: International Tiger Day: Not many reasons to be happy for the big cats Terrifying footage shows woman being dragged and killed by a tiger at Chinese wildlife park Tiger population is rising, but will it get doubled by 2022? --- ENDS --- Having inherited an immigration system plagued with backlogs and heavy-handed enforcement, the Liberal government says its keen to hear what you think needs to be done about Canadas immigration future. Since the beginning of the summer, Immigration Minister John McCallum and his parliamentary secretary, Arif Virani, have held more than two dozen roundtable meetings across Canada with settlement services organizations, businesses and community groups to get their thoughts. Although the meetings are by invitation only more are coming in August the public can submit ideas by email to the minister. Since early July, more than 2,500 online submissions have been received. Submissions end Aug. 5. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will be reviewing the feedback from Canadians to help guide decisions on how many people we will welcome in the coming years and the future of immigration in Canada, said a department spokesperson. While the final report wont be ready till at least the fall, the Star interviewed a group of immigration experts to weigh in on the national dialogue by identifying gaps in the system and offering solutions. Meaningful and accessible citizenship: Andrew Griffith, a former director general at the immigration department, said Canada largely has its immigration policies and programs right, but an independent review by a royal commission would be helpful. He said the consultation questions are biased towards economic class immigrants and miss out on important areas such as citizenship. Most immigrants choose to become citizens as part of their integration into Canadian society. If we believe in immigration integration, we should support political integration, in addition to economic, social and cultural, said Griffith. The main instrument for doing so is citizenship, given that allows for full participation in the political process. Canadas naturalization rate has been declining, from the peak of 93.3 per cent for immigrants who came before 1971, to just 36.7 per cent among those who arrived between 2006 and 2007. Griffith said Ottawa must set targets for naturalization as a benchmark, to assess whether its policies strike the right balance in making citizenship accessible and meaningful. Officials must also regularly review citizenship requirements to ensure that different ethnic groups and immigration classes (economic, family and refugees) have comparable outcomes. Reducing the hefty application fee from the current $530 would make citizenship more financially accessible. Family reunification one key to immigrants success: Debbie Douglas, of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, said Canadas immigration program should be guided by the principle of nation-building. And the best way to support newcomers is to support family reunification through faster processing. Family reunification numbers have been cut back over the last several years. Between 2005 and 2014, except 2013, family reunification has been less than 30 per cent of overall immigration numbers, said Douglas. We believe family reunification should be increased to 40 per cent of total immigration numbers. Canada should also prioritize refugee family reunification and invest the needed resources to reduce processing delays in refugee family sponsorship. She said Ottawa must also ensure all newcomers can access settlement programs regardless of length of time in Canada or immigration status, and invest in social and employment programs such as healthcare, affordable housing and childcare all could benefit immigrants. The over-representation of highly skilled and educated racialized immigrants among the under- and unemployed should be a cause of concern, said Douglas. Immigration should never been viewed as a cheap labour solution for Canadian businesses. Foreign workers, migrants need access to permanent residence: Harald Bauder, director of Ryerson Universitys graduate program in immigration and settlement studies, said the success of Canadas annual intake of immigrants depends on the governments willingness to fund the settlement sector. With proper resources, he said, Canada could welcome far beyond 1 per cent of its population annually. The Temporary Foreign Workers Program should be converted into a permanent settlement program. If Canada requires workers, then it should provide these workers with the same rights and prospects of remaining in Canada and acquiring citizenship that all Canadians possess, Bauder said. This is not only a moral responsibility. If some workers have fewer rights than others, then it will undermine wages and labour standards for all. Bauder said Canadians should ask themselves if they want affordable labour that discourages business from raising wages. He is also critical of suggestions that Canada should charge higher fees for an expedited process. It seems grossly unfair to speed up the process for those who are able to pay more. How about adjusting the speed based on need, faster admission of refugees and split families? he asked. Bauder believes Canada can again lead the way in designing progressive refugee and migration policies, given the country has the luxury of being protected by geography sharing the border with an affluent America. For those who have overcome the geographical barrier and have been able to enter Canada, Canada should also do more to include and offer the prospect of permanent residency and eventually citizenship to newcomers who are de-facto members in our communities and are making important contributions to our society, but who lack full status. Program improvement means more investment: Jeffrey Reitz, a sociologist with the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs, said securing employment has remained a top challenge for newcomers, despite Ottawas recent attempts to encourage employers to offer good permanent jobs to prospective immigrants before they come. There are formal credential-assessment, bridge training and mentorship programs to help address the issues, but they need to be expanded and better resourced, he said, and officials need to encourage more buy-in from employers. Even though Canada officially celebrates its diversity, independent resume-testing show that many employers still prefer applicants with Anglo names to those with Asian names, even when the Asian applicant is Canadian-born and Canadian-educated, Reitz said. Many misperceptions of immigrants and minorities still need to be addressed. Reitz also questions whether there should be more programs for businesses to permanently hire foreign workers if they cant find Canadians to fill the job. When an employer says that they have failed to find available Canadians for certain jobs, it is necessary to check: what wages were offered or should have been offered? How were applicants relevant skills assessed? How extensively was the job advertised across the country? asked Reitz. To do a proper independent assessment means bureaucratic review, and that means more staff, and it means higher cost. The 1% solution for Canadas growth and prosperity: The Conference Board of Canada said immigration is the backbone of the countrys population growth and Canada could admit up to 1 per cent of its population in immigrants each year, for its economic prosperity. To go beyond the 1 per cent annual level of immigration, Canada would need to rethink its allocation of resources and strategic plans for helping to spread settlement across the country and outside of major cities, the board said in a response prepared by vice-president Michael Bloom and research associate Kareem El-Assal. Pre-arrival information about whether their credentials will be recognized, the employment market and settlement support is crucial for newcomers successful integration, they say. Canada should continue to monitor the operation of its immigration system to ensure it is efficient and effective, the board said. This includes tracking job acquisition and retention, pay levels, credential recognition and retention rates of immigrants in Canada. Bloom and Al-Assal said Canada was the first country in the world to introduce a skills-based points system in 1967, and the only country to date to receive the Nansen Refugee Award in 1986 for its efforts in assisting refugees. Canadas success in immigration largely stems from our open minds and hearts towards immigrants, who end up reciprocating by making immense contributions to the country, they said. Canada could export this approach to the rest of the world. SHARE: The most potent moment of the Democratic convention last week was when of Khizr Khan, father of an army captain killed in Iraq in 2004, challenged Donald Trumps proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. You have sacrificed nothing and no one, Khan said to Trump, holding aloft a copy of the Constitution that he suggested Trump read. Trumps immediate response was to criticize Khan and his wife, earning a number of rebukes from veterans and members of his own party. There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed, a statement from the head of the Veterans for Foreign Wars read. At a campaign event in Virginia on Tuesday, Trump tried to mend any damage hed done with members of the military in an unusual way: He accepted a Purple Heart from a veteran in the audience. Something very nice just happened to me. A man came up to me and he handed me his Purple Heart, Trump said. I said to him, Is that the real one, or is that a copy? He said, Thats my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you. And I said, Man, thats big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart, Trump continued. This was much easier. The Purple Heart is given to those serving in the armed forces that are wounded in combat. Trump never served in the military, though he once said that he always felt that I was in the military because he went to military school. He was old enough to have been drafted during the Vietnam War, but received five deferments. Four of them were because he was still in school; the fifth was medical. Trump, his doctor said, had bone spurs on his heels. I had a doctor that gave me a letter a very strong letter on the heels, the nominee told the New York Times in a recent interview. He couldnt remember which heel was affected (his campaign said it was both) or how it was resolved, but it was enough to keep him out of combat. (In a 1993 interview with Howard Stern, Trump jokingly said that he had lived through his own Vietnam: the dating scene in New York City. In 2004, he said that the threat of sexually transmitted diseases from dating was like combat in Vietnam or Iraq.) After Trump told the story about receiving the Purple Heart, he invited the man who had given it to him up on stage, prompting cheers from the audience and chants of USA! On Monday night, a woman at a town hall event in Nevada told Trumps vice-presidential pick, Gov. Mike Pence, that she was the mother of a man serving in the air force. The crowd applauded. My question for you, Mr. Pence, is: time and time again, Trump has disrespected our nations armed forces and veterans, she said, and his disrespect for Mr. Khan and his family is just an example. Much of the rest of her question was drowned out in boos. Pence replied to the booing. Thats what freedom looks like, he said, according to Politico, and thats what freedom sounds like. In a statement released over the weekend, Trump replied to Khans criticism. While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, a statement from the campaign read, Mr. Khan who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things. Read more about: SHARE: The Public Health Agency of Canada is urging pregnant women and women planning to get pregnant to avoid travelling to parts of South Florida with reported cases of the Zika virus. The advisory comes as the State of Florida reports additional cases of Zika virus infections transmitted by local mosquitoes in small areas of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. All travellers should protect themselves from mosquito bites, the federal agency warns in an advisory updated on Monday. Ottawa recommends that female travellers planning pregnancies should wait at least two months after visiting the area before trying to conceive to make sure that any possible Zika virus infection has cleared their bodies. Male travellers are warned that the virus can linger for an extended period of time in their bodies. Theyre strongly advised to use condoms or avoid having sex for the duration of the pregnancy. Its also strongly recommended that male travellers and their partners wait six months to conceive and consider using condoms or avoiding sex for six months. Infection from the Zika virus causes abnormally small heads in babies and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Zika virus is occurring in many regions of the world, although local transmission of Zika virus was first reported in the Americas in 2015, the advisory states. There have been travel-related cases of Zika virus reported in Canada in returned travellers from countries with ongoing Zika virus outbreaks. Travel advisories to the U.S. are relatively rare. One was issued for a mumps outbreak in April 2006, which was called the worst outbreak of mumps in two decades. Some 1,100 Americans suffered from mumps symptoms of fever, fatigue and sneezing. That outbreak started in Iowa and spread to nine states, several of which were on the Canadian border. In 2002, a travel advisory was issued for Canadians born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria, saying they should consider carefully travelling to the U.S. for any reason after a law was introduced that called for them to be photographed and fingerprinted. Global Affairs Canada does not deal with health advisories, which are, instead, handled by the Public Health Agency of Canada. SHARE: Relatives of a Quebec man shot dead on his plantation in rural Ecuador on the weekend say they know little about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. Yvan Dionne, 56, was shot in the back of the neck and died at his cocoa and coffee plantation about 200 kilometres outside the capital, Quito. Dionnes sister-in-law, Denise Lavoie, said Tuesday the slaying occurred some time late Friday or early Saturday morning in the nearby fields. There were thieves who broke into the farm, Lavoie, who is married to Dionnes older brother Gilles, said from Rimouski, Que. I dont know what happened exactly, but these thieves opened fire. Lavoie says Dionnes wife made the grisly discovery of her husbands body near a river that borders the fields. Were hearing about a robbery, but what they wanted exactly, we dont know, Lavoie said. Francois Lasalle, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, said in an email that consular officials at the Canadian embassy in Quito are gathering information and providing consular assistance to the family. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian Citizen who passed away in Ecuador, Lasalle wrote, adding the department could provide no further information out of respect and due to privacy rules. Dionne, 56, originally from Rimouski, spent years travelling and working as a humanitarian aid worker in Africa and South America, but had called Ecuador home for nearly two decades. He left town young 22 or 23 working in international co-operation with CECI (the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, Lavoie said. He went to Africa and other countries and came back to Rimouski to do his studies in regional development. Lavoie, who has known Dionne since his birth, estimates her brother-in-law had lived in Ecuador for nearly 20 years, living in the capital before moving to the plantation he bought several years ago. It had recently become productive after extensive work and Lavoie said she and Gilles planned to go to Ecuador to help when the harvest was plentiful. Dionne never expressed any concerns for his safety in Ecuador, Lavoie said, noting hed worked under more dangerous conditions in places like Congo. Lavoie said theyd been told about corruption and a great divide between rich and poor in Ecuador. She added her brother-in-law was a good person and only tried to better the lives of those he met. He was a pacifist, Lavoie said. Yvan was someone who always tried to help, he worked well with others he always tried to help people like those who worked on his farm and were poor. Lavoie says Dionnes two adult children were heading to Ecuador to be with their grieving mother. They and other close friends are gathering for Dionnes funeral, scheduled for Wednesday in that country. Read more about: SHARE: MECHANICSBURG, PA.On the campaign stump, Donald Trump has opened August by moving from Crooked Hillary to the devil. Speaking in Pennsylvania on Monday, the billionaire real estate mogul derided Bernie Sanderss capitulation in the Democratic primary race and Sanderss decision to support Clinton. Trump said of Sanders: He made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil. Trump in recent days has taken to categorizing the Clinton-Sanders understanding as a deal with the devil but this was the first time that he went so far as to specifically equate Clinton with Lucifer. Trumps supporters packed a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, high school gymnasium and thousands more were left outside or forced to watch in a spillover room. Read more about: SHARE: ASHBURN, VA.Silent protesters. A group in AARP shirts. A crying baby. They all ended up having to leave Donald Trumps rally in Virginia on Tuesday, for various reasons. The silent protesters were escorted out by staffers midway through his speech, and they went silently, with peace signs over their heads. The AARP-clad group left in a similar fashion. But the crying baby was initially welcome in the Trump event. Dont worry about that baby. I love babies, Trump said. I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Dont worry, dont worry. Related: No, Donald Trump did not eject a baby But the persistent wails seemed to get on the candidates nerves. Actually, I was only kidding; you can get that baby out of here, Trump said a few beats later with a slight smirk as laughs and a few gasps escaped from the crowd. Dont worry, I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while Im speaking. Thats OK. People dont understand. Thats OK. Later in the rally, another baby cried, daring a rebuke from the candidate. But Trump let the yowls go without reprimand or scolding, and eventually the child calmed down. Read more about: SHARE: The Harper government never met a climate of fear it couldn't use. Take the aftermath of the murders of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in the fall of 2014, national tragedies that brought home the spectre of terror. The Tories exploited the opportunity to railroad through Parliament constitutionally dubious changes to Canada's security law they had long sought to enact. A month later, two civil liberties groups launched the inevitable court challenge to the Anti-Terrorism Act, formerly Bill C-51. But in November, as the Trudeau government came to power, the challenge seemed to teeter on the verge of irrelevance. Though the Liberals had supported the bill in opposition, they promised once in office to undertake a broad public consultation and rewrite the act to comply with both the will of Canadians and the Charter. Eight months later, however, C-51 remains entirely unchanged and the public consultation is still not yet underway. The court challenge is in abeyance, awaiting government response. Meanwhile, our security establishment continues to wield its problematic new powers largely unscrutinized. This week, exasperated by the glacial progress, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), one of the two organizations that filed the challenge, resumed its campaign to overturn C-51. This dangerous legislation is doing damage every second we have to wait for action, and we are tired of waiting, the group writes on its website. CJFE is encouraging Canadians to sign a parliamentary petition, sponsored by Liberal MP Arif Virani, which calls on the government to commit to an expert review of the act and remove all aspects that violate the Charter. The petition must receive 500 signatures to be presented in the House. It already has more than 1,400. Legislators should listen. As the Star has argued before, there is no evidence that the legislation makes us any safer, and yet no doubt that it infringes on our civil rights. In its overly vague wording, it is dangerously open to interpretation, a threat to freedom of speech, privacy and security of the person. Take just a few of its most egregious aspects. The legislation empowers the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to take measures to disrupt activities it believes pose a security threat, without defining what those measures are or creating a public process to ensure the agency doesnt trample Canadians rights along the way. It casts a chill on free speech, outlawing the promotion of terrorism in general (whatever that means), even when theres no intention of committing a violent act. It vastly broadens the definition of an activity that undermines the sovereignty, security or territorial integrity of Canada to include any interference with the capability of the government in relation to issues such as diplomacy, critical infrastructure and economic stability. As experts have pointed out, this language allows the government of the day to take aim at critics of Ottawa's foreign policy, First Nations, environmentalists or political adversaries, among other troubling targets. Whats more, if you are deemed to pose such a threat, even if your activities have nothing to do with terrorism, information about you may be shared among 17 federal departments. Indeed, as Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien told Parliament last year, the legislation constitutes a profound violation of Canadians privacy. While the potential to know virtually everything about everyone may well identify some new threats, the loss of privacy is clearly excessive, Therrien warned. All Canadians would be caught in this web. And Bill C-51 did all this without doing anything to improving the woefully inadequate oversight of our security establishment, granting the state vast new powers while entrenching its impunity. Only on this last score has the Trudeau government taken some action. It tabled a bill last month that would finally create a much-needed parliamentary committee to watch over our security apparatus. But thats only a partial solution to part of the problem. Parliamentary oversight must be complemented by expert oversight, which is desperately lacking in Canada and entirely overlooked by the governments bill. And in any case, no amount of oversight can compensate for bad legislation. The climate of fear in which Bill C-51 was passed still prevails today. With terror in the news almost daily, the political temptation to leave these policies in place is undeniably great and will very likely remain so for the foreseeable future. Fear of the potential fallout in case of a tragedy can be politically paralyzing. But the Liberals must now find the courage they lacked when they supported the bill even as they were aware of its fatal flaws. Public consultations may well prove an important part of designing a policy that addresses our complex security challenges while respecting Canadians civil liberties. They should not, however, be used as a delay tactic. Theres nothing Canadians can say to justify Bill C-51s violations of our civil rights. The government should do the brave and righteous thing: scrap the worst aspects of the law at the first opportunity. SHARE: Re: A deadly mix on Canadas roads, July 23 A deadly mix on Canadas roads, July 23 To reduce the incidence of impaired driving in Canada some organizations and individuals advocate reducing the criminal limit for drinking and driving from 0.08 to 0.05. Some claim this would reduce impaired driving fatalities by 50 per cent each year. Many organizations, safety and other, including the Canada Safety Council, oppose any proposal to move from 80 milligrams of alcohol to 100 millilitres of blood, down to 50. Canadas practice of not using criminal law for drivers under 80 mg is in line with the approaches taken in other countries. Canadas impaired driving laws are among the strictest in the Western world. Lowering the criminal limit would nullify many effective countermeasures now in place. If criminal charges were to be laid below the current threshold, that many more, if not all, would be challenged. A significant concern and risk in reducing the criminal limit below a point most Canadians would consider unreasonable is that it would encourage contempt, disrespect, and disdain for the law. Unquestionably, this would weaken the resolve of the criminal justice system (police, courts) to enforce the law. The current criminal BAC limit has been universally accepted by Canadians and the criminal justice system for well over 35 years. Tinkering with this criminal limit could well open the doors to a barrage of defence challenges! Frivolous criminalization will not protect the public. There is absolutely no evidence that charging low-BAC drivers under the criminal code would prevent more deaths and injuries than measures now in place in provincial and territorial regulations. When it comes to dealing with impaired driving, the current administrative and criminal sanctions in place in Canada, including Ontario, provide a well thought-out mix of effectiveness, efficiency and severity. Lets keep it that way! What is needed is to increase the perception of apprehension, and to improve the systems efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with impaired driving offenders. Emile Therien, Ottawa Perhaps we should fix the problems of alcohol and driving in Canada first before adding another impairing drug like cannabis into the mix. Especially since the combination of alcohol and cannabis together causes greater driving impairment than either drug separately. James G. Wigmore, forensic alcohol toxicologist, Toronto We can mandate that every new home in the country have smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors but we lack the will to install breathalyzers in cars that disable the ignition whenever a driver blows over 0.02. This is not a matter for federal criminal law but rather one for the provincial authorities who set the rules for building safe cars. Patrick Cowan, North York SHARE: Meghna created a storm during 2014 Lok Sabha elections when she posed semi-nude covering her body with lotuses, BJP's symbol. By India Today Web Desk: Model, actor Meghna Patel, who once posed semi-nude with a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to join politics. No, she is not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meghna has decided to start her political career with Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Senior NCP leader and former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel confirmed Meghna's entry into the party during a function in Vadodara earlier this week. "Meghna has won hearts of many people with her acting in several South Indian as well other films. Now that she has joined NCP, we hope she will strengthen the party," Patel said. WHEN MEGHNA POSED SEMI-NUDE WITH MODI'S PHOTO Meghna created a storm during 2014 Lok Sabha elections when she posed semi-nude covering her body with lotuses, BJP's symbol, holding Narendra Modi's photos. Model, actor Meghna Patel advertisement The model had to face severe criticism for her 'publicity stunt'. Meghna had then said that the photo shoot was her way of supporting Modi in the general elections. However, the BJP had alleged that she was part of a conspiracy to defame the party and the then PM candidate Modi. Also Read: BJP red-faced after model Meghna Patel poses semi-nude in support of Narendra Modi Ahmed Mohamed and his father pray at the Islamic Center of Irving in Irving, Texas. After moving to Qatar for nine months, Ahmed is home in Texas for the summer. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) The news crew is here, but the famous boy is still asleep. He had just flown 22 hours, back to this squat stone house where he used to live when he was just a regular 14-year-old. His bright green go-kart is still out back. A year ago, he could have woken up and spent hours tinkering with its engine. He could have spent the day on his trampoline, or just watching funny YouTube videos on his phone. Instead, hes waking up to the sound of more reporters in the living room. Because hes not Ahmed Mohamed, a regular 14-year-old. Hes Clock Boy, a viral sensation, the accidental embodiment of a national debate about Muslims being dangerous or not. A black youth mistreated by overzealous cops or an example of vigilance against potential terrorism. So Ahmed gets out of bed, opens the bedroom door and steps into the hall. He lifts his arm in a half wave. There he is! The cameraman shouts, like hes seeing an old friend. Ahmed got taller, they all point out. New glasses and a growth spurt have subtly transformed him from boyish to teenage. He is still sleepy, his father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, apologizes. The reporters are from Fox 4, a local TV channel. Mohamed invited them here, on Ahmeds first day back in Texas after nine months in Qatar. They moved a month after Ahmed was arrested for possessing a homemade clock that his school deemed suspicious-looking. The move, it seemed, was an attempt to escape the spotlight, or at least the hate mail and death threats that came with it. And yet, Ahmeds summer homecoming was heralded to reporters with a news release sent out by the family and its supporters: Clock Boy is back, and ready to be interviewed. You just wake up? Ahmeds uncle, Aldean, says. Go prepare yourself. Ahmed changes into a T-shirt with the number 23 for LeBron James across the chest. They hand him a microphone. He doesnt need to be told how to put it on. They seat him on a velvet-tufted chair. All right, Ahmed, its just you and me talking, the rest of the world listening, the reporter says. So dont be nervous. His father interrupts. Do you want to talk to me? Or just him? Oh. Yeah, well talk to Dad, too. Well just do it separate. Ahmed and his father sit for the first of three interviews they scheduled with reporters on their first day home in Irving. (Jessica Contrera/The Washington Post) The living room is packed: cousins, aunts, grandmother. Ahmeds Uncle Aldean, who in the early 1980s was the first Mohamed to move from Sudan where their family owned a successful cotton farm and attended prestigious schools to New York, where he sold balloons and hot dogs in front of Rockefeller Center. Ahmeds father, an imam, who followed his brother to America and ever since has been explaining to anyone who will listen that real Muslims are peaceful. Their family friend Anthony Bond, the founder of the Irving NAACP, who has been calling the Mohameds in Qatar to tell them how, since they left, things are getting worse. Clashes between black communities and the police are in the news every day. Donald Trump, the man who wants to ban Muslim immigrants like the Mohameds from the United States, may become president. Everyones eyes are on Ahmed. The reporter leans forward. How empowered do you feel to help make a difference in the world today, given what youve been through? he asks. Wait, Ahmed says. Did the interview start? Yes. The reporter moves on to another question. Bond gives Ahmed a reassuring smile. He was the first person the family called when they brought Ahmed home from the police station. They wondered: Would this have happened if his name wasnt Ahmed Mohamed? Bond said: Lets call the media. He said: This city has transformed from whitewashed to incredibly diverse, and were still being mistreated. He said: With all the discrimination going on in the world, this little boy can make a positive difference. Upon coming back, what went through your mind? the reporter is asking. Did you have thoughts in your head like, Oh, God, there may be protesters? Why would people protest me? Ahmed says. Well, Im just asking. So you came in and youre like, Im a rock star! I came in I was just heading home, because I was tired. Ahmed sets up a virtual-reality video game with his cousins. They now live in the house Ahmed grew up in. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Ahmed plays with his cousin Dooly on a trampoline he built in his backyard. He had to leave his toys and tinkering tools behind when he moved to Qatar. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Ahmed walks in the house that evening to find his uncle, dad and Bond in front of the TV, searching for his name again. We want to watch you on the Dallas Morning News, his dad says. Ahmed had a Facebook Live interview with the newspaper after talking to Fox 4, and theyre trying to find it on YouTube. Its on Facebook, Ahmed says, raising his voice over the clang of dishes being washed by his aunts in the kitchen. His mom and four of his siblings havent yet come from Qatar, so Ahmed, his brother and his father are staying with the cousins who now live in their old house. They push the remote into Ahmeds hand. Searching for his name is a daily ritual. The family is its own public relations firm, founded Sept. 14, 2015, as they brought Ahmed home from the police station. Mohamed was ranting about how only God will judge his son. Ahmed was still hearing the Ooooooh sound the other students made as he was led out of class. The police were going to charge him with possession of a hoax bomb. His parents had a choice: deal with this quietly, or tell someone. Their son had been placed in handcuffs and interrogated, in a town known for its resentment of Muslims. So they called the media, and soon Ahmed was trending on Twitter, and everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to President Obama was sharing messages of support. Two days after he was arrested, the charges were dropped. This is what happens when we (IPD) screw something up, one Irving Police Department detective wrote in an email later uncovered as part of a public records request from Vice. That thing didnt even look like a bomb. And so came the next choice: Let this all die down, or seize the platform theyd been given and use it. So they put Ahmed on Good Morning America, MSNBC and The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore. He told reporters how kids in school called him ISIS Boy. Sympathetic crowdfunders raised $18,000 for his education. He visited the White House, the Google Science Fair and the president of his home country of Sudan (a wanted war criminal, but Mohamed said it would be rude not to accept the invitation). Anthony Bond and the Mohameds search for Ahmeds name on YouTube so they can watch videos of his interviews. (Jessica Contrera/The Washington Post) Ahmed Mohamed calls his dad to see if he can go to Auto Zone in Irving, Tex., on July 12, 2016. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Its not on here, Ahmed is saying, trying to find the video for his dad. Its on Facebook. Its not on YouTube. His 8-year-old cousin Dooly is hanging on his legs. Ahmed, hold me! Dooly whines. Ahmed, go to the Dallas Morning News, Bond says. Soon an argument has broken out: Theyve learned that Fox 4, the channel that interviewed Ahmed that morning, had conservative commentator Ben Ferguson on the 10 p.m. news to say that the Mohameds plotted Ahmeds arrest and are obsessed with being famous. Theyve never been fair about Ahmed, Bond growls at Mohamed. If I had known you were going to invite them, I would have told you! I would have told you to work with Channel 8! Theyre going to talk no matter what we do! Mohamed snaps back. In his eyes, the more Ahmed is seen, the better. Its good for the family, he says. Twice in his life he has run for president of Sudan. He plans to run again in 2020. The more people who know him, the better his chances. Ahmed slinks away to the corner of the room and gets on his phone. Does he want to do all these interviews? For the most part, yes, and sometimes no. If I wouldnt get tired, I would do more interviews so I would have more influence. His dad tells him that this is God opening doors for him. Something bad happened, but God turned it to make it good. God chose him for this, so he can make the world a better place. Only now, he feels safer on the other side of the world. As trolls tried to pick apart his story, someone posted the Mohameds home address on Twitter. Many American schools contacted them, but Mohamed says they would only take Ahmed and not his siblings. Qatar Foundation, the government-sponsored organization in what is known as the countrys elite Education City, offered to take them all and pay for his older sisters college. In Qatar, his parents dont work. Ahmed goes to school at 7 a.m., comes home to the four-bedroom townhouse where their family of eight lives, and gets on his laptop. Not many kids play outside. I never really do anything, he says. I just watch stuff online and I get bored. Sometimes I just go outside and stare at the sun, and then go back inside. The Internet is his refuge and his attacker. He reads every story and long, rambling conspiracy theory about him. Countless blogs and videos have been dedicated to proving Ahmeds clock was just a RadioShack clock he put in a new box. (It was partially made of RadioShack parts, but the design was all his own, he says.) Others insist that this was all a stunt masterminded by Mohamed to get attention. (He cant plan the reaction. And why would he want me to get arrested? Ahmed says.) Still more have proclaimed that the Mohameds are terrorist sympathizers because they once owned a company called Twin Towers Transportation. (They did own a company by that name, because their offices were housed in a Dallas office building called the Twin Towers.) Ahmed would like to respond, but he never does because then he will have allowed himself to be angry. In Islam, Ahmed says, you are most vulnerable to the Devil when you are angry. Instead he tweets only positive messages to his 97,000 followers. Like when he announced Just Arrived in Dallas! with a heart emoji and It feels good to be back! plz go back to Qatar. Youre not welcome here. Go back with your terrorist dad They think that all Muslims are terrorist people who kill for their religion, Ahmed says. A mosquito lands on the floor in front of him and he sets down his phone. I can catch a mosquito, he tells his cousin Dooly. He lunges. It flies away. He sits back down, waiting until it zooms around again. #BinLaden Reincarnated ANYONE? The mosquito lands, and he nabs it. Instead of killing it, he picks off its wings. Ohhhhh, his cousin says in awe. Mosquitoes are bad. They kill a lot of people. Ahmed pauses, smirking. Thats wrong. I shouldnt generalize mosquitoes. Ahmed shops for parts for his go-kart at Auto Zone. Now that he lives in Qatar, Ahmed rarely spends time building gadgets like he did as a boy in America. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Some days, Ahmed lets himself imagine what life would be like if none of this had happened. Amy Schumer wouldnt follow him on Twitter. He wouldnt know what it feels like to shake Obamas hand. But he wouldnt be scared when he sees police cars. Maybe he would have made new friends in high school. By now he could have invented something new not just a clock that only took him a few minutes to put together from parts in his familys garage, which was full of 90s-era electronics from when his uncle ran a chain called Beeper Warehouse. His middle school tutors say shy Ahmed would always perk up when talking about his latest creation: a DVD player, a remote, things that lit and beeped and buzzed. Ahmed would charge his older sisters friends $10 to fix their cracked phone screens, then use the money to buy the parts he was missing for his next gadget. The family moved back and forth between Texas and Sudan, where Ahmed was born. In Irving, Mohamed owned a taxi company and served as religious leader for a small group of Sufi Muslims. Sufism is a mystical interpretation of Islam centered in rituals such as the prayer chants Mohamed writes himself. Whenever theres a reporter around, he insists on explaining passages of the Koran: When you kill one person, it is as if you are killing all mankind. When Ahmed was 9, Mohamed decided to run for president of Sudan. The current president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir whom they would later visit after Ahmed became famous had just been indicted by the International Criminal Court for directing genocide in Darfur. Without him in power, Mohamed argued, the United States might lift its sanctions on Sudan, and the country could prosper. He never made the ballot. But the next year, in 2011, he made international headlines. Inflammatory Florida pastor Terry Jones held a trial of the Koran. Mohamed, who saw the trial as a chance to spread his message and take his kids to Disney World showed up to defend the Koran. International outrage over the event, which ended in the burning of the holy book, led to rioting in Afghanistan. At least 20 people were reportedly killed, including seven U.N. employees. I did what I think is right, Mohamed says. While he was trying to make a name for himself, his American home town was rapidly changing. Irving was once a white-flight suburb best known for housing the Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium. By the time Ahmed entered middle school, the Cowboys had moved to Arlington and the Mohameds Zip code was deemed the most diverse area in the country. Only 9 percent of the students in Ahmeds school district are white. (However, theres only one nonwhite person on the Irving City Council.) Ahmed and Mohamed pray at the Islamic Center of Irving in Irving. As Irving has become more diverse, the Centers membership has grown to around 10,000 people. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Ahmed takes a photo of his crab legs at dinner with his father and younger brother at Red Lobster. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) The neighborhood surrounding the Islamic Center of Irving, which serves about 10,000 area Muslims, began to flourish with condos and mansions built by those who wanted to live close to the mosque. Rumors spread that the neighborhood was a no-go zone, an area only Muslims could enter, and that the mosque was imposing sharia law in the city. The rumors were false. Meanwhile, Ahmed was preparing to start high school. He kept the same Adidas backpack hed had since sixth grade. He planned out his outfits, one for each day of the week. He would wear his NASA T-shirt every Monday. On Friday of his third week of school, the architecture teacher was about to throw away some dead batteries. Ahmed, always the hoarder of scrap materials, asked whether he could have them. Later in his English class, he taped the batteries together to make a sword. He slid the creation up his long-sleeved shirt, walked up to his teachers desk and slid the sword out of his arm, like Iron Man, he says. She laughed. Thats not the only thing I can make, he told her. He promised to bring her something else on Monday. Sunday night, he made his clock. It had a motherboard, an LCD screen, a 9-volt battery, an alarm. All the pieces fit into a pencil case from Target adorned with a tiger hologram. In English class, he plugged it in to show a girl in the corner of the classroom. When the alarm on it vibrated loudly, he stuffed it back in his backpack. He always thinks: What if he had just left it in the bag? And left class without showing the teacher anything? But he took it up to her desk, eager to show his creation as he had promised. That looks like a bomb, she said. The outside of the pencil case, which was not shown by police after Ahmed was arrested, features a tiger hologram. Ahmed often carried his creations in this pencil case to show his middle school teachers. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Ahmeds clock was built from scraps of other electronics from his uncles old store, Beeper Warehouse. The clock sat in storage while Ahmed lived in Qatar. (Cooper Neill/For The Washington Post) Here is what Ahmeds school now has to say about what happened: At no point did we think it was actually an explosive device. It looked suspicious and was presented in a way that the teacher took the appropriate actions, and we support the teacher. Although the Irving police dropped the charges against Ahmed, stating that the student apparently did not intend to cause alarm bringing the device to school, Ahmed was suspended for three days. The Justice Department is now investigating the incident. Rather than release the letter of inquiry from the agency, which states the reason for the investigation to the public, the district is suing the Texas attorney generals office. Irving ISD has argued that the information is confidential because it reasonably anticipates litigation regarding this matter, the districts spokeswoman said. Ahmeds father is expected to file suit against the school district this week. In November, the family asked for formal apologies from the district, the police chief and the mayor and $15 million in damages for alleged violations of federal and state law, arguing that the teenagers arrest violated his civil rights. Citing a potential lawsuit, city officials declined to comment on Ahmeds arrest. Ahmeds parents are adamant that their children have been discriminated against even before Ahmed was arrested. When their daughter Eyman was in eighth grade, another student reported that Eyman said she wanted to blow up the school. Eyman says she never said anything like that, but she was suspended for three days anyway. In middle school, Ahmed was suspended multiple times for getting in fights. His tutors remember the conflicts stemming from Ahmeds small size; Ahmed and his family claim he was only defending himself against students who picked on him because of his religion and race. Our employees work with students from different cultural backgrounds, the district said in response to these claims. Our policies and training stress making sure that all students enrolled at Irving ISD feel respected and safe. 1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad See photos from the time of clock boy Ahmed Mohameds bomb arrest View Photos Ahmed Mohamed, 14, became an overnight sensation when he was detained after a high school teacher mistook a homemade clock he brought to class for a bomb. Caption Ahmed Mohamed, 14, became an overnight sensation when he was detained after a high school teacher mistook a homemade clock he brought to class for a bomb. Sept. 14, 2015 Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Sudanese Muslim teenager from the United States who became an overnight sensation after a Texas teacher mistook his homemade clock for a bomb. Here, Mohamed wears handcuffs at the Irving Police Department in Texas. Eyman Mohamed via AP Wait 1 second to continue. Ahmeds face is expressionless as he stares at his fathers phone. Mohamed is showing him another news video he found online. Theyre at a gas station on their way home from Dallas, where they spent the afternoon of Ahmeds second day home in the office of their lawyer. Since he was arrested, he has been in high demand and hes got some events with tech companies lined up, the news announcer says. Sounds like life isnt so bad for Ahmed. Later, theyll stop at a sculpture of galloping horses where Ahmed used to play as a child. Tourists will recognize him from a distance, yelling Clockmed! Clockmed! Next year, the video says, hell be 15, and planning to sue the Irving school district and the city, all over a clock that gave him 15 minutes of fame. The screen goes black. Fifteen minutes of fame? Mohamed repeats. Thats all you heard? Ahmed retorts. Maybe 15 million, thats what Im looking for. Ahmed looks at his father. Im just joking with you, Mohamed says. Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame who gets covered, Ahmed says. But its always your choice to extend it. You know, I am a Sufi. I dont worry about the money, Mohamed replies. Im not worried about the money, Ahmed says. But it will help, yeah? Yeah, Ahmed says, Money will help you, temporarily. His dads phone rings, and Ahmed gets back on Twitter, thumbing through the messages in his notifications. should have never let those terrorists back in the US. That Little Bastard Needs to Leave American Soil. Go back! Theres one with a picture of a plastic bag. since you left theres a new invention for breathing under water put this on your head & jump in Dear Amy: My husbands grandmother Jenny is 94 and lives alone. Up until three years ago, her son was her main caregiver. When he passed away, her daughter offered to take her in, but she lives a few states away and Jenny wasnt interested in moving. Currently her support system consists of a woman who comes once a month to clean, and weekly visits from either my mother-in-law or myself to drop off groceries and supplies. She has friends from her church take her to doctor appointments. She doesnt want family to go, probably because her front of being able to live alone would be blown. She uses a walker and cannot drive. Mentally she is still fairly alert, but her living situation isnt pleasant because of her limited mobility and incontinence issues. Good, kind, reasonable caregivers have been arranged with her consent to help for a few hours a week, but shell cancel because she feels she cannot afford them, although she can. Her daughter calls weekly to check in, but she cant do much beyond that, because Jenny wont agree to have help. If someone wandered in off the street, theyd most likely be horrified by the smell of her house, the condition of her clothing and her general hygiene. From our point of view we have two choices: maintain the status quo with grocery deliveries and regular check-ins, or notify her doctors and perhaps social services, which would force her to accept additional help but would make us the bad guys and possibly alienate her. Worried Worried: Dropping off groceries and supplies once a week is not caregiving. It is neglect. You should be entering the house, going through the refrigerator for expired foods, helping to put things away and helping Jenny in lots of little and large ways while you are there. Dropping things off only highlights your familys neglect of this elderly woman. The daughter who calls her 94-year-old mother once a week(!) should visit in person. If she cant afford the trip, family members should assist. During this visit, the family should gather as a group, along with a social worker, to discuss local programs and services available to her, such as Meals on Wheels. Your local Office on Aging can help you get started. A family member should accompany her to doctors visits. If she doesnt want you in the exam room, sit in the waiting room and ask to speak with the doctor. You simply have to be brave enough to have her be mad at you in order to assume some responsibility for her well-being. Not knowing what to do is no excuse for doing so little. A concerned party can make an anonymous report of elder neglect by contacting Adult Protective Services. Dear Amy: Im a girl who has been friends with a guy for almost two years. Were both 18 years old. Weve grown closer over the past year, but recently things have changed. He keeps picking fights over small and silly things. He dares to use vulgarities when hes mad at me; he doesnt do this with our other friends. Its like he has zero patience when it comes to me. On the other hand, he also lends his jacket when Im cold, and lends me his shoulder to cry on. Does this mean hes more comfortable with me, and thats why he gets mad easily, or does it mean that he secretly hates me? One weird thing is that a few weeks ago he told me he does not really like the way I laugh at other people. He said he wants to change me into a better person. I dont know whether I should end this friendship. Please help. Wondering Girl Wondering Girl: In the movie version of this question, your friend would be secretly in love with you. His behavior toward you is the equivalent of a fourth-grader punching a girl in the arm when he likes her. But hey this is your movie. Tell your friend that his behavior baffles you, and ask him why he reacts the way he does. Changing into a better person is an excellent idea, but this should be your effort, not his. Dear Amy: Maternal but not a Mother wondered when to intervene if you see a child in a dangerous situation. The answer is, immediately. Who cares if people think youre overreacting? I Intervene I Intervene: People seem more comfortable intervening when an animal is at risk than a child. I agree with you act first and deal with awkwardness later. Amys column appears seven days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Write to Amy Dickinson at askamy@tribpub.com or Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Journalists are highly competitive, but every once in a while, a reporter is so far out ahead on a continuing story that all the rest of us can do is acknowledge the obvious. So it has been with New York magazines Gabriel Sherman and the fast-moving story of the sexual harassment claims against the now-deposed head of Fox News, Roger Ailes. Thus, senior New York Times editor Lydia Polgreens comment last week on Twitter: MVP award this week must go to @gabrielsherman, who was ahead of everyone on Ailes despite a broken arm. (Sherman broke his arm at the Republican National Convention.) And thus CNN media reporter Brian Stelters tweet: Tip of the hat to @gabrielsherman he was alone & out front on this story. Gabriel Sherman. (Courtesy of Gabriel Sherman) Sherman, 37, has clearly led the reporting of this saga, which began July 6 with former Fox host Gretchen Carlsons lawsuit against her former boss, claiming that he harassed her for years. Since then, many women have come forward with similar stories of how Ailes used his power to pressure women for sex. Fox News has been notoriously secretive about its inner workings, aggressively managing its public image. Now the curtain is fully open, and its incredibly creepy, dark and disturbing, Sherman told me this week. After Carlson filed suit, Ailes immediately and vehemently denied her charges, as he has with all the harassment claims against him that have followed. He has insisted that Carlson was retaliating against him because she was fired for poor ratings and that he helped many womens careers at Fox. (I interviewed Carlson last week.) Ailess defense was quickly met by a Sherman story quoting six women, two by name, giving detailed accounts of Ailes harassing them, going back decades. Foxs parent company, 21st Century Fox, run by Rupert Murdoch and his two sons, authorized an internal investigation, and it wasnt long before Ailes was forced out. (That was the development that both Polgreen and Stelter were specifically noting.) Other news organizations, including The Washington Post and the New York Times, have done strong work on this story, but Sherman has owned it. I asked him, and two of his editors, how that happened. Their answers can be summed up succinctly: deep sources and dogged persistence. Shermans sources inside and around Fox News date back to the reporting of his 2014 Ailes biography, The Loudest Voice in the Room, and he has kept working them and developing others. Its really remarkable what hes done hes exposed a corporate culture of sexism, harassment and misogyny, said the magazines executive editor, Lauren Kern. The latest chapter is the distressing story of Laurie Luhn, a Fox News booker, who said that Ailes harassed and psychologically tortured her for 20 years. Sherman got an anonymous email a few days after Ailes was deposed; Luhn, it turned out, was thinking of telling her story, despite a 2011 settlement with Fox of more than $3 million and its strict non-disclosure agreement. After some conversation, she agreed to talk, despite the risks. Sherman and his wife, Jennifer Stahl, an editor at ProPublica who has helped Sherman with research and editing of his book, then hopped a flight to Los Angeles. Over the next two days, he questioned Luhn for 11 hours, and soon five editors and a lawyer were ushering the story into publication Friday afternoon. It was especially tricky, not only because of the legal implications of her settlement, but because Luhn struggles with mental health problems and has been hospitalized. Sherman and his editors told me they went to great lengths to corroborate every possible detail of her story. Adam Moss, editor in chief of New York magazine, praised Sherman for an unusual combination of traits: He is both absolutely persistent and very sensitive. He has been careful and empathetic all along the way. Sherman doesnt think for a minute that the story has run its course. Carlsons suit has to play out, and so do the leadership changes at Fox News. So far, Rupert Murdoch has taken the helm of the news organization that he and Ailes founded together 20 years ago as a conservative alternative to mainstream media and that has had a profound effect on American politics. Will 21st Century Fox examine the roles of those in Ailess inner circle who may have enabled or ignored what was happening? And whats the status of the internal investigation? (Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti referred my questions to 21st Century Fox; the company has not responded.) Sherman is hopeful that enough questions have been raised that if the Murdochs really want to change the culture, they will clean house. Theres a lot that is unknown, Sherman said, and added what should come as no surprise to anyone: Im continuing to report the story. For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan Did you know that the World Bank runs a nifty bookstore at 18th and Pennsylvania NW, stocking everything from statistics-heavy tomes on international development to Cooking the Cambodian Way, from Natural Disaster Hotspots: Case Studies to Michael Lewiss The Big Short? How lovely, in this age of disappearing downtown bookstores bye-bye Borders, so long Chapters, adios Olssons that we have this brainy oasis for lovers of the printed word. But not for much longer. The World Bank Group InfoShop the stores official name will close Oct. 14. Fans are distraught. More than 1,300 have signed an online petition begging the banks bigwigs to keep the shop open. I still love books, real books, said Aldo Morri, an international business consultant who often does work for the bank and is one of the people behind the petition. I like to put my fingers on them and flip through them. Page-flipping is being replaced by mouse-clicking. Over the past six years, the World Bank has increasingly made its publications available free online, meaning a bookstore isnt central to its mission. It posts not only the finished reports but also the raw data and research that went into producing them. We want people around the world to have access to our knowledge, and we opened our bookstore at a time before the Internet had spread globally, bank spokesman David Theis wrote in an email. He added: We arent about selling books in Washington we want to spread knowledge in Burkina Faso. Not everyone accepts the argument that the worlds knowledge is just a few easy mouse clicks away. That is so untrue, said Mike Goldberg, a microfinance expert who has worked at the bank for 22 years. Anything junky might be a few mouse clicks away. But anything of high quality thats technically up to date, its much harder to find that in the jungle of the Web now. If you go to the InfoShop, its fairly selective. You know youre getting the latest, the best, the well thought-out. Theres a sense of careful curation to the InfoShop. You may not find Stephen King, but you will find someone even scarier: Thomas Piketty. Plus, you can get tiny desk flags from different nations ( $5, including base) and T-shirts that say, End Poverty. On a recent afternoon I encountered Eric Lewis perusing the offerings. Its a great place to come in and browse, said Eric, who likes the foreign fiction as well as nonfiction books about the Middle East, a region he visits for his job as an international lawyer. Other typical customers include World Bank employees; staffers from the State Department, the White House and the U.S. Treasury; and students and professors from nearby George Washington University. The occasional tourist wanders in, too. They come in because I put the cheap books up front, said Guy Brussat, the stores book buyer, one of two full-time employees. (There are also three part-timers.) Ill say one thing: They never censored me, Guy said of the banks management. He still remembers the time a rather countercultural fellow stormed in and accused the store of being a mouthpiece for the bank. Guy took him to a shelf and pointed out a book called 10 Reasons to Abolish the IMF and the World Bank. Its unclear what will become of the space after the store closes in October. Some World Bank employees told me that they heard it would be used for offices, allowing the bank to move staff out of rented buildings. The Washington City Paper reported it will be used for events. David said no final decision has been made. The bookstores fans hope the petition might move the banks management to reconsider. That seems unlikely. David wrote in an email: We understand that people have an emotional connection to this bookstore, as they did to the Borders that closed several years ago on L Street and the countless other shops around the country and around the world. But our mission is not on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 18th Street. It is in the health clinics and schools and rural villages in the poorest corners of the world. True enough. And yet, wont something be lost, some only-in-Washington wonkery, or perhaps the possibility that a book bought in the InfoShop might end up changing policy in some faraway land? Guy recalls how during one of the banks annual meetings, the oil minister from an African country came in wearing colorful national dress. Trailed by his security entourage, he swept through the store, pointing out books: this one, that one. In the end it was more than 100 titles. At the cash register, one of his underlings pulled a fist-size roll of $100 bills from his pocket and peeled off several thousand dollars. That anecdote may illustrate the excesses of African oil ministers more than it does some patrons affection for the World Bank InfoShop, but what a great anecdote and not the sort of thing youre likely to witness at Barnes & Noble on Rockville Pike. Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. Future students of Ron Brown College Preparatory High School participate in a camp/orientation in Sandy Spring, Md., on Tuesday. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post) Men dont wear clip-on ties. That sartorial directive from algebra and geometry teacher Shaka Green was just one of the many lessons being absorbed by the initial class of 100 or so students at Ron Brown College Preparatory, the Districts new boys-only high school. The students are required to wear jackets and ties to school. So on Tuesday, Green was guiding them through a session on dressing appropriately, maintaining personal hygiene, polishing shoes, choosing the right coat hangers and presenting themselves as men of learning. When you say youre going to work, you need to look like youre going to work, Green told the room of teenagers as they grappled with the knotty business of tying a tie. Most of the Districts public schools wont officially begin until Aug. 22, but the first class of students at Ron Brown is getting a jump start this week and next as they and the faculty prepare to open the only single-gender public high school in the city. [ACLU questions legality of D.C.s minority male school program: What about black girls?] The creation of Ron Brown is a result of outgoing Chancellor Kaya Hendersons decision early last year to invest $20 million in a city initiative for black and Hispanic males, who make up 43 percent of the students enrolled in D.C. Public Schools and whose academic achievements have fallen short of other groups. Although the school aims to increase minority student achievement, it has faced criticism. D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) and the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nations Capital raised questions about the new school and whether it is legal to have a program just for boys if a similar school is not offered for girls. Should D.C. be allowed to have an all-boys high school? Voting is closed on this poll User Poll Results: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post Is it fair for D.C. Public Schools to have an all-boys high school without offering a similar single-gender school for girls? Yes No Pardon the interruption! We need to verify that you are an actual person. Yes No View Results This is a non-scientific user poll. Results are not statistically valid and cannot be assumed to reflect the views of Washington Post users as a group or the general population. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine said last year that the program does not violate the Constitution and that he would defend the initiative if its challenged in court. Ben Williams is the first principal of D.C.s all-boys high school. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) Proponents say the school is a bold and necessary response to an underserved population that the prevailing model of education has failed. Just dont call it an experiment to those involved, especially Ben Williams, the schools 36-year-old principal. I would never refer to it that way, Williams said. It is us as a district recognizing a need and being proactive about creating a resource to address that need. [First-time principal will lead D.C.s all-male public high school] The school retreat at the sprawling and verdant Sandy Spring Friends School is a 30-minute drive and a galaxy away from the boys new high school, which is in a remodeled building near the Deanwood Metro station in Northeast Washington. After introductions, faculty members set about explaining to their young charges the academic and cultural goals they expect them to meet. There were team-building exercises and sharing circles and games. On Wednesday, the students will set up tents and camp out for a night. All of it is intended to create an atmosphere of trust, exploration and mutual respect, Williams said. We have a good group of young men, and were beginning the work of getting them to work together and uplift each other, Williams said as he watched his new students playing on a field Tuesday. We have high expectations of them and they need to realize that we expect them to meet those expectations, no matter what theyve experienced in the past. The members of Ron Browns first class displayed a range of enthusiasm for the school Tuesday, with many saying they wished that the school was co-ed and wondering what the year ahead has in store for them. But the most common reaction was optimism. Elijah Ashley-Mangum said hes ready for everything the school will ask of him. Unlike many of the students, who say their parents selected the school for them, Elijah said he asked his mother to send him to Ron Brown. Dr. Williams is like a father I never had, he said. Hes strict, but that pays off. Im like every other normal kid. I dont like to be yelled at or when grown-ups are strict with me. But life is going to be hard and theyre being hard on us so that were ready. So that we dont end up on the street like other people. And Elijah said that the idea of an all-boys high school also was a draw. Ive already made a lot of friends, he said. This school says brotherhood to me, and we need brotherhood. Gabriel Benn said that having girls in class would be too distracting, and he likes what he has seen in his classmates and instructors. This school is about becoming a strong black man, he said. It teaches you about leadership and about how to carry yourself. Josiah Lynch said he chose the school because his mother saw how proper and strict the principal was. After two days of the summer program, he is optimistic about the school, but hes not ready to issue a firm verdict. You cant judge a book by its cover or a school by its retreat, said the 14-year-old, displaying the wisdom of a young scholar. Michael Donovan thinks the sheriff is after him. Michael Donovan. (Norm Shafer/For The Washington Post) Hes a convicted felon who served time. But Donovan says officers in Virginias rural Augusta County are following him for reasons unrelated to his criminal record: He founded a not-for-profit group that puts up bail for people in jail who lack the financial resources, and he thinks the powers that be prefer the status quo. For-profit bonds are kind of a dinosaur, Donovan said. Its their intent to stamp out the competition. He alleges in a federal lawsuit that the Augusta County sheriff and other county officials, including a former bail bondsman, are conspiring to put him out of business to protect their allies in the bail industry. According to the suit, law enforcement and county officials have tailed him, interrogated his employees, inspected his office and defamed him in emails featuring smiley faces with Adolf Hitler mustaches all in an attempt to preserve what Donovan calls a corrupt bail system. County officials named in the suit declined to comment on the case, but attorneys for the sheriffs office said in court documents that the suit contains blantantly baseless mischaracterizations, and superfluous and grandiose hyperbole. A bail system under fire Bail, as most know it, allows those accused of crimes to go free after paying a lump sum that is returned when their case ends. Those without means can pay part of that lump sum, usually 10 percent, to a bail bond agent, who will post bail for them and sic a bounty hunter on them if they skip town. Those who cant pay 10 percent sit in jail. [When it comes to pretrial release, few other jurisdictions do it D.C.s way] About 16 years ago, Donovan, 38, was in this last category. He served seven months in prison after writing two bad checks, he said, and was unable to pay his $45,000 bail. He also pleaded guilty to a felony in 2009 after not paying a hotel bill and served four months in prison. I took a deal and pled guilty to six felonies because thats the way I could go home, he said of his older convictions. Had I been able to pay bond, it would have ended differently. . . . I wouldnt have had my life halted without the ability to make that situation right. Inspired by his experience, Donovan and his partner founded Libre by Nexus in 2012. The company, which posts bonds for detainees in federal immigration proceedings who consent to GPS monitoring, started out in three Virginia counties but quickly went nationwide, with 27 offices across North America and one in El Salvador. Libre by Nexus found a niche. Because of flight risk, immigrants detained by the Department of Homeland Security have to post bonds higher than those posted by other criminal defendants, Donovan said. The for-profit Libre by Nexus also funds the Serve by Nexus free bail program. But Libre has come under fire from immigration advocates who are critical of the high fees it charges for GPS bracelets and liken it to a payday lender. At up to $420 per month, the fees can exceed what federal detainees would pay to get out of detention if they could afford a one-time payment. I can see how their service would be useful on a short-term basis, said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, the legal director of the Legal Aid Justice Centers immigrant advocacy program. But when used on a long-term basis, it becomes extremely exploitative. And most, if not all, will end up using it on a long-term basis. Donovan said he respects Sandoval-Moshenbergs work but thinks advocates give his own work short shrift. Escaping an insane dilemma Susan Ruppenthal, a client of Serve by Nexus, is photographed at her Harrisonburg home. (Norm Shafer/For The Washington Post) Susan Ruppenthal was released in October 2015 after serving 2 years in federal prison for drug-related crimes. Released to a Salvation Army in Harrisonburg, she knew no one in the area. In her first days as an ex-offender in a new city, Serve by Nexus helped her get a pair of shoes and gave her a ride to her job in a book factory nearby, Ruppenthal said. This place is a good place to have here, said Ruppenthal, 35. I dont want to know what I would do without them. [Maryland has started on prison reform. But what about the thousands in jails?] Russell Jones, 38, who was bailed out last year by Serve by Nexus when he couldnt pay his $1,000 bail, agreed. Jones said Serve by Nexus gave him clothing and placed him in a rent-free apartment when he got out, helping get him to get back on track. Its not a small steppingstone, Jones said of the program. They want it to be a transformative experience. Donovan said keeping a person in jail for $100 what Jones would likely have had to pay a bail bond agent is not American. Serve by Nexus is not alone. David Feige, board chairman of the 3-year-old Bronx Freedom Fund, touted as the first charitable bonding program licensed in New York state, described what he called a Newtonian law of incarceration: A person at liberty stays at liberty, and a person in jail stays in jail. The greatest determinant in the outcome in a criminal case had nothing to do with guilt, innocence or evidence, Feige said. It had to do with bail. While the bail bond industry doesnt object to such charitable endeavors, its representatives say bail bond agents already help people get out of jail. After all, these are the guys paying an offenders bond for 10 percent down or less in states where partial payment is permitted. Our position as an industry is bail agents should be allowed to have a piece of the action, said Jeff Clayton, policy director of the American Bail Coalition, a trade industry group. Scrutiny and Hitler emoji Augusta County Sheriff Donald L. Smith declined to comment, and Virginias Division of Risk Management, which is representing the state officials involved, said it could not comment on pending litigation. But Donovans suit paints a picture of officials with close ties to the bail bond industry trying to kill an outsiders challenge to the way things work. David L. Bourne is a bail bond agent in Verona, Va. His office is across the street from the Augusta County Sheriffs Office with a car emblazoned with the logo 1-800-FOR-BAIL on the lawn outside just down the road from county tax officials. One deputy sheriff used to work for him, Donovan alleges. And Bourne doesnt like Serve by Nexuss free business model. None of us can compete with free bail, Bourne wrote in a Jan. 18 email to a national bail insurance company. Bourne, who did not respond to requests for comment, allegedly tried to convince other county officials that Serve by Nexus was up to no good. Some officials appeared to agree, according to the lawsuit. This group needs to be watched closely, Jack Lee, the superintendent of Augusta Countys Middle River Regional Jail, wrote on Feb. 15. They could be recklessly dangerous to the whole criminal justice system. On Feb. 25, Commonwealths Attorney Tim Martin wrote: I really cant stand these people and have no clue where the money comes from. Then came the Hitler emoji. On March 7, Donovans suit alleged, three county tax officials came to his companys headquarters. Donovan met with the officials for the unannounced tour, explaining that some clients seek refuge in the United States because they are gay. Mr. Donovan noted that gangs in Africa and El Salvador were exterminating men who they believed were homosexuals, much like Hitler did during the atrocities that led up to World War II, the lawsuit said. Back at the office on the day after the tour, the lawsuit claims, tax officials mined this material for politically incorrect laughs. You might want to consider El Salvador [for retirement] and I know someone you can go with! Augusta County tax auditor Joy Mauzy wrote in an email appended with a smiley face that resembled Hitler. Another county tax auditor, Gene R. Ergenbright, responded. If hes in El Salvador . . . I want to be in Alaska, he wrote in an email chain that included his own Hitler emoji. Mauzy and Ergenbright declined comment through the Division of Risk Management. In court documents, counsel for Augusta Countys revenue commissioner said the email disclosure was inadvertent and not authorized and that one employee directed a smiley face Hitler emoji at his co-worker for being dictatorial about her request for a report about . . . unrelated business. Attorneys for the sheriffs office also said they had questions about Donovans charity. Those behind it are not Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, or Nike, Inc., but rather a couple whose admitted extensive criminal record inspired the business model, they wrote in a court filing. In discussing the emails, Donovan said the tax officials had used government computers to make light of something that should never be funny. Its important for people to understand whats happening here is wrong, Donovan said. . . . Weve decided to fight it. Chico Harlan and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report. MARYLAND Three found slain in Prince Georges Two men were found slain in Prince Georges County in separate incidents Saturday, and another was found Monday, authorities said. In the first, Brandon Eduardo Sorto, 20, of 29th Avenue in Hyattsville was found in the 3100 block of Oliver Street in Hyattsville about 10 a.m. Saturday, county police said. They said he had a wound, but did not give details. About 12 hours later, Cleve Monnity, 44, of Kinmount Road in Lanham was found dead in the 15700 block of Everst Drive in Bowie, county police said. He had been shot. On Monday, a man was found dead with an upper-body wound in the 4600 block of Red Hawk Terrace in Bladensburg, town police said. He was not named. County police are investigating. Justin Wm. Moyer and Lynh Bui VIRGINIA Ex-federal worker faces fraud charges A former Commerce Department employee is accused of exploiting a computer virus to get more than $200,000 in bribes and then funneling the cash through his chicken restaurants, authorities said. Raushi J. Conrad, 42, was arrested Monday and charged in Alexandria federal court, authorities said. According to prosecutors, Conrad used his position at the Bureau of Industry and Security to steer a contract. Conrad, who held his post from 2008 to October 2011, was in charge of transferring files from a virus-infected computer network to a new, virus-free system. According to prosecutors, he drove the lucrative data-transfer contracts to someone who paid $208,000 to Conrads chicken restaurants. Conrad did not respond to a request for comment. A public defender represents him. Rachel Weiner Police identify teen killed in house re The deaths of two people in a Sunday house fire in Manassas are being investigated as homicides, the Prince William County police said. Jose Javier Avalos, 17, and a man not yet identified died in the fire in the 10300 block of Lomond Drive, police said. Police said they think the fire was arson. A 35-year-old man was injured in the fire. Victoria St. Martin Deputies kill driver after shots are red Authorities in Stafford County said a 65-year-old man who was fatally shot by sheriffs deputies had fired a handgun at them after being involved in a crash. The incident occurred about 2 a.m. Monday along Cool Spring Road near Kings Highway, officials said. The man, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, is alleged to have been driving at high speed, according to officials. A caller to the sheriffs office reported that the car jumped the median and went into a ditch on the opposite side of the road. When deputies arrived, they didnt see anybody in the vehicle, according to M.C. Morris Moncure, a spokeswoman for the county sheriffs office. But they soon noticed a man standing nearby with a handgun. He started firing at the deputies, and they returned fire and shot him, authorities said. He died at a hospital. The deputies were not injured. Dana Hedgpeth Region String of 90-degree days continues Not even the transition from July to August could prevent Washington from recording another day in the 90s Monday. It was 92 at Reagan National Airport, making Monday the 12th successive day of 90-degree heat there. It was also the 19th 90-degree day in the last 20. Martin Weil A family walks down Main Street in Ellicott City, pulling a wet vacuum cleaner as residents clean up after the weekend flood that killed two people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Aug. 1, 2016 A family walks down Main Street in Ellicott City, pulling a wet vacuum cleaner as residents clean up after the weekend flood that killed two people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post See what the scene looks like after flooding in historic Ellicott City See what the scene looks like after flooding in historic Ellicott City Amber Georgieff and Gayle Killen couldnt contain their enthusiasm Monday afternoon when a yellow bulldozer scooped up muck and debris and threw it into a dump truck on Main Street in Ellicott City, Md. Whoo-hoo, they yelled, smiling at each other. It was the first sign of help from Howard County since the floodwaters subsided late Saturday, after a harrowing rush of water that killed two people and devastated the historic downtown on the Patapsco River. [Two dead after severe flash flood in Maryland] Georgieff, 34, whose clothes were rain-soaked and muddied, had stopped by Killens 208-year-old stone house after seeing a plea for help on Facebook. She and her roommate, Kyle Roberts, 34, started shoveling the nearly three feet of mud that came through a coal chute in Killens basement. Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman (R) spent the day assuring the downtowns 1,200 residents and owners of 112 businesses that Ellicott City will rebuild. He allowed business owners to take their first tour of the commercial district, which suffered tens of millions of dollars of damage. They had seen the images online and on their televisions cratered streets, overturned cars, sidewalks destroyed, stores and restaurants ravaged but Kittleman said he thought it was important for them to see firsthand the work that was ahead. In the seven blocks affected by the flood, six buildings are totally destroyed or structurally unsafe, and many others will need extensive repairs. It will be months, if not years, Kittleman said of the rebuilding. The county will have help from the state and federal government in that effort. Kittleman was joined Monday morning by U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) who walked through some of the hardest-hit sections. She called it the worst devastation she has seen in her 30 years in office. Its more like an earthquake, Mikulski said, comparing it to the blizzards and hurricanes that have blown through the state. Ellicott City has rebuilt after floods before, including in the wake of Hurricane Agnes in 1972. On Saturday, six inches of rain fell in just two hours, creating what the National Weather Service described as an off-the-charts event that led to 120 swift-water rescues, cars swept down Main Street and businesses engulfed by raging water. Footage posted on social media captures the severe flooding that hit Ellicott City, Md., on Saturday, July 30, and the wreckage it left behind. (Monica Akhtar,Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post) [This is how an off-the-charts flood ravaged Ellicott City] Mikulski said she will move quickly to arrange for federal emergency aid. County officials first have to assess the extent of damage, which should take about three days, she said. Then Gov. Larry Hogan (R) can make the request that she said she would give to President Obama. Federal grants should be available to individual property owners, small business owners and to the government to help with infrastructure, Mikulski said. Were working as Team Maryland, she said. Mikulski said she will always remember the grit that residents showed when they formed a human chain to rescue strangers and bring them to safety on Saturday night. My breath was taken away, she said of watching the heroism. Killen said she has largely remained stoic since water began to swirl around her house, washing away some of the ground under the sidewalk. She cries not because of her loss but when strangers and friends walk to her door offering help. Steven Skinner, 52, drove from New Market in Frederick County to lend a hand. It takes a village, Skinner said as he threw a piece of rusted metal onto the heaping pile in front of Killens home. Alan Minor, the head of the county emergency management center, said Howard County is receiving help from an emergency management organization from Pennsylvania. The state organization is coordinating management of the cleanup effort. During an information session for residents and business owners affected by the flood, neighbors hugged one another and shared stories about how long it may take to rebuild. They ate donated sandwiches as they collected information about grants and temporary assistance. Kay and David Robbins, who own an architectural firm on Main Street, said they attended to support their neighbors who were hit harder. Were worried about when we can tell our employees that they can come back to work, Kay Robbins said. The company has eight employees and they have a tenant on the first floor of the building. Elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) and Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), were among those who walked through the crowd to greet and comfort residents. Sam Coyne, who owns a jewelry store on Main Street, said at this point he is worried about the engagement rings, wedding bands and mother-in-law and bridesmaids gifts that sit in his store. The items are in a vault. I had a dozen weddings scheduled this week, he said. I dont want them to have devastation just because we did. An oysterman holds a live oyster and a dead one, harvested while dredging the upper Chesapeake Bay near Gibson Island, Md., in 2011. (Linda Davidson/THE WASHINGTON POST) A state panel recommended Monday night that Maryland resume work on restoring oyster habitat in the Tred Avon River near St. Michaels, part of a broader effort to revive the Chesapeake Bay bivalve decimated by overfishing and disease. Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who campaigned on a promise to ease regulations on watermen, halted the project on the Tred Avon, a tributary of the Choptank River, this past winter. Watermen have been sharply critical of a federal-state effort that has set aside portions of the bay as sanctuaries off-limits to oyster harvesting. The Tred Avon is one of three Maryland waterways designated for restoration. The federal government requires the state to identify an additional two. After nearly four hours of discussion, waterman representatives to the Oyster Advisory Commission, a stakeholder panel that also includes environmentalists, scientists and elected officials, reluctantly agreed to join in recommending to the Department of Natural Resources that work in the Tred Avon resume. The restoration involves creation of artificial reefs that are seeded with lab-grown juvenile oysters. [Oyster population in protected areas of Chesapeake shows signs of renewal] The state faces an Aug. 5 deadline to inform the Army Corps of Engineers of whether it wants to continue to the work. Sixteen acres of artificial reefs have been completed. Reefs on eight additional acres are planned. The watermen set several conditions for their support. They include improved state efforts to involve them in decision-making on future restoration sites and limiting use of stone in the creation of artificial reefs. Watermen say stone impedes fishing for other kinds of shellfish. The state also agreed to expand its search for local shells to use as substrate for growing oysters along the bay bottom. The meeting in Annapolis came a day after release of a new state study showed signs of renewal for oysters in state-created sanctuaries. The report is expected to play a key role in Marylands review of policies governing the 51 protected areas that cover more than 253,000 acres of bay bottom. Jaideep Jadhav and his bride Reshma Patil married in this unique fashion on Sunday in the Western Ghats. By Deepak Suryavanshi: It is said marriages are made in heaven, but this couple, took the ceremony to a different level, when they decided to tie the knot mid-air - over a 600-feet deep valley. Jaideep Jadhav, 30, a mountaineer and pharma marketer, and his bride Reshma Patil, preparing for her Indian Administrative Service competitive exams, married in this unique fashion on Sunday in the Western Ghats. advertisement In order to create awareness about adventure sports, the courageous couple decided to make their marriage a live example, said their mentor Vinod Kamboj, President of Western Mountain Sports, Kolhapur, who organised the wedding. The "arranged marriage" of Jaideep-Reshma was literally taken to a different level - and the wedding ceremony was performed mid-air in the valley between the 3,000-feet tall peaks of Vishalgadh and Panhala, around 15 km from the base village Bhattali on Sunday morning. The "While Jadhav was all prepared for the 'hanging' nuptials, his bride-to-be Reshma, a first-timer for any such 'high-flying' adventure, had no hang-ups and joined enthusiastically, albeit a bit nervously," Kamboj said. A third critical 'hanger-on', in the form of 35-year-old professional priest Suraj Dholi was close at hand mid-air for the ceremony witnessed by over 1,200 people, including some 1,000 villagers and the rest comprising relatives and invitees from both sides. Jadhav and Reshma were both attired in traditional Maharashtrian wedding dress, and tied onto tough, double nylon-fibre ropes, with supports. Then they were slowly eased on to the "marriage venue" in the middle of the valley with a direct 600-foot drop below, just before the 1 pm marriage 'muhurat' (auspicious time). Jadhav and Reshma were both attired in traditional Maharashtrian wedding dress, and tied onto tough, double nylon-fibre ropes, with supports. The priest, Dholi, who joined them mid-air, started reciting the wedding mantras and completed all the rituals - minus the 'saat pheras' around the auspicious fire. Dholi recited the marriage chants, which were heard by the gathering below via cordless microphone. Jaideep tied the "mangalsutra" around Reshma's neck, and both exchanged garlands, all the while hanging in space, with soft clouds billowing around them, amid a light cool drizzle, presenting an unparalleled romantic spectacle. The marriage was declared as solemnised after a few minutes - even as the crowds roared their blessings across the valley, clapped and cheered the newly-wedded couple. The entire process - from the time they were tied to the ropes, went through the wedding rituals mid-air and alighted - took around 40 minutes, Kamboj said. The entire process - from the time they were tied to the ropes, went through the wedding rituals mid-air and alighted - took around 40 minutes, Kamboj said. The entire process - from the time they were tied to the ropes, went through the wedding rituals mid-air and alighted - took around 40 minutes, Kamboj said. advertisement After alighting and being untied from the nylon ropes, Jaideep and Reshma went and prayed at the local temple, took the blessings of their family members and other elders, and were congratulated by their friends and relatives. Later, it was feast time with a simple wedding fare comprising Masala pulao, vegetables, dal and sweet sheera which was served to all, including the villagers, curious onlookers and the wedding guests from both families. Kamboj said arrangements for the mid-air ceremony were begun from Friday, and a bit of training was given to would-be-bride, Reshma. The technical support and equipment was provided by Mumbai's Malay Adventures' President Mahiboob Mujawar and Kolhapur's Hillriders & Hikers Group. The total cost came to around Rs 50,000, which the three organisations, including Western Mountain Sports, Kolhapur, have borne, he said. --- ENDS --- Undated photos of Sheila and Katherine Lyon released by the FBI. Sheila was 12 at the time of her disappearance, and Katherine was 10. Undated photos of Sheila and Katherine Lyon released by the FBI. Sheila was 12 at the time of her disappearance, and Katherine was 10. FBI/AP The two young siblings, Sheila, 12, and Katherine, 10, vanished from a mall in suburban Maryland in 1975. Forty-two years later, a sex offender pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony murder in the case. Two young sisters, Sheila, 12, and Katherine, 10, vanished from a suburban Maryland mall in 1975. The baffling case made parents afraid to let their children out of the house. Two young sisters, Sheila, 12, and Katherine, 10, vanished from a suburban Maryland mall in 1975. The baffling case made parents afraid to let their children out of the house. On Oct. 16, 2013, two detectives from Montgomery County, Md., sat down for the first time with a Delaware prison inmate named Lloyd Lee Welch. Their hope: That he had answers to the nearly 40-year-old mystery of what happened to Sheila and Katherine Lyon, two young sisters who vanished from a shopping mall in Wheaton in 1975. When they were done, Welch had spoken for eight hours enough to yield a 232-page transcript of the interview, according to police and court records in the case. In the interview, detectives allege, Welch acknowledged that he was at the mall the day the girls disappeared, said he believed that theyd been abducted, raped and burned up and that the detectives should just charge him with murder and take him back to prison. Now, as prosecutors prepare to try Welch, 59, on murder charges here where police contend the girls bodies were disposed of the length of that first Welch transcript is just one example of the thousands of documents Welchs defense attorneys are having to review. On Tuesday, they argued for a delay in his trial, saying the proceeding would need to be pushed to April of next year to give them time to prepare. Its going to take that long for us to process, catalogue, review and conduct our investigation, one of Welchs attorneys, Aaron Houchens, told Judge James Updike on Tuesday. Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nance said he couldnt in good conscience argue with Houchenss request. Updike set the new trial date. Lloyd Lee Welch (Courtesy of Bedford County Sheriff's Office) Nance said his office is working with Welchs attorneys to try to get them documents in the case, including those related to other persons of interest developed over the decades of the case. Nance also acknowledged that case files on those individuals are potentially exculpatory in nature for Welch. The slow-going in the prosecution of Welch isnt surprising, given the complexity and longevity of the case. For nearly four decades, the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine have remained one of the Washington regions most heart-rending mysteries. At the Montgomery County police department, a series of investigators looked into various suspects but didnt file charges. In mid-2013, detectives began to take a new look at Welch, a former carnival worker whose name was in old case files. In that early phase of the case, Welch had been considered an unreliable witness, not a suspect. That view began to change the more the new detectives looked into him and in no small measure because of where they found him: in a Delaware prison serving a long sentence for sexually assaulting a young girl. They began talking to him in October 2013, returning again eight more times, according to court records. At least twice, he was given a polygraph. In all, more than 10 detectives from various agencies talked with Welch. Detectives came to believe that Welch and others abducted the Lyon sisters from Wheaton Plaza mall, killed them and took their bodies to a rural mountain in Bedford County, about 200 miles southwest of Washington. Prosecutors convened a grand jury in Bedford to further investigate the case. That produced another 40 witness statements. Welch was indicted on two counts of murder in 2015. Law enforcement officials have consistently said that others were involved, but it is unclear if they are alive and whether anyone else will be charged. In court Tuesday, Welch said little other than Yes, sir, your honor when Updike asked him if he was okay with the trial being delayed. He wore a bright-orange prison jumpsuit and was allowed to sit at the defense table without handcuffs, but his ankles were shackled. In documents filed ahead of the hearing, Welch attorney Houchens ticked off the volume of paper and electronic documents that have been given to the defense attorneys: More than 1,900 pages of transcripts from the Welch interviews, more than 29,000 electronic files that cover wire-tap information, interview notes, audio recordings and video recordings, and an additional 1,600 PDFs that go back to 1975. It is an incredible amount of information, said Carter Garrett, a defense attorney who represents Welchs uncle, Richard Welch, who was cited as a person of interest in the case in 2014 but is not charged. [Court documents indicate Lyon sisters bodies were burned on a Virginia mountain] In court papers filed ahead of Tuesdays hearings, Welchs attorneys said they were expecting another cache of material going back to the initial days in the case. This production contains over 40 years of files concerning this investigation, the attorneys wrote. Defense counsel has been advised that this production will be larger than the first production, and will contain approximately 10 bankers boxes of files. Garrett, the attorney for Richard Welch, said Lloyd Welchs attorneys and their experts have a duty to review all material closely. Youve got to go through every bit of it, he said. In statements to investigators, Welch said that he and Richard Welch kidnapped the Lyon sisters, according to search warrant applications from investigators that had previously been filed in court. Lloyd Welch also said he later saw the girls at Richard Welchs house, the statements to support search warrants state. Garrett said that the new filings entered before Tuesdays hearing shed favorable light on his client by confirming how much effort was put into solving the case. It appears to have been an incredibly thorough investigation, he said, yet my man hasnt been elevated from person of interest to suspect. You get the feeling that Richard is telling the truth when he says he had nothing to do with it. Garrett said that even if prosecutors cannot get extensive corroboration of what Lloyd Welch has said, they may not need much given that he appears to have implicated himself. Speaking of some of his past clients, he quipped: Ive always said I would have won a lot more cases if it wasnt for that nagging confession. The three men have distinctive tattoos and police in the District are looking for them in connection with a sexual assault in Northeast. One of the men has a tattoo of a motorcycle with flames and the words DIE, DIE on his neck. Another man has a tattoo on his right wrist that says Wizzy Gang and the third suspect has a tattoo of a skull with the words Murder Gang. According to police, the men allegedly abducted a woman July 28 as she walked around 8 a.m. along Montana and Saratoga avenues NE in the Brentwood neighborhood. They drove her to an undisclosed location and sexually assaulted her, according to police. The suspects were last seen, police said, inside of a dark colored van or SUV. Police also gave more description of each of the suspects. The man with the DIE tattoo is described as being Hispanic and about 38 years old. He stands about 5-foot-3 and weighs roughly 150 pounds. He has dark hair. The suspect with the Wizzy Gang tattoo is said to be black with a dark complexion, roughly 38 years old and 6-feet tall. He has shoulder length dreadlocks. The third suspect is also described as a black man with a light complexion. He is 22-years-old. Authorities said they also were looking for two suspects in another sexual assault that happened in Northwest Washington. In that incident, police said a woman was walking around midnight Saturday near T Street and Florida Avenue NW in the Shaw neighborhood when two men allegedly kidnapped her. They took her to an area near 28th Street and Shipley Terrace in Southeast, police said, where she was sexually assaulted. One of the suspects is described as a black man in his late 20s to early 30s. He has a light complexion, a short haircut and was wearing a brown polo style shirt, blue jeans and a hat at the time of the incident. The other suspect is described as a black man who also in his late 20s to early 30s, according to police. He has a dark complexion and also a short-style haircut. He was wearing plastic, black oval-shaped eyeglasses at the time. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered in each of the cases. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099. The scene at a house fire in Fairfax where Roy E. Rumsey, 58, and an unidentified female toddler were found dead. (Courtesy of Fairfax County police) A man police suspect of killing a toddler and taking his own life inside his Fairfax County home that was set ablaze last week died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to a Virginia medical examiner. The death of Roy E. Rumsey, 58, has been officially ruled a suicide, and investigators discovered a gun, numerous gas cans, a kerosene jug and flares inside the city of Fairfax-area residence, according to a search warrant returned Tuesday. [Police identify man found dead following blaze at home] Authorities have yet to identify the young girl or her relationship, if any, to Rumsey, and said it could take some time to finish their investigation. The fire marshal has preliminarily concluded that the blaze at 12107 Fairfax Hunt Rd. began at two separate points, indicating arson, according to the search warrant. The search warrant also states that investigators recovered a bullet from a fireplace in the home, carpet samples, a can of paint thinner and additional ammunition. Police have not detailed a motive for the incident but are investigating it as a murder-suicide. A large fire erupted at the single-family home some time after 10:30 a.m. last Wednesday, a neighbor said. Fire crews responded about 11 a.m., finding flames shooting from both floors of the home. After battling the blaze for 40 minutes, crews discovered the bodies of Rumsey and the toddler inside. Neighbors described Rumsey as a defense contractor who had little interaction with other residents of the neighborhood. Korryn Gaines recorded video of her standoff with Baltimore County police officers on August 1 and posted it on social media. Police say Gaines, a 23-year-old black woman, pointed a gun at officers and threatened to kill them before they shot and killed her. Officers had arrived at her apartment to serve warrants. (Instagram @shesyourmajesty) Korryn Gaines recorded video of her standoff with Baltimore County police officers on August 1 and posted it on social media. Police say Gaines, a 23-year-old black woman, pointed a gun at officers and threatened to kill them before they shot and killed her. Officers had arrived at her apartment to serve warrants. (Instagram @shesyourmajesty) Before she was killed and her 5-year-old son injured in a shootout with Baltimore County police, Korryn Gaines was live-streaming the standoff to the Internet. Her social-media followers, police said, were encouraging her not to give in. She did not. After repeatedly pointing a shotgun at officers standing in the hallway of her Randallstown home Monday over hours of negotiation, police said, Gaines told them to retreat or die. If you dont leave, Im going to kill you. Im going to kill you, she said at about 3 p.m., according to Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson at a news conference Tuesday. Police said they fired a shot, and Gaines responded with a barrage of gunfire. They shot three more times. Gaines was killed. Her son, hit by a bullet or shrapnel, is still in the hospital. Amid the negotiations, police authorities successfully petitioned Facebook to disable the 23-year-olds accounts, which took about an hour to take effect. Police arrived at Gainess home that morning to serve an outstanding warrant from another encounter she had recorded and shown online: a March traffic stop that ended in her being charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Police also had a warrant for her boyfriend, Kareem Kiean Courtney, 39, who was charged with second-degree assault in a domestic incident involving Gaines. No one answered the door, the chief said in recounting events. Courtney soon came out of the residence with a younger child and was arrested on the assault warrant. He was later released on his own recognizance. But Gaines refused to leave, police officials said. When officers entered using a landlords key, they said, Gaines was sitting on the floor pointing a shotgun at them, and her son was nearby. Police retreated to the hallway and began an hours-long dialogue with Gaines, Johnson said. Trained negotiators, mental health counselors and Gainess father all were summoned to talk her out of the apartment. People discussed the incident on Twitter, debating whether police acted appropriately when faced with an armed woman who threatened officers while her child was nearby. Some said it seemed that police had no choice; others questioned whether the official account was accurate. There were times when we thought this would come to a peaceful resolution, closure, Johnson said. There were other times she was highly agitated. The entire time throughout the afternoon she repeatedly pointed the weapon at our personnel. Baltimore County Police held a news conference on August 1 about the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Korryn Gaines, a black woman killed by police in Randallstown. Officers were trying to serve warrants at the apartment when they said Gaines pointed a gun at them and threatened to kill them during an hours-long standoff. A five-year-old boy was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound. (Baltimore County Police) Gaines legally purchased the Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip last year, police said. Police could not say whether the child was hit by a bullet or shrapnel from shots fired by authorities or by his mother. They also said they could not say exactly where the boy was when shots were fired. We know the child, as a 5-year-old would, was moving about, Johnson said. Police did not record the negotiations. The department launched a body camera program in July, but police involved in this shooting had not been trained or issued cameras, said county police spokeswoman Elise Armacost. Since the program launched, only about 40 officers out of the 1,900-member force have been outfitted with the devices, she said. Johnson said Gaines had anti-government views but it is unclear if she was part of any specific movement. Her aunt, Shannon McGee-Gaines, said in an interview Tuesday that an inaccurate portrait was emerging of her niece but that she did not feel she was in a position to share details. She was intelligent, strong, determined, beautiful. She was a dedicated mother, an awesome friend. She was determined to enlighten people. Theres not enough accolades I can give her, McGee-Gaines said. Theres a lot that people dont know. Gaines had a history of problems with anger and impulsive behavior, according to assessments from a doctor included in a lawsuit Gaines filed in 2012 against the owner of two Baltimore rental homes she had lived in as a child. Her suit alleged a sea of lead paint made her ill. A doctor who examined Gaines found that she continued to display signs of neurocognitive impairment, and lost significant IQ points as a result of that exposure. On social media, Gaines frequently posted messages highlighting police shootings of unarmed black people across the country, which have provoked massive protests in recent weeks. She threatened a militant response. They can try to come get it they gon leave with more Lead than they poisoned me wit, one message on her Instagram page reads. In a video posted about two weeks ago, Gaines is shown loading a shotgun. They threw me a charge too late, she wrote. Lets dance, i got some rhythm. According to a police report from the March stop, which the department released after the shooting, Gaines was stopped when an officer saw that in place of a license plate she had a piece of cardboard on her vehicle. The cardboard declared, Any Government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right and freedom. Gaines refused to give police her license and registration at the traffic stop, according to the report, saying they had no right to stop her. Police say she told them that if they wanted her to leave the car, they would have to murder her, according to the report. Two children were in the car, according to the report. In one video she posted online, an officer is seen moving a child off Gainess lap while another officer grabs her arm. Gaines was ultimately removed from the car and arrested, suffering a minor cut on her finger, the report states. While waiting for a paramedic to arrive, Gaines shouted to her son to fight and bite the police, according to the police report. After the shooting, police also released a report showing that officers had been called to Gainess apartment on June 28 for a report of a domestic dispute between Courtney and Gaines. The couple allegedly was having an argument that led to a physical confrontation. Gaines told police that Courtney grabbed a chair and attempted to strike her with it, according to the report. Gaines and Courtney have been together for about three years and living together for about three months, according to the report. Sheldon Greenberg, an expert on police protocol at Johns Hopkins University, said decisions during hostage standoffs focus on the threat posed by the person with the gun, not the age of the hostages. The fact that its a small child or someone elderly, from the point of view of looking at it in the aftermath, is emotional, Greenberg said. A hostage negotiator may use discussion of the child in a negotiation. But at the point of a police action, them having to wrestle the person down or even shoot the person, thats after all considerations have been made. He said that if a child is separate from the person with the gun, police may try to coax him or her to safety. But if the child is with the armed suspect, trying to address him or her directly could exacerbate the situation. Gaines is one of 564 people to be fatally shot by police this year; 27 were women. Nine of those women, like Gaines, were black. Armacost said police exercised extreme patience and always tried to avoid death. But if someone points a gun at officers it very well many not end well, and that is the situation we had in this case, the police spokeswoman said.If the same situation evolved with a person of any race or ethnicity . . . we would have the same outcome. Dana Hedgpeth, Peter Hermann and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report. A motorcyclist was killed in a three-vehicle accident in Maryland last week, police said Tuesday. About 11:20 p.m. on July 29, officers were called to the intersection of Central Avenue and Cindy Lane in Capitol Heights after the report of a crash, Prince Georges County police said in a statement. When officers arrived, they found 29-year-old Christopher Jordan, of Applegarth Place in Capitol Heights, who had been riding a motorcycle, suffering from critical injuries. Jordan was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. An investigation revealed Jordan was westbound on Central Avenue approaching Cindy Lane while a car was eastbound on Central Avenue. The car was attempting to make a left turn onto Cindy Lane when it collided with the motorcycle, according to the statement. The collision forced that car to collide with another car that was stopped at the intersection, but the drivers, who were not named by police, were not hurt and remained on the scene, the statement said. Police asked anyone with information about this incident to call the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422 or go to pgcrimesolvers.com . Police are investigating after a 92-year-old man driving a vehicle struck two men in Old Town Alexandria, killing one. At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, police said, the man was attempting to park in a bank parking lot at 100 South Fairfax St. when he struck a parking attendant, then abruptly accelerated forward, driving into Swift Alley and striking and killing a maintenance worker. Police identified the man who was killed as Jeremais Herrera Rodriguez, 44, of Alexandria. The parking attendant had only minor injuries, Alexandria Deputy Police Chief David Huchler said, and was treated on the scene. The driver, who remained on the scene, has not yet been identified by police. Huchler said police do not believe that this was malicious. Alexandria Police asked that witnesses or people with information regarding this incident contact Investigator Diana Barrett at 703-746-6873. Sam Wei, a 26-year-old financial analyst in Chicago, has not had sex since her last relationship ended 18 months ago. She makes out with guys sometimes, and she likes to cuddle. To me, theres more intimacy with having someone there next to you that you can rely on without having to have sex, she said. I dont want to do anything that would harm the relationship and be something that we cant come back from. Sam Wei, 26, finds intellectual conversation more stimulating and more pleasurable than having sex sometimes. (Courtesy of Sam Wei) Its a less sexy time to be young than it used to be, despite millennials reputation as bed-hoppers frolicking like the characters on Girls. A study published Tuesday in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior finds that younger millennials born in the 1990s are more than twice as likely to be sexually inactive in their early 20s as the previous generation was. Even older millennials are more sexually active than this younger group is. Recent research also shows that, overall, millennials people born between the early 1980s and 2000 have fewer sexual partners than baby boomers and those in Generation X, the group immediately preceding them. Granted, the vast majority of young adults are still having sex, but an increasing number of them appear to be standing on the sidelines. Delaying sex is not necessarily bad, experts say: Being intentional about when to have sex can lead to stronger relationships in the long run. The trend may also reflect that women feel more empowered to say no, said Stephanie Coontz, director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families. As people have gotten much more accepting of all sorts of forms of consensual sex, theyve also gotten more picky about what constitutes consent, Coontz said. We are far less accepting of pressured sex. But some experts are concerned that the drop-off reflects the difficulty some young people are having in forming deep romantic connections. They cite other reasons for putting off sex, including pressure to succeed, social lives increasingly conducted on-screen, unrealistic expectations of physical perfection encouraged by dating apps and wariness over date rape. Heres a look at some surprising takeaways from recent research about the sex lives of the millennial generation. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) Anti-sexual communication Noah Patterson, 18, likes to sit in front of several screens simultaneously: a work project, a YouTube clip, a video game. To shut it all down for a date or even a one-night stand seems like a waste. For an average date, youre going to spend at least two hours, and in that two hours I wont be doing something I enjoy, he said. Its not that he doesnt like women. I enjoy their companionship, but its not a significant part of life, said Patterson, a Web designer in Bellingham, Wash. [The end of sex? More and more young people avoid it.] He has never had sex, although he likes porn. Id rather be watching YouTube videos and making money. Sex, he said, is not going to be something people ask you for on your resume. That attitude does not surprise Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist at Rutgers University and chief scientific adviser to the dating site Match.com. Its a highly motivated, ambitious generation, she said. A lot of them are afraid that theyll get into something they cant get out of and they wont be able to get back to their desk and keep studying. According to the new report, 15 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds have not had sex since turning 18, up from 6 percent in the early 1990s. And a study published in the same journal last year found that although millennials are more accepting of extramarital sex than earlier generations, they reported fewer sexual partners than any group since the 1960s an average of eight, compared with 11 for boomers and 10 for Generation X. [Why more millennials live with their parents than with a spouse or lover] The decline seems likely to continue: According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the portion of high school students who have had sex fell last year to 41 percent from 54 percent in 1991 and about 47 percent in 2013. The portion who reported sleeping with multiple partners also declined, from about 19 percent in 1991 to about 12 percent last year. Among millennials, the effects are most dramatic among those born in the mid-1990s and later the first cohort to come of age when smartphones were ubiquitous. This was the group that really started to communicate by screens more and by talking to their friends in person less, said researcher Jean Twenge, lead author of the two studies. So has sex declined because people are not meeting in person? Perhaps in part. But online life can also affect offline life in more subtle ways, especially when potential mates can disappear forever with the swipe of a thumb. It ends up putting a lot of importance on physical appearance, and that, I think, is leaving out a large section of the population, said Twenge, who teaches psychology at San Diego State University. For a lot of folks who are of average appearance, marriage and stable relationships was where they were having sex. Unlike in face-to-face meetings where you can seduce someone with your charm, she said, dating apps are leaving some people with fewer choices and they might be more reluctant to search for partners at all. It does not help that many millennials are relatively unfamiliar with the kind of down time it takes to really get to know a partner. The nature of communication now is anti-sexual, said Norman Spack, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. People are not spending enough time alone just together. Theres another gorilla in the room: Its whatever is turned on electronically. Alexandra Wolff, 19, had hoped to find romance in college. In high school, she and her friends were so focused on schoolwork that they did not date. But as a freshman last year at George Washington University, she found that between meeting new friends, attending classes and participating in extracurricular activities, she still did not have time. I dont involve myself in the scene of frat parties and hookup culture . . . but it seems like every other option is so time-consuming and very hard to seek out, said Wolff, who has never had sex. Its not like Im saving myself for anything; its more like, Ive been busy. At Tulane University, in New Orleans, Wolffs high school classmate Claudia W., 19, feels like an odd duck in a sea of Tinder users. She wants what she calls an old-fashioned relationship, leading to marriage and kids. But fellow students are into very casual one-night stands, going to bars and going home with someone, she said. Claudia, who did not want her last name used because I dont want all my professors reading about how Im a virgin, said her parents worry. They always ask me: Are you against relationships? Why dont you have a boyfriend? My mom she hooked up all the time in college shes like, I would still love you, but are you gay? But for me, its not anything about chastity or fear of sex. . . . Im just like, Eh, itll happen. Wary of catching feelings Millennials have been called the most cautious generation the first to grow up with car seats and bike helmets, the first not allowed to walk to school or go to the playground alone. The sense of caution sometimes manifests itself as a heightened awareness of emotional pitfalls. For example, some young people speak disparagingly of the messy emotional state love and lust can engender, referring to it as catching feelings. This generation has also grown up in an age when it is possible to inflict suffering in ways that are both hidden and horrifyingly public, such as cyberbullying or posting compromising pictures online. In such an environment, young people have developed what some see as necessary defenses and others view as thin skin. On college campuses, you see older people scratching their heads about safe spaces. Twenge said. Thats about emotional safety, this new idea of words being more harmful, referring to trigger warnings and other terms college-age people use to talk about potentially trauma-inducing stimuli. Meanwhile, in efforts to counteract hookup and drinking culture, some campuses have begun instigating yes means yes rules stipulating that each step of a sexual encounter requires verbal consent. For some, staying away altogether can feel less treacherous. Noah Patterson, 18, has never had sex. Id rather be watching YouTube videos and making money. (Courtesy of Noah Patterson) For his part, Leo Fusco, a 25-year-old construction worker and subcontractor in Oakland, Calif., has refrained from sex in part because he is repelled by the hookup culture. Ive overheard conversations where every detail was given We were in this position for this long, and then we were in that position and thats a major turnoff for me, he said. Theres a lot of people my age who have no filter in terms of how they express themselves in public. Isnt he curious about what sex is like? Im curious on a physical level, like Im curious about how a new sandwich would taste, but its not like a driving curiosity. Besides, he said, I dont particularly like not being in control of myself. To Spack, the Harvard professor, that is sad. Everyones missing out on a good time, he said. But Fisher, the Rutgers anthropologist, is not worried. Its probably a good thing, she said. Noting that baby boomers were known not only for free love but also for high divorce rates, she added, I think [taking it slowly] is going to lead to better first marriages. In the end, she predicted, biology will prevail. Sex is a powerful drive, and so is romantic love. . . . The sex system is way below the cortex. Its way below the limbic system, on a level with thirst and hunger. Theyll get to the sex, she said. Im positive of that. The year-long Metrorail rehabilitation plan includes 15 projects that will require the longest stretches of single-tracking and station shutdowns. The year-long Metrorail rehabilitation plan includes 15 projects that will require the longest stretches of single-tracking and station shutdowns. The year-long Metrorail rehabilitation plan includes 15 projects that will require the longest stretches of single-tracking and station shutdowns. View Graphic Metro investigators believe that Fridays derailment at the East Falls Church station was caused by a defect known as wide gauge, in which the two sides of the tracks are too far apart and cause the wheels to lose contact with the rails. The suspected defect caused a flurry of unplanned inspections over the weekend and brought added scrutiny as the latest SafeTrack maintenance surge began Monday on the Red Line between the Takoma and Silver Spring stations. Last weeks derailment occurred while a train was passing through an interlocking, the mechanism that allows trains to shift between the tracks. Because this round of the SafeTrack surge involves continuous single-tracking between the two eastern end stations, switches are working overtime to shuttle trains in either directions. That led General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld to direct staff to inspect the interlockings at Silver Spring, Takoma and NoMa-Gallaudet stations before starting service Monday morning. The sixth surge in Metros long-term maintenance overhaul known as SafeTrack runs August 1 through 7 on the Red Line. Take a look at how it will affect your commute. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) Despite the initial worries, the sixth SafeTrack surge went off relatively smoothly: Metro reported that Red Line ridership was about 30 to 40 percent down, and passengers reported encountering the same amount of crowding on trains that they would experience on an average Monday morning even though the wait was a little longer, with a reduced number of trains running. When Carmen McDonald arrived at the station, she had just missed a train by a few moments and realized it would be a 12-minute wait for the next arrival. Thats good enough for me, she said. LaShawn Frederick, 34, was less upbeat when she saw a 14-minute wait for an inbound train. Thats a long time, she said, to no one in particular, noticing the wait times on the information display. Im going to have to start showing up earlier if I dont want to be late for work. Preparing for the worst, Montgomery County had provided extra Ride On buses Monday. An official at Silver Spring station said there were few lines for the shuttle service through the morning commute, but at least a couple of buses left with all seats occupied, from Silver Spring to Fort Totten. Things seem to be going very smoothly, Esther Bowring, a Montgomery County transportation spokeswoman said in an email. The traffic seems lighter than normal. Its early, but the District did not see acute traffic congestion as the latest maintenance plan got underway, according to District Department of Transportation Director Leif Dormsjo, suggesting that extended parking restrictions freed up some additional space on roads and helped keep cars moving. Marylands commuter train system saw a slight jump in ridership Monday morning. About 220 passengers above normal commuted on MARCs Brunswick Line, Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman Sandy Arnette said. MARC added four rail cars to various Brunswick Line trains to handle additional riders Monday, but officials said the extra cars werent needed. Well keep the cars on through tomorrow in case we get more passengers on Day 2, Arnette said. Metro officials were cautiously optimistic that their warnings about SafeTrack maintenance had been heeded. They were even able to do additional work because of the weekend service disruption brought on by last weeks derailment. According to Metro, workers were able to use the weekend closure of East Falls Church station to replace 450 wooden rail ties that had not been scheduled to be tackled under the SafeTrack project repairs that were already underway in that area. Accident investigators who included Metro staff, representatives from the Federal Transit Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as outside consultants dont believe that operator error was a factor in the derailment. The mishap resulted in one minor injury and caused the 60 passengers to be evacuated onto the tracks. Metro said car equipment, weather conditions, heat and other factors may have played into the derailment just outside the station. A preliminary assessment showed that the tracks were too wide to support the train because of deteriorated rail ties, the wooden slabs that secure the running rail. Wiedefeld ordered special inspections of all the systems tracks to look for any other similar conditions that must be immediately addressed, he said in a statement. Its not the first time that wide gauge has caused problems on Metro: Its one of the most common causes of derailments, and its the same problem that allowed a non-passenger train to come off the tracks last August as an operator was preparing to start service at the Smithsonian station. Luz Lazo, Lori Aratani, Mike Laris, Dana Hedgpeth, and Robert Thomson contributed to this report. By Rahul Noronha: Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya and his wife, BJP leader Sudha Malaiya on Tuesday filed a defamation suit at the Bhopal district court against state Congress Spokesperson KK Mishra. The Congress Spokesperson had held a press conference on July 23 in which he had alleged that the state government was in the process of allotting 110 acres of land worth Rs 115 crore near Bhopal to the Devi Shakuntala Thakral Charitable Trust that runs colleges. The Congress Spokesperson had alleged that the Trust did not have a clean record, had been searched by the Income Tax department in 2007-08 and the minister's wife was associated with it. Mishra had also said that the Finance Minister had used his influence to get the allotment done. advertisement On Tuesday, Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya and his wife reached the district court premises to file the defamation suit. The Minister on Tuesday denied that neither he nor his wife was linked to the Trust in any way. The Congress Spokesperson should have checked his facts before maligning him and his family, he said. MISHRA ACCUSED THE COUPLE OF CORRUPTION During the press conference Mishra had alleged that the state government was moving at breakneck speed to allot the land to the Devi Shakuntala Thakral Charitable Trust controlled by KL Thakral. The said land is in villages Amjhera and Baansia, about 18 kms from the state capital. On Tuesday, Congress Spokesperson KK Mishra reacted to the defamation suit by saying that he would not be cowed down by such notices and his fight against corruption would become more stringent. Prior to this, in June 2014, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh have filed defamation suits against Congress Spokesperson KK Mishra in connection with the Vyapam scam. Also read: Sanjay Nirupam accuses Ravindra Waikar of corruption, exposes business links with Thackerays --- ENDS --- Sharon Nagel, a Miami-Dade County mosquito-control inspector, walks through the Wynwood neighborhood looking for mosquitoes or breeding areas, where she kills the Zika-carrying pests with larvicide granules or a fogger. July 30, 2016 Sharon Nagel, a Miami-Dade County mosquito-control inspector, walks through the Wynwood neighborhood looking for mosquitoes or breeding areas, where she kills the Zika-carrying pests with larvicide granules or a fogger. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Sixteen people have been infected with the Zika virus in Florida, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning to pregnant women to avoid traveling to the Wynwood neighborhood. Fourteen people have been infected with the Zika virus in Florida, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning to pregnant women to avoid traveling to the Wynwood neighborhood. Fourteen people have been infected with the Zika virus in Florida, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning to pregnant women to avoid traveling to the Wynwood neighborhood. This trendy Miami area is ground zero for the first Zika transmission in the continental U.S. This trendy Miami area is ground zero for the first Zika transmission in the continental U.S. Federal health authorities on Monday urged pregnant women not to visit a South Florida neighborhood where new cases of the Zika virus have emerged, the first time officials have warned against travel to part of the continental United States because of the outbreak of an infectious disease. Officials issued the unprecedented warning following the identification of 10 new infections in a dense urban pocket north of downtown Miami and after aggressive efforts to combat Zikas mosquito-borne spread had proved insufficient. It is truly a scary situation, said Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a really tough mosquito to control. [In Miami, Zikas arrival greeted with worry and shrugs] The travel warnings and growing outbreak mark a troubling but not unexpected turn for efforts to stem the viruss spread through the United States, and they could have profound impacts on Floridas tourism-heavy economy. They also demonstrate how even the best prepared communities may struggle to deal with a virus that spreads so readily. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Zika virus and its spread across North and South America. (Daron Taylor,Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) Most people infected with Zika dont show symptoms, but the virus can have devastating consequences during pregnancy. A woman infected with Zika can pass the disease to her fetus, stunting brain development and causing other severe defects. Almost all of the 1,661 Zika infections in the continental United States came from travelers to Puerto Rico or nearly 50 countries, such as Brazil and Colombia, where outbreaks are widespread. But 14 cases of Zika infections caused by mosquito bites in the United States have been announced by health officials since Friday, leading to worries of an expanding local spread. The primary species of mosquitoes that has carried the virus is present in 30 U.S. states, and the Souths warm, humid climate is particularly fertile ground for Aedes aegypti, a breed that bites only humans and thrives in urban neighborhoods. A second mosquito species, Aedes albopictus, can also carry the virus. The CDCs travel warning covered only about a square mile of north Miami, Frieden said, because that mosquito typically travels only 150 meters during its lifetime. But the threat could arise in other communities across the United States because 40 million people travel to Zika-affected areas every year and could silently pass on the virus to mosquitoes, leading to new outbreaks. Experts have been expecting local transmission of Zika. Miami is just the one outbreak we know about, said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. I think its equally possible that multiple outbreaks are simultaneously occurring up and down the Gulf Coast and Florida. The CDC is advising that all pregnant women should be asked about travel to Zika-infested areas during routine prenatal visits. Any pregnant women who have traveled to Zika areas including this area of Florida are advised to get tested for Zika. Women who have visited the affected area north of Miami since June 15, when Zikas local spread appears to have begun, were told to avoid getting pregnant for at least eight weeks. (Whitney Leaming/TWP) Women were also advised to use protection during sex, because the virus can be transmitted sexually. Men were told to wait at least six months before attempting conception if they see symptoms of the Zika virus disease, including fever, rash and joint pain. There is no medical treatment for Zika and no vaccine. The Zika-affected area of Miami, bounded by Biscayne Boulevard and Interstate 95, encompasses a dense, diverse mix of urban land ranging from high-end art galleries to aging bungalows, making it more difficult for crews to control for mosquitoes and eradicate standing water, the CDC said. The area also includes Wynwood, a once-predominantly Puerto Rican enclave known as Little San Juan that has become one of Miamis trendiest neighborhoods. A magnet in the 80s for artists seeking cheap studio space, Wynwood is now renowned for its outdoor art, and its blocks of intricate murals and warehouse graffiti draw visitors from around the world. The CDC has dispatched an emergency-response team of experts in birth defects, mosquito control and other fields to assist in combatting the outbreak. Six of the 10 new cases identified Monday were people who showed no symptoms but were identified through the local health departments door-to-door survey. More alarming, Frieden said, is that aggressive strategies aimed at slowing Zikas spread dont seem to be working as well as we would have liked, possibly because mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides or because they are thriving in cryptic breeding places, small puddles of standing water where eggs can continue to hatch. Frieden and other officials say they expect additional cases of homegrown Zika within the coming weeks. Zikas spread in Florida has cast a new spotlight on congressional inaction that prevented further funding to help fight the virus. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been deadlocked for months over the fate of a $1.1 billion spending bill that would help fight the spread of Zika. Negotiations over a bipartisan spending package crumbled in late June, with neither side willing to reopen talks. Congress is out of session for August, and lawmakers are not expected to resume legislative business until after Labor Day. Senate Democrats have blocked the funding package drafted by congressional Republicans over politically motivated language, including provisions that would deny Zika-related funds from being sent to Planned Parenthood and loosen environmental regulations on pesticides. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) last week urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to call a special session of Congress, saying Zika is a public health emergency that requires immediate bipartisan action, and the American people cant afford to wait several weeks for a response. Senate Republicans responded by blaming Democrats for blocking the House-passed spending bill. McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said, The White House has acknowledged that there are hundreds of millions in unspent Zika funds available already, but have not explained why theyve been so slow in using the funding they already have. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) last week issued a statement urging President Obama to immediately tap the remaining Ebola funds, but on Monday he also pushed for Congress to come back to Washington early to vote on a long-term Zika spending bill. A week ago, before the cases were announced, I had asked President Obama to take $300 million thats disposable, that he has under his control, Rubio said at an event in Clearwater, Fla. Im prepared to go back in a moments notice and vote on this and get it done quickly given the state of affairs now. The travel warnings and Zikas spread have forced Florida to confront a unique threat to its tourism industry, the bedrock of the states economy. Businesses across the state rely heavily on flocks of travelers to its beaches, theme parks and tourist traps, and Florida last year became the first state to welcome more than 100 million tourists in a single year. More than a million Floridians work directly in the states tourism industry, and tourism and travel spending in the state climbed to $89 billion last year, state economic data show. Those dollars filter down into virtually every industry, including hotels, restaurants, health care and housing. The Zika warnings, coming in the thick of mosquito season, remain clustered in a square-mile pocket 220 miles south of Orlandos theme-park mecca. But businesses say theyre worried that even the appearance of a dangerous outbreak could shake confidence among young families, the backbone of the states tourism economy. Thats absolutely whats frightening a lot of businesses here: Tourism is Floridas major economy, and the service sector is hugely dependent on people coming from everywhere, said Susan MacManus, a political-science professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Businesses want to believe its very localized in Miami. But on the other hand, theyre realistic and fearful itll go beyond that. Some countries have issued warnings about travel to Florida, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, which over the weekend advised women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant to consider postponing their travel to the state. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Monday welcomed tourists to come to the Sunshine State. While I encourage all residents and visitors to continue to use precaution by draining standing water and wearing bug spray, Florida remains safe and open for business, Scott said. Some potential tourists, however, are already having second thoughts. Mike Rigelsky, a lawyer in Ohio, last fall planned the Disney World vacation of a lifetime: A week of theme parks in the Orlando sun, including a planned family photo shoot during which his sister would announce her pregnancy. Yet as concerns mounted over Zika, Rigelsky and his sister did what scores of bridesmaids, parents and other vacationers did before them: They canceled, unwilling to risk an infection. A lot of people were hitting the panic button, but we were very clinical about it: We took it from the perspective that we just didnt know enough, Rigelsky said. We had to make a decision: Do you take a risk, however minimal, just for the sake of a vacation? Kelsey Snell and Joel Achenbach contributed to this report. TEXAS Campus carry law faces legal challenge A new law allowing concealed handguns in Texas college classrooms, buildings and dorms took effect this week, and it already faces a legal challenge seeking to block it before students return for the fall semester. Three professors at the University of Texas sued July 6 to overturn the campus carry law, claiming it is unconstitutional and is forcing colleges to impose dangerously-experimental gun policies. The 50,000-student Austin campus has been a flashpoint of opposition to the law among faculty and students. The law took effect Monday, the 50th anniversary of Charles Whitmans sniper attack from the University of Texas Tower in Austin, a massacre that claimed 17 lives and has come to be accepted as the nations first mass shooting. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel had previously scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for Thursday in Austin. Classes at the University of Texas start Aug. 24. Texas has allowed licensed concealed handguns in public since 1995 but had previously made college buildings off limits. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center shows off its new retractable roof during a ceremony Tuesday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. The roof will be used for the first time during the 2016 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, which begin Aug. 29. (Andrew Gombert/European Pressphoto Agency) The new law makes Texas one of eight states with laws that allow weapons on campus and inside buildings, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. An additional 23 states let their campuses or governing boards decide. Associated Press california Five dead after pole shears through bus A bus veered off a central California highway before dawn Tuesday and struck a pole that sliced the vehicle nearly in half, killing five people and sending at least five more to hospitals, some with lost limbs, authorities said. Rescuers pulled out bags of body parts from the survivors of the crash on State Route 99, where the speeding bus carrying about 30 people hit the pole of a highway exit sign head-on, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. It sheared straight through bus, stopping at the first rear axle with a great impact, he said. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows to pull out trapped passengers. Others were ejected and were lying in a ditch, Warnke said. The collision woke up Leonardo Sanchez, 55, who found himself in chaos: Fellow passengers were screaming and crying. Some couldnt move, and many were calling for help, he said. Sanchez, of Arvin, Calif., said he and others who were not severely injured left the bus right away, fearing that it might catch fire. He said he had stomach pain and a bruised jaw and mouth. Associated Press new york Police leader Bratton leaving city force New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton is leaving the nations largest police force, after a tenure in which he received credit for keeping crime down and navigated tension between police and minority communities. Bratton, whose departure was announced Tuesday, will leave next month to become a risk and security adviser at Teneo, a consulting firm. James ONeill, the departments top chief, will replace him as commissioner. During five years spanning two stints as the citys top cop, Bratton has had an outsize impact on the New York Police Department. He noted that he was leaving at a challenging time for police in America and New York, even though all indicators are pointing in the right direction. The announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) took New Yorkers by surprise. Bratton, 68, said last week he would leave by the end of 2017 when I find the right time, although the mayor said Tuesday that Bratton had actually disclosed his plans more than three weeks ago. Associated Press u.s. military Army sought McCains help in Bergdahl case The Army sought to have Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) back away from statements about punishment for Bowe Bergdahl because of concerns about hurting the soldiers right to a fair trial, according to newly released emails. The emails were revealed in a motion filed Monday seeking the dismissal of charges against Bergdahl, who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and wound up in enemy captivity for five years. The exchange illustrates for the first time how concerned top Army officials were that McCains statements could interfere with the case. Defense lawyers argue that Bergdahls due process rights were violated by McCain, who leads a Senate committee that can approve or scuttle assignments for military commanders. McCain said in October that the Senate Armed Services Committee would investigate if Bergdahl werent punished. A McCain spokesman did not return a message seeking comment. Bergdahl, who is from Idaho, is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and his trial is scheduled for 2017 at Fort Bragg. The latter charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Associated Press Chicago site for Obama library: The two sites Barack Obama considered for his presidential library are only a mile apart in Chicagos South Side. But the decision to build the museum in a lakefront park rather than a nearby impoverished neighborhood has left some residents worried it was a missed opportunity. The Obama Foundation will hold a ceremony Wednesday to unveil details of the presidents choice of Jackson Park instead of Washington Park. Calif. drought restrictions eased: Californians conserved less water in June, the first month that statewide drought restrictions were eased after a winter of near average rain and snowfall, state officials said Thursday. As the state endures a hot, dry summer in a fifth year of historic drought, water managers reported that Californians used 21.5 percent less water in June than they did in 2013, a drop of six percentage points. From news services LIBYA 22 reported killed in Benghazi car bombing A car bomb targeting security forces in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed 22 people and wounded 20 on Tuesday, a spokesman for the forces and medical officials said. The blast occurred in a residential area in the Guwarsha district, the scene of fighting between security forces loyal to Libyas eastern government and an alliance of Islamist militias. The alliance, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, asserted responsibility for the blast, according to a statement posted on sites tied to the group. Benghazi has been plagued by violence since Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter launched a drive against the Shura Council two years ago. Tuesdays attack targeted a gathering of the special forces unit of Hifters forces, spokesman Fadel al-Hassi said. Hifters forces are allied to a government based in the east since 2014, when armed groups set up a rival government in the capital, Tripoli. A U.N.-backed government moved into Tripoli this year, but Hifter and the eastern government have rejected it. Reuters IRAN British dual national appears in court A British-Iranian woman held in Iran for months over accusations that she planned the soft toppling of the government while visiting relatives with her young daughter has appeared in court for the first time, her family said Tuesday. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency, will be tried by Judge Abolghassem Salavati in Tehrans Revolutionary Court, her husband said. Salavati is known for his tough sentences and has heard other politically charged cases, including the one involving now-released Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian. Zaghari-Ratcliffes first hearing was Monday, and she was to present the name of her attorney on Tuesday for approval, husband Richard Ratcliffe said. No trial date has been set, and the exact charges she faces remain unclear. She was detained in April while trying to fly out of the country with her toddler daughter, who remains in Iran with family. Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that Zaghari-Ratcliffe participated in the design and implementation of cyber and media projects to cause the soft toppling of the Islamic Republic. It did not elaborate. Since Irans nuclear deal with world powers last year, hard-liners in the country have seized a number of visiting dual nationals and accused them of security-related offenses. Associated Press IRAQ Travel ban imposed on some lawmakers Iraqs prime minister issued a travel ban on Tuesday targeting some sitting lawmakers and politicians amid corruption allegations that surfaced during the questioning in parliament of the defense minister. Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi told lawmakers on Monday that parliament speaker Salim al-Jubouri and other government officials and businessmen had tried to persuade him to secure specific contracts and to reinstate employees fired over corruption charges. Obeidi also mentioned the names of four sitting lawmakers, one former lawmaker and two parliamentary officials affiliated with the speaker. Hours after the parliament session, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an investigation into the allegations. The Tuesday statement from his office said the decree is a temporary measure that bars those listed from leaving the country until the investigation is completed. Abadi has faced growing anti-government protests demanding reform and calling for a fight against endemic corruption. Associated Press 96 killed in week of flooding in India: The death toll in flooding from monsoon rains in India has climbed past 90, with about a million people taking shelter in government-run camps, officials said. Downpours have damaged swaths of land, uprooted trees and snapped telephone cables in the states of Bihar in the east, Assam in the northeast and Himachal Pradesh in the north. A total of 96 people have been killed in the three states in the past week, state officials said. U.N. says 60,000 have fled latest South Sudan fighting: About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since fighting broke out between rival army factions almost four weeks ago, the United Nations refugee agency said. In all, almost 900,000 South Sudanese have left their country since civil war broke out in December 2013, the United Nations said. A peace deal reached a year ago has been repeatedly threatened by fighting. From news services Donald Trump poses a serious threat to our democracy. Hellbent on whipping up fear and resentment, Trump is running for president on a platform of visceral contempt for immigrants, Muslims and facts trafficking in insults rather than ideas. There should be little dispute that Trumps unconcealed bigotry, proud ignorance and authoritarian tendencies make him singularly unfit for office. The question now is whether Democrats will allow him to make the election a mudslinging contest or offer the country a real debate about our future. In peddling unsubstantiated claims of collusion between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Democrats unfortunately seem eager to join Trump in abandoning policy for posturing. Indeed, many Democrats are letting the very real dangers of a Trump presidency take a back seat to the notion that Trump is not just alarmingly unqualified but is, in fact, an agent of the Kremlin. Together with neoconservative Trump opponents who see an opportunity to regain relevance, they are turning the Orange Menace into a new Red Scare. This is both preposterous and dangerous. The narrative that Trump is Putins stooge has been propelled by a series of recent events. First, the Trump campaign worked to keep the Republican platform from supporting providing lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. Trump then told the New York Times that some NATO allies were shirkers, saying that he would not automatically commit to defending countries that havent fulfilled their obligations to us. And most explosively, in response to speculation that Russian hackers were responsible for leaking emails from the Democratic National Committee, Trump suggested that if the Russians had Hillary Clintons private emails, they ought to release them, too. Trumps remark about the email hacking, which he now claims was sarcastic, was clearly irresponsible. But now, egged on by neoconservative hawks and liberal interventionists intent on ratcheting up tensions with Russia, Democrats including the Clinton campaign and its liberal supporters are contending that Trump is a Manchurian candidate, perhaps even guilty of treason. This is disingenuous. Democrats and their allies have failed to acknowledge that Trumps opposition to sending arms to Ukraine is consistent with the Obama administrations position. Nor have they grappled with the fact that President Obama has also characterized some of our European allies, accurately, as free riders. And while Democrats have eagerly promoted the rumor that Russia is meddling in the election to help Trump win, many U.S. intelligence officials remain skeptical. As one official told The Post, We have not drawn any evidentiary connection to any Russian intelligence service and [the DNC hack] none. In their zeal to defeat Trump, Democrats are getting in the gutter with him and as a result are on the verge of becoming the Cold War party, with Trump, ironically, becoming the candidate of detente. Many of the same people who mercilessly mocked Republicans for their fear-mongering about Russia in the last election are now resorting to rhetoric no more credible than Trumps ridiculous promises to build a wall or bomb the s--- out of the Islamic State calling Trump Putins puppet, for example, and warning that he would be Putins man in the White House if he prevails. One of Trumps many disturbing qualities is that, with his every utterance, he obliterates complexity. When it comes to complicated foreign policy issues in particular, what we need today are a more robust debate and a serious challenge to a bipartisan foreign policy establishment that has failed. Blind adherence to the portrayal of Russia as sole aggressor in Ukraine, failure to account for U.S. and NATO members role in worsening relations with Russia, and now dispatching more U.S. and NATO forces on Russias borders have left the United States careening recklessly toward a new Cold War. We need to change course before its too late. It is simply sober realism, not pro-Russia or pro-Putin, to make the case that the United States has a real stake in working with Russia on nuclear proliferation, on the Islamic State and terrorism, on security in Europe and on climate change. Already, the Iran deal that Obama and Clinton celebrate was made possible by Russia and China joining in international sanctions against Iran. Its also true even if Trump says it that U.S. allies should bear their fair share of the burden of collective defense. Reconsideration of NATOs role in the 21st century is long overdue. To disagree is one thing, but labeling anyone who makes such arguments a stooge is a form of neo-McCarthyism that chills debate and diminishes our public discourse. This country faces serious challenges. Our politics are corrupted, our economy rigged to favor the few. Climate change is a real and present danger. We need a big debate about real things, and we need leaders who dont wallow in insults and lies. Democrats are wrong if they let Trump lower this campaign to his level. Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter. Donald Trump betrays the betrayed. In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump accurately and forcibly identified his core constituency and explained his candidacy: Every day I wake up determined to deliver for the people I have met all across this nation that have been ignored, neglected and abandoned. I have visited the laid-off factory workers and the communities crushed by our horrible and unfair trade deals. These are the forgotten men and women of our country. . . . People who work hard but no longer have a voice. I am your voice. And then, having mentioned the forgotten men and women of this country, he promptly forgot them. A week later, he was throwing a tantrum, tossing out of his playpen, which is the media, any notion that he recognizes any cause other than himself. He responded to Khizr Khan, who had spoken at the Democratic National Convention. He is the father of Humayun Khan, an Army captain who died in Iraq while trying to save the lives of other members of his unit. Khizr Khan spoke as an American Muslim. He spoke as the father of a dead soldier, and he spoke with immense dignity. He rebuked Trump for what he has said about Muslims and, with powerful indignation, Khan said his son had sacrificed his life for the United States while Trump had sacrificed nothing and no one. Convention speeches typically have their moment but soon become a blur, remembered only by the people who give them. Not the Khan speech. It had the rhetorical torque provided by grief not just the loss of a son, but also the insults Trump had directed to Muslims in general. And as Khizr Khan spoke, his wife, Ghazala, stood by his side, eloquently silent. Trump was asked by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News for his reaction. Trump implied that Ghazala Khan had said nothing because she was silenced by the traditions of Islam: She had nothing to say. She probably maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. As Ghazala Khan later explained, she was too emotionally overwrought to speak. Then Trump addressed the question of sacrifice. He claimed that he, too, had made sacrifices. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices, he said. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs. Taken together, his remarks had a gasp quality. Trumps words had that sort of concussive effect criticizing a Gold Star mother and a Gold Star father and likening their sacrifice to putting in some overtime at the office. Even after Trumps belittlement of John McCains heroism, even after he mocked a New York Times reporter with a disability, he still has the capacity to shock. There are always new heights to how low he will go. Trumps appeal has largely been to working-class white males without college degrees and some white women. You can understand why. Blue-collar workers are reversing times arrow, dying younger, much of it due to suicide and substance abuse. For many, their jobs are gone or going and so, therefore, is hope. The promise of America is that the son will live better than the father, the daughter better than the mother. But the fathers went off to jobs that no longer exist for the children. The fathers retired on pensions that now seem nostalgic fiction. Trumps most ardent supporters are our version of the people of the old Depression-era song. They built a railroad. They made it run. Brother, can you spare a dime? It is clear from his success and the current polling numbers that millions of Americans believe that Trump is their voice. It is clear as well that they think he has an economic plan kick out immigrants, get tough with China (and everyone else) and bring back jobs to the United States. Never mind that the plan lacks coherence or logic. To many, it sounds just swell. Now, though, maybe even these people are repulsed by Trumps comments on the Khans. His people wear the flag and sing the national anthem because, for some of them, being an American is about all they have left. Now they know Trump is not one of them. The Gold Star is sacred. It represents someone who died for our country. Donald Trump did not honor that. They always knew he was not a good man. Now they know he is not a good American. Read more from Richard Cohens archive. The Meghalaya government has revoked its earlier decision that granted permission to Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to conduct pre mining activities in the state. By Indrajit Kundu: The Meghalaya government has revoked its earlier decision that granted permission to Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to conduct pre mining activities in the state. The government had granted UCIL 422 hectares of land in Mawthabah area of South West Khasi hills in August 2009. The decision comes in the backdrop of rising protests against UCIL which recently floated an expression of interest (EOI) for a mine and processing plant of uranium ore in South West Khasi Hills without the consent of the state government. UCIL's unilateral move to float the EOI's in local newspapers triggered fear among the local community that the PSU was heading towards mining of Uranium in the state. advertisement On Monday Chief Minister Mukul Sangma chaired a cabinet meeting that decided to revoke the permission granted by his predecessor DD Lapang. "We have revoked the earlier cabinet decision taken on August 24, 2009 relating to pre-mining activities which is a precursor to uranium mining. This decision is a strong message that any initiatives relating to pre-mining activities which is precursor to uranium mining cannot be allowed until and unless the people of the state are taken on board," Sangma said after making the announcement. The Chief Minister also added that the state cabinet had directed all concerned departments to communicate the decision to UCIL. "All the departments have been directed to inform all concerned including the UCIL of this decision and to take people on board before starting with the pre-mining activities," Sangma said. Meghalaya is the third uranium-rich state in the country after Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. The state accounts for 16 percent of India's uranium reserves, with deposits mostly concentrated in the South West Khasi hills district. The proposed open-cast uranium mining project has been in the eye of a storm after several local groups expressed fears of radiation and environmental damage. Sangma alleged that UCIL had floated the Expression of Interest (EOI) without the consent of the state government which had its own "ramifications". "The Expression of Interest does not confine to pre-mining activities but goes beyond that," Sangma added. --- ENDS --- Ghazala, left, and Khizr Khan, parents of fallen U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, at the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press) Ghazala Khans Aug. 1 op-ed, Donald Trump knows nothing about true sacrifice, was incredible. The Khan family inspires American Muslims who struggle to find their voice in the post-9/11 years. As a woman and the eldest of six children born in the United States to Pakistani immigrants, I watched Khizr Khans address at the Democratic National Convention in tears. The pride I felt as he elegantly enunciated my own deeply held patriotism was overwhelming. Mr. Khans speech beautifully captured what it means to be a patriotic Muslim American. I still revel in the greatness of this country. From birth, our children are blessed with unalienable rights. Ms. Khans speechless grief spoke to all parents, regardless of their race or creed, and touched a human nerve. Her sons selfless actions and ultimate sacrifice were for every American, regardless of religion, reminding us why we are here in the first place. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could not resist the urge to be cruel to a Gold Star mother. For Mr. Trump to do so was despicable. Aliya Poshni, Potomac I am a lifelong Republican and a Gold Star parent. My late wife and I voted in every election cycle since we first registered. I was a leader in the Republican Party at the national, state and local levels. I served in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and attended every Republican National Convention from 1968 through 2000, many as a delegate. My son Michael, a captain and an Army pilot, was killed on duty in 1989. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Because of my military service, my wife is also interred there. I think of them every day and grieve for them and all the Gold Star families on my monthly visits to Arlington. I cannot believe how low the Republican presidential nominee has stooped to first attack a war hero, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and now grieving Gold Star parents. He must be stopped. I call on all Americans to rise up and make certain that he is not elected president of our wonderful United States of America. David R. Scotton, Annapolis The courage, the eloquence and the grace displayed by Ghazala Khan will long be seared into our very beings. She, like her son, is worthy of our gratitude, admiration and respect. I read her words, such as you know hearts of pain can never heal as long as we live, through eyes blurred by tears. I watched my 8-year-old son breathe his last breath and the lines of his heart monitor flatten. Though his enemy, cancer, attacked from within, the results were the same. Our sons are gone, and our hearts will ache as long as they beat. This woman, this mother, exposed a sacred place on a national stage. How can we as human beings do anything but come alongside and help carry her pain and grief? Leanne Omland, South Riding There was no need for Ghazala Khan, in her Aug. 1 op-ed, to connect religion with the patriotism and sacrifice of her son. We do not know what he thought and felt about religion, but we do know that his parents did not want him to go to Iraq. Her statement that her religion teaches all human beings, believers and nonbelievers, are equal in Gods eyes, is debatable. I believe that one should not pollute patriotism with religion and use the death of a soldier to glorify any faith. Pravin Pania, Herndon Ghazala Khans op-ed was spot-on, wise, profound, caring, tender and heartbreaking. As she said, that empty spot will never be filled as long as she lives. To demean this wonderful and grieving woman who has lost a precious son is nothing short of despicable. This son not only sacrificed so that his men might live but was also the kind of man who went out of his way for others: children with disabilities, his parents, the United States. I support her and feel her pain. Elaine Larson, Northford, Conn. After reading Ghazala Khans op-ed, I think its undeniably clear that our country needs more citizens like the Khans. I am a Blue Star mother. Ms. Khan spoke for all of us. Karen Gelerter, Montgomery Village At no time has Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump directed attacks against American Muslims. As a Vietnam veteran, I honor the service of the Khans son and mourn his death, as much as that of any other man or woman who has given their life in service to our country. That said, why was Khizr Khan invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention? It looks as though Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was using Mr. Khan and his wife, Ghazala Khan, to attack her opponent. Not very pretty, is it? Robert Segal, Burke Someone the Russian military, say many cyber-experts broke into the computers of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, releasing emails and sensitive documents. Sounds bad, and is. But a worse danger looms: the possibility that hackers (whether Russians or others) will manipulate our voting machines, casting doubt on the elections outcome. Imagine. Its the day after the election. Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump has won. But the victors triumph rests on close results in five or six states, where the winner had a few thousand more votes. Assume also that each of these states used at least partially electronic voting. Assume then that the loser alleges that cyber-tampering stole the election. The resulting furor would be unavoidable. It would raise partisan anger still further. It would subvert faith in our basic democratic institutions and, probably, excite all manner of conspiracy theories. It would make the combat of the Bush-Gore election in 2000 the disputes over which of Floridas hanging chads should be counted look like childs play. It would be a disaster. How likely is this cyber crackup? I dont know, but Im unwilling to dismiss it totally as a journalistic fantasy for two reasons. First, this campaign has featured the unexpected and the impossible. The hacking of the Democrats computers, coupled with the timing of the release of documents to coincide with the partys convention, is only the latest example. With apologies to Dave Barry, it can be said of this campaign that Im not making this up. Second, hacking is more widespread than most Americans think. Big companies are constantly under assault. A CNN study in 2014 estimated that more than 100 million Americans had had their personal information hacked in the previous year. With so much hacking national and international why wouldnt someone try to sabotage the election? In 2012, 129 million Americans voted for president. In a close race (which this appears to be), shifting a few hundred thousand in the popular vote could change the electoral result. If these thoughts occur to me, a confirmed non-techie, they must have occurred to others. Sure enough, when I Googled the subject, many stories and reports popped up. One of the best was published last week by The Post and was written by Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert at Harvard. Hes worried. We must . . . create tiger teams to test the machines and systems resistance to attack, drastically increase their cyber-defenses and take them offline if we cant guarantee their security online, he wrote. By contrast, there is some good news. Electronic voting machines, which served about 39 percent of voters in 2012 according to one study, may be on the decline. States ditch electronic voting machines, read a headline in the Hill newspaper in 2014. (The other main voting technology in 2012, covering 56 percent of voters, involved paper ballots that were optically scanned. The retention of the ballot can be used to verify the outcome. The older mechanical lever machines have vanished.) Regardless of what happens this year, we are forewarned. Putting voting on the Internet invites controversy and chaos. If were lucky enough to avoid this now, we shouldnt tempt the future. Paper ballots may be slower and less convenient, writes Schneier, but they preserve elections integrity. What could be more important? Read more from Robert Samuelsons archive. WHEN U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan received his orders to go to Iraq in 2004, his parents asked him if there was some way he could avoid the deployment, because he had already done his service. He told them it was his duty and doing it cost him his life. The concept of duty fulfilling obligations because it is right is something that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), himself a distinguished war veteran, also understands. Perhaps thats why he realized he had no choice but to rebuke Donald Trump for his abhorrent treatment of Capt. Khans parents. While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us, Mr. McCain said Monday in an extraordinary statement condemning his partys presidential standard-bearer. By now after Mr. Trump mocked Mr. McCains military service, called Mexican immigrants rapists and disparaged a federal judge for his heritage nothing that he says or does should come as a surprise. Nonetheless, Mr. Trumps comments in recent days about American Muslim parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan represent an abysmal new low. Even in the face of mounting criticism from within his own party (among those finally finding some spine were New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grassley), Mr. Trump doubled down. Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same Nice! he tweeted Monday. Anyone who has watched Mr. Khan or read the Post op-ed by his wife knows that, unlike Mr. Trump, the couple have been measured, dignified and within their rights as American citizens in expressing their thoughts and feelings. They are right to raise alarms about Mr. Trumps call to exclude people like them and their son from this country on the basis of their religion. And they are right to question the empathy of someone who thinks nothing of denigrating a mother who lost a son in military service. It is Mr. Trumps own behavior that is cause for concern. His evident lack of any kind of self-control has ominous implications for how he would respond as president and commander in chief to real crises and emergencies. If his reaction to the Khans werent troubling enough, there is the separate problem of his ignorance of world events, something that was underscored over the weekend with his muddled account of Russias intervention in Ukraine. Mr. McCain stopped short of withdrawing his endorsement of Mr. Trump, but the length and eloquence of his statement made clear just how appalling Mr. Trumps actions are. Where Mr. McCain got it wrong was in challenging Mr. Trump to set the example for what our country can and should represent. As he should know by now, Mr. Trump doesnt have a clue how to do that. Martin Luther King Jr., second from right, is shown on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the day before he was killed there. (Associated Press) Every nation has sacred places, where history has stopped and lingered, and visitors are hushed by memories of redemptive sacrifice. One is the balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. On this spot a familiar voice was stilled, but also somehow magnified, becoming part of our collective conscience. This site is now part of a fine museum the National Civil Rights Museum that unfolds the story that King told and shaped. How 12 million Africans were shipped as slaves across the Atlantic, the largest forced migration in history. How they built resilient institutions that maintained their identity and demanded their freedom. How a great war ended slavery but not oppression. How African Americans suffered a century of cruel and systematic indignity. Then came a movement of conscience in which being a community organizer could demand the courage of a soldier and get your head cracked open. A movement opposed by domestic terrorists who bombed homes and churches, and murdered children. (Should we refer to them as radical Christian terrorists?) This story of a captive people who forced the United States to fulfill its own ideals the story of prisoners who freed themselves and also freed their jailers is one of the most compelling moral narratives outside of scripture. Leaders such as King believed that history has an arc, determined by the appeal of freedom and the Author of freedom. And their vision of human rights became an inseparable part of the American story: a nation that declared high ideals, then was judged by them, and now is motivated by them to expand the circle of inclusion, protection and promise. 1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad These Republicans refuse to vote for Donald Trump View Photos And theyll tell you why. Caption And theyll tell you why. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell General Powell said at a meeting of the Long Island Association that he would be voting for Hillary Clinton, a spokeswoman confirmed Oct. 25. Powell added in an interview that he picked Clinton because I think shes qualified, and the other gentleman is not qualified. Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. I happened to visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the same time that a presidential candidate was attacking the mother of a fallen American soldier by employing an anti-Muslim stereotype (maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say). Donald Trump went on to assert that the soldiers father, Khizr Khan, had no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution a statement that proved Khans point. My point here is not that Trump is a classless, egotistical sadist though that case is strong. It is that Trumps view of nationalism is based on culture, ethnicity and exclusion. It does not even matter if suspicious outsiders have made what Abraham Lincoln called so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Their faith, in Trumps view, is foreign and immediately associated with stereotypes of oppression and violence. The same is true with Mexican ethnicity, which Trump has identified with sexual aggression and murder. Trump is not merely indifferent to the language of racial and religious inclusion; he is actively hostile to the premise. Leaders who support Trump members of Congress, conservative thinkers, figures of the religious right do so for a variety of reasons. But whatever their motivations, they are encouraging an alternate and degraded version of the American story. In Trumps telling, this is a nation that was once great but is now besieged and infiltrated by threats to its identity. Other nations France is no longer France have allowed their distinct cultures to be overwhelmed by immigration and outside influences. The United States must be protected from the same fate by a strong leader. And Trumps America is defined as the familiar nation of decades past, which was largely white and Christian. In fact, the United States is the model for the world when it comes to integrating Muslims and people of other faiths into a pluralistic society. Rather than recognizing this achievement, Trump would undo it and foster the kind of conflict he warns against. But there is even more at stake. Those who support Trump are setting the Republican Party at odds with the American story told by Lincoln and King: a nationalism defined by striving toward unifying ideals of freedom and human dignity. Is this what the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader, the chairman of the Republican Party and so many other good people intended when they entered politics? Is this how they define their souls high purpose? In his last public address, the night before his murder, King mused on mortality, saying that he would die happy and not fearing any man because he was sure of his lifes mission, which included standing up for the best in the American dream. Which Republican leaders can now rest in that confidence? It is not too late to repudiate. The Fix breaks down the 10 Republicans who have been most vocally opposed to Trump's nomination. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook . If youd asked several months ago what message Democrats would adopt at their convention, I probably would have predicted a portrayal of all Republicans as responsible for Donald Trumps sins. That is, Democrats would claim that all Republicans, up and down the ballot, were tainted with Trumpism, and that all of them would have to answer for their standard-bearers foibles and fear-mongering. The message would go something like this: For Trumps mockery of a disabled reporter; for his arguments that a federal judge cant do his job because of his Mexican descent; for his calls for an unconstitutional religious test to be applied to immigrants; and for his disparagement of women, minorities and war heroes, all Republicans ought to be held accountable and thrown out of office. This prediction would have been wrong. Rather than demonizing the entire GOP, Democrats have lately portrayed Trump as distinct from other Republicans, as not a real Republican or a true conservative. In so doing, Democrats have absolved Republican politicians of responsibility for his excesses and Republican voters of any obligation to elect him. Former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg (I) ripped into Trump during his speech at the Democratic convention. (The Washington Post) Many have noted that the Democratic convention last week liberally co-opted traditional Republican iconography. American flags abounded; Democrats name-checked family values, faith, patriotism and the military, all topics traditionally more closely associated with Republicans. Convention organizers recruited Republican speakers to endorse Hillary Clinton. But Democrats not only paid homage to Republican tropes and leaders. They also expressed great deference to the Republican Party itself, elevating the GOP to idealized heights. In contrast with previous party confabs, this Democratic convention presented Republicans not as enemies to be vanquished but respected rivals undeserving of Trumpian turpitude. The message for those watching at home: Trump is a pretender to the conservative throne. Hes taken the Republican Party a long way, from Morning in America to Midnight in America, Clinton declared in her Thursday night speech, in an unsubtle allusion to the GOPs patron saint, Ronald Reagan. What we heard in Cleveland last week wasnt particularly Republican and it sure wasnt conservative, President Obama argued the day before. A man who embraces the tactics of our enemies, torture, religious intolerance. You all know, all the Republicans know, thats not who we are, added Vice President Biden, perhaps giving Republicans too much credit. Such arguments were a clear appeal to crossover voters. If Trump isnt a real Republican, well, then self-identified Republicans shouldnt feel disloyal if they vote against him. In other words: Welcome, white college graduates! Welcome, suburban married women! Welcome, Rockefeller Republicans! Were not asking you to completely ditch your partisan tribalism; were just suggesting you redirect it. Or as Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine put it even more explicitly during his convention speech: If any of you are looking for that party of Lincoln, weve got a home for you right here in the Democratic Party. At least for one election. If some of this Trump-is-not-a-true-conservative rhetoric sounds familiar, its because we also heard it a few months ago but from Republicans, during their presidential primary. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in particular railed against Trumps ideological impurities. This line of attack was not exactly successful in turning the primary base away from Trump. Whether it now works on more moderate Republicans, during the general election, remains to be seen. What we do know is that this strategic distinction that Democratic leaders are drawing between the truly principled conservatives and one truly unprincipled interloper lets too many Republicans off the hook. Republican leadership has been laying the groundwork for Trumpism for years, after all. They did it when they questioned Obamas legitimacy as a natural-born citizen, as a Christian and as a democratically elected president empowered to appoint federal judges. They did it when they used coded language about welfare queens and states rights and religious freedom and illegals. Trump may have taken their dog whistles down a few octaves, so that theyre now audible to regular humans, but he owes the original melody to earlier, allegedly truer Republicans. Even today, large majorities of self-identified Republican voters support the most repugnant aspects of Trumpism, such as his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants and his call for Russia to hack Clintons emails. And even today, their supposedly principled, more moderate Republican leaders such as Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell cant muster the nerve to un-endorse the man who peddles this garbage. Republican leaders often demand that moderate Muslims loudly repudiate the more radical members of their faith, the extremist fringes that support violence and oppression. Democrats should hold Republicans to the same standard. WHAT HAPPENS in domestic violence courtrooms changes lives. So begins the latest report from a nonprofit that sends volunteers into Montgomery County courts to monitor how civil and criminal domestic violence cases are handled. Instead of adhering to the usual pattern of highlighting problems and shortcomings, this new report spotlights instances in which the courts get it right. Its good to know there are judges, clerks and other court personnel employing innovative ways to help make victims of domestic abuse and their children safer. They should inspire others to follow their lead. Small Actions, Big Impacts is the title of the June 27 report released by Court Watch Montgomery that documents the interactions of court personnel with parties in protective order cases at district court. The report is the result of data collected over three years and, in addition to detailing practices that enhance the safety of victims and their children, looks at new ways to deal with the accused and to empower victims to become self-sufficient. Among the practices singled out: a judge who advised a woman who obtained a protective order that she also should talk to an advocate about devising a safety plan and changing her locks; a judge who took the time to talk to a mother whose child had witnessed violence and told her about a special counseling program for youths; and a judge who catalogued the make, model and location of firearms owned by the respondent that needed to be turned over to the sheriffs office. The report also looked at ways clerks, bailiffs and interpreters can help. Every single person in court that a victim comes in contact with can make a difference, said Court Watch Montgomery Executive Director Laurie Duker. The noteworthy actions occurred in fewer than half the cases where there were monitors. But Court Watch Montgomery hopes that giving them attention will lead to their replication. One judge doesnt get to hear what the other judges are doing, so this is a great way of sharing promising approaches, Ms. Duker told WTOPs Kate Ryan. It is encouraging, then, that John P. Morrissey, the chief judge of the Maryland District Court, has already moved to circulate the report statewide. President Obama strongly criticized Donald Trump's suitability for president during an August 2 news conference at the White House. (Reuters) President Obama strongly criticized Donald Trump's suitability for president during an August 2 news conference at the White House. (Reuters) President Obama on Tuesday escalated his criticism of Donald Trump, calling him unfit to serve as president, as the Republican presidential nominee faced censure from members of both parties for disparaging the parents of a fallen army captain. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he is woefully unprepared to do this job, Obama said at the White House, during a news conference with the prime minister of Singapore. Obama also challenged Republican leaders to go beyond distancing themselves from Trump, saying their objections ring hollow as long as they still pledge to vote for him. There has to come a point at which you say enough, the president said. Reflecting on the novelty of his own remarks, Obama said his warning stands apart from his criticism of his own Republican presidential rivals, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, with whom he disagreed on certain policy issues but whose qualifications and basic decency he didnt dispute. And had they won, I would have been disappointed, but I would have said to all Americans . . . this is our president, and I know theyre going to abide by certain norms and rules and common sense, Obama said. But thats not the situation here. The presidents remarks pinpointed Republican divisions. He also made clear that Democrats have disagreements of their own, by underscoring his commitment to the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Democratic candidate he hopes will succeed him, Hillary Clinton, opposes the deal, which is awaiting ratification in Congress. Right now Im president, and Im for it, Obama said. [Trump refuses to support Paul Ryan, John McCain in upcoming Republican primaries] Obamas was the latest in a volley of complaints this week against Trump, whose campaign responded in a statement denouncing the president as a failed leader who has wreaked havoc around the world. Bipartisan and among the most sustained of the election cycle, the criticism of Trump has mainly been a response to his denigration of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, immigrants from Pakistan who appeared last week at the Democratic National Convention to denounce him for his harsh rhetoric about Muslims. They said their son, who was killed in Iraq, would have been barred from entering the country under Trumps proposed ban. But the broadsides have also focused on the nominees comments about foreign relations, including his apparent ignorance of Russias annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014 and his appeal to Russian actors to expose Clintons emails. 1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad The most memorable moments from the Republican and Democratic conventions View Photos From a tender moment between President Obama and Hillary Clinton to Trumps flashy entrance, heres a look at top moments from the conventions. Caption From a tender moment between President Obama and Hillary Clinton to Trumps flashy entrance, heres a look at top moments from the conventions. Democratic National Convention President Obama embraces presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia after endorsing her and imploring the public to reject fear, to summon whats best in us. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. In response, Trump has laughed off concerns about his overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying warmer relations would help the United States pursue its international objectives, such as defeating Islamic State militants. At a campaign event Tuesday in Ashburn, Va., Trump attacked Clinton for having a poor relationship with Putin, saying: This is a nuclear country were talking about. Russia. Strong nuclear country. Their stuff is newer . . . they have a lot more, he said. She wants to play the tough one. Shes not tough. [In clash with Khans, Trump went too far, some strategists say] Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman told NBC News this week that Putin has never had any contact with Trump, which is in line with a recent statement by Trump that he has not spoken to Putin and yet in direct conflict with the real estate moguls prior declarations, including in 2014 at the National Press Club, when Trump said he had been in Moscow and had spoken, indirectly and directly, with the Russian president. In his hour-long remarks on Tuesday, delivered at a local high school, Trump repeated his grave warnings about immigration across the southern border from Mexico as well as from countries beset by Islamic radicalism. Because we dont know if theyre ISIS, Trump said of migrants from the Middle East, the result would be the all-time great Trojan horse. He didnt mention the Khans, who have proven themselves dogged in their campaign against Trump, or new evidence that the candidates approach is driving a wedge in the Republican Party. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) on Tuesday became the first sitting Republican member of Congress to say publicly that he plans to vote for Clinton, declaring in an interview with Syracuse.com that Trump is a national embarrassment. The three-term congressman, who represents a swath of upstate New York near Syracuse but is not running for reelection this year, has bucked his party in the past on issues ranging from gay marriage to climate change. He declared his support for Clinton in an opinion piece published Tuesday on the news website and elaborated in an interview that Trumps prolonged feud with the parents of a Muslim American Army captain killed in Iraq was the final straw. I saw that and felt incensed, Hanna said in the interview. I was stunned by the callousness of his comments. He added: I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes? Hanna had already said he would not vote for Trump a stance shared by a handful of his Republican colleagues. But his pronouncement that he would therefore support Clinton, a woman reviled by much of his party, dealt yet another blow to Trump as his poll numbers dip in the wake of the conventions and as his campaign struggles under mounting criticism over his response to the Khans, whose son Humayun was killed in 2004, at age 27, by a car bomber in Iraq. Trump said Khizr Khan had no right to assail him and suggested that Ghazala Khan was barred by her Muslim faith from speaking alongside her husband. The quarrel continued into this week, as Trump tweeted that Khan had viciously attacked him and had shifted focus from the real concern, RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM. The GOP nominee faced strong criticism from a bipartisan group of decorated combat veterans, members of Congress and family members of slain soldiers. A particularly lengthy and impassioned rebuke came from McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us, McCain said. [Broad array of military luminaries condemn Trump over attacks on Khans] On Tuesday, Trump addressed the matter only implicitly, faulting the media for not giving enough attention to Patricia Smith, a Trump supporter who is the mother of a victim of the Benghazi attacks, while giving other people unbelievable amounts of air. In fact, multiple networks, including CNN and MSNBC, carried Smiths speech at the Republican National Convention live, while Fox News whose host, Brian Kilmeade, criticized other networks for not covering Smith did not. Trump also said his critics would never desert him because they fear a Supreme Court stacked with Clinton appointees. He recounted his own comments from a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, in which he said he told his audience that even if people dont like me, they have to vote for me. I said, even if you cant stand Donald Trump, you think Donald Trump is the worst, youre going to vote for me. You know why? Justices of the Supreme Court, he said. If they pick judges, were going to end up with another Venezuela, except just a bigger version. With a bit of stagecraft, Trump also appeared to try to fend off questions about his military acumen and his own draft deferments during the Vietnam War by beckoning onto the stage a lieutenant colonel. The man had given him his Purple Heart medal before the rally as a vote of confidence, Trump said. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart, Trump said. This was much easier. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump prepares to address the Republican National Convention as his daughter Ivanka exits the stage. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Donald Trump said Tuesday that women who are sexually harassed in the workplace can take action within their company, leave their employer while still seeking retribution, or quit. I think its got to be up to the individual, Trump said in an interview. It also depends on whats available. There may be a better alternative; then there may not. If theres not a better alternative, then you stay. But it could be theres a better alternative where youre taken care of better. The Republican presidential nominees comments came after he drew criticism late Monday for an interview with USA Today in which he said that if his daughter Ivanka were sexually harassed it would be up to her to find a new situation. I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case, Trump said. Trumps son Eric followed that by saying Tuesday on CBS This Morning that Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman. She wouldnt allow herself to be, you know, subjected to it. That prompted Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News television host whose sexual-harassment lawsuit against Fox chief executive Roger Ailes led to his ouster, to respond on Twitter. The Washington Post's Paul Farhi explains what's next for Fox News and the Murdoch family, now that chairman and CEO Roger Ailes is out. (Peter Stevenson,Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post) Sad in 2016 were still victim blaming women. Trust me Im strong. #StandWithGretchen, Carlson tweeted. She also retweeted supportive words from others, including author Jenny Han, who wrote: Anybody who would go up against arguably the biggest name in news media has a backbone made of steel. Megyn Kelly, the Fox News anchor Trump attacked after a tough debate last August, simply tweeted, Sigh. Trumps remarks could further imperil his standing, particularly among female voters, as polls show Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton holding a large lead over Trump with women. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last month, 52 percent of women surveyed preferred Clinton, compared with 38 percent who said they backed Trump. Fifty-six percent of people surveyed said yes when asked whether Trump was biased against women and minorities. In recent weeks, Trump has defended Ailes, a longtime friend, who was ousted after being accused of sexually harassing at least two dozen women. Trump has also questioned the motives of some of the women. When asked by The Washington Post whether he would want his daughter to take the same path as Carlson, Trump responded that he would want his daughter to do what makes her happy. When asked why she should have to switch jobs, Trump said: She doesnt have to. She can do it either way. 1 of 60 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Photos of Donald Trump on the campaign trail View Photos The Republican presidential candidate is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November. Caption The GOP presidential nominee is pressing his case ahead of Election Day. Nov. 7, 2016 Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Some people would rather change and some people dont, he said. Some people dont want to be forced to stay in a certain atmosphere. He said women can do both meaning fight it out but be in a place thats more comfortable. When asked about his fathers initial remarks, Eric Trump said on CBS that sexual harassment in the workplace is an absolute no-go and should be addressed and reported. Eric Trump then said his sister, as a strong person, would bring up the matter with her companys human resources department. [I felt angry that it took so long: Carlson on Ailess ouster from Fox News] Donald Trump has a long history of making inflammatory remarks about women and their appearances. He has called actress Rosie ODonnell a fat pig and retweeted an unflattering image of Heidi Cruz, wife of Republican primary opponent Ted Cruz, next to a shot of his own wife, Melania, a retired model, with the caption, These images are worth a thousand words. Trump also criticized the appearance of Republican primary opponent Carly Fiorina. Look at that face, he told Rolling Stone magazine. Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? On his television show, The Apprentice, Trump once told a female contestant: That must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees. [Donald Trump cant stop saying nasty things about women. It could cost him.] Katie Packer, a Republican consultant who is a staunch opponent of Trump, said she was appalled by Trumps assertion that a woman should be the one who leaves a workplace because of unfair treatment. Why should a woman walk away? Packer asked. Why should that be the option she has? Shouldnt we all be subjected to fair treatment in the workplace? She said she cant even count the number of women she knows who have been subjected to sexual harassment at work, herself included. Packer said that if Ivanka Trump didnt work for her father, it could happen to her. This isnt about being a strong woman, she said, noting that many women cant afford to walk away from their jobs. What, Megyn Kellys not strong? What she's endured at the hands of this candidate in the past year, shes not strong? Packer asked. Give me a break. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, visits the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality Management Tuesday at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Red Huber/AP) Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, came to the stage here on Tuesday and quickly reminded a racially diverse crowd that it was his second visit to Florida in 10 days. I think you can see that to the Clinton team, Florida is really, really important to us, Kaine (D-Va.) told the crowd at Daytona State College. Youre really important to us. Florida is always critical in a presidential election, but this year, Daytona Beach, home to the nations most popular NASCAR race, could prove especially important. Situated in Volusia County, the city sits at the far eastern end of the I-4 corridor of swing voters that stretches from Daytona Beach, through Orlando out west to Tampa. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally at a convention center here on Wednesday. The real significance is you have a bunch of middle-income families moving into this region, said Susan MacManus, a distinguished professor of political science at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Swing counties are often swing counties because the middle class is a larger share of the vote. It can go both ways. In Volusia County, both campaigns will be wooing those new, younger families but also an influx of Hispanic voters, many of them recent transplants from economically distressed Puerto Rico. In 2012, the county went for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney narrowly by just one percentage point. In 2008, Barack Obama won the region by nearly five points. Supporters reach for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the CFE Federal Credit Union Arena on March 5 in Orlando. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Hispanics accounted for nearly 13 percent of the county population last year a modest number, but a fast-growing bloc in a closely watched county. The Clinton campaign especially sees the countys Puerto Rican population as important, and that importance was on display at Tuesdays event. [Trump refuses to support Ryan, McCain in upcoming Republican primaries] Across Florida, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is running a targeted television advertising campaign and is poised to launch Latina-to- Latina phone banks targeting Hispanic voters in South and Central Florida. Trump is relying on a statewide voter-outreach program run by the Republican National Committee that party leaders consider their best in the country. He is also wooing Hispanic pastors in hopes of winning over their flocks. Kaines stop Tuesday at the college was focused on jobs, but there were several nods to the rapidly growing Latino population and the issues they face. The senator took the stage with Maritza Avila-Vasquez, president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Volusia County. A Puerto Rican, she relocated to Florida after living in New York City and is married to a disabled Vietnam War veteran. Her daughter is a civilian employee of the Air Force. We are Hispanic, and a very proud military Hispanic family, Avila-Vasquez said, drawing hearty applause from a racially mixed audience. She warned that Trump would devastate communities like ours. He says wages are too high, Avila-Vasquez said. I dont know where hes from. As Kaine spoke, several young Latinos were among the 10 people seated on the stage behind him, along with students and instructors from the colleges culinary school. 1 of 46 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail View Photos The former secretary of state, senator and first lady is the Democratic nominee for president. Caption The former secretary of state, senator and first lady is the Democratic nominee for president. July 31, 2016 Hillary Clinton is seen aboard the campaign bus in Cleveland on the third day of a bus tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. [Tim Kaine can speak Spanish. But most Hispanics dont care.] Early in his remarks, Kaine recalled the time he spent in Honduras working with Jesuit missionaries and broke out into several lines of Spanish. Later, he told the crowd in Spanish that the details matter, an effort to contrast Clintons policy proposals with what he characterized as a thin agenda offered by Trump. Kaine also criticized Trump for making dismissive comments about the governor of New Mexico, who is a Latina, and a federal judge who is of Mexican descent. Those arent the values of our country, he said. The Clinton campaigns aggressive targeting of Latino voters in Florida carries the immediate aim of making sure as many as possible are registered to vote or get re-registered if they are new arrivals from Puerto Rico. The campaign already has a few hundred staffers on the ground, according to a Clinton aide. The vast majority are field staff, many of them focused on registration efforts. Before Kaine took the stage Tuesday, the crowd heard from Nina Santiago, a Volusia County field organizer. She addressed the crowd partially in Spanish, recalling that growing up, she was often bullied and came home from school with bruises. She added that the Clinton-Kaine ticket would stand up for people like her. Im asking you to stand here for an America where no one can bully you, she said. Clintons outreach has included advertising on Spanish-language radio stations and the mobilization of a large number of local elected officials and prominent community activists. In coming weeks, the campaign also plans to bring in outside surrogates, including politicians and entertainers. Republicans, meanwhile, already have 71 staffers deployed statewide working out of 20 national, state or county GOP offices, according to RNC aides. Since June, GOP volunteers have knocked on 300,000 doors statewide, the work of 400 neighborhood teams recruited by those paid staffers. A party-run fellowship program has also trained 600 party faithful in the art of grass-roots political organizing. So far, the RNC and Republican Party of Florida have spent a combined $2 million on voter outreach this year, according to Chris Young, the RNCs national field director. Its the best team we have in the country, and theyre some of our most experienced operatives. We never take Florida lightly, and thats why we havent left since 2013, he said in an interview. Ultimately, the Clinton campaign should have an easier time wooing Floridas Hispanic voters. In an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll last month, 50 percent of Latino registered voters in Florida said they would support Clinton, compared with 29 percent for Trump. Four years ago, Florida Hispanics voted for Obama over Romney by a margin of 60 percent to 39 percent. In the 2012 presidential election, 17 percent of voters in Florida were Hispanic or Latino, according to exit polls. That number is expected to be higher this year. Despite his unpopularity, Trumps outreach to Floridas Hispanic voters has been more intimate, focused especially on winning over evangelical Christians. Mario Bramnick, a senior pastor based in Cooper City, Fla., and a senior leader of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said he has met with Trump three times since March. Another meeting that was set to take place at Miamis famed Versailles Cuban restaurant was postponed when Trump canceled campaign appearances after last months police shooting in Dallas. But Bramnick said that he and nearly two dozen other Latino conservative leaders met privately with Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, last week in South Florida. The meeting allowed the candidates to update the local leaders on the state of the campaign and to make a direct appeal for support. Much more is expected in the coming weeks, Bramnick said. All indications are that he is in communication with us, he is interested in outreach to the Hispanic community, and he is interested in the plight of our constituencies, he added. OKeefe reported from Washington. Humayun Khan was an American Muslim Army soldier who died serving the U.S. after 9/11. His father, Khizr Khan, spoke at the Democratic National Convention and offered a strong rebuke of Donald Trump, saying, "Have you even read the United States Constitution?" (Video: Victoria Walker/The Washington Post;Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post) Humayun Khan was an American Muslim Army soldier who died serving the U.S. after 9/11. His father, Khizr Khan, spoke at the Democratic National Convention and offered a strong rebuke of Donald Trump, saying, "Have you even read the United States Constitution?" (Video: Victoria Walker/The Washington Post;Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post) Donald Trump, as he has repeatedly over the course of his 14-month presidential campaign, said several things over the past week that could have caused lasting damage to any ordinary candidate. The Republican nominee invited the Russian government to uncover and release Democratic opponent Hillary Clintons private emails. He showed himself to be at best confused and at worst ignorant about the turmoil in Ukraine. He maligned a four-star general as a failure. All were shocking in their way, although none is likely to register in a broad or lasting way among voters. Trumps belittling of the Muslim American parents of a dead U.S. soldier may be different, according to political strategists in both parties, who say the ongoing episode could challenge the notion of Trump as a Teflon candidate. So far, they say, Trumps repeated offenses havent doomed his candidacy because many voters see each Trump insult as a dagger at political correctness, every blemish a welcome reminder that the celebrity-mogul candidate is willing to take on the established order. Both Republicans and Democrats are publicly responding to the row between GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and Khizr Khan. Khan's son was killed while serving in Iraq. Here's what politicians from both parties said. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) But in the case of Khizr and Ghazala Khan whose son Humayun Khan, an Army captain, was killed in Iraq in 2004 by a suicide bomb Trump is taking on grieving parents, not elites or the status quo. Nobody minds when he attacks other politicians; in fact, they like it. Hes instilling an accountability that doesnt exist. But they dont like it when he goes after real people, and they wish he would stop, said GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who conducted a focus group about Trump with voters Friday in Columbus, Ohio. David Axelrod, a former strategist for President Obama, agreed. I think people appreciate and even enjoy when he kicks the high and mighty in the butt, but I think they recoil when he is unkind to people who are vulnerable or when he is nasty to people who are thoroughly honorable, he said. Axelrod added, I just think people have a fundamental sense of decency, and they want their president to have a fundamental sense of decency, even if theyre tough and willing to take on so-called political correctness. Trump lashed out at the Charlottesville family after Khizr Khan admonished Trump at last weeks Democratic National Convention. Trump responded by questioning why Ghazala Khan stood by her husband silently and suggesting that she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. She has said she was too overcome with grief to speak on stage. Trump also equated his work as a real estate developer to the sacrifice the Khans made when they lost their son in war. [Trump stirs outrage after he lashes out at the Muslim parents of a dead U.S. soldier] Trumps response to the Khans was in keeping with his impulse to attack mercilessly whenever he is slighted, a trait that he, his advisers and others believe has generally worked in his favor. 1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad The most memorable moments from the Republican and Democratic conventions View Photos From a tender moment between President Obama and Hillary Clinton to Trumps flashy entrance, heres a look at top moments from the conventions. Caption From a tender moment between President Obama and Hillary Clinton to Trumps flashy entrance, heres a look at top moments from the conventions. Democratic National Convention President Obama embraces presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia after endorsing her and imploring the public to reject fear, to summon whats best in us. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. There are millions of voters who are willing to ignore their discomfort because he is the candidate of change, Luntz said. He does go too far and voters dont like it, but it proves that he is different and it proves that he is absolutely, positively willing to take on the status quo. Critics believe that in the case of the Khans, Trump has gone way too far, comparing it to a famed turning point for McCarthyism in the 1950s. Grilled by then-Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy at a congressional hearing as part of the Wisconsin Republicans crusade to root out communist sympathizers, then-Army counsel Joseph N. Welch asked, Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? Initial reports suggest the Khan episode has hurt Trump, at least for now. A pair of national polls taken over the weekend and released Monday showed a sizable bump for Clinton, suggesting the Khan affair, coupled with a successful Democratic convention, was working to her advantage. Clinton led 52 percent to 43 percent in a CNN-ORC survey and 47 percent to 41 percent in a CBS News survey. Polls consistently show that Trumps biggest vulnerabilities are on questions of character and temperament. Three-quarters of Americans said Trump does not show enough respect for people he disagrees with, and 55 percent said this was a major problem, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll in May. Still, Trumps race with Clinton has remained relatively close through the summer, in part because Clinton is weighted down by her own troubles, chiefly doubts about her trustworthiness. The latest example came Sunday, when Clinton claimed in a Fox News interview that FBI Director James B. Comey said her past public statements about her use of private email as secretary of state were truthful. In fact, Comey has not said whether her public statements were truthful, and he has said some of her emails contained classified information. Axelrod and other strategists drew parallels between the Khan clash and an earlier episode that similarly touched a nerve: Trumps mocking at a rally in November of disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski. [Trump draws scornful rebuke for mocking reporter with disability] Priorities USA, the leading pro-Clinton super PAC, has conducted extensive research to determine the most effective ways to attack Trump and found that video footage of Trump making wild arm and hand gestures to impersonate Kovaleski registers in focus groups as among the most damning. The footage has been featured in numerous anti-Trump ads. Voters were willing to overlook comments about Ted Cruzs family because Ted Cruz is a politician, said Guy Cecil, the super PACs chief strategist. They may have even been willing to overlook his disgusting comments about John McCain because John McCain is a politician. . . . This is something much meaner. This is something that is completely out of bounds. Cecil was referring to Trumps provocative and unsubstantiated suggestion that Rafael Cruz, the father of the senator from Texas, may have been implicated in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as well as Trumps belittling of the Vietnam War service of McCain, a senator from Arizona. Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter, a former adviser to Obama, said Trumps comments about the Khans are breaking through to voters because they violate peoples expectations of decency and empathy. They worry about what kind of role model this sets for their kids, Cutter said. They dont want a president who is insulting people based on their disability or religion or gender or threatening to knock somebody in the head. During the Republican primaries, rival campaigns found that political fallout for Trump tended to be limited to the group he was offending. For instance, his incendiary rhetoric about Mexican Americans and illegal immigration hurt him with Latino voters, and his misogynistic commentary hurt him with women. But research showed that Trumps mocking of Kovaleski crossed demographic boundaries, said Tim Miller, a top staffer first on former Florida governor Jeb Bushs presidential campaign and later at an anti-Trump super PAC. People found that to just be so vulgar and indecent that they just couldnt help but be turned off by it, even those that wanted to excuse Trump at every step along the way, Miller said. He added, The big question here with the Khan situation is, will that transcend just the Muslim community or just the community of veterans and be something that is universally regarded as inhuman and indecent? Scott Clement contributed to this report. Kanhaiya Kumar was today denied entry to the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai. The opposition criticized the government and demanded a probe into the incident. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Known for his fiery speeches and taking a firm stance for libral values JNSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar was denied entry today in the state Assembly here in Mumbai. Kanhaiya was in Mumbai and wanted to attend the proceedings of state assembly's Monsoon session but he was denied entry as he was not having valid pass. "I am having valid pass but still they denied me entry. I wanted to attend debate over farmers issue and separate Vidarbha but I was not allowed to go inside," Kanhaiya told media representatives outside Vidhan Bhavan. advertisement According to sources from the Vidhan Bhavan, he was having a pass for session from 12 pm to 1 pm but he came late. Also, during that period both the houses were adjourned and he was asked to wait. Taking a dig at the situation, former CM of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan slammed the state government for not allowing Kanhaiya to attend proceedings of the assembly. CHAVAN DEMANDS INQUIRY "It is unfortunate that despite having a valid pass he was denied entry. Is Kanhaiya a terrorist? He is an elected student leader of JNU. I demand inquiry in this matter," said Chavan. BJP leader Ram Kadam refuted allegations leveled by Prithviraj Chavan. "All are welcome to see the proceedings of the assembly, but according to my information he was not having valid pass. When a pass was arranged he refused to wait as he was getting late for his flight. I request opposition colleagues not politicise this issue," said Kadam. Social activist Rajiv Korde who was with Kanhaiya told India Today that they were having a valid pass but when security at first gate saw Kanhaiya's name on pass they informed their superior inside. NO REASON CITED FOR DENYING ENTRY "Senior security-in charge person asked us to sit in the security cabinet near the canteen gate and told us that our passes have been cancelled. He didn't even give us proper reason," Korde said. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad has slammed state government over Kanhaiya issue. "You allow Russian delegates to visit assembly session. Is Kanhaiya alien not citizen of country? Why he was not allowed to come in?" Awhad asked. Also read: Girl's open letter: How is a misogynist like Kanhaiya hailed as revolutionary? --- ENDS --- A man films Li Wenzu, left, wife of imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang, as she holds a paper that reads Release Liu Ermin during a protest outside the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, China, on Monday. (Gerry Shih/Associated Press) China kicked off trials for a group of lawyers and human rights activists Tuesday, accusing them of being part of a broad Western campaign to overthrow the one-party state by fomenting a color revolution. Accusations of foreign-backed plots are not new drawing links to uprisings such as Ukraines 2004 Orange Revolution but the latest charges appeared particularly vehement at a time when China also is preparing to host a meeting of the Group of 20 major economies next month. On Tuesday, a court in Tianjin handed down a three-year suspended sentence to activist Zhai Yanmin, a surprisingly light sentence that could be an attempt to defuse international criticism of Chinas year-long crackdown on lawyers and legal activists ahead of the G-20 summit. But the trials at least three more are underway have been accompanied by a campaign to humiliate and vilify the lawyers before the Chinese public. A video released Monday showed Wang Yu, one of the countrys most respected human rights lawyers, confessing to having been trained by foreign forces to attack and smear the Chinese government. [Jailed Chinese lawyers confession has familiar ring] Two other videos, released on the same day and widely shared on social media by the government and Communist Party, accused diehard lawyers and Wang in particular of being part of a Western-backed plot to topple the government. No details of the alleged anti-state conspiracy were publicly disclosed, but such accusations often are built around Chinese claims of interference by Western governments and civil-society groups. Zhai confessed Tuesday that a group of lawyers and citizens had conspired to push down the wall a Chinese expression for overthrowing the government with the involvement of international society, according to state news agency Xinhua. Human rights activists said the confessions appeared to have been made under extreme duress, and they denounced the secret trial as a sham. [She was a quiet commercial lawyer. Then China turned against her] But the accusations play into a powerful element of Chinese propaganda that democracy and regime change here would be enormously destabilizing and costly. The twin videos, shared by the Communist Youth League and government agencies including police departments and courts, drove that point home with gusto. The first, viewed more than 6 million times by late Tuesday, included images of chaos and destruction from Syria, Egypt, Libya and Ukraine, contending that countries stirred up by the United States all sunk into war, turbulence and desperation. It also used images of the refugee crisis, including a photo of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian Kurdish child whose body washed up on a Turkish beach. From the South China Sea to Tibet and Hong Kong, the deep and dark shadow of the star-spangled banner is trying to destabilize China, acting through dissidents and diehard lawyers, the video argued. It also showed a picture of President Obama meeting the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, as well as a cartoon of a giant American shoe stomping on the South China Sea, where Beijing accuses Washington of inflaming regional tensions. The second video, with about 5 million views, specifically accused Wang of being bribed and wooed by foreigners to provide bullets in the fermentation phase of the color revolution. Linking a respected lawyer to the chaos of Syria may seem like a stretch to many people in the West. But Chinese propaganda generally is effective in the country in limiting public support for dissidents by portraying them as agents of Western powers or as troublemakers, even if all they are trying to do is use the legal system to combat injustice and protect the rights of ordinary people. Wang has been denied access to legal counsel and kept from her son for more than a year. Although a report said she was released on bail Monday, her lawyer said she has not yet reappeared. The authorities claims that Wang Yu has been released on bail only become credible when she is seen and heard from, clearly free of all coercive measures, said Maya Wang of Human Rights watch in Hong Kong. Until then, its just another lie in a case built entirely on political persecution. Zhais sentence was suspended for four years, meaning he will not go to jail but will live under considerable restrictions and supervision. He has lost all political rights for the same period, meaning he will not be able to run for local councils or other offices. His case is the first of four expected to be heard this week. If Chinese authorities are so confident in their cases against these human rights lawyers, why try them in secret? Maya Wang added, calling the case a sham. More than 300 lawyers and activists were initially seized last year, and although most were later released, more than a dozen remain in jail. Gu Jinglu contributed to this report. Read more [Beijings claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal] Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world In a damning judgment, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce ruled Friday that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) broke the law and manufactured a terrorism plot as part of a months-long entrapment operation that ended in a Vancouver-area couple being arrested and ultimately sentenced to life in prison. John Nuttall and Amanda Korody were arrested July 1, 2013 and accused of planting bombs on the grounds of the British Columbia legislature in Victoria. But Justice Bruce found that the couple would never have taken any action had it not been for the active encouragement and coercion of undercover RCMP officers. This was not a situation in which the police were attempting to disrupt an ongoing criminal enterprise, declared Bruce in her 210-page judgment. Rather, the offences committed by the defendants were brought about by the police and would not have occurred without their involvement. By any measure, this was a clear case of police-manufactured crime. Undercover officers posing as Islamist extremists, befriended the isolated couple, who were recent converts to Islam, and encouraged them to act on statements they had made decrying the killing of Muslims in US-led wars and threatening to wage jihad and die as martyrs for Islam. Subsequently, the police suggested and facilitated the legislature bomb plot, removing obstacles that the police themselves acknowledged Nuttall and Korody would not have been able to overcome alone, and going so far as threaten them when they appeared reluctant to proceed. Justice Bruce found that Operation Souvenir, which involved over 240 RCMP officers and cost $900,000 in overtime hours alone, breached the Criminal Code and tarnished the administration of justice. Calling police claims Nuttall and Korody constituted a grave threat to public safety quite farcical, Justice Bruce wrote, I find that the RCMP knowingly facilitated a terrorist activity by providing money and other services to the defendants that helped and made easier the terrorist activities. The spectre of the defendants serving life sentences for a crime that the police manufactured, exploiting their vulnerabilities, by instilling fear that they would be killed if they backed out is offensive to our concept of fundamental justice. The Crown has announced it will appeal Justice Bruces ruling. Despite Bruce issuing a stay on proceedings, with the life imprisonment sentences for both being quashed, Nuttall and Korody were brutally rearrested within a few hours. They appeared before a provincial court judge Friday afternoon and were compelled to sign peace bonds, a draconian power at the disposal of the state to restrict the activities of so-called terrorist suspects even if they have not been convicted of a crime. Nuttall and Korody will be restricted from certain areas, including the legislature grounds, synagogues and Jewish cultural centers, are not allowed to visit certain internet sites, and must regularly report to a bail officer. In comments to the press, Crown lawyer Peter Eccles claimed Justice Bruces decision would undermine the polices ability to pursue terrorism suspects and sought to link Nuttal and Korody to the recent horrific attacks carried out by lone perpetrators in Germany and France, even though the court had just ruled that there was no evidence to support the suggestion that the couple intended to carry out an attack. He declared, As weve seen even in the last six weeks, lone participants are undeniably the greatest challenge law enforcement faces. Such scare-mongering neglects to mention the fact that the individuals who have carried out such attacks have frequently been disorientated, alienated and sometimes radicalized by the aggressive policies of war abroad and repression of refugees and attacks on democratic rights at home. The states power to use peace bonds was expanded dramatically under Bill C-51. This sweeping police-state law was rushed through parliament by the previous Conservative government with the backing of the then-opposition Liberals in the wake of attacks on armed forces personnel in Ottawa and St. Jean-sur-Richelieu in October 2014 that killed two people. In fulfillment of an election pledge, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has pledged to make cosmetic changes to the legislation, including implementing a parliamentary oversight committee, but intends to leave the peace-bond system untouched. Nuttall and Korodys conviction as terrorists was itself an important element in the right-wing, anti-democratic campaign whipped up by the political elite and media last year to justify ramming Bill C-51 through parliament without any serious public debate. More broadly, the constant invocation of the threat of terrorism has been exploited to accustom the population to a drastic assault on their basic democratic rights, as well as to legitimize Canadas expanded involvement in military operations in the Middle East in alliance with the United States. The Liberal government upholds the key provisions of Bill C-51, including the right of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) to actively disrupt vaguely defined threats to public security, the right of the police to detain terrorist suspects for up to seven days without charge, a new criminal offence of promoting terrorism in general, and a catch-all ban on terrorist propaganda that could be used to clamp down on social and political opposition to the government. The fate that befell Nuttall and Korody makes clear the dangers faced by working people from authorities wielding such unchecked powers. The couple, who lived in a basement apartment in a Vancouver suburb, were extremely socially isolated and recovering drug addicts. They rarely left their home, and were described by the judge as naive, childlike and gullible. Even police briefing notes presented at the original trial acknowledged Nuttall was possibly developmentally delayed. Marilyn Sandford, Nuttalls attorney, pointed out that her client suggested a number of outlandish ideas for attacks, including hijacking a nuclear submarine and firing rockets across the border at Seattle. When the couple showed signs of refusing to go through with the legislature attack, they confronted threats from the undercover officers, including warnings they would be killed. They were also induced with offers of jobs and help in an elaborate escape plan. Finally, when a new primary investigator was appointed to the case a week before the alleged plot was to take place, he had the couple removed from their home to get rid of distractions. Vaz Kassam explained to the court that other officers were frustrated because the pair were not preparing for the attack as planned. The police decided they had to aggressively engineer the plan for Nuttall and Korody and make them think it was their own, Bruce noted. Maureen Smith, Nuttalls mother, said the pair would require counseling to recover from the ordeal they had experienced over the past three years. The media immediately sought to portray the vast undercover sting, which the National Post admitted was ordered at senior levels, as simply an error or bungled operation. The Post commented in its article, It took one clear-headed judge to see through the stupidity and explain to the public the true facts of this policing and prosecutorial affront. In reality, the methods employed against Nuttall and Korody are standard practice for the security and intelligence apparatus in Canada, which functions in close collaboration with its partner organizations in the United States. In a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published in 2014, the organization noted a worrying trend in Canada of discriminatory investigations, often targeting particularly vulnerable individuals (including people with intellectual and mental disabilities and the indigent), in which the governmentoften acting through informants is actively involved in developing the plot, persuading and sometimes pressuring the target to participate, and providing the resources to carry it out. HRW also issued a specific warning related to the prosecution of Nuttall and Korody. Andrea Prasow, HRWs deputy director in Washington, compared the proceedings in BC to the US governments determined efforts to entrap vulnerable individuals in concocted terrorism plots in the aftermath of 9/11. What weve seen allegations of [in BC] are at least similar practices to what weve seen in the US, she commented last June following the original convictions. In the so-called VIA Rail terror plot, an undercover FBI agent and other security officials used an elaborate entrapment scheme to implicate Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser in a plan to derail a passenger train traveling between Toronto and New York. The agent repeatedly refused to answer questions in court, citing the secrecy of his work, and the media was banned from the courtroom and prohibited from reporting his two weeks of testimony. Even though two psychiatrists ruled that Esseghaier was mentally unfit for the sentencing process, declaring him potentially schizophrenic, the judge ignored pleas from his lawyers to consider delaying sentencing and placing him in a hospital for treatment. Esseghaier and Jaser were sentenced to life in prison last September. Just days after reported second-quarter growth figures pointed to a marked slowdown in the US and Europe, new manufacturing data released yesterday provided further evidence of global economic stagnation. The continued slump in the real economy is in marked contrast to the ongoing and ultimately unsustainable speculative frenzy on international share markets. The IHS Markit purchasing managers index (PMI) for manufacturing for the euro zone in July showed a marked fall from 52.8 in June to 52.0 in July. Germany, with a PMI of 53.8, was the main factor keeping the overall index above 50, the dividing line between growth and contraction. IHS Markit chief economist Chris William commented: Expansions in output and employment are clearly being driven to a large extent by surging growth in Germany, while growth has almost stalled in both Italy and Spain, and contractions are being seen in France and Greece. Frances PMI hit 48.6. Italys was the lowest in 18 months, and Spains was the lowest in 31 months. In the wake of the British vote to leave the European Union, the Markit/CIPS PMI in the UK plunged to its lowest level since February 2013, falling from 52.4 in June to 48.2 in July. Capital Economics analyst Scott Bowman told Reuters: Markit said that the deterioration was widespread across sectors and firm sizes, suggesting Brexit uncertainty was weighing on many firms. The Brexit vote also contributed to growing uncertainty in Europe, as a lower British pound promises to slow European exports to the UK. We expect the UK leave vote to dampen confidence in the months ahead, leaving bleak prospects for a stronger momentum in the manufacturing sector, Barclays economist Apolline Menut told the Wall Street Journal. The economic picture was just as bleak elsewhere. Following last weeks growth figure of just 1.2 percent, well below expectations, the PMI figures for the United States released yesterday were mixed. While the Markit PMI for manufacturing was up, the ISM manufacturing activity index fell from 53.2 in June to 52.6 in July. According to a Financial Times survey published last weekend, the US election campaign and uncertainly about policy direction were contributing to slower economic activity. The newspaper explained that more than two-thirds of the economists surveyed said the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would act as a headwind to growth in the US, blunting large-scale investments until businesses have a better view of the regulatory, tax and government spending climate. In Asia, the Japanese manufacturing sector contracted for the fifth consecutive month, with the Markit/Nikkei PMI up from 48.1 in June to 49.3 in Julystill below the cut-off point of 50. The sub-index for new export orders was 44.5, indicating that overseas demand fell at the fastest rate since December 2012 amid a strong yen and global slump. Chinas PMI for manufacturing showed mixed results. The official figure fell to 49.9 in July, while the private Caixin manufacturing activity index, which covers a greater share of smaller firms, increased from 48.6 in June to 50.6 in July. Economic growth for the second quarter was 6.7 percent, the slowest since the global financial crisis of 2008/09. RHB Group economist Zhang Fan told the Wall Street Journal: Business confidence remains weak. Investment has been sliding. The only efficient tool for the government to spur growth is pumping more money into infrastructure. Far from boosting the economy, however, the stimulus measures are simply preventing a further marked slowdown. Another significant indicator of global economic slump was the fall in US crude oil prices below $40 a barrel for the first time since April. The price fall, which is part of the broader collapse of commodity prices, reflected not only increased production by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), but also stagnant demand and large inventories worldwide. A comment by the Australian Broadcasting Corporations business editor Ian Verrender on Monday highlighted the growing signs of a global economy in serious trouble, even as Wall Street finished the month on a tear, close to an all time record. After pointing to the low growth rates in the US and Europe, Verrender noted: Stress tests of European banks again revealed massive problems in Italys banking system, while two major UK banks, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays, performed poorly. The worlds oldest bank, Italys Bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena, was the worst performer, and was bailed out over the weekend As Italys third biggest deposit taker, its a too-big-to-fail operation. He turned to the decision by Japans central bank last Friday to pull back from a desperate measure to stimulate the economy through a new round of radical policy known as Helicopter Money a process where the government rains cash down on the country with direct deposits into citizens and company accounts. Verrender commented: The fact that it was a close call tells you that not only is it being considered, but that the global economy is in serious trouble. After decades of poor performance, Japan has embraced the most radical monetary policies the world has ever witnessed and on a scale that could never be imagined. Japans quantitative easing, however, is simply a more extreme version of the policy of pumping cheap credit into the economy that has been adopted by central banks around the world. Far from flowing into the real economy and stimulating business investment, the flood of money has simply led to an orgy of speculation on share and property markets. Seven years after the global financial crisis, the breakdown of the capitalist system is worsening. The measures used to try to overcome the crisis are only setting the stage for a meltdown on an even larger scale, and at the same time fuelling rising geo-political tensions and a universal drive by governments to impose new burdens on the working class. The author also recommends: Slowdown in US, global economy [2 August 2016] Conservative Prime Minister Theresa Mays decision to delay signing a deal to build the first new UK nuclear plant in 20 years has angered both China and France. Under plans first outlined under the Labour government of Tony Blair more than a decade ago, the nuclear plant (Hinkley Point C) was to be built at a location in Somerset. It is designed to meet 7 percent of the UKs electricity needs, with a capacity of 3.8 gigawatts. Only months ago Mays predecessor, David Cameron, announced plans to begin construction in mid-2019, with the plant completed by 2025. The decision to build the plant has been mired in controversy from its conception. The French firm EDF, 85 percent state-owned, was scheduled to finance most of the 18 billion cost. But under a provisional agreement signed by the Cameron government, one third was to be provided by nuclear companies closely tied to the Chinese state. Late last Thursday evening, Tory business and energy secretary Greg Clark announced that the project was to be reviewed, with a final decision delayed to the autumn. This was just hours after EDFs board had voted, by a narrow margin, to approve the project. Both parties had been set to sign formal legally binding contracts the following morning. Mays move was made primarily at the behest of those sections of the ruling elite, including in the military and intelligence complex, who fear Chinas projected role in the construction and running of a highly state sensitive facility. As the culmination of a pro-Beijing orientation, the Cameron government laid out the red carpet to Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit to Britain last October. China involvement in Hinkley Point, as the first step to building its own nuclear power station in Bradwell, Essex, was feted alongside tens of billions of pounds agreed in trade and investment. The deals followed the decision by the Tory government for Britain to become the first Western power to sign up to Chinas Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in March 2015. This antagonised Washington, as it sharply cut across cut the US pivot to Asia, which aims at undermining Beijing diplomatically, economically and militarily. As a result, Camerons strategic orientation caused deep consternation in ruling circles, with the queen pointedly stating her displeasure at very rude members of a Chinese trade delegation. May is reported to have long held a suspicious approach to China. As Home Secretary, she developed intimate links to the intelligence services and figures in the military. Some of these voiced trenchant complaints about Chinese investment in UK nuclear plants on the basis of their implications for security and Britains relationships with the US. Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat former business secretary in the 2010-2015 Conservative/Lib Dem coalition, revealed to the Sunday Telegraph that May had a general prejudice against Chinese investments in Britain and was against relaxing visa requirements for visiting businessmen. On this issue, she was overruled by Camerons Chancellor George Osborne, he said. Referring to the major Chinese telecommunications firm, Cable said May was never completely satisfied about Huawei, which has a major partnership with the largest private telecommunications firm in the UK, BT. May expressed in several different contexts severe reservations about China getting too close to the UK, said Cable. So I think she has form in adopting a more suspicious approach, more in line with the American position. ... Fairly early on in the coalition, she wanted to introduce a more stringent test of foreign investment, based on the American model of screening out projects that threaten national security. Regarding the Hinkley Point project, Cable said, My recollection was that when approval was sought for Hinkley, she raised objections on grounds of national security issues and China. Nick Timothy, Mays joint chief of staff, was strident in opposing Chinese investment at Hinkley. In an article headlined, The Government is selling our national security to China, he said it could allow the Chinese to use their role to build weaknesses into computer systems which will allow them to shut down Britains energy production at will. Timothy warned, For those who believe that such an eventuality is unlikely, the Chinese National Nuclear Corporationone of the state-owned companies involved in the plans for the British nuclear plantssays on its web site that it is responsible not just for increasing the value of state assets and developing the society but the building of national defence. Timothy cited the assessment of the domestic intelligence agency MI5 that the intelligence services of China continue to work against UK interests at home and abroad. China responded angrily to Mays decision stating Monday, What China cannot understand is the suspicious approach that comes from nowhere to Chinese investment in making the postponement. It cannot tolerate any unwanted accusation against its sincere and benign willingness for win-win cooperation, read a statement from Xinhua, Chinas state-run news agency. Calling the deal into question is also a serious blow to France, which was able to strike a hugely profitable deal to generate electricity at Hinkley for its projected 35-year lifespan. The Financial Times commented, Delays to the project will be a complicating factor at a time when Anglo-French relations are already under strain. For Paris it is imperative to prove that new technology to be built at Hinkley by EDF is viable after endless problems with reactors under construction in Finland and France. Export orders are also vital for the French nuclear industry at a time when Japan and Germany have both ended their nuclear programmes. Mays readiness to antagonise France is in line with her pledge to be tough in seeking the best conditions for the UK following Junes referendum vote for Britain to leave the EU. Writing in the Financial Times, columnist and energy policy blogger Nick Butler wrote, In the post-Brexit world competitiveness is critical. The obvious risks [over Hinkley] were such that the only prudent response is to pause and to reconsider all the options, he continued. Enthusing that May has appreciated that approval of the project is now a UK bargaining chip in Britains relationship with the French, he noted, Cancelling the Hinkley project would destroy the thousands of jobs promised along the supply chainmost of which is located in France. The pressure is now on President Francois Hollande, who faces a very difficult re-election campaign next year, to force EDF to come up with a much better offer. Hinkley Point highlights divisions within ruling circles over the indifference of Labour and Tory governments towards the preservation of national infrastructure and industry. By 2012, half of the UKs assets had been sold to foreign owners by successive Labour and Conservative governments. By 2016 foreign investors owned 1 trillion worth of British companies. A significant element of business support for a Leave vote, as reflected in the Brexiteers in the Tory party, was based on concern that the economy was in danger of losing its ability to compete through an over-reliance on foreign investment. Last week it was announced that Britains leading microchip designer, ARM Holdings, was being sold to Japanese firm SoftBank for 24 billion. In response, retail businessman John Mills, who chaired the Labour Leave campaign, wrote in the Guardian , It should be stopped, and the whole trend of selling off British industrial assets should be stopped too. Mills complained that profits made on foreign-owned companies are most likely to be paid in taxes to foreign governments. Mills concluded, By having a policy of selling our assets to foreign owners as the first option, we are storing up incalculable problems, which will inevitably lead to severe economic difficulties. The author also recommends: The queens China gaffe [16 May 2016] China grapples with implications of Brexit vote [2 July 2016] Cross-Cultural Education Getting an MBA in the U.S. doesn't mean graduates have to stay in this country to work. Several schools allow students to take courses and participate in activities to teach them how to be business leaders abroad as well as in the States. Here are the 10 best business schools for getting an internationally focused MBA, in order from least to most skilled at providing this type of education. 10. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 894 U.S. News b-school rank: 12 (tie) International edge: The Duke MBA--Cross Continent program allows students to study in five different locations, which may include India and China. Learn more about the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. 9. New York University (Stern) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 799 U.S. News b-school rank: 20 International edge: Stern students who specialize in global business can study global strategy, international social impact strategies and similar topics. Learn more about the Stern School of Business at NYU. 8. Stanford University (CA) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 824 U.S. News b-school rank: 2 (tie) International edge: It's required that MBA students at Stanford take part in a global experience, which may include taking a seminar on economic mobility in Brazil or learning about consumer behavior in Korea. Learn more about the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. 7. University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 836 U.S. News b-school rank: 12 (tie) International edge: As part of the MBA Global Semester Exchange Program, students can study abroad in Shanghai or Buenos Aires. Learn more about the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor. 5 (tie). Columbia University (NY) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 1,287 U.S. News b-school rank: 10 International edge: The Greater China Society, International Development Club and Asian Business Association are a few of the many student groups available for those interested in business issues abroad. Story continues Learn more about the Columbia Business School. 5 (tie). University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 1,715 U.S. News b-school rank: 4 International edge: In one required course, soon-to-be MBAs must present a project that focuses on a global management topic and get feedback from experts. Learn more about the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. 3 (tie). Thunderbird School of Global Management (AZ) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 141 U.S. News b-school rank: RNP International edge: To graduate from the Master in Global Management program, students must reach a certain level of proficiency in a language other than their native tongue. Learn more about the Thunderbird School of Global Management. 3 (tie). University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 502 U.S. News b-school rank: 7 International edge: Students can act as consultants through the school's International Business Development program and spend up to three weeks in a different country. Learn more about the Haas School of Business at University of California--Berkeley. 2. Harvard University (MA) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 1,872 U.S. News b-school rank: 1 International edge: First-year students are required to develop a new product or service for global partner organizations, which they also visit. Learn more about Harvard Business School. 1. University of South Carolina (Moore) Number of full-time students (2015-2016): 73 U.S. News b-school rank: 71 (tie) International edge: International MBA students take part in a five- to eight-month consulting project abroad and get to learn Spanish, French, German or another language. Learn more about the Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina. More on Getting an MBA Learn how to stand out as an MBA applicant, and get our complete rankings of the 2017 Best Business Schools. For more advice and information on how to select a business school, follow U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook. Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com. By Shreya Goswami: As this year's MasterChef Australia experience comes to a close, we are feeling a little nostalgic about the Indian contestant on the show, Nidhi Mahajan. Mahajan brought such talent and inspiration to the show that her elimination early on left many of us broken-hearted. During her stint on the show, Nidhi didn't just convey the pride of being an Indian on an Australian show, but also delivered in flavour and texture. So much so, that she impressed one of the greatest chefs in the world today--Marco Pierre White! We got in touch with the lady from Chandigarh to gain more insight into that amazing cook-off where she came out as the hero. What inspired you to make this recipe (Aussie Classic Indian Way) for Marco Pierre White during the episode? I had always wanted to make a spicy curry for Marco Pierre White. In the invention test, we were told to reinvent an Aussie Classic i.e. meat and three veggies in an inventive way. We had lamb as meat, and onion, carrots and parsnips. So, it was on that day that I served my special South-Indian style lamb curry with stuffed onion bread and carrot pudding for dessert! advertisement Also read: What this Indian MasterChef Australia contestant did on being eliminated will make you proud What do we need to keep in mind to nail this recipe every time? For any dish, the only thing I always keep in mind is balance of all the flavours as per my liking and cooking the meat to perfection. Here's the recipe: Aussie Classic, Indian Way Ingredients: South Indian Lamb Curry 3 tbsp ghee, plus more for frying 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 green cardamom pods 3 small dried red chillies 1 onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed 500 gms lamb meat, diced into 3 x 3cm pieces 2 tsp chilli powder 2 tsp turmeric 125ml coconut milk 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp chopped coriander, plus more for garnish 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint 4 sprigs curry leaves Salt, to taste Onion-stuffed fried bread 1 cup plain flour 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tbsp ghee Vegetable oil for frying 1 spring onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp dried mango powder or amchur Salt, to taste Parsnip Crisps 2 parsnips 2 tsp vinegar Salt, to taste This recipe is made with classic Australian ingredients, but with an Indian twist. Photo: Star World Method: 1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. 2. To make the South-Indian Lamb Curry, heat 2tbsp of the ghee in a heavy flame-proof casserole pan on the stove over medium heat. 3. Add peppercorns, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and chillies and stir to toast off until fragrant, about 1 minute. 4. Add onions and garlic and fry until soft. Then add meat and fry until brown. Add chilli powder, turmeric, coconut milk, nutmeg and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Cover with a lid, and place into the oven until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 hours. 5. Once cooked, remove dish from oven. Uncover and place back onto stove over medium heat. Add fresh coriander and mint and stir through. Reduce heat to low and simmer on the stove until meat pulls apart easily with a fork. 6. In a separate frypan, heat remaining 1 tbsp ghee. Add chopped curry leaves and fry until crisp, set aside on paper towel. 7. Once meat is ready, turn off heat and garnish with fried curry leaves and some chopped coriander. Set aside; make sure this stays warm. 8. To make the Onion Stuffed Fried Bread Combine flour, salt, ghee and 75ml water. Bring together to make a ball, adding more water if necessary. Knead to make a soft dough and wrap with cling wrap. Set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes to rest. 9. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frypan over medium heat then add spring onion, turmeric, amchur and a pinch of salt and saute until soft, then remove from heat and set aside to cool. 10. Half-fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil and heat to 180C. 11. Remove wrapped dough ball from the fridge and portion dough into 8 pieces. Roll portioned dough into balls, then use a rolling pin to roll into thin discs about 3mm thick. 12. Divide reserved sauteed spring onion mixture into the middle of the disc and carefully pull edges over to seal onion inside. Gently roll out with a rolling pin to a disc again. Place stuffed dough discs into preheated oil and deep-fry until puffed and golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside on paper towel. Reserve oil on heat for Parsnip Chips. 13. For the Parsnip Chips, peel parsnips and slice thinly. Add to reserved hot oil and deep fry until golden and curled. Set aside on paper towel and sprinkle with salt and vinegar. 14. Assemble the lamb curry, fried bread, and parsnip chips in separate bowls. Serve hot with raita. This recipe blew the socks off one of the greatest chefs of the world, as well as the MasterChef Australia judges, Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. Just imagine how impressed your family and friends will be when you cook this for dinner! advertisement MasterChef Australia Season 8 airs weekdays at 9 pm on Star World and Star World HD The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search. While paying for medical school isn't cheap, attending a public school as an in-state student can help reduce some of the financial burden amid rising tuition costs. For those attending a public medical school as an in-state student, the average tuition price rose by about 4 percent for the 2015-2016 school year compared with the prior year, according to an annual report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges. [Explore the 2016 Best Medical Schools.] But despite the uptick in price, the average cost of attending a medical school as an in-state student compared with going to a private school is much less. Of the 67 public schools that submitted in-state tuition and fees data to U.S. News for the 2015-2016 school year, the average cost was $32,495 per year. That cost is much higher at private medical schools, where the average price for tuition and fees is $52,515, according to the data submitted by 48 private medical schools to U.S. News in an annual survey. The average cost for tuition and fees among the 10 least expensive medical schools for in-state students was $19,355 per year. [See if you are ready to apply to medical school.] Medical students attending the Texas A&M Health Science Center -- which tops the list of least expensive public medical schools for in-state students -- received the biggest break, paying $16,432 as state residents. The cost of attending this Central Texas med school is nearly half the in-state average among all public medical schools. But Texas A&M Health Science Center isn't the only option for those in the Lone Star State in search of an inexpensive medical school. Among the 10 most affordable medical schools for in-state students, six are in Texas, at schools in Bryan, Dallas, Lubbock, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth. Story continues Below is a list of the 10 least expensive public medical schools based on tuition and required fees. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report. The F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a federal service postgraduate academy that waives tuition and fees in return for military service, was excluded from this list. Medical school (name) (state) In-state tuition & fees (2015-2016) U.S. News research rank U.S. News primary care rank Texas A&M Health Science Center $16,432 76 (tie) 78 (tie) University of Texas Health Science Center--San Antonio $17,661 60 (tie) 71 (tie) Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center $17,737 84 (tie) 84 (tie) University of North Texas Health Science Center $19,022 RNP* 50 (tie) University of New Mexico $19,233 78 (tie) 45 (tie) University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $19,343 25 (tie) 21 (tie) University of Texas Health Science Center--Houston $20,092 56 (tie) RNP Marshall University (Edwards) (WV) $20,100 RNP RNP West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine $21,650 RNP RNP East Carolina University (Brody) (NC) $22,281 88 (tie) 32 (tie) *RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of all medical and osteopathic schools. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it. Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass to find information on medical school debt, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights. U.S. News surveyed 170 medical schools for our 2015 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The tuition and fees data above are correct as of Aug. 2, 2016. More From US News & World Report Authorities say three people died after attending a weekend rave in Fontana, California. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller said Monday that nine people were transported from the HARD Summer Music Festival, and three were pronounced dead at local hospitals. HARD Summer Deaths Prompt L.A. County to Consider a Music-Festival Ban Two deaths occurred Saturday and one on Sunday. Miller says the cause of each death remains unknown. The sheriff's coroner division plans to release names and ages of the deceased Monday afternoon. The electronic dance music festival was held at an outdoor venue about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. According to the Coroner's Division of the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, the deceased have been identified as Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco, Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego, and Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills. HARD Summer 2016 Announces Two-Day Camping Festival Lineup: Ice Cube, Major Lazer & More A HARD Summer representative released the following statement on the incidents: "We were deeply saddened to learn about the deaths of three people who attended the festival this weekend. While the causes of the deaths have not yet been determined, we ask everyone to keep them in their prayers. Our sincerest thoughts and condolences are with their family and friends." Updated, Aug. 2 10:31 a.m. ET: names of the deceased and HARD statement. Lagos (AFP) - Five Islamists were killed as Nigerian troops thwarted a Boko Haram attack near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the epicentre of the seven-year insurgency, the army said on Tuesday. "Troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE accompanied by Civilian JTF successfully thwarted an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists on Yauri community at the outskirts of Maiduguri city, Borno State," said a statement by army spokesman Sani Usman. During the incident, which took place on Monday, five Islamists were killed and a cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles and a machine gun, were recovered, he said. With the help of regional forces, Nigerian troops have recaptured a range of territories and driven the insurgents into remote areas in the Lake Chad region. Boko Haram, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, has killed some 20,000 and displaced more than 2.6 million people since 2009. New Volkswagen models Golf Cabriolet and Passat are stored at the 'CarTowers' in the theme park 'Autostadt' next to the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg March 9, 2011. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/File Photo Volkswagen's US business is in a tailspin. In the first half of 2016, sales of the German brand are down nearly 15% compared to same period last year. And 2015 wasn't exactly a bumper year for VW. In July, VW's US sales fell another 8.1%. Even though the Volkswagen brand sold more than 2.9 million cars around the world in the first half of the year, only 149,000 of them were in America. As Volkswagen Group, the second-largest automaker in the world, continues to experience worldwide growth, it is troubling that its most prominent mass-market brand is having a hard time in one of its most important markets. There are a few major reasons for VW's struggles. 1. The Scandal Since last September, the Volkswagen brand has been embroiled in a catastrophic emissions cheating scandal that has decimated the company's reputation in the US and around the world. VW admitted to equipping more than 11 million diesel-powered cars worldwide with software designed to cheat government emissions tests. As a result, the company will have to either buy back, terminate the lease of, or modify nearly 500,000 cars sold in the US since 2009. In addition, VW has agreed to a settlement with the federal and state governments worth more than $10 billion. Although the financial toll has been extreme, the damage to VW's public image has been far more devastating. As the largest proponent of diesel technology in the US, many of the owners burned by the scandal also happen to be some of the brand's most loyal. Even non-diesel buyers are turning away from the brand out of distrust. 2. A History Of Questionable Reliability For much of the past decade, Volkswagen has been plagued with powertrain reliability issues in the high-volume four- and five-cylinder engines that power Passat, Jettas, and other VW products, according to Consumer Reports. VW scandal settlement Even though VW has made significant strides over the past few years in terms of quality, the emissions scandal has all but wiped out any positive sentiment the automaker may have engendered with the public. Story continues There seems to be a stigma that lingers in the minds of mass-market shoppers who place a premium on reliability. This stigma is further enforced by publications like JD Power's 2016 vehicle dependability survey, where VW scored below industry average. 3. VWs come at a cost In the Volkswagen Group family, VW's role is to build mainstream, mass-market transportation while its luxury-oriented siblings like Audi and Bentley build higher priced, fancier models. Even though VW sees itself as a rival for the Toyotas and Fords of the world, that's not how it's working out for the brand at the dealership. Thanks to its European origins and a close association to its corporate siblings, US consumers see VW as a near-luxury product. This means buyers shopping for products like the brand's Passat sedan approach the process differently than they would if they were shopping for a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry. A Camry or Accord buyer may be willing to part with his money for a bare-bones base model, but VW shoppers want a German luxury product at a discounted price, leading them to load-up on optional goodies. As a result, the brand's price point is near the top in many of the segments in which it competes. While VW has attempted to make its product more attractive to value shoppers by offering de-contented models, the typical VW still costs more than its competitors. Volkswagen VW Passat SEL 2016 Another reason for VW's higher price point is the brand's inclusion of premium technology even in lower-level models. The company chose to include complicated turbocharging systems and advanced DSG automated twin-clutch gearboxes on economy models, while competitors like the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, and Toyota Corolla employ cheaper and more conventional technology. The availability of such options is a boon for consumers, but it prevents VW from competing on price with its less sophisticated competitors. Although it's possible VW could embrace its quasi-near-luxury role in the market, it's a decision that could be difficult to pull off. Volkswagen is stuck in a very narrow band of the market because moving into a higher price point could potentially cannibalize sales of Audi's A3, A4, and Q3 models, which sell for between $35,000 and $45,000. And a move up market would risk the brand becoming reduced to a niche luxury manufacturer, which does not mesh with VW's already successful global presence as a major mass-market brand. 4. Missing a key product These days, nearly one in every five cars sold in the US is a compact crossover. It has become the most important segment in the US market. While VW's Tiguan compact crossover is a fairly competent car, it simply can't compete with segment leaders such as the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Toyota RAV4 in terms of price and capability. Volkswagen VW Tiguan And the difference in sales is staggering. Over the first six months of 2016, Honda has shipped almost 160,000 CR-Vs while Toyota has sold 165,000 RAV4s. On the other hand, VW has sold just 20,000 Tiguans over the first half of the year, and that figure includes a 50% increase in sales over last year. 5. The market is crowded The final factor for Volkswagen's slipping sales is a marketplace that is growing more crowded with competitors. A decade ago, VW's mass-market products only had to contend with challengers from the major Japanese manufacturers and a couple of domestic products like the Ford Focus. In the decade since, the market has changed significantly. Not only are the Japanese brands still riding high; Volkswagen must now also compete with Hyundai and Kia from Korea, and a major resurgence from Detroit's Big 3. Even worse for VW, total US auto sales have peaked at 17.5 million cars and is expected to slip over the next couple of years. How Volkswagen can come back Volkswagen has been struggling in the US for much of the past decade. Its struggles were exacerbated by the emissions scandal that led to a complete revamp of the company's top leadership. At this point, VW must contend with both a need to improve its product while repairing its reputation, which is in shambles. VW volkswagen Tiguan Gen 2 In addition, VW is also confronted with the fact that its position in the market as a quasi-near luxury brand means that it has a very narrow band from which to operate. There aren't any quick fixes for VW. The company has a slew of new offerings in the pipeline including an all-new second generation Tiguan slated to debut over the next year or two. This is a good start to revamp its product offerings, but convincing consumers to return to a brand that many felt betrayed by will be difficult. It remains to be seen if the company can change its image and sales figures in the US. NOW WATCH: The $126,000 Porsche 911 Targa 4S offers a fresh take on a classic design More From Business Insider NextShark Jahrah, who only has a first name as customary in Indonesia, went out to collect rubber on Sunday morning in the forest in Jambi Province on Sumatra Island, Indonesia. The search parties only found success a day later, on Monday, when they discovered a 22-foot-long (6.7-meters-long) python with a bulging stomach resting in the woods. Her family then reported her missing to the local authorities, and a search has been carried out since then, Anto, the local villages chief, said. A 69-year-old woman ended up turning down a liver transplant after she patiently spent a year waiting for one that would save her life. Brenda Jones, a great-grandmother from Dallas, Texas, got the call she had been waiting for on July 18 and was rushed to Baylor University Medical Center. But when she arrived, she met fellow patient, 23-year-old Abigail Flores, who was from a small town in East Texas and only had days to live. Doctors knew that both women were a perfect match for the donated liver and decided to tell Jones about the situation. "The judgment behind it seemed very clear, but it still felt unorthodox nonetheless, Dr. Greg McKenna, a transplant surgeon at Baylor Hospital told 11Alive. But it was an easy decision for Jones. Need a little inspiration? Click here to subscribe to the Daily Smile Newsletter for uplifting, feel-good stories that brighten up your inbox. "In my heart, I wouldn't have been able to live with the liver if I had let this little girl die," Jones told the news outlet. "And I still had more time ... I would have been a very selfish person." Jones selfless decision ended up saving Flores' life and just a few days later, she received a liver herself. "I think she saved my life," Flores told the news outlet. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be sitting right here right now. I thank God for her each and every day." By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Government think tank NITI Aayog is working on the Regulator Reforms Bill, an omnibus legislation catering to the generic aspects of regulatory commissions, Parliament was informed today. "NITI Aayog is working on the Regulator Reforms Bill, an omnibus legislation catering to the generic aspects of regulatory commissions that are related to selection and appointment of members, qualification for appointment of members, term of office and other conditions..." Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told Rajya Sabha. advertisement The Minister further said that independent regulators have been set up across sectors under different Acts enacted by the Parliament. "These regulators draw their functions and powers as per the provisions of respective Acts," he added. The Acts have been mended from time to time to reflect changes required in the functioning of the regulators. The Finance Minister noted that the concerned statutes provide for submission of annual reports and accounts to the government in prescribed form. "These reports and accounts, as also the rules and regulations made under statues are laid on the table of both houses of Parliament," he said. PTI BKS ABI --- ENDS --- The 90s have been colorfully captured in this new nail polish collection The 90s have been colorfully captured in this new nail polish collection If you, like us, are LOVING the resurgence of 90s fashion trends like chokers and pinstripes, weve got some hella awesome news for you. China Glaze just released a line of 90s-tastic, grungey nail polishes for fall and, spoiler alert, they are AH-MAZING. Wooot! @chinaglazeofficial Rebel Collection for Fall 2016. I just finished swatching KBShimmer Fall and should start on these now! I just wish Fall temps were here now too! #presssample #chinaglaze #chinaglazerebel #chinaglazerebelfall2016 A photo posted by Cynthia (@oflifeandlacquer) on Aug 1, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT As Nylon reports, the line of twelve polishes is called Rebel (very appropriate, right?) and will immediately make you feel like youve never left the days of 10 Things I Hate About You. Colors include an incredibly loud and awesome purple, a soft pale pink, and a glittery green. Score! But the best part about these new hues just is their tight throwback labels, which include names such as: Combat Blue-ts, Pearl Jammin, and Holo At Your Girl! Theres even one bravely titled Teen Spirit, which we are digging. Some of the colors are already available on Sally Beauty for $6.99 each (and you can buy two, get one free!) or you can wait to get all of them from Beauty Plus Salon later this month for $7.50 per polish. Story continues Wear what you want, and forget the rest. Pink isnt just for girls and combat boots arent just for boys, asserted China Glazes in their press release. Think we dont want all these colors in our lives? As if! Yup this is totally off the heasy. The post The 90s have been colorfully captured in this new nail polish collection appeared first on HelloGiggles. When in Kashmir, eat as the French do. In 2014, Saqib Mir and his wife moved back to Kashmir after living in France for about 14 years. They had a dream to open the first-of-it-kind French bakery in Srinagar. Saqib had just completed a professional three-year diploma course in French bakery. More From 101 India: Why I Took A Solo Unplanned Trip To Rishikesh - My Tryst With Freedom After months of preparation and hiring and training the bakers, just when the bakery doors were to be thrown open, the devastating September 2014 floods came as a big jolt. The bakery was inundated.They lost everything. Saqib and Melanie Mir, owners of La Delice, the only French bakery in Kashmir The machines and ovens inside the workshop were damaged as muddy waters from the flooded Dal Lake rose to submerge the bakery. Years of investment for the bakery was lost in one day, Mir recalls the weeks following the floods when he had decided to move back to France and give up on this dream project. We had invested all our savings from 2007 in the project but all that was lost in the floods and everything was damaged in the bakery. Disappointed and dejected, the couple went back to France, only to return a year later. We couldnt just give up on our dream, says Saqib, adding how he spent those restless months in France thinking of returning home. They wanted to come back and give it another try. We came back with nothing and started working from scratch. La Delice bakers at work They picked up the pieces, slowly, but surely, starting to make the bakery functional again. Mirs parents also pitched in with some financial help. We bought a few new machines and hired a few bakers, says Saqib. Today, the bakery has a team of 10 employees, including three bakers and a chef. More From 101 India: Travel & Food In the summer of 2015, Le Delice, the only French bakery in town, was thrown open to the public. We were surprised to see the positive response from people as they came in from day one, recalls Saqib who felt encouraged. And I was delighted to see that a lot of local people here showed interest and already had knowledge about French bakery, he says. People also urged them to open more outlets in the city. Story continues Freshly baked French sweet treats The Le Delice couple first met in 2002 when Saqib was travelling in Karnataka, selling Kashmiri handicrafts. Melanie was also touring the state. It was love, instantly. Later, after marriage, in 2005 the couple wanted to exhibit Kashmiri culture and handicrafts in France. We had received a lot of support from the French government as it had offered free space and stockage, says Saqib. But it didnt materialize as there was no help from the government in Kashmir. Saqibs wife, Melanie Mir, works as a production coordinator in France, and routinely shuttles between Srinagar and Paris. She will be moving back to Srinagar to work with her partner on another dream project, just as soon as shes done with her pending work in Paris. We are planning to open a French cafe here and I am looking forward to working fulltime on the cafe in the coming year, says Melanie who likes the idea of meeting different people at one place. I would like people here to enjoy their time and taste the best of French bakery in a proper French cafe. A slice of French heaven on the banks of the Dal Lake Inside Le Delice, a variety of French bakery is stored in small, elegant glass bell jars peeping out from the display shelves. Fresh bakery off the ovens is brought in by the bakers from the workshop inside. Saqib is involved in the entire process, constantly giving inputs to his young bakers, ensuring pure raw material is used in the bakery. He is also constantly taking feedback from his customers to improve and add more variety to the bakery. The interiors of La Delice bakery More From 101 India: As A British Indian, Heres My Perspective A Month After Brexit This is the only French bakery in Srinagar where you can buy a range of delectable French bakery from sponge, lemon cakes, butter/almond croissants, canele (small French pastry with a soft custard center) to baguettes (long, narrow French loaf), congolais (coconut biscuits) and other French delicacies that have been baked with care to achieve the right taste. The love for bakery is common in both French and Kashmiri culture, says Saqib. La Delice As the word spreads about this unique French bakery in town, more orders and more customers means increased pressure on the small Le Delice team. But Saqib doesnt want to compromise on the quality which his customers have gotten accustomed to. I bake less at times as I want to focus on the quality of the bakery, he points out, and not on quantity. So the next time youre in Srinagar, and have a dessert craving, make sure you visit the only French bakery in town Le Delice. Ask for the macarons. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101india.com By Majid Maqbool Photographs by: Ruman Hamdani For more visit www.101india.com Austin, Texas has an insane energy to it with all of the food, music, hiking, and drinking you could ever hope for. I just got back from the city last week, but I have been eager to share my favorite places and things. I adore Austin a ridiculous amount (enough so that the first time I went there we decided to quit my job and move there) and I cannot express how excited I am to get to be a part of this culture everyday! For those of you who are just heading to Austin on vacation (or at least that is what you think now) here are the best things to know about Austin! Where To Stay Austin is becoming a big city population wise, but is still relatively small geographically. I highly recommend using airbnb - that is what I did when I wasnt staying with friends. It is a great way to get a lot of bang for your buck and get some insider information on the city while you are at it. If you are into hiking and outdoorsy stuff, I would recommend staying near Old Bee Cave Road so you can be near Hamilton Pool and some hiking trails. If you are more into the music & downtown scene, stay near 6th street or Rainey street areas. There is plenty to do there. What To Do Catch a show at Stubbs, Emos or the Parish. Music is always the highlight of Austin. I saw Fitz & The Tantrums at Stubbs and my mind is still blown. Be sure to explore Rainey Street. It is this rad street where the bars are all old houses or food trucks (except for one made from shipping containers which is equally rad). You must go stand up paddleboarding at ATX SUP on Lady Bird Lake. The water starts off a little murky, but take a right and head to Barton Creek where it is clear blue and a lot more refreshing. Go to the Hamilton Pool for sure. It is the this amazing natural swimming hole that you can hike to. It is a bit outside the city but well worth it! If you want to party college style, hit up 6th Street (or as the locals call it Dirty Sixth). You can get mega cheap long island iced teas at Shakespears and dance the night away. Story continues Go shopping on South Congress. There are some amazingly cool thrift stores, as well as unique boutiques and locally owned shops. Cool vibes and cool people. Check out the 360 Bridge for some amazing landscapes. There are a few hiking trails off the side of it where you can get some amazing birds eye views. Be sure to check out Graffiti Park. It was originally a building project that lost its funding was never completed, but since it kept getting vandalized, they decided to just turn it into a place to graffiti with no consequences. There are some amazing artworks to look at, and if you have some artistic skills, it is a fun place to make art of your own! What To Eat & Drink The sushi at Lucky Robot is amazing! Not to mention it is so close to the aforementioned great shopping on South Congress! Get the manmosa at Bangers. A liter of champagne and a splash of orange juice? Dont mind if I do. I know it is obviously not vegan, but if you are a meat eater, Austin is known for its BBQ. Franklins is the most famous, but the wait can be up to several hours. We hit La Barbecue and it was magnificent (or so my carnivorous friends told me). Be sure to hit up Hopdoddy for some insane burgers if you eat meat and a truly magnificent veggie burger for us vegheads. Spiderworks is a super cool bar to grab a cocktail or a beer and watch some epic poetry slams or live music. If you have time visit In.gredients, the zero waste grocery store. This place is totally insane and where I plan to do all of my shopping once we move. They sell everything on tap (beer, kombucha, olive oil you name it) so all you need to do is bring in your growlers or glass jars (or buy them there) and boom! No packaging required. Sweating bullets in the insane heat? Head over to Sweet Ritual, the most amazing vegan ice cream store eva! They have some crazy flavors, but my favorite has to be the cuban coffee. Hit up Kerbey Lane for an amazing diner style breakfast. It is not fancy or pretentious, it is just awesome. Good To Know Austin is a very quickly expanding city, which means that there is a lot of traffic at peak times. Be sure to allot enough time to get from A to B without stressing! Interested in blogging for us? Join our Yahoo Blogger Network! Aasif Mandvi is a former correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show. These days he's most often on Twitter, or drumming up ideas for Halal in the Family, a series available on YouTube or Funny or Die that aims to "challenge stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims and communities associated with Muslims." It's being developed as an animated series for TBS. He's also developing a series for Showtime with a lead character who is an American Muslim. Mandvi spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the recent speech by Khzir Khan at the Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump and the perilous state of the union's politics. This election feels like a parody from The Daily Show, but worse, scarier. I feel like I wish I was still on The Daily Show. This election is kind of the most absurdist version of what you'd think would potentially happen. It just starts to feel like many people are feeling real fear and trepidation around what is going to happen. It's shaping up to be the most important election of our lifetime. It really does feel like the America we know, especially as immigrants, the America my parents came to, under a Trump presidency, those things disappear. The things we believe in, the things that make this country great, the diversity, the multiplicity of what this country is. What he's managed to do is galvanize this voice of fear that is mostly based in white men. A majority of his voters are angry white men, and often not college educated. There's this idea that somehow the America that white people have benefited from is slipping away, and a fear that immigrants are taking over. First a black president, then a female president. This is outrageous! Will Khzir Khan's speech be a turning point for Trump? I hope so. It would be such a beautiful irony that a Muslim immigrant would be the person who would trump Trump. That would be just poetic justice. But I fear that his supporters don't actually care. When he comes out and says [Ghazala Khan] didn't speak because she wasn't allowed to, I think there are a lot of people who thought that as well. He's voicing something that is the worst part of us as a country. Look, we shouldn't mince words here: His attitude toward them was racist. To diminish what they were saying plays into the worst fears and the stereotypes that a lot of Americans have about Muslims. Story continues He isn't backing down. He's doubling down on the perception that 'These people are not like us, they don't let their wives talk, they're not civilized like us.' A lot of people out there actually agree with him, and think that what he's saying is the truth. It's like your drunk uncle at a party. Yeah sure, OK, but you don't want him to be president. Ultimately a lot of what he says plays into this racist fear, and it's coming out without any kind of censorship. He's given a platform for all of this. That's what's so frightening. ISIS is just waiting for Trump to be president. They're so excited. He's stirring those feelings in people here that is the same thing that fundamentalists are stirring in people on the other side of the world. ISIS is like "Please waterboard more people, it makes our job so much easier." He gives ISIS and the terrorists every justification to say, "See, everything we've been saying is true, that America is about arrogance, violence and ignorance. Now they're showing their true colors!" This is like Christmas for ISIS. And they don't even celebrate Christmas! Read more: Donald Trump Responds to Father of Fallen Muslim Soldier: "I've Made a Lot of Sacrifices" You were raised Muslim. And now? I was born in India, moved to the U.K. when I turned one. And then we moved to Florida when I was in high school. We weren't a very conservative family. My mother was more practicing. I grew up pretty liberal. We weren't going to the mosque every Friday, but we'd go on big holy nights. Many Americans identify with a religious faith in a largely cultural sense. A different standard seems to apply to Muslims. Why? If you can get people afraid of Muslims, you don't have to talk about real issues. Seventy percent of Americans are killed by other Americans with guns, not by foreign terrorists. And we're not keeping white men with guns out of the country. We're keeping Syrian refugees out of the country. It's easy to say, well, it's the Muslims, it's their religion and we don't understand it. Whenever violence occurs and it's a brown guy or a Muslim guy, it becomes about terrorism, but when it's a white guy, it's just a crazy guy who had bad parenting. Have you experienced Islamaphobia? I haven't, but then I'm a huge TV star, soeverybody at TSA have all seen The Internship and they're huge fans. Have my family dealt with it? In small ways, yes: I was railing against the Iraq war, and my mother was nervous about who was listening to us. That was a moment in my American journey, like, that could happen? If Trump becomes president, those conversations will seem quaint. What does it feel like to be a Muslim American these days? There's that old adage of breakdowns lead to breakthroughs. I grew up as a Muslim, but I've been in more bars than mosques in my life. I feel like there's a moment in the history of this country, and American Muslims do need to speak out. It's a privilege in a way to be an American Muslim speaking in whatever way I can at this time in history, when it's so crucial. Read more: Pocket U.S. Constitution Becomes Best-Seller After Khizr Khan's Speech Many people have pointed out that Muslims have to be uber-patriotic to qualify as Americans, that the burden of proof of their innocence is on them. There is a kind of "good Muslim, bad Muslim" dynamic that exists. As opposed to just if you're an American. There are many Muslims in the world who don't necessarily agree with American foreign policy and what it's doing in the world, but that doesn't mean they're part of ISIS, it just means that philosophically and politically they disagree. When you're dropping bombs on children in Pakistan, there are going to be a lot of Muslims who say I don't agree. There's that idea that somehow if you're good, you have to agree with America, it becomes binary. And it's not binary. What would you say to Trump if you could corner him in a room? I don't know. I keep having this conversation with Trump supporters. I run into Trump supporters at parties, or on Facebook, and they're not operating from a place of logic. I say: "You understand that 70 percent of what he says is a lie. It's just not true." They don't care. He's an outlet for rage and anger. I used to think it's about reason. It's not. It's a purely emotional reaction. Fear is not a rational emotion. You can't take away somebody's fear by saying statistics showthey're just afraid. This is how dictators come to power. Hitler. Mussolini. By exploiting the collective insanity. Do you see any way to bridge it? There's a very Buddhist part of me that says maybe this is America's time to experience the demagogue and see how that feels. Those people who are now supporting him, like the Germans in 1937, will ultimately realize that the whole thing is a lie. We've had a great run for 240 years. There's a part of me that resigns itself to the universe. I will fight Trump with every ounce of whatever I have, but if that's what wins, then there's a collective insanity that has taken over. Would you stay in the country if he wins? I will because it's my country. I have a British passport but that place seems just as fucking nuts as this place. I wish I had held on to my Indian passport. If he wins, then revolution begins. It's the job of the citizenry to rise up, speak up, the artists, activists, to speak out against it. Maybe this thing with [Khzir Khan]maybe between now and November Trump jumps the shark. More than ever, people need to get out and make their voices heard. People complain that moderate Muslims don't make themselves heard enough. Moderate Muslims are speaking out all the time. I just don't think people are listening. I don't think people want to hear it. It's a cockfight. But who goes there? Who puts the mic in their face? No one. What Khan did was to have a giant platform and a national platform to be able to say that. As a comedian, how do you deal with it? Mostly Twitter for me. I talk to people constantly about how dividing this Trump thing is. This conversationI've lost friends over it. You have? Well, Facebook friends. Read more: John Oliver Calls Donald Trump "Damaged, Sociopathic Narcissist" for Comments on DNC Speaker Khan, Wife (Adds details on investments) By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Marcato International, an activist hedge fund that mainly bets on U.S. equities, returned 10.4 percent in July, handily beating the broader stock market index's gain, when the fund made two new investments. July's gain helped shrink the fund's losses for the year, leaving it down 2.7 percent through the end of July, according to a shareholder update sent to investors in the $1.5 billion fund firm and seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 3.7 percent in July and is up 7.7 percent for the year. Marcato last week said that it now owns 5.1 percent stakes in crane and heavy equipment manufacturer Terex Corp. and restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings Inc, sending the share price of both companies higher. Neither company has big name hedge fund investors among its biggest owners, leaving the door open for Marcato to become the driving force in pushing management to use its capital better and buy more of its own shares. At the same time, Marcato's three biggest holdings - Bank of New York Mellon, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and auction house Sotheby's - also performed well with Sotheby's climbing 18 percent. Last week, Taikang Life Insurance (IPO-TKLI.HK), run by Chen Dongsheng, who founded Chinese auction house China Guardian, took a 13.5 percent stake in Sotheby's. Marcato is run by Mick McGuire who had been a partner in Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management before launching his firm six years ago. The fund has returned an average 9 percent a year since its launch. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss Editing by W Simon and Bernard Orr) By Kieran Guilbert DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Kenyan man who chopped off his wife's hands with a machete because she had not conceived a child must face the full force of the law to deter other perpetrators of widespread domestic violence in Kenya, women's rights activists said on Tuesday. Stephen Ngila from Machakos County in southern Kenya, was yesterday arrested and charged with attempted murder, after attacking his wife, Jackline Mwende, almost two weeks ago, according to the women's rights organisation Equality Now. "This is a particularly shocking case for Kenya ... even though domestic violence is rampant," Naitore Nyamu of Equality Now told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Nairobi. Ngila cut off his wife's hands and hacked her head with a machete after a dispute about the fact that she had not fallen pregnant in seven years of marriage, local media said. The 34-year-old told Mwende, 27, 'today is your last day' before attacking her, said the Daily Nation newspaper, which published a video of the victim with a deep gash on her head, and stumps where her hands once were, wrapped in bandages. Mwende said she was surprised by the attack, as doctors told the couple that she was fertile, while Ngila was impotent. The Nairobi-based Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) said Ngila should be immediately investigated and prosecuted. "We are angered by the escalating cases of violence against women in country ... and that nothing has been done about it," said FIDA Kenya's chairwoman Josephine Mong'are. Almost half of Kenyan women who have ever been married have been physically abused by their husbands, government data shows. Domestic violence is widely accepted and victims rarely seek justice due to social pressure and little faith in the judicial system, according to Nairobi's Gender Violence Recovery Centre. "We can't afford to let the perpetrators act with impunity - which has sometimes been the case in recent years," Nyamu added. Kenya last year passed a domestic violence law, which had been pending since 2002, which criminalised a range of offences from verbal abuse and intimidation to assault and rape. The legislation also ensured that victims receive counselling and other forms of support. "While stigma and shame remain, women now have confidence to report domestic violence, because they know it is illegal, and that there is a law that backs them," said Joan Nyanyuki, executive director of the Coalition on Violence Against Women. "The law has created a safety net for women," she added. Kenya's Office of Public Prosecutions was not immediately available to comment on the case. (Reporting by Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) By Michael Saunders LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Scottish actor Ewan McGregor called on Tuesday for greater efforts to help refugee children in Iraq, warning they are at serious risk of death, sexual violence, or recruitment into armed groups. Following a visit to Iraq, McGregor, an ambassador for the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF, said the situation in Iraq was becoming "increasingly desperate". He said tens of thousands of children in Syria and Iraq have been killed and 3.6 million children are now at risk, with many separated from their families, making them vulnerable to human traffickers and sexual abuse. "Many of the children I've met in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes, risking their lives on dangerous journeys and have been exposed to unimaginable horrors," McGregor said in a statement. An estimated 4.8 million Syrians have fled the country since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, most of them to neighboring countries, including Iraq. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR says more than four million people in Iraq have been forced from their homes. McGregor, 45, known for such films as "Trainspotting" and "Moulin Rouge", traveled to northern Iraq last week where he visited the Debaga camp and spent time with Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqi families around Erbil. He described meeting a girl called Mirna who told him that her family had slept in a disused, half-built shopping mall for a year, living off food and supplies from the local community. "This act of humanity should be replicated everywhere," said the actor, who has four children. "The world is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis and we must do more to protect the extraordinary number of children who have been torn from their homes by violent conflict." McGregor was first introduced to UNICEF in 2004 during his British television series "Long Way Round" when he traveled by motor bike around 12 countries which included visiting various children's projects in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith @BeeGoldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) Aug 2 (Reuters) - Aetna Inc reported an 8 percent rise in quarterly profit and said it intended to withdraw the expansion of its individual insurance business, which sells plans under the Affordable Care Act, next year. Chief Executive Mark Bertolini said the U.S. health insurer would evaluate future plans for its Obamacare business, which it currently offers in 15 states. Aetna, whose acquisition of smaller rival Humana Inc has been challenged by U.S. antitrust authorities, said its net profit rose to $790.8 million, or $2.23 per share, in the second quarter ended June 30 from $731.8 million, or $2.08 per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose about 5 percent to $15.95 billion. (Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey) Anne of Romania was not your typical queen. The royal, who died Monday, didn't speak her country's language. And it took 44 years into her "reign" for her to make it inside Romanian borders. Born Princess Anne Antoinette FranAoise Charlotte Bourbon-Parma in 1923, she had family ties to nearly every royal family in Europe, including the British, the Russian, the French and the Danish. She was the daughter of Prince RenA of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margarethe of Denmark, and spent her childhood hopping between Italy, Denmark and France until Germany invaded the latter during World War II, after which, she and her family relocated to New York. There, in war time, their royal bloodlines didn't carry the same kind of cache they did in France. Her father worked for a domestic gas company, her mother made hats and Anne spent time working as an assistant in a shop. That position was temporary, as she later enlisted in the French Free Army as an ambulance driver. In the war, she served in North Africa, Italy, and the South of France. She was even awarded the prestigious Croix de Guerre the Cross of War for her service. It was after the war ended that Anne's next step really started: At the wedding of Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth) and Prince Philip, she met King Michael of Romania, her future husband. The Telegraph reports that Michael was instantly smitten with her, and proposed within days. Anne, however, was not so easily swayed: She declined at first, saying that she didn't know him well enough yet. That didn't do much to deter Michael, who invited Anne to come to Switzerland with him and his mother, where she accepted his proposal, 16 days after their first meeting. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. But their engagment was hardly blissful. Weeks after their engagement, Michael had a meeting with Communist leader Petru Groza, thinking it would be to discuss his marriage, which needed the approval of the Romanian Parliament. He was wrong: Instead, Groza forced the king to abdicate, and he fled to Switzerland. Story continues Ambulance Driver, Poultry Farm Worker and Exiled Royal: Inside the Fascinating Life of the Late Queen Anne of Romania| The Royals That was only the first of their issues on the way to the altar. Anne was initially led to believe that Michael abdicated over the marriage, and the two were separated for over a month. Their families clashed over religion (Michael was Orthdox and Anne was Catholic), even going so far as to get the Pope involved. These tensions led to press attention, some of it cruel. Despite it all, they married on June 10, 1948 in Athens, by an Orthodox priest, even though Anne's Catholic parents could not attend the ceremony. Nearly 20 years later, in 1966, Anne was able to marry Michael in a Catholic ceremony when she discovered that the church had become less rigid with their requirements. She learned this was possible after meeting with Princess Grace of Monaco. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. Exiled from the country he once ruled, Michael and his new wife were forced to live elsewhere. First, they relocated to England, where they rented a house and ran a ill-fated poultry farm. Then, they moved to Versoix, Switzerland, located on Lake Geneva. It was there that they raised their five daughters: Margarita, Elena, Irina, Sophie and Marie. Tips for Surviving the Great Kate Drought In 1989, after over 40 years of exile, the revolution brought the Soviet Union crashing down. Michael was finally able to return to his home country, and Anne was able to finally set foot in the country of which she technically still was queen. Ambulance Driver, Poultry Farm Worker and Exiled Royal: Inside the Fascinating Life of the Late Queen Anne of Romania| The Royals They were there for just three days, and then in 1993, Michael was barred entry again. Anne, however, was not, and was able to visit the country in her husband's place. The restrictions were lifted in 1997, and they were able to return to Romania with much more frequency. Within a few years, they even had some of the royal family's properties, such as the Savarsin and Peles Castles, returned to them. In 2008, the country held a three-day-long celebration of their 60-year diamond wedding anniversary. Anne died at 1:45 p.m. on August 1, and is survived by her husband and three daughters. Despite the brief amount of time she spent in Romania, Anne will be buried there, at the New Cathedral of Curtea de Arges, after her body is kept for a day at the Royal Palace in Bucharest and another at Peles Castle. Changing Anandiben will serve several purposes for the BJP. The most important objective of the BJP is to put an end to the adverse impact of the cold war going on between party president Amit Shah and Anandiben. By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel offering to resign from her post is a well thought out strategy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Changing Anandiben will serve several purposes for the BJP. The most important objective of the BJP is to put an end to the adverse impact of the cold war going on between party president Amit Shah and Anandiben. That there is no love lost between the two is an open secret to party insiders and political onlookers. The BJP is worried about it as this can go wrong while formulating any election strategy against the AAP and the Congress. advertisement THE SHAH FACTOR The ruling party seeks to change that perception with Anandiben's resignation. The new chief minister is expected to have cordial relations with Shah as well. The new chief minister will also seek to change its image after the Patidar agitation and Dalit protests. Hardik Patel's Patidar agitation for the past one year has done the biggest damage to the BJP government's image in the state. It has also antagonised the party's well-entrenched Patel votebank. PATEL RAP Earlier, the powerful former Gujarat chief minister had raised a banner of revolt and attempted to wean away Patel-Patidars from the BJP. But Modi, as the then Gujarat chief minister, had successfully scuttled those attempts. However, despite being a Patel, Anandiben failed to contain the uprising from her community, that too led by a political novice. This was her biggest failure. This is also where she disappointed the party top brass. DALIT OUTRAGE Her other failure was the mishandling of the Dalit protests following the flogging of four youths over skinning of a dead cow. With Patel-Patidars and Dalits on the wrong side of the BJP, and Muslims being traditional Congress supporters in the state, the party's hopes to retain power in the December 2017 Assembly elections dim. Hence, Anandiben's successor will be expected to start a fresh dialogue with Patels and Dalits to control the damage done to the BJP's image. Any defeat in Gujarat for the BJP in the 2017 state elections will have a major impact on the charisma of Modi and Shah who belong to the state. It will be drummed up by the opposition till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and cause major embarrassment to the duo. VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Therefore, the BJP would like to utilise the services of Anandiben, who though failed as a chief minister. She may even be announced as the NDA's candidate for Vice President's election to be held in mid-2017. The BJP hopes to reap the benefits of fielding her in the Gujarat Assembly elections to be held later in December the same year. Hence, instead of this being a case of soured relations between Anandiben and the PM, her resignation is a well-planned long-term strategy by Modi which has been implemented well in time. advertisement ALSO READ: Anandiben a scapegoat, quitting won't save BJP in Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi Anandiben's resignation result of AAP's fight against corruption: Arvind Kejriwal Anandiben Patel quits as Gujarat CM, BJP says it will take final call soon --- ENDS --- Starz doesn't yet have a pilot for its highly anticipated drama American Gods, but that didn't stop the premium cable network from sitting the creators down in front of reporters Monday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. Showrunners Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Green Lantern) took the Beverly Hilton stage and fielded a handful of questions about the upcoming show, an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's popular 2001 fantasy novel of the same name. If one thing was clear, the duo - who met a decade ago on NBC's Heroes - work together seamlessly. "My favorite part of this project is working with Michael. I look at his writing and I am as inspired by it, as I am by Neil's," said Fuller. "For me, that's just a big safety net because I know I don't have to rewrite anything Michael does." From how closely the television version will follow the original book to why they are "consciously aware of color in the cast" to how they chose Dane Cook to play a key character, the pair teased quite a bit about the drama, which is set for a 2017 debut. Read more: Comic-Con: Starz's 'American Gods' Team Drops First Trailer, Teases "Surprises" for Book Fans No Colorblind Casting Here The 100 alum Ricky Whittle plays the protagonist in the series, Shadow Moon - which raised a question among reporters in the room about whether or not the creators intentionally set out to find a non-white actor for the part. (The character in the book, though racially ambiguous, is described at one point as having "cream-and-coffee" skin.) "It was never really a question of doing otherwise for us," said Fuller. "It just felt like in order to be true to the book, you had to cast the character that is written, which is someone who is not white." Added Green: "When you do a show like this that has so much about people's cultures coming in, you need to be culturally literate in all respects. We're dealing with ancient mythologies and gods and those come from places and look a certain way, and that just set the tenor for the whole thing." Fuller went to clarify that they're not "colorblind casting" but rather are intentionally assembling a diverse cast. "We're actually very consciously aware of color in the cast and ethnic specificity because the book is so culturally specific. There have been times where a character has been described as having very dark skin, and we make a suggestion to Neil, like, 'Oh, that actor is black - the character needs to be Indian even though it's written that they have very dark skin, the character is absolutely Indian and needs to be an Indian actor,'" he said. "That's been kind of a great relief because it's a map that we just stick to." Story continues "Don't F - It Up" When one reporter pointed out that the novel seems "particularly hard to adapt," Green couldn't disagree. "This project - in addition to being a dream project - has been the one that I've heard, 'Don't f - it up,' more than any other time because it's so beloved," he said, noting that it's a constant process of having to rise to the challenge. "It's something that is so passionately loved by so many people, but we are two of those people, so that made it a challenge worth taking." The series will remain true to its source material. "If you loved it in the book, it will show up in the series," Green assured the room. ...True to the Book For the Most Part, That Is Green acknowledged that he and Fuller have had many conversations with Gaiman about the challenges of adapting his story. "Neil very deliberately wrote this book as a book in a time when I think he was polarizing against a lot of the screenwriting that was coming his way - and he knew it resisted adaptation in some ways," he said. But Green went on to add that Gaiman told him something interesting early on that has stuck with him through the process - that the punctuation in the novel could be a guideline and that things can happen between. Green explained that it left room for some additions to the series that can't be found in the book: "Literally every time we'd come to [Neil] and say, 'What if this happens in between this and this?' he starts with, 'Thank you, I love it' - and then will just start pitching on it as the wonderful writer he is." Bulking Up the Female Characters When Fuller and Green first sat down to discuss adapting the book for television, one of the first elements they agreed on was showing the gods coming to America. "We wanted to feature those in every episode so we get a taste of how the gods came to America - setting that up as a thematic umbrella under which we tell the story of that episode," Fuller explained. He added that the pair also honed in on specific characters they wanted to flesh more out in the show because "in the novel, it's very much a sausage party," he said. "We have such fantastic female characters in the piece that we wanted to expand those and let the narrative accordion out to accommodate them." He pointed specifically to Yetide Badaki as Bilquis as one of those characters who is more fully developed in the series. "And Laura [played by Emily Browning] is, I think, one of our absolute favorites," Fuller added. On Casting Big Stars vs. Relative Unknowns The cast includes veteran actors including Gillian Anderson, Cloris Leachman and Ian McShane, but also several lesser-known names as well. So how exactly did the creators balance casting big stars and relative unknowns? "Sometimes the process makes a determination for us because we'll try for a bigger name and then realize that there are so many great actors, like Yetide Badaki and Bruce Langley, who we got out of the audition process," said Fuller, adding that star Whittle came out of that process as well - and had to audition a whopping 16 times. "He kept count," Green laughed. Fuller summed up their approach to casting this way: "It really is about the flavor of the piece and having as many 'stars' recognizable in their roles to the point that they are additive and not distracting." "North American Gods" "American" may be in the show's title, but it's Canada that serves as the filming location for the series. When asked why production opted for Toronto over another location (say, Los Angeles), Fuller responded that it's all about the tax breaks. "Until California gets competitive - which I really, sincerely hope it does [because] we have the lottery now where you can roll the dice and hope your show gets to film in Los Angeles that's not going to change. We're going to be hemorrhaging production to places that offer better tax incentives," he said, adding that such decisions are "just the unfortunate facts of life." One advantage to being in Toronto, however, is that Fuller was able to keep most of the crew he worked with on Hannibal. Open-Door Policy for Gillian Anderson The X-Files actress, who previously worked with Fuller on Hannibal, is reuniting with the creator by playing Media in American Gods. Evidently, the part wasn't a hard sell. "I [called her up and] was like, 'What do you think about American Gods?' And she was in," said Fuller, who revealed that Anderson was already a "massive" Neil Gaiman fan and even developed a friendship with him through the process of working on the show. Fuller added that he's always eager to work with the actress: "I think Gillian knows that if there's anything I'm doing and she's even remotely interested, the door is wide open because I think she's a fantastic actor. She continually surprises us." Don't Expect to See Jesus Pop Up The focus of the show, the creators made very clear, will be on lesser-known religion. "Neil, by his own ambition, went into this thinking that the 'big three' religions were serviced enough and this was about the gods that weren't doing nearly as well," said Green. And though Gaiman allegedly wrote a scene where Jesus appeared that didn't make it into the original book, it doesn't sound likely that he'll make it into the series. "Largely, it's about forgotten myths, forgotten cultures, forgotten imps and jinns and promises and things prayed to quietly," he added. A Positive Religion The show made its first stop at San Diego Comic-Con this year, where it dropped the first trailer. Fuller and Green said that the panel also ignited a conversation that they'd hoped the series would. Fuller noted that those discussions revolve around "where we are in America and how we need to step up to the plate and need to take responsibility for the state of the nation and start calling things out." Green, for his part, added that it also allowed religion to be a non-divisive topic for once. "When people just say 'religion,' everyone assumes the next step is to be divisive - and one of the things that makes American Gods such a loved and lasting piece of literature is that it manages to discuss religious in an inclusive way that invites all, whether you're coming at it faithfully, whether you're coming at it agnostically, whether you have an academic background mythology - it really awards varied attentions," he said. The creators each grew up with religion - Fuller was raised Catholic, Michael Jewish - and both have an "affection and respect for" it, they said. "It's hard not to recognize the power that religion gives to people as an inspiration in their daily lives," explained Fuller. "So when we're talking about issues of religion, we want to continue to reinforce the positive aspects of it." The Quest for a "Really Entertaining Dick" The room full of press had another burning question for Fuller and Green: How exactly was Cook cast in the series? "He was a fun one," Green chuckled. "How do you get someone who can be a really entertaining dick? And he said yes - it was pretty simple that way." The two revealed that they did go into a casting process for the character of Robbie but ultimately had trouble seeing anyone else playing him after Cook's name came up. Added Fuller, who said it was "wonderful" to work with Cook: "[He's] really very savvy as an artist and understands the perception of his brand and how to subvert it with this role in the show." "This Show Requires 200 [Percent]" As co-showrunners, many might think Fuller and Green are each taking on 50 percent. But the pair insist that they're doing much more than that. "In our case, it's more like we're both doing 100 percent because this show requires 200," said Green. As far as how they split the workload, Fuller said they do a little bit of everything. There are times when Fuller is in Los Angeles and Green is in Toronto or vice versa. "It's great to have two entities. We worked great together on the first season of Heroes - that's how we met and we instantly clicked and had similar sensibilities," said Fuller, adding, "We've been talking for the last 10 years about how we could get back in business with each other." They added that they also have a similar instinct when it comes to how to respond to ideas pitched in the writers' room, which they call a "yes and " approach. If one person is excited about something, they focus on how to make the idea bigger rather than just turning it down. "It's the only way to get through the eventual six seasons of this," said Green, not-so-subtlety alluding to the fact that he and Fuller would like to see the drama run for several years. Read more: A Crash Course in 'American Gods,' Starz's Epic New Fantasy American Gods co-executive producers and showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green were at TCA today to talk about their upcoming Starz series based on the Neil Gaiman novel. This project, in addition to being a dream project, is one that Ive heard dont f*ck it up about more than any other time, Green said about the pressures of adapting such a popular narrative. It is a constant process of rising to the challenge of it The EPs promise to stay true to the books characters, specifically in casting actors that fit the description.When youre doing a show like this, that is so much about peoples cultures, you have to be culturally literate with respect to the ancient mythologies and gods that come from certain places and look certain ways, Green said, That set the tenor for the whole thing. Fuller quipped. We are not color-blind casting; were actually consciously very aware of the color in the casting because the book is so culturally specific. Its been a great relief because its a map that we stick to. The series centers on a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting societys modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), is an ex- con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane), a conman who in reality is one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities. Green said the decision to focusing so much on traditional gods came from Gaiman. Neil, by his own admission, went into this thinking that the three big religions were serviced enough and this was about the gods that werent doing nearly as well. Largely, its about the forgotten myths and forgotten cultures. Green later added: When you say religion, everybody assumes the next step is to be divisive. I think what makes American Gods such a loved and lasting piece of literature is that it discusses religion in inclusive ways that invites all. Story continues Fuller agreed. Its hard not to recognize the power that religion gives to people; its an inspiration to our daily lives, he said. In talking about issues of religion, we want to continue to reinforce the positive aspects of it. Pablo Schreiber (Mad Sweeney), Yetide Badaki (Bilquis), Bruce Langley (Technical Boy) and Kristin Chenoweth (Easter) also star in American Gods, which is set to premiere in January on Starz. Related stories 'America's Got Talent': Judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum & Mel B Will Return For Season 12 - TCA NBC Special Celebrates Tony Bennett's 90th Birthday With Lady Gaga, Elton John & Others CBS Running With Toughest Mudder; Extreme Endurance Races Headed For TV & Digital - TCA When Jeff Zucker first arrived at CNN in 2013, he had lunch with Anderson Cooper. The star journalist anchored a primetime hour of news at 8 p.m., which typically re-aired at 10 p.m. I dont think CNN should be doing repeats at 10 oclock on a weekday night, Zucker, the new president of CNN, told him. Cooper agreed. And by adding an hour of news with Don Lemon to the nightly programming block, CNNs lineup has been more focused on covering big breaking news stories, which has resulted in a ratings jump chronicled in this weeks Variety cover story. Like his network, Cooper has also had a big year. Hes been the face of CNNs presidential debates and town halls and his coverage of the Orlando nightclub massacre became a critical voice in the national tragedy that left 49 victims dead. Cooper spoke to Variety about working for Zucker and CNNs new momentum. How did CNN change with Jeff Zuckers arrival? To me, since Jeff has gotten here, it feels like were firing on all cylinders. Were producing more unique programming. This is an organization thats huge. Its hard to comprehendtheres CNN International, theres CNN Espanol. Theres a lot of moving parts. Hes been able to manage them. I dont know that he sleeps. Ive spent five days with him at a time. Hes on his phone a lot. Hes just very good at what he does, frankly. How does Jeff sharpen CNNs coverage? Hes a great television producer. On big events, hes in the control room. Even on regular nights, he calls into the control room. He watches content, it seems, all the time. Its incredible to me the detail that he notices. Hes revolutionized the way we prepare for presidential debates in a way thats so smart. The debates that have been on CNN have been really well done. Your comment to Donald Trumpthats the argument of a 5-year-oldin one of the town halls went viral. How did you prepare for interviewing Trump? I like to read everything somebody has said within the last six weeks or longer. If you read everything, you kind of know what they are going to say. Donald Trump is unique in that way. To his credit, you can ask him a question he hasnt answered before, and hell answer it off the top of his head. Its one of the things a lot people like about him. They get a sense hes saying whats on his mind. I knew he might say that [I didnt start it, Trump responded when asked about a Twitter feud with Ted Cruz over their wives]. I hadnt thought what I might say in response. Its like a future game of three-dimensional chess. There are only a certain combinations of how things might happen. You try to think through them. Story continues Your coverage of Orlando defined the story for so many people. CNN has for as long as Ive been here done a great job of sending people to the story. But Jeff has really doubled down on that and devoted resources to certain stories. Certainly, Orlando is one [example] of that. I was in London when it happened on an early Sunday morning. I remember seeing tweets about itshots had been fired. And I started monitoring it. I was supposed to be on vacation that week. I obviously called in: I dont care about my vacation. Im happy to come back. Id like to come back. I flew directly there. You cant underestimate the importance of being there. There was a sense a few years ago that CNN couldnt beat MSNBC. And now you are. Has a lack of political ideology helped CNN cover this years election? I dont believe in there being a liberal newscast or a conservative newscast. Or a Republican reporter or a Democratic reporter. I think you should be fair and talk about what you know and acknowledge what you dont know. Its not an accident that weve been able to sponsor debates for Republicans as well as Democrats. I think that says something about CNN. Look, theres going to be plenty of viewers that have strong political leanings one way or another who disagree at any given time: theres too much coverage on one candidate, or the tone of the coverage. I get emails or tweets every day from people saying we are covering Trump too much. Or were too much in Trumps camp. Or were too anti-Hillary. Or were covering Hillary too much. If you get equal amounts of those tweets that day, thats about the best you can hope for. If ABC wants you to co-host Live with Kelly Ripa, have you asked Jeff if CNN would let you do that? Its such a hypothetical. To me, its such a long shot. I have no idea what the timetable on that would be even be. If it happens, Ill cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I work for CNN and I do pieces for 60 Minutes. I dont want to waste Jeffs time with things that arent completely real. Your contract is up next year. Will you stay at CNN? I think I have a a year-and-a-half on my contract. I would love to stay. I love CNN. Ive been here 15 years. When Charlie Hebdo happened, or the attack at the Bataclan, I was on airplane as quickly as possible to get over there. When Katrina happened, I was there for a month. When the earthquake in Haiti happened, I was there for more than a month. There are few places these days that allow you to do that. CNN certainly under Jeff encourages that and wants you there. Related stories How Jeff Zucker Made CNN Great Again CNN Sets Premiere Date for Sundance Cult Life Doc 'Holy Hell' TV Ratings: DNC Beats RNC by Nearly 5 Million Viewers in Night 2 Final Numbers The parents of actor Anton Yelchin will file a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday, their attorney announced. The Star Trek actor was killed June 19 when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backwards down the driveway at his Studio City home and pinned him against a brick pillar. He was 27 years old. Yelchins vehicle was under recall, after Fiat Chrysler and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received numerous complaints about confusion caused by the gear shifter. Some drivers have exited the vehicle believing the vehicle was in park when in fact it was in neutral, leading to rollaway crashes. The NHTSA is aware of nearly 700 complaints about the issue, including 266 accidents, of which 68 involved injuries. Yelchins crash is still being investigated, but is believed to be the only fatality related to the issue. Yelchins parents, Viktor and Irina Yelchin, will file suit against Fiat Chrysler as well as retail chain AutoNation and ZF North America, which manufactured the gear shifter. Yelchins attorney, Gary Dordick, is expected to announce the lawsuit at a press conference on Tuesday morning. Related stories J.J. Abrams Won't Re-Cast Anton Yelchin's Role in 'Star Trek' Movies Hollywood Bowl's 'Star Trek' Pays Tribute to Anton Yelchin Zachary Quinto Pays Tribute to Anton Yelchin: His Death Was 'Absolutely Devastating' Viktor and Irina Yelchin claim in a lawsuit filed today that Fiat Chrysler and others caused the wrongful death of their son Anton Yelchin on June 19 by not dealing earlier with a defective gearshift in his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Fiat_Chrysler logo Plaintiffs are informed and believe and, based upon such information and belief, allege that, despite said actual knowledge of the defective design and/or manufacture of the Subject Vehicle and Subject Gear Selector, Defendants FCA US LLC, ZF NORTH AMERICA, INC., AUTO COMPANY XXIJJ, INC., dba AUTONATION CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP VALENCIA and CA SUPERSTORES VALENCIA CJD, and DOES 1 to 100, inclusive, failed to timely and/or adequately remedy the defective Subject Vehicle and/or defective Subject Gear Selector, claims the jury trial seeking complaint for various unspecified damages (read it here). The 27-year old Star Trek actor died in late June when his own car rolled down his driveway after he thought it he put it in park and pinned him. Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death, hauntingly states todays 18-page filing from Beverly Hills lawyer Gary Dordick. The parents action notes they have suffered the loss of Decedent Anton Yelchins consortium, love, companionship, guidance, comfort, society, solace, moral support, all to their general damages, in a sum to be proven at time of trial. The incident is still under investigation by the LAPD and the car manufacturer itself. Tuesdys filing is the second legal action as a result of Yelchins tragic death with a proposed class action lawsuit filed on June 23 by other Jeep Grand Cherokee owners. RelatedAnton Yelchins Death Sparks Class Action Lawsuit Against Jeep Manufacturer Defendants, and each of them, knew or should have known that it was likely that a person such as Decedent Anton Yelchin would use the Subject Vehicle in a reasonably foreseeable manner and would suffer serious injuries and even death because of the defect(s) of the Subject Vehicle and Subject Gear Selector, asserts the todays Yelchins filing Story continues In a press conference earlier Tuesday, attorney Dordick revealed that Yelchin actually received a recall notice for his vehicle a week after he died. Yelchins SUV was one of 1.1 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles subject to a global recall because of the gearshift problem that has confused drivers and causing the vehicles to roll unexpectedly. The premiere of Star Trek Beyond at Comic-Con last month saw EP J.J. Abrams ask for a moment of silence in tribute to the Pavel Chekov portraying actor. Abrams also said that the Chekov role will not be re-cast for possible further films in the Paramount franchise. Related stories 'Star Trek' TV Reboot Title & Teaser Unveiled At Comic-Con; New Series "Won't Be Episodic", Bryan Fuller Says New 'Star Trek' Series: David Semel Set To Direct Alibaba Pictures Issues Warning On Losses The parents of late actor Anton Yelchin filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday, claiming his tragic death was "due to a defective 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee." Yelchin was killed on June 19 by his own car as it rolled down his driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, police said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but it is unknown why he was behind it when it started rolling. He was 27 years old. "Anton's untimely death was due to a defective 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had a defective electronic transmission shift," Gary Dordick, the attorney for Yelchin's parents, Victor and Irina Yelchin, claimed in a press conference on Tuesday. "We are seeking punitive damages because we believe Fiat Chrysler, North America -- that made and manufactured and sold this product -- knew that it was defective. They failed to take action to protect the families that trusted them to make their vehicles safe." WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- 'Star Trek Beyond' Cast Members Remember Anton Yelchin Ahead of Film's Release According to court papers obtained by ET, the suit claims "Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death." In June, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said Yelchin died around a minute after his car accident. Fiat Chrysler had recalled some 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees in April. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, the electronic gear shift on those models left some drivers uncertain if the cars were in park, until the machines started moving again. Dordick says a recall letter for Yelchin's car was sent to him seven days after he died, after a prior recall notice was sent in May. "They didn't start fixing it until people were injured and people finally got killed," Dordick claims. "Now that Anton was killed by his vehicle after 700 prior incidents, they said they sped up the recall. It was too little, too late and we intend to hold them accountable and we intend to have a jury punish them." Story continues "We want them made to know that that type of conduct, money and profits before safety, is unacceptable," he adds. "They cannot wait for someone to be hurt and someone to be killed before they do the right thing." Chrysler responded to the lawsuit in a statement to ET on Tuesday. "FCA US LLC extends its sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss," the statement reads. "The company has not been served with a lawsuit and cannot comment further at this time. FCA US urges customers to follow the instructions in their owners manuals and the information cards sent with their recall notices. These instructions include advising customers to set the parking brakes in their vehicles before exiting." Yelchin's parents were clearly emotional during the conference, and spoke about their grief due to the death of their only child. "It is wrong, it's against nature when the parents bury their own child," Yelchin's father, Victor, said. "That's why we hope that this lawsuit will make your family never go through the same hell we are going through right now." Later, Irina Yelchin cried as she recalled her son's early acting days. "A long time ago, when Anton just started acting, one of the questions the director asked after she spoke to him for 30 minutes was, 'Irina, how many kids do you have?' I said to her, 'To my regret, just one.' She said to me that he is very, very special. He was very special, but now he's very special because his death might save some other lives." "He never wanted anything for himself," she added. "He never cared about being a star. He was just loving -- to us, his friends -- and he loved life very, very much." Last month, the Yelchins penned a heartfelt note to the actor's fans. "We are deeply grateful for your unconditional love for [him]. He would be surprised at how many hearts and souls he touched," the letter read. WATCH: Anton Yelchin Remembered at Private Funeral Service The Star Trek Beyond cast also honored Yelchin during their appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego, California. "We're missing one of us and that's why we're all wearing a pin," Zoe Saldana told ET. "It makes this premiere a thousand more times special." Watch below: Related Articles U.S. energy firm Apache Corp. APA is set to release second-quarter 2016 results before the opening bell on Thursday, Aug 4. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 56.04%. We note that Apache reported an average positive surprise of 100.02% in the preceding four quarters. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider This Quarter Apache has a large, geographically diversified reserve base and a multi-year trend in reserve replacement and production growth. The company has been taking initiatives to align capital spending with its cash flows, while continuing to build a high-quality inventory of projects capable of delivering attractive returns even in a low oil price environment. Moreover, Apache's initiatives for cost cutting and portfolio restructuring are expected to improve its earnings performance in the future. APACHE CORP Price and EPS Surprise APACHE CORP Price and EPS Surprise | APACHE CORP Quote It is to be noted that the second quarter saw crude advancing more than 26% sequentially the best quarterly percentage gain in seven years. Throughout the quarter, oil price improved significantly from mid-February, when West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell to a 12-year low mark of $26.05 per barrel. Moreover, in June, oil prices were above the psychologically important $50 per barrel level for the first time in more than 10 months. The recovery on the crude front is favorable for upstream players like Apache since the company generates cash flows after selling the commodity. Lets see whether the favorable fundamentals translate into an earnings beat in the second quarter. What Our Model Indicates Our proven model does not conclusively show that Apache is likely to beat estimates this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Story continues Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00% since both are pegged at a loss of 27 cents. Zacks Rank: Apache has a Zacks Rank #2, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need a positive ESP to be confident of a beat. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing a negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some companies to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. Legacy Reserves LP LGCY has an Earnings ESP of +12.50% and a Zacks Rank #2. Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. NOG has an Earnings ESP of +25.00% and a Zacks Rank #1. Spectra Energy Corp SE has an Earnings ESP of+7.69%and a Zacks Rank #2. 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 SPECTRA ENERGY (SE): Free Stock Analysis Report APACHE CORP (APA): Free Stock Analysis Report LEGACY RESERVES (LGCY): Free Stock Analysis Report NORTHRN OIL&GAS (NOG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research In todays day and age, nearly every music fan has their go-to streaming service, and an increasing number of artists are signing distribution deals that ensure their music is released exclusively on a specific platform for a certain period of time. For example, artists like Kanye West, Beyonce, and Rihanna debut their music on Jay Zs Tidal for several weeks before its available at other services, while similar deals have been signed by Drake and Taylor Swift with Apples AAPL Apple Music platform. Industry Tension The music industry has always been equal parts collaborative and competitive, but now artists are being forced to consider exclusive streaming deals while working with a peer. In his latest studio album Views, Drake purposefully removed a verse that featured Jay Z due to the Tidal and Apple Music rivalry. Over the weekend, Kanye West delivered another one of his classic Twitter rants about this very topic. Heres just a taste of how Kanye felt: Interestingly enough, Kanye asserts something that has already been a rumor: its inevitable that Apple will buy Tidal. Last month, a Wall Street Journal report said that Apple was in talks with Jay Z and Tidal to acquire the streaming service in an effort to bolster its Apple Music portfolio (also read: Apple May Be Buying Jay Z's Tidal Music Service). Tidals Presence Jay Z actually purchased the Swedish parent company that initially launched Tidal back in March of 2015, and since then Tidal has been billed as the first artist-owned streaming service in the world. During a promotional debut last year, Jay Z and the co-owners of Tidal, including Kanye, Beyonce, Daft Punk, Madonna, Calvin Harris, J. Cole, deadmau5, and several others, appeared on stage to hype the new service. Since then, Tidal has failed to firmly grab audiences attention. Although exclusive releases like Kanyes The Life of Pablo and Beyonces Lemonade garnered a lot of buzz, many fans simply used their free trials to listen to the albums before switching back to another platform later. Story continues While Tidals $9.99 per month price is competitive with Apple Music, Alphabet Inc,s GOOGL Google Play Music, and Spotifys Premium offering, its library size and the functionality of its website and mobile application have been criticized. Tidal has also had several internal struggles. The company has had three different chief executives in less than a year, with one being interim and one appointed by previous management. Tidal is also the subject of several lawsuits concerning artist royalties and exclusivity deals. A Good Deal? With everything in mind, it might not make sense for Apple to buy Tidal right now. However, Apple has shown its ability to make cunning moves in the music industry. In 2014, the tech giant scooped up Beats, a luxury headphone maker and music streaming service owned by legendary hip-hop producer Dr. Dre. Over time, Apple turned the existing Beats Radio setup into Apple Music, and it also gained the music industry knowledge of Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine in the deal. If Apple were to purchase Tidal, it would receive two things. Just like in the Beats deal, Apple would almost certainly benefit from bringing a guy like Jay Z on board. Jay Z is an icon in the industry with an endless wealth of knowledge and connections. More importantly, Apple would be buying all of Tidals exclusive artists. With some of the biggest artists in the world already working with Apple Music, adding the likes of Kanye West, Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna, and many others will catapult the streaming service high above its competitors. 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 APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report ALPHABET INC-A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Atir Khan: Trouble has mounted for former IPL chairman Lalit Modi as Interpol has started reconsidering the move to issue the Red Corner notice (RCN) against him. The Interpol has written a fresh letter to the CBI seeking clarification on cases pending against him. In a fresh move, the Interpol has written to the CBI seeking various clarification. This is the second time the Interpol will consider issuing the RCN against him. Earlier when the Indian agencies had pressed for RCN against him, the move was stalled as he had given a representation to Interpol through his UK-based lawyer. advertisement Lalit Modi had then claimed that Indian agencies were targeting him due to political rivalry of which he had become a victim. As per Interpol rules a person is given relief in such matters if he or she gives a representation that they have become a victim of political conspiracy. PENDING CRIMINAL CASES Now there is fresh trouble for him as Interpol has started the process afresh and have sought details relating to criminal cases pending against him in India. It has asked whether Chennai Police has registered a case against him and if chargesheet has been filed in the case. details have also been sought regarding a money laundering investigations against him being carried out against him by the Enforcement Directorate. Interpol also wants to know whether Indian agencies have declared him an absconder. It is pertinent that Mumbai court has issued a non-bailable warrant against him on the charges pressed by ED. Interestingly no agency has been able to file a charge sheet against him. But if Interpol is convinced by information given by the agencies that there is also a possibility that a RCN may be issued against him. In that case he will be left with little choice but to join in investigations in India. CITIZENSHIP ISSUE Presently, he is living in the UK but after Brexit, Lalit Modi had applied for his and his family members' citizenship in Saint Lucia. St Lucia as per norms has sent correspondence to India to find out whether there was any criminal cases pending against him. In response, Indian authorities said that there was cases against him. He had fled to UK when those matters were being probed and that efforts were being made to extradite him from UK. However, there were no cases against his wife and children. World Exclusive: Lalit Modi says he is not a fugitive, hits out at UPA government Lalit Modi applies for citizenship Saint Lucia, but why? --- ENDS --- Apple will be replacing its hand gun emoji with a far less controversial bright green and orange water pistol in the next version of its iPhone and iPad operating system, iOS 10. The move is one of a number of emoji updates due this fall which include the addition of women in stereotypically male professions such as construction work or coding, CNN reports. Earlier this year, a proposal for an Olympics-inspired rifle emoji was opposed by Apple and Microsoft. A number of legal issues have arisen from the use of the hand gun emoji. In February, the Washington Post reported that a 12-year-old girl in Fairfax, Va. was charged with threatening her school and computer harassment because she posted a message on Instagram that included a bomb, knife and gun emojis and the phrase meet me in the Library. In a separate New York case last year, a teen was charged with making a terrorist threat after he wrote a Facebook post that included three gun emojis pointing at the head of a police officer emoji. The teen ultimately was not indicted on the charge. [CNN] natalie kerris The Apple veteran whom Twitter hired to head up its public-relations team has left the company, Twitter confirmed to BuzzFeed's Alex Kantrowitz. Kerris, who served 14 years at Apple, joined Twitter in February with much fanfare. With Twitter's growth having stalled, Kerris was considered someone who could help reshape the business' image and message and get the company back on track. Her arrival came after a series of shake-ups in Twitter's communications strategy, as well as at the company in general. Her departure comes after another disappointing company earnings report. Leslie Berland, Twitter's chief marketing officer, will now lead PR and marketing. Before Kerris joined, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's general counsel, had been overseeing communications, filling in for Gabriel Stricker, Twitter's previous PR boss, who left in July. Twitter has faced a sinking stock price this year as it struggles to attract new users. A Twitter representative sent Business Insider the following statement: "During her time leading communications at Twitter, Natalie helped us share the Twitter story with the world. We are grateful for her energy and enthusiasm and the impact she's had, even in this short time. We wish her all the best." NOW WATCH: Twitters huge deal to live-stream NFL games could be a game changer More From Business Insider Beirut (AFP) - An Arab-Kurdish alliance backed by US-led coalition air strikes advanced Tuesday in the jihadist stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, where it now controls 60 percent of the town, a monitor said. Syrian Democratic Forces have been fighting to seize the key town near the border with Turkey from the Islamic State group since late May. With the support of coalition air raids, SDF forces advanced Tuesday into the east and west of the town, while IS forces retreated to the north and centre of Manjib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. That allowed the SDF to open a route between Manjib and Hassaka, a Kurdish stronghold around 150 kilometres (90 miles) to the east, said the Britain-based monitoring group. Manbij sits on the route between the Turkish border and the eastern city of Raqa, the jihadists' de facto capital in Syria. The fate of thousands of civilians inside Manbij has raised fears among humanitarian agencies. Syria's conflict has killed more than 280,000 people and drawn in world powers on both sides since it erupted in March 2011. Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM continued its dismal run, as the company marked its fifth straight quarter of earnings miss in second-quarter 2016. Moreover, results declined year over year, leading shares of the company to drop 2.8% in the pre-market trading session. Bearing the brunt of the challenging market conditions, the companys second-quarter adjusted earnings of 41 cents per share plunged 31.7% year over year, also falling short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents. On a reported basis, Archer Daniels earnings were 48 cents per share compared with 62 cents earned in the year-ago quarter. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) Street EPS & Surprise Percent - Last 5 Quarters | FindTheCompany Further, total revenue of $15,629 million fell 9.1% year over year, owing to lower sales at all of its operating segments. Going by segments, quarterly revenues at Archer Daniels Agricultural Services segment declined 8.8% to $6,387 million, the Oilseeds Processing segments revenues fell 10.6% to $6,099 million, the Corn Processing segments revenues decreased 8.8% to $2,352 million; the Wild Flavors and Specialty Ingredients segment witnessed a 0.3% drop in revenues to $680 million, while Other revenues went up 13.3% to $111 million, all on a year-over-year basis. Operational Discussion Archer Daniels reported adjusted segment operating profit of $573 million in the second quarter of 2016, down 20.9% from the year-ago quarter. On a GAAP basis, the companys segment operating profit declined nearly 15.8% year over year to $680 million. On a segmental adjusted basis, operating profit for the Agricultural Services segment tanked 55.1% million to $57 million owing to soft margins in the U.S. grain handling network that resulted in soft merchandising and handling earnings. Also, transportation results decelerated owing to unfavorable barge demand and freight rates. Archer Daniels' Corn Processing segments adjusted operating profit fell by 13.3% from the year-ago quarter to $163 million. Benefits from strength in the sweeteners and starches business were more than offset by soft lysine results and lower U.S. ethanol industry margins which hurt Bioproducts results. The Oilseeds Processing segments adjusted operating profit declined 21.9% year over year to $235 million, mainly accountable to the slump in crushing and origination operating profit, which in turn was a result of persistently soft canola margins coupled with reduced soy crush margins. Also, results were weak across refining, packaging, biodiesel and other areas of the segment. The segment gained little respite from a marginal improvement in Asian oilseeds results, which were partly contributed by Wilmar. The Wild Flavors and Specialty Ingredients segments adjusted operating profit fell 9.6% to $94 million, on account of certain start-up costs associated with Tianjin and Campo Grande. The segment results benefited from solid flavors and systems growth that was offset by soft sales of functional specialty proteins and fibers. Financials Archer Daniels ended the quarter with $334 million in cash and cash equivalents. As of Jun 30, 2016, long-term debt including current maturities was $5,832 million. Shareholders equity at quarter end was $17,669 million. As of Jun 30, 2016, Archer Daniels used $366 million of cash from operating activities. Further, the companys returns suffered, with its trailing four-quarter average adjusted ROIC coming at 5.7%, down 90 basis points (bps) from the annual WACC of 6.6%. Nevertheless, the company returned $0.8 billion to shareholders in the first half of 2016, in the form of share repurchases and dividend payments. During the same time frame, Archer Daniels bought back shares worth $500 million, remaining well on track with its balanced capital allocation plan. Other Q2 Developments Focused on its strategic plan, Archer Daniels acquired complete ownership of Amazon Flavors, manufacturer of natural extracts, emulsions and compounds. Further, this agricultural operations company enhanced its facility at Straubing, Germany, by adding soybean crushing capability to it. This will enable the company to use flex capacity and cater to the rising consumer demand for non-GMO soybean meal and oil in Western Europe. Additionally, the company increased its ownership stake in Wilmar to 22% from 20%, boosting its Asian operations. Finally, Archer Daniels is on track with the strategic review of its ethanol dry mills. ARCHER DANIELS Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise ARCHER DANIELS Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | ARCHER DANIELS Quote Looking Ahead Management revealed that it has attained approximately $150 million of run-rate savings in the first half of 2016 and remains on track to achieve the goal of $275 million by the end of the calendar year. Also, the company anticipates recording equity losses worth $50 million in third-quarter of 2016, owing to Wilmars profit warning announced in July. Per the warning, Wilmar is expected to post about $230 million as net loss for its second quarter, thereby impacting Archer Daniels third quarter. Nevertheless, management stated that while the first half of the year was challenging, it expects favorable results in the second half, given the companys enhanced fundamentals and improvement witnessed in the general market scenario toward the end of the second quarter. Zacks Rank Archer Daniels currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the same industry is Calavo Growers Inc. CVGW, with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader consumer staples sector include Omega Protein Corporation OME and The J. M. Smucker Company SJM, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1. 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 CALAVO GROWERS (CVGW): Free Stock Analysis Report SMUCKER JM (SJM): Free Stock Analysis Report OMEGA PROTEIN (OME): Free Stock Analysis Report ARCHER DANIELS (ADM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A mother of three from Arkansas was arrested Tuesday, July 26, nine months after her toddler was found dead in a washing machine. Brooke Haney is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor stemming from incidents in 2015. On October 25, 2015, police were called to Haneys home in the small town of Hampton, according to records obtained by Arkansas Online. Per the website, the 25-year-old told a responding officer that she had taken a nap with her daughters Alexis, 3, and Brooklyn, 10 months. When she woke up an hour and 15 minutes later, she noticed Alexis was missing. PHOTOS: Celebrity Mugshots After searching the home, Haney and a neighbor discovered Alexis unconscious inside the washing machine. The appliance was programmed to switch on when the lid closed, according to Arkansas Matters. Authorities said she died from scalding and thermal injuries sustained from the hot water, Arkansas Online reported. At the time of Alexis death, Haney was allegedly under the influence of prescription pills, including benzodiazepines. During the investigation, Haneys 7-year-old whose name has not been released told police that she and Alexis often helped their mom with laundry. One of them would climb into the washing machine to retrieve clothes while the other would toss the items in the dryer. PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Have Been to Rehab "It hurt my heart to know a little child died like that," Bobbie Holmes, a neighbor, told Arkansas Matters. "I couldn't imagine what pain she went through." Haney reportedly had a history of abusing benzos. On August 21, 2015, Haney was driving with Brooklyn in the backseat when she was pulled over by police and given several sobriety tests, all of which she failed, per Arkansas Online. Officers determined that she was exhibiting behavior indicating she was under the influence of prescription medication, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. The Post reports that though Haney had prescription medication in her possession, she did not have a valid prescription. Story continues PHOTOS: Stars at Court Haney has a court appearance set for August 10. According to The Washington Post, Haney is expecting her fourth child next month. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Phillip Thomas, President of Arrowstar Resources Ltd. ("Arrowstar" or the "Company") (AWS.V), is pleased to announce that the Company has completed Phase One of its exploration program at the Tin Cup and FM ("Secret Pass") concessions, located 26 miles north of Kingman, Arizona, pending assay results. Phil Thomas, Arrowstar's President and CEO states,"We are very pleased with our progress to date, our field work, including sampling and geological mapping has been completed which has allowed us to identify priority targets for follow up drilling. The Company is waiting on the QC/QA assay data results to finalize Phase One." View claim map: http://www.arrowstarresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Claim-Map2.jpg Permitting, Environmental Work The Cultural Resource Survey ("Survey") has been completed on the Secret Pass project. The Survey has been submitted and approved by the Arizona State Land Department. The Survey allowed the Company to complete its permit to drill up to 10 holes for quality control of data and further resource estimate purposes. Mapping, Surface Sampling and Trench Sampling Additional historical data was located through reference to MDA Associates database, the BLM and State lands data and other data located from people who worked on the property in the past. This includes additional trenching data across Tin Cup which eliminated the need for trenching as out lined in the Phase One exploration program. Reconciliation of historical data, drill sections and database The Company has logged all the core and RC sampling into a database, examining drill sections for altered feldspars that are a geo-marker for the gold mineralization, and set out the QA process to re-bag the samples contained in bags that had deteriorated. The Company was also able to locate additional mapping details, not previously reviewed, that will be digitized and compiled in the Map-Info GIS database as well as Surpac modelling files which will allow the Company to do a resource estimate. Story continues Geophysics Surveys The resistivity and magnetic surveys have been located and reviewed and will make a contribution towards delineating further targets. Phase 2 - Drill Hole QA/QC Phase One of the exploration programs completed pending assay results. The Company is currently proposing twinning 4 core holes to verify previous historical assay results. Qualified Person Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBusM, MAIG, MCIM MAIMVA, CMV CIM, a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 regulations, has reviewed the technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release, and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Thomas is not independent of the Company as he is an Officer and a shareholder. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Arrowstar Resources Ltd. "Phillip Thomas" President Investor Contact: 604-687-7828 Lawrie Koyle 747-200-9412 Phil Thomas info@arrowstarresources.com www.arrowstarresources.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements: This document includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning AWS's planned exploration programs in North America and other statements that are not historical facts. When used in this document, the words such as "could," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "potential," "should," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Although AWS believes that its expectations reflected in these forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the corporation's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. SOURCE: Arrowstar Resources Ltd. Sydney (AFP) - Atheists are urging Australians not to describe themselves as "Jedi" in the upcoming census, warning that doing so in homage to "Star Wars" makes the country appear more religious than it really is. Ahead of the August 9 five-year census, the Atheist Foundation of Australia has requested citizens mark themselves down as having "no religion" if they do not consider themselves tied to a faith. "If old religious men in robes do not represent you... don't mark yourself as 'Jedi'," says a campaign poster featuring Yoda and two other Jedi masters. "'Jedi' and other joke religions are not placed in the 'No Religion' category but in 'Not Defined'. This makes Australia seem more religious than it really is." Foundation president Kylie Sturgess said she was encouraging people "to be counted as what they are". "Our attitude is, well here's an opportunity to have a say on the census; pop down what you are," she told AFP. "Maybe 'no religion' suits you, maybe you are someone who has drifted away from the church. "But unfortunately 'Jedi' is just not an option on the census." The joke arose years ago when an email campaign wrongly claimed that if 8,000 people put themselves down as Jedi it would have to be officially recognised as a religion. At the 2001 Australian census, more than 70,500 people listed their faith as "Jedi knight" or something similar, which would indicate the country had nearly as many believers in the "Force" as it had members of the Salvation Army. "Whether or not people took the claim seriously, it was the start of a reporting phenomenon that gained speed internationally," the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in 2013, adding that New Zealand, Canada, England and Wales subsequently reported large Jedi contingents. Jedi numbers dropped in the 2006 Australian census to 58,053 but bounced back five years later to 64,390. Story continues Sturgess admits that she has put down Jedi as a "bit of a laugh" in the past. "But the fact is that the ABS just doesn't count it, they consider it 'not defined'," she said, adding "the joke is kinda getting a bit old". Australian statisticians could instead follow Britain's example. In the 2001 England and Wales census, 390,000 people, or 0.7 percent of the population, entered their religion as "Jedi" but they were included among the atheists. Or they could embrace non-traditional movements as New Zealand did in 2015 when it recognised pastafarians -- who wear colanders on their heads, revere pirates and believe the world was created by a giant deity made of spaghetti. The Centre will send a high-level team to investigate the recent 19 malnourishment deaths in Odisha. By Indrajit Kundu: The health ministry will send a high-level team of specialists to investigate the recent malnutrition deaths of tribal children in Odisha. The decision comes after reports of death of atleast 19 tribal children emerged from Jajpur district in the state. CENTRAL TEAM TO CARRY OUT ON-THE-SPOT ASSESSMENT "In response to the report of deaths due to malnutrition in Jajpur district, and based upon the request received from Minister of State(IC), Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, a high level team has been constituted by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and investigate the causes that led to the incident," the ministry said in an official statement. advertisement The Centre also said that it was ready to extend all assistance to the state in terms of preventive and curative measures for managing the situation in the district. The central team will comprise of senior officers and public health experts from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Women and Child Development. Task force to probe malnourishment death of tribal infants in Odisha NO ROADS, NO POWER, NO BASIC AMENITIES Over the past several months, Nagada village in Sukinda block of the district has witnessed a sharp rise in infant deaths, mostly attributed to malnourishment. The village is mostly inhabited by the Juang tribe and is located on a hill top in a dense forest under the mineral-rich Sukinda block. Barely 100 kilometers away from state capital Bhubaneswar, the village has no roads and remains completely cut off from all basic amenities. Under fire from the Opposition, the state government has announced the setting up of two mini Anganwadi Centres in the village. The central team will carry out a detailed assessment and will submit a report to Union Health Ministry. --- ENDS --- Aug 2 (Reuters) - New Jersey's fiscally distressed gambling hub Atlantic City has made its scheduled $3.475 million debt service payments, Mayor Don Guardian said on Tuesday, avoiding what could have been the first default in the state since the Great Depression. The payments were made on their Monday due date, Guardian said in a statement, even though the city has not yet received money from a $73 million bridge loan agreement with the state. Moody's Investors Service warned last week that the city would likely default unless it received the loan. The loan, which had not yet been finalized, is part of a bailout package that will also allow the state move to take over operations if the city fails to craft an acceptable financial recovery plan by early November. Roughly $3 million of insured 2012 general obligation refunding bonds came due on Monday, along with interest on some of those bonds and other general obligation bonds issued in 2011, according to Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board records. The city also nearly defaulted in May after almost running out of cash and just before lawmakers passed the bailout package. (Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; editing by Diane Craft) Santosh Nair Audi in the United States is expected to recall some examples of the 2017 Q7 in connection with problems to the airbag actuation. Audi has admitted that a software issue with the airbag control module causes the front airbags to deploy with excessive force in some instances, resulting in possible injuries to passengers. A total of 14,535 units of Audis flagship SUV has been identified as having the problem. These Audi Q7s rolled off the factory assembly line between August 30, 2015 and May 8, 2016. This version was introduced in the US in early 2016. No injuries have been recorded so far. While Audi has asked its dealers to install a new airbag control module software, it will include updated parameters in the triggering algorithm. Audi is yet to announce the dates when it will commence the recall for these affected vehicles. Though the Q7 is also sold here, Audi India has not made any official statement regarding this concern as of now. Stay tuned for more on this in the days to come. 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 By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is ignoring the inhumane treatment of refugees held on the South Pacific island of Nauru as a means of deterring others from attempting the journey to Australia, two human rights groups said on Wednesday. Under Canberra's hard-line immigration policy, asylum seekers intercepted trying to reach Australia by boat are sent to a camp on Manus Island, in Papua New Guinea, or one in Nauru, which have drawn criticism for their harsh conditions and reports of abuse. Nauru, which charges foreign journalists A$8,000 ($6,014.40) for a visa application and restricts access to social networking sites such as Facebook, this year experienced a series of suicides and incidents of detainees hurting themselves in protests over their treatment. Despite its reputation for secrecy, Nauru in July allowed one researcher each from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to enter for 12 days. Their joint report based on interviews with 84 refugees and asylum seekers from countries including Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as service providers at the Australian-funded facility, alleges that Canberra could not conceivably be unaware of the center's shortcomings. "The Australian government's failure to address serious abuses appears to be a deliberate policy to deter further asylum seekers from arriving in the country by boat," Human Rights Watch said in a statement accompanying the report. Successive Australian governments have supported the policy, which they say is needed to stop people drowning at sea during dangerous boat journeys, which usually begin in Indonesia. A spokeswoman for Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection said it had not been consulted by Amnesty International regarding the report. She could not confirm if Human Rights Watch had attempted to contact the department. "The department therefore has had no opportunity to inform itself of these claims and would strongly encourage Amnesty International to contact the department before airing allegations of this kind," she told Reuters on Tuesday. Interviewees described "prison-like" conditions, inadequate medical care, as well as physical and sexual assaults by residents of the area, said Amnesty senior director for research Anna Neistat, who was one of the two researchers. Broadspectrum, which runs the facility, and International Health and Medical Services, the main medical service provider, rejected the allegations when asked for comment, the groups said. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Robert Birsel) By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - An Australian family facing deportation from the Scottish Highlands after a change in visa rules is now in limbo, waiting to hear from the British government whether they will be given more time to meet visa requirements. Gregg and Kathryn Brain, who moved to Scotland in 2011 with their son Lachlan, are hoping for a job offer or a new extension to their visa after the last one expired at midnight on Monday. Their case has attracted much sympathy in Scotland, where Kathryn Brain was previously given permission to study and then work as part of a now defunct British government-backed scheme to shore up the Highlands' ageing and shrinking population. "This is simply about honouring the deal signed up to," Gregg Brain, a health and safety expert, told Reuters. "We signed up for a deal and built a life here, only to have the ground pulled out from under our feet." Visa rules were changed in 2012 with an eye to addressing voter concerns on immigration in the United Kingdom as a whole. Immigration was at the centre of Britain's June vote to leave the European Union. "(The Brains) simply don't know if there will be a knock on the door at some point and they will be removed," Ian Blackford, the lawmaker for Dingwall where the Brains live, told Reuters. "If that is the route they (Britain's interior ministry) want to go down, well, we just don't know, we're in their hands," he said, adding that he had yet to receive a reply to two letters sent to British Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill's office in the last 24 hours. A spokesman for the interior ministry said that any family that failed to comply with the regulations was expected to leave the country voluntarily. "We have given (the Brains) three extensions on an exceptional basis over a number of months to allow them to try to secure a job that would allow them to meet the immigration rules, but this cannot be open-ended," the spokesman said. "OVERWHELMING RESPONSE" The Brains have settled in Dingwall, where Lachlan, 7, has learnt the ancient Scottish language Gaelic. The case attracted the attention of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose devolved government has no say on immigration but who made a personal appeal on the family's behalf in May. Kathryn Brain, who studied Scottish history and has been seeking work as a curator, was offered what appeared to be visa-compliant work at a Highlands distillery earlier this year. But the offer was withdrawn in late July, giving the family little time to search for an alternative before the Aug. 1 deadline. The Brains have moved house four times in as many months and have been supported by the generosity of mostly local benefactors because their latest visa extension did not include permission to work. "The response has been overwhelming," said Gregg Brain. "One day Lachlan came home from school and in his bag was a blank envelope with 10 pounds ($13) in it. It makes me cry just thinking about it." He describes his family as an example of successful immigration, qualified and integrated in a community where young families are needed to bolster the economy. He joked that the intense interest in the case might serve as experience for a future in public relations in the legal sector. "If there's an immigration law firm that wants to take me on as the face to represent their clients, I'd be more than happy, but at the moment you'll have to get past (immigration minister) Robert Goodwill." (Editing by Stephen Addison) Vienna (AFP) - Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said he will not bow to "intimidation" from Turkey after receiving online death threats as tensions rise between the EU and Ankara, in comments published Tuesday. "We should not allow ourselves to be intimidated in any way. Threats, even death threats, from the right wing and the radical part of the Turkish community have become reality for me", Kern told the Oesterreich daily. "Appeasement has to stop. Of course there is the right to demonstrate here, but the radical elements within the Turkish community must learn to respect our way of life," he said. Relations have deteriorated between Turkey and Europe since a major crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a failed coup on July 15, with tensions particularly high with Germany and Austria, both of which have large ethnic Turkish communities. On Sunday, around 40,000 Erdogan supporters rallied in the German city of Cologne but a court rejected an application to allow live speeches to be beamed in from Turkey, including one by the president, angering Ankara. "Look at Austria, look at Germany. People, our citizens want to hold meetings, go on marches but they stop them. They have even gone so far as to stop Turkish flags being flown from houses," Erdogan said late Friday. In Austria, the mayor of the small city of Wiener Neustadt said on July 22 that he wanted the sizeable Turkish community there to remove Turkish flags from balconies, but there is no ban in place there or anywhere else in the country. There are also concerns that the European Union's deal with Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe might be in jeopardy, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker saying last week there was a "big risk" of this happening. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday told German daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Ankara could withdraw from the deal if Brussels fails to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. Story continues But Kern said Europe should stand firm. "We are not going to go cap in hand... We need Turkey but it's Turkey that economically speaking really needs us," he said. "Otherwise Turkey will be heading for state bankruptcy." Disneys A Wrinkle in Time is one of the 28 projects selected to receive an $18.1 million credit as part of Californias expanded Film & Television Tax Credit Program. The state film commission noted that A Wrinkle in Time directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Oprah Winfrey is the type of tentpole film previously ineligible under the states first-generation tax credit program, which did not accept projects with budgets greater than $75 million. The tax credit program, aimed at putting the brakes on runaway production, offers tax credits of up to 25% of the production budget. The commission uses a formula based on jobs created to determine which films receive the credit. A Wrinkle in Time received by far the largest credit more than double the second-highest, which was Warner Bros. remake of A Star Is Born, with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, with $7.7 million. That was followed by Paramounts Home Invasion with $7.3 million and Content Medias Entry Level with $6.7 million. Films must begin shooting within 180 days to remain eligible for the credit. In the case of A Star Is Born, the project was selected in February, but then dropped out and subsequently re-applied and was selected again. It said that A Wrinkle in Time will bring $85 million in qualified spending to California. With nearly 400 cast and crew members employed, $44 million will be paid in wages to below-the-line workers. The California tax credit made it possible to base production in California, said producer Jim Whitaker. We considered several other locations, but felt that the spectacular landscapes and intimate, real settings found in California perfectly met Ava DuVernays directorial vision for A Wrinkle in Time. The entire crew is incredibly excited as we all appreciate the ability to come home to our families at night. Disney plans to shoot much of the film outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Zone. Large-scale feature films like A Wrinkle in Time are among the most at-risk for runaway production, said California Film Commission Executive Director Amy Lemisch. Californias expanded tax credit program is working as intended, and this project alone will employ hundreds of in-state crew members. Story continues The first feature film application period drew 91 applications vying for $109 million in tax credits. A total of 28 projects 18 from studios and 10 from independent production companies were selected. These projects are on track to spend a total of $880 million in-state, including $326 million in qualified wages to more than 5,900 crew and cast members. SEE THE FULL LIST OF CONDITIONALLY APPROVED PROJECTS FOR THE 2016 CALIFORNIA FILM & TV TAX CREDIT PROGRAM Other projects selected are Friday the 13th, Magic Camp, Rogue, and Private Benajmins all of which will shoot extensively outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Zone. The tax credit was raised last year to $330 million annually from $100 million. Productions shot during the first quarter that received the credit included the James Franco-Bryan Cranston comedy Why Him, Battle of the Sexes, Latin Lover, and Please Stand By. A FilmLA study released in June showed that Californias status as the top production center in the world remained intact last year as the state was the leading site for major feature films, with 19 of the top 109 projects. The report showed that seven of the 16 projects were made in California thanks to the states tax credit program, including Straight Outta Compton with a $4.8 million tax credit on a $50 million budget; Insidious: Chapter 3 with a $2.4 million credit on an $11 million budget; Entourage with a $5.8 million credit on a $39 million budget; Freaks of Nature with a $3.9 million credit on a $33 million budget; and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse with a $3 million credit on a $24 million budget. Related stories Ava DuVernay's 'Queen Sugar' Renewed for Season 2 Ahead of Series Premiere Oprah Winfrey Joins Ava Duvernay's 'A Wrinkle in Time' Adaptation 2016 New York Film Festival to Open With Ava DuVernay Documentary 'The 13th' Avon Products Inc. AVP made a comeback in second-quarter 2016 with better-than-expected top- and bottom-line results that were backed by improved performances in 9 of the companys top 10 markets in local currency. Further, we believe the companys efforts towards improving pricing, lowering costs, building brand strength and boosting Active Representatives are starting to pay-off. This marked the companys first earnings beat after missing estimates for three consecutive quarters. The company reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 7 cents per share for the second quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 3 cents while plunging 22.2% from 9 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Avon Products Inc. (AVP) Street Actual & Estimate EPS - Last 5 Quarters | FindTheCompany Further, on a reported basis also, the company posted earnings of 7 cents per share compared with 6 cents earned in the year-ago quarter. Deeper Insight Total revenue fell 8% year over year to $1,434.3 million but was ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,411 million. On a constant currency basis, total revenue improved 5%, net of the impact of Liz Earles divestiture that took place in Jul 2015. Including the same, constant-currency total revenue rose 4%. Active Representatives inched up 1% year over year as improvement in Europe, Middle East & Africa and North Latin America, were nullified by decreases in the Asia Pacific region. Average orders were up 4% due to an increase in all reportable segments stemming from better prices. Additionally, Ending Representatives jumped 2% backed by growth in Europe, Middle East & Africa and South Latin America, offset by fall in Asia Pacific. Adjusted gross margin contracted 70 basis points (bps) year over year to 60.6%, mainly due to negative currency effects, partly negated by improved pricing efforts, better mix and lower supply chain expenses. Adjusted operating margin expanded 100 bps to 7.3% in the quarter gaining from the improved price/mix and synergies from cost-saving initiatives, offset by adverse currency movements. Segment Performance Avons revenues of $520.9 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa declined 2% year over year. However, on a currency neutral basis, revenues rose 7%, mainly driven by a 4% increase in Active Representatives and a 3% rise in average orders. Growth in Active Representatives was mainly backed by strength in Russia, while average orders increased in both Russia and U.K. Price/mix in the region went up 5%, while units sold rose 2%. Ending Representatives grew 6%. Revenues in South Latin America dipped 12% year over year to $535.7 million but rose 5% in constant-dollars, mainly backed by 5% growth in average order. However, constant dollar revenues bore a 2 points impact from MVA taxes in Brazil, along with a 1 point impact from the levy of Industrial Production Tax (IPI) in Brazil, offset by Argentinas 3 points contribution to constant dollar growth. Units sold were down 2%, Active Representatives were flat, and Ending Representatives were up 1%, while price/mix rose 7%. North Latin America reported revenue decline of 5% year over year to $224.4 million, while the same increased 6%, on a constant-dollar basis, benefiting from a 4% rise in Active Representatives and 2% growth in average orders. Also, price/mix escalated 12% while Ending Representatives were flat and units sold fell 6%. The Asia-Pacific divisions revenues fell 10% to $141.9 million and decreased 5% in constant dollars. The decline was due to lower revenues in most markets, except Philippines. Also, an 8% fall in Active Representatives contributed largely to the decline, partly offset by 3% growth in average order. During the quarter, both Ending Representatives and units sold fell 4% each, while price/mix slipped 1%. Financial Details Avon exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $741.5 million, long-term debt of $2,139.6 million, and shareholders deficit of $830.9 million. AVON PRODS INC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise AVON PRODS INC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | AVON PRODS INC Quote Zacks Rank Avon currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry are Inter Parfums Inc. IPAR with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. NUS and Helen of Troy Limited HELE, each holding 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 AVON PRODS INC (AVP): Free Stock Analysis Report INTER PARFUMS (IPAR): Free Stock Analysis Report NU SKIN ENTERP (NUS): Free Stock Analysis Report HELEN OF TROY (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Westport Innovations Inc. WPRT is expected to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 3. In the last quarter, the company posted a negative earnings surprise of 24.14%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Westport Innovations is likely to beat estimates this quarter because it has the right combination of the two key components. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Westport Innovations is currently pegged at +9.09% as the Most Accurate estimate is pegged at a loss of 20 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is of a loss of 22 cents. Zacks Rank: Westport Innovations carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. Conversely, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. The combination of Westport Innovations Zacks Rank #3 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of a positive surprise this season. WESTPORT FUEL Price and EPS Surprise WESTPORT FUEL Price and EPS Surprise | WESTPORT FUEL Quote What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Results? Westport Innovations regularly launches new products to boost sales. The company also has strategic relationships with engine producers, truck manufacturers and automotive manufacturers. These strategic associations allow the company to utilize its collaborators manufacturing plants, supply chains, back office systems, and distribution and sales networks, thereby aiding significant cost savings. Moreover, Westport Innovations regularly makes investments and acquisitions related to technologies and businesses that complement or help in the commercialization of its products. The company also completed the merger agreement with Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. This merger will lead to a stronger balance sheet, better liquidity, cost reduction, technology consolidation, a wider product portfolio as well as a large global distribution network. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Metaldyne Performance Group Inc. MPG has an Earnings ESP of +3.57% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 financial results are expected to release on Aug 4. Magna International Inc. MGA has an Earnings ESP of +0.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 financial results are expected to release on Aug 5. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. CTB has an Earnings ESP of +7.48% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 results are expected to release on Aug 4. 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 MAGNA INTL CL A (MGA): Free Stock Analysis Report WESTPORT FUEL (WPRT): Free Stock Analysis Report COOPER TIRE (CTB): Free Stock Analysis Report METALDYNE PERFM (MPG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities said insurance providers Humana Inc and AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co violated sanctions by providing policies to three people blacklisted for alleged ties to narcotraffickers. The U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which enforces sanctions law, issued findings of violations to the two providers Tuesday but did not issue fines. While the companies will not face a monetary penalty, the violation notices show how strictly U.S. authorities can enforce the letter of the law in sanctions compliance. The companies had been servicing the three customers Leopoldo Lopez Grayeb, Noemi Lopez Fernandez, and Juan Manual Lopez Fernandez long before they were added to the U.S. sanctions blacklist in 2009 for alleged ties to Mexican drug cartels, according to the notices. In 2012, OFAC removed the three from the blacklist, without further explanation, according to records on the agency's website. But during the three years when the three were designated, the insurers failed to check the customers against OFAC's blacklist, OFAC said. Spokespeople for the companies did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Sanctions make it a crime to do any business with those on the blacklist, even if there is a pre-existing relationship, and regardless of whether U.S. officials later change the policy, said Adam M. Smith, a sanctions attorney at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Even though the transactions were not seen as bad enough to warrant a penalty "you still don't get out from having a violation," Smith said. Erich Ferrari of Ferrari & Associates PC said the violations puts the insurance industry on notice "even though the fact patterns are not routine, these are the kind of activities you need to watch out for." (Reporting by Joel Schectman; Editing by Bernard Orr) By PTI: Panaji, Aug 1 (PTI) The Opposition in Goa led by Congress today staged a walkout from the state Legislative Assembly claiming that the ruling benches were hijacking the Question Hour and scuttling their attempt to expose the state government. The opposition MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Pratapsinh Rane walked out mid-way during the Question Hour. During the Question Hour, BJP MLAs Subhash Faldesai, Nilesh Cabral, Glenn Ticlo and Siddharth Kuncolienkar posted questions to Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar. advertisement A question on beach cleaning was tabled jointly by Congress legislator Digamber Kamat, Alexio Lourenco Reginaldo and unattached MLA Atanasio Monserrate . Another question on land allotment for Housing Board in South Goa was listed by independent MLA Vijai Sardesai, Kamat and Monserratte. During the Question Hour, the Congress MLAs opposed the lengthy replies being given by Parulekar. "Is this Assembly session only to ask questions on Casinos? You (Congress) introduced casinos and now you only are asking questions. I want to know what is happening in my constituency," Faldessai told the Assembly after Opposition benches started making noise. Other BJP MLAs joined Faldesai, but opposition benches without retaliating staged a walkout. Later the MLAs told reporters that, "two important questions on beach cleanliness and housing board scams were listed during the Question Hour, which would have exposed the state government". "This was a well planned move by the ruling (benches). They wanted to hijack the session to ensure those government misdeeds are not exposed. It was a planned delay tactics," alleged Sardesai. PTI RPS NRB BSA BAS --- ENDS --- Bachelor Nation, the finish line is upon us. First things first Chris Harrison, don't even try to tell us this finale was the most dramatic season finale ever, because it just wasn't. Fulfilling our desire to watch a couple get engaged on television after only weeks of knowing each other? Yes. Shocking? Not at all. Predictable? Very much so. Spoiler warning: If you haven't seen Monday's Bachelorette finale, stop reading now to avoid spoilers. At this point, JoJo was left with two men: Robby and Jordan. The episode started with a dramatic introduction of JoJo and her predicament. She strolled up and down the beaches of Thailand to explain that when she's with Robby, she thinks of Jordan, and vice versa all over the course of approximately 12 outfit changes. Then it was time for JoJo to meet up with her family, and everyone watching silently rejoiced because JoJo's mom, Soraya, was finally back on TV. We'd been dreaming of this day ever since she took a bottle of champagne to the face during JoJo's hometown date on Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor. JoJo: "I think I love both of them. I haven't told either one of them that yet neither of them know how I feel." Soraya: "Good for you!" JoJo's mom knows what's up. JORDAN MEETS THE PARENTS The first guy to meet JoJo's family was Jordan, who was introduced to the legendary Soraya, dad Joseph, JoJo's two brothers and her sister. This whole meeting started off kind of how you might imagine it would be if you engineered a guy in a lab to create the ideal specimen to bring home to Mom and Dad. Jordan even brought everyone in the family a "silly hat" because one of his family traditions is to "embarrass each other" and then they all tried on the hats and had a grand old time. Things got serious, however, when Soraya took Jordan aside. It was rather difficult to understand what she was trying to say most of the time but she basically made it clear she felt Jordan might be a playboy. Soraya: "You're an attention-catcher. You catch a lot of attention of a female." Jordan, for his part, held his own as best as he could even when Soraya put him on the spot and commanded him to give his word that he would never break JoJo's heart. Soraya is kind of like Cersei from Game of Thrones but really foreign, and it's fantastic. Then Jordan sat down with JoJo's dad, Joseph. The two had a fairly decent chat except Jordan made the huge mistake of not explicitly asking for Joseph's blessing and his daughter's hand in marriage. (A formality we learn JoJo made extremely clear was very important to her.) Story continues ROBBY MEETS THE PARENTS Right off the bat it was obvious that JoJo's entire family was vibing on Robby perhaps more than they were with Jordan. Robby had definitely been rehearsing for this meeting his entire life and pulled out all the stops. When confronted by Soraya with the same tough questions she had for Jordan, Robby went above and beyond to make it clear he was 100 percent ready to propose. There's just no way he didn't have that speech prepared for weeks. Meanwhile Soraya kept talking about princesses and queens and how she wanted Robby to make JoJo a "queen of his heart." The Cersei comparison never felt more appropriate. Then Robby took Soraya and Joseph aside and formally asked them for JoJo's hand in marriage by making Notebook-level declarations like "I want all that is Joelle Hannah Fletcher." Even though most of America shudders when Robby calls JoJo "Joelle," JoJo's parents were completely transfixed to the point where they both actually cried. Robby, take a bow. RELATED VIDEO: JoJo Fletcher On the Ups and Downs of Searching for True Love The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged" data-ad-channel="Brightcove" data-ad-subchannel="" data-auto-play="no"> Anyway, then Robby left and JoJo was left alone with her family to discuss the two men, at which point they all basically admitted they were totally #TeamRobby. JoJo was very distraught by this information and when she found out that Jordan hadn't asked for her parents' blessing, she was shocked. She eventually called them out for being so pro-Robby, at which point they all tried to backtrack, but it was still really obvious how they felt and JoJo cried a lot. FINAL DATE WITH ROBBY For their last day together before the final rose ceremony, JoJo and Robby went to the beach. JoJo and Robby made out on the beach, JoJo and Robby made out in the ocean, JoJo and Robby made out underwater you get the picture. Then they talked about what their future together would look like, and Robby launched into a creepy-detailed fantasy story, something about how they were in the living room with their dog and accidentally burned their meat loaf and the kids were upstairs etc. You lost us at "meat loaf," Robby. For the evening portion of their date, JoJo came over to Robby's hotel room and Robby went on about how much he loved her, which appears to be their main topic of conversation. Robby even brought out a bunch of pictures of the two of them and JoJo loved every second of this very public display of adoration. The man knows what he's doing, we'll give him that. FINAL DATE WITH JORDAN Next, JoJo spent the day with Jordan on a boat. They went kayaking through some grottos and then settled down on a beautiful, tucked away little beach because Jordan always gets the best dates. Of course, JoJo was still reeling over the fact that Jordan hadn't asked for her parents' blessing so she called him out about it and demanded to know why. Jordan basically didn't have an answer for her and after some fumbling over his words and constant interruptions from a clearly irritated JoJo, he said it had to do with the fact he wasn't sure if JoJo was going to pick him in the end. "I don't know if it's me," he told her. "There are two of us left." RELATED VIDEO: 5 Things to Know About The Bachelorette's Jordan Rodgers The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged" data-ad-channel="Brightcove" data-ad-subchannel="" data-auto-play="no"> JoJo wasn't having any of this and the more upset she got, the more flustered Jordan became like, he kept saying the wrong things, forcing JoJo to wonder whether he was actually ready to commit. The conversation carried on into the evening portion of their date, where JoJo jumped right back into the fact that she just couldn't believe Jordan messed this one up so royally by not asking for her parents' blessing. Jordan said a few more of the wrong things (like using the word "if" when referring to himself getting down on one knee), but finally he seemed to manage to semi-reassure her that he was committed, 100 percent, and didn't want to lose her. Jordan: "I love you." JoJo: "I know you love me." Ah, romance. THE BUILDUP The next day it was finally time for JoJo to make her decision but first, each man had to pick out a Neil Lane engagement ring. Robby went first and said a whole bunch of nauseating things (i.e. "My heart is exploding with love out of my chest") and then he wrote her a long love letter because Robby just really wants to be Noah Calhoun from The Notebook. Jordan also picked out a ring but more importantly, he needed to do damage control for his major screw-up and call JoJo's parents. Soraya and Joseph both gave them their blessing to propose to JoJo, and Jordan wrote JoJo a note to let her know that he wasn't a complete lost cause. RELATED VIDEO: The Story Behind the Story: Is The Bachelorette's JoJo Fletcher Headed Down the Aisle? The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged" data-ad-channel="Brightcove" data-ad-subchannel="" data-auto-play="no"> As she was getting ready, JoJo received the guys' letters and she basically just lost it. Like, she could not stop crying. "I don't feel right. I don't like that," she said between sobs after reading Jordan's letter. "It's like, everything I want. I needed to hear this. I needed to know that my family was able to give their blessing. I believe in him." Then she read Robby's note and started crying all over again. "These are the things I want to hear before I get engaged to someone," she said. "This is the kind of love that I want to have. I can't keep going back and forth. I can't keep doing this to myself. I feel like I'm like, having a panic attack." RELATED VIDEO: Team Jordan vs. Team Robby: Who Will Get the Final Rose on The Bachelorette? The Bachelorette?" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="peoplenowupclose" data-auto-play="no"> THE BREAKUP The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged| ABC, Couples, Reality TV, The Bachelorette, People Picks, TV News, JoJo Fletcher Finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for arrived: JoJo stood on a gorgeous beach, waiting for her runner-up to arrive so she could break up with him a and out came Robby. "This is crazy, it's a good crazy," Robby said, taking her hands. "It's the kind of crazy that kept me searching for this forever love that I found in you. a My heart yearns for you, and I undoubtedly and wholeheartedly am in love with you. It's a love that you only hear about in fairy tales and stories. I want to be with you forever. I will love you forever. a I promise to love you 'til the day I die." At this point, JoJo started tearing up and interrupted him. "I can't let you get down on one knee," she said. "I can't let you do that because I don't want to take that moment from you." "What is it?" Robby asked. (HOW HAVE YOU NOT CAUGHT ON YET, ROBBY?) The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged| ABC, Couples, Reality TV, The Bachelorette, People Picks, TV News, JoJo Fletcher "Robby, I woke up this morning wanting it to be you," JoJo said. "Every day I've been wanting it to be you. I fell in love with you, but for some reason my heart is somewhere else. You have made me feel the type of love that I've always dreamt of feeling. The type of love that I honestly didn't believe existed." "What's missing?" he asked. "I don't know. It's not the love, that's the thing," JoJo replied. "I know that you will love me until the day that you die, and you deserve the type of love that you have given me. Robby, I didn't want this. You don't get how badly I wanted it to be you." As for Robby's reaction? For someone who had been telling JoJo how in love with her he was for the last 4 weeks, he seemed weirdly pretty chill with all of this. "All I want is for you to be happy," he said. "Hopefully in the end you are." She walked him back to the car and it was so awkward. Why were they still holding hands? JoJo could not stop crying. Robby basically didn't shed a single tear, but he kept wiping his face with a handkerchief. It's probably humid in Thailand. Then Robby got in the car and gave his runner-up exit interview only problem was he mumbled the whole thing into his damn handkerchief and we have no idea what he was saying. THE PROPOSAL After saying goodbye to Robby, JoJo said the only thing getting her through it was the thought of seeing Jordan. He walked up to meet her on the beach at the exact same spot she had dumped Robby just moments before and the two embraced. "I love you so much," Jordan started. "I fell in love first with just us, the person I could be right away with you. How comfortable, and confident, and how you challenged me, continued to challenge me to be the best version of myself and I love that. You made me believe that love doesn't need to have scripts, there's not one way to draw it up. There are moments like this where I'm holding your hands and I'm looking in your eyes and I know." "I'm so unbelievably in love with you," he continued. "You're my best friend. You're my soul mate. I'm going to keep you safe. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to wake up every morning and choose you over and over and over again 'til you tell me I can't." The Bachelorette Finale: JoJo Fletcher Makes Her Final Pick and Gets Engaged| ABC, Couples, Reality TV, The Bachelorette, People Picks, TV News, JoJo Fletcher At this point JoJo interrupted him but only to finally say those three little words back for the very first time. "Jordan, I love you so much," she said. "I've been waiting to tell you that I love you. I love you so much. I didn't want you to get down on one knee until I told you that." Then, finally, it happened: "I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Jordan said, getting down on one knee. "Joelle Hannah Fletcher, will you marry me?" JoJo said yes, and he placed the ring on finger, both of their hands shaking with emotion. "This is the best day of my life," JoJo told the cameras. "Our life," Jordan added. "It's us now. Just you and me." Well, not to brag or anything, but we did call it. On Monday's finale of The Bachelorette, JoJo chose between the two remaining men vying for her love. This season continued its theme of JoJo crying over her decision of which men to keep. It seemed it came down to the last hours. Robby visited with her family and asked her parents for her hand in marriage. That won points with JoJo and her family. Jordan didn't feel the mood was right and didn't ask them. That stuck in JoJo's mind as such an issue that it JoJo considered accepting Robby's proposal. However, Jordan was able to ask the Fletchers for permission and let her know in a letter. She cried while reading it. On a beach in Phuket, Thailand, Robby began proposing to the woman he had fallen in love with but she interrupted and let him know that he was not the one for her. He calmly left. Later, Jordan walked onto the beach, ring in hand. Before he proposed, she said, "I just want to tell you how I feel 'cause I don't know if I've done that fully yet. Jordan, I love you so much. I've been waiting to tell you that I love you." Jordan then got on one knee, asked her to marry him, and celebrated their very public love for each other. The popularity of trampoline parks is on the rise, and with it the number of emergency-room visits for injuries that kids get while at these parks, according to a new study. The number of kids who went to the emergency room for injuries that occurred at trampoline parks increased nearly twelvefold in the past few years, jumping to 6,932 ER visits in 2014, up from 581 in 2010, the study found. Some of the most serious injuries the kids in the study got at trampoline parks included injuries of the neck or spinal cord and open fractures (meaning the broken bone sticks out through the skin), said Dr. Kathryn E. Kasmire, a pediatrician at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford and the lead author of the study. [9 Weird Ways Kids Can Get Hurt] The number of trampoline parks in recent years increased from between 35 and 40 parks in 2011 to 280 in 2014, according to the data from the International Association of Trampoline Parks cited in the new study. About five to six new parks open every month, according to the association. In the study, published today (Aug. 1) in the journal Pediatrics, the researchers looked at the numbers of injuries at trampoline parks in the U.S. that sent kids to the emergency room between 2010 and 2014. During this time period, kids were admitted to emergency rooms for an average of 91,750 injuries related to trampoline use per year. Those injuries occurred while kids were using trampolines at home, at trampoline parks and at other locations such as recreational facilities, the researchers found. The researchers focused on the types of injuries that kids got at trampoline parks and on trampolines at home. They found that sprains and fractures were the most common types of injuries at both trampoline parks and homes. But injuries at trampoline parks were more likely to involve the leg and were less likely to involve the head, compared with injuries sustained at homes, the researchers found. In addition, kids who were injured at trampoline parks were more likely to go to the hospital for their injuries than those who were injured while using trampolines at home, the researchers found. Story continues The scientists also found that kids who had been injured at trampoline parks tended to be older, with an average age of 13, compared with kids who had been injured at home, with an average age of 9.5. And boys were more likely to be injured than girls, at both trampoline parks and at home, according to the findings. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against kids using recreational trampolines at any location. And if children do use trampolines, adults should constantly supervise them, the AAP recommends. Dr. Mitchell Price, a pediatric surgeon and director of pediatric trauma at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, agreed. "Always have an adult around," said Price, who was not involved in the new study. And it is not recommended for more than one child to be on a trampoline at once, Price added. Indeed, having multiple kids jumping on the same trampoline was a factor in many of the injuries described in the study, Kasmire said. If parents do decide to take their kids to trampoline parks, they should try to pick times when the parks are less crowded to avoid this issue, she said. The AAP also advises that trampolines be surrounded with padding or trampoline walls, and that trampolines be placed at ground level to increase the kids' safety. The association also recommends that kids avoid flips and somersaults while using trampolines. 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. Dubai (AFP) - A Bahraini court on Tuesday denied bail for prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab despite a new request to free him on health grounds, a judicial source said. The 51-year-old activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was rearrested in June and is on trial on charges of insulting a state institution and neighbouring Saudi Arabia online. He attended Tuesday's hearing during which the judge rejected his defence team's request to free Rajab because of his "health situation," the source said. However, a doctor will check up on the activist in prison, the source added. Rajab has had recurring health problems and was briefly hospitalised late in June. But the court ordered that he remain in custody throughout the trial and set the next hearing for September 5. The criminal court had also denied bail for Rajab during the first court hearing on July 12. Amnesty International has said Rajab could face up to 13 years if convicted and has denounced what it described as a "farcical trial". The Shiite activist has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to Bahrain's Sunni authorities. He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorised protests in the Shiite-majority kingdom. 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. Police fatally shot an African-American woman and injured a boy during an hours-long standoff Monday in Maryland. Korryn Gaines, 23, was killed after three police officers attempted to serve arrest warrants to her and her boyfriend, Kareem Courtney, 39, at her apartment in Randallstown, near Baltimore. Gaines was allegedly pointing a gun at the officers and was shot and killed after she repeatedly threatened to kill the officers, Baltimore County police said in a news release. Gainess 5-year-old son was in the apartment and was injured after being shot in the crossfire. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Childrens Center for treatment. Police said it was unclear whether he was shot by Gaines or by the officers. Police said they had a warrant to arrest Gaines for an outstanding traffic violation when they went to her apartment Monday morning. Gaines barricaded herself with a shotgun, prompting a standoff that lasted more than five hours, police said. According to police, at 3 p.m., Gaines pointed her weapon at an officer and said, If you dont leave, Im going to kill you. Police said Courtney was apprehended as he tried to leave the apartment with a 1-year-old boy. Bangladesh police offered a reward on Tuesday for two top Islamists accused of spearheading the rise of extremism in the country, which is reeling from a mass killing at a Dhaka cafe. Police announced a two million taka ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury, who disappeared after allegedly masterminding the cafe attack. Chowdhury is accused of heading a faction of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) homegrown militant group, blamed for scores of murders of members of religious minorities. Police are also searching for sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq and offering a similar reward. He is accused of heading a second Islamist group, Ansar al Islam, suspected of killing a series of secular bloggers and activists. "We are trying to arrest them. We believe if they are brought to justice.... we can eliminate extremism from the country," national police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters. Authorities are under great pressure to crack down on extremism in Muslim-majority Bangladesh after a recent increase in gruesome attacks. Five gunmen stormed an upscale cafe in the capital on July 1. They killed 20 mainly foreign hostages and two police officers in Bangladesh's deadliest single militant attack of recent years. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the cafe siege, releasing images of the carnage and a photo of the attackers posing with its black flag. Hoque reiterated that police have no evidence of IS involvement, saying "these are homegrown extremists. They are mainly JMB members" who sympathised with the IS jihadist group. Hoque said 30-year-old Tamim planned the attack on the cafe after returning from living in Canada in 2013. Releasing details of the second wanted Islamist, a senior police officer told AFP that Haq was sacked from the army in 2011 for his role in a failed military coup. Authorities say the two homegrown extremist groups have been responsible for killing at least 80 people over the last three years, including foreigners. Story continues Hoque defended police progress in tracking down those behind the mayhem, saying officers "have arrested 172 people for their involvement in the incidents". The rewards were posted as the education ministry ordered the closure of several schools reportedly linked to radical Indian preacher Zakir Naik as well as members of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The schools were operating "without any permission" from authorities, ministry spokesman Mohammad Saifullah said in a statement, as the government tries to halt suspected radicalisation of students. Last month authorities banned Naik's Peace TV, which broadcasts his speeches and other Islamic programmes, following media reports that two of the cafe attackers were followers of the controversial preacher. Leading Canadian telephone operator BCE Inc. BCE is scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4, before the opening bell. Last quarter, the company posted a negative earnings surprise of 4.62%. However, the companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the previous four quarters, with an average beat of 4.01%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. BCE INC Price and EPS Surprise BCE INC Price and EPS Surprise | BCE INC Quote Factors Likely to Influence this Quarter We are impressed with BCEs strategic moves to enhance employee skills, increase capital investments and reduce expenditures. However, failure to execute any of these will impact the companys financials and growth prospects. Stringent regulatory measures imposed by the Canadian regulators are a major concern. The company also witnessed decline in network access services lines. BCE continues to invest in LTE, broadband and fiber to provide additional capacity on Internet and wireless networks. However, the company was unable to recover these costs from customers due to competitors short-term pricing of comparable services. Intense price competition is forcing prospective and existing customers to opt for discounted monthly rate plans offered by competitors. Further, exposure to labor union issues covered by collective bargaining agreements leads to work disruptions and higher labor costs. Satellites used by Bell TV are subject to significant operational risks and construction and launch delays that could have an adverse effect on Bell TVs business and financial results. Nevertheless, increasing deployment of Gigabit Fibe coupled with efforts to enhance broadband fiber, 4G LTE mobile networks, upcoming 5G networks, IP phone services and post-paid business should help the company gain customers and also put a check on churn. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that BCE is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here as elaborated below. Story continues Zacks ESP: BCE has an earnings ESP of -4.23%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate is pegged at 68 cents and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at 71 cents. Zacks Rank: BCE has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Please note thatwe caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies that you may consider instead as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. Facebook Inc. FB, with an earnings ESP of +2.63% and a Zacks Rank #1. MKS Instruments Inc. MKSI, with an earnings ESP of +2.60% and a Zacks Rank #1. MeetMe Inc. MEET, with an earnings ESP of +33.33% and a Zacks Rank #2. 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 MKS INSTRUMENTS (MKSI): Free Stock Analysis Report BCE INC (BCE): Free Stock Analysis Report FACEBOOK INC-A (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report MEETME INC (MEET): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Since the start of her short career, Bella Hadid has been embraced by the world's biggest fashion houses from Chanel, Dior and Balmain to Givenchy and Calvin Klein, but in a surprising move considering her Instagirl/supermodel status, niche Brit brand J.W.Anderson has nabbed her for the AW16 campaign. It's the first time the label has chosen a celebrity as the face: "When we were discussing the general concept of the campaign, we wanted a beautiful girl with a strong personality," Jonathan Anderson explained, "Bellas name came up and it was then decided!" While last season's campaign images were the size of a postage stamp and featured lesser-known face Mayka Merino, in these full-bleed shots, Bella is depicted as an actress on set, captured during a moment backstage by photographer Jamie Hawkesworth and styled by Benjamin Bruno, Anderson's longtime collaborators. In stark contrast, the colourful image of Bella in a ruffle-hemmed yellow and blue dress is juxtaposed with a striking black and white portrait of a boy with a marionette hanging around his neck. Shot in Lee Valley Regional Park in Essex, the location was presumably a world away from the glitz and glamour red carpet regular Bella is used to. And it's certainly been a busy few months for Ms Hadid, starring on the August cover of Vogue China alongside rapper and music producer G-Dragon (shot for the first time by legendary fashion photographer Mario Testino) as well as fronting the September issue of Vogue Japan, handpicked by editor Anna Dello Russo. It's also been a busy few months for Jonathan Anderson, creative director of J.W.Anderson and Loewe, who collaborated on a capsule collection with A$AP Rocky to coincide with his SS17 menswear show in June. It has also been rumoured that he may be replacing Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton, though at present the French fashion house has strongly denied such reports. Whether or not it turns out to be the case, if Anderson continues to create such critically acclaimed collections and collaborate with the biggest names in the biz, the fashion world really is his oyster. Story continues Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? You Have To See Rihanna Encrusted In Diamonds On W's Cover This Swimwear Collab Has Your Holiday Wardrobe Sorted Ashley Graham's Latest Body-Positive Campaign Is So Fierce By PTI: Ghaziabad, Aug 1 (PTI) One platoon of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has been deployed at the Hajj House building, a senior police officer said. One platoon of PAC has been deployed, one sub inspector, 7 constables and six commandos of quick response team (QRT) are permanently deployed to guard the Hajj House building, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Aashish Srivastav, said. PTI COR RG --- ENDS --- advertisement Benedict Cumberbatch is undertaking an adaptation of the classic British novel Rogue Male. The star of Sherlock and Doctor Strange will star in and produce the film with Lloyd Levin, Branwen Prestwood Smith and Beatriz Levin of Black Sheep Pictures. Also producing will be Adam Ackland of SunnyMarch, Cumberbatch's production company. Michael Lesslie (Macbeth, Assassin's Creed) has been hired to write the screenplay for the project, which is set up at Fox Searchlight. The survivalist thriller told of a hunter who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is caught, tortured and left for dead. When he escapes back home to England, he must hide out in a harsh countryside with the enemy agents as well as the police in hot pursuit. Rogue Male was published in 1939 and the author, Geoffrey Household, said the dictator was intended to be a stand-in for Adolph Hitler. The novel has fascinated directors and actors from the day it came out. Twentieth Century Fox adapted it in 1940 as Man Hunt, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Walter Pidgeon (and with Hitler as the dictator) and Peter O'Toole starred in a BBC production made for television in 1977. "I am thrilled both as an actor and producer to be working on bringing this most treasured of English novels to the big screen," said Cumberbatch, who read the novel several years ago. Household specialized in thrillers and wrote 28 novels. Rogue Male was a best-seller and is regarded as his masterpiece. Victoria Nelson brought the project to Levin's attention years ago and will co-produce. Fox Searchlight Pictures co-heads of production Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum, along with senior vp of production Anikah McLaren and director of production Katie Goodson-Thomas, will oversee the project. Bill Hamilton of A.M. Heath repped the Household estate and the book rights. Lesslie is repped by WME and Rachel Holroyd of Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Cumberbatch, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 2014's The Imitation Game, is already moving into the producing field and his SunnyMarch is developing the Gary Whitta script The War Magician for Studio Canal. He is repped by UTA and John Grant in the U.K. as well Sloane, Offer, which also repped the producers. Read more: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen to Star in 'Ingrid Goes West' (Exclusive) Benedict Cumberbatch is set to star in an adaptation of the classic British novel Rogue Male for Fox Searchlight. He will also produce with Lloyd Levin, Branwen Prestwood Smith and Beatriz Levin of Black Sheep Pictures. Also producing will be Adam Ackland of SunnyMarch, Cumberbatchs production company. Michael Lesslie has been hired to write the screenplay. The thriller is about a hunter who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is caught, tortured and left for dead. When he escapes back home to England, he must hide out in a harsh, rural countryside while enemy agents and the police are in hot pursuit. The book was published in 1939 and the author, Geoffrey Household, said the dictator was intended to be a stand-in for Adolph Hitler. Cumberbatch, who is repped by UTA, can be seen next in Marvels Doctor Strange, which bows in November. Related stories 'Sherlock' Season 4 Gets Intense New Trailer at Comic-Con New 'Doctor Strange' Trailer Debuts at Comic-Con London's Riverside Studios Puts Digital at Heart of Performance Arts From Road & Track Last week, Aparecida Schunck, mother-in-law of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, was kidnapped and held for a $36.5 million ransom in Sao Paolo. This was apparently the highest ransom ever demanded in Brazil's history, but now, Schunck has been freed from her captors without a single cent paid out. After nine days in captivity, Schunck was freed Sunday after a coordinated police operation, according to a BBC report. Police tracked her location from phone calls between her family and her kidnappers, and arrested two suspects during the raid. Schunck was found tied up in the kidnapper's apartment, but uninjured. Ecclestone, who's worth around $3.1 billion, reportedly wanted to go to Brazil and aide the investigation, but local police told him he and his wife should stay in the UK. The F1 boss married Schunck's daughter, Fabiana Flosi, in 2012 after meeting her at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The BBC notes that this is a rather unusual outcome for this sort of kidnappinggenerally in such high profile cases, the ransom is paid in full to avoid a more tragic outcome. By James Oliphant MIDDLETOWN, CONN. - Two years ago, Judy Konopka and Craig Diangelo lost their jobs in the IT department of what was then known as Northeast Utilities, a regional electricity provider, when the company decided to replace about 220 employees with guest workers from India. In order to receive a more lucrative separation package, they had to train their foreign replacements both here and overseas. Both had trouble finding new work. Konopka, 56, is still looking. Diangelo, 64, is working as a contractor for a company that provides no benefits, making substantially less than he did before. He views himself as a victim of globalization, a casualty of offshoringand he credits Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who has cast himself as the champion of displaced and disaffected U.S. workers, for bringing the issue to light. Ill vote for him, says Diangelo, over dinner at a Thai restaurant on this towns Main Street. Two others at the table murmur in assent. He continues, his voice rising: I wasnt planning on retiring early. I wasnt planning on making $35,000 less. Ive had to cut back a lot. I basically live paycheck to paycheck. I could never vote for Hillary Clinton, Diangelo says, citing Clintons support of the North American Free Trade Agreement, passed while her husband, Bill, was president, as well as her advocacy of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact thats still being negotiated by the Obama administration. (Challenged by Bernie Sanders, Clinton has since retracted her support of TPP.) Even Konopka, who favors Clinton (she calls Trump the biggest idiot), has to admit Clintons support of trade deals such as NAFTA gives her pause. When Northeast Utilities fired her after 21 years, I felt betrayed. Konopka took advantage of a federal trade assistance program to improve her skills in web design, then discovered she couldnt compete with designers outside the country who were willing to work for much less. Now, to get by, she sells vintage books on the web. Its starting to get really scary, she says. This presidential election is, purportedly, the Year of the Angry Voter, with images of scuffles at Trump rallies occupying cable-news screens. But as befitting someone who lives in a place called Middletown, Konopka is more typical of voters: consumed by a stomach-churning uncertainty, a vague sense of something lost, and an inescapable belief that an array of powerful forcescorporations, politicians, governmentarent looking out for them. Economists and pundits have been struggling to explain why, with unemployment below 5 percent and a bounty of positive economic indicators, voters seem so dismayed, so distrustful. It might be something as simple as bargaining power. In his best-known book, The Art of the Deal, Trump advises every negotiator to use your leverage. But increasingly, U.S. workers, white-and blue-collar alike, feel they have none. Theyve seen their power erode as they are tossed into a global labor pool, as companies consolidate and shed jobs to please Wall Street, as unions wither, state budgets tighten, technology advances and iconic brands such as Nabisco pack up and move to Mexico. The squeeze is on. Theres a feeling among workers that not only are they replaceable, but that they will be replaced, says Gary Chaison, a professor of industrial relations at Clark University in nearby Worcester, Massachusetts. That there is no security anymore, that someone is making a profit by letting them go. Trump, he adds, has tapped into that very well. According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, 71 percent of Trump supporters either have had to take a lower-paying job in the last few years, have a family member who has had to do so, or have a family member whose home has been threatened by foreclosure. In a sign of how widespread the phenomenon has become, 63 percent of Clinton supporters reported the same dismal tally. People feel more insecure about trade than terrorism, Chaison tells me. Everyone knows someone who has lost their job. What bothers Diangelo most is that he was let go by a company that still valued his skilljust not him. The sad part is that my job is still there, he says. It didnt go away. I went away. CANDIDATES IN HARD HATS None of this should feel particularly new. The United States has been bleeding middle-class workersespecially in the industrial and manufacturing sectorsas long as Bruce Springsteen has been around to sing about it. Candidates adorned with hard hats vowing to bring back factory jobs have become a set-piece of modern politics. The United States has lost more than 5 million manufacturing jobs in the past 15 years as the trade deficit has mushroomed, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank in Washington. Wage growth in almost all sectors has flatlined over that time, including for the bottom 70 percent of fouryear college graduates--and growth overall has been anemic, at under 2 percent. And while the 9 million jobs vaporized in the flash of the Great Recession have been recovered, the majority of them are of lesser quality than the ones they replaced. Perhaps most fundamentally, the relationship between employee and employer has shifted. Workers share of the pie has decreased substantially since the 1970s, when the countrys corporate and industrial base began to erode. Last year, workers share dropped to 75.5 percent of corporate income, even as technology has made workforces more productive and efficient. U.S. corporate profits, meantime, returned to pre-recession levels in 2012. Workers sense that the recovery is only partial. It helps employers more than it helps workers, Chaison says. If workers sense of slippage seems familiar, the way their discontent is rippling through our politics feels newly transformative. Voters threw out the Republicans running Congress in 2006, then two years later elected the first African-American president, an outsider who vowed reform. Souring on him, they replaced Democrats then controlling Congress with another set of Republicans in 2010 and 2014, making governance as unstable as the business sector. In a period of war, terrorism and economic chaos, all that churn might best be viewed as a deeply frustrated electorate trying to use what little leverage they have to change a system they consider to be otherwise unaccountable. Trump has been the main beneficiary of that frustration. He makes those in the crowd feel like they matter, that they finally have a bully of their own who can push back at what they view as an alliance of unprincipled corporate culture and an enabling government. Youre looking at a situation where the jobs are being ripped out of our states, out of our country, like candy from a baby, Trump said at a rally this spring. It has been Trump, along with Democrat Sanders, who has pushed the issue of job losses to countries such as China, Mexico and India to the forefront. Trump has threatened to slap a tax on imports and tear up trade deals. In Indiana earlier this year, he ripped air conditioner manufacturer Carrier for announcing it would lay off 2,100 workers and move its operations to Mexico. He gave Nabisco the same treatment, pledging he would no longer eat Oreos. He has slammed companies such as Apple and Boeing for their overseas operations, as well. Few presidential candidates have such temerity to challenge well-known American brands, but clearly it is resonating. They might not like everything he says, but they believe he says what he thinks, Lewis Gossett, president of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, told me last summer. I think were repeating a time in history when the very rich are removed from the very poor. TWO TYPES OF CEO MINDSETS Michael Smith is one of the Americans Trump rallies for. Smith was among 600 Nabisco employees laid off at the bakery on Chicagos South Side earlier this year, after the company announced it was transferring some work to Mexico. He got the news at 3 a.m. It was, Smith tells me, a dark night when all your livelihood passes in front of you, and you feel like youve been given the royal shaft. Smith operated the machines that wrapped Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers. With overtime, he could clear $85,000 a year. Hes 59 and wasnt thinking he would have to re-enter the job market. The day before, Smith had shown up at a shareholders meeting in Chicago to confront Irene Rosenfeld, the chief executive of Mondelez International, the holding company that oversees the Nabisco brand, about the move to Mexico. While sympathetic, Rosenfeld said it was her duty to maximize the corporations value to its shareholders worldwide by cutting costs. There are two types of CEO mindsets, Smith responded, those who care about shareholders and those who care about the shareholders and the people. In our conversation, Smith didnt begrudge the companys legal right to relocate the jobs, but he questions a CEO who earned more than $40 million in compensation over the last two years exhorting the virtues of cost-cutting to a room full of laid-off blue-collar workers. Thats not good citizenship, he says. Wealth comes from the workers. That profitability comes from us. Clinton met with a small group of the Nabisco workers in March, the day before the Illinois primary. But the visit didnt leave Smith with much hope that as president she could do much either for the workers situation or to reverse the demands of a globalized economy. In part, thats due to Clintons support of NAFTA, which Smith terms an infection, but also because of the lobbying might of Mondelez, a $30 billion company, and other big corporations. Smith is the unusual American voter who says he hasnt decided between Clinton and Trump. Hell focus on the election later. First, he has to keep his household afloat and his daughter in school at Columbia College in Chicago. He has six months salary to cushion him. Hes trying to stay optimistic about finding work, saying his wife and daughter are counting on him. But, he concedes, I think I have been a little bit in denial. Even people of faith have bouts of depression. PINK SLIPS Angela Valero gives a one-word reply when I ask her about a potential Clinton-Trump matchup: Ugh. I might as well be asking about whos going to win the next regatta on Mars, so far is the election from her daily concerns. Valeros dream job was to be a corrections officer. She was finally hired on by the state of Connecticut last fall. The single mother of an 8-year-old girl thought that, at last, she had a reliable, stable position with benefits. But after completing an academy training course and being posted as a guard at the state maximum-security facility in nearby Uncasville, she found out this spring that she was being laid off, a consequence of a decision made by Connecticuts Democratic governor, Dannel Malloy, and the state legislature to not raise taxes on the wealthy to cover a budget shortfall. Lawmakers worried that the states richest residents would relocate to Florida, which has no state income tax, or other states with lower taxes. During the downturn, Connecticut lost a bevy of high-paying jobs in the financial services sector in the corporate hub of Stamford and elsewhere. The jobs created during the recovery were less lucrative, resulting in lower tax revenue. In addition, the state was spooked when General Electric, responding to an effort by the legislature to raise business taxes, announced it was relocating its headquarters from Fairfield to Boston. Aetna, the health insurer based in Hartford, also threatened to leave the state. That shelved any notion of new taxes. The state looked to trim its public workforce instead. Easy targets, says Lori Pelletier, president of the state AFL-CIO. Rape counselors, child-service workers, prison guards began receiving pink slips. Ultimately, 2,500 or more state workers could be let go. Pelletier contrasted that with the 200 jobs GE is moving to Boston--something that drew substantial media attention. The state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston helped recruit GE with a generous benefit package, including $25 million in property tax relief for a corporation that critics have long held pays little in U.S. taxes. Angela last year paid more taxes than GE, Pelletier says. And shes the one losing her job. Valero tells me she has little faith that anyone in Washington can help her. She doesnt sleep more than four hours a night, kept up by worrying about paying the electric bill and keeping her house. She has no idea whether shell ever be recalled to work. Throughout the interview, she stays stoic, determined, like the corrections office she was trained to be. Only at the end of our conversation does she slip a bit. I held back the tears, she says with relief. CULLING AND CUTTING Ron Ozer greets me at the door with the sheepishness of someone who isnt used to being at home during the workday. Ozer, 53, was laid off from DuPont Co. in January after a 23-year career. A Ph.D in chemical engineering, he has more than 20 patents to his name. He worked on long-term projects at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, one of the more storied research facilities in the country, where products such as nylon, Lycra and Kevlar were created. Some of the great developments in American industry came out of that site, Ozer says. It was a time when America was growing so dramatically. But a lack of growth and pressure from investors forced DuPont to announce a merger with another giant, Dow Chemical. In advance of the merger, it has begun to shed jobs. In Delaware alone, DuPont plans to dump 1,700 workersmany in the area of long-term research, which can be expensive without yielding immediate rewards to shareholders. Ozers group was eviscerated. The $130 billion merger of DuPont and Dow blends two U.S. companies that date back to the 19th century. Barry Lynn, an economist at the New America think tank, says that industry consolidation chills the labor market, sapping demand for skilled workers such as Ozer. Dominant companies can use their market power to charge customers more or make suppliers pay lessall without having to grow and create jobs to survive. Indeed, the push from Wall Street is to cull and cut, not grow. And when companies do expand today its largely through acquisition, not investment. Thats a huge amount of the energy thats behind Trump, Lynn says, the sense of power being consolidated and being out of control and harming me and my family and my community. Ozer will try to take advantage of his contacts at DuPont to become a consultant, but admits thats a gamble. Asked if he thinks he can replicate the six-figure salary he enjoyed at DuPont, he laughs. Im not confident of that. His chief concern is his two daughters, both of whom are out of college. In order to give his youngest a leg up in the market, he sent her to private Haverford College in Pennsylvania (tuition: $46,000)going deep into debt to do so. I have a lot of possibilities, but I need things to start turning into dollars soon, he says. OUTSOURCING AND GLOBALIZATION For Sara Blackwell, representing U.S. workers displaced by the federal H1-B visa program began as a gig. Now, its a full-blown cause. The Tampa lawyer has been giving away clients who would distract her from her work. She jokes shes stopped sleeping and exercising. Recently, she launched a website called ProtectUSworkers.com. I speak to an average of 10 people a day who are victims of this, she tells me. The more I learn about this, the more I have to fight. She began by representing IT workers at Walt Disney World in Florida who were replaced by guest workers from India brought in on temporary visas by outsourcing firms that contracted with Disney. She has filed a long-shot conspiracy lawsuit in federal court. Blackwell contends that the practice of outsourcing low-end, back-office IT jobs to cut costs has become endemic. Globalization, she says, is systematically lowering the standard of living of American workers. Its a race to the bottom, she says. The Disney case garnered the attention of some in the U.S. Senate, including Jeff Sessions, a Republican from Alabama who now is at the forefront of a fight against the American tech industry, which wants to expand the guest-worker program citing a lack of domestic qualified engineers and programmers. But those tech companies are at the back of the line. According to Ron Hira, a professor at Howard University who tracks applications, outsourcing firms have been crowding out tech companies in the race to acquire the highly coveted H1-B visas, which are capped at 85,000 a year. Sessions, who is also a fierce opponent of immigration reform, was one of the first U.S. politicians to embrace Trumpand Blackwell has spoken out against the program at several Trump rallies. She also has consulted with the outsourced employees who worked at Northeast Utilities in Connecticut, including Craig Diangelo. Part of Diangelos frustrationand part of what is driving him toward Trumpis that Washington has done so little to curb what he views as abuses of the H1-B program. There is a greater push now on Capitol Hill to broaden the program rather than rein it in. Theres nobody to help us, he tells me. Theres nobody to say you cant do this. Richard Blumenthal, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, has been part of efforts to expand the program, but also to reform it. Its a desperately serious problem, he says. He told me that even though there is some bipartisan consensus on reform, efforts still arent moving forward, consumed by the same paralysis thats stalling everything else. There are powerful forces against us, Blumenthal says, including the companies that exploit these programs. To Diangelo, thats the dilemma of the modern, middle-class voter. He worked hard for years, lost his job when his only transgression was being too old and making too much money, was humiliated when he had to train his replacement, and then watched how state and federal politicians have been able to do nothing to help him. Why shouldnt he support Donald Trump? Whats worth preserving? Hes a tech worker, sipping Pinot Grigio over pad thai. Hes no militant or conspiracist. Yet... There is going to be an uprising, he says. People are starting to say: `Ive had enough of this. Ive really had enough. By Nita Bhalla, Rina Chandran and Anuradha Nagaraj KODERMA/BHILWARA/SYDAPURAM, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In the depths of India's illegal mica mines, where children as young as five work alongside adults, lurks a dark, hidden secret - the cover-up of child deaths with seven killed in the past two months, a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation has revealed. Investigations over three months in the major mica producing states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh found child labor rife, with small hands ideal to pick and sort the valued mineral that puts the sparkle in cosmetics and car paint. But interviews with workers and local communities discovered children were not only risking their health in abandoned "ghost" mines off official radars, but they were dying in the unregulated, crumbling mines, with seven killed since June. In the mud-and-brick village of Chandwara in Bihar in eastern India, a father's grief laid bare the ugly reality of the illegal mining that accounts for an estimated 70 percent of India's mica output. Vasdev Rai Pratap's 16-year-old son Madan was killed in a mica mine along with two other adult workers in the neighboring state of Jharkhand on June 23. "I didn't know how dangerous the work in the mines is. Had I known, I would never have let him go," said Pratap, sitting on a charpoy - a traditional woven bed - outside his home, surrounded by friends and family who had come to mourn the teen's death. "They said it took almost a day to dig out his body after the mine collapsed. They cremated him without telling me. I didn't even see my boy before they set him alight." Pratap, like other victims' families and mine operators, has not reported the death, choosing to accept a payment for his loss rather than risk ending the illegal mining on protected forest land that brings income to some of India's poorest areas. The farmer said he was promised a 100,000 rupee ($1,500) payment from the operator of the mine but has yet to receive it. The mine where Madan was working is illegal, and no one was available to comment on the teenager's death. Indian law forbids children below the age of 18 working in mines and other hazardous industries but many families living in extreme poverty rely on children to boost household income. The Thomson Reuters Foundation findings were backed up by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi's child protection group Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) - or Save the Childhood Movement - which documented over 20 mica-related deaths in June - including that of Madan and two other children - double the monthly average. BBA discovered four children were killed in July. India is one of the world's largest producers of the silver-colored, crystalline mineral that has gained prominence in recent years as an environmentally-friendly material, used by major global brands in the car and building sectors, electronics and make-up. "BLOOD MONEY" A spokesman for India's Ministry of Mines said safety in mica mines was a matter for state governments who are facing mounting pressure from the mining industry to grant licenses to illegal mines. Social activists also support these calls, claiming it will help crackdown on the flourishing black market in mica, worker exploitation and abuse, and child deaths. "The central government has no machinery to inspect or control the mines," the spokesman Y.S. Kataria told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. BBA workers, who have been trying to stop child labor in Jharkhand's mica mines for almost a decade, said Madan's death and the six others in the past two months were just the tip of the iceberg, estimating fewer than 10 percent of mica mine deaths are reported to the police. "Although there are no official figures on child deaths in the mines as it is all illegal, we hear about them through our networks in the villages where we work," said Raj Bhushan, BBA's Jharkhand Project Coordinator. "Normally, we hear about 10 fatalities on average in a month. But in June, we documented over 20 deaths, including two of boys aged around 15 years old." Officials from India's Directorate of Mines Safety were not available to comment on the number of child fatalities. The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a government organization, conducted a fact-finding mission in Jharkhand's Koderma and Giridih districts in June and found children as young as eight mining mica. "We didn't get any reports of children being injured or dying due to mine accidents such as collapses as it is all illegal and not reported openly. But it may be happening," said the head of the fact finding mission of NCPCR, Priyank Kanoongo. A senior official from Jharkhand's labor department, which is responsible for ensuring child labor laws are followed, said there were no reports of children dying due to mica mining. "Firstly it is a violation of the law of the land if people are mining without any approval and if they are engaging child labor, they committing a double crime," said Principal Secretary of Jharkhand's labor department S.K.G. Rahate. OFFICIALS KNOW OF CHILD LABOR District officials admit child labor is a problem in some mines but say it is restricted to remote pockets where government services and welfare schemes have failed to reach the poor with training in new industries and schooling. "There are some portions where mica mining is going on and where children are involved, and we're trying to roll out schemes to support families to generate other income such as training in goat breeding, masonry and making pickles," said Uma Shankar Singh, District Collector for Giridih. Dutch campaign group SOMO estimates up to 20,000 children are involved in mica mining in Jharkhand and Bihar. Investigations by the Thomson Reuters Foundation over three months found children working in and around mica mines in northern Jharkhand, southern Bihar and in Rajasthan in India's northwest. In vast open-pits in Jharkhand, children as young as six squatted among glittering rocks scouring with their bare hands for shiny, brittle mica flakes, while older ones descended rickety ladders into shafts seeking better quality silicate. In Giridih's Tisri area, Basanti sifted through the reddish earth searching for pieces of mica while her 10-year-old son Sandeep climbed into a rat-hole dug in the side of the hill and descended 3 meters (10 ft) to pound on the wall with a pick-axe. His mother said the skinny boy in checked shorts and a white T-shirt has been working in the mines since he was seven and, with his contribution, the family earns 300 rupees ($4) daily. "I know it's dangerous but that's the only work there is," she said, squatting on the ground, a metal dish partially filled with mica beside her. "I know Sandeep doesn't want to do it but it is what it is. If he was able to go to school and learn and become something then that's good, but first we need to eat." "EVEN ADULT MINE WORKERS AREN'T SAFE" In Bhilwara district in Rajasthan, boys as young as five were seen climbing down narrow, crumbling shafts to cut mica with a hammer and chisel, working for up to eight hours a day. Their sisters sifted and separated the mica on the surface, squatting on their haunches and using their bare fingers. Older girls also separated the mica and took it to a collection point. "Mine owners say the children aren't working inside the mines, they're outside. That they're just earning a little extra for the family," said Rana Sengupta, chief executive of the non-profit Mine Labour Protection Campaign in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. "But the children have no business being anywhere near the mines, inside or outside. Even adult mine workers aren't safe." At a mine in Bhilwara's Tiloli village, two young girls sat on a mound of dirt, sorting mica pieces by the side of a mine partly filled with rain water. "I don't go into the mine. It's too deep, I get scared," said Pooja, who looked about seven years old. "I sort bigger pieces from smaller pieces. It's not so hard." A few feet from her sat nine-year-old Payal, also sorting mica pieces with her bare hands. Dhanraj Sharma, a commissioner in Rajasthan's Labour Ministry, said he was not aware of child workers in the mines in Bhilwara or "anywhere else in the state". "Their parents are working in the mines, and the children stay with them. They may be playing there, they may be doing some small things for the parents. That doesn't mean they are working," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The recent surge in demand for mica has revived a flagging industry in India that dates back to the late 19th century when the British discovered mica in a belt spanning Jharkhand's Koderma, Giridih and Hazaribag and Bihar's Nawada, Jamui, Gaya and Bhagalpur districts. Once boasting over 700 mines with over 20,000 workers, the industry was hit by 1980 legislation to limit deforestation and the discovery of substitutes for natural mica, forcing most mines to close due to cost and stringent environmental rules. In 2013/14 India only had 38 reporting mica mines, according to India's Bureau of Mines. THREATS AND INTIMIDATION But renewed interest in mica from China's economic boom and a global craze for "natural" cosmetics has sent illegal operators scurrying to access the hundreds of closed mines in India and created a lucrative black market. Figures from India's Bureau of Mines show the country produced 19,000 tonnes of mica in 2013/14. But the same data shows exports were 128,000 tonnes, with more than half, or 62 percent, going to China followed by Japan, the United States, the Netherlands and France. Despite numerous emails and phone calls, no one could be reached at the Bureau of Mines to comment on the discrepancy in the numbers. Leading Indian color and pigment maker Sudarshan said experts estimate about 70 percent of mica production in India is from illegal mining in forests and abandoned mines. This mica is sold to various traders, processors and exporters with deals conducted on mobile phones leaving no paper trail as it leaves India for manufacturers overseas. "We sell the mica to an agent in town, who sells to a big buyer from Kolkata, who exports to China, the United States, Germany and Brazil," said mine operator Dhara Singh, who said he and his brother owned a half dozen mines in Bhilwara. When asked about the two young girls sorting mica at the site in Bhilwara's Tiloli village, he said they were volunteers. But within minutes, four men arrived on two motorbikes, forcing all visitors from the site. The abuse of workers and threats of violence and intimidation tainting the industry have added to the mounting demand within the industry for the government to intervene to ensure all mines are operated legally while also helping impoverished communities find new sources of income. "The stock is there, the demand is there but the government is not granting licenses," said one Giridih-based businessman, who exports mica to China, Germany and Britain. "Exporters continue to work, buying the mica from here and there. But there is a general sense of insecurity that the government could crack down any time. It is better they grant the licenses and take the royalty." SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF MINES While the industry is economically unfeasible for some countries due to the need for manual labor, it remains a key earner in India where labor costs are low - particularly when child workers are used. Child rights campaigners say authorities have overlooked these child laborers for years but hope drawing attention to child deaths in the mica mines may highlight the dangers and force governments to act. Occupational hazards include head injuries, cuts and abrasions, skin and respiratory infections like silicosis, tuberculosis and asthma - but the risks from mining in poorly maintained, unregulated mines were also proving lethal. BBA's Bhushan said he and his workers met with most of the families of those who died in mining accidents in June, and found their only means of survival was this unlicensed mining. "All were poor households who are dependent on mica mining for an income," Bhushan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "They fully understand these places are death traps, but they also realize they have little choice but to go back there the next day. It is essential that authorities address this issue before more children die." In a huge open quarry inside the dense forests of Domchanch in Koderma district in Jharkhand, Sushila Devi diligently pounds at glinting gray rocks with a hammer, breaking away chunks of mica and tossing them into a large plastic basin. The 40-year-old mother of six has been collecting mica every day for over a decade, yet she - like most other workers - has no idea what it is or its price on the global market. "We don't know what mica is, where it goes and what it is used for. All I know is that if I work hard and collect it, I will get some money," she said, adding that she gathers around 10 kg of the mica daily which earns her 80 rupees ($1). "We take it to a nearby mica dump and the dealer buys it for 8 rupees per kilo. I don't know how much he sells it on for. He would never tell us. Why would he risk losing more profit?" The mark-up is huge, say activists. Mica is bought from miners at a maximum of 25 rupees (40 cents) a kilogram, yet top quality sheet or "ruby" mica sells for up to $2,000 a kilogram, according to USGS data, helping boost demand for synthetic mica. UNIQUE MINERAL British cosmetics company Lush, which prides itself on its handmade products and ethical trading, switched from natural to synthetic mica in 2014 due to concerns about child labor. Lush's head of ethical trading Simon Constantine said he knew something was amiss when armed guards were needed to accompany auditors to one Indian mine supplying their mica. But the retailer, which has stores in almost 50 countries, then discovered this year that the synthetic mica it was using instead also had traces of natural mica. The company said it is tackling that. "Mica took us a bit off guard as it was a new material that we had not really used before," Constantine told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview in Lush's head office in the English south coastal town of Poole. "But buying is an imperfect system that doesn't end ... it's always more of an improvement than a finished product." Up to 10 percent of mica globally is used in cosmetics. Estee Lauder Cos Inc is another cosmetics company using mica in its products but said it only sourced 10 percent of its mica from India and was working with BBA to tackle child labor, helping fund schools in villages in mica areas. "We strongly believe that education is a cornerstone in this effort, helping young people stay in school and providing the skills that will allow them to later on get work outside the mica industry," Estee Lauder said in an email statement. "While this program has yet to end child labor in mica mines, it shows that responsible business practices and sustained collaboration can create better prospects for children living in the mica-mining region." L'Oreal said more than 60 percent of its natural mica came from the United States while the rest came from other countries including India. "In India, mica mainly originates from socially and economically challenged regions where there is a risk of child labor, unsafe working conditions, and where the supply chain involves multiple actors," the company said on its website. L'Oreal said it was important all players worked together and a summit in February in Delhi on responsible mica sourcing, organized by French non-profit organization the Natural Resources Stewardship Circle (NRSC), was a good first step. NRSC's Executive Director Catherine Peyreaud said child abuse in mica had been going on for years but it was only when revelations about mica being used in cosmetics hit global headlines two years ago that action really started. She said NRSC was now completing a five-year plan with concrete steps to tackle child labor and improve living conditions in mica areas so children did not return to mining. In Koderma's Dhab, one of about 45 villages where BBA is working, Pooja, 13, proudly shows off the run-down school she has attended for almost two years since she left mica mining. Dressed in her school uniform - a pristine white short-sleeved shirt and a navy skirt - the bare-footed girl excitedly points out her classroom amongst the row of blue doors in the white-washed building. "I like going to school. I have friends here and I get to play and also get to study and learn things. I am happy that BBA came and helped our parents to understand that making children work is not good," said Pooja, who dreams of becoming a teacher. "The mining was dangerous. When we were down there, we were always looking up thinking the earth and rocks might fall on us. It happened to me once, but I managed to get out as my friend Munni helped me. I got badly hurt that time." COMPANY ACTION Pooja is one of the lucky ones and many more companies sourcing mica from India are now making efforts to stop children from working in the mines and provide alternatives. German drugmaker Merck KGaA discovered children were collecting mica at mines used for its supplies in 2008 so cut some of its suppliers and now only sources from Jharkhand and child-free legal mines. The company said in a website statement that it had also set up mica sources in the United States and Brazil and was producing some effect pigments based on synthetic mica. Another major buyer, Chinese pigment manufacturer Fujian Kuncai Material Technology Co Ltd, said its audits had found no evidence of child labor in its supply chain although acknowledged that it was a complex challenge. A Fujian Kuncai spokesman said the company was setting up its own firm in India to buy directly from - and audit - mines. It was also joining forces with child rights group Terre des Hommes and helping to fund a program to save 10,000 children from child labor in Koderma and Giridih districts of Jharkhand. "Alone one cannot make the difference and we are looking forward to work together reaching our shared ambition: no child labor in the mica supply chain," the spokesman said. With companies needing mica willing to fund community initiatives, campaigners believe legalizing the industry could undermine the black market in mica and help improve health and safety standards as well as combating child labor. However environmental campaigners would not welcome the reopening of these mines. Many mines are now on protected forest land and would not get approval to operate legally. Sengupta from the Mine Labour Protection Campaign in Rajasthan said a first step to combat child labor would be to mandate that all mines have an operator to report to the state to ensure workers' safety and earnings and no child workers. "In many instances, children are being forced to work because their parents aren't getting paid properly or because the father has fallen ill and has no health care," he said. "If operators are in place at every mine, we would go a long way in checking child labor." Some legal mines have managed to tackle child labor. The Sri Venkata Kanakadurga and Uma Maheshwari mica mines in Talupur in Andhra Pradesh are among the oldest and biggest licensed mines in the area but mine supervisor Syed Ismail said children don't work in the mines anymore. "In these parts, mica has always been traditional work that entire families have engaged in. My father worked in a mine and we would visit," said Ismail who has been in and out of mines since the age of five. "Over the years access to schools has made sure children are no longer in the mines. Now children here say M is for Mica." While campaigners hope that a renewed push to clean up the mica industry will help generations of children, it is too late for Pratap who has lost his youngest son, Madan. The last time he saw Madan was in April when the teen left the village in search of a life beyond farming and cattle, filled with dreams of returning home as a businessman. "He told me he was going to do something with his life and I was happy for him so I let him go," said Pratap. "How could I know the work he was doing was going to kill him?" (Additional reporting by Jatindra Dash. Editing by Belinda Goldsmith @BeeGoldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) Parents, annoyed by the mess their kids create in the house, found the best way to get their point across loud and clear. They left notes for their children, and these are hilarious. By India Today Web Desk: Raising children is a roller-coaster ride in itself but getting things done by them is a herculean task. From making them eat healthy to instructing them the dos and don'ts while you are away is a daunting experience. Moreover, their safety is one thing that is never off your mind. As parents, communicating to children is also a talent you have to acquire. advertisement But these parents seem to have nailed parenting. Check out how these parents use their creativity and wit to instruct their kids by leaving notes for them. One of them even used Liam Neeson's famous dialogue from Taken and guess what, it worked! --- ENDS --- As of July, braiding hair without a cosmetology license is no longer a crime in the state of Iowa. Two black women, Aicheria Bell and Achan Agit, filed a civil lawsuit against the states cosmetology board last fall with the help of the Institute for Justice, claiming that occupational licenses threatened their ability to make a living in Iowa, and disadvantaged black stylists in particular because of the braidings racial and cultural roots. Previously, any stylist who braided hair was required to graduate from high school (or its equivalent) and have a cosmetology licenseone that took 2,100 hours and could cost up to $22,000 to obtain. Bell and Agit say that cosmetology school mostly included training unrelated to braiding, and focused instead on more Eurocentric styles. In July, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad exempted hair braiders from the states cosmetology licensing laws, and Bell, Agit, and the Institute for Justice dismissed their lawsuit. Now, braiders in Iowa simply need to register with the state. Recommended: The American Dream Isnt Alive in Denmark Licensing laws vary across the U.S.Arizona and Delaware, for example, require no licenses for braiding hair, while Montana and South Dakota require over more than 2,000 training hours. A new report from the Institute for Justice notes an inverse relationship between the number of licensed or registered hair braiders and the requisite training hours in a state. The study finds that among 12 states and the District of Columbia, the states that demand more training hours have fewer braiders relative to their black populations than states with lighter requirements. I spoke with Aicheria Bell, one of the women who filed the lawsuit and who now braids hair in a barber shop, about how she started out as a stylist, the fear she faced braiding without a license, and how shell build her business now that the laws in her state have changed. The interview that follows has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Story continues Adrienne Green: How did you get started doing this job? Aicheria Bell: I am the eldest of 12 siblings. My mother is the single parent of six girls and six boys, and braided for a living to feed us. Naturally, as any kid, I always wanted to do what she did. I had been copying her, and actually learned to braid when I was about three years old on my little dolls. It was hard for her to manage six girls hair plus her clients, so I started out braiding my sisters hair. When I got good enough, she allowed me to help her braid her clients so she could finish in a timely manner and make more money for our household. Recommended: Is the Trump Campaign Collapsing? When I was 16, I was really making decent money and spending a lot of time in the beauty salons. In college, one of my girlfriends was a cosmetologist and I would braid to prepare for her to style people. She paid me out of pocket, and when my work-study ran out I asked her if I could be her assistant and do more tasks. I remember being in school for business and entrepreneurship, and there was a disconnect: I was taking classes at the University of Minnesota, and wondering, What type of business am I going to be in? Then one day, it just clicked like, duh, you've been in the beauty industry for so longthis is your business. Green: Did you finish school after that revelation? Aicheria Bell, a hair braider in Iowa (Aicheria Bell) Bell: I had my daughter in 2010, so I decided to drop out of college and attend cosmetology school because I figured I could make more money if I had a license. A lot of the stylists will let you work for them, but after a while, you have to go and get a cosmetology license. Green: After braiding informally for most of your life, what was your cosmetology school experience like? Bell: I was in school there for maybe about eight months. But being a single mom, going to school during the day and working at night was challenging. When my little sister stopped helping me with childcare, I started missing days in cosmetology school. In addition to that, I was getting frustrated with the curriculum. The reason I started cosmetology school was to learn how to take care of my hair, and I quickly noticed that it felt like I had to learn how to do white hair. I had an incident where we all did coloring, under the instruction of the teachers, and I bleached my hair. My hair fell out because we used such a high volume of bleach. Another day, we had a hair show and I did this really intricate hairstyle with braids. I remember the judge said that they really didn't know braiding, so they couldnt know all the work that I had put into it. It was disheartening for me, and so I exited and moved to Atlanta to learn more about natural hair care. Recommended: How Helicopter Parenting Can Cause Binge Drinking Green: What is a typical week of hair braiding like? Bell: I'm taking appointments seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. I'm working at a barber shop, so it's cool because I have a lot more male clients. Right now, I just do braids, locks, and natural hair styling like finger coils. Even when I was in cosmetology school, I knew that braids were my thing. I charge about $150 dollars for a sew-in and $160 for box braids, they are the more expensive styles. I have about five or six clients a week. In a good week, I could get two people a day at $65 to $85 a style. Even though I'm doing a lot of work, I might not being able to charge enough because of the community and their income. Green: I read about your work with the Institute for Justice to change regulations that required hair braiders in Iowa to have cosmetology licenses. How did you end up in Iowa working with them? Bell: I left Atlanta and moved to Des Moines because I need more support, and I have a sister in Iowa. I had looked into what I needed to do to be a braider, and when I talked to the cosmetology board they were saying that they needed me to have a license to braid there. I checked out the different schools, but still none of them specialized in black hair care. I really didnt have the time or the money because I didn't have any financial aid left after previously going to college and another cosmetology school. I thought if I could just braid, I could make the money and get my cosmetology license and offer more services. I remember hearing stories about braiders in other states getting legislation and laws changed so that they could conduct business, but the Institute for Justice didnt have the funding to help when I first got to Des Moines. Some buddies of mine and I opened up a chair salon and tattoo parlor. I had to focus on getting a licensed worker and manager in the shop [for legal reasons]. I wasn't able to get a cosmetologist that wanted to put their name on the line and allow me to braid to make my money, too. If I'm assisting, the licensed stylist is making the majority of the money. It was scary; you never know if somebody reported you.Green: How did you find a shop manager willing to take that risk? Bell: I was bringing something new. There's a natural hair movement, but a lot of us don't know how to wear or do our hair. I was adding value to the salons by showing them different ways to style natural hair and braid it. When they were getting to learn from me, it was like a barter system. And then, last October, the Institute for Justice got the funding to be able to work in Iowa and reached back out to me. By this time, I was being threatened to have the cosmetology board called on me from a few clients. Green: What are the consequences if you were to get reported to the Iowa Board of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences? Bell: From my understanding, up to $10,000 in fines and up to a year in prison if I was caught braiding without a cosmetology license. When you're trying to feed your kid and yourself, you take that risk. It was scary; you never know if somebody reported you. I remember everyday watching people coming into the salon and wondering if they were with the cosmetology board. When the Institute for Justice contacted me, I was so relieved because I had been working in fear for about a year. Green: Do you have your license now? Bell: No, because our governor has changed the regulation., At this point, I would like to keep learning more about making natural hair healthy. Star Quality Beauty will be the name of my braiding business, and now that the regulations have changed Im considered a professional and can really get the money I deserve. One of Bells clients after she styled their hair (Aicheria Bell) Green: I know its common for a lot of hair braiders without licenses to work from home. Were there any challenges to being unlicensed and working from home? Did it inspire as much fear? Bell: I worked from home initially to build a clientele base. But, when you work from home, people want you to do a whole lot of work and then not pay you for the quality of your work because youre not a professional. On the other hand, there's a cultural aspect of working from home: Thats where I learned how to braid, that's where my daughter has learned, and my niece has learned. Braiding is a way of life for us. Hair speaks a language; you can look at certain braids and tell different nationalities or ethnicities from the braid style. You can tell an African American braider from someone from Africa. Green: How would you say braiding hair is connected to your identity? Bell: Now, African Americans have to re-teach ourselves to care for our hair without all those chemicals. Slavery stripped us of our culture, and so we've had to recreate a culture outside of the African culture. Everything about us has been oppressed, even our hair. It speaks volumes to be able to wear your hair natural or to wear braids now. One of my goals is to educate and continue to keep our culture alive. If we don't keep it going, people take it and say it's theirs. You lose your sense of identity. I think braiding hair gives a sense of connection to the identity of African culture. I love how the musicians like Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar are wearing their hair. That's how significant it is, the music is reflecting back our culture. This interview is a part of an ongoing project on work and identity in America. You may find other pieces here, including interviews with a cartographer, a park ranger, and a research librarian. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. New York (AFP) - America's most powerful city police chief announced his resignation as New York commissioner on Tuesday, ending a 45-year career in public life and leaving to his successor the task of repairing fraught police-community relations. Bill Bratton, 68, who has served twice as New York police commissioner, as well as the police chief in Los Angeles and Boston, was a key proponent of "zero tolerance" policing in the 1990s that slashed crime to historic lows. He was reappointed New York police chief in 2013 by Mayor Bill de Blasio and steps down as the United States is roiled by controversy over deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police and high-profile killings of officers. The issue has turned into a flashpoint in the presidential campaigning between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Bratton's departure for a job in the private sector will see his Brooklyn-born successor, James O'Neill, expand a new neighborhood policing strategy that the mayor said would "fundamentally change" police-community relations. "It is now time for me to move on," Bratton told a news conference, promising a seamless transition in September to a "capable, energetic and creative" team. He spent the last 31 months at the helm of the largest and best-funded US police department overseeing a major expansion in equipment, recruiting and training, but he said policing was always unfinished business. "The issues we're facing now are going to require years to resolve," Bratton said, listing mistrust of the criminal justice system, particularly by minorities, as well as immigration and anger directed at the city's Muslim community. "As we go forward and face the crises of race in America, crime in America, fear of terrorism, and in the midst of the turmoil in this presidential election, there is no police department in America that will be better prepared to face all that we are going to have to face in the future," he said. Story continues New York is the largest and most ethnically diverse city in the United States. Deputy commissioner Benjamin Tucker, who is African-American, will remain on the job and O'Neill will be succeeded as chief of department by Cuban-born immigrant Carlos Gomez. - Change necessary - New York had its lowest crime rate in 2014 since records began, an incredible transformation since the drug wars of the 1990s. Homicide and gun-related offenses dropped again during the first half of 2016. Advisory firm Teneo announced that Bratton was joining the company in September as senior managing director and executive chairman of Teneo Risk, a new division focused on advising clients on risk, prevention and response. De Blasio hailed Bratton's contributions as "inestimable" and said he had "tremendous faith" in O'Neill's neighborhood policing initiative. "I believe it's going to change the city, I believe it's going to become a model that will be looked at around the country because it really answers what people are aching for," he said. O'Neill said he would build on the foundations laid by Bratton, but said protests in 2014, which followed the death of an unarmed black father-of-five in custody, and the murder of two officers in December 2014 "signaled that change was necessary." "It was clear the NYPD had to evolve and find a new way forward to meet the needs of every New Yorker," he told the news conference. By October the neighborhood policing initiative would be rolled out to more than half the police command city wide, he said. A US Army Vietnam veteran, Bratton began his police career in 1970. Originally from Massachusetts, he became police commissioner of Boston and first served as New York police chief under Republican mayor Rudy Giuliani from 1994 to 1996. He imposed "zero tolerance" policing in the 1990s and expanded the use of the stop and frisk as police chief of Los Angeles from 2002 to 2009. He was even once approached to take charge of London's Metropolitan force. Britain's then prime minister David Cameron sought advice from Bratton on dealing with gangs in the wake of the London 2011 riots. (Adds quote from report, Temer hoping to make G20 summit) By Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A Senate report found on Tuesday that Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff violated the constitution by manipulating government accounts, moving her drawn-out impeachment trial closer to deciding her fate. The report is expected to be approved by the impeachment committee on Friday and by the full Senate next Tuesday, leading to the final trial phase in which the 81 Senators must reach a verdict at the end of August or first days of September. The impeachment of the unpopular leftist leader has paralyzed Brazilian politics for seven months and held interim President Michel Temer in a legal limbo that has hindered his efforts to pull Brazil from fiscal crisis and severe recession. Rousseff is accused of altering official budget figures and using funds from state-run banks to cover up the real state of Brazil's faltering economy as she ran for re-election in 2014. Her impeachment would mark the end of 13 years of rule by the left-of-center Workers Party and leave Latin America's largest economy in the hands of the Temer, Rousseff's conservative vice president. Brazil's stock market and currency have strengthened since Rousseff was suspended by the Senate on May 12 as investors bet on her removal and replacement by Temer, who has outlined policies favoring private business. But Temer has avoided unpopular austerity measures needed to balance Brazil's overdrawn accounts until he is definitely confirmed in the job to serve out Rousseff's mandate to 2018. While 54 votes are needed to convict Rousseff, or two-thirds of the Senate, Brasilia-based political consultancy ARKO Advice says between 56 and 60 Senators today favor removing her, a narrow margin that is unlikely to be reversed because Temer is seen delivering political and economic stability. "The majority sentiment in the Senate is that market expectations regarding the economy are improving significantly and that the return of the suspended president would put the country in a difficult situation again," ARKO said in its monthly analysis for clients. Story continues Efforts to defend Rousseff by her Workers Party and its founder, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who faces corruption charges, have not been enough to save her, Arko said. The Senate impeachment committee listened to the author of the report, Senator Antonio Anastasia, read out from its 440 pages detailing the alleged illegalities of the accounting methods that Rousseff used to augment her government's spending power in the run-up to the 2014 election. Anastasia, a member of the PSDB, the main opposition party to Rousseff's administration, said there was enough evidence for the impeachment trial to proceed. "What we found was an expansive spending policy that was not fiscally sustainable and lacked transparency with operations that bypassed Congress and did not follow good practices of budget management," Anastasia said in his report. Rousseff has denied she broke budget laws and maintains she is the victim of a right-wing conspiracy to overthrow her government that advanced the interests of Brazil's poor. In her written defense last month Rousseff said Brazilians knew an honest woman was being put on trial and she called the impeachment a "farce" and her alleged crimes no more than "routine acts of budgetary management." The trial phase in the Senate will be presided over by Brazil's Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski. According to the Supreme Court, if the Senate approves Anastasia's report next Tuesday - only a simple majority is needed - the final trial session would begin on Aug. 26 and last about a week, with a final vote on Sept 2. Temer aides hope the trial will end sooner so he can attend the summit of G20 nations in China at the beginning of September without any doubts about his legitimacy. Temer has said he will not go to the meeting otherwise. (Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcelo and Alonso Soto; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Tom Brown) By Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Senate report found on Tuesday that Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff violated the constitution by manipulating government accounts, moving her drawn-out impeachment trial closer to deciding her fate. The report is expected to be approved by the impeachment committee on Friday and by the full Senate next Tuesday, leading to the final trial phase in which the 81 Senators must reach a verdict at the end of August or first days of September. The impeachment of the unpopular leftist leader has paralyzed Brazilian politics for seven months and held interim President Michel Temer in a legal limbo that has hindered his efforts to pull Brazil from fiscal crisis and severe recession. Rousseff is accused of altering official budget figures and using funds from state-run banks to cover up the real state of Brazil's faltering economy as she ran for re-election in 2014. Her impeachment would mark the end of 13 years of rule by the left-of-center Workers Party and leave Latin America's largest economy in the hands of the Temer, Rousseff's conservative vice president. Brazil's stock market and currency have strengthened since Rousseff was suspended by the Senate on May 12 as investors bet on her removal and replacement by Temer, who has outlined policies favoring private business. But Temer has avoided unpopular austerity measures needed to balance Brazil's overdrawn accounts until he is definitely confirmed in the job to serve out Rousseff's mandate to 2018. While 54 votes are needed to convict Rousseff, or two-thirds of the Senate, Brasilia-based political consultancy ARKO Advice says between 56 and 60 Senators today favor removing her, a narrow margin that is unlikely to be reversed because Temer is seen delivering political and economic stability. "The majority sentiment in the Senate is that market expectations regarding the economy are improving significantly and that the return of the suspended president would put the country in a difficult situation again," ARKO said in its monthly analysis for clients. Efforts to defend Rousseff by her Workers Party and its founder, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who faces corruption charges, have not been enough to save her, Arko said. The Senate impeachment committee listened to the author of the report, Senator Antonio Anastasia, read out from its 440 pages detailing the alleged illegalities of the accounting methods that Rousseff used to augment her government's spending power in the run-up to the 2014 election. Anastasia, a member of the PSDB, the main opposition party to Rousseff's administration, said there was enough evidence for the impeachment trial to proceed. "What we found was an expansive spending policy that was not fiscally sustainable and lacked transparency with operations that bypassed Congress and did not follow good practices of budget management," Anastasia said in his report. Rousseff has denied she broke budget laws and maintains she is the victim of a right-wing conspiracy to overthrow her government that advanced the interests of Brazil's poor. In her written defense last month Rousseff said Brazilians knew an honest woman was being put on trial and she called the impeachment a "farce" and her alleged crimes no more than "routine acts of budgetary management." The trial phase in the Senate will be presided over by Brazil's Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski. According to the Supreme Court, if the Senate approves Anastasia's report next Tuesday - only a simple majority is needed - the final trial session would begin on Aug. 26 and last about a week, with a final vote on Sept 2. Temer aides hope the trial will end sooner so he can attend the summit of G20 nations in China at the beginning of September without any doubts about his legitimacy. Temer has said he will not go to the meeting otherwise. (Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcelo and Alonso Soto; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Tom Brown) BRASILIA (Reuters) - Police restored order in a northern state of Brazil on Monday after three nights of violence unleashed by a criminal gang that set off bombs, torched dozens of buses and fired shots at government buildings, authorities said. The wave of violence in Rio Grande do Norte, around 1,553 miles (2,500 kms) north of Rio de Janeiro, was triggered by a plan to move some of the gang's leaders serving time in the state's main penitentiary to other jails, and in response to the blocking of their cellphone communications, officials said. Brazil's President Michel Temer, seeking to quell the violence just days before the Olympic Games open in Rio, authorized the dispatch of 1,000 soldiers and 200 marines to the state on Sunday. No Olympic events are taking place in Rio Grande do Norte. "We are winning this war," the state's security chief, Army General Ronaldo Lundgren, told Reuters by telephone. "The number of incidents is dropping," he said of the violence in the capital Natal and about 20 other towns across the state. His office said 65 people suspected of committing acts of violence and vandalism had been arrested since Friday. Among them was an alleged founder of the gang, Joao Maria dos Santos, 32, aka John the Magician, who used a false pass in December to escape from the penitentiary where he was serving a 20-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. Dos Santos was arrested on Sunday with 302,000 reais ($92,600) in cash, 20 kilos of crack cocaine, two handguns, jewelry, watches and 68 cellphones, a police statement said. It said 26 buses had been destroyed by fire, four buildings had been shot at and four bombs exploded across the state. No injuries were reported. Some schools were closed after a school bus was set on fire. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Andrew Hay) SAN DIEGO -- Zach Davies gets his first August start on Tuesday, and he would be pleased if it duplicates his July efforts. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander faces San Diego, hoping his summer surge has life. Right-hander Luis Perdomo goes for the Padres at Petco Park. Davies (8-4, 3.59 ERA) was sensational in July, starting four games, winning three and showing the Brewers why they have such high hopes for him. He pitched to a 1.71 ERA in the month, posting a nifty 17-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio as he leaned on his pinpoint control. "He's a real pitcher," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He has four pitches, and he lives out on the edge with them. He speeds up their bats and slows them down." Davies has impressed Counsell -- as well as the batters he has faced the past month. "He's got those four pitches, and he can manipulate all four of them," Counsell said. The Padres eventually hope to see similar results from Perdomo (5-4, 6.89 ERA). The 23-year-old had never pitched above Class A ball before this season. A Rule 5 draft pick out of the St. Louis Cardinals' system last winter, he was expected to have a long role out of the bullpen. The Padres hoped to ease him into his role as a major league starter, but following a flurry of trades, Perdomo is being asked to accelerate his learning curve. After San Diego nearly wiped the rotation clean by trading away James Shields, Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Cashner -- and with Tyson Ross sidelined due to a shoulder injury since his Opening Day start -- Perdomo's responsibilities blossomed. So, too, has his pitching. Perdomo has given up three earned runs or fewer in six of his past eight starts dating to June 15. Five outings in that span were quality starts. He won both of his past two starts, including a road victory over the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday, when he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings. In his prior start, Perdomo pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed just two runs on four hits in a road win against the Washington Nationals. Story continues "We've seen tremendous gains in Perdomo," Padres manager Andy Green said. "When he made his major league debut (in) April, he was a Rule 5 draft pick who had never pitched above low Single-A. Now he's growing confidence that his pitches play in the major leagues. He can get outs with that very good sinker of his. He's making steps. The next step is ... to locate his pitches with consistency. "It's there, he just has to keep developing it. There are going to be peaks and valleys, but we're seeing substantial strides forward." The Brewers hope the lineup that faces Perdomo will include left fielder Ryan Braun. He hasn't played since Wednesday due to tightness in his right side. Milwaukee's catching situation is also worth watching in the wake of trading Jonathan Lucroy, a two-time All-Star, to the Texas Rangers. Martin Maldonado was in the lineup on Monday, going 1-for-3 in the Brewers' 7-3 loss to the Padres, and he is expected to get his second consecutive start Tuesday. However, Counsell said Manny Pina, who was brought up from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday, also will see action going forward. (Repeats story published late on Monday) * Banks first want to see if UK retains single market access * Executives uncertain on how to treat continental businesses * Non-UK customers could lose protection of the ring-fence * British banks preparing for Easter 2018 roll-out of scheme By Lawrence White and Sinead Cruise LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Big British banks are lobbying regulators for more time to carve out their retail lending from riskier parts of their business, saying Britain's decision to leave the European Union has made the separation more complex and costly. Lenders are required to complete the so-called ring-fencing of retail operations by the start of 2019. The initiative aims to avoid a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, when banks' bad trading bets threatened to sink ordinary depositors and mortgage borrowers, leading to massive taxpayer-funded bailouts. But the UK regulation - which also covers the European operations directly owned by British banks - was proposed in 2011, when there was no prospect of Britain quitting the bloc. Since the Brexit result on June 24, several leading banks have told regulators that they first need to find out whether Britain will retain access to the EU single market, and how much access, before reorganising their businesses in such a significant way, according to senior sources at the lenders. The point of concern, they told the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), is how to treat retail operations in the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries. Some banks do not know if they will be able to retain these businesses at all post-Brexit, or what level of service they will be able to offer customers, said the sources who declined to be named as the discussions with the regulator were private. This hugely complicates the process of separating their businesses into two banks with individual risk appetites, customer bases and funding costs, according to the sources. Story continues "A delay would be common sense ... we are all building (the ring-fence) but we don't know what environment we're building it for," said a senior source at one of Britain's top five banks. The PRA declined to comment If the uncertainties meant continental businesses would have to remain outside the ring-fence, this would expose European savers and home loan borrowers to the risks the plan was designed to shield British customers from, the sources said. BILLIONS Much of the Brexit talks, when they come, are likely to boil down to a trade-off between Britain's controls on immigration and its access to the EU single market. The uncertainty will affect the biggest banks - HSBC , Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS - to varying degrees, with those with the most exposure to continental Europe likely to be most burdened. Banks with bigger cross-border lending activities now have to worry about which side of the ring-fence their non-UK retail banking businesses sit, but also whether they can maintain their non-UK businesses, sources said. About 97 percent of operations at Lloyds, Britain's biggest retail bank, are supposed to sit within the ring-fence, while HSBC, which has much larger international and investment banking operations, will only have 30 to 40 percent. Lloyds has a 5.9 billion pounds ($7.8 billion) retail lending business in Germany and the Netherlands, some 9.1 billion pounds of German retail deposits and a 4.5 billion pound Irish retail, corporate and commercial real estate lending business. A source close to HSBC said its ring-fencing preparations were unaffected by Brexit. It intends to keep its main consumer businesses in Europe outside the ring-fence, as they are owned by separate subsidiaries. The bank has 380 branches and made retail banking profits of $388 million in France in 2015. It also offers retail banking through its 12 branches in Germany. RBS's remaining retail business in Europe is mainly via the 146 Republic of Ireland branches of its Ulster Bank branch, whose retail banking business made a profit of 330 million pounds in 2015. The bank has also has interests in the Netherlands and Germany. Barclays is in the advanced stages of exiting its European retail businesses altogether. EASTER START Ring-fencing is a British, rather than EU-driven, requirement and the start date is embedded in law, meaning it cannot be changed without parliamentary approval. Barclays finance director Tushar Morzaria said on Friday that his bank would flip the switch over the long Easter weekend in 2018 - March 30-Apr. 2 - giving it four days to create the new ring-fenced retail entity and transfer customers across. "Other banks will be doing something similar as it's the only four-day weekend in the year," he said. Morzaria said Barclays' ring-fencing plans would be minimally affected by Brexit, but that other lenders with retail operations in Europe could see their plans complicated. The banking sources said they hoped the PRA would provide greater clarity on how to treat these businesses and apply a pragmatic approach to enforcement after the official Jan 1 2019 start date, particularly if Britain's future relationship with the EU remains undecided. Banks are close to having to seek credit ratings for the separate entities, one of the sources said, but without formal clarity on how to treat European businesses, the ratings which influence how much banks will pay for funding may be tough to assign. "The UK referendum result could complicate some banks' plans because the extent to which they will be able to service EU customers from UK entities going forward is now less clear," said Alan Adkins, group credit officer at Fitch Ratings. The ring-fenced banks require new boards of directors, new staff contracts, and separated risk management and IT operations as well as individual balance sheets. The task of recruiting appropriate board members and the make-up of the board for both the ring-fenced and non-ring fenced entities will be very different, depending on where the non-UK businesses end up, the sources said. Some senior bank executives said they didn't expect the PRA to offer any kind of moratorium on the plan, and are proceeding with their separation plans without delay. "I can't afford to sit back for three months and think 'well, I wonder'," a second senior bank executive said. "The principles of separating your markets business from your commercial and retail banking are there ... we haven't seen any flinching from the PRA on that whatsoever," he added. ($1 = 0.7577 pounds) (Additional reporting by Huw Jones and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Pravin Char) Two petrol bombs were hurled at the Srinagar residence of senior Jammu and Kashmir minister Naeem Akhtar last night. By Shuja-ul-Haq : Two petrol bombs were hurled at the Srinagar residence of senior Jammu and Kashmir minister Naeem Akhtar last night, triggering panic in the area. No one was hurt in the attack that was carried out by unidentified persons. Petrol bombs thrown at J&K Min Naeem Akhtar's house in Srinagar. He was not present in his house during the incident pic.twitter.com/Zkw5Usibn7; ANI (@ANI_news) 2 August 2016 advertisement "A petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of the Education Minister at Parraypora late last night, causing damage to the main gate of the house," a police official said. Akhtar and his wife were not present in the house since they have shifted to high -security Gupkar Road after the PDP-BJP government was sworn in March last year. A petrol bomb was also hurled at the office of Road and Buildings Department at the SDA colony in Bemina area of the city last night, the official said. He said no one was hurt in the incident. WATCH: Petrol bombs hurled at Jammu and Kashmir minister Naeem Akhtar's house CURFEW, BANDH CONTINUE IN VALLEY Meanwhile, curfew and shutdown continued for the 25th day in the Kashmir Valley, which has remained on the boil since the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani earlier this month. Police said the curfew would continue in some areas of south Kashmir while restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) will remain in force in Srinagar city and other districts. Overnight protests occurred in Shopian district. Train services, educational institutions, banks, post offices and government offices except essential services like health, water supply, electricity, food supplies, police and fire services are shut here for the last 24 days. Officially-imposed curfew and protest shutdown called by the separatists through weekly protest calendars have crippled life in Kashmir since July 9, a day after Wani's death in a gunfight. CM APPEALS FOR CALM Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who interacted with members of the civil society in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday, appealed for a collective effort to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Traffic on both the Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar Jammu national highways resumed during the night. Despite clashes at some places on Monday, some semblance of normal activities of life was noticed in parts of Srinagar city as private vehicles and pedestrian movement was seen almost after three weeks. --- ENDS --- BERLIN (Reuters) - Brexit is expected to reduce Britain's economic growth by 0.3 percentage points this year and 1.2 points in 2017, a study by Germany's DIW economic institute found, according to the Handelsblatt newspaper. A spokeswoman for the Berlin-based DIW confirmed the gist of the Handelsblatt article but gave no specific details. The study, to be released Wednesday, echoes findings from a July 20 Reuters poll of economists, which cut the corresponding forecasts by 0.5 points and 1.5 points compared with a survey on June 8. It is also in line with finding from the Markit/CIPS UK purchasing managers' index (PMI) released on Monday, which showed UK manufacturing shrinking at its fastest pace in over three years in July following the June 23 vote to leave the European Union. Citing DIW, Handelsblatt also said German economic growth would be reduced by 0.4 percentage points in 2017. The institute said in June that German growth could be reduced by half a percentage point next year. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by John Stonestreet) In recent days, theres been a big demand for small printed pocket constitutions as part of an ongoing debate in the presidential race. We decided to look into the history of pocket constitutions and their symbolic and practical meaning. rosenwithPC Jeffrey Rosen with a pocket constitution If you missed it, a pocket constitution made an appearance in a Democratic National Convention speech made by Khizr Khan that criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump. Since then, while Khan and Trump have exchanged comments as part of the campaign debate process, interest has picked up in pocket constitutions. As of Tuesday morning, versions of the pocket constitution held the second- and fourth-best seller spots on Amazon.com in the Books category, and Google searches for them are up ten-fold. In full disclosure, the National Constitution Center is among the purveyors of pocket constitutions. Visitors to the Center get a free foldable version when they are admitted to our building; we also sell them at our gift store and on our website. And pocket constitutions often make an appearance at our live Town Hall events, either in the hands of Jeffrey Rosen, our president and CEO as debate moderator, or in the hands of our Town Hall guests as they make a constitutional point, or need a quick refresher on the exact words in a constitutional provision. (Personally, I have two versions, a leather-bound 189-page version, and a simple printed paper version; I keep both by my desk at work and on my computer table at home.) Pocket constitutions come in all flavors, sizes and price points. Currently, the American Civil Liberties Union is offering a free version with a special price code. Most others are very affordable, with various additional documents included, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Currently, the official 52-page U.S. government version of the pocket constitution is available for $1.50 from the GPO, with free shipping. This is the 25th edition of the version authorized by the House, and it is often the one brandished by politicians seeking to make a point in public. And there are various free versions available on the Internet that can be downloaded, printed and assembled at home. Story continues So where did all these pocket constitutions come from? In 2015, Slate magazine made an attempt to look at the pocket constitutions origins, which it traced back to a 1965 federal initiative. Representative Wayne Hays of Ohio made a resolution for the printing of a pocket-sized edition of the Constitution, with 64,000 copies going to the House and Senate. The current House resolution from 2015 authorized the printing of about 285,000 copies for Congress to use and distribute. The 1965 edition may be the first reference to pocket constitutions printed by the federal government, but they werent the first pocket constitutions. A quick look at Newspapers.com, the popular reference website, shows that Representative Eli Thayer of Massachusetts mentioned pocket constitutions in an 1858 speech about Kansas and popular sovereignty. Every man in Kansas has a pocket constitution he had made for himself and every child six years old can say something intelligently to you about the Constitution and its law, Thayer said. In 1929, columnist T.H. Alexander described a group of radicals who confronted New York police during a parade by showing them hip-pocket constitutions to protest the lack of warrants during police searches. In 1938, former presidential candidate Al Smith was cited as an advocate of the vest-pocket constitution. And in a grandiose plan, former Chief Justice Warren Burger in 1989 asked Congress to use its free-mailing privileges to send pocket constitutions to 100 million Americans, with private companies paying the printing costs. The House refused to do so in a lopsided vote. Pocket constitutions have also been used by props or to make points long before their recent popularity with politicians. Sam Ervin, Robert Byrd, and Dennis Kucinich showed off their pocket constitutions during the Watergate hearings, the Supreme Court line-item veto decision, and a presidential primary debate, respectively. Strom Thurmond was known for giving pocket constitutions to Supreme Court nominees, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg thanked Thurmond for her version during her confirmation hearings. If there is a popular time for pocket constitution usage, its mid-September, when millions of Americans, and especially school children, celebrate Constitution Week, and Constitution Day on September 17th. In 2014, Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared at the National Constitution Center on Constitution Day and spoke with students from two local high schools. As part of his discussion, Kennedy asked the students to pull out their pocket constitutions to understand the differences between the Constitutions first two articles. Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Telling the Supreme Courts story, as it happens Women, the White House and presidential campaigns Constitution Check: Does the First Amendment protect a wedding cake as an art form? London (AFP) - Britain aims to tackle the economic divide between London and the rest of the UK, the government said on Tuesday as part of efforts to boost the economy. Business Minister Greg Clark urged the government to look beyond London during the first meeting of the Economy and Industrial Strategy Committee. The new group was formed by Prime Minister Theresa May in the wake of voters' decision last month to leave the EU. "(Clark) pointed out that the government should do more to support cities outside of London contribute more to the economy," a government spokesperson said. Eleven ministers taking part in the meeting discussed topics such as opening up to new industries, while addressing the gap between the capital and the rest of Britain was high on the agenda. "Much of the discussion focused on ways the government could support economic growth in different areas of the country," the spokesperson added. Londoners voted to remain in the EU but were outnumbered by leave voters elsewhere in Britain, where economic development has failed to keep up with that of the capital. Finance Minister Philip Hammond said GDP could jump by nine percent if the productivity gap between the south-east area and London and the rest of Britain were halved. During the committee meeting ministers said a new strategy was needed to help areas "that have not shared in recent industrial success" to have a positive future. The government is seeking a new blueprint for growth following the Brexit referendum, which sent the pound plunging and raised concerns about the future of Britain's economy. Although the committee said Britain would continue to seek foreign investment, it made no mention publically of a massive nuclear project involving France and China. - 'Golden era'? - French energy giant EDF on Thursday approved the A18 billion ($24 billion, 21 billion euros) Hinkley Point plant in south-west England, a joint project with China General Nuclear Power Corporation. Story continues But Britain delayed its final approval of the deal, with Clark stating the government would review the project before taking a decision later in the year. China reacted to the unexpected British response with a warning that Beijing's investment in the country could be suspended unless the Hinkley Point deal went ahead. Tian Dongdong, a writer with China's official Xinhua news agency, said in a commentary that the delay "adds uncertainties to the 'Golden Era' of China-UK ties". By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain must respect Chinese investors, whose vast wealth may be crucial to the future of the economy, the head of the British manufacturing organisation said on Tuesday after a last-minute delay on a partly Chinese-funded nuclear deal. Prime Minister Theresa May decided last week she wanted more time to review a deal to build the country's first nuclear power plant in decades - a project funded by French utility EDF (EDF.PA) and Chinese partner China General Nuclear. The unexpected delay has raised concerns that her new government takes a sterner view of Chinese investment which had been a source of cash courted by her predecessor David Cameron. Terry Scuoler, head of Britain's manufacturing trade body the EEF, said the delay was understandable but it could not be allowed to deter Chinese investors from putting much-needed cash into areas such as Britain's ageing network of power plants. "It's not unreasonable that the prime minister puts her foot on the ball and surveys the playing field here," he told Reuters in an interview. "But, equally, relationships have been built up with the Chinese and they have been given to expect a level of access and support and partnership and that needs to be considered very carefully in her thought processes." A decision on the deal for the Hinkley Point reactor is expected in September. For the Chinese firm, it has been seen as a foot in the door to the British nuclear market, paving the way for another Chinese-designed reactor to be built in the future. Underlining the need for investment, Scuoler said he expected factories to suffer power shortages over the winter in Britain as a result of low capacity surpluses caused by a failure to replace old, coal-fired electricity plants. China, he said, could have a key role in helping to rebuild the country's infrastructure, provided the money was invested in a way that was in both countries' interests. "Chinese investment in the UK is critically important. It is growing. The Chinese government has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world today," Scuoler said. "Access to that fund on a partnership basis should, and hopefully will, be very important for our economy, but it must be on a true partnership basis." (Editing by Stephen Addison) By Michael Saunders LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A British couple committed to tackling the massive amount of food wasted daily will be serving their wedding guests a meal with a difference this weekend everything has been thrown out by local food stores. Environmentally-friendly couple Nicola Hedges and Christopher McKenna are making a bold statement when getting married in Northampton in central England on Aug. 6. The bride and groom will feed their 80 guests with a meal for "freegans" - defined in the Oxford Dictionaries as people seeking to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods. Elsie's Caf, the local restaurant catering for the wedding, said only recycled food would be served on the happy day. "It's the first rubbish wedding we have ever done," the cafe's co-owner Shena Cooper told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Elsie's Caf serves meals made from ingredients deemed either damaged or past their sell-by date by supermarkets and other local food stores. Figures from the United Nations' food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), show that about one third - or 1.3 billion tonnes - of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year. These losses and waste amount to about US$680 billion in industrialized countries and US$310 billion in developing countries, the FAO said. Hedges, 48, a nursery worker told the local newspaper, the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, that everything at the wedding would be reusable and recyclable, with a purple wedding dress bought off EBay and wild flowers donated by friends and family. "Hooray to using rubbish food," Hedges wrote on her Twitter account. (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - A British-Iranian aid worker, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, detained since early April and accused by hardline Revolutionary Guards of trying to overthrow Iran's government has appeared in court for the first time, her family said on Tuesday. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has dismissed the Revolutionary Guards' accusation. In a statement, the family said Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested as she tried to leave Iran after a short visit with her two-year-old daughter, appeared in the Revolutionary Court on Monday. The court handles security-related cases. "When I spoke to Nazanin yesterday, she was deeply upset," Richard Ratcliffe said. "She is desperate that our daughter has been kept away from her mother and father now for four months," he said, noting, "This remains a very cruel case." A judiciary spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a London-based charity that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. In a telephone conversation with her husband after the first hearing, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said that she would be allowed access to a lawyer. She was not allowed to share any of the details of that court session over the phone, the family said. "(Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family) were instructed to present her lawyer's name for approval by the judge," the family said. Such permission is required by Iranian law if an individual is accused of national security-related crimes. The lawyer must be approved by the head of the judiciary. John Ratcliffe, who is Nazanin's father-in-law and a British lawyer, has approached the Iranian Embassy in London for a visa to attend the next trial. No date for the trial has been announced. Several Iranian dual nationals from the United States, Britain, Canada and France have been detained in the past few months and are being kept behind bars on various charges, including espionage or collaborating with a hostile government. In a statement, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa said Nazanin-Ratcliffe "should soon be able to see a lawyer for the first time in her four months of detention, including 45 days in solitary confinement". "We do not know what the exact charges against her are." She said that, in her professional capacity at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Nazanin had never dealt with Iran, and that the Foundation had no dealings with Iran whatsoever. "We are in permanent contact with Nazanins husband Richard, and have contacted all British authorities to intervene. We insist this matter should be resolved as soon as possible, not least given her precarious state of health," Villa said. (Editing by William Maclean and Louise Ireland) By Amanda Becker OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday campaigned alongside U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a rowdy rally in his home state of Nebraska, where he challenged Republican Donald Trump to release his tax returns and questioned Trump's business acumen. Trump, a New York real estate developer making his first run at public office, has said he cannot release his tax returns, a ritual of U.S. presidential campaigns, until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit. Now Ive got news for him," said Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is based in Omaha. "I'm under audit, too, and I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime, before the election. I'll bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return ... and let people ask us questions about the items that are on there, Buffett added, saying Trump was afraid not of the tax-collecting IRS but of voters. In response, Trumps spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: As you know, Mr. Trump is undergoing a routine audit. She had no immediate comment when asked to respond to Buffett saying that he too was under audit but would release his tax returns. Trump has asserted his success as a businessman qualifies him to lead the country, but Buffett, who backs Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said Trump lost money the only time he went to the American people and asked them to invest. He said it was in 1995 when Trump listed his Trump hotels and casino resorts on the New York Stock Exchange. He said the company lost money every year for the next decade. A monkey would have outperformed Trump's company, Buffett said. In 1995, "if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent," he said. Buffett spoke for nearly 30 minutes to a raucous capacity crowd of roughly 3,100 people in a suburban Omaha high school with Clinton sitting at his side. He said Trump's final straw was an ABC interview broadcast on Sunday in which he criticized the Muslim parents of a decorated U.S. soldier killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. The father Khizr Khan spoke at last week's Democratic National Convention about their son and attacked Trump for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump said he was viciously attacked by Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, when the father publicly doubted Trump had read the U.S. Constitution. Khan said that Trump had "sacrificed nothing," prompting Trump in his ABC interview to say, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices." Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Trump. No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan," Buffett said. Weve both done extremely well during this period and our families havent sacrificed anything. In his remarks Buffett announced the launch of a get-out-the vote effort, pledging to take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there. Buffett said he was backing a website, Drive2Vote, that would coordinate transportation to cast votes and that he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for the same purpose. Im going to be on it all day. Im going to do selfies, whatever it takes, Buffett said. Buffett said his goal is to generate the highest voter turnout in the congressional district that includes Omaha of any in the country. Nebraska is one of two U.S. states that award electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Clinton responded to Buffett's pledge with a promise of her own, if his turnout goal is met. Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together! Maybe if were really lucky hell wear his Elvis costume again! she said. (Reporting and writing by Amanda Becker in Omaha; Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson; Additional writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Leslie Adler, Howard Goller and Michael Perry) Add Warren Buffett to the list of Donald Trumps fellow billionaires who dont believe the Republican presidential nominees claims of tremendous business acumen. At a Hillary Clinton campaign event yesterday in Omaha, the man famous for being one of the most successful investors in history looked back to 1995, when Trump took his casino business public, and said that in those years it was hard not to make money in the markets. Related: Heres How Trump Would Deal with Losing the Election "If a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent, Buffett said. However, Trumps company lost money every year it operated and his investors, rather than riding the stock market wave of the mid-to-late 1990s, lost the vast majority of the money they invested with Trump. Asked to respond to Buffetts criticism on Tuesday morning, Trump began by dismissing the respected founder of Berkshire Hathaway out of hand. Well, I dont care much about Warren Buffett, Trump told Fox News Stuart Varney. And then, to demonstrate just how much he doesnt care about Buffett, Trump spent the majority of his interview with Varney explaining why the failure of his casino business wasnt his fault. You know, I had a public company, he said. It was based in Atlantic City. The numbers, and if you look at Atlantic City, Atlantic City was run down the tubes and look at everything thats happened in Atlantic City, theyre, you know, bad. Related: Trump Shatters Presidential Norms in Attack on Grieving Parents Ive been out of there for seven years. I had great timing, I got out and I made a lot of money in Atlantic City over the years, you know, I have to look at myself, I have to look at my company and I made a lot of money. To be clear, Trumps companies filed for bankruptcy and left a string of contractors and suppliers holding the bag and his investors wiped out. But Trump wanted to make it crystal clear that HE had done well. Story continues I took, you know, a lot of money out of Atlantic City, which is what Im supposed to do. Im a business person. Made a lot of money and I did well during the good times in Atlantic City, but then, times started going very bad. Related: GOP Convention Made History (and Not in A Good Way) And they went bad, Trump noted, because of other people. A lot of mistakes were made, he said, claiming that they built the wrong convention center in the wrong location and a planned airport was never built. Trumps relentless focus on himself, though, was a major point of Buffetts critique. He blasted Trump for his attacks on the family of a fallen soldier, and appeared outraged that Trump compared his own sacrifices as a businessman to those of a family mourning a child dead in the nations service. "No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan," Buffett said. "Donald Trump and I have sacrificed nothing. Echoing attorney Joseph Welchs famously devastating question to Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, Buffett added, "I ask Donald Trump: Have you no sense of decency, sir?" Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Arcelor Mittal (MT) operates as global integrated steel and mining company with a presence in more than 60 countries. Headquartered in Luxemburg with over 200,000 employees, the company is the world's leading steel and mining company. It operates a balanced portfolio of cost competitive steel plants across both the developed and developing world. In addition, Arcelor is the worlds fourth largest producer of iron ore. The company is the Bull of the Day after an earnings beat and strength in the industry made the stock a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). MT has a market cap of $20 Billion with a Forward PE of 27. The stock has Zacks Style Scores of C in Value, Growth and Momentum. The company sits in an industry that is ranked 12 out of 265 (Top 5%) in the Zacks Industry Rank after a string of strong EPS beats from companies within the sector. Industry strength A majority of steel companies have already reported earnings and have come well above expectations. Looking at the chart below, we can see that the performance was foreseen by the market as most steel stocks are much higher than they were six months ago. The steel ETF, VanEck Vectors Steel (SLX) is up over 80% for the year, led by US Steel, which is up 283% since February. MT was up more the 68% during this timeframe and after an impressive beat the stock has room to catch up to its competitors. Earnings The steel companies that have reported this quarter have all beat and they include the following: US Steel (X)- Upside surprise of 43.64% Steel Dynamics (STLD)- Upside surprise of 3.57% Nucor (NUE)- Upside surprise of 4.29% AK Steel (AKS)- Upside surprise of 300% Arcelor Mittal reported on July 29th with a 375% surprise to the upside. The companys Q2 net income was seen at $1.11 Billion versus the $179 Million seen last year. EBITDA was seen at 1.8 Billion versus the $1.5 Billion expected. The stock jumped over 5% on the news and has still held most of its gains since. Story continues The company issued an outlook saying: -That despite the steel spread recovery losing momentum in recent weeks, the impact of lagged prices will be an important support for operating results as we move into a period of seasonally slower steel demand. - Improved market conditions are likely to consume working capital in 2016); the Company nevertheless expects cash flows from operating activities to exceed capex in 2016. - Sees better market conditions vs 2H 2015, cautiously optimistic about the remainder of the year. In addition, CEO Lakshmi Niwas Mittalhad some comments on the quarter: While we are pleased with todays results, Europe remains exposed to the effects of steel dumping. Although we have been encouraged by the high-level political engagement on this matter in recent months, it remains important that this translates into robust trade defense measures. Surprise History After a long streak of EPS misses and a declining stock price, the company looks to be turning the corner. Last quarter was the third straight beat and the fourth out of the last five quarters. In addition to the beats, the stock price has followed suit, heading higher after earnings each time. Look for this trend to continue as the stock finally has some positive momentum, which hasnt been seen in over 5 years. Looking Forward MT will go for its fourth straight EPS upside surprise when it reports in the fall. While esitmates for that quarter are currently flat, estimates for the year have ticked higher over the last 30 days. For fiscal year 2016, estimates went from $0.16 to $0.24 a move of 50%. In Summary Steel companies have been on a roll, but are they still a steal? All signs point to yes as earnings continue to impress and the performance of steel stock continue to excite investors. The stocks are very volatile, with betas over 2, so take opportunities to buy the dips when they come. The long term trend on both earnings and stock price is higher and investors will be rewarded over the long run. Note:Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published. Now, which stocks should you sell? As a Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy, this Bull of the Day deserves consideration. But today there are 220 Zacks Rank #5 Strong Sells that demand even more urgent attention. If any of these are lurking in your portfolio, they should be removed immediately. Since 1988, such stocks have actually performed more than 11X worse than the S&P 500. See all Zacks Strong Sells and Strong Buys absolutely free >>. 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 UTD STATES STL (X): Free Stock Analysis Report STEEL DYNAMICS (STLD): Free Stock Analysis Report VANECK-STEEL (SLX): ETF Research Reports NUCOR CORP (NUE): Free Stock Analysis Report ARCELOR MITTAL (MT): Free Stock Analysis Report AK STEEL HLDG (AKS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A drunk man creating ruckus inside an American Airline plane was pinned by the pilot after the man allegedly attacked the flight crew members. By India Today Web Desk: The entire responsibility of a flight, the passengers seated inside and the cabin crew, is that of the pilot. Maybe that's the reason an American Airline pilot did not think twice before taking down a drunk passenger who allegedly attacked his crew members. A footage shot inside an American Airline flight shows an unidentified pilot pinning down a drunk man, Michael Allen Kerr, and telling him, "You don't put your hands on my flight attendant." advertisement The incident happened after the flight landed in Charlotte on July 21. Kerr was high on three servings of Jack Daniels whiskey during the flight from Lexington, Kentucky. An argument began when Kerr refused to follow the crew's instructions to stay in his seat as the plane was making its way to the gate. Here is the video of the incident: The Observer reports that Kerr kicked one of the attendants and pushed her to the floor. Kerr was charged with interfering with the duties of a flight crew member which is a federal offense. He was released on $25,000 bail. --- ENDS --- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is in the midst of a polarizing new feud, with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the grieving parents of Muslim U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, 27, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq in 2004. As the controversy continues to escalate this week, get caught up with this quick blow-by-blow of what's been said. Thursday: On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Khizr gave a moving tribute to his son in which he denounced Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. as unconstitutional. Holding up a pocket copy of the Constitution on stage, Khizr a Harvard-educated lawyer who became a United States citizen after emigrating from Pakistan in 1980 asked Trump, "Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy." Friday: In an interview with MSNBC's The Last Word, Khizr shared a "second half" of his speech, aimed at Congress. He called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to repudiate Trump, saying, "This is a moral imperative for both leaders to say to him, 'Enough. You are about to sink the ship of the patriot Republicans.' " Who Was Capt. Humayun Khan and Why Are His Parents Feuding with Donald Trump?| 2016 Presidential Elections, politics, Donald Trump, John McCain Saturday: A $1 pocket version of the U.S. Constitution made the Top 10 bestselling books list on Amazon.com. Trump first responded to Khizr's speech in an interview on ABC's This Week, in which he suggested that Khizr's wife, who stood silently by his side during his speech, was forbidden to speak as a Muslim woman. "Maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say," Trump said. Trump also responded to Khizr's comment that the real estate mogul has "sacrificed nothing and no one," saying, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." Sunday: Ryan and McConnell released statements distancing themselves from Trump's attacks on the Khan family but neither mentioned the candidate by name. The Washington Post published an op-ed by Ghazala in which she said she was still too overcome with grief to speak about her son at the convention. "Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself," she wrote. "What mother could?" But, she wrote, "a without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart. Trump took the feud to his favorite forum, Twitter, saying Khizr "viciously attacked" him at the convention. Story continues Captain Khan, killed 12 years ago, was a hero, but this is about RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR and the weakness of our "leaders" to eradicate it! a Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2016 I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me! a Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2016 Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, released a Facebook statement attempting to defuse the situation. Monday: Khizr and Ghazala made the rounds on morning news shows, again slamming Trump for his "derogatory remarks" about Muslims, while also saying they "want to be out of this controversy." "We don't want to continue. That is not our style. We are a decent, dignified family of this country, very appreciative of the blessings that we have enjoyed ... this is not our path," Khizr said. Trump responded on Twitter during the live interview. Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same - Nice! a Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart! a Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 Arizona Sen. John McCain issued a statement condemning Trump's comments about the Khans and saying the nominee does not represent the Republican party. "In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents," said McCain, a war hero who himself has been criticized by Trump for being captured during the Vietnam War. "He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." This passenger was fighting mad, until he met his match in an American Airlines pilot who had had enough of his antics, and it all unfolded on camera. Brian Colon shot video of the incident after fellow passenger Michael Kerr allegedly assaulted a flight attendant during a trip from Lexington, Kentucky to Charlotte, North Carolina. Read: Plane 'Lands' On Car in Highway Crash He was like, let me out, let me out, Ill break your jaw, to the captain, Colon told Inside Edition. The situation occurred after the plane landed in Charlotte on July 21. The incident is now coming to light as Kerr will head to federal court Wednesday. Kerr allegedly downed three glasses of Jack Daniels on the flight, but it's unknown whether he had drinks prior to takeoff. He apparently wanted to get off right away after the plane landed following the one-hour flight before the mobile staircase could reach the plane and allow everyone off. He was told to sit back down. He got into a fiery confrontation with the flight attendant who has asked him to take a seat. Kerr has been accused of getting physical with the attendant. The guy was just out of control, Colon told Inside Edition. According to an FBI affidavit obtained by The Charlotte Observer, Kerr kicked one attendant in the leg and shoved another to the floor of the plane The pilot and co-pilot then ended the outburst in impressive fashion by pinning the man to the ground. They even used a seatbelt to fasten his legs. Read: 4 Tips to Keep a Toddler Quiet on a Plane Colon said: It was very well executed. While pinned, Kerr kept ranting, saying: "Whatever you do is going on Facebook." Kerr faces charges of being intoxicated and disruptive, assault on a female, communicating threats and interfering with the duties of a flight crew attendant. Watch: Drunk Woman Dragged Off Plane After Becoming Unruly Before Takeoff: Cops Related Articles: Cara Delevingne talks about her love for her girlfriend St. Vincent, we swoon Cara Delevingne talks about her love for her girlfriend St. Vincent, we swoon One of the reasons we all love Cara Delevingne so much (aside from her being a *stunning* and talented model/actress) is because of how real she is how genuine, candid, and hilarious she seems to be on social media and during interviews. Cara is never one to pull punches or hide parts of herself from the public. Of course, as with all high-profile celebs, its important to remember that we, the public, arent entitled to every single detail about their lives, sexuality, or relationships which is why it completely made sense for Cara to keep her relationship with musician Annie Clark (aka, St. Vincent) private for as long as she did. But now, Cara is opening up about that relationship and we love her outpouring of love for her long-term GF. FIRST LOOK: Revealing the cover of #SeptemberVogue, starring @caradelevingne photographed by @mariotestino. Click on the link in bio for more A photo posted by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Jul 30, 2016 at 12:10am PDT In a recent cover interview with Vogue UK for its September issue, Cara addresses her relationship with St. Vincent (which she had confirmed back in 2015), gushing about how happy she is with her lady love. Im completely in love Before, I didnt know what love was real love [] I didnt understand the depth of it. I always used to think it was you against the world. Now I know the meaning of life is love. Whether thats for yourself or for the world or your partner. Oh my gosh. Swooning. giphy (6) Cara has such a mature and deep understanding of love, and hearing her express this to the world is absolutely beautiful. It certainly takes a depth of maturity to acknowledge that, in past relationships, you may not have really known what love was. I think many of us can recognize this realization about true love that we all come to in our first, serious relationship. Story continues The 23-year-old has been open about her bisexuality for a while now, having not-at-all-secret relationships with Michelle Rodriguez and her BFF Taylor Swifts ex Harry Styles, but it wasnt always such an easy road for her. Back in 2015 she told Vogue that she initially was confused by her sexuality as a child, and that the idea of being gay frightened her: It took me a long time to accept the idea, until I first fell in love with a girl at 20 and recognized that I had to accept it. Now that shes all-in on her relationship with St. Vincent, shes ~completely~ at ease with herself and her identity something we can all admire and aspire to. Im obviously in love, so if people want to say Im gay, thats great. But were all liquidwe change, we grow, Cara said in her recent interview. YES, girl. 100% YES. Keep on being your fabulous, confident self, Cara, and dont ever change. And congrats to the beautiful couple on their amazing, loving relationship! The post Cara Delevingne talks about her love for her girlfriend St. Vincent, we swoon appeared first on HelloGiggles. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued what's been described as a historic travel warning, advising pregnant women and their partners to avoid an area north of Miami, Florida, over Zika concerns. It's believed to be the first time the CDC has warned people against traveling to an American neighborhood over concerns of infectious disease transmission, according to agency spokesman Tom Skinner. The agency's warning is timely: 10 additional people in Florida were found to have been infected with the virus, bringing Florida's total to 14. Last week, Florida officials confirmed that four people had contracted the virus within the same 150-square-meter area, prompting the warning. "New test measurements over the weekend showed a risk of continued active transmission in that area," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden announced in a conference Monday. "Because of this finding, we are advising pregnant women not to travel to that area and if they have traveled there on or after June 15 to visit their health care provider for testing." Frieden admitted in the same conference that "aggressive control measures are not working as well as we would like" in Miami. "The mosquitoes could be resistant to the pesticides being used, or the mosquitoes could be hiding in what we call 'cryptic' breeding places that are hard to find, like very small amounts of water where they can hatch ... The Aedes aegypti [the mosquito responsible for spreading the Zika virus] is a really tough mosquito to control." With that said, the cases in Florida are the first instances of local mosquito transmission being responsible for the Zika virus. Most cases in the U.S. have been as a result of travel to other countries 60 countries and territories in total or by sexual transmission. Nearly every state is reporting cases of Zika; only Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska have been immune to it. The spread of Zika is now threatening Florida's tourism. The outbreak has prompted travel warnings overseas. Public Health England (PHE) has issued a warning to British pregnant women, advising them to postpone non-essential trips to Florida. Ireland has also issues a similar travel warning to its citizens. More than 106 million people visited Florida last year, which was the fifth consecutive record year for visitations, according to Visit Florida. And more than 1.2 million Floridians work in the state's tourism industry. The state hasn't released data on Zika's effects on tourism, but local businesses say they're concerned. "That's absolutely what's frightening a lot of businesses here: Tourism is Florida's major economy, and the service sector is hugely dependent on people coming from everywhere," Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told the Washington Post". "Businesses want to believe it's very localized in Miami. But on the other hand, they're realistic -- and fearful it'll go beyond that." BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Supreme Court said on Tuesday people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year, issuing a judicial interpretation defining those waters as including China's exclusive economic zones. An arbitration court in the Hague ruled last month that China had no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions in the sea, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case. None of China's reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the court decided. China's Supreme Court made no direct mention of the South China Sea or the Hague ruling, but said its judicial interpretation was made in accordance with both Chinese law and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the Philippines had brought its case. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," the Supreme Court said. "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties ... and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." Jurisdictional seas covered by the interpretation include contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, it said. People who illegally entered Chinese territorial waters and refused to leave after being driven out, or who re-entered after being driven away or being fined in the past year, would be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and could get up to a year in jail, the Supreme Court said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," it added. China's defense minister Chang Wanquan warned of offshore security threats, especially threats from the sea, and said China should prepare for a "people's war at sea" to safeguard national sovereignty, the official Xinhua news agency reported. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. China periodically detains fishermen, especially from the Philippines and Vietnam, and Chinese fishermen also occasionally get detained by other claimants in the South China Sea. Separately, China's military has inaugurated a memorial to servicemen who died in 1974 clashes with South Vietnamese forces that resulted in China cementing its rule over the Paracel Islands, the People's Liberation Army Daily said. The memorial, on Duncan Island, commemorates the 18 Chinese who died, the paper added. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sue-Lin Wong; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) BEIJING (Reuters) - Home prices are still rising rapidly in most larger Chinese cities, but may have peaked in the high-flying southern city of Shenzhen, according to data giving the first insight into July price trends. Prices of new homes in 100 cities rose 12.39 percent in July from a year ago, faster than the pace in June, research firm China Index Academy said. The average home price was 12,009 yuan ($1,370 pounds) per square metre in July across the 100 cities, up 1.63 percent from the previous month, Index Academy said on Monday, compared with a 1.32 percent increase in June. But in Shenzhen, where the cost of homes have risen the fastest in the country this year, prices peaked at 69,843 yuan ($10,509.03) per square metre in the first week of the month, then fell over 27 percent based on transactions later in the month, according to weekly data from property agent Centaline. For the month of July, Shenzhen home prices fell 8.15 percent month-on-month, the fastest monthly decline since 2012, after hitting a record high in June, another agent, Midland Realty, said in a report. Shenzhen is one of a number of top-tier cities including Shanghai which have tightened restrictions on home buying in recent months to cool price rises, which have sparked fears of asset bubbles. But while prices in Shenzhen may have peaked, other first-tier cities continue to see strong year-on-year gains. Prices in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing rose 41.25 percent, 22.5 percent and 15.47 percent year-on-year in July, Index Academy said. It is a different story in smaller cities, with 38 of 100 cities recording a decline in prices in July from year ago levels. Chinese media has begun warning of risks in the rapid turnaround in the housing market this year, with calls for different real estate policies for different cities and concerns that speculative bubbles are forming. The property market is a key driver of the world's second-largest economy and a robust recovery in home prices and sales gave a stronger-than-expected boost to activity in the first half of the year. Story continues However, activity in the sector could turn if prices stall out or start to decline, especially with chronic overbuilding in many smaller cities, analysts say. The China statistics bureau reports official housing price data on August 18. (Reporting by Elias Glenn; Editing by Kim Coghill) (Adds Didi Chuxing response) BEIJING, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A merger between Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and the China unit of U.S. rival Uber could face its first hiccup after China's commerce ministry (Mofcom) said on Tuesday it had not received a necessary application to allow the deal to go ahead. However, Didi said there was no need to seek regulatory approval, saying the two ride-hailing companies' lack of profits meant they weren't required to file with the ministry. Didi's acquisition of Uber's China operations, announced on Monday, will create a roughly $35 billion ride-hailing giant and could raise monopoly concerns as Didi claims an 87 percent market share in China. Uber China is the second largest player. Mofcom, one of China's anti-trust regulators, said at a news briefing that the two firms need to seek approval for the deal to go ahead. It had been unclear previously whether such a filing would be required as both firms are loss-making in China. "Mofcom has not currently received a merger filing related to the deal between Didi and Uber," ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said. "All transactors must apply to the ministry in advance. Those that haven't applied won't be able to carry out a merger" if they fall under applicable anti-trust and merger rules, he said. In an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday, Didi contested Shen's assertion that the firm is required to apply for approval. "We are in close communication with authorities," said Didi. "Some of the financial metrics of the transaction did not meet the filing requirements. UberChina and Didi are not profitable yet, and UberChina's turnover in 2015 didn't meet the 400 million yuan ($60.30 million) trigger requirement for the anti-trust process." Didi and Uber have been in a fierce battle in China, spending billions of dollars to subsidise rides and win users. Other players, however, could step up competition. Jia Yueting, head of LeEco, the parent of smaller ride-hailing rival Yidao, said in a social media post the firm would offer steep rebates to attract passengers to help avoid a monopoly in the market. Story continues "Yidao will soon kick off an even more aggressive cashback campaign," according to a translation of Jia's posting provided by a LeEco spokeswoman. Regulations released last week that take effect on Nov. 1 legitimise ride-hailing, but prohibit services from offering rides below cost. ($1 = 6.6336 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Jake Spring, Paul Carsten and Li Zimu, Norihiko Shirouzu and Beijing monitoring team; Editing by Ian Geoghegan and Adrian Croft) China navy PLA aircraft carrier Liaoning Since the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled against China's nine-dash line in the South China Sea, there has been a marked increase in rumblings of the unimaginable: War in the Pacific between China, it's neighbors, and their ally, the US. China had given signs that it had no intention to respect the Hague's ruling, but lately rhetoric has been stepped up a notch, with the AFP reporting that a Beijing minister urged preparations for a "people's war at sea." In fact, China's state-run media has been awash with bluster on the subject of their military and sovereignty. China's Global Times went as far as to challenge Australia directly, saying: "If Australia steps into the South China Sea waters, it will be an ideal target for China to warn and strike." On Weibo, a state-regulated blogging site, Lian Fang, a professor at the military-run National Defense University said that, "The Chinese military will step up and fight hard and China will never submit to any country on matters of sovereignty," Reuters reports. Beijing has even gone as far as to unilaterally announce a "no sail zone" in international waters, which directly violates international maritime laws and courtesy. This kind of unilateral action would undoubtedly prompt a response from the US, whose navy regularly patrols the waters of the South China Sea even as China builds up military outposts in the region. Usually, regional powers are deterred from making power plays on international waters and shipping lanes by the deterrent factor of the US's massive military, but Beijing seems emboldened by both their own rapidly advancing military might as well as the US's preoccupation with the presidential election. US Navy uss lassen Story continues "The People's Liberation Army is ready," one source with ties to the military told Reuters. "We should go in and give them a bloody nose like Deng Xiaoping did to Vietnam in 1979," the unnamed source continued, making reference to China's brief invasion of Vietnam to punish Hanoi. But despite China's impressive ballistic and cruise missile programs, the country's military is largely untested in modern warfare. Conversely, the US navy is stretched thin seeing to interests around the globe, and they would face huge difficulties in abandoning their posts worldwide to focus on China. A war between China and it's neighbors also has the dangerous possibility to divide the world. The US will no doubt come to the aide of it's allies, and China and Russia have increased military ties which could further complicate the scenario. china navy The fact is a war between the world's two largest economies, who are both nuclear-armed naval powers, would be a full on disaster with the brunt of that damage being felt by civilians in the Pacific and the world at large. One unnamed Chinese source seemed especially aware of the potential for catastrophe in the military posturing in a statement to Reuters: "Our navy cannot take on the Americans. We do not have that level of technology yet. The only people who would suffer would be ordinary Chinese" NOW WATCH: The US and 25 other nations are working together in the worlds largest maritime exercise More From Business Insider Contrary to the figures released by the civic body, the number of the potholes seem to be on the rise in every part of the city. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Pothole issue has become a headache for BMC as they are receiving lot of flak from citizens. Roads department of the BMC has said that there are only 2017 potholes in the city until Saturday. And if we believe what civic body claims then the civic roads department has filled 1,873 potholes and only 144 potholes are to be filled. Given the civic records, Borivali is the most pothole-ridden area in the city. advertisement Bandra's Kherwadi flyover was inaugurated two years back. Unfortunately, the opening of the flyover in Bandra is riddled with potholes. The potholes here often lead to traffic congestion during peak hours. The long queue of vehicles extends till Kalanagar flyover. Kalanagar, one of the prominent areas in Mumbai, also has the residence of Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray. Interestingly, right outside the PWD office in Kalanagar there is a huge pothole. Sources said that bad quality of pavers and heavy rains lead to the formation of the pothole. Locals here said that the pothole is not clearly visible during heavy rains. "Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is claiming that he has got crores of rupees fund in state for roads so where has this fund gone? Why are there new Potholes every day? If we are holding CM responsible for farmer suicides then for these Potholes who should be held responsible," asked NCP senior leader Nawab Malik. POTHOLES GALORE Balaram Street in Grant Road area was repaired right before the monsoon, however all kinds of potholes has surfaced here. According to local shop owner and residents here the potholes cause several accidents. "It is a kind of a nexus between contractors, corrupt officials and few political Leaders. BMC should make it mandatory for contractors developing the roads to maintain them regularly. There should be strict punishment for such contractors who use poor quality materials for roads," said BJP leader Ram Kadam. He further added that "I can show them more than 165 potholes in a lane; it's evident that the BMC officials are lying about the numbers of Potholes" DESPITE COMPLAINTS, NO REDRESSAL Earlier there was a system of potholes tracking in which even common people could report it to the BMC. But that system was suspended year ago. But now BMC has asked people to call them on their dedicated hotlines to complain about the potholes. The state government had given assurance to High Court that both the Western Express Highway and the Eastern Express Highway are pothole-free by August 19, the next date of hearing. "There will be more potholes as the contractors are reluctant to maintain them. It is seen that in posh areas you will find road quality is good but in slum areas these contractors' poor materials leading to more potholes. BMC should stop this Nexus of contractors and officials first" said Anil Galgali, RTI Activist. advertisement Also read: Congress to name potholes after BJP leaders in Mumbai --- ENDS --- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Donald Trumps most loyal supporters, spoke out in defense of Khizr and Ghazala Khan on Tuesday, calling attacks on the Gold Star parents inappropriate. The Khans, whose son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq, have been at the center of a feud with Trump since the father criticized the Republican presidential nominee at last weeks Democratic National Convention. I didnt see Mr. Khans speech at the DNC, but Ill just say this: Im a father, and I just cannot imagine the pain of losing a child under any circumstances, Christie told reporters Tuesday afternoon, Politico and other outlets reported. And for Mr. and Mrs. Khan, the pain of losing their son while defending our country is unfathomable, and I think it gives them the right to say whatever they want, whether theyre right or wrong, he continued. Though he refrained from weighing in on Trumps handling of the Khan dispute which has included Trump questioning the mothers silence at the DNC Christies comments signaled an unexpected shift from one of Trumps staunchest allies. Christie, who briefly ran against Trump for the GOP nomination, was among the first politicians to endorse the Manhattan billionaire. We need to honor their sacrifice for our country, and we need to honor their sons sacrifice for our country, Christie said. And to focus on anything other than that, to me, is missing the point. Thats what we should be doing, and any comments that were making publicly or privately should be with that in mind. Most Republicans, like Christie, have avoided defending Trump in the controversy. Some, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have issued passionate statements denouncing Trumps pushback against the Khans. In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldiers parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States to say nothing of entering its service, McCain said in a statement released by his office Monday. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. A California city whose police publicly dismissed a woman's 2015 abduction as a hoax even allegedly likening it to the movie Gone Girl, before a man was eventually arrested in the case and the city apologized has defended its actions in a recent court filing obtained by PEOPLE. The city of Vallejo is seeking to dismiss victim Denise Huskins' federal lawsuit, filed in March with her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, which accused the police department of defamation, false arrest and false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. (Quinn has claimed he was initially held for an 18-hour interrogation after reporting Huskins' missing, where police accused him of killing her.) Their suit seeks unspecified financial damages from the police department. In a statement to PEOPLE, their attorney, Kevin Clune, dismissed the city's latest motion as victim-blaming and part of a series of "outrageous tactics." But the city argued that the police statements after the kidnapping are protected under the First Amendment, and that the suit's other two claims should be dismissed for lack of evidence. The specific officers named in the suit are also protected by "absolute immunity" under state law, the city's attorneys argued in the July filing. Vallejo police said they were initially skeptical of Huskins' reported abduction because they didn't believe Quinn's version of events, including that he had been drugged by intruders, according to the filing. Police also based their skepticism in the case on the fact that Huskins did not meet with her parents in the days after her reappearance, according to the filing. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Soon after Huskins reappeared, police called a news conference to label the incident a hoax, saying they had no evidence of an abduction which attorneys for the city now argue was constitutionally protected speech. "Vallejo Police had a First Amendment right to discuss their investigation and to respond to media questions about this public issue," as they did in news conferences, the attorneys said in their July filing. "The reported kidnapping raised public safety concerns and drew widespread media attention, thereby becoming an issue of public interest," the attorneys said. The case became erroneously known as the "Gone Girl" kidnapping, referring to the popular book and movie. Clune called the city's motion to dismiss "a misguided approach of blaming the victim." "Denise and Aaron have already experienced unimaginable horror at the hands of Vallejo," he said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Amazingly, Vallejo now seeks money (in the form of legal fees) from these victims for asserting their civil rights. We have complete faith that the court will hold Vallejo accountable for its outrageous tactics." A Vallejo city spokeswoman declined to comment to PEOPLE, citing the pending litigation. Story continues City Defends Itself for Falsely Dismissing Abduction in California 'Gone Girl' Case| Crime & Courts, True Crime The Kidnapping and Aftermath In March 2015, Quinn called police saying Huskins had been kidnapped from the home they shared on Mare Island in Vallejo, according to the city's court filing. Quinn also told police there was a ransom demand for Huskins' safe return. He told investigators that intruders had placed blackened swim goggles over his eyes and headphones playing soothing music over his ears, according to the filing. He also told police they drugged him and took his blood pressure. Huskins was found safe two days after her disappearance, soon before her ransom was due, at which point police publicly dismissed her claims. But federal prosecutors later accused Matthew Muller, a disbarred Harvard University-trained attorney, of Huskins' kidnapping, and the city issued an official apology to Huskins and Quinn. While she was confined, Huskins said she was tethered to a bed and twice raped, while her captors filmed it, according to the July filing. Muller denies involvement in her abduction and his trial is scheduled for January. With reporting by CHRISTINE PELISEK By Amanda Becker CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump on Sunday of scapegoating the parents of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, after the Republican nominee took issue with remarks the soldier's father made at the Democratic National Convention. Trump, in an ABC interview that aired on Sunday, questioned why Ghazala Khan, mother of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, stood quietly by her husband, Khizr Khan, as he took the stage at last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia. Trump suggested the mother might not have been "allowed" to speak. Speaking at a church service, Clinton said Trump had been insulting to a family who had sacrificed so much. She also used the episode to contrast her own religious faith with that of Trump, who has spoken of religion on the campaign trail infrequently. "I don't begrudge anyone of any other faith or of no faith at all, but I do tremble before those who would scapegoat other Americans, who would insult people because of their religion, their ethnicity, their disability," Clinton said in remarks at the Imani Temple Ministries, an African-American church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. "It's just not how I was raised, that's not how I was taught in my church," said Clinton, who grew up as a Methodist. "Tim Kaine and I are people of faith," she said, referring to her vice presidential running mate, who is a Catholic. Top Republican lawmakers House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also condemned Trump's remarks in separate statements, although they did not mention their presidential candidate by name. "Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example," Ryan said. "His sacrifice - and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan - should always be honored. Period." he said. Earlier on Sunday, Ghazala Khan took up her own defense in an opinion piece in the Washington Post, saying her husband had asked her in advance whether she would want to speak at the convention but that she had decided she would be unable to do so on stage because of her pain over the 2004 death of her son. "Donald Trump said that maybe I wasn't allowed to say anything. That is not true," she wrote. "When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant." In a statement issued on Sunday evening by the Trump campaign, Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, said that he and the Republican nominee "believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero" that his family, like other families of fallen soldiers, "should be cherished by every American." But Pence added that Captain Khan had died defending the country against terrorism and that Trump's policies would reduce the likelihood that other families would face the kind of heartbreak the Khans had. Khizr Khan, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin and a Muslim, spoke about his war hero son at the Democratic convention and took issue with Trump's call for a temporary ban on the entry of Muslims into the United States. Khizr Khan invited the Republican nominee to read the U.S. Constitution and visit the graves of American soldiers from many backgrounds at Arlington National Cemetery. In the interview aired on Sunday morning on ABC's "This Week," Trump cast doubt on why Khan's wife did not speak. "She was standing there, she had nothing to say, she probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me," Trump said. Trump on Sunday tweeted that Khan's son had died 12 years ago: "Captain Khan, killed 12 years ago, was a hero, but this is about RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR and the weakness of our "leaders" to eradicate it!" Trump also tweeted that he had been "viciously attacked" by Khan at the convention. "Am I not allowed to respond?" he asked. The candidate also tried to change the subject to the war itself: "Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!" On Twitter, Republican strategist Ana Navarro called Trump's comments about the Khans "gross" and labeled him a "jerk." Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort, said he sympathizes with the Khan family but that their loss is not the issue at hand. "The issue really is radical Islamic jihad and the risk to the American homeland," he said on CBS, defending Trump's proposal to suspend immigration from some geographic regions. (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Alana Wise, Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Sandra Maler) jeff zucker CNN President Jeff Zucker is not impressed with some of the biggest names in digital media. In a profile that Variety published on Zucker on Tuesday, the CNN chief said that competitors like Vice and BuzzFeed were not even worthy of being called journalistic outlets. "I don't think Vice and BuzzFeed are legitimate news organizations," Zucker said, reportedly cracking a "mischievous" smile. "They are native advertising shops. We crush both of them. They are not even in our same class." Despite Zucker's dismissal of his digital competitors, CNN has repeatedly relied on BuzzFeed's original reporting in its own broadcasts and write-ups. During a town hall hosted by Anderson Cooper earlier this year, Cooper confronted Trump with revelations that he had supported the invasion of Iraq in 2002, which BuzzFeed discovered in an interview with radio DJ Howard Stern. CNN has faced criticism this election cycle for providing a platform for the real-estate magnate's message, carrying many of his events live during the primaries. According to Variety, Zucker has an image of one of Trump's positive tweets about CNN framed on his office wall. In a statement, BuzzFeed Editor Ben Smith chided CNN's coverage of Trump. "The most important test of any news organization this year is its coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign. I'm happy to put our tough, fair coverage up against CNN's decision to turn its platform over to Jeff's friend Donald Trump," Smith said. A representative for Vice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NOW WATCH: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Has Two Breakfasts And Exercises Before Doing 6AM Hospital Rounds More From Business Insider GUAVIARE, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombian law enforcement has destroyed 104 cocaine laboratories capable of producing some 100 tonnes of the drug annually, the head of the anti-narcotics police said on Tuesday. The operation, conducted over five days in the country's southeastern jungle region, is part of new government strategy focused on combating drug production as well as the cultivation of coca, the base ingredient of cocaine. "This is a structural blow to the finances of drug trafficking," anti-narcotics police director General Jose Angel Mendoza told Reuters in the jungles of Guaviare province. The laboratories were burned down by police commandos. Coca cultivation was up 39 percent in Colombia in 2015, according to United Nations data. Law enforcement in the country confiscated 253 tonnes of cocaine in 2015, up 71 percent on the year before. Leftist rebels and crime gangs are both involved in the drug trade - taxing coca growers, running production laboratories and smuggling the drug in partnership with Mexican cartels. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler) (Reuters) - Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper on Monday criticized Donald Trump's comments about fracking, saying the Republican presidential candidate does not completely understand the issue, the Denver Post reported. Trump, during a campaign in Colorado, said that while he supports fracking, he also believes state and local governments should be able to ban fracking, the Denver Post reported. (http://dpo.st/2aIHGZy) Hickenlooper, a former geologist, called the issue a "tricky thing" when asked why he thought Trump was wrong to support locals' ability to ban fracking, the publication wrote. He also added that if total responsibility is given to local authorities, any oil and gas activity would be voted to be banned, and people who own these private properties with the minerals would lose out, the publication reported. The Colorado Supreme Court has a ruling in force which does not allow local governments to ban fracking. A representative for Trump was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler) Along with 401(k) matches, generous paid vacation and even student debt repayment help, an accommodating parental leave policy is becoming de rigueur. More companies are starting to catch on to what current and prospective employees want when it comes to benefits at work. A new report by Mercer on global parental leave policies shows employers are beginning to expand these offerings as parental leave benefits become a frontline tool in the battle to attract and retain talent. In Mercers survey of more than 1,200 companies, 36% of firms said they have a parental leave policy and of those firms, 94% have a maternity leave policy, 76% have paternity leave and 73% have an adoption leave included. And of the 64% of companies without a policy, 12% are considering implementing one. In a previous survey, Mercer found that 63% of US employees said benefits are one of the reasons they work where they do. With benefits playing such a significant role in employees choice of employer, and with changing demographics, social attitudes, and a push for greater gender equality, companies worldwide are making perhaps their biggest changes to parental leave policies since adopting these benefits, according to the Mercer report. Indeed, a handful of companies in the tech and financial sectors have notably led the charge and set the standard for improved parental leave policies to help new parents, including Facebook (16 weeks paid parental leave), Virgin Management (one year), Bank of America (16 weeks), JPMorgan Chase (16 weeks) and Netflix (unlimited parental leave). Maternity leave Less than half (44%) of global companies say they provide maternity leave above the statutory requirement, Mercer found. Across regions, 51% of companies in the Americas provide maternity leave that exceeds federal requirements, compared to 43% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 38% in Asia Pacific. Note that the US is ranked No. 1 in terms of having the most companies that provide maternity leave above the statutory minimum, because we have no mandatory paid maternity leave, though many companies offer some compensation for at least some part of the leave period. Story continues (Almost all OECD countries offer paid maternity leave that lasts at least three months with the United States being the only country to offer no statutory entitlement to paid leave on a national basis.) Paternity leave About one-third of companies globally (38%) provide paid paternity leave. Many countries dont have a statutory paternity leave requirement, but its common for companies to offer two to five days of paid leave around the time of birth, Mercer says. A third of US companies provide leave for fathers above the legal requirement (but again, that number is likely skewed because the US has no mandatory policy for paid leave). Like maternity leave, while some companies go above and beyond whats technically required, the US is far behind other developed and some undeveloped countries. For instance, Finland mandates 54 working days of paid paternity leave, the UK has two weeks, and Tanzania has three days, according to the International Labour Organization. Within industries, mining and metals firms are the most generous: 83% of companies provide maternity leave above the minimum, according to the report, compared with the global average of 44% of companies, according to Mercer. For paternity leave, the banking and financial services sector comes out on top, with 58% of companies giving dads leave beyond the minimum. The global average is 38%. New York-based Consolidated Edison, Inc. ED is set to release second-quarter 2016 results after the closing bell on Aug 4. Last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 3.28%. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors at Play Consolidated Edison follows a systematic capital investment plan for infrastructure development and has a robust capital expenditure plan of around $11.5 billion for the 20162018 time frame. Roughly 81.3% of the planned investment is allocated for regulated utility operations, while the rest goes to its competitive business. It expects 2016 earnings in the range of $3.85 to $4.05 per share. Meanwhile, Consolidated Edison has gradually been converting some of its operations to gas, which is safer for the environment. The company has, in fact, been investing steadily in its renewable generation assets. Its renewable investments in 2016 comprise an allocation of $3,168 million for energy delivery systems and $985 million for renewable electric production projects. Going forward, the company has set aside $1.7 billion for renewable and energy infrastructure projects through the 20162018 period. In Jun 2016, Consolidated Edison announced that it has completed the formation of a joint venture to own and develop Crestwood Equity Partners LP's existing natural gas pipeline and storage business, located in southern New York and the northern Pennsylvania region. These initiatives would help the company expand and diversify energy resources, while encouraging competitive pricing for consumers. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings reflects a 5.8% year-over-year decline, while sales are anticipated to be up 2.5% to $2.86 billion. However, disruption in the wholesale energy markets, stringent utility regulations and interruption in operation of its generating units could be detrimental for Consolidated Edisons growth. Story continues CONSOL EDISON Price and EPS Surprise CONSOL EDISON Price and EPS Surprise | CONSOL EDISON Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Consolidated Edison is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Consolidated Edison has an Earnings ESP 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 73 cents. Zacks Rank: Consolidated Edisons Zacks Rank #3, when combined with a 0.00% ESP, makes surprise prediction difficult. We note that Sell-rated stocks (#4 or #5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are a few operators in the electric utility space worth considering, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Pattern Energy Group Inc. PEGI has an Earnings ESP of +100.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is scheduled to release second-quarter results on Aug 8. AES Corporation AES has an Earnings ESP of +11.11% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will report second-quarter results on Aug 5. Avista Corp. AVA has an Earnings ESP of +2.33% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company will report second-quarter results on Aug 3. 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 CONSOL EDISON (ED): Free Stock Analysis Report AES CORP (AES): Free Stock Analysis Report AVISTA CORP (AVA): Free Stock Analysis Report PATTERN ENERGY (PEGI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The issue I raised about retired senior military officers (GO-FOs, for General Officer-Flag Officers) serving as partisan cheerleaders at the U.S. Democratic and Republican national conventions has prompted a considerable amount of feedback and follow-up. Most of it is positive and helpful, and the best example is the pithy letter to the editor retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey published in the Washington Post. See also his longer follow-up essay. Dempsey wrote that Generals John Allen and Michael Flynn just made the tasks of their successors more complicated. And, as if on cue, Allen made it even worse the next day as he got drawn further down the partisan path. He followed up his convention speech with an interview on Meet the Press in which he was asked to respond to Republican nominee Donald Trumps critisisms, and specifically his charge that Allen was a failed general and that the war against the Islamic State got worse under [Allens] leadership. Allens response was breathtaking: he [Trump] has no credibility to criticize me or my record or anything that I have done. If he had spent a minute in the deserts of Afghanistan or in the deserts of Iraq I might listen to what he has to say. Hes got no credibility. Allens frustration is understandable, but it leads him into dangerous waters. The first iceberg he hits is an awkward irony: While it is true that Trump has not served in combat in Afghanistan or Iraq, neither has Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who Allen is championing. Nor, for that matter, has the current commander-in-chief. Why does lack of combat experience disqualify Trump but not Clinton and President Barack Obama? The second iceberg is that the U.S. Constitution is pretty clear on this point: Combat experience is not a requirement for becoming president. We expect presidents to judge whether a general is succeeding or failing, whether or not those presidents have spent a minute in the desert. Story continues There were ample ways Allen could have rebutted Trumps critique without running afoul of civil-military norms. He could have argued the facts about his generalship, the facts about the current state of progress, the facts about American interest in the Middle East, and so on. He eventually did so, but not before he reached for an argument that is toxic when deployed by senior military officers: the case that those who did not serve in combat are not in a position to judge a generals effectiveness. This is particularly poisonous for a reason to which Dempsey draws our attention: what such partisanship does to the active duty military officers. When Allen demonstrates that he thinks it is acceptable to dismiss criticism ab initio from civilians who have not served in combat, he is undermining the chain of command. He is also complicating the jobs of those who have a professional obligation to prepare for the contingency of a transition to a Trump presidency, which some polls are saying is a real possibility. It remains the case that a Trump presidency is one of the highest likelihood contingencies against which the military must plan. It would be deeply corrosive to civil-military trust if the military concluded that, following Allen, it can plan to ignore not just unlawful orders but any policy judgment on national security whatsoever. To be sure, Allen has had his defenders, though not particularly persuasive ones. The usually thoughtful Michael OHanlon argued that Allen (but apparently not Flynn, whom OHanlon does not mention) should be excused for speaking as a partisan advocate in the political convention because of the non sequitur that other generals in the past ran for president. As Dempsey has made clear elsewhere, he and almost every other person who speaks on this issue recognizes a meaningful distinction between running for office and thus making oneself explicitly a partisan contender, and more importantly, accountable to the voters and standing on the stage wrapped in the mantle of a non-partisan institution but deploying that garb for a partisan end. After conflating these different roles, OHanlon goes on to offer some sensible guidelines for how military officers should speak in partisan settings. He says they should not team up in a concerted way and should not invoke their military credentials to attack another. Further, they should voice their views with a degree of restraint and precision, avoiding sweeping arguments when it is possible to make their points in a professional and specific way, he argues. Not a bad (if incomplete) list. But OHanlon fails to notice that Allen, and to a certain extent, Flynn, violate those very guidelines. Allen and his group very definitely teamed up in a concerted way; heck, they mustered and marched out on stage to a military cadence. (By the way, I played that part of the episode to a large group of military officers and they visibly cringed. Some laughed. Whoever proposed that bit of stagecraft had a tin ear for things civil-military.) Allen explicitly and repeatedly invoked his military credentials and the credentials of those standing behind him to attack Trump (though, it must be said, Flynns speech was an order of magnitude more negative than Allens) and doubled down on the same in subsequent interviews. And of course, neither Flynn nor Allens speech was characterized by restraint and precision. Both were designed to stir the crowd up into a frenzy, and by that measure, succeeded in rousing the rabble. Let me once again stipulate that both men have served the country ably and honorably while on active duty and both, I believe, are sincerely motivated by a conviction that these are desperate times that call for desperate measures. I do not think either is simply currying favor in the hopes of winning political spoils. And along the way, both raise legitimate issues that are worth debating: the efficacy of our counter-Islamic State campaign and the role of Clinton in the policies that gave rise to the Islamic State; Trumps unwillingness to acknowledge the militarys obligation to resist unlawful orders; the importance of NATO and the credibility of our commitment to our allies; and so on. Had they raised the legitimate policy questions in a non-campaign setting, they would have gotten a pass. But they did not present a carefully caveated and carefully delimited military perspective on an important policy issue. Instead, they offered full-throated, partisan candidate endorsements and implied that to disagree with them on these partisan judgments would be to dishonor the military service of those on whose behalf they seemed to speak. That doesnt stray across the line. That blows past it and amounts to a clear and present violation. Eight additional points in response to objections sent to me in private: Yes, this is an issue on which reasonable people can disagree. But lets be clear that my position is not the extreme position of a crank academic (or at least not merely that!). It is also the explicit position of the last two Chairmen of the Joints Chiefs Staff, and, I believe, the implicit position of the two before that. It is also, I suspect, the view of the vast majority of active and retired four-stars and perhaps of all retired GO-FOs (but I am less sure of views held lower down the ranks). No, we are not talking about whether the generals have a right to speak. Of course, they have the right to do so (as retired officers folks in uniform actually do not enjoy the same First Amendment rights that those of us out of uniform enjoy). This is not about rights. It is about what is best for the military profession. No, we are not talking about whether retired military have to stay silent on all policy matters. A useful rule of thumb by which to measure the weakness of another sides argument is how quickly it skips your main point and substitutes an absurd argument you never made. By this measure, Flynn has an exceptionally weak argument, as he demonstrates here. The people who are the most adamant that it doesnt hurt are the pure politicos and those GO-FOs who actually make public endorsements. Might they be biased? Note that this is a pox on both houses argument, so it is one of those rare moments when partisans on both sides of the aisle might agree on something. In my experience, the policy people in both parties tend to be sympathetic to my view. The politicos understand it, but then make the totally valid point that they cannot afford to unilaterally disarm and they cant trust the politicos in the other party. That is why I seek to persuade the retired GO-FOs themselves, who can simply say no, as most now do. Of course there is a continuum of risk here. While we might agree on a squishy generalized norm against this, we can also agree that we would apply it more stringently in cases of greater risk. The engine that slides us up the scale of risk is pretty clear: (a) the more senior the GO-FO, (b) the more recent the GO-FOs active duty service, (c) the more partisan the setting (e.g. convention speech versus side-bar comment in a policy discussion), and (d) the actual content of the endorsement (careful parsing of policy arguments versus the strident bombast in which Flynn and Allen engaged). By that calculus, Flynn and Allens cases are pretty egregious. Regardless of whether you think I exaggerate the risk, I dont think there is a reasonable defense of Allens call to the active duty force to join him in this mission. That crosses a bright shiny line. So bright and so shiny that I couldnt shake the thought that he garbled the words when reading them off a teleprompter. And so he did. His prepared remarks put it: Every American, in uniform or out [emphasis mine], in the White House or at home, must be a force for unity in America, for a vision that includes all of us. As delivered, it was: Every American in uniform, in the White House or at home. USA! USA! we must be a force for unity in America, for a vision that includes all of us, all of us. Even as written, it is not a good line for a general to deliver and I am a bit surprised that a buttoned-down organization like Clintons cleared it. As delivered, it sounds even more like a call for the active duty force to join in the political campaign. At a minimum, Allen should undo the damage by making it clear in subsequent interviews that he is not calling on the active duty force to join him, and on the contrary, he is calling on the active duty force to serve professionally whomever the voters elect to be their commander-in-chief. Yes, I totally understand that this election feels different, and the view that now if ever is a time to bend the rules. I have indulged in some trivial exceptions to standard practice myself, such as speaking out repeatedly against my own partys nominee. I think this year is different, even though the people saying so have said so every four years. Every four years, Democrats claim that while they might be able to tolerate the kinds of candidates the Republicans nominated in the past, this year (replace 2016 with 2012, 2008, 2004, 2000, 1996, 1992, 1988, and so on ad infinitum) the stakes are too high and the candidate the Republicans chose too extreme. Somehow, ancient Republicans get rehabilitated with age thus the spectacle of the Clintons speaking favorably about Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in 2016 when they demonized those Republican worthies in 1992. I think this is different, even though the Democrats are not treating it as different by running on a true national unity platform. As Ross Douthat has argued, the Democrats are paying lip service to the language of national unity to peel off Republicans disgusted with Trump, but they are not making the policy concessions that a party would make if it truly believed this was a supreme emergency that required all hands on deck. Instead, the Democrats are behaving as if they view this as a supreme emergency in the way that every crisis is an opportunity for them to lock in political gains precisely Obamas approach to the financial crisis. Despite all of that, I do think this election is different. But different does not mean that anything goes. Different does not mean that military partisanships toll on democratic civil-military relations can be ignored. Where would those who think this is a supreme emergency, in which civil-military fouls can be winked at, draw the line? How dangerous to the Republic is the opposing candidate? So dangerous that you would stop only at what? Photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images The demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh is growing day by day. While the opposition parties have called for a statewide shutdown, the TDP MPs are holding protests in and outside the Parliament. By Ashish Pandey: Pressure is mounting on the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh to severe its ties with the BJP-led NDA at the Centre over grant of special category status to the state. The TDP leaders continued to target the BJP. State minister Ganta Srinivas made it clear that party was ready to take any step for the welfare of the people and state. He claimed that the TDP and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were ready for any sacrifice for the sake of the state. advertisement HRD minister G Srinivas Rao, Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao and OBC Welfare Minister Kollu Ravindra jointly said, "Those who have to help us develop are denying it and the manner in which they are dealing with the issue in Parliament is worrisome. All the seniors who spoke in Parliament during the bifurcation of AP supported the proposal of special category status for AP. (Union Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley had even demanded that the status be extended to 10 years. If the Prime Minister and his government give a thought, all these issues can be solved easily." Andhra Pradesh special status: Will TDP break alliance with BJP? TDP MAY WITHDRAW MINISTERS FROM MODI CABINET G Srinivas Rao, considered to be close to the chief minister, said TDP may withdraw its ministers from Central Cabinet as well as leave the NDA if the issue was not resolved soon. "All political parties had decided in Parliament to provide special status to Andhra Pradesh? now for the welfare of state we can take any step... if required, we can withdraw our ministers from Central Cabinet or can even leave the NDA... we have discussed each and every option. We will take a suitable decision for the state," he said. The demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh is growing day by day. While the opposition parties have called for a statewide shutdown, the TDP MPs are holding protests in and the outside Parliament. The state leaders are targeting the Central government as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. TDP MPs PROTEST IN PARLIAMENT For the second day in a row, the TDP MPs staged a sit in protest near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament premises. They shouted slogans and carried placards demanding the central government to fulfill the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, including the special status category to the state. Meanwhile, the principal opposition party, YSR Congress, along with other political parties has called a statewide bandh today affecting the normal life. During the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, it was Congress which had borne the brunt as they were decimated to zero after 2014 Assembly election. Now it is the BJP government which is facing the heat of its own alliance partner over the special status category for Andhra Pradesh. Also Read: Andhra special status: YSR Congress calls for bandh today, ruling TDP continues protest Andhra Pradesh special status: PM Modi fears Chandrababu Naidu, says TDP MP --- ENDS --- advertisement Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) - England captain Alastair Cook hopes Steven Finn will rise to the occasion after the fast bowler was recalled for the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston. Finn, who will replace injured all-rounder Ben Stokes, is expected to be the only change to the England side that won the second Test at Old Trafford by 330 runs to level the four-match series at 1-1, when Cook tosses up with Pakistan counterpart Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Middlesex quick, has edged out Nottinghamshire paceman Jake Ball. Both bowlers played in Pakistan's 75-run win in the series opener at Lord's -- a match where Finn went wicketless for the first time in his Test career, and on his home ground as well. Yet Finn's record of 120 wickets in 33 Tests at an average of under 30 apiece saw him win out in what Cook admitted was a "tough call". Finn's career has been a mixture of the unplayable, as when taking a Test-best six for 79 against Australia at Edgbaston last year, and the insipid. Now Cook wants the sometimes uncertain Finn, who has had several minor injuries this season, to put complete trust in his talent. Asked what his advice to Finn would be, Cook told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday: "Not to worry too much about it. "He sometimes can worry too much about it. "He cares deeply about playing for England and doesn't want to let anyone down." Opening batsman Cook added: "He's a huge talent. On his day, he bowls spells which are incredible to be standing at first slip for, as he did against Australia here (last year). "So (I'll) try and tell him to relax and play. "That doesn't always happen. But sometimes, when you're dropped, it's a bit of a moment for you as a player." Cook also hopes to see a reaction from a player understandably disappointed at being dropped. "He obviously missed out on the last Test, and that will have hurt him," Cook said. Story continues "Telling him he wasn't playing, you saw that disappointment and hunger almost straightaway. "Telling him he was playing today, you saw that glint in his eye." Ball had his moments on debut at Lord's and Cook said deciding the identity of England's fourth seamer had been a difficult. "It was a tough call, as I found at two o'clock (0100GMT) this morning when I was wide awake thinking about it. "But we've gone for a guy with a proven Test record, who has a knack of picking up wickets and good memories from last year. "He hasn't quite been at his best this year, and there are a few factors in that, but physically that's now better." Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. CTB is set to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4. In the last quarter, this tire manufacturer posted a positive earnings surprise of 5%. Let us see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Cooper Tire is likely to beat earnings this quarter because it has the right combination of the two key components. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Cooper Tire is currently pegged at +7.48% as the Most Accurate estimate of $1.15 stands above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.07. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. Zacks Rank: Cooper Tire carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. Conversely, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. The combination of Cooper Tires Zacks Rank #3 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat. COOPER TIRE Price and EPS Surprise COOPER TIRE Price and EPS Surprise | COOPER TIRE Quote What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings? Cooper Tire continues to develop great products with superior design and functionality, which will satisfy the market demand in all regions. The company expects its improving product mix to expand profitability. Meanwhile, Cooper Tire has been focusing on expansion in Latin America. In Jan 2016, it announced the opening of a new sales office in Sao Paulo, Brazil to expand its business in the Latin American market. This will help the company to enter into new markets in the region as well as enhance its business in the existing markets. Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Westport Fuel Systems Inc. WPRT has an Earnings ESP of +9.09% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 financial results are expected to release on Aug 3. Metaldyne Performance Group Inc. MPG has an Earnings ESP of +3.57% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 financial results are expected to release on Aug 4. Magna International Inc. MGA has an Earnings ESP of +0.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. The companys second-quarter 2016 financial results are expected to release on Aug 5. 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 MAGNA INTL CL A (MGA): Free Stock Analysis Report WESTPORT FUEL (WPRT): Free Stock Analysis Report COOPER TIRE (CTB): Free Stock Analysis Report METALDYNE PERFM (MPG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Each year, farmers around the globe apply more than 100 million tons of fertilizer to crops, along with more than 800,000 tons of glyphosate, the most commonly used agricultural chemical and the active ingredient in Monsantos herbicide Roundup. Its a quick-and-dirty approach: Plants take up less than half the phosphorus in fertilizer, leaving the rest to flow into waterways, seeding algae blooms that can release toxins and suffocate fish. An estimated 90 percent of the pesticides used on crops dissipates into the air or leaches into groundwater. With the global population on pace to swell to more than nine billion by 2050 amid the disruptions of climate change, scientists are racing to boost food production while minimizing collateral damage to the environment. To tackle this huge problem, theyre thinking small very small, as in nanoparticles a fraction of the diameter of a human hair. Three of the most promising developments deploy nanoparticles that boost the ability of plants to absorb nutrients in the soil, nanocapsules that release a steady supply of pesticides and nanosensors that measure and adjust moisture levels in the soil via automated irrigation systems. Existing technology could increase average yields up to threefold in many parts of Africa. Its all part of a rise in precision agriculture, which seeks a targeted approach to the use of fertilizer, water and other resources. Recognizing the potential impact of nanotechnology, the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) beefed up funding between 2011 and 2015, from $10 million to $13.5 million. India, China and Brazil are also joining the latest green revolution. Scientists led by Pratim Biswas and Ramesh Raliya at Washington University in St. Louis have harnessed fungi to synthesize nanofertilizer. When sprayed on mung bean leaves, the zinc oxide nanoparticles increase the activity of three enzymes in the plant that convert phosphorus into a more readily absorbable form. Compared to untreated plants, nanofertilized mung beans absorbed nearly 11 percent more phosphorus and showed 27 percent more growth with a 6 percent increase in yield. Story continues Raliya and his colleagues are also developing nanoparticles that enhance plants absorption of sunlight and investigating how nanofertilizers fortify crops with nutrients. In a study earlier this year, they found that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles increased levels of the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes by up to 113 percent. Next, they want to design nanoparticles that enhance the protein content in peanuts. Along with mung beans, peanuts are a major source of protein in many developing countries. Others are exploring nanoparticles that protect plants against insects, fungi and weeds. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and other institutions recently began field trials that use several types of metal oxide nanoparticles on tomato, eggplant, corn, squash and sorghum plants in areas infected with fungi known to threaten crops. Researchers led by Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto, of the Institute of Science and Technology, Sao Paulo State University, Campus Sorocaba, are designing slow-release nanocapsules that contain two types of fungicides or herbicides to reduce the likelihood of targeted fungi and weeds developing resistance. Scientists at the University of Tehran are conducting similar research. Still others are working on nanocapsules that release plant growth hormones. Gettyimages 173119614 Lettuce turn to technology to fight hunger. Source: Mike Mackinven/Getty A lot of [this technology] is still in the development stages, says Sonny Ramaswamy, director of NIFA. Part of it is being driven by a complete lack of knowledge of the environmental state of these things. Since researchers have only just begun investigating the safety of microscopic delivery mechanisms, a regulatory framework that specifically addresses these systems in agriculture does not exist. Scaling down a chemical might dramatically change its properties, possibly making it more likely to accumulate in streams and other habitats, says Stacey Harper, assistant professor in the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University. In a recent study with zebra fish, Harper and her colleagues found that enveloping insecticides in minuscule capsules made them more toxic, probably because of increased uptake. Plus, researchers still need to optimize nanoparticle synthesis for commercial use. Its not an easy system to scale up, Fraceto says. NIFAs Ramaswamy predicts that smart systems consisting of tiny sensors will grow very rapidly, while nanopesticides and other products will be a little bit slower to come around. If nanotechnology does take hold in agriculture, who will have access to it? Will only affluent countries reap the benefits? We should be concerned about bridging the gap between the developing and developed world, says Chike Mba of the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization. In the meantime, farmers in developing countries can tap into effective low-tech options. Existing technology could increase average yields up to threefold in many parts of Africa, according to research by the U.K.s Foresight Programme. Genetically modified crops have been met with resistance, but Washington Universitys Raliya believes the public will be less wary of nanotechnology since it doesnt fundamentally alter crops and ultimately reduces chemical use a bit like organic farming. Were currently not able to produce enough food for the people who live on this planet, says Jason White, vice director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and head of its Department of Analytical Chemistry. The population is increasing, the climate is changing, making agriculture hard to do. The role of nanoparticles is to help us address this major problem. We just cant produce enough food. Related Articles travel cruise ship luggage Shares of the three major publicly traded cruise liners are getting whacked. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean have fallen by almost 6.5% each and Carnival Cruise Lines is off just over 2.5% as of 1:50 p.m. ET. The drop-offs come the day after an advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against pregnant women traveling to part of Miami, an important departure port for many of the cruise lines' ships, in the wake of several cases of the Zika virus in the area. Additionally, almost all of the cruise lines' Caribbean and Central American destinations have reported active Zika transmission according to data from the CDC. As of 2011, according to the US Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, roughly 35% of all North American cruise line passengers departed from the two Miami area ports. Here's a chart showing the drops: Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 2.08.57 PM NOW WATCH: 9 phrases on your resume that make hiring managers cringe More From Business Insider Prague (AFP) - The Czech government said Tuesday it was in talks to buy out a pig farm built on the site of a former Nazi concentration camp where hundreds of Roma prisoners died during World War II. Anti-racism activists in May demanded the EU halt subsidies to the farm, part of their long campaign to remove it from the sensitive location. "No other government has been so close to resolving this issue," Daniel Herman, culture minister in the left-wing government of Premier Bohuslav Sobotka told reporters Tuesday at the site. Herman, however, refused to reveal the sum under consideration or when to expect a final deal. Built in the 1970s in the southwestern village of Lety by the communist Czechoslovak regime, the pig farm has reaped scorn at home and abroad ever since totalitarianism was toppled in 1989, four years before Czechoslovakia split into two states. "It's sad that communist authorities built a pig farm on a Roma Holocaust site," Jozef Miker, a Roma rights activist said Tuesday in Prague. "What's worse, is that it's still there 27 years after communism's demise." Between 1940 and 1943, Nazi Germany and its Czech collaborators imprisoned close to 1,300 Czech Roma at the camp. Alongside European Jews, the continent's smaller Roma minority was also a target of Nazi genocide during World War II. Some 327 Roma, including 241 children, died at the camp staffed by an ethnic Czech commander and guards, while more than 500 were sent to Nazi Germany's infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in occupied southern Poland. Of the 9,500 Czech Roma registered before World War II, fewer than 600 returned home after the Holocaust. The Czech Republic, an EU country of 10.5 million, has a Roma community estimated to number between 250,000 and 300,000. Of the roughly one million Roma who lived in Europe prior to WWII, historians believe that Nazi Germany killed over half. Prague (AFP) - Czech President Milos Zeman has rejected a government proposal to take in some 2,700 migrants languishing in Italy and Greece, claiming they might pose a security threat, his spokesman said Tuesday. "The president is against welcoming any migrants on Czech territory. Our country can't afford to run the risk of having terrorist attacks like those committed in France and Germany," Zeman's spokesman Jiri Ovcacek told reporters. Islamic State group jihadists have in recent weeks claimed four bloody assaults in France and Germany that killed nearly 90 people, wounded hundreds and left the continent on edge. "In other words, by welcoming in migrants, we're creating a breeding ground for terrorist attacks in the Czech Republic," Ovcacek added. The centre-left government led by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka proposed earlier this year that the EU member welcome 2,691 refugees through 2017. Sobotka's proposal, which has not yet been approved, is not linked to contested EU quota system to distribute refugees across the bloc. The so-called Visegrad-four countries -- the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia -- are all staunchly opposed to the plan. At the height of the record migrant crisis last year, thousands of people would risk their lives every day, taking the journey from Turkey to the Greek islands in flimsy boats provided by smugglers at an exorbitant cost. From Greece, they would begin a difficult journey up the Balkan route to countries in northern and western Europe such as Germany and Sweden. But the route has been shut since March, leaving thousands of people stranded in Greece and in nations along the way. According to Ovcacek, the migrant influx into Europe is "completely unchecked and beyond control". "We are unable to distinguish between economic migrants and refugees fleeing war," he said. Zeman's Slovak counterpart Robert Fico last week raised his own concerns over migration, claiming it would heighten the risk of fresh attacks. By Robert Muller PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman believes his country should refuse to take in refugees to ensure they cannot commit "barbaric attacks", his spokesman said on Tuesday. Zeman, whose role is largely ceremonial, is the country's most vocal opponent of immigration, opposing even the government's modest plan to take in 80 Syrian refugees this year, a tiny proportion of the millions fleeing civil war. Zeman's spokesman told a regular news conference that Islamist attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks proved his point. "Our country simply cannot afford to risk terrorist attacks like those that occurred in France and Germany. By accepting migrants, we would create fertile ground for barbaric attacks," Jiri Ovcacek said. "The president does not agree with any acceptance of migrants in the Czech territory." The Czechs and other central Europeans have been the most critical of the European Union's response to the migration crisis, in which over a million people entered the bloc last year. The government opposes an EU quota system to redistribute asylum seekers but has not followed Slovakia and Hungary in challenging it in the courts. Hungary is holding a referendum on Oct. 2 to ask its citizens whether they accept the EU system. It is not clear how Brussels will be able to force those countries to take in refugees against their will. Germany's European commissioner, Guenther Oettinger, blasted Zeman's comments. "The refugee quotas were agreed by a large majority and are now European law," Oettinger, commissioner for digital economy and society, told the German broadcaster ffn. "A president who so defames European legislation weakens Europe as a whole." Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's government has agreed to taking in 80 Syrian refugees from a Turkish camp. Sobotka has said it is not possible to have uncontrolled migration, but that using "collective guilt and saying every Muslim is a terrorist" is not the way to proceed. He was unavailable to comment on Tuesday. A CVVM institute poll in May found 61 percent of Czechs were against taking in war refugees, up from 52 percent in October. Another 34 percent said refugees should be allowed to stay only until it was safe for them to return home. (Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Dale Earnhardt Jr. has missed three races in 2016 (Getty Images). Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still struggling with his balance and gaze stability at times as he continues his treatment protocol from what his team has termed concussion-like symptoms. Earnhardt Jr. talked about his treatment at length on his Dirty Mo podcast released Monday after the race at Pocono. It was the third race Junior has missed following concussion concerns. Jeff Gordon, who has filled in for Junior the past two races, finished 27th. There are days when I feel like the balance is better, and then theres certainly moments when its not, Junior, who is meeting with five doctors Tuesday, said. Im sleeping a whole lot more, maybe a lot harder than I did before which is to be expected. My doctors dont want me sleeping too much which is commonly what you hear. Junior also said he felt the balance and vision issues were tied together. The balance is up and down. The main issue I have is called gaze stability. And thats the main problem. That is what I believe is tied to the balance, the gaze issue and the problem with my eyes being able to fix on an object at a great distance. And stay there with head movement. Thats the problem. When I move my head I lose the object Im trying to target. The podcast, which has become Juniors outlet of choice for updates on his condition, is a must-listen as Earnhardt Jr. candidly discusses his symptoms and when they first appeared. Hendrick Motorsports has not announced who would sub for Earnhardt Jr. at Watkins Glen or any future races if needed. An announcement on Sundays road course race would likely come Wednesday. Junior said doctors believe his violent impact against the backstretch wall at Michigan triggered his problems, though he didnt feel anything over the Sprint Cup Series off weekend or at Sonoma. Because of the delay in symptoms Junior raced at Daytona and Kentucky, where he thought he had a sinus infection doctors ran bloodwork and even checked for things such as Lyme disease. Story continues I never had a concussion that came on weeks after the event, Junior said. This is scary for me because of the way its been different, Junior added. He also said he hadnt had balance or sight issues with previous concussions and the symptoms came on gradually. Junior, 41, said he also feels obligated to be transparent about his symptoms because of the nature of concussions and brain injuries. I wouldnt be like this if I was 25-years-old and trying to get going and thinking about man I want to race for another 25 years. I wouldnt be as transparent, Junior said. Id tell people Ive got symptoms, Ill be back when Im good. Thats the end of it. But Ive raced long enough that, and with my history and my concern about my well-being and my future I really dont have anything to lose by being transparent. Id love to race more. In my mind my plan is to race more. I have plans to keep going. Ill worry about that when Im well. Ill talk to my doctors and say what do I have left as far as the racing. My doctors are confident that they can make me stronger than I was before this event. As far as long-term man, Ive got more. I want to race more. Ive got another year on this deal and me and Rick have sat down and discussed our future and what else we want to accomplish Id be frightened to death at 25-years-old going through this. At 41 I think its important for me and my piece of mind. And it might help somebody. Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Flags fly at half-staff outside Dallas police headquarters on July 12. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The Dallas Police Department has seen an unprecedented surge in applications in the aftermath of the July 7 ambush of police officers, the department announced Friday. Five Dallas-area law enforcement officers were killed and nine were injured when a sniper attacked police officers during a protest against police violence. In the wake of the shooting, Police Chief David Brown urged the protesters to make different use of their pent-up frustration. Were hiring, Brown said days after the shooting, as the Washington Post reported. Get off that protest line and put an application in. Well put you in your neighborhood and well help you resolve some of the problems youre protesting about. Slideshow: Photos: The shootings in Dallas >>> Since the shooting, the DPD said it has seen a comparative 344 percent increase in applicants this month. In the window from June 8 to 20, the department had 136 applicants. From July 8 to 20, the department received 467 applications. As of now, it is unclear whether the increase in applicants will bring in more police officers. According to the statement released by the department, the DPD usually accepts 15 percent of applicants on average. We are very pleased with the interest and the surge of applicants, the department said. We dont have the demographic or motivations of the applicants thus far. We will certainly follow through with processing and hiring the best qualified candidates. Slideshow: Dallas pays tribute to fallen officers >>> Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton addressed this surge in applicants in her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Chief David Brown asked the community to support his force, maybe even join them. And you know how the community responded? Nearly 500 people applied in just 12 days, she said. Thats how Americans answer when the call for help goes out. Slideshow: Newspapers react to Dallas attack against police officers >>> Story continues The increase in applicants also came after Dallas promised a raise for city officers, who reportedly earn $10,000 to $20,000 less than their peers in neighboring municipalities. According to CNN, officers in Dallas earn under $45,000 annually, compared with $52,176 in Fort Worth, $56,754 in McKinney, $59,501 in Arlington and $63,757 in Plano. Related slideshows: Slideshow: Alton Sterling killed by police in Baton Rouge, La. >>> Slideshow: Black Lives Matter protests in Baton Rouge >>> Slideshow: Police fatally shoot Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn. >>> Slideshow: Protests over shootings block roads in U.S. cities >>> Donald Trump A top spokesman for Hillary Clinton said Tuesday morning that Donald Trump's assertion the election would be "rigged" against him was "dangerous" rhetoric. "Even for a reflexive conspiracy theorist like Trump, this is pathetic," Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon wrote on Twitter. "It's dangerous, too." Trump made the outlandish claim about the election being cooked against him twice on Monday first at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, and later on Fox News host Sean Hannity's program. During the rally, Trump told the crowd he wanted to "be honest" with them while discussing the election outlook. "I think my side was rigged," he said. "If I didn't win by massive landslides ... I hear more and more that the election on November 8, can you believe, we're almost there." Then on Hannity's program, Trump said he had "been hearing" for "a long time" that the fall election could be rigged. "And I know last time, there were you had precincts where there were practically nobody voting for the Republican," the New York businessman said of the 2012 election. "And I think that's wrong. I think that was unfair, frankly, than Mitt Romney. "You had areas where a lot of people were curious how is that possible?" he continued. "And I've been hearing about it for a long time. And I just hope that there's really, I hope the Republicans get out there and watch very closely, because I think we're going to win this election, but if it's rigged, like anything else, look, it was rigged, I thought, a little bit for me, and we won in landslides." The Republican nominee told Republicans to "be careful" or the election would be "taken away from us." "And I'm telling you, November 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged," he said. "And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." Trump would be the first presidential candidate in modern times, possibly ever, to blame an election loss on voter fraud or a rigged election. Story continues The Republican nominee has lamented about a "rigged" process earlier in the election cycle, chastising the process for selecting delegates after Sen. Ted Cruz won the majority of the Colorado delegates. He is trailing Clinton by 4.4 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average of several polls. NOW WATCH: Obama had some incredible reactions while campaigning with Hillary Clinton More From Business Insider By PTI: Nashik, Aug 2 (PTI) Incessant rains pummelled the city and other parts of district on the third consecutive day today, triggering flood in Godavari river which has crossed the danger mark in the city. Many rivers across the district are also in spate due to heavy rains. While one elderly woman was killed in wall collapse in the district, a couple is feared washed away in flash flood in Umrale village. advertisement Unabated downpour which gained intensity in last 48 hours, caused water-logging in areas like Ramwadi, Bohorpatti, Bhandi Bazar, Saraf Bazar and in some slum pockets. As authorities released water from Gangapur dam, the river level rose significantly, causing many bridges in Old Nashik area to undergo water. "Irrigation department released thousands of cusecs of water from Gangapur, Darna, Palkhed and other dams following heavy incessant rain. This caused flood in Darna, Kadva and other rivers in the district," said an official from district collectorate. In Nashik city, Godavari river water gushed into many areas adjacent to the river. Many ancient temples located on the banks of the river submerged due to flood while few steps of famous Naroshankar temple near Ramkund are also under water. The administration has already alerted people staying in vicinity of the river to move to safer places as more water is likely to released from Gangapur dam in night. Authorities have declared holidays to schools and colleges for two days in view of rains. Senior officials, including Police Commissioner S. Jagannathan and Collector Radhakrishanan are closely monitoring the flood situation. Meanwhile, heavy rush of people to witness flood caused traffic snarls in areas like Someshwar, Old Nashik, Holkar Bridge, etc. According to an official, all seven doors of Nandur Madhmeshwar dam were opened today, which caused flood water to gush into Chandori and Saykheda villages. The administration has sought help of 300 Army jawans to meet any eventuality, especially in Chandori village. In a rain-related mishap, a 75-year-old-woman was killed when wall of her house collapsed at Induri village in Dindori taluka. A couple, identified as Ashok Karate and his wife Sakhubai, are feared washed away in flood at Umrale village, an official said. PTI CORR NRB NSK RG PTP --- ENDS --- Dascha Polanco is a fashion fiend, a breakout TV star, and a social media maven so why wont designers dress the curvy celeb for the red carpet? (Photo: Getty Images) If youre a size 8 or 10 in real life, youre considered average. But if youre that size in Hollywood, well, youre sized out. Thats the stark lesson learned by Dascha Polanco, who plays Dayanara Daya Diaz on Orange Is the New Black. According to Vogue, despite the fact that the actress and style maven stars on a hit TV series and has 1.9 million followers on Instagram where shes often seen trading her onscreen scrubs for bold, fashion-forward ensembles she cant seem to get high-end fashion labels to dress her for premieres or red carpet events. I understand that its business, but still, its like, really?, Polanco tells the publication. My industry friends, who are clear and honest with me say, Girl, they dont have your size, and youre not at that level yet, so you have to either move that way or just build those relationships so that later in the future maybe it happens.' Polanco notes that many stars who have sample-size figures seem to have no trouble getting famous designers to lend them expensive gowns simply in exchange for publicity which the actress can clearly offer but when it comes to fuller-figured women, its slim pickings. Its funny that a lot of the brands are dressing people who are not offering anything as far as talent, theyre just out there, she tells Vogue. And its not like Polanco cant wear the heck out of a high-end dress or rock a pants look like it was literally made for her. I believe in #PINK #DashTheNova @fashionnova A photo posted by SHEISDASH (@sheisdash) on Aug 9, 2015 at 9:21am PDT Seriously, the girl knows how to werk: @nylonespanol A photo posted by SHEISDASH (@sheisdash) on Jun 17, 2016 at 6:18pm PDT So the problem must be the fashion industry, were left to conclude. And other voluptuous stars have experienced the same size discrimination. According to the Washington Post, even after her star-making turn in Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy said she found it next to impossible to find a major label to dress her for the Academy Awards. Two Oscars ago, I couldnt find anybody to do a dress for me, she said in 2014. I asked five or six designers very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people and they all said no. Story continues In response to designers sizeism, McCarthy launched her own fashion line, Melissa McCarthy Seven7. Ive been every size on the planet and know that I didnt lose my sense of style just because I went above a size 12, she says on the brands website, where she promotes not only her fashion line which includes everything from maxi dresses to pencil-fit jeans but also a guide to help customers find their perfect fit. And Polanco is strongly considering following in McCarthys sartorial footsteps, according to Vogue. Im creative enough, and to be honest with you, I dont mind work. Now more than before, its like, Youre not going to make my s***? Well, Im going to make my own!' she told the publication. Leslie Jones, SNLs breakout star and one of the four funny ladies in the upcoming Ghostbusters remake, was vocal on Twitter about designers not being willing to dress her larger frame. It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) June 28, 2016 Although most fans were supportive of Joness struggle, some stylists piled on with some pretty harsh criticism. According to the Hollywood Reporter, stylist Jeanne Yang chalked it up to pure economics, saying, People have this belief that showrooms and designers have racks and racks of clothing in all sizes. They dont. But Jessica Paster who has dressed stars including Emily Blunt and Nia Vardalos didnt hold back when she suggested the 6-foot star should conform to the industrys high standards of one-size-fits-all figures. [Jones] should have known four to five months ago the date of premiere, and said, Im not a sample size, I need to go to designers early or buy myself a dress. Dont be blaming designers and saying they dont like you, Paster said. But top designer Christian Siriano had a different reaction when he saw Joness tweet. Siriano reached out literally (well, using hand emojis) to the comedian, who happily accepted the designers subtle offer to dress her with an enthusiastic YAAAAAASSSSSS. The result? A little bit of trademark-Siriano shenanigans: And then, a fierce red gown to light up the red carpet which Instagrams own Instagram saw fit to regram: Siriano may be the common thread in this entire body-positive high-fashion movement. Not only did he swoop in to save Jones, but also hes been known to dress many of Polancos Orange Is the New Black co-stars, including Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Jackie Cruz (Flaca), who were groomswomen at his recent nuptials, as Yahoo reported. Could it be time for a Polanco-Siriano fashion line to be conceived? We couldnt think of a better, or more timely, collaboration. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Guatemala City (AFP) - The daughter of a Guatemalan journalist murdered in June was herself fatally shot on Tuesday in her hometown of Coatepeque, police said. Lindaura Aceituno, 36, died after being taken to hospital with several bullet wounds. She was shot by unidentified assailants on a motorbike as she was in her car with her young daughter. The girl was also wounded but was in a stable condition. On June 25, Aceituno's father, Alvaro Aceituno Lopez, 65, was shot dead in the same town by attackers in a car. He was the director of a local radio station and managed a news program. Police did not immediately advance any motive for Tuesday's killing, or say whether they believed the two murders were linked. Guatemala is one of Latin America's most dangerous countries, with around 6,000 murders a year, many of them linked to gang violence. So far this year, five journalists have been violently killed and dozens have been assaulted or threatened. Rare moments of daylight peeked through between Chris Christie and Donald Trump Tuesday, as the New Jersey Governor broke with two of Trumps statements and a longtime aide said she wouldnt vote for Trump. Maria Comella, Christies former deputy chief of staff for communications who stopped working for the Governor after he ended his presidential bid, told CNN she would vote for Hillary Clinton in November. Donald Trump has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on peoples anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the other,' Comella said. Christies office did not immediately respond to request for comment. Comellas announcement came just one day after Sally Bradshaw, a former adviser to Jeb Bush, said she was leaving the Republican Party and might vote for Clinton. Christie allied himself with Trump after he dropped out of the race and quickly moved into the nominees inner circle. But on Tuesday, Christie said Trumps criticism of the Khans, a Muslim couple who lost their son in Iraq in 2004 and spoke against Trump at the Democratic convention, was inappropriate. We need to honor their sacrifice for our country and we need to honor their sons sacrifice for our country, Christie said, Politico reports. And to focus on anything other than that, to me, is missing the point. My view on this is that the Khans have a right to say whatever it is they want regarding the loss of their son and that for all the Gold Star families out there, they have put forward a sacrifice that I cannot fathom as a parent. Christie also responded to a question about Trump referring to Clinton as the devil. Not the devil, no, Christie said. But unqualified to be president of the United States. (Reuters) - A blaze that has scorched some 43,000 acres (17,400 hectares) and destroyed dozens of homes near Californias famed Big Sur coast was sparked by an illegal, unattended camp fire in a state park, authorities said on Tuesday. The so-called Soberanes Fire, which erupted on July 22, began as a small blaze, 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, ignited by unknown individuals in a section of Garrapata State Park that was closed to camping and campfires, according to U.S. Forest Service spokesman Don Jaques. No arrests have been made, he added. The more than 5,450 fire personnel battling the blaze have been able to draw containment lines - a measure of how much of its perimeter has been cleared by fire crews of unburned vegetation - around only 18 percent of the wildfire so far. Steep, mountainous terrain as well as hot, dry conditions have hampered efforts to quell the fire tearing through drought-parched chaparral, grass and timber. One person, a bulldozer operator hired by property owners to help battle the flames, died last week when his vehicle rolled over. It was the second California wildfire-related death in a week. Slideshow: Deadly California wildfire threatens Big Sur coast >>> Firefighters from El Dorado Hills keep watch on a smoldering cliff at Garrapata State Park during the Soberanes Fire north of Big Sur, Calif., July 31, 2016. (REUTERS/Michael Fiala) In addition, 57 homes and 11 other structures have been destroyed while some 2,000 remained under threat on Tuesday, fire officials said. About 350 residents have been ordered to evacuate the area, though some evacuation orders have since been lifted. The fire threat, coming in the middle of the regions summer travel season, has prompted the closure of several popular California campgrounds and recreation areas along the northern end of the Big Sur coastline, including Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Another fire broke out on Saturday in grass and brush about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Fresno, in central California. It has since charred about 2,020 acres (817 hectares) and is threatening 400 structures, prompting evacuations in the area, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Five structures, including three homes, have been destroyed, fire officials said. On Tuesday morning, the so-called Goose Fire was listed as 30 percent contained. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tom Brown) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f162914%2fellicott_city It started out as an ordinary, albeit sultry, evening in Ellicott City, Maryland, located about 14 miles west of Baltimore. But starting at 7:51 p.m. EDT, a deluge for the ages unleashed a torrent of water on the flood-prone community, turning Main Street into a raging river and killing at least two people. SEE ALSO: The climate that most of us grew up with is gone for good The localized severe storm was part of a wider outbreak of heavy downpours as a stifling heat wave came to an end across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The flash flood was also the latest in an increasing trend of damaging heavy rainfall events in parts of the U.S., particularly the Northeast. This trend has been tied back to human-caused global warming, since as the air warms it is able to carry more moisture that allows storms to produce heavier precipitation. The images and videos from this event are shocking and heartbreaking, as people raced to save potential drowning victims while cars were suddenly swept away amid the deluge. According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall total in Ellicott City was 6.05 inches, 5.92 of which fell in just two hours. The most remarkable aspects of this storm had to do with the rapid rainfall rates, with 1.44 inches of rain falling in just 10 minutes between 7:50 p.m. and 7:55 p.m. on Saturday evening. A whopping 3.16 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes, and 4.56 inches fell in one hour. This caused the Patapsco River to climb as much as 14 feet in one hour, according to the Baltimore Sun and data from the Weather Service. Flood gauge showing the record crest that suddenly occurred along the Patapsco River on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Image: National Weather service River gauge showing the sudden, massive rise in water levels on Saturday evening. Image: National Weather Service To help shed light on the rarity of heavy precipitation events, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains a database of precipitation frequency estimates. (The nearest point to Ellicott City in this database is Woodstock, Maryland, which is five miles away.) According to NOAA the rainfall amounts that fell in as little as 10 minutes to as long as 2 hours statistically had "less than one tenth of one percent (less than 0.1 percent) chance of occurring in any given year. Story continues In other words, the rainfall rates that occurred during the 10-minute to two-hour timeframe of this storm event can typically be expected to occur with a frequency of less than once in a thousand years. That's about as rare as heavy rainfall events get. The Weather Service cautions, however, that the data, including the precipitation frequency estimates, are preliminary and could still change. Annual number of days with 2 inches of rainfall or more in Baltimore, showing an increase in recent years. Image: Climate Central The rarity of this event doesn't by itself mean that climate change was a significant contributor to this event. It will take climate change attribution studies of this storm to reveal how likely this was with global warming compared to a natural climate. However, the deadly downpour is consistent with what one expects to occur more frequently and with greater intensity and what is already occurring with greater regularity in a warming climate. The 2014 National Climate Assessment, for example, found there was an increase of 71 percent in the heaviest precipitation events in the Northeast between 1958 and 2012. According to Steve Bowen, a meteorologist for the insurance company AonBenfield, there have been nine 1-in-1,000-year rainfall events in the U.S. since 2010 alone, including a deadly flooding event in West Virginia in June. Change in one-in-five-year rainfall events for 1901-2012 compared to the period 1901-1960. Image: Climate central/national climate assessment Ellicott City, has had significant flash floods before, including some floods in recent years. This weekend's event is being compared to one of the worst-ever floods that took place there in 1972, during Hurricane Agnes. However, local residents described the flooding on Saturday night as at least as significant as, if not worse than, that event. "It was like a war zone," Mary-Anne Mulcahy told the Baltimore Sun."I couldn't sleep last night because I kept seeing that water," she said. "It kept coming and coming." Other deadly one-in-a-thousand-year rainfall events during the recent past including the flooding of Charleston, South Carolina in October 2015, and a deluge in Houston, Texas earlier this year. Another contributor to many of these events is outdated storm drainage infrastructure and increased urbanization in many parts of the U.S. By Luciano Costa SAO PAULO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Investors eyeing Brazil's auction to privatize state-owned utility Celg-D said its heavy debt and the high minimum price could jeopardize the Aug. 19 sale. Celg-D, which serves the agricultural-rich center-west state of Goias, is the first power distributor to be sold by Eletrobras, as holding company Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA is known. Eletrobras plans to sell all its seven distributors by the end of 2017 as it tries to get rid of money-losing businesses. The mininum price set for Celg-D is 2.8 billion reais ($859 million). The final price could reach 5.2 billion reais if the company's debt is considered. Investors said this week that might be too much, even after regulatory changes by Brazil's interim President Michel Temer have improved the sector's outlook. "Investors are complaining," said one source close to the privatization process who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. Thais Prandini, a director at consultancy Thymos Energy, said credit restrictions during Brazil's sharpest recession in eight decades may also limit interest. Investors seeking to enter energy distribution in Brazil have other options. Utility Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais , for instance, is looking for a partner in its Rio de Janeiro-based utility Light Energia SA. Chinese investors again seem to be the best hope. China's State Grid Corp on July 1 clinched one of the largest deals yet in the Brazilian energy sector, buying from construction conglomerate Grupo Camargo Correa a controlling stake in utility CPFL Energia SA State Grid responded to Reuters in a statement that it had yet to decide if it would take part in the Celg-D auction. Energisa SA, another large utility holding company in Brazil, said it would not bid because of the high minimum price. Neoenergia SA is not interested either, a company source said, declining to be identified because the decision was private. AES Corp also responded in a statement that it would not participate in the auction. ($1 = 3.2583 Brazilian reais) (Reporting by Luciano Costa; Writing by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Richard Chang) (Reuters) - Delaware's top court on Tuesday struck down the state's death penalty statute, arguing that it grants judges powers that juries should wield and that it is unconstitutional. The 3-2 Delaware Supreme Court decision came in the case of Benjamin Rauf, who was charged with first-degree murder and robbery and being in possession of a firearm during the crimes. Prosecutors have been seeking the death penalty against Rauf. The judges determined that since the state's death penalty law allows a judge to sentence a convict to death independent of a jury and also allows a jury to hand down a death sentence without a unanimous verdict, it violated the U.S. Constitution. "Put simply, the Sixth Amendment right to a jury includes a right not to be executed unless a jury concludes unanimously that it has no reasonable doubt that is the appropriate sentence," the 92-page ruling said. "Throughout our history, capital sentencing has been a 'responsibility traditionally left to juries,' and the decision of whether a 'fellow citizen should live or die' has been considered a responsibility too great for any one person to make alone," the ruling said. Delaware Governor Jack Markell, a Democrat, applauded the ruling. "The use of capital punishment is an instrument of imperfect justice that doesn't make us any safer," Markell said in a statement. "It is my hope that today's decision will mean that we never see another death sentence in our state." Delaware Department of Justice spokeswoman Nicole Byers said the office was reviewing the decision. Rauf's attorney, Santino Ceccotti, said he was "elated" with the ruling. "We're still going through the decision, it's a lengthy one, but we're very happy with the court's decision," he said. Ceccotti added that the ruling would require all capital offense cases currently pending statewide to be prosecuted again with non-capital charges, though it was not immediately clear if the court's ruling would be retroactive. Story continues The decision said it would fall to the state's General Assembly to decide whether to craft a new death penalty statute that does not violate the U.S. Constitution. The ruling noted that the U.S. Supreme Court made a similar determination when it struck down Florida's death penalty statute in January, arguing that a jury, not a judge, was required to impose a death sentence. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by David Gregorio, Toni Reinhold) By Vidya : Big relief for Mohenjo Daro. Petitioner Akashaditya Lama has to shell out 1.5 lakh towards cost of the petition. Bombay High Court today disposed off the petition filed by filmmaker Akashaditya Lama accusing filmmaker Ashutosh Gowarikar of copyright infringement. Lama had asked for a stay on the latest release of Gowarikar's magnum opus Mohenjo Daro. The film is set for release this weekend. advertisement While dictating the order Justice Gautam Patel also imposed a cost of Rs 1.5 Lakh on Lama. Justice Patel noted that the petitioner had only gone to various forums to harass Gowariker and others. He also noted in his order various arguments put forth by Gowariker on how much research had gone into the making of the film. BONE OF CONTENTION Lama who directed a film titled Cigarette Ki Tarah had alleged that he had narrated the story of his script to Gowarikar when he was new to Mumbai and finding work in the film and television industry. Lama had also stated that when he got to know of Gowariker's film on the Indus Valley Civilization in 2012, he had sent an email to the director, but did not receive a reply. In a press release sent by Gowariker, His spokesperson said, "Ashutosh had faith in the legal system and rather than talking about this, he has been engrossed in promoting the film and I'm sure that that is what he will continue to do. Everyone is fully geared up for 12th August and also the Locarno International Film Festival." ALSO READ: Mohenjo Daro: Hrithik and Pooja's kisses no trouble for Censor Board, passes with U/A certificate --- ENDS --- Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that despite US differences with Russia the two countries should continue to try and work toward joint conflict resolution in Syria and Ukraine. "We've already got a lot of differences with Russia," Obama told journalists at the White House. "But I think that we've been able to try to stay focused on those areas where we still have a common interest." Diplomatic ties between Russia and the US have spiraled downwards since President Vladimir Putin's return to power in 2012. Despite what Obama called a "tough and difficult relationship" with the Kremlin, he emphasized that the United States would continue to push "Russia and those separatists to lay down arms and stop bullying Ukraine." "It's not going to stop us from trying to make sure that we can bring a political transition inside of Syria that can end the hardship there." Obama has refused to rule out that Russia could be trying to sway the upcoming US presidential vote in favor of Donald Trump by leaking Hillary Clinton's emails, which the Kremlin has denied. "There are a lot of countries out there that are trying to hack into our stuff," Obama said. "Governmental databases but also private sector databases and not for profit databases." On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia to "restrain" itself and the government in Syria as fierce fighting there continues and the city of Aleppo remains under government siege. Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of an international effort to bring Assad's regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups. Kerry said the government's attacks had prevented the warring parties from renewing talks on August 1, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. From Country Living At 90 years old, Dick Van Dyke isn't exactly a man of mystery. The legendary actor has been candid about his alcoholism and the extramarital relationship that spanned the last eight years of his first marriage, but it seems there's more to understand about the emotions and motivations surrounding the Mary Poppins star's difficult times. In an excerpt from the latest edition of his new memoir, Keep Moving (Weinstein Books; Oct. 2016), published yesterday in the Daily Mail, Van Dyke opened up about the the guilt he felt over his affair, as well as his "battle" to stay sober. Photo credit: Getty Images In 1972, Van Dyke spent three weeks in the hospital receiving treatment for alcoholism; shortly after, his wife of 24 years, Margie Willet, with whom he had four children, checked into the same hospital for addiction to prescription drugs. In the years that followed, Margie, who had never liked Hollywood "or its stars," began spending more time on the family's ranch in the desert. Van Dyke found himself confiding in his agent's secretary, Michelle Triola. He writes: She was easy to talk to, she understood me. At the time, Michelle was suing actor Lee Marvin, with whom she had a six-year relationship. I was drawn into a relationship. I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt. By 1976 I had to do something. I needed to be honest. The couple decided to live their lives separately, but didn't divorce until 1984, after 36 years of marriage. Van Dyke remained with Michelle until her death in 2009. Photo credit: Getty Images Of his alcoholism, Van Dyke writes that he relapsed a few times before arbitrarily losing his "taste" for the hard stuff: "We were making dinner one night and after taking a sip of wine, I put the glass down and said: 'Boy, that's making me ill.' From then on, my desire to drink vanished." But perhaps his greatest challenge, sadly, has been watching those around him succumb to terminal illness. Margie died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, a heartbreak the actor said deeply affected him. "Even though we were long divorced, with her death I lost a part of myself," he writes. One year later, Michelle was diagnosed with lung cancer. During her last days, which were spent in a coma, Van Dyke "sang and talked to her until the hospice nurses told me she was gone." Story continues Photo credit: Getty Images Van Dyke met his second wife, Arlene Silver, at a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards dinner in 2006. The pair married in 2012, despite mutual doubts about how the relationship would work, given their 46-year age difference. (Arlene, whom Dick jokingly refers to as his "child bride," hadn't seen any of his movies when they met.) "My brother just said, 'It'll never work. What do you talk about? What do you do together?'" Van Dyke told Huffington Post earlier this year. "The fact is, we talk all the time, and we do everything together." (h/t Daily Mail) Follow Country Living on Pinterest. Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f164527%2fcleveland Cleveland, Ohio, is a city of just under 400,000 people but for the past 27 years, residents all across the state have looked forward to its annual Pride celebration. So it came as a total shock to many when Cleveland Pride, Inc. announced last week, days after the Republican National Convention, that they would be canceling this year's Pride celebration, citing a "changing social climate." Cleveland Pride Inc.'s president, Todd Saporito, blamed the city's inability to address new security issues following the terrorist attack on Orlando, much to the chagrin of eager participants. The cancelation set off a domino effect of finger pointing and blame-gaming, with Pride advocates pushing for a celebration and the traditional organization behind it refusing to put one together. While the city has since organized a new Pride celebration for August 13, many are still wondering how, exactly, the situation became such a quagmire. SEE ALSO: 17 photos of Pride marches in cities around the world A statement posted on Cleveland Pride's website casts a lot of blame, but leaves few credible answers: "We have been entrusted by our community to create a secure parade and festival environment for our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, friends and allies, Saporito said on Cleveland Pride, Inc's website. Because of the changing social climate, Cleveland Pride did not have enough time to engage in the development of awareness programs and training that we believe is critical in todays environment. Therefore, we regretfully cancelled our 28th annual parade, rally and festival this year. Planning for Cleveland Pride had already been interrupted by the Republican National Convention. Cleveland Pride Inc. had already moved the Pride celebration back from the end of June towards the end of pride season in order to accommodate convention-goers. Story continues Ken Schneck, Cleveland resident and syndicated radio host, wrote a rebuttal to the cancellation on The Huffington Post. "The cancelation of Cleveland Pride is inconceivable given that Cleveland took less than 48 hours to plan a parade last month to honor our beloved Cavaliers," Schneck said. "Over a million people showed up. Over. A. Million." And while Saporito identified security concerns, scant evidence could be found to support his conclusion. After Orlando, some cities heightened security in order to protect pride marchers. Yet no celebrations in any of the major cities were cancelled. Attendance at some Pride events was the highest its ever been and there have been no incidents of mass violence against the community since then. Even the Cleveland Police department couldn't identify any specific, immediate threats that might have endangered the celebration. "We had no credible threats towards Pride," Sergeant Jennifer Ciaccia told Mashable. Since then, the LGBT center of Cleveland has stepped up to organize the city's Pride celebrations. The celebration will still happen on August 13. Even though details have yet to be released some of the events and vendors may very well change. For many, the organization's speed in planning a new Pride casts even more doubt on Cleveland Pride Inc.'s original statement. Why could one organization do it, and not another? "The Center was brought to the table after the decision to cancel had already been made," Phyllis Seven Harris, Executive Director of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland, told Mashable in an email. Saporito, President of Cleveland Pride Inc, has not responded for comment. A petition has since been issued for his resignation, and all across Facebook, residents speculated that a changing climate wasn't the problem organizational incompetence was. They say event organizers blamed a tragedy instead of looking internally. Residents were particularly grieved to see the event cancelled in a socially conservative state like Ohio. Unlike some states, Ohio's hate crime laws currently do not include sexual orientation or gender identity. While some can only see corruption, others are looking past the events of the last week and hoping to move forward. "With the absence of a credible threat and all of this dramatic lore around Cleveland Pride Board takeovers and the conduct/reputation of their President/CEO, the social media presence of Cleveland Pride feels mired in political muck, hurt feelings, stark accusations and enough finger-pointing to put a cramp in our collective Cleveland hands," Schenk told Mashable. "My hope is that everyone who is so desperate to tell their 'truth' and bash others in an effort to save face can all wait until after August 13 as a day of celebration and togetherness." Cleveland Pride is scheduled to happen August 13 parties, celebrations, controversies and all. Discovery Communications has bought a minority stake in Ivy Wongs VS Media, a leading multi channel network in Greater China. The three-year old company represents 500 online creators, more than 55 million subscribers and 320 million video views a month. Last month CMC Holdings, part of China Media Capital also bought shares in the company. VS says it empowers creators by providing production facilities and funding, offering direction and support for cross-marketing, social media and search optimization to enable monetization opportunities. It is currently setting up a $4million content development fund which will be used to collaborate with creators to produce local formats. The fund allows creators to pitch original content ideas with potential for multi-platform franchises. These may be produced for VS Medias consumer brand, VS ME. I admire the strong community spirit Ivy has fostered with local creators and their followers. As Discovery looks to build deeper traction in the Chinese-speaking markets, VS Medias robust following is incredibly valuable to us. Through their advanced analytics, we can get fully plugged in to the Chinese millennial zeitgeist, said Arthur Bastings, president and MD of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific. Wong is a new media veteran once credited as the first Hong Kong employee of Yahoo!. She has since been involved with companies including TVB.com, HMVideal and Next Mobile. Related stories China's LeEco Poised for Content Deal With Netflix Discovery Q2 Profit Rises Nearly 43% on U.S. Networks Performance Imax Strikes Biggest Ever Theater Deal With China's Wanda Discovery Communications has taken a minority stake in VS Media, a Hong Kong-based digital media and talent company that targets creative millennials across greater China. The partnership was unveiled Wednesday in downtown Shanghai. Founded in 2013 by media entrepreneur Ivy Wong, VS Media is described as being devoted to Chinese young people "leading mobile-enabled and socially-driven lives." Over the past three years, the company has recruited and mentored more than 500 "digitally native" creators, many of them former streaming video and social media stars. The company works with the creators by "providing production facilities and funding, offering direction and support for cross-marketing, social media and search optimization to enable monetization opportunities." The company says its network has 55 million subscribers and 320 million video views a month. "As Discovery looks to build deeper traction in the Chinese-speaking markets, VS Media's robust following is incredibly valuable to us," said Arthur Bastings, president and managing director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific. "Through their advanced analytics, we can get fully plugged in to the Chinese millennial zeitgeist," he added. Read more: Wanda to Buy Chinese Movie Website Mtime for $350M (Exclusive) Through the partnership, VS Media will tap into content from Discovery Digital Networks, which produces and distributes digital-native programming targeting millennial audiences across its international platforms. VS Media will then locally brand and customize the DDN content for its Chinese platform. Discovery says it will lend its content creation expertise to VS Media's creative output. VS Media also is setting up a $4 million content development fund, which will be used to collaborate with creators to produce local formats. The fund will invite creators to pitch original content ideas with potential for multi-franchises. The content will be produced by VS Media's consumer brand, VS ME. Story continues VS Media unveiled five projects that will kick-start the development fund. They include: - An eSports docudrama featuring Taiwanese stars Jay Chou, Derek Chung, Forrest Li, MiSTakE and Toyz. - A VR series starring a Chinese fashion figure who will uncover local designers in China. - A rockumentary on up-and-coming Chinese musician Tien, who soon will be performing for the president of Cuba. - A travelogue shot in VR featuring three prominent viral stars from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China (names TBA). - A dramedy by one of VS Media's top talents to date, Jin Da Wei, who presents a humorous take on the journey to online fame. "Leveraging Discovery's expertise, we are driven, more than ever, to propel our growth by empowering creators to come up with more high-quality and addictive content," said VS Media founder Wong. The Iran nuclear deal has emerged as a point of contention in the U.S. presidential election, with Republican candidate Donald Trump saying the deal has been disastrous for the U.S., even as Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has vowed to uphold it. But the deal is controversial in Iran as well. One day after Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei harshly criticized the nuclear deal signed last year between Iran and six world powers for not having any meaningful effect on the livelihood of Iranians, the Islamic Republics President, Hassan Rouhani, has praised the deal for lifting the threat of war and giving Iran an open hand in the sale of crude oil. The most important effect of the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] is that the threat of war was lifted, Rouhani said in a live interview on State TV on Tuesday. Our enemies had put Irans case under chapter 7 of the UN Charter, at any moment our country could have been embroiled in an unwanted war. Before the nuclear deal super powers were standing over us and preventing us from selling more than a million barrels of oil per day, but now we can sell as much as we want and this is a point of honor. Read More: Neighboring Iran Warily Watches Turkeys Attempted Coup Rouhani has been criticized in Iran over the deal, but he responded today by citing the benefits the agreement had brought the Islamic Republic. If the deal had not happened we wouldnt be able to export oil, access to our assets would have become harder by the day, and the sanctions on the automobile sector, petrochemicals, money transfer and precious metals would have caused very dire circumstances for the country. While agreeing with Khameneis claims that the United States has failed to fully upkeep its side of the nuclear dealKhamenei has demanded that sanctions should be lifted immediately, rather than gradually as they are nowRouhani seemed to hint that some brinkmanship was at play in the criticism leveled at the Western powers involved in the deal. When we face our foreign counterparts we must speak in one way, we must bring up their faults, shortcomings and negligence, but when we speak to the people we must also tell them of the other side of the story. The fact is the nuclear deal has created a good situation in the country. Story continues Read More: A Retired Canadian Professor is Among Three Dual Nationals Facing Charges in Iran Ayatollah Khamenei had strongly criticized the United States for what he calls its duplicity and treachery regarding their commitments in the nuclear deal on Monday, and had cautioned officials of the Islamic Republic that any further negotiations with the U.S. regarding other regional issues between the two countries would be dangerous for Iran. I said last year that these nuclear talks will be test for us, to see how the Americans will behave, well now we know. They give promises to our face but conspire and prevent any progress in action. This experience showed that we cannot speak to them on any issue as trustable counterparts. Political analysts close to the government had repeatedly said that agreeing to a nuclear deal could lead to further negotiations, and eventually make cooperation between Iran and the United States possible on other matters of joint interestan argument President Obama himself has made. But Ayatollah Khamenei firmly shut the door on this possible opening between the two, saying Some ask me whats the problem with negotiating [with the U.S.], well the problem is that they will get concessions from you but will break their promises in actionThis is why I have for years been saying that we will not negotiate with the Americans, this shows that the problems we have with them in the region, in different issues, cannot be solved with negotiations. Rouhani, a moderate who is up for reelection in less than a year and has touted the nuclear deal and direct interaction with world superpowers including the U.S. as the main achievement of his presidency, sounded dismayed on the bleak outlook on widening the scope of talks with the U.S. If the Americans had acted with good intentions in the nuclear deal we might have trusted them and held negotiations on other issues with them, but unfortunately they didnt do well in this test. LONDON (Reuters) - What do Islamist militants do while waiting to be sent on a suicide bombing mission? Norwegian journalist Paul Refsdal takes us to the insurgent front line in Syria in his new documentary, interviewing would-be suicide bombers to see what daily life is like as they wait to be sent to their death. The film, "Dugma: The Button", shot in late 2014 and last year, follows members of the then al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group Nusra Front as they wait to be deployed as suicide bombers -- showing them in a restaurant, washing up dishes or chatting as gunfire rings out nearby. The group announced last week it was cutting ties with al Qaeda and renamed itself Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. "I hope that it will first of all make people understand that our enemies are human beings and they are not perfect human beings," Refsdal told Reuters in an interview. "They are clumsy sometimes, they do mistakes, they have regrets sometimes, they have dilemmas." Refsdal, 52, has worked in conflict areas for more than 30 years and his last film looked at the Taliban in Afghanistan. In "Dugma", an Arabic word for "button" that the jidahists use to refer to their final mission, according to the film's producers, he shows one man who left his native Saudi Arabia to join the insurgent group, watching his toddler daughter grow up from afar via video clips. A British convert begins to question whether he can carry out a suicide bombing after getting married. "I don't editorialize, I don't put voice over, I don't try to tell people what to think about it," Refsdal said of his film. "I am just showing the everyday situation of these al Qaeda insurgents." He said he hoped the movie would inspire other filmmakers to "try to go to the other side" to tell untold stories. "Dugma: The Button" was released on iTunes on Tuesday. (Reporting by Sarah Mills; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) An American Airlines pilot is being hailed a hero after he was captured on video tackling an unruly passenger who allegedly assaulted a female flight attendant during a flight. The pilot, whose name has not yet been released, can be seen in cellphone footage taking down the 25-year-old passenger Michael Kerr, who was slurring his words, after the man forcibly shoved the attendant to the floor, the Charlotte Observer reports. Enough! the pilot yells as he grapples with Kerr before holding him down on the aisle floor. You dont put your hands on my flight attendant! The incident took place July 21 on a flight from Lexington, Ky., to Charlotte, according to the Observer. Kerr has been charged with being intoxicated and disruptive, assault on a female, communicating threats and interfering with the duties of a flight crew or attendant, the newspaper reports. He was released on $25,000 bond and has been banned from flying as he awaits trial. American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. [Observer] By PTI: Pune, Aug 2 (PTI) Four persons, including a foreign national, were today arrested by custom officials and 159 kg of mephedrone hydrochloride, a banned drug, worth Rs 25 crore was seized from their possession in a raid at a factory near Daund. "Based on specific information, the officials of narcotic cell, Pune Customs yesterday raided the factory premises of M/s Samarth Laboratories in Kurkumbh MIDC area in Daund and seized 159.10 kg of mephedrone hydrochloride, worth Rs 25 crore," K Shubhendra, deputy commissioner of Customs said in a press release. advertisement He said four people, including the mastermind of the case, who is a foreign national, and one of the directors of the firm have been apprehended. Mephedrone hydrochloride, a psychotropic substance, has been notified under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as a banned drug. The raids started yesterday and went on till early hours today with the officials searching the residential premises of arrested people. All the suspects will be produced in the court tomorrow. PTI SPK NP RCB --- ENDS --- Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Cumberland Valley High School, Aug. 1, 2016, in Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) No one has ever said subtlety is Donald Trumps strong suit. Shes the devil, the GOP candidate said of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton at a rally Monday night in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The jab came as he chastised Sen. Bernie Sanders for conceding the Democratic primary race to Clinton and endorsing her. He should have not made a deal, Trump told the packed gymnasium. But he made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil. He made a deal with the devil. It wasnt the first time Trump accused Sanders of dealing with the devil, but it was an escalation of the metaphor. A few days ago, Trump said Sanders sold his soul to the devil. Were at a point where a presidential candidate can call his opponent the devil and people shrug it off and say Its a turn of phrase! tweeted Sopan Deb, a producer for CBS News. We're at a point where a presidential candidate can call his opponent "the devil" and people shrug it off and say "It's a turn of phrase!" Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 2, 2016 Watch below: Donald Trump says Bernie Sanders made "a deal with the devil" in endorsing Hillary Clinton. https://t.co/3IIEnC0NQthttps://t.co/3ax8UxuHAa ABC News (@ABC) August 2, 2016 Jason Sickles is a national reporter for Yahoo News. Follow him on Twitter (@jasonsickles). donald trump In an unprecedented move that highlighted the extreme disunity in the Republican Party, Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was "not quite" ready to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking elected GOP official in the country. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post. "We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet. I'm not quite there yet." The phrasing used by Trump was similar to what Ryan said when he initially declined to endorse the Manhattan billionaire shortly after Trump secured the GOP nomination in May. At the time, Ryan told CNN that he was "just not ready to [endorse] at this point." "I'm not there right now," he told CNN host Jake Tapper. Ryan would endorse Trump in June. The move came just one day after offering praise to Ryan's primary opponent, Paul Nehlen. Trump thanked Nehlen on Monday night for defending him in a controversy regarding Trump's criticism aimed at a Gold Star family. The Wisconsin primary is next Tuesday. Thanks to @pnehlen for your kind words, very much appreciated. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 Trump told The Post that Nehlen, who has been reliably pro-Trump, was running "a very good campaign" and added that Ryan sought his endorsement. He said that he was giving Ryan "very serious consideration." The Wisconsin Republican's campaign responded Tuesday evening, saying that Ryan never asked Trump for an endorsement. "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement," Zack Roday, a Ryan campaign spokesman, said in a statement. "And we are confident in a victory next week regardless." Story continues Ryan gave a speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland as a sign of party unity between the two leaders. Ryan's "opponent is a big fan of what I'm saying big fan," Trump told The Post. "His opponent, who's running a very good campaign, obviously, I've heard his opponent sent me a very scholarly and well thought out letter yesterday and all I did was say thank you very much for your very nice letter. You saw my statement." Trump also told The Post that he would not be supporting Sen. John McCain of Arizona, while he slammed Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Both released blistering rebukes of his comments on Ghazala and Khizr Khan, the Gold Star parents who slammed the New York businessman at the Democratic National Convention. Yet neither retracted prior statements that they'd be voting for Trump in the fall. "I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets," Trump said when asked about the Arizona senator's rebuke of his comments about the Khans. Trump added: "He has not done a good job for the vets and I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets. So I've always had a difficult time with John for that reason, because our vets are not being treated properly. They're not being treated fairly." McCain is locked in a primary battle against two other opponents. The primary will take place on August 30. On Ayotte, Trump said he's "beating her in the polls by a lot" even though the two are not facing off against each other. "New Hampshire is one of my favorite places," Trump said. "You have a Kelly Ayotte who doesn't want to talk about Trump, but I'm beating her in the polls by a lot. You tell me. Are these people that should be representing us, okay? You tell me." He added: "I don't know Kelly Ayotte. I know she's given me no support zero support and yet I'm leading her in the polls. I'm doing very well in New Hampshire. We need loyal people in this country. We need fighters in this country. We don't need weak people. We have enough of them. We need fighters in this country. But Kelly Ayotte has given me zero support, and I'm doing great in New Hampshire." Ayotte responded on Twitter Tuesday evening. "I call it like I see it and I'm always going to stand up for our military families and what's best for the people of New Hampshire," she posted. Business Insider reached out to representatives for Ryan, McCain, Ayotte, and Nehlen, but they did not immediately respond. NOW WATCH: Tim Kaine on Trump calling out a crying baby: 'Sometimes you wonder who the baby is' More From Business Insider WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday fired senior adviser Ed Brookover, two sources close to his campaign said. The sources did not say why Brookover was fired. A statement from the Trump campaign confirmed Brookover had left. "The campaign has parted ways with Ed, but we are thankful to him for his many contributions and appreciate his continued support," the Trump campaign said in a statement. Brookover did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brookover, who joined the Trump campaign in March, was appointed in June to serve as a liaison between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Prior to joining Trump, Brookover served as campaign manager to Ben Carson during his failed bid for the Republican nomination. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Eric Beech and Sandra Maler) Donald Trump on Tuesday pointedly declined to endorse either House Speaker Paul Ryan or Sen. John McCain in their Republican primaries. Speaking with the Washington Post, Trump even used Ryans own words against him when the Wisconsin lawmaker had earlier declined to endorse Trump. I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country, Trump told the Posts Philip Rucker. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And Im just not quite there yet. Im not quite there yet. A Ryan campaign spokesperson shot back: Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trumps endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless. Ryan is facing off against Paul Nehlen in next Tuesdays GOP primary. Trump also notably praised Nehlen in a tweet earlier this week: Thanks to @pnehlen for your kind words, very much appreciated. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 Trumps comments to the Post mirrored what Ryan said about Trump earlier this year, shortly after the Manhattan real estate developer became the presumptive Republican nominee. In May, Ryan sparked a firestorm of his own when he said of a Trump endorsement: Im just not ready to do that at this point. Im not there right now. Both Ryan and McCain have since announced their support with reservations for Trumps campaign. But neither Ryan nor McCain would defend Trump after he recently drew widespread condemnation for feuding with the Khan family. Khizr Khan appeared with his wife at last weeks Democratic National Convention and used his speech there to passionately denounce Trumps proposal to bar Muslims from the U.S. Khan said Trump would have prevented his son, who heroically died in the Iraq War, from immigrating to the U.S. Trump responded by questioning why Khans wife was silent during the DNC speech. Story continues Ryan then issued a statement praising the Khans son as a hero and reiterating his opposition to Trumps proposal to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration and tourist travel. And McCain, the partys 2008 presidential nominee, went even further. In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldiers parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States to say nothing of entering its service, McCain said in a statement released by his office Monday. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates. Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Ashburn, Va., on Tuesday. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) In his interview with the Post, Trump also revived his criticism of McCains legislative performance on veterans issues. Last year, Trump infamously said McCain a decorated veteran who spent years as a POW in the Vietnam War was not a hero. He quickly reversed himself on the hero comment but repeatedly attacked McCains supposed lack of accomplishments for U.S. veterans. Ive never been there with John McCain because Ive always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets, Trump said Tuesday. He has not done a good job for the vets, and Ive always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets. So Ive always had a difficult time with John for that reason, because our vets are not being treated properly. Theyre not being treated fairly. Trump also criticized New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, another GOP critic of his spat with the Khan family. I dont know Kelly Ayotte, he said. I know shes given me no support zero support and yet Im leading her in the polls. Im doing very well in New Hampshire. We need loyal people in this country. We need fighters in this country. We dont need weak people. We have enough of them. We need fighters in this country. But Kelly Ayotte has given me zero support, and Im doing great in New Hampshire. Earlier in the day Tuesday, President Obama said at a press conference that Trumps remarks about the Khans were the latest evidence that Trump is unfit to be commander in chief. Obama called on Republican leaders to rescind their Trump endorsements. The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? Obama said. Read the full Washington Post article about Trumps latest shots against his fellow Republicans. Is Donald Trump insane? Thats the question being asked in recent days by prominent columnists, both liberal and conservative, about the Republican presidential nominee. During the primary season, as Donald Trumps bizarre outbursts helped him crush the competition, I thought he was being crazy like a fox, Eugene Robinson wrote in an op-ed (Is Donald Trump just plain crazy?) published Tuesday in the Washington Post. Now I am increasingly convinced that hes just plain crazy, Robinson continued. Im serious about that. Leave aside for the moment Trumps policies, which in my opinion range from the unconstitutional to the un-American to the potentially catastrophic. At this point, it would be irresponsible to ignore the fact that Trumps grasp on reality appears to be tenuous at best. Robinson was not the only newspaper writer to recently ask such a blunt question about Trumps fitness for office. One wonders if Republican leaders have begun to realize that they may have hitched their fate and the fate of their party to a man with a disordered personality, Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a separate Washington Post editorial on Monday. We can leave it to the professionals to determine exactly what to call it. Suffice to say that Donald Trumps response to the assorted speakers at the Democratic National Convention has not been rational. Donald Trump speaks in Denver in July. (Photo: David Zalubowski/AP) Vox founder Ezra Klein made a similar observation following Trumps press conference the day after last months Republican National Convention. Instead of focusing on a unifying message, Trump resurfaced the debunked conspiracy theory that Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs father was linked to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Have we stopped to appreciate how crazy Donald Trump has gotten recently? Klein asked. There was no reason for Trump to say any of this, Klein wrote. Trump had just accepted the Republican Partys nomination for president. Cruz had been vanquished, booed off the stage. Trumps opponent, now, was Hillary Clinton. But he couldnt help himself. He couldnt stay on message, he couldnt suppress the crazy, for 24 hours. Story continues Yes, Donald Trump is crazy, Steven Hayes added last week in the conservative Weekly Standard. And, yes, the Republican party owns his insanity. I almost dont blame Trump, David Brooks wrote in the New York Times on July 29. He is a morally untethered, spiritually vacuous man who appears haunted by multiple personality disorders. It is the sane and reasonable Republicans who deserve the shame. Its not just op-ed columnists questioning Trumps sanity. At last weeks Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Hillary Clinton while suggesting his fellow billionaire is not of sound mind. Lets elect a sane, competent person, Bloomberg said. Another billionaire, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, also questioned Trumps sanity. Donald initially I really hoped he would be something different, that as a businessperson, I thought there was an opportunity there, Cuban told CNN while campaigning with Clinton in his hometown of Pittsburgh on Saturday. But then he went off the reservation and went bats*** crazy. We can gloss over it, laugh about it, analyze it, Stuart Stevens, chief strategist to Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign, wrote on Twitter. But Donald Trump is not a well man. We can gloss over it, laugh about it, analyze it but @realDonaldTrump is not a well man. He has serious problems. https://t.co/3ZpZc8YW2a stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) July 27, 2016 Trump biographer Michael DAntonio, though, argues that Trump is not crazy but instead sees the world as a constant struggle for victory and lacks a moral compass. The word crazy conjures up a person who is so plagued by delusions, or perhaps hallucinations, that he makes no sense at all, DAntonio wrote in an op-ed for CNN.com. Consider his success, both before and during his pursuit of the presidency, and its hard to argue that Trump suffers from such a profoundly distorted view of reality. In fact he has long demonstrated a keen awareness of how our society worships celebrity and rewards those who can attract the limelight and hold its focus. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But when the Toronto Star asked about the recent onslaught of questions surrounding his mental health, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks referred him to the candidates medical report. Im sure you saw Mr. Trumps medical report released in December of last year, which described him as perhaps the healthiest individual to ever be elected President, Hicks wrote in an email to the paper. I refer you to that. But as the Stars Daniel Dale noted, that report addressed physical and not mental health. Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has always wanted to receive a Purple Heart, a military decoration awarded to those who were wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. military. Before his rally in Ashburn, Va., Trump said a veteran gave him his real Purple Heart (although a reporter at the event said the man told her it was a copy). I always wanted to get the Purple Heart, Trump told the crowd, holding it up to show them. This was much easier. Trumps comment came one day after a New York Times report found he received five deferments exempting him from military service in Vietnam: one 1-Y medical deferment for heel spurs and four for education. Trumps lack of military service has also been in the news recently in light of his feud with the Khans, Muslim Gold Star parents who lost their son in Iraq in 2004. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard, Trump said after father Khizr Kahn said Trump had sacrificed nothing and no one. Trumps Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton pointed to his sacrifices comment on Twitter when she responded to the Purple Heart comment. This from a man who says hes sacrificed for our country, she said. This from a man who says hes sacrificed for our country. https://t.co/oId7LJdrx8 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 2, 2016 Several recent presidential candidates received the Purple HeartJohn McCain, John Kerry and Bob Doleas did John F. Kennedy. Trump is not the only man to run for office who avoided military service during Vietnam; President George W. Bush served in the Air National Guard and President Bill Clinton signed up for ROTC to avoid the draft. In 1997, Trump said on the Howard Stern Show that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases in the dating scene was my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier. He also has said he always felt that I was in the military, because he attended a military boarding school, the New York Times reports. Members of the armed forces, veterans, and their kin are hugely important to Republicans. Add up active-duty military, reserves, national guard, veterans, and their familiesyoull find yourself somewhere north of 30 million people, John Noonan notes at National Review. Thats the second largest voting demographic in the country under Hispanics, and the only one that consistently votes Republican. Donald Trump is roiling them anyway. Even as the candidate campaigns on the dubious premise that hell unite America, he has made a series of statements that predictably divide veterans and their families, even on subjects where there is no need to take any position whatsoever. This began last summer, when Trump declared that decorated Vietnam veteran and torture survivor John McCain is not a war hero because he got captured. Earlier this spring, he declared that U.S. soldiers would perpetrate war crimes if he so ordered, drawing a sharp rebuke from current and former military commanders. Recommended: The Narcissist Most recently, Trump attacked the Khans, whose son died while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, because the grieving parents criticized Trump at the Democratic National Convention. That final story has loomed large in the media for days. And although some Trump supporters say that the press doesnt matterthat their candidates constituency just disregards all criticism from the MSMa little digging on social media suggests that Americas military subculture is deeply divided by the Republican nominees recent behavior, with many defending him but many others expressing dismay or disgust. National Review reported pointed rebukes from prominent veterans groups: These groups, like the VFW and Gold Star Families, are vehemently apolitical and prefer to stay out of electoral frays. Trumps thin skin, thick head, and wide mouth have forced them off the bleachers and into the fight. Story continues The statement from VFW national commander Brian Duffy, aimed at the organizations 1.7 million members, declared that Trump has a history of lashing out after being attacked, but to ridicule a Gold Star Mother is out-of-bounds, adding that, election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of word-smithing can repair once crossed. Giving ones life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard. Recommended: Could Trump Be the 'Man's Man' America Wants? This prompted a divisive debate on Facebook. Many members objected to the statement. VFW is supposed to be non-political, Monica Parrish Noland wrote on its Facebook page, echoing many. If you want to express a political opinion, don't do it as a representative of the VFW Hillary Clinton must never become President. Kate McCabe declared that the VFW just lost the support of this veterans wife, veterans daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin! How ignorant are you! She went on to ignorantly repeat prejudicial falsehoods about Khans intentions, positing that Trumps election is going to effect Khan's business and maybe his interests in increasing the Muslim population in this country not to assimilate, but to conquer! Yet many others cheered the VFW. Ken Russell, a veteran who sells real estate in Florida, declared, Regardless your political flavor, THIS is the stance of a true Veteran and leader! William J. Payne, who served in the 81st Regional Support Command and U.S. Army Reserves, used the opportunity to remind VFW members of other Trump miscues: Donald J. Trump, "Patriot," a "self made" man, had several student deferments before getting a medical deferment for "bad feet." Must have been because of those cheap shoes he had to wear growing up. In the words of John Fogarty, "I ain't no fortunate son." In other words he is exactly the "Sunshine Patriot" Thomas Paine was talking about... When his country called on him he shirked from his duty, and when he says that he backs our troops, during Vietnam he did so from way back in New York City, just like Jody. But hey, Mr. Trump did spend time in an elite military school and that provided him with more military experience than most vets and he does know more about ISIS than the generals. And last time I looked he has two strapping adult sons, I guess spending a tour in the service never crossed their minds either, kinda unlike that non hero, loser, former POW John McCain and his family, where his two sons served. Let that be lost on no one, he called POWs losers. And now he is comparing the "sacrifices" that he has has to make in his business life to the sacrifice of Gold Star Parents. Years ago he would have been booed by veterans but this year as he took the stage at the National VFW Convention my fellow Vets gave him a standing ovation. And I'm NOT advocating for Clinton either. Both choices are bad, when the best thing you can really truthfully say about a candidate is that they are not the other candidate, that's pretty bad. Bobby Toothaker called the GOP frontrunner out of bounds: I am a Life Member, formerly served as an officer. I am so proud of the VFW and Commander Duffy for the release of this statement. I agree this is out of bounds... Anyone that disrespects our Gold Star family members can be advised where the boundaries are. This isn't the first time Mr. Trump has stepped out of bounds. This is the first time the V has advised him where they are. Commander Duffy would do the same for any public figure who repeatedly disrespects our Veterans. Lou Chiarella, a U.S. army veteran and Notre Dame graduate, wrote that he is unfit to lead: I'm SO glad that the VFW publicly took a stand here for Gold Star families and against those who would denigrate their sacrifice for political ends. Of course, this is also the man who also that POWs like Senator John McCain were losers, and has absolutely no understanding of military service. Quite simply, Donald Trump is no friend of veterans and is completely unfit to be Commander in Chief. Our veterans deserve the best and our gold star families do not deserve the continued disgrace. And Laurie Davies Emmer, a former combat medic who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, complained, Those of us who served, had loved ones who served and still have loved ones serving cannot compare this type of sacrifice, to the sacrifices of building a billion dollar empire. Gold Star families sacrifices cannot and must not ever be compared to the sacrifices of building a billion dollar empire. Recommended: Why Can't Hillary Clinton Stop Lying? These arent liberal journalists or elites in the GOP establishment complaining about Trumps statements. Theyre veterans or people with relatives who have served. Their Facebook accounts suggest that they are mostly white, many live in swing states, and almost all of them are friends on social media with other military voters. Theyre showing up at campaign events, too. At a rally for Mike Pence, the GOP tickets vice-presidential candidate, a mom with a son currently serving asked about Donald Trumps disrespect for military families, only to be loudly booed by other attendees. Theres video of the incident here. Trump will still likely win military voters, Noonan writes, but he needs to over perform with them, because he pathetically underperforms with every other demographic save white males. With the press treating this story as an impetus to investigate how Trump avoided military service during Vietnam, and months to go until election day, it will be interesting to see how these voters ultimately treat a man who claimed bone spurs in youth and grew up to repeatedly shoot himself in the foot. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. The Hague (AFP) - Dutch environmentalists said Tuesday they are suing the government over poor air quality, saying people's "fundamental" rights to good health were being infringed. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, the Milieudefensie group alleged "the Netherlands exceeds the legal standards for air quality and is violating fundamental human rights by doing too little to combat air pollution." "This pollution causes thousands of deaths every year, and leaves tens of thousands of people seriously ill. That is unacceptable," added the group's campaign manager, Anne Knol, in a statement. The suit launched in The Hague is the first step in a lengthy process which could lead to a trial. The first hearing is due to be held on August 17. Environmental activists say under the constitution "the state has a duty to protect citizens from unhealthy air." The group alleges that, in tests carried out at 58 sites across the country last year, the levels of nitrogen dioxide exceeded European norms in 11 places. The indictment has been signed by 57 Dutch citizens, and the lawsuit has been launched after a crowd-funding campaign raised some 30,000 euros ($33,593) to cover the costs. This latest action comes after another Dutch environmental rights group, Urgenda, last year won a landmark ruling ordering the government to slash greenhouse gases by a quarter by 2020. Climate experts hailed the June 2015 ruling as "a milestone" in a case brought by 900 Dutch citizens seeking to force a national reduction of the emissions blamed for global warming. The government is appealing. Television actress Rubina Dilaik's character is a transgender in the daily-drama Shakti. The biggest revelation of the show will air soon. By India Today Web Desk: Popular television actress Rubina Dilaik has been essaying the role of a quintessential girl-next-door in the Colors show Shakti. But things are about to change for Soumya Harman Singh aka Rubina in the upcoming track of the daily. Also read:After parting ways with Chhoti Bahu's hero, Rubina Dilaik is now dating the show's villain A still from the show. Picture courtesy: Instagram/shaktitheserial advertisement The talented actress will be revealed to be a transgender in the upcoming episodes of the show. Yes, you read that right. In fact, Rubina herself confirmed the same. "Yes, I will play a transgender and it is the biggest revelation on the show. Soumya is going to react to it because it is the biggest secret of her life that has been kept from her." A still from the show Shakti. Picture courtesy: Instagram/shaktitheserial "In the coming time you will see how she (Soumya) copes up with the entre situation," the actress told TimesOfIndia.com. The actress also added that the upcoming track is going to be very challenging for her, and that pulling off the character would not be that easy. Well, that is one way to get the viewers glued to the show. The show airs every Monday-Friday on Colors at 8 pm. --- ENDS --- The Hague (AFP) - A young woman who returned home to the Netherlands with her two children after fleeing Syria has been arrested on suspicion of links to the jihadist Islamic State group, officials said Tuesday. Identified in Dutch media reports as 20-year-old Laura Hansen, the woman was detained late Monday at Schiphol airport as she arrived back in the country almost a year after leaving with her husband. She had "allegedly fled the conflict zone in Syria" and arrived back in Schiphol airport "where she was arrested immediately on arrival," the Dutch prosecution service said. She is "suspected of participating in a terrorist organisation in Syria and/or Iraq between September 1, 2015 and July 12, 2016," it added in a statement. Her two children were taken into care, and prosecutors are now investigating whether to bring any formal charges. A woman identified by the same name appeared on Kurdish television early last month saying she had fled from the grips of the jihadist group. She said her 27-year-old husband had told her they were going on holiday in September, and instead had taken her against her will to the IS stronghold in Raqqa, northern Syria. After several months, she was transferred to Mosul, in northern Iraq. Hansen told Kurdistan24 television she had escaped IS with the help of her father, and surrendered to the Kurdish peshmerga after her two young children were injured in a bombing in Mosul. "I didn't want to come to Syria... He pushed me," she said of her husband, speaking in halting English to the Arbil-based TV channel. "They put me in a house. It was all (guarded by) men. Men with beards and guns," she said. "I was trying all the time to flee from the hell in which I was living." The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP diplomats had been in touch with Hansen and her family when she was in Iraq. "Our consulate-general in Arbil was in touch with the local authorities all the time and assisted with Laura's return to The Netherlands," a foreign ministry spokesman said. At least 250 Dutch people have left the Netherlands for Syria and Iraq to join fighters there, according to the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). About 40 have since come home, while another 42 are believed to have died in the fighting. Netflix has a bunch of subgenres that make it easy to find movies and shows in specific niches like "monster movies" or "military dramas." Each one is tagged with a code number (for example, "Epics" is category No. 52858). And while some of these categories are accessible through Netflix's "subgenres" bars, many are not. "Dramas," in particular, has no subgenres that show up. Here's how that section appears on my Netflix: Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 9.04.05 AM So if you are looking for the aforementioned "military dramas," what are you to do? Luckily, there are a few sites that have made alternate interfaces that show you what titles are in Netflix's different subgenres. The easiest to navigate is Netflixcodes.info, which shows you the main genre and then a selection of the subgenres. Here is how it looks (h/t Exstreamist): Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 9.11.53 AM If you click on each button it will take you to a list of those films or shows on Netflix. And while it doesn't include all the secret categories, it gets all the important ones down. For a slight variation on that, head to Netflixcodes.me, which lists the subgenres purely alphabetically and has a search bar at the top. This is perfect if you know which subgenre you want. Here is what it looks like: Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 9.15.29 AM But if you want the most complete list, with incredibly niche subgenres like "Action & Adventure based on a book from the 1960s (4082)," check out this site titled "NetFlix Streaming by Alternate Genres (Extended List)." Here's what that one looks like: Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 9.17.59 AM NOW WATCH: How to find Netflixs secret categories More From Business Insider Eaton Corporation plcs ETN second-quarter 2016 operating earnings per share of $1.07 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings were above the midpoint of the guidance range of $1.00 to $1.10 per share. Earnings, however, declined 8% from the year-ago quarter. The decline was primarily due to weakness in demand in the some of its product segments. Revenues In the quarter under review, Eatons total revenues came in at $5.08 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.05 billion marginally by 0.6%. On a year-over-year basis, revenues were down nearly 5.4% due to lower Aerospace (1.5%), Vehicle (15.9%), Electrical Systems and Services (4.9%) and Hydraulics (8.4%) sales. EATON CORP PLC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise EATON CORP PLC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | EATON CORP PLC Quote Quarterly Highlights An unfavorable currency translation and decline in organic sales were the primary reasons for the revenue decline. Sales took a 1% hit from currency translation, while the drop in organic sales accounted for 4%. Cost of products sold in the reported quarter was $3,419 million, down 6.9% from the prior-year period. Selling and administrative expenses decreased 0.5% to $897 million from $901 million a year ago. In the second quarter of 2016, the companys research and development expenses were $149 million, down 5.7% from $158 million in the prior-year quarter. Interest expenses of $57 million were down by 3.4% from the prior-year quarter. Eaton continues with its restructuring program and expects it to deliver $174 million of incremental profit in 2016 compared with 2015. Financial Update Eatons cash and short-term investments were $0.46 billion as of Jun 30, 2016, compared with $0.45 billion as of Dec 31, 2015. As of Jun 30, 2016, long-term debt was $7.6 billion compared with $7.74 billion as of Dec 31, 2015. Guidance Third-quarter 2016 earnings per share are expected to be between $1.10 and $1.20. For 2016, Eaton still anticipates organic revenues to decline between 2% and 4%, reflecting continuing sluggish markets around the world. Eaton expects currency translation to have a roughly $225 million hit in 2016, $25 million higher than the prior expectation. Eaton narrowed its 2016 operating earnings guidance to $4.20$4.40 from its prior expectation of $4.15$4.45 per share. Upcoming Releases Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. PPSI is slated to release second-quarter 2016 earnings on Aug 10. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at 11 cents. EnerSys Inc. ENS is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2017 earnings on Aug 11. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.10. Ideal Power, Inc. IPWR is slated to release second-quarter 2016 earnings on Aug 11. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at a loss of 31 cents. Our View Eaton managed to match second-quarter earnings estimates while total revenues beat the same marginally. However, persistent weakness in end markets and negative currency translations took a toll on the top line, which dropped 5% year over year. We are concerned about the consistent drop in bookings at Eatons business segments. Bookings in Electrical Systems and Services and Hydraulics were each down by 2% year over year. Bookings in Electrical Products and Aerospace were also down by 2% and 1%, respectively, year over year. The softness in end markets is impacting the organic sales of the company. Eaton projects a decline in organic revenues in 2016 between 2% and 4%. Eaton currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). 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 EATON CORP PLC (ETN): Free Stock Analysis Report ENERSYS INC (ENS): Free Stock Analysis Report PIONEER PWR SOL (PPSI): Free Stock Analysis Report IDEAL POWER INC (IPWR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Paul Kilby NEW YORK, Aug 2 (IFR) - Sovereign support overshadowed poor credit metrics as investors snapped up Empresa Nacional de Petroleo's US$700m 10-year bond on Tuesday - the Chilean issuer's first international market foray since 2014. Starting with initial price thoughts of high 200s, the state-owned oil company, better known as ENAP, was able to tighten spreads by around 50bp before launching at Treasuries plus 240bp, the tight end of guidance of 250bp (+/-10bp). Implicit government support for the 100% state-owned entity made it a buy for many accounts despite the company's high leverage ratios. Fitch said on Tuesday that while ENAP's debt to Ebitda stood at 5.2x over the last 12 months ending March 2016, strong government involvement was a key driver for its expected single A rating on the deal. "It is a 100% owned by the sovereign, but when you look at the credit it isn't investment grade and you are not getting paid for that," a US-based investor said. Yet while some investors thought they could be better compensated elsewhere for taking on oil sector risks, others focused squarely on the spread differential to the Chilean sovereign curve. At a final launch spread of T+240bp, ENAP's bonds (rated Baa3/BBB-/A) came some 150bp over Chile (rated Aa3/AA-/A+), whose new 2026s have been trading with a G-spread of close to 90bp. Against its own curve, however, such levels looked tight after accounting for an extension from the existing 2024s, which were trading with a G-spread of 230bp. The deal benefited from a natural underlying bid as investors switched out of shorter term bonds through a cash tender that was being financed with the new deal. ENAP is offering to buy back up to US$600m of existing 6.25% 2019s, 5.25% 2020s and 4.75% 2021s at an early bird price of 113, 111.5, 108.75, respectively. With much of its business focused on refining, ENAP is also somewhat immune to recent declines in crude prices. "Even though it trades like an E&P, it is a refiner and refiners actually benefit from lower oil prices," said a New York based trader. In the end, the deal priced at 98.353 with a 3.75% coupon to yield 3.951% on the back of a US$3.5bn book. Active bookrunners were Citigroup and JP Morgan. (Reporting By Paul Kilby; editing by Shankar Ramakrishnan) FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian energy firm Enbridge has won the auction for a stake in EnBW's Hohe See, one of Europe's largest offshore wind power projects, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. Once completed, Hohe See, expected to cost as much as 2 billion euros ($2.24 billion), will produce enough power to supply about 560,000 homes. EnBW plans to make a final investment decision towards the end of the year. Sources had told Reuters in July that Enbridge and Australia's Macquarie were both vying for the stake of up to 49.9 percent. A second person with knowledge of the matter told Thomson Reuters PFI that consultants who had been working on debt financing for the project were no longer involved. Of the two bidders, only Macquarie required debt financing, banking sources said. EnBW and Enbridge declined to comment, while Macquarie was not immediately available for comment. The move further strengthens Enbrige's footprint in Europe's booming offshore industry, which already covers a 24.9 percent stake in E.ON's Rampion project as well as a strategic partnership with France's EDF . Europe's cash-strapped utilities depend on external cash for their offshore parks, usually in need of more than 1 billion euros in investments apiece, with foreign energy groups and pension funds plugging the gap in search of regulated returns. Enbridge, Canada's largest pipeline company, in November pointed to the offshore wind industry's "strong market fundamentals, sound commercial underpinnings and attractive returns". (Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Stefano Berra of PFI; Additional reporting by Catherine Ngai in New York; Editing by Georgina Prodhan) Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has accused Shiv Sena minister Ravindra Waikar of corruption. He alleged that Waikar owned businesses along with the Thackerays. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has yet again accused state Minister Ravindra Waikar of corruption. This time he alleged that there is Matoshree connection in Minister's business. Mumbai Congress Chief Sanjay Nirupam today claimed that Thackeray family is a business partner with Waikar who is facing graft charges. "There is direct involvement of Matoshree in Waikar's business, there is enough evidence we have for this. That's why CM is in a hurry to give a clean chit to Waikar. He is an influential person and has got multiple businesses. His wife and Uddhav Thackery's wife had purchased land together in Konkan worth about Rs 100 crore," said Nirupam. advertisement According to Nirupam, Vijayalaxmi Infra LLP is firm under Vijayalaxmi Group. He said that Waikar and Rashmi Thackery's uncle Dilip Shringarpure are directors of the firm. Nirupam alleged that their construction work was progressing near Mahakali caves under SRA scheme without the permission of Archeological Survey of India (ASI). WAIKAR'S WIFE, RASHMI THACKERAY INVESTED IN PROPERTY He further added that Rashmi Thackery and Waikars wife Manisha Waikar together purchased 25 acres of land near Raigad. The land was worth about Rs 125 crores. Rashmi and the Waikar family had also purchased Rs 900 crore property in Konkan. Nirupam who targeted Matoshree even showed documents supporting his claim. Sources close to Sena confirmed that graft charges against Waikar were discussed during dinner diplomacy between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray. "I will ask all of u to see my election affidavit first and then comment. Doing business with anyone is it wrong? All my papers are crystal clear. Nirupam is making baseless allegations." said Ravindra Waikar, State Housing Minister. WAIKER REFUTES ALLEGATION Waikar who is upset with the series of allegation against him is likely to file defamation suit against Sanjay Nirupam also he is contemplating of filing a police complaint against Nirupam. Waikar said that he felt Nirupam was dragging his name for cheap publicity. Today, Congress used a double whammy weapon to pressurise Shiv Sena. On one hand where today Sena was under pressure to make their stance clear on issue of Separate Vidarbha in State Assembly and on the other hand out side Assembly, Congress tried to corner Sena again but this time aiming directly at Matoshree for its business interests with Minister Waikar. Also read: Shiv Sena minister Ravindra Waikar in dock over graft charges; refutes all allegations --- ENDS --- Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lashed out at the European Union for dragging its feet in releasing promised funds for Syrian refugees as well as providing visa-free travel for Turks into the passport-free Schengen zone. Turkey and the EU signed a controversial deal in March, in which Ankara agreed to take back Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in return for several incentives including three billion euros ($3.4 billion) in funds and visa-free travel. "Europe has not yet lived up to its promises," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "(EU funds) will not go into our budget but will be spent on refugees. There's nothing on the visa issue either," he added. "When we say this out loud, the gentlemen (in the EU) get very uncomfortable. Pardon me -- but this is no slave country." Turkey's ties with the European Union have strained after Erdogan's massive purge of plotters of the July 15 coup attempt. Turkish authorities have detained around 18,000 people over the coup which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, with the crackdown sparking warnings from Brussels that its EU membership bid may be in danger. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Monday that Ankara could withdraw from the accord if Europe failed to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. His comments were rejected by Germany, which spearheaded the agreement with Ankara after Berlin let in a record 1.1 million migrants and refugees last year. EU officials have also insisted there was never any intention of handing the funds directly into the Turkish budget and they needed to be spent specifically on projects for Syrian refugees. Asked if Turkey could "blackmail" the EU over the refugee pact, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Rheinische Post newspaper: "That is absurd." The Turkish president said Tuesday that his country had not taken any step that would trouble Europe on the migrant crisis. "Let me speak clearly, we have protected Europe. We are hosting three million refugees." Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Tuesday named top British diplomat Julian King to the new post of security commissioner tasked with fighting terrorism, organised and cyber crime as London prepares to quit the 28-nation bloc. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said King, currently Britain's ambassador to France, takes office as Europe faces up to a series of deadly terror attacks, most recently in France and Germany. "You will be the Commissioner for the Security Union," Juncker said in his mission letter to King, sending his nomination to the European Parliament for approval. "Repeated... terrorist attacks have underlined the importance and urgency of making swift progress towards an operational and effective Security Union," Juncker said in the letter released by his office. The new commissioner will help implement what is known as the European Agenda on Security that the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, adopted in April last year. The five-year programme, adopted after the deadly jihadist attacks in Paris against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, is aimed at not just tackling terrorism but also organised crime and cyber crime. IS has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed as well as several subsequent attacks in France, Germany and Belgium that have cost more than 200 lives and wounded hundreds more. Juncker late Monday informed Britain's new prime minister Theresa May of his choice. May replaced David Cameron who resigned following the shock June 23 vote for Britain to leave the EU. King's predecessor Jonathan Hill, who held the key financial affairs portfolio, also stepped down after the referendum. That left Juncker with the delicate task of finding a replacement as London and Brussels jostle for advantage ahead of what promise to be difficult and complex Brexit talks. The negotiations will last two years once London triggers the talks by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, a move May has said will likely come early next year. Story continues - 'Foreign fighters threat' - There are 28 seats on the Commission, one for each of the member states. King is an experienced diplomat who has also held posts in Brussels, New York, Paris, Luxembourg, The Hague and Lisbon. Crucially, King worked at the European Commission in 2008 and 2009 where he was chief of staff to Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and later to foreign affairs supremo Catherine Ashton, both British officials. Hill's highly sensitive financial services portfolio is now being shared between Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission vice president for the euro, and Economics Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici of France. In Britain, a spokesperson for the prime minister welcomed the portfolio decision. "The UK will continue to fulfil our rights and obligations as a member state until we leave the EU and the Prime Minister has been clear that we will be an active player so it is right that we should continue to have a Commissioner role," the spokesperson said. "Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face." King's nomination requires the approval of the European Parliament, where nominees must face a gruelling hearing with MEPs, as well as the green light of the EU's member states. Juncker said King will work with EU home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos to identify "where the EU can make a real difference in fighting terrorism." That includes measures to tackle the "threat posed by returning foreign terrorist fighters," jihadists of European nationality who have gone to fight with IS in Syria and Iraq. He will be tasked with improving information and intelligence sharing, including efforts to upgrade Europolas European Counter-Terrorism Centre. King will also work closely with other commissioners, including those who work on justice, education and sport as well as the digital economy, to ensure the broadest cooperation. Its been an emotional year for Eva Mendes to say the least. The 42-year-old actress welcomed her second daughter with Ryan Gosling in May, Amada Lee Gosling, and also mourned the death of her older brother, Carlos Mendez, just a month earlier. Mendez died in April after battling throat cancer, and was just 53 years old. The notoriously private mother of two opens up for the first time about the two significant life events in an interview with Latina. Losing my brother brought our family closer, and we were already close to begin with, Mendes tells the magazine. So, to just see everybody be there for one another and show up, I feel so lucky to have them. And then they were there for me when Amada was born. We had a funeral service for him and that same week I had the baby. So it was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful. WATCH: Eva Mendes and Family Remember Amazing Brother Juan Carlos After He Dies of Throat Cancer at 53 And being totally honest, I dont feel like Ive really processed that yet, she adds. The Place Beyond the Pines actress talks about baby Amada for the first time, explaining why she and longtime love Ryan Gosling decided to re-use the unique name. The couple named their first child Esmeralda Amada, and Mendes grandmother is also named Amada. We had a few names picked out for our new baby, and when she was born, we didnt feel like those names were her, she explains. We came up with a few more, even that morning, and tried them out. We were like, What about Viviana? But we just kept going back to Amada. In true Latin fashion, we reuse names all the time. I actually told Ryan, 'This is common in Latin culture, so it wouldnt be crazy, she continues. So we went with Amada because it was something we kept going back to. And it was an emotional time with the passing of my brother. We thought how beautiful to go with what made us emotional and with what felt like her. When we looked at her, we thought, 'Aww, Amadita. Story continues Although Mendes calls having two girls a lot, she is clearly loving her role as mom. The Miami-born actress says shes definitely wants 1-year-old Esmeralda and 3-month-old Amada to grow up with a sense of Cuban culture. Were constantly playing Cuban music. I speak to them in Spanish, and my mom speaks to Esmeralda in Spanish, she says about passing down her heritage to her two kids. Well, now she speaks to both of them in Spanish. Any time I have an opportunity to introduce her or them I have to say 'them now, though my newborn just sleeps all the time to my culture, whether its through music, or through food, I do. That is a main priority, for sure. . WATCH: EXCLUSIVE PICS Ryan Gosling Celebrates Eva Mendes 42nd Bday With Luxury Getaway, Saves a Dog in the Process In May, 35-year-old Gosling calling living with Mendes and his two daughters heaven. Its like walking through a field of flowers every day. I live with angels, he said during his appearance on Good Morning America. Watch below: Related Articles Suicide Squad? Well, looking at Cara Delevingnes face, consider Us dead! (In the best way.) The British model turned actress, 23, rocked the sultriest makeup palette on the red carpet at the NYC premiere of Suicide Squad on Monday, August 1, and Us Weekly has all the exclusive details. PHOTOS: Cara D: Model Turned Actress and BFF to the Stars Left to right: Rimmel London Provocalips 16HR Kissproof Lip Color in Kiss Me You Fool, $7, ulta.com; Rimmel London The Only 1 Lipstick in Call Me Crazy, $8, us.asos.com Celebrity makeup artist Romy Soleimani wanted to give the Rimmel London ambassador (clad in a studded frock with over-the-knee Christian Louboutin boots) a Helmut Newton with a little glam rock look. To do that, she focused on two of her famous features: her eyes and her lips. It was important for this look to have a full, matte, red pout, Soleimani, who also works with Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid, tells Us Weekly. I started with Rimmel London Provocalips 16HR Kissproof Lip Color in Kiss Me You Fool pressed into the lips, and followed it with Rimmel London The Only 1 Lipstick in Call Me Crazy. By using Kiss Me You Fool as the base, the makeup artist says Delevingnes lips lasted all night! PHOTOS: Supermodels, Then and Now And when it came time to create those dramatic peepers, Soleimani turned to three hero products. I used Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer in Earl Grey all over the eye. Then I used Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer in Blackest Black on the lash line, in the crease and inside the eye, she tells Us. Soleimani coated the Saint Laurent ambassadors lashes with Rimmel London ScandalEyes Mascara, and for the finishing, ultimate rocker touch? I used theatrical silver glitter on top for a boost of shimmer, she says. PHOTOS: Stars Who Look Dramatically Different Without Eyeliner Clockwise from top left: Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer in Earl Grey, $6, Walgreens; Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer in Blackest Black, $4.43, walmart.com; Rimmel London ScandalEyes Mascara, $8, us.asos.com; Mehron Pradaise Glitter (an Us suggestion) in Silver, $7, sleekhair.com As for Delevingnes flawless, sun-kissed complexion, the makeup artist used Rimmel London BB Cream in Medium to even out her skin tone, topped by Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation in Sand. She finished with Rimmel London Kate Sculpting & Highlighting Kit, applying the deepest shade to contour and the pink for a slight blush. Get celeb fashion, beauty tips and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up for the Us Weekly Style & Beauty newsletter now! By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) The Supreme Court today directed the Odisha government to pay additional compensation to the victims of 2008 anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal in the state. A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said that the victims of the communal strife should be given additional compensation as the earlier compensation was inadequate. advertisement The verdict came on a petition filed by Archbishop Rachel Cheenath relating to violence in Kandhamal district and other areas of the state. Several districts, including Kandhamal, had witnessed violence in 2008 when a local leader and VHP member Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by unidentified assailants on August 23, 2007. Members of Christian community were attacked in the aftermath of the killing of Saraswati. PTI SJK PKS RKS SC --- ENDS --- By Krishna N. Das, Serajul Quadir and Karen Lema DHAKA/MANILA (Reuters) - Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million (47.7 million pounds) that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. The Bangladeshi officials are alleging that the money was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino banks Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBCs head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was "some judgement error from the people on the ground". "I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution," said Tan, who subsequently resigned. "Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgement or intentional." The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank's financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines' department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. Story continues Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines' central bank. BLAMED EMPLOYEES RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the "validity of the remittances and nature of the funds", according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBCs human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. Some officials at RCBC's headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito's "representation to her superiors" that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines' anti-money laundering council. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. "If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive," Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC's settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. The branch processed withdrawals, totalling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines' Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. "RCBC did not perform its role properly," Bangladesh Banks Saha said. "RCBC is similarly liable as those parties who took money in their accounts." (Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila; Editing by Martin Howell) By Krishna N. Das, Serajul Quadir and Karen Lema DHAKA/MANILA (Reuters) - Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCB.PS) (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. The Bangladeshi officials are alleging that the money was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino banks Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBCs head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was "some judgment error from the people on the ground". "I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution," said Tan, who subsequently resigned. "Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgment or intentional." The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank's financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines' department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. Story continues Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines' central bank. BLAMED EMPLOYEES RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the "validity of the remittances and nature of the funds", according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBCs human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. Some officials at RCBC's headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito's "representation to her superiors" that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines' anti-money laundering council. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. "If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive," Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC's settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. The branch processed withdrawals, totaling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines' Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. "RCBC did not perform its role properly," Bangladesh Banks Saha said. "RCBC is similarly liable as those parties who took money in their accounts." (Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila; Editing by Martin Howell) By Krishna N. Das, Serajul Quadir and Karen Lema DHAKA/MANILA (Reuters) - Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. The Bangladeshi officials are alleging that the money was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino banks Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBCs head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was "some judgment error from the people on the ground". "I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution," said Tan, who subsequently resigned. "Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgment or intentional." The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank's financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines' department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines' central bank. BLAMED EMPLOYEES RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the "validity of the remittances and nature of the funds", according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBCs human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. Some officials at RCBC's headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito's "representation to her superiors" that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines' anti-money laundering council. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. "If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive," Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC's settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. The branch processed withdrawals, totaling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines' Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. "RCBC did not perform its role properly," Bangladesh Banks Saha said. "RCBC is similarly liable as those parties who took money in their accounts." (Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila; Editing by Martin Howell) Bachelorette villain Chad Johnson stopped by After the Final Rose Monday night, and made a compelling plea: "I think that I ... deserve love," he told the crowd. "I think maybe I deserve to be the next Bachelor." Notably, the infamous muscleman from JoJo Fletcher's season wasn't booed by the live studio audience - so, does he actually have a shot? I chatted with Chad Tuesday morning, and while "the Chad" was far from humble, he was impressively honest. "First off, I deserve everything," he said. "I'm the best there is. But, yeah, I think that people saw a bad side of me . It's not going to be me [as the Bachelor], there's no way. I'm too controversial." WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: On 'Bachelor in Paradise', Chad Johnson Does Something Never Seen on Bachelor Nation Before Chad thinks the title will go to Luke Pell. "[Luke] played his cards right," he said. "He kept everything on the inside, where everything I had spewed out." That "spewing" from Chad included threatening his fellow Bachelorette contestants even telling Jordan Rodgers he'd show up at his home after the show ended. Some of the other men in the mansion accused Chad of being on steroids and going through withdrawals. Chad's side: "I do not take steroids," he told me. "I'm 190 lbs. I'm not that big, I'm just low body fat because I eat the right foods. I ate 30 pounds of protein in three months. I ordered, like, a 25-pound bag. It came in literally a trash bag." WATCH: 14 Things You Didn't See on TV During 'The Bachelorette: Men Tell All' As for what's next for Chad, Tuesday night we'll see him on Bachelor in Paradise (note: Chad says he brings an "entire suitcase" of protein.) The promos look dramatic, and cast members tell me Chad is "messy, violent" and a total "disaster." Chad says he doesn't remember everything that happened in Paradise; he'll be watching the premiere for the first time right along with America. "They're going to see the biggest douchebag they've ever seen," he confesses. "I'll admit it." Story continues "I didn't feel a need to redeem myself [with the show]," he said. "I did some things that were wrong I said some things I shouldn't have said." So, after all this -- why does Chad continue to be so Chad? "What is the end goal?," he said. "I don't know. I don't know where I'm going, don't know what I am doing. I am going to keep doing my job, keep working, keep selling real estate, keep day trading, keep doing whatever -- when people call me and say, 'Hey we want you to be on camera,' I will say 'Alright.'" Chad plans to move to Los Angeles. He hasn't been offered a gig on Dancing With the Stars (a popular post-Bachelor Nation destination), but notes, "I am the greatest dancer there ever was." Also, he's perhaps the greatest athlete there ever was. How much does Chad bench press? "1 million." Oh, Chad. To find out who is definitively in the running to be the next Bachelor, watch the video below. Related Articles By Joseph Menn and Yeganeh Torbati SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iranian hackers have compromised more than a dozen accounts on the Telegram instant messaging service and identified the phone numbers of 15 million Iranian users, the largest known breach of the encrypted communications system, cyber researchers told Reuters. The attacks, which took place this year and have not been previously reported, jeopardized the communications of activists, journalists and other people in sensitive positions in Iran, where Telegram is used by some 20 million people, said independent cyber researcher Collin Anderson and Amnesty International technologist Claudio Guarnieri, who have been studying Iranian hacking groups for three years. Telegram promotes itself as an ultra secure instant messaging system because all data is encrypted from start to finish, known in the industry as end-to-end encryption. A number of other messaging services, including Facebook Inc's (FB.O) WhatsApp, say they have similar capabilities. Headquartered in Berlin, Telegram says it has 100 million active subscribers and is widely used in the Middle East, including by the Islamic State militant group, as well as in Central and Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Telegram's vulnerability, according to Anderson and Guarnieri, lies in its use of SMS text messages to activate new devices. When users want to log on to Telegram from a new phone, the company sends them authorization codes via SMS, which can be intercepted by the phone company and shared with the hackers, the researchers said. Armed with the codes, the hackers can add new devices to a person's Telegram account, enabling them to read chat histories as well as new messages. "We have over a dozen cases in which Telegram accounts have been compromised, through ways that sound like basically coordination with the cellphone company," Anderson said in an interview. Telegram's reliance on SMS verification makes it vulnerable in any country where cellphone companies are owned or heavily influenced by the government, the researchers said. Story continues A spokesman for Telegram said customers can defend against such attacks by not just relying on SMS verification. Telegram allows - though it does not require - customers to create passwords, which can be reset with so-called "recovery" emails. "If you have a strong Telegram password and your recovery email is secure, there's nothing an attacker can do," said Markus Ra, the spokesman. Iranian officials were not available to comment. Iran has in the past denied government links to hacking. ROCKET KITTEN The Telegram hackers, the researchers said, belonged to a group known as Rocket Kitten, which used Persian-language references in their code and carried out "a common pattern of spearphishing campaigns reflecting the interests and activities of the Iranian security apparatus." Anderson and Guarnieri declined to comment on whether the hackers were employed by the Iranian government. Other cyber experts have said Rocket Kitten's attacks were similar to ones attributed to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards. The researchers said the Telegram victims included political activists involved in reformist movements and opposition organizations. They declined to name the targets, citing concerns for their safety. "We see instances in which people ... are targeted prior to their arrest," Anderson said. "We see a continuous alignment across these actions." The researchers said they also found evidence that the hackers took advantage of a programing interface built into Telegram to identify at least 15 million Iranian phone numbers with Telegram accounts registered to them, as well as the associated user IDs. That information could provide a map of the Iranian user base that could be useful for future attacks and investigations, they said. "A systematic de-anonymization and classification of people who employ encryption tools (of some sort, at least) for an entire nation" has never been exposed before, Guarnieri said. Ra said Telegram has blocked similar "mapping" attempts in the past and was trying to improve its detection and blocking strategies. Cyber experts say Iranian hackers have become increasingly sophisticated, able to adapt to evolving social media habits. Rocket Kitten's targets included members of the Saudi royal family, Israeli nuclear scientists, NATO officials and Iranian dissidents, U.S.-Israeli security firm Check Point said last November. POPULAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST Telegram was founded in 2013 by Pavel Durov, known for starting VKontakte, Russia's version of Facebook, before fleeing the country under pressure from the government. While Facebook and Twitter are banned in Iran, Telegram is widely used by groups across the political spectrum. They shared content on Telegram "channels" and urged followers to vote ahead of Iran's parliamentary elections in February 2016. Last October, Durov wrote in a post on Twitter that Iranian authorities had demanded the company provide them with "spying and censorship tools." He said Telegram ignored the request and was blocked for two hours on Oct. 20, 2015. Ra said the company has not changed its stance on censorship and does not maintain any servers in Iran. After complaints from Iranian activists, Durov wrote on Twitter in April that people in "troubled countries" should set passwords for added security. Amir Rashidi, an internet security researcher at the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, has worked with Iranian hacking victims. He said he knew of Telegram users who were spied on even after they had set passwords. Ra said that in those cases the recovery email had likely been hacked. Anderson and Guarnieri will present their findings at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on Thursday. Their complete research is set to be published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank, later this year. (Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Tiffany Wu) "I could not have gotten through this without my husband." Shannen Doherty is getting candid about her marriage and her rock-solid support system as she continues to battle breast cancer. In an exclusive sit-down interview with ET's Jennifer Peros, the 45-year-old actress opens up about how her husband of five years, photographer Kurt Iswarienko, is lending crucial strength and support to her recovery. WATCH: Shannen Doherty Breaks Down Over Cancer Battle: 'I Don't Look Past Today' "My marriage was always strong, but it's made my marriage a thousand times stronger," Doherty says. "He's never missed a chemo. He's never missed a sick day." After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in February 2015, Doherty is now revealing to ET that the disease has spread to her lymph nodes. She has undergone three out of eight rounds of chemotherapy thus far and says she'll do radiation once the chemo has been completed. In May, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star underwent a single mastectomy. Now, she recalls the heartbreaking moment when she first told her husband about the cancer. "I called him, which was horrible of me," she says. "I was in the car. I was with my mom, and the doctor called me and I'm, you know, 'I'm going to wait until I see him,' and I just couldn't. So I picked up the phone and I called him and he was like, 'Where are you?'" Upon arriving home, Doherty says her husband was waiting for her in the driveway. "[He] hugged me and said, 'We are going to get through this. You are going to be OK. We are going to get through this, you're strong and you're powerful and you're not going anywhere,'" she recalls him saying. "'You have so much to do in your life. We are going to get through it as a family.'" Helping the couple are Doherty's closest friends and her mother, Rosa. Story continues "Thank God she is there," the star says. "She is so strong, and my mom is like a Steel Magnolia. She is a Southern girl and she puts on this very strong face with me. She is constantly looking stuff up and, you know, she will force-feed me Gatorade chips. Her and my husband tag team." Doherty's father, John, got to watch her compete in 2010 on Dancing With the Stars, but he died of a stroke shortly afterwards. "I think constantly about my dad," she says. "That my dad is watching from up above and it's breaking his heart that his daughter is going through this. It's hard." WATCH: Jason Priestley Speaks Out on Shannen Doherty's 'Incredibly Brave' Cancer Battle: 'She's Always Been a Tough Kid' Looking ahead to the future, Doherty is hopeful that her treatment will help her beat cancer and enjoy a long future ahead. Asked whether she was still hoping to have children one day, Doherty replies: "Maybe there's a chance after [chemo], but being realistic -- look, I'm 45 years old, so I have no idea. My husband and I have discussed it and he's like, 'Let's just get you healthy. Let's focus on you and once you get healthy, and you're OK, if you want to adopt, then let's adopt.' Maybe that is our destiny." But Doherty admits that her outlook towards the future wasn't always so positive. "Initially I was like, 'I'm strong. I got this!'" she says. "And then, as time sort of went by, I started thinking that I wasn't going to live. That was the next phase. I sat down with my husband, I remember we were in New York together, we were at this Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, and I looked at him and I said, 'You better enjoy every single second that you have with me ... 'cause I'm going to be dead in five years.' "He just burst out crying and was like, 'You can't say that,'" she continues. "That phase was short, thank God. That was a short, short phase that I think my family and my friends got me through." Today, Doherty calls her cancer experience "humbling." "You realize how many people in the world are going through the same struggle as you and that you have such a larger family than you thought," she explains. "Because the cancer family is a really large family, and they're wonderful and embracing and so willing to share their own story with you -- and also inspire you and be inspired by you. That amount of love has changed me, it's just made me appreciate people. I always did, but it's like a new kind of appreciation." Tune in to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday for more from our interview. WATCH: Shannen Doherty on the Emotional Moment She Chopped Off Her Iconic Hair Related Articles Franky Carrillo spent 20 years in prison for a murder he didnt commit before being exonerated and released in 2011. The 42-year-old doesnt seem to have wasted one day since. Hes purchased a home and proposed to his girlfriend, and his second son was born in 2013. Recent months brought two major life changes: He earned his bachelors degree after four years of studying sociology at Loyola Marymount University, and he reached a settlement for $10.1 million with Los Angeles County for his wrongful conviction, which breaks down to $500,000 for every year he spent in prison. But hes not taking that life-changing sum as an excuse to stop trying to save the lives of others. Carrillo is advocating for a new initiative, Proposition 62, which would abolish the death penalty in California at the ballot box. Although he was not sentenced to death himself, He knows firsthand that people are wrongly caught up in the criminal justice system, and he is fighting to make sure others who are wrongfully incarcerated have the same chance to prove their innocence that he did. [The criminal justice system] cannot guarantee that the people who are prosecuted and given the death sentence had a fair trial, and more importantly for me, that they were actually guilty, Carrillo said. Many people who have been executed have been found to be innocent, and we shouldnt do that. Proposition 62 would abolish the death penalty and replace it with a life sentence without the possibility of parole, including for those already sitting on death row. It would also require those given the sentence to work in prison, and 60 percent of the wages earned could go to benefit victims and their families. RELATED: Its About to Get Easier for Homeless Kids to Go to School Getting it passed wont be easyCarrillo has tried and failed once before. Soon after he was exonerated, he felt compelled to join the "Yes on 34" campaign, advocating for the 2012 ballot initiative that would have abolished the death penalty in California. After months of long hours of campaigning and voter outreach, the proposition was defeated 52 percent to 48 percent. For Carrillo, it was a tough loss. Story continues I was devastated, to be completely honest, he said. But the idea was that we would try again, and here we are four years later. Part of Carrillos determination stems from his college education, where I can attest he was an involved student. In the Restorative Justice class we both took during our last semester at LMU, for example, he never shied away from sharing his opinions. He offered a valuable perspective, uniquely suited for a class that challenged many students notions of the fairness of the criminal justice system in the United States. Its an experience from which he says he gained a broader understanding of people from varied backgrounds and with that understanding of others, how important it is to encourage individual thinking in education to inspire social change. Its reassuring to know that these young people, who are obviously not immune or separated from the realities of our world, are knowledgeable, Carrillo said. Theyre aware of the social circumstances and ramifications of the society that we live in. Educating the public on the benefits of eliminating the death penaltyas well as increased turnout by millennials who either sat out or were not eligible to vote in 2012, like many Carrillo studied with at LMUwill be key to that effort. The United States is the only Western country that still uses the death penalty. California leads the nation in prisoners awaiting execution, with 743 prisoners stuck in the backlog. Only 13 people have been executed in the state since voters reinstated the death penalty in 1978, at a cost of $4 billion, according to a 2011 study. Among the supporters of Proposition 62 are the ACLU and Democratic politicians including former President Jimmy Carter, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who is running for Californias open U.S. Senate seat. Abolishing the death penalty, however, will not be the only option for California voters this fall, raising the stakes for those aligned with Carrillo. A competing measure, Proposition 66, would accelerate and streamline the process of executing those on Californias death row, the largest in the United States. Those advocating for this measure say the death penalty in the state should be reformed but argue that prosecutors should have the option in certain cases. The measure would increase funding to expand the pool of available defense attorneys and require that those sentenced to death be appointed a lawyer at the time of the sentence. Death row inmates in California often wait five years or more before being assigned an attorney. Supporters of the proposition include most of the states district attorneys and county sheriffs and former Republican Govs. Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian. The death penaltyoccurs in less than 2 percent of murders across this state, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who also is the "Yes on 66" campaign cochair, said in a press conference in May. It is a rare event but is an option that prosecutors should have. Thirty-one states including California use capital punishment, while 19 have rejected it, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Both propositions advocates claim that each measure would decrease the immense cost of maintaining Californias death row. Passing Proposition 62 could save the state about $150 million per year, according to fiscal impact statement released by the states legislative analyst. Proposition 66 would initially increase death row spending, but the fiscal impact statement indicates that long-term savings could be in the tens of millions of dollars. But for Carrillo, who knows that not everyone caught up in the criminal justice system is guilty of a crime, saving money is not the point, and fast-tracking executions is not a risk worth taking. It took me 20 years to prove my innocence. You need time. You need evidence to surface. You need great attorneys to do the work, he said. If you fast-track it, if you want to rush through the process, youre jeopardizing those who are wrongfully convicted to be executed. There is no way around that. Take the Pledge: Dont Be Silent: Take the Pledge to Be an Ally for Racial Justice Original article from TakePart Miss Chad yet? The man Bachelor nation loves to hate returns to the Bachelor franchise when ABC's third season of Bachelor in Paradise kicks off Tuesday night. Infamous for issuing death threats, punching doors and tearing T-shirts, The Bachelorette's season 12 villain had quite the reputation to live up to on the spinoff show - and he did just that, and then some. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the 28-year-old ahead of the premiere and the chaos to come (THR has also seen the first episode). While Chad Johnson's meat-eating dominated his screen time on JoJo Fletcher's Bachelorette, the luxury real estate agent says a different substance takes center stage on BIP: alcohol. "I don't normally drink, I work," he explained to THR about his influenced behavior. "I go out maybe once, twice a month. So I show up to Bachelor in Paradise and I hadn't drank probably in three months, since The Bachelorette." He continued, "When you're at that low of body fat percent - like 3 or 4 percent - drinks affect you way more. You try to drink the same amount that you used to drink, but it doesn't work that way." Read more: JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers Talk Wedding and Rumors: "We Don't Want to Have to Defend Ourselves" While viewers will have to tune in to see how much trouble Chad gets himself into, his shenanigans did lead him to apologize to Chris Harrison during the recent The Bachelorette: Men Tell All. In a moment that didn't make it to air, Chad approached the host after his time in the hot seat. "I f - ed up. I apologize," Chad said, adding, "We made good TV though, didn't we?" The veteran host replied, "It's all good." Their candid chat directly followed an on-camera conversation about Bachelor in Paradise, making it seem likely that Chad's alcohol consumption leads to some big regrets on the spinoff. Viewers of Monday's Bachelorette: After the Final Rose special got a taste of the "great TV" Chad hinted at when, in the full promotional clip for Bachelor in Paradise, Chad resorts to violence and hints at his alcohol-consumption-gone-wrong. In the preview, he barks at Harrison, "You went to sleep last night with a mimosa and a robe on." Story continues Even Harrison admitted during the The Bachelorette post-finale special that the third season of BIP is "a mess." Sitting before a live-studio audience, he warned, "It is truly a trainwreck. I mean, epic proportions. I just want to say this ahead of time, you'll get it tomorrow: I don't love mimosas." Watch Chad's antics unfold when Bachelor In Paradise premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC Tuesday. Ahead of the US Air Force's decision to declare their variant of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II combat ready, the Joint Strike Program announced the successful testing of the jet's air-to-air missiles. During testing on July 28, Air Force F-35A test pilot Maj. Raven LeClair identified a drone target and fired an air-t0-air missile from the external wing to engage it over restricted military airspace off the coast of California. F 35 and AIM 9X "It's been said you don't really have a fighter until you can actually hit a target and we crossed that threshold with the first air-to-air weapon delivery of an AIM-9X," LeClair said following the successful exercise. The F-35A is equipped with two short-range, heat-seeking AIM-9X missiles on its wings, as well as a General Dynamics GAU-22/ 25mm Gatling gun and two 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs. Even though the Air Force is currently operating the oldest fleet in its history, it's the last of the sister service branches to declare its F-35 variant combat ready. NOW WATCH: The F-35 has hit another snag this time because its too stealthy More From Business Insider The BSF jawans arrested several villagers with 35 cows in the Lichupokhri village following which the locals protested. By Indrajit Kundu: At least five Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured in a clash with alleged cattle smugglers at the Phansidewa border in Siliguri this morning. The BSF jawans arrested several villagers with 35 cows in the Lichupokhri village following which the locals protested. A clash ensued between the villagers and the BSF jawans where the former hurled stones at them. The BSF had to fire a few rounds in the air to drive away the villagers. advertisement The injured jawans were later taken to the North Bengal Medical College and Hopsital for treatment. --- ENDS --- The family of a 14-year-old girl who was killed by a drunk driver found peace when they heard her heart beating inside a young boy. In March, Katelyn Zimmerman and her brother Dylan, 13, died after being hit by a car while riding their bicycles near their home of Inverness, Florida. But Katelyn told her grandmother the very day of the accident that she wanted to be an organ donor. "That was the last thing she said to me, and I want to see her wish come true," Charlene Sweigart told Today". Sweigart shared Katelyn's wish with the girl's dad, Shawn Zimmerman, and he agreed to donate her organs. Soon after, the story of a young man from North Carolina whose life was saved by a heart transplant made the news. Sweigart immediately knew this was no coincidence. Katelyn's heart went to Albert "Alj" Jefferies, a boy diagnosed as a baby with cardiomyopathy, a chronic heart disease which leads to an enlarged heart and eventual heart failure. The condition also claimed the life of his sister at age 19. Alj was able to have a fairly normal childhood though he couldn't run or play sports, but his health took a turn when he was 12 years old. Alj's heart failed, but doctors were able to reverse the problem. However, the boy returned to the hospital with the same issue by the end of 2015. At that point, doctors added him to the heart transplant list. "We were really starting to lose hope," said Tina Turner, Alj's mother. Katelyn's heart was donated to Alj in a life-saving surgery days after the accident. Alj had been in the hospital waiting for a heart for 99 days. Sweigart followed Alj's story on Facebook and shared her hunch with with Katelyn's father. He encouraged her to reach out to Turner. Although organ donors and recipients are not encouraged to contact each other, Sweigart sent Turner a message on Facebook. The two began communicating. The families, including Katelyn's twin sister, Savannah, finally had an emotional meeting on July 25 at Carolina Donor Services in Durham, North Carolina. Katelyn's family was able to listen to their loved one's heart beating inside Alj's chest. "She was there," said Sweigart. "I can feel the love of Katelyn." Alj shared a letter with the family and gave them hearts that had a recording of Katelyn's heartbeat. "Thank you for a second chance at life. There were times when I couldn't breathe, and couldn't walk without breath. I needed a miracle," he wrote. "Katelyn, thank you for being my miracle." "Katelyn gave her heart to Alj so he could be alive and it gave us peace. She is not dead. She is living in everyone who got an organ from her," Sweigart said. The family of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff said that the 44-year-old Singaporean does not support the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group. Zulfikar has been issued with an Order of Detention under the ISA for two years for actively spreading radical ideology online and helping to radicalise at least two other Singaporeans, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on 29 July. In a statement rebutting the government and media reports about Zulfikars arrest, the family said the accusations of Zulfikar supporting ISIS are based on selected Facebook postings in 2013 and 2014, and almost nothing from 2015 and 2016 where his position on many issues have changed. The family claimed that Zulfikar was not an ISIS supporter based on their conversations with him. In addition, Zulfikar took a different stance after he read about reports of violence and beheadings by the group in late July 2014. He had been against their violent nature and ideology. Anyone who knows him personally would know that he is argumentative but not a violent man, and does not condone violence, the family said, adding that Zulfikar has never encouraged others to join ISIS. To detain him under the ISA for his views, is not fair. To further accuse him of being an extremist and by extension insinuating terrorism and being a sympathiser of terrorist organisations, is stretching the evidence from his FB page postings. We fear that the detention of Zulfikar also increases the chances of self-incrimination through confessions and admissions. On a widely circulated photo of Zulfikar posing with what some media reports have identified as an ISIS banner, the family dismissed any association with the terrorist group. Instead, the banner has been used throughout Islamic history, as the basis of Islamic creed to represent Islam, which states the Shahadah, or professing the recognition of God and the Prophet. The banner in the photo was purchased to show solidarity towards the oppression of the Palestinians. Story continues The family also denied that Zulfikar was aiming to establish a caliphate system in Singapore. Zulfikar has always been known to oppose the Singapore Governments policies, the family acknowledged. But he was merely arguing against the policies in relation to the Malay-Muslim community, they added. Zulfikar is a loving family man. His detention is doing irreparable harm to him and his family, the family said. ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Farm Star Living, a national lifestyle online brand promoting the farm-to-everything movement, is proud to announce its exciting BACK TO SCHOOL Sweepstakes in partnership with NatureSweet Tomatoes. One lucky winner will receive $500 for back-to-school supplies. "According to recent surveys, the average household will spend approximately $488 on back to school supplies, and NatureSweet wanted to help someone ease that burden," says Mary Blackmon, Founder of Farm Star Living. "We love how this conscious food brand offered to extend a hand to a lucky member of the Farm Star Living community." "At NatureSweet, our tomatoes are raised right to ensure the highest standards of quality and freshness so families can enjoy our great-tasting varieties year-round," said Michael Joergensen, Vice President of Marketing for NatureSweet. "Whether you're hungry for an afterschool snack or preparing a weeknight dinner for the whole family, we have five fresh tomato varieties that make every meal easier and more delicious." To enter the Farm Star Living and NatureSweet's BACK TO SCHOOL Sweepstakes, just visit the Farm Star Living website at www.farmstarliving.com/naturesweet to enter, no purchase required. To better your chances you can enter daily and also visit social media outlets to earn extra entries. The sweepstakes runs August 1 - August 31. Winners will be announced on the Farm Star Living and NatureSweet's Facebook sites early September. About Farm Star Living: Launched in October, 2013, the website www.farmstarliving.com showcases the farm to everything movement and promotes a healthy lifestyle, filled with fresh foods and information on how you can obtain a lifestyle that's farm-centric. With great resources including A-Z fresh food health guide, farmer profiles, a Farm to Table Finder, a national Farm Fun Finder (directory of farms and their activities) and more. Founder Mary Blackmon says, "It's easy to support our farmers everywhere simply by embracing this farm-supportive way of life - a lifestyle we call Farm Star Living." Story continues About NatureSweet: NatureSweet, Ltd. is the leading grower of the best-tasting premium fresh tomatoes in North America. NatureSweet provides consumers with "Tomatoes Raised Right" which begins with choosing the best seeds. From there, more than 7,500 full-time associates cultivate then handpick the vine-ripened tomatoes in sustainable greenhouses, ensuring premium freshness and sweetness. The only tomatoes that guarantee consistent, superior taste year-round, NatureSweet tomatoes are sold at major grocers, mass retailers, club stores and food service operators in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Known for award-winning quality and innovative packaging, NatureSweet is also committed to having a positive social, environmental and economic impact on the communities in which it operates. NatureSweet Cherubs, SunBursts Glorys, Jubilees, and Constellation are trademarks of NatureSweet, Ltd. MEDIA CONTACT: Hannah Amick 678.488.2909 SOURCE: Farm Star Living (Reuters) - North Dakota on Monday became the latest state to have its voter identification law blocked by a federal court, adding to a string of recent rulings across the United States on the grounds that such measures disenfranchise poor and minority voters. North Dakota joined North Carolina and Wisconsin, where voter-ID restrictions were struck down by federal courts on Friday, victories for advocates who claim the measures are an attempt to suppress voters who tend to cast ballots for Democrats. Seven Native American voters filed a federal law suit against North Dakota claiming measures passed by the Republican-led legislature in 2013 and 2015 are unconstitutional and violate the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The laws added restrictions to the types of identification voters can use at polling places and banned "fail-safe" provisions allowing them to vote without the required identification in certain circumstances. United States District Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction on Monday against North Dakota's law, writing in his ruling that the law adds "substantial and disproportionate burdens" for Native American voters compared to other voters in the state. "No eligible voter, regardless of their station in life, should be denied the opportunity to vote," he wrote. Hovland pointed to several statistics in his ruling that showed Native Americans, especially those who live without a car or far from drivers license site, would be more effected by the laws than non-Native Americans. North Dakota Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger told the New York Times that he would not appeal the decision and that Novembers election "would revert to using less restrictive identification rules." Critics argue that such provisions are designed to drive down turnout by minorities and poor people who rely more on flexible voting methods and are less likely to possess state-issued photo IDs. Proponents of such laws say they aim to eliminate voter fraud. Story continues We want everyone to vote, The plaintiffs lawyer Thomas A. Dickson told the New York Times, and whoever has the most votes, they win. Thats the American way. Somehow, weve gotten away from that. North Dakota has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968 and is not considered a big prize with only three electoral college votes to the winner in the upcoming election on Nov. 8, when U.S. voters go to the polls to choose the nation's next president. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Michael Perry) Federal Realty Investment Trust FRT is set to report second-quarter 2016 results after the market closes on Aug 4. Last quarter, this retail real estate investment trust (REIT) had delivered a positive surprise of 0.73%. Federal Realty beat estimates in three out of four trailing quarters, with a positive average surprise of 0.95%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter funds from operations (FFO) is currently $1.41 per share. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. FED RLTY INV Price and EPS Surprise FED RLTY INV Price and EPS Surprise | FED RLTY INV Quote Factors to Consider Federal Realtys portfolio of premium retail assets mainly situated in the major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston and San Francisco and Los Angeles coupled with a diverse tenant base, positions it well for decent growth. However, in the second quarter, the company is anticipated to have experienced anchor rollover drag. Moreover, expenses are expected to rise with investments in the companys platform. Finally, same store net operating income is likely to moderate in the to-be-reported quarter. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Federal Realty will beat on earnings this season. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. However, that is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the percentage difference between the Most Accurate estimate of $1.38 and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.41, is -2.13%. Zacks Rank: Federal Realty currently has a Zacks Rank #3. Though a favorable Zacks Rank increases the predictive power of ESP, the companys negative ESP makes our surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are a few stocks in the REIT sector that you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to report a positive surprise this quarter: Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. AHP has an Earnings ESP of +6.15% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will report results on Aug 3. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. ARR has an Earnings ESP of +2.86% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release results on Aug 3. EPR Properties EPR has an Earnings ESP of +1.72% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will declare results on Aug 3. Note: FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income. All earnings per share numbers presented in this write up represent FFO per share. 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 ARMOUR RES REIT (ARR): Free Stock Analysis Report FED RLTY INV (FRT): Free Stock Analysis Report EPR PROPERTIES (EPR): Free Stock Analysis Report ASHFORD HOSP PR (AHP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Milan (AFP) - Italian sportscar maker Ferrari said Tuesday it was headed for a record net profit this year after posting its best-ever quarterly results. "A record second quarter, on the way to another record year," the luxury automaker said in a brief statement. Net profit grew 29 percent in the three months to June to 97 million euros ($88.6 million) on sales of 811 million euros, up 5.9 percent. The results beat forecasts by analysts who had been looking for net profit of 85 million euros and sales of 785 million, according to consensus data compiled by Factset. Ferrari delivered 2,214 cars in the second quarter, up eight percent from the year-earlier period. Unit sales to China alone rose by 26 percent, to 160. Ferrari is now looking to sell more than 8,000 vehicles over the full year and to generate sales of more than three billion euros. Ferrari shares, which had been trading lower in Milan ahead of the announcement, were up 1.7 percent at 41.17 euros in late afternoon, bucking a sharply weaker overall market trend. By India Today Web Desk: Kickstarting the Congress's Uttar Pradesh campaign in the run-up to the crucial Assembly election due early next year, party president Sonia Gandhi is holding a road show in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, today. The Congress's chief ministerial candidate for UP Sheila Dikshit, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, and senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Pramod Tiwari, and Rita Bahuguna Joshi among others are participating in the 8-km road show. advertisement Shortly after Sonia arrived in Varanasi - her first visit to the temple town after PM Modi came to power in 2014 - at the Babatpur airport, the 69-year-old leader first went to the circuit house before starting her road show from the Varuna Pul area, where she garlanded a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar. SONIA'S 3-HOUR, 8-KM ROAD SHOW From there, her road show will head for Maidagin, passing through Andhra Pul, Chowka Ghat, Pili Kothi and Bisheshwar Ganj. At Maidagin, she will pay her tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri by garlanding their busts. Thereafter, she is scheduled to meet religious heads from the Kabir Panth. Then, the Congress chief will head to Lahurabir to garland the statue of freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad following which her road show will reach Maldahiya Chowk, where the statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel will be garlanded. Sonia's three-hour road show covering nearly eight kilometres will end at the Varanasi Cantonment area where she will garland the statue of former Union Minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister late Kamlapati Tripathi and address a rally. CONGRESS BANKS ON SHEILA Maintaining that the road show is a part of the party's '27 Saal, UP Behaal' campaign, Sheila Dikshit launched an attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state for the recent Bulandshahr gangrape incident. "Law and order in the state under the SP has worsened and the recent incident of Bulandshahr is highly condemnable," she said, adding that the Congress wants to rid the state of "the SP, BSP and BJP misrule of the last 27 years" and put it on the path towards development. Replying to a query, Dikshit, who claimed herself to be a "UP wallah", said her age was not an issue till the time she had the "will to work in public interest". "I became the Delhi Chief Minister at the age of 60. Even then, people used to talk about my age but I served for almost 15 years," she said. "I will be fortunate to get a chance to serve my own state, Uttar Pradesh. I will put in my best efforts for its betterment. I am 78 but my age is not an issue till the time I am willing to work," Dikshit said. advertisement Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to interact with Congress workers in Lucknow 27 saal UP behaal: Congress sounds poll bugle in Uttar Pradesh with 3-day bus yatra 10 reasons why Congress chose Sheila Dikshit as UP CM candidate --- ENDS --- Nick Diaz is set to return after serving an 18-month suspension. (AP) For the past year and a half, the MMA world has been without the enigmatic Nick Diaz due to a suspension for a failed drug test that found marijuana metabolites in his system after his loss to Anderson Silva last January. The punishment could have been a lot worse as a five-year suspension was originally levied on the middleweight. However, Diaz had his sentence reduced to 18 months and is now officially able to compete. He hasnt won a fight in almost five years but that doesnt change the fact that hes a cult figure for MMA fans. With his return inevitable, it will be interesting to see with whom the UFC pairs him up with for his first fight back in the Octagon. Here are five opponents wed love to see Diaz face. 5. Tyron Woodley The only reason Woodley appears on this list is because the freshly minted welterweight champion called out Diaz for a money fight. And that sentiment rings true to pit a fighter like Woodley, who is searching for mainstream relevance, against a fighter who has been known to draw a crowd would certainly be interesting. The only problem is that it is totally unfair to the rest of the welterweight division, specifically Stephen Wonderboy Thompson. 4. Rory MacDonald Assuming that Rory MacDonald decides to re-sign with the UFC, the fighting promotion will likely need to put him in a situation where he can get the most exposure. A fight with Nick Diaz would certainly do that for him. Its also intriguing considering their styles. MacDonald is a counter-striker by nature and Diaz has no qualms bringing the fight to him. Its more of a money fight than a fight to put MacDonald back into the title picture, but were certain hell be fine with it. As for Diaz, a victory would launch him right back into the title hunt. Could we see a rematch between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz? (AP) 3. Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre has been vocal about wanting big fights rather than another run at the welterweight title so a fight against Woodley appears to be out of the question. If he does choose to return, hell want the most intriguing fight possible. And although he already defeated Diaz back in 2013, its certainly a fight that could happen. It also helps that Diaz has been adamant about getting another shot at GSP. With no title on the line, it makes sense for both fighters and wouldnt disrupt anything in the division. Story continues 2. Robbie Lawler Robbie Lawler likes to fight. The only person who probably likes to engage in a few rounds of fisticuffs fight more than Lawler is Nate Diaz. With Lawler getting taken out by a shocking first round knockout at the hands of Woodley, chances are hes looking to get right back into the mix. Meanwhile, this is a fight the fans would absolutely love considering that both Lawler and Diaz like to keep things standing. Oh, did we forget to mention that this would be a rematch of their 2004 engagement where Diaz knocked Lawler out cold? Things have changed a lot since then. 1. Conor McGregor There are so many reasons why this fight makes sense. There is one caveat, however. McGregor will have to defeat Nicks little brother at UFC 202 in a few weeks. If that happens, a fight where McGregor faces Nick Diaz is ripe with storylines and could be a massive mainstream attraction. Obviously, that fight would infuriate interim UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who is waiting for his shot at redemption. But this is just one that hell have to understand. The combination of epic trash talking, crowd-pleasing styles and a narrative that anybody can get attached to makes this a potential blockbuster of a fight. The world would certainly be watching. Fluor Corporation FLR is set to report second-quarter 2016 results, after the closing bell on Aug 4. Last quarter, the company disappointed investors by posting a negative earnings surprise of 1.2%. The company has had a disappointing earnings history, registering positive earnings surprise in just one of the last four quarters, resulting in a negative average surprise of 6.4%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider Since Apr 2015, Fluors financials have been taking a beating on account of commodity price volatility. The precipitous decline in the prices of crude oil and certain metals has been marring the companys prospects. Lower commodity prices continue to impact cash flow of Fluors customers, which in turn, is adversely affecting their ability to fund new projects. During the first quarter of 2016, the companys clients in the Energy, Chemicals and Mining domain maintained a cautious approach while taking investment decisions. For instance, clients like Sasol and Pemex have delayed their projects on account of macroeconomic uncertainties while deferred works at the Kitimat project is adding to Fluors concerns. We believe significant project deferrals will be one of the biggest drags on the companys financials in the second quarter of 2016. Also, sluggish economic growth and softness in key geographic regions are compounding challenges for the company. These conditions are particularly hurting the companys non-oil and gas end markets. Additionally, softness in the mining and metals business continues to dampen the commercial opportunities for the company. These headwinds are expected to deal a heavy blow to the companys top and bottom line in the soon to be reported quarter. Also, foreign currency fluctuations may play spoilsport. Furthermore, an unimpressive revenue trajectory coupled with persistent backlog conversion hint at a weak performance in the second quarter. Story continues Despite these negatives, Fluors market diversity and strong hold in the U.S. engineering and construction sector are major strengths. We believe that the companys prospects in the government and power business segments will act as fundamental growth drivers in the second quarter. Currently, low natural gas prices continue to support investments in North American chemicals projects and gas fired power plants, which in turn open up considerable scope for Fluor. Also, the recently passed Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST) is expected to boost spending on transportation infrastructure in the U.S., which is a huge positive. During the first quarter of 2016, half of the orders for the company were from the government sector, totaling $2.3 billion. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Energy Extends Portsmouth Decontamination and Decommissioning (DOS) extended its contract with Fluor through Sep 2018. In fact, the winning of lucrative awards has proved to be a major revenue and margin driver. Some of the major deals secured during the second quarter include a contract to maintain the Purple Line project for the Maryland Department of Transportation (and the Maryland Transit Administration) and a contract to design and build the Port Access Road Project from the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). In addition, Flours Stork buyout has strengthened its integrated solutions offerings and contributed to toward the 23.6% increase in revenues in the Maintenance, Modification & Asset business during the first quarter. We believe that the Stork acquisition will help the company counter commodity price sensitivity and cyclicality in project-driven engineering and construction businesses. FLUOR CORP-NEW Price and EPS Surprise FLUOR CORP-NEW Price and EPS Surprise | FLUOR CORP-NEW Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Flour will beat earnings in this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for the company currently stands at 0.00%. This is because both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the Most Accurate estimate stands at 87 cents. Zacks Rank: Fluor currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). As it is, we caution against Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some companies that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Harsco Corporation HSC has an Earnings ESP of +38.46% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is scheduled to report results on Aug 4. Impax Laboratories IPXL has an Earnings ESP of +3.03% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is slated to release quarterly results on Aug 9. Exelixis, Inc. EXEL has an Earnings ESP of +3.70% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to report its financial numbers on Aug 3. 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 FLUOR CORP-NEW (FLR): Free Stock Analysis Report EXELIXIS INC (EXEL): Free Stock Analysis Report IMPAX LABORATRS (IPXL): Free Stock Analysis Report HARSCO CORP (HSC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Brenda Goh SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Foreign firms say they are struggling to gain access to China's vast railway market as the country, seeking to transform its domestic industry into an export powerhouse, tightens the bidding criteria on rail tenders. The complaints echo similar concerns raised in other industries including technology and renewable energy, and highlight what some foreign companies see as an uneven playing field when operating in China. Four rail suppliers with offshore funding said they were finding it harder to win contracts thanks to the proliferation of government-supported rivals, with at least one saying it was already experiencing discrimination. "In the last 1-2 years there have been tendencies to disregard foreign-invested companies as Chinese companies, and to prefer Chinese-invested companies versus foreign-invested companies," Ansgar Brockmeyer, board chairman of German brake maker Knorr-Bremse's Asia Pacific arm, told Reuters. Foreign participation in China's rail market has for the last decade been limited to minority stakes in joint ventures or as sub-suppliers of domestic players, often with the condition that they transfer technology to local partners. Many, like Germany's Siemens AG and Canada's Bombardier did and consequently helped build the world's biggest railway network by both length and revenue. Beijing now wants to help many of these local partners such as CRRC Corp <601766.SS><1766.HK> become globally competitive behemoths which will export home-grown technology. Its "Made in China 2025" plan released last year described railways as a priority sector. Some industry insiders say this is causing concern that wholly-local firms are being increasingly favored at the expense of foreign invested companies. Knorr-Bremse, which has been supplying braking systems to metro operators for 25 years, said it had received tender documents from 11 Chinese cities in 2015 that stipulated new bidding rules which scored down foreign-invested firms versus purely local names. It lost out on three as a result, it said. "We are concerned that ... this might become a trend but on the other hand we can't really imagine because this would clearly infringe any World Trade Organisation agreement," Brockmeyer said. "We are in discussions with the local governments and the NDRC on this." The 11 Chinese cities including Kunming, Urumqi and Guangzhou have begun to score companies on whether they are foreign-invested or 100 percent local firms. In the past firms simply had to prove that at least 70 percent of their supply chain was in China. Metro operators award bidders on different categories such as price, which they later add up to determine a winner. The metro operators of Kunming, Urumqi and Guangzhou as well as the National Development and Reform Commission did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. "INCREASINGLY HOSTILE" ENVIRONMENT The European Chamber of Commerce in China has also raised concerns over tougher conditions for companies with foreign investment, saying recent statements from Beijing about opening the rail market up to private capital "indicates that the government treats domestic capital preferentially." "For the market for urban rail, the regulatory system also restricts foreign companies from bidding directly for rolling stock and signaling business. In some instances it even prevents Sino-foreign JVs from obtaining a license or qualification to bid," the Chamber said. The Chamber in June warned of an "increasingly hostile" overall business environment that was tilted in favor of domestic firms. Such concerns have been particularly prevalent in the technology sector, which lobbied U.S. President Barack Obama last year. In February last year, China dropped some of the world's leading technology brands from its approved state purchase lists, while approving thousands more locally made products. Other rail suppliers spoke of growing pressure coming from a proliferation of new local rivals, many of whom are government-supported. "The new competitors we're facing here in China are purely local companies," said Lv Yachen, who chairs a joint venture between French electronics firm Thales SA and state firm Shanghai Electric Group [SHEGP.UL], which supplies signaling systems to Chinese subway project. "As the NDRC is attaching great importance to independent property rights, we used to have 4-5 signaling suppliers in the industry but now it has become nine and another three are to be approved very soon," he said. Two industry executives who declined to be named for fear that it would affect their business relationships said some firms were considering shifting their focus to other overseas markets, or choosing to downplay the foreign participation in their partnerships to cope with the "buy local" push. "Now it's all about buying from Chinese companies," said a source from a large European railway supplier. "It's harder to do business here." (Editing by Lincoln Feast) DETROIT (Reuters) - A former Michigan prosecutor who had been an outspoken advocate for ending prostitution pleaded guilty on Tuesday to patronizing prostitutes and misconduct in office, the state's attorney general said. Stuart Dunnings III, a former prosecuting attorney in central Michigan's Ingham County, was arrested in March and charged with 15 criminal counts, including felony pandering and multiple prostitution misdemeanors. The majority of the charges were dropped under a plea deal announced on Tuesday in which Dunnings admitted guilt to a new felony charge of misconduct in office, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. The misconduct charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, Schuette said. Dunnings also pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting a prostitute, a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $500, Schuette said. An attorney for Dunnings could not immediately be reached for comment. The charges against Dunnings came out of a 2015 federal investigation of human trafficking and prostitution. Schuette said Dunnings has been an outspoken advocate for ending human trafficking and prostitution, even as he allegedly used escort sites to find multiple prostitutes and pay for sex hundreds of times in three counties between 2010-2015. Dunnings entered his plea before Judge Michael Klaeren of the 12th District Court in Jackson. Dunnings served as chief prosecutor of Ingham County, which includes the state capital of Lansing, for close to two decades. He was re-elected in 2012 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. (Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Writing by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Leslie Adler) BANGKOK (Reuters) - Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Tuesday she rejected a draft constitution sponsored by the generals who toppled her government two years ago, and would vote against it in an Aug. 7 referendum. The referendum is an important step for the military government that took power after the May 2014 coup as it tries to shape a political system that it hopes will end a decade of turmoil in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. Critics say the charter will entrench military rule, weaken democratically elected governments and do little to heal political divisions. Yingluck's party has already rejected the draft charter, as has the leader of its main rival, and she echoed their criticism of it as undemocratic. "Having followed the process and content of the draft all along, I see that it isn't in line with democracy," Yingluck said on her Facebook page. "Therefore I reject this draft," she said, adding that she would vote "no" on Sunday. Yingluck, sister of populist former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was also ousted in a coup, was impeached last year by a junta-appointed assembly over a failed rice subsidy program and banned from politics for five years. The military has said the proposed constitution will pave the way for a general election in 2017, and will ensure clean, stable politics in a country rocked by years of turmoil as former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin and his followers challenged the military and royalist establishment. Critics say it is aimed at constraining elected governments largely through an appointed upper house of parliament. Last week, former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the pro-establishment Democrat Party and Yingluck's former rival, also rejected the draft, saying he did not see how it would help the country. The government has stifled dissent since the coup and is particularly sensitive about criticism of the charter, curbing debate, introducing a law setting a 10-year jail term for anyone campaigning ahead of the vote and detaining activists. A former member of parliament for Yingluck's party and 10 other people were charged on Tuesday with sedition and criminal association after being accused of trying to spread misinformation about the constitution. Nineteen supporters of the Shinawatras were also charged on Tuesday for violating a ban on gatherings after attempting to establish referendum monitoring centres that they said were aimed at preventing vote fraud. Preliminary results are expected on the same day as the vote. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said an election will be held in 2017 regardless of the outcome. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Simon Webb, Robert Birsel) Kiev (AFP) - A Ukrainian pilot released from a Russian jail in May launched a fresh hunger strike Tuesday in protest over Kiev's failure to secure the return of other prisoners of war in the separatist east. A Russian court sentenced the 35-year-old army helicopter navigator Nadiya Savchenko to 22 years in prison in March over the 2014 killing of two Russian journalists in the Ukrainian war zone. Her detention was based on flimsy and often contradictory evidence that turned her into a national hero and brought international attention to her cause. She was swapped for two Russian soldiers and has since assumed a seat in Ukraine's parliament and made a number of highly-charged statements protesting the Western-backed authorities' failure to settle a 27-month war that has claimed nearly 9,500 lives. One of Savchenko's biggest causes has been ensuring the release of more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers captured by pro-Russian insurgents who control swathes of the former Soviet republic's industrial southeast. "As of today, I again announce a hunger strike in response to the inability of all those in power the world over to release Ukrainians from captivity," she told reporters. "The strike will continue until a positive result is achieved." Savchenko added that she also wanted dozens of "political prisoners" returned from Russia and Crimea through talks between Moscow and Kiev -- two foes whose relations have been frozen since the Black Sea peninsula's annexation in March 2014. Ukraine's historic February 2014 pro-EU revolution was followed by its loss of Crimea to Russia and the onset of a conflict that Moscow denies plotting or backing in reprisal for the geopolitical loss of its western neighbour. Savchenko staged repeated hunger strikes during her detention in Russia that at times stretched on for weeks. Some opinion polls show her now ranking as one of Ukraine's most trusted politicians. Story continues But she has made enemies among some powerful fellow lawmakers for calling for talks with pro-Russian insurgents that could offer them broader autonomy and end the war. - Mediator role - Savchenko said she was ready to travel east and speak to the revolts' leaders in order to get the stalled prisoner swap process moving again. Prisoner exchanges have been delayed on repeated occasions due to the strong mutual mistrust between the rebels and Kiev. "I have said a thousand times: I am ready to go there -- undercover or not -- in order to achieve results," Savchenko said. She added that mothers of captured soldiers intended to stage a protest outside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office next Monday to demonstrate their frustration with his inability to keep his promise and return the captives home. A full prisoner swap was one of the clauses of a February 2015 peace deal that neither side has respected and thus failed to resolve one of Europe's bloodiest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars. Sonia's show of power in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency witnessed thousands of supporters on bikes holding party flags and raising slogans. By Rohit Kumar Singh: Congress President Sonia Gandhi had to cancel her road show half way after she was taken ill due to hot weather condition and humidity in Varanasi. Sonia who was in the holy city, also the parliamentary constituency of PM Narendra Modi, to enthuse Congress workers and connect with the voters through the road show was forced to abort it mid way when she complained of uneasiness and fever. advertisement Sonia's road show started at 2 pm from Circuit House and was to end at Englishia Line. The road show which was initially planned to be a two hours affair was stretched beyond the stipulated time because of huge turn out of supporters. The vehicles in her road show moved at snail speed as supporters thronged the streets to get a glimpse of her. After garlanding the statue of Bhim Rao Ambedkar at Ambedkar park, the first destination, Sonia road show moved to Maidagin crossing through Andhra Pul, Chowka Ghat, Pili Kothi and Bisheshwar Ganj. HOT WEATHER IN VARANASI TAKES A TOLL ON SONIA'S HEALTH When her road show reached Lahurabir, sources say, Sonia complained of uneasiness and fever. Soon other Congress leaders who were part of the road show advised her to be taken to a nearby hotel to take rest. She was taken to a hotel at 4.35 pm. Soon couple of local doctors were also called to take stock of her health condition. "She came to our hotel to relax. She looked unwell. Soon two doctors came and carried check up and monitored her blood pressure" informed Surendra Singh, owner of the hotel. At about 5:15 pm as Sonia felt better, she decided to return to Delhi and left for the Babatpur airport in Varanasi. Congress CM candidate in Uttar Pradesh, Shiela Dixit who was with the Congress President informed India Today that Sonia was running temperature. "Sonia Ji is not well and having fever", said Shiela Dixit. Thereafter when Sonia reached airport but her condition did not improve and doctors advised her against flying back to Delhi. However, after further treatment at the airport, Sonia returned to Delhi at around 10 pm with a team of doctors from Varanasi. PM WISHES SONIA SPEEDY RECOVERY Moments after she decided to return to Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted wishing her speedy recovery. The Congress was quick to respond to Modi's tweet with a 'thank you' message. "Heard about Sonia ji's ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health," Modi tweeted. Heard about Sonia ji's ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2016 Here are the latest developments: After medical check-up, ailing Congress president Sonia Gandhi heads for her residence at 10 Janpath, New Delhi. The flight carrying ailing Sonia Gandhi landed at the Delhi airport from Varanasi. Sonia Gandhi convoy headed for hospital for check-up. Special arrangements were made at AIIMS and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. As per protocol, SPG arrangements were made at both the hospitals. Sonia Gandhi's condition is stable, says leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is suffering from acute dehydration. Daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son Rahul received Sonia at Delhi airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Sheila Dixit and inquired about Sonia's health today: Sources PM Modi offered to help out by sending a doctor for a health check of the Congress leader and a plane for transportation back to Delhi. Senior Congress leaders Sheila Dikshit and Ghulam Nabi Azad accompanied Sonia. A team of doctors from Varanasi also accompanied the Congress chief. Sonia Gandhi is currently in RR Hospital in Delhi for a medical check up advertisement The top Congress leader had to cancel many of her programmes in the city. She was to visit the famous Vishwanath temple and also garland Kamlapati Tripathi's statue and address a public gathering, however, had to head straight to the airport as doctors advised her rest. advertisement Sonia's show of power in Prime Minister NArendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency witnessed thousands of supporters on bikes holding party flags and raising slogans. Sonia, 69, stood outside her SUV waving at the massive crowd for hours as the Congress cavalcade moved across the city. Congress's UP in-charge Raj Babbar and other top party leaders were also present during the roadshow. Also Read: Sonia Gandhi's UP election road show on PM Modi's turf Varanasi 27 saal UP behaal: Congress sounds poll bugle in Uttar Pradesh with 3-day bus yatra --- ENDS --- PARIS (Reuters) - A Paris court will rule on Friday on a legal request by French utility EDF's works council for a suspension of the company's bid to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in England, a union official told Reuters on Tuesday. On Thursday, EDF's board gave the go-ahead for the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project, despite strong opposition from the company's unions. Hours later, Britain's new Conservative government said it would review the bid. The works council has challenged the board's decision, arguing that the company did not provide the works council with the necessary information to issue a preliminary, non-binding recommendation on the project. A first hearing on the court challenge was held on Tuesday. The works council has also started a separate legal procedure in order to force EDF to release confidential documents about Hinkley Point. A first hearing in that procedure has been scheduled for Sept. 22. EDF's unions - CGT, CFE-CGC et FO - argue that the project threatens the company's financial stability and that it should be delayed until EDF completes reactor building projects in China and France. ($1 = 0.7533 pounds) (Reporting by Benjamin Mallet; Editing by Geert De Clercq and Richard Lough) Rennes (France) (AFP) - France has introduced sea patrols for passenger ferries to and from Britain, after a string of jihadist attacks in recent months that have shaken the country, a marine police spokesman said Tuesday. "A permanent unit has been deployed for passenger ferries since August 1," Lieutenant Pierre-Joachim Antona told AFP. "The marine gendarmes will carry out patrols, which will be random but regular, with the aim of securing these vessels against the terrorist threat," he added. Marine police deployed all along the French coastline -- from the North Sea to the Mediterranean -- have been tasked with contributing to efforts that began last year to secure the country's waters, in cooperation with land forces, the spokesman said. The first such patrol took place on Monday, with French officers flown in by helicopter onto the Mont Saint-Michel ferry, just as it entered French waters from southern England at around 5:00 pm (1500 GMT), and remained on board until the vessel reached its final destination in the northwestern French town of Caen. Antona said the armed patrols would be similar to those in train stations across France, whose high visibility helps dissuade potential attackers from striking. France and Britain are currently in talks about expanding the patrols' mandate beyond the limits of French territorial waters. Should an agreement be reached, French officers could be on board ferries from port to port. British holidaymakers last week spent hours sweating in their cars as 15-hour queues snaked back from the port of Dover due to heightened entry checks by French border police. It seemed like U.S. President Barack Obama basically got the point across when he warned on Tuesday that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is woefully unprepared to be commander-in-chief. But then French President Francois Hollande took it one step further, saying at a press conference in Paris that comments like the insults Trump leveled at the Muslim parents of a fallen U.S. Army soldier this week are excesses [that] make you want to retch. Trumps staggering unpopularity around the world, which Obama alluded to at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, has made him an easy target for politicians concerned about the disintegrating global order, the health of the global economy, or the continued viability of the NATO alliance. Still, criticizing Trump for his excesses requires some measure of chutzpah from a bald man with an $11,000 barber bill every month. Trump has received a stunning amount of bad press following his denigrating comments and tweets toward Khizr and Ghazala Khan, after Khizr spoke at the DNC. He criticized Trump and memorialized their son, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004. Hollande went on to say Tuesday that democracy is also at stake, as we see more and more people tempted by authoritarianism. Should the American people choose Trump, there will be consequences, because a U.S. election is a global election, he said. Photo credit: Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images Rouen (France) (AFP) - France paid its last respects Tuesday to Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old priest murdered by jihadists last week, at an emotional funeral held under tight security at the cathedral of northern Rouen. "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light," said Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun. Some 2,000 mourners packed the soaring Gothic sanctuary, with hundreds more watching the ceremony, which began minutes after a heavy rainstorm, on a giant screen outside. A section of pews in the 11th-century cathedral was filled by residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, the nearby industrial town where the two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat as he celebrated mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church. A red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar, with the Rouen diocese explaining that "Father Hamel's death was similar to that of Christ, unjustly convicted and put to death." Another red stole was set atop a white priest's vestment lying over Hamel's coffin. In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners. "It was a duty," Hassan Houays, a Muslim maths teacher from Saint-Etienne, told AFP. "We are here so that we can get along together." Reconciliation was an overarching theme of the mass, which recalled Jesus urging his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Hamel's sister Roselyne told the congregation: "Let us learn to live together. The world has so much need for hope." - 'Never again' - Archbishop Lebrun said the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities have "decided to come together to say 'never again'." Along with churches across France, the Rouen cathedral had on Sunday seen Muslims attend mass in a gesture of solidarity after the grisly attack, with the visitors paying a moving tribute to Hamel while denouncing radical Islam. Story continues French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, whose portfolio also includes inter-faith relations, led the political delegation to the mass. As on Sunday, security was tight for Hamel's funeral, with around 20 riot police vans stationed around the cathedral and police closely checking mourners' bags and backpacks. The church attack came less than two weeks after another assailant ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and wounding more than 300 others. Hamel is to be buried in a ceremony attended only by close family members, at a location that has not been revealed. The frail octogenarian became the latest victim of terror in France when the two jihadists stormed his church in the small Normandy town of 30,000 people. Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which a worshipper was left seriously wounded. Three other hostages escaped unharmed. The attack stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims, one of Europe's largest. The jihadist attacks in France have raised tough questions about security failures and fears that mosques may have been used as vectors for extremism. Cazeneuve said Monday that authorities had shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam since December. - Public financing for Islam? - A debate is also emerging about foreign funding of mosques. Critics say murky financial help from abroad has helped to promote Salafism, an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam, and greater transparency would encourage moderates. Prime Minister Manuel Valls hinted Tuesday at the possibility of "a form of public financing" for Islam in France. Writing in the leftwing daily Liberation, Valls sketched the possibility of modifying a 1905 law that separates church and state, and is revered by many secularists. The law forbids the state and local authorities from subsidising religious activities. "Modifying the 1905 law would open up a very perilous debate, but we should examine all solutions, without denying ourselves a form of public financing," Valls said. Valls came under immediate fire from conservatives and leftwingers for making the suggestion. Some political figures have recently floated the idea of imposing a small levy on the certification of halal food to finance mosques. .(Larry the Cat via Twitter) LONDON British parliamentarians are well-known for fighting like cats and dogs. But lately theres been some pretty serious cat-on-cat violence at 10 Downing Street, and were not talking about intra-party disagreements between MPs. SEE ALSO: Forget about the UK election, Larry vs. Bailey is the real battle for Downing Street Photojournalist Steve Back is a freelance press photographer dedicated to documenting the comings and goings at the residence of the prime minister, largely via his Twitter account, @PoliticalPictures. Recently, Back has brought attention to the ongoing battle between Larry the Cat, chief mouser at 10 Downing Street, and Palmerston, Larrys counterpart at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) at Whitehall, London. Larry came to 10 Downing Street during David Camerons tenure to take care of rodents/as a public relations gimmick, but following the political turmoil of the past few weeks, his position had been precarious. Now, Larry appears to be facing a new threat as Palmerston seems keen to usurp 10 Downing Street territory. Back has risked personal injury to document the encounters between these two fiercely territorial felines, sometimes even intervening to end the fighting. Back has expressed outrage over how little is being done to alleviate the situation. Treats and armed officers have both been called in intermittently as a temporary ceasefire, but no adequate long-standing solutions have been proposed. The fighting became so intense, Larry had to pay a visit to the vet, allowing the ambitious Palmerston to take temporary control over 10 Downing Street. Larrys return and the recent announcement that the Treasury had brought in its own chief mouser have added even greater ambiguity to the turf wars. No news yet on whether Gladstone the cat will choose to remain neutral, form an alliance or lead his own bold campaign to claim the street. Backs efforts to draw attention to the fighting have not gone without notice; Battersea Dogs & Cats, the animal shelter from where Larry, Palmerston, and Gladstone have all been adopted, has apparently been in contact to help neutralise this potential tragedy. At this point, we can only hope that somehow an im-purr-fect peace will be reached. Gawker Media founder Nick Denton filed for personal bankruptcy protection on Monday, just months after a Florida jury ordered him to pay millions to Hulk Hogan in the sex tape case, reports say. Denton's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing puts a stay on Hogan's efforts to collect or move to seize his assets, The New York Times reports. The move comes nearly five months after a Florida jury awarded Hogan $140 million $115 in damages and $25 million in punitive damages in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit after Gawker posted portions of a sex tape involving the wrestler having sex with his best friend's then-wife in 2012. "Ever since the verdict, this was a likely outcome," Denton, 49, told the Times. According to the filling obtained by Politico, Denton personally owes Hogan real name Terry Gene Bollea $10 million, and jointly liable for $115 million. (1/2) Gawker Media Groupas resilient brands and people will thrive under new ownership, when the sale closes in the next few weeks. a Nick Denton (@nicknotned) August 1, 2016 Denton alluded to the filing in a pair of tweets on Monday, writing, "Gawker Media Group's resilient brands and people will thrive under new ownership, when the sale closes in the next few weeks." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. (2/2) On this bitter day for me, I am consoled by the fact that my colleagues will soon be freed from this tech billionaireas vendetta. a Nick Denton (@nicknotned) August 1, 2016 He added in a follow-up tweet: "On this bitter day for me, I am consoled by the fact that my colleagues will soon be freed from this tech billionaire's vendetta." As the trial concluded, it was revealed that Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel secretly funded Hogan's legal case against Gawker, after the site outed the PayPal co-founder as gay. Denton said in the filing that his assets are worth between $10 million and $50 million and he has up to $500 million in liabilities, the Associated Press reports. "[It's] disturbing to live in a world in which a billionaire can bully journalists because he didn't like the coverage," Denton wrote in a memo to Gawker Media staff, according to the AP. WATCH: Jurors Award Hulk Hogan $25.1 Million in Punitive Damages In June, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is now up for sale, the AP reports. A judge decided then that Gawker Media would not get a new trial in the case after the media organization filed an appeal to do so. The legal battle began after the 62-year-old wrestler claimed his privacy was violated when Gawker posted a portion of the video that showed him having intercourse with the former wife of his then-friend, Todd Clem, a radio host, who filmed the encounter. "I was embarrassed by what it did to me as a person," Hogan testified of the tape's release. "But it was even embarrassing as a character. Hulk Hogan was embarrassed." After a federal judge refused to shield Nick Denton from personal liability in Hulk Hogans $140 million invasion of privacy verdict against him and Gawker Media, the founder followed his company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as expected. In a memo to employees yesterday, Denton paints himself as a paragon of journalistic integrity the victim of a vendetta by a billionaire bully who didnt like the coverage, he said. Denton was referring to Silicon Valley venture capitalist and entrepreneur Peter Thiel, who bankrolled Hogans lawsuit to the tune of $10 million. Defiant to the last, Denton sounds like a virtuous hero who fought the good fight for the free speech rights of his team and journalists everywhere. I could almost picture him riding off into the sunset with his head held high. I wanted to cheer for the guy, give him a hearty pat on the back and wish him Godspeed on his journey. Then I remembered, this is Nick Denton. Damn, the guys good. He almost had me going for a minute there. Look, Denton is not some neophyte who just walked in off the street and got taken to the cleaners in a frivolous lawsuit. This was not his first bout with the legal system. He knew the risks. As I see it, in refusing repeated requests by Hogans people to take down the secret sex tape at the heart of the lawsuit, Denton brought this upon himself. Gawker apparently believed that their First Amendment rights would trump Hogans invasion of privacy or defamation claims. And I bet their risk analysis also included a discussion of who had the bigger war chest, Gawker or Hogan? The answer, of course, would have been Gawker, had Thiel not gotten involved. Bummer. As any savvy corporate officer who has been around the court system will tell you, a trial can go either way. If you cant survive the downside, dont bet the farm on winning. Dont let your ego get away from you and write checks that reality cant cash. Make no mistake, thats exactly what happened here. Story continues If I didnt know better, I would say the memo was a load of self-indulgent nonsense by a narcissistic media mogul with more hubris than business sense. If Denton had a modicum of humility and self-awareness, he would see this enormous fiasco for what it is: an unforced error that will cost him and his company dearly. But I think the memo has a far more practical purpose than that. More likely, its a desperate attempt to pump up Gawkers valuation ahead of the bankruptcy auction slated for next month. Ziff-Davis is currently the lead bidder with $90 million on the table a steep drop from the $250 million Gawker was said to be worth prior to the Florida jury ruling. The problem is that nearly all of Dentons wealth is tied up in the company. According to the Wall Street Journal, his only significant assets are his Manhattan apartment and his 30% stake in Gawker. And since the verdict has him personally on the hook for $10 million and jointly liable for another $115 million, the more Gawker sells for, the better his chances of coming out of this with some money in his pocket. Dont get me wrong. I have no love for Hogan or dislike for Denton or Gawker. I have no skin in this game. I dont know if the jury got it right or if the award wont be reduced or the verdict vacated on appeal. What rubs me the wrong way is a business leader who wont own up to his own bad business decisions. Rather, Denton has been all over the map about Hogans and Thiels true motives, making thinly veiled attempts at trying and retrying the case in the court of public opinion while painting himself as the victim and the real victim as a bully. First he accused them of trying to bankrupt him and put Gawker out of business. Back in March, he made a convoluted, if not conspiratorial, argument that the lawsuit wasnt about the sex video at all, but another video with racial slurs. Recently, hes been talking up Thiels support for Donald Trump, presumably to appeal to the anti-Trump crowd. I think it is all much more simple than that: What this is really about is a guy who let his oversized ego get the better of him. He bet everything he had including his company and lost it all. Maybe someday hell look in the mirror and see who really caused his demise. Related Articles In order to hurt the BSP, Sonia's first move after reaching Varanasi was to offer floral tributes to Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's statue. Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi gestures during a road show in the view of upcoming UP Assembly elections in Varanasi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today sounded the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly's poll bugle from the temple town of Varanasi, which also is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha. But Modi is not the only one on Sonia's mind. The Congress president, who fell sick and left her roadshow midway, is aiming at BSP supremo Mayawati too. The Congress is out of power in UP for 27 years, a period when the state has generally been ruled either by the Samajwadi Party or the BSP. For brief periods, the state has witnessed President's Rule and the BJP's governance. advertisement The Congress has launched "27 saal UP behal" campaign to convey the message that India's most populous state has gone from bad to worse in these 27 years. While the ruling Akhilesh Yadav government is lagging behind in the battle of political perceptions, the 2017 Assembly elections so far seems to be a BSP-BJP affair. It is here the Sonia's Varanasi roadshow holds significance. She aims at taking on both - Modi and Mayawati. Her attack on Modi is obvious - she has challenged the PM on his turf. The Congress has launched the "Dard-e-Banaras" campaign to highlight alleged "lack of development" in Varanasi, represented by the PM for over two years now. SONIA'S DEVELOPMENT PLANK It is another matter that Sonia runs the risk of being cornered by the BJP if it decides to counter her with "Dard-e-Rae Bareli" and "Dard-e-Amethi" campaigns. Both Rae Bareli and Amethi, represented by Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi for several terms, are crying for development and basic facilities even though Congres-led UPA ruled the Centre for 10 years. Besides the BJP, the Congress seeks to wean away BSP's core supporters - Dalits and Brahmins, who constitute 20 per cent and 13 per cent respectively of the UP's population. Though the two communities had voted overwhelming for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, they had backed Mayawati in the 2007 Assembly elections. In the 2017 UP elections also, the two are expected to return to the BSP fold, along with the Muslims, who form 18 per cent of the state's population. SONIA TRIES TO WOO DALITS, BRAHMINS No wonder, in order to hurt the BSP, Sonia's first move after reaching Varanasi was to offer floral tributes to Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's statue. Her roadshow was supposed to culminate at Kamlapati Tripathi memorial, where she would have garlanded the statue of former UP chief minister who was the state's tall Brahmin leader. Flanked by the party's Brahmin face and UP's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, the Congress president was scheduled to offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and participate in the evening aarti on the banks of the Ganges. All this was high on symbolism - wooing the Dalits and the Brahmins, the two main votebanks of the BSP. advertisement Whether Sonia would be able be able to wean away the Dalits and the Brahmins remains under wraps, Muslims turned out in large numbers in her roadshow. And this should worry Mayawati, not the BJP. ALSO READ: Sonia halts Varanasi roadshow due to fever, PM Modi wishes her speedy recovery --- ENDS --- MUNICH/BERLIN (Reuters) - The German state of Bavaria said on Tuesday it would sue Volkswagen for damages caused by its emissions-test cheating scandal, the first regional government in VW's home country to take legal action against the carmaker. Bavaria's state pension fund for civil servants lost as much as 700,000 euros ($780,00) after VW shares plunged in the wake of the Sept. 18 revelation by U.S. regulators of the carmaker's manipulation, a spokeswoman at the Bavarian finance ministry said. Bavaria, home to German blue-chip companies including BMW, Siemens and Allianz, owned about 58,000 VW preference shares when news of the scandal broke, she said. Europe's largest automaker is also caught up in legal action in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere and is facing billions of dollars in costs related to its emissions-test manipulations, making it the biggest scandal in VW's history. Bavaria's pension fund lost out from the fall in the shares, Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder said. "We want this money back," said Soeder, a member of the Christian Social Union sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, in comments to German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) confirmed by his spokeswoman. Soeder said Bavaria's pension fund would file its suit against VW in September at the regional court of Braunschweig near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters in the state of Lower Saxony, according to DPA which reported the legal action earlier on Tuesday. VW declined to comment. Another of Germany's 16 federal states, Lower Saxony, is VW's second biggest shareholder and has a veto power on the carmaker's supervisory board. In June it withheld backing for VW's former chief executive Martin Winterkorn and current brand chief Herbert Diess in a vote to ratify the actions by both men in 2015 when the scandal came to light. Winterkorn and Diess are the subject of a probe by Braunschweig prosecutors who are also investigating more than a dozen lower-level VW managers over the scandal. Story continues But VW's home state expressed scepticism about the prospect of legal action such as Bavaria's succeeding. It remains to be seen whether Bavaria will seek damages for losses incurred because of the fall in VW's share price or whether the state will claim that a violation of disclosure rules on behalf of VW caused the financial damage, state finance minister Peter-Juergen Schneider said in an emailed statement. "Lower Saxony is a strategic investor (in VW)," Schneider said. "Trading with shares was not and is not intended. Therefore, it's questionable whether a potential violation of ad-hoc rules even caused material damage." Baden-Wuerttemberg, where Daimler and VW's sports-car brand Porsche are headquartered, has been pondering legal action against VW, a spokeswoman for the state finance ministry said, adding it held about 65,000 VW preference shares when the scandal broke. (Reporting by Joern Poltz and Andreas Cremer Additional reporting by Till Weber; Editing by Jane Merriman/Ruth Pitchford) Berlin (AFP) - The German state of Bavaria plans to sue Volkswagen over the carmaker's engine rigging scandal that led to massive losses in the southern region's pension funds, its finance ministry said Tuesday. Bavaria will seek "a maximum of 700,000 euros" ($784,000) in damages, a spokeswoman for the state's finance ministry told AFP, confirming a report by national news agency DPA. Volkswagen is struggling to get past its biggest crisis, which erupted last September after it was forced to admit that it had installed sophisticated software into 11 million engines with the express purpose of duping emissions tests. The shock revelation led to a 40-percent plunge in the company's share price last autumn, wiping out some 25 billion euros in market capitalisation in two days. Bavaria's civil servant pension funds were likewise hit by the market storm as they held around 58,000 VW shares. "Because VW breached its notification obligations, it must repay the difference in stock price to Bavaria's pension funds. We want that money back from VW," Bavaria's finance minister Markus Soeder told DPA. VW is facing a myriad of lawsuits and regulatory fines over the engine rigging scam, including one filed by shareholders accusing it of holding back information about emissions cheating at the automobile giant. While it had already set aside 18.4 billion euros in provisions to meet costs of the scandal, the final bill arising from the crisis remains incalculable. Berlin (AFP) - Germany on Tuesday dismissed a Turkish threat to renege on a controversial EU deal on stemming the flow of migrants if it is not granted visa-free travel by October. Asked if Turkey could "blackmail" the EU over the refugee pact, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Rheinische Post newspaper: "That is absurd." "The fact is there are conditions for the visa-free policy and they are known to everyone," he said. "Turkey pledged to undertake the necessary steps to hold up its end of the agreement. That is not yet the case and Turkey still has work to do." Steinmeier's Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Monday that Ankara could withdraw from the accord if Europe failed to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. German vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel hit back Monday during a campaign rally for a state election, saying "Germany or Europe must in no way let themselves be blackmailed" by Turkey over the migrants pact. Turkey and the EU signed the disputed deal in March, in which Ankara agreed to take back Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives. Chancellor Angela Merkel spearheaded the agreement with Ankara after Germany let in a record 1.1 million migrants and refugees last year. In addition to visa-free travel, it includes billions of euros in aid and accelerated talks on Turkey's stalled bid for EU membership, but ties have been strained by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's massive crackdown after a failed coup last month. Welcome to Episode #42 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast. Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life. In this episode, Tracey is joined by Sheraz Mian, Zacks Director of Research and a former oil analyst, to discuss Goldman Sachs recent paper on where crude is headed over the next year. They also discuss the so-called gloom and doomers who are still predicting crude as low as $20 even though the US rig count is near a modern day low. Goldman is now predicting that crude will be range-bound between $45 to $50 through the middle of 2017. But what are the risks? How Oil Prices Could Go Lower: 1. If Nigeria and Libya, which have had supply disruptions, can boost production by the second half 2. If there is a global slowdown, especially within China It appears, for now, that the energy sector has bottomed. United Rentals (URI), the largest rental equipment maker in the United States, said that it believes that energy has hit a bottom but it not seeing an upturn. Tracey and Sheraz also consider what will happen when prices actually do rise. If prices breach $50 a barrel, will US producers suddenly jump back into drilling and create yet another crude glut? They discuss numerous reasons why that scenario is unlikely including the hiring patterns at companies like Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL) and Oil States International (OIS), which has cut 40% of its workforce. Get the inside scoop about the catalysts for crude in this weeks podcast. Learn More>> Tracey Ryniec is the Value Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. She is also the Editor of the Insider Trader and Value Investor services. You can follow her on twitter at @TraceyRyniec and she also hosts the Zacks Market Edge Podcast on iTunes. 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 UTD RENTALS INC (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report GOLDMAN SACHS (GS): Free Stock Analysis Report OIL STATES INTL (OIS): Free Stock Analysis Report SCHLUMBERGER LT (SLB): Free Stock Analysis Report HALLIBURTON CO (HAL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Google Project Wing The Federal Aviation Administrationjust gave Google parent company Alphabet the greenlight to test its delivery drones in designated areas. The company launched Project Wing several years back with the vision that its drones will be able to deliver packages faster than ordinary methods, while cutting down on pollution. The company had technically already been side-stepping FAA regulation by flying the drones over private land thanks to a deal with NASA, but these new approvals are a big step forward. In a White House fact sheet, the FAA says that Project Wing can conduct an operational research study at one of the six FAA UAS Test Sites, flying its drones under 400 feet, while developing an airspace management system. The announcement, which was part of a broader announcement involving government efforts to support the drone industry, did not say where Project Wing will be testing, thought the six test sites are in Alaska, Nevada, Texas, New York, Virginia, and North Dakota. The new permissions come not long after Amazon announced that it had a partnership with the British government to start testing its drones there while the FAA dragged its feet. Both Amazon and Alphabet aim to launch their drones in 2017. NOW WATCH: 'Pokemon Go' just released an update that fixes its most annoying problems More From Business Insider Washington (AFP) - Ever since the IMF participated in the first Greek bailout six years ago, the stinging suspicion has been that the Fund is under Europe's thumb. Now the International Monetary Fund is again under pressure to come to the aid of Athens, providing likely fodder for critics. Europe forged an 86 billion euro ($96 billion) aid package for Greece last year and powerful EU members are insisting that the IMF chip in. So far, the Fund, which did participate in the two prior Greek rescue efforts, is resisting, calling on Greece to commit to reforms and on Brussels to reduce Greece's debt load. But for how much longer? According to a withering internal audit report published Thursday, the IMF in 2010 did indeed cave to the Europeans by generously bailing out Greece in violation of the Fund's own internal rules and despite doubts about Greece's creditworthiness. The controversial decision undermined the Fund's credibility and outraged some developing countries, which decried what they saw as preferential treatment. In some ways, the situation is different in 2016. Fears of Greek collapse have ebbed even though a recession has dragged on. The euro zone, which now has its own emergency fund, does not need the IMF's money so much as its expertise in evaluating reforms. - Enormous pressure - But the pressure remains. Germany has stated in black and white that IMF participation in the bailout is a condition for its own and it sees little room for discussion. Toward the end of last year, France also said it harbored "no doubt" that the Fund would contribute. "Everybody knows that we were under enormous pressure from the Europeans last summer to have a program together," said an IMF official who requested anonymity. "Everybody knows that we were under significant pressure again a few months ago." The IMF can scarcely ignore Europe. Its members together hold the largest voting bloc on the Executive Board, the body which approves bailouts. The United States is still the single-largest member. Story continues The result is a complex equation for the Fund, which has pledged to make a decision before the end of the year. If it bails Greece out again, some will surely see Europe's hand pulling the strings. But if it abstains, the Fund may appear to suggest the bailout is doomed to fail. "That's the conundrum they face," Peter Doyle, a former official in the IMF's European Department, told AFP. "If they go along they look like they're caving in; if they reject, it means that they could potentially be raising new big alarms." With its nerves already frayed by Brexit, Europe can still hardly afford a new, large-scale Greek crisis. This latest dilemma could still offer the IMF a means of proclaiming its independence from the member countries. "There's a need for them to rebuild their credibility," Desmond Lachman, a former European Department official, told AFP. "By staying out of Greece, they could tell the rest of the world 'we've realized that we were politically used.'" Doyle does not believe the IMF can be truly independent, saying the United States and Europe will still call the shots. "That's only what matters and that has always been the case," said Doyle, who left the Fund in 2012. At the center of the drama and after six years of recession, Greece has seized on the latest controversy to make its views known. "The IMF has been neither useful nor needed in Europe," said Olga Gerovassili, a government spokeswoman. Activist investors are looking for new bets , and their next picks could be in the downtrodden oil patch. After a rebound in commodity prices and amid subsiding sector worries, three sources who spoke to CNBC think billion-dollar hedge funds that have in the past nudged corporate boards toward bigger buybacks and dividends will next look for investments in the energy sector. And that could lead to the next wave of M&A deals big and small in the oil and gas sector. "Energy companies are going to start seeing pressure from their lenders, and from their shareholders, to start cutting deals now that there has been a stock market rebound," one banker who works on activist deals said. "Anyone who bought in at the beginning of this year is looking for ways to maximize profit." For many big oilfield services companies, share prices have rebounded after falling earlier this year but stocks are still well off their highs of 2014, before commodities tanked. The same can be said for energy-industry bonds, ranging from investment-grade paper to high-yield debt, despite commodity prices not keeping pace with rising stocks. Still, some companies that could be targeted for deals have not fully rebounded. One source said that could be a hang-up for investors who bought into the sector while oil was highly valued, who are still in the red from the 2014 plunge in commodity prices. Even in a year where Washington regulators are killing deals left and right (including the now-defunct Baker Hughes (BHI)-Halliburton (HAL) combination), there is appetite for major mergers and acquisitions, a lawyer who works on sector deals said. General Electric (GE) was suggested by a source as a potential buyer, coming at a time when the industrial company is completing a thorough transformation and after having cut its financial services business. The company did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. A pair of sources said they expect private equity in the sector to take off, factoring in companies that own debt in energy companies as well as the private equity investors who control the equity positions in others. Among the bigger, independent companies Wall Street believes could be bought is Weatherford International (WFT), an oil and gas service company. Shares in Weatherford are down nearly 40 percent this year, as of Tuesday afternoon. Story continues "Weatherford would probably prefer to not sell at the depth of the market," one banking source said. Weatherford did not respond to a request for comment. At a time when there is growing concern that a recent favorite implement of activist investors, dividends, could begin to dry up, bankers and hedge fund investors alike are looking toward energy companies as a potential source of M&A and profits. Some say that in the event of a recession, investors can depend on better returns from energy companies if consumer spending enters a downturn. Last year, energy sector M&A was very active, despite falling commodity prices, data from Dealogic show and deal-makers have remained busy in 2016, as utility and energy M&A was the fourth-busiest sector for announced deals in the first half of the year, according to the data. "It's not going to be easy to get debt for an energy deal," one sector source said. "But, there can be a lot of stock-for-stock deals, and right now people are looking to buy." More From CNBC In a bid to garner support from members of the Dality community, Sonia Gandhi in the beginning of her Mission UP campaign paid tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar in Varanasi. Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi gestures during a road show in the view of upcoming UP Assembly elections in Varanasi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) By Rohit Kumar Singh: Congress President Sonia Gandhi, on Tuesday, in a bid to enthuse her party cadres in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Assembly elections carried out a road show in the holy city of Varanasi, also the parliamentary constituency of PM Narendra Modi. This road show also marked the begining of Congress's election campaign for the 2017 battle. The highlight of Sonia's road show was the strategic move to woo Dalits. advertisement The road show began at around 2 pm from circuit house and the first stop of Sonia was Ambedkar Chowk where the Congress President paid floral tribute to father of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar. Sonia also garlanded the bust of Ambedkar at the Ambedkar Chowk. Congress's chief ministerial candidate Shiela Dixit too was present with Sonia. STRATEGIC MOVE TO GARNER VOTES Sources say, Ambedkar Chowk was meticulously chosen as the first destination by Congress election strategist Prashant Kishore with an eye on Dalit votes in the state. More importantly, with the issue of Dalit politics and violence against Dalits is simmering in the country, Congress party wanted to project itself as messiah of the Dalit community. "Garlanding statues of various leaders of different castes does help in sending a political message to the people and respective vote bank but our party is above vote bank politics," said Ajay Rai, Congress MLA from Pindra in Varanasi. Though Sonia was supposed to pay floral tributes at the bust of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Kamlapati Tripathi also but due to her health deteriorating mid way of the road show, she had to cancel the plan. CONGRESS'S BID AT A COMEBACK It was evident from Sonia's road show that Congress which is out of power in the country's largest state was desperately trying make a comeback and was keen on getting it social engineering combination right. Brahmins, Dalits and Patel's who form the major chunk of vote bank in Varanasi were all on the target of the Congress President. "Sonia Gandhi garlanding statue of leaders like B.R Ambedkar sent a direct message to the community that its only the Congress party which cares for them and their welfare", said Satish Dubey, General Secretary, UPCC. Also read: Sonia halts Varanasi roadshow due to fever, PM Modi wishes her speedy recovery --- ENDS --- From Esquire NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT-A little ways down the hill from the shiny new school is a volunteer fire station. On the roof of the volunteer fire station are five-pointed copper stars, 26 of them. The shiny new school, and the volunteer fire station, and the 26 five-pointed copper stars are part of an indestructible strand of history that winds through this small town just off the interstate, a place that dips and dives through hills and valleys, that has a gentle river running through, that is a quiet place again after almost four years. This past weekend, the new Sandy Hook Elementary School opened to the public in preparation for the new school year. Students in Sandy Hook have attended elementary school in a neighboring town ever since December 12, 2012, when an armed madman named Adam Lanza, having begun his morning by killing his mother, shot his way into the old Sandy Hook Elementary School and proceeded to slaughter 20 very young children and six adults. The last time I was here was five days after the massacre, and one day before the president came to deliver one of the sadly numerous speeches he's had to give after another catastrophe related to this country's idiotic fascination with its firearms. On that night, they were shortstopping automobiles at the bottom of the hill that led to the school and the headquarters of the volunteer fire department, because that's where the survivors were gathering, and where other loved ones were getting the worst news of their lives, often by the cruel process of elimination. Photo credit: Getty There were satellite trucks lining the street across from the Sandy Hook Diner. Up the hill, at St. Rose of Lima Church, teddy bears and candles had been laid at the feet of a shrine to the Blessed Mother, and there was a sign on the church's doors. "No Press Please," it said. On Monday, the town was a markedly different place, but, if you walked slowly down the main drag, or if you stopped into the Sandy Hook Diner for some mid-morning pie, you could pick up little reminders of what had happened that day in these hills and valleys. A green ribbon sticker on an SUV with the date of the shootings upon it. A sign in the diner's window, its white letters yellowed a bit with age, that said, "Sandy Hook. We Choose Love." Across the street, another sign in another window, asking passers-by to make The Sandy Hook Promise, a vow to work for sensible gun regulations and increased mental health intervention. And the new school, and the 26 copper stars on the roof of the volunteer fire station-they are reminders, too, more vivid than most. Story continues The new school cost $55 million. It has a friendly and inviting facade, wave-like, warm and wooden. It has state of-the-art facilities. It also has state-of-the-art security. According to a recent piece in the Hartford Courant, all the glass in the new school is bulletproof, and all the doors are made of 350 pounds of stainless steel and, once closed, cannot be opened from the outside. The site of the old school is part of a parking lot now. At the end of the driveway, there's is a security gate with an intercom through which any visitor to the grounds must pass. Above it waves a pink banner, "Friendship," it says. And the new school, and the 26 copper stars on the roof of the volunteer fire station-they are reminders, too, more vivid than most. This was the teachable moment of all teachable moments. It's awfully hard to remember that now. Since Adam Lanza shot his way into the old Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been 1,069 mass shootings in America, according to the folks at Vox. The butcher's bill for these is 1,206 Americans killed and 4,226 wounded. So it's hard to remember that Sandy Hook was going to be the one that changed everything-twenty young children, and six brave educators, blown away by a deranged young man with an arsenal. Instead, the NRA geared up its lobbyists, and its money, and its propaganda mills, and not only was Sandy Hook not a teachable moment, it was, madly and cruelly, an accelerant through which the country became more thick with deadly weapons than it was before. (On Monday, the new Texas law went into effect that allows students over 21 to carry guns on campus. This took place on the 50th anniversary of the day Charles Whitman climbed up the Texas Tower and killed 16 people. The nation was horrified. The nation used to get horrified over things like that.) The NRA and its hirelings used the slaughter of children to line their pockets. The Republican majorities in the Congress hid behind the drapes, and Sandy Hook slipped into memory, one more station on an endless road to an armed and dangerous Golgotha. Photo credit: Getty The last place to stop was at St. Rose of Lima, the church that stayed open almost four days straight for prayer and fellowship and for No Press Please. It was quiet on Monday. Only two elderly people were there, making what used to be called "visits" to the Blessed Sacrament. However, on one wall of an alcove to the left of the altar, there is a blue abstract painting divided into 26 squares, each with the name of one of the victims. "New Angels Of Newtown," it's called, and it was a gift from a family in Skaneateles, New York. Outside, there are no teddy bears and candles at the feet of the Blessed Mother anymore. But, off to the left of the church, there is a golden bell hanging in a granite arch at the end of a slate walkway. At the head of the slate walkway, there is a granite pedestal, atop which is a granite book, which reads: "This memorial is dedicated to the victims of the December 14, 2012 tragedy and to the Newtown community for its resiliency, strength, and love." If you walk up the slated path, you can see that the date-December 14, 2012-is written on the bell, as is a passage from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomeit." One can only hope, in this wounded place of lingering history. One can only hope. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="" customtitles="How the Newtown Doc Helps Us Understand Shootings" customimages="" content="article.42988"] Harley and the Davidsons is part of Discovery Communications chief Rich Rosss campaign to widen Discovery Channels scope, and looks to be off to a good start with its trailer clocking 7M views in about a week, outstripping any trailer ever posted to plug the networks well-known Shark Week, Ross said at TCA this afternoon. Harley Davidson company opened up its archives, and family members spoke to researchers about family member and gave them historical background that was used to form characters and key events for the miniseries, debuting next month. But producers had complete editorial independence, and the company had no financial arrangement with the project, Raw Televisions EP Dimitri Doganis told TV critics this afternoon at TCA. All the motorcycles used were made from scratch working, from archival information provided by the company, according to the projects bike fabricator Alex Wheeler. Harley and the Davidsons tells the story of founders Walter and Arthur Davidson and their friend Bill Harley, and charts the birth of this iconic bike during a time of great social and technological change beginning at the turn of the 20th century. The frames were steel, there were no shocks, and the clutch was a leather belt that would tightening around a wheel, according to cast member Gabe Luna. At bike racing events in the early days of the company, the motorcycles, which had no brakes, no gears, and hit 100 MPH, spewed oil, turning banked wooden tracks around which they raced into ice rinks. Historical data shows they were not only hugely dangerous to the riders and but also massively dangerous to spectators, especially when a bike caught on fire. It genuinely was incredibly dangerous, Doganis added, redundantly. Related stories NBC Sports Dives Into Questions About Rio Olympics Health And Safety Concerns, But Won't Get In The Water - TCA NBC Chief Bob Greenblatt On When Ownership Makes Sense, Launching OTT Service & Reducing Ad Load - TCA 'Aquarius' Renewal Chances Slim After Time Slot Downgrade - TCA Widener Library at Harvard University At Harvard University, the issue of exclusive, mostly men-only final clubs has roiled emotions on campus over the past year. A task force sanctioned by Harvard President Drew Faust excoriated exclusive final clubs for their "deeply misogynistic attitudes," leading to backlash on campus from people who feel Harvard's administration is overstepping its bounds and unfairly scapegoating the clubs. New York Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir recently took a trip to Harvard's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus to provide a glimpse inside the secretive world of final clubs. Nir described this scene outside Fly Club, a men-only final club: "One midnight near semester's end on the skirts of Harvard Yard, music thumped and laughs rang out from a colonnaded, Greek-revival mansion, the sort usually seen in Hollywood fantasies about fraternal campus life. But it was the scene outside that suggested something other than a frat party. This was the headquarters of the Fly, an exclusive men's fellowship known here as a final club. At its side door stood a silver-haired man in tuxedo, checking names against a list of the lucky invited. Eager young women in micro-minis queued up." Harvard currently has six men-only final clubs and five women-only clubs. Two previously men-only clubs Spee Club and Fox Club now allow women to be members. 'It's all about the patriarchy' Criticism with final clubs is usually aimed at the men-only clubs and center on the patriarchal power structures that some claim are inherent in their culture. Owl club house "It's all about the patriarchy," rising Harvard sophomore Ana Andrade told The Times. "It's perpetuated right there," she continued, noting that she felt uncomfortable with the notion that final-club members determined the "worth" of entrants based on physical attributes, among other things. That's an argument that Harvard's task force also highlighted in its report on the culture of the historically private institutions. Story continues Faust created the task force in spring 2014 to improve the way the school prevents sexual assault. "A woman's physical appearance is often seen as the basis for entry to these spaces, and female students described a general expectation that entering Final Club spaces could be read as implicit agreement to have sexual encounters with members," the report stated. The task force's final report, released in March and the result of a nearly two years of work, severely criticized the culture of final clubs. The task force wrote that 47% of female students who participated in final clubs or attended their parties reported "experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since entering college." The report also focused on what it described as a disproportionate power structure at clubs. "We understand that many of the clubs typically exclude non-member men from parties, which gives an unambiguous frame to social events, eliminates non-member male bystanders, and enables a gender ratio that makes it easier for members to have a sexual encounter." Further, it charged that there are competitive games "where a man will 'win' a particular woman or compete for the most sexual triumphs." 'A moral pall' Harvard campus Those close to final clubs feel that Harvard is using the organizations as a convenient, though inaccurate, place to throw blame for instances of sexual assault on campus. "If Harvard really were to become serious about preventing sexual assault rather than using it as a way to push an ideological stance they'd drill down to find out exactly what is occurring rather than trying to throw a moral pall over any man or women who belongs to these clubs," Richard T. Porteus, president of the Fly Club's graduate body, told The Times. Similarly, after the task force's report was released, former Porcellian Club President Charles M. Storey claimed the report unfairly scapegoated final clubs. A letter he sent to The Harvard Crimson charged that the Porcellian Club "is being used as a scapegoat for the sexual assault problem at Harvard despite its policies to help avoid the potential for sexual assault." He also took issue with the university's attempt to dictate the way organizations on campus are run. "I sincerely hope that the administration will not set the precedent of creating a 'blacklist' of organizations that students cannot join," he wrote. "Such McCarthyism is a dangerous road that would be a blow to academic freedom, the spirit of tolerance, and the long tradition of free association on campus." The letter drew outrage from members of the Harvard administration, and Storey later apologized for the tone of his letter and resigned from his position. His argument, however, has been echoed by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an organization dedicated to protecting civil liberties in higher education. "It is solely up to arbitrary judgment of the authorities as to who is no longer savory enough," Robert Shibley, executive director of FIRE, told The Times. "In the '50s that would have been the Communist Party ... Once you start using that as a reason to disqualify, there is no principled place to stop." NOW WATCH: Watch the Air Force drop 8 armored Humvees out of a plane from 5,000 feet More From Business Insider When it comes to Emmy nomination bragging rights, no one can touch HBO. For 16 straight years, the premium cabler has drawn the most noms (this year its 94), having set a record of 124 in 2004 and then breaking that record last year with 126. But something interesting happened in the runner-up slots this year. FX powered by hot limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson and Fargo placed second with 56 noms, a new record for basic cable. And Netflix, in only its fifth year of Emmy contention, was right behind with 54 noms. That makes 2016 the first year ever without a single broadcast network included among the three most-nominated outlets. The years most nominated broadcaster is NBC with 41 noms. The Peacock dominated the kudos through most of the 90s, when HBO was a network on the rise, but like its fellow broadcasters has ceded ground in recent years. Ironically, HBOs dominance came about because of the broadness of its slate. From scripted series (Game of Thrones, Veep) and telepics (All the Way, Confirmation) to variety specials (Beyonces Lemonade, Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo) and nonfiction (Vice, Everything Is Copy), theres barely an Emmy field without a top contender from HBO. It even popped up in the reality race this year with unstructured nominee Project Greenlight. That kind of diversity of programming used to be the strong suit of the broadcast nets (who were primarily competing amongst themselves in a now-bygone era of TV). These days, the big three ABC, CBS, and NBC are most competitive in the variety and reality categories, with the number of shows that pop in scripted series races (a Modern Family here, or American Crime there) increasingly fewer and further between. Thats partly why its hard to see FX as much of a threat to HBOs Emmy stranglehold. Its kudos count has only grown in recent years especially as the cabler become a savvy pioneer of the limited series format as established by American Horror Story opening up significant distance over other prestige nets such as Showtime and AMC. But, like the broadcast nets in reverse, it registers almost exclusively in the scripted series arena. Story continues Growing a reputation in that field is a worthy goal, and the TV Academys recognition of acclaimed drama The Americans in the series, actor, and actress categories this year had to be heartening for FX. But if youre looking for a true rival to the something for everybody programming of HBO, its Netflix. Comparing its Emmy trajectories illuminates the point. HBO entered Emmy contention in 1988, and drew six nominations. By 1993 that number was up to 56, and by 2000 it would consistently stay above 80. (The last time any broadcaster drew over 80 noms was NBC in 2002.) Netflix entered the Emmy race in 2012, but drew its first noms in 2013 with the bow of House of Cards and Arrested Development. As Netflixs original content has exploded, so has its Emmy attention: From 14 noms in 2013, to 54 this year. More importantly for future Emmy contests, Netflix has a diverse programming strategy very similar to HBO. While there were some notable Emmy disappointments this year (the mysterious dismissal of Orange Is the New Black, the shutout in variety talk and sketch categories), the streaming giant drew big noms across scripted series (House of Cards, Master of None), nonfiction (What Happened Miss Simone?, Making a Murderer), and variety special (standup concerts from John Mulaney and Patton Oswalt) categories. Netflix even landed in the TV movie category thanks to A Very Murray Christmas. While Netflix has yet to enter the limited series field in a major way (British import River was on the ballot this year but drew no nominations), the Emmys havent seen a fresh-faced competitor this formidable since HBO. That could mean interesting times ahead. HBO knows what it takes to get to the top of the Emmy race. Now well see if it can stay there. Related stories 'Game of Thrones' Parodies U.S. Presidential Election With Westeros-Themed One HBO Chief Talks Violence Against Women, 'Game of Thrones,' Jon Stewart and 'Vinyl' HBO Confirms 'Game of Thrones' Will End With Eighth Season * Membership in Medicaid health plans business up 1.3 pct * Raises FY earnings to $4.95-$5.05 per share * Shares rises as much as 4.6 pct to touch 9-year high (Adds estimates, shares, analyst comment) By Ankur Banerjee Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. health insurer WellCare Health Plans Inc's quarterly profit handily beat analysts' average estimate as medical costs decreased and enrolments in its Medicaid plans for low-income families increased. The company, which focuses on government-backed health plans, raised its full-year profit guidance for the second straight quarter. The amount WellCare spent on medical claims out of the premiums it earned, a key measure of costs known as medical benefits ratio (MBR), decreased in both the company's Medicaid and Medicare businesses. The company's MBR improved to 83.6 percent from 85.9 percent in its Medicaid business and to 84.2 percent from 86.4 percent in the Medicare business. The improvement in its Medicaid business MBR was primarily due to improved pharmacy cost under its new pharmacy benefit manager arrangement. WellCare's strategy to focus on margin recovery as compared to growth in 2016 has improved profitability in both the Medicare and Medicaid segments in first half of 2016, Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a note. The company also slightly adjusted its 2016 MBR forecast for Medicaid plans to 89.00-89.50 percent from 89-89.75 percent. It tightened its MBR forecast for Medicare plans to 85.25-86.00 percent, from 85.25-86.50 percent. WellCare's membership in the Medicaid health plans business increased 1.3 percent to about 2.4 million as of June 30, mainly due to growth in Kentucky and New York. Net income rose to $90.8 million, or $2.04 per share, in the second quarter, from $51.7 million, or $1.17 per share, a year earlier. WellCare said its adjusted earnings was $2.23 per share. According to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, the company's adjusted profit of $1.96 per share in the quarter was above the analysts' estimate of $1.40 per share. Story continues WellCare said revenue rose 3.2 percent to $3.59 billion, nudging past analysts' estimate of $3.52 billion. The company now expects adjusted earnings for the year to be in the range of $4.95-$5.05 per share, up from $4.55-$4.70, it had earlier expected, well above analysts' expectation of $4.64 per share. WellCare's shares were marginally up on Tuesday after rising as much as 4.7 percent to touch near 9-year high of $111.91. (Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shounak Dasgupta) We now have Q2 results from 317 S&P 500 members that combined account for 73.5% of the indexs total market capitalization per the latest Earnings Preview report. Total earnings for these companies are down 3.3% from the same period last year on 0.9% lower revenues. However, the beat ratio is pretty decent, with 72.9% beating EPS estimates and 53.6% coming ahead of top-line expectations. Medical is one of the seven sectors in the S&P 500 group. So far, 63.5% of the total Medical sector has reported second-quarter results. The sector is expected to deliver 5.4% earnings growth on 10.5% higher revenues in the second quarter. This compares favorably with the projected decline for the S&P 500 index. Healthcare is part of the broader medical sector. Lets see what factors might have influenced its performance in the second quarter. Within the Healthcare sector, health insurers are expected to see top-line growth on an increase in member enrollment. The Government business which includes Medicare and Medicaid will likely see a surge in enrollment due to increased demand from the surging population of baby boomers. Also, ancillary businesses which are outside the purview of the Health Care Reform Act will likely see higher earnings. While diversified product offerings and expansion into international markets are likely to have driven revenues, cost management should give the bottom line a boost. However, healthcare companies continued to face pressure from pricing, regulatory compliance costs, rising medical costs and competition. As another industry sub-segment providing biopharmaceutical development services, Healthcare is expected to see increased top-line growth as pharmaceutical companies continue to outsource clinical development and commercialization support activities. Moreover, increased use of technology and data assets globally will drive the performance of the players in this sub-segment. Story continues Here, we take a sneak peek at four healthcare stocks scheduled to report their second-quarter figures on Aug 3: Humana Inc. HUM operates as a health and well-being company. It offers Medicare and commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits including dental, vision and other supplemental health and financial protection products directly to individuals. Last quarter, this insurer beat the estimate by 2.76%. In the upcoming release too, Humana is poised to deliver an earnings beat as it has the right combination of the two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) or better. Specifically, Humana has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Most Accurate estimate stands at $2.27, a penny above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 1.49%. (Read more:Humana May Beat Q2 Earnings: Will the Stock Gain?). HUMANA INC NEW Price and EPS Surprise HUMANA INC NEW Price and EPS Surprise | HUMANA INC NEW Quote Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. CRL, an early-stage contract research company, provides drug discovery and preclinical development services worldwide. Last quarter, this company surpassed the estimate by 8.89%. Charles River Laboratories has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Most Accurate estimate stands at $1.11, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10. With respect to the surprise trend, the company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 5.95%. CHARLES RVR LAB Price and EPS Surprise CHARLES RVR LAB Price and EPS Surprise | CHARLES RVR LAB Quote Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc. EVHC provides physician-led outsourced medical services to consumers, hospitals, healthcare systems, health plans and government entities in the United States. Last quarter, this company surpassed the estimate by 12.5%. Envision Healthcare Holdings has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. Both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 35 cents per share. The company doesnt have a convincing earnings surprise record. It missed the consensus estimate in two out of the past four reported quarters, with the average miss being 1.16%. ENVISION HLTHCR Price and EPS Surprise ENVISION HLTHCR Price and EPS Surprise | ENVISION HLTHCR Quote PAREXEL International Corporation PRXL, a biopharmaceutical services company, provides clinical research, clinical logistics, medical communications, consulting, commercialization, and advanced technology products and services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. Last quarter, this company posted earnings in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. PAREXEL International as an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Most Accurate estimate stands at 94 cents per share, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 92 cents. With respect to the surprise trend, the company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 10.73%. PAREXEL INTL CP Price and EPS Surprise PAREXEL INTL CP Price and EPS Surprise | PAREXEL INTL CP Quote Stay tuned! Check back on our full write-up on earnings releases of these stocks. 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 HUMANA INC NEW (HUM): Free Stock Analysis Report CHARLES RVR LAB (CRL): Free Stock Analysis Report PAREXEL INTL CP (PRXL): Free Stock Analysis Report ENVISION HLTHCR (EVHC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Bhola Singh, the BJP MP from Bulandshahr, launched a scathing attack on the SP government and said that the police was pressurizing the victims' family. The BJP MP from Bulandshahr slammed the UP governmnet over the highway gangrape. Photo: LokSabha TV By Brijesh Pandey: While the police in Uttar Pradesh has launched a massive manhunt to nab the other accused in the gruesome gangrape case in Bulandshahr on June 30, full fledged politics has erupted over the issue. BJP MP from Bulandshahr, Bhola Singh, has launched a scathing attack on the SP government by making an explosive claim that the police is pressurizing the victims' family to identify the accused, which they want to do rather than the real victim. advertisement "FAMILY ACCEPTS THEY ARE BEING PRESSURIZED" According to Bhola Singh,"The family has accepted that they are being pressurized to identify the accused and they are forced to verify them through voter ID, which is not right". Raising suspension over SSP Vaibhav Kishan, Bhola Singh asked that when the victim family is itself satisfied with the action taken by the SSP then what was the need for suspending him. This raises more questions than answers. He said that the SSP was not willing to toe the government line. Bulandshahr gangrape victims' family: If not given justice in 3 months, we will commit suicide Ruthless, organised and disgusting: All about the Bawariya gang behind Bulandshahr gangrape "HANDIWORK OF LOCAL PEOPLE? Making explosive charges on the way investigation has been in done in the case, in which three people have been arrested, Bhola Singh said that the way this horrific crime has happened, it is clear that it is the handiwork of the local people of Bulandshahr and not that of somebody from Rajasthan or Haryana. According to him, "The name of outsiders are coming up but I don't think outsiders can do this. This is not the first time this has happened. The way it has been done clearly suggests that it is job of the local people". VOTER IDS RELIABLE? Attacking the Samajwadi Party, he said that the way some names have come up clearly shows that they are SP suppoerters. Also, the way investigation is being botched up is to make sure that the involvement of the people from this caste shouldn't come up. Raising questions over the investigation, Singh said that over-dependence of voter ids clearly leave a lot to be desired. He said, "People don't even recognize themselves in their own voter id card as most of the faces look identical. Then how can the victims recognize them". "HAND OVER THE CASE TO CBI" Moreover, the BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI so that the truth can come out. UP BJP Chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, along with a delegation of BJP leader, is also meeting the victims' family in Noida. Meanwhile, state minister Rakesh Yadav has said that the UP government has fulfilled all the promises made to the victims' family while other political parties are busy playing politics over this sensitive issue. advertisement Also Read: Azam Khan does it again: Bulandshahr gangrape a political conspiracy Bulandshahr gangrape case: Five police officials suspended for negligence --- ENDS --- Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 13, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid From Dave Lutz, head of ETFs at JonesTrading, here's a quick guide to what traders are talking about right now: Good Morning! US Futures under some pressure, with the S&P off 20bp as traders start to eyeball 2160 support again. Most angst coming from Europe, where it is a big sea of red DAX off 1.5% as Euro Stoxx Banks Index lost another 3% on Commerzbank #s. DB and CS hit after being booted from EuroStoxx50, while those Italian Banks whacked again, Unicredit lost 5%+ more following yesterdays 10% drop. FTSE is just off a 2week low, but well outperforming the bulk of Europe as UK banks remain resilient, and a bid materializes in Staples and Healthcare. Over in Asia, Aussie lost 80bp as Miners fell, Hong Kong was closed as a Typhoon approached, while Shanghai recovered 60bp from its recent weakness. The Bulk of EM Asia closed solidly in the red. Very heavy focus on heavy selling in JGBs a Huge Spike in Japanese Yields drove their 10YY towards positive territory a first since March as focus moves from Monetary to Fiscal stimulus. This has Yields in Germany popping 6bp, and providing some decent weakness in Treasuries to start today. The DXY is under pressure with the $/Y dropping fast as Abes stimulus package disappoints, and some decent Sterling covering into Bank of England's meeting on Thursday. Aussie $ is ripping despite Australia cutting rates to record low 1.5%. With the weaker $, Gold is jumping thru yesterdays highs, Silver is squeezing another 1% - and Oil is rebounding from $40. Natty is hanging near unchanged, while most softs are in the green. Ahead of us today, we get ACT Prelim truck orders and Auto Sales Data for July at 8:30 Personal Income and Spending as well as PCE hits in the States. 9:45 brings ISM New York, then attention turns to API data for Crude, Gasoline and Distillates at 4:30. KBW throwing a Community Bank Investor Conference, and Earnings continues to roll. Story continues NOW WATCH: Watch Trump call Hillary Clinton 'the devil' at a rally More From Business Insider It was a heroic "tail" of bravery as a stray dog put his life on the line to rescue a woman during an attack in Georgia. Dubbed Hero, the pit bull stood between the woman and her attacker, and lunged at the man as he allegedly pulled out a knife. Read: Brave Dog Found With No Ears or Tongue Now Helps Children With Autism Hero was stabbed five times and was left for dead until two kind officers came to his rescue. Officers Timothy Clay and Daniel Seeley brought the courageous pooch to a local vet where he died twice during surgery. He collapsed several times, said Carla Welch, founder and director of Fighting for the Bullys Pit Bull Rescue in Tennessee. His gums were white, which meant that almost all of his blood was gone. According to Welch, Hero was a well-known stray in the neighborhood and knew the victim well. Read: 'Hero ' Dog Saves Owner From Bear Attack on Trail: 'I Never Run Without Him' The pit bull lived most of his life on the streets but may have had owners in the past due to a microchip found inside of him. Most pit bulls are really protective, said Welch. They can sense danger and when someone gets loud, it perks their attention. After having rigorous surgery, Welch brought Hero to the pit bull rescue shelter, where the pooch is currently being cared for. He gets a checkup every day, Welch said. Hero has even gained 2 pound and loves his treats and belly rubs. Hes such a good boy. Hero is currently up for adoption and looking for a new, loving home preferably with a dog bed and an air conditioner he can sleep under. Watch: Watch This Brave Dog Save Store Owner from Armed Robber Related Articles: confiscated drug money Mexico's Sinaloa cartel is one of, and perhaps the, major player in the US drug trade, which is believed to bring in billions of dollars annually. But the cartel needs to disguise the illicit origins of those profits, and a report from Colombian news outlet Portafolio, first sighted by Insight Crime, indicates that the criminal organization relied on smugglers who looked to Colombia, using the more mundane apparel industry to launder that ill-gotten cash. The scheme relied heavily on free-trade agreements between Colombia and other countries in the region. For those countries, tariffs are waived on imports of clothing and footwear. A group working for the Sinaloa cartel, that Portafolio called one of the largest bands of contraband smugglers in the world, "began to realize that if they brought merchandise from one of those countries to which the [tariff waiver] applied [they] could circumvent the" import tariff, Portafolio reported. "One of the methods they employed was the triangulation of merchandise," the report continued. "They imported products made in countries with which there was not [free-trade agreement] and they made them pass as if they were made in" a country that did have an agreement. Colombia smuggling contraband port inspection This method allowed the group, acting on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel, to buy legitimate goods with dirty cash and then resell those goods to turn what appeared to be a legal profit all while avoiding Colombia's tariffs on imports. Colombian authorities quickly noticed an increase of imports from countries with free-trade agreements, particularly of clothing and footwear, as the volumes of those goods from those countries were previously very low, according to Portafolio. Story continues Trade-based money laundering The US played an important role in this laundering effort, as the free-trade agreement between the US and Colombia allows exporters to independently certify the country of origin for their goods. The smugglers relied on Los Angeles for one iteration of this scheme, creating "various companies in order to sell products from Asia as if they were from the United States," Portafolio noted. Venezuela Colombia border smuggling These products could then be shipped to Colombia, avoiding tariff restrictions, and resold for a tidy profit of clean cash. TBML schemes have popped up in numerous Latin American countries, and Los Angeles has been linked to trade-based money laundering elsewhere. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sinaloa cartel has been linked to efforts to purchase bulk amounts of clothing from Asia in Los Angeles using money from drug sales in the US, and then to move that clothing to Mexico, where it can be resold in the legal marketplace. The Sinaloa Cartel used US drug proceeds to purchase clothes imported from China that were stored in the targeted fashion businesses warehouses in Los Angeles, the DEA reported in its 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment. The clothes were then shipped across the border into Mexico for resale and the profits placed into the Mexican financial system as legitimate proceeds, the DEA added. US drug trafficking money laundering In a fall 2014 investigation mounted by federal and state authorities in Los Angeles, about $140 million in cash and property was seized. The investigation revealed cash was being dropped off at clothing and textile companies in the city, which then used the cash to buy goods that were shipped to Mexico to be resold for pesos that eventually made their way to the Sinaloa and Knights Templar cartels. The epicenter for a lot of the money laundering for the Mexican cartels is Los Angeles. And they use the fashion district to launder money," Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations for the DEA, told Business Insider, adding that cartels also run similar operations using commodities like gold or diamonds. "They're sold over there and all of a sudden, voila, you go from US dollars to Mexican pesos, Vigil said. Trillions of opportunities Trade-based money laundering can take many forms and in most cases misrepresents the price, quality, or quantity of goods as they move over borders and through suppliers, according to a Congressional Research report released this year. Some of the most common methods are over- and under-invoicing for goods and services, multiple invoicing, over- and under-shipment, and false descriptions of goods, all of which give legal cover to the movement of cash. Money smuggling laundering seizure bust Limitations of customs agencies, the mixing of legal and illicit funds, and the complexities of the international trade and financial systems all allow criminals to obscure their financial operations. As global trade has grown, reaching $16.4 trillion in 2015, the "enormous volume of trade flows, which obscures individual transactions and provides abundant opportunity for criminal organizations to transfer value across borders," has made the international trade system a ripe target for exploitation by criminal actors, according to the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental body targeting money laundering and illicit financing. A February 2010 advisory issued by the US Treasury Department said that over 17,000 reports detailed potential TBML activity between January 2004 and May 2009 involving, in aggregate, over $276 billion. NOW WATCH: Police in Colombia seized half a tonne of cocaine hidden in frozen strawberries More From Business Insider Hillary Clinton campaign representatives and supporters have held two private meetings with top Catholic and evangelical leaders in Washington to discuss the global development policies of a potential Clinton administration. Several of Clintons former State Department advisors organized the meetings via their foreign policy volunteer group, Idealists for Hillary, which is working to activate supporters in global development networks. Cindy Huang, a former advisor for States Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, helped to convene the closed-door sessions, each for about a dozen religious leaders. Participants describe the gatherings to TIME as opportunities to share their policy priorities and organizational needs with Clinton advisers. Unlike private meetings Trump has held to raise political support among the religious rights powerbrokerswhere social conservative leaders have tried to ease their anxiety over Trumps his positions from abortion to immigrationthese meetings were listening sessions focused on the policy priorities on topics like refugees, poverty reduction and international assistance. The goal of both meetings has been to a) learn about the priorities of people of faith engaged in humanitarian work b) work with supportive leaders to help get them and their communities involved in our field organizing efforts in Virginia and elsewhere, a Clinton campaign spokesperson told TIME. The group first organized a meeting with Catholic humanitarian leaders and Clinton policy advisors on June 23. A representative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops attendedwe are open to meeting with both parties around development issues, he explainsand says the event was less about politicking in the election than about including religious voices policy perspectives for Clintons transition team. Organizers held a similar meeting for evangelical and mainline Protestant leaders in Washington on July 19, during the Republican National Convention. Helene Gayle, CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative and former president of CARE USA, served the main listener. Story continues Deborah Fikes, former permanent representative to the United Nations for the World Evangelical Alliance, who has endorsed Clinton, attended. It truly was a listening session that offered substantive discussions with our feedback from faith organizations in the Middle East, with people on the ground working in some of the most critical locations with refugees and IDPs, Fikes says. I was encouraged that senior advisers to Hillary Clinton really understand the importance of the world that faith groups do in all aspects of American foreign policy and value and respect our advices. Steve Roese, co-founder of Water is Basic in South Sudan with Bishop Elias Taban, also attended. Taban is close to Clintonshe visited him in South Sudan in 2012, and the Clinton Global Initiative awarded him a top prize in 2013. It is very encouraging, as somebody who is deeply involved in helping the marginalized, that a campaign would take time to listen, Roese says. That rarely happens. Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, joined and raised a concern about how new orthodoxies, as he says, on issues like marriage and sexuality could prevent religious groups from hiring who they want or getting government grants. Most of the humanitarian work in Africa, like schools and hospitals, were started mostly by missionaries, including a lot of evangelicals, Carey says. If the government tries to impose ideological constraints on civil society groups, then we could be written out of the picture, and that would be a lose-lose, certainly for our organizations, but much more importantly for the work that needs to be done. Chris Seiple, board chairman of the Institute for Global Engagement, a religion and foreign affairs think tank, attended in his personal capacity. Seiple currently plans to write-in a candidate when he votes in November, but he applauds the Clinton campaign for reaching out. He recalls hearing Clinton call the ISIS attacks against Christians in the Middle East genocide last December, before Trump began raising the topic, and hopes Clinton continues to reference it. There are many lower case e evangelicals and other Christians who will not vote for Trump, but feel that they have no place to go, Seiple says. If Hillary were to expand the tent and welcome such folks, she has the opportunity, ironically, to create the equivalent of Reagan DemocratsClinton Republicans would, I believe, not only seal the victory, but position Hillary as a transformational leader. Tokyo (AFP) - Honda on Tuesday said quarterly net profit slipped from a year ago, despite the fading impact of an exploding airbag crisis at supplier Takata. The Japanese automaker blamed an income tax increase for its net profit in the April-June quarter slipping 6.1 percent to 174.6 billion yen ($1.7 billion). However, the bottom line figure still beat market expectations owing to stronger sales in the United States and China, the world's biggest vehicle market. Honda also said operating profit rose 11.5 percent as cost cuts helped offset a rally in the yen -- which takes a bite out of exporters' profits -- and temporary production shutdowns at factories in southern Japan. The region was hit by two strong earthquakes in April that left 49 dead and caused widespread damage. Some of the country's biggest firms, including Honda and rival Toyota, were hit by factory outages in the wake of the disaster. Last week, Japan's number-two automaker Nissan blamed the yen's surge and struggles in its home market for the first decline in April-June net profit in four years. Toyota reports quarterly results this week. Japan's automakers have been sideswiped by the scandal at Takata, which 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 problems and scores more have been injured, while the crisis has sparked the recall of some 100 million airbags worldwide. The crisis has dragged on profits at Honda, which is Takata's biggest airbag customer. The Civic sedan maker cited the parts scandal for a nearly 33 percent plunge in fiscal year to March net profit. Analysts said it may not be out of the woods yet. "Honda is expecting a recovery this fiscal year, but the future of the Takata recall issue is still uncertain," said Shigeru Matsumura, analyst at SMBC Friend Research Center. Story continues "Quality control costs remain Honda's top concern." Honda, also a major motorcycle producer, expects net profit in the current fiscal year to March 2017 to rise 13.2 percent to 390 billion yen. Revenue is forecast to fall 5.8 percent to 13.8 trillion yen. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. HMC reported consolidated income of 174.6 billion ($1.7 billion) or 96.93 per share (94 cents per ADR) in the first quarter (ended Jun 30, 2016) of fiscal 2017, down 6.1% from the year-ago quarter. Earnings per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 71 cents. Consolidated net sales and other operating revenues went down 6.3% year over year to 3.47 trillion ($33.74 billion). The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $32.6 billion. The year-over-year decline can be attributed to unfavorable foreign currency translation effects which offset increased consolidated unit sales in automobile and motorcycle business operations. Consolidated operating profit amounted to 266.8 billion ($2.56 billion), up 11.5% from the prior-year quarter. The improvement was due to cost-reduction efforts, an increase in profit from improved sales volume and model mix, and a decrease in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses that include quality-related expenses. These factors offset the unfavorable currency effects and the impact of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Segment Performance Revenues in the Automobile segment fell 6.6% to 2.5 trillion ($24.3 billion) on unfavorable foreign currency translation effects, which offset higher unit sales. Unit sales rose 2.3% to 908,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, operating profit amounted to 184.5 billion ($1.79 billion), up 41.1% on increased sales volume and model mix, lower SG&A expenses, and cost-reduction efforts, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency effects. Revenues in the Motorcycle segment decreased 8.5% to 432.4 billion ($4.2 billion) due to unfavorable foreign currency translation effects, which offset the 11.2% increase in consolidated unit sales to 2.83 million motorcycles. Operating income fell 43.9% to 31.1 billion ($303 million) owing to lower sales volume and model mix as well as unfavorable foreign currency effects, which offset the impact of cost-reduction efforts. Story continues Revenues in the Financial Services segment fell 1.9% to 464.6 billion ($4.52 billion) due to unfavorable foreign currency translation effects, which offset higher revenues from operating leases. Also, operating income declined 3.6% to 50.5 billion ($491 million), attributable to unfavorable foreign currency effects. Revenues in the Power Product and Other segment fell 8.3% to 75.6 billion ($735 million) in the reported quarter. The decline was due to lower consolidated unit sales in power product business. Unit sales in the segment dropped 4.5% to 1.49 million. The segment's operating profit improved 2.9% to 0.5 billion ($5 million) due to lower operating costs and expenses in other businesses, which offset the decrease in profit attributable to lower sales volume and model mix. Financial Position Consolidated cash and cash equivalents amounted to 1.67 trillion ($16.2 billion) as of Jun 30, 2016, down from 1.76 trillion ($17.1 billion) as of Mar 31, 2016. In first-quarter fiscal 2017, cash flow from operations fell 58.8% to 171.3 billion ($1.66 billion). This decline was due to a decrease in cash received from customers, including unfavorable foreign currency translation effects. Guidance For fiscal 2017, Honda expects revenues to decline 5.8% to 13.75 trillion ($130.95 billion). Operating income is likely to rise 19.2% to 600 billion ($5.71 billion). Net income is projected to improve 13.2% to 390 billion ($3.71 billion) or 216.39 ($2.06) per share. HONDA MOTOR Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise HONDA MOTOR Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | HONDA MOTOR Quote Zacks Rank Currently, Honda has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked automobile stocks include American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. AXL, Johnson Controls Inc. JCI and Gentex Corp. GNTX, each carrying 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 HONDA MOTOR (HMC): Free Stock Analysis Report JOHNSON CONTROL (JCI): Free Stock Analysis Report AMER AXLE & MFG (AXL): Free Stock Analysis Report GENTEX CORP (GNTX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Hordes of angry passengers stranded after Typhoon Nida pummelled Hong Kong crowded the airport on Tuesday, desperately seeking flights as the city emerges from lockdown while the storm swept across southern China. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools and shops shut and the stock market closed for the day as the storm brought violent winds and torrential showers. Gusts of 151 kilometres (93 miles) per hour whipped the city and rain lashed down during the night, leaving three people injured and a trail of fallen trees and torn-down scaffolding. The storm triggered a Typhoon 8 signal -- the third-strongest category -- which was downgraded Tuesday as winds eased and the typhoon passed onto mainland China. But as the city's deserted streets began to come to life as buses and train services resumed, Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport was inundated with stranded passengers. An airport authority spokesman told AFP only 500 flights would run between 6:00 am and midnight local time on Tuesday (2200 GMT on Monday to 1600 GMT). On a normal day, the airport would handle 1,100 flights. More than 150 flights were cancelled Monday as Nida approached, leaving stranded passengers to sleep on the floor in the departure hall. Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair cancelled all of their flights in and out of Hong Kong for 16 hours, from 10:00 pm Monday until 2:00 pm Tuesday. But the backlog due to the peak summer period is such that Cathay has urged passengers booked on flights between Tuesday night and Wednesday to postpone or cancel "non-essential travel". - 'Don't go out to play!' - "Services remain strained...it has been a significant challenge as many flights are already operating at capacity," the airline said in a statement, apologising to its customers. Security guards prevented passengers without flights from reaching check-in desks Tuesday, redirecting them to another part of the airport to seek help from staff. Story continues Some complained that airline staff had not given them food vouchers or emergency accommodation despite lengthy waits. "The airline was giving inconsistent information. There was no announcement whatsoever about accommodation, food or the weather situation. It's chaotic," one passenger told local channel TVB. Another passenger from the Philippines told AFP he had not been provided with food or accommodation, despite being at the airport since 7:00 pm Monday. His flight has been rescheduled for 10:00 pm Tuesday. After sweeping past Hong Kong, Nida made landfall early Tuesday in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, with winds still blowing at up to 151 kilometres per hour. It was the strongest typhoon to hit the Pearl River delta in 30 years, the China News Service cited experts as saying. Shenzhen issued a red alert over rain -- the highest in a four-tiered warning system - after the downpours totalled more than 80 millimetres, China's meteorological bureau said. The city's port and the Shenzhen Bay Bridge connecting the mainland to Hong Kong were temporarily closed, CCTV said, with around 140 flights cancelled at its airport. In neighbouring Zhuhai, rainstorm warnings were upgraded to orange, the second-highest alert level, on Tuesday. Work was cancelled, scenic spots closed and city bus services stopped, the Guangzhou Daily said. A few people were still taking selfies on the oceanside boardwalk, prompting the provincial meteorological bureau to post on social media: "Warning once again that the wind is strong and the waves high by the seaside -- don't go out to the beach to play!" Nida brought strong winds and torrential rains to the northern Philippines over the weekend, while southern China has already been hard-hit by storms this summer. Super Typhoon Nepartak left at least 69 dead in July in the mainland's eastern province of Fujian -- despite being downgraded to a tropical storm. The Korean beauty market feels a bit like Willy Wonkas chocolate factory for beauty addicts: brimming with all the skincare and makeup products you could possibly dream up. Last week at KCON 2016, an annual extravaganza celebrating Korean culture, the sheer volume of beauty products on display was completely overwhelming. With the popularity of K-beauty snowballing, its natural to expect a handful of products to crop up that are quirky, weird, and kind of gross. While wed love to send Korea a big fat thank-you note for giving us staples like BB creams, there are a few Korean beauty products that might take some getting used to (and others were going to have to pass on). A large swath of more adventurous products contains ingredients derived from animals, a concept in stark contrast with the cruelty-free and vegan brands popular in the U.S. A growing number of K-beauty products use horse fat as their signature ingredient. Yep, you read that right. If Black Beauty is your favorite book, you might want to skip ahead. There was no shortage of facemasks formulated with horse placenta at KCON 2016. (Photo: Caitlyn Becker) Products containing horse oil were everywhere at KCON. A rep working with a product called Samsung Mayu the Horse Oil Cream explained that the oil is melted down from the fat of horses. Horse oil contains whitening qualities and is believed to be extremely hydrating. If you can get past the fact that its made of horses, you could be enjoying the benefits of bright, soft, and supple skin. The Moksha Horse Placenta + Ampoule Mask is a sheet mask that combines the beneficial qualities of horse oils with the anti-aging properties of placenta. The mask is supposed to firm and brighten skin. Products containing placenta and placenta facials started gaining a niche following a few years back, so it makes sense that they would find their way into the horse oil market. Horse oil can also allegedly banish problem skin. The White Nose Mayu Pack is a three-step nose strip that opens pores, removes those pesky little blackheads, and then brightens the surface with yep, you guessed it horse oil. Story continues Who knew pig collagen could be the secret to healthy-looking, glowy skin? (Photo: Caitlyn Becker) However, you might not want to toss those Biore strips just yet. Im not really a fan myself, says Glow Recipe co-founder Sarah Lee. The K-beauty curator feels that horse oil products are part of a more gimmicky market versus a results-based one. K-beauty doesnt stop with horses. Many pig collagen products are popping up within different brands. But dont go diving face first into a plate of bacon thinking your skin will glow. These mass-market animal-based ingredients go through rigorous testing and are approved by the Korean Food and Drug Administration. Toning moisturizer with a side of snail mucin, anyone? (Photo: Caitlyn Becker) There are less cruel animal-ingredients-containing K-beauty products as well. Snail mucin, which is basically snail goo, is incredibly popular, in everything from masks to moisturizers. It definitely sounds gross, but the gloopy gloop secreted by snails is extremely skin beneficial. In Lees beauty book, aptly titled The Little Book of Skin Care, she explains that snail mucin is hydrating, repairing, and anti-aging. Products like the Goodal Premium Snail Tone-Up Cream immediately gives your skin a firmer and absurdly supple feel. Plus, the snails arent actually harmed in the process of obtaining their slime. Other companies are taking cues from Cleopatra, saturating masks in donkey milk (the ancient Egyptian icon reportedly bathed in it). Donkey milk is packed with more complexion enhancing vitamins than traditional cows milk. There may be something about the idea of donkey milk that makes you a little apprehensive to slather it on your skin, but the Donkey Milk Skin Gel Mask is an incredibly revitalizing product and smells great. Yes, this is a donkey-milk brightening face sheet mask. (Photo: Caitlyn Becker) It seems unlikely that Western consumers will fully embrace the bizarre and, to some, cruel nature of Korean beauty products with animal ingredients. But if unicorn horns someday promise to be the fountain of youth, it wont be surprising to see American women lining up around the block looking to reverse time. Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. By PTI: Colombo, Aug 2 (PTI) Sri Lankas unity government, which has been in power for 18 months, has failed to properly manage the countrys economy as inconsistent policies, ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases have compounded the problems, an economic forum was told today. The government has failed to correct the excesses of the Rajapakse regime and massive mis-spending of the past, the forum was told. advertisement "My sense is that those expectations have not been met. The excesses of the Rajapakse regime have not been corrected. There has been the supreme idiocy of price controls," said Professor Razeen Sally of the National University of Singapore while addressing the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2016. Sally said inconsistent policies, ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases were compounding problems. President Maithripala Sirisenas government recently introduced price controls on essential items as a response to countrys wide protests over a 4 per cent increase of VAT. "Fiscal consolidation and consistent policies have been a challenge for Sri Lanka in recent years, with fiscal volatility being reflected in inconsistent and ad hoc policies," Sally said. The government has faced accusations of being too inconsistent with the economy with two political parties in the unity government, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of Sirisena and the United National Party of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, thinking differently. "There shouldnt be further ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases. We need better appointments for key positions. We need new blood, and we need a message of practical economic reform," Sally said. "Sri Lankas exports, as a percent of GDP, fall far below other countries in the region," said Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy. Sirisena in his address said Sri Lanka was engaged in large scale mis-spending which has pushed up debt and has to re-think subsidies but cutting entitlements is extremely difficult within the exiting political culture. When asked why Sri Lanka cannot follow other countries, Sirisena said, "There is a different political system in such countries compared to this country." "These decision have political consequences. We need better fiscal administration and fiscal discipline," he said. Sirisena said the government had a large debt because of massive mis-spending in the past as a result of which people were beginning to suffer. The unity government has blamed the legacy of large debts left behind by Rajapaksa who had invested on large scale infrastructure projects that have failed to pay dividends. PTI CORR MRJ AKJ MRJ --- ENDS --- Fox is making Houdini & Doyle vanish into thin air: The network has cancelled the magic-mystery series after one extremely low-rated, poorly reviewed season, TVLine has learned. RELATED2016 Renewal Scorecard: Whats Coming Back? Whats Getting Cancelled? Whats on the Bubble? The 10-episode period drama, which starred Houses Michael Weston as master magician Harry Houdini and Episodes Stephen Mangan as Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, drew 2.6 million viewers and a 0.7 demo rating when it premiered last May. Those numbers fell to 1.77 mil/o.4 with last months season finale. The series followed Houdini and Doyle as they assisted Scotland Yard detectives in solving inexplicable and possibly supernatural cases. Related stories Sleepy Hollow Season 4 Recruits Lost Vet Jeremy Davies as New Villain Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 4 Poster Boasts a Squad That's #RollingDeep Ratings: Teen Choice Awards Audience Drops 31 Percent vs. 2015 Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII, the largest American shipbuilder, is set to release second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4, before the opening bell. In the preceding quarter, the company had delivered a positive earnings surprise of 36.02%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. HUNTINGTON INGL Price and EPS Surprise HUNTINGTON INGL Price and EPS Surprise | HUNTINGTON INGL Quote Factors at Play The largest military shipbuilder in the U.S., Huntington Ingalls is the prime industrial employer in Virginia. Huntington Ingalls is the sole designer and manufacturer of nuclear powered aircraft carriers in the U.S. Over 70% of the active U.S. Navy fleet consists of Huntington Ingalls ships. The shipbuilding business outlook remains strong given the enacted fiscal 2016 budget and the fiscal 2017 proposal. Huntington Ingalls shipbuilding programs that were funded by the enacted 2016 budget comprised the construction of LPD-28 and the 9th National Security Cutter as well as accelerated development of LX(R) by two years. This may have a positive bearing on the companys second-quarter results. Among the important highlights during the quarter, the companys Ingalls Shipbuilding division was selected to build the U.S. Navys next large-deck amphibious assault warship, LHA 8. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $3.1 billion. The company has also won a $152 million contract from the U.S. Navy for advance planning of the detail design and production of the fiscal 2018 nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 80). Again, its Newport News Industrial (NNI) subsidiary continued its partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company for the construction of a domestic nuclear power plant in Georgia and South Carolina. The company will also act as a supply partner for Westinghouse for international prospects. However, Huntington Ingalls derives its revenues primarily from the U.S. government. Hence, the companys limited commercial exposure and almost full government dependency may prove fatal in maintaining its margins and bottom line. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter is pegged at $2.31 a share, reflecting a decrease of 2.19% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is at $1.72 billion, implying a 1.22% year over year decline. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Huntington Ingalls is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here as elaborated below. Earnings ESP: Huntington Ingalls has an earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $2.31. Zacks Rank: Huntington Ingalls has a Zacks Rank #1 which increases the predictive power of the ESP. However, the companys 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Please note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Peer Releases Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT reported second-quarter 2016 earnings of $3.32 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.92 by 13.7%. Earnings also increased 12.9% from the year-ago level. Northrop Grumman NOC reported second-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings of $2.60 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.50 by 4%. Earnings also rose 5.3% from $2.47 earned in the year-ago quarter. General Dynamics Corporation GD announced second-quarter 2016 earnings from continuing operations of $2.44 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.30 by 6.1%. 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 NORTHROP GRUMMN (NOC): Free Stock Analysis Report GENL DYNAMICS (GD): Free Stock Analysis Report LOCKHEED MARTIN (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report HUNTINGTON INGL (HII): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Putting off taking your car in for a recall fix? Whether it's a life-threatening problem like the Takata air-bag issue, or something less dangerous, experts say never ignore a notice if it comes to your door. "Open it, read it and understand what the recall is. Use your common sense a little bit, and if you read the letter you'll be able to understand the level of risk involved," said Carroll Lachnit, consumer advice editor for car shopping network Edmunds.com. Unlike many forms of communication these days, recall notices only get delivered via old-fashioned U.S. Mail, which is why you should make sure your correct address is registered with the manufacturer. It's especially important for used-car owners to double check their address after they purchase their vehicle. "If you bought from a private party there's a good chance you're not going to get a notice," said Lachnit. "The seller has no obligation to let the manufacturer know they've sold the car." Used-car shoppers should also check the vehicle's history before or as soon as they buy the car to see if there are any open recalls. That can be can be done in matter of minutes by going to safercar.gov and typing in the vehicle identification number or VIN, which you can find on the bottom corner of the windshield on the driver's side or on your registration and insurance documents. "It will indicate whether parts are available or if particular vehicle has been fixed or not," said Lachnit. While some owners may try to avoid going to a dealer for car repairs, this is a case where you absolutely should. Manufacturers will never charge you for a recall repair, so this should be a free trip to the dealer. If they try to sell you on another fix or service, just say 'thanks but no thanks,' and walk away. If you're stuck on a long waiting list for a replacement part, the dealership may also be able to help by providing you a loaner car until yours can be fixed, which is being done for some owners subject to the Takata air bag recall, which affected 22 manufacturers. "Honda and Acura are really taking the lead on this, and will provide a car to anybody that asks for it," said Lachnit. Being diligent about addressing any problems should keep your car running smoothly. Flattered but not interested is IKEA's official response to Kanye West's latest decree on wanting to work at the Swedish retailer. "I have to work with Ikea -- make furniture for interior design, for architecture," he said in a BBC Radio 1 interview on Monday. "Yo Ikea, allow Kanye to create, allow him to make this thing because you know what, I want a bed that he makes, I want a chair that he makes." West visited IKEA HQ in Almhult back in March, telling his Twitter followers at the time that he was "super inspired" and that his mind was "racing with the possibilities" design-wise. An IKEA spokesperson said in March that West spent time at its design division, but that only "time will tell" if a joint project was coming. During Monday's interview, West said he had an idea for a "minimalist apartment inside of a college dorm." Why Does Kanye West Want to Squash the Tidal-Apple 'Beef'? Though a social media editor for IKEA's Australia division had some fun mocking up a YEEZY bed, a rep for the home office has confirmed that the the company has nothing brewing with rapper yet. "Although we are really flattered by Kanye West's high interest in IKEA and the speculation around a joint venture, we have no plans to collaborate at this point in time," a spokesperson told CNBC. The statement also added some background as to why IKEA met with West in the first place. "At IKEA we are constantly curious about different people, companies, artists and events around the world," the rep said. "To have these connections and inspiring meetings is an important way for us to find new ways to create a better everyday life for the many people." A spokesperson for IKEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian wildlife officers appealed on Tuesday for help in caring for eight rare baby rhinos feared orphaned by recent deadly floods in the remote northeast. Rescue teams in boats have pulled the stranded rhinos from floodwaters which have hit India's famed Kaziranga National Park, home to the world's largest population of the one-horned animals. Rathin Barman, deputy director of the Wildlife Trust of India, said they were now struggling to feed and care for the rhinos, aged from one to eight months. "Some of them are injured and are being treated by our staff in the rescue centre. We are right now hand-raising them, providing them formula milk and essential vitamins," Barman told AFP. "We will release them only after two years," he added of the eight. "We appeal to the public to donate money for the upkeep of the rescued babies. They drink six packs of milk a day which costs 1,500 rupees ($23) and this will continue for a minimum of one year," he said. It was unclear whether the calves were left orphaned by the floods or were separated from their mothers as the beasts tried to flee to higher ground. Seventeen adult rhinos along with deer and other animals have been found drowned in Kaziranga, a 430-square-kilometre (166-square-mile) protected area of forest in the state of Assam. "It is sad that we lost about 17 rhinos in the floods this time, which is something unprecedented," Assam forest minister Pramilla Rani Brahma told AFP on Tuesday. The park, home to about 2,500 rhinos, draws scores of tourists and was visited by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate during their official tour of India earlier this year. Barman said he feared more rhinos would need assistance once waters receded in the park, which has been stripped of vegetation by the floods. The floods that hit the region every year have killed at least 24 people in Assam and left another 2.3 million homeless in recent days, said state flood control minister Keshab Mahanta. Scores more have been killed in floods and landslides in the state of Bihar and in neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. China is firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with Japan's defense white paper which is full of lies, defense spokesman Wu Qian said on Tuesday. The white paper, approved by Japanese Cabinet on Tuesday, has played up the South China Sea and East China Sea issues in a groundless manner and tried to stir up trouble behind the scene, through which Japan wants to benefit, Wu said. The spokesman accused Japan of unilaterally changing the status quo by illegitimately "purchasing" China's Diaoyu Islands in 2012, enhancing military deployment in its southwest (China's) direction, and passing a new security bill to lift the constitutional constraints on collective self-defense. Japan's activities are aimed at making excuses for its adjustment of military and security policy, military expansion and even amendment of constitution, which should raise concern and caution by international community, he added. The 484-page white paper allocated several more pages to each country including China and Russia than the previous defense report. It is more than a tenth longer than last year's. It devotes more words to China than other regional powers such as Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It called China's reclamation moves in the South China Sea a "provocation". Beijing's activities in the South China Sea are making its territorial claims a fait accompli, it said. "China is currently carrying out reforms of the People's Liberation Army which some see as being the largest in the country's history," the report said. "Recently the reforms have taken place at a rapid pace." The Associated Press noticed that the defense report came as Shinzo Abe's government "pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad". The report drew opposition from the Republic of Korea, which called Japanese embassy's defense official to protest. The ROK's defense ministry urged Japan to rectify its "improper territory claims" on disputed islands with ROK. The country's foreign ministry also asked Japan to "give up useless claims" and "face the truth of history". Sumona Chakravarti of The Kapil Sharma Show fame is indulging in some "me time" during his Goa vacation. Sumona Chakravarti is holidaying in Goa these days. Picture courtesy: Instagram/Sumona Chakravarti By India Today Web Desk: Sumona Chakravarti comes across as a lover of nature, animals and good food. In fact her travel pictures have a serene appeal to them. This time The Kapil Sharma Show comedian is off to Goa and is enjoying the company of...nature again. "I'am mine. Before I'am anyone else's," she captions one of the pictures, where she is seen taking a dip. advertisement Also read: You will love these 5 throwback pics of Sumona Chakravarti I'am mine. Before i'am anyone else's. ?? Photo credit: @yusufeye A photo posted by Sumona Chakravarti (@sumonachakravarti) on Aug 1, 2016 at 10:59am PDT When i wear my fav colour ?? #AboutLastNight #StrikeCasino A photo posted by Sumona Chakravarti (@sumonachakravarti) on Jul 30, 2016 at 12:44am PDT Last month, Sumona enjoyed a soulful vacation in Switzerland and her travel diaries had shots from all the lovely places in including Swiss Alps. She also indulged in cycling, skiing and bungee jumping during the vacation. We would like to know more about Sumona's Goa sojourn. Hoping to see fresh pictures on her Instagram page soon. Nature's paradise in the vineyards ?? #SwitzerlandDiaries A photo posted by Sumona Chakravarti (@sumonachakravarti) on Jun 29, 2016 at 2:31pm PDT --- ENDS --- JAKARTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia's financial regulator and Malaysia's central bank have signed an agreement that will increase the access of banks to each other's market. Muliaman Hadad , chairman of Indonesia Financial Services Authority (OJK), and Muhammad Ibrahim, governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, signed the pact at the state palace in Jakarta, the OJK said in a statement late on Monday. (http://bit.ly/2aG6tOy) "The agreement is aimed at reducing an imbalance in the market access and banking activities of both countries through the presence of banks that fulfill certain conditions in each jurisdiction, based on the principle of reciprocity," the statement said. Malaysian lenders CIMB and Maybank already have businesses in Indonesia, while Indonesian state-controlled lender PT Bank Mandiri Tbk has said it plans to expand in the region including in Malaysia. (Reporting by Eveline Danubrata; Editing by Richard Borsuk) After months of rumor and speculation, an all-star Prince tribute concert has finally been scheduled for the U.S. Bank Stadium in his hometown Minneapolis on October 13th. Performers have not yet been announced, but a source close to the family says a wish list includes Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and many others. Plans originally called for the tribute to be held at that venue on August 13th the same day Prince had been tentatively scheduled to inaugurate the new, 52,000-seat stadium with a concert of his own. According to one promoter who had been contacted to help produce the show, that date, alongside another considered for late September, were scuttled due to the logistics of putting on such a production. Projects like a tribute concert and posthumous releases are part of a plan to bolster tax bills and other financial necessities left behind after Prince's death. While a tribute concert is coming closer to fruition, excavated tracks from Princes legendary music vault are still in the planning stages; a producer or archivist has not yet been appointed to wade through all the unreleased recordings. So far, no Prince-related releases are on this year's schedule for Warner Brothers, the label with whom Prince worked and feuded before resigning with them several years ago. Former AEG executive (and one-time Prince manager) Randy Phillips and Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich have been contacted about possibly producing the show, which would also be filmed for a network TV special. "Kenny and I are willing to do something for him," Philips tells Rolling Stone, who adds the concert should be produced this year, "or youre going to lose the moment." In June, Bremer Trust, the Minnesota-based bank functioning as the "special administrator" of Prince's estate, named two industry veterans to help sort out the musician's assets: former EMI head Charles Koppelman (who signed Prince to that label for Emancipation in 1997) and one-time Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan, who currently owns hip-hop magazine The Source. Story continues Adding to the complications who will or won't help oversee or benefit from the estate are numerous affidavits of heirship submitted to the court this month. Last week, Minnesota Judge Kevin Eide threw out 30 claims to Prince's estate, ruling that several people who had claimed to be heirs of the artist were not related to the musician. He ordered DNA testing on six people previously assumed to be related to Prince. Four of the artist's siblings or half-siblings Tyka Nelson, Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson and John Nelson and a possible niece and grand-niece, Brianna Nelson and Victoria Nelson, will be vetted in the process. "This case is perhaps unique in the state of Minnesota," Eide said during one recent hearing. "In many ways, we are in unchartered water here." "As Prince's older brother, I have often marveled at my younger brother's musical genius," Alfred Nelson tells Rolling Stone. "Now that he is gone, I am prayerful that the world can learn to love him as I did through the continued legacy and genius of his music." Related Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ICPT is scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4. Intercept has a mixed track record so far, with the company missing estimates in two of the last four quarters. However, it has posted an average positive earnings surprise of 2.36% over the last four quarters. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play In May 2016, Intercepts lead drug, Ocaliva, was granted accelerated approval in the U.S., in combination with UDCA, for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis in adults with inadequate response to UDCA or as monotherapy in adults who are intolerant to UDCA. The FDA has approved Ocaliva under its accelerated approval program based on a reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), since an improvement in survival or disease-related symptoms has not been established yet. Continued approval in this indication may be contingent upon the verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory studies. As such, the company will not record any sales in the second quarter of 2016 as it takes several weeks from the first prescription written to reimbursement and sales prescriptions. As a result, the company continues to work on the reimbursement front for Ocaliva. Additionally, a marketing authorisation application for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC was accepted by the European Medicines Authority (EMA) in Jun 2015 and is currently under review. A decision is expected in late 2016. Meanwhile, Intercept is evaluating Ocaliva for other indications including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). The company initiated a phase III study (REGENERATE) on Ocaliva for the treatment of non-cirrhotic NASH in patients with advanced liver fibrosis. Enrolment is currently ongoing and the company expects the study to be fully enrolled by the first half of 2017. Story continues Intercept also initiated a phase II study, CONTROL (Combination OCA aNd sTatins for monitoRing Of Lipids), on OCA. The study is being conducted to evaluate the effect of OCA, in combination with statin therapy, on lipid metabolism in patients with NASH. Enrolment in the study is expected to be completed by 2016 end. A phase II study (CARE) on OCA for biliary atresia in pediatric patients and a double-blind phase II study (AESOP) for PSC are ongoing. Enrolment in the AESOP study for the PSC indication is expected to be complete by 2016 end. The company is currently planning additional NASH studies, including a NASH cirrhosis study and a non-invasive technology study. For 2016, Intercept projects operating expenses in the range of $360$400 million (higher in the second half of the year than the first half), much higher than the 2015 level. The increase will primarily be due to the clinical development program on Ocaliva in NASH and PSC, higher Ocaliva manufacturing activities, and continuation of the development of INT-767 and other preclinical programs. INTERCEPT PHARM Price and EPS Surprise INTERCEPT PHARM Price and EPS Surprise | INTERCEPT PHARM Quote What Our Model Indicates Our proven model shows that Intercept is likely to beat estimates this quarter because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates, and Intercept has the right mix. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is +5.05%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate stands at a loss of $3.57, while the current Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at a loss of $3.76. Zacks Rank: Intercept carries a Zacks Rank #3, which when combined with its positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of a positive surprise this quarter. Conversely, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Other Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some other health care stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that they too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. Mylan, Inc. MYL has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release second-quarter results on Aug 9. Impax Laboratories Inc. IPXL has an Earnings ESP of +3.03% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release second-quarter results on Aug 9. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals IRWD has an Earnings ESP of +13.33% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to report earnings on Aug 4. 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 IRONWOOD PHARMA (IRWD): Free Stock Analysis Report IMPAX LABORATRS (IPXL): Free Stock Analysis Report MYLAN NV (MYL): Free Stock Analysis Report INTERCEPT PHARM (ICPT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / HCI Group, Inc. (HCI) will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss the results of the second quarter 2016, to be held Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 4:45 PM Eastern Time. To participate in this event, dial 877-407-8033 domestically, or 201-689-8033 internationally, approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Additionally, you can listen to the event online at www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175081 as well as via the HCI Group website (www.hcigroup.com). If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the event archive will be available at www.investorcalendar.com or www.hcigroup.com. You may access the teleconference replay by dialing 877-660-6853 domestically or 201-612-7415 internationally, referencing conference ID # 13639472. The replay will be available beginning approximately 2 hours after the completion of the live event, ending at midnight Eastern on September 2, 2016. About HCI Group, Inc. HCI Group, Inc. owns subsidiaries engaged in diverse, yet complementary business activities, including homeowners insurance, reinsurance, real estate and information technology. The company's largest subsidiary, Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Inc., is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance in the state of Florida. The company's common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "HCI" and are included in the Russell 2000 and S&P SmallCap 600 Index. Its 8% Senior Notes trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "HCJ." For more information about HCI Group, visit www.hcigroup.com. SOURCE: Investor Calendar PEARL RIVER, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Hudson Technologies, Inc. (HDSN) will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss the results of the second quarter 2016, to be held Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. To participate in this event, dial 877-407-9205 domestically, or 201-689-8054 internationally, approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Additionally, you can listen to the event online at www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175170 as well as via the Hudson Technologies website (www.hudsontech.com). If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the event archive will be available at www.investorcalendar.com or www.hudsontech.com. You may access the teleconference replay by dialing 877-660-6853 domestically or 201-612-7415 internationally, referencing conference ID # 13641632. The replay will be available beginning approximately 2 hours after the completion of the live event, ending at midnight Eastern on September 2, 2016. About Hudson Technologies Hudson Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative solutions to recurring problems within the refrigeration industry. Hudson's proprietary RefrigerantSide Services increase operating efficiency and energy savings, and remove moisture, oils and other contaminants frequently found in the refrigeration circuits of large comfort cooling and process refrigeration systems. Performed at a customer's site as an integral part of an effective scheduled maintenance program or in response to emergencies, RefrigerantSide Services offer significant savings to customers due to their ability to be completed rapidly and at higher purity levels, and can be utilized while the customer's system continues to operate. In addition, the Company sells refrigerants and provides traditional reclamation services to the commercial and industrial air conditioning and refrigeration markets. For further information on Hudson, please visit the Company's web site at www.hudsontech.com. SOURCE: Investor Calendar Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has imposed a travel ban on several parliamentary officials accused of corruption, his office said Tuesday, but the parliament speaker rejected the order. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi on Monday told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. Abadi ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those accused, in order "to investigate the validity of the allegations", a statement from his office said. But Juburi rejected the travel ban, saying this could only be ordered by the judiciary and calling for everyone to respect both it and the constitution. "The decision to prohibit the travel of any citizen who carries an Iraqi passport is one of the exclusive prerogatives of the Iraqi judiciary," his office said in a statement. The members of parliament accused by Obeidi included Alia Nasayif, who has herself brought corruption allegations against the minister. The other two are Mohammed al-Karbouli and Hanan al-Fatlawi. It was unclear if the travel prohibition applied to Obeidi. Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi declined to give the names of the officials affected by the ban or to clarify whether or not it applied to Obeidi. Obeidi's official Facebook page outlined his allegations, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. Another post charged that Juburi and three lawmakers, including Nasayif, had blackmailed Obeidi "for the purpose of passing corrupt deals and contracts at the expense of Iraqi blood". Obeidi's official Twitter account also said he had revealed the "names of MPs and politicians who practise acts of blackmail against him to pass corrupt contracts, among them the (speaker) of parliament". Monday's session broke down after Obeidi's accusations, which Juburi then denied at a press conference. Abadi on Monday ordered Iraq's anti-corruption commission to investigate the allegations and to work on the issue with a parliamentary committee. The row surrounding the defence minister comes as Iraq prepares for a drive to retake second city Mosul, the biggest operation yet in the country's war against the Islamic State group. The acrimony follows weeks of deadlock over Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet earlier this year. New Zealand based comedian used the analogy of a drunk man to set the concept of consent straight for the world. By India Today Web Desk: It was a newspaper headline that urged New Zealand based comedian Alice Brine, 27, to reinforce the importance of consent and slam the culture of victim blaming. Brine made a Facebook post and she had an apt analogy ready to make her point. Indian women are often subjected to many restrictions from parents at home, and the society in general, some of them being a deadline to return home (before it gets dark) and wearing "decent" clothes. If you don't follow these, the society shuns rape cases saying "victims asked for it." advertisement Another argument to shoot down women who speak up about sexual harassment they have faced is that their refusal was not clear enough, their 'no' was not strong enough. Opposing all these, Alice wrote that she is going to start going home with random drunk men and later steal everything they have. Why? Because they were drunk and when they say no, they probably don't mean it. Her post went viral with 68,562 shares and 1,83,000 likes. You can read her entire post here: --- ENDS --- Jerusalem (AFP) - Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in Israel will have access to state funds without having to teach core subjects such as maths, as parliament on Tuesday reversed proposed reforms. The move was part of an agreement bringing ultra-Orthodox political parties into a coalition which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed in 2015. The law passed on Tuesday reverses reforms led by liberal Yesh Atid party -- now part of the opposition -- two years earlier. According to a statement issued by the Knesset, or parliament, the education minister -- currently Naftali Bennett of the national-religious Jewish Home -- will now be able to decide how much secular studies the institutions will be obliged to teach. Under the Yesh Atid reform, which had been set to be implemented in 2018, funds would be withheld from schools that received partial state support if they did not teach at least 55 percent of the required core curriculum subjects such as maths, English and science, seen as crucial for eventually joining the work force. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who was finance minister when the reforms were passed, said ahead of the vote that the new law "would damage an entire generation of young people and rob them of their right to make a living". Zehava Galon of the left-wing Meretz party said: "When a group funded by the state rejects its fundamental values -- it shouldn't be funded by the state." Around 40,000 pupils are registered with ultra-Orthodox schools in Israel. The scrapped legislation created unnecessary tensions and would have made it difficult for the state to supervise ultra-Orthodox schools, an education ministry official told AFP. "The (Yesh Atid) law created a conflict with the ultra-Orthodox sector," he said. "Education should be through dialogue, not coercion." Meir Porush of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, who is also deputy education minister, said the claim his sector did not learn mathematics and other core curriculum subjects was "a lie and incitement". Story continues Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 10 percent of Israel's Jewish population, and enjoy political influence beyond their numbers with influential factions in parliament that work to secure a wide range of benefits for their community. Netanyahu's previous coalition in 2013-2015 did not include the ultra-Orthodox parties. It passed legislation on sensitive issues such as the exception of the ultra-Orthodox from military service and the funding of schools, with the current government now having reversed many of the planned changes. Ivanka Trump, daughter of Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump and a full-throated advocate for his candidacy, is surely familiar with her fathers statements about China, including his assertion that Chinese traders were out to rape our country. But before her father declared his intention to run, the younger Trump spent approximately two and a half years building a brand of her own on Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like service. Across over 600 posts, she interacted directly with users, promoted her and her fathers brands, and built a following of over 19,000 until abruptly stopping just a month shy of her fathers declaration of his run for President. The younger Trumps Chinese online persona was mostly commercial. Her first Weibo post in Nov. 2012 introduced her as An American wife, mother, and entrepreneur. Two months later, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry Collection opened its first branch in Beijing. From Nov. 2012 to until May 2015, when she abruptly ceased her activity, Trump posted to Weibo 650 times. Posts consisted of lifestyle, travel photos, selfies, family pictures, chatter about the younger Trumps jewelry and clothing line, and nods to the Trump real estate business. Like her father, Ivanka first became known to most of her Chinese fans as a guest on reality series The Apprentice, popular among Chinese audiences in the mid-2010s. (While it never officially aired on Chinese television, The Apprentice was widely viewed on social video platforms and shared on online forums.) I admire your dad and have been watching The Apprentice for years. But I like you the most, wrote one user in May under an old Ivanka Trump post. According to Baidu Index, which tracks search trends on Chinas most popular search engine, users searching for the Chinese transliteration of Trump are almost as likely to be looking for Ivanka as they are for Donald. While Trump provided no reason for stepping away from Weibo her representatives did not respond to a request for immediate comment its fair to surmise that the U.S. Presidential election played a part. Ms. Trump ceased microblogging in China just weeks before her father announced his candidacy in June 2015. While Donald Trump has railed against trade with China, Robert Lawrence, a Harvard professor studying trade and investment, discovered that hundreds of items from Ivanka Trumps extensive clothing and accessory lines listed on the Trump Organizations website were manufactured in China. After the disclosure, the Ivanka Trump Collection has been removed from the Merchandise section of the organizations website. The younger Trumps business interests as an executive at her fathers company may not exactly jibe with the elder Trumps politics. She understands that [Donald] Trumps insistence on political incorrectness is probably not the best thing for business, Nick Morrow, a Democratic strategist, told Cosmopolitan in Oct. 2015. You dont really want to alienate anyone. Few Chinese web users seem to care much about Trumps campaign strategy or its implications for global policy. In July, a user on popular question and answer forum Zhihu called the Ivy League-educated Ivanka an advanced version of Donald Trump capable of winning over adult men, feminists, Jews (such as her husband), housewives, elite intellectuals, people from the fashion industry, and liberals. It doesnt seem to matter that Ivanka has been silent on Weibo for a year Li Mu, a conservative columnist with over 375,000 Weibo followers of his own, wrote in June 2016 that he recommended following Ivankas Weibo account anyway: If you care about physical appearance, come check out her pretty face. If you care about family, come check out (pictures of) her babies. If you care about business, come read posts by a female CEO. John Moore/Getty Images Ouch! James Corden paid the price for calling Matt Damon his "identical brother from another mother." In a skit from The Late Late Show on Monday night, the actor invited the British host to be in a Bourne film. "I love all of his movies -- Bourne Identity, Bourne Ultimatum, Born on the Fourth of July -- they're all classics," Corden told the audience in the clip. WATCH: Constance Wu Slams 'Racist' 'Great Wall' Movie for Casting Matt Damon: 'We Don't Need You to Save Us' But what he didn't know is that Damon invited him to play his stunt double. After he gets punched in the face and suffers a black eye, Corden is none too pleased. "I wouldn't say I'm angry at Matt, but I do think I've been misled as to my specific role in the film," he said. "I think this is a waste of my talents." "I wouldn't say I'm angry at Matt, but I do think I've been misled as to my specific role in the film," he said. "I think this is a waste of my talents." Damon reasoned, "Stunt men are expensive. James looks like he can take a punch. It can't be the first time he's been punched in the face. He has an extremely punchable face." Next up, Corden has to jump off a tall building, aiming to land in a dumpster but unfortunately he misses. "I dislocated my penis, which I didn't know was possible," he quips. Finally, he's simply asked to walk across the street, when he gets hit by a train. WATCH: We Calculated How Much Matt Damon Was Paid In Every 'Bourne' Movie -- Yes, He's Done Just Fine "It's sad what happened to James, but he died doing what he loved to do," Damon said before being told that Corden survived. "Wait, he didn't die? That means I still have to do his show? D***it!" Once on the show, Damon revealed how he really treats his stunt men. "We do fights for all these movies and [the stunt men are] really good fighters, and me not so much," he said. "I usually end up accidentally punching them, so my deal with them is every time I accidentally punch you in the face, I'll buy you a bottle of champagne at the end I owed him a case of champagne." Story continues Related Articles By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved 13.5 trillion yen (99.7 billion) in fiscal measures on Tuesday even as the central bank fought market speculation that it is preparing to put the brakes on monetary stimulus for the world's third-biggest economy. The government's package includes 7.5 trillion yen in spending by the national and local governments, and earmarks 6 trillion yen from the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program, which is not included in the government's general budget. But even before the announcement, Japanese government bonds saw their worst sell-off in more than three years as investors feared the Bank of Japan may ratchet back the pace of its aggressive government bond buying. The BOJ disappointed markets on Friday by keeping bond purchases steady, defying expectations it would hoover up more, and made traders even more nervous after announcing it would re-evaluate policies in September. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda declined to comment on the spike in JGB yields but said the planned review will not lead the BOJ to weaken its stimulus. "I don't think that would happen," Kuroda told reporters, when asked whether the promised "comprehensive review" might lead to reduced BOJ stimulus. Kuroda spoke after meeting Finance Minister Taro Aso to discuss Abe's stimulus package. Kuroda and Aso stressed the importance of concerted government and BOJ efforts to defeat deflation. The Japanese government will issue several hundred billion yen (several billion dollars) of 40-year bonds as soon as September to fund the new stimulus measures, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity because the plans are not public, although Aso earlier said his ministry would consider 40-year debt, and dismissed speculation the government would consider issuing 50-year bonds. The super-long bond sales, adding to 2.4 trillion yen ($24 billion) worth of those planned for that maturity in the fiscal year to March, will help fund projects such as swifter construction of maglev train networks, the sources told Reuters. Story continues "STRONG ECONOMIC PACKAGE" On Tuesday morning, Abe said, "We compiled today a strong economic package draft aimed at carrying out investment for the future. "With this package, we'll proceed to not just stimulate demand but also achieve sustainable economic growth led by private demand." The package's headline figure is 28.1 trillion yen, but it includes public-private partnerships and other amounts that are not direct government outlays and thus might not give an immediate boost to growth. Abe last month ordered his government to craft a stimulus plan to revive an economy dogged by weak consumption, despite three years of his "Abenomics" mix of extremely accommodative monetary policy, flexible spending and structural reform promises. The BOJ's review has spooked investors, who are unsure how BOJ policy might change. The price of 10-year JGB futures (2JGBv1) closed down 0.91 point on Tuesday at 151.33, and has dropped 2.47 points in the last three sessions - the biggest three-day fall since May 2013. THE SECOND ARROW The expected appointment of Toshihiro Nikai, an advocate of big public works spending, to the No. 2 post of Abe's ruling party in tandem with a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday underscores Abe's shift toward his "second arrow" of fiscal policy amid concerns monetary easing is reaching its limits. The government estimates the stimulus would push up real gross domestic product by around 1.3 percent in the near term. The package will be implemented over several years, officials added. SMBC Nikko Securities expects the package will push up real GDP growth by just 0.4 percentage point in the year ending March 2017 and 0.04 percentage point the next one. When public works spending and cash payouts fade late in the fiscal year ending March 2018, Japan "will likely face a fiscal cliff," said Koya Miyamae, senior economist at SMBC Nikko Securities. "To prevent a fiscal cliff, the government will likely repeat large-scale stimulus. Considering that a general election must be held by late 2018, direct government spending would become larger, which could further delay Japan's fiscal consolidation goal." (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Additional reporting by Takaya Yamaguchi; Editing by Sam Holmes and Clarence Fernandez) By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's annual defence review on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over what it sees as China's coercion, as a more assertive Beijing flouts international rules when dealing with other nations. Japan's Defence White Paper comes amid heightened tension in Asia less than a month after an arbitration court in the Hague invalidated China's sweeping claims in the disputed South China Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines. China has refused to recognise the ruling. Japan called on China to adhere to the verdict, which it said was binding. Beijing retorted by warning Tokyo not to interfere. In the defence review approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, Japan warned that "unintended consequences" could result from Beijing's assertive disregard of international rules. "China is poised to fulfil its unilateral demands without compromise," the government said in the review. China's official Xinhua news agency condemned the review for hyping up the "China threat" theory, which aimed to tarnish the country's image. In a statement, China's defence ministry said Japan sought excuses to step up military spending, accusing it of "evil intentions" towards China's legitimate defence needs. "China's military is extremely dissatisfied with this and resolutely opposed to it," it said. China claims most of the 3.5-million-square-km (1.35- million-square-mile) South China Sea, with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also staking claims. Japan has no territorial claims there, but it fears Chinese military bases will bolster Beijing's influence over a region through which $5 trillion in trade passes every year, much of it to and from Japanese ports. Rather than confront China directly by sailing warships past its man-made island bases in the sea, Japan provides equipment and training to Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines and Vietnam that are most opposed to China's territorial ambitions. Beijing's most powerful adversary in Asia is the United States, with its Seventh Fleet operating from bases in Japan and South Korea. Japan has Asia's second-biggest indigenous navy.. The defence review noted China's growing capability to threaten naval vessels with its growing armoury of anti-ship missiles. At 484 pages, Japan's report is more than a tenth longer than last year's, and lays out other security concerns, such as the threat from neighbouring North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear bomb programmes and a revival of Russian military strength in the Far East. It takes 50 pages to outline Japan's deepening alliance with the United States, as Tokyo steps back from its war-renouncing constitution by easing curbs on overseas operations for its Self Defence Forces. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) By PTI: Hyderabad, Aug 2 (PTI) Three labourers were killed while four others injured when an under construction arch collapsed in Kukatapally area here today, police said. The incident occurred at Vasant Nagar where nearly 10 labourers were engaged in construction work on the arch which suddenly collapsed resulting in spot death of Dharma Rao and Nagabhushan, Cyberabad West Zone Police Commissioner Navin Chand said. advertisement While two labourers belonged to Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, one of victim hailed from Odisha, he said. The other four labourers injured in the mishap were admitted to a nearby hospital. They are in the process of registering a case and have picked up some persons for interrogation, the officer said. "Whether the mishap occurred due to structural default or any other reason (it) needs to be verified," he said. Meanwhile, GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy has ordered an enquiry into the incident and directed the chief city planner to submit a report immediately. The deceased were in the age group of 45 to 55, GHMC officials said, adding the arch was being constructed for a gated residential community, without permission. PTI VVK ARS AYP PTP --- ENDS --- TOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to confirm cooperation over fiscal and monetary policy, the Nikkei business daily reported. Aso and Kuroda will speak to reporters after their meeting, the paper said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet is set to approve a 13.5 trillion yen ($132 billion) stimulus package on Tuesday as part of efforts to revive the flagging economy with cash payouts to low-income earners and infrastructure spending. The BOJ last Friday expanded stimulus by doubling purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETF), yielding to pressure from the government and financial markets to ease monetary policy. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f16337%2fa509b86123764c2a8072cb68be680f2d The Joker isn't necessarily known for being the nicest character, but Jared Letowho plays the chilling criminal mastermind in the upcoming Suicide Squaddelivered a gift from the Joker to Jimmy Fallon while on The Tonight Show promoting the new film. Hint: It's alive. Leto made headlines when it was revealed he stayed in character throughout the filming period and passed out gifts to co-starseverything from poems to a briefcase full of bullets. What happens to all of us after watching a TED Talk Watch this oddly serene drone footage of basking sharks in Scotland Singaporeans, rejoice: This airline will use Singlish on national day Sinkhole eats up Australian backyard, causing all kinds of nope LONDON Liberty Global, John Malones international cable business, has signed an original-content pact with British production group All3Media, which Liberty Global owns jointly with Discovery Communications, and has renewed a channel-distribution deal with Discovery. The All3Media deal, for four original drama series over the next two years, covers Liberty Globals operations in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. It marks the first time that Liberty Global has agreed to a multi-territorial deal with a production company to create exclusive programming for its customers. Liberty Globals CEO Mike Fries, speaking to Steve Hewlett on BBC radio program The Media Show last week, outlined the companys commitment to investing in content: We spend almost $3 billion per year on content so we are a huge buyer of content, and we are delivering that content to 27 million homes here in Europe. He added: We are investors in a company called All3 Media, which has 6,000 hours of content in its library and makes dozens and dozens of shows you know and love.We ourselves are not making a lot of content but increasingly the business is getting more vertically integrated, and we are moving along that path. The All3Media group is composed of 21 production and distribution companies from across Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., including Bentley Productions (Midsomer Murders), Company Pictures (Skins), Maverick Television, MME Moviement, Neal Street Productions (Call the Midwife), New Pictures, Optomen, Studio Lambert (Undercover Boss), All3Media America and All3Media International. Jane Turton, chief executive of All3Media, said in a statement: This is a great opportunityto develop new dramas that are designed to appeal to a global audience, to be watched on multiple platforms and to become long-running returning series. For us, this initiative fits squarely with our core strategy to grow our scripted output, creating world-class dramas that return series after series. Story continues The Discovery deal gives Liberty Global customers in 12 European countries access to Discoverys channels, including Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and Eurosport. Liberty Global owns Virgin Media in the U.K. and Ireland, Unitymedia in Germany, and Ziggo in the Netherlands, as well as operating in Poland and Czech Republic, among other countries. The deal includes digital rights. Related stories Endemol Shine Names Ivan Nash Vila as Chief Financial Officer John Malone's Virgin Buys Broadcaster UTV Ireland Sun Valley: John Malone Spills About 'Frenemy' Sumner Redstone, Lionsgate and Starz Merger Burke Ramsey is giving his first interview about his late sister, JonBenet Ramsey, in an exclusive sit-down with Dr. Phil, beginning Sept. 12. Burke was just nine when his 6-year-old child pageant sister was found dead in the basement of their family's Colorado home on Dec. 26, 1996. Nearly 20 years later, Burke, now 29, is revealing what he knows about his sister's still unsolved murder. WATCH: Barbara Walters Revisits the Questions Surrounding JonBenet Ramsey Case At the time, parents John and Patsy made the initial call to police, claiming that they found a note demanding ransom for their daughter of $118,000. John later found his daughter's body hours after police completed a search of the home. JonBenet's death is one of America's most talked-about cold cases. John and Patsy were the primary suspects in the case for more than a decade until police cleared them of any wrongdoing in 2008. The three-part interview kicks off Dr. Phil's 15th season starting Sept. 12. Parts two and three are set to air Sept. 13 and 19. Related Articles James Corden recently kicked his beloved Carpool Karaoke segment to another level by booking First Lady Michelle Obama and special guest Missy Elliott. But there's one superstar that he's been unable to pin down Kanye West. "Kanye has been booked to do Carpool Karaoke now twice and both times something came up," the Late Late Show host, 37, revealed in an interview with the British GQ. "He'll do it eventually. He wants to do it." How bad does Yeezy want to do it, you ask? So bad that he sent an elaborate floral display as an apology! "[When he canceled he sent] about three dozen white roses, of course. Arranged in the shape of a cube. What could be more Kanye than that?" Perhaps a floral effigy of wife Kim Kardashian West wearing Balmain, but a cube is pretty darn Kanye-like, too. When asked his dream Carpool Karaoke get, Corden didn't hesitate. " Beyonce. It would break the internet." It may sound like a dream, but this one might come true. "We're working on it,a he insists. RELATED VIDEO: Michelle Obama and Missy Elliott Rap 'Get Ur Freak On' for Carpool Karaoke Why was West too busy to swing by Corden? Perhaps he's preoccupied getting his 2020 presidential campaign together. BBC Radio 1 broadcast an interview on Monday in which the rapper, 39, spoke out on his aspirations to hold public office. "When I talk about the idea of being president, I'm not saying I have any political views," he said. "I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth. If there is anything that I can do with my time and my day, to somehow make a difference while I'm alive I'm going to try to do it." He also touched on the troubling rise of gun violence in the United States. "We are numb, we're numb to 500 kids getting killed in Chicago a year, we're numb to the fact that it was seven police shootings in the beginning of July." By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hackers believed to be working on behalf of Kazakhstan government officials tried to infect lawyers and other associates of exiled dissidents and publishers with spyware, according to a report to be presented at this week's Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. The hacking campaign was part of a complicated tale that also involved physical surveillance and threats of violence - a rare instance of cyber attacks coming alongside real-world crimes. It is also unusual in that the campaign involved an Indian company that was apparently hired by the hackers, and it targeted Western lawyers along with alleged opponents of the Kazakh government. A spokesman at the Kazakhstan embassy in Washington did not respond to emailed questions. A research team including two staffers of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) examined emails sent to a group that included New York human rights lawyer Peter Sahlas; Italian attorney Astolfo Di Amato, who is involved in a legal dispute with Kazakhstan; and exiled Kazakhstan publishers Irina Petrushova and Alexander Petrushov, both of whom fled Kazakhstan years ago. The emails tried to trick recipients into installing one of two types of commercially available spy software and were likely sent by an Indian company hired for the job. The researchers came to that conclusion based on analysis of the internet addresses and domain names that pointed to how the malware was controlled. The researchers will name the Indian company on Thursday. The pair of publishers produce the online newspaper Respublika, which has printed leaked or hacked emails from the government. The government has sued in California to try to unmask the source of those files, with little luck to date; EFF is defending their company in a related case in New York. Meanwhile, in Italy, hackers targeted Di Amato, who is pursuing legal claims over a 2013 incident in which the wife and child of exiled dissident Mukhtar Ablyazov were arrested in Italy and sent back to Kazakhstan. The authorities there accuse Ablyazov of embezzlement. Eva Galperin, a policy analyst at EFF, said that some recipients had opened attachments with the malware her team examined but that it was not clear who was infected. The spyware could turn on webcams without the indicator light and record keystrokes. This is one of the very few campaigns where there is such a direct link between spying and physical danger, Galperin said, comparing it to past government-linked spying by Syria. EFFs technical analysis confirmed what I had always suspected, said Sahlas, who represents Ablyazovs family and other dissidents and tells hair-raising stories of break-ins and GPS tracking devices and strangers popping up with cameras during public meetings. We suspect that the use of malware by governments to spy on political dissidents, especially exiles who live outside of their governments direct sphere of influence, is increasingly common, the research team concluded. (This version of the story corrects to say that the publishers are from Kazakhstan, not ethnic Kazakhs in paragraph 5, and that EFF represents them in New York not California in paragraph 8) (Reporting by Joseph Menn; editing by Jonathan Weber and Bernard Orr) Ajith was allegedly ragged by his seniors of class 8 and 9 repeatedly. He was first being teased for the role he did in the Tamil film titled 'Bruce Lee', and was ragged again for complaining. Ajith was allegedly ragged by his seniors of class 8 and 9 repeatedly. By Akshaya Nath: "He was so scared to go to school, and only then we knew what really happened," cried Krithika Anila, the mother of ten-year-old Ajith Roshan. Ajith was admitted to a hospital due to the shock that was caused after being allegedly beaten up and ragged by his seniors of class 8 and 9 in his school. The boy who has acted in a Tamil film titled 'Bruce Lee' has allegedly been victim to ill treatment and repeated ragging. advertisement The boy said the seniors started teasing me for the role that I did in the movie. RAGGED NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE On the first occasion when the boy was teased, the family had approached the school principal requesting for appropriate action, and this only made things worse for the little boy. While being attacked for the second time, the boy said, "Those seniors started thrashing me saying 'are you a girl to go and complain?' They also abused me using bad words." After the second episode, the boy started showing symptoms of shock and refused to go to school. The boy was admitted in a private hospital in Trichy for treatment for the minor wounds that he suffered. SCHOOL NOT TAKING ANY ACTION? Krithika Anila said that her son had complained to her about the ragging episode. "He told me that his seniors had been teasing him for his acting in the movie," she added. The boy was studying at the BHEL Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Trichy. The family HS alleged that the school management has not taken the issue seriously and have not issued any punishment to the students who ragged Ajith Roshan. Meanwhile, the police officials have taken the statement of the boy after being informed by the private hospital. Watch the video here Also Read: Kerala: 19-year-old student commits suicide after being ragged Union HRD Ministry allots Rs 5 crore for anti-ragging campaigns --- ENDS --- Hoping to get her career back on track, Kesha has provided 28 new songs to her record label and has scaled back her legal actions against her label head, the pop super-producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. Though the pop star will continue to pursue appeals in New York, where a judge dismissed her sexual abuse claims against Gottwald in April, she has dropped a similar set of claims in California, where her case has been on hold since June of last year. "Kesha has dismissed her California action without prejudice while she pursues her appeal and other legal claims in the New York courts," the pop star's counsel, Daniel Petrocelli, said in an official statement. "Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label. We have conveyed to Sony and the label Kesha's strong desire to release her next album and single as soon as possible." The sole claim that remains pending is a request to terminate Kesha's contract with Gottwald's company, KMI, because his suit against her requested money damages rather than requiring her to fulfill the contract. Christine Lepera, an attorney for Dr. Luke, countered the singer in an e-mail statement to Rolling Stone, saying, "If Kesha is voluntarily dismissing her claims in the California case, it is because she has no chance of winning them. Earlier this year, she lost her meritless counterclaims against Dr. Luke in the New York Action. Recently, the California Court invited Dr. Luke and the other defendants to move to dismiss Kesha's claims in that action. Kesha never should have brought her false and meritless claims against Dr. Luke in any court. Dr. Luke's defamation and other claims against Kesha are still proceeding." According to a source close to the case, Kesha has been recording the new tracks at her own expense for the past several months, and has provided them to Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe, hoping that the imprint and its parent company will release a single and an album as soon as possible. Story continues Kesha's career has essentially been on hold since 2014, when she first filed claims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse against Gottwald in California, further alleging that he exerted "suffocating control" over her career. Gottwald countersued for defamation in New York, and Judge Barbara M. Scheper of the Los Angeles Superior Court put Kesha's case on hold, saying that contractual provisions made New York the proper venue. Kesha countersued in New York against Gottwald, alleging sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender violence. Kesha did not fare well in the New York court, however. In February Judge Shirley Kornreich refused to grant a preliminary injunction that would have allowed Kesha to suspend her contract and work with other producers and labels while her case was pending. Keshas case suffered an even greater setback in April, when Judge Kornreich threw out her the bulk of her claims. The judge dismissed Kesha's claims of gender-based hate crime, gender discrimination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and also refused to void the star's contract. With an appeal pending in New York, Kesha's lawyers focused their attention once more on the California court, asking Judge Scheper to reconsider her decision in May. But Kesha's chances in California did not seem promising, as the judge expressed skepticism that she would lift the stay. With no legal relief likely in the near future, Kesha faced the prospect of long-term career hiatus, even as her well-publicized case garnered widespread support from fans and other female artists. According to the source, Kesha hopes that Sony and Kemosabe would recognize that it would be in the best interest of all parties to restart her career as soon as possible. Kesha has not released new music on Kemosabe since her 2012 album Warrior, though she appeared on the 2013 Pitbull hit "Timber," produced by Dr. Luke. Touring this summer as Kesha and the Creepies, she has been performing new material, though it's unclear if any of those songs are among the new recordings. Related Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004, said in a new interview that he feels sorry for Republican leaders who have been forced to walk the tightrope of condemning Donald Trumps attacks on his family without retracting their endorsements of the GOP presidential candidate It is so sad that this candidate [Donald Trump] is putting through our leadersthat they have to give these kind of statements, they have to clarify their positions, explain his thoughtlessness, his compass-less, his total lack of empathy, Khan told TIME of Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Sen. John McCain. That they have to explain that they have to it shouldnt be at that level. They shouldnt be responding, wasting their time to distance themselves from this candidate. But unfortunately, here we are. Khan and his wife Ghazala have become something of a flash point in the presidential race after speaking out against Trump last week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Trump has responded by attacking the Khans repeatedly. At one point he noted that Ghazala Khan stood silently during the convention speech, and implied she wasnt allowed to speak because of their Muslim faith. Id like to hear his wife say something, Trump told the New York Times. Maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say, you tell me. Those comments sparked a further firestorm, but Ghazala Khan said she wasnt offended. I dont think Im offended because if someone doesnt know about Islam what do you expect from him to say? He will say whatever he wants to, she said. But I dont believe in him and I know how strong the women are in Islam. They are the heart of the husband and of the family. Looking at Ghazala, her husband smiled and said: She is my rock. The giant truck bomb and gunfight that shook a Kabul compound used by foreign contractors on Aug. 1 was only the latest reminder of the security challenge facing conflict-ridden Afghanistan. One police officer was killed, along with three Taliban attackers who targeted the Northgate Hotel. It could have been much worse: such was the strength of the blast that it tore open a deep crater outside the compound and briefly disrupted power lines across the Afghan capital. The attack came days after suicide bombers targeted a Kabul demonstration by thousands of Hazaras, an Afghan minority group. At least 80 people were killed in the devastating assault claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS). Amid growing concern about the situation in the country, heres what you need to know about the still fragile state of security in Afghanistan. Civilian casualties have been rising as the Taliban regains territory The end of NATOs combat mission in Afghanistan and the departure of most foreign troops at the end of 2014 saw the passing of most security responsibilities to local forces. But they have struggled to contain a resurgent Taliban, which has continued to regain Afghan territory even as it has faced internal upheavals. As a U.S. report in late July said, high attrition rates, including high casualty rates, continue to make the sustainability of the [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces] a major concern. The upshot is fertile ground for the Taliban to expand its influence. At the end of January, for example, just over 70% of Afghan districts were under government control or influence, according to the same report. By the end of May, that figure had declined to 65.6%, with nearly 9% of districts under insurgent control or influence. In a worrying sign, a quarter were classified as at risk. The territorial expansion has been accompanied by a deteriorating security situation, with U.N. figures showing that more than 5,100 civilians had been either killed or maimed in the first six months of this year, a half-year record since the international body began keeping such records in 2009. More than 1,500 children were among the dead. Story continues Read More: How a Resurgent Taliban Forced President Obamas Hand in Afghanistan With security showing signs of worsening, the U.S. has been forced to rethink its withdrawal plans Rising casualties and the Talibans territorial gains have led to a revision of Americas plans to exit Afghanistan. Earlier in July, President Obama acknowledged the worsening situation when he said he would leave 8,400 U.S. troops on the ground as he leaves office next year, instead of reducing the size of the American force to 5,500 by the end of 2016. Currently, there are around 9,800 U.S. troops in the country. The Taliban remains a threat, Obama said, as he announced the change in strategy. Big questions, however, remain over the future of Afghan security. The troops that will still be on the ground when Obama steps down will not take on combat roles. Instead, they will continue to have a narrow mission: supporting counterterrorism operations and training local forces. Meanwhile, the Taliban, which named a new leader earlier this year after the death of former chief Mullah Mansour in May, continues to spread unrest, taking an important southern district in late July after heavy fighting that left around 17 policemen dead. Read More: Heres What We Know About The New Taliban Leader Alongside the Taliban, the Hazara attack has raised fresh questions about ISIS activities inside Afghanistan The attack on the Hazara protest on July 23 was the first inside Kabul claimed by ISIS. It was also its largest ever in the country. But officials remain skeptical about the groups strength in Afghanistan, where its ranks are largely thought to consist of fighters who have broken away from the Taliban. They are committing the same kinds of atrocities here in Afghanistan that they are noted for elsewhere, killing innocent men, women, children and and [the attack in Kabul] is another indication of their brutality, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, said on July 28. But he added that the attack should not be perceived as a sign of their growing strength. Sadly, we have seen high profile attacks conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, even the United States, he said. And this is not necessarily a sign of growing strength in Afghanistan; indeed, their area is shrinking. The focus, instead, remains on the Taliban, which is now led by a formerly little known cleric called Haibatullah Akhundzada. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The Latest from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (all times local): 8 p.m. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will carry the Olympic torch and take part in the opening of the 31st Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ban will fly to Rio Wednesday night and take part in Friday's relay in which the Olympic torch is handed over. He said the secretary-general will also visit the Olympic Village and meet competitors including the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. That 10-member team includes two refugees from Syria, five from South Sudan, two from Congo and one from Ethiopia. Ban carried the Olympic torch at the 2012 summer games in London and the 2014 winter games in Sochi, Russia. Dujarric said Ban will also attend a meeting Friday night for heads of state hosted by Brazil's acting President Michel Temer. --- 7 p.m. FINA is denying that Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev have been cleared to compete in the Rio Olympics. Morozoz and Lobintsev were among the athletes implicated in the McLaren report, which found widespread, state-sanctioned doping in Russia. The International Olympic Committee ruled that no one named in the report could take part in the Rio Games. Morozov and Lobintsev were among those who appealed, and media reports out of Russia say they will be allowed to compete. FINA said Tuesday those reports are premature. The appeal is still pending before the IOC's three-person committee that will make a final ruling on the eligibility of Russian athletes. Australian freestyle star Cameron McEvoy says he's not concerned about the possibility of swimming against Morozov, who'll be a medal contender if cleared to compete. McEvoy says ''absolutely nothing changes regardless of any decision outside my little bubble.'' FINA also says it retested the samples taken from Russian athletes at last year's world championships in Kazan. There were no positive findings. Story continues --- 6:25 p.m. IOC President Thomas Bach says he does not want to destroy the World Anti-Doping Agency, he just wants to improve the global drug-testing system to avoid future scandals. Bach spoke after WADA President Craig Reedie defended his agency's handling of the Russian doping crisis. Bach and IOC members had accused WADA of failing to act sooner on evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia. Bach says ''this is not about destroying structures, this is about improving significantly a system in order to have a robust and efficient anti-doping system so that such a situation that we face now cannot happen again.'' Bach has called for drug-testing to become independent of sports organizations. He said a WADA conference in September and an Olympic summit in October should chart the path for a new testing system. --- 6:20 p.m. World Anti-Doping Agency President Craig Reedie has defended his organization's investigation of doping in Russia. Reedie delivered a report to the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday a few hours after many members accused WADA of failing to act sooner on whistleblower evidence of state-sponsored doping. Members also blamed WADA for failing to contain the doping problem and of putting the IOC in a bind by releasing damning allegations so close to the start of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Reedie says ''I had a view this morning that the system is broken.''' He adds: ''I would like to think not all the system is broken, that part of the system is broken, and we should start to identify those parts that need full attention.'' Reedie also says that much work still need to be done to fix the doping problem in Russia. He says ''it is absolutely essential that we cannot have the biggest country in the world non-compliant on a permanent basis.'' --- 4:40 p.m. One player from the Australian women's water polo team remains in isolation after being stricken with a gastrointestinal virus. The rest of the team moved into the Olympic Village on Tuesday, including three other players who were initially quarantined because of the virus. Those three have recovered enough to rejoin the team for an evening training session at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center. But goalkeeper Lea Yanitsas is staying with the team doctor in separate housing to ensure she is fully recovered. Delegation leader Kitty Chiller says Yanitsas may be able to rejoin the team on Wednesday. The Aussie players apparently picked up the virus during a pre-Olympic training camp in Rome. The women's water polo competition begins Aug. 9. --- 4:40 p.m. The Australian team is hustling to make travel arrangements for tennis player Sam Groth, who has been added to the field for the Rio Olympics. The 28-year-old Groth is going through a disappointing season, dropping to No. 168 in the world rankings. But a men's singles spot opened up Tuesday with the opening of the games just three days away. Australian team leader Kitty Chiller says Groth is eager to get to Rio after losing to Jared Donaldson in the opening round of the BB&T Atlanta Open. She says ''we'll facilitate that flight as soon as we can.'' The tennis competition begins Saturday. Groth's addition means the Aussie contingent for Rio will be 421 athletes, including 10 tennis players. --- 4:10 p.m. A Swiss court has thrown out a $1 million lawsuit filed by Kuwait against the IOC over the Gulf nation's suspension from the Olympics. The IOC suspended Kuwait's Olympic committee last October, citing government interference. In a ruling issued Tuesday, a civil court in Lausanne, Switzerland, rejected the Kuwaiti government's suit against the IOC. The court ordered Kuwait to pay the IOC 11,125 Swiss francs ($11,500) in court costs. The suspension prevents Kuwaiti athletes from representing their country at the games in Rio de Janeiro, which start Friday. However, the IOC executive board ruled that Kuwaiti athletes who qualify for the games would be allowed to compete as independent athletes under the Olympic flag. The Kuwaiti government also recently filed a $1.3 billion suit against 14 board members of the Gulf state's Olympic committee, as well as national federations of several sports. --- 3:25 p.m. A South Korean road cyclist was hit by a car in Rio de Janeiro during practice for the Olympic Games, police said. A Rio policeman told the Associated Press that 21-year-old cyclist Kim Ok-Cheol only suffered minor injuries and was rescued by a car of the South Korea Olympic team. The incident took place at Estrada da Vista Chinesa, a Rio South Zone road commonly used by cyclists for practice in the middle of a forest area. The driver involved in the incident offered assistance, the policeman said. The Associated Press could not reach the South Korea Olympic team and Kim for comment. The men's road race is scheduled for Aug.6. --- 3:15 p.m. Swimming great Michael Phelps tried out the Olympic pool in Rio de Janeiro Tuesday, along with U.S. teammates. Phelps joined several other members of the U.S. team at poolside before listening to a brief talk by swimming coach David Marsh. At the end the team clasped hands, shouting loudly, ''USA.'' He then took to the water for a few lengths. --- 2:20 p.m. Fourth-ranked Stan Wawrinka is withdrawing from the Olympics because of injury, leaving the Rio Games without half of the ATP's top 10. The two-time major champion Wawrinka joins Swiss teammate Roger Federer in skipping the games. They won a doubles gold medal together at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Another Swiss tennis player, Belinda Bencic, has also pulled out of the Rio Games. A statement issued by Wawrinka's management company says he ''felt increasing pain'' during the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week and was told by his doctor after an MRI exam to ''reduce his physical activity for an undetermined period.'' The statement does not say where Wawrinka is injured. The draw for tennis in Rio is Thursday. Play begins Saturday. --- 2:10 p.m. President Barack Obama and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden are skipping the Olympics. The White House says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the U.S. delegation to the games. He'll be the highest-level U.S. official attending. The U.S. delegation will also include swimmer Mark Spitz. He has nine Olympic gold medals, plus a silver medal and a bronze medal. --- 1:10 p.m. The 10 members of the Olympic refugee team received a standing ovation when they were introduced Tuesday at the IOC's general assembly meeting. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says ''the ultimate goal of the refugee team is that we don't need one anymore.'' Bach seemed to be near tears as he introduced the athletes from Syria, South Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia, and then gave a big hug to the leader of the delegation, the former Olympian Tegla Loroupe from Kenya. Addressing some 100 IOC members, Bach says we ''wanted to send a message of hope to all refugees. The refugee team will make the world more aware of the crisis.'' Yusra Mardini, a swimmer from Syria, says ''we didn't choose to leave our homelands, we didn't choose the name of refugee.'' And she added ''we are still human, we are like everybody else.'' --- 10:05 a.m. IOC President Thomas Bach is asking the full committee to support the decision to reject a complete ban on Russian athletes for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Bach opened the International Olympic Committee's three-day general assembly Tuesday with another defense of the executive board's handling of the Russian doping scandal. He again pointed blame at the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing to act sooner on evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia, and said it would be wrong to make individual athletes ''collateral damage'' for the wrongdoing of their government. Citing the strong criticism that the IOC has faced for deciding not to impose a full ban on Russia, Bach told the approximately 100 members ''we are asking you for your support today for the decision we have taken.'' --- 8:20 a.m. British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead has won an appeal against an anti-doping violation and is free to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Armitstead, one of the favorites for the women's road race, missed three doping tests in a 12-month period, leading to a charge by U.K. Anti-Doping and a provisional suspension. She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a statement released on Armitstead's behalf on Monday said the first missed test - from August 2015 - was declared void by CAS because UKAD's doping control officer had failed to follow procedure. On Tuesday, UKAD confirmed the ruling by CAS and chief executive Nicole Sapstead said ''we respect the outcome'' of the hearing. The 27-year-old Armitstead is the current world champion in the road race. For most people, having access to clean clothes is something that they dont think twice about. But for many youngsters across America, wearing clean clothes is a luxury and not having them can be an impediment to attending school. Some students may feel insecure about going to school wearing dirty clothes and as a result, theyll skip class. So thats why Dr. Melody Gunn, the former principal of Gibson Elementary School in St. Louis decided that something had to be done to fix her students attendance problem. We dont want a student not coming to school because their clothes arent clean Dr. Gunn tells FOXBusiness.com. During home visits with students, Gunn learned that many parents had to visit laundromats or do their laundry at a friends or neighbors house. If scheduling was an issue, or if laundry resources like soap were scarce that week, then clothes wouldnt get washed. After conducting this informal research, Gunn approached appliance company Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) and asked for washers and dryers to be donated to the school. What Whirlpool found after a survey of 600 teachers nationwide was that one in five students struggle with access to clean clothes in the U.S. Whirlpool then donated 17 pairs of washers and dryers to districts in St. Louis and Fairfield, CA and created the Care Counts program. We dont normally think of cleaning and washing as acts of love Chelsey Lindstrom, brand manager for Whirlpool tells FOXBusiness.com. After installing the washers and dryers, Whirlpool found that over 90% of students had increased attendance, and in particular at risk youth reported fewer absences, almost two additional weeks in school. The school averaged approximately 50 loads per student and 95% of students had more motivation in class, according to results from Whirlpool. Gunn shared a story of a student who used to talk about bringing a backpack full of homework in every day. One day though, he was so excited about having his clothes washed that he gleefully shared how he had a backpack full of laundry to be washed. Story continues Whirlpool leaves it up to each district to decide how to manage the laundry programs. Gunn says that at Gibson Elementary parent volunteers managed and maintained the laundry program. For the 2016-2017 school year, Whirlpool will expand the program to five new school districts across the country. For us as a brand, our mission is to help families thrive and we know the role that appliances play in peoples lives. A simple load of laundry can have a huge impact on families and communities says Lindstrom. Gunn says that this isnt the only way that public-private partnerships can help school districts and that access to fresh food is a goal of hers. Theres got to be a way of connecting fresh fruit from farmers to schools. They [students] get a lot of processed food and they need fresh food says Gunn. For her, an ideal public-private partnership would be centered on getting students fresh food and teaching them how to cook healthy meals. Im thankful for Whirlpool and business partnerships and for our public school system that are opening their doors and using all of their resources for partnerships. Without both, wed be less helpful in developing our children into productive citizens says Gunn. Related Articles While selling foreclosure-protection services from a high-pressure telemarketing room in South Florida, Patrick Sweeney had quick comebacks to ease a customers doubts. He simply made up an answer that sounded good enough to close the deal. Sweeney helped sell legal-services programs for Prime Legal Plans, which enlisted attorneys to help struggling homeowners reduce their monthly mortgage payments through a review process known as loan modification. But he and other salespeople in the Fort Lauderdale phone room admitted that they routinely deceived customers to persuade them to keep paying thousands of dollars in fees for the plans, court records show. I generally told consumers that Prime Legal Plans achieved loan modifications for a percentage of its consumers that was in the mid to the high 80s, although I made up that number, Sweeney said in a sworn statement to federal investigators in 2012. Related: Low bar sig Related: Strapped homeowners say theyve been cheated by lawyers This story is part of Finance. The latest investigations about U.S. financial reform, corporate accountability and consumer finance. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Don't miss another Business investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. For decades, Sunbelt cities, notably spots in South Florida and southern California have been hotbeds of telemarketing scams that rely on misrepresentations, if not outright lies, to fleece the public. Gunning from aging offices pre-equipped with multiple phone hookups, scammers have hawked near-worthless certificates for dream vacations in the Bahamas, dubious precious metal investments, even shares in ostrich farms, often closing up shop a step ahead of authorities, then moving on to a new product and site. Federal officials unwittingly handed scammers a new and highly profitable product in 2009 when they launched the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP. The voluntary campaign, hatched after the housing bubble burst in 2008, encouraged lenders to offer loan modifications, which officials hoped would prevent millions of people from being forced out of their homes. But HAMP quickly spawned a new financial menace for the very people it was intended to save: Telemarketers bilked vulnerable people out of thousands of dollars by charging them advance fees for loan modifications that never materialized, or for other foreclosure rescue services that they didnt provide. Story continues The following year, officials banned advance fees for loan modifications in a move to snuff out scams run by boiler room pros. But they yielded to pressure from the legal community and exempted attorneys from the ban. That decision turned lawyers into valuable allies in the burgeoning loan-modification racket. A Center for Public Integrity investigation identified more than 1,000 attorneys nationwide who have since signed on to loan modification ventures that have drawn law enforcement scrutiny, at least partly, because they attracted clients through misleading, if not downright false, promises made by telemarketers, deceptive mailings or websites. Most of the lawyers played no direct role in hiring or supervising marketers, though they accepted referrals from attorney-directed companies that often did. These hybrid firms have been accused by state and federal consumer-fraud investigators of cheating desperate homeowners out of tens of millions of dollars, court records show. Stamp of Approval The cachet of having law firm in the corporate name has clearly been a major selling point for many people fearful of losing their homes to foreclosure. That was true for James Lorde, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who was behind on his mortgage payments and had been denied a modification by his lender. This made me feel more comfortable about working with them because I expected lawyers to perform the mortgage modification process competently, he said in a 2014 affidavit. Lorde agreed to pay an upfront fee of $1,200 to the California-based operation, and $800 a month for three months in hope of making his mortgage more affordable. He became concerned when the emails he sent to check on the progress of his case bounced back. He later learned that the law firms office was a mail drop. When he finally reached the lawyer in charge of his case and demanded a full refund, the lawyer refused, saying the firm had spent considerable time and effort on my case, according to Lordes affidavit. The lawyer promised a $500 partial refund within five days, but Lorde said he never received it. In a separate case, an Orange County, California, lawyers office had telemarketers tout its legal pedigree to set itself apart from the competition. First let me start by saying that we are NOT a loan modification company. We are a law firm made up of real estate attorneys who have been helping homeowners save their homes from foreclosure and battling mortgage lenders for more than a decade now, according to a script. Federal authorities said the firm had no such network. Thomas McNamara, a California lawyer who as a court-appointed receiver has reviewed several defunct loan-modification businesses involving attorneys, believes that sales tactics employed by boiler rooms, so-called for their high-pressure atmosphere, simply dont mesh with the practice of law. For starters, he noted most states prohibit lawyers from splitting fees with nonlawyers. Then theres the commission-payment structure that rewards hype and overselling over prudent counsel. McNamara concluded the degree of deception was so great at one firm, A to Z Marketing, that it could not be profitable if run legally and ethically. They are not law firms or even legal service providers. They are sophisticated telemarketing sales operations targeting distressed homeowners and charging illegal advance fees, according to a 2013 document MacNamara filed in a lawsuit headed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. They deceptively portray themselves as service providers for lawyers, but this is all fiction the telemarketers are the drivers of the business. The associated lawyers provide nominal services and serve primarily to promote the illusion that the consumer has retained a law firm. The FTC has since won a judgment against A to Z Marketing. Network of Attorneys Court records in other cases show that telemarketers have often appealed to raw emotions, such as fear of losing a home, or a deep-seated feeling that the homeowner had been victimized by a bank and deserves a break. That so many homeowners had been unable to get a loan modification on their own government figures show rejection rates as high as 75 percent undoubtedly has helped make these pitches enticing. Another South Florida telemarketer stated in an affidavit that she used an auto dialer to make on average at least 100 calls per day to homeowners behind on their mortgages. She billed herself as an intake case manager and told customers they would receive expert legal advice from a network of attorneys who were the best in their field and had won cases across the nation, according to an affidavit. Authorities say such claims are dubious at best. So was the oft-repeated suggestion that lawyers might uncover misconduct by mortgage lenders that could yield huge rewards for the homeowner. The woman said the bosses instructed her to tell customers that judges were ruling in favor of homeowners over banks. Some clients, she told them, had seen reductions of up to 75 percent in the balance of their loans, while other customers received their homes free and clear or had their entire mortgages rewritten. Authorities say these sorts of fantastic results seldom are achieved by any lawyer in any case. But touting the possibility clearly offers hope, which some marketers have exploited from their first contact with a homeowner. The reason I am calling you today is about your mortgage. It appears that you may be having some problems with your mortgage and might be in a predatory or fraudulent loan created by your lender. Its not your fault youre in this situation, reads the opening of one script. Related: Its real business model... Don't miss another Business investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Snappy Comebacks When people hedge or raise questions about loan modifications, telemarketers have written answers to bulldoze through their reluctance. These are called rebuttals or objections in the trade, and telemarketers often have dozens of them to refer to in a pinch. Telemarketers who sensed a sale was slipping away because the customer wanted more time to think about it had a snappy comeback to keep them on the line: You should think about your options. You can continue on your current path that will lead you to losing your home, usually with very little notice. When the homeowner seemed resigned to losing property to the bank, the telemarketer suggested an upset win for the little guy could happen. You have to understand during the last 10 years, millions of loans were given to homeowners whether they qualified or not and a lot of predatory lending was done during that time, meaning many errors whether intentional or not were committed, the telemarketers script read. The banks know this and they usually dont like to do battle with expert attorneys in court. Fees for the expert legal services were negotiable. The sellers tried to talk the homeowner into a plan that cost them $750 a month, but had the discretion to reduce the fee to $595 a month to close a deal. Telemarketers were paid commissions of $350 to $400 for each deal, according to an affidavit. Many telemarketers banked on the fact that consumers had no way to verify many of the sales claims they made, such as success rates for loan modification. Theres no place to verify who gets the best results, or whether it is worth even hiring an attorney, for instance. That didnt stop telemarketer Sweeney from making up a figure that would convince just about any customer to stick with the plan. Sweeneys job in the Fort Lauderdale sales room was to keep homeowners paying fees month after month, usually through automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts. He testified that he was hired on the spot in 2011 after a five-minute interview. Related slideshow: Zen and the art of mortgage relief sales He said he was assigned 180 clients and told to keep them enrolled from month to month, with the understanding that if he didnt retain a high percentage, management would fire him. Ideally, the company wanted to keep each customer long enough to generate about $5,000 in fees, he said. Sweeney said in early 2012 the company began offering a free credit report to people who had had made payments over five months, which he described in testimony as a tactic to throw consumers a bone and keep them in the program and making monthly payments. Sweeney said he often received complaints from people who had been paying for months without seeing any progress on their loan modification. He blamed any delays on the banks. People who tired of the delays and wanted a refund had to kick up a major fuss to get it. Those who complained to a state attorney general went to the top of the list, according to Sweeney. Many other sales rooms also made refunds to the small number of angry customers who complained to law enforcement or state legal authorities; failing to do so could bring official heat down on the boiler room. The bottom line, according to California lawyer McNamara: Businesses such as A to Z Marketing took advantage of people who were in desperate financial straits and wanted a glimmer of hope for a way out. Its real business model, McNamara said, was to target the large number of vulnerable homeowners who would pay $2,500 - $5,000 to an anonymous voice on the phone offering them hope and affordable legal representation. This story is part of Finance. The latest investigations about U.S. financial reform, corporate accountability and consumer finance. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. Twenty four-year-old Roslin , who was recently fired from her job, took out her revenge by killing the three-year-old son of her employer. By Promod Madhav: A 24-year-old woman was arrested by Trichy Police on July 30 for allegedly killing a toddler by inhumanely strangulating him as an act of revenge. Sivakumar and Laxmi Prabha were married and had a three-year-old child, Sireesh. They were running a mobile showroom shop at Trichy, next to their residence and had employed Roslin Mary as a sales woman in their shop. Roslin was very attached to Laxmi Prabha and her child and used to visit her owner's home often. advertisement Due to some misunderstanding, Roslin was fired from her job recently. WHAT HAPPENED Meanwhile, on Saturday, Roslin visited Laxmi Prabha and told her that she was taking Sireesh out as she was missing him. After a couple of hours, she brought him back home and laid him on the bed asking Laxmi Prabha not to disturb him as he was sleeping. But Sivakumar and Laxmi. Prabha got suspicious as Sireesh was lying motionless. When they took him to a hospital closeby, the doctors gave them the shocking news that their child had been dead for hours. Roslin Mary surrendered before Palakkarai police station where she confessed that she killed the child by strangling his throat with her shawl. She had allegedly committed murder as she got extremely upset for being fired from the job, and wanted to take revenge. Also Read: Trichy horror: 10 year-old ragged twice, no action yet Infant dies after vaccination, body bitten by ants in morgue --- ENDS --- Tripoli (AFP) - Key dates since the Islamic State group (IS) moved into Libya in 2014 amid the chaos that followed the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. On Monday, US warplanes carried out their first air strikes on positions in the IS bastion of Sirte. First jihadist attacks - November 19, 2014: The US says it is "concerned" by reports that radical extremists with avowed ties to IS are destabilising eastern Libya, having already seized vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. - December 27, 2014: A car bomb claimed by IS explodes outside the diplomatic security building in Tripoli without causing casualties. - January 27, 2015: IS claims an attack on Tripoli's luxury Corinthia Hotel that kills nine people, including five foreigners. Since then IS has carried out multiple suicide attacks, including in February 2015 in Al-Qoba, near the eastern town of Derna, that killed 44 people and in January 2016 at a police school in Zliten, east of Tripoli, which killed more than 50. IS videos of killings - February 15, 2015: IS releases a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians, all but one Egyptian, that it says was filmed in January. Egypt carries out air strikes on IS in its then stronghold of Derna. - April 19, 2015: A new video shows the execution-style killing of 28 Christians originally from Ethiopia. Sirte seized - June 9, 2015: IS announces it has captured Sirte, hometown of Kadhafi, east of Tripoli. - July 12, 2015: The group acknowledges it has been pushed out of Derna after weeks of fierce fighting with the town's Mujahedeen Council. First US strikes - November 13, 2015: The US bombs IS leaders in Libya for the first time and says it killed Abu Nabil, an Iraqi also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi. Libyan officials identify him as the IS chief in Derna. - February 19, 2016: A US air strike on a jihadist training camp near Sabratha, west of Tripoli, kills about 50 people. - February 24, 2016: Some 200 jihadists briefly occupy central Sabratha, before being ousted by militias. Story continues Offensive on Sirte - March 30, 2016: The head of Libya's UN-backed unity government, Fayez al-Sarraj, arrives in Tripoli, despite the hostility of rival authorities. - May 12, 2016: A vast offensive begins by forces loyal to the unity government to retake Sirte. - June 4, 2016: Unity government forces say they have retaken a jihadist air base south of Sirte. - June 9, 2016: Government forces enter the centre of Sirte and besiege the jihadists. - July 23, 2016: Loyalist forces say they have seized a building used by the IS to manufacture explosives. - August 1, 2016: Sarraj says the US has carried out air strikes on IS positions in Sirte for the first time, at the unity government's request. - August 2, 2016: US warplanes carry out second day of strikes on Sirte, as President Barack Obama says defeating the jihadists there is in America's interest. By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Libya's National Oil Corporation, which hopes to more than quadruple the country's oil output by the end of this year, remains wary that promises to reopen blockaded ports could be broken, the NOC chief in Tripoli told Reuters on Tuesday. Libya's U.N.-backed government has signed a deal with an armed brigade controlling the major Ras Lanuf and Es Sider oil ports to end a blockade and restart exports from the terminals, which have been shut since December 2014. Reopening the ports would be a huge step for the North African state, which since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi has slipped into chaos that has cut its oil output to less than a quarter of pre-2011 levels of 1.6 million barrels per day. Details of the deal between the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) to reopen the eastern ports of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina, have not been made public, but the GNA said they included an unspecified amount for PFG salaries. NOC said on Sunday it welcomed the "unconditional" reopening of blockaded oil ports, adding it would begin work to restart exports from the terminals. But the deal had been questioned by NOC's Chairman Mustafa Sanalla, who had warned against rewarding groups that shut down production and complained that the NOC lacked funds for its own operating budget. "According to the information we have there is no written agreement ... we in the NOC must work within the framework of the Libyan law particularly when it is related to the payments," Sanalla, long-time chairman of the NOC, told Reuters on Tuesday in a telephone interview. "Let's not forget that in the past there have been agreements with the Petroleum Facilities Guard ... and all those promises have been broken before despite receiving a lot of revenue in hundreds of millions ... we always watch and monitor what will happen because the old path had broken promises." He said there have to be clear regulations and oversight by the different Libyan organisations and parliament to monitor the payments made to the PFG. Story continues Sanalla said Libya's crude oil production was now at around 200,000 barrels per day and exports were at a trickle. "Yesterday the production was 198,000 bpd. We send 100,000 bpd to local refineries and the rest is for exports," he said. The NOC had said the GNA had released money allowing it to raise production by 150,000 bpd within two weeks. The NOC aims to gradually increase output to 900,000 bpd by the year-end. Most of the initial increase would come from NOC's largest subsidiary, Arabian Gulf Oil Company (Agoco). Agoco said last month that the eastern Sarir oilfield, which normally produces about 100,000 bpd, remained closed as the company waited for funds to fix equipment and pay off debts. "Production will rise gradually ... within two weeks we are aiming to reach an increase of 150-200,000 bpd. This is of course conditioned with the receiving the money owed to NOC," Sanalla said. NOC was also in talks with local groups and national oil companies to restart other closed oilfields such as El Sharara and El Feel which together would add 450,000 bpd to output. "I am always optimistic. The situation is difficult but could be solved." Sanalla said the NOC would not lift the force majeure at export terminals unless it received operational funds from the government and guarantees from all parties that if it was lifted, NOC would not have to impose it again. "If we have lifted the force majeure and were not able to export we will be in a very embarrassing situation and we are trying to avoid this to keep the credibility of the NOC intact," he said. To reopen ports: "NOC will open discussions with our international oil company partners to indemnify NOC from liability before lifting the force majeure." OPEC member Libya has been in turmoil for years, with rival governments and complex alliances of armed groups vying for power and a share of the country's significant oil wealth. In a letter seen by Reuters to U.N. Libya envoy Martin Kohler and a number of oil and diplomatic officials, NOC's Sanalla said it was a mistake to reward Ibrahim Jathran, head of the PFG for the oil ports blockade. Asked whether he was worried he could be being pushed out after standing up publicly against the deal with the PFG, Sanalla said: "I don't rule out being pushed away from the board because of my position sooner or later." "I don't regret what I did, because the most important thing is to serve the Libyan people and prevent NOC from collapsing." (Reporting by Rania El Gamal, editing by David Evans) Even a hard-core Winnie the pooh fan may not know this 3 Aug is Pooh Hunny Day! Never mind about the story behind this special occasion, were diving right into the exciting part special edition Pooh & friends goodies! Taking over Disney Stores Japan homepage this week is the hero of our story Winnie the Pooh and friends. We recently shared pictures of a small selection of these new releases on our Facebook page and you girls were thrilled! Amidst the Wow & Waaaah, many of you asked how to get them since theyre launched only in Japan. So here we are with the answers! But first, we want to share a closer look of the popular items that you Pooh fans were excited about, and a few of the other goodies we think you would like! Top Favourites Pooh Tote Bag Pooh Tote Bag Pooh Tote Bag Pooh Tote Bag 2,916 size: 15 width 19 depth 9 (cm) A summer two-way tote bag with Poohs face and protruding ears on the front, and another print with piglet on the back. Hand it on your arms or sling it across your body with the removable strap. (Want this? Click on + in this link to copy request!) Pooh Cooler Bag Pooh Cooler Bag Pooh Cooler Bag Pooh Weave Cooler Bag 3,888 29 width 35 depth 13 (cm) height A cooler bag perfect for the picnic or barbeque sessions. The large and roomy compartment is ideal for mummies who need to bring their entire kitchen out! Life Size Pooh Life Size Pooh Life Size Pooh Life Size XL Winnie the Pooh Plushie 10,800 A height of about 95 width 62 depth 37 (cm) when sitting: a height of about 73 width 62 depth 56 (cm) Yes, a Winnie the Pooh as tall as you are, occupying almost half your bed. Its the dream of every Pooh fan! Other limited edition designs that captured our hearts: Honey Pot Shoulder Bag 4,212 Pooh & Friends Plushies 3,780 yen Pooh & piglet Phone cover 3,780 yen Round Coin Pouch 1,620 yen Winnie the Pooh & Piglet Pouch 2,160 Tissue Box 3,024 Ring 1,296 How to order Pooh Hunny Day Series? We all know that this Pooh Hunny Day series is launched on Disney Store Japan. But dont be disappointed that you nor friends are visiting Japan anytime soon! You can always ask other Singaporeans who are in Japan right now to help you buy. Story continues Heres how it works 1) Post a new request, or click on + if you see someone else buying the item you want 2) Include a concise description and a willing to pay price (includes cost of item + tips for travellers effort) 3) Wait for a traveller to offer help (usually pretty fast!) 4) Place a deposit Airfrov will hold your money until the traveller returns with the right goods. Safe for both parties! 5) Sit back, relax and wait for your item to arrive in Singapore! Click here to shop the full Pooh Hunny Day Collection on Disney Store! Got it? Click here to get $10 credits for your first transaction. Click here or below image to start shopping, and browse what others are buying! Pooh Honey Day Facebook twitter reddit pinterest linkedin mail The post Limited Edition Goodies released for 3 Aug Pooh Hunny day! appeared first on Airfrov Blog. Lionsgate is back on its feet in a lawsuit contending that TD Ameritrade ripped off a famous Patrick Swayze line from the film Dirty Dancing for use in one of the brokerage giant's advertisements. The film studio claims to own common-law trademark rights in "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner," and objects to a TD Ameritrade commercial showing a cartoon image of a man holding a piggy bank above his head with the tagline, "Nobody puts your old 401(k) in the corner." In March, California federal judge Dean Pregerson threw out trademark infringement claims as being dressed-up ones preempted by copyright law. On a subsequent motion for reconsideration, Lionsgate focused on the way that the court had dismissed a claim for trademark dilution, meaning that TD Ameritrade had allegedly used a famous and distinctive mark in commerce and blurred or tarnished it. At the time, Pregerson ruled that legal precedent required TD Ameritrade to be using an identical or near identical mark to Lionsgate's, but the judge on Tuesday agreed with the plaintiff that such a rule is based on an outdated statute that was rendered obsolete by the Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2006. TD Ameritrade fell back on an argument that it was not using the trademark as a trademark. It tried to assert that it was merely using "Nobody puts your old 401(k) in the corner" to instead convey some sort of advertising or promotional information, but the brokerage company can't keep the trademark dilution claim from being revived. Pregerson responds that the relevant inquiry is whether TD Ameritrade uses the slogan to identify, distinguish or indicate the source of goods and services, and that Lionsgate has sufficiently pled that the defendant alluded to its film and caused confusion in the marketplace. He writes, "Given that the parties do not dispute a slogan can be used as a trademark and given Lions Gate's allegations that Defendants intended to use this phrase as part of branding campaign, the cause of action survives the Motion to Dismiss." Here's the full ruling. Image via @jacuzzilafleur Image via @jacuzzilafleur Jazz Cartier began July with a new song called Lil Wayne, and he ended July the same way, sharing another new track titled Just In Case. Produced by longtime collaborator Lantz, the song starts with jazzy brass and synths that sound like a swarm of angry bees before the bass kicks in and Cartier proceeds to bring it. The track has the rapper talking about becoming the worst parts of his father, and also serves as a warning to his haters, those who run they mouth, but still they pockets out of shape. Listen to Just In Case below. We caught up with the Toronto rapper back in May, so check that out over here as well. Just In Case out now link in bio. A photo posted by Jazz Cartier (@jacuzzilafleur) on Aug 1, 2016 at 3:16pm PDT More from Pigeons & Planes Writer-director Ira Sachs uniquely knows New York City and continues to explore its neighborhoods in his latest indie gem, Little Men. After previous looks at city life in Keep the Lights On and Love Is Strange, Sachs sets his sights on the coming-of-age tale of two 13-year-old boys whose budding friendship is undermined by the business conflict between their parents. Isnt that always the way with grown-ups messing everything up? Jake (Theo Taplitz) meets Tony (Michael Barbieri) after his grandfather dies and the family inherits Grandpas Brooklyn home. That home includes a bottom-floor unit that is a dress shop run by Tonys mom, Chilean immigrant Leonor (Paulina Garcia). The boys become fast friends as they traverse the streets of New York and discover that they both also want to attend the La Guardia School for the Arts. Tony wants to be an actor; Jake wants to be an artist. As I say in my video review (click the link above to watch), problems arise when Jakes dad Brian (Greg Kinnear), a struggling actor currently starring in an experimental play in a small theater, decides that Leonor has been paying far too little rent in her lease. He intends to raise it substantially, virtually forcing her to move since she cant make ends meet with the additional financial burden. Leonor maintains that she was a lot closer to Grandpa than his own family, but the conflict between the adults which also includes Jakes mom Kathy, a psychologist played by Jennifer Ehle makes life difficult for their kids, who are caught in the crossfire of all of this. No one is really the villain here, though. Both families are just trying to get by as best they can in an ever-changing environment. Sachs, with help from his co-writer Mauricio Zacharias, definitely comments on the gentrification of New Yorks older neighborhoods and the human toll that takes. Meanwhile, much of the emphasis is rightly on Jake and Tony, who become immediate BFFs despite being worlds apart in terms of personality and despite their parents becoming just the opposite. Sachs , a fan of classic coming-of-age movies such as Francois Truffauts The 400 Blows and The World of Henry Orient, which starred Peter Sellers, knows how to get natural performances out of kids and has done so in casting two charmers who make it all look easy. Barbieri is a real live wire, a force of nature, while Taplitz matches him perfectly. Kinnear is nicely grounded, even underplaying the father. Ehle adds nice support, and Garcia, so great in Chiles recent Gloria, gets some strong moments. Talia Balsam offers a sympathetic ear to her brother Brians dealings with Leonor as someone looking for her own cash-out in this sticky situation. And its nice to see Alfred Molina, so great in Sachs Love Is Strange, back working with the director, even in a minor role like this one. Magnolia Pictures releases the film appropriately in New York City on Friday, followed the next week in Los Angeles and a slow national rollout. Do you plan to see Little Men? Let us know what you think. Related stories Magnolia Acquires Greg Kinnear-Starring 'Little Men' Deadline Studio @ Sundance Part Four: Kristen Stewart, Octavia Spencer, Elisabeth Moss, Katie Couric, Kevin Smith & More WME Signs Ira Sachs 'Little Men's Michael Barbieri - Sundance From Cosmopolitan Erin Delman, 25, is a fourth-year PhD student of earth system sciences, specifically studying the relationship between climate change and conflict, at the University of California Irvine. After years of violent, unexplained vomiting, she was diagnosed just three months ago with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), a condition so rare that the exact number of patients is unknown (The National Institutes of Health estimates as few as 4 out of every 100,000 children have it - it's even less frequently diagnosed in adults.). Delman, who is currently on her second medical leave from grad school, spoke to Cosmopolitan.com about the years-long diagnostic process, what her episodes are like, and how she explains the condition to people who simply don't believe it exists. Starting in 2008, when I was at Union College, I was throwing up more than normal people - probably every couple of months. I would wake up at about 2 a.m. to puke and would be sick for 16 hours. I always thought it was because of drinking, even though I actually hardly drank at school. When people would just say, "Ugh, I'm hungover, I need a coffee, brunch, and an Advil," I would think that sounded unbelievable. That's probably when it started, but I didn't notice [something was wrong] until my first year of graduate school, and the beginning of my second semester. I was so sick. At this point, I was throwing up every day, multiple times a day, for two or three months. It was horrible. Then it mellowed out and ended up being once or twice a week, but at the end of my first year of graduate school, I took three months off for medical leave. To be honest, I was discreet at first [with my family]. I figured it was food poisoning or stress or a sensitive stomach. My father's a physician and mother is an RN, so when I had these symptoms, my father would call a gastroenterologist he knew and they would tell him how to treat me - but that didn't work either. My mom would drive 45 minutes to give me a shot at 3 in the morning and she'd come clean my apartment if I couldn't. When it got really bad, [my parents were] extremely motivated to identify a doctor, acquire a diagnosis, and develop a treatment regimen. We talk a lot about my condition in my family. It helps having a doctor, nurse, and soon-to-be-doctor [my brother] in the family, and it's funny how they transition from family mode to physician mode; a simple "How have you been feeling recently?" turns into a bunch of clinical questions. Story continues I was going to all kinds of doctors. They found out that I have low immunoglobulin levels, which suggested an immune deficiency. I saw an immunologist, but he didn't really [have the] answer. I went to a psychiatrist to see if it was something that was related to mental health and they ruled that out, but I thought I was having a mental breakdown. I'm in a PhD program, it's really high stress, and I couldn't figure out why I was throwing up all the time. Then one day, my twin brother who is in medical school sent me an email with just a link to a website on cyclic vomiting syndrome and he's like, "I think this might be exactly what you have. It seems to fit your symptoms." I actually have never asked [exactly how he found the link]. My brother is super intelligent and a thorough worker, so I'm sure he just came across it during class. He forwarded it to my parents, and they were able to find me a GI specialist in Los Angeles and then a cyclic vomiting syndrome specialist in Texas. I met with him about three months ago and was diagnosed. How it works with cyclic vomiting syndrome is patients have what are known as "stereotypical episodes." My episodes are almost exactly the same every time - I wake up at about 2 a.m. and I start vomiting. It's incredibly violent and very painful. This is serious retching. After the first hour, I stop throwing up solids or fluids and move to bile. I'll drink Gatorade eventually because it becomes so painful to just puke bile. So I'll just drink and throw up, drink and throw up. I vomit every five minutes until I'm medicated. This is serious retching. I'll just drink and throw up, drink and throw up. I vomit every five minutes until I'm medicated. As far as treatment goes, it depends. Every day, I take amitriptyline and CoQ10, which work to prevent episodes [Editor's note: Amitriptyline is an antidepressant and nerve pain medication used to treat migraines; it's believed cyclic vomiting syndrome falls on the migraine spectrum, and amitriptyline in combination with CoQ10, a coenzyme made in the body that assists with the basic function of cells, has proven "highly effective in the prevention of vomiting episodes."]. I live about 45 minutes from my parents and if they're around when I'm having an episode, they will drive to me. My boyfriend James, who I've been with since October 2015 and live with, will help, but if he's not around, [my parents] will give me a shot of promethazine [Ed. note: A motion sickness medication also proven to be successful in treating CVS episodes.]. My boyfriend is really helpful because he'll give me shots of ondansetron [Ed note: Ondansetron is Zofran, an anti-nausea medication.] when I get too sick. He's a former Marine, so he is pretty tough - he has cleaned up all types of bodily fluids. I also really hate needles, so if [James or my parents] aren't around, I'm sometimes forced to take suppositories which are rectally inserted, but unfortunately when you're puking, it's just not always possible. Very occasionally, I'll have episodes in the middle of the day and I have about a two- to three-minute window when I know it's going to start - I'll get really pale, salivate a lot, and start shaking - and I can take my pills [Ativan and dissolvable Zofran] to try to stop it, but I've never been able to abort an episode. Last year though, I had an episode in Colorado and I had to go to the hospital. It was maybe five hours before I was able to get medication and I puked about 12 times an hour during that time. I actually had to call an Uber to take me to the hospital because I was passing out from dehydration [By that point,] I was mainly retching with a small amount of bile, so it stopped getting messy, so when the Uber arrived around 5:30, I called him to explain my condition and ask if he was willing to transport me. He was compassionate and understanding; he helped me into the car and into the hospital. He kept trying to distract me by telling stories of college students he's driven from CU, and it was a nice gesture, but I couldn't stop retching into the bag. Not my greatest moment. In the last year of grad school, I had another three months where I was puking almost every single day. By this point, I had missed weddings, family functions, parties, events and exams because I was so sick. Before I was diagnosed, I felt bad too. I was a TA and had to have my colleagues cover for me and you know how it gets in school - I would bail on my friends a lot and I was a flaky person to begin with. It was difficult for my friends to believe me. It really is an unbelievable condition. It sounds like you're making stuff up! But a bunch of my very close friends [had seen] an episode at some point. I started crying at [the appointment I was diagnosed] because [the doctor] told us twice that this was a debilitating condition - especially before you start treating it - but that it was not terminal. I feel very fortunate that there's no long-term prognosis that I should be concerned about, but it's really made it difficult to function. It is incredible it took so long to receive a diagnosis because it seems so obvious now, but I think that's typical of cyclic vomiting syndrome patients. It's a diagnosis of exclusion, so it takes a lot of work to narrow down the conditions. Having a physician tell me, "This is a neurologic condition with these treatment options," made me feel unburdened. I was and am really into school, and this has really impeded my ability to be a good student and [in the future] be effective in my field. And I took a lot of that sense of failure onto myself. I don't think I gave myself adequate room to heal, so having this big physician at this big hospital tell me that it was OK helped a lot. Having a physician tell me , 'This is a neurologic condition with these treatment options,' made me feel unburdened. I keep a diary so I can track my episodes: what they felt like, when they happen, how long they lasted, what meds I took, etc., and I'm trying to identify triggers. I haven't [noticed any patterns with triggers of episodes], but I'm always stressed out and a lot of people report stress - either happy or sad- is a trigger. The main thing I've noticed is that I need to make sure I get sleep. If I try to pull an all-nighter, I will definitely be sick. Also, my period. I get sick almost always around menstruation. I've been told it can take up to six months for [the amitriptyline and CoQ10] to officially work, but I think it's getting better. I guess it's the same with all invisible illnesses: You can't always explain to people what's going on, especially when you're so sick. I want people who have friends with a condition like mine to know that we really appreciate all the help. It's gross. It's a really disgusting condition! It's hard to get that gratitude across when you're sick, but I don't think I'd be able to function right now without my parents, my brother, my boyfriend, and my friends. Having them is a huge comfort that I know I'm privileged to have. Without my parents and brother, the months leading up to and following the diagnosis would have been much more difficult. What's amazing is that I feel totally fine when I'm not symptomatic. You have to laugh about it when you're feeling good, 'cause otherwise it's impossible to just live. Invisible Illnesses is a weekly column featuring twentysomething women who suffer from chronic illnesses. They explain their conditions, how it affects their lives, and what they wish people who have no idea they are sick would know. If you have a story about invisible illness you'd like to share, email tkoman@hearst.com. Follow Tess on Twitter. By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The proposed transfer of medical colleges of Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University to Delhi University has been "cancelled", according to Health Ministry, prompting the striking students to call off their stir. The Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) of Safdarjung Hospital and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital currently operate under GGSIPU, which comes under Delhi government. advertisement The proposal to transfer the two colleges under University of Delhi was recently initiated, but was cancelled by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), according to an official notice of the Ministry. "I, Dr Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Nirman Bhawan, hereby cancel the proposal of transfer of VMMC, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia hospitals from the GGSIP University to Delhi University and I also state that this will never happen," the notice from the Health Ministry reads. The agitation that started Monday morning and affected OPD services at both the hospitals was called off after the notification was issued. Resident doctors of VMMC had also staged a protest last week outside Medical Superintendents office of Safdarjung Hospital over the proposed shifting of the medical colleges. PTI KND GVS RG GVS --- ENDS --- Every year as the major players roll out their festival lineups from North America to Europe, there's a public outcry at the lack of female directors in the programming. This year's Locarno Film Festival, which is set to run Wednesday through Aug. 13, is taking advantage of its indie cred and taking a gamble on new voices with one of the most female-heavy lineups seen in years in any major festival. Of the 17 world premieres in competition this year at Locarno, eight are helmed by women, an achievement that artistic director Carlo Chatrian credits with not having to be beholden to the older generations of directors. Beyond representing films from all over the globe, the festival has an incredibly varied mix of retrospectives this year, including tributes to Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jane Birkin, Bill Pullman, David Linde, Howard Shore and Roger Corman, as well as one for Abbas Kiarostami. And films gracing the 8,000-seat outdoor Piazza Grande range from Paul Greengrass' Jason Bourne to Colm McCarthy's The Girl With All the Gifts. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Chatrian from his offices in Switzerland about how he has programmed one of the most diverse fest lineups this year, and his challenges leading a top European festival into 2020. THR: How many films did you watch this year? Chatrian: Maybe too many, as usual. I didn't count them but it would be around 700, 800. I don't remember. A lot. It's not a matter of judging whether the film is good or bad but more evaluating if it fits with our program or not. Sometimes you understand you don't need to watch the whole film to understand if can work. You have a wonderful representation of female directors this year competing for the Golden Leopard. How would you respond to the larger trend of women being excluded from international festivals? This year the main competition also hosts a larger number of upcoming directors. I think this is kind of a reflection of a changing direction of world cinema. Because if you are talking about a director that belongs to the generation of the '60s, those directors are really few. So if you are composing a lineup of big established directors, it's very hard, simply because they are few. Instead, if you are composing your lineup focusing on upcoming directors, then the women are more present simply because I think that cinema is changing and think that also, little by little, Venice, Cannes or Berlin will go in this direction. Story continues The chance I have with Locarno is I have more freedom. I don't have to have all the big masters, but I can also include even in the main competition a film made by debut directors and directors who have made one or two films, which makes me very happy because I have more freedom in composing the program. Do you think things are changing globally for female filmmakers? It's very complicated. It would be a very long answer because there are countries like Japan where the situation is not good at all for women. But what makes me happy is we have a director from Thailand, a female director from Switzerland, a female director from Bulgaria, so it's not only France or Germany or the U.S. or the countries in which cinema is more established. This is the first year we have this incredibly large number of female directors and I think we need to wait a bit and see, but what a female director can bring is a different approach, a different sensibility. Just to give an example, we have one film shot by a male director from Japan and another one made by a female director from Thailand, and both deal with the military dictatorship in those countries. And it's very interesting because you have a different kind of approach on the same topic. I think we need diversity to understand the world we are living in. And, of course, female directors, female scriptwriters, female producers bring this diversity. It's not the only issue, but for sure it's a kind of enrichment that cinema has to go into. Your first festival as artistic director was in 2013. How does it feel to have your contract renewed until 2020? Well, yes, I'm very happy, and I think all the stuff we are going through is a process. Next year we will have a new theater, so it's good to have a little bit of perspective to work on and you can organize not only the single edition but also to work more medium-term, whether it's respective programs or a guest you really want to have or something more complex. What would be your dream festival in 2020? Where do you see it going? Look, it's very hard to see the future. I don't know. Also, I'm asking myself what will be the position of the cinema itself in four years' time because when I'm looking back at cinema, it's changed so much in terms of production, situation, everything. The new platforms, I think, they are changing. I still think of the festival as a gathering point, as a place for meeting, as a place for exchanging experience. But maybe we will be able to project virtual reality. That will be a unique experience. Michael Cimino was a very memorable guest at Locarno last year, and we unfortunately lost him this year. Do you have any particular memories of him at the festival? Cimino was a very precise person. We discussed every single detail from the print, from which sources we should get it, the time of the screening, etc. He was happy with the details to screen The Deer Hunter on the Piazza Grande as the second screening on a Saturday, but that night we had quite a big rainstorm starting more or less in the middle of the film. And the day after he was so angry at me. He told me, "You can't do a screening when it's supposed to rain. You do a screening in the desert!" But just to tell you how he can be generous changing his mind, I think only two hours later he did a master class which was supposed to end after only one hour and he did it for two hours in a row. At the end of the night, he thanked me because he had incredibly good feedback from the audience that stood with him under the rain watching the film. He was in a very good mood when he was in Locarno, that's something that I remember clearly. And I remember when we said goodbye, he said, "I want to come back, Carlo, but I want to come back with a film." And it was at the same time tender because I know the situation he was living in in Hollywood and at the same time I felt he was sure of himself. So it was a kind of a movie moment. A Lucille Ball statue unveiled in 2009 and dubbed "scary" is finally being replaced with a new sculpture of the comedy icon, set to be revealed this weekend. Artist Carolyn Palmer created the new statue for Ball's hometown of Celoron, N.Y. The sculpture will be unveiled at the Lucille Ball Memorial Park at noon Saturday, in honor of what would have been Ball's 105th birthday. Palmer won a national competition to create the sculpture, after the original was criticized as "frightening." Even the artist of the original statue, Dave Poulin, admitted to The Hollywood Reporter it was "by far" his "most unsettling sculpture." Palmer spent nine months creating her bronze sculpture of Ball. She researched the project by watching episodes of I Love Lucy, hiring models to pose in '50s-style dresses and buying a red wig as inspiration. Read more: 'Scary' Lucille Ball Artist Apologizes: It Is "By Far My Most Unsettling Sculpture" "I not only wanted to portray the playful, animated and spontaneous Lucy, but also the glamorous Hollywood icon," said Palmer. She sculpted Lucy with 2.5-inch high heels and 2.5-inch curled hair. "I just hope that all the Lucy fans are pleased and that Lucille Ball herself would have enjoyed this image of her." Palmer is based in New York and has worked on sculptures of Pope Francis, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Orville and Wilbur Wright and Thomas Jefferson. Her marble sculpture of Pope Francis was blessed by the pope during his visit to the U.S. in 2015. Poulin had offered to refurbish the statue at his own expense but Celoron's mayor said he wanted a new artist to take on the task of creating a new statue. Read more: New Sculptor Will Fix "Scary Lucy" Statue, Says Local Mayor Frankfurt (AFP) - German flag carrier Lufthansa warned Tuesday that "horrific" terror attacks in Europe were having a "tangible impact" on business, with second-quarter profits down 17 percent. Advance bookings were down sharply, the airline said, as net profits for the three months ending June came in at 437 million euros ($488 million). "Horrific terror attacks are making people feel unsafe," chief executive Carsten Spohr said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "Because of repeated terror attacks in Europe and political and economic uncertainty, advance bookings, especially on long-haul flights to Europe, have fallen significantly," finance director Simone Menne said. The weak profits came despite the lower oil price, which resulted in a fuel cost boon of 597 million euros. Compared with the figure for the first half of 2015, net profits took a 55 percent blow, falling to 429 million euros. Lufthansa had already said last month that the jittery atmosphere in Europe was hitting its business and considered "a complete recovery as not likely anymore." Its European rival Air France-KLM also warned last week about the impact of recent attacks on the airline. Air France-KLM's chief financial officer Pierre-Francois Riolacci said unit revenue fell by 5.6 percent in the second quarter, which he put down to the sluggish global economic recovery and "most of all the effect of the terror attacks that have struck Europe in recent quarters". A spate of attacks targeting France and Germany at the height of peak tourist season in Europe has hurt the industry. France, the world's top tourist destination, is reeling from an attack at the Riviera town of Nice on Bastille Day when a gunman drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd of revellers, killing 84. That was the third major strike against France in less than 18 months, coming just eight months after Islamic State gunmen and suicide bombers stormed bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium in Paris, killing 130 people. Story continues In January last year, 17 were killed in another assault at various sites including the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris. Germany was meanwhile hit in July by an axe attack that left five people-- including four tourists from Hong Kong -- wounded, a gun rampage, a machete assault and a suicide bomb attack. A spokeswoman for the German tourism board told AFP last week that "there haven't been any cancellations" in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in Europe's biggest economy. But in France, flight reservations following the Nice attack were down 20 percent. Between January and July 10 arrivals to France by air were down 5.8 percent, and down 11 percent to Paris. Luxembourg (AFP) - Luxembourg has lodged an appeal against the verdicts handed down to three LuxLeaks whistleblowers who exposed the small duchy's huge tax breaks for giant multinationals, the justice department said Tuesday. "The state prosecutor lodged a general appeal at the end of last week," spokesman Henri Eippers told AFP. Former PricewaterhouseCoopers employees Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet were given suspended 12-month and nine-month jail terms while journalist Edouard Perrin was acquitted of all charges at their trial in June. The decision to launch a general appeal against all three verdicts could have the most consequences for Perrin, a journalist with France 2 television who based his expose on thousands of documents obtained by the other two defendants. The LuxLeaks scandal, which implicated global firms such as Apple, IKEA and Pepsi, sparked howls of protest in Europe, leading to a crackdown on the generous tax deals the wealthy seemed able to arrange with governments as normal people struggled with tough austerity policies. The revelations were doubly embarrassing since they showed many of the tax deals were cut during the premiership of Jean-Claude Juncker, now head of the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU. Deltour and Halet, who have already appealed against their sentences, faced a maximum penalty of 10 years on charges which included stealing documents, revealing business secrets and violation of professional secrets. The documents were used for a 2012 report by Perrin on French public television and then exploded onto the world stage two years later with the huge LuxLeaks release of all 30,000 pages into the public domain. Defence lawyers argued that all three should have been acquitted since they acted in the public good with the sentencing raising concerns about the future role of whistleblowers in Europe. It's Vikram vs Vikram, guys, in his upcoming science-fiction action film Iru Mugan. Watch the trailer now! By India Today Web Desk: The first trailer of superstar Vikram's upcoming science-fiction film Iru Mugan is here and by the looks of it, it promises to be a smart, intense, slick thriller. ALSO READ: Vikram's daughter gets engaged to Karunanidhi's great grandson SEE PICS: Here are the new stills from Vikram-Nayantara's film Iru Mugan The film has been directed by Anand Shankar who debuted in 2014 with Arima Nambi. The action thriller was a modest critical success and was appreciated by critics for its technical finesse. advertisement Iru Mugan stars Vikram as RAW agent Akhilan who is sent to fight mad scientist-cum-terrorist Love. Nayantara stars as the female lead while Nithya Menon plays the secondary female lead. While this is director Anand Shankar's first collaboration with composer Harris Jayaraj, Vikram is working with Jayaraj for the sixth time in Iru Mugan. The film reportedly took more time than necessary to be made because of production disputes that began in June last year during the shooting of the film. Initially, Kajal Aggarwal and Priya Anand were signed to play the two female leads. After the two opted out, the producers tried casting various actors till Nayantara and Nithya Menon were finally roped in. Watch the trailer of Iru Mugan here: Iru Mugan will release in theatres on September 9 this year. --- ENDS --- (Reuters) - Winger Leroy Sane has joined Manchester City from German side Schalke 04 on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. No financial details of the deal were disclosed, but British media reported that City had paid 37 million pounds ($48.96 million) for the 20-year-old, who is the club's fifth signing of the close season. Sane scored eight goals and made six assists for Schalke last season as the club finished fifth in the Bundesliga standings. "I feel really good, I'm happy to be here and happy that it has all worked out. Now I can settle here in Manchester and play for City," Sane told the club's website. (www.mancity.com) ($1 = 0.7557 pounds) (Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f163831%2f13912805_1288949841145833_9200514043845625281_n No one likes to be stood up, especially not for 10 days. Alexander Pieter Cirk made news headlines when he was hospitalised for exhaustion after spending 10 days waiting for his online girlfriend at Changsha Huanghua International Airport in China. The woman, identified only by her surname Zhang, never showed up. SEE ALSO: This book nerd's tweet to a bookstore's official Twitter account ended in a love story According to CCTV News, the 41-year-old Dutchman flew 4,500 kilometres to China to see the 26-year-old Zhang, two months after meeting online. Cirk waited for Zhang for 10 days. Image: cctv news/facebook After local media outlets contacted Zhang, she claimed that she thought Cirk was joking when he said he was visiting. Even when Cirk sent her pictures of his air tickets, she didn't take him seriously. "We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me," Zhang said. "One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly, and I thought it was a joke. He didnt contact me later." A picture of Zhang on Cirk's phone. Image: cctv news/facebook Probed further on why she remained MIA when Cirk tried contacting her after his arrival in China, Zhang revealed that she had turned off her phone as she was undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures in another Chinese city. This whole incident has left netizens feeling torn over pitying Cirk and wondering why he even bothered to wait and neglected his own health. Cirk was hospitalised for exhaustion. Image: cctv news/facebook The "jilted' Cirk returned to the Netherlands after being discharged on Monday. However Zhang has insisted that the relationship is far from over, as she plans to meet Cirk in person after she's recovered. Looks like part two of the Cirk-Zhang love story will be coming up soon. He had noticed her for the past couple of weeks, the tiny woman who walked past his auto shop every day, burdened by bags of groceries or totes filled with belongings. She is a janitor at the high school just one street over from Richard Newberrys tire and auto store in St. Petersburg, Florida. Read: Mutt Could Possibly Go Wrong? 2 Dogs Crash Their Owner's Car Into Walmart On Friday, as Newberry was inside doing paper work, the woman stopped and looked in at me and I could tell she was upset, Newberry told Inside Edition Monday. So he walked outside and began to speak to Ernestina Nunez, asking why she looked so upset. She just broke down. She was telling me that she was upset. That she had nothing left to live for. She was just stressing. She just needed someone to lean on. Newberry was that person on that day. And on that same day, he would hand to her a set of keys to one of the cars on his lot, free of charge. But it took a lot of convincing, and a lot of listening. Her son, a Marine who served overseas, killed himself one year ago, Nunez told Newberry. He had PTSD and shot himself, leaving behind two young children. The woman, who is in her 60s, was talking about killing herself, Newberry said. She said, I dont have anything to live for. I dont have any friends. Now you have a friend, Newberry told her. Im going to come out here every day and talk to you. To distract her from thoughts of ending her life, Newberry walked her around to where he had several cars for sale. He tried to sell her a used car, but she laughed him off. He slashed $400 from the $1,000 price tag on a 1999 Ford Escort. I just cant do it, she said. So he dropped the price to $200, and said she could make payments on the rest. She couldnt afford that, either. So Newberry said Heres the key, take it. Its yours. Story continues She wouldnt take it. Newberry live-streamed the exchange on Facebook, to prove his good intentions by making his offer public. Finally, Nunez relented and accepted the keys. Read: 15 Brave Men Come Together To Move Overturned Car Back On Its Wheels After Crash Why did he do it? Ive had trouble in my past. Ive done a lot of bad things in my life. I broke the law. Ive been homeless. Ive been to prison. He knows how it feels thinking you have nothing left to go for, he said. Nunez coming by on Tuesday, when he will take her to the motor vehicles office to transfer title of the car, he said. He will pay for her insurance to get her started. He also established a GoFundMe page to help her with maintaining her new vehicle. His Facebook page has been deluged since he put up the footage of him trying to get Nunez to accept his gift. Hes heard from a man who said he served with her son in the military. He intends to pass along that note to Nunez. Perhaps she will have another new friend who wants her to stay in the land of the living. Watch: See This Heroic Cop Rescue Armed Robbery Suspect From Burning Car Related Articles: By Indrajit Kundu: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to rename West Bengal as "Bengal" and "Banga" respectively in English and Bengali. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the state secretariat today. "In order to place our demands better in various central meetings, we have decided to rename our state as Bangla or Bengal. We will hold a special assembly session for this purpose on August 26," informed state education minister Partha Chatterjee after the cabinet meeting. Mamata wants West Bengal to be renamed as "Banga" or "Bangla" in Bengali and simply "Bengal" in English. advertisement According to sources, the step was initiated after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee complained that state officials had to wait a long during most Central meetings as timings were decided based on names in the alphabetical order. Mamata was apparently miffed that her state always figured at the bottom of the list just because alphabetically it is placed way down in the line. She reportedly got tired of waiting her turn till the end during various inter-state council meetings as West Bengal starts with "W" which is 23rd on the list of English alphabets. If the state is renamed as "Bengal" then it will rise ahead of others in the alphabetical order, thus solving the problem. The state government has decided to call for a special assembly session for the purpose on August 26. Once a resolution is passed in the state assembly, it will then be sent to the Central government for consideration. The government will first call an all party meet to discuss the proposal before the resolution is moved in the floor of the house. Watch video here --- ENDS --- Chicago (AFP) - A man in the US state of Ohio pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he planned to attack the US Capitol during a speech by President Barack Obama last year. Christopher Lee Cornell, a 22-year-old from the Cincinnati area, pleaded guilty to "terrorism charges," the Justice Department said in a statement. Cornell admitted to attempting to kill government employees, possession of a firearm to commit violent crime and attempting to "provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization," it said. According to the plea agreement, he said that from about August 2014 through January 2015 he had schemed to travel to Washington in order to attack the US Capitol during Obama's State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015. Cornell had amassed two semi-automatic rifles, approximately 600 rounds of ammunition, and had researched how to make bombs. He was arrested on January 14, 2015. "The defendant admitted that his planned attack on the US Capitol was an attempt to provide material support and resources -- both personnel and services -- to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," the department said, using another name of the Islamic State group. "After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for others to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens," according to his admissions in the plea agreement. Cornell faces as much as 40 years in prison on the charges. (Reuters) - Maryland police fatally shot an armed black woman who espoused anti-government views and threatened to kill officers during a standoff where her 5-year-old son was wounded, authorities said on Tuesday. The shooting of Korryn Gaines, 23, of Randallstown, Maryland, about 17 miles northwest of Baltimore, on Monday prompted outrage on social media, reigniting concerns about police use of force, especially against African-Americans. Gaines pointed a shotgun at Baltimore County officers when they arrived at her apartment to serve warrants on her and Kareem Courtney, 39, her boyfriend, police said. "When somebody points a gun directly at an officer and threatens to shoot them, it very well may not end well. That is the situation we had in this case," police spokeswoman Elise Armacost told reporters. Police said Gaines was live-streaming video during the faceoff and followers were encouraging her not to give in peacefully. Gaines had faced charges that included disorderly conduct and resisting arrest from a March traffic stop. Courtney was wanted for an assault charge against Gaines. Courtney, who is also black, fled with a 1-year-old boy and was arrested. Gaines remained in the apartment with her son. After a standoff of about five hours, an officer fired when Gaines pointed the gun at officers and threatened to kill them. She was then killed in an exchange of fire. The wounded boy was struck in the arm and is in good condition at a hospital, police said. Who fired the round that hit him is not known. Police did not give the race of the officers involved. During the March traffic incident, officers stopped Gaines for driving with pieces of cardboard in the place of license plates, a police report said. One of them had written on it, "Any Government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right and freedom." Story continues She tossed the officers' citations out the window. She said they "would have to 'murder' her" to get her out of her car so it could be towed, the report said. Armacost said Gaines espoused anti-government views but did not know if she belonged to a specific anti-government group. Facebook deactivated Gaines' account during the standoff at the request of police. The hash tags #KorrynGaines and #SayHerName trended heavily on Twitter. Videos showing Gaines' encounter with police went viral. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington and by Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Andrew Hay) By Ian Simpson (Reuters) - Maryland's attorney general has appealed a judge's order for a new trial for Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was put into question by the 2014 podcast "Serial." Syed, 36, is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. His lawyers had sought a new trial amid questions about the case's fairness that the podcast raised in late 2014, and a Baltimore judge ordered the trial in June. The appeal, filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court late on Monday, argued that Judge Martin Welch had wrongly allowed new arguments over cellphone evidence that linked Syed to Lee's death. Syed should not be granted a new trial "when there has been no new evidence, no change in law, no material link to the original justification for remand, and no reason why the claim could not have been raised at numerous prior proceedings," Deputy Attorney General Thiruvendran Vignarajah said in the 45-page appeal. He also contested Welch's decision to vacate Syed's conviction because of ineffective legal help, saying Syed's lawyers had failed to raise the argument during his original appeal and in other petitions. Lee's body was found buried in a Baltimore park. Syed was convicted in 2000 of murdering her and remains in prison pending the outcome of a new trial. The "Serial" podcast on Syed's case was released by public radio station WBEZ in Chicago and has been downloaded tens of millions of times. The podcast raised questions about the case, including testimony from one of the witnesses and phone calls that linked Syed to the crime. In his ruling, Welch said Syed's original lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, had failed to cross-examine prosecutors' expert about the reliability of cellphone tower location evidence. Syed's lawyers had argued that Gutierrez had failing skills when she defended him. She later was disbarred, and died in 2004. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Dan Grebler) Los Angeles (AFP) - Thousands of firefighters continued to battle huge wildfires in California on Monday, where a prolonged drought has left vegetation tinder-dry. At least one person has died in the blazes that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Since July 22, California has been threatened by blazes like the massive Soberanes fire which has charred 40,618 acres (16,437 hectares) north of Big Sur, one of the region's most popular tourist draws with its sharp cliffs rising above the Pacific Ocean. Authorities have sent almost 5,300 people to fight the wildfire, which so far has been just 18 percent contained, according to data from the state CalFire agency. The fire has destroyed 57 homes, and is threatening another 2,000 structures which has prompted authorities to evacuate thousands of residents. The driver of a bulldozer died last week while taking part in the fire battle. Another wildfire, the Goose fire, has been burning since Saturday in Fresno county. It now has blackened 1,798 acres and is just five percent contained. CalFire said high temperatures were making it rough going for the some 1,300 firefighters battling that blaze. But it's been good news for the Sand fire, in Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles. It scorched more than 41,000 acres square miles and forced more than 20,000 residents to flee before being brought under control. The outlook for fires in the most populous US state is not promising for now. The National Interagency Fire Center said Monday that "California will continue to see elevated potential due to long-term dryness. This will occasionally be amplified through the fall and early winter as offshore flow events become more common." Dry conditions have killed 65 million trees which increases the fire risk significantly, it added. Other western states facing fire or fire risks include Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. Real estate operations firm RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. RMAX is expected to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4, 2016, after the market closes. The company reported a positive earnings surprise of 14.7% in the preceding quarter, and an average beat of 11.1% for the trailing four quarters. The Zacks Consensus estimate for second-quarter earnings is currently pegged at 44 cents. Lets see how things have shaped up prior to this announcement. Factors to Consider Denver, CO-based RE/MAX Holdings is a leading franchisor of real estate brokerage services. The company expects second-quarter 2016 revenues to decline 3.54.5% year over year. Further, the exchange rate fluctuation is likely to affect results of this company. However, the company boasts a highly productive network of over 100,000 agents. Number of agents is expected to rise by 5.5% to 6.0% over second-quarter 2016, driven by strong agent growth outside the U.S. and Canada. This should have positive impact on the second quarter results. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that RE/MAX Holdings will beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, in this case respectively 43 cents and 44 cents, stands at -2.27%. Zacks Rank: RE/MAX Holdings has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), As it is we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. RE/MAX HOLDINGS Price and EPS Surprise RE/MAX HOLDINGS Price and EPS Surprise | RE/MAX HOLDINGS Quote Stocks to Consider Here are a few stocks in the real estate investment trust sector you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post a positive surprise this quarter: Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. AHP has an Earnings ESP of +6.15% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will report results on Aug 3. EPR Properties EPR has an Earnings ESP of +1.72% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will release results on Aug 3. National Health Investors Inc. NHI has an Earnings ESP of +0.83% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company will report results on Aug 5. 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 EPR PROPERTIES (EPR): Free Stock Analysis Report NATL HEALTH INV (NHI): Free Stock Analysis Report ASHFORD HOSP PR (AHP): Free Stock Analysis Report RE/MAX HOLDINGS (RMAX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research What the what: McDonalds just majorly changed most of its menu What the what: McDonalds just majorly changed most of its menu So, heres some good news and bad news from McDonalds. The good news is that this month, the chain is removing artificial preservatives from a bunch of their products, including their nuggets and breakfast items. The bad news is well, theyre removing artificial preservatives from a bunch of their products, including their nuggets and breakfast items. While this change seems healthy, and is definitely amazing step forward, its always a little tough when our favorite go-to fast food changes things around. mcdonalds This ingredient swap definitely took us off-guard, but it could be a result of the news that each McNugget contained 31 ingredients besides chicken. And of course, thats not including the dipping sauce they end up in. Another big change that McDonalds is making is that theyre finally removing the high-fructose corn syrup from their burger buns. Its about time America has been a bit iffy on the stuff for quite awhile now. Mike Andres, the President of McDonalds in the United States, addressed the menu change-ups in a news release. More than ever, people care about their food where it comes from, what goes into it and how its prepared, he said. Were making changes to ensure the food were proud of is food our customers love and feel good eating, and we remain committed to our continuing food journey at McDonalds. Keep in mind that some of their changes dont actually mean the food will be healthy, based on what theyre substituting these ingredients with. It might just be, if anything, slightly healthier than before. And while its definitely great that theyre recognizing that a change is necessary, we (selfishly) hope we can adjust to the new taste. The post What the what: McDonalds just majorly changed most of its menu appeared first on HelloGiggles. Cyriak Harris, a surrealist British animator with a cult following, has accused McDonald's of copying one of his videos for an ad campaign. The "Vacas" spot, for McDonald's in Latin America, features a herd of cows dancing in a field. On Tuesday, Harris tweeted the resemblance between the scene from the ad and one of his own videos, "cows & cows & cows," which also depicts cows bopping away in a field. Wonder how much @McDonalds paid someone to copy my video. I didn't even get paid to make the original pic.twitter.com/XGWjHQq0j6 cyriak harris (@cyriakharris) August 2, 2016 One of Harris' Twitter followers pointed out that a person, purportedly from the Visual FX firm behind the ad, posted the video to a forum and mentioned they were inspired by the animator's work: Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 3.33.42 PM A user in the "NewTek" forum commented that the cows reminded them of Cyriak's video. Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 3.34.41 PM "Leandropedrouzo," who claimed to be from Juan Solo VFX Studio (a 3d animator called Leandro Pedrouzo is listed on the company's website), responded: "Actually Cyriak was the reference for this Spot. The director and I wanted to go a bit more realistic but the client loved the ref." Screen Shot 2016 08 02 at 3.35.38 PM After this story was initially published, DPZ&T, a marketing agency hired by Arcos Dourados a franchisee of McDonald's in Latin America provided Business Insider with this statement: "The creative idea used in the campaign was born before we found this work, which was later used with numerous other works as a reference for the production of the spot. It is common to use creative references in the advertising industry, however, we realize that in this particular case, the final result shows some similarities with the work of the artist in question. When we realized this, we asked our client Arcos Dorados, a franchisee of McDonalds in Latin America who was totally unaware of the problem, to pull the ad from air, which was done immediately. The production house responsible for the work will contact the artist Cyriak Harris with a view to resolving the issue as soon as possible amicably." Story continues Cyriak's "cows & cows & cows" video has notched up more than 37 million views on YouTube since it was posted in 2010: This is not the first time McDonald's or one of its agencies has been accused of copying ideas from previously-published works. Last year, McDonald's was forced to apologize to a pair of freelancers who accused the fast food chain of stealing their idea a montage of a mock engagement with a burrito in a Twitter marketing campaign. McDonald's Twitter photos also carried a mock engagement theme and strongly resembled the freelancers' images. McDonald's apologized and removed the photos from its Twitter feed. NOW WATCH: Watch the Air Force drop 8 armored Humvees out of a plane from 5,000 feet More From Business Insider 303967_259185730787942_634022017_n Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient and Sarah Palin's son-in-law, on Tuesday called for Donald Trump to apologize to the family of Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American solider who was killed in the Iraq War. "If @realDonaldTrump wants to be the Commander in Chief, he needs to act like one," Meyer tweeted. "And that cant start until he apologizes to the Khans." The US Marine veteran's tweet was immediately retweeted by Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Meyer is married to Bristol Palin, whose mother endorsed Trump ahead of the Iowa caucuses and has been one of his fiercest supporters. Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, the parents of the slain Muslim-American soldier, offered a powerful rebuke to Trump on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. In an eight-minute speech, delivered by Khizr, the family questioned whether the New York businessman had ever read the US Constitution or sacrificed anything for his country. NOW WATCH: Tim Kaine on Trump calling out a crying baby: 'Sometimes you wonder who the baby is' More From Business Insider The regional law has widened the scope of terror activities. It will also allow the government to fine those who in its view "have twisted the concept of halal which usually only applies to food, and expand the concept to all aspects of social life". By Ananth Krishnan: China's western Xinjiang region passed a new beefed-up anti-terror law, that for the first time, will label those who encourage people to illegally cross the border into other countries for terror training as terrorists. The law will also give the government more leeway to crackdown on any dissent and to enforce its on-going - and controversial - "anti-extremism" campaigns, by imposing fines on those seen as promoting whatever the government deems to be "extremist" culture. advertisement SCOPE OF TERROR WIDENED The regional law, which went into effect in Xinjiang on Monday, has widened the scope of terror activities currently under the national law to include recruitment and training of terrorists. The move, reports said, is in part aimed at Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang who China says have traveled illegally across the border into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and onward to Pakistan to terror training camps run by the banned East Turkestan Islamic Movement. China says the camps are located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Xinjiang, which has seen a string of violent attacks, borders PoK. The expanded regional law stipulates that "recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training", the Global Times reported on Monday. The law will also target Uighurs who have traveled illegally to Turkey and onward to Syria. Chinese analysts say there are several hundred Uighurs currently fighting in Syria. But overseas groups say some Uighurs, including many women and children, have also traveled illegally to Turkey to escape repressive policies in Xinjiang. The law could presumably be invoked to enable the government to more strictly punish those who flee Xinjiang. The newspaper cited a case last year where Shanghai authorities arrested 10 Turkish nationals for allegedly providing fake passports to Uighurs, who had reportedly wanted to travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria. XINJIANG CRACKDOWN The expanded law will also trigger concerns of a widening crackdown in Xinjiang, ostensibly aimed at terrorism but according to several rights groups also to squash any dissent or criticism of government policy. Xinjiang is the first province to pass a regional version of the national terror law which came into force in January. The law says that those who use "cellphones, the Internet, mobile storage devices or other media to disseminate terrorism or extremist thoughts will also be held accountable for terror crimes." Uighur academics and bloggers have been sentenced to lengthy jail-terms for criticising official policy, on occasion accused on vague, unspecified charges of promoting "separatism" or "extremism". advertisement While China has blamed violence in Xinjiang, which has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years, on terror groups, many Uighurs say some of the violence, such as riots in the provincial capital Urumqi in 2009, has been trigged by ethnic tensions. Some Uighurs have criticised government policy that has seen a growing presence of majority Han Chinese and, according to some Uighur scholars, led to worsening economic disparities between the two groups. ATTACK ON CULTURE? China has also launched controversial campaigns that have reportedly angered many locals in Xinjiang, including an "anti-veil" and "anti-beard" campaign that is supposedly aimed at "extremism" but seen by many Uighurs as attacks on their culture. Moves to ban students in some universities and government servants from fasting during Ramzan have also triggered debate. The new regulation will allow the government to fine those who in its view "have twisted the concept of halal which usually only applies to food, and expand the concept to all aspects of social life". They will be fined less than 10,000 Yuan (Rs. 1 lakh) or detention for five to 15 days. MORE POWER TO AUTHORITIES advertisement The new law will give authorities even more leeway to stamp out dissent, declaring that "authorities also have the power to suspend ongoing rallies, demonstrations, performances or other activities that have mass participation to prevent terror activities". "It also gives authorities the power to temporarily shut down schools, research facilities, enterprises and other organisations and stop the operation of plants or factories that involve explosive, radioactive or biochemical materials," the Global Times reported. Another provision of the law will call for stricter assessments of terror suspects before they are released, and also for solitary confinement to prevent radicalisation in prison. "Ringleaders of terror organizations, those who incited others to commit crimes while serving jail terms and those who resist education with violent tendencies must be confined in solitary and kept away from other prisoners," the law says. Also Read: Provoking India: In a first, China and Pakistan hold joint border patrols in PoK China fumes as India issues visa to Uyghur separatist --- ENDS --- After nearly two decades, Mel Gibson is ready to bring the best-seller The Professor and the Madman to the big screen and has enlisted Sean Penn in the effort. Gibson, who acquired the film rights to the Simon Winchester book back in 1998, is poised to star opposite Penn, who is in negotiations, in the true story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary a tale that delves into madness, genius, and two obsessive men who changed the course of literary history. Though Gibson had long developed Professor and the Madman as a directing vehicle, he has handed the reins to his Apocalypto writer Farhad Safinia, who is set to direct the film. Gibson will play Professor James Murray, who in 1857 set about compiling the OED, one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. Penn will play Dr. W. C. Minor, who submitted more than 10,000 entries but was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. Safinia wrote the screenplay. Related: Hacksaw Ridge Trailer: Andrew Garfield Plays WWII Hero in Mel Gibson-Directed Drama The film brings together two heavyweights, Gibson and two-time Academy Award best actor winner Penn, who have never worked together despite coming of age in Hollywood around the same time. Gibson made his film debut in 1979s Mad Max, while Penn appeared on the scene two years later in 1981s Taps. Both men also frequently direct, and Gibson has two Oscars to his credit for directing and producing Braveheart. Voltage Pictures, the company behind The Hurt Locker, is selling the film in international territories and will likely be introducing it to buyers at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. Gibsons Icon Pictures also is producing. Gibson, Zev Foreman, Nicolas Chartier, and Craig Flores will serve as producers. The filmmakers are eyeing an October start date in Europe. Related: Mel Gibson Planning Passion of the Christ Sequel (Exclusive) Gibson directed the upcoming Hacksaw Ridge, which Lionsgate releases Nov. 4. As an actor, his most recent credits include The Expendables 3 and The Beaver as well as the upcoming Blood Father for Lionsgate Premiere. He is repped by Shanahan Management and RPMedia. Story continues Penn directed the Charlize Theron-Javier Bardem starrer The Last Face, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May. He is attached to direct and star in Flag Day, which centers on a father who lives a double life as a counterfeiter, bank robber, and con man in order to provide for his daughter. He is handled by CAA and Hirsch Wallerstein. In addtition to writing Apocalypto, Safinia created the American political drama series Boss, which starred Kelsey Grammer and ran for two season on Starz. He is represented by WME. Watch the trailer for Mel Gibsons Hacksaw Ridge: Rome (AFP) - Rudy Guede, the Ivorian jailed for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, on Tuesday began a bid to have his conviction quashed in the wake of Amanda Knox's acquittal over the 2007 killing. Lawyers for Guede, who was convicted after a fast-track trial in 2008, presented an appeal court in Florence with a deposition arguing that last year's acquittal of Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito made their client's conviction unsafe. The court must now rule whether the request for an extraordinary review of Guede's appeal trial, at which his initial sentence of 30 years was reduced to 16, is admissible. If it does, that will open the door to a fresh trial and yet another twist in the lengthy legal saga that began with 21-year-old Kercher's half-naked body being discovered in a pool of blood in a back room of the house she shared with Knox in Perugia, central Italy. The student's throat had been slashed and she had been stabbed 47 times. A year after the judge in Guede's case said he could not have acted alone, Knox and Sollecito were also convicted of the murder. But that verdict was overturned on appeal in 2011 and Knox and Sollecito were released after four years in prison. Another court then ordered a retrial which reinstated the original convictions only for Italy's highest court to throw out all charges against the pair in March 2015. Six months later the court released a written judgement which said the ruling reflected "major flaws" in the police's handling of the investigation, the absence of a "body of evidence" allowing for a safe conviction and the absence of any admissible DNA evidence linking the two to the grisly murder. Legal experts said at the time that the Knox-Sollecito acquittal was tantamount to saying Guede acted alone, in contradiction of the judge's summing up in his first trial. The Ivory Coast-born drifter has always maintained his innocence. He has testified to having had consensual sex with Kercher on the night of her murder but claims he went to the bathroom and came back to find her body. Story continues Sollecito said Tuesday that he did not understand Guede's move. "Amanda and I are innocent and we were not at the scene of the crime," he told the ANSA news agency. "What he has to say does not interest me. It does not make sense to me. There were traces of him at the scene of the crime, he told lies and the alibi he initially gave ended up casting him in a bad light. "After he found Meredith dying he went to a disco and then fled to Germany. These are the facts." By Dave Graham MEXICALI, Mexico, Aug 2 (Reuters) - For Allied Tool & Die Company, Donald Trump's threats to tear up trade deals and impose steep tariffs if he becomes the next U.S. president means considering doubling down on Mexico as a base to manufacture for foreign markets. The Phoenix-based aerospace supplier, and a small but rising number of U.S. companies with plants in Mexican industrial hubs like the border city of Mexicali, say they may have to increase their capacity in the country's lower cost base to sell goods abroad if the Republican nominee wins the White House. "What would I do if a giant wall of tariffs were erected in front of me?" said Allied Tool Chief Executive Officer Bill Jordan. "Rather than having the parts travel through the United States to somewhere else, I would create a Mexican company to sell directly to other international companies. We just wouldn't go through the United States," he said of his non-U.S. clients. So far, Trump's campaign pledges - such as threatening to roll out punitive tariffs, ditch the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and wall off Mexico from the United States - have flummoxed constituents ranging from traders on Wall Street to economists and politicians. While his rival Hillary Clinton has said she may want to rework elements of trade deals as president, she has not called for tariffs. The initial strategic planning by Allied Tool and others with operations in Mexico is one of the first signs of how business are preparing for the possibility of a President Trump. Driven by a desire to simplify supply chains ahead of what would be an era of uncertainty in cross-border commerce, expansion in Mexico would also move in lock-step with recent capital flows across the Pacific drawn by Mexico's rising cost advantage over China. "The trend of considering Mexico as a place to build export platforms to countries other than the United States has accelerated," said Emilio Cadena, CEO of Grupo Prodensa, a firm that specializes in helping foreign companies move to Mexico. Story continues Dozens of U.S. firms involved in making cars, electronics, appliances and other sectors are contemplating such a move, many exporting to elsewhere in the Americas, Cadena added, though he declined to name them lest they face criticism on the campaign trail. Few Mexican cities have lured more U.S. capital than Mexicali, a onetime agricultural outpost built up by Chinese immigrants a century ago, whose sleepy, run-down old town now forms the center of a giant web of buzzing, state-of-the-art industrial plants that stretch into the surrounding desert. Across the city, multinationals manufacture everything from Coca-Cola drinks to Apple smartphone chips and sections of Boeing's latest jet airliners. Over the past year, half the U.S. firms that dominate Mexicali's assembly plants have been expanding capacity, said Francisco Fiorentini, executive vice president of industrial park developer PIMSA. Meanwhile, inquiries by multinationals about Mexico as a business location jumped about 20 percent in the year through June, according to Solomon Abudarham, leader of LATAM Global Data Quality at business information provider Dun & Bradstreet. Mexico's proximity to the United States has been a win-win situation for both countries, said Allied Tool's Jordan. Since expanding into Mexicali six years ago, Allied Tool has created 13 jobs in Mexico, and even more in Phoenix, lifting its total there by 25 percent. It now employs 105 people. "It freed up time so we could do other stuff in Phoenix," he said. One big reason is the cost of labor. According to a study carried out by PIMSA, one U.S. industrial company operating in Mexicali's home state of Baja California logged a total annual labor cost for an assembly line worker of $7,000. For California, its cost was $42,000. Still, wary of a Trump presidency and mindful of their exposure to the U.S. market, some American firms are postponing investments until the election is over, said Juan Manuel Hernandez, CEO of Loginam, a Tijuana-based logistics company. Hernandez estimated about 10 to 15 percent of output from U.S. exporters in Mexico go to non-U.S. markets. Nearly 80 percent of Mexican exports head to the United States. Some components can cross the border several times before products are completed. Others are taking Trump, his hopes of victory and his protectionist threats, with a pinch of salt. "We're used to political demagoguery - but at some point there has to be the specificity of policy," says Ronald DeFeo, CEO of Kennametal Inc, an industrial toolmaker in Pittsburgh with sales of $2.6 billion and customers in over 60 countries. Until then, "we'll continue to operate the way we always operate," DeFeo added, saying a shake-up of the kind Trump proposes could not be rolled out quickly. MOST COMPANIES KEEPING MUM None of over two dozen executives and policymakers consulted by Reuters in Mexico believe that if Trump does win, Congress will want to enact measures that may hit the U.S. economy hard. "I don't think it will happen," said Luis Aguirre, vice president for logistics and government relations in Mexico of U.S. electronics maker Sanmina Corp. "If it did, I think there would be more U.S. capital in Mexico to cope with this possible countervailing duty. He'll hurt investment in his own country." If Trump did succeed in imposing such measures, it was "obvious" that Sanmina would look at increasing capacity in Mexico to diversify products for other markets, he noted. Proposing tariffs of up to 35 percent on Mexican and 45 percent on Chinese goods, Trump has sought to brand U.S. firms investing in Mexico as unpatriotic, lashing out at the likes of Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and United Technologies Corp's Carrier, a maker of air conditioners which in February said it would move hundreds of U.S. jobs there. That has simply made some firms keep quiet about Mexico. "American firms are investing without making announcements because they're waiting for the results in November," said Guillermo Romero, economy minister of the state of Guanajuato, which in the past few weeks revealed investments by France's Michelin and Germany's ThyssenKrupp. Whether a Trump tariff would take U.S. content in Mexican goods - often as high as 40 percent - into account, is unclear. However, concern that business costs are likely to rise in the United States whoever wins in November's elections is pushing U.S. firms to accelerate shortening supply lines away from Asia towards Mexico, said Cesar Ponce, chief executive of WDF Services, a Mexicali aerospace supplier. "All the big companies present in Mexico are following the trend of moving suppliers here," said Ponce. "I think Donald Trump is going to strengthen us, not kill us." (Additional reporting by Timothy Aeppel; Editing by Christian Plumb and Edward Tobin) Health officials have been scrambling to get a handle on the Zika virus as a total of 14 cases likely transmitted by local mosquitoes have been identified in Florida. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent an emergency team to the Miami area to assist with its investigation of the outbreak. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said on FOX Business Networks Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast that he hopes to isolate the virus to a one-square-mile area in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami. The State of Florida Health Department has been testing people around the area. The good news is yesterdays batch of urine tests came back negative, so we are continuing to focus in on Wynwood, Gimenez said. A majority of the Wynwood residents are made up of a large Puerto Rican and Southern American population who may have picked up the Zika virus from their travels to their homeland. The reason that we have so many cases of travel related Zika in Miami is that we have 60% of the people in Miami-Dade were born somewhere else and a lot them travel back and forth between their native countries and Miami," he said. According to the CDC, many people infected with the Zika virus wont have symptoms or will only have mild symptom that can last for several days to a week. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told FOX Business Networks Liz Claman on Monday that a virus outbreak across America is unlikely, but the challenge is preventing pockets of outbreaks from spreading further. There will be pockets in the country, such as what were seeing in Florida now and what we might see in Texas and other Gulf Coast states, where you could have an outbreak that hangs around and is sustained for several months or longer, Fauci said. The mayor hopes to quickly eradicate the virus and has extended its adulticide aerial spraying to 10 square miles and two square miles of larvaecide spraying in the next couple of days. Story continues We have to continue [having] are guard up and we are giving the same message to all our residents, and basically is, if you are going outside, especially during the early morning and early evening hours, when the mosquitos are active, to wear long clothing and use some mosquito repellent, Gimenez told host Charles Payne. Mayor Gimenez said the biggest tourist destinations, such as Miami Beach, are relatively safe due to the prevailing breezes that keep the mosquitos away. Zika really only affects a small percentage of people. Most people that actually get bit and have the disease or catch the virus dont even know they have it, he said. Related Articles Michael Douglas son, Cameron Douglas, has been released from prison early after serving almost seven years for drug charges. The 37-year-old was transferred from jail to a halfway house in Brooklyn, New York, according to Page Six. Cameron, who is the eldest son of the Oscar winner and his ex-wife Diandra, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of heroin and selling methamphetamine in 2010. After admitting to smuggling drugs into prison, his sentence was extended and he was not scheduled to be let out until next year. EXCLUSIVE: Michael Douglas Says the Best Moment in His Career Was Meeting Catherine Zeta-Jones Douglas has frequently discussed his sons incarceration and his frustration at the justice system for how the case was handled. I have gone from being a very disappointed but loving father who felt his son got what was due him to realizing that Lady Justices blindfold is really slipping, the actor told New York magazine in 2013. Im not defending Cameron as a drug dealer or drug addict, but I believe, because of his last name, hes been [made] an example. Douglas, 71, also talked about Camerons jail time while accepting a 2013 Emmy Award for his performance in Behind the Candelabra. My son Cameron is in federal prison, said Douglas. Hes been, unfortunately, a drug addict for most of his life and was arrested for dealing drugs. Its a non-violent offense, but unfortunately in prison its as easy to get drugs, or easier, than it is on the street. And so hes had a couple little slips. NEWS: Michael Douglas Says Both His Kids Want to Get Into Acting Earlier this year, Douglas confessed that one of his biggest regrets was not taking enough time to parent Cameron while he was growing up. When youre busy all the time, you dont think about a whole lot of other things than the realities in front of you, he told AARP magazine. The Ant-Man star added that he believed Cameron had served more than his fair share of time behind bars and that he was visiting him twice a month. Story continues Cameron himself voiced his frustrations at the legal system by writing an essay from prison for The Huffington Post in 2013. In the post, Cameron claimed that the outdated justice system punished non-violent drug offenders more harshly than many violent crimes. NEWS: Michael Douglas Reveals How He and Catherine Zeta-Jones Saved Their Marriage Im not saying that I didnt deserve to be punished, or that Im worthy of special treatment, he wrote. I made mistakes and Ill gladly and openly admit my faults. However, I seem to be trapped in a vicious cycle of relapse and repeat, as most addicts are. Unfortunately, whereas the effective remedy for relapse should be treatment, the penal systems answer is to lock the door and throw away the key. Instead of focusing on how many individuals this county can keep imprisoned, why can we not focus on how many individuals we can keep from coming back? Cameron continued in the editorial. RELATED: Douglas Talks Emmy Honor, Damon and Family Drama Page Six also reports that Cameron plans to write a book about his years in prison and his struggles as the child and grandchild of Hollywood icons. Douglas also has two teenage children with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones. See the couple talking about why the teens think their parents are dumb in the video below. Related Articles Los Angeles (AFP) - The eldest son of actor Michael Douglas has been released from prison after serving seven years for drug trafficking, and is now in a halfway house in New York, US media reported on Monday. Cameron Douglas, 37, was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison for possession and sale of methamphetamine. His sentence was extended by two years in solitary confinement after he admitted smuggling drugs into the prison. Cameron, Michael Douglas's son with his first wife Diandra Luker, was originally set to be released in 2018 but is currently living at a rehabilitation center in New York, EOnline and ABC News reported. Cameron Douglas now plans to write a tell-all book describing his life as heir to one of the most respected Hollywood dynasties and how drugs led him to prison, according to the New York Post's gossip section "Page Six." The Oscar-winning actor visited his son in prison regularly. He criticized the US penal system when accepting an Emmy Award for playing the role of the pianist Liberace in the TV movie "Behind the Candelabra" in 2013. "At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but Ive reached a point now where Im disappointed with the system," he said. "If you happen to have a slip, they punish you. In my sons case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement." The actor's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. NEW YORK John Dickerson picked a hell of a time to write a book. The CBS News correspondent was promoted to host the networks prestigious Sunday morning show Face the Nation just over a year ago. And during that time, the husband and father of two started a podcast, and then turned that venture into a book about presidential-election history. He did this all while covering what is surely one of the most remarkable presidential elections in American history. But looking back into history has not been a distraction or diversion from the present, Dickerson said. In an interview with Yahoo News about his new book, Whistlestop, Dickerson said studying history has sharpened his perspective about current events. You see the way in which whats happening now, the past reflects on it, said Dickerson. Each campaign you want to say, Whats new and different relative to the past so I know how a pattern might be repeated so I know whats coming or whats different, so I really know what to home in on. Dickersons book takes the reader through 19 different accounts of important elections, and there are clear parallels in the book between Republican nominee Donald Trump and former Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who ran demagogic and racist campaigns for president in 1968, 1972 and 1976. In George Wallaces 1968 campaign we hear such close echoes of Donald Trump that its as if the transcripts have been transposed, Dickerson writes. There are also similarities between Trump and Andrew Jackson, the military hero who became the nations seventh president. Thomas Jefferson once expressed alarm at the prospect of a Jackson presidency, telling a friend, He has had very little respect for laws and constitutions. Trump, meanwhile, has shown little understanding of the U.S. Constitution and was called out by the father of a slain U.S. soldier last week at the Democratic convention, Khizr Khan, who pulled out his pocket Constitution and challenged Trump to read the nations founding document. Story continues And like Trump, Jackson reveled in the way that the political establishment reviled him. They will elect me, contrary to their wishes, by their abuse, Jackson said. Dickerson, who has interviewed Trump multiple times this year, spent years at Time magazine and at Slate, and has spent much of his career as a writer. A theme in his book is the rise of image over substance with the advent of television. Now Dickerson enjoys the prestige and visibility of one of TVs most politically influential shows, but agreed that TV as a medium has weakened voters focus on whats important. He explained how he has navigated the challenge of interviewing Trump, who constantly changes his own positions, misrepresents or distorts facts, and has taken position and made statements far outside the norms of American politics and governance. I feel like my job is to present the frame as its existed in American history, and be as fair as possible in presenting that: Ask the question, and then people can figure out whether they think Donald Trump is right, Dickerson said. I think putting a thumb on the scale then people dont trust that youre on the level. And also people are supposed to participate in this, and think and engage their brains, he said. By PTI: From Jaishree Balasubramanian Bangkok, Aug 2 (PTI) Thailands first woman premier Yingluck Shinawatra has been held liable for damages worth over USD 8.2 billion from a controversial rice subsidy scheme, according to the military government which said it intends to sue the ousted leader and key former ministers for the losses. This is the first time a concrete figure has been given for the losses from what was hailed as a flagship policy that helped sweep the 49-year-old to office in a 2011 landslide, making her Thailands first woman premier, but which incurred billions of dollars to the state exchequer and cost the country its title as the worlds top rice exporter to India. advertisement "A fact-finding committee panel... has found that the damage cost of rice pledging scheme was 286.6 billion baht (USD 8.2 billion)," Panadda Disakul, a minister to the Prime Ministers Office, told reporters. According to the panels report, nearly 13 million tonnes of rice remained in the governments inventory because less than a million tonnes was exported. The report by Jirachai Moonthongro, who heads the civil liability fact-finding committee looking into the scheme initiated by the Yingluck government, says sheis liable for an estimated 286 billion baht in damages and the then commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapiromfor 18.7 billion baht. The junta says it will push a civil damages case against her and some key former ministers. Panadda said the measures taken against the previous government should serve as a lesson as politicians could be liable for civil liability for policies that caused financial damage to taxpayers. The 286.6 billion baht figure evaluation of damage from the scrapped scheme is, however, is much lower - nearly half - than the over 500 billion baht previously evaluated by a panel of the Finance Ministry. The report would be discussed at a committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Panadda said. Under the controversial subsidy scheme, which also triggered protests that toppled her government, the crop was purchased from farmers at around twice the market prices. Yingluck was booted from office by a court days before army chief Prayut seized power in May, 2014. She was formally impeached on charges of mismanaging the subsidy programme, barring her from political office for five years and is currently on trial for alleged dereliction of duty in administering the program, a criminal charge under which she could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. Her impeachment was seen by experts and supporters as an attempt to keep the powerful Shinawatra family - whose parties have won every election since 2001 - out of politics and end the clans influence. PTI JB SAI --- ENDS --- By Aidan Lewis and Goran Tomasevic SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - A day after the United States began a formal campaign of air strikes against Islamic State's stronghold in Libya, anti-IS fighters welcomed Washington's involvement but remained wary of advancing for fear of mines and snipers. The initial U.S. strikes on Monday targeted a tank and two vehicles in Sirte, where the ultra-hardline militants are encircled in the heart of what has become an important base for the group beyond its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Fighters from a range of anti-IS brigades are dug in behind sand banks and concrete walls in the coastal city after suffering high casualties in months of street-by-street fighting. "If the United States is serious about these air strikes we are very pleased, and it will help us on the ground," said Husam Bakoush, a fighter with the Marsa brigade. The battle highlights the challenges of driving the Islamic State from Libya, where it has struggled to win local support but exploited the chaos that followed the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The country is still deeply divided and a U.N. backed government had hesitated to call for U.S. support until now for fear of a backlash. For the fighters on the ground, this was a source of frustration. "Most of my friends are happy, but they asked why it did not happen sooner," Bakoush said. Abdalla Ali Ibrahim Ismail, another fighter with Marsa brigade, said the strikes could be a game-changer. "I think the U.S. strikes will help the ground troops a lot ... I hope that when we start to push again against Islamic State positions the U.S. planes will give us cover. "Morale is much higher, our men were celebrating last night." IS COULD REGROUP Islamic State has been retreating from U.S.-backed campaigns in Syria and Iraq and its presence in Sirte has been reduced to a few hundred fighters who once controlled what was Gaddafi's hometown. The air strikes in Libya are "open ended", but each one will be coordinated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), U.S. officials said. "We requested support from the United States so that the operation could move quickly and we would not lose more fighters," said Mokhtar Fakron, an air force spokesman in nearby Misrata, from where the Sirte campaign is being run. The battle for Sirte is now focussed around the Ouagadougou convention centre, a white structure where Islamic State hung its black banner, and in the streets around a hospital and the university. Monday's strikes hit close to the convention centre and to the "Dollar" neighbourhood, which fighters took full control of on Saturday, said Fathi Bashagha, who liaises between the GNA and the operation's Misrata command centre. Islamic State took over Sirte a year ago, but forces from the western city of Misrata allied to the U.N.-backed government began a campaign to liberate it in May. Misrata forces are positioned on several fronts around the centre, often only a hundred meters from militant positions. "The areas where Islamic State fighters remain inside Sirte are small and restricted and we don't have the technical capacity to deal with them," Fakron said. Misrata commanders believe that Islamic State commanders some of them foreign fighters sent by militant leaders in Iraq and Syria had already fled the city before it was besieged. Some may have escaped to remote southern Libya, and officials say even after the fall of Sirte they may see militants launching attacks and suicide bombings. Libyan commanders suspect militants have stored large quantities of arms and ammunition underground in Sirte, and Fakron said this was one target that U.S. strikes could help destroy. Small teams of Western special forces have been providing intelligence and logistical support in Libya for months, and the United States has previously conducted isolated strikes against militants. But Western powers said they would take more sustained action only at the invitation of the GNA, which arrived in Tripoli in March. The new government had held back, struggling to assert its authority over a fractured country and sensitive to criticism that it had been imposed from the outside. IMPROVISED WEAPONS At the start of May, Islamic State pushed north-west towards Misrata, provoking a counter attack by Misrata-led brigades that moved swiftly to the edge of Sirte. The GNA scrambled to set up a military command structure in an effort to bring the brigades under its wing. But fighters, many of them volunteers and former rebels who fought in the uprising against Gaddafi in 2011, felt the GNA and the international community had failed to follow up on promises of support. The government had been unable to keep up with developments on the ground, though it eventually released 100 million dinars ($65 million) in financial support, said Bashagha. "The campaign is going very fast, and the other procedures are very slow," he told Reuters. "They say, 'Ok, we'll see how much you need, when you need it, let me check and get back to you.' And they get back to you in one month, but your situation is worse." U.S. air strikes, he said, would "change everything". As the battle has progressed the brigades say they have become better organised, but they have continued to suffer heavy losses. "The further we advance, the more we're faced by skilful fighters," said Suhaib Jahan, stationed a few hundred metres from the Ouagadougou conference hall. "They save their best for last." At least 350 brigade members have been killed since May and more than 1,500 wounded, with dozens of fighters killed on single days by suicide bombs, snipers and mines. Lacking modern military equipment the brigades have improvised, mounting pick-up trucks with helicopter rocket pods, buying ammunition off the local black market, and installing an anti-aircraft gun on a coastguard tug positioned off the coast. The air force has been using an ageing fleet of Eastern bloc jets, the most recent of which dates from 1984. Bomb carrying mechanisms for the aircraft have been made in a local workshop. Charity workers ferry sandwiches and iced drinks from Misrata every day for thousands of fighters and medical staff. Since Islamic State embedded itself in Sirte, almost all the city's 80,000 residents have fled. Downtown residential neighbourhoods are now a battleground, with handwritten signs warning of snipers at junctions and blankets strung across roads to give brigade fighters cover. The fighters talk of finding sophisticated booby traps, and explosives hidden among food or furniture, in buildings abandoned by Islamic State. They say they have been left alone to fight a dirty war against an enemy that represents a trans-national threat. "Maybe some of the men would not have come to fight if they'd known it would be like this," said Ahmed Grayma, a commander positioned near Sirte's port on Saturday who said his brigade lacked armoured vehicles, protective clothing and mine detectors. "We feel tricked because they said the international community was behind us but our colleagues are dying and we don't know when it will end." (Editing by Patrick Markey and Philippa Fletcher) Miami (AFP) - Young people today are not having as much sex as previous generations, despite the widespread availability of dating sites and apps and more accepting attitudes about premarital sex, researchers said Tuesday. The study focused on younger members of the millennial generation, and found they were the most sexually inactive group since the Depression era. "The only other generation that showed a higher rate of sexual inactivity were those born in the 1920s," said the study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. The report found that among Americans aged 20 to 24, those born in the early 1990s were significantly more likely to report no sexual partners after age 18 than Gen Xers born in the late 1960s. Fifteen percent of 20- to 24-year-old American millennials reported having no sexual partners since turning 18, compared to six percent of those born in the 1960s. "This study really contradicts the widespread notion that millennials are the 'hookup' generation, which is popularized by dating apps like 'Tinder' and others, suggesting that they are just looking for quick relationships and frequent casual sex," said co-author Ryne Sherman, associate professor of psychology in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University. "Our data show that this doesn't seem to be the case at all and that millennials are not more promiscuous than their predecessors." Young women today are about twice as likely as men to be sexually inactive, it found. The study also showed that fewer young people get a driver's license or work for pay, suggesting they "are growing up more slowly than those born in the 1980s." Separate research out earlier this year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 41 percent of high school students said they had ever had sex, down from 54 percent in 1991. Story continues Sherman said the reasons for the shift are complex, but that factors may include more sex education, greater awareness of sexually transmitted diseases, easy access to pornography and perhaps differing definitions across generational lines of what sex is, whether it means oral sex or intercourse. Somehow, knowing more about sex and being able to see it on video has not translated into more actual sex for young people today. "While attitudes about premarital sex have become more permissive over time, rise in individualism allows young American adults to have permissive attitudes without feeling the pressure to conform in their own behavior," said Sherman. Danish designer Anders Warming has left the BMW Group where he worked for the past 16 years to join fellow German automaker Borgward. Borgward went out of business more than half a century ago but was recently revived by a descendant of the founder of the original company, as well as Chinese investors. ALSO SEE: 2017 Infiniti QX30 priced from $30,945 Warming was appointed head of design at BMWs Mini brand in 2011 and was responsible for the design of the current generation of the premium compacts. Prior to joining BMW he worked briefly at the Volkswagen Group. Anders Warming Warming will sit on the board of directors at Borgward and head up its design department. He will start the new role on January 1, 2017. READ: Uber sells Chinese operation to rival Didi Chuxing Interestingly, Warming is the second Mini design boss to join a Chinese-backed automaker. Warming's predecessor, Gert Hildebrand, quit the British brand in 2011 to head the design team at Qoros. Since its revival, Borgward has rolled out a handful of SUVs. The company says its focused on the Chinese market but hopes to start sales in Europe in 2017 and eventually the United States. The brand touts its vehicles as being near-premium with German engineering. From Cosmopolitan This past weekend, Miss Teen USA revealed its top five (all white) contestants and crowned Karlie Hay of Texas the pageant winner. The internet promptly uncovered years-old tweets of Hay's in which she used the N-word repeatedly, yet the organization issued a statement, saying, "The language Karlie Hay used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization ... Karlie learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values. We as an organization are committed to supporting her continued growth." Hellen Smith, Miss Oklahoma Teen USA, spoke to Cosmopolitan.com about the inherent problem with that statement. "Girls have had their titles taken away from them for much less," Smith said. She pointed out Miss Florida's recent dethroning for using professional hair and makeup artists in her private room during the competition instead of doing it on her own as a much harsher punishment for something much less offensive: "Someone with a national title hasn't had their title taken away for using racial slurs. And she is a representation of Miss Universe because she's Miss Teen USA." As far as Hay's statement that she was going through "many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who [she is] as a person" when she sent the tweets, Smith again doesn't believe that's reason enough for her to be excused. "She did not actually apologize. It seemed like she's sorry that she insulted people, not she's sorry she said it in the first place. " The problem goes deeper than Hay's title, Smith says. Smith believes "the whole outcome of [the pageant] was really disappointing, because Miss USA is supposed to be a representation of the United States as a whole and I really don't think they did a really good job at representing us." Story continues Though Smith feels the organization has given her a lot and said "being a state title-holder has been amazing," she believes there is no excuse for not including more diversity in pageants going forward. "It's not about placing girls in the system just to fill a quota and to represent diversity. It's about giving the people who earned their spot a place in the top 15 or the top five." Specifically, she pointed to Miss Ohio, Olivia Turk, and Miss Illinois, Olivia Pura, as two "genius, articulate" women, bi-racial and Polish respectively, who were more than qualified to win but didn't place: "Not to say any of the other contestants didn't deserve it, but there were ethnic people who also did." As for herself, she's got "a lot of great things coming up" and "will continue to advocate for young women in Oklahoma" as long as she holds her title. "If I was meant to win, I would've won. And I just know that when one door closes, another door opens." Follow Tess on Twitter. Newly crowned Miss Teen USA, Karlie Hay, has apologized for offensive remarks made on social media, describing the comments as a "careless mistake." The 18-year-old Texas native became caught up in controversy after tweets from 2013 came to light just hours after she was crowned the pageant winner in Las Vegas on Saturday. "I am very sorry. It's embarrassing," Hay told Good Morning America about the derogatory posts, which appeared to include expletives and the N-word. "It's something I'm ashamed of and I've grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language." RELATED: Miss Teen USA Will Keep Her Crown Despite Alleged 'N-Word' Tweets While Hay initially blamed "personal struggles" for her language choice at the time, she told GMA those struggles were no excuse and explained that her age was a contributing factor. "At that age, I was being a follower. I was trying to fit in with my friends," she said during the interview. "The word was thrown around in the music I listened to, with the friends I hung out with and I had no guidance, so it was kind of a careless mistake." "When the tweet got brought back up I was embarrassed, ashamed, and just amazed that I actually at one point in my life thought it was OK to use that word because it's never OK," she continued. NEWS: Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay's Reported Past Use of the N-Word Comes to Light While critics have called for Hay's title to be revoked, the Miss Universe Organization is standing by the blonde beauty, and she is now trying to "stay positive" and hopes some good will come from the situation. "I've grown from then and I've blossomed into the person I am today," she said. "I think that I can turn this message into a positive message because there are people that use that word and it's not acceptable ever." See more on the controversy surrounding Hay in the video below. Story continues Related Articles By Rod Nickel and Amrutha Gayathri (Reuters) - Miners that produce a diverse commodity mix may be willing to part with fertilizer assets, creating buying opportunities for producers of potash and phosphate, Mosaic Co (MOS.N) Chief Executive Joc O'Rourke said on Tuesday. Profits of fertilizer producers have tumbled because of falling prices, weak currencies in importing countries such as Brazil and excessive supplies. Mosaic, the world's largest producer of finished phosphate products, reported lower-than-expected adjusted profit on Tuesday as crop nutrient prices remained weak. But the company joined larger rival Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc (POT.TO) in saying that the worst was over. Bigger miners may be unwilling to wait for recovery, O'Rourke said in an interview. Some of them question whether fertilizer fits their core portfolios as they look to sell assets and pay down debt, he said. "We think some of these opportunities might come to fruition, and if they do, they may add some long-term value to us, O'Rourke said. Reuters reported in June that Plymouth, Minnesota-based Mosaic was in talks to buy Vale SA's (VALE5.SA) fertilizer unit, in a renewed push to grow in South America and Africa. O'Rourke declined to comment on any talks with Vale. Mosaic shares jumped 2.8 percent at $27.37, after executives told analysts that better demand was ahead in the second half. Mosaic expects sales volume and prices of phosphate and potash to rise in the current quarter from the second quarter. Potash volumes would be helped by a long-overdue 2016 sales agreement between Chinese buyers and Canpotex Ltd, the offshore sales arm of North America's Mosaic, Potash Corp, and Agrium Inc (AGU.TO). Some rivals have already settled at a sharply lower price of $219 per tonne, and the focus of Canpotex negotiations now is on volume, O'Rourke said. "Once the price gets set, that is the price, and your participation choice is how much volume" to commit, O'Rourke said. Story continues Mosaic reported a net loss of $10.2 million, or 3 cents per share, for the second quarter, compared with a profit of $390.6 million, or $1.08 per share, a year earlier. Excluding certain items, profit was 6 cents per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of 12 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue fell 32.7 percent to $1.67 billion. Mosaic said it would slash its 2016 capital budget and cut other expenses to preserve cash. The company idled production in July at its Colonsay, Saskatchewan potash mine for the rest of 2016. (Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Grant McCool) London (AFP) - The mother of a British man accused of seizing a gun to "kill" White House hopeful Donald Trump launched a campaign Tuesday to bring her autistic son home from the United States. Michael Sandford, 20, will face trial next month after trying to grab a police officer's gun at a Las Vegas campaign rally in June, before being overpowered. He later told police he wanted to "to shoot and kill" Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. Lynn Sandford, 42, is trying to raise the money to fund a legal battle so her son can serve any sentence in Britain. "Michael is extremely vulnerable and I don't think he will survive being incarcerated in a US prison," she told a London press conference, explaining he was now on suicide watch in a Nevada jail. "We want to try to bring him home to the UK to a secure place that will help him." Sandford has pleaded not guilty to charges of disrupting government business and being an illegal alien in possession of a gun, and his trial is due to begin on August 22. But his British lawyer has said he is mentally unfit to plead. Lynn Sandford said her son had "tried to do a bad thing", but that he was mentally ill "and not a bad or dangerous person". "Michael is an autistic man who would not have foreseen the consequences of his actions," she said. "He has attempted suicide when he was 14 and has suffered from depression throughout his life." Sandford had overstayed his US visa by several months and had been reported missing by his mother at the time of the incident. The family has launched an online crowd-funding campaign to raise A25,000 ($33,200, 29,600 euros) to help repatriate Sandford, which has already hit over A20,000. "Please, please help us to raise funds: to try to influence the legal process in the States, to try and get a good lawyer for him there," said the CrowdJustice funding page. Story continues "I am not asking for my son to escape punishment. We want him to serve his sentence in a safe institution for vulnerable people." Family lawyer Saimo Chahal told reporters that the top priority was "to try and secure Michael's repatriation to the UK so that he could be assisted in a medical facility". Sandford faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fines for each of the charges. Aug 2 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Tuesday. To inform us of other job changes, email moves@thomsonreuters.com. JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT The asset management arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co appointed Rossano Nonino as chief investment officer for real estate in Brazil, the office for which is based in Sao Paulo. The company also named John Gammage as global head of its financial-sponsor group, according to a memo obtained by IFR. TD SECURITIES The investment banking arm of Toronto-Dominion Bank hired a former managing director at Wells Fargo to build its presence in financial institutions debt origination. HSBC HOLDINGS PLC Two senior debt capital markets bankers at the bank are leaving their roles following a reshuffle within the business, according to sources. SOCIETE GENERALE Marina Mulcair has been promoted to head the bank's European leveraged loan syndicate, a spokeswoman confirmed. BNY MELLON WEALTH MANAGEMENT The investment manager appointed Elizabeth Murdy to the newly created position of wealth director in BNY Mellon Wealth Management's Denver team. PEEL HUNT The UK-based corporate broking and trading firm appointed Harry Philips as an analyst on its industrials team. (Compiled by Manish Parashar in Bengaluru) Myanmar is hoping to lure 7.5 million tourists a year by 2019, an official said Tuesday, as the impoverished former junta-ruled nation emerges as one of Southeast Asia's hot destinations. Travel to the once-cloistered country used to be reserved for the well-heeled and intrepid, prepared to endure the travails of a country under military rule with patchy electricity and limited communications. But foreign tourists have flocked in since the country began opening up in 2011, with a celebrities such as pop stars Beyonce and Jay Z helping to popularise the message that the country is open for visitors. This year Myanmar is on track to welcome 5.5 million tourists, nearly a million more than 2015, Tint Thwin, director-general of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told AFP. "We hope the number will grow to 7.5 million tourists per year within three years," he said on the sidelines of a major tourism conference in Yangon. "We will try to find new destinations for tourists to visit and we will also support community-based tourism," he said in an effort to raise incomes in one of Asia's poorest countries. In comparison, neighbouring Thailand -- a regional tourism behemoth -- received 30 million visitors last year, offering a tantalising glimpse of the riches to be made. Curiosity in Myanmar's culture and natural beauty has surged in recent years in lockstep with the rollback of most international sanctions and the ascension of Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power. But challenges remain. Hotels are expensive and often do not meet the standards of more traveller-friendly countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. There have also been a number of incidents where tourist behaviour has clashed with Myanmar's conservative culture. A Spanish tourist was deported last month for sporting a tattoo of the Buddha on his leg in the Buddhist-majority country, while authorities are struggling to prevent the surging visitor numbers from damaging the vast Bagan temple site. Myanmar travel groups are also hoping to attract wealthier package tours to provide year-round jobs. NASA has ordered a second crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from SpaceX, which will provide the orbital service using its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. The order is the fourth and last guaranteed one that NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts the agency recently signed with SpaceX and Boeing. However, NASA has said it envisions using one or both of these companies' private space taxis for years to come. (Each company's deal allows for a potential maximum of six crewed flights.) "The order of a second crew rotation mission from SpaceX, paired with the two ordered from Boeing, will help ensure reliable access to the station on American spacecraft and rockets," Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. "These systems will ensure reliable U.S. crew rotation services to the station, and will serve as a lifeboat for the space station for up to seven months." [SpaceX's Manned Dragon Space Taxi for Astronauts (Photos)] Boeing, which will use its CST-100 Starliner capsule to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS, received its two flight orders in May 2015 and December 2015, while SpaceX notched its first one in November 2015. Both companies are on track to launch crews for the first time in 2017, NASA officials have said. The agency hasn't yet announced which company will fly astronauts to the station first. Since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, NASA astronauts have launched to, and returned from, the ISS inside Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which can accommodate three people. A standard mission aboard Dragon or Starliner, however, will fly four astronauts, as well as 220 lbs. (100 kilograms) of pressurized cargo, NASA officials said. "With the commercial crew vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX, we will soon add a seventh crewmember to space station missions, which will significantly increase the amount of crew time to conduct research," NASA ISS chief scientist Julie Robinson said in the same statement. Story continues "Given the number of investigations waiting for the crew to be able to complete their research, having more crewmembers will enable NASA and our partners to significantly increase the important research being done every day for the benefit of all humanity," Robinson added. The uncrewed version of Dragon already flies to the ISS, under a separate cargo contract that SpaceX holds with NASA. SpaceX met the criteria for the second CCtCap flight after meeting developmental milestones and completing design reviews for Crew Dragon, the Falcon 9 and associated ground systems, NASA officials said. "We appreciate the trust NASA has placed in SpaceX with the order of another crew mission and look forward to flying astronauts from American soil next year," said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. NASA announced the CCtCap deals with Boeing and SpaceX in September 2014. Boeing got $4.2 billion, and SpaceX received $2.6 billion. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Editor's Recommendations Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. From "Star Trek" to science fiction to real-life space, NASA employees paid tribute to the role of inspiration at the Comic-Con International in San Diego last weekend. In a new video, NASA highlighted a series of interviews and panel discussion clips from the convention on how several NASA employees got to where they are today. "I think one of the biggest things we do at NASA, and as human beings in general, is we are pushing boundaries," Amber Straughn, an astronomer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said in the video. "We are looking to sort of go beyond what is capable right now. I think that's common not only in what we are doing at NASA, but in science fiction." Straughn pointed to the James Webb Space Telescope, which is set to launch in 2018, as an example of pushing those boundaries. The telescope is in part designed to look for small, far away Earth-like planets in a quest to help astronomers better understand habitability. NASA researchers are also searching for life in our own solar system, particularly on Mars. Bobak Ferdowsi became one of the most visible members of the Mars Curiosity team when images of his mohawk hairstyle went viral during the Mars rover's landing in 2012. "I mean, I took the 'seeking of new life' a little too seriously in a career," Ferdowsi said, riffing off an old "Star Trek" line. "Actually, what drew me to 'Trek' at the beginning was really the personal thing, and ultimately I thought being part of NASA was one of the best ways to make that kind of future a reality." Rebekah Sosland Siegfriedt, a systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, recalled the 1997 movie "Contact" where actor Jodie Foster receives a signal that appears to come from an alien civilization. The film was a huge inspiration to Siegfriedt as a young girl. Today, Siegfriedt is helping to build the Mars 2020 rover that will search for signals of habitability on Mars. Story continues "It's hard to believe a movie like that and a person like Jodie Foster in that movie could have inspired me to where I am today," she said. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Editor's Recommendations Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. On the second day of spring 1931, two years before the Nazis seized power and burned unsuitable books, Nanna Conti attended the Day of the Book hosted by the Berlin Womens Association. Two of the authors who spoke that day impressed Conti and were later deemed worthy enough by the government to escape the Nazis pyres. One was Ina Seidel, whose story of a doctors commitment to his work, even after the death of his wife, spoke directly to Conti. Its theme about offering comfort and dutifully acting to help those in need moved her deeply. All the strings in the heart of a midwife will resonate in the reading of this piece, she wrote. Improving midwifery and working for the sake of babies and mothers was Contis mantra. For nearly 30 years, she had been practicing as a Berlin midwife, a profession she felt deserved more recognition. Midwives delivered more than 80 percent of German babies at the beginning of the 20th century, yet there was no national midwifery organization, no standardized education and no minimum wage or guaranteed pension, despite efforts by a number of midwife associations across the country. Midwives were a way to get into the homes and make sure they were proper Aryan homes. Lynne Fallwell, author In 1930, Conti had joined the Nazi Party. Lynne Fallwell, assistant professor of history at Texas Tech University and author of Modern German Midwifery, 18851960, acknowledges that Conti joined the party early and had previously been associated with nationalistic parties. This, Fallwell says, reflected that Contis move to Nazism was fueled by ideological commitment, rather than the opportunism that drove so many others. Over the next decade, Conti would become known as the woman who changed midwifery forever in Germany. She brought together the long-sought changes midwives had been fighting for. The Nazis, as it turned out, were also fans of hers, prompted no doubt by their desire to increase birth rates of ethnic Germans and improve national health. Midwives were a way to get into the homes and make sure they were proper Aryan homes, Fallwell says. The midwives could go into homes and make an assessment on behalf of the party. Were there miscarriages or abortions? Did a newborn have a birth defect? For the social control of the country, midwives were essential. Story continues When the Nazis seized power in 1933, midwives officially became part of the national health system, and Conti was appointed head of the new, consolidated midwives association. She became known as the Reichshebammenfuhrerin, standardizing midwifery education and establishing milk depots for mothers to donate extra breast milk. She also edited the associations journal and advocated Nazi ideals. Midwives, in turn, were expected to join the professional organization and adhere to party ideology. But Nazism also favored midwives and home births as a cost-saving measure. The less that had to be spent on maternity costs, after all, the more could be spent on the war. They were notorious penny-pinchers, says Patty Stokes, assistant professor of womens and gender studies at Ohio University. Contis son Leonardo was a doctor in the SS, and became the governments Reich health leader. He gave a speech endorsing home birth as the safest form of delivery, noting how it was cheaper to deliver at home. In 1938, Nazi officials created the first piece of national policy for midwives, declaring that they should be present at every birth, even if a doctor was in attendance. There is no direct evidence that Conti wrote the law the midwife organizations archives were lost during the war but Fallwell says that the ideas Conti had been advocating in the midwifery journal became reality with the law. This, combined with her work, solidified midwives as professionals and a vital part of birth, a practice that continues to this day. Jews were prevented from entering midwifery school or practice an anti-Semitic holdover that stuck in writing, if not in practice, until 1985. The law also directly supported the Nazis child euthanasia program the systematic identification and murder of children with birth defects, ranging from a cleft palate to Down syndrome. Midwives were paid extra to identify these babies, although not all midwives did. Conti was never charged with war crimes, and her legacy as the savior of Germany midwifery lives on. Had the Nazis not created a national policy, the professionalization of doctors and the move to the hospital would most likely have eliminated the midwifery system, much like it did in the United States during the same period. Today, most German babies are still delivered by midwife, but owing to low wages and high liability insurance, midwives professional status remains under threat. Related Articles Chicago Sanitation from Funny Or Die NBC will have four Chicago procedurals on the air this coming season and network president Bob Greenblatt doesnt necessarily rule out more. Every time I think Dick Wolf has finished, he comes up with a new idea, the NBC boss said of the producer behind such shows as Chicago Fire and the upcoming Chicago Justice. More often than not, he proves me to be wrong. That meant that its entirely possible there could be yet another Chicago-based procedural from the Law & Order mastermind. Also Read: NBC Confirms Plans for 4-Way 'Chicago' Crossover To have three spinoffs, I kind of think were gilding the lily, Greenblatt told reporters at the TCA TV press tour Tuesday in Beverly Hills. But, he added, I will never count Dick Wolf out thats a long-winded way of saying, I dont know if there will be another Chicago show. Greenblatts turn on the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom stage officially kicked off NBCs full Tuesday from the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. Also Read: Dick Wolf Debuts 'Chicago Sanitation' in Funny or Die Parody (Video) Coming panels for the broadcast networks actual shows include those for newbies Timeless and This Is Us, as well as the returning Blindspot and Superstore. We can only hope that Funny or Dies prediction of a show called Chicago Sanitation will soon come to pass. Watch the parody video above. PaleyFest: Stars Gather for 'An Evening With Dick Wolf' (Photos) PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center Dick Wolfe NBC Jennifer Salke Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Michael Bulbenko for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center PaleyFest Dick Wolf Panel Rob Latour for the Paley Center Previous Slide Next Slide Story continues 1 of 12 Ice-T, S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt and more join fans in celebrating the Law & Order maestro Ice-T, Creator/EP Dick Wolf, and S. Epatha Merkerson at PaleyFest LA 2016 honoring An Evening with Dick Wolf View In Gallery Related stories from TheWrap: 5 Takeaways From NBC's Press Day: Bob Greenblatt Plays Trump Card, Neil Patrick Harris Charms NBC's Bob Greenblatt Breaks Down Donald Trump's Success: 'The World Likes a Star' NBC Chief Bob Greenblatt Jokes About Donald Trump at Hispanic Media Conference NBC has ordered Warren Leight and Paul Haggis Salvation to pilot, and is developing the Gideon Raff drama Waking Lions, Variety has learned. Leight, who recently exited Law & Order: SVU as showrunner, has penned the script for Salvation, a medical series being described by NBC as the first real-time hospital extreme event drama. The story begins on the Fourth of July weekend, when a massive storm hits New York City and leaves Our Lady of Salvation hospital as the last open trauma center in Brooklyn. The trouble is, Our Lady of Salvation was recently decimated by downsizing, leaving few doctors on hand to handle the hordes of incoming patients. Salvation is a Sony Pictures Television production. Raffs Waking Lions will be based on the novel of the same name by Israeli author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. In the international best-seller, Beverly Hills doctor Eitan Green hits and kills an African immigrant on his drive home one night; he flees the scene, but soon finds himself being blackmailed by the victims wife. Worse for him, his own wife becomes the lead investigator on the resulting case. The project comes from Keshet and Universal TV. Raff most recently co-created FXs the Middle East drama Tyrant, now in its third season, with Howard Gordon, and directed two episodes of NBCs Heroes: Reborn miniseries. Related stories Dick Wolf Asks SAG Awards to Consider All Four 'Chicago' Casts as One Ensemble 'Timeless' EPs Reveal Future Episodes at the Alamo, Watergate, and Nazi Germany Bob Costas, Olympics EP Jim Bell Talk Zika, Issues Facing Rio The leader of Nepal's Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after K.P. Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. "We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister's post," deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one", led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2008, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli's coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. The Maoists and Nepali Congress are in talks with United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) -- an alliance of protesting parties -- in an attempt to secure their votes. "The talks so far have been positive and we are inclined to support him in the election tomorrow," said Lal Babu Raut, vice-chairperson of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, one of the member parties of UDMF. Story continues "We are hopeful that our grievances against the constitution will be addressed by the new government." More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution -- particularly over the rights of marginalised communities -- have failed to yield agreement. The slow pace of reconstruction means that millions of Nepalis are still living in tents or makeshift huts after a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people in 2015. Shares of Newell Brands Inc. NWL have surged nearly 44.9% over the past six months. Also, the companys share price is hovering close to its 52-week high of $54.53. The companys healthy earnings track record, coupled with benefits from the Project Renewal program, consistent cost savings and splendid performance across all segments, place it well for growth over the long term. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), with a long-term earnings growth rate of 13.4%. NEWELL BRANDS Price and Consensus NEWELL BRANDS Price and Consensus | NEWELL BRANDS Quote Newell Brands recently posted impressive second-quarter 2016 results, with both top and bottom lines beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The companys adjusted earnings of 78 cents a share exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 73 cents and also rose 21.9% year over year. Net sales more than doubled to $3,858.6 million in the quarter and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,752 million. Notably, the reported quarter marks the first quarter wherein results of the recently acquired Jarden business were included. Results mainly gained from the Jarden acquisition, along with strong sales performances at various businesses including Writing, Baby, Food & Beverage, Yankee Candle and Appliances. The stupendous increase in sales is mainly attributable to a $2.22 billion contribution from the aforementioned buyout. Further, Newell Brands remains confident of attaining its 2016 earnings and sales targets. A look at the companys earnings history further depicts a spectacular picture as it has outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in 27 out of the past 29 quarters. In the trailing four quarters, it outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 4.9%. (Read: Newell Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates, Keeps 2016 View). Additionally, this global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and commercial products boasts solid financials which help it to drive shareholder value and future developments via value-added investments. Notably, this Atlanta, GA-based company holds a strong portfolio of well-established brands like Paper Mate, Sharpie and Parker. We believe that the company has been gaining strength from its robust growth momentum and splendid brand performance. From the above analysis, it is apparent that Newell Brands is a stock that deserves a place in your portfolio. Stocks that Warrant a Look Some other well-ranked stocks in the retail sector include Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. OLLI, The Children's Place, Inc. PLCE, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc. BUFF, carrying a Zacks Rank #2. 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 NEWELL BRANDS (NWL): Free Stock Analysis Report CHILDRENS PLACE (PLCE): Free Stock Analysis Report OLLIES BGN OUTL (OLLI): Free Stock Analysis Report BLUE BUFFALO (BUFF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. On Monday, we watched Nick Jonas go Running Wild with Bear Grylls. The former Jonas Brothers member joined the former special forces soldier for a decent down the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And luckily for Jonas, they had no trouble finding something to eat. While urinating, Grylls noticed a dead bird and since frozen carcasses stays fresher longer, he stuck it down Jonas's pants where it could be thawed out and roasted for dinner. Since dead bird can be a little dry, they also dug up some grub worms and maggots to stuff it inside. After making camp, Jonas ripped the head off the bird and gutted it while Grylls placed the little bird's head a spike saying, "That's to ward off Nick Jonas fans." After a nice roasting, Jonas ate the bird while Grylls lamented the criticism he often receives for his meals saying, "People always say, 'Ah, you eat such terrible food.' It's like, 'Maggots and burnt bird - What more can a man want?" Oslo (AFP) - Norwegian authorities on Tuesday issued a travel warning for the US city of Miami for pregnant women due to risks linked to the Zika virus. "Pregnant women are advised not to travel to Miami and people who have been to Miami should take the necessary precautions on their return," the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said in a statement. The recommendation follows the announcement of 14 cases of Zika in the Miami neighbourhood of Wynwood, a popular arts and restaurant district. US health authorities on Monday issued a travel warning for the Wynwood district alone, while the Norwegian recommendation covers the entire city of Miami in the US southern state of Florida. The institute said its decision was based on the "uncertain situation at this stage concerning the spread of the virus in Miami." Contacted by AFP, the institute said it had taken its decision independently of other European health authorities, which have yet to issue any travel recommendations. It added it wanted to pre-empt any departures for Miami during this summer holiday season. The 14 Miami cases mark the first time the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects and is considered particularly dangerous for pregnant women, is known to be spreading via local mosquitoes in the United States. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and also by sexual contact. Over 1,600 cases of Zika have been previously reported in the United States, but most were brought by travelers who were infected elsewhere. From Road & Track As an attorney specializing in Lemon Law, I read a lot of documents related to automobile purchases and repairs. Over the last couple of decades, I've watched those documents evolve. They have been continuously getting worse and worse for the consumer. Nowadays, the purchaser of a big ticket item like a car, truck, motorcycle, boat or RV will sign something giving away almost every right imaginable. How bad has it gotten? Most sellers disclaim all warranties when they sell you something. Your new car might have a manufacturer's warranty when you buy it but you get no promises from the seller. They will often go so far as to disclaim everything said to you by the salesperson. So the salesman can promise you anythingit's all meaningless once you sign the document. What if you specifically asked the salesperson if the truck could tow a particular trailer or the salesperson "accidentally" told you the product came with a certain warrantyone that it did not come with? See above. Most likely, those statements are legally meaningless once you sign the Purchase Agreement which nullifies the salesperson's statements. Many sellers and manufacturers now include a one-year statute of limitations in their documents, meaning that if you decide to sue them for breach of warranty (assuming you didn't waive that in the purchase agreement), you must commence the suit within one year of the purchase date. The RV or boat has a 5-year warranty? The last 4 years might be unenforceable. Yes, this is an absurd result but I have seen judges in state court and federal court uphold this nonsense. When I pointed out that my clients were then stuck with an illusory promise (a warranty that is unenforceable) the judges said, in essence, "If they didn't like that, they shouldn't have signed the sales contract." Many sellers will ask buyers to sign a document that acknowledges that the buyer has read all of the sales and warranty documents and agrees with them. Except that the warranty booklets fill a full banker's box in one of the cabinets inside the boat or RV being purchased. No one has read all of those documents. And guess what is often hidden there? That one-year statute of limitations clause cutting your longer warranty into a shorter one. Story continues Arbitration clauses are becoming commonplace in this industry. I have seen them stuck into Purchase Agreements, applications for title, employee discount forms, and warranty documents. They will often simply say, "You agree to arbitrate any claims against us by using XYZ Arbitration." Later, you will learn that the arbitration they have chosen is one they run, using rules written by the seller or the manufacturer. Think you can win that battle? Oh, and you may need to file that arbitration claim within the one year window. After all, they will only arbitrate the legal claims you may have had and they will enforce that one-year limit just the same way a court would. Is there anything a consumer can do about this? Yes. Next time you are shopping for a big ticket item like a car, truck, RV or boat, read all of the sales documents before you sign them and before you commit to buying. Whatever you are buying is available somewhere else. If you see a clause you dislike in the documents, ask to strike it. If the seller will not negotiate the terms of the sale and they will always start out by telling you that deleting any language is impossible suggest that you will continue to shop around and see what the language looks like at the dealer down the street. You'd be surprised at what might happen if you threaten to walk out and take your money elsewhere. Steve Lehto is a writer and attorney from Michigan. He specializes in Lemon Law and frequently writes about cars and the law. His most recent books include Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow, and Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird: Design, Development, Production and Competition. He also has a podcast where he talks about these things. Now watch a woman casually pole dancing while in labor like its no big deal at all Now watch a woman casually pole dancing while in labor like its no big deal at all If youre considering pole dancing for the first time, please do not allow the fun, fluid movements involved to fool you into thinking its a breeze. The empowering, body-positive workout challenges the hell out of your muscles and if you dont leave a session sweaty and bruised (albeit feeling slightly sexier than before), then you must be already be a pro like fitness instructor Kat Bailey who actually worked the pole between contractions. According to Cosmopolitan, Bailey, a former doctor and the owner of PoleKat Fitness, is the complete opposite of what were accustomed to seeing from Your Average Woman in Labor. She was beyond prepared for birth, so much that she couldnt be bothered with moaning helplessly or cursing her womb and the tiny human trying to force its way out of there. Im officially in labour Got a few hours before we go to the hospital so thought Id do some pole between contractions, Bailey captioned a video uploaded to her Facebook page. So...I'm officially in labour :) Got a few hours before we go to the hospital so thought I'd do some pole between... Nai-post ni Kat Bailey noong Linggo, Hulyo 31, 2016 Bailey previously dropped jaws when she competed in a pole fitness competition while seven months pregnant. Ah-mazing! Not only is Bailey the epitome of #fitnessgoals, she represents a blindingly bright beacon of hope for women who are legitimately terrified of giving birth. The post Now watch a woman casually pole dancing while in labor like its no big deal at all appeared first on HelloGiggles. Yehuda Coriat proposes to his girlfriend, Sorah Oppen, Thursday after a fake traffic stop in New York. A trio of New York Police Department officers who helped orchestrate a traffic stop turned marriage proposal last week are under investigation for the incident, the department announced Monday. Two officers from the 101st precinct in Queens pulled over Yehuda Coriat and his girlfriend, Sorah Oppen, under the pretense of searching the car for weapons and drugs, according to the New York Post. Video of the incident, since posted on YouTube, shows officers briefly searching the car before popping the trunk to reveal balloons, flowers and the wedding ring. Coriat then dropped to one knee and proposed, with Oppen gleefully accepting. In an interview with the Post, Oppen praised the officers for playing along. [The officers] werent on duty at the time, she said. They did [Coriat] a favor. They came in, dressed up, got the car and did the whole getup just as a favor. Coriat said he went to the police precinct in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of New York and asked the officers if they would help. He said the officers originally were supposed to be off-duty when performing the stop. But NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a press conference Monday that it is now unclear if the officers were in fact not working at the time. Was it an on-duty or off-duty incident? Was department equipment involved? What was the origin of it? Bratton said. So we just dont have that information at this time. They could face discipline if it was found that their behavior was inappropriate. He added that the incident was under review by the precinct commander to determine what, if any, department protocol was broken. The NYPD did not respond with an update on the status of the investigation. Theres one man sure to be happy that New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is resigning: Donald Trump. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the citys top cop will step down in September after a 45-year career as a police commander that also included stops in Los Angeles and Boston. Of late, that career that has been marked by a steady escalation in Brattons public opposition to the GOP nominee. The New York police head has condemned Trumps proposed ban on Muslim immigration and rejected a request from the mogul to address New York police officer in the wake of the deadly Dallas shootings last month. The moves have complicated Trumps concerted effort to brand himself the law and order candidate. Our interest is in staying out of the politics of the moment, not to provide photo-ops, Bratton said during a July 8 news conference, explaining his decision to not allow Trump to address a roll call of his officers. Trumps campaign denied making such a request. Following the June massacre at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, Trump repeated his calls for a ban on Muslims or those hailing from terrorism-torn countries entering the U.S. Trump seemed to either not know or not care that the shooter was born in New York to Afghan parents and had no known ties to terror groups like the Islamic State. Trump, for his part, criticized de Blasio and Bratton for disbanding a controversial NYPD program that carried out mass surveillance of the Muslim community, including placing informants in mosques. We need justice, we need vigilance, we need great intelligence gathering systems, which we dont have, Trump told CBS This Morning on June 13, the day after the attack. We had them in New York City the new mayor just broke it all up and disbanded it, he thought it was inappropriate that was unbelievable. Bratton shot back that Trump was making that precise policing and counterterrorism work harder. Story continues He and de Blasio dissolved the unit, which was formed under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Ray Kelly, in 2014. A civil rights lawsuit over the program was recently settled, but controversy remains about unfair targeting of the Muslim community in the name of counterterrorism. It works against the ability of police in this country to develop relationships with the communities, Bratton said on June 13, responding to Trumps comments. The idea of somehow singling out a community for penalties that dont apply to other communities, or seem to single them out, I think is unnecessary, it is unfortunate, and it works against our ability to work with those communities. Later on MSNBCs Morning Joe, Bratton pointed out that the 36,000-strong NYPD has about 1,000 Muslim officers, many of them combat veterans. Trumps anti-Muslim comments are ironic, the police chief said on June 14, given several of these officers have been assigned to the candidates security detail outside his Trump Tower headquarters in Manhattan. To be fair, its not just Trump. Bratton had blunt advice to presidential runner-up Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs suggestion that police patrol Muslim neighborhoods in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels in March: Shut up. A few weeks ago at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio, Trump trotted out former presidential candidate and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whom Bratton served as police commissioner in the mid-1990s, to bolster his law and order case. Who would trust Hillary Clinton to protect them? Giuliani riled up the crowd against the Democratic nominee in an off-script, lengthy speech. I wouldnt. Would you? But Trump has found himself in hot water again this week with comments disparaging the parents of a Muslim Army captain killed in Iraq in 2004. And on Tuesday afternoon, just as de Blasio announced Brattons resignation, the GOP nominee appeared to continue belittling military service. The candidate widely believed to have repeatedly dodged the Vietnam draft said that a veteran gave him a Purple Heart medal, the militarys oldest honor for being wounded or killed in combat. The mogul said hes always wanted one, adding, this was much easier than earning it himself. The veteran, identified as ret. Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman, later told NBC reporter Katy Tur that the medal hed given Trump was a duplicate copy of his real one. Photo credit: Spencer Platt / Staff President Obama is standing by his position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Obama, during a press conference on Tuesday with Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said despite bipartisan opposition, he is still in favor of the trade agreement between 12 countries (United States, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, Chile, Brunei and New Zealand). We are part of a global economywere not reversing that, Obama said. It cant be reversed because it is driven by technology and it is driven by travel and cargo containers and the fact that the demand for products inside of our country means we have to get some things from other places and our export sector is a huge contributor to jobs and our economic wellbeing. He said, given the global economy, the benefits of TPP outweigh any faults. Most manufactured products now involve a global supply chain where parts are made in all corners of the globe and converge and then get assembled and packaged and sold. So the notion that were going to pull that up root and branch is unrealisticpoint number one, he said. Obama admitted that evidence has shown that prior trade deals the U.S. has been involved with have not delivered on all benefits that were promised and had very localized costs. There were communities that were hurt because plants moved out, he said. People lost jobs. Jobs were created because of those trade deals, but jobs were also lost. And people who experienced those losses, those communities, didnt get as much help as they needed to. And what is also true is as a consequence of globalization and automation. What youve seen is laborworkerslosing leverage and capital being mobilebeing able to locate around the world. That has all contributed to growing inequality, both here in the United States, but in many advanced economies. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Story continues During an interview with FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his opposition to TPP. The biggest job-providing program would be to renegotiate NAFTA and not sign TPP, Trump continued, my plan is to renegotiate NAFTA, make it either good or get out of NAFTA. I want to bring our jobs back. Related Articles barack obama President Barack Obama called on Republican leaders to withdraw their endorsements of Donald Trump following his criticism of the father of a slain Muslim American soldier. In a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, Obama said it was not enough for Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to condemn the Republican presidential nominee's controversial statements, including his critique of Khizr Khan, who denounced Trump's proposal to bar all Muslims from entering the US. "The question I think that they have to ask themselves is: If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" Obama said. The president continued: "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point at which you say 'This isn't someone I can support as president of the United States'. Even if he purports to be a member of your party. The fact that that has not happened makes some of them ring hollow." Obama said that Trump's comments about Khan showed why the real-estate magnate was "unfit" to serve as president, adding that Obama never doubted former Republican nominees Gov. Mitt Romney's and Sen. John McCain's fitness to occupy the office, despite policy differences. "There have been Republican presidents with whom I disagreement that I didn't have a doubt they could serve as president," Obama said. He added: "I thought I was right and Mitt Romney and John McCain were wrong on certain policy issues, but I never thought that they couldn't do the job. And had they won, I would've been disappointed, but I would've said to all Americans this is our president, and I know they're going to abide by certain norms and rules and common sense and observe basic decency, will have enough knowledge of economic policy and foreign policy and our constitutional issues and rule of law that our government will work, and we'll compete in four years to win an election. But that's not the situation here. There has to come a point at which you say enough." Story continues NOW WATCH: Obama to Republicans: 'Why are you still endorsing him?' More From Business Insider President Barack Obama is doubling down on his declaration that Donald Trump is "unfit" for the presidency because, Obama says, the GOP nominee "keeps on proving it." Speaking alongside Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a press conference in the White House East Room on Tuesday, Obama denounced Trump's treatment of the family of a slain Muslim U.S. solider, and criticized his apparent lack of knowledge about world affairs. "Yes, I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president," Obama said. "I said so last week, and he keeps on proving it." "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," the president added. His criticism was not reserved for Trump alone. Obama also lambasted Republicans for continuing to support Trump, saying, "There has to be a point at which you say, 'Enough.' " "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" Obama asked GOP leaders. "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point at which you say, 'This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.' " President Obama Passes the Torch to Hillary Clinton The president added that Republicans who have distanced themselves from Trump's comments but failed to revoke their endorsements of him are not doing enough. "I don't doubt their sincerity. I don't doubt they were outraged by some of the statements that Mr. Trump and his supporters made about the Khan family," Obama said. "But there has to come a point in which you say, 'Somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world.' " Trump has come under bipartisan fire for his criticism of the family of Muslim American U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan. After the fallen soldier's father, Khizr Kahn, said at the Democratic convention on Thursday that Trump had "sacrificed nothing and no one," the GOP nominee claimed he'd been "viciously attacked" and suggested that Khizr's wife, Ghalaza, didn't make her own remarks because she was forbidden as a Muslim woman. Republicans including Arizona Sen. John McCain spoke out against Trump following the controversy. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who were asked by Khizr Khan to repudiate Trump, issued statements distancing themselves from the GOP nominee's remarks but did not withdraw their support for him. President Obama has been outspoken in his feelings about Donald Trump and on Tuesday, the commander-in-chief said the GOP presidential pick is unit to serve as Americas leader. Read: Donald Trump Faces Backlash, Ridicule for His Response to Fallen Muslim Soldier's Parents Obama spoke at a news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong inside the White House and uttered his harshest remarks yet about the New York billionaire. He urged Republicans to withdraw support for their partys presidential pick, saying he is woefully unprepared to do this job. Obama added: The question they have to ask themselves is: If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? The 44th president also pointed out Trumps lack of knowledge and depth in handling international duties. This isnt a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily, Obama said. There has to be a point at which you say, this is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party. The fact that that has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow. Read: Dad of Fallen Muslim Soldier Asks Trump: Want to Borrow My Copy of the American Constitution? Trump took to social media to blast the presidents remarks. STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAILED LEADERSHIP: https://t.co/SPgFIFuSO7 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2016 Trump said: They have shipped millions of our best jobs overseas to appease their global special interests. They have betrayed our security and our workers, and Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. Story continues Obama's comments come less than a week after his DNC speech where he took jabs at Trump's rhetoric and policies. The Donald is not really a plans guy. Hes not really a facts guy, either, Obama said. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women whove achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated. Watch: Donald Trump Lets Loose While Live Tweeting DNC, Slams Speakers Related Articles: By Jeff Mason and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued a scathing attack of Donald Trump on Tuesday for criticizing a Muslim family whose U.S. Army captain son was killed in Iraq, and he challenged Republican leaders to withdraw support for their "unfit" nominee. Obama's comments added to a growing number of statements from Republicans and Democrats lambasting Trump for his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week. Trump questioned whether Mrs. Khan did not speak at the convention because she was prevented from doing so by her religion and he characterized Mr. Khan's criticism of him as "vicious." Families who lose sons or daughters who serve in the U.S. military are called Gold Star families. "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf or our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," Obama said of Trump during a White House news conference. The Democratic president noted that leading Republicans, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, and one-time Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, had criticized Trump for his remarks but have stood by their endorsements of him. "The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Obama said. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" Obama said. Obama spoke during a White House news conference with Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong. Obama has endorsed his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president. Obama said that even if he had lost his White House races in 2008 to McCain and in 2012 to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, he would not have doubted their abilities to lead the country. That was not the case for Trump, a businessman from New York, Obama said. "There has to come a point at which you say, somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world," Obama said. (Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) President Obama on Tuesday bluntly declared Donald Trump unfit to be commander in chief and pressured senior Republicans to retract their endorsements of the GOP standard-bearer. I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president, Obama told reporters at a joint press conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House. Turning up the heat on top Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have endorsed the former reality show star, Obama said their criticisms of his frequent controversial statements ring hollow because they say they will still support him in November. There has to come a point at which you say enough, the president declared. Obama cited Trumps bitter public feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Their son Humayun, a 27-year-old Muslim American Army captain, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that hes woefully unprepared to do this job, Obama said. Trumps criticisms of the Khans, who assailed the former reality show star last week at the Democratic nominating convention, has drawn criticism from Ryan, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Sen. John McCain but none has rescinded his endorsement. The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? Obama said. There has to be a point at which you say, This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States even if he purports to be a member of my party, the president said. There has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesnt have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world, he continued. Story continues The president had repeatedly made clear in the past that he did not think Trump belongs in the Oval Office, but his remarks on Tuesday amounted to a sharp escalation in a rhetorical war sure to stretch all the way to Election Day. Trump subsequently released a statement declaring Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton unfit for the Oval Office. They have produced the worst recovery since the Great Depression, Trump said of Obama and Clinton. They have shipped millions of our best jobs overseas to appease their global special interests. They have betrayed our security and our workers, and Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. President Obama speak during a joint news conference with Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) At his Tuesday press conference, Obama also signaled that he has not given up on trying to push the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal through Congress, even though the agreement faces opposition from both Trump and Clinton. The former secretary of state used to support TPP but turned away from it during her pitched primary battle with Sen. Bernie Sanders. Right now, Im president and Im for it, Obama said. Hopefully, after the election is over and the dust settled, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal and it wont just be a political symbol or a political football. The president also weighed in gingerly on the release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, the result of a cyber-intrusion that some experts have pinned on Russia. Asked whether Moscow was behind the attack, Obama declined to comment specifically, citing an ongoing FBI investigation, but hinted that his administration was looking at possible retaliation against the perpetrators. There are a lot of countries out there that are trying to hack into our stuff, he said. We have provisions in place where, if we see evidence of a malicious attack by a state actor, we can impose, potentially, certain proportional penalties. But that requires us to really be able to pin down and know what we are talking about. And, he added, I dont think that it wildly swings what is a tough and difficult relationship that we have with Russia right now. By Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Singapore's prime minister on Tuesday made sales pitches for a Pacific Rim trade deal that both U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have derided and that has been stalled in Congress. Aiming to keep alive hopes for a post-election congressional vote in the closing weeks of 2016 in favour of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Obama said its merits would overcome fierce criticism on the campaign trail. "Hopefully after the election is over and the dust settles, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal. It won't just be a political symbol or a political football," Obama told a White House news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a state visit. Republican presidential nominee Trump and Democratic rival Clinton have said they oppose the TPP in its current form. Trump has taken a more radical anti-free-trade stance, threatening to tear up the 22-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and slap punitive tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and China. The TPP, which counts Singapore and the United States among its signatories, along with countries such as Japan, Mexico and Vietnam, faces a tough fight in Congress. Many lawmakers there are also running for re-election in November and face a rising tide of anti-free-trade sentiment driven by manufacturing job losses. House tax committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a Republican, has said he would back a vote if members' concerns about TPP, including provisions on financial services, biologic drugs and tobacco, can be addressed by the Obama administration. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called prospects for a vote this year "bleak", especially now that Clinton's vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine also opposes the agreement. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the most powerful business lobby in Washington, is not giving up on a possible vote in the "lame duck" congressional session after the Nov. 8 elections. Story continues "We are a leading proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an effort we cant - and wont - give up on," Chamber President Tom Donohue said at an event honouring Lee on Monday night. In their news conference, Lee cast the deal as pivotal to the U.S.-Asia relationship. "In terms of America's engagement of the region, you have put your reputation on the line," he said. Dropping out of the TPP could harm U.S. relations with its allies in Asia, and may cause Japan to question whether it can continue to depend on the United States for security, he said. The TPP aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world's economy and is widely seen as an economic counterweight to China's influence in Asia. (Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and James Dalgleish) By Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Singapore's prime minister on Tuesday made sales pitches for a Pacific Rim trade deal that both U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have derided and that has been stalled in Congress. Aiming to keep alive hopes for a post-election congressional vote in the closing weeks of 2016 in favor of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Obama said its merits would overcome fierce criticism on the campaign trail. "Hopefully after the election is over and the dust settles, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal. It won't just be a political symbol or a political football," Obama told a White House news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a state visit. Republican presidential nominee Trump and Democratic rival Clinton have said they oppose the TPP in its current form. Trump has taken a more radical anti-free-trade stance, threatening to tear up the 22-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and slap punitive tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and China. The TPP, which counts Singapore and the United States among its signatories, along with countries such as Japan, Mexico and Vietnam, faces a tough fight in Congress. Many lawmakers there are also running for re-election in November and face a rising tide of anti-free-trade sentiment driven by manufacturing job losses. House tax committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a Republican, has said he would back a vote if members' concerns about TPP, including provisions on financial services, biologic drugs and tobacco, can be addressed by the Obama administration. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called prospects for a vote this year "bleak", especially now that Clinton's vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine also opposes the agreement. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the most powerful business lobby in Washington, is not giving up on a possible vote in the "lame duck" congressional session after the Nov. 8 elections. "We are a leading proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an effort we cant - and wont - give up on," Chamber President Tom Donohue said at an event honoring Lee on Monday night. In their news conference, Lee cast the deal as pivotal to the U.S.-Asia relationship. "In terms of America's engagement of the region, you have put your reputation on the line," he said. Dropping out of the TPP could harm U.S. relations with its allies in Asia, and may cause Japan to question whether it can continue to depend on the United States for security, he said. The TPP aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world's economy and is widely seen as an economic counterweight to China's influence in Asia. (Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and James Dalgleish) In his strongest repudiation yet of Donald Trump, President Barack Obama on Tuesday slammed the Republican presidential nominee as unfit to serve as president. The New York businessman is woefully unprepared to do this job, Obama said in a White House press conference with the Singaporean prime minister on Tuesday morning, adding that the candidate himself has proven it most recently by criticizing the family of a Muslim-American Army captain killed in Iraq. The presidents comments came on the heels of a growing controversy over the big-haired, bigger-mouthed GOP nominees disparagement of the parents of the fallen service member, Humayun Khan, killed in Iraq in 2004. Khans father Khizr gave one of the more powerful responses yet to the Republicans on-again-off-again Muslim ban at the Democratic gathering in Philadelphia last week, saying Trump had sacrificed nothing and asking if hed read the Constitution. Trump then criticized Khizr and his wife Ghazala, implying her religion, rather than her grief, had prevented her from speaking and saying his real estate work was a sacrifice on par with losing their son. Trump has also been sparring with four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, who recently served as Obamas envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition after commanding troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling him failed. He also denied that Russia had invaded Ukraine despite Moscows annexation of Crimea, encouraged Russia to hack the email of Hillary Clinton, and said the Democratic nominee was the devil. Obama launched a detailed attack against the Republican nominee. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that hes woefully unprepared to do this job, the president said. This isnt a situation where you have an episodic gaffe, he continued. This is daily. Story continues Trumps inability or unwillingness to watch what comes out of his mouth appears to have erased any post-convention bump and left him trailing Clinton by up to 9 percentage points in a recent CNN/ORC poll, with a Real Clear Politics average putting the former secretary of state ahead by 4 points as of Tuesday. It has also repeatedly put the Republicans who put him atop their ticket in a difficult spot as they fight to maintain control of the Senate. On Monday, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is up for reelection, said, I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. Early in his unexpectedly successful campaign, Trump said McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was not a war hero because he likes people who werent captured. Still, McCain has refused to rescind his endorsement of the nominee. Other GOP lawmakers in vulnerable seats like Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire have bashed Trumps comments without explicitly saying they would no longer support him. Obama took these Republicans to task on Tuesday. If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he said is unacceptable, he said, why are you still endorsing him? Photo credit: Mark Wilson / Staff BOSTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Och-Ziff Capital Management Group on Tuesday reported a second-quarter loss after the largest publicly traded U.S. hedge fund company set aside $214.3 million to eventually settle bribery charges with the U.S. government. The company posted a distributable loss of $184.3 million, or 35 cents per share, compared with year-earlier earnings of $95.2 million, or 18 cents a share. Without the reserve accrual, distributable earnings would have been 6 cents a share, just missing the analysts' average estimate of 7 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. This marks the second straight quarter that Och-Ziff set aside money to settle charges that it paid African officials in return for investments in its alternative asset funds, raising the total to $414.3 million. The company did not say when the matter might be settled but had expressed hope earlier this year to end it as soon as possible. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) concealed carry gun A new law that goes into effect on Monday will allow certain Texas college students to carry guns on campus but a legendary Texas police officer thinks that it's a "terrible" idea. The Republican-backed law which passed through the state Legislature last year allows concealed handgun license holders over 21 to carry their weapons on public college campuses. The date coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1966 University of Texas massacre, in which Charles Whitman, a US Marine-trained sniper, shot almost 50 people from the top of the school's iconic tower, leaving 15 dead. Ramiro "Ray" Martinez, one of the Austin police officers who helped gun down the shooter, fears that the campus-carry law will lead to only more violence. "I think it's terrible," Martinez told Business Insider. "I believe in the Second Amendment, but I believe there's a place and a time to have a weapon. And I don't think the campus is any place to be running around with a pistol." Previously, license holders could carry concealed firearms on campus streets, sidewalks, and other outdoor areas. But the new law expands that territory to campus buildings, including classrooms, offices, and dorms. Faculty can still declare their offices gun-free if they choose, but Martinez argues that professors will face constant danger and could even grow to distrust their students. "It puts pressure on the professors," he said. "They don't know which person is going to be kind of unstable. And if they give them a bad grade, you know, they might be history." texas tower shooting Interestingly, Martinez got help from armed students on that tragic day in 1966. As he and other officers were climbing up to the tower's observation deck, some students on the ground attempted to pick off the sniper using hunting rifles. Story continues The constant stream of bullets from below prevented the gunman from leaning over the ledge of the observation deck, restricting him to shooting through drain spouts for much of his 96-minute killing spree. Martinez credits the students with saving lives. "I think they did an excellent service because they kept the sniper from having free will up there to shoot at people," Martinez said. "The rifles they were using were effective and I'm glad they did." "But by the same token, you don't go around with a damn rifle strapped around your shoulder going to school," he said. Texas now joins a handful of other states that allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus. NOW WATCH: A beautiful animation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's emotional tribute to the Orlando shooting victims More From Business Insider CURITIBA, Brazil, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Olympic Games will not hinder a giant corruption investigation centered on state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA but could reduce the number of police available for arrests and sweeps, police chief Igor Romario said on Tuesday. Thousands of police officers have been posted in Rio de Janeiro to beef up security ahead of South America's first Olympics, which start on Friday. Earlier on Tuesday, the federal police arrested two people as part of an investigation into the participation of builder Galvao Queiroz into the Petrobras bribery scheme. (Reporting by Sergio Spagnuolo; Writing by Alonso Soto; Editing by Daniel Flynn) By Jeb Blount RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The biggest problem some Australian rowers are having to adjust to in Rio de Janeiro is minding their strokes in the face of the majestic views on the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon course. "The only problem I've had so far is focusing on rowing in the face of all this awesome scenery," said Karsten Fosterling, a member of the country's quadruple sculls entry, one of Australia's two main hopes for gold. As with other watersports venues at Rio 2016, the Lagoon, a dark-blue, brackish tidal lake that sits between the outstretched right arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue atop a line of jungle-covered granite mountains and the beach front neighborhood of Ipanema, has faced harsh criticism. Studies found high levels of bacteria and other pathogens in the water despite promises to clean up the Lagoon. During test events, some athletes blamed the venue for making them sick. Part of the Australian team, but not the rowers, were critical of unfinished or damaged rooms at the Olympic Village and alleged that computers were stolen after a small fire broke out there last week. Fosterling, 36, his boat mates Cameron Girdlestone, 28, James McRae, 29, and Sasha Belonogoff, 26, say they are taking "normal" precautions. These include keeping water bottles in ziploc bags and using mouthwash and taking showers after training, said team leader Ray Ebert. Fosterling's biggest worry is holding off powerhouses Germany, Estonia and Ukraine, and getting the ore-feel for the Lagoon, Fosterling said. He said the brackish lagoon, a mix of sea water and spring and rain-fed mountain streams, is denser and more buoyant than their more recent freshwater racing and training locations. Kim Brennan, 30, Australia's gold medal favourite in the women's single sculls, said the problems brought up before Olympics tend to get overblown. "My experience is very different than what we read in the press," she told Reuters. "There has been a lot of criticism about the water in the lake, but this would have to be close to the most picturesque place I've ever been in my life." The water quality, she added, appears better than when she trained in Rio last year and she has faced bacterial risks before, even at her home club on Australia's Yarra River. "I'm from Melbourne and after heavy rains people can smell something that isn't restricted to Rio," she said. Australia has won 10 Olympic rowing gold medals, but went winless in London in 2012 after collecting two golds in 2008. (Editing by Andrew Both) Aug 2 (Reuters) - London 2012 single sculls champion Mahe Drysdale says the short commute for New Zealand's rowers to the Lagoa Stadium will give the country a welcome advantage over other teams at this month's Rio Olympics. New Zealand won three golds and two bronzes to finish second in the medal table for the discipline behind hosts Britain four years ago and will be hoping to replicate that performance in Brazil. "We have a day house which is five minutes from the venue, so we only have to do the trip once per day and that's been a real saviour," Drysdale told reporters. "It's a really nice environment so we have quite an advantage over a lot of countries. Personally in my field (men's single sculls) all my main competitors are staying in the village, so I feel I have an advantage over them." With Christ the Redeemer looking down from the nearby Corcovado mountain, one half of New Zealand's successful coxless pair, Eric Murray, has described the course at Lagoa Stadium as 'lively'. "The liveliness of the water is when you've got other crews training around, going back and forwards, their wash makes the boat jiggle along and if you have a wind coming on as well it makes the boat jobble (wobble) along." (Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien) Aug 2 (Reuters) - Trinidad and Tobago's Andrew Lewis says participating at this month's Olympics was the farthest thing from his mind after a freak accident left him fighting for his life in Rio de Janeiro last December. The 26-year-old laser sailor was crushed by the top section of a wall after it fell on him as he was trying to retrieve his keys. He was left with two broken ribs, a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg, a punctured lung and nine fractured bones in his face. "At that point you don't really think about the Olympics any more, you think about survival you know," Lewis said. "Life is a very precious thing for me and I don't want it to be taken away, so the basic things like walking again, eating again, breathing again on my own were the priority. "Being in the hospital was a blur for me. My dad arrived on the second day and one of the first things I told him was, 'Don't worry Dad, we'll be on the start line'. I don't give up very easily. After a few weeks of the worst pain I've ever felt, I realised I could get past the pain." After a week in hospital his lung was functioning well enough for him to have surgery on his facial injuries, and he also required an operation to insert a metal pin extending from his left knee to his ankle. "I told my team of doctors and physiotherapists I would walk one month from the accident, and I would run in two months," he said. "And once I could walk and run, I could sail. Anyone who told me 'no', I pretty much removed them from the team. "The main doctor looking after me said, 'If it hurts you stop, if it doesn't hurt you continue', and I use this concept to this day." (Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford; ) This one state will start paying a Netflix tax today and were worried it will spread This one state will start paying a Netflix tax today and were worried it will spread Less than a year after learning that Netflix would be raising their monthly subscription premium, we have additional, super sad Netflix news for the residents of one particular state. Citizens of Pennsylvania, listen up: Your addiction to online streaming might cost a little more starting today. graceandfrankie Straight from CBS News, heres whats happening: The states existing 6-percent sales tax will now be extended to digital downloads and subscription services like Netflix and Hulu. This also includes music , e-books, apps, online games, and ringtones. There will be some exemptions, though such as magazine and newspaper subscriptions, along with digital versions of the Bible and certain textbooks. (But, still. UGH.) frankgiphy The Netflix tax, as some are calling it, will help to offset a $1.3 billion hole in the states budget. WTAE reported that the tax could bring in an additional $47 million for PA. (Wowza!) Plus, as Marie Claire pointed out, this isnt the first tax of its kind. The city of Chicago proposed extending its 9% amusement tax to Netflix and other digital subscriptions last year. However, citizens filed a lawsuit against the tax in September 2015. Though the Pennsylvania tax isnt as much as the Chicago tax, were still freaking out because what happens if this tax spreads? What happens if, in the not-so-distant future, ALL 50 STATES must pay the price to enjoy an hour or two (or three) of Netflix?! titusnet The post This one state will start paying a Netflix tax today and were worried it will spread appeared first on HelloGiggles. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Opawica Explorations Inc. (OPW.V) (the "Company" / "Opawica") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (GMX.TO) ("Globex") to earn a 100% interest in 24 mineral claims located in Beauchastel Township, Quebec, collectively known as the Bazooka West Property ("BWP"). The initial consideration payable to Globex is $30,000 and the issuance of 500,000 common shares of the Company upon TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the transaction, and an additional $30,000 and 500,000 common shares of the Company by January 31, 2017 or upon the issuance of a permit to drill, whichever occurs first. In addition, Globex shall retain a three percent (3%) Gross Metal Royalty upon all mineral production from the property, of which one percent (1%) may be purchased for one million dollars within the first five years of the option. The transaction is subject to regulatory acceptance. The acquisition extends Opawica's strike length to the west adjacent to the Company's 100% owned Bazooka Property ("BP Property") for a total of approximately seven kilometres on the prolific Cadillac Larder Lake Break ("CLLB"). The Company's BP Property is contiguous to the western boundary of Yorbeau Resources Inc.'s ("Yorbeau") Rouyn property situated nine kilometres southwest of Rouyn Noranda, Quebec. The gold mineralization on the Company's BP Property, where past drilling has intersected world class gold intercepts, appears to be the extension of the mineralized zones and gold resources known to exist on the western end on the Yorbeau Rouyn property. The Company is now preparing a prospective drill program that is designed to test the fold nose feature, or cross fault, of the CLLB situated on the eastern portion of the Company's BP Property. Some of the drilling is planned to be conducted perpendicular to the apparent north-south orientation of much of the quartz veining within this part of the CLLB that strikes east-west through the entire approximate seven kilometre width of Opawica's BWP and BP Property holdings. The initial Phase I program will be announced at a later date following the securement of a drill permit. Story continues Significant gold mineralization has been established on the Bazooka property from near surface to approximately 250 metres vertical depth from past drilling by previous owners such as Siscoe (1944) interval of 5.79 metres of 77.18 g/t Au (true width unknown), with more recent drill intercepts ranging from narrow and intermittent anomalous gold values up to Soquem (1981) interval of 7.50 metres of 25.77 g/t Au; Lake Shore Gold Corp. (2003) intercept of 1.25 metres of 94.11 g/t Au; and RT Minerals Corp. values of up to 17 metres of core length at 7.86 g/t Au, including 7.20 metres interval of 16.77 g/t Au (RT Minerals Corp. June 21, 2011 press release). These recent intervals are estimated at approximately 85 to 93% true widths. This gold mineralization is known to exist within 50 metres on strike to the gold mineralization on the Yorbeau property and for a current strike length on Opawica's BP property for approximately one kilometre. The remaining six kilometres of the total CLLB on Opawica's BWP and BP Properties has had little to no drilling completed. Opawica's BP Property hosts gold mineralization from past drilling which is approximately 500 metres west of the Yorbeau shaft and 250 metres west of the Yorbeau ramp. In addition, gold mineralization is immediately adjacent to an existing capped and accessible shaft on Opawica's Bazooka property. The Opawica and Yorbeau properties have a common north-south boundary extending for about two kilometres. The Company also announces that it has initiated the preparation of a ground reconnaissance program on its 100% owned McWatters property. The McWatters property is a 404 hectare property that is contiguous to the eastern boundary of the above noted Yorbeau property. As part of this work, the Company will locate the drill collar of a historic drill hole that reportedly returned a near surface intercept of 7.0 g/t Au over an interval of 3.7 metres (Lake Shore Gold Corp. 2003 Sludge sample Imperial to Metric drilled 1979 MNR Quebec Govt files) and review trenches in the vicinity where grab samples returned up to 1.6 g/t Au (RT Minerals Corp. 2011). The purpose of this work is to outline a drill program in this area. On June 22, 2016, Yorbeau announced that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Kinross Gold Corporation ("Kinross"), whereby Kinross has the option to acquire a 100% interest in Yorbeau's Rouyn property in Quebec, Canada, for consideration that includes exploration expenditures of C$12 million; cash payments of USD $25,000,000 plus 2% of the prevailing gold price multiplied by the number of ounces of gold in measured, indicated and inferred resources identified in a resource estimate, to be completed; as well as an equity participation in Yorbeau upon signing a definitive option agreement (see Yorbeau press release dated June 22, 2016). QUALITY CONTROL Mr. Yvan Bussieres, P.Eng., is the Independent Qualified Person who has prepared or supervised the preparation of the information that forms the basis for the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Kiernicki President and Chief Executive Officer Opawica Explorations Inc. Telephone: 604-681-3170 Fax: 604-681-3552 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-looking Statements Certain statements in this press release relating to the Company's exploration activities, project expenditures and business plans are approximate and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of securities legislation. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements represent management's best judgment based on current facts and assumptions that management considers reasonable, including that operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by issues such as adverse market conditions, mechanical failure, unavailability of parts, labor disturbances, interruption in transportation or utilities, or adverse weather conditions, that there are no material unanticipated variations in budgeted costs, that contractors will complete projects according to schedule, and that actual mineralization on properties may not achieve any category of resource(s). The Company makes no representation that reasonable business people in possession of the same information would reach the same conclusions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, fluctuations in the price of gold, equity markets or in currency markets could prevent the Company from achieving its targets. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There is no guarantee that drill results reported in this news release or future releases will lead to the identification of a deposit that can be mined economically, and further work is required to identify resources and reserves. We seek safe harbour. SOURCE: Opawica Explorations Inc. Disneys A Wrinkle In Time, directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Oprah Winfrey, and a new Friday The 13th and Private Benjamins will be sharing in the latest round of tax credits handed out by the California Film Commission. Also, having been awarded tax credits earlier in the year and then falling out the program, the new version of A Star Is Born reapplied, and the Warner Bros pic has been given $7.7 million. The projects are among the 28 films that got the incentive green light today in the roughly $109 million available this round from the Golden State. With $18.1 million allocated, A Wrinkle In Time was given the largest incentive since the program more than tripled in 2014. Here is the full list of selected projects and their credit allocation: crc film 2016 2 copy Besides the films getting the actual credits, most noteworthy out of todays announcement is that the $100 million-plus-budgeted Wrinkle represents the first legit tentpole to be awarded tax credits under the expanded program. Adopted from 1963 fantasy novel by Madeleine LEngle, the Disney pic will shoot mainly outside the LA 30-mile zone. It also will bring $85 million in qualified spending to California, with about 400 cast and crew members employed and $44 million in wages paid to below-the-line workers, says the CRC. California Film Commission The commission also estimates that about $880 million in-state spending, including $326 million in qualified wages to more than 5,900 crew and cast members, will come from the 28 selected projects. Under the previous tax credits program, films will budgets over $75 million were not eligible for incentives which meant tentpoles went looking elsewhere than California. With 91 applications, the eligibility period in this feature cycle ran from June 27-July 8. The California incentives originally had $10 million allocated for Independents and $70 million for studio projects, or what are called Non-Independent Feature Films. However, with allocations sometimes fluid depending on what money was allocated in previous cycles, extra funds were added to raise the stake another $30 million. The breakdown sees 18 non-independent films and 10 independent films getting a piece of the rock, so to speak. Story continues Another TV round is coming in mid-November, but the next film application period wont be until January 2-13. Potentially successful applicants will know on or around February 13 if they received the lucrative credits. RelatedIndie Producers Say Theyre Getting Shortchanged By Californias Tax Incentives Program Including the new A Star Is Born, horror pic Annabelle 2 and Disneys Overnight On 42nd Street, 13 projects were selected to receive some of the $56.9 million then available in the last film round, which was announced February 10. Originally capped at $100 million a year and handed out via lottery when the home of Hollywood launched an industry tax credit back in 2009, Gov. Jerry Brown greatly expanded the incentive when he signed the now-five-year, $330 million-a-year tax credit program into law in September 2014. Since then, California has been gaining back the production that was once fleeing to more lucrative states such as New York, Georgia and Louisiana and Canadian provinces; now, with Wrinkle, it has its first big boy. Related stories Oprah Winfrey To Star In 'A Wrinkle In Time', Re-Teaming With 'Selma' Helmer Ava DuVernay Lady Gaga Looking Like A Strong Match With Bradley Cooper In 'A Star Is Born' FilmL.A. Reports Mixed Bag For Local Film & TV Production The month of July was astounding for the S&P 500, which hit all-time highs on several occasions. This key U.S. equity gauge in fact advanced about 3.9% in the last one month (as of August 1, 2016). This ascent came despite a whirlpool of worries especially the yet-to-be-seen impact of Brexit loitering around (read: Top ETF Stories of July). Some solid U.S. economic readings, signs of slowly abating earnings recession and relatively better banking earnings despite low levels of yields favored risk-on sentiments. Also, analysts like Goldman believe that rock-bottom yields at various parts of the developed world spurred this stock rally. Plus, hints of a more accommodative monetary policy from foreign economies led investors to bet on key U.S. equity indices. But will this rally last long? A group of analysts dont think so. Inside Analysts View Goldman Sachs lowered the outlook on equities to 'underweight' over three months and held a neutral outlook over a one-year frame. As per the research house, equities are overvalued at the current stage given the earnings recession, global macroeconomic doldrums especially in Europe, worries over the viability of stimulus-fed growth in China and last but not the least sudden geopolitical shocks. In a recent note, Deutsche Bank's David Bianco also indicated that the next move for the S&P 500 is a 5% to 9% decline ahead of the election. Though the U.S. economy is taking root lately, the momentum is still sluggish (read: After Goldman, DB Warns About S&P 500: Play Alternative ETFs). The same is the opinion of Jeffrey Gundlach, the chief executive of DoubleLine Capital. He also sees a puffiness in stock valuation as U.S. economic growth is still tepid and corporate earnings are far from steady. In fact, the Fed has already pointed to an overvaluation in U.S. stocks. With U.S. GDP data for the second quarter coming at 1.2% versus 2.6% expected, all these warnings in fact do make sense. Gundlach prefers to stick to the safe-haven goldand his equity preference is for gold mining stocks (read: Will Mixed Earnings Take Shine off Gold Mining ETFs?). Story continues P/E Expansion Too High to Remain Stable? Goldmans chief equity strategist David Kostin indicated a few days back that since September 2011, S&P 500 forward P/E has grown by 75% (from 10x to 18x). This gigantic expansion rate was breached only twice since 1976, once in the 19841987 period when P/E increased 111% and then in the 19941999 timeframe when P/E skyrocketed 115%. But both times, the rally ended in massive crashes. The first instance was the Black Monday collapse and the second was the tech bubble burst. So, the analyst feels it will be difficult for the S&P 500 to continue with its stellar show against the current investing backdrop (read: ETF Strategies for 2H). Other Factors That May Push S&P 500 Down Investors should note that the recent rally in the key U.S. indices was largely backed by signs of recovery in oil prices. But with oil again slipping to the $40-level on higher OPEC production and a rise in the number of rigs operating in U.S. oil fields for five successive weeks, tension started building up. As the bull story has started to vanish from the oil patch, key U.S. gauges are likely to drift lower. Another concern is the likelihood of a Fed rate hike. Goldman sees 65% chance of a 2016 hike. Of this, 45% chance is of a December hike and 20% of a September increase. If the Fed acts on economic bullishness, the gradual ceases in cheap dollar inflows will stymie the equity rally. And if not, then also a lackluster economy and weak corporates will go against the stock market revival. Inverse ETFs to Gain If you believe that the market will lose momentum ahead, you can play this warning by shorting the S&P 500 index and investing in inverse ETFs. Below, we highlight those and some of the key differences between each: ProShares Short S&P500 ETF SH This fund provides unleveraged inverse exposure to the daily performance of the S&P 500 index. It is the most popular ETF in the inverse equity space with AUM of nearly $2.57 billion. Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares ETF SPDN The fund seeks daily investment results of 100% of the opposite of the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It has amassed about $42.5 million in assets. ProShares UltraShort S&P500 ETF SDS This fund seeks two times (2x) leveraged inverse exposure to the index. It is also a relatively popular ETF, having amassed $2.12 billion in AUM. ProShares UltraPro Short S&P500 SPXU Investors having a more bearish view and a higher risk appetite could find SPXU interesting as the fund provides three times (3x) inverse exposure to the index. It has amassed $868.1 million in its asset base so far. Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3x Shares SPXS Like SPXU, this product also provides three times inverse exposure to the index. It has AUM of $496.9 million. Bottom Line As a word of caution, investors should note that such products are suitable only for short-term traders as these are rebalanced on a daily basis. Still, for ETF investors who are bearish on the equity market for the near term, either of the above products could make an intriguing choice (see: all the Inverse Equity ETFs here). 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 PRO-ULSH S&P500 (SDS): ETF Research Reports PRO-SHRT S&P500 (SH): ETF Research Reports PRO-ULT SH S&P5 (SPXU): ETF Research Reports DIRX-LC BEAR 3X (SPXS): ETF Research Reports DIR-D SP5 BR (SPDN): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. (Adds KBR comment, incorporates interest in calculation of total judgment) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a decision confirming a $465 million judgment won through arbitration by a unit of KBR Inc in a contract dispute with Mexico's national oil company, Pemex. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York let stand a decision confirming a $300 million arbitration award for KBR's COMMISA unit in Mexico even though a Mexican court had nullified it, and upheld a lower court ruling that added $106 million to the judgment. The judgment also includes $59 million of interest, court papers show. It is unclear whether Pemex plans to make a further appeal. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. KBR Chief Executive Stuart Bradie in a statement said the engineering and construction company is pleased with the decision, over "an amount long overdue for work performed decades ago." The decision follows years of litigation between COMMISA and a Pemex subsidiary that began in 2004, and which resulted in court challenges in two separate countries. The dispute stemmed from agreements COMMISA reached with Pemex beginning in 1997 to build oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Difficulties between the two companies emerged as Pemex insisted the platforms be fully constructed before being placed in the Gulf of Mexico, which COMMISA considered impractical, according to court papers. In 2004, Pemex gave notice that it intended to rescind the contract, saying COMMISA had failed to meet various terms and had abandoned the project. Pemex also seized the platforms, which were largely complete, and ejected COMMISA from the work sites. COMMISA subsequently began legal proceedings, including an arbitration demand filed with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). An ICC tribunal in 2009 found that Pemex breached its contracts with COMMISA and awarded $300 million. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan subsequently confirmed the award in August 2010. Pemex appealed to the 2nd Circuit and also challenged the award in Mexico, where a court nullified it. Story continues The 2nd Circuit then sent the case back to Hellerstein to consider the effect of the Mexican court's ruling. He ultimately declined to defer to that decision and again confirmed the award. The case is Corporacion Mexicana De Mantenimiento Integral, S. De R.L. De C.V. v. Pemex-Exploracion Y Produccion, 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals, No. 13-4022. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Alden Bentley, Steve Orlofsky and Chris Reese) People are upset by this high schools discriminatory ban on natural hairstyles People are upset by this high schools discriminatory ban on natural hairstyles Today in ~subtle~ racism, Butler Traditional High School, a school based in Louisville, Kentucky, was forced to backtrack on exclusionary dress code policies following backlash from concerned parents and people across the country. The policy, which targeted natural hairstyles and styles worn common in black culture, is *so* blatantly horrible. CBS / giphy.com One part of the personal grooming section read: Hair styles that are extreme, distracting, or attention-getting will not be permitted. No dreadlocks, cornrolls, twists, mohawks, and no jewelry will be worn in hair. Obviously this specifically targets black students, as black culture is where we see dreadlocks, cornrows, and twists the most. These natural hairstyles are demonized enough as it is; why does a high school need to reinforce this nonsense? The policy continues to ban afros more than two inches in length and cut-in designs. Again: both things that are most common amongst black students. When personal grooming as relates to hair is called into question, it almost always results in the policing of black students. Why? Because black hair is inherently seen as distracting and unprofessional. giphy (10) Attica Scott, a frustrated parent, posted photos of the discriminatory policy to Twitter. Soooo...my daughter had registration today and let's just say she's not happy abt the #JCPS no natural hair policy. pic.twitter.com/ApPDyv3sbo Attica Scott (@atticascott) July 27, 2016 Luckily, social media got involved. From there, it blew up on social media largely due to Shaun King picking up the story and expressing his own frustration about how, time and time again, dress codes target marginalized students. In an attempt to control youth and prepare them for the professional world, policies like this simply force students to assimilate into whiteness in a way that, in a word, is 100% *unfair.* Story continues One student not only defended natural hairstyles, but pointed out that students are damned if they do, damned if they dont in regard to how they wear their hair. According to Good Housekeeping, one student, Shayla Ford, told Click2Houston,Thats our way of life. Because if I dont have my twists, if I dont have my cornrows, if I dont have my hair braided, then I get complaints from the kid behind me that he cant see. Why would a school system think its better for a kid like Ford to be removed from class over a hairstyle they deem attention-getting than to just let her learn in peace? The post People are upset by this high schools discriminatory ban on natural hairstyles appeared first on HelloGiggles. Pfizer Inc. PFE is one of the most well-known names in the pharmaceutical sector not just for its medicines and vaccines but also for its consumer healthcare products. This New York-based company is well known for products like Prevnar, Lyrica, Lipitor and Celebrex among others. However, like many of its peers, PFE is facing generic competition and pricing pressure for several products like Lipitor, Norvasc, Protonix, Camptosar, Celebrex and Zoloft. The influx of generic competition will not only put downward pressure on the companys pricing, it will also result in gross margins contracting. In this scenario, investor focus remains on late-stage pipeline candidates and their commercial potential and performance of new products apart from the usual top-and bottom-line numbers. Pfizer is also looking to strengthen its portfolio through the acquisition of Hospira. PFE has a pretty good earnings track record with the company delivering positive earnings surprises in each of the last four quarters with an average surprise of 12.8%. Currently, PFE has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following the companys earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: PFE beat on second quarter earnings which came in at 64 cents while our consensus called for EPS of 62 cents. Revenue: Revenues were also above expectations. Pfizer posted revenues of $13.1 billion, compared to our consensus estimate of $12.9 billion. Unfavorable currency movement cut Pfizers second quarter revenues by 3% ($302 million). Maintains Guidance: Pfizer continues to expect earnings of $2.38 - $2.48 per share on revenues of $51 billion - $53 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings and revenues are currently $2.46 per share and $52.6 billion, respectively. PFIZER INC Price PFIZER INC Price | PFIZER INC Quote Check back later for our full write up on this PFE earnings 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 >> 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 PFIZER INC (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. (Adds Pimco statement, paragraphs 4, 5) NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Investors pulled less than $200 million in July from the Pimco Total Return Fund, one of the largest bond funds in the world, following about $800 million of cash withdrawals the previous month, Pimco said on its website Tuesday. The Pimco Income Fund, seen to many in the industry as Pimco's new flagship fund and overseen by group Chief Investment Officer Dan Ivascyn, posted inflows of $1.2 billion last month. The fund has attracted a total of $23.9 billion this year and in 2015, Pimco said. The Pimco Total Return Fund posted returns of 1.08 percent after fees in July, outperforming the benchmark return of 0.63 percent. Through July, the Total Return Fund has posted year-to-date returns of 5.02 percent after fees, but trails the benchmark, which has returned 5.98 percent. The portfolio outperformed in July because equities gained, credit spreads tightened and Emerging Market assets performed well, while most sovereign yield curves flattened with front-end rates generally drifting higher, Pimco said in a statement. "Rate strategies in both the U.S. and the eurozone (mainly the periphery) added to performance. Holdings of TIPS were also additive, as were the fund's non-agency MBS positions," Pimco said. "Credit strategies including positions in financials, municipals and dollar-denominated EM debt, all benefited performance." (Reporting by Jennifer Ablan; Editing by James Dalgleish and David Gregorio) Pitney Bowes Inc. PBI reported second-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 39 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents by 7.1%. Also, on a year-over-year basis, adjusted earnings declined 13.3%. The bottom-line performance took a beating on account of higher ERP implementation expenses, charges related to new enterprise business platform cutover and absence of earnings from Imagitas that was sold last May. Further, a decline in the top line also proved to be a drag on the earnings performance. Inside the Headlines Total revenue in the quarter was $835.8 million, down 5.1% year over year on a reported basis. Also, revenues fell 4% when adjusted for both the impact of currency and market exits. Poor top-line performance during the quarter under review was largely attributable to exit from direct operations in Mexico, South Africa and five markets in Asia. Furthermore, weak sales in two out of the companys three segments and temporary transition costs associated with the cutover to the adoption of new enterprise business platform in the U.S. proved to be a drag on revenues. As for the segments, on a reported basis, Small and Medium Business (SMB) Solutions revenues slipped 8% year over year to $428 million. Softness in the North American Mailing business (down 10%) was attributable to temporary impacts from the enterprise business platform cutover in the U.S. Lower daily sales activity and productivity during the cutover period also hurt sales. Also, the decline in recurring revenue streams hurt the International mailing business (down 4%), worsening the fall. Improving equipment sales on higher sales productivity in certain geographies including France, Italy and Japan arrested the sales decline at this segment to a great extent. Enterprise Business Solutions (EBS) revenues remained flat year over year at $212 million. This segments production mail business (down 2%) was hit by in-house mailers shifting their mail processing to third-party outsourcers and recent market exits. However, this decline was totally offset by an uptick in Presort Services (up 2%), mainly driven by higher volumes of First Class and expansion into new markets. Story continues The Digital Commerce Solutions reported an 11% year-over-year rise in sales to $196 million. A fall in sales from Software solutions (down 9%) was more than offset by a rise in sales from global e-commerce business (up 35%), thereby driving an overall increase. Lower licensing and data-related revenues resulted in the lackluster performance of the Software solutions business. This sub-segment particularly benefited from the Borderfree acquisition, growth in U.K. revenues and launch of new retail storefronts. In addition, robust outbound U.S. package shipments proved to be a major growth driver for the segment. Especially, organic growth in the Cross-Border Ecommerce business grew 11% year over year, adding to the companys strength. Notable Activities During the second quarter of 2016, Pitney Bowes accomplished multiple feats including deployment of its new enterprise business platform in the U.S., launching of Commerce Cloud to aid small and medium businesses and signing of agreements with several systems integrators to sell software solutions. Pitney Bowes believes that the Commerce Cloud platform will act as the foundation for all future products and solutions. It also launched a state-of-the-art location intelligence solution for helping clients enhance the value of business data. It also showcased the latest intelligent mailing software Clarity Solutions Suite a product co-developed with industrial good manufacturing behemoth General Electric Company GE. Clarity Solutions is expected to harness the power of Industrial Internet to revolutionize production mail industry. Moreover, the company landed a contract from insurance holdings underwriter Markerstudy Group of Companies online motor insurer Geoffrey Insurance. Liquidity and Cash Flow Exiting the quarter on Jun 30, 2016, adjusted free cash flow was $85.8 million compared with $83.7 million as of Jun 30, 2015. As of Jun 30, 2016, the companys cash and cash equivalents totaled $675.9 million compared with the year-ago tally of $754.2 million. Long-term debt as of Jun 30, 2016, was $2,623.8 million, up from $2,473.0 million as of Jun 30, 2015. Guides Down Concurrent with the earnings release, Pitney Bowes has revised its guidance downward. The company now expects adjusted earnings in the range of $1.75 to $1.82, down from the previous guidance of $1.80$2.00. Similarly, revenues are now projected to decline in the range of 1% to 3%, instead of the previous decline range of 1% to 2%. Despite the downcast outlook, Pitney Bowes is bullish about the prospects in the second half of the year on account of the initiatives that were taken earlier. The company expects new enterprise business platform cutover to particularly aid the North America Mailing business to return to normal levels. Moreover, it believes that a rebound in Software license revenues is on the cards on account of the progress made in channel efficiency and channel partner engagements. The company believes that a moderate business uptick and declining marketing and ERP expenses will prove conducive to adjusted EPS and free cash flow during the second half of the year. For the second half, the company projects revenue growth of 2% as against the year-over-year decline of 2% projected earlier, on a constant currency basis. Similarly, adjusted EPS is forecasted in the band of $1.03 to $1.10. Double-digit growth in Digital Commerce Solutions, primarily buoyed by the Borderfree buyout, is expected to be a major catalyst for the second half of the year. Pitney Bowes is bullish that continued transaction volume growth along with acquisition of new and expansion of existing retail clients will strongly offset the negative impact of currency fluctuations and the Brexit referendum. PITNEY BOWES IN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise PITNEY BOWES IN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | PITNEY BOWES IN Quote To Conclude Pitney Bowes second-quarter results were hurt by higher ERP implementation expenses and restructuring charges. In addition, an uncertain global economic environment impacted the production mail and software businesses, marring the top-line performance. Despite the negatives, the company is confident about a rebound in the second half of the year. The benefits from ERP implementation in the U.S. are expected in the second half, adding to the companys optimism. Pitney Bowes steady transformation process over the past three years, exit from low profit businesses and strength of digital commerce portfolio are expected to drive growth over the long haul, offsetting some of the negatives. Pitney Bowes currently holds a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Better-ranked stocks in the sector include Active Power, Inc. ACPW and Adobe Systems Inc. ADBE. Both the stocks sport 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 ADOBE SYSTEMS (ADBE): Free Stock Analysis Report GENL ELECTRIC (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report ACTIVE POWER (ACPW): Free Stock Analysis Report PITNEY BOWES IN (PBI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research You can almost hear the Walking Dead music playing. (Photo: Courtesy of Lyndsi Metz Photography) When Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams first sat down with his wedding planner, just 10 weeks before his July wedding, his fiancee, Risalyn Burzynski, was running late. That gave Angela Dacus of Memphiss Southern Event Planners the chance to ask the groom-to-be what he really wanted out of the big day. He was like, Well, it doesnt matter because this isnt my wedding, its her wedding, Dacus told Yahoo Style. He said, If it was my way, I would have had a zombie wedding.' Risalyns vision of their nuptials was a little bit more traditional than that, but when Dacus proposed a compromise a zombie photo shoot the day after their July 23 wedding they were both all in. After a little bit of convincing, their wedding party, three children, and even Williamss childhood pastor were also on board with staging a zombie attack on the newlyweds. The event even caught the attention of ESPN, which sent a crew to film the whole thing for a video that has since gone viral. Inspired by an image in The Walking Dead comic, they re-created their wedding-day photos at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Then they wanted where the wedding party was attacking them and turning them into zombies, Dacus explained. We had [the Williamses] go back upstairs and get their zombie makeup done, and then we all left the hotel and went to a local cemetery that has these amazing old Gothic-like ruins. This outdoor part proved to be the days biggest challenge. In Memphis, the heat index has been 110 degrees, Dacus said. The wedding party began being made up at 12:30 p.m., and they werent finished shooting until after 8 p.m. Photo: Courtesy of Lyndsi Metz Photography That last outdoor shoot had to be done before sunset, and prosthetic makeup artist A.G. Howard felt the pressure. They were really nice people, and the wedding party was extremely tolerant, he told Yahoo. I did over 20 people in about five hours. That was scary, because I wanted it to look good. Story continues Dacus said the shoot really illustrated the importance of including truly good friends in your wedding party. They had to sit in that latex mask for hours, and they couldnt eat, they couldnt talk, and they had to drink through straws. Though this is her first zombie apocalypse, Dacus is a big advocate of helping her clients think outside of the box to express themselves at their weddings. (She also hired a Michael Jackson impersonator to surprise Williams during the reception, because hed told her that if his mother had been alive, they would have danced together to Keep Your Head Up.) Each couple needs to search their soul and find out what makes them happy, Dacus said. Whats normal anymore? Its hard to define. People plan their weddings for other people and not really for them, and I hear regrets. That makes me sad. Zombie weddings arent exactly a new phenomenon. Offbeat Bride founder and publisher Ariel Meadow Stallings said the peak of this trend was from around 2009 to 2014, beginning before the premiere of The Walking Dead. Its a playful way to riff on the concept of till death do us part,' she told us via email. Weve also seen a lot of couples integrating Dia de los Muertos elements into their weddings for similar reasons. Even if couples might one day look back and think zombies were so 2016, Stallings thinks thats not necessarily a bad thing. Realistically, part of what makes weddings fun is looking back and feeling like your wedding was a reflection of the times, she said. The idea of a timeless wedding is an impossible goal. Have fun and dont worry about it. Your impeccably tasteful wedding will look silly in a few years too. Photo: Courtesy of Lyndsi Metz Photography Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. (Updates after meeting, adds reaction) By William James LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday kickstarted her bid to reshape the British economy for a post-Brexit world, reviving the once unfashionable concept of industrial policy 30 years after Margaret Thatcher killed it off. May chaired the first meeting of the "Cabinet Committee on Economy and Industrial Strategy" in her Downing Street offices, bringing together the heads of 11 other ministries to set out her vision for a state-boosted industrial renaissance. "The prime minister emphasised that the objective of the government's new industrial strategy should be to deliver an economy that works for all," a spokesman said in a statement issued after the meeting. After a referendum campaign that revealed dissatisfaction in many of Britain's struggling post-industrial regions, May is pitching a plan to reunite the country and strengthen her grip on power by raising the prospects of those who she casts as "hard-working people". The June 23 vote to leave the European Union has raised serious questions about the future of the world's fifth largest economy, with some surveys indicating a recession, a hit to consumer confidence and a possible fall in investment. The challenge is to find a formula that arrests a decades-long decline in Britain's manufacturing sector by helping firms tackle the challenges posed by globalisation without blunting the market forces that make them competitive. The meeting focused on ways the government could support growth in different areas of the country, the spokesman said. Finance minister Philip Hammond told the meeting that by reducing the productivity gap between the rest of the country and London and the southeast, economic output could rise by 9 percent, adding over 150 billion pounds to the economy. Ministers agreed the strategy should also be focused on "playing to the country's strengths while also creating an economy that is open to new industries, particularly those that will shape our lives in the future," the spokesman said. Story continues That push that could help carmakers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan and aerospace industry leaders like BAE Systems to weather the Brexit storm. It is also geared to support the creation of new technology firms such as microchip designer ARM, which was sold to Japan's SoftBank last month for $32 billion. Experts say recent efforts at implementing closer cooperation between the state and industries such as carmakers and aerospace have been partially successful, but need to be scaled up and placed at the heart of government thinking. "The very fact that the new prime minister is chairing this committee, I hope, addresses one of the weaknesses of the last two administrations ... that is the relative lack of joined-up thinking, a cross-governmental approach," said Terry Scuoler, head of the EEF manufacturing trade body. "If this committee chaired by the prime minister states something, it is going to be potent." While policy detail is scarce, the strategy is likely to combine state-backed investment in traditional infrastructure such as roads and rail with funding for modern essentials such as broadband and lower energy costs, along with a push to train more of the highly-skilled workers that industry says it needs. NOT PICKING WINNERS Industrial policy has a toxic legacy in Britain. It was once used to help failing national champions through a series of flawed policies in the 1960s and 1970s that sought to arrest a decline in manufacturing influence. "We're not getting into the business of picking winners - it's more about creating the right environment," a government source who spoke on condition of anonymity said. Already, less than a month after the fallout from the Brexit vote swept her into power, May has two major industrial headaches. Last week, she surprised French utility EDF and China with a last-minute decision to review their project to build a nuclear plant in Britain, calling into question her approach to Chinese investment, which is seen as a crucial source of infrastructure cash. Speaking after the meeting, the spokesman said Britain would continue to seek investment from around the world. May also has to deal with Tata Steel, which put thousands of jobs under threat earlier this year when it said it wanted to sell its British steelmaking operation, citing high energy costs and low global steel prices. The firm is now investigating a possible joint venture instead of a sale. "If Theresa May backs British manufacturing that is steel-intensive, then suddenly there's a market here for British steel and that could make Port Talbot (steel plant) a viable operation," said Ben Orhan, analyst at IHS Global insight. "(But) it really depends where the focus is going to be." The refocusing of Britain's economic policy, which for the last six years was aimed at balancing the books and heavily reliant on foreign money to replace state infrastructure spending, also carries a potentially huge political prize. With the opposition Labour Party, long seen as the champion of the working classes, locked in a vicious internal ideological struggle and losing sway in its traditional heartlands, May has an opportunity to win over those who saw voting 'Leave' in the EU referendum as a 'nothing to lose' protest vote. "The Brexit vote and euroscepticism was strongest in former manufacturing areas, where the industry has gone, the good jobs have gone and people feel disaffected," said David Bailey, professor of industry at Aston Business School. "If May's going to do something about reconnecting, manufacturing has got to be part of the story." (Additional reporting by Costas Pitas, Sarah Young and Maytaal Angel; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Tom Heneghan) Craig Atkinson's documentary Do Not Resist, which looks at the militarization of the police in America, will begin a theatrical run Sept. 30 at the Film Forum in New York before expanding to select U.S. markets, including Los Angeles, where it will open Oct. 14, and San Francisco and Seattle, where it will bow Oct. 21. Its theatrical release is being handled by Vanish Film in association with mTuckman Media. Do Not Resist, which marks Atkinson's directorial debut, was named best documentary feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Shot over two years in 11 states, the film looks at police training, a SWAT team in action, disagreements on Capitol Hill and protests in Ferguson, Mo. In conjunction with the film's theatrical release, an educational screening series in conjunction with Ro*Co Films also is planned. Presented by Vanish Films in association with Vital Projects, The Frances Lear Foundation, The Filmmakers Fund and Ford Foundation Just Films, Do Not Resist was shot, directed, produced and edited by Atkinson along with executive producer David Menschel, producer Laura Hartrick (who also served as editor) and composer Grayson Sanders with additional music by Michael Stearns. Vigilgoers raised flares to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising on Monday, August 1. Sirens could be heard across the Polish capital as people observed a minute of silence for those who lost their lives in the revolt against Nazi Germany in 1944. Polish resistance group Home Army fought for 63 days in an effort to liberate Warsaw during World War II but were unable to foil the German counterattack after the Soviet Unions Red Army halted its advance in the Warsaw suburbs. The city was destroyed and between 150,000 and 200,000 civilians were killed in the fighting and subsequent German retaliation over the uprising. Credit: Monika Kulicka Paris (AFP) - President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon should take a DNA test to prove his parentage and eligibility to run for reelection later this month, a rival candidate said on Tuesday. Bongo has faced allegations that he is not Gabonese, but Nigerian, and that he was adopted by his father Omar, who was president from 1967 until his death in 2009. "We are faced with a candidate who has no right to be a candidate. We are witnessing a forced transition and a violation of our constitution," said Leon Paul Ngoulakia, one of 14 people challenging Bongo in the August 27 election. Ngoulakia is a cousin of Bongo's and until recently was one of his closest aides. "Ali Bongo has produced at least four birth certificates, all seemingly fake. How come none of our institutions is able to prove his nationality and parentage," Ngoulakia told AFP during a visit to Paris. "Why doesn't he simply submit to a DNA test to end all this debate? The people of Gabon are tired of this affair and want to hear other debates that are more important to our country's future," he said. On July 25, the constitutional court rejected an appeal against the eligibility of Bongo, who came to power in a disputed election following his father's death. "The legal battle is not over. Procedures are continuing, the law must be followed all the way," insisted Ngoulakia. He said that Gabonese authorities had prevented opposition candidates holding public meetings and used tear gas in demonstrations. "Conditions for a peaceful and transparent election are not in place," he said. Bongo himself said as much, claiming in an interview with Jeune Afrique magazine that his opponents had a strategy of stoking unrest with their persistent claims of his ineligibility. By Michelle Conlin COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - The billionaire industrialist Koch brothers rejected pressure over the weekend from dozens of big donors in their sprawling political network to back U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying that their money was better spent trying to influence congressional races. The rejection deprives Trump, a New York businessman who has never previously run for elected office, of a major source of fundraising and reflects how his unorthodox White House bid has sparked some disarray among fundraisers who would normally be squarely behind a Republican nominee. The Kochs, with a nearly $300 million political warchest, have earned a reputation as powerful allies in Republican politics. Charles Koch, the dominant player in his political partnership with brother David Koch, told attendees at a bi-annual donor retreat at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado: At this point, I cant support either candidate for the White House. He said networks mandate was to shore up the countrys financial future and eliminate corporate welfare," a reference to government subsidies provided to some industries. "But since it appears that neither presidential candidate is likely to support us in these efforts, we are focused on maximizing the number of principled leaders in the House and Senate who will," he said. Trump's protectionist stances and pledges to review free trade agreements and to get tough on immigration have clashed with the Kochs' free-market political philosophy. Charles Koch has described as a "a blood libel" the idea he would instead support Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. A group of wealthy Republican donors, who paid the minimum $100,000 per year to be members of the 700-strong Koch network, had been urging the brothers to step off the sidelines of the election and back Trump. SEEKING FUTURE INFLUENCE The donors argued that if Trump is elected, the Koch network would want to have influence on his emerging policies and cabinet picks, and to have access to a Trump administration. Over cocktails on the patio overlooking the Rocky Mountains, in private meetings and on text message threads, some donors voiced their concern that if the Kochs alienate Trump, "it could hurt us down the road." Some suggested that some donors could leave the Koch network over the decision not to back Trump. Oil magnate Harold Hamm, a leading candidate to serve as Trump's energy secretary, did not attend the weekend gathering. Other donors who had been at the forefront of a movement to urge the Kochs to get on board with Trump, like billionaire broadcasting magnate Stanley Hubbard, said that in a private meeting with Charles, they had now been convinced that the Kochs were "doing the right thing." Trump has shown no hesitation in spurning the Kochs. On Friday, he tweeted that he had turned down an invitation to meet with the brothers. Koch insiders quickly disputed that characterization, saying an invite was never extended. Nonetheless, the Koch brothers also did not act to stop Trump from beating 16 presidential rivals and winning the party nomination. During the primary contests, many Koch donors were urging the brothers to perform a "Trump Intervention," whereby the brothers would leverage their political operation to support Trump's rivals. The Kochs refused. Trump officially accepted the Republican nomination in Cleveland last month, with a speech that painted a bleak picture of rising crime at home and increasing threats from overseas. The top Koch official on criminal justice reform, Mark Holden, said the speech was inaccurate. "We are safer (now)," he said. (Reporting by Michelle Conlin; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Frances Kerry) NEWS BRIEF Before President Obama could get to the meat of his speech to a disabled veterans group on Monday, he had to get one thing off his chest: his own repudiation of Donald Trumps response to the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan. Trumps comments on the Khan parents, who have spoken out about his anti-Muslim rhetoric, have drawn ire from across the political spectrum, with leaders gob-smacked that the Republican nominee for the presidency would criticize parents who lost their son in war. It seemed only a matter of time until the commander-in-chief would weigh in; speaking in front of a veterans organization gave him an opening. Theres a reason why last week in Philadelphia I was humbled to be introduced by Sharon Belkofer from Ohio, a Gold Star mom whose son, Tom, a lieutenant colonel in the Army, gave his life in Afghanistan, Obama told a meeting of the Disabled American Veterans, referencing his speech at the Democratic National Convention. A parent receives a Gold Star designation when their child is killed in combat. I requested Sharon to introduce me, because I understood that our Gold Star families have made a sacrifice that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. They represent the very best of our country. They continue to inspire us every day, every moment. They serve as a powerful reminder of the true strength of America. Though Obama didnt mention Trumps name, his language was a clear reference to the Republican nominees insistence that, like the Khans, he has made sacrifices in his life. Other elements of Obamas speech functioned as a counterweight to Trumps view of veterans treatment in this country and his positions on the military writ large. Where Trump has questioned the value of NATO and its current function, Obama promised the United States would honor the alliance. Where Trump has alleged, We dont win with military, Obama argued, We have the most capable fighting force in history. Story continues Recommended: The Narcissist Trumps stump speech features a refrain about how badly veterans are treated, and he has promised to make changes as president. Obamawhose second term was marred by a scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which led to Secretary Eric Shinsekis 2014 resignationsaid, Weve got a lot more work to do to help American veterans. Steps like: improving health-care delivery, including mental-health care; fixing the backlog of veterans disability claims, after the Obama administration missed its 2015 target; and continuing to curb veterans homelessness. But Obama suggested he has made real progress, too: beefing up the number of medical personnel who tend to veterans at V.A. facilities, cutting the number of homeless veterans by 47 percent, and improving access to job opportunities. About 200,000 service members are becoming veterans every single year, Obama said. The U.S. government cant let up on making improvements. He called specifically for support of Gold Star families: We have to do everything we can for those families, and honor them, and be humbled by them. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Aug 2 (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. - Nick Denton, the founder and chief executive of Gawker Media, filed for personal bankruptcy on Monday to protect himself from a legal judgment awarded in March to the former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. http://nyti.ms/2aEIugZ - Theranos Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes tried to salvage the reputation of her embattled blood-testing company on Monday, discussing its technology and data at a scientific meeting for the first time. Holmes said Theranos was developing a new version of its technology that she called the mini-laboratory, or miniLab. She said the company was seeking approval of a test to detect infection by the Zika virus. http://nyti.ms/2aqyfjw - McDonald's Corp on Monday announced several changes to its ingredients, including eliminating artificial preservatives from some breakfast foods and Chicken McNuggets, its most popular food item, and removing high-fructose corn syrup from its buns. Such changes affect almost half of the food on McDonald's menu, the company said. http://nyti.ms/2avYa4m - Technology Crossover Ventures On Monday said it had raised $2.5 billion for its latest fund, which is called TCV IX. The venture capital firm is best known for investing in companies such as Dollar Shave Club, Netflix, Vice Media and Zillow. http://nyti.ms/2aIahic - Federal health officials on Monday urged pregnant women to stay away from a Miami neighborhood where they have discovered additional cases of Zika infection - apparently the first time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people not to travel to a place in the continental United States. http://nyti.ms/2aqOyXk (Compiled by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f164353%2fgettyimages-462812136 Nuanced debate? Scientific discussion? Yawn. FrackFeed, a pro-fracking website from industry groups and oil and gas companies, is targeting millennials in their native tongues: Memes, quizzes and listicles. Rihanna, Ron Burgundy, bloated toads and angry groundhogs serve as the backdrop for snarky messages extolling the virtues of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas without few other details to distract you from kitty gifs. SEE ALSO: The story behind the star-studded film that schooled Donald Trump on climate change The website is part of a bigger campaign by North Texans for Natural Gas, an advocacy group that is seeking to drown out the small but vocal opposition that uses the internet to spread fear and bad information, according to its website. Ron Burgundy, America's anchorman Image: FRACKFEED The organization says it counts more than 175,000 individual supporters and has the backing of four leading oil and gas producers: Devon Energy, EnerVest, EOG Resources and XTO Energy. North Texans for Natural Gas first launched FrackFeed in 2015, amid a growing grassroots push by communities in Texas and other states to ban fracking. Many of those local bans were later overturned by state lawmakers or in the courts. This week, the group launched a spoof campaign video that urges voters to choose Fracking for President in the November elections. It also created what it says is probably the first pro-fracking Snapchat filter. Its a presidential year, so we thought we would try to integrate ourselves into that conversation, Steve Everley, a spokesman for North Texans for Natural Gas, told Mashable. The real presidential candidates Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton have both said they support allowing local bans on fracking, a move that industry groups staunchly oppose. Americans across all age groups, but especially younger men and women, are increasingly getting their news from social media, Everley added. Story continues Environmental groups recognized this years ago and have been developing their campaigns accordingly. Why cant the millions of pro-drilling advocates do the same thing? he said. An anti-fracking protestor demonstrates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016. Image: Getty Images The way FrackFeed tells it, fracking is a wholly positive development in the U.S. energy sector, with little cause for concern. On the flip side, some environmentalists tend to cast fracking as a surefire sign of the Apocalypse. The reality is much more complicated, scientists say. A slew of studies in recent years have linked fracking-related activities to a handful of problems, including contaminated surface water, air pollution at well sites, man-made earthquakes and leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. But none of these issues have proven to be widespread threats, and scientists say much more research is needed to determine frackings long-term effects on the environment and public health. Everley and his group say such studies are nothing to be concerned about, telling Mashable they don't "paint an accurate picture of whats actually going on." Here's a look at some of FrackFeed's "memes," with a fact-checking filter added in. Some of the group's messages are spot-on. Millennials The U.S. is in fact the worlds top producer of both crude oil and natural gas, in large part thanks to the use of fracking and horizontal drilling across tight shale rock formations in Texas, North Dakota and beyond. Fracked wells accounted for about 51 percent of all the crude oil produced in the U.S. in 2015, and about 48 percent of total U.S. dry natural gas produced in 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But others don't tell the whole story, or are irrelevant. Gallup disagrees. Image: FrackFeed The University of Texas at Austin found that about 47 percent of Americans say they are familiar with the use of fracking, according to a January 2016 survey of 2,043 people. Of those familiar with the practice, 47 percent approve of its use, while 37 percent oppose fracking, the poll found. But there isn't a toad meme for another poll, conducted by Gallup, that found more Americans oppose fracking rather than support it. Around 51 percent of respondents in a March 2016 poll said they opposed fracking, up from just 40 percent in March 2016, Gallup said. Their opposition is rising amid growing environmental concerns tied to fracking, including an unprecedented spate of earthquakes in states like Oklahoma, caused by injecting drilling wastewater into underground wells. Just 36 percent of respondents were in favor of fracking in 2016, down from 40 percent a year ago, according to Gallup. Image: FrackFeed As for that lawnmower, the first motorized, gasoline-powered grass cutters in the U.S. were manufactured in 1914 nearly a century before the U.S. fracking boom. The majority of memes, however, mock fractivists for rejecting science. Ok, that is a nice kitty Image: FrackFEED The U.S. EPA in June 2015 did conclude that U.S. fracking activities have not led to widespread, systematic impacts on drinking water resources, according to the agencys study. However, this meme omits the full picture that the EPA presented. The EPA study also found that there are potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water. The report cited a small number of incidents of water contamination, though regulators said their tally was far from comprehensive. They noted scientists often lack pre- and post-fracking data about drinking water resources, and companies can withhold plenty of key information about fracking activities and potential impacts, making it harder to know if and when spills or leaks occur. The EPA has separately flagged a handful of other concerns related to fracking activities stress on freshwater supplies, air pollution at well sites, the disposal of massive amounts of wastewater that could result in a "number of potential impacts to the environment." This article was updated to include University of Texas at Austin poll data. By Tyrone Siu HONG KONG (Reuters) - Dozens of masked demonstrators tried to force their way into an electoral meeting in Hong Kong on Tuesday to protest against a new bar on anyone running for the legislature who refuses to declare the territory an "inalienable" part of China. They were among hundreds of protesters gathered outside the meeting, a briefing for prospective parliamentarians, shouting for Hong Kong's independence. Inside the venue, some candidates who had been approved to run for election protested the decision to disqualify others. Members of the League of Social Democrats and People Power tried several times to charge the stage and take the microphone before being pushed back by security, forcing the meeting to be suspended at least three times. Politicians from other pro-democracy parties chanted: "No more political elimination!" and "Defend a fair election!" The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) said last month that potential candidates for the September Legislative Council election must sign an additional "confirmation form" declaring Hong Kong an inalienable part of China and acknowledging that advocating independence could disqualify them from the election. Hong Kong has greater freedoms than mainland China and separate laws that were guaranteed for 50 years as part of a "one country, two systems" framework negotiated with the British when they handed back their former colony. But there has been political unrest in recent years centering on Beijing's refusal to allow fully democratic elections and its perceived meddling in the special administrative region. Beijing's top official in Hong Kong came out in support of the EAC's new form while three Hong Kong politicians filed a request for an urgent judicial review. [L1N1AD05G] So far the EAC has rejected four candidates. Activists have posted personal attacks on some of the EAC officers responsible for the decision, actions that the Hong Kong government has condemned. Edward Leung Tin-kei, who was rejected as a candidate by the EAC on Tuesday, responded by saying the city was ruled by a "dictatorship", local broadcaster RTHK reported. Leung, a leader of the group Hong Kong Indigenous, was one of the first street activists to move into mainstream politics when he won an unexpected 15 percent of the vote in a February legislative by-election. He had signed the EAC's confirmation form, saying his top priority was to get elected. (Writing by Clare Baldwin; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Photo: BFA After months of speculation, it was announced today that designer Raf Simons is the new chief creative officer at Calvin Klein, where he will oversee all brands. Calvin Klein also announced that Simonss studio director, Pieter Mulier, will join the company as creative director. The rumor mill surrounding the appointment began spinning back in October 2015 when Simons stepped down from his role as womens director at Christian Dior. The exit, which occurred peacefully and with no ill will between Simons and Diors executives, raised questions about the overextension and excessive pressure that creatives face to fill an ever more demanding show and delivery calendar. It is a decision based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, Simons said at the time. The industry has since seen significant examples of reformatting. Some labels, like white-hot newcomer Vetements and equally white-hot heritage brand Gucci, are combining their mens and womens shows into one. Some are making collections available for purchase immediately following their unveiling see Burberry. Presumably, these decisions have been made to streamline and thus lighten the load on designers weary shoulders. A similar reconsideration should be expected, in some manifestation, at Calvin. But, ahead of that, what of the clothes? The coupling, by most counts, seems to make sense for those familiar with both Simonss and Calvin Kleins respective legacies. Simons is the metered Belgian, known for cerebrally paring back yet elevating cut, cloth, and purpose. Calvin Klein most recently helmed by Francisco Costa on the womens side and Italo Zucchelli on the mens is a bastion of American chic, known for its simplicity with an underbelly of provocation. But to predict what might come of Simonss early-round collections for CK, one must trace the overlaps of both entities design signatures. Raf Simons Spring 1998 Black Palms collection. (Photo: Courtesy of Raf Simons) Story continues Simons launched an eponymous menswear line in 1995 (it still exists today), which quickly gained traction thanks to an initial focus on, and celebration of, youth and subcultures. Spring 1998s Black Palms collection, to anchor the point with a contemporary comparison, set a precedent for what Hedi Slimane would later do at Dior Homme and Saint Laurent: There were bone-thin boys in rocker clothes, all lean limbs and sleeveless tees, bare chests under blazers, and even a ratty sweater or two. Simonss Spring 2002 collection, Woe Onto Those Who Spit on the Fear Generation the Wind Will Blow It Back, featured a protectionist element with wrapped headscarves and slogans that read, Resistance, Wanderlust, and We are ready and willing to ignite, among others. His early collections were anti-perfunctory, political, and clearly tethered to a greater cultural Zeitgeist fashion for men as a means to complement (and push) the entire male identity, with art, architecture, music, and more also informing the process. And though Simonss focus has evolved into more of an elemental if not abstract approach to design a focus on the fundamentality of clothing his MO has always been about how fashion contributes to the self and the times as they change. Few if any designers are in Simonss league when it comes to being current but not trendy. The man just has a natural instinct for creating for the moment, albeit with lasting appeal. So, fashion, but with legs as long as the skinny dudes he used to dress back in the 90s. Raf Simonss Jil Sander Spring 2008 collection. (Photos: First View) Simons started designing for women in 2005 when he was installed at Jil Sander. Adhering to Sanders preference for strictness and minimalism, Simons demonstrated the designers significant capacity for control. There, he focused on shape and construction, yet he was still able to push the proverbial envelope despite operating in a more clinical headspace. See the tissue-thin tulle sheets used to compose a dimensional top at Jil Sander Spring 2008 (above). The effect was clean and pure in conceit, but rich, and even maximal, in aesthetic. He designs with such great restraint, says the influential Leandra Medine (also known as the Man Repeller). You feel the soul and intention that went into the formation of every garment. Simonss final Jil Sander collection, a beautiful and ultrarefined lineup of coats and dresses for Fall 2012, had some of the audience (and the designer himself) in tears. Such is Rafs magic. He then transitioned to Christian Dior, where he spearheaded a rousing, kinetic reimagining of the storied house. Ever-prescient, he spotted the elevated streetwear trend well in advance of the rest of the pack. He might even have started it when he introduced sneakers on the couture catwalk for Spring 2014. (To be fair, Chanel had them too). Simonss Dior period was splashy yet polished and considered, and his work moved the label into a new light among consumers, who seemed to welcome a change from Diors previous head honcho, John Galliano, and his OTT theatricality. Raf Simonss Spring-Summer 2013 haute couture collection for Christian Dior. (Photo: Catwalking) Simonss propensity for restraint, intent, and inclusivity will serve him well at Calvin Klein, with its reputation for New York-centric modishness and all-American cool. From the sexy minimalism of the 90s to, well, the sexy minimalism of #mycalvins (youve no doubt seen those Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner ads), Calvin Kleins longtime stance syncs well with Simonss: The company holds a high-fashion and high-concept finger to a greater, pan-cultural heartbeat and in some ways, CK impacts that pulse. (Earlier this year, at the brands mens show in Milan, Cameron Dallas appeared in the front row. CK was among the first labels to tap this new vein of celebrity, and Dallass appearance garnered headlines worldwide.) In these folds between purity and pop culture, Simons will likely thrive. And with Simonss proven track record of self-control, the simplicity upon which Calvin Klein has built its aesthetic badge will also likely thrive. What will be most interesting, though, is to see how Simonss European rigor and education translate to a notably looser, faster East Coast sensibility. But he loves New York, and the new time zone might act as a breath of fresh air both for the man himself and observers like us. Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama defended Tuesday a two-day-old US air campaign against the Islamic State group in its Libyan stronghold of Sirte, saying defeating the jihadists there is in the US national interest. His comments came as the US military launched a new round of air strikes on the city in the turbulent North African country, following similar strikes Monday at the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord. "It is in America's national security interest in our fight against ISIL to make sure (the GNA are) able to finish the job," Obama told a White House news conference, using an IS acronym. "We're working in partnership with them to assure that IS does not get a stronghold in Libya, even as Libya begins what is going to be a long process to establish a functioning government and security system." Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the United States had conducted seven strikes so far; five on Monday and two on Tuesday. Two T-72 tanks were among the targets and Davis said some IS fighters had been killed, but he did not have an estimate of how many. The Tripoli-based GNA launched an operation in May to retake Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi which has been under jihadist control since June 2015. While the Pentagon had carried out two previous air attacks on high-value IS targets in Libya, Monday's action marked the first US strikes in Sirte itself, and the first salvos in what the Pentagon hopes will be a quick campaign. "We don't envision this as something that's going to be too long," Davis said, noting that GNA forces had already done much to dislodge IS fighters from Sirte. "It's probably going to be weeks, not months." The GNA's press office said Tuesday that new strikes had occurred against IS positions in Sirte, destroying a rocket launcher and a vehicle. The IS group had wanted to turn the coastal city of Sirte into its third de facto capital after Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. The Pentagon estimates fewer than 1,000 fighters remain in the city. Story continues US military officials have insisted operations to support the GNA will be conducted from the air only, with no US boots on the ground. Still, the Pentagon has previously acknowledged that small teams of special operations forces have been in the country to gain intelligence and build relationships with local forces. "The August 1 strikes in Sirte indicate that cooperation and coordination has progressed to a level in which all parties are comfortable moving ahead," the US-based Soufan Group security consultancy said. Authorization to strike Sirte comes from a 2001 law originally aimed at targeting terror groups that supported the September 11 attacks. Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f164359%2fanthraxbacteria An anthrax outbreak in remote western Siberia has led to the hospitalization of at least 90 people in the Arctic town of Salekhard, with at least 20 confirmed cases of the illness. One person, a 12-year-old boy, has died from anthrax according to the TASS News Agency and other media reports. The outbreak has hit local reindeer populations especially hard, with at least 2,300 animals reported dead. SEE ALSO: Huge swaths of Russia's forests are ablaze during what may be a record fire season The anthrax outbreak, a rare though not unheard of event in Russia, may be just the latest sign of how global warming is transforming the planet's coldest regions. The outbreak in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous region is taking place in an area that has experienced an unusually mild summer, and has seen rapidly warming conditions during the past few decades. Temperature anomalies, with the Yamal-Nenets autonomous region circled in blue, from July to August 2, 2016. Image: weatherbell analytics According to Alexey Kokorin, a scientist with WWF Russia, the ongoing heat wave and long-term warming trends has led to more and more melting of the layer of frozen soil in Siberia, which is known as permafrost. The warmth and its role in melting permafrost is crucial to understanding the outbreak, Kokorin told Mashable in an interview, because human and animal bodies in the Arctic have long been buried in shallow ground. Increased permafrost melting makes these carcasses more accessible. Anthrax is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis and can be deadly if it isn't quickly treated with antibiotics. It can survive as spores in the soil for hundreds of years before entering an animal. Anthrax that killed humans and animals in Siberia a century ago can be spread through anthrax spores to individuals alive today if they come into contact with the carcasses, Kokorin says. Year-to-date temperature anomalies for the globe, with the Yamal-Nenets region circled in blue. Image: weatherbell analytics The anthrax outbreak, Kokorin said, ... Looks like it is linked to global warming and this heat wave. This heat wave is really abnormal. It is 35 degrees Celsius which is really rare, and it is not just for one day, it is for the whole month, he said. These global warming-related trends have helped melt deeper into the permafrost, which may help explain how anthrax which is primarily a risk to workers who are in contact with livestock broke out into a larger population. It isn't just Kokorin, who works for an environmental group, citing climate change's role in this outbreak. According to TASS, the regional governor of Yamal-Nenets autonomous region also cited the heat wave and long-term warming as key factors in causing it. U.S. local governments spend billions of dollars each year to deal with homelessness, yet the unsheltered homeless continue to occupy many American downtowns endangering their own health as well as that of the public. Before more billions are spent on programs that dont work for enough people, its time for certain cities and states to rethink their approach to this now chronic issue. We need to start with a clear definition of homelessness and an understanding of the problem. While many housing activists focus on people doubling up in apartments because of high rents, the more pressing issue is the unfortunate souls lying on city streets all too often with their possessions piled in shopping carts, panhandling, relieving themselves in public and leaving their used needles on the sidewalk. Related: Tech Entrepreneur Sparks Outrage Online With Blog on Homelessness As late as about 1970, urban homelessness was rare. City dwellers with minimal incomes typically lived in shabby Single Room Occupancy hotels (SROs), while those who seemed unable to take care of themselves were committed to state psychiatric hospitals. These systems were far from ideal: SROs were unpleasant and unsafe, and psychiatric patients were often mistreated. During the 1970s and 1980s, cities began tearing down SROs or fixing them up for other uses, while states emptied out their mental hospitals. The first move was often an economic response to urban investment; the second was a reaction to the criticism of state psychiatric facilities. But they had the unintended consequence of fueling the rise of street living that we see today. Today, homelessness is especially acute in affluent, liberal West Coast cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. According to figures from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Los Angeles County had 28,948 unsheltered homeless individuals in 2015 by far the largest component of the 173,268 unsheltered homeless tallied anywhere nationwide. By contrast, New York City had only 3,803. The three West Coast states of California, Oregon and Washington account for more than half the national unsheltered homeless population. Story continues Related: New York City to Pursue Sweeping Homelessness Reforms The good news is that the number of street homeless has been dropping since 2007. The Great Recession stopped the descent, but the downturn resumed in 2013. Homeless But on the Pacific Coast, homelessness remains pervasive. West Coast cities are attractive to the homeless because they have relatively mild weather, little or no snow, permissive social policies and abundant services. Homeless Source: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development As in the past, many chronically homeless individuals are alcoholics or, more recently, addicted to heroin a growing epidemic in the United States. Federal estimates say 38 percent of homeless people are dependent on alcohol and 26 percent abuse other substances. In many instances, this addictive behavior imposes heavy costs on city taxpayers. Some homeless addicts require frequent emergency services. The Center for Health Journalism identified one homeless man in Sonoma County, California who racked up nearly $1 million in medical costs over a period of three years. In San Francisco, the mayors budget office found that, on average, 278 homeless individuals cost the public medical system $87,480 each in one year. In Los Angeles County, the top 5 percent of homeless clients each used an average of $51,227 of county services annually. But emergency medical services are only one fiscal impact of homelessness; cities and counties are also providing temporary shelters, supportive housing, social workers and additional law enforcement officers to help the homeless. Los Angeles County estimates that it is spending an extra $965 million annually due to homelessness, with the City of Los Angeles incurring an additional $100 million. Related: How States Are Using Medicaid Funds to Help the Homeless In the Bay Area, San Francisco put its price tag at $241 million, while Santa Clara County, which includes San Jose and much of Silicon Valley, spent $520 million. Now the State of California is planning to step in with its own homelessness initiative. Clearly, a compassionate society should spend money to help individuals in crisis, and it may make sense for California (and perhaps Oregon and Washington) to address homelessness at the state level. But homeless services can be provided far more cost effectively and in a way that better serves the interests of the larger community. Urban areas that are clean, healthy and safe are more likely to reap the benefits of growth from investment and new business development. San Francisco now has the highest cost of living in the nation, with Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles not too far behind. Many working residents have been obliged to move out of these cities due to high rents and home prices. Creating more supportive housing in San Francisco and other high-cost cities not only consumes a lot of money, but it also takes high-value parcels off of the tax rolls lowering local government revenue. Related: VA Struggles to Help Homeless Vets California and the nation as a whole have many communities in which housing costs are a small fraction of those in San Francisco, where medical and social service costs are more modest. It is in these communities where some of the unsheltered homeless could be housed, attended to and hopefully rehabilitated. Coastal cities with high homeless populations can pay inland counties to take over portions of their caseload. Many inland communities have high unemployment and available real estate, so they might welcome the opportunity to provide supportive housing. Homeless individuals, with help from their advocates, can be offered incentives to enter proven addiction rehab programs that also provide job training and a sense of community. Under this caring and sensible approach, more homeless individuals can be housed and given a chance to reclaim their lives. The cities, then, can reclaim the streets. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Tuesday he wanted to avoid a "bail-in" -- the use of creditor or depositor money to restructure banks -- just days after a major national lender secured a last-minute, privately-funded bailout. Renzi also said he was satisfied with Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena's (BMPS.MI) bailout plan, announced on Friday, which calls for the sale of 9.2 billion euros (7.78 billion) in bad loans and a 5 billion-euro capital increase. Under EU rules that took effect this year, public money to bail out banks cannot be used until creditors - shareholders, bondholders and even uninsured depositors - stump up a portion of the cash needed first. "For me Italy is totally fighting for avoid bail-in because also soft bail-in could be a disaster for the credibility and for the confidence," Renzi said in an interview with CNBC, speaking in English. Renzi came under heavy criticism last year when a similar burden-sharing plan was used to restructure four small banks, because some of its subordinated bondholders whose money was bailed in were ordinary savers who did not know their risk. One committed suicide. Having to use the EU's bail-in rules now would open Renzi up to political risks he probably does not want to take ahead of a referendum on constitutional reform later this year that may be crucial to the survival of his government. "I will win," Renzi said of the referendum in the same interview. "But I think people need to understand what instability will follow." The referendum aims to seat more stable governments and streamline lawmaking by effectively eliminating the Senate from the process. (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) New York Rep. Richard Hanna announced Tuesday that he will vote for Hillary Clinton for president, becoming the first Republican U.S. congressman to publicly declare he will cross party lines and vote for the Democratic nominee. Hanna, who represents the 22nd congressional district in upstate New York, made the announcement in a column published Tuesday on Syracuse.com, arguing that Trump is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country. If I compare the life stories of both candidates I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways, he wrote in the column. A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable almost gleefully using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices. A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Hanna mentioned Trumps recent attacks on the parents of a Muslim Army solider killed while serving in Iraq. The couple appeared last week at the Democratic National Convention, where the father, Khizr Khan, slammed Trumps candidacy. Read more: President Obama Slams Donald Trump Over Gold Star Khan Family Hanna had previously said he would not vote for Trump, but he had not yet voiced support for Clinton. Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small. But she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters, Hanna wrote. While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing. We now have Q2 releases from 317 of the S&P 500 members (as of Jul 29). Though the earnings picture so far has been moderately encouraging, the overall scenario is far from being rosy. Per our latest earnings preview article, total S&P 500 earnings are expected to be down 3.4% owing to 0.4% lower revenues for the quarter. Turning our focus to the restaurant stocks, we note that in spite of the high expectations for the group, most of the stocks reported below-par figures. Major players in the space like McDonald's Corp. MCD, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG, Starbucks Corporation SBUX, Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. DNKN and others have struggled with the top line this earnings season. A number of restaurant companies are set to report their quarterly numbers on Aug 3. Lets take a look at what might be in store for them this quarter: Jack in the Box Inc. JACK posted a positive earnings surprise of 21.43% last quarter. In fact, the companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 2.46%. JACK IN THE BOX Price and EPS Surprise JACK IN THE BOX Price and EPS Surprise | JACK IN THE BOX Quote For third-quarter fiscal 2016, the company has an Earnings ESP of +1.15% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarters earnings is pegged at 87 cents. Jack in the Boxs same-store sales have been consistently outperforming the industry average over the past several quarters. We expect the trend to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. Also, increased focus on catering should boost revenues (read more: Jack in the Box Q3 Earnings: A Beat in the Cards?). CA-based restaurant operator DineEquity, Inc. DIN recorded a negative earnings surprise of 5.95% last quarter. However, the company posted positive earnings surprises in three of the past four quarters, with an average beat of 4.37%. DINEEQUITY INC Price and EPS Surprise DINEEQUITY INC Price and EPS Surprise | DINEEQUITY INC Quote Story continues The company has an Earnings ESP of -1.26% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the second quarter of 2016. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarters earnings is pegged at $1.59. Given the lack of adequate initiatives to boost sales, the companys Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar domestic system-wide comps in Q1 werent encouraging. We do not expect any significant improvement in Q2 as well (read more: Will DineEquity Let Down Investors in Q2 Earnings?). Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc. FRSH registered a 69.23% negative earnings surprise in the previous quarter. In fact, the trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise stands at a negative 17.31%. PAPA MURPHYS HL Price and EPS Surprise PAPA MURPHYS HL Price and EPS Surprise | PAPA MURPHYS HL Quote The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 for the second quarter of 2016. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarters earnings is pegged at 5 cents. Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. BBRG posted in-line earnings in the preceding quarter. In fact, the company outpaced/met the Zacks Consensus estimate in all of the past four quarters, with an average beat of 15.26%. BRAVO BRIO RSTR Price and EPS Surprise BRAVO BRIO RSTR Price and EPS Surprise | BRAVO BRIO RSTR Quote The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 for the second quarter of 2016. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarters bottom line is pegged at 24 cents per share. Dont miss out on our full earnings release articles for these stocks, as the actual results might hold some surprises! 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 CHIPOTLE MEXICN (CMG): Free Stock Analysis Report STARBUCKS CORP (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report MCDONALDS CORP (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report JACK IN THE BOX (JACK): Free Stock Analysis Report DINEEQUITY INC (DIN): Free Stock Analysis Report BRAVO BRIO RSTR (BBRG): Free Stock Analysis Report PAPA MURPHYS HL (FRSH): Free Stock Analysis Report DUNKIN BRANDS (DNKN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. So much happens in David Ayers DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad that by the end, its as if youve seen nothing. Ayer spends the first quarter of the picture introducing the characters, because there are tons: Viola Davis Amanda Waller is the head of a shady government operation who enlists the worlds most crazy-dangerous convicted felons to wipe out a bunch of treacherous something-or-others that have taken hold of Gotham. The allegedly colorful miscreants she assembles include, but are not limited to, Will Smiths superassassin Deadshot, Jay Hernandezs gangbanger pyromaniac Diablo and, most memorably, Margot Robbies Harley Quinn, the psychotic tootsie who used to be a brainy psychiatrist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Dr. Quinzels life changed forever when, as an Arkham Asylum shrink, she began treating the Joker (Jared Leto) and fell crazy in love with him. She busted him out of prison, and in a choppy flashback we see the pair living a dazzling life of sick romance and criminal escapades, until Batman (Ben Affleck, in an obligatory cameo) shows up and puts an end to it all by punching her in the facesmooth move, Bat Dude. The Joker escapes, but Harley doesnt. When we first meet her, shes executing an improvised slow-mo trapeze act in her Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary prison cage, a glowing blond wraith going all Cirque du Soleil to Lesley Gores ghostly anthem of self-determination You Dont Own Me. Harley Quinns entrance is the best moment in Suicide Squad. After that, you can leave. Robbie is a criminally appealing actress, likable in just about every way, but that intro aside, Suicide Squad doesnt serve her well. It serves no one well, least of all its audience. Other actors wander through listlessly: As Colonel Rick Flag, one of Wallers helpless henchmen, Joel Kinnaman struts about sullenly, desperately looking for something to do. Cara Delevingne (the model with the fabulous eyebrows, now launching a movie career) is June Moon, the ace scientist who now and then falls under the spell of the power-mad ancient crone Enchantress. It turns out that Enchantresswho speaks in a growly language and likes to strut around in a skimpy golden goddess-warrior outfitis key to the horrors that have befallen the city, commanding an army of goons whose faceless heads are covered with throbbing black pustules. TMI, I know. But all of Suicide Squad is TMI, a bunch of character stuff and plot stuff chopped and diced and tossed up on the screen with no regard for plot or logic or mood, as if were just not supposed to care about those things anymore. The script is loaded with jokes and devoid of wit; the movies overall tone is snickering and dour. The setting is your standard gloomy, grimy, grayed-out post-apocalyptic city, the same one weve seen hundreds of times before in hundreds of other movies. Now and then theres a dash of color, especially when Letos Joker appears, with his silvery capped teeth and Day-Glo hair. Leto seems to be channeling, consciously or otherwise, Richard Widmark in the 1947 noir Kiss of Deaththats the one where Widmarks truly creepy-evil character pushes an old lady in a wheelchair down the stairs. But Leto is so textbook twitchy that he barely comes off as menacing. And his scenes with Robbie have no spark, no lunatic ardor. If you cant strike a spark with Robbie, somethings terribly wrong. Suicide Squad moves fast, so fast that the characters barely have time to hate one another, let alone bond. But instead of making the picture more exciting, the cluttery blur of the editing flattens it outits like watching helicopter blades whir for two hours. Writer-director Ayer (who wrote Training Day, and directed Fury and End of Watch) is also fond of using pop songs, some old and some not-so-old, as a kind of aural Epi-pen, a way of goosing a scene toward some semblance of excitement. But he tosses his cool vinyl collection around so indiscriminately that, after that one inspired Lesley Gore moment, none of it works. Hey, its Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky! Wow, White Stripes Seven Nation Armyhavent heard that one in a while! By the time he gets around to Etta James stupendous Id Rather Go Blind, throwing it away as background music in a bar scene, its well past time to turn off the ADD jukebox. Click. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y. (Photo: Heather Ainsworth/AP) Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., broke party ranks Tuesday and announced that he would vote for Hillary Clinton in November. While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton, he wrote in an op-ed on Syracuse.com. There have been several high-profile critics of Donald Trump among Republican members of Congress, including some who said they would not vote for their own partys nominee in the general election. However, Hanna is the first to say he would cast his ballot for Trumps Democratic opponent. In a separate interview with Syracuse.com, Hanna said his decision was motivated by Trumps recent comments about a Muslim American family whose son heroically died in the Iraq War in 2004. The soldiers father, Khizr Khan, passionately criticized Trump during last weeks Democratic National Convention. Trump pushed back in interviews and on Twitter, questioning why Khans wife was silent during the speech. I saw that and felt incensed, Hanna told the outlet of Trumps response. I was stunned by the callousness of his comments. He added: I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes? The moderate, upstate New York congressman announced at the end of last year that he would retire at the end of his 2016 term. Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. "Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed," said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. "Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot." The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and "demand an end to the atrocities." De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. "We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction. This is the compulsion for more killing," said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation's human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. Story continues But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte's apparent support of extra-judicial killings. Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte's presidency. The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. As the soft glow of the sun began to rise over the piazza at the heart of this citys Olympic celebrations, the statue of the Viscount of Maua, from whom this square takes its name, silhouettes against the amber sky. The Olympic flame will soon be burning nearby. An extravagant Museum of Tomorrow, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, juts out into Guanabara Bay, while a gleaming Olympic Boulevard stands as the centerpiece of Rios redeveloped port. The Viscount, a 19th century industrialist, became one of the richest men in the world at the height of slavery in Brazil, though the history books record that he was an opponent of the practice. His presence is a reminder that Rio de Janeiro cannot so easily escape its past. Slavery is woven into the fabric of the old city. Rio hosted one of the biggest slave ports in the world, and its legacy echoes down the ages, from the foundation of the first favela shantytown nearby to the growth of samba music, created by former slaves. Though the slave wharf and many public records about the extent of slavery have been destroyed, the pastwith which Brazil has never truly reckoned cannot easily be forgotten. Read More: Brazils Impeached President Dilma Rousseff Ponders Her Past and Her Future More than 5.5 million slaves set sail from Africa bound for Brazil between the 16th and 19th centuries. 4.9 million arrived alive, and of those, more than two million docked in Rio de Janeiro, with half of those coming in the first half of the 19th century alone. In contrast, less than 400,000 slaves disembarked in mainland North America in total. The consensus for a long time was that the British were the main slave traders and the Caribbean was the main destination, says Daniel Domingues da Silva, a historian at the University of Missouri, Columbia, who works on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. Now its becoming clearer that the Portuguese were the main traders and Brazil was the principle destination for slaves on the Atlantic. From when Valongo Wharf, one of the biggest slave ports in the world and a short walk from Praca Maua, was built in 1811, hundreds of thousands of Africans disembarked there. Historical accounts of the market tell of slaves constrained by shackles, chains and whips sitting next to the bodies of those who died in the Transatlantic voyage. Up to 40,000 were buried in the nearby Cemetery of the New Blacks, where the bones of the dead were often crushed to allow more burials. Slaves were sold all over Brazilat the time still a Portuguese colonyto work on sugar and coffee plantations. Two years earlier, in 1809, the Military Division of the Royal Police Guard had been formed; a precursor to the citys current Military Police. Then as now, the divisions main purpose was to maintain public order. The public beatings they meted out to slaves, who made up half of the citys population, became infamous. Read More: How to Watch the 2016 Rio Olympics By the time the slave trade was finally ended in 1850though slavery as a practice would continue for decades moreValongo had already been buried to allow for the construction of a grander wharf. It was then largely forgotten for more than a century and a half. I believe they buried it to eliminate the evidence of slavery, says Washington Fajardo, president of the citys World Heritage Institute. Brazil was the last Western country to outlaw slavery in 1888, a year before it declared itself a republic. In 1890, the government authorized the destruction of most records about the trade, with the aim of erasing the stain on the countrys honor. Over the years the port remained strongly Afro-Brazilian, with descendants of freed slaves joined by their brethren from the countrys northeast, and the neighborhood became known as Little Africa. In 1897, the citys first hillside favela shantytown, built over the port and called Morro da Providencia, was formed by poor locals and veterans of a recent civil war. At a nearby square called Pedra do Sal, at the foot of a rock where slaves unloaded salt, the Rio variant of samba was born. (The word may derive from the Angolan Kimbundu word semba, which means an invitation to dance. Native African languages were spoken here well into the 20th century.) Read More: The Rio Olympics Will Be a FailureBut Not for the Reasons You Think Even after slavery, a physical divide endured in the city, with blacks living on the port side of a main thoroughfare in the city center, an area blighted by poverty and homelessness. The fact that this side of Avenida Presidente Vargas was forgotten by the government undoubtedly had a racial aspect, says Giovanni Harvey, a port resident and a recent advisor to President Dilma Rousseff on racial equality. In the 20th century its colonial buildings and narrow, paved streets fell into disrepair. After the Olympics were awarded to Rio in 2009, a $2 billion Marvelous Port project was unveiled to regenerate the area. The plan was to update transport links and turn the area into a new business district, including Trump-branded skyscrapers. In 2010, Morro da Providencia became the latest favela to get a police pacification unit (UPP), a community policing initiative to take control back from drug gangs. As part of the renovations of the port, the remains of the Valongo Wharf were discovered. Artifacts recovered included amulets believed to have been worn by slaves on the voyage to guard them from harm. This is one of the rarest historical sites in the world to tell the story of slavery, says Fajardo. The developments led to fears that the areas Afro-Brazilian character was being forgotten. Morro da Providencia, set far above and a world away from the skyscrapers under construction in the Marvelous Port, got a $23 million cable car as part of the project, but many basic services there are still lacking. The story of this favela is principally one of racism, says lifelong resident Eron Cesar dos Santos, 49. It is important that the people here have a part in this story. The favela was pacified by a police unit in 2010, but now despite sitting just above the state security headquarters the gangs are back in control, openly brandishing guns on the street. Last year five Military Police were arrested after a cell phone video showed them executing 17-year-old Eduardo Santos and planting a gun in his hand to make it look like self-defense. He is one of 2,600 people killed by Rio de Janeiro police since 2009, mainly by the Military Police. What happened always happens in Rio. Its just that there was a camera, Santos says. Its an undeclared war. The hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa, where colonial homes for the rich sat overlooking the port, also became neglected in modern times but has also seen a revival in recent years. One such mansion is now a five-star boutique hotel, patronized by Amy Winehouse, Alanis Morissette and Robert Plant. But even here, there is an echo of the past. In 2014, federal prosecutors accused its then-owner Francois Delort of subjecting six workers to conditions analogous to slavery. The workmen had been recruited from the interior of the North-East state of Bahia and had gone without food for the 18 hour journey, prosecutor Fabio de Lucca Seghese said in a denouncement, before being put up in a stinking rat-and-insect-infested house while working on a renovation of the $350-a-night hotels ballroom. At the time, the Hotel Santa Teresa, which is now under new ownership, denied any wrongdoing. The case is pending at Brazils Superior Court of Justice. The case is typical of Brazils fight against modern slavery, which it defines as forced labor, debt bondage, degrading conditions that violate human rights or overwork that threatens life or health. Since 2003, raids by government inspectors have rescued more than 45,000 workers from such conditions. Brazil abolished slavery more than a century ago but did not change its worker exploitation model, Luiz Camargo, the countrys chief labor prosecutor, said last year. We only changed the people who are exploited. Back in the 18th or 19th century, you had only black slaves, and today you have slaves of all colors. The Valongo Wharf is just a few steps from the Olympic Boulevard, a pristine pedestrianized highway alongside red-brick warehouses with Coca-Cola branding. Last week, a huge mural called Ethnicities by artist Eduardo Kobra was unveiled there for the Olympics. It depicts the faces of members of indigenous tribes from five continents. A plan exists to memorialize Valongo, too, by creating a landscape invoking the trees and red clay soil that exist in both Africa and Brazil, along with benches in the shape of white ribbons, an African tradition used to mark where ancestors lie. Its an allegory for Afro-Brazilians, that they could flourish in both environments, says Sara Zewde, its designer. But that plan has not gotten official approval. The legacy of slavery and racism is still here, says Harvey. We have an artificial paradise in Rio de Janeiro. (Reuters) - Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd (RIO.AX) (RIO.L) said on Tuesday it would invest $338 million (255.27 million) to complete the development of its Silvergrass iron ore mine in Western Australia. The company, which aims to produce about 350 million tonnes of iron ore this year, said the mine would add about 10 million tonnes of capacity. A massive global supply glut has dragged prices of iron ore to record lows, with producers such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton Plc/Ltd (BHP.AX) (BLT.L) slow to cut production in order to stem supply. The Silvergrass mine is part of Rio Tinto's Pilbara operations, which make up the vast majority of the miner's iron ore production. Rio's situation has eased in recent months as the company has paid down debt and benefited from a recovery in commodity prices. Some of the financial pressure is off, but there is no growth implied. (The investment) is maintaining stability," said Hunter Hillcoat, an analyst at Investec in London. The company's shares were down 1.4 percent at 2450p on the London Stock Exchange, underperforming a 0.7 percent fall in the UK mining sector . (Reporting by Mamidipudi Soumithri in Bengaluru and Barbara Lewis in London; Editing by Ted Kerr and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) Robert E. Short, an Emmy Award recipient who shepherded shows for Procter & Gamble Productions for more than three decades, died peacefully July 25 at his home in Sarasota, Fla. He was 95. Survivors include his grandson, producer and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Under Short's leadership, P&G became one of the world's largest suppliers of daytime programming with such soap operas as Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Edge of Night and Another World. The company also developed such primetime series as The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Rifleman, The Rebel and Car 54, Where Are You? under his tenure. In 1983, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored Short with an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement for "distinguished service to television and the public this medium serves." A native of Cincinnati, Short served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps Photographic Service in the European and Pacific theaters during World War II. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University in 1949, he joined Procter & Gamble Productions to begin a distinguished 34-year career there. In addition to Feige, Short's survivors include his wife Linda; children Maralyn, David and Austin; grandchildren Lauren, Alan, Robin, Tommy, Andrew and Jen; and great-grandchildren Ella, Erik, Ali and Leyla. The family is planning a celebration of his life. Donations in his honor can be made to MAP International or Bread for the World. A guest book can be found here. Read more: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2016 Sibiu (Romania) (AFP) - Their story unfolds against a pale grey backdrop, evoking a labyrinth inhabited by heartless and faceless bureaucrats. Surreal the decor may be, but the words are rooted in reality. They recount what it's like to be a whistleblower -- a life freighted with fear and risk, especially in Romania, where graft is endemic. The new play -- "Common People" -- is the brainchild of Gianina Carbunariu, one of the brightest stars in Romanian theatre today. Most whistleblowers, Carbunariu points out, are not global figures like Edward Snowden or Julian Assange. Instead, they are people like you and me, who at some point in their lives see something that is terribly wrong and decide to intervene. "They are not Superman or Batman, but citizens who find themselves in a situation where they could not act differently because of their moral values," says Carbunariu. "Common People" is based on interviews Carbunariu conducted with eight whistleblowers -- three Romanians, three Britons and two Italians. "I stood up and I fought. All of you are the victims because it's your money that is being stolen," says Alin Goga, who was temporarily suspended from his job after blowing the whistle on suspected irregularities by his employee. His burly colleague, Claudiu Tutulan, is another of the play's heroes. "We, the public, can get rid of the rotten core," Claudiu declares in one of the video clips of interviews that punctuate the play. "Whistleblowers are not in conflict with the boss or unhappy with their salary, it's about the public good," says Carbunariu, 38, who directed the work recently on stage at an international festival in Sibiu in Transylvania. Romania, the second poorest country in the European Union, is under intense pressure from Brussels to fight corruption. Twenty-seven senior public figures were brought to court last year on charges of corruption, including former prime minister Victor Ponta, whose trial is ongoing. Story continues Despite its reputation for graft, Romania is one of the rare EU states with advanced legislation protecting whistleblowers along with Slovenia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Britain -- though the law is little known. - Perceived as 'snitches' - At the Romanian theatre festival, spectators got the chance to debate with five of the real-life "heroes", including the three Romanians, all present or former employees of the highways agency which has been the target of several government investigations. Carbunariu makes the point that taking up the mantle of a whistleblower comes with a huge risk. "It's incredible how similar methods are used in Italy, Great Britain and Romania to make them shut up," Carbunariu says. They are perceived as "snitches" and feel pressure from their bosses and colleagues, with consequent risks for their livelihood and health. But calling out corruption also raises the question of how to distinguish between malicious informers and those acting out of public interest. Activists like Ian Foxley, a former British army officer who exposed suspected bribes in arms sales, say whistleblowers' claims should be investigated. If the claims are proven we should "praise them for bringing forward something which is broken in society," said Foxley. "It doesn't matter whether you are in England or Romania or Bulgaria or Italy, the same principle applies: you inherit the society that you deserve," says Foxley who co-founded an NGO in Britain to advise whistleblowers. Onstage in Romania, fiction, reality and flashes of humour in "Common People" blend to convey a life that, for many whistleblowers, teeters on the absurd. "When one plays characters like these it's very hard to understand the absurdity of what they experienced. It's a paradox: they are in the right but they are the ones who get sick, lose their job, their home," says actor Florin Cosulet. A 44-year-old member of the audience, identified by her first name of Marina, said the play gave her hope -- that "not everyone is closing their eyes to the obvious and that my children will live in a better society." Whistleblowers featuring in the play caution that their tale is, literally, a work in progress. "The important thing is to see how my story ends," says Goga in another of the play's video clips. "If it ends badly people will say my struggle was futile... (but) if I succeed, potential fraudsters will say 'you saw what happened -- it's not worth it'." Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL posted mixed second-quarter 2016 results, wherein the bottom line outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate while the top line lagged the same. Adjusted earnings of $1.09 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02 by 6.9% and were above managements guidance of $1.00 on the back of lower-than-expected fuel expenses. Further, earnings increased nearly 30% from the year-ago tally of 84 cents. Total revenue increased 2.3% year over year to $2.11 billion, driven by higher onboard spending as well as passenger ticket revenues. However, revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.17 billion by 2.9%. Quarter Highlights On a constant currency basis, net yields increased 1.1% year over year, in line with the guidance. Passenger ticket revenues were up approximately 0.6% to $1.52 billion. Onboard and other revenues also increased 6.9% to $588.7 million. Net cruise costs (NCC), excluding fuel, increased 1.9% on a constant currency basis, and were in line with managements guidance. Total cruise operating expenses decreased roughly 0.4% year over year to $1.31 billion mainly due to a decline in fuel expenses as well as onboard and other expenses. The decrease was partly offset by higher payroll expenses and other operating costs. Q3 Guidance Royal Caribbean expects adjusted earnings per share of $3.10 per share in the quarter, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.37 per share. Constant-currency net yields are projected to increase 2%. Notably, the year-over-year improvement is mainly driven by the deconsolidation of the Pullmantur Group. NCC, excluding fuel, is likely to be down 1.5% at constant currency. 2016 Guidance Royal Caribbeans adjusted EPS is estimated in the range of $6.00$6.10, down from the prior guidance of $$6.15$6.35. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 is pegged higher at $6.21. The company slashed its earnings guidance in view of the negative impact from currency and fuel rates of nearly 27 cents. The company's bookings for the remainder of 2016 are strong, similar to last year's record levels. The company expects net yields to increase about 44.5%, compared to the prior guidance of 2.54%. Strong demand trends for North American sailing will more than offset weak demand in the Eastern Mediterranean and Shanghai. NCC, excluding fuel, on a constant currency basis, is expected to be up 1%. Story continues ROYAL CARIBBEAN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise ROYAL CARIBBEAN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | ROYAL CARIBBEAN Quote Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Royal Caribbean presently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Better-ranked stocks in the sector include Diamond Resorts International, Inc. DRII, Vail Resorts Inc. MTN and Pool Corp. POOL. All the three 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 POOL CORP (POOL): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL CARIBBEAN (RCL): Free Stock Analysis Report DIAMOND RESORTS (DRII): Free Stock Analysis Report VAIL RESORTS (MTN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Tuesday confirmed 21 cases of anthrax, including one fatality, after an unusual heatwave melted permafrost in its remote far north, releasing potentially lethal spores from the soil. "Unfortunately 20 people had their (anthrax) diagnosis confirmed," a spokeswoman for the Yamalo-Nenetsky regional authorities told RIA Novosti news agency. In addition, a 12-year-old boy died in hospital on Monday. The number of those hospitalised on suspicion of infection rose to 90 people, 45 of them children, regional officials said. It is the first outbreak of anthrax since 1941 in the region, which lies some 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) northeast of Moscow. It came after a month of temperatures soaring up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) that melted upper layers of permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, and sparked wildfires. "The anthrax spores lay in wait in the permafrost for more than a century," said the agriculture watchdog agency. Anthrax is spread through a bacterium that is encased in a tough, rod-shaped shell. The spores exist naturally in the soil and commonly infect livestock which ingest or inhale them while grazing. Humans can become infected from contact through breathing in the spores, eating contaminated food or through cuts in the skin, for instance by handling diseased animals. The governor's spokeswoman Natalya Khlopunova said those infected included a family that "ate reindeer meat raw and drank the blood," saying "the nomads do have this custom." Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova flew out to the affected region to visit those in hospital and the quarantine zone. The authorities appealed for calm, stressing there was "no epidemic" and the infected area had been sealed off. The defence ministry said it has sent in more than 200 specialist troops with helicopters and drones to decontaminate the infected zone and burn corpses of infected animals. Story continues The regional authorities said that more than 160 nomadic herders had been evacuated from the contaminated zone, where more than 2,300 reindeer have died. Around 16,500 people in the region still lead a traditional nomadic way of life, hunting, fishing and herding reindeer. The emergencies ministry flew out rescuers and essential supplies including stakes and reindeer hides for the evacuees to rebuild their traditional tents. Investigators launched a probe into possible delay by the veterinary authorities in dealing with the outbreak. The anthrax germ -- Bacillus anthracis -- sickens and causes death by proliferating in the bloodstream, where it releases powerful toxins. Infection is usually treated by a long course of antibiotics. A vaccine against the disease was first licensed in 1970, according to the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Moscow (AFP) - Moscow on Tuesday blasted criticism by Washington over its actions in Syria, saying it was "unacceptable" to demand restraint around Aleppo, the city divided between Syrian government troops and rebels. "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti agency. Britain-based monitors reported that Russia launched heavy air strikes in the Aleppo outskirts, slowing a last-ditch effort by rebels to break the siege. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called on Russia and its Damascus ally to refrain "from conducting offensive operations" in Aleppo, where regime forces surrounded rebel-held districts. Kerry said the attacks prevented the warring parties from meeting Monday, the target date set by the international community for the regime and opposition to agree on the framework for political transition. "We will see in the course of the next hours, few days, whether or not that dynamic can be changed," Kerry said. Ryabkov however rejected such talk as an ultimatum. "To hear from Washington that... the next hours and days will be decisive, that is an ultimatum-like, unacceptable tone. I think this is regular blackmail that is common to the Americans," said Ryabkov. Syria has been in the grip of its bloody civil war for more than five years, with hopes for a peace process resting on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US- and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. On Tuesday the State Department reinforced Kerry's strong message to Moscow. "What the secretary... said again yesterday was, in essence, our patience is not infinite," said State Department spokesman John Kirby at a news briefing. Kirby emphasized that Kerry prefers a "diplomatic approach," but that officials "continue to look at alternatives and options." Story continues A few weeks ago Kerry had hinted at a "Plan B" for Syria, without elaborating. "If you're asking has, as of today, August 2nd, the strategy changed, the answer is no," the spokesman said. Moscow had announced the launch of humanitarian corridors out of Aleppo for civilians and surrendering rebels, a scheme that some nongovernmental organisations said was "deeply flawed," calling instead for a UN-mandated plan of escape routes. Ryabkov countered that the US itself uses the corridor scheme and is only against it because Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are crushing opponents who have not joined the ceasefire or surrendered. "Why can it not be done with Aleppo? Because in Syria the Syrian government has finally begun to separate terrorists from the moderate (opposition) and civilians. That is what our colleagues in Washington were not ready to do" for months, he said. Beirut (AFP) - The Syrian regime's key ally Russia launched heavy air strikes overnight on the outskirts of divided Aleppo city, slowing a "last-chance" assault by rebels seeking to break a government siege. The assault began on Sunday and is intended to ease the encirclement of the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, where an estimated 250,000 residents have been under regime siege since July 17. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described it as the largest rebel attack in Aleppo since 2012, when fighting left the city roughly divided between opposition control in the east and regime forces in the west. But government troops backed by Russian warplanes have put up a fierce defence, the monitor said. "The Russian raids didn't stop all night on the front lines" there, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "This has slowed the offensive and allowed regime troops to retake five of the eight positions that rebels had taken since Sunday," he added. The strikes came despite an appeal by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday for Russia to "restrain" itself and its ally in Damascus from "offensive operations". Kerry said regime attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. Moscow blasted criticism by Washington over its actions. - New route - "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti agency. The Aleppo offensive groups fighters from Fateh al-Sham Front, formerly Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, the powerful Islamist Ahrar al-Sham and other factions. The Observatory said 50 rebels and allied jihadists had been killed since it began, as well as dozens of regime troops. Story continues Six people also died and 10 were wounded by mortar fire on regime-controlled districts of southwest Aleppo, it said. The official SANA agency said five people died. The route used by regime forces and civilians living in government-controlled parts of Aleppo runs through Ramussa, on its southwest outskirts, the main target of the rebel assault. Its capture would both cut off government forces and open a new route into the city for rebels. The Observatory said at least 30 civilians had also been killed since Sunday in opposition bombardment of government-held southwestern districts of Aleppo. "This battle is the last chance for rebels. If they lose, it will be difficult for them to launch a new assault to break the siege," Abdel Rahman said. "For the regime also, it's a question of life or death. They've been preparing for this battle for months and it'll be a tough blow for its troops if they lose." Residents in east Aleppo have reported food shortages and rising prices since government troops seized the last remaining road into opposition-held districts of the city on July 17. - 'Chlorine attack' - Elsewhere in Aleppo province, the Observatory said at least 11 people were killed in air strikes believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes on the rebel-held town of Atareb. In the town of Saraqeb, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Aleppo, 24 people suffered breathing difficulties after a barrel bomb attack, the Observatory said. Residents said the attack had used chlorine gas, but the monitor could not confirm this. The incident took place close to where Russia said on Monday one of its military helicopters was shot down over Idlib province, killing the five people on board. Last week Russia announced the opening of "humanitarian corridors" to allow residents and surrendering fighters to flee eastern Aleppo for government-held territory. This was met with scepticism by both residents and some internationally, and 35 NGOs in a statement on Tuesday called the initiative "deeply flawed". The groups, including Save the Children and Oxfam, urged implementation of a UN call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo. But Damascus and Moscow say some residents and fighters have begun using the passages and Syrian state media reported Tuesday that "dozens of families" had crossed from the east. In the north, meanwhile, the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces alliance backed by US-led coalition air strikes advanced Tuesday in the jihadist stronghold of Manbij, where it now controls 60 percent of the town, the Observatory said. Syria's conflict has killed more than 280,000 people and drawn in world powers on both sides since it erupted in March 2011. Quip CEO Bret Taylor Salesforce just spent $750 million to buy the work-collaboration app Quip. Although Quip is an interesting product, Monday's acquisition was somewhat of a surprise, given that Salesforce already has a note-taking feature and most of its recent acquisitions have been around machine-learning startups. So Business Insider spoke to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to find out what exactly prompted him to spend so much money on Quip, a startup with only 45 employees. His answer: Quip CEO Bret Taylor. "He's one of the absolute rising stars of our industry," Benioff told Business Insider. "It's been my dream to work more closely with Bret Taylor." Benioff says that his relationship with Taylor traces back five years to when he started hosting a private monthly dinner at his home, including other guests like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston. Through years of conversation, Benioff says that he's has been impressed by Taylor's depth of knowledge and vision for the cloud-software space in general. Taylor certainly has the track record to back it up. He's responsible for co-creating Google Maps and Facebook's "like" button while serving as Facebook's CTO at one point. He's also recently been tapped to serve on Twitter's board, making him one of the rising stars in Silicon Valley's tech scene. Grooming the next generation Marc Benioff Benioff says that Taylor will directly report to him, immediately making him one of his closest lieutenants at Salesforce. That's a big stamp of approval, given that most startup CEOs don't typically join the inner circles of the executive team right after they get bought. Benioff compared Taylor's upside potential to Alex Dayon, Salesforce's president and chief product officer, who worked up the ladder after his startup, InStranet, got bought by Salesforce in 2008. But the bigger plan may be in putting together a group of young talent to become the leaders of the next generation for Salesforce. Adam Evans and Steve Loughlin, the 30-something cofounders of RelateIQ, the startup that Salesforce bought for $390 million in 2014, continue to play a bigger role at the company, including more exposure at Salesforce's annual conference, Dreamforce. Story continues Benioff wouldn't comment on whether Salesforce will continue its buying spree. This year alone, Salesforce has bought seven companies, including Demandware, which cost $2.8 billion. But he reiterated that any acquisition wouldn't just be about the product, but the talent that comes with it. "We've purchased dozens of companies. And through that we've been able to bring a lot of innovative people into the company over the years. It's a very important part of running a successful technology company," he said. NOW WATCH: An Israeli startup invented a compost bin that converts kitchen waste to cooking fuel More From Business Insider LONDON (Reuters) - Banco Santander has made an offer to take over Royal Bank of Scotland's Williams & Glyn business, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, as part of a long-standing plan to grow its market share in Britain. The move by Spain's largest bank could end a costly seven-year process by RBS to offload the small business lender, a key European Union condition of its taxpayer-funded rescue at the peak of the global financial crisis. RBS has blamed the complexities of creating a standalone technology platform for the delays in selling Williams & Glyn, seen by some analysts as a major milestone in the lender's road to recovery, return to full private ownership and restoration of dividends.Some 6,000 RBS employees have been working on the project to spin-off the 300 branches, equivalent to 1 in 10 of its UK staff. The process has been described by Chief Executive Ross McEwan as the most complex restructuring in global banking. RBS, which reports results for the first half of its financial year on Friday, declined to comment. In a statement, Santander UK, the British arm of the Spanish bank, said it did not comment on market rumours or speculation. It also said it continued to focus on organic growth but could look at opportunities that benefited its customers and shareholders. UK GROWTH PLANSantander, which already controls former UK building societies Abbey and Alliance & Leicester, is keen to expand in Britain to offset weakness in its domestic market, where high rates of unemployment and weak economic prospects have led to a rise in bad loans and volatile credit demand.Santander is working on a deal where the unit's loans, deposits, customers and branches would transfer, while some services would continue to be hosted by RBS, one source said. A fully agreed deal is unlikely in the coming days, the source said. Spanish rival Banco Sabadell acquired TSB from Lloyds Banking Group in a 1.7 billion pound deal in March last year, in a similar effort to diversify revenues.Santander walked away from a deal to buy Williams & Glyn fours years ago amid concerns about its technology platform, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Story continues Industry sources and analysts said two other potential suitors included Virgin Money, and Spain's BBVA. Williams & Glyn has 1.8 million customers, net loans and advances of 20 billion pounds and customer deposits of 24 billion pounds, making it one of Britain's largest prospective 'challenger' bank brands with potential to poach market share in the small business lending sector from Lloyds and RBS. The story of Santander's bid was earlier reported by Sky News. (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill, editing by Sinead Cruise and Alexandra Hudson) London (AFP) - Germany winger Leroy Sane has signed a five-year deal for Manchester City, both the Premier League side and his now former Bundesliga club Schalke 04 confirmed Tuesday. City tweeted a picture of Sane signing a contract, which is reportedly worth 37m (43m euros), plus add-ons, after he completed the medical examination in Manchester on Monday. The 20-year-old said the prospect of playing under new City boss Pep Guardiola had helped persuade him to move to Eastlands. "One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola; he convinced me to come here and that I can continue to progress," Sane told City's website. "I know I will learn a lot under him and now I can take the next step in my career. "I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern where he achieved a lot and worked really well with young players. "I think he can make me a more complete player. I think I will need a bit of time to start with because it's another league and there's a different style of play but I think I can adapt very quickly." If the 37m fee is confirmed, it will make Sane the most expensive German signing of all time. "We have given the green light for the transfer. Those in charge of Manchester City behaved professionally at all times. There were difficult, but fair discussions," said Schalke's director of sport Christian Heidel. Sane is a rising star in the Germany squad and has already posed for pictures with City fans in Manchester. The reported transfer figure seems astronomical given that Sane has made just 47 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 11 goals and creating seven more, since his debut in Germany's top flight in April 2014. The fleet-footed forward made the last of his four international appearances for the world champions as a late replacement in last month's 2-0 defeat to hosts France in the Euro 2016 semi-finals. Guardiola is confident his new recruit, who scored eight goals in 33 Bundesliga games last season, is tailor-made for the unique demands of the Premier League. Story continues "He is a special talent, and an exciting player that I think our supporters will enjoy watching," Guardiola said. "He has great technical ability, is comfortable on the ball and there is much to admire about the way he plays football. "He is fast, enjoys creating chances for others, works hard for the team and scores goals, too. He also has a very positive attitude and will fit in well with our squad. "At 20, he is still developing as a player but he is already a member of the German national side and I think he will be a fantastic asset to our club." Sane's arrival in Manchester continues former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola's rebuilding of the City squad following the signings of Nolito, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko. 1.The supernova flare depicted in the Large Magellanic Cloud in 1987. Credit CAASTRO Thirty years ago, an exploding star 168,000 light years away appeared as a small pinpoint of light in the night sky. The supernova, known as SN 1987A, occurred in a neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. It was the result of the core of a massive star collapsing under its own gravity, resulting in a stellar explosion that could be seen from Earth. Since the supernova was first spotted in the sky, astronomers have used different telescopes and different frequencies to piece together the stars recent past. But they were only able to look as far back as the final 20,000-years of the stars long, long life. Considering the star had thrived for millions of years, thats less than a tenth of its life. Now, astronomers at the University of Sydney have found a way to peer further back into the stars history than ever before, millions of years before its violent blowout. And its a huge step in advancing our understanding of these spectacular cosmic explosions. 4. Supernova shockfront as it pushes material from the blue and red supergiant phases. Credit CAASTRO The findings were published on Monday in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Oxford University Press. The researchers, led by Joseph Callingham, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), used a telescope array in the Australian desert where there was no FM radio interference. Using the telescope, they were able to listen to faint hisses emanating from the supernova remnant. This allowed them to investigate the supernova at lower radio frequencies than ever before to help fine-tune our understanding of stellar explosions, a University of Sydney press release writes. Usually, scientists cant tell whats happening at these low radio frequencies because signals from our own earthbound FM radio drown out the faint signals from space. But, according to Bryan Gaensler, a professor at the University of Toronto who supervised the research, by studying the strength of the radio signal, astronomers can finally figure out things such as the density of the surrounding gas. Story continues This will allow them to understand the environment of the star before its explosive death. Just like excavating and studying ancient ruins that teach us about the life of a past civilization, my colleagues and I have used low-frequency radio observations as a window into the stars life, Callingham said in the press release. While previous studies focused on material spit out into space when the star was in its final phase, called its blue supergiant phase, the researchers were able to look further back to when the star was in its long-lasting red supergiant phase. via GIPHY It's rare for a massive star to enter a blue supergiant phase before it collapses. Most stars are in a red supergiant phase of their life when they explode into supernovae. It's important for scientists to study this phase because most stars spend their final stages of life as a red supergiant. The researchers found that younger material from the blue supergiant, as well as the shock of the supernova explosion, pushed out older material from the red supergiant. via GIPHY They also learned that the red supergiant lost its matter at a slower rate, and generated slower winds that pushed into its surrounding environment, than scientists had previously guessed. These new insights improve our knowledge of the composition of the space where SN 1987A spent its life. This will allow scientists to tweak their models and simulations to better reconstruct the physics of supernova explosions, Callingham said. "Supernova remnant 1987A, more than any other supernova remnant, has shaped our understanding of how massive stars end their lives," Callingham said. "The study has revealed what occurred right before the star's death, helping us to understand the physical processes that led to one of the largest explosions in our universe." You can watch the stars secret history and violent explosion in this video put together by CAASTRO. NOW WATCH: This is what a supernova looks like More From Business Insider (Reuters) - Everton have signed Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye on a four-year deal from second-tier Aston Villa, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 26-year-old, who joined Villa from French side Lille last season, made 38 appearances for the Midlands team, who were relegated from England's top-flight last season. No financial details were disclosed but British media estimated the deal was worth about seven million pounds ($9.33 million). "I am very happy to be here at Everton and I am very happy and excited to put on the Blue shirt to start the new season here," Gueye told Everton's website (www.evertonfc.com). "Everton is a big team with big players and great fans. I have played a season with Aston Villa which was a hard season but I think my style is good for the Premier League." The Senegal international made 134 appearances for Lille, and helped the club win the Ligue 1 title in 2011. ($1 = 0.7505 pounds) (Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris) Seth Meyers is pretty sure he knows where Donald Trump is getting his facts. VIDEOSJames Corden Does a Bang-Up Job as Matt Damons Bourne Double The Late Night host on Monday attempted to make sense of the Republicans usual plenty of people have written/said that spiel, pointing out that the only logical conclusion is that Trump is gathering intel from anonymous social media users. I feel like Trump needs to start giving us names when he says a lot of people have said that,' Meyers argued. I bet 75 percent of them are Twitter eggs. VIDEOSComic-Con Outtakes, Highlights with Kristen Bell, Nathan Fillion, Zach Levi, Melissa Rauch, Plus Casts of TVD, Walking Dead, Silicon Valley and More Meyers hypothesis came as he dissected Trumps most recent comments regarding Khizr Khan, the father of a deceased Muslim U.S. soldier who spoke out against the presidential candidate at last weeks Democratic National Convention. In doing so, the NBC host explained why Trumps response might prove hes never actually read the United States Constitution. Watch Meyers Closer Look above, then weigh in below. Related stories Denis Leary, James Corden Dress as Clintons to Sing About 'A--hole' Trump Seth Meyers to Clinton: Ignore Trump, Prep 'Jim Halpert Look' for Debates NBC's Twisty Fall Series This Is Us Is 'Dramedy Version of Lost' Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's political crisis has steadily deepened with the opposition seeking a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro, who has declared a state of emergency. Here is a timeline of events over the past seven months in the major South American oil producer. - Opposition majority - - January 5, 2016: The opposition takes control of the National Assembly legislature from the socialist leadership for the first time in more than 16 years after winning elections in December. It vows to drive Maduro from office and rescue Venezuela from economic chaos driven by plunging oil prices. - January 15: Maduro decrees a 60-day state of "economic emergency." It allows the government to seize assets of private companies to obtain essential food and goods. - February 18: Maduro raises the extremely low price of gasoline (petrol), frozen for the past 20 years, from about $0.01 to $0.60 per liter. He devalues the Bolivar currency and increases the minimum wage. - March 1: The top court passes a law to limit the assembly's powers, stripping it of oversight of judicial, electoral and civil authorities. - March 8: The opposition launches two initiatives in a bid to drive Maduro from office: a recall referendum, and a Constitutional reform to reduce his term from six to four years, which is later dismissed by the Supreme Court. - April 7: Maduro declares Fridays will be holidays for two months, in a bid to ease an energy crisis blamed on a drought. He later cuts the working week further to just two days for several weeks. - State of emergency - - April 26: Electoral authorities authorize the opposition to collect signatures in the first step toward a referendum to oust Maduro. - May 3: The opposition presents 1.85 million signatures demanding a recall referendum -- nearly ten times the number needed to proceed to the next stage. - May 14: Maduro declares a fresh three-month state of emergency to face "threats from abroad," saying the measures might be extended through 2017. Story continues - June 14: Police arrest hundreds in a deadly looting outbreak in the eastern city of Cumana. - Long road to referendum - - June 13: Maduro's allies ask the Supreme Court to block the opposition's initiative, alleging fraud in the collection of signatures. - June 25: The opposition says it has finished the process of authenticating signatures on a recall petition and has enough to hold a referendum. - July 10: Thousands of Venezuelans pour across the border into Colombia to buy essential goods during a brief opening of the border that has been closed for nearly a year. - July 13: Maduro puts the military in charge of the five key seaports. - July 26: The government asks the electoral authorities to ban the opposition MUD coalition, accusing it of fraud. - August 1: The electoral council says the opposition has successfully collected the 200,000 valid signatures needed to pursue its bid for a referendum. But it does not set a date for the next stage in the lengthy process, in which the opposition must collect a further four million signatures. Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec has a heart of gold! The 55-year-old businessman, who got married to Dancing With the Stars pro Kym Johnson, 39, over the weekend, surprised 4-year-old Liam Brenes with an adorable party in West Hollywood, California, on Monday after learning that his prosthetic leg had been stolen. WATCH: 'Dancing With the Stars' Couple Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec Are Married! Herjavec became aware of Brenes' story after watching a local news segment on ABC, where it was revealed that the young boy had lost his prosthetic leg during a recent family trip to the beach in Orange County. Herjavec was so taken by Brenes' positive attitude, he reached out to the local news station and arranged a meet-and-greet. "If we have an opportunity to help, why wouldn't we?" Herjavec told ABC7. "He's such a good kid. He's got such a great outlook on life." Married last night & this a.m. @robertherjavec met Liam, whose prosthetic leg was stolen. Robert had a party 4 him! pic.twitter.com/KTLahwdHbm George Pennacchio (@abc7george) August 2, 2016 Brenes received a brand new prosthetic leg shortly after the news segment aired, thanks to Michael Metichecchia, who owns Essential Orthotics & Prosthetics. During the small get together on Monday, Herjavec showed up with a variety of toys for Brenes and his older brothers, including many LEGO sets. The newlywed also promised to take Brenes and his family on a VIP trip to Disneyland. .@robertherjavec throws party for 4yo boy who had prosthetic leg stolen. Lots of surprises @Noah_Galloway! Watch @ 4 pic.twitter.com/JrKQ13l8dE Julie Sone (@ABC7JulieSone) August 1, 2016 Earlier in the day, Herjavec took to Twitter to share a photo of his glowing bride. Story continues "What a night ... we said our I do's!!" he wrote. "Thank you for your love & support!" what a night .. we said our I do's !! thank you for your love & support ! pic.twitter.com/n7Y4Czvwzm Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) August 1, 2016 WATCH: 'DWTS' Couple Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson Really Are 'Madly In Love' The happy couple got engaged back in February. This will be Johnson's, 39, first marriage. Herjavec was previously married to Diane Plese, with whom he has three children. Watch the video below for more details on the adorable couple: Related Articles This tiger is healthy, happy and in love a miraculous transformation from just five years ago, when she was sick, underweight and on the brink of death. Read: Elderly Couple Retrace Their Cross-Continental Honeymoon 35 Years Later in the Same Volkswagen Beetle Aasha the tiger was sent to live at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center in Texas after she was removed from a backyard circus, founder Vicky Keahey told InsideEdition.com. Keahey said she was told she should expect a 9-month old tiger, but was shocked to see something totally different. "She was only about the size of a large bobcat," said Keahey, who initially weighed Aasha at 31 pounds, equivalent to a 3-month old tiger. In addition to being severely undernourished, Keahey said the bald spots on her fur confirmed a bad case of ringworm. Over the next few months, Keahey said she let herself in the tiger's isolated enclosure and bathed Aasha in medicated shampoo by hand to nurse her back to health. "It was dangerous," Keahey said. "In the beginning she didn't like it. She had claws and teeth that were telling me she didn't want a bath, but I didn't have a whole lot of choice as to whether or not I wanted to be in there with her." As Aasha started getting better, she also started having eyes for a male tiger at the rescue, Smuggler, who is about a year older than her. Slowly but surely, they started dating. Keahey explained that when tigers date, they spend about 20 minutes a day, "nose to nose", trying to get to know one another in the same enclosure. Ten or so staff members would supervise each date, just in case a fight broke out. Then, at about three or four months into their relationship, they moved on to spending nights together with a staff member present to supervise overnight. Next comes marriage! Keahey explained that while tigers are not monogamous animals, Aasha and Smuggler only have 'felines' for each other. Story continues Read: 33 Lions Rescued From Circuses Fly To Their New Home At South African Sanctuary While they don't expect striped cubs in their future he's neutered and she's spayed they currently live and eat together, and will celebrate their 5th anniversary in March. Even though the couple might get into arguments, and sometimes Smuggler catches Aasha flirting with the lions next door, Keahey said they have one golden rule for a successful relationship: They always go to sleep together. Watch: Love Birds Allie and Noah Celebrate 1-Year Anniversary, Spent It Taking 'Long Walks on Flamingo Beach' Related Articles: (Reuters) - Fresnillo Plc's chief executive said the price of silver had bottomed, and added the miner would report a stronger core profit in the second half than the first if prices remained at current levels. Silver and gold prices jumped to two-year highs in the days following Britain's vote to leave the European Union, buoyed by demand for the metals seen as safe havens in times of volatility. "We think the price of silver could remain at current levels," CEO Octavio Alvidrez said on a media call on Tuesday. Fresnillo, which mines silver and gold from six mines in Mexico, reported a 49 percent jump in first-half core profit to $474 million (359 million pounds), helped by higher production and gold prices. Shares in the company rose 1.6 percent on the London Stock Exchange to 1,953 pence, near the top of the FTSE, having nearly tripled this year to their close on Monday. RBC analysts said the results were positive, adding the company's core profit beat their estimates. They remained sceptical on the stock, however, keeping their "underperform" rating, citing its elevated valuation. (Reporting by Mamidipudi Soumithri in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair) Politics Singapore PM visits the White House, looks to boost Pacific trade pact The prime minister of Singapore is joining President Obama at the White House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city-state. But the two leaders will also discuss a shared cause with less rosy prospects the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce late Monday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged its ratification, saying that the pact would give the U.S. better access to the markets that account for 40 percent of global economic output. Both Republican presidential contender Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton are against it. For Americas friends and partners, ratifying the [Trans-Pacific Partnership] is a litmus test of your credibility and seriousness of purpose. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong The deal would eliminate trade barriers and tariffs, streamline standards and encourage investment among the 12 countries that include Mexico, Japan, Vietnam and Australia. But critics say that the pact undercuts American workers by introducing lower-wage competition and gives huge corporations too much leeway. The Obama administration says it remains determined to try to win congressional approval for the pact, but the chances of achieving that appear slim because of the depth of political opposition, including that of Obamas fellow Democrats. Murder and the U.N. Was Dag Hammarskjold, one of the most revered and iconic secretaries-general in the history of the United Nations, assassinated by an apartheid-era South African paramilitary organization that was backed by the CIA, British intelligence, and a Belgian mining company? Could be. FPs Colum Lynch gets the scoop that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will propose reopening an inquiry into allegations that Hammarskjold had been murdered when his plane crashed in Zambia, while he was brokering a peace deal. Lynch writes that at the time of Hammarskjolds death, U.N peacekeepers had been battling Belgian-backed separatists in the mineral-rich Congolese province of Katanga. Days before Hammarskjolds death, the U.N. launched an offensive against Katangas separatists as part of an effort to drive hundreds of Belgian officers and European mercenaries out of the country. Adding to the list. American aircraft hit Islamic State targets over the weekend in Sirte, Libya for the first time since February, as part of what Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said will be part of an ongoing series of strikes in the country. We are prepared to carry out more strikes in coordination with Libyas Government of National Accord, he said, adding that the strikes do not have an end point at this particular moment in time. The GNA, which has the backing of western powers, has struggled to win the support of many of the militias active throughout the war-ravaged country. Get the paper. The legal authorization for the Sirte strikes, just like American strikes on other militant Islamic groups from East Africa on through Iraq and Syria, comes from the Authorization for Use of Military Force, (AUMF), adopted in the days after the attacks on Sept. 11 2001 to target the Taliban. One person uncomfortable with that state of affairs is the Democratic nominee for the vice presidency of the United States, Tim Kaine. The Virginia Senator has for years worked to get a new ISIS-specific AUMF passed that would account for all of the non-Taliban wars Washington is fighting, but hasnt been able to gain much traction. Story continues Visiting hours in Turkey. The U.S. militarys highest-ranking officer arrived in Turkeys capital Monday hoping to mend the raw feelings left by last months failed coup against the civilian-led government. And despite protests in front of the U.S. Embassy where demonstrators held signs saying Get Out Coup Plotter Dunford, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said things went pretty well. The tone in all three meetings was very positive and non-accusatory at all, the general told reporters after his meetings with military and civilian officials, in comments which set a pretty low bar for what was expected going into the exchanges. Were good. Turkish politicians presented a united front in Washington Monday, with representatives from three of the countrys major political parties holding a press conference at the Turkish embassy to insist theyre on the same page in condemning the botched military coup attempt last month. They also said theyre together in demanding that the U.S. agree to the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based cleric accused of orchestrating the coup, FPs John Hudson reports. Bad scene. A military mom was booed at a Carson City, Nevada rally featuring Republican VP nominee Mike Pence Monday. Catherine Byrne whose son serves in the Air Force asked Pence about Donald Trumps increasingly aggressive war of words with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, a decorated Army veteran, was killed in Iraq in 2004. Will there ever be a point in time when youre able to look Trump in the eye and tell him enough is enough? she asked, setting off the crowd. Pence quieted the crowd, saying thats what freedom looks like. Thats what freedom sounds like. Many Senate Republicans up for reelection this year have criticized Trumps fight with the family. Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley Espionage An FBI employee has pled guilty to spying for the Chinese government, the Washington Post reports. The guilty plea comes as a bit of surprise because the feds kept the arrest of Kun Shan Chun under wraps since March. Chun, who worked as a technician for the FBIs Manhattan field office, admitted to passing an FBI organizational chart and documents about the Bureaus surveillance gear to the Chinese government. In return, Chinese officials plied Chun with cash, prostitutes, and lavish trips. Buyouts China is trying to cut its armed forces by 300,000 troops to make for a leaner, meaner, more agile, modern military. But how can it fire a few hundred soldiers without risk of an angry, organized pushback? Golden parachutes. Bloomberg reports that the Peoples Liberation Army is stuffing laid off troops pockets with cash before they push them out the door in order to trim its end strength. The buyouts offer troops a one time payment and the ability to keep receiving 80 percent of their monthly salary after leaving the service. Syria Russia lost five troops after one of its Mi-8 military helicopters was shot down in Idlib, Syria on Monday, during what Moscow claims was a humanitarian mission. But an analysis by weapons experts raises questions over how much aid the Mi-8 could actually carry. Nic Jenzen-Jones of Armament Research Services (ARES), an Australia-based weapons monitoring group, told The Daily Beast that in this case, the Mi-8 AMTSh appears to have been fitted with two B-8V20A rocket pods, each capable of carrying 20 80 mm S-8 rockets. From the images available so far, it is not clear whether the rocket pods were loaded. A suspected chemical weapons attack hit a village near the site of the shootdown, a Syrian rescue service said on Tuesday. A spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas in Saraqeb. In the hours after the helo went down, another helicopter dropped barrels on the town, which activists suspect was chlorine. Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in a tough spot. Hes leading the fight against the Sunni Islamic State, while Shiites in his own government and on the streets of Baghdad protest against the security gaps in the capital, corruption, and political gridlock. And now Abadi has ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption in a series of weapons deals. Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri has denied charges of corruption tied to companies looking to sell planes, trucks, and other equipment to the army, along with deals to appoint soldiers, officers and personnel at the ministry of defense. Smoke gets in your eyes With the city of Aleppo cut off and surrounded by Assad regime and Russian forces, residents are trying to create a smokescreen to in the hopes that it can blind Russian and Syrian aircraft bombing the city. Video posted to social media shows children in eastern Aleppo setting fire to tires to send clouds of thick, black smoke into the skies above the city. The move inspired a viral hashtag campaign among opposition supporters, using tags such as #AngerForAleppo. Afghanistan China is high fiving the Afghan government for its help in tracking down Chinese militant Islamists in the country. Reuters reports that Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan thanked Afghanistans army chief of general staff Qadam Shah Shaheem for help fighting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. China has been building deeper links with neighboring Afghanistan, participating in regional peace talks aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. Army Army Maj. Gen. John Rossi passed away at his home in Alabama on Sunday, just two days before he was due to take command of Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Theres no word yet on the cause of death, but Army investigators say theres no sign his death was suspicious. The current commander of Space and Missile Defense Command, Lt. Gen. David Mann, will stay on to lead the organization. Linked up The U.K. is about to start spending billions on its ballistic missile submarine replacement program. Heres a closer look at the training that American and Canadian troops are providing for Ukrainian troops at a site in western Ukraine. For the first time in a decade, U.S. B1B bombers are going to replace B-52s in the Pacific. The U.S. government is wary of naming Russia as guilty of cyber crimes. Washington and Jerusalem are still talking about new defense aid package, but are nearing a deal that would send billions to Israel over the next decade. It looks like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes new defense minister will be Tomomi Inada, a hawkish and controversial choice that would upset both China and South Korea given her conservative views on wartime history. Photo Credit: Turkish Armed Forces/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images By Massimo Gaia MILAN, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Six investors including U.S. funds Apollo Global Management and KKR are interested in the platform that will manage around 9 billion euros in Monte dei Paschi di Siena's gross bad loans, two sources close to the matter said. The Tuscan bank is selling its 27.7 billion euro ($31 billion) portfolio of loans to insolvent borrowers in a complex securitisation scheme, part of a broader rescue plan aimed at addressing regulatory concerns over its financial stability. Monte dei Paschi was working with Italian investment bank Mediobanca to set up a platform to manage its portfolio and bring in a partner to improve collections. On Friday, the Tuscan bank unveiled a plan to speed up disposal of its bad loans following a request from the European Central Bank. The announcement came just head of industry stress test results were released that singled out Monte dei Paschi as the weakest among large European lenders. One of the sources said Monte dei Paschi had informed potential bidders in a letter that the platform deal was going ahead though on slightly different terms than initially envisaged. Monte dei Paschi said on Friday the platform would manage around 9 billion euros in gross bad loans -- one third of the overall loans being sold in the securisation deal. The two sources said bidders included Cerved Credit Management, KKR in tandem with Varde Partners, Apollo Global Management, Cerberus, Prelios together with Christofferson Robb & Company and Lone Star. Monte dei Paschi and all other involved parties declined to comment. ($1 = 0.8931 euros) (Additional reporting by Paola Arosio, writing by Valentina Za) Skydance Media has acquired global live action rights to Sword Art Online, the Japanese novel and anime franchise, in partnership with KADOKAWA Corporation. Skydance says it will fast-track the launch of a new franchise by developing and producing the first live action SAO TV series. Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Terminator Genisys) will write the pilot episode and serve as an executive producer alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross. Sword Art Online is a global franchise based on the 22-book novel series by Reki Kawahara. The books, according to Skydance, have sold over 19 million print copies worldwide, and have been spun off into nine comic adaptations, two anime television series, a video game and merchandise program. An animated film is set for release in Japan in 2017. The new series, says Skydance, will follow brilliant young beta tester Kirito and his group of friends when they are trapped, along with 10,000 other people, in a next-generation virtual reality online role-playing game filled with swordfighting, monsters, and mystery. Following the television series, Skydance plans to launch a first-of-its-kind SAO virtual reality experience through Skydance Interactive. Skydance Media Chief Executive Officer David Ellison called SAO a massive pop-culture phenomenon from which we plan to launch a full-scale and wide-ranging set of live action franchise extensions across our business verticals, beginning with television. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude to everyone involved in this project, and to the fans all over the world who have so generously and enthusiastically supported SAO, said author Reki Kawahara. Kalogridis has a first-look and consulting arrangement with Skydance and is currently writing and executive producing the studios sci-fi television series Altered Carbon for Netflix. She is repped by WME. Related stories Skydance Media Buys Game Developer The Workshop And Launches Interactive Division Story continues Sony To Co-Fi, Distrib Skydance Mars Pic 'Life;' Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson Star Skydance Media Promotes Four To Key Exec Roles Heavy metal band Slipknot took to Facebook on Monday (Aug. 1) to express their frustration with North Carolina's anti-LGBT law, but assured fans the band will not cancel their show set for Tuesday in Charlotte. Slipknot's Corey Taylor Talks Performing Post-Spinal Surgery, Teaming Knotfest With Ozzfest for 2016 "When we started this tour, we had reservations about playing in North Carolina because of a law recently passed there called HB2," wrote the band. "The law halts the rights of LGBTQ people, doesn't allow for cities to pass a living wage for the working class." Slipknot made clear in the statement that the band stands for equal opportunities for everyone and that the HB2 law -- which reverses local ordinances that protects LGBT people and also prevents transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice -- "flies in the face of those values." "Our fans in North Carolina deserve better, so we decided not to cancel. We don't care where you pee-just please flush. It's pretty simple, really." Slipknot's Corey Taylor to Kanye West: 'You Are Not the Greatest Living Rock Star' The band is also partnering with Equality NC, an LGBTQ advocacy group in the Southern state fighting the law. The beloved supervillains of the DC Comics universe on Monday roamed free on the black, barbed-wired carpet of Warner Bros.' world premiere of Suicide Squad, where diversity and imperfection were highly celebrated. "What I love about working with this group, it's a rainbow - it's all races, creeds and colors. It's the diversity and inclusion that this country is supposed to be about," said Will Smith to thunderous applause at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Monday night. The cast, including Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Jay Hernandez, Jai Courtney, Karen Fukuhara, Cara Delevingne, Scott Eastwood, David Harbour, Adam Beach, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jim Parrack and Ike Barinholtz, chanted to the audience as they introduced the film, while director-screenwriter David Ayer echoed an audience shout: "F - Marvel!" (He later apologized for doing so on Twitter.) Will Smith leads #SuicideSquad cast chant and celebrates the movie's kickass diversity: https://t.co/7drEu91xKg pic.twitter.com/VZ97aZfcEe - Ashley Lee (@cashleelee) August 2, 2016 Hernandez admitted he feels conflicted about playing Diablo, a villain with pyrotechnic abilities. "Having a Latino superhero is long overdue - we've been waiting for it, and David Ayer had the balls to put it out there," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't believe I'm the first one. It's pretty ridiculous not to have diversity in a movie like this." Read more: Jared Leto Can't Stop Posting Joker Pictures on Instagram: See Them All Added Courtney: "I get to play an Aussie, which is a real thrill for me to take it back home, and yet be so farfetched and fantastical." Regardless of cultural background, Fukuhara noted that these supervillains "also really reflect humans in real life. Not everyone's perfect, and people relate to that." Altogether, playing amoral protagonists was a freeing experience for the ensemble. "When you play a character that has to carry the moral line of a film, you're bound much more by your choices," Smith told THR of playing assassin Deadshot. "But when you play a character that's completely immoral, as an actor, it blows the scene wide open." Story continues Such was especially true for Robbie as Harley Quinn. "I loved not having to abide by the rules," said the actress. "You can do anything in the scene and just assume, 'She can do that, she's crazy!'" The cast attributed their palpable familial bonds offscreen to Ayer, whom Scott Eastwood said "reminds me of my father [Clint Eastwood]: a no-bullshit kind of guy who knows what he wants and gets it." Read more: 'Suicide Squad' World Premiere: Jared Leto, Will Smith and Margot Robbie Take New York Of strategically building a film with a slew of supervillains, Ayer explained, "It's a bunch of bad guys with good hearts. I think there's room for different versions of this superhero genre. It's like the cowboy movie, which was Hollywood's bread and butter for 70 years. We're gonna continually find ways to reinvent this." Suicide Squad opens Friday nationwide. Read more: Next Big Thing: 'Suicide Squad's' Karen Fukuhara Explains Her Tattoo From Margot Robbie Aug.1, 8:05 p.m.: Updated to include Ayer's apology on Twitter. Will Smith is speaking out against presidential candidate Donald Trump. Smith expressed his outrage with Trump's past comments toward women, calling his supporters "collective insanity." "For a man to be able to publicly refer to a woman as a fat pig, that makes me teary," Smith told the Australian news outlet news.come.au. "And for people to applaud, that is absolutely f------ insanity to me." The actor, 47, said he was taught not to disrespect women, and holds his public officials to the same ideal. "My grandmother would have smacked my teeth out of my head if I had referred to a woman as a fat pig," he continued. "And I cannot understand how people can clap for that. It's absolutely collective insanity." Smith went on to say that he would be equally as angry if he heard one of his own children making derogatory comments about women. "If one of my sons, I am getting furious just thinking about it, if one of my sons said that in a public place, they couldn't even live in my house anymore." And despite Trump receiving the Republican nomination, Smith said he has "faith" that America will not elect him as the next president. VIDEO: John Oliver Fact-Checks Donald Trump at the RNC in Latest Profane Tirade "For me, deep down in my heart, I believe that America won't and we can't [elect Trump]," he said, once again calling out Trump's comments. "Of all the things he has said, and we could go through the laundry list, that was the one that was such an absolute illustration of a darkness of his soul. I just cannot figure out how people can clap for that." He continued: "I have faith in America. America has had really critical times, but the good tend to make their way to the top." By Stephanie Nebehay and Denis Dumo GENEVA/JUBA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people have fled a fresh outbreak of violence in South Sudan, reporting mass killings, looting and forced recruitment of child soldiers, U.N. agencies said on Tuesday. Many of the refugees pouring into neighbouring Uganda, Kenya and Sudan have been carrying malnourished children, the refugee agency the UNHCR added, the victims of a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by food shortages and a cholera outbreak. The world's newest nation has been caught up in more than two years of ethnically charged fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar that has raised fears of wider instability across east Africa. Machar's supporters said at least nine people had died in the latest clashes on a road in Central Equatoria state, the region that includes the capital Juba, over the weekend. Government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth played down those reports, insisting that a frequently broken peace deal signed last year was still on track. People must understand that the peace agreement doesnt belong to Riek Machar," he told reporters in the capital on Tuesday. The personal rivalry between Kiir, from the Dinka group, and Machar, a Nuer, has worsened ethnic splits in a country awash with weapons since the long civil war that led to its separation from Sudan in 2011. Machar, who returned to the capital in April under the terms of the troubled peace deal, left again last month as new clashes broke out between his men and Kiir's. GUNS, OIL, CHOLERA Government military helicopters flew over the capital over the weekend, but the streets were quiet on Tuesday. Residents reported sharp rises in the prices of fuel, vegetables, flour and other basic foodstuffs, with traders blaming shortages on blockages on the main trade route to Uganda. Banks closed their branches and many families stayed in shelters outside U.N. compounds across the city. Further afield, local militias, who often fight over control of land, grazing and oil-producing areas, have been taking advantage of the chaos to step up their operations. U.N. agencies said refugees had reported gunmen trying to block their flight and harassing them on the way. "Armed groups operating across different parts of South Sudan are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing in Geneva. Around 60,000 people have fled as violence mounted over the past three weeks, she said, the bulk of them to Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days. "We are very concerned about quickly having the capacity to treat the increasing numbers of malnourished children who are coming across," Fleming said. A further 1.6 million South Sudanese are displaced people within their country, said Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "These are really very vast numbers, it's a massive crisis," Laerke added, noting that in all 900,000 refugees have fled South Sudan since December 2013. A cholera outbreak is spreading in South Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, with 35 new admissions being recorded in Juba county daily, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. There have been signs of a split within Machar's movement since he left the capital, and analysts have questioned whether both men have full authority over their followers. (Editing by Andrew Heavens) By Alex Whiting ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - With just 60 days to go before the start of the new school year, hundreds of thousands of Syrian parents are faced with the stark choice of whether to feed their children or send them to school, experts said on Wednesday. Nearly 1 million Syrian refugee children are out of school in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan which host the vast majority of the nearly 5 million refugees created by Syria's civil war. Many Syrian children are forced to work to help make ends meet, or unable to pay for transport to school, according to a report written by the head of the London-based think tank, Overseas Development Institute (ODI). In February, donors pledged $1.4 billion to help host countries provide education for all Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. About $1 billion of this has not yet been delivered, according to the report published on Wednesday. More funds are also needed to help families cover food and other basic costs, ODI Executive Director Kevin Watkins said. "If you're a parent faced with a choice of giving your children a square meal at the end of the day, or paying for the transport ... to send them to school ... you're likely to make a choice in favor of adequate nutrition," Watkins said in an interview. Poverty levels among Syrian refugees have increased sharply since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, as rental charges, rising food costs and spending on healthcare and heating have eaten into the savings of refugee families. More than half of the 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon cannot afford enough food, and some 70 percent live on less than $115 per month, the country's poverty line, ODI said. Nearly 90,000 Syrian refugees in school in Lebanon may lose their places because of lack of funding, the report said. Lebanon's minister for education, Elias Bou Saab, urged donors to deliver on their February pledges, and to commit to funding education over several years. "Only then can we make the decisions needed to keep children in school. Regional governments need more planning certainty," he said in a statement on Wednesday. "For our part, we will do everything we can to get every child into school. But we cannot do this alone," he added. CHILD LABOUR "EPIDEMIC" Watkins said there is now an "epidemic" of refugee child labor in the region. He estimates that between 400,000 and 500,000 Syrian children are working in Turkey alone. Turkey allows refugees to work and be paid a minimum wage. Even so, many of them are working informally for less pay, and there is some evidence that parents are marrying off their daughters young, the report said. "I would love to go to school, I miss reading and writing. But if I go to school, nobody is going to bring food to my home," the report quotes a 13-year-old refugee in Turkey as saying. Sarah Brown, president of international children's charity Theirworld which published the report, said the lack of access to education was widely cited by refugee parents as one of the main reasons for risking the hazardous journey to Europe. "The vast loss of potential caused by the crisis in education threatens to deprive Syria of the skills it will need to rebuild a war-torn society," said Brown, wife of U.N. envoy for education and former British prime minister Gordon Brown, in a statement. Watkins said young teenagers with no hope of an education grow up at greater risk of being recruited by extremists. "I would say not delivering on this pledge is about the highest mistake it's possible for the international community to make at this stage," he said. (Reporting by Alex Whiting, Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Spherix Incorporated (SPEX) - an intellectual property development company committed to the fostering and monetization of intellectual property, today announced that it intends to offer shares of its common stock in a "firm commitment" underwritten public offering. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. is the sole book-running manager for the offering. A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the securities was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is effective. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and will be available on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. Electronic copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained from the offices of Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd., 546 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY, 10036, telephone: 212-953-4900 or by email at syndicate@laidlawltd.com. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. About Spherix Spherix is committed to advancing innovation by active participation in all areas of the patent market. Spherix draws on portfolios of pioneering technology patents to partner with and support product innovation. Spherix has acquired over 100 patents from Rockstar Consortium Inc., and several hundred patents issued to Harris Corporation, covering a variety of methods and components involved in switching, routing, networking, optical and telephone technologies, as well as in the wireless communications and telecommunication sectors. Story continues Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Contact: Investor Relations Contact: Hayden IR, LLC Brett Mass Phone: (646) 536-7331 Email: brett@haydenir.com www.haydenir.com Spherix Contact: Phone: (703) 992-9325 Email: info@spherix.com www.spherix.com SOURCE: Spherix Incorporated Add cab rides to the list of things money can't buy. Harry Brant whose parents are billionaire businessman Peter Brant and former supermodel Stephanie Seymour was arrested in Connecticut after he allegedly refused to pay his $27.85 cab fare, the Greenwich Time reports. According to the newspaper, Harry, 20, was taken into custody on Thursday after he reportedly told the cab driver he didn't have the money and attempted to flee on foot. Police were called to the scene where they reportedly found Harry "sweating profusely and pale in color." After admitting that he didn't pay for the ride, Harry allegedly resisted arrest yelling "No! No!" and tried to run from officers when they asked him to place his hands behind his back, the Greenwich Time reports. "Officers were able to grab ahold of Brant and take him to the ground," a police report obtained by the newspaper said. "Brant continued to resist officers' attempts to place him under arrest by tensing his muscles while swinging his arms and kicking his legs. Officers were finally able to place him in handcuffs." When officers performed a search, they reportedly discovered a small baggie with a white substance, which later tested positive for narcotics. Harry was charged with resisting arrest, drug possession and larceny, and was reportedly released from holding after promising to show up for his August 4 court date. Stephen Colbert lambasted Donald Trump on Monday nights The Late Show by calling him the worst names, in a sly way. Colbert took to his resurrected bit The Werd, to knock down Trumps critique of DNC speakers Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of an American soldier who died in the Iraq war. Recently, Trump tweeted, Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same Nice! Unlike Khan, Colbert proved that he met Trump with a picture, which makes him totally eligible to get vicious with a one-two punch. Its a situation that requires cursing, but how does the host do that on network TV? Abbreviations. So Im solid ground when I say Donald, youre being a dad bag (D-Bag, which again due to space weve had to shorten,) the host said. During the segment, he also calls Trump a P.O.S., which really means (part of society) for saying John McCain is not a war hero. Colbert should rename all the curse words to help everyone sneak expletives past Auto Correct on their phones. Watch The Werd below. From Esquire Stranger Things, Netflix's supernatural mystery series, has become the surprise TV hit of the summer. Following the mysterious disappearance of a young boy in a small town in Indiana (and the similarly mysterious appearance of a strange girl with powerful supernatural abilities), the show is a welcome throwback to the genre films of the '80s. (Imagine putting E.T., The Goonies, and Stephen King's It into a blender at the highest speed-with a dash of Winona Ryder for extra flavor.) [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="" customtitles="'Stranger Things' Puts Kids at the Center of Peril" customimages="" content="article.46850"] While it pays homage to plenty of movies from the era, the '80s aesthetic is most prominent in the music choices. While the show's original score, a moody, synth-heavy production from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein (both members of the band S U R V I V E), is set to see an official release soon, fans of the show can rest assured that many of the era-specific songs included in the show are readily available on Spotify. In fact, Netflix has put together an official playlist on the streaming service of music by artists such as The Clash, Reagan Youth, Toto, and Foreigner. Those waiting for the original score's release can sit tight with a sampling of S U R V I V E's work below: a song from their upcoming album, RR7349. [h/t: The Playlist] [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="" customtitles="How Barb Became a 'Stranger Things' Fan-Favorite" customimages="" content="article.47179"] Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) List today: Baidu Inc BIDU provides Internet search services in China and internationally. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 6.4% downward over the last 30 days. Blue Capital Reinsurance Holdings Ltd BCRH provides collateralized reinsurance in the property catastrophe market. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has declined 7.3% over the last 30 days. Bridge Bancorp, Inc. BDGE operates as the bank holding company for The Bridgehampton National Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services in the United States. It has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings being revised 2.4% downward over the last 30 days. Cimpress NV CMPR aggregates small and individually customized orders for print, signage, apparel, and similar products worldwide. The Zacks Consensus Estimate revision for its current year earnings was a negative of 27.4% over the last 30 days. Credit Suisse Group AG CS provides various financial services worldwide. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has moved 2.3% lower over the last 30 days. View the entire Zacks Rank #5 List 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 BAIDU INC (BIDU): Free Stock Analysis Report CREDIT SUISSE (CS): Free Stock Analysis Report BRIDGE BANCORP (BDGE): Free Stock Analysis Report CIMPRESS NV (CMPR): Free Stock Analysis Report BLUE CAP REINSR (BCRH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research From Good Housekeeping As the parent of a toddler, you might wonder from time to time if your little one's constant babbling (or, as it sometimes goes, shrieking) is taking a serious toll on your mental health. Turns out, however, that the noise you make - whether by turning up the volume on the TV or chatting loudly with your spouse - is actually affecting your toddler in a negative way. A new study published in the journal Child Development shows that loud background noises, such as sibling squabbles and radio sound, might have a negative effect on children's ability to learn language. And with how much we, as Americans, tend to leave our TVs on during the day, we just might be making it incredibly difficult for our toddlers to master new words and phrases, NPR reports. The study, which was conducted by University of WisconsinMadison researchers, tested toddlers at 23 months old and 29 months old on their ability to learn new words with a certain level of distracting background noise. To do this, the researchers had groups of toddlers listen to new words used in sentences while loud background noise, low-level background noise or complete silence played in the background. (The background soundtrack featured two people talking, similar to what they might hear when the TV is on or two adults are having a conversation nearby.) Then, while listening to the same background noise, the children were taught the meanings of the words. After the toddlers' lessons, the researchers tested them to see how much they learned. The end result? Only the children who had been subjected to low-level background noise or complete silence were able to learn the new words. Brianna McMillan, a psychology graduate student and the lead author on the study, told NPR that a child's ability to learn words early on might affect his or her ability to pick up basic reading skills later in life. But of course, it's unreasonable to expect parents to completely turn off all sorts of background noise - and the researchers don't expect you to. Story continues "It's not practical to completely turn off the radio or TV all the time," McMillan told NPR. "I don't think that's how we can or should live." She does recommend, however, being aware of all the excess noise your children are taking in and attempting to turn off the TV from time to time, NPR reports. The question still remains if some level of noise is beneficial to children. Rochelle Newman, chair of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and associate director of the Maryland Language Science Center at the University of Maryland, points out to NPR that children will eventually have to learn to deal with a certain level of background noise when they go to school. For now, though? It might be best to dial down the volume and give your little ones a break. [h/t NPR] Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - A suicide bombing in Libya's second city of Benghazi on Tuesday killed at least 15 soldiers loyal to Libya's recognised parliament, military sources said. "There were 15 martyrs and more than 30 wounded in the suicide bombing at Al-Gawarsha" in western Benghazi, a military official said. Another military source said the Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, a coalition that includes Islamists, had claimed the attack. Reviews for the DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad are in and many critics agree that apart from Margot Robbies turn as Harley Quinn, the movie itself is kind of a mess. The reviews came out on Tuesday, and most said the film did not live up to its hype, with just 34% of critics deeming it positive on Rotten Tomatoes. Suicide Squad is the most recent in the DC Comics cinematic universe, following Marchs Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which also garnered negative reviews. On Tuesday afternoon, film director David Ayer seemingly responded to the critical backlash on Twitter with a quote attributed to the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas, Ayer wrote on Twitter, quoting Zapata. The quote translates to English as, I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas Emiliano Zapata David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016 DC Comics fans took to Twitter to support Ayer, telling him they respected his work. Ayer made headlines Monday night for shouting Fk Marvel at the Suicide Squad world premiere. He apologized a few hours later, saying he got caught up in the moment. Travel the world from the comfort of your sofa this summer with six destinations to discover through the art of cinema. For this stop on our film-based voyage, we visit the British capital London, seen through five international must-see movies. Recent flick: London Has Fallen After saving Washington, the US President, played by Aaron Eckhart, and Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) must foil an international terrorist plot to wipe out the world's most powerful leaders, gathered to attend a funeral in the British capital. Famous London monuments like Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster can all be seen onscreen, as well as Somerset House and the famous neighborhoods of Soho and Mayfair. The movie was released earlier this year and is now out on DVD and Blu-ray. Classic must-see: Notting Hill The London neighborhood of Notting Hill found fame the world over in 1999 thanks to this romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Its main thoroughfare, Portobello Road, takes center stage with its antiques market and famous colored doors, including one particular blue door (since repainted white) that's home to the film's main character, a travel bookstore owner. A different view: 28 Days Later Danny Boyle' 2002 post-apocalyptic thriller, "28 Days Later," captures an impressive London landscape, showing the city entirely deserted. It's a great chance to catch a glimpse of usually busy tourist hotspots like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street and Westminster Bridge, totally devoid of traffic and people. The director filmed the desolate scenes very early on Sunday mornings, closing off sections of street for a few minutes at a time. One for the kids: Mary Poppins Thanks to this nanny with magical powers, millions of children have discovered the city of London as it was in the early 20th century. Soaring over the city with her magical flying umbrella, Mary Poppins takes kids on an original guided tour, with a bird's eye view of the British capital. However, the Disney movie was entirely filmed in 1964 in The Burbank Studios, California, USA. Historical setting: An Education Danish director Lone Scherfig chose 1960s London as the setting for her 2009 romantic drama starring Carrey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard. The movie follows a 16-year-old schoolgirl who discovers a city beyond Ealing, a residential suburb of Victorian houses, when she meets a man twice her age and steps into the prestigious homes and luxury boutiques of Mayfair. MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2016 / Sunset Cove Mining (SSM.V) (the Company) has filed its financials for the year ending March 31, 2016 today. This is another positive step in the Company's efforts to meet the requirement of the regulatory bodies to have the shares return to being traded on the TSX Venture Exchange. The company would also like to thank the Board of Directors for their work on this matter. Also the Company would like to thank the audit team at Wasserman Ramsay for their diligent work on the file under a tight time line. The Company will also take the opportunity to announce that the board of directors has accepted to focus its work on the recently acquired Manganese Property and adopted a resolution to authorize a name change to Manganese X Energy Corp. so as to better reflect the new exploration focus it will be undertaking in 2016. This proposed change has been submitted to the TSX Venture Exchange for approval. On another note, Mr. Jason Mychasiw, a long-time director tendered his resignation from the Board of Directors effective at the end of the meeting. With new professional responsibilities and this inflection point in the Company's life, the Board thanked Jason for his contribution and wishes him well in his future endeavours. With the closing of the recent financing under certain escrow conditions required by the TSX Venture Exchange and the filing of its current year-end financial statements the company has also made an application for reinstatement to trading. Sunset Cove's mission is to acquire and advance high potential mining prospects located in North America with the intent of supplying value added materials to the lithium ion battery and other alternative energy industries. For more information visit the website at www.sunsetcovemining.com . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Lorne Woods, President; 1-877-234-0692 Martin Kepman, Director - martin@kepman.com 1-514-802-1814 Forward-Looking Statement: Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Sunset Cove Mining. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. 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. SOURCE: Sunset Cove Mining Its tough to stay cool in a red-hot real estate market. In fact, our chief economist, Jonathan Smoke, wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as he proclaimed were in the midst of the hottest summer in a decade. Feel the heat! The scorching real estate market made it a challenge to pin down cool homes for sale in the 10 hottest housing markets. We were foiled numerous times by sweet-looking houses that were listed but snapped up by buyers before we could even write about them. Undeterred, we managed to scout out some great places currently for sale in each of the top 10 cities. And about these cities: We were startled to see Vallejo top our list for a second straight month, but its in golden companyseven of this months hottest metros are in California. Outside the West Coast, Dallas crept into the second slot, Denver made a big move up the charts, and Columbus, OH, jumped back into the top 10. With that, break out a cold beverage and check out these cool homes in the hottest markets. 1007 Broadway St Price: $399,000 Hot note: Three buildings on one lot! Just think of the live/work possibilities. Vallejo, CA realtor.com 6107 Velasco Ave Price: $675,000 Hot note: Living room, kitchen, and dining room are all open and bathing in natural light. Dallas, TX realtor.com 3225 N York St Price: $750,000 Hot note: Immaculate three-story, custom-built home is a 10 minute drive to downtown Denver. Denver, CO realtor.com 1435 26th Ave Price: $925,000 Hot note: The huge sun-drenched patio with a glass roof is a must-see. San Francisco, CA realtor.com 5764 Saint Andrews Dr Price: $779,000 Hot note: Custom home located at the juncture of the San Joaquin River and Stockton Sailing Club Marina. Stockton, CA realtor.com 165 E Deshler Ave Price: $1,050,000 Hot note: Spacious layout suitable for great entertaining! Columbus, OH realtor.com 3440 Arizona St Price: $775,000 Hot note: Stunning custom finishes throughout the home plus a detached guest casita. Story continues San Diego, CA realtor.com 104 Longview Dr Price: $2,595,000 Hot note: Completely renovated with epic ocean views from most rooms. Santa Cruz, CA realtor.com 4555 63rd St Price: $299,900 Hot note: Everything you would want in a Craftsman home: Hardwood floors, built-in hutch in the dining room, and beautiful throughout. Sacramento, CA realtor.com 120 Massimo Cir Price: $829,000 Hot note: Beautifully maintained four-bedroom home in a private, wooded setting above scenic Brush Creek. Santa Rosa, CA realtor.com The post Super Cool Homes in the Nations 10 Hottest Markets appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com. Related Articles A Chinese court on Tuesday handed a rights activist a three year suspended jail sentence for organising street demonstrations, state media said, the latest conviction in a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Zhai Yanmin was convicted of "subverting state power" for acts including waving banners and shouting slogans in four protests since 2014, the official Xinhua news agency cited a court in the northern city of Tianjin as saying. Zhai was held more than a year ago in a sweeping crackdown which saw more than 200 lawyers who had taken on civil rights cases considered sensitive by China's ruling Communist Party and activists held for questioning. About a dozen remain under arrest on "state subversion" charges. Zhai, who was unemployed, was the first of the group to be convicted, with further trials expected this week. China's President Xi Jinping has overseen a tightening of controls on civil society since assuming power in 2012, closing avenues for legal activism which emerged in recent years. The court ruled that "though illegal and provocative assemblies in public places" Zhai had "attacked the national legal system", Xinhua said. Together with several human rights lawyers he had "plotted to overthrow state power, adopting a systematic style of government-overthrowing thought", it added. Evidence presented at the trial, which apparently lasted only a few hours, included banners, books and "audio and video recordings", Xinhua said, without giving their provenance. Zhai's wife Li Ermin was put under house arrest early Tuesday and could not attend the trial, a close friend told AFP. Police surrounded the courthouse in Tianjin for the verdict, turning away foreign media hoping to report on the case. In an unusual move, four Hong Kong media outlets were permitted inside, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper said. The sentence, relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions, came after Zhai "admitted" to prosecutors' accusations in court, Xinhua said. Story continues He also provided testimony implicating prominent human rights lawyers including Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping in state subversion, Xinhua said. Zhou -- the director of the Fengrui law firm at the centre of the crackdown last July -- will also go on trial on subversion charges this week, the SCMP said. Another prominent Fengrui attorney, Wang Yu, who was detained over a year ago, has been released on bail, a Hong Kong TV channel said Monday, as it showed her praising her jailers. It was not clear whether Zhai had been released following the verdict. Authorities in Tianjin could not be reached for comment. Taiwan's former president Ma Ying-jeou made his first appearance in court Tuesday in a long-running libel case against a commentator who claimed he had taken illicit political donations. It comes as Ma himself faces a series of cases brought by political rivals now that his presidential immunity has ended. Those cases make a range of allegations, including accusing Ma of leaking political secrets, failing to declare assets and benefiting a company in a controversial stadium construction project. Ma served as president for two terms, from 2008 to May this year when he handed the reins to rival Tsai Ing-wen. He made no statements during Tuesday's hearing at the High Court, which has been reviewing his appeal after a district court cleared commentator and radio show host Clara Chou. Outside court he denied that he had accepted Tw$200 million ($6.25 million) in political donations from a company seeking favours. Ma filed defamation lawsuits in 2014 against Chou for alleging that he accepted illicit political donations from food giant Ting Hsin International Group, which has been hit by a string of safety scandals. "I did not accept Tw$200 million in political donations from Ting Hsin or benefit (the company). This is very clear," Ma told reporters. Chou accused him of accepting under-the-table funds to act as the firm's "guardian", an allegation which sparked public anger following the scandals. Ma firmly rejected the allegation, saying his government fully investigated the company's alleged involvement and indicted dozens of people. Chou was cleared by Taipei district court last December on the ground of freedom of expression. Ma won the leadership in 2008 with the biggest landslide in Taiwan's democratic history, favoured by a public fed up with the scandals of his predecessor Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who was jailed for corruption. However, Ma's popularity plummeted during his eight-year run, with the public unnerved by policies seen as linking the island too closely with rival China and benefiting big business rather than ordinary people. TASER International Inc. TASR will release second-quarter 2016 earnings results after the market closes on Aug 4. Last quarter, the company reported a positive earnings surprise of 100.00%. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors at Play Demand for TASER Internationals products and services saw a steep rise, particularly in the U.S., due to increasing tensions between law enforcement officials and the public. The companys entry into the wearable camera space should further boost its results. In an attempt to improve transparency and restore public trust, police departments are now deploying officers with body cameras so as to ensure judicious use of firearms as well as fewer appeals against alleged police brutalities. TASER Internationals AXON body-worn video cameras are, thus, in demand, with the company winning orders from both domestic and international police departments. These hot-selling body cameras come with a cloud storage service EVIDENCE.com. During the quarter, the company has bagged a number of orders from various police departments. Notable buyers include Montreal police, West Midlands Police and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. In June, the company entered into a partnership with Cradlepoint, a global leader in software-defined 4G LTE networking solutions, to integrate the Axon body cameras with Cradlepoint's wireless router platform to offer technologically superior wireless connectivity to law enforcement officers. These strategic moves will aid its future performance. During its first-quarter earnings call, the company said that it expects to witness stronger growth in recurring revenues during the second quarter. The full-year bookings growth rate is projected to be higher than that of operating expense. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings reflects a 69.7% year-over-year decline, while sales are anticipated to improve 14% to $53.3 million. On the flip side, the company is witnessing volatility in its business due to intensifying competition in the space and cyclical sales of its products. The companys gun sales often rise in the wake of mass shootings or police shootings of civilians, and then experience a slump as time passes. Story continues TASER INTL INC Price and EPS Surprise TASER INTL INC Price and EPS Surprise | TASER INTL INC Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that TASER International is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates. However, that is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: TASER International has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of 3 cents stands in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Zacks Rank: TASER International has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). As it is, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated) going into the earnings announcement. Stocks to Consider Here is a company in the Aerospace/Defense industry worth considering on the basis of our model, which shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. Orbital ATK, Inc. OA has an Earnings ESP of +3.85% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4. Some Defense Releases Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC reported second-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings of $2.60 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.50 by 4%. Reported earnings were also up 5.3% from $2.47 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT reported second-quarter 2016 earnings of $3.32 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.92 by 13.7%. Earnings were also up 12.9% from the year-ago level. 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 NORTHROP GRUMMN (NOC): Free Stock Analysis Report LOCKHEED MARTIN (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report TASER INTL INC (TASR): Free Stock Analysis Report ORBITAL ATK INC (OA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Teradata Corporation TDC is a leading provider of Enterprise Data Warehousing (EDW) solutions, including enterprise analytic technologies and services worldwide. The EDW offering is built on Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) architecture. The company was spun off from NCR Corporation in Aug 2007 and now operates as a standalone entity. Teradata provides analytic data solutions, which include integrated data warehousing, big data analytics and business applications. The companys data warehousing solutions comprise software, hardware, and related business consulting and support services. Zacks Rank: Currently, Teradata has a Zacks Rank#4 (Sell) but that could change following its second quarter 2016 earnings report which has just released. We have highlighted some of the key details from the just-released announcement below: Earnings:Teradata reported adjusted earnings (including stock-based compensation expense but excluding other items) of 65 cents per share, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 51 cents and year-ago quarter earnings of 47 cents. The company reiterated its earnings and revenue guidance for 2016. Revenue:Revenues of $599 million came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $560.4 million but declined 4% year over year. Key Stats:The company reported non-GAAP operating income of $131 million, up from $107 million reported in the prior-year quarter. Check back later for our full write up on this TDC earnings report later! 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 TERADATA CORP (TDC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Washington (AFP) - A hot air balloon that crashed in Texas, killing all 16 onboard, appeared to have dragged along a power line before plummeting to the ground, an investigator said Monday. The fiery crash Saturday in a pasture in Lockhart, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Austin, was the deadliest hot air balloon accident on record in the United States and one of the deadliest ever in the world. "There's evidence of multiple points of contact (with the power line), arcing along the wires. And 30 feet (nine meters) along the wires, there was evidence of abrasion," National Transportation Safety Board official Robert Sumwalt said at a news conference near the crash site. The balloon's ground crew told investigators they had received a position update from the pilot at 7:26 am (1226 GMT), which is normally sent when preparing to land. The balloon's top vent was also open, which indicates a landing maneuver, Sumwalt said. But there was no more communication from the balloon and the ground crew was not able to locate it, Sumwalt said. "They drove around for about an hour, trying to call the pilot, even trying to call phone numbers of the passengers they had from the manifest," he said. Evidence collected so far found no problems with the balloon or the weight carried, nor were there any major weather issues that would have interfered with the flight. Aerial footage of the crash site showed the red, white and blue balloon with a large yellow smiley face spread across the pasture. The balloon traveled about eight miles from the start of its journey until the time of its crash. The basket landed three-quarters of a mile from the balloon itself. Authorities were still working to identify the victims using dental records. - 'Reflection in the clouds' - Media reports said the pilot was Alfred "Skip" Nichols, owner of Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. Family members of the victims posted tributes and fundraising appeals online. Story continues They said those killed included Paige Brabson, a young woman with an 11-month-old daughter who worked in a restaurant in San Antonio. She died along with her mother Lorilee. Also killed were Joe and Tresa Shafer Owens. "They adored their children and grandchildren and loved nothing more than spending time with them," a GoFundMe page said about the longtime pre-school teacher and her husband. Brian Neill of San Antonio had surprised his wife Tressie with a sunrise balloon ride for their anniversary. From the air, Brian sent his brother a photo and asked, "Can you see our reflection in the clouds?" "Both believers in Jesus, we know both of their souls are now with the Lord, and our family will forever see their reflection in the clouds," their GoFundMe page read. Authorities were hoping to retrieve evidence from 14 devices -- phones, cameras and an iPad -- recovered from the crash site. Previously, the highest number of fatalities in a single US hot air balloon crash was six. In 2013, a sunrise hot air balloon flight over Egypt's ancient temple city of Luxor caught fire and crashed, killing 19 tourists. The pilot and one other tourist survived by jumping from the balloon. (Getty Images) Exactly 1,447 days ago, Robin van Persie sat at a podium in Manchester. He wore a navy blue jacket and a V-neck T-shirt. Behind his head, for the first time, emblazoned alongside sponsor logos, was a Manchester United crest. On that day Aug. 17, 2012 Arsenal officially sold Van Persie to rival Man United. The Dutchman, who spent eight seasons with the Gunners, would go on to score 30 goals in his debut season at Old Trafford and lead United to the Premier League title, something Arsenal has not achieved in 12 years. Exactly a week after Van Persies unveiling, manager Arsene Wenger sat at a podium in North London. He spoke about his approach to the transfer market. We will only take players who have something special, he said. We believe we have a very strong team and if we find the special player, we will do it. Nearly four years later, with the 2016-17 season just 11 days away, Arsenal fans are still waiting. They are waiting not for that special player they have several of those but, specifically, for that special striker. They are also wondering: What is Wenger waiting for? Olivier Giroud, who joined the club two months before Van Persie left, has been adequate. He has averaged more than 20 goals per season in all competitions. Hes probably a top-20 striker in the world. Hes fine. Hes also probably not good enough if Arsenal wants to break its title drought. Wenger knows this. He has flirted with converting Theo Walcott to striker. He has sniffed around the transfer market for years. He has been linked with at least 37 different strikers 37! since parting with Van Persie in 2012. He has signed three: Yaya Sanogo, Danny Welbeck and Takuma Asano. Yaya Sanogo, Danny Welbeck and Takuma Asano. Something special. Wengers own words we will only take players who have something special stare back at him in perturbed astonishment. They are a broken promise. His attempts to make good on them, as far as strikers are concerned, have been at best unsuccessful and at worst cowardly. He has refused to be brave, refused to take risks risks that offer increased odds at that increasingly elusive Premier League crown. Story continues Meanwhile, the following players have passed right under his nose, and he has not signed a single one of them: Gonzalo Higuain, Jamie Vardy, Edinson Cavani, Alexandre Lacazette, Islam Slimani, Karim Benzema, Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edin Dzeko, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata, Carlos Bacca, Jackson Martinez, Javier Chicharito Hernandez, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Wilfried Bony, Charlie Austin, Paulo Dybala, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Loic Remy, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Mandzukic, Diego Costa, Mirko Vucinic, Demba Ba, Wayne Rooney, Stefan Jovetic, David Villa, Mauro Icardi, Fabio Quagliarella, Miroslav Klose, and Michu. OK, OK, lets slow down. Of course, Wenger did not have the chance to sign every single player on that list. Of course, some of them were mentioned because of a few crazy rumors. Of course, some of them, like Michu and Austin (who Wenger was reportedly seriously considering), were not upgrades on Giroud. But the majority of them are, or were. And the majority of them legitimately were available at some point over the past eight transfer windows. In every single case, Wenger either passed on the player, or the player passed on him. In total, he has missed on roughly 1.084 billion worth of strikers since Van Persie left four years ago. Heres a complete breakdown of those strikers, along with the players worth and the transfer windows during which Arsenal was linked: Note: Player worth based on either rumored fee at time of Arsenals interest, or the players actual fee when bought by a different club. Gonzalo Higuain 76 million Summer 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; January 2015 Luis Suarez 69 million Summer 2014; January 2015 Alvaro Morata 67 million Summer2014, 2015, 2016; January 2014, 2016 Edinson Cavani 56 million Summer 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; January 2013, 2015, 2016 Zlatan Ibrahimovic 55 million Summer 2015, 2016 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 55 million Summer 2015, 2016; January 2015 Radamel Falcao 55 million Summer 2014; January 2015 Karim Benzema 50 million Summer 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; January 2014, 2015 Robert Lewandowski 50 million Summer 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016; January 2014 Mauro Icardi 50 million Summer 2015, 2016; January 2016 Alexandre Lacazette 35 million Summer 2014, 2015, 2016 Wayne Rooney 32 million Summer 2013; January 2014 Diego Costa 32 million Summer 2014; January 2014 Christian Benteke 32 million Summer 2013, 2015, 2016 Mario Mandzukic 30 million Summer 2014, 2015, 2016; January 2015 Edin Dzeko 30 million Summer 2012, 2013, 2015; January 2014 Paulo Dybala 30 million Summer 2015 Carlos Bacca 26 million Summer 2014, 2016 Javier Chicharito Hernandez 25 million January 2016 Jackson Martinez 25 million Summer 2014, 2015; January 2014 Stefan Jovetic 25 million Summer 2013 Wilfried Bony 25 million Summer 2014, 2015; January 2013, 2015 Michu 25 million Summer 2013; January 2014 Jamie Vardy 20 million Summer 2016 Islam Slimani 20 million Summer 2016 Charlie Austin 16 million Summer 2015; January 2013, 2016 David Villa 15 million Summer 2013; January 2013 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 12 million Summer 2014; January 2013, 2015 Andre-Pierre Gignac 11 million Summer 2015; January 2015 Mirko Vucinic 10 million January 2014 Loic Remy 8 million Summer 2013, 2014 Fabio Quagliarella 8 million Summer 2013, 2014 Demba Ba 7 million Summer 2013; January 2013 Miroslav Klose 2 million January 2014 Since Van Persies departure, Wenger has, for the most part, spent wisely. Hes paid big money for players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, both of whom have justified their price tags. Ozil created more chances per 90 minutes than any other Premier League regular in each of the past two seasons. Wenger has built one of the strongest squads in the Premier League one that, from back to almost-front, has been good enough to win the title on at least one occasion, if not more. Then theres the matter of what hes done at the very front. Its impossible to say definitively that Wenger and Arsenal would have broken their title drought had they spent on a Giroud upgrade. But in principle, the refusal to do so is utterly ridiculous. The excuse coming from Arsenal is always a financial one. Wenger, CEO Ivan Gazidis and the recruitment staff refuse to go beyond what they believe a players value to be in transfer negotiations. More often than not, they are right to do so. And they do so out of necessity, as Wenger and executives will be quick to tell you. American owner Stan Kroenke reportedly doesnt put any of his own money into the club he even charged the club 3 million for for strategic and advisory services in 2014-15 meaning Arsenal cant afford to continually sink funds into players who dont offer good return on investment. But the idea that the club is strapped for cash is preposterous. According to its annual financial statement submitted to the UK Companies House, it brought in 20 million in profit after tax in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2015. Its revenue was 345 million, the third highest in the Premier League. So could Arsenal not have shelled out an additional 5 million for Cavani three years ago? At some point, the club must have conducted some sort of cost-benefit analysis. And when it did, did it really conclude that the chance of Cavani being the difference between winning a title and failing to do so, multiplied by the revenue that that title would bring, was not worth the extra 5 million? And what about Higuain? Wenger has labeled the prices in todays transfer market scary. But what if the supposed economic guru had foreseen the spike in prices that have come in conjunction with the Premier Leagues new lucrative TV deal, one that everybody knew was around the corner? Would it not have made sense to pay 34 million in 2013 for a player that, since then, scored 71 goals in 104 appearances and just got bought for more than twice that 33 million that Napoli paid for him in 2013? Were speaking in abstract and hypothetical terms, of course. We dont know what the exact negotiations between Arsenal and other clubs were. Wenger and Arsenal couldnt have predicted with certainty the outputs of the players they chose to pass on. But to look at around 20 players who were better than Giroud and shy away from every single one of them suggests the logic is flawed. Its OK to have a transfer policy like Arsenals. Its unacceptable to be so unwilling to break away from it in select cases. The current summer transfer window is four weeks from slamming shut. Some of the players on the above list are still subjects of Arsenals interest. Maybe Wenger will buck the trend and go the extra 2 million or 3 million for Lacazette. Maybe hell do so for Icardi. But history namely the past four years and the 1 billion of failed negotiations is skeptical. Photo credit: By A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons WikiPhotoSpace) (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons The Government will present the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill for discussion at the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, with the Congress Party finally giving its support for the passage of the Bill. Both the BJP and Congress have issued whips to their members asking for all members to be present during these days. Passed in the Lok Sabha in May, 2015, and vetted by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee, the GST had been stuck in the RS, where it needs 164 votes, with the Government lacking the required majority. The fact that the Constitutional Amendment Bill will finally be taken up for discussion at the Rajya Sabha, is in itself a big step forward, but it still has a number of hurdles to clear. A large number of states are yet to come on board, and because of key amendments that have been made to the original draft of the Bill, it has to go back to the Lok Sabha for approval. As we await the discussion if the momentous Bill, we take a look at what GST is, and the long road that it has taken, since it was first proposed in 2006. A unified tax regime Officially known as The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, once passed the GST will ensure that there will be only one comprehensive indirect tax levied on manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services throughout the country. In other words, all the taxes and duties that we pay now, such as excise duty, sales tax, Octroi, VAT and service tax, will be unified into one tax regime. While GST will be levied and collected at each stage of sale and purchase of goods, the end consumer will only have to pay the final tax which is levied by the last supplier. The journey so far The Bill has had a long journey since the discussion on the possibility of such a Bill first came about. 2000: The Atal Bihari Vajpayee led government sets up an Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, headed by Asim Dasgupta, West Bengal Finance Minister, to discuss the switching over of national level central excise duty and state level sales tax model to a Value Added Tax model (VAT). Story continues 2006: Finance Minister P Chidamabaram suggests the idea of a Goods and Services Tax regime, setting a deadline of April 2010. He proposes that the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers will work with the Central Government and prepare a road map for implementation of GST. 2007: The Empowered Committee decides to set up a Joint Working Group on May 10, 2007. After extensive discussions and interactions with experts and representatives from the Chambers of Commerce and Industries, the Group submits its report to the Empowered Committee in November, 2007, which is discussed in detail in a meeting of the Committee. 2008: Modifications are made on the basis of the report and the observations made by the states. A final version of the views of the Committee till that stage, is submitted to the Government of India on April 31, 2008. The Governments views are received on December 12, 2008 and considered by the Empowered Committee. 2009: The EC releases its first Discussion Paper on GST, based on inputs from the Government and the states. It proposes a dual GST module for the country a Central GST to be levied and collected by the Centre and State GST to be levied and collected by the States. All other duties and taxes will be subsumed in the GST. This module is accepted by the Centre. A Joint Working Group consisting of officers from the Centre and the State Governments, is constituted. This Group is further divided into three Sub-Working Groups, to look into draft legislation required for GST, process/forms to be followed in GST regime and IT infrastructure development needed for smooth functioning of proposed GST. A separate Empowered Group for IT Systems is also set up under the leadership of Dr Nandan Nilekani. The Thirteenth Finance Commission proposes a single tax rate of 7 percent for the states and 5 percent for the Centre, subsuming all indirect taxes. 2011: The ruling UPA government introduces the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha in March 2011. The Parliament refers the bill to the Standing Committee for Finance. Bihar deputy Chief Minister and finance minister Sushil kumar Modi is elected the new chairman of the Empowered Committee, in July 2011, replacing Asim Dasgupta, after his defeat in the West Bengal Assembly Polls. Modis main task is to build a consensus on the Bill. 2013: Modi resigns as Chairman, after ceasing to be the Bihar Finance Minister, post the JD(U)-BJP split. Abdul Rahim Rather, finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir, takes over the post. While the Standing Committee has finalised its views on the GST Bill, the states and the Centre have to finalise the draft and bring it to the parliament. However, they are unable to come to a consensus over the Centres unwillingness to pay compensation to the states for the losses that they may occur on phasing out central sales tax. 2014: With the dissolution of the 14th Lok Sabha in May 2014, the Constitutional Amendment Bill lapses. The NDA government which comes into power in the Centre, introduces the revised 122nd Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha in December, 2014. The revised Bill takes into consideration the concerns of the states and proposes to take them on board. the amendment proposes the levying of an additional 1 percent tax on the goods sold on interstate basis, to be paid to the states where the goods originated from. 2015: Kerala FM KM Mani is the new chairman of the Empowered Committee, after Rather quits following the defeat of the National Conference in the state elections. During his Budget speech, Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley announces that the GST Bill will be implemented from 1 April, 2016. On 6 May 2015, the Lok Sabha clears the Constitution (122nd) Amendment Bill, 2014 for Goods and Services Tax (GST), amid doubts whether it will meet its deadline of April 1, 2016 for a roll out. After a walkout by Congress members, the Constitution Amendment Bill is referred to the Rajya Sabha Select Committee, headed by BJPs Bhupendra Yadav. At a meeting of the Select Committee, Congress puts in its demand for five changes, including bringing alcohol, tobacco and electricity within the ambit of the GST, the constitutional cap of 18 per cent and an independent dispute redressal mechanism, and opposition of the 1 percent additional tax that states would be allowed to levy, The GST hits a roadblock at the Rajya Sabha as BJP does not have required numbers to pass the Bill. The Select Committee submits report to House, suggesting changes in clauses pertaining to compensation and levying of the 1 percent additional tax by states. It also agrees to a five year compensation to states, as demanded by TMC. A Committee led by Chief Economic Advisor Aravind Subramanian backs three of the main demands made by Congress on the Bill in its existing form dropping the proposed 1 percent additional tax, recommending a two-rate structure, with the lower of the rates to be kept at 12 percent and the standard rate at 17-18 percent. 2016: Centre hopeful of the passage of the GST Bill in the Budget session, ahead of the April 2016 deadline, but the Bill is still stuck in the Rajya Sabha. FM Arun Jaitley meets with state finance ministers in Kolkata, to arrive at a consensus. Jaitley announces that virtually all states are on board, and only Tamil Nadu has some reservations. Government clears changes in the Constitutional Amendment Bill in a move to bring Congress on board. It agrees to do away with 1 percent additional tax levied by state and for compensating states for all revenue losses in the first five years of the GST roll out, paving the way for the Bill to be presented in the Monsoon session of the Rajya Sabha. The AmeriKat under yet another Brexit law update "The UK remains a Contracting Member State of the Unified Patent Court at present. We will continue to attend and participate in UPC meetings in that capacity. There will be no immediate changes." "We recognise that for EU trade marks, users will want clarity over the long-term coverage of those rights. The government is exploring various options and we will be consulting users of the system about the best way forward. Even after the UK leaves the EU, UK businesses will still be able to register an EU trade mark, which will cover all remaining EU Member States. In addition, the UK is a member of the international trade mark system called the Madrid System, which allows users to file one application, in one language, and pay one set of fees to protect trade marks in up to 113 territories including the European Union." On rights of representation of UK trade mark lawyers before EUIPO, the UK government stated that they fully recognized those concerns and "welcome views on how to address these concerns and are involving stakeholders in consideration of these issues." The IPO's Brexit briefing summarizes what we expected - business as usual, until something happens On designs, the UK IPO reiterated the government's intention to ratify the Hague Agreement: "in a national capacity, which provides a practical business solution for registering up to 100 designs in over 65 territories through filing one single international application. We are currently working through the steps of joining and hope to introduce the service within the next year." On copyright, the UK IPO stated that the continued effect of the EU Directives and Regulations post-Brexit "will depend on our future relationship". Finally on enforcement, the UK IPO conducted some justifiable self-promotion by declaring that "The UK is widely seen as a world leader in enforcement of IP. By working in partnership with law enforcement and industry, the government can deliver an IP environment where legitimate businesses thrive and consumers are protected. For the time being the UKs enforcement framework remains unchanged." The UK IPO concluded by stating that it "...will continue to play an active role in the review of the Enforcement Directive, and the Commissions work on tackling commercial-scale infringement." The AmeriKat will be back later this week with an update on the Enforcement Directive consultation following June's IPR Enforcement Conference 2016. Baroness Neville-Rolfe will definitely need energy when it comes to Brexit negotiations In the meantime, Baroness Neville-Rolfe will continue as the minister for IP, but her full title is now Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property. So with energy to her dossier, On rights of representation of UK trade mark lawyers before EUIPO, the UK government stated that they fully recognized those concerns and "welcome views on how to address these concerns and are involving stakeholders in consideration of these issues."On designs, the UK IPO reiterated the government's intention to ratify the Hague Agreement:On copyright, the UK IPO stated that the continued effect of the EU Directives and Regulations post-Brexit "will depend on our future relationship".Finally on enforcement, the UK IPO conducted some justifiable self-promotion by declaring thatThe UK IPO concluded by stating that itThe AmeriKat will be back later this week with an update on the Enforcement Directive consultation following June's IPR Enforcement Conference 2016.In the meantime, Baroness Neville-Rolfe will continue as the minister for IP, but her full title is now Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property. So with energy to her dossier, her full list of responsibilities is as follows: energy (with the Minister for Industry and Energy) nuclear oil and gas, including shale gas low carbon generation security of supply electricity and gas wholesale markets and networks energy efficiency and heat, including fuel poverty smart meters and smart systems international energy energy security, including resilience and emergency planning i ntellectual property EU single market Lords lead on all BEIS issues "Well if anyone can tackle that job specification," Merpel muses "Baroness Neville-Rolfe surely can...." on board the Brexit bandwagon, the UK's Intellectual Property Office has been understandably and notably silent. For the past several weeks they have been in listening mode as they hear from stakeholders about their post-referendum concerns. Today, they have published a short guide called " IP and Brexit: The Facts " to dispel the speculation on the future of IP law following the referendum result. The main message is "The UK is still part of the EU so your EU-derived protections continue and we are considering various post-Brexit options". Unsurprisingly, the brief is short given that the fate of EU-made rights will be determined by the ultimate relationship between the UK and EU.On patents, the UK IPO confirmed that it was business as usual for UK businesses applying for patents at the EPO and that the referendum result will not impact the European Patent Convention (EPC). On the UPC it stated:On trade marks and designs, the UK IPO stated that By Suzanne Barlyn PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The chief executive of embattled Theranos Inc on Monday presented plans for a new product and said the blood testing company was working diligently to rectify all of its outstanding issues involving its product and laboratory operations. CEO Elizabeth Holmes described new technologies that she said were "distinct from the operations of our clinical laboratories" that have come under scrutiny - part of a presentation before some 2,650 scientists at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry meeting in Philadelphia. Those technologies included a new "minilab" product that can run a broad range of tests on a single desktop machine. It was her first public appearance since the privately held company and Holmes personally were sanctioned by the U.S. government's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Theranos has long been criticized by the medical community for refusing to share information about its technology and Monday's appearance was aimed in part at addressing those concerns. Among the tests that can be run through the minilab technology is a diagnostic for Zika that Holmes said can detect additional strains of the mosquito-borne virus from blood drops finger-pricked from patients. Zika has spread rapidly across the Americas. Holmes said the company had sent the Zika results to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that the company believed the analysis of blood collected using its finger-prick methodology was as effective as other methods, a comparison also sent to the FDA. The company, once valued at $9 billion, was founded by Holmes in 2003 to develop an innovative blood testing device that would give quicker results using just one drop of blood. Theranos ran into trouble after the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles beginning last October suggesting the blood-testing devices were flawed and inaccurate. THERANOS TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGED Holmes last month was barred by U.S. regulators from owning or operating a lab for at least two years and, in a crushing blow, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revoked a key certificate for its California lab and terminated the facility's approval to receive government payments. Story continues Walgreens Boots Alliance terminated its relationship with the company in June and closed operations at all 40 Theranos Wellness Centers at its drug stores in Arizona. Members of the audience applauded several times when doctors on the stage challenged aspects of Theranos technology. Dr. Stephen Master, a pathologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, said much interest in the company stemmed from claims it made which were very broad. "The evidence you presented fell far short of that," Master said to applause. Prior to introducing Holmes, association president Patricia Jones said the organization does not endorse Theranos. "We're all aware that there have been some suggestions about whether we'll see some science today and the viability of Theranos technology," Jones said. Holmes, when asked in an interview whether she would consider stepping down because of the sanctions, said they apply to her because she owns more than five-percent of the company, not because she is chief executive. Theranos has taken steps to fix the problems, including hiring a new chief compliance officer and appointing an independent board committee, Holmes said in the interview. Holmes said she could not give an estimate of how much time it would take for Theranos to fix all its outstanding issues because of the ongoing involvement of regulators. Theranos runs four patient testing centers in Phoenix, Arizona which continue to generate revenue, Holmes said in the interview. Holmes declined to comment on how much cash Theranos has on hand. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn and Bill Berkrot; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Edwina Gibbs) Donald Trump Most presidential elections feature an exhausting series of faux-outrage cycles, where partisans pretend to be outraged by "gaffes" from the opposing party. You probably remember Mitt Romney's "I like being able to fire people" comment, Barack Obama saying "You didn't build that," or Obama's use of the idiom "lipstick on a pig" when discussing Sarah Palin, among many other tedious examples of things that people were only pretending to be angry about. One of the few redeeming qualities of this election campaign has been the relative lack of faux outrage though, unfortunately, the probable reason for the decline is that Donald Trump produces plenty of real outrages to keep us busy. Yet for some reason, we're having a faux-outrage cycle on Tuesday. The object of the fake outrage is a comment by Trump on Monday night that Bernie Sanders "made a deal with the devil, she's the devil." How dare Trump call Hillary Clinton the devil? It's not exactly unprecedented. A few months ago, John Boehner called Ted Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh." Do you recall being outraged about it? You probably weren't outraged because Boehner was being metaphorical, and so was Trump. After all, do you think Trump even believes in the devil? Comparing your opponent to the devil is not nice, and it would be better if Trump hadn't done it. But we need to prioritize our outrages. If we fling every faux outrage at Trump that we can get our hands on, it normalizes him as a candidate, and risks making the controversy over his disqualifying intemperance seem like any partisan controversy over any stupid gaffe. Trump also had a "dispute" with a crying baby today. Most are talking about only this story because it's amusing, but if anyone is actually acting mad at Trump for ordering a crying baby out of his rally, then that's even worse than fixating on the "devil" story. Pretending to be outraged at Trump only reinforces his message that his opponents are a bunch of politically correct ninnies, and it helps Trump along in his destruction of the remaining norms of politeness and decency in our society. Story continues Keep in mind, for comparison, an incomplete list of the actually outrageous things that Trump has done in recent days: Trump, of course, said that his call for pro-Trump Russian espionage was "sarcastic." If you want to make the strong! case that Trump's Russia "joke" was not funny but dangerous, then you probably shouldn't claim to take him seriously about his opponent being "the devil." Eyes on the ball, people. Eyes on the ball. NOW WATCH: Obama to Republicans: 'Why are you still endorsing him?' More From Business Insider Wacky restaurants 29 The restaurant industry is facing dire straits. Labor costs, one of the biggest expenses for the industry, are on a steady rise. Sales are declining, and companies are resorting to discounts and incentives to get customers in the door. Despite all this bad news, one thing is keeping the business afloat: Food is cheap. Customers aren't necessarily seeing the advantages of lower costs in the food they're being served, but the raw ingredients that restaurants are using appear to be going lower. For instance, steakhouse chain Texas Roadhouse cited "commodity deflation" of 6.8% from the same quarter a year ago as a positive factor in otherwise dismal earnings. "We're pleased with our momentum through the first half of the year, particularly as it relates to restaurant margins. Commodity deflation has certainly been the biggest contributor in addition to the benefit of sales growth," said CFO Scott Colosi. Texas Roadhouse also projects deflation on these prices of 2.5 to 3% over the next year. Part of the decline (certainly for a steak-focused company like Texas Roadhouse) has been the drop in the price of beef from all-time highs. Beef is still more expensive than its historical average, but the pain is lessening and helping to support the earnings of these restaurants. Cheesecake Factory CFO Douglas Benn also cited the company's 1.2% drop in ingredient prices as a support for the firm. "I think that commodities, though, are there's not anything putting a lot of big upward pressure that I see on commodities," Benn said in the company's earnings call. "So we even feel for the last half of this year, we're able to keep our earnings guidance intact despite taking down our comp store sales thoughts, at least from where we previously were, because of even better commodity environment than what we anticipated when we talked three months ago." Even McDonald's CFO Kevin Ozan said the fast food giant saw "favorable commodity costs" in the past quarter. Story continues "Turning next to menu pricing and commodity costs, in the US commodity costs declined 4.5% during the second quarter," Ozan said in the quarterly earnings call. "Looking to the second half of the year, we expect commodity costs to remain favorable, maintaining our outlook for the segments' full year basket of goods to be down 3.5% to 4.5%." This doesn't seem to be the case only for big companies. The consumer price index for food at home, which tracks grocery prices (a little different from the situation for restaurants buying food at wholesale, but still a useful indicator of direct food sales) has been declining since December 2014 and has been in deflation territory since December 2015. food at home cpi Interestingly enough, the price of food away from home (read: at restaurants) has stayed roughly the same over that period. food away from home cpi NOW WATCH: This lunch box for adults could change the way you eat More From Business Insider Sometimes if it looks like a chocolate bar and smells like a chocolate bar its actually not a chocolate bar. (Photo: Instagram/toofaced) Who among has not been compelled to tuck into a late-night snack that we might regret afterward? One person feeling that regret? Two-year-old Kaitlyn of Los Angeles, who chose to munch on her aunties Too Faced Chocolate Bar eyeshadow palette over the weekend, according to Metro. After all, the palette is packed to look just like a candy bar. And its 16 matte and shimmer shades are formulated with real, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. The makeup looks and smells good enough to eat. And when youre a toddler with a sweet tooth who doesnt know any better, you go there. MY NIECE ATE MY TOO FACED CHOCOLATE BAR PALLETTE BC IT SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE I DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD CRY OR LAUGH pic.twitter.com/nRAWHOcjjE lauren rincon (@llaurenbbby) July 30, 2016 But if youre the little girls aunt, 18-year-old Lauren Rincon, you might be just a little bit freaked out to find your niece with the palette in her hands and makeup smeared all over her mouth. I yelled at her, saying, Why would you do that? and she started crying. Then I felt bad, Rincon told Metro. Related: Cockroach Milk Is the Superfood Well All Be Drinking Soon Concerned, Rincon called representatives for Too Faced, who assured her there actually arent any harmful ingredients in the the mouthwatering makeup. The she contacted a local poison control center, where experts told her that the worst that could happen to the little girl would be a bout of diarrhea, even if she ate a large amount. But Kaitlyn didnt gobble up the entire $49 palette with abandon. This is a girl who knows what she likes and apparently she has a taste for hazelnut, creme brulee, and marzipan, judging by the damage. Once she knew the situation was under control, Rincon couldnt help but tweet a picture of the little girls mischievous chow-down, alongside a photo of the annihilated eyeshadows. Story continues The tweet went viral, collecting more than 50,000 likes and 43,000 retweets. Twitter users expressed a combination of amusement, concern, and empathy. My sister did the same thing to mine recently! I lost three eyeshadows, one woman commiserated. Only difference was she ruined my Bon Bon pallet [sic]. Another tweeter added, My sister destroyed my mac lippies when she was 2, confirming that the struggle is real. @llaurenbbby MY SISTER DID THE SAME THING TO MINE RECENTLY! I LOST THREE SHADOWS Leslie (@svintpvris) July 31, 2016 Too Faced Chocolate Bar has become a fan favorite, with 130,000 loves and four and a half stars from more than 2,000 users on Sephoras website, and almost five full hearts on Too Faceds own e-commerce site from more than 1,000 happy customers who have lavished on the praise in the comments section, calling the product so creamy and buttery and the best product I have ever purchased. (Yes, most comments actually touch on how well the makeup looks and feels but also how enticing it smells.) Related: Rose-Wine Chocolate Now Exists and Were Freaking Out According to the companys site, Too Faced co-founder and creative director Jerrod Blandino was inspired to create the yummy palette while having a chocolate facial and learning about the benefits of cocoa at a Hawaiian spa. Other companies to create cosmetics that are (almost) good enough to eat include vegan brands Lime Crime and Lush; the latter sells its makeup and spa goodies at shops that seem like confectionaries. The moral of the story, though, is that if your makeup seems good enough to eat, someone might very well do it so its best to keep tempting toiletries out of the reach of hungry little hands. That said, in Rincons case, alls well that ends well: Somebody who works at too faced messaged me saying shes going to send me another chocolate bar pallete Im crying ???????????? lauren rincon (@llaurenbbby) July 31, 2016 Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Throughout Dry July (a not-for-profit Australian organization that challenges people to abstain from drinking alcohol for the month of July to support adults living with cancer), one man was on a mission to really make a difference and that he did. Instead of giving up alcohol, Mark Udovitch, a radiation therapist at Australias Liverpool Cancer Therapy Center, gave up his long mane for a clean shave on Friday. But before ditching his long locks, he set up a series of photo shoots spoofing celebs to raise money and awareness. Mark Udovitch channels Janet Jackson. (Photo: Facebook) Hearts for Kendall Jenner. (Photo: Facebook) To raise awareness for his haircut and money for his charity Udovitch impersonated Jared Leto, Kendall Jenner, and Snoop Dogg, among others. Udovitch is serving up some Jared Leto vibes. (Photo: Facebook) Doing dubstep DJ Skrillex. (Photo: Facebook) Using a camera, costumes, props, backgrounds, and help from his colleagues, Udovitch was able to re-create the images. Toward the end of the month, celebrities began to notice him and loved his cause so much that they shared it on social media with their millions of followers. Model looks with Georgia May Jagger. (Photo: Facebook) Udovitch as the Duchess of Cambridge. (Photo: Facebook) Ashton Kutcher, Kris Jenner, and even one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta picked him up. Its just amazing to think that they see the fact that we need to raise awareness for these sorts of patient-related issues, and to get the nod from them was amazing, Udovitch said on The Daily Edition. Channeling Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. (Photo: Facebook) As Rapper Snoop Dogg. (Photo: Facebook) The combined power of these prominent celebrities made his cause go viral, and since then, Udovitch says generous donations have been flooding in. Together with his team at the cancer therapy center, theyve received $36,000. Swapping champagne for soda. (Photo: Facebook) When asked which shoot was his favorite, Udovitch said it had to be the famous Kim Kardashian champagne shot. It took six liters of Coke and about a whole pack of Mentos, he said. Donate to Marks cause before Aug. 30 here. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Arc Productions, the former Starz Animation Toronto studio behind the kids show Thomas and Friends, based on the popular Thomas the Tank Engine property, and the upcoming Netflix series Tarzan and Jane, has filed for bankruptcy protection in Toronto. A letter pinned Tuesday on the front door of the downtown studio from Arc Productions CEO Tom Murray, and posted on the Toronto VFX Jobs blogsite, told around 500 locked out employees that the company "is experiencing significant financial difficulties and a liquidity crisis" and had been unable to reach acceptable terms with an unnamed creditor. Neishaw Ali, president of Spin VFX and co-president of the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario, told The Hollywood Reporter that Arc Productions sliding into bankruptcy has left a fast-growing Ontario animation and visual effects sector reeling. "It is unfortunate and shocking that this happened to Arc. A few months ago they were hiring and they have a great slate of work," said Ali, whose company does visual effects for U.S. projects like the Fear the Walking Dead TV series and the Suicide Squad tentpole movie that was shot in Toronto. Ali added Arc Productions now headed into receivership was apparently preceded by a "financial falling out of investors" after the company failed to meet debt obligations. The Ontario provincial government in late 2008 agreed to invest nearly $23 million annually in the then Starz Animation Toronto studio until 2013 to expand the facility and create 250 jobs. The 3D animation studio became Canadian-owned in 2011 and was renamed Arc Productions after U.S.-based Starz sold a majority stake in the Toronto animation and visual effects studio to a local consortium. Starz no longer has an ownership stake in Arc Productions, a spokesperson for the cable networks group confirmed on Tuesday. Brad Duguid, the Ontario minister of economic development and growth, told THR that his government remained committed to a provincial animation and visual effects sector now growing at 20 percent a year in size and with a combined revenue of $398 million last year. Story continues "This is a sector that is doing very well in Ontario. I would see this as very much a one-off," said Duguid. A range of Hollywood and other foreign animation and visual effects studios have set up in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in recent years owing to generous tax credits and other local subsidies on offer from provincial governments. Arc Productions recently had on its production slate the animated movie Blazing Samurai from Mass Animation, Marvel and Lego animated specials like Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled! and Disney Channel's Elena of Avalor. Arc Productions CEO Murray and executives at Deloitte Canada, who are to step in as the court-appointed interim receiver on Thursday, were not available for comment. Read more: Starz Animation Studio Renamed Arc Productions Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said Tuesday. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said Monday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. A foreign ministry statement said that "most of the workers want to leave these companies but only after settling their dues". Story continues The Pakistan embassy had set up special centres and a fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations. Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country. In Manila the Migrante officials also said Filipinos could not leave because they lacked proper permits or were still awaiting months of back pay. (LOS ANGELES) One man and two women died after attending a weekend rave in California headlined by Ice Cube, Major Lazer and dozens of other hip hop and electronic dance music performers. The three people were among nine hospitalized during last weekends Hard Summer Music Festival in Fontana, San Bernardino County sheriffs spokeswoman Jodi Miller said. More than 146,000 people attended the Saturday-Sunday outdoor event at Fontanas Auto Club Speedway, according to organizers. The victims were identified as Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco; Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego; and Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills, the San Bernardino County coroners office said. Lee and Dominguez died early Sunday and Ngo died early Monday, the coroner said. The causes of death were under investigation. We were deeply saddened to learn about the deaths of three people who attended the festival this weekend, Hard Summer spokeswoman Alexandra Greenberg said in a statement. While the causes of the deaths have not yet been determined, we ask everyone to keep them in their prayers. Our sincerest thoughts and condolences are with their family and friends. Hard Summer was moved to Fontana this year after two young women died of drug overdoses at last years event at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona. The parents of 19-year-old college student Katie Dix recently sued event promoter Live Nation, Los Angeles County and others over Dixs death, which authorities blamed on multiple-drug intoxication. The death of 18-year-old UCLA student Tracy Nguyen was from an Ecstasy overdose, authorities said. The defendants have declined to comment on the lawsuit. Ecstasy is a popular drug at raves, where its used to enhance the musical experience. It can lead to dehydration, however, causing concern among medical officials that its use in hot, crowded quarters where people sometimes dance for hours can lead to collapse and sometimes death. Story continues Temperatures in the Fontana area, 50 miles east of Los Angeles, have been in the 90s and one concertgoer said increased security at this years event caused people to wait in line for up to two hours in the sun each day just to get in. I think the venue they had it at this year wasnt that great, said 20-year-old college student Annabelle Muljana who has attended the last three Hard Summers. All the different stages were really far apart so every time you wanted to check out a different artist you had to walk a long way in the heat. Also, the venue didnt have much shade. Everything was out in the open. Muljana said she didnt see any obvious signs of drug use but did see medical personnel treating one young woman who had collapsed in the heat on Sunday. She believed the woman was later taken away in an ambulance. Some venues have banned raves in recent years amid mounting concern about overdoses. The popular Electric Daisy Carnival was moved to Las Vegas after the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum stopped holding raves following numerous drug overdoses and other problems. The Cow Palace in San Francisco banned them in 2010. Hard Events, founded in 2007 by music executive Gary Richards, who also performs as DJ Destructo, has grown dramatically in recent years and branched out to include hip hop as well as electronic dance music, or EDM. Ahead of last weekends rave, Hard Summer officials posted a lengthy list of safety warnings on its website for people attending this years event. They urged people to stay hydrated, take regular breaks from dancing and monitor themselves for any signs of heat exhaustion. The warnings also said illegal drugs would not be tolerated and that people bringing prescription drugs would have to check them with medical authorities. Our number one main concern is your safety, the warning said. Betting on bargain stocks that have a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is an all-time favorite investing strategy. The perception is that the lower the P/E, the higher is the value of the stock. This conclusion is drawn on the simple logic that a stocks current market price does not justify its higher earnings and therefore leaves room for upside. But there is more to this whole P/E story. Because not only low P/E, stocks with a rising P/E can also fetch strong returns. Rising P/E: An Useful Tool Investors should note that stock prices move in tandem with earnings performance. If earnings come in stronger, the price of a stock shoots up. Solid quarterly earnings and the forward guidance boost forecasts for future earnings, leading to stronger demand for the stock and an uptrend in its price. So, if the price is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of the stocks fundamental strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30, it means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings. This is because the investor expects earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future on the back of strong fundamentals. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. The Winning Strategy In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters. EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last years actual growth Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal to the previous year (These two criteria point to a positive or flat earnings growth trend over the years). Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than percentage change in price over 12 weeks Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks (These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes). Story continues Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500 (Here the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500). Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100% (This criterion indicates that a 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and the stock might be due for a reversal). In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers. Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Strong Buy or Buy rating can get through. Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity. Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just six. Here are the six stocks: Danaos Corporation DAC: This is a leading international owner of containerships with an average earnings surprise of 16.8% over the trailing four quarters. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock has an expected earnings growth of 8.3% for this year. Telecom Italia S.p.A. TI: The Telecom Italia Group is in the communication sector operating mainly in Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and South America. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Fibria Celulose S.A. FBR: This Brazil-based paper product companys expected earnings growth for this year is 131%. This Zacks Rank #1 stock delivered an average earnings surprise of 24.6% over the trailing four quarters. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company GT: It is one of the world's largest tire companies. This Zacks Rank #2 companys expected earnings growth for this year is 17.5%. It delivered an average earnings surprise of 10.3% over the trailing four quarters. Zafgen Inc. ZFGN: This biopharmaceutical companys average earnings surprise is 5.4%. It has a Zacks Rank #2 and the expected earnings growth for this year is 7.1%. Innoviva Inc. INVA: This Zacks Rank #1 bio-pharmaceutical company's average earnings surprise over the trailing four quarters is 67.4%. The expected earnings growth for this year is 504.7%. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free 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 DANAOS CORP (DAC): Free Stock Analysis Report TELECOM ITA-ADR (TI): Free Stock Analysis Report ZAFGEN INC (ZFGN): Free Stock Analysis Report FIBRIA CELULOSE (FBR): Free Stock Analysis Report GOODYEAR TIRE (GT): Free Stock Analysis Report INNOVIVA INC (INVA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The sectarian divisions between these two countries dates back at least to the advent of the Irans Islamic revolution, but the situation has gotten noticeably worse in recent months. In January, Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite dissident cleric, leading to renewed Iranian accusations of sectarian persecution within the Sunni kingdom. After an Iranian mob attacked and burned the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the Saudis severed diplomatic relations with Iran, and tensions have remained high ever since. The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has been cited by Iran alongside various other incidents to make the case that Riyadh is the driving force behind regional sectarianism. But Iran is well-known for ignoring criticisms of its human rights record, and this ignorance is used to promote a one-sided view of such issues. In the case of Iranian-Shiite sectarian conflict, there are arguably more examples of Irans ongoing participation in the conflict than there are of Saudi Arabias. Sunnis are disproportionately subject to execution in the Islamic Republic, whether for non-violent drug offenses, political activities, or crimes in which the death penalty is actually recognized as a justifiable alternative by defined international standards. And this situation has evidently persisted in the wake of Irans criticism of the Saudis for their Shiite minority. On Monday, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that 20 Sunni death row inmates had been taken en masse from their cells in Rajai Shahr prison and moved to undisclosed locations. The transfer of prisoners to solitary confinement generally precedes their executions, although in many cases prison authorities have been known to take prisoners to and from solitary several times prior to the execution being carried out. In any event, the mass removal of Sunni prisoners raises the possibility that it may be followed up by a mass execution and what amounts to a symbolic crackdown on the religious minority. Of course, the executions of these 20 men or any sub-group of them would also be in keeping with more general patterns in the Iranian criminal justice system. Leaving aside the particular demographics of death penalty recipients, Iran is consistently the country with the highest per-capita rate of executions in the world. On Monday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran added to the HRANA report by noting that 52 additional individuals had been taken to await implementation of their death sentences in Greater Tehran Prison. Although no information was immediately available about other demographic commonalities among these inmates, the NCRI did report that all of them were under 32 years old. Furthermore, a separate report by the NCRI indicates that plans are currently underway for the Iranian regime to execute at least one individual who was only 15 years old at the time of his crime. Such executions are plainly in violation of international standards and human rights documents that Iran itself has signed. Yet Iran remains among only a handful of countries that continue to put minor offenders to death. At the same time that the above reports highlight the momentary human rights crisis regarding Irans overuse of the death penalty, it also calls into question recent speculation that the problem may have improved this year, compared to the last. According to the NCRI, 55 people were executed in Iran just between July 11 and July 27. This is more than a fifth of the 250 executions that Iran Human Rights previously reported as having taken place during the first half of 2016. That report indicated that the figure for last year over the same period was a staggering 700. However, the same report already raised doubts about the significance of the difference, noting that execution rates usually slow down tremendously during Ramadan and national elections, both of which took place during the first half of the current year. By Erin Blakemore (Reuters Health) - Compared to schools with mostly white students, schools with higher numbers of Hispanic, black, and low-income students are more likely to have tobacco retailers and fast-food restaurants in easy reach, researchers say. Schools are places where we expect to be healthy, supportive environments for kids, but right outside the door (students) could be exposed to unhealthy influences, lead author Heather DAngelo of Westat in Rockville, Maryland told Reuters Health in a phone interview. I was surprised that there were so many tobacco outlets near schools, said DAngelo, who at the time of the study was at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. DAngelo and her colleagues randomly selected more than 18,000 public schools in 97 U.S. counties, then analyzed their proximity to retailers within an 800-meter radius roughly equivalent to a 10-minute walk. They report in the American Journal of Public Health that 40 percent of the schools were near at least one fast food restaurant, 77 percent were close to at least one retailer likely to sell tobacco products, and 38 percent of schools were close to both. Schools with higher numbers of Hispanic, black, and low-income students receiving free and reduced-price lunch were more likely to have tobacco retailers and fast-food restaurants within a ten-minute walk. More than 50 percent of schools with a majority of Hispanic students were within 800 meters of both a tobacco outlet and a fast food outlet, compared to 21 percent of schools with a majority of white students. When researchers took population density into account, they found that every 10 percent increase in the proportion of a schools Hispanic students was associated with a five percent higher likelihood the school was within walking distance of places to buy both tobacco and fast food. A 10 percent increase in low-income students was associated with a three percent higher likelihood a school was near both kinds of stores. The researchers also report that fast food and tobacco were more easily accessible for older kids, suggesting that retailers may be well aware of and ready to take advantage of the autonomy and purchasing power of older youths. High schools had 40 percent more fast food restaurants and 24 percent more tobacco outlets within 800 meters than did primary schools and high schools had nearly 1.5 times greater odds of having both nearby, they wrote. The researchers say theirs is the first study to consider the availability of both tobacco and fast food on the basis of students socioeconomic and racial characteristics. The study did not analyze how students get to school, whether they leave campus during lunchtime, or where they live. Nor did the researchers have data on students eating habits, or their weight or health status. This is looking at one point in time, said DAngelo. I cant say one thing causes another. However, theres still an association here. She noted that since the study only looked at fast food chains, the number of restaurants serving unhealthy food in the areas studied could be even higher. DAngelo and her co-authors argue that while licensing or zoning policies could restrict students exposure to tobacco and unhealthy foods, more research on neighborhood disparities is needed in order to change public policy. Food and tobacco habits begin at a young age, and habits tend to consolidate and stick or track over time, said Steven H. Kelder, an epidemiologist who was not involved with the study. Kelder, who co-directs the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Austin, told Reuters Health by email that studies like this one provide information on how to address growing health disparities based on race and income and could point to the need for tighter restrictions at the point of sale, or counter-marketing to students of color. In this country we have a history of commercially taking advantage of poor, less educated, and vulnerable populations, Kelder said. Documenting health disparities highlights the need to address uncovered problems. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2ahmLde American Journal of Public Health, online July 26, 2016. A toddler has been hospitalized with the worst ever case of chickenpox. (Photo: Mercury) Little Jasper Allen, 2, spent five days in the hospital after his chickenpox sores, which cover every inch of his body, became severely infected. But his mother, Sarah, 36, claims that less than 48 hours before he was rushed to the hospital, she was told he wasnt unwell enough to see a doctor. The mom of two was allegedly refused an appointment at her local doctor by a receptionist and is now calling on the government of Great Britain to make a vaccination against the disease free for all via the National Healthcare Service. It is currently only offered where there is a clinical need, if the child might come into contact with people who are particularly vulnerable to chickenpox, such as those having chemotherapy. Nursery manager Sarah, from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, said: I was one of those parents who couldnt wait for my two [kids] to get chickenpox so then it was out of the way I didnt think there was any harm in letting him get it. Photo: Mercury But to see him get it like that and see how it took over his body was just heartbreaking. It was definitely not just chickenpox, and I want people to realize this. Everyones reactions in the hospital were just complete shock over how severe it was the doctors all wanted to come and see this worst ever case of chickenpox. There was even talk about using the pictures for a medical journal. One of the pediatric nurses with 40 years experience said she had never seen anything like it. Sarah, who also has a 5-year-old daughter with 38-year-old postman husband Keith Allen, noticed a few spots on Jasper in July after the tot had first developed scarlet fever the week before. Sarah said, When I first called our local doctor I spoke to the receptionist to make an appointment for Jasper, but when I told her it was chickenpox she said to me, Every mother thinks their child has bad chickenpox. I knew I wasnt being a neurotic mother I have two children and have run a nursery and seen hundreds of kids with chickenpox before, so I knew this wasnt normal. Story continues Photo: Mercury They should listen to parents more we know our babies better than anybody in the world. As we sat in the waiting room waiting for a bed I could see this redness in his chest spreading all over him before my eyes. We couldnt hold him for three days because he screamed every time we touched him. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: Chickenpox is usually a mild illness in children, with most recovering quickly. The vaccine is not routinely offered to children, although the Governments expert vaccination advisers are reviewing this. The vaccine aims to protect those who are at risk from serious illness. Thats why it is recommended for children with family members who are undergoing medical treatments such as chemotherapy which can affect immunity. Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. On Wednesday, August 3rd, Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) will release its second quarter earnings results. The company is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and shares are down just over 5% year-to-date. On Wednesday, August 3rd, join David on YouTube to see his thoughts on Teslas past earnings, look at what is currently going on with the company, and gives us his thoughts on their upcoming earnings announcement. Furthermore, Dave will look into some potential options trades for investors looking to make a play on Tesla ahead of earnings. Tesla Motors Inc. in Focus Tesla Motors Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles and stationary storage products in the United States, China, Norway, and internationally. It primarily offers sedans and sport utility vehicles. The company also offers electric vehicle powertrain components and systems to other manufacturers. Tesla Motors Inc. sells its products through a network of Tesla stores and galleries, as well as through the Internet. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is coming off of first quarter earnings miss, where the company posted earnings that were 58.97% lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Looking back over its last 4 quarters, Tesla has only posted an earnings beat once, and has reported an average earnings surprise of -84.91%. TESLA MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise TESLA MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise | TESLA MOTORS Quote Heading into this earnings report, our Most Accurate Estimate for Tesla is -$1.15, which is in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, representing an earnings surprise prediction of 0%. Tesla has weathered a string of bad news around an investigation into what role its Autopilot, a suite of driver-assistance features, has played in at least on fatal accident, and criticism of its proposed deal to buy solar installer Solar City. CEO of Tesla Elon Musk also recently released his long-term master plan, further adding to the interest surrounding the company and its Q2 earnings report. The plan was as short as its goals were lofty, and analysts and investors are sure to demand more specifics as the plan likely means a continuation of the cash burn from the company and that profits will not be coming in the foreseeable future. Story continues Over the last 60 days the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter has continued to fall, with 2 analysts lowering their estimates for the company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Q2 stands at -$1.15, compared to the previous estimate of -$0.87 60 days ago. Subscribe to our channel to be notified of future live streams and make sure to check out our other videos for more stock information. Dave Bartosiak is the editor of the Momentum Trader and Home Run Investor service. He has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry. He has traded forex, futures, stocks, and options. Mr. Bartosiak is a frequent guest on popular business news TV channels such as Bloomberg TV. Hes also the host of a light-hearted, Millennial-minded series of videos called Trending Stocks. 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. 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 To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp said on Tuesday it plans to build an $800 million marine terminal and oil pipeline project for refined products like gasoline and jet fuel, as the Canadian pipeline operator continues to expand its footprint in Mexico. The project, a joint venture with Sierra Oil & Gas and Grupo TMM , comes at a time when TransCanada's key projects closer to home are facing delays. The proposed development includes a marine terminal, a 265-km (165-mile) refined products pipeline and an inland storage and distribution hub in central Mexico. The 100,000 barrels per day pipeline will run parallel to TransCanada's $500 million Tuxpan-Tula natural gas pipeline, now under construction. TransCanada, which has been ramping up its spending in Mexico, said it will hold a 50 percent interest in the project, with Sierra Oil & Gas holding 40 percent and Grupo TMM 10 percent. The Calgary-based company said in June it would build and operate a $2.1 billion natural gas pipeline in Mexico through a joint venture with a unit of Sempra Energy . The newest project will add to the company's roughly $5 billion footprint in Mexico. TransCanada is marketing a minority stake in six of its Mexico pipelines to help pay for its recent takeover of Columbia Pipeline Group. TransCanada did not give a timeline for the project, which would tap into growing demand in Mexico for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. While business is ramping up in Mexico, the company has struggled with crude oil projects closer to home. Its Keystone XL pipeline expansion was rejected by U.S. President Barack Obama late last year and its Energy East project in Canada faces strong opposition from environmental and aboriginal activists. TransCanada's shares were up 0.33 percent at C$60.74 on Tuesday in Toronto. (Reporting by Julie Gordon in Vancouver and Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and James Dalgleish) The plant-based "Impossible Burger" that has the tech world talking was finally made available at New York restaurant Momofuku Nishi this week, and CNBC got a sneak peek. Several staffers had the meatless burger for lunch and gave their verdict. Most thought it was delicious and could pass for real meat, while some others said the texture and taste didn't quite compare to the real thing. The start-up behind the food invention, Impossible Foods, has raised $182 million in equity since launching in 2012. It has been reported that Google (GOOGL) attempted to buy the company, offering between $200 million and $300 million. Among its high-profile investors is Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates . "Making meat a better way" is how Stanford University biologist and physician Patrick Brown describes his Impossible Burger. The founder and CEO of California-based start-up Impossible Foods expounded on the benefits and the complex process of recreating the experience of meat using only plant-based ingredients. "Our challenge was to make a product that would appeal to the hardcore meat lover," Brown told CNBC's " Squawk Box " in a March 2015 interview. "We wanted to have a product that would deliver all the pleasures that people get from eating meat without any of the baggage; no cholesterol, antibiotics, hormones, [or] E. coli." On his personal blog, Gates expressed concern about providing meat to what's expected to be 9 billion people by 2050. "We can't ask everyone to become vegetarians. That's why we need more options for producing meat without depleting our resources," he wrote in March of 2015. That's a sentiment shared by Brown, who said animal farming "is the single biggest environmental threat in the world today," given the enormous amounts of land and water needed. He hopes one day to replace all products that use animal farming. "Figuring it out was hard; making it actually was a relatively simple process," Brown said. "We use simple ingredients from plants that you could pretty much find in your local supermarket." Story continues "We deliberately select out very specific proteins from plants this is something that hasn't really been done before for food that have the exact properties we need," he added. Brown and his team examined animal products at the molecular level, then selected specific proteins and nutrients from greens, seeds, and grains to recreate the taste and texture of meat and dairy products. "Every molecule in our burger," he said, "is something found in nature." This is an updated version of an article that was previously published, with additional reporting by Marguerite Ward . More From CNBC Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Tuesday that he finally received the Purple Heart that hes always wanted but from a retired U.S. Army soldier and ardent supporter of his campaign. Trump invited Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman onstage at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va., to kick off his campaign rally at a time of negative publicity surrounding his public feud with a Gold Star family. Something very nice just happened to me. A man came up to me and he handed me his Purple Heart, Trump told the audience. Now I said to him, Is that like the real one or is that a copy? And he said, Thats my real Purple Heart. Dorfman, of Montclair, Va., told Trump to keep his prestigious military decoration for U.S. military members wounded in the line of duty because he was confident in the media moguls ability to lead the United States, he said. Thats, like, big stuff, Trump continued. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier. The reality TV star invited the veteran onstage, shook his hand and posed for pictures with him while holding up the Purple Heart and giving a thumbs-up. The crowd of Trump supporters erupted in chants of USA! USA! Donald Trump poses with Louis Dorfman (R) after Dorfman gave Trump his Purple Heart medal at a rally at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Virginia on August 2, 2016. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/ EPA/) Trump exchanged a few words with Dorfman, who was wounded in action on Nov. 22, 2007, in the Iraq War. Trump recalled their discussion at the podium shortly after. I said, Lieutenant colonel, would you like to say something? He goes, No sir, Id like you to just keep saying what youve been saying. Seriously. Hes amazing. Critics quickly noted that a Purple Heart, a decoration for military personnel wounded or killed, is not an award that most people aspire to. The same critics also pointed to Trumps draft deferments during the Vietnam War. A front-page New York Times investigation earlier in the day Tuesday looked into the murky details of how Trump, a former student athlete, was exempted from military service at the time. The Times published that investigation in the aftermath of Trumps pushback against a Muslim American family who spoke at last weeks Democratic National Convention. The father, Khizr Khan, described how his son heroically died in the Iraq War. Khan then sharply criticized Trumps proposal to bar Muslims from the U.S. and his rhetoric toward Muslims. Story continues Trump pushed back, questioning why Khans wife stood silent during the speech, drawing the ire of Republican and Democratic politicians alike. President Obama suggested Tuesday that Trumps comments about the Khan family demonstrated why the GOP nominee is unfit to be commander in chief. The Republican candidate has said he feels a little guilty for not having served. He also likened his experience at the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school, to actually serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, according to Trump biographer Michael DAntonio. My number was so incredible, and it was a very high draft number, Trump told DAntonio. Anyway, so I never had to do that, but I felt that I was in the military in the true sense because I dealt with those people. Throughout the Republican primary, Donald Trumps ace in the hole was his obvious willingness to burn the Grand Old Party to the ground on his way out the door if he didnt receive its presidential nomination. Every time things started to look bad for the former reality television star, he began suggesting the existence of a vast conspiracy against him that delegitimized the entire primary process. Related: GOP Convention Made History (and Not in A Good Way) He repeatedly claimed that the Republican National Committee was working against him, telling his supporters at rally after rally that the primary system was rigged and tacitly approving of surrogates who urged massive protests at the RNC convention in Cleveland if Trump didnt get the nod. He frequently implied that he didnt consider himself bound by a pledge that he had signed, along with all the other candidates, not to run as a third-party nominee if he did not win the GOP primary. Trump knew, as did every member of the GOP establishment, that he had the power to cause a massive schism that would effectively end the Republican Party as it currently exists. Trump never had a true majority of the Republican electorate behind him in the primaries, but he owned the loyalty of a major demographic group -- less-educated white men -- that the GOP is dependent on for electoral success. That group was already angry at the Republican establishment and the threat that Trump might take their votes with him in a third-party run or, at minimum, convince them to stay home in November, was no small thing for the party. It likely had a lot to do with the inability of senior figures in the GOP to bring themselves to denounce him. Now, it looks as though Trump wants to apply the same strategy to the general election. Related: Trump Shatters Presidential Norms in Attack on Grieving Parents As was the case when he accused the GOP of rigging the primary, theres no doubt that things have been going badly for Trump over the past few days. Story continues His decision to attack the parents of a soldier killed in Iraq after they criticized him provoked massive backlash from within and without the GOP. He embarrassed himself in an interview Sunday morning by appearing completely unfamiliar with the central facts about the ongoing war in Ukraine. The GOP convention, where he accepted the partys presidential nomination, turned out to be the first in modern history that hurt, rather than helped, the nominees chances for election, according to Gallup. So, it probably shouldnt be a surprise that Trump chose Monday to start planting the seed in his supporters heads that there might be a massive conspiracy to deprive him of the GOP nomination. Im afraid the elections going to be rigged, I have to be honest, he told a crowd in Columbus, Ohio. The effort to rig the GOP primary, he claimed, was only defeated by massive turnout by his supporters. The Democratic primary, he suggested, was clearly biased against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Related: Trump Melts Down Spectacularly in ABC Interview However improbable it is that a major party primary could be fixed in favor of a specific candidate, the idea seems positively sane compared to claim that some cabal could take control of a U.S. presidential election that operates under various rules established by the legislatures of 50 states and multiple territories. But in the end, logic wouldnt matter. Trumps goal wouldnt be to convince a majority of people that he was right. It would be to convince a loud minority so thoroughly that they would spread, and continue to spread, the idea that the system the U.S. uses to elect its president is itself illegitimate. That is something that even losers of presidential elections who had legitimate complaints about specific instances of unfair treatment -- think Richard Nixon in 1960 or Al Gore in 2000 -- have declined to do. Both men, who could have made very credible arguments that their opponents were not elected legitimately, declined to do so in the interests of the country. But as Trump has repeatedly shown, the best interests of the country dont appear to be what is driving his candidacy. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: The right to such calls had been arbitrarily and unofficial revoked for Mohammadi after she was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison on top of the six-year sentence she was serving at the time. As Amnesty points out, the charges all stem solely from her peaceful political activities, and so the international human rights organization urges its supporters to write to Iranian officials urging Mohammadis release, the continued defense of her right to communicate with her children, and medical treatment for the health issues that worsened as a result of her hunger strike and former denials of medical attention. Mohammadis case is apparently indicative of a crackdown on activism and progressive political sentiment, which has intensified in the months since the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. But it also seems to be indicative of a crackdown on women and female activists, which has been intensifying for much longer. The apparent attempt to use Mohammadis children as psychological leverage against her is reminiscent of another case that has been in international headlines in recent weeks, namely that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British dual citizen who was arrested on vague suspicion of espionage while on a trip to visit her parents in Iran. As well as taking Zaghari-Ratcliffe into custody and holding her for what has now been more than 100 days, the Iranian regime also confiscated her two-year old daughters passport, leaving her in the care of her Iranian grandparents and unable to rejoin her father in Britain. Although it is conceivable that these cases could have involved the arrest of fathers instead of mothers, it is also conceivable that the involvement of small children in the existing cases serves a purpose within Iranian propaganda, essentially sending the message that women who become involved in political activities or international coordinating automatically put their children at risk. For the past few years, Iranian officials have been working to find ways of enforcing Supreme Leader Ali Khameneis edict that women should remain in the home to a great degree and have large families beginning at an early age. As a part of this initiative, the regime has made considerable efforts to separate women and men in public. Since May, at least six mixed-gender parties have been raised, resulting in dozens of arrests and prosecutions in each case. Rules governing the gender segregation of workspaces and public parks have intensified, and last week the Independent reported that authorities have begun posting signs banning women from riding bicycles, and have arrested some women for the offense, subsequently forcing them to sign pledges not to appear on the prohibited method of transport in the future. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton dont agree on much but they do share common ground on the need to improve Americas roads and bridges. Clinton has proposed spending $275 billion over five years. Earlier today, Trump told FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney hell do even more than that. We have a great plan and we are going to rebuild our infrastructure. By the way, her [Hillary Clinton] numbers is a fraction of what were talking about, we need much more money than that to rebuild our infrastructure. Well I would say at least double her numbers and youre going to really need more than that. We have bridges that are falling down. Trump is proposing to create bonds to help fund his plan. People, investors. People would put money into the fund, citizens would put money into the fund and we will rebuild our infrastructure with that fund and it will be a great investment and its going to put a lot of people to work. These would be bonds, Trump explained further, so wed do infrastructure bonds from the United States. Trump says this project can lift economic growth above 4%. Related Articles Ashburn (United States) (AFP) - Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump on Tuesday courted controversy when he said receiving a Purple Heart from a US military veteran was "much easier" than being awarded the medal given to those wounded in combat. The statement immediately started trending on Twitter, with some users mocking the billionaire real estate mogul for accepting the honor -- awarded by sitting US presidents -- while on the campaign trail. The comments also come as Trump is locked in a war of words with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq in 2004, after the father, Khizr Khan, addressed the Democratic National Convention and said Trump has "sacrificed nothing" for the country. On Tuesday, Trump told supporters in Ashburn, Virginia that the veteran, whom he identified as lieutenant colonel Louis Dorfman, had presented him with the cherished medal. He said he asked the man: "'Is that like the real one or is that a copy?'" "And he said 'That's my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you,'" Trump said as the crowd applauded. "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart," Trump added. "This was much easier." Trump has never served in the military, and he described receiving the Purple Heart as "an honor." Dorfman, who appeared to be elderly, appeared on stage briefly with Trump to chants of "USA! USA!" But the veteran did not address the crowd. Hillary Clinton, anointed the Democratic presidential nominee at last week's convention, jumped on Trump's remarks. "This from a man who says he's 'sacrificed' for our country," Clinton posted on Twitter minutes after Trump's Purple Heart comment. On Monday, The New York Times reported that Trump had received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, several for his studies and one for bone spurs in his feet, which meant he was not called up to serve. Trump's provocative responses to the parents of Humayun Khan have angered fellow Republicans and infuriated veterans groups, which called Trump's behavior "repugnant" and offensive. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Trump was "unfit" to be the next president. Washington (AFP) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday he was "not quite" ready to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan in his upcoming primary, a stunning rebuke to the party's top elected official. With little more than three months before the White House election Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post, also said he was not prepared to endorse Republican Senator John McCain in his re-election bid in Arizona. The real-estate tycoon also lashed out at another Republican US senator, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, as weak and disloyal. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump said of Ryan, who faces a challenge by a conservative insurgent in the August 9 Wisconsin primary. "We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet," Trump said. "I'm not quite there yet." Trump's refusal appears to amount to blunt political retribution three months after Ryan used very similar language to say "I'm just not ready" to back Trump. That controversial declaration set off weeks of debate among conservatives over whether to rally behind the presidential hopeful. Ryan eventually endorsed Trump despite his misgivings. Now only two weeks after its national convention in Cleveland aimed at showcasing Republican unity, the party faces further divisions, which come amid heated debate over Trump's comments about the Muslim American parents of a US Army captain killed in combat in 2004. Ryan's challenger for his House of Representatives seat, Paul Nehlen, defended Trump's comments, earning praise from Trump, who on Monday night tweeted he "very much appreciated" Nehlen's "kind words." Trump in the Post interview did not say whether he would endorse either candidate but said "I'm giving very serious consideration to that whole situation, to Ryan, to Paul." Trump also said Ryan had sought his endorsement, a claim disputed by the speaker's campaign. Story continues "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement," Ryan campaign spokesman Zack Roday said in a statement, adding the campaign was "confident" Ryan would win his primary. Trump was adamant about not having endorsed McCain, a former prisoner of war who issued a scathing anti-Trump statement about his handling of the Khan family controversy. "I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets," Trump said. "He has not done a good job for the vets," he added. "Our vets are not being treated properly. They're not being treated fairly." McCain, seeking a sixth Senate term, faces a three-way battle in his August 30 primary. Ayotte, facing a tough re-election battle in New Hampshire, also has spoken out harshly against Trump, saying she was "appalled" by his attacks on the Khans whose son was killed in Iraq. Trump's criticism of her was severe. "Kelly Ayotte has given me zero support, and I'm doing great in New Hampshire," he said. "We need loyal people in this country. We need fighters in this country. We don't need weak people. We have enough of them." Donald Trump Donald Trump thanked a military veteran for giving him his Purple Heart medal at a rally on Tuesday, remarking that he always wanted to receive such a medal. The Purple Heart is awarded to military members who are wounded or killed while serving. "You know, something very nice just happened to me," Trump said shortly after taking the stage in Ashburn, Virginia. "A man came up to me and he handed me his Purple Heart. Now I said to him, I said to him, 'Is that like the real one or is that a copy?' And he said, 'That's my real Purple Heart, I have such confidence in you.' And I said, 'Man, that's like, that's like big stuff.'" He then riffed: "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." "But, I tell you, it was such an honor and maybe I can bring him up on the stage," Trump continued. He then brought the lieutenant colonel up on stage to chants of "USA! USA!" Trump has said before that he "always felt that I was in the military" because he attended the New York Military Academy prep school. He's also been blasted for his criticism of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. "He's not a war hero," Trump said last year. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." Watch the moment: More From Business Insider Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday slammed the "excesses" of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as sickening. "His excesses make you want to retch, even in the United States, especially when -- as was Donald Trump's case -- he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier," Hollande told journalists in Paris. The French leader was referring to a feud between Trump and the Muslim parents of a slain US soldier, which has shaken the presidential campaign just three months before the November vote. Hollande criticised Trump's "hurtful and humiliating comments". "Democracy is also at stake, as we see more and more people tempted by authoritarianism," he said, "especially" in the United States. "Should the American people choose Trump, there will be consequences, because a US election is a global election," he added. From Esquire One of the most powerful moments at last week's Democratic National Convention came when Khizr Khan, the father of slain Muslim-American soldier Captain Humayun Khan, stood alongside his wife at the podium and stated a message directed at Donald Trump: "You have sacrificed nothing!" It was bad enough that Trump responded by insinuating that Khan's wife was not allowed to speak at the convention because of the couple's religion and that the speech was written by the Clintons. But what got the Twittersphere's blood boiling was Trump's claim that he has made plenty of sacrifices. "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard," Trump said in an interview on ABC News on Saturday. "I've created thousands and thousands of jobs-tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." For this, Twitter users promptly took him to task with the hashtag #TrumpSacrifices. By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi has proposed a junior minister who is a family member as his candidate to replace sacked Prime Minister Habib Essid, politicians said on Tuesday, drawing accusations of nepotism from the opposition. Critics in the opposition and Essebsi's own Nidaa Tounes party have in the past accused the president of trying to line up his son to replace him - charges his supporters deny - in a throwback to the regime of autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. Opponents said they would protest the choice of Youssef Chahed, and critics on social media posted with the hashtag "keep your relatives at home" in Arabic. Local media and sources close to his party said Chahed is the nephew of Essebsi's son-in-law. "Essebsi got rid of Essid so he could put in place someone close to him and have them follow orders," said Jilani Hammami, with the opposition Popular Front party. "This is a step back to when one family ran everything." Tunisian lawmakers voted on Saturday to dismiss Essid in a no-confidence ballot, clearing the way for a new government of unity that Essebsi wants to push through delayed economic reforms. During negotiations over the new government, Essebsi put forward Chahed, a senior official in the ruling Nidaa Tounes party and the minister for local affairs in the outgoing government, said Issam Chebbi, a party official. Chebbi said negotiations will continue on Wednesday in Carthage presidential palace and parties will give their responses about the proposal. Essebsi has until Aug. 10 to name a new premier. Essebsi is already facing widespread criticism from the opponents over what some see as his attempt at a hereditary transfer of power to his son Hafed, the new leader of Nidaa Tounes. That caused a split within the party. Allies of the president dismiss claims they are looking to place his son into a position of influence. Chahed, 41, obtained a doctorate in agricultural sciences from France. He is also a researcher and university professor in agricultural economics and has taught at several Tunisian and French universities. Since its 2011 revolution to oust Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has emerged as a democracy praised as a model for the region. But militant attacks have tested the government and political infighting has slowed economic progress. Essebsi has said the country needs a more dynamic government ready to take strong decisions to bring about the liberalization and cost-cutting required for an overhaul of the North African state's economy. Three Islamist militant attacks last year - including gun attacks on foreign visitors at a museum and a beach resort - have badly damaged the tourism industry, which makes up around 8 percent of the economy and is a major source of jobs. (Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Patrick Markey) Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number. Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied. The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. "GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued," the official said. "There is strong evidence suggesting FETO members infiltrated this institution to slow down the career progress of their rivals within the military and fast-track their supporters." Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials have said exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey's generals were fired in the wake of the coup. Turkey has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the July 15 power grab attempt and launched a crackdown that has seen some 18,000 people detained. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in the clampdown, which has also hit journalists and academics. Under a previous decree, GATA and other military hospitals have been transferred to the control of the health ministry. He goes on to add, This is very much in keeping with what we already understand about the Iranian regime. Full-fledged compliance with international accords was always a pipe-dream, pursued only by the most naive actors such as the Obama administration, which sold the deal to lawmakers and the American public in part by claiming that it was made possible by the 2013 election of moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. This latest report by the UN is part of a long series of criticisms against the Rouhani administrations claims of being moderate. With accounts of the growing number of executions, and politically motivated arrests, as well as Tehrans involvement in the affairs of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon, Irans hard-line domestic and foreign policy are highlighted. The indignation of the Iranian people was spoken of by Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, who presided over its annual international gathering in Paris on July 9. This gathering was attended by over 100,000 dissidents and activists from all over the world. And what have the White House and its closest allies gotten in exchange for kowtowing to Tehran? They have been blamed for all Irans problems and they have been used as scapegoats to explain away the well-reasoned conclusion by the UN that Tehrans activities are still at odds with the interests of most democratic nations. The Iranian Foreign Ministry quickly responded to Mondays UN report by declaring that it was politically biased and was the result of open pressure from the U.S. The very country whose policy reversals under the Obama administration made Irans large-scale sanctions relief possible is still being maligned by the Islamic Republic to distract from the fact that Irans theocratic authorities refuse to compromise on their most dangerous ambitions, Blackman says, and adds, It seems as though that is the very opposite of what Western powers wanted to get out of this deal. Whereas they had hoped to provide concessions in order to promote the evolution of a kinder, gentler and friendlier Islamic Republic, what they got instead was a regime that is taking advantage of a financial windfall to go on doing whatever it wants, while also crying foul any time anyone dares to criticize and oppose it. Not only did the UN report generate this kind of response, but after the NCRI gathering in Paris, the Irans Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador to answer for the Free Iran rally. In addition, earlier this year, the Rouhani administration requested that the Austrian government force cancellation of a planned NCRI protest. Vienna refused, and Rouhani cancelled his anticipated visit. Blackman hopes that, French officials have the same common resolve in the months and years to come as the Austrians had in March. They should need no further incentive for rebuffing Tehrans demands than the simple fact that it is obviously the right thing to do for any Western democratic nation. But, if it helps policy-makers of any nation to resist temptation, it would do well for them to recognize that giving concessions to the Islamic Republic is a bad bet that does not pay off. Further, he thinks that the U.S. gave up important leverage in hope of improved relations, but it remained the main object of Tehrans wrath. The UN closed the file on Tehrans nuclear weapons program and Iran has continued to accuse it of political bias. And the six major powers involved in the JCPOA, having given in to even last-minute demands by the Islamic Republic, received nothing in return but the most cursory and minimal compliance with the deal. As the Associated Press reported last week, secret side-agreements already outline the expanded nuclear activities that Iran plans to pursue at its earliest possible opportunity. Blackman concludes, The more concessions are given to the Iranian regime, the more it takes advantage of them. Its behavior does not change and its negotiating partners invariably are left wondering what they ever hoped to achieve in the first place. In light of the UN having reminded us all of this fact, we cannot continue repeating the same mistakes. We must return to policies that recognize Tehran regime as what it is and put pressure on it to comply with international demands and heed international concerns, instead of returning the regimes duplicitous smile and keeping our fingers crossed for the best. Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey is planning to split its spy service into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence after the organisation was vehemently criticised for shortcomings over the failed coup, a report said Tuesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been scathing about the failure of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) to warn him in a timely manner about the coup, complaining he found out when his brother-in-law called up. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday said a restructuring of Turkey's intelligence operations was "on the agenda" after the coup, just as with the military. According to the Hurriyet daily, the move will involve splitting the MIT so that foreign espionage and domestic counter-intelligence work are in the future handled by different entities. This would bring Turkey in line with the system in Britain, where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5. It said domestic intelligence would largely be handled by the police and the gendarmerie, which --- under separate reforms agreed after the coup -- will in future report to the interior ministry and not the military. In a major shake-up of the security services, the authorities have sought to reassert civilian influence and also emphasise the presidency's control so a coup never happens again. The foreign intelligence entity will report directly to the Turkish presidency, which will also have a unit in charge of coordination between the two sections, it added. But this unit will not just conduct coordination but will also do its own intelligence analysis, the report said. There has been huge pressure on the MIT's powerful chief Hakan Fidan in the wake of the coup, particularly following reports he found out about the planned putsch hours before the government was informed. However, so far he has kept his job. "We are all mortal," Kurtulmus said on Monday. "Let's create such a system that no-one can make a coup again. Let's create such an intelligence system that gives Turkey the highest level of intelligence," he said. Istanbul (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey's Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement. Turkey meanwhile issued arrest warrants for about 100 staff, including doctors, at Ankara's main military hospital, and even fired football referees in a new phase of the crackdown after the failed coup that has seen some 18,000 detained and caused international consternation. "Unfortunately, the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters," said Erdogan in a typically combative speech at his presidential palace, denouncing "those who we imagined to be friends". Erdogan lashed out at Germany's judicial authorities for not allowing him to address via video conference a weekend rally in Cologne in his support. "Bravo! The courts in Germany work very fast!" Erdogan said with heavy irony. He accused Germany of allowing leaders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to address previous events via video conference. The president, who had previously alluded to foreign states' involvement, gave his strongest indication yet that external powers could have played a role. "This coup was not just an event planned from the inside. The actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," Erdogan said. Turning directly on Washington over its hosting of Gulen, he asked: "How can it be, when we are strategic partners... you keep on hiding and sheltering him?" Already strained ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been aggravated by the failed putsch, with some government ministers even alleging Washington could have had a hand in the plot, which US officials firmly reject. Story continues Erdogan also rounded on the European Union, saying it had "not yet lived up to its promises" in a deal on reducing the flow of migrants to Europe. - 'Flee to 3rd country' - Police searched the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital and detained some 50 staff including military doctors, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting police sources. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed detention warrants had been issued for 98 staff. The official said staff there were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials say exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey's generals were fired in the wake of the coup. This was first time a medical establishment has been targeted in a clampdown under a three-month state of emergency which has also hit journalists and academics. Turkey's football authorities meanwhile fired 94 officials -- including referees and assistant referees -- in the wake of the coup, the football federation said. Police also detained at least 36 people over a sex tape scandal that felled the leader of the main opposition party in 2010, with prosecutors linking the affair to Gulen. Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 and has denied any involvement in the putsch. Turkish authorities stepped up pressure on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending a new package of documents to the American authorities, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "He needs to be arrested urgently as we have intelligence that he might flee to a third country," Bozdag added. - 'Not my son'- Erdogan snapped at the Italian authorities over an investigation into his eldest son Bilal, who was studying in Bologna, on suspicion of involvement in money laundering. "Let Italy's judges deal with the mafia, not my son," Erdogan said in an interview with Italian news channel Rai News24, warning the issue could affect relations with Rome. Turkey has also launched a sweeping overhaul of state institutions, sacking tens of thousands of civil servants and shaking up the military. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government had started "virus and traitor cleansing" to weed out Gulenists from state institutions. The Hurriyet daily said the overhaul would also hit the powerful intelligence service which would be split into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence, in line with Britain's system where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5. Meanwhile, Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci said the overall cost of the coup on the Turkish economy could amount to $100 billion ($89 billion). ANKARA (Reuters) - Followers of the U.S.-based cleric blamed for the abortive coup in Turkey last month will try to take over the military again if the armed forces are not restructured, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. In a speech in his palace in Ankara, Erdogan questioned what kind of strategic partnership Turkey had with the United States if Washington refused to extradite the cleric he blames for masterminding the coup. He said the West was supporting terrorism and standing by coups. Turkey blames followers of Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in exile in the United States since 1999, for the coup bid, which saw a faction of the military commandeer tanks, planes and helicopters in an attempt to topple the government. The cleric denies the charge and has denounced the coup. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall) By Asad Hashim ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan promised Turkey's visiting foreign minister on Tuesday it would investigate a network of schools Ankara wants shut for alleged links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last month's coup attempt. However, foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz stopped short of agreeing to close PakTurk International Schools and Colleges, which educates 10,000 students and denies any affiliation with the cleric. The request by Turkey is part of an international campaign by President Tayyip Erdogan against the interests of Fethullah Gulen and his religious movement. Erdogan and the Turkish authorities blame the cleric and his followers for orchestrating last month's failed military coup, in which more than 230 people were killed. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, preaches Sunni Islam together with a message of interfaith dialogue. He denies any involvement in the failed coup. Since then, thousands of people have been detained, suspended from work or placed under investigation, with the government vowing to purge the army, police and judiciary of elements it says support Gulen. In Islamabad, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Gulen's "terrorist group" should be stamped out. "It is not secret that this organization has institutions or their presence in Pakistan and in many other countries," he said. "I am sure the necessary measures will be taken. We have to be very careful with such organizations and their causing risk and threat for the security and stability of every country that they have presence." Aziz congratulated Turkey for its "victory for democracy and liberty" and said Pakistan would look into the schools but hoped to keep them open as they were well managed and provided good education. "We will try to find an alternative arrangement for the schools to continue whereas their other activities have to be managed or curbed," he said. Turkey and Pakistan have traditionally had close ties, which have warmed further under the leadership of Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Turkey has applied pressure to other countries that are home to Gulen-backed institutions. Gulen's Islamist "Hizmet" movement runs some 2,000 educational establishments in about 160 countries. The PakTurk organization, which has been operating in Pakistan for 21 years and has more than two dozen campuses, denied being part of Gulen's network. "We are deeply concerned by allegations ... trying to connect the PakTurk International Schools and Colleges in Pakistan with Mr Fethullah Gulen," it said in a statement. The schools had "no affiliation or connection" with any political or religious organizations, it said. (Additional reporting by Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Robert Birsel) Foxs Lethal Weapon is loading for bear, adding Emmy-nominated American Crime ensemble member Richard Cabral to its ranks. RELATEDOur Fall TV First Impression: Foxs Lethal Weapon Cabral, who netted the Emmy nod during his Season 1 run on the ABC anthology series, will recur on Lethal Weapon as Alex Cruz, an ambitious junior detective, Variety reports. Foxs small-screen reboot of the buddy cop/action franchise stars Damon Wayans Sr. and Clayne Crawford (Rectify), and debuts Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 8/7c (leading into Empire). RELATED American Crimes Lili Taylor Re-Ups for Transformational Season 3 Role Ready for more of todays newsy nuggets? Well * Americas Got Talent judges Simon Cowell, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel, as well as host Nick Cannon, will all return for Season 12. * Per Deadline, Greys Anatomy vet Patrick Dempsey, with Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper and director Greg Yaitanes, is exec-producing Micronesian Blues, based on the true story of a Vietnam vet whose cushy gig training cops in 1990s Micronesia landed him in a deadly war between gangsters, mercenaries and crooked CIA agents. * NBC has made a pilot production commitment to the real-time hospital event series Salvation, written by Warren Leight (Law & Order: SVU) and directed by Paul Haggis (Crash). Additionally, the network is developing Walking Lions, an edge-of-your-seat thriller wrapped around a medical franchise. * OWN has renewed its upcoming drama series Queen Sugar for Season 2, ahead of its Sept. 6 debut. Which of todays TVLine Items piques your interest? Related stories Ratings: America's Got Talent Dips to Season Lows, DNC Audience Grows TVLine Items: Code Black Guest Stars, The Rock Hits Muscle Beach and More TVLine Items: Falling Skies Fave to Syfy, Hawaii Five-0's New Governor and More Aden (AFP) - Two suicide car bombings struck an army base in southern Yemen on Tuesday killing at least six soldiers and wounding 12 others, a military official said. One bomber detonated his explosives-laden car at the gate of the base in the city of Habilayn, in Lahj province, while the second car bomb went off only 50 metres (yards) away, the official said. The number of fatalities is likely to rise, the official added. The base belongs to troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who earlier this year launched an offensive against Al-Qaeda militants. The offensive, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, pushed the militants out of several cities, including Mukalla, the provincial capital of Hadramawt, but Al-Qaeda fighters have since regained some ground. Yemen has been gripped by a devastating conflict that escalated in March 2015 when Saudi-led air strikes began against Shiite Huthi rebels after the insurgents seized northern and central parts of the country including the capital, Sanaa. Loyalists backed by the coalition recaptured Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwa and Daleh from the Iran-backed Huthi rebels a year ago. Harare (AFP) - Zimbabwean police on Tuesday arrested two more senior members of the country's war veterans' association in a growing crackdown on critics of President Robert Mugabe, lawyers said. Headman Moyo, the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) vice chairperson and his Harare provincial counterpart Hoyini Samel Bhila were arrested on charges of undermining Mugabe's authority, bringing to five the number of former liberation war fighters arrested under the same law. "Police charged Headman Moyo and Hoyini Samuel Bhila after the two handed themselves to detectives at Harare central police station," Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said in a statement. Mugabe, 92, in power since 1980, has faced a groundswell of opposition in recent months as the country's moribund economy collapses and the government struggles to pay its workforce. Previously loyal supporters of the president, the war veterans released a highly critical statement two weeks ago attacking Mugabe as "dictatorial" and accusing him of being unable to address Zimbabwe's problems. Mugabe has promised "severe" treatment of the statement's authors. On Monday, ZNLWA secretary general Victor Matemadanda was seized by police at a court hearing of a colleague, association spokesman Douglas Mahiya who also faces charges of insulting the head of state. The war veterans' political commissar Francis Nhando was also arrested outside the court. A new non-partisan opposition movement known as #ThisFlag has also galvanised anti-government sentiment in Zimbabwe, where security forces have crushed signs of dissent for decades. Last month, a one-day strike shut down offices, shops, schools and some government departments as people protested over an economic crisis that has delayed salaries for civil servants and the military. More than 90 percent of the population is not in formal employment after years of economic decline under Mugabe's rule. Typhoon Nida hits Hong Kong and southern China A man takes photo of an uprooted tree after Typhoon Nida hit Hong Kong, China August 2, 2016. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu) Typhoon Nida swept through Hong Kong on Tuesday, shutting down most of the financial hub and disrupting hundreds of flights with gale-force winds, while low-lying areas were put on flood alert. Hong Kongs first major typhoon this year brought gusts of more than 100 km per hour (62 mph) and prompted authorities to issue an amber warning, signifying heavy rain, at 5.20 a.m. Hong Kong time. More than 150 flights were canceled, the Airport Authority said, with Cathay Pacific and Dragonair warning none of their flights would be operating until 2 p.m. at the earliest. Thousands of passengers were stranded at the airport and about 325 flights are expected to be rescheduled. The citys ferry, tram and bus services gradually resumed in the afternoon after the Hong Kong Observatory lowered the tropical cyclone warning to 3 from 8, shortly after midday. Trading in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), including Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect trading, and the derivatives market, would be suspended for the rest of the day. The Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society suspended trading on Tuesday morning. Streets had been largely deserted and shops shuttered since Monday evening when the typhoon signal 8 was hoisted, prompting many people to leave work early. Nida was moving inland and winds near its center had showed signs of weakening, the Hong Kong Observatory said. Across the border, part of Guangdong province closed offices, factories and schools as the typhoon swept across the southern part of the metropolis of Guangzhou. Airports in the southern part of the province, including Shenzhen and Zhuhai, canceled most flights while more than 35,000 people were evacuated, state media reported. (Reuters) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat, marking a major milestone for a program that has faced cost overruns and delays. The action is another achievement for the $379 billion program, the Pentagon's largest weapons project. The Air Force's decision follows one by the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015 declaring a first squadron of F-35s ready for combat. "The U.S. Air Force decision to make the 15 F-35As ... combat ready sends a simple and powerful message to America's friends and foes alike - the F-35 can do its mission," the program's chief, Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, said in a statement. Dan Grazier, a fellow of the Project On Government Oversight, said, however, "This is nothing but a public relations stunt." He added that it would not be possible to know if the F-35 jets were ready for combat until after initial operational testing. "The program is not doing everything they wanted it to do ... But they're at a point now where it is stabilizing and so it is progress," said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Officials say the F-35 will give the U.S. military the ability to detect enemy aircraft and other threats far beyond current ranges, allowing the jets to strike targets and disappear long before they are detected. The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a total of 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets in coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world. Air Force General Herbert Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said work to upgrade the jet would continue in areas such as software, making the displays more intuitive and boosting the ability to share information between aircraft. The aircraft could provide basic air support at this point but did not have everything the final version would, such as an infrared pointer, Carlisle said, adding that he would try to get the jets deployed to Europe and the Pacific within 18 months. Lockheed is building three models of the F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. military and 10 countries that have already ordered the jets: Britain, Australia, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, South Korea and Japan. The Pentagon's F-35 program office said it remained in negotiations with Lockheed over long-delayed contracts for the next two batches of F-35 jets, deals worth about $15 billion. "We're seeking a fair deal for the F-35 enterprise and industry," said F-35 program spokesman Joe DellaVedova. The program, launched in 2001, has made strides in recent years after huge cost overruns and technical problems that sent the project's cost up nearly 70 percent. Problems with the fighter jet included issues with the radar software and increased risk of neck injury to lower-weight pilots when they ejected from the aircraft. Industry and U.S. defense officials say they are working hard to continue driving down the cost of the new warplanes to $85 million per plane by 2019, as well as the cost of operating them. Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he welcomed the announcement but made clear he intended to keep a close eye on the hugely expensive program. "The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to exercise rigorous oversight of the Joint Strike Fighter programs long-delayed System Development and Demonstration phase as well as the start of the operational test and evaluation phase, McCain said in a statement. (Reporting by Idrees Ali. Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Berlin and David Alexander, Patricia Zengerle in Washington.; Editing by Andrew Hay and Steve Orlofsky) By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. derivatives regulators and environmental officials should probe for possible manipulation in the market for U.S. biofuels credits after prices surged for unknown reasons, an association representing the ethanol industry has said. The Renewable Fuels Association, in a letter dated Aug. 1, encouraged the heads of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency to determine "whether certain parties may be exerting undue influence on prices or otherwise engaging in manipulative practices." Last week, prices neared three-year highs as traders raced to buy credits, giving the thinly traded and opaque market a sudden jolt. The association said it was concerned about "recent irregular activity and volatility" in the market for Renewable Identification Number credits (RINs), which it said had climbed about 30 percent since mid May. The "real reasons" for the increase are unclear, according to the letter. "The recent spike in RIN prices appears contrived and driven by something other than basic supply-demand fundamentals," the association said. Representatives of the CFTC and the EPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In March, the agencies signed a memorandum of understanding regarding RINs, under which the CFTC agreed to help the EPA conduct investigations into possible fraud and market abuse. Three years earlier, more than a dozen U.S. lawmakers urged the CFTC to examine potential fraud and manipulation in the cash market for RINs, following an unprecedented 2,900 percent spike in prices that year. (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Andrew Hay) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it was looking into reports that toxic gas was dropped on a Syrian town close to where a Russian military helicopter went down and, if the accounts were true, it would be "extremely serious." "If true, it would be extremely serious," State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing. He said the United States was not in a position to confirm the veracity of the reports by a Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton Editing by W Simon) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The Saudi-led coalition must address "very serious concerns" about the killing of children in Yemen, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, but the alliance remained off a blacklist of child rights violators. Ban reported to the Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame, a move that sparked an outcry from human rights groups. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to the decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the military alliance was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children's deaths in Yemen last year. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children," Ban said, adding that the United Nations is continuing its review with the Saudi-led coalition. Last week, Saudi Arabia outlined in a 13-page confidential letter to the UN secretary-general the measures that the coalition is taking to prevent civilian deaths. In the letter obtained by AFP, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi offered to share with the United Nations the results of 10 investigations of air strikes on hospitals, homes, a wedding party and markets. Ban said he had received information on the steps taken by the coalition, but that these fell short and that "the content of the report stands." "We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented," he told a council debate on children and armed conflicts. Leila Zerrougui, the UN envoy for children in conflict, told reporters that the review was focused on future steps to protect children, suggesting that the coalition would not be put back on the list. "What happened in the past, for me, is behind," said Zerrougui. - Off the list - Speaking to reporters outside the council chamber, Mouallimi repeated that the de-listing of the coalition was "irreversible, final and unconditional." Story continues "I said that then and it is even more true today." The coalition has invited UN officials to come to Riyadh to discuss their concerns and to obtain information on the investigations, he added. In his letter, the Saudi ambassador said the coalition had set up a committee to compensate victims and opened a direct dialogue with aid organizations to guarantee the protection of hospitals. Mouallimi also provided details of steps taken to designate targets and ensure they have "identifiable military purposes." They include drawing up a list of prohibited targets such as schools and diplomatic missions and working with "local forces to identify and vet targets for airstrikes." Ban in June said he was forced to remove the coalition from the list after Saudi Arabia threatened to cut off funding of UN aid programs. Riyadh denies the accusations. Human Rights Watch said the coalition had "strong-armed the secretary-general in an attempt to escape scrutiny." "The coalition should be returned to the secretary-general's list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemen's civilians," said HRW's director for child rights advocacy Jo Becker. The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many other parts of the country. The war has killed some 6,400 people and left the impoverished country on its knees, with 80 percent of the population in dire need of food aid, according to the United Nations. Washington (AFP) - The US Air Force on Tuesday declared an initial squadron of F-35A stealth fighters as ready for combat, a major milestone for the futuristic aircraft dogged by delays and cost overruns. The squadron of about 12 planes is based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and the planes' combat rating -- known as initial operational capability -- comes after completion of a raft of tests and training exercises. "The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory, because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield," said General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, who heads the US Air Combat Command. Air Force officials did not give a timeline of when the squadron might see combat, but said an overseas deployment is likely by early 2017. "This is just the beginning, this is an interim step that will get us to what the full combat capability of the F-35 eventually will be," Carlisle said. The US Marine Corps last year announced that an initial group of F-35Bs had attained initial operational capability, though these have not yet been used in combat. With a price tag of nearly $400 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft -- most of them destined for the Air Force -- the plane, built by Lockheed Martin, is the most expensive in history. Proponents tout its radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air-support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparalleled access to information. But the program has faced numerous setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to ground planes until the problem could be resolved. Other issues have led to delays and cost overruns, including software bugs, technical glitches and even a faulty eject system that risked killing pilots who weighed less than 136 pounds (62 kilos). Republican Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed the Air Force announcement but said the program highlights military financial waste. Story continues "Learning the lessons from this program's failures and those of too many others, the Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to press forward with reforms to our cumbersome defense acquisition to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently," he said, The Air Force's F-35A is one of three variants of the aircraft, designed to conduct conventional landings and take offs. The F-35B, used by the Marine Corps, is capable of short take-offs and vertical landings, and the Navy's F-35C is built for use on aircraft carriers. Ten ally nations have also ordered F-35s for their own air forces. Washington (AFP) - US billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump Monday to release his tax returns, a feat which the Republican presidential candidate has so far resisted. Trump has said he wont release the documents because he is under audit, which Buffett one of the worlds richest men suggested is a weak excuse. Now Ive got news for him, Im under audit too, Buffett said, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in Nebraska. Youre only afraid if you got something to be afraid about. Hes afraid because of you, Buffett told the attendees. Buffett suggested he and Trump meet any place, any time before election day to publicly go over their tax records together. The business magnate also sharply criticized Trump for a recent dispute with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having sacrificed nothing for the country. In an interview aired on ABC Sunday, Trump insisted he had, in fact, made a lot of sacrifices for the United States. Buffett declared otherwise: Donald Trump and I havent sacrificed anything, he said, referencing Trumps remark. How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings? Buffett is one of several extremely wealthy Americans to back Clinton for president, including billionaire and independent former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan celebrates with flag on top of a police car in Ankara, Turkey, July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Tumay Berkin Turkey's president on Tuesday accused the West of "supporting terror and standing by" those who plotted last month's attempted coup, just 24 hours after the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff traveled to Ankara in an attempt to diffuse tensions between the NATO allies. The incident is the latest indication that Washington is underestimating the degree to which Turkey's leadership genuinely believes that the US is complicit in the coup attempt, not least because of its willingness to harbor an exiled cleric and former political leader accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of plotting the uprising. Accusations about complicity hurled at various US officials in the weeks following the coup attempt were initially perceived by many in the West as conspiracy theories peddled by an increasingly paranoid Erdogan. But, as Istanbul-based journalist William Armstrong reported for War on the Rocks, those accusations "are getting bolder by the day." "Pro-government Islamist newspaper Yeni Safak has for days been claiming that retired US Gen. John F. Campbell masterminded the coup," Armstrong wrote. "Others have reported that Istanbul anti-terror police are pursuing Henri Barkey, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center...Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has dropped heavy hints, saying he had 'no doubt' that 'US intelligence knows the coup attempt was made by Fethullah Gulen.'" The accusations would be easier for the West to write off if they were not quickly gaining mainstream appeal within Turkish society, which reassured by pro-government media outlets apparently feels dissatisfied with Washington's seemingly tepid condemnation of the coup in its immediate aftermath. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reviews a guard of honour as he arrives to the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, July 22, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas "There is a narrative in the Turkish press that the White House was slow to respond with a statement during the coup attempt, and that this is because the US was 'waiting to see who won,'" Aaron Stein, an expert on Turkey and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, noted on Twitter. Story continues "This conspiracy shows how little Turkish media knows about US communications," Stein continued. "The White House condemnation was, by bureaucratic standards, close to speed of light. Someone worked really hard to get that out fast." Hours after the uprising began, the White House called on "all parties in Turkey" to "support the democratically elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed." US Secretary of State John Kerry released his own statement shortly thereafter to reiterate "the United States' absolute support for Turkey's democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions." Regardless of the facts, however, the suspicion that Washington may have been sympathetic to the coup plotters or even actively helping to plan the uprising is rapidly becoming conventional wisdom, Armstrong noted. "Talking to locals where I live here in Istanbul, it seems to have already become accepted wisdom among many that the United States was behind the coup," Armstrong wrote. turkey That narrative could ultimately be what drives the US-Turkey relationship to a "critical watershed," especially as the West continues to "obsess" over contextualizing every event in Turkey around Erdogan's steady march toward one-man rule, and underestimates the mainstream appeal of Erdogan's increasingly anti-American rhetoric. It has become similar to how many within Turkey contextualize major domestic and international events around the seemingly limitless capacity of US power. A tweet posted on Tuesday by Anadolu, the Turkish state-run news agency, which alleged that the global intelligence firm Stratfor may have played a role in the coup attempt and is a front for the CIA, exemplified that mentality. Many analysts have noted that the perception of Erdogan as out of touch with mainstream Turkish thought ignores the reality that he enjoys the support of a large segment of Turkish society and was democratically elected. But his crackdown on the free press has raised questions about whether Turkish citizens cast sufficiently informed votes. "It is also very important to note that the government has considerable support for its post-coup attempt actions," Stein tweeted, referring to Erdogan's post-coup crackdown on suspected coup plotters and sympathizers. As such, regardless of the overwhelming lack of evidence to suggest any Western influence in the military uprising, the popular mood in Turkey now hovering somewhere between suspicion and unwavering conviction that the US had something to do with it has come to reflect the government's "masterful instrumentalization of anti-Americanism" in the coup's aftermath, Stein said. The consequences of that, Armstrong noted, "may be very grave indeed." NOW WATCH: IAN BREMMER: Turkeys president wants to emulate Putin but its not going to work More From Business Insider (Reuters) - Top Viacom Inc executives recently held discussions with National Amusements Inc to settle litigation surrounding the media empire of Sumner Redstone, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. However, the talks fell through last week, ahead of a key ruling by a Delaware judge on Friday, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The Delaware judge ruled that Redstone's lawyers must defend in a trial his move to oust five directors from Viacom's board and suggested that he wants to get a better picture of the 93-year-old media mogul's mental capacity. Under the terms that were discussed by Viacom executives, Chief Executive Philippe Dauman would agree to depart the company and Chief Operating Officer Tom Dooley would become interim CEO, the Journal said. Several board members of Viacom would also eventually relinquish their posts, the Journal said. National Amusements is Redstone's privately held movie theater company through which he owns 80 percent of Viacom. (Reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) Vice President Joe Biden officiated a same-sex wedding Monday, performing his first wedding at the vice presidential home in Washington, D.C. Biden performed the ceremony after longtime White House staffers Brian Mosteller and Joe Mahshie him to officiate, a White House spokesman told reporters. Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house, Biden tweeted along with a photo of himself performing the wedding. The second in command was pictured smiling as Mosteller slid Mahshies wedding ring on his finger. Read: Joe Biden Hugs Blind Man With Cerebral Palsy at DNC: I'm So Proud Of Ya Couldnt be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys, Biden continued. Dr. Jill Biden shared her husbands tweet, commenting, Love is love! The vice president reportedly obtained a temporary certification from the District of Columbia for the small ceremony attended by family members. Mahshie serves as trip coordinator for the First Lady, his LinkedIn profile notes, while Monsteller works as the director of Oval Office operations. In his role, Mosteller sweats the small stuff so that the president doesnt have to, a Washington Post profile of the presidents right-hand man noted. Read: Watch Two FDNY Paramedics Get Engaged at New York's Pride Parade But after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, it was President Obama who was at Monstellers side to celebrate the news, walking to Monstellers office to silently put his arm around him. Monsteller called the magnitude of that moment unspoken. When I was young, I couldnt fathom that I could ever have a partner, and now I was with the president of the United States and, together, we were talking this kind of partnership, and it was not only public but so very normal, Mosteller told the Post. How often does a boss talk about love? Now, how often does a boss contribute to our countrys blessing of your love? Story continues Watch: Joe Biden Shows Off Bruise After Playing With His Dog, Champ Related Articles: From Cosmopolitan A hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught on fire and crashed in Central Texas, and authorities say it appears no one survived. That makes it the deadliest hot air balloon crash in U.S. history. Federal officials say there is evidence that some part of the hot air balloon hit electrical wires before crashing. Family members of some of the people who were killed are recalling the dread they felt while holding out hope that their loved ones survived. Authorities haven't released the names of those who died, but some family members say they've been notified that their loved ones were aboard the balloon. Family members say they kept leaving voicemails and texts for their loved ones, but they got no response. Josh Rowan says his brother and sister-in-law were among those killed. No one answered at Matt and Sunday Rowan's San Antonio home, and Matt Rowan missed a weekend volleyball game. As Matt Rowan and his wife, Sunday Rowan, prepared to take a hot air balloon ride, they texted family and posted on social media pictures of the balloon setup, the rising sun, them in the basket. Matt Rowan's brother, Josh Rowan, told the Associated Press on Sunday: "It's a bit haunting now but I guess it was a bit of a play-by-play." He says that as word began to trickle out that a hot air balloon crashed Saturday morning, their families hoped that it wasn't theirs, but it soon became clear it was. Josh Rowan said the two, both 34, grew up in College Station. They had been friends since high school and just got married in February. He added, "They were really happy and they were in love and they were really starting a life together." He said that Sunday Rowan, who had a young son who wasn't with them that morning, worked at a clothing store, and Matt Rowan was a researcher and scientist at Brooke Army Medical Center. His research centered on treating burn victims. Brent Jones, the father of Sunday Rowan's 5-year-old son, tells Dallas television station KDFW that Matt Rowan was an amazing man and Sunday Rowan was "obsessed with her son's happiness." Judy LeUnes, Matt Rowan's fifth grade teacher and a family friend, told the Bryan-College Station Eagle: "He was fun to teach. He was excited every day." Story continues An ex-girlfriend of the hot air balloon pilot says that he was made for the job. Wendy Bartch told the Austin American-Statesman that she used to date Skip Nichols and had assisted him with a Missouri-based balloon business. "He was a good pilot and loved people," she said, adding that he'd been involved with hot air balloons for about two decades. Bartch also said Nichols was cautious about keeping his passengers safe and that at least two vehicles would follow the balloon on the ground. Federal investigators have not publicly identified the pilot or the company that operated the balloon, but roommate and coworker Alan Lirette told the Associated Press that Nichols piloted the balloon that crashed. According to the Washington Post, other victims included grandparents Joe and Tresa Shafer Owens, and a mother and daughter duo who were on the trip as a Mother's Day gift. With the Cite du Vin -- a cultural center for all things wine-related -- now open in Bordeaux, the upcoming Cite de la Gastronomie et du Vin opening in Dijon in 2017, and the first anniversary of the Champagne region's hillsides, houses and cellars gaining UNESCO World Heritage status, wine lovers visiting France are spoiled for choice this year. Relaxnews has picked a selection of vineyards and wine estates to check out this summer. Today, we're heading to the home of Bollinger champagne. What's new this summer? Based in the town of Ay, in France's champagne-producing heartland, the historical and prestigious Bollinger champagne house is celebrating its past in 2016 with two new cellars housing old wines and reserve magnums. An inventory of the estate's cellars in 2010 led to an exciting discovery for this prestigious French champagne maker. Behind a section of the cellar filled with empty bottles, staff found an incredible collection of very old wines. On further investigation, the magnums and bottles were dated, with the oldest dating back to 1830, just one year after the champagne house was founded. In 2012, Bollinger launched a project to restore and rehouse its stocks of old wines, taking them from the forgotten depths of its cellars to a brand new "oenotheque," a kind of wine library. More than 150 wines, in standard bottles, magnums and even larger "jeroboam" bottles, were sampled and analyzed by the estate's experts to compile this most unusual of libraries. The new "Galerie 1829" cellar is home to all of the estate's old wines, while the "La Reserve" cellar houses the estate's reserve magnums. More than 3,000 magnums are stored in the quiet, dark conditions of these specially made cellars. Bollinger's "oenotheque" cellars can be visited by appointment. The estate Official supplier of champagne to the British court since receiving a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1884, Bollinger is a champagne estate with its own distinct character. In fact, Bollinger grows mostly pinot noir grapes in prestigious "grand cru" and "premier cru" vineyards spanning 98 hectares. It grows just 38 hectares of chardonnay and 30 hectares of other local varieties. From its Ay stronghold, the producer has developed signature champagnes with their own unique identity, using a red grape to give the wines a complex and powerful structure. Bollinger has also built its reputation by drawing on the estate's reserve wines, used to blend its star bottle, the "Special Cuvee" champagne. Its wines are sometimes aged for up to 15 years. Champagnes aged in magnums are known for developing more complex and harmonious flavors. The reserve wine system has been a Bollinger tradition since 1892, when the estate started compiling its reserve of magnums, which now counts more than 750,000 bottles. Story continues The wines Embodied by Madame Jacques Bollinger -- who took over the champagne house in 1941 and traveled the world promoting the brand and its wines -- Bollinger champagne is now sold in more than 100 countries, including New Zealand, Australia and other Commonwealth countries. Nearly 85% of its business is based on exports. Bollinger is best known for its "Special Cuvee." It also makes a rose champagne and uses the best growing years to craft exceptional vintages. Its most prestigious bottle is the Bollinger R.D 2002, made using a lees ageing process. Champagne Bollinger, 16 rue Jules-Lobet, 51160 Ay, France. (Recasts first paragraph, adds additional motions filed by executives, Volkswagen comment, background on emission scandal) By Edward Taylor FRANKFURT, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG and its former chief executive have asked a U.S. federal judge in California to dismiss lawsuits filed by American investors accusing the German automaker of deception involving its cheating on diesel emissions tests. VW late on Monday filed court papers asking U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco to throw out a class action securities complaint led by the Arkansas State Highway Employees' Retirement System and the Miami police pension fund, saying the matter should not be heard in a U.S. court. Lawyers for former CEO Martin Winterkorn, who resigned after the company admitted the cheating last year, and current VW brand chief Herbert Diess filed separate motions also asking the judge to dismiss the litigation. "Volkswagen believes that the consolidated securities class action complaint is without merit. The plaintiffs do not satisfy the basic elements of a U.S. securities claim and, in any event, this action challenging Volkswagen's investor disclosures, issued in Germany, does not belong in a U.S. court," Volkswagen spokesman Pietro Zollino said. Breyer is set to hold a hearing on the motions on Dec. 16. VW last September admitted using sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, with millions of vehicles worldwide affected. The "Dieselgate" scandal has harmed VW's business and reputation and cost the world's No. 2 automaker billions of dollars. The U.S. investor lawsuits accuse Volkswagen of deception for failing to inform investors in a timely manner about cheating emissions tests in the United States by installing improper software that deactivated pollution controls. They contend the deception led to steep investment losses. Winterkorn's lawyers said any claims should be heard in Germany and that he had nothing to do with statements about diesel vehicles made by VW's U.S. unit. Story continues Winterkorn said in a declaration to the court that he has not been to the United States since the diesel emissions scandal became public last September, and last visited in July 2015 for previously undisclosed test drives in Florida. VW has said that more than 450 plaintiffs, including more than 90 U.S. institutional investors, also have filed more than 130 lawsuits against VW in Germany, alleging untimely disclosures of the cheating and seeking billions of euros in damages. German government authorities have ongoing investigations into whether VW violated disclosure obligations. "Germany has a demonstrable interest in holding VW AG, a German corporation, accountable, if it is found to have violated Germany's stringent public disclosure and anti-market manipulation regulations," VW said in its U.S. court filing. VW has agreed to spend up to $15.3 billion to offer to buy back 475,000 polluting U.S. diesel vehicles, offset excess emission, promote electric vehicles and resolve 44 state lawsuits. (Reporting by Edward Taylor in Frankfurt and David Shepardson in Michigan; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Will Dunham) Attention, shoppers kindness in aisle five! Shopper Myrna Kines from Douglas County, Georgia, said she was leaving her local Walmart when she noticed an employee taking off his pink Converse shoes, and handing them to a homeless man outside. Read: Man, 54, Graduates College After a Lifetime Battling Alcoholism, Homelessness and Jail Time The employee, Phil Powell, then went back to work in his socks. Kines, shocked at the exchange she saw, stopped Phil and asked if he could take his picture, to give him recognition for his generosity. "I was just happy to give back," Powell, 18, told InsideEdition.com. "When I had no shoes onI just had pink socksI was happy just dancing around." Powell said he then told the shopper that he wanted to help the man out because he, too, was homeless until age 16. He explained that for years, he was living back and forth between his home, temporary hotels, and the streets. Powell said he knows how difficult it is to be without a job or money, and now that he has enough of both, he wanted to pass on what he could spare. "I have more shoes than I need," he said. He also explained that the shoes he gave away were bleached pink in honor of his grandmother, who was battling breast cancer. He was also wearing the pink socks, as revealed in the picture. "As a mother it feels so good," his mom, Brenda Patterson said. "Growing up, you wonder if they got the message." The shopper later posted the photo to Facebook, and followed up by calling the Walmart manager, Mike Kastensmidt. Read: Bullies Steal a Boy's Only Pair of Shoes, Deputies Take Him to Shoe Store: 'Pick What You Like' "He had a soft spot in his heart," Kastensmidt told InsideEdition.com. "It made my heart tingle." Kastensmidt was so moved by the actions of his employee that he invited him to go to the shoe department and pick out any pair he wanted. Story continues "I thought they would be a fancy pair," Kastensmidt said. "He came back with a $13 pair of slip-ons and he said that's all he needed." Watch: Police Officer Photographed Kneeling to Clean Homeless Man's Feet: 'You Just Feel Compassion' Related Articles: (Instagram/warbyparker) If you havent already heard, Warby Parker will be opening its first international retail location in Toronto on Aug. 6. The prescription eyewear company was founded in 2010 by Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa and Jeffrey Raider, four guys in the Venture Initiation Program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania who wanted to make stylish, affordable glasses for the masses. The eyewear industry is dominated by a single company that has been able to keep prices artificially high while reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options, the website states. We started Warby Parker to create an alternative. As an added bonus, the company also helps provide vision to those in need using the popular one for one model. Every time you buy a pair of frames, they cover the cost of sourcing another pair for someone in need through one of their non-profit partners. Its the feel-good way to stock up on trendy frames. And now the stylish eyewear has landed on Canadian soil. Were going international! say co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal. And where better to start than with Canada? Were excited to set up shop in one of the biggest, most diverse, and most cosmopolitan cities in North America. Pass the maple syrup. A photo posted by Warby Parker (@warbyparker) on Jul 26, 2016 at 11:01am PDT A photo posted by Warby Parker (@warbyparker) on Jul 22, 2016 at 5:44pm PDT While shipping to Canada has been available since 2012, the new bricks and mortar location will be the first opportunity for Canadians to try the frames on in person without having to cross the border. And there will be some Canadian exclusive perks for those who make the trip out. To celebrate the launch, a selection of exclusive frames will be offered online and in-store to Canadian customers including the Durand in Moss and Chamberlain in Jet Black. Those who make it into the store will also have access to the popular Haskell frame in Crystal with mirrored lenses. Story continues (photo: Warby Parker) Limited edition Haskell frames (photo: Warby Parker) The brand will also be collaborating with Toronto-based artist Micah Lexier and Canadian artists Maggie Groat, Mark Laliberte, and artist collective VSVSVS on a collection of books that will be available for customers purchase or peruse in store. Torontos appeal is sky-high, and were so glad to have gotten such a warm welcome from our customers. See you in the 6ix, says co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa. What do you think of Warby Parker coming to Canada? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. If you followed dentists orders, you spent about 730 minutes last yearor more than half a day!shoving waxed string between your teeth. But a growing body of evidence suggests all the flossing is a waste of time. A TIME article last year drew attention to a 2008 review of the existing research on flossing, which found the standard advice to floss in order to prevent cavities and gum disease was not supported by scientific evidence. Another review from 2011 concluded that flossing may modestly reduce your risk for inflammation of the gums (gingivitis), but doesnt fight plaque, which causes cavities. And now, in a letter to the Associated Press, the government acknowledged that the effectiveness of flossing has not been properly researched. So, do you really need to keep flossing? As TIME wrote last year: The benefit from flossing is minimal and research shows it does not have a major impact on tooth cleaning, said Dr. Damien Walmsley, a professor of dentistry at the University of Birmingham (UK) and a scientific advisor to the British Dental Association. He added that if youre brushing properly, flossing is a non-essential extra. Theres a practical problem with floss, one that Dr. Marcelo Araujo, vice president of the ADAs Science Institute, concedes and many recent research efforts underscore: very few people do it properly. Snap the floss straight down into your gums, and you can irritate them. Any time youre causing trauma to your gums, they tend to recede, Araujo explains. That recession can lead to sensitivity and other issues such as decay. Theres a lack of evidence that it does good. Unlike a trained dentist, in the hands of a regular user theres not much evidence that regular flossing does any good, says Dr. G.A. van der Weijden, co-author of the 2008 review and a professor of periodontics at the University of Amsterdam. Even between-the-teeth brushes can irritate the gums. If these floss warnings seem like an endorsement for those little between-the-teeth brushes, Araujo says those too can irritate your gumsespecially if you have narrow spaces between your teeth. Its all about each individuals mouth, so we recommend talking with your dentist about which interdental cleaning method is best for you, he says. He also recommends selecting products featuring the ADAs seal of acceptance, which ensures your flossor interdental brush, or water flosseris safe and performs as advertised. A mother of a member of the U.S. Air Force was met with harsh booing at a Nevada rally for Republican Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence Monday after she questioned Donald Trump's respect of the military. Taking the mic at the Carson City, Nevada, rally, Catherine Byrne first garnered applause after she revealed her connection to America's Armed Forces. Byrne's son Raymond Harmon is currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, according to NBC News. "Time and time again Trump has disrespected our nation's Armed Forces and veterans and his disrespect for Mr. Khan and his family is just an example of that," Byrne said, referencing Trump's controversial comments about Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Immediately, many in the audience began to loudly boo, nearly drowning out Byrne. Yet, Byrne continued, asking Pence, "Will there ever be a point in time when you're able to look Trump in the eye and tell him 'Enough is enough?' You have a son in the military. How do you tolerate his disrespect?" Byrne then held up a photo of her son, as Pence addressed her question and attempted to calm the crowd. "That's what freedom looks like and that's what freedom sounds like," he told the audience. The Indiana Gov. honored Harmon's service during his response, then charged that Trump supports veterans "like no other leader in my lifetime." "I have never been around someone more devoted to the Armed Forces of this country, more devoted to the families of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard and no one more devoted to the veterans in this country," he said. Regarding the Khan family's son, Muslim U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, Pence said that he's an "American hero and we honor him and honor his family." Related Video: Meghan McCain Says She Cried When Convention Nominated Trump: 'This Is a Garbage Election' Byrne's son, 27, joined the military after high school. He was first deployed to Iraq in 2009 and is currently deployed on a base in the United Arab Emirates, NBC News reported. "I'm still supporting Trump, but it's not good what he said," Byrne told NBC News, adding, "The most painful thing that could happen is losing a child, and offending someone who has gone through that is the lowest of the lows." Of Trump's remarks about the Khans, Pence said in an earlier statement obtained by PEOPLE, "Donald Trump and I believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American." Chesapeake Energy Corporation CHK is expected to report second-quarter 2016 earnings on Aug 4. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 9.09%. Moreover, Chesapeake posted an average positive earnings surprise of 21.21% over the last four quarters. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Likely to Influence this Quarter Natural gas has improved 85% from the 17-year low the commodity tumbled to in March. Given that Chesapeake is one of the most gas-weighted Exploration and Production (E&P) companies, it is poised for significant gains and share price appreciation. The company foresees its cost-cut efforts bearing fruit as well as envisions remarkable efficiency gains in its core operating areas. Chesapeake has the deepest inventory in the preeminent part of the Utica as well as some of the finest locations in the Eagle Ford and Marcellus. These should help the company achieve its growth target. CHESAPEAKE ENGY Price and EPS Surprise CHESAPEAKE ENGY Price and EPS Surprise | CHESAPEAKE ENGY Quote Chesapeake is on track to reduce long-term debt by monetizing its assets and cutting lease-hold spending. This monetization initiative is mainly aimed to cope with the mounting debt level as well as to fill the funding gap for its 2016 expenditures that resulted from the volatility in natural gas prices. However, the companys balance sheet is still more leveraged than its peers in spite of its ongoing asset monetization initiatives working well. At the end of the first quarter, the debt balance was $9.4 billion. In the to-be-reported quarter, the company retired its 3.25% Senior Notes due Mar 15, 2016, and repurchased approximately $282 million of debt due in 2017 at an average discount of approximately 39%. Chesapeakes oil exposure, though limited, further increases bearishness on the stock as the commodity has plunged massively since Jun 2014. With crude prices anticipated to remain weak throughout 2016, the companys financials are likely to remain pressed. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Chesapeake is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, stands at 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at a loss of 9 cents. Zacks Rank: Chesapeake currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Though a favorable Zacks Rank increases the predictive power of ESP, an Earnings ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Ranks #4 and 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies from the same space, which according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: SM Energy SM has an Earnings ESP of +2.86% and a Zacks Rank #2. Cimarex Energy XEC has an Earnings ESP of +200.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. Rowan Companies plc RDC has an Earnings ESP of +2.74% and a Zacks Rank #3. 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 ROWAN COS PLC (RDC): Free Stock Analysis Report CHESAPEAKE ENGY (CHK): Free Stock Analysis Report SM ENERGY CO (SM): Free Stock Analysis Report CIMAREX ENERGY (XEC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Fitbit Inc. FIT is set to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 2. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 175.00%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. FITBIT INC Price and EPS Surprise FITBIT INC Price and EPS Surprise | FITBIT INC Quote Factors to Consider Fitbit posted decent first quarter results with both the top- and bottom line exceeding the respective Zacks Consensus Estimates. In the quarter, product innovation, expansion of global distribution, the network effects of the Fitbit community and prudent investments were the main growth drivers. The quarter witnessed Fitbit rolling out the much awaited Blaze and Alta. Blaze shipments totaled over 1 million units. Both the products received excellent reviews on Amazon and solid reorders from retailers. Blaze and Alta contributed 47% to first-quarter revenues. The company continued with its investments in research and development (R&D) to create more powerful electronics, miniaturized yet fashionable designs, spontaneous user interfaces and engaging social and community features. Investments in software have aided user retention over time. Headcount at its R&D division was 755 in the first quarter, up from 295 in the year-ago quarter and 624 in the prior quarter. On the corporate wellness front, Fitbits partnerships continued to make inroads into employee benefit schemes. The company currently works with 10 of the top 100 benefits brokers in the U.S. On the digital health front, Fitbit continued exploring partnership opportunities. The companys popularity continues in the research community. Fitbit devices are used by major universities and research institutions and in more than 100 research projects. The company announced its plan to enter into a strategic partnership with Alibaba, the largest retailer in the world, to target millions of Chinese consumers through Alibabas TMall platform. Going into the second quarter earnings season, Fitbits management expects revenues to be in the range of 565 million to 585 million, non-GAAP gross margin of approximately 48% and non-GAAP EPS to be in the range of 8 cents to 11 cents. Story continues Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fitbit will beat on earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Both the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 4 cents. Hence, the difference is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: Fitbit carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies which you may consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: CDK Global, Inc CDK, with an Earnings ESP of +4.26% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 earnings on Aug 3, 2016. MeetMe, Inc. MEET, with an Earnings ESP of +33.33% and a Zacks Rank #2. The companys second-quarter 2016 earnings release date is Aug 1, 2016. Analog Devices, Inc ADI, with an Earnings ESP of +2.63% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2016 earnings results on Aug 17, 2016. 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 CDK GLOBAL INC (CDK): Free Stock Analysis Report ANALOG DEVICES (ADI): Free Stock Analysis Report MEETME INC (MEET): Free Stock Analysis Report FITBIT INC (FIT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research TrueCar, Inc. TRUE is slated to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 12.50%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider TrueCar reported encouraging first-quarter 2016 results with revenues increasing 6% from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a 29% increase in new car franchises with the franchise dealer count (number of new car brands sold by Truecar Certified Dealers) increasing during the quarter. TrueCar witnessed 21% growth in average monthly unique visitors on a year-over-year basis. The number of units grew 4%. Monetization in the quarter also increased marginally from the year-ago quarter. TrueCars main focus now is to bring in refinements in its marketplace so as to meet the demands of car buyers, dealers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). TrueCars business model stands on four pillars namely new car transparency model, value proposition and cost per action model, good relationships with affinity partners and a positive image of the brand. The company introduced the Dealer Pledge during the first quarter of 2016 to address the requirements of dealers in a better way. For the second quarter, TrueCar expects revenues of between $64 million and $66 million and adjusted EBITDA in the range of ($2 million) to ($3 million). Additionally, it expects units to remain in the range of 185,000 to 190,000. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that TrueCar is likely to beat estimates this quarter as it does not have the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at a loss of 19 cents per share. Hence, the difference is 0.00%. Story continues Zacks Rank: TrueCar currently has a Zacks Rank #3 which when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. TRUECAR INC Price and EPS Surprise TRUECAR INC Price and EPS Surprise | TRUECAR INC Quote Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some stocks that you may want to consider as our model shows these have the right combination of elements to post a positive earnings surprise: CDK Global, Inc. CDK, with an Earnings ESP of +4.26% and a Zacks Rank #1. Analog Devices, Inc. ADI with an Earnings ESP of +2.63% and a Zacks Rank #2. CenturyLink, Inc. CTL, with an Earnings ESP of +5.09% and a Zacks Rank #2. 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 TRUECAR INC (TRUE): Free Stock Analysis Report CDK GLOBAL INC (CDK): Free Stock Analysis Report CENTURYLINK INC (CTL): Free Stock Analysis Report ANALOG DEVICES (ADI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Its facing industry-wide deteriorating yields. While Singapore Airlines may get a slight nudge on its earnings due to cheaper jet fuel, its not yet time to celebrate for the city-states flag carrier as analysts say this upside alone is unlikely to sustain earnings for the airline. According to a report by OCBC Research, this is mainly due to industry-wide deteriorating yields, as well as expected increase in expenses with capacity growth in its sister airlines Scoot and SilkAir. Additionally, it also has to deal with increasing capex with new cabin products in CY17, in addition to on-going retrofitting of aircraft with new cabin products already previously introduced, and potential delay in delivery of A350s. We believe weakening yields are likely to persist as Chinese carriers boost long-haul capacity to Europe and the North America, while Gulf carriers continue to increase capacity to Europe, OCBC noted. Meanwhile, Brexit has also made global economic outlook more uncertain, denting air travel demand as GBP and EUR depreciates against major currencies. The silver lining is SIAs low cost carriers (LCCs), where yield pressures are less severe. Even so, we think Scoots growth will not be enough to offset yield weakness in parent airline and SilkAir, OCBC added. More From Singapore Business Review Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because Occidental Petroleumis seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earningswith the most up-to-date information possibleis a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for OXY in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at a loss of 19 cents per share for OXY, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 20 cents per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for OXY, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 5.00% heading into earnings season. OCCIDENTAL PET Price and EPS Surprise OCCIDENTAL PET Price and EPS Surprise | OCCIDENTAL PET Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that OXY has a Zacks Rank #3(Hold) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Occidental Petroleum, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming 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 >> 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 OCCIDENTAL PET (OXY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research With Britain moving to leave the European Union, effects of the tumult are sure to show up in your investments, at least for a while. So should you rebalance your portfolio immediately to take advantage of opportunities? Rebalancing involves selling a portion of assets that performed well, and buying more of those that fared poorly. The idea is to return to the proportions that reflect your personal needs. A common base case is 30 percent in bonds with the remainder in stocks and other assets. [See: 10 Tips for Couples and Young Families to Build Wealth.] So would it pay to reshuffle now? Maybe not. Acting too hastily could be just as harmful to your wealth as never making any changes. Here are some key things to consider: Risk tolerance. "The goal of rebalancing is to take stock of your risk tolerances and at the same time keep a steady hand," says Martin Schulz, managing director of international equities for PNC Capital Advisors. "What you don't want to do is to get emotional about your changes." How much volatility can you deal with? If you don't want to risk losing a lot, then you'd need to have a lower allocation of stocks than someone who doesn't mind bigger fluctuations in value. This tolerance for risk typically changes over time. For instance, those who rely on investments for their retirement income would often have less room taking big losses in the immediate future. That contrasts with most people who are starting out their career. Such individuals, maybe in their 20s, have decades to leave their money invested without worrying about year-to-year fluctuations. Follow a discipline. "Don't try to time the market," says Barry James, president and CIO of James Investment Research and portfolio manager of the James Balanced: Golden Rainbow Fund (ticker: GLRBX). "You have to follow the discipline, and that means when equities are down you have to put more in," he says. "That can be the hardest thing to do, emotionally." Story continues A year-and-a-day. When you rebalance a portfolio it involves making a trade and if the securities you buy and sell are not inside a tax advantaged plan, such as a 401(k) or individual retirement account, there could be immediate tax consequences. "Give yourself as much leeway as possible to let yourself take long-term gains rather short-term ones," says Adam Johnson, founder and author of the Bullseye Brief investment newsletter. "The ideal time to rebalance is 366 days," one day more than a calendar year. The reason for this is that short-term capital gains tend to be taxed at a much higher percentage than those on long-term gains. But the good news is if you hold a security for a more than a year it will be classified as a long-term gain. [See: 7 Global Goats That Could Bring Market Mayhem.] Lower taxes mean more money left for you to reinvest. If your investments are solely held in an IRA or 401(k) then this may not be a problem, but consult your tax advisor anyway. When not to bother. "If portfolio allocations have moved less than 2 percentage points don't bother changing anything because you'd be creating unnecessary profits for your broker," Johnson says. For example, if you had a target allocation to stocks of 60 percent of your overall portfolio, you shouldn't make any trades to change it when the allocation remains within the range 58-62 percent. Other professionals have similar although not identical practice. For instance, Rose Swanger, a certified financial planner at Advise Finance in Knoxville, Tennessee, says that the criteria she uses on whether to rebalance is when the asset class as a proportion of the total portfolio moves by between 3 and 5 percentage points, up or down. Johnson says that such ranges reflect a "margin of error" in measuring how much of each asset is held. Markets move all the time and just because your actual allocation is a percent or two different from your plan is just statistical noise. The important thing to remember about rebalancing is that it costs time and money. Every sale and purchase of stocks or exchange-traded funds will incur brokers fees. That's money that could have been left invested to grow over time. For people who invest only in mutual funds, then trading costs typically don't matter. Still, tweaking your holdings less than 2 percentage points wastes valuable time. When to break the rules. While it is good to stand back and let your portfolio grow uninterrupted by trading costs or taxes, there are also times when it is important to act decisively. Johnson says there will be trades that don't work out, such as stocks that fall rather than rise. What's important, as any veteran of financial markets will tell you, is to cut your losses quickly -- regardless of commission costs or taxes. He suggests placing a stop-loss order on stocks at about 10 to 12 percent below the purchase price. "That's about as much as I'm willing to lose," he says. [Read: Crossing the Dividend Divide.] If the stock is for a smaller company, it will likely be more volatile so Johnson places the stop-loss order at 15 to 20 percent below the price. Simon Constable is a columnist and author. In addition to following the financial markets, he likes to watch his cat play with string. You can follow him on Twitter @simonconstable. uber travis kalanick When asked about Uber's attempt to dominate in the vast market that is China, the CEO of homegrown ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing, Jean Liu, said it was "cute." Man was she right. On Monday, Uber fled China. It surrendered a massive market and sold its $8 billion business to Liu's Didi less than a week after Chinese regulators legalized ride sharing in any capacity. One would think that after three years of slugging it out for the hearts of Chinese consumers, regulatory loosening would be the time to ramp up efforts, regardless of the fact that Didi had 80% of the country's market share. The opportunity, after all, was well understood by investors. As billionaire hedge fund manager Dan Loeb put it in his second-quarter letter to investors: "While ridesharing is rapidly gaining traction in numerous markets around the world, we view China as a particularly attractive market for ridesharing expansion thanks to several differentiating factors. China has among the highest population density levels of any large country and is home to nine of the world's 30 largest cities. Ridesharing platforms tend to work best in densely populated cities because they provide a liquid supply of available drivers, consistent rider demand to attract drivers, and correspondingly short waiting times. "China also has a relatively low level of car ownership, with only 130 vehicles per thousand people (vs 800 in the US and 500700 in Western Europe). Given chronic traffic in Chinas cities and the lack of available real estate for parking, a mainstream culture of private car ownership in China has not yet developed and most urban residents still rely heavily on public transportation." Of course, he explained this while he was telling his investors about a new investment in Didi, not Uber. And it only takes a basic understanding of what's going on in China right now to understand his choice. Capitalism with Xi Jinping characteristics From the moment he took to the international stage, Xi Jinping was a mystery. However, for the most part, we in the West thought he would be much like his predecessors open to foreign business and ready to solidify China's central place in the global order of capitalism. Story continues Xi suggested as much in a speech in Washington, DC, after taking power in 2013. "China will never close its open door to the outside world. Opening up is a basic state policy of China. Its policies that attract foreign investment will not change, nor will its pledge to protect legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in China, and to improve its services for foreign companies operating in China," Xi said. "We respect the international business norms and practice of nondiscrimination, observe the principle of national treatment commitment, treat all market players including foreign-invested companies fairly, and encourage transnational corporations to engage in all forms of cooperation with Chinese companies." You see, we had reason to believe that China's openness would continue into the next administration. Man were we wrong. Xi has turned out to be a new kind of Chinese leader an autocrat and an extreme nationalist, in a way that extends past the Chinese military or even domestic politics. These features extend to Chinese business. The US-China Business Council was warning companies that the Chinese government was favoring domestic companies as early as 2011. Under Xi, this only got worse. In an August 2015 survey, the American Chamber of Commerce in China found that only 25% of its members in the service sector were optimistic about the regulatory environment in China. The service sector, of course, includes banks, restaurants, and companies like Uber. The survey found that respondents were worried about the Chinese government restricting key data-gathering efforts for foreign companies, a lack of information about the rules of engagement or regulatory procedures in the event of disputes, and an overly broad definition of national security that applied to activities American businesspeople never dreamed of. charlene chu china chart "Numerous service industries in China face an uneven playing field due to government support for state-owned enterprises and designated oligopolies within their sectors. Such government preferences, and the benefits the state-owned enterprises receive, restrict both foreign and domestic companies' ability to operate in the market," it said. This might not just be a Xi thing, either. The Chinese economy is going through the difficult transition of moving from an economy based on industrial manufacturing and foreign investment to one based on the services sector and domestic consumption. One cannot be open and protectionist at the same time, but now that industrial manufacturing is already in "hard landing" mode, the government has to do everything it can to boost the services sector. The economy is slowing, and the much-vaunted Chinese Dream the dream of economic progress that has consistently trumped the nightmare of political repression is at risk. Tell me, who do you think you are? Enter Uber, the Silicon Valley dynamo with a massive stockpile of private money and a mission of world domination. For three years it toiled in China, trying to gain market share in a fierce battle with Didi. Or rather, it looked fierce from here in the US. Again, apparently Didi thought the whole thing was "cute." And that's likely because Didi understood the reality I just outlined above. It is very telling that Uber did not. "We were a young American business entering a country where most US internet companies had failed to crack the code, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said on Monday. Many American companies are finding this code confusing, simple though it may be. Meanwhile, Uber has made a habit of flouting rules and norms. It has run into multiple labor lawsuits here in America for misclassifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. It was chased out of Hungary. And then there's this very telling anecdote from former Fortress Investments President Michael Novogratz, who met with the former CFO of Uber, Brent Callinicos. Callinicos told Novogratz that Uber drivers return between 20% and 25% of the fares they collect, but that in the future, Uber could easily raise that rate to between 25% and 30%. This would drastically improve Uber's profit margin. Novogratz responded quizzically. "You've got happy employees, you've got happy customers, you've got happy shareholders. The holy triumvirate are all really excited about your company. Why are you going to risk that and push the employee's salary down 5%?" Callinicos simply responded, "because we can." In China, it seems, you can't. When the Chinese government legalized ride sharing, it included provisions making it illegal to engage in a practice Uber has become famous for selling rides below cost to push out competitors. It played this game with Didi, and Liu made fun of Uber for it. "Have you seen in other places market leaders buy market share?" Liu said. "Normally it's always the smaller player with smaller scale, lower efficiency, and in most cases worse service that needs to buy market share to heavily subsidize." xi jinping obama Dodging bullets All of this said, it may very well be that Uber dodged a bullet in China. The US internet companies that are getting left behind as Chinese competitors take share may not be jealous for long. The government has floated the idea of taking a 1% stake in giants like Tencent and Baidu to control what's on the web. Of course, there's a darker way to look at that, and Wall Street's all over it. As the Chinese economy slows and its debt-to-GDP ratio (currently sitting at around 285%) grows, the government is going to need places to find cash to keep money flowing through already quasi-state-owned banks. It already announced that it would relax regulation in order to allow debt-to-equity swaps between banks and indebted companies. But where does it stop? At a certain point, the entire economy starts to congeal, and then you have a "Japanification" scenario. All of a sudden the corporate sector is the government and the government is the corporate sector, and any cash lying around has to do its part to keep things going. Uber, you didn't want to be involved in that mess anyway. NOW WATCH: MALCOLM GLADWELL: Anyone who gives a single dollar to Princeton has completely lost their mind' More From Business Insider richard hanna Rep. Richard Hanna of New York has become the first Republican member of Congress to endorse Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. In an op-ed article for Syracuse.com, Hanna, who is retiring this year, called Trump "profoundly offensive and narcissistic" and "a world-class panderer" and said the GOP nominee's temperament made him unfit for office. "I never expect to agree with whoever is president, but at a minimum the president needs to consistently display those qualities I have preached to my two children: kindness, honesty, dignity, compassion and respect," Hanna said. He continued: "If I compare the life stories of both candidates I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways. A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable almost gleefully using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices. A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Think about those average people who paid for his choices." Hanna suggested that Trump's criticism of Khizr Khan, the outspoken father of a Muslim American soldier killed defending his unit in Iraq, helped him decide to cast his vote for Clinton. "For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna said. Though some Republican members of the House and the Senate have said they will not support Trump, Hanna is the first to cross party lines and signal his preference for Clinton. More From Business Insider For Immediate Release Chicago, IL August 02, 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 Analog Devices (ADI), Linear Technology (LLTC), Yahoo (YHOO), Apple (AAPL) and Facebook ( FB). 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: Earnings and Acquisitions This earnings season has seen equal excitement in terms of acquisitions as well. Last week, earnings reports were accompanied by new that the Japanese firm Softbank was acquiring British chip designing powerhouse ARM Holdings. This week saw another big announcement in Analog Devices (ADI) picking up Linear Technology (LLTC) , Yahoo ( YHOO) finally accepting Verizons offer and some speculation of a hostile takeover of Micron. And of course there were the hottest tech earnings from Apple (AAPL) to Facebook (FB). Here are the top stories- Earnings Highlights Apple : Apple saw unit declines across all major product lines from iPhones to iPads and Macs although iPad revenues grew possibly because people are upgrading to newer models. Its also likely that people are reluctant to buy new iPhones with the next model just around the corner. At any rate, the iPhone numbers were better than expected, which sent the shares up. Services Apple Music, the App Store, iTunes and iCloud) were a bright spot and now generate more revenue than both iPads and Macs. For more details read: Apple Shares Up on Q3 Earnings & Revenue Beat Amazon : The company blew past the Zacks Consensus Estimates for revenue and earnings with the FX impact coming in positive across all segments. The North America and AWS segments were strong contributors to profits while investments in international continued. Operating efficiencies continued in the last quarter and the tax rate also continued to decline. Story continues The company promised heavy investments to build out 18 fulfillment centers in the current quarter that will help it cope with the fourth-quarter surge in demand. It continues to take the Prime advantage to new markets. For more details read: Amazon Beats 2Q Earnings Estimates Courtesy AWS Facebook : Almost like clockwork, Facebook comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate on both top and bottom lines. This time, results were driven by very strong growth in mobile and continued growth in its huge user base. But Facebook isnt satisfied with being the place where practically everyone on the planet socializes on. It has big ambitions to deliver other experiences (and build the social media one as well). After all, theres a limit to the real estate that you can plant ads on and this could curb its future growth. So the company has laid out future growth plans and intends to step up investments in emerging areas like AR/VR, Messenger, WhatsApp and so forth. Analog Devices to Buy Linear Technology Since the boards of both companies have signed the deal and turned it over for regulatory approval, Linear Technology may soon become part of Analog Devices. For Linear, the offer of a 24% premium (or $14.8 billion), which will be paid in 58 million new shares and cash (through $7.3 million in fresh debt and Analogs balance sheet cash), was too good to pass up. For Analog Devices, it is an acquisition of products (there is minimal product overlap and some possibility of cross selling), technology (Linears power conversion products can complement Analogs data conversion capabilities targeting wireless, automotive and industrial customers) and an extremely strong engineering team that it has said it will focus on retaining. Moreover, annual synergies after 18 months are expected to be $150 million. Unrelated to the acquisition, Analog Devices raised its fiscal third-quarter guidance: revenue up from $800 million-$840 million to $865 million and adjusted EPS of $0.77-$0.78, up from prior guidance of $0.66-$0.74. Verizon Confirms Yahoo Buy Verizon is buying Yahoo for $4.83 billion en route to transforming itself into an Internet company. In 2014, it acquired another ailing Internet giant AOL for $4.4 billion and Yahoos core assets will be folded into this AOL business. Mayer will continue at Yahoo through the process but its likely that Tim Armstrong, who heads AOL will take over the combination once the acquisition is complete. Verizon has been buying online properties and will continue doing so to reach more users. With Yahoo, it will reach a billion users and the goal is to double this number by 2020. Advertising and video are two of its focus areas that are expected to help it diversify away from the highly-regulated, low-growth carrier business. The deal will draw the attention of regulators as Verizons history with law enforcement hasnt been spectacular to date. The company was earlier charged with planting super cookies to track users and passing on their details to advertisers without their consent. But Verizon is determined to collect more data and thats the reason for these acquisitions. Its highly doubtful that it will become the next Google or Facebook, but even capturing a few points of market share will make this a good deal for Verizon. For Yahoo, this is the end of the road for one of the webs pioneers. Hopefully the brand stays, and also some of its popular services. Is Micron a Takeover Target? There was renewed speculation about a possible takeover after the board of directors of the company approved a plan to issue one right share for every common share held in the event any individual or group assumed greater than a 5% stake in the company. The rights issue would prevent a hostile takeover of the company, prevent the transfer of control to another party and also enable Micron to continue to use its prior losses to reduce its tax bills. Two names are at the forefront in this respect: the first is Chinas Tsinghua Unigroup, which earlier offered $23 billion for the company and then backed out when it was thought that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFUS) could oppose it on security concerns. The second possibility is Intel Corp because the chipmaker has already partnered with it to develop its 3D XPoint architecture and other technologies. In the event of an acquisition, Intel would get Microns other memory technology as well, but would also be saddled with its losses. What could happen instead is that both Intel and the Chinese company (or any one of them) could increase investment in the company to gain access to some memory technology to further their own growth goals. 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 >> Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. 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 ANALOG DEVICES (ADI): Free Stock Analysis Report LINEAR TEC CORP (LLTC): Free Stock Analysis Report YAHOO! INC (YHOO): Free Stock Analysis Report APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report FACEBOOK INC-A (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL August 02, 2016 - Stocks in this weeks article include: Omega Protein Corporation (OME), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP), Two River Bancorp (TRCB) and Celestica Inc. ( CLS). Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research: These 5 Low Price-to-Sales Stocks Can Garner Solid Returns Among a host of valuation metrics that are at disposal, Price-to-Sales is useful in narrowing down the list of undervalued stocks. While Price-to-Earnings is the first ratio to cross ones mind when using valuation metrics, Price-to-Sales helps to determine the value of stocks that are suffering losses or are in the early cycle of development, generating meager or no profits. Though a loss-making company with a negative Price-to-Earnings ratio falls out of investors favor, its Price-to-Sales could indicate the hidden strength in its business. This underrated ratio is also used to identify recovery situations or ensure that a company's growth is not overvalued. Price-to-Sales is often preferred to Price-to-Earnings, as companies and managements can fiddle with their earnings using various accounting measures. However, sales are harder to manipulate and are relatively reliable. A stocks Price-to-Sales ratio reflects how much investors are paying for each dollar of revenues generated by the company. If the Price-to-Sales ratio is 1, it means that investors are paying $1 for every $1 of revenues generated by the company. So it goes without saying that a stock with Price-to-Sales below 1 is a good bargain, as investors need to pay less than a dollar for a dollars worth. Also, a stock with a lower Price-to-Sales ratio is more suitable for investment versus a stock with a high Price-to-Sales ratio. However, one should keep in mind that a company with high debt and low Price-to-Sales is not an ideal choice. The high debt level will have to be paid off at some point, leading to further share issuance and a rise in market cap and ultimately a higher Price-to-Sales ratio. In any case, the Price-to-Sales ratio used in isolation cant do the trick. One should also analyze other ratios like Price/Earnings, Price/Book, Debt/Equity before arriving at any investment decision. Screening Parameters Price to Sales less than Median Price to Sales for its Industry: The lower the Price-to-Sales ratio, the better. Price to Earnings using F(1) estimate less than Median Price to Earnings for its Industry: The lower, the better. Price to Book (common Equity) less than Median Price to Book for its Industry: This is another parameter to ensure the value feature of a stock. Debt to Equity (Most Recent) less than Median Debt to Equity for its Industry: A company with less debt should have a stable Price-to-Sales ratio. Current Price greater than or equal to $5: They must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher. Zacks Rank less than or equal to #2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment. Value Style Score equal to A: Our research shows that stocks with a Value Style Score of A or B when combined a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 offer the best opportunities in the value investing space. Here are five of the eight stocks that qualified the screening: Omega Protein Corporation (OME) based in Houston, TX is a nutritional product company and a leading integrated provider of specialty oils and specialty protein products. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a 35 years EPS growth rate of 8% and a Value score of A.' Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) provides a variety of telecommunications services, including telephone, telegraph, leased circuits, data communication, terminal equipment sales and other services. The stock with a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value score of A currently has a projected 35 year EPS growth rate of 20.7%. Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP), also known as KEPCO, is an integrated electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity as well as development of electric power resources in South Korea. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has a 35 year EPS growth rate of 25% and a Value score of A.' Two River Bancorp (TRCB), a bank holding company of the Two River Community Bank that provides banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individual consumers, has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value score of A.' Celestica Inc. (CLS) is a supply chain solutions provider in the communications, consumer, aerospace and defense, industrial, healthcare, energy, semiconductor equipment, servers, and storage end markets in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value score of A.' You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your trial to the Research Wizard today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free Sign up now for your free trial today and start picking better stocks immediately. And with the backtesting feature, you can test your ideas to see how you can improve your trading in both up markets and down markets. Dont wait for the market to get better before you decide to do better. Start learning how to be a better trader today: https://at.zacks.com/?id=111 Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. About Screen of the Week Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here https://at.zacks.com/?id=112 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/ZacksInvestmentResearch 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. Contact: Jim Giaquinto Company: Zacks.com Phone: 312-265-9268 Email: pr@zacks.com Visit: www.Zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer . 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 OMEGA PROTEIN (OME): Free Stock Analysis Report NIPPON TELE-ADR (NTT): Free Stock Analysis Report KOREA ELEC PWR (KEP): Free Stock Analysis Report TWO RIVER BCP (TRCB): Free Stock Analysis Report CELESTICA INC (CLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The worldwide frenzy sparked by Pokemon Go has now reached battle-scarred Syria, where the smartphone app is accessible via proxy, but players face unique obstacles including poor internet connection and lack of access. In rebel-held and besieged Douma, east of Damascus, some still take to the rubble-filled streets with their phones, hoping to catch Pokemons among the ruins. Paris (AFP) - French mobile operator SFR plans to shed over a third of its staff over the next three years although no forced job cuts are foreseen until 2019, union representatives said Tuesday. "Management accepted that until 2019 there won't be any forced job cuts ... everything will be voluntary," said Abdelkader Choukrane of the Unsa union, the largest at SFR, after a meeting with Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri. He said management confirmed during a meeting on Monday the target of reducing the head count by at least 5,000. France's second-largest operator currently employs 14,000 people. The company was bought in 2014 for more than 17 billion euros ($19 billion) by French-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi, whose Altice holding company went on to buy US cable operator Cablevision for $17.7 billion last year. An agreement on no forced job cuts reached during SFR's purchase expires in July 2017, and Drahi said in June the operator is "over-staffed". SFR and employee representatives met Tuesday with El Khomri. With unemployment hovering just under record highs and elections approaching next year, the French government is keen to limit mass layoffs. The company's management has confirmed it is in talks with union representatives but has not commented publicly on the number of job losses envisaged. Isabel Lejeune-To, head of the CFDT-F3C union, confirmed the current proposal would avoid forced job cuts until 2019, but warned that "if the text that is on the table is not signed, the management will be free to do as it sees fit." Frederic Retourney, who represents the CGT-FAPT union, said he was wary of management's intentions. "When they tell us 'no job cuts' when 1,200 went over the last 18 months, how can we trust them. We know all too well that the voluntary departures are done under duress in most cases," he said. "When you announce 5,000 job cuts when there are 14,400 employees in the company I don't see how you can talk of voluntary departures," he added. Retourney said unions would meet before the end of the week to organise a staff day of action in late August or early September. After meeting El Khomri, SFR boss Michel Combes reiterated that all undertakings made when was SFR was bought out "would be respected, both with regard to investment and with employment, or in terms of engagement with French industry." Samsungs latest phablet, the Galaxy Note7, is an advanced smartphone that borrows heavily from a model thats already been on the market for almost 6 months. Thats okay because that phone is its sibling, the top-rated Galaxy S7, which is brimming with advanced, high-quality features worth stealing. In fact, thats why Samsung named this phone the Note7 and not the Note6, which would have the logical name for the successor to the Note5. Note7 features ported over from the S7 include the top-notch 12.2-megapixel camera and its compliance with IP68 manufacturing standard, which means in this case that the Note7 should be able to handle immersion in about 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. But the Note7 edges out the S7 with mammoth-sized 5.7-inch display thats better for multitasking, especially when used in conjunction with the phones S-Pen stylus (which now lets you scribble notes on the phones screen while under water). The Note7 also adds an iris scanner for unlocking the phone screen with a glance, and a special desktop folder that protects your personal or sensitive info from prying third-party apps or unauthorized eyeballs. The N7 may be tougher, too, because its one of the first smartphones to protect its screen with Cornings Gorilla Glass 5, which Corning says can help smartphone screens survive a 1.6-meter, shoulder-height drops onto hard, rough surfaces up to 80 percent of the time. As you may recall, the Galaxy S7 Active, a hard-bodied version of the S7 sold exclusively by AT&T, flunked our water-resistance tests. Samsung pegged the problem to a flaw in the manufacturing process, which it said was quickly fixed. In any case, were prepping our pressurized water tank right now to check the phone's water-resistance claims. Preorders for the Note7, which will be available in black, silver, and blue, begin August 3. In-store availability is August 19. In the meantime, heres a short preview of this talented new phablet, which Samsung showed us last week at its headquarters across from New York Citys High Line elevated park. Story continues Key Galaxy Note7 Features Its svelte. The Note7, which measures 6 inches tall x 2.9 inches wide, is only 0.29 inches thick, easily making it one of the thinnest smartphones on the marketnot just among phablets. As with last years giant Galaxy S6 Edge +, the left and right edges of the display curve away from the viewer. The curved edges are more subtle than on earlier models, and dont have any special function. But they do help give the Note7 a distinctly refined look. The back of the phone is curved too, away from the palm, which helps this large phone feel comfortable in the hand. Unlock it with a blink of an eye. Taking a cue from Microsofts Lumia 950, the Note7 has a novel, nifty iris scanner that will allow users to unlock the phone screen by merely gazing at it. It works like this: When you hold up the front of the phone about two feet from your face, an LED on the top left side of the phone shines an infrared beam at both your eyes, while a special camera on the upper right side of the phone captures the unique patterns in your irises, confirming that its you. Samsung says the iris scanner may eventually be used for authorizing app and web purchases, but said that the technology is not quite there yet. Though it worked fine for my colleague in Samsungs well-lit offices, Samsung said that the technology has some weak spots. For instance, it may not work if youre wearing glasses or contacts, or even in dark environments that would cause your pupils to dilate. A more skilled S-Pen. Samsung made its S-Pen stylus more sensitive and reduced its point to that of a 0.7mm ballpoint pen for sharper penmanship when scribbling notes and more precision when editing photos and other graphic elements. You can do more with it, too. For instance, the Note7s interface has a new Air Command mode that magnifies whatever part of the screen you hover the pen over. It worked fine in our demo, producing a little magnified square on the screen. This feature, thankfully, is not on by default. You have to activate it using the Air Command Menu that kicks on whenever you pull the S-Pen out of its hole in the bottom of the phone. When you switch to another task, the magnification mode switches off. The S-Pen can also translate words into another language when you hover it over the word in the document or web page youre reading. You have to pick the language in the settings, and it can only translate one language at a time. Streaming HDR video. As we said, the display on the Note7 is the same size and has the resolution as the one on last years Note5. Thats excellent because the Note5 display boasts a resolution of 1440 x 2560 (about 500 pixels per inch, or ppi), far more detail than the naked human eye can see. The Note7 display takes things a bit further by being able to present the wider range of bright and dark elements of videos encoded with High Dynamic Range (HDR). Instant GIFs. With the Note7s Smart Select tool, youll be able to use the S-Pen to grab any photos or segment of a videostored locally on the phone or found on the weband turn it into a 15-second GIF you can share via social networks or email. On-board editing tools will let you further embellish your creation with text and other treatments. Secure Folder. The Secure Folder on the Note7 will encrypt anything you put in it, such as personal files or the data stored by apps in Secure Folderincluding shopping and banking data or your contactsto prevent third-party apps from accessing them. Using Secure Folder shouldnt impede the operation of those apps or their communication with core phone apps, according to Samsung. For instance, with your contacts encrypted, the on-screen caller ID should work when you get a call, and you should still be able to share a photo via text message. A bigger battery. Like the recent Samsung models that preceded it, the Note7 comes with a multitude of charging options, supporting both Qi and Powermat wireless charging pads out of the boxas well as quick charging via its own USB Type C charger. But Samsung says you shouldnt need these options very often, thanks to its capacious 3,500mAh battery that should keep the phone humming for more than 40 hours of mixed use. (The Note5 has a not-too-shabby 3,000mAh battery that in our tests provided more than 24 hours of talk time.) Samsung also beefed up the number of settings that can be activated automatically or on the fly to stretch battery life even further. USB Type-C port. The new phone uses a USB Type-C cable that, like the Lightning connector on an iPhone, can be inserted into the phone no matter which way you hold it; there is no "wrong-side up." Other advantages include a potentially larger data transfer rateup to 10 gigabits per secondand support for bi-directional power. That means your phone will receive a charge while its transmitting files to a compatible TV, printer, or other accessory over the same cable. Promising Camera. Samsung says the Note7 has the same 12.2-megapixel camera thats in the Galaxy S7. Thats good news for the Note7 because the Galaxy S7 has one of the best cameras weve ever seen on a phone; it produces very good 1080p videos and ultra-sharp, color-accurate still images. The on-board optical image stabilizer should also improve ones chances of taking better handheld photos under low-light conditions. A more consolidated, sensible interface. Samsung already has one of the most intuitive interfaces in the smartphone marketplace, smartly laying out critical phone settings in an easy-to-read format. And when you dont immediately see what you're looking for, the phones search engine is quite good at hunting down lesser-known features and controls. For the Note7, Samsung made things a tad easier by consolidating the list of roughly 30 settings adjustments to about 16, nestling similar features under one umbrella. Youll also have deeper access to app features from the pull-down notifications bar. For instance, in addition to launching the flashlight, youll also be able to adjust the intensity of its beam. Well have more on the Note7 once we can submit the phone to our in-depth lab tests. Correction: This story originally stated that apps placed in Secure Folder would be encrypted. It has been updated to clarify that only the data stored by the apps will be encrypted. We also indicated that Samsung currently has plans to port Secure Folder to the Galaxy S7. It does not. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S. [August 01, 2016] Nimble Storage to Announce Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results on August 23, 2016 SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nimble Storage (NYSE: NMBL), the leader in predictive flash storage, will report results for its fiscal second quarter on Tuesday, August 23, 2016. The results will be included in a press release with accompanying financial information and Shareholder Letter that will be released after market close and posted on the Nimble Storage Investor Relations website. Nimble Storage management will host a conference call and live webcast beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) to discuss the Company's financial results and business highlights. Interested parties may access the call by dialing (888) 347-5685 in the U.S. or (719) 325-2314 from international locations. In addition, a live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Nimble Storage Investor Relations website at http://investors.nimblestorage.com. A replay of the audio webcast will be available on the Nimble Storage Investor Relations website for 45 days. Nimble Storage Resources Nimble Storage Website Case Studies and Videos Follow Nimble Storage on Twitter: @NimbleStorage Follow Nimble Storage on LinkedIn Visit Nimble Storage on Facebook Visit the NimbleConnect Community About Nimble Storage Nimble Storage (NYSE: NMBL) is the leader in predictive flash storage solutions. Nimble offers a Predictive Flash platform that combines flash performance with predictive analytics to predict and prevent barriers to data velocity caused by complex IT infrastructure. Nimble customers experience absolute performance, non-stop availability and cloud-like agility that accelerate critical business processes. More than 8,100 enterprises, governments, and service providers have deployed the Nimble Predictive Flash Platform across more than 50 countries. For more information visit www.nimblestorage.com and follow us on Twitter: @nimblestorage. Nimble Storage, the Nimble Storage logo, CASL, InfoSight, SmartStack, Timeless Storage, Data Velocity Delivered, Unified Flash Fabric and NimbleConnect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nimble Storage, Inc. Other trade names or words used in this document are the properties of their respective owners. Media Contact: Kristalle Cooks 408-514-3313 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact: Edelita Tichepco 408-514-3379 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nimble-storage-to-announce-second-quarter-2017-financial-results-on-august-23-2016-300306340.html SOURCE Nimble Storage [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] CrowdStrike Expands Endpoint Prevention and Visibility Capabilities as Part of Falcon Platform Summer Release CrowdStrike Inc., a leader in cloud-delivered next-generation endpoint protection, today announced a slate of enhanced features and capabilities for the CrowdStrike Falcon Platform as part of its Summer release. The new enhancements include: Additional machine learning-based prevention functionality, providing customers with granular control over how they protect themselves against known and unknown malware. CrowdStrike's machine learning capabilities earned a 100% efficacy rating according to independent test results published on July 28th by SE Labs. New behavioral exploit prevention indicators of attacks (IOA) for further protection against sophisticated browser and web server-based exploitation. Enhanced visibility within its endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution, adding eight new system events across three new categories: Scheduled Tasks, Firewall Activity and User Account Creation Activity, bringing the total to 240 continuously recorded events across 27 categories -- the most extensive in the industry. New Falcon user interface (UI) to provide greater ease of use and more efficiency for customers to manage detection and alert workflows. "CrowdStrike Falcon is the first and only solution to truly unify next-generation AV, EDR and managed hunting -- into a single agent and delivered by the cloud -- for the most comprehensive endpoint protection solutions on the market today," said George Kurtz, co-founder and chief executive officer of CrowdStrike. "With this release, CrowdStrike further solidifies this unique approach by delivering greater range of visibility into threat activity, increased prevention through enhanced and validated machine learning, and a new UI designed to enhance ease of use and support more advanced workflows." CrowdStrike's machine learning capabilties continue to set the industry standard after earning a 100% efficacy rating on its first public test according to results published on July 28th by SE Labs, which is certified by the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO). CrowdStrike scored a 100% rating for detecting both known and unknown samples of malware with a false positive rate of zero percent. "While no silver bullet solution exists that achieves perfect results like this in every test, we take great pride in this accomplishment and plan to continue building out our malware prevention capabilities with machine learning and behavior-based analysis to offer customers the most advanced threat protection available," said Dmitri Alperovitch, CrowdStrike's co-founder and chief technology officer. CrowdStrike prevention capabilities continue to excel with the development of new behavioral exploit prevention indicators of attacks (IOA) to provide further protection against sophisticated browser-based exploits, in addition to its broad existing capabilities in pre-execution exploit mitigation techniques. Specifically, a groundbreaking new malware-free intrusion prevention IOA is now in place to protect organizations against web shell-based attacks. "We're seeing cyber attacks becoming more and more targeted, and the need for a solution that can provide multiple functions to address the complexity of the attacks is imperative," said David Giambruno, chief information officer, Shutterstock. "CrowdStrike solves our prevention, detection and visibility challenges by unifying next-generation AV and endpoint detection and response (EDR) via a cloud-delivered model. Their solution provides us an advanced level of threat protection and visibility into what is happening in our environment via a single agent." Finally, CrowdStrike is transforming the Falcon user interface to provide greater ease of use and more efficiency for customers to manage detection and alert workflows. As part of this effort, CrowdStrike is previewing a new activity app, adding enhancements for users to view and triage detections and assign those detections for analysts to review within a security operations center team -- all from the view of one screen. CrowdStrike will demonstrate the new UI at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, August 3rd and Thursday, August 4th at booth #507 in the Business Hall of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. As part of its Falcon Platform Summer release, CrowdStrike is also launching an expanded set of offerings to combat eCrime. More details can be found at this release. Learn more about the Falcon Platform Summer release at this blog by CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz. About CrowdStrike CrowdStrike is the leader in next-generation endpoint protection, threat intelligence and response services. CrowdStrike's core technology, the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, stops breaches by preventing and responding to all types of attacks - both malware and malware-free. CrowdStrike has revolutionized endpoint protection by being the first and only company to unify three crucial elements: next-generation AV, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and a 24/7 managed hunting service - all powered by intelligence and uniquely delivered via the cloud in a single integrated solution. Falcon uses the patent-pending CrowdStrike Threat Graph to analyze and correlate billions of events in real time, providing complete protection and five-second visibility across all endpoints. Many of the world's largest organizations already put their trust in CrowdStrike, including three of the 10 largest global companies by revenue, five of the 10 largest financial institutions, three of the top 10 health care providers, and three of the top 10 energy companies. CrowdStrike Falcon is currently deployed in more than 176 countries. We Stop Breaches. Learn more: www.crowdstrike.com Follow us: Blog | Twitter View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005793/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] America's Financial Industry Highly Susceptible to Data Breaches NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityScorecard, the most accurate cybersecurity rating and continuous risk monitoring platform, today released its 2016 Financial Cybersecurity Report - a comprehensive analysis that exposes cybersecurity vulnerabilities across 7,111 financial institutions including investment banks, asset management firms, and major commercial banks around the world. The conclusions and rankings featured in the report are based on data derived from SecurityScorecard's patented security rating platform. Among the report's findings are the following observations: The U.S. Commercial bank with the lowest security posture is one of the top 10 largest financial service organizations in the U.S (by revenue). Only one of the top 10 largest banks, Bank of America, received an overall 'A' grade. 95 percent of the top 20 U.S. commercial banks (by revenue) have a Network Security grade of 'C' or below. 75 percent of the top 20 U.S. commercial banks (by revenue) are infected with malware and a number of malware families were discovered within these banks, including Ponyloader, and Vertexnet. Nearly 1 out of 5 financial institutions use an email service provider with severe security vulnerabilities. The best performing Investment Banks in IT Security include Goldman Sachs, Exchange Bank, BNP Paribas Fortis and Banco Popolare. Each U.S. financial organization was evaluated based on their overall security hygiene and security reaction time compared to their industry peers. SecurityScorecard also analyzed the specific security ratings of Scottrade Bangladesh Bank, and CharlesSchwab, all of which fell victim to data breaches recently. The analysis provides details on the data breaches as part of a holistic view on the financial industry's vulnerability to attacks. Additionally, SecurityScorecard found third party vendors and partners that provide essential services to the financial services industry also pose some of the greatest security risks. "As banks continue to grow through acquisition, legacy IT systems and their vulnerabilities are also acquired. In many cases, they remain in place for years," said Sam Kassoumeh, a cybersecurity expert with over 10 years' experience and COO and Co-Founder of SecurityScorecard. "Despite major financial institutions spending billions of dollars on cybersecurity annually, this report suggests the financial industry may not be spending those dollars as effectively as possible. A greater level of protection is required, which should be a concern for their customers and partners." "Financial companies rely on data exchanges with other vendors and may have limited visibility into the cyber risk associated with these transactions. As cybercriminals find new ways to attack, breach, and exploit organizations, threat patterns such as phishing, spear-phishing, and social engineering evolve and become more sophisticated. Financial organizations need solutions that assess vulnerabilities continuously and have the ability to see risks and vulnerabilities before a breach takes place," said Dr. Luis Vargas, Sr. Data Scientist at SecurityScorecard. For more information about these findings, download the full report. To receive a free SecurityScorecard assessment and consultation for your business, visit instant.securityscorecard.com. About SecurityScorecard SecurityScorecard provides the most accurate rating of security risk for any organization worldwide. The proprietary cloud platform helps enterprises gain operational command of the security posture for themselves and across all of their partners and vendors. The platform offers a breadth and depth of critical data points not available from any other service provider and in a completely self-service and automated tool. The platform provides continuous, non-intrusive monitoring for any organization including third and fourth parties. Security posture is assessed and measured non-intrusively across a broad range of risk categories such as Application Security, Malware, Patching Cadence, Network Security, Hacker Chatter, Social Engineering and Passwords Exposed. Media Contact: North 6th Agency, Inc. 212-334-9753, [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-financial-industry-highly-susceptible-to-data-breaches-300307516.html SOURCE SecurityScorecard [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Russell Reynolds Associates Hires Edward Batchelor to Strengthen Its Consumer and Technology Practices Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global executive search firm, today announced that Edward Batchelor has joined the firm as a member of its Consumer and Technology Practices, and as a leader in the Hardware and Electronics team. He is Hogan certified and will work closely with the firm's Leadership and Succession Practice, taking part in the assessment of senior executives across leading organizations. He is based in Dallas and Austin. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005203/en/ Edward Batchelor, Russell Reynolds Associates (Photo: Business Wire) "Edward brings extensive experience to our Technology and Consumers Practices, having worked closely with digital leaders, as well as CEOs, bard members, and senior executives during his career. He is uniquely familiar with the challenges of digital disruption facing today's global executives, and his expertise will help us continue to bring tremendous value to our client organizations," said Mark Adams, leader of Russell Reynolds Associates' operations in the United States. With more than two decades of experience living and working in the United States, Australia, Venezuela, India, China and the United Kingdom, Edward has a successful track record of counseling global companies, and a strong network of top executive talent. Prior to joining the firm, Edward spent six years in Sydney and Dallas as an executive search consultant and principal. During that time, he focused primarily on technology and consumer organizations and conducted executive and board searches along with international executive assessments. Prior to that, Edward was Global Head of Digital & E-Business at Humana Inc. He also served as Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Pacer International in Dublin. Earlier, Edward held a number of international executive roles at Dell (News - Alert) Inc., including Executive Director of Sales in Xiamen, China, and executive-level marketing, e-business and services roles in Austin and New Delhi. Ed holds a B.A. in business communications from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. About Russell Reynolds Associates Russell Reynolds Associates is a global leader in assessment, recruitment and succession planning for boards of directors, chief executive officers and key roles within the C-suite. With more than 370 consultants in 46 offices around the world, we work closely with public, private and nonprofit organizations across all industries and regions. We help our clients build teams of transformational leaders who can meet today's challenges and anticipate the digital, economic, environmental and political trends that are reshaping the global business environment. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005203/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Q2 2016 Firmly Establishes Ransomware as a Mature Business Model for Malicious Actors PhishMe Inc., a leading provider of human phishing defense solutions, has revealed that the second quarter of 2016 saw ransomware firmly establish itself as a mature business model, with the threat showing no outward signs of diminishing. Encryption ransomware now accounts for 50 percent of all malware configurations, meaning that it is no longer considered simply a means for making a quick profit, but a permanent fixture on the threat landscape. Published today, PhishMe's Q2 2016 Malware Review identified three key trends previously recorded earlier in the year, but now firmly established: Encryption ransomware: Given the tenacity and frequency of ransomware phishing attacks, it appears cybercriminals now consider this a tried and trusted business model Given the tenacity and frequency of ransomware phishing attacks, it appears cybercriminals now consider this a tried and trusted business model Rise in evasion techniques: PhishMe encountered an increase in the number and volume of malware deployments incorporating simple evasion techniques to circumvent protection by security solutions PhishMe encountered an increase in the number and volume of malware deployments incorporating simple evasion techniques to circumvent protection by security solutions Simple attacks still pack a punch: Numerous deployments of malware were recorded with less sophisticated actors who still wield robust feature sets In March of 2016, PhishMe malware analysis noted a strong diversification of ransomware strains and were responsible for 93 percent of all malware payloads delivered that month. The Q2 malware research shows that ransomware has begun consolidation in May and June as Cerber encryption ransomware and Locky strongly dominated in the ransomware scene. The research behind this ransomware evolution strongly supports the notion that ransomware has effectively become a major business model for threat actors, seeking the most advantageous and cost-effective means for generating sustainable profits. "Barely a year ago, ransomware was a concerning trend on the rise. Now, ransomware is a fully established business model and a reliable profit engine for cybercriminals, as threat actors involved treat it as a legitimate industry by selling information, tools and resources to peers based all around the world," explained Roht Belani, CEO & Co-Founder, PhishMe. "Empowering the human element to detect and report these campaigns needs to be a top priority for organizations if they are to protect themselves from a threat that is here for the long term." The report also unveils findings on the usage of steganographic and ciphers in malware delivery, an increasingly popular anti-analysis technique designed to bypass security solutions and the efforts of security researchers. Using a common steganographic technique, threat actors are able to hide the Cerber executable of a Cerber malware payload within a seemingly harmless image file - sneaking past layers of security technologies to make its way into the target victim's inbox. The report provides further examples on how the executables are embedded and what to look for when conducting a deep ransomware analysis. Additionally, the Q2 2016 Malware Review also sheds light on remote access Trojan utilities, which have garnered significant attention recently due to their purported use in the high profile intrusion and apparent theft of data from the Democratic National Committee. While details regarding the attack are still private, deployment of remote access Trojans via phishing email is a frequent occurrence. The risks associated with these less-sophisticated, yet feature-packed malware utilities have been underscored through frequent use by advanced actors. To download a full copy of the Q2 2016 Malware Review, click here. Connect with PhishMe Online Follow PhishMe on Twitter (News - Alert): https://twitter.com/phishme Follow PhishMe's Blog: http://phishme.com/blog/ Follow PhishMe on LinkedIn (News - Alert): https://www.linkedin.com/company/phishme-inc- About PhishMe PhishMe is the leading provider of human-focused phishing defense solutions for organizations concerned about their susceptibility to today's top attack vector - spear phishing. PhishMe's intelligence-driven platform turns employees into an active line of defense by enabling them to identify, report, and mitigate spear phishing, malware, and drive-by threats. Our open approach ensures that PhishMe integrates easily into the security technology stack, demonstrating measurable results to help inform an organization's security decision making process. PhishMe's customers include the defense industrial base, energy, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing industries, as well as other Global 1000 entities that understand changing user security behavior will improve security, aid incident response, and reduce the risk of compromise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005576/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] IBM Announces New Security Testing Group: "X-Force Red" ARMONK, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM Security (NYSE: IBM) today announced the formation of IBM X-Force Red, a group of security professionals and ethical hackers whose goal is to help businesses discover vulnerabilities in their computer networks, hardware, and software applications before cybercriminals do. The team, part of IBM Security Services, will also examine human security vulnerabilities in daily processes and procedures that attackers often use to circumvent security controls. The new team will be led by IBM's Charles Henderson, a world-renowned penetration testing expert. IBM X-Force Red is a global team with a network of hundreds of security professionals based in dozens of locations around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. The security testing professionals of IBM X-Force Red bring expertise from across multiple industries like healthcare, financial services, retail, manufacturing and the public sector. Collectively, they have conducted security tests for the world's largest brands and governments including penetration testing, ethical hacking, social engineering, and physical security testing. IBM X-Force Red shares security intelligence with IBM X-Force Research, IBM X-Force Exchange threat sharing platform, and IBM Security AppScan, while providing an additional layer of security testing through human creativity, insights, and experience. Malicious attacks against corporate assets are on the rise, with 64 percent more security incidents reported in 2015 than in 2014.1 As new solutions are brought online, security is often an afterthought. or example, an IBM study found that 33 percent of companies do not test mobile applications for security vulnerabilities.2 Attackers looking for the next zero-day exploit constantly scrutinize existing technologies; these technologies require periodic security testing to maintain their integrity. "Having a machine scan your servers and source code is a great step to help prevent data breaches, but the human element of security testing cannot be overlooked," said Charles Henderson, Global Head of Security Testing and X-Force Red, IBM Security. "Elite human testers can learn how an environment works and create unique attacks using techniques even more sophisticated than what the criminals have. IBM X-Force Red gives organizations the freedom to stay agile without creating blind spots in their security posture." IBM X-Force Red's four focus areas are: Application Penetration testing and source code review to identify security vulnerabilities in web, mobile, terminal, mainframe, and middleware platforms Network Penetration testing of internal, external, wireless, and other radio frequencies Hardware Verifying the security between the digital and physical realms by testing Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices, point-of-sale (PoS) systems, ATMs, automotive systems, and self-checkout kiosks Human Performing simulations of phishing campaigns, social engineering, ransomware, and physical security violations to determine risks of human behavior IBM X-Force Red provides security testing services in three models: individual projects, subscription-based testing, and managed testing programs. The subscription model offers significant budget flexibility by pre-allocating testing funds without defining specific testing targets or even test types. Managed testing programs are ideal for organizations without the security staff to determine testing priorities, document remediation requirements, and enforce policies. All of the models include vulnerability analytics designed to improve the efficiency and impact of security testing programs. This nimble approach gives companies increased elasticity of security spend and powerful testing on demand, including vulnerability assessment and management for the full lifecycle of application and network deployments. About IBM Security IBM Security offers one of the most advanced and integrated portfolios of enterprise security products and services. The portfolio, supported by world-renowned IBM X-Force research, enables organizations to effectively manage risk and defend against emerging threats. IBM operates one of the world's broadest security research, development and delivery organizations, monitors 35 billion security events per day in more than 130 countries, and holds more than 3,000 security patents. For more information, please visit www.ibm.com/security, follow @IBMSecurity on Twitter or visit the IBM Security Intelligence blog. 1. X-Force IBM Cyber Security Intelligence Index, April 2016 2. The State of Mobile Application Insecurity, March 2015 CONTACT: Dillon Townsel, 512-571-3455, [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394686LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-announces-new-security-testing-group-x-force-red-300307159.html SOURCE IBM [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] Most Powerful Quantum Optimization Processor Worldwide Now Online at USC ISI Following a recent upgrade, the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computing Center (QCC) based at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI (News - Alert)) with 1098 qubits, is now the leader in qubit capacity. With this upgrade from the 512-qubit D-Wave Two system, the D-Wave 2X (News - Alert) processor is enabling QCC researchers to continue their efforts to close the gap between academic research in quantum computation and real-world critical problems. The new processor will be used to study how and whether quantum effects can speed up the solution of tough optimization, machine learning and sampling problems. Machine learning algorithms are widely used in artificial intelligence tasks. "Our QCC researchers have been studying and elucidating the capabilities of the D-Wave quantum annealing processors since 2011, starting with the first commercially released model, and we are fortunate to be able to continue this cutting edge work with this new, third-generation model," said Daniel Lidar, the Scientific Director of the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum (News - Alert) Computing Center. "Our primary goal will be to seek an unambiguous demonstration of a quantum enhancement over classical computers, an elusive goal that may, perhaps, finally be within reac," Lidar added. The USC-Lockheed D-Wave Quantum Computing Center is hosted at the USC Information Sciences Institute at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. The USC-Lockheed Martin (News - Alert) QCC hosts one of two D-Wave systems that currently operate outside of D-Wave's headquarters. The other system, owned by Google, is hosted at NASA's Ames Research Center. A third is being installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "Research advances and new insights from the quantum computing research group at ISI have, over the past few years, re-shaped the national conversation about quantum computing. This significant new upgrade provides an even more powerful platform for the group to push the boundaries of quantum computing," said Prem Natarajan, the Michael Keston Executive Director of the USC Information Sciences Institute. "Quantum computing has the potential to solve complex engineering problems that classical computers cannot efficiently solve," said Greg Tallant, Lockheed Martin fellow and lead for the University of Southern California-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computation Center. "This emerging technology is expected to achieve things like rapidly debugging millions of lines of software code and solving hard computational problems in the aerospace industry. At its fullest capability, quantum computing could advance the way we solve critical issues and plan for future generations." The QCC researchers expect that with continued development, the D-Wave 2X system will enable breakthrough results in quantum optimization. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ About USC Viterbi School of Engineering Engineering Studies began at the University of Southern California in 1905. Nearly a century later, the Viterbi School of Engineering received a naming gift in 2004 from alumnus Andrew J. Viterbi, inventor of the Viterbi algorithm now key to cell phone technology and numerous data applications. One of the school's guiding principles is engineering +, a coined termed by current Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, to use the power of engineering to address the world's greatest challenges. USC Viterbi is ranked among the top graduate programs in the world and enrolls more than 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students taught by 185 tenured and tenure-track faculty, with 73 endowed chairs and professorships. http://viterbi.usc.edu/ View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006190/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 02, 2016] John McAfee and Eijah to Present at DEF CON 24 HARRISON, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) today announced that representatives of its management team will be presenting at DEF CON 24 in Las Vegas on Thursday, August 4 - 7, 2016. MGT Capital will also celebrate the release of Demonsaw 3.0 on Friday, August 5th, 2016. "DEF CON is the premier hacker convention in the world. Once every year the greatest hacking, programming, and maker minds come together for four days of camaraderie, competition, and an open willingness to share information. All ages attend DEF CON, bringing together a unique and timeless blend of creativity, curiosity and free and open dialogue about the subjects that matter most to us. There is no judgment, and very few rules. It is within these walls that issues like privacy, warrantless wiretapping, personal liberties, and freedom of digital expression are discussed. Some of the greatest minds living today will wander the halls of this convention, some dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and others in business casual. But make no mistake, we are all here to learn," stated Eric "Eijah" Anderson, founder of Demonsaw and proposed Chief Technology Officer of MGT Capital. "MGT represents the future of cyber-security as much as the DEF CON audience. We are taking the lead and are forever in the debt of the staff, volunteers, and "Goons" at DEF CON for uniting such an incredible group of thinkers and tinkerers. We invite you all to an exclusive Demonsaw 3.0 event that will welcome the best and brightest of the DEF CON community to an evening of celebration," concluded Eijah. To register for Eric "Eijah" Anderson's Thursday workshops, DEF CON participants should arrive at the 3rd floor of the Bally's Jubilee Tower to register on site. Workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Las Vegas Ballrooms 1-7. For further details and to register for the Demonsaw 3.0 celebration, attendees can visit: https://demonsaw.splashthat.com/ In its24th year, DEF CON is one of the world's largest annual hacker conventions. Attendees include anyone with a general interest in software, computer architecture, phone phreaking, hardware modification, and anything else that can be "cracked." DEF CON consists of several tracks of well-known hackers speakers about computer and cracking-related subjects, as well as social events and contests. This year's event is being hosted at the Paris & Bally's in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are available at the door, and there is no pre-registration. About MGT Capital Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) is in the process of acquiring a diverse portfolio of cyber security technologies. With cyber security industry pioneer, John McAfee, at its helm, MGT Capital is positioned to address various cyber threats through advanced protection technologies for mobile and personal tech devices, including tablets and smart phones. The Company is currently in the process of acquiring D-Vasive, a provider of leading edge anti-spy software, and Demonsaw, a provider of a secure and anonymous file sharing software platform. MGT Capital intends to change its corporate name to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc." upon closing of the D-Vasive transaction. For more information on the Company, please visit http://ir.stockpr.com/mgtci. Forwardlooking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." MGT's financial and operational results reflected above should not be construed by any means as representative of the current or future value of its common stock. All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investor Contact Garth Russell Managing Director KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] 212.896.1250 Media Contact Tiffany Madison Director of Corporate Communications MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [email protected] 469.236.9569 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-mcafee-and-eijah-to-present-at-def-con-24-300307859.html SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Transformation: Its a word communications and networking companies use frequently these days. But typically these entities use the term to describe whats happening or what they wish to happen as they leverage new technologies to improve their businesses. But, in the process, infrastructure solutions providers are going through something of a transformation of their own, and it doesnt always follow a long-term, well-orchestrated plan. Just take a look at whats been happening at Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) Enterprise. Yesterday the company blogged that Manish Goel of its storage business and Bill Hilf of HP Cloud have left the company. Both men held the titles senior vice president and general manager. Goel has been replaced by Bill Philbin. Mark Interrante is now leading the cloud effort. HPE also is moving its Helion OpenStack and Helion CloudSystem businesses into a new Software-Defined & Cloud Group, which Ric Lewis will lead, within the Enterprise Group. Lewis was previously the senior vice president and general manager of converged data center infrastructure. These are only the most recent changes in leadership for HPEs cloud effort. Two years ago Marten Mickos was named head of HPEs cloud effort, following the companys Eucalyptus acquisition, but was replaced by Hilf within months, Fortune reported. Here are a few of the other recent changes at HPE: In late June, HPE announced plans to align its sales team into a single organization led by Peter Ryan. In May HPE spun off its enterprise services businesses into a new entity co-owned by CSC (News - Alert). Last year HPE was split off from its parent company HP. Some of the recent changes at HPE may have been prompted by the fact that Telefonica (News - Alert) recently dropped the company as the lead technology provider and systems integrator for its UNICA network virtualization program. Telefonica later named Ericsson as its partner. Telefonica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, with a significant presence in 21 countries and a customer base of 341 million. The decision to ditch HPE and start the process again, confirmed to Light Reading by the Spanish operator, shows just how hard it is going to be for large telecom operators to find partners that can fulfill their requirements and help build an open, non-proprietary next generation network, according to a Dec. 24 piece. Speaking of Ericsson (News - Alert), that company has been undergoing a few important changes as well. Ericsson earlier this summer announced plans for a new organizational structure and followed that with the news that its long-time President and CEO Hans Vestberg had left the company. According to IHS Technology, Ericsson is the leader in the telecommunications outsourcing services space, which was worth $69 billion in 2015 and is poised to reach $76 billion by 2020. Following Ericsson in this category are Huawei, HPE, IBM (News - Alert), and Nokia Networks. Edited by Stefania Viscusi Most folks would say that a salary of $100,000 for a full-time job is a pretty good gig. A six-figure salary for a part-time job is the stuff of fantasy. Except for the Illinois General Assembly, where the majority of members pull down more than $100,000 a year for what is a part-time job. For taxpayers the news gets worse. When other costs such as pension, mileage, per diem payments and insurance are figured in, taxpayers pay about $32 million a year on the 177 legislators, according to a new report by the Illinois Policy Institute. Illinois legislators are the highest paid in the Midwest and fifth-highest in the nation. It should be noted that this group of 177 legislators have combined to turn Illinois into the worst run state in the nation. Pay for performance isnt part of the formula. All legislators earn a base salary of $67,836. Thats high. Legislators in New Mexico, for example, dont receive a salary. But the fleecing of taxpayers doesnt stop there. Legislators can receive stipends of between $10,000 and $30,000 for holding leadership positions or serving on a committee. These assignments are handed out like candy: 67 percent of legislators receive some sort of stipend. The most popular appears to be either majority or minority spokesperson, which pays a little more than $10,000. Thats a pretty good sum for doing what legislators are supposed to do -- communicate with the public. Legislators receive even more. The health and dental costs of legislators are nearly $7,300 per legislator. Per diem payments for meetings and mileage reimbursements cost about another $7,700 per legislator. Then there are pension costs. Taxpayers pay nearly $15,000 per lawmaker for the pension benefits they accrue each year. Taxpayers also pay millions of dollars every year to keep the General Assembly Retirement System afloat, and its a lucrative system. Retired lawmakers receive 3 percent cost of living adjustments annually and can earn 85 percent of their final salary after 20 years of service. Legislators are eligible for retirement in their 50s. Thats one reason legislators fight so hard to maintain the status quo -- vehemently opposing efforts to fairly draw political maps or enact term limits and kowtowing to party leaders in order to keep their cushy, well-paid jobs. The four leaders -- House Speaker Michael Madigan and Minority Leader Jim Durkin, Senate President John Cullerton and Minority Leader Christine Radagno -- are the highest paid members of the legislature. Some local legislators are doing what they can to reduce costs. Reps. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, Reginald Phillips, R-Charleston and Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, dont participate in the General Assembly pension program. Phillips also doesnt participate in the insurance programs. Rep. Thomas Bennett, of Pontiac, doesnt participate in the insurance programs. Its clear to everyone that Illinois is in for several years of both expense cutting and tax increases. Not surprisingly, legislative salaries and benefits rarely get mentioned as part of the solution. Certainly, legislative salaries and benefits are a small part of the overall state budget problems. However, legislators could send a message of shared sacrifice if they looked at reducing the high salaries and benefits they receive for part-time work. -- JG-TC Editorial Board On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ... A number of people asking questions about state Sen. Bill Kintner's alleged use of his legislative computer to exchange sexually explicit videos with a woman wonder why it has taken a year to come to the public's attention. Some members of the Legislature and the governor's office have known about the senator's circumstances for a full year, beginning in July when Kintner reported to the State Patrol that his computer had been hacked. It has become public knowledge only in the past week, because the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission is meeting at the end of this week and may address possible violations related to this case. So why is the Accountability and Disclosure Commission, which generally deals with campaign finance reports and violations, involved? And why has it take since November, when the commission received the case, to possibly resolve it? A section of commission law says a public official may only use a government computer for business or to contact his or her child, a teacher, doctor, day care center, baby sitter or family member to inform them of an unexpected schedule change or for other essential personal business. People who violate that law commit a misdemeanor and are punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. The commission may also assess civil penalty of no more than $2,000. Frank Daley, Accountability and Disclosure executive director, said the agency can start an investigation with an outside formal complaint or a complaint by him or one of the commissioners. Daley cannot talk about specific investigations, but this particular case came to the commission via a State Patrol investigation ordered by Gov. Pete Ricketts that was forwarded to the state Attorney General's office, and then to the commission. Daley said when an investigation is approved by the commission, it notifies the person under investigation of the allegations, but it is otherwise confidential, unless the accused wants to make it public. The agency's attorney and possibly others in the agency, such as auditors, or law enforcement, or an outside investigator conduct the investigation. A report is then submitted to the nine commission members. Commissioners, who meet every six to eight weeks, then determine if there is probable cause a violation occurred. If there is probable cause, there is a hearing with the accused person with an appointed officer presiding. The hearing officer then submits findings of facts to commissioners, along with the hearing transcript, so they can determine if there has been a violation. For simple complaints, such as failure to file a campaign statement, the process can take two to three months, Daley said. More complex investigations can take more than a year, he said. The Kintner investigation discussion is not listed on Friday's commission meeting agenda, but there is a closed session and potential action late on the agenda. That is when the commission may act on the Kintner investigation. "If the commission finds that there is a violation and issues an order to that effect," Daley said, speaking generally, "then the entire thing becomes public." During an unexpected downpour Sunday at the Old Cheney Road Farmers Market, the new owner of the Grain Bin Bakery, Dawoud Isied, with his sense of humor intact, attempted to convince potential customers that his orange bread would keep them dry. Most shoppers smiled or laughed as they held out their hands for a sample. The bread has no sugar, preservatives or artificial flavors -- just the fruit -- and is made from Iowa-sourced, stone-ground winter wheat. It was popular. Its great; it tastes like oranges! said Connie Starck. She and her husband both tried samples of the bread, and as a bread baker herself, she said she can appreciate the quality of what she was tasting. It has good texture, says Connie, and I can still taste the orange. We also like his multigrain bread. Isied takes several varieties of yeast breads, rolls and challah (with or without seeds) to each market. This past week, his selections included the multigrain, honey wheat, Irish soda, challah, sunflower, honey white dinner rolls, almond honey and orange bread. Last fall, Isied went to the then-closed Grain Bin, 5591 S. 48th St., to see about buying the bakery equipment for one of his other family businesses -- buying and selling used equipment. He was struck, though, when he saw the fine condition of the equipment, that he wouldnt need anything else to open the bakery himself. He then researched the history of the Grain Bin Bakery and realized it had been in Lincoln since 1991. Its part of Lincolns history, its heritage, Isied said, who kept the bakery's name. My vision here is to bake fresh, healthy, nutritious bread that everyone can afford. What we dont sell the day its baked, we put on the discount shelf and sell buy one, get one free. That shelf has been empty the last several weeks, though. Weve been selling out. On those rare weeks when there is any bread left on the discount shelf, Isied donates the bread to the Food Bank of Lincoln or to local public schools. Hes happy to donate it anywhere theres a need because ultimately, he just wants to make sure someone eats the bread. Someone or something, that is. Isied partners with Angela Kubalek, and they raise 50 free-range hogs on 10 acres near Raymond. They grow crops for the hogs, including radishes and other root vegetables, and the land is part wooded, part fields and crops. The hog project is an experiment where Isied and Kubalek are attempting to find a model where family farmers can still make money while raising healthy animals in a sustainable way. Nothing at the bakery goes to waste -- not egg shells, heels of bread, scraps of muffins and rolls or bits of fruit that didnt get used in the baking process. Theres a plastic-lined garbage can at the Grain Bin, and on Sundays, Isied takes the contents to his hogs on the farm. He bought the bakery last December, reworked recipes, hired five other bakers, and re-opened the doors in February. I have the best team ever, says Isied. Theyre creative people and really smart, and we all like to make what our customers want. Thatll include cakes and other pastries eventually. Right now, theyre focusing on the bread-baking side of the business. Isied takes fresh bread to three local farmers markets (Wednesdays University Place market at 48th & Leighton in the old HyVee parking lot, Thursdays Fallbrook market, and Sundays Old Cheney Road farmers market) and one in Ashland on Saturdays. Other market vendors appreciate Isieds breads, too. Krista Dittman, who runs Branched Oak Farm with her husband Doug, and who also own the new Hub Cafe, bought a loaf of orange bread to use for samples of Quark, her whole-milk cheese. I had an event this week and made honey-infused Quark, says Dittman. The orange bread is a perfect flavor complement for the cheese. Pam and Jim Anderson buy a loaf of challah and maybe a loaf of raisin, apple almond, olive, or blueberry bread each week, too. And they also stop by the Grain Bin to pick up a loaf or two of bread during the week. I love the challah sliced, toasted and spread with avocado or maybe topped with some pickled red onions, says Pam. Its fresh and delicious. Because there are no preservatives, we do sometimes have to freeze the bread. But the lack of preservatives is also why we like it so much. A Lincoln judge sentenced a former Amherst Village Board chairman to prison for 20 to 22 years on Tuesday for trying to meet an underage girl for sex in November. In May, Steven Klingelhoefer, 56, pleaded guilty to enticement by electronic communication device and to possession of child pornography as part of an agreement with prosecutors. In an affidavit for his Nov. 20 arrest, police said they jailed Klingelhoefer after he arrived where he had arranged to meet a 15-year-old girl for a sexual encounter. He resigned from the Village Board on Nov. 24. The person he was exchanging emails and text messages with for three days was actually an undercover officer working for the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. On Tuesday, Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong sentenced Klingelhoefer to prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender and be subject to possible civil commitment when he's released. A 35-year-old Valparaiso man is accused of groping a girl beneath her underwear several times between January 2014 and March 2016, according to a criminal complaint. David Hibler Jr. was charged Monday in Lancaster County Court with first-degree sexual assault of a child, third-degree sexual assault of a child and another felony in connection to the reported abuse. In court documents, Lincoln police said the girl disclosed the abuse to a staff member at school in March, according to court documents. The alleged assaults happened at a home in Lincoln, according to the documents. Hibler arranged to turn himself in at the Lancaster County jail Monday. In court later that day, Judge Laurie Yardley set his bond at $250,000 and ordered him not to contact the girl or anyone 16 or younger. Hibler posted bail and was released. His attorney, Steven Lefler of Omaha, declined to comment on the allegations Tuesday, saying he hadn't reviewed the police reports yet. A Chicago pair believed to have been involved in distraction thefts at jewelry stores across the country now are serving time for crimes in Lincoln in 2013. Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen sentenced Catrell Weekly, 49, last week to a year in jail for theft by shoplifting. He pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced Mellie Weekly, 51, to four to eight years in prison in May for unauthorized use of a financial transaction device for more than $1,500. She pleaded no contest. In an affidavit for their arrests, a Lincoln police officer said the pair are believed to be part of a group from the Chicago area responsible for a jewelry theft, two pickpockets and several credit card frauds in Lincoln over three days in August 2013. Two women reported a combined total of $2,142 in unauthorized charges on their credit cards after one's purse and the other's wallet were stolen at a sandwich shop on North 66th Street on Aug. 21, 2013, and a Piedmont Village coffee shop on Aug. 22, 2013. A day later, the manager of Elder Jewelry at 3110 O St. reported the theft of 12 pairs of diamond earrings valued at a total of $33,600. The manager said the woman distracted the salesperson while the man with her reached over the counter and took an entire tray of earrings and concealed them before they left without buying anything. All of the crimes were caught on video. The officer said the same pair was on video in Denver, where they got away with $62,450 in diamond rings, and in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where they took a $3,000 ring. In March 2014, they were arrested on warrants in Los Angeles. Members of the Branched Oak Yacht Club will take to their boats for 24 hours on Saturday to raise money for volunteer fire departments serving the area. The Malcolm Volunteer Fire Department and Raymond Fire and Rescue will use the funds to buy equipment used during calls to water and outdoor activities emergencies. The $5,000 goal will go toward items like ice-rescue dry suits, epi pens and a truck-mounted defibrillator. Past purchases include inflatable life vests, floating backboards and a portable defibrillator. The boat-a-thon begins at 9 a.m. Boaters will spend the day and night on the lake and not touch land again until Sunday morning, except for necessities and to restock supplies. Donate at gofundme.com/2g4tcf8 or get more information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BranchedOakYachtClub On a day Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visited Omaha, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry steered discussion at a Lincoln town hall away from presidential politics. The representative for the 1st District, which includes Lincoln and much of eastern Nebraska, told a crowd of about 100 at Lincoln Southwest High School his hourlong town hall would focus on policy and ideas. Fortenberry addressed concerns about the nation's mounting $19 trillion debt and the viability of Social Security and Medicare and how government should tackle it. "Just cutting spending is just not going to get us there," the six-term representative said. Instead, the federal government needs to spend smartly, abandon outdated policies and simplify the tax code, he said. Dealing with the national debt is a short-term and long-term imperative, he said. "If we don't deal with it forthright, it will be dealt to us," he said. Though one woman expressed concern about the future of Social Security for younger generations, Fortenberry said Medicare continues to present a more looming challenge as Baby Boomers retire and older generations continue to live longer because of advancements in medical care. One potential solution is a broader reframing of policy, said Fortenberry. "What if we thought of health and security in retirement as one basket?" he asked. Individuals could carry insurance for catastrophic medical coverage and also have a health savings account that could build over time and become a supplemental health and retirement account, he said. Health care costs need to be addressed, Fortenberry said. And part of the solution may be reducing misallocated health care spending on tests and drugs not needed, which Fortenberry pegged at $125 billion. "For years we've been conditioned to paying the deductible," he said. Federal spending should continue to fund research to cure diseases, which Fortenberry said is a bipartisan viewpoint in Washington. Still, several in the crowd pointed out Congress' single-digit approval rating. One man raised concern about gridlock in Congress and asked whether Fortenberry believed having an outside body write new procedural rules could improve lawmakers' ability to do their job. Though Fortenberry said there has been talk of changing committee structures, he noted that the parliamentary rules used in Congress protect the minority. "The House of Representatives should not be locked down by the decided play of a few in leadership," Fortenberry said. Rules aside, Congress, like America, is deeply divided, he said. "We're a reflection of what is in the country," Fortenberry said. A man in the crowd held a sign asking Fortenberry why he supports Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for president. He said he wouldn't answer the question and pivoted to remarks on policy. Fortenberry has promised to support his party's nominee, although he previously admitted Trump wouldn't have been his first choice. Fortenberry will appear at four more town halls with stops in Fremont and Blair on Tuesday and Columbus and Norfolk on Wednesday. He faces Daniel Wik of Norfolk in the November general election. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Lincoln for a speech outside the new State Capitol as he campaigned for a second term. Monday, Hillary Clinton stopped in Omaha for a speech at Omaha North High School, the first Democrat to campaign in Nebraska during a general election since Roosevelt made two trips to the state 80 years ago. Roosevelt came to Nebraska not just to try to win the states seven electoral votes --- that was almost a foregone conclusion as Kansas Gov. Alf Landon managed to win only two states, Maine and Vermont that year. Roosevelt largely came to support the re-election efforts of Sen. George Norris, who had just switched from Republican to Independent. Similarly, Clinton likely didnt make her Omaha appearance just to try to win the electoral vote from the 2nd Congressional District. Iowa, one of 11 swing states in the 2016 presidential contest, is just across the river from Omaha. So resources spent there from the candidates appearance to staff and advertising will impact western sections of Iowa, which has six electoral votes. But Clintons campaign stop wouldnt have happened at all if the nonpartisan Republican Legislature had been successful in its attempt to repeal the state law that divides electoral votes by congressional district. The repeal effort failed when supporters came one vote short of freeing it from a filibuster during the 2016 legislative session. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states to depart from the winner-takes-all formula for distributing electoral votes. Nebraska made the change in 1991. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democrat to take an electoral vote since Lyndon Johnson won the state in 1964, the only time the division has come into play in either state. Now Clinton and her team believe she can win the Omaha-dominated district. She also has a strong chance of winning Lincoln. But the states congressional districts have been crafted -- by the Legislature -- to prevent Lincoln from dominating the 1st Congressional District, nearly guaranteeing a Republican victory, regardless of the candidate. So she and her campaign have brought the election to Nebraska -- something that wouldnt happen without the split electoral vote. Note that Clinton will likely not be seen in Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and North Dakota, reliable red states, between now and November. Clintons campaigning could also bring an appearance by Donald Trump, or more likely Mike Pence later in the fall. Bringing the candidates and campaigns to the state can only be positive, regardless of the outcome of the election. And it will only happen again if the Nebraska continues to split its electoral vote. So, despite the partisan temptation to try to push the single vote back into the GOP column, efforts to repeal the split should continue to be resisted anytime theyre proposed. Two articles in the Journal Star demonstrate the extent to which some Nebraskans fail in their citizenship. First was LIBA criticizing LPS for not focusing on tax relief ("LIBA criticizes ed board for lack of tax relief in proposed budget," July 27). Gov. Pete Ricketts via his employees at the Platte Institute similarly demanded transferring taxes from himself to us working stiffs ("Taxpayers must unite to achieve tax relief," July 26). LIBAs Wanda Caffrey complains that LPS costs have increased by 25 percent over the past five years. This includes both raises and the need for more teachers because of more students. The governor wants to increase sales taxes for us so he can pay less income and real estate taxes. As the article states, when you combine all the LPS teachers together there is only $7.8 million in salary increases. In comparison, Roger Ailes was just given $60 million in a separation agreement after allegations of sexually harassing women at Fox News. I propose that the governor, his employees at the Platte Institute and all members of LIBA review their income for the past five years. They can contribute all pay increases over 5 percent to the city to be refunded to the citizens as tax relief. This solution gives raises to Lincolns business leaders larger than our teachers. It gives Lincolns tax payers tax relief. It allows LPS to focus on its real job, education. Barrie Marchant, Lincoln OMAHA -- Hillary Clinton brought her presidential campaign to red state Nebraska on Monday, focusing like a laser on metropolitan Omaha's 2nd Congressional District presidential electoral vote. Clinton targeted economic growth that will create new jobs and increase income for middle-class Americans, pointing especially to the need for infrastructure construction and repair. Nebraska, she said, would benefit from investment in clean energy and expansion of broadband into unserved rural areas. "The economy is not working the way it should for everyone," Clinton said, recreating some of the message she delivered to the Democratic National Convention last week when she formally accepted her party's presidential nomination. Clinton's appearance attracted several thousand supporters to a raucous rally in the gym at Omaha North High School, which was decked out in red, white and blue. Joining her at the podium was iconic Omaha investor Warren Buffett, who took on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, billionaire to billionaire. Challenging Trump to release his income tax documents, Buffett said: "You're only afraid if you have something to be afraid of." Staring at the audience, Buffett said, "he's afraid because of you." Referring to Trump's recent criticism of the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier who was killed in Iraq after the father had chastised Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, Buffett invoked the rebuke aimed at the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy by Boston attorney Joseph Welch in 1954. "I ask Donald Trump: Have you no sense of decency, sir?" Buffett scoffed at Trump's suggestion that he too has made sacrifices in accumulating his wealth. "I have made money," Buffett said. "I have made no sacrifices." Nebraska's distinctive system of awarding three of its five electoral votes to the presidential winner in each of the state's congressional districts was the lure that attracted Clinton to Omaha on a day when she also would campaign in Virginia and Colorado, both of them battleground states. President Barack Obama won the Omaha district electoral vote in 2008. If she wins the congressional district this time with a high voter turnout and is elected president in November, Clinton said, she'll return to dance in the streets of Omaha with Buffett. During an interview inside the gym prior to Clinton's arrival, the campaign's national political director, Amanda Renteria, said the campaign is targeting the diversity of the 2nd District, which contains large Latino and African-American populations. Labor, youth and women also are important components of Clinton's support, she said. "All groups are important, but there are key demographics," Renteria said. "Our strategy leaves no one off the table." Trump, she said, "has energized the Latino community for generations" with his sharp words about immigration and immigrants. The campaign is focusing on "the job message" with proposals for the largest job creation program since World War II, Renteria said, including an early emphasis on infrastructure construction and repair. In Nebraska, Renteria said, 2,700 bridges need repair and 25 percent of the population does not have access to broadband service. Former Sen. Ben Nelson praised Clinton in brief remarks prior to her appearance. "I know she has the skills, the experience, the empathy and the decency to be the next president," Nelson said. A Johnson County judge sentenced an Omaha woman Monday to three years of probation and 30 hours of community service for illegally providing cellphones to inmates while working as a guard at the state prison in Tecumseh. Kiahna Arquilla, 22, pleaded guilty to unlawful acts by a corrections employee, a felony. In exchange, Johnson County Attorney Rick Smith dropped two other counts against her in June. In court records, Nebraska State Patrol investigator Neal Trantham wrote that Arquilla had worked as a corrections officer at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution from September 2014 until March 2015, when she was fired. In an affidavit for her arrest, Trantham said the prison got information on March 10, 2015, that a staff member named Kiahna was smuggling cellphones and synthetic marijuana into the prison. A week later, Arquilla was pat-searched as she entered the prison and caught with a cellphone battery charger pack on her key chain, Trantham said. An investigation turned up four phones and a charger in two cells and a trash can just outside a housing unit, but investigators think a fifth phone smuggled in by Arquilla was flushed before a search, he said. Cellphone records contained references to two $400 wire transfers and other incriminating statements, court records said. District Judge Daniel Bryan Jr. sentenced Arquilla on Monday. A sixth person has died as a result of a Sunday crash on Interstate 80 in Keith County. The Jefferson County Colorado Coroners Office notified the Nebraska State Patrol Tuesday that Terry Sullivan, 56, of Denver had been declared dead on Monday but was on life support so his organs could be donated. Sullivan was driving a 1994 Plymouth Voyager minivan that was among five vehicles involved in the crash that happened just before 11:30 a.m. (MDT) on westbound I-80 four miles west of Brule, patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said. He was taken to Ogallala Community Hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to St. Anthony Hospital in Denver. The crash also claimed the lives of five members of a Minnesota family. Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both 29, were headed to Colorado with their children Ezra, 3, Violet, almost 2, and Calvin, 2 months. All five died at the scene. The parents were going to learn about being missionaries in Colorado and hoped to serve in Japan. Troopers investigating the crash said the family's van was rear-ended by a semi driven by Tony A. Weekly of Baker, Florida. The minivan was pushed into three other vehicles, and the semi and the van then caught fire. Keith County Attorney Randy Fair charged Weekly, 53, with five counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count reckless driving on Tuesday morning. On Monday, a judge ordered Weekly held on $1 million bond, and he remained in jail Tuesday. Investigators believe Weekly was "inattentive and distracted by outside influences" and had been traveling at a high rate of speed in the construction zone prior to the crash, according to an affidavit for his arrest. The investigator doesn't specify in the affidavit what the outside influences were. Five people in addition to the Pals family and Sullivan were injured in the accident. Dear Doctor K: I have hypertension and am on treatment. When my doctor checks the pressure, he says I'm doing "OK." Should I be monitoring my blood pressure at home? Dear Reader: You should definitely talk to your doctor about that. Home blood pressure monitors are easy and inexpensive, and provide you and your doctor with the information you need to protect your health. About one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, or hypertension. And about half of those with high blood pressure don't have it under control. Hypertension increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. In my opinion, hypertension is one of the most important public health problems in the United States, as it affects so many people. Recognizing and treating it brings enormous health benefits. You always have a blood pressure, every minute of the night and day, and it can change a lot from one moment to the next. What matters most to your health is where your blood pressure is on average. Before we had home blood pressure monitoring machines, the way a doctor determined if your blood pressure was controlled was to have you make a trip to his or her office. If you think about it, that's pretty silly. The doctor is supposed to estimate what your average blood pressure is all day and all night based on one visit to the doctor's office every several months. Furthermore, many people get nervous when they visit the doctor -- yes, even my patients. So their blood pressure temporarily goes up, and is higher than it normally is. Home blood pressure machines make it easy to get a much better estimate of what your average blood pressure really is. In one study, researchers enrolled 450 people with hypertension. About half were given home blood pressure monitors that electronically sent their blood pressure readings to health professionals nearly every day. Based on these results, their medicines were adjusted and lifestyle changes were advised. The other half of the people in the study received usual care from their primary care providers. At every step of the way, people in the home monitoring group had more success getting their blood pressure under control. The benefits persisted six months after the program had ended. You can buy a good home blood pressure monitor for under $100. Look for: * an automatic monitor that doesn't require a stethoscope (it's easier to use); * a monitor that takes the blood pressure reading using a cuff that fits around the upper arm, not the wrist or finger; * a read-out large enough for you to see the numbers; -- a seal of approval from a trusted organization. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for help in calibrating your monitor and learning how to use it. Also ask how often you should check your blood pressure, and share the results of your readings with your doctor. Finally, remember that home monitoring is not a substitute for regular physician checkups. (This column is an update of one that ran originally in September 2013.) DOVER An Ellsworth Correctional Institution corrections officer has been fired after it was discovered that she allegedly had sexual relations with an inmate. Katherine Rekau, 47, of the 1400 block of 11th Avenue in Union Grove, had her employment terminated July 25, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. This comes amidst the allegations that Rekau had a two- to three-week relationship with an inmate at the facility, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Racine County Circuit Court. Rekau and the inmate reportedly had written letters to each other. One of the letters was discovered torn up in the inmates trashcan and reassembled, according to the complaint. Rekau also allegedly gave a phone to the inmate and had pictures of the inmate on her phone, according to Racine County sheriffs investigators. Rekau also allegedly wrote the phone number on one of the inmates work schedules for a cleaning crew supervised by Rekau, the complaint states. The two started their relations with kissing and then later escalated to sexual relations, the complaint states. Rekau faces three counts of second-degree sexual assault by a correctional staff member, according to court records. She will appear for a preliminary hearing Aug. 18. Eric Bedford receives Bergman Prize STONY BROOK, N.Y. Eric Bedford, son of Frances Bedford of Racine, was named a 2015 recipient of the Stefan Bergman Prize in Mathematics. A professor of mathematics at Stony Brook University in New York, Bedford is cited for his many fundamental contributions to Several Complex Variables, Pluripotential Theory and Complex Dynamics. His influence on the whole subject has been deep and wide ranging, according to the American Mathematical Society. The Bergman Prize honors the memory of Polish mathematician Stefan Bergman, best known for his research in several complex variables, as well as for the Bergman Projection and the Bergman Kernel Function. College of Nursing and Health Sciences announces scholarships EAU CLAIRE Alyssa Rossmiller and Courtney Wieners were among the more than 70 undergraduate and graduate students from The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to be awarded academic scholarships for 2016-17 school year. Solid academic records and strong commitment to various areas of nursing service were the criteria for many of the scholarships. Rossmiller of Burlington was awarded the Rodaynah Obaid Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship is for nursing students who exhibit high academic achievement and records of service and caring. This scholarship was established in memory of Rodaynah Obaid by her husband, Dr. Sal Obaid, an Eau Claire physician. Wieners, also of Burlington, received the Renee Foiles Nursing Scholarship for graduate and undergraduate nursing students. Foiles is a career-long nurse who is wishing to benefit nursing students. Coriann Dorgay receives scholarship DES MOINES, Iowa The Mercy College Scholarship Selection Committee has announced that Coriann Dorgay of Burlington, a student at Mercy College of Health Sciences, has received a $10,000 Presidential Scholarship for Academic Achievement for the 2016-17 academic year. Funded by an endowment established by the Mercy College Board of Directors, these scholarships are awarded to incoming students admitted to an academic program as a fulltime student with a transfer cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher or first-time college students with an ACT score of 30 or higher (within the last two years). There is no financial need requirement, only 10 scholarships will be awarded annually. Mian wins competitive internship in Community Health MADISON The Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers System has selected Ghazan Mian to receive a competitive summer internship in community health at the Medical College of Wisconsin and All Saints Family Care Center in Milwaukee County. The focus of this internship is prevalence of trauma in a primary care setting and its relationship to health care utilization. Students selected for the program are usually college juniors or seniors, first-year health professions graduate students or other graduate students with a strong interest in public health. The program is offered at county health department sites and other locations statewide. Students receive a modest stipend to cover their living expenses during the eight-week program. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must demonstrate a strong academic record and interest in a career path related to public health. Mian is currently studying biology at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Originally from Racine, Mian graduated from Indian Trail Academy in 2013. Hailely Bussan wins competitive internship in Community Health MADISON The Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers System has selected Hailely Bussan to receive a competitive summer internship in community health at the City of Racine, Health Department Laboratory in Racine County. The focus of this internship is assessment of recreational water quality for the protection of public health. Students selected for the program are usually college juniors or seniors, first year health professions graduate students or other graduate students with a strong interest in public health. The program is offered at county health department sites and other locations statewide. Students receive a modest stipend to cover their living expenses during the eight-week program. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must demonstrate a strong academic record and interest in a career path related to public health. Bussan is currently studying microbiolgoy and global health at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Originally from Waunakee, Bussan graduated from Waunakee High School in 2012. 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. Bangladeshi struggles with son's fatal fall into militancy He has seen the body, and authorities say the fingerprints match. But Towhid Rouf is having trouble believing that this skinny, bearded man killed with eight other suspected Islamist militants in a Bangladesh police raid could possibly be his smart, well-behaved son. BFIs told to keep close watch on bank lockers The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has asked the banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to keep a close eye on the bank lockers of the politically exposed persons (PEPs). Building bridges through art Pakistani artist Sana Nasir was recently in Kathmandu to design and conduct a community mural workshop. Carpet of shards Micro issues have superseded the outdated concept of the glass ceiling Concern for Nepali workers as Saudi economy sputters As India prepares to evacuate a large number of its citizens working in Saudi Arabia following massive layoffs, Nepali officials said they are closely monitoring the situation to the ascertain the possible impact of falling oil prices on the Nepali workers there. Distribution of housing aid halted in Gorkha as FY ends The Gorkha District Development Committee (DDC) has stopped depositing the first instalment of housing reconstruction aid to the earthquake survivors bank accounts, citing end of fiscal year and changed political situation. Dutch man waits 10 days in Chinese airport for online girlfriend You might expect love to hurt, but for one lovesick Dutch man in China it resulted in a hospital trip for exhaustion. Govt sits on Rs 22m fund as victims suffer The government has not released around Rs 22 million donation raised for the victims of 2014 landslide in Jure, Sindhupalchok Imago Mundi in Nepal Imago Mundi, an Italian arts initiative seeking to map contemporary artists around the world, was launched in Nepal at an event held at the Nepal Art Council on Monday. Migrant crisis: Germany warns Turkey against 'blackmailing EU' Europe must not let itself be blackmailed by Turkey in talks about visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in the EU, German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said. Ministries asked to submit programmes for approval The National Planning Commission (NPC) on Monday sent a second letter to the ministries which have not submitted their programmes for its approval. Ministry, NOC at odds over permit revocation The Supply Ministry and the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) are at loggerheads over scrapping of the permit extended to Nepali gas bottlers to acquire gas bullets. Shakya is the founder CEO of beed, an international management consulting and advisory firm. He is the author of Unleashing Nepal and Unleashing The Vajra. Taiwan's main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, April 15, 2015. [Photo/IC] How far will Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen go in her endeavors to estrange the island from the mainland? No one seems to be able to tell from what she has said. But everyone can see where her government is trying to lead the island when it comes to relations across the Taiwan Straits. What has happened since she took over the leadership of the island points to what her refusal to clarify her attitude on the 1992 Consensus portendstrying to do as much as she and her administration can toward a de facto "Taiwan independence". When 24 tourists from the mainland were killed in a bus fire in Taiwan on July 19, Tsai as leader of the island, which has benefitted greatly from a large number of tourists from across the Straits, did not say a word about the perished tourists. Instead, she said elegiac words about the Taiwan tourist guide who was also killed in the tragedy. On the question of Taiping Island, which the arbitral tribunal in The Hague absurdly ruled in July as not being an island but rocks, and on the disputes with Japan over fishing rights at Okinotorishima atoll, Tsai's ambiguity and prevarication not only betrays her true intention. It also points to her hidden motives to pursue her own political ambition at the cost of the interests of people on both sides of the Straits. In the latest move, the "National Museum of History" in Taipei announced last Tuesday that visitors from the mainland would not be allowed to use the documents and archives there. There is no telling whether Tsai and her government are behind the decision. But it is natural for people on the mainland to consider it as a sign of unfriendliness. Despite her prevarication on stating her stance toward the 1992 Consensus, it has become increasingly clear that her endeavor is to lead the island away from the motherland. She does not dare to talk about her pro-independence stance because she knows what she and her administration are trying to do about relations with the Chinese mainland is not in the interests of the island and its people. She also knows that the majority of people across the Straits will not accept her. Yet the dream of making "Taiwan independence" a fait accompli will never come true since it is not difficult for people to tell what Tsai's administration is attempting to do. More than 18,000 households face landslide threat As many as 18,287 households in 14 district most affected the earthquake last year are living under high landslide hazard risks, according to the findings of an assessment. Parliament set to vote to elect new PM tomorrow The Parliament Secretariat on Monday published the time table for the election of a new prime minister, which will be held on Wednesday. Pashupati, Lumbini, Janakpur slated for major dev Three key heritage sites in the countryPashupati, Lumbini and Janakpurhave been slated for major infrastructural development this fiscal year in a bid to pump up religious and cultural tourism after poor budget expenditure in the last fiscal year. Pharmaceutical companies under scanner With the arrest of an operator and officials of the Arya Pharmalab run by Sanghai Group, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police has started looking into possible misuse of the drugs by more pharmaceutical companies. PHSC pulls govt up over agreemo issue The Parliamentary Hearings Special Committee (PHSC) has instructed the Prime Ministers Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to forward the names of the ambassadorial nominees for the agreemo until the House panel completes the hearing of the proposed envoys. Scientists recycle carbon dioxide to create usable fuel Taking a cue from the mechanism that trees use to convert carbon dioxide into sugars, researchers have found a similar way to turn the gas produced by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and car engines into a usable energy source using sunlight. Suchitra To lead directors guild Suchitra Shrestha, who is lauded as the first woman director in Kollywood, has been elected the first woman president of the Film Directors Guild of Nepal. Supplies Secy, NOC MD trade charges at each other Ministry of Supplies Secretary Shreedhar Sapkota and NOC Managing Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka on Tuesday traded charges at each other over granting permission to bottlers to own gas bullets. Taskforce fails to resolve Tarai issue; top leaders to meet at 8am Wednesday A tripartite taskforce meeting held to discuss the demands raised by agitating Madhes-based parties remained inconclusive after it failed to find a common ground on federal state demarcation row. Tilathi incident due to India's failure to implement past agreement: Study team A team of technicians formed to study the Tilathi incident, where Nepalis and Indians clashed, has viewed that the incident occurred due to failure on India's part to implement a decision taken two years ago. UK court acquits Col Lama on one count of torture A British court on Monday acquitted Nepal Army Colonel Kumar Lama on one count, while the jury failed to arrive at consensus on the second count. US election: Donald Trump warns vote could be 'rigged' Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested that the November election could be "rigged". 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 No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results Actor Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, Rudy) will be in La Crosse tonight to highlight Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons economic plan, on which she gave a speech Monday in Omaha, Neb., with iconic investor Warren Buffett. Astin will join Hillary for Wisconsin supporters at organizing events across the state, stopping in Green Bay and Stevens Point before a visit at 6:45 p.m. to the La Crosse Coordinated Campaign Office at 117 Fifth Ave. S. Astin plans to thank volunteers for their hard work on behalf of Clinton and discuss her plan to invest in good-paying jobs. Deborah Bork of Independence and Treig Pronschinske of Mondovi will run against each other for the the Republican seat in the 92nd District Assembly primary Aug. 9. Bork, secretary of the Republican Party of Trempealeau County, and Pronschinske, mayor of Mondovi since 2014, share many of the same values and concerns and would like the chance to represent their districts. The primary winner will run against Democratic incumbent Chris Danou in November. Deborah Bork Debbie Bork, 66, is a retired registered nurse with 30 years of experience in hospice and home care. Bork has also served as the secretary of the Republican Party of Trempealeau County for the past five years. She is semi-retired from a position in life insurance and mutual funds. Though this is Borks first time running for political office, she considers her experience in healthcare an asset to her campaign. I have been in public service my whole life, Bork said. My whole career has been about helping people. Healthcare is an extremely important issue. Bork, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed last October, is passionate about encouraging women to take care of themselves. I flew through treatment and came out raring to go, Bork said. Bork is concerned about access to quality healthcare in rural Wisconsin, citing limited clinic hours and problematic roads hindering emergency response time. Many of the roads in rural Wisconsin arent very good, Bork said. Some people drive over an hour to get to a hospital thats open, and they dont always have an hour. Lets find creative ways to fund fixing these roads. If given the chance, Bork says she would support repealing Obamacare, citing high monthly payments and deductibles. Health insurance doesnt always have a lot to due with quality health care, she said. Many of the emergency medical technicians and firefighters in the Independence area are volunteers, and Bork would like to see them cared for through monetary or other incentives to keep quality people doing what theyre doing. Bork also considers elder care an important issue, saying the elderly are near and dear to her heart and in need of greater recognition, and feels strongly about allowing religion in school. This country was raised on Christian principles, Bork said. We welcome other religions but Im concerned about taking God out of school. Some schools are prohibiting nativity scenes and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bork is adamant about creating and protecting small businesses, calling the loss of two major small businesses in the area catastrophic. Additionally, Bork would like to encourage hard-working people. My parents worked hard and never expected anything, while some people expect something for nothing. Bork believes she is the best choice to take on Danou and is eager to enact change. Danous been in office eight years. Hes had time to do things, Bork said. We need new voices and fresh ideas in Madison. Treig Pronschinske Treig Pronschinske, 38, is a self-employed contractor of 11 years and has worked in the construction field for 20 years. He is serving his second term as mayor of Mondovi. Pronschinske is also an active volunteer in the Mondovi community, having served as a member of the Mondovi ambulance commission and as a veteran volunteer firefighter for the Mondovi Fire Department, as well as assisting with Junior Achievement and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Community involvement is essential to Pronschinske. I enjoy helping people, Pronschinske said. I can represent the people of our district and I deeply care about the future and quality of life. I am concerned about the future for our children. Pronschinske says safety is his biggest concern, and stresses the need to provide quality equipment and training for firefighters, police and EMTs, as well as rewarding them for their service. Our emergency services need to be top notch, Pronschinske said. There has been a shortage in these departments and I can and will bring some fresh ideas to Madison. Pronschinske also cites funding for rural schools and keeping control local as important issues, explaining that community members have a better understanding of their needs than representatives from Madison or Washington. I want to be a voice for the rural school districts to assure they have enough money to give the best education possible, he said. The school districts know what their needs are and should have the say of what goes on in their school. Pronschinske is concerned about rural roads and would like to look into raising gas tax, license fees or county or municipal gas taxes, but only if the money goes strictly to road funds. Borrowing money for road funding is not the answer. As a small business owner, Pronschinske supports other small businesses and farmers, and believes that welfare should be used as a crutch, not a free ride. Every able-bodied person should be put to work. I have worked in a profession that is very relateable to the majority of the district, Pronschinske said. The majority of the people are hardworking blue-collared workers who are proud of what they have accomplished. Pronschinske is confident he would be the superior challenger to Chris Danou, saying his record speaks for itself. For many farmers in the Coulee Region, the weather couldnt have been better for growing corn and soybeans. The commodity prices for the crops, not so much. It gets hard, Gene Baumgarten, a farmer near Tomah, said. You know you arent progressing any. Agriculture experts are predicting a bumper crop of corn with more than 94 million acres of the grain planted across the United States, up more than 6 million acres from 2015. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin are seeing near-record levels of acres planted to corn this year with a good chance for above average corn and soybean yields. But crop prices havent recovered much after dropping last year to $3.40 per bushel for corn and $8.50 per bushel for soybeans, according to the USDA, which resulted in losses for many farmers. With the costs of fertilizer, fuel and labor at $4 or more per bushel, Trempealeau County Extension Ag Agent Steve Okonek said many farmers will struggle for the second year in a row to see a return on their investments. Hopefully, farmers have been on top of their finances and can come out the other end of this, he said. The weather in the corn belt has just been perfect this year, Farmers Coop Elevator Grain Department Manager Greg Boldt said. His company serves farmers in Southeast Minnesota and said forecasts are projecting a glut of corn and beans this year, with more than 2 billion bushels of corn left over after demand, putting downward pressure on prices. Rain makes grain is an adage Boldt used to describe this years July, which he said was one of the wettest in more than a century. Yields could be up as much as 15 bushels per acre from the average due to the good weather, which has also helped the crop mature quickly. The corn crop is at a point where even an early frost wouldnt hurt us, Boldt said. This year has just been the perfect storm. Baumgarten said his farm, with its 350 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, is doing OK even though the prices he receives for his crops and the milk his dairy cows produce have dropped from the highs he saw in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Other neighbors, whose debt is more highly leveraged, arent doing as well. For us, were doing OK, he said. We had some of our crops contracted, which has been good for us. Dried grain can be stored up to several years, and Allied Cooperative Director of Grain David Rappa said he recommends Wisconsin farmers who havent marketed their crop yet to store it until the spring and take a look at prices again. He said knowing the cost of production can help farmers know what price they need to receive to break even, and with discipline and patience, farmers can usually find profitable market conditions. Farmers with high debt loads wont fare as well as those who paid things down and took advantage of the good years, Okonek said. For the most part, the agriculture economy is healthy as he said many farmers and bankers remember the lessons from the 1980s when too many farms with high debt contributed to the decades farm crisis. There are things farmers can do to weather the downturn and keep their debt-to-asset ratios at good levels, Okonek said. While equipment prices have dropped as well, farmers can sell the extra. Other farmers could give up or sell some of the extra land they have or find other ways to be more efficient. There is a lot of fine-tuning that can be done, Okonek said. If there is any slack, now is the time to take care of it. Viterbo Universitys Board of Trustees didnt have to look very far to find the campus next leader. Glena Temple, Viterbos vice president for academic affairs, will become the ninth president of Viterbo University, officials announced Tuesday morning. She will take over when Richard Artman retires Jan. 1. I am truly humbled and grateful for the support, she said during the announcement Tuesday morning. I am honored by the boards confidence in me. A search process was set up earlier this winter when Artman announced his retirement plans, said Kent Handel, Viterbo Board of Trustees chairman. As the committee spoke with members of the Viterbo community on what the university needs in its next president, he said members realized they already had the ideal candidate on campus. It was clear as we went through (the search) process, Handel said. Her name rose to the top at every meeting. Temple said she hopes to continue contributing to the universitys 2015 five-year strategic plan, which focuses on growing enrollment, providing internships for students and a renewed focus on the universitys heritage as a Catholic and Franciscan institution. We have to be very responsive to the marketplace, she said, while keeping college affordable and providing students with career opportunities. She has 15 years of experience at Viterbo, starting as a biology professor in 2001. She returned to the university last year after being named vice president for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies. Temple had left for a brief stint to serve as dean for online and distance education at the University of Wisconsin Colleges, a system of 13 campuses throughout Wisconsin. Her long history with the campus and good relationships with faculty and staff at Viterbo helped set her above other candidates, Handel said. Shes up to date and knows everything going on in this campus, he said. She is a terrific match for this university. Artman originally planned to retire at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Due to the board choosing an internal candidate, the transition has been sped up, with Artman saying much of work will involve introducing Temple to the La Crosse community and external stakeholders across the country. Rick and (his wife) Joan have touched many lives in the community during his time at Viterbo, Temple said, adding that the Artmans have been good mentors to her during her time at the university. During her time at Viterbo, Temple has served as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the School of Letters and Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in botany and plant sciences from the University of California, Riverside, a masters degree in education policy and administration from the University of Minnesota and a bachelors degree from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. As Madison police continue efforts to build trust and strengthen relationships with the citizens they serve, a new nonprofit started by one of the citys pioneers of community policing hopes to offer a powerful assist. The Madison Community Policing Foundation, created this spring by five retired Madison police officers led by former South Side Capt. Joe Balles, will support community policing events designed to build positive ties and increased understanding between police and residents. The whole idea behind community policing is officers working in partnership with the community in whatever way, shape or form that takes, Balles said. It could mean doing a bingo afternoon with a group of retirees and then having a discussion with them about ways to protect themselves from financial fraud. Its really unlimited. Programs receiving foundation support must be organized by current officers, including initiatives for youth, minorities and neighborhood issues throughout the city, said Balles, who retired in January after 32 years. Early on, at age 28, Balles was one of the citys first six neighborhood officers, engaged in street-level outreach and problem-solving with people of color, lower-income people and other South Side residents. Those populations continue to represent some of the communities that the department is challenged to serve, in an atmosphere of distrust fed locally and nationally in recent years in part by fatal police shootings, controversial arrests and continuing debate over appropriate levels of police use of force. Balles said he had those issues and tensions in mind when he contemplated creating the foundation, with fellow department retirees Shari Walter Twing, Jean Papalia, Pia Kinney James and Pete Schmidt, now all directors on its board. Respect for the rule of law and policing has been the backbone of our democracy for over 200 years, he said. As increasingly diverse as our community has become, its really important we grow and come together. I want to be there to help this current generation of officers in learning how to build community, Balles added. Whats really cool is that we still are recruiting some of the best and brightest to be Madison police officers. So far, the foundations support has included providing travel money to help youth in the departments Police Explorers Post attend a national conference and a $2,500 check to help the department offer a series of free outdoor movie nights in May. Police agencies outside Madison also can apply for money. Its really just networking, at a very grassroots level, Balles said. Were going out fundraising on behalf of the officers and these projects and helping with the projects. Body found in Winonas creek; no signs of foul play The body of a 60-year-old man, presumed to be from Winona, was recovered from Gilmore Creek in Winona Monday evening. A passerby notified Winona police at 8:36 p.m. that he saw what appeared to be a body in the water about 10 feet east of the Vila Street bridge over the creek. Police responded, and recovered the body from the location behind the former Kmart store, Winona Police Sgt. Jay Rasmussen. The man was declared dead at the scene. The mans body has been taken to the Southeast Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death, Rasmussen said. There was no apparent sign of foul plan and there is no cause for public concern at this time. The mans name is being withheld pending notification of family members. - Winona Daily News Winona man charged with murder for shooting The man who fired a handgun into a crowd outside a Winona bar July 27 was formally charged with murder and drive-by shooting, with Winona police also releasing additional details about the late-night chaotic incident that left one man dead and a second injured. Ricky Darnell Waiters, 49, made his first appearance July 29 in Winona County District Court, where he faced three charges, of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and drive-by shooting. Bail was set at $5 million. About a half-dozen people were standing outside EBs Corner shortly after 1 a.m., having left the bar at closing time, when a blue Geo Tracker driven by Waiters pulled up in a no-parking area, according to the criminal complaint. One of the people walked up to the vehicle to tell Waiters not to park there, at which point Waiters backed out of the lot, pulled his vehicle parallel to the street, and fired a .40-caliber handgun six or seven times at the people gathered while they scattered, according to the complaint. Waiters then fled the scene. One of the shots struck Robert Charles Johnson, 53, in the chest area, and a 27-year-old Winona man, Sean OBrien, was also struck, suffering multiple upper-leg injuries. Johnson was attended to by witnesses until the ambulance arrived; he was pronounced dead a short time later at Winona Health. OBrien was also attended to by witnesses and officers, and remained in stable condition Thursday at Winona Health. - Winona Daily News Man cited for violent Pokemon Go confrontation in Winona park A Winona man who engaged in an angry confrontation with young Pokemon Go players July 28 has been cited for fourth degree criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Bruce Daniel Reed, Jr., 67, was captured on cell phone video as he confronted the Pokeplayers in Winona Veterans Memorial Park. The nearly seven-minute video shows Reed charging from person to person, cursing loudly and threatening physical violence, at one point knocking a phone out of a mans hand. Reed is seen overturning a portable picnic awning, then lunging into it, pulling and damaging the aluminum and nylon shelter. Several squad cars are seen arriving at the park and an officer physically inserting himself between Reed and a player to bring the older man under control. Since it was posted July 28, the video has gone viral, picked up by online news and social media outlets including Forbes Magazine, the London Daily Mail and the U.K. Telegraph. - Winona Daily News Winona man headed to prison for stabbing Viroqua man A Winona man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison July 28 for stabbing a man. Connor Mitchell Bundy, 22, was sentenced to 23 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in the stabbing of a Viroqua, Wis., man last August. According to police reports, a fight at the East End Rec Center was reported about 8:15 a.m. On arrival, officers found the Viroqua man with several lacerations on his body. The man was taken to Winona Health by ambulance, then transferred to Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse. Witnesses provided a description of a suspect, and officers quickly located and arrested Bundy near East Second and Vine streets. Bundy has a history of criminal violence in Winona. As a teenager, he was sentenced to 68 months in prison in 2012 for his part in the assault and robbery of a pizza delivery driver in September 2011, which included Bundy pistol-whipping the man. Bundy was also sentenced to 58 months in prison for an armed home invasion in August 2011. Bundy was allowed to serve those sentences concurrently. In Minnesota, laws generally call for those convicted of felonies to serve two-thirds of the sentence in prison, and the remaining one-third on supervised release. Consequently, he was released from prison June 17, 2015. Sixty-two days later he was back in jail, facing new charges. - Winona Daily News Dear reader, we're asking for your help to keep local reporting available for all today during our fall fundraiser. Your financial support keeps stories like this one free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Pop star Kesha has dropped a lawsuit filed in California against producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, who she claimed sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused her. Her appeal against Gottwald's countersuit of defamation and breach of contract, filed in a New York court, however, is still ongoing."Kesha has dismissed her California action without prejudice while she pursues her appeal and other legal claims in the New York courts," Kesha's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, said in a statement. "Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label. We have conveyed to Sony and the label Kesha's strong desire to release her next album and single as soon as possible." A source told Rolling Stone that Kesha had been recording the songs for the "past several months" and "at her own expense," and hopes that Kemosabe, Gottwald's label, will release it as an album soon. Kesha's last album, Warrior, was released four years ago. "If Kesha is voluntarily dismissing her claims in the California case, it is because she has no chance of winning them," Christine Lepera, an attorney for Dr. Luke, told Rolling Stone. In February, a judge denied Kesha's request that she be released from her contract with Sony and Kemosabe. According to Buzzfeed News, Kesha is locked into a five-album contract with Gottwald and so far has only released two. Earlier this year, Kesha was allowed to release her collaboration with Zedd, a song titled "True Colors." She has been touring this summer and will headline the Mad Decent Block Party in L.A. on October 1. Kesha tweeted out a message on Monday evening, thanking supporters and affirming her decision to keep fighting: Dear reader, we're asking for your help to keep local reporting available for all today during our fall fundraiser. Your financial support keeps stories like this one free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe A 71-year-old man with Alzheimer's who had been missing since Friday morning was found dead in a downtown L.A. maintenance yard on Monday, days after being released from jail. ABC-7 reports that Gerry Sakamoto left his home in Pasadena in the middle of the night after pretending to take his Alzheimer's medication, and was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers around 3 a.m. under suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash on the freeway in the San Gabriel Valley. According to City News Service, Sakamoto was booked in downtown L.A. at 8 a.m. Friday, and was released at 7:36 p.m. that nightwith no money, phone, "or even a clear understanding of where he was," as ABC-7 put it. He wasn't seen until his body was found this afternoon. Pasadena police said there are no obvious signs of foul play, and that an autopsy is pending. His release allegedly happened after his family found out he was at the jail, and told authorities of his medical condition. So why a 71-year-old man with Alzheimer's was released without any resources remains to be seen. A sheriff's statement said, "All persons being released from our custody are offered the opportunity to stay in custody up to 16 hours, or until daylight hours, to arrange transportation or to contact service providers," but that Sakamoto apparently declined these accommodations. "Our records indicate that Mr. Sakamoto was not identified as requiring special needs or assistance during his time at IRC," the statement continued. Sakamoto's family member Mindy Brink told ABC-7 that she doesn't believe he was drunk in the first place, but that "the reason that he had such impaired judgement is because he hadn't had his medication." In an earlier report from ABC-7, Sakamota's wife Jane said that she was ignored by the operator at the county jail when she called, and told to "call back in six to eight hours." "It's not like we forgot him there," she said. "We were listening to their instructions and because of that, you know, they justwithout carelet him go." In 2009, 24-year-old Mitrice Richardson went missing after she was released from the remote Lost Hills sheriff's station in Agora. She was found dead in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains a year later. Last year, the state Attorney General's office opened up a criminal investigation into the sheriff's department's handling of the case. Dear reader, we're asking for your help to keep local reporting available for all today during our fall fundraiser. Your financial support keeps stories like this one free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe A 17-year-old led authorities on a circuitous high-speed chase across five freeways and a wide swath of Southern California for close to two hours on Monday afternoon. It all began in Calabasas at half past noon, when sheriff's deputies first tried to pull the young driver over. His original offense? Reckless driving, according to CBS 2. If only those Calabasas deputies knew what was to come. The young driver in the 2006 black Navigator did not yield to those sheriff's deputies and instead made for the freeway, cruising onto the westbound 101 and into the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol. With a fondness for circumnavigating freeways seemingly out of a Joan Didion story, the teenage suspect went west, then east on the 101 before heading north on the 405 freeway, which he took to the Sylmar area. From there, the young driver made something akin to a giant circle (albeit a sloppy one), taking the 5 freeway to the eastbound 210 freeway and then the westbound 118 freeway back onto the southbound 405. Seeming to find his groove on the 405, the driver cruised south through Long Beach and into Orange County, where, according to KTLA, two spike strips failed to stop his car. "Cruise" is maybe not the most precise verb to use there. According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Edgar Figueroa, the fleeing driver drove on freeway shoulders, went in and out of the carpool lane, changed lanes abruptly, perilously wove through traffic, and was generally "a danger to the motoring public." After passing through the San Fernando Valley, the Sepulveda Pass, the South Bay and Orange County, the pursuit ultimately ended in northern San Diego when the suspect ran out of gas in front of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. "He was going full speed and then just coasted to a stop," Officer Rafael Reynoso of the California Highway Patrol's San Juan Capistrano office told LAist. Reynoso described the area near Camp Pendleton where the suspect was apprehended as desolate, and said that the teenager, a Hispanic male wearing a t-shirt and jeans, was "very cooperative" once his car stopped. CHP on scene here at the end of the pursuit say the suspect is a 17yo male @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/PqQPqH2RdI Chris Ercoli (@CErcoliCBS2KCAL) August 1, 2016 Officer Josh Nelson of the California Highway Patrol's Border Division (a two-hour chase takes a suspect through many a jurisdiction) told LAist that it was fortunate that no one was hurt, given how reckless the suspect's driving had been. "There were a lot of scary moments where many drivers could have been put in serious danger, but luckily the officers were on their game," Nelson said. We asked Officer Nelson if it was apparent to CHP officers that there was a teenager behind the wheel during the chase given their extensive experience and expertise, but he said that it's really impossible to guess the age of a driver from how they are driving. "I've had drivers well into their 50s and 60s driving like that," he told us. Weirdly enough, this wasn't even the first multi-hour car chase to start in greater Los Angeles and end in San Diego County today. According to the L.A. Times, a female driver in a red Saturn sedan led authorities on a high-speed chase that began in Long Beach just after 4:30 a.m. and ended in a residential neighborhood in northern San Diego County just before 7 a.m. "It is unusual," Officer Figueroa said, speaking to the likelihood of having two multi-hour Southern California car chases in one day. "It's not something that happens often," he added. When asked which chase was more exciting, Officer Figueroa said that he wouldn't call it "excitement," but "from an officer's perspective, the adrenaline and the stress level is just as big in both of them. They were both equally stressful." For VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Getting a good nights sleep tonight could guard children against weight gain in the future. According to a new study, putting preschoolers in bed by 8 p.m. could reduce their chances of becoming overweight or obese later in life by half. Preschoolers are children around the age of 4 or 5. The term obese refers to calculations of your Body Mass Index, what doctors call BMI. They use a persons height, weight and age to assess their amount of body fat. BMIs help tell whether a person is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. The World Health Organization says obesity can lead to serious long-term health problems like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Researchers from the Ohio State Universitys College of Public Health have found that young children who go to bed after 9 p.m. are twice as likely to be obese later in life. The researchers wrote their findings in The Journal of Pediatrics. The lead author of the study is Sarah Anderson. She is an associate professor of epidemiology. She studies how diseases spread and how they can be controlled. Anderson says that, for parents, the results of the study support the importance of creating a bedtime routine. She says that having a usual bedtime routine is something families can do to lower their child's risk of becoming overweight. A usual, early bedtime, Anderson adds, is also likely to have positive benefits on behavior and on social, emotional and cognitive development." Researchers used data from 977 children for the study. These children are part of a larger project called the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The project follows healthy babies born in 1991 in 10 U.S. cities. The children were 4 years old when their mothers reported their usual weekday bedtime. Researchers then divided the children into three groups: those who went to bed by 8 p.m. or earlier, those who went to bed between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. and those whose bedtimes were after 9 p.m. When these children turned 15 years old, the researchers looked at their rates of obesity. Of those with the earliest bedtimes, only one out of 10 was obese. Of those who went to bed between 8 and 9 p.m., 16 percent became obese. And out of those with the latest bedtimes, 23 percent became obese. Anderson said putting children in bed early does not mean they will immediately fall asleep. But, she adds, it makes it "more likely that children will get the amount of sleep they need to be at their best. But Anderson says it is important to understand that having early bedtimes may be harder for some families than others. She says that, families have many competing demands and there are trade-offs that get made. For example, she says, if some parents work late, that can push the childrens bedtimes to later in the evening. Is childhood obesity a worldwide problem? Obesity among children in the United States is a major health concern. About 17 percent of children and teenagers in the U.S. are considered obese. That is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization reported in 2014 that the number of overweight babies and young children worldwide had increased from 31 million in 1990 to 44 million in 2012. If that trend continues, the WHO warns, there will be 70 million obese children in the world by 2025. Im Anna Matteo. Reporters in the VOA Newsroom put this report together. Anna Matteo adapted this story, adding additional information from World Health Organization reports. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story preschool - n. a school for very young children obese - adj. fat in a way that is unhealthy assess - v. to make a judgment about (something) epidemiology - n. the study of how disease spreads and can be controlled routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order cognitive - adj. of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something trade-off - n. a situation in which you must choose between or balance two things that are opposite or cannot be had at the same time trend - n. a general direction of change Almost 40 percent of young people in Hong Kong support independence from China for the city after 2047. The information came from a study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Interviewers asked more than 1,000 people questions in July. The study contained a number of interesting findings. Young people supported independence more than older people. Nearly 40 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 24, who were asked, said they want the city to break away from China. Seventeen percent of all those questioned said they support independence for Hong Kong after 2047. Nearly 30 percent expressed no preference for independence or staying with China. However, less than four percent said they believe independence is possible for the former British colony. Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997. Under that agreement, Hong Kong is to be governed by the Peoples Republic of China under two economic systems: communism and capitalism. This is known as the one country, two systems policy. The one country, two systems deal with China is set to end in 2047. One university student agreed with the study results. He said about half of his friends support independence for Hong Kong. I think a lot of young people are very disappointed in the Chinese government or the [ruling] Chinese Communist Party, he said. Also, a number of events in recent years have changed peoples views about Hong Kongs future. The student said the Chinese government has not permitted fully democratic elections in Hong Kong. Officials require candidates to promise unity for the first time The survey comes before elections for Hong Kongs legislature. For the first time, all candidates have been asked to sign a document. In it, the candidate promises to uphold the principle that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China. A number of pro-independence Chinese said they will be candidates in the elections to be held on September 4. The Electoral Affairs Commission said all candidates must sign the document or they will be disqualified. Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy under the terms of its 1997 handover to China. Article 26 of the Basic Law guarantees the citys residents the right to vote in and stand for elections. As a result, Hong Kong is considered a Special Administrative Region. Im Mario Ritter. This report came from Yang Fan for Radio Free Asias Mandarin Service and by Lam Kwok-lap for the Cantonese Service. It was translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. What do you think of Hong Kongs future? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story interviewer n. a person who asks questions to get information communism n. a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products and there is no privately owned property capitalism n. a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government democratic adj. based on a form of government in which the people choose leaders by voting inalienable adj. impossible to take away or give up disqualified v. to stop or prevent someone from doing, having or being a part of something autonomy n. the power or right of a country or group to govern itself handover n. the act or process of giving control of someone or something to another person or country region n. an area of a country that is different than others for some reason An international human rights organization says Southeast Asia is facing increasing conflicts and violence over land grab activity. A land grab relates to taking land quickly, forcefully and often illegally. In this case, the International Federation for Human Rights says governments need to strengthen legal reforms to protect local people from investors seeking land for business use. Economic growth but local conflict The call comes as the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, sees significant economic growth. If ASEAN were a single country, it would be the worlds seventh largest economy. The groups foreign investment reached $136.3 billion in 2014. But this economic growth has led to conflicts between local communities and investors. While businesses seek land for factories and plantations, local residents and farmers are often forced to leave their land. These evictions can lead to violence and displacement. Cambodia The International Federation for Human Rights says land grabbing has displaced more than 800,000 people in Cambodia since 2000. It says the practice of land grabbing is a serious crime and has filed a case with the International Criminal Court. Many land grabs in Cambodia are related to the sugar industry. The global aid group Oxfam has urged international sugar buyers to carry out policies against land grabbing. Two of the worlds largest sugar buyers are the beverage companies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Coca-Cola is now investigating its key sugar suppliers. PepsiCo says it has adopted a global zero tolerance policy for land grabs. A major sugar producer is called Mitr Phol. The company is based in Thailand and has operations in Cambodia. In 2008, the Cambodian government granted the company access in a remote northwest province for sugar production. Rights groups said that, at the time, the 200 square kilometers of land was occupied by 2,000 families. One villager told VOA that the Cambodian government forcibly evicted the entire community. When the soldiers came I had already escaped. But I heard from a landlord later they had burned all the houses, the villager said. The Thai Human Rights Commission said Mitr Phol caused the collapse of the community after taking over the land. Those allegations, along with pressure from sugar buyers, eventually led the company to leave Cambodia. Myanmar The International Federation for Human Rights says land grabbing is also a big problem in Myanmar. The government has estimated that more than 800,000 hectares of land across Myanmar is considered confiscated. The countrys Farmland Investigation Commission was set up in 2012 to investigate land grab cases. The new government of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has set a priority of settling land disputes. Debbie Stothard is secretary general of the IFHR. She says it will take wide-ranging reforms to Myanmars legal system to solve the problem. Im Bryan Lynn. Ron Corben reported this story for VOAnews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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 eviction n. the forcible removal of people from where they live displacement n. the forced departure of people from their homes zero tolerance n. a complete refusal to accept certain behavior landlord n. the owner of a house or apartment who rents to other people confiscate v. the taking of property by an established authority Almost one-fourth of Britains national income is earned in and around the city of London. Much of the money comes from international businesses based there. But the British vote to leave the European Union means London could lose its place as Europes leading business center. As part of the European Union, Britain has rights to sell its services without tariffs in many countries across the continent. The EU currently has 28 member states, and it serves a market of 500 million people. But when Britain officially leaves the bloc, London-based businesses will likely lose their tax-free access to the single EU market. As a result, some banks have already said they may move their operations to the European mainland. David Slater is with the company London & Partners. Its goal is to strengthen Londons image overseas and help London-based businesses work with foreign partners. Slater says the new government in Britain must negotiate for businesses to have continued access to the single market. But some European leaders say Britain cannot have special economic ties with the European Union without permitting freedom of movement. They say people from EU member states should have the right to come freely to Britain. Concern over immigration was the main issue that drove the "Leave" campaign to victory in Britains Brexit vote. What city will take Londons place? With the possibility that London will lose its special ties to the EU market, other cities are eyeing its position as Europes leading financial center. The list of cities that want to replace London includes Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. In France, government officials recently spoke of "rolling out the red carpet" to businesses fleeing Brexit. They promised to make taxes for French expatriates the most favorable in Europe. The word expatriate is used to describe people who live outside their home country. In Berlin, people see a chance to expand the citys technology industry. Berlin is already Europes second biggest tech city after London. And, the prices for housing and offices are much less costly there. Lukas Kampfmann is with a business called Factory Berlin. The group is home to high-tech companies, including the music website Soundcloud. With Brexit, London has more or less taken itself out of the race, Kampfmann said. And we do believe that over time the advantage of Berlin will grow and more tech start-ups will come to Berlin. Then there is Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The New York Times newspaper recently rated Amsterdam as best placed to steal Londons position. The paper noted that Amsterdam has international connections, an English-speaking population and appeal for expatriates. But Londons supporters still say their city will remain number one. David Slater of London & Partners says the reason is because the businesspeople working in London want to stay there. Im Mehrnoush Karimian-Ainsworth. Henry Ridwell reported this story for VOANews.com. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story income n. earnings tariff n. taxes rolling out the red carpet phrase formally greeting or welcoming an important guest who has just arrived expatriates n. people who live in a foreign country appeal n. a quality that causes people to like someone or something New security measures became law this week in Malaysia. Critics say the measures give Prime Minister Najib Razak far-reaching emergency powers. They fear the new security law could be used to crush human rights. The law gives the Malaysian leader power to suspend civil liberties whenever he believes there is a security threat. Josef Benedict is Amnesty International's deputy director for South East Asia and the Pacific. He said the Malaysian government has rejected limits on its power and now has the tools for potentially abusive power. The United Nations human rights regional office said it was gravely concerned about the situation in Malaysia. It said the laws may lead to human rights violations and unjust restrictions on free speech and meetings. The new legislation was passed at a time when investigators continue studying alleged corruption in the country. Some critics see the security law as a way for Prime Minister Najib to hold on to power. Najib has been under investigation since information surfaced that he received about $700 million in his private bank accounts. The money appeared to have come from the state-owned investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB. Najib has denied all accusations of wrongdoing. He says the money was a political donation from someone in the Middle East whom he has refused to identify. The United States Justice Department is taking part in the investigation. U.S. officials have taken steps to seize more than $1 billion worth of property, works of art, jewelry and even rights to a Hollywood movie. Officials suspect all those items were bought with money stolen from the 1MDB fund. Najib founded the state development fund in 2009. The Malaysian finance ministry now owns it. The prime minister controls the finance ministry. A spokesman for Najib has said the government will cooperate with any international investigations. As the prime minister has always maintained, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception. Officials told the court the stolen money passed through bank accounts in the United States, Luxembourg, Singapore and Switzerland. Officials claim the funds were used to buy high-priced homes, artworks and even a private airplane. In addition to Malaysia and the United States, other governments have been investigating 1MDB. They include Singapore and Switzerland. Im Caty Weaver. Fern Robinson wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story allege v. accused of having done something wrong or illegal but not yet proven guilty potentially adj. possibly account n. a record of credit and debt; a business or financial program fund n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose The American state of Texas joined eight other states this week in giving individuals a right to bring guns to college classrooms. The Texas law gives people 21 and older permission to carry concealed handguns into buildings at state-financed colleges. To do so, the person needs a government permit that requires training in safe gun use. The law took effect on the same day the University of Texas marked the 50th anniversary of the first mass shooting at an American college campus. On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman used a gun to shoot at people from high atop the universitys clock tower. Seventeen people lost their lives, and many more were injured. One of the first people shot and injured was Claire Wilson. She was pregnant and lost her baby. The gunman killed her boyfriend, Tom Eckman, in the attack. Today, Wilson uses the name Claire Wilson James. She spoke on Monday at a memorial ceremony, offering this lesson from her personal tragedy: Treasure the ones we walk with each moment. Supporters of the new Texas law say it will save lives by giving people the right to use their own guns to stop a shooter before police arrive. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said it was carefully written to require people to get special training to bring guns to colleges. Opponents said the gun law might make things worse. It might make it difficult for police to identify the shooter or shooters from those firing weapons to stop the attack, they said. Opponents also worry that access to guns will make it easier for people who are depressed or have a mental health issue to take their own lives. Under the new law, people are permitted to carry guns into college buildings, classrooms and student housing. Guns are not permitted at sporting events. Each state college can establish its own rules. For example, at the University of Texas, professors can declare their offices, gun-free zones. University students and employees over age 21 can have guns in common areas, such as dormitories, dining halls and lounges. But they cant carry guns in dormitory rooms, where students sleep. At Texas A&M University, another state school, guns are permitted in dormitory rooms. Teachers at Texas A&M need approval from school administrators before they can bar people from carrying guns into their offices. Under the state law, private colleges can choose whether or not to permit concealed guns. So far, only one private Texas college -- Amberton University -- is allowing guns. Im Bruce Alpert. VOA Correspondent Greg Flakus reported this story. Bruce Alpert 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 share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story concealed handgun -- n. a gun hidden, usually under clothing moment - n. a very short period of time access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone dormitory - n. a building on a school campus that has rooms where students can live lounge - n. a room with comfortable furniture for relaxing lesson n. a period of learning or teaching The Nebraska Bar Associations 2016 Judicial Performance Evaluation gave high marks to Dawson County judges James Doyle and Jeffrey Wightman. The evaluation polls bar association members on judge performance on 11 different characteristics and asks whether the attorney believes the judge should be retained. The characteristics the judges are scored on are: legal analysis, impartiality, attentiveness, quality and clarity of opinions, judicial temperament and demeanor, appropriate communication, timeliness, fairness, efficiency in docket management and scheduling, punctuality, and trial management. The bar association members core the judges on a scale of one to five, with one being very poor and five being excellent. Dawson County Judge Jeffrey Wightman has been on the bench since 2013. He did not receive a single mark below four, which is considered good. His highest score was 4.42 for timeliness, and his lowest was 4.08 for quality and clarity of written opinions. Of the attorneys polled, 92-percent recommended Wightman be retained on the bench. Dawson County District Court Judge James Doyle IV has sat on the bench since 2001. He also scored well across the board. His highest marks 4.40 for punctuality and 4.38 for attentiveness as well as judicial temperament and demeanor. His lowest score was 3.87 for performance of work in a prompt and timely manner. Doyles retention was recommended by 93.5-percent of polled attorneys. Dawson County is included in Nebraskas 11th judicial district. The bar associations evaluation isnt binding. Judges are appointed by the governor and face retention votes from the public every four years. It does grant the public insight into judges from the attorneys who practice before them. Statewide, lawyers responding to the poll recommend that 99-percent (135 of 136) judges evaluated be retained on the bench. Tom Maul, president of the NSBA, states that he concurs with his predecessors, While not an absolute measure, the poll gives practicing attorneys the opportunity to evaluate judges on a variety of important criteria. Fifty-five percent of the judges evaluated (76) were given a 90% or higher retention approval. Forty-four judges received an 80-89% retention approval, and ten judges were approved 70-79%. These numbers are remarkable, said Maul. In these times of deep political division, they confirm that our courts in Nebraska do not operate as a political branch of government, but just do what courts are supposed to do: follow the law. The NSBA first used the Judicial Evaluation Poll in 1984. It is conducted biennially. By far,Nebraska lawyers believe that the vast majority of our Nebraska judges are competently and diligently serving the citizens of Nebraska, said Maul. An electronic survey was sent to 5,519 active NSBA members residing in Nebraska,Council Bluffs and Sioux City,Iowa and Yankton,South Dakota. 976 members completed the evaluation. Soval Solutions, LLC, an independent research firm in Lincoln, compiled the results. The crash occurred in a construction zone, approximately four miles west of Brule, just before 11:30 a.m. (MDT). Preliminary investigation into the crash indicates, a westbound semi, struck the rear of the Pals 2006 Dodge minivan The force of the collision then pushed the semi and the Pals minivan into a 1994 Plymouth Voyager minivan, a 2015 Nissan Rogue (SUV) and a 2013 Ford van, all traveling westbound. Both the semi and the minivan involved in the initial crash were engulfed in flames. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has concerns about the rhetoric raised during the presidential campaign by both Democrats and Republicans concerning international trade agreements. Both parties are questioning the value of agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) among 12 Pacific Rim countries including the U.S. and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico and the United States. Sasse was in Grand Island on Monday to conduct a constituent services town hall meeting. He said Nebraska is a "blessed state" when it comes to trade. "We win with trade on both the production side and the consumption side because we are the most productive ag producers on the globe," Sasse said. While the value of Nebraska exports was down in 2015 due to the global economic slowdown and the strength of the U.S. dollar, agricultural production remains the leading export driver for Nebraska. The top seven Nebraska export items in 2015 were agricultural and represented 33 percent of the total value ($6.56 billion) of the state's export trade. Trade is also crucial to Grand Island's economy. Beef and beef products and combine harvesters/threshers made up four of the top five agricultural export items in 2015. In 2014, Nebraska was the nation's leader in beef exports, with a value of $1.13 billion; the third largest corn exporter, with a value of $1.21 billion; and the fifth largest soybean exporter, with a value of $1.73 billion. Every dollar exports generate creates $1.27 in economic activity. In 2014, that would have meant $9.2 billion in economic activity in Nebraska. Sasse said it's disturbing that "both political parties seem like they are turning to be more anti-trade when trade is good for Nebraska." "Most Americans actually understand that trade is good for them," he said. "What is sort of strange is that older people are increasingly becoming anti-trade and young people are pro-trade. The young people are actually more aligned with what is good for Nebraska." Recently, the Nebraska Farm Bureau did a county-by-county analysis of the value TPP would bring to Nebraska. According to the analysis, Cuming, Custer, Platte, Dawson and Lincoln counties would be among the biggest winners. Those counties would each experience more than $10 million in additional cash sales of agriculture commodities per year once the TPP trade protocols are fully enacted. "While some counties will fare better than others, our analysis shows virtually every county in the state would reap benefits from the passage of the TPP legislation due to provisions eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers on Nebraska agriculture exports to the TPP partner countries," said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president. According to the analysis, Hall County would see $4.2 million in annual benefits from TPP. Sasse also commented on President Obama's signing of the GMO labeling bill over the weekend. Sasse, who voted against the bill, said he supports biotechnology and the promise it holds for increasing agricultural yields to feed a growing global population of 9.7 billion people. While farmers markets are a good alternative for locally produced food, he said, modern agricultural practices and technology will be the driving force behind growing enough food for the world. For example, last year, Nebraska was the nation's third-largest corn producer at 1.69 billion bushels and the nation's fourth-largest soybean producer at 306 million bushels. Biotechnology was one of the factors that make the state's corn and soybean production among the nation and world leaders. This year, more than 95 percent of the 15 million corn and soybean acres planted in Nebraska are of biotechnology varieties. "Right now, if you don't have modern, efficient, scientific agriculture, there is going to be starvation in the world," Sasse said. "Obviously, we need to be growing to the world where there is more and more efficient and effective farm production." Over the weekend, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Nelson issued a statement saying, "Biotechnology is a critical part of food production, which has made it possible for farmers to reduce their environmental impact while continuing to produce safe and healthful crops for consumers domestically and around the world. President Obama's signing of the GMO labeling bill into law will help eliminate a state-by-state patchwork of unnecessary GMO labeling laws that would only drive up costs for consumers." While Sasse is also concerned about the confusion and cost that a patchwork of individual state GMO labeling laws would create, he voted against the bill because it created what he called a "mandatory labeling regime." "I'm for pre-empting the Vermont GMO labeling law, but this bill sets a bad template," he said. "I told Nebraska farmers and ranchers that I would oppose a mandatory labeling regime, and this is what this is." Missile destroyer Guangzhou launches an air-defense missile during a military exercise in the water area near south China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands, July 8, 2016. Chinese navy conducted an annual combat drill in the water area near south China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] The controversial ruling of the arbitral tribunal, initiated by the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute case, is in trouble again. And this time, it is not because of China's protest but because Filipinos are questioning why such a huge amount was spent on the arbitration. According to former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao, just the attorney fee in the case was $30 million. The Philippines' Constitution says it is mandatory to maintain records of government funds and how they are spent. But there is no record of the attorney fee or its source. A former senator of the Philippines, Francisco Tatad, suspects the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III that initiated the case kept the Philippine people in the dark about the facts of the arbitration. He wonders whether some foreign country funded the arbitration case. How much did the South China Sea arbitration case cost? Who paid the money? And who received it? Heated discussions on these questions have been raging in the Philippines. The questions have drawn the attention of the international community, too, because $30 million is not a small amount for the Philippines or any other country. All the arbitral tribunal's services were clearly priced. During the trial, the standing arbitral tribunal that provided secretarial services, space and equipment for the process charged about $3.13 million. And since China refused to participate or recognize the arbitral tribunal or its ruling, the Philippines had to pay all the money. For example, the registration fee for secretarial services was 2,000 ($2,216) and the rent of the arbitral hearing rooms in The Hague Peace Palace was 1,000 a day, and the rent of a whole set of office equipment was 1,750 a day. But Manila has not yet revealed how much money it paid to the arbitrators and witnesses, although the $30 million attorney fee gives an indication of the total amount of money spent on the entire arbitration process. And since the final award of the tribunal went overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, which is rare in international jurisdiction and arbitration history, one would be justified in questioning the impartiality of the entire arbitration process. Was the ruling delivered in Manila's favor because it paid millions of dollars to the arbitrators? All these make it important for Manila to disclose how much money it actually spent on the arbitration case, more so because it proclaims the award's legitimacy and significance. Tiglao hit the nail on the headsaying $30 million was paid as attorney feein his article published in the Manila Times on July 15. The United States, Japan and some other countries and international organizations reportedly put in considerable amounts of money and energy in pushing forward the South China Sea arbitration case. The down payment of the tribunal came from some agencies associated with the US. Tiglao also said the arbitration tribunal gave the US an excuse to intervene in the South China Sea disputes, prompting the US State Department and Central Intelligence Agency to reimburse Manila the legal fare and attorney fee. So far, the arbitration has not benefited Manila. In fact, what it has got in exchange for spending millions of dollars is just a piece of scrap. The South China Sea arbitration farce should come to an end and the mess it has created cleared. The Philippine government should make public its financial accounts related to the tribunal to not only answer the questions of its own people but also address the international community's concerns. The author is a researcher in maritime law and affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. In June Google made it possible to run Android apps on the Asus Chromebook Flip. A month later the company rolled out support for two additional Chromebooks: the Google Chromebook Pixel (2015) and Acer Chromebook R11. But up until now the only way to run Android apps on a Chromebook was to us Googles Chrome OS dev channel. Dont like living on the bleeding edge? Now you can just live on the slightly sharp edge because Android app support has now graduated to Chrome OS 53 beta channel. Dont get too excited yet though. First of all, Android apps still only run on the same three Chromebooks. And second, while Chrome OS 53 has moved from dev to beta, Google still says the Play Store on Chromebooks is still in Developer Preview and some features may not work as intended. In other words, Android app support was first introduced in Chrome 53 and right on schedule Chrome 53 has moved from dev channel to beta. In another 6 weeks itll probably go stable. But that doesnt necessarily mean that Play Store/Android support will be stable in 6 weeks. It also doesnt mean Googles ready to add support for any other Chrome OS devices yet although the company does eventually plan to allow you to use the Google Play Store and install Android apps on dozens of Chromebooks and Chromeboxes. Still, its nice to see things progressing a bit. I find it cute, by the way, that Google refers to the new feature as Play Store on Chromebooks, when its pretty clear that support for Android apps isnt just limited to those downloaded from Googles app store. You can also sideload apps and even third-party app stores. Samsungs Galaxy Note 7 features a big screen, Samsungs S-Pen stylus for writing or drawing, and specs that quite frankly, look a lot like those for the smaller Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones which launched nearly half a year ago. There are a few new features though, include an iris scanner that you can use to login to your device or use Samsung Pay. The Galaxy Note 7 is launching at an event in New York City today and it should be available in the US on August 19th. One of the most noteworthy things about the new phone is the name: the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 replaces the Note 5 in Samsungs lineup. There is no Note 6. Apparently someone at Samsung decided it made sense to use the same number for both of the companys latest flagship smartphone families. As for the phones actual specs, heres whats included: 5.7 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel (518ppi) Super AMOLED display with curved edges Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor in US, 64-bit octa-core processor in some other markets 4GB of RAM 64GB of storage MicroSD card with support for up to 256GB of removable storage Iris recognition USB Type-C connector 3,500 mAh battery with quick charging and wireless charging support IP68 waterproof and dust resistant case 12MP rear camera with optical image stabilization and 5MP front camera There are a few new S-Pen features, including the ability to translate words by tapping them with a pen. You can also use the S-Pen to control the phone even when its underwater and the touchscreen cant detect your fingerprints. Samsung is also launching a new version of its Gear VR headset which can accommodate the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The new model also has a wider, 101 degree field of view. Earlier models supported 96 degree viewing angles. Korea Times spilled the beans a bit early as have a series of leaks including one that shows the back of the box the phone comes in, with some specs for the 5.7 inch smartphone. Engadget also has some hands-on impressions. via /r/Android Could the small city of Port Richey become the next in the Tampa Bay area to decriminalize cannabis? Hometown entrepreneur Garyn Angel is leading the charge. Hometown entrepreneur leading charge People possessing small amounts of marijuana would receive civil citations Angel spoke before the city council for the third time last week. He also provided council members with examples of ordinances from Tampa, Orlando and Miami. We dont have to reinvent the wheel here, Angel said. All we have to do is take the other legislation that has passed in other areas and apply it to the city. Mayor Dale Massad said the concept of issuing civil citations to people possessing small amounts of marijuana, rather than criminal charges, is sitting fairly well with members. If I was guessing, from last meeting, Id say youre going to have a 4-1 vote in favor of it, Massad said. Its a decision Angel said would put Port Richey on the map. Im leading the charge, Angel said. Im doing it everywhere else in the world, Id love to do it in my small little city. New Delhi: Delhi Police on Tuesday sought life imprisonment for Bollywood film Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui, who has been held guilty by a court for raping a US researcher, saying the crime committed on the foreigner has brought "disrepute" to India. While pressing for the maximum punishment for the offence under section 376 (rape) of IPC, the counsel for complainant submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain that the victim was "raped by a friend she trusted". However, Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan said that the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case and so he be given a chance to reform. During arguments on sentence, the complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover said, "The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted. "The court must keep in mind that there was an additional vulnerability of the woman in a foreign country and it brings disrepute to our country, besides traumatising the victim." Seeking leniency for the convict, 44-year-old Farooqui's advocate said he was not a habitual offender and he did not threaten the woman at any point nor was he brutal or violent with her. She also pleaded that his good conduct be considered by the court while awarding the punishment. The court, after hearing the arguments, reserved its verdict on quantum of sentence for 4 August. The counsel for Farooqui, who was brought to the court from jail, also countered the submission of the complainant about her additional vulnerability being a foreigner, saying law does not put a foreigner on a pedestal higher than an Indian. "Does the law put any foreigner woman on a pedestal higher than an Indian? This fact is irrelevant and makes a mockery of thousands of Indian women who suffer," Ramakrishnan said. The victim's counsel, however, stressed on maximum punishment to Farooqui, saying, "He is a prominent figure in cultural world and, therefore there was additional responsibility on him to not conduct himself in such a manner." The police also sought appropriate compensation for the victim, contending that Farooqui has economic standing to pay her the amount for disrupting her life and research. "It is a crime which has been held heinous by the apex court and we press for the maximum sentence and fine," the victim's counsel said. The court had on 30 July held Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. The offence of rape entails a minimum of seven years rigorous jail and a maximum of imprisonment for life. Director extraordinaire David Ayer arrived at the New York premiere of Suicide Squad, and echoed an audience member's cry of "F*** Marvel!" during his introductory remarks. He later apologized on Twitter. Sorry about getting caught up in the moment, he wrote Monday night. Someone said it. I echoed. Not cool. Respect for my brother filmmakers. Sorry about getting caught up in the moment and saying f*ck Marvel. Someone said it. I echoed. Not cool. Respect for my brother filmmakers. David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016 This was just one of the highlights of the premiere of the highly anticipated DC movie. Many of the cast members seemed to have chosen this premiere as a chance to showcase their eccentric sides through their sartorial choices. Case in point, Margot Robbie aka Harley Quinn's dressing style. The 26-year-old Australian actress who plays the unhinged Harley Quinn wore a quirky black Alexander McQueen gown with a gold unicorn emblazoned across the front. Jared Leto, our beloved Joker, was so inspired by the crazy character he plays that he prowled onto the black carpet in an embroidered Gucci jacket with floral detailing and a lion motif on the back. Jay Hernandez, who plays El Diablo, the gangster with pyrokinetic powers, appeared on the black carpet with his wife Daniella Deutscher in a suit, tie and a pair of El Diablo-inspired Converses because loafers just wouldn't have done his character justice. #JoelKinnaman and #CaraDelevingne at the #SuicideSquad premiere (via @suicidesquadmovie ) A photo posted by Suicide Squad Updates (@ssquadupdates) on Aug 1, 2016 at 4:46pm PDT Cara Delevingne channeled her inner Enchantress and wore a cutout outfit and over the knee boots with dark make up in honour of the character. The whole cast did not miss a chance to click a selfie. The cast at the #SuicideSquad premiere A photo posted by Suicide Squad Updates (@ssquadupdates) on Aug 1, 2016 at 4:31pm PDT The movie is out on 5 August 2016 in India, and is the second DC movie out this year after Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Updated Date: Vikram's upcoming Tamil film Iru Mugan is causing much excitement among the audience way before its release. The trailer, that was released on Tuesday, gives us a glimpse into the film's storyline. Iru Mugan, like Rajinikanth's Kabali, is set in Malaysia. Just like 'Chiyaan' Vikram's other films, here he takes on a new look as well. The trailer shows the Tamil star playing dual roles of Akhilan, a RAW agent and Love, a masked transgender villain. The film also stars Nithya Menon, as Akhilan's colleague and Nayanthara as his love interest. Directed by Anand Shankar, the film will be dubbed in Telugu with the title Inkokkadu. Fans took to Twitter to share their excitement on the trailer release: Trailer of #IruMugan, https://t.co/g27BzlY3Vx Damn awesome. Vikram's screen presence and the music take this high. Much awaited. Sidhu (@sidhuwrites) August 2, 2016 Enjoy the gripping #IruMugan trailer.https://t.co/h4VN1JDKNz.. #ChiyaanVikram rocking as Raja and Rani.. Another attempt from this legend Kaushik (LMK) (@Lmkmoviemaniac) August 2, 2016 The film's music by Harris Jayaraj has already piqued fan's interests with the teasers having released a couple of weeks ago. On Tuesday the film also had an audio launch in a Chennai theatre, which was attended by the who's who of the South Indian film industry like Sivakarthikeyan and Nivin Pauly. Iru Mugan will be releasing in theatres in September. Watch the trailer here: Actor Anil Kapoor recently made an appearance on Colors show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa as their first guest to promote the second season of his show 24, that airs on the same channel. His appearance took the show's judge and producer-director Karan Johar back down memory lane. Reminiscing about his younger days Karan became so emotional that he bowed down to touch the Jhakaas actor's feet. Karan said on the set, When Aditya Chopra and I were teenagers, we used to accompany our fathers to Bollywood parties. That time Anil Kapoor was one of the superstars who used to talk to us and make us comfortable. This quality makes him a superstar of all generations. Following this he touched his feet, surprising even Kapoor. Anil Kapoor was accompanied by his 24 co-star Surveen Chawla for the promotions. Apart from Karan Johar, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ganesh Hegde are the other judges of the ninth season of the show. New Delhi: A court here on Tuesday fixed 4 August for pronouncing the quantum of punishment for Mahmood Farooqui, co-director of the 2010 Hindi film Peepli Live, convicted for the rape of an American woman. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain reserved his order after the defence and prosecution concluded their arguments on the quantum of punishment. Farooqui was convicted of rape on 30 July. The prosecution demanded maximum punishment, saying he had committed a grave offence. On Firstpost: Peepli Live director Mahmood Farooqui convicted of rape Is our outrage limited only to Salman? The complainant's counsel also told the court that Farooqui must be awarded the maximum punishment as he had raped a foreign woman he had invited to dinner and thus had "betrayed the friendship and trust of the woman". On the other hand, Farooqui's counsel sought leniency, saying the convict had maintained good conduct during the trial and also not tried to intimidate the victim. Farooqui was charged with the rape of the 35-year-old woman from Columbia University who was in India for research work for her doctoral thesis. The woman moved to Delhi in June 2014 and was looking for contacts for her work in Gorakhpur. She came in contact with Farooqui through a common friend. Also read: Mahmood Farooqui rape case Silence is not a choice, says journalist Rama Lakshmi The crime dates back to 28 March 2015, when Farooqui invited her for dinner at his house. Police said in its chargesheet that she reached the director's house at 9 pm on that date and found him very intoxicated. He asked her to go to his office in the other room. He later forced himself on her, the prosecution said, adding the woman was scared after the incident. During the trial, the American researcher stood by her complaint and reiterated that Farooqui raped her. He denied the charge and claimed he was falsely implicated. New Delhi: As the government circulated copies of the draft Constitution Amendment Bill to bring Goods and Services Tax (GST) among MPs, top Congress leaders got into a huddle to chalk out the party's strategy today ahead of its consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi met Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former finance minister P Chidambaram and Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, among others, in Parliament House and discussed various points regarding the key tax reform legislation. Congress sources said Gandhi will hold another round of discussion on the issue after which Sharma will meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to put across the party's point of view. "Rahulji held discussions with top party leaders on the GST Bill and discussed the party's strategy," Kharge told PTI after the meeting. Another top Congress leader said the draft bill has just been circulated and the party leaders will react only after studying it in detail. "The draft of the bill has just come and let us study it first," the Congress leader said. There were strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform in independent India would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government has said talks are on with major political parties to build a consensus on the measure before it is taken up for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. "We would list the bill for consideration tomorrow in Rajya Sabha. We have talked to all parties and the Prime Minister had said at the beginning of this session that GST is in the interest of all. We hope the GST Bill will be passed with consensus," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. At the BJP meet, Jaitley also briefed the MPs about the bill. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a single indirect tax regime across the country. According to top government sources, a fresh round of talks will be held on Tuesday with the main opposition Congress. Jaitley had on Monday held consultations with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. He had also met CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, besides some other leaders. Later, along with Anant Kumar, he met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The government, the sources say, is keen to bring about four key amendments in the Constitution Amendment Bill which will include the scrapping of 1 percent additional tax provision and grant of more powers to states for providing them full compensation for a period of five years. The key Congress demand for rephrasing of the language for setting up of dispute resolution mechanism in the GST Council has also been agreed to by the government. Chennai: Two former officials of city-based First Leasing Company of India Limited (FLCIL) were arrested on Monday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a bank fraud case of over Rs 500 crore. ED officials arrested S Dilliraj, former Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and L Sivaramakrishnan, former CFO of FLCIL, a non-banking finance company registered with RBI, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the agency said in a statement. Dilliraj was the 'key' person up to 2007 and was involved in negotiating with the banks while Sivaramakrishnan "is in-charge of all financial operations", it said. A money laundering case was registered by ED against the company in relation to a CBI case filed against it for "cheating" IDBI Bank and SBI to the extent of over Rs 500 crore a few years ago, it said, adding the company MD, Farouk Irani, had already been arrested in this case. During investigation, searches were conducted at the residences of Dilliraj and Sivaramakrishnan and "certain property documents were recovered", it said. "Dilliraj and Sivaramakrishnan admitted (to) their crucial role in fudging of accounts of FLCIL in order to obtain undue loans from the banks. In the process, they were enriched and aided undue enrichment of other persons like Farouk Irani," the release said. The arrested were remanded to judicial custody by a court till August 11, it said. Uber Technology Ltd has decided to merge its China operations with rival Didi Chuxing, creating a $35 billion mobility giant in the country. According to a report in the AP, Didi Chuxing would acquire Uber China and operate it as a separate brand. In exchange, Uber will receive a 20 percent stake in Didi Chuxing that will make the American company its biggest shareholder. Uber founder Travis Kalanick will join the Chinese company's board while Didi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei joins the Uber board. After the deal that brought an end to a bruising battle for share in one of the toughest markets, Kalanick sent an email to Uber's China team, explaining the rationale for the move. It also shows entrepreneurship is all about negotiating the unchartered territories, and giving up at the right time. It is also a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese and their enthusiasm for innovation. The email has been shared by Kalanick on his Facebook page. "I sent an email to my UberChina team regarding the merger of UberChina and Didi. I thought I would share here on the news and what has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as an entrepreneur," he said on FB. Here's the full text of the email as shared by Kalanick: Team, I wanted to let you know that we have reached an agreement to merge UberChina with Didi Chuxing. UberChina's value will represent a 20% stake in the combined entity with Uber being Didi's largest shareholder. Let me explain why we are doing this. Three years ago, a small group of us went on a scouting mission to Beijing to see how we could expand into China. It was a big, bold idea, especially given that Uber was still a relatively small start-up and no one in China had ever even heard of us. And of course, anytime we got into a discussion about our efforts in China, most people thought we were naive, crazy or both. We saw things differently of course. China is an inspiring country with astonishing opportunity. Many of the worlds mega cities are Chinese, and their thirst for transportation innovation is second to none. Ubers mission to make transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone resonates especially strongly in China. Being an entrepreneur means you are an explorer by nature, doing what everyone thinks is impossible but with an optimistic perspective on the unknown. Uber entered this uncharted territory in February 2014, two years after Didi was founded. We were a young American business entering a country where most US internet companies had failed to crack the code, and with a product that needed rebuilding. Our China effort has been one of Uber's most entrepreneurial because we literally had to start from scratch. Since launching just over two years ago, we have expanded to over 60 cities in China and we are serving over 40 million rides per week. Our team is now 800 strong, nobly serving their cities. Our philosophy on people has always been to hire the best of the best and our incredible success in China is due to all of you. You are the smartest and most entrepreneurial sons and daughters of China whose mission has been to build a transportation system in every Chinese city, and to serve those cities and to serve the people. In the startup community in Beijing and across China, our people and our systems for empowering them have set the gold standard for Chinese technology companies. Your efforts -- and the efforts of our China engineering and product teams back in San Francisco -- have not only been been an inspiration to our thousands of employees globally but to me personally. However, as an entrepreneur, Ive learned that being successful is about listening to your head as much as following your heart. Sustainably serving Chinas cities, and the riders and drivers who live in them, is only possible with profitability. This merger paves the way for our team and Didis to partner on an enormous mission, and it frees up a substantial resources for bold initiatives focused on the future of cities -- from self-driving technology to the future of food and logistics. Uber is a better, stronger company because of our China experience. Didi has been a fierce competitor and I respect all that Didi and their team have accomplished. UberChina certainly rose to the occasion and your hustle and work ethic is the stuff of legend. Working with and learning from all of you in this remarkable China journey has been one of the great experiences in my life. I want to thank Yanqi, Kate, Gang, Cleo, Zhen, Allen and the entire UberChina team for getting us to this point. A big shout out as well to our UberChina product and engineering team, led by Han, Vinay and Pedram, for all their hard work and creativity. China was a big bet for us and Im incredibly proud of everything we have achieved. I will be doing an All Hands to talk to you all about our new journey forward, and how we will work with our new partner in serving China and her cities. Stay tuned for the exact time--Allen will send a note around shortly. With much UberChina love, Travis An Indian government body has recommended provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of hot-rolled steel products, a government statement said on Tuesday, to reduce overseas purchases of the alloy and shield local mills. The anti-dumping duty will come into effect after New Delhi formally notifies the tax. The Directorate General of Anti Dumping recommended the duties on steel products from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia, the statement said. Indian steelmakers such as the Steel Authority of India, JSW Steel and Tata Steel had lobbied for protectionist measures to prevent cheap overseas purchases that were undercutting local mills and squeezing margins. The Reserve of Bank of India has come out with the guidelines for on-tap bank licencing, paving the way for those interested to seek licences whenever required. However, experts are of the view that the major banking sector reform, coming at a time when public sector banks are troubled with huge NPAs, may not find many takers. The step nonetheless is key reform because earlier, the central bank gave out such universal bank licences only during specific periods. From 1990s, the RBI has given licences only thrice. With on-tap system, those interested can apply for licences whenever they are ready. One of the key highlights of the much-awaited guidelines is that they have excluded large industrial houses as eligible entities from the purview, though they can invest in banks up to 10 percent. The initial minimum paid-up voting equity capital for a bank should be Rs 500 crore and thereafter, the bank should have a minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore at all times. Individuals/ professionals who are 'residents' and have 10 years of experience in banking and finance at a senior level and existing non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) that are 'controlled by residents' and have a successful track record for at least 10 years can apply for the licence. Further, "entities/ groups in the private sector that are 'owned and controlled by residents' and have a successful track record for at least 10 years, provided that if such entity/group has total assets of Rs 5,000 crore or more, the non-financial business of the group does not account for 40 per cent or more in terms of total assets/in terms of gross income" are also eligible promoters. The applicant would have to pass the 'Fit and Proper' criteria. According to it, promoter/ promoting entity/ promoter group should have a past record of sound financials, credentials, integrity and have a minimum 10 years of successful track record. The foreign shareholding in the bank would be as per the existing FDI. At present, the aggregate foreign investment limit is 74 percent. "The licensing window will be open on-tap, and the applications...could be submitted to the RBI at any point of time," the guidelines said. The applications will be referred to a Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC) to be set up by the Reserve Bank. The validity of the in-principle approval issued by the RBI will be 18 months from the date of granting in-principle approval and would thereafter lapse automatically. Will NBFCs apply? The RBI's move seems like an attempt to tap into the resources of NBFCs at a time when the banks are straddled with huge NPA burden. The Rs 8 lakh crore stressed assets have become a millstone around the banking sector severely constraining their ability to fund economic growth. However, it remains to be seen how many NBFCs will really apply for and pass the stringent licence test by the central bank. A note by brokerage form Religare says the exercise is likely to to find only a few takers. "We don't see many NBFCs converting into banks given the stringent guidelines and statutory norms. Thus, though on-tap, licensing will be limited," analysts Parag Jariwala and Vikesh Mehta said in the note. Explaining the rationale behind the view, they have noted that the RBI has barred the entry of NBFCs that are part of a group with total assets of more than Rs 5,000 crore and has non-financial businesses accounting for over 40 percent of total assets or gross income. "This, in our view, will exclude NBFCs like Bajaj Finserv, MMFS (Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services) and CIFC," the brokerage note said. Large industrial houses have also been disqualified as eligible entities, but have been permitted to invest up to 10% in banks. "This means that L&T Finance cannot convert into a bank with more than 10% holding by LT," they said. They have also pointed out that NBFCs will have to transfer all lending businesses to the new bank, with only specialised activities (like credit cards) to be done separately under a Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC). "We think large NBFCs would refrain from applying given the onerous statutory compliance requirements," the note says. Apart from these, the formation of an NOFHC has been made non-mandatory if promoters are individuals, and standalone promoting or converting entities. The brokerage sees this as positive for IDFCIDFC Bank like structure. However, IDFC will have to apply for a special exemption since the rules dont permit retrospective changes, the analysts note. Also individual promoters, promoting entities, and converting entities that have other group entities, can set up the bank only through the NOFHC route. In such cases, the promoter or promoter group need to own a minimum 51% in the NOFHC. With PTI Mumbai: International rating agency S&P Global Ratings today said that Indian state-run banks will need Rs 2.5 lakh crore capital infusion over the next three years to meet Basel-III requirements. "The capital requirements will be sizeable... public sector banks need Rs 2.5 trillion to meet Basel-III requirements," agency's credit analyst Geeta Chugh told reporters over a conference call. She said the banks, which are mired in high levels of stressed assets, cannot raise the money from the markets and will have to depend on the government for the infusion. There are other avenues like issuing additional Tier-I bonds, which is yet to become popular, she added. However, if the banks fail to raise the required amount of capital, it may lead to them losing market share as they will be unable to fund the new credit demand. Difficulties surrounding capital infusions may also lead to consolidation, she said, elaborating that weaker and inefficient banks will be taken over by the stronger ones. Chugh said even though the banks will be reporting non-performing assets of around 8.5 per cent, the overall stress according to the agency stands at up to 13 per cent and the troubles surrounding NPAs will continue at least for a year. She said this will lead to the profitability of the banks being under pressure, which means the banks cannot generate internal accruals to be ploughed back to meet the higher capital requirements of the Basel-III framework. Reserve Bank has decided to gradually increase the capital buffers and adopt the Basel-III requirements in full by April 2019. Specifically, she said, iron and steel, infrastructure, construction and engineering sectors are the pain points for Indian banking system. The problem of NPAs is much smaller in China than India, where the credit costs have gone up beyond 2 percentage points, she added. Chugh said among the over two dozen state-run banks, only one --- Union Bank of India --- is having a negative outlook, which means there is a one in three chance of it getting downgraded. The government had last year announced it will infuse Rs 70,000 crore into the state run banks over four years while they will have to raise a further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the markets to meet their capital requirements in line with global risk norms Basel-III. In line with the blueprint, PSU banks are to get Rs 25,000 crore each in 2015-16 and 2016-17 fiscals. Besides, Rs 10,000 crore each would be infused in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Assuming that the government will continue to support the banks, the agency has a 'stable' outlook on all other ratings, she said, adding that it had downgraded Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of India recently. When asked about the rating impact of SBI's consolidation efforts with the five associate banks, Chugh said it will not lead to any sizeable change. LONDON Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday kickstarted her bid to reshape the British economy for a post-Brexit world, reviving the once unfashionable concept of industrial policy 30 years after Margaret Thatcher killed it off. May chaired the first meeting of the "Cabinet Committee on Economy and Industrial Strategy" in her Downing Street offices, bringing together the heads of 11 other ministries to set out her vision for a state-boosted industrial renaissance. "The prime minister emphasised that the objective of the governments new industrial strategy should be to deliver an economy that works for all," a spokesman said in a statement issued after the meeting. After a referendum campaign that revealed dissatisfaction in many of Britain's struggling post-industrial regions, May is pitching a plan to reunite the country and strengthen her grip on power by raising the prospects of those who she casts as "hard-working people". The June 23 vote to leave the European Union has raised serious questions about the future of the world's fifth largest economy, with some surveys indicating a recession, a hit to consumer confidence and a possible fall in investment. The challenge is to find a formula that arrests a decades-long decline in Britain's manufacturing sector by helping firms tackle the challenges posed by globalisation without blunting the market forces that make them competitive. The meeting focused on ways the government could support growth in different areas of the country, the spokesman said. Chancellor Philip Hammond told the meeting that by reducing the productivity gap between the rest of the country and London and the southeast, economic output could rise by 9 percent, adding over 150 billion pounds to the economy. Ministers agreed the strategy should also be focussed on "playing to the countrys strengths while also creating an economy that is open to new industries, particularly those that will shape our lives in the future," the spokesman said. That push that could help carmakers such as Jaguar Land Rover (TAMO.NS) and Nissan (7201.T) and aerospace industry leaders like BAE Systems (BAES.L) to weather the Brexit storm. It is also geared to support the creation of new technology firms such as microchip designer ARM, which was sold to Japan's SoftBank (9984.T) last month for $32 billion. Experts say recent efforts at implementing closer cooperation between the state and industries such as carmakers and aerospace have been partially successful, but need to be scaled up and placed at the heart of government thinking. "The very fact that the new prime minister is chairing this committee, I hope, addresses one of the weaknesses of the last two administrations ... that is the relative lack of joined-up thinking, a cross-governmental approach," said Terry Scuoler, head of the EEF manufacturing trade body. "If this committee chaired by the prime minister states something, it is going to be potent." While policy detail is scarce, the strategy is likely to combine state-backed investment in traditional infrastructure such as roads and rail with funding for modern essentials such as broadband and lower energy costs, along with a push to train more of the highly-skilled workers that industry says it needs. NOT PICKING WINNERS Industrial policy has a toxic legacy in Britain. It was once used to help failing national champions through a series of flawed policies in the 1960s and 1970s that sought to arrest a decline in manufacturing influence. "We're not getting into the business of picking winners - it's more about creating the right environment," a government source who spoke on condition of anonymity said. Already, less than a month after the fallout from the Brexit vote swept her into power, May has two major industrial headaches. Last week, she surprised French utility EDF (EDF.PA) and China with a last-minute decision to review their project to build a nuclear plant in Britain, calling into question her approach to Chinese investment, which is seen as a crucial source of infrastructure cash. Speaking after the meeting, the spokesman said Britain would continue to seek investment from around the world. [L8N1AJ5JP] May also has to deal with Tata Steel (TISC.NS), which put thousands of jobs under threat earlier this year when it said it wanted to sell its British steelmaking operation, citing high energy costs and low global steel prices. The firm is now investigating a possible joint venture instead of a sale. "If Theresa May backs British manufacturing that is steel-intensive, then suddenly theres a market here for British steel and that could make Port Talbot (steel plant) a viable operation," said Ben Orhan, analyst at IHS Global insight. "(But) it really depends where the focus is going to be." The refocusing of Britain's economic policy, which for the last six years was aimed at balancing the books and heavily reliant on foreign money to replace state infrastructure spending, also carries a potentially huge political prize. With the opposition Labour Party, long seen as the champion of the working classes, locked in a vicious internal ideological struggle and losing sway in its traditional heartlands, May has an opportunity to win over those who saw voting 'Leave' in the EU referendum as a 'nothing to lose' protest vote. "The Brexit vote and euroscepticism was strongest in former manufacturing areas, where the industry has gone, the good jobs have gone and people feel disaffected," said David Bailey, professor of industry at Aston Business School. "If May's going to do something about reconnecting, manufacturing has got to be part of the story." (Additional reporting by Costas Pitas, Sarah Young and Maytaal Angel; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Tom Heneghan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Abu Jundal, the key accused in the 2006 Aurangabad Arms Haul case, along with six others, on Tuesday, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai, according to ANI. Out of the 12 convicted in the case, two were sentenced to 14 years of jail, and the rest three were sentenced to 8 years of jail. #FLASH 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case: 7 out of 12 convicts including Abu Jundal sentenced to life imprisonment. ANI (@ANI_news) August 2, 2016 #FLASH 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case: 2 convicts sentenced to 14 years of jail, rest 3 sentenced to 8 years of jail. ANI (@ANI_news) August 2, 2016 The MCOCA court on Thursday had found the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and 26/11 key plotter Abu Jundal, and 11 others guilty in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Ten others were acquitted by the court. The court had said that this was a conspiracy after 2002 Gujarat riots to eliminate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and VHP's Pravin Togadia. The court also dropped MCOCA charges in the case, in which 22 people, including Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, were arrested. The court accepted prosecution's case that the aim of the convicted accused was to create terror in the minds of people and to eliminate public leaders like then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Pravin Togadia. The court also said that this was a conspiracy to strike terror by the accused in the name of 'jihad'. Abu Jundal and others found guilty in 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case by MCOCA court in Mumbai ANI (@ANI_news) July 28, 2016 MCOCA court said that this was a conspiracy after 2002 Gujarat riots to eliminate then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and VHP's Pravin Togadia ANI (@ANI_news) July 28, 2016 MCOCA court said that this was a larger conspiracy to strike terror and they (accused) were calling it 'jihad'. ANI (@ANI_news) July 28, 2016 In February 2013, charges were framed against Abu Jundal in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case under sections of MCOCA, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act. Jundal is also suspected to have played a key role in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks in 2008. He is an accused in the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune and an alleged plotter for attacks on vital installations in Nashik. On 8 May, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team had chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30 kg RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. The Indica was allegedly driven by Jundal, who managed to give police the slip. Jundal, who hails from Beed district of Maharashtra then allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan, according to the state police. Jundal was arrested in Delhi following his deportation from Saudi Arabia in 2012. The NIA had chargesheeted Jundal here for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror activities in India, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and Aurangabad arms haul case. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was vacated in 2009. In August last year, the Bombay High Court directed the lower court to expedite the trial. With inputs from agencies Kolkata: Six BSF personnel were seriously injured when a patrol team of the force was attacked by about 100 cattle smugglers with sticks and sharp weapons near a border outpost in Siliguri on Tuesday. The BSF patrol party had been sent to apprehend the smugglers who were trying to smuggle cattle from Leusipakuri border outpost and had seized 34 cows though they could not apprehend anyone. "But when we were returning with the cattle to hand them over to police, around 100 cattle smugglers attacked us with sticks and sharp weapons. They also tried to seize the cattle. Around six to seven of our jawans were seriously injured," a senior official of BSF's North Bengal Frontier said. "In order to stop them we had to fire around six rounds in the air to disperse the smugglers," he said. West Bengal is a hub for cattle smuggling because of the high demand for beef in neighbouring Bangladesh. Cattle from almost all over the country are sent to the state to be smuggled to Bangladesh. However, cattle smugglers are finding it difficult to carry on in recent months after the vigil on the border has been enhanced to stop their activity. When journalist Aditya Raj Kaul tweeted a picture of a Kashmiri boy aiming his slingshot at the police, little did he realise the controversial discussions that would take place on social, specifically Twitter. A boy plays with security jawans during curfew, in the downtown area of Srinagar on Saturday. (PTI Photo by S Irfan) pic.twitter.com/kjfRTJdL3n Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 31, 2016 The journalist described the picture as a 'playful' gesture by the kid to the jawans. Instead, it received a negative response from several users. Including former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who painted a completely different picture of the aforementioned tweet. When such a young kid aims his slingshot at a policeman, we must realize that we have comprehensively failed Kashmir pic.twitter.com/U10fHcjBbs Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) July 31, 2016 Bhatt, in his tweet, accused that something was terribly wrong in Kashmir, which Delhi had never tried to address. He too, received flak for his view. Twitterati went against Kaul's tweet and blamed him for not realising that this was a sign of danger and a wake up call to realise that even kids are picking up from the scars left behind by separatists. @AdityaRajKaul Don't you realize that the same boy will grow up targeting security personals? Is that what they teach? We were taught not to (@honestology) July 31, 2016 @AdityaRajKaul @tishtriya this simple pic. describes how deep rooted scar has been made by separatists in the valley against India. Chetan Chandra (@chandrachetan2) July 31, 2016 @AdityaRajKaul This is what he has learned from stone pelting adults ujjwal.sandeep (@SandeepUjjwal01) July 31, 2016 @AdityaRajKaul An Idea has already been sown in his mind. An Idea that would define, who he would eventually become. Preetham (@preetham029) July 31, 2016 While Kaul was accused of being blind towards the actual message behind the picture, Bhatt, on the other hand, was once again accused of making statements against the Narendra Modi government. Bhatt was previously in the news for making allegations about Modi's involvement in the Gujarat riots of 2002, in which more than 1,000 people were killed. According to The Hindu, Bhatt was suspended by the Gujarat government, after he filed an affidavit accusing Modi of complicity in the 2002 riots. This time around, the former IPS officer was criticised for not taking the picture in a light manner and targeting the government. @sanjivbhatt what a shame that you once wore a uniform. Did you check about the photo from former colleagues? The cops were playing with kid Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) August 1, 2016 Journalist Smita Prakash's reaction on Bhatt's tweets received huge support. @smitaprakash @sardanarohit ||@sanjivbhatt he can commit any crime to defame Modi. Such a shameless guy. Rajesh Laddha (@Rajesh_Laddha) August 1, 2016 . @Rajesh_Laddha This is not about the PM. It is about a minor. @sardanarohit @sanjivbhatt Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) August 1, 2016 @smitaprakash Smita ji some prove their vile point by using all nihilistic means Sanjiv Bhatt is the same. He won't have any shame. Shereen Pathak (@shivanginipatha) August 1, 2016 @sanjivbhatt @asadowaisi Same kid Don't fall for either side of the story... Yet . pic.twitter.com/1xLWeiWoqk shiven surendranath (@shivens) July 31, 2016 Many others accused Bhatt of spreading hatred and fuelling anti-national sentiments, and several questions were raised regarding his fiasco with the Supreme Court. @sanjivbhatt One day he will be the one who will fight for freedom. #kashmir will be free. You can't concur the heart after brutally. Dr. NASIR KHAN (@drnkhan786) July 31, 2016 @sanjivbhatt You have been Branded a liar & crook by SC.Dismissed from service Yet you use this pic & the Position? Were you worth th force? Peace for all (@Bullish19) August 1, 2016 There were a few on Facebook, who spoke about the hatred that Kashmiri kids are exposed to and the apparent condition in the state. Coimbatore: Alleging that their two daughters were being held captive by city-based Isha Yoga centre and had been made sanyasins, a couple on Monday sought the help of the District Collector to set them free. In a petition to the collector, retired professor Kamaraj alleged that his two daughters, aged 33 and 31, who had gone to the centre to learn yoga some time ago, were "brain washed" and forced to stay there. The Yoga centre's head had allegedly made the two tonsure their heads and wear saffron clothes. He was not allowing them to mingle with outsiders, Kamaraj, who had come to the collectorate with his wife, said. Kamaraj alleged that he was not even allowed to meet and talk to his daughters, who were M Tech and B Tech degree holders and holding good posts, he said. Expressing apprehensions about their safety, he requested the collector to immediately intervene and get them released. Efforts to get a reaction from the Yoga centre were of no avail. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on 9 August launch a campaign aimed at acquainting the young generation with the sacrifices made by freedom fighters during India's Independence struggle, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday. The campaign is called '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Qurbani' (70 years of Independence -- Let's recall the sacrifices). Briefing the media after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting, Naidu said the Union ministers will visit places associated with the Independence struggle across the country to spread the message of patriotism. "It is the 75th year of 'Quit India' movement. All ministers will visit places associated with our freedom struggle, such as the Jallianwala Bagh (in Amritsar in Punjab) and Dandi (village in Gujarat) etc. Each minister will visit at least two places," he said. He said the campaign is also aimed at developing the feeling of "nation first". "The visiting ministers will highlight various initiatives of the Narendra Modi government in the last two years. Independence means from 'swaraj' (self-rule) to 'suraaj' (good governance)," Naidu said. A week-long 'Tiranga Yatra' to evoke feelings of nationalism and patriotism will also be undertaken from the Independence Day on 15 August, he said. Members of parliament and state legislatures have been asked to participate in the Yatra carrying the Tricolour and visit their constituencies. At the meeting, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed the members about the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which is to be presented in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday suddenly took ill during a road show and had to call off her Varanasi roadshow mid-way. Her flight to Delhi has been delayed as she is being treated at Varanasi Airport's VIP Lounge and is put on a drip, reported ANI. Congress sources said that Gandhi was feeling better and will return to Delhi by the special plane which had brought her to Varanasi. Sonia Gandhi was in Varanasi, PM Modi's turf, to kickstart party's campaign ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls in 2017. Gandhi stood in a vehicle with an open sunroof and waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government, before taking a break. Later it was declared that the Congress president would not continue with the road show as she was unwell. Sources said Gandhi cancelled her planned visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers and was returning to Delhi. According to Congress sources, Gandhi was suffering from viral fever but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute. Expressing concern over the health of Gandhi, PM Modi said: Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2016 Earlier in the day, thousands of Congress supporters and workers had taken part in the roadshow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line, a distance of about eight kilometres. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of BR Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers crisscrossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Congress President Sonia Gandhi leaves Varanasi (UP) for Delhi. pic.twitter.com/nbPdUcDYqu ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanja Singh accompanied Gandhi. This was Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became prime minister. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats -- Amethi and Rae Bareli -- in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while BJP and its ally Apna Dal secured 73 seats out of total 80. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishor had planned the campaign strategy of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in the Bihar Assembly polls. With inputs from PTI Sasto Deal, an online shopping portal in Nepal, recently introduced a menstrual leave policy for female employees who face debilitating period pains every month. The move has been welcomed by Nepalese women as they feel it is a women-friendly initiative and a recognition of the special needs of the female workforce. But is it really? Is period leave a wondrous example of new-age, gender-sensitive HR practice? Or does it amount to reverse sexism, taking women back to the time when they stayed indoors and nursed their curse away from the public eye? Yes, a lot of women do experience moderate to severe pain during their periods. But should one be entitled to skip work for a couple of days every month because ones uterus is sloughing off its lining? And what does that do for equality in the workplace? Paid menstrual leave is not a new concept. The practice exists in many Asian countries. Japan passed a law to that effect in 1947, after a large number of women entered its workforce at the end of World War II. South Korea grants one days period leave to women, Taiwan three days. Three provinces in China have adopted a similar policy. In Indonesia, women can take two days off on account of their periods, though there have been reports that they are often forced to submit to humiliating innerwear checks to prove that they are indeed bleeding. In March this year, Coexist, a non-profit based in Bristol, UK, also decided to introduce period leave for its female employees a first in the country. Bex Bexter, a director at Coexist said, This is not about employees taking more time off but working more flexibly and efficiently around their menstrual cycle and encouraging a work-life balance. However, pitching menstrual leave as a work-life balance thing is hugely problematic. Not least because it completely overturns the notion of equality in the workplace. Women have been fighting for equal opportunity, equal pay, and the right not be discriminated against on the basis of their gender. To claim menstrual leave is to forfeit that right to a large extent. For its very idea derives from the premise that a woman is a delicate, gendered being at the mercy of her hormones. It reinforces the dubious banter around that time of the month when women are supposed to be cranky, indisposed, and hence in need of seclusion and rest. The point is that most of us dont want to be treated as the weaker sex, handicapped by our bleedin biology. We dont want to be looked upon as special cases because our reproductive organs go into a tizzy every four weeks. We can handle it give or take a few painkillers; we dont need this handout. And no, menstrual leave is not like maternity leave. First of all, the latter happens maybe only a couple of times during a womans work life. Second, bringing a child into the world and nurturing it during those first months is way more challenging and arduous than dealing with the migraines and cramps that kick in during ones periods. Maternity leave is a human right. Menstrual leave translates into the right to be cosseted as a pain-addled little woman. Besides, if paid period leave becomes mandatory, expect companies to think very hard before they take women on board. Theres a cost to having female employees sit out a couple of days every month and thats bound to recoil on women both in terms of their numbers in the workforce as well as the already existing pay gap between men and women. And we are not even talking about the hostility and sniggers that will come their way from their male colleagues should they get this period privilege. Which is why, as The Guardian reports, most women in Japan do not avail of menstrual leave, though the law protects their right to do so. Even those afflicted with dysmenorrhea (severe menstrual pain) would rather take regular sick leave than put in a request for period leave. Its not just that menstrual leave is utterly at odds with feminisms demand for a level playing field in the workplace. The concept also lends backhanded support to menstrual taboos and the way patriarchy has always sought to portray menstruating women as messy, frail creatures quite unfit for normal life. Many traditional cultures, ours included, view them as unclean and bar them from the kitchen and places of worship. By encouraging women to stay home during those difficult days, period leave buys into that narrative of diminishment and exclusion. Indeed, Sasto Deals move is particularly discomfiting, given that Nepal has a long tradition of keeping women penned during their periods. Though banned by law, Chhaupadi an egregious custom wherein menstruating girls are banished to sheds outside the house is still practised in some parts of rural Nepal. In a way, Sasto Deals menstrual leave looks like a modern day spin on that practice. There was a storm of protest in India last year when Keralas Sabarimala temple board president made the outrageous comment that women of all ages would be allowed to enter the temple only when a machine was invented to check if they were menstruating or not. In response, legions of young women launched a provocative social media campaign called #HappyToBleed to hammer home the message that menstruation was a natural biological function not something impure and dirty. It shouldnt shut women out, nor should it draw commiseration. A period leave policy works against such empowering narratives. It turns HappyToBleed into SorryToBleed, and pushes us back into that hoary old frame of a woman who is defined by her sex organs. For wrenching period pains, theres always sick leave and painkillers. Id rather take those than the sexism implicit in this seemingly caring, women-friendly gesture. The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi Yangon: Myanmar is hoping to lure 7.5 million tourists a year by 2019, an official said Tuesday, as the impoverished former junta-ruled nation emerges as one of Southeast Asia's hot destinations. Travel to the once-cloistered country used to be reserved for the well-heeled and intrepid, prepared to endure the travails of a country under military rule with patchy electricity and limited communications. But foreign tourists have flocked in since the country began opening up in 2011, with a celebrities such as pop stars Beyonce and Jay Z helping to popularise the message that the country is open for visitors. This year Myanmar is on track to welcome 5.5 million tourists, nearly a million more than 2015, Tint Thwin, director-general of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told AFP. "We hope the number will grow to 7.5 million tourists per year within three years," he said on the sidelines of a major tourism conference in Yangon. "We will try to find new destinations for tourists to visit and we will also support community-based tourism," he said in an effort to raise incomes in one of Asia's poorest countries. In comparison, neighbouring Thailand a regional tourism behemoth received 30 million visitors in 2015, offering a tantalising glimpse of the riches to be made. Curiosity in Myanmar's culture and natural beauty has surged in recent years in lockstep with the rollback of most international sanctions and the ascension of Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power. But challenges remain. Hotels are expensive and often do not meet the standards of more traveller-friendly countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. There have also been a number of incidents where tourist behaviour has clashed with Myanmar's conservative culture. A Spanish tourist was deported last month for sporting a tattoo of the Buddha on his leg in the Buddhist-majority country, while authorities are struggling to prevent the surging visitor numbers from damaging the vast Bagan temple site. Myanmar travel groups are also hoping to attract wealthier package tours to provide year-round jobs. Vatican City: Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a commission to study the issue of female Church deacons in a move seen as a potential first step towards women entering the Catholic clergy. The 13-member commission, made up of seven men and six women, will examine the question with a particular focus on the history of women having played this role in the early years of the Church, the Vatican said in a statement revealing the commission members. The panel will be chaired by Spanish Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the secretary of the Vatican's theological watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A Jesuit, Ladaria is seen as a neutral figure without strong ties to either the progressive or conservative wings of the Vatican hierarchy. The establishment of the commission follows a pledge made by Francis in May during a question-and-answer session with members of female religious orders. That was warmly welcomed by Catholic feminist groups such as the US-based Women's Ordination Conference (WOC). But Francis subsequently complained that the media had blown his comments out of proportion, saying he had not raised the possibility of women serving as deacons. Advocates of such a move have long argued that women are pitifully under-represented in the Church's hierarchy and decision-making processes, despite the number of women in religious orders far outweighing the total of priests and monks combined. 'A good sign' Allowing women to enter the clergy at a rank just below a priest would represent a first step towards correcting this imbalance, they argue. They also insist there is no theological obstacle to the move because of the precedent established by women performing the role in the early centuries of Christianity. Francis said in May that he was unclear about the history and that it "would do good for the Church to clarify this point." He made it clear that he did not see women becoming priests. That option was examined and categorically rejected by one of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II, in 1994. In 2001, a commission charged with looking into the term "deaconess" concluded there was no basis for ordaining women to the role. Lucetta Scaraffia, an editorialist for the Vatican daily Osservatore Romano, said studying the history of female deacons was tantamount to re-examining the issue of whether the Church should allow them again. "I cannot say if it could happen soon, but it is encouraging. The fact that the pope acted quickly on what he said in May is a good sign," she told AFP. The Vatican did not set a deadline for the commission to reach conclusions on what is a vexed issue. After Francis's comments in May, one of his closest allies, the liberal German Cardinal Walter Kasper, predicted a fierce debate. "On this issue the Church is split down the middle," the leading progressive theologian said, while cautioning that all previous attempts to open the clergy's door to women had been rejected. More open Church Although deacons cannot celebrate mass on their own or hear confessions, they are ordained and can carry out many tasks in place of a priest, while remaining free to marry and have a family. Their tasks can include presiding over baptisms, weddings, funerals and prayer services. They often help with parish management and offer pastoral guidance to believers. Francis has often championed the special qualities of the female sex, saying in December 2014: "Women are like strawberries on a cake you always need more of them." He has also repeatedly said since becoming pope in 2013 that he does not represent all Church teaching as being set in stone. He has tried to make the global institution more understanding, less judgemental in its approach to divorced, cohabiting and gay believers. Some critics say he has delivered little concrete change but his supporters have hailed the new mood music as hugely significant. The question is being asked because its chief minister, handpicked by Narendra Modi, is stepping down. The short answer is: no, and I'll explain why in a moment. But first, let's speculate on the reasons why Anandiben Patel is going. First: The all-must-retire-at-75 rule is not applicable to Kalraj Mishra. It is true that he may be asked to go after the Uttar Pradesh elections, but till then he is important. So it should be accepted that Patel is not seen as an asset in the same way. Second: Any leader would have suffered being a follow up act to Modi. The most charismatic and popular Gujarati leader since Vallabhbhai, Modi has left a leadership void hard to fill. Anandiben Patel was seen by many as unable to fill it, but it's not easy to see who might have been able to. Third: Gujarat was synonymous, rightly or wrongly, with competent and clean governance. It was a state that was consistently delivering double digit growth, focussed on industries and manufacturing, unlike other successful hubs focused on services, like Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Hyderabad. Now it is seen, rightly and wrongly, as any other Indian state, with a chief minister accused of favouring family, mismanaging of social violence and possibly Hindutva fatigue. The perception had to be corrected, and changing the leadership is the best way. Fourth: The Gujarat model is rubbish, according to Gujaratis themselves. The Patidars, the most politically powerful, wealthy and globally connected peasant caste in India, have rejected Modi's claim that Gujarat is a model state for economic growth. If this privileged community is not just unhappy but angry, the rest are not buying the dream either. This is a serious problem and if not managed properly, will lead to questions that will not be limited to Gujarat. Someone needs to step in and bring the joy back. That means recreating the perception of an energetic state with a world-beating economic model. That person, very sorry, is not old Anandiben Patel. These then are the reasons she is leaving. Let's return to the original question. If all of the above is true, why is the BJP not in trouble? The answer is that it has been here many times before. Patidars angry? The Keshubhai Patel rebellion against Modi was a flop. Social unrest? Well, 2002 did not affect the BJP. Intra-party squabbling? Happens all the time. The fact is that an opposition is needed to exploit unrest in ruling parties. The thing stopping the BJP from falling when it stumbles is the inadvertent support of an incompetent Congress. It is an astonishing and possibly unique fact that in a two-party state, the Congress has not won an election, either Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha, for more than two-and-a-half decades. This despite the fact that it regularly clocks above 35 percent of the vote. This vote is comprised of those communities, like Muslims and Dalits, who suffer under Hindutva, and it includes those communities, like Kshatriyas, which are traditional rivals of the Patels. This vote is permanently locked in against the BJP, and one could legitimately call it a base. In any other state, a base of 35 percent would mean an easy win. Not in Gujarat, where the BJP holds on to its 40 percent plus, helped by the incompetence of the Congress. The Gandhis do not have the talent, energy and imagination to push that 35 percent up by three or four points. If they had done it in one election, the invincibility of the BJP would have vanished. And it is not as if the Gandhis have had no opportunity. Just take a look at all the times the BJP has stumbled. Given the circumstances, Mamata, Jayalalithaa, Mulayam or Nitish might have made kheema out of the BJP. Modi was lucky to go up against the most lazy and uninterested opposition in history. For a decade he was given the political freedom to shape his image in the way he liked. And, to his credit, he did. The Gandhis, on the other hand, have failed because they haven't really tried. They have put an RSS man, Shankarsinh Vaghela, in charge of the party and despite losing every election since taking over, he is persisted with. Why? Nobody knows. The Gandhis seem happy with permanently coming second in Gujarat (though Arvind Kejriwal might have a thing or two to say about that soon). If they remain second and pick up an extra seat here or there because of the BJP's current woes, their chamchas will declare victory on the channels. This is why, despite accepting that Anandiben Patel has failed, the BJP is not in trouble in Gujarat. Enough ink has flowed in speculating on the reasons behind Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patels resignation as well as suggestions on what the BJP needs to do to hold on to its posterboy state. Indeed, the situation in Gujarat today was perhaps only to be expected when Narendra Modi resigned as chief minister to make his bid for the prime ministership. Whatever the reasons maybe, the fact remains that it will take a long time for the BJP to find someone even remotely close to Modis charisma, political adroitness and stature to occupy the Gujarat CMs chair. As Sandipan Sharma observes in this Firstpost article, although the BJP has undoubtedly been the most powerful force in Gujarat for over two decades, the state has also been a "tricky" one for the BJP. "Such was the level of infighting, bickering and factionalism that no chief minister before Modi was able to complete his term. The notable trait that made Modi Gujarats most successful chief minister for three consecutive terms was his ability to not just manage crises but to thrive in crisis management. We note that post the 2002 riots when he was trying to find his feet there has not been a single religious riot in Gujarat even though the state has a history of being a repeated target of Islamic incursions. Equally, the manner in which he withstood a decade-long, vicious witch hunt is also a great pointer at his ability to thrive in calamitous situations. Then there was the manner in which he simultaneously began to build Brand Gujarat beginning with the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2003. Within a decade, he had almost the entire business fraternity rooting for his PM candidature demonstrating how well he had internalised Kautilyas maxim of Dharmasya moolam arthaha, Arthasya moolam rajyam (the root of Dharma is money, and the root of money is political power). His understanding of grassroots organisation and ideological and cadre-based politics helped him quell internal rebellion and manage dissent, and reduce the Opposition to irrelevance by the sheer force of his personality. While this has invited criticism on the grounds of dictatorial tendencies etc, more pragmatically, this is perhaps the only way to move ahead in the kind of democracy that is practised in India. As history shows, no party is free from this. All Congress dynasty members have been, well, autocratic. Leaders of regional parties have been patriarchs and matriarchs. The fourth and most important trait was Modis image of incorruptibility and Gujarat as a state where work got done without greasing palms. This contributed vastly to his ultimate success in May 2014. After a decade rife with gargantuan national loot by two successive UPA regimes, this trait stood out as a luminous beacon of hope for the voter. Gujarat thus became the finishing school from where Chief Minister Modi graduated directly to become Prime Minister Modi, a feat no other chief minister has accomplished. This backdrop helps put Anandiben Patels resignation in perspective. Beyond political machinations, party directives, anti-government agitations, etc, theres the real, everyday fact of the factor of personal leadership. What are the odds that the Patidar agitation and the Una killings would have occurred had Modi still been Gujarat CM? At a more fundamental level, the lack of an equivalent, or at least suitable replacement for Modi in Gujarat is a long-term lacuna for a cadre-based and ideology-driven political party like the BJP. It continually needs to groom leaders in the stalwart mould, which produced among others, a Vajpayee, Advani, Modi and Amit Shah to a great extent. More importantly, this grooming should occur in the context of changing time, social mores and aspirations. As the experience of several states shows, winning elections even with thumping majorities is only half the battle won. Even at the national level, with an absolute majority of 282 Lok Sabha seats, the narrative appears to still be in the hands of the combined Opposition, primarily led by the Congress-Left ecosystem. Despite the slew of economic and all-round progress that Modi has initiated, there seems to be no pervasive outlet to air the results of this progress. Of course, direct outreach efforts like Mann ki Baat, etc are making an impact but the overall narrative is still tinged with Leftist overtones. It remains to be seen to what extent the BJPs fortunes in Gujarat in 2017 will be impacted after Modis exit. It might still do well given that the Congress still doesnt pose a serious challenge. However, it is undeniable that the BJPs vise-like grip over the state has swiftly loosened in just two years. And if the BJP is serious about stemming this early slide into decline in its most important state, it needs to bring in a decisive leader exhibiting a strong force of personality and an image of incorruptibility. More importantly, although the party has emerged as a formidable election-winning machine under Amit Shah, it still needs to invest in building institutions and platforms that attract and nurture top talent drawn from various fields. This was accomplished to a significant extent in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls but was squandered away subsequently. The result has been hasty responses to motivated campaigns of say, award wapsi, intolerance, and the rest while these should have been anticipated in the first place. And this need is urgent between now and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP stares at four significant state polls: Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday assured Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh that the government was looking at their demand for the special category status for the state. Soon after the business resumed in the House after lunch, members of NDA partner TDP and the opposition YSR Congress started shouting slogans demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Lok Sabha had witnessed two brief adjournments over the issue earlier in the day. "Some members have concerns over particular issues. Government stands by its commitment. We are trying to find a solution to these issues," Jaitley intervened. But after this assurance, the MPs sought a timeline for resolving the matter and continued raising slogans like "we want justice" and "we demand special status". Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai urged them to participate in the business after the assurance given by the Finance Minister. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar too stated that the Finance Minister has given the assurance on the floor of the House. "The demands of Andhra Pradesh is under consideration. I request my friends to take the assurance of the Finance Minister and resume the business," he said. He further said "I am assuring the MPs of Andhra Pradesh that the government is committed to whatever has been assured. We are with the people of Andhra Pradesh. Give us some time. We are with the commitments and assurances... Please allow the House to function". Earlier in the day, members of NDA partner TDP and the opposition YSR Congress forced adjournments of Lok Sabha proceedings by creating noisy scenes to project their demand. While members of YSR Congress trooped into the Well holding placards demanding special category for Andhra Pradesh following the creation of Telangana, those from TDP stood in the aisles and raised slogans. This was the second consecutive day of their noisy protests which drew the ire of the Speaker who said earlier today that sloganeering will not help them meet their demand. Erode: Senior DMK leader MK Stalin has asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to clarify on the charges levied by sacked AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa that she was "slapped" by a leader. Stalin last night said the MP made an allegation in the floor of Rajya Sabha that she was "slapped" by a leader and that the Chief Minister should react to the charges. Pushpa had first rushed into the Well of the House on Monday to get permission to make her statement and then broke down several times as she said she faced "life threat" from the state government and alluded to her being "slapped by a leader". She, however, did not make it clear who slapped her and when. Raising the issue, Pushpa said, "If an MP is being slapped by a leader, where is human dignity," provoking strong protest from members of her own party AIADMK. Later in the evening, Jayalalithaa, in a statement said Pusha was being sacked from AIADMK as her behaviour "has brought great disrepute to the party". Last week, Pushpa had reportedly got into a scuffle with her Rajya Sabha colleague from DMK Tiruchi Siva at Delhi airport. New Delhi: A day after Anandiben Patel decided to step down as Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said making her a "scapegoat" would not save the BJP in Gujarat, as the 13-year Narendra Modi rule in the state was responsible for its "burning". "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle. 13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 2, 2016 The Gujarat chief minister decided to step down on Monday, saying it was time for new the leadership to take over as she is soon going to turn 75. Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled by the end of next year and Congress is upbeat as it had put up a good showing in the rural areas in the western state's panchayat elections. The party has been out of power in the Gujarat for over two decades. The state has been witnessing an agitation by the Patidar community to fulfil their quota demand while Dalits are up in arms after seven persons from their community were flogged by a group at Una for skinning a dead cow. Terming Patel's resignation as "overdue", Congress had yesterday accused the BJP leadership of trying to protect her in spite of "growing unrest" among Dalits and the Patidar community over her handling of issues related to them. All India Congress Committee General Secretary, in-charge of Gujarat, Gurudas Kamat also said if she is made a Governor of any state or accommodated into the Union cabinet, then it will amount to rubbing salt on the wounds of Dalits and the Patidar community. Varanasi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrived to a rousing welcome in Varanasi on Tuesday, with party workers lining up both sides of the road from the airport and raising slogans hailing her. After reaching the Babarpur airport, she spent some time in the VIP lounge and then drove off for her scheduled road show. On way, as her cavalcade emerged out of the airport, hundreds of enthusiastic Congress workers showered petals on her and asked her to lead the party to power in Uttar Pradesh. She waved back to the supporters and, at times, greeted them with folded hands from inside her bulletproof vehicle. Security personnel had a tough time keeping the crowds at bay. Newly appointed UP Congress chief Raj Babbar told reporters that he was sure the people of the state will back the party in the assembly polls in 2017. "The people of UP have always shown miracles. In 2004 they gave us many MPs, in 2007 they gave a mandate to the BSP, in 2012 to the SP and in 2014 to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. "I am sure that in 2017 the miracle is going to be in our favour" he said, adding that Sonia Gandhi had come to Varanasi, the Lok Sabha seat of Modi, to seek the blessings of Baba Vishwanath of Kashi. DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Kenyan man who chopped off his wife's hands with a machete because she had not conceived a child must face the full force of the law to deter other perpetrators of widespread domestic violence in Kenya, women's rights activists said on Tuesday. Stephen Ngila from Machakos County in southern Kenya, was yesterday arrested and charged with attempted murder, after attacking his wife, Jackline Mwende, almost two weeks ago, according to the women's rights organisation Equality Now. "This is a particularly shocking case for Kenya ... even though domestic violence is rampant," Naitore Nyamu of Equality Now told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Nairobi. Ngila cut off his wife's hands and hacked her head with a machete after a dispute about the fact that she had not fallen pregnant in seven years of marriage, local media said. The 34-year-old told Mwende, 27, 'today is your last day' before attacking her, said the Daily Nation newspaper, which published a video of the victim with a deep gash on her head, and stumps where her hands once were, wrapped in bandages. Mwende said she was surprised by the attack, as doctors told the couple that she was fertile, while Ngila was impotent. The Nairobi-based Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) said Ngila should be immediately investigated and prosecuted. "We are angered by the escalating cases of violence against women in country ... and that nothing has been done about it," said FIDA Kenya's chairwoman Josephine Mong'are. Almost half of Kenyan women who have ever been married have been physically abused by their husbands, government data shows. Domestic violence is widely accepted and victims rarely seek justice due to social pressure and little faith in the judicial system, according to Nairobi's Gender Violence Recovery Centre. "We can't afford to let the perpetrators act with impunity - which has sometimes been the case in recent years," Nyamu added. Kenya last year passed a domestic violence law, which had been pending since 2002, which criminalised a range of offences from verbal abuse and intimidation to assault and rape. The legislation also ensured that victims receive counselling and other forms of support. "While stigma and shame remain, women now have confidence to report domestic violence, because they know it is illegal, and that there is a law that backs them," said Joan Nyanyuki, executive director of the Coalition on Violence Against Women. "The law has created a safety net for women," she added. Kenya's Office of Public Prosecutions was not immediately available to comment on the case. (Reporting by Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. UNITED NATIONS United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon warned countries on Tuesday that if "you want to protect your image, protect children" after diplomats said in June that Saudi Arabia threatened to cut U.N. funding when its military coalition was blacklisted for killing children in Yemen. Riyadh denied making such threats. But Ban said in June he had come under "unacceptable" pressure that led him to temporarily remove the coalition from the blacklist, annexed to a U.N. children and armed conflict report, pending a review. Ban told the U.N. Security Council he had received information from the Saudi-led coalition on measures taken to prevent attacks on children and said the review was continuing. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children. They must always come first," Ban said. "We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented." The annual U.N. report said the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year, killing 510 and wounding 667. The Saudi-led coalition includes United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal and Sudan. "The content of the report stands," Ban said. "The report and its annexes may cause discomfort ... If you want to protect your image, protect children." The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. Saudi U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told the council that Saudi Arabia was committed to abiding by international humanitarian law, has clear rules of engagement to protect civilians and believes children are a priority. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will always be one of the first to provide assistance to the United Nations system, but it is also our view that the United Nations must discharge its mandate and do so neutrally and transparently," Mouallimi said. U.N. sanctions monitors said in January that the Saudi-led coalition had targeted civilians, sparking calls for the United States and Britain to halt sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told the council that Washington encouraged states to engage with the United Nations on the report and to challenge findings they deem inaccurate or unjustified by presenting evidence. "Even if we governments do not ultimately agree with certain U.N. findings or conclusions, we must maintain support for the United Nations," Power said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New York: Award-winning novelist Jonathan Franzen has an admittedly uncomfortable reason for why he doesn't expect to write a book about racial relations: He doesn't know many blacks. In an interview that appeared last weekend on Slate, the author of The Corrections said he had few black friends and had "never been in love" with a black woman. He called his comments "an embarrassing confession." Franzen's remarks were widely criticised, with National Book Award finalist Angela Flournoy tweeting that Franzen's books were indeed "about race," if only because they expressed a white perspective. Author Celeste Ng tweeted that Franzen showed a "failure of writing and of humanity." In response, Joyce Carol Oates suggested Franzen's detractors "cast the first stone" and write "stronger novels than JF." Oates called that the "best revenge." BRASILIA Police restored order in a northern state of Brazil on Monday after three nights of violence unleashed by a criminal gang that set off bombs, torched dozens of buses and fired shots at government buildings, authorities said. The wave of violence in Rio Grande do Norte, around 1,553 miles (2,500 kms) north of Rio de Janeiro, was triggered by a plan to move some of the gang's leaders serving time in the state's main penitentiary to other jails, and in response to the blocking of their cellphone communications, officials said. Brazil's President Michel Temer, seeking to quell the violence just days before the Olympic Games open in Rio, authorized the dispatch of 1,000 soldiers and 200 marines to the state on Sunday. No Olympic events are taking place in Rio Grande do Norte. "We are winning this war," the state's security chief, Army General Ronaldo Lundgren, told Reuters by telephone. "The number of incidents is dropping," he said of the violence in the capital Natal and about 20 other towns across the state. His office said 65 people suspected of committing acts of violence and vandalism had been arrested since Friday. Among them was an alleged founder of the gang, Joao Maria dos Santos, 32, aka John the Magician, who used a false pass in December to escape from the penitentiary where he was serving a 20-year sentence for organised crime, drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. Dos Santos was arrested on Sunday with 302,000 reais ($92,600) in cash, 20 kilos of crack cocaine, two handguns, jewellery, watches and 68 cellphones, a police statement said. It said 26 buses had been destroyed by fire, four buildings had been shot at and four bombs exploded across the state. No injuries were reported. Some schools were closed after a school bus was set on fire. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. DUBAI A British-Iranian aid worker, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, detained since early April and accused by hardline Revolutionary Guards of trying to overthrow Iran's government has appeared in court for the first time, her family said on Tuesday. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has dismissed the Revolutionary Guards' accusation. In a statement, the family said Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested as she tried to leave Iran after a short visit with her two-year-old daughter, appeared in the Revolutionary Court on Monday. The court handles security-related cases. "When I spoke to Nazanin yesterday, she was deeply upset," Richard Ratcliffe said. "She is desperate that our daughter has been kept away from her mother and father now for four months," he said, noting, "This remains a very cruel case." A judiciary spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a London-based charity that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. In a telephone conversation with her husband after the first hearing, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said that she would be allowed access to a lawyer. She was not allowed to share any of the details of that court session over the phone, the family said. "(Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family) were instructed to present her lawyer's name for approval by the judge," the family said. Such permission is required by Iranian law if an individual is accused of national security-related crimes. The lawyer must be approved by the head of the judiciary. John Ratcliffe, who is Nazanin's father-in-law and a British lawyer, has approached the Iranian Embassy in London for a visa to attend the next trial. No date for the trial has been announced. Several Iranian dual nationals from the United States, Britain, Canada and France have been detained in the past few months and are being kept behind bars on various charges, including espionage or collaborating with a hostile government. In a statement, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa said Nazanin-Ratcliffe "should soon be able to see a lawyer for the first time in her four months of detention, including 45 days in solitary confinement". "We do not know what the exact charges against her are." She said that, in her professional capacity at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Nazanin had never dealt with Iran, and that the Foundation had no dealings with Iran whatsoever. "We are in permanent contact with Nazanins husband Richard, and have contacted all British authorities to intervene. We insist this matter should be resolved as soon as possible, not least given her precarious state of health," Villa said. (Editing by William Maclean and Louise Ireland) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BENGHAZI, Libya A car bomb targeting security forces in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed 22 people and wounded 20 on Tuesday, a spokesman for the forces and medical officials said. The blast occurred in a residential area in the Guwarsha district, the scene of fighting between security forces loyal to Libya's eastern government and an alliance of Islamists and other opponents. The alliance, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, claimed responsibility for the blast, according to a statement posted on media sites linked to the group. Benghazi has been plagued by violence since eastern commander Khalifa Haftar launched a campaign against the Shura Council two years ago. His forces have advanced in several areas in recent months, but have not gained full control of the city. There have been occasional car bombings, though the toll from Tuesday's blast was unusually high. The attack targeted a gathering of the special forces unit of Haftar's forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), forces spokesman Fadel al-Hassi said. A Reuters witness said the powerful explosion reduced a three-story building to rubble. Haftar's forces are allied to a government that has been based in eastern Libya since 2014, when armed groups set up a rival administration in the capital, Tripoli. A U.N.-backed government moved into Tripoli earlier this year, but Haftar and the eastern government have so far rejected it. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by John Stonestreet) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Washington: Lashing out at American media, Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump termed CNN as "Clinton News Network" and called the New York Times "dishonest" for allegedly favouring his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "You look at CNN, it's called the Clinton news network. All day long, Trump, Trump - all day long, CNN, Trump, Trump, such a bad guy," Trump said at town hall in Columbus, Ohio. Targeting the New York Times, Trump said, "the New York Times is really, really dishonest, and it's failing. I don't think they'll be in business more than two or three years. Look at their numbers. They're failing". The Republican presidential nominee alleged these newspapers write stories favouring his rival Hillary Clinton."Crooked Hillary they write beautifully about," he alleged. Trump accused CNN of "inaccurate information", and said he won't be doing any of their shows until they "straighten up". "I think their ratings are going to go down really sharply now. They've been asking me to go on for months. I won't do their shows.When people finally realise that I'm not doing their shows they stop watching. That's what happens," Trump said. Trump alleged media outlets, except Fox are very tough on him. "Fox has at least been fair. So at some point, at some point we're just gonna keep barrelling through," he said. Referring to the recent decision of his campaign to revoke the press credentials of the Washington Post, Trump said the newspaper "got a little bit better lately". The billionaire from New York who claims to have 22.5 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, said that he would continue to use Twitter. "You know who says don't use Twitter? Your enemies. Why wouldn't I use it? Why wouldn't I -- if I have all these millions of people, and it's a great way to get a message out. "So when they write falsely, or say something totally false on the Today Show, or Good Morning America, I've put out a tweet. And you'll see all over television -- we have breaking news," he said. "I may be tweeting from bed. OK? It's true. It's instantaneous. If I put out a beautiful, long, perfectly scripted press release like I did yesterday nobody puts it out. If I put out a 140-character tweet they go crazy. They break into every story. So you got to use it," Trump added. Rouen: France paid its last respects Tuesday to Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old priest murdered by jihadists last week, at an emotional funeral held under tight security at Rouen cathedral in northern France. "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light," said Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun. Some 2,000 mourners packed the soaring Gothic sanctuary, with hundreds more watching the ceremony, which began minutes after a heavy rainstorm, on a giant screen outside. A section of pews in the 11th-century cathedral was filled by residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, the nearby industrial town where the two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat as he celebrated mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church. A red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar, with the Rouen diocese explaining that "Father Hamel's death was similar to that of Christ, unjustly convicted and put to death." Another red stole was set atop a white priest's vestment lying over Hamel's coffin. In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners. "It was a duty," Hassan Houays, a Muslim maths teacher from Saint-Etienne, told AFP. "We are here so that we can get along together." Reconciliation was an overarching theme of the mass, which recalled Jesus urging his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Hamel's sister Roselyne told the congregation: "Let us learn to live together. The world has so much need for hope." 'Never again' Archbishop Lebrun said the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities have "decided to come together to say 'never again'." Along with churches across France, the Rouen cathedral had on Sunday opened its doors to Muslims wishing to show their solidarity after the grisly attack, with the visitors paying a moving tribute to Hamel while denouncing radical Islam. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, whose portfolio also includes inter-faith relations, led the political delegation to the mass. As on Sunday, security was tight for Hamel's funeral, with around 20 riot police vans stationed around the cathedral and police closely checking mourners' bags and backpacks. The church attack came less than two weeks after another attacker ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and wounding more than 300 others. Hamel is to be buried in a ceremony attended only by close family members, at a location that has not been revealed. The frail octogenarian became the latest victim of terror in France when the two jihadists stormed his church in the small Normandy town of 30,000 people. Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which a worshipper was left seriously wounded. Three other hostages escaped unharmed. The attack stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims, Europe's largest. The series of jihadist attacks in France has raised tough questions about security failures, but also about the foreign funding of many mosques. Cazeneuve said Monday that authorities have shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam since December. "There is no place ... in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques," the minister said. TOKYO Pope Benedict XVI did it. Dutch Queen Beatrix did it. So why is it so hard for Japan's elderly emperor to abdicate? Public broadcaster NHK reported last month that Emperor Akihito, 82, wanted to abdicate "in a few years", something unprecedented in modern Japan. Ordinary Japanese sympathise with his apparent desire to hand over to Crown Prince Naruhito but the idea faces stiff opposition from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative base. Conservatives have already raised objections to changing the law to let Akihito step down, citing problems ranging from his title and possible strife with a new emperor, to worry the next step would be letting women succeed and pass on the throne, anathema to traditionalists. Even more, conservatives fear that a debate over the imperial family's future would divert political energy from Abe's push to revise the postwar, pacifist constitution, which they see as a symbol of defeat, but admirers consider the guarantor of Japan's democracy. Abe's ruling bloc and allies last month won a two-thirds majority in parliament's upper house, which, with a similar grip on the lower chamber, clears the way to try to change the charter. Revisions also require approval by a majority in a referendum. "For the first time since the war's end, there is a chance for the Japanese people to revise the constitution that was forced upon them by Occupation forces," said Akira Momochi, a conservative constitutional scholar at Nihon University. "Frankly, I worry we will lose the ability to achieve this." LIVE TV APPEARANCE Once considered divine, the emperor is defined in the constitution as a symbol of the "unity of the people" with no political power. Akihito became emperor after the death in 1989 of his father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought the war. He has sought to soothe the wounds of that conflict and tried to bring the monarchy closer to the public. Unlike some European monarchies, Japan has no legal provision for abdication, though many emperors abdicated in the pre-modern era. In what would be an unprecedented move, Akihito may appear live on television on Aug. 8 to outline his concern that age and health problems - he has had heart surgery and prostate cancer - mean he can not do his job fully, but avoid using the word "abdicate", media say. There are no signs Akihito was influenced by Benedict's retirement as pontiff in 2013. But he may have been inspired by Queen Beatrix, who at age 75 announced her abdication on television that same year, the third Dutch queen to step down since the war. "He wants to have a system where the emperor can hand over to a younger generation that would be closer to the people and reflect the times," one veteran journalist said. Conservatives argue an existing system allowing the crown prince to take over as regent if the emperor is incapacitated can cover the situation, even though Akihito is far from feeble. They also worry debate could stir calls for allowing female succession, given a shortage of male heirs. Earlier plans to revise the succession law were shelved after the birth in 2006 of Prince Hisahito to the crown prince's younger brother. "I don't think he can ignore the views of such conservatives," Keio University professor Hidehiko Kasahara said of Prime Minister Abe. Still, public opinion in favour of letting him abdicate could sway the debate if the emperor's appeal is emotionally moving, some experts said, noting that while many Japanese find the royals irrelevant, others are fond of Akihito himself. "Depending on how the TV appeal is done, it could stir up public opinion," said Naotaka Kimizuka, an expert in European monarchies at Kanto Gakuin University. "Or, people could lose interest and things will go as Abe's administration prefers." (Reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Robert Birsel) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Carson City: Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence defended a military mom's right to criticise Donald Trump's comments about the Muslim parents of a slain US Army veteran during a campaign stop in Nevada, and then lashed out at the media's coverage of the controversy at the next. Pence quieted a crowd that was booing a woman who asked Pence at a town hall meeting in Carson City Monday how he could tolerate Trump's disrespect for American servicemen. In Reno a few hours later, Pence said that both he and Trump have stated that "Capt. Humayun Khan is an American hero." Pence said he understands and appreciates the attention given to Khan's family. But he doesn't understand, "why the media maligned and continues to ignore the moving mother of fallen Air Force veteran and diplomat Sean Smith." Pence said much of the same media criticising Trump earlier condemned Patricia Smith's speech at the GOP convention about the US information officer killed in the 2012 attack in Benghazi. "Let's demand the media listen to and honour all of the families of the fallen in this country," he said. Kathmandu: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda on Tuesday filed his candidature for the Prime Minister's post as the country is all set to vote for its new premier on Wednesday. He filed his candidature papers at Parliamentary Secretariat backed by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, a prominent Madhesi leader. However, Prachanda is the sole candidate for the post. Earlier, the second largest party in parliament, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) had decided to field a candidate but later the party decided not to. Likewise, the agitating Sanghiya Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha has also supported Prachanda's candidature. Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party leader Sarbendra Nath Sukla and Sadbhawana Party leader Laxman Lal Karna have supported Prachanda's bid for the Prime Minister's post. This will be his second come-back as Prime Minister. Earlier, Prachanda became the premier in 2008 and resigned after he failed in his attempt to sack the then Chief of the Army Staff Rukmangud Kutwal. In the 595-member parliament, Prachanda will require 298 votes to win the election. The Maoist Centre, the third largest party with 82 seats in parliament, has the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party with 207 seats. As per the time table for the election of the new premier set by the Parliament Secretariat, nominations should be filed between 11 am to 4 pm with the final list to be published at 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The final election, if any, will begin at 11 am on Wednesday. Kathmandu: Nepal Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" is all set to become the Prime Minister for the second time as he filed his nomination on Tuesday after receiving crucial backing from the agitating Madhesis by signing a three-point pact. The 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president's candidacy was proposed by Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was seconded by senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara, ahead of Wednesday's election that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre signed a three-point agreement with the Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by Prachanda, the only official candidate for the race. Madhesi parties, which have the combined strength of 42 in the 595-member Parliament, have also hinted that they would join the government led by Prachanda. Before filing his nomination paper for the Prime Minister's election, Maoist chief Prachanda and NC chief Deuba signed the agreement with the Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, which assured the Madhesi communities of addressing their demands through political understanding and amendment to the Constitution. Although the former premier with anti-India stance is only one candidate, there will be voting for and against Prachanda and it is likely that CPN-UML and its alliance will vote against him. The Prime Minister's post has remained vacant since last week after CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli tendered his resignation following the Maoist's withdrawal of support to the coalition government. Despite media reports that a senior leader of CPN-UML, probably, former Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam, would contest against Prachanda, the party took a last-minute decision not to contest the election, clearing a way for the Maoist chief to become the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal. He has earlier served as Nepal's Prime Minister from 2008 to 2009. As the agitating United Madhesi Front has decided to vote in favour of Prachanda, he is expected to get at least 360 votes, though only 298 votes are required for winning the election. Islamabad: Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that the country does not need support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) anymore. Pakistan will soon stop looking towards IMF for assistance. The last session with IMF is underway right now, Dar said in an interview to Dawn online on Monday. We will not go to IMF for assistance, Dar added. The Finance Minister said that by 2050, Pakistan will become the 18th biggest economic nation across the world, Dawn online reported. Earlier, a senior IMF official said that Pakistan's economy was gradually gaining strength and its short-term vulnerabilities were also receding. Clarifying the government's plan regarding the newly envisioned property tax laws, Dar said we haven't announced any amnesty scheme regarding the transferring of property. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will now determine the prices of property and all transactions will be done through a transparent process, Dawn online quoted the minister as saying. When it was announced that Home Minister Rajnath Singh was supposed to visit Pakistan this week to attend the Saarc Home Ministers' conference, it was followed by a threat from Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, who warned of a nationwide protest. He did, however, add caveats to Singh's visit: That India should allow the Pakistani government to send people to Jammu and Kashmir to help the Kashmiris, and that Pakistan should send relief material to Kashmir instead of exporting onions and potatoes to India. In a statement that Saeed issued in Lahore, he asked the Pakistani government: "Will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris? "It will be ironic as on the one hand, the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and on the other hand, the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh." Singh, however, downplayed the threat and is set to visit Pakistan as scheduled. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju met reporters in Delhi on Monday and clarified the issue. "The Saarc meeting is a multilateral meeting. There are some commitments. He is not going to give some message or having a separate meeting with (the) Pakistani Home Minister." Saeed was not the only Pakistani to issue threats to Singh. Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin seconded Saeed and accused the home minister of being a "killer of Kashmiris". He also said that Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif, in addition to immediately recalling its envoy from New Delhi, also "suspend trade and diplomatic ties" with India. Rajnath Singh's visit comes at a time when Indo-Pak relations are straining, after Pakistan and Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's Burhan Wani. Sharif had remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment, which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". Singh's visit, reported News18, has been scaled down by the government. Official sources said that Singh is unlikely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan separately, as top ranks of the government feel that time is not right for a bilateral meeting. The News18 report also said that the delegation members have been cut back and a dossier on recent terror attacks in Kashmir, where Pakistan link was established, may not be handed over. But the home minister, in his Saarc meeting speech, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to terror groups operating in India, and ask Islamabad to check Pakistan-based groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. He is also likely to raise the issue of fake Indian currency notes being circulated at the behest of Pakistani agencies, sources said. The other important issues that are to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace The home minister is scheduled to reach Islamabad on Wednesday and return to New Delhi on Thursday, after attending the 7th meeting of Saarc Interior/Home Ministers. Texas: Texas became the eighth US state to allow guns on campuses on Monday a controversial decision that comes on the 50th anniversary of a deadly sniper rampage at a university. The law, which was passed last year, requires public universities in Texas to permit concealed weapons in campus buildings, although schools can impose limits on where guns are allowed. At the University of Texas at Austin, where a mass shooting in 1966 claimed 14 lives, the institution's president Gregory Fenves said the emotionally-charged issue would likely be little noticed on campus. "We have a very safe campus," Fenves said, "And I think that will continue." Texas joins seven other states, which also allow concealed guns on university campuses, including Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Eighteen states specifically ban the practice. Critics of the law include three UT Austin professors who have sued, claiming their free speech rights would be violated, because students with guns would create a fearful atmosphere and stifle the open expression of ideas. In an opinion piece published last week in The Dallas Morning News, Seema Yasmin, who teaches at a public university in Dallas, echoed that theme. "I'm not scared of guns. I'm scared of this combination: term exam stress, undiagnosed mental illness and the ability to carry guns in university buildings," Yasmin wrote. Proponents argue that allowing concealed weapons on campuses makes students and teachers safer, because any potential shooting attacks can be halted more quickly by armed citizens. Remembering a mass shooting As the new law went into effect, UT Austin dedicated a new sculpture on its campus grounds for the victims of the 1966 massacre. The stone block sculpture is etched with the names of all 17 people killed by gunman Charles Whitman: the 14 killed on campus, his mother and wife whom he killed earlier in the day, and one more campus victim who would die of his wounds years later. Whitman, a former military sharpshooter, climbed the university's clock tower building and shot for more than 90 minutes before being killed. "This massacre... occurred before terms like mass shooting," said Lloyd Doggett, a Texas congressman who 50 years ago was a student at UT Austin. "Now, such gun violence has become all too commonplace." Some of the shooting's survivors attended the ceremony, including Claire Wilson James, who lost her unborn child when she was wounded. "Let this memorial remain here on campus and in our minds, as a reminder of the power we have each moment to become a community of love and reverence for life," James said during the ceremony. Limits of new law It is unclear what the impact of the Texas law will be. For one, concealed guns have been allowed on Texas university campuses since 1995. The new law now allows them inside buildings as well. A person has to be 21 or older to be licensed to carry a gun in the state. That limits the number of college students who would qualify. And despite fears, university officials say there is little evidence of increased violence. After the law was passed a year ago, the University of Texas examined 17 other universities where students are allowed to carry guns. "Most respondents reported that campus carry had not had much direct impact on student life or academic affairs," said UT's subsequent report. "We have found little evidence of campus violence that can be directly linked to campus carry, and none that involves an intentional shooting." Still, the law could have damaging public relations effects. Already, two UT Austin professors have parted from the school. A candidate to lead the university's communications school reportedly withdrew citing the concealed carry law. Asked whether the school was concerned that students might stay away, Fenves said the institution is monitoring any potential impact. "At this point, I can't say it's had an undue effect on our ability to recruit," he said. Donald Trump is the lead star of his own reality show 'The Donald Trump presidential campaign' and his wife Melania Trump makes an appearance to boost this show whenever needed and not always for the right reasons. Actually, strike that. Never for the right reason. Melania Trump's first run with controversy was when the Republican presidential nominee attacked Ted Cruz's wife Heidi and posted this tweet: What followed was Melania's speech or should we say Michelle Obama's speech at the Republican Convention in Cleveland. Melania's speech, which was initially appreciated, matched the speech First Lady Michelle Obama delivered at the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Meredith McIver, an in-house Trump staff speechwriter, had apologised for the plagiarism in the first address by Melania and had said, "In working with Melania Trump on her recent First Lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wants to share with the American people." Donald Trump merely termed it as an "innocent mistake." The blatant plagiarism could not have been good for Trump's campaign, but generated enough interest to keep Melania and Donald Trump in the news. Social media exploded with jokes on Melania's intentional or unintentional faux pas. From being almost compared to Jackie Kennedy, she became an extension of her husband's caricature. It was the best of times it was the worst of times it was the age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness #FamousMelaniaTrumpQuotes Anand Madhvani (@dosima_org) July 19, 2016 Melania's tryst with controversy took an ugly turn when New York Post slut-shamed her by putting her nude pictures taken during her modeling days on the cover. "You've never seen a potential First Lady like this," New York Post said on its front page on Sunday below a nude photograph of Melania. The pictures, obtained exclusively by New York Post, were shot by French photographer Ale de Basseville. Slovenian-born Melania was then 25 years old and known by her professional moniker Melania K. She had then recently arrived in the city after doing modeling stints in Paris and Italy. Key adviser to Trump, Jason Miller had brushed aside the issue and said there was no problem with New York Post's publication of the nude photograph of his wife on its Sunday cover. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Miller said, according to AP. Her nude photos unsurprisingly gave rise to ridicule, but she also received a lot of support, perhaps even sympathy, for it. Hey, how about my fellow progressives and liberals stop slut shaming Melania Trump? Yeah, her husband is terrible. It's not justification. Joshua Guess (@JoshuaGuess) August 2, 2016 So @MELANIATRUMP was naked. She was a model. Now leave her alone. Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) August 1, 2016 Emily Tamkin of Slate came out strongly against New York Post and wrote that though there are numerous stories on Melania Trump and what kind of First Lady she will make, putting her nude pictures on the Sunday cover is not one of them. "A woman should be able to agree to take naked photos for a European magazine in her twenties with the expectation that they will not show up on the cover of a newspaper/tabloid some 20 years later under the headline Ogle Office when her husband decides to run for president," she wrote. Attacking Melania Trump for her nude photos, taken during her modeling days, exhibits misogyny and hypocrisy which screams that Donald Trump might still be a presidential candidate and get away by being racist, xenophobic, sexist and homophobic, while Melania will not be making a worthy first lady because she had dared to pose naked in front of the camera. There is, however, another side to this story. The photos were published after Donald Trump was severely criticised for his attacks on Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq. In the Democratic convention speech delivered with his wife at his side, Khizr Khan showcased his son's military service and criticised Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the United States, holding up a copy of the US Constitution and suggesting Trump read it. Since then, Trump has complained he was "viciously" attacked by the couple and suggested Ghazala Khan might not have been "allowed" to speak, implying her silence reflected restrictions placed on women by some traditional Muslims. AM Mitchell wrote on Huffington Post that the New York Post endorsed Trump, so why would it now attack him and his campaign. The author, "This is, as I have said, a crude red herring, and it is an open invitation for those of us who have decried and denounced Donald Trumps blatant and consistent sexism to gleefully rip his wife to shreds until there is nothing left of her but our hypocrisy." Here are similar reactions which questioned Donald Trump's motives behind the entire controversy: New York Post just got Donald Trump into the White House! Publishing nude pictures of Melania Trump is a masterstroke. Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) August 2, 2016 Don't take the bait: "Trump is complicit in allowing a publication which has endorsed him to victimize his own wife" https://t.co/dyVFZeEoFL Richard Hine (@richardhine) August 1, 2016 At this stage, Donald Trump's role or lack of it in the Melania Trump photo controversy is mere speculation. Whenever Melania has taken centrestage in his campaign, she has courted some kind of controversy and so far has not been able to project herself as a political spouse. It remains to be seen if Trump and his team could give a positive spin to the recent sexist attack on Melania. With inputs from agencies Islamabad: Turkey and Pakistan Tuesday were in talks over the future of educational and cultural organisations linked to dissident preacher Fetullah Gulen, whom Ankara has accused of involvement in last month's botched coup. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad. Later, the two jointly addressed media. "Institutions by Gulen in Pakistan and other countries are a problem. We have full cooperation from Pakistan and I am sure all necessary measures will be taken," Cavusoglu said. He said Turkey was taking effective steps against those who plotted to topple the government. "We are taking action against those involved in the coup ... All those responsible will be brought to justice, including those with educational and cultural organizations," he said. Gulen, who lives in the United States and runs a global network of educational and cultural initiatives, strongly denies the allegations against him. In Pakistan, more than 10,000 students are enrolled in at least 21 schools and colleges run by Gulen. Islamabad and Ankara enjoy close ties and Pakistan was among the first countries to denounce the failed coup. WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM The United States and Israel have narrowed their differences over what could be decisive negotiations this week to seal a multibillion-dollar military aid package for Washingtons top Middle East ally, officials said on Monday. Raising hopes for removal of a key sticking point, Israel has signalled it may accept the Obama administration's demand that U.S. military funds, until now spent partly on Israeli arms, will eventually be spent entirely on U.S.-made weapons, according to congressional sources. It would mark a major concession by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after months of tense negotiations over the 10-year aid pact. But Netanyahu, who has had a fraught relationship with President Barack Obama, has apparently decided it would be best to forge a deal with him rather than hoping for better terms from the next U.S. president, according to officials on both sides. Obama leaves office in January. Differences on the package have underscored continuing friction over last year's U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran, Israel's regional archfoe. The United States and Israel have also been at odds over the Palestinians. The State Department last week criticized Israel for planned Jewish settlement expansion on occupied land. Netanyahu sent Jacob Nagel, acting head of Israel's national security council, to Washington on Monday to lead three days of talks. A person briefed by Netanyahu said the prime minister expressed hope that Nagel would be able to "finalise" negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding and that it would mean increased funding. A senior U.S. official reiterated the Obama administration's pledge to sign a new MOU that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in U.S. history. The current pact, signed in 2007 and due to expire in 2018, gave Israel around $30 billion in so-called foreign military financing. U.S. negotiators are believed to have stuck to a previous offer of $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion annually for Israel under the new MOU, substantially less than the $4 billion a year Netanyahu has sought but still a substantial increase. EASING OF DISAGREEMENT A key disagreement has been over Washingtons insistence on ending a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend 26.3 percent of its U.S. defence aid on its own military industries rather than on American products. Israeli officials argue that the provision, which is given to no other country receiving U.S. military assistance, was needed to maintain Israels "qualitative military edge" against sometimes hostile neighbours such as Iran, and that its removal would mean the loss of thousands of Israeli defence jobs. But a congressional source briefed by the Obama administration said Israel had signalled its willingness to phase out the provision. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said the White House was prepared to let Israel keep the arrangement for the first five years of the new MOU but it would be gradually phased out in the second five years, except for joint U.S.-Israeli military projects. Another sticking point has been Washington's desire to end a provision allowing Israel to spend around $400 million annually from the package on military fuels. The congressional source said Nagel was expected to try to work out final details but not actually sign an agreement. U.S. officials said progress was likely, but were reluctant to predict a breakthrough. The Obama administration wants a new deal before the president leaves office. Republican critics accuse him of not being attentive enough to Israel's security, which the White House strongly denies. Netanyahu angered the White House in February when he suggested the agreement could wait for the next president. But officials on both sides believe he prefers to get the deal before Obama leaves office. They see Netanyahu seeking to avoid uncertainties surrounding the policies of the next president, whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, and wanting to give Israels defence establishment the ability to plan ahead. (Additional reporting and writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Dan Grebler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it was looking into reports that toxic gas was dropped on a Syrian town close to where a Russian military helicopter went down and, if the accounts were true, it would be "extremely serious." "If true, it would be extremely serious," State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing. He said the United States was not in a position to confirm the veracity of the reports by a Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton Editing by W Simon) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON Seven al Qaeda operatives were killed in two U.S. counterterrorism strikes last month in the Arabian Peninsula near central Yemen, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. One strike on July 8 killed one al Qaeda operative, while a July 16 strike killed six operatives and injured one, it said in the statement. (Reporting by Susan Heavey) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. United Nations: The UN on Tuesday said it will continue to monitor the tense situation in Kashmir even as the world body again called on both India and Pakistan to "work constructively" to resolve the issue. "The United Nations has repeatedly...put out the message to both sides (India and Pakistan) about the need for them to work constructively with each other on this issue. And we will continue to monitor the situation including, of course, through our monitoring group on the ground, the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at the United Nations. He was responding to a question by a Pakistani journalist on the ongoing unrest in Kashmir in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. When asked if UN rights are being violated by Indian forces, Haq alluded to the work of the world body's Human Rights Council. Haq was also asked if the UN has any plans to ban the use of pellet guns that have been used by security forces to quell protests in Kashmir. The deputy spokesman said he has nothing to add except reiterating the UN's stand on Kashmir. The UN has expressed concern over the tense situation in Kashmir and Ban had last month called on all sides to exercise "maximum restraint to avoid further violence and hoped that all concerns would be addressed through peaceful means". Ban's spokesman had said the UN chief was closely following the recent clashes in Kashmir and "regrets" the loss of dozens of lives and injuries to many others. Washington: Vice President Joe Biden has officiated a gay wedding, a first for the early proponent of same-sex marriage. Biden presided over the union of Joe Mahshie and Brian Mosteller, both longtime White House aides. The White House says the couple asked Biden to officiate. Biden has never officiated a wedding before, so he got a special temporary certification from the District of Columbia to make it legal. The afternoon ceremony took place Monday at the Naval Observatory, the vice president's official residence, with immediate family attending. Biden publicly backed gay marriage in 2012 in the run-up to President Barack Obama's re-election. The announcement put pressure on Obama to declare his own support shortly after. New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night to assess difficulties of thousands of Indians, who have lost their jobs, and finalise modalities of bringing back those wanting to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, his ministerial colleague MJ Akbar, who looks after issues relating to Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the issue of the jobless Indians. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," MoS in the MEA Akbar said in a series of tweets. MEA officials said Singh will arrive in Jeddah early morning on Wednesday and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Thousands of Indians in Saudi Arabia were facing severe food crisis due to financial hardships after they lost their jobs due to slowdown of the economy in the Gulf. The Indian Mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot even buy food. Making a statement in Parliament on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was "fluid and dynamic". They said the situation varied from company to company. Sources said 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations. Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since 25 July, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 810 days, they said. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. One month ahead of its 10-year milestone, the hotel industry's leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, today announces the opening of its new office in Galway, Ireland, to support its 20,000-strong-and-fast-growing global hotel customer base. The office will complement SiteMinder's existing EMEA headquarters in London to service hotels both within the region and around the world, and to form the company's fifth office alongside Bangkok, Dallas and Sydney. Leading the operation will be general manager Ruairi Conroy, who joins SiteMinder from AdRoll and, prior, Google. Dai Williams, managing director EMEA at SiteMinder, based in London, says, "Europe now constitutes the greatest proportion of SiteMinder's total customer base and we anticipate we will continue to experience vigorous growth from this region over the years to come." "We are delighted to join the thriving technology hub of Galway, which offers us a terrific pool of local talent who are passionate about technology and who can further fuel the success of our multilingual sales and customer support teams servicing hotels located in Europe and all corners of the globe. We are also pleased to welcome Ruairi to the SiteMinder business and look forward to growing the Galway operation under his leadership." Nearly 55 percent of accommodation bookings made by European travellers are now made online, according to Eurostat.1 By the end of 2017, Europe is expected to become the first continent to see offline overtaken by online as the primary booking method for travel products, with Germany, Italy and Spain leading the online adoption.2 The Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, through IDA Ireland, says it supports SiteMinder's office opening in Ireland where the tourism sector constitutes almost four percent of gross national product and 11 percent of total employment.3 The Irish Government's Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, T.D. says, "I'm delighted to welcome such a dynamic company as SiteMinder to Galway. Galway is fast becoming a tech hub and SiteMinder is an exciting addition with the creation of at least 100 jobs, which will benefit the entire region and have a positive knock-on effect. As Minister my priority is to ensure an environment for job growth is developed right across the country and in particular the regions of Ireland. I wish the SiteMinder team the very best and I am sure that we will be hearing a lot more from this exciting company in the near future." SiteMinder's established customer base in Ireland includes Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and K Club, as well as Galway's own The Connacht Hotel and The g Hotel and Spa. About SiteMinder As the leading cloud platform for hotels, SiteMinder allows hotels to attract, reach and convert guests across the globe. We serve hotels of all sizes with award-winning solutions for independents and groups alike, wherever they are in the world. SiteMinder's products include The Channel Manager, the industry's leading online distribution platform; TheBookingButton, a wholly-branded booking engine for direct bookings via the web, mobile or social; Canvas, the intelligent website creator for independent hoteliers; Prophet, the real-time market intelligence solution that takes the guesswork out of pricing rooms; and GDS by SiteMinder, a single-point of entry to a six-figure network of travel agents and the world's major GDSs. With more than 20,000 hotel customers and 400 of the industry's top connectivity providers as our partners, today we have presence in more than 160 countries on six continents. For more information, visit www.siteminder.com. Maria Cricchiola Director of Brand Communications & PR +61 2 8031 1287 View source In its Hotel Investment Highlights report, property consultancy JLL said that transactions in Vietnam in the first six months of 2016 reached $237.6 million, fourth for the Asia-Pacific region following Japan, Australia and mainland China. Notably, Vietnam's numbers were ahead of those from Taiwan and Thailand. A $74.9 million deal for InterContinental Asiana Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City was among the top deals during the period. Total transactions in the region grew 13.2 percent to $3.8 billion from a year ago. More than half of these, or $2.1 billion, came from the Japan market, which is expected to continue to dominate investment volume for the remainder of the year. Vietnam's visitor arrivals grew 21 percent in first half of the year, and the country hopes to reach its goal of attracting 8.5 million foreign visitors by the end of the yeara 7-percent increase from 2015. The purchase comes less than a month after Singaporean developer Low Keng Huat Ltd. sold the Duxton Hotel Saigon in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to an undisclosed investor for $49 million. The sale was the fourth reported hotel acquisition in Vietnam this year. Last month, South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines reportedly sold a 50-percent stake in Kumho Asiana Plaza, a serviced apartment and hotel complex, to Saigon Boulevard Holdings (a subsidiary of Singaporean developer Mapletree Investments) for $107.5 million. In April, Que Huong Liberty Corporation, which owns several hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, sold the Novotel Saigon Centre in the downtown area to a Vietnamese investor for $46.7 million. In Hanoi, local hotel company BRG Group recently bought the Sedona Suites Hanoi from Singapore's Keppel Land Vietnam at $31.5 million. About JLL JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $19.4 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 100,000 as of March 31, 2022. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com. Cosima Merck Vice President Marketing +1 312 228 3518 JLL GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. PHNOM PENH - Cambodia and China on Tuesday vowed to broaden bilateral trade relations for the benefits of the two countries and peoples, according to a statement released by the Cambodian side. The statement was made after a meeting between Cambodian Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak and visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng. "Talks mainly focused on strengthening bilateral trade, including duty free and quota free treatment, and the exports of Cambodian rice and other agricultural products to China," the statement said. "The two ministers underscored the 18 percent increase in Cambodia-China trade volume (to $4.4 billion in 2015), and agreed that Cambodia and China should do more to attract investment to Cambodia," it said. Gao stressed that Cambodia is China's strategic trading partner under the "Belt and Road" initiative and ASEAN-China Framework. According to the statement, China would assist Cambodia to organize the 1st Cambodia-China trade and investment forum in Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in September 2016. It added that China would consult with relevant agencies to provide tariff preferences up to 97 percent of total tariff lines under the Duty-Free, Quota-Free Scheme as soon as possible. Besides, China would consider increasing export quotas for Cambodia's rice to 200,000 tons in 2017 and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia in the fields of food processing, light manufacturing, and agro-industry. Also, China would coordinate with relevant agencies to continue the negotiations of the protocol on the exportation of broken rice, banana, mango, longan, cashew nut, pepper, coffee bean and soybean from Cambodia to China, the statement said. Gao arrived here on Monday for a two-day visit to explore ways to broaden ties and cooperation between China and Cambodia. President Obama and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong restated their commitment to passing the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. At the White House Tuesday, Obama and Lee discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), 12-nation trade pact that is currently stalled in Congress. The answer cannot be to back away from trade in the global economy," Obama said Tuesday. "It is here to stay. Its not possible to cut ourselves off given how integrated our economies are. Trying to pull up a drawbridge on trade would only hurt us and hurt our workers. So the answer is to make sure that globalization and trade is working for us not against us. Thats why today we are reaffirming our commitment to the Trans Pacific Partnership. I am a strong supporter of TPP. "We hope, and I know the president shares this hope, that Congress will ratify the TPP soon," Lee said. During remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Lee said the agreement would give the U.S. better access to markets that make up for 40 percent of the global economy. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with Singapore, Lee is joining Obama at a state dinner in the White House on Tuesday evening- the first held for a Singaporean leader since 1985. "We know this has been politically difficult, it's a very tough election year, American people are wary of U.S. global engagement. And economic uncertainty has led to concern about jobs, worries about competition from overseas. These are all understandable, even valid concerns, but we hope that all parties will focus on the longer term bigger picture, because there are no winners, only losers with protectionism, Lee said earlier when talking about the trade pact. The countries that are part of the TPP are the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, Peru, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Chile, Canada, Brunei, and Australia. The White House has said the agreement would help further break down global trade barriers, open untapped markets, and grow the economy, while providing an important counterbalance to the growing economic strength of China. Singapore is heavily dependent on international trade. In 2004, the city state became the first to sign a bilateral free trade deal with the United States. On Monday, Obama said he is optimistic that Congress will eventually approve the TPP trade deal even though both 2016 presidential candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, oppose it. Obama, who leaves office next January, offered his prediction Monday in an interview with The Straits Times ahead of Lees state visit to Washington. "The politics around trade can be very difficult especially in an election year," Obama said. "There are legitimate concerns and anxieties that the forces of globalization are leaving too many people behind and we have to take those concerns seriously and address them." WATCH: President Obama on Trade and TPP Lee said Tuesday morning that Singapore would continue to work with whichever party was elected to the White House this fall, citing "steadfast relations through nine U.S. presidents: five Republican and four Democrat." But many Democrats and Republicans are concerned the trade deal would send more American jobs overseas and hurt the environment including presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton, as Obama's first-term secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, was a staunch TPP advocate, saying it "sets the gold standard in trade agreements." But last year, she said the details in the agreement did not meet her standards and turned against it. Trump has built his support among blue-collar workers by opposing trade deals, the pending Pacific deal, as well as the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. A spate of federal court rulings against voting restrictions in five U.S. states will make it easier for residents to cast ballots in the November elections but may lead to chaos at polling locations, according to legal scholars. "There may well be confusion on Election Day, even if things are implemented the way the courts have decided," said University of California, Irvine law professor Richard Hasen. In recent weeks, courts struck down North Carolina's voter identification law, Wisconsin's restrictions on early and absentee voting, and Kansas' proof of citizenship requirement. A judge blocked North Dakota's voter ID law, and an appellate court sent Texas' voter ID law back to a lower court with instructions to devise a way to allow those lacking state-approved identification to be able to cast a ballot. "Judges are beginning to wake up and see what some of these enacted laws are doing," said law professor Theodore Shaw, who heads the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "The lower courts and courts of appeals are finding that these voter ID provisions are discriminatory in either intent or effect, or both." While Republican-led states insisted they sought only to guarantee the integrity of elections by verifying the identity of those casting ballots, ruling after ruling found the states had erected barriers that would impede voting by racial minorities. An appellate court found North Carolina's voter ID law had been enacted "with racially-discriminatory intent" and that its provisions "target African-Americans with almost surgical precision." In Wisconsin, a federal judge wrote that "a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities." In North Dakota, a federal judge held that voter fraud is "virtually non-existent" and that that state's proof of identity requirement "ensnares a disproportionate number of Native Americans, who are especially unlikely to have the documents necessary to obtain a voter ID." Reactions from states The rulings have triggered fierce reactions from some state officials. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory accused federal judges of "undermining the integrity of our elections while also maligning the state." In a statement, McCrory noted that photo IDs are required to "cash a check, board an airplane or enter a federal courtroom." "It is imperative that the State government safeguards our elections," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "Preventing voter fraud is essential to accurately reflecting the will of Texas voters, and it is unfortunate that this common-sense law was not upheld." Hasen said, while most Americans have a driver's license or a passport to prove their identity, many poor and minority voters have neither. "Imagine that you are poor person in Dallas [Texas] and you take the bus to work. You don't have a passport. You don't have a driver's license because you don't drive. So you don't have the kinds of ID that the state accepts [to vote]," Hasen said. "You could go and get a free ID from the state. But if you happen to live far from one of the places that issues those IDs, you are going to have to take time off from work and pay to get yourself there. And you might not have the documentation. "So, for most of us, having the right kind of ID is not big deal. But there is a significant part of the population for which this is a big deal," Hasen added. Vow to appeal Several states have promised to appeal the rulings, setting the stage for further legal battles. "It's still not over. There's going to be more fighting," Shaw said. Hasen expects the rulings of recent weeks to stand at least through the November elections. But that does not preclude the possibility of chaos at polling stations. "I think most people will be able to cast a ballot," he said. "[But] I do think there will be problems. Some of the problems will be administrative not because the state is trying to discourage voting." "It takes a lot of work to run an election, and for poll workers and voters to understand what the rules are," Hasen added. In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Indiana's voter ID law and weakened critical sections of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. But those decisions are not predictive of how the high court might rule in the future, according to Hasen. "Laws passed in recent years in Wisconsin and Texas are much stricter than the ID law passed in Indiana," he said. "And the Supreme Court has changed. With the death of Justice [Antonin] Scalia, the court went from a 5-4 [conservative] majority on voting rights to a 4-4 ideological split. It's not clear that the court, at least until it gets another member, is actually going to give us any clarity on these cases." Shaw noted that America has seen many battles over access to the voting booth. ""It's happened going way back throughout North Carolina's history since after the Civil War. But this is another day. This is the 21st century." A shopping center that aims to become a hub for local cultural and creative products and services is due to have several shop openings this month and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. Village Mall, located on Rua do Campo in downtown Macau, is spread across three floors of the streets Broadway Center building. The total area amounts to around 50,000 square meters, with the space organized into about 100 units and a larger exhibition space on the third floor for various events, such as fashion shows and concerts. Yesterday, an arts and crafts shop named Binshu Studio, held a formal opening ceremony at the center, attended by a few dozen people including Window Lei, the director of the mall project. Lei said that the center will not only be a space for retail but a medium through which Macau artists may showcase their work. He also hopes to provide business services to artists and small companies that may not have the expertise or experience themselves. Other facilities offering similar services already exist in Macau, such as the Macau Design Centre, which seeks to support local design enterprises and individuals by providing them with resources and below-market rental rates. However, the new center on Rua do Campo aims to primarily serve creative artisans who are fashioning their own products on a small, non-industrial scale. The Village Mall has also been in operation, in another form, for some time previously, and was located in an industrial building for around five years. Lei believes that the centers new site will make it more popular and well-known to residents and tourists alike, given its central location in downtown Macau that makes it more accessible to interested parties. This village is in a better location [than before], which makes it easier for people to visit, he told the Times at yesterdays opening. Differing accounts report that somewhere between one-third and one-half of the 100 or so units are open or have been reserved. Although the center is not due for its formal opening until the end of the year, visitors are welcome to look around and visit some shops, which are already showcasing their products. When the Times visited on three separate occasions, about one-third of the stores appeared to be operational or occupied with equipment. The center appeared empty, but hardly desolate or abandoned, since its recent construction that means the floors are still unblemished. Lei estimated that tenants occupy around 50 percent of the shops, three or four of which are due to have individual opening events this month. Fortes Pakeong Sequeira, a local musician and artist, said that he is going to have a shop in the center to exhibit his works, as well as a studio on the third floor that his band will use for recording purposes. Also present at yesterdays opening, he said that his unit is not yet open as he is waiting for the recording area on the third floor to be completed. Pakeong also said that he welcomed the opportunity to set up shop in the center, as it would help his art to reach more people. He added that he has been looking for such an area for a long time. We have to show local art to Macau people so that they know about us, he told the Times. This is very important. I dont think they [currently] know very much about art. Some of Pakeongs work is already being exhibited in the center, including a tricolor horse sculpture adorned with intricate designs that look as though they have been created with a black marker pen. Additionally there are two large semicircular wood cut-outs illustrated in the same manner, on either side of the horse sculpture. Among the other products offered in the units already open are small handicrafts, greeting cards, phone cases, jewelry and artisan masks, as well as various artworks, structures and sculptures. There are also plans for a coffee shop in the center, which some are jokingly calling the most vital ingredient for any cultural and creative hub. Lei said that he expects preparation work for the coffee shop to take off next week. Anson Ng, the owner of a bookshop and CD store near Senado Square, is one example of the types of merchants that Village Mall organizers are seeking to recruit, though he is not known as an artisan in the same sense as many of the other tenants. Ng is now looking for a new location from which to sell his records since the landlord of his previous unit announced earlier this month that the lease would not be renewed. Ng told the Times that he has been offered a unit in Village Mall on several occasions but that he doesnt think it will be appropriate for his needs. He said that the atmosphere there is not really right, complaining that only one-third of the units have been taken and that the place feels empty. Ng said that he would prefer a stand-alone store over a shopping center environment. He explained that his reasoning is not really about the flexibility required to host small gigs, as Pin-to Musica often did, but because he wants somewhere that he can construct an atmosphere to suit the stores image. The book and music store owner said that he doesnt want to agree to a discounted rental fee for a year, only to have the rents increase the following year. He says that he often needs to do renovation works, and the cost and inconvenience of these necessitates somewhere more permanent. Rental costs for the units at the Village Mall range from between MOP15 and MOP23 per square foot. It is not clear whether these are first-year only rates. The project is receiving government subsidies for its establishment and operation. It received MOP2.64 million in such subsidies and a further MOP5 million interest-free loan from the Cultural Industries Fund. The project has been warmly encouraged by the MSAR government, which is trying to crystallize existing cultural and creative skills in the territory into a self-sufficient industry. The plan ties in with the governments strategy to diversify the economy of the territory, and reduce Macaus financial dependence on the gaming sector. South Africas ruling party faces a robust challenge in municipal elections tomorrow from opposition groups seeking to capitalize on scandals linked to President Jacob Zuma. Early voting began yesterday for the elderly, disabled and others unable to vote at their polling stations on election day. Romania: 4 to stand trial for 1985 death of dissident Romanian military prosecutors say four former communist officials will stand trial for the death of a dissident in prison under the regime of former leader Nicolae Ceausescu. Dissident Gheorghe Ursu died two months after being arrested in 1985, after allegedly being beaten repeatedly by interrogators and inmates on the orders of the Securitate secret police. They claimed he had kept a diary in which he criticized the Ceausescu regime. Poles observe 72nd anniversary of Warsaw Uprising Polish officials, war veterans and regular citizens are marking the 72nd anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Uprising, a struggle against Nazi Germany in 1944 that lasted 63 days and ended tragically for the Poles. Commemorations took place yesterday, exactly 72 years after the revolt began on August 1, 1944. Uganda police chief summoned to court over alleged torture Ugandas police chief has been summoned to court over torture charges related to alleged police brutality against supporters of an opposition leader who faces treason charges. The charges against Gen. Kale Kayihura were brought by rights lawyers acting independently of the public prosecutor, who has powers to take over the case at some point if he becomes interested, said Solomon Muyita, a spokesman for the judiciary. Cambodias prime minister filed a defamation lawsuit yesterday against the countrys opposition leader and an opposition lawmaker for suggesting the authorities were involved in the killing of a popular political analyst who spoke critically of the government. Legal papers filed with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court show that a lawyer for Prime Minister Hun Sen is suing Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Sam Rainsy for remarks he posted on Facebook linking the authorities to the July 10 killing of Kem Ley. His party colleague Thak Lany was sued for making similar allegations in a speech. The fatal shooting of Kem Ley, 45, raised suspicion of a political conspiracy, though police said the accused man confessed to shooting him because of an unpaid debt. Tens of thousands of Cambodians marched July 24 in the funeral procession for bury at his southern Takeo province. In what is widely believed to be an effort to cripple the opposition ahead of local elections in 2017, the government last year began cracking down on its political rivals and critics through the courts, which are considered tools of the ruling party. Sam Rainsy has been abroad since mid-November, when an order for his arrest was issued on an old conviction for defaming former foreign minister Hor Namhong. He had assumed his sentence had been lifted by a 2013 pardon. Just last week he was fined by the same Phnom Penh court after being found guilty of defaming Heng Samrin, a legislator and senior member of the Cambodian Peoples Party. Yesterdays complaint filed on Hun Sens behalf by lawyer Ky Tech alleged that This slander and stupid publication in public by Sam Rainsy accusing the government of orchestrating the killing of Kem Ley not only seriously affected the honor and reputation of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, but it is also intentionally incites the public to anger which could result in unrest in society and affect to the court process. It said Hun Sen has asked Sam Rainsy to pay 100 riel (USD0.025) as compensation to him and urged the court punish the opposition leader in according to the law. The complaints allegation of inciting the public suggests that Sam Rainsy could face a charge of inciting social unrest in addition to defamation if the court accepts the lawsuit. AP China is enhancing its participation in efforts to increase power production capacity in Africa, specifically in Angola and Mozambique, a factor that the International Energy Agency (IEA) considers vital for the continents development. In the recent study on Boosting the Power Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa Chinas Involvement, the IEA estimates that Chinese companies were responsible for nearly 30 percent of newly added electricity production capacity between 2010 and 2015 in that region of the African continent, which includes Angola and Mozambique. In the 2010-2020 period additional production capacity attributed to projects involving Chinese companies is equivalent to 10 percent of total installed capacity in the region a total of 200 projects and 17 gigawatts. In Angola the participation of Chinese companies in electrical grid projects in urban and rural areas stands out, likewise in Equatorial Guinea, whereas in Ethiopia and Kenya cross-border transmission lines have been built. In other countries they are involved in integrated generation and distribution projects. In the Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale the installation of power-lines and substations by Sinohydro has brought electricity to 5,000 people. Chinese energy companies are now increasingly active overseas, exporting Chinas domestic experience to other developing economies, indicates the study accessed by Macauhub, the most complete survey to date on Chinas participation in the African power sector. During a recent visit to Mozambique, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted cooperation in the energy field and industry as a priority for relations between the two countries. Power production capacity in Africa is still lower than in the rest of the world and does not meet internal needs, namely due to the lack of access to financing. An estimated 635 million people on the continent live without electricity. In recent years China has become an important source of financing and technology for energy projects on the continent. According to the study, in the 2010-2020 period electric power networks will reach nearly 120 million more people, with Chinese companies accounting for almost 30 percent of additional production capacity. Expanded access to electricity can in turn facilitate industrialization and economic development, the study adds. Renewable energies (hydropower, wind, solar and biomass) account for 56 percent of Chinese electricity projects in the 2010-2020 period, with hydropower accounting for the largest share (49 percent). In the 2010-2015 period, nearly USD13 billion were applied by China to energy sector development in Sub-Saharan Africa by means of loans, purchase/sale credits and foreign direct investment. Generally with Chinese government support, Chinese stakeholders provide integrated solutions in power generation capacity and in transmission and distribution through a combination of development assistance [loans], government-driven investment and equity investment, the IEA indicates. The Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China has been taking on the role of reference financer for these projects. However, the trend is for more banks and commercial funds to enter the business, and some Chinese companies are already operating as power distributors, e.g. in Ghana. MDT/Macauhub Asked if he thinks that the better-than-expected figures for July indicate a lasting recovery, lawmaker Pereira Coutinho stated that the future of Macaus gaming industry looks positive as both the mass market and the VIP segment continue to develop in a more normal way. As long as we are still making [a] profit, as long as we are still three times [bigger in gaming revenue] than Las Vegas, and we remain number one in terms of revenue from gaming, we will continue to be safe in Macau, he told Bloomberg Television in an interview. For the past few years, the Macau people have been crying out for a more stable economy, and not [such fast-paced] development that leads to social problems, said Coutinho. Thats why the government is taking into consideration the Macau people overall. He also said that the government are doing their best, however could not be fully responsible for any downturn or recovery as the control in the end belongs to the Central Government. Macaus gaming future is overall positive as the MSAR is uniquely placed for the Chinese market, being close to mainland China, but also having the ability to make mainland tourists feel comfortable in the city, he added. The Judiciary Police (PJ) have reported two similar cases of what seems to be a new type of phone scam. Police force spokesperson, Tam Weng Keong, stated during a press conference yesterday that a local resident, aged 26, was contacted over the phone by a woman claiming to be from a Shanghai Telecom company. During the phone call, the woman claimed that someone had used the victims ID card to open a mobile phone account within the company. The scammer continued to explain that this number had been uploading large quantities of photographs with pornographic content to the web, and was caught by the police who were now searching for information on the case. The scammer allegedly passed the call on to a supposed police officer from the Shanghai Police who requested personal information such as ID number, full name, and date of birth amongst other information that the victim provided over the phone thinking that she was speaking to a real officer. Following the interaction and realizing that she may have been victim to scam she decided to report the case to the PJ. Another complaint was received by the police, involving a man who experienced a similar call from the same Shanghai Telecom Company and stating a similar case of abuse of personal information, after the call was passed to a supposed police officer that informed the victim that they had been implicated in a case of a swindle that totaled RMB 2.6 million. In this instance, the alleged police officer offered to help to hire an attorney to assist in the case in mainland China, asking that a fee of RMB20,000 be transferred to a bank account in mainland China. The victim attempted to transfer the requested sum but after the transaction failed to be completed at the bank, she decided to call her husband who suspected that she has been targeted in a scam and reported it to the PJ. More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers backed up by 700 tanks invaded the Gulf state of Kuwait in the early hours of this morning. Iraqi forces have established a provisional government and their leader Saddam Hussein has threatened to turn Kuwait city into a graveyard if any other country dares to challenge the take-over by force. Iraqi jets have bombed targets in the capital and special forces have landed at the defence ministry and at the Emirs palace. Road blocks are in place and there are reports of looting in the citys shops. Initial reports suggest up to 200 people have been killed in heavy gunfire around the city. It is reported that the younger brother of Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Sabah has been killed whilst trying to defend the palace, while the Emir himself has escaped to Saudi Arabia. All communication has been cut with Kuwait and many people, including thousands of foreign nationals, are trapped in the city. The invasion has sparked strong condemnation from leaders around the world. The United Nations Security Council, in emergency session, has called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, branded the invasion as absolutely unacceptable while American president George Bush condemned the attack as a naked act of aggression. So far there has been no condemnation of the attack from any Arab country. Kuwaits assets in the UK and the US have been frozen to prevent Iraq from seizing them and the US has also frozen Iraqs assets. The Soviet Union, Iraqs main supplier of arms, has suspended the delivery of all military equipment to Iraq. In recent weeks Iraq had accused Kuwait of flooding the world market with oil and has demanded compensation for oil produced from a disputed oil field on the border of the two countries. In response to the news of the invasion the price of oil rose dramatically and stock markets around the world have fallen. Kuwait has appealed for international aid but there is no suggestion of any military action from the West at this stage. Courtesy BBC News In context On 9 August 1990 the UN Security Council voted 15-0 to declare Iraqs annexation of Kuwait null and void. During the next three months allied forces were deployed to the region as part of Operation Desert Shield. The Soviet Union stated it would not participate in military action. The Gulf crisis intensified and President Bush continued preparations to remove Iraq from Kuwait by force. Iraq ignored all deadlines set by the West to end its occupation of the Gulf state. On 17 January 1991, coalition forces launched Desert Storm in what would be the longest air strike in the history of aerial warfare. Iraq responded by launching Scud missiles against Israel and Saudi Arabia. Fierce fighting continued until 28 February when Iraq, whose military capability had by now been seriously harmed, agreed to a ceasefire. A Nigerian accused of scamming USD60 million from companies around the world through fraudulent emails has been arrested after months of investigation, Interpol and Nigerias anti-fraud agency said yesterday. One target paid out USD15.4 million, according to a statement. The statement said the ringleader of a global scamming network, identified only as a 40-year-old called Mike, was arrested along with a 38-year-old accomplice in Nigerias oil capital, Port Harcourt, in June. He is on administrative bail, which implies that officers do not yet have enough evidence to charge him in court. The man is accused of leading a criminal network that compromised email accounts of small and medium-sized businesses around the world including in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa and Thailand. The statement didnt name any of the targets. The network involved about 40 people in Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa who provided malware and carried out the frauds, with money-laundering contacts in China, Europe and the United States providing bank account details. A suppliers email would be compromised and fake messages sent to a buyer with instructions for payment to a bank account under the networks control, the statement said. Or the email account of a high-level executive would be taken over and a request for a wire transfer sent to an employee responsible for handling such requests. Such crime poses a significant and growing threat, with tens of thousands of companies victimized in recent years, Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, said in a statement. The public, and especially businesses, need to be alert to this type of cyber-enabled fraud. Nigeria is notorious for internet fMichelle Faulraud. The U.S. Embassy says it receives inquiries every day from Americans who have been defrauded. , AP An organization likely run by North Koreas government hacked into the email accounts of dozens of officials, journalists and others in South Korea this year, Seoul officials said yesterday, the latest cyberattack that the South blames on its rival. The organization sent phishing emails to government officials, journalists and professors who specialize in North Korean affairs to try to trick them into giving away their passwords, Seouls Supreme Prosecutors Office said in a statement. The passwords for at least 56 of the email accounts were eventually leaked, according to the statement. Seoul authorities were investigating whether any confidential government information was stolen, but the prosecutors office said there had been no reports of leakage of sensitive information. The statement said the contents of the phishing emails, a China-based IP address and a web-hosting service provider were the same ones used in a previous North Korean cyberattack. It didnt identify the suspected organization. South Korea accuses North Korea of launching a series of cyberattacks in recent years, but the North has dismissed the allegations. Last week, South Korean police said they believe North Korea was behind the recent leakage of personal data for more than 10 million users of an online shopping site. South Korea said last year that North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army dedicated to disrupting the Souths government and military. The figure was a sharp increase from a 2013 South Korean estimate of 3,000 such specialists. North Koreas hacking technology has been improving every year, according to Simon Choi at Seoul-based anti-virus company Hauri Inc. He said the North has carried out many more cyberattacks than is publicly known, making it difficult for South Korea to fend off all of them. Many previous alleged North Korean cyberattacks failed to infiltrate the targeted computer systems at businesses and government agencies. But in several cases, hackers destroyed hard drives, paralyzed banking systems or disrupted access to websites. One attack was so crippling that a South Korean bank was unable to restore its online services for more than two weeks. The Koreas have been divided by the worlds most heavily fortified border since the Korean War ended in 1953 with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. Earlier this year, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test explosion and conducted a prohibited long-range rocket launch, prompting worldwide condemnation and tougher U.N. sanctions. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP More than 100,000 students in Bangladesh linked their hands yesterday to form human chains to protest two attacks last month by suspected Islamist militants. The students from hundreds of colleges and universities in Dhaka and other cities took part in the protest as part of a campaign to create awareness about the rise of Islamic extremism in the country. Protesters carried banners that read Bangladesh stands against terrorism and We want peace; no place for terrorism. The organizers said they particularly wanted students to lead yesterdays protests because the suspects in last months attacks were mostly students and young men. We stand against any sort of extreme form of ideology. We denounce terrorism, said Tanvir Shakil Joy, one of the organizers. I feel encouraged to see that so many students, both male and female, have joined the protest today. Joy, a former ruling party lawmaker, said the students gathered at about 50 locations in Dhaka, and similar protests were held in all district headquarters and major cities. A signature campaign against extremism was also launched at all educational institutions, he said by telephone. Suspected Islamist militants killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners, in an attack on a popular restaurant in Dhaka a month ago. That was followed by an attack on an Eid congregation in central Bangladesh that left three people dead. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Bangladeshauthorities blamed the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh. In a police raid last week, nine other suspected militants, mostly young men, were killed in Dhaka. The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to fight extremism and urged citizens to build awareness about its dangers. Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people, is a parliamentary democracy based on British common law. Many local Islamist groups want to introduce Islamic Shariah law. AP Uber Technology Ltd. and its main Chinese competitor are combining their ride-hailing operations in China, ending a costly battle to attract riders. Yesterdays announcement marks the latest foreign technology brand to tie up with a local partner in the face of intense competition in China. Yahoo, eBay and others have turned over Internet operations to Chinese partners or withdrawn. Didi Chuxing said it would acquire Uber China and operate it as a separate brand. In exchange, Uber said it will receive a 20 percent stake in Didi Chuxing that will make the American company its biggest shareholder. Uber founder Travis Kalanick will join the Chinese companys board while Didi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei joins the Uber board. No financial details were released. The Chinese business magazine Caixin, citing unidentified sources, said the deal valued the combined company at USD35 billion. That would make Ubers share worth $7 billion. This agreement with Uber will set the mobile transportation industry on a healthier, more sustainable path of growth at a higher level, Cheng said in a statement. Ride-hailing services in China have grown rapidly but suffered heavy losses. Kalanick told the Canadian technology platform BetaKit in February the company was losing $1 billion a year in China. Didi has been a fierce competitor and I respect all that Didi and their team have accomplished, Kalanick said on his Facebook page. He said the merger frees up substantial resources for other Uber initiatives including food delivery and self-driving cars. Foreign technology brands have struggled in Chinas populous but intensely competitive market. In June, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sold its Chinese online operation to JD.com Inc., the countrys No. 2 e-commerce service. Didi was formed by the February 2015 merger of competing ride-hailing services launched by Chinese Internet giants Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group following a similar battle for customers. Yesterdays announcement came after the Chinese government on Thursday announced its first rules for the ride-hailing industry, confirming its legal status after repeated run-ins with regulators. Uber, headquartered in San Francisco, operates in more than 60 Chinese cities and plans to increase to more than 100 by the end of 2016. Didi Chuxing, previously Didi Kuaidi, operates in some 400 Chinese cities. It said the company completed 1.4 billion rides in 2015. The company said in June it raised $7.3 billion from investors in what it described as one of the worlds largest private equity funding rounds. That included $1 billion from Apple Inc., which became a strategic investor alongside Tencent and Alibaba. Last September, Didi Chuxing and Lyft of the United States agreed to link their services to allow travelers to use them in each others markets. In December, their alliance added Indias Ola and Southeast Asias GrabTaxi. Joe McDonald, Beijing, AP At a quarry in Bridgeport, Texas, where rock is crushed, sorted and cleaned, its hard to tell that the nations construction boom may be hitting a wall. Workers maneuver front-end loaders to fill a long line of rail cars and trucks with up to 25 tons of washed stone each. The destination: one of many construction projects that dot the Dallas-Fort Worth area 70 miles away. Were moving a lot of rock, said Dean Gatzemeier, who runs quarries in North Texas and Oklahoma for Martin Marietta Materials Inc. Construction has been one of the few pockets of strength in the U.S. economy until recently. Construction payrolls have declined since March and spending in May rose less than 3 percent from a year earlier, the lowest rate since 2011. Coming after super-charged growth of 10 percent last year, the question now is whether the sputtering is just a blip or something more lasting that portends a significant drag on the economy. Its a deceleration process after two years of fairly decent growth, said Robert Murray, chief economist of Dodge Data & Analytics, which gathers data on construction. Last years boom was spurred by housing and office construction. Residential spending alone contributed almost 0.3 percentage point to the U.S. economys 2.4 percent growth rate. New industries, such as e-commerce, also drove construction work, including two Amazon fulfillment centers in California that will be 1 million square feet each. Yet construction may be a victim of its own success. A torrid pace of apartment building has saturated some markets. Foreign investment, looking for returns, has poured into high-rise condos in Miami and hotels in New York, creating some overcapacity. In one example, Pollack Shores Real Estate Group, a privately held group, put on hold plans to build a 315-unit apartment complex in the Atlanta area as several new buildings cropped up. Regulators have flagged a heightened risk of lending to commercial real estate, noting that hundreds of banks increased loans to the sector by more than 50 percent during the last three years. The slowdown can be seen in construction payrolls. Adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, the number of people working in the field dropped by 22,000 since hitting a post-recession peak in March of about 6.7 million. It was the first time the job count had dropped for two straight months since 2012. The trend was reinforced on Monday when Vulcan Materials Corp., a big seller of crushed stone, gravel and sand the basic building blocks for all construction projects reported second-quarter revenue and profit below analysts estimates. The company blamed a deceleration of shipments on wet weather and the delayed start of large projects. Martin Marietta reports earnings on Tuesday. Many in the industry remain buoyant, saying the current slowdown is temporary. Warm winter weather pulled projects forward in the first quarter, which saw construction spending jump 11 percent, said Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractors of America. That event and heavy flooding in areas such as Texas caused the numbers to stumble in April and May, he said. Construction spending still has room to grow. As a percentage of the U.S. economy it was 6.4 percent in the first quarter, below the 50-year average of 8.3 percent. And while housing starts have rebounded slowly to 1.1 million last year from a 2009 low of 554,000, they remain well under a rate of 1.4 million a year since the 1960s. Simonsons group projects that construction spending will rise between 8 percent and 10 percent this year as projects to build schools, hospitals and strip malls make up for slower growth of apartment buildings and hotels. Next year, the outlays are expected to increase 6 percent to 8 percent, he said, well outpacing the projected growth of the U.S. economy. Construction companies are also pinning their hopes on public works spending, such as the replacement of New York Citys Kosciuzko Bridge. In December, Congress enacted the first long-term highway bill in a decade, replacing short-term funding patches. Iowa will finally expand to four lanes a 30-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 20 between Dubuque and Sioux City, said Paul Trombino, director of the states Department of Transportation. Brian Lane, chief executive officer of Comfort Systems USA Inc., hasnt been able to hire enough qualified employees to accept all the jobs from customers. The Houston-based company installs heating and air-conditioning systems in office buildings, schools and other commercial properties. Welders and pipefitters are particularly difficult to find, and salaries for skilled workers are rising 3 percent to 6 percent per year, he said. Were turning down work, said Lane, whose companys backlog of projects rose to $777 million at the end of March, the highest level since 2008. SEATTLE Genetically modified wheat not approved for sale or commercial production in the United States has been found growing in a field in Washington state, agriculture officials said Friday, posing a possible risk to trade with countries concerned about engineered food. The Food and Drug Administration says genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are safe and little scientific concern exists about the safety of those on the market. But critics say not enough is known about their risks, and they want GMOs labeled so people know whats in their food. Several Asian countries temporarily banned U.S. wheat imports after genetically modified wheat was found unexpectedly in a field on an Oregon farm in 2013. It also popped up in a field at a university research center in Montana in 2014. It wasnt immediately clear how altered wheat cropped up in Washington. But the U.S. Agriculture Department said there is no evidence it has entered the market. If it did, the FDA concluded that it is unlikely that the wheat would present any safety concerns if present in the food supply, the department said. A farmer discovered 22 plants in an unplanted field, and the wheat was developed to be resistant to the herbicide known as Roundup, created by seed giant Monsanto, the USDA said. Federal officials said they were working with the farmer to ensure that none of the modified wheat is sold. Out of caution, the agency said it is holding and testing the farmers full wheat harvest, but so far it has not found GMOs. The plants are a type of wheat that had been evaluated in limited field trials in the Pacific Northwest from 1998 to 2001 but never commercialized, Monsanto said in a statement. It said the type found in Washington state is similar to the one discovered in Oregon three years ago; it has the same inserted DNA but in a different location. No variety of genetically engineered wheat has been approved for commercial use or production in the U.S. GMOs are plants or animals that have had genes copied from other plants or animals inserted into their DNA. Most genetically engineered crops are corn and soybeans eaten by livestock or made into popular processed food ingredients like cornstarch, soybean oil or high fructose corn syrup. The FDA also has approved for consumption a genetically engineered salmon that would grow faster than traditional salmon, but its not yet available in grocery stores. South Korea said Friday that it suspended customs clearance for some genetically altered wheat from the United States due to safety concerns, the Yonhap News Agency reported. It said the distribution and sales of wheat already imported from the state will be temporarily halted, too. The USDA said it has validated a test that Monsanto developed for herbicide-resistant wheat that would be available to trading partners. It also said it has beefed up oversight of genetically engineered field trials and now requires developers to apply for a permit for those involving GMO wheat starting this year. TWIN FALLS Sitting in a black-and-white jumpsuit, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed in a courtroom packed with the friends and family of the man he murdered last July, Jacob Lyn Marshall was sentenced Tuesday to 70 years to life in prison. Marshall, 21, pleaded guilty in June to the murder of 53-year-old Kent Wayne Storrer, accepting a plea deal that will likely keep him in prison his entire life; the soonest he could be paroled would be 2085 at age 90. He also pleaded guilty to robbery and battery with intent to commit a serious felony. District Judge Richard Bevan started Tuesday mornings hearing 25 minutes late after taking time in chambers to read several letters from the family members of Storrer and his son-in-law, Jasper Qualls, who was injured in the shooting last July 25. Marshall and his co-defendant, 23-year-old Jerry Burton Kimball, were accused of meeting with Qualls to test-drive a car he was selling on Craigslist, but after test-driving the car, Marshall opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing Storrer and wounding Qualls, before stealing the car. Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs called the crime shocking because of its utter randomness but declined to offer details about the case in his sentencing argument, mostly because of the detailed nature of the plea agreement. The prosecutor then introduced some of the family members who wrote letters and were in court, calling them an inspiration for handling the last year with grace and dignity. I never had a meeting with this family when I was not impressed with their poise and maturity, Loebs told the court. Three of those family members gave victim-impact statements, including Storrers father, Gary, and his stepmother, Connie, who told Marshall she hopes and prays the next 70 years will be hell for you. But it was Qualls mother, Cindy Kelly, whose words rang through the courtroom with righteous indignation. I am here in this courtroom today to address you, a cowardly, cold-blooded murderer, Kelly read from a letter while facing Marshall. Our legal system has guidelines and rules I must follow in order to speak today. I find that so very ironic since we are here because of you, someone who broke so many rules and so many hearts. Im not allowed to use vulgar language, yet you sit before me, the very essence of vulgarity. Kelly then recounted how on the day of the shooting, as Marshall began to turn violent, her son told him to simply take the car. You could have just driven it away, but you chose to shoot them with an AR-15 assault rifle you brought with you, Kelly told Marshall. You shot them in cold blood, then you left them where they fell to die. Gary Storrer told Marshall he remembered the call he received telling him his son had been shot. Kent was tough, strong, I just knew hed be OK, Gary Storrer recalled. But as we drove back from Island Park, we got that other phone call, that they pronounced him dead. Gary Storrer said he couldnt think of a more cowardly way to kill somebody. I dont know what I wish you, Storrer told Marshall. I wish you a hard life. But youre in purgatory now and God will deal with you the rest of your life and in the next one. In contrast, Kelly knew exactly the fate that she wished upon Marshall. My desire is that everyone you encounter for the rest of your pathetic life, especially your prison mates, will show you as much compassion and mercy as you showed to my son, Jasper, and to Kent Storrer, which is absolutely none. Kelly called Marshall the essence of pure evil before ending with a final damning statement. When youve eventually lived out your worthless days and youve breathed your last putrid breath, Im quite sure there will be no one to shed tears of sadness for you, and you will not be missed or mourned. This world will definitely be a better place when youre no longer in it, and when you pass from this life to the next, you will stand before your maker and receive your final judgement. And then, eternity. Marshall, who looks now much gentler than his cold-staring mug shot, faced each family member as they spoke to him, nodding softly when they made some of their most pointed remarks as if to accept the criticism. He then stood and faced the family seated in the gallery when given a chance to speak. I am sorry, Marshall told the packed courtroom. I wish I could take back what I did. I dont expect you to forgive me and its not something that I feel I can be forgiven for. But I just want you to know Im sorry. Twin Falls County Chief Public Defender Marilyn Paul thanked the family for graciously accepting the plea deal, while Bevan had little to say before imposing the sentence. This sentence appears fair, reasonable and just the judge said, before adding that no sentence could truly be fair for the loss of a life. But the Storrer family seemed to recognize that the plea deal amounts to a life sentence, and as Marshall shuffled out the door accompanied by a bailiff, Gary Storrer could be heard whispering to other family members. Thats the end of his life. HAMMETT Matthew David Conrad, 34 of Hammett, died after allegedly trying to carjack three vehicles, then pointing a gun at two Elmore County sheriffs deputies, Idaho State Police said Tuesday evening. Two Elmore County deputies shot Conrad who reportedly stole a pickup, led officers on a chase, attempted to carjack three different vehicles and then pointed a firearm at the deputies, according to Idaho State Police. Conrad died, but no officers were injured in the incident that escalated on Interstate 84 just west of Hammett, according to Elmore County Sheriff Rick Layher. Idaho State Police is investigating the case. Elmore County Coroner Jerry Rost said he took custody of the body. An autopsy is planned for Wednesday at the Ada County Coroners Office. The names of the deputies who shot him have not been released. Interstate 84 was shut down in both directions for hours while officers investigated the scene. It had fully reopened as of 1:45 p.m., according to the Idaho Transportation Department. Initially, around 8:45 a.m., a Hammett resident called into dispatch to report their pickup truck had been stolen. The suspect was known to law enforcement, said Teresa Baker, ISP spokeswoman. There was evidence he had stolen vehicles in the past, she said. Multiple deputies searched for Conrad. He was ultimately located near Hammett, and started a chase that led to westbound I-84. Deputies attempted multiple maneuvers to stop the pickup; after one such attempt near mile marker 110, the pickup went off the road and crashed through a barbed wire fence, Baker said. The suspect got out on foot after the truck was disabled, she said. He ran across the westbound lane (and) went to the eastbound lanes. A semitrailer had slowed down because Conrad was near the freeway; he then aimed a gun at the driver in an attempt to carjack the semi, Baker said. The driver sped off, heading east. Then Conrad did the same thing to the driver of a passing red car. That motorist also sped away, continuing east. Conrad raised his gun another time, pointing it at the driver of a SUV. That driver evaded him, turned around and got onto westbound I-84, later describing their experience to deputies. Investigators are searching for the occupants of the red car and the semi to get more information about the case, Baker said. Deputies pursued Conrad on foot. After the SUV drove away, he turned toward the two deputies and pointed his gun at them. Thats when both deputies fired their weapons, Baker said. If you witnessed the shooting, call 208-587-2100. I-84 was closed in both directions between Hammett and Mountain Home for hours. Police diverted traffic at exit 99, just east of Mountain Home, and brought vehicles back on I-84 at exit 114, just east of Hammett, according to ITD. The shooting comes about four days after the results of another ISP investigation into an officer-involved shooting were released. The Idaho Attorney Generals Office reviewed ISPs findings in the shooting of Adams County rancher Jack Yantis and decided not to bring criminal charges against the deputies who shot him. TWIN FALLS Marilyn Blackburn Hayes was the type of nurse who put her patients first. As a nursing teacher at the College of Southern Idaho, Hayes instilled that same sense of compassion in her students. If youve had a good nurse in the Magic Valley over the years, chances are the nurse learned from Hayes. She taught more than 1,200 nursing students over more than 35 years at CSI. Sharon Fischer of Meridian graduated from the nursing program in the late 60s and retired from nursing last year. Fischer remembers Hayes telling the students to pay attention to the little things like the way you fold a washcloth when giving a patient a bed bath. Put yourself in that bed, Fischer said they were told. Make sure you treat that patient the way you want to be treated. The reason you fold the washcloth a certain way when you are bathing the patient is because you dont want it to flap and hit their skin, and the edges are cold. You fold it so its just a warm surface. It was always that, the patient was always first. Hayes died July 26 in Clearfield, Utah. She was 80. Claudeen Buettner first met Hayes in 1972 as an incoming staff member of CSIs nursing program. Buettner eventually became CSIs executive vice president and retired in 2008. She was really a mentor to me, Buettner said. She was knowledgeable. She knew nursing from the ground floor up. She was compassionate. Nursing is a human interaction, not a robotic thing. Marilyn made nursing human. Hayes grew up in Woodruff, Utah. She attended the University of Utah and received a bachelors of science in nursing. After working at hospitals in Chicago and Wyoming, she moved to Twin Falls in the 1960s to work as a nursing supervisor at Magic Valley Memorial Hospital. CSIs nursing program was established in 1965 when Dr. James Taylor approached Hayes to teach the licensed practical nursing program. It became one of the first educational programs at the college. In 1966, the first class of 16 LPNs graduated from CSI. A registered nursing program was established in 1971 with Hayes as the lead instructor. The college was little, Buettner said. There were two or three buildings when I was there and there werent many nursing students. Almost 30 years after the nursing program was founded, the medical assisting program became the Nursing and Allied Health department. And in 1996, it became the Health Sciences and Human Services department with the addition of programs including surgical technology and physical therapy assistant. Hayes retired in 2000 and officially left in 2006. On her last day, she wore a purple feathered boa around her neck. She wanted people to remember her that way, Buettner said. She was described by her sister in her school years as being shy, Buettner said. I never saw her shy. That surprised me very much. She was very outgoing and very connected to the college. She knew students by name. She knew that she taught their parents. Tracy Millward met Hayes as an apprehensive student. Millward graduated from the registered nursing program in 1998. I was very nervous to move to a different city, and the first person I met was Marilyn, Millward said. She was a cute little old grandma. Just the nicest, sweetest old lady you could ever meet. She made me feel so comfortable. She sat me down and talked about my needs and feelings. I told her I was pretty nervous. She comforted me in the fact you can do this. She made me feel at peace. Millward works in the emergency room at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center. He is also a bishop with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Originally from Pocatello, he and his wife decided to stay in Twin Falls after he graduated. She always instilled in her students that you were the ones who could make a difference in peoples lives, he said. The most important thing she taught me about nursing is to always have a smile and be happy and always care about people. When people are sick they need that bright and cheery attitude to help uplift them. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Now that we have most recently witnessed the Democratic National Conventions selection of Hillary Clinton as their presidential nominee, I have had a period of reflection. Ive not always been kind to the multiple players within the party, but the fog of animosity is lifting and Im beginning to see all of the impressive assets this group of fine politicos offer the American people and their compelling case for four more years of White House control. First of all, kudos to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for her unspotted leadership at the DNC, ensuring all candidates have a fair shot. Sure, it might have been tempting for her to try and game the system for her favorite pick, but instead she chose the high road, launching the DNCs Taco Bowl Engagement Latino outreach program. Shes also fostered plenty of no-homo camaraderie among the DNCs male employees. What a contrast to the homophobic, racist Republicans. We should also recognize DNC speaker Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood and praise her for all shes doing for the next generation of children. Shes really tearing it up. I mean shes shredding it! Imagine if you could package what shes doing and sell it. Someone could make millions. Who wouldnt give up their firstborn for those qualities? Then theres soon-to-be former President Barack Obama, who for the past six years has lowered everyones health insurance premiums, letting us keep our doctor if we like our doctor, just like he promised. Furthermore, he has transformed the Middle East into a halcyon paradise like Chicago, and done wonders to calm race relations in this country, especially between black communities and law enforcement. Not only that, hes maintained the highest standards of fairness and integrity at government agencies like the IRS and Department of Justice. I should also note his economic genius particularly for the firearms manufacturing and sales industry. No list singing the praises of Americas most cherished leaders would be complete without former President Bill Clinton another pinnacle of integrity and trustworthiness. I think back about his exciting White House intern program in the mid to late 1990s offering unique experiences most interns never would get otherwise. Of course his sometimes misinterpreted kindnesses toward women are the stuff of legend, sharing what he has to offer them even when its not requested. Not only that, he had a robust political inclusion program during his presidency which allowed more people than ever to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. Lets not forget his groundbreaking information-sharing pilot program with our friends in China. And near the end of his presidency, he helped alleviate prison overcrowding through an innovative pardoning agreement system. Which brings us to his wife, Hillary. She probably deserves the most praise of all. Gosh, I dont even know where to begin. Shes an amazing cattle futures investor, first of all. And if throwing dishes were an Olympic sport, shed be in Rio this year. Shes also incredibly smart brighter than a consulate in flames, in fact. Did I mention tech savvy? How many people of her generation have the wherewithal to house their own email server? On top of that shes been able to engineer a robust speaking career for herself and her husband. Im sure its her warm personality, intoxicating cadence, and inviting persona that persuades foreign entities and massive banks to open their wallets for the experience. On top of all that, she stands up for all women who have been sexually assaulted and persuades the long list of fakers and lying bimbos who misinterpreted her husbands kindnesses. Yes, indeed, these are the ones entrusted with the nations highest executive power. I cant imagine for a second why anyone would want an alternative. Donald Trump is in the fifth day of his feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in combat in Iraq in 2004. After questioning why Ghazala Khan never spoke during her husbands speech about their son during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Trump pivoted to insisting that he makes lots and lots of sacrificesequating his hard work and willingness to hire lots of people to losing a son in combat and, now, is trying to paint Khizr Khan as simply a partisan. Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the sameNice! For the life of me, I cant figure out what Trump is doing hereand whether there is absolutely any strategy behind it. Going back and forth with a family that has lost a son in combat is, on its face, the height of stupidity, politically speaking. Even if you dont agree with the Khans view of Trump, its hard to feel anything but sympathy for their loss. Losing a child is every parents nightmareand that is a feeling that transcends politics. As has been mentioned time and again over the past 72 hours, George W. Bushs response to Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq and then camped in front of Bushs Texas ranch to protest his policies, seems to be the appropriate one for a politician dealing with such a difficult situation. Express sympathy for the loss. Talk about how unimaginable it is. And how the loss of every American life is personally painful to someone who is either president or running for the office. Then try to move on. Rapidly. Trump has done the polar opposite of thatand, in the process, provoked the public derision of lots of Republicans, including war hero John McCain. So, again, why? My best guessand its only a guessis that Trump simply believes that he won the Republican primary battle by fighting constantly against political conventional wisdom and/or political correctness. If traditional political advice suggests you play nice with a Gold Star family, Trump goes nasty. Its that simple. He zigs when everyone else zagsno matter the circumstances. There are other, darker theories behind Trumps attacks on the Khans, of course. Why not pick a fight with two Muslim Americans at a time when fear and anxiety about terrorism and national security are high? Sure, not all Muslims are terrorists. And the vast majority of Muslims condemn the actions of Islamist militants. But the Khans are Muslims. And there is a segment of Americans who wont like them for that reason aloneno matter what they have sacrificed for the country. Those people will regard the Khans as the enemy despite all evidence to the contrary. Then there is the possibility that Trump simply says and does things without any sort of broader strategy in mind. He doesnt like when people attack him, so he hits backno matter the context or the potential political consequences or optics. Its like an automatic, Pavlovian response: When attacked, he attacks. There isnt thinking involved. Simply put: I have no idea what Trump is doing here. Me not knowing what Trump is doingin terms of his political calculus or strategyis not new or, frankly, terrible worrying for Trump. After all, I was convinced that Trumps campaign would go nowhereand he has done pretty well so far. But since my initial miscalculation on Trump, I feel most of the time as though I have been able to see strategy beneath his bluster and bombast. This time, I just dont get it. At all. The U.S. military aviation Monday hit the Islamic State (IS) positions in and around Sirte upon request from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) the Pentagon announced. The air strikes hit specific locations of the militant group, which sustained heavy losses, Prime Minister Faiez said in a TV address, adding that his government asked for the US operation. Faiez further revealed the operation would be limited in time and restricted to the coastal town and its suburbs, also hometown of former Muammar Gaddafi. The Pentagon confirmed the operation and said President Obama greenlighted the air strikes. GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL (Islamic State) thus far around Sirte, and additional U.S. strikes will continue to target ISIL in Sirte in order to enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance, the Pentagon spokesman said. GNA forces since May have launched a retake-campaign in an attempt to flash out the Islamists still holding the town. The fight have regained momentum as GNA forces made Misrata brigade engage street battle with the militant group now using snipers. Recent battle focused on the city center. IS group is believed to have up to 6,000 fighters in the coastal city now empty of its population. IS conquered the city last year after driving out and massacring militiamen protecting the city. The GNA has made the win over the militant group its top priority. In May international community and the U.S. accepted to allow unity government to purchase weapons to fight the terrorist group. Western countries have thrown their support behind Serrajs cabinet and offered to assist it when it calls for help. The Monday intervention is the third by the U.S. airpower in Libya. In November U.S. claimed it killed an IS leader in the North African country. In February, a compound reportedly hosting an IS militants meeting was blown out by U.S. F16s, with dozens of militants killed, most of whom were reportedly Tunisians. Prime Minister Netanyahu could be on the verge of forgoing his stances in the multibillion dollar US military aid package negotiations. An official revealed that the Israeli prime minister is hoping that the delegation to the talks in Washington, led by the acting head of the national Security Council, Jacob Nagel, will be able to finalize a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase funding. The current 10-year military aid package agreed in 2007 will expire in 2018 and has an annual $3 billion military financing but its renewal has been stalled as the Obama administration wants Tel Aviv to spend the aid entirely on US-made weapons; thereby ending some of it being spent on Israeli arms. The three days talk between the two governments will take place this week and a senior US official hinted that Washington is willing to agree on a new MoU but it is unclear if Israel will accept the spending conditions. The official stated that the Obama administrations offer is pegged at around $3.7 billion per annum and that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in US history. Netanyahu was eyeing a $4 billion annual support in the renewal deal but that has failed to materialize after several months of negotiations. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, the talks could be suspended to next year as President Obama prepares to leave office in January. Netanyahu would then be obliged to negotiate again with either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, current US presidential candidates. Netanyahu and Obama have had a rocky relationship but the material and financial military support is essential for Israels security. Analysts believe that the Israeli prime minister prefers sealing the agreement before Obama leaves the oval office. President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose father ruled oil-rich Gabon for 41 years, on Monday warned of possible unrest during the upcoming presidential election in the central African nation. It is to be feared, because it is the oppositions strategy for many years, Bongo said in an interview with the weekly magazine Jeune Afrique. He said the opposition has started its schemes by announcing that the election will not be transparent. Critics and opponents have maintained that Bongo is ineligible to run the August 27 election, arguing he was adopted and born in a foreign country. His supporters say the allegations about his nationality are spurious. Last week, the countrys constitutional court rejected appeals lodged by Bongos opponents against his candidacy. Dr Jean Ping, a former African Union commission chief and a stalwart in the presidents fathers regime, has already filed his nomination in a dramatic challenge to Bongo. Dr Ping, born to a Chinese father and a Gabonese mother, had accused the Gabonese leader of trying to force him out of the race through Machiavellian judicial means. The president was elected for a first term in a disputed 2009 vote following the death of his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had steered Gabon from 1967 and was described by critics as a corrupt despot. Micrograph showing prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma (the most common form of prostate cancer) Credit: Wikipedia Men diagnosed with prostate cancer can be provided with a more accurate estimate of their risk of death from the disease, and treatment planned accordingly, according to a Research Article published by Vincent J. Gnanapragasam, of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK and colleagues in PLOS Medicine. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men, and the risk of disease progression and death is very variable when the disease is diagnosed while it is localized to the prostate gland. Providing as accurate an estimate as possible of the individual risk is important in planning appropriate treatment, which could range from surgery to management by regular observation, as well as in providing advice and support to patients. Based on data from more than 10,000 UK men with prostate cancer, Gnanapragasam and colleagues developed a scheme in which men were grouped into 5 strata with different levels of risk of prostate cancer death, based on straightforward, routinely available, clinical measurements such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, disease stage, and tumor grade as judged by biopsy. In two large groups of men with prostate cancer analyzed separately, this scheme performed better in predicting the risk of cancer death compared to the current 3 risk strata system endorsed by most national and international guidelines. The authors noted that, because their study was limited by reliance on cancer registry records and by relatively short duration of follow-up (median 6.9 years), further validation in independent additional cohorts is needed. In an accompanying Perspective article, Sigrid V. Carlsson and Michael W. Kattan, respectively of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA and Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA, discuss the importance of accurate risk estimation in prostate cancer to guide decision making by doctors and their patients. Explore further New findings concerning hereditary prostate cancer More information: Gnanapragasam VJ, Lophatananon A, Wright KA, Muir KR, Gavin A, Greenberg DC (2016) Improving Clinical Risk Stratification at Diagnosis in Primary Prostate Cancer: A Prognostic Modelling Study. PLoS Med 13(8): e1002063. Journal information: PLoS Medicine Gnanapragasam VJ, Lophatananon A, Wright KA, Muir KR, Gavin A, Greenberg DC (2016) Improving Clinical Risk Stratification at Diagnosis in Primary Prostate Cancer: A Prognostic Modelling Study.13(8): e1002063. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002063 Spleen of LCMV-infected mouse. The population of PD-1-responsive T cells is CD8+ and TCF1+ and thus appears as yellow. Credit: From Im et al. Nature (2016) Cancer immunotherapy drugs that block the inhibitory PD-1 pathway have shown success in clinical trials and are now FDA-approved for melanoma, lung cancer and bladder cancer. Yet many patients' tumors do not respond to these drugs. Scientists from Emory Vaccine Center have now shown what molecular features distinguish the subset of T cells that wake up when re-energized by PD-1-blocking agents. The researchers expect that their findings will be valuable for optimizing treatment with PD-1-targeting drugs. The experiments were performed in mice with chronic viral infections, the system in which T cell exhaustion and PD-1's immune-braking function were first discovered. The results are scheduled for online publication in Nature on Tuesday, August 2. PD-1-blocking agents such as nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab are part of a class of drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors, and many cancer researchers are now trying to figure out how to enhance their activity by combining them with other types of drugs. "If we know more about the markers on the T cells that expand after PD-1's inhibition is removed, that could facilitate the rational design of combination therapies," says senior author Rafi Ahmed, PhD, director of Emory Vaccine Center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. The first author of the Nature paper is postdoctoral fellow Sejin Im, PhD. Collaborators from NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), University of Iowa, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and University of Sao Paolo, Brazil contributed to the paper. More than a decade ago, Ahmed and colleagues had shown that the immune systems of mice with chronic viral infections were full of inactive, or "exhausted" antiviral T cells. These cells displayed high levels of PD-1, and antiviral activity could be revived if PD-1's interactions with its counterpart on other cells (PD-L1) were blocked. In the current paper, the authors demonstrate that the exhausted antiviral T cells can be divided into two groups. One group undergoes a proliferative burst when virus-infected mice are given PD-1-blocking antibodies, and the other group lacks the capacity to proliferate. Even before PD-1-blocking antibodies were introduced, the expandable group of virus-specific T cells was dividing at a slow rate. These cells were only in the T cell zones of lymphoid organs (lymph nodes and spleen), not circulating throughout the body. After PD-1 is blocked, these cells divide and differentiate into effector-like cells that migrate to infected tissues. "If you imagine chronic viral infection - or canceras a war, the expandable T cells are not in the intense part of the battle," Ahmed says. "But they are somewhat engaged. It's like they're waiting in a shelter, ready to respond." The researchers also showed that a gene called TCF1 was important for the generation and maintenance of the PD-1-responsive T cells in mice. Inside and outside, the PD-1-responsive cells had molecular characteristics that resembled memory T cells or stem-like cells, while the non-responsive T cells were more terminally differentiated. The authors catalogued several co-stimulatory molecules and receptors present on the surfaces of the PD-1-responsive T cells, which possibly could be targets for drugs. In collaboration with researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Ahmed's laboratory is looking for immune cells with similar characteristics in cancer patients. It is possible that this group of revivable T cells may be found in contact with the tumor, or perhaps more likely, in lymph nodes nearby, Ahmed says. Explore further Immunotherapy agent can disrupt viral reservoir in SIV-infected monkeys More information: Se Jin Im et al, Defining CD8+ T cells that provide the proliferative burst after PD-1 therapy, Nature (2016). DOI: 10.1038/nature19330 , Journal information: Nature Se Jin Im et al, Defining CD8+ T cells that provide the proliferative burst after PD-1 therapy,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nature19330 , www.nature.com/articles/nature19330 A new review published by a joint scientific working group of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) finds that current evidence continues to support the potential for bone turnover markers (BTMs) to provide clinically useful information for monitoring osteoporosis treatment. The IFCC-IOF Working Group for the Standardization of Bone Marker Assays concluded that: Important data are now available on reference interval values for CTX and PINP across a range of geographic regions and for individual clinical assays; An apparent lack of comparability between current clinical assays for CTX has become evident, indicating the possible limitations of combining such data for meta-analyses; To improve interpretation of patient results harmonization of units for reporting serum/plasma CTX (ng/L) and PINP (g/L) is recommended; Further study of the relationships between the clinical assays for CTX and PINP as well as physiological and pre-analytical factors contributing to variability in BTM concentrations is required. The recommendations reinforce the previous recommendations made in 2010 by the IOF-IFCC Bone Marker Standards Working Group and the National Bone Health Alliance in 2012 which called for standardized analytical methods of reference analytes. Professor Howard Morris, School of Pharmacy and Medical Science at the University of South Australia said, "Significant progress has been made on the usefulness of BTMs in monitoring the efficacy of osteoporosis treatment. As well, although many limitations remain, the current status in this field continues to support the potential for BTMs to provide clinically useful information in regard to the relationship between BTM and incident fractures." Co-author and Chair of the IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors, Professor Cyrus Cooper added, "Steady advances are being made in this field and we look forward to a promising ongoing initiative to bring all BTM results from clinical trials in osteoporosis together in one individual meta-analysis. We hope that this will provide valuable information which in the future may allow the inclusion of bone turnover markers in fracture risk estimation tools such as FRAX." Explore further Study summarizes fracture prediction strength of reference bone turnover markers More information: H.A. Morris et al, Clinical usefulness of bone turnover marker concentrations in osteoporosis, Clinica Chimica Acta (2016). H.A. Morris et al, Clinical usefulness of bone turnover marker concentrations in osteoporosis,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2016.06.036 S. Vasikaran et al. Markers of bone turnover for the prediction of fracture risk and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment: a need for international reference standards, Osteoporosis International (2010). DOI: 10.1007/s00198-010-1501-1 D. Bauer et al. National Bone Health Alliance Bone Turnover Marker Project: current practices and the need for US harmonization, standardization, and common reference ranges, Osteoporosis International (2012). DOI: 10.1007/s00198-012-2049-z Journal information: Osteoporosis International Last Mile Health Community Health worker Teta Sluwar is in Tempo, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. Credit: Andy Sechler The first known household survey examining the collateral harm to pregnancy services in areas affected by the West African Ebola epidemic suggests a significant slide backwards in child and maternal health. The study, conducted in Liberia, points to the deep disruptions caused by the Ebola epidemiceven in parts of the country with relatively limited transmission. The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic killed approximately 11,300 people, but its long term effects on the region's health is expected to be compounded by many factors including the deaths of at least 500 health care workers. In addition, many facilities closed while other preventive and therapeutic services were interrupted. "We also know that the stigma associated with Ebola interfered with people seeking healthcare services, in addition to the perception that people can contract Ebola if they go to health facilities," explains the study's senior author John Kraemer, JD, MPH, assistant professor of health systems administration at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies. "It appears these perceptions are a major factor in the decrease of the number of people utilizing health facilities." Kraemer and his colleagues, including those from Last Mile Health, an organization focused on health in rural Liberia, set out to measure the indirect health consequences of Ebola so that a fuller understanding could inform efforts to restore health care in Ebola-impacted areas. They focused specifically on maternal health services, which are dependent on functioning health systems. Their findings are published in PLOS Medicine. The researchers compared the odds of facility-based delivery among 686 births in the period before the Ebola epidemic with the 212 births during the epidemic in a specific rural area. They found a 30 percent reduction in the odds of facility-based delivery during the Ebola outbreak. "The district we surveyed had one Ebola cluster and its health facilities remained open, unlike in other parts of the country where the epidemic was more intense," Kraemer explains. "Given that, our results most likely underestimate the impact on facility births in high-burden areas where there were closures." The drop appears to be correlated with fear, Kraemer says. The odds of facility-based delivery were 41 percent lower among women who reported a belief that Ebola was or may be transmitted in health facilities, but not significantly lower among women who reported believing that Ebola was not transmitted in health facilities. "Prior to the Ebola epidemic, Liberia made big gains in the rate of babies being delivered at health facilities, which translates into healthier moms and babies." Kraemer says. "Maternal health, like almost all other health services in Liberia, was badly damaged by the epidemic. It is critical that we stay focused on rebuilding Liberia's health care system, which will require long-term investment." "Building and maintaining stronger health systems will be critical to preventing future global public health emergencies," says John Ly, MD, co-lead author of the study and medical director at Last Mile Health. "Last Mile Health is supporting the Government of Liberia and the Ministry of Health to build a more robust health system, one that will ensure a well-trained and equipped health worker in even the most remote communities." Explore further After Ebola, understanding health care needs among rural Liberians More information: Ly J, Sathananthan V, Griffiths T, Kanjee Z, Kenny A, Gordon N, et al. (2016) Facility-Based Delivery during the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Rural Liberia: Analysis from a Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Household Survey. PLoS Med 13(8): e1002096. Journal information: PLoS Medicine Ly J, Sathananthan V, Griffiths T, Kanjee Z, Kenny A, Gordon N, et al. (2016) Facility-Based Delivery during the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Rural Liberia: Analysis from a Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Household Survey.13(8): e1002096. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002096 Micrograph showing cortical pseudolaminar necrosis, a finding seen in strokes on medical imaging and at autopsy. H&E-LFB stain. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia It's assumed that family and friends will help out in the event of a medical crisis, but that's not always feasible. And when stroke survivors need more than 20 hours of care per week, as a study in the August edition of Stroke shows, it's a large burden for their loved ones. More than half of elderly stroke survivors receive help from a caregiver, requiring 22.3 hours of assistance per week on average. That's nearly double what elderly patients who have not had a stroke require, at an average of 11.8 hours of help. A group of University of Michigan researchers found the need for care translates to about $11,000 per stroke survivor per week, for an annual estimate of around $40 billion in costs to care for elderly stroke survivors. "Previous studies underestimated the caregiving resources that are used, and we expect the cost of caregiving will only increase as baby boomers age," said first author Lesli Skolarus, M.D., M.S., a neurologist with the U-M Comprehensive Stroke Center. Caregivers could include unpaid, like family and friends, along with paid caregivers, as about one-third of stroke survivors with informal care also receive paid care. Activities included in the estimate are accompanying the patient to physician appointments, cooking, cleaning, helping the patient eat, bathe and dress and helping with money matters and insurance decisions. Using data from a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries, the team compared 892 elderly self-reported stroke survivors to 892 non-stroke controls, accounting for demographics and other health conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease or dementia. The researchers determined more than half of elderly stroke survivors receive help from a caregiver, requiring 22.3 hours of assistance per week on average. That's nearly double what elderly patients who have not had a stroke require, at an average of 11.8 hours of help. "Stroke survivors need a caregiver to spend the equivalent of half of a full-time job each week to help them," said senior author James Burke, M.D., M.S., a neurologist with U-M's Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Veterans Affairs. "Caregiving is an especially big burden in patients with neurological conditions." Skolarus added, "We need to plan for other mechanisms to support caregivers and survivors. Hopefully planning now will reduce the future burden." The team first presented the research at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. More information: Lesli E. Skolarus et al, Care Received by Elderly US Stroke Survivors May Be Underestimated, Stroke (2016). Journal information: Stroke Lesli E. Skolarus et al, Care Received by Elderly US Stroke Survivors May Be Underestimated,(2016). DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.012704 Infographic explains how vaccine candidate will work. Credit: Griffith University/Medical Animations Griffith University will partner with a Chinese pharmaceutical, Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals Inc. for a new vaccine that could benefit millions. Researchers from Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics have announced that they will begin Phase 1 clinical trials on a new, needle-free vaccine targeted at Streptococcus A infection, the cause of strep throat and rheumatic heart disease. Griffith University signed the collaborative and license agreement with Olymvax to discover, develop and commercialise its Group A Streptococcus (GAS) vaccine technology exclusively for Greater China. Strep A bacteria are responsible for a wide range of illnesses, from common infections like 'school sores' and strep throat, to deadly toxic shock and rheumatic heart disease. Even the rather gruesome sounding flesh eating disease has this group of bacteria to blame. More than 500,000 people worldwide each year die from diseases caused by these bacteria and indigenous Australians are especially vulnerable. The researchers who developed the Liposome vaccine technology include Institute for Glycomics Principal Research Leader Professor Michael Good and Dr Mehfuz Zaman. "The GAS vaccine has enormous potential to broadly impact human health," said Professor Good. "The availability of a safe and effective GAS vaccine could address a huge unmet public health demand, preventing a wide variety of potentially life-threatening complications and diseases in humans worldwide attributable to this organism. "This collaborative partnership represents a significant milestone in the Institute's commercialization success working together with partners to accelerate the commercial development of innovative vaccine candidates. "This agreement is an important step forward in the international roll-out of our vaccine technology," Professor Good said. Griffith University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian O'Connor welcomed the co-agreement and congratulated those involved. "This is a major vaccine licensing deal for the university, and is a wonderful outcome for the Institute for Glycomics, the researchers and Olymvax," Professor O'Connor said. "It is a shining example of Glycomics' pioneering research, being further developed with great potential to benefit society at large," he said. China, as an emerging vaccine market, represents a major opportunity for the Institute for Glycomics. "We are pleased to partner with Institute for Glycomics to develop the GAS vaccine technology, which represent commercially validated targets for the treatment of Strep A," added Olymvax BioPharmaceuticals Inc. Chairman, Mr Shaowen Fan. "We believe that combining the Institute's platform with Olymvax's capabilities will help us rapidly develop these assets for the Chinese market." Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick said the agreement showcased the strength of Queensland's world-recognised excellence in health and medical research, where great ideas can become reality. "As a state, it is vital that we are attracting investment in this type of quality research and innovation which translates into improved health services and technologiesnot just for Queensland, but globally," he said. "Initiatives like this further our government's aim to explore and strengthen the contribution the health sector can make to Queensland's economy." The Minister said that collaboration was an integral part of the work at the Institute for Glycomics, a unique and world-leading centre in translational biomedical research for the discovery of 21st century drugs and vaccines that address existing and emerging diseases of global impact. "Our government is a strong supporter of this outstanding initiative, which is recognising and harnessing the potential of new technology to better health outcomes," he said. Explore further Researchers create new combination vaccine to fight Streptococcus A 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. Third round: Georgia-China make progress in free trade talks Georgia and China are one step closer to establishing a free trade regime, which will facilitate increased business and trade turnover between both nations.We made important progress in the negotiations, and only several points need some extra attention, said Deputy Economy Minister Genadi Arveladze after the third round of Georgia-China free trade talks, held in Tbilisi on July 18-22.After last weeks discussion, both sides decided not to hold a fourth round of negotiations but continue the talks in a smaller format in September.Arveladze said taking into account the recent progress of the free trade talks, Georgia and China expected to finalise the deal by the end of 2016.In the third round of talks Georgia and China exchanged offers about the trade of goods and trade in services. The two countries made important progress to agree on customs procedures, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers in trade, trade security measures, competition, protection of intellectual property and trade in services.A free trade deal with China will be extremely beneficial for Georgia as it will facilitate increased business and trade turnover between the nations, said the Georgian Government.With this deal Georgia will be able to export its products to China a market of 1.4 billion customers - without additional customs fees.Georgia and China began discussing the possibility of a free trade regime at the beginning of this year. The first round of talks were held in Georgias capital Tbilisi on February 22-23, while China hosted thesecond round of negotiations in May.When the talks are completed and an agreement has been reached, Georgia will be the first country in the region to have this type of deal with China. The National Bank Of Georgia Continues Sharing Its Experience On Prudential Supervision Within the frames of its regional capacity development program, the International Monetary Fund Technical Assistance Center for East Africa (IMF East AFRITAC) arranged a professional visit for the representatives of the Bank of Uganda to the National Bank of Georgia (the NBG). During the visit, the NBG shared its analytical framework and experience on macroprudential supervision with Ugandan colleagues.Robert Mbabazize, Deputy Head of the Financial Stability Department of the Bank of Uganda stated: "During our visit to the NBG, our delegation greatly benefited from the specialist knowledge and notable progress that the NBG has made in the direction of macroprudential supervision. The visit to the NBG was rewarding and well-organized. We would like to express our gratitude to Koba Gvenetadze, Governor of the NBG, and Otar Nadaraia, Deputy Governor, as well as the NBG staff, who took their time to share their knowledge and experience with us."Dirk Jan Grolleman, Bank Supervision Advisor at IMF East AFRITAC stated: "I would like to thank the National Bank of Georgia for this very valuable event. The NBG has made significant progress, which is also highly relevant for Uganda and the East African region in general, most notably: loan-to-value monitoring, developing a framework for the counter cyclical capital buffer, risk weighting of foreign exchange denominated loans, and financial ratio analysis for the assessment of the (system wide) development of credit risk, stress-testing framework etc. What really stands out is integration of micro and macro prudential supervision."Otar Nadaraia, Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Georgia stated: "We were delighted to welcome the Bank of Uganda representatives at the NBG and share our experience with regards to macroprudential supervision. Indeed, integration of micro and macro prudential analysis is very important for traditional microprudential supervision, as well as for maintaining financial stability. As rightly mentioned in one of the most recentFED notes , macroprudential policy discussions may be increasingly informed by macroeconomic models in coming years, but microeconomic analyses of the distortions in individual markets and the policy actions that can mitigate such distortions will likely remain central. This is even more relevant for the developing countries. At the same time, the use of micro-based analysis in system-wide risk assessment remains a challenge in many jurisdictions." The News in Brief Kabul blast: Georgias Prime Minister sends condolences to Afghanistan Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili offered his condolences to the people of Afghanistan after a deadly terrorist attack in Kabul on Saturday. The PMs statement read that Georgia strongly condemned the terrorist attack against peaceful demonstrators, which killed more than 80 people and left hundreds more injured. In these challenging times, the Government of Georgia extends its heartfelt condolences to the Afghan government and the families of the victims, Kvirikashvili said. We believe that this attack and other similar actions aimed against freedom, peace and innocent people represent the greatest crime against humanity. We hope that as a result of joint efforts of the international community, elimination of violent extremism and restoration of security across the world will become possible. Kvirikashvili added that Georgia supported the Afghan government's countermeasures aimed at eradicating the challenges facing the country and reinforcing its stability and security. (agenda.ge) Health condition of Georgian rugby players not changed The health condition of Georgian rugby players who were injured in a car crash on 21 July has not changed. According to doctors, rugby player Giorgi Lominadze, his wife and the wife of another rugby player Merab Kvirikashvili, are still in need of artificial respiration: Their condition is unchanged, a doctor said. Merab Kvirikashvili is also being treated at the hospital, though his condition is not critical. The car accident took place two days ago, when two cars - reportedly a BMW X5 and a Nissan Tiida - collided head on at high speed. The crash claimed the lives of three young people. (IPN) MIA releases statement on detention of Georgian criminal boss Georgias Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) released a statement over the detention of a so-called Georgian criminal boss. According to the ministry, officers of the Department of Fighting against Organized Crime have detained Teimuraz Ch., on charges of being the so-called thief-in-law, born in 1971. As established by the investigation, Teimuraz Ch. lived in the Russian Federation for last few recent years and was recognized as a criminal boss in the criminal world. He was detained at Tbilisi International Airport when he arrived on an Odessa-Tbilisi flight. The investigation is in progress, reads the statement. (1tv.ge) State Audit Office summons donors of political parties for questioning The State Audit Office has questions regarding donations to political parties participating in the upcoming elections. As IPN was told by the head of the Financial Monitoring Service, Zurab Aznaurashvili, the State Audit Office summoned certain donors for questioning today. According to him, there are questions about donations of "all the big parties", as there are cases when money has been donated by a private person who does not seemingly have any income. "At this time, we have summoned 40 donors, though we have questions for all parties, including the major political forces. There are cases when money is donated by a private person who does not have any income. Accordingly, we ask them to come and personally provide the necessary information,"- said Aznaurashvili. If the legality of the donation cannot be confirmed, the donor will be fined double the amount of the money donated to the party. (IPN) Double-decker trains offer double joy: New, high class trains begin Tbilisi-Batumi route Rail passengers can now enjoy a more comfortable journey on new double-decker trains when travelling from Georgias capital Tbilisi to the countrys Black Sea resorts. A new rail service using four double-decker trains launched today. Each train will be able to carry 530 passengers and reach a maximum speed of 160km/h. The new trains are modern and mean Georgia can now provide international standard of transport to people using the new service. The double-decker trains will depart Tbilisi and head directly to Batumi, Kobuleti and Ureki without stopping at other stations along the way. This is a new stage in the history of Georgian Railway, which continues implementing the new strategy that envisaged integrating in the global transport logistic network, said Konstantine Guntsadze, chairman of Supervisory Board of Georgian Railway. In April, the Georgian Railway company ordered four double-decker trains (Stadler KISS) from a leading Swiss train manufacturing company, Stadler Bussnang AG, and on July 22 the first train arrived at Batumi Central railway station. We are very proud to be represented in Georgian market and provide it with high standard trains, which are distinguished with high technologies and a delicate design, said Stadler Altenrhein AG general director Markus Sauerbruch. The four new trains are equipped with all modern equipment and ultramodern security systems, which fully meet European standards. Furthermore, these are the first-ever trains that fully meet the needs of people with disabilities. Georgian Railways promised the current ticket prices for rail services between Tbilisi and Batumi would not change for those who used the new double-decker trains. (agenda.ge) Donald Trump bashed Hillary Clinton at a rally in Harrisburg, PA Monday for giving U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz a position with her campaign after she stepped down as Democratic Party chair. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Trump said, slowly drawing out each word in her name eliciting boos from the crowd. Shes a great one. ... I heard that she got fired so fast but I heard Hillary actually hired her for her campaign. You know why? I know why. So she is fired because she was crooked. She was fired and now Hillary hires her for her campaign and pays her with the campaign contributions that are monstrous. But Trump is wrong that Wasserman Schultz is getting paid in her role with the Clinton campaign. On July 24, Clinton issued a statement naming Wasserman Schultz as honorary chair of her campaigns 50-state program. That means she wont get paid, the Clinton campaign confirmed. I look forward to campaigning with Debbie in Florida and helping her in her re-election bidbecause as President, I will need fighters like Debbie in Congress who are ready on day one to get to work for the American people, wrote Clinton. The statement provided no details or schedule regarding Wasserman Schultzs new role which was seen as a "thank you" gesture from the Clinton campaign. And until Wasserman Schultz survives her own primary back home Aug. 30, she may not have time to do much for the Clinton campaign particularly beyond Florida. She faces Tim Canova, a law professor and first-time candidate backed by Bernie Sanders who has raised $2.8 million. They are competing in the left-leaning Broward/Miami-Dade Congressional District 23. Wasserman Schultz announced she would step down as chair of the Democratic National Committee on the eve of the convention following the publication by WikiLeaks of more than 19,000 DNC emails. Those emails showed that the DNC favored Clinton over Sanders -- a charge that Wasserman Schultz had denied for months. @PatriciaMazzei From the fliers she's mailed Democratic voters, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has a single political target in mind. And it's not her primary opponent, Tim Canova. It's Donald Trump. "Donald Trump is an egomaniac," declares the front of one of Wasserman Schultz's re-election campaign mailers. "He only cares about himself and his ideas are dangerous for America." Flip the page, and there's Wasserman Schultz: greeting a senior, talking to students, posing with President Barack Obama. "I am proud to lead the fight against a radical, hateful agenda that would turn back the clock on our progress," she says. Another piece shows a black-and-white photo of Trump next to a full-color, smiling Wasserman Schultz: "When Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz takes on Donald Trump...she's in good company." Cue photos of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. But it's Canova who's been fundraising like mad since Wasserman Schultz's fall from the Democratic National Committee last week. And there's no mention of him anywhere. Take a look at the mailers: @alextdaugherty A hush fell over the audience at the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations candidate forum Monday night when three Republican state House candidates were asked if they support presidential nominee Donald Trump. Carlos Pria, a Doral dentist clad in scrubs, argued "that is a personal question." With that, the audience erupted. "Don't answer the question!" an audience member shouted at Pria. "It's important to know!" another exclaimed. Steven Rojas Tallon, a small business owner, also demurred on his support of Trump: "It's a very personal question, but there are a lot of things he said that I vehemently disagree with." Only one of the candidates had no problem answering: former U.S. Rep. David Rivera. He casually took the microphone, leaned back in his chair and said with a grin: "Yes, because I don't trust Hillary [Clinton] as far as I can throw her." A few audience members whooped in response. Some Miami-Dade County Republicans have had trouble supporting Trump, who wants to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexican border and severely limit immigration. U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said they will not vote for Trump, while U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will support him. Rivera, Pria and Rojas Tallon appeared at Monday's forum and none chose to attack each other. "The media and the bloggers, they focus on the mudslinging," Rivera said. Two other Republicans on the ballot, former county commissioner Lynda Bell and small business owner Anthony Rodriguez, were not present. District 118 leans Republican and encompasses a narrow but densely populated portion of Central Miami-Dade. Donald Trump is under increasing criticism from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Gold Star Families, military leaders and some fellow Republicans in Congress who demand that he apologize to the parents of a slain Muslim U.S. soldier. But Gov. Rick Scott, Trump's leading Florida supporter and chairman of a Trump Super PAC, made no such demand Tuesday and spoke favorably about Trump as a candidate who will create jobs and improve the economy. At a press conference after a Cabinet meeting, Scott, himself a Navy veteran, told Capitol reporters: "Listen to Donald Trump. He believes in our military. He wants to build up our military. He believes in this country." Trump is mired in one of the biggest controversies of his campaign. By any measure, criticism of the family of a fallen American soldier by a candidate for commander-in-chief is considered far beyond the bounds of conventional politics. The current outrage over Trump's candidacy follows a speech at last week's Democratic National Convention by Khizr Khan, whose son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq. The father waved a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and harshly criticized Trump, saying he "smears the character of Muslims." In response to Khan's criticism, Trump criticized Khan's wife, Ghazala Khan, for not speaking, which only intensified calls for Trump to apologize, and some members of Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who's locked in a re-election challenge in Wisconsin, face mounting calls to withdraw their support of Trump. The governor, asked whether Trump owes the Khan family an apology, said: "You can talk to Donald Trump. From my standpoint, I'm appreciative of everybody who serve. I'm appreciative of anybody who puts their life on the line." Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said that if Trump questioned why Mrs. Khan did not address the DNC, that was "out of bounds" and that Trump owes the family an apology. "He owes an apology, and he owes it fast," Atwater said. The CFO said he supports Trump, will vote for Trump, and will appear with Trump at a Republican rally if asked. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she won't reconsider her support of Trump and did not call for him to apologize, but she disagreed with Trump's comments. "He is an American patriot, an American hero, end of story," Bondi said. "Would I have ever said anything about his mother standing up there, absolutely silent, not saying anything? Absolutely not." The third Cabinet member, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, said: "Captain Khan is an American hero. There is no question about that, and any effort to say otherwise is abhorrent and dishonorable. It makes me question how badly he (Trump) wants to win. He keeps running his mouth about the most ridiculous things and attacking a family who has sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we all enjoy." -- With reporting by Michael Auslen and Jeremy Wallace, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau @alextdaugherty Andrew Korge took an aggressive tack during Monday night's Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations' forum with state Sen. Dwight Bullard, attacking the incumbent on his record in office, campaign finance violations and position on Israel. "In eight years he hasn't sponsored one bill or passed it, other than renaming a street," Korge said of Bullard. "We need some folks that can get things done in Tallahassee." Bullard retorted that the street was named after his mother, Larcenia Bullard, a longtime member of the state Legislature, and that he created new cyberbullying statutes. Bullard's bill did not become law, but a similar piece of legislation in the House did in 2013. "Some call it a career politician -- I call it advocacy," Bullard said. Bullard and Korge are vying for the Democratic nomination in District 40, a compact district which encompasses the Kendall area. The winner will face Republican Frank Artiles and no-party candidate Mario Jimenez, who made a brief appearance at Monday's forum with a familiar "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, playing off Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Bullard defended his lack of legislative action as a member of the minority party, saying that he can make change by tweeting at Republican legislators and attending Black Lives Matter rallies. "Was he there at the rally when Trayvon Martin was killed at Bayfront Amphitheater? I don't think so, I didn't see it," Bullard said of Korge in a Miami Herald interview after the forum. Korge countered: "He voted to give a bunch of tax dollars to our stadiums. I would rather fund public schools. He took $23,000 from Big Sugar." Bullard was also questioned during the forum about his numerous fines from the state for campaign violations. He described himself as a "procrastinator" who was fined for filing campaign paperwork late -- and excused some of the spending by saying he frequently buys pizza for campaign volunteers. Should a procrastinator hold office in Tallahassee? "What I am is somebody who has learned from my mistakes," Bullard told the Herald. "I've learned to file bills and amendments on time." Korge, who has hit Bullard over the fines in campaign mailers, says that "there's more to that than meets the eye." "He said he uses cash withdraws to buy things," Korge told the Herald. "Well, he took $4,000 at one point. That's a lot of pizza; sounds like it would have been a good party." Korge also attacked Bullard's stance on Israel after the forum, even though state legislators have no say in matters of foreign policy. Korge also attacked Bullard's stance on Israel after the forum, even though state legislators have no say in matters of foreign policy. via @DavidOvalle305 In her many newspaper and campaign ads, Miami-Dade judicial candidate Marcia del Rey touts herself as a former domestic-crimes prosecutor. But personnel records show that del Rey was never actually sworn in as an assistant state attorney because she was not yet admitted to the Florida Bar. In fact, she was fired from her job as a legal trainee after she stopped showing up to work in 2005, according to personnel records. In all, del Rey was employed at the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office for a little more than one month, most of that time which would have been spent in training outside the courtroom. Her ads have spurred a complaint to the Florida Bar by attorney Frank Hernandez, himself a former prosecutor who has donated to the campaign of her opponent, incumbent Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jason Bloch. Everyone who works as an assistant state attorney knows the hard work you put in., Hernandez said in an interview with the Miami Herald. She has no idea what thats like. Its unfair to anyone who is a current prosecutor or a former prosecutor. More here. @PatriciaMazzei Three top staffers have left the Democratic Party in the wake of a leaked-emails scandal that last week cost U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz her job as chairwoman. Democratic National Committee Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Amy Dacey, Communications Director Luis Miranda and Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall have left their positions, Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile announced Tuesday. Brazile praised all three former employees, but there was no hiding the fact that they'd been caught in the political firestorm ignited by WikiLeaks. The website published a trove of DNC emails -- allegedly hacked by Russians -- revealing the party's inner workings and bias toward Hillary Clinton. Marshall was flagged in perhaps the most contentious email of all, suggesting Democrats question Clinton rival Bernie Sanders' belief in God. Miranda, who has Colombian roots and grew up in South Florida, drew flak from some liberal immigration advocates for writing in one of the leaked emails that federal protection for undocumented Central American children crossing the U.S. border would be "irresponsible." "The problem is these groups don't want to hear this, they want us to send a message to Central Americans to keep paying smugglers and put those kids at risk of abuse and even death," Miranda wrote in May. "Frankly the rhetoric on this and calls for TPS [temporary protected status] are irresponsible, they send a message that ends up in more lives lost." Before working for the DNC, Miranda headed Hispanic media outreach at the White House. He once staffed Al Gore's presidential campaign office in Miami-Dade County. "As Communications Director, Luis has helped hold Republican candidates' feet to the fire, while ensuring Democrats nationwide articulate a clear contrast between the two parties," Brazile said in her Tuesday statement. @MichaelAuslen The race between Republican Rep. Dana Young and Democrat Bob Buesing for a Hillsborough County seat in the Florida Senate is neck and neck, according to a new poll obtained by the Times/Herald. Young and Buesing are tied in the poll, with 36 percent of the vote each. Two percent say they would support a different candidate, and 27 percent don't know. Two more candidates who are not registered with either party, Joe Redner and Sheldon Upthegrove, will be on the ballot in November but were not included in the poll. Expedition Strategies conducted the poll July 7-10 among 600 likely voters in Senate District 18. It has a margin of error of 4 percent. The group has worked for major Democrats and Democratic groups. There's good news in here for Young, the majority leader of the Florida House: She has better name recognition (19 percent to Buesing's 11 percent) and higher net favorability (9 percent to Buesing's 5 percent). But Democrats should see an opportunity if they can introduce Buesing, a Tampa children's advocate, to the voters. The poll shows a generic Democrat would win the seat by 10 points, and after reading positive candidate bios to respondents, Buesing led by 5 points. Young could not immediately be reached for comment. "This poll makes clear that the people of Hillsborough County are looking for a candidate who shares the values of their community," Anders Croy, spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, said in a statement. "As a State Senator, Bob Buesing will be a fresh voice in Tallahassee whose only concern is the needs of his constituents, not another career politician like Dana Young only concerned with taking the next step up the political ladder." For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page SEOUL - South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong protest against Japan's repeated territorial claims on its easternmost islets, called Dokdo here and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries. Seoul's defense ministry called in a defense attache from Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against Japan's 2016 defense white paper in which the islets are described as Japan's territory. It marked the 12th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual white paper. The ministry expressed deep regrets over the Japanese government in its protest letter, delivered to the summoned attache, saying Japan must immediately stop making useless claims, squarely face history and make efforts to open a new future for relations between South Korea and Japan. The protest letter noted that South Korea's military will take stern actions against any Japanese attempt to damage South Korea's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets. Seoul's foreign ministry also summoned an official from Japanese Embassy in Seoul, lodging an official protest against the annual white paper. The foreign ministry said in a statement that South Korea strongly protests against Japan's unjust territorial claims on Dokdo islets, which are its indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws. The statement called on Japan to squarely face historical facts and immediately stop making groundless claims, saying Japan must make efforts to move toward a new future for South Korea-Japan relations based on trust. Pineapple tarts. The thought of those flaky butter cookies topped with pineapple jam made Cheryl Lu-Lien Tans stomach churn. She craved the taste of them. And she had a hunger for home. It was early 2009, a few weeks before New York Fashion Week. Tan, a fashion writer for the Wall Street Journal at the time, had plenty on her plate, except for her grandmothers cookies. She didnt know how to make any of her favorite food from her homeland. So she took a break, traveling to the kitchens of her grandmother and aunties in Singapore. She invested time to research, observe and explore, before returning to New York to cover the model-filled runways. This sparked her memoir, A Tiger In The Kitchen, published in 2011. It was through that experience that Tan realized she needed to explore her identity more deeply as well as the identity of the modern Singaporean woman. What emerged, five years later, was Tans first fiction novel, Sarong Party Girls, published this month. Tan tells an exciting and dizzying account of Jazzy, a determined Singaporean woman with a plan: to marry a Caucasian man with good looks, but most of all, lots of money. At first glance of the books title and cover, readers might think Jazzys storyline will teeter between a 90210-meets-Sex-and-the-City mash-up set in Singapore. But although Jazzy enjoys her time clubbing and hooking up, there is much more to Jazzy than her proud claim of being a Sarong Party Girl. Tan explores the conflicts of identity and societal forces for modern Singaporean women, amplifying a voice that is often muted. She decided to write the novel in Singlish, which is English infused with Malay and Chinese words. Singlish sentence structure may seem flipped to those unfamiliar to the language, because it is rooted in Chinese sentence structure. For example, Is it your business? is written and spoken as, Your business, is it? I was thinking that this is a language we all grew up speaking, and it is very dear to our hearts, and it says who we are, so why not write like we speak? Tan said in a phone interview from New York, where she lives. I kept thinking it was very risky when I was writing it, but the character of Jazzy was very clear to me from the beginning, she said. I wanted her to feel real to people, I wanted people to get an immediate sense of who she is, and the best way to do that is through her language and her voice. Singlish is widely used in informal settings, but in the past, the Singaporean government has tried to stop the language for good. In April 2000, the Speak Good English Movement encouraged Singaporeans to speak proper Standard English. Despite the efforts of the movement, Tan writes in her authors note of Sarong Party Girls, fortunately, Singlish has turned out to be like a weed it lives on. Tan explains that Singlish is not found much in Singaporean books aside from its use in character dialogue or in some poetry. To readers unfamiliar with the language, it is easy to pick up and does not distract from the story. Rather, as Tan puts it, Singlish becomes its own character, giving a lyrical rhythm full of attitude to the exchanges between Jazzy and her friends. There was no way, Tan said, for Sarong Party Girls to exist without Singlish. *** This use of Singlish adds to Tans main theme and question of the novel: What is it like to be a modern Singaporean woman? This question has been bouncing around in her mind for years. While growing up in Singapore, Tan found herself intrigued by the Sarong Party Girl scenes she witnessed at bars, and how some women would embrace the derogatory label. Its fascinating to have this subculture that buys into materialism and such status-conscious behavior and to think about how race fits into all of that, Tan said. I wondered, who are the people in this cosmos and what drives them? And what does it say about modern society? Tan explores this question of identity and status through the character of Jazzy, placing her in serious and often upsetting situations as she tries to fulfill her Sarong Party Girl goals. Such instances involve sexual pressures and harassment at work and a visit to a karaoke lounge where prostitutes work. I sort of look at Jazzy as an onion that on the surface you see her as such a shallow party girl, but shes not, Tan said. There are forces in society that are driving her to do this. One societal force depicted in the book is the infidelity of men. Jazzy resists and turns down her societys idea that married men can cheat on their wives and have secret families with their mistresses. To avoid this heartache, Jazzy swears off Asian men and hopes to snag a foreigner who is not in tune with societys acceptance of cheating. When I was writing that passage, I was hoping that it sounded like Jazzy, but it was sort of like every modern woman in Singapore was speaking, Tan said. I hope through the book the reader finds that Jazzy is not a one-dimensional person. Today, when Tan is wishful for her grandmothers pineapple tarts, she can now make them herself, and has shared the recipe in her memoir. Similarly, she has shared a new recipe of sorts in Sarong Party Girls. A recipe of the life of modern Singaporean women, including complex ingredients entrenched in society. The flavor of this novel is robust, offering a taste to an audience that is willing to learn more about modern Asia, and to look beyond what first meets the eye. Tan is quick to urge that readers dont see Sarong Party Girls as a chick-book, but as a read that holds much more. The things Jazzy goes through are quite serious, and this book is trying to say something serious about the life of women in modern Singapore. Tan said. I hope that people pick it up knowing that. Coming soon Free Parkinson's talk Jennifer Bazan-Wigle of Neurofit Network in Tucson, Ariz., will discuss neuroplasticity and exercise at the University of Montana School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science in the Skaggs Building at 6 p.m. Friday. She will provide information on optimizing brain health and learning, with an emphasis on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson's disease. RSVP at (406) 293-1966. PWR!4Life workshop Personal trainers, physical therapists and occupational therapists will be taught exercise techniques for physically challenged adults in a workshop Saturday and Sunday in Missoula at the University of Montana School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science. PWR!4Life, a research-based program to create neuroplasticity for Parkinsons disease patients, has shown an ability to arrest progression of symptoms. For more information and to register, visit pwr4life.org. Hip Strip blood drive The Missoulian, 500 S. Higgins Ave., will host a blood drive Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment, go to redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code Missoulian. Red Willow Center For more information on the following classes at the learning center, 825 W. Kent, call 721-0033 or visit redwillowlearning.org: "Yoga for Round Bodies" with Leslie Burgess, Aug. 10-Sept. 28, 1:15 p.m. Wednesdays, $80, doctor's release required. "Basics of Resilience" with Kathy Mangan, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. Free. "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction" with Greg Satya Shanks, Sept. 13-Nov. 8, 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, $300. Attendance at one of these free classes is required: Aug. 23 or Aug. 30, 6-8:30 p.m. "Qigong Self-Massage" with Libby McIntyre, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, $55. Ongoing classes include "Yoga for Wellness" at noon Mondays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Mindfulness Meditation" at 12:10 p.m. Tuesdays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Yoga Beyond Cancer" at 4 p.m. Tuesdays, $40 for any weeks; "Yoga for Chronic Pain" at 4 p.m. Wednesdays, $40 for four weeks plus $50 for prerequisite screening. BodyTalk ACCESS A class will be taught by Kathy Mangan on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Red Willow Learning Center. The cost is $125, including manual. For details and registration, call Tori at 880-8749 or register at bodytalksystem.com. Ongoing programs AA and Al-Anon For the latest Alcoholics Anonymous meetings list, visit aa-montana.org or call the Missoula hotline at 543-0011. For more information on Al-Anon and Alateen, which are 12-step recovery programs for relatives and friends whose lives have been affected by alcoholism, visit mt.al-anon.alateen.org. Acupuncture for cancer caregivers Missoula Community Acupuncture, located in the Radio Central Building, 127 E Main St., Suite 314, offers free acupuncture treatments for friends, family, nurses, doctors or anyone who takes care of cancer patients 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays. No appointment is necessary. For more information, call Michael Peluso at 406-926-1611. Adult Asperger's support group An open meeting for those with Asperger's as well as their family and friends is held every Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the University Center, Room 216, on campus. Contact Monique Casbeer at 721-3947 or Cindy Bacon Janego at cjanego@communitymed.org for more information. Alzheimers support Meets the second Wednesday of each month at noon at the Summit Independent Living conference room, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave. Another group meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, contact Jackie Johnson at 549-3433 or jackiej45@yahoo.com. Alzheimers caregivers support group Meets the fourth Monday at 6:30 p.m. of each month at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. For more information, call Jackie Johnson at 549-3433. Arthritis programs The Montana Arthritis Program offers physical activity and self-management education programs, such as the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, Walk with Ease and Stanfords Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Classes are available in several communities including Florence, Hamilton, Kalispell, Libby, Missoula, Plains and Polson. To find a class or for more information, visit dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/arthritis. Bereavement support groups Frontier Hospice offers open door meetings 6-7 p.m. Thursdays at the following locations: The Springs at Whitefish on the first Thursday; Rising Mountains Assisted Living Community in Bigfork on the third Thursday; and Frontier Hospice in Kalispell on the second and fourth Thursdays. Call 406-755-4923 for more information. Breast cancer support group Meets the first and third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon at the Montana Cancer Center, St. Patrick Hospital Broadway Building, second floor. Call 329-5656. Cancer Center support group Meets noon-1:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. For more information, call Bonnie at 240-0996. Cancer Resource Guide The online guide covers resources including support groups, treatment centers, camps and retreats, in Missoula, Mineral and Ravalli counties. It is available at CancerResourcesMT.org. Cancer support group A support group for anyone affected by cancer meets noon-1 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays at the Polson United Methodist Church, 301 16th Ave. For more information, call Tammy at 406-883-7284 or 824-2868. Celebrate Recovery The Christian-based 12-step recovery program meets 6-9:30 p.m. every Friday at Christian Assembly Foursquare Church, 1001 Cleveland St. Dinner is available from 6 to 7 p.m. and child care is provided for ages birth to 11. For more information, call 721-6884 or email cafc@4bible.com. Cheerful Heart Lake County cancer patients in treatment can receive a massage and help with hair and skin problems, free of charge, from local therapists and cosmetologists. Other non-medical services include transportation to treatment and doctor appointments, running errands, yard work and meal preparation. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 406-883-3070. Colorectal Cancer Support Group Meets 1-2 p.m. the third Friday of every month through March 20, Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2827 Fort Missoula Road. "Coping, Education & Support for Women with All Cancer Types" The support group for women in all stages of cancer treatment or survivorship will be held noon-1:30 p.m. the second Monday of every month through March 14, 2016, at the Community Cancer Care Conference Room, 2837 Fort Missoula Road. For more information, call Deb Rivey at 327-3912, Terri Paxinos at 327-3957 or Kimberly Hardwick at 327-3906. Diabetes program At 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, there will be a short presentation on a topic related to the management of type 1 diabetes at the YMCA, 3000 S. Russell St. It will be followed by the option for socializing in the foyer or being active together at the Y. A fee of $5 per individual will be collected at the door for those choosing to use the facility. Designed for ages 14 and older, children are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent/caregiver. Double Trouble in Recovery The 12-step program for people with mental health and addiction issues meets 3-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Winds of Change Recovery Mall, 2685 Palmer St., No. C (second floor). Coffee is provided. For more information, call Veronica at 721-2038. Epilepsy support group Meets the first Monday of the month from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Summit Independent Living Center, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave., Suite 101. Patients, friends, family and caregivers welcome. Call Debbie at 721-0707 for more information. Free health exams Women ages 30 to 64 who meet necessary income guidelines and either have no health insurance or have insurance that will not pay for breast and cervical health exams can receive free exams through Partnership Health Centers Montana Cancer Screening Program. Call 258-4162 for more information. Gentle yoga class The Missoula Senior Citizen Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., offers a class that focuses on balance training, back strength and core conditioning through gentle yoga matwork every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m. Fee is $4 per class. All ages welcome. For more information, call 543-7154. Health Insurance Assistance Service Montana cancer patients can call the American Cancer Societys 24-hour toll-free number to be connected to a health insurance specialist to ask about coverage and insurance programs specific to the state. The number is 800-227-2345. Mens cancer support group Open to men in all phases of testing, treatment and followup, the group meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Montana Cancer Center, 500 W. Broadway. It is facilitated by Gary Weisbrich and Tom King. Call 329-5628 or email gary.weisbrich@providence.org for more information. Narcotics Anonymous Meets at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W., Polson. Call 406-883-4135. National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI Missoula meets every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon in the lower level (behind the cafeteria) of the Providence Center. It is open to anyone affected by mental illness or interested in learning more about the group. The NAMI Connection group for adults living with mental illness meets 1:30-3 p.m. Thursdays at the NAMI offices, 202 Brooks St., Room 210. Call 880-1013 with questions. NAMI Family Support Group National Alliance on Mental Illness Missoula meets Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St., in Room 210. The peer-led support for adult family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals with mental illness is free. For more information, call 406-880-1013 or email namimissoula@gmail.com. My No-Nonsense Nutrition Program A seven-week webinar course to improve your nutrition and fitness. Faith based approach to better health. Free initial consult with Judy Gilman, registered nurse, diabetes and wellness educator. mynononsensenutrition.com or 546-7819. Overeaters Anonymous Local meetings include 7 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St. A meeting for newcomers is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday followed by a "Back to Basics" meeting at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's. Everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively is welcome. There are no dues, weigh-ins or lectures. For more meeting information, visit oa.org. SAA For the latest Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting list visit saa-recovery.org, call the Missoula hotline at 241-4005 or email MissoulaBetterway@yahoo.com. SAA is a 12-step fellowship of men and women who share experience, strength and hope for the purpose of finding freedom from addictive sexual behavior and helping others recover from sex addiction. S-Anon Local meetings are held weekly for this recovery program for people affected by another persons sexual behavior. Visit sanonmontana.org or call 406-544-1271 to learn more. Stroke and Brain Injury Support Group Meets the second Thursday of each month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Providence Center, 902 N. Orange St., in the dining area on the fourth floor. For details, call 329-5784. Tai Chi for Arthritis Class offered 9:15 a.m. Mondays at the Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave. $4 per class. All ages welcome. Tai Chi Chih Classes are offered at the following locations: Missoula Senior Citizens Center, 705 S. Higgins Ave., 9:15 a.m. Wednesdays, $4 per class; PEAK Health & Wellness Center, 5000 Blue Mountain Road, 11 a.m. Tuesdays, call 251-3344; and The Womens Club, 2105 Bow St., 9 a.m. Fridays, call 728-4410. TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly, an affordable, nonprofit, weight-loss support and wellness organization, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Christian Church, 2701 S. Russell St. Another TOPS meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2512 Sunset Lane. For additional meetings, go to tops.org, click on "Find a Meeting" and enter your zip code or call 800-932-8677. The Women's Club For more information on the following classes at The Women's Club, 2105 Bow St., call 728-4410: Foundation Training, 12:15-1 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Improve posture, strength and athletic ability. Pickle ball open play, 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Paddles provided. All levels welcome. Kick and Core high-intensity cardio workout with focus on strengthening core. *** Submit items to newsdesk@missoulian.com by noon Friday for publication the following Tuesday. As cardiac surgeon Joseph Woo of Stanford University sees it, the choosiest of health care consumers already have spoken when it comes to their preferences for heart valve replacement. Ive had the privilege of operating on physicians, cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, cardiac surgeons, Woo told a room full of doctors July 22 during the Rocky Mountain Valve Symposium in Missoula. And not one has ever asked me for a mechanical valve. The valves that I have implanted have all been bioprosthetic valves, across the entire age spectrum. The ones who are undergoing some sort of valve repair and have had that discussion about what kind of valve they want if the valve repair is not successful, not one has ever asked for a mechanical valve. Woo added that he also has encountered similar attitudes in Asia and he suggested a big issue is that mechanical valves require use of a blood thinner so called bioprosthetic valves dont. This message is getting out well beyond North America and Europe and the western countries and into more developing countries. Patients just do not want to take anti-coagulants, Woo said. Whether the minimally invasive procedure should be available to all comers was an important topic at the 26th Rocky Mountain Valve Symposium, held in July in Missoula. The International Heart Institute of Montana at Providence St. Patrick Hospital holds the symposium, which attracted 75 doctors from all over the country and from two other nations this year. Counting Providence people, there were some 180 people in all attending. But as Woos Missoula audience knew well, the issue is more complicated than just health consumer choice. True, mechanical valves made of synthetic materials do require patients to take blood-thinning medications, or anti-coagulants for life, as the Mayo Clinic explains on its website. Its necessary because the blood tends to stick to such valves and form clots. On the plus side, such valves made of synthetic materials are very durable. Biological valves, or tissue valves, in contrast, are made from animal tissue (xenograft) or taken from the human tissue of a donated heart (called an allograft or homograft). The Mayo Clinic says that sometimes a patients own tissue can be used for valve replacement in whats known as an autograft, or Ross, procedure. The big advantage of the biological valve is that the patient may not need to take lifelong blood-thinning medication (although its possible if the patient is already on a blood thinner for some reason). However, theres a big drawback: biological valves aren't as durable as mechanical valves, and they eventually may need to be replaced, the Mayo says. Carolyn Bellamah, nurse practitioner for the structural heart program at International Heart Institute at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, said thats a key issue because younger people, too, are asking for those bioprosthetic or biological tissue valves. Studies are currently under way to find out how long the valves last and how they perform in different scenarios. Duration is, in my mind, the key question right now, Bellamah told the Missoulian. A related issue is that a relatively new, minimally invasive procedure can allow a tissue valve but not a mechanical valve to be installed without open heart surgery. In contrast, the only way to get the mechanical valve, Bellamah said, is by open heart surgery. Consequently, many people including younger people would choose that minimally invasive if they could. So-called transcatheter valve replacement puts the new valve in place through a catheter, or tube, inserted into an artery in the groin, and the patient does not have to undergo major surgery through the sternum, or breastbone. Some years ago, health officials approved transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, as it is called, for people whose health isnt robust enough to stand up to the conventional surgery. The procedure is sometimes called transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI. The question doctors are discussing and studying now is whether younger, healthier people, too, should have access to that procedure on demand. Its easier to recover from the minimally invasive procedure than it is from the open heart surgery needed to put in a mechanical value, but the key issue remains how long the tissue valves would last in comparison to the mechanical valve. We dont have good data in the low-risk populations to suggest that the operations are equivalent, said Matt Maxwell of the International Heart Institute, one of the program directors for the symposium. Generally speaking, in the younger population, we use mechanical valves, which have a very high durability. Tissue valves do have the advantage that they dont have to be anti-coagulated, Maxwell said. But they, in general, last for around 10 years. Doctors made it clear it's not a cut-and-dried choice in favor of the minimally invasive procedure. Even though the procedure may be technically easier because of low-risk, less-sick people, the stakes are much, much higher because youre looking at 10, 15, 20 years of longevity, said Stanley Chetcuti of the University of Michigan Medical Center, one of the people attending the Missoula symposium. It truly is transformative. I think its important that we look at it. We have to be vigilant and meticulous as we do these studies, because once the horse is out of the barn, its very difficult to catch it and bring it back. Nurses represent the largest segment of the health care workforce in the United States. Nurses are on the front lines of care in hospitals, clinics schools, and other places in the community where a focus on health exists. Their unique perspective in all places where decisions about health are made will help to achieve the goals of improved health and efficient and effective health care systems at the local, state and national levels. Nurses often have executive leadership experience, and bring these valuable skills to their board participation. The Nurses on Boards Coalition is working to ensure 10,000 nurses are on boards by 2020. This coalition of national nursing organizations is working to increase nurses presence on corporate and non-profit health-related boards of directors throughout the country. There are many board opportunities for nurses. Service on a hospital, clinic, state agency, foundation, or professional organization board will increase nurses' contributions. To put it another way, without a nurse, boards lack an authority on the patient experience, quality and safety, and the voice of the largest part of the hospital workforce. A board-run organization important to nursing science, academics and practice is the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN). WIN is one of four regional nursing research organizations in the United States under the direction of a Board of Governors. WIN strives to provide visionary leadership in nursing research, practice and education to improve the health of the public. WIN brings together nurses from 13 western states. Membership in WIN is open to individual nurses, clinical agencies (like Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center), nursing education programs (like Montana State University College of Nursing and Missoula College), students enrolled in a degree-granting programs, and individual non-nurses who support WINs mission. Members of WIN enjoy connecting with other educators, researchers and clinicians from across the region at WINs annual conference. Clinical agency members have opportunities to learn from other organizational members including those recognized for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice (Magnet-designated hospitals and clinics). Educators in WIN enjoy access to friendly and helpful colleagues from other schools. Nurse researchers are able to mentor and be mentored in research techniques. The 50th annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference is scheduled April 19-22 in Denver. If you are a practicing nurse, nurse educator, representative of a health care organization, or a fan of nursing, you are cordially invited to join WIN today. One of every 100 Americans is a nurse, and for many years running, nurses have been the most trusted professionals (Gallup polls). Nurses represent a tremendous resource for any organization. To the nurse readers: Consider volunteering your time in board service of the organizations you support. Contributing to the health and vitality of organizations that help our citizens and communities achieve health is an important aspect of nursing practice. To the organizational readers consider the strengths and experiences that nurses can contribute to a functional, creative board. Together we can learn from each other as we advance health and improve our communities. A Missoula man accused of shooting his fiance in the leg with an AK-47 remains in jail after Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen set his bail at $250,000 on Monday. Anthony Emmanuel Mascarenas, 21, is charged with attempted deliberate homicide after being arrested following a shooting in the 1700 block of Howell Street on Friday evening. Police were sent to the scene about 11 p.m. after 911 calls reported shots fired in the area. They found a woman lying on the ground outside a house. According to a court affidavit, her leg was bloody and there was a gunshot wound at the back of her left knee. Police said she told them Mascarenas, her fiancee, shot her after she tried to leave after a fight. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was expected to undergo surgery Monday. A hospital spokesman did not have a condition for her. Police said that when they arrived, the woman had bruising on her chin and forehead, which she said was caused by Mascarenas. She told detectives the two of them were arguing when Mascarenas began to punch her in the legs and head. She told police he grabbed his handgun and threatened to shoot her, pointing the gun at her legs and saying he was going to make her dance, according to the affidavit. When the woman walked out of the apartment and called 9-1-1, Mascarenas followed her, carrying an AK-47 rifle. She told police she started to run when Mascarenas allegedly began to shoot at her, hitting her in the back of the leg. She told police the last thing she saw was him driving past her in their car. Mascarenas surrendered to law enforcement near the Rock Creek exit of Interstate 90 about 30 minutes after the shooting. In an interview with a detective, he said he had intended to shoot at the car next to her to scare her into dropping the phone and was not trying to hit her. It so happens I wasnt even aiming and I hit her leg, police said he told them. In addition to the round that hit the woman, police investigators said five rounds hit the car near her. Mascarenas is also charged with two counts of misdemeanor partner or family member assault. In Missoula County Justice Court on Monday, senior deputy county attorney James McCubbin asked for bail to be set at $250,000, adding Mascarenas should be banned from contacting the woman or any potential witnesses, including family members he called between the incident and when he turned himself in. If he posts bond, McCubbin asked that Mascarenas be placed on GPS monitoring to prevent him from returning to the Howell Street residence. Public defense attorney Joan Burbridge asked for bail to be set at $25,000, adding that Mascarenas has no criminal history. Andersen set the $250,000 figure and imposed the restrictions requested by McCubbin, also allowing Mascarenas to be screened for pretrial supervision. Police arrested a 35-year-old Missoula man Saturday for driving under the influence of alcohol after finding that his license plates did not match his vehicle. About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, a Missoula police officer said he saw a suspicious vehicle parked in the alley next to Bargain Corner in the 200 block of California Street, with the occupants loading donation items into the car. When the officer ran the license plate on the Lincoln LS, it was registered to a Ford Explorer. He said the driver, Brandon Edward Clark, was slurring his words and acknowledged drinking several beers earlier in the day, the court affidavit said. Clark's blood alcohol level tested at .059, below the legal limit, in a breath test. Police obtained a warrant for a blood sample and Clark was taken to jail. He is charged with felony DUI. He has three prior DUI convictions. During his initial appearance on Monday, Justice of the Peace Landee Holloway set Clarks bail at $10,000. It appears that Missoula's downtown will look radically different in the next couple of years. The Missoula City Council voted 10-1 on Monday night to grant a partial demolition permit for the historic Missoula Mercantile building to a developer who wants to replace it with a five-story hotel. The permit is contingent on the portion of the northwest corner of the building, known as the pharmacy, being saved. It was a major milestone in a contentious five-month process that has exposed bitter divisions in the community between those who advocated for preservation and others who want to see a new business on a downtown corner that has sat vacant for six years. HomeBase Montana of Bozeman is proposing to construct a $30 million custom Marriott Inn, and the demolition permit requires them to stick by a development agreement with the city. The developer has agreed to incorporate the pharmacy facade and interior in its design. Nearly all of the city council members spoke at length about how difficult a decision it was. "It is with both sadness and hope that I support this motion," said council member Emily Bentley. She acknowledged that for many people, saving the pharmacy is a small consolation. However, she feared that if the council didn't approve this current design, a lawsuit by the building's owner could have meant that the entire building was demolished. "We have one of the best companies in the world coming to downtown Missoula," she said. "And with them tourists, who spend three times more money than locals at businesses owned by Missoulians, hard-working families." She also said the Missoula Mews, which will be an indoor museum-type space connecting Higgins and Pattee on the ground-floor retail portion of the building, is exactly what the city needs as far as a pedestrian-centered design. "I hope someday you see the silver lining, the jewel in the pharmacy, that I know I will see," she said. She said the city council and city staff have spent hundreds of hours on the issue. Council member Gwen Jones, an attorney, said that she values historic preservation but she feels that the law dictated her decision. "I just feel like if I had voted ignoring the facts and the law, I do feel like we could have gone down the road where we had an empty hole where the Merc used to be and it would not have reflected a pragmatic and realistic approach," she said. Council member Jon Wilkins said he is concerned about how the project will impact parking downtown. He also expressed regret that nobody was willing to pay for rehabbing the building. "During the time we've talked about this, nobody has stepped forward yet to build something different," he said. "I don't want it to sit another six years." *** Council member Marilyn Marler said she feels that a lot of people in the community have lost sight of the fact that the Merc is private property, owned by the Virginia-based company Octagon Partners, and there is only so much the city can demand of a private property owner. "Like Gwen Jones, I think we've gotten to the legal end of what we can demand," she said. Council member Bryan von Lossberg said that if he were only voting with his heart, he would have voted against the permit. He also said he was appreciative the developer, Andy Holloran, was willing to preserve the pharmacy. "I am not voting on my heart tonight, I am voting on the ordinance and the criteria in front of us," he said. "I have a great concern that were we not to approve this project, we could end up with a far worse situation." Julie Armstrong said the facts supported granting the demolition permit. "I wanted a hero to swoop in and write a check for this thing," she said. "I wanted a fantastic Cinderella story. But it didn't happen." John DiBari said the hotel will be a vibrant addition to downtown. "It's definitely clear in my mind there is a community interest in having a new and vibrant and contemporary use at this corner," he said. Council member Heidi West voted against granting the permit. Council member Harlan Wells, who is the only city council member that isn't on the Land Use and Planning Committee that reviewed the permit application, voted to abstain. He claimed that he had "financial ties" to the party interested in developing the Merc. He didn't elaborate, and left immediately after the meeting. Andy Holloran said that he has no ties with Wells. Bentley said that Wells spends more time giving media interviews, because he has announced his candidacy for mayor, than he does attending committee meetings. Wells has claimed in the past that his day job prevents him from attending committee meetings. "I have a full-time job too," Bentley said. "I would like to see my kids. But I've spent 100 hours on this issue alone. It's our duty to pay attention and weigh in. It's one of the biggest decisions the city has ever made and he was completely absent. A lot of people in the audience thought he was working with the developer, and it's not true at all." *** At least a dozen historic preservation advocates spoke during the public comment period to express their disappointment. "I think this is doing a disservice to our community," said Suzette Dussault. "I'm sorry, that's the way I feel. I believe in laws but I do not believe that all laws are fair or valid. Some of them are very obscure and vague. Unfortunately, we're basing a decision based on a law that I feel is not a very good law." Jeff Stevens said the new design looks as if the pharmacy is being "swallowed whole by a Marriott monster." Mayor John Engen closed the meeting by reiterating his support for the new hotel. "I know none of this is any fun but it's going to change the shape of downtown in a remarkably positive way," he said. The developer will now work with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency to see if any Tax Increment Financing funds can be used for either deconstruction or facade preservation. The final design will not come until a building permit is issued by the city. Until 6:15 p.m. Monday, Montana was one of only three states in the country, along with Wyoming and Alaska, where you couldnt hail a ride on a transportation network company like Uber. But that all changed when state Rep. Ellie Boldman-Hill Smith, a Democrat from Missoula, became Ubers Passenger Zero and took a ceremonial trip from the official launch party at Plonk, a wine bar downtown. Missoula was chosen as the location for the company's much-anticipated arrival party, but by the end of the this week, Uber is expected to be available statewide. In smaller rural towns, however, it will depend on drivers signing up to make it accessible to customers. Uber, a ride-sharing service, works by allowing people to become independent contractors and use their own vehicles to provide rides. Customers order up a lift using an app on their mobile devices. Until Monday, the only taxi services in Missoula were Yellow Cab and Green Taxi. During the legislative session last spring, Boldman-Hill Smith worked with Republicans Sen. Ed Buttrey of Great Falls, Rep. Austin Knudsen of Culbertson and Rep. Daniel Zolnikov of Billings to get a bill in front of Governor Steve Bullock that deregulated motor carrier laws in the state. It also eliminated a requirement that gave existing taxi services the ability to protest new companies in front of the Public Service Commission. Taxicabs had a 100-year monopoly and thats why consumers were losing in Montana, Boldman Hill-Smith explained. This bill was never just about Uber. It was about letting entrepreneurs compete on the open market. Until this bill, the existing cab companies had essentially veto power over new businesses, which is just absurd, regardless of your politics. Even a shuttle bus business that proposed to ferry skiers and snowboarders to Big Sky Resort was protested by existing cab companies in the past, Boldman Hill-Smith said, and this bill will allow those types of entrepreneurs to compete for customers. Boldman Hill-Smith, who represents the University district and portions of downtown, said her major impetus for sponsoring the bill was to cut down on drunk driving by giving people another option to get home at night. A lot of bar owners and restaurant owners heard from customers who have to wait two to three hours to get a cab ride from downtown Missoula, she said. The Missoula City-County DUI Taskforce supported the bill, and from a pure economic standpoint, a free enterprise standpoint, it had a lot of bipartisan support. *** Brian Gebhardt, the general manager of Uber Montana, was in Missoula on Monday for the official launch party at Plonk. Its been a lot of work, he said. By the end of this week well be live in the entire state, not just in the big cities. And so the limiting factor is just going to be interest by drivers. "If drivers have reached out, signed up and gone through the onboarding process and gotten approved, we can start the process of giving rides in Hamilton or Drummond or Wolf Point or wherever. Gebhardt declined to share how many drivers have signed up, but he said the company feels comfortable that anyone who wants a ride will be able to get one. Weve seen a lot of excitement from drivers and a lot of engagement, he said. We think we have what we need to provide safe rides for folks. Gebhardt said he wont know how much an average Uber driver makes an hour in Missoula or Montana until the stats from the first few months get recorded. Every city is different, but we feel pretty confident that theyll make enough that theyll be happy with the opportunity, he said. Gebhardt said that there also wont be a problem with having enough drivers wanting to be ready after 2 a.m. to give intoxicated people a ride from bars to their homes. Typically, the drivers we talk to are interested when they know therell be demand, he said. Theyre willing to drive late at night knowing they wont have to wait too long between rides, versus driving in the middle of the day and maybe having to wait 20 or 30 minutes. Every Wednesday morning, gathered around the soft leather couches and a warm coffee, sounds of a cheerful gathering of mothers and babies can be heard emanating from the downstairs meeting space at Zootown Brew Coffee on Broadway Street. Dubbed the Baby-Bistro, this popular support group administered by the Missoula Breastfeeding Coalition is open and free of charge for breastfeeding mothers in Missoula County. In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1-7, it is essential to recognize the importance of breastfeeding support groups like the Baby-Bistro and the role they play in promoting and sustaining breastfeeding in our communities. The numerous benefits of breastfeeding are often quoted and include decreases in many disease processes and increases in both family and multi-system health care savings. In 2016, World Breastfeeding Week tackles the even larger role breastfeeding plays in our society sustainability. In general, sustainability refers to the capacity of a system to remain productive, and endure long term through the support of four key processes - ecological, political, cultural and economic. The importance of sustainability in health has been recognized by the United Nations, which has recently released 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aim to influence policy and health goals to transform the world (http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/). Prenatally and after delivery, Missoulas healthcare systems are already supporting mothers and babies to be the healthiest they can be and sustaining this support through time. Examples of Missoulas multi-system breastfeeding support include: Ecologically: Missoula hospital maternity practices, including participation in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (Community Medical Center), support mother and baby breastfeeding best-practices in infant nutrition and care leading to an increase in breastfeeding initiation rates and health outcomes. The Missoula City-County Health Departments WIC and Public Health Nurse Home Visiting Programs offer breastfeeding support in the prenatal and post-partum periods at no cost for all Missoula area mothers and families. Culturally: Missoula Health Departments Eat Smart Program collaborates with Missoulas Urban Indian Health Center to provide breastfeeding education and support. The WIC and Public Health Nurse programs serve breastfeeding families from all cultures and arrange interpretation services when needed. Peer breastfeeding support is provided through WICs innovative Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program for mothers enrolled in WIC. Partnership Health Center (PHC) provides one place to receive all your familys health care needs, if you qualify for Medicaid there is no cost, and sliding scale fee options are available for the under-insured and uninsured population. PHC in conjunction with The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana offers prenatal/ob care and a unique kind of group prenatal care with discussion and support. Economically: Missoulas WIC program provides free breastfeeding counseling and pumps for enrolled mothers returning to work. The Public Health Nurse Home Visiting Programs also offer breastfeeding consultation for no charge. Healthy babies equal less sick days for working parents, a huge economic savings for businesses. Politically: The Missoula Breastfeeding Coalition and the Eat Smart Missoula Program support the Breastfeeding Friendly Business Initiative and provide education on current breastfeeding laws and guidelines regarding federal and state breastfeeding rights. The Montana State Breastfeeding Coalition has additional resources on its webpage (montanastatebreastfeedingcoalition.org). Connecting all these programs together on a regular basis is Missoulas Baby-Bistro (like us on Facebook). Sponsored by the Missoula Breastfeeding Coalition, St. Patricks Hospital and Community Medical Center, the Baby-Bistro is a collaboration of organizations aimed at supporting breastfeeding mothers. Most importantly, it provides a space where families can ask questions, find breastfeeding support resources and perhaps make a friend or two. All this helps to support families and helps them navigate and sustain the sometimes tricky beginnings of breastfeeding and motherhood by offering access to the best health outcomes for the newest members of Missoulas community. For more information: Missoula City County Health Department WIC 258-4740 Public Health Nurse Home Visiting Program 258-4298 Breastfeeding Helpline 207-4357 Eat Smart Program/Breastfeeding Friendly Business 258-3827 Partnership Health Center 258-4789 Prenatal/OB/Group Prenatal Care 552-2015 Missoulas BABY-BISTRO 207-9198 Wednesdays 11-12:30 PM Zootown Brew (Downstairs) 121 W. Broadway Street Facilitated by Lactation Expert Free In 1877, haltingly pursued by U.S. Army troops, some 500 women and children, 250 men and 2,000 horses traveled down Lolo Creek. Many of the Nez Perce were from the lush high mountain valley next to the Wallowa Mountains, in the far northeast corner of what is now Oregon. Above Fort Fizzle they spent a day in parley with U.S. Army Captain Charles Rawn. After a well-executed detour around Fort Fizzle, the Nez Perce made camp by Lolo Creek near what is now Lolo. Joseph, of the Wallowa band, advised heading straight north to the safety of King George! Unaware of telegraphed messages, uninformed by past acquaintances, the Nez Perce traveled the ancient trail up the Bitterroot River, unaware of new Army cavalry soon to combine forces with Captain Rawn. At the Big Hole, the Nez Perce made camp in a place resembling the homeland they recently were forced to leave. They made camp with 89 tepees on Aug. 9 in the year after General Custers day of folly in 1876. Made camp with tepees they would never see again. Very early the next morning, likely acting on orders, 200 mounted Army troops rode into camp shooting people at close range. Soon Rawn, who like his dad was not a belligerent person, had to assume command. Minus 30 dead men and 60-plus dead women and children, the Nez Perce fled until 40 miles from what is now Canada in a snowy, narrow ravine, under grape shot rained down from Army cannon aimed upwards, Oct. 5, 1877. Bob Williams, Stevensville The article Congo refugees could come here (July 25) was possibly a welcome relief to the majority of western Montanans who didnt want Syrian refugees to come here for several reasons. In numerous European cities the Syrian refugees are causing widespread havoc. Taking a good look at the Congo refugees that would come from several refugee camps is easy because of our beautiful internet. At first look, there could be an advantage in this change of the geographical location source of the refugees. The camps are financially supported by the United States government and several non-governmental organizations, such as several of the largest churches in Montana, and is administered by the United Nations, which has done such a horrible job in Europe. The federal contractor Church World Service had a revenue of $78 million last year and about $50 million came from the U.S. government. In 2015, 14,388 refugees from sub-saharan Africa came to the U.S. At the Nakivale Refugee Camp in Uganda it is said that killers and survivors live side by side. With the ensuing sexual and gender-based violence will be the other costs of bringing 100 refugees to Missoula: housing, welfare, non-foods items, food, medical services and of course, education which would have to be administered by teachers who speak languages that you may not have even heard of. Few, if any, of the refugees know how to read or write English. There may be a tremendous cost in financing their costs of living for the next 10 to 20 years but Missoulas economy could easily handle the costs if they (the city government) are willing to forgo paying for the existing welfare programs for the poor who are now in Missoula. Their choice not the citizens of Missoula? Maybe we should have a referendum? Of course. Tomas Wing, Missoula We didn't really need a judge to tell us the "immunity" clause pertaining to the "Flathead Reservation Water Management Board" created by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Water Compact violated the Montana Constitution; anyone with "eyes to see" could see it. In the words of Judge Jim Manley, "This was not a close call. The conclusion is clear by resort to either facial interpretation or legislative history." Interestingly, both the tribes and the state argued in this case that "the board is not a political subdivision of the state" and therefore Article II, Section 18, the constitutional provision in question, did not apply. That is astonishing to me because by making such an argument, the state is acknowledging that the compact places taxpaying state citizens under the "exclusive" authority of an autonomous board for the administration and control of their water rights and does so even while its own Constitution mandates a state duty to "provide for the administration, control, and regulation of water rights" (Article IX, Section 3). Manley is correct on another point: "This controversy is broader than the limited scope of this lawsuit." It certainly is. There are numerous other constitutional issues within Senate Bill 262, not the least of which is the "Flathead Reservation Water Management Board" itself. One could rightfully conclude that the Legislature, by assuming that it legally passed SB 262, unconstitutionally granted "immunity from suit" to an unconstitutional board in an unconstitutional "Law of Administration," that unconstitutionally requires the consent of a "sovereign government" to become "state law." Rick Jore, Ronan POLEBRIDGE A grizzly bear that broke into three camp trailers near here and helped herself to dog food and food in the cupboards last week was euthanized Monday. It is always regrettable to be put in the position of removing a grizzly bear from the population, said Neil Anderson, Region 1 Wildlife Program manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. In this case the bear was heavily food conditioned and the removal was in the interest of public safety. The 315-pound adult bear smashed through doors and windows to get at food in the unoccupied trailers, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist Tim Manley. It hit all three trailers on private property south of Red Meadow Creek in the North Fork of the Flathead Drainage on July 28. The trailers were unoccupied when the grizzly got in, cutting herself on broken glass in the process. However, people had been living in the trailers, according to authorities. The bear was captured the next day in a culvert trap set within two feet of one of the trailers. Grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley said the bear was not lactating and there was no evidence of her having cubs, Manley said. No microchip or ear tags were found on the grizzly. Based on photographs, the bear looks like the same one that has entered garages, a barn and killed chickens in the immediate area during the past two years, FWP spokesman John Fraley said. Fraley said an interagency decision was made to remove the grizzly from the population because of the degree of food conditioning. *** Missoulian reporter Rob Chaney contributed to this article. According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the crash occured at about 5:30 p.m. near mile marker 15.6 on secondary route 432. The man was driving a GMC Sierra pickup westbound, and he was alone in the vehicle. The vehicle went off to right side of the road, overcorrected, and then rentered the roadway and went into a ditch. The man was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. Emergency responders took him to Big Sandy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. HAMILTON Nearly 250 more homeowners were told Tuesday that they needed to evacuate due to a potential wind event on the Roaring Lion fire that could create extreme behavior. We wanted to give people a lot more notice than they had Sunday night, said Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton. The new area under the Stage 2 mandatory evacuation notice includes Wyant Lane south to Camas Creek. The total number of homes under orders to evacuate is 741. People living in the area north of Wyant Lane to Blodgett Camp Road, including North Canyon Drive and Canyon Creek Road, were placed under a Stage 1 evacuation alert, which asks homeowners to prepare to evacuate with short notice. By late afternoon, winds at the ridge tops were blowing at a steady 30 to 40 mph, said Forest Officer Fire Information Officer Penny Bertram. So far, the fire is doing everything that the fire behaviorists said it would and the weather is doing everything they said it would, Bertram said. Thats not good. Bertram is a member of the Type 1 team that took over management of the 4,392-acre fire Monday night. Its been pretty amazing to see what they have been able to accomplish in a short period of time, Bertram said. They have some really good alternative plans in case things go belly up. They know where they can punch in some lines quickly if they need to. They are planning for the worst and hoping for the best, she said. On Tuesday, a number of new engine crews arrived to supplement the firefighters already on the front line. There are 90 Hotshot firefighter and 60 Type 2 ground crews working on the fire. As of Tuesday morning, there were seven engines, three water tenders, nine helicopters and two dozers assigned to the fire. The focus Tuesday was to reinforce dozer and hand lines on the north, east and south sides of the fire, while extinguishing hot spots near buildings and providing structure protection for the predicted red flag event. Firefighters also focused on battling a large spot fire along Ward Creek on Tuesday afternoon. The spot fire burned about two miles south of Roaring Lion Road and about three miles up the creek from U.S. Highway 93. The crews had managed to extinguish all the spot fires from yesterday (Monday) by about noon, Bertram said. That was amazing considering the narrow window of flying that was available to them. Bertram said they have been fielding a lot of good questions from locals about the fire. I cant express enough that if youre in that area, its time to be very vigilant and pay attention, she said. You need to be aware and stay aware. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks closed a portion of the Bitterroot River on Tuesday morning between Wally Crawford Fishing Access Site and Anglers Roost until further notice. The closure to the 10-mile stretch of river was necessary due to the close proximity of the fire and unpredictable wind conditions over the next few days. Helicopters may also use this stretch of the river to dip water for firefighting efforts. Tuesday evening, the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office announced that a detour for passenger vehicles around the Highway 93 road closure from Skalkaho Highway to Old Darby Road is available for passenger vehicles. However, the detour is off-limits to semi-truck and trailer combinations. The Ravalli County Ministerial Association will host a short community prayer service open to everyone on Friday, Aug. 5, at St. Francis of Assisi Church at noon. The prayer service will be to support everyone impacted by the Roaring Lion Fire, including residents, family, neighbors, emergency responders and support crews. A Condon teen was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Montana Highway 83 in the Swan Valley on Monday night. The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Paul Hammerel. A 17-year-old girl from Seeley Lake was injured in the wreck and taken to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. According to a Montana Highway Patrol investigation, the crash occurred at about 9:54 p.m. near mile marker 18.5. The Ford Ranger driven by the teenage boy was headed southbound when it crossed the northbound lane and went off the east side of the road. The vehicle struck a signpost, swerved back left across both lanes and went off the west side of the road, where it overturned. Neither person was wearing a seat belt, and the driver was thrown from the car. He was pronounced dead on the scene. HELENA The debate about debates between two candidates for Montana's lone seat in Congress is over, mostly. U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau have agreed to three debates. The first will be on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Frazer on Aug. 29, the second Sept. 1 in Billings and the third Oct. 5 in Great Falls. Zinke and Juneau had previously sparred about a debate schedule, with Juneau first proposing six debates, including one on an Indian reservation. Zinke responded later by proposing five debates, including two in towns near reservations. On Monday Zinke said in a press release he was glad to have the schedule, and highlighted the location on a reservation. "Eastern Montana and the sovereign nations are equally as important as Billings, Great Falls and other population centers, but they often don't get the attention they deserve. I'm looking forward to speaking directly with voters from these communities about how we can work together to get America and Montana back on the right track." Juneau also released a statement saying she was pleased the debates were scheduled, but called for more in Missoula or Bozeman. "Its time for Congressman Zinke explain why hes voted to cut public lands funding, voted to transfer management of our lands to politically appointed boards, voted to slash funding for Pell grants, and voted to limit health care for Montana women. Unfortunately, Congressman Zinke has declined invitations from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and MontanaPBS, and I encourage him to reconsider." Libertarian candidate Mike Fellows has been invited, and the campaigns are still discussing the possibility of more debates. Both campaigns said they would like to hold a debate on the Crow Reservation. Debate specifics: Fort Peck Reservation (Frazer), Aug. 29, at 7 p.m., Frazer School, sponsored by the McCone, Roosevelt and Valley Montana Farm Bureaus, moderated by the Glasgow Courier and Yellowstone Public Radio. Billings, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., Petro Theatre, Montana State University Billings campus. Panelists: Tom Lutey of The Billings Gazette, Jackie Yamanaka of Yellowstone Public Radio and KULR8. Great Falls, Oct. 5, Heritage Hall at Great Falls College MSU, debate to be hosted by the Montana Farmers Union and the Great Falls Tribune. Yellowstone Public Radio plans to carry the Billings and Great Falls debates live and will make a feed available to other state media. YPR is working with the sponsors on the other two sites to see if those debates can also be carried live or tape-delayed. A public meeting on the Roaring Lion Fire will be held tonight, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds First Interstate Center. The meeting is being hosted by the Bitterroot National Forest and the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office. "This is going to be a joint briefing that includes the Forest Service, sheriff's office and the Hamilton Fire Department," said Bitterroot National Forest Fire Management Officer Mark Wilson. "It will be the whole circle." In Thompson Falls, officials from the Copper King Fire will be hosting a meeting and discussing the fire at the Community Center at 7 p.m. tonight. Management of the fire will be handed off to a Type 2 team at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and representatives from that team also will be there, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved As anticipated from the beginning of the Montana political campaigns, public land access and access to/on federal and state public lands tops the list. Its also apparent how all the political rhetoric falls far short of addressing the real issue. No, its not all about an opened fishing access site along the east Gallatin River. The issue is larger -- related to the millions of acres of federal and state public lands in Montana the majority of these lands which now approach 65 percent are closed off to the public and who closed them. These public lands are closed off by the very agencies who work for us on OUR land: the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. When you examine a closed road adjacent to large blocks of public land, you see an expensive metal closure adorned with a sign closed to protect the resource. What is the specific resource and documented justification? No one knows. These agencies consider us, the public, destructive if we use our own land for lawful purposes such as hunting, fishing access and just plain walking. More and more acres of our land are closed off every year for nonsense reasons. It all started with the interagency travel map. The bureaucrats in all their wisdom realized if a few road closures are necessary, then even more and more would be better for the agency, not us. Then the maps increased from $4 to nearly $20 -- more government wisdom at work, less and less access on an access map. Over the years how many acres have they opened with new roads? They dont want to talk about it. The smoke screen still exists: they will transfer federal lands to Montana to sell. They must be a political opponent. A review of the public land laws of BLM and USFS will solve that debate. These lands are held in public ownership for present and future generations. Only the U.S. Congress can change the public land laws that are then subject to presidential signature. Case closed. The legend on the interagency map would be far shorter if they showed us where we can go. Selling public lands? Perhaps the Governor and Land Board should tell us why they sold 68,060 acres of OUR state lands after a few spent 12 years getting access to 5.2 million acres with over half of those lands closed off now. Nothing received in land in return and all sold below full market value. A rip-off. The focus should be on agencies responsible for our lands and who is the real villain? No, the problem is not funding; the problem is a waste of the public funding they already have. Purposeful management of our public lands falls far short of what is necessary and required. When I look at what has happened at Georgetown Lake is a good example. Piney Point has become Clear Cut Point and no plans for more new sites such as on Rainbow Bay or anywhere else. Years ago reforestation was a common practice when we had qualified rangers with degrees in the professional field at the helm; its not that way anymore. No plan for any reforestation at Clear Cut Point. Yes, adaptable species spruce and fir replanted seven years ago would be 6 feet tall by now. Spraying for bugs turned out to be a boondoggle and selective cutting with available firewood is unheard of by the USFS. Doing nothing seems to be the landmark of agencies these days. Do we need some changes and soon? Perhaps a good question to ask to the all-talk do-nothing politicians. Check out your favorite hunting area soon; I already found mine recently closed off with no public road planned. -- Jack D. Jones of Butte worked as a wildlife biologist in Montana for 36 years with the Bureau of Land Management. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy WAPELLO, Iowa Despite a few unexpected glitches, Louisa County appeared to host a successful RAGBRAI pass-through, county officials agreed Tuesday. Louisa County Board of Supervisors Chair Paula Buckman said during the supervisors regular meeting she had assisted with crowd control at Columbus Junctions Swinging Bridge during the Saturday pass-through and thought the event had been well-planned. I think we showed we could be a good host, she said. Buckman estimated between 800 to 1,000 people walked across the bridge, which was along the actual route that ride participants travelled, but learned later many people had apparently not realized the bridge was there. I talked with (Columbus Junction Community Development Director) Mallory (Smith) later and she said many people asked where is the bridge, Buckman reported. She suggested many of the riders may have kept their heads down as they travelled uphill past the bridge and did not see the lines of other bicyclists waiting to get on the bridge. Even with that reduction in numbers, Buckman said the bucket set aside for a goodwill offering to walk the bridge was nearly full. Buckman also said it appeared the downtown had filled up with riders and local businesses in that area appeared to do well. She also said Letts, which had a band playing, also appeared to do well. We didnt have music in Columbus Junction, Buckman said, explaining that may have been a good idea since many riders indicated music would have helped emphasize the areas Hispanic heritage. Meanwhile, Louisa County Conservation Board Executive Director Katie Hammond reported a booth she helped staff for the LCCB, Louisa County Trails Council and other environmental organizations at the LCCBs Eden Park had a mixed response from bikers. Most just came to use the bathrooms, she said, explaining there was not much water or snack food purchased by the riders. She said most of the material had been donated, so the booth had been able to raise some revenue. Hammond said riders did report that a large number of vendors were operating along the route and had apparently helped siphon traffic away from some local businesses that had anticipated a larger number of customers. She said a wrap-up meeting would be held Aug. 15 to review how the day went. In other action during the supervisors meeting, county assessor/zoning administrator Greg Johnson provided his monthly update. He said $900 in revenue had been received in July. Johnson also asked if the board wished to continue waiving building permit fees for repairs related to the 2008 flood. Buckman and supervisor Chris Ball both agreed the county should continue that policy. Supervisor Randy Griffin was absent from the meeting. The supervisors also: Approved four-year contracts with two recently-hired county sheriff deputies, which will provide a four-year, graduated payback of training costs if the deputies leave the countys employment; Received a monthly update report from IT director Chuck Borschel; Learned from county engineer Larry Roehl that a local meeting to discuss planning of the proposed County Highway 99 bridge at Wapello could be held in a few weeks; Approved the one-lot Lil Hollywood Subdivision northwest of Morning Sun; Approved homestead and military exemptions for 2016. MUSCATINE, Iowa A truckload of sweet corn is being donated by Monsanto to the Muscatine County Food Pantry. Volunteers are needed to help prepare the corn for freezing at the MCSA's kitchen at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 3. The project is being coordinated by United Way, ISU Extension and Monsanto. United Way Program Manager Nichole Sorgenfrey said they have a dozen volunteers who have said they are coming, but said she would like as many as 30 volunteers to help prepare the corn. Volunteers will husk the corn, boil the ears in water, cut the corn off the cob and prepare it for freezing. Sorgenfrey was approached by Monsanto about making a donation. "I think this is a great thing that we'll be able to give fresh produce that was grown locally to the pantry," Sorgenfrey said. Volunteers will be working in the recently-renovated MCSA kitchen. MCSA Operations Manager Tom Curry said they were "all ready" to use the kitchen at the event. For individuals interested in volunteering, contact Sorgenfrey at 563-262-5963. Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] 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 [] Europe has the highest online piracy rates of any region in the world, while South Africa ranks 34th overall by piracy rate, TorrentFreak reported. This is according to piracy monitoring group MUSOs latest Film and TV piracy insights report for 2016. Looking at the number of visits to illegal streaming portals and torrent websites, the United States is in first place. However, MUSOs statistics showed that when overall Internet population is taken into account, the picture changes significantly. MUSOs top 50 countries ranked by traffic to piracy websites and Internet population is given in reverse order below. It stated that China, Japan, and Korea were excluded as MUSO didnt have sufficient sites representing these countries to include them. More on piracy Alleged KickassTorrents founder gets Kim Dotcoms lawyer Takedown of KickassTorrents good for other torrent sites traffic Worlds biggest torrent sites NBC wants to track BitTorrent pirates in real time Online pirates could face 10 years in jail Five minutes from downtown Napas luxury hotels, an hours commute from the skyscrapers and technology companies of San Francisco, Julie Araiza is in her element leading groups of schoolchildren through the hen house, sheep pens and outdoorsy atmosphere of Connolly Ranch. A farm educator and camp counselor for the nature education center in Browns Valley, Araiza always donning a cream-colored, broad-brimmed hat that has won her the nickname Cowgirl Julie is part of a team of guides for children learning about animal husbandry, farming, and the Napa Valleys native plant and animal life. Just being able to get into the dirt with the kids is great, she said Monday during a break in another week-long day camp. I dont have to stay clean. This morning the kids were playing with face paint, and I put on face paint, and when I go to the grocery later Ill still probably have some of this paint on! That morning, Araiza had introduced 16 elementary school-age boys and girls to Connolly Ranchs newest and tiniest residents inside the poultry barn. If youre really gentle and quiet and awesome, we might be able to get the baby chicks out, she whispered while leading children into the darkened Beckstoffer barn on the first morning of a week-long day camp. The sight and sound of peeping brown-and-black chicks quickly held the attention of their young visitors as did the placid sheep in the larger barn nearby, and the goats to whom children soon fed handfuls of alfalfa even as the animals head-tapped them. Give them some and lead them into the sunshine, instructed Araiza, dressed in jeans, brown T-shirt and boots like the horse raiser she once was. At Connolly Ranch, if you accidentally step in some poo, its good luck, she quipped as campers hopscotched around assorted barnyard droppings. I get good luck every single day! Its unbelievable how much good luck I have! Each step on the camp groups path seemed another small step into nature, from a back rub for a snorting black sow to the grooming of a pony to a short uphill hike past the live oaks toward a cluster of tepee-like branch shelters, built in the fashion of the Wappo people. Such scenes are all in a days work for Araiza, 52, who has led summer day camps and school-year after-school and field trips at Connolly Ranch since arriving three years ago. Despite its location at the edge of one of the countrys busiest metropolitan areas, the preserve is her open-air classroom, leaving her free to enjoy the outdoors while spreading that love to others. I get anxiety in the city, said Araiza. Dont get me wrong, I love the city, the different cultures, the different flavors but I need to be outside on a mountain ridge, where theres a lot of space. Araizas road to nature education and to Connolly Ranch had its unlikely root during her childhood in Sonoma County, where she and her younger brother were placed in foster care starting when she was 9. A sympathetic high school teacher encouraged her to pursue a career in early childhood education and I took it and ran, she remembered. Araizas future career took shape in earnest at the Terwilliger Nature Education Center, a reserve in Corte Madera where she spent the summer of 1989 with field biologists and soaked in every bit of knowledge she could about Bay Area wildlife. Some 20 years of teaching followed at the Montessori School of Sonoma, where she taught preschool, led environmental education and eventually directed a course at Napa Valley College for other teachers. After leaving the classroom to raise horses and getting married and then unmarried, Araiza was job hunting in 2013 when a Craigslist ad pointed her to a temporary summer counselor job at Connolly Ranch. What began as a seasonal gig soon became a haven, a place where the former teacher also leads the after-school Ecology Play Club (EPiC), a mix of farm activities, art classes and outdoor playtime for Napa schoolchildren. I loved having the freedom of not being confined to a set of teaching rules, she said. Kids can ask their questions, and I can teach and they can learn. I feed into what theyre interested in, rather than pounding facts into their heads. There are kids we see here who have never seen, much less held, chicks outside the pages of a book. And its amazing to see their eyes, because it blows their minds and they say, Oh my God, look, you guys! I like to think that weve touched these kids a lot. If any of them grow up and remember their experiences here and it influences their lives, I will die happy. The outdoor experiences Cowgirl Julie shares with younger Napans may be a gift far removed from her own upbringing, but Araiza insists her students are the ones who truly give back more. I feel more like the kids are giving me something that I didnt have, she said. Im hoping to give them something to influence their lives, but really, theyre the ones giving back to me. A Napa Valley winery has received something more precious than gold. Silver Oak of Oakville has been named the worlds first production winery to earn the highest environmental sustainability rating, LEED platinum status, according to a company news release. Silver Oak received the recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Platinum is the highest sustainability grade granted by the organization. The other levels are gold, silver and certified. The goal for our Oakville winery was both to innovate and embrace proven technologies, said Silver Oak President and CEO David R. Duncan, who led construction of the new winery from 2006 to 2008. Since completion, weve continued fine-tuning our operations to minimize our impact on natural resources. We look forward to sharing these insights with our winemaking community to support sustainable practices for the next generation. It is quite a feather in the cap of what is already a world-renowned winery, said Bob Massaro, CEO of the Healthy Buildings Companies of Napa, which was not involved in the project. Its particularly encouraging any time a business with the statue of Silver Oak decides to pursue LEED ratings, he said. It sends a message the environment is important to the community and at the core of a good business, he said. The benefits of LEED certification to Silver Oak are notable, said Massaro. By saving water and consuming less energy, they will be able to put more money into the product or their marketing, he noted. It ultimately trickles down to better wine or more profitability. Whether wine or tourism or health care, any business has an advantage by creating buildings that are sensitive to the earth and sensitive to people, he said. Located on the original site where Silver Oak was founded out of a dairy barn in 1972, the Oakville winery was completed in 2008 with sustainable technologies and best practices incorporated throughout. The business reduced landscape irrigation by 76 percent by using drought-tolerant plants and converting lawns to an artificial turf called HG Fescue. Silver Oak reduced indoor plumbing fixture water use by 26 percent. More than 35 percent of annual energy needs at Silver Oak are now derived from solar energy. Silver Oak established sustainable policies for ongoing consumables, durable goods, office supplies and food. In addition, nearly 4,000 square feet of fruits and vegetables are planted on the Oakville property. The USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system is a rigorous, global standard that focuses on sustainable site maintenance, energy efficiency, water use, purchasing and indoor environmental quality, said the news release. A total of 5,928 projects worldwide have been awarded LEED platinum status or have the platinum certification in progress. Only 76 projects worldwide using wine in the title have any LEED certification in progress or have been awarded LEED status, according to a search on the USGBC website. Locally, CADE winery in Angwin and Hall Winery Fermentation and office building have both earned the LEED Gold rank. A number of other Napa County winery and wine-related businesses are in the process of earning LEED certification, according to the USGBC website. To date, the only other LEED platinum status wine facility is located at UC Davis. However that is a teaching and research wine facility, not a production winery, said Silver Oak spokesman Ian Leggat. Last month, Sierra Nevada Brewing became the first brewery to receive LEED Platinum status for its Mills River, North Carolina facility, which Duncan cited as an inspiration for the Oakville winery and the new Silver Oak Alexander Valley winery, currently under construction and slated to open next year. Were thrilled that our work at Sierra Nevada inspired Silver Oak to seek LEED certification, said Sierra Nevada Brewing founder Ken Grossman. Obtaining platinum status is a challenge that requires a great deal of planning and many thoughtful decisions. Established in 1972, Silver Oak is still owned and operated by the Duncan family, who also founded Twomey Cellars. The business includes four winemaking facilities and tasting rooms located in the Napa Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley and 15 estate vineyards. Poetry is often thought to be a kind of sanctuary where the spirit speaks through the art of language. But at the Napa Valley Writers Conference, held July 24-29, there was no sanctuary, no isolation, and no worldly retreat as poet Camille Dungy presented the work of seven authors in an exploration of the realpolitik of violence and racial tragedy. Dungy began her session examining the term elegy, which is commonly defined as a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is dead. This was an especially poignant topic in light of the recent violent deaths of police and black citizens reported in the news. But Dungys task and her efforts as a workshop leader were to transform the idea of the elegiac poem into political conversation. She repeated a phrase Elegy not as loss, but as opposition after each poem that she presented as a means of transforming the awareness of a tragedy from passive acquiesce into active spoken political thought. Dungy called this Writing past pain and into possibility. She said that the purpose of the poetry she presented was to put name to the nameless and to seek a means to engage the political. As an example, she presented an intriguing poem, Inheritance: Anthem by Phillip B. Williams, that was visually complex, composed of written spirals and circles on the page. When I saw this poem which began with the word Impact in a large font, and moved into different configurations as I turned page to page I thought What is going on here? Dungy said, laughing. And by the third or fourth time reading through I was fully intrigued. It was only at the end that I saw that the spiral words were spelling out the Miranda rights the legal warning that law enforcement officers must communicate to persons arrested to protect them from self-incrimination. The last line of the poem, surrounded by the Miranda warning, reads, But I never write to remain silent. Dungy then presented The Gun Joke by Jamaal May, which also spoke to the hidden meaning of meanings: Its funny, she says, how many people are shocked/by this shooting and the next and next and the next./ She doesnt mean funny as in funny, but funny/as in blood soup tastes funny when you stir in soil. Backward and forward, according to Dungy, the words of the poem emerge, re-emerge, and ultimately re-imagine the meaning of the word funny until it is actually in opposition to its common meaning. She said this is perhaps the real joke of Mays The Gun Joke. Elegy Not as loss, but as opposition, Dungy repeated. Poem by poem, through seven poems, Dungys examples showed how each poet was able to break the frame of poetic form to migrate language into a more powerful medium for the communication, seeding the readers thoughts with possibility. Dungy, was one of eight authors who presented workshops at the Napa Valley Writers Conference. She is a two-time recipient of the Northern California Book Award (2010 and 2011), a Silver Medal Winner in the California Book Award (2011), and a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee (2010 and 2011). She is currently a professor in the English department at Colorado State University. According to Iris Dunkle, assistant poetry director, 48 fiction writers and 48 poets came from all over the United States to participate in the 36th Annual Napa Valley Writers Conference, held at the Upvalley campus of the Napa Valley College. The conference originated in the summer of 1981 as an opportunity for poets to share their knowledge and perfect their craft. In 1986 it incorporated fiction seminars as well. Sessions this year were led by well-known published authors Charles Baxter, Ron Carlson, Lan Samantha Chang and Yiyun Li in fiction, and Camille Dungy, Brenda Hillman, Major Jackson and Brian Teare in poetry. For information about the Napa Valley Writers Conference visit NapaWritersConference.org. Pentagon strategy doesn't rule out use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear threats The Hill: The American people deserve to know how the war in Ukraine will end Sochi to host trilateral talks of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on October 31 Poland receives first Turkish drones Hungarian government may extend price limits on fuel and some basic foodstuffs Armenias Simonyan attends meeting of heads of EEU countries parliaments Polish general appointed as head of EU mission to train Ukrainian troops Russia MP: Karabakh status decision is in fact its Armenians safety guarantee Zatulin: West seeks to push Russia out of negotiation process at any cost Iran prevents bomb explosion in Shiraz crowded street Iraqi parliament expresses vote of confidence in new cabinet France lawmakers visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Putin: Moscow is doing everything possible to normalize relations between Yerevan and Baku Annual shopping festival kicks off in Dubai on December 15 Lazarevsky Club: Minute of silence held in memory of fallen Russian and Armenian soldiers Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss Yerevan-Baku relations Expansion of cooperation with Interpol is important, Armenia PM says Armenia defense minister briefs Austria envoy on situation due to recent Azerbaijan military aggression (PHOTOS) Australia can't rule out energy price caps Armenia parliament speaker: Use, threat of force undermine processes aimed at establishing peace Garo Paylan is in Yerevan Barack Obama tries to help Democrats win midterm elections Azerbaijan president, Russia first deputy PM discuss North-South transport corridor project PM Pashinyan receives France-Armenia friendship group delegation from French parliament Taiwan urges China to start talking Armen Grigoryan and Toivo Klaar discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process Matviyenko: Russia will continue mediation for signing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty Politico: Scholz and Macron threaten U.S. trade retaliation CIS premiers sign several agreements at Kazakhstan meeting Konstantin Zatulin: Nagorno-Karabakh peoples right to self-determination must be respected Armenia legislature head: Policy of threats, coercion is unacceptable to us U.S. must strengthen its defense against growing threats from both China, Russia Karabakh ex-President: Necessary to rule out mistakes, miscalculations which will have irreversible consequences EU reaches agreement to ban new cars with internal combustion engine by 2035 Benny Gantz: Future of Israel and Turkey is promising EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia Lazarevsky Club meeting underway in Yerevan, Moscow Yellen sees no sign of recession in U.S. economy in near future Cannes palm trees promenade named after Charles Aznavour Pashinyan: Armenia agrees to work on basis of main principles proposed by Russia CIS prime ministers meeting kicks off in Kazakhstan Newspaper: Karabakh people to make appeal to Armenia authorities Residents of Moldova asked not to go out into street in dark Bloomberg reports fuel shortages in some parts of Europe Lebanon, Israel sign deal on maritime border demarcation Spanish prime minister twice mistakes Kenya for Senegal during his speech Peskov: CSTO meeting to be held before Armenia-Azerbaijan-Russia summit Putin says he is ready to negotiate with Ukraine Putin compares Indian Prime Minister Modi to icebreaker Putin warns Seoul about risk of ruining relations with Russia by supplying weapons to Ukraine Interpol Secretary General visits Armenia Putin: Russia will not abandon the historical legacy of the USSR and the Russian Tsarist Empire Putin sees no point in nuclear strike on Ukraine Olaf Scholz says solution can be found to curb speculative spikes in gas prices Putin calls Russians and Ukrainians one people who find themselves in different states Putin: We proposed Armenia give 5 districts Putin: Washington version provides for recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over whole Karabakh Putin calls Erdogan consistent and reliable partner, although not easy one Italy plans to double national gas production to 6 billion cubic meters a year Putin: The West, as a minority, has no right to impose values on the world Putin: As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is always a danger of their use Putin outraged by US assassination of General Soleimani: What is this all about? FM Abdollahian: Iran will not allow its interests to become plaything of terrorists Mirzoyan and Lavrov discuss preparations for CSTO Collective Security Council Putin proposes to discuss changing structure of UN and UN Security Council Pashinyan's wife accompanied in Tavush by mothers of servicemen who died in first and last days of war Shell reports almost $9.5 billion in profits Putin calls on West not to shift blame on intrigues of Kremlin Hungarian PM expresses readiness to buy electricity from Azerbaijan via Georgia Newsweek: The biggest foreign threat to the U.S. is not Russia or China. It's the EU Putin: In recent years, West has taken steps to exacerbate situation in world Armenian Defense Minister and French delegation discuss possibilities of developing defense cooperation Australia to send 70 soldiers to UK to help train Ukrainian troops Scholz condemns Turkey's stance questioning Greek sovereignty Armenian Defense Ministry: Azerbaijan hands over 10 bodies of killed servicemen to Armenian side Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia Turkish Central Bank raises inflation forecast for the end of 2022 to 65.2% U.S. State Department official visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan Prime Minister Pashinyan sends letter of condolence to Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi Secretary of Armenian Security Council and representatives of French Ministry of Defense discuss cooperation prospects Israel and Turkey to resume defense cooperation Scholz says solidarity is the only way to deal with the energy crisis Israeli and Turkish defense ministers meet in Ankara Turkey to rewrite inflation forecasts again after rate cut Azerbaijan does not want checkpoint on border with Armenia, it wants only 'corridor' Putin plans to attend meeting of CSTO leaders CSTO special session to be held Friday, assistance to Armenia to be discussed Estonia urges Rishi Sunak to increase UK defense spending Moscow perplexed by information about ban to enter Armenia for Konstantin Zatulin and Margarita Simonyan Armenia PM honors October 27, 1999 parliament tragedy victims U.S. and Western officials finalize plans to limit Russian oil prices EU seeks Armenia-Azerbaijan peace for its own energy interests? World economy is approaching recession US Armenians demand Senate member candidate Mehmet Oz to stop his Armenian Genocide denial Azerbaijan president, Russia deputy PM discuss prospects for unblocking South Caucasus communications Armenia opposition MP: Azerbaijan attempting to fulfill much bigger task with its attacks of aggression Armenia opposition pledges to become active again Syria MFA: Terrorist attack in Shiraz shows that terrorism has become U.S. policy main tool Lebanon and Israel approve maritime border agreement Pashinyan to Sunak: Armenia attaches great importance to further development of cooperation with UK COCOA BEACH, Florida At approximately 3:31 p.m. on Monday, August 1, 2016, a 45-year-old homeless man was attempting to cross State Road 520 (Cocoa Beach Causeway) in the area of Cape Canaveral Hospital on his bicycle and was struck by a vehicle driven by 91-year-old Verlin Jenson of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Police say that the bicyclist sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne where he was listed in critical condition. The driver was not injured in the crash. Eastbound lanes of State Road 520, a major thoroughfare into the City of Cocoa Beach, were closed for well over an hour due to the crash. Anyone with information pertinent to this investigation is urged to contact the Cocoa Beach Police Department at (321) 868-3251. Map credit: Google A Brevard County Public Schools principal who was charged with the possession of child pornography back in June is expected to plead guilty in the case. 59-year-old Rick Ricky Delano Sheppard of Melbourne, Florida appeared in federal court on Monday morning. According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida, Sheppard is expected to enter into a plea deal as early as next week. His trial had been scheduled to start on August 15. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sheppard started his career as a teacher with Brevard Public Schools in 1981. He worked at Port Malabar Elementary from 1981-1984 and later taught at Creel Elementary from 1985-1989 and was promoted to the position of assistant principal. In 1995, he transferred to Gemini Elementary as only a teacher where he remained until 2003. While at Gemini, Sheppard was investigated for inappropriate conduct with a student in 1999. As a result of the investigation, he was reprimanded for inappropriate gifts and comments made to a first grade student. Notwithstanding the reprimand, he remained employed with Brevard Public Schools. Sheppard later taught at Freedom 7 Elementary from 2003-07, then was promoted to assistant principal in 2007. Sheppard transferred to Stevenson Elementary in 2009 as an assistant principal until 2015. Despite having a questionable employment record regarding his interaction with children, Sheppard was promoted by the Brevard Public Schools administration to the position of Principal at Spessard Holland Elementary School in Satellite Beach, Florida in 2015. In this video and following transcript, Sheppard thanks those responsible at Brevard Public Schools who helped him become principal: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWoMJos-m_E] Congratulations to Mr. Rick Shepard on his recent re-classification and transfer from the position of Assistant Principal at Stevenson Elementary School to the position of Principal at at Holland Elementary, said Brevard County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Desmond Blackburn. Thank you, Ricky replied to Dr. Blackburn. At the risk of sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech, I would certainly would want to thank the Board, [former] Superintendent [Brian] Binggeli, Superintendent Blackburn, [former Central Area Assistant Superintendent ] Mrs. [Kathryn Jane] Cline, and Mrs. [Central Area Coordinator Sherri] Bowman, for their confidence in me to lead Holland elementary school as this new school year begins. Id also like to thank my previous Area Superintendent Dr. [Laura] Rhinehart and [Debra DJ] Crannell whose support and leadership has been immensely helpful. My two mentors, Mrs. Dorine Zimmerman, Principal at Freedom 7 Elementary, and Michael Corneau, the Principal at [Robert Louis] Stevenson [Elementrary], for providing me with the leadership opportunities, and opportunities to expand my knowledge to the Stevenson community. Its been a big part of my life for the past five years, and Ill certainly take a lot of that with me, Sheppard continued. And to Tiffanny Fleeger, Assistant Principal at Holland, and the Holland community that has welcomed me with open arms and warmth since I arrived on July 1st, and help me confirm that I am right where I need to be. Thank you. Sheppards arrest comes on the heels of allegations made by School Board candidate Dean Paterakis that the current School Board and administration are doing little to remove, and even promote, teachers with questionable sexually-related conduct around students. During a May 2016 School Board meeting , Paterakis had attempted to bring up 2014 incident where a BPS teacher was only suspended for 10 days for showing students a picture of his penis but still remains employed by BPS. At the urging of School Board member Amy Kneesy, School Board Chair Andy Ziegler disrupted Paterakis three minutes of public speaking time about the teachers inappropriate sexually-related conduct. A BPS security officer then grabbed Paterakis by the shoulder and arm without his consent while pushing down a microphone to intentionally disrupt Paterakis allotted speaking time. Uniformed Brevard County Sheriffs deputies then removed Paterakis from the meeting and charged him with resisting arrests and disrupting a school function. The arrest made national headlines. Florida State Attorney, Phil Archer, ultimately dropped the charges against Paterakis. Photo and video credit: BPSTV Posted by Mark Williams | August 2, 2016 Demand for pickup trucks and full-size SUVs continued to be relatively high in July, but both Ford and Ram showed signs of slowing sales. Additionally, Chevrolet has begun to slow some of the bleeding it's been doing the last few months; Chevy's sluggish pickup sales have been due in large part to parent company GM's strategy to keep a more balanced day's supply in the production pipeline. GM recently reconsidered that strategy because demand from dealers is quite strong. More Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, the dealers say, mean more sales. We just hope GM doesn't forget that this strategy can backfire if it falls back into the habit of chasing market share instead of encouraging organic sales growth. The big winners for July, from a comparative percentage basis, continue to be midsize trucks, with the Nissan Frontier up more than 80 percent year-over-year in June and more than 70 percent in July. Likewise, the GM midsize pickups, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, had a good month, putting themselves well ahead of where they were last July. The Colorado is up almost 25 percent for the year, and the Canyon is up almost 20 percent. The segment leader, the Toyota Tacoma, is still selling close to double what the second-place competitor sells but is up only incrementally over 2015 numbers. It's worth mentioning that this is the first full month of sales for the all-new Honda Ridgeline and it looks likely to settle into a nice monthly average of around 3,500 units. That would take Honda out of the pickup sales cellar by the end of August. Expect Nissan Titan sales to improve before the end of the year since the all-new, heart-of-the-market half-ton Titan not the niche-oriented Titan XD with the 5.0-liter V-8 Cummins engine, which isn't selling particularly well will be on sale later this fall. On a final note, Ford F-Series full-size pickups continue to beat the combined sales of the Silverado and Sierra but by only a small margin. The deep cuts into Ford sales that GM was hoping to make with the aluminum-versus-steel-bed commercial blitz don't seem to have materialized. That could mean we'll see more aggressive action in cab- and trim-specific incentives in the near future. We'll have to wait and see which manufacturer makes the first move in that arena. Manufacturer image 19:01 Upping the ante, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Kashmir was witnessing a "new wave of freedom movement" and asked the diplomats to apprise the world that Kashmir was "not an internal matter" of India. Addressing the concluding session of the three-day Envoys Conference organised by foreign ministry here, Sharif said, "resolution of the lingering dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is the corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy". "Today Kashmir is witnessing a new wave of freedom movement," Sharif said, needling India on a day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived here to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference. "This movement is running into the bloods of third generation of Kashmiri people and the world has itself seen its intensity in the wake of July 8," Sharif said, referring to the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in Kashmir. "The Kashmiri youth are writing new chapters of sacrifices to get the right to self determination," he said. "They have lost eyesight due to bullets but the desire for freedom is guiding them to the destination," he added. He asked Pakistani envoys to apprise the world that "the Kashmir was not an internal matter of India". "The ambassador should make the world feel that Kashmir is not the internal problem of India, as India already accepted it as dispute territory and the UN also declared it as a dispute between India and Pakistan," he said. The conference was attended by envoys of Pakistan posted at Washington, Beijing, New Delhi, Afghanistan, UN New York, UN Geneva, Vienna, Brussels and Moscow among others. Sharing his vision with the envoys, Sharif said that all bilateral issues with other regional countries should be solved though talks in a peaceful way. "We cannot afford a conflict. If we became part of any conflict, then our progress in the social and economic fields would be affected," he said. UF receives record $724 million in research funding in FY 2015-16 Research focused on Alzheimers disease, agricultural pests and economic development was among the thousands of projects funded with a record $724 million in research awards to the University of Florida last fiscal year. The new total is a 2.4 percent increase over the previous record of $706.8 million set in fiscal year 2015. Over the last decade, awards are up 24 percent. I applaud our dedicated faculty members for continuing to raise the bar with this new record in research funding, UF President Kent Fuchs said. The competition for this funding is intense, so this record demonstrates their research excellence while adding to UFs growing stature as one of the nations great public research universities. About $451 million of the funding came from federal agencies, led by the National Institutes of Health with $178.6 million, a 17 percent increase over last years NIH total. U.S. Department of Agriculture funding was at $68 million; funding from the National Science Foundation was up nearly 35 percent to $63.3 million; and funding from the U.S. Department of Education more than doubled to $25.7 million. The state of Florida provided another $50 million, up nearly 29 percent over 2015; and foundations and non-profits provided $110 million in support, a 21 percent increase over the previous year. Industry, local governments and other sources funded the remaining $113 million. The diversity of our research portfolio has kept us on an upward trajectory for many years, said David Norton, UFs vice president for research. Our faculty continue to be very strategic at pursuing funding from the source that is the best fit for their science government agency, industry or foundation. UFs College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville brought in $298 million; the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, or IFAS, received $140 million; the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering was at $75 million; and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences received $40 million. The remaining colleges had a combined $171 million. Notable NIH grants include $4 million to the Institute on Aging to develop strategies to address low-grade chronic inflammation and movement disabilities in the elderly; $3.6 million to the Diabetes Institute to continue its research on type 1 diabetes; and nearly $3 million to the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease to establish an Alzheimers Disease Research Center. Research grants from the NIH are among the most prestigious recognitions of excellence that biomedical scientists can receive. Competition for NIH grants is a demanding process in which the innovation and excellence of ones research is assessed by scientific peers against a limited budget, said David Guzick, UFs senior vice president for health affairs. The growing success by UFs faculty in winning competitive research grants from the NIH is therefore a tremendous testimony to the esteem in which they are held by the scientific community. Major U.S. Department of Agriculture grants to IFAS included $4.4 million to develop turfgrass with improved drought resistance; $3.4 million to try to stem the impact of laurel wilt on avocados; and $3.4 million to combat a bacterial disease damaging tomatoes. A record year for research awards to IFAS is important in two ways. It means we can accelerate our search for solutions to the challenges faced by farmers, families and all Floridians, said Jack Payne, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and the leader of IFAS. The awards also signal that the USDA and other funding agencies recognize the quality of our science and the impact our faculty make by improving peoples lives. Other federal awards included more than $8 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration for Phase II of the Florida Innovation Hub and $5 million from the Department of Education to expand the College of Education CEEDAR Centers work with teachers and public school leaders who serve students with disabilities. The 50,000-square-foot expansion of the Innovation Hub will provide much-needed space for technology startups near UF, said director Jane Muir. Several companies in the Florida Innovation Hub are projecting significant growth in the near future and will need expansion space that is not readily available in Gainesville, Muir said. In addition, Phase I is operating at capacity and needs additional space to accommodate demand. The largest non-governmental grant was $7.6 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, or PCORI, for the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium to continue to expand a statewide network that links UF with other universities, health systems and patients around the state to address health challenges like concussion, hypertension and teen smoking. Maddies Fund, a pet rescue foundation, awarded the College of Veterinary Medicine nearly $4.2 million to continue to grow the colleges shelter medicine program. The foundation has provided $11 million in support to UFs program since it was founded in 2008. Speaking at the Jakarta Convention Centre, President Widodo said the Muslim community had the best demographic figures, apparently dominated by youths when compared to other communities, Xinhua news agency reported. "The age average of Muslim youths across the world was 23 years with the median age recorded at 30 years," President Widodo told leaders of several countries attending the event. Widodo said the Muslim community also sees the vibrant development of Sharia financial industry which is now worth of millions of dollars. Despite those compelling facts, the Indonesian president said the world's Muslim community faced challenges from high unemployment rates and poor capability to boost their competitiveness. The opening ceremony was attended by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Guinea President Alpha Conde and Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickemenshinghe. The president of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Ahmad Mohamed Ali, was also present. The event will run until Thursday with the participation of more than 2,500 delegates from 69 countries. --IANS sm/ksk/mr ( 203 Words) 2016-08-02-16:06:09 (IANS) New Delhi, Aug.2 (ANI-Businesswire India): TAC Security Solutions, a leading provider of cyber-security solutions to corporate clients announced that Subinder Khurana would join its Board of Directors. TAC Security Solutions was founded in 2013 by Trishneet Arora, a renowned cyber-security expert and ethical hacker. Trishneet has been felicitated with a State award by the Chief Minister of Punjab. TAC already works for prominent clients including Reliance Industries Limited, Gujarat Police, Punjab Police, International Tractors Limited (Sonalika), AMUL, Avon Cycles, RALSON, and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) among others. Now it is expanding services to international clients across UAE and US. Khurana will join the board as a non-executive director and guide TAC on business strategy, productized solutions and organizational development, and help the team to expand the business globally. "I am very proud to be associated with TAC. Trishneet has been fighting cyber-crime since the age of 19. Security threats and therefore need for our solutions will continue to grow as mobile computing becomes more pervasive and powerful. We will create deeper security solutions for mobile devices, software and networks, and productize the solutions," said Khurana. Trishneet Arora says,"We are very excited to have Mr. Khurana guiding us on business strategy. His rich experience with product-based businesses will be a great asset to TAC." Subinder is a serial entrepreneur and has successfully taken several enterprise platforms to market. He also advises and mentors startups including several current and future star start-ups. Subinder is an engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Subinder has worked globally with various multinational IT companies as an IT Business Analytics Professional. He has worked as a Vice President (Analytics) with Cognizant. He also co- founded two start-ups EZPower Systems (now a part of Oracle) and marketRx (was acquired by Cognizant). (ANI-Businesswire India) 'Glee' star Lea Michele revealed the naked truth about her feelings for her late boyfriend Cory Monteith when she stripped down for Women's Health U.K.'s Naked issue. The cover photo gave away her tattoo tribute to Monteith, who played Finn Hudson alongside her in the hit Fox show, near her posterior, reports E!Online. In one of the episodes, her character Rachel Berry got the 'Finn' ink in honor of her onscreen-and-offscreen boyfriend Monteith and now it seems to have become a reality. The 29-year-old 'Scream Queen' actress also revealed her other tattoos, which she got as a tribute to her late love, including his jersey No. 5 and their last words to each other: "I love you more. If you say so..." Further, during the interview with the magazine, she commented about her over-all status, "Right now, I feel physically in my best shape, and emotionally in my best place...I'm not perfect. I'm not trying to represent myself as being some perfect girl, but I love myself, flaws and all," she said. The Women's Health UK holding her interview will hit the newsstands on August 5.(ANI) After the first released song of 'Baar Baar Dekho' - 'Kala Chashma' gained immense popularity, a film round table was held to kickstart the official promotion of Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra-starrer. Sharing her experience of the filming days during the interaction convened by the joint producer of the movie, Karan Johar, the 33-year-old 'New York' actress revealed that she doesn't like sharing the limelight with her co-stars. "I know what a duet is and I do that well. But what I am not so good at is splitting the centre of a stage. When there's a stage and you have a centre point, my instinct is just to be in front of the camera. It is an instinct I just can't fight," she added. Vouching for her problem, Sidharth talked about what he had to go through while dealing with the actress' issue. "My presence, my foot, my face, my eyes- I have been bruised and battered multiple time," he said with a smirk. Apart from the leads and Johar, the round table was attended by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the other two producers and Nitya Mehra, who is making her debut as a director for the movie. The film is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 9. (ANI) Mathematical biologist Samuel Scarpino, who creates and analyzes epidemiological models, wondered how this exchange of critical people affects the spread of disease. The practice clearly raises the risk of infection for the replacement individuals - but the population dynamics of this increase are neglected in existing epidemiological models. Scarpino, while he was an Omidyar Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, set out to quantify that risk and understand its influence. He enlisted the help of theoretical physicist Laurent Hebert-Dufresne and Antoine Allard. Both study complex patterns in networks. The trio integrated this "human exchange" into network models of disease and found that replacing sick individuals with healthy ones can actually accelerate the spread of infection. Scarpino and Hebert-Dufresne tested their ideas on 17 years' worth of data on two diseases: influenza and dengue. Their analysis revealed that human exchange likely accelerates outbreaks of influenza, which spreads via human contact. But it has no effect on the spread of dengue - which makes sense, as dengue spreads via mosquitoes. "We didn't see a strong signal in diseases where we didn't expect it," said Hebert-Dufresne. Scarpino noted that he hopes to see this effect integrated into future epidemiological models. "Models where you start to incorporate slightly more realistic human behavior are essential if we're going to make high-fidelity public health and clinical decisions," The study is published in Nature Physics. (ANI) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who will be visiting Pakistan to attend the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's (SAARC) Home/Interior Ministers, will raise the issue of cross border terrorism and state sponsorship of militancy, said sources. Bilateral talks with Pakistan on sidelines of SAARC have not been planned as of today, sources added. Ahead of his visit to Pakistan for the SAARC meeting, Rajnath on Monday chaired a high-level meeting here. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has ruled out any possibilities of bilateral talks with leaders of Pakistan, saying that the visit was strictly for the purpose of attending the SAARC ministerial conference. Rajnath will be accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and several other senior officers of the Home Ministry. The meeting in Pakistan is significant as Singh last week slammed the neighbour state for interfering in India's internal affairs - the current unrest in Kashmir. The visit also comes in the backdrop of growing strain in Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Burhan Wani's killing on July 8. Blaming Pakistan directly for the tense situation in Kashmir, Rajnath had said that Islamabad must understand that instigating youth to pick up weapons is not correct. "I want to tell my neighbour that instigating our youth to pick up weapons is not correct. We don't need third party's involvement to address the situation that prevails in Jammu & Kashmir," he said, adding that Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism and it must not encourage violence in Kashmir. At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, the Heads of State decided that the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers would meet annually preceded by a meeting of the Interior/Home Secretaries to strengthen cooperation in the area of counterterrorism, which they agreed was a challenge to all states and a threat to humanity, and could not be justified on any grounds. (ANI) This decision is taken with an aim to safeguard the children who play Pokemon Go, walking through the real world looking for virtual characters, reports BBC. On this note, nearly 3,0000 people, at this moment, will be banned from playing this popular mobile phone game. According to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, new technologies must not be "new avenues for dangerous predators." "Protecting New York's children is priority number one," he said. New York state law have already asked the sex offenders, who have left the state prison, to submit home addresses and online account names. (ANI) Lakhs of people in Kerala today performed 'Karkidaka Vavu Bali' (Pithru Tharpanam) to propitiate their forefathers. On this day, thousands of people gather on the riverbanks and beaches to offer 'Bali. Bali, a form of ritualistic homage, is an important ritual observed by Hindus offering sacrifice to the departed souls of their ancestors on the first Amavasi of Dakshinayanam. It is believed that the souls of ancestors attain eternal peace when Bali is offered. Lakhs of devotees thronged to various temple ghats including Parasuramaswamy temple at Thiruvallam, Aruvikkara, Shanghumughom beach, Janardhanaswamy temple at Varkala, banks of river Periyar at Aluva, Bharathapuha at Thirunavaya in Malappuram, Kozhikode Beach. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the temple administration body in Kerala, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and several religions organizations had made elaborate arrangements for special poojas and 'Bali' at various Temple ghats in the State. The ritual is performed by men, women, and children. Important temples on the river banks are ideally chosen for offering Bali. Hindus believe that the offering made on Karkidakavavu will bring them prosperity and appease the spirits of their ancestors. It is an important Hindu religious observance performed in honour of the forefathers in Kerala and other South Indian states. According to the Hindu custom, if a member in the family dies, the younger ones in the family have to perform 'Bali' to make the soul get eternal peace. Usually the Bali or Pitru Tarpanam is performed calculating the date or 'Nakshatra' on which the family member died. However, Karkidaka Vavu Bali is performed regardless of the date or Nakshatra of death of the deceased member. According to Hindu Kerala tradition, people observe fast on the day before performing the ritual. The persons performing the rites are guided by priests. Taking a dip in the sacred water before and after the ritual is necessary. Boiled rice, Turmeric, Thulasi (Ocimum) were used for the rituals connected to the Bali. In the northern parts of Kerala, people believe that the dead ancestors pay visit to homes on the 'Karkidaka Vavu' day. Therefore people prepare and offer 'Ada' - a sweet - made of rice, to the departed souls. The Pujaris (hindu priests) help and guide devotees in chanting the mantras and performing the rituals.UNI DS CS 1204 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-867235.Xml Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh is this evening leaving for Saudi Arabia where nearly 10,000 Indians, who have been laid off by their employers, are facing great hardship for fulfilling their basic needs. Meanwhile, the Indian mission in Riyadh had arranged free ration to the jobless workers, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament yesterday. The retrenchment of workers has increased over the past two years as the Saudi Arabian economy felt the impact of plummeting oil prices. Many of the Indian workers are facing difficulty in getting no-objection certificate needed for emergency exit visas as the companies they were employment with had themselves folded up. Gen Singh will talk to Saudi authorities concerned to sort out the issue. The Government would first try to see that the workers could get their salaries, and then arrange for their return home. The External Affairs Minister has said the Government was closely monitoring the situation and would see that no Indian workers was left without any assistance. There are three million Indians who live and work in Saudi Arabia, and are a big source of foreign remittances to their home country. UNI NAZ SV 1243 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-867298.Xml Taking strong exception to the Pondicherry Central University imposing an official ban on the students' magazine published last week, the left parties today said that they would organize agitations if required. Addressing a joint press conference here today, CPI State Secretary R Viswanathan, CPI (M) secretary Rajangam maintained that there is no "anti-national" views in the articles published in the magazine and everything was within the frame work prescribed by the constitution. They said the BJP wanted to introduce the RSS ideology in education and that's why some BJP students who were rejected in the council election along with its party activists organized an agitation and burnt the copies of the magazine. The action of the BJP and the University banning the magazine needed to be condemned,the left leaders said. They also said that they will meet University Vice-Chancellor Anisa Basheer Kahan and write letters to the President and Vice-President to seek their intervention and also will bring out a notice which would be distributed to the students.They said the BJP which is agitating on this issue should have organized agitations to get 25 percent reservation to local students in all subjects in the university.They also wanted the Puducherry government to make it's stance clear on the issue. The leaders said atrocities against the dalits in the country particularly in BJP ruled states are on the increase and added that the BJP is trying to implement the RSS ideology.UNI PAB CS 1327 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-867338.Xml The issue of construction of airports at Zevar in the NCR region and Agra in Uttar Pradesh was today raised in the Rajya Sabha with the members of Samajwadi Party calling onthe Government to approve the proposal. Raising the issue during Zero hour, Mr Surendra Singh Nagar of the SP said despite being the mostpopulated state, Uttar Pradesh lags behind several states in terms of air connectivity.Alleging discrimination against UP in this regard, he said a proposal for the construction of airports at Zevar and Agra had been send to the Centre by the state government but it was yet to take a decision in this regard.He said the state government has even allocated land on the Agra Expressway for the construction of the airport at Zevar.Mr Nagar said a construction of airport at Zevar would reduce pressure on the IGI airport in Delhi. Associating himself with his party member, Mr Ram Gopal Yadav said a proposal for construction of airports at Zevar and Agra has been sent to the Centre, which must be immediately approved.He said there is a proposal to build the airport at Tundla, 30 km from Agra. The place is situated close to both Agra and Mathura, which are important cities for international tourists.UNI AR AE/RSA 1457 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-867585.Xml AITC Member Saugata Roy in Lok Sabha today questioned the deafening silenceof Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising incidents of atrocities against Dalits. The AITC member raised the issue of incidents of alleged atrocities against Dalits taking part in different parts of the country. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the AITC member said the Prime Minister should take steps to stop atrocities against Dalits.''Why is the Prime Minister silent over Dalit atrocity in Gujarat,'' he asked. He said Mr Modi mentioned nothing about the issue of Dalit atrocities in his radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.UNI NY AE/RSA 1422 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-867488.Xml "For the sake of the people of the state, its heritage and culture as well as to promote and protect its interests at the national level, we have proposed to rename West Bengal as Bengal in English and 'Banga' or Bangla in Bengali," Chatterjee told the media. In Bengali, the state is currently referred to as "Paschim Banga" or "Paschim Bangla". Chatterjee said a special session of the assembly will be convened to discuss the renaming of the state. "The assembly session begins on August 26. We will put forth the proposal of renaming the state for discussions. "On August 29 and 30, we will discuss the issue and urge all to accept the new name," added Chatterjee. The government in 2011 too had undertaken a similar exercise, adopting "Paschimbanga" as the name of the state. --IANS and/ssp/bim/mr ( 171 Words) 2016-08-02-16:26:01 (IANS) Where most of the Bollywood actors are moving to Hollywood, actor Arshad Warsi is more interested in directing a movie rather than doing Hollywood movies. Not interested in joining the list of actors who have done Hollywood projects Arshad says, " I don't want to work in hollywood rather you will see me directing a film after some years". While promoting his upcoming movie 'The Legend of Michael Mishra' with Boman Irani, the actor here said, "The director has created a different world. The film is mixture of romance - drama. You will see me doing all kind of theft in the film."Recalling his earlier days, Irani a renowned actor revealed that Warsi was the one who encouraged him to take up career in Bollywood. The 56-year-old actor said, "I had done my first play, some 25 years ago, where Arshad was a choreographer and I had a small role, he encouraged me to take up acting in films. The actor further said, "Arshad told me, 'Boman, come with me, you should also act in films'. I told him this was my first play, I won't be able to do it, I don't have enough confidence.""He said 'promise me, we will do films and act together.' Almost after 13-14 years, when I made my debut in Hindi film 'Munnabhai MBBS', Arshad and I were together in the film," Boman further said.'The Legend of Michael Mishra' is a quirky comedy directed by Manish Jha and produced under the banner of Eye Candy Films.The story revolves around a Patna-based gangster Michael(Arshad) who falls in love with Varsha (Aditi). Varsha wants Michael to change his lifestyle and thus, he decides to live a clean life which is not easy as his past keeps haunting him.The movie is slated to hit the theaters on August 5.UNI SHS CJ PR 1530 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-867507.Xml There was no relief as curfew, restrictions and strike continued for the 25th day today in the Kashmir valley, where about 51 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured in security force action to disperse demonstrators since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag district. Two personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir police also lost their lives while about 3,000 security personnel, were also injured in these clashes. About 50 people, half of them security personnel, including a CRPF officer, were injured in fresh clashes across the valley yesterday. Officially curfew remained imposed in Shehar-e-Khas (SeK), down town in Srinagar and Anantnag town in south Kashmir while elsewhere in the valley restrictions continued in some major towns and tehsil headquarters. People remained confined to their homes in the SeK and downtown, where large number of CRPF and state police personnel remained deployed to strictly implement the curfew restrictions. Though police said curfew remained imposed in areas under the jurisdiction of police stations M R Gunj, Nowhatta, Khanyar and Safa Kadal, hundreds of security forces remained deployed elsewhere in the summer capital, where shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads. Both the factions of Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the present agitation in the valley after the death of Burhan Wani, have extended the strike till August 5. Historic Jamia Masjid remained out of bounds for devotees as security forces and state police personnel remained deployed outside. All roads leading to Jamia masjid, stronghold of chairman of moderate HC remained closed with barbed wire. Hundreds of security forces and state police personnel remained deployed around the Masjid and nobody was being allowed to enter there. The residents living on both sides of the Nallahmar from Chattabl to Khanyar alleged that they were not being allowed to move out of their homes by the security forces. Security forces and state police personnel remained deployed after every ten feet to strictly implement the curfew restrictions in the curfew bound areas, where people alleged acute shortage of essentials, particularly vegetables, milk and bread. Milkmen from outskirts are not being allowed to enter these areas.MORE UNI ABS PS PR 1525 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-867654.Xml Jet Airways, India's premier international airline, will fly the largest aircraft in its fleet, the Boeing 777-300 ER, on the Mumbai-Amsterdam route with effect from October 30, 2016 to meet the growing demand on this key sector.Jet Airways is the only airline having daily non-stop flights between Mumbai and Amsterdam. With this deployment, Jet Airways will offer passengers on this sector an enhanced travel experience, especially the airline's renowned First Class suites. The Jet Airways' Boeing 777 service offers a three-class configuration, comprising eight First Class suites, 30 Premiere seats that open out into lie-flat beds, and 308 ergonomically designed seats in Economy. Jet Airways had commenced daily flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam on March 27, 2016. The capacity increase is in response to growing demand, particularly from business and corporate travellers.From Amsterdam, Jet Airways offers connectivity to 30 destinations across Europe and 11 destinations in the United States and Canada through its code share partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Reacting on this, Gaurang Shetty, Whole-time Director, Jet Airways, said, ''Our daily non-stop service connecting India's commercial capital Mumbai and the key European hub Amsterdam has received excellent response since its launch. By deploying the 777-300ER aircraft, Jet Airways will be able to cater to the growing demand on this important sector at a time when trade and investment between India and Europe and North America is witnessing a healthy growth. ''The state-of-the-art wide body aircraft enables us to deliver a superior in-flight experience to our guests, along with the introduction of our signature First Class suites on this route.''UNI ADP RSA/AE 1548 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-867712.Xml Amid reports that Hafiz Sayeed headed Jamat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) had increased its activities near the Indo-Pak border, India has stepped up its intelligence and security in these areas. Interacting with the media here today, Director General, Border Security Force (BSF) K K Sharma said the Force was ready to counter any kind of infiltration from any terrorist outfit. He said additional force had been deployed in Punjab and Jammu region( four battalions in Punjab and two extra battalions in Jammu) and several ultra high tech gadgets were being used for surveillance in the border area. Replying to a specific question on the reports of Hafiz Sayeed being just 8-10 kms away from Wagah border and trying to disrupt peace in J&K, Mr Sharma said BSF was on high alert on all the border areas in its jurisdiction. In reference to his bilateral talks with his counterpart in Pakistan last week, he said that the meeting was crucial and some vital decisions were taken to maintain peace on the Indo-Pak borders. He said that the issue of infiltration was also discussed during the talks and Pakistan assured of its full cooperation in checking it at its end. Meanwhile, on the issue of installation of Indian National flag, at Wagah border, for which Pakistan government had objected recently, Mr Sharma said that no specific directions had been issued so far, but as per international law, no flag could be installed within 150 square yards of the border and it would be followed.UNI XC PS PR 1805 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-868051.Xml 'Darde-Benaras' campaign, launched through a mega road show by a combative Congress in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha turf, today started on a feverish pitch with party president Sonia Gandhi charging up the party rank and file to fire on all cylinders for the coming crucial Assembly polls in the Hindi heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, but she had to retire almost at the fag end of the show due to dehydration and humid weather in the city of temples. Sounding the poll bugle with the campaign 'Dard-e-Banaras' (the pain of Varanasi), Ms Sonia Gandhi launched her party's campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections through a mega road show in the city.Waving to party supporters, Ms Gandhi boarded a SUV and started the show with full pomp and show. The cavalcade of cars drove slowly through the streets of the temple town in a 8 km road show to signal that her party was serious for the coming UP polls. But due to health problem, Ms Gandhi could not complete her roadshow which was scheduled to end at Englishialine with garlanding of the statue of late Congress leader Kamlapati Tripathi. According to the Congress leaders, Ms Gandhi returned to New Delhi as per the advice of doctors."Sonia Gandhi advised by the doctor to return to Delhi after she felt feverish during her road show in Varanasi," the leaders confirmed.State Congress president Raj Babbar said that there is nothing to worry about Ms Gandhi ."Sonia ji is completely fine, she just felt a little tired during the road show due to which the doctors advised her to return back to New Delhi," he added.The schedule programme of Ms Gandhi to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple was also cancelled. Ms Gandhi reported uneasiness during her over four-hour-long roadshow in the city and was immediately shifted to nearby Hotel Midway for rest when it was on the last leg. She also complained of feeling dehydrated. The Sonia roadshow was disrupted just when it was one and a half km short of the Englishialine where it was scheduled to end.However, others senior Congress leaders, including the state's Chief Ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC general secretary an in-charge of UP Gulam Nabi Azad, state president Raj Babbar Sanjay Singh went ahead with the roadshow till the end. They are scheduled to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple,located in narrow lanes of the congested ancient city.PM Modi wished get well soon to Ms Gandhi.Eds: pick up suitably from earlier series.UNI MB-NB RP2020 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-868470.Xml Coast Guards rescued 26 people via helicopter from a water-logged marooned village in rain-ravaged Valsad district today while a team of National Disaster Rescue Force was deployed in the district which received an average 245 mm (over nine inches) of rain in the past 24 hours. Assistant collector of Valsad Shipra Aagre today said that several villages across the district, including over half a dozen in Valsad taluka alone, had been flooded owing to the overnight rain. As many as 26 people of Bhagda Khurd village were air-lifted to safety by Coast Guards in helicopter. A team of NDRF which was on standby in Surat arrived in the district and deployed in four localities of Valsad town, the assistant collector said. Dharmpur taluka of the district was the worst hit as it received 348mm (around 14 inches) rain during last 24 hours. Widespread rain lashed most south Gujarat district with Pardi recording (315 mm), Vapi (314mm) and Kaprada (252mm) in Valsad district, Dangs (104 mm) and Navsari (96 mm). Rail and road traffic have been affected owing to water logging and soil erosion. However the administration claimed that the situation was coming back to normal as the water was fast receding. With the latest spell of rains Gujarat received an average of 37.55 per cent of the normal season's rainfall. UNI ND PS SB 2021 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-868506.Xml There are a total of 7, 700 Indian workers who have been rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia and were stranded in different camps for the past several weeks. Minister of State for External Affairs Gen VK Singh tonight left for Riyadh to assess the ground situation so that the Ministry could plan its assistance to the stranded Indians accordingly. According to the breakup given by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) Spokesperson Vikas Swarup, there were 4,072 workers belonging to M/s. Saudi Oger in Riyadh in ten camps nine in Riyadh and one in Damman. Besides, 1457 workers belonging to M/s. SAAD Group, were in two camps in Dammam, and 5 workers belonging to M/s. Shifa Sanay and 13 workers belonging to M/s. Taiya Contracting were in one camp in Riyadh. In all there are a total of 5,547 Indian workers in fourteen camps which are being taken care of by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to M/s. Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah, all of whom have been provided food by the Indian Consulate. The retrenchment of workers has increased over the past two years as the Saudi Arabian economy felt the impact of plummeting oil prices. Many of the Indian workers are facing difficulty in getting no-objection certificate needed for emergency exit visas as the companies they were employment with had themselves folded up. Gen Singh will talk to Saudi authorities concerned to sort out the issue. The Government would first try to see that the workers could get their salaries, and then arrange for their return home. The External Affairs Minister has said the Government was closely monitoring the situation and would see that no Indian workers was left without any assistance. There are three million Indians who live and work in Saudi Arabia, and are a big source of foreign remittances to their home country. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, and the Ambassador apprised them of the ongoing problems faced by the Indian workers and sought the help of the community in collecting information about the affected ones from different companies in the Kingdom. They were provided a proforma on which the requisite information is to be submitted to the Embassy. The Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday in Riyadh. The information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit / continue / transfer is being collected separately. A team of the Embassy is separately working in Dammam. This team yesterday met the labour officials to complete procedures related to the protection of legal dues of the workers, once they depart on final exit. The team is also in touch with the affected workers in the region. UNI NAZ SB 2052 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-868534.Xml The General Officer carried out an aerial and ground reconnaissance of the border areas. He said that the General reviewed the operational preparedness of the formations besides taking stock of the security arrangements. The Officiating Army Commander expressed satisfaction at the security arrangements in vogue in the region. While interacting with the troops, he praised their contribution towards thwarting the nefarious designs of terrorists and anti-national elements. The Lieutenant General also exhorted the troops to remain vigilant especially in light of the forthcoming Independence Day.UNI VBH PS SB 2041 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-868529.Xml Islamabad : 'Erdo-Gone?', this was the headline splashed across the Pakistan's national newspaper 'Daily Times' in it's July 16th issue as news of an attempted coup in Turkey started making it's way across news organisations around the world. This particular headline, however, did not go down well with the Turkish government, and on July 20th, Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give an explanation. Turkey called on Pakistan to put pressure on the 'Daily Times' newspaper to withdraw the news report from its online edition and issue an unconditional apology. There were more demands from Turkey. PAKTURK International Schools and Colleges is a network that is run by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey blames for the coup attempt. According to a Voice of America report, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Sadik Babur Girgin demanded the immediate closure of these schools in Pakistan. On both of these requests made by Turkey, there has been no progress from the Pakistani side, despite the close ties between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) chief Imran Khan, considered close to the Pakistan Army, argued that the future of thousands of Pakistani children should not be jeopardized as a result of the failed Turkish coup. To add insult to injury, the 'Daily Times' ran a two-part series of articles in it's online edition that accused Erdogan of becoming increasingly authoritarian in the last few years and initiating purges in his government against those who held differing views. The article went on to highlight how during Erdogan's Presidency, crimes against women was on the rise, Islamic bigots had infiltrated the Turkish bureaucracy and institutions and how Turkey was staring at a bleak future. Pakistan's non-compliance of these issues points to a rift in the oft lauded Turkish-Pakistan "brotherly relationship", with many experts pointing fingers at the Pakistani army for usurping the country's foreign policy that led to this situation. Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif's anti-Erdogan views are driven by many factors, especially the close ties between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Erdogan. The Pakistan army chief is also guided by the deep Chinese mistrust of Erdogan which stems from allegations made by China in the past against Turkish government for issuing passports to fundamentalist Chinese Uyghurs from Xinjiang, including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which allowed them to move to Turkey with ease. The Chinese government has stated that Turkish embassies in Malaysia, Thailand and China are involved in such activities. (ANI) The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a protest in Toronto, Canada, on July 31 against the enforced disappearance of Abdul Wahid Baloch, a well-known literary activist and human rights campaigner, at the hands of Pakistani security agencies. Holding placards and banners, the protesters demanded immediate and safe release of Wahid from illegal custody. They also raised demands of 'free Balochistan' from Pakistan's illegal occupation during their protest. The BNM appealed for urgent intervention by the United Nations and international bodies to stop the crimes against humanity in Balochistan by the state armed forces. "We have gathered here today, the Baloch Canadians, on the call by Baloch National Movement and we are peacefully protesting against enforced disappearance and the illegal abduction of Wahid Baloch, the editor of a Baloch magazine, a literary personality and a linguist, who is very much involved in preserving the Baloch language," said Dr Zafar Baloch, the organizer of BNM (North America). "He is a human rights defender for the Baloch culture and for the people of Balochistan who are being disappeared for the last ten years. He has been tirelessly working very hard for the people, who are victims of enforced disappearance and their families," he added. Demanding Wahid's immediate release, Dr Zafar further said, "His life is in great danger and we demand every nation and the human rights defenders to intervene and save the life of Wahid Baloch." Meanwhile, BSO (Azad) president Karima Baloch strongly condemned Wahid's abduction and appealed to the world human rights organizations to save the social activist's live. The whereabouts of Wahid, a resident of Lyari in Pakistan, are still unknown after he went missing on July 26. His family alleges that he was picked up by the law enforcement agencies. In a recent report submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, Pakistan, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) narrated that thousands of Baloch people have been abducted and many of them have been killed extra judicially in custody by the Pakistani state security forces, adding their mutilated bodies have been found dumped in different areas across Balochistan. The VBMP in its report said that over 463 people were forcefully abducted while 157 mutilated bodies were found from Balochistan in 2015. Wahid Baloch is the latest victim of these atrocities in Pakistan. (ANI) Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "the devil", taking name calling a step further, media reports said. At a campaign rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Trump on Monday night told the crowd that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders "made a deal with the devil" when he agreed to back Clinton and help bring his supporters on board for her campaign, CBS News reported. "He made a deal with the devil," Trump said, adding "She's the devil. He made a deal with the devil." Trump went on to say Sanders and his supporters all know he made a "bad deal" when he endorsed Clinton last month. Trump has linked Clinton to the devil before, saying in the past that Sanders "sold his soul to the devil" but this is the first time he has been so explicit in this attack, NBC News reported. Such language adds to the barrage of other insults he levels at her regularly the most popular with his supporters being the moniker, "Crooked Hillary". He did admit, however, to looking forward to meeting Clinton later this fall on the debate stage. "I look so forward to the debate with Hillary, I look so forward," NBC News quoted the Manhattan billionaire as saying. Last week, Trump was in the midst of criticism from Democrats and Republicans for his remarks about a US Muslim soldier's parents. Former Republican candidate John McCain became the latest senior party membet to criticise Trump for his attack on the parents of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq, at the age of 27. Trump created controversy by suggesting that Humayun Khan's mother Ghazala Khan had been prevented from speaking alongside her husband Khizr Khan at the Democratic convention last week. The soldier's parents told the BBC it was time to stand up to Trump but he accused them of "viciously" attacking him. --IANS ksk ( 333 Words) 2016-08-02-08:56:00 (IANS) Pope Benedict XVI did it. Dutch Queen Beatrix did it. So why is it so hard for Japan's elderly emperor to abdicate?Public broadcaster NHK reported last month that Emperor Akihito, 82, wanted to abdicate "in a few years", something unprecedented in modern Japan.Ordinary Japanese sympathise with his apparent desire to hand over to Crown Prince Naruhito but the idea faces stiff opposition from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative base.Conservatives have already raised objections to changing the law to let Akihito step down, citing problems ranging from his title and possible strife with a new emperor, to worry the next step would be letting women succeed and pass on the throne, anathema to traditionalists.Even more, conservatives fear that a debate over the imperial family's future would divert political energy from Abe's push to revise the postwar, pacifist constitution, which they see as a symbol of defeat, but admirers consider the guarantor of Japan's democracy.Abe's ruling bloc and allies last month won a two-thirds majority in parliament's upper house, which, with a similar grip on the lower chamber, clears the way to try to change the charter. Revisions also require approval by a majority in a referendum."For the first time since the war's end, there is a chance for the Japanese people to revise the constitution that was forced upon them by Occupation forces," said Akira Momochi, a conservative constitutional scholar at Nihon University."Frankly, I worry we will lose the ability to achieve this."LIVE TV APPEARANCEOnce considered divine, the emperor is defined in the constitution as a symbol of the "unity of the people" with no political power.Akihito became emperor after the death in 1989 of his father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought the war. He has sought to soothe the wounds of that conflict and tried to bring the monarchy closer to the public.Unlike some European monarchies, Japan has no legal provision for abdication, though many emperors abdicated in the pre-modern era.In what would be an unprecedented move, Akihito may appear live on television on Aug. 8 to outline his concern that age and health problems - he has had heart surgery and prostate cancer - mean he can not do his job fully, but avoid using the word "abdicate", media say.There are no signs Akihito was influenced by Benedict's retirement as pontiff in 2013. But he may have been inspired by Queen Beatrix, who at age 75 announced her abdication on television that same year, the third Dutch queen to step down since the war."He wants to have a system where the emperor can hand over to a younger generation that would be closer to the people and reflect the times," one veteran journalist said.Conservatives argue an existing system allowing the crown prince to take over as regent if the emperor is incapacitated can cover the situation, even though Akihito is far from feeble.They also worry debate could stir calls for allowing female succession, given a shortage of male heirs. Earlier plans to revise the succession law were shelved after the birth in 2006 of Prince Hisahito to the crown prince's younger brother."I don't think he can ignore the views of such conservatives," Keio University professor Hidehiko Kasahara said of Prime Minister Abe.Still, public opinion in favour of letting him abdicate could sway the debate if the emperor's appeal is emotionally moving, some experts said, noting that while many Japanese find the royals irrelevant, others are fond of Akihito himself."Depending on how the TV appeal is done, it could stir up public opinion," said Naotaka Kimizuka, an expert in European monarchies at Kanto Gakuin University. "Or, people could lose interest and things will go as Abe's administration prefers." REUTERS JW0557 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-867050.Xml Japan's annual defence review on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over what it sees as China's coercion as a more assertive Beijing flouts international rules when dealing with other nations.Japan's Defence White Paper comes amid heightened tension in Asia less than a month after an arbitration court in the Hague invalidated China's sweeping claims in the disputed South China Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines.China has refused to recognise the ruling. Japan called on China to adhere to the verdict, which it said was binding. Beijing retorted by warning Tokyo not to interfere.In the defence review approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, Japan warned that "unintended consequences" could result from Beijing's assertive disregard of international rules."China is poised to fulfil its unilateral demands without compromise," the government said in the review.China claims most of the 3.5-million-square-km (1.35- million-square-mile) South China Sea, with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also staking claims.Japan has no territorial claims there, but it fears that Chinese military bases will bolster Beijing's influence over a region through which 5 trillion dollars in trade passes every year, much of it to and from Japanese ports.Rather than confront China directly by sailing warships past its man-made island bases in the sea, Japan is providing equipment and training to the Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines and Vietnam, which are most opposed to China's territorial ambitions.Beijing's most powerful adversary in Asia is the United States, with its Seventh Fleet operating from bases in Japan and South Korea. Japan has Asia's second-biggest indigenous navy.. The defence review noted China's growing capability to threaten naval vessels with its growing armoury of anti-ship missiles.At 484 pages, Japan's document is more than a tenth longer than last year's report, and lays out other security concerns, such as the threat from neighbouring North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear bomb programmes and a revival of Russian military strength in the Far East.It takes 50 pages to outline Japan's deepening alliance with the United States, as Tokyo takes a step back from its war-renouncing constitution by easing curbs on overseas operations for its Self Defence Forces.REUTERS JW0655 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-867064.Xml Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks set to put priority on stability when he rejigs his cabinet and top party line-up tomorrow, retaining key ministers and tapping a veteran lawmaker who favours big spending as ruling party number two.The reshuffle comes as Abe tries to rev up economic growth, handle multiple diplomatic challenges and eyes the possibility of staying in office after his term as ruling Liberal Democratic Party president ends in 2018.Abe, already Japan's longest ruling premier in a decade, will retain his right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, along with Finance Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Fumie Kishida, media reports said.All three have held their posts since Abe took office in December 2012, pledging to reboot the deflation-plagued economy and bolster Japan's global diplomatic and security presence.LDP policy chief Tomomi Inada, a hawkish Abe ally and potential premier, will get a portfolio - possibly defence, trade or agriculture - while Economics Minister Nobuteru Ishihara may be retained along with Health, Welfare and Labour Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, according to the reports.Japanese media said another would-be successor, Shigeru Ishiba, minister for regional revitalisation, was considering declining to stay in order to prepare for a run at Japan's top job when Abe's LDP leadership term expires in September 2018.PARTY LINE-UPTomorrow, Abe will also recast the LDP executive line-up. His expected appointment of Toshihiro Nikai, 77, a big spending advocate with friendly ties to China, as LDP secretary general was seen by analysts as signalling the premier's hopes for a third term, since Nikai has already indicated his support for the extension, which would require a change in party rules."Abe is seeking to perpetuate his power. He is not grooming any successor other than Inada, and she won't be ready yet," said Sophia University professor Koichi Nakano.Abe is trying to rev up his "Abenomics" recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy, fiscal spending and reform, which has so far failed to spur sustainable growth despite huge monetary easing.Yesterday, Abe's outgoing cabinet was set to approve 132.04 billion in fiscal steps as part of efforts to revive the flagging economy with cash payouts to low-income earners and infrastructure spending.Some experts worry Abe will divert too much energy to trying to revise Japan's post-war, pacifist constitution now that his ruling bloc and allies have the two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament needed to start the process. Changes must also be approved by a majority of voters in a referendum.Abe also has a full diplomatic plate. He is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on the sidelines of a September 2-3 multilateral forum, where he hopes to make progress in a decades-old feud over disputed islands.He then travels to China for a Group of 20 summit, where he may have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sino-Japanese ties remain frayed by a dispute over tiny isles in the East China Sea and Beijing's growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea. REUTERS AKC RAI1016 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-867129.Xml China's Supreme Court said today that people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year, issuing a judicial interpretation defining those waters as including China's exclusive economic zones.An arbitration court in The Hague ruled last month that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with its actions, infuriating Beijing which dismissed the case.None of China's reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the court decided.The Supreme Court made no direct mention of the South China Sea or The Hague ruling, but said its judicial interpretation was made in accordance with both Chinese law and the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the Philippines had also bought its case."Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," the Supreme Court said."People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties ... and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests."Jurisdictional seas covered by the interpretation include contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, it added.People who illegally enter Chinese territorial waters and refuse to leave after being driven out, or who re-enter after being driven away or being fined in the past year, will be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and could get up to a year in jail, the Supreme Court said."The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," it added.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.China periodically detains fishermen, especially from the Philippines and Vietnam, and Chinese fishermen also occasionally get detained by other claimants in the South China Sea. REUTERS AKC RAI1031 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-867150.Xml Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely pick ruling party policy chief Tomomi Inada as defence minister in a new cabinet, the Asahi newspaper said today, which could upset China and South Korea given her conservative views on wartime history.Abe is set to reshuffle his cabinet tomorrow, retaining several key ministers and picking a veteran lawmaker who favours big spending as ruling party number two.Inada, 57, is a close ally of Abe and shares his goal of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution, seen by some conservatives as a humiliating symbol of Japan's World War Two defeat. She regularly visits Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honours war dead and is seen in China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.Japan's relations with both Beijing and Seoul have often been frayed by the legacy of Japan's military aggression before and during World War Two.Inada served as minister for administrative reform in an earlier Abe cabinet before being appointed as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) policy chief in 2014.If selected as defence minister, Inada would be the second woman in the post after Yuriko Koike, newly elected as Tokyo governor, briefly held the portfolio in 2007.The reshuffle comes as Abe tries to rev up economic growth, handle multiple diplomatic challenges and eyes the possibility of staying in office after his term as ruling LDP president ends in 2018.Abe is expected to travel to China in early September for a Group of 20 summit, where he may have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Sino-Japanese ties have also been strained by a dispute over tiny isles in the East China Sea and China's growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea.REUTERS AKC RAI1156 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-867229.Xml Hungary's foreign minister said today he thought it "unrealistic" that Russia would attack any NATO member, a view that contrasts with some other NATO member countries in the region who see Moscow as a real threat.Relations between Russia and the West soured after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatists in the east.NATO members including Poland and the Baltic states have voiced concern that they could be targets of hostile acts from Russia, and last month NATO leaders agreed to deploy military forces and to increase air and sea patrols there."I don't think it is a realistic assumption today that Russia would attack any NATO member state," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with news portal Index.hu.Szijjarto said each NATO member state had feelings of "different intensity" about a perceived threat from Russia, and that he respected other views."This is not how we feel about Russia. I don't think Russia would pose an existential threat to us," he said.Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative government has granted a deal to Russia's Rosatom to build new reactors at Hungary's nuclear power plant, and has promoted what it calls a "pragmatic" relationship with Russia.The Czech Republic and Slovakia also have less fraught relations with Russia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has called for a removal of the sanctions imposed by the West over Russia's role in Ukraine.But tensions flare up intermittently. Bulgaria's defence minister last month accused Russia of growing airspace violations, describing them as "provocations toward Bulgaria and its air forces".When asked about Turkey, Szijjarto -- who had earlier described the failed coup in Turkey as a "terrorist act" -- said he did not see any anti-democratic developments in Turkey.The scale of President Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on the military, judiciary, civil service and schools since the July 15-16 coup - has unnerved Turkey's NATO allies. REUTERS SDR PR1505 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-867606.Xml About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said today."They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks."The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. REUTERS SDR PR1506 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-867617.Xml The mastermind has been identified as Tamim Chowdhury during investigation, said Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque. He said that along with Tamim, another former army person Maj (Retd) Zia has also been found involved and they were also behind the Sholakia attack, reports the Daily Star. Terrorists killed 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals, during a 11-hour siege at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's diplomatic zone on July 1. (ANI) Czech President Milos Zeman says the country should refuse to take in refugees to ensure they cannot commit "barbaric attacks", his spokesman said today.Zeman, who holds a largely ceremonial post, is the country's most vocal opponent of immigration, opposing even the government's modest plan to take in 80 Syrian refugees this year, a tiny proportion of the millions fleeing the civil war.Islamist attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks have proved his point, Zeman's spokesman, Jiri Ovcacek, told a regular news conference."Our country simply cannot afford to risk terrorist attacks like what occurred in France and Germany. By accepting migrants we would create fertile ground for barbaric attacks," Ovcacek said."The president does not agree with any acceptance of migrants in the Czech territory."The Czechs and other central Europeans have been the most critical of the European Union's response to the unprecedented migration crisis in which over a million people entered the bloc last year.The government opposes an EU quota system to re-distribute asylum seekers but has not followed Slovakia and Hungary in challenging it in the courts. Hungary holds a referendum on October 2 to ask its citizens whether they accept the EU system.It is not clear how Brussels will be able to force those countries to take in refugees against their will.Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's government has agreed to taking in 80 Syrian refugees from a Turkish camp, something President Zeman opposes.Sobotka said in a newspaper interview on July 30 that it was not possible to have uncontrolled migration but that using "collective guilt and saying every Muslim is a terrorist" was not the way to proceed in countering threats.He was unavailable to comment today.A CVVM institute poll in May found 61 per cent of Czechs are against taking in war refugees, up from 52 per cent last October. Another 34 per cent said refugees should be accepted only until they can return home.REUTERS SDR PR1753 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-868023.Xml Britain's nominee for the European Commission will be put in charge of crafting a response to terrorism and promoting intelligence-sharing, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, a tough role amid a spate of attacks in western Europe.Recently departed prime minister David Cameron nominated Julian King, currently ambassador to France, as Britain's representative to replace Jonathan Hill, who resigned after Britons voted on June 23 to leave the bloc.The Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, said King's Security Union portfolio would include setting up a European response to terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime.In his appointment letter, Juncker said he would like King to improve information and intelligence sharing, "including through initiatives to upgrade Europol's European Counter-Terrorism Centre into a stronger structure and through the development of efficient and interoperable information exchange systems".London, which has in the past pushed for greater EU cooperation on security matters such as the sharing of airline passenger details, welcomed the announcement."Security is a vital issue for all Member States and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face," a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement.Juncker interviewed King on July 11, and the British diplomat is expected to appear in front of the European Parliament in early autumn to seek its endorsement.The leader of the Liberals group, the chamber's fourth-largest, was sceptical, pointing to London's opt-out from EU justice and home affairs measures."It would be odd to give such an important portfolio to someone who has no incentive to further the European interest in general or, more specifically, to enhance the EU's security capabilities," Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister, said in a statement.King has served in Brussels before, notably as chief-of-staff to two previous British commissioners, Peter Mandelson and Catherine Ashton, in 2008-09. He has also been ambassador to Ireland, the EU state with possibly the most to lose from Brexit. He took up his post in Paris five months ago. REUTERS SDR NS1956 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-868409.Xml WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Monday it conducted air strikes targeting Islamic State (IS) in Libya at the request of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA). While U.S. military conducted air strikes against IS targets in Libya in the past, it was the first time the GNA had officially requested U.S. air strikes. According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, the U.S. air strikes in Sirte, a city on Libya's Mediterranean coast, were authorized by U.S. President Barack Obama. "GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL thus far around Sirte, and additional U.S. strikes will continue to target ISIL in Sirte in order to enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance," said Cook in a statement, using an acronym for the IS group. Despite the expansion of IS' influence in Libya, the U.S. military had so far publicly admitted to a couple of airstrikes against IS targets inside Libya, compared to its daily air raids against the group in Syria and Iraq, according to examinations of the Pentagon's previous statements. Pentagon's first ever target-killing of IS operatives happened last November. The target was Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al Zubaydi, an Iraqi national who was a longtime al-Qaida operative and the senior IS leader in Libya. The Pentagon carried out its second airstrike in Libya in February, killing about 40 IS recruits in a training camp near Sabratha. Commander of U.S. Africa Command David Rodriguez said in April the IS had doubled its presence inside Libya. "In Libya, the U.S. intelligence community has said it's around 4 (thousand) to 6,000. It is probably about doubled in the last 12 to 18 months based on what their assessments were last year," Rodriguez said at a Pentagon briefing. BANGKOK, Aug.1 (Xinhua) -- Thai marine police arrested 20 Vietnamese on four trawlers for allegedly illegal catching sea cucumbers in Thai waters on Monday. According to Thai media Komchadluek, the marine police seized the trawlers about 30 nautical miles off the coast of the southern Narathiwat province at about 15:00 local time. The police found communication devices, fishing nets and sea cucumbers on board. The trawlers and their crew members were taken to a marine police station in Narathiwat for further investigation. During the questioning, the crew allegedly admitted to catching sea cucumbers in the Thai waters off Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces and sold them in Vietnam for 200 baht (5.75 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, Bangkok Post reported. The Vietnamese would be charged with illegal entry and fishing in Thai waters without permission, Said Nattapong Takaew, an inspector at Marine Police Division's sub-division 8. The arrest came a day after a Vietnamese trawler with four Vietnamese men on board was caught illegally poaching sea cucumbers 30 nautical miles off Pattani coast. Thai navy also arrested 29 crew members of three Vietnamese trawlers for allegedly illegal fishing on July 10, which was the 26th time that the navy have detained Vietnamese trawlers in 2016. Enditem COLOMBO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Maldivian government on Monday rejected a joint statement issued by the Western community for raising concerns regarding the anti-defamation and freedom of expression bill currently in the Parliament. The anti-defamation and freedom of expression bill, which is scheduled for the People's parliament sitting during this week, has had widespread criticism from domestic reporters and Western community. The bill aims to re-criminalizes defamation and prescribes up to MVR 2 million in fines for defamation, and prison sentences up to 6 months if the accused is unable to pay the fine. Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Britain along with the EU Mission in Maldives and the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka issued a joint statement last week raising concerns about the defamation bill and called the Maldivian government to protect the freedom of speech in the country. A statement released by the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said that defamation is a criminal offence in four of the five countries. The statement said that the draft bill does not seek to criminalize free speech but provide a "layer of protection" to those who may fall victim defamatory and scurrilous articles and ensure that such comments do not impact issues of religious sentiments and national security. The Foreign Ministry said that a maximum prison sentence of six months may be imposed upon a conviction and the penalty is significantly lower than many advanced democracies. The ministry's statement said that the joint statement by the western community seeks to advance a notion of freedom of expression that is, in fact, restricted in four out of the five countries which are signatories to the statement. Similarly, 23 out of the 28 member states of the EU also have criminalized defamation. "Maldives appreciates the interests that its friends and partners take in the Maldives, and wishes to request on all who wish to issue commentaries on what takes place in the Maldives to return to facts and exercise objectivity. The government is concerned that if such commentaries do not reflect all the facts surrounding the issue, it can be a source of misinformation, the Foreign Ministry said. It added that the country welcomes the opportunity to engage with international partners but expects them to be "constructive and responsible in their actions." Enditem JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The South African Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Monday that all went well for the local government elections with the start of special voting across the country, except for a few protests. A total of 719,222 voters successfully applied for special votes, and were expected to cast their votes on Monday and Tuesday. "I am so happy, I've manged to vote today," one special voter in Alberton told Xinhua after casting her ballot. The elderly woman looked tired and exhausted but happy. A few people were on the special voting list in Alberton, but IEC officials kept their doors open for the entire day. IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini was one of the first people to cast his vote in Johannesburg. He said the commission was more than willing and ready to assist South African voters. The IEC will test its system on Monday and Tuesday ahead of election day on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the IEC said about 28 complaints have so far been launched. The complaints, the IEC said, are related to alleged violations of the Electoral Code of Conduct. One of the complaints has resulted in the disqualification of a Pretoria ward candidate Thabo Mabotja who was prevented from contesting because of a racist comment he posted on Facebook. Mabotja is a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). "The process has gone well and I don't believe teething problems countered will affect its ability to deliver free and fair elections," Mashinini told Xinhua. IEC Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Moepya said they have dealt with 20 of the cases. For the first time in history, this election will see 200 political parties and over 61, 000 candidates participating. The parties are contesting 4,392 wards in all 213 municipalities. LAGOS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government will abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Nigeria- Cameroon border, President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday. Buhari gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city when he received a United Nations Mission led by a Special Representative of the Secretary General, Mohammed Ibn Chambers. The Nigerian leader assured that Nigeria would not do anything to hamper the work of the various UN committees on the border. "Having accepted the judgment of the ICJ, we are ready to support the security and logistics requirements of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) to carry out the border demarcation," the president said. The president urged that all committees be allowed to carry out their functions in line with the ICJ decision. Earlier, Ibn Chambers, who is also the Chairman of CNMC, had informed Buhari that 2,001kms out of 2,100kms separating Nigeria and Cameroon had been marked, leaving a balance of 99kms to conclude the demarcation. He expressed optimism that the remaining area would be completed by the first quarter of next year in view of the relative calm that had returned to border areas which were earlier inhabited by Boko Haram insurgents. LAGOS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian Presidency on Monday dismissed an article by the London-based Telegraph which claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is targeting Christians and the opposition. Presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, in a statement issued in Abuja, described it as untrue and without foundation. President Buhari had been treating all Nigerians equally irrespective of their religious or geo-political backgrounds, Shehu said. "To suggest his government as deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines," he added. He said fighting this group is key priority of President Buhari's Administration. "Indeed the international community has widely acknowledged his determination to defeat terrorism in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad Basin," he added. The spokesperson also described as untrue the London Telegraph's article "Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria" published on July 30, saying that this is as incorrect as it is unhelpful. According to Shehu, the Nigerian government is in no position to divert aid monies used for emergency relief for refugees or IDP camps for any other purpose. Shehu said the government was doing everything within its limited resources to address the medical, health and nutritional challenges in the IDPs, as the humanitarian situation in these camps is real. The spokesperson, however, invited The Telegraph to visit Nigeria to witness first hand not only the challenges the country faces, but the administration's determination to confront them. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The clashes between government and opposition forces continued in Equatorias region and other parts of South Sudan over the weekend, a UN spokesman said Monday, citing the UN mission in the country. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, is "deeply concerned" by the clashes between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and oppositions in the Equatorias and other areas of South Sudan, including Nassir in the Upper Nile area, Farhan Haq told a regular briefing. "The UNMISS mission calls on all parties to return to their bases and allow the movement of humanitarian aid to affected areas," said Haq, adding that tensions persist in the capital city of Juba. The mission also said that since the flare-up in tensions over the past weeks, there have been reports of "widespread sexual violence," including rape and gang rape, of women and young girls, by soldiers in uniform and also by unidentified armed groups of men in plainclothes. "These incidents have been reported from a number of locations, including areas in the vicinity of the Protection of Civilians sites near UN House, and also in other neighborhoods of Juba," UNMISS said in a statement. The mission said that it is now protecting some 200,000 civilians in various locations throughout the country and has intensified patrols in and around the protection sites, as well as in the wider Juba city area since the start of the fighting which erupted in Juba early July. South Sudan won independence on July 9, 2011 from Sudan after more than two decades of war that ended in a bitter divorce. The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which led to a cycle of retaliatory killings. BRUSSELS, August 1 (Xinhua) -- The European Investment Bank (EIB) said on Monday it will invest 750 million euros (837 million U.S. dollars) until 2020 in Portugal to foster employment and to increase the competitiveness the Portuguese economy. Programs to be funded should be defined under the agreement between Portugal and the EU to draw up the use of the European Structural Funds. "This investment shows the EIB's commitment to support the consolidation of the Portuguese economy following the recent crisis and its return to a growth trajectory by supporting employment, innovation and SMEs," an EIB statement quoted the bank's Vice-President Roman Escolano as saying in Lisbon. Most of the investment will focus on innovation and research, education, business development health, energy efficiency and renewable energy, improvement of water supplies, integrated urban renewal, broadband coverage and e-government. Priority will be given to small and medium projects of less than 50 million euros to be implemented. RAMADI, Iraq, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Monday freed rural areas near the newly-freed city of Fallujah in Iraq's western province of Anbar after three days of battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, a provincial security source said. Security forces and allied paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi have ended an offensive to flush out the IS militants from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah area, a sprawling agricultural land to the northwest of Fallujah, which located some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Backed by the U.S.-led heavy bombardment on the IS positions, the troops freed the areas of Albu Bali, Albu Obeid and al-Malahma, leaving a total of 73 IS militants, including many snipers, along with destroying many IS headquarters and dozens of their vehicles, the source added. On Saturday, the troops advanced from three directions in the rural areas in northwest of Fallujah, and fought fierce clashes with the IS militants, forcing them to retreat from the scene. The offensive was designed to drive out the IS militants from the rural areas in north of Euphrates River after the government troops and allied militias previously reclaimed key cities and towns, including Ramadi and Fallujah. Iraq has witnessed worsening violence since the IS took control of parts of its northern and western regions in June 2014. Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence and the rise of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S. that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country. The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but no such weapons have been found. DAMASCUS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 civilians have been killed and 210 others wounded over the past 24 hours as a result of rebel shelling against government-controlled areas in the country's northern city of Aleppo, Syria's national TV said Monday. OSLO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Norway said Monday that more international efforts are needed in restoring peace in South Sudan as tension between rival troops in the African country grew again in the past month. "The fighting in South Sudan is continuing. Norway supports proposals for a new regional protection force in the capital and a strengthening of the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)," Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Borge Brende was quoted as saying in a statement. "The Security Council must adopt targeted sanctions and an arms embargo, as called for by the UN Secretary-General," he added. After fighting broke out on July 8 in the South Sudanese capital of Juba between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to First Vice-President Riek Machar, a large number of civilians lost their lives and some 35,000 people were forced to flee. Three UN soldiers were killed when the areas in the UN camp where civilians had sought refuge were attacked. Tens of thousands of people have fled across the border into neighbouring countries, and the fighting is continuing in the southern part of the country. Tension between the rival troops grew again after President Kiir sacked Machar as first vice president last week. "Norway joins South Sudan's neighbouring countries and the African Union in condemning the recent violence in the strongest possible terms," Brende said. "It is now more important than ever that the peace agreement is respected and implemented." The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) and international envoys on Sunday urged South Sudan president to stop chasing opposition leader and put the peace deal back to normal course. At the conclusion of its 3rd meeting in Khartoum Sunday, the JMEC, tasked with overseeing implementation of South Sudan peace deal, and envoys of China, Norway, the United States and the European Union urged the warring parties in South Sudan to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the recent acts of violence and to hold accountable whoever proves to be involved in the violation of the ceasefire agreement. CHICAGO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural commodities tumbled Monday on mostly favorable weather forecasts in the U.S. Midwest, as it spurred expectations for bumper harvest this fall. The most active corn contract for December delivery shed 8.5 cents, or 2.48 percent, to 3.3425 U.S. dollars per bushel. September wheat delivery was lower of 1.75 cents, or 0.43 percent, to 4.06 dollars per bushel. November soybeans plunged 41.5 cents, or 4.14 percent, to 9.615 dollars per bushel. Following days of hot weather across the U.S. farm belt this week, cooler weather are forecast to bring relief in the following six to ten days. Meanwhile, scattered showers will also water crops over the next couple of weeks, aiding soybeans in their most critical month for development. Soybean futures dropped, erasing gains in the previous session. Corn prices fell to a 22-month low, pressured by expectations that farmers will produce a record crop this year due to benevolent weather. A record U.S. corn crop would heap grain upon already abundant domestic and global supplies, analysts said. Wheat prices slid to a fresh 10-year low on ample world supplies. Though rain-reduced crops in France, a major wheat producer, had recently helped buoy the market, prices have declined for the past five sessions as large crops elsewhere promise to make up for shortfalls in Europe. RABAT, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Djibouti signed on Monday an air services agreement to strengthen technical cooperation in civil aviation. The agreement was signed by Minister of Equipment, Transportation and Logistics Aziz Rabbah and his Djibouti counterpart Mohamed Abdoulkader Moussa. It aims to grant appointed air transport firms more traffic rights, ensure the designation and authorization to operate air services, liberate air transport fares and strengthen trade cooperation between both countries' air carriers. Under this agreement, the two countries agree to share mutual experiences and information related to air traffic by the licensed air transportation services. The agreement also covers the technical, trade and training fields, notably fair competition. BRUSSELS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Brussels on Monday said the European Union (EU)'s banks showed increasing resilience in a stress test. The European banking stress test result confirmed that "overall banks are increasing resilient," said Annika Breidthardt, a spokesperson for the European Commission, at a regular press briefing. Commenting that the stress test was "a well-designed exercise," the spokesperson told reporters that "banks now obviously move to a more steady setting." The remarks came after the European Banking Authority published the result of this year's stress test on 51 EU banks Friday, showing most banks survived the health check as they could be prepared for a very adverse economic situation. Italy's Monte dei Paschi, the world's oldest bank, stood as the only of 51 banks that would wipe out its capital in a hypothetical scenario, suggesting large fund was needed to averse risk. The Commission welcomed a plan announced by Monte dei Paschi earlier to sell its entire portfolio of bad loans and carry out a capital increase of up to 5 billion euros (about 5.6 billion U.S. dollars). "We take note of the bank's announcement that it plans to launch a private capital raising exercise, such process is led by supervisory authorities and by the bank's concern," said Breidthardt. "It is fully in line with EU rules, and any additional capital need should in the first place be raised from the market or from other private sources," she added. The stress test faced some criticism though as some people questioned the scope of the test, arguing the 51 banks failed to show a whole picture of EU's banking system. The Commission defended that it "attaches great importance to the stress tests as a regular mean of evaluating the health of EU bank system and of being the confidence in the solid financial system." "We see stress test as an important and regular part of supervisory toolbox, and they are widely also used in other jurisdiction such as in the U.S.," said the spokesperson. Investors, however, saw the test result in a quite different way and reacted negatively with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index decreasing and shares of banks dropping on Monday. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that a protein, known as CD47, has a role in enabling atherosclerosis, the process underlying heart attacks and strokes. CD47 on the surface of many cells, including those of tumor cells in the human body, gives a so-called "don't eat me" signal to immune cells known as macrophages, indicating that a cell is alive, still going strong and part of a person's healthy tissue. In a new study, published recently online in Nature, reserachers at Stanford and two other U.S. universities report that CD47 is extremely abundant in atherosclerotic tissue compared with normal vascular tissue, and correlated with risk for adverse clinical outcomes such as stroke. Their findings were based on genetic analyses of hundreds of human coronary and carotid artery tissue samples collected at Stanford and at Karolinska Institute in Sweden. And looking at data from other genetic research, they learned that surplus CD47 in atherosclerotic plaques strongly correlates with elevated levels of a well-known inflammation-promoting substance called TNF-alpha. Further experiments showed that TNF-alpha activity prevents what would otherwise be a progressive decrease of CD47 on dying cells, according to a release from Stanford Medicine News Center. Hence, those cells are less susceptible to being eaten by macrophages. Atherosclerosis is caused by the deposition of fatty substances along arterial walls. Over the years, these substances form plaques. It is known that numerous dead and dying cells accumulate in plaques, which inflammation renders brittle and vulnerable to rupture, the ultimate cause of heart attack and stroke. As a cell approaches death, its CD47 surface proteins normally start disappearing, exposing the cell to macrophages' garbage-disposal service. But atherosclerotic plaques are filled with dead and dying cells that should have been cleared by macrophages, yet weren't. In fact, many of the cells piling up in these lesions are dead macrophages and other vascular cells that should have been cleared long ago. "It seems that heart disease may be driven by our immune system's inability to 'take out the trash,'" Nicholas Leeper, associate professor of vascular surgery and of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford, was quoted as saying. "The problem could be an endless loop, in which TNF-alpha-driven CD47 overexpression prevents macrophages from clearing dying cells in the lesion. Those cells release substances that promote the production of even more TNF-alpha in nearby cells." Leeper and Irving Weissman, professor of pathology and of developmental biology and director of Stanford's Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, have filed a patent describing inhibition of CD47 as a method to prevent atherosclerosis. In a laboratory dish, anti-CD47 antibodies induced the clearance of diseased, dying and dead smooth muscle cells and macrophages incubated in conditions designed to simulate the atherosclerotic environment. In several different mouse models, blocking CD47 with anti-CD47 antibodies dramatically countered the buildup of arterial plaque and made it less vulnerable to rupture. The same agent, as a biological drug, is being tested in clinical trials in cancer patients. If the success is borne out in human studies on cardiovascular disease, the drug could be used to combat the world's No. 1 killer. HAVANA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Cuba-U.S. talks on settling multibillion dollars of claims made against each other are one of the most "complex and difficult" negotiations in their normalization process which started last year, a senior Cuban official said Monday. Havana and Washington last week concluded a "substantive" second round of talks in the U.S. capital after the first meeting in December outline their respective claims as part of a deepening detente. "It is an issue of very high complexity, with difficult political, technical and legal aspects that is only in its initial stage," Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno told local press. Washington is seeking a compensation of 10 billion U.S. dollars, mainly for properties nationalized in Cuba after its 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro. Havana, meanwhile, is seeking at least 300 billion U.S. dollars in claims for economic costs of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. "Both sides exchanged information on their respective claims, legal and technical aspects as well as basic information on each case with the goal of preparing the process of negotiation," said Moreno who also headed Cuba's delegation to the talks. He said that both sides will continue in the coming months to hold meetings on the issue but added that Cuba will not rush the talks. "We are talking about a process in two directions, Cuba will not accept unilateral solutions," he noted. Cuba and the United States re-established diplomatic relations a year ago, ending decades of hostility. The two nations have since signed agreements on the environment, mail services, security and direct flights. However, thorny issues like claims, democracy and human rights were barely touched during talks. U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks on the last day of the 2016 U.S. Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States on July 28, 2016. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday formally accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president and pledged more economic opportunities for Americans and "steady leadership". (Xinhua/Li Muzi) WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A number of polls released Monday show a divided America though more people view the Democratic Party and its presidential nominee Hillary Clinton favorably after the party's national convention in Philadelphia last week. The former secretary of state won a nine-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup by 52 percent to 43 percent, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The poll also showed that 70 percent of non-white voters back Clinton, compared with only seven percent supporting Trump. Earlier on Monday, a CBS poll finds Clinton holds a seven-point lead over the New York real estate mogul after the Democratic convention, a four-point shift in her favor. Meanwhile, 44 percent of Americans view the Democratic Party more favorably, compared with only 35 percent saying they favored the Republican Party, shows the latest Gallup poll conducted immediately after each party's convention. By 45 percent to 41 percent, Americans say they are more rather than less likely to vote for Clinton based on what they saw or read about the Democratic convention. In contrast, 36 percent of respondents said they are more likly to vote for Trump, compared with 51 percent who said they are less likely, the Gallup finds. It is the first time that a greater percentage of Americans said they are "less likely" rather than "more likely" to vote for the party's presidential nominee after the Republican convention, said Gallup, which has asked this question since 1984. Also on Monday, a survey from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates some 85 percent of people regard the nation as more politically divided than in the past, and 80 percent view Americans as being greatly divided on the most important values. As many as 73 percent of Americans believe Trump will further divide the United States, compared with 43 percent saying that about Clinton, the last poll finds. The Republican convention was held in Cleveland from July 18 to 21 and the Democratic convention in Philadelphia from July 25 to 28. SYDNEY, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Flights to and from Indonesian tourist island Bali are set to resume on Tuesday after three Australian airlines determined ash from Indonesia's Mount Rinjani will not threaten daytime flying. Virgin Australia, Singapore Airline's low-cost subsidiary Tigerair and Qantas subsidiary Jetstar will resume flights to the tourist destination after flights were cancelled overnight due to the Mount Rinjani eruption on nearby Lombok Island. "We'll continue to assess conditions throughout the day but currently expect all services to operate for the rest of the day," Jetstar said in a statement. A Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Denpasar was forced to turn around mid-flight overnight, while flights from its competitors departing from other capital cities to the key holiday destination were cancelled. Tigerair said its flights from Melbourne would operate as per schedule on Tuesday. However, its flight from Perth in Western Australia is under review. "Safety always comes before schedule and we will continue to work closely with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (in Darwin) to monitor the situation throughout the day," Tigerair said in a statement. The Indonesian island of Bali is one of Australia's most popular holiday destinations, however travel plans are intermittently affected by nearby volcanic eruptions. In July 2015, Australian airlines were forced to cancel flights to and from the holiday destination for nearly two weeks after ash from the Mount Ruang volcano on the island of Java, 150 km west of Denpasar, drifted towards the airport. In a worst case scenario, volcanic ash can shut down a plane engine. In a best case scenario, volcanic ash can do damage to vital systems and the airframe when planes come into contact with ash clouds. A mother with her child walk past a destroyed apartment after shelling in Yasynuvata, Ukraine, on Aug. 1, 2016. A full-scale fighting may resume in eastern Ukraine with rising tensions between the government and the insurgents, a representative of pro-independence insurgents said on Monday. Later in the day, one civilian was killed and another one wounded during the overnight fighting near Yasynuvata town in Donetsk region, according to the insurgent-run DAN news agency. (Xinhua/Alexander Ermochenko) KIEV, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A full-scale fighting may resume in eastern Ukraine with rising tensions between the government and the insurgents, a representative of pro-independence insurgents said on Monday. "The situation may rapidly escalate into full-scale hostilities," Denis Pushilin, the official envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic to the Trilateral Contact Group on the Ukraine crisis, told reporters. Pushilin accused the Ukrainian army of violating the Minsk ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government military blamed the insurgents for stirring the violence, saying that the Ukrainian forces came under fire 85 times over the last 24 hours. Later in the day, one civilian was killed and another one wounded during the overnight fighting near Yasynuvata town in Donetsk region, according to the insurgent-run DAN news agency. Two insurgent soldiers were seriously injured in the hostilities, the agency added. At least one government soldier was killed and six others were wounded, said Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko. Hostilities had eased since September 2015, but this year in May the conflict flared up again as the two sides failed to find common grounds regarding holding local elections in Donetsk and Lugansk. Overall, some 9,400 people have been killed and almost 22,000 others injured in the conflict that began in mid-April 2014. CANBERRA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has described sitting PM Malcolm Turnbull as a "brick wall" in his campaign to become the next UN secretary-general. Video from Saturday's Young Labor function emerged on Tuesday, in which the former Labor premier said Turnbull's decision to block his bid for the UN top job was "part of the collective scar tissue of life." On Friday, the Australian government chose not to endorse Rudd for the position of secretary-general which is set to be vacated by Ban Ki-moon at the end of this year. A candidate for the position must be formally nominated by their government to be considered for the position. In the speech, Rudd said he had always endeavored to "make a huge difference" not only as prime minister, but as foreign minister and also on the international stage, until he was stopped in his tracks by a "brick wall". "And then one of those other brick walls presented itself in the form of Malcolm Turnbull," Rudd said. This is the latest in the war of words between Rudd and Turnbull since the government's decision. On Monday, Rudd released details of personal emails between himself and the prime minister, which detailed how Turnbull was previously in support of an Australian bid for the UN top job. Turnbull retaliated on Monday evening by saying the release of the "private emails" speaks enough about Rudd's "character," vindicating his decision to block Rudd's tilt at the UN. ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed and several others injured in a bus-trailer collision in Pakistan's south Jamshoro district on Tuesday morning, local Urdu media reported. TIANJIN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zhai Yanmin, an unemployed resident of Beijing, was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve after being found guilty of subverting state power Tuesday. WELLINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The sale of e-cigarettes - used for "vaping" tobacco - is set to be legalized in New Zealand, Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga said Tuesday. "Currently the sale and supply of e-cigarettes containing nicotine is prohibited in New Zealand. However people are buying them online and importing directly for personal use," Lotu-Iiga said in a statement. "The proposal is to make the sale and supply of all e-cigarettes lawful in New Zealand with appropriate controls." Vaping has caused controversy in other countries, where critics claim it can lead to nicotine addiction, particularly among young people, and as a gateway to smoking. The government has opened the proposal to submissions until Sept. 12. Anti-tobacco group End Smoking New Zealand welcomed the move, saying it would help the government achieve its goal of a smoke-free country by 2025. "This will be a turning point that will have a significant impact on reducing the death and disease caused by smoking," board member Dr Murray Laugesen said in a statement. TIANJIN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zhai Yanmin, an unemployed resident of Beijing, was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve after being found guilty of subverting state power Tuesday. The ruling was handed down by the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin in a first-instant open trial held in the day. The court was told that Zhai, together with three others -- Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping -- had conspired and plotted to subvert state power, and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." Zhai, 55, was also deprived of his political rights for four years, according to Tuesday's court verdict. Zhai pled guilty and decided not to appeal. Fishing boats have to berth at a port as the Typhoon Nida approaches in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 2, 2016. Affected by the Typhoon Nida, thousands of fishing boats here are left idle despite the end of moratorium. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang) GUANGZHOU, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Nida made landfall at 3:35 a.m. Tuesday at Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province, local weather authorities said. The strong typhoon packing winds up to 151.2 km per hour is moving northwest at 25 km per hour and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Guangdong provincial weather authorities. Nearly 200 train trips were suspended on Tuesday, including 180 bullet train trips, according to a statement issued by the Nanning Railway Bureau. Trains from Guangzhou to Nanning, capital of Guangxi, and Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, were among those suspended. More than 2,000 soldiers and paramilitary forces, as well as over 100 ambulances, have been prepared for the emergency response in Shenzhen, the city's armed police headquarters said. The Guangdong provincial government on Monday evening requested in a circular the suspension of projects, businesses, markets, schools and transportation. Companies and organizations that do not provide critical services or urban operations are encouraged to offer a day off on Tuesday. Trading at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange was not affected on Tuesday. All ships scheduled to end their fishing ban on Monday were asked to delay their departure and stay at port to avoid the rainstorm. SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has lost and will lose much of its diplomatic clout in Northeast Asia, which it needs to deal with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear issue, as Seoul agreed with Washington to deploy a U.S. missile defense system on its soil, a former South Korean unification minister said Monday. "There's no diplomatic consideration found in the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s (foreign) policy," Jeong Se-hyun, who served as unification minister for two and a half years from 2002, said in an interview with Xinhua. He made the comments when explaining his opposition to the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in his homeland. Seoul and Washington abruptly announced a decision in July to install one THAAD battery in Seongju county, some 250 km southeast of the capital, by the end of next year, defying strong objections from its neighboring countries. The government, Jeong said, never considered diplomatic gains and losses from the deployment decision, which he expected would put South Korea in a very difficult situation in exercising diplomacy and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula as China and Russia strongly oppose THAAD in South Korea. "THAAD will be deployed as the U.S. needs it. (South) Korea and the U.S. claim it can defend against North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats, but the claim is just a superficial justification. The strategic and actual goal is to supervise and check military forces in China and the far eastern region of Russia," said Jeong, who has served as unification minister under the two previous governments of late presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. THAAD's X-band radar damages the security interests of China and Russia as it can peer into Chinese and Russian territories. Seoul said it will adopt the terminal mode radar with a detectable range of 600-800 km, but it can be converted at any time into a forward-based mode that can range at least 2,000 km. The radar's modified version reportedly does not even need the conversion, detecting as far as 3,000-4,000 km. The THAAD battery set to be deployed on South Korean soil will be operated by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which Jeong said means a U.S. action to militarily maintain its "dominant position and hegemony" in East Asia that Washington has enjoyed since the end of World War II. The U.S. anti-missile system is incapable of intercepting all of the DPRK's missiles, Jeong said, as the DPRK military allegedly has more than 1,000 missiles targeting South Korea. THAAD is composed of 48 interceptors, six mobile launchers, an X-band radar and fire control system. Seoul and its adjacent metropolitan area will be excluded from the THAAD coverage as it is set to be installed in the country's southeast region, which the former unification minister said is clear evidence to support the claim that THAAD is not aimed at protecting South Korea from the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats. South Korea's military said the capital Seoul and its adjacent region will be protected by U.S. Patriot interceptors that can shoot down missiles at an altitude of 15-30 km. THAAD is designed to intercept missiles at an altitude of 40-150 km, while DPRK missiles travel at a lower altitude of 20-30 km. It is natural for China and Russia to oppose the THAAD deployment in South Korea as it aims not to intercept DPRK missiles, but to supervise Chinese and Russian territories, said the former unification minister. "Where is there any fool to believe the claim that the THAAD radar targets North Korea (DPRK) alone? Who could know what happens inside the U.S. base where the THAAD battery is deployed? The core (of the THAAD deployment) is aimed at supervising China and Russia, not at interception," Jeong said. Jeong said the THAAD deployment is not in South Korea's national interests as it causes more losses than gains diplomatically and economically and that the deployment decision was made due to U.S. pressure. It is an explicit failure of foreign policy under the Park Geun-hye government, he said. The THAAD deployment is expected to make it hard for South Korea to obtain diplomatic cooperation from China and Russia in pursuing President Park's regional policies like the Eurasia initiative and the initiative for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. The goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula will be made difficult to achieve due to the expected reluctance from China and Russia to cooperate with South Korea, Jeong said. Jeong said Park used "flamboyant rhetoric" to refer to the trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula and reunification "bonanza" in her early tenure to explain her DPRK policy. But, her real intention proved to be the DPRK's collapse, he said, as could be seen in her super hardline policies such as the shutdown of Kaesong Industrial Complex, one of the few remaining inter-Korean economic cooperation projects, and the resumption of propaganda broadcasts with loudspeakers in the frontline army units. The super hardline policy led South Korea to be caught in a snare set by the United States, which Jeong said means the U.S. military strategy in East Asia of observing and pressuring China and Russia together with South Korea and Japan. "The Park Geun-hye government can no longer use a word of foreign policy. The super hardline policy toward North Korea (DPRK) results in (South) Korea being trapped in the U.S. strategy in East Asia. The government didn't consider the worsening of (South) Korea-China relations (in its THAAD deployment decision)," Jeong said. Jeong predicted that South Korea's economy will take a direct hit with the THAAD deployment as the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea is expected to decline. Moreover, trade is projected to fall between China and South Korea, which heavily depends on the world's second-largest economy for exports, as China is South Korea's largest trading partner. TOKYO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government approved a defense white paper for 2016 on Tuesday, summarizing Japan's defense policy changes while smearing China's normal maritime activities to justify Japan's own militarization. The annual document came after an ad hoc arbitral tribunal with judges mostly picked by Shunji Yanai, a Japanese right-winger, issued a biased and illegal award over the South China Sea dispute. The Philippines unilaterally filed an arbitration case against China at the tribunal over the South China Sea in 2013. China has dismissed the ill-founded ruling as "null and void with no binding force." In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages making irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and China's normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. Analysts here believe that by playing up the so-called "China threat," the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to make excuses for amending the post-war pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military. The white paper also covers Japan's defense policies and changes in defense strategy since last July, including Japan's ever-rising military spending, its enforcement of the new National Defense Program Guidelines, and its attempts to promote arms sales. It devoted a special chapter to the highly controversial security law that had been steamrolled through the parliament in March by the Abe administration. It claimed the legislation "safeguards Japan's peace and security" and "international community spoke highly of the security laws," ignoring the fact that the majority of legal experts in the country regarded the security laws as unconstitutional and hundreds of thousands of people have rallied against the laws. The white paper also stressed the importance of Japan-U.S. military alliance. Regarding the planned relocation of the U.S. air base in Okinawa, the document said relocation to Henoko within the prefecture is the only solution, despite the strong wish of Okinawans to move the base out of the island. The document also listed other security "concerns," such as those from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Japan released its first white paper on defense in 1970 and has been compiling new versions annually since 1976. PHNOM PENH, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo on Tuesday appreciated Cambodia for adhering to a neutral and fair position on the South China Sea issue. "Cambodia's neutral and fair stance over the South China Sea issue has importantly contributed to protecting China-ASEAN good cooperation and to maintaining peace and stability in the region," she said during the inauguration ceremony of a China-funded road in western Kampong Speu province. The ceremony was also attended by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen. The Cambodian prime minister announced in June that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) did not support the arbitral tribunal's so-called award over the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China. He said the CPP considered the ruling as "the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics." The former Philippine government, headed by Benigno Aquino III, unilaterally initiated the South China Sea arbitration in 2013. The move has violated the Philippines' standing agreement with China to settle relevant disputes through bilateral negotiation, violated China's right to choose means of dispute settlement of its own will as a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and abused the UNCLOS dispute settlement procedures. The ad hoc tribunal issued an award on July 12, siding with Manila's cunningly packaged claims and denying China's long-standing historic rights in the South China Sea. "The arbitral tribunal established at the Philippines' unilateral request has no jurisdiction over relevant submissions, and awards rendered by it are null and void and have no binding force," the Chinese government has said. HEFEI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A court in east China's Anhui Province on Tuesday convicted and sentenced the former head of the provincial tourism bureau to 12 years behind bars for bribe-taking. The ruling was handed down by Anqing City Intermediate People's Court Tuesday after it found Hu Xuefan, previously director of Anhui provincial bureau of tourism, was guilty of having taken bribes totaling more than 4.6 million yuan (about 691, 729 U.S. dollars). The court found that Hu or his family members accepted cash, shopping cards and gold bars while he held positions at Mount Huangshan Resort, the Huangshan City Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Tourism Bureau of Anhui Province from 1999 to 2014. He helped more than 20 companies or individuals with allocation of tourism funds, resort ratings, personnel promotion and other decisions in exchange for bribes. The court hearing started on Dec. 22, 2015. Hu confessed to the local procuratorate during the investigation but withdrew the confession later in court. He was stripped of the illicit proceeds of 4.6 million yuan and was also fined 4 million yuan, according to Tuesday's court ruling. Hu said he would file an appeal after the ruling. Photo taken on Aug. 1, 2016 shows a symbol of Didi in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Chinese on-demand mobility (ODM) firm Didi announced Monday it will take over Uber's China business, in a deal that could value the merged China operation at 35 billion U.S. dollars. (Xinhua/Long Wei) BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese on-demand mobility (ODM) firm Didi's takeover of the business of Uber China has triggered worries over potential monopoly and price hikes. Didi announced Monday it was taking over Uber China, in a deal that could value the merged operations in China at 35 billion U.S. dollars. Uber will take a 5.9 percent stake in Didi, which in turn did not disclose the stake it will take in Uber. Uber China's ODM service will continue to operate independently. The deal follows China's recent legalization of ODM services. Yang Jianhua, head of the Public Policy Research Institute of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, described the merger as "unexpected but reasonable." "If the two companies continued to wage war against each other via discounts, both would be hurt," Yang said. The takeover, however, has fueled concerns from experts that a monopoly might hurt the market. The deal is not subject to anti-monopoly review by the State Council as both have not made profits and Uber China's revenue did not reach the review threshold, Didi said. However, the takeover would in fact create a monopoly as the two might have more than 90 percent of the market share in China, said Wu Weiqiang, vice president of the Hangzhou Institute for Reform and Development. Monopoly could reduce competition and result in higher prices for more profits, said Zhou Hanhua, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Passengers and drivers are also worried that they will lose benefits following the deal. "I am worried about fewer discounts and higher fees," said Wang Rong, a 27-year-old resident of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. "I hope my salary will not decrease in the future," said Shen Yangfei, a Hangzhou driver. Ye Yun, a public relations representative for Didi, told Xinhua that discounts for passengers and drivers will continue "for a long time." "On-demand taxi-hailing services have just started in China," said Yang Jianhua. "There is very high potential in many aspects of this business." The two companies have been locked in a bitter battle for customers in China marked by huge discounts since last year. Didi has strong capital support, while Uber has unique data processing technology and capital operations. Uber is one of a few foreign tech firms that has been able to compete with domestic rivals head-on in China. While Didi has the majority of China's ODM services, Uber has managed to establish a foothold and made inroads in lower-tier cities this year. The competition prompted a discount war. In June, Didi announced it had secured 7.3 billion U.S. dollars in equity and debt financing, including 1 billion dollars from Apple, which valued the company at around 28 billion dollars. Uber secured over 6 billion dollars in its latest funding round. Liu Zhen, Uber's China head of strategy, said in June that most of the money would fund operations in China. While Uber has generated over 1 billion dollars in profit from its top 30 cities worldwide, the company has not yet made profit in any Chinese city, even though it provides more trips in China than any other country. BEIJING, July 18, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Undated photo shows a Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling islands and reefs including Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducted a combat air patrol in the South China Sea recently, which will become a "regular" practice in the future, said a military spokesperson on July 18, 2016. The PLA sent H-6K bombers and other aircraft including fighters, scouts and tankers to patrol islands and reefs including Huangyan Dao, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the PLA Air Force. (Xinhua/Liu Rui) MOSCOW, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The award of the ad hoc arbitral tribunal in The Hague on the claim of the Philippines will under no circumstances have an impact on China's sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said. "China defends the settlement of the South China Sea dispute through dialogue and consultation with the directly involved countries on the basis of respect for historical facts and international law, with the aim to maintain peace and stability in the region," Li said in an interview with leading Russian media on Monday. "The ruling made by the tribunal has no legal basis," Li said, noting that China's Nansha Islands have been China's territory since ancient times. The ambassador reiterated China's consistent position to refuse to participate in the proceedings, and its stance that it neither accepts nor recognizes the ruling. "In this way we exercise our rights in accordance with international law, and we also protect the dignity of international law," Li said when calling the sovereignty issue a "red line" for China. "The Chinese people do not encroach on the interests nor envy the development of other countries," Li said, stressing however that China would not give up its own legitimate interests. "The Chinese government and people will continue to maintain unity and cohesion, and will firmly defend every inch of the land, and every strip of the sea that belongs to us," Li said. The ambassador highly appreciated the fact that since the emergence of the South China Sea dispute, Russia has in various statements objectively and fairly summed up the situation in the South China Sea and appealed to the international community for justice. Li also approved numerous media reports on the South China Sea issue and the arbitration ruling, which "restored the true historical picture of what has been happening and showed the actual reasons behind the problem." "The reports have exposed attempts by some extra-regional countries to intervene in the South China Sea issue in their selfish interests, inciting discord among regional states, creating tension in the region and promoting its militarization," Li said. Houthi fighters react as they hold up their weapons at a tribal gathering in Sanaa, Yemen, July 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) RABAT, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Morocco came as second major consumer of Spanish weaponry in Africa in 2015, local media reported on Tuesday. According to figures released by the daily Akhbar Al Yaoum, Morocco spent 45.2 million euros in 2015 on Spanish weapons. The figure was only 11.6 million euros in 2014, the same source noted. ANKARA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will promote the G20 summit as an efficient platform for world governance including economic development, trade and investment, Turkish experts said on Monday. The upcoming G20 summit is to be held in September in Hangzhou with the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy." It will be the first time in G20 summit history that development is being given priority in a global macro-policy framework, and the first time to outline steps to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. "It is the first time to put 'innovation' on the priority at the G20 summit," Guven Sak, chief of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, told Xinhua. China emphasizes "Innovation for development", he continued, adding the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou will put more focus on reforms. Ussal Sahbaz, another expert at the foundation, said he was very glad the forum for small- and medium-sized enterprises, created at the last G20 summit in Turkey, was also put on priority of the agenda at the this year's summit. The 10th G20 summit was held in Turkish city of Antalya last November with the main theme of "Inclusiveness, Implementation and Investment for growth", or "THREE I'S". Mustafa Kutlay, an associate professor at the International Relations Institute of TOBB University of Economics and Technology, hoped the "THREE I'S" could continue at the G20 summit in Hangzhou. The upcoming summit will have an important influence on world governance and world economy, said Kutlay, adding China, as the second largest economy in the world, has the resources and abilities to ensure the success of the summit. Altay Atli, an expert at the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), noted the summit will provide an opportunity for China to show the world that it will rise peacefully. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Tuesday issued a regulation on judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas. The explanation provides a clear legal basis for China to protect the maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, said an SPC statement. The regulation, which takes effect Tuesday, states that Chinese citizens or foreigners will be pursued for criminal liability if they engage in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. An unnamed SPC official said maritime courts across China have handled many maritime cases in recent years. "People's courts' jurisdiction over the Diaoyu, Huangyan and Xisha Islands and its adjacent sea areas has never stopped," the official said. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," said the official, adding, "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction, the statement said. According to the regulation, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The regulation also addresses Chinese citizens or organizations engaged in fishing in fishing zones or the open sea under co-management between China and other countries, according to signed agreements. The interpretation specifies the standard of conviction and punishment for illegal marine fishing: Those who illegally enter Chinese territorial waters and refuse to leave after being driven away, or who re-enter after being driven away or being fined in the past year, will be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and will be fined and sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, detention or surveillance. This penalty also applies to those who illegally enter China's territorial seas to fish but do not engage in "illegal fishing" under the law, it said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," defining punishments for fishing without a license in order to encourage legal fishing, said the statement, adding that it also promotes judicial assistance and international cooperation on marine affairs. In recent years, illegal hunting, fishing and killing of endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas has happened frequently, and foreign ships and foreigners have entered China's exclusive economic zones to conduct criminal activities, said the SPC official. The official said applying the Criminal Law to crack down on crimes in China's jurisdictional seas is conducive to safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime integrity. CHANGSHA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Seven people have been arrested after a body was found last month in the debris of a demolished home in central China's Hunan Province, prosecutors said Tuesday. Li Jun, former Communist Party of China (CPC) Guanshaling community head in the district of Yuelu in the provincial capital Changsha City, was among those arrested for abuse of power or dereliction of duty on July 28 and 29, according to a statement issued by Changsha People's Procuratorate. The other suspects include four lower-level community officials or employees, the current Party chief, and the head of Chazishan village, according to the statement. On July 7, the body of a woman was found in demolition debris in Chazishan. It is alleged that there had been a dispute between the home owners and the demolition crew. Investigators confirmed that the woman had been crushed to death. According to Yang Quan, who claims to be the son of the deceased, his mother, Gong Xuehui, 60, had not been seen since demolition on June 16. Her body was found weeks later after her son hired an excavator to search through the debris. Yang alleges that on June 16 hundreds of people barged into his home and tried to remove the family, including Gong, from the premises. He told Beijing News that they were locked in a car until their home had been leveled. The report said the family failed to reach an agreement on compensation with the authority managing the demolition. JAKARTA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua)-- Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) here on Tuesday, urging the Muslim community to use their fundamental powers to tap fortune in global economy and to address education and training issue for the youths. Inaugurating the opening of the 12th WIEF held in the capital city's landmark convention center of JCC here, President Widodo said that Muslim community has the fundamental powers to tackle economic issues lingering the world at present. According to president of the host country, Muslim community has the best demographic figures which is apparently dominated by youths if compared with other communities. "The age average of Muslim youths across the world was at 23 years old with the median age recorded at 30 years old,"President Widodo said with leaders of several countries at presence. Besides the demographic advantage, Widodo added that Muslim community also sees the vibrant development of Sharia financial industry which now worths millions of U.S. dollars. Similar rapid development of Muslim community-connected business was also seen in fashion, the president said, adding that all of it has the potential to create a new world economy. Despite those compelling facts, the Indonesian president said that world's Muslim community faces challenges from high unemployment rates and poor capability to boost their competitiveness. "We should boost their capabilities to interact and compete with other communities. With the absence of education and training efforts for Muslim community, we would still be lagged behind by others," President Widodo pointed out. The opening ceremony of the 12th WIEF was attended by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Guinea President Alpha Conde and Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Shriyan Wickemenshinghe. The president of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Ahmad Mohamed Ali was also present among dignitaries attending the event. Themed "Decentralizing Growth, Empowering Future Business,"the 12th WIEF would run until Aug. 4 with the participation of more than 2,500 delegates from 69 countries. The WIEF was originally designed as a grand meeting to meet representatives of governments, businessmen and scholars. Besides exhibiting products for Muslim community market, the event was also filled with seminars and discussions guided by acclaimed speakers and scholars from Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kenya, Ethiopia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, South Arica, Spain and Australia. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Despite declines in China's exports to Brazil, its imports from the South American country have accelerated this year, with the growth rate reaching 17.3 percent year on year during the first five months, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. During the past two years, Brazil has become the largest source of China's imports of poultry and beef, Shen Danyang, spokesperson for the ministry, said at a news briefing. Bilateral trade between the two countries witnessed steady growth over the past few years. Brazil is China's 10th largest trading partner, and is also China's biggest investment destination in Latin America, Shen said. The number of China-invested enterprises topped 200 in Brazil, and their direct investment stock hit 3.88 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2015. Trade between China and Brazil fell 9.5 percent year on year to 24.1 billion U.S. dollars during the first five months of the year, due to the weak global economy and falling commodity prices, official data showed. People from Seongju county hold the national flags of South Korea and banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. More than 2,000 people from Seongju county, where one THAAD battery will be deployed, gathered at a square in Seoul for a rally on Thursday, to protest against the deployment of THAAD. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) by Ahmed Shafiq, Emad al-Azraq CAIRO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The insistence of the U.S. to deploy advanced THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea represents an invitation to a new Cold War, experts in Egypt said. Such a move by the U.S. mainly aims at stirring up troubles and unrest around Russia and China in an effort to maintain its domination over the world, according to experts. "The insistence of the United States to deploy a missile shield in Northeast Asia, especially South Korea, means the beginning of a new cold war," former Egyptian deputy foreign minister Ahmed al-Ghamrawi told Xinhua. He added that it is clear that there is an attempt to encircle China and Russian through deploying high-tech anti-missile bases around the two countries. "American leaders believe that the two countries pose economic, political and military threats to the U.S. in particular and to the West in general, that is why they have decided to take this move," he explained. He added that the United States started to realize the decline of its dominance, strength and economy, while the Chinese and the Russian roles are growing, which prompted Washington to move quickly on stirring up problems in the face of Beijing and Moscow. Earlier this month, Seoul and Washington announced the agreement to install one THAAD battery in Seongju County, some 250 km southeast of the South Korean capital city, by the end of next year, as one way to counter the nuclear and missile threats posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). THAAD is developed by the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin. It is a U.S. Army anti-ballistic missile system designed to shoot down short and medium range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. It is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors and a radar and fire control system valued at about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. The deployment of the advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea is just a part of Washington's global anti-missile scheme. China has expressed strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the THAAD deployment in South Korean territory as it damaged China's security interests and broke a strategic balance in the region, while Russia indicated a military response by deploying a missile unit in the Far Eastern region. Washington is not currently seeking to get into a direct confrontation with China and Russia, al-Ghamrawi said, adding that the U.S. therefore pushes its allies play this role through deploying the THAAD system in South Korea as well as inciting the Philippines and Indonesia to stir up the South China Sea crisis. "Publicly the U.S. and South Korea announce that the THAAD missile system is meant to counter the face DPRK missiles, but the truth is that it is meant to be against China," the former diplomat stressed. Since 2012, the United States has been trying to place the THAAD system into South Korea, which experts said has limited effectiveness against missiles from the DPRK. On a technical note, THAAD is designed to shoot down missiles at a relatively high altitude of 40 to 150 km, but the DPRK's rockets fly at a lower altitude of about 20 km, so the THAAD system might not be able to intercept them. "China will not be led into a war. It has a big economy and it is keen to keep this economy growing. In addition, China always prefers to solve problems peacefully." al-Ghamrawi said to Xinhua. However, the Chinese navy started a drill, which involved firing dozens of missiles and torpedoes, in the East China Sea, which might be seen as a message to the U.S. that its plans in the region cannot be easily implemented. The navy said in statement that "the drill is aimed at honing the assault "intensity, precision, stability and speed" of troops amid heavy electromagnetic influences." "An information technology-based war at sea is sudden, cruel and short, which requires fast transition to combat status, quick preparation and high assault efficiency," the statement added. Meanwhile, Egyptian international relations expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Saeed Lawendy, told Xinhua that the cold war is currently looming in northeast Asia. "It is a cold war, but not the same ferocity of that in the fifties and sixties of last century, and the U.S. for its own good inciting regional countries to confront China and Russia is as well as a proxy way," he said. Lawendy warned that the U.S. actions in Northeast Asia will block the regional attempts to contain tension with DPRK. "Such actions may lead countries in the region to seek military solutions, which pose a dangerous threat to the whole region," he expected. WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Legendary investor Warren Buffett Monday challenged Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over his refusal to release tax returns as well as his claim that he's "made a lot of sacrifices." At a rally with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in his hometown Omaha, Nebraska, the second richest man in the United States said he would meet Trump "any place, any time between now and election" to look into each other's tax returns, suggesting Trump has something to hide. "Now I've got news for him, I'm under audit too," Buffett said, rebuking Trump's claim that he can't release tax returns because he is being audited. "There are no rules against showing your tax returns and just let people ask us questions about the items that are on there," said Buffett. "You're only afraid if you've got something to be afraid of," he told the crowd. "He's not afraid of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. government agency responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement). He's afraid because of you." "Donald Trump and I haven't sacrificed anything," Buffett said. "No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan." "How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" Buffett said, criticizing Trump for his attacks on the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq 12 years ago. "Have you no decency, sir?" Buffett asked. He then said he is launching a website called drive2vote.org, where he has reserved a trolley to drive people to vote. "It seats 32. I'm going to be on it all day. I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes," Buffett said. "My goal is to have the turnout here be the highest percentage of potential voters of any district in the country." Buffett's strong opposition comes after a speech made by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, calling for unity of independent voters against Trump at the Democratic National Convention last week. The two billionaires questioned Trump's success as a businessman since the Republican wild-card candidate has always argued that he is able to run America as successfully as he runs his own business. People from Seongju county hold the national flags of South Korea and banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. More than 2,000 people from Seongju county, where one THAAD battery will be deployed, gathered at a square in Seoul for a rally on Thursday, to protest against the deployment of THAAD. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) by Qu Junya, Xin Jianqiang BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The joint decision of Washington and Seoul to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea damages the mutual trust and cooperation developed with China by threatening China's strategic security interests. The move, regardless of China's repeated opposition, undermines the foundation of their strategic cooperative partnership at a time when it actually should be deepening. The decision to deploy THAAD breaks the regional strategic balance by tying South Korea to the U.S. chariot of Asia-Pacific re-balancing. With the system's X-band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles (about 1,900 km) from the Korean Peninsula, the United States can spy on almost half of China's territory and the southern part of Russia's Far East, endangering the two countries' national security. Such a system challenges Seoul's argument that it is only directed at missile and nuclear threats alleged from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). As it fits well into Washington's planned anti-missile shield against China in the Asia-Pacific, some South Korean media have commented it as a result of humiliated diplomacy and a move to serve U.S. hegemony. Seoul has chosen to defy China's security concerns and its promises made to China on the THAAD issue, despite the criticism at home. It had tried to keep the months-long consultations with Washington on deployment details from public knowledge, and to fool its people by denying local media disclosures of agreements being reached on the schedule and site only three days before it announced the THAAD deployment. Worse, the announcement was timed to precede, by five days, an ill-grounded ruling on the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines. And only one day after the ruling was issued, it hastily made a statement on where THAAD would be deployed. Seoul is expected to find the moves, in such an ill-chosen sequence, are diplomatic miscalculations by underestimating China's determination and capability to defend its national security. Despite valuing the fruits of efforts to develop bilateral ties, China can by no means allow Seoul to harm its security interests. Seoul's decision has erected a barrier to closer relations with China, and even jeopardized them. Seoul should tread carefully and consider whether a THAAD system would really address its security concerns and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. DAMASCUS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A new batch of civilians and rebels evacuated rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, state-run al-Ekhabaria TV said. Scores more families have evacuated eastern Aleppo districts through Sheikh Saeed passages in the south of Aleppo city, the report said A number of armed rebels surrendered, as the government has decided to pardon all rebels who surrender within three months. Rebels waged a wide-scale offensive two days ago to break the siege on eastern Aleppo, but the Syrian army has managed to repel them. Over 50 rebels and 30 civilians were killed in action, a military source told Xinhua, as rockets rained down on the government-controlled parts of Allepo from the rebels in their attacks. On Sunday, the al-Fatah Army announced the beginning of a big offensive to disrupt the Syrian army's advance in Aleppo. Late last week, the Syrian army stormed the Bani Zaid area, a main rebel stronghold in the eastern part of Aleppo. The offensive came a week after the army severed the last supply route connecting rebel-held rural areas in northern Aleppo with the eastern part of the city. The Syrian army has fully besieged eastern Aleppo, urging the rebels to surrender and the civilians to cooperate. Moreover, President Bashar al-Assad announced an amnesty for the rebels who choose to surrender with their weapons to the authorities. The Syrian authorities, along with the Russians, opened three safe passages for civilians to leave eastern Aleppo, in addition to a fourth one for the rebels to surrender. Video clips aired on Syrian TVs showed rebel fighters surrendering to the authorities. ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The visiting Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Tuesday Pakistan has assured him to take action against the institutions linked to Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey suspects the main character behind the last month's failed coup. Dozens of Pak-Turk educational institutions and some cultural organizations work in Pakistan which Turkish government believes are inspired by Gulen, who live in the self-imposed exile in the United States. Gulen had denied any involvement in the failed coup. The Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week Pakistan is considering several options on the Turkish schools. Cavusoglu, who arrived in Islamabad early Tuesday for talks with Pakistani leaders on the post-coup situation, told a news conference that Pakistan is the first country he is visiting after the July 15 failed coup. Pakistan was among the countries which had condemned the attempted coup and announced support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least 246 people were killed in clashes during the attempt. The Turkish Foreign Minister thanked Pakistan's support and hailed resolutions passed by both houses of the parliament in support of the Turkish government. DHAKA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has identified two Dhaka terror masterminds and announced a cash reward of 4 million taka (about 50,632 U.S. dollars) to anyone giving information leading to the arrest of the militant kingpins. Inspector General of Bangladesh Police AKM Shahidul Huq in a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday made the announcement. He said one Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury along with former army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque, who has been dismissed for a coup attempt, plotted to attack Spanish cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan. "We won't reveal the identity of the confidential informants," Huq said. According to the police chief, both Chowdhury and Haque were also behind the attack near the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue on July 7 and the militants were gunned down in Dhaka's downtown Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26. Responsibility for the Gulshan attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group, an assertion rejected by the authorities, who blamed "homegrown" terrorists for the incident. Six of the gunmen were killed while one was captured and detained alive, but he later died in a hospital. Bangladesh has pointed finger at the banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for the terror attack at the Spanish restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan on July 1 that left 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two police officers dead. JMB, campaigning for establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombing attacks in 63 out of the country's 64 districts, including capital Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2005, leaving two people dead and 150 others injured. Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007. Huq had earlier said militants gunned down in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26 were involved with JMB. Before the wounds of the July 1 deadly terror attack had even begun to heal, Bangladesh suffered a fresh blow on July 7 when terrorists attacked Muslims' Eid prayers. At least four people were killed, including two police officers and one of the attackers, after several explosions and gunfire took place at the entrance of the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue in Kishoreganj district, some 117 km northeast of Dhaka, on the morning of July 7. HANOI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese central bank has warned banks, credit institutions and financial organizations against hacker attacks after websites of Vietnam Airlines and IT systems at airports were hacked. Specifically, the State Bank of Vietnam has instructed the agencies to review their network safety, especially online customer service, and take necessary steps to secure their IT system, protect and recover databases if needed, reported local Vietnam News on Tuesday. The central bank also ordered technicians to monitor IT systems constantly and improve oversight to discover attacks immediately. Vu Ngoc Son, deputy chairman in charge of anti-malware at Vietnam's BKAV Technology Group, admitted that the recent attacks on the website of Vietnam Airlines and airports'IT systems were very serious attacks and hackers have entered deeply into the airlines database. "In Vietnam, most enterprises only invest in equipment and ignore online security. When they find an illegal attack, they do not know how to cope with it and it worsens the aftermath,"Son told Vietnam News. Online security experts said customers should not take photos of cards, store them or share them on email or social networks in order to safeguard their accounts and credit cards. Users are warned to carefully check online shops before using their cards, use and regularly update anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-key logger software in their computers and mobile devices which are often used to access online shops. Vietnam News also cited statistics that Vietnam is among the nations to suffer the most malware attacks. The country is also the number one in spreading viruses through external devices like flash drives, memory cards, and mobile hard disk drives and 71 percent of all computers are infected. Around 40 percent of users suffered from malware contracted online. In 2015, as many as 10,000 websites of Vietnam were hacked, an increase of 68 percent from 2014. Among the pages being attacked, there were 224 Vietnamese government websites. File photo taken on May 6, 2013 shows Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen drive a bulldozer during the inauguration ceremony of the construction project of national road No. 44 in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. (Xinhua/Li Hong) KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday inaugurated the 140 km national road No. 44 here, which had been built under a concessional loan from China. The road is off the national road No. 4, going through four districts in western Kampong Speu province and ending at the national road No. 5. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo presided over the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by government officials, diplomatic corps and about 10,000 locals. Hun Sen said the road was essential to facilitate travel and goods transport in the province, expressing his sincere thanks to China for her support to the project. Ambassador Bu said she is confident that the road will contribute to improving the livelihood of residents along the road. The road had been constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation in a period of 40 months. NIAMEY, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has given Niger an aid of 300 million yuans (over 45 million U.S. dollars) to fund several development projects, an official source said Monday in Niamey. The source said the economic and technical cooperation agreement was signed on July 29 in Beijing by Niger's Deputy Foreign Minister El Back Zeinabou Tari Bako. She was in the Chinese capital to attend the meeting of coordinators monitoring the implementation of agreements during the Forum on China Africa Cooperation held in Johannesburg last year. The funds will enable Nigerien government to complete construction of a referral hospital in Niamey, the third bridge along River Niger, as well as other development projects. Cooperation between China and Niger dates a long time ago and China has invested considerable resources to support Niger's development actions in different socio-economic sectors. Some of the projects constructed by China include General Seyni Kountche stadium, various roads, the second bridge on river Niger, the water project in Zinder, schools and training equipment in the health sector. Once completed, the Niamey general referral hospital that will have a capacity of 500 beds, will become the biggest and most modern referral hospital in West Africa. Tari Bako said the expected completion of the third bridge on river Niger will help to ease traffic on both sides of the river in Niamey. "African countries should continue supporting the implementation of projects agreed upon during the Johannesburg Forum for the benefit of our states," she concluded. BERLIN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Germany winger Leroy Sane, 20, will sign a five-year contract with Premier League side Manchester City, his Bundesliga club Schalke 04 confirmed on Tuesday. "We have given the green light for the transfer. Those in charge of Manchester City behaved professionally at all times. There were difficult, but fair discussions," said Schalke's director of sport Christian Heidel. Sane was part of Germany's Euro 2016 squad and has won four caps for his country. BISSAU, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's ambassador to Guinea Bissau Wang Hua has said that Beijing and Bissau will reinforce their cooperation in various sectors. The Chinese diplomat said this in Bissau on Monday after meeting with Guinea Bissau's Secretary of State for Cooperation Augusto Poquena. "The two parties have expressed their desire to work together to guarantee greater prosperity for their people," Wang said, adding that the two countries will particularly cooperate in sectors such as agriculture, education and fisheries. The diplomat said China will continue supporting Guinea Bissau's development. "China which is one of the key development partners of Guinea Bissau, will strongly support agriculture and infrastructure sectors," he affirmed. Recently, the Chinese government offered Guinea Bissau materials valued 1.25 million U.S. dollars to boost rice production. Speaking to Xinhua in early July, Guinea Bissau's Public Works Minister Malam Banjai said China was an indispensable partner of Guinea Bissau and it requires special attention. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Tuesday said China was disappointed at the United States' punitive duties on Chinese solar products, saying the practice disrupted the global industry chain. "We were disappointed by our U.S. counterpart as we believe its constant anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on Chinese photovoltaic products has seriously disrupted the development of the global industry chain," said MOC spokesperson Shen Danyang during a routine press conference. The U.S. Commerce Department decided recently to levy anti-dumping duties ranging from 6.12 percent to 12.19 percent and countervailing duties of 19.2 percent on imports of photovoltaic products from China. Photovoltaic products are beneficial to environmental protection and pollution reduction. With relatively advanced technology, China has developed lot of quality photovoltaic products and services, while importing a large amount of raw materials and equipment, Shen said. In this respect, and as major photovoltaic markets, China and the U.S. have a promising cooperation future, he said. Shen said he hopes to enhance dialogue and consultation with relevant countries, including the United States, to solve trade frictions in this field via industrial cooperation to contribute to global climate change tasks. NEW DELHI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 52 people were killed and several others injured, some of them critically due to lightning in India's eastern state of Odisha during past three days, officials said Tuesday. The lightning struck across several districts of the state causing fatalities and injuries to people. On Saturday lightning killed 41 people and injured 35 others, while as on Sunday it struck again and claimed 11 lives. Officials said most of the casualties were reported from agricultural fields as people were busy sowing paddy seedlings, when lightning hit them. "As per data available with the office of special relief commissioner 52 deaths have taken place in the state due to lightning during the two days," an official said. The injured who were admitted at different hospitals were said to be going under treatment. Officials said, the local government in Odisha has declared lightning as a state specific disaster. The state's government has announced an ex-gratia relief of 5993 U.S. dollars to each family who have lost their member in the disaster. India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said lightning claims more human lives than any other natural disaster in Odisha. More than 1500 people have died due to lightning strikes across Odisha in last five years, AIR said. As per India's National Crime Records Bureau at least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005. DUBAI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dubai-based international carrier Emirates Airline, the world's fastest growing airline, said on Tuesday it will resume flights to Conakry, the capital of Guinea in West Africa, from October 30. Emirates cancelled its flights to Conakry on August 1, 2014, the first international carrier to do so after Ebola virus epidemic hit West Africa. As of mid-2016, the mortal virus is mostly, albeit not completely under control, according to the World Health Organization. The resumed flights to Conakry will be linked to Emirates' weekly four services between Dubai and Dakar, Senegal, said the airline in an e-mailed statement. Key destinations for travellers from Guinea include United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia and India. A Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will be introduced for the route between Dubai and Dakar on August 3, to provide additional capacity and enhanced customer experience, it added. Once Conakry re-joins Emirates' global network covering more than 150 destinations, the airline will serve 28 destinations in Africa. In addition to passenger operations, Emirates Skycargo will also restart its services to the African city, offering a cargo capacity of about 20 tonnes per flight for exports. TOKYO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese cabinet approved an economic stimulus package worth 28.1 trillion yen (274 billion U.S. dollars) on Tuesday to support Japan's sluggish economy in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the European Union. The package was approved at an extraordinary cabinet meeting Tuesday after the Bank of Japan decided to take additional monetary easing at a policy meeting last week. The package includes additional expenditure by the state and local governments totaling 7.5 trillion yen, among which 1.7 trillion yen will be allocated to building infrastructure to boost tourism and agriculture, and 2.5 trillion yen to enhancing welfare such as nursing care and childcare. The government will also allocate 2.7 trillion yen to rebuilding areas hit by massive earthquakes in 2011 as well as in April. Another 600 billion yen will be used to help small and medium-sized companies deal with possible negative effects from Britain's decision to leave the European Union. In an effort to boost personal consumption, the government will launch a subsidy program to provide 15,000 yen each in cash to low-income earners. The stimulus package also includes public expenditure totaling 13.5 trillion yen, including extending to Osaka a magnetically levitated train line planned earlier from Tokyo to Nagoya. The government estimates the stimulus would push up real gross domestic product (GDP) by around 1.3 percent in the next two years. Emirates Airlines aircrafts are seen at Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates May 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) DUBAI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dubai-based international carrier Emirates Airline, the world's fastest growing airline, said on Tuesday it will resume flights to Conakry, the capital of Guinea in West Africa, from October 30. Emirates cancelled its flights to Conakry on August 1, 2014, the first international carrier to do so after Ebola virus epidemic hit West Africa. As of mid-2016, the mortal virus is mostly, albeit not completely under control, according to the World Health Organization. The resumed flights to Conakry will be linked to Emirates' weekly four services between Dubai and Dakar, Senegal, said the airline in an e-mailed statement. Key destinations for travellers from Guinea include United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia and India. A Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will be introduced for the route between Dubai and Dakar on August 3, to provide additional capacity and enhanced customer experience, it added. Once Conakry re-joins Emirates' global network covering more than 150 destinations, the airline will serve 28 destinations in Africa. TUNIS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Monday proposed Youssef Chahed as the new head of a national unity government, local media reported. All parties concerned will meet on Wednesday to present their positions on the candidate. They may also suggest their own candidates. If approved, Chahed will have one month to form a new cabinet for parliamentary approval. Last Saturday, the government of Prime Minister Habib Essid lost a confidence vote in parliament. Essid has been criticized by President Essebsi for lagging behind in the implementation of the financial reforms the country urgently needs. Fishing boats have to berth at a port as the Typhoon Nida approaches in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang) GUANGZHOU, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Nida made landfall at 3:35 a.m. Tuesday at Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province, the weather authority said. The strong typhoon, packing winds of up to 151.2 km per hour, is moving northwest at 25 km per hour and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Guangdong provincial meteorological station. Photo taken on Aug. 2, 2016 shows collapsed Scaffolds due to Typhoon Nida in Hong Kong, south China. Typhoon Nida gradually turned away from Hong Kong on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ng Wing Kin) Nida has brought strong winds and rain to the eastern part of Guangdong Province and the Pearl River Delta region on Tuesday, the provincial meteorological station said. This is the strongest typhoon to directly hit the Pearl River Delta since 1983, said He Guoqing, deputy director of the office of Guangdong provincial flood control headquarters. Guangdong provincial government on Monday evening released a circular ordering the suspension of projects, businesses, markets, schools and transportation. Companies and organizations that do not provide critical services or urban operations were encouraged to close for the day. Landscaping workers clear off damaged trees in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) All ships scheduled to end their fishing ban on Monday were asked to delay their departure and remain at port. Nearly 200 trains were suspended Tuesday, including 180 bullet trains, according to a statement issued by Nanning Railway Bureau. Trains from Guangzhou to Nanning, capital of Guangxi, and Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, were among those suspended. On Tuesday afternoon, as Nida weakened, flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport started to resume. However, as of 2 p.m., 31 flights which are scheduled to depart from the airport had been delayed for more than one hour. A tree is blown down by strong wind brought by Typhoon Nida in Shantou, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Jun) Sources with the airport said more flights delays were expected. Flights at Shenzhen airport resumed at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Train services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen started to recover Tuesday afternoon. All passenger ships across Qiongzhou Strait, between Hainan and Guangdong, resumed service at 1 p.m., according to the local maritime department. LANZHOU, Aug. 2 (Xinhua)-- The Dunghuang caves, which contain some of China's finest ancient Buddhist art, sold out yet again on Tuesday with 6,000 daily tickets and a further 12,000 emergency tickets by 10 a.m. as the heritage site tackles its busiest time of the year. It was the second time in a week for the site, also known as the Mogao Caves, situated in northwest China's Gansu Province, to sell out. Last Wednesday, the caves received 19,301 visitors, a record for a single day this year. There has also been a rise in foreign tourists at the caves, with the site receiving 55 foreign visitors on Sunday, compared with 27 on the same day last year. Stanislav Mukhin, a Russian tourist, said he was very impressed by the cave frescoes. "The tourism service is very good," he said. "We bought emergency tickets. We are very lucky to be able to enter the caves," said Jiang Yifei, from southwest China's Sichuan Province. The 1,600-year-old Mogao Caves are home to more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes -- all found in a series of 735 caves carved along a cliff by ancient worshippers. In 1987 it became China's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. In recent years, numbers of tourists have soared in the caves, situated along the ancient Silk Road route, thanks to their growing fame both at home and abroad. In the first seven months of the year, 598,000 tourists visited the caves, up 31 percent year on year, according to statistics from Dunhuang Academy, the authority in charge of the research, protection and management of the site. The tourist boom has also increased due to the launch of easier transport links to Duanhuang this year, including new trains from Beijing, and Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as well as flights from Guangzhou. The Belt and Road Initiative and replica exhibitions of the caves both in China and abroad have also helped cement their reputation as an outstanding tourist site. Since 2014, the Mogao Caves have set a daily limit of 6,000 reserved tickets plus an extra 12,000 emergency tickets to cater to the growing number of tourists during the peak travel season. Tourists holding different tickets visit different caves in order to reduce human impact on the site . Years of research by Dunhuang Academy shows the density of carbon dioxide in a cave can rise by five times if 40 visitors stay in it for half an hour. A sustained high level of carbon dioxide in the caves poses a threat to the sculptures and frescoes, as well as harming the health of tourists, said Li Ping, deputy head of the administration committee of the Mogao Caves. "We hope tourists avoid the peak season if they can, for heritage protection and the comfort of tours," she said. [ For preservation purposes, the caves have more than 60 technical staff dedicated to restoration of the frescoes, Li said. In May this year, the caves began to provide a digital experience for tourists, featuring video clips, archive materials, and a 360 degree view of the caves that can be found on e-dunhuang.com. TIANJIN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zhai Yanmin, an unemployed resident of Beijing, was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve after being found guilty of subverting state power Tuesday. Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ordered that Zhai, 55, will have to serve a minimum three-year term should he fall foul of the law within the four-year probation period. The court also deprived Zhai of his political rights for four years. He pled guilty and declined his right to appeal. Zhai was first exposed to concepts such as the "color revolutions" and "peaceful transition" online, the court said in a statement. He then joined an underground church led by Hu Shigen and gradually developed plans to overthrow the state socialist system. Since 2012, Zhai has attempted to incite people to subvert state power by use of the online resources, the court said in a statement. Zhai, together with underground church members and lawyers, engaged and managed illegal petitioners to organize public gatherings, hype up legal cases and incidents, attack the country's judicial system and carry out activities aimed at subverting the state power and socialist system, the statement said. These activities endangered the state and society, it added. "I accept all the charges," Zhai said in his final statement, "With the help and education of the government, I recognize the severity of my crimes. I plead guilty and express my sincere remorse. "I am sorry to the country and my family... If I could go back I would never have become a member of hostile forces or associated with those individuals driven by ulterior motives," he said. He added that he would like to be used as an example of the consequences of listening to and supporting hostile forces overseas and at home, and to inform the public of the dangers of the so-called "democracy," "human rights" and "public benefits" flaunted by them as a mask for criminal activities. The court handed down a light sentence because he confessed, testified against others and repented, according to court statement. Moreover, the court decided that Zhai posed no major threat to the community, it said. The second branch of the People's Procuratorate of Tianjin Municipality filed charges against Zhai with Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on July 15. To safeguard the defendant's rights and interests and ensure a fair and efficient trial, a pretrial conference was held on July 22. It was attended by the prosecution team, defendant and defence counsel, presiding judge Cai Shuying said. During Tuesday's trial, Cai informed the defence team of Zhai's rights and obligations in litigation. The defence team had no objection with any of the evidence used in the trial. Altogether 48 people, including 20 journalists from home and overseas observed the trial. Prosecutors told the court that Zhai, together with three others -- Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping -- had conspired and plotted to subvert state power, and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." The defendant was accused of organizing multiple mass protests to influence public opinion and court sentences. One such case was a fatal shooting incident at a railway station in Heilongjiang Province in May 2015. On May 2 of 2015, police officer Li Lebin shot dead Xu Chunhe at Qing'an County Railway Station. Xu had attacked Li and continued to assault the police officer despite multiple warnings. Follow-up investigations confirmed that Li had acted within the law. After the shooting, Zhai organized protests at the railway station and in front of the county government buildings in support of Xu. Zhai influenced online opinions and led public demonstrations that misrepresented the incident as police brutality. Moreover, lawyers were organized to turn up at protest locations so that the issue gained more traction, Zhai said in his testimony adding that, "they all followed a fixed process." Once an incident had become a "hot issue," lawyers, citizens and petitioners would fan the flames online and plan further protests with each individual assigned "work" for each activity, Zhai said. "I was the 'chief commander' on site. I attacked current laws and smeared the image of the police," he said. "We wanted every issue to gain as much exposure as possible, so we would send ordinary people out on the streets and initiate conflict between the people and officials. We wanted the international community to interfere, (with the aim of) overturning the CPC and launch our own 'color revolution,'" Zhai continued. When asked about the motivation behind his crimes, Zhai said he hated the government and the political system because of a failed business venture. In addition, he said he had been radicalized by people with ulterior motives. According to the evidence presented in court, Zhai met with 15 people, including Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping, in a Beijing restaurant on Feb. 1, 2015. The discussion covered how they could use the workers' rights movement and other sensitive incidents to promote their own agenda. "We had met at the restaurant to gather lawyers like Zhou and Li, 'citizen movement' leaders like Hu and 'doers' like me to discuss how to topple the current regime, we wanted to overthrow the CPC," Zhai confessed, adding that they reviewed the subversive activities of the previous year, and formulated plans for 2015. SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Flights connecting Shijiazhuang, capital city of northern China's Hebei Province, and Saipan, a popular island resort in the western pacific, popular with China's new rich, were launched Monday. The flight, operated by Dynamic International Airways on a Boeing 767-200 with a capacity of 215 passengers, is scheduled to fly every five days. The six-hour flight leaves Shijiazhuang at 5:30 p.m. (Beijing time) and arrives in Saipan at 1:30 a.m. (local time). The return flight departs Saipan at 10:50 a.m. (local time). "Instead of coming to Beijing to fly to Saipan, tourists from northern provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia as well as eastern Shandong Province can choose to fly from Shijiazhuang," said a director of the city's airport company. Dynamic Airways is an American charter airline founded in 2010. It operates many flights on behalf of other operators. WINDHOEK, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's mines minister Obeth Kandjoze has said private investors should play a greater role in addressing the future energy needs of the country. Speaking at the first ever National Stakeholder Workshop on Namibia's Energy Policy in Windhoek Monday, Kandjoze said the involvement of private investors will alleviate the funding problem faced by the government and relieve the borrowing requirement of the country's power utility. Kandjoze said he has met about 30 organizations that are active in the electricity sector in the past two months and now understands how to shape energy policy. "We realize that the private sector has a definite role to play, not only for the sake of investments, but also to introduce new expertise and technologies," he said. The minister also said that there are numerous opportunities for the private sector ranging from conventional electricity supply solutions to innovative off-grid business models and investments in embedded and distributed generation and others. Kandjoze said Namibia cannot afford to continue importing 100 percent liquid fuels and more than 60 percent of its electricity requirements because apart from this being a strategic risk, it also perpetuates the export of capital that could be used on other pressing issues. He bemoaned the fact that Namibia's national electrification rate stands at 34 percent, saying this means about two-thirds of the population does not have access to any form of energy. "This national challenge is another demonstration of where the government and the private sector can meaningfully collaborate and in this way, jointly develop the country," he said. In his concluding remarks, Kandjoze said the workshop should find ways of making electricity accessible to those without it; how Namibia can wean itself from dependency on fossil fuels and imported electricity; and how power distributors can contribute in driving the national agenda. Pakistani soldiers work at the accident site in Jamshoro, Pakistan, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Stringer) ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed and over 30 others injured when a passenger bus crashed into a trailer in Pakistan's south Jamshoro district on Tuesday morning, local Urdu media reported. Samaa TV said the driver of the bus carrying over 50 people, lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the trailer coming from opposite direction in Pataro area of Jamshoro, a district located in the country's south Sindh province. The ill-fated bus was on its way from the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to southern port city of Karachi, said the report. Pakistani soldiers transfer a body from the accident site in Jamshoro, Pakistan, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Stringer) The injured including women, kids and the bus driver were shifted to a nearby hospital where at least seven of them are said to be in critical condition. Road accidents frequently happen in Pakistan due to poorly maintained roads, violation of road safety rules and reckless driving. According to data compiled by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, over 9,000 road accidents are reported to the police every year, killing on average around 5,000 people annually in the country. by Alexia Vlachou ATHENS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- With the surge of terrorist attacks in Europe, the outcome of the Brexit referendum and the attempted coup in Turkey, Greek officials and experts praised the resilience of Greece's tourism industry, but expressed fears regarding the changes in the Mediterranean tourist landscape in the long run. External factors such as terrorism, Brexit and the refugee issue affects the "sensitive" tourism industry, Greek Deputy Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura said during a recent press briefing. Greece is showing a recovery following the migrant crisis with positive results in tourist arrivals for the first half of 2016, according to latest official figures. However, representatives of the tourist industry worry for the years to come. "Due to the instability in the region, in the long term, Greece will face difficulties in the tourism sector," Theodoros Kontes, president of the Union of Cruise Ship Owners & Associated Members, told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens. Cruises are doing well, according to Kontes, since cancellations from popular Turkish destinations gave a boost to the Greek market. "In particular, Piraeus harbor showed a 25 percent rise in activity. In addition, vessels stay longer in the port," he said. But he is not optimistic for 2017-2018. "Companies that bring vessels in East Mediterranean do not include only Greece but also other countries, like Turkey," he noted. The same pattern followed air arrivals. According to the Greek National Tourism Organization, Greece saw a 5 percent increase in international air arrivals in the first six months of 2016 in comparison to last year's figures. In addition, an 8.9 percent increase in Greece's regional airports is expected for July and a 10.1 percent increase in August. Greece's tourism stands resilient to an environment of international financial uncertainty and dramatic geopolitical changes, the Greek National Tourism Organization commented in a statement. "We gained a percentage of international tourists that would go to Turkey and they changed their mind. So they will travel to Greece, as we are a safe destination," Xenofon Petropoulos, communication director of the Association of the Greek Tourism Enterprises, told Xinhua. But Petropoulos stressed Greece will lose a percentage of the 1.2 million Turkish travelers that visit the country each year. He hoped last minute bookings would contribute positively to the total revenue of the industry. The stability in the region is a key factor for tourists to feel safe and continue making reservations. "We want our neighbor countries to have a stable situation. We hope that everything will calm down, and we will reach our goal for 2020-2021 with 29 million international arrivals," Petropoulos noted. In the light of the recent attacks in Europe, Greece has increased security measures. "We have extra control in the harbors at the moment," Kontes highlighted. "Most of these ships which are cruise vessels and leave Turkey, come in Piraeus because it is a big hub, where there is good control," he added. According to Petropoulos, two electronic surveys -- one in January and one in May -- held in three major target markets in the United States, Britain and Germany showed very positive results for the Greek market. "More than 70 percent of the sample responded that they do not consider Greece an unsafe destination," he said. Lyssandros Tsilidis, president of the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies, hoped Greece will not face a terror threat. Nevertheless, the financial crisis has a severe impact on the revenues. "The only problem we have to face is the economic recession not of our country only, but the consumer himself. Travelers depend on the currency of the country, if it is devaluated or it is upgraded. Every traveler has to find a solution to move around," Tsilidis stressed. Regarding Brexit, "we have to wait and see what would be the difference between the British pound and euro in order to see how much more expensive will be the tourist package to the UK traveler to visit the EU countries," Petropoulos said. Despite the temporary positive signs, it remains to be seen if dramatic changes will take place in tourism in the region, experts said. BEIRUT, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Rival political leaders in Lebanon convened on Tuesday in Ain al-Tineh for a three-day national dialogue aimed at breaking deadlocks in the government. At the beginning of the session, Speaker Nabih Berri urged all rivals to agree on an all-inclusive solution starting with electing a new president, local MTV reported. "It is a chance to reach consensus, and might be our last," Berri was quoted as saying. He warned that the sessions presented the "last of a very important opportunity to break the current deadlock and revive the state's paralyzed institutions." But the Lebanese Forces, the only party that boycotts the national dialogue, dismissed it as "a waste of time." Nevertheless, Centrist Progressive Socialist Party's leader Walid Jumblatt described the meeting as positive when he left the session. "There are some hurdles that we should thaw. But we agreed with Berri on the importance of resuming dialogue," he told reporters. "Matters only require a little patience," he added. Visiting Iran's top policy official Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Tuesday his country wants to see a united Lebanon. "Iran supports Lebanon's unity and dialogue and we are ready for any measure that fortifies ties between the two countries," he said. However, expectations for feuding parties to reach understanding are low, as they have failed to elect a president and endorse an electoral law since 2014. Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, 2014 the day former President Michel Suleiman ended his tenure. A power struggle has since erupted between rival political parties Future Movement, backed by Saudi Arabia and the West, and Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance, ally of Iran and Syria. NAIROBI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan retail sector lost an estimated 246,000 U.S. dollars every day during street protests against the electoral body which peaked in late May to mid June, a survey by a business lobby launched on Tuesday reveals. According to the survey which covered 509 large, medium and small scale enterprises in Nairobi, the anti-electoral body protests which took place every Monday had a negative impact on business. Speaking during the launch of the survey, the Chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Dennis Awori said that political uncertainty posed a new threat to the economy and national cohesion. "While it is a constitutional right for citizens to picket and advocate for social and political reforms, there is need to maintain peace and order to ensure business premises do not suffer looting or destruction," Awori remarked. The survey on the impact of protests against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on businesses found that 85 percent of small and medium sized traders incurred different forms of losses. According to the survey, traders incurred losses occasioned by looting, closure of their businesses and absenteeism of workers. It added the negative impact of anti-IEBC protests spread across critical sectors like retail, transport, hospitality and finance. The business community was instrumental in facilitating dialogue among leaders from both sides of the political divide to end street protests against the electoral body. Awori said industry executives, religious leaders, foreign diplomats and civil society managed to convince leaders from the opposition and government to initiate dialogue and end impasse over electoral reforms. "As business leaders, we applaud the formation of a bipartisan parliamentary caucus that is spearheading dialogue on reforming the electoral body without engaging in violent street protests," said Awori. The Kenyan capital, Nairobi was turned into a theater of street protests in late May and early June when opposition leaders mobilized their supporters to advocate for removal of election commissioners over allegations of malpractices. Several people died while dozens were injured in Nairobi and the Lake side city of Kisumu as police clashed with protesters. A lion rests at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, July 23, 2016. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, popularly known as Africa's Greatest Wildlife Reserve, is a great tourist attraction center as it offers visitors an opportunity to watch the Africa's "big five": lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) KIGALI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Amid hope and enthusiasm, delegates signed what is known as the Kigali Declaration on Forest Landscape Restoration in Africa in the Rwandan capital Kigali. The Ministers of African countries and representatives who gathered in Kigali last week for the Africa High Level Bonn Challenge Roundtable, inked the deal. It was hosted by the Government of Rwanda, in collaboration with the East Africa Community and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. African countries are among the most affected regions in the world by climate change even though the continent bears a minimal responsibility with regards to the causes of this global phenomenon. "We are committed to reaffirm our commitment to the Bonn Challenge target to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded lands by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030," the delegates said in a final declaration. The Kigali Declaration on Forest Landscape Restoration in Africa remains open for further signatures through September 1, 2016 when the Declaration will be celebrated at the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii. So far representatives from more than ten African countries including Rwanda, Guinea and Ghana have signed the pact. Forest landscape restoration is vital in the pursuit of sustainable development in African countries, by maintaining and rebuilding countries' natural capital in order to deliver essential societal and economic benefits to rural and urban communities. It is also an effective mechanism to enforcement of key elements of global processes, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification. "We maintain this commitment in support of collective climate change action that will mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and support our communities to adapt and build resilience to climate impacts, as well as use ecosystem-based approaches to reduce risk to extreme weather and disasters," the declaration read. The declaration reminded governments that forest restoration presents multiple benefits that align directly with African Nations' economic growth and poverty reduction plans. These include the aspiration of the African's Union Agenda 2063 and its first ten-year implementation plan, bolstering economic growth and diversifying livelihoods, creating green jobs, improving agriculture practices, and enhancing food security. Others cited include improving the availability and quality of water resources, contributing to climate change mitigation, combating desertification, protecting biodiversity, and reducing the impact of natural disasters. The leaders also committed to undertake national action to champion innovative financial schemes that enable domestic investment in forest landscape, for example through the strengthening and development of national climate and land management fund mechanisms, tax incentives and other fiscal policies to encourage all stakeholders to participate and invest in the implementation of restoration at scale. More than 50 environment leaders and experts attended the meeting to boost forest landscape restoration across the region through two parallel events: the Africa High Level Bonn Challenge Roundtable, and the International Knowledge Sharing Workshop. Rwanda offered to host these two meetings as part of its continued commitment and strong leadership on the protection and rehabilitation of its forests and restoration of degraded lands, according to officials. Rwanda has committed to restore two million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2020. This commitment was made as part of the Bonn Challenge. "Landscape restoration is about more than simply planting forests. With the restoration of forests and land, we can overcome climate challenges and food security issues and help improve the wellbeing of our people," said Vincent Biruta, Rwanda's Minster of Natural Resources. NAIROBI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A senior Kenyan official on Tuesday called upon African governments to curb the number of doctors moving to work abroad that has cost sub-Saharan Africa up to 2 billion U.S. dollars invested in training the clinicians. The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr. Fred Matiangi, said the medical experts are emigrating to the West due to poor pay and low level of scientific research. "The number of qualified doctors moving abroad to work in the West has been high over the years, where nine sub-Saharan African countries have ended up losing 2 billion dollars as the clinicians seek work in more prosperous nations," Matiangi said during the occasion of the opening of the 6th Annual Medical Education Partnership (MEPI) Symposium in Nairobi. He said Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have suffered the worst economic loses due to the clinical brain drain while Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States have benefited the most from recruiting doctors trained in Africa. "The migration of trained health workers from poorer countries to richer ones exacerbates the problem of already weak health systems in low-income countries battling epidemics of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and lately, Ebola," Matiang'i said. The three-day forum has brought together local and international players in medical education and includes representatives from MEPI Schools across Africa, representatives from the funding institutions, and other partners who support medical health training and research development in sub-Saharan Africa. Matiangi said there is a strong relationship between education and development, with studies having shown that increases in educational attainment precede improvements in health status. "This relation between education and health arises because higher education leads to healthier life style, and because higher educated people gather, process and interpret information about healthy behavior better," he noted. The CS said in Kenya all trends in maternal health indicators favored the more educated women compared to those with no or low education. "Indeed this is why the Kenyan government has embraced universal basic education to improve enrolment and transition levels," Matiangi said. The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Nathan Bakyaita, said MEPI programs have contributed towards improvement of the quality of medical education and learning facilities, curriculum reforms, e-learning and faculty retention. "Although life expectancy in Africa has been recording gains hence improvements in longevity, the quality of life in Africa is greatly diminished by heavy disease burdens, high morbidity rates and high risks to life," he said. In 2013, WHO studies showed that an estimated 24.7 million people were living with HIV, accounting for 71 per cent of the global total, whereas the number of health staff has remained low. The recent Ebola crisis also highlighted the continent's doctor shortages with for example Uganda, with a population of 35 million people registering less than 5,000 doctors and 30,000 nurses. Bakyaita said whereas Africa is home to 13.4 per cent of the world's population it contributes barely 1.1 per cent of scientific researchers in the world, with just about one scientist or engineer per 10,000 inhabitants. The resulting shortage of qualified faculty in African universities, especially in the scientific and technical fields, affects the quality of graduates entering the industry workforce, with 11 million new graduates entering the African job market annually devoid of the relevant skills to develop African solutions for African challenges. NIAMEY, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Niger President Mahamdou Issoufou on Tuesday morning inaugurated the Niamey General Referral Hospital which was a donation from China. The inauguration ceremony was attended by China's ambassador to Niger Shi Hu, as well as the head of Niger's Parliament Ousseini Tini, heads of public institutions, ministers, members of parliament and representatives of diplomatic corps in Niamey. Issoufou said the facility with capacity of 500 beds is the largest and most modern referral hospital in West Africa. The hospital whose construction cost 40 billion CFA Francs (over 68 million U.S. dollars), was built on a 16 hectares piece of land in northern Niamey, for the benefit of Nigeriens and people from neighbouring countries. The hospital will be able to provide all services, including emergency, cardiology, 16 operation rooms, laboratory, blood bank, imaging and hospitalization. It will equally serve as a medical training center and will provide both in-patient and out-patient services. Niger's Public Health Minister Kalla Moutari said the treatment costs at the hospital will be subsidized. This is expected to reduce the annual medical cost for Niger which spends over 5 billion CFA Francs to evacuate patients to foreign countries. At the moment, Sino-Niger cooperation covers a wide range of sectors, from politics, economics, energy, culture, security and infrastructure. Other projects funded by China include General Seyni Kountche stadium, various roads, the second bridge on river Niger, the water project in Zinder as well as schools and training equipment in the health sector. Photo taken on June 20, 2013 shows the Meteora monasteries in Trikala Prefecture, Thessaly Region, Greece. Meteora, means "Suspended in the air" in Greek. The Meteora monasteries was inscribed onto UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988. (Xinhua/Liu Jiang) ATHENS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- With the surge of terrorist attacks in Europe, the outcome of the Brexit referendum and the attempted coup in Turkey, Greek officials and experts praised the resilience of Greece's tourism industry, but expressed fears regarding the changes in the Mediterranean tourist landscape in the long run. External factors such as terrorism, Brexit and the refugee issue affects the "sensitive" tourism industry, Greek Deputy Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura said during a recent press briefing. Greece is showing a recovery following the migrant crisis with positive results in tourist arrivals for the first half of 2016, according to latest official figures. However, representatives of the tourist industry worry for the years to come. "Due to the instability in the region, in the long term, Greece will face difficulties in the tourism sector," Theodoros Kontes, president of the Union of Cruise Ship Owners & Associated Members, told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens. Photo taken on June 20, 2013 shows the Meteora monasteries in Trikala Prefecture, Thessaly Region, Greece. Meteora, means "Suspended in the air" in Greek. The Meteora monasteries was inscribed onto UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988. (Xinhua/Liu Jiang) Cruises are doing well, according to Kontes, since cancellations from popular Turkish destinations gave a boost to the Greek market. "In particular, Piraeus harbor showed a 25 percent rise in activity. In addition, vessels stay longer in the port," he said. But he is not optimistic for 2017-2018. "Companies that bring vessels in East Mediterranean do not include only Greece but also other countries, like Turkey," he noted. The same pattern followed air arrivals. According to the Greek National Tourism Organization, Greece saw a 5 percent increase in international air arrivals in the first six months of 2016 in comparison to last year's figures. In addition, an 8.9 percent increase in Greece's regional airports is expected for July and a 10.1 percent increase in August. Greece's tourism stands resilient to an environment of international financial uncertainty and dramatic geopolitical changes, the Greek National Tourism Organization commented in a statement. "We gained a percentage of international tourists that would go to Turkey and they changed their mind. So they will travel to Greece, as we are a safe destination," Xenofon Petropoulos, communication director of the Association of the Greek Tourism Enterprises, told Xinhua. But Petropoulos stressed Greece will lose a percentage of the 1.2 million Turkish travelers that visit the country each year. He hoped last minute bookings would contribute positively to the total revenue of the industry. The stability in the region is a key factor for tourists to feel safe and continue making reservations. "We want our neighbor countries to have a stable situation. We hope that everything will calm down, and we will reach our goal for 2020-2021 with 29 million international arrivals," Petropoulos noted. In the light of the recent attacks in Europe, Greece has increased security measures. "We have extra control in the harbors at the moment," Kontes highlighted. "Most of these ships which are cruise vessels and leave Turkey, come in Piraeus because it is a big hub, where there is good control," he added. Photo taken on March 8, 2014 shows a scenery of the old town of Corfu, Greece.(Xinhua/Liu Yongqiu) According to Petropoulos, two electronic surveys -- one in January and one in May -- held in three major target markets in the United States, Britain and Germany showed very positive results for the Greek market. "More than 70 percent of the sample responded that they do not consider Greece an unsafe destination," he said. Lyssandros Tsilidis, president of the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies, hoped Greece will not face a terror threat. Nevertheless, the financial crisis has a severe impact on the revenues. "The only problem we have to face is the economic recession not of our country only, but the consumer himself. Travelers depend on the currency of the country, if it is devaluated or it is upgraded. Every traveler has to find a solution to move around," Tsilidis stressed. Regarding Brexit, "we have to wait and see what would be the difference between the British pound and euro in order to see how much more expensive will be the tourist package to the UK traveler to visit the EU countries," Petropoulos said. Despite the temporary positive signs, it remains to be seen if dramatic changes will take place in tourism in the region, experts said. SANAA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The oil-rich Arab Gulf state of Kuwait has declared it would raise gasoline prices starting from September, reported the state news agency KUNA. The increase approximates 73 percent on domestic sales, the agency said. The decision was approved during the cabinet's weekly Monday meeting. Officials said the decision was part of a process involving implementing substantial reforms to the country's energy subsidies, the agency added. Kuwait was the last oil-exporting Gulf state to take this step following Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain had already reduced fuel subsidies to contain the magnitude of major budget deficits caused by sharp drops in global oil prices in recent months. BRUSSELS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday announced Sir Julian King from Britain as a new commissioner to head up the European Union (EU)'s security strategy. According to an EU press release, a mission letter sent by Juncker to King detailed his main tasks and responsibilities as commissioner in charge of the Security Union, a strategy adopted by the European Commission in April 2015. The commissioner for the Security Union, a newly-created post, will support the implementation of the European Agenda on Security. He will work in the project team and under the guidance of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, as well as support and complement the work of Dimitris Avramopoulos, the commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship. Juncker interviewed King as candidate for commissioner to replace Britain's Lord Hill last month, who resigned as financial services commissioner after the Brexit vote. Britain is still entitled to a European commissioner because it remains a full member state until it leaves the bloc through the legal process. It said that once Britain leaves, King's mandate will expire. The appointment of King as commissioner for Security Union will need to be approved by the European Parliament. TAIPEI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's police arrested nearly 2,000 drug users and traffickers during a three-day campaign that began on July 29, seizing 38.8 kilograms of drugs. Police said in a press conference on Tuesday that among the suspected traffickers, 203 were adults while 72 were under age. Drug cases involving minors are increasing when schools are closed for summer holiday, according to police, who said they only arrested 16 under-age drug traffickers in a crackdown in early July. In a typical case in the recent campaign, the police found 20 teenagers taking drugs at a gathering in Taoyuan City. Educational institutions on the island reported 1,020 drug-related cases to the police in 2015. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Instead of the usual formal acceptance letters, future college students across China have been impressed by what they have received this summer: delicately designed, hand-crafted admission letters. School authorities said the change is to show care and respect to students, as well as to spread distinct cultures of different schools. "I never expected an admission letter could be so beautiful. It's the first gift from my university and made me imagine the wonderful college life ahead," said Wang Wen'ou, who will attend Jiangnan University, in Wuxi City, eastern China's Jiangsu Province. The letter from the university is a folded card, featuring a pencil sketch of a small bridge over a stream, a common scene in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Inside the card is a Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem called "Jiangnan in Memory," accompanied by a sketch of lotus flowers. "Before the college entrance examination, I wrote down the poem and stuck the paper on my desk. Now, I have found the poem on my admission letter," said netizen "Nekola." Some agricultural colleges designed their admission letters in a rustic style. For example, the letter from Beijing Forestry University uses part of a real leaf on its craft-paper cover. Even more novel, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University used bamboo to make its letter, using techniques developed by their own researchers. They cut bamboo into ultra-thin slips and pieced them together, turning them into soft, flexible paper after processing. The Communication University of China invited award-winning calligraphy students to handwrite the names of new students on the letters, hoping they will make the newcomers feel special. The practice, however, is not new to Shaanxi Normal University, which first started handwriting the names with Chinese writing brushes 10 years ago. The work took several professors a week to finish. A distinctive admissions letter presents an impressive image of the college for new students and builds a good reputation among high school students, as universities increasingly compete for students, said Liu He, an official in charge of recruitment at Jilin University. Some universities also delivered gifts to the new students with the admission letters. For example, the prestigious Tsinghua University gave copies of Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" to promote good reading habits, said its president Qiu Yong. Liu Chunyan, a college teacher in Beijing, still remembers the thrill of receiving her admission letter more than 30 years ago when very few high school graduates could enter university. "It was just a piece of white paper. But it was the most beautiful memory of my life," she said. Cuba's President Raul Castro (R) and U.S. President Barack Obama (L) attend a press conference at the Revolution Palace in Havana, capital of Cuba, on March 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez) HAVANA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Cuba-U.S. talks on settling multibillion dollars of claims made against each other are one of the most "complex and difficult" negotiations in their normalization process which started last year, a senior Cuban official said Monday. Havana and Washington last week concluded a "substantive" second round of talks in the U.S. capital after the first meeting in December outline their respective claims as part of a deepening detente. "It is an issue of very high complexity, with difficult political, technical and legal aspects that is only in its initial stage," Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno told local press. Washington is seeking a compensation of 10 billion U.S. dollars, mainly for properties nationalized in Cuba after its 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro. Alfonso Munera (L), Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), and the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno (C), take part in the 7th Summit of the ACS, in Havana, Cuba, on June 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Emilio Herrera/Prensa Latina) Havana, meanwhile, is seeking at least 300 billion U.S. dollars in claims for economic costs of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. "Both sides exchanged information on their respective claims, legal and technical aspects as well as basic information on each case with the goal of preparing the process of negotiation," said Moreno who also headed Cuba's delegation to the talks. He said that both sides will continue in the coming months to hold meetings on the issue but added that Cuba will not rush the talks. "We are talking about a process in two directions, Cuba will not accept unilateral solutions," he noted. Cuba and the United States re-established diplomatic relations a year ago, ending decades of hostility. The two nations have since signed agreements on the environment, mail services, security and direct flights. However, thorny issues like claims, democracy and human rights were barely touched during talks. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani attend Supreme Leader's meeting with authorities of the country and ambassadors of Islamic countries, in Tehran, Iran July 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran may launch an advanced uranium enrichment program in case the United States fails to fulfill its commitments under a nuclear deal reached last year between Iran and the world powers, Press TV reported on Tuesday. The United States reneging on its promises under the nuclear agreement runs counter to the nuclear deal, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's presiding board Behrouz Nemati told Iranian state TV. "The deal is a comprehensive collection and if the United States does not fully implement it, we will respond," he said without detailing the U.S. "failures" to meet its obligations. Nearly six months after the implementation of the nuclear deal, big banks refrain from implementing the agreement and only small ones are conducting limited transactions with Iran, he added. The lawmaker's words echoed Monday's remarks of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who said that the experience of Iranians about the failure of the United States in fulfilling its obligations pertaining to a nuclear deal showed that it can never be trusted. "The United States has violated its obligations over the nuclear deal and is busy destroying Iran's economic ties with other countries," Khamenei said. "The oppressive sanctions were supposed to be lifted quickly so that it could positively impact people's lives," he said. "However, after six months, no tangible changes have occurred." The nuclear deal, reached between Iran and world powers in July last year, was implemented in January. The deal saw Iran scrapping major part of its nuclear program in return for the removal of Western and international sanctions. The United Sates still maintains sanctions on Iran over alleged violations of human rights and support of terrorism, which Iran denies. Also, Washington has recently blacklisted some Iranian and foreign entities for alleged involvement in Iran's missile program. The restrictions bar U.S. companies as well as international companies from undertaking business transactions with Iran's government. ABIDJAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) will cede remaining activities to Cote d'Ivoire government after its withdrawal from the country in June 2017, a source from the UN mission told Xinhua on Tuesday. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cote d'Ivoire Aichatou Mindaoudou said the remaining activities include social cohesion, reconciliation and security. "We are organizing ourselves. A meeting will take place in September to discuss the official transfer of remaining activities from ONUCI to the Cote d'Ivoire government," Mindaoudou said. The United Nations mission in Cote d'Ivoire is expected to end in June 2017. The UN has already began reducing the number of its peacekeepers in the country. At the moment, the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire is concentrating its efforts on national reconciliation, demobilization of ex-combatants, promotion of human rights and provision of humanitarian aid. JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- An agreement has been reached to ensure a peaceful elections in the town of Vuwani, Limpopo Province where violent protests took place earlier this year, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. Zuma said he spoke to King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana earlier on Tuesday and both agreed on the need to ensure lasting peace and stability in Vuwani. The president was speaking as the country was gearing up for the local government elections, scheduled for August 3. "We are confident that this agreement will go a long way in normalizing the situation in the entire district and afford communities an opportunity to have access to all services that the violence in the area deprived them," Zuma said. Earlier this year, the country saw horrific scenes unfolding in Vuwani, with the torching of and damaging of 27 schools in a protest over municipal demarcations in the township. The protest disrupted services in some parts of the district. Zuma formalized a team of ministers as an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on May 13. Extensive engagements ensued with stakeholders in the district to try and find an amicable solution to the problems raised by communities. Zuma congratulated the community of Vuwani in the Vhembe district on the agreement that the government signed with stakeholders towards normalizing the situation in that community. He appealed to the community to go out and use their democratic right to vote in the elections. Zuma said that the agreement is based on trust amongst all the stakeholders and the commitment to engage further even beyond the elections. "As government we are confident that we will have peaceful local government elections, even in Vuwani, Vhembe district," said Zuma. This year's local government elections are heralded by many as being the most contested since 1994. For the first time in history, this election will see 200 political parties and over 61,000 candidates participating. The parties are contesting 4,392 wards in all 213 municipalities. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Japan's defense white paper for 2016, calling the annual document hostile to the Chinese military and deceptive to the international community. "The white paper issued on August 2, full of hackneyed expressions, distorts China's justified and reasonable defense construction and heightens issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement. "Filled with hostilities to the Chinese military, it stirs up trouble between China and its neighbors, and deceives the international community, " Wu said. He said the Chinese military has lodged solemn representations with Japan over the white paper. In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages to remarks on China's national defense and normal, legal maritime activities in the East and South China seas. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula is increasing concerns in neighboring China where some worry that a new Cold War is looming. But make no mistake. It is not fear of the U.S. anti-missile shield that drives such concerns, for China has never, and will never, accepted threats that encroach on its national security. The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju county, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Washington claims that THAAD can help defend the ROK against potential security threats from its neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). But the missile shield is designed to intercept incoming inter-continental ballistic missiles at relatively high altitudes, whereas the DPRK needs only short-range rockets and conventional arms to launch attacks on its southern neighbor. This alone renders THAAD a completely ineffective deterrent. Furthermore, THAAD has a 200 km-range for intercepting missiles, yet it is to be set up 300 km southeast of Seoul, far from the DPRK border. This means the capital and its surrounding areas, the country's most populous region, will not be protected. Again, this clearly shows that there is a hidden agenda behind THAAD, an installation that barely covers Seoul, but extends its reach to China and Russia's Far East. With its X band radar, commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles from the peninsula, THAAD can be used to collect the radar data of warheads and decoys of China and Russia's strategic missiles by monitoring their experiments, thus enabling the United States to neutralize China and Russia's nuclear deterrents and put their national security at risk. This muscle flexing, marked by strings being pulled from Washington where the fallacy of a fictional China threat has been trumpeted for years, is now bringing real, strategic threats to China's doorstep. However, those who wish to scare China will be deeply disappointed, for China has never, nor will ever, bowed down in the face of external security threats. By deploying this weapons system, which far exceeds the Korean Peninsula's defense needs, the ROK is skating on very thin ice by aiding the United States in compromising China's legitimate security interests. It is also destabilizing the strategic balance as well the stability of the region, which it claims that it set out to maintain in the first place. Seoul should wake up and realize that China has never been a source of regional tension and instability, and its neighborly diplomatic philosophy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, should not warrant schemes that undermine the country's national security. Seoul should also realize that it is amity and goodwill between neighbors, rather than a handful of high-tech weapons, that constitutes the true shield of regional peace and stability. by Naim-Ul-Karim DHAKA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The glorious history of People's Liberation Army (PLA) is a long saga of a protracted war of the Chinese Army against imperialist and reactionary forces, said a former chief of Bangladesh Army. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the establishment of the PLA which falls on Monday, retired Lieutenant General Mahbubur Rahman said, "PLA went through a long revolutionary process." Rahman, who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army from May 1996 to December 1997, said PLA started as Red Army, took different names at different times and situations and different theatres of operations namely New Fourth Route Army, Eighth Route Army and finally all transformed to People's Liberation Army. "On first of August this year, PLA of China celebrates its 89th Founding Anniversary. PLA indeed has come a long way in its arduous struggle and challenging journey since it took its bloody birth in the armed uprising led by Zhou Enlai in Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province on Aug. 1 1927," said Rahman, who is also a prominent intellectual keen on Bangladesh and China relations. "This great revolutionary army in the course of its guerilla warfare, undertook the epic Long March unprecedented in the world military history, covering a distance of twenty-five thousand Li, i.e. 12,500 kilometers, which lasted for a period more than 2 years, from October 1934 to October 1936." Rahman, who was in China for six years from 1980 as a military attache of the Bangladesh Embassy in China, said the Red Army fought protracted guerrilla battles over a vast area about half of whole China from South to North, from East to West, from Jinggang Shan mountains to the plains of Yanan, crossing the deep primary jungles, endless marshes and swamps, narrow valleys, steep gorges and snow capped rocky mountains, fighting all through. "The Red Army fears not the trials of the March, Holding light ten thousand crags and torrents. The Five Ridges wind like gentle ripples And the majestic Wumeng roll by, globules of clay. Warm the steep cliffs lapped by the waters of Golden Sand, Cold the iron chains spanning the Tatu River. Minshan's thousand Li of snow joyously crossed, The three Armies march on, each face glowing," He recited what the founding father of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong wrote in a classic poem about Long March. Rahman, who visited China at least 25 times since 1975 said this great Army, led by great commanders like Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Chen Yi, Peng Dehuai, Nie Rongzhen, Ye Jianying, Liu Bochen, He Long and many others, fought against Japanese aggression and Chiang Kai-Shek's reactionary forces, came out victorious and liberated the country. "Post liberation, this great Army continuously pursued highest combat excellence, struggled to consolidate the country's independence and sovereignty and always remained a bulwark of national defense as an invincible fighting machine." China's military demonstration last year showed its commitment to the world peace," he said, adding, "China upholds world peace and plays an important role in establishing world peace." "China believes in world solidarity, world unity and world justice," said Rahman, a living witness of China's phenomenal progresses in the last couple of decades. He also paid tribute to the Chinese government and people. Rahman, with in-depth historical knowledge in Chinese affairs, said PLA, true to its name, has always maintained its basic peoples' army character. It always bore in mind what Mao Zedong taught, "army is more like a fish and people are like the water in a river." "This has been the ethos of PLA and the essence of China's civil military relationship,"said Rahman, a fluent Chinese speaker. He said PLA never was isolated from the broad masses and always remained deeply involved in all national developments and socioeconomic activities. "It played a dominant role in national reconstruction and infrastructure building and combating natural disasters, like floods, cyclones, tornadoes, draughts and earthquakes." According to Mr. Rahman who first visited China as a student in 1976, PLA always enjoyed the utmost trust, confidence, love and respect of the people of China. "It is an all pervasive force with multidimensional characters. It is a fighting force par excellence with highest combat capability and readiness. It is a productive force beyond comparison and a workforce, the colossus of which the world has not seen before." "I recall, I had the opportunity to live in a PLA unit in a garrison very near to Beijing for a month in mid 1977. It was a part of the study curriculum, during my study in Beijing Modern Languages Institute (now university). President Ziaur Rahman, the visionary leader of Bangladesh, who believed in strong Sino-Bangla relation, sent me to China to study Chinese language for my future employment as military attache in the embassy," he recalled. "In my outdoor study I was sent to a PLA unit, I lived in the military barracks along with the PLA junior commanders. I wore their uniform, ate, worked, played and slept with them like them." There, Mr. Rahman said he was introduced with the great master military strategist of ancient China, Sun Tzu's epic work Art of War and was given many tactical combat lessons. "I was taken to the firing range to learn the skills of shooting. I found PLA soldiers were most accurate on to their targets and never missed any shot. The PLA unit, I lived was fully self-sufficient to cater its logistic needs. It had its own uniform and shoe making factory, it had it's own agricultural fields to grow grains and vegetables, own farm yards to raise cattle and get meat and dairy products. The unit was even running a factory to produce medicine for local use and surplus to be sold outside." Rahman recalled what he read his language class text books. There were many easy reading short stories, he said. "I read stories of Dr. Norman Bethune, how the Canadian doctor travelled thousands of miles from Canada to help the Red Army, how the Canadian doctor participated in the Long March and selflessly rendered his service in treating wounded soldiers, saving their lives, many a time giving his own blood," he recalled. "My text book also contained stories of Lei Feng, the great soldier of PLA, who dedicated his life for the service of poor people and was always available to rush in their crises and difficulties. The motto of PLA, he believed, was serving the people. Many such touching stories and their valuable lessons and my intimate stay with PLA commanders and soldiers enriched and helped me to know and understand them very closely. They all left a deep impression and influenced me in my life and I still treasure them, dearly cherish them," he shared. Rahman also witnessed how Chinese rejoiced the fall of the Gang of Four (Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan) and the ending of the so called Great Cultural Revolution which caused untold sufferings to the people and brought chaos and disorder in the society. "I saw their joys, happiness and ecstasies which were so spontaneous. I observed a deluge of flowing masses in the streets. Everybody, men, women and children, old and young was thronging in the streets, carrying big character written large banners, beating drums, blowing trumpets, ringing bells and giving full throated slogans. I never saw such a scene of human outbursts of emotions in my life. I along with all the students, teachers and staff of the Language Institute most joyfully joined the celebration." "Now as I reminisce my good old days in China in my leisure hours at my home in Dhaka, strange spells of emotions do strike me, I feel nostalgic. It makes me immensely proud. China, I always considered my second home, I lived there in the 1970s and 1980s for more than half a decade," he said. "About 40 years ago when I lived in China, she made a tiny footprint in global economy and political and military power. Today as I see China, I am totally amazed. China's phenomenal rise within shortest possible time (only four decades or so) is a miracle story. But miracles did happen in China. It happened because of country's correct leadership, pragmatic policies, national unity and solidarity, peace and harmony. The unifying factor and the stabilizing core element has been always PLA, the liberator, the redeemer, the most patriotic, dedicated, loyal and trusted," he said. Rahman said Bangladesh Armed Forces received almost their entire military hardware from PLA. "Our Armed Forces were built from the scratches by PLA's support and assistance. I, as the first military attache to China in the 1980s, am a witness, how PLA most generously supported to raise our Army, Navy and Air Force and strengthened our defense capability as we posses today." He said the services that PLA rendered in equipping, arming and training of our total armed forces are immeasurable, he added. He also recalled how during their meeting, former Chinese president Jiang Zemin told him: "China has changed a lot. It is not the same China which you saw when you lived here in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a changed China, developed China and it is a new generation, a new leadership." "The world is changing. I heard Dhaka skyline has also changed. But in all these changes one thing has not changed and it will never change and that is our relationship with Bangladesh, our policy for Bangladesh," he recalled President Jiang as saying. "I assure you General, China is your friend and will ever remain a friend. Whatever may be the situation and time, she will be always beside you. The relationship between China and Bangladesh is a relationship only of friendship, friendship and friendship and nothing but friendship," Jiang continued. "His words still ring in my ear. I treasure them. I believe this epitomizes our two militaries and two countries true relationship," said the general. "China has emerged as a big world power. We look forward to seeing more Chinese contributions to global peace and stability and development," he said. ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Some five pro-government soldiers were killed and several others wounded on Tuesday when two suicide car bombs struck an army base in Yemen's southern province of Lahj, a security official told Xinhua. The terrorist attacks occurred when two suicide bombers detonated their explosive-laden cars near the base in Lahj province, causing huge blast, the Yemeni security source said on condition of anonymity. The source said five were killed and nearly 15 others got injured who were moved to nearby hospitals for treatment. Witnesses said that the first suicide bomber attacked the soldiers positioned at the main gate and the second bomber detonated his car inside the army brigade. The base located few kilometers away from the strategic Anad military air base which hosts counter-terrorism American troops and forces of the Saudi-led Arab coalition. No group has so far claimed the responsibility for the attacks. Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East. The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009, and had claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions. It took advantage of the current security vacuum amid the ongoing civil war to expand its influence and seize more territories in Yemen's southern part. Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when a war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. More than 6,400 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians. A visitor watches a technical presentation at the exhibition stand of Nokia company during the first Global 5G Event in Beijing, capital of China, May 31, 2016. The theme of the two-day event is "building 5G technology ecosystem". (Xinhua/Li Xin) BRUSSELS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) should intensify cooperation with China in 5G mobile technology, said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led association aimed at intensifying business cooperation and investment in the telecom and hi-tech spheres. "ICT(Information and Communications Technology) is a global industry and 5G is a promising area for international cooperation. I think the cooperation from the outset between China and Europe on 5G matters should be essential for the EU's 5G strategy," Gambardella told Xinhua in a recent interview. "China is the largest market for Internet in the world and it will definitely take a leading role in global 5G development in the next decades. The first to ally with China will not only take a bigger piece of cake in the market share, but also grasp the chance to stand at the top and develop its own 5G and capability at a faster speed than the EU could do on its own or with other, less committed, partners," said Gambardella. He suggested that three concrete actions should be taken by the EU when seeking cooperation with China. As a first step, Gambardella said the EU should explore synergies between the Chinese and EU 5G policies. China has attached great importance to 5G in its national five-year plan(2016-2020) and has set the goal of 5G commercialization by 2020, while the EU is looking forward to contemplate early 5G deployment by the same deadline. "Since the two sides want to move at the same pace, it is more efficient and reciprocal to work together and help each other where there is overlapping ambition," he said. Secondly, the two should carry out joint research and trails on 5G, he added. He said the leading Chinese telecom vendors were taking pioneering actions to lead the trend. For example, ZTE is currently working on a pre-5G technology and has already started its pre-5G trials in China. The result will be shortly shared as ZTE aims at rolling out this technology in Hangzhou during the upcoming G20 Summit in September. "Therefore, Europe should maintain privileged relations with Chinese partners and promote joint actions both in the field of research and in the trials. Further 'concrete joint initiatives' should be put in place step by step, such as the first 'Full 5G Cities', that could be initially located in Europe and in China," he said. The third step, according to Gambardella, it's necessary to set up a joint China-EU digital fund. The fund should support and invest in small and medium-sized EU and Chinese 5G enterprises which are passionate about expanding their businesses in each other's market, said Gambardella. TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said here Tuesday that the United States has failed to fulfill its nuclear obligations "accurately." "If they were committed to their promises accurately, and did not hinder the process of nuclear deal implementation, we could count on them and sit to discuss other issues with them," Rouhani said in a live televised speech. Rouhani's remarks were a reaffirmation of the country's top leader's Monday comments on the implementation of the nuclear deal clinched between Iran and world powers last year. "The United States has violated its obligations (over the implementation of the nuclear deal) and is busy destroying Iran's economic ties with other countries," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday. In some areas, Iran still has problems in the transfer of money via the large international banks for the transactions that it has with its economic partners, Rouhani said. The Iranian president expressed the hope that such problems will be gradually solved in the future. United States President Barack Obama makes remarks during the third session of the 2016 Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (Photo Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/AdMedia) WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday called Donald Trump "unfit" to be U.S. president amid bipartisan outcry following the Republican presidential nominee's feud with the family of a fallen U.S. Muslim soldier. "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president," said Obama here at a press conference. "I said so last week and he keeps on proving it." "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that has made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," said Obama. Trump provoked bipartisan blame over the weekend after he derisively answered criticism from Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American solider killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Khan, during last week's Democratic National Convention, blasted Trump for his divisive remarks and proposal to temporary ban Muslims entering the country and divisive tone. ATHENS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- August arrived with a great rise in temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Greece and austerity-hit Greeks flocked to nearby beaches to beat the heatwave. Temperatures in northern Greece reached up to 37 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, while in mainland the mercury soared up to 40 degrees by midday. In the Greek capital, temperature rose up to 37 degrees in the shadow, according to the National Meteorological Service. Armed with umbrellas and water bottles, tourists in Athens defied the heat to visit archaeological sites, while others attended the surrounding beaches just a few miles from the Greek capital to find a cool refuge along with the locals. Though August is the month where the majority of Greeks take some time off for holidays, many choose nearby seashores due to diminished spending budget following the six-year recession. "The only way to beat the heatwave is the sea! Since there is no vacation in our plans due to the financial crisis, we choose short escapes. We either go to beaches in Attica or in Corinth," Manolis Dimitrelis told Xinhua, after taking a dive in Lagonissi beach in the so-called Athens Riviera. The shore was full of families and teenagers who were enjoying the clean waters and the relaxing atmosphere away from the fuzz of the city. "We come three consecutive days here at the beach to have a light refresh before leaving for short vacations. It is an easy alternative when you are at the city," Magda Salloum told Xinhua. With tax increases and high unemployment rates, cities are less empty during the summer, many choose to take a holiday for shorter period of time, or visit their villages. Konstantinos Fourlemadis, a businessman with two children, has changed his holiday plan the last years. "We live very near Lagonissi and we come every day at the beach. For holidays we go to my village, as it is cheaper. In the past, we used to go long trips for holidays, but now with two children we cannot bear the cost," he stressed. For Maria Sarigiannidou the beach is the only solution to have a great time during summer, and especially in August. "How can we combat the heat? Either we come to the beach, or we stay at home with air condition. I try to come every day," she said. Besides the high temperatures, experts warned over the high ozone levels as they reached alarming levels in some parts of the Greek capital. The Ministry of Health recommended to people with respiratory and cardiac problems to remain indoors. The Civil Protection Authority, as well, advised the public to be cautious during the heat wave, avoiding exposure to the heat especially for the vulnerable groups such as older people and children. In various parts of the Greek capital, open air- conditioned facility centers provided relief from the high temperatures. Meteorologists expect the heat wave to start dropping as of Thursday with a light breeze over northern Greece and temperatures dropping by 2-3 degrees during the weekend. Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:51:39 -0800 From: christina hammock Subject: Christina Hammock Hi Dear, Thanks for your urgent response, I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, My name is Christina M Hammock, I am US military/Nasa officer currently in Libya now. and i will like to get acquainted with you, I am loving, honest and caring person with a good sense of humor, I enjoy meeting new people and knowing their way of life, I enjoy watching the sea waves and the beauty of the mountains and everything that nature has to offer. however, i really want to establish a true relationship that may lead into a business partner or something else. It is my pleasure meeting you, I hope all is well with you and how are you enjoying your day?. I want you to know that we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs and during one of our rescue mission we came across a safe box that contain huge amount of money that belongs to the supporters of the over thrown government of Libya, which I believe was money meant for buying weapons and ammunition, and it was agreed by all Army officers present on that rescue mission that the money will be shared among us and which we did. Out of the total fund my share was $2.3,000,000 (Two Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) I am seeking your assistance to evacuate my share of the money out of this country (Libya) to your own country for you to keep it safe on my behalf till i come over to your country, So i want you to assure me that if this money is been delivered to you in your country that you are going to be trustworthy to keep the money till when i will come to your country to meet you face to face to collect the money back from you. It's clear to me that you might be scared of this proposal, but i want to let you know that i have made solid arrangements with a Security Company and they have promised to deliver the fund through diplomatic method to any of my choosing destination. This delivery is going to be handle legally by the Security Company and there will not be any form of risk involve in the process and the money will be pack safely in a truck case and the same case will be deliver to you in your country. I have decide to compensate you with 30% of the total money once after the money is delivered to you, while the rest balance shall be my investment capital in your country. One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter to a third party, if you do not want to be party to this business please delete, this letter from your email box to avoid any leakage of this information and it will be dangerous to me based on my position here. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust nor thwart my dream, though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without formal introduction, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me in receiving and investing this Fund. Note; I do not know how long we going to remain here and my fate since I have survived two bomb attack here, which prompted me to search out for a reliable and trust worthy person to help me receive and invest the Fund, because I will be coming over to your home country to invest and start a new life not as a soldier anymore. I hope my explanation is very clear but if you need further clarification just let me know and i will explain further, I want to let you know that here in the military zone we are not allow to make use of mobile phone, we only make use of radio message and email communication so please let us continue communicating through email for the mean time. Conclusively,i wish you could send me a reply immediately in regards to this proposal,your urgent reply will be highly appreciated. Attached here is my picture and the photocopy of the money. I Wait to receive your acceptable reply as soon as you read this letter. Love from. Christina M Hammock. Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 01:19:24 -0800 From: christina hammock Subject: Send your below information to me urgently My beloved, Good day to you and how is your health today, i hope you are healthy and fine? I want to say a big thanks to you for making out time to write to me again, the content of your letter are well understood, i do not want you to see this deal as some thing that will bring problem to you, but i want you to trust and believe me when i say that there is nothing to worry about in this deal, honestly i have made every necessary arrangement that will lead to safe delivery of the cash box to you without any form of problem nor risk OK. Am a Woman that does things in accordance to the directives of my spirit, i chose you to be my partner and also help me in receiving this cash box because my spirit has been bearing me witness that you are the rightful person for me and i know you will not disappoint me, i chose to use you as partner in this deal because am not permitted to send package down to any of my friends nor relatives since am still in the military camp outside USA, if i eventually send out any thing to the USA it will be suspicious and i will be query for the action, so i chose you because i know you are the ideal person for this deal as foreigner who is not a USA citizen. Please put away fear or doubt and make up your mind to help me in this matter, i promise you, you will not regret been part of this matter, i do not know what else i can say to convince you and make you to believe me, but i pray that God will give you the grace to make up your mind. One more time i want to let you know that there is no complication on this matter, if you follow my instruction every thing will go smooth and well in the process of receiving the cash box, Please try and keep this matter secret between you and i,to avoid making room for enemy because if you and i should agree on one thing with our heart with seriousness then we must surely achieve success at the end. Please i want to remind you once again that every arrangement towards this project is intact between both of us and on no account should you let the security company to know the content of the box, remember that the consignment was registered as diplomatic package to the security company and that is what they believe to be in the box, so you should not let them know that the content of the box is money. Please i will like you to send your contact information to me so that i can forward to the security company to enable them proceed to your country for the final delivery of the cash box to your door step. Send your below information to me urgently; Your full names:........... Your age:........... Your address:.............. Post code:................. City:...................... Country:................... Telephone number:......... Profession:................ Once am through here with my official assignment i will come over to meet you one on one in your country and after that we shall decide on how to carry on with our life, but for now please i will appreciate us to be more focus on this issue of you receiving the cash box and safe keeping it on my behalf till i come over then i will handle the depositing of the money in the bank by myself. I await your immediate response Love and care from, Yours Christina. Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:32:49 -0800 From: christina hammock Subject: Request for the Delivering of my Package Dear Sir I am from . I am contacting you regarding my package that was send to me by Gen Christina M Hammock presently now in Libya. I was told to contact your company regarding my package which was sent to me through your company, and i plead to you to use your good office and make the delivering at my destination as fast as possible, Below here is my contact details. Full names: Age: Address: ID: Post code: City: Country: Telephone number: Profession: Yours Faithful Jon Vaalamo. Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:39:15 -0800 From: christina hammock Subject: Please contact the delivery company immediately. Sweetheart, Greetings from a military base, how are you today? It is my prayers That you will always be in good health where ever you are in the present time, as Mine? I'm okay, but just to think and reflect on how to deal with and The fulfillment of this desire being with you. Thank you for your information and I'm doing everything possible to make sure Receive money successfully, contacted the courier company's (ATM GLOBAL courier company and / SECURITY) are reliable and trustworthy, It will square marked as diplomatic luggage and bring it to your door step In your country, and as personal luggage, and I have handed them through the square Their agent here, they will receive personal items, they take all the packs Those who head office to Lome, Togo before leaving to other parts of the world. This quick service I have chosen so that you can receive the package within After 72 hours prior to the flight, and the package will bring to your home address You provided, I / shipment square recorded him To the company through their agent here, the company is with all your More details here in our military base, the government provides us with everything We need, our salary is everything we need, and pay the salary best to our bank Account in the United States until we return home after an assignment, So far as I stay in Libya, I can not receive or send money, and I have Pushed to record shipment has developed shipment Instructions for the shipping company to deliver the box to your door Door step in your country. Note that the diplomat did not know the content of the security box The following is a reason for the company contact details, Please contact them now and tell them your name and the name of your country, you The right person to receive the goods from Christina M swing, United States An army officer and the name of the courier company are as follows, ATM GLOBAL Delivery / security company. E-mail: atmcustomercareservices@hotmail.com E-mail: atmcustomercareservices@gmail.com Phone: +22893539619 Managing Director Michael Frank At the same time, I've forwarded your contact details for the company but still Tips that you write to the company to the above email immediately, and The company will attend to you as soon as you touch them, I started with Arranged to meet before the end month. Please allow me to pause now, and I will be waiting to receive your Positive updated as soon as you contact the company. God bless you and your family. Hug and kisses. Love and care, Christina! Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2016 07:32:37 +0000 From: christina hammock Subject: I receive this mail from the company . From: ATM GLOBAL DELIVERY COMPANY Date: Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 7:20 AM Subject: SHIPMENT DETAILS . To: "christinaha002@gmail.com" ATTENTION: THE SHIPMENT / DELIVERY SITUATION REPORT OF YOUR CONSIGNMENT IN LOME,REPUBLIC OF TOGO. The above subject matter refers, In Respect on the email we have received from United State Officer Gen Christina M Hammock in our office, The management of ATM GLOBAL DELIVERY/SECURITY COMPANY. We want to notify you that your consignment/one trunk box has been registered with our shipment company for delivery to your country as soon as the necessary shipment logistics and requirement are obtain we shall inform you what time you should expect the delivery of your consignment in your Country . Actually we have earlier been informed about you by the United States Military Officer Gen Christina M Hammock that she appointed you as the beneficiary to receive her shipment labelled (FAMILY TREASURE) a CONSIGNMENT/ONE TRUCK BOX to your destination. SERVICE TYPE DELIVERY DURATION CHARGE/FEES: Handling & Delivery Cost............. 570 euro Insurance....................................... 1280 euro Total Cost......................................1,850 euro Finally you are required to send the shipment and Insurance fee of (1,850 euro), One Thousand eight hundred and fifty Euro , to enable us facilitate and deliver your consignment to your address in your country. For urgent movement and delivery of your consignment, you are required to send the above required 1,850 euro through our bank account. So go at your bank and make the bank transfer with our banking details. BANK ACCOUNT NAME : UMAH EMMANUEL UDONSI BANK NAME : UNION TOGOLAISE DE BANQUE IBAN CODE : TG53-TG009010214352550050002 ACCOUNT NUMBER : 214352556005000 SWIFT CODE: UNTBTGTG ADDRESS: UTB JEAN 11,NOVISSI.LOME-TOGO COUNTRY : TOGO kindly scan and send the bank payment receipt to us via email attachment once you make the payment of 1,850 euro , so that we can pick the money over here and do all the necessary things that are need to be done. Our delivery officer will arrive in your country any day you wish him to arrive. All we need is for you to give us two days notification and your consignment box will be delivered to your door step safely. Meanwhile, you are required to send the above mentioned fund, 1,850 euro so that we can use it to get the insurance paper which will cover your package from Africa to your country. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question (s) please contact us on our telephone number +22893539619 for more directives/clarifications. Always reply us through our email address. Thanks for your understanding and co-operation. Mr. FRANK MICHAEL ATM Global Delivery company, Lome-Togo Bd. du 203 Janvier, Imm. No18, NyekonakpoA, BP 1002 Lome - Togo Phone: + 22893539619 Email: atmcustomercareservices@hotmail.com atmcustomercareservices@gmail.com www.agdsc.ro.tn Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2016 07:33:00 +0000 From: christina hammock Subject: my love please go ahead and send the money to the company . my love, i hope that you are doing fine over there today, You are the light of my heart and i am thinking about you always because you are my love. i am very happy to read the mail that you receive from the company, from the mail i receive from the company, i have confirm that the company have requested for the fee of insurance, so please my darling i want you to go ahead now and send the money to the company. please all that we need is the insurance fee so that we can complete the processing of the delivering, You are the Joy of my Heart and i am waiting to read from you soon. Please my darling do all that you can and send the money now, so that the company manger can help us and start the processing of the insurance paper, i shall be waiting to read from you soon . Yours Love Christina From: Christina M Hammock < christinamhammock51@gmail.com Date: 2015-03-28 8:42 GMT+01:00 Subject: Dear, I have decided to compensate you with 30% of $2.3m. Hi Dear, I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, My name is Christina M Hammock, I am US military/Nasa officer currently in Libya now. and i will like to get acquainted with you, I am loving, honest and caring person with a good sense of humor, I enjoy meeting new people and knowing their way of life, I enjoy watching the sea waves and the beauty of the mountains and everything that nature has to offer. however, i really want to establish a true relationship that may lead into a business partner or something else. It is my pleasure meeting you, I hope all is well with you and how are you enjoying your day?. I want you to know that we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs and during one of our rescue mission we came across a safe box that contain huge amount of money that belongs to the supporters of the over thrown government of Libya, which I believe was money meant for buying weapons and ammunition, and it was agreed by all Army officers present on that rescue mission that the money will be shared among us and which we did. Out of the total fund my share was $2.300,000 (Two Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) I am seeking your assistance to evacuate my share of the money out of this country (Libya) to your own country for you to keep it safe on my behalf till i come over to your country, So i want you to assure me that if this money is been delivered to you in your country that you are going to be trustworthy to keep the money till when i will come to your country to meet you face to face to collect the money back from you. It ' s clear to me that you might be scared of this proposal, but i want to let you know that i have made solid arrangements with a Security Company and they have promised to deliver the fund through diplomatic method to any of my choosing destination. This delivery is going to be handle legally by the Security Company and there will not be any form of risk involve in the process and the money will be pack safely in a truck case and the same case will be deliver to you in your country. I have decided to compensate you with 30% of the total money once after the money is delivered to you, while the rest balance shall be my investment capital in your country. One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter to a third party, if you do not want to be party to this business please delete, this letter from your email box to avoid any leakage of this information and it will be dangerous to me based on my position here. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust nor thwart my dream, though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without formal introduction, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me in receiving and investing this Fund. Note; I do not know how long we going to remain here and my fate since I have survived two bomb attack here, which prompted me to search out for a reliable and trust worthy person to help me receive and invest the Fund, because I will be coming over to your home country to invest and start a new life not as a soldier anymore. I hope my explanation is very clear but if you need further clarification just let me know and i will explain further, I want to let you know that here in the military zone we are not allow to make use of mobile phone, we only make use of radio message and email communication so please let us continue communicating through email for the mean time. Conclusively,i wish you could send me a reply immediately in regards to this proposal,your urgent reply will be highly appreciated. Attached here is my picture and the photocopy of the money. I Wait to receive your acceptable reply as soon as you read this letter. Love from Christina Date: 8 Jul 2016 17:19 Subject: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND GET BACK TO ME. Cc: Hi Dear, Thanks for your urgent response, I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, My name is Christina M Hammock, I am US military/NASA officer currently in Libya now. and i will like to get acquainted with you, I am loving, honest and caring person with a good sense of humor, I enjoy meeting new people and knowing their way of life, I enjoy watching the sea waves and the beauty of the mountains and everything that nature has to offer. however, i really want to establish a true relationship that may lead into a business partner or something else. It is my pleasure meeting you, I hope all is well with you and how are you enjoying your day?. I want you to know that we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs and during one of our rescue mission we came across a safe box that contain huge amount of money that belongs to the supporters of the over thrown government of Libya, which I believe was money meant for buying weapons and ammunition, and it was agreed by all Army officers present on that rescue mission that the money will be shared among us and which we did. Out of the total fund my share was $6.3,000,000 (SIX Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) I am seeking your assistance to evacuate my share of the money out of this country (Libya) to your own country for you to keep it safe on my behalf till i come over to your country, So i want you to assure me that if this money is been delivered to you in your country that you are going to be trustworthy to keep the money till when i will come to your country to meet you face to face to collect the money back from you. It ' s clear to me that you might be scared of this proposal, but i want to let you know that i have made solid arrangements with a Security Company and they have promised to deliver the fund through diplomatic method to any of my choosing destination. This delivery is going to be handle legally by the Security Company and there will not be any form of risk involve in the process and the money will be pack safely in a truck case and the same case will be deliver to you in your country. I have decide to compensate you with 30% of the total money once after the money is delivered to you, while the rest balance shall be my investment capital in your country. One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter to a third party, if you do not want to be party to this business please delete, this letter from your email box to avoid any leakage of this information and it will be dangerous to me based on my position here. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust nor thwart my dream, though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without formal introduction, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me in receiving and investing this Fund. Note; I do not know how long we going to remain here and my fate since I have survived two bomb attack here, which prompted me to search out for a reliable and trust worthy person to help me receive and invest the Fund, because I will be coming over to your home country to invest and start a new life not as a soldier anymore. I hope my explanation is very clear but if you need further clarification just let me know and i will explain further, I want to let you know that here in the military zone we are not allow to make use of mobile phone, we only make use of radio message and email communication so please let us continue communicating through email for the mean time. Conclusively,i wish you could send me a reply immediately in regards to this proposal,your urgent reply will be highly appreciated. Attached here is my picture and the photocopy of the money. I Wait to receive your acceptable reply as soon as you read this letter. Love from. Christina M Hammock From: " christina christinaa" < christina341@outlook.com Date: 8 Jul 2016 17:19Subject: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND GET BACK TO ME.Cc: Van: Christina M Hammock < christinamhammock5@outlook.com > Verzonden: zaterdag 23 juli 22:44 2016 Onderwerp: From Christina M Hammock. Hi Dear, Thanks for your urgent response, I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, My name is Christina M Hammock, I am US military/Nasa officer currently in Libya now. and i will like to get acquainted with you, I am loving, honest and caring person with a good sense of humor, I enjoy meeting new people and knowing their way of life, I enjoy watching the sea waves and the beauty of the mountains and everything that nature has to offer. however, i really want to establish a true relationship that may lead into a business partner or something else. It is my pleasure meeting you, I hope all is well with you and how are you enjoying your day?. I want you to know that we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs and during one of our rescue mission we came across a safe box that contain huge amount of money that belongs to the supporters of the over thrown government of Libya, which I believe was money meant for buying weapons and ammunition, and it was agreed by all Army officers present on that rescue mission that the money will be shared among us and which we did. Out of the total fund my share was $2.3,000,000 (Two Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) I am seeking your assistance to evacuate my share of the money out of this country (Libya) to your own country for you to keep it safe on my behalf till i come over to your country, So i want you to assure me that if this money is been delivered to you in your country that you are going to be trustworthy to keep the money till when i will come to your country to meet you face to face to collect the money back from you. It's clear to me that you might be scared of this proposal, but i want to let you know that i have made solid arrangements with a Security Company and they have promised to deliver the fund through diplomatic method to any of my choosing destination. This delivery is going to be handle legally by the Security Company and there will not be any form of risk involve in the process and the money will be pack safely in a truck case and the same case will be deliver to you in your country. I have decide to compensate you with 30% of the total money once after the money is delivered to you, while the rest balance shall be my investment capital in your country. One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter to a third party, if you do not want to be party to this business please delete, this letter from your email box to avoid any leakage of this information and it will be dangerous to me based on my position here. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust nor thwart my dream, though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without formal introduction, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me in receiving and investing this Fund. Note; I do not know how long we going to remain here and my fate since I have survived two bomb attack here, which prompted me to search out for a reliable and trust worthy person to help me receive and invest the Fund, because I will be coming over to your home country to invest and start a new life not as a soldier anymore. I hope my explanation is very clear but if you need further clarification just let me know and i will explain further, I want to let you know that here in the military zone we are not allow to make use of mobile phone, we only make use of radio message and email communication so please let us continue communicating through email for the mean time. Conclusively,i wish you could send me a reply immediately in regards to this proposal,your urgent reply will be highly appreciated. Attached here is my picture and the photocopy of the money. I Wait to receive your acceptable reply as soon as you read this letter. Love from. Christina M Hammock. Van: Christina M Hammock < christinamhammock5@outlook.com > Verzonden: donderdag 28 juli 20:38 2016 Onderwerp: Send your below information to me urgently My beloved, Good day to you and how is your health today, i hope you are healthy and fine? I want to say a big thanks to you for making out time to write to me again, the content of your letter are well understood, I do not want you to see this deal as something that will bring problem to you, but I want you to trust and believe me when i say that there is nothing to worry about in this deal, honestly I have made every necessary arrangement that will lead to safe delivery of the cash box to you without any form of problem nor risk OK. Am a Woman that does things in accordance to the directives of my spirit, I chose you to be my partner and also help me in receiving this cash box because my spirit has been bearing me witness that you are the rightful person for me and I know you will not disappoint me, I chose to use you as partner in this deal because am not permitted to send package down to any of my friends nor relatives since am still in the military camp outside USA, if I eventually send out anything to the USA it will be suspicious and I will be query for the action, so i chose you because I know you are the ideal person for this deal as foreigner who is not a USA citizen. Please put away fear or doubt and make up your mind to help me in this matter, I promise you you will not regret been part of this matter, I do not know what else I can say to convince you and make you to believe me, but I pray that God will give you the grace to make up your mind. One more time I want to let you know that there is no complication on this matter, if you follow my instruction everything will go smooth and well in the process of receiving the cash box, Please try and keep this matter secret between you and i, to avoid making room for enemy because if you and i should agree on one thing with our heart with seriousness then we must surely achieve success at the end. Please I want to remind you once again that every arrangement towards this project is intact between both of us and on no account should you let the security company to know the content of the box, remember that the consignment was registered as diplomatic package to the security company and that is what they believe to be in the box, so you should not let them know that the content of the box is money. Please i will like you to send your contact information to me so that i can forward to the security company to enable them proceed to your country for the final delivery of the cash box to your door step. Send your below information to me urgently; Your full names:. . . . . . Your age:. . . . . . Your address:. . . . . . . Post code:. . . . . . . . . City:. . . . . . . . . . . Country:. . . . . . . . . . Telephone number:. . . . . Profession:. . . . . . . . Once am through here with my official assignment I will come over to meet you one on one in your country and after that we shall decide on how to carry on with our life, but for now please I will appreciate us to be more focus on this issue of you receiving the cash box and safe keeping it on my behalf till I come over then I will handle the depositing of the money in the bank by myself. I await your immediate response Love and care from Yours Christina. Van: Christina M Hammock < christinamhammock5@outlook.com > Verzonden: zondag 31 juli 8:19 2016 Onderwerp: my darling i await your immediate response . My dearest please i want you to know that i will like you to receive the box and after which you will help me and start investing in your country as you already know that i do not know more about business , But i have so much confident and trust on you . Please i will like you to send your contact information to me so that i can forward to the security company to enable them proceed to your country for the final delivery of the cash box to your door step. Send your below information to me urgently; Your full names:. . . . . . Your age:. . . . . . Your address:. . . . . . . Post code:. . . . . . . . . City:. . . . . . . . . . . Country:. . . . . . . . . . Telephone number:. . . . . Profession:. . . . . . . . i am send you my personal documents so please do not show this to any other person , i want you to handle this issue privately and do not discuss about this issue with any other person please . Love and care from, Yours Christina. Dearest ,My dearest please i want you to know that i will like you to receive the box and after which you will help me and start investing in your country as you already know that i do not know more about business ,But i have so much confident and trust on you .Please i will like you to send your contact information to me so that i can forward to the security company to enable them proceed to your country for the final delivery of the cash box to your door step.Send your below information to me urgently;Your full names:. . . . . .Your age:. . . . . .Your address:. . . . . . .Post code:. . . . . . . . .City:. . . . . . . . . . .Country:. . . . . . . . . .Telephone number:. . . . .Profession:. . . . . . . .i am send you my personal documents so please do not show this to any other person ,i want you to handle this issue privately and do not discuss about this issue with any other person please . If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... AG: Govt talking with international partners Al-Rawi told Newsday this communication forms part of the overall strategy which Government is taking to deal with the issue of TT nationals being recruited to join terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS ). The AG also disclosed another key component is this strategy can be found in 74 applications which Government has made to the High Court to have entities designated as terrorist organisations by the United Nations registered in this countrys laws. He explained this allow for persons associated with such entities to be dealt with by the court. According to a report in the Daily Sabah yesterday, police detained nine TT citizens in southern Turkey on July 27 while they were trying to travel to Syria to join Daesh, which is another term used to describe ISIS. Daesh is an ancronym for the Arabic phrase, al-Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham. This term has emerged since last Novembers terrorist attacks in Paris. According to NBC, ISIS has reportedly threatened to cut out the tongues of anyone it hears using the term. The Daily Sabah report said the Trinidadians were traveling in a truck stopped by police on a tipoff that foreigners would join the terrorist organisation active in Syria and Iraq. Assem Hasseno, a Syrian suspect accused of transporting unidentified Trinidadians to Syria, was detained while the group was deported after they were questioned. Hasseno was remanded in custody. Adana is among the cities near the Syrian border where foreign fighters attempt to illegally cross to join Daesh/ISIS. The report said Turkey, which shares a lengthy border with Syria, is popular among Daesh/ISIS foreign recruits from all across the globe, although this was likely the first time for citizens of TT. As he acknowledged the report, Al-Rawi said the authorities in this country are in communication with their international counterparts to confirm with certainty this particular report which refers to nine persons who are alleged to be TT nationals. Noting that Turkey is one place which ISIS recruits use to gain entry into Syria, Al-Rawi said once that information is locked in, Government would be able to get a clear picture as to what the situation is and how to treat with it. Regarding the gloal threat of terrorism and its various aspects such as foreign terrorist fighters and terrorist financing, Al-Rawi said, We in TT are very much conscious of the action that is required. He disclosed that up to Saturday, when the National Security Council (NSC) met at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns, these matters continue to be actively monitored by the Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Al-Rawi said since the Peoples National Movement (PNM) assumed office last September, significant operational and legislative measures have been implemented to deal with terrorism and its various components. He said an active Anti-Terrorism Desk has been established in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs. Al-Rawi stated the objective of this desk is to coordinate activities between local law enforcement agencies and their international counterparts on matters of terrorism. The AG said Government has also been applying the Anti-Terrorism Act which has laid fallow for some time. He added that this has resulted in two persons and an entity being listed. Indicating that ISIS is listed as a terrorist organisation under this countrys laws, Al-Rawi said there are currently 74 applications awaiting hearing before the court. He said this would allow other groups designated by the UN as terrorist organisations, to be registered as such under TTs laws. The AG said this would allow for a wider range of remedies to treat with persons associated with such groups under this countrys laws. On the issue of foreign terrorist fighters, Al-Rawi disclosed that legislation pertaining to such persons has been drafted. He indicated this draft legislation is currently awaiting comments from the Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Al-Rawi, who is also the current chairman of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), reiterated that issues of money laundering and terrorist financing remain very important to the Government. He also strengthening this countrys ability to deal with terrorism and its various manifestations, is one of the reasons why Government brought the Strategic Services (Amendnent) Bill 2016. Reiterating the importance of proper intelligence to dealing with terrorism and crime in general, Al-Rawi said this law ensured that critical intelligence was being handled by properly vetted agencies. He added the amended SSA Act (passed in the House of Representatives on April 15, passed in the Senate on May 10, assented to by the President on May 31 and currently awaiting proclamation) also satisfies a requirement by this countrys international partners in law enforcement to know, who is in the room. Al-Rawi said Government and this countrys security forces remain vigilant to the threat posed by terrorist groups such as ISIS. He added the combined measures taken thus far and those still to come show that this country is, not sleeping on the job when it comes to the threat of terrorism. Emancipation gift from PM TTs First Peoples to get their land The group then said, May 8, 1990 was a milestone in the history of The First Peoples of Trinidad and Tobago. On that date, the Cabinet of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) decided that the Santa Rosa Carib Community be recognized as representative of the Indigenous Amerindians of Trinidad and Tobago, and approved an annual subvention of $30,000 to aid in its development. Cabinet also agreed that an Amerindian Project Committee be appointed to advise government on the development of the community. In coming to these decisions, Cabinet took into consideration that as the oldest sector of this countrys multi-cultural society, the Amerindians have, for some time been recognised as having unique needs for their cultural and economic viability. May 8, 2016 marks twenty-six (26) years since this historic decision, and the Community paused to reflect on its progress, while renewing the call for increased visibility, and the fulfilment of promises made for its advancement. In his address to the people, Rowley quoted civil rights leader Martin Luther Kings I have a dream speech and likened the struggles of the first people to that of slavery. Rowley in addressing the crowd which converged at the Savannah after Kambule-the street parade in commemoration of the Emancipation of the slavery- also spoke to the issue of crime currently impacting the country. He spoke to the nations forefather Dr Eric Williams and free education. He told the youth in the audience, particularly young males that there was no reason to turn to a life of crime given all that the nations forefathers had done. Rowley told the youth that it was disrespectful to the work of the countrys forefathers to turn to a life of crime. Rowley, along with wife, Sharon; Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly; Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon; Minister of Works and Transport, Fitzgerald Hinds along with members of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) and scores of people walked through the streets of Port-of-Spain in observance of the historic moment. Rowley greeted manay along the way as he moved along the procession route. Rowley and wife Sharon also danced slighlty, while seated, to the sounds at Picadilly Greens. For Arts Minister Dolly, yesterdays events demonstrated a resurgence of the pride of African people. She said in an interview while walking along the parade route, Todays turn out is quite good. It speaks to the resurgence of the pride of African people in terms of their heritage and ethnicity. I feel very heartened by what I see here today. Dolly said, when asked if she felt there was a loss of African cultural products in TT, that it was not as prominent as it could have been. Gadsby-Dolly said from her own experience-particularly in the 80s and so on, that one would not have seen so many people dressing in African wear outside of Emancipation and that it is seen quite a lot now. She said it speaks to a resurgence and quite a lot more ethnic pride. Judge blanks AG on Bail Bill In a hearing last week, Justice of Appeal Judith Jones said it was not possible for the appeal to be heard before August 15, when Section 5(b) (ii) of the Act ceases to have any effect when the sunset clause expires, The AG had applied for the rush hearing on the basis that should a stay of the judges order, which was also sought, and the appeal not expedited, any bail legislation currently before the Parliament and any provision that mirrored the Section, will have to be construed in accordance with the interpretation of the judge, which, according to the appeal, which will have serious implications for the administration of justice. According to the AG, persons now deprived of bail will be able to make applications to the court to determine whether they fall within the provision as read by the judge and there may be an inundation of claims for constitutional relief. This, the AG, submitted through his lawyer, Fyard Hosein, SC, will place a significant strain on the criminal and civil justice system. In her ruling, Justice Jones noted that while it was not possible to hear the appeal before the sunset clause expires on August 15, an expedited appeal was futile as there was no bail legislation before Parliament that the decision of the trial judge could influence. Nor is there any evidence before me of any case the resolution of which turns on the interpretation to be placed on the section. Or indeed of any constitutional motions or bail applications brought as a result of the interpretation placed on the section by the judge, Justice Jones said. She also noted that there ought not to be a divergence of practice with respect to the application of the section since there was now a determination on the issue by a court of competent jurisdiction in the manner in which the section is to be applied, There is no evidence of the fear voiced by the appellant that there will now be an inundation of claims to the High Court for constitutional relief by those denied bail as a result of the interpretation placed on the section by the judge. At the end of the day these fears voiced must be viewed in the context of the length of time the section has to run and must be weighed against the fact of the deferment of other appeals and the resulting injustice to those parties, she noted. In her ruling on the Bail (Amendment) Act No 7 of 2015, which gave a magistrate the right to deny a person bail for 120 days if they are charged with an offence and was in possession of a firearm, Justice Carol Gobin, in May, held that the legislation was badly drafted. She provided her interpretation of Section 5(b) (ii) of the Act, in a judicial interpretation application brought by a police officer - PC Ryan Reno Mahabir - who was initially denied bail after he and another colleague were charged with three offences. She said the section ought to be modified to read that a court should not grant bail to a person if it is alleged that the person had in his possession and used a firearm or imitation firearm during the commission of the offence. Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, Jayanti Lutchmedial, Alvin Pariagsingh and Kent Samlal appeared for Mahabir. Rambharat, No compensation for fish kill There have been no links to a chemical or toxic cause, Rambharat emphasised yesterday while speaking on the growing concerns by environmentalist Edward Moodie and Dow Village/South Oropouche Fishing Associations president Suresh Seepersad, that a gas leak in the Gulf of Paria, is the cause for thousands of dead fish, mainly sardines, which washed ashore in south Oropouche and Vessigny beaches two weeks ago. Yesterday, Moodie disputed the ministers claim by confirming that at the weekend, several juvenile Catfish washed ashore. It begs the question. Would you continue to dump fish ten days after? I have told the EMA that the best time to go out at sea, is at about 10 am. I firmly believe that there is a gas leak of a Petrotrin installation which is close to the Trinity platform located 800 feet west of No Two Trinity platform, Moodie said. Minister Rambharat was adamant yesterday, saying that he went out with EMA and IMAs officials on Saturday to survey the waters in the Gulf of Paria in the suspected fish-kill area. The minister said he saw numerous dead sardines along the coast. Rambharat told the Newsday the live sardines jumping in the water, appeared to have been, irritated, and he suggested to the EMA and IMA officials, that they should not restrict their investigations to chemical causes, but into other factors such as changes in the temperature of the water, tidal pattern changes, and, the possible intrusion of fresh water into the Gulf of Paria from the mouth of the Godineau River. Having regard to his observation, Rambharat said that consumers should not be pertubed about buying fish from fishing bays along the western Gulf coast coast. There have been no links to a chemical or toxic cause, he said. Seepersad, however, told the Newsday yesterday that consumers continue to stay away from the fishing bays along the western coast. Seepersad insisted that the fish-kill was as a result on toxic chemicals in the water and he called upon State-owned Petrotrin to compensate fishermen. Kambon: Educate our people about their history He made the comments as he walked along the Kambule route with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Minister of National Security, Edmund Dillon that the education system needed to be changed to educate young Afro-Trinbagonians people about their history. He said, You are up against an education system that does not, in fact, educate our people about themselves. He said the lack of knowledge was systemic and that there were, generally negative images of African people and the African continent itself. The negative even goes to how we look. You have such pressures on the mind. Not only of Africans but of all dark-skinned people. You have such pressures on your mind that people are destroying their heads by purchasing products in order to lighten their skins. Kambon said, however, that the African sound and cultural products was not losing hits ground in TT. He said the annual commemoration of Emancipation celebrations helped to build and continue that conscious in TT. Kambon, at the time of the procession, said he was pleased with the turn-out at the event. Without something like this I think it would have been virtually dead by now. But because of this there is a revival, Kambon said. Kambon said the annual event helped to keep the art of drumming, for example, alive and to build the communities from which they originated. He said it often got its members into positive activity and something which taught them, something about their African consciousness. Kambon said, however, to build on the consciousness, we absolutely need to get it, the history, into the formal education system. People cannot go into an education system that does not have any content to give them pride in themselves. For the thousands who turned up for the days event it was one that saw a renewed interest in the activity. Joyce Quamina of Trou Macaque, Laventille said she did not attend the celebrations for many years but decided to attend this year. Quamina said, it appeared as those, everyone was in one accord. I real proud. It have a real good turn out, she added. Junior medic no-pay leave not unusual The granting of nopay leave to Dr Malini Gosine , who is the daughter of Chief-Executive Officer of the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Anil Gosine, is therefore not unsual, noted a media release from the authority issued last week. It was alleged that Dr Gosine was favoured for no-pay leave while she pursued specialist training in dermatology, in England, because her father is the CEO while other doctors senior to her had been waiting for no-pay leave approval. Dr Gosine also shot into the limelight over an application she submitted for a scholarship from the SWRHA to pursue the Diploma course in England. It was approved by the SWRHA board. However, the Ministry of Health in 2015 under the tenure of former Minister of Health Dr Fuad Khan, turned down the request. CEO Gosine was sent on a three days leave two months ago while the newly-appointed SWRHA board probe the issue. The board was satisfied that there was no impropriety and that Gosine had been paying for his daughters education abroad. The SWRHA issued a release on Friday last in which it stated that the board was satisfied that the doctor concerned (Dr Singh), is on nopay leave. On the issue that the doctor was being paid a salary, the release stated that in keeping with the Human Resource policy of SWRHA, all doctors are required to proceed on no-pay leave, and they are paid their salaries while they are on vacation and Compensatory Leave. No monies are paid for no-pay leave, it added. New home for Eric Williams collection Recalling Williams tenure as this countrys first prime minister from 1956 to 1981, Young said Government believes Williams, is someone who we believe should be significantly remembered in more ways than he has already been for his contributions to TT and the Caribbean region. Young said as opposition leader, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley approached the then Peoples Partnership (PP) government for the collection to be housed at the former public library at the corner of Knox and Pembroke Streets. Noting the PP rejected that offer, Young said Rowley has discussed the housing of the collection at the old library with Williams daughter, Erica Williams- Connell. He said Williams-Connell has agreed for her fathers memorabilia, currently housed at the Alma Jordan Library at UWIs St Augustine campus, to be permanently housed at the library. Young said the library is 70 to 80 percent complete and once the rennovation is complete, it will be passed over to UWI to be outfitted for the housing of the collection. Young also said Government has taken no final decision on how to honour the legacy of former Prime Minister Patrick Manning who died on July 2, at the age of 69. Mannings son Brian has called for the re-establishment of the Divine Echoes Orchestra and the establishment of a Patrick Manning Development Fund at the International Financial Centre, as ways for his father to be honoured. Rowley recently said Cabinet will be guided by Brian Mannings statement that the family would decline an offer for his father to be awarded the Order of the Republic of TT (ORTT) posthumously. Manning rejected an offer in August 2014 by then Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar to be given the ORTT along with former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday (who also declined the ORTT). AnSa McAl buys Florida beer company The Indian River Brewery, the third largest brewery in the State of Florida, produces various beer brands which are distributed throughout the US and has contracts for many global brands of national distinction. This acquisition marks ANSA McALs first purchase of a private brewing production facility in the US. The groups Beverage Sector owns and operates Carib Brewery, one of the largest and well established local brewing companies in the Caribbean. With over 1,000 employees, Carib Brewery produces the much loved Carib beer, commonly referred to as the beer of the Caribbean and Carib Light. Carib Brewery also brews Stag beer and a range of Shandy Carib products. Group Business Development Executive and Sector Head of Beverage at ANSA McAl, Anthony N. Sabga III, said adding FBC to the beverage sector was exciting. The milestones attained by Carib Brewery through the abundance of heritage and quality, have earned us the distinction of bringing quality life to the Caribbean diaspora and beyond. We are proud of our local roots and enthusiastic at the prospect of this new addition to our three other breweries located in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis. FBC President and CEO James Webb, also commented on the deal, saying, As a member of the leading brand that partners with consumers on delivering a lifetime of memories, Carib Lager is quintessentially Caribbean. For those of you who have not made it to the Caribbean, then Carib brings the Caribbean lifestyle to you. Webb added that FBC is unique in that we have the capability to offer the consumer, brands from around the state like Key West Sunset Ale. Hurricane Reef Caribbean Pilsner or Florida Lager, to even craft-like brands such as Devils Triangle IPA. BPTT joins with community to honour Mayaro Champions Appropriately entitled Recognise, Engage, Celebrate (REC) Mayaro Champions, the awards ceremony paid homage to 16 persons who have contributed to the growth and development of the southeastern community in the areas of Arts and Culture, Community Development, Education and Enterprise Development. Explaining the significance of the event was Ronda Francis, Corporate Responsibility Manager, bpTT: Given that its ladies first, last year we honoured Mayaros female exemplars in the Women of Worth function. Now, we are recognising and celebrating the men who exerted their efforts to develop the community over the years. And, as much as this event is about honouring the great men who have exerted their efforts to build Mayaro, it is also about propagating a knowledge transfer in order to empower, inspire and motivate the next generation of Mayaro Champions who will continue the task of development. In terms of the selection process, bpTT solicited feedback from community-based organisations located across Mayaro. Forty-one (41) men were nominated for their sterling and diverse contributions to development in the community in various categories. Following assessment by an independent REC Committee, 16 were short-listed. An overall winner was then selected by the REC Committee in each category and bpTT also selected a special award recipent in each division. In the leadup to the presentation of awards, Mayaro-based entrepreneur and visionary Trevor Lynch, Chief Executive Officer at Hydro Tech Limited, delivered a dynamic feature address: Every nominee here is equally important and has played his unique part in the development of the community as a whole. Every man has a responsibility to his family, to his neighbourhood, to his community, and by extension, to his country, which is part of the global village. A man also has a dream and an innate desire to fulfil that dream. Like other great men, such as Dr. Eric Williams, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., these men nominated here today have lived up to their responsibility and have fulfilled their dreams all to the benefit of the community of Mayaro. That is why they deserve to be honoured so that their legacy can inspire the future leaders. It needs to be said that bpTT has been consistent in partnering with the community in many different programmes from social to educational to sporting. This event is further testament to that commitment and I think that they too need to be recognised for their sterling contribution to Mayaro, Lynch added. Guided by the events Master of Ceremonies, Brendan Phillip, Legal Counsel, bpTT, the enthusiastic crowd was treated to several highpoints including a rousing welcome from Matthew Pierre, Community Liaison Officer, bpTT, and remarks by Larry Drayton, Operations Manager, bpTT, a member of the REC Committee. The spirit of the attendees was also lifted by energetic and inspiring performances from pan soloist, Daniel Hagley, representing hometown Cadenza Steel Orchestra; vocal powerhouse and former Digicel Rising Star winner, Kay Alleyne; and the scintillating sounds of veteran performer Oscar Oscar B Benjamin and his talented band Vibes. Though I never expected this honour, it is a rewarding feeling and means a lot to me. I think I speak on behalf of all of the nominees in saying that we do our work without thought of recognition. We are simply doing what we were put on this earth to do. But being recognised, engaged and celebrated for that effort is really just encouragement for us to renew our commitment and delve deeper into the work of building this community of Mayaro that we all are proud to call home. MAYARO CHAMPIONS CATEGORY WINNERS Arts and Culture Jimmy Edwards (REC Committee Winner) Charles Hill (BPTT Selected Winner) Community Development Raymond Cozier (REC Committee Winner) Gregory Galera (BPTT Selected Winner) Education Harricharan Narine (REC Committee Winner) Reynold Phillip (BPTT Selected Winner) Enterprise Development Sherlon Campbell (REC Committee Winner) Clifford Campbell (BPTT Selected Winner). Minister: Development blocks beach access The Minister made the remarks during a brief interview with Newsday after she along with several senior officials from the Chaguaramas Development Association (CDA) and the Environmental Management Auithority (EMA) conducted a tour of the site of the facility, last week. Robinson-Regis said that one of the concerns she had with the construction of the Park was its location, adding that it hindered public access to the beach. She added that the Ministry was currently reviewing leases of land within the Chaguaramas area. According to the Minister under the previous administration, the status of Chaguaramas as a National Park was overlooked by developers of the project. We had some concerns with regards to this development being approved prior to this government coming in to office and one of the issues that we have had is the fact that there seemed to be no access of the public to the beach. Years ago this beach was a public beach that everyone had access to. We were really concerned that access was being denied but subsequently when this government came into power and I became Minister and the Board was appointed, I asked the Boards Chairman to talk with the developers specifically about the publics access to the beach. Subsequently there are two access points and a boardwalk is being constructed. The beach really is not as accessible as it once was, especially since so much construction has already taken place. I wanted to see exactly what was taking place. We saw the development plan and we have some concerns with the development that was proposed by the last administration and consequently there are existing leases that we must negotiate with regards to the persons that already occupy these lands. The board has already started talking with the persons who are leasing the lands but we have concerns because the development did not consider the fact that Chaguaramas is a National park and that the main objectives with regards to Chaguaramas was for the people of Trinidad and Tobago to always have access to all the areas of Chaguaramas. We do not want to have any areas that are totally sterilised from the general public, she said. The park which is a private investment by local entrepreneurs, is expected to be opened by the end of 2017 at the construction cost of $700 million. Chairman of the Board for the Chaguaramas Development Authority Antony Pierre said discussions were being held for the distribution of small parcels of land in the Tucker Valley area for agricultural projects and said that the agency was currently in the midst of acquiring the leases of older parcels of land so that it could be redistributed among several small farmers. We are in discussions right now for small farmers to have access to the Tucker Valley area to grow their crops, but we are in negotiations right now to try and get back some older leases so we can cut it up and distribute it to smaller farmers. Right now were looking at about 100 acres of land and were expected to have a meeting with the farmers later this afternoon. What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news Doctor claims almost all psych drug use is unnecessary; over 5 million psych med victims Over half a million senior citizens die each year from their psychiatric drug use. To make matters worse, most of these drugs dont even provide worthwhile benefits to the patients for whom they are prescribed. A study from the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Denmark led by professor and center director Peter Gotzche has revealed that the vast majority of psychiatric drugs do far more harm than good. The results indicated that many of the drugs in this class only provide modest benefits and most who use them would actually be better off without them. The ground-breaking paper by Peter Gotzche revealed that most anti-depressants and other dementia drugs do very little for patients, but do carry many serious health risks. Gotzche says that in addition to being useless, the drugs are also vastly over-prescribed to people who are unlikely to benefit from them. For example, SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, have been found to worsen depression in many instances, and have been found to provoke suicides and even homicides in patients. Most psych medications have no real proof of how effective they will be for a given patient, which should indicate that their use should be more limited not more widespread. Unfortunately, Big Pharma is a pretty corrupt business, and the more people doctors peddle their garbage products to, the more money they make. Gotzche posits that some of the most useless and over-prescribed psychotropic drugs that we could all do without include ADHD medications, antidepressants and prescriptions for dementia patients. Over-prescription and inappropriate use of anti-psychotic drugs in dementia patients is also of particular concern. Alzheimers.org.uk reports that upwards of 150,000 people in the UK suffering with dementia have been inappropriately prescribed an anti-psychotic drug. The website also notes that the use of these drugs contributes to about 1,800 deaths per year. Alzheimers Society also states that these kinds of drugs are often used to control patient behavior, rather than having caretakers take the time to learn and understand their behavior. For example, a patient that is acting angrily may actually be experiencing distress but is unable to explain why, and then becomes agitated. The poor patient is then prescribed some mind-numbing drug to keep them quiet and complacent until the end of their days. Many people will argue that there are tons of people who benefit from the use of these drugs, but their experience does not mean it is the standard. Nor does it outweigh the risk factors associated with the use of psychotropic drugs, especially in the elderly. Anti-psychotics are primarily used to make dementia patients easier to work with; not for patient benefit. In fact, use of these drugs can actually make a patients symptoms worse. Big Pharma is an extremely corrupt business corporations often fund and perform the majority of the studies on their own products. How can anyone rationally trust what they are selling? Sources: NaturalNews.com TheGuardian.com Alzheimers.org.uk Submit a correction >> House Intel Member: Foreign governments including Russia, China are combing through hacked DNC, Clinton data (NationalSecurity.news) Data and information that passed through the Democratic National Committees information technology network as well as Hillary Clintons personal email servers ought to be considered an open secret to global intelligence services, says a key member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. We all live in an environment now where we see bad actors [like] the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, the Iranians, the Russians, who all have active cyber programs to steal emails, Rep. Mike Pompeo, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told the Washington Examiner. I think its the case for the DNC as well as for Secretary Clintons homebrew server, he added. One has to assume those bad actors are going to obtain access to those servers. So that information is available. Thats why classified information needs to never be put there. I think its almost certain that the 33,000 emails Secretary Clinton destroyed are in the possession of nation-state actors that intend to do destruction to America, Pompeo said. I think its incredibly likely. I think thats what [FBI] Director James Comey told us as well. Pompeo was discussing Fridays document dump by Wikileaks, which released about 20,000 emails that were stolen from the partys email servers, which intelligence analysts believe was the work of the Russian government. The documents, which reveal how DNC officials conspired with Clintons campaign to crush her primary opponent, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have caused massive protests at the DNC convention this week in Philadelphia. The FBI said Monday it would launching an investigation into the hack; many experts believe what has been released thus far is just the tip of the iceberg. The new investigation is based upon the widespread nature of the intrusion, Tom Kellermann, CEO of the Washington, D.C. based firm Strategic Cyber Ventures, told the Washington Examiner. How far did the Russians colonize our devices? There is some evidence to suggest that the answer is significantly. The hack was linked to a pair of Russian hacking outfits known as Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear. The hack lasted almost a year before being discovered by CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, in June. That amount of time gave hackers plenty of opportunity to steal just about anything of value while infesting an untold number of devices belonging to American leaders. Also, in comments made by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange just days before the leak was publicized, he hinted that information related to Clinton was also going to be leaked. We have emails relating to Hillary Clinton which are pending publication, Assange said in an interview at the time with British ITV, adding that he anticipated it would be a very big year for his site because of information it holds on the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state. Democrats have attempted to tie the hack to Trump, who has praised Putins leadership in the past. But Republicans on the Intelligence Committee say such claims are unsubstantiated. We can now see the fix was in for President Obama and Secretary Clinton to make sure that Bernie Sanders would never be elected. Thats embarrassing to many Democrats, so theyre flailing about trying to find separate storyline to deflect from the true substance of what was in those emails, Pompeo said. More: NationalSecurity.news is part of USA Features Media. Submit a correction >> 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. Turkey, via its ambassador to Rabat, joined the queue of countries hailing the return of Morocco in the African Union (AU) announced by King Mohammed VI in a message to the 27th AU summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, last month. Ethen Barkan, speaking at a press conference in Rabat on Monday, said Moroccos presence in the AU is important for Ankara and will be a boon for the African continent. The ambassador said Ankara has long awaited the move announced by King Mohammed IV in a strong worded message to the organization on July 17. Morocco is important owing to the richness of its history, its culture and its economy. It is unimaginable to think of Africa without Morocco that is important and occupies a special place, Barkan said. It is a country with special political reference and a strong economy, he added. Ankara joins the chorus of countries, including the U.S. and France, which have backed Moroccos intention to join the black continent organisation. Morocco, a founding member of the AU predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OUA,) walked out of the organization in 1984 in protest against the admission of the pseudo Sahrawi Republic, self-proclaimed by the Polisario with Algerias support. The Turkish diplomat also tackled the current political crisis taking place in his country in the aftermath of the failed military coup allegedly formatted by U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen; known as a staunch opponent of Turkish authoritarian president Erdogan. To the question whether Morocco houses schools sponsored by the Turkish cleric, Barkan indicated that Rabat does not need to receive a list of these schools. Moroccan intelligence services, which are efficient and enjoy a global recognition, cannot ignore the presence of such schools, he said. Barkan stopped short of mentioning the number of Gulen-sponsored schools in Morocco, but he underrated the clerics influence in the kingdom. The United Nations is preparing a formal proposal to reinvigorate talks on settling the decades-old regional conflict over the Saharan provinces, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said. The spokesperson said in a briefing that the UN Secretary Generals Personal Envoy for the Sahara Christopher Ross made a formal proposal to the parties and neighboring states on the need to jumpstart negotiations to settle the Sahara issue. For that purpose, Ross is ready to visit the region notably following the Morocco-UN deal to restore the MINURSOs functionality, said the Spokesperson. UN-brokered negotiations between the parties to the Sahara conflict are in an impasse. In its latest resolution on the Sahara, the UN Security Council called for a fifth round of talks. Morocco offer an extended autonomy as a solution to the Sahara issue. The autonomy plan gives a larger say to the local Saharan population in managing their local affairs within the framework of the Kingdoms sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Algerian-backed Polisario front sticks to the referendum option, which proved to be unfeasible due to irreconcilable disagreements over who is eligible to vote. Morocco and the UN Secretary General were at loggerheads that threatened to put an end to the UN mission in the Sahara, known as MINURSO. The verbal blunders of Ban Ki Moon who described Moroccos retrieval of the Saharan provinces from Spanish colonial authorities as an occupation, led Morocco to expel the civilian component of the UN mission. An agreement has been reached end of July laying out new terms for the return of the MINURSO civilian staff. MINURSO was established in 1991 after a ceasefire ended a war between Moroccos Royal Armed Forces and the Algerian-based Polisario militia. Since then, monitoring the ceasefire is the main mission of the MINURSO. Waiting to vote. Photo: Joe Raedle/2012 Getty Images There are probably no states where Establishment Republican majorities have been more aggressive one might say blatantly aggressive in seeking to institutionalize their power via legislation than North Carolina and Wisconsin. Both states have deployed voting reforms allegedly aimed at dealing with the phantom threat of voter fraud, but undoubtedly making voting more difficult for the minority citizens who happen to lean heavily Democratic. Now federal judges have at least temporarily struck down such laws in both states. A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has found that the North Carolina omnibus voting reform law, which killed same-day voter registration, restricted early-voting opportunities, and required forms of ID most minority voters dont have, is unconstitutional because of discriminatory intent. The decision noted that the state legislature rapidly adopted the reform law as soon as the state was removed from Justice Department review of such laws via the 2012 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The same week, a federal district court judge in Wisconsin invalidated that states similar law on similar grounds. The practical difference involves what happens next and when. North Carolina could appeal its adverse decision to the full Fourth Circuit, or to the Supreme Court. The former is unlikely to overturn the three-judge panels decision, and the latter almost certainly wont intervene at this point because of the 4-4 ideological tie on the Court (Shelby County was a 5-4 decision handed down when Justice Scalia was still alive). So the odds are very high that the presidential and Senate battleground of North Carolina will hold its general election without the reform law in effect. In Wisconsin (a Senate and possibly a presidential battleground), however, the district judges decision will be appealed to the Seventh Circuit, which has earlier upheld the voter-ID law and might allow the 2016 general election to go ahead under existing law. The nations strictest voter-ID law, enacted in Texas, is also in limbo after the conservative Fifth Circuit concluded last month it had a discriminatory effect. But the court remanded the case to a district judge for fashioning a remedy, so its unclear what will happen between now and November 8. The underlying constitutional law of election restrictions wont be resolved (like so many other important issues) until the Scalia seat on SCOTUS is filled. But for the moment, if Hillary Clinton beats Donald Trump in North Carolina which would be a near-fatal blow to Republican hopes you can at least partially credit a judicial stand for voting rights. Hugh Hewitt wants to stop Putin by electing his favorite candidate. Photo: Duane Prokop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images In October 1976, during a debate with Jimmy Carter, President Gerald Ford insisted, There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and then defended that assessment before an incredulous media. This strange and obviously untrue depiction of Eastern Europe, then firmly under Soviet control, did not reinforce any preexisting perceptions about Ford, a sitting president who had handled world affairs and was a clear anti-Communist. Nonetheless, it was considered one of the most damaging gaffes in the history of presidential politics, remembered for years afterward. Donald Trump said something eerily similar in an interview with George Stephanopoulos. Defending his campaigns decision to remove a platform plank endorsing the provision of defensive weapons to Ukraine, Trump said: Trump: [Vladimir Putin]s not going into Ukraine, okay ? Just so you understand. Hes not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down and you can put it down, you can take it anywhere you want. Stephanopoulos: Well, hes already there, isnt he? Trump: Okay , well, hes there in a certain way, but Im not there yet. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama, with all the strength that youre talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this, in the meantime, hes going where he takes takes Crimea, hes sort of I mean This was an astonishing blunder a major-party nominee insisting Russias leader would never invade a country whose territory he had already invaded and seized, then descending into word salad that would have embarrassed a flustered teenage beauty-pageant contestant. But the Trump campaign has blown apart the floor beneath the old standards of political discourse, and in the surreal new world we now inhabit, an answer that would have once triggered a crisis in his campaign is merely routine. It was no worse than the second-most-damaging thing Trump said on Sunday. Trumps bizarre insistence that Vladimir Putin would never invade the country he in fact invaded two years ago once again highlights one of the great curiosities of this campaign, which is the exact nature of Trumps anomalously friendly posture toward Russia. It is compelling enough that it would dominate the agenda of a normal campaign. But the Russia question lies somewhat off to the side of the issue terrain that has polarized public opinion around Trump. Many of Trumps supporters and opponents alike have still managed to more or less ignore it altogether. Consider Hugh Hewitts column urging his fellow Republicans to support the nominee, despite his acknowledged flaws. The column proposes a number of remarkable arguments. Hewitt insists that a liberal Supreme Court majority would nullify the entire conservative agenda, a position he reiterates for emphasis: Conservatism cannot survive a strong-willed liberal majority on the Supreme Court. Every issue, EVERY issue, will end up there, and the legislatures judgments will matter not a bit. So, a liberal Court would overturn tax cuts? Obamacare repeal? More military spending? Cuts to Medicaid? Deregulation? Hewitt also argues, Trump isnt a racist. He is simply monumentally indifferent to the language of race. So Trumps repeated expressions of racism even ones Republicans like Paul Ryan concede to be the textbook definition of a racist comment dont count because he expresses them through the use of language. It is hard to imagine what evidence of Trumps racism Hewitt would accept as valid. If he was discovered to currently own slaves, perhaps. On the other hand, Hewitt would probably laud Trump for giving work opportunities to African-Americans, and explain to his audience that Trump had only forgotten to pay them, an understandable oversight for such a busy man. But the most astonishing argument Hewitt makes for Trump is that Hillary Clinton is thoroughly compromised by the Russians, because Russia has hacked her emails, and thus, Hillary is already a Putin pawn. On planet Earth, the evidence that Trump is compromised by Putin is vast. Trump and Putin have praised each other profusely. Putins propaganda apparatus, both domestically and abroad, is working wholesale to promote Trump. Trumps campaign made a rare exertion to stop the platform from advocating defensive aid to Ukraine. He has expressed a willingness to recognize Putins seizure of Ukrainian territory, a position at odds with more than 100 countries that declared it illegal at the United Nations. He has repeatedly denigrated NATO and backed away from its commitment to defend fellow members against a Russian invasion. Several of his campaign staff are financially dependent on Russia. One them just denied that Russia seized Crimea. His campaign manager, Paul Manafort, helped the Kremlins efforts to manipulate the outcome of Ukraines election. Todays New York Times reports, in an eyebrow-raising passage at the very end of its story about Manafort, It is not clear that Mr. Manaforts work in Ukraine ended with his work with Mr. Trumps campaign. A communications aide for Mr. Lyovochkin, who financed Mr. Manaforts work, declined to say whether he was still on retainer or how much he had been paid. Trump has publicly asked Russia to hack his opponents data. This is very, very, very unusual. If you care at all about Russian influence in American politics, Trump is the most alarming candidate since Henry Wallace in 1948, and the most alarming major-party candidate in history by a huge margin. It is also clear to reporters who follow the subject closely that Putin loathes Hillary Clinton. He loathes her so much that Russians have hacked into Democratic emails almost certainly so they can leak information damaging to her campaign and elect her ostentatiously pro-Russian opponent. A dove who is sympathetic to Russian policy could make a persuasive case for Trump. The notion that Russia hawks concerned about Russian influence should support the candidate Russia is trying to get elected, and oppose the candidate Russia is using every tool at its disposal to defeat, is beyond bizarre. Now we know the real reason Joe Biden forced President Obama to back marriage equality (aside from his belief that gay people deserve the same rights as all other Americans): He wanted to get into the wedding racket. The vice-president officiated a same-sex wedding on Monday, marrying two White House staffers at his residence. Biden tweeted out a photo of the ceremony, and Jill Biden replied, love is love!: Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn't be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys. pic.twitter.com/0om1PT7bKh VP Biden (Archived) (@VP44) August 1, 2016 According to a statement, the grooms, Brian Mosteller and Joe Mahshie, asked Biden to marry them, and Biden obtained a temporary certification from the District of Columbia. BuzzFeed reports that Mosteller is the director of Oval Office operations, and Mahshie is a trip coordinator for Michelle Obama. This is the first time Biden has officiated a wedding, but now that Americans know they can ask him to perform their wedding, itll probably be his full-time job come January. The president strikes a new, sober tone toward his prospective successor. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images In a pretty clear statement during a press conference with the prime minister of Singapore, President Obama called Donald Trump unfit to serve as president because of his lack of decency and his ignorance about economic and foreign policy and constitutional principles. He then called out leading Republicans for their habit of distancing themselves from Trumps rhetoric and behavior most recently with respect to the Khan family and yet supporting (or at least not opposing) his ascent to the White House. This did not have the air of a tossed-off comment. And it also did not seem to be a simple reflection of the coarsening and exceptional stridency of partisan conflict this year. Obama went to great pains to distinguish Trump from the two Republican opponents he faced in 2008 and 2012, whose differences with him were largely ideological and generational. Mitt Romney, of course, has made it clear hes not backing Trump, and John McCain has criticized him often, so perhaps Obama was in part just drawing attention to the hostility of Republican elites to their 2016 nominee. But because it was unlike anything a sitting president has said of a potential successor in living memory, it adds a sober note to the cacophony of this campaign. Team Trump might leap to the counteroffensive and hurl insults right back at the 44th president, and even claim hes crossed a line. Maybe he has, though its worth noting that accusing Trump of unfitness to serve as president still falls well short of the common Republican claim that Hillary Clinton is unfit for life outside a correctional facility. Meanwhile, Obama has added his own unique contribution to the pressure that Republican leaders in Washington experience every time Trump says or does something outrageous. He may have even intended to help Democrats make the down-ballot argument that a party that makes a dude like Trump its maximum leader has no business running anything. The part of Obamas comments that may not get enough attention is the negative inference of his statement that he would have recognized the legitimacy of a President McCain or a President Romney. Does that mean he and other Democrats would not cooperate at all with a Trump administration? Thats a possibility that should be aired more generally as Election Day grows closer. In the meantime, Obama is undoubtedly reflecting the decision that seems to have been made by Hillary Clinton to make Trumps character and temperament, rather than simply his issue positions, her target going forward. Its certainly a target that grows riper every time the mogul opens his mouth. Trump briefly fights the urge to talk about Khan at a rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Photo: DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images During rallies in two battleground states on Monday, Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton the devil and did not mention his feud with the parents of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, raising Republicans hopes that he was finally moving past the story. However, their relief was short-lived. In an interview with a local Ohio TV station released Monday night, Trump called U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan a hero, but added that he thinks his father, Khizr Khan, spoke out against him at the Democratic National Convention because hes worried that if elected, Trump will rid the nation of Islamic terrorists. Its a very big subject for me. And border securitys very big, Trump said. And when you have radical Islamic terrorists probably all over the place, were allowing them to come in by the thousands and thousands. And I think thats what bothered Mr. Khan more than anything else. Later on Fox News, Sean Hannity suggested Khans attack was unfair to Trump. The candidate shrugged off the criticism, but asserted, His son died 12 years ago. If I were president, his son wouldnt have died, because I wouldnt have been in the war, if I was president back then. Meanwhile at a rally in Nevada, a pro-Trump crowd booed a military mom who cited his attacks on the Khans. Youve got a son in the military, how do you tolerate this disrespect? she asked Trumps running mate, Mike Pence. Pence calmed the crowd by declaring, Thats what freedom looks like, and thats what freedom sounds like. He went on to insist that there is no one more devoted to the veterans in this country despite the fact that Trump spent the past few days criticizing a dead war heros parents. Like Pence, many Republicans have responded to the Khan feud by claiming Trump didnt mean what he said, or that his views dont represent the party that nominated him. As the Washington Posts Janell Ross notes, its become a familiar pattern: First, Trump says something sometimes by his own initiative, sometimes in what he considers necessary pushback that heretofore has been considered out of bounds, an endorsement of some form of bigotry or an idea that is anti-democratic. Then, after a great and collective clutching of pearls, Trump and his surrogates defend those comments, sometimes expand on them. Finally, Republican party officials and elected office-holders indicate that while the comments were out of bounds and not representative of the party, they will, however, support Trump, the partys presidential nominee. Earlier today New Yorks Jonathan Chait argued that Trump forced the GOP to choose between defeat or tolerating racism, and they chose racism. While some have embraced Trump and a smaller number have revolted against him, most Republicans are somewhere in the middle, trying to avoid the taint of Trumps racist ideas while maintaining the support of the voters who are attracted to them. Maintaining that contradictory position may be even harder this time around, since Trump isnt feuding with government employees, like Senator John McCain or Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Nobody minds when he attacks other politicians; in fact, they like it. Hes instilling an accountability that doesnt exist. But they dont like it when he goes after real people, and they wish he would stop, GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who conducted a focus group about Trump on Friday in Ohio, told the Post. The incidents effect on voters remains to be seen, but The Wall Street Journals Bret Stephens has responded with a searing rebuke to all the go-along Republicans who criticize Trump while refusing to retract their endorsement. In his latest column, Stephens says Trump has shown hes morally unfit for any office, high or low and Republicans he singles out Paul Ryan arent going to save themselves or their party by dodging questions about Trumps character: It will not do for Republicans to say they denounce Mr. Trumps personal slanders; his nativism and protectionism and isolationism; his mendacity and meanness and crassness; his disdain for constitutional protections and still campaign for his election. There is no redemption in saying you went along with it, but only halfway; that with Mr. Trump you maintained technical virginity. To lie down with him is to wake up with him. Its as simple as that. Stephens says the Khan incident should be the final straw; Hillary Clinton will probably be sworn in as president in January, and if they want to maintain a claim to moral and political respectability Republican lawmakers should reject Trump now. He even offers a Clinton endorsement of sorts: Mrs. Clinton is not the apotheosis of evil. She may be a corner-cutter and a liar, and shell almost surely appoint liberals to the Supreme Court. But at least shes not a sociopath. As of this writing, no Republican officials have announced that theyre embracing Clinton thanks to Stephenss Never Trump rallying cry. In fact, it looks like when it comes to Trump, theyre totally committed to passive-aggressive resistance. When the Trump campaign asked Republicans in Congress to issue statements backing him up in his fight against Khan, they responded by leaking the memo to the press. Photo: Carlos Becerra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Venezuela is mired in a years-long economic free fall that has killed a lot of people, and which is in the process of killing a lot more. Last week, the humanitarian catastrophe there got one of its darkest twists yet: The government of president Nicolas Maduro has, in a new decree, paved the way for the conscription of the nations citizens into forced labor. The decree establishes that people working in public and private companies can be called upon to join state-sponsored organizations specializ[ing] in the production of food, explained Amnesty International last week. They will be made to work in the new companies temporarily for a minimum of 60 days after which their contracts will be automatically renewed for an extra 60-day period or they will be allowed to go back to their original jobs. This is just the latest in the Maduro governments many ill-conceived attempts to slow down an economic collapse unlike what is usually seen in middle-income countries. And it would be a bit of an oversimplification to blame the catastrophe only on socialism qua socialism. Rather, as the journalists Moises Naim and Francisco Toro wrote in The Atlantic in May Naim, a former World Bank director, was also at one point Venezuelas Minister of Trade and Industry, while Toro is also a Venezuelan political scientist its Maduros particular brand of socialism, which fuses bad economic ideas with a distinctive brand of strongman bullying, and which was handed down to him by Venezuelas deceased former president Hugo Chavez, that is largely to blame: The results have been catastrophic. Babies are dying for want of medicine and medical supplies freely available in countries with similar levels of wealth; starvation (of both people and zoo animals) and blackouts are rampant; Caracas, never one of the safer world capitals, is facing a murder epidemic. All the while, Maduro and his government have shown zero sign of being able to pull the country up from its nosedive, and have at times been distracted by other stuff, anyway. To take one example from the Atlantic article: While Venezuelans were dying for lack of simple, inexpensive pills, their radical socialist government was spending tens of millions a year to keep a native son, Pastor Maldonado, competing in the Formula 1 global auto-racing circuit. You could be forgiven for not having heard of Maldonadoa mediocre driver who managed to win a single race in five years in the sport. Still, Venezuelas state-owned oil company, PDVSA , spent some $45 million each year to keep Maldonado racing under its logo. Why an oil company without a retail arm and with monopoly rights to Venezuelan oil needs to advertise in the first place was never clear. Yet Maldonado, whose habit of crashing in race after race earned him the nickname Crashtor, was only forced out of the F1 circuit this year, when PDVSA , hit by the oil crash, failed to come up with the sponsorship money. When Maduro has taken action, its been in ways that seem designed to maximize the consolidation of his own power and the potential for graft. In May, for example, the AFP reported that he announced a sweeping crackdown Saturday under a new emergency decree, ordering the seizure of paralyzed factories, the arrest of their owners and military exercises to counter alleged foreign threats. Now, Maduro appears to be setting up a system in which his people will effectively be slaves of the state. Trying to tackle Venezuelas severe food shortages by forcing people to work the fields is like trying to fix a broken leg with a Band-Aid, said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. Instead, Rosas said, Maduro should focus on getting humanitarian aid from outside the country to as many of Venezuelas starving and dying citizens as possible. Maduro hasnt shown much appetite for that plan, though: Fusion reported in June that his government has denied several attempts by NGOs and opposition groups to bring humanitarian aid into the country, opting instead to import medicine from political allies such as the Chinese government. At the time, 100 tons of basic supplies such as gloves and syringes [were] currently stuck in warehouses in foreign cities due to a lack of proper import permits from the Venezuelan government. It probably shouldnt come as a surprise that an attempt to recall Maduro appears to be picking up steam. Photo: Barry Winiker/Getty Images As if the procedures in place for handling cases involving sexual assault on college campuses werent muddled enough, things have just gotten more complicated. On Friday, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals threw a wrench into the current landscape. Or rather, they threw a bone to male defendants everywhere whove been accused of sexually assaulting women on campus. The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals revived a previously dismissed case involving a male student at Columbia University who was accused of sexually assaulting a female student and subsequently suspended from the university for a year. The defendant then claimed that Columbia mishandled the case because the universitys investigator didnt do her homework while researching whether the allegations against him were true. Not only that, but the students legal team claims the universitys investigator and Columbias officials operated with a particular bias against their defendant because he was a male student accused of sexual assault and the university didnt want the bad publicity associated with the case. All of this now means that the Court of Appeals has effectively allowed a male student to proceed with a case claiming protection under Title IX, which bars gender discrimination in federally funded education institutions. Historically, Title IX has been used by women to fight against discriminatory policies. Now, John Doe can proceed with his claim that the university operated with an anti-male bias. Male defendants havent previously been able to successfully move forward with cases where they claim that they were discriminated against because of their sex. But this particular case at Columbia has some details that gave the court pause, such as not informing the student of his rights during the proceedings. Universities and colleges across the nation have been under increased pressure to better handle cases involving sexual assault and its not too hard to think, the court said, that the university acted out of a fear of public reprimand. [I]t is entirely plausible that the Universitys decision-makers and its investigator were motivated to favor the accusing female over the accused male, so as to protect themselves and the University from accusations that they had failed to protect female students from sexual assault, wrote Second Circuit Judge Pierre N. Leval. The court didnt rule on the merits of the case, but rather on whether the male students claims could potentially hold up in court. But this might have some more serious repercussions for universities that reprimand accused students, according to Inside Higher Ed. The decision will encourage many more courts not to dismiss comparable Title IX complaints at early stages, Gary Pavela, editor of the Association of Student Conduct Administrations Law and Policy Report and former president of the International Center for Academic Integrity, told Inside Higher Ed via email. That means more litigation, more discovery and more settlements. More settlements are likely because not many university defendants (or their insurance companies) want juries deciding these matters, especially when standards for consent are so broadly and vaguely written. Zara workers are pulling a Norma Rae. Photo: 20th Century Fox Licensing / Everett Collection Your favorite emporium for picking up the latest Zucci and Zalenciaga is now a union shop, as New Yorkbased Zara workers voted to unionize today. BuzzFeed reports that the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which also represents H&M, Macys, and Bloomingdales employees, will now represent the mass chains Manhattan workers who number over 1,000. The ultra-fast-fashion brands Spanish parent company the Anna Wintourapproved Inditex told BuzzFeed it didnt oppose the move. This is a normal consequence of our commitment regarding the rights of freedom of association worldwide, said a spokesperson. Inditex is currently outpacing many of its mass-market competitors, reporting double-digit sales growth in the first quarter of this year. The largest fast-fashion retailer in the world is sending a strong message that you can remain profitable, said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, in a statement, and still recognize your workers right to dignity, justice and respect on the job. Photo: Getty Images Im scared of you lately, my husband said to me sheepishly a few months ago. This sounds harsh, but in fairness to him, Ive been scaring myself, too. Over the past year Ive had mood swings worse than anything I experienced during puberty or pregnancy. Ive been crying at the slightest provocation, and at one point even screamed at my beloved cat. Ive gained 15 pounds. My face is breaking out. When I had a period that lasted 16 days then disappeared for two months, I started to suspect that my issues were due not to anxiety over a potential Trump presidency, but to hormones. I finally visited my gynecologist last month for an overdue checkup, and she told me what I already knew: I am old. Or, rather, I am aging normally for a 40-something woman I am officially perimenopausal. Perimenopause, sometimes called second puberty, can hit a woman at any point from her late 30s to late 40s, and, as the name suggests, is a precursor state to menopause. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include menstrual irregularity (yes), sleep problems (yup), mood changes (sorry, family), and vaginal problems (TMI, not sharing). Ive been spared hot flashes, but apparently those come later. Its exactly like puberty but with saggier boobs and more chin hair. Its basically the worst PMS youve ever had. After commiserating with me, my doctor offered me samples of a non-prescription supplement called Serenol, which hit the market last summer. Its being marketed for its ability to decrease the symptoms of PMS, which are heightened to a terrifying degree during perimenopause. It contains Swedish flower pollen extract, royal jelly, and chromium picolinate. Im generally a supplement scoffer and suspicious of them, because supplements are a minimally regulated minefield of the unknown. But my doctor is a woman who has seen me through two pregnancies, two C-sections, and one cervical cancer scare. If she thinks pollen and woo can help keep my inner Kanye-on-Twitter under control, I was willing to give it a try. The particular extract in Serenol is produced and has been used in Sweden for years in an anti-PMS product with the unfortunate name of Femal. (Weirdly, if you search Swedish flower pollen extract online, youll also find supplements to support male prostate functioning.) A 2002 randomized, placebo controlled, double blind study of 29 women on Femal showed that it improved PMS symptoms like irritability and bloating. Serenol contains a combination of both Swedish flower pollen and royal jelly, a substance produced by worker bees to feed the queen bee, which is rich in minerals and vitamins. The pollen is treated to remove all allergens, but if youre allergic to honey or bee stings, you should stay away from Serenol. It also contains the mineral chromium picolinate, which has been studied in both humans and, yes, even farm animals. It may have some effect on insulin and metabolism, and can potentially decrease cravings and weight gain related to PMS. Its not clear how or why Serenol works; the website states it is theorized to have a mild serotonergic effect on the hypothalamus. (Serotonin is the feel-good neurotransmitter.) Because this is not a drug, the manufacturer cant make specific treatment claims and the supplement hasnt gone through a rigorous FDA approval process. James Komorowski, the vice-president of scientific and regulatory affairs at JDS Therapeutics, the company that manufactures Serenol, explains that they liked the data and wanted to license the extract. According to him, supplements are meant to support the normal conditions of life, such as PMS, rather than treat illnesses. Id argue that the decrease in a mans ability to get an erection as he gets older is also a normal condition of life, yet millions of dollars of pharmaceutical money and FDA scrutiny have gone toward addressing that issue. Women, however, have to settle for flower pollen supported by one lousy study. The only traditional medical PMS treatments available now are birth-control pills or antidepressants like Lexapro. Both of these have long side-effect profiles, and Dr. Miriam Greene, an ob-gyn at the NYU Langone Medical Center, says shes been giving her patients with PMS Serenol for the past year. In the original study of Femal, the Swedish version of Serenol, the authors noted that historically, PMS treatments have a high incidence of producing a placebo effect, which is the first thing I would assume happens with this supplement. Dr. Greene respectfully disagrees. A small amount of patients might have a placebo effect, but I dont think it would be long lasting, she says. I had a patient today who said, This saved my life. How long can a placebo do something like that? Im about to find out. Ive been taking Serenol pretty consistently for about five weeks now and Im almost out of my free samples. After about two weeks, I started feeling notably more stable, and the sense of calm has persisted. (Unfortunately the 15 pounds I gained have also persisted, but at least I havent gained even more weight.) Ive been speaking more calmly. I still cry at any sort of commercial featuring children, but its not ugly crying anymore. Ive been blaming well, thanking the placebo effect for my results because truthfully, if my doctor had given me a box of Tic Tacs with a label on it that said PMS-B-Gon, I would have sucked them down. A part of me didnt want this to work, because I secretly roll my eyes at people who claim that earthy supplements (hey, turmeric!) cure all their ills. The website also has a rather distasteful made-for-TV snake oil buying plan, wherein you can buy it from $34.99 per month to $63.99 per month, depending on the plan you choose. Why cant I just pay 50 bucks or whatever for a bottle? Why make it complicated and shady? The bottom line, though: I really felt terrible before Serenol, and now I dont. Maybe my hormones are stabilizing and the flower power had nothing to do with it, but I feel better and have not terrorized my loved ones in weeks. Take that with a grain of pollen. Photo: Getty Images Theres a needle in my peripheral vision. It has to be one of the weirder sensations Ive experienced, and I used to be heavily involved in the experimental theater world. Im staring at its thin shadow courtesy of CAP Beauty, a West Village boutique and spa whose slogan is Wellness Is Beauty, Beauty Is Wellness. I am lying on a surface thats somewhere between an exam table and a spa bed, contemplating the ceiling as I try to avoid the temptation to scratch my nose, since my face and hands are full of needles and that would result in something out of a horror movie. I came here for the CAP Lift, a $375 acupuncture version of a face-lift thats meant to be a holistic alternative to treatments like Botox and fillers. Thousands of years ago, the Chinese were not doing facial acupuncture, admits my acupuncturist, Elizabeth Alexandre. Its obviously a very modern technique on a very ancient medicine. (This particular style was, she explains, created by an acupuncturist named Virginia Doran.) After multiple sessions (12 is recommended), the treatment promises to help reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines and build collagen. Im just getting one, but some have seen benefits from a single treatment, per the CAP site, and Im hoping to be one of those some. It also promises a vital mysterious glow, which sounds like a symptom of radiation poisoning, but could be a cool look for me, I guess. Because I cant do anything without it abruptly becoming uncool, my appointment happens to coincide with a big week for acupuncture skepticism. A few days before my CAP appointment, Scientific American publishes a story about studies casting doubt on the benefits of the ancient practice. We have no evidence that [acupuncture] is anything more than theatrical placebo, one researcher is quoted as saying. In one study, patients reported the same degree of pain relief whether toothpicks or real acupuncture needles were inserted into their skin. A doctor friend tells me that she tells her patients it wont help you, but it wont hurt you, when it comes to acupuncture. That said, obviously people have been doing this for thousands of years, and the practice has passionate advocates in the mainstream medical field (and also, in the field of being Gwyneth Paltrow). Clearly, the scientific community is divided, and I have no desire to wade into this feud. The important question here is: Can acupuncture make me more vibrant-looking, especially when I need to look my best for an important Third Eye Blind concert I have coming up? My skepticism dissipates when I am subjected to the most detailed medical history (and the most involved intake form) I have ever experienced. Now that most doctors have dwindling time with their patients, its unusual to hear someone asking questions in the unhurried way Alexandre does. She touches on everything from digestion to sleep to chronic conditions. Even though its going to focus on the face, Im still going to assess you from a whole-body perspective, she explains. At one point, she asks, Are you exhausted when you wake up or do you crash in the middle of the afternoon? I contemplate saying, Is that an either/or? Alexandre says shes going to go easy on my face, since, in her words, You look ten years younger than you are, and you have no lines or under-eye bags. (Its not bragging if youre reporting direct quotes from a subject! Self-love is an important part of wellness.) She breaks from her disquisition on my impossible freshness to insert needles into my face and different energy points on my body, like my ears, ankles, and wrists. The sensation isnt painful its more like, Well, this is happening. At the risk of sounding extremely crunchy, I feel a wavy energy in my wrists, and as I lie prone on the table, I could swear my body is starting to feel lighter. The needles were in for about 20 minutes. The following day, for the first time in a while, I dont wake up feeling like someone hit me over the head with a two-by-four. In fact, I have a lot of energy, but its calm energy. I dont obsess over every missed Slack message or unopened email, and I dont find myself crashing (and trawling the office for Swedish Fish) at 4 p.m. The metaphor I keep reaching for to describe it to people: It feels like Im on really good drugs. As far as the wellness component of this goes, consider me sold. As for whether I look more youthful, the jurys out and by the jury, I mean the friends and co-workers I assembled throughout the day, demanding DO I HAVE A VITAL, MYSTERIOUS GLOW? but I certainly feel it. Has anyone else here noticed how awkward/quiet the show has gotten over the last few seasons? If you watch the older seasons (before 20) there's music in scene transitions, more sound effects, just more going on in general. And now it feels very soulless and empty. My exroommate commented on this too and now I can't watch the new stuff without noticing it. Reply Thread Link It'll keep getting quieter until it fades outta existence. Reply Parent Thread Link "soulless and empty" a perfect description of the simpsons Reply Parent Thread Link They stopped trying. Reply Parent Thread Link Hmm. Now that you mention it, I think you're right. Fox cut down on the budget for the show a few seasons ago, I guess, so maybe that's the reason. Reply Parent Thread Link Marge looks like a Stepford robot. Also kind of reminds me of this:Marge looks like a Stepford robot. Reply Parent Thread Link The animation in the first gif is so good. Goddamn, just end the show if you're gonna cut corners like that. Reply Parent Thread Link That change is actually kind of creepy. :/ The show used to be so alive. Reply Parent Thread Link wow @ the 2nd gif I do prefer the style of mid-90s Simpsons the most but yeah Reply Parent Thread Expand Link damn...yeah that second gif is creepy Reply Parent Thread Link The second gif is like Family Guy in terms of stiffness, it's sad :/ Reply Parent Thread Link watching the Simpsons now is like watching your kids throw their life away on meth Reply Parent Thread Link I noticed that too and I'm glad this is the first comment because it was driving me INSANE. Reply Parent Thread Link i noticed that too, kyo Reply Parent Thread Link I watched a Simpsons block on FXX about a year ago, and it went from a very recent episode to one from I think the 11th season. Holy shit the contrast. I had quite a few giggles from the older episode, and not just because I had seen it before a couple times. But the newer episode was... uncanny. It didn't feel like The Simpsons. It was more dramatic, and like you said, quieter. Not even British humor is this subdued. I felt like I was in an alternate dimension. I was that uncomfortable with how "off" it seemed. I had noticed that before and since then, but it wasn't until that I saw new and old back to back that it really hit me just how different The Simpsons had become, and for the worse. The older episodes will stand the test of time, but these episodes? Highly unlikely. It was obviously out of its peak for years before that, don't get me wrong, but it just... This makes me sad, my brother and I still quote and watch Simpsons all the time. It's been needing a mercy kill for years Reply Parent Thread Link idk but that sounds like the basis of a creepypasta waiting to be written Reply Parent Thread Link I've noticed it too, it's like the voice recording is so crisp & perfect that there's no humming or background noise. I hate it. I'm a season 1-9 stan tho, so I complain about everything post season 10 lol. Reply Parent Thread Link I bet they're like ~we must boycott The Simpsons!!~ "But if he murdered the right person, I still might vote for him." Trump voters in Ohio. https://t.co/RGZ0dBWs1I Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 1, 2016 Edited at 2016-08-01 11:39 pm (UTC) Can we talk about how wild this video is? These people are fucking vile trash and I hope when Trump loses in November that they're reminded of the losers they are in life. And fuck anyone who is like "we need to reach out to the angry voters!!" Nah fuck these people.I bet they're like ~we must boycott The Simpsons!!~ Reply Thread Link dude in the screencap looks like george w bush wtf Reply Parent Thread Link he really does Reply Parent Thread Link fucking die old timer you being here on earth is not a good thing Reply Parent Thread Link jfc the guy with the beard and the serial killer eyes in the background of the screencap Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The guy in the background in that shitty eagle t-shirt has the eyes of a serial killer. You couldn't pay me to go into a room full of Trump's creepy-ass supporters. Reply Parent Thread Link why does the first guy look like he's being held hostage wtf Reply Parent Thread Link these crusty rednecks Reply Parent Thread Link the guy in the Make America Great Again hat sounds kind of like Ben Carson if he was an old white man Reply Parent Thread Link i just don't understand this sort of willful ignorance Reply Parent Thread Link ....... fuck Reply Parent Thread Link That first guy... Shades of Office Space's Milton. Reply Parent Thread Link how is this even funny? this show is so boring now its ridiculous just stop Reply Thread Link hahaha Reply Parent Thread Link This is an actual exchange I just had with a Trump supporter here in Ohio about Khizr Khan. On camera. pic.twitter.com/KWnahBCHmv Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 1, 2016 wavvy, if it's on the internet it's always true! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link dems did this to themselves. they would have a democrat leading by double digits nationally if white feminists and hillary men didnt sabotage bernie sanders' campaign. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Ew @ people replying to that claiming Trump is Jewish. Last I checked, no the fuck he's not, but let's spew bs in his defense ofc. And the photoshopped pictures of Bernie holding papers that say "vote trump" like are you fucking kidding me. No. No. I'm going to look at the sources, but this has got to be bs. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Maybe when he posted it, but not now. Hillary is up 9 points after the dnc, trump only moved up like 4 points after the rnc. Reply Parent Thread Link it was last week. Reply Parent Thread Link these polls arent even accurate anymore nice try piggy trump Reply Parent Thread Link lol of course not, this moron just makes up numbers. Hillary's post-convention bounce put her in the lead. Reply Parent Thread Link CNN Poll Post-Democratic Convention Clinton 52 Trump 43 7-point convention bounce for Clinton Edward Mejia Davis (@TeddyDavisCNN) August 1, 2016 Good grief. @realDonaldTrump's convention speech was an unmitigated PR disaster https://t.co/ODFx8Q9buu pic.twitter.com/NHwUO4i4wv Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) August 1, 2016 CNN poll has Clinton winning non-white voters 83 to 12. Josh Barro (@jbarro) August 1, 2016 The CNN/ORC poll has a lot of interesting nuggets. Among them: Clinton's support is now more locked in than Trump's: pic.twitter.com/lGUQDVzl0C Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 1, 2016 CNN poll has Clinton leading by 13 points with white college grads, a group Democrats have not won in decades. Josh Barro (@jbarro) August 1, 2016 There's obviously always a bump after conventions but even then it's bad for Trump. Trump is already trying to set the stage for when he loses in November and says it's rigged. Everyone can feel free to bookmark this post bc this is what will happen the night of Nov 8: -Trump will lose -Trump will not concede -Trump will claim it's all rigged -Trump will encourage his supporters to riot and protest -Trump will threaten to sue someone Edited at 2016-08-01 11:55 pm (UTC) There's obviously always a bump after conventions but even then it's bad for Trump. Trump is already trying to set the stage for when he loses in November and says it's rigged.Everyone can feel free to bookmark this post bc this is what will happen the night of Nov 8:-Trump will lose-Trump will not concede-Trump will claim it's all rigged-Trump will encourage his supporters to riot and protest-Trump will threaten to sue someone Reply Parent Thread Expand Link but hillary's back on top now, so delete this old news before someone gets a heart attack lol also, it's really not hard to google! http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html these were accurate last week because of his convention bumpbut hillary's back on top now, so delete this old news before someone gets a heart attack lolalso, it's really not hard to google! Reply Parent Thread Link Those were his Post-RNC bump. Currently, cheetos is too busy dehumanizing Gold Star parents to post poll numbers. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Nah, FiveThirtyEight has had her numbers rising multiple times on all 3 models just today! The now vote places her at 80%!! And that still doesn't account for the mess he created with the Khans so he may sink even further. Reply Parent Thread Link though he does frequently and falsely inflate his own numbers, but it's still a close race Reply Parent Thread Expand Link She's ahead but not by much. Richest candidate usually wins tho, but not always I guess we'll just have to wait and see since its so close Reply Parent Thread Link That LA Times poll was a trip. It had Trump getting 30% of AA vote, and Hillary winning Latinos by only 51%. AAs have been polling at single digits to 0 in other polls for Trump, and Latinos are at best teens% in the vast majority of polls. But yeah, no to unskew, but some polling firms are better than others. It's why 538 gives different polls different grades. PPP has a very good reputation in POTUS polls, and they recently have Hillary at 50 and Trump at 45. And the latest CNN poll (not as good in reliability ratings) has Hillary at 52% in a two person race, and still beating Trump by 8 in a 4 person race. Reply Parent Thread Link I like the part where they put on bigger hands Reply Thread Link this show will be cancelled eventually Reply Thread Link I have a feeing those Melania Trump photos were released as a diversion but I love how it backfired and the media didn't take bait and are every news outlet are still focusing on his series of foot in mouth comments about, well about everything. Reply Thread Link Yeah. If this had been the first time photos of that nature came out of Melania, then I can see it being bigger news. But I'm pretty sure she did a photoshoot for GQ 16 years ago along the same lines as these current pictures so people aren't as shocked. Reply Parent Thread Link YASSSSS. My husband was all 'you watch too much damn Scandal' cause I kept saying his team released/okayed the pics as a distraction and I was pissed thinking it would be the focus. So glad to be proved wrong. Reply Parent Thread Link IIRC the Post is in Drumpf's pocket and has been favorable of him for a long time. Thus furthering my theory that his team leaked the pictures to them first so it could take the heat off of him. Thank God it didn't work. Reply Parent Thread Link I can't tell who will leave who, but their marriage is done after this...if it wasn't before. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link awww i loved that. it's a parody of clinton's ridiculous ad against obama Reply Thread Link I like the make up. but honestly, I would very easily vote for Hillary over Trump. now everytime I go on CNN I have to watch whatever new stupid thing Trump said that day, the way the wont stop covering any little thing he does is too much. hillary is out there doing stuff too, and nothing. I wonder if Trump will even go to the end with this mess, we know he will try everything to stop the debate. or to get Jill Stein there so they can tag team on Hillary. America needs to get this election closer to now because I cant deal with all this time till it happens. Reply Thread Link ABC World News Tonight is the same deal, ugh. It's always "Trump this," and "Trump that" for such a good chunk of the program. Drives me bonkers Reply Parent Thread Link my FIL tried to deny that Trump called Mexicans criminals and rapists this weekend even though I fought so hard to not bring up politics and even my SO was just like "dad, really?". Then he got offended when someone asked who Trump appealed to and I said racists/sexists/bigots and he turned to me and went "do you really think I'M a racist?" and i just didn't answer lmao tl;dr complaining about my trump supporting FIL Reply Thread Link Omg LMAO at your FIL's response Reply Parent Thread Link lord you have more restraint than i do Reply Parent Thread Link we've generally been able to have reasonable conversations about politics in the past but tbh I've tried to stop talking about politics to anyone lately and he still INSISTS. I've gotten better at just ignoring comments/questions Reply Parent Thread Link lmfaooo the fake hands to disguise his tiny baby fingers Reply Thread Link I lol'd and then watched the entire video as a throwback Reply Parent Thread Link Oil prices are falling once again, and WTI was flirting with sub-$40 per barrel during midday trading on Monday. The story has been the same for weeks: extraordinary high levels of crude oil and refined product inventories are weighing on the market, and demand has failed to soak up all of the excess. But other threats to the oil price rally keep cropping up. The latest comes from Libya, which could finally restart long-disrupted oil supplies from shuttered ports. In a press release, Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that it would begin working with the unity government to bring back some lost oil exports. The statement says that Libyas oil production could reach 900,000 barrels per day by the end of 2016, or up roughly 600,000 barrels per day from current levels. Several major ports have been shut down since 2014, but their reopening is now tantalizingly close. The unity government reached an agreement with the petroleum facilities guard that could lead to a restart of operations. I call now on other groups that are using the blockade as a tactic to let Libyas oil flow freely. In the West of Libya, 400,000 b/d of production is shut in at the Sharara and El-Feel fields. The cost to the country is plain: tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue, and the collapse of our social fabric, the NOC said in a statement. The NOC recognized that hurdles remain. We need to be clear there are still big military, political and legal obstacles that must be resolved. NOC will immediately start technical works, and we will mobilize workers as quickly as possible. On top of that, NOC will open discussions with our international oil company partners to indemnify NOC from liability before lifting the force majeure, the company said in a statement. Related: Oil Flirts With Bear Market As Short Positions Surge Most In 10 Years Time The agreement is positive for Libya, but should be taken with a grain of salt. It was only a few days ago that the NOCs chairman criticized the deal between the government and guards, though it appears that his concerns have now been assuaged. And even though an agreement to resume operations at the key ports of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina is in hand, the supplies at the upstream oilfields need to flow, a development that falls outside of the deal. A separate round of negotiations seems to be required to reopen the fields. Plus, even the NOC statement suggests that force majeure will not be lifted immediately and hence there is no increase in exports just yet. Richard Mallinson, an analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., told Bloomberg. If successful, the return of 600,000 barrels per day of oil production would be very bearish for crude markets. That would be the equivalent of about half of the lost production from U.S. shale over the past year and a half. But the estimate is likely overly-optimistic. Libya has now been into years of zero maintenance for the infrastructure so theres a concern about the infrastructure damage, Bill Farren-Price, CEO at consultant Petroleum Policy Intelligence, said in an interview with Bloomberg. There are a few million barrels in the storage in some of the ports, so not very much really. We just dont see the conditions as being positive and supportive of a long term recovery. Related: Oil Prices Fall Below $40 As OPEC Ramps Up Output Nevertheless, Libyan oil looms over the market as another potential ceiling on oil prices. WTI and Brent have fallen back close to $40 per barrel, amid deepening fears of oversupply. Gasoline and crude oil inventories remain too high, particularly since the peak summer demand season is coming to an end. The most recent bearish catalysts were another uptick in the U.S. rig count on Friday (an increase of 3 oil rigs), plus data from OPEC showing higher production. In fact OPECs oil production may have hit an all-time high in July. Hedge funds and money managers are becoming increasingly bearish on crude oil, liquidating long bets and purchasing shorts. Their net-long position is at its lowest level since February. This is all adding up to an increased likelihood of further losses for oil prices. Societe General says this downturn could bottom out in the high $30s per barrel. Other investment banks agree. "Demand growth remains lackluster and has not made significant inroads to clear the inventory overhang for oil," Barclays said in a recent research note. "With the macroeconomic picture worsening and Saudi Arabia unlikely to exhibit much restraint as Iran seeks incremental market share, refineries are going to find themselves in the line of fire. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Theres a silver lining to the current downturn in oil prices. Its bringing out some very good assets for sale. And this past week saw a first-of-a-kind oil project come available in one of the most important oil and gas plays to emerge globally over the last few decades. The pre-salt of offshore Brazil. The billion-barrel potential of Brazils pre-salt has been recognized for years. But getting into this big-upside play hasnt been easy given that blocks here were tightly controlled by Brazilian state developer Petrobras. With foreign operators generally confined to minority stakes in partnership with the major. But on Friday, Petrobras did something its never done before. Sold a majority stake in a pre-salt block to a outside entity. That was Norways Statoil. Which Petrobras confirmed has agreed to purchase a 66% stake in the BM-S-8 block for total consideration of $2.5 billion. This marks the first outright sale of a pre-salt project by Petrobras. Which up until now had been the majority owner and operator of this project along with minority stakeholders including Portugals Galp Energy, as well as two smaller Brazil-based firms. But the recent drop in oil prices is changing Petrobras attitudes towards its portfolio. With the company now aggressively looking to sell assets in order to pay down debt. This project sale also comes as Brazils government has been seriously discussing opening the pre-salt up to a concession model of development. Where private operators would be able to bid on blocks like in many other parts of the world, rather than relying on partnerships with government. This weeks sale is a sign that such steps toward opening the pre-salt are gaining momentum. Signalling that some big opportunities could be coming up here, for operators with the cash position to get into this big-money play. Watch for more project sales and license offers coming here. Heres to letting it go. By Dave Forest More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: After dipping briefly into thirty-dollardom yesterday, WTI is now using the $40 level as a trampoline. It is managing to muster a bounce today amid a dollar sell-off and a shift in focus towards tomorrows inventory report and a potential set of draws. Hark, here are five things to consider in oil markets today. 1) The Kuwaiti government is set to unwind costly fossil fuel subsidies next month by increasing local gasoline prices by as much as 83 percent. Kuwait is following in the footsteps of other Gulf Cooperation Council members (GCC) such as the United Arab Emirates in taking advantage of the oil price drop in the last two years to cut fossil fuel subsidies it is the last of the six-country bloc to cut them. Nonetheless, it will still have the lowest rates in the GCC, and among the lowest globally. According to the IEA, fossil fuel subsidies amounted to $550 billion in 2013. Kuwait has the worlds fifth largest sovereign wealth fund, with $592 billion in assets. In a similar vein to Saudi Arabia, its budget deficit is expected to be ~13 percent this year, and it too has started a bond sale program. Kuwait is also trying to diversify its economy, investing in global infrastructure projects, and cutting wasteful domestic spending. In terms of Kuwaiti crude exports, our ClipperData show that over 70 percent of volumes head to five nations, with South Korea leading the charge with 19 percent of the total. The U.S. is the only non-Asian country in the top five, receiving some 11 percent of exports, or ~220,000 bpd: (Click to enlarge) 2) According to a unit in the Russian Energy Ministry, Russia saw its domestic production post its 24th month of year-on-year gains in July, up 1.8 percent to 10.85 million barrels per day. Production peaked at a post-Soviet high of 10.91 million bpd in January. Output has been much more staunch than expected amid the oil price drop of recent years; a weaker ruble and a progressive tax system has helped to buoy it. Looking ahead, estimates from Goldman Sachs see production rising to 11.65 million bpd by 2018. This view is predicated on ongoing tax breaks incentivizing low-cost production; Russia is seen as one of the worlds lowest-cost producers. Goldmans view is in contrast to the IEA, who see production at 10.94 million bpd by 2018. (Click to enlarge) 3) Yesterday we were taking a look at Indian crude oil demand, and how it is set to import more in the coming years; the same applies for LNG imports. As the chart below illustrates, Indian LNG imports are on the rise as it follows a similar tack to China increasing its use of natural gas in the power generation mix. With spot LNG prices to Asia dropping ~25 percent over the last year, India is looking to renegotiate the pricing method on its LNG supply contracts, and specifically with the worlds largest exporter, Qatar. Its LNG imports are up nearly 60 percent year-to-date through May, while domestic natural gas production has shrunk by 8 percent. India is looking to boost regasification capacity to 55 million tons by 2020 (6.4 Bcf/d), more than double the current level of 21 million tons (2.5 Bcf/d). Related: The Worlds Biggest Oil Discovery Just Opened For Foreign Ownership (Click to enlarge) 4) The chart below is from Wood Mackenzie (h/t @chigirl), highlighting how capex declines were seen across the board in Q2 versus last year. What is telling though, is how well Permian is holding up. Optimism about the Permian was echoed by Pioneer Resources CEO Scott Sheffield last week, who said My firm belief is the Permian is going to be the only driver of long-term oil growth in this country. And its going to grow on up to about 5 million barrels a day from 2 million barrels, even in a $55 per barrel price environment, he added. Related: The Energy Battlefield New Tech Upending Decades Of Stable Markets 5) Finally, to jibe with the above chart is the one below from Rystad Energy. It shows how the average wellhead breakeven price has dropped by an average of 22 percent year-on-year from 2013 to 2016. Permian Midland has experienced the largest drop in breakeven prices, falling by 33 percent year-on-year from 2014 to 2016. The common theme across shale plays is that breakevens continue to drop. (Click to enlarge) By Matt Smith More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A reasonable assumption for investors is that Saudi Arabia would be deeply concerned about the current state of oil prices. While prices have rebounded somewhat from their February lows, current price levels are still deeply depressed from the normal values of the last decade. Under this assumption, one would assume that Saudi Arabia would at least be thinking about cutting back its production in support of prices. Saudi Arabia is telling investors those assumptions are wrong. Saudi Aramco, the state-run oil giant of the Kingdom, says that both its drilling and its IPO plans are unaffected by the price of oil. Amin Nasser, the CEO of the company, says that Saudi Aramco will keep investing in long-term oil projects and that it is winning the battle for market share by bringing in new East Asian customers. According to Nasser, the company is also moving ahead on its IPO process and it is considering whether or not it should list its shares on a foreign stock exchange as well as on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange. It is impossible to be certain whether or not Mr. Nasser is just putting on a brave face regarding the firms indifference to oil prices in making major decisions, but it is possible that he is being genuine in his comments. In particular, Nasser noted that the number of our customers in Asia is growing, and different customers see big value in doing business with Saudi Aramco. Nassers point is a good one in times of uncertainty, in particular the type of economic uncertainty that is affecting much of the world right now, risk aversion on the part of firms everywhere will increase. That increase in risk aversion also means that firms will have a greater incentive to move to larger and more stable suppliers like Saudi Aramco versus smaller riskier firms. In that respect then, Saudi Aramco, and by extension Saudi Arabia, can benefit from the current economic uncertainty. Nassers confidence may stem from the recent uptick in oil prices. The CEO noted that compared to the beginning of the year, oil prices are continuously improving. Nasser made this comment at a contract-signing ceremony for the Fadhili offshore gas plant. Indias Larsen & Toubro Ltd has a contract to build the facility, and Engie SA of France and the Saudi Electricity Co. were awarded a contract for a power plant at Fadhili. The Fadhili project will cost more than 50 billion riyals or about $13.3 billion. Related: ISIS Hits Largest Oil Field in Kirkuk, Kills Five For investors, comments from Nasser and other major oil producers underline a serious challenge the current oil environment is extremely challenging, and almost every other industry participant has better information than investors do. Oilprice.com and other companies offer information services to investors, but even with these tools, investors are at best on a level playing field with the oil majors when it comes to making decisions. The lack of information and transparency in the oil markets makes investing in oil producing stocks just too challenging. Most investors arent willing to take on that kind of uncertainty and risk. Until most investors start to feel safer about the space and the information they are getting, its unlikely that they will want to move back into stocks in the sector, be it the Saudi Aramco IPO or the smallest tier of independent E&Ps. By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: On Monday, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that the United States has failed to honor the pledges it had made with Iran in its nuclear accord, in which sanctions would be lifted while Irans nuclear program was limited. Khamenei asserted that negotiating with the United States was futile, and then asking, Weren't the supposed sanctions lifted to change the life of the people? Is any tangible effect seen in people's life after six months?" He also took issue with the rate at which the sanctions were being lifted, stating that the sanctions were supposed to be lifted in a much faster manner than is currently being done. Khamenei also accused the United States of impeding Irans economic relations with other countries. He further argued that the U.S. has failed to keep up its end of the deal, stating "Negotiation with such a government means diversion from the correct path of advancement of the country, giving constant concessions and allowing a bullying policy in practice." Iran contends that while it has fulfilled its end of the bargain, not all of the sanctions have been lifted. The country is still trying to attract foreign investors, many of which are leery of possible prosecution or fines, should they do business in Iran. The U.S. has stated that some of the sanctions are related to issues not covered by the nuclear deal. Khamenei noted that perhaps Iran should look within its own borders in order to develop its economy. Related: Oil Prices Fall Below $40 As OPEC Ramps Up Output Under President Hassan Rouhani, oil sales for Iran have gone up, while other projected benefits that were expected to materialize under the agreement have yet to come to fruition. Khameneis comments could fuel the ire of conservatives in the Iranian government against Rouhani. The Ayatollah has also taken issue with a recent visit of Saudi nationals to Israel, which he has labeled as treasonous to other Islamic nations. He opined: This job by Saudis is a great sin and treason but in this big wrongdoing, Americans have played a role since the Saudi government is possessed by the U.S. government while following and listening to Washington. Last month, Mohsen Ghamsari, director of international affairs at state-run National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC), told Bloomberg that Iran had regained 80 percent of the market share it had before the oil sanctions were tightened in 2012, when it was OPECs second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia. Iran is currently pumping 3.8 million barrels a day, of which it exports 2 million barrels, the manager noted. The country wants to raise its daily output to 4 million bpd by the end of this year and to pump 5.8 million bpd in crude and condensates combined by 2021. Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Nigerian government has opted to resume making payments to the former militants as part of a plan to halt armed attacks against oil industry facilities in the Niger Delta region. Officials last February halted making payments to the ex-rebels who in 2009 pledged to stop their offensive against the oil infrastructure in exchange for benefits. The aid received by the former combatants included a US$203.44 monthly payment as well as job training, but the government cut it off after a recent spate of attacks on oil pipelines. Authorities at the time believed beneficiaries of the amnesty may have played a part in the violence at the oil-rich Niger Delta. Yet as reported in Bloomberg, the suspension of subsidies removed the incentives for former combatants to act as protectors. As a result, violence worsened and has forced Nigerias already troubled oil production to drop as low as 700,000 barrels per day. Payments of stipends to the ex-militants resumed this Monday. The payments are done directly from the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) to their bank accounts, said the amnesty program's media officer, Piriye Kiyaramo, according to Reuters. "The payment also includes tuition for those studying abroad," Kiyaramo added. "Their last payment was in February this year. Now we are clearing all outstanding and the payments." The Nigerian governments change in tactics comes amid a push to enact a ceasefire with rebel groups still operating in the Niger Delta region. Last June, a ceasefire was purportedly reached with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militants behind most of the attacks against pipelines this year. But the NDA claimed not to have signed a truce and will only hold negotiations if international mediators are allowed to participate. The government started last week discussions with another militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. Yet if the negotiations should fail, the Nigerian military has been deployed in a possible show of force. Our troops are in position. My message to the militants is to ensure they go to the negotiation table," the chief of defense staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, mentioned last Friday. A defense ministry spokesman claimed Nigerian military aircraft attacked hideouts in the creeks used by criminal gangs that steal refined oil products near the major city of Lagos. By Erwin Cifuentes for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: There's a tired internet joke that starts with, "I'm so old I remember when ..." and, because it's a joke, ends with something only a few weeks old as in, "I'm so old I remember when Pokemon Go was a just a polite way to tell Jamaican drivers the light is green." But here's one that's not a joke: I'm so old I remember when Hillary Clinton was a left-wing socialist monster and a political outsider invading sacred space. Now, according to many Democrats and left-leaning pundits, Clinton is a dull corporate centrist oblivious to the needs or wants of the public at large. Among them is Robert Reich, a veteran of Bill Clinton's administration, whose op-ed alleging such was in this weekend's Journal Sentinel. I cast my first vote in 1992, and I had the benefit of a full year's worth of Rush Limbaugh it was his heyday playing in my parents' car. I voted for Bill Clinton anyway, but there was little question that the Republicans saw Hillary, with her not-going-to-bake-cookies feminism, as a significant threat. I don't know if Limbaugh coined the term "Feminazi" and if he did, it may not have been about Hillary Clinton but he certainly popularized it with her as his target. To hear the right talk about Bill and Hillary Clinton in those days was to hear McCarthy-style rants against outright Stalinism encroaching on the White House. The Democrats loved Hillary Clinton. The same no-nonsense feminist tendencies that repelled Republicans endeared her to the left. That she was an activist First Lady, leading the charge for health care reform, rather than a stodgy stick in the mud like Nancy Reagan or Barbara Bush, helped her image tremendously. She easily won election to the U.S. Senate in 2000, and no one then seriously doubted that she was liberal in good standing. In the '90s, the D.C. establishment never warmed to her or to Bill, with elder establishment spokesman David Broder famously saying of Bill, "He came in here and he trashed the place, and it's not his place." Being President (or First Lady), one suspects, automatically confers some measure of insider-ness and establishment upon you, and I argued as much last week, saying Clinton's experience is far preferable to Republican nominee Donald Trump's bumbling, bullying amateurism. So does serving in the U.S. Senate and as Secretary of State. In that sense, I have no argument with Reich on that score, when he says that this year's election is "between the anti-establishment and the establishment." It is utterly true that Trump and to a lesser extent, Bernie Sanders, Clinton's rival in the primaries whom Reich endorsed is not the political establishment. But I have a hard time buying two key parts of Reich's critique of Clinton's candidacy. One is his worry that, as she pivots to the general election instead of the primary, she is doing what every candidate in history has done: move to the middle. He even calls Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Clinton's vice presidential pick, "as vanilla middle as you can get." This may be, but it should not surprise or worry anyone, especially a veteran politico like Reich. When you consider that compared to the 1992 Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Hillary Clinton is considerably more liberal than she gets credit for. This is in part due to Sanders; there was never any question that most Sanders voters were going to support Clinton anyway, but the Clinton team worked hard to appease Sanders himself and as many of his hold-out supporters as possible. It didn't entirely work. The Democratic National Convention planners needed some serious back-up plans at the convention, and there remains a significantly rogue set of Sanders supporters planning not to support Clinton in any way. But there is also what else happened at the Democrats' convention: It turned into, somehow, an uber-jingoistic America-fest. I guess when you're opponent's tagline is "Make America Great Again," you don't have much choice other than to try to explain why America is already pretty great. Reich is now and has been for some time a strong critic of the current recovery too much recovery has gone to the top one percent and not enough to the rest of us, he says. I agree with him there, and for a couple of years post-2012, I half-seriously believed that an Elizabeth Warren-Robert Reich ticket (or even Reich-Warren) would be pretty ideal for Democrats. But the second part of Reich's argument, that Clinton doesn't "get" what this election is about, mistakes Reich's own differences with Clinton for what is actually going on. Reich asserts that the rise of both Trump and Sanders signals an electorate ready to be done with establishment elites, Wall Street types, D.C. insiders and "a system that's rigged." This is Reich's problem with Clinton and why he endorsed Sanders. "Most basically," Reich writes, "the anti-establishment wants big money out of politics. This was the premise of Sanders' campaign. It's also been central to Donald ('I'm so rich I can't be bought off') Trump's appeal, although he's now trolling for big money." I can let Reich have the Sanders half of that sentence, but not the Trump half. Let's be honest here: Trump's most vocal and loyal supporters are not interested in getting "big money" out of the system. Undoubtedly many Trump primary voters, and those planning to vote for him in November, wouldn't mind if big money was out of politics, sure. However, the GOP and its base are the ones who happily remind you that money is speech and are appalled that Clinton and the Democrats have a distinct interest in Supreme Court justices likely to reverse the Court's Citizens United ruling. The real rise of Trump has nothing to do with anti-establishment dislike of "big money." It is, rather, racial resentment. Indeed, there's a less-old joke on the internet, one that dates to around the time Trump started taking off. It's that Trump voters suffer from "economic insecurity," but where "economic insecurity" is really a euphemism for racial resentment. Not all Trumpites are racist of course, but when everyone from Reuters to RedState are noting the trend, then there must be something there. Going back to 2012, Trump's political rise had nothing to do with getting big money out of politics or easing people's economic insecurities. Rather, he opened with challenges to President Barack Obama's legitimacy by funding research into "birther" claims that Obama was born in Kenya. By 2015, he was running for president, calling Mexican immigrants rapists and calling for a ban on letting Muslims into the country. To the extent that Trump supporters believe the system is rigged at all, it's that it's rigged against white men. And right now, white men are the demographic group Trump is most easily winning, according to the polls. One reason why the Democrats felt safe sporting former generals and chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" all week is that those speakers were more than balanced by a clear, positive, unified picture of a diverse and distinctly non-white, non-male, non-traditionally gendered America. From the first trans-woman ever to speak at a convention to the Muslim parents of a dead U.S. soldier, the Democrats' convention offered up the worst nightmare of reactionary white men everywhere. For the Republicans, on the other hand, when their speakers were non-white, they were calling Clinton "the enemy" and (Milwaukee represent!) celebrating the acquittal of a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of an unarmed black man. Though Trump himself may have promised to uphold the rights of LGBTQ citizens, he read those letters off the TelePrompTer like he had never said them in that order before. The Democrats' convention, while, sure, sporadically interrupted by Sanders die-hards, embodied a diverse, proud and hopeful America. The Republicans, on the other hand, showed off a monochromatic, scared and resentful America. Even in the way the two candidates spoke in their acceptance speeches, with Trump asserting that he alone could fix America's problems as Clinton assured us that we are stronger together, the difference in the two parties' messages this year could not be more clear. So Reich, though I love him and his economic analyses, is just wrong then when he worries that Clinton could lose to Trump's "authoritarian populism." Clinton could lose if she can't convince America to vote for the diverse, hopeful future instead of Trump's angry, racist and resentful one. The New York State Public Service Commission--in the face of strong opposition--this week approved a $7.6 billion bail-out of aging nuclear power plants in upstate New York which their owners have said are uneconomic to run without government support. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo--who appoints the members of the PSC--has called for the continued operation of the nuclear plants in order to, he says, save jobs at them. The bail-out would be part of a "Clean Energy Standard" advanced by Cuomo. Under it, 50 percent of electricity used in New York by 2030 would come from "clean and renewable energy sources"--with nuclear power considered clean and renewable. "Nuclear energy is neither clean nor renewable," testified Pauline Salotti, vice chair of the Green Party of Suffolk County, Long Island at a recent hearing on the plan. www.southshorepress.net/2016/05/24/suffolk-closeup-136/ "Without these subsidies, nuclear plants cannot compete with renewable energy and will close. But under the guise of 'clean energy,' the nuclear industry is about to get its hands on our money in order to save its own profits, at the expense of public health and safety," declared a statement by Jessica Azulay, program director of Alliance for a Green Economy, based in upstate Syracuse with a chapter in New York City. Moreover, she emphasized, "Every dollar spent on nuclear subsidies is a dollar out of the pocket of New York's electricity consumers--residents, businesses and municipalities" that should "instead" go towards backing "energy efficiency, renewable energy and a transition to a clean energy economy." www.beyondnuclear.org/nuclear-costs/ The "Clean Energy Standard" earmarks twice as much money for the nuclear power subsidy than it does for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Its claim is that nuclear power is comparable because nuclear plants don't emit carbon or greenhouse gasses--the key nuclear industry argument for nuclear plants nationally and worldwide these days because of climate change. What the industry does not mention, however, is that the "nuclear cycle" or "nuclear chain"--the full nuclear system--is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Numerous statements sent to the New York PSC on the plan pointed to this. "Nuclear is NOT emission-free!" Manna Jo Greene, environmental director of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, wrote the PSC. The claim of nuclear power having 'zero-emission attributes' ignores emissions generated in mining, milling, enriching, transporting and storing nuclear fuel." Further, "New York no longer needs nuclear power in its energy portfolio, now or in the future. Ten years ago the transition to a renewable energy economy was still a future possibility. Today it is well underway." click here "Nuclear power is not carbon-free," wrote Michel Lee, head of the Council on Intelligent Energy & Conservation Policy based in Scarsdale. "If one stage," reactors operation itself, "produces minimal carbon"every other stage produces prodigious amounts." Thus the nuclear "industry is a big climate change polluter"Nuclear power is actually a chain of highly energy-intensive industrial processes which--combined--consume large amounts of fossil fuels and generate potent warming gasses. These include: uranium mining, milling enrichment, fuel fabrication, transport" and her list went on. "The State of New York and its energy officials have a genuine opportunity to alter the course of history. You have the chance to help direct America and the world towards a more secure and prosperous future"With vision and resolve, our state can be at the vanguard of a new global energy era." click here{C2E34ECB-EF87-4791-9402-B706261C9F67}&usg=AFQjCNFVp9_SJJzXbyNV76R_vOZ72viHcg In opposing the New York nuclear subsidy, Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University, wrote in an op-ed in Albany Times Union, the newspaper in the state's capitol, that he was "shocked" by the PSC's "proposal that the lion's share of the Clean Energy Standard funding would be a nuclear bail-out." He said "allowing the upstate nuclear plants to close now and replace them with equal energy output" from offshore wind and solar power "would be cheaper and would create more jobs." The closure of the upstate plants "would jeopardize fewer than 2,000 jobs" while a "peer-reviewed study" he has done "about converting New York State to 100 percent clean, renewable energy --which is entirely possible now--would create a net of approximately 82,000 good, long-term jobs." click here The upstate nuclear power plants to be bailed-out under the plan would be FitzPatrick, Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 and Ginna. The money would come over a 12-year period through a surcharge on electric bills paid by residential and industrial customers in New York State. Reported Tim Knauss of the Post-Standard of Syracuse: "Industry watchers say New York would be the first state to establish nuclear subsidies based on environmental attributes, a benefit typically reserved for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The 'zero emission credits' would be paid to nuclear plants based on a calculation of the economic value of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change." Cuomo "directed the PSC to create subsides for upstate reactors," he wrote. click here Reuters has reported that the nuclear "industry hopes that if New York succeeds, it could pressure other states to adopt similar subsides" for nuclear plants. The headline of the Reuters story: "New York could show the way to rescue U.S. nuclear plants." click here The two Indian Point nuclear power plants 26 miles north of New York City are not now included in the plan but it "leaves the door open to subsidies" for them, says Azulay of Alliance for a Green Economy. This would mean "the costs [of the bail-out] will rise to over $10 billion." Cuomo has called for a shutdown of the Indian Point plants in the densely populated southern portion of the state, although boosting the continued operation of the nuclear plants in less populated upstate. "Nuclear has a role," he declared at a press conference last month. "Unless we're willing to go back to candles, which would be uncomfortable and inconvenient, we need energy generation." click here Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Mandala colored by Amy Schreiner from Genevieve's Mandalas: Adult Coloring Book (Image by Genevieve Crabe) Details DMCA Politics got you down? How do you spell "relief"? Coloring lowers stress! National Coloring Book Day is August 2 and you can relax by coloring, just like you did as a kid, except with more appealing designs. You can print out a mini coloring book, enter a coloring contest or find a coloring party to join on the event site. Adult coloring has become a huge craze, and no wonder, coloring is a fun, relaxing, meditative respite from the stresses of the day. According to the WaPo, "Nielsen Bookscan estimates that some 12 million (adult coloring books) were sold in 2015, a dramatic jump from the 1 million sold the previous year." According to MedicalDaily.com, neuropsychologist Dr. Stan Rodski "says 'coloring elicits a relaxing mindset, similar to what you would achieve through meditation. Like mediation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment. Tasks with predictable results, such as coloring or knitting, can often be calming -- Rodski was even able to see the physical effects they had on our bodies by using advanced technology. "The most amazing things occurred -- we started seeing changes in heart rate, changes in brainwaves," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, adding that part of this neurological response in 'colorists' comes from the repetition and attention to patterns and detail associated with coloring." Dover Publications offered the first coloring book aimed at adult colorists, Antique Automobiles, in 1970. Today their "Creative Haven" coloring book series is one of the most popular on the market. You can sign up for their free coloring newsletter and also for their weekly email sampler, which offers free downloadable coloring pages Creative Haven series from Dover Publications (Image by Dover Publications) Details DMCA The popularity of coloring books for adults has exploded in the last year... In Washington, D.C., one meetup group has 190 members, and their weekly events often have waiting lists. -Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post. Christine Doyle is a freelance editor specializing in the editing of craft instructions for books and online classes. She shares tips on sewing, quilting, and coloring in her blog. I asked her a few questions about her process, and about one of her mandalas. Meryl Ann Butler: I love this mandala you colored, especially the fact that you left some white space as part of your design. Was your selection of colors inspired by BB-8? Christine Doyle: I loved the color scheme of BB-8 as soon as I saw him, well before The Force Awakens came out. And I loved him even more after I saw the movie. I started coloring this kaleidoscope (from the book Kaleidoscope Designs by Martha Day Zschock) with the yellow, but once I had placed the orange and the first gray, BB-8 came to mind and I went from there. MAB: Thanks for sharing it, Christine! In your blog, you offered a great way to get started on a new coloring page, can you share that with us? CD: Yes--my process is to pick a color and use it in three spots in a design. Then I pick another color and use it in three spots. I keep going like that, without a real plan of what color I'll pick next. MAB: Thaty's a great method, it makes it easy to get started! Thanks for sharing, Christine! CD: You're welcome, it's been fun! See photos of Christine's step-by-step process here, on her blog. I often use a variation on Christine's method, but sometimes I color in an entire section first, and then once i have all the colors worked out, I repeat the sequence on the other sections: In progress mandala by Meryl Ann Butler (Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA In addition to geometric designs, coloring books include spiritual designs such as The Shakti Coloring Book, and popular licensed designs such as Laurel Burch's popular depictions of horses, cats, and mermaids, and Mary Englebreit's well known images. Engelbreit is a superstar graphic designer whose popular images on greeting cards and in children's books as well as host of other products are loved around the world. OEN asked her about her new coloring books. Mary Engelbreit in her studio (Image by Mary Engelbreit) Details DMCA . Meryl Ann Butler: Thanks for visiting with us, Mary! I've been a fan of your art for many decades, and I have always appreciated your very positive messages. And I was thrilled to find out that you have now entered the world of adult coloring books with "Mary Engelbreit's Color ME!" and "Color ME, Too." What did you love best about creating them, and what do you hope colorists will gain from it? Mary Engelbreit: To create the coloring book, I used existing drawings that we happened to have black and white line art for; I didn't do any new line art for the book. So it will be fun to see how people re-interpret my drawings in their own style! I explain how I color in my drawings on my website, maryengelbreit.com, so if anyone wants to try it that way, they can. But I'm interested in seeing them colored in with other mediums---- maybe it will even get me to try something new! CHOOSING PENCILS As exciting as the coloring books are, the most important item in your collection of coloring supplies is the pencils. School-grade pencils don't have the rich color that some of the artist-quality brands offer, so they are not nearly as much fun to use. And pencils will last a long time, so I always recommend investing in good ones (with a discount coupon when available!) In our project, five colorists used several brands. They really liked Tombow and Prismacolor. Tombow pencils and markers (Image by Tombow) Details DMCA Tombow pencils have rich color, and can be used in conjunction with Tombow brush pens for blended effects and rich colors. On their website, they also offer tips and and free downloadable coloring pages. Prismacolor is also a popular choice, it has a soft lead which produces saturated color. Your other best friend will be an electric pencil sharpener. THE GALLERY Several adult colorists shared their work to inspire us! Each was given a selection of coloring books to work with. Mandala colored by Amy Schreiner from Genevieve's Mandalas: Adult Coloring Book (Image by Genevieve Crabe) Details DMCA Karla Humphery (New Mexico) is a teacher who colors in-between grading papers. Joy Haywood (Virginia) journaled about her feelings before she started coloring her image. She wrote that she was feeling annoyed, and overwhelmed by her task list, and even frightened about some possible bad news. Then with a little focus on the process of coloring, she wrote, "life is seeming more colorful!" She noted that as she colored, she felt that her anxiety was being soothed, and she began feeling inspired to create more art. Jane Doss (Virginia), Morgaine Beck (Massachusetts) and Amy all selected images from Sue Coccia's books. Coccia's art is filled with indigenous symbolism, each creature is made up of many other scenes or creatures, imparting a dreamlike, spiritual quality to the images. And her coloring designs are printed on 80 lb watercolor paper, which is sturdy enough for markers, watercolors or other water-based paints. Morgaine also chose a giraffe mandala from Dover's Creative Haven series. Coloring books with positive affirmations are available from Louise Hay's Hayhouse Publishing, including Mike Dooley's Notes from the Universe: Enjoy the Journey coloring book. (Mike also is the author of New York Times bestsellers Infinite Possibilities and Leveraging the Universe and his free Notes from the Univers e e-mailings.) Affirmations Coloring book from Hay House (Image by Hay House) Details DMCA So go get yourself a coloring book and some nice pencils, you know you want to! And have fun, de-stress, and come back to life's other projects, refreshed and renewed! "The Shakti Coloring Book: Goddesses, Mandalas, and the Power of Sacred Geometry" is available on Amazon, the Shakti Coloring Book Facebook page is here. "The Art Of Laurel Burch Coloring Book" is available on Amazon and at Laurel Burch's website. READERS: Feel free to post images of your coloring projects in the comments section! Long voter lines discourage voters (Image by GovernmentZA) Details DMCA "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."--Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union No, America, you don't have to vote. In fact, vote or don't vote, the police state will continue to trample us underfoot. Devil or deliverer, the candidate who wins the White House has already made a Faustian bargain to keep the police state in power. It's no longer a question of which party will usher in totalitarianism but when the final hammer will fall. Sure we're being given choices, but the differences between the candidates are purely cosmetic ones, lacking any real nutritional value for the nation. We're being served a poisoned feast whose aftereffects will leave us in turmoil for years to come. We've been here before. Remember Barack Obama, the young candidate who campaigned on a message of hope, change and transparency, and promised an end to war and surveillance? Look how well that turned out. Under Obama, government whistleblowers are routinely prosecuted, U.S. arms sales have skyrocketed, police militarization has accelerated, and surveillance has become widespread. The U.S. government is literally arming the world, while bombing the heck out of the planet. And while they're at it, the government is bringing the wars abroad home, transforming American communities into shell-shocked battlefields where the Constitution provides little in the way of protection. Yes, we're worse off now than we were eight years ago. We're being subjected to more government surveillance, more police abuse, more SWAT team raids, more roadside strip searches, more censorship, more prison time, more egregious laws, more endless wars, more invasive technology, more militarization, more injustice, more corruption, more cronyism, more graft, more lies, and more of everything that has turned the American dream into the American nightmare. What we're not getting more of: elected officials who actually represent us. The American people are being guilted, bullied, pressured, cajoled, intimidated, terrorized and browbeaten into voting. We're constantly told to vote because it's your so-called civic duty, because you have no right to complain about the government unless you vote, because every vote counts, because we must present a unified front, because the future of the nation depends on it, because God compels us to do so, because by not voting you are in fact voting, because the "other" candidate must be defeated at all costs, or because the future of the Supreme Court rests in the balance. Nothing in the Constitution requires that you vote. You are under no moral obligation to vote for the lesser of two evils. Indeed, voting for a lesser evil is still voting for evil. Whether or not you cast your vote in this year's presidential election, you have every right to kvetch, complain and criticize the government when it falls short of your expectations. After all, you are overtaxed so the government can continue to operate corruptly. 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). This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Reprinted from Counterpunch Republicans (Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA The Republican Party, as many observers have noted, is facing the prospect of a long-term decline as a national political party. Since 1992, they have lost four out of the last six presidential elections. And of the other two, in 2000 they lost the popular vote (and quite possibly the electoral vote too if Florida had been accurately tallied); in 2004 they won with just 50.7 percent of the vote. My own view is that Trump will very likely continue this losing streak. But leaving that aside for now, there is no doubt that the Republicans face serious structural problems at the national level. These include changing demographics (their base is overwhelmingly white); the increasing unpopularity of their core ideas; the long-term failure of their economic policies (including some that continued to be advanced and implemented during the Bill Clinton era); the extremism of their electoral base, which makes it more difficult for the party to choose a presidential candidate that can possibly win the general election; and increasing divisions, including along class lines, within the party (which we can see in the Trump insurgency). What, then, appears to be the strategy for a declining political party in the Republicans' situation? It is clear that there are two major elements that have come to the fore in recent years. One is voter suppression, i.e., to reduce the number of voters with a bias toward keeping likely Democratic voters away from the polls. The array of "voter identification" laws passed in recent years is an attempt to reduce turnout: for example, the 2011 law in Wisconsin that requires voters to present government-issued identification in order to vote. It is pretty well established that these laws have nothing to do with preventing fraud. Indeed, the Wisconsin law was originally thrown out by the courts for this reason, only to be reinstated on appeal. (Friday's decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, invalidating a voter identification requirement in North Carolina, could be a significant blow to the national voter suppression effort.) The second element is gerrymandering of districts for the House of Representatives. The Republicans have been able to do this by winning control of many state legislatures, which redraw the congressional district boundaries every 10 years, in accordance with the census (most recently in 2010). Since Obama took office in 2009, Republicans won 30 state legislative chambers (913 legislators), 11 governors, and 69 members of the House of Representatives. Although the party opposing the president typically makes some gains in these arenas, these are very large by historical comparisons. The Republicans have had some advantages at the state and local level: local media tends to be more conservative than the national media, and some big Republican donors (e.g., the billionaire Koch brothers) have funded this strategy, since Obama became president, of using state governments to hang onto power by shifting the rules for national elections in their favor. The two strategies are related, since they are both implemented at the state and local level. But I would like to focus on voter suppression, because it raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the Republican Party. If a political party can only be competitive under a system in which a large majority of the adult population (e.g., in US congressional elections) does not vote, how legitimate is that party? Prior to the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960s, millions of African-Americans in the South were excluded from voting. It was this system of disenfranchisement that allowed racist, segregationist politicians to be elected and re-elected, to have powerful positions as committee chairs in Congress, and to block voting and civil rights reforms for many years. We do not have the same impediments to voting today that Black people faced in the South in the pre-Civil Rights era. Nonetheless, they are sufficient to make the United States an exceptional country in terms of low voter turnout. Most democracies hold their elections on a non-workday, e.g., a Sunday. They also do not have so many laws and restrictions that keep people from voting, such as requirements for advance registration, and for reregistration after moving. As a result of this "American exceptionalism," the US recently ranked 31 out of 34 countries in the OECD (a group of mostly high-income countries), in voter turnout. And that was based on the 2012 presidential elections in the US, with a 58.3 percent turnout. Non-presidential election years are vastly worse; in 2014 only 35.9 percent of eligible voters participated. That leads to the question of how different our government would be if we had normal levels of voter participation. It seems very likely that it would be quite different, and that Republican chances of winning a majority in Congress would fall drastically, and their already low chances of winning the presidency would also plummet. A study by the Pew Research Center in November 2012 found that nonvoters favored Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a margin of 59 to 24 percent, while likely voters were evenly divided. Only 27 percent of nonvoters identified as "Republican or lean Republican," as compared to 52 percent "Democrat or lean Democrat," whereas likely voters were again evenly split. These differences between nonvoters and votes are enormous, and they help explain why voter suppression has become so important to Republicans in recent years. More survey data is needed, especially for non-presidential election years, where the Republican strategy has given them a grip on the House that is tough to break. But it is pretty clear that voter disenfranchisement is the bedrock of Republican power. As such, the legitimacy of the Republican Party is questionable. More broadly, this country needs voting reform that can put an end to this form of "American exceptionalism," just as the civil rights legislation of the 1960s put an end to the disgraceful era of African-American disenfranchisement. This article originally appeared on Huffington Post. Reprinted from Counterpunch Khizr Khan: Donald Trump needs to listen to America (Image by CNN, Channel: CNN) Details DMCA Against the wishes of her New York Democratic constituents, Hillary Clinton voted with Senate Republicans to invade Iraq. (It was a pivotal vote. Without Democratic support, George W. Bush's request for this war of aggression would have failed.) Humayun Khan, 27, was an army captain who got killed during that invasion. Eight years later, the dead soldier's parents appeared at the 2016 Democratic National Convention -- not to protest, but in order to endorse one of the politicians responsible for his death: Hillary Clinton. Even more strangely, Clinton's opponent Donald Trump is the one who is in political trouble -- not because Trump sent Khan to war, but because Trump committed a relatively minor slight, especially compared to the numerous outrageous utterances to his name. Trump didn't denigrate the dead Humayun Khan. Nor did he directly insult his parents. Lamely trying to score a feminist point concerning radical Islam, Trump insinuated that Mr. Khan didn't allow Mrs. Khan to address the crowd because as a Muslim, he doesn't respect women. Let us stipulate that no one should impugn the courage of the war dead. (Not that anyone did here.) Let us further concede that Donald Trump is a remarkably tactless individual. Those things said, the Khan controversy is yet another spectacular example of the media distracting us with a relatively minor point in order to make a much bigger issue go away. A week ago corporate media gatekeepers managed to transform the Democratic National Committee internal emails released by WikiLeaks from what it really was -- scandalous proof that Bernie Sanders and his supporters were right when they said the Democratic leadership was biased and had rigged the primaries against them, and that the system is corrupt -- into a trivial side issue over who might be responsible for hiking the DNC computers. Who cares if it was Russia? It's the content that matters, not that it was ever seriously discussed. Now here we go again. Hillary's vote for an illegal war of choice that was sold with lies, was a major contributing factor to the death of Captain Khan, thousands of his comrades, and over a million Iraqis. Iraq should be a major issue in this campaign -- against her. Instead, it's being used by his parents and the Democratic Party to bait Donald Trump into a retro-post-9/11 "Support Our Troops" militaristic trap. Khan, you see, was "defending his country." (How anyone can say U.S. soldiers in Iraq, part of an invasion force thousands of miles away where no one threatens the United States, are "defending" the U.S. remains a long-running linguistic mystery.) "Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son 'the best of America,'" Khizr Khan told the convention. Unfortunately, the moniker can't apply to once-and-possible-future-first-daughter Chelsea Clinton, who never considered a military career before collecting $600,000 a year from NBC News for essentially a no-show job. But anyway... "If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America," Khizr Khan continued. The cognitive dissonance makes my head spin. Obviously, Trump's proposal to ban Muslims is racist and disgusting. Ironically, however, it would have saved at least one life. If it was up to Donald Trump, the Khans would still be in the United Arab Emirates. Humayan would still be alive. As would any Iraqis he killed. "Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution?" asked Khizr, who is originally from Pakistan. "I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law.'" A good question. While we're at it, however, where does it say in the U.S. Constitution that the president can send troops overseas for years at a time without a formal congressional declaration of war? Where does it say that the United States can attack foreign countries that have done it no harm and have never threatened it? As you'd expect Trump, he of little impulse control, has handled this about as poorly as possible. Asked about Khizr Khan's remark that Trump hasn't made any sacrifices, he idiotically attempted to compare his business dealings with the death of a son. Still, you have to grudgingly admire Trump for fighting back against a guy you are officially not allowed to say anything mean about. It has been widely remarked, always approvingly, that this year's Democrats have successfully appropriated images of patriotism and "optimism" -- scare quotes because this is not the kind of actual optimism in which you think things are going to actually get better, but the bizarro variety in which you accept that things will really never get better so you'd might as well accept the status quo -- from the Republicans. This is part of Hillary Clinton's strategy of taking liberal Democrats for granted while trying to seduce Republicans away from Trump. 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 piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. The Dirty War On Syria (Image by Global Research) Details DMCA The neo-con "West" and its allies want to destroy the Middle East so that they can control the Middle East. Under the auspices of their imperial "New Middle East" project, the criminals (U.S--led NATO, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Israel, are targeting everything that they falsely profess to cherish. All of the "values" that the politicians falsely parade as important, even sacrosanct, are instrumentalized as false fronts that belie the dark undercurrents dragging humanity towards a barren "New World Order" of globalized degeneracy and despair. Nation-state self-determination, sovereignty, territorial integrity -- all vital components of world peace, prosperity, and democracy are meaningless to the elites, except for their propaganda value. A meta-national project of top down control, enforced by anonymous elites, controls how we think, feel, and live. Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, author of America's "War on Terrorism" identifies the largely hidden "powers" behind the system as " those of the global banks and financial institutions, the military-industrial complex, the oil and energy giants, the biotech and pharmaceutical conglomerates and the powerful media and communications giants, which fabricate the news and overtly influence the course of world." This dystopian present has rendered political choices moot. Choices are non-choices, puppet shows sold by empty words and conflicting narratives --- all bereft of substance. The real agenda is unspeakable. The real agenda must be unspeakable, because it is poison, a dark distillate of degenerate barbarism, mostly hidden from view. This real agenda, masked beneath the Big Lies, and the stories told by scripted "politicians", bares its sanguine teeth, and imposes its dark will with barely a whimper. There are no "mistakes". It's all by design. War planners knew full well that the sanctions imposed prior to the invasion of Iraq were targeting children. They accurately predicted when the water treatment plants would fail, and how many lives would be lost. A Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) document accurately predicted that, "IT PROBABLY WILL TAKE AT LEAST SIX MONTHS (TO JUNE 1991) BEFORE THE (water treatment) SYSTEM IS FULLY DEGRADED." And that, 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). As the saying goes: he must be compensating for something. Years ago, when I lived in San Francisco's dangerous Bayview district, there was (and still is, I think) a biker bar called "The Cobra Club." Patrons would openly drink outside the bar (since they were considered a snitch source for the police about the drug activity, they got away with it). That didn't bother the neighborhood. What did bother the neighborhood was their driving their bikes at full enervating power up and down 3rd Street at 2;30 in the morning, making sure that no one was awake within a mile's radius. VVRROOM! VVRROOM! VVRROOM! They were obviously compensating for something. I called them "the little dicks." The bullying, brash, bloviating rantings of Donald Trump is like an army of loud motorcycles screaming for attention and one can only take it as compensating for something. Senseless attacks on a Gold Star family* also add to the crass facade. No Tax Returns Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). slavery (Image by erix!) Details DMCA The U.S. Republican Party adopted its new policy platform, calling North Korea a 'slave state', on July 18, the opening day of the party's national convention. The Republican Party's designation of North Korea as a 'slave state' seems reasonable and appropriate. Indeed, the majority of the people in the communist country live like slaves owned by the Kim family without fundamental rights as human beings. I experienced the life of a slave 20 years ago when I was working in Kuwait as a foreign worker, so I welcome the recent designation, albeit belated. In fact, overseas labor history of North Korea dates back to the late 1950s when the country began to send workers to Siberian logging camps in the Soviet Union (currently, Russia). Initially, offenders were sent as a means of punishment. From the 1970s, however, people of high social classes were mobilized for overseas labor. I worked on a residential construction site in Umm al Hayman, Kuwait, from November 1996 to March 1997. An abandoned two-story school, which was raided during the Gulf War, was used as lodging for North Korean workers. There were just about 20 shabby beds in each classroom and everything was in poor condition. The lodging was surrounded by a 2m-high barbed-wire fence, which was erected at the request of North Korean authorities to prevent any runaway. We were forced to work 15 hours a day from 7 a.m. to midnight, excluding lunch and dinner breaks, under direct sunlight of the desert and with searchlight at light. It may be hard to believe but we were only allowed to take a rest late in the afternoon every other Friday (because Friday is a holiday in Kuwait). No one would dare leave the lodging or the construction site, especially alone, because the workers had been brainwashed by North Korean authorities in Pyongyang with words like "If you go around streets and villages in a foreign country by yourself, you could be kidnapped by South Korean agents." What kept me going in the harsh work conditions, though, was beef soup offered with steamed rice two or three times a week. Bread was offered for lunch and noodles were offered for dinner, but the amount was not sufficient. Beef was a highly valuable food for ordinary people in North Korea, so we felt that we were privileged to eat beef soup. We worked hard, expecting to earn $120 of the promised monthly pay and send it to family members at home. However, we could not receive any money even after a few months of labor. The manager responded to the angry workers by saying "The company is in financial trouble" or "There is no order from the party to give you a pay". Being upset, the workers criticized the 'company', but no one blamed the 'Workers Party' of Pyongyang. They did not and could not dispraise the party, because they knew that the party was equal to the supreme leader (Kim Jong-Il at the time) and they were also afraid of further trouble. Later, I managed to escape and visited the local UNHCR (The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) office before entering South Korea, where I heard that the foreign employer had transferred the workers' pay to North Korean authorities every month. I felt waves of anger and despair. The North Korean regime had even extorted the promised pay of $120 after receiving $600 for individual workers. What is the overseas labor of North Korea different from the medieval slavery? The workers toiled 15 hours a day and did not receive a cent. I felt like I was just a machine forced to work without a rest and an animal fed by its master. The North Korean regime, which has been desperately seeking foreign currency earnings for recent years, has sent 50,000-100,000 workers to a number of countries, including Russia, China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The regime earns as much as $35,000 of annual income per worker employed in Europe. The hard-earned dollars of overseas North Korean workers are funneled to the regime in Pyongyang. The regime spends the money on maintaining the burial places of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il and purchasing luxury goods for leader Kim Jong-Un and gifts for the party officials, which is all to keep its dictatorial powers. The money is even used in the reckless nuclear and missile development that threatens the peace of Northeast Asia and the world. The United Nations and the international community should include North Korea's overseas labor issue in sanctions against North Korea, and countries that employee North Korean workers should stop using North Korean labor, which will help prevent the communist regime from forcing its workers to work abroad. If the international community continues its effort to address this issue, North Korean workers, who are treated like modern-day slaves, will be able to live like human beings. By Ron Ridenour Anker Joergensen, Denmark's last real socialist prime minister (Image by ThisCantBeHappening!) Details DMCA (This is the first of seven articles on the reality of Scandinavia's "socialism") I first met Denmark's last truly Social Democratic Prime Minister, Anker Joergensen, in his state office, unannounced, in late 1980. Grethe and I had just been married. We had met the year before in Los Angeles where I had been a "participatory journalist", and activist for social/racial/gender equality and against the Vietnam War. I wanted to start a new life with Grethe in her peaceful, social democratic land. I took odd jobs and did freelance writing for some Danish media, and for progressive media in the US and England. As such, I often walked from Grethe's centrally located Copenhagen apartment to Christiansborg. The palace is the only building in the world that houses all government branches. The royal palace stood beside the seat of economic power, Denmark's Stock Exchange (Boersen). 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 great Fred The 1960s were the last time the revolutionary spirit lived in the U.S. It was powerful enough to enable the the Equal Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Womens' Liberation, and even forced Dick Nixon to create the EPA. Since then it's been a slow, regressive stumble toward elite control and oligarchy in this country. The flame of revolution was finally rekindled with Occupy Wall Street in 2011 - peaceful civil disobedience and a focus on the 1% who are debilitating our lives and decimating our planet. Since then we've seen protests around the globe. Here in the states, Black Lives Matter has taken up the mantle, along with many other groups including the Green Party. But there's never been anything like Bernie's Revolution in my lifetime. (I was a teen in the 60s.) His focus on income inequality and elitist interests was a breath of fresh air in a horrendously stale political environment. As we know, he brought out millions, mostly young, into the fray and won 22 states. We won't bother here with the Dem shenanigans that contributed to that losing outcome. Bernie's Revolution came to a sad end when he endorsed Hillary Clinton as 'most qualified' to be our next president. He can still play a strong role, and he's clearly still passionate about our revolution. Indeed, he's initiating the Sanders Institute and Our Revolution - two new entities to carry on this movement. But our leader does not endorse Hillary or play by Democratic Party rules. The Duopoly sucks the life out of revolutions. Perhaps in the end he was more politician than revolutionary. We each choose our battles, and I'm grateful for the awakening he brought to millions. His endorsement of Clinton marks another 'lesser of two evils' argument. I prefer the Stephen Colbert line, 'The evil of two lessors." Bernie 'stepped back', as we used to say at Occupy gatherings. He's no longer our standard bearer. So where do we turn? First, while recognizing that our lives have been warped and damaged by this corrupt system. We do not give in to the Duopoly. There's no hope there. Nor do we allow ourselves to be manipulated by fear - "Vote for Hillary or, OMG, Trump!" Indeed, there is a much deeper point about being manipulated by fear. It creates havoc and separation, preventing us from experiencing the lovely healing power of peace and love.The lovely joy of all of us being Here together in Life. If we need a new moniker without Bernie's name, maybe it's the Revolution of Peace and Love. Second, we must continue our revolutionary struggle by supporting localism at every turn. Vote locally with your dollars, engage in community action. Eat local, organic food and enable local energy efforts. This is the insurgency that can diminish globalism and strengthen our neighborhoods. Third we must stay engaged with politics, especially on the local level where we can have the most impact. Which brings me to the Green Party. The Green Party's first national impact came in 2000, when Ralph Nader ran for president with Native American Winona La Duke as his running mate. They garnered 2.7% of the vote. And they were vilified for 'costing Al Gore the election' - which we could more truthfully be laid on Al Gore's unremarkable campaign, his selection of Joe Leiberman as his running mate, the Democratic Party's failure to address real issues during the 1990s, or Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. It's different now. More folks identify themselves as 'Independent' than Republican or Democrat. The issues and the oppression we face is far more clear to far more many of us. And many of us can no longer stomach the supposed 'lesser of two evils' argument. The Green Party's Jill Stein has proven herself as a leader and a compassionate human, willing to take on the great challenge of the Second American Revolution. Her positions match Bernie's, except when they're clearly better - like honestly addressing Palestine and the Middle East and ending the Permanent War Paradigm lead by U.S. imperialism. She is a true candidate for peace, justice and rebuilding our broken country. She is a revolutionary. Cincinnati Speech - 7/18/2016 Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Truthdig The title of the film about Hillary Clinton that actor Morgan Freeman narrated at the Democratic National Convention should have been "Escape From Accountability." Of course, the same could be said -- far more so (a pathetic comfort) -- of the GOP convention propaganda depicting Donald Trump's ascension to power. What we have in this election is a race to the bottom in what once was regarded as adult behavior, meaning that one should take responsibility for one's actions. But while the deep venality of Trump's record should be obvious to anyone old enough to read, that is not the case with his opponent, safely ensconced as the very much lesser evil. Now that America's version of Margaret Thatcher is poised to become president, the obvious value of breaking that glass ceiling has to be tempered by the prospect of increased belligerence in foreign policy and a Wall Street-manipulated, heartless economy at home. For all of the Democrats' denunciation of Citizens United and the role of big money, that is what saved Clinton in this campaign, and the fat cats toasting over at the Ritz-Carlton were delighted with the outcome. It is the Democrats, first Barack Obama and now Clinton, who turned their backs on public financing because, thanks to their sellout to Wall Street, they can look to big money to smash populist sentiment, as expressed so dramatically this time by the incredible outpouring of small contributions that financed the Bernie Sanders campaign. Follow the money and it is obvious that the Democratic Party as much as the GOP is now the plaything of the super-rich. GOP nominee Trump is one of the few egomaniacal outliers who think they can game the system on their own. But in this election, for the multinational corporate hustlers who view governance as a means of establishing a convenient world order supportive of their plunder, Clinton triangulation best fits the bill. Click Here to Read Whole Article The Not So Supreme Court: The Citizens United Dilemma A Common Sense View of the Status of Democracy in America The highly controversial Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case, which effectively grants corporations the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on election campaigns, is symptomatic of deep-seated contradictions and disorder in the election process, in the court itself, and, perhaps, even extending to the Constitution. Let us start with the decision. In the opinion of the 5-4 majority, the decision was a reaffirmation of the First Amendment right of free speech. This decision directly equates money as speech, since the "political" speech it is referring to is "speech" purchased in the print and broadcast media. My first question: Did the framers of the constitution, when formulating freedom of speech as an individual right, have in mind this form of political speech - this "money-speech"? In those times, there were basically only two forms of public speech: spoken and printed. We can easily extend printed "speech" to include pictorial forms of expression. Today, the concept of "speech" is greatly magnified by the diversity of society and the explosion of media, so that, as a legal concept, it becomes very complex, far beyond what I believe was the original intention of protecting individual rights. "Speech" can be divided into different categories that, legally, may be treated separately. "Money-speech" - speech purchased with money - is actually a virtual commodity produced by a vast publication, broadcast, communications and advertising industry. As a public industry, it could be subject to monopoly, censorship, and other regulatory rules. Despite the First Amendment, freedom of speech is not totally free. According to Wikipedia, laws against libel (written) and slander (oral) existed in pre-revolutionary days. Today, laws exist that abridge the right to public obscenity, child pornography, inciting riots, false advertising, etc. - all forms of speech. Furthermore, speech in the public media is not free; it is very costly, which, in itself, limits equal access to freedom of expression. Where restrictions are not imposed on the financing of "free speech", as in political campaigns, the result is a cacophony of speech, where quantity and repetition swamps out any meaningful and truthful expression. Elections become a battlefield of lies and propaganda instead of a debate of ideas. By defining the expenditure of money in political campaigns as a form of speech, the decision greatly compromises equality of opportunity for political speech. The unlimited freedom of political speech of one party having large financial resources can drown out the freedom of speech of opposing parties with scant financial resources. A most disturbing issue is the granting of First Amendment rights to corporations as opposed to persons. As written, the amendment appears to apply to people in general, whether individual or assembled. The decision to grant the privileges of "personhood" to a corporation seems farfetched, and is arousing serious reaction that aims to redefine corporate status. A corporation is an organization where only the managing elite has the right of expression. This is not a democratic concept where freedom of speech should be universal. The multitude of individual owners of the corporation, the stockholders, have no voice of their own, unless a major shareholder - only a passive, theoretical censorship by vote. As such, how would a corporation pass as a personage? The Citizens United case is only one of many in recent history reflecting a systemic disfunction of the Supreme Court and its degrading effect on the concept of democracy in America. Among others: the confirmation of George W. Bush as president in 2000, and currently, the Hobby Lobby case whereby the religious beliefs of the company's owners were permitted to over-ride the legally-mandated rights of its workers to health benefits. (For a comprehensive history of Supreme Court injustices, read "Injustices" by Ian Millhiser.) As we all know from grammar school, the Constitution organizes our government into three branches - the executive, the legislative, and the judicial - to provide checks and balances on the powers of any one branch. Theoretically, the ultimate power in our democracy rests with the people, who elect members of the executive and legislative branches and may by laborious process even amend the constitution. But in practice, the power behind the government resides in the dominant political parties and their corporate support which, by massive campaign electioneering directed at politically uninformed and uncommitted voters, strive to elect representatives to office who will carry out their political agenda that do not reflect the general interests and welfare of the populace, but rather those of a privileged elite. The Citizens United decision opens the gates to a greater flood of money being poured into elections. This can only increase the influence of corporations and the super wealthy upon election results, to the detriment of the ideals of democracy as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, for example. This eternal confrontation between the welfare of the general populace and the self interests of a privileged class extends back through the centuries to ancient history, marked by disparity of wealth, learning, and cultural traditions. It should not be mistaken for a healthy balance in enlightened government between conservative restraint and liberal excesses on the path of progress. The ideals of democracy - to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty, etc. - have gradually taken hold, based upon higher expectations of human rights through widespread learning, better communications, and the broadening culture and greater prosperity of the modern era. Today, democratic ideals are expressed most commonly as the need for greater equality among people. Equality is somewhat of a vague concept since there is much disparity between individuals; but in reasonable political terms, I would interpret it to mean eliminating poverty and relieving undue hardship, improving opportunities for education and access to cultural benefits of society, greater fairness in justice, and universal civility. There would be no extremes of poverty and wealth. The immense excesses of wealth we see today would go towards the common good. The corporate power structure in America today, which gives a disproportionate advantage to the wealthy elite, primarily through the election process, belies these democratic principles. Genuine democracy is perishing, or never really existed. A weak democracy can resemble fascism in disguise. Where to begin to address this dysfunction? I would question the integrity of members of the Supreme Court. We know, sadly, that members of Congress are subject to intensive lobbying by special interests that contribute heavily to their campaigns. Supposedly, members of the Supreme Court, being appointed, are not subject to pressure of this sort. However, in their selection and confirmation for the position, their judicial leaning may already be predetermined through party affiliation. During the confirmation process, the candidate swears or alleges to be politically impartial in interpreting the constitution. Based upon the pattern of judicial opinions once they are confirmed, a case could be made that a candidate may have perjured him- or herself during the confirmation process and therefore would be subject to removal on the basis of "bad behavior", according to the constitution. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). by NW Spotlight The public employee unions behind Oregons Measure 97 (IP 28) say that the $3 billion per year in new taxes will go to better fund Oregons schools, health care and senior services. Those new taxes will be borne by businesses like Powells Books. The Oregon Business Association reports this unprecedented new tax would increase costs for working families and consumers and would hurt businesses in our state without any guarantee the money will make it into our classrooms or help our schools. Thats because all of the money from this measure goes to the General Fund with no plan and no accountability for how IP28s billions in new taxes would be spent. So is there any guarantee that Measure 97s billions of dollars in new taxes will be for the kids? Or even for health care and senior services and not pet priorities? No, there isnt. Rep. John Davis (R-Wilsonville) recently asked the non-partisan Oregon Legislative Counsel about that. Here are several of the key takeaways from their response: You asked whether section 3 of Ballot Measure 97 (2016) (Initiative Petition 28) is binding to limit the ability of the Legislative Assembly to appropriate revenues that would be generated by the passage of Measure 97. The answer is no. Section 3 would not bind a future legislature in its spending decisions. If Measure 97 becomes law, the Legislative Assembly may appropriate revenues generated by the measure in any way it chooses. In this instance, section 3 of Measure 97 purports to limit the ability of the Legislative Assembly to spend certain tax revenues for purposes other than those listed in the section. This would impermissibly attempt to limit by statute the plenary exercise of the legislative power vested in the Legislative Assembly by Article IV, section 1, of the Oregon Constitution. A statute such as section 3 may not limit the constitutional power of the Legislative Assembly to pass subsequent laws. Any such limitations must be in the Oregon Constitution. Therefore, any subsequent law enacted by the Legislative Assembly that spent the tax revenues in a way that is contrary to section 3 would be a valid enactment of the Legislative Assembly. UPDATE (8/3/2016) Statesman Journal: Corporate tax measure doesnt specify spending Sindh govt extended powers of the Rangers in Karachi KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday extended special policing powers of the Rangers in Karachi for 90 days. Newly-elected Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah signed the summary to extend the Rangers stay in the province for one year and special policing powers of the paramilitary force for 90 days, says a statement issued by Chief Ministers Office. The statement cited Shah as saying he hoped the Rangers would continue to work for peace in Sindh with the same commitment. The summary will now be sent to the federal interior ministry. Earlier, a senior official in the Sindh government said that Shah held a meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Dubai on Sunday where Zardari told him to notify Rangers stay in Sindh for one year and extend their special policing powers for three months. At the meeting, Shah also sought Zardaris advice on expansion of his cabinet. Earlier, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Moula Bakhsh Chandio said the issue of extension in special policing powers of the Sindh Rangers had been resolved amicably and the development would help maintain law and order in the province. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah granted special powers to the Rangers soon after assuming charge as chief minister and this decision will pave the way for stability and peace and economic and social activity. The Sindh government is committed to maintaining law and order in the province for development and prosperity, Chandio said in a statement. He said the federal government needed to adopt a positive attitude towards Sindh and refrain from putting pressure on the provincial government. The Sindh government is running all its affairs as per constitution and law for the good of the masses. The business community and the civil society are fully satisfied with Sindh governments steps for peace. Hence, there is no need to put hurdles in the way of the democratic process in Sindh, he said. Chandio said that change in the Sindh cabinet would bring positive results and stimulate growth in all sectors. He said this change would benefit people belonging to all segments of the society. He said the Sindh government was committed to poverty alleviation, durable peace and economic stability. He said the Sindh chief minister wanted green Thar and clean and peaceful Karachi. All ongoing infrastructure, health and education projects will be completed within the stipulated time and people will take full benefit of them. Chandio said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari had vowed to make Sindh a prosperous province through a series of innovative projects. He criticised the federal government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for carrying out 16-hour electricity load-shedding in many towns and villages of Sindh. He said the Sindh government was fully capable of tackling issues facing the people of the province; therefore, the federal government should let it work without any interference. A targeted operation was launched in Karachi in September 2013 to curb crime and targeted killings. Several suspected criminals, including key members of some political parties, have been arrested since then. PPP leader Dr Asim Hussain, Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders Waseem Akhtar and Rauf Siddiqui and Pak Sarzameen Party leader Anees Qaimkhani are currently in the custody of the law enforcement agencies for their alleged links with terrorists. During the investigation, Hussain also linked PPP leader Owais Muzaffar to terrorists, but he has not been arrested yet. In July 2016, I discussed a letter from 45 professors arguing for statutory reforms to limit venue in patent infringement cases. The letter focused on the staggering concentration of patent cases in just a few federal district courts and offered the the positive conclusion that such a concentration is bad for the patent system. In the abstract, concentration of cases is not necessarily bad here though, the particular arguable badness is that the high concentration of cases is in the Eastern District of Texas rather than Silicon Valley, New York, Chicago, or Delaware. Now, a competing group of law professors has offered their suggestion urging caution in terms of patent venue reform, especially with regard to the pending VENUE Act. Venue Equity and Non-Uniformity Elimination Act, S.2733, 114th Cong. (2016). The proposed VENUE Act would allow patent actions to be brought only in judicial districts where: the defendant has its principal place of business or is incorporated; the defendant has committed an act of infringement of a patent in suit and has a regular and established physical facility that gives rise to the act of infringement; the defendant has agreed or consented to be sued; an inventor named on the patent conducted research or development that led to the application for the patent in suit; or a party has a regular and established physical facility and has managed significant research and development for the invention claimed in the patent, has manufactured a tangible product alleged to embody that invention, or has implemented a manufacturing process for a tangible good in which the process is alleged to embody the invention. Under the current statutory framework (as interpreted), venue is proper in any jurisdiction where the court has personal jurisdiction over the defendants. For any large company operating in the US, this current approach leads to the results that venue for a patent infringement case is proper in any federal court across the country including those located in the Eastern District of Texas. The new letter argues that the venue limiting proposals are basically serving as a mechanism of weakening the power of patent holders: The reality is that the major proponents of changing the venue rules are primarily large high-tech companies and retailers with an online presence sued in the Eastern District of Texas that would rather litigate in a small number of more defendant-friendly jurisdictions. = = = = = = [Read the Full Letter] Dear Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Leahy, Chairman Goodlatte, and Ranking Member Conyers: As legal academics, economists, and political scientists who conduct research in patent law and policy, we write to express our concerns about the recent push for sweeping changes to patent litigation venue rules, such as those proposed in the VENUE Act.[1] These changes would vastly restrict where all patent owners could file suitcontrary to the general rule that a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against a corporate defendant can select any court with jurisdictional ties to the defendant.[2] Given the recent changes in the patent system under the America Invents Act of 2011 and judicial decisions that have effectively weakened patent rights,[3] we believe that Congress should adopt a cautious stance to enacting additional changes that further weaken patent rights, at least until the effects of these recent changes are better understood. Proponents of amending the venue rules have an initially plausible-sounding concern: the Eastern District of Texas handles a large percentage of patent infringement lawsuits and one judge within that district handles a disproportionate share of those cases. The reality is that the major proponents of changing the venue rules are primarily large high-tech companies and retailers with an online presence sued in the Eastern District of Texas that would rather litigate in a small number of more defendant-friendly jurisdictions. Indeed, the arguments in favor of this unprecedented move to restrict venue do not stand up to scrutiny. Specifically: Proponents for the VENUE Act argue that [t]he staggering concentration of patent cases in just a few federal district courts is bad for the patent system.[4] As an initial matter, data indicates that filings of patent lawsuits in the Eastern District of Texas have dropped substantially this yearsuggesting a cautious approach until trends have stabilized.[5] Contrary to claims by its proponents, legislative proposals like the VENUE Act would not spread lawsuits throughout the country. In fact, these same proponents have found that restricting venue in a manner similar to the VENUE Act would likely result in concentrating more than 50% of patent lawsuits in just two districts: the District of Delaware (where most publicly traded corporations are incorporated) and the Northern District of California (where many patent defendants are headquartered).[6] Instead of widely distributing patent cases across numerous districts in order to promote procedural fairness, the VENUE Act would primarily channel cases into only two districts, which happen to be districts where it is considered much more difficult to enforce patent rights.[7] Proponents for the VENUE Act have argued that the Eastern District of Texas is reversed more often by the Federal Circuit than other jurisdictions, claiming that in 2015 the Federal Circuit affirmed only 39% of the Eastern District of Texass decisions but affirmed over 70% of decisions from the Northern District of California and District of Delaware.[8] These figures are misleading: they represent only one year of data, mix trials and summary judgment orders, and fail to take into account differences in technology types and appeals rates in each district. In fact, a more complete study over a longer time period by Price Waterhouse Coopers found that the Eastern District of Texas affirmance rate is only slightly below the national average for all districts.[9] The Federal Circuit recently confirmed in In re TC Heartland (Fed. Cir. Apr. 29, 2016) that 28 U.S.C. 1400(b) provides that a corporate defendant in a patent caselike corporate defendants in nearly all other types of casesmay be sued in any district in which personal jurisdiction lies. Constitutional due process requires a substantial connection between the defendant and forum.[10] Thus, contrary to its title and the claims of its proponents, the VENUE Act does not re-establish a uniform litigation system for patent rights by requiring substantial ties to the forum. Instead, the Act thwarts the well-established rule that plaintiffs can bring suit in any jurisdiction in which a corporate defendant has committed substantial violations of the law.[11] The VENUE Act would raise costs for many patent owners by requiring them to litigate the same patent against multiple defendants in multiple jurisdictions, increasing patent litigation overall. In recent years, the America Invents Acts prohibition on joinder of multiple defendants in a single lawsuit for violating the same patent has directly resulted in increased lawsuits and increased costs for patent owners.[12] Moreover, the VENUE Act would also result in potentially conflicting decisions in these multiple lawsuits, increasing uncertainty and administration costs in the patent system. The VENUE Act encourages the manipulation of well-settled venue rules across all areas of law by the self-serving efforts of large corporate defendants who seek to insulate themselves from the consequences of violating the law. By enacting the VENUE Act, Congress would send a strong signal to corporate defendants that they can tilt the substantive playing field by simply shifting cases to defendant-friendly jurisdictions. Innovators and their investors have long been vital to a flourishing innovation economy in the United States. Startups, venture capitalists, individual inventors, universities, and established companies often rely heavily on patents to recoup their extensive investments in both R&D and commercialization. We urge you to exercise caution before enacting further sweeping changes to our patent system that would primarily benefit large infringers to the detriment of these innovators and, ultimately, our innovation economy. [Footnotes] [1] S.2733, Venue Equity and Non-Uniformity Elimination Act of 2016, https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2733/BILLS-114s2733is.pdf. [2] See 28 U.S.C. 1391(c)(2). See generally Ferens v. John Deere Co., 494 U.S. 516, 527 (1990) (a plaintiff . . . has the option of shopping for a forum with the most favorable law). [3] These include, among others: (1) administrative procedures for invalidating patents created by the America Invents Act, which have had extremely high invalidation rates, leading one former federal appellate judge to refer to these procedures as death squads, and (2) several decisions by the Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit that have drastically curtailed patent rights for many innovators. See Adam Mossoff, Weighing the Patent System: It Is Time to Confront the Bias against Patent Owners in Patent Reform Legislation, Washington Times, March 24, 2016, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/24/adam-mossoff-weighing-the-patent-system/. [4] Colleen Chien & Michael Risch, A Patent Reform We Can All Agree On, Wash. Post, June 3, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2015/11/20/why-do-patent-lawyers-like-to-file-in-texas/. [5] See Michael C. Smith, Hot But No Longer Boiling EDTX Patent Case Filings Down almost Half; New Case Allocation and Procedures (No More Letter Briefing for SJ motions), EDTexweblog.com, July 21, 2016, http://mcsmith.blogs.com/eastern_district_of_texas/2016/07/edtx-patent-case-filing-trends-new-case-allocation-and-procedures.html. [6] Colleen Chien & Michael Risch, What Would Happen to Patent Cases if They Couldnt all be Filed in Texas?, Patently-O, March 11, 2016, https://patentlyo.com/patent/2016/03/happen-patent-couldnt.html. This study also finds that 11% of cases would continue to be filed in the Eastern District of Texas, concentrating nearly two-thirds of all cases in three districts. See id. The authors of this study are presently expanding their investigation to an enlarged data set, which will also capture additional aspects of the VENUE Act. Neither the data nor their results are available yet. However, we have no reason to believe that the expanded data or analysis will produce results other than what has already been shown: a high concentration of patent cases in a small number of districts. [7] See PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 2015 Patent Litigation Study (May 2015) (PWC Study), http://www.pwc.com/us/en/forensic-services/publications/assets/2015-pwc-patent-litigation-study.pdf. [8] Ryan Davis, EDTX Judges Love of Patent Trials Fuels High Reversal Rate, Law360 (Mar. 8, 2016), http://www.law360.com/articles/767955/edtx-judges-love-of-patent-trials-fuels-high-reversal-rate. [9] See PWC Study, supra note 7 (finding an average affirmance rate of 48% for all districts, compared to an affirmance rate of 42% for the Eastern District of Texas). [10] See Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 475 (1985). [11] See generally Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 508 (1947) ([T]he plaintiffs choice of forum should rarely be disturbed.). [12] See Christopher A. Cotropia, Jay P. Kesan & David L. Schwartz, Unpacking Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), 99 Minnesota Law Review 649 (2014), http://www.minnesotalawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/REVISEDSchwartzetal_MLR.pdf. An artist's illustration of the Milky Way, the galaxy we live in, with the locations of the newly discovered Cepheid stars marked by the yellow points. The previously known objects, located around the sun (marked by a red cross), are indicated by small white dots. The central green circle around the core of the galaxy marks the location of the 'Cepheid desert.' Credit: University of Tokyo A major revision is required in our understanding of our Milky Way Galaxy according to an international team led by Prof Noriyuki Matsunaga of the University of Tokyo. The Japanese, South African and Italian astronomers find that there is a huge region around the centre of our own Galaxy, which is devoid of young stars. The team publish their work in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing many billions of stars with our Sun about 26,000 light years from its centre. Measuring the distribution of these stars is crucial to our understanding of how our Galaxy formed and evolved. Pulsating stars called Cepheids are ideal for this. They are much younger (between 10 and 300 million years old) than our Sun (4.6 billion years old) and they pulsate in brightness in a regular cycle. The length of this cycle is related to the luminosity of the Cepheid, so if astronomers monitor them they can establish how bright the star really is, compare it with what we see from Earth, and work out its distance. Despite this, finding Cepheids in the inner Milky Way is difficult, as the Galaxy is full of interstellar dust which blocks out light and hides many stars from view. Matsunaga's team compensated for this, with an analysis of near-infrared observations made with a Japanese-South African telescope located at Sutherland, South Africa. To their surprise they found hardly any Cepheids in a huge region stretching for thousands of light years from the core of the Galaxy. Noriyuki Matsunaga explains: "We already found some while ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way (in a region about 150 light years in radius). Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8000 light years from the centre." An artist's impression of the implied distribution of young stars, represented here by Cepheids shown as blue stars, plotted on the background of a drawing of the Milky Way. With the exception of a small clump in the Galactic center, the central 8,000 light years appear to have very few Cepheids, and hence very few young stars. Credit: The University of Tokyo This suggests that a large part of our Galaxy, called the Extreme Inner Disk, has no young stars. Co-author Michael Feast notes: "Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert." Another author, Giuseppe Bono, points out: "The current results indicate that there has been no significant star formation in this large region over hundreds of millions years. The movement and the chemical composition of the new Cepheids are helping us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way." Cepheids have more typically been used to measure the distances of objects in the distant Universe, and the new work is an example instead of the same technique revealing the structure of our own Milky Way. Explore further Astronomers uncover hidden stellar birthplace More information: Noriyuki Matsunaga et al. A lack of classical Cepheids in the inner part of the Galactic disk, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2016). arxiv.org/abs/1606.07943 Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Noriyuki Matsunaga et al. A lack of classical Cepheids in the inner part of the Galactic disk,(2016). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stw1548 All materials found in nature even the most "perfect" diamond contain defects, since the atoms inside them are never arranged in perfect order. Such structural disorder causes complex force distributions throughout the material. Measuring these forces is critical to understanding the material's behavior, but these force measurements have been impossible to perform through conventional techniques, which only determine average responses to stress. A research team led by associate professor Itai Cohen and professor James Sethna, both of physics, has proposed a new method to measure such forces within colloidal materials. Colloids are made up of micron-sized spheres that are small enough to undergo random motions and crystalize just like atoms. However, they are large enough, and move slowly enough, to be optically imaged. Using their new method, the scientists have determined the forces surrounding defects in crystals. Their measurements open the door to understanding how the bulk mechanics of these crystals arise from defect interactions. Their work, "Measuring Nonlinear Stresses Generated by Defects in 3-D Colloidal Crystals," is reported in the Aug. 1 edition of Nature Materials. Neil Y.C. Lin and Matthew Bierbaum, both physics graduate students, are co-lead authors of the study. Peter Schall, professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, also contributed to the work. The group developed a technique called stress assessment from local structural anisotropy, or SALSA, which transforms a high-speed confocal microscope into a sort of pressure gauge. The microscope images the suspension structure and locates all the particle positions in 3-D. The group uses the particles' positions to determine how likely they are to collide. The more collisions a particle feels from a given neighbor, the more force is exerted from that neighbor's direction. "You take an image of the particles, and from that image, you can figure out what all the forces are on each particle," Cohen said. "This procedure allows us to determine the force distribution in the entire suspension, on the single-particle scale. That's interesting for understanding how defects in crystals interact with one another." With this powerful tool, the research team for the first time was able to clearly visualize the force field due to local compressions and distortions arising from vacancies, due to missing particles, or grain boundaries between misaligned crystalline domains. Before SALSA, such force fields have been primarily studied using theory and simulations. "SALSA has allowed us to measure nonlinear responses right near the defect core, which have not been captured by previous theories," Lin said. This discovery, he added, helps to better understand the interactions between defects when they are close to one another, which directly determines how hard and resilient a crystal can be. SALSA also works for measuring stresses found in liquids and glasses, which are inherently disordered compared with a solid, which has a preferred resting state. "Our technique only cares about the particle positions, not how much they're distorted relative to some other position," Cohen said. With this technique, researchers will be able to place a material under strain and measure its internal force evolution simultaneously. Such experiments will help to understand even predict material failures such as fatigue and fracture. More information: Neil Y. C. Lin et al. Measuring nonlinear stresses generated by defects in 3D colloidal crystals, Nature Materials (2016). Journal information: Nature Materials Neil Y. C. Lin et al. Measuring nonlinear stresses generated by defects in 3D colloidal crystals,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nmat4715 Credit: Yale University Oxygen buried deep underground in minerals may have prompted the churning of Earth's rocky mantle billions of years ago and helped transform the planet's early atmosphere, according to a new study. Research by geoscientists at Yale, Arizona State University, and Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany suggests that convection in Earth's mantlethe slow movement of rocks circulating beneath the surface, caused by heat from inside the Earthis affected by the distribution of oxygen in those minerals. The findings appear online Aug. 1 in the journal Nature Geoscience. "When there's less oxygen present in the rock, it's denser than when there is more oxygen present, even though the rest of the elements are the same. The more oxidized rock preferentially rises over the reduced rock," said Kanani Lee, the study's principal investigator and an associate professor of geology and geophysics at Yale. This process had consequences both above and below the surface. Deep below the surface, the more oxygen-depleted rocks sank to the bottom of the rocky mantle, leading to the creation of massive, dense piles just above the Earth's core such as those found deep beneath the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. "This is the first time anyone has shown that the relative amount of oxygen deep in the Earth influences the minerals that rocks are made of and how it changes their densities," Lee said. Tingting Gu, a former Yale postdoctoral associate and the paper's lead author, added, "The mantle is not entirely isolated from the surface. For example, gases from volcanic eruptions connect the mantle with the atmosphere. Our model predicts that early in Earth's history, the shallow mantle was less oxidized and thus released gases such as methane that would consume oxygen produced by photosynthesis. But as time progressed and the less dense oxidized material rose in the mantle, biotic oxygen could be preserved and accumulate in the atmosphere. This process could be unique among the terrestrial planets because of their different compositions." More information: [18] Redox-induced lower mantle density contrast and effect on mantle structure and primitive oxygen, Nature Geoscience, nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ngeo2772 Journal information: Nature Geoscience [18] Redox-induced lower mantle density contrast and effect on mantle structure and primitive oxygen, An improved equation of state describing quark matter makes theoretical predictions regarding the properties of neutron star matter that researchers will hopefully be able to test in the future. This image is of radiation from a spinning neutron star. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO (X-Ray); NASA/JPL-Caltech (Infrared) (Phys.org)Last February, scientists made the groundbreaking discovery of gravitational waves produced by two colliding black holes. Now researchers are expecting to detect similar gravitational wave signals in the near future from collisions involving neutron starsfor example, the merging of two neutron stars to form a black hole, or the merging of a neutron star and a black hole. In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, Aleksi Kurkela at CERN and the University of Stavanger in Norway and Aleksi Vuorinen at the University of Helsinki in Finland have developed an improved method of analyzing the ultradense matter called "quark matter" that is thought to exist in the cores of neutron stars. Their method makes theoretical predictions regarding the properties of neutron star matter that researchers working with the future data will hopefully be able to test. So far, the best quantitative description of quark matter works only at a temperature of absolute zero. Although this zero-temperature approximation is adequate for describing dormant neutron stars, neutron star collisions would have such drastically higher temperatures that thermal corrections are essential. In the new study, Kurkela and Vuorinen have accounted for high-temperature effects and incorporated them into the equation of state that describes quark matter, generalizing the equation to relatively small but non-zero temperatures. This modified framework provides a much more accurate description of quark matter that is valid in the hot conditions present in neutron star mergers. Quark matter As their name implies, neutron stars are made mostly of neutrons, and like all known matter, neutrons are made of quarks. Usually quarks are tightly bound together in groups of three, but the enormous density and pressure in the core of a neutron star is thought to break the structure of the neutrons, so that the quarks separate and form quark matter. Whereas atoms are the basic constituents of the atomic matter that we're familiar with, the basic constituents of quark matter are quarks (along with gluons that hold the quarks together). Currently, quark matter is not very well understood, mainly because it does not exist naturally on Earth. Researchers can produce quark-gluon plasma at high-energy particle colliders, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), but it only exists for a fraction of a second before decaying because of the difficulty in maintaining the extreme conditions it requires. Gravitational waves from neutron stars An alternative to producing quark matter is to search for it in space. Using techniques similar to those that were recently used to detect gravitational waves from black hole collisions, researchers are currently searching for gravitational waves from neutron star collisions. Detecting the signal of such a collision would provide scientists with a wealth of new information on quark matter. "The hope is that the gravitational wave signal from a merger of two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole would provide detailed information about the structure of neutron stars," Kurkela told Phys.org. "This in turn would enable researchers to infer the equation of state of the matter the stars are composed of, i.e., the thermodynamic properties of nuclear and quark matter." If experimentally detecting quark matter is difficult, theoretically describing it is equally as challenging. This is because the description involves applying the strong force (which is mediated by the gluons) to the extremely high-energy matter of neutron stars. "Our goal as particle/nuclear theorists is to predict the equation of state from first principles, i.e., starting from the basic properties of the theory of strong interactions, quantum chromodynamics (QCD)," Vuorinen said. "This is a long and very demanding challenge, but if we are successful, then one day when neutron star observations are accurate enough, our results can be used to interpret the observational data from neutron star mergers, and ultimately tell whether neutron stars have quark matter cores." The results here also apply to the quark-gluon plasma produced in particle accelerators, which the scientists explain is somewhat different than the quark matter predicted to exist in neutron stars. "The quark-gluon plasma that is produced in heavy ion collisions can be thought of as a hot but not very dense soup of quarks and gluons, while quark matter is a very dense and cold, essentially solid state, of matter," Kurkela said. "Our work in fact bridges the gap between these two systems, as our result is applicable at all temperatures, unlike any of the previous results." In the future, the researchers plan to further refine their method to improve its predictions. "Together with our collaborators both from Europe and the US, we are actively working towards improving the current state-of-the-art results for the zero-temperature equation of state of quark matter," Vuorinen said. "We hope to have the next orders of the so-called weak coupling expansion of the equation of state available still during this year, which will allow a refined prediction of the properties of cold quark matter." Explore further Making astrophysical simulations more accurate More information: Aleksi Kurkela and Aleksi Vuorinen. "Cool Quark Matter." Physical Review Letters. DOI: Journal information: Physical Review Letters Aleksi Kurkela and Aleksi Vuorinen. "Cool Quark Matter.". DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.042501 2016 Phys.org U. of I. Police Training Institute director Michael Schlosser has spent more than a decade studying police interactions with minority communities and testing new approaches to improve the dynamic. The PTI trains recruits from about 500 police departments in the state of Illinois. Credit: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer In early 2014, months before the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and shortly after the Black Lives Matter movement got its start, Michael Schlosser, the director of the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois, began offering police recruits classes that challenged their views about race and racism, introduced them to critical race theory and instructed them in methods to de-escalate potentially volatile encounters with members of minority groups. The Police Training Institute trains police recruits from about 500 police departments in the state of Illinois. Rather than adopting a military approach to training, PTI uses an adult-learning model, encouraging interactive learning and integrating scenario-based role playing into every aspect of training. The Policing in a Multiracial Society Project, an optional 10-hour class to which many Illinois police chiefs elect to send their recruits, exposes new officers to ideas they may never have encountered before. It asks them to ponder, for example, their own and others' innate racial biases, and offers evidence of the harm that can accrue from the notion that someone can be blind to another person's race, or that racism is no longer a meaningful factor in many people's lives. Schlosser and his colleagues describe the course in a paper in the International Journal of Criminal Justice. Schlosser designed the course Sundiata Cha-Jua, a U. of I. professor of African American studies and of history; Helen Neville, a professor of African American studies and of educational psychology; community member Imani Bazzell; and student Maria Valgoi. He and his colleagues are studying whether the training meaningfully alters racial awareness in a mostly white, mostly male police force. That evaluation involves questions from the Colorblind Racial Attitudes Scale, a tool developed by Neville. The CoBRAS questionnaire assesses a respondent's tendency to acknowledge - or dismiss - racial bias in their own lives and in society in general, Neville said. Another study co-authored by Schlosser and published in the journal Race and Social Problems, found that police recruits are more likely than others to subscribe to colorblind racial beliefs - the notion that they, and people in general, see no differences among people from different racial groups and treat everyone the same. "Although some people think it's good not to 'see race,' findings using the CoBRAS and similar scales suggest that to deny, distort or minimize the existence of racism is related to greater racial intolerance and old-fashioned racist beliefs," Neville said. Other research has demonstrated that police racial attitudes are pliable. Perhaps the most compelling example is a 2012 study of New York City police officers who took a semester-long ethnic studies course. The researchers found that, on average, white police officers' colorblind racial attitudes had shifted meaningfully by the end of the class. Their CoBRAS scores moved closer to those of minority officers, who, not surprisingly, were less likely to subscribe to colorblind racial beliefs in the first place. Schlosser is trying to improve upon that outcome. The free, optional training available at the PTI adds 10 hours to the police recruits' 12-week training. "A typical police recruit is between 22 and 26 years old. And even though that's young, that's a lot of life experiences which have created your thought process, your social identity and what you think of life in general," Schlosser said. "And to say that we can change that in 12 weeks, it's tough." As a white, retired police officer who spent 20 years on the force of a small, but diverse, Illinois town, Schlosser is an outlier in the police-training world. For reasons he can't entirely explain, he has an abiding interest in police relations with minority communities. While pursuing a Ph.D. in education at Illinois, for example, he chose courses that fell outside the norm for a white police administrator. "I took classes in critical race theory, the sociology of racism - any class having to do with understanding critical issues involving race in our country," he said. Schlosser's dissertation involved testing whether colorblind racial attitudes in police recruits could be altered through targeted training. That initial effort failed to make an immediate difference in their attitudes, as measured by the CoBRAS test before and after the training. Since then, Schlosser and his colleagues have adjusted the training program, giving recruits more time to share their ideas and attitudes about race and policing; bringing in African-American and other speakers who were arrested, convicted and jailed for crimes they didn't commit; and role-playing with an experienced team of trainers (many of them African-American) who walk young recruits through a variety of potentially volatile scenarios, many of which include a racial component. Roughly 75 percent of the more than 500 police chiefs who send their recruits to the PTI now elect to include the new training. The team is gathering data on the new training regimen, evaluating recruits before and afterward to see if this approach has more success. Brown's death, followed by numerous tragic deaths of unarmed black men, women and children in interactions with police, alerted much of the nation to a problem that minority communities have complained about for generations, Schlosser said. "Some police officers - and, as found in the investigation that led to the Ferguson report, whole departments - are unfairly targeting people in minority communities and using disproportionate force against them," he said. "The fallout from Ferguson and the incidents that followed was when everything started, with the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing," he said. "And as bad as that was, the first thing that came to my mind was, I bet some people will be listening to me now." Schlosser said most police officers never fire their guns or harm anyone in the course of performing their duties. "The Department of Justice Bureau of Statistics determined that in 98 percent of police interactions, there's no force used. And the odds of you shooting somebody as a police officer is 0.03 percent," he said. "Unfortunately, there are situations where police officers must use force - at times deadly force - against a resisting subject when they themselves or others are in imminent jeopardy of death or great bodily harm. But I wonder how much race comes into play - not only in these situations, but also in everyday interactions with racial minorities. We hope to minimize - through training - the influence of racial bias in police decision-making." Explore further Study: Police more likely than others to say they are blind to racial differences "America is polarized. Our political parties are highly polarized and the American electorate is highly polarized," writes University at Buffalo political scientist James E. Campbell. But this wasn't always the case and Campbell's new book, "Polarized: Making Sense of a Divided America" (Princeton University Press), provides new insights that explain how and why the divide occurred, developed and widened. Today, an individual's ideological leanings on specific issues and policies are a good indicator of their party affiliation. Liberals have their natural home with the Democratic Party, while conservatives align with the Republicans. For a long time, Americans were more moderate, and though it might be comfortably obvious to attribute polarization to deceptively vivid targets like political elites or media bias, neither is principally responsible. Polarization is a very democratic process, according to Campbell, UB Distinguished Professor of Political Science. "Polarization is not something foisted on Americans. No one is pulling any strings here," he says. "This is a natural process. What we're seeing is representation. Both parties are representing the views of Americans." Campbell says polarization is a bottom-up process, starting with the public as the base and moving up to the political parties. "Many people in political science believe that polarization is a top-down process, starting with the parties and moving down to the public," he says. "But my research shows the reverse is really the case." Political moderation was widespread in America for decades, especially with the generations coming out of the Great Depression, World War II and the aftermath of the 1950s. These groups had surviving coalitions from the New Deal period that left both major parties ideologically heterogeneous. "There were many liberal Republicans," says Campbell. "In New York State, a prime example would be the Nelson Rockefeller and Jacob Javits Republicans in contrast to the Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan Republicans out west. "In the Democratic Party, there were many liberals, but there were also conservative Democratic southerners." The parties, however, weren't reflecting the divisions that were forming in the public, according to Campbell. That left many people with the impression that the U.S. was still a largely moderate nation. The divisions created instability and the mix of liberals and conservatives within the same party proved unsustainable. The cracks that would form and eventually become the expansive divide began about 50 years ago when the parties started catching up with the public. In the 1960s, after a series of congressional elections, liberals in the Democratic Party got the upper hand over conservative Democratic southerners. Campbell says this tipping point set a string of changes in motion that made the Democratic Party more liberal in terms of governing and in turn attracted liberals to the party. This also put conservatives in play and Republicans started gravitating in the other direction. It was a long period of realignment that for generational and institutional reasons took about 30 years to complete. "There were generational differences, but on top of that there were organizational reasons, too," says Campbell. "Since before the Civil War there weren't really viable state Republican Party organizations in the South. So conservative southerners were voting for Republicans at the presidential level where you really didn't need a local infrastructure, but they were stuck voting for Democrats for Congress. It's not until the 1990s when Republicans broke them down in those states in the South. Once that happened it helped the sorting of conservatives and liberals." Party polarization now accentuates public polarization when it once lagged behind and muted it. Campbell says this causes a good deal of animosity that makes governing more difficult and frustrating for both sides across a whole range of issues which is likely to continue. "Although polarization will likely begin to solidify, it doesn't have to generate as much heat," says Campbell. "People see things in different ways and they tend to align with those who are like-minded. This level of polarized conflict is natural to American politics and something we need to get used to and deal with in a respectful way," he says. LUBBOCK, Texas, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions (TRUNO), the retail industry leader in integrated technology solutions, today announced they have reached a definitive acquisition agreement with TimeForge, the retail industry leader in labor management software. The acquisition, expected to close August 15th, 2016, strategically aligns resources and infrastructure between the two companies, affording retailers the industrys most comprehensive labor analytics solution. In a dynamic landscape of changing regulations including recent minimum wage increases, health care changes, and overtime reimbursement rulings, labor analytics is an increasingly important aspect of doing business. By leveraging technology to optimize the labor force, retailers can in turn optimize their margins. In an industry known for operating within small margins, TRUNO believes strategic labor operations are instrumental in the success of brick and mortar retail. TRUNO will continue to invest in solutions we believe deliver valuable results to retailers, David Miller, TRUNOs Chief Executive Officer, stated of the strategic business transaction. The acquisition of TimeForge is directly in line with TRUNOs vision to lead the navigation of technology, empowering businesses as the most trusted solutions provider. The TimeForge suite of solutions has proven to provide retailers value in reducing labor spend and increasing profits through real-time online scheduling, employee tracking, and payroll reporting. Building on a long history of successful partnership, we are excited to join TeamTRUNO, Anthony Presley, Founder and President of TimeForge, said of the integration. Our products, when combined with TRUNOs vast point-of-sale data accessibility and knowledge, create a lot of value for our customers. Both companies are headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, and the two companies share similar cultures and values. About TimeForge TimeForge helps retail, grocery, and hospitality businesses manage labor costs and build employee schedules while reducing turnover, increasing retention, and improving profits. Used by thousands of businesses throughout the world, TimeForge is designed from the ground-up to simplify the complicated and error prone process of employee scheduling and labor management. About TRUNO TRUNO is the national leader in integrated technology solutions focused solely on the retail industry. With over 35 years of experience and innovation, 3,000 customer sites, unmatched customer service and a world-class network of partners TRUNO delivers secure, stable and integrated technology solutions enabling retailers to navigate through an environment of ever-/changing regulation, competition and technology. To learn more, visit www.truno.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/truno-to-acquire-retail-labor-analytics-software-company-300306926.html More Point of sale news: (This post was updated at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday to add information about Kathy Derrick speaking.) Green Party congressional candidate Matt Funiciello said he hopes to make inroads with Democrats when he speaks to Women Democrats of Fulton and Montgomery Counties at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Pine Park Pavilion at 23 Pine St. in Broadalbin. "This is an unofficial group of women Democrats" that is loosely affiliated with the Democratic Party, he said, in a telephone interview on Monday. Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls, is running in the 21st Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, and Democrat Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County. Kathy Derrick, wife of the Democratic candidate, also will be speaking, said Drew Prestridge, Derrick's campaign manager. HEBRON There will be a town Democratic Party caucus at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Hebron Volunteer Fire Department meeting room, 3165 Route 30. The meeting is to choose a candidate for a three-year unexpired term on the Town Board. Letters of intent are due Saturday and may be sent to Floyd Pratt, 170 Button Road, Granville, NY 12832. Only registered Democrats in the town of Hebron may vote at the caucus. 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 In a statement signed by coalition comprising the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), Ghana Chamber of Mines, Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) and the Greater Accra Regional Shippers Committee (GARSC), the coalition said introduction of such a charge would be injurious to businesses and their survival. However, the coalition said the payment of "THC as an isolated local charge to the shipping lines is completely alien to the practice of shipping in Ghana, since Terminal Operators already charge Shippers the for cargo handling services provided." It warned the "THC will cost the already burdened Ghanaian shippers over $78 million per year and, knowing the history of these local charges, this figure will definitely increase astronomically." The statement further craved the indulgence of the government to intervene "in this injustice against the people of Ghana [sic], since this is completely unjustifiable and will only bring undue cost to businesses." The event, which took place on Monday August 1, 2016, at the Labone branch of the bank, was launched by the banks new Deputy Managing Director, Soni Anwal. In addition, six customers stand the chance of winning GHC10,000 each during the quarterly draws while 90 winners also get rewarded with TVs, ACs and online shopping vouchers. Mr Francis Obuamah, Branch Manager, Labone, in his welcome address said the promotion has been designed in such a way that everyone is a winner. He explained that any of the bank's savings or current accounts run by an individual and in Ghana Cedis is qualified to partake in the promo. UBA has widened the promo net to the extent that when one receive a remittance of more than $200 or its equivalent through any of our remittance platformsyou qualify to receive an instant gift, he added. The Head of Digital Banking, Johnson Olakumi, noted that aside the grand prize, a number of gifts will be given out to different customers of the bank, including customers of other banks who have something to do with UBA. He further assured that the bank is democratising it banking services across Ghana to ensure every customer of the bank is empowered with financial information to get the best use for their money, empowered in best ways to use their money to explore opportunities and that is what awoof simply signifies. The National Lotteries Authority (NLA) endorsed the promotion as genuine, and by far one of the most rewarding promos that we [NLA] have ever been in charge of. He urged all women to slap their partners be it boyfriends or husbands, who requests for anal sex. He made this statement during a panel discussion on UTVs popular telenovela Simply Maria. Lutterodt indicated that such acts must not be encouraged and advised husbands to restrain their sexual desires when their wives freshly put to bed. If you are a lady, you give birth and your husband requests for anal sex due to the wounds at your private parts, slap him, for him to come back to his senses, he entreated as quoted by Ultimatefmonline.com. He, therefore, stated that it is ungodly for a married couple to do that. The Association embarked on the strike action to drive home demands for the payment of their interim premium allowances. The exercise, that was supposed to have commenced on Monday, August 1 , 2016, is geared towards sanctioning businesses who have defaulted in filing their returns. Businesses who fail to comply, would be charged a daily penalty of GHC300 in addition to all taxes defaulted on between first August and 31 December. All companies that fail to comply with the directive will have their revoked from the documents of the Registrar General. Public Relations Officer of the Registrar Generals Department, Constance Adomah Sakyi reveals that many businesses are yet to comply with the direction. We decided that we will apply the stated penalties because we have issued enough notice for people to file their annual returns. But there are more companies on the database who are yet to file their returns. We were supposed to be applying the sanctions from August, 1, 2016, but we couldnt because of CLOGSAGs strike. Mr Okudjeto on Monday, August 1, warned the president against pardoning the jailed Montie three, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase alias Mugabe saying President Mahamas compliance to the pardon calls will mark his own funeral. They threatened judges, which are a criminal offence, they [Attorney General] refused to prosecute the people and now should he (Mr Mahama) free them that is going to be his own funeral, Okudzeto said. READ MORE:Montie FM Saga Dzifa Ativor visits Montie trio with goodies A statement signed by the party General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, stated that "the NDC considers this statement from Mr Okudzeto not only as a threat to President Mahamas life but also, a danger to the very foundation of the countrys Constitution, the people, and democracy, especially when such baseless and dangerous pronouncement is coming from a supposed seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of no mean repute. The statement also said the Police must invite the former president of the GBA for questioning. But speaking on a Kumasi-based Ultimate Radio, General secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia denied authorising and signing any such statement. Asiedu Nketia questioned why such individuals will link him to a statement he has no information about and therefore called on the public to disregard the contents of the statement. I disassociate myself from the statement because I did not author or sign it. I wont be responsible for anything that will happen because the statement is fake, he said Read the Fake Statement below: NDC CONDEMNS STATEMENT BY SAM OKUDJETO The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has noted with concern and disappointment the reaction of Mr Sam Okudjeto a private legal practitioner, at public pleas to the President, John Dramani Mahama to invoke Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution to free the Muntie trio. The Muntie trio; Mr Godwin Arko Gunn, Mr Alistair Nelson and Mr Salifu Maase were last week sentenced four months each in prison for scandalising the Supreme Court. Mr Okudjeto, who is supposed to be an accomplished legal practitioner, is vehemently opposed to the petition by lawyers of the trio and, pleas from civil society organisations, traditional rulers and a large section of the nation to President Mahama to pardon the convicts. Mr Okudjeto is reported to have said in a section of the media that any attempt or act by the President to pardon the three convicts would mean the President arranging his own funeral. The NDC considers this statement from Mr. Okudjeto not only as a threat to President Mahamas life but also, a danger to the very foundation of the countrys Constitution, the people, and democracy, especially when such baseless and dangerous pronouncement is coming from a supposed seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of no mean repute. While condemning this unfortunate statement in no uncertain terms, the NDC also calls on the Police and the security agencies to invite Mr. Okudjeto to answer for such reckless and irresponsible statement since it is pregnant with unimaginable provocation to lawlessness and chaos. Signed Johnson Asiedu Nketiah The petition book was opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the president to free Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn. The three were sentenced to four month imprisonment by the Supreme Court following contempt proceedings against them. The contempt proceedings came after the three threatened the lives of Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case. According to the women, the three, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, aka Mugabe did not only bring the court into disrepute but also threatened the life of the Chief Justice, who happens to be a woman. READ ALSO:Montie FM Saga Arthur Kennedy lambasts lawyers over sentencing Montie trio Since the sentencing, some government appointees, NDC gurus and supporters of the party have mounted pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to grant them pardon by invoking his prerogative of mercy powers under Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution. Some of the dignitaries who signed the petition include Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Education Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Petroleum Minister Benjamin Dagadu, Deputy Minister of Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, among others. READ MORE:Montie 3 Saga Ga Traditional Council joins calls for pardon But the womens group has indicated in a statement that Oye Lithurs contribution in the petition defeats the purpose of her position as a Gender Minister . It goes without saying that the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, has been left in the lurch by the very person whose duty it is to stand up and shield her from any attack that may emanate from a section of the public. The recent spate of attacks and threats on the very existence of the fourth most powerful personality in the country, and arguably, the most powerful woman around, have been treated with undeserved disdain by the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur. The Price of Crude Oil on the international market fell from $50 a barrel in the end of 2015, to as low as $28 in the first quarter of 2016. READ MORE: Ghanaian Financial Sector Banks to undertake massive layoffs Though current prices have relatively began to increase, the current price of $40 a barrel is nowhere close to the $100 average price of the first quarter of 2015. Financial reports of oil companies have show that they are yet to recover from the effects of the huge slump in prices. Francis Sallah, General Secretary of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union, says the current power crisis in Ghana can also be blamed for some of the layoffs. "Its unfortunate that the petition was initiated at all, and even more unfortunate that its being signed by the likes of the Ministers of Education, and of Gender, Children and Social Protection." "No one who is interested in Ghana as a wholesome space for all human beings, and especially for its young growing population, would want to sign this particular petition to the President of the Republic." Writes the famed author in a press release. Ata Aidoo says the petitioners are putting the president in an "awkward" position as disregarding the petition will mean ignoring his party members and going ahead to give the three any form of pardon will also be sending wrong signal to many people particularly the youth. She, in what she calls a petition to the president advised Mahama to rise above and ignore the petitioners in other to send a bigger message of "threatening anybody with harm, rape, death or causing them injury in anyway, including slander, is just wrong. Threatening members of the Supreme Court with such violence is certainly not a crime that should be in anyway overlooked or pardoned." Two panellists Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson, and the host of a political show on Accra-based Montie FM were sentenced to four months in prison after they threatened the lives of Supreme Court judges. Pro-NDC group Research Advocacy Platform (RAP) launched a petition book at Radio Gold in Accra which has seen some government appointees and sympathisers of the party signing the petition to get the president to pardon the three. But Ata Aidoo in her statement says political parties must teach their members to be responsible for comments they make. Below is her full statement on the petition About the Petition to President John Mahama to pardon Montie FM presenters, 2 panellists 2 Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn Its unfortunate that the petition was initiated at all, and even more unfortunate that its being signed by the likes of the Ministers of Education, and of Gender, Children and Social Protection. No one who is interested in Ghana as a wholesome space for all human beings, and especially for its young growing population, would want to sign this particular petition to the President of the Republic. 1. Our understanding as ordinary citizens is that issuing any kind of death threats on any kind of individuals in Ghana or anywhere else in the world is a crime. If thats the case, then we would want any persons, young or old, whose wellbeing and general behaviour we care about, who issue any such threats to face the consequences, however, unpleasant. After all, that is the only way we would learn from our mistakes and negotiate the future properly. 2. We would want the NDC and any other Ghanaian political party to hold itself and its members accountable, and ready to face up to any errors and address them as meaningfully as possible. Again, that would be the only way we think political parties can continue to be effective and useful to this nation. 3. Asking the President to pardon the Montie 3 is not only embarrassing, but it also puts the President of this country in a most awkward position. On one hand, he would not know how not to issue the pardon: in case his rank and file accuse him of not listening to them. On the other hand, pardoning the 3 clearly would send a very wrong message to the entire country. That he does not care for the security of this country. That he does not respect the third estate of the land, which is the Judiciary, and he is not interested in the youth of this country ever learning from their mistakes, or the need for any adult Ghanaian to do the proper thing when the occasion demands that. 4. In fact, and this is my petition to the President. He should join the whole of Ghana to take the opportunity of this rather unfortunate affair as a wake-up call. That threatening anybody with harm, rape, death or causing them injury in anyway, including slander, is just wrong. Threatening members of the Supreme Court with such violence is certainly not a crime that should be in anyway overlooked or pardoned. In a statement signed by the ECs Communication Director Eric Dzakpasu, it explained that NPP accepted the ERTS reform at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) level. The Campaign Manager for the NPP in the 2016 election Peter Mac Manu accused the EC of sidelining political parties in the decision process. He further argued that the EC has not been able to convince the country why it intends to introduce e-transmission of poll results in December. First, there is no law which gives the EC the mandate to electronically transmit results. Nothing in the law before Parliament now, C.I. 94, makes mention of it, Mac Manu noted But the statement indicated that the Electoral Commission only accepted to implement a proposal and decision which was taken by the Committee and collectively accepted by all the political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) level. The statement also added that Mac Manu had enough opportunity to raise all his concerns since Mr MacManu was a member of the Legal Committee of IPAC and was intimately and significantly involved in the drafting of the two important regulations C.I.91 and C.I.94 (which regulate the registration of voters and the elections). Find below a section of the EC statement EC CLARIFIES ELECTRONIC RESULTS TRANSMISSION AND CONTRACTUAL PROCESS As obvious from the above extract from the Committees recommendations, the Electoral Commission only accepted to implement a proposal and decision which was taken by the Committee and collectively accepted by all the political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) level. The Commission holds the view that the basis for the recommendation of the ERTS by the Reform Committee was valid and deepens the integrity and transparency of the election results collation process. At an IPAC meeting held on 12th June 2015, the Commission adequately briefed the political parties on all the reforms as proposed and subsequently accepted by the Commission. On 18th March 2016, Mr Peter MacManu recognised that IPAC was the appropriate forum at which such issues should be discussed and requested the Commission to brief the political parties on the tender process. The Commission is of the view that any concerns regarding the implementation of this proposal should again be brought to the IPAC, where they were conceived for implementation by the Commission. The Commission has taken note of Mr MacManus public comments about the agreed results transmission process, especially the legality of the said system. We, however, wish to point out that Mr MacManu was a member of the Legal Committee of IPAC and was intimately and significantly involved in the drafting of the two important regulations C.I.91 and C.I.94 (which regulate the registration of voters and the elections). Mr MacManu also appeared before the parliamentary committee for Subsidiary Legislation chaired by Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah. The latter is also a regular representative of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at IPAC. In the view of the Commission, Mr MacManu had ample opportunity to raise the issue of the inclusion of the ERTS in the law either at IPAC, or the Legal Committee of IPAC where the law was drafted; or even before the subsidiary legislation committee of Parliament. As a matter of fact, the results transmitted through the ERTS would remain provisional and since they do not replace the manual results process captured in the Law, in the view of the EC, the legal Electoral Commission P. O. Box M.214 Accra. committee of IPAC, and IPAC, there was no need to capture the process in the law. Additionally under the new C.I. to regulate elections, all political parties and candidates are entitled to have counting agents present during the counting and collation of results. The Commission would also want to emphasise that the ERTS does not replace the manual collation process which requires agents of political parties to attest to the accuracy of results before declaration by presiding officers. As explained at IPAC, in the event of a discrepancy between results from the ERTS and the manual results, the manual results would take precedence. This makes it impossible for anyone to attempt to alter declared results in the transmission process. It is the expectation of the Electoral Commission that all political party representatives on Committees (collectively set up by IPAC) will raise any concerns they may have about any reforms or the electoral process at IPAC to be discussed and addressed collectively. Signed: ERIC KOFI DZAKPASU The President was responding to the letter from CHRAJ asking him to tell his version of the story on the controversy surrounding a car gift given to him. Three separate petitions were presented to CHRAJ against the President over allegations of a Ford Expedition vehicle gifted to him by a Burkinabe contractor. The letter also indicated that the President played no role in the awarding of the contract to Djibril Kanazoes company. It is important to point out that at the time the vehicle was delivered to the Presidency, my client was not aware that Mr Kanazoes company had been awarded a contract to construct the perimeter wall around the Ghana Mission in Ouagadougou. Regarding the award of the contract to construct the Dodo-Pepesu Nkwanta road, the facts are clear that my client could not have influenced its award because, being an EU contract, the EU-supervised the formal processes leading to the award. Lithur added that my client denies any involvement in the entire process and states that he only got to know of this contract after the false allegations of bribery and corruption were first made against him. He, therefore, asked CHRAJ to throw out the petitions submitted by all three parties. In the circumstances, I submit that the complaints made by all three complainants are absolutely without any basis whatsoever, either in law or in fact, and, therefore, should be dismissed. In the letter Lithur narrates that the gift was given to the then Upper East Regional Minister Mark Woyongo, to be given to the President. The vehicle was subsequently sent to the Castle (then seat of government). Lithur added that the President was a nationwide tour at that time and was unaware of the gift. It was not until his campaign took him to the Upper East Region that the Honourable Minister, assuming that my client had already been notified of the delivery of the vehicle, enquired about it. My client then asked the minister to call Mr Kanazoe for him to thank him, which he did. When my client returned to Accra after his campaign but before the December 2012 general election, the officer in charge of the presidential car fleet informed him that he had taken delivery of the vehicle and asked what he should do with it. My client instructed him to add it to the presidential fleet, he added. He further narrated that it was only after the allegations first surfaced that President Mahama enquired about the vehicle. He was told it had been re-fitted with security equipment to be used for the provision of security for state convoys and VIPs generally and had since been used exclusively as such. Lithur said his client did not solicit the gift from Kanazoe. He said, my client states, therefore, that while it may have been Mr Kanazoes intention to donate the vehicle to him as a personal gift, neither he nor his office regarded or treated it as such. He said, the allegation of bribery and corruption against my client can only be described as malicious. Nii Ashietey since November 2015 has been challenging the legality of the selection of Dr Zanetor as the parliamentary nominee for Klottey Korle. READ ALSO: MP says he owes Jerry Rawlings no favours When the case came up for hearing, the Supreme Court struck it out after counsel for Nii Ashietey, Gary Nimako prayed the court that he wants to withdraw and review the application. Ashitey's lawyers argue that Zanetor was not a registered voter at the time she won the NDC nomination. A statement signed by the party General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, stated that "the NDC considers this statement from Mr. Okudzeto not only as a threat to President Mahamas life but also, a danger to the very foundation of the countrys Constitution, the people, and democracy, especially when such baseless and dangerous pronouncement is coming from a supposed seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of no mean repute. The statement also said the Police must invite the former president of the GBA for questioning. While condemning this unfortunate statement in no uncertain terms, the NDC also calls on the Police and the security agencies to invite Mr. Okudzeto to answer for such reckless and irresponsible statement since it is pregnant with unimaginable provocation to lawlessness and chaos, it said. Mr. Okudjeto on Monday warned the president against pardoning the jailed Montie three, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase alias Mugabe saying President Mahamas compliance to the pardon calls will mark his own funeral. They threatened judges, which are a criminal offence, they [Attorney General] refused to prosecute the people and now should he (Mr. Mahama) free them that is going to be his own funeral, Okudzeto said. READ ALSO: NDC gurus signs petition to free Montie 3 What lesson will he be telling the people of Ghana; that if people commit a criminal offence, because they are his party people, therefore, he should go and pardon them? Is that a proper way to administer the pardon? That is my view, he added. The petition book was opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the president to free Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn. The three were sentenced to four months imprisonment by the Supreme Court following contempt proceedings against them. The contempt proceedings came after the three threatened the Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case. Below is the full statement from the NDC NDC CONDEMNS STATEMENT BY SAM OKUDJETO The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has noted with concern and disappointment the reaction of Mr. Sam Okudjeto a private legal practitioner, at public pleas to the President, John Dramani Mahama to invoke Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution to free the Montie trio. The Montie trio; Mr. Godwin Arko Gunn, Mr. Alistair Nelson and Mr. Salifu Maase were last week sentenced four months each in prison for scandalising the Supreme Court. Mr. Okudjeto, who is supposed to be an accomplished legal practitioner, is vehemently opposed to the petition by lawyers of the trio and, pleas from civil society organizations, traditional rulers and a large section of the nation to President Mahama to pardon the convicts. Mr. Okudjeto is reported to have said in a section of the media that any attempt or act by the President to pardon the three convicts would mean the President arranging his own funeral. The NDC considers this statement from Mr. Okudjeto not only as a threat to President Mahamas life but also, a danger to the very foundation of the countrys Constitution, the people, and democracy, especially when such baseless and dangerous pronouncement is coming from a supposed seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of no mean repute. While condemning this unfortunate statement in no uncertain terms, the NDC also calls on the Police and the security agencies to invite Mr. Okudjeto to answer for such reckless and irresponsible statement since it is pregnant with unimaginable provocation to lawlessness and chaos. Signed Johnson Asiedu Nketiah He said the machine and human interface is going to get stronger in few years which requires "a cultural and mindset change to be able to adapt to it and be ready for the change. Mr Ane made the comments at a business forum organised by software company SAP in Accra. A study conducted by Bastiat Ghana, a liberal economy think tank, shows that 92 per cent of companies registered in Ghana are micro, small and medium scale enterprise (SMEs). According to the study 85 per cent of the SMEs offer employment in the manufacturing sector. Also, 75 per cent of them contribute to the GDP. Mr Ane as the world advance in technology, there was the need to "evangelise" to businesses, "especially SMEs, to understand the value of technology." "Technology is coming and we cannot stop it," he stressed. He cited companies such as Facebook, Google and taxi hailing App Uber making use of technology to transform their businesses. The forum discussed the role of technology in enhancing business efficiency. Mr Ane noted instances were businesses that had invested in technologies had seen significant improvement in business transactions. "There have been quite a lot of moments where small scale businesses have implemented technologies and have seen transformations in the way they do things. I always say that if you are a small company, just invest in basic software technology which is less than a $1,000," he said. The Managing Director of SAP West Africa, Kudzai Danha, said technology has given rise to giant digital companies. The frequency bands in question are the 2.3GHz, 3.3GHz, 3.5GHz and 3.6GHz which are allocated specifically for use by ISPs.In a statement released by the NCA and copied to Pulse.com.gh, the NCA is currently carrying out the exercise in Accra and will later expand to other parts of the country. READ MORE: National Communications Authority NCA responds to calls to ban internet calls"Investigations are being conducted to ascertain the owners of the equipment used to perpetrate these illegal actions. The appropriate actions will be taken against the perpetrators in accordance with the Electronic Communications Act, 2008," said the NCA statement.The statement added that the exercise is being conducted in accordance with sections 62 and 71 of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), 2008, Act 775."The activities of illegal users contravene Section 9 of the ECA, 2008, Act 775 which states that: (1) A person shall not use a spectrum for designated services without a frequency authorization granted by the Authority. (2) A person who wishes to use a spectrum shall apply to the Authority in the manner specified in Regulations," the statement said. 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! At the age of 58, late Afro Beat icon, Fela Anikulapo Kuti had been arrested 200 times, contested for presidency and had married 27 women on the same day but to his manager, Rikki Stein, he remained an enigma and was first and foremost a friend whose bravery and resolve for change remains unrivaled. For 15 years, Rikki Stein was Felas manager and during this period, he dedicated 15 years of his life towards working with a man whose ghost and message continued to haunt the very walls of Nigerias corridor of power. In this interview Stein revealed how he met the fallen star, some of his unforgettable moments with him and how he came to respect the musical brand and person that Fela stood for. This year marks 19 years since the death of Fela, and according to Riki Stein, the great Abami Eda still keeps him busy. Its because we put up his music worldwide, the catalogue of 50 albums, plus compilations, plus Vinyls. We have a series of Vinyl box sets that we put out, that we invite respected artistes to curate. The first was Questlove from The Roots, the second was Ginger Baker, and the third was Brian Eno, and we are just in the process of asking Erykah Badu to do box 4. In an emotional revelation Stein detailed his first encounter with Fela Kuti in London, and how they were brought together via chance. The duo hit it off at the first meeting, which was the start of a great relationship which last for over a decade. I met Fela first in the back of a Mercedes van, on the M4 Motorway in the UK, lying in the heap of African dancers on our way back from a show. Someboy put on a cassette, and it was sorrow, tears and blood. I had never heard Fela before. I went away and did some research, and I found out some more. Then I met somebody, who knew one of the people that was working with him when he was in London on tour. At the time I was working on a rainforest festival, and I wanted to invite artistes from all the rainforest countries of the world to come together, plus people that could talk about the issues of deforestation. So I put together a proposal because I wanted Fela to join my board of advisers, and also to come play at the festival. I put a leather-bound proposal together. It was in the winter, and I had a hat, a coat and a scarf, and I knocked on the door, and he said come in. The room was filled with pretty girls, and Fela and his speedos as usual. And I sat down next to him, and I gave him this proposal and he was leafing through the thing, and I was talking into his ear. I cant remember what I said, but I said something, he spun around and looked at me, and we both started laughing, and we just became friends in that instant. Stein also shared details about his work with Fela, recounting how much of a visionary Fela was, and the influence he wielded around the country as a man who fought for the people. He also spoke of Felas burial, detailing scenes from the burial day. On the issue of Felas post-death global status, Stein talked about detractors who credit his death for the growth of his music, and his influence. Thats a wicked thing to say, Rikki replied. He further talked about Felas message and how much of it still remains relevant today, due to the unending ills of the society. This is based on legal documents recently presented by his parents. According to the BBC News, Yelchin left behind a $1.4m worth estate, which is home in Los Angeles, United States. His parents, Victor and Irina Yelchin, have now filed to become the administrators of the properties which the young actor owned before his demise. BBC reported that the deceased "left behind at least $641,000 (486,000) in personal property and had $731,000 (554,000) in equity in his home". Fiat Chrysler is likely to be slammed with a law suit, as the parents of the actor plan to sue the automobile company for wrongful death. It was gathered that Diallo, a Senegalese labourer, who is facing a three-count charge bordering on rape, had, on July 13, 2016, abducted the girl and took her inside the Mosque where he forcefully had carnal knowledge of her in the early hours of the day. The police prosecutor, Sergeant Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 6:00am on the said date when most of the early morning worshippers had left the Mosque after the morning prayers. It is a shameful act and that should not be condoled, Osayande told the court, adding that the offence contravened Sections 135 (2) and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. An Upper Area Court located in Gudu, Abuja, granted Nwen bail in the sum of N50, 000 and told her to provide a surety who can be traced. The young lady has been charged with a two-count charge of assault and obstructing a public servant to discharge his function. According to the Daily Post, the accused and her mother, Mfan, bought some food items on credit from a woman named Esther Christopher, and were not able to pay on time. The case prosecutor, Adeniyi Oyeyemi, mentioned that Nwen and Mfan made a promise to make payment as soon as they make sales. That proved not to be the case as the seller brought a policeman to arrest them for failing to fulfill their promise. Oyeyemi said, The complainant went to the police station on July 25 to remind the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Bala Yusuf, of the matter." The IPO went to the defendants shop with the complainant and asked the defendant to follow him to the station, which she refused to do. The defendant ran into a toilet and on her way out of the toilet, the IPO stopped her, then she tore his shirt and fought him. According to prosecutor, the crime contravenes against sections 265 and 148 of the Penal Code. All you have to do is join Jack Daniel's Barrel Hunt, a global scavenger hunt that will unite Friends of Jack across the world. Two barrels will be placed in secret locations in Lagos for the scavenger hunt! The best part? Barrel Hunt winners from Nigeria will get the authentic Jack Daniels barrel they find along with a travel ticket to experience the 150 anniversary celebration. To participate in the scavenger hunt, keep your eyes glued to the Jack Daniels Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jackdanielsnigeria all the information you need about the barrel hunt will be released on the Facebook Page. To participate in the barrel hunt you must have the following: 1. At least a 6months valid International Passport with a minimum of 2 vacant passport pages. 2. 6 months bank statement 3. Proof of Employment or Business 4. Must be 21 years or over. According to the Daily Post, the vehicles involved include two commercial buses and a Mercedes Benz sport utility. Mr. Seun Onijala, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Oyo State command confirmed the incident. He stated that the accident was as a result of reckless driving. Apart from the six that were confirmed dead, 21 other passengers, who sustained high degree injuries were taken to the Ibadan Central Hospital, Ososami for medical attention. Gov. Ibikunle Amosun gave the pledge when he visited one of the creeks at Ebute Ojora community in Ibafo council area of the state on Monday. The military raided the creeks at Arepo, Ogijo and Ibafo areas of the state during which scores of suspected militants were killed. Amosun, who was on an assessment tour of the creek at Ibafo, commended the Federal Government for the successful military operation. He noted while addressing journalists that normalcy had returned to the area which had been deserted by most of the residents since June following constant attacks by the militants. Amosun said that the state would partner the federal government to ensure continued peace at the creeks. He pledged that the government would clear all the bush around the creeks which had provided covering for the militants to ensure that the whole of the area was exposed. Besides, the governor gave assurance that the government would maintain a joint military presence in the area to protect lives and property. He, however, urged the residents to cooperate with the security agencies in the area to enhance lasting peace in the area. Amosun, who warned the residents against compromise, urged them to report any trace of activities of the militants in the area. "We call on the traditional ruler and community leaders to talk to their people and let them know that it is not in their interest to continue to collude with those criminals," he said. The Community Head, Chief Abayomi Olajuyigbe, who also spoke with newsmen, pledged support of members of the community to the government. Speaking at the ceremony in Gombe state, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi said the exercise was in line with international best practice. He pledged federal government support for the programme adding that the agency would donate food and non-food items to ensure the full integration of the ex-Boko Haram members into the Nigerian society. ALSO READ: Boko Haram: Soldiers recover Damasak from terrorists The items to be released for this purpose include; "410 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 200 bags of millet, 200 bags of sorghum, 750 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of Maggi cubes and 810 cartons tomato paste. "Others are 101 Vegetable oil in 20 liter kegs, 101 palm oil in 20 liter kegs, 50 bags of salt, 100 bags of sugar, 420 cartons of milk and 420 cartons of milo chocolate." While non-food items include; "800 pieces of mattress, 500 hundred pieces of blanket, 500 pieces of nylon mats, 1000 plastic buckets, 1000 plastic spoons, 1000 plastic cups 1000, plastics plates, 1000 plastic pairs of slippers, 2000 mens wear, 63 cartons of bath soap and 1000 bath towels." The coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General B.M Shafa who took delivery of the items said the initiative was designed to de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate "willing and repented Boko Haram insurgents who have come out to surrender to the military" adding that it would quicken the peace process in the region. Between September last year and February this year a good number of Boko haram have come out to surrender he added. According to Leadership, this was contained in a letter sent to Jibrin by the party leadership. Reports say the APC leadership also summoned the former appropriation committee chairman to appear before the partys disciplinary committee. Jibrin had earlier levelled several allegations of fraud against Dogara, calling for his arrest. He also accused the House of Representatives Speaker of giving $20,000 bribe to lawmakers to tell lies against him. Jibrin also denied reports that he participated in the alleged padding of the 2016 budget. Following the allegations and counter-allegations surrounding the budget padding scandal, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, undefinedfor allegedly doing nothing to call both parties to order. Speaking on the matter, Archbishop Chukwuma said What we are saying is that APC should not be afraid of Ekweremadu; Ekweremadu is a very simple developing senator and out of all the senators in the South East, Ekweremadu is the most, I must say, loved, hard-working senator that APC can make use of to develop Nigeria. We want to also express that it is unfortunate that the governor of Imo State has continued to insult him and we say that this is not right, he should be called to order by the APC because Ekweremadu was not elected by the APC and election in the senate was not done by governors. So, if a senator is going to survive in the senate, that senator must come to pay homage to the leading senator in the South-East. Chukwuma also slammed Governor Rochas Okorocha over his comment on Ekweremadu, saying The governor of Imo State should tread with caution, if he is an Igbo man, otherwise he is a betrayer. I want to call him to order that if he continues this way, the Igbos will deny him. Ekweremadu should be left alone to do his work, he has been elected constitutionally as Deputy Senate President and nobody can remove him there. If they do that, it means that this government doesnt want the Igbos, then you are calling for its secession from Nigeria because that is the high ranking position we have and we are all behind him and he has been performing, and he should be left to perform. The clergyman also said the unity of Nigeria is negotiable, because of the way people are being sidelined. The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, John Oyegun, in an interview, revealed that t as the Deputy Senate President. The youths also slammed him for making what they called anti-peace comments during his visit to the state. According to Punch, the Osun state PDP is currently divided following a flawed party congress. The youths said Dokpesi was not ready to lead the party now, because he has not shown himself to be a bridge builder. They also criticised Dokpesi for only visiting the Iyiola Omisore faction of the party. They said We are obliged to inform members of the public on the visitation of Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, who is jostling for the post of the National Chairman of the PDP, especially on the anti-peace, callous and sentimental comment he made. He (Dokpesi) was paying a solidarity visit to Otunba Iyiola Omisore, who is his colleague in the EFCC net onDasukigate. Dokpesi is a good customer of Senator Ahmed Tinubu, (a national leader of the All Progressives Congress) and he (Dokpesi) could be picked up at anytime. So, he cannot be the PDP chairman because he would cave in at the slightest pressure from Tinubu With every sense of modesty, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi should not be contesting for the National Chairman, if he had meant business he should be working on the unity, peace and healing process in Osun PDP. The PDP youth group added that Nigerians will only believe the party if people who stole money are not allowed to lead the party. Raymond Dokpesi also said he will not step down for Chief Bode George. The said further that some scammers had been deceiving job seekers by collecting fees to guarantee employment. It has come to the knowledge of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that some unscrupulous members of the public have been defrauding unsuspecting Nigerians in the on-going recruitment exercise by the Commission, the EFCC said via a statement. The modus operandi of the scammers is to request for applications from job-seeking Nigerians and later inform the applicants to pay N49, 000 (Forty Nine Thousand Naira Only) as processing fee. Thereafter, the successful candidates were asked to pay another N48, 000 (Forty Eight Thousand Naira Only) into an account for accommodation and transportation. After the payment of a total of N97,000 by the applicants, the scammers then proceed to write a poorly written appointment letter purportedly from a non-existent office of director-general, Ibrahim Lamorde, it added. The TUC Caretaker Chairman, Mr Andrew Emelieze, disclosed this when he addressed newsmen in Ibadan on Monday, August 1. Emelieze said that the union would embark on a mass action if government fails to address its demands. He said the five-day ultimatum is an added opportunity for government to the issues, adding that the initial 15-day ultimatum expired on August 1. The TUC had on July 11 stormed the state government secretariat to submit its demand to the government, issuing a 15-day ultimatum. TUC's letter was received by the Head of Service, Mr Soji Eniade, on behalf of the government. Emelieze said the state government did not consult with them while the ultimatum lasted, in spite of their correspondence to them. "We are not part of the unholy agreement between the state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the state government that suspended the seven weeks strike on July 25," he said. "We hereby condemn the unholy alliance and resolution between them. We are going to occupy the state secretariat if government fails to heed to our demands. "We will bring our mattresses and pillows to the secretariat, while some will go on hunger strike, Emelieze said. He faulted the planned restructuring of the workforce by the state government, describing it as a ploy to retrench some workers. The TUC chairman said that more than 30 per cent of the wage bill claimed by the state government was used in paying political office holders. He also appealed to the Federal Government to cushion the economic hardship experienced across the country, saying the cost of living in the country is on the increase. Governor Abiola Ajimobi had on July 30 in Ibadan, the state capital, told newsmen that there is no truth in the news that the state government is planning to retrench workers but to restructure. Ajimobi said he will restructure to make every worker in the service of the state functional and productive, adding that they will all be engaged. The abductors have reached out to his family, demanding N2 million ransom, report said. Report said the gunmen stormed the lecturer's compound on the evening of Monday, August 1, through the main gate which was forced open. Confirming the incident, the spokesman of UNIPORT, Dr. William Wodi, said he did not have much details about Ohiri's abduction. I have heard about it. His name is Dr. Ohiri and a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, UNIPORT. I learnt he was kidnapped at his resident in Aluu, Wodi said. ALSO READ: Gunmen kidnap 7, including Australians in Calabar "It has come to the knowledge of the Federal Ministry of Environment that some dubious individuals may use the opportunity of the project to extort money from the unsuspecting people of the Niger Delta communities. "This includes the forgery of Federal Government Agencies letters, Yusuf said. He said since, after the inauguration of the cleanup, the ministry had been consulting with the stakeholders in the Niger Delta with a view to ensuring a proper cleanup. "Without doubt, we wish to state that the Federal Government in collaboration with other stakeholders in the oil industry is funding the project. "It has not and will not authorise or contract individuals, groups and or organisations to collect money from the good people of the Niger Delta on behalf of the government for the purpose of cleanup of Ogoniland and other oil-impacted communities in the Niger Delta region. "In view of the foregoing, the ministry hereby warns that anybody, groups or organisations found extorting money from the people for the purpose of the Ogoniland cleanup project will be made to face the full wrath of the law, Yusuf said. He advised the general public to report anybody, group and or organisation collecting money from people for the cleanup to the police or any other law enforcement agencies. In July 2016, the militant group called on indigenes of the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria to return home to witness the declaration. According to Punch, the presence of the military in the community caused the militants to abort declaration. The militant group also said it decided to suspend its planned declaration because of pleas from prominent Ijaw indigenes. The oil-rich Niger Delta has been a volatile zone, following the emergence of various militant groups, and the bombing of pipelines. The Federal Government is reportedly holding talks with representatives of the militant groups in the region. According to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the government has reached a compromise for peace to be restored in the Niger Delta. MEND claims the Federal Government has accepted to release Henry and Charles Okah, the two brothers that were jailed for allegedly masterminding the Independence Day bombing on October 2010. There are also reports that the government might release the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, if he drops his call for a Biafra nation. A militant group known as the Adaka Boro Avengers had threatened to declare independence on Monday, but said it shelved the plan after the intervention of leaders including former President Goodluck Jonathan. The joint military force responsible for security in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe, said on Tuesday, August 2, that it would however remain professional and civil in dealing with security threats by militant groups in the area. A Rear Admiral and commander of the joint operation, Joseph Okojie, who said this in Yenagoa, added that the deployment of troops and equipment noticed on Monday at Kaiama in Bayelsa was part of normal operations to keep the region safe. Okojie, who briefed journalists after a meeting with unit commanders within Operation Delta Safe in Yenagoa, said the military has the freedom to be in any part of the country. The Federal Republic of Nigeria belongs to all of us and the armed forces have the freedom to be at any part of Nigeria at any time, we are merely doing our normal duty within our mandate. We were in Kaiama to show that Operation Delta Safe was on ground to ensure that the report by some faceless organisations about creating a territory to themselves is not allowed to happen. The heavy presence being noticed in parts of the Niger Delta is part of our routine duties to guarantee the safety of law abiding that people of Niger Delta and ensure atmosphere conducive for economic activities. I am sure that we did not molest or intimidate anyone, we shall be professional and civil in the discharge of our duties. Our presence is part of our normal duty to reassure the people that there is no cause for alarm, Mr. Okojie said. ALSO READ: Missing soldiers, officers found in stable condition The group made the denial via a statement released by its leader, General O. Ibori. The statement reads: We are ex-militants and not part of Avengers. We are shocked that the Federal Government has reneged on its part to fulfil its obligation from the several peaceful dialogues we had with it after we laid down our weapons for years now. We have surrendered but rather than fulfil its obligation by enlisting us in the amnesty programme, the Federal Government just began linking us to some recent kidnappings in the Arepo area of Lagos and the destructive activities of the Avengers that we know nothing about. All we want is to be part of the amnesty programme as the final step of the various dialogues. Security forces have burnt down three houses of our leader in Lagos in connection with a purported recent kidnapping in Arepo area and security men have been hunting us down. This is why are crying out that we were not responsible for any act of kidnapping and we are not part of the Avengers, only that we are asking to be enlisted in the amnesty programme. The government has chosen force and fire instead of peace and freedom. It has reneged on its part after the various dialogue we had, but we have pledged to be law abiding and never return to arms any longer. This is contained in a statement issued by the Corps spokesperson, Mr Emmanuel Okeh, on Monday in Abuja. The statement said that the Commandant-General of the corps, Mr Abdullahi Muhammadu, made the declaration during a visit to his office by GERARD Le MER , the Interior Security Attache at the France Embassy. He said it would also help to reposition the Private Guards Companies to assist the NSCDC and other Security Agencies on information gathering at the grassroots level. Muhammadu also told the visitor that the corps was set to to bring back normalcy to the North-East by taking over the liberated areas and providing security at the IDPs camps, especially at the entry and exit points. According to him, the move is made in order to make the people restore confidence and feel government presence in the area. The commandant-general said that the corps, apart from involving in the protection of lives and property, is the leading agency in the protection of Critical Infrastructure and National Assets in Nigeria. He also said that the Corps had recorded significant achievements in curbing acts of vandalism, bunkering and stemming the tide of illegal refineries since its establishment. According to Muhammadu, the Corps as a critical stakeholder in disaster management, has already deployed 2,300 personnel to the North-East, while 2,700 shall be joining them soon. According to him, all these security measures are being put in place to re-assure the victims of insurgency that peace has returned to their communities and that they are free to return home. Responding, Le MER said the embassy was poised to collaborate with the Corps in the area of training and intelligence information sharing. He said that as the Interior Security Attache at the embassy he was pleased with the role of the NSCDC in the protection of Critical Infrastructure. He said Bayelsa State deserves adequate representation considering the fact that it contributes immensely to the national economy.The time has come for all Bayelsans to key into the restoration agenda, and also extend a hand of fellowship to members of the main opposition party to close ranks with his administration in actualising the vision of the restoration agenda. On Wednesday, July 27, reports surfaced that Ani Iyoho was in the hospital after a fire stunt on set went wrong. - it turns out this was a publicity stunt. In an interview released on Ohikhuares YouTube channel on July 31, 2016, the actor reveals it a thrilling moment he looked forward to. Doing that fire sequence was really exciting for me, I really looked forward to it from the moment the director mentioned it, Iyoho said. . . . It was something I was willing to try out. The actor now being referred to as the man on fire plays the character Benjamin, a road safety official in Behind The Wheels for which the stunt was done. When I was on fire, I was feeling a warm sensation that got warmer, it just kept getting warmer and warmer. And this was because as the chemical on the body, rather the gel dries up, it loses its power but it takes about 45 seconds for that to happen. ALSO READ: undefined He shared in the video clip that adequate preparation for the performance was carried out by Special effects make-up specialist, Dorothy Kwofie, who was responsible for the fire scene and make-up burns. In the video Kwofie said they took months to prepare for this scene. She shared she sought advice from stunts men from Hollywood and the producers of the body gel. Ani Iyoho was set ablaze but he came out unscathe, she said. I had taken time to prep the actor, Ani Iyoho on the fact that he cannot breathe while on fire because if he did, oxygen would take the fire into his lungs and he would burn. The make-up artiste also spoke about the precautions they took on set. We had security to make sure people didnt come off the road to interfere with what we were doing, Kwofie said. We had a stand by lake, we had sand. The film is currently being shot in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. Hakkunde produced and directed by Oluseyi is the directors first full length film. It was written by Oluseyi, Tomi Adesina and Gift Imafidon. Heres a breakdown of the movies synopsis: Hakkunde is an intriguing story of a young graduate who battles everything including love, family, discrimination, drug abuse, tradition and insecurity. It follows his journey to self-discovery and actualization. The story is characterized by actions and reactions that defines the everyday Nigerian society, with its ups and downs and with a particular focus on the life of a job hunting graduate Akande who found himself in totality while searching for a job, and a better life. The film will also feature actors like Maryam Booth, Ibrahim Daddy, Isa Bello Ja, Rahama Sadau and Hadiza Soja. Some scenes of the movie will also be shot in Lagos. On March 5, 2016, Asurf Oluseyi won the award for Best Short Film at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) for his production titled A Day With Death. Gbajabiamila made the comment via a statement released on Monday, August 1, 2016. The statement reads: Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it. Yes, allegations have been made but I strongly believe judgment should not be passed based on allegations. We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. This should be our guide. I plead with all members. The mudslinging must stop. I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us. Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange if not comical text making the rounds amongst members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of only for the good of the House. The Speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious but I have since worked hard to heal the wounds some of which still fester amongst members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring all tendencies in a House I lead together and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other Principal officers in a bi partisan manner and in the interest of the institution and the country. This text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilize the House is a throw-back and echoes our dark post Speakership election history. The resurfacing or resurgence of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House and let me quickly add that it will fail. My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole. I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock nor lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government. ALSO READ: Jibrin should be jailed along with Dogara The statement reads: I urge President Buhari to face the job for which he was elected by Nigerians and stop chasing shadows. He should know that among those who worked for his success in the 2015 general election were many Nigerians whose parents, friends, well-wishers were unjustly imprisoned by Buharis regime of 1984. They all supported him in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, because the only thing that helps any human community to move forward and develop is forgiveness and letting bygone be bygone. According to a Sahara Reporters source, the businessman is gearing up to launch his campaign, as he has started wooing the aggrieved members of the party to his side. These are original members. They were in the party when Governor Segun Mimiko came from the Labour Party to seize the PDP structure. They are aggrieved because they consider themselves original owners of the party, the source was quoted as saying. It was gathered that Ibrahim is also in talks with the factional chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, over plans to take the party structure from Mimiko. Report said it has been agreed at a meeting held in Abuja that former members of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), of which Ibrahim and Sheriff were members, will be used as mercenaries. Crisis rocked the PDP in the state following Mimiko's support for Eyitayo Jegede, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, as his successor. Jegede resigned from his position as a Commissioner to contest the governorship election, which is expected to hold in November. How can Mimiko, who is from the Central Senatorial District, still want to install Jegede, who is also from the same district, as his successor? This is not acceptable," an anonymous aggrieved party member was quoted as saying. Mimiko purposely picked Jegede because he knows he would cover-up all his atrocities, but we will not accept that. In a statement issued in Abuja by the PDP chairman, FCT, Honourable Yahaya Y. Suleimanthe on Tuesday, August 2, the chairmen said they are unflinchingly loyal to Makarfi. They said their attention has been drawn to to a purported declaration of loyalty and support to the former national chairman of our great party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff by the Borno State PDP chapter chairman, Hon. Shehu Shettima. The statement read: I wish to state on behalf of the state chapter chairmen of the PDP in 29 states of the federation that our unflinching and unalloyed loyalty and maximum support remains with the party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfis national caretaker committee. Our loyalty is first and foremost to the party and to the national caretaker committee which is a product of the partys highest decision making organ, the national convention that held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and also affirmed by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on July 4, 2016. My position which represents that of 29 out of 30 chairmen of our party in the state where congresses held during the last state congresses is that, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must first of all survive before we can remain chairmen in our respective states. So, our loyalty is first to the PDP and then to the national caretaker committee which is approved, constituted and appointed by the PDPs national convention; and upheld by a court of competent jurisdiction. We wish to also remind Nigerians of subsisting court judgments of June 29, 2016 by Justice Valentine Ashi of FCT High Court that nullified the amendments to the PDP Constitution in 2014 which Senator Sheriff claimed produced his predecessor, Amadu Adamu Muazu, thereby nullifying Sheriff as national chairman. The Judgment of July 4, 2016 which specifically ruled in favour of the PDP national caretaker committee also nullified Senator Sheriff as chairman of the PDP and Justice Okon Abang cannot sit on an appeal to hear the case brought before his court by Senator Sheriff and co when the matter is before a higher court, the Court of Appeal." Sheriff and his National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, disclosed this in a joint statement made available to newsmen in Abuja. They described the suspension of Chidi Nwosu (Umuahia South) Emeka Ejiogu (Umuahia North) and Chukwuemeka Osoagbaka (Ikwuano) as a witch-hunt. ''The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has been drawn to the purported suspension of some of our party members by the Abia State Chapter," the statement said. ''The NWC frowns at a situation where party members are being victimised because of their loyalty to the leadership at the national level. ''It is important that all organs of the party must respect party members wish to associate with other members irrespective of various affiliations. ''The crisis going on in the party is an internal matter and is in the process of resolution. "It is worthy to note that party members in Abia have not committed any anti-party activity. ''In the light of this, the NWC hereby directs the Abia state chapter to immediately rescind the purported suspensions and show, within 48 hours, evidence of its compliance to the NWC. ''Failure to comply will attract stiff sanctions in accordance with the constitution of the PDP." ALSO READ: Sheriff, Makarfi peace talks end without resolution The Rivers Governor also revealed that members from the South will meet to discuss a zoning formula. Wike said, The court could not have sacked Senator Makarfi because it cannot sit on appeal on the judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction. Also speaking on the upcoming elections in Edo state, Wike said The PDP in the South-South cannot be complete until we take over Edo State. Therefore, I urge INEC to conduct free and fair election in Edo State and every other state where we have elections. I thank the party in Edo State for doing quite well in their campaigns. As an opposition party, they have promoted the partys chances through committed campaigns. He added that the PDP will come out as a strong united party, adding that Nigerians are yearning for the party to return to power. Wike also called for the scrapping of the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa Governor, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson made this known on Saturday, July 30. Gov. Seriake Dicksonwas reportedly presented with the letter of approval by the NUC when he visited the commission in Abuja. In the statement, the governor expressed his gratitude to the NUCs Executive Secretary for the warm reception he and his team received when they visited the commission. The approval of the university followed the formal presentation of relevant gazette law, academic brief, physical master-plan as well as the satisfactory report of the advisory resource assessment visit by the commission," the governor said in the statement I am here leading this small delegation to present to you these laws passed by the , establishing a new university working with the private sector. It will be run on a public private partnership (PPP), basis. Unlike the existing one, it will not be directly funded by the state. ALSO READ: Dickson condemned for establishing new varsity Our belief is that for a university to be sustainable, we must create room for private sector participation and involvement. The University of Africa, Toru-Orua, is the first of its kind in this country to be established by government with private sector involvement. "Either this week or next week, we will initiate an exchange with representatives of the armed groups, in order to clarify some points," President Faustin-Archange Touadera told local radio station Ndeke Luka. "There are many weapons in the country, a lot of banditry," said Touadera, adding that in parts of the impoverished nation "people cannot go to the fields". Referring to a campaign dubbed the "DDR" (disarmament, demobilisation and social reintegration), Touadera said "the process must begin very soon". The Central African Republic descended into bloodshed between Christian and Muslim militias following a coup in March 2013 that ousted long-time leader Francois Bozize. Thousands died in the violence and more than 418,000 people remain displaced within the country. More than 480,000 refugees, a large number of whom are Muslim, have fled to neighbouring countries. Touadera was elected in a peaceful vote in February, helped by a 12,000-strong UN force. But the country has seen a resurgence of violence since mid-June. The blast was said to have occurred on Tuesday, August 2, in a residential area in the Guwarsha district, which is the scene of fighting between security forces loyal to Libya's eastern government and an alliance of Islamists and other opponents. According to a statement posted on the media sites linked to the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, the group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Benghazi has been plagued by violence since eastern commander Khalifa Haftar launched a campaign against the Shura Council two years ago. His forces have advanced in several areas in recent months, but have not gained full control of the city. There have been occasional car bombings, though the toll from Tuesday's blast was unusually high. The attack targeted a gathering of the special forces unit of Haftar's forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), forces spokesman Fadel al-Hassi said. A Reuters witness said the powerful explosion reduced a three-story building to rubble. ALSO READ: Istanbul Airport Attacks - Suspected ISIS suicide bombers fingered in wreck Haftar's forces are allied to a government that has been based in eastern Libya since 2014, when armed groups set up a rival administration in the capital, Tripoli. A U.N.-backed government moved into Tripoli earlier this year, but Haftar and the eastern government have so far rejected it. ------------------------------------------------- It was two days after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. But they weren't there to mourn. The group that included Evan Wolfson, often described as the architect of the modern same-sex marriage movement, was there for action. That meeting was the first of many solidifying an alliance between advocates for gun control and gay rights. Prominent leaders in both movements have created a working group, hashed out strategy and are planning a Washington, D.C., rally that aims to capitalize on one of the hallmarks of the gay rights movement - street-level activism. Veteran gay activists are helping manage campaigns for state ballot measures this fall that would expand background checks for gun buyers. Representatives of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. gay advocacy group, plan to lobby for gun safety laws in visits with members of Congress during their recess this month and with state lawmakers when they return to session next year. Gun control advocates, who have seen legislative efforts repeatedly stymied by a reluctant Congress and the gun lobby, said they welcomed the help from a community that Wolfson described in an interview as a "sleeping giant that has been awakened." But Orlando was catalytic for gays on both sides of the gun issue. Since the shooting, membership swelled 500 percent to more than 8,000 in Pink Pistols, a pro-gun gay group with the motto: "Armed queers don't get bashed." A spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association declined to comment on how gay rights groups were approaching gun control. The gun lobbying group has encouraged gays and other minorities to use guns for self defense. TAKING IDEAS AND TALENT The Orlando shooting bolstered ongoing efforts by the gun control movement to borrow from the same-sex marriage playbook: take the fight to the states and build grassroots support. "In many ways, we took a page right from the political arc of marriage equality," said John Feinblatt, director of Everytown for Gun Safety, the anti-gun violence group founded by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Is it going to win overnight like a light switch? Absolutely not - but neither did marriage equality." Like Mark Glaze, his predecessor at Everytown, Feinblatt is a gay advocate whose involvement has reinforced the strategic ties between the two movements. Similarly, Zach Silk, who helped lead the successful 2012 Washington State same-sex marriage ballot initiative, went to work on gun safety weeks after the Newtown, Connecticut school massacre that same year. In 2014, he helped pass a referendum on expanded background checks, and he is currently working for a comparable initiative in Nevada. Matt McTighe, a veteran strategist for same-sex marriage ballot initiatives, is working with Everytown as a consultant on a background checks referendum in Maine this fall. The ballot measures attempt to capitalize on something the same-sex marriage movement didn't enjoy at the outset: broad public support. Polls show modest measures, such as expanded background checks, are overwhelmingly popular. Several federal courts have upheld state limits, such as military-style assault weapons bans, that go beyond the background checks in pending ballot measures. The legal terrain is defined by the landmark 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Heller, which ruled the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to own guns. "It's hard to see what item on the gun control agenda would be barred under Heller," said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America." Gun control supporters have adopted another tactic from the same-sex marriage movement: putting a human face on the issue. Everytown has been building a survivors' network so victims can share their stories. "Freedom to marry came from storytelling - meeting people in love who wanted to have families like everyone else," Feinblatt said. "We have a 1,000-member network who are turning grief into political action." Gay rights groups, like the National LGBTQ Task Force, plan to draw on deep ties they have developed with state and federal lawmakers through years of lobbying. Still, leaders worry progress could stall as the raw emotions surrounding Orlando fade. To that end, some groups are emphasizing the gay community's vulnerability to hate crimes and domestic violence. Trump, a New York real estate developer making his first run at public office, has said he cannot release his tax returns, a ritual of U.S. presidential campaigns, until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit. "Now I've got news for him," said Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is based in Omaha. "I'm under audit, too, and I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime, before the election. "I'll bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return ... and let people ask us questions about the items that are on there," Buffett added, saying Trump was "afraid" not of the tax-collecting IRS but of voters. In response, Trump's spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: "As you know, Mr. Trump is undergoing a routine audit." She had no immediate comment when asked to respond to Buffett saying that he too was under audit but would release his tax returns. Trump has asserted his success as a businessman qualifies him to lead the country, but Buffett, who backs Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said Trump lost money the only time he went to the American people and asked them to invest. He said it was in 1995 when Trump listed his Trump hotels and casino resorts on the New York Stock Exchange. He said the company lost money every year for the next decade. A monkey would have outperformed Trump's company, Buffett said. In 1995, "if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent," he said. He said Trump's "final straw" was an ABC interview broadcast on Sunday in which he criticized the Muslim parents of a decorated U.S. soldier killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. The father Khizr Khan spoke at last week's Democratic National Convention about their son and attacked Trump for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump said he was "viciously" attacked by Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, when the father publicly doubted Trump had read the U.S. Constitution. Khan said that Trump had "sacrificed nothing," prompting Trump in his ABC interview to say, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices." Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Trump. "No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan," Buffett said. "We've both done extremely well during this period and our families haven't sacrificed anything." In his remarks Buffett announced the launch of a get-out-the vote effort, pledging to take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there. Buffett said he was backing a website, Drive2Vote, that would coordinate transportation to cast votes and that he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for the same purpose. "I'm going to be on it all day. I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes," Buffett said. Buffett said his goal is to generate the highest voter turnout in the congressional district that includes Omaha of any in the country. Nebraska is one of two U.S. states that award electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Clinton responded to Buffett's pledge with a promise of her own, if his turnout goal is met. President Xi Jinping's administration has tightened control over almost every aspect of civil society since 2012, citing the need to buttress national security and stability. Dozens of lawyers and activists associated with the Beijing Fengrui law firm, which has represented several high-profile clients, have been swept up in the crackdown and held since July last year, triggering concern in Western capitals. Authorities in the northern city of Tianjin said Zhai Yanmin, 55, "had long been influenced by anti-China forces, and gradually adopted ideology to overthrow the current state system", according to what appeared to be partial transcripts of court proceedings released by the official Xinhua news agency. Zhai repeatedly posted views online subverting the government and had worked with lawyers, including Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping to hype cases and "systematically undermine state power", Xinhua cited prosecutors as saying. Those actions "seriously harmed state security and social stability", it said. The reprieve accompanying the sentence means that Zhai should be released, another well-known human rights lawyer, Li Fangping, told Reuters, though Zhai is likely to be strictly monitored. Zhai's reported admission of guilt was probably aimed at "blackening his name", Li added. The court did not answer repeated telephone calls seeking comment. Rights groups and activists say Zhai was not allowed to retain his own lawyer and was represented by a government-appointed one. It is not clear who that is. The charges of subverting state power referred to Zhai's role in coordinating demonstrations and sit-ins outside detention centres, courts and at other sites around the country, Xinhua said. Defenders "did not object" to evidence presented in the case, Xinhua said, and cited Zhai as saying he used systemic methods to subvert the government. China consistently rejects any criticism of its human rights record, saying it adheres to the rule of law, that all are equal under the law and that those who break the law can expect to be punished. Authorities in July released on bail pending trial prominent rights lawyer Wang Yu, who had been held for state subversion, state media said. Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind A Rock Island man who is listed on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry has been arrested on charges of committing another sexual assault. Todd Allen Payne, 46, of 1219 3rd Ave., is charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault of a family member under the age of 18. Criminal sexual assault is a Class X felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of six to 30 years. Payne was arrested Friday by Rock Island Police. He was being held Saturday in the Rock Island County Jail on $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on the case is scheduled for Aug. 18. In August of 1994, when he was 24-years-old, Payne pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault. His victim was 7 years old. Payne was sentenced to 11 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Since being released, he has violated the sex offender registry requirements four times: in 2009, 2011 and 2014 in Rock Island County; and in 2014 in Scott County. Thomas Geyer Health insurance premium increases are expected to rise in Iowa, according to studies of the marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, also called Obamacare. The Kaiser Family Foundation, which is online at kff.org, released a study Monday that suggested the growth will be faster in 2017. One reason is because the temporary reinsurance program initially allowed by the federal health legislation expires in December. In addition, many insurers miscalculated how much insurance the enrollees would actually use and lost money in the federal program. In Iowa, UnitedHealthcare cited financial losses in pulling out of the marketplace exchanges after 2016. Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield, however, will join the Iowa market in 2017, after sitting out since the exchanges started in 2013. In Illinois, rate increase requests were made public this week and ranged as high as 45 percent. The Iowa Insurance Division, Des Moines, held public hearings on the proposed rate increases for insurance premiums in late July, and consumers were frustrated by the size of the increases, according to healthinsurance.org, an online source for health insurance consumers based in Minnesota. The Iowa Insurance Division intends to solidify the rate requests by late September, Andria Seip, insurance specialist, said this week. The Iowa Insurance Division and the review tool on federal marketplace site, healthcare.gov, lists the rate requests for individual plans to begin in 2017: Aetna (formerly Coventry): 22.6 percent for its POS, or Point-of-Service managed plan, and 37.4 percent for its HMO, or health-maintenance organization plan. Avera (new to the exchange): 4.98 percent. Medica: 19.84 percent. Wellmark (new to the exchange): 35.12 to 39.14 percent, depending on several individual plans for an average of 37.18 percent. Illinois released insurance companies' rate increase requests for 2017 late Monday, making it one of the last states in the nation to reveal what insurers have requested. Stephani Becker of Shriver National Center on Poverty Law said consumers can comment by email to Illinois' Department of Insurance. The email address is DOI.HealthRateReview@illinois.gov. By law, Illinois regulators can't reject rates outright, but they can negotiate with insurance companies. The Illinois Department of Insurance has until Aug. 23 to review the proposed rates. The leading insurer on Illinois' exchange, Blue Cross Blue Shield, is proposing increases for 2017 ranging from 23 percent to 45 percent for individual health plans, according to proposals posted at heathcare.gov. Another insurer, Coventry Health Care of Illinois, proposed rate increases as high as 21 percent. Harken Health Insurance Company has proposed a nearly 29 percent hike in individual premiums and Health Alliance Medical Plans Inc. a more than 28 percent increase. Consumers will be able to shop around and possibly switch health plans for 2017 when open enrollment begins Nov. 1. (The Associated Press contributed to this report.) "All right, here come some live ones." With that shout, at shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, a boat carrying a bucket full of mussels arrived at the Mississippi River shoreline just downriver of the Interstate 74 bridge in Moline. Immediately, more than a dozen people set to work on the hard-shelled creatures. Using drill-like tools to mark them, the workers identified the mussels by species and sorted them into buckets. Within hours, they would be moved back to the river, to new locations. Over the next couple of months, this will happen countless times. By October, federal and state officials say, nearly a half million mussels will be pulled from the Mississippi River upstream of the I-74 bridge, one of the largest relocations of mussels in U.S history. The mass collection stems from the planned construction of a new I-74 bridge. The path of the new bridge, slightly upstream of the existing structure, will have an impact on the habitat for a variety of freshwater mussels, including three that are protected by federal law the Higgins eye, Sheepnose and Spectaclecase. As a result, Iowa and Illinois will spend $2.4 million to remove 450,000 of the mussels. Only a fraction, 5,000 to 7,000, are protected, either by federal law or by the states of Iowa or Illinois, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But officials say that it only makes sense to gather them all up. The Fish and Wildlife Service says mussels are valuable because they monitor and purify aquatic systems, feeding on algae, plankton and silts. Of the three mussels on the federal endangered list, the Higgins eye listing dates to 1976. On Tuesday, federal and state officials hosted area media outlets to observe the process. The collection actually began on a small scale on Monday. Emily Robbins, a malacologist, or mussel specialist, said she expected that 3,000 to 4,000 mussels would be collected Tuesday, but eventually, the goal is to work up to 10,000 per day. "Common species, we'll sort them out by species and just get a rough count of how many of them there are," said Robbins, who works for Ecological Specialists Inc., a contractor on the project. "Then, any of the listed species, we'll actually be measuring how long they are and figuring how old they are, which you can do by counting the growth rings on the outside of the shell." A 2014 survey identified 25 different species in the area. Robbins, a 2009 Augustana College graduate who was in charge of the site, added the federally listed mussels also would be assigned a number. Officials say they intend to track the mussels into the future. Heidi Woeber, a fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agencies hope to measure the impact the move has on the mussels and take the lessons learned with this collection and apply them to other bridge projects that require the same thing. The mussels are being gathered by divers who go into the water just upstream of the existing I-74 bridge. They work within square grids marked on the river bed. The divers have hardly any visibility as they go about six feet below the surface. So instead of working by sight, they follow a line down to the grid and collect mussels by feel. "It's very tactile," Woeber said. Officials say the 2014 survey estimated there are 850,000 mussels in the construction area of the I-74 project. Most of the mussels are on the Illinois side, but some are along the Iowa shoreline. Those will be collected in a few weeks. The collection won't be without harm to the mussels. Woeber said they estimate that between 3,000 and 5,000 will die in the process. Still, there are extensive efforts being made to minimize impact, not just over the next two months but in the future, too. When it comes time to demolish the existing I-74 bridge, which is now scheduled for late 2020 and early 2021, there will be a separate collection and relocation of mussels. In fact, destruction of the existing bridge has been altered because of the mussel presence. Demolition of the existing structure won't be allowed on the Illinois side of the river, nor will materials be dropped into the river there, according to federal documents. In addition, a single pier in Sylvan Slough, called Pier K, will be left standing because it provides habitat for the mussels. Officials say the pier will stick out of the water about 30 feet. The overall cost of the I-74 corridor project has been estimated at $1.2 billion. Construction on the new span is expected to begin next spring, with the building of support piers in the river. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Iowas religious diversity includes Christian (76 percent), Jewish (1 percent), Muslim (1 percent), Buddhist, Hindu, other world religions (all less than 1 percent), and 21 percent unaffiliated. As such, Iowas spirit should be harmonious where we practice loving our neighbors as ourselves. By listening to our politicians, let alone following news media coverage, it is quite apparent that intolerance, bigotry and hate reigns. Yes, the brutality of radical jihadists screams loudly of pure, simple hatred. They are known to us as ISIL, al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. These groups do not define the Muslim religion any more than the white supremacy groups like the Ku Klux Klan, American Nazi, Aryan Nations, Christian Identity and 60 other groups who embrace Christianity. Supremacy groups, often linked to fundamentalist Christian organizations, are responsible for thousands of murders and hate crimes in the U.S. Lets call them what they are, radical Christian terrorists. Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many Americans have been killed by right-wing Christian supremacists and anti-government fanatics than by radical Muslims. If you truly believe we should start limiting the rights of Muslims, then lets get busy and also start rounding up members of 64 Christian-based white supremacy groups. We need to deal with all radical terrorists, regardless of proclaimed faith or non-faith. Fear-mongering and prejudice, especially which is spewed by political candidates and their surrogates, only acerbates our problem. Deep down, I think we are afraid of the unknown, our spiritual values arent strong, and we basically, are uneducated. Did you know that Muslims believe God revealed Holy books and scriptures to a number of Gods messengers? These include the Quran given to Muhammad, the Torah given to Moses, the Gospel given to Jesus, the Psalms given to David and the Scrolls given to Abraham. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam teaches that there is one God in the universe and all three faiths believe in an after-life. If you extend beliefs to all Muslims based upon the actions of some ignorant radical jihadists, well then you too, are an extremist version of whatever religion or non-religion you uphold, permitting your self-righteousness and moral superiority to judge others as if you are God. Before casting stones on others, recognize that the word self-righteousness appears more than 500 times in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, and 200 times in Greek scripture, the New Testament. If the shoe fits, walk carefully, as what goes around comes around. Many religious leaders are supporting the transition from an inflexible, exclusive, overbearing doctrine to a more tolerant, modern and progressive spiritual perspective. How are you doing in this journey? Are you becoming inflexible or flexible, exclusive or inclusive and overbearing or progressive? To those who are worried about protecting their faith, relax. Your faith is protected in the United States of America Constitution and Americas Bill of Rights. Let us recognize we live in a religiously plural world and are obligated to love our neighbors, which I also struggle with at times. Permit us to better understand each other, remove false stereotypes, and learn to see our neighbors as persons rather than as representatives of a religious tradition or ideology. As the infamous cartoonist Walt Kelley wrote in 1970 for his classic newspaper comic strip Pogo, we have met the enemy and he is us. Three fires that scorched heavy equipment being used to build the Bakken oil pipeline which investigators believe to be arsons wont slow construction, the developer has vowed. Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said his office was investigating two fires reported there Monday. The fires caused an estimated $1 million in damage to construction equipment. We believe it was intentionally set, Halferty said. "We are investigating them as arson cases." He said fire crews responded at 5:41 a.m. Monday to a fire west of Newton. A second incident was reported at 7:23 a.m. after workers found charred equipment at a site east of Reasnor. Alex Murphy, a spokesman for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said the state was investigating a third fire in Mahaska County. That fire, reported about 2:15 a.m. Sunday a few miles north of Oskaloosa, is estimated to have caused $600,000 to $800,000 in damage, Murphy said. He said arson is the suspected cause. No arrests have been made in any of the cases, officials said. Halferty said he encourages the public to provide any information possibly related to the fires. Vicki Granado, a spokeswoman for pipeline developer Dakota Access, said the fires will not change the timeline. Americans burning American made equipment which is owned and operated by American companies, employing American union workers, working on a pipeline owned and operated by an American company for transporting crude oil produced in America for American consumers is a shameful act by a group of people trying to disrupt our countrys energy security and independence, she said. We have increased security along the route and are actively pursuing the situation with law enforcement. If caught, we will prosecute to the maximum extent allowed by law, both criminally and civilly. We will not tolerate this kind of activity, which is a safety hazard to all concerned. Chad Carter, vice president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, said Local 234 has members working in Mahaska and Jasper counties. Destroying construction equipment affects workers not the pipeline, Carter said. Thats who its harming the most, members and residents of Iowa, he said. And I hate to say, but the pipeline has all the permits so its going to be built. So lets let members of Local 234 and Iowa residents get to work. Dakota Access last week received approval from the Army Corps of Engineers for the final permits necessary. Construction began earlier this year on other portions of the pipeline. The $3.8 billion, 1,168-mile underground pipeline will begin in the Bakken region of North Dakota, cross a section of South Dakota, traverse 18 counties in Iowa and end in Illinois. The route crosses Iowa on a diagonal, from northwest to southeast. CEDAR RAPIDS Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton havent been strangers to Iowans and their campaigns promise they will be back often over the next 98 days. On the days they arent campaigning in Iowa its likely someone will travel the campaign trail for them. On Monday, it was Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow who was visiting Democrats coordinated campaign office in Cedar Rapids to encourage Clinton volunteers to make phone calls now so they can celebrate the first woman president come January. Its going to be a beautiful day a little cooler, Stabenow said about the inauguration. And you will have helped make that happen. Stabenow may have been Clintons first surrogate of the general election campaign, but she wont be the last for either candidate. Plentiful and often, said Eric Branstad, director for Trump Iowa, on Monday. Beginning soon, before the Iowa State Fair, he said, the Trump children, personalities and politicos such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich are likely to show up for the GOP nominee. The closer we get to Election Day, therell be surrogates here almost every day, Branstad said. It may seem that Iowans would be spoiled by their access to the candidates themselves. The Clinton campaign has indicated she will visit Iowa soon. Trump was in Cedar Rapids on July 28 and will be in Des Moines on Friday. Clinton spent 42 days in Iowa in the run-up to the first-in-the-nation caucuses, and Trump visited for 34 days. But Branstad said surrogates still serve a purpose. They help share and send that message from their personal perspective how they know, how they respect Mr. Trumps leadership, he said. Thats what Stabenow was doing for Clinton. As a colleague, as someone who has known her for close to 30 years, I understand who she is as a woman, as a policymaker, as someone who is incredibly qualified to be president, she said. In addition to vouching for the official Clinton, Stabenow said she can tell the stories of what I have observed and why I support her. Those are stories such as Clinton joining other female senators Democratic and Republican for regular dinners, hosting a baby shower for a GOP senator or talking about wanting grandchildren and, as a fellow United Methodist, Stabenow said, talking about potluck suppers and a dish to pass. Obviously, the candidate is the most important thing, but what I can do is to add to the depth of the importance of the election and the issues, Stabenow said. DES MOINES Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley honored two wounded Iowa veterans Tuesday by presenting them their Purple Heart medals while working to mend fences with an important election-year constituency group in the process. Grassley got choked up at times during an informal ceremony at his Des Moines offices where he presented Purple Heart medals to Don Coderre of West Des Moines and Frank Hawk of Norwalk. Coderre was wounded in action in 2006 while serving in Iraq as an Army specialist during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Hawk was wounded in Vietnam while serving from 1967 to 1969 as an Army specialist in an air mobile brigade dropped off by helicopters to assist fellow soldiers in engaging enemy fire. "Every time the helicopters came in, we knew we were going out to help somebody else get out of trouble. I wasted a lot of ammunition, but it was for a good cause," Hawk told reporters after the ceremony. "You see things and do things that you're not always proud of, but that's part of war." Grassley helped both veterans provide documentation to the Army Review Board and battle through paperwork delays and bureaucratic red tape to receive their medals. He told the veterans and their family members in attendance that he wanted to make the presentations personally "because I don't think we take enough time to thank the people who have served and those who have been injured in the process of serving" to protect freedoms and liberties most Americans take for granted. Hawk said it was "awesome" to be able to share the moment with his loved ones, including six grandchildren jammed together on a sofa. He said he went through the tough years when "I couldn't even talk about it" until he received services from the Veterans Administration, which he showered with praise. Coderre said he spent nearly a decade battling paperwork problems that finally ended when Grassley handed him the Purple Heart to go with an Army Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal with a bronze service star, an Army Service Ribbon, an Overseas Service Ribbon and a Combat Infantryman Badge he earned during his service. "It meant a lot. It's been 10 years in the making," said Coderre, who expected some day to pass his Purple Heart on to his now-6-year-old son. Coderre was the only one Tuesday to address the "elephant" in the room given the backdrop of political controversy over GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent comments about a Gold Star family who lost their Muslim son in combat and previous statements about Arizona Sen. John McCain's time as a prisoner of war. "I dislike it, extremely, especially what (Trump) said about McCain, about being captured and being a prisoner," he told reporters. "I thought it was low. I don't care who you are, that's just something that you don't say about a veteran, period." Coderre said he viewed the latest controversy over fallen U.S. soldier Humayun Khan as "dirty politics" where both sides "turned a war hero into a talking point, and it's disgraceful." For his part, Grassley steered clear of 2016 election politics Tuesday, telling reporters he did not want to detract from an occasion meant to honor and thank two soldiers who were wounded in battle. "We came to honor two people who shed blood so that you and I could enjoy our freedoms, and I'm not going to say anything that detracts from the solemnity of this ceremony because I think we don't often in this country do what we can to show our appreciation for the people in the military," Grassley said. Tuesday's ceremony came in close proximity to an event in Virginia where a man handed Trump what media reports said was a copy of his Purple Heart, prompting the GOP presidential candidate to note: "I've always wanted to get the real Purple Heart.' This was much easier," inviting the veteran on stage. Meanwhile, Grassley's 2016 election opponent, Albia Democrat Patty Judge, called on him to join her in demanding Trump apologize to the Khan family. "Our military families deserve much better from a presidential nominee," Judge said in a statement Tuesday. "Chuck Grassley should join me and demand an apology from Donald Trump the candidate he trusts to lead this nation as anything less than an apology is an affront to the brave men and women who have served this nation. "Iowans will not ignore these despicable statements, nor will they forget Grassley's refusal to stand up to Trump. We can never dismiss the sacrifices our veterans and their families make for our nation, but that's exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do." A 21-year-old man who participated in the murder of another man on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was sentenced in federal court Friday to more than 17 years in prison. Nile Paul Waters, of Allen, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder in the death of Theodore Red Cloud. Federal authorities say Waters and Red Cloud were drinking on July 6, 2015, when they got into a fight in and outside a trailer home on Pine Ridge. At one point during the fight, Red Cloud fell to the ground and Waters hit him at least four times with a club-like weapon. At least one other person participated in the assault. Waters, who also goes by the name Nile Hollow Bear, is now under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. HOT SPRINGS The following is a synopsis of the calls fielded by the Fall River County Dispatch office for July 22 through July 27. Calls include police, sheriff, ambulance, fire and other emergency services. The information is taken from the public log at the sheriffs office. Friday, July 22 A total of 65 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 2:34 a.m. - Hwy. 471, deer/car accident. 8:52 a.m. - Lynns Dakotamart, gas drive off. 9:28 a.m. - East Side, Angostura Reservoir, fire/smoke call 2:43 p.m. - North River St., concerned citizen. 11:29 p.m. - North 6th St., runaway. Saturday, July 23 A total of 60 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 9:56 a.m. - Old Hwy. 18, hit & run accident 12:29 p.m. - 271, false impersonation, 53-year-old arrested. 12:49 p.m. - Argyle Rd., damage to property Sunday, July 24 A total of 54 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 7:27 a.m. - Super 8, unwanted subject 10:31 a.m. - Hwy 385, DUI 2:25 p.m. - Fall River Rd., concerned citizen 2:33 p.m. - 8th St., fire calls, Oelrichs Fire Dept. brush truck responds. 3:05 p.m. - Sonnys parking lot, fender bender accident. 3:10 p.m. - 911 caller requests location of the nearest hospital 3:21 p.m. - Hwy. 385, deputy on motorist assist (blown tire) 3:23 p.m. - Angostura Lake, check on subject for wants / warrants 3:44 p.m. - Simco Plaza, 55-year-old arrested for DUI. 4:18 p.m. - Angostura Lake, written warning issued for unauthorized fire. 4:18 p.m. - Pine Cone Rd., trespass-real property, deputy requested at residence for trespasser. 7:18 p.m. - Barnes Apts., caller requests welfare check on family member. 8:57 p.m. - Evans Plunge, report of someone losing their car keys in parking lot. 9:03 p.m. - Hwy 18/385, car/deer accident 9:17 p.m. - Coldbrook Lake, exhibition driving complaint. 9:30 p.m. - Super 8 Motel, assist another agency trying to locate a runaway girl in Fall River County. 9:53 p.m. - Albany / 17TH St., nuisance/noise, caller reports possible domestic; turned out to be verbal argument between family members. Monday, July 25 No log shared. Tuesday, July 26 A total of 75 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 7:58 a.m. - Heartland Trailer court, juvenile miscellaneous 8:39 a.m. - Junction of Hwy. 79 and 385/18, stolen property offense. 11:37 a.m. - PJs, gas drive-off 11:44 a.m. Wyoming/South Dakota line, runaway. 12:11 p.m. - Cactus Hills, damage to property. 3:36 p.m. Shopko, DUI. 3:46 p.m. S. Chicago/Galveston, city officer investigation. 6:05 p.m. - Wind Cave Rd., weather damage minor. 6:10 p.m. - East of Buffalo Gap, Brush Truck - Oral Fire Department, assist other agency, grass fire. 6:14 p.m. The Mutt House, welfare check. 6:52 p.m. East of Smithwick, grass fires. 7:17 p.m. - West side of Oelrichs, Brush Truck Cascade, check for fires/smoke. 10:53 p.m. - Fresh Start, caller concerned about a female that appears to need help, but they cant get close due to the dog that is with her. Wednesday, July 27 A total of 43 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 7:10 a.m. - Pilger Mountain Rd. Y, fire call, Edgemont Fire Dept. brush truck called out. 11:46 a.m. - Evans Plunge, hit and run accident 2:03 p.m. - Fall River County weather event. 3:46 p.m. - Drug/narcotic violations, 45-year-old arrested. 4:07 p.m. - D St., parking complaint: caller requesting deputy, says female driver of the vehicle is arguing that she doesnt want to move the car. Thursday, July 28 A total of 42 calls, including traffic stops and paper service, were listed on the log. 9:32 a.m. - Heartland Trailer Court, protection order service. 10:58 a.m. S. 6th St., false reporting 21-year-old arrested. 2:15 p.m. Fall River Hospital ER, mental cases 4:24 p.m. - Oelrichs to Neb. state line, deputy giving a ride to person stranded in Oelrichs. 4:41 p.m. - Custer County Sheriffs Office, warrant arrest (out of town), 51-year-old arrested. 5:34 p.m. - Fall River Hospital ER, threats. Church began in Smithwick, moved to Maverick Junction in late 1960s HOT SPRINGS - St. Johns Lutheran Church in Hot Springs, located just west of Maverick Junction, at the falls of Fall River, will celebrate its official 120th anniversary Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27-28. The church has two events planned to mark this celebration: Saturday, Aug. 27 The church will host a 4 p.m. program and banquet meal of chicken cordon bleu, or roast beef at 5:30 p.m. being held at the Mueller Center. Following the program, St. Johns church historian Frank Ferguson will lead an exploration of the churchs history. Sunday, Aug. 28 The church will hold a service at 9 a.m., with cake and coffee following the service. According to Ferguson, who has researched church history extensively, largely because it is intertwined with his own familys history, the original St. Johns harks back to a group of six German Lutherans who, beginning in 1889, near what would eventually become Smithwick, got together to worship in the way they found best. The six families were: Johann and Augusta Kintopf Johann and Augusta Rehfeld Julius and Emilie Kaneppel Valentine and Caroline Husong Michael and Bertha Kienitz Casper and Margaret Duennerman Ferguson said the Kintopfs were his great grandparents, and Augusta Rehfeld was his great-great aunt. Other early church members were also family, he said. Until 1896, worship services were conducted in the homes of the six families by Pastor Konrad Herbener of Rapid City. However, in mid-June of that year, the families decided to establish a Lutheran congregation. They called this St. Johns German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and with the help of Pastor L. Linderfer of Zion Evangelic Lutheran Church in Rapid City, according to Fergusons research, the first service was held in August of 1896, in the home of Johann Kintopf. As time continued, the worship services of this early church rotated into the homes of the other five founding family members. In June of 1900, Casper Duennerman bought a tract of land located about three miles southwest of what would eventually become Smithwick for delinquent taxes. (In 1887, a post office called Smithwicks was established to serve people in what would become the town. The post office and the people surrounding it were officially recognized as the town of Smithwick, named for a railroad engineer, in 1901.) This land interested the church, and with a few months, the deed was transferred to the trustees of St. Johns via a quit claim deed. An old farm house on the property served as the churchs chapel after it was remodeled, and for the next 14 years, German hymns rang out of this St. Johns Lutheran Church every Sunday morning. Seven acres of land surrounding the church also saw use as a cemetery. This remains a cemetery, now Smithwick Cemetery, today. During much of the last decade, St. Johns has made many improvements to this cemetery, according to Ferguson, with fencing, a new entrance, a directory, a wooden cross and the identification of 13 previously unmarked graves by Fall River County Historical Societys Carol Sides, who is from Smithwick. During the first 25 years of St. Johns, there were 10 different pastors serving the congregation. From 1900 until 1914, these preachers would commute 80 miles one way via train, coming from Rushville, Neb., where a joint parish had been established, to preach the word to St. Johns parishioners. Sometimes, it was three weeks between services, due to the distances and difficulty of travel, according to Ferguson. In 1914, the Smithwick congregation made plans to replace the farmhouse in which they held services with a new church building. This church was completed and dedicated in August of 1915. It included a 700-pound steeple bell, cast in eastern South Dakota the same bell that calls parishioners to worship in the Maverick Junction church. The dedication service of this new church included a sermon in both German and English. Ferguson also notes that the first written records of the church were in German, at least through 1915. Oddly, immediately after its dedication, the churchs doors were barred by a court order, due to the contractor failing to pay his laborers and for materials, a total of $1,000. While this might not seem like much today, it took a valiant effort by the congregation through October of 1919 to raise this fee. During this time, services were again held in homes, and Ferguson calls this a trying time for the church. When the debts were paid, the church building redeemed, the Rushville and Smithwick parishes called on Pastor H. L. Woebler to lead them. Stories about Woebler literally jumping off the train from Rushville, as it went through Smithwick, were told. Woebler stayed 10 years, longer than any other St. Johns pastor. During the 1920s and 30s, the church abbreviated its official name, to become St. Johns German Evangelical Lutheran Church. Men sat on one side of not-cushioned pews, women on the other, according to Ferguson, prompting many a squirm during long sermons. He also notes how during Christmas programs, children portraying shepherds, had to wear scratchy bathrobes and be careful not to be burned by standing too close to the pot-bellied stove. Still church functions and activities grew. By 1946, with the church growing, a relocation to Oral was considered, according to Ferguson, especially since Oral was to be receiving irrigation water from the soon-to-be-built Angostura Reservoir. Its dam was built in 1949, backing up Cheyenne River waters to cover some 4,400 acres up to 75 feet deep. But the congregation stayed in Smithwick. The church was remodeled in 1952, the pulpit lowered, the woodwork, pews and floors refinished, and a furnace installed in the basement. Also during the early 1950s, Lutheran churches were started in Gordon and Chadron, Neb. St. Johns partnered with these churches. However, in 1956, St. Johns went solo, became a one-point parish, led by Pastor Eugene Tjirks. Tjirks and his family lived in VA housing in Hot Springs until a new, $16,000 parsonage it cost the congregation half this, because volunteer labor built it was completed. In 1962, St. Johns again split its minister with Our Savoirs Lutheran Church in Hermosa, and became a member of the South Dakota Lutheran District, instead of the Nebraska and Colorado-based Central District. By 1966, however, says Ferguson, St. Johns was at a crossroads and needed to make some hard decisions. One decision was how to keep the Smithwick church alive, because it was rapidly losing members and had problems securing a full-time minister. Nine calls (summons for a minister) were sent out between 1965 and 1966, with none returned. That summer, according to Ferguson, St. Johns decided to move to Maverick Junction. The church purchased 10 acres of land there and a new church, in a Butler steel building, was erected on the site. Again, volunteer labor built a new altar and lectern. Pieces of the old Smithwick church came along with it, including the original 700-pound bell. Also, a baptismal font was created from marble acquired from the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, being torn down in Hot Springs. The volunteer-built parsonage was also moved from Smithwick to Maverick Junction. It remains in use today, with a garage and family room added. The last sermon in the little white Smithwick church took place in August of 1969, some 50 years after it had been built. Between the 1970s and late 1990s, the congregation grew. Seeking more space, St. Johns was looking at an addition to the Maverick Junction church. Plans were created and in 2002, a new church the current church building was built, essentially over the older building, Ferguson said. Also during the 1990s, the church decided to run a tragedy into a blossom of hope the Fall River Falls Viewpoint project. Back in 1907, the city of Hot Springs built a low dam above the falls of eight-mile long Fall River, located south of the church. The dam directed water through a 4,700 foot flume of wood staves banded with iron rods and wrapped in wire. Leaving the flume, the water fell 115 feet to a small hydroelectric plant, which generated part of Hot Springs electricity until the late 1960s. The white power house and part of the staircase are still visible in the canyon behind the church. While the falls of the river are beautiful, they were also quite deadly. Several people have drowned in the falls, because a small cave unknown until a temporary diverson of the falls unveiled it beneath the falls created a whirlpool that trapped even strong swimmers in current. One unfortunate example took place in August of 1995, when three people drowned over a two-day period. The church and community decided these would be the last people drowning in the falls. Since the church owned the land, they closed the falls off to public access with a chain link fence, and created a scenic retreat with walking paths, a parking area, a wishing well kiosk, and a small chapel overlooking the falls. The area is now a natural amphitheatre and an outdoor worship center, especially for campers and tourists. Spud and Bernice Lemmel made a trip to Rapid City on Tuesday and Saturday they went into Spearfish on business. Wednesday Lisle Reeve's sister Lois Gebhart stopped in to visit him on her way home from Minnesota and spent the night there with him. When she left on Thursday she took Lisle home with her to Colorado. Also her son Matt and his wife Lisa from up Meadow way visited for a few hours. We wish Lisle well while he spends time with Lois. Tuesday afternoon Carmen Heidler went to Sturgis to visit with Dorothy Heidler for awhile before going on to Spearfish to see her mom, McGee Vansickel. Carmen spent the night, then took her mom to Rapid City early Wednesday morning for an appointment. John and Carmen went back to Sturgis on Thursday to go with Dorothy to and appointment. Carmen said Friday was actually a stay at home work day. Wednesday Dwayne and Zona delivered furniture to Keith and Sue Keffeler for the Rally and then went on to Rapid City for appointments and attended the Gospel meeting that evening. They spent the night at the Cedar House and Dwayne had another appointment before they came on home on Thursday. JoAnna Ingalls Moody was home for a visit this week as she had brought some of her in-law teens from Wyoming to attend Cedar Canyon Teen Camp. Thursday she and her mom JoDee and brother Sammy stopped by for a brief visit with Grandma Kay. Friday Tashonna and Tyren Ingalls came for an afternoon visit with Grandma Kay. Happy to see them all. Rod and Tracy Ingalls kept another round of appointments in Rapid on Friday. Joey Ingalls, Robert and JoDee's youngest boy was riding high on a glider swing when the swing broke and he flew head first into the trampoline frame and conked his head a good one. They took him to Rapid City for evaluation to make sure all was okay in his head. Concussion, so needed to keep him calm and quiet for awhile and that alone is a challenge. He is doing fine. Saturday Carmen and John Heidler were invited over to Jonathan Cowles house for a visit. Dwayne, Zona and Hoe Vig left early on Sunday morning for class and services at Northern Hills Church of Christ. They enjoyed dinner at the building with Paul and Cheyenne Winkler and family and then stayed for the Area Wide Singing event. People had come from Gillette and Sundance Wyoming, Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Rapid City, Sturgis, Custer, Faith and Prairie City. The drive home in the rain was very enjoyable. Sunday evening the good news of .63 of rain was appreciated here with reports of .20 to the east of us. Sure has been hit and miss rain/storms going on in the area. Haven't heard of any damaging hail close, but the storm was accompanied with very high winds. A Nebraska man arrested in an undercover operation during the 2015 Sturgis motorcycle rally pleaded guilty Friday to attempted sex trafficking of a minor. Marcus Lee Dorsey, 36, appeared in Rapid City federal court last week for a plea change on the charge of attempted trafficking in involuntary servitude and forced labor, according to court records. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the offense. Dorsey admitted responding to an online ad offering paid sex with a 15-year-old girl last August. He ultimately agreed to pay $70 for sex with the minor, not knowing he was dealing with law enforcement agents posing as a pimp. Dorsey is the 14th of 18 men caught in the rally sex stings to have either pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial. He is detained at the Pennington County Jail while awaiting sentencing. PIERRE | The state Board of Regents plan significant discussions this week about balancing the systems long-term finances and enrollments trends. The six universities overseen by the regents have as a whole increasingly turned to non-resident students to cover debt and operating expenses while students increasingly select distance education courses. At the same time, the regents want to play a larger role in helping South Dakotas businesses and workforce fulfill their economic potential. One step the regents will consider Wednesday is formally adopting a goal that 65 percent of South Dakotans ages 25-34 would have at least a certificate or other post-secondary credential by the year 2025. The regents provisionally approved the goal in October. The long-range purpose is to gradually build the workforces capacity. Now, about 45 percent of the workforce ages 25-64 have a bachelor's degree, associate degree or professional degree. Another 22 percent have some college coursework. The regents also will consider adding an audit committee as a formal arm of the full board, with possibly some outside financial experts serving on it. That panel would receive more financial details than the board has been getting. Another discussion would focus on enrollment trends and campus investments for buildings such as residence halls and student centers. On-campus enrollments as a whole fell 911 students from fall 2010 to fall 2015 while on-campus students taking distance courses climbed by 587, or 41 percent, to 2,073 during the same period. The report to the regents states: We have become more dependent on non-resident students to fill our residence halls and to pay the fees to support student unions and wellness centers. The campuses have done an excellent job in replacing a declining number of residents with non-resident students. This trend also makes us more vulnerable when other states lower cost, add incentives to keep their students in state or grow their scholarship base. For the fall 2010 to fall 2015 period, two campuses saw enrollments grow. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City increased 13.7 percent to 2,436. The University of South Dakota at Vermillion rose 1.9 percent to 5,757. Four campuses saw enrollment declines. Black Hills State University at Spearfish fell 21.9 percent to 1,927. Northern State University at Aberdeen dropped 17.9 percent to 1,495. South Dakota State University at Brookings slipped by 5 percent to 8,979. Dakota State University at Madison essentially held even, seeing a 0.1 percent loss to 1,176. The longer-term threat is that enrollment losses would affect the university systems ability to repay its bonded indebtedness for past construction projects. The system places 11 percent of tuition in whats known as the Higher Education Facilities Fund for campus projects. A full-time student currently pays $916 per year for bond debt, maintenance and repair. A distance-education student pays about $115 on each course for the same purposes. The report notes that a 1 percent loss in credit hours would cost the system about $272,000 annually in HEFF revenue and that would accumulate to more than $4.6 million by 2030. That report concludes with a reminder that a decision to invest more in campus building through debt is a 25-year commitment and advises that understanding changing demographics and demand for distance education must be considered. Given the current trends, that report ends, a traditional campus will look very different in 25 years. The regents are meeting in Pierre from Tuesday evening through Thursday in their annual planning session. The full agenda is at sdbor.edu. We spent some time this weekend with some members of the latest Greatest Generation and it was inspiring. First Lt. Philip Santiago Apodaca and Deanza Angelica (Rivera) Apodaca met in high school, the kind of high school romance that used to happen all the time. You know, meet the right person, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Philip grew up with his heroes his dad, Victoriano (Victor) Felipe Apodaca, and his mom, Annie (Ebinger) Apodaca, in the sticks near Santa Fe, New Mexico. They had 10 acres, an old Colonial-style house with a central courtyard and a wood stove, and tens of thousands of acres of public land right next door where they learned to play, shoot, hunt, hike, work hard, and grow up under the stars. The Civil War battle at Apache Canyon was fought in their yard. They learned from their parents that they could do anything. Victor was a federal law enforcement officer who served with distinction across the country in the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. He went to Army Ranger school and spent his time leaping out of Black Hawk helicopters on ropes on drug interdiction assignments, or patrolling the borders, or just taking down bad guys. He retired as a canine officer; his dog retired with him. Annie is the Forest Service recreation staff officer at the headquarters in Custer. Philips sister, Mary Victoria, went to law school and became an attorney in Denver. She teaches law school students how to pass the state bar exams. Both Deanza and Mary are licensed to carry guns and they do. When Deanza accidentally took her concealed carry purse to an event, the officer inspecting bags found her pistol, a .45 long Colt and combined .410 shotgun (alternate rounds in alternate chambers) and pronounced the piece very respectable. Philip took it back to the car. Deanza majored in criminology and psychology and Philip majored in criminology and military science, ROTC, from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. They were married in 2014, the same weekend they graduated from UNM, the same weekend Philip was commissioned an Army officer, bound for helicopter flight training at Fort Rucker, Ala. Named for Confederate General Edmund Rucker, the Army post is the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. You go there to learn to fly Apaches and Black Hawks and whatever else the Army flies these days. Philip, one of only four active duty officers in his graduating class, chose Black Hawks. He could have flown Apaches but Apache bases are few and far between, and Black Hawks are everywhere. Plus, he got his fixed wing license on his own dime, just in case. Philip and Deanza are 24 years old. Philip has orders to a new assignment for three years of real-world experience, and advanced officer training after that. Deanza has applied to the police department in Hawaii, their new duty station. Deanzas family thought that was great. Would she be a secretary? Front desk worker? Nope police officer. Deanzas stepfather, Daniel Roybal, formally adopted her this year as his own daughter. Her mom, Kimberly Rivera, is pretty excited. As we visited through the late afternoon just before the summer rain storm hit Custer, my wife, Audrey, and I began to feel like the future is in pretty good hands. Both my grandfathers and my dad were Army aviators; one Major General (AAF Chief Engineer), one bird Colonel, and one First Lieutenant. And every one of them would have been delighted with the Apodaca family and their rich history and traditions, especially the shiny bright future for this brand new Army pilot and police officer. Initiation of criminal case against high-ranking investigator appealed MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) The defense of the First Deputy Head of the Investigative Committees Moscow Directorate, Denis Nikandrov, who is suspected of taking a large-scale bribe, has appealed the launch of a criminal case against him, RAPSI learned on Tuesday from the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscows press-service. Appeal is to be reviewed on August 3. On July 20, the head of the Investigative Committees Internal Security Directorate Mikhail Maksimenko along with several of his high-ranking colleagues, including the First Deputy Head of the Investigative Committees Moscow Directorate, Denis Nikandrov, and Maksimenkos deputy Alexander Lamonov, were detained for one month and 27 days, i.e. till September 15. Earlier, they have been arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of receiving a large-scale bribe. According to the official website of the FSB, the agency, along with the Investigative Committee, is carrying out a probe into the criminal case against the suspects over alleged abuse of office and receiving bribes from some representatives of the criminal community. Last Tuesday, various media outlets reported that Maksimenko and his colleagues were arrested by the FSB as a part of the investigation into the criminal case over extortion of 8 million rubles ($127,000) that involved gang leader Zakhariy Kalashov also known in the criminal world as Shakro Molodoi. Moscow City Court upholds house arrest for imam charged with justifying terrorism Context Moscow imam charged with justifying terrorism MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court has upheld the ruling of a lower court on house arrest for Moscow imam Makhmud Velitov, who is charged with justifying terrorism, RAPSI learned in the courtroom on Tuesday. According to Velitovs defense, he is seriously ill and his cardiologist has recommended the imam to spend more time in the open air. During the hearings, Velitov was characterized by defense as the imam of the people, who does not justify terrorism. The imam himself quoted verses from the Koran and said that in forty years of his religious service, he had never set up the Muslims against society and had never cultivated aggressive moods among his congregation. Velitov is to stay under house arrest until August 27. On September 23, 2013, Velitov, being a council chair and imam of a religious organization, made a public speech justifying activity of one of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami terrorist organizations members during a prayer in a Moscow mosque, according to investigators. This organization has been banned by Russias Supreme Court. As follows from the conclusion of a forensic examination, the imams speech contained a set of psychological and linguistic features of justifying terrorist activities, the statement reads. 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. Alfa Bank fined for texting spam advertisements MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) The Sverdlovsk Regional Commercial Court has upheld the lawfulness of a 100,000 rubles ($1,500) fine imposed on Alfa Bank for texting spam advertisements, the court press-service informs on Tuesday. The case was initiated as a customer made a claim that advertisements of financial services were being sent to his registered telephone number. The Sverdlov Regional Directorate of the Russias Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) relied on the provisions of the advertising law allowing dissemination of advertisements over telecommunications, including telephone, fax and mobile networks only on condition of the prior consent of a subscriber or an addressee. The antimonopoly watchdog has found that Alfa Bank infringed on these provisions and imposed an administrative fine in the amount of 100,000 rubles ($1,500) on the bank. The commercial court upheld this decision having dismissed the claim of Alfa Bank seeking to overturn it. A neutron star collision is more than just a smash hit by Muse. Physicists are studying gravitational waves in these collisions, hoping that since two colliding black holes can produce gravitational waves, two colliding neutron stars might be able to as well. Detecting these waves would helps scientists understand quark matter, something that is currently pretty mysterious. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child marks the end of one boy wizard's journey. J.K. Rowling's latest novel, which was the most pre-ordered book of the year and is currently the script for a play in London, depicts the famous Harry as a 37-year-old father and gracefully closes the door on the strange, fantastical world that has been alive for the better part of two decades. Over 40 people were injured in Kosovo while attending a beer festival after someone in the crowd shouted ISIS as a joke. Critics are skeptical of Brazil's level of preparation for the quickly approaching Olympic games. The nation failed to keep their promise of treating 80% of sewage entering the once clear and beautiful--and now entirely polluted--Guanabara Bay. Polluted water is just one concern being raised, another being high crime. On its latest operating system, Apple has decided to replace the black pistol emoji with a green water gun after social media posts containing the old gun emoji were reported by police as threats. Deciding to use electronic voting machines in major elections was a step up from punchcards, but supplied more than a handful of new problems. The GOP presidential candidate has expressed that the upcoming election will be "rigged." One way to do that? Hacking electronic voting machines. [the below article is likely to appear in the Mainstream Weekly] NDTV released a video on 30 July 2016 which posed the question, "Gau-Rakshaks Protectors or Extortionists?" (http://www.ndtv.com/video/news/truth-vs-hype/truth-vs-hype-gau-rakshaks-protectors-or-extortionists-425653) The video shows how "gau rakshaks", always associated with one or other Hindutva outfit, forcibly stop those who are transporting cattle and snatch away the cattle. The animals are taken to one or other cow shelter owned by the same cabal and are released only when substantial sums of money are paid. This money is for amaintenancea and cannot be called fines as no illegal activity is involved. It comes through that the shelters may also sell the seized cattle, which never were their property. While the NDTV video focusses on the money making activities of the gau rakshak syndrome, there are other things that we must consider. All the victims of the gau rakshaks are Muslims or Dalits, and always there is physical violence against them in addition to the robbing of their cattle. This must be seen as a strategy to instill fear in the minds of Muslims and Dalits who are of course going about their lawful business. Right and wrong are defined not by the laws of the land but by the gau rakshaks, whose actions are not whimsical but a calculated strategy to tell Muslims and Dalits that they are not equal citizens but subordinate species. In the name of cow protection Muslims and Dalits are attacked. Neither a Muslim not a Dalit is prevented by religion from cutting up and eating "cow and its progeny". The gau rakshaks, who represent a particularly virulent strain of Hindutva, seem to work on the warped reasoning that those who are free to handle cows flesh must do that and nothing else. It is forgotten that Muslims and Dalits in many parts of the country are aware of the civil laws against cow slaughter and have every reason to abide by these laws. The Hindutva fanatics, however, go by their life-long identification of Muslims and Dalits as cow eaters. By assuming always that Muslims and Dalits break the laws of the land, they manufacture the justification for taking the law in their own hands. The Guadalupe Buddhist Church celebrated and showed their gratitude toward their ancestors' spirits with live performances, music and food at the annual Obon Festival on Sunday. The festival was held at the Veterans' Memorial Community Center in Santa Maria. Hold on to your proverbial (or literal) hats, film fans. The legendary Fantastic Fest has just dropped its first announcement of films and events, and is it ever incredible. From Andrea Arnold to Tim Burton to the latest in VR to the best new genre cinema of South Asia, the festival guarantees to be, well, fantastic. Fans of the cult film Phantasm are in for a special treat. Not only will Don Coscarelli and the cast be there for a remastered edition of the film, but it will be be streamed to art house cinemas across the country (for those unable to attend. And, the festival will screen Phantasm: Ravager, with director David Hartman in attendance. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children looks like a return to form for Tim Burton, and he will be on hand for a special screening of the film. As well, Texas native Sasha Lane will be in attendance for the Texas premiere of Andrea Arnold's film of youth in revolt, American Honey. This year's theme is all about cinema from South Asia, one of the most populous places on the Earth, filled to the brim with exciting and unusual genre cinema. The programme will feature the director's cut of Psycho Raman, the latest from Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur); the sweeping epic madness of Magadheera, and the gangster film, Khalnayak. For Evrim Ersoy, Head of Programming, "It's a dream come true to bring the glorious excess and pageantry of Indian cinema to Fantastic Fest. We are celebrating not only Bollywood but also Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema, highlighting the kaleidoscope of textures and content that is as wide and varied as the subcontinent itself." A new feature of several fantastic film festivals is VR gaming, and Fantastic Fest is going all out with the world premiere of Mule, studio Dark Corner's follow-up to Catatonic. Described as an "emotional, fast-paced hell-ride that catapults the viewer through the final shocking moments of a man's life", it will also include the unveiling of a custom-designed installation. And still more amazing films! Among the first wave of titles announced, I can personally highly recommend Dearest Sister, the creepy slow-burn thriller from Laotian director Mattie Do; Aloys, the strange and heart-wrenching love story of a different colour; and the spooky terror of Liam Gavin's A Dark Song. And there's still more, such as Werner Herzog's ecological thriller Salt and Fire. James Bryan will be in attendance for the World Premiere of his never-seen VHS horror film Jungle Trap, which is finally ready after sitting unedited on a shelf for 25 years. And Everything Is Terrible, the team that finds the most outrageous footage and assembles it together in into brain-melting, jaw-dropping images, will be on hand with their latest treasurers. Full list of the first wave of films below. 24X36: A MOVIE ABOUT MOVIE POSTERS Canada, 2016 World Premiere, 83 min Director - Kevin Burke Through interviews with art personalities from the past four decades, 24 x 36 examines the birth, death and resurrection of illustrated movie poster art. A DARK SONG Ireland, 2016 World Premiere, 99 min Director - Liam Gavin Sophia is a determined young woman who hires a weird occultist to perform a ritual which will risk not only their lives and souls, but also the very essence of their being. ALOYS Switzerland, France, 2016 US Premiere, 91 min Director - Tobias Nolle Aloys Adorn is a lonely private investigator who, after the death of his father, finds himself sucked into a mysterious telephone walking game with a mysterious woman who might be his only hope. AMERICAN HONEY United States, 2016 Texas Premiere, 158 min Director - Andrea Arnold Andrea Arnolds first US feature follows 18-year-old Star as she leaves her home in Oklahoma and goes in search of adventure, adulthood and America. BELIEF: THE POSSESSION OF JANET MOSES New Zealand, 2015 US Premiere, 89 min Director - David Stubbs The true story of the Wainuiomata exorcism provides the basis for David Stubbs striking debut feature, a documentary exploring the tragic death of Janet Moses in a traditional Maori exorcism ceremony. THE CREW France, 2016 US Premiere, 81 min Director - Julien Leclercq Its bad men face versus worse men as thieves face off against dealers in this super slick French heist thriller from the director of Chrysalis and The Assault. DEAREST SISTER Laos, France, Estonia, 2016 World Premiere, 100 min Director - Mattie Do After moving to the city, a poor woman realizes her recently blinded cousin can not only commune with the dead, but they can provide a path to much-needed wealth. DOWN UNDER Australia, 2016 North American Premiere, 87 min Director - Abraham Forsythe In the aftermath of massive race riots, two carloads of dim-witted alpha males set off to defend their respective territory with outrageous results in this sharp edged Australian satire. THE DWARVES MUST BE CRAZY Thailand, 2016 World Premiere, 92 min Director - Bhin Banloerit A Thai village of little people is attacked by evil, butt-munching, fart-tracking Krause spirits - floating heads with attached intestines - in this slapstick horror-comedy. FAULTLESS France, 2016 North American Premiere, 103 min Director - Sebastien Marnier After burning out in Paris, Constance returns to her home town only to find herself in lethal competition with a younger girl for her old job. FRAUD United States, 2016 Texas Premiere, 53 min Director - Dean Fleischer-Camp A familys home movies document a desperate crime, and the subsequent bid to escape the consequences in this impressionistic meta-fiction born from the manipulation of hundreds of hours of innocuous uploads to YouTube. An extraordinary feat of editing, a provocative parable of the pursuit of happiness and a disturbing demonstration of the mutability of the stories we share in the Internet age. THE GREASY STRANGLER United States, 2016 Special Screening, 93 min Director - Jim Hosking Ronnie fears his first love affair is turning his father into a bloodthirsty monster whos covered in grease and has an 18-inch penis that looks like a dead chicken. JUNGLE TRAP : Presented By Bleeding Skull United States, 1990/2016 World Premiere, 80 min Director - James Bryan Exploitation demigod James Bryans massively entertaining, decapitation-fueled shot-on-video horror masterpiece about a jungle hotel haunted by kill-crazy ghosts in loin cloths, shot in 1990 and unreleased until THIS VERY MOMENT. KHALNAYAK India, 1993 Repertory Screening, 190 min Director - Subhash Ghai Ballu is an unrepentant gangster who has dedicated his life to the celebration of villainy. He is a bad, bad man and not ashamed one bit. However, with the help of his mother and a sympathetic cop, Ballu will rise above his circumstances to gain satisfying redemption. MAGADHEERA India, 2009 Repertory Screening, 157 min Director - S.S. Rajamouli Harsha, a dirt bike racer, lives for thrills. One day he crosses paths with Indu, a girl with whom he feels strangely connected. Through this bond, Harsha discovers his hidden identity: a reincarnated warrior king. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN United States, 2016 Special Screening, 123 min Director - Tim Burton From visionary director Tim Burton, and based upon the best-selling novel, comes an unforgettable motion picture experience. When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is. ORIGINAL COPY Germany, 2016 Texas Premiere, 95 min Directors - Florian Heinzen-Ziob and Georg Heinzen In the heart of Mumbai, behind the screen of one of the last Hindi Film cinemas, lives Sheik Rahman, the citys last painter of film posters. This is his story. PHANTASM: REMASTERED (1979) United States, 1979 Special Screening, 88 min Director - Don Coscarelli One of the most influential and important horror films of all time, Don Coscarelli's Phantasm returns to Alamo Drafthouse's screens in a gorgeous 4k remaster. PHANTASM: RAVAGER United States, 2016 World Premiere, 87 Director - David Hartman The fifth and final film in the classic Phantasm film series, Phantasm Ravager follows our intrepid everyman hero Reggie on his quest across dark dimensions as he struggles to confront and vanquish the sinister Tall Man. POPOZ The Netherlands, 2015 International Premiere, 85 min Directors- Erwin van de Eshof & Martijn Smits Festival favorite Huub Smit (New Kids Nitro; New Kids Turbo; Bros Before Hos) stars as a Dutch cop raised on far too many American action films in this outrageous action comedy. PSYCHO RAMAN India, 2016 US Premiere, 127 min Director - Anurag Kashyap Raghavan is a cop: brutal, violent, and drug-addicted. Ramanna is a criminal: psychotic, unpredictable, and vicious. Its only a matter of time before they meet and when they do, Mumbai's slums will be colored deep crimson. SALT AND FIRE Mexico, 2016 North American Premiere, 93 min Director - Werner Herzog Herzogs most wildly unpredictable film, Salt and Fire is a meticulously slow burning, quasi-ecological thriller punctuated by moments of the lyrically poetic and the inexplicably, outrageously absurd. S IS FOR STANLEY Italy, 2016 North American Premiere, 82 min Director - Alex Infascelli Alex Infascellis documentary about Emilio DAlessandro, Stanley Kubricks personal assistant for more than thirty years, which provides never-before-seen insight into the private auteur. THE VOID Canada, 2016 World Premiere, 90 min Directors - STEVEN KOSTANSKI & JEREMY GILLESPIE Trapped in a hospital with a handful of people, a small town sheriff finds himself caught up in the demented plot of a death-obsessed madman. WE ARE THE FLESH Mexico, 2016 Texas Premiere, 80 min Director - Emiliano Rocha Minter Somewhere within a ruined city, a man makes an offer to a pair of siblings who wander into his abandoned building: food and shelter in exchange for building a strange room ZOOLOGY Russia, France, Germany, 2016 US Premiere, 87 min Director - Ivan I. Tverdovsky Natasha is a lonely, middle-aged woman who still lives with her mother and feels insecure about her tedious life until she grows a tail. Seguin, TX (78155) Today Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 77F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Some clouds. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Quickly responding to (nonexistant?) problem, NY Gov bars paroled sex offenders from playing Pokemon Go | Main | "The Effects of DNA Databases on the Deterrence and Detection of Offenders" August 2, 2016 Charleston mass murderer now making mass attack on constitutionality of federal death penalty As reported in this BuzzFeed News piece, headlined "Dylann Roof Challenges Constitutionality Of Federal Death Penalty Law," a notorious mass murderer filed a notable motion in federal court yesterday in an effort to prevent being subject to the ultimate punishment. Here are the details: Lawyers for Dylann Roof on Monday filed a motion challenging the federal governments intention to seek the death penalty in his murder trial, arguing that the penalty is unconstitutional. [T]his Court should rule that the federal death penalty constitutes a legally prohibited, arbitrary, cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by both the Fifth and Eighth Amendments, lawyers write in defense of Roof, who is charged with murder for the shooting deaths of nine people inside a historically black South Carolina church this past summer. In the filing, the lawyers argue that the death penalty itself is unconstitutional, as is the federal death penalty law. [T]he [Federal Death Penalty Act] may have been designed with as much care as possible under the circumstances, the capital sentencing process that the statute provides is constitutionally inadequate in practice, the lawyers write. The results of jurors good-faith grappling with the law arbitrary, biased, and erroneous death verdicts are intolerable as a matter of due process and proportional punishment. The challenge is only being brought, the lawyers write, because the federal government is seeking the death penalty in Roofs case after rejecting his offer to plead guilty and accept multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.... In addition to the two broad constitutional challenges, Roofs lawyers are also challenging the jury selection process referred to as death qualification finding a jury willing to impose the death penalty. As the lawyers note, conscientious objectors to the death penalty are systematically excluded from such juries. Because the practice of death qualifying a jury has no constitutional or statutory underpinnings, distorts the jury function, introduces arbitrariness into capital sentencing and increases the influence of racism and sexism on the death determination, there is no justification for maintaining it, the lawyers write. The lawyers are also challenging related to the use of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) in the prosecution, noting that the legislation considered including the death penalty as a punishment but ultimately rejected it. [D]espite Congresss deliberate decision not to provide for the death penalty in HCPA prosecutions, the government has effectively amended the statute to permit a death sentence to be imposed, the lawyers argue. The full 34-page filing seeking to "strike the death penalty as a possinle punishment" is available at this link. A few prior related posts: August 2, 2016 at 09:55 AM | Permalink Comments The case applied to the federal government, given how few times it is used alone, is probably stronger. It just adds to my sentiment that the feds should have just let the state handle the death penalty issue, even if the feds prosecuted him too. The defense would logically raise a broad claim in the state prosecution too, eventually at least, but even if they did, the point holds. Posted by: Joe | Aug 2, 2016 10:30:46 AM https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/delaware-supreme-court-rules-that-states-death-penalty-law-i?utm_term=.lrPlXQWmn#.fnrzl8D9E Really need spreadsheets to keep track of all these developments in various areas of law. Posted by: Joe | Aug 2, 2016 3:35:14 PM Post a comment To reform a bail system that critics say disproportionately punishes poor people, District Attorney George Gascon is touting a new approach: An algorithm that recommends how to set bail by factoring in a person's pending charges, age, rap sheet, and record of appearing in court. "When we talk about releasing people based on money, we are really ignoring the risk that that person presents or does not present to public safety, he told CBS5 last month." A federal class-action lawsuit alleged last year that San Francisco's bail system, sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Money Bail," was unconstitutional. Officials tend to agree with a negative assessment of the status quo. Money bail doesnt necessarily deal with risk, Gascon told KQED in light of the lawsuit. You can have people that are very risky but are financially capable of posting bail, and theyre going to get released. And youve got people on the other end that may not be a risk, but they may not have the monetary ability to post bail, and they remain in custody for days, weeks and sometimes longer. For her part, current Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, then Deputy Sheriff, told KQED that the current system is inherently unfair. Now the Chronicle is highlighting Gascon's approach as it goes into effect. The algorithm was developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation of Texas, and the idea is to provide judges with objective, data-driven, consistent information that can inform the decisions they make," Arnold Foundation vice president of criminal justice Matt Alsdorf tells the Chronicle. "What Ive seen in other jurisdictions and what I hope to see in San Francisco is that over time ... people will start to see the validity of the tool and start to buy in more and more. Sheriff Hennessy says an estimated 80 to 85 percent of inmates in city jails are awaiting trial, many because they are unable to pay bail. While that itself my seem punitive, the effects of an oftentimes arbitrary bail system can extend further. If we want to take on mass incarceration this is where we should start, Santa Clara University law professor David Bell told CBS5 last month. Even a short time in jail increases the risk of criminal activity pre-trial. Longer pre-trial stints are associated with loss of employment and housing. Previously: San Francisco's Bail System Is Unconstitutional, Says Class-Action Suit Billionaire Facebook board member Peter Thiel wants a lot of things to see Donald Trump elected president, to build techno-utopian floating city states, and to see the Gawker media empire crushed. He also, we learn today via Inc., wants the blood of young humans coursing through his veins in an effort to live forever. Now I know what you're thinking wouldn't that make Thiel some sort of modern-day vampire? Well, the answer is (perhaps surprisingly) no. Instead, it would just make him someone who is very, very interested in a little known scientific field called parabiosis. The idea, tested on lab rats and in human trials now in China, is that transfusing the blood of young people into old people can counter the effects of aging not only slowing it down but perhaps reversing it. Inc. points out that this is a serious (if still unproven) science, and that multiple human trials are happening in the US. "I'm looking into parabiosis stuff, which I think is really interesting," Thiel told Inc. bureau chief Jeff Bercovici in a conversation about his biotech investments. "This is where they did the young blood into older mice and they found that had a massive rejuvenating effect. And so that's ... that is one that ... again, it's one of these very odd things where people had done these studies in the 1950s and then it got dropped altogether. I think there are a lot of these things that have been strangely underexplored." He then clarified that he is interested not for business purposes, but for actually using it purposes. "It may just be it's not necessarily patentable," observed Thiel. "The parabiosis would not require -- there's no FDA approval needed because it's just blood transfusions." Thiel, observes the Guardian, is well known for his interest in various life-extension efforts and is a proud transhumanist. He is also exceedingly rich, a fact which allows him to indulge his passionate search for immortality. And, in Monterey-based anti-aging company Ambrosia, it looks like he might have found just the right outlet. Ambrosia is doing just the kind of parabiosis research that interests Thiel injecting people over the age of 35 with the blood of people under 25 and so perhaps it is no surprise that Thiel Capital's chief medical officer Jason Camm reached out to Ambrosia founder and Stanford-trained physician Jesse Karmazin to inquire about his company's efforts. Karmazin told Inc. that, at present, he's not looking for investors, and Thiel Capital's involvement with Ambrosia appears to at this point to be merely one of interest. But with Thiel long on the record as trying to buy his way out of death, we can imagine it's an interest that will be sustained. After all, where's the fun in a Trump presidency if you can't live long enough to enjoy all of its disastrous effects? Related: Obscenely Rich Tech Folk Are Still Building Their Island Utopia Off The Coast of San Francisco Designer and coder Chris Arvin put in some major hours in the SFMTA archive to create a fun new interactive map about the many, many streetcar lines that used to fan out all over San Francisco, on basically every major thoroughfare. The map shows the streetcar lines at their height in 1940, and then their abrupt disappearance by 1960, when many were replaced with buses, and when all there was left were the five streetcar lines that would ultimately become the routes for the Muni Metro, the J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Oceanview, and N-Judah. Jump ahead to 2016, and we have all these as light-rail lines along with the T-Third, as well as the F-Market streetcar and the new E-Embarcadero. Then, come 2020, we'll have the partially above-ground Central Subway as well, extending the T-Third directly up Fourth Street and beneath Stockton. Click around the map and you'll see, like below, that not only can you highlight the routes and learn their names, but four historic photos appear below the map depicting that streetcar line as well. Arvin told Hoodline that he was inspired to start the project after falling in love with San Francisco and seeing "the history of our public transit in many places... and even seeing the partial remnants of tracks in the road in Potrero." He went about researching at the SFMTA, and found that information on the many streetcar lines was very scattered, and he wanted to gather it all in one place. Thus, transit nerds now have this handy history tool to play with. Related: Take This Very Old-Timey Video Tour Of The 'Golden Gate City' The office of the president of the Board of Supervisors got into it with a tourist last week, reaffirming the old adage that only San Franciscans can talk trash about San Francisco. It just so happens that in this case, as the Chronicle reports, the dust-up was literally about garbage. Tourist David Cochrane was apparently appalled at what he saw while strolling the streets of our fair city on vacation with his wife, and wrote into the Supervisor's office to complain. I was embarrassed to be an American because of the way San Francisco is presented to the world, he wrote on July 25 in reference to what he believed to be excessive litter. Cochrane received a response on Saturday, but it was likely not what he expected (although what, exactly, he did expect is unclear). If you are embarrassed to be an American, then you are barking up the wrong tree here, buddy, read the response from Breed's office. Why dont you write a letter to the editor of whatever town youre from if your panties are in a bunch? Cochrane instead forwarded the email to the Chronicle, where he continued to refer to Fisherman's Wharf as a "dump" and said he'd be telling all his friends to avoid our city, and the paper then circled back to Breed. Breed has blamed the email on an unpaid intern saying that the person who wrote it has been let go. I take full responsibility for the volunteers words and have personally apologized to Mr. Cochrane, Breed told the paper. This, of course, it not the first time the supervisor has run into some digital controversy. In 2009 she embarrassingly argued with safe-streets advocates on Twitter and tweeted the following (since deleted) gem at a constituent: "if you pay my salary, I want a raise to listen to your bullshit." She deleted her account shortly thereafter, but revived it last year. If the speed at which she dismissed the intern in question and apologized to Mr. Cochrane is any indication, she may have picked up a thing or two since 2013 about how elected officials are supposed to behave online. Related: One To Watch: BoS President London Breed Revives Pissily Deleted Twitter Account The controversial "tech tax" is dead for the time being, with a 2-to-1 vote yesterday by the Board of Supervisors budget committee meaning the measure will not be sent to the full board for vote. The Chronicle reports that had it been placed on November's ballot by the full board and approved by two-thirds of SF voters, the Homelessness and Housing Impact Technology Tax would have imposed a 1.5 percent payroll tax on San Francisco technology companies and used the proceeds to fund affordable housing and homeless services. Not everyone was a fan. As a city, I dont think we should subscribe to the politics of Donald Trump and the Republicans that they are saying certain people are not welcome here in San Francisco, Supervisor Mark Farrell said yesterday, kind of bizarrely invoking the Republican candidate after voting to kill the measure in committee. "Members of our technology community are San Franciscans. And I, for one, believe we should embrace them. And for those that are new to our city ... seek to engage them rather than demonize them." The measure was supported by Supervisors Eric Mar, David Campos, and Aaron Peskin, and back in June Mar told the Examiner why he thought it was the right move. "After five years of a rapid tech boom in The City that we are all aware of, it is time San Franciscos big tech companies are paying their fair share to address the impacts of housing and homelessness in our city." Ted Egan, San Francisco's chief economist, didn't agree something he made clear in a report released yesterday which attempted to project the potential impacts of the measure should it pass. While noting that the tax would generate anywhere from $70 million to $140 million per year, Egan argued the overall impact would in fact be negative. "Because the decline in earnings will more than offset the decline in housing prices, housing will be less affordable, on average," the report claims. "This is possibly the case because some of the tax would fall on technology company employees, many of whom do not live in the city. Technology workers who live, but do not work, in the city would be unaffected." Given how many major tech companies are located south of the city, this is a fair point. For the purposes of the tax, the report notes that a tech company was to be defined as one "doing business in San Francisco that receives any gross receipts from any of five technology business activities, defined in the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS)." Those included: "Computer & Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing," "Software Publishing," "Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services," "Internet Publishing & Broadcasting and Web Search Portals," and "Computer Systems Design and Related Services." It should be noted that there is a separate effort underway by new Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing head Jeff Kositsky to solicit voluntary charitable donations from large tech companies, in and outside the city, to support transitional housing and homeless services. While the proposal was quick to generate a backlash mayoral spokesperson Deirdre Hussey told the Chron it was a job-killing measure there is now a backlash to the backlash. In a press release sent out this morning, progressive supporters announced their intention to raise enough signatures to put the tech tax on the ballot but that's not all. "Supervisor Mark Farrell spearheaded the effort to kill the legislation at a special Budget Committee hearing on Monday," reads the release. "Community members are calling for an investigation of Supervisor Mark Farrell by the City Attorney and Ethics Commission in light of a clear conflict of interest and his extensive ties to the tech industry." It remains to be seen if the group will gather the necessary signatures to keep this thing afloat. Previously: Proposed SF 'Tech Tax' Angers Mayor, Tech Industry At least five people are dead following a charter bus crash into a freeway sign in Merced County. The Associated Press reports the collision occurred in the early morning, and that the bus was split nearly in half by the force of the impact. In route to Sacramento from Southern California, the bus was on Highway 99 north of Atwater when it veered into the sign at approximately 3:35 a.m. "The pole went through the center of the bus, and that's where the injuries were sustained," California Highway Patrol Officer Moi Onsurez told the AP. The bus carried 30 passengers, and the driver was among the injured. First responders used ladders to pull people to safety through shattered windows, and five passengers are reported to have been hospitalized. At least five confirmed dead in bus crash. Updates coming @MercedSunStar pic.twitter.com/cJVUwhfZUA Rob Parsons (@MercedCrimeBeat) August 2, 2016 The cause of the crash remains unknown, and NBC reports that northbound 99 is closed as officials investigate. Related: LA-To-SF Greyhound Bus Flips On 101 In San Jose, Killing Two A man who was visiting San Francisco from New Zealand was killed Monday afternoon, after a motorcyclist struck him on a Union Square street. According to the San Francisco Police Department, the collision occurred at 4:08 p.m. Monday, at the intersection of Stockton and Geary Streets. Police say that a 32-year-old man piloting a Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide motorcycle struck two pedestrians: A 60-year-old man, and a 53-year-old woman. The male victim suffered severe head trauma, and was pronounced dead, police say. According to a spokesperson with the San Francisco Medical Examiner's office, the deceased was identified as Hastings, New Zealand resident William Tims. The woman was also seriously hurt, police say. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries, but an update on her condition was not available at publication time. Citing the ongoing investigation, an SFPD spokesperson declined to give further details on the case, including who they believe had the right of way prior to the collision, or if the motorcyclist has been arrested or cited in the crash. Kathryn Steinle's parents to file legal claims against S.F., feds in Pier 14 slaying: http://t.co/2qXGMUSpBF pic.twitter.com/HcqFuC0osT SFGate (@SFGate) September 1, 2015 In the latest chapter in the ongoing story surrounding the shooting death, one year ago, of Kathryn Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco, the City of SF is moving to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Steinle's parents claiming negligence on the part of the city, the Sheriff's Department, and federal officials which directly led to their daughter's death. As KRON 4 reports, the City continues to defend the fact that it had no responsibility to inform federal immigration officials of the release of suspected shooter Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez under the Sanctuary City ordinance. Furthermore, per the Chronicle, the motion argues, "All of the evidence shows that Lopez-Sanchez randomly chose a victim," and he had no history of violent crime, and the City therefore "had no way of knowing [Steinle] in particular would be harmed." Defense attorneys for Lopez-Sanchez have argued that the bullet ricocheted off the ground and therefore Steinle's death should not even be considered a murder, but there has been forensic testimony to refute that. Lopez-Sanchez has yet to stand trial. Lopez-Sanchez, as you'll recall, had been deported from the US five times before landing in federal prison for nearly four years for illegal re-entry. He was remanded to San Francisco's custody in March 2015 to face a previous marijuana charge, which local prosecutors decided to dismiss. He was then released, under Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, in April 2015, and under the Sanctuary City policy SF had no responsibility to inform federal immigration officials of his release. Steinle was then shot by a bullet allegedly fired by Lopez-Sanchez, who claimed to have been shooting at sea lions with a stolen gun while under the influence of prescription drugs, on Pier 14 in July 2015. The case sparked national headlines because of the immigration issue, leading to SF's Board of Supervisors twice reaffirming the Sanctuary City policy, and newly elected Sheriff Vicki Hennessy compromising with the Board on the issue of when it's appropriate to contact Immigration and Customs with regard to an undocumented person in SF's custody. Under the new ordinance, Hennessy has "discretion to notify immigration agents if the inmate had a violent or serious felony conviction in the past seven years or three or more lesser felonies arising from different events in the past five years." Attorney's for the Steinle family are expected to file a response to the City's motion in the coming days. All previous coverage of the Kathryn Steinle case on SFist. An anomaly in the terrible chronicle of the Holocaust was the role of Italys army and Fascist police in saving Jews. The setting was Italian-occupied Francea strip along the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea whose commanders refused to hand over Jews to the Vichy French (who were determined to please Hitler) and eagerly frustrated the Nazis by foot-dragging. In Mussolinis Army in the French Riviera, Emanuele Sica from Canadas Royal Military College examines Italys World War II adventure in France and finds an army whose men were eager to fraternize with the natives out of boredom, curiosity and self-interest and whose generals didnt feel up to squelching a resistance movement. As for saving Jews, Sica finds motivation in the relatively tepid anti-Semitism of Italian society coupled with a desire to block Vichy and eventually seize more French territory. Weve covered celebrities who achieved academic success before pursuing dreams on the sound and stage, but are there high profilers who ditched the whole school thing? You bet. Here are some mutli-millionaires and billionaires that reached great heights without a high school or college degree. Brad Pitt Actor His story: Pitt was just two weeks from graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in Journalism. However, Pitt decided film life was the life for him. He dropped out before graduation and moved to Los Angeles. Steve Jobs Founder of Apple His story: Its weird to think of the founder of one of the largest technology companies ever didnt complete college, but its true. Jobs dropped out of Reed College just six months in and founded Apple a short time later. Lady Gaga Pop singer Her story: Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, the now-global superstar once attended New York University. After one year, she dropped out to pursue her music career. It paid off. At just 20 years of age, she signed on to Interscope records. Jim Carrey Actor/comedian His story: The Dumb and Dumber funnyman dropped out of high school when he was 16 to help his family support his sick mother. Carrey soon began working a comedy circuit in Toronto before landing his first acting credit with The All-Night Show at just age 18. Oprah Television host Her story: Though she ended up completing her degree in 1986, a decade earlier, the television queen dropped out of Tennessee State University. With just one credit left, Oprah left to begin her career in broadcasting. SIOUX CITY | Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for country music stars High Valley, Granger Smith and Casey Donahew, coming to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's Anthem stage. High Valley, a Canadian country band, will take the stage at 8 p.m. Sept. 3. The band is composed of brothers Brad and Curtis Rempel. Granger Smith will perform at 8 a.m. Sept. 18. Smith has sold out national tours and has more than 5 million followers on social media. His new album, "Remington," debuted March 4. Casey Donahew is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 19. Donahew's latest release "Standoff" yielded five No. 1 radio hits. Tickets can be purchased from the Rock Shop or hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com. SIOUX CITY | One of the last standing remnants of Sioux City's World War II air base, the small white chapel at 2812 Niobrara Ave. has been anchoring the entrance to Sioux Gateway Airport for nearly 75 years. But the historical structure could be on the move in the future, according to talks among city officials, a local museum and a church congregation that uses the facility for worship services. Mike Collett, the airport director and assistant city manager, said the move is something city officials have long discussed to free more space for possible commercial developments. "The city has looked at it from a long-term goal standpoint as the best use of that property, but we still want to maintain the historical integrity of that base," Collett said. Sioux City's World War II air base was built in 1942 as a B-17 bomber training facility. Only three of the airport's original structures remain, and the chapel is the only building regularly open to the public. Maintaining the chapel's historical integrity, Collett said, would in part mean keeping the church on the premises of the original base. That's why the city has been in discussion with the nearby Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation, which is also located on the former grounds of the base. Larry Finley, the museum's executive director, says the museum has room on the 15 acres it currently leases from the city to place the church. While it seems like a good idea for all involved, Finley said, restoring and moving a building that's three-quarters of a century old isn't cheap. According to current estimates, the move itself would cost $25,000, with accompanying renovations causing the price tag to skyrocket to $250,000. He said he would also like to see an engineer's opinion on whether the structure can be moved safely. "It's been pretty much the position of the volunteer board members that we would like to preserve the chapel," Finley said. "We think this would be an appropriate place for it on the base, ... but the funds are going to have to be raised to actually do the move and the restoration work." Finley said funding would need to come from outside sources, such as historical grants. The project would also need someone to spearhead it. "There's no way that this museum could undertake a project like that by ourselves, either from the actual physical labor part or from the financial standpoint, Finley said. It really has to be a community effort." Finley said a relocated chapel would likely need a new foundation, plumbing, water, sewer and electric lines, as well as physical restoration of windows, siding, the roof and the steeple, plus other upgrades to make it handicap accessible. Despite the laundry list of upgrades, Finley said the building is in good shape, considering the air base structures were originally expected to only last three to five years. City and museum officials agree any potential move would not affect the ability of St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church, a congregation that has leased the chapel from the city for about a decade, to meet on the premises for worship services. Since moving in, the Rev. Robert Ponec, vicar of the church, said the congregation has already worked to make the wiring, plumbing and restrooms functional. The congregation has also installed a brand-new kitchen. Two workers from the CF Industries expansion construction project recently started refurbishing the outside of the church, repainting and putting in new vegetation. The majority of the work occurred over Memorial Day weekend, and Ponec said their assistance has been a blessing. We really only have two families (at the church), and we werent able to do any of this, Ponec said. It took a good deal of time and attention because it was in disrepair. We couldnt have done it (without them)." Councilman Dan Moore, who has also been involved in discussions among the church representatives, city and museum, said another option could be to leave the chapel in its current location, spelling out an agreement with the city in case any future airport developments come up. Regardless of the solution, he hopes the church continues to stand in Sioux City for a long time. "I did not realize ... the number of weddings and funerals that took place there," Moore said. "Theres just too much historical significance to the building, and it means a lot more to the military people who have served in Sioux City." Moore added he believes more information needs to be gathered before any formal request for assistance comes before the City Council or the Airport Board of Trustees. Mark Hannan, 19, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Omaha to one count of theft by an employee of a gaming establishment on Indian lands. Sentencing was set for Oct. 31. According to court documents, from Nov. 1 through Feb. 15, Hannan worked at the Native Star Casino, which is owned and operated by the Winnebago Indian Tribe of Nebraska. On several occasions, he withdrew money from the casino cashier's case totaling approximately $15,000 and used the cash for his own personal use, court documents said. Theres little doubt Showtimes new spookshow series Penny Dreadful steals its inspiration from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is, after all, a historical horror/action series in which a host of literary characters (including Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray) are united to fight supernatural crime in Victorian London. But since 2003s cinematic adaptation of Alan Moores longtime comic book series wasshall we sayel stinko, a borrowing and retooling of the basic concept isnt such a horrifying idea. Our story starts with a bang as Wild West gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett, Pearl Harbor) is recruited by sexy spiritualist Vanessa Ives (Eva Green, Casino Royale) and dapper explorer Sir Malcolm Murray (former James Bond Timothy Dalton) for a mysterious rescue mission. It involves a lot of skulking around in the dark and shooting mysterious creatures. (Well-read viewers will quickly realize that Sir Malcolm is the father of one Mina Harker, the protagonist of Bram Stokers Dracula.) The series takes its sweet time getting the team together. Eventually, though, Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway, Control), Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney, star of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), a spirited Irish chick (Billie Piper from Doctor Who) and an African warrior (British TV actor Danny Sapani) will join the monster-mashing crew. The cast racks up some impressive names, but theres some measurable quality behind the camera as well. John Logan (Skyfall, The Aviator, Gladiator) is the shows creator/ writer/ director. Sam Mendes (the American Beauty director who worked with Logan on Skyfall) is its executive producer. A few bucks were dumped into the coffers, making everything on screen look considerably better than your average Syfy series. The cinematography is appropriately dark and gloomy. The show is filmed in Dublin, and the settings look accurate for time, place and mood. The occasional geyser of blood-spilling action keeps things from becoming too literary as our anti-heroes are called upon to dispatch vampires, zombies, mummies, demons and the like. Best of all, the pay cable location on Showtime allows producers to include a bit of sex and as many severed body parts as they like. Given the purloined characters and fantastical subject matter, this series could easily have been a campy mess. (Van Helsing, Im looking at you!) But so far, the creators seem dead serious about the disparate supernatural elements, treating everything with po-faced sincerity. With its swashbuckling action and blood-soaked drama, Penny Dreadful captures the garish, grisly, serialized horror action of the cheap Victorian paperbacks from which its name is so appropriately cannibalized. When it comes to rebranding, what can your small business learn from a manufacturing giant like Sharp Electronics? Quite a lot, as it turns out. After its purchase by Japanese electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision earlier this year, Sharp went through an extensive rebranding process to focus on its home appliance division. The effort resulted in a new umbrella of Simply Better Living, which demonstrates the companys increased focus on premium home appliances and commitment to enabling health and wellness for its customers. The rebranding was led by Peter Weedfald, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. In addition to holding an executive marketing position at Sharp, (and Samsung and Circuit City before that), Weedfald started his own business, Gen One Ventures, a consulting practice, in 2008. As such, he knows the challenges small business owners face regarding rebranding. He spoke with Small Business Trends via telephone and shared some of the principles hes learned over the years that guided the Sharp rebranding and that small businesses can apply as well. Lessons from the Sharp Rebranding Example 1. Do a Checkup from the Neck Up This step, which should precede everything else, means that before doing anything else, you should conduct some extensive market research. The purpose, according to Weedfald, is so you will know who you are and who you are trying to be. He used the metaphor of a three-legged stool to explain what that research entails. The first leg deals with understanding what Weedfald referred to as your unique editorial franchise and position. In other words, what makes your products and services different from that of your competitors? Do you have a commoditized offer or something better? What is your unique value proposition? Weedfald said that, as a small business owner, you need to understand three things in particular: The market conditions you are playing in; Who the buyers are that youre trying to reach; The competition and what they have to offer and not offer. The second leg of the stool has to do with an understanding of your distribution strategy. In what ways can you distribute your products and services that attract people to them? The third leg addresses the issue of pricing and your ability to upsell, side-sell and create greater rhythm in your selling. You need to understand the benefits that come with the monetization opportunity and how to leverage it to increase sales with your current customer base. Weedfald said that many businesses never follow up after the initial interaction and, therefore, miss an excellent opportunity to sell more of their products or services. 2. Utilize CRM Software Customer data becomes highly relevant to the second leg of the stool, Weedfald said. In fact, hes defined the acronym CRM to mean consumers really matter. CRM is the Holy Grail, he said. The better you know your customer, the more likely you are to be relevant to them. 3. Get Creative with Your Rebranding In their rebranding, small businesses have to get into the creative zone, to escape the predictable, Weedfald said. You cant just say Im a plumber, Im in retail, or Im in manufacturing. You have to look at it more creatively. There is too much competition for you to be the same as everyone else. 4. Think Consistency, Frequency, Size, Color and Location Advertisers bombard consumers with messages, yet no one can remember a single commercial (other than those from Geico and Progressive). Weedfald shared a formula that can give your businesses a way to fix that and ensure you dont waste money when advertising: consistency, frequency, size, color and location. You have to drive frequency and consistency in advertising, he said. Infrequent, inconsistent ads wont work. And dont be small; dont be buried somewhere. Go big. And do it in a way thats highly relevant to your customer base and location. Weedfald uses the term color metaphorically to represent the creativity used in producing an ad as well as the ad itself. See Also: How to Turn Your Customer Complaints into Business Benefits 5. Pay Personal Attention to Your Customers Weedfald said that every Christmas and Hanukah he sends personalized video emails to every one of his business customers. I took an entire weekend to send 120 different video emails to as many people and groups of customers, he said. That worked, too. They all told their friends and colleagues about the video. The idea, he said, is that by being more relevant and personal in your marketing, you build emotional capital with your customer, which, in turn, fosters brand loyalty, drives opportunity and increases your position in the market. 6. Earn the Right to Ask for the Order You have to earn the right to ask for the order and be highly relevant when you do, Weedfald said. He advised that businesses focus on the sales formula attention, interest, conviction, desire and close and that they practice articulating that in various time frames: 30 seconds, one minute, five minutes and an hour. Practice makes perfect, he said. Over the phone, face-to-face or on the Internet, practice sharing highly relevant, highly energizing information. You should be able to articulate why your product or service is better, stronger and more useful than your competitors just as easily in a 30-second elevator pitch or a 30-minute presentation. 7. Ask Questions and Act on the Answers For small businesses, questions are the answers, Weedfald said, so continually ask questions and act on the answers when you get them. 8. View Objections as Requests for More Info Often, businesses look at a no as an objection, Weedfald said. Instead, what they should do is view it as a request for more information. You have a business, and youre trying to get someone to buy, he said. If they say no, thats your fault, not theirs. He added that its better for you to spend your time figuring out why youre not getting opportunities and losing sales long before you run an advertisement to try to get more business. 9. Use the Internet Smartly Weedfald argued that many small businesses limit their Internet presence to a website but, instead, should take advantage of all that the web (which he refers to as free enterprise in the cloud) has to offer. In particular, he advises small businesses to connect with customers using social media. Forty years ago we would have to write a letter or make a phone call, he said. Now we can just get online and interact with customers directly via social media. He also encourages businesses to take advantage of the power of Internet video, which played a significant role in Sharps rebranding, as you can see in this example: 10. Make Your Brand a Promise Aside from his emphasis on the checkup from the neck up and use of the three-legged stool, Weedfald said the most important aspect of rebranding comes in the form of making your brand a promise and sticking to it. In fact, he calls the brand promise the seat of the three-legged stool. Your customer is supposed to sit on that seat but he wont if he does not like your brand, products, services or who you are and who you represent, he said. Treat others the way you want to be treated, do the unexpected and you will receive brand loyalty. Marcus Marques Allen, 25, of Rochester, NY, with three counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault in connection with a triple stabbing Sunday night. LA PLATA, Md. (Aug. 2, 2016)Charles County Sheriff's investigators have charged Marcus Marques Allen, 25, of Rochester, NY, with three counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault in connection with a triple stabbing Sunday night. The man is accused of pulling a knife and stabbing 3 family members as they drove down the road. All 3 survived. A 4th victim was able to escape unharmed.At 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to the 4300 block of Renner Road in Waldorf for the report of a stabbing that occurred inside a vehicle. When officers arrived, they located a 19-year-old male lying in the street with a stab wound to his upper body. Just down the road from him, officers located a 44-year-old male and a 16-year-old male with stab wounds.All three victims were flown to a hospital with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening, according to police.A preliminary investigation showed the victims were in an SUV with Allen when he suddenly produced a knife and, for unknown reasons, began stabbing the occupants. The victims were able to jump out of the SUV and flee. A fourth victim, who was in the vehicle, escaped unharmed. Allen then fled in the SUV, but was located and arrested in Brandywine by Prince George's County police officers after he called 911 to report an unknown problem.Allen was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries he sustained during the assault.Allen is being held with no bond at the Charles County Detention Center.Det. C. Shankster of the Charles Co. Sheriff's Office is investigating. Local inventor Brian Jordan is working on building prototypes of prosthetic fingers to replace his own lost in an accident and help others who have suffered amputation. HOLLYWOOD, Md. Four years ago Leonardtown resident Brian Jordan had a catastrophic accident in which he lost portions of several of his fingers but it only inspired him to find an answer to a new problem in his life.A navy veteran and engineer, he quickly got to work on assembling a prosthetic finger that would restore much of the dexterity he lost when a mishap with a table saw cut them off.Now he has found help in a big way by partnering with a branch of the University of Marylandthe MakerBot Innovation Centerto make more advanced prototypes for smaller prosthetics.Theyre helping me with the design, Jordan told The County Times. Theyre 3D printing some prototypes and we hope to have a finished product at the end of the summer.Jordans prototypes resemble a skeletonized, jointed finger that fits over the remnant of his natural finger; with the 3D printing technology they can now rapidly create new prototype designs to see which works better.The computer design and engineering available at the Makerbot labs also made it easier to predict how a particular prototype would work before it was actually manufactured.Its more advanced, Jordan said of the technology he now has access to. You can custom make the design for whoever needs to use it. Jordans quest really began when he consulted with doctors shortly after his injury who told him they would teach him to use what was left of his hand rather than find some way to provide a prosthetic.Jordan said he found that their may have been a demand for smaller sized prostheticslike a finger or a thumbbut there was no real supply that he could find.He decided not to settle for a diminished hand and the partnership with the University of Maryland has brought him even closer to realizing his goal.Were looking for a prosthetic that is strong, robust and actually dexterous, Jordan said. Were more than 50 percent there to where we want to be.I want a nice solid product thats flawless.Anthony Ingelido, director of the labs at the university, said when he first met Jordan he talked with him for about three hours and became intrigued by his concept goals.The crux of the technology he developed is very powerful, Ingelido said. Its effective and simple.I really like what he was working on and his personal story. He seems to genuinely be invested in the project and helping folks out. (AP) In coming out to dozens of co-workers at a buttoned-up health research office, Aubri Drake had to start from the beginning. "When you're born, when you pop out, the doctor takes a quick look between your legs and says 'It's a boy,' or 'It's a girl,'" Drake began. As Drake's colleagues listened, Drake explained that most people go through life with an identity that matches that first peek at their genitals. But not everyone. For them, that identity isn't something that can be boiled down to the labels "male" or "female" or the corresponding pronouns "he" or "she." "I'm telling you this because I am trans, I'm genderqueer," Drake told the co-workers. "I don't identify as a man or a woman." Drake, 29, of Easthampton where trans protections were recently affirmed is one of many people in the Valley and across the country whose gender identity goes beyond the male/female binary to something more complex. And they say that, often, that realization brings a need for a shift in language. The traditional gender-based pronouns she/her or he/him no longer work. Drake uses they/them. People who don't identify as either male or female use different terms to describe themselves, including non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, bigender and agender. Some, but not all, also identify as transgender. For Drake and others who identify outside the male/female binary, the facts of gender identity and pronouns are something as integral as their first name. "If I see somebody and I'm describing them to somebody else, I do not assume gender," Drake said. While the spotlight on transgender celebrities such as Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner has helped illuminate the fact that gender is not always black and white, and the experiences of those who identify outside of a gender binary are largely missing from the cultural consciousness, say Drake and others. Cox and Jenner were both identified as male at birth and now identify as women and use she/her pronouns. Related: HBO Doc 'Suited' Shows Trans/genderqueer Dressing For Success However, many transgender people don't identify as male or female. Genny Beemyn, who works at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said that is especially true among younger people, including at UMass. "One thing that we're seeing here and what other schools across the country are seeing is the majority of our trans students today identify as nonbinary," Beemyn said. At UMass freshman orientation, incoming students can choose one or more of the following identifiers: man, woman, trans or another identity. Two-thirds of students last year who were not just men or women identified themselves as nonbinary, according to Beemyn. Beemyn is the director of the Stonewall Center, the UMass LGBTQ resource hub, and also identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. They said that universities, including UMass, are beginning to recognize the importance of allowing students to officially self-identify outside the binary. For example, students applying for admission to UMass for the fall 2017 semester will for the first time have the option to identify a gender other than male or female in their applications, Beemyn said. Being forced to choose from male or female or being referred to by the wrong pronouns often leaves those who identify outside the binary feeling boxed in. "When you use he/him pronouns or she/her pronouns for me, you are erasing who I am," Drake said. "You're seeing what you want to see, you're seeing what you imagine I am supposed to be." Facebook in 2014 began allowing users to pick from a list of 58 genders and has since replaced that expanded list with a fill-in box. And popular dating site OkCupid offers 22 gender options including genderqueer, pangender, transfeminine, two spirit and Hijra. There's no widespread government recognition of nonbinary genders in the United States. But in a ruling believed to be the first of its kind, an Oregon judge in June ruled that resident Jamie Shupe can have their sex listed as nonbinary in official documents. In the United Kingdom, several government agencies recognize the use of "Mx." as a gender neutral alternative to "Mr." "Mrs." "Miss" or "Ms." In Australia, gender can be listed on passports as male, female or "X." The use of they/them to identify a single person, rather than two or more people, has not been without controversy. Maryland state education official Andy Smarick made headlines earlier this month after sharing his thoughts via Twitter on Merriam-Webster Dictionary's use of the singular "they" when referring to one of the dictionary's staffers. "The singular they is an affront to grammar. Language rules are all that separates us from animals. We. Must. Stand. Firm," Smarick wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted. The dictionary retorted in a tweet: "Then you're talking to the wrong dictionary we're descriptivists. We follow language, language doesn't follow us.'' To students of language, it's a battle of descriptivism analyzing and documenting the real-world use of language versus prescriptivism the idea that one manner of language use or set of rules is better than another. For Northampton grammarian Lisa Papademetriou, the rules of language should not supersede actual usage. "The study of grammar and language is really just an attempt to map the fluid river that is our living language. Like any river, new channels will be cut, banks will erode, dams will be built, dams will burst it's dynamic," she said. "You do not change the river in order to match the map. You change the map in order to map the river." Related: Column: The Word Queer - Its History And Its Future Papademetriou is the author of more than a dozen books, a former book editor and most recently the person behind humorous grammar website IvanaCorrectya.com. She said her work as Ivana has led her to think and study more about grammar and the way it's used by different communities. She likes the singular they, both when used to refer to someone who identifies outside the gender binary and to refer to someone whose gender is unknown. The latter is a use that's been commonplace for centuries. "If I say 'I went to the doctor today and I got some important news,' many people would respond 'What did they say?' because I haven't specified the gender of the doctor it's ambiguous gender," she said. The Oxford English Dictionary, which bills itself as "the definitive record of the English language," offers a definition of "they" as referring to a "singular noun or pronoun of undetermined gender: he or she." The dictionary notes, however, that this use is sometimes considered erroneous. The first use recorded by the dictionary is a circa 1375 Middle English translation of the French poem "William of Palerne." And Shakespeare used the singular they in A Comedy of Errors: "There's not a man I meet but doth salute me / As if I were their well-acquainted friend." Today, "they" isn't the only pronoun option for those who identify outside the gender binary. Related: Whats Your Preferred Pronoun? Emmett Wald, 22, of Northampton, initially used they/them after first coming out as genderqueer while a student at Smith College in 2012. But that changed the following year. "At some point during the fall semester, a friend asked me about my pronouns, I was like 'Oh, you know, anything gender-neutral, whatever's easiest for you,'" Wald said. The friend responded: "O.K., but what pronouns do you actually prefer?" "I don't actually know, because nobody's ever asked me that," Wald recalled. Wald settled on ey/em a pronoun set that comes from the ends of the words "they" and "them." "Now when I introduce my pronouns, I usually say 'ey/em, or anything else gender-neutral,'" ey said. In their recent research regarding nonbinary college students, Beemyn said they observed the use of a variety of pronouns, though about 90 percent of those interviewed used they/them. Other pronouns include ze/hir and per, which is derived from "person." Those who identify outside the binary see gender everywhere because it is. "We use gender in so many places without thinking about it and we do it based on our quick assessment of someone's gender," Drake said. "Even simple interactions like going to a cashier to check out 'Hello ma'am, how are you today?' 'Hello sir, how are you today?'" The use of specific words attached to gender in social interactions is largely unique compared to the way one addresses other perceived cultural differences. In presentations to higher education faculty and staff, Beemyn drives home this point. "The example that I give is if you're in a large classroom teaching, you would never call on someone saying, 'The Asian person in the back there,'" they said. "But we feel perfectly OK saying 'That woman in the back there.'" Though people might silently assume another person's race based on that person's appearance, it's considered offensive to make that assumption known, Beemyn said. "With gender, we make those assumptions very apparent by using 'woman' or 'man,' 'Mr.' or 'Ms.,' 'sir' or 'madam,' or 'he' or 'she,''' they said. "It's not any more polite than to single someone out by race or to name someone's race without really knowing what their race actually is.'' The gender assumption and resulting politics at Smith College was something Wald frequently encountered. As ey was getting emails referring to "Smith women'' and hearing about notable "alumnae,'' Wald remembered a much more personal confrontation. "A classmate was speaking to me and a few other people after class and she said 'Bye ladies!' and I was like, 'Actually, by the way, I don't identify as a lady and I would prefer if you used a more gender-neutral term,''' ey said. "She looked at my long hair and she looked at my long skirt and she said 'OK' in a really skeptical tone of voice.'' Related: Queer Query: Terminology - A Guide Wald cut eir hair shortly after that experience. "I just become acutely aware that when I wore a skirt, people made assumptions that I was female, that I was a woman, and I wasn't comfortable with that,'' ey said. "That was a really complicated process for a while, feeling like gender-neutral meant masculinity for me and trying to push as far as I could in that direction.'' Vivian Chace, 22, who identifies as nonbinary, said they struggles when other people fail to recognize Chace as such. "I really like rompers and overalls and I wear a lot of skinny jeans with floral-patterned shirts with makeup and it's very often that people will be like 'That's a guy with makeup on,' or 'That guy might be gay,''' they said. "That's not really how I want to be read. That requires wearing a dress, and makeup and a pin that says 'they.' It always takes that extra level of push to be read in that way, which is frustrating.'' In college, Chace said their friends were supportive about using they/them pronouns. At work, Chace had varying levels of success with that recognition and varying levels of comfort about coming out. There was the Nordstrom store in Connecticut, where co-workers who were generally middle-aged white men "treated it as this thing they didn't want to deal with,'' Chace said. "They still used the proper pronouns.'' But Chace said their identity was also rejected by colleagues in the politically radical San Francisco Mime Troupe. "I thought for sure, no doubt, a self-identified communist theater troupe in the United States that's nine blocks away from the Castro District would get pronouns right and make an effort,'' they said. "In fact, it was very much the opposite 'Why do you care about this so much, you're just gay.''' Drake has struggled to find a full embrace of their identity at work, leading Drake to accept co-workers who use "he/him'' rather than "they/them.'' But the pronouns that are not OK, Drake said, are "she/her.'' "They cannot seem to forget that once upon a time, they thought I was a girl,'' Drake said. "I've gotten most people to use the right pronouns at work right in the sense of not using she/her.'' People who identify outside the binary and their allies say that discussion about pronouns should be more commonplace. "My name is Aubri and I use they/them pronouns, what pronouns do you use?'' Drake said. "It should be part of social interaction.'' Beemyn said education is key. In their presentations to higher education faculty and staff, Beemyn advocates for not assuming that everyone identifies within a gender binary, suggesting that professors give students the option of introducing their pronouns to the class. Beemyn recently highlighted this concept to incoming first-year students at orientation. "We introduce ourselves with the pronouns we use and explain why that's done,'' they said. "Literally from the day that students step on campus for the first time, we want them to know about nonbinary pronouns and that we are not going to assume their pronouns." (AP) The Seattle City Council has unanimously passed an ordinance to bar the practice of conversion therapy to try to make gay young people straight. The measure proposed by Councilmember M. Lorena Gonzalez passed unanimously Monday afternoon. Related: Appeals court upholds N.J. ban on conversion therapy It will punish licensed medical or mental-health professionals with fines up to $1,000 for using the form of talk therapy for minors to 'treat' same-sex attractions. It will also put into effect misdemeanor charges for advertising the service. Five states and the District of Columbia have taken steps to ban mental-health counselors from engaging in the practice with minors. Cincinnati, Ohio, and Miami Beach, Florida, have also banned it. The race for the U.S. Senate in Florida is quickly becoming a two man contest. Incumbent Senator Marco Rubio (R-West Miami) and challenger U.S. Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-Jupiter) appear to be in good position heading into the primary election, scheduled for Aug. 30. Murphy, endorsed by President Barack Obama, is working hard to win the seat. He collected toxic algae from the shores of Palm Beach County last month and delivered samples to members of Congress to raise awareness of environmental issues affecting Florida. Michael Kenny, District Director for Murphys Congressional office, told SFGN the Congressman did not attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in order to focus on problems facing Florida. Locally, voters have doubts about the incumbent. Eddie Facundo, a retired resident of Pompano Beach, said he is not voting for Rubio. When asked to name something Rubio had accomplished during his tenure in Washington, D.C., Facundo drew a blank. I just dont listen to him, Facundo said. RELATED: RUBIO REVERSES COURSE Senators, Facundo said, are tasked with bringing funding back to their respective states. Last week, Rubio urged President Obama and members of Congress to use unspent funds to treat the Zika virus. We now know that there are mosquitos in the state of Florida that are carrying the Zika virus and four Floridians have been infected, Rubio said on Friday. This problem will only get worse, not better, unless we get ahead of it. Rubio is attempting to salvage his political career after falling short during the Republican Presidential primaries. The 45-year-old attorney is a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives who was unable to defeat rivals Donald J. Trump and Ted Cruz in a failed bid for the Presidency. The Murphy Campaign contends Rubios record in the Senate is less than stellar. His record is a disaster, said Murphy Campaign spokesman Josh Wolf. Marco Rubio has ignored the toxic algae crisis hurting Floridas families for years. Hes headlining an event for anti-LGBT groups just months after Orlando. He refuses to take action on gun violence prevention. Right Wing Watch, a monitoring arm of the organization People For The American Way, reports Rubio is scheduled to attend an event in August just blocks away from the site of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The event, billed under the title Rediscovering God in America includes speeches from notoriously anti-LGBT activists David Barton, Mat Staver, Bill Federer and Ken Graves. @marcorubio insults memory of @pulseorlando victims by headlining radical anti-LGBT event in Orlando. Shame! tweeted Carlos Guillermo Smith, a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in district 49. Both Rubio and Murphy have primary opposition. Carlos Beruff, described as a mini version of Trump, is campaigning on the Republican side, while U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson appears to be the main challenger to Murphy on the Democratic side. Grayson, however, is embroiled in an ethics investigation and hounded by a report of domestic battery on his wife. Several organizations have rescinded endorsements of Grayson and Senate leader Harry Reid has called on Grayson to drop out of the race, saying he is an absolute fraud. Talks at Google: The Physics of Star Trek. Google Santa Clara Universitys Dr. Philip Kesten visits Google to discuss the Physics of Star Trek. Dr. Kesten is an Associate Professor of Physics and the Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies at Santa Clara University. In addition to receiving SCUs highest awards for teaching excellence, curriculum innovation, and student advising, Dr. Kesten was also named the 2005 California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education. His talks about the Physics of Star Trek have become popular within the academic and Trekkie communities. We love stories like this one. Fusing the workplace realities of coffee with the noble goal of outreach, training and mentoring for at-risk youth, a new coffee destination has emerged in Denver. Its not a proprietary modelweve seen practiced in places like Street Bean in Seattle, Carrot in Edmontonbut in the rhythm of todays modern coffee landscape, these kinds of coffee bars have the opportunity to thrive. If the quality of the offering is there, and consistent, than the capacity for outreach grows exponentially. Great coffee makes an inarguable case for itself and can be a jumping off pointlets jump together at the newly opened Prodigy Coffeehouse in Denver, Colorado. As told to Sprudge by Jeffrey Knott, partner with Prodigy Coffeehouse. For those who arent familiar, will you tell us about your company? Prodigy Ventures Inc. is Denvers newest social enterprise network committed to demonstrating that significant social impact and high-caliber business standards can be achieved and mutually enhanced in the same entity. The first venture, Prodigy Coffeehouse, is a neighborhood cafe mentoring, building professional experience, along with teaching the intricacies of specialty coffee to Denver youth. Can you tell us a bit about the new space? Were located at 3801 E 40th Ave in Denver, Coloradoinside of an old Jiffy Lube building. Having six large garage doors allows us to blur the lines between inside, and out. And if thats not enough, we have a west-facing patio with a view of the Rockies. Whats your approach to coffee? We take pride in the skills of our apprentices, and expect nothing less than the best when it comes to product quality and consistency, however, our focus is on the experience. Coffee, to us, means hospitality first. Were creating a safe place for community members from all walks of life. Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up? We were fortunate to partner with another Colorado company, Allegro Coffee. Theyve been such a strong partner from day one and have helped make it possible for us to sling drinks with a brand new La Marzocco Strada EE. Without the support of both companies, a machine of this caliber would not be possible for a startup nonprofit. Top of the line equipment, alongside 85-plus coffees make it possible for us to provide world-class training to our young apprentices. Whats your hopeful target opening date/month? Our grand opening was July 30th! The event featured live music from Youth on Record (another Denver nonprofit), a giveaway sponsored by Allegro Coffee, and discounted memberships. Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that youd like to mention? Prodigy has partnered with Jeffrey Knott, who specializes in opening high-caliber cafes. Whats the address? 3801 East 40th Avenue, Denver, Colorado. Tucked inside Revive Upholstery & Design is a charming, petite new coffee bar offering a taste of Holland. Prince Coffee fills two crucial needs: for specialty coffee in the North Portland neighborhood of Kenton, and, whether people know it yet or not, for stroopwafel. More on that later. I felt like there was a big need for better coffee in this neighborhood, especially because I think theres a lot of people like me who live here and appreciate it, said Katie Prinsen, Princes owner. After more than five years working at Baristaincluding time spent managing its NW 23rd Avenue locationand two years searching in vain for a spot in her chosen locale, Prinsen and the owners of Revive decided to share a space. Occupying the front of the building, Prince Coffee comfortably combines natural wood, thrift-store furniture, a hand-built bar, and Revives showroom pieces (dont sit on those!). Being in a shared space helps because it already has a great aesthetic, Prinsen said. The space is small and homey, and every element feels intentional. Prinsen designed the coffee portion of the space herself, building the shelves, enlisting her dad to build her navy-wainscoted and copper-topped bar, and hunting through thrift stores for furniture and tchotchkes. The design of it was partially up to the space, she says. You have to go with what the space wants, almost, which is really weird because [there was] a different feel that I was going for and then this is what came out. She adds, laughing, Which I love. Prinsen says shed intended a Dutch vibe because she spent part of every summer growing up visiting her fathers family in Holland. That doesnt mean Prince doesnt feature one important aspect of Dutch culture thoughin fact, it gets co-billing with coffee on the website. So, what is a stroopwafel? First of all, stroop rhymes with ropeor dope, says Prinsen. Stroopwafel is basically a sweet dough thats pressed and has a buttery, cinnamon-y caramel sauce in between. [Stroop] is not actually caramel, it is a little more buttery tasting. Everythingdough, stroop sauce, wafelsis made and assembled in-house. In the morning, when theyre literally fresh off the presses, Prinsen recommends enjoying them as they are. However, you could also place one on your coffee mug to warm it up or, like Prinsen, dip them in your cappuccino. Prinsen became a fan of the sweet delicacy from her frequent trips to Holland. I was obsessed with stroopwafels, she says. Wed get off the plane and I would be like, All right, lets go! The only place you can get them fresh is at markets in Holland, and I loved thatthere was just something about fresh stroopwafels thats so good. So I packed my suitcase full of them when wed come back home and give them to my friends. Naturally, she wanted to incorporate this piece of her childhood into her cafe. Youll also find Portland roasters Roseline and Coava on the menu at Prince. Prinsen chose them carefully, taking stock of what would work well in the neighborhood, what would work well for her new small business, and what would work well for her. I knew from having worked at Barista and working with so many different coffees all the time that I would get bored [if I had] one roaster; I also knew that, being a startup, I wanted to keep it to local roasters so that they could help me out. Her espresso drinks are made on a two-group La Marzocco Linea Classic, with a Mahlkonig K30 Twin grinder housing a coffee from each roaster. Prinsen uses a FETCO for batch brewing, which she grinds on a Mahlkonig Tanzania. Prinsen bought the equipment with a tiny loan and built out the cafe with her own funds. I love beautiful cafes, dont get me wrong, but I really wanted to show that you dont have to have the most ridiculous build-out ever to have ridiculously good coffee. Prinsen serves that ridiculously good coffee in hand-thrown ceramics made by Portland-based Ashley Hardy. I have three different [-size] cups, says Prinsen. I feel like people get so weird about their little drinks, like cortado, Gibraltar, macchiato. Thats why I have a set price for my milk drinksI just want people to get what they want, not worry about the price. Princes pared-down menu is inspired by the simplified ones she saw in Australian and New Zealand cafes a few years ago. I feel like its really simple, but sometimes people get confused by it, she said. But once customers get used to the simpler language of the menu, she feels they prefer itthey dont have to worry about it, they just know. Its not just the menu, though, that reflects Prinsen. The whole store, from her imported industrial stroopwafel press to the dad-built bar and the warm welcome customers receive as they walk through the door exude her personality. Now that her first cafe, named for the Dutch plural of her last name, is up and running, whats next for Prinsen? I would like a second location with a full kitchen, and Ill probably expand what I offer as far as Dutch food and pastries go. Our mouths are already watering. Rachel Grozanick is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. Grozanick has contributed previously to Bitch Magazine, 90.5 WESA in Pittsburgh, and 90.7 KBOO in Portland. Read more Rachel Grozanick on Sprudge. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Some 60,000 people have fled South Sudan for neighboring countries since the violence escalated in the country last month, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday. "Refugee flows from South Sudan into Uganda have doubled in the past ten days, bringing the total to more than 52,000 who have entered the country since violence escalated three weeks ago. Kenya has reported the arrival of 1,000 refugees in the same period, while 7,000 have fled to Sudan," UNHCR said in a statement. In July, the 2015 peace agreement in South Sudan between fighters loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar collapsed, with three days of renewed fighting during which more than 300 people were killed. Reports of clashes between rival ethnic-based militias continue, despite a tentative ceasefire agreement. Amid renewed violence, the UN Security Council (UNSC) extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan until August 12. MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to Al Arabiya broadcaster, no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. No details were immediately available. Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a civil war broke out in the country and long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The country has been contested by two rival governments the internationally-recognized Council of Deputies based in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress. The Government of National Accord has failed so far to unite the country. In July, Libyan forces led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the armed forces loyal to the Tobruk-based government, managed to retake control of a Benghazi neighborhood from extremists. The advance came as part of the forces' operation in Benghazi to counter Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries, and other extremist groups. Trump's cause was not helped by a response that ridiculed Khizr Khan's wife with a nod to Islamophobia, inferring that the reason she remained silent beside her husband during their appearance at the DNC may have been because she wasn't allowed to speak, before going on to refute Khizr Khan's claim that he hasn't made any sacrifices for America, citing the fact that he's undertaken huge property deals and development projects, employed people, as proof that he has. Yes, you really couldn't make it up. This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 In a story that won't go away the Khans have responded in kind both in articles and TV interviews, proving the one thorn in the side of the Trump campaign that he cannot yet remove. Trump's failing one that may well prove his undoing is the perceived disrespect he has shown towards the parents of a fallen soldier. In his arrogance and astonishing narcissism the property mogul has made the perhaps fatal mistake of believing he could say just about anything he wants and still attract support, presenting himself as the candidate for whom political correctness is anathema and is willing to say exactly how it is to a people tired of the status quo. But what he's just come up against is a country's reverence for its military and armed forces, the one institution in American culture that is considered above criticism or anything which even hints at disrespect. The parents and families of fallen soldiers referred to as Gold Star families exist as symbols of America's mythological opinion of itself as a force for good in the world, the one indispensable nation, whose willingness to sacrifice a son, daughter, father or mother in the great cause of liberty and democracy places them in a special category that transcends wealth, fame, political office, and most crucially ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. In other words the parents and families of fallen soldiers are the one demographic in which the mantra of America's much vaunted constitution when it comes to all men being created equal is actually upheld. Captain Khan and his family represent the best of America, and we salute them. pic.twitter.com/MGeJXPF2DE Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 30, 2016 For a man such as Donald Trump, words such as service, sacrifice and patriotism ring hollow. His loyalty is to the next business deal and opportunity for business and personal advancement. He is America with its mask removed, a place where greed, arrogance, ruthlessness and bigotry reigns. In other words, Trump, rather than any kind of aberration, is the ideal poster child for America and the American Dream, shorn of embroidery, finesse, and fancy packaging. Ironically it is the Khans Muslim parents of a Muslim son killed in Iraq in service to US imperialism rather than billionaire Donald Trump who represent the myth upon which the land of the free has managed to sustain itself through the countless brutal imperialist wars and military adventures that litter its history. The Prague airport measures the quality of local honey to ascertain the effects of air transport on the environment. The program has been in place since 2011 and has an analog in Dusseldorf. The reason the bees are used is that they don't interfere with airline operations. Bees are very small, and even in the case of contact with an airplane, nothing criminal can happen, explained aircraft engineer and beekeeper Roman Kuttelwascher. MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, more than 20 people were seriously injured, as the bus on its way to the southern city of Karachi ran into the truck. The number of victims is expected to rise due to the severity of the accident, the newspaper said. Last week, 21 individuals died after a minivan was washed off a road during heavy showers in northern Pakistan. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, Japan's Defense Ministry published a white paper in which it deemed Liancourt Rocks islands, also known as Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo or Tokto in Korean, its sovereign territory. "The [Korean] government strongly condemns the Japanese government including its sovereignty claims to Dokdo Islets, which is clearly our own territory by historical, geological and international standards, in the 2016 defense white paper on Aug. 2. Koreas Ministry of National Defense will firmly react against any attempts to infringe upon the sovereignty of the Dokdo Islets, and will seamlessly protect our rights to the Dokdo Islets," the spokesman said, as quoted by The Korean Herald. India has also planned to give dossiers to the Pakistani government regarding cross border terrorism and the use of state machinery to fuel recent unrest in Kashmir valley, sources told Sputnik. Meanwhile, Pakistan based terrorist group JuD chief Hafiz Saeed warned the Pakistani government that his outfit will organize a nationwide protest if Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh attends the SAARC Home Minister's conference in Islamabad. The SAARC Home Minister's conference will be held in Islamabad on August 4 and before that there will be Home Secretary level talks on August 3. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will arrive in Islamabad on August 3. The Home Ministers of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal are unlikely to attend the SAARC ministerial conference. Therefore, the current SAARC Home Minister's conference is likely to be an India-Pakistan dialogue. "As is known, the two previous governors left their post after the financial scandals. It is important. Besides, many social problems remained unsolved for years, and the budget allocation was not always transparent and following the public interests. In this regard, the voters have placed great hopes on her to cleanse' politics of corruption. However, will the LDPJ support her now?" the expert said. "Tokyo is the center of political, financial, economic life, and it has a whole bunch of problems. And while the public policy is determined by the government, the policy of the governor is very significant as well. Koike is not new to politics: she was a member of both Houses of Parliament, held ministerial positions, including the post of defense minister. And now she will try to implement her views as governor." "Koike takes quite a tough stance towards Russia, fully supports the Japan-US alliance, and it will not be a surprise if she supports the course of the revision of the Constitution," Kistanov told Sputnik. Japanese bloggers, who are not excited about the new governor, express their fears of this kind, too. At the same time, Koike claimed that she is aware of "the whole burden of responsibility for the elections' results" and intends to get serious about his new position. Koike-san repeatedly named US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as her role model. According to the newspaper the Star, monkeys attacked a postman at the camp, stole confidential documents from him then climbed away. The officials stated that this was not the first case of "mischievous" animals attacking the locals. "There have been previous cases of attacks at the army camp, school and even the mosque inside the camp," Malacca's National Park and Wildlife Department's director Noorzakiahanum Mohd told the newspaper. Even though initial media reports said that an official statement to this effect was not expected before December, a few days ago the major newspapers, Yomiuri and Nikkei, wrote that the 82-year-old Emperor was considering a televised address to the nation on August 8. Meanwhile, the Imperial Household Law may have to be revised to allow the abdication to take place, and this would also require parliamentary approval. I think that the Emperor is acting in the best interest of his country and his own health after he admitted that he was no longer able to properly execute his duties as the symbol of the state and national unity, Valery Kistanov he said. NEW DELHI (Sputnik) According to Cavusoglu, who spoke at a press conference after talks with the Pakistani prime minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Ankara had asked Islamabad to take action against some educational institutions even before the military coup attempt. "The request [to close Gulen-run schools] was made when [Pakistani] President Mamnoon Hussain visited Turkey [in April]," Cavusoglu said. "Such an organization [of Gulen supporters] poses risk and threat to security and stability in any country in which it exists. This terrorist organization has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural institutions." Among the plethora of reasons behind this grim situation, the most prominent one is the Indian Government's policy of not developing its areas bordering China in order to make it inaccessible to intruders. However, the policy has severely backfired as the local population are leaving their homes in search of better education and employment opportunities. Member of Parliament Tarun Vijay told Sputnik, "The Himalayan border areas are facing an acute problem of exodus because the old people are unable to do farming and their children want good education and facilities like medical help, electricity, communications and good schools. For this reason parents either move to better places or send their children to cities like Dehradun, Delhi, Bangalore etc. That is causing the villages on the border to become less and less populated." Data from the 2011 census shows 33 villages no longer exist on the state's map, while another figure from the government's statistics department suggests about 1,065 villages are completely desolate and uninhabited and have turned into bhutiya gao' or ghost villages. Many villages of Pithoragarh, Darma Valley, Vyas Valley, Johar valley, Tak, Gonia, Semal, Kalsaniya and Poth frontier areas are also almost completely abandoned. "It's a dangerous situation because the defense line needs a friendly population on borders. Hence, I have demanded a special commission to provide better infrastructure and facilities for the border people to stop their exodus in the interest of people and national defense," Tarun Vijay said. Baker claimed that he saw the knife while struggling with Micetic. "We wrestled and I saw the knife. I had the spray out, but it was too close to use. I had my gun out and yeah," Crown Prosecutor Andrew Tinney testified before the court, repeating what Baker told police. Tinney further testified, however, that Bakers story about the knife was a fabrication and that there is no indication that Micetic had possession of a knife. "During the entire time Mr Micetic was in view [of the camera] There was nothing to indicate that [Mr Micetic] reached his hand into his pocket or any other part of clothing. At no time could he be seen to be in possession of a knife," Tinney told the court. "At no time before shooting did the accused say anything about the deceased's possession of a knife." Tinney continued on to testify that the sound of a knife being opened can be heard 15 seconds after the gunshots were fired. The Chinese Defense Ministry has criticized the report for hyping an already tense situation. "Chinas military is extremely dissatisfied with this and resolutely opposed to it," it said in a statement. The United States and its Pacific allies, including Japan, have expressed concern over Beijings construction of artificial island in the South China Sea, claiming they will used to establish an air defense zone. China maintains it has every right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for humanitarian purposes. The Pentagon has carried out a number of aggressive naval and air force patrols near these projects, and vows to continue to do so in the wake of the Hague ruling. Washington has also conducted joint military exercises with regional partners, including Japan, which has rolled back key provisions of its pacifist constitution, the 2015 report read. "In parlance of the police the legal offensive' means inventing charges of common crimes against those suspected of having connections to the NPA," Sison said. "And according to the principles of jurisprudence it is unlawful to multiply charges out of a single charge of rebellion." "We gave President Duterte the benefit of a doubt," he continued, explaining that the NPA announced that it will reciprocate, but that time is needed both to examine the issued orders and formulate their own ceasefire order. Luis Jalondoni, the leader of National Democratic Front (NDF), a coalition of the CPP, the NPA and some other groups, has told his counterpart that the exchange of the ceasefire order should happen on August 20. Sison says he thinks that it will be relatively easy for the NDF to reciprocate with a unilateral ceasefire order, and when the peace negotiations advance, it will be possible to cement the mutual ceasefire in a single document. President Duterte enjoys significant electoral support, and as a supreme commander of the armed forces, he can feel confident as he acts, says Sison. Duterte can also reshuffle the officers of the armed forces that were loyal to the previous administration. "I want to particularly emphasize that the G20 summit has always been a platform for enhancing international cooperation between China and Russia , joint actions on construction of a just, rational international political and economic order. In June, during the visit of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to China, Chinese President Xi Jinping invited the Russian president to the Group 20 summit, expressing hope that Putin's participation will contribute to concentration of Chinese-Russian efforts on this important and multilateral platform," Li told reporters. The ambassador added that the Chinese government paid great attention to holding the summit in the Chinese eastern city of Hangzhou. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The strike of Air France employees will cost the French airline about 90 million euro ($100.6 million), Air France CEO Frederic Gagey said on Tuesday. "This is a tremendous amount of money, in general, it is the cost of a long-haul aircraft," Gagey told public radio France Info, adding that the strike has affected at least 180,000 passengers. On Tuesday, a series of the cabin crew strikes, which began on July 27, is expected to be completed. According to the Kyodo news agency, the package of measures is aimed at tackling deflation and strengthening the national economy. The cabinet is expected to increase expenditure by the central and local governments, as well as significant investments in the country's infrastructure and support of small and medium-sized enterprises. The newspaper added that even the collapse of the US financial giant Lehman Brothers in October 2008 pushed investors to withdraw just 493 million pounds from the UK economy. 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, decided to support the so-called Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it. MOSCOW (Sputnik) France generally prohibits state funding of religious institutions. However, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said earlier this month that efforts should be made to stop financing of mosques from abroad. According to Cazeneuve, 20 mosques have been shut down in recent months due to suspected radicalism. "There is a technical job that is difficult, we are working extremely consistently and this work will allow me to make additional proposals to the prime minister this summer, so that we can propose a coherent overall system in the month of October," Cazeneuve said following a meeting with the head of the French Muslim Council, Anouar Kbibech, as quoted by Le Monde newspaper. Kbibech in his turn proposed that the foundation should be financed by fees paid by the halal food producers and distributors. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On July 27, the European Commission recommended not to impose fines on Spain and Portugal for missing their 3 percent GDP levels and proposed the Council of the European Union to give Madrid and Lisbon additional time to reach the target. The El Mundo newspaper reported, citing sources in the Spanish government, the EU fine is 'inevitable' if Madrid misses budget-deficit targets by October 15. The fine would be imposed through $5.6 billion direct penalty and additional $1.2 billion through the EU structural funds freeze. Spain's 5.1-percent of GDP deficit last year fell short of the targeted 4.2 percent. However, Spain's economy is currently growing at a rate of over 3 percent per year after returning to growth in 2014. The EU might consider an option of sending refugees to third countries if Turkey pulls out of the deal. Until now, the European Union viewed the practice of transporting refugees to other countries as inhumane, however it might soon be left with no other choice. "Brussels is extremely interested in the functioning agreement and on our part we have met our obligations. However, a clear signal for us is Erdogan's statement about the introduction of the death penalty. If he decides to do so, any interaction with Ankara will be suspended, including the process of accession to the EU and the agreement on migrants," the representative said. According to the official, Brussels understands that in response Turkey will stop controlling the border area, which would lead to an even greater inflow of migrants to Greece. In this case, he argued, Brussels will seek alternative solutions to the migration crisis. ROME (Sputnik) Erdogan announced the country would return the death penalty if the people demanded it after a coup to overthrow him on July 15 failed. "Fifty seven percent of citizens support it, if the parliament votes for it, no one will be able to interfere," Erdogan told the Italian RaiNews24 television channel in an interview published on Tuesday. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that talks with Turkey on its admission to the European Union would be stopped the moment Ankara reinstated capital punishment. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Ankara would scrap the EU-Turkey migrant deal if Turkish nationals did not get visa-free access to the European Unions borderless Schengen area by mid-October. "If the European Union is not liberalizing the visa regime for citizens of Turkey, Ankara will not comply with the agreement on migrants," Erdogan told the Italian RaiNews24 broadcaster in an interview. The new cabinet group will have at the top of its agenda "an economy that works for everyone, with a strong industrial strategy at its heart", based on wage growth and job security. Firing the Economy Ahead of the meeting, May said: "As I said on my first day as prime minister, I will govern for the whole United Kingdom, and we will look to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. We need to have our whole economy firing." "That is why we need a proper industrial strategy that focuses on improving productivity, rewarding hard-working people with higher wages and creating more opportunities for young people so that, whatever their background, they go as far as their talents will take them. We also need a plan to drive growth up and down the country from rural areas to our great cities." "If we are to take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit, we need to have our whole economy firing. That's why this committee's work is of the highest priority, and we will be getting down to work immediately." May is keen to promote Britain's new place in the world, unshackled from the European Union's institutions, while still trading with it and the rest of the world. Key players in the new cabinet are Chancellor Philip Hammond, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. EDINBURGH (Sputnik) At the SNPs Spring Conference in March SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told party delegates that the campaign to support Scotland's independence would start in summer. "Nicola Sturgeon announced plans in Easter for a summer campaign but Brexit has knocked that slightly sideways. Were still trying to assess the impact of the [EU referendum] vote on June 23rd, but in as much as we now maybe engaging in a second referendum campaign sooner rather than later then the party is gearing up, but it will be more like an autumn initiative than a summer one," Shappard said. Sheppard noted that rather than being a public campaign aimed at persuading wavering voters to back independence from the United Kingdom, the initiative will instead focus internally on the SNPs own membership. The Luxemburger Wort reported that Luxembourg's Public Prosecutor had already appealed against the June verdicts. The newspaper added citing lawyers of Perrin and Deltour that the appeal hearing could take place either in the end of 2016 or in the beginning of the 2017. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Social Democrats (SD) Party on Tuesday backed the proposal by the Danish People's Party (DPP) to authorize police to temporarily ban young refugees from leaving accommodation centers as punishment for misbehaving, Trine Bramsen, a spokeswoman for the Social Democrats, said. "I see nothing wrong in banning them [asylum seekers] to go out [from the centers]," Bramsen told Denmark's DR broadcaster. Her comments came after five boys aged between 14 and 17 from a center in Tullebolle were charged for sexually oriented offenses committed at a festival on the island of Funen. Three boys were charged with incident exposure, and two other with rape. EDINBURGH (Sputnik) Former UK leader of the Liberal Democrats, Lord David Steel of Aikwood, told Sputnik on Tuesday that he was "totally opposed" to any post-Brexit future that establishes a border between Scotland and England. "I am totally opposed to any future which involves creating border controls of any kind and so are most people in Scotland," Lord Steel, who led the Liberals for 12 years, said, adding that "Brexit negotiations are unknowable at this stage." The Liberal peer's comments come after Scottish National Party (SNP) senior lawmaker Tommy Sheppard told Sputnik on Monday that border controls between Scotland and England were inevitable if Scotland remained in the European Union and the rest of the United Kingdom exited the bloc. MOSCOW (Sputnik) In June, Spains center-right PP won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) finishing second. None of the political forces has an absolute majority and thus cannot form a government on their own. Following the elections, Rajoy initiated negotiations to form a government, which have so far yielded little results. On July 28, Rajoy accepted the offer of King of Spain Felipe VI to form a new government. "Socialists should change their position. If the Socialists continue saying no [to the coalition], there will be new elections and everyone knows this," Rajoy said. The situation was exacerbated following the attempted coup in July 2016, after which the authorities, detained or sacked thousands of the military, the police, the judiciary and some academics. As a result, many politicians in the European Parliament are saying no deal can be struck with Turkey as it fails to meet EU standards on justice, human rights and democracy putting at risk the entire migrant deal. .@FedericaMog speaks to FM of #Turkey: #EU expects compliance to the rule of law & fundamental rights and freedoms. https://t.co/Crzg8NBdcP EU External Action (@eu_eeas) July 27, 2016 Gabriel told reporters: "The fact that free visa is only going to be granted when Turkey meets the appropriate European standards is not going to change. And that is not happening at the moment. It is up to Turkey if there is or there isn't visa liberalization. "Europe should under no circumstances be blackmailed. And we have to consider the fact that a country that is on its way to bring death penalty into force is only distancing itself so drastically from Europe," he said. Blackmail Socialists and Democrats group Vice-President in the European Parliament, Knut Fleckenstein, echoed Gabriel's statement saying: "Our position is very clear we support visa liberalization for all countries that fulfil the relevant benchmarks. This is the case for Turkish citizens as it is for citizens of any other country. However, in reaction to the recent coup attempt Turkey is moving in the wrong direction. We will not be blackmailed into accepting visa liberalization by an increasingly autocratic regime in Ankara." "Although Turkey is an important partner in solving the refugee crisis, the only lasting solution will be a common European one. e Council must now prepare for the situation that Turkey pulls its support for the refugee deal and be ready with a credible alternative plan. "The Council must be ready with a credible alternative plan to #EUTurkeyDeal." Read more https://t.co/vluMzZDiHZ pic.twitter.com/3fV22eWL2D S&D Group (@TheProgressives) 1 August 2016 "The EU must continue to push Turkey to respect fundamental human rights and the rule of law. Turkish citizens must understand that if they want visa liberalization then it is up to their government to act and meet the necessary requirements. We will not accept it any other way." According to The Local news outlet, Marseille authorities, after talks with police, decided this week to cancel the popular air show, scheduled for August 13. Mayor of the town of La Baule in Brittany Yves Metaireau reportedly said that he did not want to take any risks with regard to security of his public or officials and therefore canceled the fireworks, planned for August 15. LONDON (Sputnik) Over the weekend, The Times newspaper published seven articles containing discrediting information about Russian media outlets, such as Sputnik news agency and the RT broadcaster, in particular commenting on the opening of Sputnik's offices and Russkiy Mir foundation in the United Kingdom, and the coverage of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. "The outburst of your editorial ('Putins Information War', 30 July) is puzzling. What kind of Russias monopoly over information abroad? What about Western and other media? Or is it about freedom of press in this country?" the embassy's spokesman Konstantin Shlykov said in a letter to the newspaper published on the embassy's website on Monday. He said that previous Conservative government in the United Kingdom had tried to convince the British voters that the Brexit referendum "was about Russia" and added that The Times had been trying to maintain such position in regard to the forthcoming presidential election in the United States. King after he has been formally appointed will head up the Security Union established in April 2015 to deal with cross-border intelligence and crime-prevention coordination. The Charlie Hebdo and associated attacks in January 2015 exposed flaws in the EU's external border security and intelligence failures between member states. Terror Threats In his letter to Sir Julian, Juncker said: "Security is one of the pressing challenges I have highlighted in my Political Guidelines, which recalled that 'Combatting cross-border crime and terrorism is a common European responsibility'. In particular, three priorities were identified as needing to be addressed: tackling terrorism and preventing radicalization, disrupting organized crime, and fighting cybercrime. "Repeated subsequent terrorist attacks have underlined the importance and urgency of making swift progress towards an operational and effective Security Union, as highlighted in the Commission Communication of 20 April 2016. The focus of your portfolio work should therefore be on concrete operational measures where the action of the EU can have an impact and where we can show that this does not compromise our commitment to fundamental rights and values." The spate of terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Munich and others have put security at the top of the EU agenda alongside immigration. The fact that Britain is being handed to security commissioner role is a sign that although the UK is to leave the EU at some point in the future the EU still takes British membership seriously. The Swiss government is approaching a deadline to introduce immigration controls following a 2014 referendum on the matter, with lawmakers scrambling to find a solution. The prospect of immigration caps raises huge complications for Switzerland, which will have to outline how it intends on doing so by December, subsequently putting at risk its complex relationship with the EU which exists through a series of bilateral agreements. #Switzerland is the UKs sixth largest #export market and the second largest non-EU market pic.twitter.com/ge4iSKDFqi Swiss Embassy UK (@SwissEmbassyUK) July 27, 2016 Following the UK's June 23 decision to vote in favor of leaving the bloc, EU leaders have made it clear that in order to have access to the European single market, non-EU countries must abide by the four freedoms that is the free movement of goods, capital, services and people. Most applications have been approved. Though, the exiting soldiers have to pay back their education expenses to the state. From the middle of 2014 to present, 469 soldiers, including 62 women, have filed applications to suspend their military service. According to the newspaper, 67 % of the applications were accepted, 25% were disapproved. The remaining applications were considered unlawful or withdrawn by the applicants themselves. Put #HomesBeforeProfits | House prices send home ownership to 30-year low https://t.co/sAj4SUtvG8 Unite the union (@unitetheunion) 2 August 2016 The Resolution Foundation found the proportion of people owning their own home has plummeted across every part of the UK since their peak in the early 2000s, with Greater Manchester seeing the biggest fall. The think-tank said the figures show the longed talked-about London housing crisis has spread, with regions in the north and the Midlands becoming increasingly unaffordable. In England house ownership rates have fallen 7% from a peak of 70.8% in April 2003 to 63.8% February 2016, while across the UK it has dropped 6.8% from its October 2004 peak of 70.9%. Home ownership falling across UK led by Gr Manchester, Outer London, Sheffield, Leeds and West Mids met area pic.twitter.com/qNPS6yugB3 ResolutionFoundation (@resfoundation) August 2, 2016 "To be honest I am not surprised this has happened, it was bound to, I thought Brexit would help but in fact it hasn't things are worse than before," Stopes told Sputnik. For thousands of first time buyers they thought the pressure would ease once Britain left the EU, as it would force the rich oligarchs and Chinese investors to look elsewhere when they realise that Britain was no longer a key player in the Union. However that has not happened. The largest fall is in Greater Manchester which has seen homeownership sink 14.5% from 72.4 percent in April 2003 to 57 percent in February 2016. The rise and fall of home ownership since 1980 bold action needed to address this housing deficit pic.twitter.com/CUjl0GEEU2 ResolutionFoundation (@resfoundation) August 2, 2016 Outer London has seen the second biggest drop of 13 percent, going from a peak of 71 percent in October 2000 to 57 percent in February 2016, while the West Midlands is third with a decline of 11 percent from its April 2005 high of 70 percent. Disheartened "London has a well-known and fully blown housing crisis, but the struggle to buy a home is just as big a problem in cities across the north of England," Stephen Clarke, policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said in a recent interview. "The chances of owning a home have fallen fastest in Greater Manchester over the last decade, though the Leeds and Sheffield city areas have also experienced sharp drops." These latest figures have only made first time buyers even more disheartened. Louise Stopes believes the government has a duty to do more to help people like herself to get a shot at owning their own property. But the likelihood of that happening anytime soon appears to be very slim. DONETSK (Sputnik) Twelve people were killed and another 46 were injured during shelling by the Kiev forces in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in July, Eduard Basurin, the DPR deputy defense minister, said Tuesday. "In July, 11 DPR soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded. Among the civilian population, one was killed and 25 were wounded," Basurin told reporters. The military chief of staff and the ground forces commander didnt take part in the coup attempt and was quickly arrested. Secondly, the overwhelming majority of Turks did not support the putschists. Since modern Turkey was founded in 1923, the military, long seen as the guardian of the secular system established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, has staged several coups to prevent an Islamist comeback. In 1960 and 1980 all branches of the Turkish military the ground force, the Navy and the Air Force acted as one, but the situation in the country has changed radically ever since, Mayo Kaneko noted. She added that many of those who responded to President Erdogans call to take to the streets and thwart the coup hated Erdogan but at the very same time, were against a military overthrow of the government. President Erdogan believes that Fethullah Gulen, an Islamist preacher currently living in exile in the US, was behind the failed coup. On July 19 Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that he had requested the extradition of Gulen. The Americans argue that they cant extradite Gulen as long as there is no hard proof of his alleged role in the coup attempt. This could undermine the efficiency of the US military campaign against Daesh as the Americans widely use Turkish military airfields to strike terrorist targets in Syria and Iraq, Mayu Kaneko continued. She also mentioned the problem of Kurds and the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) Ankara has been fighting for so many years now. Meanwhile, in its struggle against Daesh, Washington supports the Kurdish self-defense forces which are taking orders from the PKK. We should also keep a close eye on the presidential elections in the United States. If Donald Trump is elected, America could take a tougher stand against Ankara and relations between the two could deteriorate. Meantime, after Erdogan apologized for last years downing of a Russian bomber in Syria, relations between Turkey and Russia are now looking up, Mayu Kaneko said. The mere fact that President Erdogan was the first to try to mend fences with Russia means that he is seriously worried about the situation in Turkey, which has been hit by a rash or terrorist attacks staged by Daesh and the PKK. Mayo Kaneko also said that fully aware of US and European worries about his crackdown of free speech and his authoritarian methods, President Erdogan is trying hard to restore good relations with Moscow as Turkey is still hurting from the devastating effect the dramatic drop in the number of Russian tourists has had on the Turkish economy. As for Japans policy towards Turkey, mayo Kaneko said that unlike the US which is critical of Erdogan, Tokyo is simply watching the progress of the ongoing investigation of last months coup attempt in Turkey. Turkey has traditionally been friendly towards Japan and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is good friends with President Erdogan. Last months coup attempt has had little effect on the major Japanese companies doing business with Turkey. And still, after all that happened during and after that coup attempt many in Japan now see Turkey as a dangerous country, Mayu Kaneko said in conclusion. Lempereur stressed that the fundamental issue is that many Islamic terrorists have been given the French citizenship or have assisted in entering the country by EU legislation. Ban on Foreign Funding of Mosques to Curb Violence but Not Stop Attacks in France Short term measures include sentencing to jail people who fought alongside ISIS [Daesh] or helped terrorists, shutting down mosques where imams preach hardcore Islam or recruiting new policemen and soldiers. Such technical measures will prevent some attacks but they will not be enough to win this war, Lempereur added. On Monday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced plans to establish a foundation to fund mosques in a bid to avoid their funding by radicalized Muslims, after a number of terrorist attacks in France. The ban on [the] foreign financing for mosques will hamper these attempts to spread violence and strife within France. It is, however, a small measure and it will not suffice to stop Islamic attacks, Lempereur said. On July 29, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that he was "open" to a temporary ban on the foreign financing of mosques as a counter-extremism measure, adding that Paris was about to toughen its controls over religious activities to prevent radicalization in the country. The issue with foreign financing is that whoever pays commands, and foreign people who pay for mosques in France support a hardcore version of Islam which is incompatible with the French way of life. The preachers paid by foreign people encourage hatred and division in our country, Lempereur added. The European Union is currently struggling to tackle a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people leaving conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty and seeking asylum in Europe. VILNIUS (Sputnik) Latvia needs to prepare for the possible lifting of EU sanctions against Russia, and Moscow's reciprocal step of canceling food embargo, Riga's mayor Nils Usakovs said on Tuesday. "Now there is a very small hope that this year the EU can decide in favor of partially canceling [anti-Russia] sanctions. And then there is the same small hope that Russia's own sanctions, for example on the dairy products, will be canceled. And we should prepare for this now because when the sanctions are lifted, everyone will fight for the return to the Russian market Lithuanians, Estonians and Poles, and we must be there first. And my job as a politician is to help our entrepreneurs in this as much as possible," Usakovs said on his Facebook page. In an interview with Sputnik Oya Akgonenc Mugisuddin, an ex-MP and adviser to the chairman of Saadet party, said that just as some in the countrys military were staging a coup in Turkey, the Europeanas, always so proud of their democracy and human rights, simply watched it all happen and the following day started criticising the Turkish authorities demanding that they be easy on the putschists. Small wonder that Turkey viewed this criticism as ill-placed and got very upset about the EUs behavior. They want us to meet all the criteria and additional requirements concerning the agreement on the readmission of illegal migrants, while dragging their feet on the implementation of their own commitments and erecting ever new hurdles. The impression is that Brussels is making every effort to keep the visa regime for Turks in place, he complained. Oya Akgonenc Mugisuddin added that despite everything, Turkey keeps negotiating with the EU even though it is not gloing to meet Brussels absurd demands, and hoped that the EU would give up on its shortsighted policy towards Ankara. PRAGUE (Sputnik) According to Ovcacek, Czech President Milos Zeman believes that the arrival of migrants in Europe is uncontrollable. "Our country simply cannot afford creating risks of terrorist attacks similar to the ones that recently occurred in France and Germany. In other words, by accepting migrants, we would create a fertile ground for barbaric attacks on the territory of the Czech Republic," Ovcacek told reporters. "At the moment, we are unable, as Germany's example showed, to distinguish between economic migrants and war refugees. This was confirmed by the recent terrorist attacks," Ovcacek added. MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) As many as 256 pregnant women were infected for the same period, bringing the total number to 612, the ministry said Monday, adding that none of the children born to infected mothers in the country had Zika-related complications. The virus has been registered in 15 out of 32 territorial units of the country, mostly affecting the southern states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Veracruz. The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015. It is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. While the virus does not cause serious complications in adults, it can cause severe brain defects and microcephaly in newborns. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as the al-Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia and a range of other states, are not part of the deal. "Within last 24 hours, terrorists have shelled Handrat inhabited area, al-Zahraa, al-Khalidiyah, and Leramon quarters as well as the trade centre Kostello in the Aleppo city with MLRS [multiple launch rocket systems] and mortars. Terrorists have also shelled Arbil, Haush al-Farah, Huteita al-Jarash, and Jaubar inhabited areas in the Damascus province as well as an airport in the Hama city," the bulletin said. "Low-income families of al-Bustan (Hama province) have received humanitarian cargos with flour, rice, canned products. Pupils of Shagit Ammar Khalil School (Latakia province) have received teaching kits. Mi-8 helicopter has dropped humanitarian cargos (6,500 food kits) in the regions of the Aleppo city controlled by armed formations," the bulletin said. The Russian Defense Ministry also said that an aircraft of the Abakan Air, Russian aviation company, delivered 21 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Deir ez-Zor. MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to the statement, funds provided by Tokyo will be distributed through the UN Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization. "This urgent package is aimed to support mass vaccination campaigns in Syria, including its planning and coordination, procurement of vaccines and awareness raising among the population amid medical care restrictions due to the crisis in Syria," the ministry's statement said. HMEIMIM (Sputnik) Earlier, Russia delivered more than 21 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Syria's provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Homs as well as the city of Deir Ez-Zor besieged by terrorists. "Servicemen of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation sent a large lot of food and essentials in a humanitarian convoy to temporary storage warehouses in Aleppo," the statement said. The coalition has been targeting positions of the opposition Houthi group and military forces backing ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They have recently carried out two dozen airstrikes, the channel estimated. Yemens government delegation reportedly left Kuwait and headed to Riyadh on Monday after two months of UN-facilitated peace talks. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel Malek Mekhlafi said authorities were willing to return to the negotiating table before the August 7 deadline. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russias Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down in the northwestern province of Idlib on Monday while returning from a humanitarian mission in Aleppo. All three crew members and two reconciliation center officers on board perished in the attack classified by the Russian General Staff as a terrorist act Media reports alleged late Monday that dozens in the Idlib city of Saraqib suffered from toxic gas allegedly dropped after the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down. "In this case, we do not have information on how the operation is conducted. Moreover, it is very difficult to react to such information attacks, it is not always clear on what sources they are based on," Peskov told reporters. DAMASCUS (Sputnik) Control over the Deir ez-Zor province is shared by the Syrian army and Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia. "The army has repulsed strong Daesh attacks on al-Bagilya settlement, and an attack on the water supply facilities in the west of Deir ez-Zor. Aviation bombed places where the terrorists concentrated in the west and north-west of Deir ez-Zor," the source said. ANKARA (Sputnik) Commenting on the possibility of Gulen's extradition, Basbug stressed that if the United States fails to extradite him it could mean that they intend to continue to use him. If they extradite him, it would mean that they do not need him anymore. "There is foreign support of this rebellion. Where does Gulen live? In the United States. Who gives him such an opportunity? CIA. Do you think that Gulen was granted a US residence permit just for nothing, and the US intelligence doesn't use him?" Basbug said in an interview televised on CNN Turk. On July 15, an attempted coup took place in Turkey that was suppressed the following day. Over 240 people were killed during the coup attempt and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused Gulen and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. Gulen has denied the accusations. Blair took the position in 2007 as Special Envoy to the quartet a few days after he resigned as UK Prime Minister. He was tasked with helping to develop the Palestinian economy and improve governance in the occupied Palestinian Territories. However, Blair's critics questioned his suitability for the role, focusing in particular on his role in the cataclysmic invasion of Iraq in 2003, and what many saw as a leaning toward the Israelis over the Palestinians. Palestinian writer Jafar Ramini told Sputnik: "From the beginning choosing Tony Blair as a negotiator between the Israelis and the Palestinians was an acrimonious move. The man is warmonger and from the moment he started he's been playing the Israeli card, and taking their side." Ramini elaborated that tony Blair "has not been effective in his role, all he did was help Israel to consolidate its grip on Gaza, to steal the gas off the coasts of Gaza to steal the fish from the waters of Gaza, to create an open for two million people." "None of the Western leaders will entertain anything for the benefit of the Palestinians. They all help to ensure the supremacy of Israel." Ramini's words echo the sentiment that Tony Blair's key role as special envoy was to defang the Palestinian resistance, while helping to manage, rather than end, the nearly decades long besiegement of Gaza. SANAA (Sputnik) According to the source, the camp belonged to the forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi Earlier in the day, local media reported that suicide bombers had staged a terrorist attack at a military camp using two cars packed with explosives. Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government and the Houthi opposition movement, who have been supported by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Daesh terrorist group, which is outlawed in many countries including Russia, is also active in the conflict-torn country. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States is going to build safe zones in Syria and get the Gulf countries to foot the bill for it, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said at a rally in the US state of Virginia on Tuesday. "We want to do safe zones in Syria," Trump stated. "I will get the Gulf States who are not doing much, believe me, the Gulf States have nothing but money, I'm going to get them to pay." "Sudanese President [Omar Bashir] issued an order to close all the schools associated with Gulen's organization in Sudan," the ambassador said at a forum in Khartoum devoted to the recent developments in Turkey. Aydin said that Ankara appreciated Khartoum's solidarity on the issue. He noted that Bashir was one of the few heads of state who made a personal telephone call to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the coup. Deir ez-Zor, a major Syrian eastern city with population of over 200,000 people, has been besieged by Daesh, extremist groups outlawed in Russia, since March 2014. Syria has been in the state of civil war since 2011. On February 27, a ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in the country. Terrorist groups are not covered by the agreement. TALLINN (Sputnik) The Estonian instructors will be deployed in the province of Anbar where the Iraqi army is carrying out an anti-Daesh operation and are expected to engage in the training program provided by the US-led anti-Daesh coalition as part of the OIR for six months, the statement added. "Estonian servicemen will partake in the Operation Inherent Resolve [OIR] targeting Daesh terrorists. They will not be directly involved in fighting, they are in charge of training local soldiers, police and border patrol troops," the statement said. The OIR has been launched by a coalition of more than 60 nations since 2014 in an effort to eliminate the Daesh group outlawed in the United States, Russia and many other nations in Iraq and Syria. TOKYO (Sputnik) Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as the al-Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia and a range of other states, are not part of the deal. "Rapid deployment of armed forces on a remote territory [Russia's military operation in Syria], fulfillment of tasks in limited time terms can be estimated as a result of the army reform," the document said. "Russia has been through a period of national recovery and consolidation, and having new economic, civilization and military might it seeks to transform into an influential power in a bid to build a prosperous nation," the document added. "With proper leadership and adequate support, the ANA is capable of defeating the Taliban insurgency. Unfortunately, because of the inflexibility of our military leaders, it seems, we are not able to provide them the support they need especially support to the Afghan Air Force (AAF)," the lawmakers stated on Monday. The representatives proposed a $250 million package that would include military aircraft being retired by various countries, procured through private contractors, and following Afghan rules of engagement. "Even assuming that North Korea exaggerates claiming to achieve range ability for ballistic missiles and to obtain small nuclear charge for a warhead capable of hitting the United States, is is still possible that military provocations in the region will increase, so our country is concerned over the situation," the white paper said. On June 22, North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a missile that traveled about 250 miles before dropping into the Sea of Japan. US and South Korean officials said two missiles were fired and that one missile failed. ROME (Sputnik) In particular, Italy is considering Naval Air Station Sigonella as a possible host to US troops. "If there are such requests, we will consider them and, of course, in case we take a decision, we will inform the parliament," Gentiloni said in an interview with the local Uno Mattina radio station. On Monday, the US Department of Defense spokesperson announced that the US military had conducted airstrikes against the Daesh jihadists in Libya at the invitation of the Libyan Government of National Accord. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes in Syria and Iraq since the summer of 2014. "Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL [Daesh] foreign fighter meeting facility and an ISIL training site," the release said on Tuesday. The coalition conducted four additional airstrikes in Iraq, near the cities of al-Baghdadi, Qayyarah and Sinjar, destroying an Daesj rocket cache, vehicle borne improvised devices, mortar systems and positions and heavy weapons. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States will focus on upgrading its Patriot PAC-2 air defense systems in South Korea to PAC-3 systems to better protect the country from possible North Korean missiles, US Army Secretary Eric Fanning told reporters at the US Air Force's Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on Tuesday. "Right now we're focused on upgrading the Patriot system that we have here in [South] Korea," Fanning said as quoted by South Koreas Yonhap News Agency. South Korean media previously reported that the US military planned to upgrade the PAC-2 with more advanced PAC-3 systems by 2018. Fanning on Tuesday said he saw the potential for upgrades, but did not confirm the reports. The deputy chairman of the State Duma's Committee on National Security and Anti-Corruption further said that Russia will not be dragged into an arms race and that Washington's attempts to threaten Moscow are "doomed to fail." Gorovtsov maintained that policymakers in the US should shift their focus to real security challenges, particularly terrorism. At the moment "international terrorism presents the greatest threat to international security," he said. "It's high time that Washington stops threatening Russia with its increased military might and focuses on fighting a common enemy." MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Monday, the US Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) authorized the production engineering phase of the B61-12 nuclear warhead life extension program (LEP). According to the NNSA, the LEP will prolong the B61 lifespan, which contains the oldest components in the US arsenal, for at least 20 years, while improving its safety and reliability. "The decision to extend the life span of / modernize the system is an unnecessary one, that comes at a sizeable price tag and does the opposite of advancing nuclear security and disarmament. These weapons are a remnant of the Cold War," van Riet said. He said that in light of tensions in US-Russia ties there is concern that these bombs would be given new purposes and roles in defense doctrines. SAROV (Sputnik) The Russian Armed Forces already have some types of laser weaponry in service, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Tuesday. "It is not some sort of exotics anymore, those are not experimental, prototype models we have already commissioned several types of laser weaponry," Borisov said addressing an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of All-Russian Research Institute for Experimental Physics (RFNC-VNIIEF) in Sarov. Borisov earlier said that weaponry based on new physics principles (beam, geophysical, wave, kinetic and other types of weapons) would define the shape of the Russian Armed Forces under the new state arms procurement program until 2025. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The report added that Kalashnikov produced some 95 percent of Russia's sniper rifles. "The enterprise's production Dragunov sniper rifles is considered to be the best weapon for army snipers. SVDS, SV-98, SV-99 and SV-338 rifles meet the needs of special units. Works on creating new modifications of sniper weapons are underway," the report said. The Kalashnikov Concern was created in 2013 in the merger of two Soviet-era plants, Izhmash and Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, becoming Russias largest producer of rifles and other weaponry. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday did not rule out the possibility of providing access to the countrys military bases, in particular Naval Air Station Sigonella, to Washington to support the US campaign in Libya. We have a range of capabilities at various locations in the region that will allow us to carry out these airstrikes, Balzanza said. Operational security precludes me from providing further details, but I can tell you that the operations were conducted with proper notification and coordination of our partner nations. On Monday, the Department of Defense announced that the US military had conducted airstrikes against Daesh jihadists in Libya at the invitation of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). MADRID (Sputnik) On November 9, the Parliament of Catalonia passed a resolution to begin the process of seceding from Spain. The initiative was backed by 72 votes in the 135-seat parliament. On Wednesday, the Catalan parliament supported the conclusions of a parliamentary commission created to study the process of secession. The conclusions included the points of secession terms and a referendum on a new regional constitution. Later that day, acting Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria announced that the Spanish government would file a lawsuit to the constitutional court. Earlier on Friday, the Spanish government's meeting took place in Madrid and has reached a decision to proceed with the lawsuit to the constitutional court, agreeing on the lawsuit's text. FARC is one of the worlds oldest Marxist insurgencies, formed in 1964 when it launched a war to overthrow the government of Colombia and install a revolutionary regime. Lifting FARC Terrorist Designation to Depend on Future of Colombia Peace Process The United States will review its terrorist designation against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the context of the peace process underway in Colombia, Secretary of State John Kerry added. It would be only natural that within the context of our review process, that the United States would take count of the steps that they [the FARC] have taken, which may change or may not change the situation, Kerry stated. The United States regularly reviews its designated list of terrorist entities, Kerry said, noting that a future US review would take into account efforts by the FARC to engage in disarmament and engage in peaceful activities under the terms of the pending agreement with Bogota. The FARC has been a US-designated terrorist organization since 1997. Since November 2012, Colombia has been in negotiations with the FARC to end the countrys nearly fifty year civil war. In June, Bogota and FARC representatives met in Havana, Cuba to sign a ceasefire agreement. The whole premise is crazy, McGovern noted, that Trumps embrace of better US-Russian ties somehow makes Putin a fan. "I know a little bit about Russian and Soviet leaders, McGovern added. The last thing they want is somebody who is proud of being unpredictable and who gets irate at the slightest slight. That Putin, McGovern added, would want Trump to have his finger on the nuclear button is a leap of faith that I cannot possibly make and remain sane. "With respect to Hillary, Im saying theres no lesser of two evils," McGovern said. "I dont think he [Putin] wants Trump to win. I dont think he wants Hillary to win either." . 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. "Almost all of the time from the moment of the announcement of the target date until today has been consumed by trying to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful," Kerry said during a press conference. Kerry said that missing the date came as a result of continued "offensive operations" by Syrian President Bashar Assad, and the oppositions inability to negotiate in Geneva. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia is monitoring and analyzing recent emergency situations in neighboring countries and additional measures have been introduced to ensure own border security. While Russia and Kazakhstan have close bilateral ties, both countries are also members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military bloc of former Soviet states, which also comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. "During the meeting with Kazakh Defense Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov Sergei Shoigu will discuss topical issues of military and technical cooperation as part of strategic partnership between the two countries," Konashenkov told journalists. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) On Wednesday, Kerry and the foreign ministers from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will gather in Washington, DC for the C5+1 ministerial. The group will then discuss regional security, economic connectivity, environment and climate change, and humanitarian issues, the release, issued on Monday, stated. Some have questioned whether the Mi-8 helicopter was truly on a humanitarian mission since it was armed with high-tech weaponry, including launch pod containers and the Vitebsk electronic warfare system, but experts say that there is nothing surprising about this fact. Launch pod containers can be seen in several images supposedly taken at the Mi-8 crash site. The helicopter needed those for defense, not attack missions. An air force pilot, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the news agency RBC that Mi-8 crews who are tasked with flying missions in conflict areas have always used these weapons. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United States latest airstrikes against the outlawed Daesh jihadist group in Libya should strictly adhere to international law, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, reiterating the call for joint anti-terrorist efforts. "Russia has always advocated the need for decisive action to destroy Daesh and other terrorist groups, wherever they may be, in strict compliance with international law. We believe it is fundamentally important to establish solid coordination among all states engaged in the fight against terrorism," the ministry said. On Monday, the Pentagon announced it had conducted airstrikes against two Daesh targets in Libya, in coordination with the internationally recognized Libyan Government of National Accord. According to a report unveiled last week, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia and Romania sold weapons primarily to Saudi Arabia, but also to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey. Some of these armaments were then transferred to armed opposition and Islamist groups fighting in Syria and Yemen, two countries that have been ravaged by foreign-sponsored wars. The research was conducted by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Their findings cover shipments made since 2012. This business is so lucrative that Eastern and Central European states approved arms export licenses "despite ample evidence that weapons are being diverted to Syrian and other armed groups accused of widespread human rights abuses and atrocities," researchers observed.These licenses are supposed to guarantee where weapons end up and do not allow arms re-transfer to third parties. Yet this is exactly what has happened. Instead the US will focus on its anti-Daesh campaign since the terrorist group has created "an atmosphere of fear" and fueled instability not only in the Middle East and northern Africa, but also in Western countries that take part in counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and Syria, the media outlet noted, referring to recent terrorist attacks that rocked France and Germany. "Europe and its security agencies do not have enough experience to thwart the wave of suicide attacks. Moreover, experts agree that 'militant jihadist' groups are increasingly active and their members have already successfully penetrated Europe's social space," the newspaper added. ANKARA (Sputnik) The two presidents are expected to meet next Tuesday in St. Petersburg for the first time since their countries' bilateral relations deteriorated in November 2015 in the wake of Turkey's downing of a Russian attack aircraft over Syria. "On August 9, I'm to meet the Russian President in St. Petersburg, where I would like to discuss economic cooperation and the crisis that followed the Russian aircraft [downing], about which Turkey has shown sensitivity," Erdogan said at an economic forum in Ankara. The two countries ended seven months of tension in late June when Erdogan wrote a letter to Putin in which he apologized for the downing of the jet and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment to Seongju County, South Korea, threatens to undermine the stability in East Asia and beyond, according to Chinese arms control expert Teng Jianqun of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), broadcaster Teng drew attention to the fact that despite Washington and Seoul pledging that the system is aimed against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in fact the THAAD installation in the Korean Peninsula is part of the US global missile defense system. "This is one part of a global missile defense program of the United States. Actually, there is a missile defense deployment in Europe and, as we have witnessed, in Romania, Poland, and in the Asia Pacific region. I am sure South Korea is the most important point to deploy such a system. If we look at the map we can find out that the US has already deployed the THAAD system in Alaska and Japan and there might be another deployment in the Philippines. So I think this is actually a global plan by the United States," Teng stressed. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United States turned out to be unprepared to separate terrorist organizations from the moderate opposition in Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday. The Syrian government has embarked on the separation of terrorists from the moderate [opposition] and the civilian population This is something, as it turned out, that our colleagues in Washington were not ready to do for political reasons, and did not intend to do throughout the past months in defiance of the signals and the promises they gave us, Ryabkov told RIA Novosti. At the samet time, Russia considers it unflattering for the United States to criticize its actions in Syria, Ryabkov said. EDINBURGH (Sputnik) The Scottish National Party (SNP) has failed to articulate the case for the country's independence since Scottish voters rejected secession from the United Kingdom in a referendum held in 2014, leader of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) Colin Fox told Sputnik on Tuesday. "I honestly dont think the SNP know what they are doing on Independence. They have not defended the case for two years now preferring instead to persuade hardened 'No' voters to back them in Westminster and Holyrood elections," Fox, a former elected member of the Scottish parliament, said. Mujtahid, who is believed either to be a member of the House of Saud or to have a well-informed source in the royal family, also narrated that Turkish intelligence services had received information about the dubious collaboration between Mohammad bin Salman and Mohammad bin Zayed, but the Saudis convinced Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) not to pay attention to this episode. Meanwhile, on July 27 Al-Masdar News Agency broke that Qatari Defense Minister Khalid al-Attiyah, had obtained a confidential document that could prove that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi supported the failed coup in Turkey. The media outlet quoted al-Attiyah who reportedly wrote on his official Twitter account: "This document reveals that a Saudi Emir and a top Emirati military official have been aware, in advance, of an imminent plot to topple the Turkish President through their participation in the Anatolian Eagle maneuvers held last May. However, they refrained from informing the Turkish authorities." According to Al-Masdar, the document stated that the coup was due to be kicked off in August. However, it remains a secret why the coup attempt was launched in mid-July. "Saudi Arabia and Turkey disagree on different matters including the Kurdish issue and the Iraqi disputed city of Mosul. Furthermore, the recent thaw between Turkey and Russia following the apology phone call made by Erdogan has apparently become a great matter of concern for Saudi and UAE authorities," the media outlet suggested. According to Kerry, Moscow is obliged to control the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and persuade him to give up his attempts to win back territories in the civil war, the website wrote Kerry presented these conditions as a "self-evident" part of the efforts to resolve the current crisis. However, the website views this position as "hypocritical". "The comments seem more than a little hypocritical, coming amid a massive US-backed offensive in the north Syrian city of Manbij. Though Kerry insisted in his comments that the US is obliged to keep rebels from launching offensives, there's been no sign they've even attempted to do so," the website wrote. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) In July, NBC broadcaster reported, citing a source, that Putin had tried to arrange a meeting with Trump, which never occurred because of changes in their schedules. "President Putin has never had any contact with Trump, never spoken to him, including by telephone. The same goes for all of his staff we dont have any dealings with them," Peskov said in an interview with the broadcaster, adding that the Russian government has had no business with Trumps staff. In June, Trump said he would be prepared to invite Putin to the United States if elected president, and noted the two countries should maintain positive relations. According to Salavert, one of the reasons behind Trump's statement is also the fact that the US risks losing one of its main allies in the Middle East Turkey. "This would be a very serious blow to the US and NATO. The meeting between Putin and Erdogan that will be held in August in St. Petersburg makes the American establishment visibly nervous. I am confident that these negotiations can have enormous consequences for the development of relations in the Middle East. And Trump understands that," the politician said. On June 27, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, apologized for the downing of a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft by a Turkish jet in November 2015 and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident. "Minister Gentiloni confirmed that Italy remained ready to provide assistance to the Government of National Accord, of which they can ask, in particular, humanitarian and medical [aid]," the minister said in s statement, issued after a telephone conversation between Gentiloni and GNA Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. According to the statement, Italy's foreign minister also thanked Sarraj for the work which was being done by the Government of National Accord to restore the stability in the country. The new President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has said it is his dream to end of the nearly fifty year armed conflict in the country. Last week, he declared a unilateral ceasefire with the New Peoples Army, but withdrew it just days later. Still, the Communist Party has said that it expects to declare a truce along with the government on August 20th, the same day that peace negotiations are due to begin in Oslo. Brian is joined by Jose Maria Sison, who is the senior political adviser to the National Democratic Front, which is the organization that will begin peace talks with the Duterte government on August 20. Brian also speaks with Bernadette Ellorin, chairperson of BAYAN-USA, and Rhonda Ramiro, vice-chair of BAYAN-USA in addition to Anakbayan-USA chairperson Adrian Bonifacio and Nap Pempena, Vice-Chairperson of Anakbayan-USA. Todays main stories: Venezuelan opposition move one step closer to ousting President Maduro, but will time constraints come to the presidents rescue? We speak to Francisco Dominguez, from the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. Hamas rules out any further mediation with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. An anonymous Hamas official has been quoted as saying that we have completely closed this file. You can find previous editions of World in Focus here. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Monday, a 12-year old child died after being diagnosed with anthrax in Russia's northwest Siberian Yamal Peninsula. According to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District's authorities, the child was among nine people who were tested positive for anthrax. "There are 86 patients from the quarantined area and nearby localities currently in the Salekhard's infectious department. 51 of them are children, since it was decided to first admit the children to the hospital. There are also 4 patients including 2 children in the infectious department in the Yar-Sale [village]," Noskova told RIA Novosti. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On July 31, The Wall Street Journal reported that US presidential candidate from the Democratic Party Clinton, while serving as the 67th secretary of state, was attracting US investment in the Russian Skolkovo Innovation Center, a move that might "have substantially undermined U.S. national security." During Clintons tenure, the US State Department promoted the establishment and development of the Russian version of Silicon Valley. "No, I cannot comment anyhow on this and do not assess it. If it was, it was good. It is a well-known and world-renowned School of Skolkovo, so, undoubtedly, Skolkovo has a large number of international contacts. And if there are (contacts) with the United States as well on the Skolkovo line, it is to be welcomed," Peskov told reporters. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The testing of Russias latest MC-21 passenger jet airliner will be completed by next year, with mass production expected in 2018, head of the Rostec corporation Sergei Chemezov said Tuesday. [Tests] are underway now, the first stage is ending, Chemezov said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I hope that if they are successful, we will complete all testing in 2016-2017 and launch mass production in 2018." In an interview with Sputnik, Vasily Kashin, a Moscow-based military expert, said that in their effort to develop what may be dubbed HQ-19, the Chinese may possibly be working closely with Russia, whose S-500 Prometey missile defense system, now under development, and the strategic missile system A-235 Nudol, which is currently undergoing trials, will be able to shoot down incoming warheads even before they enter the atmosphere. The long-range A-235 missile will have a range of up to 1,500 km and will be able to carry a nuclear warhead which will dramatically improve its ability to shoot down enemy warheads. What really matters here is just how many such missile defense systems China will be able to deploy and who they are going to be used against. The modern US ballistic missiles are either land or sea-based intercontinental ones the ATACMS short-range Chinese missiles will hardly be able to deal with, Kashin said. ZIS-150 Work on the creation of this new generation truck began in 1937, but its serial production began only 10 years after. Over 770 thousand cars were sold since then. The model has gone through several stages of modernization and, apart from Russia, was built in Romania and China. In Romania, the truck was released as the SR-101 by Steagul Rosu plant. Their Chinese triplet received the name of Jiefang CA-10, which means "Liberation," and has been in production in Changchun City since 1956. This model was even depicted on the Chinese banknotes. World's Most Common Truck The ZIL-130 truck, which was commercially produced from 1964 to 1995, found 3.4 million customers. The ZIL-130 became the most common truck in the world. When little Violetta grows up she will be just as proud of her father as all his countrymen are, Berg added. "In a few years she will know who her father was," he wrote. Alexander Prokhorenko was on the ground conducting reconnaissance and target acquisition for Russian warplanes, which were providing support for Syrian government forces, when his position was compromised and he found himself surrounded by terrorist fighters. When he was captured by Daesh terrorists, he called in an air strike on his own position that killed him and several terrorists. However, shortly before his death, he once again confessed his love of his family and country. "They are here. This is the end, commander, thank you. Please, tell my family and my country, whom I love. Tell them that I was brave and I was fighting, but I can no longer do anything. Please take care of my family, avenge my death. Goodbye, commander. Tell my family I love them," these were the last words of the hero before he died. Washington has been informed of Moscow's intentions, but neither the US State Department, Justice Department, nor Bureau of Prisons has responded at this time. The US government detained Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko in Liberia in 2010 after conducting a sting operation across West Africa, and transferred the Russian pilot to the United States. He was was sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug smuggling. Yaroshenko maintains that the case against him was fabricated. How exactly the science of Pavegen works has remained quite a closely guarded secret but Kemball-Cook reveals that the system involves what's called piezoelectricity. That's where a crystal, quartz for instance, will produce a charge if pressure is applied to it. Pavegen says it can't disclose much in the way of cost for the new tiles at present, other than to say that they are far cheaper to manufacture than previous versions which cost 1250 per square meter. "We are at an exciting stage now with the release of our enhanced V3 product however our future plan remains to get it to match the same cost as normal flooring," says Kemball-Cook. "We've always kept in our minds that Solar took 50 plus years to get to the point it's at now and we are now closer than ever to delivering a scalable solution for everyone into the market," he added. Pavegen has already installed tiles in more than 100 locations, including Harrods in UK and Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3. For example, in one of the videos a virtual character stands with a weapon under the flag of the Islamic State and says, Do not be confused by what extremists say, that you must reject the new world. You dont need to pick. Remember, peace up. Extremist thinking out. The group of internet giants intends to find out which exact video will be the most effective in combating extremist propaganda. This will be determined by the number of views and by the tone of the comments. The successful implementation of projects to develop passenger port infrastructure will enable the port of Murmansk to become a unique cruise and ferry hub of Arctic tourism, the authorities said. Recently, the Murmansk Region has welcomed more tourists from Asia, China, in particular. They are primarily interested in nuclear-powered icebreaker cruises to the North Pole. Khibiny, with its modern ski resorts, remains a popular vacation destination. Tourists can visit the worlds first nuclear-powered icebreaker, the Lenin, and ancient churches of the Kola Region. They can also learn about the life of indigenous people the Saami and Pomors. To date, there are 12 ports listed in the Russian Governments resolution on regulations for foreign citizens and stateless persons arriving in the Russian Federation on ferries that hold permits for passenger transportation. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Editor-in-Chief of RT and Sputnik Margarita Simonyan said Tuesday she was "surprised" by the small number of articles published at The Times newspaper discrediting the Russian media. "The Times chaps, why so little, just seven? Fifteen at once would have been better, would suffice for two weeks in advance," Simonyan said. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian was detained on April 24 when he tried to cross into the United States through the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, California. He died in custody at a migrant detention center on May 1. On Monday, the Russian Embassy in San Francisco received an 11-page autopsy report stating the apparent natural cause of his death. "The situation is exceptionally strange. Theres no doubt that all this information was handed over to us with a delay. The whole story seems suspicious to me, because the reasons for his detention are not clear," Konstantin Dolgov, a senior Foreign Ministry official in charge of human rights and rule of law, told RIA Novosti. He said this was another case that showed that the US legal system was "prone to systemic deficiencies." "US law enforcement and special services oftenviolate rights, freedoms and interests of Russian citizens," he added. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is unfit to hold the executive office, President Barack Obama said in a press conference on Tuesday. "I think the Republican nominee [Trump] is unfit to serve as President," Obama stated when asked by reporters. "I said so last week, and he keeps on proving it." Additionally, Obama said, "the fact that he [Trump] doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East [or] in Asia, means that hes woefully unprepared to do this job." WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have betrayed Americans because of their numerous security and economic policy failures, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. "They [Obama and Clinton] have betrayed our security and our workers, and Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office," Trump stated. Trump's statement added that among other things, the two Democrats destabilized the Middle East, released criminal aliens into the country, and shipped millions of jobs overseas. During the same rally, Trump also made a strange attempt to smooth over his strained relationship with American veterans. Stepping into the event, the presidential hopeful was handed a Purple Heart medal by a retired lieutenant colonel. "I said to him, 'Is that like the real one, or is that a copy?'" he said. "And I said, Man, thats like big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 2, 2016 Trump is already in hot water following his ongoing feud with the Khan family, whose Muslim son, Captain Humayun Khan, died while serving in the American military. During a speech at the Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan blasted the candidates proposed ban on Muslims, and later said he was "void" of a "moral compass." Do you believe that? Gaines aggressively asks her child. No, the boy replies. The incident began around 9:20 AM local time when Baltimore police arrived at Gaines Randallstown apartment to serve her with a warrant for failing to appear in court on an array charges including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The police also intended to serve warrants on a man who was also at the residence, Kareem Kiean Courtney, 39, for assault. When police arrived at the scene, they could hear people inside including a crying child but there was no response at the door. They obtained a key to the apartment from a landlord shortly after. Upon opening the door to the apartment, police reportedly saw Gaines sitting on the floor with a long gun pointed at him so he called for SWAT backup and began to evacuate the building. "When our detectives arrived at the scene, they found that the woman was armed and there was a juvenile in the apartment with her. So at that point, our detectives backed off, not only to call additional resources, but to ensure the safety of the community and bring a safe resolution to this incident," Baltimore County police Cpl. John Wachter told WBAL. Courtney had attempted to flee with a one-year-old baby, but was apprehended outside. For hours, the police negotiated back and forth with Gaines, who was inside with her five-year-old son. She allegedly made continuous threats to the officers while pointing her weapon at them. "We are of course extremely upset at an event like this," police spokeswoman Elise Armacost told reporters. "We do not like to be in a position of having to use lethal force, but this was a situation where our officers exercised patience for hours and hours." "Its been said you dont really have a fighter until you can actually hit a target and we crossed that threshold with the first air-to-air weapon delivery of an AIM-9X. This successful test demonstrates the combat capability the F-35 will bring to the US Military and our allies," the pilot said in a statement. "This test represents the culmination of many years of careful planning by combined government and contractor teams. We want to operators will receive the combat capability they need to execute their mission and return home safely we cannot compromise or falter in delivering this capability." While the air-to-air tests appear to have been successful, the Air Force has had trouble with is evasion of surface-to-air missile tests, claiming that the planes stealth is simply too good. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Delaware's state death penalty law is the same as in Florida, and allows judges to choose the death penalty for a convicted defendant even if the jury recommends life behind bars. "Delaware's current death penalty statue violates the Sixth Amendment role of the jury as set forth in Hurst," the opinion handed down by the states highest court stated. In January, the US Supreme Court ruled in the case of Hurst v. Florida, that the sixth amendment guarantees that defendants have the right to have their verdicts decided by a jury and not the judge. Bratton vacating his position comes at a time when New Yorks police are caught up in a veritable whirlwind of controversy and scandal. Several months ago an NYPD sergeant, deputy inspector and deputy chief were arrested in connection with illegal campaign fundraising for DeBlasio. It was reportedly revealed through court documents that officers received expensive gifts including free international trips, expensive meals and a jaunt to Las Vegas on a private jet with a complimentary sex worker in exchange for shutting down streets for private parties and providing personal security for DeBlasio supporters. There is also a $200 million lawsuit against the city of New York leveled by Tabatha Foster, who claims she had an affair with married NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey who physically abused her and had sex with her in his squad car at the precinct. She recounted one incident where Maddrey brutalized her until she pulled a gun. "I felt safe until he started hitting meI put the gun down and my a** got beat for real. He choked me up. He threw me from side to side like I was a rag doll," she recalled. "As the DNC moves into the general election phase of the 2016 campaign, new Chair Donna Brazile today announced the departures of Amy Dacey, Luis Miranda, and Brad Marshall," the statement noted. Their resignations come as the DNC deals with fallout from an email hacking scandal. But with the Pentagon still bankrolling Afghan security efforts, its decided to make it up to the vehicle manufacturing company, awarding AM General a $356 million deal to build 1,259 M1151 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, also known as Humvees, as well as 414 M1152 models. "This contract announcement reinforces AM Generals position as the global leader in Light Tactical Vehicles. Our international partners continue to rely on us to meet the most diverse range of mission capabilities offered by the most adaptable, affordable Light Tactical Vehicles on the planet," company president and CEO Andy Hove said in a statement. Iskander response Russia should move fast to counter the US plan of bringing back into service an upgraded B61-12 nuclear bomb, Russian military science professor Konstantin Sivkov said Tuesday. "They are not rebuilding the bomb, but rather refurbishing its components and giving the shell more aerodynamic advantage. This won't take long," Sivkov, the president at the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, said. According to the US nuclear security authority, the bomb will have both its nuclear and non-nuclear components upgraded to extend its service life while improving safety and reliability. "The only counter-measure left to Russia is to create a nuclear warhead for the Iskander missile system," Sivkov said, referring to ballistic missile complexes that currently carry a range of conventional warheads. The NNSA plans the first production unit of the bomb for fiscal year 2020, which will be followed by full-scale production. NNSA Administrator Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz said the upgrade would add at least 20 years to the bombs service life. Threat assessment The artist, Lushux, was threatened with legal action by the city due to his portrayal of a buxom Hillary Clinton in an American flag-printed one-piece swimsuit with a stack of hundred dollars bills stuffed in the side. The painting was covered up completely by a black square. "From the looks of it one of the progressive and tolerant councilors got offended enough to send out their dogs of war to try and intimidate the building owner into removing it." he said. Maribyrnong Council officials claimed that the mural was "offensive" not because of its provocative portrayal of presidential candidate, but because of its sexual nature, even though no such fuss was made over a nude Donald Trump portrait on the other side of town. A photo posted by Lushsux (@lushsux2) on Jul 27, 2016 at 8:40pm PDT Lushux believes the fact that the Trump mural remains uncovered is proof of a double standard. "There is a clear bias," he claimed, "or maybe its that (nowadays) the left is so vocal in shouting down anything that doesnt gel with their narrative." The artist decried the coverup as an example of supposedly "tolerant and progressive" bureaucrats balking at one of their heroes being lampooned. To prove his point, he returned to the mural site and repainted Clinton, this time covered completely covered except for her eyes and hand in a niqab, a full-body garment worn by some Muslim women. Lushux also spray-painted a message to Council members, daring them to disparage his revision saying, "If this Muslim woman offends (you),(you are) a bigot, racist (and an) islamophobe." "My guess is the Council will remove it, make the owner pay the costs of removal and then fine him as well. Because they are petty." the painter predicted.The new mural was indeed covered up the next day. Ramblinglily, one of Atlantic Canada's premier pacing mares, made an appearance in Woodstock, New Brunswick on Monday afternoon and make the trip worthwhile for her connections. Horse Racing New Brunswick, in partnership with the Woodstock Jockey Club, hosted a six-dash program on the Civic Holiday. In the $1,350 top class, Ramblinglilly and co-owner Allan Jones were on top early and the duo never looked back. Ramblinglily turned away the first-up challenger, City Of The Year (Dr. Mitchell Downey) to score her 43rd career victory in 1:59.2 Momara rallied nicely for third. Jones and Norman Leger share ownership on Ramblinglily, who pushed her seasonal summary to seven wins and three seconds in 10 starts. Racing will continue on Friday night with the $5,000 Kelti Burnett Memorial Invitational and the $2,000 Eagles Nest Jr. Invitational. (with files from HRNB) Satanist Group Has No Right to Disrupt School SALEM, Mass., Aug. 2, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- An atheist group masquerading as a so-called Satanist Temple recently made news when it stated it planned to petition school officials to allow its purported club on campus after school beginning with this upcoming academic year. The group states it intends to target the schools in districts where Good News Clubs meet after school. Good News Clubs, which are sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), require parental permission for children to attend. Good News Clubs are for children ages 5-12 and teach morals and character development from a Christian viewpoint. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Good News Clubs have a First Amendment right to meet on campus after school. Liberty Counsel represents CEF nationwide and has never lost a CEF case. If it gains approval to meet, the Satanic Temple group will require a signed parental permission slip to attend. "The so-called Satanic Temple group is a handful of atheists masquerading as so-called Satanists. This group is not legitimate. Its only reason to exist is to oppose the Good News Clubs. The Good News Clubs teach morals, character development, patriotism and respect from a Christian viewpoint. Public schools welcome these clubs because they improve the behavior of the students and the Supreme Court has sided with these clubs," said Mat Staver, Liberty Counsels Founder and Chairman. "The so-called Satanist group has nothing good to offer the students and its entire reason for existence is to be disruptive. Schools do not have to tolerate groups which disrupt the school and target other legitimate clubs. No sane parents would consent to allow their child to attend this group. Full of sound and fury, this group will soon fade away," concluded Staver. Liberty Counsel has offered pro bono legal counsel to the schools targeted by this disruptive group. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Judicial Watch: Obama Donor/DOJ Prosecutor Spent 1529.25 Hours Investigating the IRS' Targeting of Conservative Groups Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172 WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today released a letter from the Justice Department admitting that Democratic Party/Obama campaign donor and Justice Department attorney Barbara Bosserman spent 1,529.25 hours investigating the IRS' targeting of conservative organizations in 2010 and 2012. According to Federal Election Commission records, Bosserman contributed $6,750 to Obama campaigns and the DNC from 2004 to 2012, including 12 separate contributions to Obama for America between 2008 and 2012. The Obama Justice Department and FBI investigations into the Obama IRS scandal resulted in no criminal charges. The letter results from a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeal filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 16, 2016, which sought to overturn a lower court's ruling allowing the Department of Justice to withhold these records (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 15-5271)). After over two years, the Justice Department agreed to identify the number of hours just prior to the scheduling of oral arguments during which the agency would have had to justify the withholding of the information. In February 2014 Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, for: All Justice Department records from the Interactive Case Management System [a web-based system for storing and accessing information about contacts, calendars, cases, documents, time tracking, and billing, etc.] detailing the number of hours DOJ Attorney Barbara Bosserman expended on the investigation of the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status in the 2010 and 2012 elections cycles. Subsequently, Judicial Watch sued the agency for failing to respond to the FOIA request. (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:14-cv-01024)). In what House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darryl Issa (R-CA) called "a startling conflict of interest," Bosserman was appointed by then-Attorney General Eric Holder to oversee the FBI investigation despite her being a substantial contributor to the political campaigns of Barack Obama and to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). This lawsuit forced the Obama Justice Department to confirm the existence of a criminal investigation into the IRS' abuses and that Bosserman, a major donor to Obama's political campaigns and the Democratic National Committee, was part of the team of lawyers criminally investigating the issue. In a joint letter to Holder on January 8, 2014, Issa and House Subcommittee on Economic Growth chairman Jim Jordon (R- OH) asked that Bosserman be removed from the investigation, charging that her "conflict of interest has tainted any information she has gathered." Holder refused to remove Bosserman, and she failed to appear at a February 6 House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing titled: "The IRS Targeting Investigation: What is the Administration Doing?" "These numbers, extracted from the Obama administration after two years of hard fought litigation, show the central role that a conflicted Obama donor played in the Justice Department investigation of the Obama IRS scandal," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton... MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-obama-donordoj-prosecutor-spent-1529-25-hours-investigating-irs-targeting-conservative-groups Is Boston Cardinal O'Malley a Democrat Hack, Asks John Snyder Contact: John Snyder, Telum Associates, LL.C, 202-239-8005, gundean@gmail.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- "Is Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley a Democrat hack," John M. Snyder of Telum Associates asked here today."O'Malley criticizes Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for his immigration rhetoric but ignores Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage," Snyder added.O'Malley told Radio Teilifis Eirearn of Ireland July 17 he is worried about Trump's rhetoric on immigration, according to the Catholic News Service. "I worry about his rhetoric," said O'Malley. "It's very easy to stir up resentment and to blame groups of people."Snyder noted, "Immigration is a matter of opinion but abortion is a matter of Catholic doctrine."Catholics cannot in good conscience vote for a political candidate who promotes abortion. That means Clinton. Why doesn't O'Malley tell it like it is? Is this prince of the Church an acolyte of the left?""Unfortunately," Snyder continued, "O'Malley is not alone in this episcopal recalcitrance. American Catholic bishops in general are ignoring a major moral responsibility."The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and individual ordinaries so far have failed to indicate that Catholics in good conscience may not vote for the presidential candidacy of abortion supporter Hillary Clinton," he added.Snyder noted, "Father Stephen F. Torraco, Ph.D., in his EWTN analysis of catechism voting requirements for Catholics, states clearly that to vote for a candidate 'with the knowledge that the candidate is pro-abortion is to become an accomplice in the moral evil of abortion. If the voter also knows this, then the voter sins mortally.'"If Clinton became president, she surely would nominate abortion promoting justices to the United States Supreme Court at any and every opportunity. She also would nominate abortion promoters to lower federal courts. She would appoint supporters of abortion and other heinous practices to various positions throughout the federal bureaucracy."Snyder said, "A Clinton presidency would feature legal persecution of Catholics and the Catholic Church for upholding traditional Christian morality. This probably would include criminal penalties for conviction."Bishops should inform Catholics they cannot in good conscience support Clinton for president. The best practical way to prevent Clinton from becoming president is to elect the Trump-Pence ticket. Catholic Church officials and others can support the Trump-Pence ticket to preserve freedom of religion." Liberty Counsel Defends 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortions in Florida GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 1, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Today Liberty Counsel has filed an amicus brief in Gainesville Woman Care v. State of Florida, arguing in favor of a 24-hour waiting period to its Informed Consent abortion law in Florida. The brief was filed on behalf of the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds). The AAPLOG and ACPeds have extensive experience with adolescents and young women who have been affected by abortion and have studied the long-term effects of the procedure. Both the AAPLOG and ACPeds substantiate that Florida's 24-hour waiting period is critically necessary to protect the health and well-being of young women. Including such a period of reflection before choosing a decision with serious long-term consequences is critically important. Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, the youngest female member ever elected to the Florida House of Representatives, was one of the sponsors of HB 633 in 2015, known as the Informed Patient Consent bill. Sullivan also participated in one of Liberty Counsel's Covenant Journey tours of Israel. "Abortion is human genocide. Period," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "A 24-hour waiting period is critically important when facing life and death decisions. Abortion takes the life of an innocent human being and has enormous physical and psychological consequences on the mother and father and everyone connected to them. Anyone who opposes a 24-hour waiting period has no concern for the health and welfare of women. The reason abortion advocates oppose a waiting period is because they fear the mother will choose life," said Staver. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here. The Lewis County Sheriffs office is searching for a suspect in a recent Winlock hit and run accident. Robert A. Hicks, 24, was allegedly involved in a hit and run at about 5:30 p.m. July 24. Authorities say he was driving near North Military Road in Winlock when he crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a vehicle head on. He fled on foot, deputies say. He was driving a 2007 silver Acura with a Utah license plate. Deputies believe Hicks was staying with an unknown person in the Winlock area, and that he now may be in King County. If you have any information, contact Detective Sergeant Kevin Engelbertson at the Lewis County Sheriffs office at 360-740-1373. Six adults were displaced after a fire ravaged the second story of a single-family home in the 400 block of East B Street in Rainier early Tuesday morning. Columbia River Fire & Rescue responded around midnight, according to division chief Eric Smythe. The damage was confined to the second floor, where the building sustained heat, smoke and fire damage. The residents have been provided temporary housing, food and clothing assistance by the American Red Cross. The fire report did not include the names of the residents. The cause remains under investigation. TL;DR -Captured at a distance of approximately 365,000 miles (587,000 kilometers) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 9 degrees -Image scale is 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) per pixel -Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA The US space agency NASA has released yet another dazzling pic captured by its Cassini spacecraft. This time the spacecraft has beamed back image of Rhea, the second largest moon of Saturn just after Titan. The Rhea appears bright in the sunlight due to water ice present on the moons surface. Among all the moons of the Saturn, Rhea has the most heavily cratered ancient surface and has subtle albedo variations across the disk. All these variations hint at the geologic activities in the past, says NASA scientists. While explaining about the image, NASA said, this view looks toward the anti-Saturn hemisphere of Rhea. North on Rhea is up and rotated 36 degrees to the right. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 3, 2016 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The image was captured at a distance of approximately 365,000 miles (587,000 kilometers) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 9 degrees. Image scale is 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) per pixel. The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Cassini spacecraft is the fourth unmanned spacecraft sent to the Saturn. It entered the orbit back in 2004 and since then it has been observing the heaviest planet of our solar system and its natural satellites. The latest version of the Innova MPV, Innova Crysta launched by Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) in May, has started receiving an overwhelming response. With more than 7000 units of average monthly sale, the waiting period soared up to three months within a short span of time. The Innova Crysta continues to grow and we would like to thank our customers for placing their faith in the brand and the product. Launched in May 2016, the Innova Crysta still has a waiting period of up to 2 months, said N. Raja, Director and Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TKM. Toyota witnessed 3 percent growth in July sales over the same period last month. In addition, the car maker has received around 30,000 pre-orders of the MPV so far. Out of which, around 15,000 were booked the automatic variant of Innova Crysta, which is priced over Rs. 20 lakh. The company revealed that it has managed to sell 8,171 Innova Crysta units in June, which is highest ever for the MPV. While, the variant wise sales report is yet to be disclosed. The Innova Crysta comes in two diesel engine variants 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre engines, with a starting price of Rs. 13.83 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The 2,393cc mill churns out 148bhp and 243Nm of torque and is coupled to five-speed manual gearbox, while the 2,755cc diesel engine develops 172bhp of power and 360Nm of torque mated to six-speed automatic gearbox. The company has also noted in a statement that due to ban on diesel car registration in Delhi and NCR, it is planning to launch Innova Crysta petrol variant. In additon, rumours have already started surfacing around, suggesting that the variant will be launched on August 8. The speculations further revealed that the Innova Crsyta petrol will be powered by an in-line 4-cyl 2.7-litre unit that will posses 164bhp of power at 5,200 rpm and 250Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The engine is expected to be paired up with both a five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmission. tech2 News Staff After acquiring Motorola, PC and smartphone maker Lenovo has now applied for a single-brand retail licence in India according to the Times of India. The same will allow Lenovo to open up company-owned showrooms in the country and this comes at a good time indeed. Lenovo has recently crossed the 1 billion mark in 2015-16 in terms of smartphone sales in India. Sudhin Mathur, director for mobile business group, said that the turnover touched $1.3 billion by year end 31 March, 2016. Mathur also told TOI that the company's sales have been growing at steady pace in India and that the momentum was expected to remain strong during the current fiscal. The recent IDC tracker also pointed out that Lenovo and Motorola (now together) sold around 10 million units, which accounts for nearly 10 percent share in India's total smartphone sales. Lenovo has apparently applied for the single-brand licence after the revised guidelines which allows for an eight-year relations for the 30 percent local sourcing norms. Other Chinese companies who recently applied for the same include, Xiaomi and LeEco. Apart from this, we also have Apple who had recently hit a roadblock while trying to get an exemption from the same norms. At a special event in New Delhi, Lenovo recently announced its budget friendly smartphone, the Vibe K5 Note. The smartphone was first unveiled in China back in January and was set to arrive in India in July but saw certain delays. Kunal Khullar Lenovo finally managed to launch the Vibe K5 Note in India yesterday at a special event in New Delhi. Update to the Vibe K4 Note, which was quite successful, the new smartphone once again comes with VR compatibility with Theatre Max, Dolby Atmos Surround sound and new hardware to take on its competition. We played around with the handset at the launch event and here is what we think of the device. Build and design It seems that having a metal body in this price range has become a norm nowadays. Not that we are complaining. The Vibe K5 Note has a solid build and feels a bit like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with its curved metal back. Lenovo has also focused on bringing symmetry to the design and the company mentioned how the distance between the rear camera and LED flash is same as the distance between the LED flash and the fingerprint scanner. Up front you have a 5.5-inch full HD display and has the usual set of sensors, the earpiece and the front camera sitting above it. Below the display you get capacitive Android navigation buttons which are sadly not backlit. Going around the edges, the power and volume keys are on the right, the 3.5mm headphone jack is on the top, the left edge has the dual-SIM card hybrid tray and at the bottom is the microUSB port and the microphone. At the back there is a 13MP camera with a dual LED flash, a fingerprint scanner and a speaker grill at the bottom. Display The display panel is an LTPS IPS LCD panel measuring at 5.5-inches with a full HD (1920x1080) resolution. The 401 PPI makes it sharp and even the colours look good. We tried using the smartphone out in the open and apart from having some reflections, we didn't see a lot of issues. Viewing angles are actually quite good and Lenovo has put an extra effort for this to improve the experience when used with the ANT VR headset. Hardware The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset having an octa-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz along with a Mali-T860 GPU. There are two variants of the device, one with 3GB of RAM and the other with 4GB of RAM. The internal storage is 16GB which is expandable up to 128GB using a microSD card. The performance felt smooth and UI felt quite fluid, but of course we only tested it for a few minutes. It is also worth noting that there arent many smartphones in this range offering 4GB RAM. On the connectivity side you get dual SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, FM Radio. The company has also managed to squeeze in a 3,500 mAh battery in a substantially slim body. OS Lenovo, like many other brands, has slimmed down on its UI making it lighter and less resource consuming, well at least thats how it felt. Running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the menus and apps loaded smoothly and didnt show any signs of lag. The UI is cleaner and lighter and offers some interesting features like customisable quick toggles in the notification shade and a secondary storage solution called Secure zone which basically looks a lot like running another user account with separate apps. This is somewhat similar to what Xiaomi and even LeEco is providing on their UI. Camera The rear camera on the smartphone comprises of a 13MP sensor with PDAF or phase detection autofocus along with a dual-LED flash and on the front there is an 8MP module to take selfies. Both the cameras are good but not impressive, probably just above average. The focusing and processing speeds looked fair and even the camera app offered some standard features which can be useful for consumers. Conclusion While it is going to face tough competition from its fellow Chinese smartphone makers, Lenovo's Vibe K5 Note has a bunch of tricks up its sleeve. Firstly it is VR compatible and the company is offering affordable bundles. To improve the VR experience the company is offering controllers which gives it a further edge. We can't say a lot about the overall hardware performance, but the Vibe K5 Note can not be ignored when considering a smartphone in the under Rs 15,000 range. It is also one of the few smartphones that offers 4GB of RAM, which is something that could attract more customers. The 3GB variant is priced at Rs 11,999 while the 4GB variant for Rs 13,499. The smartphone will be available through an open sale via Flipkart from 3 August along with a variety of accessories, offers and bundles. tech2 News Staff He may not be known for his inputs at Royal Enfield, but famous motorcycle designer Pierre Terblanche has quit the company from his post as a design director. The designer who was responsible for many important motorcycle projects before his stint with Royal Enfield has stepped out of the company's office in the UK. And it was was short stint indeed. Terblanche left Enfield after 20 months of joining the Chennai-based company's UK office, according to the buzz around the web. 60 years old now, Terblanche could have been Enfield's biggest asset as the designer could have bought about plenty of transformation (in terms of design) in one the world's oldest motorcycle companies. Prior to Enfield, the designer helped pen down iconic designs like the Ducati 749/999 supersports bikes. This would also include the rare and iconic Ducati MH900e (shown above) which was initially designed as a concept, but due to its popularity entered production and went on sale in 2000. Terblanche also worked with Moto Guzzi on the Moto Guzzi Concept (shown above) among other Moto Guzzi motorcycles and the on Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster as well. hidden A near-Earth asteroid that is coming towards our planet after being dislodged by a gravitational pull can indeed strike us and cause massive destruction, but according to experts, it has a only a one in 2,700 chances of hitting. Such an event will not take place for 150 years and the people living in the year 2135 would know whether the asteroid named Bennu posed an actual threat to hit Earth, ABC News reported on Monday. The OSIRIS-REx Mission, headed by NASA and the University of Arizona, plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft on September 8 in the efforts to reach Bennu in August 2018. OSIRIS-REx will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on an Atlas V 411 rocket. It will orbit the Sun for a year and then use Earths gravitational field to assist it on its way to Bennu. In August 2018, OSIRIS-RExs approach to Bennu will begin. It will use an array of small rocket thrusters to match the velocity of Bennu. The spacecraft will begin a detailed survey of the asteroid two months after slowing to encounter Bennu. After the selection of the final site, the spacecraft will briefly touch the surface of Bennu to retrieve a sample. The sampling arm will make contact with the surface for about five seconds, during which it will release a burst of nitrogen gas. This will cause rocks and surface material to be stirred up and captured in the sampler head. In March 2021, the window for departure from the asteroid will open and OSIRIS-REx will begin its return journey to Earth, arriving two and a half years later in September 2023. The sample capsule will separate from the spacecraft and return to Earth. IANS hidden South Korea on Tuesday suspended sales of 32 Volkswagen Group models and fined the German automaker 17.8 billion won ($16.06 million), accusing it of forging documents on emissions or noise level tests. The move by Asia's fourth-biggest economy builds pressure on Volkswagen as it struggles to repair its reputation after it admitted in September to using illegal software to hide toxic emissions on about 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. Europe's largest automaker more than tripled sales in South Korea to 35,778 last year, before suffering a slump following the emissions scandal. South Korea is one of the major markets for its luxury brands like Audi and Bentley. The environment ministry said it had revoked certification for 83,000 diesel and gasoline-powered Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley vehicles, bringing the total number of VW vehicles de-certified in South Korea to 209,000. This amounted to 68 percent of the vehicles the German automaker had sold in the country since 2007, the ministry said. In November, the government revoked the certification of 126,000 VW vehicles, ordered their recall and fined Volkswagen 14.1 billion won, accusing the company of manipulating an emissions control system. Prosecutors subsequently raided Volkswagen's Seoul offices and arrested an executive. Volkswagen voluntarily suspended sales of most of its models in South Korea from July 25, ahead of the government's decision. Reuters Nimish Sawant Sony India has taken a call to only sell its premium Xperia smartphones in India and get out of the entry to mid-range segment. Speaking to the Times of India, Vijay Singh Jaiswal, head of Xperia business of Sony India said that Sony India's marketing strategy will focus on offering premium products in the smartphone segment. The Japanese phone maker will only be looking at launching its flagship Xperia products for the Indian market. According to the report, Sony will also use the upcoming festive season to offer special offers on its handsets. About time for Sony This move was long time coming, and it is not remotely surprising. In the chart above which shows worldwide sales in Q1 2016, there are three Chinese players after Apple and Samsung, while Sony figures in the 'Others' category. "Sony didn't have a choice. This is a global decision and it is not just India, but Sony is also retracting from other growing markets such as Brazil, China, Russia as far as non-premium phones are concerned. It will be refocussing on profitable markets including Europe and Japan, which is a key market for Sony where it is quite relevant as a brand," said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner. Sony Mobiles just has around 1.5 percent market share in India. According to IDC, Sony's share fell from 3.5 percent in 2014 to 1.4 percent in 2015. This year, in India, around 24.4 million smartphone units were shipped in Q1 2016, which is a 12 percent year on year growth. Among the top five players were: Samsung, Micromax, Intex, Lenovo and Lava. Sony was a company which along with Microsoft, BlackBerry and LG registered the biggest drop in terms of sales. The sub Rs 20,000 market is flooded with players from China such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, LeEco, Meizu and so on, who are outdoing each other in terms of value propositions on offer. Sony hasn't really released many phones in this segment over the last year, and even if it did, they would certainly not compete with the Chinese handset juggernaut that has taken over the Indian market. Sony's dropping market share One look at this chart, and you notice that Sony had a 5+ percent market share only till Q2 2013, post which Sony has never reached that number. Interestingly, that is also the time when Xiaomi entered the India market and heralded the entry of the Chinese smartphone players, who really have captured the sub Rs 20,000 market. On the other hand you have Indian players such as Micromax and Intex which are doing well numbers wise. All this points to a simple fact that the sub Rs 20,000 market is, for all practical purposes, a no-go zone for Sony. Take for instance its latest phone under Rs 20,000 the Sony Xperia XA. It has specifications which can easily be outclassed by a Rs 15,000 phone from a lot of the Chinese smartphone makers. Yet another example is the Xperia X, which although priced at Rs 48,990 offers chipset and RAM which is also found on some sub-Rs 15,000 phones. One area where Sony does excel is in its high end phone segment. Sony flagships have been consistently good performers, although the Z3/Z3+/Z5 were marred by a lot of heating issues. That aside, in terms of build quality, water and dust resistance, battery performance, camera quality, Sony flagships can definitely hold their own against say a Samsung or an Apple flagship. The fact that it is not selling huge volumes of these well made devices is definitely a matter of concern. According to Gupta, if Sony mobile has to survive not just in India but globally, then it has to come up with products which will rival the Samsung Galaxies and Apple iPhones. Where has the Sony of yesteryears gone? The first phone I had purchased was a Sony Ericsson W330i. This flip-phone from the erstwhile Sony-Ericsson's Walkman series had a lovely design which made it stand out from the other candy-bar and flip-phone form factor smartphones back then. Even the in-ear headset along with the phone had its own appeal. Sony-Ericsson made phones which had really good aesthetic appeal and the phones looked visually different with their own design philosophies. Sony has traditionally been known for its design prowess, across technology segments. Sony, like Nokia, was also known not just for its appealing handsets but also a surety that this was one of the best aspirational brands out there. Sony is still a trusted brand. But in the mobile space, cut to the Sony Xperia Z series phones, and there's really nothing much visually that demarcates the Z3 from say a Z5. It feels as if the design department at Sony just decided to play it safe with the form factor and not really experiment much. The mid-range phones from Sony don't look much different either, but they still command the same 'premium' because it's just Sony. Is it really a surprise to understand why Sony lost its mojo in this agile smartphone market? But all is not lost. According to Gupta, Motorola had done a similar reorganisation and restructuring of its company to an extent where they retracted from many markets. "They weren't selling Motorola phones in India for a while. But then they came back with the Moto G, Moto E series, focussing only on the online market and it has been doing well. Sony is strategising in a similar way, focussing on the profitable markets for now," he said. Whether that strategy will pay off, only time will tell. This Page has moved to a new address: Sorry for the inconvenience Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service Tk20 lakh bounty for 2 militant masterminds Police on Tuesday offered Tk20 lakh bounty each for the capture of Bangladesh-Canadian man Tamim Chowdhury and Army-fired Major Zia for masterminding the recent militant incidents in the country. Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque announced the reward at a press briefing at the Police Headquarters in the capital. The bounty offer came in the wake of the two militant attacks--one at Holey Artisan Cafe in Dhakas Gulshan and another near Sholakia Eid congregation-- that left 21 people killed and a special raid on a militant den in the citys Kalaynpur last month where nine suspected militants were shot to death by law enforcers. Two police officers were also killed by militants at the 10-hour siege at the Gulshan restaurant and five militants and a cafe staff, on suspicion, were killed in a commando operation. The attack at Sholakia also left two police officers killed and law enforcers shot a suspected militant to death in the incident. -- Dhaka, Aug 2 (UNB) SC acquits Moudud, brother in govt house grabbing case UNB, Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed and his brother Manjur Ahmed in a case filed over grabbing a government house in the citys Gulshan area. The court also scraped Manjur Ahmeds ownership of the house. A five-member Appellate Division bench, led by the Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the orders following two appeals--one filed by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and another by Moudud Ahmed and his brother Manjur Ahmed. On August 12, 2010, the High Court (HC) ordered mutation of the house on plot-159 of Gulshan-2 in the name of Manjur. Later, Rajuk filed an appeal to the Appellate Division challenging the the HC order. After hearing the appeal, the Appellate Division scraped Manjurs ownership of the house today. On the other hand, on December 17, 2013, Deputy Director of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Harun-or-Rashid filed a case with Gulshan Police Station against Moudud and Manjur on charge of grabbing the house. On June 14, 2014, a lower court took cognizance of the case. Later, Moudud and his brother filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of a lower court order taking cognizance of the charges. However, the HC dismissed the writ petition on June 23, 2015, clearing the way for continuation of the case. Following this, Moudud and Manjur filed the appeal to the Appellate Division seeking rejection of the HC order. Attorney General (AG) Mahbubey Alam said with the apex court order of dismissing the HC order, Moudud and his brother got acquittal from the case filed by ACC. However, they have to leave the ownership of the house as the apex court granted the Rajuk appeal. In his reaction after the verdict, Moudud said this is not a government property as his brother Manjur has been living at this house since 1981. Moudud said he will file a review petition with the Appellate Division over the scrapping order of the house. Accused of 21 cases arrested in Morrelganj Bagerhat Correspondent : Police arrested one Abu Zafar who is known as Killer Abu alias Abu of Barisal (40), an accused of 21 criminal cases from the village Gutia under Dumuria Upazila in Khulna district at 5 pm on Saturday and according his statement, the police recovered a home made gun and a live cartridge from his village house premise at Zamirtala after digging the same on Saturday night. On February 11, he chopped Nurul Islam (65), a local Awami League worker and a 4rth class employee of Zamirtala Dakhil Madrsa in Morrelganj Upazila to death in front of the Madrasa and fled away. Tarak Biswas, Officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Morrelganj PS and IO (Investigating Officer) of the case disclosed, acting on secret information a police squad led by me raided the village Gutia under Dumuria Upazila in Khulna district on Saturday and arrested Abu Zafar from there. Police further disclosed, Abu Zafar was once a close associate of notorious Ershad Shikdar of Khulna. While Abu Zafar was living in Khulna he was known as Abu of Barisal alias killer Abu. Officer-in-charge (investigation) Tarak Biswas said, Killer Abu Zafar, son of one Yusuf dacoit of village Zamirtala is the main accused of the murder case of Madrasa employee Nurul Islam. The OC also said, besides this, as many as 21 criminal cases are pending against him in Khulna Sadar PS, Dumuria PS and Morrelganj PS in connection with murder, attempt to murder, extraction of money from others and fire arms. Farmers in Rangpur flood-hit areas worried over fodder shortage Rangpur Correspondent : Farmers at different flood affected areas in Rangpur district are worried as severe shortage of fodder has been prevailing in the areas. According to sources many grass fields in the flood affected areas, especially in char areas under Gangachara, Kawnia and Pirgachha upazila have been inundated by the recent flash flood caused by heavy downpour and onrush of water from the upstream during last couple of weeks, causing much problem to the cattle owners. People living in Teesta and other river basins are the worst sufferers of the situation.It is alleged that due to scarcity of green fodder prices of hay, oilcakes ,wheat bran and other fodders have also increased.A good number of farmers said that they are forced to sell their cattle at lower prices as presently cattle rearing has become so tough for them.According to sources per maund of hay is being sold between Tk390 to Tk450 in the local market while the same quantity of fodder was sold between Tk270 to Tk300 a couple of weeks ago. Khairul, a farmer of Soudpara village in Gangachara upazila said that flood caused massive havoc to his properties including house and crop fields, leaving him a pauper . Now he cannot afford to rear his cows due to crisis of fodder and its high price. Farmers said as they are not able to collect green fodder from the submerged grazing fields of the flood affected areas. It is not possible for them to buy sufficient fodder owing to soaring price of other fodder. Consequently, their cattle are getting weak and vulnerable to diseases. District Livestock Office sources said fodder crisis has become acute in the char areas under the region as green grass on a vast tract of land has been inundated by flood water. The crisis is expected to be resolved if flood situation becomes normal and new grasses will begin to grow, sources added. Enhancing fish production for improving rural economy stressed BSS adds: Enhanced fish production by ensuring proper utilisation of water bodies and latest technologies, involving the real fishermen, could improve rural economy cutting poverty. Fisheries experts expressed the opinions at a ceremony arranged for distribution of identity cards among fishermen by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) at upazila parishad auditorium in Syedpur upazila town in Nilphamari on Saturday afternoon. Whip of the opposition in the Jatiya Sangshad Alhaj Md Shawkat Ali, MP, attended the ceremony and distributed identity cards among 225 fishermen of five unions and Syedpur pourashava as the chief guest. With Syedpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Saleh Md Musa Jongi in the chair, Syedpur upazila Vice-chairmen Azmal Hossain and Rawnak Jahan Rinu and Nilphamari District Fisheries Officer Shah Jafar Imam Sadek attended the ceremony as the special guests. Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer for Syedpur Deepak Kumar Paul delivered welcome speech narrating the goals and objectives of distribution of the identity cards among the real fishermen. Officer-in-Charge of Syedpur Thana Amirul Islam, fishermen Tulshi Chandra Das and Keshob Chandra Das also spoke. The speakers called for finding out the real fishermen and giving lease of the government water bodies to them along with providing necessary assistance to increase production of fish and explore tremendous economic prospect of the fisheries sector. Kerry calls on Russia, Assad to `restrain` from offensive strikes US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Russia and the Syrian government to practice restraint and refrain from launching offensive operations. AP file photo AFP, Washington :US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged Russia to "restrain" itself and the government in Syria as fierce fighting there continues on the day he had hoped political transition could start."It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," he told journalists.Kerry said the government's attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition."The target date was set with the agreement that the parties were going to be able to go to the talks and begin immediately to negotiate," he said."But because of the continued offensive operations of the Assad regime, the opposition found it impossible to sit in Geneva and actually negotiate without the cessation of hostilities."President Bashar al-Assad's forces have surrounded rebel-held districts in the city of Aleppo, one of the main front lines in the conflict ravaging the country since 2011.Aleppo's southern edges have been ravaged by intense fighting in recent days as rebels seek to ease the government siege and cut off the regime's own access route into the rest of the northern province.Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of an international effort to bring Assad's regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups.Hopes for the existing peace process rest on a UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-country International Syria Support Group.Under the roadmap, signed by both Syria's ally Iran and Assad's pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire would precede Geneva-based talks on "political transition."The plan, endorsed by the UN in December, calls for the creation of a transitional body that should have taken place on August 1, followed by a new constitution and elections by mid-2017."Almost all of the time, from the moment of the announcement of the target date until today, has been consumed by trying to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful," Kerry said, implicitly acknowledging the failure to meet the roadmap so far."These are important days to determine whether or not Russia and the Assad regime are going to live up to the UN, live up to the cycle, or not," Kerry said. "And the evidence thus far is very, very troubling to everybody.""We will see in the course of the next hours, few days, whether or not that dynamic can be changed."Meanwhile, Syrian rebel fighters have launched a major assault on government-held southwestern parts of Aleppo to try to reopen supply lines into opposition-held areas of the city after the army and its allies tightened their siege last week.The rebels are trying to break through a strip of government-controlled territory in the hope of reconnecting their area of control in the west of Syria with the encircled sector of eastern Aleppo.A rebel military command centre that includes the newly formed Islamist group Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, Ahrar al Sham and Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades said they had seized army positions and some residential compounds in the first few hours of the assault, which began on Sunday night.Later, rebels said they had captured the strategic al-Mishrefah area, south of the Ramousah air force artillery base, which has been used to pound rebel-held areas from its fortified hilltop position."There is fast and quick progress," said Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, military spokesman of the Free Syrian Army's Nour al Din al-Zinki group.However, the rebels still need to advance another 2.5 km and take the artillery base, one of the biggest in Syria, in order to reach fellow rebels on the Aleppo side.The army earlier confirmed on state media that rebels had begun an offensive but said they had been pushed back from the base.A quarter of a million civilians still live in Aleppo's opposition-controlled eastern neighbourhoods, effectively under siege since the army, aided by Iranian-backed militias, cut off the last road into rebel districts in early July.The army last week took significant ground on the northern edge of the city, around the Castello road, which leads north towards Turkey. Gujarat CM resigns after Dalit protests Dawn.com, New Delhi : In a sign of growing trouble for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Anandiben Patel, the woman chief minister of his home state of Gujarat, resigned on Monday. Aam Admi Party's (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed Ms Patel's resignation ahead of next year's assembly polls was prompted by the rise of his party as a challenger. Mr Kejriwal earlier said in a video message that the Modi government was arresting his MLA's to harass them. "Don't be surprised if he gets me killed. He has lost his composure," Mr Kerjiwal said. Ms Patel's resignation came as the state witnessed mass protests over the flogging of a Dalit family by a cow vigilante group for skinning a dead animal. During a rally on Sunday, the Dalit community had put the BJP-led government on notice, saying they would teach the party a lesson in the elections next year. Mr Modi had come to power as Gujarat CM at the head of a similarly divided party, but he consolidated his power in the shadow of the 2002 Gujarat pogroms. Earlier, the Patidar of powerful peasant-entrepreneurial caste (to which the outgoing chief minister belonged) had brought the state government to its knees, forcing it to announce job and education quota for the Patidar community. Hardik Patel, the young leader of the Patidars, has issued open threat to the BJP. When he was released from jail recently, thousands turned up to greet him. Even as the party was assessing the damage after the Patidar agitation, the protests against the recent Dalit atrocities swept over the state and even spilled over to Uttar Pradesh where it has another election to fight. And those who are behind these attacks are believed to be people from the BJP's Hindutva offshoots only. Reuters adds: Thousands of Dalits rallied on Sunday in the state capital Ahmedabad, blocking roads and attacking buses, local media reported. Unrest in the state erupted last month after four Dalit men in the city of Una were tied to a car, stripped and flogged by Hindu vigilantes, who accused them of skinning a cow, a revered animal for Hindus. `Army killed 347 Shia followers of Zakzaky` in Nigeria Rights groups accuse the army of killing Shia followers of cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky. Al Jazeera News :A public inquiry on Monday accused the Nigerian army of killing 347 Shia Muslims and dumping them in a mass grave in the northern city of Kaduna late last year.Two days of violence began on December 12 when Shia worshippers attending a religious ceremony obstructed the convoy of Nigeria's chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai."The Nigerian Army used excessive force," said the 193-page report, which is available online.In total 349 people were killed including one soldier and one Shia worshipper who died later in custody.The commission, setup by the Kaduna state government, said those responsible for the killings should be prosecuted, confirming the conclusions of an earlier Amnesty International report."The Commission therefore recommends that steps should immediately be taken to identify the members of the NA (Nigerian Army) who participated in the killings ... with a view to prosecuting them," it said.Amnesty International accused the army of deliberately shooting dead the Shia followers of pro-Iranian cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky, burying them in mass graves and destroying evidence of the crime.The military maintains that its soldiers acted according to the rules of engagement after the crowd attempted to assassinate Buratai.Zakzaky, who lost an eye and was left partly paralysed in the violence, has been held since December.He has previously run up against Nigeria's secular authorities and has been imprisoned for calling for an Iranian-style revolution to create an Islamic state in the country's north."Political and military authorities in Nigeria should heed the Commission's recommendations and take immediate steps to hold those responsible for the illegal use of lethal force to account and to pay compensation to the victims," said Mausi Segun, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch."The authorities should release El Zakzaky and [his wife] Zeenat from detention, or bring credible charges against the couple in a properly constituted. Fate of 6,000 students uncertain Rangamati Correspondent : Fate of around 6,000 children reading at 86 primary schools run under a five-year long project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at four upazilas of the district has become uncertain since the schools have not been brought under recent nationalisation process of the government. The schools were set up at the four upazilas - Bilaichhari, Baghaichhari, Jurachhari and Rajasthali, under 'Fundamental Education Support' project of the UNDP and Chittagong Hill District Development Facility (CHTDF) in 2009. As a result, around 6,000 children of the upazilas got access to primary education while 336 teachers were appointed locally on contractual basis for six years till 2015. As the project period ended in June of 2015, the fate of the schools, their students and teachers became uncertain. Meanwhile, Rangamati Zila Parishad had been running the schools with their own funding till the end of the last year. But from January of this year, the honorarium of the teachers was stopped which led them to financial hardship. The teachers said, they were hopeful that their schools along with others across the country would be nationalised following the process undertaken by the government; but they are after all frustrated to see that their schools were kept out of the nationalisation process. In this connection, Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad S M Zakir Hossen said, "The decision to set up schools under the project for temporary period was wrong. Besides most of the schools are situated on government's reserved forests and khas lands, but the requirement is to set up schools on privately-owned lands. As a result, due to the failure to fulfil necessary requirements, the schools were not nationalised." He further said, "Still we have maintained communication with concerned authority. Besides, we have brought the situation before the Prime Minister's consideration and she has already ordered the concerned department to nationalise the schools." "Meanwhile, the process has started and hope that the schools would be nationalised soon," he added. When climate adaptation plans hurt the urban poor Laura Bliss : Hurricane Katrina was rushed into New Orleans by winds traveling 127 mph-a major Category 3 storm. The flooding it caused may well have been worsened by climate change's rising sea levels. But the disaster it left in its wake was not primarily "natural"- it was human-made. A legacy of racially biased land-use planning, ineffective flood protection, and poor evacuation strategies left low-lying, low-income neighborhoods of color disproportionately devastated. In the aftermath, New Orleans launched numerous efforts aimed at making the city more resilient to major storms. Among them was a special city commission's so-called 'Green Dot' plan, which proposed replacing certain heavily damaged neighborhoods with water-absorbent parks and green space, while restoring others. Hydrologically, it made a limited amount of sense. But from an equity standpoint, it was a disaster: The neighborhoods slated for razing were overwhelmingly black. White neighborhoods that had also sustained serious storm damage had been spared. "All hell broke loose" in response to the plan, LaToya Cantrell, the president of a community association (and current city council member) in one of the black neighborhoods in question, told me last summer. To some neighbors, this was a racially charged land grab, disguised as an "adaptation" strategy. The plan was abandoned amid public outrage. All cities - even those not vulnerable to hurricanes-can learn from New Orleans's story. Climate change is bringing rising sea levels, stronger storms, higher temperatures, prolonged drought and fire seasons, and new disease risks. Broadly speaking, the planet's poorest citizens will suffer the most. To prepare for a warmer future, local leaders are beginning to develop climate resiliency and adaptation plans. But, as they did in New Orleans, these plans can make vulnerable communities even worse off. When good intentions punish the poor "Adaptation planning is supposed to reduce risk to the whole population, and these plans are imagined to benefit the city at large," says Kara Reeve, an urban-planning specialist at the nonprofit social-science research institution RTI International. "But many of these plans are actually exacerbating existing inequities in cities, either by affecting or displacing less privileged groups, or leaving them out of the planning process entirely." Alongside a team of international researchers, Reeve co-authored a paper published recently in the Journal of Planning Education and Research that found numerous examples of "urban adaptation injustice" in developing and developed countries around the globe. To name a few: In Dhaka, poor communities are being displaced by landfilling, pumps, and embankments designed to protect higher-income residents from flood risks. In Medellin, a plan to contain urban sprawl while reducing landslide risk following heavy rainfall seeks to "relocate thousands of poor residents away from certain 'non-recoverable areas,'" but without adequate affordable housing to accommodate the displaced. Adaptation planning efforts in Jakarta and Santiago have all but ignored the needs and input of poor communities, in spite of their residents already bearing the brunt of climate hazards. Back in the U.S., Boston has relied heavily on private property owners and business leaders to develop their own flood risk assessments and adaptation plans, a strategy that seems likely to worsen the imbalance of flood protection between higher- and lower-income communities. Cities and states trying to shrink their carbon footprints can also wind up squeezing out their most vulnerable residents. In California, for example, state legislation strongly encourages regional planning authorities to work toward more compact, transit-oriented development. These plans can go a long way in reducing car emissions and promoting healthier communities overall. But alongside economic and cultural shifts pressing more people into urban cores, pro-density climate policies can also play a hand in driving up property values-which can displace existing residents and put those climate-friendly amenities out of reach. "You can't disentangle market, demographic, and planning forces," says Manuel Pastor, the director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California. He points to San Francisco, a city long applauded for its aggressive and progressive environmental policies, as a prime example of this complicated tension. Why aren't adaptation planners taking equity concerns into account? To a great extent, it's a problem that plagues professional urban planning in general. "It tends not to involve folks who are usually on the losing end of an equity measure," says Jacqueline Patterson, the director of the NAACP's Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Patterson has served on advisory committees for many national organizations supporting adaptation planning, and says that, time after time, she's seen well-meaning planners talk about equity, but rarely take the steps necessary to achieve it. One major pitfall can be when cities consider adaptation projects as ends in themselves, rather than a means to benefit a specific group of people. "For example, I might hear that the desired outcome is to have a stormwater-management system developed. When really the desired outcome should be something like, 'This many people were flooded out of their homes in the last storm, and after we build this system, it'll be this many fewer in the next storm,'" says Patterson. Not every city's climate adaptation plan is failing poor communities of color. Patterson says that the city of Oakland did a stand-up job of including representatives from diverse communities as it planned its Energy and Climate Action Plan. That plan now includes a host of equity measures, such as setting up an investment fund to retrofit low-income housing with energy-efficient appliances, encouraging transit-oriented development that includes affordable units, and running "green" job-training programs for young adults. Also in California, Los Angeles's sustainability plan spreads its green initiatives with a notably balanced hand. Among other things, it calls for the adoption of "green zones" in poor neighborhoods hit hard by industrial pollution, incentivizing cleaner industries to set up shop there. Even the Big Easy is slowly getting better, with a 2015 "Resilient New Orleans" strategy that proposes a program that helps low- and middle-income residents set aside storm-emergency funds. Climate-adaptation planning can and should be an opportunity to create more, not less, equitable cities, says Reeve, the RTI researcher. Planners can do this by opening the process to outside groups, and paying close attention to the nuanced human impacts associated with the adaptation strategies they deploy-in other words, developing a better sense of the trade-offs. To help with this, in 2015 Patterson authored a checklist of demographic, environmental, and economic "indicators" that planners can look to as they approach adaptation with a more inclusive lens. The key, says Patterson, is looking at the broader socioeconomic context to understand what's making a community vulnerable in the first place-then working to fix that. "It's not just about how we stop people from buying homes in a flood plain," she says. "But how do we have economic equity so that people don't need to make those kinds of choices because that's all they can afford?" (Laura Bliss is a staff writer at CityLab. She writes about the environment, infrastructure, and cartography, among other topics). Bring our children back home THIRTY-EIGHT Bangladeshi children stranded at a safe-home in South Dinajpur in West Bengal made a plea to the government to arrange their repatriation to end their suffering away from home. They seem to be victims of human trafficking and are sheltered by a local NGO from one to two years. More surprising is that the number of such victims is on rise almost on daily basis. The minor boys in question were detained by Indian Border Security Force and police, as they were found moving without passports. But since they are minors and found not involved in any crime, they were handed over to safe-home without police case. But their repatriation remains hanging in balance since no such initiative is coming from the India and Bangladesh side. It appears that our High Commission in Delhi and the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata are taking little care of the agonies of the children despite the stories of their plight are making headlines on regular basis. Our diplomats are busy in luxurious life taking hefty salary and allowances while working on issues that basically serves Indian interest. They have no time to rescue poor Bangladeshi children. Shubhayon functionaries claimed a list of the stranded children was sent to different offices of the state government few days ago for action leading to their repatriation to Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the disclosure by the NGO that nine more minor boys added to the detainees in the safe home is quite alarming. Another news report on Tuesday said six minors from Dhaka's Sadarghat slums were detained on the Indian side across the Hilly border of Dinajpur district few days back. They claimed they went on a visit to see India but it may be a framed story being taught by the traffickers. Since the repatriation move is not working, the Society for Participatory Action and Reflection (SPAR), another voluntary organization in West Bengal has sent a letter this time as news report on Tuesday said requesting intervention of Bangladesh Prime Minister to bring the boys back. What appears most worrying is the growing number of children, being trafficked and in many cases abandoned that we believe must work as eye opener for safety of our children. The government is busy preparing the list of missing people supposed to have joined the Jihadists. But who will make similar list of children regularly missing whose limbs and other parts of bodies are what make them most precious merchandise for organ plantation in Indian hospitals. Since all detainees are boys, the suspicion runs equally high.India-Bangladesh border is highly dangerous as BSF shoot and kill people on sight and yet how minors can cross border is the big question. This is a crucial question of protecting our children. We ask the government to stop it. Killing of BCL man risks making campuses volatile again DEATH of a student and injury of five others in gunfight between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student front of Bangladesh Awami League in Comilla University campus on Monday led to the closure of the varsity for an indefinite period of time. The bloody incident, not unusual within the student front of the ruling party has however come as a new shock to the students of Comilla University and all universities as many fear it may lead to more clashes in the campus endangering students' life and disrupting their academic calendar. The killing of Khaled Saifullah (24), a student of Marketing Department and Organising Secretary of Kabi Nazrul Hall unit of BCL of the varsity is part of volatile criminal politics now destroying our academic institutions. There is no denying of the fact that when Awami League can't control its own leaders and cadre as they fight for power, it is obvious its student wing and its various factions to inherit the culture of winning power through all sorts of violence including gunfights. Awami League must equally bear the responsibility for the chaos in campuses and the killing. Because various factions are vying for unbridled power that they believe open their gate to unbridled access to unaccounted wealth and control on local business and resources. Our student politics has become not only dirty, it is equally criminal and vindictive that makes no sense even to kill fellow party men infights for power and influence within the party apparatus. There is no visible rival student organization now to contest. Student bodies belonged to Jamaat and others are now blamed for militant activities. But BCL cadres are fighting themselves. At least 55 leaders and workers of the organization were killed in factional fighting in last seven and half years since Awami League came to power. During this time more than 50 educational institutes were also temporarily closed. Student politics of the ruling party is now also widely blamed for abductions, extortion, snatching of tenders, admission business and what not. But student politics was not so dirty in the past. It has its glorious past as well when student leaders made great national leaders and led the nation to fight for the liberation war. They were not thieves or killers but symbolized the best ideals how to make the best career and build the nation. The trigger happy student politics has destroyed the past glory and tradition and our students are killing themselves now regularly spreading panic throughout the nation. They are rapists instead of working for an ideal that could make everyone great. Please stop this politics of killing to keep the campuses safe place for studies. Live and let live others. Scramble for relief Floods cost 45 lives so far: 25 lakh marooned, 1440 edn institutes damaged Hundreds of flood victims awaiting for relief in Nilphamari on Tuesday. Md Joynal Abedin Khan : The flood affected people are scrambling for relief as they have been passing a miserable condition due to the loss of their livelihood during more than two weeks submerge. They are living under the humanity-level index for inadequate assistance from the government and non-government sources. Even, no relief has been reportedly reached in various flood-hit areas though the government has repeatedly claimed that the relief has been distributed all the flood-affected people according to the list. Besides, sufferings of many flood-hit people mounts to the worst as they have been allegedly deprived of relief facilities by considering their political identities and local government's vote issue. In this condition, they sought the government's interfere in distributing relief to all the affected people without any irregularities. According to official data, over 45 people died while the number of affected people reached to more than 25 lakh. Besides, 3,022 people are sufferers of water-born diseases. Around 1,440 educational institutes, 250 religious institutions and 8,218 kilometer (280km concrete) roads have been damaged over 400 upazilas in 20 districts in the country's northern and middle parts due to heavy rain and onrush of hilly water, the data showed. Besides, 94,536 hectors of crops have gone under water while 158 shelter centers were made for the flood affected people, the data said. Around 10,000 packets of relief and a huge amount of water purifying tablets have been sent to the flood-affected districts till Monday, it added. Meanwhile, flood situation has improved at Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Serajganj, Bogra and Kurigram districts as the water levels of the Brahmaputra, Jamuna and Dharla rivers started declining, said Ripon Karmakar, Assistant Engineer of the Flood Forecast and Warning Centre at the Water Development Board (WDP). The flood situation in Niphamari, Rajbari, Manikganj, Munshiganj and Shariatpur districts is likely to deteriorate. The water levels of the Buriganga, Balu, Lakhya rivers around the capital city of Dhaka are showing a rising trend which may continue for two more days, he said. The water levels of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Surma-Kushiyara continue to decline, the Ganges remain unchanged while the Padma is sowing rising trend. Abdus Salam, an inhabitant of Ward No. 4 in Gajaria Union Parishad of Fulchhari Upazila in Gaibandha district, said, "I deprived from relief as I did not cast my vote in favour of the incumbent Chairman Shamsul Alam." Lili Begum, an inhabitant of the same village, said, "We are deprived of the government help after the recent UP polls as we are not supporter of the ruling party." Contacted, Shamsul Alam, the UP chairman, said that the scarcity of relief is the main reason of short supplying. "We are facing acute crisis of cooked food and pure drinking water as well as medicines," said Rubina Begum, an inhabitant of Dalia UP in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari district. She alleged that discrimination by the local ruling party men for distribution of the relief goods based on ration cards is a common phenomenon. Rina Begum, 35, of Dauabari village, said, "She gave birth to twins in the camp without assistance of a professional midwife. As a result, one of the babies has died of fever and the other is seriously ill." Mahasina Bewa, 75, of Kalmari village in Kuragram's Chimari uapazila has been suffering from diarrhoea after drinking contaminated flood water. At least 61,000 hectares of crop fields have gone under flood waters in 17 districts, said an officer the Department of Agricultural Extension. Mohammad Abdul Wazed, Director General of Department of Disaster Management, said, "We are supplying government relief only to the marginal poor people. We asked the local government body to distribute the relief goods and medicines by identifying the extremely affected people, he said. In a query, he said, "No one complained to us about the distribution by considering the political identity and local vote issue. If any one complaints over the irregularities then we will take tough action against them." Two Bangladeshis and five Indian nationals were killed while a cow-laden boat sank in Padma\'s heavy current near Charghat border in Rajshahi on Monday. False alarm Police raid a Gulshan house in search of militants Staff Reporter : There was a long-standing conflict between two opposing parties over possession of a house in the city's posh diplomatic zone Gulshan. Taking this advantage, someone on Tuesday rang to local police station and informed that the house was militant's den. Police instantly conducted a raid, but the result was zero. They found nothing in connection with militancy. The law enforcers, however, detained two persons from the spot. Local sources said the occurrence took place in House No-2 on Road No-13 at Gulshan-1. "There has been a conflict of ownership regarding the two-storey building located just by the Gulshan Lake. Someone anonymous had informed police that the building housed militants. So, the law enforcers launched the drive," Officer-in-Charge of Gulshan Police Station Sirajul Islam said. Earlier in the noon, a team of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha [RAJUK] began an eviction drive against commercial establishments in the area. During the drive, the magistrate along with the team tried to enter the house, but the security guard refused to let them in. Suspicion grew among the officials seeing high boundary walls and three watch towers on the premises with CCTV cameras. After a few moments, the guard opened the gate and police saw some youths on the roof who tried to hide seeing the law enforcers, which prompted police to raid the building. On-duty Special Branch officers were immediately informed and a large number of police personnel were mobilised. They kept the premises cordoned off for around an hour. OC Gulshan Sirajul Islam forcefully entered the premises and conducted the drive at around 2:50pm. However, they found nothing related to militancy there. "Police knew about the conflict of ownership and that the house was not a militant den. 7 alleged robbers held in city RAB-2 mobile team arrested seven members of inter-district robber gang and seized two cars and a motor cycle from their possession in city\'s Tejgaon Industrial Area on Tuesday. Staff Reporter :Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a night-long drive arrested seven alleged members of an inter-district robber gang from the city's Tejgaon area early Tuesday.They are: Moktar Hossain, 47, Abdul Hai, 35, Kabir Hossain, 27, Manik Mia, 35, Umar Farooq Tarek, 38, Sumon Raihan alias Sabuj, 28, and Mehedi alias Babu, 29. RAB also seized two private cars, a motorcycle, a pistol, two magazines and three rounds of bullets, elite force sources said. "RAB-2 Deputy Director Major Mohammad Ali said, "A team of the elite force conducted a drive in front of Bangladesh Textile University in Tejgaon Industrial Area and arrested the seven gang members."The arrested men are believed to be the members of a carjacker gang, the RAB official said. A case has been filed in this connection, he said. In the face of a rash of attacks, Germans are staying remarkably calm ASK some Germans how people should react to terrorism and most would probably agree with the historian Herfried Munkler that the best attitude is heroische Gelassenheit: heroic calmness. Let other countries declare wars on terrorism and near-permanent states of emergency, they say; Germany's dark history has taught it not to over-react. Sceptics used to reply that talk was cheap coming from Germany, which had been spared major incidents of the sort that have struck America, France, Turkey and other countries. That changed in the space of one week this month, when Germany suffered four very different attacks. First, on July 18th, an Afghan refugee stabbed and axed four passengers on a train and another on a platform. Four days later a German teenager of Iranian descent went on a rampage in a shopping centre in Munich (pictured), injuring more than 30 people and killing nine before shooting himself. Two days after that, a Syrian refugee hacked a pregnant woman to death with a machete-"relationship troubles", the police said. Elsewhere that night another Syrian refugee tried to enter a concert with a backpack of explosives. When he was barred, he blew himself up, injuring 15 others. Germans grew more jittery with each round of breaking news. There was a brief panic during the initial hours of the Munich rampage, as rumours spread on social media that three killers were on the loose rather than just one. Munich's 2,300 police were inundated with 4,300 emergency calls, almost all of them false. But Munich quickly recovered its poise. Under the hashtag #OffeneTuer ("#OpenDoor"), residents offered to accommodate anyone stranded for the night by the lock-down. Munich's police spokesperson, Marcus da Gloria Martins, laboured tirelessly to sort fact from fiction. Mr da Gloria Martins, who wrote a thesis on crisis communication, ultimately became the country's hero of the week. On a television talk show, he appealed to the audience and media: "Give us the chance to report facts. Don't speculate, don't copy from each other." It was the biggest applause line of the night. Most politicians heeded his advice, distinguishing carefully between the issues at play in different killings. The week's worst disaster, in Munich, had nothing to do with Islamism. The 18-year-old gunman, David Ali Sonboly, had been bullied and suffered from depression, and had prepared his rampage for a year. He had read "Why Kids Kill" by Peter Langman, an American expert on school shootings. In 2015 he visited Winnenden, a town in Germany where a school mass shooting took place in 2009. He executed his attack on the fifth anniversary of the massacre by Anders Breivik on the Norwegian island of Utoya. Mr Sonboly's case opened many debates. He had played "Counter-Strike", a violent computer game also favoured by other shooters. Should such games be banned? The consensus seemed to be no; that would curtail liberty and be unfair on the majority of players who never become violent. Should Germany deploy its army in domestic emergencies such as this? Some, including Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said yes. Others pointed to Germany's Nazi-era history and remained wary. Mr Sonboly had used a contraband Glock 17, the type of gun also preferred by the killers at Utoya and Winnenden. Should Germany's gun laws be tightened? No, the consensus suggested; Germany already has some of the strictest laws in the world. Mr Sonboly had bought his gun illegally from Slovakia through the "dark net", an encrypted portion of the internet. The weapon had been disabled for use as a stage prop; Mr Sonboly or someone else later restored it to shoot live rounds. Public discussion of the other three attackers was equally mature. All were refugees from war-torn countries and probably traumatised. Two of them-the axeman on the train and the backpack bomber at the concert-acted in the name of Islamic State (IS). The former, an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan, was only 17 years old. The latter, a Syrian nicknamed Rambo at his refugee centre, had been denied asylum and was to be deported to Bulgaria. He had already been in psychiatric treatment and twice tried to commit suicide. Some worried that IS might have smuggled in terrorists amid the refugees who have arrived in Germany in recent years-about 1m last year alone. Germany is investigating 59 such cases, said Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister. (There are 708 other investigations into possible Islamist terrorist plots, involving more than 1,000 suspects.) But he cautioned that the vast majority of refugees are peaceful victims, rather than perpetrators, of terror. Most Germans agreed that refugees, especially the young and traumatised, should receive better counselling and supervision. Only a few tried to make hay of the tragedies. During the Munich rampage, Andre Poggenburg, a leader of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, tried to blame the open-door refugee policy of chancellor Angela Merkel-even before anyone knew who was shooting. "Our sympathy for the wounded and the bereaved, our disgust for the Merkelites and leftwing idiots who bear responsibility!" he tweeted. He earned immediate condemnation on social and broadcast media, followed by ridicule once it emerged that the shooter was German. Then the country went on being heroically calm. Govt must rethink before eviction of business houses Staff Reporter : Over 3,500 business establishments at city's Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas in the capital are now under threat as authorities concerned have started an eviction drive against unauthorized business establishments. In the wake of militant attacks, the government last month took decision to evict commercial establishments in the city's diplomatic zone, including Gulshan, Baridhara and Banani areas. Now, the owners of commercial establishments at Dhanmondi are now facing threat following the latest court order. The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the High Court verdict that had ordered the removal of all illegal commercial structures from Dhanmondi residential area. Following the order from the apex court, RAJUK [Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha] can continue their eviction drive in Dhanmondi. The High Court on 11th June, 2012, had ordered to remove all commercial establishments from the Dhanmondi residential areas. However, establishments placed in Dhanmondi 2, Road 27 and Saat Mashjid Road were exempted from the order as the locations were listed under commercial zones beforehand. Several owners of business establishments told The New Nation that they have built their establishments, such as educational institutions, medical centres, restaurants and hotels, upon approval of authorities concerned such as RAJUK, Dhaka City Corporation [Now Dhaka North and South City Corporations] and University Grant Commission [UGC]. They also claimed that the business establishments have been built with official approval from authorities and have been allowed to carry out their trade for quite a long time. They have invested billions of taka in the meantime. Besides, hundreds of people are now earning their bread from the businesses. So, questions have been raised, if certain establishments are catergorized as illegal, how did they get permission from their respective city corporation and other utility service providers in the first place? Not only that, how can such illegal businesses continue to function year after year while RAJUK is solely responsible for monitoring illegal establishments? Prominent urban planner Professor Nazrul Islam said that such eviction of commercial establishment is not the only solution to stop militancy. "I think, the government should not make any hurry to execute such decisions," he said. Concerned circles also said that it needs rethinking by the government before evict the commercial establishments from the residential areas. While the unemployment rate is increasing, it would not be wide for the government to take such a harsh decision, they said. Besides, the number of foreigners is also increasing. So, the number of commercial establishments must be increased to tackle their demand. With a view to deterring owners from commercialising residential areas, the government had increased the conversion of land type in Dhaka's upscale areas by 750% over the past few years. The land or plot owners changed the type of their land by realizing all government fees and other expenditures. "The authorities of gas, electricity, water and other utility suppliers are not supposed to provide their services to any illegal business outlet. We have requested utility providers to cut their services from listed illegal establishments," Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharaff Hossain said. NSU has 4500 students absent or irregular UGC unhappy: Police investigating M M Jasim : The police have started investigation into 4,500 absent and irregular students of North South University (NSU). The University authorities handed over the students' list to the police recently. The list includes those who were absent or irregular in the University for last two years. The authorities provided the list after the police sent letters seeking the names of the missing and absent students. There are about 20 thousand students at NSU. Some students stopped their study after one or two semesters, went abroad or got jobs or for other reasons. Their names also have been included in the list. The police also suspect that the absent and irregular students might have link to militancy, because few missing NSU students were involved in the recent terror attacks. An official of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said, they have started investigation. "We have received the list of the students. We will gather further information about them. The information will be cross-examined. We will search as to why they were absent or irregular. Before completion of the investigation, nothing can be said," he said. Vice-Chancellor of NSU Professor Atiqul Islam said, "We handed over the list of the absent and irregular students' names to the law enforcing agencies. Besides, we gave them all the information of the current students." "The Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks embarrassed us, as the students of NSU were involved in the incidents. The authorities took many measurers to check the involvement of the students in militancy or terrorism. Those measurers are: To remain present in every class is mandatory, to inform guardians if any student is absent for three consecutive days, to suspend teachers if they inspire the students to involve in militancy and not to appoint any teacher before police investigation," The NSU VC said. Meanwhile, the NSU authorities have failed to provide satisfactory answer to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The date to provide answers about some questions by the UGC expired on 31 August. The UGC representatives went to the NSU on July 14 and gave 14 days for giving answers to their quarries. The representatives will submit a report to the UGC with recommendations for stern action against the teachers and the students involved in militancy and terrorism. But they will not recommend for stopping the academic activities of the university due to thinking the students' future, sources said. Member Secretary of UGC Professor Dil Afroza said that the NSU authorities gave answer of some questions, but the members of the UGC are not satisfied. "We wanted to know answers to some questions. But they have failed to deliver properly. We gave them 14 days to prepare their answer. We will point out everything in our report. The work filling up the report will be started soon," she said. According to media reports, till now, 26 students and teachers of the NSU have been involved in acts of terrorism and militancy. On 14 February, 2013, the names of seven students of the University came to light in connection with the killing of blogger Rajib Haider. On March 1, 2013, five NSU students were arrested. Man taken on remand over Gulshan Cafe attack Court Correspondent : The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Tuesday placed caretaker Daud Patwary on a two-day remand to interrogate him in connection with his alleged involvement in the militant attack on a Gulshan restaurant last month. Magistrate Nurun Nahar Yeasmin of CMM Court passed the order after Gulshan Police Station's Counter Terrorism Unit Inspector Humayun Kabir produced Daud Patwary in the court seeking a seven-day remand to quiz him in connection with the militant activities.On Tuesday morning police arrested Daud from a house of Rupnagar residential area of Mirpur. He has been working as a caretaker of a house at Rupnagar. He reportedly rented house to some militants, who allegedly carried out the attack on the Artisan restaurant of Gulshan on July 1. BNP to exclude Jamaat from national unity Staff Reporter : The BNP has decided not to keep Jamaat-e-Islami in its national unity campaign, said Professor Emajuddin Ahmed, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Dhaka University said it on Tuesday. "Jamaat appears as a barrier to forge a national unity. Khaleda Zia has already decided to exclude the Jamaat and to go ahead with others; the pro-BNP intellectual said it at a discussion meeting in the National Press Club. After Holey Artisan Bakery carnage, Khaleda Zia gave a call for all-party national unity to uproot extremism. But the ruling Awami League rejected the call saying that the BNP should severe ties with the Jamaat first. Meanwhile some leader of the BNP-led 20-party alliance also raised the issue in a meeting with Khaleda Zia. The pro-BNP professionals also suggested Khaleda Zia in an view exchange meeting on 14th July to forge a national consensus against terrorism sans Jamaat. Meanwhile BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday accused the government of intentionally destroying militants' evidences. He also said, though the ruling Awami League is ignoring BNP's call for national unity, the other parties are responding to positively. "People now believe that the government lacks willingness to curb terrorism," he said in a press briefing at Nayapaltan office. "Instead of curbing militancy, the government is pursuing suppressive policy against opposition political parties," he alleged. At least 250 opposition leaders and supporters, including those from BNP, were arrested in the country and false cases were filed against them recently, he added. Foreigners feel discomfort in the country, he claimed. The government has no visible and effective steps to support flood victims, Nazrul complained. He condemned police action against a rally of the activists who protested the Rampal Power Plant Projects near the Sundarbans. Senior leader Ahmed Azam Khan, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Abdus Salam Azad and Shirin Sultana among others, were present in the briefing. A few of the home-brewed super PACs created in Louisiana to support candidates in the fall U.S. Senate race experienced a very bumpy second quarter of fundraising this year. That may allow other super PACs backed by national organizations, from outside of Louisiana, to steal some of the political thunder in the coming months. Super PACs are a special breed of political action committees that are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision. They played a critical role in the 2015 governors race and are back again to make what is so far a questionable impact. In the race to replace U.S. Sen. David Vitter, the senior senators top political aide has been hired by a Florida-based super PAC supporting Treasurer John Kennedys bid. Kyle Ruckert, Vitters former chief of staff and campaign manager, will be leading up the Louisiana arm of ESAFunds efforts. Kennedy has transferred $2 million from his state campaign account, which cannot be used directly on a federal race, to ESAFunds PAC and he has another $800,000 ready to go as needed. ESAFund, though, will likewise bring its own resources to the table in Louisiana to support Kennedy. ESAFund is filling a vacuum left by Make Louisiana Proud PAC, which was being run by a former Kennedy advisor inside the state and was shuttered last month. But before that happened, Make Louisiana Proud transferred its remaining cash and a batch of in-kind services to ESAFund totaling nearly $120,000. On the Democratic side, the in-state Defend Louisiana PAC raised and held onto $54,650 in the second quarter. It is advocating for Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell. The name of the pro-Campbell super PAC Defend Louisiana has caught the attention of District Court Judge Jeff Thompson. As a former state representative in 2013 he established Defend Louisiana Inc., a pro-gun nonprofit. He said he wants to make sure there arent any issues with the duplication. Im looking into it to make sure were all using the name appropriately, he said in an interview two weeks ago. Better Louisiana PAC, which was formed to support Congressman John Fleming, has just $63,600 in the bank. It has benefitted from a single donation of $100,000 from Morris & Dixon in Shreveport and is making consulting payments to Long Nyquist in Pennsylvania. The bigger player in the Fleming tent may end up being Club For Growths super PAC, which has already endorsed Fleming. The D.C.-based PAC is also actively attacking Congressman Charles Boustany via media buys. Warrior PAC, which is being run out of California, is backing retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness. It has raised $10,000 from Bo Reily of the William B. Reily Company in New Orleans and has roughly that same amount in the bank. PAC director Robert San Luis said via email that Reily has also paid for polling. Back inside the state, the Louisiana Prosperity Fund, which has a Lafayette base of operations, is trying to offer support to Boustany. It has $98,000 in cash on hand and raised around $75,000 from April through June, mostly from the Acadiana area. The numbers for the localized super PACs, overall, are a ways off from what was seen with the competitive super PACS during last years race for governor in Louisiana and compared to what super PACs in other U.S. Senate races are bringing in. Super PACs are unique in that they can spend money to support candidates, but those candidates cannot coordinate directly with the super PACs backing them in regard to strategy or spending on media. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 25 146 The Independent Media Group 1 1 179 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Joseph Zanco, CFO of Home Bank, was honored with the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants. Joseph Zanco, CPA, Chief Financial Officer of Home Bank The Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants has honored Home Bank Chief Financial Officer Joseph Zanco with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor for public service leadership, impact, involvement and innovation of a Louisiana CPA. Zanco will now be nominated for the 2016 American Institute of CPAs National Public Service Award. Joe embodies the spirit of service that drives our company, said John Bordelon, Home Bank president and CEO in the release announcing the award. His humble and passionate leadership is having a tremendous impact far beyond our markets. Zanco is leader, speaker, mentor, teacher and sponsor for encouraging a culture of personal responsibility and serving others in his community," the LCPA noted in the release. "From prison ministry to mentoring young leaders, to the many civic boards and committees he strengthens, Zanco's greatest contribution is the rippling effect of motivating and mentoring others to reach their full potential through serving others. Zancos volunteer service includes board of director roles with One Acadiana and Lafayette General Health. In addition, he is actively involved with InnerFaith Prison Ministry, where he developed a financial literacy program to help inmates manage their finances upon release. In 2012, he founded Lead the Change Now, an organization focused on inspiring and investing in servant leadership. Over the past four years, through Lead the Change Now, he has delivered messages encouraging Americans to take ownership for reaching their full potential. Jarob Ortiz, who got the dream job everybody was talking about last Winter. Photo by Casey Paynter. Do you remember about seven or eight months back, when the Tubes of the Etherwebs were ablaze (alas, I can no longer say "atwitter," dang it) with the news that "Ansel Adams's old job" was being offered by the Park Service? And would pay $100,000 a year? Some lucky so-and-so would spend all year making Adamsian landscapeswhich many of us pay to do for a week or two every year. The story went modestly viral and was reported far and wide (here's an example). Turns out the hype was maybe a little too hypedbut just a little. The job is only remotely related to a job Ansel once had, and it will consist mostly of photographing architecture and man-made landmarks. And the salary range topped out at $99k and change, but the starting pay will probably be closer to the other end of the range, which was a little less than $64,000. Still. The job does sound pretty dreamy for anyone who likes to shoot a lot. And travel. It was landed when the dust cleared by Madison, Wisconsin resident Jarob J. Ortiz, 33, who grew up in Milwaukee and studied photography at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Here's his website. Jarob will be shooting for the National Park Service in large format black-and-white. "This is, realistically, the exact job that I would like to do for the rest of my life," he told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The article, by Journal-Sentinel art and architecture critic Mary Louise Schumacher, was very pleasant to read. It's really nice to hear about a photographer getting a great job, for good pay, doing something valuable that so many people would enjoy. Personally, I've long believed that every State and every decent-sized city should have an Official Photographer, whose job would be nothing more than documenting and archiving what things look like. Given that things change all the time. Heck, the whole program would cost less than one fighter jet, much less one aircraft carrier. Ortiz will be based in Washington, D.C. and starts his new job this month. Mike (Thanks to Mike Plews) Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. Like what you read? Join our support campaign or buy something (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.) Featured Comments from: kodachromeguy: "The City of Seattle did have official photographers in the 1930s and 1940s. If you are restoring a house, you could buy a black and white print of your house because thousands of structures had been photographed. Then you could compare your modern home with the older and, presumably, more original architecture. Users can go to the Washington State archives." Tom Passin: "Around 1973, I was hiking in the Adirondacks, in New York State. As I worked up the trail in a light rain, I met a man coming the other way. He was well equipped and nicely rain-proof with his pack under cover, and he carried a tripod. He told me he had landed a year-long job photographing scenes in the Adirondacks and had been out for a few months so far. I don't know his name or the source of his funding, but I thought he had really landed a prize!" Graham Byrnes: "Why large format B&W? I shoot 90% B&W, I recognise the artistic advantages; but for documenting the landscape? Dare I suggest that this is driven by nostalgia and the same results could be achieved using any 40-MP+ digital camera?" Kent Thompson replies to Graham: "In archives, black-and-white film is still the trusted media for longterm storage. the standard is actually with polyester based black-and-white microfilm for records reformatting. Every State and Federal archive has some kind of microfilm program going on. With photography in archives and museums, most have gone digital but still consider film to be the archival choice. "We've been shooting digital for about five years now, with a photo department that goes back around 50 years that was film based. We always shot 4x5 black and white and used color for 'illustration.' Color has never been used for archival work because of the dye fading issues and all that. In most archives you will find a disproportionate amount of black and white film over color. Most roll film, besides technical films and microfilm, is on an acetate base which isn't as stable as polyester. Acetate shrinks over time and causes the emulsion to buckle on the negative. Only cold storage and low relative humidity can stave this off. Polyester is much more stable even at room temperatures, so it's the preferred medium. In most archives, it's the film that is the master file, with prints used for access or dupe negatives as well. "Now, with digital, there are all sorts of different approaches, But when it comes to HABS/HAER [Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record Ed.]they are still positively old school. The reason for LF is pretty simple thoughperspective control. That is really the biggest thing I miss when I shoot digital now. The loss of control in the studio and working in the field. There is seldom a day that passes that I don't wish I was still using a view camera." [In an earlier post, Kent described himself as "a museum photographer working in the design section of a history museum." Ed.] 2012 Camaro Ss For Sale The average 2012 chevrolet camaro costs about $18,910.37. Search from 338 used chevrolet camaro cars for sale, including a 2012 chevrolet camaro ls, a 2012. Truecar has 56 used 2012 chevrolet camaro models for sale nationwide, including a 2012 chevrolet camaro lt with 2lt convertible and a. Get the best deals for 2010 camaro ss used at ebay.com. 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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. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy These days, the 1,400-square-foot showroom of Deloufleur Decor and Design is jam-packed with home furnishings of all shapes and sizes. But when Denise Fann first moved into the space two years ago, it contained just one piece of furniture: a small card table. I had the phone numbers of my old reps, and I sat there with a notebook at that little bitty card table in an empty store, and I started making phone calls, Fann said. Fanns former employer, the West Frankfort furniture titan Coleman-Rhoads, had just shut its doors, leaving her out of a job. After having worked as a buyer, decorator and designer for the beloved Franklin County outlet for 18 years, Fann knew the furniture industry inside and out, so she decided to find a place of her own. Deloufleur has come a long way since Fann sat down at that card table in fact, it has run out of space. In November, the business will move from its current location at 1615 Landing Drive in Carterville to a larger place nearby, a little closer to Illinois 13. With a unique French design, the new location is a massive 6,400 square feet. And it has another asset: superior visibility. I think it will increase my clientele, and I think it will increase my awareness of the people who are trying to find me but cant find me, Fann said. Thats what I see a lot of going on. For example, one of my customers called me last week and she said, Please tell me how I get to your store, because I have gone back and forth a couple of times and I know youre right in this area, but I cant see you. ...The visibility, I think, will make a world of difference. The construction began in mid-June and is the first TIF project in Crainvilles TIF district that extends from Main Street to Wolf Creek Road. No one had ever done any of this, so Im kind of laying the groundwork, Fann said. I had to cross 10,000 Ts and dot 10,000 Is and do the paperwork it was just something that I had to learn how to do, but it certainly helped make it more affordable in going forward. Fann currently employs two people she brought with her from Coleman-Rhoads, including Sandy Clark, who serves as a home furnishings consultant. With the expansion, Fann hopes to bring on additional full-time employees along with some part-time help. Fann, who is originally from Virginia, says that developing a base of loyal customers has been incredibly rewarding. People from Southern Illinois are wonderful, she said. Even now, there are customers who dont need anything but keep stopping in and checking on the progress of the new store. Theyre so excited about this, and I think that thats really sweet. Theyre not only my clients, my customers, but theyve become friends I care about. BUNCOMBE An 87-year-old woman is believed to have died in an early morning fire at her home in Union County. Lou Etta Rion is believed to be the victim of the fire, according to a news release from the Union County Sheriff's Office. Rion was the owner of the home at 9960 Lick Creek Road. An autopsy of the body recovered is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday. Calls about the fire began to come in around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, according according to Union County Sheriff's Department investigator Bart Hileman. Fire departments from Anna, Cobden and Dongola responded to the Lick Creek Road residence, listed as being in Buncombe about 20 miles east of Anna. About 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, the body was recovered from the ruins of the fire, with assistance from the responding fire departments and the Union County Highway Department, according to the news release. Midday Tuesday, Hileman said it was not known how the fire started or whether it was suspicious or accidental. Union County Coroner Phil Hileman confirmed that he was called to the scene of the fire, but deferred additional comments to the Union County Sheriff's Office. Also assisting with the fire and investigation are representatives from the Illinois State Fire Mashal's Office, the Illinois State Police and the Union County Sheriff's Office. Funeral arrangements for Rion are incomplete at the Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home. The SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has established a Barbara Brown Memorial Fund to honor the late political science professor who passed away in May. Brown earned her doctorate degree in political science from Southern Illinois University in 1985 and continued to teach for 30 years in that department. She was well-respected and widely published in her field. Active in Democratic politics at the local, state and national level, Brown became an important figure in electoral politics who inspired countless students to become engaged citizens, and encouraged many into leadership roles in government. Brown was particularly passionate about seeing that more women, historically underrepresented in the state House and Senate, statewide offices and other local and federal arenas, have the opportunity to serve in politics at all levels. To help accomplish this goal, she co-founded the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership around 2000. Since graduating its first class in 2002, the leadership institute continues to select about a dozen women every year committed to Democratic ideals for a fellowship that provides, according to the organization's website, "the skills to run winning campaigns for elected office." Brown, 61, died May 5 at Memorial Hospital of Chester. "The purpose and intent of the fund is to enrich the educational opportunities for students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and promote the principle that public higher education shares a responsibility to encourage public service and serve the public good by addressing the challenges which confront our communities," the Public Policy Institute said in a statement announcing the memorial fund. Many donors have contributed to honor her life and legacy, the institute said. In addition to teaching in the Political Science Department, Brown also taught American government and democracy classes to international students through a summer program funded by the U.S. State Department. She additionally has served as clerk of the courts in Randolph County, vice chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, and chairwoman of the Randolph County Democratic Central Committee. She founded the Southern Illinois Democratic Women and co-founded the Southwestern Illinois Democratic Women organizations. She was a nine-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and a two-time candidate for state Senate in the 58th District. She served notable roles in the campaigns of former President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama, according to the institute. Two celebrations of the life of Brown are scheduled for later this month: Chicago: On Monday, Aug. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chicago Journeyman and Plumbers Local 130, 1340 W. Washington Blvd. Marion: On Saturday, Aug. 27, at 3:30 p.m. at the Operating Engineers Hall, 3310 Water Tower Road. Anyone who wishes to donate to the memorial fund may do so online at www.barbbrownmemorial.org, or by sending a check made out to the Southern Illinois University Foundation and specifying Barb Brown Memorial Fund in the note line to: Paul Simon Public Policy Institute SIU Carbondale, Mail Code 4429 1231 Lincoln Drive Carbondale, IL 62901 CARBONDALE Randy Osborn, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, said he was pleased to see that Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed into law a measure that provides a specific line item in the state budget for an after-school program called Teen REACH. Rauner signed Senate Bill 2407 into law on Friday. The new law additionally codifies intended outcomes and measurements for the program administered by the Department of Human Services, such as in the categories of educational performance, life skills and development of positive adult mentors. I think organizationally its a message to kids that their community and their state cares about them and are willing to take action, to take positive action and to give them positive options and places to go and people who care, Osborn said. Theres a question we ask all the time: If kids couldnt come here, where would they go? The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale serves about 1,100 youth, ages 6 to 18, Osborn said. The state Teen REACH grant is only a portion of the nonprofits financial and programmatic picture, but it was a blow to lose the funding, he said. Osborn said the organization was receiving about $30,000 annually to administer the program. Funds ran dry in July 2015, at the beginning of the states 2016 fiscal year as the budget impasse in Springfield stretched on. Osborn said the Boys & Girls Club was able to raise about $20,000 in private donations to make up for the shortfall. Programs that comfortably fit under the umbrella of the Boys and Girls Club and Teen REACH have continued, he said. Those programs have such titles as Passport to Manhood, Street Smarts, and Smart Girl and focus on topics vital to teen development: exploring career choices, relationship development, and skills for making positive life decisions and avoiding temptations such as drugs, gang involvement and violence. But the case-management portion of the program that provided more intensive supports for teens who needed them based on risk factors which could include falling behind academically or difficulties at home had to be scaled back when state funds ran dry, Osborn said. He said hes hopeful that some of that can be reintroduced with the passage of the stopgap budget measure on June 30. Fight Crime: Invest in Illinois Kids, an anti-crime membership organization of more than 300 police chiefs, sheriffs, states attorney and other law enforcement officials, praised Rauners singing of the bill in a press release this week. The Fight Crime release stated that the new law is a bipartisan effort that protects and provides clarity of intent and purpose for a program that is proven to boost graduation rates and significantly reduce crime." Nearly 120 law enforcement officials had signed a letter sent to Ruaner in support of the measure. Those locally signing the letter included Union County States Attorney Tyler Edmonds and Sheriff Scott Harvel; Franklin County States Attorney Evan Owens and Sheriff Don Jones; and Williamson County States Attorney Brandon Zanotti and Sheriff Bennie Vick; and Marion Police Chief Dawn Tondini. The release states that the stopgap budget measure allocated $13.1 million for Teen REACH. That is for the first six months of fiscal year 2017, according to the IDPH. Law enforcement officials, in the news release, urged consistent, full-year funding to repair the damage done by the states budget impasse. During the crisis, Teen REACH providers were forced to curtail their programming or close entirely. At least one of every eight youths recently helped by Teen REACH lost access to the program, it continued. Osborn said hes still trying to sort through what the stopgap funding measure will mean for his organization. But he sees this package of developments -- the budget and the new law codifying the Teen REACH program -- as offering a glimmer of hope. Its a sign that, hopefully, the budget impasse is starting to break up, and I think the politicians are realizing they just cant sit on their hands any longer, Osborn said. Theyve got to be proactive toward people who need the support and programming. Hopefully thats true throughout the human services and social services network. Who knows when it took a turn for the worse when the Clinton marriage stopped being one of commitment and became a marriage of convenience. Despite the idyllic picture that Bill Clinton painted in his Democratic National Convention speech of a pair of young idealists settling down in a two-room house in rural Arkansas (after both completed Yale law and one was running for governor), becoming the beaming parents of a red-faced cherub, and then settling into a life-long partnership based on love and mutual respect the Clinton union is plainly anything but a traditional marriage. Lets face it, Hillary was never destined to be the traditional wife and Bill admitted as much in the speech. Almost every indication about her early youth was that she was both a free spirit and a firebrand, someone who was driven from an early age to break through the glass ceiling and assume the mantle of power in America. One wonders whether her marriage to Bill Clinton was a marriage of convenience at least as far as Hillary saw it from the very beginning. She was shrewd enough to know that despite the fact that doors were opening for women in the early 1970s, and law schools like Yale and Harvard were admitting women in record numbers, the heights of power, the smoke-filled rooms and white-male-only country clubs where power was actually brokered were all but closed to her. By marrying Bill, another young ambitious graduate and Southern white male -- she would be able to ride his coat-tails and be granted admission (albeit as his companion) to a private club that she, despite her talent, accomplishment and ambition, was barred from joining solely because of her gender. To admit that Hillary Clinton and women of her generation (as well as subsequent and previous generations) have faced a glass ceiling limiting their accomplishments is to admit the obvious. The fact remains, that before now, no major political party has ever nominated a woman to be president of the United States. This certainly stands out among world democracies, especially since two of Europes most powerful nations, England and Germany, are currently helmed by women. Even such countries as India and Sierra Leone, hardly known as places where womens rights are championed, have already elected a female leader. But looking at the Clintons marriage, one wonders whether it was a business arrangement from the beginning, or whether, at some point along the line, the lies, betrayals and infidelities killed what love there once was and left only a partnership bound together by the mutual pursuit of naked ambition. What broke the love? Was it Bills numerous extra-marital affairs while he served as governor? Was it the cover-ups of financial dealings by Hillary in connection with the fraudulent Whitewater Development Corp.? Surely by the time we got to the tawdry Monica Lewinsky fiasco, the Clintons love affair, if ever there were one, had petered out, and perhaps the only remaining thing left was spousal privilege against incrimination. But aside from being able to confide in each other where the bodies were buried without fear of legal recrimination, another, stronger bond seemed to emerge in the aftermath of the Bill Clinton presidency. It is this: Bill agreed to back Hillarys naked ambition to wield political power. Bill may be ambitious, a climber in his own right, and a natural politician but Hillary is another animal all together. She exhibits none of Bills trademark charm, while aspiring to all of Bills outsized political power. While Hillary has definitely advocated for womens rights, sponsored child-care legislation and voiced concern for civil rights, those were merely means to an end. They were part of a long-term strategy to build a resume that would eventually break through the glass ceiling and anoint her the first female president of the United States. Oh, she of the travelling pants suit just as good as any man, only bolder and tougher. Even if Hillary were once an empathetic figure -- a pioneer as first lady who was not merely content to support her husbands presidency, but who also insisted on having her own political portfolio and serving as a de facto cabinet member she has used the platform of the presidency as a springboard to achieve an aggressive and ambitious political career unlike that seen by any former first lady. And good for Hillary; she leveraged Bills popularity to build both a personal fortune and a seat at the table. But thats bad for America. The very fact that the wife of a former (and, notably, still living) president is now a major partys nominee cannot escape the incestuous taint. It points to a state of political entrenchment among a political class that has become so concentrated and interconnected as to actually qualify as inbred. Though the Hillary campaign is not technically a third term for Bill Clinton it comes awfully close, too close in fact, to escape scrutiny from anyone who cares about our democracy. Further, it represents a weakening of the blood that is bound to have serious consequences for American leadership now and in the future. It was perhaps telling in commentary by former NAACP President and Bernie Sanders supporter Benjamin Jealous, who exclaimed, during a CNN interview earlier this year: For me what it comes down to is what Dr. Martin Luther King called the three giant triplets of evil: racism, militarism and greed. On each of those categories, Clintons history is frankly complex and confounding. One wonders whether there is an undiscovered evil sibling in the form of the Clintons business deal masquerading as a marital union. Flooding in South Carolina last fall was the worst this state has seen in centuries, largely due to a convergence of heavy rainfall and high tides. But the breaching of 52 dams was part of the disaster that should never be allowed to happen again. The fact that 47 of those dams were state regulated created a false sense of safety. That they were breached, even under extraordinary circumstances, says that state protections aren't adequate or aren't being enforced adequately. There is cause for continuing alarm, until the safety issue is fully settled. Most of the breached dams were earthen, according to Georgia Tech associate professor Hermann Fritz, who led a team to assess the damage. And those dams can be a source of problems even without extraordinary weather conditions, as the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control acknowledges. For example, DHEC officials say that earthen dams need to be protected from erosion by regularly uprooting plants, filling animal burrows and checking for any cracks or shifts in the earth. Though the dams are officially inspected by DHEC every two to five years, it is ultimately up to owners, including private developers and housing associations, to identify problems and engage engineers to take care of essential maintenance. Unfortunately, owners don't always have the finances or knowledge necessary to get the job done. David Baize, DHEC's chief of the Bureau of Water, says the agency sent a team of experts to assess more than 650 dams that were considered high-risk after the floods, and singled out 75 that were of significant concern. Within a couple of weeks, their owners were sent "emergency orders" to start putting plans in place to repair or maintain these dams. A third of them, however, were unable to comply by the given deadline. As a result, those 25 owners were issued "notices of violation" and have since been guided by DHEC through a long planning process for repairs that often can cost more than $100,000. The expense of repairing the largest dams can reach $1 million. By summer, the vast majority of those 75 dam owners had obtained permits to begin maintenance and repairs, including most of the 25 who needed additional assistance. Only seven dam owners have been subjected to a more severe enforcement process, some facing penalties. When owners do not comply, the state's Dams and Reservoirs Safety Act gives DHEC the authority to repair (or even remove) dams and charge expenses, plus fines, from the owner. House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, believes the current law is inadequate. A bill he sponsored after the floods proposed several amendments, including requiring owners to register their dams and send an annual dam safety declaration to DHEC. It would also impose more severe penalties for lack of compliance. The bill was still in committee at the end of the 2016 session, but Lucas hopes that the House will continue with hearings before the 2017 session. Some legislators and dam owners have expressed concern that regulation infringes on property owners' rights. But the devastating results of last year's flooding and the extreme toll it took on public and private property make it obvious that public safety can't be left wholly to the oversight of individual dam owners. Rep. David Hiott, R-Pickens, says the main problem in compliance has been financial, an obstacle that was also cited by Baize. Hiott, chairman of the House agriculture committee, has scheduled one more public hearing preliminary to going back to the drawing board on the bill to strengthen state oversight of private dams. In addition, legislators should consider whether DHEC has adequate resources to keep on top of dam inspections and communicating with dam owners about their responsibilities. Apparently, some owners remain unaware of their responsibilities, despite the department's efforts to educate them through numerous forums and workshops. For instance, a landowner might be confused about his responsibility for maintaining a dam when a public road is constructed on top of it and reasonably so. Lawmakers should remain diligent about putting a comprehensive program in place to protect the public. After all, we don't know when the next natural disaster will strike. -- From The Post and Courier of Charleston via The Associated Press 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. /By Azernews/ By Amina Nazarli More and more Arabs visit Baku and Azerbaijans other cities nowadays, while the country expects an extraordinary flow of tourists from Arab states in 2017. Azerbaijan will welcome a record high in the number of Arab tourists in 2016, as the country has already witnessed significant rise in the number of incoming tourists this year. Against the backdrop of recent economic processes, tourists from the United Arab Emirates began to prefer relatively budget routes. Those tourists from the Gulf countries, which once chose European countries, including Turkey for the rest, and spent there millions of dollars, now favor Azerbaijan as a tourist destination by force of instability reigning in many countries. However, this is not the only reason attracting Arabs in Azerbaijan. The country with fascinating nature and captivating history for years now Azerbaijan could upgrade its tourism potential in an effort to raise the non-oil sector of economy. Developing infrastructure, improving service sector, similarities in culture and most importantly safe leisure in the land embodying mixture of east and west are the main components that attract tourists to the Land of Fire. Hard efforts to mobilize natural advantages enabled Azerbaijan to develop the tourism sector, which considerably improved in a short period of time. According to the British think tank, every Arab tourist spent on average $3,000-$5,000 in the European countries for a week. The budgets of these countries were formed largely due to this profit. The extraordinary influx of Arab tourists in the country has been also noticed by Azerbaijan Tourism Association Chairman Nahid Bagirov, who claimed that the number of tourists from Arab countries has increased tenfold in the last two or three years. He stressed that so far such stream of Arabic-speaking guests has been not observed in the country. This summer, all the luxury hotels in Baku on 50-60 percent are filled with tourists from Arab countries, what Bagirov considers as a huge plus for the national tourism. "Arab tourists are the best. They are usually wealthy people. They rest, spend money, go to restaurants, and do shopping. This means that the entire tourism industry benefit from this," the expert believes. Recent economic instability is forcing tourists from UAE to choose cheaper tourist destinations, Dubai newspaper Gulf News reported. Now UAE citizens are exploring the destinations, which they have never heard previously. New generation of travelers are increasingly interested not in a vacation at sea, but prefer new undiscovered countries and cities. According to the UAE travel agencies, Azerbaijan and Georgia were listed as the low-cost destinations among Arab tourists, where a holiday will cost $490 and $430 respectively. Expert on migration issues Azer Allahveranov, in turn, compared this tendency with the one during the Novruz Bayram national holiday in Azerbaijan, when the country welcomed record number of Iranian tourists, adding however, that the current influx is even greater. He noted that if some of these tourists are interested in free sale of alcohol, pork products, hookahs, teahouse and discos in Azerbaijan, the other part are mesmerized with places for namaz, as well as lack of pork in food compositions. All these travelers share a love for luxury, beautiful nature and delicious cuisine. Rich tourists from the Gulf countries do not care about price. They appreciate quality and beauty, the expert said. Muhammad, a public worker in Dubai arrived in Baku to relax with his family, shared his impression about the city. He came to the capital with his wife, five children and servants. I did not expect that Baku to be so beautiful and cool. In Dubai we use air conditioner at home and office. We can go out only in the afternoon, because of the hot weather. However, here you can go out any time you wish. Bakus weather and sea are mesmerizing. I think that you are more lucky than we in this case, he said. Culture and Tourism Ministry reported the flow of the UAE tourists increased by 30 times. The number of tourists visited Azerbaijan from the UAE this May reached 3,000 people as compared with last May (99 people). The ministry believes that was possible through strengthening the promotion strategy, simplifying visa regime from last November for the citizens of these countries as well as propagandizing Azerbaijan in various tourism exhibitions. Last visit of Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev to the Gulf countries has brought positive results. During the visits Qatar and Kuwait regarded Azerbaijan as one of their favorite destinations. Azerbaijan Airlines has already discussed the organization of direct flights. Moreover, the upcoming 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, which will bring together athletes from 57 Muslim states to Baku next May, also may raise the interest of Arab tourists to sunny Caucasus country to get closely familiar with this wonderful country. /By Azernews/ By Gunay Hasanova Russias President Vladimir Putin will visit Baku on August 8 to take part in the first trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents. The Russian, Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Hassan Rouhani are expected to discuss the relevant issues of the international and regional politics, as well as the prospects for establishing practical cooperation, especially, in the spheres of energy and transportation, said the website of Kremlin Moreover, Putin is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his Azerbaijani and Iranian counterparts in Baku. A trilateral meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran in Baku is an important moment for the future construction and operation of the project "North-South", a political analyst and a senior Gulf State Analytics Advisor in Washington, Theodore Karasik told Trend News Agency. Karasik noted that this meeting will give an impetus and speed up the implementation of this transportation project. "The project is not only an economic, but also geopolitical, and it requires some discussions and clarifications," he added. Major portions of the project have been already completed, however, there is much work to be done especially with the Iranian segment, said the expert. He also added that the presidential-level meeting needs to address a salient issue for now: pushing forward the construction of Iranian trunk and discussions on transit fees and customs. "The project will significantly reduce the costs and time of transportation. The meeting of the heads of the three countries in Baku will discuss customs, transit costs, as well as other important issues," said Karasik. The North-South transportation corridor is designed to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. Future development of the international transport corridor can have beneficial consequences not only on reducing the transport cost, but will also strengthen the trade relations between the countries. Earlier, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said that Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are considering the sources of funding the construction of the railway as part of the North-South transport corridor. The heads of the railway administrations of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran have signed an agreement establishing a joint venture as part of the project of North-South railway transport corridor in Tehran on February 7. The future perspectives of this issue are expected be discussed in the summit. Although, Azerbaijan has signed several bilateral agreements with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the further development of the North South Transport Corridor plays a significant role for the trade sector of Azerbaijan, since both Russia and Iran are considered the main key actors in the region. Cooperation with the two countries together will affect the different spheres, such as energy and tourism. In addition, the consequences of the meeting may positively affect the future status of the Caspian Sea. The meeting of leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, is scheduled for August 8 in Baku. /By Azernews/ By Gunay Hasanova As many as 148 convicts have been amnestied in Azerbaijan for the six months of this year, while documents of 277 convicts have been sent to the court. "The convicts were released from detention in a timely and precisely way based on a decree signed by the Head of the State on March 17, 2016," Deputy Chief of the Penitentiary Service of the Justice Colonel Ogtay Mammadov said at the expanded meeting regarding the results of service activities for the first half of 2016. Speaking at the meeting, the Head of the Penitentiary Service, Major-General of Justice Jeyhun Hasanov stressed that the decision on amnesty of the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Republic initiated by the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva covering 10,000 prisoners, including 3,500 to be released from the places deprivation of liberty, and affected 2,800 people in the correctional institutions of the prison service. More than 2,500 people have been released from prisons so far, while the execution of the Amnesty Act still continues, he added. Under the Act, all inmates incarcerated for crimes that do not pose serious public danger, women indicted for less serious offences, those who were aged under 18 when they committed a crime, disabled people, men who turned 60, those who have underage or first or second group disabled children under their charge, those who participated in the battles for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, those who were by force resettled from their native lands as a result of occupation. "We continue to implement the law adopted on May 6, 2016 and work on adding new amendments to the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the circle of the people covered by the Act has been identified, and documents of 277 prisoners serving sentences in prisons were sent to the court," Mammadov noted. He also added that as a result of inspections in this period, 265 mobile phones were detected and seized from the prisoners. In addition, 159 grams of various kinds of drugs and psychotropic substances and 23 liters of fermented liquid used for manufacturing of alcoholic beverages were found too. These materials were submitted to the relevant law enforcement agencies for the legal assessment. In turn, the interaction with other law enforcement agencies contributed to disclosing 265 different crimes, says Mammadov. Individual heads of departments of the Prison Service and the heads of correctional institutions held presentations at the meeting as well. The first bill regarding the amnesty issue has unanimously passed in the Parliament of Azerbaijan on the occasion of May 28 Republic Day, which was submitted by the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva. /By Azernews/ By Rashid Shirinov The surrender of armed group Sasna Tsrer, who was seizing the building of a police station in Yerevan for 15 days, did not mean the end of mass protests in Armenia. Armenian people gathered again to a rally on August 1. Despite the heavy rain, the protest action started in the evening on the Liberty square of Yerevan. After being there for a while, people started their procession through the streets of the city. At the end of the march, protesters went to the hospital, where Pavel and Aram Manukyan, members of Sasna Tsrer, are kept. To express their support to the detainees, the demonstrators chanted Pavlik, Aram and Unity, then a large group of marchers sat on the ground and sang patriotic songs. After that, the demonstrators decided to meet near the Chamber of Advocates at 13.00 of August 2, and then come to the Freedom square for conducting another rally. Meanwhile, Armenian police continues its terrible actions towards the population of Yerevan. Law enforcement officers use stun grenades and police batons against unarmed people. As a result, a 17-year-old young man lost his eye. The police also damaged a leg of the boy. He continues getting treatment in the intensive care unit of a medical center. Following the July 29 rally in the Sari Tagh district of Yerevan, the police arrested 165 people. As a result of last clashes, 73 citizens appealed to medical institutions with injuries of varying degrees of severity. Currently, 17 of them still stay in hospitals. Not only ordinary demonstrators, but also journalists suffer from the atrocities of the Armenian police. During the riots of July 29 in the district of Sari Tagh and other places, 13 journalists were injured by the police. The Government should implement practical steps to ensure restraint on the part of law enforcement representatives toward members of the media and suggested steps should be taken by the authorities to guarantee that the press is not targeted by the police or thugs, OSCE representative on freedom of the media Dunja Mijatovic addressed the Minister of foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on the issue. The police should be protecting journalists and members of the media, she said. Armenian experts also spoke on the problem. They are unable to protect their own regiment, but instead they can beat journalists. It is a tragedy for our society, political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan said while condemning the police treatment with people. Everton release squad numbers for 2016-17 season , 2 August, Among the highlights are some welcome changes to the traditional numbers worn by regular first-team players, with Gerard Deulofeu taking the 7 jersey, Ross Barkley 8 and Gueye 17. Romelu Lukaku keeps his 10 shirt, Bryan Oviedo moves to 20 and Muhamed Besic takes 21, while Tom Davies and Kieran Dowell's promotions to the first-team are confirmed by 26 and 28 respectively. Maarten Stekelenburg and Shani Tarashaj will wear the s 22 and 24 that they have been sporting in the recent friendlies. Tellingly, neither Oumar Niasse nor Aiden McGeady have been assigned shirt numbers while Leandro Rodriguez appears to have been moved back to the Academy. Luke Garbutt's omission from the list has raised eyebrows, however. The England U21 left back spent last season on loan with Fulham but has been playing with Everton's U23s in pre-season. The full squad list for 2016-17 is as follows: 1. Joel Robles 3. Leighton Baines 4. Darron Gibson 5. John Stones 6. Phil Jagielka 7. Gerard Deulofeu 8. Ross Barkley 9. Arouna Kone 10. Romelu Lukaku 11. Kevin Mirallas 12. Aaron Lennon 15. Tom Cleverley 16. James McCarthy 17. Idrissa Gueye 18. Gareth Barry 20. Bryan Oviedo 21. Muhamed Besic 22. Maarten Stekelenburg 23. Seamus Coleman 24. Shani Tarashaj 25. Ramiro Funes Mori 26. Tom Davies 27. Tyias Browning 28. Kieran Dowell 30. Mason Holgate 32. Brendan Galloway 38. Matthew Pennington 39. Conor Grant 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 Burjeel Hospital Oman, one of Omans most modern medical facilities, opened in Al Khuwair, Muscat, this week. The premier seven-star healthcare facility will offer specialised medical treatment and services to the local communities in line with top international standards and practices. Burjeel Hospital is part of VPS Healthcare, an integrated healthcare provider with a network of hospitals, chain of medical centres, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and pharmacies across the Mena region. The 74-bed hospital includes a total of 31 consultation rooms. The hospitals pre and post-operative rooms, triage center, emergency room, labor and delivery suites, ICU, NICU, cath lab, MRI, CT Scan, laboratory, and pharmacy will be equipped to the highest clinical standards, the statement said. The facility also has a large parking area with complimentary valet service. The hospital houses centres of excellence and clinics such as obstetrics and gynaecology, pediatrics, orthopedics, ophthalmology, cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, urology, psychiatry and neurology, dermatology and cosmetology, ENT, sleep medicine, endocrinology, internal medicine, family medicine, dentistry, general surgery, and plastic surgery, providing people access to state-of-the-art clinical facilities and excellent healthcare from a team of reputed international medical professionals. Sultan Salim Said Al Habsi, secretary general, Supreme Council for Planning, Oman was the chief guest at the opnening ceremony on July 31. The event was attended by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and managing director of VPS Healthcare; Clyde H Eder, COO, VPS Healthcare; Clancey Po, CEO of Burjeel (Abu Dhabi & Oman); Christopher Evans, CEO, Burjeel Hospital, Al Khuwair, Muscat; Dr Nabil Debouni, medical director of Burjeel Hospital (Abu Dhabi & Oman), and Omani dignitaries. Burjeel Hospital Al Khuwair, Muscat, has all core medical, paramedical, and support services delivered by well-trained, accredited and skilled professionals. The healthcare facility, which is part of the internationally recognised Burjeel Hospital headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, includes clinical teams from recognised hospitals and universities from Europe, the US and other countries. We are extremely honoured and excited to open Burjeel Hospital in Al Khuwair, Muscat. It is Burjeels first hospital in Muscat, and is poised to be a leading medical hub. We are committed to offering the best healthcare services to the growing community in what is one of the most established economies in the region. We are confident that the new hospital will be recognised as one of the leading health care facilities in Oman," said Dr Vayalil. "This is also an important milestone for the brand, as we continue our expansion across the GCC, he said. Complementing the opening, the hospital has decided to perform 1,000 free mammograms for female patients in Muscat. With the increasing incidences of chronic lifestyle diseases across the sultanate, cancer has come out to be a major threat. In order to address the growing concern regarding cancer, especially breast cancer, we would like to raise public awareness about the disease. The hospital will be setting up a state-of-the-art mammogram machine and will offer 1,000 free mammograms. At Burjeel Hospital Muscat, we have an excellent female centre to address all aspects of female health apart from our other specialties. said Evans. - TradeArabia News Service Wing.ae, an on-demand delivery and courier marketplace, has closed a seed funding round backed by Souq.com, a leading online retail and marketplace platform in the Middle East. Ronaldo Mouchawar, Souq.com CEO & co-founder said: The unique proposition of Wing.ae is how it aggregates courier companies, fills the logistics supply gaps, creates economies of scale and offers a win-win situation for the logistic companies as well as the customers and merchants. We were impressed by Wings team and vision to build a tech driven transparent logistic network. We believe that a platform such as Wing.ae is equipped to fulfill enormous demands for Souq.com, especially during our big campaigns such as White Friday, he added. Muzaffar Karabev, CEO and Co-Founder of Wing.ae said: The UAE is a leading e-commerce and smart hub in the region, and Wing.ae enables small businesses as well as individuals access the UAE's goods and services in their suburb and beyond. Our goal is to offer people what they want in the quickest time via simple Android/iOS Apps. We believe physical address issue is not the only problem in the region, but matching supply with demand (when needed) can be a huge step forward towards lowering the costs whilst generating more business for both sides. Sanjar Samiev, board director and co-founder of Wing.ae noted: The digital economy and mobile penetration are significantly impacting our lives today. We adopt smart technology to create more choices for customers so they can Wing their products their way. By connecting couriers via our APIs and addressing high/low demand data, Wing.ae aims to bring costs down phenomenally through smart algos in our platform. We further endeavour to improve delivery timeframe to provide impeccable customer experience. We are also in the process of rolling out international shipping on our platform, and hope to bring easy and low cost shipping to that front. Tech start-up Wing.ae is an innovative e-marketplace that offers an assortment of comparative pricing across major carriers in the UAE, helping courier companies, SMEs and customers choose the best, fastest and cheapest delivery gateway along with real-time order tracking. Wing.ae provides robust delivery solutions (including same day delivery) to courier and delivery companies to ship products to their customers, and keep an easy track of orders, deliveries and payments. The platform ensures customers receive quality-controlled couriers at the cheapest next day/ same day delivery ensuring big savings up to 70 per cent. Currently, over 50 per cent of the delivery vehicles convey around the UAE with less than half their capacity utilised, while more than 30 per cent of the vehicles travel with empty cargos*. The Wing.ae platform will use smart technology to enable businesses to make use of this spare capacity, dramatically cutting down on CO2 emissions and increasing the profitability of logistics companies. Wing.ae is already live with a number of couriers, and discussions are currently underway to bring on-board additional courier and delivery companies in the UAE. Customers can download the Wing.ae App on their smartphone via App Store and Google Play. Delivery slots are open between 8:30 am and 9:00 pm daily with exceptional discounts over the launch period. Additionally, the revolutionary platform will deliver innovative features such as metered on demand delivery, same day delivery scheduling, live GPS delivery tracking, and progress notifications. TradeArabia News Service The UAE is becoming increasingly competitive in Saudi Arabias import market, as the kingdom constitutes the second largest destination for UAE-made products after India, according to a recent Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry report. The movement of goods between the two countries has been facilitated by the GCC customs unification procedures and efficient transportation system, said the report. According to the UAE Federal Customs Authority data the Emirates recorded a Dh40 million ($10.89 million) trade surplus with Saudi Arabia in 2014, as it gears up to release its 2015 data. While Saudi imports from its neighbour are diverse, items such as pearls, precious stones, metals, and coins dominated the list in 2015, making up 22 per cent of the UAEs total exports of these products, and 32 per cent of the kingdoms net global imports of the product group, worth $3.7 billion. Gold, whether unwrought, semi-manufactured or powdered was Saudi Arabia's largest import from its Gulf neighbour at an import value of $1.8 billion or 35 per cent of the formers global import of the product in 2015. Moreover, 27 per cent of Saudi Arabias imports of copper and copper articles (worth $672 million) and 11 per cent of its imports of articles of iron and steel (worth $626 million), on the one hand, and raw iron and steel (worth $507 million), on the other, came from the UAE, constituting 8 per cent, 7 per cent, and 6 per cent of the latters total exports to the kingdom, respectively. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias export of ships, boats and floating structures to the UAE consisting mainly of tugs and pusher craft dominated the list of Saudi exports to the Emirates. The export value of $1.9 billion accounted for 28 per cent of total exports to the UAE and 77 per cent of Saudi Arabias world exports of the product group. In addition to that, 5 per cent of the kingdoms exports of plastic and plastic articles (worth $798 million), on the one hand, and organic chemicals (worth $465 million), on the other, went to the UAE, constituting 12 per cent and 7 per cent of the formers total exports to the UAE, respectively. Also on the list of UAE imports from Saudi Arabia were $388 million worth of electrical and electronic equipment, making up 6 per cent of the kingdoms exports to the Emirates, yet more than two-thirds (36 per cent) of its global exports of that product group. The numbers show a clear improvement in the UAEs competitiveness as a source market for Saudi Arabian imports. In fact, the Emirates share in Saudi Arabias import market had increased from 4 per cent in 2012 to 5 per cent in 2015. Similarly, the spectrum of imported products expanded as well; in 2012, Saudi Arabia imported 401 types of products from the UAE 38 per cent of all types of imported products during that year while in 2015, the number rose to 586 types, or 52 per cent of the 1,123 types of products Saudi Arabia imported during that year. A products relative competitiveness in its export market can be measured through an index called the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), with a score of at least 100 pointing to high competitiveness. In 2012, 179 products from the UAE managed to record an RCA of 100 or more in the Saudi Arabian export market. The number continued to increase through the years to reach 213 products in 2015. Saudi Arabias largest imports from the UAE in 2015, according to their reported RCAs, were copper wire, with an RCA of 1,047; copper plates, sheets and strips, thickness > 0.15mm, with an RCA of 1,352; tea, with an RCA of 1,171; and rolled stainless steel sheet, width > 600mm, with an RCA of 1,115. Also on the list were solid cane or beat sugar (RCA = 824); polyacetals, polyethers, polycarbonates, etc. (RCA = 691). As the numbers show, trade between the regions two largest economies have borne the brunt of falling oil prices in the global market. And with crude prices on the rise in recent months, demand for imported goods in both countries is poised to maintain its high levels, painting an optimistic image of the near economic future of the region. Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber, said: The UAE is keen on maintaining the best trade relationships with Saudi Arabia. Strong exchange between GCC countries serves to boost the economic performance of the council as a whole and, consequently, of the entire Arab region. We need to cooperate amongst ourselves to implement all measures necessary to ensure an unobstructed flow of goods and services across borders, to the benefit of all parties, he added. TradeArabia News Service US planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, responding to the U.N.-backed government's request to help push the militants from their former stronghold of Sirte in what US officials described as the start of a sustained campaign against the extremist group in the city. "The first air strikes were carried out at specific locations in Sirte today causing severe losses to enemy ranks," Prime Minster Fayez Seraj said on state TV. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes did not have "an end point at this particular moment in time". Forces allied with Seraj have been battling Islamic State in Sirte - the home town of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi - since May. The militants seized the Mediterranean coastal city last year, making it their most important base outside Syria and Iraq. But they are now besieged in a few square kilometres of the centre, where they hold strategic sites, including the Ouagadougou conference hall, the central hospital and the university. Seraj said the Presidential Council of his Government of National Accord, or GNA, had decided to "activate" its participation in the international coalition against Islamic State and "request the United States to carry out targeted air strikes on Daesh (Islamic State)." The air strikes on Monday - which were authorised by US President Barack Obama - hit an Islamic State tank and two vehicles that posed a threat to forces aligned with Libya's GNA, Cook said. In the future, each individual strike will be coordinated with the GNA and needs the approval of the commander of US forces in Africa, Cook added. This was the third US air strike against Islamic State militants in Libya. But US officials said this one marked the start of a sustained air campaign rather than another isolated strike. The last acknowledged US air strikes in Libya were on an Islamic State training camp in the western city of Sabratha in February. Although it does not include the use of ground troops beyond small special forces squads rotating in and out of Libya and drones collecting intelligence, the air campaign opens a new front in the war against IS and what American officials consider its most dangerous component outside Syria and Iraq. Obama authorised the strikes after a recommendation by US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Washington took part in air strikes in 2011 to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya which helped topple Gaddafi. The country has struggled since then and Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine in April that the intervention "didn't work". OPERATIONS IN SIRTE AND SUBURBS "I want to assure you that these operations are limited to a specific timetable and do not exceed Sirte and its suburbs," Seraj said, adding that international support on the ground would be limited to technical and logistical help. "GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL (Islamic State) thus far around Sirte, and additional US strikes will continue to target ISIL in Sirte in order to enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance," said Cook, the Pentagon spokesman. The White House said US assistance to Libya would be limited to air strikes and information sharing. "There are unique capabilities that our military can provide to support forces on the ground and that's what the president wanted to do," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Air Force One on Monday. But that coordination will be a challenge, experts said. Local forces in Libya fighting Islamic State are diffuse and fragmented, with no single centre of command, said Frederic Wehrey, a Libya expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington who recently spent three days with fighters in Sirte. "US and Western diplomatic strategy has been to try to boost this GNA, but I think there are certain limits," Wehrey said. "It's not the sort of conventional military operation we would think of where there's a central point of contact." US and Libyan officials estimate that several hundred Islamic State fighters remain in Sirte. Brigades mainly composed of militia from the western city of Misrata advanced on Sirte in May, but their progress was slowed by snipers, mines and booby-traps. Those forces have complained that assistance from the government in Tripoli and external powers was slow to materialise. At least 350 of their fighters have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded in the campaign. Libyan fighter jets have frequently bombed Sirte, but they lack the weapons and technology to make precision strikes. Islamic State took advantage of political chaos and a security vacuum to start expanding into Libya in 2014. It gained control over about 250 km (155 miles) of sparsely populated coastline either side of Sirte, though it has struggled to win support or retain territory elsewhere in the country. The GNA was the result of a U.N.-mediated deal signed in December to end a conflict between two rival governments and the armed groups that supported them. But it is having difficulty imposing its authority and winning backing from factions in the east. Western powers have offered to support the GNA in its efforts to tackle Islamic State, stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean and revive Libya's oil production. But foreign intervention is politically sensitive, and the GNA has hesitated to make formal requests for help. US officials were developing military options in Libya earlier this year. But enormous hurdles, including struggles in the formation of a unified Libyan government strong enough to call for and accommodate foreign military assistance, stood in the way. Small teams of Western countries' special forces have been on the ground in eastern and western Libya for months. Last month France said three of its soldiers had been killed south of the eastern city of Benghazi, where they had been conducting intelligence operations. Reuters Ebrahim K Kanoo, the exclusive distributor of leading automotive detailing and protection solutions provider Ziebart in Bahrain, has added a workshop to complement its Ziebart Express branch in Seef Mall Muharraq. The workshop expands the comprehensive range of automotive services currently offered to customers, the company said. The new workshop offers window tinting, paint protection, waxing and polishing, and interior and exterior cleaning, as well as signature Ziebart treatments such as Inner Guard, Gold Care, Diamond Gloss, and Germ Defender. Customers can also purchase a wide range of top quality made-in-England polishes and advanced do-it-yourself care products for automotive and household applications. Ebrahim K Kanoo Ziebart business development manager Katie Peterkova said: We are pleased to now be able to offer a more comprehensive range of Ziebart car care services to our customers in the northern part of the country. Most of these services were previously only available through our Sanad branch, but with the creation of a dust free environment in the new workshop, we are now able to make them more conveniently accessible to people in Muharraq and Manama. "Having a Ziebart Workshop located in a popular shopping destination also allows customers get their vehicles needs attended to while shopping or relaxing at the mall, Peterkova said. Living up to its Car Care and More promise, Ziebarts expert advisors are on hand at the mall parking area to help customers select the best solution for their vehicles, the company said. For more information, call 17323235. - TradeArabia News Service Kuwait is to increase the prices of gasoline by as much as 73 per cent from September, showing how the oil price slump is affecting the energy-rich Gulf state's finances. Oil-exporting states around the Gulf are reducing subsidies for fuel, public utilities and food, and freezing or slowing the growth of public sector wages as they try to curb big budget deficits caused by low oil prices. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain have all taken such steps in recent months but Kuwait has been slower to act. With the move, now joins the other Gulf Arab countries in making major reforms to its energy subsidies. Kuwait's cabinet said on Monday that the price for the ultra gasoline grade would rise to 165 fils ($0.54) a litre, from 95 currently, the super grade to 105 from 65 and premium grade to 85 from 60, state news agency KUNA reported. Kuwaiti Finance ministry undersecretary Khalifa Hamada told the al-Qabas newspaper at the end of 2015 that "rationalising" subsidies would save the government KD2.6 billion ($8.7 billion) over three years. Anas al-Saleh, the Finance Minister and acting oil minister, in July predicted a KD9.5 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which began on April 1. Last year, the United Arab Emirates raised octane 95 gasoline by almost a quarter. Qatar raised domestic prices of gasoline by 30 per cent in January. Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia also aims to cut water, electricity and fuel prices according to a National Transformation Plan rolled out in June. Reuters Nuzul Saudi Heritage Hospitality Company, an initiative led by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTNH), has unveiled plans for a new five-star heritage hotel in the historical Samhan District of AdDiriyah, Riyadh. This project, which aims to bring together the historical look and feel of approximately 40 historic mud buildings in the Samhan District with a modern five-star hotel, is under the supervision of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, and is the first hospitality related renovation project in the country. The heritage hotel is being designed by DAppolonia, the independent engineering consulting company of Rina Group. The firm will provide engineering services up to detailed design development, and support Nuzul Hospitality with technical supervision and recommendations for construction according to the BREEAM International 2013 scheme and DAppolonias Quality Management System. The project area sits inside the Unesco buffer zone; so all techniques used to restore buildings also need to be compliant with Unesco protocols. Andrea Tomarchio, project manager, DAppolonia said: "We are pleased to be able to preserve the integrity and heritage of these historic buildings. Ensuring that the design is environmentally friendly and energy efficient has been a key consideration in making the site available for modern use in a sustainable way, that will mean it lasts for years to come. Alessandro Odasso, Infrastructure and Transport Business Development manager, DAppolonia noted: Our long-standing expertise in heritage requalification engineering lent itself perfectly to this project. We have carried out many similar design and supervision projects in historic sites of Italy and in the hospitality industry, providing us with extensive experience for this design project. The proposed hotel design includes a souk in which traditional goods will be marketed and a museum area where traditional construction systems will be displayed and workshops can be conducted to teach restoration techniques, including those used to restore the Samhan District. This unique experience will highlight the restoration of the heritage site and reflect the countrys traditions, origins and culture. These are key elements in passing technical knowledge and skills down to future generations, which, due to the sustainable design of the hotel, can be taught for many years to come. - TradeArabia News Service The Italian city of Pisa today welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight to arrive at its international airport from Doha. The Airbus A330 landed at 06:55 and was greeted by a celebratory water canon salute as well as a welcome ceremony with flags and drums from people in traditional costumes. The VIP delegation on board the flight, which included the airlines senior vice president for Europe, Jonathan Harding, were welcomed by airport authorities representatives Marco Carrai, president of Tuscany Airports; and Gina Giani, CEO of Tuscany Airports as well as Marco Filippeschi, Mayor of Pisa. Pisa is the fourth city in Italy to be served by Qatar Airways, which has been flying to Milan since 2002, to Rome since 2003, and to Venice since 2011. The airline already offers five daily frequencies to Italy: two to Milan and Rome and one to Venice. The new daily flight to Pisa will increase the airlines weekly flights from Doha to Italy from 35 to 42. In the last year, Qatar Airways has strengthened its existing Italian routes and demonstrated its commitment to the Italian market by introducing new, wide-body aircraft generating a 35 per cent increase in passenger capacity. Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Pisa is an important addition to our route map, strengthening our ties with the people of Italy by offering them another opportunity to connect with more than 150 business and leisure destinations. We are equally delighted to be giving our loyal passengers from around the globe the chance to visit the beautiful city of Pisa and the surrounding region of Tuscany. Carrai said: "Our region continues to open up to the world thanks to the agreement with Qatar Airways and the opening of the new service between Pisa and Doha. This new route gives us the opportunity to enlarge the new network to business and leisure connections throughout Asia and Africa. This is one of the most prestigious milestones in the history of Tuscan Airports, as the benefits for our region will soon be under the eyes of all. This is an achievement that Tuscany Airports can really be proud of." The new getaway will connect Tuscany to the Qatar Airways network, through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha, to more than 150 business and leisure destinations including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The A320 will also provide businesses importing and exporting goods to and from Pisa with 11 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity per week. - TradeArabia News Service Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village Wednesday clubs and meetings Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 5:09 P.M., 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 456 S. Walnut; 7 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 8 p.m., 8 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m, 328-1/2 E. A, closed; 8:23 p.m., 719 3rd St., Evansville. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back); 7:30 p.m,. 805 E. Richards, Ste. 1. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: 307-351-1688. Al-Anon: 7-8 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200, 12-24 Club, for grades 6 and up. Info: 377-7260 or 258-1444; 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 302 E. 2nd. Use east entrance, meet downstairs in Room 12. Stepping Stones to Recovery family group meeting, Nonsmoking. Narcotics Anonymous: noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 302 E. 2nd St., Methodist Church, enter east side. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org. Nicotine Anonymous: noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518; Troy Y., 267-6326. OIF/OEF Support Group: 6:30-8 p.m., Casper Vet Center, 1030 N. Poplar St., Ste. B. All OIF/OEF Veterans are invited to attend. No need to pre-register. Info: 261-5355. Teen Addiction Anonymous: 7-8 p.m., 12-24 Club Teton Room. Info: 258-7439. TOPS #35 Weight Loss: 6:45 a.m., First Presbyterian Church, 804 S. Wolcott. Weigh-in is from 6:45-7:10 a.m. Info: 258-2603 or 234-5644. TOPS #162: 8:30 a.m., United Methodist Church, 1880 Poplar. Anyone interested is invited to join. Info: 472-4926. McDonald at Reveille The Reveille Rotary Club will host Casper city manager, V.H. McDonald, as its featured speaker during the meeting beginning at 7 a.m., at the Casper Senior Center, 1831 E. Fourth St. McDonald became the city manager of Casper in November of 2015 after 29 years of experience in Wyoming local government. Previously he served as the assistant city manager and the administrative services director for Casper. His experiences working with the budget and operations of the city organization has positioned him with a knowledgeable skill set to lead the community through the current economic downturn. Reveille Rotary meetings are open to the public. Guests and anyone interested in Rotary is welcome and invited to attend. Retired educators meet All retired Wyoming education personnel are welcome and encouraged to attend a meeting at 10 a.m. at the Parkway Plaza. Topics include a COLA adjustment, retiree benefits, and a return of retiree decisions to the State Retirement Board. For further information, contact Owen Jones, executive board member of WREP, 234-6234. Wednesday Writers Would you like to leave a legacy by sharing your memories with the world? Practice writing, share your work and receive constructive feedback from fellow writers at 10 a.m. on the main floor of the Natrona County Library. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Skate all day The Casper Ice Arena will be hosting Skate All Day sessions through August 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission for Skate All Day is $6 and skate rental is free. Participants can come and go throughout the session. Skating-tutors are available for $3 each. Children four years old and under are free with a paid admission. For the current public skating schedule and additional information on public skating, birthday parties, skating classes, or any other upcoming ice arena special event, please call 235-8484 or visit www.casperwy.gov. Launching Little Learners Start early on the path to reading and school success! The Natrona County Librarys Launching Little Learners programs has resumed for the summer. In addition to being fun, free outings for children and families, Launching Little Learners instills the joy of reading at a young age and helps prepare children for school. Launching Little Learners for preschool-aged children (3-5 years old) is held each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Main Library in downtown Casper. Tiny Tots, a Launching Little Learners program tailored to babies and toddlers, is held each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Mills branch. Call 577-READ ext. 5 for more information. Comedy magicians at NCPL Comedy magicians The Incredible Mr. E and Kyle Groves will hold a series of performances for elementary-age children at the Natrona County Library at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Witness astounding magic and incredible stunts all while learning about sports, overall fitness and good nutrition. Seating is limited, so plan to arrive early. Tickets will be handed out one hour prior to each performance. Call 577-READ ext. 5 for more information. Youth for Christ Summer Leadership Camp Youth for Christ sponsors Summer Leadership Camp for middle school youth ages 12 to 15 on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m., through August 31 at The Link, 353 W. A St. A student may start at any time, but they are encouraged to attend weekly to receive continuity and the most benefit from the program. For more information, call Carl House, 235-6650 or Jamie Shelburne, 505-793-7593. Learn Windows 10 The Natrona County Library will offer a Windows 10 class at 4 p.m. Whether youre new to computers or have used them in the past, this class will help you become more comfortable using the Windows 10 interface. Feel free to bring your Windows 10 device with you to follow along. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Summer class at learning circle The Bart Rea Learning Circle hosts classes every day of the week during the summer. The circle is located inside Amoco Park, 1007 W. First St., along the Platte River Trails: just west of West First and Poplar intersection; and just east of The Tate Pump House. All classes are free with a canned food donation to Wyoming Food for Thought. No classes on holidays or during inclement weather. For more information visit The Bart Rea Learning Circle on Facebook. Wednesday, 4 p.m.: Storytelling on the Circle: Kids & Kids at heart are welcome. We will explore stories about everything from nature, to our planet, to being good neighbors. Children four and under require adult supervision. Primary instructor: Libby Tedder Hugus. Hiking group hikes Izaak Walton League Hiking Group hikes on the first and third Wednesday of the month. This is open to everyone and dogs are welcome if they are on a leash. Be sure to bring a jacket as it can cool off as the sun is getting low. Also bring water and snacks to keep your energy up. Hiking poles are also helpful if you have them. August 3, Casper Mountain: We will meet at 5:45 p.m. at the Nordic Trail Center parking on Casper Mountain. It is a hike on the new snowshoe trail and is about 2.9 miles. If you have any questions, call ot text Jennie at 307-251-3739 or Dan at 251-3741. Since the days are getting shorter, so are our hikes in August. Please check our website at www.iwla.org/charlesepiersall for future hikes. Chicken fried steak at the Elks Wednesday Night Special at the Casper Elks Lodge is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and corn. All you can eat for $7, children 5 to 12 are $3, serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839. Co-parenting class starts Are you a single parent or step-parent? Are you raising kids between two homes? Casper Family Connections is offering a co-parenting class starting on Wednesday. The class will be held every Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Each participant must attend seven out of the eight classes, in a row, to receive a certificate. The class, One Heart Two Homes, is an exciting group that will support you in your co-parenting process. A few of the topics include: Creating Stability in a Single Parent Home, Parental Adjustment, Inter-parental Conflict, Handling the Handoff, Understanding the Heart of the Child, and Helping Kids Plan for Holidays and Special Occasions. The class will be held at Casper Family Connections (2345 E. 2nd St., Casper Wyoming). The cost is $50 per person for the series of classes and Medicaid is accepted. Please contact Karlea LaFave at (307) 233-2200 for more information and to sign up. Veteran Cigar Night Every Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., all veterans are invited to Veteran Cigar Night at the Casper Cigar Company, 4717 W. Yellowstone Highway, sponsored by Casper Cigar Company. There is no cost to attend. This is a time and place for our communitys combat veterans to relax and share their stories with other combat veterans while enjoying a good cigar. Veterans receive 20 percent off cigars. For more information, call Josh Cruse at 307-337-4400 or josh@caspercigar.com Book club field trip Augusts Book Club Field Trip will be held at 6 p.m. at the Librarys back entrance near the parking lot. Participants will discuss Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The discussion is free and open to the public. To participate, pick up your copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle at the Librarys second floor Reference Desk, and then join us at the Librarys back entrance for an immersive experience. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Caspers heavily discounted sale of city land to the state has been delayed after the Wyoming Attorney Generals office identified concerns, officials said Monday. A public meeting on the proposed sale scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed indefinitely, said City Manager V.H. McDonald. The Attorney Generals office did not address its concerns in a written statement provided to the Star-Tribune. But in an interview, state construction project manager Ian Catellier called it a contract agreement issue and said were working through the language. Attorney stuff, McDonald said. The deal concerns a plot of land directly across from Natrona County High School in the Old Yellowstone District. Though appraised for around $2 million, the city has agreed to sell the land for roughly $750,000, said Mayor Daniel Sandoval. The discrepancy originates from a proposed swap in which the state would have received the 6.1-acre plot in exchange for a former state office building on West Yellowstone Highway and Second Street the future site of the David Street Station. Instead, the city purchased the building outright for $700,000, leading state officials to believe they needed to pay a similar amount for the empty plot. The city purchased the plot along West Collins Drive from the state for $200,000 around a decade ago. The contract issue arose last week. Its expected to be resolved in the coming weeks, McDonald said. WASHINGTON In a searing denouncement, President Barack Obama castigated Donald Trump as unfit and woefully unprepared to serve in the White House. He challenged Republicans to withdraw their support for their partys nominee, declaring There has to come a point at which you say enough. While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race. Obama questioned whether Trump would observe basic decency as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs and condemned his disparagement of an American Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the U.S. Army in Iraq. A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trumps criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominees calls to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. But Obama argued that isnt enough. If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? Obama asked during a White House news conference. What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? No prominent Republican lawmaker responded to Obamas challenge. Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an affront to his partys top elected official, Trump told The Washington Post he wasnt quite there yet on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week. Trumps refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the GOP and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook. Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryans campaign said, Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trumps endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless. Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton sees those GOP concerns about Trump as an opportunity to reach out to party moderates particularly women who may be so upset by the nominee that theyre willing to look past policy differences and questions about Clintons character. The president who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office plans to campaign robustly for Clinton through Election Day. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last weeks Democratic convention in Philadelphia. The Khans also appeared at the convention, with Khizr Khan telling the story of his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Khan criticized Trumps position on Muslims and asked whether the real estate mogul had read the Constitution. For most politicians, tangling with a bereaved military family would be out of bounds. But Trump dove in, questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and saying he was viciously attacked by Khizr Khan. Trumps criticism was part of a familiar pattern: He cant let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation. Those who have worked with him say that in private meetings he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes hes already answered a question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television. Trumps unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage Monday from several Republicans. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war. Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said the Khans deserve to be heard and respected. Obama argued those denunciations ring hollow as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race. Trumps response? On Twitter, he said, President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States! Sen. Mark Kirk, who is facing a tough re-election fight in Illinois, rescinded his endorsement of Trump in June after the GOP nominee criticized an American-born judges Mexican heritage. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, have broken with the nominee on individual issues but continue to back his candidacy. CHEYENNE Residents evacuated by a wildfire northwest of Dubois are being allowed to return to their seasonal homes thanks to the progress of the firefighting effort. Firefighters have gained 50 percent containment of the Lava Mountain Fire, which has burned about 22 square miles of the Shoshone National Forest and private land. The number of firefighters on the fire has been drawn down to around 800. No homes were lost to the fire that began July 11. In Bridger-Teton National Forest, a fire that has burned about 46 square miles is now 84 percent contained. The Cliff Creek Fire was ignited by lightning and first spotted on July 17. In southwest Wyoming, a fire that has burned about 2 square miles near the Utah border is now 36 percent contained. Residents of about 75 homes that had been evacuated last week were allowed to return on Monday. The Tokewanna fire began Thursday and has charred mostly private lands. Its cause has yet to be determined. Several other fires are burning across the West. In western Montana, firefighters were bracing for strong winds and authorities ordered more evacuations during a fire that destroyed 14 homes and may have contributed to a death. The fire started Sunday and has burned 5.7 square miles in Bitterroot National Forest. Meanwhile in southwest Idaho, more than 1,400 firefighters are battling a blaze that has grown to 66 square miles and destroyed a state-operated backcountry structure. The fire expanded by about 5 square miles Tuesday in rugged terrain and was nearly 30 percent contained. Its not expected to be fully contained until mid-September. Officials say two specially equipped military cargo planes have been made available to drop fire retardant on blazes burning across the West. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said Tuesday that the C-130s are expected to be ready for firefighting missions on Wednesday. Each can drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in as little as five seconds. The C-130s can be mobilized when the civilian tanker fleet is stretched thin. Initially, theyll be based in Boise, home of the center that coordinates wildfire-fighting efforts nationwide. The lack of shouting and pantsuits made clear the Democratic debate for Wyomings sole U.S. House seat wasnt quite Bernie Sanders versus Hillary Clinton. But thematically, Charlie Hardy and Ryan Greene mirror the wider split in the Democratic Party. This is not the America that I have known and not the America I love, Hardy, 77, said in his opening statement at Tuesdays debate at Casper College. Much like Sanders, Hardy wants to upset the established order by getting money out of politics and expanding social services. Hes not much interested in compromising those values, either. In contrast, Democrats like Greene are interested in helping workers, but arent afraid to stray from liberal orthodoxy on issues like coal or gun rights especially if it means keeping the party competitive. The Republican nominee is likely to be Cheney, Greene said, already looking ahead to Novembers general election. Unless her challenger supports Wyomings coal and natural gas industries then shes got this set locked up, said Greene, who works for an energy services company in Rock Springs. Our congressman needs to support all our energy producers. Hardy said he was not in favor of shutting down all of Wyomings coal mines immediately, but argued the state needed to diversify its economy and move away from extractive industries. If the market is buying those products we need to be selling them, Greene countered. Greene, 33, also expressed more caution than Hardy on other issues that have been embraced by the partys liberal base but continue to face skepticism by some independent voters. People working for Wal-Mart should be able to buy products from the small businesses in Cheyenne rather than having to buy them from Wal-Mart, Hardy said, explaining his support for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Greene said he wanted to start at $10 per hour to protect small businesses. Not everybody is Wal-Mart, Greene said. There are small businesses where this would double their payroll. When it came to the relationship between police and the communities they serve, Greene had little time for Hardys concerns over the militarization of police departments. There is a movement out there that demonizes the police as bad individuals, Greene said. I stand with our police men and women. In an interview following the debate, Greene said he was not referring to the media stirring up unproductive negativity around police. Greene also said that he supported the Black Lives Matter movement so far as it was focused on positive solutions. My biggest fear is segregation rather than integration, he said. Hardy, who served as a Catholic priest in Latin America, was quick to offer his support not only from Black Lives Matter but for all non-white communities who feel marginalized. He cited the exceptionally low life expectancy for Native Americans in Wyoming as an example of the issue statewide. As for how the two candidates actually feel about the presidential candidates? Hardy said he was in lockstep with Sanders, while Greene said his only big points of departure from Clinton were on energy and gun rights though he clarified he wasnt running on her platform. I cant speak for Hillary, Greene said. Im a Wyoming Democrat. Republicans and Democrats seeking the states lone U.S. House seat will debate Tuesday in Casper, and the public is invited to attend or watch on television or online. The debates are at Casper College, in the Wheeler Concert Hall. The Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming PBS and the college are hosting the event. The chance to see all the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives debate is valuable to any thoughtful voter because it offers an excellent opportunity to see, hear and compare their choices for the individual who will represent them in Washington, said Dale Bohren, executive editor of the Star-Tribune. All of the candidates in the contested races of both parties have agreed to participate. Its great for candidates, too, because a debate offers them a chance to speak to voters who may not otherwise have an impression of them. The Democratic debate, between Ryan Greene and Charlie Hardy, is at 3 p.m. Former Gov. Mike Sullivan will moderate. The first Republican debate begins at 5:30 p.m. and will feature Heath Beaudry, Mike Konsmo, Paul Paad and Jason Adam Senteney. The second Republican debate begins at 7 p.m. and will feature Liz Cheney, Leland Christensen, Darin Smith and Tim Stubson. Former Gov. Jim Geringer will moderate both Republican debates. The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. People can also watch the debates live online at trib.com and at http://www.wyomingpbs.org/debates.php. The debates will be broadcast on the PBS network. U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, the Republican who occupies the seat, has decided to not seek re-election and return to Wyoming. A recent poll commissioned for the Star-Tribune/Wyoming PBS showed 52.3 percent of registered Republicans remain undecided. The pollsters at Pulse Research, the professional company that did our study, told us it's not uncommon in a presidential election year for voters to be undecided about a non-presidential race at this point, Bohren said. That said, now is the time most voters are making decisions about how they will vote. This debate will serve that all-important role of helping voters make decisions about the choices they have among the various candidates. The hosts began organizing the debate early in the election season, Bohren said. Candidates have not seen the questions, which were solicited from the public. A three-person panel featuring a representative from each sponsor organization used those submissions to curate and prioritize debate questions. Bohren, along with Craig Blumenshine of Wyoming PBS and Erich Frankland, chairman of the colleges political science department, were on that panel, Bohren said. The placement of candidates on stage and the order in which they will receive questions will be based on a random drawing, Bohren said. Additionally, Wyoming PBS will re-broadcast the debates before the Aug. 16 primary election, Blumenshine said. The Democratic debate will be streamed live at 3 p.m. and broadcast at 6:30 p.m., he said. It will be rebroadcast at 10 p.m. Friday, he said. The two Republican debates will be streamed and broadcast live at the same time. The first Republican debate will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Friday. PBS will rebroadcast the second debate at 9 p.m. Aug. 12. KALISPELL, Mont. State wildlife officials have euthanized a female grizzly bear suspected of breaking into three camp trailers east of Fortine and showing other food conditioned behavior in previous years. Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley said the bear was captured on July 29 in a culvert trap near one of the unoccupied trailers that had been broken into the night before. The bear that entered the trailers suffered a cut and the captured bear had a cut on the left front foot pad. Based on photos, officials believed the bear had gotten into garages, a barn and killed chickens in the same general area during the last two years. Due to the bear's degree of food conditioning and because she did not have cubs with her, the decision was made to euthanize her on Monday. When Chuck Gray encounters reality, does he recognize it? I read Sunday's CST Voter Guide and it appears Gray places blame on the Democrats for our state's dismal economy despite the fact that Democrats are powerless at that level. Perhaps he doesn't recognize that the Republican Party holds each and every executive position (including governor). Republicans have a 26-4 super-majority in the State Senate and a 51-9 advantage in the State House. He is either ignorant or disingenuous if he doesn't recognize the failure within our state's laws only mirror failures in his own party. Does he have any ideas of his own or simply parrot the words of radical radio? Editor: One of our Founding Fathers, James Madison, stated at the Constitutional Convention, "We are a Republican government. Real liberty is never found in despotism or in the extremes of democracy." Sadly, most of our nation's citizens believe that we live in a democracy and do not understand that we are a constitutional republic, a nation governed by laws of nature and of nature's God. It is imperative that the leaders of our nation understand clearly that the purpose of government is to protect our God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Government is not our master -- it is strictly to serve We the People. Chuck Gray, candidate for State House District 57, understands, believes in and is fully committed to upholding our U.S. Constitution. He is an individual who is uncompromising when it comes to protection of the unborn, fiscal conservatism, protection of state's rights, defending our right to bear arms and true constitutional governance. Chuck has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Wyoming Right to Life and WyWatch. As a member of the Wyoming Association of Realtors, I firmly believe that the best candidate who will stand up to protect private property rights is Gray. Our great state of Wyoming can certainly use more leaders like Gray, a man who is committed to defending our liberty, restoring our republic and adhering to our Constitution at all levels of government. We are writing to express our support for Ray Pacheco seeking the House District 57 seat in Wyoming's Legislature. Pacheco is a long-time Natrona County resident who has been active in helping Casper citizens obtain a better way of life. As a student in our schools, Ray actively engaged in both school and learning. His work at St. Anthony's School and with GEAR UP at Casper College is characterized by an ability to listen to concerns, build relationships, and engage others to become successful, contributing members of our community. We find his approach in political matters no different. Ray is committed to seeking to understand and actively collaborating with others regardless of their political affiliations to build solutions that will help Wyoming's citizens and communities now and in the future. Upgrades to Mike Sedar pool and Casper Mountain's Hogadon are two examples of where the City Council's strategic planning and visionary resolve make the city more attractive to residents, visitors, and new businesses. Editor: I see where Chuck Gray, Republican candidate for House District 57, has his liberty-style friends telling us that he would make a good replacement for longtime legislator Tom Lockhart, who is retiring with 16 years serving you in the Legislature. I think not. This is the same Gray who ran against Lockhart two years ago and took cheap shots at Tom during the campaign. It didnt work then, and that attitude should not elect him this year, either. I, not only as a Democrat who sat next to Tom on the house floor but a legislator with 17 years of service as a House member and state senator, thought Lockhart was an extraordinary person and I was privileged to sit and serve next to him. We really dont need anyone representing us in the Legislature that takes cheap shots at a legislator such as Lockhart, one of the best legislators I ever served with. Enjoy your retirement, Tom. Youve earned it, more than most. Audrey Cotherman is running for that same seat and with her lifetime of work for our kids in the school system, she has earned a spot in the Legislature. PHOENIX A $110,000 judgment was filed against Arizona company Publishers Service Office Inc. and owner Burudi Mwonyoni after the company allegedly used a magazine-subscription scam to defraud thousands of U.S. consumers, according to state Attorney General Mark Brnovichs office. A consumer-fraud lawsuit was filed by the Arizona Attorney Generals Office accusing the company of using an auto-dialer to place more than 48,000 phone calls a month to sell magazine subscriptions and renewals. According to Brnovich, Publishers Service Office falsely claimed it was authorized by magazine publishers to charge or bill consumers on behalf of the publishers. Publishers Service Office also is accused of disguising the telephone numbers from which it called consumers to make the numbers appear as originating from the state or area code in which the consumer lived. According to the lawsuit settlement, Mwonyoni and Publishers Service Office are prohibited from soliciting consumers over the telephone to purchase a periodical subscription and cannot request or receive payments from consumers for subscriptions that Publishers Service Office claimed to have sold to them. Mwonyoni and Publishers Service Office are ordered to pay the Attorney Generals Office $110,000 in fines, plus attorneys fees and costs incurred in investigating and prosecuting the case, according to the AGs office. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. NO OWNER FOUND FOR HUMAN HAND TAKEN FROM CAR Arrival of Body of Construction Foreman from Lordsburg, Will Clear Up Mystery; Hand Resembles a Womans When Inspector Cull, at Benson, early yesterday morning, flashed his light on the forward trucks of the baggage car of Southern Pacific train No. 101, westbound, a human had was thrust from under the car. Up to midnight last night the combined efforts of Coroner Comstock and Southern Pacific officers have been unable to find the owner of the hand or the identity of the owner. As the gruesome evidence of a tragedy, Coroner Comstock is holding his his possession, contained in a bucket, the right hand and forward of a human being, and the skin from the right side of a torso, from the thigh to the top of the head. A portion of the scalp, covered by sandy-colored hair, and the right ear, stripped from the skull, may aid in identifying the owner of the remnants of a human being. That the original owner of tis hand, forearm, and ear was a woman, was the belief of the coroner after he had examined the bits of flesh, and the county physician, Dr. Pratt, agreed that the hand resembled that of a woman. the fact that the skin from the palm of the right had bore no callouses seemed to support this theory. After the Southern Pacific train crew at Benson had responded to Inspector Culls alarm, and removed the human fragments from the truck of the baggage car, and brought them to Tucson in a bucket to turn them over to Coroner Comstock, it was learned that Grading Foreman Johnson, of the Pacheco Construction company, had been killed early yesterday morning at Mongolia, a short distance this side of Lordsburg, and it was thought that the hand and other human debris recovered might be from his body, but last evening Coroner Comstock expressed the belief that there had been two tragedies and the fragments of flesh in his possession were from the body not yet found. Whether or not this is true, will be learned when the body of Johnson arrived in Tucson. The coroner was informed last evening that the remains of Johnson had been forwarded to Tucson but at midnight he had not been advised as to when they would arrive. P. J. Smith, who knew Johnson, told the coroner that he was confident the had and other fragments were not from the body of Johnson. On the other hand, J. M. Pacheco, the employer of Johnson, when shown hair scraped from the trucks of the car from which the hand and skin were taken, unhesitatingly declared that they were from the body of his employee. Southern Pacific Special Officer Kelly left late yesterday morning for Lordsburg to investigate but he had not been heard from last evening. The theory was expressed by officers yesterday that an eastbound train had run over a man and that the body was picked up from the track by the westbound passenger train and drug along the track, wrenching the right hand and forearm from the body and tearing the skin from the body. Attached to the skin from the right side was a piece of rib. The fact that the flesh fragments were not discovered when the passenger train was inspected at Bowie yesterday morning, it is pointed out, does not fit in with the theory that the fragments belong to the body of Johnson, who was killed in New Mexico. On the other hand, no trace of the body of a second victim was found on the Southern Pacific right-of-way. Coroner Comstock said last night that the arrival of Johnsons body would clear up the mystery. If the right hand and other parts of the body were missing and if they correspond with the ones found, it will have been proven that they are from Johnsons body, but last night there were a number of indications that there had been two fatal accidents on the right-of-way. Johnson had been an employe of Pacheco for several years and was regarded as an industrious and capable man. He has a sister at Minneapolis and no arrangements for Johnsons funeral will be made until she has been heard from. Pascua Yaqui tribal courts have two outstanding warrants for Violence Against Women Act offenses, but no one else knows about it. Tribal authorities suspect the individuals are in the region, but they arent able to share the warrants, Pascua Yaqui Attorney General Alfred Urbina said. In fact, the Pascua Yaqui tribal courts have been unable to share a single Violence Against Women Act conviction with the state of Arizona or through the National Crime Information Center. Its almost as if those orders are being written in invisible ink, he said. There are going to be times where theyre not being enforced. Exchanging crime information is a problem many tribes face, Urbina said. Even though certain laws like the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 granted tribes access to national crime databases, Pascua Yaqui court-issued orders of protection, warrants, and criminal convictions still arent available to outside agencies and courts. It just never materialized, he said. Access to crime information varies from state to state. It was just very frustrating for tribes. But Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe will join a U.S. Department of Justice network aimed at fighting crime by improving this exchange. They are one of 10 tribes nationwide to participate in the initial feedback phase of the Tribal Access Program, or TAP. It is our hope that TAP can minimize the national crime information gap and drive a deeper and more meaningful collaboration between the federal, state, local and tribal criminal justice communities, DOJ spokesman Joseph F. Klimavicz said in a news release. Before the program, if Pascua Yaqui tribal courts issued an order of protection against a domestic abuser, for example, Tucson Police wouldnt have known to enforce it unless the victim carried a hard copy, Urbina said. This (program) will basically close that loophole. He warns that tribes face similar loopholes across the country. The DOJ wants additional funding from Congress to enroll more tribes nationwide in TAP, Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said in a press release. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation of Oregon already enrolled in TAP and uploaded domestic violence orders of protections, firearm purchase restrictions and their sex offender registry, tribe attorney Brent Leonhard said. It starts to put tribal public safety on equal footing with state public safety systems. Tribes enrolled in TAP receive training and computer kiosks to improve information exchange, process fingerprints, palm prints and take mug shots, according to the DOJ. 88-CRIME is seeking volunteers to give presentations as part of its Safe School Program. The program uses volunteers to speak at local schools, teaching students in grades K-12 what to do when they learn of a crime or threat, how to use 911 or use the anonymous tip line at 88-CRIME. The Safe Schools Program uses a film that is locally produced, followed by a discussion lead by a volunteer. To learn more about becoming a volunteer for the schools program, you can attend an information session at 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Tucson Police Departments station at 1310 W. Miracle Mile, near Interstate 10. After completing a background check, successful applicants will receive training from 88-CRIME at the Pima County Attorneys Office before being certified to become presenters or presentation assistants. After completing the training program, volunteers must commit to a minimum of 16 hours a year to the Safe Schools Program. For information, call Safe Schools program director Julia Kaiserman at the Pima County Attorneys Office at 724-5595. PHOENIX The way WalletHub sees things, Arizona has the fourth worst school system in the country. An analysis of various factors by the financial advice website puts only Louisiana, New Mexico and Alaska further down on the list. And only Utah and California had a higher ratio of pupils to teachers. A spokesman for state schools chief Diane Douglas said the rankings, release Monday, remind us of the needs facing our school system. Charles Tack said though there is even more recent data than WalletHub used for reading and math scores. And he said both have gone up, calling that a step in the right direction. But Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, was dismissive of the rankings. The study is baloney, he told Capitol Media Services. Scarpinato did not dispute the numbers WalletHub found for the various factors it studied. Aside from being 49th in pupil-teacher ratio, Arizona was near the bottom in the average ACT score by its students. It also was below average for the high school graduate rate for low-income students and far below average for the dropout rate. But Scarpinato said none of that really matters. His reason: school choice. Many of these states (that are ranked higher) you need to be able to afford a very expensive home in an expensive neighborhood in order for your child to get access to a good school, he said. In Arizona we have open enrollment, Scarpinato said, which means a student can attend any public school in the state. There also are various school choice options, including charter schools which are part of the public school system. What that means, he said, is any Arizona child can access whatever school his or her parents believe is best. There are caveats though: A school not in the students district must have space available. And the parent needs to get the child to that school every day. But school choice also involves the state providing dollar-for-dollar income tax credits to help students attend private and parochial schools. And these are students who are no longer part of the public school system that WalletHub finds wanting. The new study follows repeated reports that Arizona is close to the bottom in per-student funding. Even with the additional dollars that will flow to schools with passage of Proposition 123 about $300 per student the state will still rank in the bottom 20 percent. WalletHub says it found there was not always a correlation between public funding and quality schools. That isnt to say that money doesnt help, the report says. It cites a study by the Economic Policy Institute that says income is higher in states where the workforce is well-educated and thus more productive. In turn, workers with better earnings contribute greater taxes to boost state budgets over the long run. While Scarpinato cites the success stories of some schools and open enrollment, the fact remains that Arizona has 22.8 students for every teacher. And thats a statewide average, including good and bad schools. We have some challenges that some other states dont, he said. For example, Scarpinato said, Arizona is growing more rapidly than other states. And some states back East are actually losing population. If you have a decreasing population, guess what? he said. Youre going to see an increase in per pupil amounts. But Scarpinato brushed aside a question of whether Arizona, facing that rapid growth of students, should be increasing funding to keep up with that growth. And he dismissed the idea that Arizona, which already has made sharp cuts in corporate income taxes, should put a halt to future tax cuts. If every other state in the country agreed to the same thing, then that might be one thing, he said. But you have Democratic states that are lowering the corporate income tax, Scarpinato continued. Were competing with these other states that are lowering taxes and instituting tax reform. Browse volunteer opportunities on the Volunteer Center at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizonas website, volunteer.unitedwaytucson.org, click on find needs and search for agency name. Community Food Bank Marketing and development team needs volunteers to help with data management: data entry, updating database and fixing data discrepancies. Volunteer must be detail-oriented and excel at Excel and other databases. Hermitage Cat Shelter We are currently in the process of starting to rebuild the shelter. While rebuilding, Hermitage will be temporarily moving to a different location. Help is needed building walls, catwalks and other cat-related things in the temporary building starting Aug. 15. Sentinel Plaza Apartments Help seniors learn how to use a computer. Residents at Sentinel Plaza are in need of help with computer basics. Many cannot go out to classes and/or afford to take a community class. S.Y.STEM Coalition Looking for an enthusiastic volunteer with excellent research and organizational skills. Within this role, you will manage existing grant proposals as well as research and apply for new grant opportunities. The Shyann Kindness Project Volunteers are needed to locate and manage collection sites for our back-to-school supply giveaway. The Shyann Kindness Project annually distributes school supplies to approximately 350 school-age children in all grades. The man known as the maverick of the Senate is being challenged in the primary election by two fellow Republicans who argue the moniker is nothing more than carefully crafted marketing. Former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former radio show host Clair Van Steenwyk are running against Sen. John McCain, claiming the 79-year-old senator is out of touch with the Republican Party. The winner of the GOP primary Aug. 30 will face Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick in November. McCain, who joined the Senate in 1986, pays little attention to his rivals, saying he wants another six years in office to focus on national security issues. The decisive factor that has motivated me to run again is that weve got a world on fire, he said. The director of National Intelligence and the CIA both have said there is going to be more attacks on the United States. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain argues he is in a unique position to help defend the nation. The Constitution says the president proposes and the Congress disposes, we have the power of the purse, he said. On a certain level, McCain agrees that all of his political rivals want to fight terrorism and keep the country safe, but only he has the right qualifications. It is self-evident, none of them have the experience, the knowledge or the background or the position that I have, McCain states. Most observers view me as the most knowledgeable person on national security in the Congress of the United States. Targeted by his political enemies, McCain finds himself in an unusual position of having some of his previous political ads being used against him. Video of him saying build the danged fence from 2010 has recently resurfaced, implying McCain has done little to secure the border. It also suggests he sides with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps vision to erect a massive 30- to 40-foot high wall along the southern border. McCain rejects this, saying the border is more secure than it was six years ago and he has pushed for even stronger legislation to bring more resources to help fight drug smugglers and curb illegal immigration. Physical barriers are important, but he said the United States needs new technology rather than concrete walls or barbed wire. As for his support of Trump, McCain has found himself disagreeing with the presidential candidate but continues to say he will support the nominee. A decision not Made lightly Inside the dented RV she has used to travel to meet residents from one corner of the state to another, Ward acknowledges the uphill fight she has to unseat McCain. I did not take it lightly to decide to running against a powerful U.S. senator who was the Republican nominee for the presidency, Ward said. She says McCain has been consistently dishonest about securing the border and it is one of her main reasons for getting in the race. What she calls open borders are affecting everything, noting she sees how illegal immigration has an negative impact in her community in Lake Havasu. She offers a laundry list of complaints, saying they are affecting everything from public safety, corrections, education and, in general, are a drain on the economy. All of those things have led me to the point to say that somebody has got to do something. she said. On the topic of a border wall, Ward doesnt expect the United States will build the massive border barrier called for by Trump. I dont envision the great wall of China, Ward said, noting physical barriers are only a portion of a multipronged plan to secure the border. It is not just about a wall. A doctor by profession, Ward said she has met with many people who want to see a change in Congress. The people are ready to make a change in Washington, Ward said. John McCain cant unite this party. A Trump supporter who went to the Republican National Convention, Ward offers full support of the controversial nominee. I have faith that (Donald Trump) will do the right thing, she said. We know what Hillary Clinton will do. Van Steenwyk doesnt see a conservative A third candidate technically in the race is former radio show host Van Steenwyk, who is also challenging U.S. Rep. Trent Franks simultaneously. Van Steenwyk has run for several offices in the last few years, challenging Franks in 2014 and running for the Senate seat vacated by then Sen. Jon Kyl in 2012. Steenwyk said he doesnt like McCain or Ward, arguing he is the true conservative in the race. He hasnt raised any cash, according to the Federal Election Commission, but says he is focused on getting his message out and not filling his campaign coffers. His top issues include fighting terrorism, protecting the Second Amendment and Agenda 21. The latter is a nonbinding agreement with the United Nations signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 related to sustainable development that is a cornerstone to several major conspiracy theories. Meluskey suspends campaign A fourth candidate in the GOP senate race, talk show host Alex Meluskey, suspended his campaign over the weekend. PHOENIX State Medicaid officials have agreed not to try to cut off family planning dollars from Planned Parenthood, at least not yet. A new law that takes effect Saturday permits the director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to unilaterally exclude Planned Parenthood from the program if he decides that it failed to segregate taxpayer dollars (for family planning) from abortions. And the law gives him the power to do that at his sole discretion. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood and Desert Star Family Planning filed suit last month in federal court. They claim the measure illegally interferes with the right of Medicaid recipients to get family planning services where they want . And that, they say, is a violation of federal Medicaid regulations. But Planned Parenthood attorney Diana Salgado said her organization will not be asking U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver to block the new law from taking effect. That follows assurances from AHCCCS officials that there will not be any immediate action taken against abortion providers that also get Medicaid dollars for family planning. Beth Kohler, the agencys deputy director, confirmed that understanding. But she said AHCCCS has made no agreement to ignore the law indefinitely. Instead, she said, her agency first needs to hire outside counsel to determine whether to agree to a standstill agreement, and for how long. Hanging in the balance is whether about 2,500 individuals who get family planning services through Planned Parenthood will be forced to seek care elsewhere. Both state and federal law already preclude the use of taxpayer dollars for elective abortions. But abortion foes contend the money that goes to Planned Parenthood for family planning can effectively underwrite the cost of terminating pregnancies. The law not only requires abortion providers to prove to Tom Betlach, the AHCCCS director, that tax dollars are not funding abortions, but to show that those dollars do not pay for any general overhead expenses that might provide an indirect subsidy, like utilities. And Betlach need give family planning providers just 24 hours notice before cutting off their Medicaid funds. Gov. Doug Ducey signed the measure. Christina Corieri, his health-policy adviser, said the law protects taxpayer dollars. But attorneys for challengers contend the measure illegally interferes with the right of Medicaid recipients to get family planning services where they want, something they say violates federal Medicaid regulations. This is the second time AHCCCS has been sued over this issue. Federal appellate judges voided a 2012 law that declared that any organization providing abortions cannot get Medicaid funds for family planning services. The judges said lawmakers cannot enact such a restriction. This new law is designed to get around the ruling by saying abortion providers will be cut from the Medicaid program only if they cannot prove their family planning dollars are not in any way subsidizing the cost of elective abortions. Kohler said whats yet to be negotiated is how long AHCCCS wont enforce the law. The City of Tucson is providing sandbags for residents whose property needs protection from flooding because of the monsoon storms. The city pilot program has opened the distribution site at Tucson Fire Department Station 7, 4902 E. Pima St., said Lane Mandle, a city spokeswoman. There is a limit of 10 bags per person to accommodate as many residents as possible, Mandle said. The pre-filled sandbags are stacked on the westside of the fire station, and the public is asked to use the North Arcadia Avenue entrance to the station. Motorists must not block the driveway access to the fire satation, said Mandle. City staff will not be available to help residents load the bags onto their vehicles, she said. A stock of 10,000 sandbags will be available through the monsoon season. (UPDATED 6:30 P.M.) Tucson has tied a rain record with Tuesday being the eighth consecutive day that measurable rain has fallen at the Tucson airport, according to the National Weather Service. The record, last set in 1972, could be broken Wednesday, the NWS said in a tweet. Officially, the airport received .08 of an inch of rain Tuesday. Much heavier rain was recorded on Tucson's east and southeast sides Tuesday. Some rainfall totals for the day show the heaviest amounts east and southeast of Tucson. Corona de Tucson southeast of Tucson received 1.85 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, according to the Pima County Regional Flood Control District rain gauges. Davidson Canyon, a little farthest southeast, received 2.5 inches as of 5 p.m. The Manning Camp in the Rincon Mountain had 1.93 inches of rain, while areas in the Santa Catalina Mountains show totals upward of nearly 2 inches in some places. In Tucson, heavy rain was recorded at Irvington Road and Pantano Road, with .80 of an inch shown on gauges, while .60 of an inch of rain was recorded at the Pantano Wash and South Houghton Road. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up The NWS said a flash flood watch will remain in effect for Tucson and much of Southeastern Arizona through 5 a.m. Wednesday. Slow moving storms could return through the night and with the ground already saturated, heavy runoff could occur. Earlier in the day, the Pima County Sheriff's Department ordered the Vail School District to evacuate students at Pantano and Andrada Polytechnic high schools as a preventative measure. Vail schools reported on social media that there is a sinkhole near Andrada on Houghton Road and flooding north of the Pantano Wash. "We do not want students to get stuck at school," the Facebook post said. Evacuated students were taken by bus to Cienega High School, where parents could pick their children up. Here are some other road closures this evening in Pima County (courtesy of the Pima County Department of Transportation): Mission Rd north and south of Los Reales Old Nogales Highway South of Lumber Street Limberlost Rd at the Agua Caliente Wash El Tiro Road from Cocio Road west past Pump Station Road to end of pavement Westover Avenue between San Paulus Road and Valencia Road Westover from Valencia Rd to Drexel Rd Houghton Rd between Andrada Rd and Sahuarita Rd Soldier Trail at the Agua Caliente Wash Wentworth Road at Tanque Verde Creek Old Ajo Hwy between Ajo Highway and San Joaquin Road Avra Valley Road at the Brawley Wash east of Trico Rd Old Spanish Trail at the Rincon Creek Country Club Road at Dawson Road Tanque Verde LP Road at the Tanque Verde Creek Silverbell Road between El Camino Del Cerro and Ina Road Silverbell Road between Ina Road to El Camino Del Cerro Manville Rd btwn Avra Rd and Reservation Rd at the Brawley Wash Sandario Rd from Snyder Hill Rd to Desert Oasis Trail Redington Road at MP 3 the base of the road Snyder Hill Road at end of pavement to Desert Sunrise Trail San Joaquin Road between Ajo Highway and Bopp Road San Joaquin Rd between Old Ajo Way and Bopp Rd San Xavier Rd - east of Mission Rd at the Cemetery Los Reales Rd - west end of Rocking K Subdivision Santa Rita Rd from Dawson Rd north to Sahuarita Town Limits Help India! Jakarta : Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum here on Tuesday, urging the Muslim community to use their fundamental powers to tackle global economy. Speaking at the Jakarta Convention Centre, President Widodo said the Muslim community had the best demographic figures, apparently dominated by youths when compared to other communities, Xinhua news agency reported. Support TwoCircles The age average of Muslim youths across the world was 23 years with the median age recorded at 30 years, President Widodo told leaders of several countries attending the event. Widodo said the Muslim community also sees the vibrant development of Sharia financial industry which is now worth of millions of dollars. Despite those compelling facts, the Indonesian president said the worlds Muslim community faced challenges from high unemployment rates and poor capability to boost their competitiveness. The opening ceremony was attended by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Guinea President Alpha Conde and Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickemenshinghe. The president of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Ahmad Mohamed Ali, was also present. The event will run until Thursday with the participation of more than 2,500 delegates from 69 countries. Help India! By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net, Mumbai: Pitching in a strong case of defamation against Arnab Goswami, President & Editor in Chief TimesNow, Dr Zakir Naik has noted each statement made by Goswami during The Newshour Debate telecasted live on TimesNow TV News Channel. Dr Naik considers these statements to be false and made with an intention to defame him and to malign and lower his reputation in the eyes of general public. Support TwoCircles Dr Naik referred to Goswamis jibe at him during The Newshour Debate telecasted live on TimesNow on July 6, 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15. In the legal notice, it was mentioned that that till date, Dr Naik has not received any notice from investigation agency and/or from the Government with regard to any of the allegations raised against him. However, TimesNow TV news channel was carrying out a media trial influencing people at large as well as the investigating authorities who were reportedly carrying out a probe under the directions of the Maharashtra Government. Here is the complete transcript of what Goswami stated during live debates: The Newshour Debate on July 6, 2016 : (i) He is not a scholar, No, No, Nohe is not a scholar, no, no one second, he is not a scholar, he is not a scholar. He is Mr. Money bags. He makes lots of money. He makes some lot of money spreading hate. (ii) .He is not a scholar, he is a supporter of Osama Bin Laden, he used the medium of television to build the case for Osama Bin Laden (iii) ..Zakir Naik is so dangerous, he is so dangerous, because he uses the television media (iv) He is using the garb of Quran to defend violence, the ISIS has carried out the attack in Dhaka and this man is defending Osama Bin Laden and building a case for them (v) .He is an agent of terror (vi) This debate is for protecting India from venomous people like Zakir Naik (vii) I cannot tolerate people who carry an Indian passport and have no loyalty to this country, to this countrys belief, to this countrys sovereignty and to this countrys secularism (viii) Kafeel Ahmad responsible for the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack, the man who plotted the 2007 London bombings is inspired by Zakir Naik, Iqbal Bhatkal, Raahil Bhatkal of the Indian Mujahidden are inspired by Zakir Naik (ix) Zakir Naik is the person inciting the people to carry out murder, acts of terrorism (x) Now he is really a rich man and the source of his wealth is the hate he spreads through the medium called TV (xi) I will tell you the things he says, why dont you listen now? He is a man he says 9/11 is an inside job, Osama bin Laden is an innocent man, then he makes comments against Christians. The Newshour Debate on July 7, 2016 : (i) You need a testimony of a terrorist to act against a man like Zakir Naik, he has used television to broadcast messages of hate, you want a terrorist to give an interview saying i was inspired by Zakir Naik to act against him? Thats not even funny Tariq Fateh is into the debate.Tariq Fateh, Tariq Fateh! (ii) ISIS flag are raised on routine basis in everyday, what is the guarantee that those people who raised the ISIS flags are not inspired by Zakir Naik. (iii)Zakir Naik is in support of Osama Bin Laden (iv) Put him in jail if require because he is the trader of hate The Newshour Debate on July 8, 2016 : (i) And the demand ban on Zakir Naik, ban on his activities, the ban on his financing, the ban on his channel, the ban on this so called organisation that he runs, the ban on his freedom in India is up for debate tonight This anti-national fanatic called Zakir Naik? (ii) Every Muslim should be a terrorist, those are the words tonight, and let me complete Every Muslim should be a terrorist, the thing is if he is terrorising terrorist, he is following Islam every Muslim should be a terrorist were his words (iii) I think people, these fanatics, these anti-national elements like Zakir Naik they misuse Indian democracy, Indian Institutions, Indian generosity, Indian law, Indian spirit. Zakir Naik would not be allowed to operate in the United Kingdom, he is not allowed to enter the United Kingdom. In Australia he would have been thrown out, because the Australian Prime Minister advocated a red card system to ban hate preachers from entering the country, right. In France he would not be allowed to operate for a single day, because France banned four Islamic scholars from attending a conference in Paris on the grounds of public order. In Denmark this man would have been thrown out, persona grata view, because Denmark could contemplate drawing up a list of Islamic preachers who propagate anti democratic ideas and even Malaysia which is a predominantly Muslim country, Atiqur Rahman even Malaysia did not allow Zakir Naik to give a talk there.the fact of the matter is in April this year Zakir Naik was prevented from giving a talk in Malaysia which is a predominantly Muslim country, because there was a fear he could hurt religious sensitivities. (iv) I am saying Ahmed Ayaz, that this man is an inspiration for terrorist, you want me to make it more clear, he is a global inspiration for terrorist. (v) He inspires terrorismyou are mixing up Islam and terrorism. (vi) I am not denigrating Islam, I think Zakir Naik is denigrating Islam. You should have the courage to say that on the television Zakir Naik is denigrating Islam. (vii) .You should say lock up this fellow, Zakir Naik is nothing, I am telling you today disown Zakir Naik , disown Zakir Naik, disown Zakir Naik, he is bringing a disgrace to your religion. He is using your religion. (viii) Today when I am saying, here is a man who is using a mix of television, big money, supporting terrorist to promote bigotry and divide our country as justice Markahande Katju says suddenly you say you are anti Muslims. What kind of logic is that? You should disown this man Zakir Naik. (ix).. is he an Islamic scholar? Is Zakir Naik an Islamic scholar? Answer my question? then by saying so and I say this to your face today you are making him a definitive authority on religion and legitimising his worked interpretation of the Quran, you are supporting people like him. (x)The time is up, this is not the time to entertain Zakir Naik, it is time to put him behind bars.. The Newshour Debate on July 12, 2016 : (i) And my question to you sir is, I saw your statement and I was horrified on Zakir Naik, I mean you actually came out in the open and supported this terror inspirer, this terror preacher you came out in the open and did it I mean how low will you fall for a few Votes.. (ii) And who is going to vote for you when you support someone inspired by Osama bin Laden? I saw you.. no no your talking on a time when 21 people in Kerala, 21 people in Kerala have gone missing and join the ISIS and two, who as per their parents use to visit Zakir Naik. At a time when you should be looking into where they are, why so many extremist are being inspired by Zakir Naik, I think personally that it is utterly shameful that you actually come out and defended him. (iii) I am telling you that Zakir Naik is supporter of Osama bin Laden you tell me, you tell me why you are supporting Zakir Naik? You tell me why you are supporting Zakir Naik? He is inspiring people to join the ISIS, why are you supporting him. (iv) ..Yes he is, he is a supporter of terrorist; he is a supporter of terrorist. (v) who Zakir Naik jaise anti-national aadmi ke saath associate bhi hosakte hai, who race mai hai ek dusre ke saath, tasleem rehmani. (vi) than Zakir Naik is, Zakir Naik is, Zakir Naik iswhy are you supporting him? Why are you supporting a man who supports suicide bombings? Are you for Osama Bin Laden? Are you for suicide bombing? Are you for inspiring people to join the ISIS? What rubbish are you talking about, do you even realise.. You are giving a person, who is a terror supporter political credibility and I think saba is absolutely correct. (vii) The same people inspired by Zakir Naik will come back to this country and attack people on our soil and you will be responsible Gaurav Bhatia for that terrorism, because you are providing the justification for that terrorism. (viii) of the heinous and regressive thoughts of Zakir Naik. He is against, what this country stands for and please Tasleem Rehmani desh ke bare mai sochiyeh I thank you all for joining on debate number one on the newshour tonight.. The Newshour Debate on July 14, 2016 : (i)questioning in connection with the Aurangabad arms haul case?.there was no evidence found against him, but a certain Feroz Deshmukh who used to work in the Islamic Research Foundation was arrested for his role..This is the same Feroz Ahmed, let me connect the dots who is out on bail, who allegedly made Abu Jundal, who went on to the play a role in the 26/11 attacks and where did the meeting happened? the meeting happened in the office of the Islamic Research Foundation, who runs the Islamic Research Foundation? is Zakir Naik, which means there was a meeting with 26/11 mastermind in the Islamic Research Foundation office. (ii) Why was the IRF office, why was the IRF office a meeting point for a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative like Abu Jundal?no I am not saying, I am very clear, the Mumbai police.. Why are you are getting hassle?.. I am not making allegation, I am saying simply, Vikram Singh can come into the debate. (iii) I am repeating myself and I am saying it again, that Zakir Naik has reportedly said that suicide attacks I am saying that he is an inspiration for terrorists I am saying he derides other religions. I am saying he is a part of a network of Salafist preachers who have spread hatred (iv) Will you take responsibility today if there is an attack in India of the ISIS and that person says the like in Bangladesh we were inspired by Dr Zakir Naik? You know the problem with you is Mr. Pathan till the act of terrorism does not impact individuals you feel it would happen to..you need to be realist about whats happening in this country and you are only brainwashed and you are brainwashing people. The Newshour Debate on July 15, 2016 : i) ..This is the hate, This Salafi Wahabisim is what is destroying kasmiriyat and destroying Kashmir and creating trouble in Kashmir, we have to take on people like Zakir Naik we take them head on.. (ii) I would only say this. I dont want an opportunist who makes money by inspiring terrorist to say that I represent Islam. iii) The concept of Islamic supremacy is the same that ISIS speaks and Zakir Naik speaks, now Mr Bashir. Related: After TimesNow, Dr. Zakir Naik to send legal notices to other media houses What A Film Director Learnt From Hanging Out With Suicide Bombers Paul Refsdal is a director and journalist who has gone as deep as any other reporter into the conflicts that have defined our century so far. Having worked in conflict areas for more than 30 years, his last film Taliban Behind The Masks saw him working behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. His new film, Dugma: The Button offers an even more remarkable portrait of a group who are constantly discussed but rarely seen, drawing on the time that he spent with four would-be al-Qaeda suicide bombers. Over the course of the film we see fighters hanging out at their favourite restaurants, getting married, becoming fathers and generally getting on with life all the while waiting for the order to push the button. We spoke with the director to find out how he made the film, and what it taught him. Can you give me the background to how you were in the area, and how you made contact with the men you interview in the film? I started to prepare for this project in early 2013. However, this being an al Qaida-affiliate and Syria, I had to go there in person to try to arrange contact with the group. After having spent four and a half months with different Jihadi groups I finally got a permission and started to film with Jabhat al Nusra (a rival group to ISIS) in the end of 2014. It was not until the summer of 2015 I decided to make the film only about the so-called martyrdom seekers you meet in the film. You've been kidnapped before, in Afghanistan what precautions did you take for your own safety undergoing this project? Most of the time I used a local contact as translator and fixer. While in the area I dressed up like a fighter without a gun, of course to blend in. My translator also told everyone who asked about me that I was a sniper from Chechnya. This was particularly important when we were passing villages or check-points controlled by ISIS. Why did they agree to be in the film? Much of what you show especially the boredom and mundanity of everyday life in a war zone goes directly against the image that Islamist groups portray of themselves. No one not even I knew exactly how the film would turn out when the project started. I was very frank with them saying that I was not there to shoot a propaganda film, and they did not expect that either. At the end of the day I think they just thought they could take the chance of embedding a Western film maker. What most surprised you about them? There were a lot of surprises. First of all how relaxed they were with me filming them. Then, the characters you find in the film are not exactly the stereotype suicide bombers. There were also a lot of humour and jokes in the group. The biggest surprise was maybe how relaxed Abu Qazwara was when it was his turn to do the mission. When it was cancelled he suggested we went out to eat dinner in a restaurant instead. How sincere do you think they were about their religious motivations for wanting to be bombers, or did you feel like other things (psychology, personal reasons, money etc) were more of a factor? For sure, they would not put their names on the list if they were not 100% convinced that they would reach Paradise. In the film, well-known Sheik Muhammad Muhaysini [a popular Saudi cleric] also warns one of the bombers that he should not go through with it if he feels depressed or is tired of his life. That said, of course other factors have a part in their decision. When the British fighter, Abu Basir, gets married and his wife thinks she is pregnant, he starts having doubts about pushing the button. Having spent this time with these men, is there anything that you feel can be done to dissuade or prevent people volunteering to travel to conflict zones like Syria? That is an endless debate. If you talk about youngsters who want to join ISIS, the best approach would maybe be engaging disillusioned, former members to talk with potential Jihadis. This approach has had some effect when it comes to preventing youngsters from joining gangs. Most of the public campaigns I have seen targeting potential ISIS recruits have either been totally misplaced or only tailored to attract public funding. DUGMA: THE BUTTON is available on iTunes Worldwide from 2nd August. England's Sam Acheampong Ships 888Live Local London With 3-2 Offsuit for 21,950 August 02 2016 Jason Glatzer England's Sam Acheampong outlasted a field of 590 players to win the 888Live Local London 220 Main Event at Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford City for 21,950. The monthly event easily surpassed its guarantee of 88,000 with 564 entrants generating a sizable 111,870 prize pool, once again proving that the synergy between the live play experience and the 888poker brand is working well. The first of three opening days of the deep-stacked event with players starting off with 25,000 chips kicked off on July 28 with 21 of the 160 entrants surviving. A similar ratio of players navigated through Day 1b on July 29 (28 out of 186 entrants) and Day 1c on July 30 (37 out of 218 entrants) before the surviving 83 players merged into a single field for Day 2 on July 31. None of the 11 online qualifiers at 888poker were able to survive any of the opening days. Almost three-quarters of the Day 2 field were paid at least the minimum prize of 410. The bubble was somewhat anticlimactic with England's Amar Al Hussona failing to show-up and was eventually blinded off to finish in 64th place. After a busy day of play, the Day 2 field eventually whittled down to nine players with Romania's George Titoiu as the chip leader with 2.7 million chips. Seat Name Chip Count 1 Shah Athar 1,550,000 2 Andrew Abernethy 1,060,000 3 Gary Miller 725,000 4 Ning Lu 1,960,000 5 Sam Acheampong 1,630,000 6 Andreas Constantinou 995,000 7 Deividas Peleckas 2,000,000 8 George Titoiu 2,705,000 9 Andrew Sotiriou 1,475,000 Despite his chip lead, Titoiu's stack dwindled down and was eliminated in sixth place for 4,380 after he shoved from the button with . His hand was unable to hold after England's Gary Miller, who entered the final table with the shortest stack, called from the big blind with when the board ran out . After a few more eliminations, Miller entered the final table with a slight 7,870,000 to 6,225,000 against Acheampong. Acheampong was able to come back and eventually win the tournament in a grand fashion with what many believe to be the worst starting hand in poker. On the final hand Acheampong raised from the button and Miller called. Miller shoved his remaining stack with on a flop of which Acheampong decided to go for it with and called. Miller was looking good to double up when the to hit the turn needing to just fade five outs on the river. However, on the spiked the river giving Acheampong the winning two pair hand and the trophy along with a huge check. Final Table Payouts of the 888Live Local London Main Event Place Name Prize 1 Sam Acheampong 21,950 2 Gary Miller 15,230 3 Ning Lu 9,790 4 Deividas Peleckas 7,240 5 Shah Athar 5,430 6 George Titoiu 4,380 7 Andrew Abernethy 3,630 8 Andreas Constantinou 2,890 9 Andrew Sotiriou 2,180 Both 888poker and Aspers Casino are thrilled about how their 12-month partnership signed in March is bringing many 888Live Local events to the casino. Another low buy-in 888-branded event is just around the corner at Aspers Casino with the 110 888 Max Poker Event taking place on Aug. 4-7 featuring a 28,000. However, many poker players along with the organizers are already looking forward to the huge 888Live Local London Festival taking place from Oct. 13-23 with a handful of exciting tournaments. Head of Poker at Aspers John Scanlon shared that he is thrilled that the partnership with 888poker is leading to "bigger and better" poker festivals. "Our partnership with 888poker and our drive and commitment to provide players with the best product possible, meant it was an easy decision for Aspers to go even bigger and better," said Scanlon. "The 888Live London Festival on October 13-23 will feature various tournaments with buy-ins for everyone, ranging from a 220 Local event with a 100,000 guarantee, a 880 Main Event with a 200,000 guarantee, and a 2,000 high roller. We hope to welcome many of our regulars and new players to this amazing festival." Images courtesy of 888poker.com. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Sharelines England's Sam Acheampong shipped the 888Live Local London 220 Main Event for 21,950. The 2016 EPT Barcelona is Coming. Do You Know Who Cashed in the Main Event More Than Anyone? August 02 2016 Frank Op de Woerd In two weeks' time, the PokerStars European Poker Tour Season 13 kicks off in Barcelona, one of the most popular EPT stops. The poker festival starts Wednesday August 17th with the 1,100 Estrellas Main Event and concludes Sunday August 28th with the 5,300 EPT Main Event final table. The schedule includes two 10,000 High Roller events, a 25,000 Single Day High Roller, a 50,000 buy-in Super High Roller, and countless smaller events spread out over the two-week festival. The entire schedule can be found on EPT.com. A Fixture on the EPT Calendar Since Year One Barcelona is a fixture on the European Poker Tour's schedule. In fact, it's the only stop that's been there each and every season after London disappeared from the EPT schedule last season. The event started as a 1,000 event in 2004 but became a 4,000 event in Season 2. In Season 3, the organization bumped it to 5,000 and even increased the buy-in to 8,000 over the next three years. Alexander Stevic became the first ever European Poker Tour champion back in 2004 after beating a field of 229 players. He walked away with a check worth 80,000 and would become prominent face on the tour in the events to follow, finishing third in that year's EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Last year it was John Juanda taking home the title and 1,022,593, coming out on top of a field 1,694 strong, the biggest ever EPT Main Event. PokerStars EPT Barcelona Main Event Champions # Month Year Players Buy-in Winner Country Prize 1 September 2004 229 1,000 Alexander Stevic Sweden 80,000 2 September 2005 327 4,000 Jan Boubli France 416,000 3 September 2006 480 5,000 Bjrn-Erik Glenne Norway 691,000 4 August 2007 543 8,000 Sander Lyloff Denmark 1,170,700 5 September 2008 619 8,000 Sebastian Ruthenberg Germany 1,361,000 6 September 2009 478 8,000 Carter Phillips United States 850,000 7 November 2010 757 5,000 Kent Lundmark Sweden 825,000 8 August 2011 811 5,000 Martin Schleich Germany 850,000 9 August 2012 1,082 5,000 Mikalai Pobal Belarus 1,007,550 10 September 2013 1,234 5,000 Tom Middleton United Kingdom 942,000 11 August 2014 1,496 5,000 Andre Lettau Germany 794,058 12 August 2015 1,694 5,000 John Juanda Indonesia 1,022,593 Heaps of High Rollers With the Main Event buy-in rolled back to 5,000 in 2010 after being 8,000 for the three prior years, the EPT introduced a 10,000 event to accommodate the high rollers. The event hasn't left the schedule since, and in 2012 they introduced the 50,000 Super High Roller. Last season a 25,000 Single-Day High Roller was added to the program, and all three of these high roller events will return this year. An additional 10,000 event is organized at the start of the festival this time as well, to be held August 17-19. The first ever 10,000 event was won by Fernando Brito who made an even chop with Juha Helppi, granting them both 127,500. With a field of 36 the turnout wasn't huge, but the event would grow in years to come. Last year the event saw a record-breaking 506 entries, Mustapha Kanit walked away a winner banking 738,759 after striking a three-way deal with Kuljinder "Kully" Sidhu (640,000) and Nick Petrangelo (592,840). After agreeing to the chop, the three of them called it quits for the night and didn't play another hand of poker in one of the stranger finishes to a poker tournament that we can remember. Dan Smith took down the first ever 50,000 Super High Roller back in 2012, banking 962,925 after striking a deal with JC Alvarado who took home 788,675. The most memorable Super High Roller in Barcelona, however, might have been the one in 2014 when Olivier Busquet took down the event for 896,434. Busquet and eventual runner up Dan Colman wore politically charged T-shirts prompting PokerStars to ban displays of political statements at European Poker Tour events. If that weren't enough, Busquet made runner-runner on the felt to stay alive and eventually win his biggest prize to date in a hand that literally seemed "made for TV." The 25,000 High Roller was a new addition to the schedule last year. What was supposed to be a single-day event, it proved too popular and drew too big of a field to be completed within the first 25 levels. Three players returned two days later, with Liv Boeree (third, 391,000) and Mark Teltscher (second, 586,500) both falling to winner Martin Finger who banked 865,900. PokerStars EPT Barcelona High Roller Champions # Year Buy-in Entries Winner Prize Runner-Up Prize 7 2010 10,000 36 Fernando Brito 127,500 Juha Helppi 127,500 8 2011 10,000 67 Philipp Gruissem 234,500 Jean-Baptiste Tomi 147,400 9 2012 10,000 111 Laurent Polito 270,229 Alex Bilokur 295,451 50,000 64 Dan Smith 962,925 JC Alvarado 788,675 10 2013 10,000 180 Thomas Muhlocker 390,700 Daniel Negreanu 263,800 50,000 50 Vitaly Lunkin 771,300 Erik Seidel 557,100 11 2014 10,000 393 Ihar Soika 747,200 Jason Mercier 473,500 50,000 77 Olivier Busquet 896,434 Daniel Colman 843,066 12 2015 10,000 506 Mustapha Kanit 738,759 Kuljinder Sidhu 640,000 25,000 152 Martin Finger 865,900 Mark Teltscher 586,500 50,000 99 Sylvain Loosli 1,224,000 Dzmitry Urbanovich 841,500 EPT Barcelona's Top Money Earners Sebastian Ruthenberg German pro Sebastian Ruthenberg, a recent bracelet winner and PokerStars Shooting Star at the time, took down the Main Event in 2008 when the buy-in was still 8,000 and only 10 percent of the players finished in the money, unlike the 15 percent it is today. He beat a field of 619 players to take home 1,361,000, the biggest EPT Main Event prize ever awarded in Barcelona. Sander Lyloff currently claims runner-up status in the all-time money list of players cashing in the EPT Barcelona Main Event. He beat Mark Teltscher heads-up back in 2007 to take home 1,170,700, leaving Teltscher just one spot shy of becoming (at the time) the first ever two-time EPT champion. # Player Country Cashes Winnings 1 Sebastian Ruthenberg Germany 1 1,361,000 2 Sander Lyloff Denmark 1 1,170,700 3 John Juanda Indonesia 2 1,098,693 4 Mikalai Pobal Belarus 3 1,034,150 5 Samuel Phillips United States 1 1,021,275 6 Tom Middleton United Kingdom 1 942,000 7 Steven Warburton United Kingdom 1 941,613 8 Carter Phillips United States 1 850,000 9 Martin Schleich Germany 1 850,000 10 Kent Lundmark Sweden 3 848,460 Most Cashes in EPT Barcelona Main Event History There's only a single player who has cashed the EPT Barcelona Main Event four times. Belgian pro Matthias De Meulder cashed for a combined 111,275 while making it in the money in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Year Position Players Prize 2010 37 757 15,000 2011 10 811 50,000 2012 61 1,082 14,150 2015 28 1,694 32,125 There are 24 players who cashed three times in the EPT Barcelona Main Event. Among them are Leo Margets (43,800), Andre Akkari (51,700), Mikalai Pobal (1,034,150), Davidi Kitai (521,300), Kitty Kuo (36,250), Jan Boubli (453,000), Mike McDonald (76,740), Ole Schemion (73,600), Kent Lundmark (848,460), and Roberto Romanello (53,200). A staggering 117 players have cashed in the event twice. Among them is last year's winner John Juanda, who in fact is the only player to make the final table of the EPT Barcelona twice. Besides winning last year (banking 1,022,593), Juanda final-tabled the event back in 2012 when he finished in eighth place for 76,100. Matthias De Meulder is the sole player to cash the EPT Barcelona Main Event 4 times Countries Represented at EPT Barcelona A total of 1,184 different players from 60 different countries have cashed in the EPT Barcelona Main Event in its 12-year history. A total of 1,352 places have been paid over 12 seasons. German players have the best results in EPT Barcelona history, looking at the amount of cashes (116), prize money (6,293,385) and titles (three Ruthenberg, Martin Schleich, and Andre Lettau). Country Cashes Prize money Titles 1 Germany 116 6,293,385 2 Spain 109 4,021,785 3 France 92 2,043,800 4 United Kingdom 89 4,696,833 5 United States 88 4,523,200 6 Sweden 81 2,906,930 7 Russia 79 2,012,795 8 Italy 69 2,177,250 9 The Netherlands 51 1,230,905 10 Finland 48 3,288,785 Some Other Fun EPT Barcelona Moments Ten years ago Phil Ivey, already a poker legend at the time, played his first ever European Poker Tour event in Barcelona. He didn't need to prove himself on European soil whatsoever, as he had already taken down the Monte Carlo Millions (immortalized by one of the most famous hands of poker ever) in Monaco the year before, but made for a great showing, anyway. He was close to earning his first ever EPT title, but came up short as a Norwegian by the name of Bjrn-Erik Glenne destroyed the final table. You can still watch the entire final table of YouTube or read PokerStars Blog's Brad Willis' account. Another great moment happened during the 2012 EPT Barcelona Main Event. The field of 1,082 was down to just three players at the start of dinner break. Joni Jouhkimainen (16,095,000 in chips) had a demanding lead over Mikalai Pobal (8,720,000) and Ilari Sahamies (7,460,000). Sahamies, coming off a fourth-place in the 50,000 event (291,900) and a week of abstinence, used the dinner break to slam down some vodka-orange juices, and Jouhkimainen joined him. The two Finns returned from a break with huge smiles on their faces, orange glasses in their hands, and shiny little hats on their heads, as reported by the PokerStars Blog. The drinks wouldn't do Jouhkimainen any good. He first unsuccessfully tried to ive-bet bluff Sahamies (see video also) and lost the remainder not much later to finish in third. Pobal profited from the antics of the Finns, and won the event outright for a 1,007,550 payday. Live Reporting PokerNews.com will again be on site at EPT Barcelona for live reporting with coverage of the 5,300 main Event, the 50,000 Super High Roller, and the 25,000 Single Day High Roller. You don't have to miss a thing with the live reporters and video team on the ground in the Catalonian capital August 20 - 28. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Uroflowmetry (uroflow) testing, primarily in men with obstructive symptoms, is one of the most common procedure performed in urologic practice. It is a relatively quick test to perform as it takes < 3 minutes for urology staff to perform.Uroflow reflects the velocity of a fluid as it moves through the urethra. It is a screening study; does not involve instrumentation, and provides information about normal versus abnormal voiding. Guidelines from the American Urological Association recommend 2 separate uroflowmetry tests with a voided volume > 150 ml for accurate interpretation.A recent article by Chandrapal and colleagues (2016) highlighted a common problem with uroflows, inadequate voided volumes. They found in their clinic-based setting that voided volumes > 50% (63%) of clinic based uroflowmetry tests (n=169) were 150 ml or less. Basically these are non-interpretable per AUA guidelines. What is even more disturbing is the effort this group put in to try to ensure adequate voided volumes. They reminded the patient to come in with a full bladder at the next appointment on the appointment reminder card or courtesy telephone call, placed visual signs on all bathroom doors and on the reception desk to request that patients wait to void until after the appointment. Do these sound familiar? Yes, we all do these to ensure that voided volume uroflowmetry is adequate.These authors make some suggestions to improve adequate voided volume at time of testing. The use of oral furosemide 20 mg which I believe to be unrealistic or doable in most offices. The second suggestion is definitely a possibility, bladder scan the patient prior to uroflow to determine adequate urine volume. If inadequate, the test could be delayed till patient consumes more fluids and reaches an adequate volume. We all have Bladder Scanners in our practices and this is a simple quick test to do. The authors had a third, but even more unrealistic suggestion, which is to catheterize the patient and fill the bladder with fluid to volume is reached.This article is an important as it addresses a common procedure performed in urology practices.Chandrapal, J. et al High Rates of Inadequate Urine Volume Cause Failure of Clinic Based Uroflowmetry in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. Urology Practice. 2016, July 3:247-250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.urpr.2015.08.003 Written by: Diane K. Newman, DNP, Adjunct Professor of Urology in Surgery, Research Investigator Senior and Co-Director, Penn Center for Continence and Pelvic HealthUniversity of Pennsylvania, Division of Urology, 3400 Spruce Street, 3rd Floor Perelman Bldg, Philadelphia, PA. 19104 New Hainan port opens as annual fishing ban ends Updated: 2016-08-02 01:42 By LIU XIAOLI, LI XIAOKUN(China Daily) China opened a large fishing port, the closest one to the Nansha Islands, on Monday to handle fishing vessels working in the South China Sea. Local authorities and thousands of people held a traditional ceremony to celebrate the opening of the port at Ya- zhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province. Monday also marked the end of the annual fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea, which started on May 16. More than 300 fishing vessels flying red flags left the port at noon for nearby South China Sea fishing ground. Those intending to make long journeys delayed leaving because of Typhoon Nida's approach. Gui Junjiang, a fisherman from Sanya, sailed with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 km away, where four generations of his family have fished. "The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," he said. Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said the port can accommodate 800 fishing boats, but in the long term it will be able to handle 2,000. Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said, "We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap." The port will be the largest in Hainan. Apart from harboring fishing vessels, it can also shield ships from typhoons and serve as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products. Zhang said earlier that the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea". It is also designed to be a support base for exploiting fishery resources and will help with supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city, which administers an area of about 2 million square kilometers in the South China Sea. The city headquarters are located on Yongxing Island, which is the largest of the Xisha Islands. Contact the writer at lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn Activist jailed for subversion, harming national security Updated: 2016-08-02 12:43 By Cao Yin in Tianjin(chinadaily.com.cn) Activist Zhai Yanmin, who had posted online statements and comments that harmed national security and social stability, has been sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for trying to subvert State power. Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court announced the verdict about three hours after it publicly heard Zhai's case on Tuesday morning. The verdict said that Zhai began publishing statements and comments online in 2012. He also manipulated public opinion and organized several protests to disturb public order with lawyer Zhou Shifeng after joining an unregistered organization led by another man named Hu Shigen, the statement said. Zhou and Hu are being prosecuted in separate cases. The court ruled that Zhai committed the crime of subversion, damaging national security and social stability. Zhai pleaded guilty and cooperated with judicial organs following his arrest, which could be regarded as the reason for the reprieve and his lighter punishment, the court said. Zhai said he accepted the judgment and would not appeal. Teaching as vital as research for professors Updated: 2016-08-02 07:46 By Cao Weidong(China Daily) Students of Beijing International Studies University.[Photo/Agencies] What is the role of a professor? Of course, to teach students. Most of the world's top universities require their professors, however senior they may be, to deliver lectures and hold seminars for their students. Besides, studies show that while students learn more from professors, the professors, too, benefit from the process, because teaching helps them to deepen and improve their research. But for long professors in Chinese universities, in general, have preferred to conduct research instead of teaching students in classrooms. In the past, some reports even said senior professors had been away from classrooms for so long that students no longer recognized them. The cause of the problem is twofold. First, higher education authorities judge the performance of a university mainly by its academic, not teaching, achievements. For example, they tend to honor the professors who get awards for their research works and ignore those that teach well. Second, most colleges use published academic works as a benchmark when it comes to promoting associate professors to the post of professors, or giving professors higher titles; their performance in class accounts for only a small percentage of the requirements. Published works are considered very importantas opposed to teaching performancefor evaluating a professor's performance, which further encourages university teachers to put more efforts into research. Having realized the problem, the country's top leadership has made it clear in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) that teaching is as important as research for higher education institutions, and that a top university must pay attention to both. The Higher Education Law, revised in 2015, also says cultivating talents is the duty of higher education institutions. Echoing the top leadership's call, the Ministry of Education has issued one document after another to implement a policy that encourages professors to go back to classrooms. That's part of the ongoing education system reform. According to the Ministry of Education's latest data, the percentage of professors taking classes has increased from 54 percent in 2003 to more than 90 percent now because of the encouragement policy. However, as some undergraduates and professors say, there remain some problems. For example, some professors come to class without ample preparation; some simply do not care about the students' performances. As a Chinese saying goes, some professors "are physically present in the classroom but spiritually somewhere else". To solve these problems, the ongoing education reform should include new measures. In fact, some colleges have already started trying out new measures, which include increasing the percentage of teaching in professors' performance evaluation, so that those teaching well also get the chance of being promoted, and encouraging professors to combine their teaching with research and share the results of their studies with students in class. But it requires the joint efforts of all, not only colleges, to encourage professors to give due importance to teaching. For that, the Ministry of Education should change the funding standards of universities and list teaching performance, not only research achievements, among the indexes used to evaluate the performance of a college. Only when university funding is decided by how well colleges teach will they pay more attention to teaching. Besides, universities should be granted more autonomy. It is better for universities to recruit their teaching staff and decide their payments, for that will allow university administrators to better implement the reform measures and realize the goal of encouraging professors to go back to classrooms. The author is president of Beijing International Studies University. How much Manila spent for favorable ruling? Updated: 2016-08-02 07:53 By Wang Hanlin(China Daily) Missile destroyer Guangzhou launches an air-defense missile during a military exercise in the water area near south China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands, July 8, 2016. Chinese navy conducted an annual combat drill in the water area near south China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] The controversial ruling of the arbitral tribunal, initiated by the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute case, is in trouble again. And this time, it is not because of China's protest but because Filipinos are questioning why such a huge amount was spent on the arbitration. According to former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao, just the attorney fee in the case was $30 million. The Philippines' Constitution says it is mandatory to maintain records of government funds and how they are spent. But there is no record of the attorney fee or its source. A former senator of the Philippines, Francisco Tatad, suspects the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III that initiated the case kept the Philippine people in the dark about the facts of the arbitration. He wonders whether some foreign country funded the arbitration case. How much did the South China Sea arbitration case cost? Who paid the money? And who received it? Heated discussions on these questions have been raging in the Philippines. The questions have drawn the attention of the international community, too, because $30 million is not a small amount for the Philippines or any other country. All the arbitral tribunal's services were clearly priced. During the trial, the standing arbitral tribunal that provided secretarial services, space and equipment for the process charged about $3.13 million. And since China refused to participate or recognize the arbitral tribunal or its ruling, the Philippines had to pay all the money. For example, the registration fee for secretarial services was 2,000 ($2,216) and the rent of the arbitral hearing rooms in The Hague Peace Palace was 1,000 a day, and the rent of a whole set of office equipment was 1,750 a day. But Manila has not yet revealed how much money it paid to the arbitrators and witnesses, although the $30 million attorney fee gives an indication of the total amount of money spent on the entire arbitration process. And since the final award of the tribunal went overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, which is rare in international jurisdiction and arbitration history, one would be justified in questioning the impartiality of the entire arbitration process. Was the ruling delivered in Manila's favor because it paid millions of dollars to the arbitrators? All these make it important for Manila to disclose how much money it actually spent on the arbitration case, more so because it proclaims the award's legitimacy and significance. Tiglao hit the nail on the headsaying $30 million was paid as attorney feein his article published in the Manila Times on July 15. The United States, Japan and some other countries and international organizations reportedly put in considerable amounts of money and energy in pushing forward the South China Sea arbitration case. The down payment of the tribunal came from some agencies associated with the US. Tiglao also said the arbitration tribunal gave the US an excuse to intervene in the South China Sea disputes, prompting the US State Department and Central Intelligence Agency to reimburse Manila the legal fare and attorney fee. So far, the arbitration has not benefited Manila. In fact, what it has got in exchange for spending millions of dollars is just a piece of scrap. The South China Sea arbitration farce should come to an end and the mess it has created cleared. The Philippine government should make public its financial accounts related to the tribunal to not only answer the questions of its own people but also address the international community's concerns. The author is a researcher in maritime law and affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. News that Arianna Quan, who was crowned Miss Michigan on June 18 and will take part in the upcoming Miss America contest in September, went viral in China for weeks, mostly in a negative way. The only Chinese-American woman who will compete in the annual national pageant in September in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Quan, in two days of rigorous competition, interviews and talent portions, impressed judges and the audience that she was the most outstanding and well-rounded among the 33 contestants for the statewide title, as well as the $12,000 in scholarship money. It's unusual for a Chinese American to receive recognition of this kind in the US, and we should celebrate diversity, right? Chinese netizens, however, focused on Quan's appearance. They were mocking her looks and criticizing her demeanor at the moment she was crowned, and also calling her ugly. Women should not be judged by their looks or curves. In the context of cultural differences between China and the United States, it's important for us to know the true meaning of beautiful, and how to appreciate beauty. "She is ugly and she can't represent us Chinese, let alone endorse the Chinese-style beauty," wrote one person. "She is only 23? Why does she look like she's 43, given her rustic make-up, hairdo and costumes?" another said. Leaving aside the insults like these on social platforms in China, we need to take a close look at differences between Chinese and Americans regarding their attitudes to Quan. Born in Beijing, Quan moved to metro Detroit at age 6 and became a naturalized American citizen at 14. Growing up, she was often the only Asian American in many of her classes and left out by her Caucasian peers. "All throughout my life it's been something that's been a little bit uncomfortable for me to talk about," saying she has been self-conscious about it. "I think it's innate in every teenager's upbringing that whatever makes you different is something that you should be ashamed about," she continued. "We all want to fit in, we all want to be embraced, and for me, because I am very tall, because I was the only Asian-American in most of my classes, I just felt out of place." Quan didn't quit, though. She loves archery, speaks Mandarin, plays classical piano, volunteers and has been the only female in her transportation design class for two years at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. Her goal is to become a lead designer at an automotive company, in a male-dominated industry. Quan will advocate for "Being American: Immigration and Citizenship Education", to raise awareness of the importance of embracing diversity. "During this election year, I realized how important it was for immigrants and naturalized citizens especially to speak out about their experiences in this country," Quan said. "We are so diverse, and it's so important for all of us to embrace that. That's why my platform is what it is, and hopefully going to Miss America in this election year I can raise awareness about what it means to be an American." Also an ambassador for Rock the Vote, Quan wants to encourage young people to register to vote. Throughout June (Immigrant Heritage Month) and July (National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month), the young woman spoke about issues that have affected her directly. Beyond her looks and make-up, do we see Quan's achievements? She is beautiful, talented and, more importantly, she has a big heart. Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com Charlie Yao, CEO at Yuhuang Chemical Inc, talks about his chief executive role at a seminar hosted by the Asian Chamber of Commerce early this year. MAY ZHOU / CHINA DAILY Charlie Yao gave up a cushy job at Shell to be CEO at startup Yuhuang Chemical Inc Charlie Yao, CEO at the billion-dollar company Yuhuang Chemical Inc, once thought he'd follow in his father's footsteps through life. "My father was a chemistry professor at Wuhan University, where I got my degree in chemistry. I came to study at the University of Houston (UH) in 1983 and worked as an assistant professor for three years after getting my PhD. I thought UH would be my home and destiny," said Yao. By chance through a friend, Yao learned of a research position at Shell Oil's R&D center with more than 2,000 researchers and applied for it. "By then I had already published 20 research papers at UH, and Shell hired me," Yao said. Yao worked in research and development at Shell for five years, producing 20 papers and five patents. "Then I realized that I could see how my life would be for the next 30 years - the same. I wanted a change," Yao said. Shell gives opportunities to those who want to advance themselves, and Yao was told that to change his current position, he needed practical experience. "I looked around within Shell and found a chemistry technologist position at one of its chemical plants in a small town Gersmar, Louisiana. I sold my house in Houston and moved my family there in 1995," Yao said. "I remember during that time I did a seminar on career path and outlined my plan at Houston's Chinese Association of Professionals in Science and Technology (CAPST). More than a decade later at another CAPST seminar, someone said to me: Your career turned out exactly as you said at that seminar years ago," recalled Yao, who is also a founding member and past president of the association. It was a bold move for Yao. He was warned by some colleagues that it could be a one-way ticket - he could be stuck there for the rest of his career. "I was probably the first Chinese technical professional doing so at that time within Shell and the oil industry. I wore blue every day and worked with blue collars. I had to give myself the current English name because almost all of the plant workers were white and could not pronounce my Chinese name. My two kids were the only Chinese students at the local school," Yao said. Yao considered the experience invaluable for his career. "I gained complete knowledge of the manufacturing process, operation and management. Such knowledge became very useful later in my career." Three years later, Yao was called back to Shell's corporate headquarters in Houston and was promoted to the position of quality assurance manager. To Yao, however, it was still a technical position, and he wanted to get into commercial and business operations. "By then I had worked at Shell for 10 years without any commercial experience. Luckily, I had a mentor of some sort within Shell and was given guidance as to what it would take to make a breakthrough," he said. Yao managed to win support from Shell; he enrolled in UH's executive MBA program, with the costly tuition paid by Shell. "After that, my career took off," Yao said. Didi-Uber linkup could boost sharing Updated: 2016-08-03 03:31 By PAUL WELITZKIN in New York(China Daily USA) Observers say merging business in China could be a boost for the sharing economy across the globe The decision to combine the operations of Didi Chuxing China's largest ride-sharing service with the mainland operations of US giant Uber Technologies Inc will provide a global boost for the sharing economy, observers said. Didi announced on Monday that it would absorb Uber's business in China, ending a costly battle between the rivals. The combined company may be worth $35 billion, according to some reports. Uber China's other shareholders, including search giant Baidu Inc, will receive a 20 percent economic stake in the combined company. Didi founder Cheng Wei and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will join each other's boards. Arun Sundararajan of New York University's Stern School of Business said the deal is good news for the sharing economy in both the US and China. "It signals how valuable the China sharing economy market is to global leaders," he said in an email. "It is good for the sharing economy in the US because it removes the biggest existential threat that Uber the biggest sharing economy platform in the US has faced. Now that this risk is eliminated, it paves the path for Uber to go public." The sharing economy enables individuals to rent or borrow assets from owners through a digital clearinghouse. It empowers the utilization of unused capacity while allowing consumers to do business with their peers rather than with a company. Jeremiah Owyang is an analyst at Crowd Companies, which advises companies on the sharing economy. He said the deal will provide a wider platform for global growth of the sharing economy. "We've seen incredible investments over the last few years, which were primarily funded to fuel international expansion and market growth. Now, markets where impasses like China are evident, parties can come together, consolidate, and advance the growth of the overall movement. This is the natural order of early markets," Owyang said in an email. "You are going to need a scorecard to keep track of all the transactions likely to incur in the ride-sharing sector in the next six months," said Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University in Chicago. "The enormity of China's market makes this deal of enormous importance. Uber, at least for the time being, will have to remain on the sidelines in a country where ride sharing is poised for enormous growth." Didi owns a stake in Lyft, a US competitor to Uber. Lyft and Uber are both based in San Francisco. "Didi already partnered with Lyft last year so that Didi's customers who are traveling to the US could access Lyft's services," said Susan Shaheen, a professor and co-director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California Berkeley. "Didi could continue to use that strategy with Uber abroad to gain exposure to the international market before more aggressive expansion," she said. "But we don't believe that Didi or Uber have made any official statement on plans to do that." Gerrit Schneemann of consulting firm IHS said that the strategies going forward will be interesting to watch. "The problem is more immediate for Lyft as Uber can now focus on the competition in the US. Maybe this will accelerate an exit for Lyft via acquisition by GM, for example," he said. Wang Xiaofeng, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc, said the main reason behind the merger was to cut costs in the battle between the companies for leadership of China's fast-growing ride-hailing market. Zhang Xu of Analysys International said the merger will mean that smaller players in China's internet-enabled chauffeur service market will soon feel the pinch. "The combined market share of Didi and Uber in China's chauffeur service is more than 80 percent. Their dominant position will bring more competition to smaller players and force them to improve the quality of service to gain user loyalty," he said. "Didi is the world's largest sharing economy platform and poised to dominate the South Asian market. Its relationship with Uber provides global reach," said Sundararajan. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com Meng Jing contributed to this story. Officials push TPP amid dim prospects Updated: 2016-08-02 23:20 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(China Daily USA) Senior US and Singaporean officials on Monday tried to inject fresh momentum into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is facing strong opposition in both the US Congress and among the American public. The US and 11 Asia-Pacific Rim nations reached the agreement last October. China is not part of it. While a signing ceremony was held in February this year, the TPP won't take effect until it is ratified by the legislatures of all the nations. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties, both oppose the TPP. Most Democratic lawmakers also oppose the TPP. Anti-TPP chants were extremely loud during the Democratic National Convention held in Philadelphia last week. These developments have dampened the hope for US President Barack Obama to spend his political capital to push Congress to ratify the TPP during the lame-duck session late this year and to leave it as his presidential legacy. US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on Monday assured the visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the US government commitment. "I want you to know that President Obama and his entire administration remain committed to securing a bipartisan congressional approval of this critical trade agreement," she said on Monday before introducing Lee for a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce. Lee said none of the members want to reopen negotiations. "Everybody wants to have something better, but nobody wants to reopen the process, with no prospect of doing better but every chance of falling part," he said. He described the TPP as an economic game-changer for the US that also carries strategic significance. Lee said he understands the political difficulty in an election year and when economic uncertainty has led to concerns about jobs and competition from overseas. "But I hope all parties will focus on the longer-term big picture because there are no winners, only losers, with protectionism," Lee said. While Obama has hoped to count on Republican lawmakers to help ratify the TPP, House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said that approval appears unlikely this year. Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader, also said weeks ago that he hadn't decided on whether to bring the deal up for a vote this year. "The chances are pretty slim. ... It's probably not the best time," he was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying. Charles Morrison, president of the East-West Center, was pessimistic that the TPP would be ratified by Congress in the lame-duck session. "That won't happen," he told China Daily. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe told Politico last week that Hillary Clinton would support TPP after winning the election. As secretary of state, Clinton had touted TPP as the "gold standard," but she opposed it during the 2016 presidential campaign, a move seen by many as a bid to win union votes. But McAuliffe's words were quickly rebuffed by Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta who tweeted "Hillary opposes TPP BEFORE and AFTER the election. Period. Full stop." Li Xiangyang, of the National Institute of International Strategy in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed that many in China are more interested to see if the One Belt One Road initiative can bring more benefits to China at this stage. The Singapore prime minister also cited China's One Belt One Road to help develop infrastructure in the region as a move by major economies to tap the area's vast potential. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com 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. HCM City The State Bank of Viet Nam has written to banks, credit institutions and financial organisations, warning them against hackers a day after the websites of Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports and Vietnam Airlines were hacked. It instructed them to review the safety of their networks, especially with respect to online customer service, and take the necessary steps to secure their IT systems and protect and recover databases if needed. The SBV also ordered them to have technicians monitoring their IT systems constantly and improve oversight to discover attacks immediately. Banks information technology systems will be very safe but users should secure all their private information when doing e-commerce transactions on the internet, a leading IT expert told Lao ong (Labour) newspaper. A Techcombank official said, Those who have paid through the Vietnam Airlines website might be at risk since hackers must have got access to their private information through the attack. Vu Ngoc Son, deputy chairman in charge of anti-malware at BKAV Technology Group, admitted this was a very serious attack and hackers have entered deep into the airlines database. He told Viet Nam News: In Viet Nam, most enterprises only invest in equipment and ignore online security. When they find an illegal attack, they do not know how to cope with it and it worsens the aftermath. Warnings about online security are still strange for most companies and organizations, and there will be more attacks if the situation does not change quickly. A senior banker said banks are realising that international and local criminals are using sophisticated methods to steal money from bank accounts and credit cards. Online security experts said to safeguard their accounts and credit cards, customers should not take photos of cards and store them or share them on email or social networks. Secondly, users must carefully check online shops before using their cards, should not provide their CVV numbers to dubious websites. Thirdly, users must be cautious about promotions and advertisements coming by email, and never access any online shop or make online payment through a link. Instead, they should directly access the site by typing the address in the browser. Fourthly, users should use and regularly update anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-key logger software in their computers and mobile devices which are often used to access online shops. Fifthly, users should never provide credit card information on the telephone or by email under any circumstances. According to the international internet security firm Kaspersky, Viet Nam is among the nations to suffer the most malware attacks. The country is also No.1 in spreading viruses through external devices like USBs, memory cards, and mobile hard disk drives and 71 per cent of all computers are infected. Around 40 per cent of users suffer from malware contracted online. Last year 10,000 websites were hacked, an increase of 68 per cent from 2014, including 224 Government websites, though that number was down 11 per cent Many network equipment enterprises have been accused of already installing malware and backdoors on their equipment to easily hack, Colonel Nguyen Van Thinh, deputy head of the Ministry of Public Securitys network security department, said. VNS HA NOI - Some 64,000 enterprises were created in the first seven months of this year with a total registered capital of nearly VN497 trillion (US$22.36 billion), according to statistics from the General Statistics Office. Newly-established firms rose by 23.3 per cent in number and 54.7 per cent in capital value year-on-year. The adjusted capital in the reviewed period posted VN894.9 trillion, raising the total registered and adjusted capital to 1,400 trillion. More than 16,700 enterprises, which suspended their activities due to difficulties, have resumed operations, up 67.5 per cent from the same period last year. In July, the number of new firms exceeded 9,600 with a total registered capital of VN69.2 trillion, a slight decrease from June. More than 99,200 jobs were also created by the newly-established enterprises. The number of businesses resuming operations exceeded 1,800 in July, while nearly 6,000 halted their operation and more than 900 firms completed procedures for dissolution or termination. Director of the Central Institute for Economics Management Nguyen inh Cung said the average capital of a business in the period has still been small at VN7.7 billion each. Of which, the average capital of private firm was VN1.5 billion while that of joint stock company was VN1.3 billion. The improvement of businesses competitiveness would not be easy as most of Vietnamese firms are small-and-medium sized enterprises, Cung said, adding that small scale would make companies faced with difficulties of backward technologies, limited skilled labourers and a shortage of long-term business strategies. He said businesses with average capital of less than VN10 billion could be vulnerable in international integration. Sectors and localities should have strong measures to improve the business environment, aiding firms difficulties as well as improving their competitiveness. In addition, authorities should apply risk management and simplifying administrative procedures to reduce paperwork and shorten time for businesses in the import-export sector, he said. The director added that the Government should revise and build a roadmap to reduce inequality between State-owned and private firms. VNS HA NOI Consumer goods producer Masan Group (Masan) nearly tripled its net profit to more than VN1 trillion (nearly US$46 million) in the first six months from a year ago. The companys total revenue during the first half of the year reached more than VN19.1 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 83.8 per cent, Masan said in a statement late last week. This figure has helped the company accomplish nearly half of the years expected revenue. Masan said that the significant increase of its first-half earnings resulted from the growth of all business segments, which are branded food and non-alcoholic beverages, consumer animal protein products and mining. The consumer animal protein segment was a major boost for Masans performance during the first half of the year as this segment contributed nearly 60 per cent of the parent companys total revenue. Revenue from sales of animal feed rose 13.8 per cent over a year to more than VN11 trillion and sales of animal feed increased 18.4 per cent year on year as the two subsidiaries were able to develop new products and focus on pig feed, which generated the highest profit margin for Masan among all animal feed products. Masans second-quarter sales volume in the food and beverage segment was up 14.7 per cent from that of last year, raising the companys year-on-year first-half growth rate up to 7.9 per cent. This segment is expected to achieve a yearly growth rate of 15 per cent in 2016 as the consumer market has shown great potential for the second half of the year and Masan is preparing to launch new products such as coffee, beer and fish sauce in domestic and Thailands markets. Masan was also able to earn profit from Techcombank, where the consumer producer owns 19.5 per cent of the banks capital. Techcombank achieved a year-on-year pre-tax growth rate of nearly 54 per cent to roughly VN1.6 trillion in the first half of 2016 as the bank was able to reduce its total cost and manage its lending since the bank has been restructured in the last four years. On the contrary, the mining industry weighed on Masans first-half profit as the mining company Masan Resource recorded lower profits than last year. Masan Resource saw a 45 per cent-increase in its revenue during the first six months, however, its net profit fell nearly 33 per cent over a year to VN70 billion. Masan said that its first-half mining profit dropped as global wolfram price remained low. Masan expected that the commodity prices will rebound in the second half and the company will be able to reduce its production cost. Based on the positive results from the first half of the year, Masan has raised its expected net profit for this year by a quarter to VN2.4 trillion from the current VN1.9 trillion. VNS A woman test drives an imported car. The local auto industry is waiting for the Government to determine its new auto import permission law. VNS Photo oan Tung HA NOI Viet Nams auto industry is anxiously waiting for the Governments final decision on the auto import permission law. The Ministry of Industry and Trades Circular 20 currently requires importers of complete built up units (CBUs) with less than nine seats to show proof that they are authorised dealers for foreign automakers, with a certification from a qualified auto maintenance centre granted by the Ministry of Transport. The circular, which came into effect in June 2011 and was due to expire on July 1 this year, was aimed at tightening the import of CBU cars and compelling businesses to ensure that after-sales services, such as warranty and maintenance, matched manufacturers standards. The circular expired but its contents were retained in a draft decree by the industry and trade ministry, which has been sent to the Government for approval and to relevant agencies for their input. While waiting for the Governments decision, auto businesses argued about the circulars contents. Businesses that meet the conditions to import automobiles, such as members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association and Vietnam Car Importers Association approve of the circular, saying it is needed to protect customers rights in terms of quality and maintenance service. However, many small and medium enterprises say the regulations generate an unfair business environment, creating a monopoly for those importing cars from official suppliers. Nguyen Tuan, director of Thien An Phu Company Ltd, said his business and about 200 auto importers of vehicles such as Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, and Daewoo, started out in 2006. By 2011, these businesses had developed markets, but when Circular 20 was issued they could no longer import automobiles. We understand that at a certain economic stage, the circular is suitable, but every circular should be in use for a certain period and should be changed when the economy becomes stable. The Government should return to the market economy which has competition in price and customer service, Tuan said. In an audacious move, representatives of some auto businesses recently hung banners in front of the Ministry of Industry and Trade headquarters in Ha Noi supporting the abolition of Circular 20. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment ang Huy ong was not in favour of retaining Circular 20. In a talk with dautuchungkhoan.vn, the deputy minister said that if new businesses could not join the market, it would be limited. He said the State should not intervene in customers decisions about buying cars. Ensuring the quality of imported cars was up to the Vietnam Register, he said. Each automaker should also have the right to choose its import agents. The Chairman of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc said the circular should be abolished to ensure all businesses could join the market in an open and fair manner. Loc said that if the regulations were dropped, it would encourage competition and customers would enjoy lower prices. In an interview with the Vietnam Economic Times, he said the Government was considering proposals on auto imports from the industry and trade ministry. "We believe the Government will consider and make a decision which will ensure healthy competition and a healthy business environment for the business community and for customers," Loc said. VNS HA NOI Viet Nams government inspectorate will conduct a comprehensive inspection of MobiFone Telecommunications Corporations business transaction in which it acquired a 95 per cent stake in Audio Visual Global JSC (AVG). Under Directive No. 1344/TTg-V.I issued by the government office on July 22, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the inspectors to inspect the deal in co-ordination with relevant agencies. If violations are found, the case will be transferred to an investigation agency and the firm will be strictly punished in accordance with the countrys laws. Early this year, MobiFone, the second largest mobile network operator in Viet Nam, said its investment in digital television was part of its 2016-2020 business strategy to meet the increasing demands of customers. Other key areas in which the firm will invest in 2016 are mobile, retail sales and multimedia. MobiFone did not disclose the value of the deal as well as the volume of the stake it has bought in AVG. The name of AVG was changed to MobiTV on April 26. MobiTV expects to add one million new subscribers of television services in 2016, and to become one of the three largest pay-TV service providers in the country. MobiFone aims to earn VN35.8 trillion (US$1.59 billion) in revenue in 2016, 10 per cent higher year-on-year, and a profit of VN5.2 trillion. AVG entered the pay-TV market in 2011, and offers both terrestrial television and satellite digital television services. It has eight channels and more than 700,000 subscribers. Statistics from the information and communications ministry show that the pay-TV market has reached 9.9 million subscribers. VNS Thu Van HA NOI Just two kilometres from the hustle and luxuries of Ha Nois town centre, the life of families living in slums along the Red River has been the same for years: poor, partly submerged, dark at night. Access to electricity is limited: residents have to spend around $15 a month for power, a considerable amount for those who mainly earn their livings by collecting scraps or trading pottery. So when the sun goes down, it often means lights out. Two months ago, someone decided to bring some light to this place. Ten wind turbines made of recyled materials were installed above ten rickety wooden houses surrounded by water. From afar, they look like ten big red flowers spinning against a backdrop of green fields and a banana forest. The wind power system was invented by Le Vu Cuong, a lecturer at the Ha Noi University of Business and Technology, and funded by Plan International Vietnam, a humanitarian organisation, and other donors. The system consists of plastic bowls installed on a horizontal windmill contraption and then attached to metal poles. It is connected to a generator made from the motor of a broken printer. Energy is provided every time the wind blows. The energy is then stored in old motorcycle batteries, which can illuminate lamps with a brightness equivalent to a 45-Watt light bulb. Cuongs wind-powered generator makes use of materials that are cheap and easy to replace and works with a wind speed of just 0.4 metres (1.3 ft) a second. It costs about VN1 million (US$44) for the whole system. When my group carried out research, we found that the natural conditions at this place are suitable for small windpower turbines. The residents living here are poor. We wanted to support them. They can now use electricity without extra cost, and one important thing is that the energy comes from renewable sources, Cuong said. Although the output generated is small, it is enough to light a boat for up to four hours, depending on the wind speed. Cuong, who won many prizes for his green and energy-efficient works, said he spent three months working on the system. Due to limited financial resource, I have to use motors from broken printers, of which both capacity and output are moderate. I also tried many kinds of materials for the blades and ended up with the plastic bowls youve seen they are cheap and easy to replace, he said. But when the system was completed it was not easy for him and his group to have it installed. Residents refused to let us come and install the system, they thought we were selling something, and they have had bad experience with strangers, he said. Tran Van Xuan, a resident of the village, was the one who finally agreed to work with the group after they paid three visits to his home. Now he said he was glad he did so. We have to pay more for electricity because we live too far from a power station and we can only afford small amounts of it. With this windpower turbine, we can light a bulb when its dark, for free. Of course were happy about that. Everyone here is happy about that, Xuan said. Most of the 14 families in the village now use the wind power system, saving up to one-third of their electricity bills per month. But we would be happier if the power were stronger and could run an electric fan, he added. Cuong, who adores the life and work of famous American architect Frank Gehry, wants to take his project to other impoverished areas in Viet Nam and is working to raise funds. Hes also co-ordinating with other experts to improve the current system so it can work more effectively. Viet Nam produces just 140 MW of wind power each year, but officials say it has the capacity to produce 500 times more. Pham Trong Thuc, head of the Renewable Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said Viet Nam needs to foster renewable energy. The Ministry plans to increase the production of windpower to 800 MW by 2020 and 6,000 MW by 2030. The ministry also encourages investments in the windpower sector in central and southern areas of Viet Nam, where the potential for development is high. In late May, General Electric signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry to develop a minimum of 1,000MW of new wind farms by 2025. Until then, we still need ideas like Cuongs to bring light to low-income families across the country not only for the sake of their bills, but also for the sake of the environment.--VNS HA NOI French director Regis Wargnier and actress Catherine Deneuve of Indochina - which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film will attend the 4th Ha Noi International Film Festival (HANIFF), which will take place during November 1-5 a month earlier than usual, festival organisers said. The artists appearance at HANIFF celebrates the 20th anniversary of Indochines release. The movie was filmed in Viet Nam in 1992, mainly in the central city of Hue, in Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh, and at Phat Diem Cathedral in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The Indochine crew was the first foreign entity allowed to film inside Hue Citadel and Emperor Bao ais Palace. Wargniers masterpiece is a story of romance and separation told against the backdrop of Viet Nam in turmoil from 1930-50. The film explores the relationship of a beautiful and imperious French rubber-plantation owner and her adopted Indochinese daughter. Mother and daughter are very close until a diffident naval officer enters their lives. Indochine stars Deneuve, Vincent Perez and Linh an Pham. The role of the rubber plantation owner earned Deneuve a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Academy Awards her only one to date. Indochine also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Linh an Pham is a Vietnamese-French actress. She received a Cesar nomination for Most Promising Actress for her Indochine role as an adopted daughter. Indochine became well-known after release, changing the worlds view of wartime Viet Nam. My grandparent used to live in Viet Nam and my father was a soldier in the Viet Nam war. But that is not the reason I made Indochine, said director Wargnier on one his trips to Viet Nam. I nurtured the movie because of cinema. What people associate with Viet Nam is war. I want to change that. Indochine was selected to screen as part of the Cannes Classics section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Every year Cannes Classics showcases around twenty restored movies. Under Stuidiocanals supervision, Indochines original negative has now been digitised and restored. We are working with the French embassy to host the artists at HANIFF for the launch of Indochines first digital version in Viet Nam, an officer from the Cinematography Department said. About 30 countries and territories in the world have registered to attend HANIFF. This global focus is new for the 4th festival. Last time the festival only invited movies made by countries in the Asia Pacific region. Inviting movies from the whole world to the festival allows HANIFF to feature more good films during the festival. The theme of the festival this year is Cinema Integration And Sustainable Development. Films which have never participated in international film festivals in the ASEAN region are eligible to compete. Screening for the 2016 awards began in September 2014 ends in August 2016. VNS HA NOI In her latest book, author Nguyen Phan Que Mai compares herself with a grain of salt in the ocean. Entitled Hat Muoi Rong Choi (A Wandering Grain of Salt), the book details her experiences in trips around the world, the stories she was told and what she witnessed. Stories in the book include escaping the by an inch in Laos, on the alert for being shot in Philippines and Australian people falling into oblivion. The book was released yesterday at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ha Noi. Mai talked with the students and shared her experiences in preparing for her journeys. Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, vice chairman of the Viet Nam Writers Association, said he realised that whenever Mai travels to a new land, she doesnt go as a traveller, or a researcher, she goes there to live life to the fullest. She tells what she experienced infatuatedly as she was lost in that place and didnt want to find the way back, said Thieu. Mai currently lives in Belgium with her family. She has written or translated 15 verse and prose books. VNS HCMCITY Two Hong Kong actors will arrive Viet Nam this week to act in a TV series produced by HCM City Televisions Film Studio. Actresses Chan Yee Ling and Fong Yuen will be part of ac Vu O Ma Cao (Agent in Macao), a 30-part series for which filming began in HCM City two weeks ago. Vietnamese stars Thanh Truc and Nhan Phuc Vinh play the lead roles in the series. ac Vu O Ma Cao features woman agent Quynh Thu, played by Truc, who penetrates a drug gang lead by the Flakka group in Macao. Directed by Nham Minh Hien, the series will be shot also in Macao and Cambodia. Its post-production will be wrapped up later this year.VNS President Tran ai Quang met with constituents in HCM City yesterday to ease their concerns over a number of socio-economic issues raised at the freshly-concluded first session of the 14th National Assembly. VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang HCM CITY President Tran ai Quang met with constituents in HCM City yesterday to ease their concerns over a number of socio-economic issues raised at the freshly-concluded first session of the 14th National Assembly. The President cited the Governments report that public debt made up 62.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2015, putting big pressure on the country to pay off debt. The management and use of public debt in Viet Nam had yet proved efficient, he said, adding that it was necessary to curb the debt at a safe level to mitigate risks in the coming time. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), Viet Nam was excluded from the countries having high debt burdens, he noted. The President agreed with a majority of voters that the prevention of corruption and wastefulness has reaped significant achievements but it should be further promoted. In the context of regional and global complicated developments, the country proactively and resolutely safeguarded its independence, sea and island sovereignty, and territorial integrity as well as ensured peace and stability for national development, he stressed. After the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued its final ruling for the Philippines lawsuit against China on disputes in the East Sea on July 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam had a prompt reaction, and Viet Nams standpoints on the East Sea received international support, he said. He noted that many countries and international organisations had called on the involved parties to attach importance to navigation and aviation safety and security in addition to abiding by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible. The President also shared voters concerns over the massive fish deaths in central provinces. He said the Politburo along with Party and State senior officials convened a number of meetings to promptly enact measures to support fishermen in the affected areas while clarifying reasons of the maritime environmental incident. The Government announced the conclusion of the incident, he said, adding that the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company was responsible for the incident and pledged to compensate over VN11.5 trillion (US$500 million), and address shortcomings in the waste treatment system and build synchronous measures to control the marine environment in the central region. He stressed the State would examine all environment-related projects nationwide. He affirmed that Viet Nam rolled out the red carpet for foreign investors for national socio-economic development, however, it is crucial to ensure national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity as well as benefits and security of the country. The President also clarified voters concerns over other matters such as food safety and hygiene, water resources security and protection of consumers rights. VNS Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives newly accredited Ambassador from Germany Christian Berger in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed newly accredited Ambassador from Germany Christian Berger in Ha Noi yesterday. The PM expressed his hope that the two nations will continue co-operation in economics and trade, to raise bilateral trade to US$15-20 billion by 2020. He called on the German Government to provide more support for Viet Nam in education and vocational training, including the Viet NamGermany University project. The PM agreed with the ambassadors proposal to establish the Viet NamGermany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saying that he would assign agencies to work on the project. He also pledged to accelerate the Metro No 2 project in HCM City, in which Germany is an investor. The Ambassador pledged to do his utmost to tighten relations between the two countries, and support Viet Nam in relations with other countries in the European Union. VNS HCM CITY A shortage of funds has prevented many provinces and cities from achieving of helping disadvantaged people in areas with high birth rates access reproductive health and family planning services. o Ngoc Tan of the General Department of Population and Family Planning told a conference on reducing birth rates and improving population quality in HCM City on Friday that the Government has yet to provide funding for the campaign this year. But 37 provinces and cities have provided a portion of the funding required from their own resources, he said. There are only intrauterine devices and contraceptive pills left in the departments warehouses. The demand for contraceptive devices is very high and will increase in 2020-50 because the country will see an increase in the rate of women at child-bearing age. As of June most provinces and cities had achieved 40-60 per cent of their targets, he said. inh Thai Ha, deputy head of the departments planning and finance division, said the countrys birth rate increased by an estimated 9.9 per cent in the first half of this year. The number of couples having a third baby has also seen an upward trend in the last five years, rising by 7.5 per cent in the years first half, he said. The country has maintained replacement fertility, but there are variations based on location, he said. Last year 13 provinces had low fertility rates of below 1.8, while 14 others had rates of 1.8-2.1, he said. Nineteen provinces had too high rates at more than 2.5, many of them in border areas. There are many poor people and ethnic minorities in these areas. There is a sex imbalance at birth in many places in the country, with the rural ratio being 1.5 times the national average, he said. In the first quarter this year there were live births of 116,897 boys and 103,079 girls. The sex ratio in the first six months is expected to rise to 113.4/100 from 112.8/100 in the same period last year. Ha said the Government does not yet have the capacity to improve the quality of the population by expanding pre-natal and newborn screening of diseases and defects. o Thi Quynh Huong, deputy head of the departments population structure and quality division, said the programme for newborn screening looks for only two diseases in newborn babies while there is a great need to screen for many congenital diseases for early treatment. The rate of babies and pregnant women getting prenatal and newborn screening in remote areas remains low, she said. In the first three months this year 32,772 newborn babies were screened around the country. VNS HA NOI Stiffer penalties for more than 100 traffic violations take effect this month, generating much public attention. Under the new Government decree, drivers with alcohol levels exceeding 80mg per 100ml of blood or 0.4mg per liter of breath will be fined VN16-18 million (US$720-810), instead of VN10-15 million as previously. Those who speed, swerve their vehicles recklessly or steer with their feet will incur a fine of VN7-8 million. Violators who fail to obey a police order to stop, or those who cause traffic accidents, will face a fine of VN18-20 million. The decree significantly increases the fines for those who use umbrellas, earphones or mobile phones while riding motorbikes or electric bikes, from the current VN60,000-80,000 (about $2.71-$3.62) to VN100,000-200,000 (about $4.52-$9.04). Those who use hand-held phones when driving will be fined VN600,000-800,000 and have their driving licences revoked for one to three months. Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuat Viet Hung said the higher fines are directed at violations that are major causes of traffic accidents or threaten road safety. Decree No 46 deals with offences that the two previous decreess did not, such as using mobile phones when driving or driving on pavements or disturbing traffic at toll road booths and causing congestion with at least 100 vehicles queuing, he said. Under the decree, vehicles that run yellow traffic lights will receive a fine similar to one imposed for running red signals. Readers replying to Viet Nam Newss Your Say last week applauded the new regulation. More assistance to labourers Under another Government decree taking effect this month, State employees, military officers and commune-level officers who started receiving retirement pensions and allowances from January 1, 2015 to May 1, 2016 will get an increase of eight per cent. A circular jointly issued by the ministries of Finance, and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs facilitates Government assistance to Vietnamese workers sent to work overseas, covering the costs of travel, meals and procedures for working abroad. Each could receive up to VN3 million ($135) for a foreign language course and VN750,000 ($33) for a medical check-up. The labour ministry also issued a circular adding categories of work that require strict labour safety and hygiene. They include working at a height of two metres or more, exposure to ionizing radiation or electromagnetic fields from 30GHz to 300 GHz. The production, use, operation and maintenance of works, equipment and chemicals in mining, oil and gas exploration are also required to meet strict labour safety and hygiene regulations. A new circular by the construction ministry effective from the middle of this month stipulates minimum areas for apartments in housing projects, particularly for low-income earners - at least 25sq.m and a ceiling height of at least 2.7m. VNS Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivers speech at the new Governments regular meeting in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked Cabinet members, ministries and agencies to swiftly outline their working plans to spur growth in service of the people. This was among tasks assigned by the PM at the new Governments regular meeting in Ha Noi yesterday following his presentation of the State Presidents appointment decisions to each of the Cabinet members. This is the first Cabinet meeting since the 14th National Assembly elected the Prime Minister and approved the Cabinet for 2016-21 during its first session from July 20-29. He asked Cabinet members to understand issues under their charge to promptly fix weaknesses, especially those of public concern. Ministries and agencies should define key points in management and administration, map out implementation measures, and promptly respond to problems, he said. Ministries and agencies must be free from any corrupt behaviour and any deeds that could be harmful to the people, PM Phuc stressed. The leader also called for the early issuance of working regulations so the Government, ministries and agencies can surmount current limitations, especially loose co-ordination between ministries and agencies. Decrees stipulating missions and organisation of ministries and agencies must be issued no later than October this year, the PM said, stressing that the Government must report the countrys socio-economic development to the National Assembly within the next three months. Ministers and heads of agencies must take responsibility for the performance of their agencies before the Government and the legislature, he noted. Besides, the building and operation of the e-Government should be accelerated towards publicity and transparency to enable the public to keep a close watch on the Governments activities. PM Phuc stressed that a Government that spurs growth must develop institutions, laws and policies. In that spirit, he requested ministries and agencies to devise clear and specific development strategies and work together as well as with localities. Cabinet members should pay due attention to information provided by news agencies as well as public feedback, he said. The first working session of the two-day meeting heard several draft laws and draft decrees. Revision of business laws Also yesterday, the draft law on amendments and supplements of laws on business and investment drew the attention of Cabinet members. The draft law was compiled to revise and supplement some articles in 11 current laws: the Law on Investment; Law on Enterprises; Law on Land; and Law on Construction; besides Law on Environment Protection; Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting; Law on Tax Management; and Law on Corporate Income Tax; as well as Law on Urban Planning; Law on Advertising; and Law on Housing. The revision and supplementation of the aforesaid legal documents are meant to continuously improve the business investment environment, which is transparent, equal, safe and friendly to people and entrepreneurs. The draft law will continue to reduce the number of conditional business sectors and unnecessary business conditions, while improving investment incentives and protection policies, and addressing shortcomings in business operations. Special attention will be given to improving administrative procedures and reforming the management of business investment activities. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the draft law was meant to remove any barriers for businesses and allow them to operate more effectively. In addition to tightening state management, it was necessary to create a favourable environment as per the market economy, he said. The prime minister directed the justice ministry to coordinate with the planning and investment ministry in collecting the opinion of organisations and individuals so that the draft law was quickly finalised and submitted it to the National Assembly for approval to boost business activities and economic growth. Today, the Government will talk about the socio-economic situation in July and the first seven months of the year and work future plans. VNS HA NOI The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) has slammed a VN$1.16-trillion (US$52.2 million) proposal to install bird detection systems in airports, saying the payback plan was unreasonable. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (AVC) had submitted the proposal to the transport ministry (MoT) in late July, asking for permission to install flying object detection systems, also known as FODetect, on the runways of the two largest airports: Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports. FODetect is believed to automatically track and monitor any airfield birds and unidentified flying objects that threaten aviation safety in lieu of conventional visual detection, according to the proposal. The AVC planned for full payback over six and a half years, starting from 2016, by collecting an extra fee of $35 and $17 per international and domestic flight, respectively. The fee collection was proposed to be implemented in all 21 airports operated by the ACV, even though the FODetect system was to be installed in two of them only. In a report sent to the MoT regarding the proposal, CAA Head Lai Xuan Thanh said the payback plan to collect extra fees at all airports was unreasonable, while its timeline was also too short. It needs reconsideration for the fee collection level to be in line with the affordability of the airlines, avoiding a steep fee that affects the competitiveness of Viet Nams airports, Thanh said. The CAA agreed that a bird detection system was necessary, and yet it questioned the investment amount of VN1.16 trillion, when the AVC failed to list out the expense index of the equipment in question as a reference to calculate the estimated total investment. The proposal was also deemed vague as it lacked several technical details about the FODetect system, such as its operational capability during bad weather or in day/night time, and whether it was available for further upgrades later. Viet Nams airports have encountered an increasing number of bird strikes of late, causing severe structural damage to planes as well as to airlines financially. One of the notable bird strike incidents took place in Noi Bai Airport in September last year, when a bird hit the nose of a Vietjet Air plane and flattened its top. VNS LANG SON The northern Lang Son Provinces Peoples Court has handed down two death penalties, two life sentences and 20 years imprisonment to a gang of drug traffickers. The five men and women were found guilty of trafficking 162 cakes of heroin, weighing 62 kg. According to the indictment, Lang Son Police received a request from police in Chinas Guangxi Province to identify the traffickers of 162 cakes of heroin hidden inside a dragon fruit container that had come from Viet Nam. With documents provided by the Chinese side, the investigators identified Nguyen Van Quynh and his wife Nguyen Phuong Lan as the persons who directly transported the drugs. The couple live in Lang Son City. Expanding the investigation, the police arrested three others involved in the case. All defendants pleaded guilty at the trial. Tran Thi Hien, 51 and Vu Thi Hoa, 26, both residents of Ha Noi, were sentenced to death. Nguyen Phuong Lan, 50, and o Ngoc Oanh, 49, from Ha Noi were sentenced to life in prison, while Nguyen Ngoc Quynh will spend 20 years in prison. VNS NGHE AN The strike by hundreds of workers of a hospital over unpaid salaries in the central Nghe An Province entered its third day today. About 200 doctors and nurses have been on strike at the Thanh An Sai Gon private hospital in Vinh since Sunday, forcing the hospital to temporarily shut down all clinical rooms and the pharmacy. Twenty-five-year-old Phan Trong Toan told online newspaper Vietnamnet that he had signed a work contract with the hospital in May 2015 for a monthly wage of VN1.7 million (US$76.5). Toan has been working at the hospital for 14 months now, but he has been paid for just four months. The hospital owes him VN17 million for the rest 10 months. All doctors and nurses participating in the strike have not received their salaries for several months, ranging between seven to 10 months. Worse, many hospital staff said they had paid VN50 million to VN100 million just to get a job at the Thanh An Sai Gon hospital. A hospital worker Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang said she was forced to give a so-called deposit fee of VN70 million to be allowed to work at the hospital. I had worked for only a few months when the hospital stopped paying wages, she said. About 100 employees who reportedly paid such deposits are asking the hospital for a refund, according to Lao ong (Labours) newspaper. Thanh An-Sai Gon Director Nguyen inh Khang acknowledged the non-payment of salaries, and said the hospital was having a lot of difficulties. Regarding the deposits, Khang said they were used for training the staff and were also a kind of assurance fee to make the workers stay and work at the hospital for a long-term period. Nghe An Medical Labour Union Chairwoman Vo Thi Hang said the union had been asking the hospital for months to pay the overdue wages to no avail. She said the provincial health department has warned the hospital to settle all late payments by August 10, failing which it would face the risk of being shut down. VNS QUANG NINH Foreigners are no longer required to obtain a licence to travel to the tourist hotspot Co To Island, the local authority announced today. Co To Peoples Committee member Hoang Ba Nam said any foreigners who are residing legally in Viet Nam will be allowed to travel to the northern island, so long as they carry their passports or legal identity documents with them. The change follows approval from the ministries of Defence and Public Security to register Co To Island as a local tourism area. Under Government Decree 71, issued in 2015, foreign tourists visiting places identified as a local tourism area are exempt from obtaining visiting licences, even though these areas lie along the border, which is strictly restricted for non-Vietnamese individuals. The move is expected to attract more tourists to the island, which is so far only popular among the Vietnamese. VNS WASHINGTON US billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump on Monday to release his tax returns, a feat which the Republican presidential candidate has so far resisted. Trump has said he wont release the documents because he is under audit, which Buffett -- one of the worlds richest men -- suggested is a weak excuse. "Now Ive got news for him, Im under audit too," Buffett said, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in Nebraska. "Youre only afraid if you got something to be afraid about." "Hes afraid because of you," Buffett told the attendees. Buffett suggested he and Trump meet "any place, any time" before election day to publicly go over their tax records together. The business magnate also sharply criticized Trump for a recent dispute with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having "sacrificed nothing" for the country. In an interview aired on ABC Sunday, Trump insisted he had, in fact, made "a lot of sacrifices" for the US. Buffett declared otherwise: "Donald Trump and I havent sacrificed anything," he said, referencing Trumps remark. "How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" Buffett is one of several extremely wealthy Americans to back Clinton for president, including billionaire and independent former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. AFP Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a total penalty of nearly Rs 73 crore on drug maker and two of its officials for unfair business practices, with regard to supply of medicines in Karnataka. As states rush to showcase their start-up mettle, French group Dassault is pitching itself as an aggressive enabler in the space. A top official of Dassault Systemes, a software multinational and part of the aviation-to-information technology family, said there had been several layers of talks with Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. 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. Malaysia has been grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last few weeks. The Wall Street Journal reported US federal prosecutors have filed a lawsuit to seize more than $1 billion in assets they believe were siphoned off the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad fund or 1MDB. At the centre of the scandal is Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, whos accused of pocketing $731 million from the fund, according to The New York Times. TVS Motors management today said that its focus would be to grow more than the industry rate in 2016-17 and gain market share as well. The government is likely to extend protection to the steel industry by either re-notifying the minimum import price (MIP) or through wider anti-dumping duty. China is considering a sweeping overhaul of its steel industry that would consolidate major steel producers into two giants, with one located in the north of the country and the other in the south, according to people familiar with the plan. Hebei Iron & Steel Group, the nation's biggest mill by output, and Shougang Group will be combined into Northern China Steel Group, while No. 2 producer, Shanghai Baosteel Group, and Wuhan Iron & Steel Group will be merged into Southern China Steel Group, said the people, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential. The ... Heartbreaking family update after mother-of-six was killed in horror crash Hannah Fraser's father and stepmother are trying to make it from the United Kingdom to Australia in time for their daughter's funeral. Firefighter unions latest message to Andrews Government More than a hundred fire trucks in Victoria will carry pointed messages about the Andrews Government as part of a union campaign in the lead up to next month's state election. Family of Aboriginal teen who died in apparent suicide after sexual abuse back calls for inquiry Police believe 15-year-old Layla Leering took her own life after being raped in the Northern Territory community of Bulla in 2015. Duttons declaration to voters amid Labors big mess The Opposition Leader said the Prime Minister "might write me off" but he believes Australians will vote the Coalition back into power in 2025 to clean up "the big mess" Labor will leave behind. The future of produce is ugly. Twisted, blemished, mutated and deformed, to be specific. Thats because an increasing number of grocery chains and crop-sharing services have begun stocking and distributing fruits and vegetables once deemed unfit for sale based solely on appearance. To be clear, these goods arent damaged or rotten or distasteful. If a chef chopped them up and served them in a souffle, most would never know the difference. Their banishment from shelves was purely produce prejudice. In recent years, a small number of eco-conscious consumers have begun buying imperfect produce, often at discounted prices, in an effort to chip away at the planets staggering level of food waste. Now, the buy-ugly movement has been thrust into the mainstream. Walmart, the nations largest grocer with more than 4,000 produce-selling stores, announced recently it would sell less-than-pretty apples in 300 stores across Florida. This builds on an ugly-potato program the retail behemoth launched in Britain earlier this year. Walmarts program is a result of working with our suppliers to build the infrastructure and processes that create a new home for perfectly imperfect produce, Shawn Baldwin, Walmarts senior vice president for global food sourcing, produce and floral, wrote on the companys blog. Because ugly produce can occur unexpectedly in any growing season or crop, we want to have the systems in place to offer this type of produce whenever it may occur. Walmart is hardly alone in its embrace of ugly fruits and vegetables. Whole Foods has sold similar goods in the past. But getting U.S. consumers to buy flawed produce has not been easy. Shoppers, particularly Americans, have long fixated on food with visual appeal in addition to (or instead of) nutritional value. European shoppers, by contrast, have been pioneers in food conservation and buying ugly. Britain has conducted a Love Food Hate Waste campaign since at least 2007, and the European Union has pledged to cut its food waste in half over the next decade. Winning acceptance for ugly produce is just one tactic being pursued in Europe to meet that goal. Our vanity contributes to Americas waste epidemic. No matter how you slice it, the United States throws away tons of edible food every year. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates 40 percent of food grown and produced in the United States each year goes uneaten. More fruit and vegetables are wasted than any other food category, with 52 percent being lost rather than consumed. There are many factors that lead to this waste. Some food may simply spoil before its sold or fail to meet standards set by the Agriculture Department for consumable goods sold in the United States. Retailers also have guidelines for produce they are willing to shelve, and those guidelines are often more stringent than the government regulations. For its part, the food industry has made efforts to eliminate some of this waste by selling misshapen produce as ingredients in other foods, said Kathy Means, vice president of industry relations at the Produce Marketing Association. Strawberries may be mashed into jam, for example. Baby-cut carrots were invented in 1986 as a way to repurpose full-size carrots that werent considered grocery-store caliber. It still is a huge challenge to get people to understand that ugly fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine to eat, and that its good for our planet, said Evan Lutz, the chief executive of Hungry Harvest. Founded in 2014, the company makes weekly shipments of store-rejected produce to homes around the Mid-Atlantic. CEDAR FALLS A major furniture warehouse and retail store are coming to Cedar Falls. The City Council on Monday approved a development agreement for Furniture Mart USA of Sioux Falls, S.D., to build a 150,000-square-foot, $6 million warehouse on 18 acres of land west of the Target Distribution Center perishable foods warehouse at the corner of Venture Way and Production Drive in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park. Furniture Mart USA also plans to build a 25,000-square-foot, $1.6 million Ashley Furniture Homestore retail store at a to-be-determined location in the city. Company officials said negotiations are in process, but they anticipate constructing a new building. The two buildings combined would employ about 60 people, company officials said. They hope to complete the warehouse project in the first quarter of 2017 with the retail store to follow. Furniture Mart USA is the sole licensee for Ashley Furniture in Iowa, and officials said both projects fit in with plans for a major expansion in the state. Were really excited, said Jim Heinitz, CEO of the Furniture Mart USA. Bill Hinks, company founder and board chairman, said, The more we looked at Cedar Falls and looked at the growth and the forward thinking of the (city) staff here, we just felt we wanted to be part of Cedar Falls, and were very happy were going to come here. Its a very centrally located spot for us for a warehouse operation. Were building a store in Dubuque right now, Heinitz noted. Well be able to go to Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and were looking at Mason City. The Cedar Rapids store opened in 2014. Company officials said they are very active in store site negotiations. This is a major, major project for us, said Bob Seymour, interim Cedar Falls community services manager. City and Greater Cedar Valley Alliance staff worked on the project the past couple of months. The development agreement the council approved Monday calls for a five-year graduated property tax abatement with 75 percent of the building valuation exempt from taxation the first year, decreasing by increments of 15 percent until the full valuation is on the tax rolls. About $432,000 in taxes would be abated over the five years and $528,000 paid. Annual property taxes are estimated at about $192,000 per year. City staff said no city incentives are being offered for the retail store. DES MOINES (AP) An Ankeny man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for possession of child pornography and attempting to kidnap the children of a federal prosecutor. Court documents say 35-year-old Aaron Lawrence Storm reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Des Moines in which he admitted to having cell phone video clips of child pornography. Storm also admits he placed phone calls in July and August 2015 from jail in which he tried to negotiate a deal with a cellmate and an outside contact, which was an undercover officer, to have the children of the U.S. attorney prosecuting his child pornography case kidnapped. After prison Storm must be supervised by a parole officer for 15 years and register as a sex offender. WATERLOO A ranking Waterloo police officer has been changed in connection with a June road rage incident. Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint for a charge of assault causing bodily injury against Corbin Allen Payne. Payne, 45, is a lieutenant with the Waterloo Police Department and has been in charge of the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force. The charge, a misdemeanor, stems from a June 12 road rage incident that happened while he was off-duty in Waterloo. Payne had been a passenger in a vehicle, and he accused another driver of cutting him off. He struck the other vehicle and grabbed the driver. When Waterloo police who were on duty learned of the incident, they handed the matter over to the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office for investigation, which is a standard move with allegations involving police officers, said Police Chief Daniel Trelka. Trelka commended the officers for their professionalism in bringing another agency on board to investigate. The case was turned over to the Dubuque County Attorneys Office for prosecution. An initial court appearance for Payne is scheduled for Aug. 16. Payne was placed on desk duty after the incident. On Friday, when Waterloo police learned charges were forthcoming, Payne was placed on paid administrative leave, Trelka said. He said the police department is running its own internal affairs investigation into the matter. DES MOINES Gov. Terry Branstad said while the state is taking the Zika virus seriously, he thinks the mosquito-borne virus, which has spread from South America and is now showing up in Florida, is not a direct threat to Iowans. We do need to take the Zika virus seriously. Our Department of Public Health is keeping us informed, Branstad said Monday. We dont think there is a direct threat from mosquitos in Iowa today. Floridas governor on Monday requested emergency federal assistance after 10 new cases were reported there, according to the Miami Herald. The cases in Florida are believed to be the first in which the disease was transmitted by a mosquito in the U.S. Previous cases of infection in the U.S. were found in people who had traveled to high-impact regions in South and Central America. Lawsuit settled The State Appeal Board voted 3-0 Monday to approve a $950,000 judgment to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Family members of Rollin Hoffert alleged in the wrongful death claim filed in Johnson County District Court that pertinent information was not given to the stroke team and failure to recognize signs and symptoms of a stroke which led to the ultimate demise of Hoffert, according to board documents. Under the agreement, Hofferts estate would receive $450,000 from the states general fund and the University of Iowa Physicians organization would pay $500,000 to settle the lawsuit, according to the Iowa Attorney Generals Office. Arts summit About 300 of Iowas cultural art leaders, professionals and advocates are slated to gather Friday for this years day-long Iowa Arts Summit in Des Moines. Gov. Terry Branstad said the annual event is important because it celebrates Iowas creative energy and its impact on the states cultural legacy. The 2016 Iowa Arts Summit is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines and offers breakout sessions, presentations, and insights from Iowas most creative minds about transforming communities through the arts.Standard registration is $50 per person and $35 for artists and students. More information and registration is available at www.iowaculture.gov or (515) 281-5111. CEDAR FALLS It had been eight months since Jim Skaine attended a Cedar Falls City Council meeting. He was there Monday, but not for long. Police physically removed Skaine from the chambers after Mayor Jim Brown ruled him out of order three times at the outset of the meeting. Skaine spent the rest of the meeting in the outside hallway in the presence of an officer, though police said he was not in custody. He was not arrested. Skaine, a retired University of Northern Iowa professor and frequent council speaker and critic of city business, rose at the beginning of the meeting shortly before the minutes of the previous council meeting were approved. Skaine said he had a question. Brown gaveled him out of order. Its in order to ask a question, Skaine said. Mr. Skaine, please have a seat, Brown said. You are out of order. No, Im not out of order; Im not out of order to ask a question, Skaine said. No sir, Brown said. There is ample time throughout the meeting. No, no, no, Skaine protested. Sir, if youre called out of order one more time I will asked you to be removed. Oh removed! Removed! The councils going to remove me? Brown called a recess, during which the cable television cameras ceased airing the meeting, he said, to avoid a potential spectacle. One prerogative given to the mayor is to call for a recess in maintaining order in the council chambers, Brown said. Its what Cedar Falls residents expect. I also believe they expect to have a meeting with a high level of decorum professionalism, courteousness and respect. As Skaine continued to protest not being allowed to speak, Brown asked him to remove himself. Skaine refused and Brown, regretfully, he said, ordered him removed. Are you saying freedom of speech is no longer here? Skaine said, adding later Youre not going to remove me. This is a public meeting. Public Safety Director Jeff Olson, also chief of police, approached Skaine at the podium and asked him to leave, telling him it was not an appropriate time to ask the question. Skaine sat down in his chair, refusing to leave. Olson told Skaine he could be arrested. Skaine threatened to sue for false arrest. Assistant Police Chief Craig Berte came to Olsons assistance, and they took Skaine by either arm and walked him out of the council chambers. Did you think this was going to happen in Cedar Falls, Iowa? Skaine asked as he was walked out of the chamber. Outside, Skaine said he was going to ask city officials to verify the time duration of the previous council meeting. He noted the meeting lasted 32 minutes with a four-page agenda. He said additions or corrections to the minutes are typically discussed at that time. Skaine said he realized discretion was the better part of valor and he could have sat down, but he believed the mayor was wrong. Brown, told of Skaines question after the council meeting, said the question would have been germane but Skaine, once ruled out of order, should have waited until the public forum portion of the council meeting at the end of the meeting to raise it. Q: When Herman Lenz sends a letter to the editor complaining about seat belt laws, do you always print them? Is it necessary to print them since it seems there arent very many people in the area who dont already know how he feels about the seat belt laws? A: Herman is under the same guidelines as everyone else. People must wait 21 days between letters. Q. How many movies did Vincent Price make? A. He made more than 100 movies; his list of credits also include many TV appearances and voiceover work as well. Q: What does RAGBRAI stand for? A: It stands for Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Q: What is a good website to check on reliable charity donations? A: Here are a few to use: www.bbb.org/us/charity, from the Better Business Bureau; www.charitywatchorg, run by the American Institute for Philanthropy; or Charity Navigator at www.charitynavigator.org. Q: Who is the young boy who stands in front of Donald Trump? A: Were not sure which photo or event youre asking about. Trump does have a 10-year-old son, Barron, who has appeared with him in photos recently. Q: Can you list all the general practitioners and their phone numbers that are practicing with Covenant Clinic? A: There are too many to list here. You can check the different doctors and their locations at www.wheatoniowa.org, or call the patient engagement number at 272-2600. Q: Have the Dex books been delivered yet this year? A: A Dex representative told us the books would be printed in August this year and to look for them then. Q: What are the religions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? A: Trump has said in interviews he is a Christian and used to attend a Presbyterian church in Queens, N.Y. Clinton is a long-time Methodist. Q: What is the website for the sex offender registry? Q: Why didnt The Courier cover the consignment store July 23 on West Third and Sullivan that was offering free lemonade, hot dogs and had a band. People were sitting there with lawn chairs and children were dancing. Why didnt The Courier show this along with pictures instead of only shootings? A: We werent made aware of the event. We did take pictures and attend a community public relations event that day between the police and community. Q: A recent brief on the death of Judge Harold Vietor stated he was a native of Parkersburg. Is that correct? I thought he was from Ackley. A: According to his obituary, Harold Vietor was born Dec. 29, 1931, in Parkersburg. His family moved to Ackley when he was 3, and he grew up there. Q: What is the difference between a presidents list and deans list for college students? A: It depends on the college or university. 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05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) New York approves Clean Energy Standard 02 August 2016 Share The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has formally approved a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that explicitly recognises the zero-carbon contribution of nuclear power plants and will help ensure their continued operation as it strives to reach ambitious clean energy goals. Supporters of the CES celebrate its approval (Image: Environmental Progress) Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the PSC's approval of the standard, which will require 50% of New York's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, as "the most comprehensive and ambitious clean energy mandate in the state's history". The CES explicitly recognises the carbon-free generation provided by New York's upstate nuclear power plants - two units at Nine Mile Point and single units at RE Ginna and James A Fitzpatrick - as critical in enabling it to meet its climate change targets. However, the plants' continued operation had been at risk because of the economic challenges from the short-term nature of the deregulated market they operate in and competition from low-cost gas and federally subsidized wind power. Under the standard, the state's investor-owned utilities and other energy suppliers will be required to purchase Zero-Emission Credits to pay for "the intrinsic value of carbon-free emissions from nuclear power plants". This will allow the so-called upstate nuclear plants to remain in operation during the state's transition period. The publicly owned New York Power Authority and Long Island Power Authority are also expected to adopt the same requirements. The CES will enforce the development of renewable energy capacity by requiring energy suppliers to obtain Renewal Energy Credits, which will be paid to developers to help finance such development. Other directives included in the CES decision include the development of a "New York-certified clean electric product", giving consumers the ability to purchase "100% clean power" should they wish to; support for the expansion of energy efficiency measures; a "blueprint" for offshore wind energy; and commitments to pursue developments and investments in storage, transmission and other technologies. Triennial reviews will be performed to ensure economic and clean energy goals are being achieved. "New York has taken bold action to become a national leader in the clean energy economy and is taking concrete, cost-effective steps today to safeguard this state's environment for decades to come," Cuomo said. "This Clean Energy Standard shows you can generate the power necessary for supporting the modern economy while combatting climate change." Exelon investments Exelon, operator of Ginna and Nine Mile Point, confirmed that it intends to reinvest about $200 million in the plants early next year now that the CES has been approved. It also said that negotiations on a potential purchase of Fitzpatrick from Entergy will now be able to continue, providing an opportunity to keep the boiling water reactor in operation. Entergy has previously announced plans to close Fitzpatrick, which is licensed to operate until 2034, in January 2017. Without the CES, Ginna and Nine Mile Point would have been at risk of closure, the company said. "Today is a historic day for New York and the energy industry, and we applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo and his Administration for their leadership," said Exelon CEO Chris Crane. "Approval of the Clean Energy Standard makes New York a true leader in terms of support for zero-emissions energy, including both renewables and nuclear power." The Washington, DC-based Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) welcomed the New York CES as "visionary", establishing an important precedent for carbon reduction efforts at the state policy level. "Gov Cuomo and the Public Service Commission correctly acknowledge nuclear power plants as indispensable sources of emissions-free power, meriting explicit valuation by the state as a clean energy source. Other states should strongly consider emulating New Yorks new energy standard," NEI CEO Marv Fertel said. "Reactors elsewhere in the country are under financial stress today, because their attributes are not fully valued while at the same time natural gas prices are at historic lows and renewable energy sources are subsidized via tax credits and/or mandated additions of wind and solar capacity. Policymakers and leaders in other states should closely review New Yorks Clean Energy Standard and work expeditiously to enact comparable policies that preserve these vital clean energy assets," he added. More to do Climate scientist James Hansen, of Columbia University, was among those who endorsed the PSC's decision, describing it as "an important victory" to protect New York's nuclear power plants. "Doing the right thing is sometimes controversial, and that was the case here," he said, adding that Cuomo and the PSC's commission was "an act of courage, putting the common good ahead of public expediency". "California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio and other states around the nation should take notice of what real climate action looks like," he said. Mike Shellenberger, head of the Environmental Progress environmental research and policy organisation, said the New York initiative should be "an inspiration" to environmentalists and workers fighting to save at-risk nuclear plants in Illinois, California and elsewhere. At the same time, he said, the measure "still discrimates against nuclear" by not including it in longer term clean-energy mandates. "If New York included nuclear in an expanded goal, it could come much closer to 100% clean power in 2030 and beyond," he said, noting that renewables would still receive more in subsidies than nuclear under the CES. "While we thank Governor Cuomo and the Public Service Commissioners for a positive step forward, environmentalists concerned about the climate should recognise this as a temporary victory," said Shellenberger. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics 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. We love the idea of helping to renovate Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground, which has become such an important community gathering place. CHICAGO, IL, August 02, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nando's PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, hatches its newest Chicago-area restaurant on Sunday August 7th in Streeterville. The new restaurant, at 227 E. Ontario Street, is just blocks from the Magnificent Mile. On opening day, Sunday Aug. 7th, Nando's will donate 100 percent of sales to help renovate the popular Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground in Streeterville. "When a new Nando's opens, we like to be good neighbors by partnering with local non-profits to help the community," said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando's PERi-PERi USA. "We love the idea of helping to renovate Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground, which has become such an important community gathering place." Since opening in Chicago in spring 2015, Nando's has raised more than $100,000 for local non-profits. "We are delighted to have a Nando's in our neighborhood and we so appreciate their commitment to improving this important public space," said Marc Schulman, who was the chairman of the campaign in 1990 to create the playground and rebuild Seneca Park in honor of his father, the late Eli M. Schulman, a well-known restaurateur who was active in promoting Chicago and helping youth. Eight Chicago Restaurants....and Counting Nando's moved to Chicago last year and has quickly opened restaurants throughout the city and suburbs. On July 24, it unveiled a new location in the Roosevelt Collection. Nando's eighth addition to the Windy City is located just off N. St. Clair Street at 227 E. Ontario in Streeterville. Nando's has built an intensely loyal following, from London to the Loop, by providing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service. Nando's is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer's preferred flavor and spice. Every Nando's is painstakingly designed and completely unique, with earthy textures and bright colors that reflect its sunny African-Portuguese heritage. With thousands of pieces of original works of art that are a constant reminder of where the restaurant came from, Nando's has become the largest collector of South African contemporary art in the world. 227 E. Ontario Street In Streeterville, Nando's has transformed a former U.S. Post Office into a colorful and inviting destination. An over-sized mural by South African painter John Murray adds vibrant pinks and reds to the main dining room wall. In the United States alone, there are more than 700 pieces of original African art in Nando's restaurants. About Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground Located just east of Chicago's venerable pumping station, Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground provide a quiet oasis from bustling Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile. Located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue in Streeterville, the park features a lawn with shaded walkways and a whimsical playground beloved by Chicago families and visitors. For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/SenecaParkAndEliSchulmanPlayground/ WHAT: Grand Opening of the new Nando's in Streeterville, with 100 percent of opening day sales (excluding alcohol) donated to Seneca Park and the Eli M. Schulman Playground WHEN: Sunday, August 7, starting at 11am. Regular restaurant hours are 11am - 10pm, with weekend hours extending until 11pm WHERE: Nando's PERi-PERi, 227 E. Ontario Street, Chicago About Nando's PERi-PERi The first Nando's restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando's flame has spread to 23 countries on five continents. Nando's is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer's preferred flavor and spice. It's equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird's Eye chili pepper that indigenous Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago. Nando's PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 with the opening of its first location in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC. Nando's PERi-PERi now operates more than 30 restaurants in and around Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando's PERi-PERi USA on Facebook. # # # Aug 2, 2016 | By Tess While most signs seems to point towards the integration of automated technologies like 3D printing into manufacturing businesses, there are some regions and business sectors which are not feeling the enthusiasm of the bourgeoning technologies. As a report published by French multinational insurance firm AXA shows, many small businesses and firms within the United Kingdom are actually skeptical and reluctant about new technologies like 3D printing, robotics, smart homes, and driverless cars. The findings come from a survey of small business owners across the UK (category 1-9 employees). AXA asked them if they could foresee themselves using various types of technology in their own businesses in the future. The finding on 3D printing was very interesting. "Businesses were also highly sceptical when it comes to 3D printing," writes AXA in their report. In fact, even after the unveiling of a 3D printed house in China last month and a number of other innovative advancements within the field of 3D printing, AXA reported that only 2% of British tradesmen foresaw similar technologies being adopted in their businesses within their lifetime. On a larger scale, a staggering 83% of small business owners said that tech like 3D printing and robots would likely never be integrated into their businesses within the next few decades. Within that scope, businesses within the construction and hairdressing industries were most reluctant about the integration of robotics. It was not just 3D printing and robotic technologies that faced questioning, however, as only 20% of small businesses interviewed said they would be using the Cloud in upcoming years, and only 6% were cited as expecting to integrate smart technologies. Driverless cars, which are set to hit UK roads as early as 2020, have an equally low resonance, as just eight per cent of business owners expect they will drive one. Currently, more than 40% of small UK businesses surveyed still do not have websites, though most of them are planning to up their online presences within the next year. 83% of business owners said that robots would never be able to work in their companies, even in decades to come. Professor Martin Smith, a prominent academic in the field of robotics, explained the ambivalence and illuminated how next-generation technologies could more seamlessly be brought into sectors like construction. He explains, Robots certainly wont be replacing tradesmen any time soon. Thats because a building project, say an extension, requires a complex level of multi-tasking that no robot can currently achieve. They could make excellent assistants to tradesmen, however. Robots can and do operate machinery, drive cars, and are even capable of bricklaying to a higher degree of accuracy than a human. (Check out this brick-laying 3D printer for proof!) In response to the overwhelming disinclination towards new technologies like 3D printing and robotics, AXA has cautioned UK small businesses that skipping out on new advancements could lead to them missing out on a significant competitive edge. Darrel Sansom, managing director at AXA Business Insurance, explained, We work closely with start ups in the UKs tech sector, and there is no doubt that these visionary thinkers are leading the world. What wed really like to see is this excitement and digital ambition reaching other sectors of the economy too. Sansom continued to explain that AXA believes technologies like 3D printing, smart homes, AI, and driverless cars will ultimately be integrated and impact the currently reluctant small business sector. Those who grab the opportunities first could profit enormously over the coming decades, he concluded. Whether his predictions will come to fruition remains to be seen, but there is little question that revolutionary technologies like 3D printing, robotics, and smart devices will continue to permeate through a growing variety of industries and sectors and become increasingly viable (and more convincing) the more they continue to progress and develop. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: Aug 2, 2016 | By Alec The unfortunate reality of any technological breakthrough is that it can often be used for criminal purposes as well. 3D printing is no exception, as a recent crime wave in international harbors involving 3D printed fake locks has shown. But even hackers or spies can use 3D printing to their advantage, according to numerous specialists. Among others, they could intentionally incorporate small defects into 3D printable designs to maliciously reduce durability or reliability a serious problem as more and more engine parts are also being 3D printed. But the solution could be simple, as researchers from the University of North Dakota (UND) have revealed. They are working on an image analysis system for the assessment of the 3D printing process, relying on a sensor setup that acts like a 3D scanner. UND researcher Jeremy Straub, who has been working on this solution for some time, revealed that this project was initially focused on detecting defects caused by equipment malfunctions, though it can play an important role in preventing malicious attacks as well. Last year, the initial study already resulted in a publication in the journal Machines, entitled Initial Work on the Characterization of Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Using Software Image Analysis. And as Straub explains, the core of the problem can be found in 3D printing technology itself. Virtually all 3D printing systems lack the ability to assess the quality of the products they make many desktop 3D printers even continue their processes even when filament has ran out. They also cannot identify defects, which require manual intervention or may render the object unsuitable for use, Straub wrote. That is unfortunate, because early defect detection could make 3D printing more streamlined, reliable and attractive. In their initial project, the UND team therefore built an experimental setup using a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer and five camera units made from a Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi camera. When combined with image processing software, they assessed printing progress (thus detecting completion failure defects) and quality. The camera units themselves acted like a budget 3D scanner, collecting image data that was stitched together and compared to the 3D model. The data itself was collected by stopping the printing process at numerous points. During that time, the printer was put in sleep mode, which moved the printing plate to its standard position. While not foolproof, it was certainly effective in assessing standard printing quality. In fact, they found that standard tests can be performed with just limited computational resources, without greatly increasing costs or time spent on 3D printing. The results were even promising enough to convince the team to commercialize a more intricate version, with the help of a North Dakota Department of Commerce Venture Grant. Among others, the UND team is looking at identifying and characterizing multiple forms defects, such as structural design flaws. This would certainly make it possible to identify hacked designs. An independent detection system, using a model of the expected output as a baseline, would be able to identify defects created by maloperation as well as maliciously introduced ones, Straub argued. The level of separation that is practically required will depend on the severity of the impact of a defect, the likelihood of attack and what other countermeasures are in place to prevent or mitigate such an attack. While that improved system would be dependent on the resolution of the sensors, it could be used with any position-correlated pixel-based sensing technology. This means that, theoretically, even microscopic details could be analyzed, depending on the application of the 3D printed part. Among others, the system should also be able to identify positioning issues and other problems that affect expected 3D printing results. While it will doubtlessly require a very intricate algorithm, this UND system could greatly improve overall 3D printing quality making it so much more appealing for existing industries. Posted in 3D Software Maybe you also like: Aug 2, 2016 | By Alec Russia has clearly become fully committed to bringing 3D printing to their aerospace industry. Just over the last few months, 3D printing has already made a huge impact on various space-bound research projects in Russia. Among others, the Russian-made 3D printed microsatellite Tomsk-TPU-120 was launched into space in late March, while a Russian carbon 3D printer that can build satellites aboard the ISS is under development. To add fuel to that fire, Russias United Rocket and Space Corporation (URSC) has just signed an agreement with 3D Bioprinting Solutions for the development of a magnetic zero-gravity 3D bioprinter which is scheduled to be taken into operation aboard the ISS by 2018. This is great news for all fans of space exploration, for zero-gravity 3D printing could play a huge role in that process. In a nutshell, it could be a solution for one of the most significant obstacles faced by the Mission to Mars: the immense costs involved. Sending necessary supplies into space is extremely expensive, but those costs could be significantly reduced if you only have to send up a few basic materials that are used for on-demand 3D printing. It will, scientists agree, facilitate deeper space exploration through efficiency and flexibility. That is exactly why European, Chinese and American space programs have been working on zero-gravity 3D printing. Right now, Made in Spaces second generation zero-gravity 3D printer is already in operation in the ISS. While the Russians have not yet replicated these zero-gravity 3D printing successes, the URSC is already looking even further with this new 3D bioprinter agreement. The URSC is actually part of the Roscosmos state corporation, and was founded in 2013 to reinvigorate and renationalize the domestic aerospace industry. 3D Bioprinting Solutions, meanwhile, is a Russian startup based in the Skolkovo Innovation Center the HQ of Russias biggest innovators. This startup already revealed their first 3D bioprinter back in 2014. Together, they will be working on an ambitious project: to develop a magnetic 3D bioprinter that will enable tissue and organ construction in space. While the Mars-bound astronauts could doubtlessly benefit from such medical innovations, the URSC is initially focusing on a completely different application: to monitor the effects of cosmic radiation on human tissue during prolonged stays in space, with the intention of developing preventive countermeasures. This important tool will be developed by a team headed by Vladimir Mironov, the scientific director of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, and is scheduled to be launched into space by 2018. Various other Russian corporations will also be involved in the 3D printers development and testing. When announcing the new partnership, the URSCs Director General Yuri Vlasov called the endeavor one more step towards human exploration of other planets. The ability to create organs during manned missions in deep space will support a new era of the space exploration, the Director General said. But this new project could also affect medical procedures here on Earth, 3D Bioprinting Solutions Youssef Hesuani argued. Its a unique opportunity, he said, to pursue new approaches and techniques in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Whats more, 3D Bioprinting Solutions believes that their technology could speed up the development of artificial human tissue and organs. If successful, this Russian project could thus have a huge impact here on Earth and beyond it. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Aug 2, 2016 | By Alec While Dubai is keen to become a 3D printing world leader with their Dubai 3D Printing Strategy, they are by no means the only Middle Eastern nation to look into this technology. Last week a delegation of Chinese WinSun officials traveled to Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to discuss construction 3D printing. Among others, the Chinese construction 3D printing pioneers were invited to 3D print up to 1.5 million housing units over the next five years. WinSun is the company that made construction 3D printing a practical reality. Back in 2014, the Shanghai-based company created headlines all over the internet for building not one, but ten 3D printed houses in less than 24 hours. Since then, Shanghai WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co., to give its full name, has been building on that initial achievement with one 3D printed concrete creation after another. Back in March, they even unveiled two gorgeous 3D printed Chinese courtyards. Through this new collaboration with the Saudi government, the Chinese pioneers are now thus about to bring their expertise to the real world. Just last week, WinSun Chairman Ma Yihe and Vice President Liu Wenmin arrived in Riyadh, where they were warmly welcomed by Dr. Bander B. Al-Abdulkarim and Nawaf M. Al-Dahmash, officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Department of Housing. Imad Al Abdul Qader, Director of Marketing at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, was also present alongside other senior leaders from the domestic real estate industry. During their meeting, the Saudi officials revealed that they strongly believed in the future of 3D printing. Chairman Ma Yihe introduced their custom housing 3D printing technology to the Saudi officials, who praised its quality. The officials further revealed that they believe that WinSuns technology perfectly aligns with Saudi Arabias national policy to greatly expand the number of available houses. The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Housing and the General Investment Authority therefore warmly invited Ma and WinSun to set up a construction 3D printing factory in the Middle Eastern country. Whats more, the Ministry of Housing proposed that WinSuns 3D printing technology will be used to build a staggering 1.5 million housing units over the next five years. The two sides held friendly and optimistic consultations about these proposals. If realized, this could become the biggest 3D printing endeavor the world has ever seen. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: MudHut wrote at 12/3/2017 5:13:20 AM:Drops track housing to a whole new low!Henry wrote at 8/4/2016 8:52:18 PM:Links are broken. This weekend, Outside Lands heads to Golden Gate Park, bringing you not only world class headliners like Radiohead, J Cole, and Lana del Rey, but also delicious food and drink from some of the Bay Area's top restaurants. As Ari Feingold, the festival's food curator recently declared, "Outside Lands is the greatest combination of food and music the world has ever known." And we have to agree. The fest sold out weeks ago, but if you're among the 200,000 people who scored passes, don't miss put on these culinary pleasures this weekend. Nombe's ramen burger was a crowd pleaser at Outside Lands 2015. (Cal Bingham) A Taste of the Bay Area This year, festival-goers can graze among 80 local restaurants, food trucks, and grub carts, including several from The San Francisco Chronicle's "Top 100 Restaurants of 2016." Newcomers to the fest include Bini's Kitchen, which will be serving up savory momos (a South Asian dumpling), and Belcampo Meat Co., which will be grilling their famous double Fast Burgers trimmed with pickled goat horn chiles. Four Barrel will have nitro cold brew on tap, and if you've been meaning to try Trestle, sign up for one of their Forest Feasts, a four-course, prix-fixe, sit-down dinner on festival grounds. Beer Lands Dave McLean, owner of Magnolia Brewing Company, selected 28 craft breweries for this year's Beer Lands, including new SF Brewers Guild members Harmonic Brewing and Barebottle Brewing. Returning fest favorites include 21st Amendment, Almanac, Calicraft, Local Brewing, and Lost Coast. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will also be pouring their special festival brew, Outside Lands Saison. Wine Lands This year's Wine Lands is the largest yet, with 40 regional wineries (including 12 newcomers!) pouring more than 120 varietals. Two of the Russian River Valley's most respected vineyards, Alysian and Thomas George Estates, will make their Wine Lands debut, as are prized wineries Raymond,True Myth, Georges Duboeuf, and Bonterra. Returning vineyards include Scharffenberger Cellars, Turley, Ridge, Banshee, and Claypool Cellars. Cheese Lands Conveniently located next to Wine Lands, Cheese Lands has topped its normal offerings of cheese, bread, and charcuterie by making Swiss Raclette onsite and serving it over Rustic Bakery Sea Salt Squares with cornichons and lardons to create the most decadent nachos ever. Outside Clams New to Outside Lands, this crustacean-filled zone is hosted by Woodhouse Fish Co. Outside Clams will offer raw and barbecued Tomales Bay oysters, lobster rolls, and clam chowder. La Urbana's porchetta tacoswe'll take ten. (Courtesy of La Urbana) Cocktail Magic Cocktail Magic, a new area that mixes cocktail wizardry with literal magicians, makes its West Coast debut this year. Five of the Bay Area's top barsTrick Dog, Prizefighter,Forgery, 15 Romolo, and Elixirwill be creating two cocktails each alongside the mind-blowing magicians. Choices may range from Mango Mojitos to Sleepy Jeans to Kentucky Highballs to Minty Tens. All of which sound equally delicious... and mysterious. Gastromagic Gatromagic is Outside Lands one-of-a-kind stage devoted to an entertaining mash-up of food, cocktails, comedy, music, and magic. Hosted by Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb, this year's festivities include the return of Big Freedia (a.k.a. the Queen of Bounce) who will be serving free beignets to the best twerkers in the crowd. On Sunday's bill, Padrecito will host Sunday Bloody Mary Sunday, where you can sip four variations of the brunch-time classic while Zoo Station, San Francisco's U2 cover band, will play your favorite tunes. Other Lands Thorpe suggests that everyone, regardless of age, should have an advance medical directive, which also includes a living will, a written expression of how you want to be treated in certain medical circumstances. It can be done by a lawyer or downloaded from the web. However, Thorpe warns, these documents are "only as solid as the paper they are written on, and if your child isn't carrying them at the time of an accident, then they are of no immediate use." As a backup, Thorpe and her family all have an ICE (in case of emergency) app on their smartphones that allows access to name, emergency contact and other information, without having to use a password. Older millennials without a partner also should consider having these various documents and a passwords list in place. Explain to them that you're not trying to interfere in their lives but rather trying to plan for the worst. That was the situation last November when writer Janie Emaus drove her 30-something daughter to a Los Angeles hospital for knee surgery. Emaus was surprised when her adult child gave her the password to her phone. Like many millennials, her life was on the phone family photos, passwords, personal notes for her children and she wanted her mom to have access to them in case something happened. The incident inspired Emaus, who handles financial affairs for her elderly mother, to organize her own handwritten lists of passwords that she shared with her sister. She's now working on compiling what the Wall Street Journal called "the doomsday list" of passwords with critical personal information for herself and her husband to share with their adult children in case of emergency. Beyond passwords and permissions, it's also good to have the cellphone numbers of some of your adult child's close friends. Cupo did and was able to contact one of her son's friends who could get to the hospital immediately. "My son had a friendly face in the room with him, and she was able to relay information to us while we were driving there." Mary W. Quigley, a journalist and author, has written two books about motherhood and work. A New York University journalism professor, she is the mother of three adult children and blogs at Mothering21. In calls taped by Radinsky's office, Merit salespeople revealed how they steered buyers into collectible coins. The commission structure encouraged this, says Thomas. "Someone wants to buy $10,000 worth of gold. If I sell them bullion, I make $50. If I switch them to supposedly rare and more valuable numismatic coins, I make $1,000. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where to lead customers." The 1 percent markup Merit advertised applied to bullion only. Internal pricing sheets provided to prosecutors show that the difference between the "bid" (what Merit told employees it paid for coins) and "ask" (selling) prices was about 33 percent. Cestero dismisses this account. "A lot of people can claim to be a former employee," he says. "What he is saying is absolutely false. All salespeople were instructed to sell bullion and as much bullion as they possibly could." Radinsky's analysis of Merit's sales suggests otherwise. The prosecutor estimates that about 97 percent of the company's gross profits over four years came from coin sales, not bullion. So steep was the company's markup, says Thomas, that even those who bought gold while prices were on the rise would be unable to recoup their purchase price. "I never saw one client profit from their purchase. No one made a penny except the companies I worked for." In his 40-something years as a coin dealer, Michael Fuljenz has heard a lot of stories about deception and high-pressure tactics. But he insists that only a small percentage of sellers are unscrupulous. "Some new buyers don't know what to look for," says Fuljenz, who owns Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, and consults for three other companies. "They want to dabble in [gold], but they don't know how. And they tend to look at all coin dealers as being similar. They are not." Counterfeit coins and free appraisals Markups aren't the only way to lose big by buying coins, he adds. Consumers can be fleeced by dealers selling counterfeit coins that contain only a fraction of gold or silver content, for example, or by dealers who simply take buyers' money and don't deliver the coins. In June, the FTC charged California-based Discount Gold Brokers, which advertised on national media outlets such as CNN and Fox News, with ripping off millions of dollars from customers who allegedly never received their orders. Fuljenz also warns of scams targeting those trying to sell their coins, such as "hotel buyers" itinerant dealers who set up in hotels, buying up coins at reduced prices and then moving on before the deception is detected. Others offer "free appraisals," he says: "They pick up their coins, then you never hear from them again." All this activity goes on in a lightly policed regulatory environment. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 gave the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission jurisdiction to prosecute firms that sell interests in precious metals to investors through financed arrangements, but the law doesn't cover dealers who sell physical coins or bars at full price. And with financed sales, the law excepts dealers who deliver the physical metal within 28 days of purchase a loophole that means no one agency has specific jurisdiction over the physical precious metals industry. "Until additional laws are passed to regulate these guys, these practices will continue," says Radinsky. "It's like the Wild West out there when it comes to coin sales." But the industry has resisted efforts to tighten regulations. "It hurts the honest dealers," says Kathy McFadden, executive director of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, which represents dealers of rare coins, paper money and precious metals. "To the people who are not on the up and up, it doesn't matter how much legislation or regulation you put in. They are going to wiggle their way around it." In other words: Buyer beware. "Consumers need to do their due diligence," she says, "just as they would if buying a car or asking a contractor to come into their home. There is no difference." To limit risk, most financial advisers who think precious metals help diversify a portfolio say that the most you should invest is 5 percent of your holdings. Many also suggest buying shares in an exchange-traded fund that tracks the price of gold, allowing investors to avoid paying for the shipping and storage of gold in coins or bullion. South Brown, Marshall-Brown conservation districts seek merger The South Brown and Marshall-Brown conservation districts want to merge. Voters have the final say on Nov. 8. Strategic Elements to Escalate Project Development Perth, Aug 2, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - ASX listed Strategic Elements ( ASX:SOR ) is pleased to provide an update to the market on its plans to escalate the development of its investee projects and expand its technology portfolio. The Company has performed strongly over the past 12 months and this combined with a low fixed cost structure has led to a strong current cash position of approximately $7.2M. The Company is appreciative of the overwhelmingly positive feedback it has recently received from a large number of shareholders. Appropriately, the recent capital raising necessitated a review of strategy to progress (a) the Nanocube technology (b) existing resources projects and (c) additional acquisitions. Managing Director, Charles Murphy said, "Sometimes, it really pays to seek out smart, industry experienced people to assist you. We have received terrific feedback which has focused development on certain aspects of the technology. The process of stepping out of the UNSW lab and into engagement with the industry has started and we certainly think the technology will surprise a lot of people." Nanocube Technology Over the past month, the project team has been actively developing a specific feature of the Nanocube technology. Work is continuing on this aspect and if testing is successful, the Company believes it will provide an extremely strong 'pull factor' for key industry players to work with the technology. The results of this work are expected in approximately 6 weeks. To date, development of the technology has solely been conducted at the University of New South Wales. The Company has been able to effectively demonstrate the potential of the Nanocube technology as a printable, non-volatile, reliable, transparent memory cell. An extension of the University of New South Wales research and development agreement is currently being finalised with the intention to increase the size of the project team. It is intended that the UNSW team will work by themselves and collaboratively with overseas industry groups introduced by the Company. Work under this expanded agreement is expected to commence from approximately August 8th, 2016. Nanocube Technology To escalate the Nanocube technology project, it is critical that the Company receives the best possible advice on development, IP and markets. Printed Electronics is an emerging sector with completely different supply chains, manufacturing facilities and applications than traditional electronics. The best advice can only come from sector experts that have real hands-on experience in Printed Electronics. It is important for shareholders to understand that nearly all of this expertise only exists outside Australia. Therefore a key priority for the Company has been on meeting, assessing and engaging specific parties. Work has commenced with the assistance of selected groups to escalate development, engage partners and secure further intellectual property. Other Technology Activities The Company has formed a 100% owned investee Company "Stealth Mode Technologies Pty Ltd" (SMT) to expand its involvement in the technology sector. The Company has an obvious interest in Printed and Flexible Electronics. With the Company meeting numerous groups in the Printed Electronics sector, a range of different technologies have been introduced. None to date have provided a compelling case to divert funding from any potential spend on the Nanocube technology. For the same reasons, no work is planned in the near term for the UV light project the Company has with UNSW. The Company will continue to review opportunities and conduct due diligence. Shareholders will be updated if a decision is made to acquire a technology project in SMT or proceed with work on additional projects with UNSW. Resources Projects The Company has commenced preparation of a comprehensive exploration program over the historic goldfield at Golden Blocks. The initial objective is to identify drill targets along the trend of the historic gold mines. The Company expects the new Exploration Permit to be granted by late 2016, however this exploration program may be able to start in part prior to the issue of the new Exploration Permit. Shareholders will be updated on the timing of this program. Along with the Aorangi Gold Mine, there are four other old gold mines situated along a 2.4 km zone of gold mineralisation known as the "Golden Blocks Lode". The Golden Blocks Lode potentially has gold mineralisation beneath, between and around the known mines not detected with 1914 exploration techniques. As a result of the cumulative work to date, the Company is also assessing a drilling program targeting the potential continuation of the Pioneer Shoot. The Pioneer Shoot was the last section of the Aorangi Mine being mined on Level 4 in 1914 when the mine closed due to water, gas and labor shortages. Exploration assays from within the 200m of unmined workings left in Level 3 of the mine contained gold grades of 663.9 g/t over 0.75m including 5342.5 g/t over 0.25m. It was reported that unmined stone around this shoot was also exceptionally good, gold was also showing in the floor of Level 3, government mine inspectors believed the reef continued at depth and that valuable ore shoots may be looked for in the deeper ground. The approvals and planning process is continuing for the Western Australian based copper and impact structure projects. The resources projects are of less priority than the Nanocube technology project, however the Company may opportunistically conduct work where possible. About Strategic Elements Ltd Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR) shares are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the code SOR. The Company is registered under the Pooled Development Program run by the Australian Federal Government to encourage investment into SMEs. To assist Pooled Development Funds to invest and raise capital, the Federal Government enables most shareholders in a Pooled Development Fund to make capital gains and receive dividends tax-free. SANTA FE A 27-year-old Albuquerque man has been charged with DWI, reckless driving, driving with an open alcohol container and not having a drivers license after he crashed his SUV into a wall at the corner of Sandoval Street and West San Francisco early Saturday morning and his passenger was found dead with no visible injuries. Jay Carter is recovering from a broken leg at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and has been charged for the crash, according to Santa Fe police spokesman Greg Gurule. His passenger, 36-year-old Joseph Davis of Albuquerque, was found dead at the scene around 5:30 a.m. and didnt have any visible injuries. Gurule said the Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death and said its possible he died before the crash. Several U.S. school districts indicated Monday that they think the Satanic Temples plan to open After School Satan clubs in elementary schools probably conforms with their policies and local laws, and the Prince Georges County, Maryland, school system said it is reviewing a request to open such a club. If the districts allow the clubs, it would pave the way for the Temple to create a counterpoint to evangelical Christian clubs in schools nationwide. The Satanic Temple on Monday contacted school districts across the country to announce that it wants to open after-school clubs that focus on teaching reason and science, including at an elementary school in Prince Georges. Temple leaders in part want to make the point that religion should not be taught in public schools, and they are working to start clubs in schools or school districts that have hosted proselytizing religious clubs, such as the Good News Club, which is allowed to sponsor groups in schools. Parents and administrators have reacted coolly to the idea of setting up a Jesus vs. Satan fight in their elementary schools, with many expressing curiosity and skepticism. School officials in Prince Georges said they have received a request to start a club and are reviewing it, but the school system has not had any discussions with the Satanic Temple about it. The Temple said it wants to open a club at Bradbury Heights Elementary School, which is in the Capitol Heights neighborhood just outside the southeast edge of Washington. Jay Howard-Brock, the former PTA president of the school, said she was as surprised to hear about the idea of an After School Satan Club as she was about the existence of the Good News Club in the area. I thought [Prince Georges] County had a policy where they separated church and state, said Howard-Brock, who said she is Christian and responded favorably to the concept of the Good News Club. She said she thinks that in the times that we live in now, and all thats going on with our children, it is a positive thing. But when she learned about the possibility of an After School Satan Club, she suggested that maybe all religious groups should move off campus. Its going to become a distraction, she said. We should just abolish groups like that from being on school premises, because it just may offend someone. The kids really need to focus on the education piece. The Good News Club which is sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and has proliferated in schools after a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed such groups to use public school facilities brings evangelical Christianity to elementary-school children as young as kindergartners. Reactions from the Good News Club to the entry of this new competitor were mixed. Martha Wright, executive director of CEF of Maryland, acknowledged that the Satanic Temple has a right to have clubs in schools but also said she doesnt really want the group there. Well, of course, when the Supreme Court voted in 2001 that religious groups could have equal access, that opened the door to any religious group, she said, noting that her group is on the opposite side of the spectrum from the Satanic Temple. Because we know Jesus as our savior, it is not our opinion or desire that we want satanic groups to get involved in the school. CEF actively works to counteract Satan in its work, and a CEF instruction book titled Guard Your Heart promises a flocked lesson helping kids ages 6-11 guard against Satans attacks. The Satanic Temple doesnt worship the devil; it rejects the belief in supernatural entities and regards Satan as a metaphorical construct. The move to start After School Satan clubs is a direct attack on religion in the schools, and it comes from a group that has worked to oppose the use of religious ceremony in the public arena, such as at city council meetings. It is unclear how much interest such school clubs would have, especially in places where Christian groups are welcomed, but school districts said they are considering allowing them. A representative of the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona indicated that the use of the facility described by the Satanic Temple falls clearly within the districts student club policy. Ben Horsley, a spokesman for the Granite School District surrounding South Lake City, noted that the district hosts many different religious and secular groups on public elementary school campuses. So as long as the activities are not illegal, we will treat these organizations all the same, he said. Melisa Pehrson, president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Vista Elementary School in Taylorsville, Utah, one of the schools where the Satanic Temple intends to open a club, said she wanted to learn more about it before weighing in. The title alone is very provocative, and it would perhaps strike some curiosity, she said. Sabrina Perkins, vice president of the Vista PTO, was more skeptical, in part because of the large Mormon population in the region. If they call it the Satan Group, its not going to go well here in Utah, I can tell you that, she said. I cant say that I like it either. Why do they have to name it after a not-very-good person if they want to teach good things? The Good News Club operates in 23 schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, which has one of the nations largest school districts. Schools spokesman John Torre said the Satanic Temple has made no requests to host an After School Satan Club in any of its schools, but Fairfax does not bar groups from using schools based on their views. FCPS schools are public facilities and, as such, the buildings and properties are available to the public including community groups regardless of political, religious or any other affiliation or message, Torre said. One group has responded with great enthusiasm to the Satanic Temples proposed after-school clubs: volunteers. In the 24 hours after the announcement of the Temples plans, several dozen individuals from around the country wrote to Temple leaders to offer their services for any club formed in their areas. Kathleen Knight, a retired teacher and grandmother from Abingdon, Pennsylvania, Kathleen Knight said she taught at Christian and Catholic schools for many years but would be interested in getting involved with an After School Satan Club because she thinks it is important to keep religion and public school separate. Faith has a place in a lot of peoples lives, and I respect that it serves an important role, she said. But for us and for our future, its incredibly important that kids be taught how to separate that out and not to confuse it with public school. Chris Savage, a student and father of a 1-year-old in Forth Worth, says he is opposed to any kind of religious proselytizing in schools especially at the elementary level. But as long as the evangelical clubs are active, he wants there to be something else for students to consider. I would do everything I can for the ASSC, Savage said. They are challenging religious privilege, and I think thats important. Stewart is a Boston-based journalist. he is author of The Good News Club, an investigative book about public education and religious fundamentalism in America. Balingit reported from Washington. When Omar Mateen finished pumping bullets into dozens of people sprawled on the dance floor inside the Pulse nightclub on June 12, he walked toward the bathrooms, where many patrons had hidden. It was just minutes after Orlando, Florida, police were called about the gunfire, and law enforcement officers began descending on the club. Four of them entered the building through one patio, while six others shot out a window to get inside. Among the 10 officers who went into Pulse, some had powerful military-style rifles and one had a shield. At least two had tactical experience. Police fired at Mateen when he popped his head out of one the bathrooms. The shooter was outgunned and outnumbered. But then, police decided not to pursue him. This account, based on interviews with law enforcement officials and witnesses, as well as public records, provides the most complete picture yet of the law enforcement response and Mateens movements inside the club on the night of the attack. The new details raise questions about how police and fire agencies responded to what became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and how the attack turned into a hostage standoff that lasted nearly three hours. The decision not to follow Mateen into the bathroom proved critical. Because Mateen was not subdued or killed sooner, wounded victims remained trapped inside the bathroom for hours, pleading for the police to rescue them. Emergency medical personnel did not enter the club to treat victims, because it was deemed too dangerous. And during the final standoff, in which police initially failed to breach the club wall and struggled to make entry, Mateen apparently shot more people, according to witnesses. At least five people who were alive in the bathrooms when the standoff began ultimately died at the club, witnesses and relatives said. Three of these people Deonka Deidra Drayton, Eddie Justice and Alejandro Barrios Martinez sent text messages from inside the clubs bathrooms and were later among the dead. Witnesses in the womens bathroom said Mateen killed at least three people during the final moments of the standoff, opening fire as SWAT officers were moving to breach the walls. They took too damn long for me, said Tiara Parker, 21, who was inside the bathroom. If they had moved faster, they would have gotten us out of there and everybody could have possibly lived. In a lengthy interview, Orlando Police Chief John Mina defended the actions of officers inside the club and the rationale for not ending the attack sooner. The reason police did not pursue the shooter immediately, Mina said, was that Mateen stopped shooting after he entered the bathroom and he had hostages. He went from an active shooter to a barricaded gunman, Mina said. If he had continued shooting, our officers would have went in there. How Orlando police responded to the shooting will be studied closely as other departments across the country try to prepare their officers for the next mass shooting. The Justice Department, at the Orlando Police Departments request, is reviewing the law enforcement response. Similar reviews have been launched after other attacks at movie theaters, schools and government installations. The examination of how authorities responded to the Pulse shooting will join a grim catalogue of assessments that have sought to learn lessons from attacks in Aurora, Colorado, at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and at Virginia Tech. In each of those mass shootings, officials found that they could do things better the next time. The highest priority is to eliminate the threat, said Dan Oates, who was the police chief in Aurora when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater, killing 12 and injuring scores more. Oates declined to comment on the Orlando shooting and the response there. He added: If the best information is the shooter is on the fourth floor, you get to the fourth floor. If you run into the bad guy, you better be ready to deal with it. The bloodshed at Pulse unfolded in a matter of minutes. At 2:02 a.m., Mateen entered the club with his semiautomatic rifle at the ready and started shooting immediately, according to The Washington Posts timeline constructed from interviews and public records. He fired repeatedly in the main room of the club, then moved toward the back room, continuing to shoot. Clubgoers went running for hiding places and exits, jumping over the bodies of those already hit. Some played dead. Mateen was able to move around the space quickly. Not including an outdoor patio, the club covers less than 5,000 square feet. Moments later, he returned to the main room. He fired at wounded people lying on the dance floor and reloaded his magazine. Then he returned to the back room, shooting victims again. For a third time, he walked into the main room, changing magazines and firing at more people. At 2:07 a.m., he headed to the restrooms and continued to shoot. Angel Santiago described running directly into the one of the bathrooms with a friend after the shooting started. Santiago estimated that there were about 15 to 20 people in there. Mateen entered shortly after and started shooting. Parker said that when Mateen entered the womens room, his rifle jammed, so he used his handgun. By 2:10 a.m., at least 10 officers had entered the club. The first moments were filled with confusion as the police made their way through the dark club. One who entered through the east patio said he heard shots, while another said he didnt hear any. A group of six officers, including Officer Brandon Cornwell, had entered the club by busting out a window. Cornwell said Mateen was actively shooting. Orlando officer Michael Ragsdale later said in his narrative to police that as he entered the back bar area from the patio, he saw two other officers shooting down a hallway. At that time I could not see what they were shooting at, he said. There seemed to be a lull in gunfire, Mina said, and then Mateen apparently began shooting again, revealing to officers his location in the club. Mina said he thinks that officers shot at Mateen about 2:17 a.m., the same time that emergency dispatchers received some of the last reports of gunfire. It was not clear whether Mateen fired at police during this encounter. Mina said that once Mateen was barricaded in the bathroom, the shooting stopped, so police decided to hold their positions. If there had been additional shots, [police] would have heard, Mina said. They were literally feet from the bathroom. By almost 2:18 a.m., police seemed to have control of the clubs main room, according to publicly released documents and interviews. For the next three hours, though, a terrifying scene unfolded in the womens restroom as clubgoers, some of them suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, were trapped with Mateen. One victim, 18-year-old Akrya Murray, Parkers cousin, described losing feeling in her arm. Murray, who managed to call 911 from the bathroom, later told a dispatcher at 2:36 a.m. that she was losing her eyesight and feeling in her body. In another exchange, a caller said people are bleeding out in the bathroom. At 2:35 a.m., another caller described everyone in the bathroom groaning in pain. At 2:39 a.m., Justice texted his mother: I am gonna die. Meanwhile, Mateen was making contact with 911 and police. In a 2:35 a.m. call to an emergency dispatcher, he said he was the shooter in Orlando and pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State. In three other calls scattered over the next hour, each lasting between three and 16 minutes, Mateen talked with police negotiators. He said there was a vehicle outside the club with bombs and that he had a vest the kind they used in France. In the next few days, youre going to see more of this type of action going on, he said to a negotiator. While he was holed up in the bathroom, Mateen searched online on his phone for mentions of the shooting, according to law enforcement officials. Police continued trying to free people from the club. At 4:21 a.m., officers pulled out an air-conditioning unit from a dressing-room window to let victims evacuate. Mina said eight people who had been hiding inside were saved. As victims escaped through the window, they told officers that Mateen said he would put bomb vests on four people within 15 minutes. Once they learned this, police decided they had to make a move, despite the potential consequences. At 5:02 a.m., the Orlando police SWAT team and a hazardous-device team from the Orange County Sheriffs Office began breaching a wall of the club. They tried to use explosives to bring down a bathroom wall so they could enter and rescue victims, but that didnt work. The failed attempt probably signaled to Mateen that police were coming. Minutes passed as officers continued trying to ram an opening into the club. During that time, witnesses said, Mateen started killing people inside the bathroom. We were already at great risk, but . . . they made it worse, Parker said. They put us at more risk. Parker said she saw Mateen kill at least two people, possibly a third, in the womens bathroom. Based on photos of the victims that were published after the shooting, she identified two of the people as Deonka Drayton and Tevin Eugene Crosby. Patience Carter, a survivor who said she fled and hid in a bathroom stall with Parker, said that when police ordered people away from the wall as they prepared to breach, Mateen appeared to shoot several more people. Using a BearCat armored vehicle, authorities punched a hole between the two bathrooms, but they had picked the wrong spot. In a third attempt to get in, the tactical personnel created another hole in the mens room and survivors started streaming out. Mateen emerged from one of the openings and fired at the SWAT team. Parker said the fusillade was so intense she could feel the heat from the bullets flying past her. I was getting burned up by the bullets bouncing from everywhere, Parker said At 5:14 a.m., police radio communications indicated that shots were fired. One minute later, those radio calls said that police had shot at Mateen and he was down. When it was over, Mateen was dead. So was Murray, the 18-year-old who had called 911 saying she was losing feeling in her body. She was among the dozen or so dead in the bathrooms. Officials found no explosives or suicide vests. Mina said 15 hostages held in one bathroom were freed and three to five escaped from the other. In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials defended their actions. A. Lee Bentley III, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, has said that the officers responding should not be second-guessed. Mina said this was not a typical active-shooter situation. If Mateen had been in the open, he said, the officers would have shot at or arrested him. Instead, Mateen was already in the bathroom when he was first spotted. Officers followed their training in responding to active-shooter incidents, Mina said. Police say that during the standoff, they were continuously taking victims out of the club from the main room and bringing them outside to get medical help. Paramedics responding to the shooting, however, never came within 100 yards of the building during the attack and standoff that followed. They were not equipped to handle an active shooter, according to Orlando Fire Department District Chief Bryan Davis, who served as incident commander that night. Mina said that if this had been a college campus or mall, emergency fire and rescue personnel would have come into the building. But this was a relatively small building that police cleared quickly. There wasnt a need for paramedics to enter the building, he said. Officers were easily able to get people to aid. After other shooting attacks in places such as Aurora and Colorados Columbine High School, officials and experts have emphasized the importance of pursuing the attacker or attackers as quickly as possible. In light of experience from multiple victim shooting incidents in the past two decades, widely accepted police strategy is to attempt to quickly neutralize an active shooter go to the shooter, and do not wait for special teams or special equipment or a large force for attack, concluded an independent report analyzing the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting at the citys request. The longer the perpetrator is left to shoot, the more people may be killed or injured. The Orlando police posted on their website last December after two attackers who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California that they had held regular training for active-shooter situations since 2000. Since law enforcements focus is always to contain and stop an active shooter, in 2014, OPD modified its training to integrate the Orlando Fire Department, the statement said. In this new training, which was taught in scenario-based exercises starting last spring and summer, rescue personnel respond to what we call warm zones (where contact with the shooter or shooters is not likely to occur) so they can quickly enter, locate, treat, and evacuate casualties. Authorities are continuing to investigate the handling of the shooting. Mina said officials do not know how many of the victims who were alive during the prolonged standoff later died in the bathrooms or how many had survivable gunshot wounds. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officers who discharged their weapons; the agency declined to say specifically when during the event any of them fired shots, saying such information would be released when the investigation concludes. During the initial encounters with Mateen and at the end of the three-hour standoff that followed, authorities say, 14 officers fired their weapons. Orlando police say 11 of their officers fired, seven of them SWAT team members who fired at the end of the confrontation, killing Mateen. Three Orange County sheriffs deputies also fired. Mina said he did not know whether law enforcement had inadvertently killed any of the clubgoers. Chris Voss, a former FBI SWAT team member and hostage negotiator, said that the decision not to follow Mateen into the bathroom was a gamble but one that was understandable. Cops are paid to take risks but not stupid risks, he said. This is not military combat where there are acceptable casualties on both sides. Law enforcement doesnt have that conversation. No casualties are acceptable. Voss said that buying time increases the likelihood of a successful assault and can often save more lives. The rule for law enforcement, he said, is, Dont make things worse. We dont want cops to be cowboys, Voss said. I see cops going down and things being worse. Play the odds and step back. Mina said that there will be lessons learned but that his officers did the best they could with the information they had at the time. I have no regrets in the decisions that my officers and commanders on the ground made, and I have no regret with the decision I made, either, he said. Julie Tate contributed to this report. VIDEO: Video of Orlando police chief discussing the killings at the Pulse nightclub: WASHINGTON The hostility toward Wall Street remains so great that both political parties say, in their platforms, that theyd like to break up Americas biggest banks. But before engaging in this drastic economic surgery, its worth examining whether Dodd-Frank is working. Recall that the law, named after its congressional sponsors, former Sen. Senator Christopher Dodd and former Rep. Barney Frank, overhauled the financial system to make it more panic proof. Is it? The answer may surprise. The Obama administrations position is clear: We can say without question that Wall Street reform has made our financial system safer and sounder, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew recently said on the sixth anniversary of the laws signing. Up to a point, this is true. Banks are required to have more capital than before the 2008-09 financial crisis and this creates a larger buffer against losses. Capital typically but not always consists of shareholders investments in banks. In 2016, the ratio of the biggest bank-holding companies common stock to risk-weighted assets (loans, securities) was 12.2 percent, more than double its level in early 2009, says the Federal Reserve. This means that banks can better survive severe economic shocks deep recessions or speculative excesses. Since 2009, the Fed regularly subjects major banks to a computer-driven stress test. It simulates a deep slump and examines how banks would fare. In the latest stress test, unemployment was assumed to double to 10 percent, the stock market to lose half its value and the economys output to drop nearly 8 percent, larger than the decline in the Great Recession. Under these conditions, estimated bank losses were huge: $385 billion, says the Fed. Borrowers defaulted; bonds lost value. Still, sufficient capital remained that all 33 bank-holding companies those with assets exceeding $50 billion, representing about four-fifths of the banking sector continued to meet regulatory capital requirements. The capital ratio dropped from 12.2 percent to 8.4 percent. But that was well above the 4.5 percent required minimum (for large banks, the minimum can be higher). This is good news. The essence of the 2008-09 financial crisis was a panic among large depositors (hedge funds, pension funds, corporations) a bank run. They withdrew their money from banks because they didnt know whether the banks were solvent. If banks capital cushions had been larger, these fears might have been allayed and the withdrawals limited. In reality, the outflows threatened a second Great Depression as banks cut lending and dumped bonds to meet depositor demands. What avoided another Depression was the quick response of the Federal Reserve, which acting in its role as lender of last resort supplied trillions of dollars of credit to banks and other financial institutions to offset the loss of private credit. Without these infusions, who knows what would have happened. Now, the bad news. In Dodd-Frank, Congress makes it much harder for the Fed to act as lender of last resort, says Hal Scott, a professor at Harvard Law School and a respected expert on financial regulation, in his book Connectedness and Contagion: Protecting the Financial System from Panics. The consequences, argues Scott, could be catastrophic. A U.S. depression would pose challenges to our political system, as well as spreading abroad and undermining the U.S. global role. During the financial crisis, the Fed relied on section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. This provision gave the Fed wide discretion in making loans when unusual and exigent circumstances prevailed. Now, Dodd-Frank has imposed restrictions on 13(3). As Scott shows, these include: The secretary of the treasury must approve all non-bank loans; there can be no non-bank programs for a single borrower; collateral requirements are toughened; and loans must be disclosed within a year. Some of these may be sensible alone; together, they create an obstacle course for crisis lending. Scott estimates that $7 trillion in funds are potentially vulnerable to panicky investor runs. Breaking up the big banks is no solution if, say, the investor run strikes money-market mutual funds. There is a real issue here. The Fed has enormous powers; democratically elected officials think they should exercise some control over those powers. But a financial crisis a panic is by its very nature a rapidly moving event that usually was unpredicted. (If anticipated, it could likely be defused.) Unless the crisis is dealt with decisively, it could become a monster that cannot be contained. The verdict on Dodd-Frank is mixed. One goal was to improve short-term financial stability. That has been achieved. The other goal was political: to handcuff those who engineered the financial bailout, which though necessary is immensely unpopular. That explains why Congress restricted the Fed. Ironically, legislation designed to protect us from financial panic may make some future panic more likely. Copyright, The Washington Post Writers Group. Donald Trump betrays the betrayed. In his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, Trump accurately and forcibly identified his core constituency and explained his candidacy: Every day I wake up determined to deliver for the people I have met all across this nation that have been neglected, ignored and abandoned. I have visited the laid-off factory workers, and the communities crushed by our horrible and unfair trade deals. These are the forgotten men and women of our country. People who work hard but no longer have a voice. I am your voice. And then, having mentioned the forgotten men and women of this country, he promptly forgot them. A week later, he was throwing a tantrum, tossing out of his playpen, which is the media, any notion that he recognizes any cause other than himself. He responded to Khizr Khan, who had spoken at the Democratic convention. He is the father of Humayun Khan, an Army captain who died in Iraq while trying to save the lives of other members of his unit. Khizr Khan spoke as an American Muslim. He spoke as the father of a dead soldier and he spoke with immense dignity. He rebuked Trump for what he has said about Muslims and, with powerful indignation, Khan said his son had sacrificed his life for America while Trump had sacrificed nothing and no one. Convention speeches typically have their moment but soon become a blur, remembered only by the people who give them. Not the Khan speech. It had the rhetorical torque provided by grief not just the loss of this son, but the insults Trump had directed to Muslims in general. And as Khizr Khan spoke, his wife Ghazala stood by his side, eloquently silent. Trump was asked by ABC News George Stephanopoulos for his reaction. He implied that Ghazala Khan had said nothing because she was silenced by the traditions of Islam: She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. As Ghazala later explained, she was too emotionally overwrought to speak. Then Trump addressed the question of sacrifice. He claimed that he, too, had made sacrifices. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices, he said. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs. Taken together, his remarks had a gasp quality. Trumps words had that sort of concussive effect a Gold Star mother, a Gold Star father, likening their sacrifice to putting in some overtime at the office. Even after Trumps belittlement of John McCains heroism, even after he mocked a physically challenged New York Times reporter, he still has the capacity to shock. There are always new heights to how low he will go. Trumps appeal has largely been to working-class white males without college degrees and some white women. You can understand why. Blue-collar workers are reversing times arrow, dying younger, much of it due to suicide and substance abuse. For many, their jobs are gone or going and so, therefore, is hope. The promise of America is that the son will live better than the father, the daughter better than the mother. But the fathers went off to jobs that no longer exist for the children. The fathers retired on pensions that now seem nostalgic fiction. Trumps most ardent supporters are our version of the people of the old Depression-era song. They built a railroad. They made it run. Brother, can you spare a dime? It is clear from his success and the current polling numbers that millions of Americans believe that Trump is their voice. It is clear as well that they think he has an economic plan kick out immigrants, get tough with China (and everyone else) and bring back jobs to America. Never mind that the plan lacks coherence or logic. To many, it sounds just swell. Now, though, maybe even these people are repulsed by Trumps comments on the Khans. His people wear the flag and sing the national anthem because, for some of them, being an American is about all they have left. Now they know Trump is not one of them. The Gold Star is sacred. It represents someone who died for our country. Donald Trump did not honor that. They always knew he was not a good man. Now they know he is not a good American. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group. SANTA FE State Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn said Monday he has not yet decided what he will do after he leaves his job on Aug. 12. Flynn, whose departure was announced by Gov. Susana Martinez on Friday, issued a statement in response to an online report that he will become head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. I am honestly going to consider all of my options, and make the decision thats best for me and my family once I officially leave state government, Flynn told the Journal. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, which promotes oil and gas development including lobbying the Legislature on industry-related issues has been looking for a new chief executive since announcing in April that President Steve Henke will retire Sept. 1. Cliff Brunson, president of BBC International Inc., in Hobbs, who chairs NMOGAs board, said the organization hasnt decided yet on a successor to Henke. We are talking to several people, but we have not named a replacement yet, he told the Journal . He declined to identify the prospective candidates, but said he hopes the decision will be made this month. Flynn, a 38-year-old lawyer, has been with the Martinez administration since the governor took office in 2011. He was general counsel for the Environment Department until 2013, when he was appointed secretary. The governor, who praised Flynns leadership of the department, didnt say why Flynn was leaving. He was quoted in her announcement as saying he looked forward to spending more time with his family. Deputy Environment Secretary Butch Tongate will serve as acting secretary after Flynn leaves. SANTA FE With a state budget crunch looming and a special legislative session possibly on tap, Gov. Susana Martinez is sticking to the no tax increase pledge shes held since campaigning for office in 2010. The two-term GOP governor, who plans to meet with legislative leaders this week to discuss the budget situation, has been urged by some lawmakers to reconsider her position given projected budget shortfalls for both the current and just-completed budget years that could together exceed $600 million. But Martinez spokesman Chris Sanchez indicated in a Monday statement thats not happening. The governor does not believe raising taxes on families and businesses is the right way to respond to this oil and gas price crash, he said. While theres no budget-balancing plan in place yet, the governors tax stance could mean steep additional spending cuts, as lawmakers have already spent much of the states cash reserves to plug much of the shortfall in the fiscal year that just ended. Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, one of the Legislatures top financial gurus, said Monday the governors hard-line tax stance doesnt leave much wiggle room for budget negotiations. Already, majority Senate Democrats have said they will oppose any proposed spending cuts to public schools or universities, which make up about 57 percent of the state spending. No one likes to eat their words, but sometimes you have to make adjustments, Smith told the Journal, referring to the governors tax stance. The governor has rejected attempts from the Legislature to make her administration take action in the case of a revenue shortfall. Specifically, Martinez used her line-item veto authority earlier this year to axe a provision that called for automatic spending cuts of up to $62 million if tax collections came in lower than projected. No easy fix Legislators from both political parties have urged Martinez to call a special session soon to address the states budget woes, which are largely due to falling oil and natural gas prices that have meant lower-than-expected tax collections in several sectors. The state is facing a $150 million-plus deficit for the budget year that ended June 30, along with a potential shortfall in the new budget year of up to $500 million, according to revenue-tracking figures recently announced by Smith. Martinez said last week a special session to address the budget crunch could be a short one, though she did not say exactly when she might call lawmakers back to Santa Fe. A special session would likely cost $50,000 per day, based on previous such sessions. One option for dealing with the budget crunch could be for lawmakers to tap a $224 million tobacco fund in special session the fund was created after a 1999 legal settlement with big tobacco companies to close the books on the just-finished budget year, then hold off on addressing this years revenue shortfall until January, when a 60-day legislative session begins. Smith said Monday the strategy might be politically expedient, though he cautioned it would not be responsible. He also said he recently discussed the states budget situation with the top-ranking Senate Republican, Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, but has not had recent conversations on the issue with the governor. While some Republican legislators have said they would not rule out tax increase proposals, other GOP lawmakers say such an approach shouldnt be seen as an easy fix. The reality is, Who do you tax? said Sen. Steven Neville, R-Aztec, in a recent interview. New Mexico doesnt have a lot of rich people. Among the tax measures proposed by Democratic lawmakers during this years regular legislative session were a gasoline tax hike and delaying a pending decrease in the states corporate income tax rate. Call for transparency Meanwhile, an open government group is urging lawmakers and the executive branch to hold open-door budget talks both leading up to and during a possible special session. The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government objected earlier this year when a House budget-writing committee held talks on a state spending plan behind locked doors, though the panel vetted the spending plan the following day in an open committee hearing. Capitol insiders say such closed-door hearings for budget-crafting talks have taken place for years in both the House and Senate, but FOG officials say thats a not valid reason for continuing the practice. FOG is sympathetic to the cost of a special session, but these critical budgetary decisions cannot be made behind closed doors, said Greg Williams, the president of the organizations board. The impact of the budget decision will be felt all over the state, and the public cant be shut out of the process. New Mexicans need to be able to participate, and not just read about the result in the newspaper, he added. However, Senate financial guru Smith said holding open budget talks might prove difficult in a year in which all 112 legislative seats 70 in the House and 42 in the Senate are up for election. Trying to get a compromise is not an easy challenge, Smith said. LAS CRUCES New Mexicans showed they care about the states equines in an unlikely place their income tax returns. On July 25, the New Mexico Livestock Board mailed taxpayer donated funds totaling $29,493 to eight state-licensed horse shelters and sanctuaries. The money came from the NMLBs Horse Shelter Rescue Fund, in which voluntary state tax donations are deposited to help horse rescue and retirement facilities care for many of the states homeless or needy horses. The NMLB, New Mexicos licensed horse shelters and sanctuaries and the nonprofit Animal Protection of New Mexico jointly recommended where the funds should be allocated to assist with feed costs incurred in rescuing and rehabilitating equines across New Mexico. Horse shelters and sanctuaries receive little to no other public funding. No matter their background, each of the neglected or abused animals that comes into our facility needs to eat, said Susan Hemmerle, director of The Horse Shelter of Cerrillos. The greatest expenditure we face in the horse rescue community is for hay and other feed, and the Horse Shelter Rescue Fund is a vital tool to help us offset these costs. Located on the states PIT-D tax form, the HSRF allows a taxpayer to donate a portion or all of their tax refund to assist licensed horse rescue facilities. Contributions to the HSRF are accepted year-round. Donations can be sent by mailing checks to the NMLBs headquarters at 300 San Mateo NE Albuquerque, NM 87108-1500. For information, contact APNM at 505-265-2322 or info@apnm.org. 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. _____ LAS CRUCES A homeless man suspected of stabbing a 39-year-old man last Thursday has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to the Las Cruces Police Department. Marco A. Galvan, 20, who lives in the 900 block of Amador Avenue but has previously resided in Albuquerque and Las Vegas, Nev., is charged with first-degree attempted murder. A warrant for Galvans arrest was issued Saturday, police said. He was arrested Sunday morning as he walked near the area of Hayner Avenue and Compress Road. On Thursday evening, police were dispatched the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope campus around 7:30 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a 39-year-old man was suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and upper back near El Caldito Soup Kitchen. Police said the victim lost a substantial amount of blood and was in critical condition when he was airlifted to University Medical Center of El Paso. On Monday, police said, the victim remains hospitalized but is now listed in stable condition. According to police, the victim and at least one witness said Galvan was responsible for the stabbing. The victim indicated that Galvan had attacked him for no reason. Police detectives also are looking into the possibility that Galvan may be responsible for two additional stabbings that occurred July 27 and July 29 in Las Cruces. Late Wednesday, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed by an unknown man as he walked along South Main Street. And on Friday evening, around 8 p.m., a 29-year-old man was stabbed near the area of 590 S. Valley Drive. His injuries were not life-threatening, and the suspect in that incident remains unknown. Galvan was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center, where hes being held on a $100,000 cash bond. 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. _____ A woman is facing criminal charges after police say she took her 3-year-old daughter from her husbands house against a judges order, which sparked a statewide Amber Alert on Tuesday morning. Merleah Guinn, 3, was found safe with her mother in Tohajiilee on Tuesday. Her mother, Charity Chino, told the Journal she took her daughter because she was trying to keep Merleah safe but court records dispute that account. Her husband, Xavier Guinn, had filed a temporary order of protection against her, forbidding her to speak with or contact Merleah. She violated that order by breaking into his home and taking Merleah, according to New Mexico State Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Armijo. Chino was charged with aggravated stalking, child endangerment, kidnapping and burglary and was expected to be taken to jail Tuesday night. State Police officers were called to Guinns home in Santa Rosa on Tuesday morning when he woke up and noticed Merleah was missing. Investigative leads indicated the childs mother, Charity Chino, 34, of Tohajiilee, N.M., had unlawfully broken into the residence and taken the child, Armijo said. A statewide Amber Alert was issued around 8:45 a.m. Officers found Merleah with Chino at a home in Tohajiilee around 11 a.m. Chino later told officers she broke into Guinns home and took Merleah, according to Armijo. The temporary order of protection, obtained Tuesday by the Guadalupe County Communicator, was filed on July 28. It prohibits Chino from speaking to or contacting Merleah or Guinn, and also says she cant go near his house. When Guinn filed the order he detailed various older allegations against Chino, including that she had previously taken Merleah. Chino said in an interview with the Journal that she and Guinn had past fights and custody issues. She said she was under the impression they were going to work out child custody issues without going to court. She said she believes Merleah and her older daughter are safe with her. My babies, my kids are safe with me and thats where they should be, she said. One of Guinns family members declined to comment Tuesday. On Tuesday night, Merleah was not with either parent. Instead, the state Children, Youth and Families Department took temporary custody of her after medics checked her out, Armijo said. New Mexico lawmakers have sent a letter to the states regulatory agency urging them to move forward on a proposed Los Lunas Facebok data center, according to a press release. The letter, dated July 22, was signed by U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Lujan, and Michelle Lujan Grisham. It was addressed to New Mexico Public Regulation Commission chairwoman Valerie Espinoza. A Facebook data center in New Mexico has the potential to provide over $500 million in capital investment for construction and over $20 million in annual operation expenditures in local wages and compensation over the lifetime of the facility, the lawmakers wrote. Los Lunas is an excellent site for a Facebook data center with convenient interstate access and infrastructure already in place. The state has been a leader in clean energy development, making New Mexico an ideal fit for the data center, which is planned to be powered with one hundred percent renewable energy. The PRC is considering a proposal by the Public Service Company of New Mexico to create a mechanism for providing the energy to the data center, which would involve, among other things, the construction of a solar facility. The PRC is scheduled to decide Wednesday on whether to waive a public hearing on the matter. New Mexico is in the running with Utah to be the site of the data center. Utahs public service commission is expected to complete their review by Aug. 31. We believe New Mexico requires strong leaders to create new opportunities that will fulfill the promises of economic recovery. We encourage you to actas permitted by the Commissions rules and regulationsto do what is appropriate to help secure new investments in the states future and to support Los Lunas bid to bring Facebook to New Mexico, the lawmakers wrote. James Jimenez, a former chief of staff under Gov. Bill Richardson, former cabinet secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration and former Rio Rancho city manager, is the new executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children, it was announced Tuesday. He replaces Veronica C. Garcia, who had been executive director since 2012 and who recently resigned to accept a position as interim superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools. Jimenez has been with New Mexico Voices for Children since 2013, serving as its director of Policy, Research and Advocacy Integration. He also serves on the boards of directors for several non-profits and is an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexicos School of Public Administration. James is the perfect candidate to lead Voices for Children for so many reasons, said Don Simonson, co-chair of the board. He and the rest of the board and staff feel very fortunate that he was interested in taking the helm, adding that his background in state and city government and his experience in crafting, advocating for, and administering public policy makes him an excellent manager. Its really an honor to be chosen to lead this organization and build on the work done by former executive directors, Jimenez said. New Mexico Voices for Children does exceptional and important work. By speaking up for those who have no voice, we make a difference not just in the lives of children, but in the quality of life for all, he added. New Mexico Voices for Children is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for policies to improve the health and well-being of low-income children, families and communities throughout the state. It has an annual budget of just over $1 million, most of which comes from grants from private foundations. LAS CRUCES A year after explosives detonated at two churches on a Sunday morning last summer, authorities still have not cracked the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation renewed its call this week for information about the Aug. 2, 2015, explosions at Calvary Baptist Church and Holy Cross Catholic Church. The blasts injured no one, but authorities said at the time that they believed the explosives which sent shrapnel flying and shattered one window were intended to cause harm. An explosive detonated in a mailbox at Calvary Baptist after 8 a.m. before the churchs first morning service was set to begin. Twenty minutes later across town, a device exploded in trash can outside the front entrance of Holy Cross during Mass. Nearly two weeks later on Aug. 14, authorities found an undetonated device near the entrance of First Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces. The FBI said it believes the device was placed within hours of the other two devices, either late on Aug. 1 or the early morning of Aug. 2. No piece of information is too small, said Terry Wade, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Division, in a statement. Hundreds of interviews have been conducted in the case, the FBI said. Authorities are still looking for a person of interest: a man caught on videotape walking through the parking lot of Calvary Baptist around the time of the first explosion. Calvary Baptist Pastor Kevin Glenn said that his church community has practiced greater awareness since the incident. When a groundskeeper recently found a trash bag sitting by a door, he didnt pick it up and throw it away, he called the police, Glenn said. It turned out to be nothing. As far as the investigation, I just continue to encourage people, if they see something, say something, he said. It could be the most seemingly insignificant detail that can cause all the puzzle pieces to come together. The FBI is asking anyone with information to call 505-889-1300. Anonymous tips can be called in to Las Cruces Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the crimes. PHOENIX Flash flooding snarled rush hour traffic in Phoenix Tuesday evening, while the heavy monsoon rains also inundated roadways in the Tucson area and prompted the evacuation of two high schools. The flooding closed numerous roads and stranded drivers, prompting water rescues or assists in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tucson, officials said. The Pima County Sheriffs Department ordered the Vail School District to evacuate students at Pantano and Andrada Polytechnic high schools as a preventative measure. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Fire Department said officials made water rescues amid the heavy rains. Officials said that included firefighters rescuing a man sitting on top of his vehicle along Interstate 17 and helping another man out of his car at another location. Officials said Interstate 17 in Phoenix was closed at Indian School Road because of massive interchange flooding. The southbound lanes reopened later, but the Department of Transportation said about 10 p.m. that the northbound lanes would remain closed as crews worked to remove flood waters. So much rain had fallen in a short span of time up to 2 inches in one hour in central Phoenix that the National Weather Service was referring to the storm as a 100-year event, meaning that amount of rainfall has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year, in a specific location, according to a report on the Arizona Republic website. Motorists were abandoning their cars near the intersection of Camelback Road and 35th Avenue. In Tucson, Officials told the Arizona Daily Star that crews aided about 25 motorists on South Houghton Road near Interstate 10 when the rain caused travelers to stop along the road because of running water. And the paper reported that Corona de Tucson Fire District crews were working on the southern end of Houghton near Sahuarita Road where they caravanned about 40 motorists to safety. Flash-flood watches had been in effect for Tucsons outskirts and much of southeastern and eastern Arizona because of monsoon rain and thunderstorms. Some areas near Tucson received nearly 2 inches of rain Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said. Authorities reported no injuries from the flooding, however. A Monday afternoon storm brought rain, hail and lightning to Durango, Colorado. The storm started a small wildland fire and flooded businesses. The Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office announced Tuesday that charges wont be filed against two New Mexico State Police officers who shot and injured a woman two years ago. New Mexico State Police officers Janice Madrid and Richard Williamson shot and injured Roxanne Torres in July 2014 after Torres drove a vehicle toward Madrid and other officers, according to documents about the shooting. Madrid and Williamson were at an apartment on the 6100 block of Harper NE to try to arrest a different woman believed to be staying there. When officers approached a vehicle they said that Torres drove directly at Madrid, who opened fire along with Williamson. I was waiting for the impact, Madrid said in her interview with detectives, according to a recording. I began to fire at the driver to stop that vehicle. I didnt believe that I was going home. I was waiting for the impact. Torres was shot in the arm and the back. She fled the scene by driving over rocks and landscaping before she crashed and stole a different vehicle. She drove to a Grants hospital where doctors sent her back to Albuquerque to be treated, according to records from the shooting. Torres was on probation at the time of shooting. State Police documents indicate that she pleaded guilty to several crimes connected to the shooting and was sentenced to 2 years in prison. She was incarcerated at the New Mexico Womens Correctional Facility near Grants on Tuesday. The District Attorneys Office said in the reports released Tuesday that there was no evidence Williamson or Madrid acted unreasonably in shooting Torres. Agent Madrid had to make a split-second decision and her decision was to use deadly force in defense, the District Attorneys Office said in shooting documents. Agent Williamson made his first split-second decision to use deadly force in defense of Agent Madrid. RENO, Nev. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is bringing his Libertarian campaign for president to northern Nevada. The Republican businessman known for his efforts to legalize marijuana is scheduled to appear Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Joe Crowley Student Union on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. Johnsons campaign is based in Salt Lake City. Hes trying to appeal to voters who dont like either Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton. Hell be joined in Reno by John Moore, a state assemblyman from Las Vegas who switched his party affiliation in January from Republican to Libertarian. After receiving a single public comment, state regulators have decided to hold a hearing next week on a solar energy plan for a possible Facebook data center despite a request to expedite the matter so New Mexico would be more competitive with Utah in landing the huge deal. Facebook is considering building a data center in Los Lunas, and the Village Council already has approved a $30 billion industrial revenue bond measure for the project. Meanwhile, New Mexicos entire congressional delegation sent a letter to the PRC last week, expressing support for the project. A Facebook data center in New Mexico has the potential to provide over $500 million in capital investment for construction and over $20 million in annual operation expenditures in local wages and compensation over the lifetime of the facility, the lawmakers wrote. Public Service Company of New Mexico had asked state regulators to approve a mechanism for providing energy to the center, which would include, among other things, construction of a solar facility. The utility had asked the PRC to waive the hearing, but the agency said it would do so only if no public comments were registered by July 27. One comment was submitted on that day by an Albuquerque homeowner inquiring about how the project would affect residential solar producers. PRC Chairwoman Valerie Espinoza said she felt the hearing was an important step in fulfilling the agencys obligations to the public. The hearing will be held on Tuesday. New Mexico is in the running with Utah to be the site of the data center. Utahs public service commission is expected to complete its review by Aug. 31. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. The congressional delegation letter, dated July 22, was signed by Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, and Reps. Steve Pearce, Republican, and Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham, both Democrats. It was addressed to Espinoza. Los Lunas is an excellent site for a Facebook data center with convenient interstate access and infrastructure already in place, the letter said. The state has been a leader in clean energy development, making New Mexico an ideal fit for the data center, which is planned to be powered with one hundred percent renewable energy. Espinoza said she often receives letters of support from lawmakers or constituents, but this is the first time shes seen one from congressional lawmakers. I recognize that they wrote in strong support of the project, she said. But this is an open case. We have to do what is in the best interest of the public, whatever that may be. PNM is specifically looking for the PRC to approve a special service contract for Facebooks electric needs. The utility is also seeking a special service rate that would set Facebooks renewable energy at a fixed rate for 10 years, a power purchase agreement authorizing PNM to buy solar electricity from PNMs affiliate company, and a green energy rider that would allow PNM to procure renewable energy for a single customer. PNM has said none of the utilitys 530,000 customers would absorb costs from the project, which would be entirely funded by Facebook. In June, the Los Lunas Village Council approved the industrial revenue bonds for the center, although Facebooks identity was not disclosed to the council at the time. In their support of the project, the delegation wrote: We believe New Mexico requires strong leaders to create new opportunities that will fulfill the promises of economic recovery. We encourage you to act as permitted by the Commissions rules and regulations to do what is appropriate to help secure new investments in the states future and to support Los Lunas bid to bring Facebook to New Mexico, the lawmakers wrote. A federal appeals court granted an emergency motion Tuesday allowing Mayor Richard Berrys administration to resume work preparing for Albuquerque Rapid Transit. The city can allow its subcontractors to carry out non-destructive, pre-construction activity such as surveying, monitoring, putting up traffic-control devices and similar work under a short order issued by the court Tuesday. The court has not yet ruled on the broader case brought by opponents, who are aiming to stop the project before construction begins. The short ruling came after attorneys for the city of Albuquerque told the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that they faced a deadline to issue a notice allowing sub-contractors to begin surveying, noise monitoring and similar work necessary before construction can start later this month or next. The work would have to be re-bid and prices might go up if the city didnt allow the companies to move forward, the city argued. Opponents of the rapid-transit project, meanwhile, said there was no need for the 10th Circuit to allow any immediate work. Prices wouldnt necessarily go up, they said, if new bids are needed, and some of the pre-construction activity will create the very traffic congestion they oppose. The case is at the 10th Circuit after opponents filed an appeal seeking to overturn a lower-court decision, which had rejected opponents motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the project. The citys emergency motion, in any case, offers some insight into when demolition and other construction work would begin. City officials want to authorize their general contractor, Bradbury Stamm, to begin construction Aug. 22, though its possible work might not actually start until Sept. 3. The $119 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit project would create a nine-mile network of bus-only lanes and bus stations in the middle of Central Avenue, between Louisiana and Coors. Opponents say it would damage the car-friendly charm of what was once Route 66 and lead to traffic congestion. Theyve also argued in court that the Federal Transit Administration improperly exempted the project from a detailed environmental study and that the city misled the FTA in its application. The mayor and other supporters of ART say it will provide fast, reliable mass-transit service in a corridor that features large employers and destinations, such as the University of New Mexico. The city and FTA said they followed all of the appropriate environmental laws. UC Berkeley Extensionannounced this week that they have exclusively partnered with Roger CPA Review for the schools CPA Examination Preparation course series. Beginning September 2016, CPA candidates at Berkeley will be able to earn up to 4 academic credits (1 per course) while prepping with Roger's course materials. We are excited about partnering with Roger CPA Review for this program, as they bring many benefits to our students including a strong support system, great value and an 88% pass rate, said Anna Lee, UC Berkeley Extension Program director, in a statement. The Roger CPA Review materials make the normally dreadful preparation process much more enjoyable for students." The program will look to help those seeking CPA licensure by aiding in two major requirements: passing the CPA Exam and satisfying the150 university credit hour rule, now applicable in all 50 states. Roger CPA Review continues to create ways for students to prepare and pass the CPA Exam in a seamless transition from academia to profession, stated Charlotte Roberts, vice president of eLearning at Roger CPA Review. "With this program, students have the opportunity to tackle the required credits and exam preparation in tandem and accomplish their CPA Exam goals faster. Were excited to be a part of that! Students enrolled in the UC Berkeley Extension CPA Exam Preparation program will have access to Roger CPA Reviews customizable study planners, more than 5,000 CPA Exam practice questions, unlimited full-length practice exams, and diagnostics to assess one's progress. Partnering with Roger CPA Review means passing the CPA Exam is right at our students fingertips as long as they are willing to make the commitment and remain disciplined throughout the preparation process, added Lee For more information on the program or to enroll, head to UC Berkeley's Extension site here. (Bloomberg) Billionaire investor Warren Buffett ripped into Republican Donald Trump Monday over his refusal to release tax returns, his business bankruptcies, and his attack on a fallen soldiers family, repeating a famous phrase from the McCarthy era, have you no sense of decency, sir? Buffett, campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, challenged Trump to meet him any place, any time with a copy of his tax returns. Buffett said he would bring his returns and the two of them would answer questions from the public. He dismissed Trumps contention that he couldnt release them because hes being audited. Buffett said his return is being examined by the Internal Revenue Service as well. Youre only afraid if youve got something to be afraid about, Buffett told a cheering crowd in Omaha. Hes not afraid because of the IRS, hes afraid because of you. Trumps refusal to release tax returnswhich 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney has called disqualifying would break with 40 years of precedent if he holds his position through the November election, and the issue resonates with voters. In a Bloomberg Politics national poll conducted in June, two-thirds said Trumps withholding bothered them at least a little. The 85-year-old Buffett, known as the Oracle of Omaha, criticized Trumps record as a businessman and said the final straw was the Republican presidential nominees swipe at the heartbroken parents of a Muslim-American war hero killed in Iraq, which has sparked condemnation across party lines. Question of Sacrifice Responding to a speech at the Democratic convention last week by Khizr Khan, who spoke about the death of his son, Army Captain Humayun Khan, while serving in Iraq in 2004, Trump said he had sacrificed for the U.S. by employing thousands and thousands of people. Buffett said he and Trump have done very well and we havent sacrificed anything. Clinton is campaigning in solidly Republican Nebraska with Buffetts help to burnish her credentials with the business community and to try to make the most of the states unusual method of apportioning its five Electoral College votes. The Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman and chief executive officer introduced Clinton at a Monday evening rally in Omaha thats focused on the Democratic nominees economic plans. Clinton is seeking to showcase her support from prominent business leaders as she makes a play for the votes of independents and Republicans who are uncomfortable with the prospect of Trump in the White House. Buffetts fellow billionaire, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, endorsed Clinton at a rally Saturday in Pittsburgh. Clintons Plans In introducing her, Buffett said he was eager to share what Hillary can and will do in the eight years after inauguration day in January 2017. Clinton ran through the outlines of her economic platform, including more spending on the nations infrastructure, accelerated development of renewable energy sources and raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans while cutting rates for those in the middle class. She pledged to support the kind of small businesses that Donald Trump has consistently stiffed and said that you dont go around bullying small businesses just because you can. Clinton also questioned Trumps assertion that he alone can fix the countrys problems. "I grew up in the Midwest" as the daughter of a small businessman, Clinton told the crowd, saying she learned an ethic of "well fix it together" that Nebraskans also embrace. She acknowledged that some parts of U.S. society havent felt the benefits of the recovery. Too many people havent gotten a raise since the great crash of 2008, she said. Theres too much inequality and too little opportunity." The super-rich and Wall Street will start paying their fair share, she said. As Clinton and Trump head into the general election, their campaigns are moving into a state-by-state contest to collect the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Nebraska is one of two states, along with Maine, to determine the apportioning of its electoral votes by congressional district as well as statewide. The rest of the states and Washington D.C. are winner-take-all. President Barack Obama is the only candidate to have managed a split of a states electoral vote when he narrowly won Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District over Republican John McCain in 2008. He wasnt able to repeat the feat in 2012. The district, which encompasses Omaha, is represented by a Democrat, Brad Ashford. Buffett vowed he would campaign relentlessly for Clinton to make sure she carries the district with a record turnout, saying hes reserved a trolley to get people to the polls on election day. Clinton said that if he succeeds, and she wins, Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together. Maybe if were really lucky hell wear his Elvis costume again. Buffett, whos been an Obama backer, promoted Clinton last December during her primary fight against Bernie Sanders, saying in an event in Omaha that he and Clinton share a commitment to helping the less affluent. Buffett spoke about how incomes for the wealthiest increased seven-fold over the past two decades in the U.S. as their tax rates fell. He was the inspiration for the so-called Buffett Rule, proposed by Obama and backed by Clinton, which would tax incomes exceeding $1 million at a minimum rate of 30 percent. Clinton, a former secretary of state and U.S. senator, has also pledged not to raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year. Buffett, an outspoken critic of the unlimited spending in politics that was set in motion by the Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision, has helped Clinton raise money but has yet to make a major financial contribution to her presidential campaign. Early in the election season, he donated $25,000 to a political action committee that helped lay the groundwork for Clintons run for the nomination and he contributed the $2,700 maximum to her primary campaign in April 2015. Last year he also gave about $50,000 to the Democratic National Committee. Another prominent billionaire, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, also backed Clinton, endorsing her on stage at the Democratic National Convention. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News. He was elected New York mayor as a Republican in 2001 and 2005, and to a third term as an independent. Bloomberg was a member of the Democratic Party before 2001. IMGCAP(1)][IMGCAP(2)]Transfer pricing documentation rules have come to the fore with the United Kingdoms Brexit. The European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development appear to apply similar transfer pricing documentation rules to multinational companies, but differences nevertheless abound. Some multinational enterprises may view these differences as nuances, but they can be significant. Both the transfer pricing documentation policy and pricing procedures can differ under the two sets of rules. Brexit, coupled with the Internal Revenue Services lethargy in formally adopting Action 13 in the OECDs Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) action plan exacerbate these transfer pricing documentation differences. Consider eight of the most salient facets of the EU and OECD documentation rules: 1. public policy differences; 2. domestic market approach; 3. documentation complexities; 4. optionality; 5. coordinated procedures; 6. Masterfile; 7. local country-specific documentation file; 8. country-by-country report. The EU developed its transfer pricing documentation procedures from 2001 to 2006. Countries were then seeking EU membership and struggling to meet EU admission requirements; no country then sought to leave the EU. The EU recognized that during that time period, member countries had sharp transfer pricing documentation differences. Western European countries had much more transfer pricing experience than had Eastern European post-Communist systems seeking EU membership. Domestic Market Approach The EU treats its market as being analogous to a domestic market. In contrast, the OECD rejects this domestic market approach for its members. The EU, when initially constituted, guaranteed a market without frontiers, providing free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. Tension existed during earlier EU years concerning the free movement of goods and services. In later times, tensions arose within the EU concerning capital movements and then to persons, especially to persons not originally from the EU. Documentation Complexities The EU recognized the transfer pricing documentation procedure is a relatively new international tax concept. The EU sought to tease the benefits of having documentation standardization for both tax administrations and multinational enterprises. Companies had complained that country documentation obligations were both divergent and onerous. The EU portrayed cross-border documentation standards as being a salutary answer. The EU advocated having cross-border documentation standards as a positive approach to tax administrations that has limited transfer pricing experience. The OECD, in developing its own transfer pricing documentation rules, began with the EU transfer pricing rules. The OECD substantially modified these transfer pricing documentation rules. The OECD reflects its transfer pricing documentation rules through BEPS Action 13. Tax administrations and multinational enterprises gathered their experiences and added more detailed rules than in the past. Optionality The EU rules enable the tax administration of a particular member country to accept all or part of the EU transfer pricing documentation rules. The EU rules give each countrys tax administration the option to comply with these EU transfer pricing rules, or to develop transfer pricing document rules of its own. In contrast, the OECD requires all member tax jurisdictions to enforce these transfer pricing document rules. The EU rules give the multinational enterprise the option of complying with the uniform EU transfer pricing document rules or to reject these document rules and try to follow each countrys separate transfer documentation rules. In contrast, the OECD requires all multinational enterprises to meet these transfer pricing document rules. Masterfile The EU provides suggestions, but not mandates, to tax administrations and multinational enterprises as part of its Masterfile process. The multinational enterprise can provide nine specific suggested items to the EUs Masterfile: general business description; organizational and operational business structure; identification of associated enterprises; general description of controlled transactions; functional analysis; intangible and royalty ownership; the companys transfer pricing policy; cost-sharing arrangements; supplementary information. In contrast to the EU rules, the OECD specifically obligates a multinational enterprise to comply with the OECD Masterfile provisions. The OECD transfer pricing documentation rules contain more detail than does the EU transfer pricing documentation rules. The OECD Masterfile rules specifically address the organizational structure of the multinational enterprise, descriptions of the multinational businesses, intangibles, financial activities, and financial and tax positions. In general, it is sufficient for an enterprise that completes the OECD transfer pricing Masterfile to also use the Masterfile for EU purposes. In contrast, however, it is not sufficient for an enterprise to use the EU Masterfile for OECD purposes. The OECD Masterfile requires an enterprise to provide significantly more information than the EU Masterfile contains. The aforementioned differences do not apply the cost-sharing arrangement provisions in the EU Masterfile, as the OECD Masterfile does not mandate information concerning cost-sharing arrangements. Local Country-Specific Documentation File The EU, through its country-specific documentation rules, and the OECD, through its local file rules, are broadly similar in concept, but the OECD provisions require more specific detail and focus more heavily on local entry financial information. A multinational enterprise that prepares the OECD local file can use these documents to meet EU country-specific documentation. The multinational enterprise would be unable use the EUs country-specific documents to meet OECD local country specific rules. The EU asks the multinational enterprise to reflect six types of local transactions: detailed description of the local business; country-specific controlled transactions; comparability analysis; transfer pricing specifics; internal or external comparables; transfer pricing policy applications. The OECD local file provisions specifically address three specific documentation provisions: local entity provisions, including business activities, management structure, business strategy and key competitors; controlled transactions, including intra-group payments, intercompany agreements, and transfer pricing method selection, assumptions, and comparability analysis; financial information, including local entity financial accounts, allocation schedules, and relevant financial data comparables. Country-by-Country Report The EU provides no parallel to the OECD country-by-country provisions, and contains no country-by-country report. The OECD requires multinational enterprises to report country-by-country documentation meeting the consolidated 750 million Euro gross revenue threshold. The OECD developed a model template for the Country-by-Country Report that provides an overview of the allocation of income, taxes and business activities by tax jurisdiction, and then lists all the constituent entities with the multinational group. The OECD requires an enterprise to list, by tax jurisdiction, the revenues, profits, income taxes, stated capital, accumulated earnings, the number of employees and non-cash assets. Multinational companies and their accountants and tax professionals will have plenty of work to do to comply with the ever-changing rules. Robert Feinschreiber and Margaret Kent are attorneys and counselors with TransferPricingConsortium.com. (Bloomberg) A Swiss banker used a toothpaste tube a decade ago to smuggle diamonds into the U.S. Prosecutors now say an Israeli bank employee devised a new way to help a U.S. client hide assets from the Internal Revenue Service: She carried account statements into the country on a USB flash drive concealed in her necklace. The businessman, Masud Sarshar, agreed to plead guilty to hiding more than $21 million through accounts at Bank Leumi Le-Israel Ltd. and two other Israeli banks, the Justice Department said Monday. The case comes as the U.S. shifts the focus of its offshore tax cases beyond Switzerland. Eighty Swiss banks avoided prosecution by paying $1.37 billion in penalties and admitting how they helped Americans cheat on their taxes. In December 2014, Bank Leumi agreed to pay $400 million for helping American clients evade taxes for a decade. The bank also agreed to cooperate with investigators. Court papers spell out how Sarshar, owner of a clothing business, tried to avoid leaving a paper trail that could expose his offshore money. He used a code name in 1993 to set up an account at an unidentified Israeli bank, and he and his relationship manager at the time would secretly meet in Sarshars car so the manager could show him copies of his account statements. Three Accounts In 2007, Sarshar opened three accounts at Bank Leumi that he hid by placing them in the names of entities he created. Sarshar believed his new relationship manager knew of his desire to keep his Bank Leumi accounts secret, and she acted accordingly, according to his plea agreement. She brought electronic copies of Sarshars Bank Leumi account statements during her visits to the United States, which she kept hidden on a USB drive contained in a necklace that she wore, according to Sarshars plea agreement. Neither of his two relationship managers were identified in court papers or charged with wrongdoing. Sarshar closed his Bank Leumi accounts in 2011, telling his manager there that he was worried his accounts would be revealed to U.S. investigators. Masud who? she responded, according to the plea agreement, indicating that she would claim ignorance regarding Sarshars existence if asked about his Bank Leumi accounts. Two Passports Sarshars relationship managers also offered him so-called back-to-back loans, which allowed him to access accounts in Israel through loans taken at Los Angeles branches, the U.S. said. This way, he moved about $19 million to the U.S. without alerting the IRS. At the direction of his relationship managers, Sarshar obtained Israeli and Iranian passports to avoid alerting bank compliance officers. He also transferred funds to a third Israeli bank in 2011 and $5.8 million from his Bank Leumi account to a Hong Kong bank, according to the plea agreement. Sarshar, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran, is the owner of Apparel Limited Inc. Under his plea deal, he will serve two years in prison if a judge agrees to that term. Hes pleading guilty because he is guilty, said his attorney Edward Robbins Jr. Hes cooperating to duck a significantly higher jail sentence than hes looking at under his plea. High Balance The plea agreement calls for Sarshar to pay $8.3 million in restitution and a penalty of 50 percent of the high balance of his accounts for failing to disclose them. Sarshar stashed millions in secret foreign financial accounts in Israel and then sought to use these accounts to evade his U.S. tax obligations, Caroline Ciraolo, who heads the Justice Departments tax division, said in a statement. In an interview, she said the investigation is continuing, and the Tax Divisions offshore bank cases remain a top priority. The U.S. has brought dozens of offshore tax cases since former UBS Group AG banker Bradley Birkenfeld pleaded guilty in 2008 and pierced the veil of Swiss bank secrecy. He said the bank made $200 million a year handling $20 billion in undeclared assets. He also said he took customer checks to deposit in European banks and bought diamonds for a customer, bringing them to the U.S in a toothpaste tube. After serving a prison term, he secured an IRS whistle-blower award of $104 million for cooperating with the government. The case is U.S. v. Sarshar, 16-cr-527, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles). Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the principal objective of public communication is to make people informed participants and enthusiastic partners in the task of nation building. Effective public communication was the backbone for change management and thus, all officials of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) and its Media Units were important stakeholders in this process as change agents. The Government priorities were clear in the context of expectations from officials, which included focus on Results, Transparency, Accountability, Discipline and Enabling work environment. The Minister stated this recently while addressing the Officers of Ministry and Media Units of MIB at the National Media Centre. Minister of State for I&B Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, Secretary (I&B) Ajay Mittal and Media Heads were also present on the occasion. For effective public communication, Naidu said that there was a vast scope for improvement of effective functional linkages among different media units of the Ministry, including PIB, Publications Division, Directorate of Field Publicity, DAVP, Films Division, AIR and Doordarshan. This would ensure a comprehensive and integrated outreach of the Government initiatives. Regarding the changing communication paradigm, Naidu said that technological advances had revolutionised the way we communicate with each other and there was a need to fully harness social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook for effective communication and participatory development. The Minister also mentioned that it was imperative to realise the importance of communication in achieving the mission of making of a developed India and the celebration of India in its diverse and rich cultural traditions. The commercial capital of the country will be one of the 14 cities across the world to host the seventh edition of the leading international social media conference, Social Media Week from September 12-16. The platform is an effort to bring leading social influencers together to reimagine human connectivity and to understand how humanity and technology can come together to change the ways we live, work and create. The other host cities are London, Miami and Sao Paulo. This year, the theme is Invisible Hand: Hidden Forces of Technology. At SMW Mumbai, social media enthusiasts have the opportunity to avail the Early Bird Offer and get exciting discounts to be a part of the week long social extravaganza. Technology plays an important role in our lives and every aspect of it, whether its professional or personal. At Social Media Week, we bring together the contributors and pioneers of this change to help the community acquaint themselves with the changing aspects of technology and how it benefits us. said, Rohit Varma, Director Social Media Week Mumbai and Founder RSQUARE Consulting , which brought Social Media Week to India. With its impressive line-up of speakers and exciting and relevant themes, it promises to be a rewarding opportunity for participants. Started in New York in 2012 by Crowdcentric Media LLC, Social Media Week has evolved into a global movement that taps into human networks to create and share a knowledge bank, through debates, discussions and talks, which helps people stay connected the world-over. Far away from fashion stereotypes real moments and real emotions are what life is all about. Thats the message behind clothes for humans, the brand new United Colors of Benetton product and marketing philosophy.Starting from this summer, Clothes for Humans will be the unifying force behind three product lines, a global campaign, a brand new website and a series of in-store initiatives and materials, including the "magalog", a hybrid between a magazine and a catalogue that will be distributed in Benetton stores worldwide. Clothes play an important emotional role in our lives. Every morning, when we choose what to wear, we are deciding what our personality will be for the day ahead and how our feelingswill be attuned to the different moments that await us. The clothes for humans philosophy starts from here: Benettons clothes should empower people to express their emotions and get the most out of the experiences they live. Dress Up: the smart elegance for work and special occasions. Dress Down: the relaxed style for every moment of the day. Dress to Move: functional garments for a sporty lifestyle.The threeproduct lines, likeall future collections,revolve aroundknitwear, one of three brand pillars that Benetton intends to focus on and add value to through all its activities. The other two are color and social commitment, which are also part of the brand heritage. Reflected by the threenew product lines, the clothes for humans philosophy comes to life this summer as a creative platform characterized by a core idea that Benetton explores the most honest and human moments of emotion that are relevant to clothing conveyed through a fresh, quirky tone of voice. Both the idea and the tone of voice will be applied across each of the brands communications channels. The clothes for humans product and marketing philosophy will applied globally to: -magazines -digital media -Benetton properties and social channels -Stores -Out of home events The advertising campaign shows diverse,genuine and expressive real people: a woman eating take away food in front of an empty open fridge, a group of girls drinking wine at an informal party, two young siblings cutting each others hair.The lightning is authentic and so are the locations: real homes, which feel warm, contemporary but also ubiquitous, just like Benettons global customers. In fact, the campaign will be published worldwide, online and offline, and the creative concept will beapplied also to a series of short video episodes to be distributed on digital channels. Today, the Italian clothing brand releases itsnew website benetton.com , in which a simple but contemporary design will take on the task of letting current and new customers into the Benetton world. A section called Identity will introduce the user to the three elements identified as brand pillars - knitwear, color and social commitment while another section called Clothes for Humanswill present the new design philosophy and help the customers match their mood with the three lines of clothing: Dress Up, Dress Down and Dress to Move. A renewed online shop will also allow them browse and buy quickly and efficiently. Benetton stores will change following the current design direction. Signage, design and communication materials will evolve to turn the shopping experience itself into a truly humanmoment, in which everyone especially young women will be able to isolate themselves from the background noise of status updates and filtered photos, and eventually reconnect to their own emotions, also thanks to Benetton clothes. In Benetton stores, customers will also be able to pick up the magalog called clothes for humans, a hybrid between a magazine and a catalogue that continues Benettons long tradition of avant-garde editorial products. Inside the publication, Benettons collection images will be interspersed by in-depth photographic stories about what people wear in different parts of the world: from where the first school uniform was born to how women style their hijabs in Iran and why boys usually dress in blue and girls in pink. Humans. Some are happy. Some are sad. Some are both. We make clothes for all of them, reads the manifesto that sums up the clothes for humans philosophy.Embracing peoples emotions may be a natural and yet substantial step ahead for Benetton, the brand that perhaps more than any other has been with the people, all of them, regardless of their individual differences. Produced by Balaji Telefilms, the show features Krystle DSouza, Aham Sharma, Rakshanda Khan and Kishwer Merchantt. Ever met a bride who doesnt wear red sindoor, red chooda or paayal? Chances are shed be from a village called Kamalpura where terror strikes when a bride decks up in her finery. On 6th August at 9 PM, Zee TV will launch a clutter-breaking weekend fiction show that centres around a ferocious monster who directed his wrath towards newly-wed brides. Having partnered with Zee TV and given viewers successful primetime dramas like Hum Paanch, Kasamh Se, Pavitra Rishta, Jodha Akbar and KumKum Bhagya over the years, Ekta Kapoors Balaji Telefilms will produce this show titled Brahmarakshas-Jaag Utha Shaitan'. Brahmarakshas is the story of a young girl from Mumbai named Raina who goes to Kamalpura with her best friend to attend a wedding. On reaching there, Raina and Rishabh lose the one person who was special to both of them in an encounter with the Brahmarakshas. Raina & Rishabh decide to get into a contract marriage so that they can bring the Brahmarakshas out who is responsible for the death all the women wearing Sindoor, Chuda and Payal. Akash Chawla, Zee TV & Zee Studios Business Head said, Brahmarakshas- Jaag Utha Shaitaan is a fantasy thriller aimed at entertaining every member of the family. The existence of demons is well documented in our vedas. So we are presenting a fictionalized account of a raakshas set against the backdrop of romance and thrills. The show has an element of intrigue and suspense without going into the space of horror. We have had a successful partnership with Ekta over the years and look forward to entertaining audiences with this novel concept. Producer Ekta Kapoor says, After the immense success of Kumkum Bhagya that continues to sustain its leadership position across channels on weekday primetime, we are happy to collaborate with Zee TV to present another gripping story called Brahmarakshas- Jaag Utha Shaitaan. It is a fantasy, an out-and-out entertainer, a thriller with elements of romance, drama and intrigue. The treatment will be very different vis-a-vis a daily soap. As of now, we have selected Krystle Dsouza and Aham Sharma as the lead protagonists and the hunt for title role of Brahmarakshas is still on. The show is a fantasy thriller bound to fascinate every member of the family. Brahmarakshas has an ensemble cast of impressive actors and the leading lady of the show is none other than the young and talented Krystle Dsouza who has mesmerized millions of viewers with her beauty and charm. The glamorous actress will be seen portraying the role of Raina- a pure hearted girl who cares for everybody around. Television heartthrob Aham Sharma has been cast opposite Krystle as the male lead of the show. Beautiful Krystle D Souza says, I am excited to be back on television after a year and that too with Balaji Telefilms. This will be my first association with Zee TV where I am playing the role of Raina who is a pure hearted girl. Viewers will surely be able to connect with my character as the storyline is so intriguing and gripping that after every shoot, we cant wait to find out whats going to happen next. I can already imagine the audiences feeling the same way! Joining the lead couple are none other than the most famous and gorgeous vamps of Indian television Rakshanda Khan playing the role of Mohini and Kishwer Merchantt as Aparajita. While all these actors have made a distinct mark for themselves through interesting characters they have portrayed over the years, they now come together after a gap under one roof to create history on Indian television. Tthe cast also includes Shailesh Dataar, Abhaas Mehta, Shadaab khan and Rishabh Shukla amongst other actors. The August issue of Airman magazine is now available to download and is viewable through a web browser.In this months issue of Airman magazine, we take a look at the U-2 mission and what happens while a pilot is 13 miles high in the stratosphere.Also included in the U-2 discussion is how pilots are able to eat through a pressurized suit that has no flip down visor.Lastly, we sift through the sand with explosive ordnance disposal technicians and discuss the inherent risks that these brave Airmen have and continue to face on a daily basis to save the lives of others.You can download the August issue of Airman magazine on your tablet here:To read this issue on a PC/Mac, click here For more stories, visit Airman Online , the website for the official magazine of the U.S. Air Force. Miracles do happen. A six-month-old baby survived miraculously when a building collapsed in Bhiwandi town on Sunday. The infant, identified as Abdul Rehman Momin, was trapped under a slab of the collapsed structure but remained unhurt. At least eight people were killed and 22 were injured when a two-storey dilapidated building collapsed on Sunday morning. Infants mother, Sofia Momin, was killed in the mishap. The infant is being treated at Bhiwandis Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital. The two-storey structure, housing 7 to 8 families, at Gaibi Nagar under Shanti Nagar police station limits, crashed around 9.30 AM. Initially, five persons had died in the incident, but the toll rose after more bodies were pulled out from the debris. The local municipal corporation had earlier declared the building as hazardous for occupation, but the families continued to live there, locals told media persons. A 28-year-old woman along with her five-year-old son, who was on her way to Kabul to join ISIS through one of the 21 missing Kerala youths, was arrested on Sunday morning at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. According to police, the lady, who hails from Bihar, was detained shortly before she was to board a flight to Kabul. It is suspected that some of them had fled the country to join ranks with the Islamic State. After she panicked at the immigration desk, and started screaming at immigration officials for harassing her, Yasmeen was handed over to the Delhi Polices special cell, and was then taken into custody by the Kerala police who had been on the lookout for her. Yasmeen is a divorcee. She has been handed over to Delhi Polices special cell and later taken into custody by a team from Kerala Police. She has been sent to judicial custody by a Kerala court. On Monday, Yasmeen was produced in a court in Kasaragod and charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and remanded in judicial custody. Sources in Kerala Police alleged that Yasmeen, a divorcee, was linked to Abdul Rashid from Kasaragod, who is believed to be a key figure behind the departure last month of youths from the state. Sources claimed that she had worked during 2013-2014 at the Kottakkal and Kollam campuses of Peace International School, which came on the radar of intelligence agencies due to its suspected links with some of the youths who had gone missing. Rashid used to send messages from Afghanistan to Yasmeen, who claimed to have been his first wife. Security agencies tracked this communication. Rashid invited her to join him to lead a true Islamic life. She had planned to reach Kabul as instructed by him, said sources. An FBI electronics technician with a top security clearance pleaded guilty on Monday to funneling photographs of FBI documents and other sensitive information to China. Kun Shan Chun, also known as Joey Chun, was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 1997. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to one count of having illegally acted as an agent of a foreign government. Prosecutors in federal court in Manhattan charged Kun Shan Chun a naturalized US citizen who goes by Joey Chun with making false statements in connection with his security clearance to cover up his connections to Chinese associates that included at least one unnamed government official. Chun, 46, threatened American security by acting as an unauthorized foreign agent, US Attorney Preet Bharara said in statement. Because he was an FBI employee, the threat was all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous, the prosecutor added. Chun, who was released after the plea, declined to speak to reporters as he left the courthouse. Defense attorney Jonathan Marvinny said in a statement that his client deeply regrets what he did. Chun is scheduled to be sentenced December 2. The truth is that Chun loves the United States and never intended to cause it any harm, the lawyer said. Court papers allege that after beginning work for the FBIs Computerized Central Monitoring Facility, Chun cultivated a relationship with Chinese associates seeking technological data and other information. In 2013, Chun downloaded an FBI organizational chart from his FBI computer in Manhattan and later turned it over to an unnamed Chinese official, the papers say. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has branded his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as a devil. Trump used this extreme characterisation of Clinton when speaking about the decision of Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont to support her in the election. He (Sanders) made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, Trump alleged. In his rallies, Trump for the past several weeks has been using the word crooked against her. His people are angry at him, and they should be. If he would have not just done anything, gone home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. Of late Trump has been using this new characterisation of Clinton quite frequently. Bernie blew it. He sold his soul to the devil, Trump said in Colorado on Friday. A few days earlier, he accused Sanders of selling out to the devil by having endorsed Clinton. Trump also said Clinton is as crooked as a three-dollar bill. Im putting up money to run my campaign. When you see that Clinton, crooked Hillary, crooked shes crooked as a three-dollar bill, let me tell ya. She is crooked, he said. Hillary Clinton is weak and she is ineffective and there is no way you can allow four more years of this stuff to go on. Theres just no way in my opinion, he said. A day after being cleared by the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA), wrestler Narsingh Yadav on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked him to focus on winning laurels for the country at the Olympics without any tension. The Prime Minister, who met the wrestler at his office in Parliament House soon after the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, also assured the wrestler that no injustice will be done to him. The Prime Minister gave his best wishes to me and asked me to be carefree and participate in Olympics without any tension. He asked me to focus on winning medals for the country. He also assured me that no injustice will be done to me, Yadav said after the meeting. The wrestler, who had failed a dope test on June 25 and claimed that it was a conspiracy against him, said he wanted to leave behind the controversy and focus on his participation in the Olympics and winning a medal there. I am thankful that the Prime Minister has met me and supported me. I am thankful to people for supporting me. I hope to live up to their expectations. I am also thankful for the support of the Wrestling Federation and the media for standing by me, he said. Asked if he would like those behind the doping row be punished, he said an inquiry is on and hoped that justice will be done. This should not happen to any player, otherwise they will stop taking interest in sports, he said. Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh accompanied Narsingh during his meeting with the Prime Minister. US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma paid a visit to Sai Hospital in Dharavi slum where a US aid agency is supporting a programme to test and diagnose HIV in patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB). In India, approximately 50 per cent of deaths of HIV patients are due to TB, reinforcing the need to prevent, care and treat HIV and TB as co-infections. During his visit to the hospital, he met doctors, local health care workers and patients to discuss the magnitude of TB and HIV prevalence among the vulnerable poor in India, an official release said today. Meeting with patients who are suffering from both TB and HIV emphasises the critical need to diagnose and treat both of these diseases simultaneously, and bring our resources to bear so that we can together achieve a TB-free India, Verma said. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) helps private health care providers link TB patients to public health facilities in order to test HIV, saving lives by diagnosing and co-treating HIV and TB. Additionally, USAID provides advocacy, counselling and support services for HIV and TB co-infected patients. I was diagnosed with HIV and TB at my local health care facility, which is now also helping me receive proper treatment and is providing me counselling support. The availability of all three services near my home has been a huge relief for me and my family as we cope with the diseases, said a patient. India has the largest number of TB cases in the world more than a quarter of the global burden and nearly two people die from TB every three minutes in the country. Since 1998, USAID has partnered with the Government of India to combat TB, investing more than $100 million to help diagnose and treat 15 million people living with the disease and to combat HIV, investing $204 million since 2004 to help create an AIDS-free generation. The United States remains committed to supporting India in its efforts to treat HIV and TB together and to help the country achieve its vision of becoming TB and HIV-free, the release said. Sonia Gandhi sounds poll bugle by holding a rally in Modis hometurf Varanasi. The massive roadshow held by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Varanasi the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi received tremendous response from residents of the city. Congress workers from Maharashtra too had participated in the rally. After receiving severe drubbing in the assembly polls held in four states the Congress is trying to revive itself ahead of the crucial UP assembly polls scheduled to be held in 2017. The outcome of the polls will have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. If Congress performs better in UP election then it will definitely boost the partys morale. Whenever political analysts have written off Congress, the party has made a strong comeback by winning crucial elections. In 1977 the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai had said that Congress has finished but the party regained power in 1980. The party also came back strongly after the fall of the third front government in 1991. Congress surprised everyone by winning the 2004 Lok Sabha polls at a time when BJP was confident of retaining power. The party then was re-elected for the second successive time in 2009 but lost the 2014 general election due to factors like rising corruption and anti-incumbency. A Congress leader spoke to AV on the condition of anonymity and said, Sonia Gandhis rally had drawn huge crowds. She interacted with the masses and was able to connect with them. Her presence in the rally has boosted the confidence of party workers who were disappointed after the party had lost assembly polls. We are working hard to strengthen the party ahead of UP assembly polls. We will be holding more rallies and highlight about the failures of the Modi government. The Modi government had made several promises to people like creating job opportunities, power generation and clean-up of river Ganga but they have failed to deliver them. People are unhappy with the performance of the government, said a Congress party worker. It is from Kashi that Congress will make a comeback in Uttar Pradesh, veteran Congress leader Vijay Shanker Mehta said. The party is trying to woo Dalits and Brahims who can decide the fate of assembly polls. Congress had won 28 seats out of the 403 in 2012 assembly polls and this time the party is keen to improve its performance. The party is trying to create a dent in the traditional vote bank of BJP. Sheila Dixit has already been declared as the chief ministerial candidate of Congress for UP assembly polls on the other hand BJP is keeping its cards close to its chest. Last week Congress vice-president too had an interaction with party workers in Lucknow. The party is trying to woo upper caste voters who comprise around 10 per cent of the states population. On the other hand, BJP might find itself on the backfoot due to incidents like Una lynching, Rohit Vemula suicide and demolition of Ambedkar building. Attempting to resurrect a near moribund organisation in the Hindi heartland, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday stormed Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency accompanied by a feisty throng of 10,000 bikers. Gandhi flew in for a day-long programme in the constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also paid tribute to Dr. BR Ambedkar in Varanasi ahead of her massive road show, which covered various parts of the city. Her choice of starting the campaign from Varanasi for the assembly elections scheduled next year is significant given the fact that it sends a signal that Congress is daring Modi on his home turf. This is Ms. Gandhis first visit to Varanasi after Mr. Modi became Prime Minister. She is accompanied by Sheila Dikshit, the partys Chief Ministerial candidate in the State, AICC general secretary Gulam Nabi Azad and UPCC chief Raj Babbar besides senior party leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh. The Congress has launched a campaign dard-e-banaras to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Mr. Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Yes we need a chamatkaar (miracle) in Uttar Pradesh but it has happened in the past too, even 2014 was a miracle for our opponents and we are hoping there will be a miracle this time too, said Mr Babbar whose party hopes to reverse its trend of placing last in recent elections in the state. The Congress is out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the State has gone from bad to worse in last 27 years through a campaign called 27 saal UP behal. The larger narrative, however, in this script for Congress revival is evident: that Congress in UP elections will be seeking to make a course-correction, attempting to regain its centrist position in the national polity. This refrain is likely to be heard in every speech, every political demonstration and program which the party plans in the run-up to the polls. Below is part one of a series which includes Part 2 and Part 3 . By Mark Blaxill Perhaps no other recent product on the market demonstrates successful health care technology transfer better than the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, produced by Merck & Co. and approved by the FDA in June 2006, proclaimed a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) newsletter. In a February 23, 2007 article entitled From Lab to Market: The HPV Vaccine, the NIH Record celebrated the pivotal role of government researchers in developing Mercks Gardasil product. Based largely on technology developed at NIH, the newsletter reported, the vaccine works to prevent four types of the sexually transmitted HPV that together cause 70 percent of all cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts ( HERE ). The occasion motivating this celebratory article was the Philip S. Chen, Jr. Distinguished Lecture on Innovation and Technology Transfer given by Douglas T. Lowy, one of the NIH scientists involved in developing the HPV vaccine. In the ceremony pictured above, Lowy is receiving an honorary poster from the head of NIH at the time, Elias Zerhouni, who took advantage of the occasion to shower praise on his teams work, one he viewed as a model for future efforts. Its a heroic story about the effort to fight cervical cancer, the second most deadly cancer for women worldwide, said NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni, in the NIH Records account. He noted that he has talked about the vaccines creation to Congress and with the President on his recent visit to NIH. How researchers took the technology from the lab to the marketplace is a journey we can learn from, Zerhouni said. While Zerhouni was bragging to anyone in Washington D.C. who would listen about the NIH teams role in this historic accomplishment, the vaccine's developers were actively spreading the news of their achievement in scientific circles. Its hard to blame them, because at the time Lowy and his colleague John T. Schiller, leaders of the team that had invented the technology for the virus-like particles (or VLPs) that made Gardasil possible, were in some pretty heady company. In 2008, Harald zur Hausen, the scientist who discovered the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer during the 1980s, received one half of the Nobel Prize in Medicine; the two researchers at the Pasteur Institute who had discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) had to share the other half. Perhaps campaigning for their own place in the pantheon of medical heroes, Lowy and Schiller described their VLP technology in several review articles on the history and development of the Merck vaccine. These treatments were studiously scientific in tone and at points openly critical of their commercial partner, as the authors commented with disapproval on the high price Merck was charging for Gardasil. But in one May 2006 review in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the pair also made the following disclosure about their own commercial interests: Conflict of interest: The authors, as employees of the National Cancer Institute, NIH, are inventors of the HPV VLP vaccine technology described in this Review. The technology has been licensed by the NIH to the 2 companies, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, that are developing the commercial HPV vaccines described herein. Attached to an otherwise heroic narrative of the triumph of technology over cancer, this disclosure struck a discordant note. Conflict of interest? Inventors? Vaccine technology? Licenses? Pharmaceutical companies? Commercial vaccines? This isnt scientific language, but rather the language of money and commerce. What was this unusual concession doing there in the fine print? Creating the market for Gardasil by funding commercial research, supervising the conduct of clinical trials, judging the outcome of those trials and promoting a policy of universal vaccination; Collecting the license fees that result from Gardasil revenues from Merck and other vaccine manufacturers and then distributing these financial benefits to Federal employees; and Deciding whether or not to protect the policy decisions and profit streams of their sister DHHS agencies through postlicensure safety monitoring and vaccine injury compensation rulings. This is not an idle question, for Lowy and Schillers conflict disclosure forms the basis for an alternative to Zerhounis narrative, one that spotlights the unusually self-contained set of Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) activities that surrounded HPV vaccine development. This alternative narrative is more of a business story than a scientific one, a narrative in which commercial interests were inextricably linked to matters of life and death. In this narrative, Gardasil is perhaps the leading example of a new form of unconstrained government self-dealing, in arrangements whereby DHHS can transfer technology to pharmaceutical partners, simultaneously both approve and protect their partners technology licenses while also taking a cut of the profits. Literally and figuratively, DHHS has the authority in such situations to allow its business partners to get away with murder for the greater good, effectively granting its private business partners a license to kill.DHHS officials have their own language for such arrangements. They call them public-private partnerships, and DHHS agencies have gotten progressively more aggressive about pursuing them. NIH, for example, launched its own Program on Public-Private Partnerships in 2005, shortly before Gardasils launch. On the web-site describing this program, the NIH program managers concede that the kind of technology transfer involved with Gardasil carries unavoidable ethical risks, acknowledging that The potential for conflict of interest exists any time the NIH and NIH staff engage with non-Federal entities to achieve mutual goals. They provide little more than a pro forma solution for such conflicts, however: any concerned NIH staffers are encouraged to contact their Deputy Ethics Counselor.Its important to shed light on this alternative narrative as a counterpoint to the heroic story promoted by Gardasils many sponsors. An uninformed observer might like to assume that the responsible agencies of DHHS care not at all about commercial opportunities and exclusively attend in a disinterested fashion to the issues of health and safety that would naturally concern any consumer of vaccine products.But that assumption would be incorrect. By taking a commercial perspective on Gardasils development and regulation, one is forced to confront a new and disturbing question. How is disinterested vaccine safety governance even remotely possible when DHHS employees stand as heroes at the head of the parade when a new vaccine is invented within its walls, while agency leaders are leading the cheering section, approving the new products launch, making the market for the product with its recommendations and then turning around to cash multi-million dollar checks? In order to better understand the real lessons of Gardasil under the harsh light of the business interests at work, lets take a closer look at how the Merck-NIH partnership on Gardasil was forged.As the worlds largest single sponsor of biological research, NIH frequently funds research with commercially valuable outcomes. When that R&D generates potentially valuable inventions, NIH submits patent applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and actively pursues the approval of those patents, which when granted become valuable commercial property for DHHS, the patents owner. Since NIH has neither the authority nor the capability to pursue product commercialization efforts, in order to encourage private companies to invest in conducting the necessary clinical trials, NIHs Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) was created to grant commercial licenses for such DHHS patents to commercial partners, including vaccine manufacturers. When new products invented at NIH clear the requisite regulatory hurdles at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and reach the market, OTT then shares in the profits. They also distribute the rewards back to the scientific teams whose products have succeeded in reaching the commercial stage: when license fees flow into OTTs coffers, the Federal employees who invented the technology are entitled by NIH policy to a share of the royalties.From a technology development standpoint, such commercial arrangements are the result of an intentional public policy; in fact they resulted from an Act of Congress. The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 was written with the express purpose of making it easier for federally-funded academic research to receive patent protection that would allow the ready licensing of the fruits of commercially valuable R&D to private businesses. At the time, the concern of Congress was that federally funded inventions too often languished within the academy because businesses had insufficient incentive to invest in clinical trials, since these inventions were often unsupported by the powerful competitive protection afforded by an exclusive patent license.The policy worked. Within the research universities that receive the vast majority of federal funding, Bayh-Dole has had the desired effect and has enabled university technology transfer offices all over the world to generate billions of dollars of licensing revenue in the last few decades--especially in the life sciences--by licensing patents from federally-funded university research to corporate partners. Bayh-Dole has effectively turned research into big business for many universities and transformed technology transfer offices into important profit centers at academic institutions all over the world.But when technology licensing takes place within federal agencies, Bayh-Dole creates an entirely different problem: an unprecedented web of conflict, one in which the same departments that are tasked with regulating the health and safety of medical products are also profiting from them. As Lowy and Schiller conceded in their review article disclosure, this conflict of interest came into play directly on Gardasil: both men are named inventors on the technology that makes Gardasil possible; NIH filed for and received patents on their invention of the VLP technology; DHHS is the owner of the patent family that protects the commercial rights to the invention; in order to bring the product to market, OTT licensed the vaccine technology to Merck; and as Merck has generated billions in Gardasil revenue, OTT has received millions in Gardasil profits.But DHHS is also responsible for regulating Gardasil in numerous ways. The FDA reviewed the clinical trials in which Gardasil was tested in human populations and passed judgment on Gardasils safety. An Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided whether or not to recommend Gardasil for young women and children. The FDA and CDC together now conduct the surveillance to decide whether or not Gardasil is proving safe in larger populations. And as some families are now beginning to seek compensation based on claims that Gardasil caused injury in some of its recipients, the division of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that oversees the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) will soon sit in judgment as to whether, to whom, and how much compensation will be provided to Gardasils victims.As you can see in the chart below, all of this activity is supervised in a single department by one Cabinet official, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The sole non-governmental agency involved in this commercial enterprise is Mercks Vaccine Division. In effect, the Merck-DHHS partnership leaves the business side to Merck while DHHS is solely responsible for Is this good government at work or an example of the medical-industrial complex run amok? In this investigative series, Age of Autism will take a look at how DHHS agencies have managed Gardasil in all three of these sequences. Well start by taking a closer look at the NIH patent portfolio and the associated license fees that have been flowing into NIH coffers since 2006. (Click chart to see original slide.) Celebrating the invention of a new market Lowy and Schiller are both employed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). One of the largest of the NIH institutes, NCI was established in 1937 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. For many decades, NCI has been the agency at the forefront of the so-called War on Cancer. Perhaps the earliest inspiration for the both the Cancer War and the Gardasil program began during the 1960s, when NCI researchers first began looking in earnest at viruses as a potential cause for cancer. In 1961, NCI leaders created the Laboratory of Viral Oncology to begin the search for cancer-causing viruses; in 1962 the Human Cancer Virus Task Force was first convened; and by the end of the decade, enthusiasm over this research was part of the scientific momentum that persuaded President Richard Nixon to launch the War on Cancer in 1971. Unfortunately for Nixons legacy, and for most subsequent cancer victims, the War on Cancer has famously failed to find a cure for cancer or to validate theories of viral causation in the vast majority of human cancers. But starting in the 1980s, the two exceptions to this litany of failurehepatitis B virus and the human papillomavirus--led to the launch of two blockbuster new vaccine products. The infant hepatitis B vaccine was developed in the 1980s and launched in 1991 with an ACIP recommendation that all American infants be vaccinated on the first day of life. And after 1984, when Harald zur Hausen first pinpointed the role of certain strains of human papillomavirus in cervical cancer, the work on another anti-cancer vaccine could begin. By the early 1990s, laboratories all over the world were racing to develop the first HPV vaccine. Lowy and Schillers NCI team were among the four most active research teams in this race, all of whom were aggressively filing patents on their HPV inventions. Along with a third NCI colleague, Reinhard Kirnbauer, Lowy and Schiller filed their first application for a patent entitled Self-assembling recombinant papillomavirus capsid proteins on September 3, 1992. Since then--and after splitting the original application into 29 children in the form of numerous divisionals, continuations and continuations-in-part--nine patents from that family have been granted, as well as four from a branch of the family tree entitled chimeric papillomavirus-like particles. The ability of the novel L1 proteins described in their patent to self-assemble into virus-like structures, which when deployed in a vaccine solution could stimulate a protective immune response against HPV, formed the essence of their invention. Although OTT doesnt specify the royalty-bearing patents, the commercially valuable technology that Merck has licensed likely comes from this group of nine self-assembling recombinant papillomavirus capsid proteins patents: US5437951, US5709996, US5716620, US5744142, US5756284, US5871998, US5985610, US7220419, and US7361356. The NCI team was among the leaders in HPV technology, but the race to make a commercially viable HPV vaccine involved several other research teams from all over the world. Most notable among these were the University of Queensland in Australia, Georgetown University and the University of Rochester. In addition to NCIs filings, each of these university-based research teams filed their own patents; eventually, Merck and GSK got into the act as well. Like many promising areas of technology, the HPV patent landscape became large and crowded in a short period of time. Amid this blizzard of activity, the USPTOs Bureau of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) had to step in to sort out whether these competing patent applications interfered with each other and to distribute the credit, making a series of hotly contested decisions that were ultimately appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), the nations most powerful patent court. By 2007, all the BPAI and CAFC rulings had come in and the respective contributions of all four groups were conclusively allocated for commercial purposes. The team led by Ian Frazer at the University of Queensland received credit for the being the first to propose the idea of using VLP technology for a vaccine, since their application was filed on July 20, 1992, just six weeks earlier than the NCI teams. But thanks to their unique technology of self-assembly, most of the invention claims of the NCI patent family remained intact as well; Lowy and Schillers invention has since been generally accepted as a critical advance in the wave of new technology that made Gardasil possible. In terms of the distribution of financial reward, both Rochester and Queensland have reported receiving royalty income for their HPV inventions (in undisclosed amounts) in addition to the revenues reported by OTT. As the technology transfer officials at OTT were paving the way for the financial benefits from Gardasil to flow back to NIH, Lowy and Schiller were benefiting in other ways as well, especially when it came to scientific credit. Throughout much of 2006 and 2007, they received awards from many quarters for their role in developing Gardasils virus-like particles. Their joint awards included the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research in April 2007 and the 2007 Novartis Prize for Clinical Immunology. In addition, Lowy by himself received the Daniel Nathans Memorial Award in September 2007 and the American Cancer Societys Medal of Honor for Basic Research in October 2007. In addition to these awards, on September 19, 2007, Lowy and Schiller received what was perhaps their crowning honor. Thats when the Partnership for Public Service awarded the pair the Federal Employees of the Year Service to America Medal. According to its sponsors, The Service to America Medals have earned a reputation as one of the most prestigious awards dedicated to celebrating Americas civil servants. Often referred to as the 'Oscars' of government service," they are more commonly known in government circles as the Sammies. Upon receiving his crowning honor, Lowy was interviewed for the NIH Record and professed the requisite modesty in its October 2007 edition, saying We are simply symbols of the many people who have made critical contributions to understanding the relationship between papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer. If Lowy was modest, the top brass at NIH could barely conceal their pride over their employees accomplishments. According to the Partnership for Public Service, Lowy and Schillers 20-year partnership has been a boon to the nations health and for the advancement of scientific discovery. Collecting the licensing fees Alongside the science and policy celebrations, the business side of the Merck-NIH partnership proceeded with a bit less fanfare and with a different kind of currency. Once their patent was approved, OTT could then turn to extracting their share of the benefits from their commercial partners new products, which in the case of HPV vaccine included sales first from Mercks Gardasil product and later from GlaxoSmithKlines Cervarix. Merck reached the market first in 2006, but GSK followed shortly thereafter in 2007. As each company began collecting revenue from their new vaccines, OTT began collecting royalties. The table below shows Age of Autisms analysis of how Merck and GSKs revenues may have flowed into OTTs coffers. Gardasil Revenue ($M) Cervarix revenue ($M) NIH Top 20 Revenues ($M) HPV Rank in NIH Top 20 HPV Revenue: estimated at 1% license fee ($M) 2006 235 -- NA NR 2007 1,481 20 71 (est) #4 15 2008 1,403 229 77.4 #2 16 2009 1,108 292 75.7 #1 14 Both Merck and GSK itemize revenue for Gardasil and Cervarix in their quarterly and annual earnings statements. Their annual results are summarized in the first two columns of the table. For Merck, Gardasil has been a blockbuster success, yielding a cumulative total of over $4 billion in revenue through year end 2009. By contrast, GSKs revenues have been growing more slowly and have not yet reached a cumulative total of half a billion dollars.For their part, OTT does not itemize their HPV license revenues. However, they do report their total royalty revenue as well as the cumulative revenue from their top 20 technology licenses since 2007. These top 20 licenses have been worth over $70 million annually in profits for NIH in the last three years, and HPV licenses have soared to the top of those rankings quickly. Last year, OTT reported that HPV licensing was its top revenue generator. OTT doesnt disclose exactly how much the Gardasil and Cervarix royalties contribute to NIH, but if we make the assumption that their patent licenses entitle them to 1% of the HPV vaccine revenues of their partners (an assumption that appears reasonable based on the available data), then we can safely estimate that OTT has been collecting somewhere in the range of $15 million per year from Lowy and Schillers invention.In addition to their numerous scientific awards for their discoveries, Lowy and Schiller have received cash distributions from NIH based on their patents. As Federal employees, they are each eligible to receive a share of patent royalties up to $150,000 per year and Gardasils success has guaranteed that they would receive the maximum reward. That means that since FDAs approval in 2006, each man has earned roughly a half million dollars in royalty revenue.* * *This is the DHHS vision of public private partnership at work. Contrary to the rhetoric, these partnerships arent simply a high-minded collaboration of scientific visionaries, but rather a large commercial enterprise with extraordinary profits at stake: an enterprise from which NIH receives credit and money and based on which its corporate partners build multi-billion dollar businesses.How does such a partnership affect the incentives of regulators whose job it is to make sure the products are safe? Its not obvious that they do. Just because DHHS has a financial stake in Gardasil doesnt necessarily mean that every subsequent decision its employees make is corrupt, part of some nefarious conspiracy to kill young women for money. Indeed, HPV royalty revenues of $15 million represent just a small fraction of a DHHS budget that rose to well over $700 billion in 2009. In the larger scheme of things, DHHS revenues on Gardasil are just a small drop in a very large bucket.Far more likely to play a role, however, in public-private paternerships like the Gardasil vaccine are the insidious cultural pressures that emerge in a supremely political organization like DHHS. Can we really expect the Secretary of HHS to take his or her FDA Director to task for implementing lax standards on vaccine approval when the Director of NIH is simultaneously praising the heroic researchers who invented the product in the first place? Is it more likely that CDC will apply extra caution in their vaccine policy recommendations when its sister agency is involved or will they be more likely to activate the fast track in their process of making recommendations for Gardasil? What we have observed so far merely suggests the potential for bias in the regulation of products in which DHHS holds a direct stake. In the next part of our series, Age of Autism will investigate the question of whether or not there have been actual patterns of bias in the ways in which regulators at FDA and CDC have conducted their duties with respect to Gardasil.This series continues with: A License to Kill? Part 2 and A License to Kill? Part 3 Mark Blaxill is Editor-At-Large of Age of Autism. His book, The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Manmade Epidemic , co-written with Editor Dan Olmsted, is available now for preorder and debuts in September. Web Toolbar by Wibiya The police department is one institution that has always been regarded as the Peace Keepers of our societies. It is for this reason that almost everyone runs to them the moment they feel that their rights are being trampled on by others. With this in mind, it comes as a stab in the back when the activities of certain police personnel within the Ottawa Police Department throws the trust people had in the police out to the dogs. A recent incident which involved the death of Abdirahman Abdi at the hands of some cops would have been treated differently by these cops if they knew that all their actions would be thoroughly investigated by the Special Investigations Unit. However, with the prior knowledge they had that the SIU would simply sweep the case under the carpet, these cops were able to treat Abdi in a manner that directly or indirectly led to his death. Abdirahman Abdi, a 37-year old man was killed in cold blood by some personnel from the Police Department without any provocation. The sad incident of Abdi has rather thrown more light on the activities of certain dirty elements within the Police Force who are simply out there to just ruin the good reputation that has been built through years of hard work by the entire police force. A lot of individuals have all had unpleasant experiences at the hands of these Dirty Cops within the Ottawa Police Department with some being racially profiled and intimidated. The last straw that broke the camels back was when they turned a blind eye to the inhumane treatment that an elderly woman was being subjected to by her husband and daughter. How can a professionally trained police officer be this callous to an elderly woman? What did they stand to benefit in turning a blind eye to the plight of this helpless old woman? These are some of the many questions that go unanswered as one tries to come to terms with the unethical conduct of some personnel of the Ottawa Police Department. With the passing of each and every single day, more and more people are becoming victims of these Dirty Cops as they are subjected to all kinds of intimidations. However bad such experiences are, it can be seen as a necessary evil. This is simply due to the fact that more and more people are now filing their grievances with the Ottawa Small Claims Court which in turn will send a very strong signal to the Government of Ontario and the Premier of Ontario to have these cops investigated. These bad elements within the Police Force should no longer be allowed to destroy the image of the entire police service with their unethical conducts and activities. This is the time for the concerned authorities to take a firm stand and clamp down on all the activities of all dirty cops within the Police Department in order to ensure that people can once again see the police as their friend and not an enemy. Web Toolbar by Wibiya The law profession happens to be one of the well respected and noble professions some years ago. Sadly enough, a look at some of the people who have made it into the law profession makes it very difficult to see it as it was then. The current trend of people making it out as qualified and professional lawyers leaves a lot to be desired. These days, it is not a surprise anymore to find out that most of the lawyers are only willing to offer their services to the highest bidder and are even ready to stand up for people who have committed grave offences. The actions and inactions of Jeremy Wright, a Lawyer at the City of Ottawa has made it necessary for him to be seen as doing everything possible to perpetuate elder abuse in Ottawa. Dezrin Carby-Samuels has been the recipient of an unabated abuse at the hands of her husband, Horace Carby Samuels and daughter, Marcella Carby-Samuels with Jeremy Wright doing everything in his capacity to make sure that this elderly woman gets no support from anywhere as he collects his salary from the public purse. It is therefore not shocking to realize that Jeremy Wright has been the subject of a complaint that was submitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada. The dealings of Jeremy Wright have include his support for the nefarious activities of Dirty Cops within Ottawa. These are cops who have been mostly cited in cases involving civil litigation relating to institutionalized racism/racial profiling and supporting the illegal denial of Dezrins ability to see her own son, Raymond Carby-Samuels. This is a woman who happens to be very old but has always been abused by her own husband with the support of her daughter. All attempts by her son, Raymond to get her the much-needed assistance have always been thwarted by some of these Dirty Cops with the backing of Jeremy Wright. When a professional lawyer with public money is able to tell a false story that denies justice for a sick and elderly woman that truly puts the legal peofession into disrepute Certain lawyers are now operating on the basis of who can pay more regardless of the whether the culprit has actually committed the offence and are ready and willing to go the extra mile just to see to it that the client walks out of the courtroom with victory. An individual who is able to fabricate stories just to send an elderly person like Dezrin Carby-Samuels down really lacks empathy for humankind and something serious should be done before things get out of hand. Although the presidential debates are ahead of us, the debate on increasing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage cap has already begun. My concern is that we dont expand conservation on idle lands at the expense of environmental protection on working lands. The 2014 Farm Bill reduced the CRP acreage cap gradually from 32 million acres to 24 million by 2018, a savings of $3.3 billion over 10 years. Ratcheting down CRP acres by 25 percent was a deliberate budget saving effort. So, if those acres go up with the 2018 Farm Bill, some other program must be cut to cover the average $72 cost per CRP acre. Furthermore, theres a good chance that even less funding may be allocated to agricultural conservation in the next farm bill if the House and Senate are inclined to reduce spending overall to control the nations deficit. CRP enrollment peaked in Fiscal Year 2007 at 36.8 million acres. Today 23.8 million acres are actually enrolled through more than 650,000 contracts on more than 365,000 farms. Under the 2014 Farm Bill, the acreage cap for 2017 and 2018 is set at 24 million acres, and the Presidents FY2017 budget requests a little more than $1.9 billion to pay for CRP contracts next year. In 2016, about 411,000 acres were approved for CRP under general sign up and 528,000 acres thus far under continuous sign up. About 5.7 million acres are set to expire by September 30, 2018. Much of the CRP acres that are expiring this year and over the next two years are in grass and trees. There is also significant acreage in permanent wildlife habitat and rare and declining habitat along with filter strips, riparian buffers and wetland restoration. As we look at renewing contracts on expiring acres or raising the acreage cap, we need to be sure that the program focuses on environmentally sensitive acreage, and we dont wind up with high quality land under CRP contracts. At the birth of the CRP program, it was used to short the corn and wheat supplies lets not make that mistake again. That is why I have always favored putting conservation on working lands over idling landprograms like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). When we use CRP in the conservation portfolio of tools we should use it surgically and strategically to trap and treat nutrient runoff or to provide specific habitat benefits rather than large-scale whole field enrollments. If there is a case to be made for funding additional CRP acres, we must be sure it is not accomplished by cutting into monies set aside for conservation on working lands. One alternative source of funding we could tap is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress has noted that a considerable portion of the funds under LWCF in recent years have been used for federal land acquisition. I would rather see us accomplish conservation on lands that remain in private hands. LWCF uses a small portion of federal offshore drilling fees to protect and conserve land to benefit wildlife, increase recreational opportunities and conserve forest and ranch lands. I am pleased that LWCF has begun to turn to conservation easements on private land to accomplish its goals, which are similar to those of CRP. Using LWCF monies to fund additional CRP acres makes a lot of sense to me if we want to increase the acreage cap in the next farm bill. As we look at agricultural conservation programs for the next farm bill, we may have some tough choices and tradeoffs to make. In that case, I hope that conservation programs for working lands will continue to grow in size and importance as they have in the past few farm bills as shown below. COEUR DALENE, Idaho, Aug. 1, 2016 The American Sugar Alliances (ASAs) annual Sweetener Symposium got off to a rousing start Monday morning with a strong show of support for U.S. sugar policy from two lawmakers who will play crucial roles in forging the next farm bill. Speaking by video, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway said its easy for him to defend U.S. sugar policy, which includes price supports, import quotas and domestic market allotments to influence the amount of sugar available to the U.S. market. The Texas Republican said the sugar policy is needed because of foreign subsidization and predatory dumping, where nations export excess sugar at below their cost of production. It works, he said of the current U.S. sugar policy, which is designed to be at no-cost to taxpayers. It works for the American taxpayer, and more importantly it works for the American sugar producer. He told the hundreds of U.S. producers at the gathering that he looks forward to working with them during development of the next farm bill. Conaway was followed by Michigans Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Ag panel, who also spoke by video. Stabenow noted that the $20 billion U.S. sugar industry is an essential part of the rural economy, supporting 140,000 jobs, many in her home state, a major sugarbeet producer. We dont have an economy or a middle class, for that matter, if we dont make things or grow things. And thats what each of you do, Stabenow said. Americas great sugar industry is an essential part of the rural economy and our nations agricultural economy. Stabenow stressed that the annual economic activity and the jobs generated by sugar producers make it a worthwhile investment on Capitol Hill. And she outlined her agenda when it comes to future sugar issues: Its important that we again find a path forward with the Mexican government on (sugar) trade. Its important that we keep the farm bill intact and free from attacks designed to undermine the five-year sugar policy and beyond. And its important that we are ensuring that the interests of U.S. sugar (producers) are represented in the larger trade agenda. I am laser-focused on all of those things. Backing up ASAs argument that other major sugar-producing countries excessively support production, the group released a new study today that details how India props up its inefficient sugar industry with an estimated $1.7 billion in annual subsidies. ASA, which commissioned the study, notes that the author, Antoine Meriot of Sugar Expertise LLC, corresponded with Indian officials to better understand how the worlds second-biggest sugar producer structures its intricate web of subsidies and policies. Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Meriot argues that government-mandated sugarcane prices are at the heart of Indias subsidy system. These prices, which are paid to farmers by the sugar mills that process the cane, are much higher than elsewhere. For example, Indias farmers received $42 per metric ton of cane in 2014, compared to the $31 seen by U.S. farmers, Meriot says in the report. These artificially high prices equated to an almost $1.6 billion subsidy in 2014 and $1.125 billion in 2015, according to Meriot, compared with the market-oriented approach favored by Indian sugar policy reformers. To help offset inflated prices, the government gives sugar mills soft loans, which have provided interest forgiveness for a total amount of about $440 million over the last nine years, Meriot writes. Additional supports identified by Meriot include: $62 million in export subsidies in the past two years; $134 million from 2007 to 2015 to build and maintain buffer stocks; $173 million budgeted this year to help reduce surpluses; import duties at 40 percent; and $831 million in interest-free loans since 2008 to modernize mills, fund research, and support energy production from sugar. Indias massive handouts have kept inefficient producers in business, encouraged overproduction, and helped distort global prices, the report argues. The Indian sugar policy generates a vicious cycle of expenditures but the [government] will not hesitate to intervene and support its industry if necessary, even if it involves costly subsidies and controversial export support, Meriot concludes. In the past, the Sugar Alliance has commissioned studies on that show other major sugar producers, including Brazil and Thailand, support sugar production with subsidies worth billions of dollars. #30 For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com Our daughter was twinned with a girl from Luboml, Poland who perished in the Holocaust. Then the past came to life. Our daughters Hebrew birthday coincides with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Our family spent a month in Israel where our daughter, Tova, took Yad Vashems Bat Mitzvah tour and joined their twinning program. Participants forge a bond with individual children who perished during the Holocaust, children who never had a chance to celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The program finds something in common between the two children. Our daughter Tova was twinned with a girl named Tova Ziegelman from the town of Luboml in Poland. Luboml was a thriving regional market town for several centuries. By the 1930s it had electric lights, numerous trades and businesses, factories and workshops. There were approximately 5,000 Jews in the town where they led a rich and vibrant Jewish life. The Jews were proud of their shtetls major architectural presence, The Great Synagogue. It was built in the 17th century as a spiritual center but also as a fortress; it was constructed with the additional purpose of protecting the Jews in town. As anti-Semitism and the Nazi threat grew in the 1930's, some Lubomlers began to emigrate to Palestine and the United States. On October 1, 1942 the Germans, who controlled the town, rounded up the remaining Jewish inhabitants of Luboml with the aid of Ukrainian police units and marched them into the countryside. There the Jews were lined up in front of open pits and shot. Tova Ziegelman, only 11 years old, died on that day. Tova Ziegelman Our daughter was presented with a Page of Testimony of Tova Ziegelman as well as a special certificate acknowledging participation in the twinning program. Tovas folder also included two pictures of Tova Ziegelman. The first picture was of her and her family and the second, a picture of Tova with three other children. On the page of testimony was a number for Tova Ziegelmans surviving cousin. Aaron Ziegelman. My husband and Tova tried many times to reach him via phone, on Facebook and google, to no avail. Tova took the information that she did have and incorporated it into her Dvar Torah for her Bat Mitzvah. A few months after her bat mitzvah, Sukkot arrived and we were fortunate to finally have the chance to host my sons teacher, Rabbi Chanales and his family, for a Shabbos meal. I set the table and for some odd reason, set an extra plate. It is a good thing that I did. The Chanaleses walked in with their family along with a sprite, elderly women. Rabbi Chanales apologized they had forgotten to tell me that his grandmother was joining us. Mrs. Chanales, senior, invited us to call her Savta and we sat down to lunch and began to chat. She told us that she lived in New York but was originally from Poland. Tova in front, her cousin Aaron, his sister Lillian (Savta Chanales) and Blima Where in Poland? my husband asked. A small town called Luboml, she replied. My husband looked at Tova and said, Luboml, don't we know about Luboml? Tova go get your folder from Yad Vashem. My husband turned to Savta Chanales and said, My daughter visited Yad Vashem last summer and participated in the twinning project there. What is your maiden name? Ziegelman, she replied. My husband flushed red. Ziegelman! My daughter was paired up with a girl named Tova Ziegelman. That was my cousin! Savta replied incredulously. Our daughter returned to the table with the folder and my husband handed Savta Chanales the picture of Tova Ziegelman and the three other children. Do you recognize anyone in this picture? Yes, I know that picture very well. It is in my living room at home. Thats me and my brother Aaron, my cousin Tova and her sister Blima. Savta Chanales told us that her father had died when she was young. She had two uncles in the United States who rescued her, her brother and mother in 1938. They were able to get out of Luboml, but the rest of her extended family remained and were murdered by the Nazis. Her brother Aaron, haunted by the loss of his family, friends and neighbors put together a traveling exhibit of Luboml and arranged for a memorial plaque at the mass grave on the outskirts of Lubomov. He also helped produce a documentary on the town. He once said, "Before they were victims, they were peopleI wanted to restore a portion of Jewish memory destroyed by the Germans, to create portraits of people who lived and loved, who went to school, were married, who knew sorrow and joy, laughter and tears. Aaron also submitted the page of testimony to Yad Vashem about his cousin Tova Ziegelman and anyone else he was able to remember from Luboml. We corresponded with the Savta Chanales and she sent us the documentary her brother had made about Luboml. My generation, those born in the 70s, had a palpable connection to the Holocaust. We personally knew people who lived through it. We felt the loss and horror keenly. We wanted to ensure that the next generation, our children, will understand the enormity of the Holocaust and not view it as an abstraction. Meeting someone who actually knew Tova Ziegelman, who lived in the town of Luboml, has made the Holocaust more real and personal for our daughter. Our family is grateful to be a source of comfort to Savta Ziegelman and her brother. We are proud to be able to continue the memory of Tova Ziegelman and the victims from the town of Luboml. Becoming a Jew was my greatest act of defiance. The day of my conversion to Judaism was the ultimate cosmic link between my past, my present and my future. Although it was 12 years ago, I remember it as if it happened a few hours ago. I can still feel the acceleration in my heart, the knot of tears trapped in my throat, along with the nervous breathing from the overwhelming commitment I was undertaking. I can still hear the words "kosher, kosher, kosher" echoing in my mind and the warm waters of the mikvah embracing my body, transforming me into a new being. Catholic School Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. I grew up in the city of Caracas, Venezuela, in a wonderful, close-knit family surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles. We spent more time with my mother's side of the family, perhaps because we lived right next door to my maternal grandmother, a woman of great stamina and control over every little detail of her family. I was raised with excellent family values, tremendous respect for authority and a great fear of heaven. I was also raised as a Catholic. My parents sent me to Catholic school for almost my entire life. But I knew there were people of other faiths because I had a neighbor that was an Evangelical Christian. Questioning the faith was seen as an act of defiance. I was always a deeply religious person. At school I gladly participated in mass and prayed fervently every night with the only tools I was taught by my mentors. But many questions hovered in my mind as I was growing up. Catholic school was a great place for the complacent soul; it turned into a nightmare for my seeking soul. Whenever I had a question in the class, if I dared to ask, I was looked down upon because I was to accept what I was being taught with my heart, not with my mind. For the most part questioning the faith was seen as an act of defiance. Some nuns were very nice; others were incredibly unreachable and scary. There was a huge focus on dressing "modestly" in the school. We could not wear make up, nail polish, or dye our hair. We had to wear a very modest uniform. But at home we were allowed to wear whatever we wanted, as short as we wanted. In fact, the motto was "if you got it, flaunt it." Venezuela is known for its beauty pageants and beautiful women. It is the dream of every young girl to be considered pretty enough to participate in the Miss Venezuela pageant. I was no exception to the rule and gave my parents much "pride" by winning various beauty pageants, from first grade to being the homecoming queen in high school. This mixed message made me more confused. Why would any of us want to ever wear the nun's example of modesty if we got so much more attention being immodest? Why did the nuns preach modesty and then organized beauty pageants to celebrate the culmination of the school year? Why would I strive to be modest when there was never an explanation given for it? Growing up in this bewildering environment made me question authority even more. Sometimes I would stare at the nuns at school and ask myself, Why are you dressed like this? What do you have that makes you spiritually closer to God than me? How do you know what God wants from you? What kind of mother would you have been? I needed answers to my questions. I needed to know there was a way to reach closeness to God without having to become like them. I needed freedom to talk to God directly. I needed truth. So I started searching for more. Somehow I was always fascinated with Judaism. I didn't know anything about it, but I wanted desperately to know more. I only knew about the Jews from the Old Testament but I knew these people still existed. I started reading and learning about Jews on my own, convinced they would have an answer. Little did I know that this search would take me so far all the way back home. My Converso Family The first time I saw a Jew was one Saturday as we were driving to see my paternal grandparents. We saw several men with black hats, black coats, and beards walking in the streets of my grandfather's neighborhood. "Who are these men?" I asked my father. "They're Jews." He then mentioned that my grandfather's house was in the Jewish community. I always felt apprehensive around my paternal grandparents. There were very old and strict, especially my grandfather, who jut sat in his "special" chair where no one else was allowed to sit. My sisters and I were not allowed to get up from the couch and run around like normal kids. "What do you mean our family is Jewish? I have never heard of this!" One day I asked my Aunt Sarah who lived with my grandparents, if she knew their house was located in a Jewish Community. Her answer changed my life forever. She said in a whisper, making sure my grandfather would not hear, "Of course I know our home is in a Jewish community. After all, our family is of Jewish origin. Our last name had been changed from Peres to Perez." I could not believe my ears. "What do you mean our family is Jewish? What are you talking about? I have never heard of this!" She told me that the family had come from Spain a few hundred years after the Spanish Inquisition and settled in Venezuela. They changed their name to blend in and avoid persecution. "You mean you never wondered why all of our names are Jewish names?" I had to sit down to recover. Hundreds of images and situations flashed in front of my eyes. All the strange things my father's family did were not idiosyncrasies; they were mere family traditions dating back to the time of the Inquisition. I had found the lost piece of the puzzle. I was closer to the truth than I had ever been. I had a reason to embrace the fascinating religion with which I had become obsessed. I was going in the direction of truth. After all my family was Jewish, or was it? I immediately started researching and reading about the Inquisition. I learned that the Jews in Spain had been tremendously affluent and relatively accepted in the early years, under the Muslim rulers-early 10th century, but suffered during persecutions by Iberian Christians such as the pogroms in Cordoba (1011) and Granada (1066). These attacks continued as the "Reconquista" took full blow, and by the 14th century the Christians had taken most of Spain from the Muslims. Many Jews decided to escape these attacks by converting to Catholicism. These Jews were the most affluent and did not want to give up their social and commercial status. They were called "conversos." Many of these conversos practiced Judaism in hiding, pretending to be Catholics on the outside. They lived side-by-side with their Jewish brethren and some even remained active in the Jewish communities. At first this solution proved beneficial and many conversos became very successful. But inevitably, this very success sprouted jealousy within Catholic Spaniards who reported unfaithful conversos to the authorities. At the time many conversos practiced several Jewish customs that, for the Catholics, were definite signs that these people were not true converts and were still spiritually linked to their Jewish past. These conversos were then called marranos (pig in Spanish), or crypto-Jews, and were to become the main focus of the Inquisition's agenda. My research about "marranos" made me realize that my family was one of them. I always wondered about the rare customs of my father's family. The earliest anecdotes I can remember were all linked to food. Unlike most Venezuelans, my grandmother was keen for making all kind of eggplant dishes, in particular fried eggplants. Although the Arabs introduced eggplants to Spain, it was the Jews of Spain that became exceptionally fond of it and later brought this vegetable to South America after the expulsion (around 1650.) Spanish Jews were so fond of eggplants that even the satirical poetry of the day made reference of this preference.* She also made a dessert called "Cabello de Angel" that I later found out is of marrano descent, and a dessert called "Marzipan," a staple for converso families. Sadly, thousands of marranos were murdered because of adhering to their culinary customs. In fact, the Inquisition Trial Documents (still available after all these years) are crammed with testimonies from maids or neighbors testifying in court against conversos making these dishes. Sadly, the Inquisition used cultural information to build cases against conversos that were under examination for heresy. Speaking to my relatives, I discovered more information. My grandfather had a house in the town of Zaraza, Guarico State, the first town in which my family settled. They came by boat in the 1700s from the River Unare that leads into the Caribbean Sea. I have in my possession today one of the family's precious pieces of fine China, which they brought with them to the New World. It is a sauce dish dating back to 1767. My father recalls that in the house of Zaraza there were two paintings that always puzzled him. It was a painting of Queen Esther pointing at Mordechai and another called "La Plegaria de Esther" (Queen Esther's plea). The story of Purim has no real relevance in the Catholic religion. I didn't even know this story existed until I became Jewish! I discovered that Queen Esther was the heroine of the converso Jews because she was the quintessential hidden Jew. Queen Esther was the heroine of the converso Jews because she was the quintessential hidden Jew. I also have my grandmother's precious candelabras, extremely old baccarat crystal, that sit next to my Shabbat candles. Every Friday I get goose bumps just imagining my relatives lighting these old candelabras with a hope that one day they could practice Judaism in public. One uncle remembers seeing a Chanukah menorah and even kippot in the Zaraza home. Many people recall how my grandfather had a midnight private wedding ceremony where only a few were invited, perhaps because this ceremony was to remain a secret for the rest of eternity. Many converso Jews "sacrificed" a family member to the church to become a priest in order to not bring any doubt the family was indeed devoted to Christianity. And many celebrated "Mass" in their home, lead by the alleged family priest. One of my father's uncles was a priest who later in life gave up priesthood, and many times there was a private "Mass" held at my grandmother's house. It wasn't until my grandfather passed away when I was 15 that many other "secrets" came to light. My grandfather kept locked in his room many pictures and documents that helped the family reconstruct the past. The names of my ancestors and even of family members today are mostly Jewish names. We not only have converso family in our genealogy but also European Jewry (my great great grandfather's first wife was Carmen Martin Rosenberg). My grandfather was General Guillermo Isaac Perez Telleria. He was given the honorary title of General for financing part of the Venezuelan independence war (Venezuela used to be a Spanish colony). One of the most amazing yet macabre findings was several art works made with hair from the deceased. My family was always obsessed with keeping a lock of hair from a loved one. I still remember a lock of my grandmother's hair framed and hung in the wall of my uncle's home. My cousin and I both own one of these art works, which date back to the early 1800s. They are depictions of the burial of a family member, without any Christian devotional object. (In fact, I recently discovered that the family's mausoleum in Zaraza was originally built without any Christian symbols; only an open book and the names of the deceased.) The depictions in the art are incredibly delicate, made with the strands of hair of the departed. This was perhaps done with the view that a woman's hair, usually covered, holds the essence of holiness of that person. The date of birth of the family member in the artwork is 1802. Considering the Inquisition was abolished in 1834, it is possible her family felt she could not have a public Jewish burial. I remember going to the cemetery with my father to visit our late relatives. Instead of bringing flowers we would search for little rocks to put on the top of the graves. I always wondered why we did this; I don't think my father even knew. I now know this is a Jewish custom. These secret customs were the catalyst for the Spanish Inquisition, which began in 1480 to spy on the conversos. In the course of 12 years, thousands of conversos were tortured and burned at the stake. In the year 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, aided by the Catholic Church, decided that as long as there were Jews remaining in Spain there would be conversos trying to keep Judaism in secret. Therefore, they determined that all Jews must leave Spain or convert. The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was issued on March 31, 1492 ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories by July 31, 1492. The punishment for any Jew who did not leave or convert by the deadline was death. The only Jew permitted to stay under any circumstances was Don Isaac Abarbanel, a leading Torah sage who served as the Finance Minister of Spain. He was too valuable to the kingdom to spare. Abarbanel used his clout and money to try to convince the monarchs to revoke the edict, offering them so much money that the King actually hesitated. However, the evil Torquemada (Inquisitor general of Spain) convinced the monarchs otherwise. Abarbanel only managed to get the deadline extended for two more days. Hence, the date of expulsion fell on August 2, 1492 (the ninth of Av, 1492) the most horrific date in the history of the Jews. Unfortunately, many conversos were lost and ultimately embraced the religion which oppressed them. There is disagreement regarding the exact numbers of Jews who left Spain, but the figures vary between 130,000 to 800,000. A primary source, the Me'am Lo'ez (written in Ladino, the language of the Jews of Spain) in its section on Tisha B'av mentions that a third of the Spanish Jewish population died for their faith, a third converted and a third went into exile. It is said that the Jews that left Spain that day, including Don Isaac Abarbanel, departed singing songs of joy and uttering prayers of thanksgiving to their Creator for having withstood the test and not submitting to conversion. They were allowed to take their belongings except gold, silver and money. The crown and the inquisitors confiscated all their properties. At the date of expulsion, 50,000 to 70,000 Jews converted to Catholicism and remained in Spain. Historians estimate a cumulative 100,000 to 200,000 Jews converted during the Inquisition. But conversion was not guaranteed protection. My family tried very hard to keep living as Catholics while keeping many Jewish customs in the privacy of their home. It was never safe because many Spaniards turned in conversos to the authorities. My family practiced Judaism in secret for more than 100 years before leaving Spain to Venezuela. Many conversos felt they would be able to live a full Jewish life by leaving, but the Inquisition followed them to the Americas. It was not until the year 1834 that the Spanish Inquisition was finally relinquished. Unfortunately, many conversos were lost and ultimately embraced the religion which oppressed them. Tisha B'Av and Me After so many years, whatever was left of the "spark" of Judaism in my soul has risen from the ashes and embraced the Torah. There are times I wish my family had fled Spain, leaving everything behind. How I wish they had not "given up." How I wish I had Ladino in my lips instead of only Spanish! After all, what kind of message did they give their children when they submitted to conversion? With what authority could they have expected their children to observe Judaism when they were not strong enough to give up wealth and status for Torah? They paid a high price for trying to make the Torah "fit" their lifestyles instead of embracing their heritage and trusting that God would ultimately take care of all the details. From my family I am the only one who "returned" to embrace Judaism. But I choose to focus on the positive things my ancestors did accomplish. I feel the very reason I am today a Jew must be because ultimately they did something right. I have no doubt that it was because of the merit of my ancestors dying "al Kiddush Hashem," sanctifying God's name, that I have the privilege to become a full-fledged Jew. I can never judge my ancestors decision for converting to Catholicism or even question what my ancestors had to go through to hide their Jewish identity. But the fact is that many of their descendants ended up not being Jewish. From my family I am the only one who "returned" to embrace Judaism. This leaves me with a great responsibility to make sure my descendants remain strong, proud Jews. Whenever I make of my grandmother's marrano dishes I feel I am performing an act of defiance and triumph. When I eat this food on Shabbat I rejoice; the Inquisition is gone, but I remain! There is nothing better than seeing my children with tzitzit and kippot, indulging in marzipan! I feel proud that even though many of my family members died "al Kiddush Hashem," today my children are living "al Kiddush Hashem." * For more information, read A Drizzle of Honey: The lives and recipes of the Spanish Secret Jews, by David Gilitz and Linda Davidson. Author's Addendum Dear readers, I have no words to describe how overwhelmed I am with all your touching comments. I never imagined writing this article was going to result in such tremendous source of inspiration for me, my family, and so many people that have a situation similar to mine. I thank you all for all your blessings and words of encouragement and love. I wanted to make a few clarifications and address a few of your questions. A person that is born from a non-Jewish mother and wants to embrace Judaism must go through the process of conversion. It does not matter how Jewish this person feels; the only way this person is considered a Jew is by going through an orthodox conversion as required by Halacha (Jewish Law.) Someone asked about the route my family took from Spain. There is a lot of information I left out of the article for the sake of brevity which I hope to include in my book. Another person asked about my last name. My last name is surely Persian because my dear husband Sammy Simnegar was born in Shiraz, Iran. My maiden name is Perez. Many of the readers have beautifully addressed the comments about the "new marrano hype" argument. As for myself, I discovered I came from conversos when I was 12 years old and decided to convert when I turned 15. This was 20 years ago! Last, I would like to share with you the most amazing outcome which so far has come out of writing this article. A few days after posting the article on Aish.com, Mrs. Paulina Gamus, ex-minister of Culture, ex-parliamentary and a very respected member of the Sephardic Venezuelan Community, contacted me with an amazing piece of information about my family. She shared with me that my great great grandfather, General Guillermo Isaac Perez Telleria, appears in a book written by Mr. Jacobo Carciente by the name of "La Comunidad Judia De Venezuela, 1610-1990" (The Jewish Presence in Venezuela), where he is mentioned as being one of the first Jews in Venezuela. Having an unbiased, external source that is deeply rooted in the Venezuelan Jewish community is truly incredible! August 2, 2016 CAIRO Ambassador Moushira Khattab, Egypts candidate for the post of UNESCO director general in the elections scheduled for 2017, said she is hoping an agreement on a single Arab candidate can be reached, following reports of a face-off between Cairo and Doha over leadership of the UN agency. Qatar announced in March its candidate for the post, Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, while Khattabs nomination was declared at an event held at Cairos Egyptian Museum July 21. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Khattab said the opportunity for an Egyptian-Qatari reconciliation is still on the table given the historic relations between the two. Khattab rejected talk of a conspiracy to undermine any Egyptian candidate for UNESCOs top post, stressing that a candidates experience and platform are what determines whether or not he or she reaches the seat. Khattab told Al-Monitor that this lesson is most obvious in Egypts failing to win the chair in the past. According to Khattab, UNESCO is one of the most important international peacekeeping organizations given the soft weapons it has that can fight bigotry and terrorism, and she called upon the international community to support UNESCOs increasing challenges. Khattabs career in diplomacy started when she served as an attache on Egypts permanent mission to the United Nations in New York where she was assigned to a committee on economic and social affairs. She then moved to Vienna to work at the United Nations Industrial Development Organizations headquarters. Egypts nominee for UNESCO director general served as Egypts assistant minister of foreign affairs for international cultural affairs. Besides being elected by the UN General Assembly to serve as an expert on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva for eight years, she was assigned to a file on civilizations and religions dialogue. She served as secretary-general of Egypts National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) and was appointed as minister of family and population in 2009. In December 2013, Your Middle East ranked her third among the five leading female human rights activists in the Middle East and North Africa region. The text of the interview follows: Al-Monitor: What major themes will the Egyptian campaign to support your candidacy focus on? Khattab: The campaign is based on two themes. The first is based on Egypt being a state with culture, civilization and history as well as its current experience, which has regional and international dimensions that express the opportunities and challenges to democracy. The second is based on the candidate who has a long diplomatic career at the UN and its different organizations and committees, as well as the [international relations] experience and field experience on human development. I think my experience represents an important addition to UNESCO at a time when its role is greatest, especially that my experience combines demonstrating visions, formulating plans, running programs, creating compatible visions on difficult issues, investing in human resources and coordinating, evaluating and following these plans, as well as the tangible achievements realized by cooperation with local and international partners. Al-Monitor: You said that Egypt has learned the lesson from failing to win the seat in the past. What are the lessons, especially in light of remarks made by Egypts former candidate for the same post, Farouk Hosny, who claimed there are conspiracies against Egypt that he went through and that are waiting for you? Khattab: I do not buy the conspiracy theory. Each state elects the candidate most expressive of its policies. I am an optimist about how the choosing process is up to the satisfaction of each state, and I am very confident in the impartiality of an election process that lacks any interference of any sort. In fact, Minister Farouk Hosny has achieved honorable results, as Ms. Irina Bokova, who won as UNESCO chief, acknowledged his competency. My experience on foreign affairs taught me to respect all countries regardless of being strong or weak as they are all equal in having sovereignty and power to vote. It is highly important to communicate, establish dialogue and have a platform that satisfies everyones expectations and that does not neglect a zone at the expense of another. The voting states believe in my ability to achieve the UNESCO objectives. I want to be director general to express the conscience of humanity as a whole. Al-Monitor: Amid ongoing talk about political consultations between Arabs to agree on one Arab candidate, would Egyptian-Qatari relations allow for such an agreement while there is a Qatari candidate running for the same post? Khattab: The elections are scheduled for October 2017. I wish that by then the Egyptian-Qatari relations will be as healthy and strong as they once were. The chances are still there especially given the historic relations. It is also difficult to foresee today what would happen in 2017. Al-Monitor: Preserving heritage and culture are the top objectives of UNESCO. What is your vision to achieve these objectives in warzones, like the sectarian ones in the Arab region or the racial ones in Africa? Khattab: The UNESCOs No. 1 mission is to build peace in the minds of people, and the first way to achieve this is through upgrading education so that it could cope with todays global village, with the ever-growing interdependency among people and with the unprecedented growth in the phenomena of migration and refugees. Therefore, humanity needs more faith in global citizenship and needs to enrich cultural diversity and respect difference. Hence the revolution of data, technology and cyberspace can become means of spreading the culture of peace, eliminating violence, extremism and hatred, and preserving heritage. The limited resources of UNESCO have become out of proportion with the challenges it faces. Todays greatest dangers are terrorism, extremism and exploitation of the youth, which adds more to our need for UNESCOs role in building thought through education and so achieving will not come by efforts at schools and universities, but extends to the media, houses of worship and other means of communication. Countries of the world must come together so that UNESCO is able to attract more resources. The role UNESCO plays today to keep peace and international security is no less important than the Security Councils. The latest terrorist acts that the world has witnessed in Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Paris, Nice, Brussels, Sinai, Germany, Orlando, etc., have shown that terrorist and extremist thought are now an immediate danger that threatens peace and international security. It has also become clear that a true and effective confrontation would be through creating a culture that appreciates diversity and through proposing that diversity, whether it is based on religion, gender or race, does not justify conflict. Different cultures do not fight each other, but rather complete each other. Preserving heritage is now a very difficult challenge. A large portion of human creativity and antiquities lie within countries that suffer from unrest and armed conflicts such as Mali, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Protection is no longer by building walls around the worlds heritage, but rather through building the minds of the people living around it. Hence, the UNESCOs #Unite4Heritage campaign is urgently needed as it calls for people especially the youth and children to come together to protect the glorious heritage of our beloved humanity. Al-Monitor: Extremist thought is now a contagious disease that spreads terrorism everywhere around the globe. In your opinion, can soft weapons such as education and moderate religious rhetoric fight this disease? Khattab: It is indeed the weapon most capable of so doing, on condition that we become sincere using them. We should also use measures that guarantee the effectiveness of our intervention. In other words, to fight terrorism today an effective remedy would not be weapons and ordnance, but rather to immunize the human mind against such extremist thoughts. Here, the value of education is clearer. If a healthy educational process is provided, extremism will be defeated. A healthy educational process is one that encourages the learner to look for the information, not to be influenced by the thought of the instructor and to express their opinion freely. The main reason for extremists dominance over their recruits who commit terrorist acts such as detonating explosive devices and planting bombs is the educational process that depends on rote memorization, indoctrination and minimizing the space allocated to dialogue and freedom of expression. Protecting the youth from such extremism would only come through changing the culture of killing into a culture of loving life. Al-Monitor: The rights of women, children and the family entity are among the most important causes for which you have fought in Egypt for years by virtue of your service in office as minister of family and population and as a secretary-general of the NCCM. What are your objectives that will serve these causes globally? Khattab: Today, there is a global commitment to guarantee human rights, and this is the greatest achievement by the UN. Human rights are interdependent and are all at the same level of importance. Humanity has vowed to fulfill all these rights without any discrimination based on religion, origin, race, disability or any other reason. Women and children represent 75% of society. They are part and parcel of the human rights system, and their rights are due to being fulfilled like any other group. Unfortunately, there are women and children who are still deprived of their rights. World peace will never be achieved as long as there are women and children in the world who suffer from discrimination that hinders them from enjoying their rights. Al-Monitor: After the June 30 Revolution in Egypt, there were many global stances against the Egyptian regime. How do you evaluate these voices as well as the influence they could exercise to affect your chances of winning? Khattab: I think we are past this after the presidential elections, adopting a new constitution and electing a new parliament, especially that all three lacked any accusations of the state manipulating the electoral process. These are all indicators that what we achieved today expresses the will of the majority that cast their votes. What is even more important is the rule of law, to enforce it equally on everyone and to guarantee the freedom of expression, democracy and the right to peace. August 1, 2016 CAIRO "Clash," a highly acclaimed film by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, was finally released in cinemas around Egypt last week. The movie, which covers confrontations between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and state forces following the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, has been a topic of heated controversy among Egyptians since it first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. "'Clash' carries deep-seated humanistic meanings, without bias to any particular faction," said Rana al-Gamii after viewing the movie on the first day of its Egyptian release at a cinema in the Giza governorate. The movie-goer in her 20s told Al-Monitor, "The film isnt merely about an incident in a police transport vehicle, as some erroneously believe." On Aug. 18, 2013, following the arrest of dozens during the dispersal of pro-Brotherhood protests at Rabia al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, 37 Egyptian protesters died inside a police vehicle outside the Abu-Zaabal prison. They died as a result of being suffocated by gas after being held for six hours inside the police transport vehicle. Gamii said "Clash" tried to express the crisis of political polarization that Egypt has experienced since the June 30 Revolution, adding that it gave voice to all the political orientations inside the police van, but it "wasn't biased in favor of any particular faction." At the same time, she believes that Diab succeeded in changing what she said was a stereotype in Egyptian cinema of depicting everything Islamic as being Muslim Brotherhood-related. The movie, which stars Nelly Karim and Hani Adil, is a joint production between Egypt, France, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Diab chose to focus the film around the events inside the police van, in a space no larger than eight square meters (86 square feet). It was patterned after a Greek tragedy, bound by unity of time and space. The producer explores the gaping contradictions within Egyptian society the apparent divisions that conceal great complexities. Behind support and opposition there are tormented groups, exhausted by poverty and weakened by preconceived judgments and rejection of the "other." Muhammad Abd al-Shakur, an Egyptian film critic, said "Clash" is "one of the finest cinematic works being shown this year." He described it as an artistic gamble "that will take people's breath away and invite them to think." Diab said Egyptian authorities are pushing for a hiatus in showing the film; he said that blocking it would constitute an "international scandal" after it had gained the attention of international newspapers and was chosen as one of the top films at the Cannes Film Festival by the The Hollywood Reporter. "Clash" was the opening movie in the "Un Certain Regard" category at the film festival. Diab said in a Facebook post July 25, "Egyptian authorities see a solution in showing the film without many noticing it is being screened, then removing it from screenings after a few days." He sarcastically described this potential move as a "brilliant trick." The censorship body approved the film July 22 for general viewers over the age of 12, before putting it in cinemas July 27. Private showings of the film began July 24. Diab criticized what he calls "systematic campaigns" to distort the film's image and that of its makers and producers, without naming particular organizations. One of the signs of these campaigns, according to him, is "delaying the issuing of a permit until 48 hours before showing the film, in addition to procrastinating on adopting a poster for the film." Egyptian government television attacked the film on the May 15 episode of its main program "I am Egypt" in a report segment titled "Muhammad Diab's film 'Clash' and its political and revolutionary flavor," describing Diab as a "director who seeks to advance a distorted image of Egyptian society." The official TV station's report described Diab as someone portraying Egypt as a moving prison, a state that oppressed personal liberties. It described him as someone who, through his works and personal social media accounts, promoted ideas hostile to state institutions, and especially the Ministry of the Interior. "After the events of the June 30 Revolution, bloody clashes took place, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to stop the peaceful transition of power. " The film begins with these phrases. Diab said the censors insisted they be placed in the introduction to the film even though he rejects the idea of instructing viewers and mobilizing them against a particular faction before they see the movie. Diab called on the public to watch the film in order to thwart what he described as a "plot against the film." Mohamed Hefzy, one of the film's producers, told Al-Monitor that he rejects Diab's statements. He said that the censors "did not force them" into anything, and that he communicated with them on this formulation, which he described as "satisfactory" to him personally, even if it was not satisfactory to Diab. Hefzy believes that "the Muslim Brotherhood really took violent actions in the wake of the June 30 Revolution," and that "the film viewer should set aside all political views." He pointed out that the film shows the human dimension, without leaning in favor of one political faction or another. Hefzy contradicted Diab's remarks on the existence of a plot by Egyptian authorities to scuttle the film, saying that "perhaps some officials in an administrative or censorship agency within the state believe that they are serving the regime if they manage to prevent the film from being shown, but I don't believe that the state itself is against the film. And the best evidence for that is the fact that they agreed to show it. Still, we don't want to do wrong by them; ultimately, the public will be the judge." Magidah Khayrallah, an Egyptian film critic, told Al-Monitor he believes the criticisms directed at the film are not fair in that they have been shrouded in a state of suspicion regarding the director. Khayrallah ascribed this to the film shedding light on political circumstances that might yield criticism of the present regime. She said that the film was very good, and could be classified as political although its humanistic character overwhelms the circumstances, which she describes as "oppressive," following the June 30 Revolution. Tariq al-Shinawi, an art critic who viewed the film twice the first time in Cairo, and the second time after it was shown in Cannes refused to characterize it as political, and said that it was a social product and should be classed as among the more influential films in the history of Egyptian cinema. Regarding the issue of the censors' consent to showing the film, Shinawi told Al-Monitor that it came about as a result of the film not including propaganda for Muslim Brotherhood ideas [that] state or hint that what happened on June 30 was not a popular revolution, or that it was undertaken by the army." Concerning the criticisms directed at the film for promoting a reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been characterized as a "terrorist" group in Egypt, Shinawi said, "One cannot view [this] work as promoting the Brotherhood. It champions human beings as human beings, and opposes the credo of the Brotherhood. But it also stresses that difference [of views] does not [need to] mean exclusion." August 2, 2016 On July 26, the Egyptian parliament took steps toward approving a resolution to recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks, marking a new turn in a bitter row that has all but severed diplomatic ties between Egypt and Turkey. The motion was presented to parliament by legislator Mustafa Bakry, a controversial politician with a track record of championing polarizing policies that favor increasing state powers. It highlighted the increasingly detrimental influence of regime hard-liners on Egypts regional policies, as a wave of political attacks against Turkeys president following the failed coup attempt renewed tensions and threatened to damage relations with Ankara beyond repair. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been at loggerheads with the current Egyptian administration since his close ally, former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, was ousted by the military in 2013. However, statements by members of his ruling Justice and Development Party shortly before the attempted coup indicated that Turkeys attitude toward Egypt had begun to shift. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sent a conciliatory message to Egypt in a speech July 11, expressing Turkeys desire to improve relations. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu raised the possibility of restoring commercial and economic ties and suggested holding a ministerial level meeting to reach a solution that serves the interests of both nations. There were some Turkish signals toward Cairo, an attempt to move on with relations, former Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Anis Salem, who currently heads the UN Working Group at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, told Al-Monitor. At the same time, multiple points of conflict with neighboring states have left Turkey with fewer allies in the Middle East. This helped push the rhetoric of normalization forward, as Turkey sought to increase its regional clout, according to Tarek Fahmy, a professor of international relations at Cairo University. Mending frayed ties with Egypt and the [Bashar al-] Assad regime in Syria were next on the agenda following reconciliation with Israel and Russia, he said. But any such plans have been derailed by a salvo of diplomatic assaults launched against the Turkish leadership by Egyptian officials who feared that Erdogans victory would embolden Egypts embattled Islamists to act against the countrys current leaders. Muslim Brothers and their allies now view Erdogan as a model for plotting their unlikely return to power in Egypt, the Washington Institutes Eric Trager suggested. Trager quotes exiled Muslim Brotherhood leader Gamal Heshmat, who told WAM Times that Turkeys failed coup might even encourage revolutionaries inside and outside Egypt to unify around the goal of ending this coup." Fear of brewing unrest spurred Egyptian officials into action. Days before Egypt recognized the Armenian genocide, a categorization that Ankara has long rejected, member of parliament Imad Mahrous requested that the Egyptian prime minister grant political asylum to cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of involvement in the attempted coup. Egypt has opposed an otherwise unanimously approved draft resolution by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation designating the Gulen movement as a terrorist organization. It also blocked a UN Security Council resolution condemning the attempted coup in Turkey and pledging to support the elected government. The Egyptian response to events in Turkey indicates that any potential opening for resuming normal ties would be rejected by Cairo as long as circumstances underpinning their fallout remain unresolved. This position has been reflected in recent statements expressing Cairos unwavering opposition to a Turkish administration supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood. In response to Turkeys overtures toward rapprochement, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that for normalization to occur, Turkey must recognize the 2013 military takeover as a popular revolution. Such an acknowledgement would legitimate the Egyptian authorities crackdown on Islamist supporters of the ousted Morsi. Turkey, which continues to provide safe haven for dozens of exiled Muslim Brotherhood leaders, is unlikely to take a stance against the organization and in favor of Egypts military, particularly after Turkey's leaders faced the threat of a military takeover on their own turf. In the absence of a concrete reconciliation initiative there was no real starting point for either side to begin restoring ties. Turkey has laid down its own conditions for cooperation, namely for Egypt to take positive steps toward political prisoners and reverse death sentences against members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Nonetheless Egypts contradictory and often uncoordinated approach to the conflict with Turkey suggests a lack of cohesive strategy and long-term vision for dealing with the troubled relationship. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has remained tight-lipped on the issue of Turkey, but criticism of Erdogan and his government has dominated pro-state media, jeopardizing any neutrality the president had hoped to maintain. Meanwhile, Egypts Foreign Ministry appeared to backpedal on its somewhat positive response to the Turkish prime ministers invitation to develop economic ties over a renewed conflict with Erdogan. The Foreign Ministry objected to the contradictory statements coming from Turkish officials when Erdogan declared in an interview that Turkeys problem lies with Egypts leaders, not its people. This may reflect a difference of opinion inside Turkey, Salem said. Egypt seems to prefer to wait and see. Turkey appears the weaker party after the coup and Egypt sees no reason to accept Turkish interventions." Turkey stands to gain from stronger ties with Egypt, one of its main export destinations and a potential ally with regard to coordination on regional security issues as well as energy and investment projects in the Eastern Mediterranean, as an emerging energy boom looms on the horizon. Nonetheless, as Fahmy noted, Egypt has less to offer Turkey than any other strategic ally or economic partner in the region. Turkey has succeeded where Egypt has failed, managing to build strong partnerships based on equal standing with key governments, he said. It has extensive shared interests with Saudi Arabia, a strong and pragmatic relationship with Iran where investment cooperation is valued at $22 million, strong security and military ties with Israel, including 56 bilateral military agreements and soon major stakes in coordinating a solution in Syria. Egypt, it appears, has chosen to escalate the crisis with Turkey with no clear strategy or endgame in sight. Meanwhile, the botched coup attempt has substantiated Erdogans suspicions toward his opponents. As he embarks on a campaign to cleanse the Turkish political scene, he will likely leave no room for engaging those who disagree with his policies whether at home or abroad. As a result, in the absence of an internal political process to determine a new role for political Islam in Egypt, bridging relations with Turkey will remain highly improbable in the foreseeable future. August 1, 2016 BAGHDAD A group of Iraqi legislators plans to submit a petition to the speaker of parliament requesting the deposition of executive council members of the Independent High Electoral Commission with an eye toward the commission's dissolution. The group objects to the commission having been formed based on the quota system, as a result of members being nominated by the parliament, and thus in a corruptive manner. More than 100 members of parliament from the Al-Ahrar bloc, affiliated with the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Reform Front, close to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, signed the petition July 19. The move, coming less than a year before local elections, seems to have become a ritual preceding every election. This time, the demand is being packaged as part of the ongoing push for political reforms. At a protest in Baghdad on July 15, Sadr, leader of the Sadrist movement, had called for the commission to be dismissed because of its basis in the partisan, sectarian quota system. He is calling for a technocratic electoral commission with members appointed by the judiciary, a proposal that would require new legislation. On July 19, Rasoul al-Taei of Al-Ahrar said in a statement, The MPs who signed the request are collecting evidence and documents for dossiers to prove [individual] corruption and that the commissions head and council members are not professional [experts]. He also said, This cannot overlook the possibility that the commissions council members are subordinate to well-established political parties, based on which the commissions executive council was formed. Although accusations of corruption have been made against members of the commission, and repeated demands have been made for the nonsectarian selection of electoral commission members, exactly how a new commission should be selected remains undecided. As an example of accusations against members of the commission, some critics point to Faraj al-Haidari, a former commission head who was accused of bribing public employees to vote for a particular party in the 2010 elections. The judiciary's Commission of Public Integrity detained Haidari for a time, but the charges against him were never proven. Since 2005, each parliamentary bloc has submitted nominees for the commission's nine-member executive council based on its share of seats in the parliament, thus giving larger blocs increased chances of having their preferred candidates selected. After the nominations, the full parliament votes on the nominees. There is no term limit for the commission sitting as a whole or for its individual members. Requests for changes to the commission must be presented to the parliament speaker, who then organizes for a vote on the measure. Member of parliament Sajida Afandi, from the Sunni Iraqi Forces Alliance, told Al-Monitor, [My bloc] does not mind if the commission is called for depositions and held accountable in case there are charges of corruption. This is the parliaments job, and if it is proved that these charges are true, the commission should be dismissed. She further said, however, In light of the calls to put an end to the quota system and form technocratic institutions, we wonder how a new electoral commission will be formed and whether the blocs will agree to not being represented on the commissions council. Responding to her own statement, Afandi said, The commission will be formed the same way as before, particularly since the local elections are scheduled for April 2017, and there is no way a technocratic commission can be formed. The demand to rein in sectarian and partisan corruption in government through political reform has been ongoing since August 2015, but it has thus far failed to result in even a single minister being replaced, because the parliamentary blocs are committed to the posts they control. This dynamic is why the seats on the electoral commission will likely not emerge as an exceptional case. The parliamentary blocs will not accept being excluded from any state institution or body if they prevent it. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Alliance has not made a final decision regarding the dismissal or replacement of the current commission. Kurdistan Alliance legislator Saman Fattah told Al-Monitor, The Kurdistan Alliance will decide following the commissions depositions. We do not mind calling any of the state officials for depositions, in the case that the depositions are designed to combat corruption and are due to violations of the law. Fattah, however, ruled out the possibility of forming a new electoral commission that does not include representatives of all the Iraqi components. He said, It would cause [the commission] to be subject to criticism and be limited to a particular political, ethnic or religious group, which is totally unacceptable. The commission has rejected the accusation that it is somehow corrupt due to how it was formed. In a July 18 statement, the commission expressed its shock at some of the MPs' efforts to collect signatures to dismiss the commission, contrary to the law and constitution. It further stated, This would result in a constitutional vacuum under the difficult circumstances the country faces and would open the door wide to all possibilities. The commission is determined to carry on with its work, including organizing upcoming elections. At a July 20 news conference, the electoral commission chair, Sarbast Mustafa, said, The political parties registration law gives the commission the right to monitor the parties. He added, The Political Parties Affairs Department will be working on registering and monitoring the parties as well as their funding methods. He also said, There are 45 requests to establish 13 new parties. The issue driving the electoral commission's composition is whether it is fair that the commission consists of people nominated by the blocs that won the previous elections, given that the commission oversees future electoral campaigns, organizes elections and accepts or rejects candidates and lists. This subjects lists and entities not in the parliament to the supervision and authority of those entities already in the legislature, as they actually control the commission. If the Iraqi parties truly feel obligated to take into consideration the demand for reform and for technocratic institutions, it would appear that they would move to introduce and agree on a new mechanism to select an electoral commission in a way that ensures the appointment of nonpartisan members to the commission based on their competence, experience and integrity rather than party, ethnic or religious affiliation. It would be a first step in moving away from the partisan, sectarian quota system in the government and independent state bodies. August 2, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran Now that years of intensive negotiations have finally cleared all the misunderstandings around Iran's nuclear activities, we are taking the next step toward integrating more deeply into the global economy. Finalizing WTO membership is therefore a priority for the Iranian government, said Industry Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh at a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi late last year. Unlike the UN Security Council, in which only the five permanent members wield veto power, any decision at the WTO must be approved by all member states. This means that even the objection of a single state effectively results in a veto. As such, it was only in May 2005, after 21 failed attempts over the course of two decades due to objections by the United States that Irans application was finally approved unanimously to give it observer status. Yet Iran, the second -argest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region after Saudi Arabia, is still the largest economy excluded from the WTO. As part of Irans accession bid, a working party has been formed while Tehran has taken a series of steps, such as submitting a memorandum on its foreign trade regime in 2009 and replying to a set of questions in 2011. However, the working party has not yet met, the WTO stated. Following last years landmark nuclear deal, which resulted in the removal of many financial and trade restrictions, the Iranian government has sought to build on the momentum and proceed with its WTO accession bid by gaining more international support, including backing from the European Union. Iran has also set up a team of economists and lawyers to evaluate the institutional and economic reforms required to make its trade regime WTO-compliant. The 164-member WTO accounts for nearly all global trade. As such, for Irans trade-starved economy, accessing the global markets of WTO member states is particularly attractive as it can challenge economic sanctions against it through the organizations dispute settlement system. While Iranian officials argue that the main obstacle for Iran to join the WTO is political rather than technical, critics say that the political issues are only the tip of the iceberg and that the country is yet to be prepared for the fundamental changes required to join the WTO. As history shows, WTO accession is a lengthy process, which on average takes nearly a decade. To complete its accession bid, Iran needs to make some painful measures to make its trade regime WTO-compliant. These steps include elimination or reduction of certain types of subsidies, lowering of tariffs, greater transparency about a wide range of policies including rules for importing and export goods as well as observing copyright laws. Those opposed to Iranian WTO membership say accession without prior preparedness would only harm the already-troubled Iranian economy as it would probably lead to an increase of imported goods, due to a lowering of tariffs, and harm protected industries, leading to their closure and subsequent increased unemployment. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mohammad Reza Sabzalipour, the head of World Trade Center Tehran (Iran) said, We have to improve our economy. If we join the WTO with the current economic situation, we wont be successful, and even the industries that are functioning today will be destroyed. Those in favor of Irans accession agree that the country will be harmed if the economic situation is not properly prepared before joining the WTO. However, they insist that Iran has no choice but to prepare the ground and join the organization, since the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Economists such as Mohammad Gholi Yousefi of Allameh Tabatabai University say that development cannot take place while Iran remains in isolation, arguing that the country needs to establish international ties and attract foreign investment as a way to bring in modern technology to boost the economy. WTO membership, Yousefi and others say, would help Iran achieve these goals while the economic restructuring that the country has to undertake will provide Iranian enterprises with the necessary framework to engage in business based on international regulations. Despite the differing views of those against or in favor of Irans WTO membership, it seems that Iranian officials have a realist approach to joining the organization, saying that full membership cannot happen overnight. Indeed, officials have said that the country plans to become a WTO member by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (beginning in March 2023), when its economy is projected to be stable and export-driven. Following the establishment of the WTO working party, it will take between eight to 10 years for negotiations to be completed, Valiollah Afkhami Rad, the head of Irans Trade Promotion Organization, said in a January interview with Sharq Daily, adding, The government can also demand an additional period of up to seven years to gradually make sensitive economic sectors compatible with the global system. Iranian government officials maintain that accession to the WTO is in line with the resistance economy outlined by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has stressed the importance of joining the WTO only when the country has become fully prepared by becoming an export-driven economy. But as Irans experience with the WTO already shows, even if the country meets all the prerequisite trade commitments and economic reforms, full membership in the organization will be highly affected by the countrys international relations. Iran cant achieve full WTO membership as long as it has political and ideological differences with most of the organizations members, including Israel, Sabzalipour told Al-Monitor. We should either end those differences which will result in our humiliation in the world or insist on them, in which case not all member countries will back Irans accession. Indeed, while it is clear that it will be years before Iran can become a WTO member, the countrys accession bid even if all prerequisites were met today would be at the mercy of not only US or Israeli objections, but potentially those of other WTO members including Saudi Arabia. As such, despite the nuclear deal, the road to Iranian WTO membership remains long and blocked by hurdles. August 2, 2016 Here are two statements issued this year by US State Department spokesman John Kirby. Those who can find significant differences between the two will win a guided tour of the Jewish quarter of the West Bank city of Hebron conducted by the anti-occupation organization Breaking the Silence. One statement was issued July 28 following Israels announcement of plans to build across the Green Line, including the construction of 770 housing units in the Gilo neighborhood of East Jerusalem. In addition, the authorities approved the construction of 500 housing units in the settlement town of Ma'ale Adumim, 42 in the settlement town of Kiryat Arba and 323 units in Jewish neighborhoods on the other side of the Green Line in East Jerusalem. Kirby said, We strongly oppose settlement activity, which is corrosive to the cause of peace. We remain troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action, which raises serious questions about Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. This is part of an ongoing process of land seizures, settlement expansion, legalizations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian development that risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict. The other statement was issued Jan. 8 following a decision by then-Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon authorizing the establishment of a new settlement in a former church compound (Beit Bracah), thereby expanding the Etzion settlement bloc southward. Along with the regular retroactive legalization of unauthorized outposts and construction of infrastructure in remote settlements, actions such as this decision clearly undermine the possibility of a two-state solution. Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest questions about Israels long-term intentions and will only make achieving a two-state solution that much more difficult, Kirby said. Indeed, it would be hard to find differences between these two statements even under a magnifying glass. Headlines claiming unusually harsh condemnations have been popping up for decades. Only the pace at which new housing units appear in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is comparable. Nonetheless, there is a significant difference between the condemnation of Israel issued by the Obama administration in early January and the protest against Israel it delivered on the day the president embraced Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. That difference had to do with Clinton and her husband; even as President Barack Obama declared that there is no person more qualified than Clinton to serve as president, the cameras spotted a button former President Bill Clinton was sporting on his lapel, which said Hillary in Hebrew letters. Top US administration officials are not in the habit of shooting announcements from the hip, especially when it comes to harsh condemnations of Israel. This is especially true at the height of the courting season of Jewish donors and voters and of non-Jewish pro-Israel advocates. Diplomats and politicians in Jerusalem were counting on the US administration currying favor with them during the three intense months of the campaigning leading up to the elections. Thats why such seasons are suitable for new construction in the West Bank and for the retroactive authorization of existing illegal outposts to which authorities have turned a blind eye. Conventional wisdom has it that the pressures on Israel will be put off until Nov. 9, at which point they will resume with a vengeance and continue at least until the next president male or female moves into the White House. Why then, at the height of efforts to resolve the dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the US security aid deal, did the US administration decide to provoke Netanyahu and risk angering pro-Israel voters? Especially given that most of the new housing units recently approved are located in the area of Jerusalem-at-large, which is supposed to be annexed to Israel as part of the two-state solution? I propose three answers to this question. The first lies in the difficulty of the US administration to turn a blind eye to Israels demolition of Palestinian homes that had the misfortune to be built in Area C of the West Bank, which is under the sole control of Israel. Several hours before the July 27 condemnation by Kirby, the envoy of the European Union to Israel accused Israel of growing violations of international law and universal justice. Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen said at a public Knesset debate that Palestinians are forced to build homes without permits because Israel consistently rejects their permit requests. According to Faaborg-Andersen, last year Israel did not approve a single Palestinian building permit request. He noted that 70% of Area C had been taken over by Israel, especially by including its lands in the jurisdictions of local settlement councils. Natalie Grove of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights claimed at the debate that Israels policy has resulted in a lack of basic health services for half the Palestinian communities in Area C, many of whom are not even hooked up to power lines or running water. Grove, too, accused Israel of undermining efforts by the international community to help residents deal with their distress. Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli civil administration in the West Bank has demolished 91 structures built with European Union funds. Even Knesset member Yehuda Glick (Likud) of the extreme right, the only member of the ruling coalition who accepted an invitation to the debate, did not remain unmoved. I am greatly saddened by some of the things I heard, Glick said. Especially as someone who believes the settlement enterprise is just and moral if we dont adhere to the principles of morality, we are in really big trouble. An additional explanation for the harsh condemnation has to do with attempts at a rapprochement with Israel by Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Obama administration has been encouraging leaders of these three countries to warm ties with the Netanyahu government in the hopes that this would lead to a resumption of stalemated negotiations with the Palestinians. An additional building permit in the settlements is a slap in the face to loyalists of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and yet more disregard for Obama. The last, and perhaps most important explanation, lies in a comprehensive 2013 Pew Research Institute poll, according to which no more than 17% of American Jews believe that continued construction in the settlements contributes to Israels security. During the 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination that he waged against his fellow senator Clinton, Obama told Jewish activists in Chicago that in order to be a friend of Israels, one is not obliged to be a member of the Likud. After eight years in office, he may have concluded that in order to be a friend of Israels, he is obliged to send the Likud to the opposition benches. August 2, 2016 Three weeks after former Saudi intelligence head Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud attended a rally for the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) and called for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with MEK leader Maryam Rajavi in Paris. According to the MEK, the meeting took place to discuss fighting fundamentalism and terrorism in the region. Iran, which accuses the MEK of being behind assassinations and bombings resulting in the deaths of thousands over the last 37 years, criticized the meeting. [Abbas'] problem is that he does not focus on pursuing the rights of the Palestinian people, said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the former deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs and current foreign policy adviser to parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. He called the meeting support for terrorism and said that it will neither weaken Israel nor liberate Jerusalem. Hossein Sheikholeslam, an adviser for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said that the MEK is supported by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia and called Abbas a puppet of America. Iran is one of the main sponsors of the Palestinian Authoritys (PA) rivals for power in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. According to Fars News Agency, a coalition of Palestinian groups condemned Abbas meeting. A statement by the group read that the meeting can only hurt relations between Palestinian groups and Iran, which has helped Palestinian resistance groups more than Arab countries have since the 1979 revolution. The statement viewed Abbas meeting as being in line with Saudi policies in the region, and given the recent closeness between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the negative consequences of this action will be a hundred fold. Ten Palestinian groups, most notably the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has close ties to Iran, signed the statement. A number of Iranian analysts viewed the meeting as an extension of the Saudi-Iranian regional rivalry. An article in Mehr News concluded that the meeting was the result of either pressure applied by Saudi Arabia or Abbas welcoming dance for Riyadh to strengthen ties between Saudi and the PA. Despite Irans support for resistance groups in Palestine, the article continued, Iran has never taken an official position against the PA. In fact, the leaders of the Islamic Republic closed the Israeli Embassy after the 1979 revolution and handed it over to a Palestinian delegation led by PLO leader Yasser Arafat. In the face of regional and international pressure, reported the Mehr article, Iran has supported Palestinian groups as one of the goals of the revolution. In an article for BBC Persian, Mehrdad Farahmand wrote that some politicians meet with MEK members and take pictures with their leaders, but have little knowledge of their background. However, given Abbas history of political activity, he could not be unaware of MEKs own history. Farahmand wrote that before the 1979 revolution, MEK fighters had trained in Lebanon with Fatah, the political party that Abbas now leads. The two groups had also reportedly fought together with Iraqi troops during the Iran-Iraq War. Regarding the meeting, he found, given Faisals attendance at the MEK rally and the Saudi medias wide coverage and support of the Paris event, it is natural to assume that they are investing in groups opposed to Iran. August 2, 2016 RAMALLAH, West Bank The Palestinian public prosecution, the Supreme Judicial Council and the Bar Association are currently studying a draft law on the formation of a High Criminal Court in the West Bank. The draft was submitted by the Palestinian Ministry of Justice for them to offer comments. The Ministry of Justice is seeking to get legal comments on the draft law prior to its submission to the Council of Ministers, which will examine and discuss the draft before voting on it through the three readings for approval and publication on the websites of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Justice. Before the end of the year, the draft is then sent to President Mahmoud Abbas in order for him to issue a decree, Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Abu Diak told Al-Monitor. Ever since the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has been disrupted due to the armed clashes between Fatah and Hamas on June 7, 2007, the successive Palestinian governments have been drafting bills and submitting them to Abbas for signature and promulgation through a decree. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced July 17 during the opening of the Seventh Judicial Conference in Ramallah the governments plan to form a High Criminal Court and make amendments to the Jordanian penal code, which dates back to 1960 and is in force in the West Bank. Hamdallah said, There are some laws and regulations that need to be amended, especially the penal code. We are seeking to form a committee very shortly to amend this law and a High Criminal Court to deal with crimes that fall within [this] courts competence, such as crimes of intentional killing. The high rate of murders that rose in Palestine during the month of Ramadan, which started June 6, and the judiciarys slow dealing with defendants prompted the government to form a High Criminal Court, Abu Diak said. The High Criminal Court, which will consist of three judges and will be based in the city of Ramallah, will be settling certain crimes based on a special procedure and will provide speedy litigation procedures and prompt sentences, Abu Diak added. The court will issue its verdicts based on the current penal code, which includes the death penalty, a sentence that requires presidential approval. The government had referred several laws to Abbas, who issued them through decrees based on the Jordanian penal code. The government did not issue a new penal code because this requires a legislative council, but we have issued laws that were not addressed by the penal code such as the substance abuse law and cybercrimes, and we are studying the issuance of the juvenile law and the law on protection of the family, Abu Diak said. The governments plan to enact laws is being widely criticized, as it infringes upon the powers of the legislative authority. Ahmed Mubarak al-Khalidi, a constitutional law professor and the head of the committee tasked with drafting the Palestinian Constitution, told Al-Monitor, As an executive authority, the government does not have the right to amend the penal code because this falls within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch only, and if it does so, then it would be infringing upon the legislative power. He said, The formation of a High Criminal Court can only be made based on a law from the PLC. Therefore, the government should abide by the powers set out for it in the constitution. The establishment of a criminal court will not solve the problem of accumulated lawsuits in the courts. To solve this problem, a change must occur at the level of judicial proceedings, which should be distributed to the judicial bodies that deal with crimes. Khalidi added, As the government plans to change the penal code and form a High Criminal Court, it is seeking to control the legislative and judicial branches. The High Criminal Court Act and the amendments to the penal code, in the event they are issued by the government, are expected to receive social and legal criticism. This was the case with the Higher Media Council, which was approved by the president Jan. 19 but whose publication in the Official Gazette was suspended a day later. The same happened with the Social Security Act, which was approved by the president March 23 but was then put up by the government for civil discussion April 24. Issam Abdeen, the legal adviser to the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, told Al-Monitor, The legislations issued by the government through the president are not subject to discussion with civil society, and they usually cause problems once signed and published in the Official Gazette. He added, Amid the PLCs disruption, the government is monopolizing the policymaking and legislation process. This proves that there is a problem at the level of the government, which does not believe in the principle of partnership with civil society. Abdeen said that civil society groups put forth a proposal in April that was approved by the government for the formation of a joint committee comprising experts from both the government and the civil society to discuss the plan and give legislative priority to the government. However, the proposal failed to materialize as the committee was not formed and the government kept working individually. The criminal court will not solve the problems plaguing the judiciary amid the executive powers interference in the judicial affairs and work. The issue requires a larger judicial reform action plan. The court will not provide solutions if the judiciary continues to be plagued by structural imbalance due to the influence of the executive branch, the judicial inspection actions and the Courts and Lawsuits Administration, Abdeen added. As for the penal code, Abdeen explained that the civil society organizations and legal experts worked in 2010 on the preparation of a modern and advanced draft penal code in line with international human rights standards, and the draft was submitted to the government in 2011. But the government did nothing, and the draft has been consigned to oblivion as it has been shelved for five years now. The principle of separation of powers is threatened by the PLCs disruption and the executive powers carrying out of its role and function as far as the enactment of laws and regulations is concerned, in addition to the executive powers interference in the judiciarys work and the absence of censure over its work. Site: freedatingscene From: comfortbaby My name is Comfort. i am a female i was impressed when i saw your profile today, and i will like to established a long lasting relationship with you. in addition, i will like you to reply me through my private iD; adlangirlcomfort24@gmail.com so i can give you my picture, for you to know whom i am and i believe we can move from here! waiting to hear from you soonest. (remember the distance or colour does not matter but love matters a lot in life) and a business proposal for both of us. please contact me here; adlangirlcomfort24@gmail.com from Comfort. Received: by 10.55.114.131 with HTTP; Mon, 14 Dec 2015 23:21:42 -0800 (PST) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 07:21:42 +0000 From: Adlangirl comfort24 Subject: With love and trust Hi My Dear, First of all thank you for having responded to my letter En-line with the message that I sent, as there is life in your country?, I hope that you find yourself in an atmosphere of peace and love. I am very happy to read your mail today, please do not be surprise or get offended for receiving this message from me, It 's just that I was forced to place my trust on you just because of my situation here in the refugee camp. After searching through the internet from where I get your email address I strongly believe in my heart that we must be honest and sincere person for me to reveal my secrets of life, for you to help me. Let me first introduce my self to you, and I will take the best of your honesty after the fact about me and who I am, I really like to have a good relationship in-spite of everything, because I feel that this will honest and trustworthy person can not betray me. I decided to contact you because of the urgency of my situation here and after reading your mail today i whole-heatedly decided to let you know more and more about me, who knows? maybe it will be my savior, from these conditions I found in. My name is Miss Comfort Alier Adlan, 23 yrs old from southern Sudanese, the only daughter of the late Dr. Abel Alier Adlan My father was a businessman and major success, a politician under the government of southern Sudanese, the former head of state before the rebels attacked; My father was killed by rebels during the war in my country. So I am compelled to contact you because of the maltreatment I am receiving from my step mother. He's going to take away all my late father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father. In the meantime I wanted to escape from Africa to any where in the world but she hide my international passport and other valuable travel documents. Luckily she did not discover where I kept my father's File which contains important documents. So I decided to run to the refugee camp where I am presently seeking asylum under the Private charity organization for the Refugee here in Republic of Cameron. I would like to contact you personally for a long term relationship that can lead us to something better if it works well. I give you the phone number of the Rev pastor in charge of this camp, +237681281909 He prays every time you call tell him that you want to talk with me, so that he will send for me in the camp hostels to come and answer your call. Life here in the refugee camp is very stressful and I honestly please help me out of here soon. Please listen to this, my late father of blessed memory deposited the sum of $ 10,500,000,00 (Ten million five hundred thousand dollars) in a Bank in Cameroon with my name as the next of kin. However, I will transmit the necessary documents on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me to transfer funds to bank accounts in my name. As you will help me in an investment and I like to finish my study at home, as I said before, as I was in my first year at university, when the crisis started. After the transfer you will arrange for my trip there for joining you, to share this feelings face to face. I tried all my best and explain my conditions here at the bank in Cameroon, but was told that my status as a refugee in Cameroon does not allow me to these transaction, unless i find someone to help me, (perhaps my relatives, trusted friends or partners). To be honest with you, I prefer to tell my secrets to a stranger because he / she will not have a mind to cheat me or betray me, someone here, if people here know that I say these funds my life be in total danger and risky here, that's why I'm about to reveal this with all my heart and trust that you will keep this confidential for my safety reasons and purposes of life, I sincerely want you to know that we will invest the 'fund together me and you, or if you do not want to be with me then it will my pleasure to compensate you with 20% of the total sum for the services and the balance shall be my investment capital. This is why I decided to contact you. Please all communications should be through this email address only for confidential purposes. As soon as I receive your positive response showing your interest for me, I will put things into action immediately. I will send the contacts of the bank in Cameroon so that you contact them immediately for them to transfer funds to your bank accounts, please this is a legitimate money and the bank is also aware that I am the nearest relative, because I send them the documents where my father wrote my name as the next of kin and have also confirmed and said that I should look for someone to help me facilitate the transfer of funds, since I am in the refugee camp. In light of the above, I appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this relationship and transaction sincerely. I am waiting for your urgent and positive response. Please keep this only to your self please I am on my kneels in the name of God, not to reveal this secret to anyone until I come to your country once the funds w re transferred. In the meantime I want you to call me like i said i have a lot to say. Attached here is my photo Sincerely, Miss Comfort Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 13:17:44 +0000 From: Adlangirl comfort24 Subject: Please contact the Bank immediately I believe in my heart that your help to me will bring something good to you, and i assure you that if God will use you to help me out of this situation,i will never forget you in my life and with what you have said in your mail to me i now have the confidence to go ahead with you. i am still praying and i know that our God will never fall us. The contact information of the bank is as follows, BANK NAME: Commercial Bank of Cameroon CONTACT: Mr Morris Achu Ako Director: Foreign Operations below is the Email. foreignoperation@comic.com foreignoperation@writeme.com Website: www.cbc-bank.com Please contact the Bank, and tell them that you are contacting them on behalf of the fund of late Dr. Abel Alier Adlan from Southern Sudan with and you are representing me as my foreign partner as well as the next of kin to the fund, and ask them the possibility of transferring this fund to your position in your country. Please you can send mail now to the bank so that you can be expecting a reply from them as i have already sent an email now to the bank informing them that you will stand on my behalf to make the transfer pending my arrival to meet with you immediately after the transfer. Please do your best to make sure that you make contact with the bank, i will advice you to send mail to them for them to know our seriousness, whatever they reply, get back to me so that i will be knowing what is happening. My prayer is for God to grant me my pursuance and by the grace of God he will surely see us through. Please once again keep it only for yourself, for my safety and security reasons. You have to send them mail first then when they ask for the documents then i can send you the documents, please you can even send the mail now so that we can be expecting to hear from them also. The most important thing is to make sure that you make contact with the bank let us hear from them before any other thing will be done. Expecting to hear from you the response from the bank soon. Please take good care, and put me in your daily prayers. God bless you. Comfort FOLLOW UP TO THE BANK send this below letter to the bank in Cameroon immediately. Dear Mr Morris Achu Ako ..........................I write to you about an inquiry in Miss Comfort Adlan name. She wants to transfer the fund deposited by her father late Dr. Abel Alier Adlan from republic of southern sudan, which Miss Comfort Adlan stands as the next of kin. Both parents are dead and she was the only child. She asked me to stand for her in this transfer of the fund to my bank account in my country. So, how are we going to do it? I hope that you can give me an answer as soon as possible. Thanks for your assistance. Yours sincerely, Name ........ Address ...... Please my dear you can send it now so that you can expect a reply from the bank soon and please when you hear from the bank also let me know. From: "MR MORRIS ACHU" Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 18:39:50 +0100 Subject: FOREIGN OPERATION : Commercial Bank of Cameroon ATTENTION: Reference to your request for release of Dr. Abel Alier Adlan deposited fund, ($10.5 Million) willed to Miss Comfort Alier Adlan presently in Douala Cameroon. We have acknowledged the receipt of your mail inquiry in respect to the said inherited fund deposited in our escrow account. We have also being informed by Miss Miss Comfort Alier Adlan that you will stand for her. Be informed that your formal inquiry has been noted and forwarded to the transfer unit, you are required to provide proves confirming the true death of the depositor and the legality of your claims from the side of the next of kin (Miss Comfort Alier Adlan) to enable us process the release order, you should present the following documents via e-mail attachment for the contents to be viewed properly. 1. You should present an authority letter (Power of attorney) dully signed by a Cameroon based lawyer as your witness, mandating you to Make this claims and transfer on Miss Comfort Alier Adlan behalf. 2. You should present a copy of late Dr. Abel Alier Adlan death certificate, issued by a public/General hospital confirming his death. 3. You should present a copy of the Certificate of Deposit given to the deceased by our Finance house. 4. You should present a copy of your International passport/Drivers license ID On receipts of the above documents/information, we shall verify them and as soon as we are satisfied, we shall process your claim and reach you back for the transfer. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and we promise to give our customers the best of our services. For more information you can reach the director foreign operations on Email foreignoperation@writeme.com Thanks. Yours sincerely, Mrs. Edena makun. (For Mr. Morris Achu Ako) FOREIGN OPERATION : Commercial Bank of Cameroon SIEGE SOCIAL, DOUALA B.P. 59 TEL: +2373420208 Fax: +2373433801 Telex: 55 290KN www.cbc-bank.com Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2015 07:10:27 +0000 From: Adlangirl comfort24 Subject: Please contact the lawyer immediately Thanks a lot for your effort so far Honey, I am very happy to receive a copy of the reply of the Trade Bank of Cameroon, I thank God for everything, I really appreciate your care and your concern and I know that God will surely see us through. According to the request of the bank, we will need the services of an attorney here who will represent us to the Supreme Court to prepare the power of attorney on our behalf. This lawyer will help us get Article 1, which is the proxy of the high federal court. I have here with me the other two documents, the death certificate of my deceased father and certificates of deposit which I will also send the lawyer or the Commercial Bank of Cameroon. Please keep this matter just for yourself, as you can see we're near the end of this OK matter and I want you to promise me that no body will know about this transfer, God will help us. Now no need to keep us waiting since the bank are ready to do this transfer once the documents are ready I was coming to give a contact of one of the renowned lawyer here by the Reverend, who will help us obtain these documents, here below is the contact; Below is the contact ADVOCATE Barrister Richard Tomba Phone: +237650553118 Email: yombachambers@consultant.com Tomba & Associate Chambers Please dear, i will like you to contact this law firm and ask you to help us get this document necessary for the bank to make this transfer, as you can see that everything concerning this transfer is complete, please help me see that this lawyer get this document very soon, my prayers are with you and I know that God will surely see us through. I will never forget you in my life, God bless you for me, waiting for hear from you the response from the lawyer, please, while also send an e-mail. So contact the lawyer soon. Thanks for your concern, always put me in your daily prayers. Yours forever. Comfort. contact Advocate My dear, I write here as you can write the lawyer soon. I am very glad you answered the bank. Then send a message to the lawyer as I write now. Dear Barr. Yomba Richard My name is ................. Partner with Miss Comfort Adlan. I'm asking for your help to me and Miss Comfort Adlan helping obtain, in the superior court power of attorney required by Commercial Bank of Cameroon to manage their financial affairs and make transfer to my account in your name. Please, I would like to hear from you soon. Yours sincerely, Comfort From: "Richard Yomba" Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2015 08:58:40 +0100 Subject: YOMBA CHAMBERS YOMBA CHAMBERS TO: Sequel to your request on the issue of helping you and your partner to procure the necessary document required by the Commercial Bank of Cameroon, to make your claims and transfer to your account in your country, We are happy to be honored and promise to assist and represent you in all assigns. I have talk with Rev to discuss about the issuing to you an authorization letter that will enable you stand on her behalf to transfer her money from Commercial Bank of Cameroon to your Account in your country. From my inquiries from the federal high court today, it will cost the sum of ($780 usd) for authentication of the power of attorney and the affidavit of support at the Federal High Court before it becomes valid, and ($300 usd) for notary stamping at the notary republic, and the affidavit of oath will cost ($100 usd) My legal processing fee is only ($100 usd) Total ($1,280 usd). To speedy the process you are to send these money to This Firm through (WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER). which is the fastest means of sending and receiving money to enable my noble office prepare and validate the Power of Attorney and the affidavit of support here in the high court and notary republic respectively, remember that this money must be paid to the (Federal High Curt) before taking any step. so you are to send the ($1,280 usd) by WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER, with The details of chambers revenue collector. The affidavit of support will first be obtained from the Federal High Court of Cameroon and as soon as this is ready, we will proceed immediately to draft the Power of Attorney which will be dully signed by your partner Miss Comfort Adlan and witness by me also naturalized by the federal magistrate of the high court. Note, call me on this number +237650553118 for more clarification's, upon receipt of the fee and the needed to obtain this documents, we shall proceed immediately to procure the documents which will take us two working days to complete. Yours in service, Barrister. Yomba Richard. (Managing Partner). (LHS) 272 Rue Ernest Betote Akwa Face Beausejour Douala a Cameroon. From: "Richard Yomba" Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2015 09:46:28 +0100 Subject: REVENUE COLLECTORS DETAILS YOMBA CHAMBERS TO: This is the Law Firm revenue collectors details. Name: Nworah Onyeka Samuel Address: Douala Country: Cameroon Use the details and send the $1,280 usd and forward to us the payment details. Yours in service, Barrister. Yomba Richard. (Managing Partner). (LHS) 272 Rue Ernest Betote Akwa Face Beausejour Douala a Cameroon. From: "Richard Yomba" Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2015 15:43:00 +0100 Subject: YOMBA CHAMBERS YOMBA CHAMBERS TO: Sequel to your request on the issue of helping you and your partner to procure the necessary document required by the Commercial Bank of Cameroon, to make your claims and transfer to your account in your country, We are happy to be honored and promise to assist and represent you in all assigns. This law firm will not be given you our Domiciliary Account details because of the Amount in question, Because our Banking policy will not accept the figure Because is to small to be Transferred to the Law firm Account. you are oblige to either send the $1,280 usd via western union or money Gram Transfer with the revenue collector details below. Name: Nworah Onyeka Samuel Address: Douala Country: Cameroon The affidavit of support will first be obtained from the Federal High Court of Cameroon and as soon as this is ready, we will proceed immediately to draft the Power of Attorney which will be dully signed by your partner Miss Comfort Adlan and witness by me also naturalized by the federal magistrate of the high court. Note, call me on this number +237650553118 for more clarification's, upon receipt of the fee and the needed to obtain this documents, we shall proceed immediately to procure the documents which will take us two working days to complete. Yours in service, Barrister. Yomba Richard. (Managing Partner). (LHS) 272 Rue Ernest Betote Akwa Face Beausejour Douala a Cameroon. From: "Richard Yomba" Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2015 17:04:14 +0100 Subject: YOMBA CHAMBERS YOMBA CHAMBERS TO: Sequel to your request on the issue of helping you and your partner to procure the necessary document required by the Commercial Bank of Cameroon, to make your claims and transfer to your account in your country, We are happy to be honored and promise to assist and represent you in all assigns. If you don't accept our method and term of payment, you are oblige to stop this conversation and look for another Law firm. Yours in service, Barrister. Yomba Richard. (Managing Partner). (LHS) 272 Rue Ernest Betote Akwa Face Beausejour Douala - Cameroon. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... August 2, 2016 After the July 15 attempted coup in Turkey, the Gulen movement became an important item on the global agenda. The movement has been active in Turkey for 40 years and operates in 130 countries employing hundreds of thousands of people in the fields of education, health and trade with annual revenue exceeding $50 billion. Most of the international media insist in depicting the Gulen network as an Islamic civil society organization that defends moderate Islam, advocates democratic values and that is open to dialogue with other currents, although about 250 security personnel and civilians were killed defending democracy on July 15. The resentment felt abroad against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must have a role in this persistent misreading of the developments. This anger and the concern that Erdogans authoritarian tendencies will be institutionalized in Turkey after July 15 no doubt influences the view of the Western media about the Gulen movement. In Turkey, following the December 2013 corruption operations and the governments sustained and well-organized media counterattacks, the public had begun to identify the Gulen movement as a "parallel state" inclined to terror. The vital question now asked is whether Gulenists are behind the July 15 coup attempt. How can international public opinion be so misguided? Above all, we tend to see the Gulenist structure in a modern paradigm as a hierarchical body, with rigid internal discipline and followers who are strongly devoted to its highly charismatic leader. This is where we make mistakes when analyzing the Gulenist structure. According to Kahraman Sakul of Istanbul Sehir University who spoke to Al-Monitor, the Gulenist network is based on much more complex relations. He said, Contrary to sustained media comments, I dont think the network model of Gulenists emulates the classical pyramid model of terrorists. The Gulen movement has transparent, overt networks of trade, finance, education, media, health and social media and secret, covert networks of military and intelligence bureaucracy. Until now, international opinion focused on overt Gulenist networks. But the testimonies of soldiers detained after the coup make it clear there are enormous differences between the overt and covert networks of the Gulenist movement. In their official narratives used by overt networks, Fethullah Gulen is portrayed as an opinion leader. We are told that his basic goal is to spread his service worldwide, to serve global peace by doing business all over, to overcome prejudices between religions and culture, and to ensure interfaith dialogue. But what we hear from testimonies of pro-Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO) military officers, the narrative used in secret networks is quite different. Here you are told of the coming of a global Islamic salvation. You are told to carry out instructions without questioning to achieve the sacred goal. This was their way of saying ends justify the means. Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, who was taken hostage by his closest associates on the night of the coup attempt, has said he was approached by air force brigadier Hakan Evrim, who told him, If you wish, we can arrange for you to talk to our opinion leader Fethullah Gulen, which proved their absolute obedience to Gulen. Soldiers in the covert networks are obliged to carry out the orders passed on to them by their civilian older brothers. No Gulenist in uniform knew any other officer of the same affiliation. This is best explained by the testimony of Muhammed Uslu, a civilian working in the private secretariat of the Prime Ministry who was also the older brother of Lt. Col. Levent Turkkan, the senior aide to Akar. We were amazed to hear how Uslu received the daily recordings of the office of the Chief of General Staff and passed them on to another civilian brother he didnt even know. The group that constitutes the core of the secret network would spread the unquestionable instructions to lower levels, where the only requirement was to carry them out. This blind obedience also meant that many bright Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) officers with masters and doctorate degrees were passing on what they learned to older brothers they didnt even know. Investigations have revealed that the older brothers of secret networks and imams on the ground have proved their skilled use of social media for communication. In addition to live couriers, their favorite communication means were messaging applications CoverMe, which erases messages after they are read, and WhatsApp. Secret cells of Gulenists do not operate on a hierarchical pyramid model. Their nets dont operate on the basis of perpendicular hierarchies of command and control but on horizontal hierarchy. For example, there are reports that on the night of July 15, many generals were ordered around by colonels and even more junior ranks. An air force noncommissioned officer is said to have issued orders to generals to apprehend Erdogan. Why didnt this secret network succeed on July 15? Their absolute secrecy in a way was the basic cause of their failure. The coup attempt that requires coordinated actions, a common ideology, a joint operations center and a leader became a fiasco because of their addiction to absolute secrecy. Now some critical questions: August 2, 2016 Russia appears to be the main beneficiary of the July 15 attempted coup in Turkey. Moscow clearly sees a strategic opportunity for itself given the sharp increase in anti-American and anti-European sentiments in Turkey, which are being fanned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan supporters, and many Turks opposed to Erdogan, are convinced of a US finger in the attempt to topple Erdogan. The fact that Fethullah Gulen the Islamic cleric accused of masterminding the coup resides freely in Pennsylvania, and the belief that the United States is dragging its feet over Ankaras demand for Gulens extradition, has raised anti-American feelings among Turks to a fever pitch. This belief has also increased calls for Turkey to seek strategic partnerships with Russia and to replace ties with the United States, NATO and the European Union. These calls are clearly being monitored closely in Moscow. Eyes will therefore be focused on Erdogans talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Aug. 9. The current political climate between the two countries is also conducive to deepening ties. Ankara and Moscow are presently reconciling after half a year of tensions following the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey in November while it was on a mission against forces opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The pilot of the jet was shot dead in his parachute by anti-Assad fighters supported by Ankara, which increased Russian fury against Turkey at the time. Despite Turkeys insistence that the jet had strayed into its airspace, which Russia still denies, Erdogan apologized to Putin in a letter he sent in June over the incident, in which he referred to Russia as a friend and strategic partner. Turkeys economic losses due to the embargoes imposed by Moscow after the downing of the jet and the fact that this incident seriously diminished Turkeys hand in Syria forced Erdogan in the end to seek reconciliation. The failed coup has also increased Russias importance for quarters close to Erdogan. Calls from pro-Erdogan circles for Turkey to seek strategic partnerships with Russia and to develop a strategic Eurasian dimension to replace ties with the United States, NATO and the EU are clearly being monitored closely in Moscow with satisfaction. With more strategic foresight than the United States and Europe, Russia played its cards right as the coup attempt was underway and was the first country to immediately condemn this attempt unequivocally. We thank the Russian authorities, particularly President Putin. We have received unconditional support from Russia, unlike other countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told news channel Haberturk TV. Turkey is angry with Europe over its wait and see stance during and after the coup attempt. The general view is that Europes dislike of Erdogan prevented it from providing unequivocal support for the democratically elected president and government of Turkey. Europes critical position on the massive crackdown against alleged coup plotters and sympathizers in Turkey and its reactions to Erdogans support for the death penalty for the coup plotters is adding more grist to the anti-Western mill in Turkey. An unsubstantiated report by the Iranian Fars News Agency, on the other hand, also put Russia in a favorable light with Erdogan supporters. Quoting various Arab sources, Fars said Moscow had alerted Erdogan hours ahead of the coup, enabling him to take the necessary precautions for his safety. In the meantime, Ankara is pinning the blame for the downing of the Russian jet fighter on a maverick pilot who allegedly was part of the coup plot, thus providing another indication of how fast things are moving in Turkish-Russian ties. The fact that Erdogan was calling on NATO, during its recent Warsaw summit, to prevent the Black Sea from turning into a Russian lake appears a distant echo now. There are indications, however, that while Moscow believes it has the upper hand against Ankara now, and will try and secure maximum advantages for itself as it responds to positive overtures from Turkey, it will still play hard to get. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave an early sign of this after the failed coup attempt when he openly declared that the future of Turkish-Russian ties would still depend on Turkeys position on Syria. "Much will depend on how we will cooperate on the settlement of the Syrian crisis," Lavrov said, according to TASS. During discussions of the Syrian crisis, we provided many facts that prove that Turkish territory is used for providing supplies to terrorists and sending militants to Syria. These facts remain on the table," he added. However, given Russias growing conflict with the West, which Moscow believes is trying to encircle it militarily, many doubt that Putin will want to squander the opportunity to turn Turkey away from the West. The Russian daily Pravda spelled it out plainly in a recent editorial: Russia should not trust Erdogan, but one may have no doubt about the fact that the Turkish president is now trying to improve Turkey's relations with Russia. This makes Turkey Russia's ally in the endeavor to split the consolidated position of the West. Hakan Aksay, who has reported for many Turkish media outlets for years out of Moscow, believes that Russia is the most important country Turkey can turn to if it decides to downgrade its strategic ties with the West. If Ankara can align its Syria policy closer with Moscow, other obstacles will not be insurmountable Aksay said in his column on the T24 website. He argued that the Kremlin would also be prepared to put aside its claims that the Islamic State got assistance from Turkey and could also review its position regarding Syrian Kurds to Ankaras advantage. However, all of the expectations of Turkey and Russia moving together on the strategic level have to be considered in a realistic light, according to diplomatic experts who point to the essential differences between the two countries on a host of issues ranging from Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula to the Middle East and Cyprus. To overcome these differences, Turkey, which appears to be in the weaker position today, will have to radically change its foreign policy orientation in ways that would be anathema to grass-roots Islamist supporters of Erdogan, as well as Turkish nationalists. Retired Ambassador Unal Cevikoz believes that Turkey was seriously traumatized by the coup attempt and is trying now to sound certain warnings to the West by floating the idea that it may move toward strategic ties with Russia. Moving in that direction in earnest, however, would be wrong because it would not serve Turkeys long-term interests, Cevikoz told Al-Monitor. This does not mean we should not have good relations with Russia. To the contrary these relations should be improved and deepened. I believe that the most important file to be taken up during Erdogans visit to Moscow, for example, will be the energy file, Cevikoz added. Cevikoz also underlined that one of Russias principal aims today was to weaken NATO and suggested that Turkey should not allow itself to be manipulated in this manner. Given the way in which Turkish-Russian ties nosedived overnight after the downing of the Russian jet, and the serious differences that remain between the two countries on a host of key international issues, it appears that the future for the strategic partnership with Russia that some in Turkey are hoping for now, purely out of anger for the West, may not be as bright as they assume. Target Shoppers During Tax Free Weekend 8.3.13 (Sarah Cole/al.com) A pharmaceutical company is one step closer to producing generic drugs at its new $29 million facility off of Lakeshore Parkway in central Alabama. While Birmingham Mayor William Bell said his city might have a shot at the next Democratic National Convention, retailers are gearing up for one of the state's busiest shopping holidays of the year -- tax-free weekend. Read those stories and more below: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- For more news, visit AL.com/business. North Alabama residents will get a sneak peek next week at one of the area's most anticipated mixed-use projects in Huntsville. Will Culver, who is running for re-election in the District 5 Huntsville City Council race this month, will host an event geared toward young professionals at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the atrium of Madison Square Mall on 5901 University Drive N.W. The gathering will offer food, music and an opportunity to talk with local developer RCP Companies about MidCity Huntsville. Culver said Madison Square, which has struggled in recent years with higher crime, declining property values and low mall occupancy, has become an eyesore. "We've been looking at what we could do for that area," he told AL.com. "Finally, we found the right fit. The purpose (of the project) is to create a city within itself so we can revive that corridor in its entirety." The council voted in May to approve an urban renewal and development agreement between the city and Mid-City Owner, LLC, to revitalize a portion of the property the city does not need for public infrastructure upgrades under the newly-adopted urban renewal plan for Cummings Research Park East. The project will likely have a mix of uses, including commercial and office space, retail, at least one hotel, and multi-family units. A cannibalization clause in the development agreement said 70 percent of the businesses must be new to the Huntsville market. Culver's campaign event Monday will be the public's first glimpse at the project, which must be approved by the city council before it can move forward. "We're excited to share the project and talk about what the vision is for MidCity," said RCP Director Odie Fakhouri. "There's not a better group to do that to than the audience of the young professionals." RCP has not announced when Madison Square Mall will close, but is in the process of liquidating unused furniture, fixtures and equipment at the property. Only a few tenants remain at the 32-year-old development, which is home to anchors Sears and JCPenney. Felicia Beaulieu, who is planning the campaign event, said they are trying to create a board for next week where attendees can share their ideas for MidCity. "(MidCity) is a big deal and we think that it needs to be talked about," she said. DNC.jpg Could it happen here? A view of downtown Birmingham from Railroad Park, (Mark Almond/AL.com) (Right) President Barack Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Birmingham made a bid to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, which it ultimately lost. Mayor William Bell said the city will seek the 2020 convention. Birmingham might actually have a shot at the Democratic National Convention in 2020, Mayor William Bell told reporters Monday. Bell intends to pitch Birmingham to be considered for the next round of conventions in four years, he told reporters after a ribbon cutting for Oxford Pharmaceuticals. In the bid for the 2016 convention, a party official noted Birmingham's lack of five-star hotels and suites. Birmingham had enough hotel rooms, between the city and its metro area - but not enough luxury ones. Bell cited several hotel projects that should be done by the time the party is considering its next convention. The 120-room historic Redmont Hotel recently reopened as part of Hilton Worldwide's special Curio Collection. The Empire Building is being redeveloped as part of a $45 million project to include two Marriotts. A double-branded Hilton Hotel, which will feature a Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites, a Hilton extended stay brand, is currently under construction in Birmingham's Parkside district. "We're working toward 2020," Bell said. In 2014, Birmingham spent $275,000 on consultants to manage and promote the city's convention bid. It also promised $5 million to the DNC if the convention chose Birmingham. Bell also said he plans to pitch Birmingham to the RNC. WIAT reports that Mayor Bell pitched Birmingham as a potential future host city while in Philadelphia last week for the DNC. 225-holmes-03.jpg 225 Holmes will break ground this fall. (Courtesy photo) A new mixed-use development will soon begin taking shape in a vacant corner lot in the heart of downtown Huntsville. 225 Holmes will break ground this fall. (Courtesy photo) Huntsville real estate firm Crunkleton & Associates said a groundbreaking ceremony will be held this fall for 225 Holmes, a 32,000-square-foot retail and office project across the street from Below the Radar, Old Town Beer Exchange and Sip, which is currently under construction. Crunkleton spokeswoman Kadie Pangburn said the primary tenant at 225 Holmes will be revealed later this year. The development could potentially have a third-floor rooftop patio with additional restaurant or event space. "Early stage estimates project approximately $7 to $10 million dollars will be invested into the development," she told AL.com. Eric St. John and Anusha Alapati with Crunkleton Commercial Real Estate Group are the lead leasing brokers, while Nola | VanPeursem will serve as head architects for the development, which should be complete by spring 2018. St. John said the city center needs more office space, adding 225 Holmes will increase the downtown business and daytime workforce by 150-200 jobs. 225 Holmes will break ground this fall. (Courtesy photo) "That's 150-200 more people coming downtown, every day, to potentially patronize the surrounding businesses and boost the downtown economy," he said. Chad Emerson, CEO of Downtown Huntsville Inc., said DHI is seeing greater interest in businesses moving downtown because of loft and retail development, as well as nearby amenities like Monte Sano Mountain and Big Spring Park. There are currently three major projects underway in downtown: CityCentre at Big Spring, The Avenue and The Garage at Clinton Row. Adding 225 Holmes to the mix "continues a trend of increased investment in downtown every year," Emerson said. "It's another opportunity to bring signature retail and office development to the city center," he said. "And it's also significant because that lot is at a key intersection and is now being redeveloped into an active use for that intersection." Taco Mama cropped.JPG This is the opening-day lunch crowd at the new Taco Mama restaurant and bar at the Summit in Birmingham, Ala. (Photo courtesy of Taco Mama) Taco Mama opened its fifth location earlier today at the Summit in Birmingham. The Mexican restaurant and bar is at 327 Summit Blvd., between Pieology Pizzeria and Steel City Pops. Taco Mama opened its original location in Mountain Brook's Crestline Village in December 2011, and it has since grown to include locations in Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Homewood and now the Summit. Earlier this summer, founder Will Haver also announced plans for a sixth Taco Mama in The Waites retail and residential development that is expected to open next spring on Birmingham's Southside. The Taco Mama menu features tacos, burritos, nachos and other Mexican dishes, as well as margaritas and local beers. "What's new and unique about the Summit is this is the first Taco Mama restaurant that is serving our new chipotle ahi tuna tacos served on a bed of siracha slaw, and it is delicious," Haver said. "We only prepare a limited amount of ahi tuna every day, and it's served first come, first served." As do the other locations, the Taco Mama at the Summit has garage-style doors that open onto the sidewalk outside, creating an open-air environment so diners may choose to eat indoors or out. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For a full menu and more information, go here. UPDATED at 4:14 CDT on Tuesday, Aug, 2, 1016, to add comments from Taco Mama founder Will Haver. The U.S. Marshals Service is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Jeffrey Alan Wilcox, Jr., who has been on the loose since Sunday afternoon's double homicide and kidnapping in Cherokee County. Cherokee County investigators released this image of what is believed to be Jeffrey Wilcox Jr.'s truck. Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said Wilcox, wanted for capital murder and kidnapping, has been on the run since Sunday afternoon when authorities say he killed Daniel and Letitia B. Andrews, 47, and took his estranged wife Chasidy Wilcox, 30, as a hostage. Since then, local, state and federal law enforcement officials have been on the lookout. Wilcox was last seen driving a red 2011 Chevrolet Silverado with Alabama license plate number 11FR476. He is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, Shaver said. Anyone who sees the vehicle is asked to immediately call 911. Chasidy Wilcox Yesterday, authorities released a new surveillance photo of Wilcox's truck, apparently taken Sunday afternoon. Attalla police say they are looking for a man who has apparently been missing since March. Michael Tyler Terry, 25, last had contact with a family member around March 1, according to Attalla Police Chief Dennis Walker. Investigator Doug Jordan said Terry was living on Rothrock Avenue in Attalla. His aunt, who had contact with him through social media, reported him missing this weekend. Terry is not known to be employed anywhere, Jordan said. Anyone with information is asked to call Attalla police at (256) 538-7837. Information can be given confidentially. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has confirmed the killing of its top leader Nasser al-Wuhaishi in a US-led drone strike in Yemens Hadramout last week. The group wasted no time in announcing the elevation of its military commander, Qassim al-Raymi, to become the groups new leader. Many are wondering what this means for the organisation and what direction it may take under Raymis leadership. Al Jazeeras recent investigation, al-Qaeda Informant, provides new insights and staggering claims about the possible double-role Raymi played within the group. The documentary film presents the testimony of Hani Mujahid, a former AQAP operative who doubled as an informant for the Yemeni security services. Mujahid describes Raymi, as a creation of Yemens National Security Bureau. Like Raymi, Mujahid is a Yemeni who joined Bin Ladens call to the holy war. Between 1998 and 2002, Mujahid became close to both Raymi and Wuhaishi, fighting alongside them in Afghanistan. Mujahid fled to Pakistan in 2002 where he was captured and interrogated for months in 2004. He was deported back to Yemen and jailed for two years. Raymi and Wuhaishi would also return home, ending up in a Yemeni prison until they escaped by digging a tunnel in 2006. Around the same time, Mujahid walked out, rejoined his former peers, and began informing against them. A key allegation of the film was Raymis alleged relationship with Colonel Ammar Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, the feared number two of Yemens National Security Bureau. Colonel Saleh allegedly served as Hani Mujahids handler. He is also the powerful nephew of Yemens then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Mujahid described a time when he met with Colonel Saleh to debrief him on a three-way secret meeting in Shabwa province between himself, Wuhaishi, and Raymi. He says he failed to recount a few of their conversation details. Colonel Saleh astonished him, saying words to the effect of you have forgotten so and so and so. Mujahid sat ashen-faced. He reminded me of the entire story. I was mesmerised. Because in that session there was only myself, Abu Huraira [Raymi] and Abu Basir [Wuhaishi]. So, how did Ammar Muhammed Abdullah Saleh know this? He said to me clearly: Look, you see this chair you are sitting in now? Before you there was Abu Huraira [Raymi], sitting in it. Mujahid began to contemplate whether Raymi fits the informant profile. Unlike his deputy, Wuhaishi was quiet, extremely pious, humble and soft-spoken. Raymi loves to joke. He is always smiling. But at times he is a little mischievous. He tries to provoke you. Mujahid began to wonder whether Raymi was really a government informant just like him. For obvious reasons, it was never a question he could put to him. In time, additional dealings with Colonel Saleh would provide Mujahid the evidence he needed. Mujahid admitted carrying money from Colonel Saleh to Raymi with the formers full knowledge. Colonel Saleh instructed him to tell Raymi that the money came from a local charity. For Mujahid, Raymis mask of cooperation with the Yemeni government was again revealed just ahead of the September 17, 2008 attack against the US embassy in Sanaa that killed 19 people. In the months of planning before, Mujahid went to Colonel Saleh to announce AQAP needed explosives. Mujahid claims that Colonel Ammar arranged the explosives, instructing Mujahid to tell Raymi that a local sheikh in Khawlan province would provide them. In light of Wuhaishis death and Raymis ascension to lead the worlds most lethal branch of al-Qaeda, much of Mujahids testimony soundbites that didnt make the final cut deserve further review. Mujahid pointed out to Al Jazeera in 2014 how many of AQAPs leaders have been eviscerated in the US-led drone campaign. Every one that is, except Raymi who has also miraculously survived Yemeni security force raids as well as cruise missile strikes. Mujahid intimates that, because Raymi was collaborating with Ali Abdullah Salehs government, he had all along been spared: Qassim al-Raymi comes from RimaHow is it that this man is not getting killed? It is impossible for someone to come from outside of the tribe and live in a strange tribe. His looks, his dialect are different, and when you are a stranger, you become an easy target for the Americans. The sons of the tribes can hide. Indeed, many of the leaders whom Ali Abdullah Saleh could not contain were liquidated using drones as well as in ground ambushes. I know many shabab who were offered to work in the National Security Bureau but they refused. As a result they were severely harassed by the security. They were forced to go to Abyan and to Hadramout where they were liquidated with drones upon the assumption that they were leading figures within Al-Qaeda organisation posing a danger to the USA. Many of the veteran Al-Qaeda shabab have had suspicions about Qassim al-Raymi and they talk about these. Some of these shabab were quite close to Sheikh Osama bin Laden. For this reason, there has been real animosity between the shabab in Taiz, in Sanaa and in some of the provinces and these are the veteran shabab and Qassim al-Raymi. It has gone as far as threatening to kill each other. Why? Because they are convinced that the man is playing with al-Qaeda organisation an intelligence game and they have realised that he does indeed have ties with Ammar Muhammed Abdullah Saleh. Al Jazeera was able to corroborate Mujahids claims and activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But his allegations whilst working in Yemen remain just that. We do not know if Mujahid was fibbing, embellishing, score-settling or, as one veteran intelligence official remarked, prey to a conspiratorial mindset. Perhaps. Alternatively, Raymi has survived these years for a reason. That line of thinking would suggest Raymi is part of a sinister double-game that has shielded him from capture and drone targeting all these years. Even in life Mujahid told us that Wuhaihsi was more or less a ceremonial figurehead within AQAP, with Raymi pulling the real strings. Was Wuhaishis killing the ultimate power play? Could his location have been given up by a rival within AQAP or by security services loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh? These are incredible claims, ones seemingly unimaginable in scope and audacity. Yet given how the unthinkable always seems to prevail in todays world, they deserve further investigation. To that end, Mujahid has said he is willing to testify before any international organisation. Since Mujahids testimony in our June 4 broadcast, a Spanish prosecutor asked to reopen a criminal case investigating a 2007 AQAP attack in Yemens Marib province that killed eight of its citizens. Yemens exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi also issued a decree removing Ammar Mohammed Abdullah Saleh from his diplomatic posting in Ethiopia, calling for him to face a military trial. He is believed to have sought refuge in the United Arab Emirates. A criminal investigation that vets both Mujahid and Yemeni officials named in our film may be the surest way to understand whether Raymi was a controlled asset or outright Yemeni government informant. Alternatively, given Colonel Salehs close relations to the American security services during years it believed Yemen was its partner in the global war on terror these may be answers the West just does not want to know. Suffice it to say, many AQAP victims would like to know. For Nasser Wuhaishi, Anwar al-Awlaki and the many dozens of other unlucky AQAP leaders killed by drones as Raymi escaped, I suspect they might too. Clayton Swisher is director of investigative journalism with Al Jazeera Media Network. New bills have barred state governments from contracting or funding entities that support the boycott of Israel. Last April, more than 350 people travelled to Los Angeles, California to attend a conference against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Organised by the pro-Israel group StandWithUs, attendees gathered to strategise how to combat BDS, which advocates for economic action against Israel to pressure the Israeli government over its human rights abuses. One of the speakers at the event was Noah Pollak, head of the Emergency Committee for Israel. Pollak had a message for proponents of the BDS movement. While you were doing your campus antics, the grown-ups were in the state legislatures passing laws that make your cause improbable, he said. Pollaks message referred to an increasingly effective strategy pursued by pro-Israel groups in the United States. BDS advocates are facing a barrage of bills that condemn the movement as anti-Semitic and bar state governments from contracting or funding entities that support boycotting Israel. The aim of the bills, say pro-Israel advocates, is to prevent state contracts from funding what they see as a discriminatory movement. Israels diplomatic missions in the US have expressed full support and appreciation for legislative initiatives to boycott the boycotters, said Shimon Mercer-Wood, spokesperson for the Consulate General of Israel in New York. The BDS movement is racist, discriminatory and hostile to freedom of speech. It is ironic that some try to paint anti-BDS decisions as a limitation of freedom of speech, since the movement itself is dedicated to silencing Israeli voices in the public space, Mercer-Wood added. Legislation that prohibits state funds from going to pro-BDS entities has been enacted in 10 states and is being debated in many more. However, in some states such as Virginia and Maryland, coalitions of free speech advocates and Palestine solidarity groups have banded together to defeat anti-boycott bills. Freedom of speech? The legislative measures are the most significant challenge the BDS movement has faced in the US. Palestine solidarity activists say that the BDS movement is not anti-Semitic, and that the measures are an attack on free speech and seek to stigmatise action for Palestinian rights. There is also fear that the legislation could chill free speech by making people fearful of punishment if they support the boycott movement. The rash of anti-BDS legislation that were seeing is really a frantic attempt to stifle the success of the BDS movement, said Josh Ruebner, the policy director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, which has lobbied against such legislation. The BDS movement started in 2005, when more than 170 Palestinian groups endorsed the call for boycott and encouraged people around the world to join their campaign. The goal of the movement is to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, to ensure equality for Palestinians living in Israel and implement Palestinian refugees right to return to communities they and their families were expelled from in 1948, when Israel was founded. The call to boycott Israel has since been taken up by hundreds of progressive organisations in the US. It has found success on college campuses, where Students for Justice in Palestine chapters have helped pass student government resolutions that endorse divestment from companies supplying the Israeli military. It has also found success in academic associations and among churches, some of which have voted to divest pension funds held in companies such as Caterpillar and Hewlett-Packard, which sell equipment to the Israeli army. In 2013, the American Studies Association endorsed the academic boycott of Israeli universities over their complicity in Israels control of Palestinians. The move sparked a fierce backlash in the US. The New York State Senate became the first body to pass a bill to prohibit state colleges from funding academic groups that boycott Israel. The New York measure ultimately did not become law. But since then, a wave of anti-BDS legislation has swept across the country. Twenty states have considered anti-BDS laws. Nine have enacted the legislation, and in June, the governor of one state New York issued a first-of-its-kind executive order against the movement, according to a count by Palestine Legal, a group that defends the right to advocate for Palestine. The number of anti-BDS laws debated and passed in the past year is unprecedented in scale, said Rahul Saksena, a staff attorney at Palestine Legal. Organising thats happening on the ground is not just gaining momentum but winning the hearts and the minds of people in this country, said Saksena. Israel advocacy organisations are seeing that, and its alarming them. While some of the bills are mere resolutions that put a state on record as being against BDS, others have more teeth to them. States such as Illinois, New York, South Carolina and others have enacted measures that prohibit state pension funds or state contracts from going to companies or institutions that support BDS. These measures require the state to compile (PDF) a public list called a blacklist by pro-Palestine activists of institutions that support the boycott. These entities could range from banks that have pulled investments out of the occupied West Bank to church groups that have voted to divest holdings in companies that contract with the Israeli army. Attacking BDS Civil liberties groups say that these measures are unconstitutional attacks on the right of activists to boycott Israel, and note that the US Supreme Court has upheld boycotts as protected advocacy under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But Eugene Kontorovich, a legal scholar who has helped to write some of the anti-boycott laws, told Al Jazeera: The laws in question do not prevent or punish anyone for engaging in any speech. It is well established that states can require that companies that receive state money do not engage in what the state views as discriminatory activity, even when that activity is motivated by sincere beliefs. The dispute over whether anti-BDS bills are constitutional will most likely end up in a US court. READ MORE: BDS is a war Israel cant win Meanwhile, the US Congress has also joined the attack against BDS. Last year, Congress passed a trade law that includes language requiring the US to discourage European boycotts of Israel. And in February 2016, Democrats and Republicans introduced legislation, backed by the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that would authorise states to take funding away from companies that boycott Israel. Ruebner, the policy head of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, expects that more anti-BDS bills will be introduced in the coming months, especially since 2016 is an election year. Introducing pro-Israel legislation could curry favour with some voters and donors. But, he added, Palestine solidarity activists will continue to advocate and lobby against anti-BDS measures. Palestine solidarity activists, First Amendment rights activists, are fighting back against these bills, in many cases successfully, said Ruebner. Were not going to allow our legislations to try to punish civil society for responding to a call for social justice. Youngest son of the Palestinian president is a baller, and it appears he wants you to know it. The son of the Palestinian Authority president Tareq Abbas is already said to own villas in Amman, Jordan and a rooftop pad in Beirut, Lebanon. Now, according to a review of official British Land Registry records from 2012, the world can know Tareq registered under his legal name the purchase of a $1.5m luxury two-bedroom flat in Merchant Square East, one of Londons many high-end developments. Realtors hawked Tareqs newest address as a prestigious waterside building in a chic, contemporary style with high-specification amenities and furnishings within walking distance of an area full of traditional old English pubs and new bars and restaurants. The building itself is part of regeneration taking place around Paddington Basin to increase investment and property value. Tareqs flat has stayed largely unoccupied since he bought it, which seems to indicate that he does not need the rental income he could derive from its purchase. A quick calculation shows he could fetch about $4,300 per month in rent. It was so left to apparent neglect that lawyers representing Merchant Square threatened to sue him in 2014 for breach of obligations for more than $6,700 in unpaid parking and storage fees, which he later paid. Tareq failed to respond to Al Jazeeras questions about his finances or how he came to own the place. No doubt he is aware that most Palestinians, with an average yearly gross national income of $3,060, couldnt afford to rent the London apartment of their presidents son for even a single month. Nor is Tareq the only multimillionaire in the Abbas family. The presidents eldest living son, Yasser, made his fortunes from, among other things, the monopoly sale of US-made cigarettes in the occupied territories, offering Lucky Strikes and other carcinogens to Palestines tobacco-addicted. Which must leave Palestinians wondering: are their financial blessings merely the result of being Grade A businessmen, as Yasser once famously remarked? The brothers Abbas enjoy a personal wealth that eludes nearly all their compatriots. Average Palestinians could hardly be faulted for questioning whether Papa President played a part. (Attorneys for Yasser claim the reverse is true that politics often affects the business of Mr Abbas negatively.) Thankfully, the public now has more information from which to form a view. As recently reported in Haaretz, leaked records from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca show Tareq Abbas as having at least $982,000 in shares of the Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC), a British Virgin Island incorporated firm where he serves as a board member. The same tranche of Panama Papers also revealed that the Palestinian Authoritys billion-dollar investment portfolio, the Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF), owns 18 percent of APIC. Incidentally, President Abbas, as head of the Palestinian Authority, wields significant influence over the PIFs activities. I presume his children would have us believe their dad leaves the room any time APIC or his childrens business pursuits are mentioned in the course of his official duties. Little wonder that a May 2016 poll reported on by the Associated Press showed that almost all Palestinians 95.5 percent believe there is corruption in Abbas government. But you wont hear much public airing about these complaints within the little Area A statelet President Abbas lords over like a mini Caesar. This is territory, of course, where dissidents are disappeared and tortured, websites are closed, and journalists are surveilled and harassed. But that doesnt stop people from thinking that corruption is rampant. Since his own kids do so little to correct that widely held impression, one can only conclude they dont give a damn. Why should they? The last time Abbas faced the voters was 10 years ago, and no future poll is in the offing. As for managing negative publicity, Tareq should know a thing or two about how to minimise it. He has held a variety of profitable leadership functions with the Ramallah-based Sky Advertising Company over the years, and now serves as Skys Chairman of the Board. During Tareqs tenure, the firm has helped to bring in an eclectic range of international heavyweight companies, including Qatars Ooredoo/Wataniya Mobile, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), even the BBC World Service. Left off Skys corporate website is Tareqs earlier involvement in a controversial US government contract, as previously revealed by Reuters news agency. His Sky Advertising Company took a sizeable piece of a $2m tender from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) back in 2006. Skys specific mission was to improve the image of the United States in the occupied territories, which then, as now, is sorely in need of improving. Former US President George W Bushs 2002 roadmap for peace, endorsed by President Abbas, aimed for a Palestinian state by the end of 2005. The music stopped as 2005 came and went, and no doubt the embarrassed and double-crossed Palestinian Authority officials went scrambling for chairs. The Americans may have sent them on a fools errand. But at least they were charitable enough to throw the presidents kid a contract to make some money. Alas, nearly 10 years later, we learn that Tareq was kind enough to recycle his hard-earned occupation dollars back into the Western economy. To the country, no less, that gave rise to Lord Balfour and his declaration promising another people a home on the land where his father once lived. The octogenarian long ago ceded his own right to return and live in Safed some day. And the two-state prospect President Abbas held out for all these years is now more remote than ever. As for his son, if there wont be Palestine, there will always be London. And I suspect the child of privilege does not care if you know he can enjoy it at any time. After the disastrous intervention in 2011, the US has to be careful of the unintended consequences of a new campaign. On August 1, the United States began a new military air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in its stronghold of Sirte in Libya. This has come as an unsurprising move. The bombing was in response to the request of the Government of National Accord (GNA), whose Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj had previously said Libya did not need foreign intervention. In fact, for many this is exactly the expected scenario: the GNA set up by the United Nations and wanted by the West is turning out to be, among other things, an instrument to legitimise military strikes against jihadist groups. Now that the US may have opened the Pandoras box, multiple issues are springing up: How long is the military intervention going to last? What is going to be ISILs response? What about other jihadists? What will be the role of General Khalifa Haftar and his leading military force in Libya? Nothing new It is quite notable that this is not the first US strike against ISIL in Libya. On February 19, the US carried out air strikes on an ISIL camp in Sabratha in concert with the UK, France and Italy, killing dozens, Tunisians for the most part. In the past few months, the US has beefed up surveillance of ISIL in Libya to gather intelligence, most likely in preparation for air strikes. In the meantime, US Special Forces have been stationed at two outposts in the country. Special forces from other countries have also been deployed in the country. UN Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler has already confirmed the open secret that France has been operating in the country along with the US. Additionally, British Special Forces have been fighting alongside the Misrata Brigades against ISIL and, more surprisingly, the Jordanians have also joined. While it is undeniable that ISIL has suffered military defeats in Sirte, it could be employing a tactical retreat and go underground to fight an asymmetrical war consisting of suicide bombings and car bombs, following its recently changing tactics in Iraq and Syria. by Just two weeks ago, France suffered its first casualties in Libya. Three Special Forces soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed because of a mechanical failure. A far-fetched explanation of Frances mission from General Haftars spokesman was that France had been gathering intelligence on Boko Haram, after some Malian members had arrived in Libya. In any case, what ensued after the announcement of the death of the three French soldiers is telling, and could spell trouble for the US as well. Libyas mufti called Frances actions a declaration of war, and jihadist groups such as Ansar al-Sharia and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb condemned and threatened France. There were also massive demonstrations in Tripoli against Frances presence in the country. The real conundrum Will the US follow the same fate now? The difference with France is that the US attacked ISIL targets at the request of the GNA, but for many Libyans the attack was still a foreign intervention. Indeed, on the domestic front, the GNA still has to gain recognition and earn its legitimacy from many including the powerful eastern tribes and, last but not least, the most powerful man in the country, General Haftar. OPINION: ISIL may be in crisis, but so is the coalition That is where the real conundrum lies: Most Western nations along with Russia and China support and work with the only viable military force, General Haftars, which is at odds with the GNA. The fighting between various groups is still very acute: Libyas new defence minister recently survived an assassination attempt by a car bomb while one of his guards was wounded. Sadly, one can expect more political assassinations in the next few months in Libya, especially against the GNA officials. OPINION: When is the next Libya intervention? Now the question remains: What is the real status of ISIL in Sirte? Even the estimated number of ISIL fighters in Libya has varied widely over the past few months. The figure varied from 2,000 to 10,000, and now it has supposedly been halved. The inaccuracy tells us that this is a game of guessing nobody actually knows for certain. In any case, it seemed too easy when Libyan forces claimed to have taken Sirte back, leaving ISIL reportedly with no more territory in the country. Making the same mistakes? If that was really the case, why would the US be called to the rescue and launch air strikes against ISIL? While it is undeniable that ISIL has suffered military defeats in Sirte, it could be employing a tactical retreat and go underground to fight an asymmetrical war consisting of suicide bombings and car bombs, following its recently changing tactics in Iraq and Syria. ISIL will certainly use the US air strikes as a propaganda tool to draw more foreign recruits to fight against the infidels that have come once again to Muslim lands. So far, ISILs recruitment efforts in Libya from the West have been disappointing. Allegedly only 20 British and a handful of French joined their cause. This may quickly change if ISIL makes Libya even more of a focal point of its strategy. After the disastrous 2011 Libyan intervention that yielded the current situation, the US has to be careful of the unintended consequences of a new military campaign. Especially at a time when even one of its top generals recognises that its current strategy against ISIL in Libya makes no sense. Olivier Guitta is the managing director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm with a regional specialisation on Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Hani Mujahid chose to tell his story to Al Jazeera because he felt trapped: When the al-Qaeda operative-turned Yemeni government informant tried to brief the CIA on his allegations that Yemen had been playing a double game in the fight against al-Qaeda, he found himself detained and badly beaten by Yemeni security personnel. No longer able to trust any of the stakeholders, he turned to the media to tell his story. If his allegations prove true, they will be deeply embarrassing to the US. But the testimony of men like Mujahid, erstwhile foot soldiers of al-Qaeda, is valuable in itself, offering the world unique insights into the motivations of the young men who answered Osama bin Ladens call to arms. By his account, he became an insider at the highest levels of both al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Yemeni security services and concluded that those two entities had more in common than was generally known. Fall out with al-Qaeda Consider me a suicide attacker of another type. My bombing will be the information I shall divulge. by Hani Mujahid, former al-Qaeda operative turned informant The story of Mujahids remarkable interview with the network began on December 5, 2013, when fighters from AQAP wearing Yemeni military fatigues shot their way past security inside the Ministry of Defence complex and mounted a prolonged and gruesome rampage that killed 52 people, most of them unarmed civilians and medics. That attack prompted unprecedented unanimity in condemning AQAP among all of Yemens political and religious factions, outraged by the targeting of innocent Muslims in a hospital. It also appears to have prompted Mujahid to reach out to 42-year-old lawyer Abdul Rahman Barman. Barman had not yet taken on Mujahid as a client, but as the director of HOOD, Yemens only NGO that specialises in assisting Yemenis harassed by government security agencies, he had met many men like him, developing a reputation as a man willing to help young men from poor families whose harassment by the authorities made them more likely to join al-Qaeda. Describing families victimised in night raids and men detained without charge for years at a time by Yemeni authorities, Barman felt obliged to intervene. I realised there was a great risk that those subjected to these oppressive measures might consider joining al-Qaeda, he said. I took up their cases and volunteered to defend these families because no other lawyer agreed to defend them. The hospital attack prompted al-Qaeda to reach out to Barman with a new offer. Brother Abdul Rahman, Mujahids text message to Barman read, consider me a suicide attacker of another type. My bombing will be the information I shall divulge. Barman closed his phone, unsure of whether his correspondent was just suffering from the high emotion of the day. I believe that the American counterterrorism policy in Yemen is a failed policy, the lawyer says. It has bolstered al-Qaeda. Whenever this organisation seems to be fading away the erroneous American policy revives the organisation because it incites many young men to join al-Qaeda. Joining a global jihad Mujahid had previously met Barman through some of his other clients facing harassment by the security services of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Mujahids story was not unfamiliar to the lawyer. Bin Ladens message of global jihad as a response to the problems of the Muslim world had resonated with many young men in Yemen, and in 1998, Mujahid unemployed, and with only a high school education at age 20 decided to act on it. He travelled to Afghanistan for training at al-Qaedas al-Farouk and Aynak camps, where he later taught others what he had learned. The US invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks saw Mujahid and his al-Qaeda brethren retreat to Pakistans tribal areas in 2002, from where they staged cross-border attacks against the US and its allies before being arrested in September 2004 in Quetta by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Following weeks of separate ISI and CIA interrogation and four months in detention, Mujahid was flown back to Yemen, where he was jailed until 2006. Mujahid says that while imprisoned at Sanaas squalid prison, he was tapped to work as an informer for Yemens two most powerful security services the National Security Bureau (NSB) and the Political Security Organisation (PSO). The initial approach came from his uncle, himself a PSO officer, who convinced the al-Qaeda man to switch sides, appealing to his patriotism. Mujahids appeal to any security official looking to penetrate al-Qaeda was obvious: He was known and trusted by the senior leadership of the emerging local chapter, AQAP, with whom he had worked in Afghanistan. But once he began providing information to Yemeni security agents, he says, he soon began to doubt how serious they were about fighting al-Qaeda. The former regime used al-Qaeda as a scarecrow aimed at the Americans and at the Europeans to obtain support under the pretext of confronting al-Qaeda. In the meantime, it was the regime that directed some of the operations. by Abdul Rahman Barman, Hani Mujahid's lawyer The first incident that troubled him, Mujahid explained, was a July 2, 2007, AQAP ambush that killed 10, including eight Spanish tourists. Mujahid says he warned his handlers of the preparations one week before the operation and then again on the morning of the attack, but that it went ahead without any interference. He was even more alarmed by the September 17, 2008, attack against the US embassy in Sanaa, which resulted in 19 deaths, most of whom were Yemeni citizens. In Al Jazeeras documentary Al-Qaeda Informant Mujahid alleges that Colonel Ammar Mohammed Saleh, the then-presidents nephew who was second in command at the National Security Bureau, provided AQAP with money and arrangements to receive the explosives they needed for the attack. Approaching the CIA Mujahid says that he tried to bring his concerns to the CIA in November 2010, reaching out directly to the US embassy in Sanaa. The CIA agreed over the phone to see him alone at the Movenpick Hotel, but seems to have referred his request to the Yemeni authorities. The Movenpick meeting didnt happen, because Mujahid says he was snatched from the street by NSB officers as he walked to the rendezvous, bundled into a van, beaten and blindfolded, and held in solitary confinement for over a week. Mujahid says that experience broke him. Colonel Ammar visited him in hospital, he says, later agreeing to release him and even arranging a meeting with the CIA after his hospital discharge. But Mujahid no longer trusted either the Yemeni authorities or the CIA. By his account, Mujahid tried to come in from the cold and seek a new life, only to find himself a pawn in a double game being played by Yemeni security agencies against their US allies. As his lawyer, Barman, put it, The former regime used al-Qaeda as a scarecrow aimed at the Americans and at the Europeans to obtain support under the pretext of confronting al-Qaeda. In the meantime, it was the regime that directed some of the operations. The only way out of his dilemma, Mujahid concluded after extensive consultation with his lawyer, was to take his case to the media. Barman met with Mujahid and a number of fellow current and former al-Qaeda colleagues in early 2014 to discuss a plan to reveal all to the media, but ultimately only Mujahid was willing to proceed. Mujahid speaks to Al Jazeera At a location outside the Gulf region, Barman was present at all times during the three days of Mujahids interviews with Al Jazeera in the fall of 2014, and later agreed to be separately interviewed himself. By then, Yemen was well on its way to war. I believe that the American counterterrorism policy in Yemen is a failed policy. It has bolstered al-Qaeda. Whenever this organisation seems to be fading away the erroneous American policy revives the organisation because it incites many young men to join al-Qaeda. by Abdul Rahman Barman, Hani Mujahid's lawyer In September 2014, the president of the US had memorably described Yemen as a counterterrorism success story. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, said President Barack Obama, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. Barman and Mujahid tell a different story. I believe that the American counterterrorism policy in Yemen is a failed policy, the lawyer says. It has bolstered al-Qaeda. Whenever this organisation seems to be fading away the erroneous American policy revives the organisation because it incites many young men to join al-Qaeda. Barman highlights unrelenting drone strikes inside Yemen as counterproductive. Conservative estimates by the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism put the confirmed number of civilians killed in more than 97 drone strikes at somewhere between 65 and 97. Barman says these drone attacks have prompted many ordinary citizens to say that the Americans are targeting all the people [indiscriminately] and that the Americans are killing us because we are Muslims therefore, whoever is fighting America is the one on the right track. Many young men joined the al-Qaeda organisation because of this policy. Mujahid did not mince words, neither for the Americans nor for al-Qaeda, the organisation he once loved and says he would have died for. I asked him about how bin Laden would have seen AQAP today as, like the Americans, it too has evolved into carrying out attacks inside Yemen, his ancestral homeland. Sheikh Osama bin Laden did not see at all [the need for] any jihadi action in Yemen, Mujahid answered. He had conviction of that. He believed that the youth of Yemen and the people of Yemen are people of [logistical] support for his jihadi work in the countries of the rest of the world. But for Yemen he did not believe in this at all. Mujahids testimony offers rare insight into the thinking of young men who have chosen to fight for al-Qaeda a perspective vital to international efforts to understand and counter the organisation. And their perspective potentially reveals some truths inconvenient to the post-9/11 US narrative of a Global War on Terror, posing the question of whether a key ally in the fight against al-Qaeda was, in fact, playing a double game in order to manipulate Washington. Latest figures are from shipwrecks that were not previously known, IOM says, amid rising concern over refugee deaths. The bodies of 120 refugees have washed up on the shores of Libya in the past 10 days, from shipwrecks in the Mediterranean that were not previously known, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. A total of 4,027 refugees have died worldwide so far this year, three-quarters of them in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe, IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a briefing. That represents a 35 percent increase on the global toll during the first seven months of 2015, he said. The latest figures come as continuous calls by human rights groups to provide safer passages are largely ignored. READ MORE: Refugee deaths on track to exceed 2015 record We are well on track to exceeding the total number of known deaths that occurred in 2015, Niels Frenzen, director of the Immigration Clinic at USC Gould School of Law, told Al Jazeera on Sunday. At least 3,120 refugees perished on the Mediterranean Sea between January 1 and July 31 of 2016, compared with 1,970 in the same period a year earlier an increase of 58 percent, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In all of 2015, at least 3,771 refugees lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean. With funding cut for rehab, many of Indonesias one million drug addicts are left with herbal and faith-based remedies. Rizki Mulyadi sits half-submerged in a steaming herbal bath, hands folded in his lap and head down. The 26-year-old hopes the concoction he is bathing in and the Islamic teacher who makes it will help him overcome a six-year addiction to the drug of choice for many in Indonesia: crystal methamphetamine, or meth. The traditional rehabilitation centre in Purbalingga village on Java island says it has treated hundreds of addicts, such as Mulyadi, with herbal teas and baths, prayer and counselling. Indonesia narcotics trade thrives in prisons There is an urgent need to have a more nuanced conversation about what effective, human rights-compliant treatment entails in Indonesia, and to clearly differentiate between compulsory or mandatory forms of treatment, and truly voluntary, community-based options, Rick Lines, executive director at UK-based Harm Reduction International, told Al Jazeera. Indonesian President Joko Widodo says drugs pose a bigger danger than armed groups. He has ordered an intensification of a war on narcotics, including the execution of drug traffickers the latest last week when three Nigerians and an Indonesian faced a firing squad. But while raids, arrests and punishments pick up, state funding for rehabilitation, which weans people off drugs and cuts demand, is dwindling. That leaves thousands of people such as Mulyadi with few affordable options, in a country that within years has gone from being a drug transit point to one of Southeast Asias biggest markets for narcotics. According to government estimations, there are six million drug users in Indonesia, a country of 250 million people. Of those, more than one million are addicted to meth, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2013 report. But less than 1 percent of dependent users got treatment in 2014, compared with a global average of 16 percent, the UN report said. Prisons, not rehab Indonesian law mandates rehabilitation for people caught with small quantities of drugs. But many end up in crowded jails. Many of those who are in prison should not be sentenced to prison at all, they should be sent to rehab, said Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa. Her ministry aims to rehabilitate 15,000 drug users this year on a budget of 87 billion rupiah ($6.6m). Next year, it will only get funds to help 9,000, she said. We need support in terms of budget to be able to rehabilitate all drug users in need, said Parawansa. Our budget alone is not enough for that, it is experiencing a decline. But Lines, of Harm Reduction, said the issue is not simply that of a budget. Just calling for a redirection of funds away from law enforcement and towards treatment without making this distinction, and ensuring only truly voluntary models are supported, does not necessarily benefit people who use drugs, he told Al Jazeera. A redirection of focus and funds away from repressive policies should happen with evidence-based approaches such as harm reduction and community-based drug dependence treatment as the priority, rather than coercive or non-evidence based models, said Lines. While rehabilitation funding has been cut, the president has tripled the budget of the national counter-narcotics agency, known as the BNN, to $160,000. It also draws on the police budget. A spokesman for Widodo, asked about the cut to rehabilitation spending, said many areas were seeing tighter budgets, and it did not mean the president did not value rehabilitation. The president is concerned about how to prevent the spread in drug use, and rehab programmes are part of that, said the spokesman, Johan Budi. We need to be hard on smugglers and traffickers, and that explains why the president is taking a hard approach, but that doesnt mean the war on drugs is at the expense of rehabilitation. Both law enforcement and rehabilitation are happening at the same time. Indonesia is not the only country to take a hard line. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has also declared a war on drugs about 300 suspected dealers were shot dead in July, most in vigilante killings, police say. Thailand has also for years been tough on drugs but its soaring prison population has recently prompted a re-think and the downgrading of meth from a Category 1 drug to reduce numbers in jail. Critics say Widodos stand on drugs criminalises victims and makes the path to recovery that much harder. They want to build more prisons but they should be building more rehab centres and making more treatment options available, said Andreas Harsono, of Human Rights Watch in Jakarta. The centre in Purbalingga, which relies on herbal remedies and faith to help addicts, is one of 160 such facilities across Indonesia. There are 18 government rehab centres and almost 400 private ones and public clinics using more conventional means. Critics accuse Tunisias Beji Caid Essebsi of nepotism as he promotes a relative for the premiership. Tunisias President Beji Caid Essebsi has proposed a junior minister who is a family member as his candidate to replace sacked Prime Minister Habib Essid, drawing accusations of nepotism from the opposition. During negotiations over the new government on Tuesday, Essebsi put forward Youssef Chahed, a senior official in the ruling Nidaa Tounes party and the minister for local affairs in the outgoing government, according to Issam Chebbi, a party official. Chebbi said negotiations will continue on Wednesday in the Carthage-based presidential palace, where parties will give their responses about the proposal. Essebsi has until August 10 to name a new prime minister. Opponents said on Tuesday they would protest against the choice of Chahed, while critics on social media used the hashtag keep your relatives at home in Arabic to express their opposition to his appointment. Local media and sources close to his party said Chahed is the nephew of Essebsis son-in-law. Essebsi got rid of Essid so he could put in place someone close to him and have them follow orders, said Jilani Hammami, with the opposition Popular Front party. This is a step back to when one family ran everything. Aymen Abderrahmen, a Tunis-based activist, said there was a growing feeling of disappointment among Tunisians who supported the president, as well as those who opposed him. This is the same president that was the prime minister a few years ago and promised retirement from politics when he stepped down, he told Al Jazeera. Tunisian politicians voted on Saturday to dismiss Essid in a no-confidence ballot, clearing the way for a new government of unity that Essebsi wants to push through delayed economic reforms. READ MORE: Tunisia Nobody can perform the miracles we need The president is already facing widespread criticism from the opponents over what some see as his attempt at a hereditary transfer of power to his son Hafed, the new leader of Nidaa Tounes. That caused a split within the party. Allies of Essebsi dismiss claims they are looking to place his son into a position of influence. Since its 2011 revolution to oust Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has emerged as a democracy praised as a model for the region. But armed attacks have tested the government and political infighting has slowed economic progress. Essebsi has said the country needs a more dynamic government ready to take strong decisions to bring about the liberalisation and cost-cutting required for an overhaul of the North African states economy. Three deadly attacks last year including gun attacks on foreign visitors at a museum and a beach resort have badly damaged the tourism industry, which makes up around 8 percent of the economy and is a major source of jobs. Bethlehem, occupied West Bank At least 100 Palestinian political prisoners have now joined a mass hunger strike in support of Bilal Kayed, as he nears 50 days without food in protest against his detention by Israel. Kayed began his strike when he was placed under administrative detention without charge or trial on June 15, the day he was supposed to be released after serving more than 14 years for his affiliation with the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Kayeds brother, Mahmoud, told Al Jazeera that his family was sad and shocked at the turn of events. They [Israeli authorities] kidnapped our happiness. We had already started celebrating that he would be released, but they kept him, Mahmoud said. READ MORE: Palestinian leftists on hunger strike in Israeli jails Lawyer Farah Bayadsi, who is with the prisoners rights group Addameer and has followed Kayeds case since he was initially jailed in 2001, told Al Jazeera that Israels military court last week denied an appeal for his release. The court said that Kayed would pose a security threat if released, basing the decision on secret evidence gathered about his activities before his initial arrest and his intentions upon release. Administrative detention is permitted under international law under narrowly defined states of emergency, but Addameer has long argued that Israel uses the practice as a widespread and systematic tool of oppression against Palestinians under occupation, in contravention of international law. [Strikes by Basil must be matched with ongoing support nationally and internationally to pressure the Israeli government to heed the prisoners demands. It is here where I think the PA must also do more work.] Among those to join the mass strike in solidarity with Kayed was PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Saadat, currently serving a 30-year sentence, and Palestinian circus performer Mohammed Abu Sakha, held under administrative detention since December. Prisoners who have joined the strike, the majority comprising PFLP members, have come under harsh punitive measures by the Israel Prison Service, including isolation, violent raids on cells, and revocation of family visits, according to Addameer. Hana Herbst of the Israel Prison Service denied that a mass hunger strike by national security prisoners was taking place, telling Al Jazeera: The few hunger strike attempts that have taken place were treated by deprivation of privileges, as IPS handles any other prisoners disciplinary violation. Routine operations are maintained but as far as I know, no violent raids occurred. Solidarity from other Palestinian prisoners comes as analysts and former prisoners say that international and national influence far exceeds the potential influence of the Palestinian government in pushing Israel for Kayeds release. According to Bayadsi, Kayed has refused legal assistance from the Palestinian Authority (PA), relying solely on legal support from Addameer. He is afraid that if others work on the case, it will damage that work thats been done so far, Bayadsi said. I know that the PA is supportive of the prisoners [] But in the past, in reality, they usually dont promote struggle through hunger strike. Bayadsi cited a number of cases in the past where the PA encouraged hunger strikers to accept Israeli negotiations for their release, in an effort to avoid escalating tensions. Kayed rejected negotiations with Israeli authorities after Israel conditioned his release on his deportation to Jordan for four years, along with a pledge to refrain from political activity. Former Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan has been held under administrative detention 10 times by Israel and twice launched hunger strikes that eventually brought his release. While Adnan relied on legal support from the PA during his strikes, he told Al Jazeera that the PA could do little directly towards the release of hunger strikers due to its security coordination with Israel. The body could do more in its capacity to raise awareness via international and diplomatic avenues, he added. Its sad for me as a Palestinian to see an Israeli government official talking about a prisoner on strike before someone from the Palestinian government talks about that prisoner, Adnan said. They [the PA] should be more involved in the media. Al Jazeera could not immediately reach PA officials for comment. READ MORE: Palestinian circus performer jailed for no reason Palestinian political analyst Basil Faraj told Al Jazeera that Kayeds decision not to receive legal help from the government reflected a growing dissatisfaction with the way the PA has dealt with current and previous hunger strikes. [Strikes] must be matched with ongoing support nationally and internationally to pressure the Israeli government to heed the prisoners demands, Faraj said. It is here where I think the PA must also do more work. Lack of support both from the PA and the international community, coupled with Israels violence against hunger strikers, leads to prolonged strikes that may cause irreversible damage to prisoners health, Faraj added. Bayadsi, who visited Kayed on Sunday at the Israeli hospital where he is being held, said that his health was continuing to deteriorate as he remained shackled to the bed under the constant watch of Israeli guards. Kayeds brother said that Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday paid the family a visit, pledging that the PA would press Israel for Kayeds release. Mahmoud expressed hope that continuing pressure from the international community and fellow political prisoners would ultimately lead to his brothers freedom. Im hoping this is the beginning of a revolution to empty Israeli prisons of Palestinians who didnt do anything wrong, Mahmoud said. Opposition parties are calling time on ANCs dominance, but it would be foolish to rule party out. Local elections are the barometer of the depth of democracy in South Africa. Returning to the polls on Wednesday, in the fifth local election since the dissolution of the apartheid state in 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party will find out how well it still represents the aspiration of the South African people. Opposition parties are calling time on the ANCs dominance of the countrys politics, but it would be foolish to rule the party out. Its not just that this is the party of national luminaries and revered public figures such as Chief Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela, to name a few, but also that, for many of the ANCs disgruntled supporters, a credible alternative has apparently not yet emerged. The issues High unemployment, corruption and poor service delivery have been the main issues dominating the election campaign. At least 26 percent of South Africans are without work. The ruling ANC government has been hit by string of corruption scandals, most notably the $20m funnelled into upgrading President Jacob Zumas personal home in Nkandla. According to Municipal IQ, a data and intelligence service specialising in the monitoring and assessment of South Africas 283 municipalities, there were at least 70 protests against a lack of decent housing, education and other services in the first four months of the year. In 2015, there were 44 protests within the same period. Professor Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg, says the unresponsiveness of local government is one reason driving community protests. It is, however, not the only driver of dissent. Unfortunately, you cannot separate local government from the socio-economic conditions in which it operates, Friedman said. The reality is that in areas in which protests occur, for example township areas, local government is very often a source of accumulating resources, either through leadership positions, or residents who are often excluded from economic benefits hope that by attaching themselves to particular politicians, they will be able to access resources. Discontent among ANC supporters does not, however, immediately translates into votes for the opposition. Caught between voting for the ANC, or voting for opposition parties, Friedman said, many choose instead to boycott elections. Turnout then, is likely to be a key indicator in how well the ruling party fares. A total of 26.3 million South Africans are registered to vote, but this certainly does not mean that so many will turn up on the day. At the 2011 local election, 23 million people were registered, but only 11 million voted. What is up for grabs? There are some 61,014 candidates from 200 political parties (a 65 percent increase in the number of parties compared to the last election in 2011) vying for 283 municipalities. In 2011, the ANC managed to secure control of 198 councils, winning in seven of the countrys eight biggest metropolitan areas. Some 40 percent of the population live in those areas. In contrast, the Democratic Alliance (DA) opposition party, with Cape Town under its control, managed 18 councils. The biggest story of the election will be the fate of Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and the Nelson Mandela Bay. While polling data has not been reliable historically, the most recent polls suggest that the ANC has just about done enough to retain all its metropolitan councils, albeit with much smaller majorities. But political analyst Ebrahim Fakir says the big metropolitan areas are not the only places that will be fiercely contested. There is, however, a lot more up for grabs, he says, referring to a number of municipalities in the Northern Cape and Western Cape where the margin between governing party and opposition is one, or two percent. Should those municipalities change hands, the complexion of local government in their provinces could change significantly, Fakir said. Beaufort West is the only municipality in the Western Cape that is currently governed by the ANC if the party loses it on Wednesday, losing the last stronghold in the Western Cape, will be a blow to it psychologically. The focus, however, is on the big cities. The metros are important, because they are the engines of the economy and also home to the majority of South Africans. Its crucial for the ANC to retain these areas, because it is the metros that must also be engines for job creation, and economic growth, Fakir said. The ANC is struggling with internal strife. In June, the countrys capital Pretoria was hit by violent protests over a disputed mayoral candidate for the upcoming municipal elections. Not only has the violence manifested itself in protest over candidates, but the party has been hit by a string of alleged politically motivated murders exposing deep rooted factionalism within the party. The situation is so dire that Police Minister Nathi Nhleko was forced to establish a task team to investigate the murders. The minister said police were investigating up to 30 incidents of political violence, including 14 related to murder or attempted murder. The youth vote South Africans between ages 15 and 34 account for around 19.7 million (55 percent) of South Africas working-age population. But unemployment rate within this category is between 35-37 percent. In 2014, it was expected that the youth vote would play an important part in deciding the national election, but youth registration and turnout was poor. This election will be no different. According to a report published by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) last week, young South Africans are unlikely to rush to the polls on Wednesday. Lauren Tracy, one of the authors of the report, told Al Jazeera that young South Africans were cynical about the political establishment, and had grown increasingly wary of its ability to represent them. They get the challenges; they are not seeing voting as something that will change their lives, Tracy said. They want to see change now, but if they dont vote, the status quo will remain. This is why it is important they vote. Dozens of mostly women and children brought to hospital after chlorine gas bombs hit town of Saraqeb, activists say. Helicopters dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town in Syrias Idlib province, a rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday. Raed Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defense group, told Al Jazeera that 33 civilians, including 18 women and 10 children, were brought to a local hospital after the attack in the town of Saraqeb. Just before midnight, helicopters dropped five explosive barrels containing cylinders of chlorine and shards of metal on neighbourhoods in Saraqeb, he said. We suspect it was chlorine because of the smell and the nature of the injuries suffocation and burning, red eyes. Members of the civil defense brought them all to the nearby hospital. READ MORE: Life among barrel bombs for Aleppos children The group, a network of volunteer search and rescue workers also known as the White Helmets that operates exclusively in rebel-held areas, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by rescue workers. Two of the injured were in critical condition, Saleh said. Downed helicopter Saraqeb is located about 15km from where a Russian helicopter was shot down on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria in October 2015. The helicopter came down roughly midway between Aleppo and the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, near the Mediterranean coast. No group has claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. Several activists are wondering if this [the alleged chlorine gas attack] is a retaliatory attack for the downing of the helicopter, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said. Yet Russia on Tuesday rejected reports that the chemical attack had happened and said it was false information. The Kremlin had denied that this incident took place at all, Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said. It said that reports of chemical barrel bombs amount to an unfounded information attack, lies essentially, he added. Because the location of this alleged chemical attack is very close to the site of the helicopter downing the Kremlin is very key to void the assumption that has been made in some circles that it is involved in some way in any kind of retaliatory or punitive response to that incident. The Syrian government has so far not addressed the allegations. Not the first time Syrias government has repeatedly been accused of dropping barrel bombs loaded with chemicals on rebel-held areas. In Saraqeb this is not the first time that activists have reported barrels bombs being dropped that contain chlorine gas. We were told of an attack that happened last May, also in Saraqeb. And then, also, there was an attack that happened just a month prior close to Saraqeb, Jamjoom said. READ MORE: Syrian child actor killed as he tried to escape Aleppo Since the conflict began in 2011, there have more than 160 chemical attacks in Syria, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). The 161 documented chemical attacks have led to at least 1,491 deaths and 14,581 injuries from chemical exposure, SAMS said in a report published in March. Another 133 chemical attacks were reported in addition to the 161 documented in the reported, but SAMS said the claims could not be fully substantiated. Rebels claim advances in the strategic city of Aleppo as fighting intensifies and the death toll rises. Syrian opposition groups are planning to escalate an offensive against government forces in Aleppo, the strategic city divided between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, fighters have told Al Jazeera. Raed Al Halabi, a fighter in the local Halab al-Shahba Brigades, said on Tuesday a coalition of armed groups will launch shells and car bomb attacks against Aleppos government-held neighbourhoods with the hope of advancing and opening the government-besieged supply route into the city. The coalition Fateh Halab, or Aleppo Conquest includes most armed rebel groups fighting in the city, including Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam and several factions aligned with the Free Syrian Army. The shelling on regime military sites has already started and we will begin the advance soon, he told Al Jazeera by telephone from the battle frontline in Aleppo. SANA, the Syrian governments official news agency, reported that at least seven civilians were killed by rebel-launched shells in Aleppo on Tuesday afternoon. Fighting has intensified in Aleppo in recent days as government forces target residential areas in the eastern, rebel-held parts of the city with air strikes. Rebel groups, meanwhile, have killed at least 30 civilians since Monday in shell attacks on Aleppos government-held areas. In recent weeks, government forces have closed off a key supply route in Aleppo, prompting concerns about the lack of food, water, medicines and fuel in the northern city. Government and Russian air strikes on Tuesday also targeted areas across the outskirts of the city and in the Aleppo countryside, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In eastern Aleppo, locals burned tyres en masse to create an impromptu no-fly zone, with the hope of preventing government air strikes from successfully hitting their intended targets. Middle East analyst Firas Maksad said that while Aleppo is key for government efforts to keep supply lines open, for the opposition, this is really their last stand. If they lose Aleppo, which theyve held a major portion of now for about four odd years, they might as well have lost all the battle for Syria, the Washington DC-based analyst told Al Jazeera. Regime is losing ground Ahmad Jalal, a fighter in Jaish al-Islam, confirmed the escalation of the efforts to drive back government forces, saying that rebels have attacked al-Ramosa neighbourhood, a stronghold of government forces and militias loyal to Assad. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he claimed that rebel fighters, including those from the Ahrar al-Sham armed group, took control of several buildings throughout Ramosa. Khalil Hajjar, a media activist at the Aleppo Media Centre, said opposition fighters were advancing in the western Aleppo countryside. The battles are ongoing and the regime is losing ground, he told Al Jazeera. In Aleppos Hamdania neighbourhood, a government-held area, Fatah Halab also launched shells and bomb attacks. Smoke and fire has filled the whole area, Hajjar said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian Civil Defence said helicopters had dropped containers of chlorine gas overnight on the rebel-controlled Saraqeb town in the Idlib province. The group said several people were hospitalised due to the effects of the gas. A day earlier, the Russian defence ministry said five Russian soldiers were killed near Saraqeb when their helicopter was shot down. Last-ditch attempt to keep Aleppo Sharif Nashashibi, a London-based Middle East analyst and writer, described the opposition fighters campaign as their last-ditch attempt to keep Aleppo as government forces attempt to further besiege rebel-held neighbourhoods. But the effectiveness of the rebels counteroffensive depends on the level of support their backers are willing to supply, Nashashibi told Al Jazeera. The Syrian conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against Assads government in March 2011, but it quickly escalated into a full-on civil war that has left at least 280,000 people dead, according to the Observatory. Efforts to mediate a ceasefire have collapsed time and again. Additional reporting from Aleppo by Zouhir Al Shimale: @ZouhirAlShimale Fourteen-year-old Qusai Abtini was killed as he tried to escape during the most recent shelling of the city. Qusai Abtini, a 14-year-old boy who played a role in the first television comedy produced in rebel-held parts of Syria, was killed when a missile struck a car he was in as he tried to escape the city of Aleppo. Abtini was 10 years old when protests first erupted against the rule of President Bashar Assad in 2011, and took part in the demonstrations, often sitting on his older brothers shoulders. He spoke in opposition videos, criticising Assads government and describing Aleppos destruction. At the same time, he took part in school plays. Afraa Hashem, his schools director, introduced him to Bashar Sakka, the director of the sit-com Umm Abdou the Aleppan. READ MORE: Syria underground theatre tells stories of hope Qusai was a very talented boy, Sakka told the Associated Press news agency. We were looking for an intelligent boy, he said from southern Turkey via Skype. We wanted him to be free with ideas, and without fear of Bashar Assads regime and its ruthlessness. He was very ambitious, Hashem said. Once he moved from acting in plays to TV, his dreams broadened and worked on transforming what he was living through into his performances. Umm Abdou the Aleppan was set in Aleppo, Syrias biggest city, taking place in the stone alleyways of one of its old neighborhoods. The title character, Um Abdou, was played by a young girl named Rasha, while Abtini played her husband, Abu Abdou. The show aired in nearly 30 episodes, each about 10 minutes long, on the opposition station Halab TodayTV, and was filmed while Aleppo was subjected to almost daily bombardment. In one outtake, three girls performing a scene jump at the sound of an explosion, then continue with their lines. Children play all the roles, and the entire plot takes place in one of the historic stone houses in the old city of Aleppo, besieged by government forces in one of the worst battlegrounds of Syrias civil war. Sakka said he cast children because they are the witnesses to the massacres committed by Assad against childhood. You are a little hero The sitcom was a light-hearted portrayal of life in the city, and depicted the daily struggles residents had to deal with, from cut-offs in electricity and water, to factionalism among rebels. The child actors provided a tone of innocence amidst the violence. READ MORE: Growing up in Aleppo We are scared of the bombs Abtinis life and death shed light on the suffering of Aleppans, whose city was once a thriving cultural center and has now been torn to pieces by fighting, with whole neighborhoods left in ruin. Tens of thousands in the city have been killed since the summer of 2012, when Aleppo split into districts either held by rebels or the government. In recent weeks, government forces have tightened a siege of rebel-held sections, trying to cut off the last escape routes. During recent shelling, Abtinis home was hit and his father was wounded and needed a wheelchair. Early in July, Abtinis father decided to send his children out of Aleppo. In a video of a symbolic funeral that took place a few days after Abtinis death, his father is seen sitting in his weelchair watching the marchers go by, holding a placard reading, Qusai, Abu Abdu the Aleppan. You are a little hero. You scared the regime with your giant acts so they killed you. Turkish president accuses Western countries of failing to support Ankara in the wake of July 15 failed coup attempt. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised unnamed Western countries for what he said was support for the July 15 attempted coup, which left more than 270 people dead and nearly 70,000 others suspended from their jobs. The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups, Erdogan said, speaking at an event for foreign investors in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday. READ MORE Erdogan to West: Mind your own business He repeated a complaint that no foreign leader had visited Turkey after the failed coup, while France and Belgium received visits in solidarity after attacks there. Those we considered friends are siding with coup plotters and terrorists, he said. During his speech, Erdogan also singled out Germany for criticism, after a German court ruled against allowing him to appear on a video link to address a crowd of about 30,000 supporters and anti-coup demonstrators in Cologne over the weekend. Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on wanted terrorists, but Germany did nothing, Erdogan added. Coup instigator The Turkish government says the coup was instigated by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Turkey has demanded his extradition, but Washington has asked for evidence of the clerics involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course. Erdogan complained about the request for evidence, saying: We did not request documents for terrorists that you wanted returned. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag sent a second document to the US on Tuesday seeking Gulens arrest, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency. The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest. TIMELINE: Heres how the coup attempt unfolded The government has launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulens movement, which it characterises as a terrorist organisation and which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally. They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question why is it urgent, Anadolu quoted Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament, adding that Turkey had intelligence indicating Gulen might leave for a third country. I hope that the United States decides in Turkeys favour, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns this leader of a terror organisation to Turkey, he said. The minister said that if Gulen left the US, it would be with the full knowledge of US authorities. United Nations refugee agency says up to 60,000 people have left South Sudan over the past three weeks. Up to 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said. An already shaky 2015 peace deal signed after a bloody civil war in the worlds newest nation looks uncertain as clashes rage on between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those allied with former rebel leader Riek Machar. They brought to us very disturbing reports. Armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing, UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing on Tuesday. Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks. The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. UN: South Sudan refugees could soon hit one million South Sudan was founded with optimistic celebrations in the capital on July 9, 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan in a referendum that passed with nearly 100 percent of the vote. The country descended into conflict in December 2013 after Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup. Civil war broke out when soldiers from Kiirs Dinka ethnic group disarmed and targeted troops of Machars Nuer ethnic group. Machar and commanders loyal to him fled to the countryside, and tens of thousands of people died in the conflict that followed. Many civilians also starved. The pair of rivals signed a peace agreement late last year, under which Machar was once again made vice president. The latest setbacks are putting the fragile peace plan at risk. Renewed clashes At least nine people were killed over the weekend in renewed clashes between troops loyal to Kiir and troops loyal to Machar, a spokesman for Machar said on Monday. Government military spokesman Lul Ruai Koang downplayed the weekend clashes, saying there was small fighting between the security forces and Machars supporters. We engaged them and they tried to put up some resistance, but at the end we overcame them and they fled to different locations, Koang said. Koang accused Machars SPLM/A (IO) party of shelling government positions in Nasir town in Upper Nile state, while the opposition claimed it was the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) that shelled their positions. The United States said over the weekend it had received disturbing reports of renewed violence in the south of the country and the United Nations is considering imposing an arms embargo. UN chief writes to Assad with new request for access as US President Obama talks tough while calling for patience. A UN spokesman has said that investigators from the world body have started collecting evidence outside Syria on the suspected use of chemical weapons. Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, on Friday wrote to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a new request for access to investigators inside the war-torn country. Last month, both the Syrian government and rebels accused each other of using chemical weapons in an attack on the village of Khan al-Assal outside the northern city of Aleppo. Following the incident, the Syria government called for the UN to investigate alleged chemical weapons use by rebels. Syria, however, has still not allowed a team of experts into the country because it wants the investigation limited to the single Khan al-Assal incident, while the UN chief is urging the Syrian government to accept an expanded UN probe. Weapons inspectors will determine whether banned chemical agents were used in Syrian conflict only if they are able to access sites and take soil, blood, urine or tissue samples and examine them in certified laboratories, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which works with the UN on inspections. Assertions of chemical-weapons use in Syria by Western and Israeli officials citing photos, sporadic shelling and traces of toxins do not meet the standard of proof needed for a UN team of experts waiting to gather their own field evidence, the organisation said. Game changer For his part, US President Barack Obama gave warning to Syria that its use of chemical weapons would be a game changer for the US but made clear he was in no rush to intervene in the countrys civil war on the basis of evidence he said was still preliminary. Speaking a day after the disclosure of US intelligence that Syria had probably used chemical weapons against its own people, Obama talked tough while calling for patience as he sought to fend off pressure for a swift response against Assad. Dr Niazi Habash, who treated victims of April 13 attack, tells Al Jazeera the symptoms indicated use of chemicals Horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law, Obama said at the White House as he began talks with Jordans King Abdullah on Friday. That is going to be a game changer, he said. But Obama stopped short of declaring that Assad had crossed a red line and described the US intelligence evaluations as a preliminary assessment. Obama said he and Abdullah agreed that Assads regime has lost legitimacy. Separately, David Cameron, UK prime minister, said that the increasing evidence of chemical weapons use was unlikely to prompt a Western military intervention. Its limited evidence but theres growing evidence that we have seen too of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime, Cameron told the BBC. Not airtight case US officials said the evaluation that Syria probably used chemical weapons was based in part on physiological samples, but have refused to say exactly where they came from or who supplied the material. Jay Carney, White House spokesman, said the evidence so far of Syrian chemical weapons use was not an airtight case and declined to set a deadline for corroborating reports. Suspicion grows over use of chemical weapons in Syria [Warning: Viewers may find some images disturbing] Carney said Obama would consider a range of options including, but not exclusive to, military force, should it be determined that Syria has used chemical weapons. The Obama administrations sudden disclosure of its chemical weapons findings came just two days after it played down an Israeli assessment that there had been repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria. France and Britain have also concluded that evidence suggests chemical arms have been used. Two Syrian officials denied the US accusations on Friday, with a senior official saying the country did not, and would not, use chemical weapons even if it had them. Sharif Shehadeh, a Syrian official, called the US claims lies and compared them to false accusations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the US-led invasion of that country. On the other hand, the Syrian opposition urged the UN Security Council to take immediate steps, possibly even by imposing a no-fly zone. Should it find the regime used such weapons, it must act immediately, at least by imposing a no-fly zone, a spokesperson for the Syrian National Coalition said. Gainesville Police arrested a Micanopy man Friday after they said he was under the influence of meth when he hit two cars last Easter, killing a 6-year-old boy and his own 4-month-old child. On March 27, Taylor Swilley, 21, drove his Kia Sorento on State Road 26 his wife and two daughters in the car and swerved into the opposite lane, crashing into a Toyota Corolla, according to Alligator archives. A 75-year-old man drove two 6 year olds and one 8 year old in the Corolla. GPD recently announced Swilleys toxicology reports tested positive for meth that would have been in his system during the crash, according to a press release. After hitting the Corolla, Swilley then crashed into a Scion, which a 33-year-old Putnam County, Florida, woman drove. Steven Morton, 6, was pronounced dead at UF Health Shands Hospital after the crash, and 4-month-old Faith Swilley died four days later, according to Alligator archives. An autopsy showed internal injuries to Mortons head, torso and spine caused his death, among other injuries, according to a police report. Traumatic head injuries caused the death of Swilleys daughter, Faith. At the time, authorities were unsure what caused Swilley to swerve into oncoming traffic, GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said in March. Emotions are flaring and my family and I are trying to recover both mentally and physically, Swilley wrote in a text message to the Alligator days after the crash. . Tobias said Swilleys toxicology reports were processed July 12. Police arrested Swilley on two counts of DUI manslaughter, three counts of DUI with serious bodily injury and three counts of DUI with damaged property, Tobias wrote in an email. Authorities took Swilley to Alachua County Jail where, as of press time, he remains in lieu of a $1.75 million bond. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now While the arrest of Swilley will never bring back his 4 month old daughter or the 6 year old child, we are pleased that the person responsible is now in jail, Tobias wrote. A scene from the March 27 crash on State Road 26. Taylor Swilley, 21, was recently arrested on eight charges. Enjoy discounted craft beer while helping save the Asian elephant. First Magnitude Brewing Company is hosting the second World Elephant Day celebration Aug. 11 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant. The event is free, said Lane Abraben, First Magnitudes event and project coordinator. With a ticket and wristband, he said, discounts on beers will be offered, and some will be free. Participants donate to get tickets and wristbands, but these donations are voluntary, said Ron Chandler, the president and co-founder of the Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant. Chandler, a UF professor, said there is a suggested minimum donation of $10, which gives guests tickets for 50 cents off their first beers. With $20, guests get their first beers free, and a $30 donation will give guests another 50 cents off all beers after the first free drink. Right now, Chandler said, elephants are threatened by humans and palm oil plantations, which are driving them to extinction. He said the event will help raise money to create a world heritage site in Meghalaya, a state in India that is home to one of the five largest herds of Asian elephants left in the wild. Small donations go a long way, he said. Chandler said all of the donations go directly to the cause, and no one in his organization, including himself, gets paid to put on the event. There will be T-shirts for sale, as well as bumper stickers and woven art, he said. Local band Flat Land will play, and Chandler said he expects between 200 to 300 people to attend. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Tanzanias leading digital lifestyle company, Tigo (www.Tigo.co.tz) has outlined its strategic priorities that are meant to drive the companys long-term social investment objectives. Speaking at the just-ended Global System Mobile Association (GSMA) Mobile 360-Africa Conference held on 26th-28th July 2016 at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre in Tanzanias commercial capital Read more on http://tigo-tanzania.africa-newsroom.com/press/tigo-tanzania-showcases-transformative-finan...Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... WASHINGTON The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has proposed a set of updated guidelines that ask banks to pay particular attention to their relationships with third-party lenders. In a board action late last week, the agency proposed a number of changes, including softening the exam appeals process, in response to recommendations by the FDIC Office of Inspector General. But industry representatives were most concerned about the supplement to its 2008 guidance on third-party risk management. The FDIC highlighted specific risks associated with lending partners including credit, operational and strategic risks. "The FDIC will evaluate lending activities conducted through third-party relationships as though the activities were performed by the institution itself," the agency said. A bank's executives "retain the ultimate responsibility to conduct lending activities in a safe and sound manner." The comments appear to have been prompted by the OIG's investigation on refund anticipation loan companies, but could potentially apply more broadly to fintech partners. "How will this third-party lender guidance impact banks' ability to lend without a lot of bureaucracy?" said Cecelia Calaby, the senior vice president of the American Bankers Association's Office of Regulatory Policy. "Guidance of the sort has to be looked at very carefully to try and anticipate what its impact will be on lending." The agency also asked banks to look out for third-party lenders' pipeline risks the possible consequences of failed transactions on a bank's liquidity and customer information safeguards. The FDIC said it might update its guidelines when new businesses develop, presumably a reference to fintech and other new models. "As new products and delivery channels emerge, the FDIC commits to fully consider whether the issuance of specific regulatory guidance is warranted," the agency said. At issue is a report issued by the Inspector General in March that said the FDIC engaged in "abusive" behavior in its efforts to shut down three banks' tax refund anticipation loan business. The report accused the FDIC of using a number of strong-arm tactics. The FDIC has denied the claims, but its proposed changes are efforts to address the OIG's recommendations. That includes modified guidelines for exam appeals a process that the OIG criticized in its report as part of a general pattern of disregard for banks' complaints that they were pressured to close off their tax refund anticipation loan businesses. Specifically, the OIG found, appeals to exam ratings from those banks "were voided by the FDIC's filing of formal enforcement actions." As a result, the FDIC proposed on Friday to allow banks to generally appeal determinations on their level of compliance with existing enforcement actions. Institutions will still not be able to appeal formal investigation or enforcement actions, but such measures will not void their pending appeals. The FDIC's proposal also offers to create a 120-day window from the time the FDIC issues an enforcement action notice, after which the bank would have the right to appeal if no enforcement action is taken. "We consider the guidelines to be responsive to some of the concerns we have raised," an OIG spokeswoman said, adding that the watchdog agency planned to publish a "more comprehensive view" on the bank's measures later this month. In other changes, the FDIC also issued a statement reiterating its code of conduct, published an updated letter encouraging the flow of informal guidance, and made some procedural changes to its Case Review Committee, which is charged with enforcement actions. Specifically, the plan would offer the head of that committee the ability to confer about a case that may "attract unusual attention or publicity" or in other ways affect FDIC policy. The FDIC asked for comment on the third-party lending guidance by Sept. 12 a timetable that drew a mixed reaction from the industry. "The FDIC is seeking comments on these guidances. That's a very positive thing," Calaby said. But, she added, "Sept. 12 [gives us] a very short time period especially when it spans August." Hillary's Absurdism Hillary cant find inherent meaning in her campaign for president. This is evidenced by her continual makeovers and attempts to fool the public; by her futile attempts for a campaign slogan that will stick; and her dissonance between change and continuity. Her main rationale is based on self-entitlement, that its her turn and time for a female president. Such a hollow foundation inevitably crumbles into the abyss of absurdism. In philosophy, absurdism describes the conflict between our instinctual search for meaning in life, and our frequent inability to find it. In American presidential politics, the absurd is the conflict between Hillarys Sisyphean efforts to find a meaning for her candidacy, and her inability to find it. Her philandering husband, pointing that I want you to listen to me crooked finger at his DNC audience, preposterously proposed shes an agent of change. Actually, shes more a political chameleon, changing her colors as political contingencies demand. Indeed, one day later the change maker embraced Obama in a symbolic gesture of continuity. Hillary is thereby floundering in absurdism, executing a campaign so devoid of inherent meaning that she cant even openly commit to a broad strategy of change or more of the same. Its probably the latter since Hillary is an enabler of the unions, a prop for the bureaucracy, the secretary of the failed Status Quo. Shes a money-grubbing pander who makes John Kerrys I actually did vote for [war funding] before I voted against it, seem authentic compared to her vacillations on TPP and her calculated denunciations of Wall Street financiers despite schmoozing with them in private. Her ridicule of financial institutions for political expediency is ironic given her acquiescence to their big money contributions. At least Bernie was principled; shes just a lost soul wallowing in absurdity and riddled with bad faith. Hillary touts her experience, but experience without good judgment is folly. Mark Twain (others have repeated similar sentiments) said, Good judgment is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgment. No wonder Hillary has so much experience -- her judgment is deeply flawed. Unless one is capable of learning from ones mistakes, this could be a catch-22: gaining more and more experience from bad judgement but never able to break the vicious cycle. As Rudy Giuliani said during an interview at the RNC, her experience is the reason she shouldnt be president. It encompasses one absurd failure after another: experience, bad judgement, failure, more experience absurdity. Rinse, repeat, trapped in a perpetual loop. Based on the depth and breadth of her failures, Hillary is incapable of self-correction. She simply cant find meaning beyond herself; succumbing to solipsism, she is untethered from the reality beyond, concocting her own set of fairytales. Her habitual distortions render her incapable of seeing what is really going on, and how it is affecting others. This quandary is Sisyphean, it broaches the definition of insanity offered by Einstein: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I dont know the last time Hillary was actually successful at something, other than persecuting Bubbas female victims. She even failed the D.C. bar exam, though 551 of the 817 applicants that year passed. Hillary has deep experience in being a failure throughout her careers. Though she is book-smart, she seems incapable of leveraging her crystallized knowledge in fluid, real-world scenarios. Her brain gets smart but her head gets dumb. The change faker is poised to repeat more mistakes when reality usurps the Hillary-land fairytales that she is the most qualified candidate ever. For example, we just found out that our economic growth, as measured by GDP, was an anemic 1.2 % for the quarter just ended. Thats pathetic, way below estimates; nevertheless, shes proposes to raise taxes, to raise the ante on misguided and misdirected spending, to choose winners, to interfere in markets to redistribute wealth, and to generally pursue voodoo Obamanomics. Given the consensus that the country, overall, is not better off today than pre-Obama, Hillarys proposals meet Einsteins definition. A vast majority of Americans feel were heading in the wrong direction. Perhaps this is why Trumps exhortation to Make America Great Again resonates. Hillarys tone deaf response is that America is already great; of course, but our great reserve of exceptionalism will be sorely tested under a 3rd term of Obama. Even Obamas half-brother over in Kenya denounces that possibility, saying hed vote for Donald Trump. Hillary will say anything to get elected, and has trained an agile memory to protect her web of deceit. Her purpose is ultimately meaningless, focusing on her own megalomaniac ambitions rather than the greater good. Thats why her elusive search for meaning is floundering in existential morass, as represented by the slogan Im with her, rather than she being with us. Hillarycare was a debacle. With no signature achievement as senator or secretary of state, she may be one of the most unqualified and absurd presidential candidates in memory. We deserve better than a serial failure whose character is so debilitated, whose judgement is so warped, that (unlike John Kerry who acknowledged his own flip-flopping) she cant even tell whether she was for something before being against it. Then again, in Hillaryland, what difference does it make? There are houses in which she belongs: the big house, the nuthouse, the House of Cards, the house of doom but it would expand the bounds of absurdism to put her in the White House. The Greek city-state of Athens had no constitutional protections for people who advocated notions radically at odds with prevailing wisdom. The result: Socrates was put to death for corrupting the youth. Four hundred years later, the Roman province of Judea contained no constitutional protections for wild-eyed preachers who advocated radical alternatives to established political and religious orthodoxies. The result: Jesus was crucified for claiming to be "King of the Jews." Sixteen hundred years later in Italy, there were no constitutional protections for thinkers who discerned profound restructuring of metaphysical realities. The result: Galileo Galilei was tried and sentenced to house arrest by the Catholic Inquisition for advocating views contrary to Church doctrine. Four hundred years later, the United States of America did provide constitutional protections of speech and assembly, allowing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead a movement that changed laws and expanded liberty for millions. Socrates, Jesus and Galileo lacked governmental protection to say crazy things. As a result, they were put to death or imprisoned by the government for saying crazy things. True, Dr. King also met with an untimely end, slain by a fellow citizen who denied him his constitutionally protected freedoms. But the others were killed or imprisoned by the government because they had no constitutionally protected freedoms. That is all the difference in the world. And it is a difference that Dr. King died for. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution allowed Dr. King to spread his liberating and glorious message. But let us not forget that for many in the 1960's South, Dr. Kings message was considered offensive hate speech. And so it was hatred for the established order that kept millions of Americans locked in a horrible caste system. Hatred for an oligarchy that denied them essential freedoms. It just goes to show, one mans hate speech is another mans emancipation. One persons offense is another persons release. Which is why the Founders, in their wisdom, protected all speech when they approved the charter for the new American Republic in 1787 and included therein a First Amendment that explicitly guaranteed freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion. Now those protections are threatened, threatened because they are now frighteningly little cherished, especially by young people. A 2015 Pew Research survey found, "Four-in-ten Millennials say the government should be able to prevent people publicly making statements that are offensive to minority groups." Let that sink in for a moment: 40 percent of Millennials favor explicit, unconstitutional censorship of "offensive" speech. The same Pew survey found that 35 percent of all Democrats and 33 percent of all women "say the government should be able to curtail speech that is offensive to minorities." As if that isn't frightening enough, a federal judge recently advised his colleagues to ignore the Constitution. Writing for Slate, Judge Richard Posner of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals admonished: "I see absolutely no value to a judge... studying the Constitution, the history of its enactment, its amendments, and its implementation. Eighteenth-century guys, however smart, could not foresee the culture, technology, etc., of the 21stcentury. Which means that the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights... do not speak to today." This erosion of loyalty to the Constitution -- by large sectors of the populace and those charged with protecting and preserving it -- is both foolish and dangerous. Let us not forget that the "feelings" of white Southerners would have been protected with restrictions on Dr. King's speech. Fortunately, King knew that the ideas embodied in the Constitution did speak to him and his time, just a they speak still to us and our time: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." True, these words were written by white, moneyed men in the late 18th-Century. But, if we can look past the color of the hands that shaped them, we could see profound elegance, foresight and astonishing courage. So let judges adhere to the Constitution, not because it constricts, but because it liberates. Let young people hear all manner of speech, even (especially) offensive speech. And let us remember the words of Socrates, Jesus, Galileo and Martin Luther King Jr. were all at one labeled offensive. Let us not throw away the greatest gift ever given to a sovereign people, the freedom to think, speak, associate and worship according to the dictates of our conscience. Let us us keep the First Amendment first in our hearts. Matt Patterson is president of 1st Amendment First; Lindsey DePasse is executive director of 1AF. They can be reached at 1stamendmentfirst.org I was excited that I had finally convinced my black family who usually votes Democrat to join the Trump Train. Then, one of my brothers said recent comments Hillary made about Trump's huge ego concerned him. A Christian, my brother quoted scripture concerning Trump, Pride goes before a fall. He was considering jumping off the Trump Train. Hillary, the queen of deception, attacking Trump's character angered me. I fired back at my brother. Trump may be full of pride, but the guy never left Americans to die for political gain! I continued my rant about Hillary. After hanging up the phone from my brother, I wrote the following note in case other family members were falling prey to Hillary and mainstream media's attacks on Trump. Because the media protects Hillary and underreports her lies and scandals, it is amazing how little they know about the woman who is running for the highest office in the land. Thus, I tried to explain everything in simple, nonpolitical geek, easy to understand language. Here is the note I wrote to my family. Dear Marcus family, I just want to give y'all some facts that the mainstream media will not tell you about Hillary. The mainstream media wants her to be president because she is on their team, in line with their anti-God and anti-traditional America agenda. Senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi said Hillary is losing the white male vote because of the three G's, Guns, Gays, and God. Please, please, please believe me when I say EVERYTHING Hillary seeks to do is to increase her power via the federal government to repeal your Constitutional rights; control your life and behavior. It is called centralizing government. GUNS: Despite our Second Amendment right to bear arms, Hillary does not want any American to own a gun. Using executive orders to illegally override the Constitution, Hillary will implement more restrictions on law-abiding citizens owning guns. This endangers good people. Criminals do not obey gun laws. Thugs would love to see the public totally disarmed. GAYS: More and more the federal government is infringing on religious freedom, DEMANDING that Christian preachers (like our dad) marry gay couples; throwing preachers in jail for preaching the Bible; making it illegal for parents to home school. To keep the federal funds coming, states are decreeing that parents are not allowed to opt their children out of homosexual lessons. Hillary is all for government confiscating our kids' minds; teaching the government's version of right and wrong; moral and immoral. GOD: Hillary is all for the ever-increasing movement to make practicing biblical Christianity illegal. To get the black vote, Hillary is furthering the lie that cops murder blacks. Hogwash! Stats confirm that blacks are killing blacks in record numbers in major cities controlled by Democrats, despite numerous gun laws. Hands Up Don't Shoot is a lie. Black witnesses and the grand jury concluded that Michael Brown was shot inside the cop's car while attempting to take the cop's gun. And yet, Black Lives Matter, Democrats, the mainstream media and Hillary nurture the lie to pander to black voters. Hillary made over $150 million selling influence and Lord knows what to foreign governments. This is why she deleted 30,000 emails. It is also why she illegally used her home internet server rather than the official government secured server. Back in 2012, Obama was seeking re-election. Part of his campaign was to convince Americans that he ended terrorism. The anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack was approaching. Nervous, Ambassador Stevens at our U.S. consulate in Benghazi asked Hillary for additional security. U.S. military warned Hillary that our ambassador and his staff were sitting ducks. Hillary declined Ambassador Stevens' request for more security because it would be counter to their lie that Obama ended terrorism. Our consulate was attacked as expected. Ambassador Stevens was killed, his body abused and paraded in the streets. His staff was also killed. Hillary and her Democrats have been screwing blacks for over 40 years. Obama has been in office for eight years. The Republicans, fearful of opposing the first black president, have funded everything Obama has wanted. And yet, black unemployment is through the roof; poverty and crime in our hometown Baltimore is worse than it was when we were kids. And yet, even after eight years of getting everything Obama has wanted, he and Hillary still claim our nation's rapid continuing decline is Bush and the Republican's fault. That is nonsense. Please see the new movie in theaters, Hillary's America. We must do everything in our power to keep this wicked, wicked woman out of the White House. Love, Lloyd Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Chairman: The Conservative Campaign Committee LloydMarcus.com Donald Trump has been characterized as inconsistent, dangerous, rude, insulting, disrespectful and many other unflattering terms. Its safe to say these characterizations are intended to portray him as someone not fit for national office, unsuitable for negotiating with foreign leaders and lacking the temperament to accept a position of responsibility. However, throughout his campaign to win the Republican nomination, Donald Trump methodically defeated 16 traditionally qualified persons. His critics said that his adversaries, who had experience as senators, successful members of the private sector and governors; were well known and were far more qualified than Trump. Yet Trump prevailed. The one concession Trumps critics made to his success was that he appealed to the masses; the middle class and blue collar workers who had lost jobs to China, lost health coverage to ObamaCare, and were tired of the Federal government secretly issuing edicts to them through business regulations and behavioral regulations in public schools among many other grievances. Trump did have an appeal that no one else had. And his appeal was through his rudeness, outrageous behavior, and insults in debates and at campaign rallies. While the political experts were baffled at Trumps success, the voters still chose him over all others. The key to understanding Trumps success may be to understand that he exhibits qualities of leadership the others havent exhibited. And the best description of these qualities may be found in the most unlikely of places: the writings and comments of the radical community organizer Saul Alinsky. Looking back at Alinskys major work, Rules For Radicals, one finds a startlingly accurate description of Donald Trumps political persona. The characteristics Trump displays are very similar to what Alinsky describes as the characteristics essential to a leader fighting for socio/economic/political change. Alinsky said in a 1967 Playboy interview: When a community, any kind of community, is hopeless and helpless, it requires somebody from outside to come in and stir things up. Thats my job -- to unsettle them, to make them start asking questions, to teach them to stop talking and start acting, because the fat cats in charge never hear with their ears, only through their rears. The instinct of middle-class people is to support and celebrate the status quo, but the realities of their daily lives drill it home that the status quo has exploited and betrayed them. In Rules, Alinsky discussed the function of a leader: In the beginning the organizers first job is to create the issues or problems. The simple fact is that in any community, regardless of how poor, people may have serious problems -- but they do not have issues, they have a bad scene. Through action, persuasion, and communication the organizer makes it clear that organization will give them the power, the ability, the strength, the force to be able to do something about these particular problems. It is then that a bad scene begins to break up into specific issues, because now the people can do something about it. Exploiting specific issues is what Trump has done. He talks about expensive, unfair ObamaCare, about how Federal officials sent jobs to China and Mexico, how political correctness prevents the middle class -- what Alinsky would call Trumps community -- from voicing their discontent, Trumps message says. This environment has made the middle class feel frustrated and helpless. Government has created major problems for the middle class, Trumps recommendations are to become the voice of the middle class, to renegotiate unfair trade deals with foreign countries and build a southern border wall. These characteristics all apply to Trump: they seem to have been written about him. Alinsky then discusses his tactical philosophy. He used demonstrations, sit-ins, boycotts, etc. to bring attention to the grievances of persons who felt they had no clout with big business. Alinskys tactics of protest and empowerment included disrupting businesses and embarrassing them. A President Trump will have the power of the presidency behind him and the U.S. economy as a bargaining chip. Alinskys community efforts were always small and local. Summarizing the need for strong tactics to empower the powerless, Alinsky said: No one can negotiate without the power to compel negotiation. Trump has stated: youve got to be willing to walk away if negotiations don't go well. Thats exactly what voters have wanted to hear. Trump said the U.S. has had the power all along to get better trade deals but has not used it because the political hacks who make deals are responding to the demands of lobbyists and insiders, not the voters. This fits Trumps idea that we must use the nations economic power to renegotiate trade deals with foreign countries. That suits voters well: they are tired of seeing their jobs negotiated away by unaccountable politicians. Trump also said he will bring NATO countries and South Korea into line by forcing them to pay their fair share of the costs of NATO and military protection. Similarly, he has threatened to force Arab states in the Persian Gulf to pay for the cost of the U.S. naval protection they enjoy. Voters feel cheated out of any say in these issues, and cheated by the political hacks, as Trump calls them, who have sold out the voters through these unfair deals. While Alinskys name is constantly brought up as the origin of radical DNC tactics, the truth is the DNC has become the kind of power structure Saul Alinsky wouldnt like. Joblessness went up when Obama when the DNC had control of domestic economic policies. Like Trump, Alinsky did not approve of political correctness. He said in the Playboy interview that polite, inoffensive language is a fault of the middle class, and doesnt produce results. He recalls how he once yelled at a server at a restaurant in order to get her cooperation. He proudly held that up as an example: that sometimes you have to be rude to make a point. Trump is rude. The biggest difference between Trump and Alinsky is that Alinsky blamed mega-corporations for the plight of the people. Today taxpayers feel government is the problem. Alinsky was not a corporate man, Trump is not a politician. If Alinsky were alive today, he would focus on the increase in black poverty and unemployment under Obama, the decline of the middle class, and the million-dollar pensions given to government union members. He would approve of Trumps rudeness, attack on political correctness, and use of economic clout in negotiations. Alinskys description of leadership is a useful way to describe Trumps success. The media and effete powers-that-be have been twisting themselves into Halal pretzels Islamsplainin, rationalizing how a given Muslim terrorist attack isnt really Islamic or isnt significant. These contortions can become quite ridiculous, such as suggesting that recent Allahu Akbar-shouting Munich shooter Ali Sonboly might somehow have had right-wing motives because, among his violent passions, was an interest in Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. A more common (un)intellectual contortion is the minimizing tactic of claiming, as is politically correct authorities wont, that a given jihadist attacker has no ties to IS (the Islamic State), as if theres nothing to see here if a man doesnt provide notarized evidence of allegiance to the boogeyman du jour. Yet this is much as if wed claimed during the Cold War that a Marxist terrorist attack wasnt really a Marxist terrorist attack because we couldnt find a connection to the Soviet Union. The issue and problem wasnt primarily the Soviet Union but communism (Marxism birthed the USSR, not the other way around), an evil ideology that wreaks havoc wherever it takes hold. Likewise, the IS didnt birth Islam; Islam birthed the IS. Nonetheless, moderns will often use the misdirection of focusing inordinately on national or group associations when discussing terrorism. This is a dodge, one designed to help us avoid uncomfortable truths, and which relegates us to playing an eternal game of whack-a-mole. The USSR is gone but communism is still a problem (witness North Korea and Cuba), and insofar as its less of a threat, its largely because its ideas have been discredited. Bad ideas standard bearers will change. But as long as the bad ideas remain tolerated and credible, theyll always win converts. In fact, the reality that todays terrorists are diverse makes the point. They may be Iranian, Afghani, American, Albanian, German or from any nation whatsoever; they may be part of Hamas, IS, al Qaeda, the U.S. Army (Maj. Hassan), some other organization or no organization; they may be of any race or ethnicity, be rich or poor, and male or (occasionally) female. They only have one truly common thread: being Muslim. The point is that, ultimately, this is a battle not of nations or organizations but of ideas, and ideas are powerful. Beliefs matter. Every action begins with a thought or, at least, with a reflex response reflecting a worldview that has shaped ones thoughts and emotions. Yet theres more to understanding Muslim violence. A comprehensive German study of 45,000 immigrant youths, reported in 2010, found that while increasing religiosity among the Christian youths made them less violent, increasing religiosity among the Muslim youths actually made them more violent. Not more violent if they join Islamic State but more violent, period. And while the study authors had their own, mostly politically correct explanations, I think I know a major reason why. Becoming serious about a faith and digging into it generally means getting closer to its actual teachings. A lukewarm cradle Catholic may have little knowledge of even the Bible, but a devout one will likely have read that and the Churchs catechism. Likewise, an indifferent nominal Muslim (you know, the kind they call moderate) may not know much of the Koran, nine percent of which is devoted to political violence. Yet a pious Muslim may scour that book and more. He may also imbibe the remaining 84 percent of the Islamic canon, the two books known as the Hadith and Sira. And, respectively, 21 percent and 67 percent of their texts are devoted to political violence. Thats what you call a full dose. Also note that while access to these two more obscure Islamic canonical texts was once limited, the Internet age places them at everyones fingertips. Couple this with the violent preaching of immigrant Imams, and that Muslims consider violent warlord Mohammed The Perfect Man and thus the ultimate role model, and the German studys findings are no mystery. Speaking of mysteries, though, the true effect of Islam will remain one unless we delve further and break ourselves of certain misconceptions common to our times. In the grip of religious-equivalence doctrine, many moderns have a habit of painting all faiths with the same brush; militant secularists hiss that theyre all bad while many conservatives will behave as if all real religions are good; consequently, conservatives sometimes reconcile dislike for Islam by insisting it is not a religion. But like ideology, religion is a category, not a creed; it contains the good, the bad and the ugly. So while religion isnt bad, there is bad religion. Now, most belief sets that have been embraced by man whether we label them ideology or a faith; be they Nazism, communism, the Aztec religion involving mass human sacrifice or something else have been what we today would call lacking to awful. This understanding lends perspective: Islam is not an anomaly, historically speaking. Rather, it aligns more closely with mans default for belief sets: violence-enabling/tolerating wickedness. It is Christianity that is anomalous as a real religion of peace. Why does grasping this matter? The common assumption that a belief set labeled religious must involve generally peaceful injunctions is a result of projecting our own historically anomalous Christian standards onto other, often historically normal belief sets. This understanding can break us of the emotional reluctance to accept that what we call a major religion could be destructive. Instead of wrongly believing we must place Islam in a lonely, sparsely occupied abnormal category, we realize we merely have to accept that its closer to that oh-so tragic, bloody human norm. Now, theres yet one more thing to consider about the impact of Islam. When analyzing the effect of a religion, people understandably focus on its injunctions. What does it dictate? Yet such an analysis is insufficient because mans default is not to be saintly but uncivilized; people will naturally display many if not all the Seven Deadly Sins and be generally barbaric unless some civilizing agency tempers their fallen nature. Thus, as with a person, the true measure of a religion is not just what it does but what it fails to do its faults of omission, not just of commission. It is clear to me that while Islam may be better than the Aztec and some other pagan religions, it nonetheless does a relatively poor job taming the beast. In fact, it apparently gives great license to our sinful nature. Considering greed, lust and sloth, why is it that many Muslims believe its licit to rob, rape and leech off kuffars (non-Muslims)? Does Islam do much to temper the envy and pridefulness inspiring so much anti-Western hatred? What of the officially approved bearing of false witness called taqiyya? Then theres that father of violence, wrath. Danish psychologist Dr. Nicolai Sennels, who worked for years with incarcerated Muslim youth, points out that anger is highly accepted in Muslim cultures; moreover, the ability to intimidate, he writes, is seen as strength and source of social status. He concludes, Islam and Muslim culture have certain psychological mechanisms that harm peoples development and increase criminal behaviour. Also note that the Wests foundational faith, Christianity, and its root, Judaism the two faiths Westerners are best acquainted with and whose norms they may reflexively (and unwisely) project onto Islam have as the basis of their moral law the Ten Commandments. Islams moral law is Sharia. And neer the twain shall meet. In other words, even if given Muslims arent mindful of their canons violent injunctions, even if jihad is the furthest thing from their minds, they will as a group still be more prone to violence. That is, as long as their hearts and minds embody what Islam does, and what it fails to do. Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com Illegal immigrants from Syria can relax for a while. Homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson has issued an amnesty proclamation preventing them from being forced to leave the United States for the next 18 months. Stephen Dinan of the Washington Times reports: Homeland Security granted a new temporary amnesty Monday to more than 8,000 Syrians living in the U.S. right now, saying they can remain for up to 18 months longer no matter what their legal status. Secretary Jeh Johnson issued temporary protected status to Syrians, saying that if they are in the U.S. as of Monday and continue to reside here permanently, they can apply for work permits and other documents to remain and live in the U.S. without fear of being ousted. His order applies to some 5,800 Syrians who were granted status under the original 2012 TPS program, and 2,500 new arrivals who dont have a more permanent status here. Compassion for the suffering of others is the noble proclaimed motive: Syrias lengthy civil conflict has resulted in high levels of food insecurity, limited access to water and medical care, and massive destruction of Syrias infrastructure. Attacks against civilians, the use of chemical weapons and irregular warfare tactics, as well as forced conscription and use of child soldiers have intensified the humanitarian crisis, Mr. Johnson said in announcing the new program. ISIS has made no secret of its intention to use refugee programs as a means to infiltrate terrorists into the West, including the USA. This is obviously a secondary concern for Johnson and his boss. Hat tip: Ed Lasky Hillary Clinton may have helped Russia build the cyber-warfare capability to penetrate those servers, if accusations that Russia is behind the DNC hack are true. Peter Schweizers report, From Russia with Money: Hillary Clinton, the Russian Reset, and Cronyism, follows Hillarys effort to funnel money and technology into a Russian-style Silicon Valley at Skolkovo outside Moscow. In return, large sums of money flowed into the Clinton Foundation and into Bills speaking fees from key players in the scheme. This was part of Hillarys grand Russian Reset following her appointment as secretary of state to build bridges to Moscow. Schweizer provides a link to a story in the Radio Free Europe website titled Russia's Silicon Valley Dreams May Threaten Cybersecurity, published in November 2010, at the time the program was moving forward. The story details the potential dangers of this effort: But others believe the Kremlin's motives for attracting cooperation from hundreds of foreign technology companies aren't entirely benign. Among those who would benefit from the "huge honey pot" for the Russian technology industry, says Seattle-based cybersecurity expert Jeffrey Carr, would be the security services who monitor every byte of Internet traffic. "If you're wiring a facility," he says, "the best time to do it is while it's being built." Skolkovo, he says, would provide an information-gathering "coup." Schweizers report also points out that: ... indeed, Skolkovo happens to be the site of the Russian Security Service (FSB)s security centers 16 and 18, which are in charge of information warfare for the Russian government. So it is plausible that Hillary had a role in helping Russia develop the technology used to hack into the DNC and her own campaign servers. This reminds me of a quotation from Karl Marx: The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope. The El Chapo story is so good that a telenovela would not do it justice. Frankly, the daily news reports from Mexico are more dramatic than any TV script. The latest is just incredible, according to Joshua Partlow: Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the worlds most notorious drug lord, has been having trouble sleeping. The lights in his prison cell are on around the clock. The surveillance video and prison staff watch him 24/7. If a dozing Guzman even inadvertently covers his face or crosses his arms, prison guards rouse him, according to his lead defense attorney, Jose Refugio Rodriguez. The conditions that hes being held in are very drastic. Hes a victim of cruel and inhumane treatment well below the minimum standards established by the United Nations, Rodriguez said in an interview. This is practically torture. Well, he may be the victim of torture. My guess is that the word came down from President Enrique Pena-Nieto that he cannot escape again. Beyond that, it is silly to feel sorry for a guy who specialized in cold-blooded murder. El Chapo has a list of atrocities that should land him in an electric chair, to say the least. This is just a partial list of them: Boca Del Rio Massacre On September 20, 2011, gunmen from Los Matazetas working at the time under orders of the Sinaloa Cartel dumped the tortured bodies of 35 men and women along a city highway in Boca Del Rio, Veracruz. The bodies were left behind along with a narco banner where the Sinaloa Cartel forces took credit for the murder and threatened Los Zetas. Nuevo Laredo Massacre 1 On April 17, 2012, El Chapos forces aided by the Gulf Cartel moved into the border city and Zeta stronghold of Nuevo Laredo in an attempt to take control of the border area and left the dismembered bodies of 14 men inside trash bags that had been left inside a minivan outside of Nuevo Laredo City Hall along with a narco-banner signed by El Chapo and addressed to Los Zetas. Despite the clear cartel link to the murder, Tamaulipas authorities tried to claim that the victims were not related to drug trafficking activity and that there was no war between rival cartels in Nuevo Laredo. Nuevo Laredo Massacre 2 On May 4, 2012, Los Zetas hung nine Gulf Cartel members from a bridge, but the Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel responded just hours later. The response was the headless bodies of 14 Los Zetas members placed in a vehicle near the mayors office. The heads were placed in an ice chest also by the mayors office. Along with the gory find, the gunmen left a banner signed by El Chapo where he threatened the Nuevo Laredo Mayor and the local police chief for siding with Los Zetas and trying to ignore his presence. Tubutama Gun Battle On July 1, 2010, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen clashed with their rivals from the Beltran Leyva and Los Zetas Cartel leaving more than 20 dead near the rural town of Tubutama Sonora, just 60 miles from Nogales, Arizona. A Youtube video shows in gory detail the carnage of the battle. Maria Susana Flores Gamez The former Miss Sinaloa beauty queen, met her untimely death in a hail of gunfire on November 2012 in a rural area near Guamuchil, Sinaloa. Flores had been accompanying Chapos top enforcer Ivan El Cholo Gastellum when the Mexican military went after them. After a lengthy chase and gun battle, Flores ended up in a pool of blood while the military arrested multiple gunmen. And there are probably more, smaller and less publicized. There is nothing romantic or nice about this man. He is a killer who shot men, women, and children to settle scores with the law and rival cartels. So let's bring El Chapo to the U.S. as soon as possible. The good news is that he'll probably get a bit more sleep. The bad news is that he is not escaping again, and justice will be done. Sleep deprivation? There are thousands of Mexicans dead! P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. Empathy for Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of U.S. Army captain Humayan Khan, awarded a Bronze Star posthumously in 2004 for bravery in Iraq, should not obscure the brazen cynicism displayed by Hillary Clinton, and the Democrats, for trotting out a grieving couple to regurgitate more recycled propaganda. Hillary Clinton doesn't give two hoots about Cpt. Khan's combat death, nor his sacrifice. The phony momentary tribute followed by militant apathy is how democrats routinely salute soldiers, Marines, and airmen killed in action. Their hollow homage was expediently offered to Cpt. Khan, if only because of its political utility, while the Benghazi fallen were PhotoShopped out of the picture four and a half years ago. The Benghazi deaths needed to be instantly forgotten, along with Hillary's complicity, while Cpt. Khan needs lingering reverence for the opportunism in showcasing his Muslim parents (who we now know are not what they appear to be). And how wretchedly disingenuous to use heartache swelled to the breaking point as a theatrical inoculant, to fend off any criticism of Khizr Khan's partisan political invective from the podium. Whether the elder Khan was recruited, volunteered, or was duped, he delivered a gullibly gobbled up sleight-of-hand. Khan dramatically revealed what he asserted was a pocket-sized U.S. Constitution. He then claimed Donald Trump has never read it implying that Trump has never read that part of the Constitution prohibiting religious, ethnic, or country of origin tests to deny immigrants, and non-citizen transients entry to the United States. Well, maybe Khan's pocket-sized folio was a blank notebook. The U.S. Constitution says nothing about who may be admitted, or denied entry to the United States. Of course Donald Trump hasn't read that part of the Constitution nor has anyone else, as it doesn't exist. Presumably, U.S. citizens cannot be denied re-entry, but we know that even citizens with inter-transit criminal records, possessing contraband, conducting espionage on behalf of foreign governments, or carrying communicable infectious diseases may be denied. Anyone not a citizen can be blocked from entry for any reason whatsoever. Khan was used as a tool by the Democrats, but neither is he an innocent foil. Otherwise, how to reconcile this presumably faithful and devout Muslim's exhortation "look for the words liberty, and equal justice under the law," despite the well known brutal hostility of Islamic states toward gays and lesbians, for whom Democrats claim an exclusive affinity? Not a single mosque in the U.S. would accept homosexuality, and worldwide surveys of Muslims show an overwhelming support of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. Yet Khan was the Democrats' convention showcase. Trump was wrong to have chided the Gold Star mother, Ghazala Khan, for her silence while joining her husband at the podium. Instead, Trump should have pummeled Mr. Khan for his silence about assaults on German women by Muslim immigrants last New Year's Eve in Cologne, Hamburg, and Bremen all justified by a Cologne Muslim cleric who, according to the Daily Mail, justified the attacks because the women wore perfume and dressed provocatively. Khan added to the calculated dishonesty of his appearance when interviewed later on CNN, mouthing again the absurdity that Islamic terrorism has "nothing to do with Islam." Well, at least Hillary and the Democrats didn't coax the Khans into blaming their son's death on George W. Bush, in office when Cpt. Khan was killed in action. Imagine a smidgeon of honor remaining amid their otherwise disgraceful histrionics. It is less than six weeks since Brexit was proclaimed on June 23, a historic date in the history of the United Kingdom. How easily now do we forget the dire prophesies of the Remain campaign, since we have sailed serenely along since Brexit. The sky has not fallen in. We have not had to have an emergency budget. The British stock market is riding high. It is true that the value of the pound has fallen, but this has had an immediate beneficial effect on tourism. There were those who feared to wake up to find that we were no longer European. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as huge numbers still take continental holidays. Housing prices have held up, and the price of food in supermarkets remains the same. While David Cameron resigned as prime minister quite rightly in my opinion Theresa May took over and immediately went on a tour of the continent. She demonstrated that while we are leaving the EU, we are still friends with our European allies. Furthermore, we are still trading, and the global outlook is promising, with some 29 countries actively seeking trade deals. All that's left is to remove ourselves financially from the clutches of the EU. Here I will quote from the diary-blog of John Redwood, M.P., with his permission. The UK currently hands over 19 billion to the EU every year. We get 9 billion back in services and the rebate which means when we Vote Leave we will be able to guarantee all the funding to farmers, universities and regional grants that currently come from the EU and still have 10 billion more to spend on our priorities like the NHS. There you have it from a reputable source. The farmers and the scientists have nothing to fear. We will have an extra 10 billion to spare on priorities like the NHS. This is a fact and not a whopper, as Nicola Sturgeon declared. Boris Johnson and his team of Andrea Leadsom and Gisela Stuart are vindicated. Incidentally, how wonderful it is to have a foreign secretary in Boris Johnson, who can speak colloquial French and Italian, as well as Latin, and can even break into song in German. His Spanish is okay, too. So he can charm the birds with his humor and is already doing so. What a difference a day makes so goes the popular song. What a difference five weeks and a day have made already. The Re-Moaners have been proved wrong on every count. Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund promised serious trouble for us, but the truth is different. If there is trouble anywhere, it is in the Eurozone. The prospects for Great Britain have rarely looked better. We only wait for Article 50 to be declared in order to cut the umbilical cord. What are you waiting for, Prime Minister? It cannot come a day too soon. Call me mean-spirited, but this warms my heart. Nathan Mateer and Rachel Sheffield write at The Daily Signal: A few states that have incorporated work requirements have seen encouraging outcomes that should provide a blueprint for greater welfare reform efforts nationwide. (snip) Maine, one of the most proactive states in reinstating work requirements for food stamps, saw its caseload of able-bodied adults without dependents decrease by 80 percent within just a few months after re-establishing the work requirement. Kansas has experienced similar results, seeing its caseload decline by 75 percent. Accompanying the decline in caseload has been an increase in employment and earnings for able-bodied adults without dependents. The Foundation for Government Accountability identified that nearly 60 percent of Kansans who left the food stamp rolls following the establishment of food stamp work requirements found employment within 12 months and, their incomes rose by an average of 127 percent per year. Indiana has experienced similar outcomes. Indiana reinstated work requirements in July 2015. Six months after reinstating these requirements, the states caseload of able-bodied adults without dependents decreased by 68 percent. According to Indianas Family and Social Services Administration, Nearly 5,000 Hoosiers who were receiving benefits in July are no longer receiving assistance because they obtained gainful employment and now have an income that exceeds eligibility standards. Theres been a lot of blather about how the Constitution disallows any religious test for those who wish to immigrate to the United States. But as Andrew McCarthy points out in a recent piece at NRO, no such ban is written anywhere in the Constitution. The clause said to be the source of this drivel is found in Article VI. As youll no doubt be shocked to learn, it has utterly nothing to do with immigration. The clause states, no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States (emphasis added). On its face, the provision is not only inapplicable to immigrants at large, let alone aliens who would like to be immigrants; it does not even apply to the general public. It is strictly limited to public officials specifically to their fitness to serve in government positions. This is equally clear from the clauses context. Right before the no religious Test directive, Article VI decrees that elected and appointed officials shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution[.] An oath of office customarily requires the official to solemnly swear that he or she will support and defend the Constitution, so help me God. (See, e.g., the oath prescribed by federal law.) The Framers tacked on the no religious test clause to clarify that the mandate of a solemn oath before taking office did not mean fidelity to a particular religious creed was required. The same principle informs the First Amendments prohibition on the establishment of a state religion. Last year, McCarthy wrote an equally illuminating piece where he explained that not only is there no constitutional ban on a religious test, but federal law can require such a test because in order to be officially recognized as a refugee, persecution must be established. And said persecution may be based on religion. If we followed our laws, we would not be accepting Syrian refugees (who are, at best, the victims of a civil war) and would instead be accepting Christians in the Middle East who are being persecuted because of their faith. Lies are dangerous things. In this case, a narrative is being advanced that misleads the public as to the truth about our laws while an inverted immigration policy is advanced that puts America at risk and enables the jihadist slaughter of Christians. Hat tip: Breitbart During last weeks Democratic National Convention, there was one speaking engagement that was the epitome of mockery and hypocrisy. As a retired military officer, I was appalled at this charade. That was the appearance by Mr. Khizr Muazzam Khan and his wife, who lost a son in Iraq. I will say this once. I am extremely saddened for any family who loses a loved one in conflict fighting for this country. Unfortunately, the mainstream media never gave a damn about Gold Star American mothers and their families over the course of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and Global War on Terror and their suffering. Now, in just a single case, the case of immigrant Muslim parents who lost their son, there suddenly is extreme and massive interest...albeit for just these parents. What is more obvious and apparent is the degree to which the Democrats and the Clinton campaign demonstrated and showed their hypocrisy by seeking to politicize their story, to use this stunt to go after Donald Trump. Worst, it is abundantly clear that the parents agreed to use their story, themselves, and the unfortunate loss of their son as political props in a made-for-TV political exhibition. Again, it is time to speak out on the Anti-Trump Political Media Show. What went on last weekend mainly on CNN and Sunday news/talk shows is an outrage. The liberal media are in the tank for Hillary Clinton, and they know it. First of all the Khans stood on the stage of the DNC and not only told their story, but savagely attacked Mr. Trump. They said two things that were way out of bounds: the first, that Mr. Trump has made no sacrifice, and the second, that Mr. Trump never read the Constitution. Mr. Khans first attack presumes that a person needs to lose a child in war as a precondition to have an opinion on things. I served nearly 30 years in the U.S. military, through many wars, and have seen death and destruction. I know many who have lost loved ones sons, daughters, husbands, and wives. In America, there is no precondition for opinion. In America, there is one condition its called the First Amendment. Mr. Khans second attack on Mr. Trump has nothing to do with whether Mr. Trump has ever read or did not read the Constitution. That was a clearly Democratic Party scripted stunt for this convention. His comment does, however, have everything to do with Mr. Trumps call for a ban on Muslims, from Muslim countries involved with or supporting terrorists and radical Islamic terrorism. That said, most Americans agree with Mr. Trump that something has to be done until we figure out whats going on. There is nothing wrong with a nation implementing a referendum or curtailment on immigrants and refugees from entering a sovereign nation, particularly under and in accordance with that nations laws. Most if not all countries of the world do so. America as a nation has done so numerous times throughout our history for various reasons as well. German chancellor Angela Merkel is on the verge of losing the grip on her leadership in Germany because she and her nation failed do similarly and take the necessary security measures, immigration restrictions, vetting, and border closures to protect her citizens. Donald Trump is not perfect, nor is anyone, but he has common sense, logic, and foresight to put forth responsible recommendations to secure and safeguard this nation and its citizens. The extreme way the mainstream media, the Democratic Party, and some Republicans are trying to disparage Mr. Trump, by implementing schemes and devising charades such as this, defies decency and respect for all. Those who willingly condone, partake in, have a hand in, or agree with it are both shameful and disgusting leaders and followers. Jim Waurishuk is a retired USAF colonel, served nearly 30 years as a career special mission, senior intelligence, and political-military affairs officer. He served as deputy director for intelligence for U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), is a former White House National Security Council staffer and a former distinguished senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C. He lives in Tampa Bay, Fla. Donald Trump told supporters yesterday that the GOP had better be careful, because the November election is going to be rigged. He told Sean Hannity that the Democrats are going to try to "take it away from us." Wall Street Journal: As the Republican presidential nominee slipped in the first polls to be released after the Democratic National Convention, he took to questioning the integrity of the nations election system, first at an afternoon rally in Ohio and then during an interview with Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel. Im telling you, Nov. 8, wed better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged, Mr. Trump said in the Fox News interview. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or its going to be taken away from us. Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump warned supporters in Columbus, Ohio, that the deck may already be stacked against him for November. Im afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest, Mr. Trump said then. Sean Spicer, a chief strategist and spokesman for the Republican National Committee, declined to say if the RNC agrees with Mr. Trumps statement. I think you should seek further clarification from the campaign, Mr. Spicer said. Trump campaign officials did not respond to requests for clarification. Asked by Mr. Hannity during the Fox News interview about his assertion that the November election will be rigged, Mr. Trump replied that hed been hearing about it for a long time. Mr. Trump made reference to voting sitespredominately in minority neighborhoods of urban areasin which 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney received hardly a single vote. You had precincts where there were practically nobody voting for the Republican, Mr. Trump said. And I think thats wrong. I think that was unfair, frankly for Mr. Romney. Mr. Trump is correct. There are precincts in Detroit where Democratic votes outnumber Republican votes 1,000-1. There are precincts in Chicago where the Democratic vote is 95% or more. There are also cities like Milwaukee where more votes were cast in 2012 than there were registered voters. Barack Obama received 95% of the black vote in 2012, which somewhat explains those precinct numbers. Bad recordkeeping which is par for the course across America could explain the problem in Milwaukee. Many voting registrars are notoriously lax in keeping accurate voting rolls. Of course, this is an open invitation to fraud. The question isn't really whether or not there is fraud at the polls liberals continously downplay the possibility, but there is. The question is how widespread it is, and does it have an impact on election results? Liberals point to the lack of prosecution of voter fraud as "evidence" that it's rare. The only thing the lack of voter fraud prosecutions "proves" is that we're doing a terrible job in rooting it out. Human Events: The liberal Advancement Project claims youre more likely to get hit by lightning than find a case of prosecutorial voter fraud. I guess the Advancement Project missed these recent lightning strikes: A Democratic nominee for Congress had to resign in Maryland last month because she had voted in two states at the same time. An Arkansas state legislator resigned from office after pleading guilty along with a city councilman and police officer to committing voter fraud. In Iowa, a Canadian couple and a Mexican citizen were charged with illegally voting in U.S. elections. The guilty plea in California of a Mexican drug dealer who fraudulently voted in the 2008 election while in this country illegally. Our chaotic voter registration rolls make it too easy to commit voter fraud. A February study by the non-partisan Pew Center on the States found one in eight voter registrations were invalid or contained major errors. Some 2.8 million people were registered in two or more states, and 1.8 million registered voters are dead. Thats an open invitation to fraud and mischief. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling in 2007 in favor of photo ID laws, found there was an extreme difficulty of apprehending a voter impersonator if no ID was required. In other words, we have no idea how much fraud could be out there. There have been calls for national voter registration to prevent much of this bad recordkeeping and make it possible to cut off voter fraud at the source. But the Constitution makes no such allowance, and, indeed, a constitutional amendment would probably be needed. So it's up to the states to protect the integrity of the vote. I don't know how realistic Trump's worries are that the nationwide election could be stolen. Certainly fraud can impact local and congressional races, where only a few thousand fraudulent votes could swing the contest. But it's hard to imagine any scheme where millions of votes could be manufactured or stolen in order to tip the election to Clinton. Trump's accusation may have more to do with creating an excuse for losing than a real-world concern that the election was "rigged." Yale University, considered one of the finest centers of higher education in the country, is forming a committee to examine procedures to rename buildings, monuments, and other campus features that may be "offensive" to one group or another. What if you consider the committee itself an affront to free inqury and a surrender to political correctness? Daily Caller: The Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming is exactly what it sounds like: A special group that will set rules to decide what aspects of Yales history should remain, and which should be purged. The committees existence stems from the long-running controversy over Calhoun College, a residential college at the school named for John C. Calhoun, an American vice president who was a vocal defender of slavery. Many have called for Calhoun College to be renamed, with those calls gaining strength after the June 2015 shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, which sparked a general backlash against monuments to the Confederacy and slaveholders. Back in April, Yale President Peter Salovey announced Calhoun College would not be renamed, despite protests. At the time, Salovey said renaming the college would go against Yales core principles, including its motto, Light and Truth. Removing Calhouns name obscures the legacy of slavery rather than addressing it, he said at the time. But the announcement did nothing to quiet critics or defuse the issue. Opponents continued to denounce Calhoun, and in June, a Yale employee smashed a historic stained glass window at Calhoun he argued was demeaning because it showed black slaves harvesting cotton. Despite initially losing his job and being hit with criminal charges, the employee ultimately went totally unpunished for his stunt. Now, Salovey seems to be setting the stage for a complete reversal of his original decision. In a Monday announcement, Salovey said he was creating a new committee to reevaluate whether Calhoun and other parts of Yale should receive new names. In the announcement, Salovey backed off of his initial claim that removing names was wrong, instead acknowledging that in some cases, the best way to remember the past is to obscure it. It is now clear to me that the community-wide conversation about these issues could have drawn more effectively on campus expertise, he said. I have therefore appointed a Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming, and am charging this committee with developing clearly delineated principles to guide the universitys decisions on proposals to remove a historical name from a building or similarly prominent structure or space on campus. To reduce the accomplishments of James Calhoun to slavery advocate whose name should be purged from Yale history, makes a mockery of the idea that Yale is an institution dedicated to freedom of thought and free inquiry. Calhoun was a giant of a legislator whose impact on mid-19th-century America was immeasurable. Of course, one could make the same argument about Andrew Jackson, for which an entire period of American history is named. But the accomplishments and impact of many men in America has been boiled down to narrow, biased, and in many cases singular objections to what they believed or how they acted with regards to slavery and other racial issues. What is the purpose of throwing tradition out the window and scrubbing the past? Because the power to do so exists. No wrongs are righted. No history is altered. Yale is only made to look ridiculous to anyone whose worldview isn't besotted with racialism. The island of Sainte Marie, or Nosy Boraha, is a narrow granite island located five miles off the remote east coast of Madagascar. This postcard tropical island with lush vegetation, sandy beaches, shallow bays, and coral reefs was once home to over a thousand pirates. The island was located not far from the 17th- and 18th-century maritime routes along which ships laden with spices, ivory, silk and other riches returned from the East Indies. Sainte Marie provided the buccaneers a secure shelter from where they could plunder the approaching ships. The islands numerous bays and inlets protected their ships from storms; the abundant fruits and local women satisfied their hunger and lust. The pirate cemetery on the island of Sainte Marie. Photo credit: JialiangGao/Wikimedia The pirate settlement on Sainte Marie was founded by the famous English pirate Adam Baldridge, who came to Sainte Marie in 1685 after fleeing Jamaica where he was wanted for murder. Within a year, Baldridge had established control over the inland waterways into Sainte Marie and its harbor. He subdued the local tribes and forced the native chieftains to pay Baldridge in cattle, food and women. Baldridge forged a partnership with a wealthy New York merchant and ran a very successful business exchanging money and goods with the pirates. Baldridge would acquire plundered loots from the pirates and ship them to New York in return for basic supplies, rum, tools and ammunition, which he used to trade with the pirates. Baldridge also offered the pirates many of the islands resources such as different types of fruits (bananas, coconuts, lemons, oranges, pineapples, yams) and livestock (cattle, chicken, fish and turtles). He had dozens of warehouses on the island filled with both the treasure he collected from the pirates and the merchandise he traded to them. At its peak, about a thousand pirates lived on the island including legendary and infamous characters such as Captain William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur, Henry Every, Abraham Samuel and Thomas Tew. Baldridge himself lived an extremely extravagant life. He built himself a hilltop mansion and fort, and kept his own harem of island women. Baldridge also started engaging in slave trade. He would buy slaves on the east coast for cheap and sell them to passing ships or send them to America and the West Indies. But when Baldridge tried to sell some of the local natives, the island population rose up in revolt and destroyed his castle and warehouses, forcing Baldridge to flee the island in 1697. After the departure of Baldridge, the pirate colony fell into decline as they were unable to get the vital supplies necessary for sustaining a population. By the 1700s, the golden age of buccaneering had come to an end. Many pirates surrendered to the conditions of clemency and settled down in Madagascar. They married local girls, raised families and died on the island. Their remains were interred in a cemetery, now called the pirates cemetery, at ile aux Forbans, a small island located in a bay just south of Ambodifotatra, the islands main town. Today, Sainte Marie gets a lot of tourists drawn to the idyllic tropical paradise where diving, snorkeling and whale watching are the favorite past times. The pirate cemetery, which is now overgrown with bushes and plants, is another popular attraction. Photo credit: Florent Bouckenooghe/Flickr Photo credit: sandy marie/Flickr Photo credit: sandy marie/Flickr Photo credit: sandy marie/Flickr Photo credit: sandy marie/Flickr Photo credit: sandy marie/Flickr Sources: Travel Madagascar / Golden Age of Piracy / History Twistery / www.piratesinfo.com / Wikipedia After all the leaks, rumors and speculations surrounding the impending release of the Galaxy Note 7, the next-generation flagship phablet from Samsung is finally official. The device is expected to get an international release over the next few days, and while some major U.S. carriers are slated to start accepting pre-orders from tomorrow, it looks like those living north of the border wont have to wait too long to get their hands on the device either. Thats because Samsung Canada has now apparently announced that the phablet will officially launch in the country on the 19th of this month, although it will cost quite a bit more than the Galaxy S7 Edge that was launched earlier this year. The Galaxy Note 7 will reportedly cost $549.99 CAD with a two-year contract, whereas the off-contract price will be a rather exorbitant $1049.99 CAD. The device will reportedly be available in three different colors in the country Blue Coral, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx. Reports also indicate that the phablet is headed for all the major carriers and retailers in the country. According to MobileSyrup, at least three Canadian carriers Bell, Telus and Koodo have already confirmed that they will carry the device on their respective networks. The Galaxy Note 7 will also be available for purchase at Samsung Experience stores nationwide, so it looks like there will be enough options for buyers when it finally goes on sale in the country in just over a couple of weeks time. One important thing to remember here is that while the U.S. version of the Galaxy Note 7 will ship with a Snapdragon 820 SoC, the Canadian model will be powered by an Exynos 8890 chip, which is designed and manufactured in-house by Samsung. While the Qualcomm chip has a quad-core CPU clocked at a maximum of 2.15 GHz, the latter will have an octa-core application processor thats capable of running at a maximum frequency of 2.3 GHz. The rest of the hardware specs will remain identical for the most part, including the 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display panel thats curved on both sides. The device will also ship with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage and will have an IP68 rating denoting dust and water-proofing. Samsung will, finally, unveil the Galaxy Note 7 later today. The Unpacked event is scheduled for 8AM PST / 11AM EST, and even though we know pretty much everything about the device thanks to leaks and rumors, Samsung might yet surprise us. Needless to say, the Galaxy Note 7 will be one of the most powerful devices this year, it will pack in the latest and greatest Samsung has to offer, and will be a phablet of choice for many people in the coming year or so. Samsung seems to have a somewhat different approach this time around, the Galaxy Note 7 will, almost certainly, going to be the first Galaxy Note device not to sport a flat display. This phablet will, much like the Galaxy S7 Edge, ship with a Dual Edge display, but it seems like its display wont be as curved as the one utilized in the Galaxy S7 Edge. That being said, we have some good news for those of you who live in India, and are looking to purchase this phablet. The Galaxy Note 7 will be launched today in New York, but the launch in India is not far away either. According to media invites, Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy Note 7 in India on August 11th, which is only a week away. The device will be launched in New Delhi it seems, though we still dont know when exactly will the event take place. We dont exactly know how much will the Galaxy Note 7 cost at this point either, but things should become far clearer later today, even though Samsung almost certainly wont share the pricing structure for India during todays event, but we will be able to guess based on the US price at the very least. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is expected to sport a 5.67-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable internal storage. The device will be fueled by either the Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 821 SoC, depending on the region. The 12-megapixel Dual Pixel camera will be available on the back of the Galaxy Note 7, and a 5-megapixel shooter will be placed up front. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will come out of the box, with Samsungs custom UI on top of it. The physical home button will double as a fingerprint scanner, and the device will be made out of metal and glass. Samsungs new Galaxy Note 7 is still hogging the stage at Samsungs official Unpacked 2016 event, and new features are being revealed by the minute. One of the handsets flagship features, an infrared iris scanner that can get you into your phone via an iris scan in almost any lighting, is not officially supported in Android, so it can only be used with apps that Samsung designs to integrate it. Fortunately for those who tend to do some of their banking from their mobile device, one of those apps is called Samsung Pass, and it will allow you to access mobile banking through a number of partner banks using your eyes. While the Galaxy Note 7s iris scanner having limited support could be a bit of a bust for the phone, Samsung is looking to help mitigate the damage with Samsung Pass. It was hinted that other functions may come in the future, but at its debut, Samsung Pass will be integrated with a number of partner banks, including the likes of Bank of America and Citibank, to allow Galaxy Note 7 owners to do things like check their balance and make transfers without having to type in a password or use a fingerprint scanner. Using the phones iris scanner to verify a users identity for many of the same purposes that the fingerprint sensor is currently used for seems like a logical direction to proceed in, and Samsung Pass is the first step in that direction. For now, with only banking supported and not many details about how it works, those wanting to use Android Pay, PayPal, or the ability to authenticate purchases on the Play Store will likely still have to forego the iris scanner and use either their fingerprint or a password. Just as fingerprint scanners received native support in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, however, iris scanners may end up making their way into the mainstream and eventually getting wider support in a similar fashion. By all reports, the Galaxy Note 7s iris scanner is fast, accurate, and can work even with glasses on, making it the ideal bioauthentication platform for owners of the Galaxy Note 7, so long as support for it continues to spread. Google is slated to debut the new version of Android thatd be Android 7.0 Nougat in just a few weeks. In fact, a rumor that surfaced over the weekend stated that the update would be rolling out next month (which means August, as that was posted in July). It looks like Google may also debut a new launcher with Android 7.0 Nougat. According to Android Police, who have gotten their hands on a number of animated GIFs showing the new launcher and some of its features. It is definitely a big change from what is currently available in the fifth developer preview, currently available. The biggest change here is the removal of the app drawer icon. The actual app drawer is indeed still there and well. The app drawer surfaces by swiping up from the bottom of the home screen. Gestures and swipes seem to be a pretty big part of this update to the launcher. The Google search bar is also gone. Instead, there is a floating button on the left side of the home screen. Just tap on that and youll be able to search like normal. The report also shows that Google may be heavily integrating Google Assistant into the launcher which, why wouldnt they? In June, there was a report out that Google was rolling out an update to Google Now on Tap which brought in a slew of new buttons, which included the ability to create a reminder, set an alarm and so much more. That never rolled out, but they do believe that will be part of the new Google Now Launcher. Advertisement It appears that there are plenty of changes coming to the Google Now Launcher. However, its important that we take all of these changes with a grain of salt for now. With Android 7.0 Nougat due to be released as a stable build in the next few weeks or even days, it shouldnt be long before we find for sure that this is what is changing in the launcher. There could be even more changes than what we see here in these GIFs, which you can see in the gallery below. Almost a month after its initial release, the Pokemon GO craze shows no signs of stopping. The latest real-world change incited by the mega popular mobile app happened in New York after the citys correctional department made playing Pokemon GO a violation of sex offenders paroles. This decision was made as a result of a direct order from Andrew Cuomo, a governor of the state of New York. While it pertains to all online games, it was directly prompted by the increasing popularity of Pokemon GO after reports emerged that sex offenders are using the mobile game to connect with unsuspecting children. More specifically, all registered New York-based sex offenders on parole are now forbidden from engaging in any kind of online gaming activities, including downloading and playing games. The New York governor also revealed that he sent a letter to the Pokemon GO developer Niantic Labs, urging it to help the state in preventing registered sex offenders from signing up for their game. Its currently unclear how Cuomo expects Niantic to do that, though. This ban was prompted by a report from a last weeks report published by Jeffrey Klein and Diane Savino, two New York state senators. The duo found that a random sample of 100 New York City sex offenders on parole is withing half a city block of no less than 59 PokeStops. The senators were particularly worried of sex offenders using in-game Lure Modules to attract Pokemonand consequently-Pokemon GO players to their locations. This is because the same tactic was recently used by a couple of armed robbers in Missouri who were robbing Pokemon trainers. Critics of this decision point out that its completely unclear how effective a ban on all online gaming is in preventing registered sex offenders from repeating their crimes, especially because the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act already requires that these people provide authorities with all information pertaining to their online activity. After all, that information was the basis for the aforementioned research which prompted the ban itself. Regardless of that, experts say its possible other states will soon follow after example of New York. After months of rumors and leaks, the Galaxy Note 7 has finally landed. Samsungs all-new flagship phablet has been announced, and weve already covered the main announcement for this smartphone, and in case youre interested in reading more about its specifications, click here. The Galaxy Note 7 is quite similar to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in terms of build materials, and it also has a curved display on both its left and right side, but the curve is quite a bit less noticeable than on the Galaxy S7 Edge. that being said, during the announcement, Samsung shared quite a bit of info regarding the Galaxy Note 7, including its (partial) availability info, so read on. During the event in New York, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Note 7 will become available in the US starting August 19th, while pre-orders begin on August 3rd. The company has also mentioned that the device (for those who pre-order it) will come with either the Gear Fit2 or a 256GB microSD card. That being said, we also have some info regarding UK availability, the phone can already be pre-ordered from Mobile Fun for 749 (unlocked). Now, if you opt to pre-order the Galaxy Note 7 from Mobile Fun before August 19th, youll be able to choose a Olixar case to go with your device, free of charge. Now, as far as Europe in general goes, the Galaxy Note 7 will become available on September 2nd. For those of you who are looking to pre-order the Galaxy Note 7 in Europe, youll be able to do so starting August 16th. More availability info will quite probably follow in the coming days (for the rest of the world), so stay tuned. The Galaxy Note 7 is exactly what we thought it would be, a significant improvement over the Galaxy Note 5, but not a complete step away from last years model. This smartphone is once again made out of metal and glass, and it really does pack a lot of punch. The 5.7-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) Dual Edge Super AMOLED display is available here, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable internal storage. Qualcomms Snapdragon 820 or Samsungs Exynos 8890 SoC fuels this phablet (depending on the region), and a 3,500mAh battery (fast charging included) can be found on the inside. The 12-megapixel Dual Pixel camera is placed on the back of this device, while Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow comes pre-installed, along with Samsungs custom UI. After weeks of hype surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the device was finally unveiled officially by Samsung at its Unpacked event in New York earlier today. The smartphone can be pre-ordered from tomorrow itself and quite a few major U.S. and Canadian carriers have already officially confirmed their plans to carry the device on their respective networks, but while AT&T and T-Mobile have already announced the pricing details, Verizon and Sprint have yet to do so. With pre-orders about to open though, were likely to hear more on that front in the not-so-distant future. Meanwhile, now that the much-anticipated device itself is official, it is only natural that the accessory makers will also rush to announce their products tailored to Samsungs latest flagship smartphone. Speck, a premium accessory vendor has now announced its range of Galaxy Note 7 cases that promise to offer something for everybody. From standard-issue clear cases to those with reinforced rubberized ribbed edges for superior grips and even one with glitter, Specks cases for the Note 7 would certainly appeal to a number of users whod want to have an added layer of protection for their expensive new acquisition. There are three distinct cases now announced by Speck which include the CandyShell Clear, CandyShell Grip and CandyShell Clear with Glitter; all of which are said to offer military-grade drop protection. While the first two are priced at $39.95, the third one on the list comes with a price-tag of $44.95. All three will be available on Specks own website, as well as at Best Buy, AT&T and Verizon. The mobile accessory business is acknowledged to be a fairly lucrative industry, although its more fragmented than the large players would like it to be. Samsung itself releases a whole host of cases and covers every year in collaboration with artists and designers, including famous fashion brands like Swarovski and Mont Blanc. Other accessory makers are also expected to start announcing their offerings in the coming days, meaning, Samsung wont be the only one hoping for a positive response to the Galaxy Note 7. There will be whole host of small-time accessory vendors the world over wholl also be hoping that the device becomes a roaring success, which will only increase their chances of selling some more of their products. Todays the big day. The day that Samsung finally unveils the Next Big Thing, which is said to be the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung all but confirmed that it will be the Galaxy Note 7 being announced in the invite that they sent out to the press last month. Which means that they are officially skipping the Galaxy Note 6 and going straight to Galaxy Note 7. This is likely to bring the numbering in line with the Galaxy S lineup, which they announce in the earlier part of the year. When it comes to the Galaxy Note 7, theres been no shortage of leaks, rumors and speculation regarding Samsungs Next Big Thing. Some of the leaks have pointed at the device sporting a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED display some leaks are saying itll be a curved display like the Galaxy S7 Edge, while others are saying itll be a flat display like the Galaxy S7 and even the Galaxy Note 5. With the device being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 or the Exynos 8893, of course that depends on the market. Thatll be paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and at least 32GB of storage inside. There are rumors that there will be a 64GB and a 128GB version however. Of course, there will also be a micro SD card slot, since they did bring that back with the Galaxy S7 earlier this year. Powering the Galaxy Note 7, appears to be a 3500mAh battery, which will likely be non-removable. Samsung will let everyone know shortly, whether these rumors were spot on, or way off. They are preparing to take the stage at Unpacked in New York City in just a little bit. The Galaxy Note 7 will likely be the star of the show, but we may also see a new Gear VR headset debuting alongside the Galaxy Note 7. Since the Galaxy Note 7 is going to be sporting a USB Type-C connector, Samsung will need to release an updated Gear VR. But theres also the case that they may wait for IFA in just a few weeks, to do that. And launch it with the Gear S3. You can watch the live stream of the Galaxy Note 7 announcement down below. Advertisement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCpVkeW40pI Drones have been gaining prominence among the general population these past few years, being able to do an array of tasks such as capturing aerial videos and pictures, or to transport lightweight items over far distances in a short period of time. While most drone pilots use their drones for photography, some have been using them to deliver items, including Amazon which is currently testing out Amazon Prime Air in the UK. While Amazon plans to make use of its drones to deliver parcels and packages to customers within 30 minutes, there is a company called Zipline which is currently using drones to deliver medication and blood to rural areas. Zipline was started back in 2014 with the support of firms such as Google Ventures and Sequoia Partners, as well as funding from the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen. Under a partnership with the government of Rwanda, Zipline started delivering medicine and blood to rural areas in the country last month. The company expects to have its operations expanded to at least half of the country by the end of August. Zipline is only operational in Rwanda at the moment but it expects to bring its services to the US, and expects to be operational within a year. Its drone delivery services will serve rural and remote communities in Nevada, Maryland, Washington and some Native American reservations. While Rwanda has quickly implemented the use of drone technology, the US has been slower to adopt commercial drones. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented new rules back in June that has made it easier for companies to apply for authorization to fly commercial drones but companies are only allowed to fly one mission at a time and the drone must be in the line of sight of the drone pilot at all times. Zipline makes use of its electric-powered drones called Zips to deliver up to three pounds of blood or medicine to a location up to 75 miles away. Blood or medicine can be ordered via text message and a Zip will be dispatched to deliver the package which will be parachuted from the Zip once it arrives at its destination. Blood will not need to be refrigerated as a Zip can deliver it within 30 minutes, navigating to its destination using cellular networks and GPS. For its US launch, Zipline will apply for a waiver to the new FAA regulations, and will likely be operational within 6 months of receiving the waiver. Zipline and its Zips have the potential to change the healthcare scene in the US once it starts operations in the country, being able to deliver much needed medicine to people in rural areas. Transfer balls: 13 days after Manchester United sign Paul Pogba Real Madrid gazump the deal Paul Pogba Watch: Its been 13 days since the Daily Mirror told us Manchester United had signed Paul Pogba. Today the trusty Daily Mirror says: Paul Pogba jets into New York and sparks fears that Real Madrid could gazump Man Uniteds 100m bid. Paul Pogba has not signed for Manchester United. But he could sign for Real Madrid because Zinedine Zidanes side play Bayern Munich at the MetLife Stadium on Thursday morning. Before we go on, lets recall what the Mirror reported as fact: The Mirror now adds: United continue to play the waiting game with no official agreement in place for Pogbas signature. No official agreement. Is that the same as no agreement whatsoever? The Express states: Man United meltdown as Paul Pogba jets into New York ahead of Real Madrid game. The Sun says: Paul Pogba to Manchester United: Fans worried Real Madrid will hijack deal as midfield star flies to New York City. Adding: Real Madrid being in the same city is believed to be purely coincidence. The Telegraph just has a question: Manchester United transfer news and rumours: Could Paul Pogba be heading to New York for a medical today? The paper has no idea. And having asked its readers, it still has no idea. Over in the Daily Mail, news is that Manchester United are on the brink of breaking the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. On the brink? Fours days ago it was a done deal. Martin Samuel and Simon Jones told us the deal had been finally agreed. It took two reporters to tell us the facts: Paul Pogba is set to be officially confirmed as a Manchester United player again after his world record 100million move was finally sealed on Thursday night. He hasnt signed yet. After weeks of negotiations, United have agreed a huge fee for the Juventus star to complete Jose Mourinhos summer spending spree. He hasnt signed yet. United are eager to parade their new signing who completed a medical in Los Angeles. He hasnt signed yet. Over in Spain, news in AS is that Pogba is expected to sign for United on Wednesday. Madrid have given up the hunt. Such are the facts. Anorak Posted: 2nd, August 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Rome, August 1 - A young woman from a Rome parish died Monday of meningitis while on her way back from the Polish city of Krakow, where she attended the Catholic Church's World Youth Day event. She died in Vienna, the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) said in a statement. The members of the group with which she attended the WYD have all been given prophylactic treatment, and the Vienna hospital where she died called on anyone who was at Italy House in Krakow, which was the headquarters for the CEI youth pastor program, to immediately seek treatment. Meningitis is highly contagious and can be rapidly fatal if left untreated. Italy was present at the WYD that ran through July 25-31 in Krakow with 486 groups and a total of 76,883 pilgrims, organizers tweeted on day the event kicked off. Gentiloni calls U.S. air strikes in Libya 'very positive' Says Italy will evaluate if requested to use Sigonella base (ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 2 - Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday said that the U.S. decision to conduct air strikes on ISIS targets in Libya is "a very positive thing" and that Italy would evaluate the use of its Sigonella air base if a request were to be made. "The thing that the Italians need to know is that these are interventions aimed at ISIS positions around Sirte, a coastal city that has become ISIS's stronghold in Libya," Gentiloni said. (ANSAmed). About 200 jihadists return to Balkans in 18 months Most returned to Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia (ANSAmed), PODGORICA, August 2 - About 200 jihadists, including 28 women, have returned to the Balkans over the past 18 months from the wars in Syria, Iraq and Libya, regional security sources told local media. The largest number have returned to Kosovo, Bosnia, and Macedonia, according to local media reports.(ANSAmed). Gas attack launched on Aleppo kills six-Sana News out shortly after Russia condemned for gas bombs (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, AUGUST 2 - Syrian state news agency Sana reported on Tuesday that "terrorists" had launched poisonous gas attacks in the part of Aleppo controlled by loyalist forces, leading to the deaths of six people. The Sana news agency cited the health director of Aleppo governorate, Muhammad Hazzuri. Activists in the region of Idlib, which is out of government control, earlier condemned Russian air forces for dropping bombs containing poisonous gas in the area of Saraqeb. (ANSAmed) (ANSAmed) - Rouen - Thousands of people attended the funeral of Father Jacques Hamel in Rouen cathedral on Thursday to pay their respects to the French priest who was stabbed to death in his church last week in an attack claimed by the militant Islamist group ISIS. "He would have loved to see you like this, all united, everyone together, without any exclusions," Archbishop of Rouen Dominque Lebrun told the crowds. Before starting the ceremony, Lebrun thanked the faithful from other religions, including Muslims and Jews, who joined the service. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was among guests at the cathedral, while many more gathered outside the church in the pouring rain. The entire area around the cathedral and surrounding streets were guarded by a sizeable security force. About 20 police vans blocked all entries to the cathedral, and anyone attempting to pass faced close checks of their rucksacks and bags. The 85-year-old priest was knifed to death last Tuesday when two jihadist attackers burst into his church in the small town of Saint-Etienne-du Rouvray during Mass and took several people hostage before they were killed by police. Later ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. In a news conference, Lebrun said he was happy with the choice of the Hamel family to read a passage from the New Testament according to Matthew in which Jesus says "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". Thousands expected for Fr. Hamel funeral in Rouen 86-year-old priest killed in terrorist attack during Mass (ANSAmed) - PARIS, AUGUST 2 - Over two thousand people are expected to attend the funeral at Rouen Cathedral on Tuesday for Jacques Hamel, the 86-year-old Catholic priest killed in a terrorist attack while celebrating Mass at St. Stephen's Church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is expected to attend, along with hundreds of young French citizens of Lower Normandy just returning from World Youth Day in Krakow. Jewish and Muslim mourners are also expected, in a show of solidarity similar to that of interfaith services that took place last Sunday in France and Italy. Muslims in Rouen have launched a fundraising drive to help the family of the slain priest, who will be buried after the funeral with only family present.(ANSAmed). TUNIS - In the first round of talks to nominate a new Tunisian prime minister following the dismissal by a no-confidence vote of Habib Essid, President Beji Caid Essebsi released the name of a possible candidate, current Minister of Local and Regional Affairs Youssef Chahed. Chahed would be designated to form a national unity government and his official nomination could come as soon as Wednesday, said a source close to the president cited by news agency TAP. Wednesday is the next scheduled date for nomination talks at the presidential palace in Carthage, when representatives will vote yes or no on the nomination of Chahed or propose an alternative candidate. Sources close to the president said that Chahed didn't receive unanimous consensus among the representatives due to his membership in majority party Nidaa Tounes, since the leader of the national unity government should be impartial. Chahed was born in Tunis in 1975, graduated from France's Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, and is a well-known university professor in agricultural economics. As an agricultural engineer he has served as an expert to the EU and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and has put into place numerous cooperation and food partnership policies between Tunisia and Morocco and Tunisia and the United States. He went into politics following the flight of ousted President Ben Ali in 2011, was among the founders of the Republican Party in 2012, and in 2013 joined the ranks of the modernist Nidaa Tounes, which won the majority of seats in parliamentary elections in October 2014. Sarraj says 'heavy ISIS losses' after US airstrikes in Sirte Gentiloni says offensive viewed 'positively by Italy' (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, AUGUST 2 - Prime Minister of Libya's UN-backed unity government Fayez al-Sarraj said that ISIS suffered "heavy losses" following US air strikes in Sirte. He said Libya requested the US intervention, which opens a new front in the war on ISIS in the country, where Sirte has become an ISIS stronghold. The airstrikes were authorized by US President Barack Obama on the recommendation of US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter. The Pentagon estimates that there are 1,000 ISIS fighters in Sirte, and the taking back of the city would be an important loss for ISIS, which is already being heavily bombed in Syria and Iraq. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the US airstrikes were viewed "positively by Italy" and that Italy "encourages initiatives to give stability and peace back to the Libyans". Sarraj said his government requested the US "operate only in the area of Sirte and for a limited period of time with air raids and without ground troops", and that his government refuses any type of foreign intervention without its specific mandate or authorisation. His comments were an indirect reference to France, although not specifically cited in his remarks, which in recent days made official the presence of its special forces in Libya without obtaining the unity government's consent. Libyan military spokesman General Mohamed al-Ghasri told ANSA that since the start of military operations in May, 350 militants have been killed and 2,000 have been wounded. "Whoever is against (the US intervention) is in one way or another supporting ISIS," Ghasri said. "We have to protect our children and the Libyan people who support this operation. Daesh (ISIS) has sophisticated weapons and that's why we have to ask help from those who have military technology capable of hitting specific targets in minute detail". Neither Sarraj nor Ghasri said how long the offensive would continue, but Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the intervention would continue as long as the Libya unity government requested it. The most recent US raid in Libya took place in February when a training camp was hit in Sabratha, near Tunisia, where Noureddine Chouchane - considered the mastermind of the terrorist attacks at the Bardo Museum in Tunisia and at the resort in Sousse - was hiding. (ANSAmed). A directors report says the Groups parent company Abu Dhabi Aviation the Middle Easts largest commercial helicopter operator produced $110.2 million in revenue during the first half of this year which is 4% down on the same period in 2015. Its net profit for the first six months of 2016 was $16.9 million which was down 5% on the same period last year a drop the directors attribute to: current economic challenge and the winding down of expired client contracts. ADA subsidiary Maximus Air Cargo (MAX), the air cargo carrier and cargo aircraft wet lease operator, made $86.3 million in the first half of this year which is up 6% up on the same period last year. Its net profit was $20.35 million which is up by a third year-on-year. The directors say the positive turnaround was due to significant growth on brokerage activities, both government and commercial, and revenue from successful Antonov operations. First half revenue at Royal Jet, the groups luxury flight services provider, was down 27% year-on-year to $50.78 million which the directors attribute to lower requirements from medevac customers, mainly the GHQ and Health Authority Abu Dhabi, and an overall market slowdown. Royal Jets net profit for the first six months slumped 28% to $1.18 million attributed to ownership cost and appreciation of new aircraft. The directors report says: Royal Jet has started restructuring its fleet and manpower in order to be better equipped for market needs and current economic conditions. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Declarations by Russia and Turkey last week reviving plans for the TurkStream natural gas pipeline linking the two have worried EU diplomats who see it strengthening Moscow's hand - but analysts say the project is more rhetoric than reality, reports Reuters. EU officials fear that TurkStream will be expanded to bypass Ukraine as a transit route for supplies to Europe, increasing dependence on Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and shutting in alternative supplies from the Caspian region. "Turkey's new friendship with Russia might become an issue if Russia tries to replace Turkey for Ukraine," a senior EU official said. "It makes sense for Turkey to get cheap gas from Russia, but it will come with strings attached: That is likely to be a problem for us." However, the entente, almost a year after Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane, remains fragile, analysts say, particularly amid turmoil caused by the failed coup in Turkey. "In times of instability, if you are sane, you don't commit to huge infrastructure projects," said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy fellow with Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. Moscow and Ankara are more keen on "signaling political messages than about advancing projects in reality," he said. Russia's drive to reroute gas to Europe around Ukraine, including by expanding the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany, has met with heated opposition in Brussels since Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014, prompting EU sanctions. Turkey's own role in facing off with Russia and as an energy corridor has tempered EU criticism of President Tayyip Erdogan authoritarian turn. EU officials will be watching warily as Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to agree a deal on TurkStream next month at their first meeting since Russia imposed sanctions over Turkey's shooting down of the jet near the Syrian border last November. For now, Russia is planning construction of two out of an initial four projected pipelines. Capacity of one line is around15.75 billion cubic metres of gas per year. That would mean retaining gas flows via Ukraine - albeit reduced - after Moscow's transit contract with Kiev expires in 2019. Ukraine plans to ship around 72 bcm of Russian gas in 2016 - more than 40 percent of Russia's gas supplies to Europe. Part of the line would lay along the same route as Russia's canceled South Stream pipeline, which ran up against EU opposition on competition grounds in late 2014. TurkStream follows a different logic, delivering gas only to the EU's border to avoid falling foul of EU rules. Zhai Yanmin is accused of "subversion of state power." Last year about 300 lawyers arrested. Dozens more in police custody. The authorities have never allowed the relatives of the detainees to visit them; They seized the wives and even small children of some to bend them to confess their "crimes". Wang Yu's "confession". Tianjin (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The trial of the activist lawyer Zhai Yanmin opened in Tianjin this morning. Zhai is one of hundreds of lawyers who since last year have been arrested, dismissed from the profession, imprisoned. He is accused of "subversion of state power" and faces a life sentence. Zhai belongs to a group of arrested lawyers, called the "709", because the arrests began on July 9 last year. Their "bad luck" is that they have been successful in defending activists, the poor, people who have suffered injustices (unpaid wages, houses seized, etc ...) taking advantage of the few footholds in Chinese law and creating holes in the alliance between the party and economic oligarchies. The Chinese authorities have done everything possible to stifle the group: they never allowed the families of the detainees to visit them; they kidnapped the wife and even small children of some to bend them to confess their "crimes". In this regard, yesterday lawyer Wang Yu (see photo), a colleague of Zhai, formally arrested earlier this year, but who had "disappeared" six months earlier appeared in a video. The son of Wang, who fled to Myanmar, was extradited, traced in China and arrested. In the video Wang Yu says she wants to leave the legal profession and accuses her firm, the Fengrui, of being an instrument of "foreign forces" to discredit the People's Republic of China. For many observers, Wang's "confession" was obtained by force. Among the lawyers arrested in 2015 there is also the Christian lawyer Zhang Kai, who along with a group of colleagues had pledged to stop the campaign of demolition of crosses in the southern province of Zhejiang. He also released a "confession" admitting to all his mistakes. by Christopher Sharma The Islamic preacher is believed to be the mastermind behind the failed coup in Turkey. The network of his supporters manages at least 300 schools in Turkey and another 1,000 worldwide. In the capital of Nepal there are three, two of which are within walking distance of the Office of the Prime Minister. Turkish nationals who had been employed as volunteers, have been dismissed. Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - The government of Turkey has asked Nepal to control activities of Islamic leader and preacher Fethullah Gulen, considered by Ankara the mastermind behind a failed coup two weeks ago. According to the letter handed to Nepals highest authority, the supporters of preacher Gulen have created a network spread in many countries including in Nepal. The activities of schools and exchanges related to the preacher are against Turkey and should be put under tight control. Yadav Koirala, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs admitted that the letter was forward by the Turkish Embassy. We are yet to decide what and how we should take actions, he adds. According to media reports, few schools and business institutions are run by the Gulen foundation and few Turkish citizens are involved in them illegally. But Nepal's government is perhaps waiting to see the actions taken by other countries including India. The Turkish government claims that the Gulen network has strong basis in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Haidarawad and Pune. According to Nepals national daily, the Kantipur Daily, there are at least three hundred schools inside Turkey and additional one thousand schools across the world run by the Gulen group. An investigative study by Nepals Ministry of Education revealed schools in at least three places are run by the group in Kathmandu. Two of them are situated a few meters away from Prime Ministers office and one in Bauddhanath area. In all the schools, Turkish citizens were employed on a tourist visa. They are allowed to work as volunteer without the permission released by authorities of Ankara. But to avoid any dispute, the Nepali government decided to withdraw the permit and have warned the school not to recruit any foreigners as volunteers. by Wang Zhicheng A long line of faithful accompanied the bishop's ashes to the place of burial. Crowds line the roadside from the cathedral to the place of cremation. Agreements between the local authorities and the bishop's successor, Msgr. Guo Xijin. Mindong (AsiaNews) - A huge crowd, at least 20 thousand people filled the streets of Mindong to give the final farewell to the city's bishop, Msgr. Vincent Huang Shoucheng, who died on 30 July. The bishop, although being the local ordinary, was not recognized by the government. Local authorities agreed with the successor, Msgr. Guo Xijin and priests for all the details of the ceremony. The funeral Mass was held in the cathedral, attended by all the priests and nuns of the diocese, along with 3 thousand faithful, but outside there were at least 10 thousand people. Thousands of people, in mourning dresses - white and black - lined the road from the cathedral to the cremation ground, where only 300 people were allowed to enter. Finally, a long line of faithful, thousands and thousands, accompanied the ashes of the bishop to his grave, situated on a hill 3 km from the cathedral, where lays the cemetery of the diocesan clergy. The prime minister is accused by the public of having ordered the killing of the well-known political analyst. A source for AsiaNews says that the fact "shows the decline of his popularity." In response, the government has denounced political opponents for defamation, accusing them of wanting to "create social chaos". Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) - The clash between the cambodian government and the opposition has intensified after the killing of Kem Ley, well-known political scientist shot dead on July 10 in Phnom Penh. The public and members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) have accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of having ordered the assassination. In response, the government has denounced political opponents for defamation, accusing them of wanting to "create social chaos". Kem Ley, 46, was shot dead at a service station. Shortly after the murder, police arrested Oeut Ang, a former soldier. He confessed to having shot the political analyst because of an outstanding debt of $ 3 thousand. However, the public do not seem to believe this story and rumors of government involvement in the killing have began to circulate. An AsiaNews source, anonymous for security reasons, said that "what happened to Kem Ley shows that the situation of the prime minister is becoming difficult. Hun Sen no longer has the pulse of the situation. " The fact that he has been accused by many people, continues the source, "is proof that his popularity has declined a lot compared to the past." Kem Ley, the source said, "was very popular among the Cambodians, he spoke simply and clearly. He was understood by the people. He was one who had no uncertain terms, an impartial observer, he was very critical of the governmen, and of the opposition. He never took sides. His funeral was attended by two million people. He is considered a hero of his country and his tomb is a pilgrimage destination. Yesterday the Prime Minister Hun Sen - who has governed the country for 30 years with the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) - sued the opposition leader Sam Rainsy and an opposition senator, Thak Lany, for accusing him of having ordered the assassination. Rainsy, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), described the killing of Kem Ley "an act of state terrorism." The opposition leader - in exile since November 2015 - wrote on Facebook: "I believe there is the government behind the criminals who shot Kem Ley, as it was behind the 1997 attack that killed at least 16 people and at the same organized the murder of Chea Vichea [union ed] in 2004 and Chut Wutty [activist for the environment ed] in 2012 ". According to the prime minister's lawyers, the post could "irritate the population and cause social chaos." The senator Lany is accused of having said that the prime minister killed Kem Ley during a public meeting held in Ratanakkiri province. In a video published by a pro-government newspaper, you hear the woman say that Hun Sen "shot" the political analyst. Thak Lany has denied the allegations claiming that the audio track was dubbed onto the video. In any event it is the third legal attack on Sam Rainsy in a few weeks . In June, the government convicted three activists of the CNRP to seven years in prison, while the vice-president of the CNRP, Kem Sokha, is embroiled in a sex scandal. The large number of votes won by the opposition in the last election is putting pressure on Prime Minister Hun Sen. The source concludes, "he has had to change political strategy and now uses social networks, especially Facebook, to change his public image and regain consensus. He now portrays himself as being very close to the people and shows his more human side. This never happened before. by Sumon Corraya Students, teachers and employees of schools respond en masse to authorities' call. The event took place exactly one month after the Dhaka massacre, which resulted in 20 victims. Minister of Education: "We need to create a movement of social resistance". Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Thousands of students took to the streets of Bangladesh and formed a human chain against terrorism. The initiative took place yesterday, exactly a month after the massacre of Dhaka, in which 20 people died, mostly foreigners. The event was promoted by the State University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, which invited all schools in the country to come together and demonstrate for peace. Students, teachers and employees of educational institutions created human chain throughout the country. They carried flags and banners onto the streets calling for solidarity and respect. The messages read: Bangladesh stands against terrorism, We want peace, no place for terrorism. Bangladesh Against Terrorism, We will resist militancy by togetherness and firmness, Non-communalism is our pride, and We want peace, not terrorism: we want fearless life. Fr. Walter William Rozario, principal of St. Louis High School, told AsiaNews that students of his high school turned out in numbers. "We were more than 1000 - he says - and we have demonstrated against militant Islam, murder and sectarianism. It is the duty of the nation to defeat all this, and I think we will succeed". A college student adds: "Militancy and terrorism are the enemies of our country. We vowed to fight against all forms of violence. " Nurul Islam Nahid, Minister of Education, spoke to the human chain in Dhaka created at the Central Shaheed Minar, noting it is not enough to combat terrorism only by applying the law. We must create a movement of social resistance. (Photo credit: bdnews24) The workers lost their jobs due to the closure of oil companies. The collapse of oil prices has hit the thriving Saudi economy. The employees have not been paid for months and have been deprived of food for a week. The Indian deputy Foreign Minister will depart today to oversee the repatriation. New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Indian Foreign Minister, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, has assured that the Delhi government will bring back home the 10 thousand Indian workers stranded in Saudi Arabia, who have not been paid for months and are starving. The collapse in oil prices, 70% over two years, has forced companies in the sector to lay off employees, close plants and leave the nation. But foreign workers have been trapped and do not even have enough money to buy a return ticket. Yesterday, the minister added that the Indian authorities are in contact with the Foreign Office and in Saudi Arabia to allow a quick return. The Deputy Foreign Minister, VK Singh, will depart today for the Kingdom to oversee operations. The Ministry says that the repatriation will not be straight forward, since the higher of the Gulf countries do not grant emergency visas for the workers whose employment visas have expired given that the companies are no longer found in the territory. Government sources stated that 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not received a salary for months. All 2,450 workers who were employed in the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company has not distributed any food and as is happening in other parts of the country. This is why the priority is to distribute food and the Indian consulate in Jeddah says it has enough rations for the next 8-10 days. The Gulf countries welcome the 96% of the Indian workforce who emigrate abroad in search of work. The Foreign Ministry reports that 781 thousand people emigrated last year, 817 thousand in 2013. Interior Minister Cazenueve announces closures during a meeting with the French Council of Muslims. Since 2012 at least 80 people have been expelled. Prime Minister Valls proposes to suspend foreign financing of mosques. Paris (AsiaNews/Agencies) French authorities have shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam since December. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced this on Monday, stating that there is no place in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques, and who don't respect certain republican principles, notably equality between men and women. Cazeneuve was speaking after a meeting with leaders of the French Council of the Muslim Religion, arranged following the Nizza carnage and the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. There are some 2,500 mosques and prayer halls in France, about 120 of which are considered to be preaching radical Salafism, a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam. He said that since 2012, 80 people had been expelled from France, and dozens more expulsions were under way. In order to prevent the influence of radical islam on the France territory, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said last week that he would consider a temporary ban on foreign financing of mosques, urging a "new model" for relations with Islam. Cazeneuve confirmed that authorities were working on a French foundation for Islam which would guarantee total transparency in financing of mosques "with rigorous respect for secular principles." by Abdennour Bidar The roots of the cancer of Islamic terrorism are to be found in Wahhabi teaching, supported by Saudi Arabia. The rejection of fundamentalism must take place on three levels: through the affirmation of the brotherhood of all people, without absorbing the hatred of divisions; the prohibition on public expressions of fundamentalist Islam, which is in opposition to the host culture; cut all trade and diplomatic relations with states that support fundamentalism (Saudi Arabia and Iran). The denunciation of French-Arab philosopher Abdennour Bidar, a Sufi follower of Islam, in the aftermath of the Nice massacre and the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel. Paris (AsiaNews) - Since January 2015, a series of barbaric acts have targeted our nation France and wounding us deeply. Perpetrated in the name of Islam, they are the product of sick minds, as well as one of the most acute expressions of the radical crisis faced today's by Arab-Muslim civilization. This brings us to one of the great difficulties in this analysis: what is the link between these isolated psychiatric cases and the general state of civilization? Some say that there is no link. They are blind. As I demonstrated in my "Open Letter to the Muslim world" [Ed. Ibis, 2015], those who attack us today are among the most deadly tumors of a generalized cancer within Islam - which kills through its most pathological elements. To unleash its destructive appetite, this Islamic cancer seeks the most fertile ground among the most vulnerable from the psychological point of view, as well as among those parts of the Muslim world that have been most destabilized by the power clash between local and Western desires. Take care not to be mistaken: We are being hit by the shrapnel of a gigantic explosion whose origin is the Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia. Is it the epicenter of this cancer the home of the holy places of Mecca and Medina, whose sacredness is being shamefully betrayed. Diverted from its obscurantism since the eighteenth century, this region of the world has now rotted the entire Muslim world with the money from its oil, which gave it the evil means with which to contaminate evil and degenerate an entire civilization into the nullity of obscurantism, emptying it of all spirituality worthy of that name. Faced with this reality, we Muslims have several courses that we must take: Firstly, we must completely reinvent an authentic spiritual culture - of peace, nonviolence, universal brotherhood, freedom of consciousness for all in the face of dogmas, rules and traditional costumes, and finally of equality between women and men. All Muslims who dare to say that such a culture is the majority in Islam are overly optimistic. They speak of their own case and generalize, and either do not see or seriously underestimate the rampant proliferation of fundamentalism. This persistence in ignoring the depth and breadth of evil puts not only their personal freedom in terrible danger but also that of the human world. For us, French people, who are faced with this cancer in the heart of Islam, there are three things to do. Proclaim brotherhood instead of war, rejecting hatred between identities and having greater solidarity in stating our values without being divided by what attacks us. Have the courage and the strength to fight not only against the radicalization of candidates to terrorism, but prohibit any public display of a fundamentalist Islam in our country, whose simple criterion is the contradiction of our culture - values, law, art of living. Finally, have the courage to sever all commercial and diplomatic relations with unworthy and vile Muslim states that are based on the power of an archaic, intolerant and expansionist religion - Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc My conscience as a human being and my responsibility to Islam as a philosopher lead me today to repeat everything - and I will continue to do so, cost what it costs, until Islam is completely regenerated. And again, the other thing I will say ceaselessly, is that we all, each one of us, have our own responsibilities in the face of the tragedies and dangers of the present time: non-Muslims and Muslims together, it is our shared duty to struggle for peace at all levels. (Taken from Abdennour Bidar's blog, July 28, 2016.Translation from French by AsiaNews) HBO Launches 'Game Of Thrones' Election Voting Trending News: Screw The Real Election For A Minute And Cast Your 'Game Of Thrones' Ballot Instead Why Is This Important? Because Westeros is making the big switch to democracy. Long Story Short Screw this 2016 election madness and cast your ballot in the Game of Thrones election, which allows you to pick the character you'd want to sit on the Iron Throne. You can also pick their running mate. Long Story Winter is here and we're officially only getting two more almost-seasons of the awesome HBO show it's getting to be crunch time in Game of Thrones. In Westeros, things have always been decided the old-school way with blood and guts. But what if it became democratic? What if the people's voices were heard, instead of leaders getting stabbed in the back, blown up or murdered at their wedding (you never want to be the one getting married in the Seven Kingdoms)? As a break from the lunacy that is the 2016 United States election, HBO has launched an election for Game of Thrones for the month of August, which lets fans decide who should sit on the Iron Throne. Let's take a look at the candidates and get real nerdy, shall we? First up we've got The Breaker of Chains, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mother of Dragons and heir to the Iron Throne, Daenerys Targaryen. If you're into justice for slaves and a candidate with a proven track record on foreign policy and peacemaking, she's your gal. She's running on a platform of freedom for the "known world," "rebuilding the dragon population," "uniting Essos and Westeros," and "female empowerment." A knock on Dany, however, is that she's an establishment candidate masquerading as a rebel due to the fact that she's got a "divine right" to lead the Seven Kingdoms because she's the last (known) Targaryen around. A vote for Dany also means everyone's favorite drunk, Tyrion Lannister, will be second in command. Next up is (the former) Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, (spoiler alert: the now) King and Warden of the North, Leader of the Free Folk, Wielder of Longclaw, Master of Ghost, the Lord of Light, Rhllors chosen son, Jon Snow, whose campaign got injected with some life recently, literally. Jon's got a strong moral compass, he's a well-respected leader and he's got his eye on the truest threat to the Seven Kingdoms the White Walkers. Snow's running on a platform of sovereignty and resettlement for the free folk, a revamped Night's Watch and military prep for a north-facing war. The knock on Snow is that he knows nothing. On the other hand, he's got fan fave Lyanna Mormont on his ticket, which is sure to win over some voters. The third option is for the incumbent Queen Cersei of House Lannister. She might not be well liked as a person, but she has a proven record of getting the job done, is passionate and driven, and has nothing to lose after all her kids have been killed or tragically committed suicide. A vote for Cersei includes a bailout for the Iron Bank, the reenaction of trial by combat, the separation between Church and Crown, and a focus on family values. Knocks on Cersei are that she just blew up the royal palace and she's a well-known advocate of incest. Her running mate is Qyburn, who I actually had to look up because the name didn't ring any bells, but he's that guy who announced her as the new Queen. Finally, we've got longshot candidate Lord Protector of the Vale, Lord of the Fingers and Harrenhal, Former Master of Coin, Purveyor of Beauty and Discretion, Petyr Littlefinger Baelish, who is a sneaky politician if there ever was one. He's definitely known to be intelligent, but he's certainly not trustworthy. He's running on a ticket with Sansa Stark, which is a plus, but Starks don't have a strong track record of not being killed off. At the time of writing, the Snow/Mormont ticket has begun to pull away with a whopping 59% of the vote. Dany/Tyrion are hanging in there at 33%, while Baelish/Stark and Cersei/Qyburn have captured 5.8% and 2.7% respectively. So, who has your vote? Cast your ballot here. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Who will be sitting on the Iron Throne when the show ends? Disrupt Your Feed 2016 is the year for change. Vote to disrupt the status quo with the intelligent/beautiful duo of Baelish and Stark. Drop This Fact HBO has left the door open for a Game of Thrones spinoff. Kanye West Wants To Partner With IKEA Trending News: Kanye West Wants To Team Up With IKEA To Make Furniture Why Is This Important? Because maybe Kanye is better suited to furniture design than he is fashion. Long Story Short Kanye West wants to work with IKEA on a new range of furniture. Er, HANH?! Long Story Earlier this year, Yeezy was photographed paying a visit to IKEA's head office in Sweden and it sparked a ton of fan speculation that the rapper would partner up with the DIY furniture brand. Well, in an interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Kanye West has now declared he does indeed want to work with IKEA, saying "I have to work with IKEA make furniture for interior design, for architecture. "Yo IKEA, allow Kanye to create, allow him to make this thing because you know what, I want a bed that he makes, I want a chair that he makes." At the moment, IKEA have refused to comment on the potential collaboration... which doesn't exactly rule it out. What on earth it would look like we've no idea but, for now, we'll leave you with this meme of what might happen: Clearly, Kanye's 2015 Autumn fashion line which features heavily distressed and tattered jumpers has had some influence on that one. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Kanye West also said he would run for President in 2020, but is that actually going to happen? Disrupt Your Feed Presenting the Kanye West chair... basically just a big throne. Drop This Fact In 2000, Kanye West was arrested for allegedly stealing a load of printers. It was a case of mistaken identity. Samsung Unveils Galaxy Note7 At Samsung Unpacked NY Trending News: Samsung Finally Unveiled The Galaxy Note7, And It's A Beast Why Is This Important? Because sometimes you need a phone that can handle just a little more than usual. Long Story Short Samsung made serious waves earlier this year with the boldly-designed curved S7 edge, and with the newly unveiled Galaxy Note7, theyre not looking to call it a year just yet. Long Story In their now signature cutting-edge presentation, blending VR and big-name presenters, Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy Note7 in the Manhattan Centers Hammerstein Ballroom in New York city. With all the updates being made to this next generation big-screen device, it looks like theyre moving the needle on what users will soon be expecting to be standard on all their devices. If you werent one of the lucky few in New York (or at one of the simultaneous events in London or Rio de Janeiro) who got to see it up and close and personal, dont worry. Just after the event they dropped the near-full treatment of of it over at www.samsung.com with an immersive 360-degree stream. We're live for the big #GalaxyNote7 event, and it looks awesome! pic.twitter.com/i3MrMMhvzP AskMen Dispatch (@AskMenDispatch) August 2, 2016 To first address any potential confusion: no, you didnt miss the drop of the Galaxy Note6. There just wasnt one. The explanation for the skipped number is twofold: its meant to reduce confusion with what is the latest update to the Note line and the design fits better with that of the recent S7 and S7 edge devices most dramatically in fact, by incorporating the curved edge screen design and technology The Galaxy Note7 itself still provides the much-desired role of being a bigger, more versatile screen with its 5.7-inch curved edge-display. Even compared to the iPhone 6 Plus, which comes in at 5.5-inches, this device is a beast, though one with a very specific goal in mind: it can effortlessly take care of home and work needs all in one device. Whats else is so new as to merit the number jump? The rumored iris scanner has been confirmed, so you really will be able to pick up your phone and have access right away (one less password youll have to memorize sounds good to us!). Beyond simply opening your phone, it will allow you to block access to certain files and even hide secure folders from even being visible to begin with (like the modern equivalent of the old under-the-mattress trick). The iris scanning tech which had been in production for 5 years, will also serve as a new way to use, and provide extra security while using Samsung Pay. Sean Kershaw/AskMen The S Pen, a fan favorite of the Note line, along with promises of generally more precision and refinement, is also going to feature a new live-translation feature. Simply hover over a word and it will automatically give you the equivalent in your language of choice. And, like the rest of the device, its also going to be IP68 water resistant (thats sitting in 5 feet of water for up to 30min). That good news for the next time you need to quickly jot down that number after walking her home in the rain. Each phone will also come with the new square USB-C charging port that you no longer have to worry about plugging it in the right way round. It will also come with a free converter to allow users to keep using any charging cables they bought for their earlier generation Samsung devices. Sean Kershaw/AskMen Aside from the more obvious improvements and futuristic add-ons, the Note7 isnt changing it up too much from its S7/S7 edge counterparts on the inside. A 3500 mAh battery, 64 Gigs of memory and a microSD slot that can accommodate an extra 256 gigs of storage (or as one samsung presenter in NY put it a redonculous amount of storage). You can expect the pre-order on all four color variations of the Note7 to start in the next few days, with a release date of August 19th. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Should Samsung have skipped the Note6, or is this really on-par with the S7 and S7 edge improvements? Disrupt Your Feed There's no way they can pull off all of this increased functionality without making it bloated and clunky. Drop This Fact Samsung Galaxy Note7 users will be able to capture short snippets from videos they're watching and in real-time create shareable .Gifs on the fly. By Ahmad Samarji, Academic: Forensic Science Education, Maths Education, STEM Education, and ICTE, Phoenicia University Flickr/WorldSkills UK, CC BY One of the basic principles of forensic science is Locards Exchange Principle which says: Every contact leaves a trace. It was formulated in the early 20th century, by French criminologist Edmond Locard, and still informs forensic inquiries today. But the term trace is no longer explicit to physical and biological traces. It also includes digital ones where cyber or virtual contacts (emailing, Skyping, surfing the net, and so on) leave digital imprints such as an IP address or the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of a mobile phone. The work of forensic scientists has so far been overwhelmed with identifying, collecting and analysing such traces to see if they map to a suspect in a specific investigation. But hardly any time, resources or support are used to try to detect certain patterns across those traces. Forensic scientists worldwide are not encouraged or even allowed to be proactive; rather, they are simply reactive. The main reason behind the lack of support and shortage in funding for forensic scientists is that the relationship between law enforcement and forensics is more of control and dominance rather than true partnership. In other words, the vast majority of law enforcement agencies worldwide still control forensic science practice, set their priorities and set the budget for things such as research and training. Evidence from the past But forensic scientists have in the past done much to identify patterns that have led to changes in behaviour. It was forensic medical practitioners who identified that placing babies face down to sleep was one of the contributors to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Following awareness campaigns such as the worldwide Back to Sleep campaign in the early 1990s, SIDS has declined from 2 to 0.5 per 1,000 live births in many developed countries in 2007. In England and Wales it has dropped to 0.28 per 1,000 live births. Other examples on the preventive role of forensics can be extracted from transportation safety regulations, where the investigation carried out by forensic experts led to improvements such as seatbelts and avoiding texting while driving. Evidence from the present The notion of protective and preventive forensic science was reflected in the recent International Academy of Legal Medicine conference that I participated in, held in Venice in June. The conferences theme was P5: Medicine and Justice. The P5 symbolises the five Ps: personalised, preventive, predictive, participatory and protection. These five Ps support the proactive notion of forensic science and forensic medicine. But much is still needed. For instance, the conference was told that forensic medical practitioners in a number of countries report instances of domestic and sexual violence against foreign housekeepers. They have detected certain patterns in the assessment of these cases and are keen to combat this issue, but to no avail. Law enforcement and authorities are mainly interested in the forensic work and autopsy if required. Another example is forensic medical practitioners who are called to investigate incidents relating to refugees and displaced people in camps. They told the conference that in some incidents, death was not a result of a criminal behaviour but due to negligence and lack of safety measures. These practitioners are very keen to work on awareness campaigns to minimise and reduce these incidents. These practitioners are the ones on the frontline and they are the best situated to recommend to authorities the Dos and Don'ts. But no one is really interested to listen beyond their forensic report and testimony in a court of law. Lessons for the future We now live in a world faced with more security challenges, terrorist attacks, repeated security breaches in what we once assumed were secure places such as airports. There is increasing ambiguity surrounding incidents, for example aeroplane crashes and mobile phones exploding while charging, so a shift from the reactive to proactive mode is required. Imagine if forensic scientists who examined the personal items collected from a terrorist could further investigate such items and those of other terrorists so they could detect certain patterns. This could help prevent the occurrence of further attacks. Imagine if forensic scientists investigating a suspected death of a child wandering with a digital device were able to build a hypothesis relating to the device. They could then consult with engineers to further research the matter and come up with extra measures for product safety. Imagine if similar patterns were identified for workplace-related injuries. Imagine how safer and securer it would be. The current quasi-military and legal mindset needs to change and support forensic scientists to go beyond the standard work on traces. They need to be encouraged to investigate patterns or potential patterns across these traces. Such inquiries will prompt collaborative work with criminologists, engineers, social psychologists, educators, police, intelligence departments and policymakers. The aim of all would be to find out how to prevent the occurrence or minimise the recurrence of an incident, crime or attack. It is about time forensic scientists are listened to and that the science and scientific mindset lead the work. It is about time that scientific curiosity for pattern identification leads proactive conversations across various fields and disciplines to ensure safety, security, protection, prevention and justice. Conventionally, forensic science and forensic medicine have been perceived as sciences associated with crimes, deaths, disasters, disputes and offences. It is about time that forensics is seen as a science for life and for cherishing life. Ahmad Samarji does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above. Originally published in The Conversation. The Prime Minister of Australia has hailed the government's policy of turning back boats containing asylum seekers as a success.Malcolm Turnbull, speaking two years since the last boat reached Australia, said Operation Sovereign Borders has been successful border policy. 'Secure borders and a well-managed migration system are the bedrock of confidence on which our successful multicultural society is built,' he added.Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also praised the policy. 'Since OSB commenced, 700 people from 28 people smuggling ventures have been returned to their countries of departure. Settlement in Australia will never be an option for people who attempt to travel illegally by boat. There are no exceptions,' he said.'People smugglers should be warned that Australia's maritime assets are strongly positioned to detect and turn back any people smuggling ventures. Intelligence tells us that we must remain resolute because people smugglers are continuing to work hard to convince vulnerable people to get on unsafe people smuggling boats,' he added.He pointed out that the Government will continue its work with regional partners to disrupt people smuggling and he called on families in Australia to tell their loved ones overseas not to risk their lives and waste their money by attempting to come illegally by boat to Australia.'Australia's tough border protection measures remain in place and we are absolutely determined to make sure it stays that way,' Dutton added.It is estimated that before the introduction of the controversial policy there were 50,000 unauthorised arrivals on 800 boats, 1,200 deaths at sea, over 8,000 children put into detention, 17 detention centres opened and $11 billion spent on border protection.Dutton said that the policy has restored security at the border, integrity to the immigration programme and with it the trust of the Australian people. 'This Government has closed 17 detention centres, removed all the children from detention,' he explained.He also said that as a result Australia is able to increase the annual refugee intake from 13,750 up to 18,750 by 2018/2019 because the economy can support those additional numbers.'We have been very conscious of the plight of Christians and other persecuted minorities caught in the bitter sectarian conflict in Syria and Iraq. And so we are also welcoming 12,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict zone focused on those persecuted minorities,' Dutton continued.'The reason Australians welcome high levels of immigration, the highest since the early post-war period, is that we have confidence that our government is in control of our immigration program, deciding who can come here and ensuring that when they do they receive the support needed to integrate into Australian society,' he concluded. Hello , My wife is a Software Engineer and we have got a positive report in the ACS assessment and we are waiting for the PTE results ,as of now she has got 40 points (25 for age / 15 for Education ) and she has to get 20 points in PTE to lodge the Visa Application. I have done my BBM (Bangalore university ) and MBA from Australia , can I get my assessment done from CPA as accountant and add 5 points to my spouse application. Some people are telling that both of them should be in same profession and belong to same assessing body ( ACS/CPA ) and some are telling that both the occupation should belong to either SOL or CSOL , one cant be SOL and another cant be CSOL . Can you please advise. Thanks Hey Guys ,Just wanted to thank everyone for all the help and support over the last year . My partner and I just applied for our de facto visa through our agent . This forum has been a great sounding board and also relieving just to read other people's stories. I'll definitely keep everyone updated on our outcome (whenever that may be)Carla Government confirms that BS-IV fuel will be available in a phased manner; Centre gears-up for BS-VI by 2020. The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply yesterday that BS-IV auto fuel will be available across the country by April 1, 2017 in a phased manner. In the first phase (completed by April 2015), BS-IV fuel was made available to the whole of Northern India covering J&K (except Leh/Kargil), Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and the bordering districts of and parts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. In the second phase (by April 2016), BS-IV grade fuel was to be made available to all of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and the Union territories of Daman & Diu, Dadra-Nagar-Haveli and Andaman & Nicobar, parts of Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. The corridor spanning the highway link through Gujarat and Rajasthan linking Northern India to the ports on the West Coast was also covered. The Ministry had issued an order on May 22, 2015 to all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and other stakeholders conveying its readiness for switching over directly from BS-IV to BS-VI quality fuel with effect from April 2020. In line with this, OMCs have begun upgrading their refineries with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore for 100 percent BS-IV fuel quality by 2017. Further, an additional investment of Rs 30,000 crore has been estimated for BS-VI fuel quality upgradation. The OMCs, the government release says, have already initiated actions to meet BS-VI fuel quality across the country by April 2020. Further, the Department of Heavy Industries says that vehicle manufacturers in India have not expressed any inability to meet BS-VI norms. TVS Apache RTR 300, based on the Akula 310 concept,to share the same engine as the BMW G310 R. Spy shots of the production version of TVS Akula 310 conceptbeing tested have been spotted online. The concept that is expected to be namedthe Apache RTR 300, is the TVS Motor Companys take on the BMW G310R, which was developed jointly with BMW Motorrad. When it was first displayed at Auto Expo 2016, the Akula 310 was guisedas a track-focused machine, sporting carbonfibre body panels and no headlights, tail-lights, indicators or anything else that might suggest the bike could be road-legal. The production version however looks like its ready, or soon will be, to hit the road. From the pictures, it looks like the RTR 300gets a tall windshield and upside-down front forks and front disc brakes, while it will be safe to assume that it will also featuremonoshock rear suspension, reardisc brakes, two-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS) and fully digital instrument panel. It is also our understanding that with TVS tie-up with Pirelli to supply tyres for the recently launched Apache RTR 200 4V, this new bike could be shod with Pirelli rubber. However, considering that the BMW G310R has been spotted testing with Michelin tyres, they may even carry over those on to the RTR 300, as the two bikes are very closely related. The Apache RTR 300 will be powered by the same 313cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine as the BMW G310 R. The engine produces 33.6hp and 28Nm of torque, and is expected to come mated to a six-speed gearbox. That being said, it remains to be seen if the state of tune of this motor will be altered to suit the requirements of the new Apache. There is no official word on the TVS Apache RTR 300s launch date, and while we are hoping for the bike to hit showrooms late this year, theres a good chance that it might actually see release sometime in 2017. (With inputs from Priyadarshan Bawikar) NHTSA The accident happened in his driveway, in front of his Studio City home, and was related to a confusing gear shifter design used in his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee . According to court records, Antons parents, Victor and Irina Yelchin, have filed court documents to become the administrators of their sons estate with the Los Angeles Superior Court.Anton Yelchin died without a will, and had left an estate of approximately $1.4 million. According to the Associated Press , his family plans to sue Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the corporation that owns the Jeep brand and builds the Grand Cherokee . The reported charges will be wrongful death, according to sources quoted by Associated Press.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has already expressed their sympathies to the late actors family, but company representatives have not commented the matter further. An investigation of thehas revealed 266 accidents involving the potentially confusing gear shifter design, and 68 people were injured because of it as of late June 2016.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has decided to issue a global recall action for 1.1 million vehicles fitted with a monostable gear selector, which can be confusing to use. As previously explained, the problem is that the gear lever always returns to the central position after selecting a gear.In case the user wants to select Park, so that the vehicle is safely stopped, they must wait for the transmission to acknowledge the input, while going through Neutral and Reverse. In conventional gear selector designs, this is not an issue, as the level opposes a mechanical resistance to the actions of the operator.Furthermore, other automakers with monostable shifter designs, like BMW, had the inspiration to place both a dedicated Park button on their selectors, as well as a button to unlock the shifter from the Drive or Sport gear, a switch that exists in the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and equivalent models. Approximately 30 Audi managers organized the event, and it was supposed to be paid by the company. Unfortunately for the CEO and his colleagues, the event was not seen well by the Volkswagen Group , especially when the matter of the bill appeared on the table.According to German media, the company refused to pay for the event, and Stadler and other partygoers were asked to fit the bill. Germanys Bild Am Sonntag reports that Rupert Stadler had to pay approximately 12,500 euros, but only his part of the bill was disclosed.The reports say the party took place at a hotel called Rothehof, located in Wolfsburg , and that it involved two music bands. Apparently, the event was first approved as a company sanctioned the gathering, but an internal revision reclassified the function as a private party.Most likely, the bill of the event reached a hefty sum, which might have exceeded the original budget that was approved. The situation might also be linked to the Dieselgate scandal, which has brought significant expenses for the German corporation Considering that Volkswagen is under scrutiny because of questionable decisions in the past, the board of executives might have decided not to finance a party while the company is going through hard times concerning its image.If news of the event had reached the media (Captain Obvious here - it did reach the news) and the German group would have paid for the entire event, the entire corporations image would have been damaged.As recent history has shown, banking executives have done such deeds, in the form of parties and vacations paid with company funds, shortly after a bankruptcy. In the case of other enterprises in the insurance field, the AIG bonus payments controversy stands out.In 2009, AIG wanted to pay bonuses to the employees of its financial services division, and it added up to a reported $218 million. At the time, the U.S. Government managed to levy a 90% tax on bonuses awarded by businesses that received over $5 billion in Treasury aid. Volkswagen s leadership council probably feared that the party planned by Rupert Stadler and his colleagues would lead to outrage, and that might have led to the decision to make the employees pay. The new Ducati Multistrada sport adventure bike is packed with technology and features, but the new offer grants possible buyers 1,000 (1,185 / $1,574) in parts to either accessorize their new motorcycle or gear up with branded apparel. Parts can be added individually or as part of specially conceived optional packages.If you like getting on rough terrains and explore, you can tick the box for the Enduro pack, which adds crash bars, a radiator grille, LED lights as well as brake disc and chain guard protectors.The Touring pack is as useful for those in search of long road trips, coming with 85-liter Touratech side cases, heated grips and a handlebar bag. Same goes for the Urban pack that fits your bike with a 38-liter aluminum Touratech top case, tank bag and charger.A Sport pack is on the list too, adding a homologated Termignoni titanium exhaust, brake and clutch fluid tank covers and black pump cover. A Ducati Corse C2 two-piece leather suit is also within reach with the new offer if you dont need additional bike accessories.The offer includes VAT and is available only if a new Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro is purchased until 30 September 2016 through an official UK Ducati dealership.A standard Multistrada 1200 Enduro can be had for 16,890 (20,020 / $22,435) and comes with semi-active Sachs suspension both front and rear, high-capacity 30-liter fuel tank, wired 19-inch front and 17-inch rear rims, twin-sided swingarm as well as the 160 hp Ducati Testastretta DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) engine that is fitted with a new exhaust. Electronic aids are present too, including cornering lights, traction control, wheelie control and vehicle hold control. Now, though, it has come to our attention that the German state of Bavaria, the home of BMW, will not let the Dieselgate scandal slide so easily. A recently published report from Automotive News Europe highlights that Bavarias state pension fund for civil servants lost as much as 700,000 ($783,580) after VW shares plunged in the wake of the Sept.18 announcement by U.S. regulators that VW had rigged diesel engines to lower NOx pollution.In this regard, Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder told German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur the following: We want this money back. Now try to guess how Mr. Soeder will try to get those 700,000 back into the coffer. Indeed, the regional government of Bavaria will take legal action against the Volkswagen Group. Incidentally, the regional court of Brunswick is not too far away from Wolfsburg, the stomping ground of Volkswagen. If you allow me to put my serious face on, this is not good news for the Volkswagen Group because it creates a precedent. If Bavaria becomes the first German state to sue VW over the Dieselgate screw-up, then I am afraid that the remaining 15 states are prone to follow in Bavarias footsteps.Furthermore, this bit of news from the domestic market of VW couldnt have come at a worse time for the automaker. Not only has South Korea suspended the sale of 32 Volkswagen Group models, but the profit of Porsche SE has dropped approximately 41 percent on lower earnings in the first half of the year. And yes, Porsche SE is that entity which owns 31.5 percent of Volkswagen AG shares and 50.7 percent of voting rights (a.k.a the majority).According to the holding company, the slump is primarily due to expenses and income as well as dividend payments recognized directly in equity. As Maranello told Autocar , the pair of 2+2 models come with an average buyer age that's a whopping 10 percent younger compared to that of the 612 Scaglietti that represented Ferrari's Grand Tourer model before the FF came along in 2011.One of the reasons for which automakers always pursue such goals is demonstrated be one of the effects of the Ferrari change mentioned above, namely that 40 percent of ff and GTC4Lusso customers were lured into the Prancing Horse portfolio from other brands, with these people racking up 50 percent more miles in their cars compared to 612 onwers.The Italian automaker pulled such a stunt by deciding to take a risk. The styling of the FF has been nothing short of an opinion splitter (no aerodynamic pun intended), but it has built a strong case for the car.With younger generations tending to favor actual assets rather than tradition when acquiring a car, a simple evolution of the 612 wouldn't have been as appealing. Besides, the FF no longer seems like a wild venture if we compared it to the design proposals that didn't make the cut.If we want to simply things to the extreme for the sake of giving an example, we can use Shmee150 - one of the most famous vloggers on the automotive side of Youtube, the Brit has acquired a used FF and is considering upgrading to a GTC4Lusso.The other new cars that currently sit in his garage, namely a McLaren 675LT and a Porsche Cayman GT4 come to show another benefit of the shooting brake body used by the FF and GTC4Lusso - with these models, Ferrari has entered a niche and is now fully enjoying the fruits of its labor. For instance, a future where Porsche confirms the 928 revival rumors might see a Youtuber choosing a two-door Panamera over the competing Ferrari model.For now though, the GTC4Lusso only shares its segment with the Bentley Continental GT, but the two are so different that they rarely end up targeting the same customers.We can only applaud Ferrari for adapting to the requirements of an ever more effervescent market and hope more and more automakers will jump this bandwagon. Wester recently expressed his intention to increase the pricing of the Maserati models - "People say we are selling our cars too cheaply," the CEO told Autocar in a recent discussion.Fret not, if you've made plans to buy one of these Italian delights, you don't have to change anything, as long as your acquisition makes for a short-term plan. The carmaker will gradually raise the financial side of its vehicles.With Wester explaining he aims to boost average transaction prices, this also includes options and such a policy will obviously be introduced step by step.If we take a look at the segments where Maserati competes, we generally see the Italians raising above the pricing league of the Audi-BMW-Mercedes German premium trio, with Maserati actually battling Porsche.Well, we suspect Zuffenhausen's financial policy to be the main reason behind Maserati's pricing increase plan. Porsche is well known for the financial black hole that is its optional extras list.Aside from the features we all want on our cars coming with hefty premiums, the Germans have accustomed their clientele with noticeable pricing increases for every new generation, such as the 2017 Panamera , as well as for mid-cycle revamps like the 991.2 Neunelfer change - such a refresh is never just a "facelift" with Porsche, bringing serious updates on the engineering front to justify the pricing boost.And when Porsche's business model has proven successful, both in financial and fan base terms, why should Maserati "sell cars too cheaply"? AWD Novitec has announced it is working on a Huracan LP550-2, and there's a good reason for which we see this and not the freshly-releasedSpyder as the greater challenge.You see, the RWD Huracan isn't quite as sharp as the Ferrari 488 GTB or the McLaren 650S when it comes to putting its power down, which makes us incredibly curious about the Italian tuning house's take on the matter.Returning to the open-air development that has just landed in our inbox, this follows the developments we've seen with Novitec Torado's Huracan Coupe.The 5.2-liter V10 has been supercharged, with the output jumping from 602 hp and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) to 860 ponies and 708 lb-ft (960 Nm) of twist. Sure, the blower path means you don't get the four-digit power statement of the twin-turbo models, but the instant response and soundtrack assets offered by the supercharging are more in tune with the Lamborghini spirit.Speaking of the soundtrack, this is delivered with the help of an exhaust system built from Inconel, the material used by F1 cars.As for the connection to the road, this is established by a lowering suspension that brings the supercar 35mm closer to the road. Fortunately, the company has realized not everybody wants to join the slammed culture, so it is currently preparing and adjustable coilover solution. Custom wheels, which comes in a 20-inch size up front and in a 21-inch size at the back, are also on the menu, being shod in Pirelli P Zero rubber.The list of enhancements is complete by a carbon fiber body kit, which seems to build on the factory styling cues of the Huracan nicely.P.S.: High-velocity fans shouldn't fret, as the aero bits have been optimized in the wind tunnel. Contrary to expectation, this sale suspension is not related directly to the Dieselgate scandal , but was discovered when investigators raided the companys local headquarters. At the time, they found evidence that revealed that the Volkswagen Group had submitted forged documents on emissions and or noise level tests for 32 of its models.Volkswagen had apparently anticipated the South Korean governments decision, and had suspended sales of most of its models on July 25, ahead of the announcement. One of the companys local executives was arrested after South Korean prosecutors raided the offices of the branch.The sale suspension includes Audi Volkswagen , and Bentley models, as Automotive News reports. Along with the temporary sale suspension, the Volkswagen Group also received a fine of 17.8 billion won, which is the equivalent of just $16.6 million. When compared to the companys settlement in the USA and its financial power overall, we can afford (pun intended) to say just $16 million.South Korea is Asias fourth-biggest economy, and the Volkswagen Group tripled its sales in the said country last year, reaching 35,778 vehicles. The sale ban also brought upon the revocation of certification for 83,000 vehicles of the Audi, Volkswagen, and Bentley brands.In total, the Volkswagen Group has a total of 209,000 vehicles sold in South Korea that no longer have a certification of approval from the authorities. At the moment, it is unclear what the automaker has to do to obtain the necessary certificates for those vehicles. We are thinking about the cars with falsified noise or emissions reports, not the Dieselgate-affected models.Compared to Volkswagens sales results in South Korea, local authorities have managed to remove the certification for approximately 68% of the vehicles sold by the automaker in the country since 2007.Out of the 209,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles without a certification in South Korea, about 126,000 are related to the Dieselgate situation. AMG Last week, the Blue Oval sent out all the emails regarding the allocations and Tim from Youtube supercar channel Shmee150 says he received one. Of course, we aren't going to write a story about each and every one of those hundreds of people, but he is an interesting example.You see, when Ferrari looked for LaFerrari future owners, it took into consideration loyal fandom. But Ford just wants Internet fame and is giving GTs out to people in the spotlight, not the ones who have a garage full of Escort Cosworths and other such goodies. Shmee150 just bought a Focus RS as a daily driver and as far as we know he doesn't have the old GT. But he has got the most popular supercar channel in Britain. Just the video where he discussed the Ford GT allocation has go a quarter of a million views since July 29th.In this video, Tim talks about how he fell in love with the 2017 Ford GT after seeing it at the Detroit Auto Show in January and how he sent emails to Ford dealers in Britain, even though they knew nothing about the car yet.Tim also talks about the application form that he completed in April. It shows Ford was looking for previous owners, but also trendsetters and car collectors. He's both of those things, as he has owned several McLarens, a Ferrari FF and is currently waiting to have a Mercedes-GT R delivered.Yes, he also has a blue Focus RS that takes center stage in the video. But that arrived after the applications had been examined and reviewed. Let's be honest here, of the few GTs that are coming to Britain next year, a few had to go towards people with huge Internet communities behind them. Otherwise, there would be no point to the supercar being built by a regular automaker. But do you think it's fair Shmee150 go an allocation? Photo: Chery Automobile During July, Chery and its local dealer group launched a two-month summer extreme heat adaptive road test-drive in Saudi Arabia with its flagship models, including Tiggo 5, Arrizo 3 and Arrizo 7. The comprehensive adaptive test-drive of more than 15,000 km was carried out in different road conditions, such as desert highways, coastline, mountains, and urban roads, aiming to ensure that the performance and quality of the products can meet the characteristic demands of different consumers in Saudi Arabia, according to Chery. Saudi Arabia is the largest automobile market in the gulf region with annual sales of 800,000 units, accounting for more than half of the entire auto sales of the gulf region. Saudi Arabia is becoming one of the key target markets for all the global automobile brands, according to the automaker. Located in the center of the Arab Plateau with rugged terrain across the country, its most regions are tropical desert climate, and more than 90% areas are covered by desert. The average temperature all the year round is up to 30, and the average temperature in the summer is over 50. The severe natural environment has raised the operational threshold for all car brands to enter the Saudi market, according to the automaker. Chery Automobile said it has been dedicated to the adaptive development of each model in different climate and road conditions ever since entering into the international market, and tries to meet the local demand by improving the product adaptability. The long-distance test-drive of Chery under different road conditions in the heat and harsh local environment has effectively verified the comprehensive performance of the vehicle in fuel consumption, power, stability and comfort. In May this year, Chery launched its brand in Saudi Arabia market with Tiggo 3, Tiggo 5 and Arrizo 7. The FAAs Office of Commercial Space Transportation has awarded to Virgin Galactic the operator license it needs to move forward with taxi and flight tests for SpaceShipTwo, the company announced this week. SpaceShipTwo is the passenger-carrying vehicle that ultimately will be carried to about 50,000 feet by WhiteKnightTwo. From that altitude, SpaceShipTwo will be released and its own rocket engine ignited to carry a pilot and passengers to the edge of space. Virgin Galactic also said it has begun taxi tests with the vehicle, towed behind a Land Rover. This test is an important step towards the flight-test program, the company said in a news release. We couldnt be more proud of our team and their hard work to reach both milestones. The current SpaceShipTwo, christened VSS Unity, has been modified from the original version, which was lost during a test flight in 2014. Virgin says it has been working with the FAA for several years to attain the operator license, which required an in-depth review of the vehicles system design, safety analysis and flight trajectory analysis. We still have much work ahead to fully test this spaceship in flight, said Mike Moses, senior vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic. He added, I am confident that our world-class team is up to the challenge. 2 August 2016 11:23 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Azerbaijan has managed to advance and make a significant progress in the sphere of fiscal transparency, according to the report of the U.S. Department of State released on July 28, 2016. Azerbaijan made significant progress during the review period by publishing more detail on planned expenditures, including allocations to state-owned enterprises, in opinion reports prepared by the Chamber of Accounts, reads the 2016 Fiscal Transparency Report. During the review period, budget documents were publicly available and provided a substantially complete picture of the governments revenues, including natural resource revenues. The report further added that all significant state-owned enterprises had audited accounts publicly available online, while information in budget documents was generally reliable. The supreme audit institution audited a portion of the governments annual executed budget and its reports were publicly available within a reasonable period of time. Azerbaijans fiscal transparency would be improved by: ensuring the supreme audit institution has a plan for auditing all government ministries and agencies over a specific period of time; and fully specifying in law or regulation the process for awarding natural resource extraction contracts or licenses and following that process in practice, according to the report. Financial Transparency report, which is released on an annual basis, contains the information about the minimum requirements of fiscal transparency, which were developed, updated and strengthened by the U.S. Department in consultation with other relevant federal agencies. Minimal requirements of the financial transparency include availability of key budgetary documents. The review includes an assessment of the transparency of processes for awarding government contracts and licenses for natural resource extraction. The fiscal transparency is considered to be a critical element of effective public financial management, helps in building market confidence, and underpins economic sustainability. It also fosters greater government accountability by providing a window into government budgets for citizens, helping them to hold their leadership accountable, and facilitating better-informed public debates. -- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 15:10 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Azerbaijan is experiencing fundamental changes in the sphere of economy, therefore it is reasonable to introduce a multilevel scale of requirements to the capital of banks and other financial institutes, expert Farkhad Amirbeyov told Trend. We are in captivity of a certain stereotype, which says that requirements to all banks, for example, aggregate capital, which stands at 50 million manats ($31.8 million), should be the same. In my opinion, it is much more appropriate to introduce a multilevel scale of requirements. Differentiated requirements will allow financial institutes to render services, range of which will mainly depend on the level of capital and quality of management, he said. Amirbeyov believes that it is reasonable to take into account not only quantitative indicators of banks, such as size of capital but also qualitative index. Capital increase in this mechanism does not lead to the instant increase of the status of bank, regulator analyses its operations and defines transition period. A bank acquires extended license should it improves its qualitative indicators, such as quality of management, readiness to render certain services, ability to manage risks. If not, it may be provided with additional time, he said. Expert mentioned that such notions as systemically-important, structure-forming, very big for being liquidated are relative and very doubtful. Structural and large banks is a very relative notion. As many as three banks (Agro-Investment Bank, Industrial-Investment Bank and Savings Bank) which were considered to be a backbone of the financial system of the country were liquidated in late 1999s and early 2000s. BUS bank was further established through merging three major state banks, which was subsequently privatized and renamed to Kapital Bank. The then decision also triggered many talks and doubts about its correctness. Such notions as large and important are used only when there is no wish to change something, he said. He also mentioned that the principle of differentiation of requirements to the capital and quality is not an innovation in the world practice. The method will allow the market to regulate the quantity of financial institutions and market share. In my opinion, currently, it is desirable to avoid such drastic decisions as cancellation of licenses, as the decision exerts pressure on the operation of the Deposit Insurance fund (ADIF), which is forced to attract credit once again to implement its statutory obligations (the fund attracted credit from the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) worth 22 million manats ($13.8 million) in March 2016. The use of the method of differentiation in regards to the financial institutes will be much more appropriate than the liquidation. In this case, majority of banks will be able to find their niche, but whether they are able to operate within the framework of high level of competition will be defined by the market itself, not by the government," expert said. The licenses of DekaBank, KredoBank, Parabank and Zaminbank have been recently cancelled in Azerbaijan due to their failure to meet necessary requirements specified in the relevant legislation. The Finance Ministry has recently approved the issuance of credit for payment of compensation of deposits in the four closed banks. Earlier, ADIF said that it will attract a two-year loan worth 100 million manats ($63.2 million) from the Central Bank (CBA) to pay compensations to depositors of the banks ADIF has been appointed a liquidator of four banks on July 21. Temporary administrators were appointed to the banks on July 22. The depositors of the closed banks are able to apply for compensations starting August, 1. Licences of EuroBank and Azerbaijan Credit Bank were abolished in 2015. Since the beginning of 2016, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan has terminated the licenses of the Caucasus Development Bank, Atrabank, Ganja Bank, Bank of Azerbaijan, United Credit Bank and NBCBank. Later, the license of NBCBank was restored due to the bank's plans to merge. The Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank also have such plans. Earlier Head of the FMSB Board of Directors Rufat Aslanli said that currently the country has no troubled banks except the International Bank of Azerbaijan and Bank Standard. Nevertheless, the closure of these banks is not currently on the agenda. Currently, 33 banks have licenses for implementing banking activities in Azerbaijan. Official exchange rate of the US dollar and euro to the Azerbaijani manat was set at 1.5883 manats and 1.7749 manats, respectively, on August 2. --- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 13:52 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov New ferries will run between the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat and Kazakhstans Kuryk port, which is currently under construction, CJSC Baku International Sea Trade Port stated. The issue was discussed in Baku as Director General of the Port Taleh Ziyadov met with the delegation headed by President of JSC Kazakhstan Railways Askar Mamin, who visited the new port of Baku. During the meeting, Ziyadov said that the cargo transshipment through the Alat port increased by over threefold, which is linked with the increase of cargo transportation on the route Baku-Aktau-Baku. Mamin, in turn, said that the construction of the new Kuryk port in Kazakhstan will have a positive impact on freight volumes between the two countries. Both the already operating and new ferries will run between Baku and Kuryk ports. Moreover, a free trade zone will be created at the Kuryk port following the example of the Baku port, Mamin added. The ferry complex in Kuryk port is considered to be a strategically important object as it will allow transporting goods to neighboring countries without unloading cars. The new ferry terminal is expected to allow the country to export oil, polyethylene, iron ore and concentrates to world markets through Baku, Azerbaijan. The ferry complex is due to be commissioned in December 2016. The capacity of the port is expected to reach the amount of 4 million tons of freight per year. The Baku International Sea Trade Port is located in the Alat settlement, 40 miles south of Baku. The construction of the Baku International Sea Trade Port started in November 2010. Being located at a crossroads of Europe and Asia nearby important markets such as China, Turkey, Iran and Russia the new port has huge opportunities to become one of the leading trade and logistics hubs of Eurasia. The free trade zone to be created here is expected to make a huge contribution not only to the economy of Azerbaijan, but a whole region. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 16:17 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Flights en route Baku-Sharm el-Sheikh will be resumed once again in September. The flights, which were planned to be re-launched on August 1, have been suspended since July 4 due to the lack of passengers. Egyptian charter airline Air Cairo, the largest company in the country owned by EgyptAir, will resume the flights starting September 1. The first flight from Baku to Sharm el-Sheikh for this year was performed on July 3. Several years ago, charter flights from Baku to Sharm el-Sheikh were operated, but later flights were suspended as there was no demand in this direction which in its turn was connected with unstable political situation in Egypt. Previously, Azerbaijans State Civil Aviation Administration reported that opening of regular flights to Egypt would be possible should aircrafts operating flights on this direction satisfy all necessary security regulations. The launch of non-stop air flights between Baku and Sharm El Sheikh is considered to be a positive step in terms of developing ties between the two countries in the sphere of tourism. Currently the number of Azerbaijani tourists travelling to Egypt is not high, but experts are sure in the future success of non-stop flights, as Sharm el Sheikh is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Arab world. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 16:38 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Baku and Tehran have considered joint projects on production of pharmaceutical products, as well as manufacturing of cars and auto spare parts. The issues were discussed during the meeting of Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev with Irans Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi in Baku. Vaezi visits Baku as part of the preparations for the upcoming visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Azerbaijan. The two ministers also discussed the cooperation in the sphere of oil and gas, energy, customs, agriculture, as well as healthcare, tourism and investment making, the Economy Ministry reported. The parties considered draft agreements on cooperation between the two countries, and other important projects being jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Iran, including the North-South international transportation corridor, which is aimed at connecting Europe to India. This transport corridor is considered to be very important for Azerbaijan both in economic terms and in terms of security and tourism. The project is expected to bring huge economic benefits to the country and significantly increase the volume of cargoes, passing through the territory of Azerbaijan. Vaezi also held talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramin Guluzade. The sides highlighted the need for expansion of mutual cooperation in the field of telecommunications and information technology, MEHR News agency reported. The Iranian side expressed readiness for close cooperation with Azerbaijan in the areas of space and satellite construction, noting that the two countries enjoy a huge potential for cooperation on manufacturing communications equipment and developing software. Earlier, the two countries signed 11 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) covering various areas of cooperation including transportation, electricity swap, health and medical sciences, oil, gas, and petrochemical, as well as customs, social and women affairs. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran stood at 89.75 million manats ($56 million) as of the first half of 2016, or 65.7 percent more than in the same period in 2015, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. Currently, Azerbaijan and Iran are focused on expanding economic ties in various fields, including industry, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, and transportation. --- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 10:52 (UTC+04:00) The OSCE mission will hold a monitoring on troops contact line near the village Orta Garvand of Agdam district According to the mandate of special envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Azerbaijans defense Ministry reported that the monitoring will be held by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and the field assistant Hristo Hristov. On the opposite side, the monitoring will be conducted by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Jiri Aberle and Peter Svedverg. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. Two decades of talks mediated by the OSCE MG group have failed to produce a breakthrough, and the renewed hostilities, the worst since the ceasefire deal signed in 1994, were assessed as the result of inactivity of the international community. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 16:21 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Camal Dramatic events of the past two weeks in Yerevan were assessed by many observers and experts as nothing more than a political show. Yes, it is true that the Armenian authorities have lost credibility of the society and even an insignificant meditative effort to rescue hostages may become a huge achievement for them. But overall, the way the Sasna Tsrer movement began and ended proved for existence of a specific scenario, that pursued to prevent peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. A group of around 30 gunmen had originally seized the police station on July 17, killing a police officer, wounding two others and taking nine people hostage. Later they released all hostages, but on July 23 took new hostages. All the terrorists surrendered to the government on July 31 and released the captivated doctors. The hostage-takers' main demand was the release of Jirair Sefilian, an opposition leader accused by the authorities of plotting civil unrest. The gunmen were also demanding the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan, and blamed the authorities for economic and social problems in the country with a population of roughly 2.9 million people. The Armenian authorities took the advantage and showed the criminal Sefilian, as a representative of the opposition, and presenting the hostage-taking as protest to the Sargsyan regimes mishandling the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Yerevan was deliberately intensifying the emotions with an aim to distract attention from its own crimes, economic failures, social unrest and discontent throughout the country to the Karabakh talks. Expert Arzu Nagiyev believes that whenever any step is taken in connection with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Sargsyan resorts to such options. "This is not the first time, we have seen similar events earlier, he said further explaining his opinion: The OSCE MG co-chairs, engaged in mediation between Baku and Yerevan, stated the importance of continuing meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents for the conflict resolution, adding that the conflict should be solved either based on the Madrid principles, or within the Kazan protocols. And amid the intensification of talks, disturbances take place in Armenia, several people are taken hostage and various conditions were put forward. The first condition was the release of Sefilian, but later there were heard statements over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which stated that Armenia will not make any concessions. Even those criminals, who fought in Karabakh and were part of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, calling themselves veterans began to protest. The essence of the staged events was to lead the resumed Nagorno-Karabakh talks in deadlock, showing that Armenia allegedly will not make any concessions. Nagiyev recalled that after meeting with the OSCE co-chairs Sargsyan immediately flies to Nagorno-Karabakh to calm down the separatist regime established there. "Sargsyan promised them independence. And since he can not fulfill his promise, he begins to organize such a show. Events taking place in Armenia were step towards preventing the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said adding that Yerevan failed to reach its goal. The only thing they could do was to show the West that allegedly Armenia has the opposition and human rights are respected, he said. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan sat at a table of talks twice in Vienna and later in St. Petersburg after the recent worst violence in decades in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. A Moscow-brokered ceasefire put an end to heavy clashes in early April, which were dubbed as Four Day War, whilst tensions remained high as Armenia continued to target the Azerbaijani civilians in the frontline zone. Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan agreed to continue the peace talks, while the OSCE MG co-chair countries increased efforts to organize new meetings. Reportedly, the new round of talks would be held in August in Paris and later in the Unites States, while events in Armenia prolong the date. Baku insists on the meaningful negotiations, addressing only the conflict resolution, rather than any extraneous issues, said expert Rasim Musabekov. Musabekov believes that ahead of the expected Paris meeting Sargsyan wants to win time. The events taking place in Yerevan show that the Armenian authorities already lack maneuver options, while Sargsyan uses these events as a tool to win time. Claiming the threats of terror, civil war and unrests he seeks to get new concessions from the OSCE MG co-chair states, he said emphasizing that he will not be able to achieve this goal. The April outbreak of the tensions revealed a vacuum in the peace process and urgency of finding a just resolution to the conflict. Almost everyone involved recognized that the renewal of a war would be extremely bloody and destructive. Thus, the fighting and the resumed peace talks with participation of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents make this a moment of opportunity. Holding talks for the sake of talks or seeking to keep a status-quo in the decades-old ceasefire is no longer an option -- Baku announced warning against Yerevans provocations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 11:32 (UTC+04:00) The embassy of Morocco in Azerbaijan arranged an official reception to mark the country`s national holiday Throne Day marked celebrated on July 30 each year, Azertac reported. Moroccan Ambassador to Baku Hassan Hami spoke of his country's path of development, noting the country has gained political and economic progress in the last years under the leadership of the King Mohammad VI. Expressing pleasure with the current level of the traditional friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Morocco, Hami said both countries have confidently developed their bilateral ties in the political, economic, cultural and other fields. He went on to note that both countries support each other within the international organizations to make joint efforts for expansion of cooperation. Minister of Communications and High Technologies, Ramin Guluzade congratulated the people of Morocco on behalf of the Government of Azerbaijan stressing the history of relations between the two countries. Morocco recognized independence of Azerbaijan on December 30, 1991. Diplomatic relations between two countries has been established on August 25, 1992. Azerbaijani embassy opened in Rabat in 2006, while the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco opened in Baku in 2009. Throne Day is a very special day for Morocco and its whole nation, its one of the most celebrated days of the year. The Day was established when Morocco gained independence and the title of Sultan was replaced with the title of King. During the rule of Mohammed V, it was celebrated on November 18. When his successor Hassan II ascended the throne, the date was moved to March 3. Following the enthronement of Mohammed VI, Moroccans began to celebrate Throne Day on July 30. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 11:59 (UTC+04:00) The International Naval Contest of surface ships crews Caspian Sea Cup-2016 was launched in the Dagestani town of Kaspiysk, according to Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry. Some 130 crew members from Russian, Kazakh and Azerbaijani teams participate in the competition which is part of the International Army Games 2016 running from July 30 to august 13 in Russia. Caspian Cup features three stages, where ships will use their weapons, battle for survival, and show off their naval and rescue skills. Last summer, naval forces of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran participated in the Caspian Cup - 2015 international contest. Azerbaijan was represented by one rescue tug and two frigates. In the first stage of the competition, the naval forces of the participating countries tested their skills in artillery. Ships of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation showed high skills in the course of aerial gunnery. Azerbaijani sailors demonstrated their skills in the destruction of floating mines and obstacles in heavy hydro-meteorological conditions. After the first stage of the competition, patrol ship of Azerbaijani naval forces ranked the third place. During the second round crews worked through the transmission and reception of signals using colorized flags in accordance with the international code of signals. In this discipline, Azerbaijan was the first. In transition of ships to the areas of anchorages and anchoring them, Azerbaijan became the second. Overall, Azerbaijani Navy Forces keep systematically implementing their exercises and their volumes are growing constantly. Naval Forces of the country are regarded as one of the strongest and most equipped in the Caspian sea region. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 11:00 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani tank crews are participating in "Tank biathlon" as part of "International Army Games - 2016" running in the Russian Federation from July 30 to August 13. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that tank crews from Venezuela, Belarus, Angola, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan demonstrated their skills in individual races on the second day of the competition. In "Individual race", each tank crew must go through 3 circles up to 5 km in length to perform the firing from gun, anti-aircraft machine-gun and coaxial machine gun. In each round the tanks must overcome various obstacles and barriers, the Ministry said. At each stage of shooting targets are the models of tanks, helicopters and antitank crews of the imaginary enemy. The result of tank crew arrival will consist of the total travel time distance with penalty points. 12 teams with the highest number of points on the basis of "Individual race" will go to the semi-finals and take part in "Relay race". Tank biathlon is held at the Alabino shooting range, Moscow Region, from July 30 to August 13. International Army Games started off in the town of Kubinka near Moscow on July 30 with competition in tank biathlon where seventeen teams are taking part. Kubinka is a major center of Russian Armor Troops that boasts a superb testing range and the Armor Museum, which displays armored technologies from many nations and periods of history. All in all, the program of the Army Games includes 23 contests to be held in Russia and in Kazakhstan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 14:37 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova As many as 148 convicts have been amnestied in Azerbaijan for the six months of this year, while documents of 277 convicts have been sent to the court. "The convicts were released from detention in a timely and precisely way based on a decree signed by the Head of the State on March 17, 2016," Deputy Chief of the Penitentiary Service of the Justice Colonel Ogtay Mammadov said at the expanded meeting regarding the results of service activities for the first half of 2016. Speaking at the meeting, the Head of the Penitentiary Service, Major-General of Justice Jeyhun Hasanov stressed that the decision on amnesty of the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Republic initiated by the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva covering 10,000 prisoners, including 3,500 to be released from the places deprivation of liberty, and affected 2,800 people in the correctional institutions of the prison service. More than 2,500 people have been released from prisons so far, while the execution of the Amnesty Act still continues, he added. Under the Act, all inmates incarcerated for crimes that do not pose serious public danger, women indicted for less serious offences, those who were aged under 18 when they committed a crime, disabled people, men who turned 60, those who have underage or first or second group disabled children under their charge, those who participated in the battles for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, those who were by force resettled from their native lands as a result of occupation. "We continue to implement the law adopted on May 6, 2016 and work on adding new amendments to the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the circle of the people covered by the Act has been identified, and documents of 277 prisoners serving sentences in prisons were sent to the court," Mammadov noted. He also added that as a result of inspections in this period, 265 mobile phones were detected and seized from the prisoners. In addition, 159 grams of various kinds of drugs and psychotropic substances and 23 liters of fermented liquid used for manufacturing of alcoholic beverages were found too. These materials were submitted to the relevant law enforcement agencies for the legal assessment. In turn, the interaction with other law enforcement agencies contributed to disclosing 265 different crimes, says Mammadov. Individual heads of departments of the Prison Service and the heads of correctional institutions held presentations at the meeting as well. The first bill regarding the amnesty issue has unanimously passed in the Parliament of Azerbaijan on the occasion of May 28 Republic Day, which was submitted by the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 14:45 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Russias President Vladimir Putin will visit Baku on August 8 to take part in the first trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents. The Russian, Azerbaijani and Iranian presidents, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Hassan Rouhani are expected to discuss the relevant issues of the international and regional politics, as well as the prospects for establishing practical cooperation, especially, in the spheres of energy and transportation, said the website of Kremlin Moreover, Putin is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his Azerbaijani and Iranian counterparts in Baku. A trilateral meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran in Baku is an important moment for the future construction and operation of the project "North-South", a political analyst and a senior Gulf State Analytics Advisor in Washington, Theodore Karasik told Trend News Agency. Karasik noted that this meeting will give an impetus and speed up the implementation of this transportation project. "The project is not only an economic, but also geopolitical, and it requires some discussions and clarifications," he added. Major portions of the project have been already completed, however, there is much work to be done especially with the Iranian segment, said the expert. He also added that the presidential-level meeting needs to address a salient issue for now: pushing forward the construction of Iranian trunk and discussions on transit fees and customs. "The project will significantly reduce the costs and time of transportation. The meeting of the heads of the three countries in Baku will discuss customs, transit costs, as well as other important issues," said Karasik. The North-South transportation corridor is designed to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. Future development of the international transport corridor can have beneficial consequences not only on reducing the transport cost, but will also strengthen the trade relations between the countries. Earlier, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said that Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are considering the sources of funding the construction of the railway as part of the North-South transport corridor. The heads of the railway administrations of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran have signed an agreement establishing a joint venture as part of the project of North-South railway transport corridor in Tehran on February 7. The future perspectives of this issue are expected be discussed in the summit. Although, Azerbaijan has signed several bilateral agreements with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the further development of the North South Transport Corridor plays a significant role for the trade sector of Azerbaijan, since both Russia and Iran are considered the main key actors in the region. Cooperation with the two countries together will affect the different spheres, such as energy and tourism. In addition, the consequences of the meeting may positively affect the future status of the Caspian Sea. The meeting of leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, is scheduled for August 8 in Baku. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 10:43 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Camal Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR doesnt see progress in the project for construction of an underground gas storage facility in Georgia for the present, a source in SOCAR told Trend on August 1. Currently, Georgia is waiting for completion of the projects feasibility study by the French Geostock company, which is the contractor of the project. The full and comprehensive feasibility study is not ready for the present. The issue is that there can be additional wells, which were not earlier taken into account on the territory of Samgori field, where the gas storage will be built. Geostock is elaborating the feasibility study by taking into account those wells, the source said. Noting that there is no information about progress so far, the source added that however, the work continues It was announced that the feasibility study will be completed in autumn, but it is impossible to specify the date, added the source. The construction of the gas storage facility is expected in 2016. After the completion of the construction, it will be possible to store 230-250 million cubic meters of natural gas, or around 15 percent of the gas consumption in Georgia. SOCAR intends to take part in the construction of the gas storage facility in Georgia, since the Azerbaijani gas supplied to this country by the company will be the primary resource for injection into the gas storage. Azerbaijan supplies about 90 percent of Georgia's gas consumption via the South Caucasus Pipeline from Shah Deniz and the Gazimohammed-Tbilisi pipeline from SOCAR. Gazprom is also supplying gas to Georgia as a part of 10% transit fee for gas exported to Armenia through Georgia via the North-South Caucasus gas pipeline. SOCAR-Energy Georgia bought Georgias natural gas distribution companies in 2008 and ITERA-Georgia in 2012 and hence controls the entire natural gas distribution system of Georgia. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 11:54 (UTC+04:00) The military coup attempt in Turkey cost $100 billion to the countrys economy, the Hurriyet newspaper quoted Turkey's Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci as saying on August 2. Nevertheless, the countrys markets successfully coped with it, he added. The July 15 coup attempt occurred when rogue elements in the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country's democratically elected government. Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,000 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration into Turkish state and government establishments, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the "parallel state". The General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces has said that 8,651 servicemen of the armed forces participated in the military coup attempt in the country. The rebels used 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 246 tanks and three vessels during the military coup attempt in Turkey. The Turkish president declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 15:58 (UTC+04:00) Turkey sent the U.S. another request last week for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, Anadolu Agency reported on August 2 referring to Turkish Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag. The July 15 coup attempt occurred when rogue elements in the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country's democratically elected government. Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,000 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration into Turkish state and government establishments, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the "parallel state". The General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces has said that 8,651 servicemen of the armed forces participated in the military coup attempt in the country. The rebels used 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 246 tanks and three vessels during the military coup attempt in Turkey. The Turkish president declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20 --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 16:47 (UTC+04:00) It is planned to close down the High Military Administrative Court and Military High Court of Appeals in Turkey, the TRT Haber news channel quoted Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as saying on August 2. He made the remarks during the meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in the parliament. The prime minister noted that it is necessary to make amendments to the constitution in order to close down those courts and the discussions with oppositional parties on these amendments have already started. Yildirim said that it is also planned to remove the military units from the city centers and to transfer the management of military factories, maintenance agencies and shipyards from the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces to the Ministry of National Defense. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 August 2016 18:05 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Europe is yet to pay $3 billion to Turkey for refugee provision. "Turkey has defended Europe from the influx of refugees," TRT Haber TV channel quoted Erdogan as saying at a meeting with international investors in Ankara on August 2. The Heads of State and the EU Member States' governments agreed with Turkey upon a joint plan to combat the migration crisis in mid-March. The program is focusing on the return of illegal immigrants arriving from Greece to the territory of Turkey and accepting legal Syrian refugees in Turkey by the EU based on to the principle of "one for one". "Europe has never kept its promise. They still have not paid $3 billion allocated for maintenance of refugees. They cannot demand anything without fulfilling their promises," said Erdogan. Earlier, Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir reported that Ankara will get $3 billion allocated by the EU for the maintenance of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Currently, there are more than two million Syrian refugees in the territory of Turkey. Approximately 300,000 of them live in the camps and the rest are scattered over the Turkish provinces. Only Istanbul is host to 40,000 refugees from Syria. In turn, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the EU that Turkey will have to withdraw from the implementation of the migrants return program that unless the visa facilitation occurs. Previously, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the EU that Turkey will have to withdraw from the implementation of the migrants return program unless the visa facilitation occurs. Turkey has long waited for its EU membership, while each application to accede to the European Union was frustrating for the government. Turkey, holding a status of an associate member at the Economic Community -- the predecessor of the EU since 1963 -- made an official application for entry on April 14, 1987. The membership bid has become a major controversy of the ongoing enlargement of the European Union. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Sunny skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 78F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. 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. How We Make Money The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. A Hernando County school has something to brag about: Spring Hill Elementary has gone from one of the worst schools in the district to one of the best Last year Spring Hill Elementary went from 'D' school to 'B' Prinipal Michael Maine and his staff say it took a lot of work to get there Maine was brought in last year to help turn things around The transformation happened in just one year. It is rare but it's doable, said Principal Michael Maine. A lot of hard work, a lot of grit, a lot of push and drive by staff, but it's definitely doable and we are a testament to that." Maine was brought in last summer to turn the school around. Over the past year, he managed to take the schools solid D to a near perfect mark. The school's grade is not the only thing that has improved since Maines arrival. Attendance is up, moral is up and student behavior has gotten much better. Maine says his recipe for success is simple. To me it's focusing on the basics and inspiring staff, Maine said. People have to be inspired to feel they are part of something." Parents used to pull their kids out of the school but not anymore. [Its] a team effort, said assistant principal Kristen Tormey. People that are truly committed to kids. That's what happened here." Im proud, added Maine, because I think for the first time our staff and our team feel that all their hard work that they do every day as an educator paid off. Hard work and dedication has sent this school from the bottom to the top. For Principal Maine and his staff, the mission this year is to keep their momentum going and score an A. The CEO of the Democratic National Committee and two other top officials has resigned in the wake of the Wikileaks email scandal that has embarrassed the party and sown further discord among progressives. Sources: DNC CEO Amy Dacey to step down Wikileaks scandal may lead to other personnel moves More emails to come, says Wikileaks The party announced Amy Dacey will step down, but she already has a new job with Squared Communications. That's a Democratic consulting firm. Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall and communications director Luis Miranda have also left their jobs. . The Friday before the convention, Wikileaks released 19,000 emails that showed a lack of neutrality on the party's part in the race between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Dacey, Marshall and Miranda all figured prominently in the Wikileaks emails. Marshall, in particular, was most criticized for questioning Sanders' Jewish faith and suggesting he could be portrayed as an atheist. Party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced her resignation as the convention opened and was booed and heckled at the Florida Delegate Breakfast the day the DNC opened in Philadelphia. Wikileaks says more emails damaging to both Clinton and the Democrats are to come. The party learned in April that their systems had been attacked. A cybersecurity firm claims the hacking groups have ties to the Russian government. Donna Brazile, a longtime party operative who is close to the Clintons is serving as the party's interim chair. She says she has created a team to help prepare for the post-election mission, which includes former DNC executive director Tom McMahon. Information from the Associated Press was used in this story. More Meteors for Oregon, the Coast? This Year's Perseids May Be Larger Published 08/01/2016 at 6:11 PM PDT - Updated 08/01/2016 at 6:18 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Manzanita, Oregon) This year's Perseid meteor shower may be the best show in years, say scientists, with maybe more than double the usual number of shooting stars streaking over inland Oregon and the Oregon coast. (Above: a celestial object streaking over Manzanita, north Oregon coast). Oregon astronomy expert Jim Todd with Portland's OMSI - said the meteor shower began two weeks ago and continues until August 25th, making it one of the longest showers around. But the actual peaks arrive during the morning of Friday, August 12. This year, however, could well be larger than has been seen in years, known as an outburst year. NASA scientists say the Perseid Meteor Shower 2016 the usual amount of shooting stars is about 80 per hour, this year will see an "outburst" of as high as 200 meteors per hour. Todd said that every year the Earth passes through debris fields left by comets streaking through the solar system. This is what causes a meteor shower: these tiny bits hit the atmosphere and burn up. Of these annual intersections, the Perseid Meteor Shower is the most well-known, Todd said. This meteor shower occurs when the Earth enters a debris path left by the comet Swift-Tuttle during its last trip past the Sun in December 1992. As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along the comet's orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor shower. So why is this year's show particularly big? Space.com is reporting this has to with the trail being a little more crowded than usual. This happens because of the influence of Jupiter's gravity. The trail itself has an orbit around the solar system, and this year it took the countless tiny pieces of debris closer to Jupiter than usual. Jupiter's gravity can cause the particles to concentrate in certain areas: in this case, in the path where Earth's orbit intersects with the debris field. How to watch the meteor shower? Getting away from city lights is the most important aspect, and all of the Oregon coast will be prime for that. Skies there are also much clearer, unless you're dealing with a lot of ocean mist. To alleviate this issue, high vantage points along the Oregon coast will be great, such as the overlooks at Manzanita, Cape Foulweather near Depoe Bay, Anderson's Viewpoint near Oceanside, or the high elevation pullouts just beneath Cape Perpetua by Yachats. Wherever you are, Todd said you should find an observing location with a wide view of the sky and as few obstructions as possible. If you're viewing from the city, try to observe where artificial lights obstruct the least, Todd said. Meteor watching is an unaided-eye event but binoculars are handy for watching trails (persistent trains) that may hang in the sky for one or more seconds after a meteor's passage. Oregon Coast Hotels for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours August 12 also means that Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is hosting its largest star party of the year on Friday, August 12: the Perseid Meteor Shower Watch. Hundreds of star watchers will gather in the Gorge and in the Oregon Coast Range at Rooster Rock State Park and Stub Stewar State Park, respectively. OMSI staff will be presenting informal talks about the meteor shower, constellations, and the summer sky. On the scheduled day of each OMSI Star Party, it is suggested that interested visitors check the OMSI Star Parties web site http://www.omsi.edu/ for possible weather-related cancellations. To reach Rooster Rock State Park, take I-84 east of the Sandy River at exit 25. The park is located 22 miles east of Portland. To reach L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park, take US-26 west of Portland and turn right on OR-47. The park is located 23 miles west of Portland. More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted As part of Lamar University's new concealed handgun policy, campus police must enforce designated "gun-free zones" without being able to ask whether someone is armed. Lamar police have "been trained, they know what to do, they know the protocol," said Kevin Smith, senior associate provost and chair of the school's task force on the policy. The policy, which took effect Monday, was approved by the Texas State University System Board of Regents on May 26, and, in compliance with Texas Senate Bill 11, allows anyone with a concealed carry license to carry a handgun anywhere on campus except for zones designated as "gun-free." Those zones include buildings that house the high school students attending the Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities program, the Lamar University Police Department and the university venues where sporting events are held. Handguns are also banned in health and mental health counseling facilities, the Student Disciplinary and Employee Hearing Offices, and at other events at the discretion of the university president. According to Smith, enforcement of the policy will be based on reporting and responding to violations. "We're not permitted to ask if someone has a concealed handgun," he said. "If it does become visible, or if someone announces that he or she is in possession of one, or if someone takes a concealed handgun to one of those areas, you report it to police." Signage has been posted to mark "the areas and buildings in which our students reside," said Ted Stuberfield, director of Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities. If a violation occurs in the areas where those students are, Lamar police will be notified, he said. That will be the case in dormitories as well, where the policy requires that guns be kept on the owner's person or in a gun safe approved by the university police department. "We are asking for students who intend to have a handgun to bring a safe. If they choose not to and if there is a complaint and we enter the room and there is no gun safe or the handgun is not on the person," then the violation would be referred to campus police, Smith said. "We will not randomly go into rooms looking for gun safes," he said. The policy was created following a year of planning and discussion, including several public hearings, which Smith said revealed that "students' views are all over the place" on the issue. The university also emailed students about the policy as recently as last week, Smith said. Karun Kombanda, who graduated from Lamar, said he opposes the state law and policy because he worries about students making impulsive decisions. "Not everybody can handle their emotions well, all it takes is just one mistake," he said. "If I know that there's some guy or girl who has it, and they know they are someone who can get ticked off very easily, I don't think I would try to be too close to them, you never know what's going to go wrong." Kombanda, who is from India, said "nobody carries guns" in his country. He said he thinks laws like campus carry contribute to more shootings and violence. Shadye Nolan-Vaughns, a Lamar sophomore, also worried about trusting students to carry safely. "I know people who are not that responsible, not that wise, who don't make the greatest of decisions," she said. "So why would they give them that option in the first place?"Others, like junior Troy Wong, believe that the requirements for a concealed carry license, which include passing classroom and gun range training courses, will ensure that handguns are only carried by those who are qualified. "I think if you're responsible enough to have gone through the process to get a handgun, I think you should be responsible enough to carry it," he said. Wong, who is opposed to the university's policy on gun-free zones, said that "if you're going to allow it some places, I don't really see how you can not allow it in others." Clint Pace, a student at Louisiana State University taking a summer course at Lamar, said he hopes other states, including Louisiana, adopt similar campus carry laws. "I think it needs to be allowed everywhere, it's kind of silly not to allow it," he said. Pace thinks that the campus will be safer because "a mass shooting could be handled by a legal and law-abiding carrying citizen" more quickly than by university or city police departments. "I feel like the only person who can stop somebody with a gun is somebody else with a gun," Wong said. He said that "people are likely to do something rash, but I don't think we can just keep them (guns) from everybody." The policy is about compliance with state law and protecting students' rights, according to Smith. "What we're trying not to do is discipline, punish or ostracize someone who is legally allowed to carry a handgun," he said. LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/LizTeitz The Affordable Care Act is facing a great deal of heat after four co-ops have failed this year alone and only seven co-ops continue to offer coverage, leading many to wonder if regulators should have acted sooner, according to The Hill. Here are five takeaways: 1. Several ACA co-ops have closed midway through this year, leaving many patients to face escalated out-of-pocket costs and find new physicians. Nearly 92,000 ACA customers are seeking new plans after Illinois, Oregon and Ohio co-ops closed this year. In 2017, a Connecticut co-op will close, leaving thousands to seek new plans in the state. 2. Last year, an Iowa and Nebraska co-op, CoOportunity, closed in the middle of 2015, with CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt saying they co-op should never have offered plans that year. He said, "I will say CoOportunity should never have been allowed to go into the 2015 year, either by the co-op or by ourselves, and I think that's a very fair criticism in looking back." 3. With the seven co-ops' uncertain future, many are wondering if CMS will step in to shut down these co-ops at the best time, rather than the middle of the year. CMS spokesperson Aaron Alrbought said while CMS regularly speaks with state insurance departments, state DOIs are the main regulators within their own states. 4. However, sources familiar with the matter say CMS is not always in accordance with state regulars and was not aware state regulators were shutting down co-ops in Ohio, Oregon or Connecticut. 5. Some claim the co-ops failed due to the ACA's risk adjustment program, which has been the source of many co-op lawsuits against the health law. More articles on coding & billing: Escalating drug prices will hurt Medicare's catastrophic prescription coverage: 5 things to know The payer megamerger deals may soon unravel, leaving the ACA exchanges to suffer another blow: 5 points Data analytics helps 88% of practices in their claims submissions & 11 other statistics A HHS study found physicians are still improperly billing Medicare enrollees for services of which they should be exempt, according to The New York Times. Here are five things to know: 1. Despite official warnings about fines or being excluded from Medicare, the study found improper billing is "relatively commonplace" as some Medicare providers "unlawfully" bill Medicare enrollees after the providers obtained payments from Medicare and Medicaid. 2. HHS said many patients are not aware of the billing restriction or are worried they will lose their physicians so they pay the amounts. Other times, collection agencies deal with obtaining the unpaid bills or patients forgo care due to inability to pay. 3. The Obama administration filed a report citing their concerns to the Federal Register nearly two weeks ago, as well as submitted a notice to providers in February and a letter to payers in April. 4. However, some states have policies limiting how much they will reimburse physicians. The New York Times provides an example where a physician performs a procedure for a Medicare patient for $100. Medicare pays $80 so the physician bills the patient $20. However, if the patient is also on Medicaid and Medicaid charges $70 for the service, some states will not pay the remaining balance as the state considers it to be paid in full. Many states save money billing for Medicaid rates, as opposed to Medicare rates. 5. The administration has told physicians if they participate in Medicare, they must adhere to the balance-billing prohibitions even if they also accept Medicaid patients. However, many physicians claim they aren't always aware if a patient qualifies for Medicare and is thus exempt from Medicare's cost-sharing recruitments. Due to this lack of awareness, the government is bolstering efforts to educate both patients and physicians about Medicare's requirements. More articles on coding & billing: Escalating drug prices will hurt Medicare's catastrophic prescription coverage: 5 things to know The payer megamerger deals may soon unravel, leaving the ACA exchanges to suffer another blow: 5 points Data analytics helps 88% of practices in their claims submissions & 11 other statistics Implementing a radio frequency identification system is not enough on its own to maintain a high hand hygiene compliance rate at facilities, according to RFID Journal. Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington University in St. Louis and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia conducted a study analyzing 71 RFID units throughout 42 hospitals to understand its effect on hand hygiene compliance. Here are five notes: 1. The highest compliance rate researchers noted after implementing RFID was 180 percent. The average compliance increase was nearly 55 percent. 2. However, researchers noted a maximum decrease of 75.6 percent in compliance after removing the technology. 3. Researchers found compliance rates initially increased following RFID implementation, but facilities had a gradual decline in the years following implementation. 4. Researchers concluded while RFID can increase compliance, managerial commitment is needed to experience steady improvement over time. Researchers noted employees would stop complying with regulations if they deemed management commitment was diminished. 5. The study is limited in that the researchers did not study the management policies in place in combination with each RFLID solution. More articles on quality & infection control: Global anti-infective agents market to reach $111.4B by 2024: 8 takeaways Inpatients vs. outpatient ACL reconstruction: Is there a significant difference in postoperative discomfort? 3 challenges ASC face in multidisciplinary antibiotic stewardship program implementation Regent Surgical Health is developing the first ambulatory surgery center in the Northwest region dedicated specifically to performing total joint replacements and treating spine disorders, according to the press release. Here are six takeaways: 1. The ASC is a joint venture between Regent and Beaverton, Ore.-based West End Surgical ASC's physician affiliates. 2. Regent and West End Surgical expect to open Beaverton-based Oregon Surgical Institute in the early fall. 3. Equipped with three operating rooms, the 15,000-square-foot ASC will also house one procedure room. 4. Oregon Surgical Institute features wide halls and a rehabilitation unit to meet post-operative physical therapy requirements. The ASC also has areas dedicated to equipment sterilization. 5. The center will offer spine, total joints, orthopedics, hand, interventional pain management as well as orthobiologic therapies, including platelet rich plasma, stem cells and amniotic membrane-derived growth factors. 6. In the United States, Regent is in partnership with 23 surgery centers. The company also has two ASCs in Europe. "The move of higher acuity cases such as outpatient total joint replacement to outpatient centers is transforming the healthcare landscape and Regent has helped develop strategies for its 17 hospital partners and 23 surgery centers to adapt and thrive," said Regent CEO Chris Bishop. "Our partners at West End Surgical are joining us to do something that is among the first of its kind in the United States build a center of excellence designed specifically to enhance the quality of care, increase convenience and lower the cost of care of OTJR and spine." More articles on surgery centers: Tenet shares rally 2.7%; SCA same site net patient revenue jumps 10.1% in Q1 & more 4 key notes on ASC companies Sunnyside Community Hospital continues to expand with ASC acquisition: 4 key points $10M medical campus opens with 8.5k-sq-ft ASC: 4 key notes Sebastopol, Calif.-based Sonoma West Medical Center has laid off 16 percent of its administrative staff, affecting 25 jobs, according to The North Bay Business Journal. The layoffs, which are expected to save Sonoma West $200,000 a month, come about three weeks after the hospital signed an agreement for Pipeline Health to manage its operations. Pipeline owns and operates hospitals in California and Washington, D.C., and also provides advisory services with regards to revenue cycle, supply chain, financial operations and capital strategy. Sonoma West Medical Center operated at an $800,000 loss in June, Robert Heinemeier, CFO of Pipeline and interim CFO of Sonoma West, told The North Bay Business Journal. However, Pipeline COO Luke Tharasri, who is serving as interim CEO of Sonoma West, believes the hospital could be operating in the black in about three months. A main focus of the hospital's turnaround plan is revenue cycle management. After discovering a number of issues that were postponing insurance payments, Pipeline began using its leverage to hold the company that manages the hospital revenue cycle accountable. That has led to an increase in collections, according to the report. Under its new management, the hospital is also working to improve coding and billing. More articles on healthcare finance: Abrupt physician departures take toll on LifePoint's bottom line CMS limits look-back period for two-midnight reviews 6 healthcare CFOs in the headlines Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare reported a net loss of $44 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to a $60 million net loss in the same period of 2015. Tenet recorded revenue of $4.2 billion in the second quarter, up 0.6 percent from the same period of the year prior. The financial boost was driven by a 0.5 percent increase in adjusted patient admissions. The hospital operator posted strong results in its ambulatory segment in the second quarter, with revenue attributable to this segment increasing 37.3 percent year over year. Tenet said its Conifer Health Solutions and United Surgical Partners International subsidiaries both experienced double-digit revenue growth in the second quarter when compared to the same period of the year prior. However, after accounting for an increase in operating expenses and litigation reserves, Tenet ended the quarter in the red. The for-profit hospital operator previously disclosed it is the subject of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. The criminal lawsuit arose out of a civil lawsuit filed under the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act. The suit alleges four Tenet hospitals paid illegal kickbacks to clinics that referred undocumented pregnant patients to them for Medicaid-covered deliveries. Undocumented patients are not eligible for regular Medicaid coverage. However, they typically qualify for emergency medical assistance when they deliver their babies. Tenet believes it has reached an agreement in principle with the government to resolve the criminal investigation and civil litigation for $514 million. Based on the agreement, Tenet increased its reserve for the litigation from $407 million to $516 million. The final resolution of the investigation and litigation is subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements, according to Tenet. More articles on healthcare finance: CMS limits look-back period for two-midnight reviews 6 healthcare CFOs in the headlines UnitedHealthcare has terminated its Medicaid contracts with two Philadelphia hospitals owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare after the organizations failed to reach a new agreement, reports Philadelphia Business Journal. The network change involves HahnemannUniversityHospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. The facilities will be out-of-network for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan policyholders and Children's Health Insurance Program members in Pennsylvania and New Jersey beginning Aug. 1, according to an official statement from the hospitals. The change does not affect UnitedHealthcare's commercial or Medicare Advantage members. In a prepared statement, UnitedHealthcare spokesperson Mary McElrath-Jones said, "We have attempted since March to negotiate in good faith with Tenet Healthcare, who did not respond to UnitedHealthcare on the contracts for St. Christopher's and Hahnemann. Our focus remains on continuing to support our Medicaid and CHIP members' access to the care they need and ensuring continuity of care for anyone in the middle of treatment." Hahnemann and St. Christopher's released a joint statement on the contract change. "We offered to extend our contract to protect in-network access to our hospitals for our patients with UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Medicaid coverage. Providing high-quality care to our patients is our top priority, and we are disappointed that United refused, stating that extending the contract was not an option." CMS has identified deficiencies at Mount Vernon, Wash.-based Skagit Regional Health that could cause Skagit Valley Hospital to lose Medicare funding, according to The Seattle Times. An inspection performed in May revealed the hospital's patient grievance process and other documenting procedures were not in compliance with Medicare requirements. "When someone files a grievance, the process for which we responded was not compliant with their time frame," Bruce Lisser, commissioner of Skagit Valley Hospital, told The Seattle Times. The inspection also revealed deficiencies related to the hospital's emergency room triage process, but none of the issues were related to clinical care, according to the report. Skagit Valley is a safety-net hospital and termination of its Medicare contract would be disastrous. "Losing (Medicare funding) would create major financial problems, but we think the chances of that occurring are very low," Skagit Regional Health President and CEO Gregg Davidson told The Seattle Times. With the help of an outside consultant, Skagit Regional Health created an action plan to address the deficiencies and submitted it to CMS July 15. CMS can accept or reject the action plan. More articles on healthcare finance: Abrupt physician departures take toll on LifePoint's bottom line CMS limits look-back period for two-midnight reviews 6 healthcare CFOs in the headlines Pamela Lindemoen has been appointed president of Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, effective Sept. 12. Here are four things to know about Ms. Lindemoen. 1. She joins Dignity Health from Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, where she is currently vice president of hospital operations for the Northern California region. 2. As regional vice president, she has led transformational work for 21 medical centers, 25,000 staff and physicians and more than 3 million patients, according to Dignity Health. 3. Prior to taking on her regional vice president position, Ms. Lindemoen was COO and interim CFO of Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara (Calif.). 4. Ms. Lindemoen earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bemidji (Minn.) State University, and a master's degree in management from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. More articles on executive moves: Cempra appoints new executive VP: 5 things to know Catholic Health Initiatives names new CMO: 4 things to know Northwestern Memorial HealthCare names new chief marketing executive David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital, has been chosen as the new chairman of the Alabama Hospital Association, according to a report on AL.com. Mr. Spillers, who is a member of the Alabama Hospital Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee, including its Medicaid Future Task Force, has been with Huntsville Hospital for the last decade. Previously, he was COO of Mission Hospitals in Asheville, N.C. "We are looking forward to David's service as our board chairman," Donald E. Williamson, MD, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said, according to the report. "He is a talented, innovative leader who is committed to transformative healthcare and to ensuring a voice for hospitals and their patients in the efforts to make care better." More articles on leadership and management: Number of women authors published in medical journals has plateaued, study finds 6 must-reads for hospital leaders this week 25 best cities for millennials Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, took the stage Monday evening at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry in Philadelphia to present new technologies and prove there is more to the Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup than a series of clinical laboratory issues. "We're pleased to share our technologies with the entire laboratory industry. It's the beginning of the next phase of the company, as we introduce our technologies to the world," Ms. Holmes stated in an emailed press release. "We also will be working with academic institutions and other independent parties to validate and publish our results." With many in the audience poised to grill Ms. Holmes about her company's clinical challenges, she chose to use the AACC as a forum to focus on what she called Theranos' "technology business," which she emphasized is independent from its clinical lab. This distinction was essential to Ms. Holmes' presentation, as the integrity of Theranos' clinical labs was slammed by CMS when it revoked its license in April and barred Ms. Holmes from operating other labs for two years. Here are four things Ms. Holmes shared at AAC and four questions that remain unanswered. What Ms. Holmes disclosed: 1. Ms. Holmes' presentation, "The Miniaturization of Laboratory Testing," offered the first-ever glimpse at the architecture of Theranos' new miniLab platform. This 2.5-cubic-foot device has the capability to run a broad range of tests on a single platform, according to Ms. Holmes. Disposable cartridges are put into the miniLab to facilitate the various tests. She also presented the Theranos Virtual Analyzer, which allows for two-way communication with the miniLab device and pave the way for pathologists and lab scientists to analyze tests remotely. 2. As part of this new technology, Theranos has submitted a Zika test to the FDA for emergency authorization. In a press releas,e Theranos said it is not aware of a capillary test for Zika. During the Q&A portion of the Theranos presentation, officials said the company is also considering using a urine test for Zika because it the virus is detectable in urine samples for longer periods of time. 3. Ms. Holmes also shared information and a video depicting the company's capillary collection methods. This included how the sample site is prepared, what the finger stick looks like and how the nanotainers are collected and shipped. 4. Her presence at AACC also demonstrated a new willingness by Ms. Holmes and Theranos to be more transparent and engage with the scientific community. "We came here for a reason," Ms. Holmes said in an interview with Reuters. "I could've gone to an entrepreneur's conference to introduce this technology, but this is the community that we want to engage with, and there's been a lot of confusion about our work." Gaining acceptance, publishing in peer-reviewed journals and conducting third-party studies will not happen in one day and one presentation, she said during the panel Q&A. What she didn't disclose: 1. Ms. Holmes strayed from answering anything specific about the clinical challenges the company is dealing with. "We know there are a lot of questions about the past, and in the appropriate forum, we'll address them," she said during her presentation. "But today, we're hoping to be able to engage on a scientific exchange on this platform." She was unable to provide a time frame for reopening the California lab shut down by CMS, but said Theranos is building it from scratch. 2. She was reluctant to answer how many analytes can be measured using the miniLab. This is likely due to the backlash Theranos faced last fall for potentially overstating the capabilities of its Edison testing device. Ms. Holmes she said the miniLab is the latest version of the company's technology, and while a few hundred tests have been applied to various Theranos technologies, just one test for herpes is currently cleared by the FDA. 3. Information on the number of tests that can be conducted on the miniLab with a single sample of blood was not included in the presentation. "A person familiar with the matter" told The Wall Street Journal that the data in the presentation showed 11 different blood tests on the miniLab, but the architecture could only complete three to four tests with a microsample of blood, meaning multiple finger pricks would be necessary to complete all 11 tests. 4. Ms. Holmes did not disclose financial information about the company. When pressed about revenue streams following the fallout of Theranos' Walgreens partnership in an interview with Reuters, Ms. Holmes said Theranos has its own standalone wellness centers in Phoenix. Because Theranos is a private company, she declined to offer information on how much the company is worth. More articles on leadership and management: Number of women authors published in medical journals has plateaued, study finds 6 must-reads for hospital leaders this week 25 best cities for millennials The hospital-physician relationship is a delicate dance. If one steps on the other's toes, it can make or break success particularly in an era of reform that calls for ever-closer collaboration. To learn more about what helps or hurts alignment, we asked 13 physicians for their unfiltered opinions about their hospitals and CEOs. Editor's Note: Physician and organization names have been kept anonymous. Responses have been edited lightly for length and style. 1. Anesthesiologist at a 795-bed health system in the Southeast Question: What do you like most about your organization? "We are a physician-led, evidence-based, data-driven organization, with a board and senior executive team that values engagement around quality and safety. It has alignment around ideals that most of us have aspired to from our earliest days in school and training. The system has a great core strategy that resonates with doctors and patients." Q: What do you dislike the most? "The vast proportion of physician compensation is built around productivity metrics. While satisfying compliance and good business practices, these emphasize delivery of services more than transformation of care. I would like to see the emphasis in compensation shift to value rather than volume." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "Our CEO maintains great balance among the many stakeholders and navigates the cross-currents when opinions don't completely mesh. Some regard this approach as indecisiveness, and physicians in particular can see the pace as too slow compared to medical decision-making they are accustomed to in the field. Allowing time for resolution can be very effective." 2. Cardiologist at a 300-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I like that it's on the smaller side. The hospital has the ability to be more personable than the big universities. They [administrators] are supportive of new and upcoming technology for the doctors to use." Q: What do you dislike the most? "Sometimes the administration gets lost in what's involved in day-to-day patient care. They don't understand what people on the frontlines are doing they don't see the small things we do on a daily basis. Leadership also needs to find a way to be more involved in making sure there is enough staff and making sure they are doing enough to keep the staff happy." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "I would like [him/her] to have a more clear understanding of what's involved in taking care of patients every day. The CEO could do more rounds, but the problem is when the CEO walks around, everyone is sure to act ship-shape. But sometimes we have just one nurse for 12 patients there's not enough staff. There isn't enough help for the acuity of care." Additional comment "Healthcare has become much more complicated in terms of delivering quality care while containing costs and supporting the future and technology that's out there. The government is making it harder for doctors and hospitals to function with all of the ever-changing rules, and ultimately this can be detrimental to the patient." 3. Surgeon at a 260-bed hospital in the Southwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I like the history of the institution." Q: What do you dislike the most? "Unfortunately, despite its inspiring history, things at the organization have really deteriorated in the last few years. Once upon a time, it was an integrated system. It included a hospital, health plan, physician group, labs, pharmacy everything. It was a one-stop shop for patients. Now, there is no more health plan. The laboratories are owned by some other company, the pharmacies are owned by another company. Across the country many of the big hospitals are trying to become more and more integrated, while this hospital is beginning to spin off all of its components. Before, patient care was stellar. Now it is quite fractured, and this makes it more challenging for the patient. The second part is it is a for-profit system, so unfortunately the focus on profit diverges from the more central focus that I or another clinician would have on the patient. Every hospital says they are all about patient care, but hospitals practice and subscribe to this pledge to varying degrees." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "I wish they would renew the focus on integrating patient care and make it easier for patients to get the care they need. While they are in the business of making a profit, I wish there were a more sincere and genuine drive not just a theoretical focus on patients other than for advertising purposes." Additional comment "You hear from patients that healthcare is becoming more expensive. It's also becoming harder to access, and I'm afraid it's losing its human touch for compassionate care. Once upon a time, healthcare was a mission. Now it is beginning to truly look like a business enterprise." 4. Anesthesiologist at a 200-bed hospital in the Southeast Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I work at a close-knit community organization where everybody knows everybody. Patients receive very personalized care in a friendly environment. Working here is a lot like primary care, even though I'm a specialist. Since our hospital is so small, I'm oftentimes the first line in dealing with a patient's health." Q: What do you dislike the most? "I dislike that there are treatment limitations due to the hospital's small size. The biggest question I face every day is whether ancillary care patients who need more radical surgeries should be sent to a bigger hospital than ours. If you turn a surgical case away, the hospital and physician don't earn money, so sometimes hospital leadership sees me as an obstacle or product of financial inefficiency. That dilemma has weighed on me philosophically." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "The CEO is turning the hospital around and trying to meet the needs of the patient population within financial constraints. Our 12-bed intensive care unit is managed by primary care physicians and surgeons. If a physician is in the OR, then they're not available to care for patients. Our CEO recently hired an intensivist to cover night call from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. when practitioners in the community are not readily available." Additional comment "It's hard to see a patient, go through their whole medical history, become invested in their case and then send them away to a larger hospital. The hardest case you ever do is the one you never do." 5. Plastic surgeon at an 848-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "It's hard to say because there are so many things I don't like about it. Perhaps one of the things I like the most is the physicians' lounge. It provides good food and a nice atmosphere, but I would trade that in a minute for so many other things I don't like." Q: What do you dislike the most? "I don't like the authoritarian way the hospital operates. The rules and regulations interfere with patient care and take away physicians' independence. Leadership takes advantage of physicians and makes them do inappropriate things that are adverse to patient care. The hospital hires outside physicians and will terminate contracts if they don't act subservient to leadership." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "I wish they wouldn't buy physician practices. I also wish they would honor and respect physician autonomy." Additional comment "Leadership expects physicians to refer patients to other clinicians only within the health system when in some cases it may be in the patients' best interest to be referred elsewhere." 6. Geriatrician at a 500-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "One of the nicest things about working with a large organization is increased access to specialty care. Having that access for patients to see any specialty physician is so much more seamless. We have the ability to consult other specialty physicians without patients leaving our office. If I have a question for a neurologist, I can ask for his or her recommendations, and it saves the patients a lot of time. I also like the research opportunities, which can translate to practice changes. Lastly, I like that none of the patients are turned away if they can't pay." Q: What do you dislike most? "The biggest challenge would be just because my organization is so big when I want to make changes at the personal level, I can't just do it. It has to go through a big committee. And everything has to be standardized, even putting up a poster to inform patients about a new medication. It becomes harder for physicians to make those changes. Since my organization is large, it is compared to other large organizations, and there is a lot of pressure to meet quality metrics and improvements. That means physicians are asking patients about colonoscopies and other preventive care measures when someone comes in for back pain. It takes away from patient care, so in some ways it can be negative. However, sometimes it's making sure every one gets preventive care no matter what they come to the hospital for, which is good." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "We [physicians] hardly interact with the CEO. My CEO is fairly new and a physician, so we're hoping the individual will have a better understanding of what it is like to practice and make more practical changes. I think most CEOs are very receptive to opinions. However, since we don't interact on a daily basis, I would not consider going to my CEO with recommendations, as they would redirect me to someone else closer to me." Additional comment "I really enjoy working at my organization. Even if I need to relocate, I would always look for a large organization. I like that security. I don't have to worry about medical records, and we have lots of resources. Physicians can focus on patient care." 7. Emergency department physician at an 80-bed hospital in the Northeast Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I like the overall character of the organization. We have a mission to take care of the poor, uninsured and homeless we take care of everyone. I also like the people who work here. We treat patients better than we know some of our competitors do." Q: What do you dislike most? "Sometimes the organization can be a bit small-minded and bureaucratic. There are some difficult people. Even in a good organization, there are difficult people you have to deal with. Nobody is 100 percent." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "On the whole, I like the CEO. I wish I had a more direct line to the CEO; now there are layers in between us. I wish the CEO was more accessible to physician leaders and physicians in general. There is someone in between us now, and that person is difficult to deal with. Everything is filtered through that person before it gets to the CEO." Additional comment "The hospitals that do well engage their physicians in operations and planning and don't dictate things. My hospital has done a good job of that. Sometimes physicians don't realize hospitals want their input." 8. Orthopedic surgeon at a 700-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I think the hospital I work for is a phenomenal institution. As a whole, it's incredibly progressive and both the faculty and upper level management understand the changes in the healthcare industry and are adaptive to those changes." Q: What do you dislike most? "The institution is large, so some of the minute details of the day-to-day work get lost in the bigger picture. It's also a very specialized center it isn't necessarily primary care-based, and that may not be what's best for the future. It's still an incredible institution in terms of its attention to private practice and academic needs." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "Our CEO is a physician himself, so he really understands what other physicians need. My only complaint is as he's getting older, there isn't as much of an emphasis on face-to-face interaction with other physicians. It doesn't detract from the work that he's doing, but it's something I wish would change a little bit." 9. Orthopedic surgeon at a 900-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "Our institution has a really good reputation in the medical field, which means there's a number of opportunities to pursue research specifically surgical research. The facility is constantly introducing new technology and innovations. But its reputation is key; patients recognize the name and are much more willing to participate in studies. It also provides a sense of security for them, knowing their information won't be shared." Q: What do you dislike most? "The institution is separated into two entities. There's the medical school and there's the hospital system. There's this internal struggle between the research/education aspect and the profit, corporate side, and physicians are stuck in the middle. We're employed through the hospital, not the university, so whenever the executive management communicates with us, the metrics are entirely corporate-driven such as the number of patients we see daily, etc. As a result, the research/education falls behind. There needs to be more of a balance between the education and profit sectors. It feels almost like we're replaceable cogs in the machine. You can't expect physicians to be engaged, it just doesn't work like that." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "Our CEO is completely removed from our daily operations and any sort of interaction with the physicians that practice here. If you put our CEO in a room full of doctors, I can bet you that they won't know who he is and he won't know which doctors are actually employed by the hospital. There is this huge disassociation between C-suite management and physicians. That division doesn't necessarily exist in smaller hospitals, but it's much more common in bigger ones." Additional comment "I believe employment does not equal engagement. Surgeons are different from other specialties, like general medicine or emergency room physicians. You can't expect automatic engagement. All these deals between doctors and upper management crumble because physicians don't care. You have to figure out a way to make them engaged with in the hospital's mission. If your goal is to make profit, profit, profit, figure out a way to make the physicians more invested in making a profit pay them more. If your goal is to be a leading research facility, figure out a way for your doctors to want to do research." 10. Orthopedic surgeon at an independent specialty group in partnership with Midwestern hospitals Q: What do you like most about your organization? "I like that our organization is able to provide a complete spectrum of care. Everyone employed here has the same goals, and we have the resources to provide patients with that type of care." Q: What do you dislike most? "My biggest issue is the amount of paperwork we have to do; it doesn't improve the quality of care we're able to offer our patients. It's burdensome. Also, insurance companies don't want to reimburse us, it's almost a game they're playing. [Tests and] procedures get bundled together so the insurers pay us less. As physicians, we're increasingly paid less for the same work while the cost of doing business keeps going up. All of it really hinders our ability to provide patients with the care they deserve." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "A lot of CEOs have a bias based on past interactions with physicians. They're not willing to alter their business plan or model. For example, we work with a health system that will only work with physicians employed by their facility they won't work with independent physicians. I strongly believe that one model doesn't always work; you need to modify it to fit the situation and you need to be open to modification." Additional comment "The way the industry is going, [if] physicians aren't independent, they become a commodity. They're bought and sold in the market. If you lose that independence as a physician, you can't make decisions. Large health systems may not have patients' interests at heart. Instead of quality, profit and loss is what drives most systems, and because they're so preoccupied with cost, they may not hire the best physicians because the best are not the cheapest." 11. Employed physician at an 800-bed hospital in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "What I like most about the organization is the ability to interact and work with folks who share the same mission and vision of the future. That helps a lot. It helps that everybody is striving toward the same goal, rather than people wanting to go in their own direction." Q: What do you dislike most? "Like every big organization, there is bureaucracy. It is partially inevitable, and I guess what attracts people to smaller organizations and private practice is the fact that they don't have to deal with bureaucracy. Sometimes you understand why decisions are made a certain way and sometimes you don't." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "Balance the needs of the system with the local needs of different sites. In my humble opinion, there are some decisions and some initiatives that benefit a lot from standardization across sites and there is no reason to have variation. But, there are some local idiosyncrasies that are unique to certain sites. The strength of a CEO is to know how to balance both." Additional comment "My wish is that more hospitals are encouraged to be at the forefront of healthcare. Often our hospitals tend to react to changes, whether in the legal or commercial environment, rather than lead and make that change happen. The other thing is hospitals need more of a focus. Hospitals have traditionally been the place to go to when someone is sick, but I think it would be great if physicians could really focus on population health and keep patients out of the hospital." 12. Pediatrician at a 400-bed pediatric hospital on the East Coast Q: What do you like most about your organization? "Everything we do is team-based. We always have at least two sets of eyes on the child when taking care of them. When we have a difficult situation, which is common, we have someone there to help either someone with more experience or we have the opportunity to teach someone with less experience. I've been at three to four hospitals over the last 10 to 15 years, and that's something I really appreciate here." Q: What do you dislike most? "As a physician, we have a lot of oversight from the administration, as well as from the more senior physicians. There is a lot of standardization. They try to make us abide by a very certain way of delivering care. Sometimes there's not a lot of flexibility in the way we have to practice a certain technique, or in my case, deliver anesthetics. The second big issue it's kind of a two-edged sword, because it's also a strength is that we focus a lot of time and resources on each patient. Every child gets a full amount of care, to fulfill a certain criteria, before they go on to the next place in the hospital or get discharged. The most cost-effective measures are not necessarily employed to deliver care." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "In terms of patient care, there's not much more that can be done. In my experience both in and out of the operating room and interacting with consultants around the hospital, patients get the best care possible in terms of the attention, treatment and degree of detail. That said, in terms of timeliness, sometimes there are a lot of delays in care because it's a very busy hospital. We are dependent on specialty-specific care, but often a patient has a health issue that affects multiple organ systems, which requires three or four specialists and several different teams. Our team-based approach could be improved over time. Our chair could foster it such that we have more oversight of perioperative care, for example. As an anesthesiologist, I could be more responsible for patients after care and be there to answer questions that may otherwise take three or four people to answer. In terms of physician workload I'm interested in academics. I value time for educational activities, and I am able to spend 60 percent of my time on clinical activities and 40 percent on research. I really like that research time the chair gives us. From a clinical standpoint, we need more leeway in terms of calling for a quality improvement or an initiative from a workflow perspective. Although it is important to be stringent on how care is delivered, we don't have the leeway to practice how we would like." 13. Employed physician at a 1,500-bed academic medical center in the Midwest Q: What do you like most about your organization? "The acuity of patients, the quality of care, having all of the resources under one roof, the inquisitive nature of the colleagues and the desire to tackle tough problems. There's not just one thing." Q: What do you dislike most? "I would say bureaucracy and impersonal relationships. I don't know one, two or three cardiologists, or gastroenterologists or podiatrists. It's impersonal and siloed. Colleagues don't need to intermingle because of the size." Q: What do you wish the CEO did differently? "To be forward-thinking rather than reactionary. For instance, we respond to changes legally or with payments, or changes to the way that care is delivered after the fact. As one of the U.S. News' top hospitals, we can really be the people who start change, do things differently and look at problems differently. We are in that position. Perhaps that's one missed opportunity." A union representing workers at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has filed a formal complaint protesting the system's pending switch in food service vendors, alleging a conflict of interest involving a Mayo administrator, according to a Post-Bulletin report. The Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota alleges Mayo's decision to switch from Sodexo to Morrison Healthcare for food and nutrition services at 20 Mayo campuses was "primarily influenced" by Carol Gorman, Mayo's food services administrator. "The union believes Carol Gorman has a conflict of interest due to a long standing personal relationship with a Morrison executive," SEIU Healthcare Minnesota contends, citing Mayo's conflict of interest policy from its employee handbook. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota President Jamie Gulley said via statement the union calls for Ms. Gorman to be relieved of her duties pending a full investigation and for officials to revisit the decision to outsource workers. The union also said it is prepared to file charges with the National Labor Relations Board if Mayo executives "attempt to cover up or withhold any information about this apparent violation." In a prepared response, Mayo said it is reviewing the union's grievance claims and will respond as they deem it appropriate, according to the report. Furthermore, Mayo said the decision to switch food service vendors was beyond the control of one individual. "The decision was made by Mayo Clinic management team with input provided from all sites that have a food and nutrition program. Our primary focus is on supporting our food service teams throughout this transition," the system added. More articles on human capital and risk: Nathan Littauer Hospital to pay nurses back wages following January lockout Baptist Health South Florida offers buyouts to reduce workforce: 4 things to know Ocean Beach Hospital nurses to vote on tentative contract agreement A surgeon who practiced at hospitals in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York, faces 40 years in prison for submitting more than $25 million in false claims to Medicare, according to the Department of Justice. On Friday, Syed Ahmed, MD, was convicted of one count of healthcare fraud, three counts of making false statements related to healthcare matters and two counts of money laundering. According to evidence presented at trial, Dr. Ahmed submitted millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for incision-and-drainage and wound debridement surgeries that he never performed. At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Notopoulos said Dr. Ahmed billed Medicare for 5,000 surgeries over a three-year period 600 of which were allegedly performed on an elderly woman, according to the New York Daily News. Dr. Ahmed argued that his billing mistakes were not intentional and blamed his misunderstanding of Medicare billing codes for the problems. Before his sentencing, a federal judge will calculate the amount of restitution Dr. Ahmed will be required to pay. If convicted on all counts, Dr. Ahmed faces more than 40 years in prison, according to the report. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: 11 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements UPMC to pay $2.5M to settle overbilling allegations Virginia man arrested for selling fake cancer cure for $1,200 per bottle Jose Nazar, MD, is charged with simple assault and making terroristic threats after state police say he pointed a handgun at a medical assistant at Endless Mountains Health Systems, a 25-bed hospital in Montrose, Pa., according to The Times-Tribune. Three hospital employees reported the incident to police in July. According to the employees, Dr. Nazar, who serves as the director of surgery at Endless Mountains, brought a box to the nurses' station and removed a handgun from it. He was allegedly going to a shooting range after work. A medical assistant, Kaila Kays, allegedly asked Dr. Nazar what type of gun it was. In response, Dr. Nazar allegedly pointed the gun at her face and said, "Here, I'll show you." Regarding the incident, Endless Mountains Health Systems CEO Loren Stone declined The Times-Tribune's request for comment. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: 11 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements UPMC to pay $2.5M to settle overbilling allegations Virginia man arrested for selling fake cancer cure for $1,200 per bottle University of California officials agreed to pay approximately $8.5 million to settle two lawsuits alleging a UCLA Health spine surgeon failed to disclose his conflicts of interest with a devicemaker before using its products in two surgeries, according to Kaiser Health News. The lawsuits allege Jeffrey Wang, MD, failed to disclose the thousands of dollars he received in monetary support from Oak Brook, Ill.-based Medtronic. The federal government has required all drug and device companies to publicly disclose payments, though the rules vary by institution. The lawsuits also allege Dr. Wang used the products in a manner not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and he allegedly failed to obtain the patients' consent for the off-label use. The UC system, Dr. Wang and Medtronic denied any wrongdoing, according to court documents. Dr. Wang was formerly executive director of UCLA Health's spine center. He is now co-director of the USCSpineCenter in Los Angeles. A University of Kansas Hospital physician voluntarily withdrew his whistle-blower lawsuit against the hospital, stating he is "no longer afraid of retaliation" by the hospital, according to KCUR. The lawsuit alleged that the chair of the pathology department at the University of Kansas hospital misdiagnosed a patient with cancer and proceeded to cover up the mistake for months after the patient had an essential organ surgically removed. In his statement dismissing the suit, whistle-blower Lowell L. Tilzer, MD, added an addendum from the unidentified patient who was allegedly misdiagnosed. The statement was filed July 29. In the addendum, the patient states he or she "did not know about the lawsuit untilJuly 26" when a surgeon at KU called the patient and asked them to sign an affidavit, which exonerated the hospital from any responsibility for the alleged actions outlined in Dr. Tilzer's suit. The statement said that the patient would not have known the surgery was unnecessary if they had not been asked to sign the affidavit. The patient also claimed that he or she did not give the hospital permission to share their medical information with the individual who wrote the affidavit and that he or she would not sign it, according to the report. Dr. Tilzer's dismissal of the lawsuit was issued a few days after the Kansas City, Kansas-based hospital moved to throw out the case. Hospital officials claimed the lawsuit contained "knowingly false statements" and that Dr. Tilzer "knowingly misrepresented the facts" regarding the unidentified patient's care while undergoing treatment. In his suit, Dr. Tilzer claimed he learned of the misdiagnosis in 2015. He said he examined the tissue from the removed organ and found that it was not cancerous, according to the report. New York-based Fair Health recently conducted a study on national opioid practices. The nonprofit data bank analyzed anonymous claims data provided by insurers that contained information for 150 million patients. Researchers pinpointed diagnosis codes relating to opioid dependency and abuse, adverse events as a result of heroin use and other issues related to opiate abuse. Here are six things to know about the study's findings: From 2007 to 2014, opioid dependence rose by 3,203 percent. Opioid abuse rose by 317 percent. Claims detailing pregnancy drug dependence diagnoses increased by 511 percent between the same time period. The amount of heroin overdoses in the U.S. grew by 510 percent from 2009 to 2014, a much steeper rise than prescription drug overdoses and street drug opioids. From 2007 to 2014, 69 percent of claims for opioid dependence and 50 percent of claims for opioid abuse were for people 19 to 35-years-old. While women historically have lower rates of heroin use than men, they are closing the gap. From 2002 to 2004 and 2011 to 2013, heroin use increased by 100 percent among females and 50 percent among males. The five states with the highest rates of drug overdose-related deaths in 2014 primarily caused by opioids were West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio. More articles on infection control and clinical quality: UW-Madison, Johns Hopkins, Yale launch patient experiences website Physician-owned hospitals earn high marks under CMS star ratings Higher BMI not associated with heart attack, mortality risk in identical twin study Sepsis is no minor problem, in regards to a patient's health or a hospital's financial health. Hospitals rack up an average of $23.6 billion annually for sepsis care, making it the most expensive condition treated in hospitals, according to a Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project report. Sean Benson, of Wolters Kluwer, Clinical Software Solutions in Minneapolis, discussed the issue of sepsis mitigation at Becker's 2nd Annual CIO/HIT + Revenue Cycle Conference, emphasizing sepsis is a "big patient safety issue, quality issue, but also financial issue." During his presentation titled, "The ROI of technology-enabled sepsis mitigation," Mr. Benson highlighted his company's sepsis mitigation product, POC Advisor, which is a decision support system pinpointing escalating conditions early and sending alerts and evidence-based treatment advice to the point of care. Wolters Kluwers conducted an analysis on how hospitals are handling sepsis care from a financial perspective, and found many hospitals were losing more than $1 million yearly on sepsis care. The company then initiated a study on sepsis care and related challenges in about 50 healthcare systems. The study uncovered a lack of protocols, training issues, time delays and a need for data analytics were all hindering proper sepsis care. This proves problematic, as time is of the essence for septic patients every passing hour a septic patient goes untreated, his or her mortality chances go up by 8 percent. "The good news in all this, is that [sepsis] is a known thing and people know how to treat it," said Mr. Benson. "The biggest thing is identifying those patients early and delivering the right treatment." Five years ago, Wolters Kluwer set out to build a system that addressed these major workflow issues in septic care. They wanted to establish a highly specific and highly sensitive system, meaning a system that catches all the patients and doesn't send out a great amount of false positives. POC Advisor is a platform with a variety of condition modules. The system gathers clinical system data in real time, and ensures it is codified so machines can read it. POC Advisor runs the gathered data against the hundreds of rules Wolters Kluwer established representing clinical scenarios. "When a rule fires positively, we send alerts to the point of care," says Mr. Benson. "It's delivering evidence-based, patient-specific, actionable advice to the point of care." Every health system decides how it wants the POC Advisor to deliver alerts. Mr. Benson said they recommend sending the alert to the bedside nurse via a mobile message, because that nurse will know the patient best. The rapid response team or physician receives the next alert. Ideally, the alert receiver will then input the data into the patient's electronic health record. Once the septic patients are identified, Mr. Benson said ordering lactate at point of care and simplifying the antibiotics administration process proves key. Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital serves as a POC Advisor case site, having implemented the system a couple of years ago. Based on this case site, Wolters Kluwers published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association in early 2016. The paper reveals the POC Advisor decreased sepsis mortality by 53 percent and achieved a sensitivity rate of 95 percent and a specificity rate of 82 percent. Additionally, the study found the POC Advisor decreased lengths of stay by half a day in the ICU and reduced the 30-day readmission rate by about 30 percent. In the hospital units without the POC Advisor, researchers found no change in sepsis deaths pre- and post-study. "If you look at the literature out there, no other system has ever done this," said Mr. Benson. "What you typically find is high sensitivity and low specificity or vice-versa." He noted the POC Advisor targets specific patients at risk of sepsis hours before staff members would have otherwise noticed. "We're trying to focus on areas where people, in general, aren't looking for sepsis immediately, where it's kind of a secondary consideration," explained Mr. Benson. "That's where we think we have the biggest opportunity in the near-term." According to survey of more than 600 hospitals published in the Journal of Critical Care in 2013, 90 percent of intensive care units had visitation restrictions. Recently, some hospitals motivated by academic literature and personal experience are changing course, according to The Wall Street Journal. Here are three key points regarding the case for relaxing visitor restrictions in the ICU. 1. Patient perspective: Pamela Bell, director of patient and family centered care at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., experienced restrictive visitation when her partner died in a Boston-area ICU in 2014. Ms. Bell told the Wall Street Journal she had to call every time she wanted to visit the ICU and that she was never able to stay overnight. Ms. Bell's experience inspired her to try to bring open visitation to Valley Hospital. Kathleen Sayles, RN, manager of clinical trials and research at Valley Hospital, supported her colleague's efforts. Prior to the implementation of open visitation at the hospital, Ms. Sayles was permitted to stay by her son one night when he was hospitalized at Valley and couldn't breathe. "I can't imagine if they had told me I had to go home," Ms. Sayles told the Wall Street Journal. 2. New research: In 2015, a practice alert published by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses argued for relaxed restrictions regarding family visitation in the adult ICU. Citing a myriad of studies, the alert reads, "Evidence does suggest that for patients, flexible visitation decreases anxiety, confusion and agitation, reduces cardiovascular complications, decreases length of ICU stay, makes the patient feel more secure, increases patient satisfaction and increases quality and safety." 3. In practice: To prepare for open visitation, Valley Hospital added more hand-sanitizer dispensers and installed panic buttons in case visitors became disruptive and disorderly. While nurses at Valley Hospital were initially hesitant about open visitation, unrest among the staff calmed after Bettyann Kempin, an assistant vice president who oversees the ICU at Valley, made the case for the new policy. Ms. Kempin told the Wall Street Journal nurses realized visitors weren't going to disrupt the calm of the ICU by having "parties at the bedside with 20 people and pizza." Ms. Kempin added that patients "do better when families are at the bedside holding their hand or being there. You will see a calm come over them. Their vital signs look a little better." The panic buttons installed in the ICU at Valley hospital have yet to be used. More articles on quality: 30% of children's hospital readmissions may be preventable UW-Madison, Johns Hopkins, Yale launch patient experiences website Higher BMI not associated with heart attack, mortality risk in identical twin study Britain-based GlaxoSmithKline and Verily Life Sciences will enter the bioelectronic medicine market with the formation of a new biotech called Galvani Electronics. The two companies will contribute $715 million over seven years to develop Galvani Electronics, which will be based at GlaxoSmithKline's Stevenge research center in London. A second research hub will be located in South San Francisco near Verily Life Science's headquarters. GlaxoSmithKline will hold a 55 percent interest in the biotech, while San Francisco-based Verily Life Sciences a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet will hold a 45 percent share, reported Reuters. Galvani Electronics will employ about 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians dedicated to building small, implantable devices that harness the body's electrical signals to fight diseases. GlaxoSmithKline believes these implants could treat conditions like diabetes, arthritis and asthma. The biotech hopes to submit the first implants for regulatory approval by 2023. More articles on supply chain: Where some of the biggest drugmakers stand after Q2 4 latest FDA approvals J&J sells experimental asthma drug to GSK for $230M With the end of the second quarter wrapping up, drug industry giants are reporting a variety of financial results. Here's where six major drugmakers stand after the end of the second quarter: Bristol-Myers Squibb reported second quarter revenues of $4.9 billion, a 17 percent increase from the second quarter of 2015. Sales of the cancer drug Opdivo, which reached $840 million this quarter, are expected to keep growing despite competition from Merck's Keytruda. Sales of Yervoy, a melanoma treatment often paired with Opdivo or Keytruda, decreased 19 percent to $241 million for the quarter. Bristol-Myers Squibb now expects total earnings of $2.55 to $2.65 per share for the year. Astrazeneca saw second quarter earnings decrease by almost a third due to generic competition of the company's best-selling cholesterol drug Crestor. Core earnings fell 31 percent year over year to 83 cents per share, while revenue dropped 11 percent to $5.60 billion per share compared to the second quarter of 2015. However, the Britain-based company's lung cancer drug Tagrisso surpassed expectations with second quarter sales of $92 million. Astrazeneca expects a low to mid single-digit percent decrease in revenue and core earnings at constant exchange rates throughout the remainder of 2016. Eli Lily reported better-than-expected sales for the second quarter, thanks to the success of the Indianapolis-based companys new drugs. Trulicity an injectable diabetes treatment hit sales of $201 million. Sales of the two-year-old drug Cyramza, used to treat stomach and lung cancer, jumped 68 percent from the second quarter of 2015 to $147 million. Eli Lily's revenue hit $5.4 billion in the second quarter, marking a 9 percent increase from last year and exceeding Wall Street's prediction of $5.15 billion. Celgene posted net sales of $2.74 billion in the second quarter, marking a 22 percent increase year over year. The Summit, N.J.-based company had a net income of $598 million for the quarter, compared to $356 million for the second quarter of 2015. Sales of Revlimid, a treatment for multiple myeloma, jumped 18 percent to $1.70 billion. Celgene now expects adjusted earnings of $5.70 to $5.75 per share for 2016, compared to the original estimate of $5.60 to $5.70 per share. Merck reported an unexpected revenue increase in the second quarter due to the success of its cancer drug Keytruda and new hepatitis treatments. The Kenilworth, N.J.-based drugmaker posted sales of $314 million for Keytruda and $112 million for its new hepatitis C drug Zepatier in the second quarter. Merck recorded a second quarter profit of $1.21 billion, or 43 cents a share, compared to $687 million, or 24 cents a share, in the same quarter the year prior. Sales grew 0.6 percent to $9.84 billion this quarter, compared to $9.78 billion in the second quarter of 2015. More articles on the drug market: J&J sells experimental asthma drug to GSK for $230M Sen. Bernie Sanders' DNC speech tackles high prescription drug costs: 4 things to know 4 latest FDA approvals Top healthcare advocates in the Democratic Party advised Hillary Clinton to prioritize healthcare affordability at the top of her domestic platform during speeches at the Democratic National Convention July 25-28, reports The Hill. Here are four takeaways on healthcare affordability from the DNC. 1. Healthcare advocates who attended the DNC included CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, Marilyn Tavenner, head of America's Health Insurance Plan, Chris Jennings, senior health policy adviser to Ms. Clinton's presidential campaign and Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress. 2. "Consumers are still feeling that healthcare costs are out of control. They still feel like premiums are rising, and I do think that is undermining support for the Affordable Care Act itself," Ms. Tanden said at a luncheon in downtown Philadelphia on Wednesday, according to The Hill. 3. Families USA President Ron Pollack said dealing with out-of-pocket costs is unavoidable for Democrats moving forward. 4. Hillary Clinton has addressed rising out-of-pocket costs in her healthcare policy. Up until this point, however, healthcare reform has not led her democratic platform, reports The Hill. Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital in Omaha did not perform surgeries on July 29 and the morning of Aug. 1 due to computer system outages, according to a Live Well Nebraska report. Here are five takeaways: 1. The hospital's IT team is working to resolve the issues, however the team has not determined the outages' cause. 2. The hospital postponed surgeries planned for July 29 and the morning of Aug. 1. In a statement, the hospital noted that it is "operating as normal, as of Monday afternoon." 3. Other hospital services, such as examinations, therapy, emergency and imaging, are continuing as per usual. 4. Several healthcare facilities across the country have been the victims of cyberattacks, where the facility's computer system is hacked and disabled until payment is made to the hacker. 5. A hospital spokesperson said she does not think the outage "fits that description" of a cyberattack. "The use of technology in healthcare can be challenging, since the landscape is ever changing. We have an excellent IT team who ensures we are constantly preparing for potential risks," said hospital CEO Levi Scheppers in an emailed statement. A new study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine examines the charges associated with spine surgery never events. The researchers examined the California State Inpatient Database from 2008 to 2009 for patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, lumbar laminectomy and total hip and knee replacements. The average charges from surgery through three months were examined. The researchers found: 1. The lowest incidence of adverse events occurred in ACDF: DVT: 0.6 percent PE: 0.1 percent SSI: 00.3 percent By contrast, the highest was total knee replacement with 1.3 percent DVT, 0.3 percent PE and 0.6 percent SSI. 2. The average inpatient charges for the uncomplicated lumbar laminectomy was $51,817. By contrast, the other spine procedures cost: ACDF: $73,432 PLIF: $143,601 THR: $74,459 TKR: $70,116 3. The charges for patients with PE were $127,958 for TKR, which was 1.8 times greater than index; at the same time, charges for PE patients us that underwent PLIF was $246,637, 1.7 times greater. 4. The charges for the SSI patient were from $168,964 2.4 times greater than index to $385,753 for PLIF. 5. The study information could be used to predict cost of care and eliminate waste in the future. Cost projection by healthcare providers will need to incorporate expected costs of added care for patients experiencing such complications, assuming that the cost burden of such events continues to shift from payers to providers, concluded the study authors. Co Antrm cider firm Tempted has been snapped up by international drinks distributor Quintessential Brands. The London-based drinks group has struck a deal to take over 33% of the Lisburn-based cider company. Tempted was established in 2009 by Davy Uprichard and his family. And the brand has won a raft of awards over the years, including two Irish Quality awards and a gold Cider Ireland award. The firm's range includes standard sweet, medium and dry varieties, as well as strawberry and elderflower flavours. Last year, the company invested in shredding and pressing equipment allowing the firm to produce 12,000 litres of cider a day. Now as part of the deal with Quintessential, Tempted's products will eventually hit the market in the rest of the UK and Europe. Founder David Uprichard said he hopes the firm will be able to up production to over one million litres within the next two to three years as a result of the deal. "Seven years ago when we were producing just 5,000 litres a year," he added. "This year we have been able to up production to 250,000 litres of cider, but we expect that will increase drastically again over the next few years." Mark Sismey-Durrant said the first-half profits were a "solid achievement for a bank that launched just two years ago". Specialist lender Hampshire Trust Bank posted 1.3 million in half-year profits after seeing customer numbers rocket by a third. The Hampshire Trust, which focuses on lending to small and medium-sized businesses, said the profits haul came after it attracted nearly 2,500 more customers in the half-year, taking the total to almost 10,000. While it does not have a comparative earnings figure from a year earlier, the group only made its first profit last December since its management buyout in 2014. It said customer deposits leapt 68% higher to 314 million in the first six months of 2016, while loans rose by 75% to 311 million. Total assets within the group increased by 60% to 389 million. Mark Sismey-Durrant, chief executive at Hampshire Trust Bank, said the first-half profits were a "solid achievement for a bank that launched just two years ago". "As a relatively new business with no legacy loans, we feel well positioned to respond to the current economic political uncertainty around Brexit," he added. Hampshire Trust was founded in 1977, but relaunched after it was acquired in May 2014 by a new management team with the backing of private equity firm Alchemy. It employs more than 100 staff, up 25% in the last six months alone. The group recently said it would consider a possible flotation in the future, although Mr Sismey-Durrant stressed in May there were " no immediate plans for an IPO, and it is just one of the options open to us''. First Minister, Arlene Foster, deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness join Invest NI, chief executive Alastair Hamilton, Luke Barnett of Tullett Prebon, and Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton at Invest NI headquarters in Belfast. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye IT firm Tullett Prebon is to create 300 new jobs in Belfast. The London-based company's investment will contribute almost 10million in salaries to the economy each year, Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness have said. The organisation plans to establish a major technology centre in Northern Ireland, to support its international growth strategy. The new jobs will be created over the next three years and will pay an average of 33,000 a year and the company said the staff would play a "key role" in the delivery of its global technology strategy." Almost 2.5m has been provided to the company from Invest NI and the Department for the Economy. Announcing the investment First Minister, Arlene Foster said: I welcome this highly significant multi-million pound investment by Tullett Prebon. Todays announcement of 300 new jobs will contribute over 9.9million in additional salaries into the Northern Ireland economy each year, once all the roles are in place. Tullett Prebon leads the way in the financial services sector and the companys decision to establish its new IT development centre in Belfast is a vote of confidence in the ability and quality of the Northern Ireland workforce. The Belfast technology centre is an integral part of the companys global growth strategy and will serve to grow its business and help to deliver innovative solutions to its customers. Northern Ireland has an enviable reputation for hardworking, innovative, committed employees and I can assure you that we will prove, once again, we are good for business. The deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness added: Tullett Prebon creating 300 new jobs and choosing to locate their new technology centre here is terrific news. Tullett Prebon plc is one of the world's leading interdealer brokers and has a presence in 24 countries and 2,700 people across the globe. "They are serious global players and their decision to locate in the north of Ireland is testament to the quality of our IT workforce and proven performance record. The new jobs will offer an average salary of 33,000, providing excellent opportunities for graduate and experienced IT professionals as well as school leavers. The Executive for its part will continue to make every effort to ensure our people have the right skills and qualifications which combined with our low cost base makes us a compelling location for international companies to locate. Economy Minister Simon Hamilton MLA said: Our Assured Skills programme will support the company with pre-employment training, ensuring the new operation is able to hit the ground running. Tullett Prebon is an established financial intermediary and its decision to invest in Northern Ireland cements our reputation as a world-leading IT hub. It joins other major global financial institutions in locating its IT operations here and will be a valuable addition to our cluster of financial services businesses. This investment is further proof that Northern Ireland is a good place to invest and recognition by companies based outside Northern Ireland, that we have a highly educated and skilled workforce to provide them with the skills they need to grow their business. Luke Barnett, Group of Tullett Prebon, said: We are delighted to announce the launch of our technology centre in Northern Ireland. It will play a key role in the delivery of our global technology strategy, transforming the way our teams collaborate within the business and with outside partners, and will help us deliver on key business goals. We looked at many potential locations and Belfast was the outstanding choice. The combination of a highly educated workforce, attractive business environment and great infrastructure, underpinned by the support of local Government and Invest Northern Ireland, offers a compelling proposition for a global financial services group such as ours. A "vertical pier in the sky" is set to give tourists a new view of Brighton's historic seafront on the site where one of its most famous attractions was built 150 years ago. Standing at 531ft (156 metres) tall, the British Airways i360 viewing tower affords panoramic views of up to 26 miles of the surrounding south coast and will open its doors to visitors this week. The futuristic-looking structure is the world's tallest moving observation tower and stands where the Grade One-listed West Pier, built in 1866, joined the seafront promenade before it burnt down in 2003. Visitors will be sent skyward from the street in a curved-glass pod which can hold up to 200 people, before they come to stop at 450ft (137m). At its peak, the 360-degree pod will look out to as far as Bexhill in East Sussex to Chichester in west Sussex and towards the South Downs to the north. The project was spearheaded by the minds behind the London Eye and has been 12 years in the making, costing an estimated 46 million. It is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the area and is part of a push to regenerate the coastline area in the west of the city. Architect David Marks said: "British Airways i360 cannot replace the much-loved and much-missed West Pier, but it can offer a modern-day alternative - one whose purpose, like the West Pier, is simply to delight, entertain and inspire. "Just as the original West Pier invited Victorian society to walk on water, visitors are invited again to gain a new perspective on the city and its setting between the land and the sea, to walk on air." Glynn Jones, chairman of the West Pier Trust, said the "vertical pier in the sky" showed that "the city is, once again, embracing and celebrating world-class, stunning architecture". The 20-minute "flights", which will be open to the public on Thursday, costs from 13.50 for adults and 6.75 for children over four - and tickets can be bought from booths restored to look identical to the ones that stood alongside the old West Pier. The tower is built of 17 steel cans weighing approximately 900 tonnes which have been attached together, while the visitor pod is crafted from 24 segments of handmade glass from Italy. But the arrival of the i360 has divided opinion along the south coast, with a petition calling on the council to scrap the project attracting more than 1,000 signatures several years ago. Valerie Paynter, of the saveHove campaign, said the tower was a "total monster, like something springing horribly out of the earth in a horror movie". Chief executive of the i360 Eleanor Harris said the criticisms were to be expected whenever new architecture arrives in a city. She told the Press Association: "I expect people would have said the exact same thing when the (Brighton) Pavilion was first built and the piers were first built, when you're bringing bold new architecture into the city it takes people a little while to get used to it. "I think people will really fall in love with this spaceship, when they see the lighting on this it will become the icon for the city." Emilio Savvides, 62, who runs popular seafront restaurant Regency directly opposite the i360, said the arrival of the tower will bring a much-needed tourism boost to the quieter side of Brighton's coast. He said: "I think this particular site has been derelict for a long time, since the pier came down. "It's been looking really like a building site with boarding up and everything, just waiting for someone to come along and invest in it. "Finally after 40 years we have a new attraction which, in a way, will regenerate this particular side of Brighton - this area has been neglected for a long time." Rain and low-hanging fog swept across the city on the day that organisers invited the media down to view the latest addition to Brighton's seafront. Visibility from the top of the i360 was limited to only a few miles, with much of the city and most of Hove obscured by the elements. Ms Harris said it was a "slightly misty, drizzly day, but on a clear day you can see way along the beach and the beautiful chalk coastline". Qatar Airways has swooped to up its stake in British Airways owner IAG to 20% following a post-referendum fall in the company's share price. The Middle Eastern firm had previously held 15.7%, and chief executive Akbar Al Baker said that IAG's shares, which have fallen 24% since June 23, were "an attractive opportunity". "The recent market valuation of one of the world's leading airline groups has provided what we believe is an attractive opportunity to increase our shareholding in IAG," he said. "We continue to be highly supportive of IAG's strategy and management team and we do not intend to increase our percentage shareholding further unless there are material changes to the current situation." Last week, IAG's Dublin-born boss Willie Walsh said that a weak pound triggered by the Brexit vote, terror attacks and air traffic control strikes took their toll on British Airways in the first six months of the year, with the group poised to cut capacity and review investments as a result. In June, the airline was forced to issue a profit warning following the referendum result, and has since said it is experiencing lower demand for flights. IAG added that plans to increase capacity would be scaled back and its investment pipeline for next year is now "under review". Two of IAG's airlines - British Airways and Aer Lingus - operate direct flights from Belfast to London's Heathrow Airport. Earlier this year, its chief Willie Walsh told the Belfast Telegraph he was having discussions with Bombardier boss Alain Bellemere about buying a number of the aircraft. The number of workers who took strike action last year reached a record low, official figures show. A total of 81,000 workers involved in industrial disputes went on strike, the lowest figure since records began in 1893. Days lost to strikes last year were the second lowest on record despite a number of public sector disputes. A total of 170,000 days were lost, well down on the figure of 788,000 for 2014, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The lowest annual figure since records began was 2005 when there were 157,000 days lost. Transport and storage, including the railways, had most days lost to labour disputes last year at 60,200. ONS labour market statistician Nick Palmer said: "The main reason that 2014 had a higher figure than last year was that it saw a number of large scale public sector strikes that were not repeated in 2015. In all 81,000 workers went on strike in 2015, the lowest figure since records began in 1893." Northern Ireland had the highest rate of days lost at 21 per 1,000 employees, followed by London at 15, while the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, the West Midlands and the East all had rates of one day. The biggest number of days lost last year were in disputes over pay at 71% of the total, followed by rows over redundancies. Most disputes lasted no more than three days, with 30% being just one day. The percentage of disputes lasting more than one day was noticeably higher in 2015 than in recent years at 70%, compared with 54% in 2014 and 37% in 2013. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "These figures show that going on strike is always a last resort when your employer won't negotiate and won't compromise. Strikes are far less common these days and tend to be short. "Most strikes are about people demanding fair pay, which is unsurprising given that real wages have fallen off a cliff in the past decade. "Good industrial relations depend on fair wages and decent rights at work. The new Prime Minister has spoken about raising wages - now it's time to live up to that promise." Dean Coppard will take over as executive chef at Bartali in Portballintrae Dean Coppard (right) and head chef Mark McGonigle, who has been working with the Uluru brand for 12 years The award-winning Aussie chef who helped put Armagh's restaurant scene on the map is leaving for a new venture on the North Coast with the owners of Coppi. Dean Coppard said it's with a "heavy heart" that he leaves behind Uluru - the critically acclaimed casual dining restaurant he founded 10 years ago. The Australian chef took the food scene by storm with his fusion of a relaxed Aussie dining style coupled with Northern Ireland produce. However, he revealed to Belfast Telegraph that he was excited about his new venture - and the potential for more seafood dishes. He'll be working alongside friends Tony O'Neill and Sam Spain of Thornyhill Restaurant Group in the pair's Portballintrae restaurant. The duo - the brains behind Italian restaurants Il Pirata and Coppi - will hand over the reins of Bartali to Mr Coppard next month when he will take up the role of executive chef. Uluru put Armagh on the map as a food destination with an array of awards and a mention in the Michelin Guide. And Mr Coppard said he hopes he can do the same in Portballintrae with Bartali. He said: "There's something I love about seafood. I don't like to over-complicate dishes and like to let the ingredients sing. "Northern Ireland has some great, great products and I'm very passionate about making the most of them. "We have amazing products like langoustines right on our doorstep but they are caught in Kilkeel and go straight on the lorry to Spain because for years no one knew about them here. "People are getting more interested in local products than ever and the hard thing now is trying to source them." Mr Coppard founded Uluru in 2005, three years after he arrived in Northern Ireland from his native north Queensland. The top chef became known for his love of Northern Ireland produce - specifically Lough Neagh eels and Armagh Bramley apples - both of which he hopes to put to use in Bartali. Mr Coppard said that he will meet with Portballintrae residents later this week to discuss what they want to see on the menu. "If there's a local supplier I should be using I want to know about it," he said. "It's real farm to fork stuff that I want to focus on. We've got a lobster skipper with a boat right next to us - it's live lobster caught and on your plate in half an hour - that's the kind of thing I want to do next." However Mr Coppard said he will continue to use some of his favourite suppliers such as Abernethy Butter and Broighter Gold rapeseed oil in Bartali. And hinted that there may be "two or three" other North Coast acquisitions down the line. He added: "We achieved what we wanted to in Armagh. We wanted to create a destination. We wanted to work with the hospitality sector and make somewhere that people wanted to come and stay - not just get the bus in stop and then go straight back out again. And working together with so many other businesses we achieved that." Back in Armagh, Uluru Bar and Grill will be taken over by Gavin Emerson and head chef Mark McGonigle, who has been working under the Uluru brand for 12 years. The restaurant which, has brought kangaroo and crocodile to Armagh plates, will continue to embrace Mr Coppard's Aussie style. The restaurant recently moved as part of a 2m investment to its new premises on Market Street. Mr Coppard said: "Mark and the team have more than proved their worth and it's their turn to bring their ambitions into a reality and I have been honoured to be their mentor." The restaurant, which has 10 chefs and 20 front-of-house staff, is growing in popularity. Owner Mr Emerson said: "Together we have all been on such an immense journey over the last 18 months. Dean's experience, professionalism and dedication has been instrumental in mentoring Mark and his team. "We all wish Dean good luck with his new venture and we look forward to our head chef leading the team in continuing to put great tasting food in front of our customers." Premium Margaret Canning Opinion Conservatives have gone back to traditional territory with a mini-budget that just might cost the party the next election Many of the measures in Kwasi Kwartengs first big statement as Chancellor had been trailed in advance changes to stamp duty, the cancellation of both the rise in National Insurance and the rise in corporation tax, and bringing forward a cut in the basic rate of income tax to 19 pence. Benedict Cumberbatch has signed up to star in a movie adaptation of the novel Rogue Male Benedict Cumberbatch is set to star in a movie adaptation of the classic British novel Rogue Male. The actor, 40, will also produce the film about an Englishman who tries to assassinate a European dictator. Author Geoffrey Household, a prolific writer of thrillers who died in 1988, later said he intended the dictator in the 1939 novel to be Hitler. Cumberbatch's publicist confirmed to the Press Association that the Sherlock and Doctor Strange actor is attached to the film. T he actor told The Hollywood Reporter: "I am thrilled both as an actor and producer to be working on bringing this most treasured of English novels to the big screen." Rogue Male was previously adapted into a TV film starring Peter O'Toole, John Standing and Alastair Sim in 1977, and on the big screen featuring Walter Pidgeon and George Sanders in 1941. Michael Lesslie, who adapted Macbeth, is writing the screenplay. Cumberbatch's character is caught and tortured after he attempts to kill a dictator . He returns to England but is hunted by his enemies. This summer, anyone spending time on the beaches along Northern Ireland's east coast may well have encountered some very large jellyfish. Last week, Rebecca Hanna saw a huge lion's mane jellyfish - larger than a dustbin lid - on the beach as she walked her dog at Greencastle in Co Down. While moon jellyfish are more common in this part of the UK, it seems the larger lion's mane has been infesting the Irish Sea along the Co Down coast. Rebecca Hunter, of the NI Marine Task Force, says the number being spotted in the water or on the beaches is uncommon and warned that they retain a very strong sting, even if washed up for some time. But what exactly are jellyfish, and what should you do if you come across one while swimming, or strolling along the sand this summer? According to The Marine Biological Association, there are more than 200 species of "true" jellyfish, but only six species are commonly found in British waters. They are: Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) - it has four white rings you can see through its umbrella. Compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella) - has dark "compass" markings on its umbrella. Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) - has red and orange tentacles in bunches. Dustbin-lid jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) - these can grow up to 90cm across. Blue jellyfish (Cyanea lamarckii) - this is bright blue. Mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) - these sting and are capable of bioluminescence (creating its own light). Jellyfish - although some can provide their own momentum - are generally at the mercy of currents, so are often washed up. Your best bet to avoid a nasty sting is to be vigilant, especially in warm, shallow waters, which they love. If you spot a floating jellyfish, don't try and move it or wave it away, just move out of its path and alert others to its presence. If there are large numbers that are hard to avoid, get out of the water and, if the beach has a lifeguard, let them know. Often, lifeguards put up flags if there's a significant jellyfish population nearby. Alternatively, wear a full body wetsuit, or protective waterproof footwear. If you do get stung, get out of the water immediately and have someone remove any attached tentacles with tweezers. Apply a heat pad or run the sting under hot water. Antihistamines can help relieve swelling while paracetamol can help with any residual pain. Usually, aside from sore, you'll be absolutely fine - but, as with anything, seek medical help immediately if you show sings of a severe allergic reaction or become short of breath. And don't listen to anyone who says urine will help with the sting - it's not true! A five-storey mural depicting a married lesbian couple has been painted on a city centre building in Belfast, as part of the same-sex marriage campaign. The work of street artist Joe Caslin is ahead of Belfast Pride Week. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye A five-storey mural depicting a married lesbian couple has been painted on a city centre building in Belfast, as part of the same-sex marriage campaign. The work of street artist Joe Caslin is ahead of Belfast Pride Week. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye The Love Wins mural was created by Irish artist Joe Caslin and can be seen on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter near the Dirty Onion bar in Belfast The artist behind a new Belfast mural depicting a married lesbian couple has said he hopes it will make people stop and think. The five storey piece of artwork has been painted on a gable wall at Hill Street in the vibrant cathedral quarter close to the city centre. The work entitled Love Wins, shows two local women who wed in the United States, because Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK or Ireland where same sex marriage remains outlawed. Street artist Joe Caslin, who rose to prominence with his huge mural of two men embracing in Dublin ahead of last year's historic referendum, said: "I'd love to see same sex marriage legalised in Northern Ireland, that's really the crux of it." Last June up to 20,000 campaigners marched through Belfast city centre demanding a change in the law. However, Northern Ireland's devolved Stormont Assembly has repeatedly refused to legislate on the contentious issue. Although a slim majority of MLAs voted in favour of lifting the ban when it was debated for a fifth time last November, the proposal fell when the DUP deployed a controversial voting mechanism to effectively veto it. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Belfast Gay Pride 2015 Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: Thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: A religious protestor hands out pamphlets to participants taking part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: A man displays his rainbow coloured tights as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: A street party on Union Street takes place as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: Drag artiste Glitzy Glamour performs on stage in Union Street as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: Thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: A man draped in a rainbow flag watches as religious protestors demonstrate against homosexuality while thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: Religious protestors demonstrate against homosexuality as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: Religious protestors demonstrate against homosexuality as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - AUGUST 1: A drag queen takes a selfie with a friend as thousands of participants and supporters take part in the 25th annual Belfast Pride parade on August 1, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage whilst legal in the United Kingdom is still not recognised in Northern Ireland despite repeated votes on the issue. The governing Northern Ireland Executive has stated that it does not intend to introduce legislation allowing for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast - Northern Ireland - Saturday 1st August 2015 - Pride Party in the Square Pictured is the pride party in the square at the Custom house square in Belfast Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast - Northern Ireland - Saturday 1st August 2015 - Pride Party in the Square Pictured is the pride party in the square at the Custom house square in Belfast Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast - Northern Ireland - Saturday 1st August 2015 - Pride Party in the Square Pictured is the pride party in the square at the Custom house square in Belfast Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Basil McCrea, centre, joins thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland?s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland's LGBT community. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Members of Sinn Fein join thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland?s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Christian protesters outside the City Hall as thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland?s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Teenagers look on as thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland?s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Belfast Lord Mayor Arder Carson joins thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland?s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland's LGBT community. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 1st August 2015 - Thousands of people take part in the annual Belfast Gay Pride event in Belfast city centre celebrating Northern Ireland??s LGBT community. Organisers claim there was a larger than normal turnout in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye PRESS RELEASE IMAGE 1/8/15: Justice Minister David Ford showing his support for the LGBT community at Belfast's Pride Festival with Roisin Lavery, Equality Commission and Sean O'Neill, Festival organiser. Picture: Michael Cooper Michael Cooper / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Belfast Gay Pride 2015 Those opposed to gay marriage argue that same sex couples already have the ability to enter into civil partnerships and claim there is no appetite for further change. The contentious matter is also being contested through the courts where two same sex couples have challenged the current law under human rights legislation. Mr Caslin has argued gay people in Northern Ireland should have the same right to civil marriage as those living elsewhere. He added: "In the Republic the question was put to the population who overwhelmingly voted yes and I believe that same question should be put to the people of Northern Ireland. "If love is there it is one of the most basic connections of the human race, and when you find it, you have to mind it." The artist said he was captivated by the "love and spark" between the two women, whom he has chosen not to name adding: "This mural is tender and dignified and showcases the love that's there. "There is no negativity in it at all. "Belfast has an amazing culture of murals - first there were the political murals and then came the peace murals but it's now time for other things to be said. "The city is moving into a new space - it is amazing and vibrant and it is great to be a part of that." The mural has been put up to mark Belfast Pride which, this year, has the theme, We Are One. After gaining planning permission, it was erected over two days with Mr Caslin catching just three hours' sleep during the lengthy painting process. As in Dublin, the temporary biodegradable piece will disintegrate within a few months. Kerb stones in some parts of the city centre have also been painted in rainbow colours - a welcome change from the use of paint to mark out territory along sectarian lines. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Christian protestors at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Christian protestors at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Belfast Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Christian protestors stage their protest at City Hall. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Christian protestors stage their protest at City Hall. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Christian protestors stage their protest at City Hall. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Christian protestors stage their protest at City Hall. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Christian protestors stage their protest at City Hall. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Christian protestors at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Christian protestors at the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-08-2014: Thousands of people pictured attending the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd August 2014 - Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the 2014 Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands of people attended the annual Gay Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Now in its 24th year, the Belfast parade is claimed to be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland. The parade will left Custom House Square and make its way through the city centre. Mr Caslin said the response from members of the public had been hugely positive. Teacher Marie McKnight from Belfast was among the dozens of onlookers who turned up to admire his offering. She said: "I think it's fantastic. It is great that it is something that will highlight the issue and it is just lovely that the couple featured are local. "I would, however, have liked a bit more colour - to make it a bit more vibrant because I think this city needs something that is a bit more in your face on this kind of issue." It was initially feared he may never regain consciousness, or walk and talk again. The mother of a Co Antrim man who suffered a serious brain injury in an alleged attack in London is taking legal action in a bid to stop any move to a unit for stroke patients. Ann McLaughlin launched emergency proceedings amid claims her 37-year-old son Sean has been let down by the system since he returned to Northern Ireland. The challenge was adjourned at the High Court in Belfast after health trusts agreed not to transfer him back to Antrim Area Hospital before a full hearing. Sean McLaughlin, a joiner from Ballycastle, was assaulted while working and living in London, according to papers in the case. He was attacked at a pub during a night out on April 30, falling backwards and hitting his head. It was initially feared he may never regain consciousness, or walk and talk again. But following surgery and therapy he was moved to the neurology department at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast in June. A care plan drawn up for him was said to involve further therapy before a planned transfer to Musgrave Park Hospital for rehabilitation at its brain injury unit. Mr McLaughlin's mother claims, however, that he was instead taken to Antrim Area Hospital last month because no bed was available at Musgrave. She is seeking to judicially review a decision taken by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in conjunction with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Mrs McLaughlin alleged her son suffered a further head injury in a fall after getting out into a car park at Antrim. She also claimed his condition worsened, leaving him confused and acting bizarrely by tying sheets round his head. "He thought he was in McDonald's and then he thought he was in Tesco's," she said in an affidavit. "This is extremely upsetting and distressing. I was so encouraged with his progress in the last number of weeks but since he has been in Antrim he has really deteriorated." Although her son was taken back to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Mrs McLaughlin launched legal action to stop any return to Antrim. She sought court intervention amid claims he has been "moved from pillar to post following major surgery" and faced imminent placement at a ward which cares for stroke patients. "I cannot allow my son to be returned to Antrim in the circumstances and I want him to be treated in accordance with the original care plan and rehabilitated to Musgrave," she stated. "This has been extremely stressful for me and my family who have watched and witnessed such improvement and development whilst he was receiving an excellent level of care in London, only to be let down by the system in Northern Ireland." Her solicitor confirmed the emergency High Court hearing was adjourned after the trusts agreed not to move Mr McLaughlin pending a full hearing. Claire McKeegan, of KRW Law, said: "It is inexcusable that an individual who has just come through neurological surgery be moved to a ward that is not only incapable of providing him care but puts him at risk of further injury - as has happened in this case. "Regrettably, this incident is indicative of the deficit in resources required to adequately care for those in need." Ms McKeegan added: "We are satisfied that as a result of these proceedings our client will continue to be cared for at the appropriate venue." Dog lovers have rallied behind a rescue centre in an fundraising initiative after one of its members swindled hundreds of pounds from the group Dog lovers have rallied behind a rescue centre in an fundraising initiative after one of its members swindled hundreds of pounds from the group. Northern Ireland-based Gundog Rescue was targeted by one of its administration team in a theft that cost the re-homing service more than 700. Sydney Burns, from Bessbrook in Newry, has been ordered to repay the money and will appear in court to be sentenced later this month. In the wake of the incident, the charity launched a fundraising appeal to replace the money that was lost. As part of the initiative, Sam Willoughby, founder of Gundog Rescue and Rehoming Northern Ireland, asked members and supporters to donate a minimum of 1. However, the campaign took on a life of its own, with some people pledging 10, 20 and even more. Adding to the drive was the donation of a dog cabin by KM Engineering, of Portadown. "When something like this happens, it is devastating," Mr Willoughby said. "Trust is damaged and your faith in people is seriously rocked. However, the response we have had since the court case has been fantastic. "Supporters and total strangers have started pledging anything from 1 to 100 to the rescue centre as a result of this case. It makes you realise that the actions of one selfish, corrupt individual can soon be far outweighed by the generosity of many, many others." The rescue centre helps to rehabilitate and re-home working gundog breeds both in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain. The service was set up by Sam and his partner, Wendy, about five years ago in the Dunmurry area. "We started up Gundog Rescue as these dogs have been forgotten about - there is nothing specific for that breed," Mr Willoughby explained. Referring to the loss of money, he added: "Our numbers grew quite significantly, so we decided to get polo shirts with the rescue logo on them. Sydney said he had a friend who had a business who made polo shirts and he that he could get them at mates' rates. "The members started to buy them and sent money by our PayPal account. "This went on and on and we gathered the money, which we handed over to Sydney, so he could get the orders going. "He took 740, and that's as much as I can prove. He's been ordered by the court to repay that money and has been given a few weeks to get it together." If you would like to donate to the rescue you can by sending your donation via PayPal to wendyburke64@yahoo.co.uk. Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows at home after their dog Hank was seized by Belfast City Council Hank with his owner Joanne Meadows Leonard Collins with his dog Hank, who was seized by authorities amid claims that he looks like a pit bull (Leonard Collins/Joanne Meadows/PA) Hank the dog with owner Joanne Meadows Hank's owners Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows speaking to the Press outside Belfast's Laganside Courts. Picture: Kevin Scott Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows leave Laganside court victorious as they win back custody of Hank on August 02 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows leave Laganside court victorious as they win back custody of Hank on August 02 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows leave Laganside court victorious as they win back custody of Hank on August 02 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) A judge at Belfast Laganside Courts has ruled that pet dog Hank can be freed after it was seized last week by the City council. Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows pictured outside the court after the ruling. The pair launch a global campaign after dog wardens seized their pet from their east Belfast home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows leave Laganside court victorious as they win back custody of Hank on August 02 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Hank is home and a special 'doggie cake' was there to welcome him forom owners Joanne Meadows Leonard Collins. Image: Photopress Belfast Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Muzzled in public, Hank is released to his owners Joanne Meadows and Leonard Collins. Hank was released after twenty days in the custody of Belfast City Council subject to agreed conditions. Someone had complained that Hank looked like a Pitbull and under the Northern Ireland Breed Specific Legislation, the dog was seized and held by Council dog wardens pending today's outcome in court. Hank back home with his owner Leonard Hank with a thank you message for his supporters Muzzled in public, Hank, is released to his owners Joanne Meadows and Leonard Collins. Image: Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Hank gets a treat after his release to his owners Joanne Meadows and Leonard Collins. Photo: Photopress Belfast Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Hank is home and there were messages and bundles of peresents from all over the world there to welcome him with owners Joanne Meadows Leonard Collins. Hank was released after twenty days in the custody of Belfast City Council subject to agreed conditions. Someone had complained that Hank looked like a Pitbull and under the Northern Ireland Breed Specific Legislation, the dog was seized and held by Council dog wardens pending today's outcome in court. Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Muzzled in public, Hank gets a treat after his release to his ownersJoanne Meadows and Leonard Collins. Hank was released after twenty days in the custody of Belfast City Council subject to agreed conditions. Someone had complained that Hank looked like a Pitbull and under the Northern Ireland Breed Specific Legislation, the dog was seized and held by Council dog wardens pending today's outcome in court. Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Hank gets a drink of water after his release to his Joanne Meadows and Leonard Collins are delighted. Hank was released after twenty days in the custody of Belfast City Council subject to agreed conditions. Someone had complained that Hank looked like a Pitbull and under the Northern Ireland Breed Specific Legislation, the dog was seized and held by Council dog wardens pending today's outcome in court. Hank is home and a special 'doggie cake' was there to welcome him from owners Joanne Meadows Leonard Collins. Image: Photopress Belfast Muzzled in public, Hank gets a treat after his release to his ownersJoanne Meadows and Leonard Collins. Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 2-8-2016 Hank is home and a special 'doggie cake' was there to welcome him from owners Joanne Meadows Leonard Collins. Photo: Alan Lewis/PhotopressBelfast.co.uk Hank, the pet dog seized by Belfast City Council, has arrived home to be reunited with his owners. A global campaign was sparked when Hank was taken from his east Belfast home by dog wardens just over two weeks ago on suspicion of being a pit bull-type breed. An assessment concluded that although he was "a pit bull terrier-type" breed, the pet could be placed on the council's exemption register, thus saving it from death. A judge at Belfast Magistrates' Court granted Hank an exemption order during a brief court hearing on Tuesday morning. Expand Close Hank with a thank you message for his supporters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hank with a thank you message for his supporters Supporters of the dog were in court and applauded as the judge ruled Hank could return home. A lawyer for owners Leonard Collins and Joanne Meadows thanked all those who had supported their campaign to save Hank. Hank was welcomed home with a special 'doggy cake' and on Monday night his owners posted a photo of Hank resting alongside a message that said: "Thank you everyone for saving me." As part of his release conditions, Hank will be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. The court heard Hank had come to Belfast City Council's attention as a result of a complaint from a neighbour. He appeared to "display agitated behaviour", and he was removed after a warrant was executed. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Jillian Bearns, Larne with Dixie & Dexter say welcome home to Hank Sofia welcomes Hank from Chile. Sender: Paola Chavez Pacheco From Marley & Lyka in the hills of Donegal Happy for Hank from Lesley Beak in Canada. Welcome home Hank from Dora, Alfie and Molly. Pic: Marcella Mervyn Mia McKinty and her friends from Bangor send a warm word of welcome home to Hank and his family Welcome home Hank from Suki and Simba. Pic: Nic Cullen Belfast. A big welcome home from Mr Darcy & his friend Mao the cat in Dublin. Welcome home Hank from Troy who sleeps most of the day but is still very happy that Hank has been released. From Janet and Noah "Welcome home Hank! So glad the right thing was done! Bruce, my 14-week-old boxer is glad too" from Kerry Campbell Omagh, Co Tyrone Luca Burns from Cork says welcome home Hank Jack and Poppy and their owner Jane Bailie from Bangor wish Hank all the best for the future Ollie and his owner Pat Canning from Belfast tell Hank that he's welcome to their home anytime Riley and his owner Helen Bindley from Larne wish Hank every happiness in the future Paddy and Reilly, Irish Water spaniels, from Co Down, hope that Hank will be home soon Jess and Jodi Moore-Skelly welcome Hank back home Inca the poodle of the McClatchey family welcomes Hank back home Monte, Derry and Tripoli from Seattle and cared for by Dave Geisert are are anxiously looking for Hank to get back home Renata Paluch from Hull are delighted that Hank is getting to go home Macey and Bella Johnston send Hank their love It's a woof woof from Bobby Beattie Here's Toby the Springer Spaniel from Ballymena Pretty Tilly McKevitt from Portadown is delighted that Hank is going back to his family Tillie and Henry Wellstead say welcome home to Hank and back to the cuddles that you deserve 'Welcome home Hank from a fellow Bully' Pluto Beveridge really is happy that Hank is getting home Lucy (jack russell) and Reggie (rottweiler) send Hank their love from Luton Poodle Freya and her ownerJenella are delighted Hank is coming home Tazz is delighted Hank is getting home Husky pack Duke, Sky, Max, Arya, DJ and Roman welcome Hank home Even cats are delighted that Hank the dog is coming home Pippa and her humans Michelle, Mark, Matthew and Chloe from Magheralin Co.Armagh are so happy Hank's life has been saved. Welcome home Hank!! ????from Karen and Alfie Castlederg xo Rescue dogs Rudy and Lexie from Armagh want to welcome Hank home. Owner Paula said: "they both came from council pounds so they know how it feels to be locked up". Welcome home Hank lots of love Rebel and Bubba from Lisburn Welcome home Hank from Karen Connor & Amy the pom from Bangor, Co Down Welcome home Hank. Paws and licks from Cotto, Ballymena. Tax Button and Poppy say #hanksaved Welcome home Hank Welcome home Hank Hughie from Belfast says welcome home Hank - you deserve a huge pat on the back and lots of doggy treats after all you've been through #braveboy Welcome home Hank from Dexter! Lynn Paul, from Ballysillan in Belfast with Max. From Pauline Sleator My dog Fern and I would love to wish Hank a happy homecoming! We are in New York City, where many happy pit bulls live without being banned. Fern is a certified therapy dog that volunteers with senior citizens:Jillian Hayes. Welcome home Hank from Sophie the Staffie and Peter Knight, Ballyholme, Bangor. Gina Love and her pet Goober from the Shetland Islands welcomed Hank home. Here's looking at you kid! Welcome home Hank from Jeannie and Sherrie. Sent in by Rosemary Craig. Kelly Anne Webster says: "We havnt stopped thinking about Hank an Pixie wants to say 'Welcome Home'" You will never go through this again." Owners Leanne and Stevie with Rafa 7 and Harley 6 from Bangor Mel McConnell from Newtownards: "This is Suki my 9 yr old jr terrier welcoming Hank home" From Allison McKenna, Belfast Quinton - from Anya Connor in Belfast. Welcome home Hank from Coops. Welcome home Hank from Reggie the Jack Russell and his friend Pebbles the tabby cat in Coleraine. Welcome home Hank from Max. Pic: Nicola Totten Diesel, Logan and Kaiser say welcome home Hank. Welcome home Hank from Meg. Pic: Ann Marie Smith. Welcome home Hank from Niko, Nhala and Storm. Pic: Karen Dando Welcome Home Hank from Poppy in Newtownabbey. Pic: Lyndsey Minford Welcome home Hank from Phoebe and Ruby. Pic: Erin McAllister Welcome home Hank from Pippin. Maddie in Ards says Welcome home Hank. Pic: Amy Black Welcome home Hank from Tiny in Dungannon. Hugo and Sully from north Belfast say Welcome home Hank. Pic: Leah Davis Walt from Belfast says Welcome Home Hank. Pic: Russell Adams Walt from Belfast says Welcome Home Hank. Pic: Russell Adams Welcome Home Hank. Pic: Anna Salmon Pixie and Benjie, from owner Laura mcmahon in Belfast Troy and Baby Girl, from east Belfast from owner Sharon Brown. Roxi from Bangor from owner William Bradford. Claude from Belfast, owner Anya Connor. Boxer Cara and Jackhuahua Pepsi welcome Hank home from Paula Beattie and family, Carryduff. Welcome home Hank!! Such fabulous news! Lots of love from Manni and family from Liz Clark. Cooper from Newtownards. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jillian Bearns, Larne with Dixie & Dexter say welcome home to Hank A dog expert ruled that while the dog was boisterous, he showed no sign of being a threat. Judge Ken Nixon ruled the dog could be added to the exemption list, despite being a banned pit-bull type. The hearing lasted less than five minutes. His owners have called today a "happy hank day". Read More Send us your pictures and videos: We want your dog pictured with a message of support or a video of him barking for Hank Include your name, where you are from and the name of your dog to this address. Alternatively you can tweet them to us using the hashtag #welcomehomehank. A victims' delegation is heading to London to step up calls for an investigation into links between the IRA and Colonel Gaddafi's Libya. The group is due to meet the head of anti-terrorism at New Scotland Yard tomorrow. It is the latest step in a long-running campaign to seek compensation for Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism. Gaddafi armed the IRA from the mid-1980s, supplying Semtex plastic explosive used in a series of atrocities. Attacks carried out with Libyan Semtex include the Enniskillen bomb in 1987 which killed 11 and the Ballygawley bus bombing in 1988, which killed eight soldiers. It was also used in a mortar attack at Downing Street in 1991 when the IRA tried to wipe out John Major's Cabinet, and about 250 other booby-trap bombings. Victims' campaigner Willie Frazer is leading the delegation heading to London. He is also considering travelling to Libya to progress the fight. "We have been advised that the Libyan Embassy are prepared to issue visas allowing us to travel to Libya," he said. "We are liaising with the UK Foreign Office and understand the current security implications of travelling to Libya. "However, we feel there is an urgent and pressing need to progress this case." Mr Frazer said new evidence has come to light, adding impetus to a campaign which has been going since 2002. "The fight for justice continues. Tomorrow's meeting is one of many avenues we intend to pursue," he added. "We are committed to ensuring that those who supported, financed, trained and equipped terrorism in Northern Ireland are held responsible." The group will include victims and survivors of the Docklands and Harrods bombings. They will ask for an official investigation to be opened into Libyan IRA cooperation. Mr Frazer continued: "Libya was a key IRA ally - it helped finance, train and equip the Provisional movement. "The IRA and Libya are directly responsible for the deaths of almost 2,000 UK citizens, along with thousands more who were seriously injured or maimed. Without Libyan involvement, the IRA's terrorist campaign wouldn't have been as effective. "Libya and the republican leadership must be held accountable. "We have identified Libyans who were key players in the Gaddafi regime who are prepared to co-operate with any New Scotland Yard investigation which is established. "These key players will identify republican deal-makers who travelled to Libya." A drawing by one of the children in tribute to Lorraine The principal of a Co Antrim primary school has paid an emotional tribute to a former patrol lady killed in a car crash. Lorraine Clyde died on Monday last week along with her friend and work colleague, Michelle McStravick. The 56-year-old, from the Antrim area, was married with five children and worked at St Comgall's Primary School for around 25 years. Staff and pupils told how she went "above and beyond" the call of duty within her roles at the school. Lorraine, who was mother to Samantha, Phillip, Naomi, Krystal and James and wife of William, was described as a "dedicated, loyal and hard-working" member of the St Comgall's Primary School team. She worked in a range of positions, including classroom assistant, cleaner, lunch supervisor, building supervisor and crossing patrol person, and became a union representative for members of Unison at the school and at the company Homefirst, for which she worked as a carer. In a moving tribute, headmaster Jim Matthews said the pupils had the "utmost respect" for Lorraine. "Her relationship with them was founded on respect, fun and consistency," he added. "Lorraine's colleagues and friends from school speak so highly of her and point out how much she loved a good party. "She was a great organiser and tried to involve everyone as best she could." Lorraine was a member of the union's North Eastern Education Branch and an active member of the regional women's committee. Mr Matthews said her "determination and dedication" saw her elected to the Unison NI regional committee in October 2015. He added: "Earlier this year she made her maiden speech at the Unison Local Government National Conference in England in front of a few thousand people and spoke about career development for support staff in schools. "Lorraine was a determined champion of women's and workers' rights in the workplace. "A special person to so many people who crossed paths with Lorraine in their life, but none so special as the relationship Lorraine had with her family. "No one was ever left in any doubt of how immensely proud Lorraine was of her family. It goes without saying that this exuberant lady will be sorely missed by all who knew her. A bright light has been extinguished." Soldiers from 1 Scots receive red roses during their annual Minden Day parade at Palace Barracks A Northern Ireland-based Army unit will this morning wake up amid the searing heat and dust of Afghanistan. British forces formally pulled out of Helmand two years ago, but along with Americans and Australians, they are now helping the Afghans defend against Taliban attacks. Last December more coalition forces moved in to support the Afghan army, and earlier this year 500 soldiers from the US Army's 10th Mountain Division deployed to Helmand in a support role. Now more than 100 soldiers from 1 Scots have left Northern Ireland for a five-month tour, based at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul. Their mission will be to provide support and force protection measures for Nato personnel, giving advice, and mentoring the various Afghan security institutions. 1 Scots commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Wight-Boycott said that it was the first time one of his battalions would go to the Afghan capital, and added that it would be a very different experience from that at Camp Bastion during the war. B Company's officer commanding Major Frank Reeves will be leading the young soldiers on the mission. "We are well prepared, well trained and excited to go out to Kabul," he said. "I was very lucky to go out there a few weeks ago. "Flying over Kabul in a helicopter you really see how beautiful a city it is. "I found it quite awe-inspiring. "We will be mentoring, providing protection and helping to train. "We have already built up some good relationships. "We have a commitment to the people of Afghanistan." For some of the soldiers, this is their first tour. Private Daniel Cree (21) from Edinburgh and Lance Corporal Keiran Robinson (22) from Inverness are among the first-timers. "We are keen to just get out there and get stuck in," said LCpl Robinson. "A lot of the other lads have so many stories from Afghanistan and now it is our turn," said Pvt Cree. LCpl Robinson said it had been emotional telling his family he was going to Afghanistan, where so many soldiers died during the war. Yesterday morning, ahead of deployment, the entire 1 Scots took part in their annual Minden Day parade at Palace Barracks. Each soldier and officer received a red Minden rose to commemorate the participation of the forerunners of the regiment in the Battle of Minden during the Seven Years' War on that date in 1759. The flower marks the regiment's wearing of the wild roses that they plucked from hedgerows as they advanced to engage the enemy. Lt Col Wight-Boycott said that during the battle just six battalions of the British Army took on the entire French force and won against the odds. He said the sheer audacity of that attack - even from so long ago - can still inspire soldiers today. 1 Scots arrived at Palace Barracks in 2012 following the departure of the Mercian Regiment. While they spend much of their time on the camp or travelling home for visits, Titanic Belfast has already become a firm favourite to visit among the soldiers. Looking towards Whiteabbey from Hazelbank Park The PSNI are investigating a flashing incident in a Northern Ireland park. Just before 8am on Sunday a man exposed himself to a woman out for a walk in Hazelbank Park, Newtownabbey He was described as in his late 50s with a red face/ruddy complexion, wearing a brown/cream jacket with darker brown trousers. The woman was walking toward Whiteabbey Green at the time. Police appealed for witnesses. Owen Smith is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership in a postal ballot ending on September 24 Owen Smith's team has asked the Labour Party to ensure all his leadership contest debates with Jeremy Corbyn are broadcast live by the media and, if possible, on television. It comes after the Labour leader, who has been highly critical of "mainstream media" coverage, pulled out of a Channel 4 News hustings on Monday which Mr Smith then attended alone. The pair are due to take part in a series of leadership hustings in the run-up to the conclusion of the contest and declaration of the winner on September 24. Just one of the official debates scheduled by the party is due to be broadcast on television - on August 17 in Nottinghamshire by the BBC - while the Guardian will be hosting a London hustings on September 1. Labour has reportedly proposed events with ITV in August and Sky in September. Mr Smith's campaign issued the call while claiming Mr Corbyn and his team pulled out of a Wednesday meeting with the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to discuss the hustings timetable. It is thought the leader's camp disputes this and was due to send shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Momentum chair Jon Lansman, but was told by the NEC the meeting would be cancelled because Mr Corbyn could not attend personally. Mr Smith's campaign manager, Kate Green MP, has written to Labour general secretary Iain McNicol to express her disappointment that Mr Corbyn could not attend Wednesday's meeting. "We were more than prepared to make amendments to Owen's extremely busy diary in order to meet to discuss an issue as important as the hustings timetable," she wrote. Ms Green claimed Mr Corbyn's decision to hold a rally rather than attending the Channel 4 News event meant he was ignoring party advice that both Labour-scheduled hustings and debates arranged by broadcasters form part of the official timetable. "You have made it clear to both campaigns since July 22 that Labour Party hustings meetings and third-party broadcast debates together formed part of the official debates timetable," she wrote. "It is unfortunate that the other campaign is now choosing to ignore this. "You have said that the procedures committee will now be given the opportunity to consider potential changes to the overall hustings timetable when it meets this Thursday. "Unfortunately, this will be too late to affect Thursday's meeting in Cardiff. "However, given recent events - and the possibility that future media events will similarly not be attended by the other campaign - I would ask that the procedures committee urgently reconsider the format of the remaining Labour Party hustings so that these are broadcast live through as many broadcasters as possible in order to maximise opportunities for members and supporters to hear from the candidates." Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Mourners at the home of Gerry Ryan. May 2010 Pat Kenny (left) hugs Siobhan Hock outside Gerry Ryan's family home in the north Dublin suburb of Clontarf . Local people gather as the funeral cortege for Irish broadcaster Gerry Ryan makes its way from his family home in Clontarf, Dublin, to the near by St John the Baptist Church where his funeral service will take place. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 6, 2010. Ryan - who split from his wife after 26 years of marriage in March 2008 - was found dead on the floor of his bedroom in his Dublin flat by his partner, Melanie Verwoerd. See PA story IRISH Ryan. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 The funeral of Gerry Ryan in Dublin. May 6 2010 Television presenter Pat Kenny kisses his wife, Morah, during the funeral of Irish broadcaster Gerry Ryan at the St John the Baptist Church, in Clontarf, Dublin Gerry Ryan's coffin, inscribed with a quote from the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey is carried from St John the Baptist Church in Clontarf, Dublin, by his brother Mick, following his funeral service Gerry Ryan's coffin is carried from St John the Baptist Church in Clontarf, Dublin, by his brother Mick (left) and his son Elliot (second right), following his funeral service Members of Westlife (left to right) Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne during the funeral of broadcaster Gerry Ryan at St.John the Baptist church in Clontarf , Dublin U2 and boyband Westlife have paid musical tributes to RTE broadcaster Gerry Ryan who was buried yesterday. U2 frontman Bono echoed Gerry Ryan's famous radio signature as he launched into a special version of his friend's favourite song With Or Without You. The supergroup was unable to attend the star-studded ceremony yesterday, but instead hooked up live via satellite from New York to make its own special contribution. "Gerry, you shone like a star in the summer night. You'll be alright, flying high, flying so high," Bono sang. As the song concluded at the end of the service, he added: "Goodbye Gerry, see you down the road." Boyband Westlife earlier performed an acapella version of their hit 'You Raise Me Up' in the small Clontarf church, located in the suburb where the broadcaster grew up and lived with his own family. Dressed in matching black suits with white shirts and black ties, the group flew back to Ireland from the UK especially to perform at the funeral. They almost didn't make it. It was feared the band would be grounded by the volcanic ash cloud which had brought chaos to Irish airports again this week. However, the opening of Irish air space at 4am got them home just in time. The String Quartet from the National Symphony Orchestra and the Dublin Gospel Choir also performed at the funeral. Mourners included such prominent figures in the Irish music business as Sharon Corr, pop manager Louis Walsh and Boyzone's Keith Duffy. Leave a tribute or message to Gerry Ryan Source Irish Independent A judge was wrong to consider "a novel standalone claim" about the reliability of mobile phone tracking evidence in granting a new trial for a man whose murder conviction was re-examined in the popular Serial podcast, the Maryland attorney general's office said. The podcast attracted millions of listeners who became armchair detectives as the series analysed the case of Adnan Syed for weeks in the winter of 2014. Appealing against the decision to retry Syed, lawyers for the state contend that retired Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch should not have ruled that his initial lawyers were constitutionally deficient because they failed to bring into evidence a warning from AT&T. The cover sheet says: "Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will NOT be considered reliable information for location." The first three words - "Outgoing calls only" - are underlined in the fax AT&T sent to Baltimore police. Defence lawyers said prosecutors improperly used unreliable tower data on incoming calls to place Syed's phone near the burial site of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, who was killed in 1999. Judge Welch agreed, ruling that Syed's lawyer provided "ineffective assistance for the failure to cross-examine the state's cell tower expert about the reliability of cell tower location evidence". In its appeal filed on Monday, the state counters that Syed's trial lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, "was far from ineffective in her challenge of the state's cellphone evidence". "For one thing, there is no consensus among experts in the forensic community that Syed's interpretation of the fax cover sheet is valid," wrote Thiru Vignarajah, a deputy attorney general. "Where one expert concludes the disclaimer does not apply, another finds it does, and yet a third opines it is ambiguous, trial counsel cannot be declared ineffective for a sustained and vigorous cross examination that does not incorporate an uncertain line of attack." The state also argued that Syed waived his right to raise the issue about the cross-examination failure now because he should have raised it in a prior proceeding. But the judge ruled that Syed did not "intelligently or knowingly" waive his right, noting that he never completed his high school degree. Syed's lawyers also argued that he deserves a retrial because his original lawyer did not contact Asia McClain Chapman, an alibi witness who swore in an affidavit that she saw Syed at the Woodlawn library at about the same time prosecutors say Ms Lee was murdered. Judge Welch disagreed with the defence on that point. He also disagreed that prosecutors breached their duty by withholding exculpatory evidence. But the attorney general's office says the judge was wrong to include arguments about the cover sheet in reopened legal proceedings that were supposed to be predicated on Chapman's newly available affidavit. "Maryland's courts have imposed few limits on what qualifies as in the 'interest of justice,' but limits remain," wrote Vignarajah. AP Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the November 8 election would be rigged (AP) Donald Trump has suggested that the US presidential election in November election could be "rigged". The Republican nominee's extraordinary claim - one he did not back up with any immediate evidence - would seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. The billionaire tycoon has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former secretary of state received 3.7 million more votes than Mr Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. Read more Read More He repeated the charge on Monday night on Fox News, saying: "November 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been "rigged". It became a frequent catchphrase of during his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Republican rival Ted Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favour a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at his expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats' process was also rigged. On Monday night, Trump said Sanders "made a deal with the devil" and said of Clinton: "She's the devil." The event in Ohio was Trump's first campaign appearance since the start of his row with the parents of a killed Army veteran, but he did not address the controversy. He spoke for nearly an hour in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Mrs Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. The candidate criticised the family in an interview on Sunday and again in two tweets on Monday morning. An extended relative was murdered by loyalists some decades ago; a random, soft target, as was the case for many of those who fell victim to the bad and easily misled. When, a few months later, Sinn Fein used his name in an Easter commemoration speech, his father was furious. A decent, tolerant man, he did not want his son's name associated with a political campaign he was opposed to. So, he took himself to the local Sinn Fein office to complain, but when he was met with a dismissive shrug, the red mist descended and, in a rage, he trashed the place. I loved that man. I was reminded of this on reading Nelson McCausland's column (Comment, July 28). I have read all of Mr McCausland's weekly columns for about a year now and, with the exception of a few, I've been struck by its myopic criticisms of anything republican, nationalist, Catholic, Irish, GAA, etc. Of course, I wouldn't deny Mr McCausland the freedom to express his point of view, although, as a senior unionist politician, I believe he is missing a wider gifted opportunity to use his column to positively promote the advantages of the Union. But what compelled me to react was his response to the murder of a Catholic priest by Isis militants in France while celebrating Mass. He cited a long list of victims murdered by republican terrorists, while attending prayer, over the period of the Troubles. Given that Mr McCausland employs his column consistently as a "poke-in-the-eye" vehicle for of those he opposes, my view is that, rather than espousing compassion for the victims he cites on his list, he is exploiting them to further his own political cause, just like Sinn Fein all those years ago. Isn't it about time our politicians resisted the urge to continually open the filing cabinet labelled "victims" and flick through the files to selectively extract those they can stand on to elevate their own so-called "crusades". Regardless of what any of them think, we're not that stupid, you know. BILL MCINTYRE By email The promoter of iconic nightclub Lush! has told how he formed an unlikely alliance with the Ulster Orchestra. The venue in Portrushs Kellys Complex will mark its 20th anniversary by working with the musicians to bring clubbers the biggest dance anthems of the last two decades. To be honest we expected the Ulster Orchestra to turn us down flat because its not what they normally do but they were really up for it and have been really great to work with, Lush! promoter Col Hamilton told Sunday Life. I didnt really know how young the musicians in the Ulster Orchestra were. I thought theyd be much older, like in their 60s, but most of them are in their 20s studying at Queens and Coleraine. A lot of them have probably been to Lush! on a night out before as students. They were so excited to do the likes of Paul Van Dyke, just something a bit different than what theyre used to. Thousands of tickets have already been sold for Lush!s 20 Years of Dance Music Classics at Belfasts SSE Arena on October 15. Announced But founder Col admits an event like this is a dream turned reality for Lush! bosses. Since we announced it, the reaction has been amazing, he said. Nobody really expected a night like this to happen in Northern Ireland so were really pleased with how its turned out. When we started it back in 1996 we thought wed be lucky to get six months or a year out of it and wed be doing well. If youd said to us then that wed still be here selling out nights 20 years later, I dont think anyone would have believed it. Over the last 20 years, Lush! has welcomed many famous faces through its doors and Northern Irelands biggest dance club shows no sign of slowing down. Curated by Dave Seaman and Steve Anderson and Col, clubbers at Lush!s 20 Years of Dance Music Classics will be treated to all the club classics, but with a twist. Were doing a few tunes from the last couple of years but its mainly the classic Lush! tunes from back in the day. Well have all the big ones that people can relate to from growing up, he said. All my mates, who havent been to Lush! in about 10 years, are all going and theres a lot of people who maybe went at the beginning that are going. Id say the age range is more 25-50 but adults of all ages are welcome. My sons 21 and hes going with his friends with so therell be something for everyone. Col believes that having a nightclub in an alternative venue like Portrush than many DJs and clubbers are used to has played a big part in Lush!s success. Its a testament to the clubbers of Northern Ireland that people will still come the whole way to Portrush for a good night out, said Col. Cram When you see buses pulling in from Omagh, Enniskillen and Lisburn, its a great feeling knowing that people still want to travel. We still love it 20 years later. He added: Hopefully people from all over the years will like what weve done come October. The soundtrack represents all the big tunes youd have known over the years so itll be amazing to hear it all together. Weve tried to cram 20 years into 90 minutes which is a bit of a handful so youll hear 30 second snippets of songs you know and hopefully everyone will put their hands up and cheer and then itll move onto the next one. Its really interesting the way it comes together with the orchestra. Were very proud of it. Tickets for Lush!s 20 Years of Dance Music Classics at Belfasts SSE Arena on October 15 are available via Ticketmaster. Proteccion Civil Galeana NL Max the yellow Labrador retriever is being praised after helping save the life of a teenage boy. Juan Heriberto Trevino, 14, is from Galena, Mexico and attending summer camp in the Sierra Madre Oriental mount range. Last Sunday, he became separated from his group when searching for firewood. Lost, Trevino slipped on moving tree trunks and fell into a ravine which turned into a 44 hour ordeal. I fell into a river that had no water and walked the valley searching for a way out, the boy told the Spanish language news service Mexnoticias. Though injured and disoriented, he soon realized he wasnt alone. Luckily Max the dog was trailing behind Trevino and followed him down the ravine when he fell. Max then refused to leave the childs side until the proper rescuers had arrived as Trevino was unable to make his way back to camp. The pair had only met hours beforehand. Trevino told Noticieros Televisa: 'He stayed by my side the whole time, making me feel safe. I grabbed [Max] and put him on my legs to not be so cold and hugged the dog.' He described how the pair slept under a tree and cuddled to stay warm the first night. The following morning, Trevino set out again in an attempt to find a way back to the camp through the rugged terrain. The loyal and friendly dog saved him once again, by finding a puddle of water from which they were both able to quench their thirst. Rescuers were able to finally find the pair and they were both airlifted out of the mountain range and reunited with friends and family. He was found on Tuesday morning by two rescuers on horseback. One said: When he saw us, he ran up and hugged us - he had been so afraid. Trevino was taken to a nearby hospital where the whole situation only left him with exhaustion and dehydration. Martin Castillo, deputy director of local police, said that the young boy was lucky to have Max by his side as it is very easy to get lost in that part of the mountain, which also tends to get very cold at night. The deputy added The child was lucky to find the dog. Things could have easily turned very poor and tragic, but all are grateful for the happy ending. Megan Bailey is a former Social Media Specialist and Content Producer for Beliefnet. She attended James Madison University where she received a degree in psychology. Bangladeshi officers stand guard in front of an apartment building in Dhaka, where police killed nine suspected extremists, July 26, 2016. Bangladeshi police on Tuesday identified a Canadian and a former military officer as suspected masterminds of a terrorist attack that killed 20 hostages at a cafe in Dhaka last month. Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury and fugitive ex-army Maj. Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque are suspected leaders of home-grown militant groups, police said in announcing bounties of 2 million taka (U.S. $25,565) on each of their heads. Both men are wanted in connection with the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe as well as an attack on July 7 that targeted a prayer gathering in northwestern Bangladesh on the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, and which left four people dead, Bangladeshs police chief told a news conference in Dhaka. During the course of the investigation, we detected mastermind Tamim Chowdhury. He has been leading the new JMB [Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh]. ...We do not know whether he is in Bangladesh or outside the country, Police Inspector-General A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters. Major Haq was dismissed from the army for allegedly organizing an attempted coup, and he now leads Ansarullah Bangla Team, Hoque said. Police earlier had blamed ABT for being behind a spate of killings targeting secular Bangladeshi bloggers since February 2015. He is another mastermind, the police chief said. Links to IS, al-Qaeda? According to a report published in Bangladeshs Daily Star newspaper in early June, the group commanded by Major Haque is aligned with al-Qaeda, while the JMB faction headed by the Canadian Chowdhury is aligned with Islamic State. For months and even since the attack on the cafe, which was claimed by IS Bangladeshi officials have denied that IS or al-Qaeda have a presence in the country. However, according to the Daily Star, IS propaganda magazine Dabiq recently published an interview with Chowdhury. Dabiq identified him as Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif and described him as the so-called emir, or leader, of IS soldiers in Bengal, the Star reported. The militant activities would come down if the two were arrested, Hoque said. According to media reports in India, Chowdhury may have fled there. Chowdhury, 30, was born on July 25, 1986, and entered Bangladesh on Oct. 5, 2013, via Dubai, the inspector-general said. In June, Amarnath Amarasingam, a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia who specializes in counter-terrorism, told the Canadian newspaper National Post that the wave of sectarian killings in Bangladesh many of them attributed to a regional franchise of IS, reportedly was being led by Chowdhury, a former resident of Ontario. Officials at the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka did not respond to requests for comment from BenarNews. Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (center) arrives at the Federal Court in Putrajaya ahead of a ruling on his sodomy conviction, Feb. 10, 2015. Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new security law that gives the prime minister broader powers, his lawyer said. Ibrahim is suing the government and the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak, N. Surendran, an attorney for Anwar, told BenarNews. Anwars legal team filed the lawsuit at the Kuala Lumpur High Court a day after the National Security Council (NSC) Act took effect in Malaysia. The suit seeks to invalidate the law by arguing that it was passed without the required consent of Malaysias king, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, according to Surendran. Aug. 1 is a dark day in Malaysian history, when NSC was enforced. Anwar is filing this suit to re-establish democracy in the country, Surendran said. Anwar has sued the government at least three times since he was imprisoned in February 2015 on a sodomy charge, the lawyer noted. Anwar, 68, the leader of the opposition Peoples Justice Party (PKR), is serving a five-year term at Sungai Bulok Prison in Selangor state. He has been jailed on multiple occasions. In 1974, he was imprisoned for 20 months under the countrys former Internal Security Act, which allowed for detention of suspects without trial. Later in his political career, Anwar was criticized for failing to push for repealing the act in his capacity as deputy prime minister in 1993. A more powerful executive Apart from the prime minister who serves as chairman, the NSC consists of the deputy prime minister, the ministers of defense, home affairs, communications and multimedia, the chief of the armed forces, the national police chief and the governments chief secretary. The law is controversial because, critics say, Najib could use it to crush dissent and silence those who have called for his resignation over corruption allegations linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The law gives the executive branch power to declare an emergency without having to go through Malaysias king as guaranteed by its constitution according to legal experts. It empowers the council to authorize stops, searches and arrests of people, as well as warrantless searches of and seizure of private property, they say. Under the act, the prime minister is empowered to declare any place a security area for six months at a time, subject to renewal. The NSC may then order the deployment of any security forces or other government personnel to the area in question. Malaysias parliament passed the NSC bill without any amendments in December. The enactment of the law was unusual because the Conference of Rulers a body of sultans, rajas and governors, which normally grants royal assent to a bill a month after it is presented to the king never consented to it. In February, the rulers issued a statement indicating that some of the laws provisions needed to be refined. Back door to rights violations The United Nations and human rights advocacy groups have voiced concerns that Najib could use the new law to abuse his power and trample on free speech in country. On Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement expressing similar concern. Given the Malaysian governments recent track record of harassing and arresting government critics, the likely abuses under this new law are truly frightening, said Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy director for Asia. There are serious concerns that this law will be used as a back door to severe rights violations, using government claims that it only seeks to protect its citizens from terror threats. Najib and other top officials, however, have defended such measures as necessary because of a threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) and other transnational terrorist groups. I can assure Malaysians that the government will continue to put all possible measures in place to protect you. Daesh and its cruel, perverted ideology have no place in Islam, nor in our peaceful, diverse and tolerant country, Najib said on his website last week, referring to another name for Islamic State. Since last year Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 222 suspected IS members, according to police statistics. Hata Wahari contributed to this report. 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. 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. 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 One of the most "unnatural" images (in terms of things done and added which are not present in the original product) is food photography. None of the stuff you prepare in your kitchen looks anything like the pics in magazines or the serving suggestion images on the pack. So much preparation and doctoring of food (spraying it with moisture and possibly some chemicals) to help make the colours brighter or to prevent fading under the lights goes on during the shoot that I doubt whether it is fit for human consumption after the photographers have done their work. In food advertising, too, the creative front and back room people try to maximise those items which are so appealing to people. Much of the focus goes into bombarding the sense of the consumer, emphasising bright colours and shapes which often look unnatural to make the point the food you want them to buy is really farm fresh. Many brands have, over the years, employed animation to stray even further into the realm of make-believe. Its not a real apple, not really tomatoes which are going into the tin or bottle so why not make it a fantasy world of happiness and light and, at the same time, locate your product in that happy space? The latest brand to do this is All Gold in its new television commercial for its range of products (it isnt just the beloved tomato sauce, you know). Its called The Orchard and takes place in that make-believe All Gold orchard where all the good things originate, and where all sorts of little people work hard to ensure you get the best. Conceptualised by ad agency Hunt Lascaris Joburg for Tiger Brands (the parent company of All Gold), it features very high-class graphics and an emphasis on being South African as well as according to the agency obsessive care with quality and respect for the environment. Little people get helped by cute creatures, ranging from bees to bunnies as they bring in and process the harvest. Its cute and, even though it is fantasy, its a reminder of an innocence most of us have lost as adults. The kids will love it and more than a few moms and dads will smile, too. And theyll remember All Gold on their next trip to the supermarket. So, it works as marketing communication. Orchids for Tiger Brands, All Gold and Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg. I am not quite sure who did the graphics but if you let me know, I will happily give them an Orchid, too. Screengrab from the ad. To show I am nothing if not even-handed, this weeks marketing Onion goes to an election advert, as did last weeks Orchid. And it goes to the same organisation, the ANC. Elections are a time for posters and they have been going up all around us. But, in my area at least, the ANC is the only party which is breaking the law putting up posters on street signs. This, as you know, is a pet peeve of mine. Its illegal and there is no dispensation because youre a political party. Its not a good election move to act illegally but the ANC has good form in the area of ignoring inconvenient laws. Look at No 1 in his defiance of the public protector and, later, the constitution. Look at the SABCs (chief operating officer) Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Look at Dudu Myeni (chairwoman) of SA Airways. They have to be dragged before the courts before they do the right, legal, thing. The visage on the poster in our area is of Joburg mayor Parks Tau. So, Mr Mayor, you are very guilty by association with this. You may not have given the order, but the buck stops at your very comfortable desk. The most interesting thing, though, is that, clearly, no one bothered to think about matters of placement, never mind legalities: is a stop sign the right place for a picture of the mayor? Look at the picture: It says: Stop Parks Tau. Not clever. It is also illegal and that is why you get a double Onion, ANC. I await your lawyers notification that you intend to contest this in the Constitutional Court. *Note that Bizcommunity staff and management do not necessarily share the views of its contributors - the opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the author.* South Africa's leading quick service restaurant in the pizza segment, Debonairs Pizza, is promoting its Crammed-Crust pizza with a 30-second television commercial from FCB Joburg. Created by FCBs team of Creative Director Gareth Paul, Art Director Julie Thorogood and Copywriter Estee De Beer, the ad features a family enjoying a sunny winters day around a picnic table in a park. The Debonairs Pizza boxes are open on the table and the eldest son takes a slice to a nearby bench where his gogo grandmother is sitting. She bites into the pizza and is puzzled by what she finds; the Crammed-Crust is new to her. Her grandson explains that, because the crust of the Crammed-Crust pizza is wrapped around either beef or pork cheese sausage, the meat is both on the outside and the inside. She nods her appreciation. Everyone knows that grandmothers indulge their grandsons. And this gogo is obviously no exception and her grandson knows it. So he asks her if he can have her crust. But, shes so enjoying Debonairs Pizza Crammed-Crust, she turns him down with an incredulous look, said Paul. The message is clear, when it comes to Debonairs Pizza Crammed-Crust, not even grannies will share! The ad was shot over two days: one for the outdoor scenes at Rhodes Park in Kensington and one for the food shots at Media Film Services. The 30-second launch spot has been cut down to a 20-second version. Both will air on SABC, e.tv and DStv channels for two months. The new legislation on regulating salt content in food in effect since the beginning of July - although appearing without much fanfare - is a welcomed move by government. As a member of the Public Health Community of South Africa, we are motivated by these developments and are confident that the fight against obesity and high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) will be equally prioritised and receive the same commitment by all stakeholders. Driven by big food industries Excessive salt consumption is linked to the epidemic of hypertension and its cardiovascular fallout. The magnitude of these and other lifestyle diseases is putting a strain on our healthcare system and we cannot afford to look the other way anymore. These damaging health concerns are driven by big food industries to improve taste in an effort to create demand and thus increase sales and profit. Of great concern is the excessive and widespread marketing and advertising of salty and sugary food to children. It is a biological fact that children, especially, have a fondness for sweet and salty flavours, which puts them at high risk of addiction to these products. Proposed law on sugary drinks On the back of the salt legislation now in effect, which will enforce the gradual reduction of salt content on certain foods, the policy paper released by Treasury outlining the proposed tax to be levied on SSBs is a milestone towards efforts to beat obesity. According to research by Priceless SA, adult diabetes could cost South Africas healthcare system between $1bn and $2bn by 2030. Cause and effect When it comes to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), unfortunately there is a lack of perception of cause and effect. Unlike communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and even Ebola, the public perception of these ailments is that there is a cause (virus) and an effect which is the actual illness (that can lead to death). There is a visual imprint in the minds of people of a negative association between the virus and the outcome/illness. The problem that contributes to the rise in NCDs is that this negative causal relationship imprint does not exist in the minds of the population. For example, we know that excessive consumption of sugar, such as SSBs, is a major contributor to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, the public doesnt see it this way as they have an incorrectly perceived positive imprint of SSBs in their mind. Through mass marketing and advertising and todays access to social media and the internet, these products have become part of normal consumption. At the end of the day we are faced with a situation where abnormal has become the perceived norm and people continue to blindly consume products that eventually lead to dreaded diseases such as diabetes. The proposed tax, while it will only be a first step, will bring much needed attention to blind consumption of SSBs. Research shows that there could be 250,000 fewer obese South Africans in three to five years if the SSB tax is introduced. An intervention is needed as SSBs have no nutritional benefit whatsoever, but contribute directly to the increasing incidences of obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle-related illnesses. We need parents to contemplate that giving SSBs to their children is as harmful as giving cigarettes and alcohol to them. SSB awareness campaigns In our current economic climate, I hope that there will be an overwhelming sense of necessity among our leaders to take care of the nation and take control of non-communicable diseases and obesity which could be avoided through healthier food choices. The proposed SSB tax requires support from education campaigns and reinforcement through accurate food labelling. As awareness increases, I hope that there will be a shift in perceptions and finally people will question what theyre putting into their bodies and how it will affect them. Without urgent preventive measures we will face a dire situation of growing deaths and disabilities in the next few years. This will disproportionately impact women, children and the poor and overwhelm our health syst In a world run down by information overload, video presents information succinctly and emotively, a huge asset in trying to attract attention and portray messages quickly. Its no wonder that Axonn Research found that seven in ten people saw brands in a more positive light after viewing an interesting video about them. So, with video on the rise, lets look at how brands are using online video in more detail. Storytelling Nothing new here. Brands have been using TV commercials, documentaries and online video to tell stories about their brand. The film industry is built on storytelling and brands have learnt from Hollywood in this regard. Jozef Polc via 123RF Adobe Systems, a brand that speaks to creative people, uses storytelling in their video, Red Hot Chili Peppers at SXSW, to identify with their audience and show why creative people love working with their products. Enhancing the customer experience Vala Afshar, chief digital evangelist at Salesforce, tells us that brands succeeding in video marketing are moving beyond brand stories, video ads and viral content. He suggests that successful brands are using video to engage consumers throughout the customer journey to educate, convert sales, build relationships and improve customer satisfaction. There is a big opportunity for brands to drive deeper consumer connections by using video in all levels of consumer engagements. A bank in Poland, uses online video chat to revolutionise the internet banking industry. The bank makes consultants available to online banking users. This brings people back into a process that ultimately leaves users frustrated when they need to work outside the norm of banking functions offered online. Product launches Using video to launch products is an obvious choice, however, with the advent of on media the approach is shifting. People dont have the attention span to sit through long-form videos that explain features of products in detail. Instead, brands need to look at creating short, bite-size video snippets that promote the features through lifestyle experiences and benefits. A great example is when Apple launched their Apple Watch with 13 Videos. Each video was 15 seconds long making them short enough to keep the users attention to the end. The short length also makes it easier to share across multiple social networks that prefer short video clips. The Apple Watch videos focus on putting the user in the middle of the apple watch experience. Like when they launched the iPod, they positioned the videos with the consumer in the centre and showed how the product integrated with their life. Selling benefit over function in every video, with no technical specs. Taking a 360 degree spin 360 video is a step towards virtual reality (VR) and marketers with an eye on the future have been looking to VR as a means to create brand experiences, in a digital age, that surpasses anything we have seen before. While this seems to be a far-fetched idea for marketers today, it seems that the gaming industry has taken the responsibility to invest in VR applications, with headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive leading the charge. Samsungs Gear VR and Google Cardboard bring VR to the smartphone, which leads to immersive mobile experiences and makes VR a little more accessible to the everyday consumer. Already we are seeing an influx of VR Games and experiences being released on the Google Play Store. VR, unfortunately, is too far removed from majority of the consumers world. Its just too complex and limited for brands to drive benefits on a large scale. Enter 360 video, VRs younger cousin, much easier to access and create while still providing many of the benefits of VR: 1) Immersive experiences that users can interact with 2) Memorable experiences that transport people to the location of a video 3) Novelty as the 360 video market starts to gain traction Although available through YouTube, 360-degree video rose to the front of consumer minds on 23 September 2016, when Facebook announced the release of 360 video onto its platform. Now consumers can easily engage with 360-degree video and create it themselves. Brands that use the power of video are sure to create experiences as they help people get close to the moment and build a stronger emotional connection to the brand. Adding to its product portfolio in the UK, Pioneer Foods, a leading South African FMCG company, has entered into an agreement to acquire the entire issued share capital of Streamfoods in the UK for 7.5m. Streamfoods is wholly owned by the Wellness Group of companies. This acquisition is in keeping with the stated strategic intent of acquiring and bolstering Pioneer Foods product portfolio in the UK with a branded proposition, namely Fruit Bowl. The transaction will augment and leverage our UK private label portfolio and our recently upgraded manufacturing capabilities, comments Pioneer Foods CEO, Phil Roux. Owner of Bokomo and Safari, Pioneer Foods has extensive competence in the fruit snacking category, which bodes well for the development of the category and its brand position. Furthermore, Streamfoods exports internationally to China and Europe. Thushen Govender, Pioneer Foods International Business Executive adds, The core brand in the Streamfoods stable, Fruit Bowl, is well positioned to generate growth in the health conscious UK and European markets. The retail concept of Continental, ContiPartner, is being relaunched in Ghana through one of its selected partners, Rainbow Motor Workshop and Engineering. Continental currently distributes passenger and commercial vehicle tyres into Ghana. The division is set to expand its networks and business in West Africa, in line with the long-term growth strategy of the tyre division, Vision 2025. Picture: Supplied The ContiPartner store in Graphic Road, Accra, has received a facelift through new branding and product ranges. Continental wishes to use this store to display what the company has to offer within its partnership programme. The ContiPartner retail concept was first established 20 years ago and is now experiencing a transformation in Africa. The business concept is based on seven marketing elements, which cover product, price, promotion, place, positioning, people and processes. A great strength of the programme is that it is based on a loyalty programme where Continental Tyre collaborates with independent tyre dealers to enhance their business and to create sustainable growth and more profitable opportunities. The synergy we have with our ContiPartner stores is a win-win for our brand and the partners involved, says Johann Liebenberg, market manager Continental Tyre West Africa - Passenger and Light Truck Tyres Replacement. To launch this initiative, a delegation of Continental Tyre executives, including the MD for Sub Saharan Africa, Shaun Uys and GM marketing and sales, Ian Langlands, is in Ghana to support the initiative and meet with some of the industry leaders and customers. Continental is setting new benchmarks in the premium tyre segment, responding to tougher requirements and specifically targeting different areas of application with new passenger and commercial vehicle tyre families. Continental understands the needs of our customers and we pride ourselves on having a product offering to meet those needs, says Langlands. Having shown its commitment to the market through the establishment of its legal entity in April 2016, Continental Tyre is confident that the market holds great potential. We believe that the next logical step is for us to grow our strategic partnerships through our ContiPartner network, which allows us to build relationships with stakeholders and also have a better understanding of the market environment, concludes Langlands. Continental understands the needs of its customers and has a product offering to meet those needs. German engineering is our heritage, with customer focused technologies at our core. As a responsible, leading company and trusted partner, we are dedicated to meeting our customer's needs and exceeding their expectations. We are excited to able to use this platform to showcase our expertise and build relationships in the market, adds Uys. With a dire shortage of paediatric intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Africa, a R100m-plus expansion and upgrade of the ICU at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital will significantly improve intensive care services and capacity to serve critically ill and injured children on the continent. Photo: The Children's Hospital Trust With the majority of funding already secured to build of this unit, the Childrens Hospital Trust the official fundraisers for the Red Cross Childrens Hospital launched a public appeal in March to help raise the final R10m for the building. South Africans rose to the challenge, donating through individual capacity as well as through companies, trusts and foundations and community groups, raising the R10m for this world-class facility. CEO of the Trust, Louise Driver, says, We knew that it was an ambitious target. With a declining economy, many families in South Africa are tightening their belts. However, the R10m raised symbolises the generosity and caring spirit that exists out there, no matter the personal circumstance. Each and every single donor has given childhood back to the thousands of sick and injured children, who visit the ICU each year. Key donors were given a sneak peek into the ICU progress on 26 July and were able to experience the completion of phase 1 of the building project. Average electricity prices have increased by a massive 160% since 2008 and yet there are still no clear answers as to when these enormous escalations will end. In addition, Eskom is looking to cut its use of private power partnerships and is once more focusing on nuclear as the final solution, but it may be making a major business model mistake. Building huge new power stations goes against recent and future trends in utilities, while the growing affordability in renewable pricing is pushing them past the need for government subsidies and the feel good imperatives to become a real alternative. In addition, large-scale battery production and new technologies are driving down the price of storage, which will make renewables feasible on a larger scale within 15 years. Committing to a 30-year trillion-rand investment nuclear project will lock up scarce funds and close out optionality. It is a decision based on existing technology and an old business model, and does not consider the future energy landscape. Funded with debt, it will very likely continue to push up tariffs and this, combined with a reduction in renewables and storage costs, will put Eskom into a utility death spiral. Falling price of renewables Since 2007, solar module costs have decreased 80% with the price falling 26% every time output doubles (wind-power is also falling fast 19% per doubling). South Africas successful REIPP (renewable energy independent power producer procurement) programme has already experienced the positive cost trend of renewables. The measure used to analyse and compare tariffs with the cost of new power is the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE). Simply put, it is the cost of installation, financing, and running, divided by the total energy output. We can use it to compare builds and tariff schemes. In 2015, the round 4 tariffs dropped 25% to as low as R0,57/kWh for wind and an average R0,79/kWh for solar. This is compared to LCOE of R1,05 for coal-fired Medupi and Kusile, and R1,75/kWh for Britains new Hinkley nuclear plant. Even CSP, which priced relatively expensively at R3,94/kWh, came out cheaper than alternative peaking supply from diesel and gas turbines. This is why Deutsche Bank has already placed South Africa at grid parity for solar prices. Analysts have looked at the recent trends and projected future costs based on a steady learning curve as total capacity increases. If these continue and solar module prices reduce 40% over the next five years, renewables will easily beat the growing Eskom tariffs. Batteries the killer app Generation is only half the story when it comes to renewables. They dont produce a steady flow of power and so are criticised as not being viable for baseload generation. Batteries solve this by allowing renewables to time-shift their power production. Batteries even make sense in a normal grid as they provide an alternative to expensive surge generation. Storage costs have historically been prohibitive. The only viable option in use is pumped hydro, but this isnt always feasible. However, the growth in electric vehicles is rapidly advancing battery technology, and new technologies are emerging as other cheap options. For example, lithium-ion costs have been declining rapidly since 2005 and are now below original forecasts for the year 2020. With a 14-22% learning rate, certain estimates see lithium-ion costs declining another 50% over the next five years. Thus, these costs in five years could be priced at $220/kWh for use in renewable transmission systems and peaker replacement. This would convert to around R3,50/kWh LCOE. Some forecasts though see $100/kWh by 2025, which translates into R1,76/kWh low enough to take on peaker plants and for effective use in transmission systems in combination with renewables. Although this may seem high when you add solar costs and compares it to coal and nuclear, it actually becomes very attractive to high-end users having to fund Eskoms growing costs and tariffs. The change to solar, and then added storage, would be an obvious switch. Eskom would then be forced to increase rates because of a smaller user base, making it the best option for the rest of users as well. Avoiding the utility death spiral Eskom is at risk of losing demand to renewables-storage, but municipalities are at even greater risk. Large metros generate around 30% of their revenue from electricity sales with profit margins of 15-20%. If high income and business customers begin to defect (or even reduce consumption), municipalities will find themselves needing to charge higher prices for the remaining few who do pay (as there are subsidised and general high-debtor customers). This creates a vicious cycle of defection known as the utility death spiral. By our estimates, if Eskom loses just 300,000 high-use customers, it will have to increase tariffs 23% just to maintain current revenue levels. Placing this on top of general price increases, and then new nuclear build costs, would be disastrous. There are two ways to overcome this. The first, and more regressive, is changing the revenue model to charge for access to the grid. As it is unlikely for customers to go completely off the grid due to cost and flexibility factors, Eskom could still recover some revenue from such a scheme. A better option for Eskom and municipalities would be to redesign the grid and distribution model to focus on the benefits and generating properties of renewables (such as Gemanys E.ON). Government can contribute by pushing renewables through tariff structures, private partnerships, and creating a new job generating industry within South Africa. A first-of-its-kind renewable energy facility to support South African sustainability and waste management efforts, and boost electricity supply is set to be built in the Drakenstein Municipality, near Wellington in the Western Cape. The proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) plant will contribute 10MW to the nation's power grid enough to power more than 10,000 South African homes. In addition to providing a renewable energy resource, the waste management project will help address limited landfill availability by diverting up to 500 tons of municipal waste (MSW) per day from the landfill to the WTE plant, reducing the waste volume by 90%. The facility will use both wet organic fraction to produce biogas and the dry fraction of locally available MSW in an effort to provide clean burning natural gas energy to the region. The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded MBHE African Power, a local renewable energy developer, a grant as joint developer in the public-private partnership that includes the Drakenstein Municipality and Interwaste, a local South African waste management company. Black & Veatch will serve as owners engineers to provide fuel characterisation, front-end engineering and design (FEED), and tender support for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), operations and maintenance contracts. Partnering with MBHE on this project will help address an increasingly critical waste management challenge facing the community. The completed project will address this issue while also providing a sustainable energy solution to meet growing electricity demand, says Karen Daniel, chief financial officer and executive leader of Black & Veatchs sub-Saharan Africa growth initiative. The project supports Power Africa, a US government-led initiative to increase access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by adding more than 30,000MW of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity and 60m new home and business connections. The South African Reserve Bank has thrown its weight behind local payment industry innovation and development, as the industry braces for a "time of unprecedented change". Francois Groepe, deputy governor: SARB. Photo: Riaan West The industry is entering a new phase in the South African payment and financial regulatory environment, in a time of significant changes to the international regulatory architecture and framework, says Francois Groepe, deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). New regulations SARB, which processed payments in the region of R100trn in 2016 three times the GDP of the country announced that South Africa will have new, far-reaching and overarching, financial sector legislation by the end of 2016. From a payment system perspective, it will include the introduction of new and more comprehensive regulations as well as expanded oversight and supervision by various regulators, says Groepe. Need for cohesion He says that the national payment infrastructure is critical and systemically important given the important role it plays within our financial system and the implications of any potential failure for financial stability. Groepe stresses the need for cohesion between traditional financial institutions and fintech companies in an effort to bolster an industry under attack from fraudsters. SARB will interact with all participants in this environment to ensure that the necessary attention and priority is given. Together, we also aim to improve the levels of innovation as well as the safety and soundness of the national payment system and, going forward, also that of all systemically important financial market infrastructures. Technological innovations Leading payments provider, PayU, hails the announcement, saying that the industry in SA is laden with exciting talent pushing for opportunities. Johan Dekker, head of payments in Africa at the company, says, This is good news for the industry. We see growth in our European and other African markets driven primarily through innovation, facilitated by unity between the industry and regulators. The announcement by the SARB coincides with a number of technological innovations that are poised to affect South Africans in the coming months. These have been in operation in various stages in other markets and include biometric authentication and tokenisation. The Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) recently announced a new standardised specification to facilitate biometric authentication on payment cards. Working in partnership with Mastercard and Visa, this technology framework is designed to ensure open interoperable solutions in South Africa. The specification enables a range of biometric solutions, from fingerprint verification to palm, voice, iris, or facial biometrics. Tokenisation which is the process of replacing sensitive account number data with a unique string of numbers that cannot be used to make transactions has already hit its straps as the emerging data security standard. Although, like most transformative technologies, it is widely expected to morph into further disruption as it evolves. Frictionless transactions Much of the focus in the industry at the moment is essentially about taking the friction out of the purchase, while keeping it secure, and achieving this as quickly as possible. However, with fast-changing technology and the inevitably more demanding customer, it is important that all checks are in place, says Dekker. Healthy balance While the fintech and banking industry is providing many exciting opportunities, it should be balanced by efficiency, safety and financial stability considerations. Cautioning against over-reliance on the regulator, Groepe adds: It is not the role of regulators to hamper innovation, but the SARB is jointly responsible for financial stability, which includes aspects such as cybersecurity, infrastructures, and a safe and efficient financial system. We, therefore, need to strive towards achieving a healthy balance when we respond to these developments. What is evident, though, is the central banks commitment. Executives should no longer ignore the importance of the national payment system and its infrastructure, or the risks and threats in this environment. Payment systems and related matters need to be elevated from the back office to the boardroom. This has happened at the SARB and other central banks, concludes Groepe. Africa is ripe for its own industrial revolution, but with 70 percent of Africans dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, it must be a green one. We have been latecomers with the world's previous waves of industrialisation; now we are catching up because necessity and the birth of new technologies are fostering a continent of innovators. not not phil via Wikimedia Commons The green agricultural revolution here is well overdue. With more than 874 million hectares of arable land - nearly six times as much as in the United States - Africa has the opportunity to ensure food security for all without repeating the environmental mistakes made by advanced economies. Africas green industrial revolution Statistics in the 2016 United Nations Economic Report on Africa (ERA) show a path to environmentally sound industrialisation. Investing in infrastructure so that people can power their homes with greener energy without chopping down trees will be key. With the increased wealth that an agricultural revolution might bring, we need to be conscious of not squandering our natural resources. Therefore, green power and improved livelihoods must go hand in hand. If we adopt a green agenda to improve urbanization, energy developments, and population growth, the report says, GDP per capita would more than triple to $14,000 and the number of Africans living on less than $2 a day would nearly halve to 350 million. Fratelli dell'Uomo Onlus, Elena Pisano via Wikimedia Commons - Dakar Africas green industrial revolution has to use the continents abundant renewable energies. Africa consumes less than 3 percent of the total energy produced globally and accounts for less than 4 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, yet it needs more energy to industrialise. Currently, Africa uses only 2 percent of its renewable water resources and has the potential to increase hydropower generation. Greening is not just about honoring United Nations environment agreements made at the COP21 Paris climate change talks last year, or the decisions made at COP22 which will take place in Marrakesh in November. It is about combining industrialisation and technological advances that protect our natural resources in the production process. If we get this transition right, women, in particular, stand to benefit. Rural women constitute the majority of the 80 percent of agricultural production coming from small farmers, yet they have limited access and control over the means of production. With proper training, these women could boost productivity and boost their earnings, thus lifting the economy. Roman Bonnefoy via Wikimedia Commons Jobs as the multiplier effect I was entrusted with the responsibility to implement a strategy focused on health, education and financial inclusion for Ecobank Foundation, a branch of one of Africas largest banking conglomerates dedicated to funding social projects. While it will be possible for us to make progress with our partners, we will not reach our full contribution to society until our collective investment is matched with jobs along the value chains of Africas agricultural resources. Jobs are the multiplier effect of social investments. Unless more Africans are joining - and being retained in - the labour market, transformation will remain an elusive concept for many Africans. I am confident that my generation can deliver on the jobs promise, the same way our forefathers did on the promise of independence. We have managed to solve everyday problems by innovation out of necessity in places where energy is lacking. We can do the same for our agricultural revolution that holds the key to unlocking jobs in new sectors. With Africas population projected to reach 2.4 billion people by 2050, current and new jobs will have to come from agriculture to quell persistent high levels of informal employment accounting for as many as 80 percent of jobs. Financing the green revolution Technology can help, as we have seen with M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer. With adequate regulation, M-Pesa could give rise to a mechanism to finance the green revolution. For example, InVenture delivered 200,000 loans in Kenya with repayment rates above 90 percent by using mobile data to create a financial identity for borrowers. We have already seen how this can translate into agricultural development. In Zimbabwe, an e-voucher programme helps cash-strapped small-scale farmers buy agricultural inputs. In Nigeria, an e-wallet program allows farmers to receive vouchers for subsidized seeds and fertilizer. In Senegal, the Mlouma online platform connects farmers to food purchasers by displaying real-time market prices for their location. In Ghana, cocoalink connects cocoa farmers with information about good farming practices. In DRC, Mobile Agribiz uses web and mobile technologies to improve access to agriculture information and market accessibility for small farmers. In Africa, we have adopted alternative technology to address our limitations. Greening Africas industrialisation will allow us to reach our full potential without relying solely on unpredictable commodity cycles. In doing so, we can create jobs and move up the value chain, both on the continent and in the global marketplace. We have access to technology as we learn to distance ourselves from raw materials extraction. Though the conditions have changed, we have a window that we cannot miss if we are to reap the benefits of our investments in Africas transformation. Carl Manlan is the CEO of Ecobank Foundation and a 2016 Aspen New Voices Fellow. The search for the fruit and wine industry's golden voice came to end with Neville Fortuin from Little Oaks, Villiersdorp, crowned as the Agri's got Talent 2016 winner. Abraham Erasmus (2nd), Neville Fortuin (2016 winner) and Josephine Karelse (3rd). Ten finalists battled it out at the gala event held at the Kronenburg Estate outside Paarl. The finalists gave it their all, but it was the young Fortuin who impressed the judges with his solid performance. He won a cash prize and will have the opportunity to sing at agricultural events over the next year. The 19-year old Fortuin said music is his life. I study music where ever I go. On the internet, television, where ever the opportunity arises. If I could speak about music the whole day long, I would be happy. The runner-up was Abraham Erasmus from Zandvliet Indigo Fruit Farming near Ashton, while Josephine Karelse from Robertson Winery near Robertson was third. The judges agreed that it was very difficult to choose a winner this year as each contestant clearly had a lot of talent. Agris got Talent is an annual song competition for workers in the fruit and wine industry. This years event was sponsored jointly by Hortgro, the VinPro Foundation and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. The artists Andriette Norman, the rapper HemelBesem, and Frieda van den Heever joined the finalists on stage in what has become the most entertaining event in agriculture. The two previous winners, Ayabonga Mhobo (2014) and Armando Baartman (2015), also made a welcome appearance. Growing talent The finalists were selected from 75 video entries. In the week before the gala evening, they received intensive music/voice, stage and media training by Frieda van den Heever and her team. A life skills component, presented by Procare Western Cape, included interpersonal skills as well as conflict and stress management. The Agris got Talent project gives fruit and wine industry workers a platform to showcase their musical gifts while developing skills with which they can make a difference in their communities, said Anton Rabe, Hortgro executive director. Hortgro is an umbrella body servicing the horticultural fruit industry of South Africa. The Agris got Talent project is Rabes brainchild and he hopes that the show will take root in the bigger agricultural arena in South Africa. Rabe considers the competition as an example of the multi-dimensional nature of agriculture and rural communities as a whole and the contribution that this sector can make to unlock the potential of this country. Given the popularity of reality television and the opportunities created for those who participate in this show, the next step is to produce a CD with songs by the winners. Who knows where it could all end? said Rabe. Rabe also thanked the employers of the farm workers who gave them time off from work and who helped to create the opportunity to develop their talent. Through this competition, they develop self-confidence and grow as people with dignity. According to Jana Loots, Agris got Talent organiser from VinPro, the competition is extremely valuable with previous contestants becoming true ambassadors for their employers and communities. They have made a real difference in their communities, some becoming involved in youth and other upliftment projects, or sharing their singing skills. In this regard, the project has been a huge success. With eight of South Africa's nine provinces declared disaster areas, the agriculture sector, as well as other water-intensive industries, are implementing clever water conservation solutions to preserve this scarce resource. Among these solutions are the lining of dams and reservoirs to cut water losses from seepage into the soil, as well as covering water bodies to reduce losses from evaporation. Rhino Water is increasingly getting requests for this solution. The latest weekly report released by the national Department of Water and Sanitation indicates that the countrys dams and reservoirs are currently operating at just over 52% capacity, compared with 74% last year. In the Eastern Cape, with dams at an average capacity of 66%, farmers are not taking the availability of water for granted. Water storage The Quacha Group, which operates farms in Patensie, Loerie and Addo, is one of the businesses which has asked Rhino Water for help. Chiefly a citrus producer, the group specialises in high value, intensive farming, which is built on smaller production units with higher yields. According to Quachas Dirk Odendaal, the group needed to streamline costs and one solution had been to invest in water storage. We decided on water storage for two reasons. The first was to make use of the preferential night-time electricity prices by pumping cheap water into the dam at night and then distributing it via gravitational feed during the day. The second reason was to secure water during the dry period. The Gamtoos has continuous water supply through a channel system that is always filled with water. But every year this system shuts down for two weeks for routine maintenance, so having a water store will allow the group to expand its fruit mix, despite this downtime, with crops such as berries that require constant watering and feeding. Water availability for farming projects Although water security was not a problem in the Gamtoos region, Odendaal said it was nevertheless important to maximise the resource in the development of individual farming projects. He said his groups new dam would ensure water availability should any unforeseen circumstances arise, especially given the introduction of a dam liner which would contribute to conserving the stored water by minimising seepage-related losses. The lining According to water solutions expert Sarel Bam, MD of Rhino Water, the company responsible for the dam liners installation, the lining consists of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is one of the most chemically resistant materials available. It has high tensile strength with good impact, tear and puncture resistance and very good environmental stress cracking resistance, said Bam, adding that the dam liners also had a variety of other applications for farmers and could be used to line sludge ponds for piggeries, dairies, and abattoirs. Basically, anywhere where organic or industrial waste threatens to leach into the soil and contaminate the groundwater. Aside from its agricultural uses, Bam said HDPE was the preferred choice for lining landfills and the insulation of chemical plants, roads, and petrol stations, as well as in mining operations. Other water saving solutions included woven geomembranes that act as a protective cushion for liners in rocky soil, and floatation covers which prevent the growth of algae and water loss through evaporation, he said. With the reinvention of Durban's old Dunlop tyre factory into state-of-the-art warehousing on track, the facility will be ready for occupation by logistics companies in October. Grant Smith, a director at JT Ross, the Durban headquartered property development firm that owns and is developing the 130,000m site in Sydney Road, said about R1.5 million was already spent on repairing and preserving the original buildings built in 1928 in line with the requirements of Amafa, KwaZulu-Natals heritage agency. This is the biggest brown fields development in Durban in the recent past. Keeping the construction within the confines of the Amafa regulations has been an interesting, but worthwhile journey. What we have done is a first, he said. Smith said the scale of the development meant it was the anchor address in Sydney Road. That is where the future of our citys economy now lives, he said. About 35,000 bricks were recycled for use in the new buildings, 10,000m of concrete and brick was demolished and used as sub-base material under the surface beds. Features such as the original saw-tooth profile were retained and a large proportion of the tyre manufacturing plant was sold to other industries rather than dumped as scrap, he added. Smith said that there was a surge of interest in the property from bigger corporates and logistics companies. Now in its 111th year, the annual Master Builders Congress will be taking place from 31 August - 2 September 2016 at the Durban International Convention Centre, under the theme of 'Building South Africa Together'. Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Performance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration, Jeff Radebe, will deliver the keynote address on the topic of Building the South African Economy Through Infrastructure Development. The topic will be unpacked further during a panel discussion in which the Minister will take part along with other role players including representatives from major construction companies in Africa, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association. The panel will be moderated by popular television personality and journalist, Jeremy Maggs. Itinerary and other speakers The first day of the Congress will feature breakaway sessions where a variety of pressing industry issues will be discussed by panels comprised of members from different industry spheres. Deliberating the topic of Construction Occupational Health and Safety will be the Department of Labours Director of Construction, Explosives and Major Hazard Installation, Phumudzo Maphaha; CEO of the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Neels Nortje; and Professor of Construction Management Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Professor John Smallwood. Skills Development in the Construction Industry will be examined by a panel that includes the skills manager at the Construction Industry Development Board, Ntebo Ngozwana; a representative from the Construction Education and Training Authority, as well as heads of various Master Builder Associations Education and Training committees around the country. A panel comprising the executive manager of Legal, Compliance and Enforcement at the National Home Builders Registration Council, Julia Motapola; CEO of the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions, Nomvula Rakolote; programme manager for Procurement and Delivery Management at the Construction Industry Development Board, Inba Thumbiran; and the secretary general of the Black Business Council in the Built Environment, Gregory Mofokeng, will be addressing Regulatory, Contractual and Legal Matters in the Construction Industry. The second day of the Congress will see Thabo Masombuka, CEO of the Construction Sector Charter Council, posing the question of The Journey Towards a Transformed Construction Sector Are We Getting There? This will be followed by Sonja Pilusa, CEO of the Construction Education and Training Authority, revealing the CETA Sector Skills Plan for the Construction Industry and the Deputy Public Protector, Advocate Kevin Malunga who will focus on the issue of Combating Corruption in the Construction Industry. For more information about the Congress, please visit www.congress.masterbuilders.org.za. Open Design, taking place 10-21 August 2016 at Cape Town City Hall and across the city, has announced that do-it-yourself expert Suzelle DIY, a.k.a. Julia Anastasopoulos, will be speaking at the Creative Sessions morning, ahead of Talk100 on Tuesday 11 August at 8am. Anastasopoulos, a South African artist, illustrator, designer and actress, became a local internet phenomenon in May 2014, with her do-it-yourself web series known as Suzelle DIY, created with her partner, Ari Kruger, who is a filmmaker and animator. They form the team behind the Suzelle DIY series. Talk100 discussion sessions are a key feature of this years Open Design and will cover topics such as: What qualities do we need in future business leaders and social entrepreneurs? - Karidas Tshintsholo executive director of Moneytree Group, MD of SA Textiles and Ian Calvert project leader at Red Bull Amaphiko; Are we ready for the fourth industrial revolution? - Robyn Farah founder of KAT-O and TECHTalk, Lars Espeter game developer and leader of the Game Graphics course at Friends of Design, Alan Ball drone pilot and founder of Flying Robot; What does it take to build a community? - Arianna Mazzeo head of research and Professor of Creative Arts at Bath Spa UK and Innovation Professor at Elisava Design School, Barcelona, India Baird founder of Rock Girl and Luthando Dyasi co-founder of Dine with Khayelitsha; Is health the new wealth for our cities Lufefe Nomjana founder and CEO of Espinaca Bakery in Khayelitsha, also known as the Spinach King, Ryan Robers founder of Deskstand and William Mapham found of Vula Mobile. Suzelle DIY (Julia Anastasopoulos). Photographer: Adriaan Oosthuizen for VISI Magazine Open Design creative director Y. Tsai explains, Design is no longer the exclusive domain of the privileged elite. It touches every part of life, addressing basic human needs in multiple applications across every sector that make up our social fabric. It has been used to transform healthcare, business, transport, urban development, agriculture, education, housing, technology, music, public spaces, communication and technology among others. This approach, called human-centred design, is gaining a global focus for competitive business and socio-economic development. The festival takes place in two stages, with events, expos and workshops at Cape Town City Hall from 10-16 August and citywide activations from 17-21 August. For more information, click here. Shimmy Beach Club, a lifestyle destination venue situated at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town will close for refashioning from 29 July to 29 August 2016. The party venue will be making minor decor renovations, a revamp of the menu offerings and a 2016 style update. Voted as Cape Towns hottest club by Zomato, Shimmy Beach Club balances the style of international party life and the laid-back atmosphere of Cape Town. In the same way that summer bodies are made in winter, we believe that the best summer party plans are started in winter! Expect a hot summer line-up of great events, decadent delights on our food menus and a new look, just in time for Spring/Summer 2016. said Malcolm Moodie, Shimmy Beach Clubs general manager. Popular in summer for the Submerged Sundays, headlining internationally acclaimed electronica and dance group, Goldfish, Shimmy Beach Club will reopen for its new Summer line-up featuring local artists that have put South African music on the map, as well as being host to some of the worlds biggest names in music. For more information, or to book a table, please email az.oc.bulchcaebymmihs@ofni or call 021 200 7778. South Africa's new vehicle industry saw sales plummet 17% this past month, according to the latest aggregated sales figures from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). In total, only 44,883 new vehicles were sold in July 2016, a decline of 9,222 vehicles compared to the same period last year. Within this, sales in the passenger car segment fell 20.6% year-on-year, which correlates strongly with the 20.7% decline for passenger vehicles through dealers. This is in line with WesBanks data, which shows that demand for new vehicle finance has declined 22.5%. Along with the 6.4% weaker demand for used vehicles, total demand for vehicle finance has dipped 11.5% the largest decline since April 2009. Sales of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) have not been spared, with overall sales slumping 9.9%, year-on-year. LCV sales through the dealer channel softened 4.3%, as demand for popular models tapered off. Although rental channel sales had a poor month, with a year-on-year sales decline of 19.8%, the rental market has grown 31.3%, year-to-date. After effects of currency weakness The total industrys year-to-date performance, as of July, sees the market down 11%. This is the biggest sales decline since 2009, at the height of the global economic recession, said Simphiwe Nghona, CEO of WesBank Motor Retail. Despite the rands recent strength, what were experiencing now are the after effects of the currencys weakness in months prior. This is compounded by distressed household budgets and low economic growth that is also trending downwards. WesBanks data shows that the average new vehicle being financed in July 2016 was 14.6% more expensive than in July 2015. Additionally, consumers who are unable to afford new vehicles are forced to hold onto their vehicles for longer. This period is up to 40 months for July 2016, compared to 38 months in July 2015. With the average new car being financed over 72 months, these fast-rising prices will have a notable effect on monthly budgets, said Nghona. Those consumers who eventually return to the new market will also find that they may have to downgrade their vehicles to remain within budget. Social media conversations ahead of the 2016 local government elections in South Africa reveal a growth of nearly four-fold over discussions about the 2011 municipal polls. What's more, if they are an accurate reflection of how South Africa will vote on 3 August, both the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) could concede some of their ground to the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) this year. Kunanon Tuntasoot via 123RF Data extracted from the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio by online media agency, 25AM, shows that there were nearly 22,000 social conversations about the topic between 1 May and 29 July 2016. Unsurprisingly, the ANC as the national ruling party, generated the most mentions, followed by the EFF and then the DA. Indeed, the ANC generated more mentions than the DA and the EFF combined, while the EFF was mentioned twice as many times as the DA. Analysis of the data shows that around 50% of users who have indicated which party they will vote for said that they will vote for the ANC, 25.1% said they would vote for the EFF and 24.7% said they would vote for the DA. The distribution of Internet access in South Africa means that social media isnt necessarily an accurate reflection of how the country will vote. But it is worth noting that the social mood also reflects the results of several recent opinion polls that indicate that the ANC may lose significant support in some of South Africas metros. A caveat here is that the polls showed that many voters are still undecided about where they will make their mark. The ANC attracted almost three times as many mentions with a negative sentiment as mentions reflecting positive sentiment. Positive and negative mentions for the DA and EFF show a more even split. Conversation about the ANC spiked on 21 June, when unrest started in Tshwane after residents were unhappy with the partys choice of mayoral candidate for the metro. #TshwaneUnrest is one of the top five hashtags associated with the election. The top influencers around municipal elections include official party accounts and leaders @helenzille, @Julius_S_Malema, @Our_DA, @My_ANC and media sources @News24, @SABCNewsOnline, @eNCA, @bonang_M. EFF advocate @Odwa_Obose is one of the top 10 influencers on Twitter, according to Social Studio data, with just 1,800 followersan interesting insight into how social media is giving people a powerful platform to promote their beliefs. Increased presence on social media by the leading political parties as well as institutions like the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have helped to spark engagement about this election. The IEC has launched an iOS and Android app to make results and election info available to the public, for example. But its interesting to note that its not just media organisations and official party sources that are shaping the discussion agenda it is millions of ordinary people using their smartphones and social media platforms to share their opinions, comment on unfolding developments and even report breaking news to their followers. Emira Property Fund, which could be taken over by Arrowhead Properties, may receive offers from other suitors. Arrowhead, a diversified fund that has been growing mostly through acquisitions since it listed five years ago, last Monday said it was interested in acquiring Emira's shares by way of a swap scheme. But Emira CEO Geoff Jennett and the company's board said Arrowhead was being opportunistic and a potential offer held no benefits for Emira's shareholders. Emira's share price is down about 7.67% in 2016 to date. This is partly because the company warned its dividends were expected to fall in the year to June 2017. Market commentators say a low share price has made it a takeover target. Maurice Shapiro, head of Ma'alot Investments, said it made sense that Arrowhead would try to acquire a company with a weakened share price. "Arrowhead has been growing through acquisitions for years. They will look for opportunities, especially when they feel companies' prices look attractive. Other companies may also see an opportunity and make an offer which Emira's shareholders prefer to Arrowhead's," he said. Arrowhead said it had garnered the support of groups that had about 22% of Emira's shares under ownership. One of these may be Redefine, which owns about 11.47% of Emira's stock, according to Emira's 2015 annual report. Jennett said Arrowhead would bring weaker assets to Emira's portfolio should a merger or takeover occur. There is market speculation that SA Corporate Real Estate Fund may be a possible suitor as it looks to strengthen its office portfolio. SA Corporate has a market capitalisation of about R12.4bn, making it larger than Emira, which has a market cap of R7.4bn and may be attracted to Emira's offices and development pipeline. Source: Business Day Tractor Outdoor's office, situated in Port Elizabeth, has been in existence since 2007 and is run by Bruce Jefferies, Eastern Cape Director. The Eastern Cape is the next frontier for brand loyalty and growth. The opportunity to establish brand loyalty and gain market share is ripe for companies willing to exit the rut of complacency. For example, why doesnt Colgate advertise in Port Elizabeth when there are 1.2 million people who brush their teeth twice a day every day? The same can be said for many other consumer products and services that dedicate a disproportional advertising spend to the larger cities without taking cognisance of the large untapped consumers of the Eastern Cape, says Bruce Jefferies. Tractor Outdoor has an immense portfolio of billboard sites in East London and Port Elizabeth, targeting industrial areas, major highways and main roads, shopping centres and schools. Here are some interesting facts about East London and Port Elizabeth: Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa and in terms of population, it's the 5th largest whereas East London is the 6th largest city in South Africa. Port Elizabeth has a subtropical climate making it ideal for holidaymakers especially during summer periods The metropolitan economies of Port Elizabeth and East London are based primarily on manufacturing, the most important being automotive manufacturing. The province is the hub of South Africas motor industry. Other important sectors include renewables and green industries, forestry and timber processing, pharmaceuticals, plastics and chemicals, capital goods and tourism. The Eastern Cape contributes 7.8% of South Africas GDP. Tractor Outdoor has a total of 45 billboards in Port Elizabeth and East London. We are now offering advertisers our 3x6 package deal, an opportunity to advertise on popular 3x6 sites spread across Port Elizabeth and East London, giving you maximum exposure at a fraction of the cost. Email moc.roodtuorotcart@ofni for rate card and more info or call us on 086 999 0226. We are in a time of unprecedented change, and we are faced with unique challenges. From economic and political uncertainty to wide scale humanitarian crises and climate change, the status quo no longer applies. Businesses must develop new strategies to survive and thrive in this new age. Michael Baretta Perhaps the most powerful new strategy is socially conscious marketing. Customers are no longer content to merely consume brands - they expect an emotional connection built on that brands authentic contribution to society or the planet. Brands that can forge this connection will reap the benefits. Traditional corporate social investment (CSI) generally does not create a linkage between a businesss philanthropic activities and its customers. Its no longer enough for businesses to do well, they need to do good and be seen to be doing good. Businesses who are unable to make this change will suffer. The first step to preparing for this leap is for CSI practitioners to educate themselves about trends in socially conscious marketing, both within their own industries and in the economy in general. Acquiring this knowledge is the best way to spark the inspiration and creativity required by this new approach. Armed with this inspiration, CSI practitioners can seek out the most appropriate partners in the NGO space, and forge mutually beneficial relationships. By collaborating closely with partners, brands can substantially magnify the positive effects of their CSI spending and create a compelling narrative. Disruption This kind of authentic storytelling is extremely disruptive to traditional marketing because it cuts right through the clutter and establishes an emotional bond with customers. People have a deep longing to be part of something greater than themselves and to make the world a better place in some small way. When you fulfill this longing, you turn someone from a passive consumer into a passionate brand advocate. This achieves all the traditional aims of marketing - building brand loyalty, driving sales and profits - while simultaneously doing good. This incredible opportunity is what inspired the conceptualisation of [dot]GOOD, South Africas first (and only) for-good marketing agency. Our vision is to change the business landscape by creating a community of organisations that want to do good while doing well. While profits are a business lifeblood, we believe a greater purpose gives it soul. An example of this creative thinking is our partnership with the Imvula Education Empowerment Fund - a 100% black-owned, broad-based trust that facilitates the education of bright but underprivileged young people at the funds Maharishi Institute - and a prominent fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands. This platform employs previously disadvantaged youth as in store promoters and accomplishes three different aims simultaneously. It helps our clients to fulfil their B-BBEE responsibilities while driving sales and providing real-world work experience for the students. This is exactly the kind of campaign that bridges the gap between the greater good and the bottom line. As marketers we have an unprecedented opportunity to create more of these platforms. The only thing that holds us back is the willingness to try something new. Who would have guessed that FMCG brands with no link to education would be involved in empowering hundreds of students? The solutions to the challenges facing humanity will come from the most unexpected places. Its time for the world to embrace for-good marketing. In a time of turmoil and strife, we need to stand together to make the world a better place. Brands which join this movement can turn this existential threat into a unique opportunity. Those who are unwilling to do so will simply be left by the wayside. South Africa's first locally produced smartphone is not only set to make significant strides in the local technology industry, but it also boasts more security than popular smartphones in the industry. Image by 123RF The T-Touch, due for release this month, is the brainchild of Wits University alumni Thulani Khoza, who partnered with fellow Witsie, Karabo Masenyadiloana, who handles the business elements of the phone. "It all started when I first developed a security app, and people responded well to it, so I thought that I could take it a step further and I started developing the phone,Khoza said. The Android-powered smartphone has been in development since 2008 and has all the basic elements of a smartphone. However, according to Khoza, it has additional security features. "There is an additional security element to the T-Touch that allows you as the user to encrypt the phone yourself." Source: Herald. Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries SUBSCRIBE The Clarion Events group has appointed Dele Alimi as its new managing director for the new Clarion Events West Africa Office in Lagos, Nigeria. Alimi was previously director of trade promotion and international relations for the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Alimi has several years of experience in sectors such as media, finance and manufacturing and has spearheaded hosting of West Africa's largest trade fair, Lagos International Trade Fair, for the last seven years. Digital Impact Awards Africa will host Dr Nick Hughes, one of the pioneers of globally successful mobile financial service, M-Pesa. Hughes will deliver the keynote at the awards on 17 August 2016, at the Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda. Dr Nick Hughes The keynote will focus on M-KOPA: Innovations and Business Models to optimise the use of Mobile Money in Africa. It is an extraordinary honor, and privilege to have Dr Nick Hughes as a keynote speaker. Nick is one of the greatest digital and finance innovators of this generation. His work has transformed the lives of millions of Africans. His accomplishments in Africas Digital space have inspired so many businesses and individuals. Just like Nick, Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA) is determined to further champion the Digital Agenda, said Innocent Kawooya, the DIAA Project director and CEO of HiPipo. I believe that Nicks address will inspire and motivate more innovations to deliver cost effective solutions to issues affecting our communities. We should never leave the digitalisation of Africa to only Nick and a few others. This is a challenge that we must all take on. At the event, Hughes will, together with the other M-Pesa founders, Michael Joseph and Susie Lonie, receive Africas Financial Inclusion Medals of Honor. Strive Masiyiwa, the founder of Econet Group, will receive Africas Digital Revolution Leadership Medal of Honor; while the founder of Huawei Technologies, Ren Zhengfei, will be awarded Africas Digital Inclusion Medal of Honor. Under the theme Maximizing the Digital Dividend, DIAA is a platform that promotes digital inclusion, financial inclusion and cybersecurity. The Awards seek to recognise and appreciate different individuals and organisations that are spearheading the use of digital mediums. Digital Impact Awards Africa is organised by HiPipo in partnership with Cyberplc and AdBank. During the meeting, U Sai Leun, chairperson for NDAA-ESS, and his delegation brought up five main points with the Peace Commission delegation that was led by Chairperson Dr Tin Myo Winmaking clear its policy of non-separation from the Union. The commission invited NDAA-ESS to attend a meeting this month for reviewing the framework for political dialogue in advance of the Union Peace Conference (also 21st Century Panglong Conference) scheduled for the end of August. Peace Commission Secretary U Khin Zaw Oo told reporters that the NDAA-ESS pressed for an all-inclusive approach in all future political dialogues. Discussion about joining the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) was cut short because the group told him it wanted to refrain from making a decision until more consultation about joining happened among its members. The NCA, introduced by the former Thein Sein government, has been widely criticized after several groups that are still actively fighting with the Burma Army were excluded from taking part unless they surrendered. Only eight of the countrys twenty-one armed groups signed it. Last Friday, the NDAA joined the United Wa State Party (UWSP) for a goodwill meeting with State Councillor Daw Aung Suu Kyi in capital Nawpyidaw. The NDAA-ESS and UWSP have controlled Special Region 4 and 2, respectively, located along the China border, since entering a ceasefire with the former military government in 1989. Members of both groups were derived from the former Communist Party of Burma that collapsed the same year. Under the former government, the NDAA-ESS and UWSP signed a new ceasefire in 2011. In recent years, the NDAA-ESS have come under fire by animal wildlife groups for hosting one of the biggest outdoor illegal wildlife markets in the world in their capital Mong La. During World Environment Day on June 5, President Htin Kyaw said that he wouldnt tolerate illegal wildlife hunting in Myanmar, according to Frontier Myanmar magazine. Authorities have vowed to take action to close Mong Las outdoor market. Reporting by Narinjara News Translated by Thida Linn Edited by BNI staff The announcement was made to the media by the former lieutenant-general at the end of Mondays meeting in Rangoon between the Peace Commission and National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS). Khin Zaw Oo said the meeting will likely be held in NDAA-ESSs capital Mong La in Special Region 4, but the exact date couldnt be disclosed at this time. The groups that have fought with the Burma Army in the last two-yearssometimes supporting each other in battleswerent allowed to join the NCA. Its still unclear if they will be allowed to join the Union Peace Conference (also 21st Panglong Conference) later this month. The Burma Army officially stated that they wont be allowed to join peace negotiations until they surrender. Reporting by Narinjara News Translated by Thida Linn Edited by BNI staff Two woodcutters - Jasim Uddin and Mohamed Amin from Bangladesh - went to the forest at Burma-Bangladesh border to collect firewood on July 27, at about 11:00 am. A group of BGP personnel suddenly open fired at border areas where the two Bangladeshi woodcutters were cutting wood in Bangladesh side, one bullet hit Jasims right hand, Kobir said. The BGP personnel fired two rounds of bullet in the areas, which injured Jasim Uddin (35), hailed from Jamchri village of Nainkonchari under the Bandarban district , Mohamed Amin, another woodcutter said. Being informed, the local villagers and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rushed to the spot and injured person was sent immediately to the Coxs Bazar government hospital for treatment, Amin further said. However, Lt. Col. Gulam Manonjur Siddik of BGB battalion No. 50 summoned villagers including village elders and held a meeting regarding the incident on July 28 and advised the villagers to stay carefully and not to go to border areas, according to BGB official. BGB sent a condemned letter to BGP regarding the matter and asked them to hold a flag meeting regarding the event unconditionally, BGB official more added. Earlier, BGP personnel and army killed and arrested many Bangladeshi woodcutters from the Bangladesh-Burma border, according to sources. BGB arrested them from the border entry point of Taungbro while crossing Bangladesh-Burma border, he added. According to local sources, they crossed Bangladesh-Burma border to visit refugee camps where their relatives live. BGB personnel arrested 12 Rohingya while entering the Bangladesh at Taungbro border entry point, said Lt. Col. Imaran Ullah Sarkar from Coxs Bazar Battalion No. 17. They were driven back to Burma via the said Taungbro entry point within the same day after giving some aids. However, BGB arrested over 77 Rohingyas from different entry points of border and pushed back to Burma in July 2016, BGB official said. More than 1.6 million people in Myanmar have been displaced over the past 18 months, since last years military coup, according to the Institute for... Recently I have been living in exile, in a western democratic country under a progressive federal system called Australia; this is a small contribution to the debate for peace with the core key action plan benefitting local people in each village in Burma. It is a process of local government reform by the local stakeholders including armed ethnic leaders and its affiliated persons. There are over 21 armed ethnic leaders, 61 registered political parties, 10 militia forces (Border Guard) and over 35 active Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), in the country as listed by the BNIs Peace Monitor Report in 2015. As estimated, there will be close to over 1500 stakeholder individuals in the peace process including MPs and officials from the military (Tatmadaw). These representatives have core roles and responsibilities to the people they represent at the table. Ethnic leaders at Mai Ja Yang summit (Photo: MNA)Local governance is not based on the power of a group but rather operated under a set of rules, (as also known as Local Government Act) in many parts of the western democratic world. Australias local government system is a vital part of its own model of federation. Its three units of government, federal, state & territory and local council have been operating since 1902. There has been over 100 years of action. The outcome of Australias federation is well regarded amongst modern political systems as Australia is one the top 20 countries on the developed nations register or OECD. The ethnic armed leaders have publicly and loudly advocated for over half a century on the matter of self-determination or federal model governance but they have failed to put the rhetoric into action after the early cease-fire process during the late 1990s. However, the newly elected government re-opens the Peace Process with the agenda on a federal model of state, in early April this year. Ethnic leaders have been seeking a formal administration to the local populations in each area but the structure of governance has been placed in the hands of Union (Myanmars race) people since the nation gained independence in 1948. A federal model of state has been proposed in the first amended constitution but the governance structure has lacked sharing roles, power and responsibilities between the Union and ethnic state government. The role and function of local government has never been addressed nor has it been designed and developed into practice for action. However, a claim for legitimacy has been widened within both the Myanmar race of political elites and the non-Myanmar race (historically referred to Burmese and ethnic race) in previous literature. The constitution of Myanmar, was first adopted in 1947, the second version passed in 1974 and the last model was adopted in 2008. These legal documents lacked the formal structure of local government legislation. The armed ethnic leaders likewise have failed to present an alternative model of local government under the principle of core responsibilities that they have been advocating for over half of the century. The Myanmar race of military leaders equally lack the knowledge of structural local governance (local government Act), despite having access to the resources during the transitional period from the late 1990s until 2010. For the next phase of the governance reform process, after the peace process is sealed in the next 1-2 years, the armed ethnic leaders have a daunting task of forming a local government structure. It is a process that will require technical knowledge and legal frameworks for a better operational plan. Each village, town and city including each suburb will be having its own local governance structure under the local government legislation when it passes to the State and Territory parliaments in due course. Each village, town, suburb and special zone will be electing its own local administration (councillor) and other council members for providing local services such as landcare, waste management, road construction, infrastructure projects, water resource management and local healthcare services but the list goes on as the populations required services. There are different models of local governance in western or eastern countries alike. Australian Capital Territorys Government (as known as locally ACT Government) in Australia rules under the Self-government Act. The population of the ACT is less than 400,000 in the small city but the local government is well managed through the Assembly and Ministry of Government. In the 2015 2016, financial year, the ACT Government used its state budget through a wide range of public services such as $4.3 billion for state services, $1.6 billion for health care, $1.1 billion for education and schooling, $810.1 million for municipal/council services, $510 million for justice and emergency services and $319 million for recreational, roads and park services etc. The key local services on environment and housing services are also funded by close to $620 million in Australian currency. It is not only the interest of the armed ethnic leaders for better services and governance to the local populations but the interest of the entire nation under the climate of environmental issues and protecting the local, social, cultural and traditions of each community. A model of a federal state (federalism) is only functioning effectively when local ownership, local action and local services by the local council is operating. It is also called Local Government, as a selective term. A model for a federal state of Myanmar could be shaped when local government and State government are fully functioning under the legal and administrative process. The Union of Myanmar shouldnt operate from the capital; rather it should operate from the local village, town and suburb and then move up to the capital. The role of local government, State and Territory (Region) government should be re-formed and reviewed as its part of the peace agreement and process. This is what matters to the entire social, political and constitutional process of the nation. The ethnic armed leaders have a few options when they advocate for self-determination but they lack legal and administration knowledge to propose local government legislation at the table. They have failed to so, in the next Peace Conference or other formal negotiation meeting, a hope of win-win political situation is un-realistic. As Sai Wansai (2016) asserts, we cannot just jump on to the rule of law issue without clarifying or agreeing on the ownership of the countrys sovereignty. The ruling Bamar-dominated, National League for Democracy (NLD) government, including the military, considers itself to be the sole ownership of the sovereignty, while the ethnic nationalities staunchly believe that it is a shared-ownership, which has been robbed by the majority Bamar that led them to the political and armed resistance in the first place. Over the past 10-15 years, during the cease-fire and peace process, the ethnic leaders and representatives have called for sharing power, legitimacy, amending the constitution, reformation of the nation military force (Federal Army), and other political agendas, but the process has lacked on proposing to re-structure local government administration when each village, race and gender could be part of the entire process. In many parts of the country, especially in each major village, town and city, a population of mixed race and religion has been established for over half of the century. The role of local Council (Local Government) is simple; to serve the entire population regardless of race and religion as the Australian and American local governments do to immigrants in their countries. Each community has access to equal healthcare, educational services and welfare as well as opening language schools, cultural dances, religious centres and other community programs. Ethnic leaders and other representatives have failed to draft the Local Government Act over the past 30 years whilst still advocating for federalism and self-determination in an all-inclusive political conference. It is the bottom line that ethnic leaders, the NLDs policy and legislatures including leaders from the Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw) should outline the key principles of local governance structures over the next 100 days if the nation itself is committed to the model of federal governance. Ethnic armed leaders have the critical task to draw up a new local government act as they propose the new Union of Myanmar/Burma model. Otherwise, a summit for peace, a conference for political settlement, will be as mucky as what has occurred in the past when leaders hold high emotions and low practical plans on the ground to serve the public. A Local Government Act must be drawn as ethnic leaders propose to be the rulers of their own territory or state with the consent of the local public. It is the publics verdict when it comes to politics, not the leaders alone. Bheemana Amavasya 2020: Why It Is Celebrated? Festivals lekhaka-Staff In the Hindu religion, there are lots of occasions and the celebration styles for each of these are different. On every fortnight, Purnima and Amavasya occur. Each full moon and new moon has a different significance. Bheemana Amavasya is one of those special new moon days that is celebrated in the month of Ashada, according to the Hindu Calender. Why is Bheemana Amavasya celebrated? Also Read: How To Celebrate Bheemana Amavasya If you know why you celebrate any occasion, the celebration and rituals become more fruitful. Do you know what the significance of Bheemana Amavasya is? Actually, Amavasya refers to the day from when the moon starts it journey to become the full moon. As this is the day when the new moon appears on the sky, it is auspicious for the Hindus. According to popular beliefs, if any offerings and prayers are made to the late forefathers on this day, people can receive blessings from them. Why is Bheemana Amavasya celebrated? To know in detail about this, you should concentrate on the significance of Bheemana Amavasya. Also Read: Must Try Recipes For Bheemana Amavasye The first moon occurance in the month of August is known as Bheemana Amavasya. This day is auspicious to the Hindus and it is specifically celebrated in South India, especially in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Why is Bheemana Amavasya celebrated and how Lord Shiva is connected to it? Well, read all about the significance of Bheemana Amavasya in this article. 1. Prayers For Dear Ones: Bheemana Amavasya is also popular in the name of Jyoti Veemeshwara Vratam. On this day, women pray for the well-being of their near and dear ones, especially for their husbands and brothers. 2. Worship To Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati: Why is Bheemana Amavasya celebrated? On this pious day, married and unmarried women pray to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for the well-being, long life, prosperity and happiness of the male members of their family. Married women worship to have strong bond with their husbands like Shiv-Parvati. 3. Significance Of Thambittu Deepa: This is a lamp made of flour and lit on this auspicious occasion to remove bad emotions from your mind. As the new moon appears in the sky out of all the darkness, this lamp signifies that human kind should also be illuminated from the beauty of its soul. 4. Ritual Of Kadubus: This is another celebrating feature of Bheemana Amavasya. Women prepare dough balls (Kadubus) on this day and hide coins in them. Young boys or male members have to smash the ball to get coins after the Puja finishes. 5. Significance Of Kadubus: There is a very interesting story behind it. Once a girl was married to a dead prince. But, she was so faithful to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati that her worship made them appear and bless her husband back with life again. Lord Shiva broke the mud kadubu. So, it is believed to be the symbol of long life and prosperity. 6. A Day Of Devotion: Another story tells that this was the day when Lord Shiva was completely taken over by the devotion of Goddess Parvati and accepted her as his wife. So, the main significance of this day is the devotion of the devotee towards the almighty. 7. Preperation Food: Foods without onions and garlic are prepared. Spicy or deep fried foods are generally avoided during bheemana amavasye. By Anonymous Posted by DD. The government wants to bring the city back to its former popularity. Police in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco say eight people were killed there on Sunday and the bodies of another three found in a shallow grave. At least 16 people were left dead in two massacres in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Guerrero. A justice of the peace was gunned down near a community outside Tixtla, a city in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, over the weekend, state prosecutors said. ACAPULCO According to police reports a shooting attack occurred at about 2AM Sunday at a bar named Jala la jarra, located between Avenue Cuauhtemoc and a Bernal-Diaz de. Castillo street in the colonia Progreso. A waiter known as Adrian was killed. Three customers were also shot and transported to the hospital. Two of those customers, Jose Alfredo and Hugo Enrique, later died at the hospital and the third was hospitalized. Also on Sunday morning two men and woman were found shot dead and showing signs of torture in a car parked in the Garita colonia outside the housing units of the Magisterium, near the Pantheon. The police found the body of one of the men and the woman in the trunk of the car and the body of the other man in the back seat. In addition to the signs of torture, each body had a bullet wound to the head, a tiro de gracia ( "coup-de-grace") and their hands were tied. The care had license plates from the state of Pueblo. In the port area of the city, two young men were killed in their vehicles in separate incidents. And an anonymous call about noon led police to a shallow grave on the outskirts of the port. The site is located 500 meters inside the road leading to the village of Las Plazuelas. The site is an an abandoned orchard of lemons and access is unpaved where they found the remains of three people. The caller said there was a bad odor coming from the area and the appearance of excavated soil. Firefighters began digging at 1 pm and exhumed a body first, then the second and the third, all of them men. OTHER CRIMES. A young man was shot dead in the town of La Sabana, about 200 meters from the market. At 3:15 pm gun shots on Lazaro Cardenas Avenue were heard, and the police who had came back from Las Plazuelas, where the clandestine grave was found, rushed to the site. The first police reports indicate that the young man, about 20 years old, was pursued and murdered in the street near an alley. The murder caused astonishment among motorists, pedestrians and traders. The family did not allow the body to be taken by the Semefo and carried the boys body home so additional information about him is not available at this time. One of the relatives shouted to the federal police, 'we're tired of so much violence, we will arm the citizens to defend ourselves.' In another case, a young man was gunned down at 1 am in the colony Juan R. Escudero, located between the town of La Sabana and Ciudad Renacimiento. According to the police report, the crime occurred on the street Soledad and experts reported that the victim received six impacts of a Horn of Chivo weapon. Ministerial sources said that the victim was 29 years old and allegedly accompanied another young man who was killed at 9 pm Saturday in the town of La Sabana. The police said they could be partners, first because they wore the same tattooing and had black paint on their fingers, but agreed that the family will declare if there was any employment relationship. .In another case police found a dismembered body in three black bags and a narcomensaje in Chilapa. Police reports show that at 7:30 pm yesterday in the vicinity of the Chilapa-road Acazacatla three black bags containing human remains were found. The decapitated head he was not located at the site. The victim was a man. The sources reported that upper extremities, lower and upper body were separate black bags. A card with the following message written on it was found , 'This is what will happen to all who walk supporting the federal already know who commands shits att. The bosses'. The remains of the body were not identified and were transferred to the municipal funeral parlor. On Friday 29 July in the central avenue Jose Maria Andraca city of Chilapa five armed youths between 25 and 30 years were shot dead by federal police after an atattempted arrest and they fled in a taxi. Also on Saturday, state prosecutors in Guerrero said seven people, including two children, were shot to death in neighbouring houses near Tepecoacuilco de Trujano, a municipality 15km from Iguala, the city where 43 students disappeared in 2014. Local media reported the seven dead were members of the same family. A statement from the Michoacan state prosecutors office said nine burned bodies were found inside the cab of a pickup in the municipality of Cuitzeo in an area with pipelines run by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos. Prosecutors said there were signs of the possible clandestine tapping of the pipelines and authorities are looking into whether the deaths are related to fuel theft. Now that sixth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) is upon us, Guardian Online has gone to extremes to bring our valued readers, advertisers, investors and businesspersons relevant information relating to the Summit that will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya from August 23th to August 29th 2016. We invite you to join this platform and make it as interactive as possible. It is here that we will give you links to meet companies and multinationals that will be participating in the Summit and its adjuncts such as the Africa-Japan Business Forum and the Japan Fair, where you can be able to rub shoulders and per chance, strike short term or long-term investment deals with some of Japans big names companies. This information will also appeal to our public sector, our government officers who will be travelling to Nairobi to the Summit as well as the Civil Society (Non State Actors) organisations that will be participating or are hoping to contribute to their country or continents development agenda through partnerships with Japanese private and public sector companies and their civil societies. We hope that at the end the end of the Summit Business Botswana (BB); Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) and the Ministries of Trade, Industry and Investment and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will have something tangible and beneficial to report back to Batswana in the areas of Industrialisation; Health Water and Sanitation and Social Stability, these being the key thematic areas for cooperation identified by the TICAD co-sponsors, Japan Government; United Nations; African Union Commission and United Nations Development Programme under the three year circle of TICAD VI, that ends in 2019. TICAD can best be described as Japans overseas development assistance (ODA) for Africa. The summit level conferences started in 1993 and have been held after every five-years in Japans cities until 2013 in Yokohama when the African Union Commission joined as a co-sponsor and it was agreed that both Japan and Africa alternate in hosting the summit to enforce the principle of African ownership and international partnership, that underpins the cooperation framework. As a result, Kenya was identified as the host of the first-ever summit to be held in Africa. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (PTI): Air Marshal S Neelakantan on Monday assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command. The traditional Guard of Honour was presented to him by the 'Air Warriors.' Air Marshal Neelakantan, who was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force on December 28, 1977, is an alumni of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Tactics and Combat Development Establishment, a defence press release said. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and has flown over 3100 hours on various types of aircraft and has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and two flying bases. He also led the IAF contingent in Congo as part of the UN Mission in 2006-07. Neelakantan also held important staff and instructional appointments and was the Director General (Inspection and Safety) and Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel at Air HQs before taking over as AOC-in-C, SAC, the release said. He is also a recipient of the presidential awards Yudh Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The fourth annual Unity Ride wrapped up on Saturday at the Waywayseecappo First Nation Powwow. The annual initiative sees riders journey 350 kilometres by horseback in four days, visiting Waywayseecappo, Birdtail Sioux First Nation, Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to warn about the dangers of prescription drug abuse by promoting more traditional ways of healing. The ride is organized by the Unity Riders, and this year featuring riders from as far away as Regina. Travis Mazawasicuna, an organizer and Unity Rider who works in addictions services at Sioux Valley Health Centre, said in the last five years, officials have noticed a lot more abuse of pills and prescription drugs on Westman reserves. Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Participants make their way along Highway 21 at Sioux Valley Dakota Nation during the Unity Ride on July 27. From 2007 to 2012 we could see the increase of people abusing prescription drugs, (people) of all ages. It was broken down in genders and age groups were in trouble, he said. Its a plague, not only our four communities but all First Nations across Canada. This years ride, about 30 horses strong at points, included a ceremony just south of the site of the Birtle residential school, to recognize the children that never came home and the survivors of the school, said Mazawasicuna. Mazawasicunas father and grandfather went to a residential school. He said riders felt different when they first rode past that residential school site. Even our good horses started bucking, and we knew that we had to do something so the second year we so stopped and we sent the spirits of our people that went to school there, he said. Theyve done ceremonies ever since. Mazawasicuna said during the daily ceremonies in the communities where they stopped, an eagle was seen circling overhead as well. That was incredibly meaningful for Mazawasicuna and the other riders. We cant explain it, its just a natural thing, a spiritual connection, he said. We believe these animals carry a message for our people and carry the feelings of our people we believe that they bring the connection. Mazawasicuna said there are several more rides scheduled for the Unity Riders this summer, including one in Saskatchewan, and from Virden to Canupawakpa and one in the fall from Elkhorn to Brandon. This is just the beginning for the people its just a small step for the whole nation, the healing of all nations and all ages, he said. tbateman@brandonsun.com Twitter: @tombatemann Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For the fourth time in 12 years, Brandon played host to the Prairie car show known as the Super Run. Alternating between Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Super Run visits Brandon once in three years. It boasts a car show, daily cruises across the Prairies, flea market and, of course, the opportunity to connect with other car enthusiasts. Chair of the Manitoba Super Run committee Russ Dayman said he felt the province was missing out after Winnipeg declined to host after 1996. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Visitors to the Super Run Manitoba car show check out rows of classic cars at the Keystone Centre grounds in Brandon on Saturday afternoon. Basically, nobody was doing it it felt like Manitoba wasnt holding up their end, Dayman explained. When he moved to Brandon several years later, he brought the subject up in time to organize the Wheat Citys 2007 Super Run. The event registered more than 700 cars in 2013, so when this years tally stopped at 483, organizers were expecting a lower turnout. However, the weekend saw between 3,000 and 4,000 people, which included mostly locals and a few diehards who travelled from the West Coast or across the border. While their agenda remained similar to previous years, Dayman said it changed slightly to hold more group drives. The most popular cruise happened Thursday, when a convoy 51-cars long headed to MacGregor to view two private collections. We just try to improve on how we do it each time, and we get better at it as we go, Dayman said. Though the cars provided plenty to look at, Super Run guests also had the chance to meet the people who pioneered them, another addition to this years itinerary. Grade 12 student Aidan Trembath, who roamed the Keystone Centre grounds as Ransom Olds on Saturday afternoon, said he was intrigued by the unique acting opportunity. He and four friends acting as Horrace and John Dodge, Henry Fords wife Clara Bryant, and Louis Chevrolets mother Emily Clinke spent the day interacting with guests as their characters. Referring to the Oldsmobile pioneer as a respectable fellow, Trembath said, These are people who, you know, created this sort of thing that now were celebrating through the Super Run. aantoneshyn@brandonsun.com Twitter: @AAntoneshyn Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. AUSTIN To set a new world record for the most threshing machines operating simultaneously, almost 150 crews each consisting of a thresher, tractor, and the men and women needed to operate such equipment migrated to Austin on Sunday. The event, called Harvesting Hope, started as an idea two-and-a-half years ago when the Manitoba Agricultural Museum approached the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. In 2015, the record was set with 111 machines in St. Albert, Ont., and those in Austin figured they could not only meet St. Albert, but raise them one too. Raise them, Austin did. Tim Smith/Brandon Sun Farmers and farming enthusiasts prepare for their attempt to set a world record for most threshing machines operating simultaneously at the Manitoba Threshermens Reunion and Stampede at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum near Austin on Sunday. With the final count at 148 threshing machines, powered by steam or stationary engines and gas tractors, Harvesting Hope even exceeded the expectations of organizers. Orignally the group only set a goal of 125 machines, said co-chair Elliot Sims. The Manitoba Threshermens Reunion and Stampede averages 10,000 people through their gates over the four days, but organizers estimated there as 6,000 on the grounds Sunday alone, and upwards of 16,000 throughout the event. We couldnt be happier with the response of entire agriculture machinery community coming together to use our passion for these vintage machines to support such a great cause, Sims said. The donation came from half of the groups partnered sales and 25 per cent of the gate admissions. Because of the high attendance, a donation total wouldnt be known until today, but Foodgrains Bank communications officer Amanda Thorsteinsson said it was a tremendous act of generosity. To see something of this scale and this creative and (which) takes that much work is really incredible. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Farmers and farming enthusiasts prepare for their attempt to set a world record for the most threshing machines operating at the same time at the Threshermens Reunion and Stampede at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum near Austin on Sunday afternoon. More than 145 threshing machines took part in the record attempt as thousands of spectators watched. Harvesting Hope has been working on the event since deciding to go ahead with the attempt more than two years ago. While the board is five-people strong, they had a volunteer force of roughly 1,400 this weekend. To qualify, all of the machines had to run for 15 minutes simultaneously, which 139 teams were successful in doing. Sims said that volunteers had made 45,000 sheaves in the last week from 85 acres of wheat. With 4,000 cylinder inches of capacity, the co-operative effort of all 146 threshers meant between 16,000 and 17,000 bushels could be separated per hour, equivalent to 12 rail cars of grain. Theres some people coming specifically as support of the Foodgrains Bank, theres others that are coming because theyve never seen this many threshing machines before, so its sort of a mixture, Sims said. People are coming for all different reasons, but its all for a good cause. Kate Storey said she had been looking forward to the event for more than a year. The Storeys, who farm near Grandview, own two vintage threshing machines and keep them in working condition. Tim Smith/Brandon Sun Participants heave wheat into threshing machines on Sunday during an attempt to set a world record for most threshing machines operating simultaneously at the Manitoba Threshermens Reunion and Stampede. On Sunday, Storey was acting as the straw boss of an all-female crew running a Oliver Red River Special 2236 machine. Im up top, Im watching everything, she explained, adding that shed be instructing the other women how fast to huck the sheaves. The band of five women was Storeys idea, but they all agreed that it was an opportunity to exemplify the significant role women have played in farm operations, most notably since the Second World War. When she said it was going to be an all womens team, it was like: yes! laughed Cherie Storozinski. The group even wore matching white-and-red-spotted bandannas like they would have in the 1940s factories. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Farmers and farming enthusiasts heave wheat into threshing machines during an attempt to set a world record for most threshing machines operating simultaneously at the Threshermens Reunion and Stampede at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum near Austin on Sunday. Harvesting Hope will become an official record within the month when the Guinness Book of World Records finalizes its submission. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG Climate change has found another victim: the rail line to Churchill. It was constructed in a hurry in the late 1920s once it was found ship access to the recently built Port Nelson was tenuous at best. At that time, permafrost was not really a factor. Early climate change a century ago had virtually no impact on northern Manitoba. In the rush to gain access, finally, to Hudson Bay, the rail bed from near Port Nelson to Churchill was constructed in an almost direct line unfortunately, over discontinuous permafrost. Although it served for some 80 years, its now time to admit softening permafrost lacks the stability needed to support a rail line. If one is indeed needed, a new route needs consideration. In this context, governments (Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) need to work together to identify needs and consider all options. Is there a need for an Arctic port connected to a rail line? Probably, because as climate change opens up new Arctic shipping routes, Churchill can provide access to and from the Prairies and northern trading partners both to the east and west. Clearly, a new route from The Pas needs to be found. One option is to go south from where the line from Saskatchewan to The Pas enters Manitoba and go farther south to cross over to Grand Rapids more or less parallel to the existing road between Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipegosis, then follow Highway 6 almost to Thompson, or perhaps Gillam, depending on the best route from the former to Churchill. The actual point at which it departs from the road depends on the best route from there to Churchill. Options include everything from following a beach ridge near Hudson Bay to various routes more inland that, ultimately could more or less follow the Churchill River well below Missi Falls (north and a bit east of Thompson) where the river turns north. The review could also consider a more southerly route from Saskatchewan, entering Manitoba near Russell or Roblin. The study of such options could take at least two years, but given the costs and potential benefits, it should not be rushed. A reliable rail line to Churchill could bring the CNR back into the scene and return the operation of the line to a Canadian business as compared to a private U.S. company that appears to have viewed subsidies as a normal means of operating a business. Their proposition to sell it to a northern group illustrates its view of relying on public funding for private profit. To the extent public funds are needed, there must be a public good generated, not simply to help a foreign private company to run a profit. In the case of Churchill, the public good would derive from a rail connection to an Arctic port which, as climate change continues to impact the Arctic, means access from the Prairies to both northern Asian and European markets for export of commodities and products varying from grain to manufactured goods. It also means a shipping point for fuel for Arctic communities in addition to that provided by Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. Unfortunately, much of the expenditures to date for Churchill have the ring of ready, fire, aim. Before additional money is spent on infrastructure, beyond short-term needs for essential repairs, a comprehensive strategy, complete with an overall longer-term set of objectives and means to achieve them, is essential. This strategy needs to consider overall objectives for the emerging and more accessible Canadian Arctic. Included would be an outline of the role for Churchill within this strategy, an assessment of options to achieve this role and a practical design and implementation process to put in place a Churchill that will serve Canada well over the coming decades as new climate realities present opportunities never before contemplated. The current closure of operations of the port may be the signal needed to exchange short-term fixes for a long-term, viable component of Canadas future in the new world economy that includes Arctic transport as an integral part of international commerce. Jim Collinson is a management consultant specializing in energy, economic and environmental issues who has held assistant deputy minister positions in the federal and Manitoba governments. His column recently appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canadas premiers say their new Canada Free Trade Agreement is groundbreaking and supports a broader economic vision for Canada. This exuberant praise may be a little premature. During their annual Council of the Federation meetings last month in Whitehorse, the 13 premiers reached an agreement in principle on the new agreement, known as CFTA. It replaces the former Agreement on Internal Trade and is better, the premiers argue, because it will be based on a negative list approach. This means all government measures will be covered unless specifically excluded, while the former agreement only covered specific sectors of the economy. Sounds good so far, but not so fast. There are few details about exactly what will change with this new deal, especially when it comes to alcohol. The premiers sidestepped that political hot potato by saying they were striking a a working group on alcoholic beverages, which will explore opportunities to improve trade in beer, wine and spirits across Canada. Provincial liquor monopolies have long been cash cows for provincial coffers, leading to Prohibition-era laws that restrict the movement of alcohol across the country. These laws are protectionist, they are bad for consumers and, frankly, they violate the Constitution. In the recent New Brunswick court case that saw Gerard Comeau charged for bringing too much alcohol into the province from Quebec, provincial court Judge Ronald LeBlanc dismissed the charges, citing Section 121 of the Constitution Act, which states, All articles of the growth, produce or manufacture of any of the provinces shall, and from and after the Union, be admitted free into each of the other provinces. New Brunswick is appealing that decision, and is now hiding behind this legal proceeding as a way to avoid talking about lifting alcohol barriers. That is a shame. This court decision and the current positive spirit of co-operation among the premiers could have been the long-awaited turning point for alcohol sales in the country. The CFTA could have been heralded in with the definitive promise of an easier flow of beer, wine and spirits across Canada, opening local producers to new markets and eliminating protectionist trade barriers. It could also have led to discussions about regionalizing liquor commissions. Doing so would eliminate duplication of services, save hundreds of millions in overhead and do away with political patronage appointments that have long plagued provincial liquor commissions. Instead, the premiers punted the issue down the line. It was a missed opportunity. Lets hope their working group will recognize that Canadians are tired of antiquated liquor laws. Because, as B.C. Premier Christie Clark remarked, It makes no sense that you can get B.C. wine more easily in China than you can in Ontario. Charlottetown Guardian, via The Canadian Press editorial exchange Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/08/2016 (2278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Fix the circle I would like to know when the City of Brandon is going to fix the circle at Willowdale Crescent and 34th Street. It is so rough with deep ruts. I am sure that there are a lot of vehicles that pass through this intersection. I know that you will have to shut down 34th Street to fix it, but it has to be done. Get out of the handicapped spot Thanks for parking in a handicapped parking spot and staying in your vehicle while your friend or companion goes shopping. I had to find a spot a long way away. The parking permit program states, In addition, if you remain in the vehicle while a companion is running errands, you may not occupy a designated parking space. Following that rule, nobody should be left in a vehicle when your companion runs errands. I see it all the time. Politicians are oblivious to the dangers Re: Brandon Sun editorial, 27 July, Spill Destroying Oil Industrys Argument. One extremely troubling aspect of buried pipelines is the fact that when they do leak or rupture, the discovery is not instantaneous, as above ground surface travel reveals. Many politicians and those supporting pipeline installations are oblivious to the horrific consequences and threat to our water sources and environment. They dwell on the out of sight, out of mind syndrome, and that alone appeases them. So while everything is fine and dandy with a unseen buried pipe, it remains lurking, vulnerable and susceptible to being a very destructive and ruinous menace. Is Manitoba next? A question of the news How do over one million young people descend on a small country like Poland to share with Pope Francis their faith in the Lord and not make the news? Just curious. Why did you steal my lights? This is not a safe neighbourhood anymore. Nothing and no one is safe anymore. You stole the lights that shined in the night in my moms flower bed in memory of her. Now I have no lights to smile at and think of her. Go buy your own darn lights. Irish businesses exporting to the UK are already 15% less competitive than before the Brexit vote. That is according to IBEC, who is calling on the Government to take measures to safeguard competitiveness. The organisation has said a survey of Irish businesses shows that they can't compete with the rapid currency fluctuations and competition from UK based companies. It is also now cheaper for UK companies to export into Ireland. Fergal O'Brien, Director of Policy with IBEC, has said there are still many unknowns: We can only focus on those issues on which we have control over, and the key to that has to be the cost of doing business. We may well see the UK government provide supports to industry, we may well see the UK government cut its own taxes and our Government needs to stand ready to react to that. The UK could actually become quite aggressive in supporting business post-brexit and Ireland must make sure we are in a place to respond. The editor of the Irish Examiner, Tim Vaughan, is to take up a new position in another company next October. Chief executive Tom Murphy this afternoon informed the newspaper's staff that Mr Vaughan has been offered and accepted the position of Head of Content and Corporate Communications at Cork-based Newsweaver. Mr Murphy said he was very sorry that Mr Vaughan was leaving, but wished him the very best in his new position. "The role of Irish Examiner editor is a high-profile, exciting, but complex and demanding job, and Tim has always carried out his responsibilities with great skill, diligence and panache," said Mr Murphy. "The two of us have always worked very well together and I am very sorry that he is leaving. However, he has been offered and accepted a new opportunity, a new challenge in a different but related industry that will call heavily on the skillsets that he demonstrated so effectively in the Irish Examiner," he said. Mr Vaughan, who has been editor since 2001, said that after 15 years in the job it was time to take up a new challenge. "While I am really looking forward to the prospect of this exciting and unanticipated opportunity at Newsweaver, it's going to be an emotional wrench to leave the newspaper that I love so much and which has been such a huge part of my life for so many years. "It has been a total privilege to have had this wonderful job and to have worked with so many great colleagues who have made the Irish Examiner the highly respected newspaper that it is today, " said Mr Vaughan. He thanked his colleagues "for being there with me on the journey, for the friendship, the support, the fun, the laughs... and the many near heart attacks along the way!". He expressed a special word of gratitude to Tom Murphy "for his generous and unstinting support and backing in sometimes very trying and difficult circumstances over the years". Mr Vaughan also said words could not do justice to how thankful he was to the Crosbie family for their unwavering commitment to editorial independence since he was appointed editor in 2001. "So for that, for Ted's wise words and his always-infectious enthusiasm for what we do, I will be forever grateful." Mr Murphy said the company would commence a recruitment process for Mr Vaughan's replacement shortly. Newsweaver founder and CEO Andrew OShaughnessy, said: Im delighted that someone of Tims caliber is joining our exceptionally talented team at a time when we have very exciting ambitions for international growth. He is widely respected in the media industry, and has a great track record in agenda-setting journalism at the Irish Examiner. His knowledge, experience and skillset is a perfect fit for Newsweaver as we expand our international footprint, said Mr OShaughnessy. Newsweaver works with some of the worlds largest corporations and best known companies, providing them with pioneering software solutions to complex employee communications challenges. Its clients include Rolls-Royce, LinkedIn, Experian, Vodafone, and Aon Hewitt, among several other FTSE and Fortune 1000 companies. The company has pioneered ground-breaking technology solutions which have overcome the complex challenges facing internal communicators. A group of whalewatchers off the coast of Quebec were treated to an incredible close encounters with the second largest animal on earth recently. Eric Mouellic, a French tourist visiting Canada for the first time, caught this incredible footage of a fin whale within minutes of being in the waters off Tadoussac. The group on the boat was watching a pair of whales feed when one swam right towards the boat with its boat wide open to collect feed - likely, krill - before diving underneath. "It was, in fact, magic," he told CBS. "Even the boat operator told his passengers he'd never witnessed anything like it in 15 years." Fin whales are the second largest animals on earth, after the blue whale. At this time of year, many can be seen feeding in the SaguenaySt. Lawrence Marine Park, a conservation area in Quebec and one of the world's best whale-watching sites, with humpbacks and minke other regular visitors. According to Patrice Corbeil, education director of a non-profit marine mammal research centre based in Tadoussac, the boat was never in danger: "You notice that the whale avoided hurting the boat. They don't like to hit anything on the surface. That's why the whale turned ... on its side. Right on the surface, you can see just how big it is 18 metres long, 50 tonnes in weight." A spokesperson for the Association of Catholic Priests says he is not overly concerned about the future of St Patrick's College in Maynooth. The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin will not be sending any more trainee priests from his diocese because he does not think it is a good place for students. Anonymous letters alleging that some were using a gay dating app were recently circulated in clerical circles. However, Fr Brendan Hoban does not expect other bishops to follow suit. Fr Hoban said: "I'm not particularly worried, because the numbers leaving - in terms of three being taken by the Dublin diocese and a number from Waterford as well - are small anyway. "There are 55 in Maynooth at present, a few more wont make much of a difference, but I don't see the other bishops taking their students out of Maynooth." Archbishop Diarmuid Martin confirmed the boycott of Ireland's main seminary, saying he is sending student priests to Rome rather than the centuries-old St Patrick's College. The church leader said he made the decision some months ago because he was "somewhat unhappy" about "an atmosphere that was growing in Maynooth" exposed through anonymous accusations in letters and online blogs. "There are allegations on different sides," he said. "One is that there is a homosexual, a gay culture, that students have been using an app called Grindr, which is a gay dating app, which would be inappropriate for seminarians, not just because they are trained to be celibate priests but because an app like that is something which would be fostering promiscuous sexuality, which is certainly not in any way the mature vision of sexuality one would expect a priest to understand." Dr Martin said there were further allegations that whistleblowers trying to bring claimed wrongdoing to the attention of authorities were being dismissed from the seminary. "I thought a quarrelsome attitude of that kind was not the healthiest place for my students to be and I decided to send them to the Irish (Pontifical) College (in Rome)," he told RTE. Founded in 1795, Maynooth College was once the largest seminary in the world. It was built to train 500 trainee Catholic priests every year but numbers have nosedived to about 60 in recent years with a fall-off in vocations. While Dr Martin has decided to send student priests from the Dublin Archdiocese overseas instead, he insisted he was not ordering other bishops to do likewise. However, the Archbishop said a "whole series of anonymous allegations" were being circulated about goings-on at the Maynooth seminary. While "some material has resulted to be true", he added that it was impossible to fairly investigate and carry out due process while those making claims remained anonymous. Efforts by him to recruit an independent person who could deal with whistleblower complaints were met with "simply more anonymous letters" he said. "A culture of anonymous letters is poisonous and until that is cleared up I would be happier sending my students elsewhere," he added. Dr Martin said authorities at Maynooth needed to find a way people could come forward with "solid, hard evidence". The senior catholic leader also criticised the "comfortable" regime at the seminary. "The people have their breakfast, dinner and tea served up to them," he said. One in five children has said they have been bullied online that is twice the level of bullying parents think is going on. Zenith Optimedia surveyed 1,000 adults and almost 200 children about their experiences of harassment online. The research found that Irish parents are underestimating the level of cyberbullying - with just one in 10 saying they think their child has been bullied. According to the ZenithOptimedia research, half (51%) of online bullying in children happens on Facebook while 14% say they experienced harassment via Instagram. Bullying using Snapchat was higher among girls than boys at 29% and 16% respectively. Of those that have been cyberbullied a third say they have experienced feelings of depression because of it. Online bullying does not always stop at childhood and often continues into adult years. One in 10 adults have said they have been bullied online, with one in four women reporting body shaming online. Declan Kelly, Deputy MD at ZenithOptimedia, commented: We carried out this research to look at how Irish people are interacting with the internet on a daily basis but also to examine how safe the internet is. What we found was that quite a large proportion of Irish children have experienced some form of online bullying. What it also showed was the inconsistency between parents perception of whats happening with their children online and the reality. Farmers in Limerick are staging a surprise protest this morning over the threat to the Irish cereal sector from importers. Around 100 farmers have gathered at Foynes Port where imported barley is being unloaded for transport to local mills. Almost two thirds of tenants find it difficult to get their deposits back, according to a new Red C survey. There's 40% less rental space available than this time last year and rents have increased by over 8% nationally. Irish pregnant women are being warned not to travel to parts of Florida, because new cases of Zika have been discovered. The virus has been spreading locally among mosquitoes in a small area of Miami. This afternoon Revenue officers, assisted by detector dog Frankie, uncovered more than 18,000 contraband 'NZ' cigarettes in the checked in luggage of a 42-year-old Estonian man. The smuggled cigarettes, with an estimated retail value in the region 9,700 represent a potential loss to the Exchequer of around 7,700. Update - 4.30pm: The National Bus and Rail Union is to ballot its members at Dublin Bus on industrial action. It follows today's announcement by Siptu which is to ballot its members this week after a Labour Court recommendation on pay and conditions. The NBRU said their decision follows an "emphatic rejection" of the Labour Court's recoomendations. The union is proposing to carry out the ballot on Thursday and Friday this week. General Secretary Dermot OLeary said: "It is clear that a mandate for industrial action will be received from Dublin Bus staff over the coming days, given the level of anger reflected in the outright rejection of the Labour Court pay proposals (2.75% per year). "The recommendation fell short of both the expectations of our members and the level of award issued to resolve the recent Transdev dispute (3.8% per year)." Mr O'Leary said it "was such that our members are demanding an immediate ballot for industrial action, we will ballot our members over Thursday 4th and Friday 5th August". He said that staff deserve "a flat, no strings attached pay award at least in line with the public transport sector norm set by the Labour Court in the Luas dispute". The NBRU statement said: "Dublin Bus have it in its gift to prevent any mandated industrial action by recognising the entitlement of its own staff to pay rises beyond those suggested by the Labour Court, we note the Ministers comments in the aftermath of staff rejecting the recommendation and would suggest that he as the shareholder should encourage Dublin Bus to look again at the level of pay on offer, particularly in the context of all that staff have contributed over two Cost Cutting Plans, inclusive of pay cuts. The union outlined their options for industrial action: Industrial action up to and including all-out strike, 24hr/48hr work stoppages, Work stoppages of a shorter duration, No fares day. Earlier: Strike action at Dublin Bus is on the cards, according to Siptu. The union is set to ballot its members this week after they - along with the National Bus and Rail Workers union - voted to reject a Labour Court recommendation on pay and conditions. It follows a meeting of the union this morning and the NBRU has yet to announce its next course of action in the long running dispute. In a statement Siptu says the possibility of industrial action, which will inconvenience Dublin Bus users, is now "increasingly likely". Siptu's John Murphy, said: "Siptu members in Dublin Bus have expressed anger at the pay increases proposed in the Labour Court recommendation which they overwhelmingly voted to reject last week. Dublin Bus has made significant profits for the last two years and is on target to be profitable, again, this year. "The workers have not had a pay increase since 2008. They deferred a pay increase of 6% due in 2009 and since then have also implemented several measures that have increased productivity and reduced costs for the company." Mr Murphy said the implementation of the measures by the workers was crucial to the companys return to profitability, but he said the Labour court failed to address this in their decision. He said: "The Labour Court recommendation did not in any way recognise or attempt to redress the sacrifices made by the workers during this period. "The ballot of Siptu members in the Dublin Bus Traffic Grade will be conducted next week. Siptu representatives are available to meet with the management of Dublin Bus to try to resolve the current dispute. However, the possibility of industrial action, which will unfortunately inconvenience Dublin Bus users, is increasingly likely." A judge was wrong to consider "a novel standalone claim" about the reliability of mobile phone tracking evidence in granting a new trial for a man whose murder conviction was re-examined in the popular Serial podcast, the Maryland attorney general's office said. The podcast attracted millions of listeners who became armchair detectives as the series analysed the case of Adnan Syed for weeks in the winter of 2014. Appealing against the decision to retry Syed, lawyers for the state contend that retired Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch should not have ruled that his initial lawyers were constitutionally deficient because they failed to bring into evidence a warning from AT&T. The cover sheet says: "Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will NOT be considered reliable information for location." The first three words - "Outgoing calls only" - are underlined in the fax AT&T sent to Baltimore police. Defence lawyers said prosecutors improperly used unreliable tower data on incoming calls to place Syed's phone near the burial site of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, who was killed in 1999. Judge Welch agreed, ruling that Syed's lawyer provided "ineffective assistance for the failure to cross-examine the state's cell tower expert about the reliability of cell tower location evidence". In its appeal filed on Monday, the state counters that Syed's trial lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, "was far from ineffective in her challenge of the state's cellphone evidence". "For one thing, there is no consensus among experts in the forensic community that Syed's interpretation of the fax cover sheet is valid," wrote Thiru Vignarajah, a deputy attorney general. "Where one expert concludes the disclaimer does not apply, another finds it does, and yet a third opines it is ambiguous, trial counsel cannot be declared ineffective for a sustained and vigorous cross examination that does not incorporate an uncertain line of attack." The state also argued that Syed waived his right to raise the issue about the cross-examination failure now because he should have raised it in a prior proceeding. But the judge ruled that Syed did not "intelligently or knowingly" waive his right, noting that he never completed his high school degree. Syed's lawyers also argued that he deserves a retrial because his original lawyer did not contact Asia McClain Chapman, an alibi witness who swore in an affidavit that she saw Syed at the Woodlawn library at about the same time prosecutors say Ms Lee was murdered. Judge Welch disagreed with the defence on that point. He also disagreed that prosecutors breached their duty by withholding exculpatory evidence. But the attorney general's office says the judge was wrong to include arguments about the cover sheet in reopened legal proceedings that were supposed to be predicated on Chapman's newly available affidavit. "Maryland's courts have imposed few limits on what qualifies as in the 'interest of justice,' but limits remain," wrote Vignarajah. A court in China has imposed a suspended three-year prison sentence on a human rights activist charged with subversion of state power, following a brief trial. It was the first publicly acknowledged hearing in a year-long case shrouded in secrecy and involving hundreds of Chinese human rights activists. The official Xinhua News Agency said a court in the northern city of Tianjin sentenced Zhai Yanmin, who was arrested in July last year as part of a countrywide government campaign which paralysed China's activist legal circles. Roughly 300 lawyers and activists were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Zhai's is the first of four cases expected to be heard this week after prosecutors announced in July that they would try a lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, of Beijing law firm Fengrui - which worked extensively on human rights cases - and three activists who worked with the firm, including Zhai. More than a dozen others remain jailed, their legal status uncertain. According to Xinhua, Zhai said in a court confession that the group of lawyers, citizens and petitioners who believed in "pushing the wall" - a Chinese expression for overthrowing the government - methodically hyped politically sensitive cases. They organised popular rallies during controversial human rights cases to draw international attention and undermine the Chinese state, Xinhua quoted him as saying in remarks which echoed previous government accusations towards the group. Xinhua said the court was told that Zhai and the three others had "conspired and plotted to subvert state power", and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it". Lawyer Zhou's sentence was suspended for four years, meaning that although he will not go to prison, he will have to live under considerable restrictions and supervision. He also lost all political rights for the same period, making him ineligible to run for local councils or other offices. The punishment was the most lenient allowed for those convicted of subversion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. That may be a reflection of concern at the harm to China's international reputation among officials, as well as a relentless campaign by family members and human rights groups to draw attention to the cases. Police cordoned off the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday, one day after protesters flanked by foreign diplomats demanded more information about the cases. The trial was attended by five foreign media outlets invited by the court and other observers, according to Xinhua, in an apparent attempt to address vocal criticism from the activists' supporters about a near-total lack of transparency surrounding the cases. Many wives have said they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the jailed activists for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth, while some family members seeking information have been briefly detained themselves. Zhai's wife, Liu Ermin, was taken into custody on Sunday night and returned late on Monday to her Beijing home, where she is kept effectively under house arrest, friends said. It was not clear whether Zhai would immediately be allowed to return home. A lawyer and legal assistant released recently have been filmed apparently recanting their actions, but their whereabouts remain unknown. A man who took more than a million pounds from his severely-disabled father's bank account to go on a lavish spending spree has been jailed for five years in England. Geovonne Oliver, 21, fooled Barclays Bank into thinking he was his father Derrick to take 1.265m (1.496m) from a medical negligence compensation payment the older man won after a hospital error saw him have to have the lower part of both legs and some fingers amputated in 2008. The Jamaican national, who was aged just 19 at the time he raided his father's account in 2014, splurged it on "lavish" treats for himself, including a 64,000 (75,000) BMW M4 with the personalised number plate G7 GIO, expensive watches and renting out luxury apartments in south-east London. While Derrick was on a six-month trip to see family in Jamaica, Geovonne phoned Barclays pretending to be his father and conned them into setting up online and telephone banking facilities that allowed him to siphon off the cash, Southwark Crown Court in London heard. Sentencing Geovonne for fraud, money laundering and perverting the course of justice, Judge Andrew Goymer rejected his claim he had started the con to help his mother and seven step-siblings living in poverty in Jamaica. Metropolitan Police handout photo of Geovonne Oliver. Judge Goymer said: "I'm unable to accept that explanation. It is clear that some sums were paid to her that were only a fraction of the money that was taken. "The money was then spent on gambling, on cars and living in luxury rented flats. "At no stage was he providing himself with the basic necessities of life. Nor was he using the money to further his education or set himself up in education. "He was using that money to spend on luxuries for himself. "It was as mean and despicable a fraud as anyone can imagine. This man mercilessly took money from his severely-disabled father and spent it on enjoying himself." The court heard that just 97,000 (114,000) - less than 10% of the money taken by Geovonne, of Lewisham - has been recovered. Geovonne Oliver also fooled Metropolitan Police detectives into briefly halting a money laundering probe into him by phoning and emailing them while pretending to be his own father, the court heard. He spoke to a detective and then emailed him from an account set up the same day with fake documents claiming he had given his son some 400,000 (473,000). Prosecutor David Hughes told the court: "In short, what he had done with Barclays in January 2014 he did with the Metropolitan Police in August 2014. He impersonated his father with the consequences that flow from that." Mr Hughes added: "As a result of the conversation that the Crown say was with this defendant, and the emails with attachments being sent, the investigation into money laundering was closed." However, it was reopened a few days later after the criminal's deception was uncovered by Scotland Yard cyber-crime investigators. Geovonne Oliver was arrested and charged in January 2015. He sat with his head bowed as his sentence was passed on Tuesday. He went on the run for a day on July 25, when his trial had been due to start, and changed his previous not guilty pleas to guilty after handing himself in and being brought to court. He was also sentenced for breaching his bail, while a charge of theft will lay on file. Derrick Oliver had been given a total of 2.4m (2.83m) by the High Court in 2008 for his injuries, the court heard, splitting the rest between two bank accounts, including one at Barclays. He gave 10,000 (11,800) to Geovonne and his sister in joint accounts he set up with both of them. As well as the lavish spending of his father's money, some 250,000 (295,000) in total was moved by Geovonne through a series of transactions into the accounts of two friends, Jacques Konate, 21, and pawnbroker Boon Tai, 44. Tai was convicted of money laundering at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday and jailed for three years. The jury of five women and seven men failed to reach a verdict on Konate on the same charge and was discharged. Prosecutors have seven days decide whether to seek a retrial. Mr Hughes said that Derrick Oliver had yet to be compensated by Barclays for the breach in security but it was expected that he would be after the court case ended. Detective Constable Mick Diddams, from Scotland Yard's Cyber Crime Unit said: "The majority of fraud cases have an element of anonymity. This case, however, is personal. "Oliver has worked hard to steal from his own family and then frivolously wasted the money on a shopping spree." Donald Trump is unfit to be president and he keeps proving it, Barack Obama has said. The US president challenged Republican leaders to withdraw their endorsements of Mr Trump. An elderly French priest murdered a week ago by two extremists tried to push away his attackers with his feet, saying "go away, Satan", the archbishop of Rouen has told his funeral Mass. Hundreds of priests and bishops filled Rouen cathedral along with many hundreds more people, including Muslims who have joined in the grieving since the murder of 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel, who was slashed by his attackers while celebrating morning Mass at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The priest's murder sent shockwaves that went beyond his work as a small-town parish priest, touching other faiths and all of France. It came less than two weeks after 84 people were killed in a truck attack on a crowd of Bastille Day revellers in Nice. "Evil is a mystery. It reaches heights of horror that take us out of the human," Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said during the two-hour Mass. "Isn't that what you wanted to say, Jacques, with your last words, when you fell to the ground? After you were struck by the knife, you tried to push away your assailants with your feet and said, 'Go away, Satan.' You repeated it, 'Go away, Satan.'" With those words, Archbishop Lebrun said, "You expressed ... your faith in the goodness of humans and that the devil put his claws in." Roselyne Hamel, the priest's sister, told the crowd: "Let's learn to live together, let's be workers for peace." Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, also in charge of faiths, was among those attending the Mass in the cathedral, which dates from the 12th century. Hundreds of people watched the ceremony on a big screen outside, under constant rain. Archbishop Lebrun, celebrating the Mass, extended thanks to Catholics attending the service but also to "believers of other religious faiths, in particular the Jewish community and the Muslim community, very affected and already decided to unite for: Never again". Archbishop Lebrun invited people to return to churches on August 15, the day celebrating the Assumption of Mary, to express that "violence will not take over in their hearts". On Sunday, dozens of Muslims in France and Italy attended Catholic Masses as a gesture of interfaith solidarity following the attack on the priest. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the priest, two nuns and an elderly couple were held hostage before the assailants slashed the priest's throat and seriously wounded the other man. Another nun at the Mass slipped away and raised the alarm, and police shot dead both attackers as they left the church. Tuesday's ceremony was organised under tight security, and the burial was private. The sister of a French priest murdered by extremists has appealed at his funeral for all faiths to work together for peace. "Let's learn to live together, let's be workers for peace," Roselyne Hamel told an estimated 1,700 people gathered in Rouen cathedral in western France for the funeral Mass of her brother, Father Jacques Hamel. The 85-year-old priest was murdered last week at a church in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve was among those attending the Mass in the Gothic cathedral, which dates from the 12th century. Hundreds of people watched the ceremony on a big screen outside the cathedral, under constant rain. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, celebrating the Mass, extended thanks to Catholics attending the service but also to "believers of other religious faiths, in particular the Jewish community and the Muslim community, very affected and already decided to unite for: Never again". Archbishop Lebrun invited people to return to churches on August 15, the day celebrating the Assumption of Mary, to express that "violence will not take over in their hearts". On Sunday, dozens of Muslims in France and Italy attended Catholic Masses as a gesture of interfaith solidarity following the attack on the priest. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the priest, two nuns and an elderly couple were held hostage before the assailants slashed the priest's throat and seriously wounded the other man. Another nun at the Mass slipped away and raised the alarm, and police shot dead both attackers as they left the church. Today's ceremony was organised under tight security, and burial was to be held privately. The funeral service for murdered French priest Father Jacques Hamel will take place today. Father Hamel was killed when two men stormed into his church in Saint-Etienne-Du-Rouvray on Tuesday. A man and woman have been arrested in England on suspicion of the murder of a 13-week-old baby boy. The infant was taken to hospital from an address in Velville Court in Newcastle upon Tyne with serious injuries on Friday, and police were told on Monday that he had died. Turkey's justice minister has sent a document to the United States seeking the arrest of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whom Ankara accuses of instigating an attempted coup on July 15. Bekir Bozdag sent a "second written document" requesting Mr Gulen's arrest, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest. Ankara has demanded Mr Gulen's extradition over the failed coup, which left 271 people dead. Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course. The Turkish government launched a sweeping crackdown on Mr Gulen's movement, which it characterises as a terrorist organisation and which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally. In Turkey, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs on suspicion of being involved in the movement. "They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it urgent'," Anadolu quoted Mr Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament. "We wrote to them that there are serious claims and statements that Fethullah Gulen has a finger in the attempted coup. That is why he needs to be detained urgently. (We wrote) that we have intelligence that he can escape to third countries," Mr Bozdag said. "I hope that the United States decides in Turkey's favour, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns this leader of a terror organisation to Turkey." The minister said that if Mr Gulen leaves the US for another country, it would be with the full knowledge of US authorities. "If he escapes then the US would either have turned a blind eye or approved of it," Mr Bozdag said. Turkey's government has taken over factories and shipyards that had been under control of the military. It follows a failed military coup last month in which over 260 people died. Police in Scotland are investigating a violent road rage attack at a roundabout captured on camera by a motorcyclist. A 4x4 driver is seen in the footage pulling up alongside the biker and swearing at him before getting out of his car and pushing him to the ground. The motorcyclist follows him back to his vehicle and the pair wrestle with one another and trade insults in the road before members of the public intervene. The incident, which the biker filmed on his helmet-cam and uploaded to YouTube, happened in Falkirk on Friday. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We received a report of a road rage incident that happened on July 29 on Stadium Way, Falkirk. "Officers are following a positive line of inquiry." THE HAGUE: Climate activists glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' at a Dutch museum on... SAN FRANCISCO: US tech titans looking to the future are seeing growth take a beating in the face of foreign... SINGAPORE: Chinas crude oil imports in September rose from the previous month but stayed 2% below their level a... ISLAMABAD: The number of cellular subscribers as well as teledensity declined for the second consecutive month in... LUXEMBOURG: The EU set out its position for the COP27 climate summit on Monday in a text that called for ambitious... DUBAI: A fire at Irans Evin prison late on Saturday killed four detainees and injured 61, state media reported, as... A woman in severe pain after suffering genital mutilation has been denied medical treatment at Nauru and a patient was discharged from the island's hospital with needles still lodged in their hands, according to damning findings by human rights researchers who gained rare access to the island. However IHMS, the organisation contracted to provide healthcare to asylum seekers at Nauru, rejected the claims as "unsubstantiated". Anna Neistat, Amnesty International senior director for research, has delivered a damning report, along with Human Rights Watch. Credit:Ivan Sekretarev Two researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch spent 12 days at Nauru last month and interviewed 84 asylum seekers and refugees, as well as workers who risked prosecution by disclosing information. A young woman at Nauru who suffered genital mutilation in her home country told Amnesty International's senior director of research, Anna Neistat, that she experienced severe pain and could not have sexual intercourse as a result. The woman reported receiving no treatment for her condition. He has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Rihanna, Jay Z, Daft Punk, Jamie Foxx and Vogue Australia's Christine Centenera in the past, but Kanye West has set his sights on his next collaboration - affordable Swedish furniture company, Ikea. The 39-year-old, who is married and has two children with Kim Kardashian West, plans to swap rap music for flat-pack furniture in a bid to further share his creative talents with the world. Kanye West wants to collaborate with Ikea. Credit:Getty "I have to work with Ikea - make furniture for interior design, for architecture," he told BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac. He said students, in particular, would like "a minimalist apartment inside of a college dorm". "That's to open them up to larger rooms and uses, for example hospitality and things like that." Cr Sri said reasonable people could disagree about whether it made sense to demolish heritage-listed cells to make way for a restaurant. "I'm happy to have that debate, but I think we need to acknowledge that's a political question; it's not a question of whether the DA complies with the planning code, which is something we could leave to the planning and assessment teams," he said. "This is a political question about what values we think are very important. "I've had a lot of former prisoners who occupied these cells a lot of political prisoners, actually, back in the day there's a lot of history embedded in those jail cells. "The whole idea of adaptive reuse we can find uses for these cells in terms of art installations and space for entrepreneurs and start-ups that don't require us to knock down the heritage-listed cell walls." Cr Simmonds said he was not prepared to allow the committee's agenda to be set by anyone other than him, as the chairman. "I'm not familiar enough with the application to properly assess your categorisation of it and I'll have to go away and have a look," he said. "... What I'm happy to do, as I've done for each of these motions, is vote against it because I have to set the agenda and I've got to put a lot on the agenda and it comes down to timeframes when officers are ready to make a decision. "I think this is one that could come to committee it certainly satisfies the criteria but as we know there are more applications that satisfy the criteria than can actually come to the committee just in terms of the time available to us. "So I'll vote against it, but take it on notice and go away and have a look at it." Labor councillor Shayne Sutton said the council risked a repeat of the Cbus Properties furore over a planned high rise next to Customs House, which resulted in a court challenge. "I think it's better to have more of this type of DA to come to the committee generally," she said. "This is an interesting one and I would like to see more detail as well." Cr Sutton said she understood the developers wanted to work hard to preserve the site's heritage, so there should be no impediment to the added scrutiny. "You don't go in and buy a site like Boggo Road jail with a complete vacuum of knowledge that it's a historically significant building for the city," she said. "So I would have thought any person, any buyer, of this site who had done due diligence should have seen something like this coming." Cr Sutton said there was a "community expectation", particularly in the wake of the Cbus 443 Queen Street controversy. "For the same reasons I argued about why the Cbus DA should have come before council because of the impact on an historic, culturally significant building, this is the same argument as far as I'm concerned," she said. The motion was defeated along party lines, with Cr Simmonds joining fellow LNP councillors Angela Owen, Vicki Howard and Adam Allan in voting no. A Brisbane councillor has been forced to defend the $300,000 ratepayers will spend on fitting out her new ward office amid opposition claims of largesse. Holland Park councillor Krista Adams found herself at the centre of Labor opposition attacks at the first Brisbane City Council meeting following the winter recess. Brisbane councillor Krista Adams (Holland Park). Credit:Glenn Hunt During question time, Labor leader Peter Cumming asked Cr Adams, the council's finance chairman, about the $303,560 contract the council entered into during the break. "Given that Senator George Brandis's infamous custom-made book case only cost $15,000, can you outline for the chamber what Brisbane receive for their $303,560?" he said. A Brisbane school teacher has been charged with child exploitation offences after a raid on his home. Crime and Corruption Commission officers searched the 54-year-old's Tingalpa address on Monday night, seizing a computer for forensic examination. Police seized the teacher's computer. Credit:Louie Douvis The organisation alleged the man was using peer-to-peer software to access child exploitation images and movie files. The investigation did not find any evidence of offences related to his job as a teacher or against any children in his supervision, the CCC said, in a statement. Maintenance staff at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital have taken industrial action, citing ongoing concerns over job security. A group of 25 building and engineering maintenance staff walked off the job at 8am on Tuesday, saying management must address the ongoing use of external labour hire companies. A group of 25 building and engineering maintenance staff walked off the job on Tuesday. Credit:Tony Moore Electrical Trades Union organiser Brenton Muller says ward closures could result from the industrial action, but says managers are to blame for failing to respond to staff concerns. Mr Muller said they'd shown a lack of commitment to resolve the issues, and workers had no choice but to walk away. A hospital will be included in a 12-storey Taringa tower, which is set to receive Brisbane City Council approval next week. The proposed $32 million development, at 32 Morrow Road, would also include a 63-room "boutique" hotel, a childcare centre, medical consulting suites and seven "sky home" units over two levels on the top levels. The proposed mixed use development at Taringa will include a day hospital. The hospital, which would not feature an emergency room, would be set up for day surgery. The application passed through the council's city planning committee on Tuesday morning, ahead of its expected final approval at next week's full council meeting. Police are investigating a dramatic incident in which a man was run down by a car in Melbourne's CBD. It is believed two men were walking on the north side of Franklin Street in the early hours of June 5 when a white sedan veered off the road and crashed into one of them. The white sedan hit one of the men. The man was pushed up against a shop window, before being flung off the car bonnet. He ran from the car, but the white sedan reversed and then appeared to pursue the pedestrian along Franklin Street. London: An Australian family has failed to win a last-minute reprieve and faces deportation from Britain, after losing their visa over what they say was a "breach of faith" by the government. Kathryn and Gregg Brain plan to consult their lawyers over their next step however the Home Office told Fairfax that anyone without a visa is expected to leave the country voluntarily, and if not then their departure could be enforced. The Brains sold their house and most of their belongings and moved from Brisbane to Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands in 2011 with their son Lachlan, then two, on Mrs Brain's student visa. London: The chief lawyer for the defunct News of the World tabloid sent a private investigator to find proof that two other lawyers acting for phone hacking victims were having an affair, in order to gain "leverage" against them, a tribunal has heard. Tom Crone, who left News International in July 2011, was cross-examined on Tuesday before a five-person disciplinary tribunal for the Bar Standards Board, sitting in the heart of legal London at Gray's Inn. Stopped the presses: The last edition of News of The World in 2011. Credit:Getty Images He faces three charges of professional misconduct, for engaging in conduct being discreditable to a barrister, and in conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute. He faces being disbarred as a barrister if the tribunal finds against him. Austin, Texas: Claire Wilson James did not utter the words "campus carry" during her speech Monday. Neither did anyone else who gathered at the University of Texas to mark 50 years since Charles Whitman killed 16 people and wounded James and dozens of others from a perch atop the school's clock tower. But while the words went unspoken, the weight of the new law hung heavy. It was the day Texas' campus-carry law, which allows people to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of dozens of public colleges, went into effect. The memorial ceremony wasn't about the new law, attendees said. It was about recalling scores of little acts of heroism. It was about collective mourning. Was there a murder 100 years ago at Yardley's Continental Tavern? Frank Lyons began excavating the basement of the Continental Tavern in Yardley. He found a gun, bloody corset and part of a woman's purse. 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 ... Lots of familiar faces will be back in both dramas and reality competition series this fall. Supergirl, American Crime and Americas Got Talent have all announced the return of some big characters and judges, while Chicago Fire and Agents of SHIELD make room for some newbies. Find out all the latest TV casting news below. Calista Flockhart Back on Supergirl With Supergirls move from CBS to The CW came a move of production as well. The show, which was originally shot in Los Angeles, has now moved to Vancouver. According to Deadline, actress Calista Flockhart has been very specific in her acting choices by only picking projects that filmed in L.A., to stay closer to her family. Thankfully, Flockhart has agreed to continue her role as Karas hardened and powerful boss, Kat Grant, for season 2. Unfortunately, her role on the show will slow down a bit, as shes stepped down from a series regular to a recurring guest star. All Four Judges Return to Americas Got Talent Americas Got Talent isnt going anywhere and neither are its judges or host, for that matter. At the Television Critics Association, NBC announced that the competition will still feature Simon Cowell, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel as judges, as well as Nick Cannon as host. While Americas Got Talent enters season 12, it will only be the second season for Simon Cowell, who birthed the original series, Britains Got Talent. Jason OMara Joins Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. When the six month time-jump picks back up in season 4, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have a new director to report to. TVLine says that Jason OMara will play the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., though not very many character details have been released past that. Apparently though, his character has Marvel roots [which] go back to the 1940s. Marvel TV chief Jeph Loeb says, Bringing Jason into the mix as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. forces everyone, particularly Coulson, to reevaluate their role in the Agency. Jason has both the physical presence and acting dynamics that will connect with and challenge even the most loyal agent. OMara took to Twitter to share the news himself: Beyond excited to be joining the @AgentsofSHIELD team as the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cant say anything else or Ill get into trouble Y Jason OMara (@jason_omara) August 1, 2016 Greys Anatomy Star on Chicago Fire Merediths love interest has found a new calling as a social media celebrity. According to TVLine, Scott Elrod (Dr. Thorpe on Greys Anatomy) will play Travis Brenner on season 5 of Chicago Fire. Travis is a lifestyle celebrity with a huge social media following. He will cross paths with Severide on a fire call. Lili Taylor Returns to American Crime Deadline reports that season 3 of American Crime will see the return of the Emmy-nominated actress Lili Taylor. This marks the sixth returning star to the drama series, with Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Regina King and Richard Cabral having also previously signed back on. Lili consistently performs with her soul exposed, and we are so blessed that she has chosen to share that gift with us, says executive producer Michael McDonald. We cant wait for the audience to see the physical and emotional transformation she will undergo this season. (Images courtesy of WENN) The Howarth Timber trade day is returning in style in 2016 and more than 70 of the UK's suppliers are already on board. The Howarth Timber and Building Supplies Trade Day was a success in 2015, when the company celebrated its 175th anniversary with an exhibition at Leeds United's Elland Road Conference Centre, and the event is back for a second year on 24 November 2016. Brands from across the building industry will be travelling to Yorkshire to showcase the latest products and offer deals to attendees, who can also take the opportunity to get advice from some of the UK's foremost building specialists. A number of seminars will take place throughout the day, giving attendees the chance to hear from specially selected speakers with interesting perspectives on how the building industry is developing in 2016. As well as product demonstrations and expert seminars, the trade day is full of competitions and giveaways. The first 100 visitors through the door will get a free breakfast, and Howarth has 250 pairs of tickets for Leeds Uniteds match with Aston Villa to give away to people who spend more than 200 plus VAT. Nicholas Howarth, managing director of Howarth Timber, said: "The Howarth Trade Day Bonanza is about bringing customers together with the beating heart of the building industry, and celebrating the fantastic work being done by suppliers, product designers, merchants and tradespeople. The 2015 event created a wonderful atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration, and the sharing of expertise in all directions was great to see and be a part of. What you need to know to sign up for NJ Obamacare this year Car makers appear to be in a fix over freezing investment and product plans for the future as resentment grows over recent developments on vehicular emissions. Ltd (HPL), once considered a potentially sick firm, is set to post a three-fold increase of in its top line at Rs 10,000 crore for 2015-2016, company sources said. Lupin has acquired the branded drug portfolio of Japanese pharma company Shionogi for about Rs 1,000 crore, expanding its presence in the market. Japan accounts for about 10 per cent of Lupin's revenue and is its third biggest market after the US and India. The deal is valued at 1.6 times the acquired product sales. The Madras High Court today rejected the bail request of Farouk Irani, former managing director of Company of India Ltd (FLCIL). He was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chennai Zonal office, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. A legal source confirmed that Justice S Vaidyanathan dismissed the request moved by Irani today. However, the grounds on which bail plea was moved are not known. Coimbatore is a relatively prosperous Tier-II city, sometimes referred to as the Manchester of South India because of its manufacturing. It is also an education hub, with a number of engineering colleges located there. Making use of an opportunity thrown up by an exemption from the notified gas price, the government-controlled Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is tendering out natural gas from its two fields. The price for this gas would be market-linked. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its latest report, stated the financials of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) would be adversely affected if the government accepts a third-party report, effectively bringing to an end the continuity of the company's reservoir, adjacent to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation fields in the Krishna-Godawari basin. The country's third largest two-wheeler company TVS Motor has said that it will close the current fiscal with a market share of around 15 per cent and in the next two years it will increase it to 18 per cent. The Chennai-based firm closed the fiscal 2016 with a market share of around 13 per cent and it has increased it further to 13.5 per cent during the first quarter of 2016-17. TVS said that to achieve this market share it need to grow by around 15 per cent during the current fiscal, while it expects the entire two-wheeler industry to grow by 8-10 per cent. To motivate drivers on its platform, UTOO, the new mobile-based taxi aggregator service, says it is going to offer apartments to them. The company, promoted by C Sivasankaran, said it would have to buy around 120,000 apartments across the country. Rajesh Gokhale, an employee with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd in Mumbai, has just been informed his August pay cheque will include pay arrears for the last seven months. The 46-year-old father of two is excited. Ganeshostav has begun early, he says. And I will keep the idol for the entire length of the festival, he adds. The government on Tuesday said it had raised its concerns with the US authorities over the reported snooping on Indian electronic communications by some American agencies. "The government has raised its concerns with the US side, including at senior levels, on the reported authorisation given to entities of the US government to communications emanating from India. The US has noted that it fully respects and understands the feeling expressed by India in this regard," Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He was asked about the details of reported snooping by American agencies. Nearly 10,000 Indians stuck in are set to be evacuated and provided with food in the meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, informed the Parliament on Monday. Haryana Chief Minister conducted aerial survey of Gurgaon and took stock of the water-logging problem which brought traffic to a standstill last week. Talking to reporters after the survey, he said the problem of water-logging at Hero Honda Chowk was an old one and the reason behind it was the shortcomings in planning during construction of Highway-8. However, Gurgaon Municipal Corporation, District Administration and Irrigation Department are studying the causes of water-logging which resulted in massive traffic jam on July 28. He also checked the water level of Badshahpur and Najafgarh drains. Khattar said the Badshahpur drain has been encroached upon and has not been cleaned properly due to which rain water didn't drain out. The Chief Minister said it was found during the survey that the Najafgarh drain was running up to to its full capacity and water in it was flowing at negligible speed because Delhi Government had constructed a barrage on Najafgarh drain at village Kankrola while no such dam exists in Haryana. Thousands of acres of land along the Najafgarh drain in Haryana area was still submerged under water, he said. He said that this was a big problem for which a big scheme had to be prepared and he would write to the Central Government in this context. The construction of flyover became another reason for water-logging at Hero Honda Chowk on NH-8, due to which only three lanes out of the six-lane of the Highway were operational, he said. Unprecedented heavy rains further worsened the situation and movement of traffic was hindered by large number of 'Kanwariyas' and airport taxis, who called off their strike at 3:30 p.m. that day, aggravated the situation, he added. The Chief Minister acknowledged that traffic could have been regulated in a better manner. Heavy rains in districts of Surat, Valsad, Vadodara and Navsari have led a flood like situation in southern region of the otherwise rain deficit Gujarat. The region has received about 60 millimeters (mm) of in past 24 hours, even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts heavy to very heavy rains for next couple of days. Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan, on Tuesday hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue while backing Islamabad's stance to send an OIC team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations. " fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference here with Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz. Cavusoglu said is an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. Hopefully its next meeting would be held in September, he said. "I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said. Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and demanded sending a fact finding team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations there. Forty-nine people have been killed in Kashmir in clashes since security forces killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Cavusoglu, who is in Pakistan on an important visit after a failed military coup, thanked Islamabad for being the first country to denounce the coup attempt. He said was taking steps against those involved in the coup staged by supporters of US-based influential Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. He said Gulen's organisations pose a risk or threat to the security and stability of every country. "This terrorist organisation has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organisations. In the past, we supported them but we didn't know they had a hidden agenda, that they were trying to take over power in Turkey through such attempts," he said. He said that Pakistan and Turkey supported each other against terrorism. On his part, Aziz pledged Pakistan's unequivocal support for a democratic, peaceful and stable Turkey under the dynamic leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan. He noted with satisfaction that both sides have agreed to continue to tackle the menace of terrorism and defeat the scourge. The two sides also exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and the need for a lasting political solution. Aziz said the two countries share similar views on migration crisis and the plight of Syrian refugees. He said Pakistan and Turkey host the largest refugee population in the world. In the wake of the food crisis facing Indian workers laid off by Saudi companies, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will leave for on Tuesday night. He will reach Jeddah early on August 3 and return to India two days later, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. On Saturday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India was making all efforts to bring back the over 10,000 Indian workers rendered jobless in and was providing them food in camps. She said the companies concerned had shut their factories and left. "We can't leave our workers there... We have asked the foreign office to authorise us to bring them (back) from Saudi Arabia," she said. The proposed transfer of medical colleges of Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University to has been "cancelled", according to Health Ministry, prompting the striking students to call off their stir. The Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) of Safdarjung Hospital and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital currently operate under GGSIPU, which comes under Delhi government. The proposal to transfer the two colleges under University of Delhi was recently initiated, but was cancelled by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), according to an official notice of the Ministry. "I, Dr Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Nirman Bhawan, hereby cancel the proposal of transfer of VMMC, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia hospitals from the GGSIP University to and I also state that this will never happen," the notice from the Health Ministry reads. The agitation that started Monday morning and affected OPD services at both the hospitals was called off after the notification was issued. Resident doctors of VMMC had also staged a protest last week outside Medical Superintendent's office of Safdarjung Hospital over the proposed shifting of the medical colleges. There have been many name changes in Bengal; Park Street was renamed Mother Teresa Sarani; Mayfair Road became Bhagat Singh Sarani, and more recently Lee Road was renamed Satyajt Ray Dharani. The has proposed a deadline for promoters of debt-laden companies to sell their assets for paying off loans to public sector banks. Under the proposal, given to the finance ministry, promoters who have agreed to sell their assets to pay off loans will receive counter-offers from public sector companies. These offers will have the backing of public sector lenders. The government might divest part of its stake in Axis Bank, ITC and Larsen & Toubro, held through Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), through the new exchange-traded fund it plans to launch. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday tabled the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, kicking off a scheduled five-hour debate on the landmark tax reform. Speaking on the GST Bill, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who first introduced the tax proposal in his Budget Speech in 2006, reaffirmed that the Congress party was "not opposed to the idea of GST", and called it one of the "most reformative tax measures". However, he pointed out that the current Amendment bill was clumsily drafted. Chidambaram also described GST as an inherently 'regressive' tax while calling for a low rate that is capped at 18% instead of 24%, as has been recommended by a government-appointed panel. "GST is an indirect tax and it is by definition a regressive tax. It falls equally on the rich and the poor," he said, adding that "As a matter of policy regressive, indirect taxes should be kept as low as possible." He also warned the government that the judiciary would strike down the GST Amendment Bill if it failed to mention a tax rate in the legislation. "The judiciary will reject it if the does not mention a tax rate. You will come back to the parliament again," he cautioned. The government on Tuesday circulated among Rajya Sabha members a list of nine amendments to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, which includes yielding to the Congress demand of scrapping a contentious one per cent levy on inter-state supply of goods. The Bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Other amendments relate to compensating states for revenue loss for up to five years and requiring the GST Council to establish a mechanism for adjudication of disputes between the Centre and states or among states. The 2014 bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, had authorised the GST Council to decide upon the modalities for resolution of disputes, but the Congress demanded the mechanism be spelt out. The government has, thus, accommodated two of the Congress three demands. The amendments clarified that the states share of the Integrated GST (iGST) would not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India, and the term iGST itself was being replaced by goods and services tax levied on supplies in the course of inter-state trade or commerce in clause 12 dealing with apportionment of the proceeds. It was also clarified that Central GST (CGST) and the Centre's share of iGST would be distributed between the Centre and the states. The GST will subsume central excise duty, service tax and state value-added tax or sales tax. Opposition parties, including the Left and regional parties, were undecided whether to push for any amendments of their own in the bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said all political parties had come together to pass the bill unanimously and now is not the time for hairsplitting. All parties have issued whips to their MPs to be present in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and also on Thursday when the Lok Sabha is likely to take up the Bill after the Upper House passes it. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi consulted party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram and Anand Sharma, among others, about Wednesdays strategy in Parliament. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed Bharatiya Janata Party MPs on the Bill at a weekly parliamentary party meeting. Later in the day, Jaitley met officials of his ministry. GST: THE ROAD AHEAD Rajya Sabha will need to pass the Constitution amendment Bill by two-thirds majority It will then be sent for presidential reference Subsequent to that, the Bill will be transmitted to the Lok Sabha (possibly on Thursday), which also needs to approve the amendments by two-thirds majority The President will then refer it to the state assemblies At least half the state assemblies, that is 15, would need to ratify the Bill by two-thirds majority It will then go for presidential assent before being notified in the gazette After all these procedures, Parliament would take up the actual (possibly in the winter session) Assurances that Left and regional parties would seek from govt The actual should take care of concerns about state govts being allowed to raise revenue in emergency situations The subsequent GST Bill should not be categorised as Money Bill, bypassing Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said, What we are going to discuss on Wednesday is merely the constitutional amendment that envisages a uniform tax regime countrywide. The actual GST bill will be considered subsequently, once half the states ratify the constitutional amendment.Yechury said the Left and regional parties had concerns the passage of the GST Bill would take away their right to raise revenue. I met the finance minister to explain our concerns, which he agreed to address, Yechury said. He and others will demand an assurance during the discussion that these concerns will be addressed when the GST Bill is taken up. Jaitley at a meeting with his state finance ministers last week promised to keep the incidence of the tax low while safeguarding revenue of the states. Yechury added any attempt by the government to categorise the subsequent GST Bill as a Money Bill -- which is not voted upon in the Rajya Sabha where the government is in minority -- would be resisted by all Opposition parties. Yechury as well as the Trinamool Congress Derek OBrien pointed out some of the amendments in the bill were vaguely worded. During a discussion on a calling attention motion in the Rajya Sabha, O'Brien said the list of amendments did not contain amendments to Clause 19 that provided for compensation to states for revenue loss incurred in the first five years. "The amendment circulated by the finance minister does not contain that amendment. If it is an oversight, it needs to be corrected," O'Brien said. The chair asked O'Brien to raise the issue on Wednesday when the Bill would be taken up. I dream of earning a decent living I wish I didn't have bars on my windows I dream of having good dreams at night These are some of the many dreams of survivors in Mumbai-based Rescue Foundation's shelter home. These might seem attainable to the average person on the street. However, activists, community-based organisations working on rural health and survivors themselves believe that given the state of the present law - and the lacunae in the draft Bill on Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) to be tabled in Parliament later this year - these dreams stand no chance of becoming a reality. The commerce ministry and makers might have a face-off over a fresh list of items for imposing minimum import price (MIP), as the latter has sought inclusion of certain items and the former wants the list to be pruned. They are small town boys who went on to make it big in global financial powerhouses. Now, they are back. Over the past several months, these blue-blooded bankers, all in their 50s, have either picked stakes in local non-banking financial companies or initiated process of setting up one from scratch. Reserve Bank of India's on-tap licensing policy, announced on Monday, seems to have opened up new possibilities for these ventures. With big corporate groups and public sector competition out of the way, these seasoned money men seem to have placed themselves in sweet spots. Will they lead India's new little banks like they have led global behemoths? Business Standard looks at the global stars who have come home. Standard and Poor (S&P) on Tuesday said in India and China would continue to face pressure on their asset quality, profitability, and capitalisation in the next 12-24 months. India's largest insurer Life Corporation of India (LIC) has signed an agreement with private sector lender Axis Bank as its partner last week. This was one of the biggest tie-ups post April 1 when the new corporate agency norms came into being. This joins the several other tie-ups made by banks with multiple insurers, bringing into reality open architecture of in . From April 1, norms have been revised under which corporate agents like banks are allowed to tie-up with three life, three non-life and three standalone health companies. Earlier, the model meant that banks could only sell products of one life, one non-life and one standalone health insurer. The Government has launched Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme to support for extension reforms in the State during 2005-06. . . Presently the Scheme is under implementation in 652 districts of 29 States and 3 UTs in the country. Under the scheme grants-in-aid is released to State Governments with an objective to support their efforts of revitalization of the extension system and making available the latest agricultural technologies in different thematic areas to increase agricultural production through extension activities viz. Farmers Training, Demonstration, Exposure Visits, Kisan Mela, Mobilization of Farmers Groups and Setting up of Farm Schools. In order to percolate the benefits of ATMA Scheme down to the farmers for adoption of good agricultural practices, an innovative support is being provided under the Scheme w.e.f. 2010-11 through Farmer Friend (FF) at village level @ one FF per two villages. The FF is serving as a vital link between extension workers and farmers at village level. . . 1,06,618 and 1,12,487 Farmers Friend (FF) identified under the scheme respective year 2014-15 and 2015-16 . . Under the Scheme, Grants-in-aid is released to State Governments through their respective State Treasuries based on their approved State Extension Work Plan (SEWP). No component-wise funds are released to the States by the Government of India. State Governments allocate funds (component/activity wise) based on their priority areas and approved Work Plans. State-wise details of funds allocated, released and utilized for implementation of ATMA Scheme during the said period including Uttar Pradesh is given in Annexure-II. Government of Uttar Pradesh has not yet identified FF under ATMA Scheme. . . ATMA Guidelines, 2014 provide for identifying one FF per two villages. Further, as per Guidelines, Farmer Friends are provided with special opportunity for up-gradation of their skills through Trainings, Study Tours and Visits to State Agricultural Universities/other institutes, by utilizing support available under ATMA. For assisting FF a provision of contingency amount of Rs.6000/- per annum has been made under the Scheme which is shared between the Centre and the State Government on 50:50 basis. This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala in Lok Sabha today. . . SS/AK Due to favourable agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the country, India produces 2.158 million tones of flowers during 2015-16. Flower crops are grown in almost all the States. The major flower growing States are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Haryana, Assam, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. Flowers are being exported from India to about 150 countries in the world and Indias share in the world floriculture trade and exports is less than 1%.. . The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) provides assistance for development of horticultural crops including flowers. Floriculture farmers are provided assistance @ 40% of the cost ranging from Rs.40,000 per ha. to Rs.1.50 lakh per ha. limited to 2 ha per beneficiary. Besides, the technological support is provided by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which has established a full-fledged Directorate of Floricultural Research at Pune to address the issues specific to floriculture research. . . This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala in Lok Sabha today. . . SS/AK A seminar on Make in India for Indian Air Force was conducted on 19th April, 2016. Main suggestions received during the seminar are as follows: . . Nurture aerospace Research & Development (R&D) in India through full funding and encouraging incentives to private Indian industry. Establishment of an aerospace R&D centre to identify, design and develop equipment required for maintenance and sustenance of combat platforms. . . Programmes may be conducted through leading academic institutions or in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for knowledge and skill development in the identified areas of R&D, Manufacture, Quality Assurance, Maintenance etc. in military aviation. . . Periodic interaction with Indian industry. . . The major projects planned to be processed under Make in India for Air Force are: Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter, Light Utility Helicopter, Basic Trainer Aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Medium and Short Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, Air-to-Air Missiles, Radars, other Avionics, aggregates and ammunition etc. . . The Government has implemented several policy initiatives to promote Make in India, such as liberalisation of FDI policy & Industrial Licensing Policy, simplification of export procedures, creating level playing field for Indian private and public sector companies, giving preference to Buy (Indian- Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured), Buy (Indian), Buy and Make (Indian) categories of capital acquisition over Buy (Global) category in Defence Procurement Procedure. . . The various initiatives taken to promote Make In India for manufacture of defence equipment are given below: . . Make Procedure: The salient features of Make procedure in the Defence Procurement Procedure-2016 (DPP-2016) are as follows: . . There shall be two categories of Make projects first, those funded by the MoD, and the second, that are self-funded by the developers. . . Funding of the projects by the MoD has been increased from 80% to 90%.. . In case the RFP for the product is not issued within two years of successful development of the prototype, the balance 10% shall also be re-imbursed. In case of second category of projects, the entire cost of development shall be re-imbursed. . . The development agencies will also be able to get a mobilisation advance of 20% of the estimated cost of development. . . Projects with an estimated cost of development of upto Rs.10 crore, under MoD funded projects, and upto Rs.3 crore, under self-funded projects, will be earmarked for MSMEs. . . Buy (Indian-IDDM): Another notable feature of DPP-2016 is the introduction of a new procurement category Buy [Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured-(IDDM)]. This category refers to procurement from Indian vendors of products that are indigenously designed, developed and manufactured, and have atleast 40% indigenous content. If the product is not designed and developed indigenously, it will have to have 60% indigenous content. The Buy (Indian)category, in which the product is to be procured from Indian vendors, will now require to have an indigenous content of 40%, instead of the 30% present requirement. . . There shall be preference to Buy (Indian-IDDM), Buy (Indian). Buy and Make (Indian)categories of capital acquisition over Buy and Make or Buy (Global)category in Defence Procurement Procedure. . . Industrial Licensing: The Defence Products List for the purpose of issuing Industrial Licenses (ILs) under Industries (Development & Regulation) (IDR) Act, 1951 has been revised and most of the components, parts, sub-systems, testing equipment and production equipment have been removed from the List, so as to reduce the entry barriers for the industry, particularly small & medium segment. The initial validity of the Industrial Licence granted under the IDR Act has been increased from 03 years to 15 years with a provision to further extend it by 03 years on a case-to-case basis. . . Defence Exports: The list of military stores has been finalized and put in the public domain so as to make the process transparent and unambiguous. The process of receiving applications for No Objection Certificate (NOC) for export of military stores and for issuing NOC has been made online to reduce the delay and to remove human interface in the process. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the issue of NOC for export of military stores has been revised. Under the revised SOP, the requirement of End User Certificate (EUC) to be countersigned/stamped by the Government authorities has been done away with for the export of parts, components, sub-systems etc. Recognizing the need for promotion of defence exports to make the Indian defence industry economically sustainable, Defence Exports Strategy outlining the various steps to be taken, has been formulated and put up in public domain. . . Defence Offsets: Offset implementation process has been made flexible by allowing change of Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) and offset components, even in signed contracts. Foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are now not required to indicate the details of IOPs and products at the time of signing of contracts. Services as an avenue of offset have been re-instated with certain conditionalities. . . Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Under the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy, foreign investment upto 49% through automatic route and beyond 49% through Government route has been allowed in defence sector wherever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons to be recorded. The foreign investment in defence sector is further subject to Industrial license under the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951; and Manufacturing of small arms and ammunition under the Arms Act, 1959. Level-Playing Field: Issues related to level playing field between Indian vs. foreign manufacturers and public sector vs private sector have also been addressed. These include the following:- . . Exchange Rate Variation protection has been made applicable for Indian private sector at par with Public Sector Undertakings for all categories of capital acquisitions. . . The preferential treatment given to Defence Public Sector Undertakings in excise duty/custom duty has been discontinued. As per the revised policy, all Indian industries (public and private) are subject to the same kind of excise and custom duty levies. . . Outsourcing and Vendor Development Guidelines: To promote the participation of private sector, particularly SMEs for defence manufacturing, Outsourcing and Vendor Development Guidelines for DPSUs and OFB have been formulated. The guidelines mandate each DPSU and OFB to have a short-term and long-term outsourcing and vendor development plan to gradually increase the outsourcing from private sector. . . Make in India Portal: Make in India portal for Defence Production has been launched. The portal provides information related to all policy and procedural issues relevant for defence manufacturing industry. It provides link to industrial promotion polices and program of various states and UTs. Another highlight of the portal is that the Test facilities of DPSUs/OFB/DGQA/DGAQA/DRDO/ Forces which can be utilized by the private sector, have been displayed. The portal also gives an opportunity to an individual company to seek clarifications or ask questions related to Defence Production. . . This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Amar Shankar Sable in Rajya Sabha today. . . DM/NAMPI/RAJ Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (HSL) is a Defence Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). The shipyard has been nominated for some of these projects mentioned below:- . . Fleet Support ship under Buy Indian on nomination to HSL categorization (Qty 05). . . Landing Platform Docks under Buy Indian on nomination to HSL categorization (Qty 02). Two LPDs are to be built by an Indian Shipyard on competitive basis under ;Buy & Make (Indian) and the balance two are to be built by M/s HSL at L1 cost on nomination basis. . . Special Operation Vehicle under Buy Indian on nomination to HSL categorization (Qty 02). . . No decision with regard to Project 75 (India) has yet been taken. . . Details of the steps being taken to increase the present capacity of Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. are as follows:- . . Placing orders on HSL to ensure break even order of Rs.5000 Crore. . . HSL is being encouraged to take commercial orders. . . Feasibility of off-loading of work from other DPSU shipyards to HSL is being examined. . . Strategic partnership is being conceived to help modernize the yard, enhance its technology and equipment, and improve its capacity to produce specific technology intensive Naval vessels. . . Grant of aid for restoration work post cyclone Hudhud in October 2014 is under active consideration. . . Private shipbuilding industry is being encouraged to participate in construction of ships for the Indian Navy on a competitive basis. . . This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Mohd Ali Khan in Rajya Sabha today. . . DM/NAMPI/RAJ During the meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of 'Heart of Asia - Senior Officials meeting' in New Delhi on 26th April, 2016, the Foreign Secretary of India (FS) had suggested reviewing the progress of investigation of Pathankot Airbase terror attack. It was also clearly conveyed to Pakistan that it cannot be in denial on anti-India terrorism emanating from territory under its control. The FS has also asked Pakistan Government to expedite action to punish those found guilty in Mumbai Terrorist Attack of 2008. . . This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in a written reply to question by Shri V.Panneerselvam in the Lok Sabha today. . . The new DPP which has come into effect from 01.4.2016 focuses on institutionalising and streamlining procedures to give a boost to the Make in India initiative of the Government by promoting indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence equipment, platforms, systems and sub-systems. The Make procedure has also been refined to ensure increased participation of Indian industry. . . During the last two financial years (2014-15 and 2015-16) 108 contracts with a total value of Rs. 112736.81 crore have been signed for capital procurement of defence equipment including Ships, Missiles, Frigates, Rockets, Simulators, Aircraft, Helicopters and Radars out of which 73 contracts, involving a value of Rs. 72303.34 crore, were signed with Indian vendors. . . This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Shantaram Naik in Rajya Sabha today. . . DM/NAMPI/RAJ Government of India has enacted the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) on 10.09.2013, which has come into force with effect from 05.07.2013 for receiving subsidized foodgrains under TPDS upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50 % of the urban population of the country. Under NFSA, the coverage under TPDS has been delinked from poverty estimates and the eligible households covered under the Act comprises of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority households. As per the above coverage and based on 2011 census population, the number of persons eligible for subsidized foodgrains under TPDS in the country is estimated at about 81.35 crore. This information was given by the Minister of State Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri C.R Chaudhary in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. . . The Minister said that strengthening and streamlining of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is a continuous endeavour. To improve functioning of TPDS and effective implementation of it, Government has been regularly issuing advisories and holding meetings, conferences, etc. wherein State/UT Governments are requested for review of list of beneficiaries, improving the offtake of allocated foodgrains, ensuring timely availability of foodgrains at Fair Price Shops (FPSs), greater transparency in functioning of TPDS, improved monitoring and vigilance at various levels, improving the viability of FPS operations, etc. The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 also contains measures for reforms in TPDS, to be under taken progressively by the Central and State/UT Governments. These reforms include cash transfer, door-step delivery of foodgrains at the FPS, application of information and communication technology tools including end to end computerization preference to public institutions/bodies in licensing of FPS,etc. . . He said that with a view to reform and modernize the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Government has initiated a plan scheme on End-to-end Computerization of TPDS Operations during 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) on cost sharing basis with the States/UTs. The Costs are being shared on 90:10 basis with North Eastern States and on 50:50 basis with other States/UTs. This scheme comprises activities, namely, digitization of ration cards/beneficiary and other databases, computerization of supply-chain management, setting up of transparency portals and grievances redressal mechanism. As part of beneficiary data digitization, States/UTs have been requested to seed the Aadhaar numbers wherever available so as to weed out the ineligible/bogus/duplicate beneficiaries. Further, guidelines for Fair Price Shop (FPS) automation have been sent to All States/UTs on 11.11.2014. FPS automation involves, installation of Point of Sale (PoS) devises at FPS for biometric authentication of beneficiaries, recording of sales to beneficiaries at the FPS, and uploading of transaction data in central server. In addition, States/UTs can implement cash transfer scheme in their States/UTs. Under the scheme, the subsidy will be credited in the bank accounts of beneficiaries who may buy foodgrains from anywhere in the market. . . Thirteen rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between Government of India and Pakistan, led by the respective Defence Secretaries. Indian Government has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistans support to terrorism in India. . . On December 9, 2015 External Affairs Minister met the Pakistani leadership on the side-lines of the Heart of Asia process for regional cooperation on Afghanistan. These discussions directed the Foreign Secretaries of both countries to work out the modalities and schedule of the meetings under the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue on various issues including Siachen. . . Indian Army soldiers deployed in extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions are suitably equipped and properly trained to undertake the operational challenges and carry out their mandated tasks. The soldiers deployed at Siachen Glacier are provided with quality winter clothing including Extreme Cold Climate clothing. Besides, they are provided with prefabricated insulated shelters and wherever it is not possible to construct such shelters due to technical difficulties, insulated tents are provided which can withstand low temperatures upto 500 Celsius. . . The Units are self-sufficient for a period of 240 days of supplies. During winters / cut off season, daily maintenance of troops is carried out by rotary / fixed wing assets. . . This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Rajeev Shukla in Rajya Sabha today. . . DM/NAMPI/RAJ The Government is aware of Seven Values adopted by US Armed Forces like duty, honour integrity, loyalty, respect, personal courage and selfless service. . . The Indian Armys Integrated Charter and Leadership Training forms essential part of infusing leadership traits and officer like qualities. The Credo of safety honour & welfare of your country comes first, always and every time. The honour and welfare of the men you command come next, your own safety, honour and welfare comes last, always and every time forms the guiding beacon for the Indian Army. Further, the training academies have mottos which inspire the aspiring officers to imbibe the best ethos. . . The values adopted by Chinese, Russian, German, French and Israel Armed Forces are studied by the officers through biographies of prominent military leaders as part of academic study and promotional exams. . . The following books related to Indian Peace Keeping Mission have been compiled and published by Ministry of Defence: . . The History of Custodian Forces (Indian) in Korea, 1953-54, published in 1976. . . The Congo Operation, 1960-63 published in 1976. . Operation Shanti Indian Army on Peace Mission in Egypt published in 1990. . Terrific Responsibility The Battle for Peace in Indo-China (1954-75) published in 1995. . This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Palvai Govardhan Reddy in Rajya Sabha today. . . DM/NAMPI/RAJ A 46-year-old Chinese-origin FBI employee has pleaded guilty to providing information to the Chinese government and spying for China. Kun Shan Chun, a native of China and a naturalised US citizen, pleaded guilty on Monday to a criminal information charging him with acting in the US as an agent of China without providing prior notice to the Attorney General. He was an employee of the FBI until his arrest on March 16. He began working for the FBI in 1997 when he was assigned to the Computerised Central Monitoring Facility of the FBI's Technical Branch. In 2011, during a trip to Italy and France partially paid for by the Chinese nationals, Chun was introduced to an unnamed Chinese Official-1, who indicated that he worked for the Chinese government and that he knew Chun worked for the FBI. During subsequent private meetings conducted abroad between the two, Chinese Official-1 asked questions regarding sensitive, non-public FBI information. During those meetings, Chun disclosed, among other things, the identity and potential travel patterns of an FBI Special Agent, federal prosecutors said. In 2012, the FBI conducted a routine investigation relating to Chun's Top Secret security clearance. In an effort to conceal his relationships with Chinese Official-1 and the other Chinese nationals purporting to be affiliated with Kolion, Chun made a series of false statements on a standardised FBI form related to the investigation. Federal prosecutors said on multiple occasions, Chinese Official-1 asked Chun for information regarding the FBI's internal structure. In March 2013, Chun downloaded an FBI organisational chart from his FBI computer in Manhattan. Chun later admitted to the FBI that, after editing the chart to remove the names of FBI personnel, he saved the document on a piece of digital media and caused it to be transported to Chinese Official-1 in China. Chinese Official-1 also asked Chun for information regarding technology used by the FBI. In January 2015, Chun took photos of documents displayed in a restricted area of the FBI's New York Field Office, which summarised sensitive details regarding multiple surveillance technologies used by the FBI. Chun sent the photographs to his personal cell phone and later admitted to the FBI that he caused the photographs to be transported to Chinese Official-1 in China, federal prosecutors said. has claimed that the US presidential election could be "rigged" as the Republican presidential nominee tried to divert attention away from a disastrous week for his campaign by labelling his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as "the devil". "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," Trump said yesterday during a town hall in Columbus, Ohio. The 70-year-old White House hopeful who emerged as the winner of a tough Republican presidential primary of 17 candidates claimed his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton had to fight only against Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. "I had 17 people. I wasn't running against two people. I had 17 people. I got a similar number to Hillary Clinton, and she had Bernie and she had a hard time putting Bernie away, and Bernie, poor Bernie. He looked so upset. You know what, he made a mistake. He shouldn't have made a deal. He lost, he lost," Trump said. "First of all, it was rigged, and I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest. Because I think my side was rigged, if I didn't win by massive landslides, I mean, think of what we won in New York and Indiana, California, 78%. That's with other people in the race," he said. At another rally, Trump branded the 68-year-old former secretary of state as a "devil". Trump used this extreme characterisation of Clinton when speaking about the decision of Senator Sanders to support her in the election. "He (Sanders) made a deal with the devil. She's the devil," Trump alleged. In his rallies, Trump for the past several weeks has been using the word "crooked" against her. "His people are angry at him, and they should be. If he would have not just done anything, gone home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. She's the devil," Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. The controversial Republican nominee has in the past few days faced a barrage of criticism following his comments about the Gold Star parents of a Pakistani-American Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. In response to an emotional attack on him by the parents of 27-year-old army captain Humayun Khan, who died in a suicide bombing, Trump had claimed to have made sacrifices equal to their son. A range of figures and organisations from across the political spectrum from President Barack Obama to Senator John McCain have criticised Trump for his comments. In a veiled attack on Donald Trump for his remarks against the parents of a Muslim-American soldier, President Barack Obama said he is tired of some people "trash talking" US military and troops. As the Republican presidential candidate continued to hurl attacks on the family of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, Obama praised the sacrifice of American armed services members and their families at the Disabled American Veterans convention. "As commander in chief, I'm pretty tired of some folk's trash talking America's military and troops," Obama said, without naming anyone. "Our military is somewhat smaller after two major ground wars come to a close, that's natural. We are going to keep them doing everything we need to do to improve readiness and modernise our forces," he said. Setting some facts straight, Obama said America's army is the best trained, best equipped land force on the planet, its Navy is the largest and most lethal in the world and the precision of and reach of its Air Force is unmatched. "Our Marines are the world's only truly expeditionary force. We have the world's finest Coast Guard. We have the most capable fighting force in history and we're going to keep it that way," he said. "No ally or adversary should ever doubt our strength and our resolve and we will keep pounding ISIL and taking out their leaders and pushing them back on the ground. And united with a global coalition, we will destroy this barbaric terrorist group. They will be destroyed," he said. "In the face of Russian aggression, we're not gonna turn our back to our allies in Europe. We're going to stay united in NATO which is the world's strongest alliance. From the Asia-Pacific, to Africa, to the Americas, the United States and our armed forced will remain the greatest force for freedom and security and peace that the world has ever known," Obama said. Obama said no one has given more for the freedom and security than the Gold Star families, to which belong the parents of Humayun Khan. Barack Obama reaffirmed his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the controversial 12-nation trade deal, and said that he believes he has "the better argument" than the pact's foes, including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The agreement has become a flash point in the 2016 election, and Obama acknowledged that globalisation and technology have increased anxiety among some Americans. But the president said that abandoning trade deals is not the solution. "The answer cannot be to back away from trade and the global economy," he said at a ... At least 30 civilians were killed and 210 were wounded in rebel shelling on government-controlled areas in Syria's Aleppo city, the local media said on Monday. The rebels have been conducting an intensified shelling by rockets and mortar shells against government-held areas in the western part of Aleppo since Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. The shelling came in tandem with a wide-scale offensive by the rebels, mainly the Jaish al-Fateh and the Jabhet Fateh al-Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front, to break a government-imposed siege in the eastern part of Aleppo city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said the Syrian army on Monday recaptured several points the rebels had taken during their offensive on Sunday in Aleppo. On Sunday, the al-Fateh Army announced in a video message the beginning of a big offensive to break the Syrian army's recent advance in Aleppo. Late last week, the Syrian army stormed the Bani Zaid area, a main rebel stronghold in eastern Aleppo. The progress came a week after the army severed the last rebel supply route connecting rebel-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo with rebel-controlled parts in the eastern part of the city. With the progress made, the Syrian army has fully besieged eastern Aleppo, urging the rebels to surrender themselves and the civilians to cooperate. Moreover, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced an amnesty for the rebels who surrender with their weapons to the authorities. The Syrian authorities in cooperation with the Russians also opened three safe passages for civilians to leave eastern Aleppo. They also opened a fourth one for the rebels who would want to surrender. On Saturday, the local media said dozens of families evacuated eastern districts in Aleppo, amid reports that the rebels prevented many civilians from leaving. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said last month's attempted coup was a scenario drawn up from outside Turkey, in an allusion to possible foreign involvement in the plot. "This coup was not just an event planned from the inside. The actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," Erdogan said in a speech at his presidential palace. The President had previously said that foreign states could have been involved, while not giving clues as to which countries might be responsible. Ankara accuses the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen of being behind the plot and has stepped up pressure on the US authorities to extradite him back to Turkey. "How can it be, when we are strategic partners and I ask you on behalf of my country to hand someone over on the basis of a national security strategy document, you keep on hiding and sheltering him?" Erdogan angrily asked Washington. Erdogan said Gulen's major source of income was in the United States, adding that $200-300 million alone comes from charter schools run by foundations linked to him. Sri Lanka's unity government, which has been in power for 18 months, has failed to properly manage the country's as inconsistent policies, ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases have compounded the problems, an economic forum was told on Tuesday. The government has failed to correct the excesses of the Mahinda Rajapakse regime and massive mis-spending of the past, the forum was told. "My sense is that those expectations have not been met. The excesses of the Rajapakse regime have not been corrected. There has been the supreme idiocy of price controls," said Professor Razeen Sally of the National University of Singapore while addressing the Economic Summit 2016. Sally said inconsistent policies, ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases were compounding problems. President Maithripala Sirisena's government recently introduced price controls on essential items as a response to country's wide protests over a 4% increase of VAT. "Fiscal consolidation and consistent policies have been a challenge for in recent years, with fiscal volatility being reflected in inconsistent and ad hoc policies," Sally said. The government has faced accusations of being too inconsistent with the with two political parties in the unity government, the Freedom Party of Sirisena and the United National Party of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, thinking differently. "There shouldn't be further ad hoc measures and public sector expenditure increases. We need better appointments for key positions. We need new blood, and we need a message of practical economic reform," Sally said. "Sri Lankas exports, as a percent of GDP, fall far below other countries in the region," said Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy. Sirisena in his address said Sri Lanka was engaged in large scale mis-spending which has pushed up debt and has to re-think subsidies but cutting entitlements is extremely difficult within the exiting political culture. When asked why Sri Lanka cannot follow other countries, Sirisena said, "There is a different political system in such countries compared to this country." "These decision have political consequences. We need better fiscal administration and fiscal discipline," he said. Sirisena said the government had a large debt because of massive mis-spending in the past as a result of which people were beginning to suffer. The unity government has blamed the legacy of large debts left behind by Rajapakse who had invested on large scale infrastructure projects that have failed to pay dividends. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump, including escorting people to the polls himself. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton in Nebraska on Monday, Buffett savaged Trump's business record, questioning his bankruptcies and asking why the Republican presidential candidate won't release his tax returns. The so-called "Omaha Oracle" then announced a new campaign called "Drive 2 Vote," designed to bring out voters in Nebraska's second congressional district, which offers a single Electoral College vote to the district winner. "I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," said Buffett, adding that he had reserved a 32-seat trolley for the day with a goal of getting the highest-percentage turnout of any congressional district in the country. "Let's give America a civics lesson." Nebraska is one of two states that assign some electoral votes based on the results within congressional districts. While the state is Republican overall, President Barack Obama won a vote here in 2008 in the more liberal district where Clinton appeared Monday, which includes Omaha and the suburbs. The boundaries have since been redrawn to make the district less blue. The Midwestern stop came amid a clash between Trump and a Muslim-American family who spoke against him at the Democratic National Convention. Trump responded by attacking Khizr and Ghazela Kahn, whose son served in the US Army and was killed in Iraq in 2004. Buffett called Trump's comments "the final straw," arguing that his family had not sacrificed like military families. Buffett, who endorsed Clinton last year, was the latest in a series of business leaders attacking Trump as Clinton seeks to woo moderate and independent voters. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban campaigned with Clinton over the weekend, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a searing indictment of Trump's economic proposals during the Democratic National Convention. Before several thousand people gathered at an Omaha high school, Buffett challenged Trump to agree to a meeting where they would both release their tax returns. He also said that after Trump listed his casino and hotel firm on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995, investors lost money, even though "in 1995 when he offered this company, if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150%." Buffett repeated long-held assertions that the tax code favors the wealthy, which Clinton echoed, pledging to pay for new programs through more taxes on the rich. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi announced that Yemeni government negotiators decided on Monday to leave Kuwait where peace talks are being held with Houthi rebels, until the rebels accept the plan proposed by the United Nations. In a news conference broadcast by Al Arabiya TV channel, the Yemeni Minister said that it is "useless" to stay in Kuwait after accepting the UN agreement, but indicated that the official delegation will return to resume negotiations when the rebels sign the pact, EFE news reported. Mekhlafi pointed out that Kuwait gave a deadline until Sunday for the two warring parties to sign the "security agreement" and then continue negotiations on other political, economic and humanitarian issues. Houthi rebels and their allies, supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, demanded on Sunday a comprehensive agreement that stipulates the distribution of power, while the government calls for applying the security plan first, which forces the rebels to withdraw from the occupied cities and hand over their weapons. The UN plan provides the withdrawal of Houthis from Sanaa, as well as the Yemeni provinces of Taiz and Al Hudaydah and holding a political dialogue, which should start 45 days after the acceptance of the pact. Vegetables price have plunged in Mumbai over the past two weeks, on a sudden increase in direct supply from farmers to retailers and bulk consumers, following the state governments removal of the legal compulsion for farmers to sell only at regulated wholesale markets (mandis). Prices of green vegetables have fallen up to 53 per cent since July 15. The delisting of fruit and vegetables from mandis was announced in early July. Amid the challenging scenarios the domestic steel industry is currently facing, health of the industry in the second half of FY17 would critically depend upon government's decision on minimum import price (MIP) extension beyond August. This, apart from the final outcome of the recent anti-dumping investigations initiated by the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties. Healthy demand growth over the past several years and a forecast by the Indian Stainless Steel Development Association that the country will need 5.6 million tonnes of stainless steel by 2022 encouraged the likes of Jindal Stainless and Salem Steel to make large investments in new capacity. The Saket Court here on Tuesday reserved its order for August 4 for pronouncing the quantum of sentence for 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui in the rape case of an American lady. The Delhi police sought maximum punishment of life imprisonment for the film maker. The court had on July 30 convicted Farooqui for raping a 35-year-old American in 2015. The Police had accused Farooqui of raping a 35-year-old American woman, who was in India to conduct research for her doctoral thesis from Columbia University. Farooqui, however, denied the allegations, saying he was falsely implicated. Earlier, the court had started the trial in the case after framing charges of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Farooqui. A chargesheet was filed against the filmmaker alleging he had raped the research scholar at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28. In protest against the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party or Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party has called AP bandh today. YSR Congress party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said the BJP led NDA ally TDP also failed to impress upon the Centre in achieving special status to the residue state of Andhra Pradesh. Members from TDP and YSR Congress had yesterday virtually joined hands in the Lok Sabha to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh. As soon as the House met for the day, members of the YSR Congress trooped into the Well holding placards and raising slogans seeking special category status for the state. The statement made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha has ignited fresh spark in the state politics. Jailey had last week told the Rajya Sabha that the Central Government is committed to keep all its promises and will fulfill all responsibilities as far as "hand-holding" Andhra Pradesh was concerned. The statement did not go down well with the Congress Party as its members led by Digvijaya Singh and Anand Sharma staged a walkout. Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, a key plotter of the 26/11 terror attacks, was on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides him, six others were also sentenced for life. Two convicts were given 14 years imprisonment and three for eight years. Abu Jundal, Mohammad Amir, Aqib, Bilal, Faisal, Afroz and Aslam have been awarded the life sentence, while Dr. Sharif and Zaffar were sentenced to 14 years in prison along with Rs. 20,000 fine Mushtaq, Afzal and Javed have been given eight years of jail time. All the convicts have been ordered to pay fine as well. "All the accused will file an appeal against the judgement on August 5 once they receive the copy of the rulings," Defence lawyer Wahab Khan told the media here. The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai had earlier found Jundal and 11 others guilty in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. The MCOCA court said that this was a conspiracy after the 2002 Gujarat riots to eliminate the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia. "Someone calling a government corrupt or unfit cannot be slapped with defamation prosecution," the court observed during the hearing. The court also said this was a larger conspiracy to strike terror and they (accused) were calling it 'jihad' On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30 kilogram of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, who hails from Beed district of Maharashtra, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan, according to the state police. Earlier, the trial had been stayed by the Supreme Court after one of the accused had challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions in the MCOCA invoked on the accused. The stay was lifted in 2009. In 2013, the ATS filed a chargesheet against all the accused for plotting various terror strikes since 2006. Deeply hurt and enraged with Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's irresponsible statement on the Bulandshahr gang-rape, the victims' family members on Tuesday said the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister has lost his senses. "I want to blame the people of Uttar Pradesh for electing a person like Azam Khan. He has gone crazy. He has lost his senses," one of the family members told ANI. "How can there be a conspiracy in such a case? Will the victim make a false story and demean herself?" he asked. Meanwhile, the husband of the woman, who was gang-raped along with her 14-year-old daughter, condemned Khan's statement, saying he should have restrained himself. "Azam Khan has made a wrong statement. He should have restrained from that," he told ANI in Ghaziabad. In what may come as an embarrassment for the Samajwadi Party Government, Khan earlier hinted at a political conspiracy behind the gang-rape of the mother-daughter duo in Bulandshahr. Khan said that a desperate opposition could stoop to any level to defame and disgrace the government since the state elections are approaching. However, the Samajwadi Party leader defended his remarks. "I never said there is a conspiracy by the opposition. I said that as the elections are near, we all should find from where these protests and incidents are coming from. I never said that this was a conspiracy by the opposition," Khan told ANI in Lucknow. "If we were not sensitive about them then how such a quick response would have been made. It is because of their pain that we are saying that accused should be arrested as soon as possible and a proper investigation should be done to find out the truth. This case requires strict action," he added. A fast track court in Bulandshahr yesterday sent the three accused arrested in connection with the case to 14-day judicial custody. "Raisuddin, Savesh and Jawar Singh have been sent to 14-day judicial custody. The Sections that have been imposed are 385, 397, 376 D, 342 of the Indian Penal Code and four POCSO rules," Additional District Government Council Navneet Sharma told ANI. The incident took place earlier on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers in Bulandshahr district. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. Leading Chinese-language Internet search provider Baidu, Inc. has officially started the India portion of its International Marketing Competition in Delhi-NCR. The competition will have university students create their own marketing videos on Baidu's new app Talebox for a chance to intern at Baidu's office in Gurgaon, India, and visit the company headquarters in Beijing. The marketing competition will have participants make creative videos using Baidu's video app Talebox. Outstanding videos will then be shared on Baidu's Android app marketplace MoboMarket, with winners selected by Baidu. Baidu will sponsor the final six winners on a trip to Beijing, where they will visit the company headquarters and meet with winners from other countries. To complement the marketing competition, Baidu India will also conduct a nationwide campus roadshow starting at Northcap University, Gurgaon on August 2nd, 2016. After visiting eight universities in the Delhi-NCR area, the Baidu India team will then go to Bangalore on August 8th, followed by Mumbai and Pune on August 16th. In total, the team will hold events at 25 universities across India to encourage students to showcase their creative marketing ability. "With this event we are reaching out to all talented students to discover their creativity and their art for great storytelling," said General Manager of Baidu India, Tim Yang. "We are providing a platform for them to enter the emerging digital ecosystem and let their talent shine," added Yang. The Bangladesh Education Ministry on Tuesday urged its Home Ministry to shut all Peace Schools which are operating without any approval. According to a press release issued by the ministry, it has also asked Dhaka Education Board to cancel the approval of academic activities of the Peace School branch at Dhaka's Lalmatia for 'its involvement with controversial activities', reports Dailystar.net As per reports, the Bangladesh Government does not have any specific information as to how many schools are being operated with the word 'Peace' in their names. The government has already banned Peace TV after allegations were brought against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik that at least two of the attackers involved in the Gulshan Cafe terrorist attack were inspired by him. Accusing the Akhilesh Yadav-led government in Uttar Pradesh of providing protections to criminals in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded that the gruesome Bulandshahr mother-daughter duo gang-rape case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). "The BJP strongly condemns the Bulandshahr rape and demands a CBI probe in the matter. We offer our condolences to the victims of the family and order swift action against the guilty," BJP leader Shrikant Sharma said in a series of tweets. Asserting that women in the Samajwadi Party-ruled state are living in an atmosphere of terror, he said the morale of the Uttar Pradesh Police is at an all-time low and the criminals are roaming scot-free. "The criminals in UP have the backing of Akhilesh Yadav which is why the locals are now living without any hope," Sharma added. Yesterday, the family members of the victims threatened suicide if stringent punishment was not meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crime. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the cab driver, whose family was attacked and subjected to hours of unspeakable horror. "We dialled 100 for 15 minutes, but got either a busy tone or no response. Finally, I called my friend and he called the police," he added. In a major revelation, the Commission for Women (NCW) earlier exposed the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the gang-rape case and said the crucial (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) POCSO Act was missing from the FIR. Speaking to ANI, NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam said the police's attitude towards the incident showed its apathy. "The whole case is dependent on the FIR. When a minor girl has been gang-raped, there should have been POCSO. From NCW, we are clear that this is police apathy and callousness. They are trying to cover up the matter. There is a huge difference between what they are saying in front of the media and what they are actually doing," she said. She further revealed that 15 persons were neither arrested nor detained, adding that only eight persons were detained and the family has identified three. Meanwhile, four police officers have been suspended. The three men, who have been arrested, were yesterday sent to 14-day judicial custody. Four other accused are, however, still absconding. The incident took place on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers in Bulandshahr district. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday trained guns at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav following Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan's insensitive comments on the Bulandshahr gang-rape case, saying the ruling party in the state must not stoop down for political gains. "The criminals are roaming free because they have support of the Akhilesh government. The Bulandshahr incident is a shameful episode. We condemn it and request Akhilesh Yadav that please do not degrade the level of politics for electoral gains," said BJP leader Shrikant Sharma. "The UP Government should initiate a strict probe against the culprits. Mr. Azam Khan, who is a confidant of Akhilesh Yadav, is saying the Bulandshahr incident is a conspiracy of the opposition parties. This is very shameful and is epitome of insensitiveness," he added. In what may come as an embarrassment for the Samajwadi Party Government, Khan earlier hinted at a political conspiracy behind the gang-rape of a mother and her 14-year-old daughter in Bulandshahr. Khan said that a desperate opposition could stoop to any level to defame and disgrace the government since the state elections are approaching. The three men, who have been arrested, were yesterday sent to 14-day judicial custody. Four other accused are, however, still absconding. The incident took place on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers in Bulandshahr district. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. Recently, border forces of India and Bangladesh met in Tripura capital Agartala to discuss strategy for the handling of border-related issues. To control infiltration and smuggling with better border management remained the core issue during the talks between Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in Agartala. The four day meet was attended by a 20-member BGB delegation at BSF Frontier Headquarters. Issues like trans-border crimes, cattle smuggling, growing fundamentalist activities with ISI support, militancy were also discussed. Both sides have greater concern to stop cross border crimes by completing fencing at the porous border. "There should be fencing all around and we never deter the Indian government to erect fencing. Definitely it is required and if you would not have constructed then we would have jointly constructed. It is required as criminals have to be checked," said Md. Habibul Karim, Additional Director General, BGB. Border guards of both countries have also decided to set up more border outposts (BOPs) to check trans-border movement of terrorists, smuggling and infiltration. While India will construct 508 new BOPs, besides existing 1200, Bangladesh will set up 50 more in addition to its existing 35 BOPs. "Problems are continuing since ages but every problem could not be brought down to zero level; however we have been able to bring drastic reverse in that. First problem was initially illegal immigration, now you will see no major illegal immigration from any parts of the Bangladesh border including the entire Northeast. This is major achievement. Second was the fence breaching which use to be earlier high, now it could be reduced to quite a sizable number of figures and Trans border crimes like crossing of militants from militant camps across Bangladesh is almost now negligible," said P.K. Dubey, BSF, IG, Meghalaya. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometer long international border, the fifth longest land border in the world. The border towards India's East and Northeast remains high volatile due to frequent movement of militants and smugglers. Strict vigil and fencing from both sides of the international border will help curb the crimes. Japan is playing up the 'China threat' to veil its new security bill and expansion of military. The Japanese Government has approved a defense white paper for the present year on Tuesday, summarizing Japan's defense policy changes and tarnishing China's normal maritime activities to justify its own militarization, reports Xinhua. In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted 30 pages for remarks on China's national defense and its maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. Analysts here believe that by playing up the so- "China threat," Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to make excuses for amending the post-war pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military. The white paper also covers Japan's defense policies and changes in defense strategy since last July, including the country's ever-rising military spending, its enforcement of the new National Defense Program Guidelines and attempts to promote arms sales. The paper has also devoted a special chapter to the controversial security law presented in the Parliament in March by the Abe administration. It claimed the legislation "safeguards Japan's peace and security" and "international community spoke highly of the security laws" ignoring the fact that majority of legal experts in the country regarded the security laws as unconstitutional and hundreds of thousands of people have rallied against the laws. The white paper also stressed the importance of Japan-U.S. military alliance. Regarding the planned relocation of the U.S. air base in Okinawa, the document said relocation to Henoko within the prefecture is the only solution, despite the strong wish of Okinawans to move the base out of the island. The document also listed other security "concerns," such as those from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Seamer Nuwan Pradeep became the latest player to join Sri Lanka's injury list after suffering a hamstring problem in training ahead of the second match of the three-Test series against Australia, which starts in Galle on Thursday. The 29-year-old is now required to undergo a fitness test later this week in order to determine whether he will feature in the upcoming match. Pradeep has been integral part of Lanka's seam bowling attack in the recent times, having featured in last nine Tests for the country,Sport24 reported. Paceman Suranga Lakmal is yet to recover from his hamstring strain, while other injured players include Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera and Jeffrey Vandersay. The Angelo Mathews-led side is now likely to give opportunity to either Vishwa Fernando or Asitha Fernando to make their debut, with the former being the more experienced at first-class level. Lanka are currently leading the series 1-0 following their emphatic 106-run win against the world's top-ranked side in the longest format. The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 12 This morning, the YSR Congress leaders and TDP workers staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament premises demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. In protest against the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress has called for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh today. YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said the NDA's alliance partner TDP also failed to impress upon the Centre in achieving special status for Andhra Pradesh. The TDP and YSR Congress members yesterday joined hands in the Lok Sabha to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress members trooped into the well of the House holding placards and raising slogans seeking special category status for the state. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last week told the Rajya Sabha that the Central Government is committed to keep all its promises and will fulfill all responsibilities. The statement, however, did not go down well with the Congress Party as its members led by Digvijaya Singh and Anand Sharma staged a walkout. Taking on Donald Trump for his criticism of the Muslim couple whose son was killed in Iraq, US President Barack Obama has said he is tired of some folks trash-talking America's military and troops. Addressing the annual convention of the Disabled American Veterans group in Atlanta on Monday, Obama said, "No one, no one, has given more for our freedom and our security than our gold star families (those whose family members died in service). Michelle and I have spent countless hours with them. We have grieved with them." The Republican presidential nominee had at his convention earlier suggested that Khizr Khan, father of the killed Muslim soldier in Iraq, has recited a speech written by Hillary Clinton's speechwriters, reports the Guardian. He also claimed that Khan's wife Ghazala remained silent at the convention because of her religion, which does not permit her to have a say. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country," said Khan in his speech. He further challenged Trump to read the American Constitution and look for words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law'. At the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Obama continued that he was "humbled" to be introduced by Sharon Belkofer, whose son Tom, a lieutenant colonel in the army, died in Afghanistan. The US President also lashed out at Trump for praising Saddam Hussein. "Let me say something else about this generation. As commander-in-chief, I'm pretty tired of some folks trash-talking America's military and troops," he said and added that the US still has "the most capable fighting force in history and we're going to keep it that way". With Congress president set to take out a march in Narendra Modi's bastion, Varanasi, party leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Tuesday said people of the holy city constituency are feeling cheated as the Prime Minister has hardly paid any attention to them since assuming power in Delhi. "There is a lot of excitement, Sonia ji is coming to see Vishwanath ji and seek blessings for Assembly polls. Since she was coming, the local leaders thought that she should march and connect with the people. We are very excited, we have planned different events for her," Joshi said. "People are upset with Modi ji's two-and-a-half years of regime. He has not spent even 10 days here. Roads and drains are bad, Swacch Bharat has totally failed in Varanasi. People of Varanasi feeling cheated. The Prime Minister should tell why his constituency is being ignored," he added. The Congress president will offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple after leading the roadshow. Gandhi will also meet those who are associated with the cleaning of river Ganges. She is also expected to corner Prime Minister Modi in his constituency by raising this issue. Sheila Dikshit, the party's chief ministerial candidate, had yesterday said Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Pramod Tiwari, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Zafar Ali, Sanjay Singh, Rana Goswami, Rajesh Mishra, Ajay Rai, Rajeshpati Tripathi etc will take part in the roadshow. Islamabad This particular headline, however, did not go down well with the Turkish government, and on July 20th, Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give an explanation. Turkey called on Pakistan to put pressure on the 'Daily Times' newspaper to withdraw the news report from its online edition and issue an unconditional apology. There were more demands from Turkey. PAKTURK International Schools and Colleges is a network that is run by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey blames for the coup attempt. According to a Voice of America report, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Sadik Babur Girgin demanded the immediate closure of these schools in Pakistan. On both of these requests made by Turkey, there has been no progress from the Pakistani side, despite the close ties between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) chief Imran Khan, considered close to the Pakistan Army, argued that the future of thousands of Pakistani children should not be jeopardized as a result of the failed Turkish coup. To add insult to injury, the 'Daily Times' ran a two-part series of articles in it's online edition that accused Erdogan of becoming increasingly authoritarian in the last few years and initiating purges in his government against those who held differing views. The article went on to highlight how during Erdogan's Presidency, crimes against women was on the rise, Islamic bigots had infiltrated the Turkish bureaucracy and institutions and how Turkey was staring at a bleak future. Pakistan's non-compliance of these issues points to a rift in the oft lauded Turkish-Pakistan "brotherly relationship", with many experts pointing fingers at the Pakistani army for usurping the country's foreign policy that led to this situation. Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif's anti-Erdogan views are driven by many factors, especially the close ties between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Erdogan. The Pakistan army chief is also guided by the deep Chinese mistrust of Erdogan which stems from allegations made by China in the past against Turkish government for issuing passports to fundamentalist Chinese Uyghurs from Xinjiang, including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which allowed them to move to Turkey with ease. The Chinese government has stated that Turkish embassies in Malaysia, Thailand and China are involved in such activities. Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Anandiben Patel's resignation as Gujarat Chief Minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday called on the Congress vice-president to first 'fix' the issues of corruption and controversies in which his own party is smothered in . "Rahul Gandhi who is the brand ambassador for corruption, commission and misrule should refrain from commenting on PM Modi who is the ambassador for good governance and progress. When it comes to development, BJP-ruled states are showcase as the prime example, whereas Congress ruled states are famous for corruption and scams," BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said in a series of tweets. He said after facing continuous rejections from the public and defeats, Gandhi who hailed from the 'non-performing Congress' must turn his attention to fixing his own party. "It is hopeless to expect development and progress from the Congress which is immersed in scams and corruption and supporting anti-national elements. If Rahul Gandhi has some morals left in him then he should take action against Virbhadra Singh and Harish Rawat who are facing charges of corruption," he added. Following Patel's offer to resign as the Gujarat Chief Minister, Gandhi earlier on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Modi saying it was his 13-year rule in the state and not his successor's two-year governance that was responsible for the terrible condition of the state, which was now embroiled in cases of atrocities against Dalits. "13 years of Modi rule, not two years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP," Rahul tweeted. Anandiben Patel, who took over as Gujarat's first woman chief minister after Narendra Modi took charge as the Prime Minister, had in her Facebook post earlier urged the BJP to relieve her from the coveted post giving her age as one of the reasons. Patel said that she would be 75 years of age in two months and had sought to resign from the party to give "enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit'. Her government was criticised for its handling of the outrage created by the public flogging of four Dalit men by self-styled cow protection groups. After an eventful wrap up of 'Preacher' season 1, co-creator Sam Catlin has spilled the beans on the storyline and plot of its season 2. Along with making fascinating revelations for fans, he disclosed some of the new characters and gave hints on what could be expected from the upcoming series. "A sinful, Sodom and Gomorrah-type town, blowing up on its (shit), "it's all a direct result of the absence of God," the writer cum-director told Deadline. He revealed that all the important characters of season 1 including Jesse's nemesis, who has dogged the preacher's church land for decades and even church mouse Emily, is gone. "In the end, we had to clear the deck, there's so many great characters from the comic to come," says Catlin, who along with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the other producers of the series wanted 'Preacher's' first season to be a prequel to the Vertigo comic book, with some nods to the print edition's "Gone to Texas" series. Catlin further talked about the important characters that will be in prominent roles in the upcoming season. "We're left with three survivors: Jesse, girlfriend Tulip and vampire bud Cassidy, who are on a crusade to find God, and as Jesse puts it if the Big Guy "wants our help, we'll help him . but if he doesn't, we'll kick his ass. Stating that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Islamabad will bring down the morale of the armed forces, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to break all ties with Pakistan, which harbours terrorists like Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed. Holding the Pakistani terrorist group responsible for the present state of affairs in Kashmir, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "And in such situation if the home minister and the Prime Minister keep going there repeatedly then what will be the morals of our jawans, who are being killed and injured everyday by the Pakistanis." Raut in an exclusive conversation with ANI also threw light on the fact that the home minister had himself few days back blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attacks in Kashmir "Why is he going there then? He should say with modesty whether it is SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) or commonwealth, diplomatic or social, we don't want to keep any relationship with Pakistan," he added. The Shiv Sena leader asked as to what is the use of taking up the cross-border issue with Pakistan as this has been raised several times but to no avail. "What is the use of raising cross-border issue with Pakistan? It was raised many times before also. Rajnath Singh is a very senior leader, the people expect a lot from him," he added. According to sources, Rajnath, who will be visiting Pakistan to attend the meeting of the SAARC home/interior ministers, will raise the issue of cross border terrorism and state sponsorship of militancy. Ahead of his visit to Pakistan for the SAARC meeting, Rajnath on Monday chaired a high-level meeting here. Rajnath will be accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and several other senior officers of the Home Ministry. The JuD chief has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his outfit if Rajnath arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference. Stating that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Islamabad will bring down the morale of the armed forces, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to break all ties with Pakistan, which harbours terrorists like Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed. Holding the Pakistani terrorist group responsible for the present state of affairs in Kashmir, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "And in such situation if the Home Minister and the Prime Minister keep going there repeatedly then what will be the morals of our jawans, who are being killed and injured everyday by the Pakistanis." Raut in an exclusive conversation with ANI also threw light on the fact that the Home Minister had himself few days back blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attacks in Kashmir "Why is he going there then? He should say with modesty whether it is SAARC or commonwealth, diplomatic or social, we don't want to keep any relationship with Pakistan," he added. The Shiv Sena leader asked as to what is the use of taking up the cross-border issue with Pakistan as this has been raised several times but to no avail. "What is the use of raising cross-border issue with Pakistan? It was raised many times before also.Rajnath Singh is a very senior leader, the people expect a lot from him," he added. According to sources, Rajnath, who will be visiting Pakistan to attend the meeting of the SAARC Home/Interior Ministers, will raise the issue of cross border terrorism and state sponsorship of militancy. Ahead of his visit to Pakistan for the SAARC meeting, Rajnath on Monday chaired a high-level meeting here. Rajnath will be accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and several other senior officers of the Home Ministry. The JuD chief has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his outfit if Rajnath arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference. Petrol bombs were hurled at Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar's residence on Tuesday morning. However, no injuries have been reported as he was not present in his house when the incident happened. According to reports, one of the two petrol bombs landed in the house compound at Par Raipur while another fell outside. Last month, people attacked the cavalcade of Naeem Akhtar with stones at two separate places in Bandipora district. In 2002, a militant shot dead the Minister of State for Law and Conference (NC) nominee from the Lolab constituency, Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, and three of his guards in Kupwara district. Taliban militants publicly executed a 19-year-old girl in northern Sar-e-Pul province on charges of abandoning her family over a domestic issue. According to local officials, the girl identified as Azada, was first tried in a desert court and was then shot dead by her brother and Taliban militants, reports the Khaama Press. Provincial governor's spokesman Zabiulllah Amani said the incident took place on Monday in Kohistanat district. He said the girl had taken shelter in a safe house after she left her home around two months ago but was brought back home by her brother after he promised to ensure her safety. Such public executions are not new to the Taliban. Earlier a 22-year-old woman was shot dead by her relatives on charges of having relations with a stranger over the telephone. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in its report released late in November last year said "statistic of violence against women, obtained from the registered cases of violence against women during the first six months in 1394 exceeds 2579 cases. Expressing optimism of solving the Bulandshahr gang-rape case at the earliest, the Uttar Pradesh Police today rubbished reports suggesting that the three persons arrested so far were not the main culprits, adding the next course of action would be taken in consultation with the family members of the mother-daughter duo as they were witness to the heinous crime. "They three persons, who have been arrested, are the same three whom the victims' family members had identified. Even when we went to Bulandshahr, we were told that these three were involved. We have the names of the rest; efforts are on to nab them. Both local teams and STF teams are working to nab the rest accused," Uttar Pradesh DGP Javed Ahmed told the media here. "Since the family was the witness to the crime, we would like to move forward with consultations with them. We do not want to trouble any wrong person," he added. Under attack from the opposition parties over sliding law and order situation in the state, the Samajwadi Party Government earlier suspended Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishan for dereliction of duty. Six others, including Superintendent of Police (city) Rammohan Singh, Circle Officer (Sadar) Himanshu Gaurav and SHO Ramsen Singh of Kotwali Dehat, were also suspended. The Chief Minister had set a 24-hour deadline for the force to nab the culprits. The incident took place on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers in Bulandshahr district. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. However, three people were arrested yesterday in connection with brutal gang-rape of a woman and her daughter in the regard. Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has reportedly been demoted to the club's reserve team by manager Jose Mourinho. According to Sport24, a leading British daily said that the 32-year-old German was told to train with United's Under-21s by Mourinho, an indication that Schweinsteiger could be sidelined from the manager's list of starting XI for the forthcoming Premier League season. Schweinsteiger recently called curtains on his international career following some below-par performances for Germany at Euro 2016 last month. He also endured an injury-hit first season at Old Trafford, which hampered his progress. Besides having an abundance of central midfielders, United are expected to seal a potential deal with France international Paul Pogba in the coming days, a move which could bring an end to Schweinsteiger's career at Old Trafford. Schweinsteiger, who has two years left on his United contract, is also being linked with a move to AC Milan and Inter. Welcoming the West Bengal Cabinet's decision to change the name of the state, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo on Tuesday said the name could be 'Bangla' or 'Bengal' but shouldn't be 'Bongo' as it is a musical instrument. "It's very good. I support his decision. The name should not be 'Bongo'. that is a musical instrument. 'Bangla' in Bengali and 'Bengal' in English is much better. It is in East, but it is called 'West'in relation to Bangladesh," Supriyo told ANI. "Bangla is good, but definitely not Bongo. Bongo is an instrument that is played (Bajano hoe)!Do not want people 2 crack dirty pun about it. Bengal in English is fantastic & makes a great pair with Bangla the State & it's language Bangla Bhasha - but not BONGO PLEASEEEEEE," he tweeted. The West Bengal Cabinet earlier today decided to rename the state as 'Bangla' or 'Bongo' in Bengali and 'Bengal' in English. The news was confirmed by Trinamool Congress leader and state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who said a special assembly session will be convened on August 26 to discuss the name change. "The Cabinet has taken a very important decision. We had suggested a change in name of the state. For the sake of the people, culture and tradition, we have decided to change the name in Bengali as 'Bangla' or 'Bongo'. We will put forward the suggestion in the Legislative Assembly. The state's name in English would be 'Bengal'. We will discuss this issue in the Assembly on August 26," Chatterjee said. The ruling party in the state had in 2011 decided to rename West Bengal to 'Paschim Banga' to raise the state's position alphabetically. Besides the TMC, the opposition parties led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had also supported the move then. The YSR Congress leaders staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament premises today demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The TDP workers were also seen joining the protest with placards and banners in their hands. In protest against the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress has called for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh today. YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said the NDA's alliance partner TDP also failed to impress upon the Centre in achieving special status for Andhra Pradesh. The TDP and YSR Congress members yesterday joined hands in the Lok Sabha to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress members trooped into the well of the House holding placards and raising slogans seeking special category status for the state. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last week told the Rajya Sabha that the Central Government is committed to keep all its promises and will fulfill all responsibilities. The statement, however, did not go down well with the Congress Party as its members led by Digvijaya Singh and Anand Sharma staged a walkout. Bharat Financial Inclusion fell 9.46% to Rs 824.60 at 15:08 IST on BSE following the arrest of the company's President S Dilli Raj by the Enforcement Directorate. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 32.15 points, or 0.11%, to 27,970.97. On BSE, so far 8.83 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average daily volume of 2.07 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 890.80 and a low of Rs 819 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 938.75 on 29 July 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 369.45 on 18 September 2015. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 1 August 2016, rising 23.95% compared with 3.16% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 50.79% as against Sensex's 9.36% rise. The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 127.59 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10. Bharat Financial Inclusion, formerly known as SKS Microfinance, announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016, that its President S Dilli Raj was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to a complaint filed by IDBI Bank against First Leasing Company of India. S Dilli Raj previously worked in First Leasing Company of India. Bharat Financial Inclusion clarified that the investigation does not in any way relate to the company. Dilli Raj had earlier issued a personal statement on 19 October 2015 stating that he had resigned from First Leasing Company of India on 22 November 2007 and was relieved on 18 January 2008. He had stated that all loans taken during his tenure have been repaid by First Leasing and that the complaint filed by IDBI Bank relates to loans sanctioned during the years 2012 and 2013, which was six years after he ceased to be an employee of First Leasing. Dilli Raj also had clarified that his role was confined to treasury operations and he did not authenticate or sign any financial statements of First Leasing. Bharat Financial Inclusion's net profit surged 285.7% to Rs 235.91 crore on 46.5% increase in total income to Rs 414.12 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. Bharat Financial Inclusion formerly SKS Microfinance is among the largest microfinance companies in India. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 10 August 2016 Bharat Wire Ropes will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 10 August 2016, to consider and approve Unaudited Financial Results of the Company for the quarter ended 30 June 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Competition Commission of India ('Commission') has found the Karnataka Chemists and Druggist Association ('KCDA') and Lupin ('Lupin') to be in contravention of the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 ('the Act'). In a case filed by M/s Maruti & Co., it was brought to the notice of the Commission that KCDA restraints pharmaceutical companies from appointing new stockists in the State of Karnataka unless a No Objection Certificate ('NOC') is obtained from it. It was alleged that Lupin refused to supply drugs to M/s Maruti & Co. on account of not having obtained NOC from KCDA. Following a detailed investigation by the Director General ('DG'), the Commission has found that KCDA was indulging in the anti-competitive practice of mandating NOC prior to the appointment of new stockists by pharmaceutical companies. This case highlights the obstinacy of chemists & druggist associations who, despite various orders by the Commission in similar cases in other parts of India with respect to this NOC practice, have not abstained from indulging in such anti-competitive conduct. Instead of desisting from such activity, these associations are mandating the NOC requirement, either verbally (in order to avoid any documentary evidence/proof) or under camouflaged congratulatory/intimation letters, with a view to hide their apparent anti-competitive behaviour behind these benign nomenclatures. The Commission has unambiguously clarified that the use of benign nomenclatures by these associations will not absolve them of the legal consequences of their anti-competitive conduct. Based on the evidence collected by the DG during investigation, the Commission concluded that KCDA has been indulging in the practice of NOC prior to the appointment of stockists by pharmaceutical companies, which has the effect of limiting and controlling of the supply of drugs in the market, in violation of the provisions of Section 3(1) read with 3(3)(b) of the Act. KCDA was thus found to have contravened the provisions of Section 3(1) read with Section 3(3)(b) of the Act. The Commission also observed that the pharmaceutical companies, without any resistance, cooperate with such associations to implement their anti-competitive decisions, thereby becoming equally complicit in the anti-competitive effect of such practice. Instead of approaching the Commission, these pharmaceutical companies cooperate with the NOC requirement of the associations, thus becoming perpetrators of such anti-competitive practice. The Commission has thus held the pharmaceutical company, Lupin, to be in contravention of the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Act for its anti-competitive arrangement/understanding with KCDA, which led to a refusal to supply of drugs to M/s Maruti & Co. Further, the Commission has also found three office bearers of KCDA, namely Mr. K. E. Prakash, Mr. D. S. Guddodgi and Mr. A. K. Jeevan, responsible under Section 48 of the Act, for their active involvement in the anti-competitive practice of KCDA and also on account of the positions of responsibility held by them in KCDA during the period of contravention. Two of the officials of Lupin, namely Mr. Amit Kumar Dhiman and Mr. Nishant Ajmera, were found to be actively involved in the anti-competitive arrangement/understanding of Lupin with KCDA during the relevant period. Accordingly, KCDA, Lupin and their office bearers/officials have been directed to cease and desist from indulging in the practice of mandating NOC prior to stockist appointment. The Commission imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 8, 60,321/-, calculated at the rate of 10 % of the average income of KCDA, under the provisions of Section 27 of the Act. While imposing penalty on Lupin, the Commission observed that the refusal to supply by it was for a brief period, after which Lupin resumed supplies to M/s Maruti & Co. Considering this as a mitigating factor, the Commission imposed a penalty at the rate of 1% of Lupin's average turnover, amounting to Rs. 72.96 crores. In addition, monetary penalties were imposed on the office bearers of KCDA and officials of Lupin at the rate of 10% and 1% of their incomes, respectively. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 10 August 2016 Diamond Infosystems will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 10 August 2016, to consider the Issue of Bonus Shares to the existing Equity Shareholders of the Company, & Split of Fully paid up Equity Share of Rs. 10 to the smaller denomination. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Receives bids for 1.48 crore shares Dilip Buildcon's (DBL) initial public offer (IPO) received bids for 1.48 crore shares compared to 2.13 crore shares on offer, as per the data on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) website as at 17:00 IST. The IPO was subscribed 0.7 times on the second day of bidding today, 2 August 2016. The bidding for the IPO concludes tomorrow, 3 August 2016. DBL's IPO comprises of fresh offer of Rs 430 crore. In addition to this, there is an offer for sale (OFS) of 1.02 crore shares comprising of promoters and group of private investors. Ahead of the opening of IPO, DBL had raised Rs 196.19 crore from allotment of 89.58 lakh shares to a slew of anchor investors. Shares have been allotted to anchor investors at Rs 219 per share - the top end of the Rs 214-219 per share price band for the company's IPO. Among the anchor investors, Smallcap World Fund, Inc was allotted 20.33 lakh shares constituting 22.7% of the total allocation to anchor investors. Among other anchor investors, American Funds Insurance Series Global Small Capitalization Fund was allocated 7.06 lakh shares, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority - Behave was allotted 11.87 lakh shares, PGGM World Equity II B.V. was allocated 5.93 lakh shares, HDFC Mutual Fund was allotted a total of 27.36 lakh shares under various schemes, Grandeur Peak Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund was allotted 4.56 lakh shares, East Bridge Capital Master Fund was allocated 3.15 lakh shares, Nomura Singapore was allotted 3.65 lakh shares, DB International (Asia) was allotted 3.15 lakh shares and IDFC Infrastructure Fund was allotted 2.46 lakh shares. DBL is one of the leading road-focused engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors in India with nearly 83% of total revenue of FY 2016 coming from execution of road focused EPC contracts in India. As of 31 March 2016, the company has an order book of Rs 10800 crore. The government contracts account for 76.27% of the total order book as on 31 March 2016. The businesses of the company are spread across 2 major segments viz. the construction segment and infrastructure development. The company intends to utilise the proceeds from the fresh offer of Rs 430 crore towards repayment of term loans of around Rs 203.60 crore, Rs 200 crore towards working capital and rest for general corporate purpose. DBL's consolidated net profit rose 124% to Rs 196.60 crore on 56% growth in net sales to Rs 4315.40 crore in the year ended 31 March 2016 (FY 2016) over the year ended 31 March 2015 (FY 2015). Powered by Capital Market - Live News Key benchmark indices edged higher in early trade as reports suggesting that the long-pending GST Bill is listed for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha tomorrow, 3 August 2016 boosted sentiment. At 9:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 75.99 points or 0.27% at 28,079.11. The Nifty 50 index was currently up 16.85 points or 0.2% at 8,653.40. FMCG and metal stocks led gains on the bourses. In overseas stock markets, most Asian stocks dropped, with stocks taking cues from a modestly lower day on Wall Street overnight as US crude oil prices slid. Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet is reportedly likely to approve a 28 trillion yen ($273 billion) stimulus package today, 2 August 2016, though direct fiscal spending will total only about 7 trillion yen. US stocks lost momentum to finish mostly lower yesterday, 1 August 2016 as crude-oil futures returned to bear-market territory and weaker-than-expected manufacturing data raised doubts about the strength of the economy. Closer home, the market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was strong. On BSE, 935 shares rose and 552 shares declined. A total of 56 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently up 0.27%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.25%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex. NTPC rose 0.16% after the company announced that its board of directors at a meeting held on Friday, 29 July 2016, approved the issue of secured/unsecured, redeemable, taxable/ tax-free, cumulative/non-cumulative, non-convertible debentures (bonds/NCDs) upto Rs 15000 crore during the period commencing from the date of passing of Special Resolution in the Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on 20 September 2016, till completion of one year thereof or the date of next AGM in the financial year 2017-18 whichever is earlier. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Separately, NTPC announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016 that it has commissioned a 50 megawatts (MW) capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu on 29 July 2016. With this the installed capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu has become 250 MW and that of NTPC Group has become 47,228 MW. Passenger car major Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) gained 2% after the company announced an increase in prices of select models ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 ex-showroom Delhi with effect from 1 August 2016. In case of newly launched models like Vitara Brezza and Baleno, the prices are being increased by upto Rs 20,000 and upto Rs 10,000 respectively, MSIL said. This price revision is based on factors like segment wise demand, forex movements and strategic objectives of the company, MSIL said in a statement. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Hero MotoCorp (HMCL) rose 0.14% after the company announced that its total two-wheelers sales rose 9.13% to 5.32 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. In July 2016, HMCL commenced retail sales of Splendor iSmart 110 - the first motorcycle to have been completely designed and developed by its in-house R&D team at the state-of-the-art, world class Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur. The initial customer response to the new bike has been positive, the company said. With the above average monsoon and implementation of the seventh pay commission recommendations, the company remains cautiously optimistic about a positive turnaround in the industry in the second half of the year, HMCL said in a statement. ACC dropped 0.98% as the stock turned ex-dividend today, 2 August 2016 for interim dividend of Rs 11 per share for the year ending 31 December 2016 (FY 2016). Ambuja Cements declined 0.68% as the stock turned ex-dividend today, 2 August 2016 for interim dividend of Rs 1.60 per share for the year ending 31 December 2016 (FY 2016). Tata Motors gained 0.09% after the company announced that Tata Motors passenger and commercial vehicle sales (including exports) rose 7% to 43,160 vehicles in July 2016 over July 2015. The company's domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles rose 8% to 37,789 units in July 2016 over July 2015. The company's sales from exports rose 6% to 5,371 units in July 2016 over July 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Drug major Lupin rose 0.77% after the company announced that its Japanese subsidiary Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry Co., has entered into a strategic asset purchase agreement with Shionogi & Co., on 1 August 2016, to acquire 21 long-listed products from the Japanese pharma major, effective 1 December 2016, subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals including the transfer of marketing authorization of the products to Kyowa. The announcement was made before trading hours today, 2 August 2016. With the vision of growing globally as a drug discovery-based pharmaceutical company, Shionogi is focusing its resources on its core therapeutic and marketing areas, while continuing to create innovative medicines to support future growth and to strengthen its business operations. As a part of this growth strategy, Shionogi would transfer 21 long-listed products to Kyowa, the Japanese subsidiary of Lupin. Kyowa is amongst the top 10 Generic companies in Japan and a market leader in Central Nervous System (CNS) space well known for its "AMEL" brand, in addition to other generic pharmaceutical products in its portfolio. With this acquisition, Kyowa will rank 6th amongst generic companies in Japan. The 21 products cover therapy areas such as Central Nervous System (CNS), Oncology, Cardiovascular and Antiinfectives. These 21 products had sales of 9,400 million yen ($90 million) collectively on NHI price basis. Under the terms of this agreement, Kyowa will book the sales of the 21 products after 1 December 2016, and Shionogi will receive 15.4 billion yen from Kyowa. On macro front, the index of eight core industries comprising nearly 38% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) increased 5.2% in June 2016 over June 2015, compared to 2.8% growth in May 2016 and 3.1% growth in June 2015. Its cumulative growth during the three months period from April to June 2016 was 5.4%. The data was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting the progress on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional amendment bill in parliament. According to reports, the long-pending GST Bill is listed for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha tomorrow, 3 August 2016 amidst strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government is keen to get the GST Bill approved during the Monsoon Session of Parliament ending on 12 August 2016. The GST bill, which has been approved by the Lok Sabha, is pending in the Rajya Sabha because of opposition to the bill in its current form by the Congress party. A constitutional amendment bill requires at least 50% attendance and support of two-third of those present and voting in the house. For the GST bill to become a law, the bill also needs to be approved by half the state assemblies after its passage in the parliament. GST, touted as the single biggest indirect taxation reforms since independence, will simplify and harmonise the indirect tax regime in the country. The GST seeks to create a seamless national market in the country by replacing plethora of state taxes and central taxes by one tax. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Key benchmark indices may edge lower in early trade tracking weakness in Asian stocks. Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could fall 14.50 points at the opening bell. In overseas stock markets, Asian stocks fell taking cues from a modestly lower day on Wall Street overnight as US crude oil prices slid. Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet is reportedly likely to approve a 28 trillion yen ($273 billion) stimulus package today, 2 August 2016, though direct fiscal spending will total only about 7 trillion yen. US stocks lost momentum to finish mostly lower yesterday, 1 August 2016 as crude-oil futures returned to bear-market territory and weaker-than-expected manufacturing data raised doubts about the strength of the economy. Closer home, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 726.22 crore yesterday, 1 August 2016, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 413.77 crore yesterday, 1 August 2016, as per provisional data. On macro front, the index of eight core industries comprising nearly 38% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) increased 5.2% in June 2015 over June 2015. Its cumulative growth during April to June 2016-17 was 5.4%. The data was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Among corporate news, NTPC announced that its board of directors at a meeting held on Friday, 29 July 2016, approved the issue of secured/unsecured, redeemable, taxable/ tax-free, cumulative/non-cumulative, non-convertible debentures (bonds/NCDs) upto Rs 15000 crore during the period commencing from the date of passing of Special Resolution in the Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on 20 September 2016, till completion of one year thereof or the date of next AGM in the financial year 2017-18 whichever is earlier. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Separately, NTPC announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016 that it has commissioned a 50 megawatts (MW) capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu on 29 July 2016. With this the installed capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu has become 250 MW and that of NTPC Group has become 47,228 MW. Passenger car major Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) announced an increase in prices of select models ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 ex-showroom Delhi with effect from 1 August 2016. In case of newly launched models like Vitara Brezza and Baleno, the prices are being increased by upto Rs 20,000 and upto Rs 10,000 respectively, MSIL said. This price revision is based on factors like segment wise demand, forex movements and strategic objectives of the company, MSIL said in a statement. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Hero MotoCorp (HMCL) announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016, that its total two-wheelers sales rose 9.13% to 5.32 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. In July 2016, HMCL commenced retail sales of Splendor iSmart 110 - the first motorcycle to have been completely designed and developed by its in-house R&D team at the state-of-the-art, world class Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur.The initial customer response to the new bike has been positive, the company said. With the above average monsoon and implementation of the seventh pay commission recommendations, the company remains cautiously optimistic about a positive turnaround in the industry in the second half of the year, HMCL said in a statement. ACC turns ex-dividend today, 2 August 2016 for interim dividend of Rs 11 per share for the year ending 31 December 2016 (FY 2016). Ambuja Cements turns ex-dividend today, 2 August 2016 for interim dividend of Rs 1.60 per share for the year ending 31 December 2016 (FY 2016). Tata Motors passenger and commercial vehicle sales (including exports) rose 7% to 43,160 vehicles in July 2016 over July 2015. The company's domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles rose 8% to 37,789 units in July 2016 over July 2015. The company's sales from exports rose 6% to 5,371 units in July 2016 over July 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Drug major Lupin announced before trading hours today, 2 August 2016, that its Japanese subsidiary Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry Co., has entered into a strategic asset purchase agreement with Shionogi & Co., on 1 August 2016, to acquire 21 long-listed products from the Japanese pharma major, effective 1 December 2016, subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals including the transfer of marketing authorization of the products to Kyowa. With the vision of growing globally as a drug discovery-based pharmaceutical company, Shionogi is focusing its resources on its core therapeutic and marketing areas, while continuing to create innovative medicines to support future growth and to strengthen its business operations. As a part of this growth strategy, Shionogi would transfer 21 long-listed products to Kyowa, the Japanese subsidiary of Lupin. Kyowa is amongst the top 10 Generic companies in Japan and a market leader in Central Nervous System (CNS) space well known for its "AMEL" brand, in addition to other generic pharmaceutical products in its portfolio. With this acquisition, Kyowa will rank 6th amongst generic companies in Japan. The 21 products cover therapy areas such as Central Nervous System (CNS), Oncology, Cardiovascular and Antiinfectives. These 21 products had sales of 9, 400 million yen ($90 million) collectively on NHI price basis. Under the terms of this agreement, Kyowa will book the sales of the 21 prodcuts after 1 December 2016, and Shionogi will receive 15.4 billion yen from Kyowa. On a consolidated basis, Tech Mahindra's net profit rose 20.5% to Rs 750 crore on 10% increase in revenue to Rs 6921 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) rose 13.7% to Rs 1029 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting the progress on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional amendment bill in parliament. According to reports, the long-pending GST Bill was yesterday, 1 August 2016, listed for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, 3 August 2016 amidst strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government is keen to get the GST Bill approved during the Monsoon Session of Parliament ending on 12 August 2016. The GST bill, which has been approved by the Lok Sabha, is pending in the Rajya Sabha because of opposition to the bill in its current form by the Congress party. A constitutional amendment bill requires at least 50% attendance and support of two-third of those present and voting in the house. For the GST bill to become a law, the bill also needs to be approved by half the state assemblies after its passage in the parliament. GST, touted as the single biggest indirect taxation reforms since independence, will simplify and harmonise the indirect tax regime in the country. The GST seeks to create a seamless national market in the country by replacing plethora of state taxes and central taxes by one tax. Meanwhile, key benchmark indices registered small losses in a volatile trading session as investors maintained caution ahead of the possible discussion on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in Rajya Sabha this week. The Sensex lost 48.74 points or 0.17% to settle at 28,003.12, its lowest closing level since 26 July 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Maruti Suzuki India rose 2.27% to Rs 4,980.50 at 9:25 IST on BSE after the company increased prices of select models ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 ex-showroom Delhi with effect from 1 August 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 127.19 points, or 0.45%, to 28,130.31 . On BSE, so far 18,000 shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average daily volume of 75,573 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 5,000 so far during the day, which is also a record high for the counter. The stock hit a low of Rs 4,880 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 3,202.10 on 29 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 1 August 2016, rising 16.90% compared with 3.16% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 28.32% as against Sensex's 9.36% rise. The large-cap passenger car major has an equity capital of Rs 151.04 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5. In case of newly launched models like Vitara Brezza and Baleno, the prices are being increased by upto Rs 20,000 and upto Rs 10,000 respectively, MSIL said. This price revision is based on factors like segment wise demand, forex movements and strategic objectives of the company, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) said in a statement. MSIL reported 12.7% growth in total sales to 1.37 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. Domestic sales rose 13.9% to 1.25 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. This is the company's record monthly sales in the domestic market. The company's exports rose 0.3% to 11,338 units in July 2016 over July 2015. The announcement was made during market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Maruti's net profit rose 23% to Rs 1486.20 crore on 12.1% rise in net sales to Rs 14654.50 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. Maruti is India's biggest car maker in terms of market share. Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corporation currently holds 56.21% stake in Maruti (as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2016). Powered by Capital Market - Live News Sewa to provide a transparent, clean, responsive and accountable administration-Manoj Sinha Hon'ble Minister of Communications Sh. Manoj Sinha today launched Twitter Sewa for addressing the complaints and concerns of common man and other stake-holders in the telecom and postal sectors. The twitter handle of the Minister will be @manojsinhabjp. Launching the Sewa here, Shri Sinha said that this is in tune with Shri Narendra Modi's vision of minimum government, maximum governance as from the Prime Minister himself to his ministers and their ministries are connecting with Indian citizens through live communications platform to provide a transparent, clean and responsive and accountable administration. The Minister said that the telecom ministry and Department of Post will henceforth compile a list of complaints from this Twitter Sewa and categorize them into immediate, mid-term and long-term complaints, while adding that he has complete faith in his officers and staff, but since both the telecom and posts are service sectors, customer is the king here and this is all the more relevant for BSNL and MTNL. The TSPs (telecom service providers) are expected to resolve the complaints forwarded to them under this arrangement. Shri Sinha said that the challenge is gigantic as India has the biggest postal network in the world and the number of mobile-phone subscribers had already crossed 1 billion in January this year. Therefore, we are aware that complaints are going to pour in from across the country and in great numbers. But I would like to assure you that Ministry will rise up to this challenge. The Minister also underlined that there are chances that this twitter seva may be misused by some rogue elements but he expressed the hope that Twitter authorities will take care of the same. Shri Sinha expressed hope that the Telecom operators from Government as well as private and the Department of Posts shall use the utility of Twitter sewa to the fullest to address the grievances of the public. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Allotment made at Rs 268 per share S P Apparels (SPAL) has raised Rs 71.73 crore from allotment of 26.76 lakh shares to a slew of anchor investors. Shares have been allotted to anchor investors at Rs 268 per share - the top end of the Rs 258-268 per share price band for the company's initial public offer (IPO). The IPO opened for bidding today, 2 August 2016. The bidding for the IPO concludes on Thursday, 4 August 2016. Among the anchor investors, DSP Blackrock Micro Cap Fund was allotted 6.34 lakh shares constituting 23.7% of the total allocation to anchor investors. Among other anchor investors, Goldman Sachs India Fund was allocated 5.56 lakh shares, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company was allotted 5.56 lakh shares, Morgan Stanley Mauritius Company was allocated 3.69 lakh shares, UTI was allotted a total of 3.72 lakh shares under its two schemes, Principal Trustee Co. Pvt Ltd - Principal Mutual Fund - Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund was allotted 1.86 lakh shares. SPAL's IPO comprises fresh offer of Rs 215 crore. In addition to this, there is an offer for sale (OFS) of 9 lakh shares by selling shareholder NYLIM, India Fund. Promoted by P Sundarajan, SPAL is a leading manufacturer and exporter of knitted garments for infants and children in India. The company is the second largest exporter among manufacturers of knitted garments for infants and children in India in terms of revenues. The company sells the menswear products through a sales and distribution network that includes 40 exclusive brand outlets, of which 37 are company owned operated stores and three are franchise stores, and third-party e-commerce platforms. SPAL is also considering launching products in the women's essential wear category under the "Natalia? brand, which is owned by the company. The company intends to utilize about Rs 70 crore from the proceeds of fresh issue towards expansion and modernization of manufacturing facility at Tamil Nadu, Rs 63 crore towards repayment of debt, Rs 27.85 crore towards opening of new stores for sale of Crocodile brand, Rs 4.90 crore towards balancing machineries for existing dyeing unit in Perundurai and rest towards for general corporate purpose. SPAL's consolidated profit after tax (PAT) jumped 245% to Rs 34.71 crore on 13% growth in net sales to Rs 532.83 in the year ended 31 March 2016 (FY 2016) over the year ended 31 March 2015 (FY 2015). Powered by Capital Market - Live News Key benchmark indices slipped into the red and hit fresh intraday low in mid afternoon trade. At 14:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 26.04 points or 0.09% at 27,977.08. The Nifty 50 index was currently down 12.85 points or 0.15% at 8,623.70. The Sensex dropped below the psychological 28,000 level. Weakness in global stocks weighed on investors' sentiment. The Sensex fell 59.21 points or 0.21% at the day's low of 27,943.91 in mid-afternoon trade. The barometer index rose 172.10 points or 0.61% at the day's high of 28,175.22 in early trade. The Nifty declined 25.15 points or 0.29% at the day's low of 8,611.40 in mid-afternoon trade. The index rose 50.65 points or 0.58% at the day's high of 8,687.20 in early trade. In overseas stock markets, European and Asian stocks edged lower taking cues from a modestly lower day on Wall Street overnight as US crude oil prices slid. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Average ended 1.47% lower. According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved 13.5 trillion yen ($132.04 billion) in fiscal measures today, 2 August 2016 as part of efforts to revive the flagging economy, with cash payouts to low-income earners and infrastructure spending. The stimulus spending is part of a renewed government effort to coordinate its policy with the Bank of Japan. US stocks lost momentum to finish mostly lower yesterday, 1 August 2016 as crude-oil futures returned to bear-market territory and weaker-than-expected manufacturing data raised doubts about the strength of the economy. The ISM manufacturing activity index fell to 52.6 in July, down from 53.2 the previous month. Closer home, the market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was weak. On BSE, 1,653 shares fell and 976 shares rose. A total of 132 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.41%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently down 0.56%. The decline in both these indices was higher than the Sensex's decline in percentage terms. Shares of power generation and power distribution companies edged lower. GVK Power & Infrastructure (down 2.34%), NHPC (down 0.4%), Tata Power Company (down 0.01%), Adani Power (down 0.91%), Reliance Infrastructure (down 2.37%) and Reliance Power (down 1.04%) declined. Torrent Power (up 2.28%) and Power Grid Corporation of India (up 0.14%) gained. NTPC declined 0.19%. The company announced that its board of directors at a meeting held on Friday, 29 July 2016, approved the issue of secured/unsecured, redeemable, taxable/ tax-free, cumulative/non-cumulative, non-convertible debentures (bonds/NCDs) upto Rs 15000 crore during the period commencing from the date of passing of Special Resolution in the Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on 20 September 2016, till completion of one year thereof or the date of next AGM in the financial year 2017-18 whichever is earlier. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Separately, NTPC announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016 that it has commissioned a 50 megawatts (MW) capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu on 29 July 2016. With this the installed capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu has become 250 MW and that of NTPC Group has become 47,228 MW. Shares of PSU coal miner Coal India declined 0.74%. Capital goods stocks dropped. BEML (down 0.25%), Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) (down 0.32%), Thermax (down 0.01%), Crompton Greaves (down 0.89%) and Siemens (down 2.55%) declined. Bharat Electronics (up 0.32%), Havells India (up 0.01%), and L&T (up 0.54%) gained. UltraTech Cement declined 1.54%. The company announced that it has participated in the auction of coal linkages for captive power plant sub-sector and secured 1.29 lakh tons of coal at a premium of Rs 100 per ton over floor price of Rs 970 per ton from Gevra Road mines in Maharashtra and 1.38 lakh tons of coal at a premium of Rs 125 per ton over floor price of Rs 970 per ton from New Kusmunda (NKCR) mines in Chhattisgarh. A formal communication vesting the linkages in the company's favour is expected in due course. With these auctions, the company has secured in all, coal linkages for 4.09 lakh tons for its plants located at Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Both these locations are land locked and this helps the company in mitigating the impact of rising costs of petcoke/imported coal. The company intends to participate in the future linkage auctions for its plants located strategically near the coal mines. TVS Motor Company rose 0.66% after the company reported 14% increase in total sales to 2.48 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. The company announced the monthly sales volume data after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. TVS Motor Company's total two-wheeler sales rose 15.4% to 2.40 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. Domestic two-wheeler sales rose 18.7% to 2.06 lakh units in July 2016 over July 2015. Scooter sales fell 2.28% to 68,033 units in July 2016 over July 2015. Motorcycle sales rose 23% to 95,062 units in July 2016 over July 2015. Three-wheeler sales fell 22.54% to 7,960 units in July 2016 over July 2015. Total exports fell 5.82% to 40,192 units in July 2016 over July 2015. Exports of two-wheelers fell 1.49% to 33,437 units in July 2016 over July 2015. Tata Communications rose 6.66%. The company's consolidated net profit fell 3.5% to Rs 41.78 crore on 2.9% decline in net sales to Rs 5031.69 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Consolidated earnings include exceptional loss of Rs 92 crore in Q1 June 2016 representing the impairment of Neotel goodwill. On 28 June 2016, Tata Communications announced selling its majority stake in South African internet service provider Neotel to Econet Wireless Global for ZAR 6.55 billion. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 18.3% to Rs 863 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015 on the back of strong performance by data services and aided by voice solutions. The company said that in line with its strategy, revenue and EBITDA have shown a healthy trend over the last few quarters. The company is seeing a clear shift in its business mix with revenue from data services contributing 56% to gross revenue and 78% to EBITDA. JMT Auto rose 4.38% after the company scheduled a board meeting on 4 August 2016 to consider a 2-for-1 stock-split proposal. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. JMT Auto's net profit rose 39.5% to Rs 3.92 crore on 3.5% growth in net sales to Rs 88.48 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015. On the macro front, eight core industries comprising nearly 38% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) increased 5.2% in June 2016 over June 2015, compared to 2.8% growth in May 2016 and 3.1% growth in June 2015. Its cumulative growth during the three months period from April to June 2016 was 5.4%. The data was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting the progress on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional amendment bill in parliament. According to reports, the long-pending GST Bill is listed for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha tomorrow, 3 August 2016 amidst strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government is keen to get the GST Bill approved during the Monsoon Session of Parliament ending on 12 August 2016. The GST bill, which has been approved by the Lok Sabha, is pending in the Rajya Sabha because of opposition to the bill in its current form by the Congress party. A constitutional amendment bill requires at least 50% attendance and support of two-third of those present and voting in the house. For the GST bill to become a law, the bill also needs to be approved by half the state assemblies after its passage in the parliament. GST, touted as the single biggest indirect taxation reforms since independence, will simplify and harmonise the indirect tax regime in the country. The GST seeks to create a seamless national market in the country by replacing plethora of state taxes and central taxes by one tax. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Sales decline 29.63% to Rs 0.19 crore Net profit of Sulabh Engineers & Services declined 35.71% to Rs 0.09 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 0.14 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015. Sales declined 29.63% to Rs 0.19 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 0.27 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015.0.190.2768.4274.070.130.200.130.200.090.14 Powered by Capital Market - Live News Sales decline 2.86% to Rs 5031.69 crore Net profit of Tata Communications declined 3.51% to Rs 41.78 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 43.30 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015. Sales declined 2.86% to Rs 5031.69 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 5179.61 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015.5031.695179.6117.1514.59751.36625.50213.59136.7141.7843.30 Powered by Capital Market - Live News Tata Communications rose 6.64% to Rs 462 at 13:28 IST on BSE after consolidated net profit fell 3.5% to Rs 41.78 crore on 2.9% decline in net sales to Rs 5031.69 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 1 August 2016. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 41.25 points, or 0.15%, to 28,044.37. On BSE, so far 1.79 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average daily volume of 54,042 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 471.30 and a low of Rs 436 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 498 on 7 July 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 325.70 on 29 February 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 1 August 2016, falling 9.51% compared with 3.16% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 4.94% as against Sensex's 9.36% rise. The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 285 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10. The bottom line was adversely impacted by an exceptional one-time write off of Rs 92 crore in Q1 June 2016 on account of impairment of goodwill in South African communications network operator Neotel. It may be recalled that Tata Communications had on 28 June 2016 announced selling its majority stake in Neotel to Liquid Telecom, a pan-African telecoms group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 18.3% to Rs 863 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015 on the back of strong performance by data services and aided by voice solutions. The company said in statement that in line with its strategy, revenue and EBITDA have shown a healthy trend over the last few quarters. The company is seeing a clear shift in its business mix with revenue from data services contributing 56% to gross revenue and 78% to EBITDA. Tata Communications along with its subsidiaries provide managed solutions to multinational enterprises, services providers and Indian customers. Powered by Capital Market - Live News In all, 7,700 Indian workers of four companies in Saudi Arabia, affected by financial crisis, have been given shelter in 20 camps, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Tuesday. Giving a breakup of the figures, Swarup said 4,072 workers belonging to construction company Saudi Oger in Riyadh are in 10 camps: nine in Riyadh and one in Damman. He said 1,457 workers belonging to SAAD Group, Dammam, are in two camps in Dammam; five workers belonging to Shifa Sanaya, Riyadh, are in one camp; 13 workers belonging to Taiya Contracting, Riyadh, are in one camp. "In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah all of whom have been provided food by the Indian consulate," Swarup said. "So there are a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers in 20 camps." The Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers on Monday, wherein the Ambassador apprised them of the ongoing problems faced by the Indian workers and sought the help of the community in collecting information about the affected workers from different companies in the Kingdom, Swarup said. Each of the community workers were given a form to be filled in with the requisite information to be submitted to the embassy. "Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday (Monday) in Riyadh," Swarup said. He said the information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit or to continue or to transfer to other companies was being collected separately. "A team of the embassy is separately working in Dammam. This team yesterday met the labour officials to complete procedures related to the protection of legal dues of the workers, once they depart on final exit," Swarup said, adding that the team was also in touch with the affected workers in the region. He said Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh would be leaving for Jeddah on Tuesday night via Dubai. "His on-ground assessment will determine future course of action," Swarup said. --IANS ab/kb/vm A Special MCOCA Court on Tuesday sentenced Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and six others to life imprisonment till death in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Two others have been sentenced to life imprisonment of 14 years and three others were awarded eight years jail term. All those convicted were fined Rs.20,000 each. The Special MCOCA Judge, S.L. Anekar, who had found the 12 accused guilty on July 28, announced the punishment in a packed courtroom. Awarding the sentences, Special Judge Anekar observed that the court had taken into account the gravity of the offences, the lack of remorse and the potential effect of the case on the common man. The seven sentenced on Friday to undergo life imprisonment till death are Abu Jundal, Mohammed Amir Shakil Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed Abdul Razaq, Sayyed Akif S. Jafruddin, Afroz Khan Shahid Pathan, Faisal Ataur-Rehman Shaikh and M. Aslam Kashmiri. Two other convicts - M. Muzafar Mohammed Tanveer and medico M. Sharif Shabbir Ahmed - have been sentenced to serve 14 years in jail. Three other convicts have been slapped with eight-year sentences: Afzal K. Nabi Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed M. Isaf Shaikh, Javed A. Abdul Majid. Of the convicts, Faisal Ataur-Rehmah Shaikh had earlier been sentenced to death in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai serial blasts in suburban trains. From the total 22 accused, eight were acquitted on various grounds including lack of evidence: Mohammed Juber Sayyed Anwar, Abdul Azim Abdul Jalil, Riyaz Ahmed M. Ramzan, Khatib Imran Akil Ahmed, Vikar Ahmed Nisar Shaikh, Abdul Samad Shamsher Khan, Mohammed Akil Ismail Momin and Firoz Tajuddin Deshmukh. However, the stringent charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were dropped against all the accused and they have been punished under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention) Act, Explosives Act and Arms Act. Special Judge Anekar has also upheld the prosecution's plea that the case was part of a larger post-2002 Gujarat communal riots conspiracy to eliminate then Chief Minister (now Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia. "It was a conspiracy after the 2002 riots to eliminate Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia," the judge observed in his verdict last week. There were a total of 22 accused who were charged with procuring a huge amount of explosives, arms and ammunition, and allegedly planned to target various political leaders for their role in the Gujarat riots. The trial, which resumed in 2013 after the arrest of Abu Jundal, had concluded in March this year before the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Special Court here. The trial of two other accused - an absconder Shaikh Abdul Naim, and an approver-turned hostile witness Mehmud Sayyed - shall be conducted separately. The Special Court also accepted the prosecution's contention that the arms, ammunition and explosives were procured from Pakistan and all the accused had a common intent of waging 'jihad' (holy war). Following a tip, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) teams chased a speeding Tata Indica and a Tata Sumo on the Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad on May 8, 2006. They apprehended three suspects from the Tata Sumo -- Mohammed Aamir Shakil Ahmed, Juber Sayed Anwar and Abdulazeem Abduljameel Shaikh -- while the Tata Indica, allegedly driven by Abu Jundal, gave the slip. In all, a total of 16 AK-47 army assault rifles, 3,200 live cartridges, 43 kg of RDX and 50 hand grenades were seized from Khultabad, Yeola and Malegaon areas on two separate occasions by the ATS. After escaping the police team, Jundal dumped the vehicle with another associate in Malegaon in Nashik district and fled to Bangladesh and then to Pakistan on a forged passport. A native of Beed in Maharashtra, Jundal was later arrested after his deportation from Saudi Arabia in June 2012. He then revealed to the ATS another hideout from where they recovered 13 kg RDX, 1,200 cartridges, 50 hand grenades and 22 magazine rounds. The prosecution examined 100 witnesses while the defence examined 16 during the long trial that totally lasted nearly 10 years. --IANS qn/mr American journalist Stephanie Pearson's feature on Kerala "The Great Heaven" has won India's National Tourism Award for travel writing. After the Ministry of Tourism of India announced the award, Pearson reacted on her Twitter handle @stephanieapears saying, "I'm honoured to receive this." Pearson's travel feature is a snapshot on Kerala's rollicking palm-fringed beaches, gorgeous topography, serene spirituality and hospitality. Pearson, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, won the award for Best Foreign Journalist for India. Her travel feature had appeared in the Outside Magazine. It is based on her experiences during her three-week Onam sojourn in the state. "The Great Heaven" will also feature in "The Best American Travel Writing", a book to be published by Random House in October this year. Pearson, a school teacher and science writer, travelled more than 600 miles by car, train, houseboat, on foot and kayak, reporting on the diverse wildlife, culture and spirituality of Kerala. "Kerala is a laid-back tropical paradise where you can paddle hidden backwaters, trek the rugged Western Ghats, look for tigers, indulge in ayurvedic treatments, and chill out on unspoiled beaches. Just leave your manic Western self behind," she wrote. --IANS sg/in/vt Late "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin's family is set to file a lawsuit against Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler after an accident that led to the 27-year-old's death in June. Anton died after his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled towards him at his home here. The car was under recall for problems with the gear shifter. As well as suing the car company, Viktor and Irina Yelchin are filing suits against AutoNation and ZF North America, who manufactured the gear shifter, The Guardian reported. The couple are also filing for control of the late actor's estate as he did not leave a will. --IANS ank/rb/dg The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi government to soon ban Chinese kite string and permit string made only of cotton or other natural fibre. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal sought to know the status of the Aam Aadmi Party government's notification to ban the Chinese string made of nylon. Noting that the kite-flying festival, celebrated in Delhi on August 15, was around the corner, the court asked the government to inform it by when the notification will be issued. The government told the bench that the notification was pending before Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung for approval. On Monday, the government told the high court that it will soon issue a notification to ban the Chinese 'manja' (string) and allow the use of string made only of cotton or other natural fibre. The government said it was conscious of the injuries caused by kite-flying thread made of nylon. The government's response came on a public interest litigation to demand immediate a ban on Chinese kite string. The petitioner had called for a ban on the manufacture, sale, use and purchase of the nylon 'manja', alleging it is "razor sharp" and has caused several deaths across the country and can slice through human skin. Petitioner Zulfiqar Hussain said earlier that the victims of the synthetic thread were mostly birds "but now humans are also under threat". --IANS gt/tsb/mr Three persons were arrested, including an employee of the ICICI Bank, on charge of snatching Rs 80 lakh from two employees of a rice trader, police said on Tuesday. Rs 44.74 lakh of the looted money was recovered by the police from accused bank official Ajit Singh, 24, Aashu Srivastava, 30, and Mukesh Pal, 26, police said. Aashu and Mukesh run a cloth store in Rohini area of west Delhi. The snatching occurred near an underpass at Shakur Basti in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area on July 28 when rice trader Ved Prakash's employees Aman and Sonu were on way to a bank to deposit the money. Both were intercepted by six to seven unidentified persons on bikes who snatched the bag containing cash. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Pushpendra Kumar told reporters: "Ajit leaked the information to his friends Aashu and Mukesh about Ved Prakash's employees carrying Rs 80 lakh." Police said Ajit also tipped-off Mukesh, Monty, Puneet Anand and Sushil Sharma. "An analysis of the call detail records of Ajit and Aashu revealed they were in touch on the day of the crime," the officer said. "They admitted to their crime and disclosed that they had distributed the booty among themselves," Kumar said. --IANS aks/tsb/dg Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has expressed support to a campaign to promote eradication of open defecation. "Strongly support Swachh Bharat and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation's August campaign. We need India free from open defecation," Amitabh tweeted. The slogan for the campaign is: "Ek kadam swachta ki aur (One step towards hygiene)." This is not the first time the cinematic icon is supporting a campaign for Swachch Bharat. Last month, he was asked to be the face of the "City Compost Campaign" under Swachh Bharat Mission to encourage citizens to use compost produced from municipal solid waste On the silver screen, Big B who was last seen in "TE3N", will soon be seen in the upcoming thriller "Pink", which also features actress Taapsee Pannu. --IANS dc/rb/vt The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the Bulandshahr gang-rape in Uttar Pradesh and the resignation of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav over the "failure" of law and order in the state. "We condemn the Bulandshahr incident. We appeal to Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav that if he has some morality left in him, he should immediately hand over the probe of this case to CBI," BJP spokesman Shrikant Sharma said here. A woman from Noida and her minor daughter were gang-raped on Saturday night after being dragged out of their car by dacoits near a highway in western Uttar Pradesh. The two were travelling with other family members to their native place in Shahjahanpur to attend a family ritual. "Today, women in UP are resigned to live in fear, the morale of the police is down and criminals are roaming scot-free as they have the ruling party's protection. UP mein janata trast, apradhi mast aur police laachar hai (In UP public is hapless, criminals are happy and police is helpless)," Sharma said. He said that 12,198 cases of murder, 6,015 cases of loot and dacoity, 2,920 cases of rapes and 1,232 kidnappings have been reported in the state ever since the Samajwadi Party came to power in the state. The BJP also criticised senior party functionary and Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan for his statement that the Bulandshahr incident was a conspiracy by the opposition to defame the state government. Earlier, BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit President Kehsav Prasad Maurya, who met the victims in Noida, demanded Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's resignation, saying he has failed to govern the state. "The (Uttar Pradesh) government has failed to take action in the shameful and painful incident. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should resign as he has failed to govern the state. Such incidents have also happened in the past," Keshav Maurya told reporters. "The party and the central government stand by the family. We will meet the Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) and demand a CBI probe into the incident," he added. --IANS mak/rn/vt The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the gang-rape in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. "The (Uttar Pradesh) government has failed to take action in the shameful and painful incident. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should resign as he has failed to govern the state. Such incidents have also happened in the past," Keshav Maurya, BJP's Uttar Pradesh chief, told reporters. "The party and the central government stand by the family. We will meet Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) and demand a CBI probe into the incident," he added. Eight armed men stopped a family car on the Delhi-Kanpur highway last Saturday morning, dragged out a 38-year-old woman and her teenaged daughter and gang raped them. The other members of the family were tied up. --IANS av/rn/vm Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday accused the opposition BJP of spreading "lies and mis-information" about a new legislation to ensure a total ban on liquor in the state. "BJP leaders have been spreading lies and mis-information about the new legislation on the liquor ban in the state," Nitish Kumar said in his reply to the debate in the Bihar Legislative Council over the new law for liquor ban. Nitish Kumar said Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were saying just anything for their vested interests. "It is not only wrong but dangerous also," he said. A day after the Bihar assembly passed a new Prohibition and Excise Bill, 2016, which has stringent provisions for ensuring a total liquor ban, Nitish Kumar questioned the BJP leaders' commitment towards the liquor ban. "If the BJP leaders supported the state government's move in April for the liquor ban, why are they now restless in opposing the new legislation for its effective implementation." The BJP had dubbed the new legislation a "black law" and a "draconian" measure. The party legislators introduced a series of amendments but all were defeated by a voice vote in the assembly during discussion. Nitish Kumar said the new legislation was not draconian but framed after much deliberations to effectively implement the liquor ban in Bihar. The Chief Minister said the new legislation was required to plug gaping holes in the previous Act that facilitated the liquor ban in the state with effect from April 1. --IANS ik/tsb/dg Operations at Bangladesh's Payra Sea Port were unofficially flagged off with the anchorage of a commercial vessel from China. MV Fortune Bird reached the outer anchorage of the port in southwestern of Patuakhali district on Monday afternoon. The port will be officially inaugurated in a ceremony on Aug 13, Payra Port Authority Chairman Captain Saidur Rahman told bdnews24.com. The vessel, however, could not unload the 53,000 tonnes stone, mostly for the Padma Bridge, due to bad weather, Captain Saidur said. Several other foreign ships would reach the port in the next few days. "Ships depend on high tide in other ports, but there is no such problem with Payra port because of its deep navigability. Ships can travel to the port 24 hours a day," the chairman added. --IANS ss/rn/dg Telangana's main opposition Congress on Tuesday urged Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan to dismiss two ministers for EAMCET-II (medical) question paper leak. A delegation of party leader submitted a memorandum to the governor, seeking probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the paper leak. Party's state unit chief Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters after meeting, that the inquiry by the CID will not bring out the truth, and the party urged the governor to dismiss Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Kadiam Srihari and Health Minister Laxma Reddy. The Congress also complained to the governor about the forcible manner in which the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was acquiring lands from farmers for Mallannasagar irrigation project in Medak district. It alleged that the government was adopting dictatorial attitude and was using police to suppress the protest by the farmers and other villagers. Former minister D. K. Aruna, who was also part of the delegation, said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had confined himself to his guest house, leaving the governance to police. She said the Chief Minister should resign owning moral responsibility for the leakage of EAMCET-II question paper. She said the TRS chief had not responded to the allegations about his family's involvement in the racket. Congress leader in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbi had said last week that he suspect the involvement of Chandrasekhar Rao's son and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao in question paper leakage. The state government on Tuesday scrapped EAMCET-II due to question paper leakage and announced that fresh entrance for admissions to medical courses will be held next month. --IANS ms/vd The government has planned an elaborate fortnight-long programme to commemorate the country's 70th Independence Day, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the programme '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Qurbani' (70 years of Independence -- Let's recall the sacrifices) on August 9, that will continue till August 23. Naidu said the 15-day event will showcase the plurality and diversity of India through various modes and platforms and incorporating the voices and sentiments of the people. As part of the campaign, cultural programmes based on the biographies of our national icons and stories of freedom struggle will be organised all over the country. The celebrations will also infuse patriotic fervour in the hearts and minds of the youth and children of the country, he said. Briefing the media here, Naidu said Union ministers will visit the birthplaces of the national icons and places of historical importance related to India's independence movement, such as Jallianwala Bagh (Punjab), Chauri Chaura (Uttar Pradesh), Cellular Jail (Andaman islands), Sabarmati Ashram and Dandi (both in Gujarat) etc. "It is the 75th year of 'Quit India' movement. All ministers will visit places associated with our freedom struggle, such as the Jallianwala Bagh, Cellular Jail, Sabarmati Ashram and Dandi etc. Each minister will visit at least two places," he said. The minister said the campaign is also aimed at developing the feeling of "nation first". "The visiting ministers will highlight various initiatives of the Narendra Modi government in the last two years. Independence means from 'swaraj' (self-rule) to 'suraaj' (good governance)," Naidu said. Giving details of various activities that aim to capture the festive spirit on the occasion, Naidu said all important monuments in the country will be illuminated in tricolour, the use of 'khadi' (handspun cotton cloth) will be promoted in a big way, and Independence Day fairs and exhibitions held to enable local artisans to display their products. Naidu said the participation of sport icons and celebrities in India was being solicited to capture the popular sentiment of the country. A week-long 'Tiranga Yatra' to evoke feelings of nationalism and patriotism will also be undertaken from the Independence Day on August 15, he said. Members of parliament and state legislatures have been asked to participate in the Yatra carrying the Tricolour and visit their constituencies. Naidu said that the social media will be used extensively to promote the spirit of participation and position interactive campaigns. --IANS mak-bns/tsb/dg The government on Tuesday appeared confident of getting through Rajya Sabha the constitutional amendment bill that would pave way for introduction of Goods and Services Tax in the country. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said government is "positive" about getting the bill through. "There is a consensus among all parties regarding the importance and requirement for the GST bill," he said, but did not give any details on how many parties have officially expressed their support for the bill. "Everyone has the feeling it will be a win-win situation for all. The bill is coming after much deliberation and we are positive about the outcome. We are confident all parties will come together to get the bill passed," the minister added. A time of five hours has been allocated for the debate and government expects to conclude the debate and pass the bill on Wednesday itself. "Usually in constitutional amendment bills, parties ensure presence of all members. At times members have even come on stretcher... so government always tries to get the voting concluded on the same day," another minister said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed his party members about the bill at the meeting of BJP's parliamentary party on Tuesday morning. Sources said Jaitley asked the members to read and understand the bill before it is taken up. Both the BJP and the Congress have already issued a whip to their members making it compulsory for them to be present in the house on Wednesday. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, which will be taken up on Wednesday, will amend Constitution to introduce the goods and services tax (GST). Consequently, the GST subsumes various central indirect taxes including the Central Excise Duty, Countervailing Duty, Service Tax, etc. It also subsumes state value added tax, octroi and entry tax, luxury tax among others. The bill has been long stuck as government does not have a majority in the upper house, and main opposition Congress was so far not in agreement to the bill. The long-continuing negotiations on the bill between government and the Congress also saw government dropping a provision for one percent inter-state tax from the bill. On Tuesday, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party would be in fvour of passing the bill if there are no "obstacles". "If there isn't any obstacle, the GST Bill will be approved tomorrow (Wednesday)," he told reporters outside the Parliament House, but did not elaborate what the 'obstacles' could be. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury meanwhile said the bill that was coming on Wednesday was just to make a provision for introducing GST and they will wait for the GST bill. He also expressed concern about the states losing their right to raise their own revenue. Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav meanwhile came out in support of the bill. "I support GST but most of the people are not aware as to what will be the benefits to consumers after its enactment. Government should publicise," Yadav said in a tweet. The GST bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014, and was passed by the Lok Sabha around five months later on May 6. It was then referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha which submitted its report on July 22. These amendments will need to get the nod of the Lok Sabha again, following which at least 50 per cent of the states need to ratify the bill for it to become a statute. This again could be a long-drawn process, since states will have their own issues and queries. --IANS ao/vd The Supreme Court ruling disentitling former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh from retaining government bungalows should also be implemented in Jharkhand, the Congress said on Monday. "The Supreme Court verdict should be implemented in the state. The expenditure incurred on facilities extended to former chief ministers ultimately burdens the public," Kishore Sahdeo, spokesman of the Jharkhand unit of the Congress, told IANS. Jharkhand has five former chief ministers belonging to various parties retaining their state government-provided bungalows: Babulal Marandi (JVM-P), Arjun Munda (BJP), Madhu Koda (independent), Shibu Soren and Hemant Soren (both JMM). They not only live in sprawling bungalows, but have also been provided with security staff, personal assistants and other facilities. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief Shibu Soren occupies the largest bungalow -- near Morbadi ground of Ranchi city. A state guest house situated near Morabadi ground was turned into official residence of Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P). Another guest house situated near old jail of Ranchi was converted into a house for BJP's Arjun Munda. The decision to provide former chief ministers with bungalows was first taken in 2003 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Arjun Munda. It was to provide an official accommodation to Babulal Marandi who had quit as chief minister after MLAs belonging to coalition partners revolted against him. The bungalow facility was withdrawn briefly in 2010 when President's Rule was imposed in Jharkhand before being restored the same year by Arjun Munda when he became the chief minister again. During that brief period, only Babulal Marandi quit his bungalow while others did not. Marandi again accepted the facility when it was restored. The instability that has characterised successive Jharkhand governments since the state's formation in 2000 has meant that there have been too many claimants of the expensive facility. Jharkhand has seen six chief ministers since its creation in 2000 as no government has so far survived more than 28 months. The Congress has never been in power in the state --IANS ns/kb/vm The Japanese cabinet on Tuesday approved an economic stimulus package worth 28.1 trillion yen ($274 billion) to support the country's sluggish economy in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the European Union. The package was approved after the Bank of Japan decided to take additional monetary easing at a policy meeting last week, Xinhua news agency reported. The package includes additional expenditure by the state and local governments of 7.5 trillion yen, of which 1.7 trillion yen will be allocated to build infrastructure to boost tourism and agriculture, and 2.5 trillion yen to enhancing welfare such as child and nursing care. The government will also allocate 2.7 trillion yen to rebuild areas hit by massive earthquakes in 2011 and April this year. Another 600 billion yen will be used to help small and medium-sized companies dealing with possible negative effects from Britain's decision to leave the EU. The government estimates the stimulus would push up the GDP by around 1.3 per cent in the next two years. --IANS sm/py/vt Student activist and fiery orator Kanhaiya Kumar was on Tuesday refused entry into the visitors' gallery of Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan (legislature) building at Nariman Point here. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union chief was in the city to attend an anniversary function of Peasants & Workers Party (PWP) of India. "I wanted to watch the proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha here. I specially wanted to listen to the debate on the issue of Vidarbha. But I was not permitted inside," Kanhaiya Kumar later told media persons. He added that he possessed a valid visitor's gallery pass duly issued by the authorities, but the legislature security barred his entry, and he later left for Raigad district. "They said my entry is 'on hold'. When I asked them to clarify, they had no reply. I wanted to watch the democratic process and had all the necessary permissions and a pass, yet I was stopped," he added. Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and termed the incident as "shameful". "He is not a terrorist. In a democratic set-up, anyone can come and watch the proceedings of the law-making bodies. There must be a probe as who ordered him to be stopped," Chavan said. BJP legislator Ram Kadam, however, accused Kanhaiya Kumar of unnecessarily "politicising" the issue. "When he arrived here, he did not carry the entry pass. What he showed to the media was procured later," he claimed. --IANS qn/vd/vt Separatists attacked the house of Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar with two petrol bombs here late on Monday but no one was hurt, police said on Tuesday. The attack took place in Parray Pora area. "The bombs exploded without causing any damage, one in the lawn and the other outside the compound wall," a police officer said. The minister is presently living in a government accommodation in the high security Gupkar Road in Srinagar. --IANS sq/mr The Lok Sabha on Tuesday adopted a resolution under which the Railway Ministry has questioned the practice of railways paying dividend to the government, as Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu maintained that the country's "strategic asset is in deep trouble for long". A senior Trinamool Congress member and former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi echoed his sentiments and lamented that the organisation had its hands and feet "tied". Pushing hard for the unanimous adoption of the resolution moved on Friday, Prabhu listed out a number of steps taken by the Railways to ensure higher investments, general improvement in services and infrastructures and ensure that the national transporter does not lose freight and passenger traffic. "We have taken a number of measures to take passengers back to the Railways. We are bringing in new technology to ensure transparency," he said at the end of the debate in which, among others, Trivedi supported the minister's contentions. Prabhu said the Railways has been a "strategic asset and national treasure" but has been in "deep trouble for long". "We have to make all efforts to pull it out. That is the challenge. The Indian Railways must be developed to its full potential," he said. The minister emphasised the need for a re-examination of the dividend policy that takes care of the government's social obligations to the tune of Rs 34,000 crore. He said the Indian Railways gets near negligible subsidy -- below one per cent -- as compared with the railways in developed countries like Germany, France, Italy and Austria. "We are asking for a subsidy of 30 paise per km only," the minister said. The Lok Sabha took up for discussion the resolution on Friday afternoon and it continued also on Monday. The members discussed at length the rate at which the Railways should pay the dividends to the government at a time when the national transporter is financially overburdened, following the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission report. The resolution is actually moved in the spirit of recommendation of a Railway Convention Committee. The resolution read: "That this House approves the recommendations contained in the First Report of Railway Convention Committee (2014), appointed to review the rate of dividend payable by the Railway Undertaking to General Revenues and other ancillary matters, which was presented to both the Houses of Parliament on 22nd December, 2015." Prabhu on Friday told the Lok Sabha members: "This paying of dividend to the Finance Ministry is one area which really needs to be looked into. Why should the Railways pay dividend?" Participating in the debate, Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) said as someone who has handled the Railways, he knew the organisation's "hands and legs are tied". "They are not allowed to do whatever they want to do in terms of generating their own revenue." On top of it, Trivedi said, if the railways has to pay dividend on whatever capital it gets, "I think, it is impossible for any Railway Minister, with any kind of calibre, to move on". He said it is high time the members appreciated and decided on what role the Railways need to take. "Do we want the Indian Railways to be a transportation system only for the poorest of the poor from point 'A' to 'B' or do we want the Railways to be instrumental in adding two and a half per cent to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and to the growth of the nation," Trivedi said. Prabhu said he was working on long-term plans for the railways development. "We are developing a plan for railways for 2030...in close consultation with stakeholders", he said and asked parliamentarins to give inputs in this regard. The Railways has said its burden is as high as Rs 30,000 crore. This year, the Railways have been saddled with additional burden of Rs 30,000 crore on account of implementation of the Pay Commission recommendations. The minister said the Railways will, in fact, need additional funding. He said the Railways was taking steps to augment its funding. --IANS nd/tsb/dg West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday issued strict instructions to police to take stern steps against promoters and all others filling up water bodies in the state, and said no one should not be spared even if they took her name. "If anybody fills up a water body, police will deal with it. Police have been told to control the miscreants strictly. Often promoters fill up water bodies in the darkness of the night," Banerjee said after a high level meeting attended by ministers and top police officers at the state secretariat Nabanna. "We have told the police if the allegations are correct, strong action has to be taken. Even if the accused take my name, they shouldn't be spared," she said. Responding to media criticism faced by the government and the ruling Trinamool Congress regarding extortion demands faced by those endeavouring to construct houses or extend their residences, Banerjee said: "It is not my job to find out who is extorting. The administration is there for this." She said if a "genuine wrong" has been committed, the media should bring it to the knowledge of the police, but warned against false reports being published in the media to protect the interests of unscrupulous promoters. "There are some people who for the sake of are organising demonstrations. That is also not right." Refering to her party Trinamool, she said: "If even one or two people commit wrongs, we take strong action. Police also have been taking strong action, and will continue to do so in future." Conceding that some people are expanding their business by taking the name of Trinamool, she said: "We won't allow that also." Banerjee said the municipal corporations, municipalities, the Urban Development Department and police have been told to come down with a heavy hand to stop illegal promoting. Alleged some unscrupulous promoters try to give a communal colour to protect their interests, she asserted that no such attempts will be allowed. The state's opposition parties had made extortion and activities of syndicates (cartels said to force promoters and contractors to buy construction materials often of inferior quality at high prices) a major issue during the assembly polls earlier this years. After her party returned to power, Banerjee expressed her displeasure over law and order and asked police to curb the illegal syndicate business. Last month, Trinamool councillor of Bidhannagar municipality, Anindya Chatterjee, was arrested and remanded to custody on charges of extortion in North 24 Parganas district. --IANS ssp/vd A Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday prayed for Congress President Sonia Gandhi's "quick recovery and good health" after she took ill during a road show in Varanasi. "Heard about Sonia ji's ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health," Modi tweeted. Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday was taken ill during a road show in the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She fell sick at Lahurabeer, and was taken to a lodge where doctors attended on her and advised her rest. She is expected to fly back to New Delhi. --IANS sid/rn/vt Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on August 9 launch a programme called '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Kurbani' (70 years of independence: Do recall the sacrifices). "The campaign is aimed at developing a feeling in every person that nation is first and individual is secondary," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here after a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party. "It will provide an opportunity for the people to recall the supreme sacrifices made by freedom fighters during freedom struggle," Naidu said. A week-long "Tiranga Yatra" to evoke nationalism and patriotism will also be undertaken from August 15 on the occasion of Independence Day, he said. Members of parliament and state legislatures have been asked to take part in the Yatra carrying the Tricolour and visit their constituencies. At the meeting, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley briefed the members about Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which is to be presented in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Later, talking to reporters Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said, "We hope GST will be passed." --IANS bns/kb/vt Military representatives from China, US and Australia are in New Zealand this week to discuss ways to improve emergency humanitarian operations in the South Pacific, the military said on Tuesday. According to the New Zealand Defence Force, personnel from the four military forces would take part in Exercise Cooperation Spirit, an annual tabletop exercise designed to strengthen co-operation and contribute to the development of coalition humanitarian aid policies, Xinhua news agency reported. The exercise would use a detailed scenario in a fictional South Pacific country to present participants with particular problems to resolve. "We will be asking them to develop solutions based on the combined capabilities of the nations involved," a New Zealand commander official said in a statement. International aid groups, including the Red Cross, Unicef and World Vision, would be represented along with officials from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Defence and Police, as well as a representative for Timor-Leste. "The theme is 'The Sum is Greater Than The Parts -- 21st Century Humanitarian Operations,' and developing an understanding of how all of these agencies and militaries must work together for greatest effect is crucial to being able to deliver the best humanitarian support to the South Pacific after a disaster," the commander added. --IANS sm/ksk/vm There has been no headway in the investigation into the gang rape and robbery committed on NH-91 on Friday night despite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announcing that the case would be cracked within 24 hours. Questions have been raised by locals as to whether those arrested were really involved in the crime in which a woman and her teenaged daughter were gang-raped, and their belongings robbed. Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh said the police arrested three persons in haste to fulfil the assurance of the chief minister. Innocent people are being harassed by the police, he alleged, adding that the real culprits are being spared under political pressure. Earlier, the police arrested three suspects who were presented before the local court which sent them to 14 days judicial custody in Bulandshahr jail. The suspects have been identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa Hapur; Rahees, a resident of Sutari Bulandshahr, and Jabar Singh, a resident of Rabupura in Gautam Budh Nagar. "We are looking for other culprits whose role in the crime has been revealed during investigation," DIG of Uttar Pradesh Police Laxmi Singh said. Meanwhile, the victims told IANS that the police was apathetic towards their plight and did not provide any medical treatment. Neither were there any counsellors to deal with their trauma, the victims said. It was only when the crime was reported in the media that the police swung into action, they added. --IANS sps/bim/sac There is no 'matka' gambling centre operating in Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the assembly on Tuesday against the backdrop of an ongoing police investigation into the matter. "There is no 'matka' booking centre in the state. However, whenever 'matka' gambling activities are noticed or upon receipt of reliable information, cases are registered by the police," Parsekar said in reply to a question by Francisco Pacheco, Goa Vikas Party legislator from Nuvem. The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court is currently overseeing a Crime Branch probe into the nexus between matka gambling lobby, the politicians and the police. Matka is an illegal form of gambling that has gained immense popularity in Mumbai and Konkan region since the 1970s. It functions six days a week, virtually like a lottery, where lucky numbers are generated thrice every day. Matka's popularity stems from the fact that one can wager as small an amount as one rupee. The matka industry in Goa alone is pegged at several thousand crore of rupees. Several legislators and ministers in successive state governments have demanded its legalisation. --IANS maya/kb/vt A day-long shutdown called by opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday to demand special status to the state evoked near total response. Buses of the state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corp (APSRTC) went off the roads while shops, businesses and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of all the 13 districts. Police arrested leaders and workers of the YSR Congress Party, Congress, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist as they staged road blockades and sit-in at bus depots. The arrests led to tension at a few places. Police forcibly removed the protestors at Pundit Nehru Bus Stand at Vijayawada. Similar situation was seen in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur districts. The APSRTC buses were also confined to depots in East Godavari, West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam. Schools and colleges remained closed in response to the shutdown called by YSRCP to protest against the Centre's refusal to accord special status to the state and the failure of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to mount pressure on the central government. The Congress and Left parties supported the shutdown call by YSRCP, the lone opposition party in the state assembly. "Special status is Andhra's right", "Chandrababu Naidu down down" and "BJP down down" were the slogans raised by the protestors. Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had told the Rajya Sabha last week that special status can't be accorded to Andhra Pradesh but assured that the Centre would do the handholding until the state become economically stable. YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy termed this a betrayal of five crore people of the state by the BJP. He reminded the BJP that it had promised the special status for 10 years. The leader of opposition also targeted the TDP for failing to bring pressure on the Centre to fulfill the commitment under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He wondered how the TDP continued in the BJP-led NDA government despite the latter ruling out the special status. --IANS ms/mr Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that the country does not need support from the Monetary Fund (IMF) anymore. " will soon stop looking towards IMF for assistance. The last session with IMF is underway right now," Dar said in an interview to Dawn online on Monday. We will not go to IMF for assistance, Dar added. The Finance Minister said that by 2050, will become the 18th biggest economic nation across the world, Dawn online reported. Earlier, a senior IMF official said that Pakistan's was gradually gaining strength and its short-term vulnerabilities were also receding. Clarifying the government's plan regarding the newly envisioned property tax laws, Dar said "we haven't announced any amnesty scheme regarding the transferring of property". The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will now determine the prices of property and all transactions will be done through a transparent process, Dawn online quoted the minister as saying. Chief Minister of Pakistan's Sindh province Murad Ali Shah has created a group on instant messaging service WhatsApp for Cabinet members aimed at keeping him informed about their activities. Using the latest technology for good governance, Shah on Monday created the WhatsApp group titled 'Cabinet' and included ministers, advisers and special assistants in it, Dawn online reported. The Chief Minister himself is the group administrator. He asked all the cabinet members to keep him informed about their activities and issues on the group. Official sources told Dawn online that cabinet members had started sharing pictures of their visits and meetings, and details of other activities in the group. --IANS ksk A caravan of relief material mobilized by the JuD in Pakistan for distribution in the Kashmir Valley was halted on Tuesday near the Line of Control (LoC), triggering protests, officials said. The caravan of dozens of trucks and ambulances left Muzzafarabad in Pakistani Kashmir early on Tuesday for Srinagar and was stopped by police in Chakothi village near the LoC. The vehicles are loaded with essential supplies like rice, oil, fresh and dry vegetables, clarified butter, baby food and medicines. There were also ambulances with doctors and para-medics. The relief materials and ambulances were put together by Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), charity wing of the proscribed Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Islamist group. The group is headed by Hafeez Sayeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack for whose capture the US has announced a bounty of $10 million. Although the JuD is outlawed in Pakistan, it is known to operate more or less freely through its various fronts. Sayeed frequently addressed public rallies. People in the caravan staged a noisy demonstration in Chakothi, insisting that they be allowed to proceed to the Kashmir Valley in India, the FIF said. "The caravan will not leave this place till the material is sent to the Kashmiri people who are suffering from over three weeks due to the Indian atrocities," it said. Hafiz Abdul Rouf of FIF said markets in the Kashmir Valley were shut due to curfew and restrictions and that Kashmiris were suffering badly. "If the two countries can use this route for trade, why can't it be used for humanitarian relief?" he asked. The widespread protests in the Kashmir Valley following the killing of militant Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. --IANS ahm/mr Pakistan on Tuesday announced completion of a disputed gate complex along its border with Afghanistan that had led to heightened diplomatic tension with Kabul and a prolonged stand-off between the border forces of the two neighbours. Construction of the 'Bab-e-Pakistan' gate complex near Torkham, which began on June 12 this year, has been completed, media reports said. Construction of the gate complex had been resisted by Afghanistan and led to escalation of tension between the two neighbours -- with both sides trading fire, leading to casualties on the border. Pakistan says it has built the gate with the aim to check the to and fro movement of people. One of the gates will be used to enter into Pakistan, while the other will allow people to leave the country. Earlier, thousands of vehicles used to pass through the crossing freely every week and it was also a vital trade link between the two countries. Both sides accuse each other of harbouring extremist groups that have launched terror attacks in the other's territory. Afghanistan, struggling to contain a stubborn insurgency led by Taliban militants, blames Pakistan for harbouring fighters and allied networks on its territory. Pakistan denies it. Pakistan has blamed a number of terror attacks in the country on Afghan nationals who cross the border illegally. The 2,250-km border is also known as the Durand Line because it was demarcated by Sir Mortimer Durand during the British rule in India. Afghanistan's successive Pashtun-dominated governments have long disputed the border demarcations between the two countries. With the creation of Pakistan, the border has become a point of contention between the two sides. Afghanistan has demanded a re-negotiation of the border, something that is rejected by Pakistan. --IANS ahm/rn/dg Health technology company Philips Avent has announced the launch of a month-long awareness campaign aimed at educating new mothers, caregivers and families on the importance of breastfeeding, the company said in a statement. The campaign 'Feeding Our Future', which was launched on Tuesday, is in line with this year's world breastfeeding week -- beginning August 1 till August 7 -- theme 'A Key to Sustainable Development'. The campaign will reach out to mothers, caregivers and healthcare professionals through multiple touchpoints offline at Cloudnine Hospitals as well as other leading hospitals by hosting lactation camps and educational sessions. "Breastfeeding has tremendous short and long term health benefits for both mother and baby, setting the stage for healthier futures," said Jayati Singh, Business Head Health and Wellness, Philips India, in a statement. The campaign, which will run throughout August, aims to reach out to more than five lakh mothers across eight cities -- New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune. "Through 'Feeding Our Future' campaign, we are committed to empowering mothers and work with them to develop the tools and resources they need to achieve their breastfeeding goals," Singh added. Additionally, the company is reaching out to the modern day parenting community through online medium. People can post their queries through the social media channels and websites of the company. --IANS rt/ss/dg Eight members of an international drug syndicate have been arrested and 14.2 kg of party drug Mephedrone, popularly known as "Meow Meow", worth Rs 25 crore seized from them, Delhi Police said on Tuesday. Those arrested are Mohammad Faizan Ahmed Supariwala, 36, a resident of Mumbai, Surender Singh aka Sunny, 34, Rishi Koli, 35, Manoj Sengar, 46, Sanjay Khanna, 43, Guddu Yadav, 33, Deepak Parashar, 38, and Mahender Singh Rana, 53, all residents of Delhi. 'Meow Meow' drug is commonly used as a substitute for cocaine, especially at rave parties in Delhi, Mumbai and other metros. Cost of one gram varies from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000, police said. "Faizan was arrested on July 23, when he arrived in the city to receive the consignment of drugs from his gang members," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav told reporters. Two kilograms of 'Meow Meow' was recovered from his possession. He was arrested from Greater Kailash area of south Delhi. The remaining members of the syndicate were arrested from different areas of Delhi after interrogation of Faizan. According to police, the gang was involved in the business for long time but seizure of a big consignment in Mumbai gave the police some clue of the drug ring, police said. The officer also said that the gang was helped by an Inspector-rank officer in the Customs Department in Delhi. "We seized nine kilograms of narcotics from Mahender Singh Rana. During interrogation he said that he received the drugs through a customs officer," Yadav said. "Rana had received 21 kg of drugs from the officer, of which he had sold around 12 kg and the remaining nine kg were left with him," the DCP added. According to police, the customs department officer has not reported for duty for the past two days and his house was also found locked. "We have informed his office, and we are waiting for details," the DCP added. Explaining the international connection of the syndicate, Yadav said: "The gang was operated by one of its masterminds named Kailash, who is settled in Dubai." "He used to control the entire operation of drugs from Dubai," Yadav said, adding, "He is also wanted in a case of drugs in Mumbai." Kailash's brother is currently lodged in jail in Mumbai in a drug smuggling case. Yadav said that the drugs were sent to European and Gulf countries through courier and cargo. A senior police officer related to the probe requesting anonymity told IANS: "We will soon conduct a raid in Mumbai to find out the details of Arif, whose name appeared during investigation." According to police, Arif is a close associate of Kailash, who used to supply the drugs to European and Gulf countries through his contacts. --IANS aks/rn/dg India's popular gaming company Junglee Games has roped in popular movie stars Prakash Raj and Rana Daggubati as the brand ambassadors for its flagship game JungleeRummy.com, an online rummy website. The two actors, featuring in the company's first TV commercial, highlight the changing times and how Junglee Games is offering users the convenience and liberty to play anytime, anywhere without any distractions. "This is our first TVC with two of the most well respected and recognised celebrities in Indian cinema. By launching it on national television, we are letting every Indian know that Rummy, which has traditionally been one of the most popular skill-based card games in the country, is now available online to played anytime and anywhere," Ankush Gera, Founder and CEO of Junglee Games, said in a statement. "The presence of Prakash Raj and Rana Daggubati would help Junglee Rummy establish a deeper connect with players in every region in the country," he said. For the ad, Rana and Prakash Raj have donned a retro avatar. --IANS hp/rb/vm The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday its verdict whether a lawmaker, who has been expelled from his party, could suffer disqualification under anti-defection law for defying the party whip subsequent to his expulsion. A bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Prafulla C. Pant would pronounce their order on the seven questions that were framed by a two-judge bench saying that on certain aspects of anti-defection law, its 1996 judgment in Vishwanathan case was not clear. The two-judge bench had referred the questions to a larger bench on November 15, 2010, following the plea by then expelled Samajwadi Party lawmakers Amar Singh and Jaya Prada who had contended that they were outside the ambit of anti-defection law as they were declared as an unattached member of the house following their expulsion. Besides, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada, another lawmaker Pyarimohan Mohapatra too had moved the court in 2012. Both Amar Singh and Jaya Prada had moved the top court in 2010 and since then, political developments have come a full circle with Amar Singh back in the party fold. The top court had on November 15, 2010, referred to a larger bench the key question whether a lawmaker after being expelled from the party could be disqualified under the anti-defection law if he defies the party whip during voting on a bill or motion in the legislature. In the Vishwanathan case, the top court in 1996 had held that even if a lawmaker is expelled from the party, for the purposes of two houses of parliament and the state legislatures, he/she would be deemed to continue to belong to such party. The questions framed by the two-judge bench had included the status of lawmaker in either house of parliament or the state legislature after being expelled by the party which had set him/her up as a candidate for election. While referring to the larger bench to examine whether view taken by the apex court in 1996 was a correct one in the context of the parliamentary debate on the anti-defection law, the court had asked the larger bench to examine "will the provisions of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution apply to such Member". The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the provision for the disqualification of a lawmaker on the grounds of defection. --IANS pk/vd The government might have launched a Skill India mission with much fanfare but a defence ministry scheme to train ex-servicemen for a second career has failed to fulfill its objectives with no new initiatives introduced in the last 10 years, an audit report says. A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in parliament last week "observed" that the Director General Resettlement (DGR) was not able to meet its objectives in ensuring the re-employment of or rehabilitating the ex-servicemen. "...thereby expectations of nearly 60,000 service personnel retiring each year could not be fully met," the CAG report said. "After incurring an expenditure of Rs. 90.98 crore on training during last five years, there was no mechanism in place to ensure that the trained personnel could eventually find re-employment. The existing employment and self-employment schemes being run by DGR were more than 10 years old and had therefore lost their effectiveness in the changing work environment," the CAG report said. "We found no fresh employment or self-employment schemes were introduced in the last 10 years," it said. The DGR is an inter-services organization functioning under the Defence Ministry's Department of Ex-Servicemen's Welfare. It was formed to empower retired service personnel with additional skills so that they could find a second career. The report also pointed out that most of those retiring were in the comparatively younger age bracket of 35 to 45 years and 50 to 55 years on the higher side and require a second career. Referring to the ongoing schemes, the report said that except the one related to the Mother Dairy started in 1974 for running booths to sell milk and related products, the others have not proved encouraging. As for a scheme for the allotment of surplus vehicle, the CAG found a steep decline in registrations from 1,082 in 2010 to a mere 67 in 2014, showing the ex-servicemen's lack of interest. In certain cases, the waiting time for the vehicles ranged from 10 to 20 years, forcing applicants to cancel their requests. There is also an ESM (ex-servicemen) Coal Loading and Transportation Companies scheme launched by the erstwhile Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Defence in 1979. The scheme was to operate in six Subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) for operation of ESM Coal Loading and Transport Companies. The CAG report pointed out that only three subsidiaries are making demands on these companies. A scheme for allotting cooking agencies and outlets for products of oil companies, the report said, is not effective as the eight per cent reservation for defence personnel had been diluted by extending it to paramilitary personnel and employees of the central and state governments and central and state public sector undertakings (PSUs). (Anjali Ojha can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in) --IANS ao/vm Congress President arrived to a rousing welcome here on Tuesday, with party workers lining up both sides of the road from the airport and raising slogans hailing her. After reaching the Babarpur airport, she spent some time in the VIP lounge and then drove off for her scheduled road show. On way, as her cavalcade emerged out of the airport, hundreds of enthusiastic Congress workers showered petals on her and asked her to lead the party to power in Uttar Pradesh. She waved back to the supporters and, at times, greeted them with folded hands from inside her bulletproof vehicle. Security personnel had a tough time keeping the crowds at bay. Newly appointed UP Congress Chief Raj Babbar told reporters that he was sure the people of the state will back the party in the assembly polls in 2017. "The people of UP have always shown miracles. In 2004 they gave us many MPs, in 2007 they gave a mandate to the BSP, in 2012 to the SP and in 2014 to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. "I am sure that in 2017 the miracle is going to be in our favour" he said, adding that had come to Varanasi, the Lok Sabha seat of Modi, to seek the blessings of Baba Vishwanath of Kashi. BJP's ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Tuesday called off its protest in parliament for special status to Andhra Pradesh following an assurance from the central government to address the issue. The decision was taken after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha that the government stand by whatever commitments made to support Andhra Pradesh. He said he spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is also the TDP chief, over phone. "We are trying to find a solution to the issues very shortly," he said and requested the TDP to call off its protest and cooperate in smooth functioning of the parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also appealed to the TDP MPs to give time to the government to address the issue. Following Jaitley's assurance, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y. S. Chowdary, of the TDP, told reporters that they were confident of achieving special status. "We will wait and watch," said Chowdary, who is TDP parliamentary party leader. Stating that there will be no compromise on state's interests, he said their fight would continue till the central government fulfils all its commitments under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Claiming that the TDP is sincere in its fight, Chowdary alleged that the YSR Congress and Congress were trying to take political mileage by creating problems between the TDP and the BJP. Earlier, Lok Sabha was adjourned twice during the zero hour when TDP members created an uproar, demanding special status. YSR Congress also supported the demand. --IANS ms/vd The amendments proposed in the Goods and Services Tax bill scheduled to be moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday are expected to sail through with the government scrapping the additional levy of 1 percent proposed earlier. Technically called the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, it has proposed to delete Clause 18 of the original bill that intended to compensate the manufacturing states with one per cent additional duty for a period of two years or more for revenue losses. The additional levy was also among the main objections of the opposition Congress party, whose support is necessary for the bill's passage since the National Democratic Alliance government lacks a clear majority in the upper house of parliament. Also Clause 19 dealing with compensation to states for a period of five years or more towards the losses they may suffer due to a shift to the new regime, has been made more specific. It now says parliament by law "shall" compensate states, as opposed to the word "may" that was used earlier. Then Clause 12, which deals with dispute resolution between and among the Centre and states and again was a bone of contention since the original bill left this to the GST Council -- has been reinforced. The amendment now calls for a standing mechanism to adjudicate disputes. However, another Congress demand, to specify the GST rate in the statute, has not been accepted. Last week, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra chaired a GST panel meet in which all states agreed to keep the GST rate out of the bill. The GST bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014, and was passed by the Lok Sabha around five months later on May 6. It was then referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha which submitted its report on July 22. These amendments will need to get the nod of the Lok Sabha again, following which at least 50 per cent of the states need to ratify the bill for it to become a statute. This again could be a long-drawn process, since states will have their own sets of issues and queries. The new regime, termed as the most radical tax reform since Independence, seeks to subsume all central indirect taxes like excise duty, countervailing duty and service tax, as also the state levies like value added tax, entry tax and luxury tax to create a single, pan-India market. --IANS ap/vt Turkey on Tuesday voiced support for Pakistan's demand to send an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) team to Jammu and to probe "human rights violations". Visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, addressing a joint presser with Pakistan's foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz, also hoped that the issue would be resolved through dialogue. "Turkey fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu said Turkey is an active member of the OIC Contact Group of and attends its meeting. "I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said. Widespread protests in Jammu and Kashmir following the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. --IANS ahm/rn is planning to split its spy service into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence after the organisation was vehemently criticised for shortcomings over the failed July 15 coup, a report said on Tuesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been scathing about the failure of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) to warn him in a timely manner about the coup, complaining he found out when his brother-in-law called up. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday said a restructuring of Turkey's intelligence operations was "on the agenda" after the coup, just as with the military. According to the Hurriyet daily, the move will involve splitting the MIT so that foreign espionage and domestic counter-intelligence work are in the future handled by different entities. This would bring in line with the system in Britain, where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5. It said domestic intelligence would largely be handled by the police and the gendarmerie, which under separate reforms agreed after the coup, will in future report to the interior ministry and not the military. The foreign intelligence entity will report directly to the Turkish presidency, which will also have a unit in charge of coordination between the two sections, it added. There has been huge pressure on the MIT's powerful chief Hakan Fidan in the wake of the coup, particularly following reports he found out about the planned putsch hours before the government was informed. However, so far he has kept his job. "We are all mortal," Kurtulmus said on Monday. "Let's create such a system that no one can make a coup again. Let's create such an intelligence system that gives the highest level of intelligence," he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is scheduled to hold talks with Pakistani leaders on Tuesday in Islamabad on the situation arising out of the failed July 16 coup in Turkey, officials said. Officials said the Turkish foreign minister is leading a high-level delegation in his day-long visit and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and hold formal talks with Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, Xinhua news agency reported. The Turkish foreign minister will also hold meetings with several other ministers to discuss matters of bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues. Cavusoglu told the Pakistani state media on his arrival that bilateral relations and regional developments between Pakistan and Turkey will be on the agenda during his visit. Pakistan was among the countries which had condemned the attempted coup and had announced support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least 246 people were killed in clashes during the attempt. --IANS sm/ksk/vm Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal has asked the West Bengal government to set up a specialised police force and station in every district of the state to crack down on power thieves. After the 2014 general election, sections of the Kashmiris, weary of insurgency and clutching at hope, believed that a vigorous Bharatiya Janata Party government would quickly finish off the flagging insurgency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they believed, would force Pakistan to stop infiltrating militants, and life in the Kashmir valley would regain a semblance of normalcy. Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Mohammad Azam Khan on Tuesday created a controversy by alleging that a "political conspiracy" might be involved in the gang rape of a Noida-based mother and daughter near Bulandshahr. Known for bizarre comments in the past, the urban development and parliamentary affairs minister said in Raampur on Monday night that the investigative agencies should explore the possibility of some opposition party being involved in the gang rape. While justifying the action against policemen on the issue, the minister further said that the government should also keep a watch on opponents as "people can stoop to any levels" in . "To get power politicians can get down to any level, they can murder people, trigger riots, kill innocent people, so the truth has to be found out" he added. Reacting sharply to the statement, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. "If you cannot bring succour to the victims, one should not add injury to insult" he said while demanding that UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav apologise for the conduct and statement of his ministerial colleague. Eight armed men stopped the family car on the Delhi-Kanpur highway early Saturday morning. The men dragged the members to nearby sugarcane fields and proceeded to rape the teenager and her 38-year-old mother. The other members of the family were tied up. Under attack from Shiv Sena over the separate Vidarbha issue, on Tuesday told BJP's bickering ally that he was the Chief Minister of "Akhand (entire) Maharashtra". Fadnavis was speaking in the State Assembly as the contentious issue of separate Vidarbha dominated proceedings for the third day. Sena MLA and former Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu asked Fadnavis to clarify his stand on the issue. Prabhu also demanded that cases of treason be filed against those who gave slogans for a separate Vidarbha state in the House. "There is no proposal as of this moment for a separate Vidarbha before the State Government," Fadnavis said. It is not right to discuss an issue which is not pending before this House, he added. "I am the CM of an Akhand Maharashtra," Fadnavis said. "While BJP has been in favour of (creation of) smaller states, Sena has opposed it," the CM said. "Both the parties are in the government. This is not the government's stand," he added. Fadnavis appealed to the House members to put a stop to the discussion on separate Vidarbha issue. "NCP doesn't have any right to seek my resignation. People have that right," he said. "Ask NCP's Praful Patel who has backed separate Vidarbha. Should we discuss in the House what he has said," the CM said. "We have taken an oath to be true to the Constitution. The Constitution provides for a House member to put forth his views on formation of a separate state. A criminal offence cannot be registered against him for this," Fadnavis said. Prabhu said there's no commitment for an Akhand Maharashtra in the statement by Fadnavis on the Vidarbha issue. Opposition Congress-NCP legislators shouted slogans in support of a united Maharashtra. Shiv Sena legislators also joined in. Opposition legislators staged a protest on the stairs at the entrance of Vidhan Bhawan, against division of the western state. After the statement by Fadnavis in the Assembly, Sena ministers left for 'Matoshree', party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence in suburban Bandra. A man was killed and three others, including two schoolchildren, were injured in separate rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand today while debris following landslides kept the national highways to Badrinath and Gangotri blocked. A man was killed and another injured in Pulinda village of Pauri district last evening when the buttress of a road for pedestrians collapsed over them. The injured has been admitted in Kotdwar government hospital, Uttarakhand Emergency Operation Centre said. In a separate incident, two children were injured when their school bus was hit by huge boulders falling from a hill in Nagrasu in Rudraprayag district yesterday afternoon. Udit Nautiyal and Vivek Rana, who were injured in the accident, were rushed to Rudraprayag district hospital from where they were referred to Dehradun after being administered first aid. Light to moderate rains have been reported from most of the places across the state with a few exceptions which have been lashed by heavy rains. Rudraprayag received the maximum 50 MM of rain since yesterday followed by Pauri 41 MM, Jakholi 39, Purola 30 MM, Chanyalisaur 27 MM, Dunda 24 MM and Nainital 20 MM. Many roads in different parts of the state are blocked including the ones leading to the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri. BRO personnel are busy trying to reopen the roads. The Rishikesh-Badrinath Highway is blocked at Lambagad, Tahiyapul and Baldauda in Chamoli district for the last five days. The Rishikesh -Gangotri highway is also blocked at Gangnani and Dabrani. Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway is blocked at Munkutiya and the trek route to the Himalayan shrine is also blocked in Jungalchatti. BSF personnel today seized a 15 kg and 10-foot-long plastic pipe of contraband suspected to be heroin near International Border (IB) in Ferozepur sector. BSF DIG R S Kataria said, in the wee hours, some suspicious movement of Pakistani smugglers was observed near the IB ahead of Border Security Fence at BOP MianWali Uttar. As the smugglers reached near BS Fence and inserted a pipe in it, BSF troops challenged them to stop, but they continued with their posture and opened fire, he said. To stop their misadventure and in self-defence, BSF troops fired upon them, he said. However, the smugglers managed to escape taking cover of thick vegetation, undulating ground and darkness, he said. Electronic dance music (EDM) festivals --Supersonic and Sunburn -- which are annually held in Goa, owe state police around Rs one crore each for providing security during the events since 2014, Goa Assembly was told today. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar gave this information in a reply to a written query by Congress legislator Digambar Kamat about the outstanding amounts by the EDMs. The organisers of Supersonic are yet to make a payment of Rs 1.10 crore, while that of Sunburn, Rs 92.83 lakh, for the security provided by the state police to the events held annually in December, the reply revealed. Sunburn, which celebrated its ten years of existence in Goa last year, has not paid Rs 21.95 lakh towards the bill dated December 12, 2014;Rs 16.96 lakh for the bill dated March 3, 2015 and Rs 53.92 lakh for the bill issued on January 12, 2016. Similarly, Supersonic is yet to pay Rs 53.72 lakh for the bill issued on November 27, 2014, Rs 22.71 lakh for bill on February 24, 2015 and Rs 33.89 lakh for the bill raised on March 08, 2016 for providing police security. Responding to the question, Parsekar tabled various communications between the police officials and festival organisers asking them to clear the bill. Sunburn is held at Vagator and Supersonic at Candolim, both in North Goa during the last week of December every year. In the recent past, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar had said that both the EDMs would not take place at the same time in the same district. He had said this year, they will have to shift their venues considering the immense pressure on the traffic and law & order situation during the event. The three men arrested in the Bulandshahr gangrape case were identified by the victims, police said today even as opposition parties accused ruling SP of "protecting" criminals ahead of Assembly polls and a senior minister suggesting that it could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the UP government. Director General of UP Police Javeed Ahmed said, "The names of other accused are almost clear and efforts are on to arrest them." The three men who have been arrested, were identified by the victims, he said, adding that the state police was using all its resources to nab the other accused. Uttar Pradesh Police had yesterday arrested -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the crime. The DGP, who had visited the spot of crime, said the Special Task Force of UP Police was on the job. Meanwhile, the family of the 13-year-old girl and her mother, who were gangraped at gunpoint, has threatened to commit suicide if the accused were not punished within three months. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the minor victim's father, a cab driver whose family was attacked by a group of bandits on Friday night. The dacoits had brutally raped the woman and her daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. "There were seven-eight men. They tied our hands and feet and beat us. They kept beating us even when we begged for water or we made any movement," the 39-year-old man said, alleging that they did not get any help on dialing police control room number 100. Accusing the Samajwadi Party government of "protecting and appeasing" criminals ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled next year, BJP asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to seek a CBI probe in the gangrape case if he has any "shame" left. Meanwhile, senior SP leader and UP minister Azam Khan has kicked up a controversy by suggesting that the Bulandshahr case could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the ruling party, drawing condemnation from rival parties. Khan, who was in Rampur yesterday, termed the gangrape of the 13-year-old girl and her mother as an attempt to "malign" the SP government by those who want to "come to power" in poll-bound UP. BJP alleged that SP first "appeased" Muslims to get votes and is now looking at criminals through the prism of castes and religions and "appeasing" them. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma hit out at the state government over Khan's comment that the gangrape could be an outcome of political conspiracy against it. "It shows how low the ruling party in UP can stoop to for votes," he said. He also reeled out the state's crime figures between March 2012 and March 2016 to claim that criminals are emboldened under the SP rule while people, especially women, live in fear. UP tops the list in crime against women, he said, adding that 2,920 cases of rape were reported during these four years, besides 12,198 murders and 6,015 robberies. "Azam Khan has politicised a horrible incident like this. It shows how low this government and its leaders can stoop to get votes. If Akhilesh Yadav has any morality and shame left, then he should seek a CBI probe so that the victims can get justice," he said. Opposition parties have alleged that 'jungleraaj' prevails in UP. "The SP government and its head must tell the people if they can return the modesty of women in such a painful and heinous crime," BSP supremo Mayawati said yesterday. She alleged that there was complete 'jungleraaj' in the state and criminal elements were roaming freely. National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman P L Punia and Union Minister Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal have questioned the actions taken by the state government in the aftermath of the brutal gangrape, and called for administrative steps to prevent such incidents. "Whatever has happened in Bulandshahr is really shocking and shameful. It is a shame on the society," Punia, a senior Congress leader, has said. "The state government has taken action and suspended a few policemen. But that is not enough. Some mechanism should have been worked out so that this kind of incident does not happen," he said. Meanwhile, the Shahjahanpur district administration has extended security to the family members of Bulandshahr victims as demanded by them. District Magistrate Pushpa Singh, who met the family members of the victims in Kalan area, said directives have been issued to the police to provide security to the family. "As demanded by the family, they have been assured of arms licence at the earliest," she said. Besides Lohiya Awas and old-age pension, the grandfather of the victim will also get monetary help through the Rani Laxmibai Samman, Singh said, adding the locality of their native house will also be electrified. She said all necessary help will be provided to the family by the administration. Five members of a gang that looted a truck loaded with electronic goods nearly two months ago have been arrested, police said today. The police has also recovered electronic goods worth Rs 20 lakh along with the vehicles used during the loot, they said. The looters belong to 'Sahun' gang and were apprehended by the police near Gokul restaurant near Sikandara area on Sunday. "Looted truck, car used during loot along with electronic goods worth Rs 20 lakh were recovered from the dairy of accused Rahul," said Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi. "Four other members of Sahun gang have also been arrested," he added. The gang members arrested are Lokesh Gupta, Raju alias Manoj Bhadoria, Ishendra alias Swadesh Chauhan, Gaurav Gupta and Rahul Gupta. One of the gang members Ashu Tomar, however, managed to dodge the police. On May 10, a truck containing electronic goods worth Rs 50 lakh headed for Nagpur from Delhi was looted. "The bandits forced the truck to stop after overtaking it near village Nari falling under Chhatta police station of Mathura. The driver and cleaner were tied up and waylaid in Aligarh where the case had been registered," said Priyadarshi. The gang had earlier sold the electronic items in Mainpuri and then in Agra. According to police, the gang members were nabbed when they were looking for customers to sell rest of the goods in Mathura. 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment today by a special MCOCA court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif-- were handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, today observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage "jihad". The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. The MCOCA court had last week convicted Jundal under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substance Act and Indian Penal Code, while others under varying charges. Charges against them under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were, however, dropped. The court had accepted the prosecution's contention that the cache of arms and ammunitions that the ATS had intercepted from two cars had originally been procured from Pakistan. While convicting Jundal, and 11 others, the court had observed that ATS could not substantiate the charges of MCOCA against them, even as it accepted direct and substantial evidence presented by the agency in the case. The special court had framed charges against the 22 accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The court had granted bail to ten accused during the trial. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was eventually vacated in 2009. The Bombay High Court had also earlier directed the lower court to expedite the trial. Accenture, in association with Yahoo India, has launched a contest inviting full-time students in India to use technology to develop innovative ideas. The deadline for submitting ideas is August 17. The goal of the fifth season of #InnovationJockeys contest is to bring a positive change to society, through the three themes: detecting fraud and preventing business malpractice; creating an inclusive digital India and empowering women. Members of the grand prize winning team will receive an Apple MacBook Pro. They will also have the opportunity to visit the Accenture Technology Labs in Dublin, Ireland, or in Silicon Valley, California, USA, or visit the Accenture Internet of Things (IoT) Center of Excellence in Singapore. * * * * * * NHPC Teesta Hydroelectric Proj unit 4 achieves full speed * State-owned NHPC Ltd today said that the unit 4 of Teesta Low Dam Hydroelectric Project has been successfully spun at its full. "NHPC Ltd has informed BSE that the Unit 4 of Teesta Low Dam Project-IV (160 MW) project has been successfully spun at its full rpm on August 1, 2016 at 1830," the company said in a BSE filing. * * * * * * Rise India plans to recruit 150 employees in next 3 months * Strategic Investment and Skill Development firm Rise India plans to recruit over 150 employees in the next three months for their centres across the country. The recruitment will be held across various verticals and hierarchies such as Faculties, Business Development Managers and HRM operation Executives. "We are pleased to announce the recruitment drive. We look forward to organising a prolific event to undertake mass recruitment," Rise India CEO Ajay Chhanagni said. The company executes large scale skill development projects across the country. Through its ventures, it has succeeded in training and placement of over 50,000 students in sectors such as retail, IT, BSFI, construction, driving, and renewable energy. * * * * * * IndusNet Tech launches tool for energy efficiency * Kolkata-based IndusNet Technologies launched a web-based platform for improving energy efficiency in industries in collaboration with E-Cube Energy today. Named 'Motor Tool', the application would also be launched in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia in the next three to six months, CEO of IndusNet Technologies Abhishek Rungta said in a statement. The application had been developed using big data and technology, it said. TalentNext.Com raises $1 mn from angel investors * TalentNext.Com, an online platform that connects talent like actors and screenwriters with recruiters, has secured a second round of funding of USD 1 million from angel investors. "Our aim is to support and augment the growth of promising talent across the country. This investment helps us expand to hundreds of cities across India and beyond the typical metropolitan and tier I regions," TalentNext.Com CEO Shekhar Purohit said. * * * * * * NIIT expands presence in China * Skills and talent development firm NIIT has entered into two strategic tie-ups in Ningxia Province of China to develop a pool of IT professionals. NIIT has signed an agreement with Yinchuan City Economic and Technology Development Zone to open a training centre and train 2,500 learners from universities, colleges and enterprises in next 5 years with financial support from Ningxia provincial government, it said in a statement. It has also joined hands with Ningxia University to provide IT training through NIIT Inside Model, it added. * * * * * * Intex partners with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) * Handset maker Intex has partnered with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to provide formal academic training and qualification to its pool of semi-skilled manpower in Noida factories hailing from remote parts of the country. As part of the association, Intex as the skill knowledge partner will provide practical on-job training to school passouts at its manufacturing plant in Noida, a statement said. TISS will run a three-year Bachelors in Vocational Studies or B. Voc (with Specialisation in Electronics Manufacturing), it added. * * * * * * T-Hub launches AgriTech Accelerator prog, partners Icrisat * Incubator start-up of Telangana government, T-Hub today announced the launch of AgriTech Accelerator Program in partnership with Icrisat (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics), powered by RViP. The program will begin from February 15, according to an official release. During the three-month acceleration period, RViP or Riverbridge Ventures Innovations Platform, in association with Icrisat and T-Hub will engage with start-ups through its unique scaling model and work as a full-time partner for enabling and scaling the efforts of the participating startups, it said. After Gujarat, in Lucknow shudder to touch a dead cow to skin it for a living after "gau rakshaks" (vigilantes) thrashed two of their community members on suspicion of cow slaughter in Lucknow last week. Scared of being beaten up, some members of the community approached their contractors to take up their case with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation or other authorities after some of them were assaulted in Takrohi area in Indira Nagar here on July 28. "We are aware of the matter and have lodged a complaint with the police against unidentified persons," Additional Municipal Commissioner Avaneesh Saxena said. He said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has also requested police and the district administration to provide security to them so that they can lift carcasses and skin them. He said as an immediate precautionary measure, photo identity cards would be issued to contractual workers engaged in such task. The community members have decided not to lift carcasses till they were issued such identity cards to ensure their security. There have been complaints of increased attacks on the Dalit community members in the city in the past six months. They have been attacked while transporting a dead cow on the civic body's call to lift dead animals so that these do not rot in front of people's houses. They have often complained that when they go to dispose of the carcasses after skinning them, they are attacked by cow vigilantes who charge them with slaughtering the animal. Air India will re-start its Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight from tomorrow after Defence authorities in Pune granted permission for the same. Operations of the flight, launched on May 23, were stopped within four days after Ministry of Defence, which controls operations at the Pune Airport, discontinued the permission granted to AI for some reasons. "The Defence authorities have now granted permission to Air India to restart the flights to Pune w.E.F. August 3," an AI release said today. According to AI's Area Manager (MP-CG), Vishrut Acharya, the ATR-72 (70-seater) plane will be deployed on the route to provide much needed connectivity to Raipur and Pune thrice a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from Bhopal. The aircraft, AI 9865 will leave from Bhopal at 9.30 AM and reach Raipur at 11 AM. From Raipur, it will depart at 11.30 AM and reach Pune at 14.00 PM. From Pune, the flight AI 9866 will take off at 14.30 PM and arrive at Raipur at 17.00 PM, and from there it will fly at 17.30 PM and arrive Bhopal at 19.00 PM, the release said. Acharya said the response to the flight from the IT sector and students was overwhelming. Based on the response of passengers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Air India would be adding more flights on new sectors in the near future as part of the "Regional Connectivity" plan, he said. Malaysia today made public its reluctance to handover two of its businessmen to India in connection with Aircel-Maxis probe being carried out by the CBI, saying the two countries did not have "any such (legal) agreement" for execution of an arrest warrant. "No, we do not have any agreement with India that we can execute their warrant of arrest. No, we cannot do that," Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters when asked if Malaysian police would act on the arrest warrants. The comments of Abu Bakar came a day after the CBI moved a court in New Delhi for issuance of warrants of arrest against Malaysian telecommunications tycoon T Ananda Krishnan and his corporate captain Ralph Marshall. Krishnan, promoter of Maxis based in Malaysia, and Marshall, who headed Maxis' UK-based subsidiary Astro All Asia Network, are sought by Indian authorities to testify in a money-laundering case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran in connection with the a 2006 Aircel-Maxis deal. The central probe agency had moved the designated court for issuing arrest warrants against Krishnan and Marshall as the duo had failed to appear before the agency despite being summoned four times by the court. The summonses to the duo, who had been charge-sheeted by the CBI in August 2014, were sent to the Malaysian Attorney General through diplomatic channel. However, there was no word from the Malaysian authorities on the summons. The court has fixed August 27 as the next date of hearing on whether to accept the CBI request for issuance of arrest warrants. Delhi Police today sought life imprisonment for Bollywood film 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui, who has been held guilty by a court for raping a US researcher, saying the crime committed on the foreigner has brought "disrepute" to India. While pressing for the maximum punishment for the offence under section 376 (rape) of IPC, the counsel for complainant submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain that the victim was "raped by a friend she trusted". However, Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan said that the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case and so he be given a chance to reform. During arguments on sentence, the complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover said, "The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted. "The court must keep in mind that there was an additional vulnerability of the woman in a foreign country and it brings disrepute to our country, besides traumatising the victim." Seeking leniency for the convict, 44-year-old Farooqui's advocate said he was not a habitual offender and he did not threaten the woman at any point nor was he brutal or violent with her. She also pleaded that his good conduct be considered by the court while awarding the punishment. The court, after hearing the arguments, reserved its verdict on quantum of sentence for August 4. The counsel for Farooqui, who was brought to the court from jail, also countered the submission of the complainant about her additional vulnerability being a foreigner, saying law does not put a foreigner on a pedestal higher than an Indian. "Does the law put any foreigner woman on a pedestal higher than an Indian? This fact is irrelevant and makes a mockery of thousands of Indian women who suffer," Ramakrishnan said. The victim's counsel, however, stressed on maximum punishment to Farooqui, saying, "He is a prominent figure in cultural world and, therefore there was additional responsibility on him to not conduct himself in such a manner." The police also sought appropriate compensation for the victim, contending that Farooqui has economic standing to pay her the amount for disrupting her life and research. "It is a crime which has been held heinous by the apex court and we press for the maximum sentence and fine," the victim's counsel said. The court had on July 30 held Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. The offence of rape entails a minimum of seven years rigorous jail and a maximum of imprisonment for life. The woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to get his help for her research work in March last year. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman's complaint after which he was arrested. The police had on July 29 last year filed a charge sheet against Farooqui alleging that he had raped the research scholar from Colombia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28 last year. The court had on September 9, 2015, started the trial in the case after framing rape charge against Farooqui and the victim, based in the US, had appeared in the court on September 14, 2015 to record her statement. The woman had, during the in-camera proceedings, alleged that Farooqui had raped her and later apologised to her in several e-mails exchanged between them. Farooqui had denied the allegations levelled against him, saying he was falsely implicated by the woman. A mayor was shot dead in Mexico's central Puebla state, the third mayor to be killed in the country in less than two weeks, authorities said today. Jose Santa Maria Zavala, the mayor of Huehuetlan El Grande, was found dead yesterday night next to a bullet-riddled sport-utility vehicle, according to a police report obtained by AFP. The body had "bullet wounds" and the front of the vehicle was hit, the report said. His secretary, who had been traveling with him, was not there when police arrived and her whereabouts are unknown. The motive for the homicide was not immediately known. Some 40 mayors have been murdered in the country since 2003, according to the Association of Mayors of Mexico. Seven mayors-elect and 32 former mayors have also been killed in the past 13 years. Two other mayors were killed last month. Ambrosio Soto, the mayor of Pungabarato in the drug violence-plagued southern state of Guerrero, was ambushed by gunmen on the night of July 23-24. Soto's leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) said the mayor had "desperately" and unsuccessfully asked for state and federal government support after receiving threats from a gang. That same weekend, Domingo Lopez Gonzalez, the mayor of San Juan Chamula in southern Chiapas state, was shot dead during a protest. In another murder that shocked the country in January, the mayor of Temixco in the central state of Morelos was shot dead in front of her family less than 24 hours after she took office. Actor Anton Yelchin's parents are planning to sue Fiat Chrysler and other companies after their son was killed in a car accident. The "Star Trek" star's family wants punitive damages "for the wrongful death of their son due to significant defects" in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, reported TMZ. His parents are reportedly going after Fiat Chrysler (which makes the Cherokee) along with manufacturer ZF North America and the AutoNation car retailer chain. The lawsuit is set to be formally announced and filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Back in June, the actor was standing behind his car that was parked in his driveway. The vehicle began to roll backwards, pinning him against a brick mailbox and a security fence, a police spokesperson had confirmed. The Los Angeles county coroner confirmed that the 27-year-old's death was ruled an accident by blunt traumatic asphyxia from the force of the car against his body. The passing later sparked a class-action USD 5 million lawsuit from Jeep owners against Grand Cherokee manufacturer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, claiming a "defective" gearshift has caused more than 300 deaths, including Yelchin, whose car was one of 1.1 million vehicles listed in a massive recall by FCA. While the company has not been served with a new lawsuit as of Monday evening, they released a statement to E! saying, "FCA US LLC extends its deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss. The Company cannot comment at this time. LeT operative Abu Jundal and six others were today awarded life term in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case by a MCOCA court which said that in the matter of national security "prevention is better than cure" and the convicts would understand "language of deterrence" better. The 12 convicted people "on their own evolved and participated in the larger conspiracy of Jihad", Special Court judge Shrikant Anekar said in his order. "India is a secular state, the ideology which accused are propagating (for which they have not shown their repentance...) runs counter to the shared values of the society and indeed the law of the land. Terrorism is evil which cannot be tolerated by any civilised society," he said. By adopting protective and deterrent theory of punishment, the court can insulate the society at large from the effects of such disaffection, if not restraint such people from causing disaffection against the country, the judge said, noting, "This would set a lesson for prospective offenders." Besides Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who is also an alleged key plotter of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the court awarded life sentence to six others -- Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman, who has been sentenced to death in 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. They will undergo imprisonment for the remainder of their life, the court said. Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment while Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan got eight years jail term. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad team chased two cars on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three men and seized 30 kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, who was driving one of the cars, managed to give police a slip and later fled the country. He was deported from Saudi Arabia in 2012. The court said that the "aspect of security of the nation will have to be given paramount consideration while deciding the quantum of punishment". As the convicts wanted to "terrorise common man", they "understand and appreciate language of deterrence than the reformative jargon", it said. The convicts visited different countries to seek financial and other aid to achieve the object of conspiracy, the court noted. "They met militants by visiting Kashmir. By dodging all security agencies, customs, BSF, etc., they had procured huge quantity of arms, ammunition, RDX from Pakistan." Some of this contraband was still to be traced, "thus the potential threat still exists", the judge said. The convicts hatched a conspiracy to "strike terror against India" and none of them expressed repentance, "which shows that they are not likely to be rehabilitated", it said. "The well-known saying 'prevention is better than cure' is aptly applicable to the facts of the present case. The act of showing undue leniency to the accused should not prejudice the society in the long run," the court observed. Regarding the defence of Mujaffar Tanvir that he was of tender age at that time, the court said that even then he knew how to get SIM cards on fictitious names for supplying them to the others involved. As to the argument that the convcits were under "emotional pressure" because of the 2002 Gujarat riots, the court said there was considerable time gap between the riots and the conspiracy in 2006. Leniency "would be against the social conscience", the court said, adding, "It will convey a wrong message". On July 28, ten years after the arms seizure, the MCOCA court convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others. In the verdict, the judge had also accepted the prosecution case that the convicts wanted to eliminate public figures like then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia of VHP. With Arvind Kejriwal set to spend a substantial amount of time campaigning in poll-bound states and his deputy Manish Sisodia increasingly taking over his official as well as some non-official works, the latter's clout in the government affairs is "set to grow". Sisodia today convened a meeting of MLAs of South Delhi on development works at Secretariat here. When in the capital, Chief Minister Kejriwal calls meetings of MLAs on issues pertaining to their areas. Though the government is unlikely to make an official announcement in this regard, Sisodia would also be taking care of important files normally routed through Chief Minister's Office. "As the CM will be busy with campaigning in poll-bound states including Punjab, Goa and Gujarat in coming days, Sisodia will take over chief ministerial responsibilities. "Today, Sisodia's meeting with South Delhi MLAs clearly suggests his increasing clout in the government affairs," a source said. In recent past, many AAP government and party advertisements have carried Sisodia's pictures. Led by its convener Kejriwal, AAP is gearing up for the Assembly elections in Goa, Punjab and Gujarat, scheduled for next year. Sources also said the Deputy CM will hold district-wise meetings with MLAs on development works, where he will discuss issues with officials concerned. In the Kejriwal government, Sisodia, who has charge of 11 departments, is holding key portfolios including finance, education, services, information technology, vigilance, law & justice, and revenue. At present, Sisodia is looking after chief ministerial works as Kejriwal has gone on 10-day vipassana session in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. When Kejriwal had gone to Bengaluru for treatment of cough, Sisodia had taken care of chief ministerial works. After Sisodia, his Cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain has responsibilities of maxim seven departments. Last month, Sisodia was relieved of the charge of Urban Development and it was given to Jain. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said he will not bow to "intimidation" from Turkey after receiving online death threats as tensions rise between the EU and Ankara, in comments published today. "We should not allow ourselves to be intimidated in any way. Threats, even death threats, from the right wing and the radical part of the Turkish community have become reality for me", Kern told the Oesterreich daily. "Appeasement has to stop. Of course there is the right to demonstrate here, but the radical elements within the Turkish community must learn to respect our way of life," he said. Relations have deteriorated between Turkey and Europe since a major crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a failed coup on July 15, with tensions particularly high with Germany and Austria, both of which have large ethnic Turkish communities. On Sunday, around 40,000 Erdogan supporters rallied in the German city of Cologne but a court rejected an application to allow live speeches to be beamed in from Turkey, including one by the president, angering Ankara. "Look at Austria, look at Germany. People, our citizens want to hold meetings, go on marches but they stop them. They have even gone so far as to stop Turkish flags being flown from houses," Erdogan said late Friday. In Austria, the mayor of the small city of Wiener Neustadt said on July 22 that he wanted the sizeable Turkish community there to remove Turkish flags from balconies, but there is no ban in place there or anywhere else in the country. There are also concerns that the European Union's deal with Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe might be in jeopardy, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker saying last week there was a "big risk" of this happening. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday told German daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Ankara could withdraw from the deal if Brussels fails to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. But Kern said Europe should stand firm. "We are not going to go cap in hand... We need Turkey but it's Turkey that economically speaking really needs us," he said. "Otherwise Turkey will be heading for state bankruptcy. AXA, Alibaba and Ant Financial Services today said they have agreed to engage in a global strategic partnership to explore opportunities to distribute AXA's insurance products and services through Alibaba's global e-commerce ecosystem. The companies will seek to work together to co-innovate and to develop value-added products and services to customers around the world as well as to mutually support each other in developing and exploring new markets and segments, a release issued here has said. "Forming partnerships with the most forward-thinking companies is part of our strategy to seize new business opportunities. This proposed collaboration with Alibaba could provide us with a unique global and direct distribution channel, and we are looking forward to serving its customers and to developing bespoke and innovative insurance products and services for them," AXA Deputy CEO Thomas Buberl said. These insurance products and services would be developed by AXA's local entities according to the customers' local requirements. The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, serving 103 million clients in 64 countries and as on December 31, 2015, the company had Euro 1,363 billion assets under management. "Our collaboration with industry-leader AXA is a key part of Alibaba's globalisation strategy and our vision to enable small businesses and consumers alike to enjoy the convenience and benefits of e-commerce in a safe trading environment," Alibaba Group President Michael Evans said. Alibaba Group is the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Through Ant Financial Services (an Alibaba-affiliate which provides financial services), AXA would offer travel insurance products for Chinese travelers going overseas. Senior SP leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has kicked up a controversy by suggesting that the Bulandshahr highway gangrape could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the ruling party, drawing condemnation from rival parties. Khan termed the gangrape of a 13-year-old girl and her mother by a group of bandits near Bulandshahr last week as an attempt to "malign" the Samajwadi Party(SP) government by those who want to "come to power" in poll-bound UP. Assembly elections in UP are due next year. "It must be investigated whether people, with the opposite ideology or those who want to come to power, are behind this incident in order to malign the government," he said in Rampur yesterday. "When innocent people can be murdered for political gains, for votes Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar can happen, when Shamli and Kairana can happen...It is not just a matter of two rapes. It is important to know the truth behind it," Khan was heard as saying in a video that has gone viral on social media. He was referring to incidents of communal violence in the past. Reacting sharply to Khan's statement, BJP today said Azam Khan has crossed all the limits. "He is doing politics on gangrape now. It's a matter of shame," UP's BJP chief K P Maurya said, and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. At a press conference in Delhi, BJP's national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the comments by Khan showed how low the ruling party can stoop for votes. In an apparent damage control, Khan today said his remarks were misconstrued since UP was headed for elections. He said punishment is very important in heinous crimes like the gangrape incident. "They(the perpetrators) should be punished every second." "If the government is not sensitive enough to these matters then it does not have any right to speak about people. This is a very painful incident, it's even worse than death. "We understand their pain. We cannot change the truth. If we get into more details more number of people may be involved. This is an insult to the government. Which government will want such an incident?" SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav denied any laxity on part of the state government over the gangrape incident, asking what does suspension of police officials mean? "You cannot accept that all the persons have been suspended. What does it mean? Do you expect them to be suspended before the crime (happens)? No one was sleeping," he told reporters. He also accused the media of being prejudiced towards the UP government, saying "why don't you talk about the girl that was raped and burnt in Delhi? You are never talking about it. You are prejudiced against the Uttar Pradesh government. "We have been living here for the past 25 years, are we not concerned?" he added. Bangladesh Police today announced a reward of over USD 25,000 for clues leading to the arrest of two Islamists identified as "masterminds" of the terror attacks at a cafe here and an Eid congregation. Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and dismissed army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque have been identified as the brains behind the two terror attacks. "The law enforcement and intelligence agencies are trying to arrest Tamim Chowdhury and (sacked and fugitive) major Zia (Ziaul Haque), we seek everyone's cooperation in this regard," Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque told reporters here. The police chief announced Tk 2 million rewards on each of them for information leading to their arrest. "If anyone helps to arrest them or inform us after detaining them, we will give Tk 2 million reward for each of them," he said. The IGP said their arrests will result into a "significant curb in militant activities". Investigators earlier identified Chowdhury as the leader of "reconstituted" Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) or Neo JMB and the deserter military officer as main organiser of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which off late appeared as Ansar Al Bangladesh. Independent security analysts earlier said the neo JMB was inclined to ISIS while ABT was ideologically linked to al-Qaeda though Bangladesh repeatedly declined presence of any foreign terrorist outfit in the country. The briefing came a day after the police chief said that Bangladesh has alerted Indian security agencies that Chowdhury may have fled to India, amid a nationwide manhunt to track down the Bangladeshi-Canadian. He said a massive manhunt is underway to track down Chowdhury. A newspaper earlier reported that Chowdhury appeared as the leader and main financier of a reorganised JMB while Bangladesh earlier attributed the two attacks to the outfit. A police officer familiar with the investigation earlier said evidence gathered from the scene of the July 26 overnight security raid at Dhaka's Kalyanpur area, when nine presumed militants were killed, led police to identify Chowdhury, believed to be in his mid 30s. The July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant left 22 people including an Indian girl and two police officers dead, while the July 6 assault on an Eid congregation at northern Sholakia killed 2 policemen and a woman. The state-wide bandh, called by main opposition YSR Congress demanding that the Centre grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, affected normal life with business activity coming to a standstill and educational institutions remaining shut. The Congress and Left parties extended support to the day-long shutdown. Scores of opposition workers were taken into custody by police in several areas across the state as they tried to organise protests and prevent plying of state-run transport corporation buses. State Road Transport Corporation suspended its services as a precautionary measure to prevent any damage. While educational institutions declared a holiday, banks and other commercial establishments did not open their shutters. In Vijayawada, YSRC workers were taken into custody when they staged a protest outside the bus station and prevented movement of buses. Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party MLA from Ponnuru in Guntur district sat on a day-long "deeksha" at the statue of Acharya N G Ranga in the town demanding that the BJP government honour its promise and grant special status to AP. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to support the state by all means as it suffered heavily because of the irrational bifurcation," Narendra said. (REOPENS BES5) In Vizianagaram, YSR Congress workers staged protests outside deports of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC). They also protested on national highways, police said. YSR Congress MLC Veerabhara Swamy, along with party workers, staged a protest outside an APSRTC depot in Vizianagaram town and the MLC was later taken into preventive custody, I-Town Sub-Inspector G Venkataraman said. 45 other YRS Congress workers were detained in Vizianagaram city, the officer said. APSRTC officials said bus services have improved later in the day. Police said no untoward was reported so far. Indian will continue to face pressure on their asset quality, profitability and capitalisation over the next 12-24 months, S&P Global Ratings said today. The US-based agency expects that non-performing loan ratios of Indian with high exposure to companies in troubled sectors will continue to rise. "India's economic risk trend is negative. Prolonged weakness in the asset quality of Indian could lead us to assess that economic risks have increased," S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Geeta Chugh said. In a report titled "Economic woes cast a shadow on Indian and Chinese banks", S&P Global Ratings compared banks in these two countries on parameters such as asset quality, profitability, capitalisation and credit growth. Banks in India and China will continue to face pressures on their asset quality, profitability and capitalisation over the next 12-24 months, the report said. "We expect economic risks to remain high for Indian and Chinese banks, which will constrain their credit profiles," Chugh said. "Asset quality for Indian and Chinese banks is likely to remain under pressure due to slow industrial recovery in India and overcapacity in many Chinese industries," Chugh added. Interest-rate liberalisation and deepening debt capital markets in India could weaken the banking sector's net interest margin (NIM). "We believe that NIMs will compress for Indian banks with corporate focus and higher bad loans. Banks are also likely to reduce lending rates further, after having cut base lending rates by 70-90 bps in the past few quarters," S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Amit Pandey said. Continuing high credit costs will also limit any meaningful improvement in profitability, Pandey added. S&P Global Ratings expects Indian banks to have sizable capital needs to support growth and meet Basel III requirements, which kicked in on April 1, 2013, and will gradually increase until 2019. "Most Indian public sector banks will have to rely on external capital infusion, given their reduced ability to generate internal capital, largely because of the pressure on asset quality in the past few years," Chugh said. In view of the potential shortfall in capital, India's PSU banks will need to continue to explore other funding options, including additional Tier-1 issuance, and funding from insurance companies or equity capital markets, she added. Credit growth in India has fallen sharply, reflecting the weak corporate credit demand as well as capital challenges that most public sector banks are facing. "We expect loan growth in India's banking sector to be 11-13% in fiscal 2017. We anticipate that corporate capital spending will be weak, given low capacity utilisation and high leverage in certain sectors," it added. As nationalised banks began e-auction of assets pledged as surety while availing loans, the Goa Barge Owners Association today requested the state government to ask the banks to be "sympathetic" towards the shipowners who had suffered on account of ban on mining. "120 barge owners have already repaid loans running into crores of rupees, but there are 68 others who want more time to pay up," Atul Jadhav, Goa Barge Owners Association said. The barge industry, which transports iron ore from jetties along the river to the port, had come to a standstill on account of ban on mining. Jadhav said the mining activity has resumed, giving a ray of hope for barge owners who are reeling under debts. The Supreme Court had banned iron ore mining industry in the state in 2012. However, the curb was lifted two and half years later with several conditions. But barge owners had already begun selling their vessels waiting for the ban to be lifted, or due to the increasing debt, Jadhav said. "As per our statistics 120 barges are already sold while 180 are still operating in the state's waters," he said. The barge association leader also said that a few of the members got a rude shock as one of the nationalised banks has already started the process to auction their assets. "We lost one of the members, Kanta Kolamkar fell ill and later died after he saw his name published in the newspaper for e-auctioning of his house. We want the state government to inform the banks to be sympathetic towards the barge owners who will gradually pay their debt," Jadhav said. The Goa government as part of a debt relief initiative for the people dependent on mining industry had asked banks to offer one-time settlement. For the benefit of barge owners, the state government had asked to pay 30 per cent of the loan upfront while the government would subsidise 35 per cent. Shares of Bharat Financial today fell nearly 10 per cent after its President S Dilli Raj was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate as part of an investigation. "Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited, formerly known as SKS Microfinance Limited, hereby intimates that it has come to its knowledge that its President S Dilli Raj has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in respect of an ongoing investigation in a complaint filed by IDBI Bank against First Leasing Company of India," the company said in a regulatory filing on Monday. Following this, the stock of the company opened on a weak note, lost further ground and touched an intra-day low of Rs 814.05. It closed at Rs 822.20, down 9.73 per cent, on BSE. On NSE, the stock opened at Rs 820 and settled at Rs 822.65, down 9.66 per cent. The company, however, said the investigation does not in any way relate to the present company, Bharat Financial Inclusion. Dilli Raj had earlier issued a personal statement on October 19, 2015, that he had resigned from First Leasing on November 22, 2007 and was relieved on January 18, 2008. He stated that all loans taken during his tenure have been repaid by First Leasing and that the complaint filed by IDBI Bank relates to loans sanctioned during 2012 and 2013, which was six years after he ceased to be an employee of First Leasing. Dilli Raj also clarified that his role was confined to treasury operations and he did not authenticate or sign any financial statements of First Leasing. Meanwhile, global brokerage Credit Suisse has reportedly downgraded the stock to 'underperform' from 'neutral', which dampened investor sentiment further. The police today took into preventive custody AAP leader Somnath Bharti and over 30 party workers as they held a protest here demanding the arrest of Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh over his comment defending the flogging of dalits at Una in Gujarat by cow vigilantes. Telangana AAP workers led by Bharti held a demonstration near the Hyderabad police commissioner's office here and demanded immediate registration of FIR against Raja Singh and his arrest. "A group of 37 AAP activists including Bharti were taken into preventive custody...All of them were subsequently released," Narayanguda police station's inspector S Bheem Reddy told PTI. Raja Singh, who represents Goshamahal constituency here, in a speech uploaded on his Facebook page supported the attacks on dalits in Una by a vigilante group for allegedly killing a cow. "I support the beating of Dalits whoever slaughter cows to consume its meat...I also support those who taught them a lesson," Singh said in his two-and-half minute video, uploaded on July 30. The biggest terror threat to Britain emanates from "home-based terrorists", UK's senior-most counter-terrorism police chief said today and advised people to run away as fast as possible if they get caught up in a terrorist attack. Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said that the country faces the most serious terror threat from "home-based terrorists" in the UK. "Most of them aren't people who have travelled to Syria, but they are being inspired, trying to pick up weapons, to plan an attack here. That's what we've been wrestling with most of all. We've had a steady flow of people thinking about that sort of attack," Rowley said. He confirmed that Britain's largest police force had hundreds of investigations ongoing, ranging from extremists right on the periphery through to small numbers of the highest risk operations. The Metropolitan Police officer also advised people to run away in case of a terror attack. "So let's be really clear - run as far away as possible and when you can't run any further, hide, and then tell - call the police because we've got the people, the resources, the firearms to deal with it. It's very straightforward," Rowley told 'Evening Standard' newspaper. "It may seem blindingly obvious, but some people don't run, they will duck down where they are, do all sorts of different things in the panic,"he said. Rowley was emphasising official advice from the UK's National Counter Terrorism Security Office, which stresses that people under attack should run or hide, rather than submit to their assailants' demands. If it is not possible to run, Britain's counter-terrorism police stress that it is important to find cover from gunfire behind substantial brickwork or heavy reinforced walls. "We should all do everything possible to stop attacks happening, but when we look at the events of the past few months in Europe it would be foolish if we were not to put out advice saying if you get caught in something here are some simple rules about what to do and give yourself a better chance of survival," Rowley, the UK's national head of counter-terrorism, told the newspaper. "This is based on what's happened in attacks across the world. If you get a chance, run to get away, hide and call us," he added. Bihar Assembly today passed the Bihar Value Added Tax (VAT) (Amendment), Bill, 2016 which was one of the eight legislations passed today for taking the state ahead in taxation, education and other areas. All eight legislations were tabled in the Assembly with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself taking the lead by introducing the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and Bihar Law Repeal Act, 2016. While seven of the bills were passed unanimously by the members, the Bihar VAT (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by a majority vote with 151 votes in favour and 51 against it, after the opposition BJP members pressed for division of votes. The Bihar VAT (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposes one per cent hike in VAT rate on various goods at six per cent from the earlier five per cent, while there will be half a per cent increase of goods not covered under the Bihar VAT Act, 2005 at 15 per cent from the previous 14.5 per cent. Defending the tax hike proposal, Commercial Taxes Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said that the state government required additional funds to meet shortfall caused by enforcement of total prohibition in Bihar and also for implementation of the salary hike to the employees in view of implementation of the seventh pay report. The opposition BJP members alleged that the hike in taxes will put more burden on the poor people who will have to pay more to purchases various goods and using services. Another legislation, the Bihar Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2016, moved by the Transport Minister Chandrika Rai and aimed at levying more additional taxes on purchase of vehicle and licence fees on various vehicles was also passed by the house. Replying to a debate on the the Bihar Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Rai said that additional taxes have been proposed to collect funds for putting in place road safety mechanism to prevent fatalities in road accident Another significant legislation, the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposed to extend the tenure of the incumbent Lokayukta to 70 years or till selection of the successor to the post by a committee under the legislative council chairperson, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said while replying to a brief debate on the bill. The Bihar Law Repeal Act, 2016, moved by the Chief Minister and passed by the house proposes to repeal two laws enacted in 1870 and 1871 for appointment and wages of chowikars on the ground that the state government has made the chowkidars public servants by a decision taken in 1990. The Assembly also passed the Bihar Agriculture University (Repeal) Act, 2016 after Agriculture minister Ram Vichal Rai moved the bill seeking repeal for the said law in view of the erstwhile Pusa-based Bihar Agriculture University being upgraded by the Centre as the Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University. The state legislative assembly further passed the Bihar State University (Amendment) Bill 2016 proposing to set up two universities, one each at Patna and Purnia, by carving out some colleges from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya and B.N. Mandal University at Madhepura. This bill was introduced by state Education minister Ashok Chaudhary. The Assembly also passed the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Bill, 2016 to clear decks for more investment for industrialization in the state through clearance from single window system. Animal Husbandry and Fisherines Minister Awadesh Kumar Singh moved the Bihar Animal Science University Bill, 2016 for research on subjects related to animal science and invention of new techniques to optimally utilise animal husbandry resources for financial betterment of those people rearing cattles. A 29-year-old woman from Bihar, suspected to have links with the alleged recruitment of youths from Kerala to Islamic State (IS), is being questioned here by the state police after being taken into custody from New Delhi. The woman, identified as Yasmin Ahmed, was arrested by a special team of Kerala police from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi when she was about to leave the country for Kabul on Sunday, police said. She allegedly had close connections with Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasaragod, who is the prime suspect behind the 21 missing youths from the state. She was brought here last evening and produced before a local court after detailed interrogation, a senior police official said. "We took her into custody from New Delhi and brought her here yesterday. She was charged under various sessions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A court here later remanded her to judicial custody," Kanhangad Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Babu told PTI. The woman is suspected to be the second wife of Rashid and is believed to have played a key role in the alleged recruitment of state youths to IS, the official added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to reports that some Keralites had joined IS, had informed the Assembly on July 11 that 21 persons were missing from the state. Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad as per preliminary information available, he had said. As per media reports, these people had gone to Syria and Afghanistan and were in IS camps, he said. A gangrape victim in the aftermath of the 2002 Godhra riots has pleaded before the Bombay High Court to consider her arguments while hearing an appeal by the CBI seeking death penalty for three of the 11 convicts in the case. Bilkis Bano filed an intervening application through her advocate Vijay Hiremath before a division bench of Justices V K Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar which is hearing the appeals filed by the convicts. Eleven men, who were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court here on January 21, 2008 for gangraping Bilkis and murdering seven of her family members in the aftermath of the Godhra riots, had approached the HC challenging their conviction and sought for the trial court's order to be quashed and set aside. CBI had also filed an appeal in the HC seeking death penalty for three of the convicts. Bilkis in her application has sought that the court also consider her arguments against the convicts. The bench is likely to consider the application when it starts hearing the appeal filed by CBI. According to the prosecution, on March 3, 2002, Bilkis Bano's family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra riots and seven members of her family were killed. Bilkis, who was five months pregnant at the time, was gangraped while six other members of her family managed to escape from the mob. The trial in the case began in Ahmedabad. However, after Bilkis expressed apprehensions that witnesses could be harmed and CBI evidence tampered, Supreme Court transferred the case to Mumbai in August 2004. The convicted persons are: Jaswantbhai Nai, Govindbhai Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana. The convicts have challenged the order on three main grounds - that all evidence in the case was fabricated by CBI, that Bilkis gave birth to a child after the incident, thus, the same proved that she could not have been gangraped, and the failure to discover the bodies of some of her family members proves that they were not killed. The CBI has sought enhancement of punishment for three of them - Jaswantbhai, Govindbhai and Radhesham Shah - on the ground that they had raped Bilkis. Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today slammed the BJP for its 'Congress-mukt Bharat' movement and said the saffron party wants to be a 'dictator' by trying to get rid of other rival parties. "The BJP has a hidden agenda to weaken all other parties, which clearly shows it wants to be a dictator," Mukul said on the sidelines of a party meet here. "I pity the BJP for its bankruptcy of idea. We will fight the hidden agenda and are confident of overcoming it," he said. The Chief Minister was reacting to a question on the declared intention of the BJP to 'wipe out' the Congress in the upcoming 2018 state elections in Meghalaya and in North East in general. "Unlike BJP's agenda of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat", Congress' agenda is to address the problems faced by the people," the CM added. The annual drive to promote breastfeeding was today flagged off in Jharkhand at the beginning of the World Breastfeeding Week. This year's theme for the World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) is 'Breastfeeding: A Key to Sustainable Development', a UNICEF press release said. During the week long campaign, special programmes will be organized in all 38,000 anganwadi centres of the state to cover over 16 lakh lactating mothers, 8 lakh pregnant women and about 16 lakh children below two years. The Anganwadi workers will organize counselling sessions on breast-feeding; weigh all children below five years; and initiate complementary feeding (annaparashan) for infants who are six months old, the release said. Speaking on the occasion, Jharkhand Minister for Women and Child Development & Social Security Lois Marandi placed emphasis on the convergent role of different government departments, front line functionaries and development partners in promoting awareness about breastfeeding in the community. Mridula Sinha, Director General, Jharkhand Nutrition Mission (JNM) said, "The first 1000 days from pregnancy to the first two years of a child"s life are the most critical period for intervention." M S Bhatia, Principal Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development and Social Security said, "There are 10 globally proven interventions to prevent death of children and reduce malnutrition among children. "Most important are the three breast feeding practices: initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth; exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of birth; and complementary feeding from the seventh month along with breast feeding," Bhatia said. Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF Jharkhand said, "Breast milk is the best and first vaccination of the baby as it contains antibodies that protects them against infections." She said about 50-55% of deliveries in Jharkhand are in hospitals and if all hospital-born babies were breast fed within one hour of birth, the rate of initial breast feeding in the state would have touched 55%. "But it is only 32.7% now clearly indicating that the practice is not being followed in many hospitals," Jonathan said. Dr Amitabh Kaushal, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Jharkhand called on all mothers, health workers and doctors to reject bottle feeding. Six BSF personnel were seriously injured when a patrol team of the force was attacked by about 100 cattle smugglers with sticks and sharp weapons near a border outpost in Siliguri today. The BSF patrol party had been sent to apprehend the smugglers who were trying to smuggle cattle from Leusipakuri border outpost and had seized 34 cows though they could not apprehend anyone. "But when we were returning with the cattle to hand them over to police, around 100 cattle smugglers attacked us with sticks and sharp weapons. They also tried to seize the cattle. Around six to seven of our jawans were seriously injured," a senior official of BSF's North Bengal Frontier said. "In order to stop them we had to fire around six rounds in the air to disperse the smugglers," he said. West Bengal is a hub for cattle smuggling because of the high demand for beef in neighbouring Bangladesh. Cattle from almost all over the country are sent to the state to be smuggled to Bangladesh. However, cattle smugglers are finding it difficult to carry on in recent months after the vigil on the border has been enhanced to stop their activity. Border Security Force (BSF), the country's largest border guarding force, has decided to replace the routine physical training drills for its jawans and officers with yoga. The decision to replace the daily 45-minute physical training drills with yoga at all its units was taken by BSF Director General K K Sharma after 1,900 personnel of the force recently completed a special training under the tutelage of Baba Ramdev at his facility in Uttarakhand's Haridwar. "Yoga has been made mandatory in the force and the jawans and officers will now undergo regular training in this skill. The routine PT exercises will be replaced by yoga," the DG told PTI. He added that a committee of senior officers of the force has been constituted that will suggest if, apart from yoga, any other physical exercises are required to be included in the daily regime of the 2.5 lakh personnel-strong force. Ramdev had conducted a special 10-day session for the personnel of the force at his Patanjali yoga institute which ended earlier this week. Sharma had recently said the paramilitary force has decided to "intensify" yoga training of its troops and the aim is to have at least one trainer in this discipline in each platoon-level formation. A platoon, comprising about 35 personnel, is the minimum strength of an operational team in the force. Yoga acts as a stress buster and it is important for the men and women of the force, as they are deployed in some of the most difficult areas as part of their duties in border guarding and internal security domain, the BSF Director General had said. BSF guards India's two important borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from conducting anti-Naxal operations in the Left Wing Extremism hit states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The CAG has flagged unfruitful expenditure of Rs 10 crore by Home Ministry in setting up of pre-fabricated structures to conduct trainings for police personnel at an institute in Madhya Pradesh. The Home Ministry had in March 2009 approved establishment of a Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) at Bhopal at an approved outlay of Rs 47.14 crore. The academy was to provide training to the trainers of the state police training institutes and directly recruited Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) of states. Madhya Pradesh government had allotted 400 acres of land, free of cost, to Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) for setting up of CAPT. "Audit observed that the project, which was envisaged to be implemented during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), was not taken up during the plan due to issues relating to encroachments, deficient road connectivity, inadequate electricity and resistance by villagers to demarcate the area in the proposed land," the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament today. The Ministry later decided to revise the scope of work as a result, the cost of setting up of CAPT was further revised to Rs 281 crore by the Expenditure Finance Committee in October 2012 with the stipulated date of completion as March 2016. This was further extended to December, it said. "Audit observed that the project did not pick up adequate momentum and the physical progress had reached up to only 20 per cent and Rs 76.75 crore had been released by the Ministry as of June 2015. "As of December 2015 a sum of Rs 72.96 crore had been incurred on the project. Thus, the Ministry was not in a position to complete the project within the stipulated time frame," the report said. Meanwhile, in November 2010, the Ministry was informed by BPRD that construction of permanent structure would take time since many issues were to be resolved and therefore, the training could be started at an early date by constructing Pre-Fabricated structures (PFs). "Audit also observed that no training was organised in these PFs due to remote location of the academy, non-availability of approach road, lack of security arrangements and non-induction of permanent faculty and supporting staff. "Out of 90 PFs, 20 were used for administrative purposes, eight by Central Public Works Department for monitoring of construction activities and 62 were not in use or locked as of June 2015," the CAG said. Thus, while the envisaged objective of establishing a central academy remained unfulfilled, even the move to construct PFs to counter delays in meeting the training requirements proved injudicious, despite time and cost overruns. This ultimately led to unfruitful expenditure of Rs 10.13 crore on their construction, it said. The CAG has pointed out alleged irregularities in use of Leave Travel Concession (LTC) grant by officials of Home and Culture ministries who claimed inflated air bills for travelling to Jammu and Kashmir by private airlines. Following the audit, the Home Ministry has formed a committee to look into the matter. Government employees get to and fro journey cost reimbursement and leaves while availing LTC. As per rules, all government employees may visit Jammu and Kashmir by availing the services of private airlines for travel but the tickets need to be purchased either directly from the airlines or through authorised agents only viz M/s Balmer Lawrie & Company, M/s Ashok Travels & Tours Limited and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. "Test check of LTC bills disclosed that 44 officers or officials of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture performed air journeys to J&K by availing relaxation provided by the government to travel by private airlines. The journeys were undertaken through three private airlines namely Indigo, Spicejet and Go Air. "Further, one official of Ministry of Culture had performed air journey to Andaman and Nicobar Island through Air India. We carried out a test check of reimbursement of LTC claims for 2013-14 and 2014-15 of these officers or officials in the Ministries by comparing the details available on the website of the airlines and found that the bills furnished with the claims were not correct," the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament today. Audit observed that air tickets submitted by these officers were not in conformity with those issued by the airlines and the fares claimed by the employees were higher than the amount actually paid to these airlines, which resulted in irregular excess payment of Rs 14.32 lakh, it said. The Ministry of Home Affairs accepted the facts and stated that the details worked out by audit were confirmed from Indigo and Spice Jet airlines and were found identical, the report by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said. "It (Home Ministry) further added that a two-member Committee had been constituted to examine the matter," it said, adding that the reply of Ministry of Culture was awaited. Government auditor CAG has red- flagged $1.6 billion of excess cost recovered by Reliance Industries in the KG-D6 gas block and took note of state-owned ONGC's gas flowing into the eastern offshore fields of the Mukesh Ambani-led firm. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in a report tabled in Parliament, said 831.88 sq km of KG-D6 area needs to be taken away from as per the contract and cost of discoveries it had relinquished should not be allowed to be recovered from sale of oil and gas from the block. Also, cost recovery for doing discovery conformity test should be looked into, it said. CAG said November 2015 report of independent expert DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&M) submitted on reservoir continuity between the KG-D6 and contiguous ONGC operated blocks has pointed out that gas has migrated from the blocks owned by state-owned firm to the private company operated fields. "The report indicates that as on March 31, 2015, of the gas initially in place, 44.32% in Godavari PML and 34.71% in KG-DWN-98/2 (both of ONGC) had migrated" to KG-D6, it said. "The report projected a higher proportion of gas migration and its production through operated KG-DWN- 98/3 (KG-D6) block by end of 2019." The government has appointed one member committee under Justice A P Shah to consider the report and recommend future action. "In case if the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas accepts D&M report conclusion that did draw gas from ONGC's contiguous fields, and directs RIL to compensate ONGC for the same, it may affect the financials of KG-DWN-98/3 including cost petroleum, profit petroleum, royalty and taxes over its entire period of operation (since April 2009 when production of gas commenced from the block)," CAG said. It said many of the issue it had pointed out in the previous audits (2006-12) of the block still persist. "The total financial impact of excess cost recovery during 2012-14 on account of the earlier identified audit findings was $1.547 billion (Rs 9,307.22 crore). "For the period 2012-14, additional issues of excess cost recovery claimed by the operator (RIL) were noticed, financial effect of which was $46.35 million," it said. CAG had in its previous reports slammed Oil Ministry and its technical arm DGH for not exercising enough control and vigil over KG-D6 block, leading to instance of excess cost recovery. As per the Production Sharing Contract (PSC), an operator is allowed to recover all his cost before sharing profit with the government, a provision which CAG says encourages to inflate cost to delay profit sharing. CAG in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday said RIL refused to connect to production system four wells it had drilled on the D1 and D3 gas field in KG-D6 block on the pretext that they would not produce adequate incremental volume to justify the additional capex spend. "Though these wells have not contributed to production from the D1-D3 field, the Operator has recovered $102.94 million up to the FY2013-14 towards their cost," CAG said. Also, the ministry had ordered RIL to relinquish 6,198.88 sq km out of total KG-D6 area of 7645 sq km as per the contract that allowed retaining only area were discoveries are made. "However, contrary to Ministry's directives, the Operator relinquished only an area of 5,367 sq km retaining an excess area of 831.88 sq km. The Operator also paid Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) fees of Rs 3.32 million relating to the excess retained area," CAG said, adding that the relinquishment of the additional area retained needs to be ensured by the ministry. CAG said $63.78 million RIL got through marketing margin should be included in price of gas for calculation of royalty payable to government and profit sharing. Also, Aker of Norway, which supplies a floating oil production vessel (FPSO), was paid additional benefit of $10.13 million. The Indian High Commission in London had allegedly allowed a service provider to levy a fee at an "arbitrary rate" in handling fast track business visas resulting undue benefit of Rs 10 crore to the private entity, said government auditor CAG. In a report tabled in the Parliament, it said the service provider, handling visa support service was permitted to collect 25 pound from each applicant for fast track business visa in place of normal charge of 7.70 pound, from 2010 to 2015 that resulted a benefit. "Permitting the service provider to handle fast track business visa with service charge at an arbitrary rate (GBP 25) in place of normal service charge of GBP 7.7 resulted in undue benefit of Rs 10.72 crore to the service provider during the period March 2010 to February 2015," the CAG said. The High Commission had entered into an agreement in 2008 with VF Services (UK) Ltd for various visa support services. The CAG said the Mission did not go for any negotiation, estimation of cost and market survey before allowing the service provider to collect GBP 25. It said the new service provider had agreed to render the same service at GBP 7.44 with effect from March 2015. The report also criticised the Indian Embassy in Washington for its "failure" to comply with laid down procurement process while awarding annual maintenance contract of IT equipment to a "dubious" firm and consequent "irregular" payments if Rs 1.36 crore to it. Citing one example of alleged irregularities, the CAG said an amount of USD 1,56,450 (Rs 97.94 lakh) was paid to M/s ATC from May 2012-March 2015 towards annual maintenance cost of two servers and 16 desktops. It said "the price of two servers purchased in 2007 was USD 6,118. Thus, the present cost of annual maintenance of servers works out to 705 per cent of the price of the servers." The report also said "incorrect" adoption of prevailing official exchange rate by High Commission of India in Ottawa and its Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver in June 2010 instead of the exchange rate for visa fees as required under the manual and unwarranted downward revision of service fees for "renunciation" of Indian citizenship and penalty on misuse of passports in March 2013 resulted in less collection of revenue of Rs 27.01 crore. The expenditure on healthcare in last fiscal by the Centre and state governments was 1.3 per cent of the GDP, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. As per the Economic Survey 2015-2016, the expenditure by government (Central and state governments combined) on health as percentage of GDP was 1.3 per cent, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to a question in the Upper House. She said as per World Health Statistics 2015, India's per capita government expenditure on health in 2012 was USD 60, while the US spent USD 4,153. As on March 31, last year, there was shortage of 3,002 doctors at primary health care centres in rural areas, Patel said. To another question, she said based on the projection of the country's population for 2011-2016 by the Office of Registrar General of India, the per capita public health expenditure for 2014-15 (revised estimate) and 2015-16 (budgetary estimate) is estimated at Rs 1,117 and Rs 1,202 respectively. An international lawyers' rights group today said China had "forced" a prominent lawyer to refuse their award to secure her release from prison. "The Chinese authorities forced Wang Yu to refuse the award...In return for so-called freedom," the jury of the Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize said in a statement. "This is the first time...That the prize has been refused by a laureate under pressure from the authorities of their home country," said the jury for the prize, which was awarded in Athens in June. Wang Yu was among one of more than 200 lawyers and legal activists held last July in a swoop on those who had taken on civil rights cases considered sensitive by China's ruling Communist Party, which tightly controls the court system. But yesterday a Hong Kong-based TV channel with ties to China's government said she had recently been bailed out. Wang told Phoenix TV that she had experienced "the legal civilisation of China and humane care" while in detention. She then turned down the award, which she said was intended to "blacken the reputation of the Chinese government". AFP was unable to contact Wang for comment, nor authorities in Tianjin, where she had been held. But the Ludovic Trarieux jury today said they had "strong doubts" about the sincerity of Wang's refusal. In the interview she spoke "haltingly with a fixed stare and a bland voice, nothing like the manner in which Wang Yu expresses herself," they said. Chinese state-run media often show televised "confessions" from suspects in detention or on bail, in what lawyers say violates their right to a fair trial. The Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize is awarded by European bar associations to lawyers who defend human rights and fight intolerance and racism. South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was the first recipient in 1985. Battling frequent terror attacks by Uyghur militants in Xinjiang, the volatile region has adopted China's first provincial-level anti-terrorism rules, including "re-educating" ring leaders and hard-line radicals. The new regulation is based on China's Anti-Terrorism Law, giving detailed instructions on how to deal with terror activities, including keeping hard-line radicals away from other prisoners and re-assessing convicts' risk level before they can be released from prison. The regulation is based on China's Anti-Terrorism Law that was designed to better suit the situation in Xinjiang. It was approved by the autonomous region's legislative body on Sunday and went into effect yesterday, state-run Global Times reported. Xinjiang is the first provincial-level region in China to have released a regional interpretation of the Anti-Terrorism Law since it was implemented on January 1 this year. The region has been haunted by terror attacks in the past few years that took hundreds of lives. China had blamed at Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for the violence. The regulation stipulates that prison authorities must re-assess the risk level of convicts of terror-related crimes six months before their release. The assessment reports will be submitted to local courts, which will decide, within a month, whether a convict requires further re-education upon leaving the prison, it said. Ringleaders of terror organisations, those who incited others to commit crimes while serving jail terms and those who resist education with violent tendencies must be confined in solitary and kept away from other prisoners, it said. Clause 51 of the regulation states that those who have twisted the concept of "halal," which usually only applies to food, and expand the concept to all aspects of social life may be subjected to fines of less than 10,000 yuan (USD 1,538) or detention of five to 15 days. China has already deployed large number of security forces in Xinjiang which borders Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, (POK) and Afghanistan. Under the new rule, officials also have the power to suspend ongoing rallies, demonstrations, performances or other activities that have mass participation to prevent terror activities. It also give authorities the power to temporarily shut down schools, research facilities, enterprises and other organisations and stop the operation of plants or factories that involve explosive, radioactive or biochemical materials. This specific clause is to prevent the spread of Islamic radicalism in prisons, analysts said quoting reports about prisons in EU where hard-line radicals tend to use jail time to attract disciples and groom petty criminals for greater attacks. "The Anti-Terrorism Law is more of a general guideline. As the main battleground of China's anti-terrorism campaign, Xinjiang is in urgent need of a more detailed set of regulations that target the specific form of terrorism the region is facing," Li Wei, an expert on counter-terrorism at the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the daily. Xinjiang's regulation has also provided a more detailed definition of terror activities than that in the national law. It further stipulates that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training. The regulation requires the establishment of a three-tiered anti-terrorism mechanism comprised of agencies at provincial, prefecture and city levels. In a bid to nullify the tribunal's verdict that struck down its claims over the disputed South China Sea, China's Supreme Court issued a regulation reaffirming the country's jurisdiction over its territorial seas warning foreigners of criminal liability for violations of its sovereignty. The Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The explanation provides a clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, it quoted an SPC statement as saying. The regulation, taking effect on Tuesday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued with criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. The SPC statement said "judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty. People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests". The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction. According to the regulation by the SPC, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The SPC move is seen as an attempt to provide legal cover to China's maritime claims over almost all of the in the backdrop of the July 12 judgement of the tribunal appointed by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) quashing China's nine-dash-line claim over the SCS. It also upheld the Philippines' rights over the area claimed by Manila. China has rejected the verdict delivered in response to the petition which the PCA said is binding. While Beijing said the tribunal's verdict was null and void as it is illegally constituted, today's regulation by the top court was expected to provide a legal cover for Chinese military and coast guard to effectively implement China's claims over nearly 90 per cent of the SCS and back the rights of its fishermen to continue fishing in the region. Besides Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contests China's claims over the area with counter claims. The court regulation followed assertions by the Chinese military to protect the country's maritime rights and interests in the backdrop of increasing tensions over the SCS after the PCA tribunal struck down Beijing's clams. A prominent Chinese activist was today given a three-year suspended jail sentence for subverting state power, the first public trial since the year-long nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers. Zhai Yanmin, who was arrested in July last year as part of a crackdown on legal activism, has been found guilty of subverting state power after a one-day trial in Tianjin. Zhai, described as unemployed resident of Beijing by state-run agency Xinhua, was among 300 lawyers and activists arrested since July last year as part of a nationwide government campaign against legal activists. Announcing the sentence, Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court ordered that Zhai, 55, will have to serve a minimum three-year term should he fall foul of the law within the four-year probation period. Three more activists from Zhai's law firm Fengrui, which specialises in human rights cases, are on trial in Tianjin. The cases have provoked international criticism and accusations that they are politically motivated. The court also deprived Zhai of his political rights for four years. The court was told that Zhai and the three others "conspired and plotted to subvert state power," and "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." Zhai pleaded guilty and declined his right to appeal, Xinhua said. "With the help and education of the government, I recognise the severity of my crimes. I plead guilty and express my sincere remorse," Zhai was quoted as saying. He was first exposed to concepts such as the "colour revolutions" and "peaceful transition" online, the court said in a statement. "He then joined an underground church led by Hu Shigen and gradually developed plans to overthrow the state socialist system," it said. Since 2012, Zhai has attempted to incite people to subvert state power by use of the online resources, the court said. "Zhai, together with underground church members and lawyers, engaged and managed illegal petitioners to organise public gatherings, hype up legal cases and incidents, attack the country's judicial system and carry out activities aimed at subverting the state power and socialist system," the statement said. These activities endangered the state and society, it added. "The court handed down a light sentence because he confessed, testified against others and repented. Moreover, the court decided that Zhai posed no major threat to the community," it said. A Chinese court today sentenced the former head of a provincial tourism bureau to 12 years jail term for taking millions in bribes. The ruling was handed down by Anqing City Intermediate People's Court after it found Hu Xuefan, previously director of Anhui provincial bureau of tourism, guilty of having taken bribes totaling more than 4.6 million yuan (about USD 691,729). The court found that Hu or his family members accepted cash, shopping cards and gold bars while he held positions at Mount Huangshan Resort, the Huangshan City Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Tourism Bureau of Anhui Province from 1999 to 2014, state-run Xinhua agency reported. Hu helped more than 20 companies or individuals with allocation of tourism funds, resort ratings, personnel promotion and other decisions in exchange for bribes. The court hearing started on December 22 last year. Hu confessed to the local procuratorate during the investigation but withdrew the confession later in court. He was stripped of the illicit proceeds of 4.6 million yuan and was also fined 4 million yuan, the court said. Hu said he would file an appeal after the ruling. As a part of President Xi Jinping's massive crackdown on corruption, over 40 top Chinese Generals have faced anti-corruption probes. Last month, a close aide of former Chinese president Hu Jintao was jailed for life for taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, making him one of the senior officials of the previous regime to be punished in the anti-corruption campaign. Thousands of officials, including several top CPC politicians and high ranking leaders, have been indicted in Xi's anti-graft campaign which has also drawn criticism that it enabled him to consolidate his hold on the power. The Coast Guard today rescued 28 people trapped on a rooftop in Valsad in Gujarat, due to rising water level in Auranga river. "At about 1000 hrs on August 2, 2016, Indian Coast Guard Air Station Daman received telephonic information from Valsad Administration regarding 10 persons trapped on a rooftop near Valsad due to high rise of water in Auranga river," an official statement said. It said the place was located about 13.5 NM (approximately 25 kms) from Coast Guard Air Station, Daman, about 175 Kms north of Mumbai. "On receipt of the information, the Air station acted promptly and Coast Guard Chetak helicopter was launched within 15 minutes. "Braving strong wind and inclement weather, the pilots manoeuvred the helicopter safely, reached the site and identified the stranded people. The helicopter crew quickly assimilated the situation and also identified a safe location for shifting the stranded people," it said. Later the Cost Guard found there were more people stranded and a total of 28 were rescued with assistance of divers and shifted to safe places. The operation to rescue more people from rooftop is still in progress. The Opposition Congress today boycotted an all-party meeting convened by city mayor to break the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) Council stalemate. The civic body had witnessed violent scenes last week when some ruling BJD corporators beat up Congress corporators. "The all-party meeting was cancelled as the Congress members did not attend it," said deputy mayor Ajay Barik of BJD. "Congress corporators decided to boycott the all-party meeting because the party has already lodged police complaints against errant BJD corporators and given a seven-day ultimatum to the police to take appropriate action," said city Congress chief Md Moquim. At least four BJD corporators allegedly assaulted the Congress corporators when the latter were protesting against the failure of the civic body in controlling dengue menace in the city during the monthly council meeting on July 29. Congress corporator Arun Kumar Sethy (SC) has lodged a complaint at Purighat police station naming four BJD corporators for beating him using derogatory remarks about his caste. The city police, however, have not taken any action against the accused ruling party members for which the Congress leaders had gheraoed the district collector's office yesterday and organised a rally in the city today. A raucous booze party was allegedly held at a government-run school in Bhayandar in the district to celebrate 'Gatari' last week. 'Gatari' is a local custom where a feast of non-veg dishes accompanied by booze is held before the onset of the holy month of 'shravan'. Mira Bhayandar Municipal Commissioner Achuyt Hange told PTI that he ordered inquiry into the incident after receiving several complaints. The party, held at a civic shool in Mashacha Pada on July 31, was allegedly organised by a BJP corporator. The participants danced to the tune of DJ system in the rain, creating nuisance for the locals. Hange said he asked the education officer Suresh Deshmukh to carry out enquiry, and the report submitted by the latter blamed the BJP corporator and prima facie confirmed the complaints. Further action would be taken soon, he added. The security guard at the school which was closed for Sunday refused to hand over the keys to the participants, but they allegedly forced their way in. Local police said there had been no complaint so far. Mira Bhayandar mayor and BJP leader Geeta Jain claimed that the party was held not in the school but in an adjoining building. A special court has extended by two months till September 28 the period of investigation against three suspected members of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, arrested for allegedly planning an attack in the national capital. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh allowed the prosecution's plea to extend the period of investigation against the accused persons -- Mohd Sajid, Shakir and Sameer, who are currently in the judicial custody. The plea submitted that more time was required to complete the investigation in the matter. The court had earlier sent the accused to the police custody on the prosecution's plea that their custodial interrogation was required to crack their Delhi module. Delhi Police had detained 10 others suspected to be linked with a terror outfit for planning an attack in the city and allegedly recovered explosives from their possession after a series of overnight raids in the national capital and neighbouring states. However, they were later let off after questioning. Special Cell teams had conducted raids in Delhi and UP in a joint operation of Delhi Police and a central intelligence agency. All the three accused were suspected to be members of a sleeper unit of the terror outfit, police alleged. Music mogul Simon Cowell says he is annoyed with One Direction member Liam Payne for signing solo record deal. Payne signed the deal with Captial Records and Cowell, 56, is not happy with his decision to leave his Simon's Syco label, reported Digital Spy. "It is a bit annoying if I am honest with you - mainly because it is a another label who has now got your artist who you worked with for so many years. "But that is the music business, unfortunately. I don't think anyone else from the band will do that," The "X Factor" creator said. Payne, 22, recently signed the record deal became the the first member of the band to sign to a label outside of Sony. Harry Styles recently signed his own huge solo deal with Columbia, while Niall Horan has also apparently decided to stay put as part of Simon Cowell's Syco record label. Even Zayn Malik signed with Sony's RCA when he went solo last year. Cowell added that the 1D member's decision to sign a solo record came as a bit of a shock as he didn't show any interest in it to the music boss beforehand. "We had spoken a lot - him and I - about what he wanted to do next. My impression was that he wasn't in any hurry to make a record because he discussed this last year. He was more into songwriting. "I was teasing him saying: 'If you come up with a great song, Liam, make sure it is for you and don't give it away. When you're ready I am ready.' So I was a bit surprised. Of course there is a part of you that goes, 'Maybe we should have had the conversation.' That maybe is my fault but it has happened now," he said. An Independent MLA in the Goa Legislative Assembly today demanded that hands of those government officials caught red-handed accepting bribes should be chopped. "Their hands should be cut. If government is serious about curbing corruption, cut the hands of government officials who were found red handed accepting bribe," legislator Naresh Sawal told Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in the Assembly during Question Hour. Sawal charged the ruling BJP-led coalition of not being serious about curbing corruption in the State. Parsekar refuting the allegations said that the number of cases of officials booked for corruption has gone up tremendously during BJP government's regime in the state. "This is a democracy and in a democracy, even if a person is known as an established criminal or a cheat, it has to proven so. You cannot take action otherwise," the Chief Minister told the Opposition member. Responding to a question, Parsekar said in all, 46 cases have been filed before the Vigilance department against government officials in last 12 years. "Only one (official) has been chargesheeted and one convicted," he said. Of the total 46 cases, 39 cases have been registered under the BJP led government while only seven cases were filed between 2005-2012. Delhi Congress today took the WhatsApp route to highlight the AAP government's "criminal negligence", which it said led to formation of potholes, as it invited people to post pictures of damaged roads. Workers of the party also put fake crocodiles and sharks into one such pothole in south Delhi's Munirka. Congress has named the campaign "JaagoYaBhaago", DPCC chief Ajay Maken said today. Maken in a statement said #JaagoYaBhaago campaign has been launched on WhatsApp number 9891620771 "against the Delhi government and the BJP-ruled MCDs" and invited people to upload pictures of potholes along with details such as the name of the road, Assembly/ward and sender. He said the campaign aims at pressuring the AAP government and the BJP-ruled MCDs to immediately fill the potholes. The opposition has been attacking the Delhi government since a man was mowed down by a tanker when he fell into a flooded pothole in Vasant Kunj last week. Delhi Police's Special Cell today claimed to have busted an international drug syndicate and seized 14.2 kg of party drug mephedrone (meow-meow) worth Rs 25 crore in international market, with the arrest of 8 drug traffickers from various parts of national capital. A team of Special Cell working on drug trafficking received input that a Mumbai based supplier Faizan Supariwala was coming to receive the drug consignment at Greater Kailash (GK) II from where he was arrested on July 23, DCP Special Cell Sanjiv Yadav said. Two packets of meow-meaw, weighing 1.215 gm and 995 gm were seized from his possession. Faizan revealed during interrogation that he worked for his relative Arif who was in the trade, and they used to send drug consignment to Gulf and European countries with the help of one Kailash. He also told that he had received the drug in Delhi from a Chittaranjan Park resident Sunny. Later, a raid was conducted and Surender Singh alias Sunny was arrested from GK II. A packet of mephedrone weighing 650 gm was seized from him. This arrest was followed by further arrests of the accused Rishi from Kondli, Guddu Yadav, Manoj Sengar, Sanjay Khanna, Dipak Parashar and Mahender Rana. Arrest of Guddu Yadav near Karkardooma court led to seizure of two packets of the drug weighing 600 gm and 250 gm. A total of 850 gms of the drug was seized from the possession of accused Deepak Parashar and 600 gm from Sanjay Khanna. Accused Sanjay Khanna gave information about Mahender Rana who was arrested with biggest seizure of 9.90 Kg of mephedrone. "Rana disclosed that a Customs employee had provided him a total of 21 Kg of mephedrone and he had already sold out around 12 Kg of it through Sanjay Khanna on different occasions," said the officer. Investigation so far has revealed that Kailash based in Mumbai is kingpin of the syndicate. Special Cell said he was also wanted in similar case in Mumbai in which his brother was already arrested. He was presently in Dubai. Further investigation is in full swing and hunts are on to apprehend remaining drug-peddlers' of the syndicate at their hideouts in Mumbai, Delhi and UP, added the officer. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Centre and Delhi government to demolish illegal religious structures in the Central Ridge area near the Birla temple here within two weeks. A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi directed the Ministry of Urban Development and Delhi government to knock down two religious structures and a platform, identified as encroachment on the 7.5 acres of the ridge area. "We direct that the respondent no 2 and 3 in collaboration with each other shall carry out the demolition of the said identified structures within two weeks. "We further direct the Commissoner of Police to grant every police assistance to them for demolition," the bench, also comprising Expert Member Ranjan Chatterjee, said. It warned that if any "laxity" is shown in executing this order, it will hold officers concerned personally liable and will resort to coercive measures against them. The direction came after the Ministry of Urban Development submitted that demarcation of the area where illegal structures are to be demolished has been completed and two religious structures and a platform have been identified as encroachments and sought police protection for demolition. The order came on the contempt petition filed by K C Bhargava, who resides near the temple located on Mandir Marg here, stating the constructions by a trust are in violation of a Supreme Court order prohibiting non-forest activity in the 7.5 acres of land adjacent to the shrine. Bhargava had alleged that the trust "in connivance with NDMC and other authorities has illegally constructed a road, parking, temple and other constructions within the said Central Ridge area", a charge denied by the temple authorities. The petition had also submitted that the Ridge -- the northern extension of Aravalli Range -- has been notified as a reserved forest area as per the Delhi government's May 24, 1994 notification by which any non-forest activity there, without permission of competent authority, is prohibited. It had alleged that the illegal constructions have been going on despite the apex court order and the May 1994 notification. : Milling crowds of devotees thronged temples to offer prayers to Lord Dakshinamoorthy on the occasion of Guru Peyarchi festival in Puducherry and in Rameswaram in neighbouring Tamil Nadu today. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Speaker V Vaithilingam were among those who offered prayers at the shrine of Lord Dakshinamoorthy on the precincts of the Sithananda Swamigal temple in Karuvadikuppam village near Puducherry. Devotees turned up in large numbers at the shrines of Vedapureeswarar and also the Kalatheeswarar for prayers. A Rameswaram report said nearly three lakh pilgrims, mostly from North India, arrived at the temple town on the auspicious occassion of Guru Peyarchi (transit of planet Jupiter from Leo to Virgo), while many took a holy dip at the sea. Special poojas were performed at Sri Ramanathasamy temple in Rameswaram, which witnessed unending flow of devotees. Infrastructure firm Dilip Buildcon's initial public offering garnered 70 per cent subscription on the second day of the issue today. The public issue received bids for over 1.48 crore shares as against more than 2.13 crore on offer till 1700 hrs, according to latest uptade available with National Stock Exchange (NSE). The company, on Friday, raised a little over Rs 196 crore by allotting 89.58 lakh shares to anchor investors at a price of Rs 219 apiece. The anchor investors include Smallcap World Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, HDFC Trustee Company, Nomura Singapore, DB International (Asia), IDFC Infrastructure Fund and East Bridge Capital Master Fund. Dilip Buildcon plans to raise Rs 430 crore through fresh issuance of equity shares and an offer for sale of up to 10,227,273 shares, including the anchor portion. The company has fixed the price band at Rs 214-219 per share. At the upper limit, the company is expected to raise around Rs 654 crore. The bidding for the IPO will conclude tomorrow. Proceeds of the issue will be utilised towards repayment of debt and meet working capital requirements. Dilip Buildcon, which is primarily into construction of roads and highways, has an orderbook of almost 8,000 km worth of over Rs 11,000 crore to be executed over the next two-and-a-half years. The lead managers are Axis Capital, IIFL Holdings, JM Financial Institutional Securities and PNB Investment Services. Earlier, the company had proposed to raise Rs 650 crore through the IPO. However, since the issue was delayed for over a year, Dilip Buildcon reduced the fresh issue size to Rs 430 crore. In view of severe fuel crisis in Tripura due to disruption of vehicular movement on damaged NH-8, state government has demanded dispatch of fuel by rail as it has come to the broad gauge map of the country following flagging off a train between here and Delhi on Sunday. "We have submitted a memorandum to the Railway Minister on Sunday charting out eight demands including dispatch of fuel. It seems he is taking very pro-active role to meet our demands. He immediately directed the rail officers to discuss the matter with IOC. Later the officials of the rail and IOC met in the state guest house," Transport Minister Manik Dey said today. The vehicular movement through the National Highway 8 was seriously affected for the last three months due to damage of a portion at Karimganj in Assam following incessant rain and waterlogging and the state was facing acute crisis of fuel. Dey said the other demands include introduction of four trains within Tripura to connect Agartala with Dharmanagar, the northernmost town in the state, direct train from here to Chennai and other big cities of the country. The rail minister on Sunday announced that a direct train between Agartala and Kolkata would be introduced this month. Dey also demanded to include Tripura in the Trans-Asian rail network. After the Trans-Asian railway network is established Tripura can be included with the network if 257 km rail track is laid from Tripura's Jawharnagar in Dhalai district with Kalay of Myanmar through neighbouring Mizoram's Darlon, Dey said. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron's 150,000 pounds wax work at Madame Tussauds here has been moved into the archives leaving the space of the Downing Street replica empty. As a reflection of some of the post-Brexit turmoil in the UK, the museum confirmed this week that the fake No 10 door will remain without representation as the world-famous wax museum has traditionally only featured elected prime ministers. "Asa result of Theresa May succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister, Cameron's MadameTussaudsfigure has been removed from the World Leaders area of the London attraction," Nicole Fenner, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, told PTI. "As to whether we'll be creating a figure of Theresa May - traditionally, we haven't featured likenessesof unelected Prime Ministers.However, it is still early days in May's administration,butif, as it appears, she remainsPrime Minister for the foreseeable future,wewill review this policy and potentially fill the vacancy outside No 10," she said. May entered Downing Street last month after Cameron had stepped down as Prime Minister on June 24 - the day the result of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union (EU) was announced in favour of leaving the economic bloc. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, the star campaigner for Brexit and newly-appointed foreign secretary in Mrs May's Cabinet, has survived the upheaval by keeping his spot at the wax museum at London's Baker Street. Meanwhile, Cameron likeness, which cost around 150,000 pounds to create, will remain in the attraction'sarchive where the 132-year-old museum keeps all of the moulds, heads and hands of every figure ever made. The Downing Street set is part of a wider "World Leaders" display, which most recently welcomed Narendra Modi to its collection. "His figure has been extremely popular with guests since being launched earlier this year in April," the museum spokesperson said in reference to the Indian Prime Minister. Modi, dressed in a kurta and jacket with hands joined in namaste, stands besides present day leaders Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Francoise Holland, as well as political heavyweights of the past like Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill. The heads of US presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are already prepared so the election winner can be installed in November. "#WaxClinton or #WaxTrump? Only one will be inaugurated @MadameTussauds. We'll find out on Election Day - November 8, 2016," the museum said in a tweet this week. Madame Tussauds has featured elected world leaders ever since it was founded as a travelling show in 1802 by French artist Marie Grosholtz. The Employees' Compensation Bill 2016, which seeks to raise the cap of disputed amount of compensation for appeal in high courts, will be introduced in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. Section 30 of the Employees' Compensation Act 1923 provides for appeal in high courts whenever the disputed amount (of compensation) is more than Rs 300. The Bill seeks to raise this to Rs 10,000. "The Employees' Compensation Amendment Bill 2016 will be introduced in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and hopefully pushed for passage during the current session," a source said. "One of the main objectives of the Bill is to reduce litigation. This legislation is almost a century old. Nobody will seek compensation less than Rs 300 under this Act as cost of living index has increased many fold since then." The bill also provides for increase in penalty for contravention of the Act to Rs 50,000, from the current Rs 5,000. The Employees' Compensation Act, 1923, provides for payment of compensation to workmen and their dependants in the case of injury by industrial accidents, including certain occupational diseases arising out of and in the course of employment resulting in death or disablement. The Bill also proposes to impose penalty for failure to display provisions of the Act. The Act provides under section 30A that the Commissioner could exercise discretion to withhold payment of an employee whenever an appeal in a high court is filed. The legislation proposed to omit Sector 30A. With this omission, the amount can be withheld only when there is a stay or order to that effect by the high court where the appeal is filed. The Law Commission of India, in its reports in 1974 and 1989 related to the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, (now known as Employees' Compensation Act, 1923), recommended to review/amend/repeal various provisions of the Act. The proposed Bill is based on the report of the Law Commission which intends to close more litigations at the level of Commissioner for Workmen's Compensation appointed by state governments for a particular area. The other objective of the Bill is to put in more deterrence for better compliance. EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said today he wants his British nominee to the EU executive to serve as security commissioner tasked with fighting terrorism, organised crime and cyber crime. Juncker said he intended to give the new job of Security Union Commissioner to Julian King, Britain's ambassador to France who he previously announced as a replacement for Jonathan Hill, the financial services commissioner. Hill stepped down after the British referendum on June 23 which saw Britons decide to leave the European Union. "President Juncker announced his intention to allocate the Security Union portfolio to Sir Julian King," a statement said, with the nomination sent to the European Parliament for approval. The EU statement said the new security commissioner will support the implementation of the European Agenda on Security that the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, adopted in April last year. The five-year agenda is aimed at tackling terrorism, organised crime and cyber crime. Juncker late yesterday informed Britain's new prime minister Theresa May of his choice. May replaced David Cameron after he resigned following the British referendum. A senior diplomat, King is currently Britain's ambassador to France, but has also held posts in Brussels, New York, Paris, Luxembourg, The Hague and Lisbon. Crucially, King worked at the European Commission in 2008 and 2009 where he was chief of staff to Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and later to foreign affairs supremo Catherine Ashton, both British commissioners. Hill's highly sensitive financial services portfolio is now being shared between Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission vice president for the euro and Economics Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici of France. King's nomination requires the approval of the European Parliament, where nominees must face a gruelling hearing with MEPs, as well as the green light of the EU's member states. Three persons, including a former policeman, were held for allegedly duping gold traders of nearly Rs 41 lakhs in various parts of Telangana by deceitfully extracting cash from them, police said today. Vanamala Tirumalaiah alias Tirupalaiah (58), a former police constable and a resident of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, was arrested along with his two accomplices - Ch Satyanarayana (45) and Vodite Srinivas Rao (45) - last night from Korutla town in the district, nearly 75 kms from here, Korutla Circle Inspector Raja Shekhar Raju said. Tirumalaiah, who was terminated from services long ago, formed a gang and started cheating gullible businessmen by impersonating policemen, the officer said. "The modus operandi was that the gang had made fake ID cards as sub-inspectors and used to move around villages in a four-wheeler with sticker 'police' on it. The trio met gold traders and told them that will supply the precious metal at a cheap rate of Rs 15 lakh per kg," Raju said. "They then made the traders believe their offer by showing them original gold biscuits. Traders would then carry cash for receiving the gold in return. They use to then tactfully receive the cash and will hand over empty suitcase and disappeared from the scene," the officer added. Recently, the accused trapped few businessmen in Korutla and managed to extract huge money from them after which some traders lodged a complaint with Korutla police. On a tip-off, the three accused were held and a car (Tata sumo), 31 grams of gold biscuit and Rs 3 lakh cash were seized from their possession, the inspector said. The other two members of the gang - Shekhar Reddy and Sriram - residents of Ongole in AP, are at large and efforts were on to arrest them. During investigations, it was revealed that the gang executed four such crimes at Saroornagar, Tappachabutra of Hyderabad, Mahaboobnagar, Warangal beside Korutla and cheated traders to a tune of nearly Rs 41 lakh. The three men were produced before a court in Korutla today, the officer added. A day after it was passed by the Assembly, the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill was today ratified by the Legislative Council with voice vote amidst opposition boycott, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tried to allay fears of the opposition on its 'stringent' provisions. With both the Houses of Bihar Legislature giving green signal to the new Excise law, it will now go to the Governor for his approval. After Governor's approval it would become the new Liquor law replacing the existing one. The over three-hour long debate on the bill with additional clauses aimed at implementing the liquor ban more stringently was acrimonious in the Upper House between the opposition and the Treasury benches. While senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi led the attack on the Grand Secular Alliance government over the new liquor bill, the CM himself took the charge from ruling side and sought to allay apprehensions expressed while defending stringent provisions added in the Excise Act passed earlier this year during budget session. The NDA members, who had unsuccessfully moved more than a dozen amendments to the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill, 2016 staged a walkout from the House over government not accepting their amendments. The NDA members had similarly boycotted government's reply yesterday in the Assembly to protest some stringent provisions in the Bill. Intervening in the debate, Nitish Kumar defended the new Liquor law in a bid to dismiss opposition sharp criticism describing it as 'Talibani', 'draconian' and 'undemocratic'. Replying to BJP's concern that all adult members of a family would go to jail if a liquor bottle is found from the house, Kumar categorically stated that its a wrong interpretation of the provision. The family has been clearly defined in the Act as per which family consists of a husband, wife and their dependent children and not the grandfather or grandmother or maternal grandfather or grandmother, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, etc, he said. "If a liquor bottle is seized from a house and nobody claims it, in that condition all the adult members present in the house would be put behind bars for hiding the truth as who brought the alcohol into the house," he said. "If anyone takes responsibility, the concerned person would go to jail and not the entire family," Kumar said. (REOPEN CAL7) Replying to Sushil Kumar Modi's reference of usage of wine for sacramental in Christianity, Kumar said "You (BJP) want to make it (country) a Hindu-Rashtra and you are giving example of Christianity." He said prohibition in Bihar would be implemented with the stricter law and with the cooperation of people. On Modi's suggestion to cancel licenses of distilleries operating in Bihar, the CM said new licenses will not be issued and those operating at present in the state will automatically go out of the state because of environment and other provisions of the new law. Asking RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to make his stand clear on prohibition, Kumar said BJP leaders are giving contradictory opinions with regard to the new law. On one hand they say they are in support of the ban, and on the other hand, instead of voting in favour of the Bill, they boycotted it, Kumar said. Kumar also tried to rebut Modi's claims that crime rate has gone up in May in comparison to April, the month when prohibition was implemented. On Modi's query as to why the state government was not brining a stringent legislation against cow slaughter which is a part of the Directive Principles of state policy, the CM said law already exists against it in the state. Kumar also made it clear that there is no ban on toddy till the a complete mechanism would be put in place for processing of 'Nira', an unfermented drink made out of toddy juice. He said this is expected to be completed by next 'Baisakh' season. The 1991 guideline on toddy would continue to be in operation in the state till then, the Chief Minister said. The 1991 guideline prohibits sale of toddy within 50 meters of educational institutions, temples, hospitals, etc. "You stop bothering about the welfare of those people (Pasis) who have been dependent on toddy business for livelihood. We are here to care for them," Kumar said. The state government has signed an MoU for processing and marketing of various products, including eatables and fancy materials out of various produces of palm trees in Bihar, he said. With better harnessing of toddy produces, the lives of those depending on the age-old dependence on production and marketing of the toddy juice will change for good with the marketing of other produces like jam, sweetmeat, jaggery out of its juice and broom, mat and fancy items from branches and leaves will fetch good money for them, he said. Facing sustained attack from ally Shiv Sena and the Opposition Congress-NCP over the separate Vidarbha issue, Devendra Fadnavis today declared in the Assembly he is the Chief Minister of entire Maharashtra and asserted there is no proposal "as of this moment" to bifurcate the State. With the commotion over the issue refusing to die down in both Houses of the legislature, the Opposition demanded in the Council the Chief Minister, who hails from Nagpur in Vidarbha, move a motion putting it unambiguously clear that bifurcation of the State was not on the government's agenda. Raising the issue in the Assembly, Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena) asked Fadnavis to clarify his stand on the emotive matter and demanded slapping of treason charge against those who raised slogans for a separate Vidarbha State in the House. Responding to the Sena member, Fadnavis said "There is no proposal as of this moment for a separate Vidarbha before the state government" and it is not right to discuss an issue which is not pending before this House. "I am the Chief Minister of an "Akhand (united) Maharashtra," Fadnavis declared. "While BJP has been in favour of (creation of) smaller states, Sena has opposed it." "Both the parties are in the government. This is not the government's stand," he added, and appealed to the members to put a stop to the discussion on the Vidarbha issue. The Chief Minister, however, hit out at the Sharad Pawar-led party, saying the "NCP doesn't have any right to seek my resignation. People have that right." "Ask NCP's Praful Patel who has backed separate Vidarbha. Should we discuss in the House what he has said (on statehood issue)?" asked the CM. "We have taken an oath to be true to the Constitution. The Constitution provides for a member in the House to put forth his views on formation of a separate State. A criminal offence cannot be filed against him for this," Fadnavis said. The Congress-NCP legislators, however, shouted slogans in support of a united Maharashtra as Shiv Sena lawmakers also joined them. In an attempt to corner BJP, the Opposition in the Council demanded that Fadnavis move a motion in the House favouring Unified Maharashtra inclusive of Belgaum and Nippani (areas in Karnataka claimed by Maharashtra). Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde (NCP) said Opposition was not satisfied with the Chief Minister's reply in the Assembly and would not be pacified till the government brings a resolution favouring a unified Maharashtra. The proceedings in the Upper House were adjourned three times amid uproar before Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar adjourned the Council ahead of the day's schedule. (Reopens BOM13) As soon as the Upper House reassembled at 12.30 PM for the Question Hour, Sunil Tatkare (NCP) sought to move an adjournment motion demanding the BJP-led government bring a motion favouring a united Maharashtra. Tatkare alleged some people with vested interests were talking of separating Mumbai and Vidarbha from Maharashtra. "Ever since the BJP-led government has come to power deliberate attempts are being made to fan these sentiments." The former Minister slammed the veiled threats being issued about possible dissolution of the Legislative Council. To this, Leader of the House and Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said Fadnavis only replied to Jayant Patil (NCP), who had remarked his party would stall the passage of government bills in the Upper House. Replying to the debate, Patil said the Chief Minister has repeatedly and categorically stated there is no proposal before the Government for creation of a separate state of Vidarbha. Earlier, when the House reconvened after an adjournment, Tatkare said BJP had come to power on a 'Modi' wave. "Dissolve the Assembly and go for fresh polls. Don't take Modi's name and hold election over separate Vidarbha." Patil again tried to intervene, arguing when the demand for adjournment motion has already been rejected by the Chair, how can they (NCP) raise the issue all over again. He said the Opposition could raise new issues. Tatkare argued the government stand on the Vidarbha issue was not clear. Neelam Gorhe, who was in the Chair, directed Patil to request the Chief Minister to come to the House and make a statement. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Girish Bapat said the Opposition was raising the same issues and wanted the House to take up debate on government bills. Five persons, including two women, were today arrested for allegedly "selling" a 4-day-old girl in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana. The girl's parents, who are from Devarkonda in Nalgonda district, had decided to give up their newborn, their third girl child. They contacted Shakri, a distant relative, for the purpose, said Inspector J Madan Mohan Reddy of Yacharam Police Station. "Shakri acted as mediator...She informed Sunitha who arranged a childless couple who wanted to adopt the baby," he said However, the couple, who are from Visakhapatnam, were told that the baby's parents had demanded Rs 50,000, which they paid. Of the amount, the mediators gave Rs 10,000 to the parents, the police officer said. After getting a tip-off about the transaction, police nabbed five persons including the two women mediators - Shakri and Sunitha - last night and recovered the baby, he said. A case was registered against nine persons, including the parents and the couple who wanted to "adopt" the baby, under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child by parents or persons having care of it) of IPC and the Juvenile Justice Act, Reddy said, adding the parents were not arrested and probe is on. At least five of the nine militants killed by security forces during a fierce gun-battle here last week were members of a suicide squad of outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and were planning to carry out suicide attacks in the country, police said today. "Analysing the evidence and information gleaned from the injured militant - Rakibul Hasan Rigan - we are suspecting at least five of the nine militants were members of a suicide squad of JMB," Monirul Islam, chief of the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, said. Homegrown extremist group JMB has been blamed by the government for the July 1 cafe attack, the country's worst terror assault. The five suicide squad members were identified as Taz-ul-Haq Rashik, Akifuzzaman, Sazad Rauf Arko, Matiar Rahman and Jobayer Hossain, the Dhaka Tribune reported. The remaining three militants - Raihan, Kabir and Tareq - were arms and bomb trainer, Monirul said. Even the ninth militant who is yet to be identified might have been involved in the suicide squad, he said. After being trained in Gaibandha district in northern Bangladesh, the militants reportedly gathered to carry out suicide attacks, an official probing militancy said. The official said the militants were brainwashed by Abdullah alias Motaleb, one of the nine militants killed. Nine terrorists were killed while one was captured alive during a fierce gun-battle erupted after a raid in an apartment at a six-storey building in Kalyanpur area on July 26. The raid was carried out on intelligence reports that the terrorists were preparing for a 'mass terror attack'. Committing to deal strongly with black money, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today warned those having undisclosed income against missing the chance to make the declaration by September 30 even as he said rapid progress has been made with regard to probe in Panama paper leaks. Jaitley was replying to a debate on Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amednment Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha, which later passed the legislation by voice vote. The Lok Sabha passed it last week. A law alone will not solve the problem of black money but efforts will have to be made to create fear of law and stop its generation, he said. "Since it's the Benami law like the black money law, there has to be a deterrent provision which we have put it in this partciular law and I hope people get the clear signal and don't give the state an opportunity as far as using this law is concerned," he said. Referring to the Income Disclosure Scheme, Jaitley said those having unaccounted money should take advantage of the disclosure window ending September 30 to come clean by paying 45 per cent tax and penalty. Talking about the Panama leaks, the minister noted that the government had created a multi agency group. The multi-agency group probing the Panama papers leaks, which has named around 500 Indians who have allegedly stashed money in offshore entities, had submitted three reports to the government last month. "There are many people who have illegal accounts, there are some who say they have transfered money on the basis of RBI rules. That investigations have progressed a lot," he said. He further said the government has taken action in case of HSBC accounts, Lichtenstein Bank and the information provided by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Jaitley said that fiduciary and trustee holding is allowed under the Benami bill but the investment should be made from the known sources of income. He said the law also provides for those genuine property purchases which could have been funded by family members or other sources as a loan. The earlier term of "known source of income" has been replaced with "known sources" with regard to purchase of property, the Finance Minister added. He said the property outside the country will not be covered under the Benami law but will be dealt with under the black money law. The Finance Ministry said that sufficient safeguards have been put in place to prevent any misuse provisions of the Benami law, which seeks to confiscate such properties. "Four layers of officers and an appeal tribunal has been created since this is a major power," he said, adding it is being done because there were apprehensions that one officer might end up being corrupt. Talking about the properties in tribal areas, he said those can be exempted from the purview of the law by the Governor of the respective state. On concerns being expressed over mandatory use of PAN Card for purchase of high value properties, he said already 22-23 crore cards have been issued out of 25 crore families and anyone spending lakhs of rupees could obtain it online. Further, he added that states are digitalising the land records which will help in dealing with the black money. Jaitley said the Benami bill is aimed at seizing benami property besides prosecuting those indulging in such activities as the provisions for prosecution could not be operationalised in want of rules in the 1988 Act. He said the government was bringing amendment as if it would have brought a new Act "penal provisions could not apply retrospectively and those guilty of violations would have got scot-free." The 1988 Act, which also has provisions for prosecution, has not been operationalised as the rules in this regard have not been framed, he said and added Law Ministry has suggested amendment for entire functioning of the Bill and accordingly rules have to be framed. The Minister said while the 1988 Act has nine sections, the amended law would have 71 sections. Under Article 20 of the Constitution, penal provisions cannot be applied retrospectively, he said. He said the government has accepted the Parliamentary Standing Committee's suggestion to change the words in the Bill from "known sources of income" to "known sources" with a view to further strengthen the provisions. Jaitley said that offences under the amended law would be non-cognisable as the government does not want multiple agencies to get involved and harass people. Besides bonafide religious trusts, he said there are few exceptions relating to Hindu Undivided Family and trusts owning properties. Participating in the debate, Shamsher Singh Dullo (Cong) demanded digitising the land records and bringing in black money transactions in real estate. He said the capital in the country was concentrated in the hands of 15-20 persons only and demanded that as per the Prime Minister's announcement, the government should bring in black money kept in foreign and provide Rs 15 lakh each to the accounts of people. Bhupender Yadav (BJP) applauded the move for Benami bill saying it will check the parallel economy. (Reopen PAR41) Attacking the government, Naresh Agrawal (SP) demanded to know how many legislations it planned in the name of checking black money. "We are hearing it. There are so many bills. Some bill should be final. At least announce that this is the last bill. How many Acts you plan in the name of Black Money? When Real Estate Bill came Venkiah Naidu said it will stop black money in Real Estate. There is Prevention of Corruption Act, Whistle Blower is pending," he said. He quipped, "If so many Acts are not effective, bring an Act to abolish these". He also demanded to know as to what happened to Prime Minister's announcment of bringing 15 lakh in each account. In the present Benami Bill, Income Tax has been empowered with the power to arrest and added that government already had ED, CBI and SEBI, Agrawal said. He also asked the governemnt what it did on Panama leaks alleging there were many companies registered and black money was brought to India through FDI route. A Vijaykumar (AIADMK) said the provisions in the bill are silent on the role of whistle blowers and their protection and stressed that the Bill be reconstructed. Vivek Gupta (AITC) said there are certain problems in the bill as some provisions are not defined properly and it also conflicts with state laws, especially tribal laws. He suggested the government to hand over the confiscated land to the state government while seeking details on number of people arrested since the law was formed in 1988. Harivansh (JD-U) said benami investments should be prevented and emphasised the need to create an atmosphere for proper implementation of the bill. Ritabrata Banerjee (CPI-M) said the government has not taken into account the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee even as he supported the the bill saying "united we need to act on this". Munquad Ali (BSP) said the bill should be implemented properly as the black money holders would find novel ways to escape. Welcoming the bill, R S Bharathi (DMK) aired certain reservations while suggesting that confiscated properties should be handed over to states and adjudicating authority must be appointed either in each state or region wise. Supporting the bill, Rajeev Shukla (Cong) said the bill should not lead to unnecessary harassment and the government should take precaution on this. Ram Kumar Verma (BJP) said the economy would have not a boost had the bill come long time back. Naresh Gujral (SAD) sought to know the status of those properties which were taken in relatives names earlier and later transferred back to children of the original owner when this bill come into force. He also said that 30 days period to provide evidence of records should be extended keeping in mind the land records still not digitised in many parts of the country. K Keshava Rao (TRS) said many recommendations of a Parliamentary Standing Committee have not been factored in. He wanted the government to revisit the bill at the time of rule making while defining benami transaction and powers to adjudicating officers among others. Since Telangana has come out with rules to regularise benami properties, he wished to know if it conflicts with this bill. A former advisor to the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush has left the Republican party and has registered as an independent in the state of Florida because of Donald Trump. Sally Bradshaw's departure from the Republican party is considered to be significant given that she has been considered as a Bush family loyalist. "This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president," Bradshaw told the CNN in an interview. She has worked with the presidential campaign of George H W Bush in 1988. "This election cycle is a test. As much as I don't want another four years of (President Barack) Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump. I won't do it," she said. "Donald Trump belittled a woman who gave birth to a son who died fighting for the US. If anything, that reinforced my decision to become an independent voter," she added. "Every family who loses a loved one in service to our country or who has a family member who serves in the military should be honoured, regardless of their political views. Vets and their family have more than earned the right to those views. Someone with the temperament to be president would understand and respect that," Bradshaw said. She said she had been considering the move for the past several months. "Ultimately, I could not abide the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump and his complete lack of principles and conservative philosophy," she said. "I didn't make this decision lightly -- I have worked hard to make our party a place where all would feel welcome. But Trump has taken the Republican party in another direction, and too many Republicans are standing by and looking the other way," Bradshaw said. Taking on the Narendra Modi government from the prime minister's turf, Congress President Sonia Gandhi tonight said it is a government of a "handful" of people and industrialists which pays special attention to their needs. Gandhi, who led an impressive roadshow in Modi's parliamentary constituency to launch her party's campaign for the 2017 Assembly elections before it was cut short after she fell ill, also predicted that the government built on the "foundation of false assurances" could not last long. "This is a government of a handful of people, a handful of industrialists and it pays special attention to their needs. No one bothers about the poor, backward, minorities and our beloved sisters. A large section of the country is feeling neglected and weak and apprehensive about its future," she said in a statement issued here. "The palace built on false promises cannot last long, people will soon call it to account and would give a befitting response to their false promises," she added. Making a veiled attack on Modi and other BJP leaders, Gandhi said she wanted to tell those who talk of 'Congresmukt Bharat' they do not have a clue of the strength of Congress. "Congress is not only an institution of a group of people but is a thought which fills every part of India, every village and every city which cannot be destroyed. It is the thought which connects India. One cannot imagine the idea of modern India without the Congress," she said. Observing that the Modi government has made too many promises to the people in the last two years, she wondered as to what change has been brought about. "The poor and the weak are being targeted daily and our beloved sisters have to suffer the price spiral, farmers are facing all sorts of difficulties and the problem of unemployement has gone from bad to worse". Gandhi also hailed the composite culture of India telling people that it is our duty to maintain it. Turning to Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls next year, she said the state needs a government which can work for development, uplift of poor and backwards and work for women and youth. "The Congress alone can give such a government under the leadership of Shiela Dikshit and I believe that Congress government will work for women, youth, poor, backwards while maintaining law and order," Gandhi said. Gandhi hoped that the coming Assembly polls would be held in a peaceful atmosphere and would see the defeat of forces dividing society in the name of caste and religion. She said that the Congress will be fighting the elections in the state to end the plight of people in the last 27 years. Noting that Uttar Pradesh has witnessed governments of all parties, Gandhi said, "These partes have done politics in the name of caste and religion and have done nothing else." She, however, did not take the name of either BJP or Samajwadi Party or BSP. The Congress chief regretted that she could not complete her visit to Varanasi due to her illness but said she would come back soon for "darshan" of Kashi Vishwanath in this temple town. "Due to illness, I could not complete my visit for which I regret. I could not seek the blessings of Kashi Vishwanth in the holy month of Savan. I will come back soon. I am thankful to all citizens of Varanasi and Congress workers for the love and affection", she said. IAS officer Anshul Mishra was today appointed as Private Secretary to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha. Mishra, a 2004-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, will hold the charge for the remaining period of his five years central deputation i.E. Up to August 2, 2020, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. IPS officer Meenu Choudhary will be PS to Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda, it said. Her tenure will be till June 3, 2019 or on co-terminus basis with the minister's tenure, the order said. Sushil Pal, an Indian Civil Accounts Service officer, has been appointed Private Secretary to Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir. Pal will have a tenure till April 26, 2021, it said. An 'horticulture train' that carries banana from Raver, Jalgaon district in Maharashtra, to New Delhi has been discontinued this year, the government informed Parliament today. To promote horticulture crops, the National Horticulture Board (NHB) under the Union Agriculture Ministry had launched a unique initiative in the form of a 'horticulture train'. "Only one train was started between Raver to New Azadpur. The train service has been discontinued during current year," Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. This train was commissioned for transport of banana from Raver to New Azadpur jointly by NHB and Container Corporation Limited (Concor) in 2012-13 and 2013-14, he said. The government is studying the feasibility for long distance bulk movement of horticulture produce. However, railways are meeting the demand for transportation of farm produce as and when such demands are being placed, he added. The first of its kind in the country, the horticulture train was built to carry fruits and vegetables of all types during all seasons in specially designed containers to ensure proper ventilation for better shelf life of the produce. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today assured Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh that the government was looking at their demand for the special category status for the state. Soon after the business resumed in the House after lunch, members of NDA partner TDP and the opposition YSR Congress started shouting slogans demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Lok Sabha had witnessed two brief adjournments over the issue earlier in the day. "I can appreciate some Members from Andhra Pradesh certainly are concerned over a particular issue. I have repeatedly said that the government stands by the commitments it has made in supporting Andhra Pradesh to the fullest. Even today I have had a word with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, and we are trying to find a solution to these issues very shortly," Jaitley said. But after this assurance, the MPs sought a timeline for resolving the matter and continued raising slogans like "we want justice" and "we demand special status". Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai urged them to participate in the business after the assurance given by the Finance Minister. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar too stated that the Finance Minister has given the assurance on the floor of the House. "The demands of Andhra Pradesh is under consideration. I request my friends to take the assurance of the Finance Minister and resume the business," he said. "We are with you; we are with the people of Andhra Pradesh. Give us some time so that we can completely bring it to conclusion. We can implement it. Therefore, when we are with the commitment, we are with the assurances and we are going to do it, then I think...," Kumar said. He further said "I am assuring the MPs of Andhra Pradesh that the government is committed to whatever has been assured. We are with the people of Andhra Pradesh. Give us some time. We are with the commitments and assurances... Please allow the House to function". Earlier in the day, members of NDA partner TDP and the opposition YSR Congress forced adjournments of Lok Sabha proceedings by creating noisy scenes to project their demand. While members of YSR Congress trooped into the Well holding placards demanding special category for Andhra Pradesh following the creation of Telangana, those from TDP stood in the aisles and raised slogans. This was the second consecutive day of their noisy protests which drew the ire of the Speaker who said earlier today that sloganeering will not help them meet their demand. To create an ecosystem for various modes of communication like e-mail and website addresses in Indian scripts, the government will provide complimentary '.Bharat' domain name available for one year on purchase of '.In'. "We have written to registrar for providing one year complimentary web address with '.Bharat' (available in Devanagari and other Indian scripts) when a person registers a '.In' website," National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) CEO Rajiv Bansal told PTI. The web address with '.In' domain name is being sold across country at starting price of Rs 199 for first year, which can be renewed thereafter for prices starting at around Rs 550. The domain '.Bharat' (in Devanagari script) is being sold by only a few companies registered with NIXI. "Most of the next billion that will be impacted by Internet or connect with it will not be English-speaking people. We have to create local language content and develop ecosystem so that non-English citizens can communicate online in their native language," Bansal said. The Department of Electronics and IT had convened meeting of e-mail service providers to make provision for e-mail addresses in Hindi and other Indian languages. The companies, however, said they can provide e-mail address in Indian languages only when there is demand. Google supports transaction from e-mail addresses in Japanese, Mandarin and some other scripts. DeitY officials have also discussed providing search support when a text is typed in an Indian language script, but companies do not see business case for doing so at present. "We have to work on creating e-mail services, online search to enable non-English speaking people conveniently use Internet. We hope that by giving '.Bharat' as complimentary Web address, it may encourage entities to experiment and develop content in local languages, including e-mail addresses," Bansal said. A special court today granted bail to former deputy secretary in Delhi Chief Minister's Office, Tarun Sharma, in a graft case involving CM Arvind Kejriwal's former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar. Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar granted the relief to Sharma on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and one surety of like amount, saying no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody. The court also put several conditions on the accused and asking him not to influence any witness or tamper with evidence and not to leave the country without the court's prior permission. The accused had sought bail on the ground of parity with Kumar who was granted the relief by the court on July 26. CBI, however, had opposed his bail plea. The agency had earlier claimed that Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd (ESPL) was floated by Kumar for the award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore. CBI had registered a case against Kumar and others in December last year alleging that the officials had abused their official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders of Delhi government departments". It had arrested seven people in this case in which three are already out on bail. The accused have been charged under section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to criminal misconduct for allegedly favouring ESPL in bagging of five contracts. CBI has alleged that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused a loss of Rs 12 crore to the Delhi government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015, and claimed that the officials had taken "undue benefit" of over Rs three crore while awarding the contracts. This is the same case in which the agency had come under scathing criticism from the court which had directed it to return documents sought by the Delhi government seized during December 15, 2015 search of Kejriwal's office. Arrest of the top state government official had triggered a political storm with the Delhi government accusing the Centre of indulging in "political vendetta" and "paralysing" governance. The Gujarat government today approached the high court seeking a stay on an order passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) quashing charge sheet against former IPS officer Rahul Sharma in connection with a CD containing call data records during the 2002 riots. The matter will be taken up in the court of Justice M R Shah for hearing. In January this year, the tribunal had scrapped the charge sheet against him and called it "tainted by malice" and "malafide" in intention. The government had filed the charge sheet against Sharma for keeping with him a CD containing telephonic conversations between politicians and bureaucrats during the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Sharma had approached CAT in August 2011 seeking setting aside of the charge sheet issued by the Gujarat government, accusing him of not submitting the original CD containing phone call records of politicians and bureaucrats. When Sharma was posted in city control room as Deputy Commissioner of Police from March 24, 2002 to July 3, 2002, he was assisting the city crime branch in the investigations of riots cases. At that time, he had prepared a CD of mobile phone call records of ministers, police officers and bureaucrats between February 2002 and March 2002 by obtaining mobile call records from service providers. In 2004, Sharma had submitted the CD before the Nanavati Commission, set up by the state government to probe the riots as evidence. In the charge sheet, served to him on August 13, 2011, the state government accused him of taking away the original CD, as the state claimed that it should be with the government as part of records. After being chargesheeted, Sharma approached CAT in August 2011. Sharma argued that the charge sheet against him was filed with mala fide intention of the government for deposing before the Nanavati Commission at that time. Sharma also contended that he was protected under Commission of Inquiry Act, which according to him, prohibited any action against a government official for deposing before any inquiry commission. Sharma had taken voluntary retirement last year and became a lawayer. Gujarat Agriculture Minister Babubhai Bokharia has demanded that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh take up the issue of an ailing local fisherman languishing in a Pakistani jail during his visit to the country. Singh will visit Islamabad tomorrow for the SAARC meeting. Bhagvan Sarman Solanki, who hails from Tad village of Una tehsil in Gir-Somnath district, was apprehended by Pakistani authorities in April 2015 for entering the Pakistani waters. "I have made this request to Singh on the eve of his departure to Pakistan," said Bokharia. Solanki's family members yesterday said he was not well and was in coma. "Why was my father's name not on the list of 18 fishermen who were released from a jail in Pakistan on June 6?" asked Sanjay Solanki. The family had not received any letter or message from his father in the last eight months, Sanjay had said, adding that the family hoped that Singh would take up the issue of his release during his visit to Pakistan. The Madras High Court today declined bail to a man accused of murdering his mother by throwing her into a well, observing that even Adi Shankara cared for his mother and performed her last rites despite his renunciation of wordly pursuits. In his order, Justice S Vaidyanathan observed that the petitioner, a family man, who had all along been with his mother, had allegedly murdered her without even considering that she had brought him up "I am reminded of Adi Shankara, who took up 'sanyas' very much against the will of his mother, with a condition that he should be present near her death bed and also perform the obsequies. As per her wish, Adi Sankara was near his mother Aryamba at the time of her death and also performed the funeral ceremonies," he said, recalling the life of the eighth century saint. The prosecution's case was that petitioner K Sathiyakumar allegedly murdered his mother here by throwing her into a well. He was arrested and remanded in judicial custody on June 24 this year. The judge declined to grant bail to the petitioner, saying that his earlier bail plea was declined by a lower court only on the ground of default and not on merit. He directed Sathiyakumar to file a fresh petition before the lower court and the same could be considered by it in accordance with the law. In a ray of hope for a Pakistani national, whose husband is battling for life due to chronic kidney and liver failure, the Delhi High Court today asked the Health Ministry and authorities of a private hospital here to consider her plea for permission to undergo organ transplant. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked the authorities concerned to decide on the application of Karachi-based Syeda Noor Afsan in which she has sought necessary permission so that her husband Sulaiman Mohammad could undergo kidney and liver transplant surgeries at a hospital here. In her petition, 40-year-old Afsan said that her husband was diagnosed with acute chronic liver failure at a hospital in Karachi after which she came to Delhi and the doctors here have advised kidney and liver transplant for him. The petitioner said she would donate one of her kidneys for the surgery but as per the doctors, she cannot donate liver tissues which was needed for the transplant. She said that Karachi-based Humaira Muddaser, who is one of her friends, was willing to donate liver tissues for surgery on humanitarian ground. The petition, filed through advocate Prakash Verma, said that on July 26, Afsan had "tried to give" applications to the Health Ministry and the hospital authorities for getting necessary permission for transplant of kidney and liver but these were not entertained. "The donor and donee both are Pakistani nationals and only permissions are being sought to undergo transplant surgeries so as to save his (Sulaiman) life," the plea said, adding that the patient was admitted in the hospital and was in a critical condition. "Since the petitioner and other related persons are Pakistani nationals, they require necessary permissions/ directions/NOC from the departments concerned," it said. During the hearing on the plea, Afsan's counsel told the court that Humaira had approached the Islamabad High Court where the Human Organs Transplant Authority of Pakistan had placed the letter giving her the permission to donate liver tissue to the patient. The counsel also said that he would file an appropriate application before the authorities concerned and the hospital committee for permission to undergo the surgeries. A huge region around the centre of the Milky Way is devoid of young stars, according to a new study that may be crucial to understanding how our galaxy formed and evolved. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing many billions of stars, with our Sun about 26,000 light years from its centre. Measuring the distribution of these stars is crucial to our understanding of how our galaxy formed and evolved. Pulsating stars called Cepheids are ideal for this. They are much younger (between 10 and 300 million years old) than our Sun (4.6 billion years old) and they pulsate in brightness in a regular cycle. The length of this cycle is related to the luminosity of the Cepheid, so if astronomers monitor them they can establish how bright the star really is, compare it with what we see from Earth, and work out its distance. Despite this, finding Cepheids in the inner Milky Way is difficult, as the galaxy is full of interstellar dust which blocks out light and hides many stars from view. Researchers compensated for this, with an analysis of near-infrared observations made with a Japanese-South African telescope located in South Africa. They found hardly any Cepheids in a huge region stretching for thousands of light years from the core of the galaxy. "We already found some while ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way (in a region about 150 light years in radius)," said Noriyuki Matsunaga of the University of Tokyo, who led the study. "Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8,000 light years from the centre," Matsunaga said. This suggests that a large part of our Galaxy, called the Extreme Inner Disk, has no young stars. "Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert," said Michael Feast of the University of Cape Town and South African Astronomical Observatory. "The current results indicate that there has been no significant star formation in this large region over hundreds of millions years," said Giuseppe Bono, from University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy. "The movement and the chemical composition of the new Cepheids are helping us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way," said Bono. Cepheids have more typically been used to measure the distances of objects in the distant universe. The current study is an example instead of the same technique showing the structure of our own Milky Way, researchers said. The research was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The IAF has "in principle" agreed for civil aircraft operations from Adampur in Punjab, the Defence Ministry today said. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said it was subject to conditions that the Airports Authority of India will create all required infrastructure outside the existing IAF boundary to facilitate civil aircraft operations. If the move goes through, it will provide relief to lakhs of passengers who now have to take the circuitous route via Amristar to Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Incessant rain continued to lash Goa today, throwing normal life out of gear, even as the authorities released water from the Anjunem dam. Water was released this morning from the Anjunem dam located at the foothills of Sahyadri in Sattari tehsil as the reservoir had crossed the danger level due to heavy downpour, a senior official of the Water Resources Department said. The water level in the reservoir reached 89 metres, which is just three metres short of its full capacity and hence water was released at 9 AM, he said. "People living in the vicinity of Kasti river are asked to remain alert as water level of the river will rise which may create flood-like situation in some places," the official said. Another dam, Amthane in North Goa, has started overflowing and a decision to release its water will be taken later in the day, he added. India Meteorological Department officials had yesterday said Goa received almost 87 inches of rain in just two months (June and July), which is 12 inches more than average rainfall. The IMD has predicted heavy showers for the state till August 4 and has warned fishermen not to venture into sea for the next 24 hours owing to rough sea condition. Japanese firm NTT DoCoMo today said the London arbitration court had found Tata Sons in breach of contractual obligations, and India, being a signatory to the New York Convention, is bound to enforce the USD 1.17 billion compensation award decision. "The LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration) tribunal found that Tata Sons had breached its contractual obligations, which were legally capable of performance in ways that did not require permission from the RBI or Ministry of Finance," the Japanese telecom giant said in a statement. The London-based tribunal last month ordered Tata Sons to pay DoCoMo USD 1.17 billion in compensation for breaching an agreement on India joint venture. The statement comes at a time when the Finance Ministry has rejected RBI plea for exempting Tata-DoCoMo deal from the foreign exchange Act. The Ministry has taken the position that the two firms had entered into a share buyback contract in contravention of prevalent law and the case will now have to be legally settled. DoCoMo, however, argued that "awards made in England by LCIA tribunals are recognised under the New York Convention, to which India was one of the original signatories on the 10th June 1958." Hence, as a signatory to the New York Convention, "India is bound to enforce the award decision of the LCIA tribunal for Tata to pay USD 1.17 billion to DoCoMo", it said. Also, the Japanese company said it was not aware of any recent decision from the Ministry of Finance on this matter since the award was issued by a tribunal of LCIA in favour of DoCoMo on June 22, 2016. "...Docomo notes that the reports (news) cite correspondence between RBI and MOF from back in late 2014 and early 2015," it added. NTT DoCoMo in November 2008 acquired 26.5 per cent stake in Tata Teleservices for about Rs 12,740 crore (at Rs 117 per share). This was as per a understanding that in case it exits the venture within five years, it will be paid a minimum 50 per cent of the acquisition price. DoCoMo in April 2014 decided to exit the joint venture that struggled to grow subscribers quickly. It sought Rs 58 per share or Rs 7,200 crore from the Tatas. But the Indian Group offered Rs 23.34 a share in line with RBI guidelines that states that an international firm can only exit its investment at a valuation "not exceeding that arrived at on the basis of return on equity". The Japanese firm dragged Tata Group to international arbitration where it won a USD 1.17 billion award. To honour that award, an application was made to the RBI seeking exemption from the foreign exchange Act. RBI, in turn, wrote to Finance Ministry for exemption from the rules as such a measure would boost investor confidence. The Finance Ministry, however, turned down RBI plea. According to the ministry, it's not only Tata-DoCoMo but many other legacy issues which will have to be given exemption if one case is allowed. Japan's largest mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo Tuesday said India, being a signatory to the New York Convention, is bound to enforce the award decision of a London-based arbitration court that ordered to pay $1.17 billion in compensation to the company. Pushing its case for compensation payout from its estranged joint venture partner, DoCoMo said that the awards made in England by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) tribunals are recognised under the New York Convention, to which India was one of the original signatories. "As a signatory to the New York Convention, India is bound to enforce the award decision of the LCIA tribunal for Tata to pay $1.17 billion to DoCoMo," the Japanese company said in a statement. On Finance Ministry rejecting RBI plea for exempting Tata-DoCoMo deal from foreign exchange Act, Docomo said that it was not aware of any recent decision from the Ministry of Finance on the issue. "Docomo notes that the reports (news) cite correspondence between RBI and MOF from back in late 2014 and early 2015. Docomo is not aware of any recent decision from the MOF on this subject since the award was issued by a tribunal of LCIA in favour of DOCOMO on June 22, 2016," it said. It further said that the LCIA tribunal found that Tata Sons had breached its contractual obligations, "which were legally capable of performance in ways that did not require permission from the RBI or MOF". NTT DoCoMo in November 2009 acquired 26.5 per cent stake in Tata Teleservices for about Rs 12,740 crore (at Rs 117 per share). This was as per a 2008 understanding that in case it exits the venture within five years, it will be paid a minimum 50 per cent of the acquisition price. DoCoMo in April 2014 decided to exit the joint venture that struggled to grow subscribers quickly. It sought Rs 58 per share or Rs 7,200 crore from the Tatas. But the Indian Group offered Rs 23.34 a share in line with RBI guidelines that states that an international firm can only exit its investment at a valuation "not exceeding that arrived at on the basis of return on equity". The Japanese firm dragged to international arbitration where it won a $1.17 billion award. To honour that award, an application was made to the RBI seeking exemption from the foreign exchange Act. RBI, in turn, wrote to the Finance Ministry for exemption from the rules as such a measure would boost investor confidence. The Finance Ministry, however, turned down RBI plea and took the view that the two firms had entered into a share buyback contract in contravention of prevalent law and the case will now have to be legally settled. Indian carriers are utilising 43 per cent less weekly seat entitlements compared to their foreign counterparts under air service agreements with various countries, according to latest data available with the government. "As per Summer Schedule 2016, Indian air carriers are utilising 2,63,465 seats per week while the foreign air carriers are utilising 4,65,504 seats per week to/from India," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The figures are based on weekly seat entitlements pertaining to 53 countries with which India has air service agreements. Sinha was responding to a query on whether local carriers are able to utilise a mere half of the seats operated by foreign airlines to and from India. The summer schedule extends from the last Sunday of March to the last Saturday of October. It starts from March 27. Under an air service agreement, airlines from the countries would be entitled to have a stipulated number of seats which they can operate between them. As per the data, Indian airlines do not utilise their seat entitlements to certain countries while carriers from those nations are utilising their entitlements. Such countries include Bhutan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Mauritius, Pakistan, Seychelles, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Turkey. Meanwhile, in a separate written reply, Sinha said Chhattisgarh government has requested for development of airports at Bilaspur, Jagdalpur, and Ambikapur in the state. Bilaspur airport is non-operational and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has agreed to hand it over to the Army subject to certain conditions. The conditions are that AAI would retain 53 acres of land area for development of a civil enclave at the airport, the Minister said. "Jagdalpur and Ambikapur airstrips belong to the state government of Chhattisgarh. On the request of the state government, AAI has carried out a pre-feasibility study at Jagdalpur airport and has found the airport suitable for usage of 2C aircraft in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions. "At present, AAI does not have any plan to develop Ambikapur airport," Sinha said. To another question about setting up a greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the Minister said AAI conducted a pre-feasibility study in this regard on the request of the state government. "However, so far the Ministry has not received any proposal either from state government or private developer for construction of greenfield airport near Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu," Sinha said. The Indian embassy in is collecting details of thousands of workers from the country laid off by their employers, ahead of MoS External Affairs V K Singh's visit there to asses the situation and finalise modalities to bring back those wanting to return home. Currently a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about others residing in different parts of . Singh is leaving for Jeddah tonight via Dubai and MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said his on-ground assessment will determine future course of action. Earlier today, Singh's ministerial colleague in the MEA M J Akbar, who looks after issues relating to the Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indians who have lost their jobs. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues," Akbar said. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," MoS in the MEA Akbar said in a series of tweets. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by government of that country. The Indian mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot buy it. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said yesterday that all affected Indians will be brought back. A team from the Indian embassy had yesterday met Saudi labour officials to complete procedures relating to the protection of legal dues of the workers once they have departed from the country. Swarup said the Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, where the Ambassador sought their help in collecting information about the affected workers. They were provided a proforma on which the requisite information is to be submitted to the embassy. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. MEA officials said Singh will reach Jeddah early next morning and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Swarup said 4,072 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger are living in nine camps in Riyadh and one in Dammam, while 1,457 workers belonging to M/s SAAD Group are putting up in two camps in Dammam. Five workers from M/s Shifa Sanaya are in a camp in Riyadh and 13 workers who were employed with M/s Taiya Contracting Company are staying in one camp. "A total of 5547 Indian workers belonging to fourteen camps are being provided assistance by Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Of these, food was required by Indian workers in one camp each in Riyadh and Dammam. "In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah all of whom have been provided food by the Indian Consulate. Hence, there are a total of 7700 affected Indians workers in twenty camps," said Swarup. The Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday in Riyadh. "The information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit / continue / transfer is being collected separately," said the MEA Spokesperson. Making a statement in Parliament yesterday, Swaraj had said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. are more satisfied with their workplace environment compared to their Asia-Pacific counterparts, a recent survey has said. "About 62% of respondents in India said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their workplace environment compared to just 54% of their counterparts in Asia-Pacific," Michael Page employee survey on workplace satisfaction in Asia said. The survey is based on 4,000 employees across various job levels and industries in Asia-Pacific. It also said that employees in India were more optimistic about the future of their economy, with 54% of respondents rating their current economy good to excellent against 33% for the rest of Asia-Pacific. "There is a general sentiment of optimism in India right now. The current economic outlook is positive and professionals are encouraged by the commitment to India from both global and local firms," Michael Page India Managing Director Nicolas Dumoulin said. "In addition, the government's Make In India initiatives have created more opportunities for India's export market, which has led to increased investment in the manufacturing sector. In particular, firms specialising in the production of chemicals, plastics as well as pharmaceuticals have established operations," added Dumoulin. The survey also compared the quarterly job confidence forecast in India between Q1 and Q2 of 2016 and found working conditions of employees in Mumbai and Bangalore declined quarter-on-quarter. In Mumbai, it dropped 52% in Q2 from 62% in Q1, and in Bangalore to 68% from 75%. Over the next 12 months, employees in India were more optimistic around better job training (from 73% in Q1 to 81% in Q2), the survey said. The expanded scope of functions rose from 68% to 73%, and increase in compensation level went up from 54% to 71%, it added. Working overseas was seen as an increasingly attractive option, which rose to 68% compared to 64%, the survey said. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has imposed a travel ban on several parliamentary officials accused of corruption, his office said today, but the parliament speaker rejected the order. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi today told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. Abadi ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those accused, in order "to investigate the validity of the allegations", a statement from his office said. But Juburi rejected the travel ban, saying this could only be ordered by the judiciary and calling for everyone to respect both it and the constitution. "The decision to prohibit the travel of any citizen who carries an Iraqi passport is one of the exclusive prerogatives of the Iraqi judiciary," his office said in a statement. The members of parliament accused by Obeidi included Alia Nasayif, who has herself brought corruption allegations against the minister. The other two are Mohammed al-Karbouli and Hanan al-Fatlawi. It was unclear if the travel prohibition applied to Obeidi. Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi declined to give the names of the officials affected by the ban or to clarify whether or not it applied to Obeidi. Obeidi's official Facebook page outlined his allegations, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. Another post charged that Juburi and three lawmakers, including Nasayif, had blackmailed Obeidi "for the purpose of passing corrupt deals and contracts at the expense of Iraqi blood". Terrorist organisation ISIS has attracted "very few youth" from India and both the central and state governments have launched various programmes for their deradicalisation, the government told Lok Sabha today. "The international terrorist outfit, viz., Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh, uses both positive and negative imagery to attract recruits from across the world. "However, they have influenced or attracted very few youth from India," Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The Islamic State (ISs) is known by different names and has set up a caliphate under Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi. The existing legal provisions are effective instrumentalities to combat offences relating to terrorist financing and money laundering, he said. "Various programmes are being undertaken by the central and state governments to deal with the issues of counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation," Ahir said. The Minister said incidents of protests or demonstrations against award of capital punishment to terrorists and killing of terrorists in encounters with security forces have been reported from some states. "Police and public order being state subjects, the state governments concerned are required to take appropriate action against such elements as per relevant provisions of law," Ahir said. In reply to another question, he said the National Investigation Agency and Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu Police have registered cases to probe the alleged links of Indian youth with ISIS and have arrested 54 persons so far. "Some persons have been reported missing from some parts of Kerala, who are suspected to have joined terrorist outfits like ISIS, but their links have not yet been established. Kerala Police has registered nine cases in this connection," the Minister said. The terrorist outfit, ISIS, is using various platforms to propagate its ideology and to attract recruits from across the world, Ahir said. "The intelligence and security agencies maintain a close watch to identify potential recruits. Various programmes are being undertaken by the central and state governments to deal with the issue of counter radicalisation and deradicalisation," he said. A Japanese youth took refuge atop a neem tree in the city throughout last night under apprehension that his visa had expired and he would be arrested, creating commotion in the area that ended today with his jumping into a pond before being rescued. However, the youth's passport and visa were found to be in order. Arima Takeru (24), who was staying at a lodge on Stuart Lane in Topsia in the eastern part of the city had climbed the tree at around 10.45 PM yesterday apprehending arrest as he thought that his visa and passport had expired, police said. As he kept screaming in a Japanese dialect, locals unable to understand him, called up police and the fire brigade to rescue him. "But when officers from the Disaster Management Group (DMG) and the fire brigade department reached the spot the youth thought that they had arrived to arrest him. So he climbed even higher in fear," a senior police officer said. Efforts to convince him proved to be futile as he did not understand their language and an interpreter was called from the Japanese consulate to communicate with him. "This continued throughout the night. In the morning when one of the officers from DMG managed to catch one of his hands. But he managed to release himself from the officer's grasp and jumped into a pond just beside the tree," the police officer said. Takeru was taken to a nearby medical facility from where he was released after preliminary treatment. An AIADMK legislator today told the Tamil Nadu Assembly that American Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was inspired by his party supremo and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa when the US leader met her in 2011. Coonoor MLA A Ramu, in his maiden speech in the House, said Hillary understood "the power of Amma's personality", adding she was moved by her drive and resolute words. Noting that Hillary returned to her country joyously after the meeting with Jayalalithaa, he said, "In the history of America, if she (Hillary Clinton) is today a presidential nominee inscribed in golden letters, it is due to honourable Amma." On July 20, 2011, as US Secretary of State, Hillary called on Jayalalithaa and the two leaders exchanged views on several issues including the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in nearly a hour long meeting at the Secretariat here. Hillary had said Jayalalithaa's achievements were "great success stories". Later, she had invited Jayalalithaa to visit America so that citizens of her country would be in a postion to know the achievements of Tamil Nadu. Recently, Jayalalithaa extended her wishes to Hillary for getting the Democratic Presidential nomination. She said Clinton's nomination was a matter of immense pride for all the women and in particular, women in democratic electoral politics that she had become the first woman candidate of one of the two major political parties in the US to run for presidency. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) today urged President Pranab Mukherjee not to give his nod to an ordinance sent to him by the BJP led state government to amend two tenancy acts - Chhotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Paragana Tenancy (SPT) Act. A JMM delegation led by JMM Legislature Party leader Hemant Soren called on President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi and made this requested to him, a party release said here. The state cabinet had brought the CNT/SNT Amendment Ordinance in June and sent it the President through Governor Droupadi Murmu. The JMM, which is of the opinion that the amendments would jeopardise the tribal's rights to their lands, said the state government brought the ordinance instead of placing the amendments for debate during the monsoon session of the Assembly, the release said. The government said the amendments would help purchase land for schools, colleges, bridges, giving four times the cost of the land and it was in the interest of the tribals and would help develop the state. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will leave for on Tuesday night to asses difficulties of thousands of Indians, who have lost their jobs, and finalise modalities of bringing back those wanting to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, his ministerial colleague M J Akbar, who looks after issues relating to Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the issue of the jobless Indians. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," Mos in the MEA Akbar said in a series of tweets. MEA officials said Singh will arrive in Jeddah early morning on Wednesday and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Thousands of Indians in were facing severe food crisis due to financial hardships after they lost their jobs due to slowdown of the economy in the Gulf. The Indian Mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot even buy food. Making a statement in Parliament on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was "fluid and dynamic". They said the situation varied from company to company. Sources said 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations. Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 8-10 days, they said. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. Kalyan Jewellers will launch its online portal this Diwali to tap the online business, a senior company official said here today. Though online gold jewellery business is negligible, the company tied up with Flipkart four months ago and planned to start its own portal by Diwali, company Executive Director Ramesh Kalaynaraman told reporters here. As ornament purchases attach traditional and sentimental values, customers go to showrooms personally, he said, adding a trend has begun where customers buy ornaments online and send them as gifts to near and dear ones. Ramesh, who was here to open the company's redesigned showroom, said Kalyan, which has 100 showrooms, proposed to open 20 more stores in India and five in the Middle East this fiscal with a total investment of Rs 700 crore in India and Rs 200 crore overseas, including Saudi Arabia. The company, which registered 30 per cent growth, expected a turnover of Rs 13,000 crore in the current fiscal as against about Rs 10,000 recorded during 2015-16, he said. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has urged the Defence Ministry to ensure fair compensation to the local community while acquiring land for defence purposes. Khandu urged that the livelihood issues of the people should be taken into account when acquiring land so that a balance is achieved while keeping the country's security interest high and securing the interests of the community, an official communique said. The chief minister said this during a discussion with Defence Joint Secretary (Works & Land) Manish Thakur here today on land use for defence purposes, which was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Chief Secretary Shakuntala Doley Gamlin. The chief minister appealed to the defence ministry for dual use of the eight Advance Landing Grounds (ALG) at Ziro, Aalo, Mechukha, Pasighat, Walong, Vijaynagar and Tezu to be used both for civilian and defence purposes. This, he said, would enable effective connectivity, which would give a boost to tourism and economic development and prove crucial during emergency medical cases and natural calamities. "Glee" star Lea Michele has gone nude for a magazine cover, revealing "Finn" tattoo in honour of late boyfriend Cory Monteith, who played her on-screen lover Finn Hudson on the musical show. Michele showed off her enviable figure for Women's Health UK's naked issue while showing various tiny tattoos all over her body, including the 'Finn' tattoo. The body art may remind fans about an episode of the show when her character Rachel Berry got 'Finn' inked but it seems she took inspiration and got the tattoo in real life too. Her collection of tattoos also include her lover's jersey No 5 and their last words to each other: "I love you more. If you say so..." Moteith died at the age of 31 from an accidental drug overdose in 2013. Michele has dealt well with the tragedy and feels she is at a good place emotionally and physically. "Right now, I feel physically in my best shape, and emotionally in my best place...I'm not perfect. I'm not trying to represent myself as being some perfect girl, but I love myself, flaws and all," she said. Though she admits to having rough times still. "I have down days. I accept those days as much as the happy ones," the 29-year-old star said. Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio will reportedly host Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for a fundraiser later this month when she makes her next visit to Los Angeles. The event on August 23 is priced at USD 33,400-per-person and is billed as a "Conversation with Hillary", reported Variety. The first USD 2,700 will go to the Clinton campaign, and the remainder will do to the Democratic National Committee and state and local parties. Complete details are yet to be announced. Sources said plans were in the works for the event to take place at his home, but they were still being finalised. This will be Clinton's first visit to Los Angeles since the Democratic National Convention. Invites to a series of events began to go out in recent days. DiCaprio, 41, attended a Clinton fundraiser at Harvey Weinstein's home in New York in June. Seventy-eight villages in Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra have been put on alert after two reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai have started overflowing, officials said today. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has alerted disaster management cells of Thane and Palghar districts about overflowing of two reservoirs, Modak Sagar and Tansa, due to continues downpour in the catchment areas, officials said. Assistant Engineer of MCGM's Water Supplies Department GB Chitrawanshi said the Mumbai civic body has alerted disaster management cells of both the districts. Accordingly, 78 villagers were put on alert by the concerned cells, officials said. According to the officials from Palghar District Collectorate, the actual rainfall in the district till today was 1863.80 mm as compared to the average rainfall of 1514.80 mm. The West Bengal government today decided to rename the state as 'Bengal' after its earlier proposal of rechristening it 'Paschim Bango', made in 2011 when the Trinamool Congress took office, failed to receive the Centre's approval. "The cabinet took up a proposal to rename the state as 'Bengal' in English and 'Bango' or 'Bangla' in Bengali. Now we are giving a new proposal and will convene a special session of the Assembly on August 26 to pass a resolution to this effect," state minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters after the meeting. Giving the example of states like Odisha and cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, he said the word 'Bengal' has a deep connection with the state's culture and heritage and so the decision to rename it. Another reason for changing the name is that whenever there is a meeting of all states, West Bengal figures at the bottom of the list which is prepared in alphabetical order. "Our CM gets to speak last. There is little time left," a minister said. Any change in the name of the state would require approval of Parliament. The proposal has been welcomed by the state's intelligentsia though some said no decision should be taken in haste. Welcoming the move, Sahitya Akademi award winning writer Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay said, "I am very happy. I wanted it much earlier. Banga is the original name, so it is not a change". Dadasaheb Phalke award recipient actor Saumitra Chatterjee said, "West Bengal has no meaning. The name 'Bengal' is more reasonable". Poet Nirendra Nath Chakrabarty, another Sahitya Akademi award winner, however, said, "No decision should be taken in haste in this regard. Opinion should be taken from the intelligentsia regarding the name change", he said. He, however, admitted that if the state is called Bengal, alphabetically it will go up in order of precedence of which there are some advantages. Former vice-chancellor of Visva Bharati and historian Rajat Kanta Ray, however, made a dissenting note favouring retaining 'West Bengal'. The BJP also criticized the decision, saying the TMC wants to wipe out the history of painful Partition that the country had witnessed in 1947. "The state government has nothing to do. That is why they are either painting the state with blue and white paint, or are trying to change names. Actually they are trying to wipe out the painful history of Partition," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said. When asked if the state stood to benefit from going up in the alphabetical order, Ray said, "It is no argument. That way the state will not benefit." Novelist Samaresh Majumder, writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen, also winner of Sahitya Akademi award, welcomed the proposed change in name. "Why the state should be called Paschimbanga when there is no Purbabanga (now Bangladesh). Bangla is better", Majumder said. "I welcome the change. I did not like the name Paschimbanga," she said. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya wondered why the state's name should be changed. He suggested that a committee be formed with a cross section of intelligentsia to go into the issue. Union minister Babul Supriyo favoured 'Bengal' as the new name of the state. "Bengal is fantastic but not Bango", he said. Trinamool Congress MP Sugata Bose dubbed the state cabinet decision as "very good", saying "The name can be Bangla or Bango anything". A dalit girl was allegedly raped by a man here, police said today. Rajan Kashyap was arrested for allegedly raping an 18-year Old dalit girl near Kuyey wali gali in Daulatpura last night at around 9 pm, they said. "Kashyap has been arrested after the victim's mother filed a complaint against him at GT road police station," said City Superintendent of Police Salman Taj Patil. The girl has been sent for medical examination, police said. A man in the US state of Ohio has pleaded guilty to charges that he planned to attack the US Capitol during a speech by President Barack Obama last year. Christopher Lee Cornell, a 22-year-old from the Cincinnati area, pleaded guilty to "terrorism charges" yesterday, the Justice Department said in a statement. Cornell admitted to attempting to kill government employees, possession of a firearm to commit violent crime and attempting to "provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation", it said. According to the plea agreement, he said that from about August 2014 through January 2015 he had schemed to travel to Washington in order to attack the US Capitol during Obama's State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015. Cornell had amassed two semi-automatic rifles, approximately 600 rounds of ammunition, and had researched how to make bombs. He was arrested on January 14, 2015. "The defendant admitted that his planned attack on the US Capitol was an attempt to provide material support and resources both personnel and services to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," the department said, using another name of the Islamic State group. After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens, according to his admissions in the plea agreement. Cornell faces as much as 40 years in prison on the charges. Thousands of firefighters continued to battle huge wildfires in California, where a prolonged drought has left vegetation tinder-dry. At least one person has died in the blazes that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Since July 22, California has been threatened by blazes like the massive Soberanes fire which has charred 40,618 acres (16,437 hectares) north of Big Sur, one of the region's most popular tourist draws with its sharp cliffs rising above the Pacific Ocean. Authorities have sent almost 5,300 people to fight the wildfire, which so far has been just 18 per cent contained, according to data from the state CalFire agency. The fire has destroyed 57 homes, and is threatening another 2,000 structures which has prompted authorities to evacuate thousands of residents. The driver of a bulldozer died last week while taking part in the fire battle. Another wildfire, the Goose fire, has been burning since Saturday in Fresno county. It now has blackened 1,798 acres and is just five per cent contained. CalFire said high temperatures were making it rough going for the some 1,300 firefighters battling that blaze yesterday. But it's been good news for the Sand fire, in Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles. It scorched more than 41,000 acres square miles and forced more than 20,000 residents to flee before being brought under control. The outlook for fires in the most populous US state is not promising for now. The National Interagency Fire Center said Monday that "California will continue to see elevated potential due to long-term dryness. This will occasionally be amplified through the fall and early winter as offshore flow events become more common". Dry conditions have killed 65 million trees, which increases the fire-risk significantly, it added. Other western states facing fire or fire-risks include Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. A mayor and four local police officers have been arrested in a western Mexican state in connection with the murder of 10 people who were killed and burned over the weekend, the state's governor said today. Michoacan Gov. Silvano Aureoles said in an interview with Imagen Radio today that authorities initially thought the bodies found in a pickup near a gas pipeline in Cuitzeo had been somehow related to illegal pipeline taps. However, Aureoles said that the investigation eventually revealed that police from the town of Alvaro Obregon had detained the victims. Speaking with Milenio television, Aureoles said that interviews "point directly to the mayor who gave the order." Without naming the mayor, he said he and four police officers had been transported to prison. State prosecutor Jose Martin Godoy also said in a conference Monday night that the mayor gave the order. "After they were detained, on instructions from the mayor, the civilians were transported to a place in Alvaro Obregon where they were killed and then they took the bodies to a property in Cuitzeo where they set them on fire," he said. The motive appeared to be related to a rivalry over street-level drug sales, Aureoles said. The state of Michoacan has been convulsed for years by drug violence. Also, early today, unidentified gunmen killed the mayor of a town in the central Mexican state of Puebla. The Puebla state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday in a statement that Huehuetlan Mayor Jose Santamaria Zavala was found dead beside his SUV on the side of a rural highway. He appeared to have been shot with a 9mm pistol. A witness who was travelling in the vehicle with the mayor, but who was unarmed, told investigators that rocks had been placed blocking the highway. Armed men then demanded money, but those in the car were not carrying any, the statement said. He is the fifth Mexican mayor to be killed this year. A militant and a policeman were killed while three other security personnel were injured in an encounter today in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakthunkhwa province. District Police Officer Swabi Javed Iqbal told reporters that the terrorist was killed when police raided a house in Gadoon Amazai area of Swabi district after credible information about the presence of terrorists. Terrorists opened fire on the police team and constable Muhammad Javed died while sub-inspector Muhammad Tariq and Frontier corps personnel Muhammad Sajjad sustained critical bullet wounds. They were shifted to Peshawar for treatment. In retaliation, he said police shot dead a terrorist identified as Anwar Sayed wanted in cases of terrorism. The police arrested two brothers of the terrorist from the house and also recovered a hand-grenade, one Kalashnikov, two pistols and cartridges. A search operation was conducted after the encounter during which dozens of suspects were taken into custody. Separately, at least 42 suspected people including 19 undocumented Afghan nationals were arrested during search operation in Hayatabad area of Peshawar district bordering Khyber Agency. Drugs and arms were also recovered from some of the suspects. Pakistan has intensified crackdown against illegal Afghan nationals in parts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa province after it decided not to allow any foreigner to stay in the country without valid documents. Mizoram government today designated the Civil Hospital in Aizawl as the Sentinel Site Hospital for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) where diagnostic equipment and medical experts with supporting staff were in place, an official statement today said. The preventive arrangements were made after reports of outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Manipur surfaced last week, the statement said. State health department officials said that while no JE case had so far been detected in the state, precautionary measures were made to meet any eventuality. The Aizawl district administration had already issued prohibitory order banning import of pig, cattle, buffalo and chicken from Manipur as domestic animals could be carrier of the disease. Experts would soon be sent to the Mizoram-Manipur border areas to train the medical officials in the rural hospitals and health centres and also to create mass awareness among the local populace about the JE, the statement added. Senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela today alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah has done a "political encounter" of Anandiben Patel, as she was "compelled" to step down as Gujarat Chief Minister. Talking to reporters in Gandhinagar today, Vaghela also termed both Modi and Shah as "encounter specialists". "Gujarat's former CM and current PM of our country, along with former Gujarat Home Minister and current national president of BJP are known as encounter specialists. Both of them came together and did the political encounter of Gujarat's first woman CM," Vaghela alleged. "Both of them talked about women empowerment when Patel was made CM. Now, they forgot everything and asked Anandiben Patel to resign. BJP's internal politics and groupism are responsible for her unceremonious exit. She was compelled to give her resignation," the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly said. Taking a dig at BJP's 'Congress-mukt Bharat' campaign, Vaghela claimed that BJP is on its way to be "satta-mukt" (out of power) in Gujarat after the 2017 Assembly polls. "BJP's reputation and image has touched a new low in Gujarat. Just like Patel is on her way to be free from the burden of CM's responsibility, I am confident that BJP in Gujarat will be out of power after the 2017 Assembly polls," Vaghela added. On a lighter note, Vaghela also said BJP should appoint former HRD minister Smriti Irani as the next CM, as she became popular among Gujaratis for her role in popular TV soap "Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi". Yesterday, Anandiben took to Facebook to request the party leadership to relieve her of the responsibility of heading the state. Patel, who will turn 75 on November 21, said the BJP needed a fresh face in the state before the elections due next year. An unwritten age bar of 75 has been set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP leaders to hold positions in state and central governments. A minister in the BJP government since 1998, Patel had succeeded Modi as chief minister on May 22, 2014. Assembly elections are due to be held towards the end of 2017. Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf owned more properties under defence housing schemes than previously thought, a media report said today, days after a top court ordered authorities to confiscate his bank accounts and property. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) confirmed three bungalows were named after the 72-year-old former President, who is currently said to be in Dubai for purported medical treatment. The DHA wrote a letter to the district and session court confirming their presence, Geo reported today. According to details in the letter, Musharraf has a 2000- yard bungalow in Phase 8, Defence. He also owns two plots in DHA phase 8, DHA stated. However DHA has remained silent over a bungalow in Army Housing Scheme which is considered one of the main properties of the former military dictator. Quoting sources in DHA, the report said that Musharraf in fact has two properties in Army Housing Scheme, something that even the court was unaware of. District Judge South (Karachi) Nazir Amin Memon had initiated action based on the Special Court judge's ruling on July 19, in which the court had ordered freezing of Musharraf's assets and properties. The district judge had ordered seizing of four bungalows belonging to the former president for not appearing before it during proceedings of a high treason case despite repeated notices. The district judge in a letter had asked the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to take action and submit a response in three days over the matter. Musharraf flew to Dubai in March for purported medical treatment after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on his foreign trips and it is believed that he may never return to face a slew of several high-profile cases against him. The Special Court in one of its previous rulings had declared ex-president Musharraf a 'proclaimed offender'. In March 2014, Musharraf was formally indicted over treason charges for imposing emergency and the Provisional Constitutional Order on November 3, 2007. Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Facing impeachment following elections in 2008, he resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. He returned in 2013 to contest elections but was implicated in several high-profile cases. He is facing trial in illegal detention of judges in 2007. Musharraf has also been charged in connection with the 2007 assassination of prime minister Benazir Bhutto. In a scathing attack on Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his remarks "blaming" mainstream politicians for current unrest, National Conference (NC) today questioned Geelani's role in mainstream politics in J&K and asked him as to how hisJamat-i-Islami (JEI) won seats unopposed in Assembly elections. "We take strong exception to the statement of Geelani that mainstream politicians is the reason for current unrest, death and destruction", Additional General Secretary J&K National Conference, Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal said today. "He (Geelani) would be well advised to recollect his role in J&K politics especially since 1972 and Assembly elections when his party the JEI was made to win six seats unopposed to 5th Legislative Assembly from Anantnag District; four seats in 8th LegislativeAssembly again his victory from Sopore in the 6th Legislative Assembly", Kamaal said. Kamal, who is brother is Farooq Abdullah and uncle of Omar Aabdullah, said "it is also an universally accepted fact of history that NC under the leadership of Sher-I-Kashmir late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah freed the people of J&K from the shackles of serfdom of one hundred years long oppressive feudal rule in 1947". Hitting out at Geelani for his remarks against NC, he said "anger, hate, malice, jealousy, ill-will back biting are negative Human traits which cloud theintellect and Almighty has expressed his displeasure of these traits in the Holy Quran and that jealously eats away good deeds". Nearly 44,000 women die every year while giving in the country, with Assam having the highest Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), 300 per one lakh live births, government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. "The latest available data on MMR is for the period 2011-13, which is 167 per 1,00,000 live births. As per this, it is estimated that approximately 44,000 women die during delivery every year," Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda said in a written response to a question. The Report of Registrar General of India-Sample Registration System captures data on MMR periodically and not annually, he said. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand stand second with MMR of 285, followed by Rajasthan (244), Odisha (222), Madhya Pradesh (221), Chhattisgarh (221), Bihar (208), Jharkhand (208) and Punjab (141), Nadda said. To another question, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said, as per the Sample Registration System, the country has shown decline in Infant Mortality Rate from 40 per 1,000 lives in 2013 to 39 in 2014. On how many people have died due to air pollution, Patel said such data is not maintained centrally. However, in 2012, 4,155 people died due to acute respiratory infection, 3,513 in 2013 and 2,729 in 2014. Lung cancer accounts for 15.6 per cent of all cancer deaths in males in the country and is the leading cause of death. Cervical and breast cancer account for 20 per cent and 17.4 per cent of all female cancer deaths respectively, Nadda said. According to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the estimated incidences of cancer in 2016 are 14.5 lakh and is likely to go up to 17.3 lakh by 2020, he added. A Nepalese youth was arrested after heroin worth Rs eight lakh was allegedly found in his possession from Sonauli area on the Indo-Nepal border by Sashtra Seema Bal. Praveen Giri, 23, a native of Pyuthan district of Nepal, was arrested last night with 40 grams of heroin while on his way to Nepal from India, SSB Commandant Shiv Dayal said today. "He has been booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Further investigation is underway", he added. Nigeria has shelved a plan to build a USD 10 million film village outside the mainly Muslim northern city of Kano, bowing to virulent opposition from radical Muslim clerics. The decision deals a blow to a booming industry, developers said, as the centre was to generate thousands more jobs in a city hit with staggering unemployment. Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, an adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the cancellation answered the wishes of the local population. "The people have had their say and the government has heeded them," he told reporters last week after months of discord. The project, to be built on a 20-hectare (nearly 50-acre) expanse near Kano, planned for a film center, a 400-capacity auditorium, a hostel, a sound stage, a restaurant, a three-star hotel, a shopping mall, a stadium and a clinic. Salafist clerics blasted it in Friday sermons, saying it would promote immorality and undermine Islamic values. "We don't want it, we don't need it, they should take it somewhere. We will continue to curse the people behind this film village," said Abdullahi Usman Gadon-Kaya, who spearheaded the protest. Joined by critics on local radio and the social media,they drowned out those in favour of the film village. Danjuma Wurim Dadu of the Nigerian Film Corporation had told a film conference in Kano that more than USD 3 million had been set aside for the centre, which he said was to create 10,000 jobs. It aimed to boost the massively popular local film industry known as "Kannywood", which, according to the national film censors agency, accounts for 38 per cent of film production in Nigeria -- a country that already turns out the second highest number of films per year worldwide after India's Bollywood. "This is a missed opportunity to provide much-needed jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, who have turned to drugs for solace", local film analyst Mudan Saidu told AFP. Nigeria is well known for its "Nollywood" video production which churns out about 200 films a month in the country's educated and urban south. Shot in English as well as the local Yoruba and Igbo languages, they are popular throughout west Africa. The northern Kannywood has huge appeal among the 60 million Hausa speakers, a language widely spoken across west Africa. But Muslim clerics have kept close watch on Kannywood, accusing it of promoting un-Islamic foreign values by imitating American Hollywood and Indian Bollywood movies, a charge film makers have denied. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam today accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "shielding" junior Housing Minister Ravindra Waikar, who is facing allegations of land grab and alleged that kin of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was also involved in "amassing" vast land. Nirupam, who had earlier alleged that Waikar misused his office to get slum rehabilitation contracts, claimed at a press conference here that he had documents in his possession to support his charge. "I have the '7/12' (land title document) papers which prove that kin of Uddhav Thackeray and Ravindra Waikar are involved in amassing vast tracts of land in Konkan region. They bought almost 110 ares of land at Kolai village in Murud taluka in Raigadh district," Nirupam told a press conference here. He demanded that the "source of funding for purchasing the land" be probed. Stating that he is not against anybody from political class doing business or having personal ties, he said there is a "conflict of interest" involved in this matter. Nirupam had accused Waikar of "usurping" 20 acres of land in city's green lung Aarey Colony and misusing his official position to secure a slum redevelopment project contract for a firm in which he is a partner. Waikar had dismissed the allegation, saying it was part of a political game to defame him. Nirupam alleged that Fadnavis has "misled the legislature" on the issue by saying that no irregularities were found against Waikar and demanded an investigation into the issue. When contacted, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said, "My party did not want to offer any comment on the issue at this moment. A suicide car bomb attack in the eastern city of Benghazi targeting Libyan troops killed 23 people and wounded dozens of today, a hospital official said. The official said the wounded were still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city, Libya's second largest. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig Gen Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the al-Qaida affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account. The attack comes after the United States started an air campaign on Monday in the central city of Sirte, the last bastion of the Islamic State extremist group in . The strikes followed a request made by the internationally recognised government and presidency council in the capital, Tripoli. The two executive bodies were formed after the United Nations brokered a deal among Libya's rival factions. has descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and the killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, the country has been divided between two governments and parliaments, and a loose set of militias and tribes. The UN-brokered government led by Fayez Serraj aimed at healing the rift, but a crucial vote of confidence has yet to be obtained from the parliament. The parliament in eastern does not recognise the UN Government, and many in the east are angry that Serraj's administration invited foreign military intervention without the eastern parliament's consent. Sent: Thu, Jul 7, 2016 4:18 pm Subject: Please I want this money to be transferred in your account How are you today, dear ? How is your day of hope everything is.I think it's better to get to know each other and trust each other, because I think any good relationship will last only if it is based on truth and real love and I like to meet us and be a good love and trust ourselves. My name is Miss PeaceAkima, 25 years old girl,I am 5.3 feet tall, white skin, I'm from Liberia, but currently residing here in Senegal, in a refugee camp with many other girls of different ages of the war-torn country in Africa. I came here a couple of years ago because my parents and brother were killed in Liberia and our region is not safe because of the war that happened in my country. Among my family is only me that is alive now and I managed to make my way to a near by country Senegal where i am living now. I wish to contact you personally for something important that can lead us to a better place if we work well on it.I residing in the refugee camp in Dakar, Senegal, as a result of the Civil War fought in my country. I have not a brother, sister or relatives now whom i can go to all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war the only person I have now is Rev. Anthony Martin, who is Rev. of Christ Churchhere in the camp has been good to me since I came here but I am not living with him and I'm leaving in women because the camp have two hostels one for men, one for women. The Pastors tel number is +221 774474544 I want you to call me with the number of the Rev office, pls if you call and tell him you want to talk peace with Akima, he sent for me to call hostel refugee women to respond your call. Here in orphanage house where women hostel. You me now I can call the office phone Rev. number. My Dear, my late father Dr. Wilson Akima was a contractor and international businessman. I have the certified deposit my late father and death certificate because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money Royal Bank of Scotland in the UK, he used my name as the next of kin, the amount in question is $ 7.5 million. As I am too small to cope with it and my been present here in the country can not afford to make me transfer to me. So I'd like you to help me transfer this money to your account so you can joined him in his country also set back my work is very important to me, and so I contact- so, Please I want this money to be transferred in your account, after this transfer in your account, you will help me to prepare my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet with you. I need your informations : Their full names . . . Your Address . . . . Your Phone Number. . . Humbly waiting for your email also feel to hear your voice. Attach in this mail is my picture for you know who I am. Have a nice day, Hope to hear from you soon. Yours, Peace. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com >Sent: Thu, Jul 7, 2016 4:18 pmSubject: Please I want this money to be transferred in your account Sent: Fri, Jul 8, 2016 4:08 pm Subject: Please contact this bank where the money was deposited Hello my Dearest, good day ! How are you ? Dear, please attend my needs towards you and help me rescue my late father's fund to your account. Quite well i don't know who you are but i believe almighty God direct me to you to assist me out. I want you to help me rescue this fund so i can come over to your country to start my education again. I contacted the bank, they told me i would not stand for the fund due to my situation as a refugee that i should go and look for a foreign partner who can assist me transfer this fund to his account. That is the reason i contact you for you to help me rescue this fund from them.I want you to contact them OK, Let them know you are my foreign partner that you want them to transfer my late father's fund to your account and find out possibility to transfer it to your country without having any problem in your country OK. My status here is very painful and i have been praying for God to show me the right person who will keep up to all agreement been made before under going this transaction and i believe with you i can achieve this desire of mine. Please contact this bank for verification of the existence of the fund of my late father. Below is the bank contact informations : ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND Contact Person: Mr.Ross McEwan Telephone:+44 741 8478226 bankscotlandroyal@europe.com BELOW IS THE NAME OF MY LATE FATHER : Dr. Wilson Akima Next of kin: Peace Wilson Akima Nationality. Liberian Account no. 45008901546 Amount: 7.5 Million USD Please try write to the bank where the money was deposited,they would attend you because the CEO is the one who said i should go and look for a foreign partner who will help me, that is the reason i contact you, send mail to them and let them know you are my foreign partner that you need them to transfer this money to your account so i can be able to get out from this bad place come over to your country to settle down with you. Hope to hear your today. Your lovely, Peace. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com >Sent: Fri, Jul 8, 2016 4:08 pmSubject: Please contact this bank where the money was deposited Envoye le : Sa, 9 Jul 2016 15:07 Sujet : Please try to write to this bank where the money was deposited Hello, my Dear, Dear, kindly attend my needs towards you and try to help me toretrieve my late father's fund deposit in Royal Bank of Scotland. Write to the bank where the money was deposited, let them know you are my foreign business partner that want to stand on my behalf to make the transaction.They are going to attend you and transfer the fund to your account .The CEO is the person that told me to look for a foreign partner that can stand on my behalf to warrant them transfer the fund to your account, that due to my condition as a refugee, i cannot make the transaction by myself. Please hear my crying and accept to help me in thisdarkest moment. I have the state of account of the fund. Everything concerning this transaction is clear. Listen very well, all that i have told you concerning my present situation is the real life am passing through right now, I have the proves for the existence of this account. All i need you to do for me is to contact the bank on my behalf as my foreign representative, and find out the possibility of transferring this fund into your position in your country. I believe that i am safe in your hands, i am asking you for my safety. Once the fund hit your country, you willsend me money to process my travelling documents to come over to your country. I want you to help me rescue this fund from the Royal Bank of Scotland that is the reason i contact you. Have a nice day. Your lovely, Peace. Below is the bank contact informations : ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND CEO contact : Mr. Ross McEwan Telephone : +447929134746 bankscotlandroyal@europe.com BELLOW IS THE NAME OF MY LATE FATHER Dr. Wilson Akima Next of kin: Peace Akima Nationality. Liberian Account number : 45008901546 Amount: $7.5 million.USD De : peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com >Envoye le : Sa, 9 Jul 2016 15:07Sujet : Please try to write to this bank where the money was deposited Envoye le : Lu, 11 Jul 2016 22:48 Sujet : I want you to help me to rescue this fund from RBS Hello my Dear, Dear, kindly attend my needs towards you and try help me retrieve my late father's fund deposit in Royal Bank of Scotland. Write to the bank where the money deposit, let them know you are my foreign business partner that want to stand on my behalf to make the transaction. They are going to attend you and transfer the fund to your account .The CEO is the person that told me to look for a foreign partner that can stand on my behalf to warrant them transfer the fund to your account that due to my condition as a refugee i cannot make the transaction by myself. Please hear my crying and accept to help me in this my darkest moment. I have the state of account of the fund. Everything concerning this transaction is clear. Listen very well, All that i have told you concerning my present situation is the real life am passing through right now, I have the proves for the existence of this account. All i need you to do for me is to contact the bank on my behalf as my foreign representativeand find out the possibility of transferring this fund into your position in your country. I believe that i am safe in your hand, i am asking you for my safety. Once the fund hit your country you will now send me money to process my travelling document to come over to your country. I want you to help me torescue this fund from the Royal Bank of Scotland that is the reason i contact you. Have a nice day. Your lovely, Peace. De : peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com >Envoye le : Lu, 11 Jul 2016 22:48Sujet : I want you to help me to rescue this fund from RBS From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Jul 20, 2016 5:32 pm Subject: I want you to help me to rescue my fund from the RBS Hello my Dear, Dear, kindly attend my needs towards you and try help me retrieve my late father's fund deposit in Royal Bank of Scotland. Write to the bank where the money deposit,let them know you are my foreign business partner that want to stand on my behalf to make the transaction.They are going to attend you and transfer the fund to your account. The CEO is the person that told me to look for a foreign partner that can stand on my behalf to warrant them transfer the fund to your account,that due to my condition as a refugee i cannot make the transaction by myself.Please hear my crying and accept to help me in this my darkest moment. I have the state of account of the fund. Everything concerning this transaction is clear. Listen very well, All that i have told you concerning my present situation is the real life am passing through right now, I have the proves for the existence of this account. All i need you to do for me is to contact the bank on my behalf as my foreign representative, And find out the possibility of transferring this fund into your position in your country.I believe that i am safe in your hand,i am asking you for my safety.Once the fund hit your country you will now send me money to process my travelling document to come over to your country. I want you to help me to rescue this fund from the Royal Bank of Scotland that is the reason i contact you. Have a nice day. Your lovely, Peace. peace akima peaceakima@hotmail.com > Date: Wed, Jul 13, 2016 at 7:25 PM Subject: My full life story How are you today dear? I appreciate your position, how is your day of hope everything is .thanks to your email. I think it' s better to get to know each other and trust each other, because I think any good relationship will last only if it is based on truth and real love and I like to meet us and be a good love and trust ourselves. My name is Miss Peace Akima 25 year old girl that I am 5.3 feet tall, white skin), I' m from Liberia, but currently residing here in Senegal, in a refugee camp with many other girls of different ages of the war-torn country in Africa.I came here a couple of years ago because my parents and brother were killed in Liberia and our region is not safe because of the war that happened in my country, Among my family is only me that is alive now and I managed to make my way to a near by country Senegal where i am living now. I wish to contact you personally for something important that can lead us to a better place if we work well on it.I residing in the refugee camp in Dakar, Senegal, as a result of the Civil War fought in my country. I have not a brother, sister or relatives now whom i can go to all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war the only person I have now is Rev Anthony Martin, who is REV (Christ Church ) here in the camp has been good to me since I came here but I am not living with him and I' m leaving in women because the camp have two hostels one for men, one for women. The Pastors Tel number is ( +221 774474544 ) I want you to call me with the number of the Rev office, pls if you call and tell him you want to talk peace with Akima, he sent for me to call hostel refugee women to respond your call. Here in orphanage house where women hostel.You me now I can call the office phone Rev number.My Dear my late father Dr Wilson Akima was a contractor and international business hombre.yo is certified deposit my late father and death certificate because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money( Royal Bank of Scotland in the UK ), he used my name as the next of kin, the amount in question is ( $ 7.5 million ). As I am too small to cope with it and my been present here in the country can not afford to make me transfer to me. So I' d like you to help me transfer this money to your account so you can joined him in his country also set back my work is very important to me, and so I contact- so, Please I want this money to be transferred in your account after this transfer in your account, you will help me to prepare my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet with you.I need your information !!! Their full names . . . Your Address . . . . Your Phone Number. . . Humbly waiting for your email also feel to hear your voice.Attach in this mail is my picture for you know who I am. Have a nice day,Hope to hear from you soon. Your ' s,Peace. From:Date: Wed, Jul 13, 2016 at 7:25 PMSubject: My full life story peace akima peaceakima@hotmail.com > Date: Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 5:33 PM Subject: Please contact this Royal Bank of Scotland where my late father' s fund Hello My Dearest, Good day, How are you?Dear please attend my needs towards you and help me rescue my late father' s fund to your account.Quite well i don' t know who you are but i believe almighty God direct me to you to assist me out.I want you to help me rescue this fund so i can come over to your country to start my education again.I contact the bank they told me i would not stand for the fund due to my situation as a refugee,That i should go and look for a foreign partner who can assist me transfer this fund to his account. That is the reason i contact you for you to help me rescue this fund from them.I want you to contact them OK,Let them know you are my foreign partner that you want them to transfer my late father' s fund to your account and find out possibility to transfer it to your country without having any problem in your country OK.My status here is very painful and i have been praying for God to show me the right person who will keep up to all agreement been made before under going this transaction and i believe with you i can achieve this desire of mine.Please contact the Bank for verification of the existence of the fund of my late father. Below is the bank contact information: ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND Contact Person: Mr.Ross McEwan Telephone:+44 741 8478226 Email ID: bankscotlandroyal@europe.com BELLOW IS THE NAME OF MY LATE FATHER Dr. Wilson Akima Next of kin: Peace Wilson Akima Nationality. Liberian Account number ( 45008901546) Amount: 7.5 Million USD Please try write to the bank where the money deposit,they would attend you because the CEO is the one who said i should go and look for a foreign partner who will help me, that is the reason i contact you, send mail to them and let them know you are my foreign partner that you need them to transfer this money to your account so i can be able to get out from this bad place come over to your country to settle down with you. Hope to hear your today. Your lovely, Peace From:Date: Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 5:33 PMSubject: Please contact this Royal Bank of Scotland where my late father' s fund De : Bank Royal < bankscotlandroyal@europe.com > Envoye le : Sa, 23 Jul 2016 12:12 Sujet : ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND PLCLONDON The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, registered in Scotland no. 90312 Registered office: 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB bankscotlandroyal@europe.com Attention: Sir, From Director of ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND(RBS) Legal Department of Foreign Operation/Wire Transfer to write you regarding our late customer account Dr.Wilson Akima.Actually he depositfund worth (Seven Hundred Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) US$7.500.000.00 in our bank.His daughter Peace Wilson Akima : peaceakima@hotmail.com had contact us as next of kin of her late father,We told her to go look for a trust foreign partner that can assist her make the transaction base on her status as a refugee. Hence the young lady wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's fund deposit with account no.45008901546 substantial amount US$7.500.000.00 However before our bank can transfer her late father's fund to your account, we should like you to send the followings : 1. A Power of Attorney and Affidavit of Oath permitting you to claim and transfer her late father's fund to your Bank account.These document must be prepared by a residence lawyer where she is staying now as a refugee. And she have to sign the document to waranty us transfer her late father's fund to your account. 2. The Death Certificate of late Dr. Wilson Akima. 3. A copy of Statement of Account of the Fund. We hope you would understand that our request for the above information is part of our security protocols to avoid fraudulent claims or an unwarranted taking advantage of his absence by some individuals or some other distance relations who might have had access to his privacy. Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest, yours, the next of kin after the claims. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question please contact us for more directives/clarifications. Regards, Mr. Ross McEwan Chief Executive Officer/Wire Transfer. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Aug 24, 2016 3:00 pm Subject: PROCEDURE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Hello Dearest, Good Day, how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, So help us get a lawyer, He is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, That you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath fromFederal high court here in Dakar Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my (Late) father's Fund in Royal Bank Plc Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or National ID This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents.Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents ok. THIS IS THE LAWYER CONTACT : Barrister Karim Edewor +221-77-35-92 -309 From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Fri, Jul 29, 2016 3:48 pm Subject: This is the lawyer contact Hello Dearest, Good Day, how are youtoday ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, So he helps us to get a lawyer, he is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him toproceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, That you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath from Federal high court here in Dakar, Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my late father's fund in Royal Bank of Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or driving licence or national ID, anyone isok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents.Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents, ok ? This is the lawyer contact : Barrister Karim Edewor +221-77-35-92 -309 I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, So he helps us to get a lawyer, he is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him toproceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Sat, Jul 30, 2016 7:33 pm Subject: They can transfer my late father's fund to your account Hello Dearest, Good d ay , how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father's fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it s o he help s us to get a lawyer. He is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, t hat you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath from Federal high court here in Dakar, Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my l ate father's f und in Royal Bank of Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or ID card anyone is this ok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him that your information must attached with the documents. Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents, ok. THIS IS THE LAWYER CONTACT : Barrister Karim Edewor +221-77-35-92 -309 From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Aug 3, 2016 12:24 am Subject: Please, darling, contact this lawyer fast Hello Dearest, Good Day, how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, So he helps us to get a lawyer, He is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone,tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, That you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the affidavit of oath from Federal high court here in Dakar, Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my late father's fund in Royal Bank Plc Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or National-ID any one is this ok. This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him,that your information must attached with the documents.Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents ok. THIS IS THE LAWYER CONTACT : Barrister Karim Edewor Office Tel:+221-773-592-309 karimlawyer@live.com Your Peace. . in Love ! From: karim edewor < karimlawyer@live.com > Sent: Sun, Aug 21, 2016 6:19 pm Subject: From Peace and love ! EQUITY LAW FIRM CHAMBERS. MEMBER ECOWAS BANK ACCREDITED ATTORNEYS. OUR REF; JLC/Vol.19 CASE No.015181/09 YOUR REF: ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. SUBJECT: POWER OF ATTORNEY/AGREEMENT. ADD: RUE 125 ANTA DIOP STREET, DAKAR SENEGAL . DATE:AUGUST:21ST: 2016. P. O . BOX 280874. DAKAR, SENEGAL . TEL: EMAIL -ADDRESS: Legal Representation. +221 77 5565 04EMAIL -ADDRESS: karimlawyer@live.com ATTENTION : (EQUITY LAW FIRM BARRISTER KARIM EDEWOR)REQUESTED ENQUIRE HOW I WILL SECURE THE AFFIDAVIT OF OATH AND POWER OF ATTORNEY ON YOUR BEHALF PRIOR TO MY ENQUIRIES FROM THE HIGH COURT HERE IN SENEGAL. I WAS MADE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM WILL COST THE SUM OF = $400. FOR THE REGISTRATION AND AUTHENTICATION OF THE AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM FOR SWEARING OF THE AFFIDAVIT OF OATH AT THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT JUSTICE BEFORE IT BECOME VALID WILL COST = $420. FOR NOTARY STAMPING AT THE OFFICE BEFORE IT WILL GO OUT FROM SENEGAL HERE IT WILL COST = $200. MY LEGAL PROCESSING AND FEE SERVICE CHARGE OF = $350. THE TOTAL AMOUNT IS = US$1,370 ONE THOUSAND,THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY DOLLARS,TO GET THE AFFIDAVIT OF OATH AND POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTS IN OUR FEDERAL HIGH COURT.TO ENABLE US TO EXECUTE YOUR JOB IMMEDIATELY AS YOU REQUESTED YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEND THE DOCUMENT FEE VIA / WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OR MONEY GRAM TRANSFER IMMEDIATELY WITH THE NAME AND ADDRESS BELOW.THEN YOU SEND THE PAYMENT SLIP IN THIS MY EMAIL BOX FOR CONFIRMATION.MAKE THE PAYMENT WITH THIS MY BELOW INFORMATION NAME- - - - - KARIM EDEWOR. ADDRESS- - - - RUE 125 ANTA DIOP STREET, DAKAR, SENEGAL. QUESTION- - - - YOUR CITY ANSWERED- - - - DAKAR YOU ARE REQUIRED TO INFORM ME IMMEDIATELY TO MY BAR PRIVATE NUMBER FOR ME TO PROCEED WITH THE PREPARATION AND REGISTRATION AND AUTHENTICATION OF THE LEGAL DOCUMENT WHICH WILL TAKE ONLY 48 WORKING HOURS TO BE COMPLETED.BEFORE RENDERING OUR LEGAL SERVICE TO ANY CLIENT WE HAVE TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENT FEE. FOR MORE CLARIFICATION YOU CAN CALL MY BAR PRIVATE NUMBER : + 221-77-35-92 -309 YOURS IN SERVICE, BARRISTER DR. KARIM EDEWOR. (ESQ) MEMBER ECOWAS BANK ACCREDITED ATTORNEYS. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Aug 24, 2016 3:00 pm Subject: PROCEDURE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Hello Dearest, Good Day, how are you and your day today ? I receive the mail below from the bank requesting some documents before they can transfer my late father fund to your account. I have my late father death certificate and statement account of the fund. What remain now is the power of attorney and affidavit of oath which they said it must be a Senegal lawyer where i stay as a refugee so i can sign for it. l told Reverend father about it, So help us get a lawyer, He is a registered lawyer in the United Nations here and he is also a registered member in Senegalese Bar Association. I contact the lawyer now, he said you have to contact him and send your information to him for him to used proceed for the documents to be authentic as my foreign partner and representative. Please write to this lawyer now also call him on phone, tell him that you are my foreign partner and trustee, That you want him to prepare and get it for us the power of attorney and the Affidavit of oath fromFederal high court here in Dakar Senegal, that the documents will bear your name to enable the transfer of my (Late) father's Fund in Royal Bank Plc Scotland to your account be successful. He said you have to send him your full information such as. . 1.Your full name. . . . . . 2.Your country and state. . . 3.Your occupation. . . 4.Phone No. with code. . . . 5.Your full address. . . 6.Scan your international passport or Driving licence or National ID This information list is what the lawyer said you have to send to him, that your information must attached with the documents.Please try to do this fast and send it to him for him to proceed for the documents ok. THIS IS THE LAWYER CONTACT : Barrister Karim Edewor +221-77-35-92 -309 karimlawyer@live.com From: Bank Royal < b ankscotlandroyal @europe.com > Subject: PROCEDURE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - - -Original Message- - -From: Bank Royal ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND PLCLONDON The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, registered in Scotland no. 90312.Registered office:36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB b ankscotlandroyal@europe.com Attention: Sir, From Director of ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND(RBS) Legal Department of Foreign Operation/Wire Transfer to write you regarding our late customer account Dr. Wilson Akima. Actually he depositfund worth Seven Hundred Million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars(US$7.500.000.00)in our bank.His Daughter Peace Wilson Akima had contact us as next of kin of her late father,We told her to go look for a trust foreign partner that can assist her make the transaction base on her status as a refugee. Hence the young lady wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's fund deposit with account no.45008901546 substantial amount(US$7.500.000.00).However before our bank can transfer her late father's fund to your account, we should like you to send the followings: 1.A Power of Attorney and Affidavit of Oath permitting you to claim and transfer her late father's fund to your Bank account.These document must be prepared by a residence lawyer where she is staying now as a refugee. And she have to sign the document to waranty us transfer her late father's fund to your account. 2.The Death Certificate of late Dr.Wilson Akima. 3.A copy of Statement of Account of the Fund. We hope you would understand that our request for the above information is part of our security protocols to avoid fraudulent claims or an unwarranted taking advantage of his absence by some individuals or some other distance relations who might have had access to his privacy. Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest,yours, the next of kin after the claims. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question please contact us for more directives/clarifications. Regards, Mr.Ross McEwan Chief Executive Officer/Wire Transfer. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Sat, Sep 10, 2016 12:17 pm Subject: Contact this bank to enable them to deliver your Visa ATM card Contact the United Bank for Africa immediately you receive this mail. Here is the contact : United Bank For Africa (U.B.A) ubavisaatmdepartment@gmail.com +221-774-474-544 Contact this bank to enable them to deliver your Visa ATM card to you. With this card you can withdraw the money. Your friend, Peace Akima. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Thu, Sep 15, 2016 8:59 pm Subject: darling please help me to send the money to the lawyer Greetings my sweetheart, Darling, please help me out by God. Darling i have seen the mail which you receive from the lawyer concerning the cost of getting our two needed documents from the federal high court even after i Finish prayer this evening lawyer called me to inform me that he give you the cost of the power of attorney which is US$1,370 one thousand three hundred and seventy dollars to get the affidavit of oath and power of attorney documents in our federal high court today when you send the money please my dear you are the only hope i have to help me out of this suffering, please my love try and pay him so that he will work the power of attorney for us please my love save my life here in this camp so that i will meet you and stay with you forever as one family please my love let my suffering touch you to help me out, please my love save my life don't live me on the Road help me as God told you to help me out so that i will join you over there forever as your wife and cook food for you as my husband, please my love, try your best today or tomorrow so that i will meet you small time over there please i want everything to be fast so that i will get a new passport after the bank transfer the money into your account, the same time you send me some money i will use and get paper to come to you, please try my love ! God bless you for me i love you, i will be very happy in this world to meet you i kiss you. Yours In Love Peace Akima From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Sat, Sep 17, 2016 2:13 pm Subject: darling please help me to send the money to the lawyer Greetings, my sweetheart, Darling, please help me out by God. Darling i have seen the mail which you receive from the lawyer concerning the cost of getting our two needed documents from the federal high court even after i finish prayer this evening lawyer called me to inform me that he give you the cost of the power of attorney which is US$1,370 - one thousand three hundred and seventy dollars to get the affidavit of oath and power of attorney documents in our federal high court today when you send the money please my dear you are the only hope i have to help me out of this suffering please my love try and pay him so that he will work the power of attorney for us, please my love save my life here in this camp so that i will meet you and stay with you forever as one family, please my love let my suffering touch you to help me out, please my love save my life don't live me on the road help me as God told you to help me out so that i will join you over there forever as your wife and cook food for you as my husband. Please my love try your best today or tomorrow so that i will meet you small time over there, please i want everything to be fast so that i will get a new passport after the bank transfer the money into your account the same time you send me some money i will use and get paper to come to you, please try, my love. God bless you for me, i love you i will be very happy in this world to meet you, i kiss you. Yours in love Peace From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Mon, Sep 19, 2016 3:11 pm Subject: please my lovesend the money to thelawyer Greeting my sweetheart, Darling please help me out by God. Darling i have seen the mail which you receive from the lawyer concerning the cost of getting our two needed documents from the federal high court even after i finish prayer this evening lawyer called me to inform me that he give you the cost of the power of attorney which is US$1,370 one thousand three hundred and seventy dollars to get the affidavit of oath and power of attorney documents in our federal high court today when you send the money please my dear you are the only hope i have to help me out of this suffering please my love try and pay him so that he will work the power of attorney for us. please my love save my life here in this camp so that i will meet you and stay with you forever as one family, please my love let my suffering touch you to help me out please my love save my life don't live me on the Road help me as God told you to help me out so that i will join you over there forever as your wife and cook food for you as my husband. please my love try your best today or tomorrow so that i will meet you small time over there, please i want everything to be fast so that i will get a new passport after the bank transfer the money into your account the same time you send me some money i will use and get paper to come to you, please try my love. God bless you for me i love you i will be very happy in this world to meet you i kiss you. Yours in love, Peace From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Mon, Sep 19, 2016 6:31 pm Subject: Kindly get the documents from the lawyer Hello my dearest, I read the mail you send that you have make thee payment. My lawyer called me and said the payment receipt attachment cannot open which is true, I myself have tried to open it as well but it cannot open. I want you to send it to him by written down. He is waiting to confirm it so he can get us the documents from Federal high court. Kindly get the documents from the lawyer so we can send it to Royal bank of Scotland for them to transfer my late father's fund to your bank account, so you can send me money i can use prepare for my travel documents to come over to your country to settle down. Have a nice day and hope to hear from you soon. Your lovely, Peace. From: Luisian Alfredo < luisianalfredo@yahoo.com > Sent: Mon, Sep 19, 2016 11:39 pm Subject: Fees GBP A 707.777 via Western Union / Money Gram Meanwhile, I will like you to send the following Informations to my Law Firm so that i can use them to Procure the Power of Attorney and the Sworn Affidavit Documents from the Senegal Federal Ministry of Justice immediately you can send this Fees GBP A 707.777 via Western Union / Money Gram with the name of PAUL GABRIEL and on the behalf of the young lady Miss Peace Akima : peaceakima@hotmail.com the fund of late Dr. Edward Johnson can be transferred to your bank account you shall send to them Your full names: Date & place of birth: Your full residential address: Private tel/fax numbers: Profession/marital status. scan copy of your international passport/national identity card: As soon as you send all these Informations and the Documents Fees GBP A 707.777 via Western Union / Money Gram ,you have to get back to me so i can proceed immediately, ok ? From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Sep 21, 2016 8:48 pm Subject: pls my love, try to send the money to the lawyer My darling, Good evening and l hope that you are in perfect health over there. My love, l am worried for not have heard from you concerning getting the documents from the lawyer so that the bank can transfer the money to your account. My dear, you know the bank are waiting for the documents and the barrister is also waiting for you to send him the money, please consider my suffering here and send the money to the lawyer, that is the only thing delaying this transfer, l promised you that you will first take any penny spent on this before my arrival to your country, l also called the lawyer and he said he has not heard from you and that he is waiting for you to send the money as he promised to help us. l hope to hear good news from you. Yours forever love, Peace. . and love ! From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Tue, Sep 27, 2016 2:27 pm Subject: The requested informations Hello Dear Friend, If you know you are willing in this deal, kindly send request fee the lawyer need to enable Royal Bank of Scotland transfer my late father's fund to your bank account, so you can help me to come over to your country to settle down, also continue my education. Have a nice day and hope to hear a good news from you soon. Your lovely, Peace. From: Barrister Luisian Alfredo < barristerluisianalfredo@gmail.com > Sent: Tue, Sep 27, 2016 2:41 pm Subject: Furnish me the transfer informations LEGAL PRACTITIONER & ATTORNEYS OF SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE,FEDERAL REPUBLIC DU SENEGAL.BAR (DR) LUISIAN ALFREDO CHAMBERS. LEGAL PRACTITIONER, SOLICITOR & CO-OPERATE CONSULTANT ADDRESS: GRAND YOFF LANE, B.P.4077, DAKAR SENEGAL. luisianalfredo@ yahoo.com barristerluisianalfredo@gmail.com + 221.781017043 You can Send the Fund with my Secretary Names - PAUL GABRIELvia The Western Union Money Transfer Bank or Money Gram Transfer Agent and Furnish met he t ransfer in formations that is INFORMATIONS Western Union Money Transfer Bank/Money Gram Transfer Agent To : Receiver' Name: - PAUL GABRIEL Receivers Country :- Dakar Senegal When you have completed the Transaction, please e-mail m e barristerluisianalfredo@gmail.com luisianalfredo@yahoo.com Provide us with the following Information : Your/Sender's First Name. . . . . . . .? Second Name: . . . . . . . . . . .? Sender's Country . . . . . . . . ? Question and Answer. . . .? Money Tranefr Control Number[MTCN Number]. . . . . ? And The Money Transfer Control Number (Ask your Bank Employee for the Money Transfer Control Number after you have completed and Signed The Western Union Money Transfer form). Thanks, Felicitations Barrister Luisian Alfredo (sas) From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Sep 28, 2016 6:15 pm Subject: Send requested fees Hello Dear Friend, If you know you are willing in this deal, kindly send requested fees the lawyer needs to enable Royal Bank of Scotland transfer of my late father's fund to your bank account, so you can help me to come over to your country to settle down also continue my education again. Have a nice day and hope to hear good news from you soon. Your lovely, Peace. From: Uba Bank < ubavisaatmdepartment@gmail.com > Sent: Tue, Oct 4, 2016 8:27 am Subject: Threeh undred thousand US Dollars INTERNATIONAL ATM VISA CARD DEPARTMENT CENTER. UBA BANK Address: Lot D, Route Des Almadies, Zone 12, Dakar, Senegal Tel: +221 77 4474 544 ubavisaatmdepartment@gmail.com ATTENTION SIR, The MANAGEMENT OF ATM DEPARTMENT UBA BANKDAKAR SENEGAL are here to notify you concerning your fund Three h undred thousand US Dollars from : peaceakima@hotmail.com that have been deposited in our custody which they have instructed our department to load the fund into ATM VISA CARD and post to your designated home address in your country as the beneficiary.Now to enable us start theprocessing you haveto provide usthis information's below. 1. FIRST NAME_ _ _ _ _ _ 2. SECOND NAME_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. LAST NAME_ _ _ _ 4. HOME ADDRESS_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5. COUNTRY_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6. STATE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7. CITY_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8. AGE_ _ _ _ 9. MOBILE NO_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10. OCCUPATION_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11. PHOTO COPY OF NATIONAL ID CARD_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12. MARRIAGE STATUS_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ We wish to notify you that with all this information's it will help us to open your ATM CARD FILE in our office and to start the process immediately. Again we assure you that your ATM VISA CARD will be issue and ready to deliver in 24 hours fromthe day we receive the above information's and to open your ATM file. WE THANK YOU ONCE MORE FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION. Yours in service, Mr. Abdul Hiza Cash EXpress Credit Card Department From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Tue, Oct 4, 2016 6:18 pm Subject: kindly send the requested fees to this lawyer Good evening, l hope that you are in perfect health over there. If you know you are willing in this deal, kindly send the requested feesthe lawyer needs to enable Royal Bank of Scotland to transfer my late father's fund to your bank account so you can help me come over to your country to settle down also continue my education again. Have a nice day and hope to hear a good news from you soon. Your lovely, Peace. From: peace akima < peaceakima@hotmail.com > Sent: Sun, Oct 9, 2016 5:54 pm Subject: THE REQUESTED INFORMATIONS If you know you are willing in this deal, kindly send request fees the lawyer need to enable Royal Bank of Scotland transfer my late father's fund to your bank account so you can help me come over to your country to settle down also continue my education again. Have a nice day and hope to hear a good news from you soon. Your lovely, Peace. Good Evening, and l hope that you are in perfect health over there. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... One person was killed and another injured in fresh violence in Kashmir, even as normal life remained disrupted for the 25th consecutive day today due to strike called by separatists and curfew imposed by the authorities in some parts of the Valley. With this the death toll has gone up to 50. One person was killed and another injured when the personal security guard of a senior government official opened fire to ward off a mob which was trying to set ablaze the vehicle of the official, police said. The incident took place at Lethpora area of Pulwama district on Srinagar-Jammu national Highway at around 8.30 pm, the police official said. He said the government official, identified as Baburam, was stopped by a mob when he was on his way to Ramban in Jammu division and asked to alight from the vehicle. As soon as the official and his personal security guard got off the vehicle, the mob tried to set it ablaze prompting the security personnel to open fire. In another incident, a group of protesters pelted stones on a police station in Trehgam area of Kupwara district. The police personnel retaliated by firing tear-gas shells, resulting in injuries to three persons. One of the injured was referred to a hospital here and his condition was stated to be critical. Many shops and business establishments had opened after sundown yesterday as the separatists had announced a relaxation in the agitation programme to allow people to buy essentials in view of the prolonged shut down since July 9 in the Valley. However, all markets remained closed today and public transport was off the roads in view of the strike call given by the separatists. Curfew remained in force in six police station areas of the city, Anantnag town, Kokernag and Khanpora in Baramulla district as restrictions on assembly of four or more people continued in entire Kashmir, a police official said. "Curfew is in place only in six police station areas of Srinagar city -- Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Batamaloo and Maharajgunj," he said. The separatist groups have been spearheading the agitation to protest the civilian killings during the protests following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Protests broke out across Kashmir Valley on July 9, leading to clashes with security forces in which 50 people have been killed and over 5600 persons injured. Mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped in the entire Valley where the postpaid mobile telephony services have been restored across all networks. American Muslim women have lashed out at Donald Trump for implying that Muslim women are not "allowed" to speak, launching a viral social media campaign after the Republican presidential nominee's remarks about a slain Pakistani-origin soldier's mother. Through the '#CanYouHearUsNow' campaign, Muslim women activists are sharing on social media the various ways they speak out every day. They will also tweet about who they are and how they speak out. A user Linda Sarsour tweeted, "Tired of the obsession w/ Muslim women and who you think we are and are capable of. We define us. We tell our own stories. #CanYouHearUsNow". Another user Rim-Sarah Alouane wrote on the micro-blogging site, "@realDonaldTrump - This is a list of Muslim #Nobel laureates. 3 of them are women. What did you do? #CanYouHearUsNow". Muslim-American women also highlighted their personal accomplishments and careers across many fields. Zainab Chaudary wrote "Frmr. Public servant, media expert, defending civil liberties of ALL Americans, proud Muslim woman. #CanYouHearUsNow". Sumbal Naqi wrote "I'm a female Muslim lawyer. 4 generations of women writers,doctors,lawyers in family. Don't dare say Muslim women don't speak!#CanYouHearUsNow". "Successfully taught my kids to respect others, share and not throw tantrums on stage. @realDonaldTrump need a lesson? #CanYouHearUsNow," wrote Shadia Igram. The campaign has been launched in response to remarks made by Trump towards Ghazala Khan, mother of Pakistani-origin US Army Captain Humayun Khan who died while serving in Iraq in 2004. In a scathing attack on Trump, Khan's father Khizr Khan said during an emotionally charged speech at the Democratic National Convention last week that Trump had "sacrificed nothing and no one". His wife, visibly emotional and holding back tears, had stood silently next to her husband as he addressed the convention to thunderous applause. Trump later drew significant ire when he suggested during a TV interview that Ghazala did not speak because she was not "allowed" to do so. "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably - maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me," Trump said. Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also joined the social media campaign by American Muslim women demanding that Trump apologise for disparaging Ghazala Khan. Ghazala later did speak out in response to Trump's remarks, writing in an op-ed that "Trump criticised my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice". Over 450 cases of rape of minors have been recorded by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) this year so far. "As many as 464 cases of rape of minors have been recorded by the Commission in the last six months, the highest being from Outer Delhi at 136," a senior DCW official said. According to statistics available at DCW, the commission receives at least two rape cases of minors every day. "Though we try and ensure that most of the cases reach court but these figures are a matter of concern as the crime rate against women is growing at an alarming rate," the official added. The data was released by DCW after its chief Swati Maliwal yesterday visited 7-year-old minor who was raped on Sunday by a 22-year-old man in Ghazipur. "The victim was brutally assaulted, she bled profusely. Delhi is shamelessly rape capital of the world. Even DCW's request for improving women safety is falling on deaf ears. We appeal to the Centre and State to work together to save women and girls from rape," Maliwal said in a series of tweets. Self-styled godman Asaram, facing rape charge, today hoped that his "painful" days will pass after he was produced in a court here in connection with the case. "Many accused get acquitted and many get bail. I would also have good days someday and these painful days will pass," he told reporters. Asaram, who is lodged in Jodhpur jail, also said that Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who had faced a black buck poaching case, had ben acquitted by a court. Further needling India, Pakistan's parliament has unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and demanding the UN Human Rights Commission to send a fact finding mission to the Valley to investigate it. The 34th session of the National Assembly (the parliament), which began last evening with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, extended its support to the Kashmiris. "The National Assembly of Pakistan strongly condemns the recent atrocities perpetrated on innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces," said the resolution passed late last night. It said the use of pellet guns is "deplorable and is against the canons of international humanitarian laws". "This House denounces these reprehensible acts...It is confident that these blatant violations of international law cannot deter the valiant, oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir from continuing to press their demand for realisation of their right to self-determination, which is enshrined in numerous UN Security Council Resolutions," it added. It reiterated Pakistan's continuing political, moral and diplomatic support for the struggle in Kashmir. The resolution pressed the government to urge the international community, inter-governmental and inter- parliamentary organisations, international nongovernmental organisations and civil society and media to ask India to immediately stop alleged violations of the human rights. It also demanded that the Human Rights Commission in Geneva should be requested to immediately send a fact finding mission to Kashmir to investigate alleged Human Rights violations by Indian security forces. The Telangana government today decided to again hold the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) in wake of the state CID's probe report stating that the question papers were leaked. The decision was taken after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a review meeting of the ministers and officials concerned today. Schedule for the fresh examination will be announced soon, a statement for the Chief Minister's office said. "It is unfortunate and painful incident (leakage of question paper). In the wake of leakage of the paper we have no option but to conduct EAMCET once again. I request students and parents to understand the situation and cooperate with the Government," the Chief Minister said in the statement. EAMCET-II was conducted on July 9 for entry into medical and dental colleges and the results were declared on July 14. The exam was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad. Following complaints of question paper leak, Telangana CID conducted a probe and submitted a report recently. So far, six persons have been arrested and whereabouts of another five, allegedly involved in it, identified. Investigation had revealed that as many as 200 students and their parents allegedly colluded with various brokers involved in the whole episode, the statement said. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence defended a military mom's right to criticize Donald Trump's comments about the Muslim parents of a slain US Army veteran during a campaign stop in Nevada, and then lashed out at the media's coverage of the controversy at the next. Pence quieted a crowd that was booing a woman who asked Pence at a town hall meeting in Carson City yesterday how he could tolerate Trump's disrespect for American servicemen. "Capt. Khan is an American hero," Pence told a crowd at a Reno hotel-casino later that evening, emphasizing that Trump shares his view. "Capt. Khan and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by all the people of the United States." The Republican nominee implied last week that Ghazala Khan, mother of Capt. Humayun Khan, stood silently alongside her husband at the Democratic National Convention because, as a Muslim, she was restricted her from speaking. That comment and others Trump made about the family prompted criticism from fellow Republicans and demands for an apology from the families of fallen soldiers. During his speech at last week's DNC, Humayun Khan's father, Khizr Khan, questioned whether Trump has read the Constitution, and said the billionaire businessman has "sacrificed nothing and no one," leading Trump to respond. Pence said he understands and appreciates the attention given to Khan's family. But he doesn't understand "why the media maligned and continues to ignore the moving mother of fallen Air Force veteran and diplomat Sean Smith." Pence said much of the same media criticizing Trump earlier condemned Patricia Smith's speech at the GOP convention about the U.S. Information officer killed in the 2012 attack in Benghazi. "Let's demand the media listen to and honor all of the families of the fallen in this country," he said. Today, Trump's son, Eric Trump, said his father's comments have been "blown out of proportion." Speaking today to CBS This Morning, Eric Trump said his father is "a great patriot," who "doesn't want to see more Americans dead. The alleged suicide by a woman AAP worker, for which Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan has been arrested, was the result of police "inaction" on her complaints of death threats, Aam Aadmi Party today said, rebuffing allegations against its functionaries. AAP leader Ashish Khetan released a set of documents to back the party's assertion. In a letter, written on June 10, the deceased had complained "against the police", and not AAP, he said. Another leader of the party, Sanjay Singh, questioned police's "refusal" to act against Uttarakhand BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat against whom a woman has filed a complaint of sexual assault in New Delhi. "Under the pressure created by AAP, police did file charges against the main accused Ramesh Bhardwaj but those were too lenient, resulting in him getting bail. Then she was relentlessly harassed. She was told that Kejriwal will not save her. "In her complaint, she had named ASI Mukhtiyar Singh and demanded action. But he was merely removed from the case. Her shop was pelted with stones and she received threatening calls and chits," Khetan told reporters. Khetan claimed the police's remand application for Chauhan does not contain any of the allegations being raised. Singh said police's "arrest spree" would only expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "mentality". The woman allegedly committed suicide at her home in North-West Delhi's Narela and died during treatment at LNJP Hospital on July 19. The BJP has alleged that the AAP MLA was responsible for her suicide. Khetan demanded action against all the police officials related to the case who "sat" on her complaints. He wondered why Bhardwaj was initially let off despite the woman having levelled serious charges against him. "There is no rule of law in Delhi. The only job of the police is to arrest AAP MLAs and defame the party," he said. Several journalists covering the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) today claimed they were questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with a case, against the women body's chief, of revealing identity of a rape victim. The journalists said they were questioned over telephone, both DCW and police remain tight-lipped over the issue. They claimed they have been recieving calls from police since yesterday. Last week, an FIR was registered against DCW chief Swati Maliwal for allegedly revealing the name of a 14-year-old Dalit girl, who died after being raped repeatedly and forced to drink acid, in a notice to police. Her name was also revealed in a press release issued to the journalists. However, minutes later an apology was sent for "mistakingly" revealing the name and urging journalists to not use it. "I received a call yesterday from North Delhi police asking whether I had received the release and used it, whether it had name of the victim mentioned or not and other such things," said a woman journalist working with a Hindi daily. Another journalist, working with a TV channel, said "The police asked me how active I am on the Whatsapp group for media updates of DCW? What kind of a question is that? Now being member of a Whatsapp group is also a fault". "We get so many press releases, I had seen this one but since I had got an updated one with correction a few minutes later, I did not use it for my report. That is too basic, why should we be questioned by police over it? This is harassment," said another TV journalist. Maliwal, who was severely critical of police for not taking action against the rape accused, has been booked for naming the girl in a DCW notice to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Burari Police station. The FIR has been registered on a complaint of the SHO. The girl, who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and forced to drink corrosive material, died last week after battling for life for over a month. Maliwal had dismissed the charge, saying she had not released the victim's name and that she was not scared of the FIR. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today asked the police to take strict action against those trying to fill up wetlands in the name of construction. "I don't want to get into what happened in the past. But, now police will deal firmly if anyone wants to fill up water bodies. If any promoter sends goons, the police will counter them strongly. We have to enforce discipline," Banerjee said after a law and order review meeting. She asked the police department to take action even if someone takes the name of the Chief Minister or the ruling Trinamool Congress. "Some people try to take advantage. I have got 4-5 such cases. In one of such case, it was found that the allegations were not right. The promoter was trying to fill a water body, but faced opposition from local people," the CM said. A number of wetlands like the East Kolkata Wetlands are scattered around the metropolis, which has witnessed a real estate boom in the last few years. A crucial part of the ecosystem, wetlands absorb excess water, provide food, filter water and offer a unique habitat for different species. Banerjee said in case of any violation, the police would file an FIR and take action as per the law. "It is the job of the police to prevent hooliganism. They have to do it properly," she said. The Chief Minister also asked the police to be pro-active in maintaining peace. Amid reports of resurfacing of chit funds, she urged the people not to fall into such traps. "I request the people with folded hands not to invest in chit funds. The government cannot and will not pay if you loose money," Banerjee said. "Do not succumb to greed. They are cheats. Your future will be damaged," she said. Nepal Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" is all set to become the Prime Minister for the second time as he filed his nomination today after receiving crucial backing from the agitating Madhesis by signing a three-point pact. The 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president's candidacy was proposed by Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was seconded by senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara, ahead of tomorrow's election that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre signed a three- point agreement withthe Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by Prachanda, the only official candidate for the race. Madhesi parties, which have the combined strength of 42 in the 595-member Parliament, have also hinted that they would join the government led by Prachanda. Before filing his nomination paper for the Prime Minister's election, Maoist chief Prachanda and NC chief Deuba signed the agreement with the Madhesis, mostly of Indian- origin, which assured the Madhesi communities of addressing their demands through political understanding and amendment to the Constitution. Although the former premier with anti-India stance is only one candidate, there will be voting for and against Prachanda and it is likely that CPN-UML and its alliance will vote against him. The Prime Minister's post has remained vacant since last week after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation following the Maoist's withdrawal of support to the coalition government. Despite media reports that a senior leader of CPN-UML, probably, former Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam, would contest against Prachanda, the party took a last-minute decision not to contest the election, clearing a way for the Maoist chief to become the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal. He has earlier served as Nepal's Prime Minister from 2008 to 2009. As the agitating United Madhesi Front has decided to vote in favour of Prachanda, he is expected to get at least 360 votes, though only 298 votes are required for winning the election. Three Madhesi leaders - Upendra Yadav of Social Forum- Nepal, Sarvendra Nath Shukla of Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhawana Party - have supported Prachanda's candidacy. As per the agreement, the government-in-waiting would implement the Madhesi Front's demands that include acknowledging those killed during the Madhes agitation as martyrs and providing free treatment to the injured besides amending the Constitution to redraw provincial boundary, while the Madhesi parties would support the new government. The crucial development comes a day after Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari gave a fresh call to all political parties to form a majority government when the deadline given to them for forging consensus expired without yielding any results. It is learnt that the Parliament has started preparation for beginning the procedure of electing the premier tomorrow. Speaker Onsari Gharti has called a meeting of the Parliament for 11 am to elect the new Prime Minister after embattled premier Oli resigned on July 24, triggering a fresh political turmoil in Nepal. Prachanda is likely to announce a small cabinet comprising members from Maoist party, Nepali Congress, CPN-United and Rastriya Prajatantra Party on Thursday after being declared as the Prime Minister. (Reopens FGN 15) A senior Madhesi leader said the decision on whether to vote for Prachanda or not will be taken after tomorrow's meeting. The Madhesi parties are waiting for a written commitment from the Nepali Congress and Maoist alliance to address their demand, said Manish Suman, general secretary of the Sadbhawana Party, a key member of the agitating Madhesi Front. "Today's talks were positive and we are hopeful that the NC-Maoist alliance will issue the commitment in writing," he said. "We have not yet decided on joining the new government," he added. Nepal Maoist chief Prachanda today filed his nomination for the election to the post of prime minister tomorrow that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed the 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president as the candidate for new Prime Minister, while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded Deuba. The crucial development comes a day after Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari gave a fresh call to all political parties to form a majority government when the deadline given to them for forging consensus expired without yielding any results. It is learnt that the Parliament has started preparation for beginning the procedure of electing the premier tomorrow. Speaker Onsari Gharti has called a meeting of the 596-member Parliament for 11 am to elect the new Prime Minister after embattled premier K P Oli resigned on July 24, triggering a fresh political turmoil in Nepal. Oli tendered his resignation after two key ruling alliance partners - Madhesi People's Rights Forum-Democratic and Rastriya Prajatantra Party - decided to support the no-confidence motion tabled against him by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-Maoist Centre led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. The Maoist chief and former premier known for his anti-India stance is expected to become Nepal's 39th Prime Minister with the support of largest party Nepali Congress, the Madhesis and other fringe parties if there is no dramatic development. Three Madhesi leaders - Upendra Yadav of Social Forum-Nepal, Sarvendra Nath Shukla of Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhawana Party - have supported Prachanda's candidacy. The Madhesi alliance decided to support Prachanda's candidacy after a 3-point agreement with the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Centre) but will not join the government, Karna said. With the support of the alliance, which has 39 lawmakers, Prachanda's election as the new prime minister has become almost certain. Meanwhile, the CPN-UML has decided not to field any candidate in the prime ministerial election but vote against Prachanda. The party of outgoing Prime Minister Oli decided to remain as the main opposition party. Government employees from the Kashmiri Pandit community who are staging a protest here against the alleged stone pelting on their transit camp in the Valley today demanded that the government set up a high-level team to hold talks and find a solution to their "miseries". Their protest at the Relief Commissioners Office (RCO) entered the 20th day today. "Our members have been protesting for the past 20 days but no representative from the government has bothered to hold talks with the protestors here," Chairman of the All Party Migrants Coordination Committee Vinod Pandita said. While BJP has formed a four-member committee to hold talks with the protesting employees, the state government is yet to send a representative to enquire about the issues faced by the community, he said. "Additional Director General of Police S M Sahai has acknowledged the fact that the transit camps of Kashmiri pandits were attacked. When VVIPs, houses of ministers are being attacked with petrol bombs, how can we say that minorities will be safe there," Pandita said. The state government and the Centre has "turned a blind eye" towards the "miseries" faced by the community, Pandita alleged and demanded that a high-level committee be set up to hold talks with the protesting employees. "It is evident that the situation in Kashmir is not conducive for these employees to join there. The government should hold talks with these protesting employees and find a solution for their miseries," he said. Kashmiri Pandit workers employed with the government have refused to return to their jobs in the Valley after the alleged stone pelting on their transit camp. More than 1,600 displaced Kashmiri Hindu youths had been recruited under Prime Minister's Special employment package and posted in Kashmir voluntarily. Most of these employees escaped from Haal transit accommodation in Pulwama, Baramulla, Kupwara transit camps, Vessu and Mattan KP employees colonies in Anantnag district after the unrest began and managed to reach Jammu. International rating agency S&P Global Ratings today said that Indian state-run banks will need Rs 2.5 lakh crore capital infusion over the next three years to meet Basel-III requirements. "The capital requirements will be sizeable... Public sector banks need Rs 2.5 trillion to meet Basel-III requirements," agency's credit analyst Geeta Chugh told reporters over a conference call. She said the banks, which are mired in high levels of stressed assets, cannot raise the money from the markets and will have to depend on the government for the infusion. There are other avenues like issuing additional Tier-I bonds, which is yet to become popular, she added. However, if the banks fail to raise the required amount of capital, it may lead to them losing market share as they will be unable to fund the new credit demand. Difficulties surrounding capital infusions may also lead to consolidation, she said, elaborating that weaker and inefficient banks will be taken over by the stronger ones. Chugh said even though the banks will be reporting non- performing assets of around 8.5 per cent, the overall stress according to the agency stands at up to 13 per cent and the troubles surrounding NPAs will continue at least for a year. She said this will lead to the profitability of the banks being under pressure, which means the banks cannot generate internal accruals to be ploughed back to meet the higher capital requirements of the Basel-III framework. Reserve Bank has decided to gradually increase the capital buffers and adopt the Basel-III requirements in full by April 2019. Specifically, she said, iron and steel, infrastructure, construction and engineering sectors are the pain points for Indian banking system. The problem of NPAs is much smaller in China than India, where the credit costs have gone up beyond 2 percentage points, she added. Chugh said among the over two dozen state-run banks, only one --- Union Bank of India --- is having a negative outlook, which means there is a one in three chance of it getting downgraded. The government had last year announced it will infuse Rs 70,000 crore into the state run banks over four years while they will have to raise a further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the markets to meet their capital requirements in line with global risk norms Basel-III. In line with the blueprint, PSU banks are to get Rs 25,000 crore each in 2015-16 and 2016-17 fiscals. Besides, Rs 10,000 crore each would be infused in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Assuming that the government will continue to support the banks, the agency has a 'stable' outlook on all other ratings, she said, adding that it had downgraded Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of India recently. When asked about the rating impact of SBI's consolidation efforts with the five associate banks, Chugh said it will not lead to any sizeable change. With Assam reeling under one of the worst flood to hit the state, in which over 11 lakh people have been affected, seven public-sector oil firms today donated a total of Rs 15 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Senior officials of the state-run oil firms donated Rs 15 crore and handed over the cheque to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, an official release said. The seven oil firms are Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil India Ltd (OIL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Gas Authority of India Ltd and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL). "Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan took a special initiative under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mobilise the oil companies to contribute to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," the statement said. Acknowledging the gesture, Sonowal expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister, Minister of state for Petroleum and the oil firms for helping the people of Assam during this calamity. As the government circulated copies of the draft Constitution Amendment Bill to bring Goods and Services Tax (GST) among MPs, top Congress leaders got into a huddle to chalk out the party's strategy today ahead of its consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, among others, in Parliament House and discussed various points regarding the key tax reform legislation. Congress sources said Gandhi will hold another round of discussion on the issue after which Sharma will meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to put across the party's point of view. "Rahulji held discussions with top party leaders on the GST Bill and discussed the party's strategy," Kharge told PTI after the meeting. Another top Congress leader said the draft bill has just been circulated and the party leaders will react only after studying it in detail. "The draft of the bill has just come and let us study it first," the Congress leader said. There were strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform in independent India would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government has said talks are on with major political parties to build a consensus on the measure before it is taken up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. "We would list the bill for consideration tomorrow in Rajya Sabha. We have talked to all parties and the Prime Minister had said at the beginning of this session that GST is in the interest of all. We hope the GST Bill will be passed with consensus," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. At the BJP meet, Jaitley also briefed the MPs about the bill. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a single indirect tax regime across the country. According to top government sources, a fresh round of talks will be held today with the main opposition Congress. Jaitley had yesterday held consultations with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. He had also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, besides some other leaders. Later, along with Anant Kumar, he met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The government, the sources say, is keen to bring about four key amendments in the Constitution Amendment Bill which will include the scrapping of 1 per cent additional tax provision and grant of more powers to states for providing them full compensation for a period of five years. The key Congress demand for rephrasing of the language for setting up of dispute resolution mechanism in the GST Council has also been agreed to by the government. Thirteen more Sri Rama Sene activists were today arrested in connection with the "raid" on a school near here over alleged forcible teaching of Urdu and Arabic languages, taking the total of arrests in the case to 16, police said. They were arrested on the charge of trespassing into the St Thomas Aided Higher Primary School in Bondantila near here on July 30. Around 50 Sri Rama Sene activists had raided the school for 'forcibly' teaching Arabic and Urdu to students. On a complaint from the school headmaster, three activists were arrested yesterday. Meanwhile, the headmaster said that classes (in Urdu and Arabic) were being conducted for 40 students everySaturdayon the request of parents. Chief Whip of the Congress in the state Legislative Council Ivan D' Souza condemned the raid by the activists. In a statement, D'Souza said he had asked the city police to be tough against groups trying to disturb peace and tranquility. He also visited the school and spoke to students and teachers. A Rajasthan Minister's son is among six persons named in an FIR lodged in a murder case of a 45-year-old man here in Hanumangarh court. Harish Sindhi was shot dead yesterday by two accused Sukhbeer and Dharmendra in the court premises when he had gone for hearing of a murder case in which he was a witness. While the duo was arrested yesterday, police today named Water Resources Minister Rampratap's son Amit Sahu and three others, including Som Muni, Soma and Shrawan, in the FIR under various sections of IPC, including murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and 27 of Arms Act, police said. The FIR was lodged by Monu Singh who was present with Sindhi in the court. Sahu, however, denied any link with the murder and alleged he was being dragged in the case for "political reasons". "I have no link with the matter. I am being falsely implicated. The allegations against me are baseless," Sahu said, adding he has not been approached by the police. "I was present in the court premises. I had gone to the office of the collector which is located near the court. My presence there had nothing to do with the case," he said. Rampratap could not be contacted as he was in the cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, Sindhi's funeral was performed today. Some of his relatives held a demonstration demanding arrest of all the accused. The Rajasthan government today said it will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision acquitting actor Salman Khan in two cases of chinkara poaching. "The government is studying the merits and demerits of the case and has decided to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court," the state's Law Minister, Rajendra Rathore, told reporters here. The Rajasthan High Court had on July 25 acquitted Khan in two cases of chinkara (black buck) poaching in Jodhpur, while observing that the statement of a key witness could not be considered as he had "disappeared" and the defence could not cross-examine him during the trial. The witness, driver of the vehicle in which the actor was travelling when the alleged incidents had taken place, surfaced after the High Court verdict and claimed Khan had shot the gazelle. Two separate cases were registered againstthe actor under section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching two chinkara, an endangered gazelle, in Bhawad village on September 26-27, 1998 and one in Mathania (Ghoda Farm) on September 28-29, 1998. The Chief Judicial Magistrate's court had convicted him in both the cases and sentenced him to one year and five years of imprisonment on February 17, 2006 and April 10, 2006 respectively. The verdicts were challenged by Khan in the Sessions Court which dismissed the appeal in the Mathania case and transferred the one in connection with the Bhawad incident to the High Court where two appeals by the state government in connection with the cases were already pending. Four persons, including a foreign national, were today arrested by custom officials and 159 kg of mephedrone hydrochloride, a banned drug, worth Rs 25 crore was seized from their possession in a raid at a factory near Daund. "Based on specific information, the officials of narcotic cell, Pune Customs yesterday raided the factory premises of M/s Samarth Laboratories in Kurkumbh MIDC area in Daund and seized 159.10 kg of mephedrone hydrochloride, worth Rs 25 crore," K Shubhendra, deputy commissioner of Customs said in a press release. He said four people, including the mastermind of the case, who is a foreign national, and one of the directors of the firm have been apprehended. Mephedrone hydrochloride, a psychotropic substance, has been notified under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as a banned drug. The raids started yesterday and went on till early hours today with the officials searching the residential premises of arrested people. All the suspects will be produced in the court tomorrow. Moscow today blasted criticism by Washington over its actions in Syria, saying it was "unacceptable" to demand restraint around Aleppo, the city divided between Syrian government troops and rebels. "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... Demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti agency. Britain-based monitors reported that Russia launched heavy air strikes in the Aleppo outskirts, slowing a last-ditch effort by rebels to break the siege. US Secretary of State John Kerry on yesterday called on Russia and its Damascus ally to restrain "from conducting offensive operations" in Aleppo, where regime forces surrounded rebel-held districts. Kerry said the attacks prevented the warring parties from meeting yesterday, the target date set for the regime and opposition to agree on the framework for political transition. "We will see in the course of the next hours, few days, whether or not that dynamic can be changed," Kerry said. Ryabkov however rejected such talk as an ultimatum. "To hear from Washington that... The next hours and days will be decisive, that is an ultimatum-like, unacceptable tone. I think this is regular blackmail that is common to the Americans," said Ryabkov. Moscow had announced the launch of humanitarian corridors out of Aleppo for civilians and surrendering rebels, a scheme that some NGOs said was "deeply flawed," calling instead for a UN-mandated plan of escape routes. Ryabkov countered that the US itself uses the corridor scheme and is only against it because Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are crushing opponents who have not joined the ceasefire or surrendered. "Why can it not be done with Aleppo? Because in Syria the Syrian government has finally begun to separate terrorists from the moderate (opposition) and civilians. That is what our colleagues in Washington were not ready to do" for months, he said. A day before Home Minister Rajnath Singh visits to Pakistan amidst threats of protest by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the BSF today said it was sure the Pak Rangers and other authorities there will take adequate measures to foil the plans of the terror mastermind. Calling Saeed's plans of undertaking massive protests and march towards the Attari-Wagah border when Singh steps on Pakistani soil a "political" move, Border Security Force chief K K Sharma said the border guarding forces on both sides have been "sensitised" and they will ensure that the SAARC Home Ministers meeting to be held tomorrow in Islamabad is not disrupted. "This (Saeed's protest call) is the internal matter of Pakistan and I am very sure that my counterparts Pak Rangers are more than competent to handle this issue. I am sure this (Saeed's threat) is not going to disrupt the SAARC meeting. Hafiz Saeed will not be successful," he said. Sharma, who only last week returned from Pakistan after holding the annual bilateral Director General-level talks with the Rangers, said both the forces have also discussed measures to mount effective vigil at the Attari-Wagah border which is thronged by large crowds that witness the daily retreat ceremony in the evening. A blast in 2014 at Wagah on the Pakistan side had killed over 50 people after the retreat ceremony got over. "Yes, this was one issue that was taken up with Pak Rangers...Both of us are conscious of the fact that the threat is there and consequently we both have strengthened our security measures. We have done it on our side (of the border) and they have done it on their side. I am sure they (Rangers) will handle it (Saeed's threat to march towards Wagah) well," he said on the sidelines of an event here. The BSF DG added at least four battalions of the force (about 4,000 personnel) have been recently deployed on the Punjab frontier and two in Jammu to further fortify security measures and the counter-infiltration grid along the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) running along the two states. "The LoC in Kashmir is under army and I would not like to comment on that," he said when asked about similar measures in this area. (REOPENS DEL-28) Sharma said new equipment have been provided to the BSF troops guarding the border even as the intelligence gathering mechanism has been strengthened. "I am happy to say that there has been no infiltration in the IB areas guarded by us in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat in the last 8-10 months. "The BSF in its area of responsibility is fully prepared against infiltration bids. We cannot stop them from occurring but can thwart them. We will not allow them (infiltrators) to succeed," Sharma said. The DG added it was important for them and the Rangers to keep talking. "I feel it is always better to keep open the channels of communication because it is through talks only that we can sort out things," he added. About a proposal to install a high-mast Indian tricolour along the Attari-Wagah border front, the DG said the BSF was "for it" and developments are taking place on this front. "Officially we have not taken it up with Pakistan. As per norms nothing can be created about 150 metres from the zero line at the border and this flag that will be installed is proposed to be further behind this. We support it fully and we welcome it," he said The DG added a land in possession of Punjab tourism board has been identified for the proposal. (Reopens DES-13) DG Sharma said BSF will observe the remaining part of 2016 as the year of 'Divyaang Yodha' (specially-abled fighter) as he flagged off a para-cycling team that will paddle from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Khardungla in Jammu and Kashmir between August 5 and 15. "The aim of the event is to have psychological empowerment of the disabled persons to make them able to overcome their mental inhibitions and to start leading a normal life. "A 'Divyaang Yodha' skill mission has been planned with a series of activities," the force said in a statement. The paramilitary has tied up with an NGO to build training expertise in this regard. BJP ally Shiv Sena today expressed satisfaction over Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' statement on unified Maharashtra in the Assembly and maintained it will not support any Opposition-sponsored resolution on the issue. The junior ally in the BJP-led Government said it was committed to a united Maharashtra and would not hesitate to quit the ruling coalition if there was any deviation from the stand enunciated in the House. "If BJP plans to bring a resolution for a separate Vidarbha state, the Sena stand will be to oppose it. The Sena is committed towards a undivided Maharashtra," party leader and Minister for Public Works Department Eknath Shinde said. "The Sena is satisfied with the Chief Minister's statement on unified Maharashtra and it will not support any unofficial resolution (by Opposition)," he clarified. Fadnavis said in the Assembly "there is no proposal as of this moment before the Government" for creation of a separate Vidarbha State and disfavoured discussing the issue in the House, where it had not been listed. The Opposition demanded in the Legislative Council the Chief Minister move a motion putting it unambiguously clear bifurcation of the State was not on his Government's agenda. Earlier in the day the, Opposition Congress and NCP taunted the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for doing a "U turn" on its anti-Vidarbha statehood issue. The Sena's "tiger" (the party's emblem) has turned into a "lamb" over the issue. No sooner did Fadnavis make the statement in the Assembly, senior Sena Ministers Diwakar Raote, Subhash Desai and Ramdas Kadam rushed to meet party President Uddhav Thackeray at his 'Matoshri' residence in Bandra. Later in the afternoon, Sena Ministers held talks with senior Congress-NCP members in Vidhan Bhavan complex. Congress member and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan met Kadam in the latter's chamber, sources said. The meetings were held to decide on the strategy to corner the BJP over the statehood issue, they said. Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt, in a tweet, wanted to know if the Sena is more concerned about remaining in power or keeping Maharashtra united. Although the Congress, Sena leaders met over the Vidarbha issue, Shinde remarked "Congress-NCP need not teach Sena about unified Maharashtra. If need be, the Sena shall pull out of the Government. For the sake of unified Maharashtra the Sena will go to any lengths." Shinde, speaking to newspersons at Vidhan Bhavan, said there has been no change in the Sena's long-held stand opposing any division of Maharashtra. The Centre has assured that it will present before the full bench of Supreme Court a proposal on making Tamil the official language in courts in Tamil Nadu, state Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam told the Assembly today. When DMK member K S Ravichandran raised the issue of making Tamil the official language in the courts, Shanmugam said the Centre had assured the state government that it would present a proposal before the full bench of apex court, which had rejected a similar proposal in 2013. "Reminders have been sent to the Central government," requesting it to place the proposal before the Supreme Court, he said. A demand to make Tamil an official language in Madras High Court has been a long pending demand in Tamil Nadu, which is supported by all political parties. The Minister meanwhile pointed out that arguments in many subordinate courts were being made in Tamil and in some cases, verdicts were also being delivered in Tamil. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also taken up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, he said. On the issue of providing security to the High Court, Shanmugam said CISF cover had been provided to Madras High Court as well as its Madurai bench in compliance with a Supreme Court order. Over 50 courts have been equipped with CCTV cameras at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore and the rest would be covered soon, he added. Shanmugam took a dig at the opposition party when he reminded them of a lawyers-police clash in the High Court campus in 2008 when even a judge was injured in the melee. DMK was ruling the state then. Insisting that law and order is being properly maintained during AIADMK rule, he said that this was "visible" during the recent "big level" advocates' protest last week, when they tried to lay siege of the High Court here, demanding withdrawal of new disciplinary rules. Shanmugam said functioning of courts in Tamil Nadu was not affected by the recent stir of advocates against the new disciplinary rules notified by the Madras High Court. DMK member Dravidamani urged the government to intervene in the issue to find an amicable solution. Shanmugam said the High court had constituted a committee where lawyers could air their grievances on the new disciplinary rules. The next meeting of the panel will be held this month, he said. A second Indianshipwas among foreign flaggedvessels under detention in UK ports after failing a Port State Control (PSC) inspection in July, the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said today. 'Malaviya Twenty' was detained on July 4 at Great Yarmouth in the East Anglia region of England over "five deficiencies with four ground for detention". The ship's medical certificate had expired as well as record of wages to its employees was missing. The ship joins 'Malaviya Seven', both owned by Mumbai's GOL Offshore Ltd, which was held at the coast of Aberdeen in Scotland over similarly "missing" wages for its staff members and a lack of "calculation and payment of wages" record in June. Both vessels' "seafarers employment agreement" were also invalid. The first vessel was detained by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) union with the support of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on June 15. 'Malaviya Twenty' was among three new international detentions in July and was still being held in the UK as of July 31. "When ashipis found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then theshipwill be detained," MCA said in a statement. The UK is part of a regional agreement known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, under which information on allshipsinspected is held centrally in an electronic database. Government asked the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to probe 184 companies in 2015-16, the highest number for any fiscal in more than a decade. During the 11-year period from 2004-05 to 2015-16, SFIO was ordered to probe 469 companies, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today. Out of them, investigations related to 252 companies have been completed and probe involving 206 firms is in progress. "Besides, investigations involving 11 companies have been quashed or stayed or kept in abeyance by courts," Meghwal said. As per data provided by the Minister, SFIO investigation was ordered against 184 companies in 2015-16 -- the highest for any financial year in the decade starting from 2004-05. One investigation was "subsequently quashed/ stayed/ withdrawn" in 2015-16. In 2014-15, the number of companies that were asked to be investigated by SFIO stood at 71 and the count was at 83 in 2013-14. "There is always a time lag between the occurrence of fraud, detection of fraud and ordering of investigation," the Minister said. SFIO comes under the Corporate Affairs Ministry. Noted special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has said social media cannot pose a challenge to mainstream media despite its popularity, as it was "unrelibale" and prone to misuse by "anti-social elements". "Social media is no doubt gaining popularity but there is no reliability and hence it is not to be treated as a challenge to (mainstream) media," the noted lawyer said here yesterday while addressing a gathering as the chief guest at the annual awards function of Chandrapur Working Journalists Union. Nikam, who is the special public prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, claimed that the "social media is being often misused by anti-social elements to create a divide in the society or create chaos through rumours and hence it is not reliable". He also took a jibe at retired bureaucrats who have penned books. "Authoring books after retirement has become a fashion for those who were at the helm of affairs in bureaucracy. I have no juniors working for me for the simple reason that many of the criminal cases handled by me have very sensitive issues that have to be kept close to the chest and it has resulted in conviction of criminals in all the cases," Nikam added. Taking the battle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turf, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched her party's campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election with a massive roadshow here. Thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line, a distance of about eight kilometres. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of B R Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers criss-crossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later moved to a vehicle with open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. Earlier, Gandhi flew in here for a day-long programme in Modi's constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. This is Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister. Gandhi is scheduled to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats -- Amethi and Rae Bareli -- in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while BJP and its ally Apna Dal secured 73 seats out of total 80. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishor had planned the campaign strategy of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in the Bihar Assembly polls. Taking the battle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turf, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched her party's campaign for the 2017 UP Assembly elections in the constituency. Gandhi flew in here for a day-long programme in the constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. The Congress President is also set to participate in a road show which would take her to various parts of the city. Her choice of starting the campaign from Varanasi for the Assembly elections scheduled next year is significant given the fact that it sends a signal that Congress is daring Modi on his home turf. This is Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister. Gandhi is scheduled to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. She is accompanied by Sheila Dikshit, who is the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in the state, AICC General Secretary Gulam Nabi Azad, UPCC Chief Raj Babbar, senior party leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress is out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in last 27 years through a campaign called "27 saal UP behal". Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats-Amethi and Rae Bareli in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also set the stage for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to help and assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishore was earlier strategist of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in Bihar Assembly polls. Sri Lanka said today it was withdrawing permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land being reclaimed under a USD 1.4 billion port project after India objected. Instead it will grant the state-owned construction company a 99-year lease on the land next to the port in Colombo, under a new agreement. "India had a big concern about giving freehold land to China near the Colombo harbour," government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters. "We have amended the agreement. There will be no freehold land but it will be on a 99-year lease." The government had put the project on hold pending a review of all the big-ticket agreements signed under the previous administration of Mahinda Rajapakse. The former president relied heavily on Chinese investment to rebuild the country's infrastructure after the end of the island's decades-long ethnic war in May 2009, a move which some say alienated India. The Chinese-funded port was also controversial among environmentalists. Senaratne said the developers had agreed to drop a proposed Formula One track and increase public park space, and environmental safeguards would be put in place. The project is being funded by China Communications Construction Company and was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014 during a visit to Colombo. Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests. But Senaratne said the government had decided to go ahead with the project under new terms. Colombo would set up an offshore banking centre to compete with Dubai and Singapore, he said. The reclamation represents the biggest-ever single foreign investment in Sri Lanka. It will add 269 hectares (672 acres) of real estate in the congested capital, which has a population of over 650,000. Once completed, the Chinese will have 108 hectares (266 acres) on a 99-year lease for commercial development. Earlier, 20 hectares of that was to be on a freehold basis. Under the agreement, the Sri Lankan government will get 62 hectares (153 acres) and the rest will be public parks and access roads. China, the largest single lender to Sri Lanka, secured contracts to build roads, railways and ports under Rajapakse, who is under investigation over allegations of corruption during his decade in power. With a party revamp in the state on the cards, Kerala Pradesh Congress President V M Sudheeran, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala have been summoned by the party high command in Delhi for talks. Congress sources said the three leaders would leave for New Delhi tomorrow evening and are expected to meet Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi and other leaders on August 4. They said the meeting is expected to discuss issues connected with restructuring the party, which was due for a long period. Last month, Gandhi had met more than 80 second level party leaders from Kerala and sought their opinion on party affairs in the state. The trip of the three Congress leaders to Delhi for talks with the high command assumes significance as it comes at a time when Kerala Congress (M) led by former Finance Minister K M Mani reportedly plans to sit as a separate block in the assembly following differences with Congress. Mani was forced to resign as Finance Minister from the previous UDF government following an adverse remark by the Kerala High Court on the bar bribery scam. KC(M) is the third largest partner in the Congress-led UDF Opposition. Mani and his followers believe it wasChennithala, as Home Minister in the previous UDF government, who hatched a "conspiracy" in the bar bribery scandal to weaken him ahead of the assembly polls held in May this year. With thousands of Indians reeling under severe financial crisis in Saudi Arabia after losing their jobs, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh tonight left for the Gulf nation to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back those who want to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, the Indian embassy there has launched an initiative to collect details of the Indians laid off by their employers. Currently, a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about others residing in different parts of Saudi Arabia. Singh left for Jeddah tonight and MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said his on-the-ground assessment will determine future course of action. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by government of that country. The Indian mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot buy it. Earlier today, Singh's ministerial colleague in the MEA M J Akbar, who looks after issues relating to the Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indians who have lost their jobs. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," Akbar said in a series of tweets. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had yesterday said that all affected Indians will be brought back. A team from the Indian embassy had yesterday met Saudi labour officials to complete procedures relating to the protection of legal dues of the workers once they have departed from the country. Swarup said the Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, where the Ambassador sought their help in collecting information about the affected workers. They were provided a proforma on which the requisite information is to be submitted to the embassy. Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said today. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said yesterday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... So their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. A foreign ministry statement said that "most of the workers want to leave these companies but only after settling their dues". The Pakistan embassy had set up special centres and a fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. Three persons, who had murdered a man while robbing him, have been sentenced to life term by a Delhi court which refused to show them any leniency. The court observed that the convicts killed the victim "unnecessarily" as they could have easily taken his money and belongings and spared his life. "The aggravating circumstances may be noted thus that they killed one person just to loot his money and belongings, that they injured another with the same objective, that their acts have ruined family of the deceased and left them at the mercy of fate. "That the death of only earning family member has put the entire family on the verge of starvation, that they killed the deceased unnecessarily as they could easily have taken his money and belongings and spared his life, and they ran away from the spot," Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Bansal said. The court, which said the case cannot be termed as rarest of the rare and does not warrant imposition of death penalty, said except this concession, the convicts deserve no other leniency. The court awarded jail term to Neeraj, Sonu and Vikas, all residents of Delhi, after holding them guilty of the offences of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity with murder and common intention under the IPC. Neeraj was also convicted for offence of dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt. It also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the three convicts and asked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to dertermine and award compensation to injured Mool Chand and family of deceased Jitender. According to the prosecution, the incident took place in March 2009, when Mool Chand and his nephew Jitender were going to Gazipur Dairy Farm to purchase a cow. They were having Rs 10,000 with them. Five men surrounded them and while two of them were having knives, the others caught hold of the victims and asked them to hand over their belongings, it said. Police said when Jitender resisted, the accused stabbed him with the knife and injured Chand. They took away money and mobile phones of the victims and fled the spot. Chand then called police who took Jitender to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Five accused were arrested out of which two were juveniles. During the trial, the accused claimed innocence and said they were falsely implicated in the case. Alleged shifting of Tea Board headquarters from Kolkata to Guwahati and a demand for setting up a High Court in Andhra Pradesh were among the issues raised by members in the Rajya Sabha today. Vivek Gupta (TMC) raised the issue of the alleged move to shift Tea Board headquarters to Guwahati after the BJP came to power in Assam, likening the move to "chopping off the hands" of Kolkata. The Centre, he alleged, has not been consulting the state government on the appointment of chairman of Kolkata Port Trust and Damodar Valley Corporation and was now shifting the Tea Board headquarters. Kolkata has not just a sea port for movement of tea but also a tea auction house, he said, adding that any move to shift the headquarters would result in job losses. Shadi Lal Batra (Cong) raised the issue of Rs 50,000 crore ponzy scheme fraud by PACL and demanded that the company's directors and chairman be arrested and their properties seized and sold to refund money to 6 crore poor farmers, shopkeepers, retired officials and widows who, he alleged, have been defrauded. Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu (Cong) said with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the High Court at Hyderabad has gone to Telengana state. Andhra Pradesh is now eagerly awaiting its own High Court, he said, adding that the court complex in Vijawada be allocated for setting up of the High Court. Top 10 corporate groups in the country owed Rs 5.73 crore to state-owned and financial institutions at the end of March this year, government said today. The Reserve Bank of India collects credit information from under the CRILC reporting system for borrowers with the credit exposure greater than Rs 5 crore. "RBI had informed that gross outstanding credit for top ten corporate groups is Rs 5,73,682 crore as on March 2016," Minister of State for Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. RBI is prohibited from disclosing credit information except under certain conditions, he added. The minister was asked whether it was a fact that top 10 corporate houses owe a huge amount of money to the public sector and financial institutions. Gangwar further said that government has taken specific measures to address various issues facing sectors such as infrastructure, steel and textiles where incidence of non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans is high. The government has also approved establishment of six new Recovery Tribunals to speed up the recovery of bad loans to the banking sector. "The government has recently issued advisory to banks to take action against guarantors in event of default by borrower ...Since in the event of default, the liability of the guarantor is co-extensive with the borrower," Gangwar said. In reply to another question, he said public sector banks wrote off (including compromise) Rs 59,547 crore during 2015- 16 while their private sector counterparts wrote off Rs 12,017 crore. Foreign banks too wrote off Rs 1,057 crore. "RBI has informed that write-off details for leading account holders are not available with them," the minister added. Making an unprecedented assertion, Republican party presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that he fears the upcoming presidential election "is going to be rigged". "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," Trump said yesterday during a town hall in Columbus, Ohio. The 69-year-old White House hopeful who emerged as the winner of a tough Republican presidential primary of 17 candidates claimed his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton had to fight only against Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. "I had 17 people. I wasn't running against two people. I had 17 people. I got a similar number to Hillary Clinton, and she had Bernie and she had a hard time putting Bernie away, and Bernie, poor Bernie. He looked so upset. You know what, he made a mistake. He shouldn't have made a deal. He lost, he lost," Trump said. "First of all, it was rigged, and I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest. Because I think my side was rigged, if I didn't win by massive landslides, I mean, think of what we won in New York and Indiana, California, 78 percent. That's with other people in the race," he said. "But think of it. I hear more and more that the election on November 8, can you believe, we're almost there. This started on June 16 of last year and I said, wow, let's go do it. Takes guts to do this, believe me. And everybody said no, it takes guts. I could be having a very nice life right now. I don't have to be with you people, ranting and raving. Could have a very nice life," he added. Trump's comments against father of a slain Pakistani-origin American Muslim soldier has drawn major criticism with his own party leaders coming out openly against the Republican presidential nominee. While House Speaker Paul Ryan said a "religious test" for entering the US is "not reflective of the country's fundamental values", former Florida Governor Jeb Bush termed remarks as "disrespectful" in targetting a family that endured the "ultimate sacrifice" for the country. Clinton also slammed Trump for his "absolute allegiance" to Russia that raises "national security" concerns, prompting him to deny having any "relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reopens FGN12) "The City of Philadelphia has lost more than 1 in 3 of its manufacturing jobs since China joined the World Trade Organisation - another Bill and Hillary-backed deal," he said, adding that a Trump Administration will renegotiate NAFTA, and "stand up" to foreign product dumping, currency manipulation and unfair subsidy behaviour. "We are going to bring manufacturing and jobs, lots of jobs, back to Pennsylvania. We are going to open modern mines, and take care of our great miners. We will be producing clean coal, oil, natural gas and shale energy. "We're also bringing back our steelworkers, whose jobs have been stolen by the dumping of steel all over this state and country by China, and other countries. Nobody has been treated worse than these workers, but that will change on January 20th of next year," Trump said. He said in order to accomplish these goals, America must cut its ties with the "small, bitter and petty politics of the past". "We must declare our independence from a failed establishment that has squandered USD 6 trillion on foreign wars in the Middle East that never end and that we never win and that have made us less safe. They've left our borders wide open at home, and shipped our jobs and wealth to other countries," he alleged. Meanwhile, women and immigrants voiced strong support for the 70-year-old reality TV star at the rally, rejecting the Republican Presidential nominee's 'portrayal' as racist and anti-immigrant and saying his policies will boost American trade and stop illegal immigration in the country. Women made up a majority of the crowd at the rally, cheering Trump, who has faced severe backlash from various quarters over his treatment of women. Among those at the rally was a group of immigrants from China, who stood out at the event with their T-shirts with the words 'Chinese-Americans Love Trump'. Nick Xu, among the Chinese-American supporters at the rally, said he had been campaigning for Trump for several months now and strongly rejected his portrayal by the media as racist and anti-immigrant. "The media has distorted the truth by portraying Trump as a racist and against immigrants. That is not true. He is not a racist and he is in favour of legal immigration, he only wants to stop illegal immigration, which is common sense," Nick told Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has favoured strong relations between the US and Russia in wiping out the Islamic State terror group. "You know Russia, like us, has nuclear weapons folks. It would be really nice if we got along with Russia and others that we don't get along with right now and wouldn't it be nice if we teamed up with Russia and others, including surrounding states and maybe NATO and we knocked the hell out of ISIS and got rid of these people?" Trump said during a town hall in Columbus, Ohio. He said the Russian President Vladimir Putin had praised him to which he responded positively, but this was used by his opponents to criticise him. "Putin said some very good things about me, people say, oh, Trump's going to be weak with Putin because Putin is saying nice things about me. Ok, all right. And I said he's a strong guy. They immediately say, oh, Trump likes," "But, look, I don't like or dislike. I just say it this way," he said. Trump added that it would be great if the United States and Russia got along and knocked out ISIS together and do other positive things. He alleged the Obama Administration "forced" the Russians through stupidity into an alliance with China. "You know why? Because of oil. Because China needs oil. We were driving both crazy. They formed and from the time I was a young guy, I've always learnt, don't ever let China and Russia get together, we forced them together," Trump said. "Obama forced them together. Because you didn't get along with either and they did eventually, China came in and said, "let's make a deal on oil. They're together." In fact, they're doing naval exercises together someplace. Talking about China's dominance in the South China Sea, Trump said, "You look at China, they're building one of the largest military installations in the world right smack in the middle of the South China Sea." "Then they talk about Donald Trump and Russia, or Donald Trump, but believe me, folks, somebody can say nice things about me, he did call me a genius but these are minor details, somebody can say nice things about me, it has, it makes no difference," he said, adding he does not care about people calling bad things about him. The Republican presidential nominee also alleged the Russians entered Ukraine under Obama's watch. He rued that the US media has distorted his remarks on it. "I said very simply they're not gonna do it on my watch, essentially. I said Russia will not go into the Ukraine, now I said that. And the next day, the story comes out and we really let it roll a little bit," Trump said. "The person said but they're already in Ukraine. I said yeah well, that was two years ago, that's I mean you wanna go back? You wanna have World War III to get it back?" he asked. "That was during Obama's watch," he added. US President Obama said today slammed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying he is "unfit to serve as president" as he does not abide by norms and rules. "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president," Obama said at a White House conference. "I said so last week. He keeps proving it." Obama added that Trump has shown he is "woefully unprepared to do this job" after his comments on military families as well as his handle on foreign affairs. He slammed Trump for his rhetoric, including the one against parents of a slain Muslim-American soldier, and said the Republican presidential nominee doesn't have the judgment, temperament or understanding to be the president of the country. As such he was highly critical of the Republican leadership who are supporting the billionaire from New York. "There has to come a point at which you say enough," Obama said of the Republican leaders leaders "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he is woefully unprepared to do this job," the president said at the White House. Obama remarked that Republican denunciations of Trump "ring hollow" as they continue to endorse Trump. "The question that I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer?" Obama said. "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves form statements he's making. Obama said this opinion of Trump is shared by prominent Republicans. "I think what's been interesting is the repeated denunciations of his statements by leading Republicans, including the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader and prominent Republicans like John McCain," he said. "There has to be a point in which you say this is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party," Obama said. "The fact that it has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow. I don't doubt their sincerity. I don't doubt that they were outraged about some of the statements that Mr Trump and his supporters made about the Khan family," he said referring to the statements made by Trump against the parents of Muslim-American soldier Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq war by a suicide bomber. At some point, Republicans should realise that Trump has gone too far and that the things he says indicates he "doesn't have the judgment, the temperament the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world," Obama said. The two-term Democratic president said this is different than just having policy disagreements. While Obama said he has disagreed with former Republican presidents on policy issues, he did not have a doubt that they could function as president." "I recognise that they all profoundly disagree with myself or Hillary Clinton on tax policy or on certain elements of foreign policy. But you know, there have been Republican presidents with whom I disagreed with but I didn't have a doubt that they could function as president," Obama said. Obama explained that had he lost to Mitt Romney or McCain, he certainly "would have been disappointed," but that he would have conceded and had the confidence that they would "abide by certain norms and rules and common sense, will observe basic decency." "But that's not the situation here, and that's not just my opinion. That is the opinion of many prominent Republicans. There has to come a point at which you say enough. And the alternative is that the entire party, the Republican Party effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated by Mr Trump," Obama said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey's Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement. Turkey meanwhile issued arrest warrants for about 100 staff, including doctors, at Ankara's main military hospital, in a new phase of the crackdown after the failed coup that has seen some 18,000 detained and caused international consternation. "Unfortunately, the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters," said Erdogan in a typically combative speech at his presidential palace, denouncing "those who we imagined to be friends". Erdogan lashed out at Germany's judicial authorities for not allowing him to address via video conference a weekend rally in Cologne in his support. He accused Germany of allowing leaders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to address previous events via video conference. He said Turkey had previously also handed Germany a list of more than 4,000 wanted militants without having any response. The president, who had previously alluded to foreign states' involvement, gave his strongest indication yet that external powers could have been played a role. "This coup was not just an event planned from the inside. The actors inside acted out a scenario for a coup written from the outside," Erdogan said. Turning directly on Washington, he asked: "How can it be, when we are strategic partners and I ask you on behalf of my country to hand someone over on the basis of a national security strategy document, you keep on hiding and sheltering him?" Already strained ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been aggravated by the failed putsch, with some government ministers even alleging Washington could have had a hand in the plot, which US officials firmly reject. On a visit to Turkey yesterday, US General Joseph Dunford condemned the coup attempt. Police searched the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital and detained some 50 staff including military doctors, the state-run Anadolu agency reported, quoting police sources. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed detention warrants had been issued for 98 staff. The official said staff there were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials say exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey's generals were fired in the wake of the coup. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in a clampdown under a three-month state of emergency which has also hit journalists and academics. Typhoon Nida made landfall in China today causing major traffic disruptions and flight cancellations in the Pearl river Delta region. The typhoon hit China's coast around 3:35 am today at the Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, state-run Xinhua agency reported. The strong typhoon packing winds up to 151.2 km per hour is moving northwest at 25 km per hour, and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to Guangdong's neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Guangdong provincial weather authorities. All flights from Shenzhen and Zhuhai were cancelled today morning as were most services from Guangzhou's airport, local media reports said. Hundreds of trains to and from Pearl River Delta cities have also been delayed. The intercity line between Guangzhou and Zhuhai halted operations while all services connecting Guangzhou and Haikou will be suspended, the China Service reported. Shenzhen Bay port will be closed and it is not known when it will reopen, Hong Kong based the South China Morning Post reported. China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) yesterday issued the a red alert for ocean waves and storm tides as Typhoon Nida approaches the mainland. From yesterday night to today, sea waves as high as 11 meters are expected in the northern South China Sea, while the southern Taiwan Strait will witness waves as high as seven meters. The SOA also issued a red alert storm tides and estimated that the sea level off the Pearl River estuary will rise up to 220 cm. A 26-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, who was declared as the country's oldest dog last year, died after being attacked by another canine while he was on his morning walk with his owner. Jack, who had lived equivalent to 117 human years, died yesterday when his owner Ray Bunn was taking him for a walk close to his home at Hartlepool Marina. The other dog, described as a black Lakeland terrier and not on a lead, attacked him. The owner tried to punch him but it would not let go, the Daily Express reported. "Jack was the oldest dog in the country, and for him to die in this horrible, violent way, as opposed to peacefully in his sleep, is a tragedy," Bunn, 70, a retired factory worker, said. "The dog just came out of nowhere and grabbed Jack on his side. He wasn't on a lead. I was desperate to get the dog off Jack. I punched it, but it was about three minutes before it let go," he said. "He was bleeding heavily but still breathing. Someone had a blanket and we wrapped him up and put him in the back of the car," Bunn said. Jack died on the way to the vets. Last December, Jack had become a nationwide celebrity when he celebrated his 26th birthday and was declared the country's oldest canine. A love of sirloin steak and lots of exercise were the secrets of his incredible longevity. Cleveland Police have been informed about the incident and Bunn has exchanged details with the other dog's owner, they said. Jack had been part of the Bunn family for the past 16 years after he was rescued while being tied to a tree to be abandoned. "He had his own unique character and was loved by so many people. He was very well known in the area for being the country's oldest dog. Everybody will be so upset, Bunn said. "Police received a report from a male that his dog had been attacked this morning in Hartlepool and sadly it passed away. Cleveland Police will make enquiries into whether any offences have taken place," a police spokeswoman said. US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma paid a visit to Sai Hospital in Dharavi slum here where a US aid agency supporting a programme to test and diagnose HIV in patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB). In India, approximately 50 per cent of deaths of HIV patients are due to TB, reinforcing the need to prevent, care and treat HIV and TB as co-infections. During his visit to the hospital yesterday, he met doctors, local health care workers and patients to discuss the magnitude of TB and HIV prevalence among the vulnerable poor in India, an official release said today. "Meeting with patients who are suffering from both TB and HIV emphasises the critical need to diagnose and treat both of these diseases simultaneously, and bring our resources to bear so that we can together achieve a TB-free India," Verma said. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) helps private health care providers link TB patients to public health facilities in order to test HIV, saving lives by diagnosing and co-treating HIV and TB. Additionally, USAID provides advocacy, counselling and support services for HIV and TB co-infected patients. "I was diagnosed with HIV and TB at my local health care facility, which is now also helping me receive proper treatment and is providing me counselling support. The availability of all three services near my home has been a huge relief for me and my family as we cope with the diseases," said a patient. India has the largest number of TB cases in the world - more than a quarter of the global burden - and nearly two people die from TB every three minutes in the country. Since 1998, USAID has partnered with the Government of India to combat TB, investing more than $100 million to help diagnose and treat 15 million people living with the disease and to combat HIV, investing $204 million since 2004 to help create an AIDS-free generation. The United States remains committed to supporting India in its efforts to treat HIV and TB together and to help the country achieve its vision of becoming TB and HIV-free, the release said. A 29-year old man allegedly involved in at least a dozen criminal cases was today injured during an encounter with the police in Ganjam district. The accused, identified as Bulu Patra, sustained bullet injury on his right leg during the encounter with a police team at Babanpur Aska police station limits. He was immediately arrested. While the accused fired at least three rounds, the police retaliates by firing four rounds, Baleswar Gidhi, the inspector-in-charge, Aska police station, said. No police personnel were injured during the exchange of fire, he said. Patrolling was intensified to nab his accomplice, who escaped from the spot, he added. Some ammunition, a motorcycle and two mobile phone sets were recovered from the accused. Describing Patra as a wanted criminal, the police said he was involved in several crimes including murder, dacoity and robbery. Cases were pending against him in Aska, Buguda, Polasara, Kabisurya Nagara, Hinjili in Ganjam district and Bhubaneswar, the police said. He was one of the main accused in the dacoity of a jewellery shop, the police added. A special session of the West Bengal state Assembly will be convened from August 26 and continue till August 30, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said. "The Assembly session will start from August 26 and will continue till August 30," Banerjee said. Meanwhile, nominated member in the state Assembly Michael Shane Calvert today took oath as the member of the state assembly. The West Bengal government is inviting private investment to develop fisheries in the state, a senior official said today. The state has identified bigger waterbodies for the purpose, the state fisheries department official said. The investment could be in the form of a joint venture or be solely private, Sumanta Chaudhuri, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Fisheries Department, said on the sidelines of an event here. Chaudhuri said that the state government had last year adopted a policy to encourage private investment in the fisheries sector. "The policy will encourage those willing to invest in the fisheries sector. There will be separate incentive for them... Capital subsidy, subsidy on the VAT, electricity duty," Chaudhuri said. The official said that his department faced the same problem of inadequate cold storage and processing as like the agriculture and horticulture departments. "So far there has been consumption-oriented production in West Bengal, but now we need to think in terms of the consumption, export, value-addition as well as the retail chain and that is very important," the official said. He said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken a big initiative in linking fisheries to the market. Gopalakrishnan opined that open sea cage farming method developed by CMFRI is one of the best farming models which could be effectively popularised among the fishermen community in the country. "The mariculture sector will address the ever increasing demand for the quality seafood for human consumption and, to some extent, bridge the gap between demand and supply in marine fish production as the amount of wild caught fish remaining stagnant for the years and scope for increasing prosecution from capture sector is very little," he said. The scientist said that mariculture can be considered as one of the best alternate livelihood options for the coastal fishermen community. He said that the CMFRI, under the AINP, will focus on developing viable and farmer-friendly technologies for marine fish seed production and farming especially cage farming. "The indigenous cage farming method developed by the CMFRI for the country is well received by the farmers of various coastal districts and economically feasible. National agencies on fisheries development is promoting these activities based on the inputs given by CMFRI through various incentives like subsidies and schemes," he said. Gopalakrishnan stressed the need for formulating a suitable mariculture policy since the lack of which is a major hindrance to the commercialisation of the marticulture practises in India. CMFRI will take steps to frame the policy. The institute will intensify the work on demarcation of potential mariculture sites along Indian coasts on a GIS platform, helping to prepare an adequate national policy for the development of mariculture activities inIndia," he said. The representatives from all the maritime states presented their progress in the meeting. The meeting discussed various mariculture activities initiated for various species at various maritime states. Since the non-availability of marine finfish seed is a major challenge for mariculture, the AINP-M review meeting recommended for developing the hatchery technology for new species for farming and also conducting an extensive survey on the availability of natural seeds for cage farming and determining quotas and seasons for exploitation. The meeting was attended by scientists from all the collaborating centres located in seven maritime states of the country. West Bengal may soon be renamed as "Bengal" as the state Cabinet today took a decision to change the name of the state. State minister Partha Chatterjee said the Cabinet took up a proposal to rename the state as "Bengal" in English and "Bango" or "Bangla" in Bengali. Citing examples of other states like Odisha and cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, he said the word "Bengal" has the state's culture and heritage associated with it and so it was decided to change it. Earlier, the state government had sent a proposal to the Centre for renaming West Bengal as "Paschim Bango", but that never got the green signal. "Now we are giving a new proposal and will convene a special session of the assembly on August 26 to pass a resolution to this effect," Chatterjee said. Another reason for changing the name of the state is that whenever there is any meeting of all states, West Bengal comes at the bottom of the list alphabetically. "Our CM gets to speak last. There is little time left," a minister pointed out. Secretariat officials said changing the name would require approval of Parliament. Voicing concern over use of 'Chinese manja' for flying kites in the city, Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government as to when it will issue the notification banning threads coated with powdered glass. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal wished to know the status of Delhi government's official order in view of the kite-flying festival celebrated in Delhi on August 15. "You (Delhi government) know the urgency, kites are flown on August 15. You get instruction from authorities concerned by when the notification prepared by you and vetted by Delhi government's Law Department will be issued," the court said. It further observed that in public interest it is asking the government to inform it as it has already drafted the notification for banning "Chinese manja" and allowing kite-flying with a "cotton thread". Chinese manja is a nylon thread coated with powdered glass. The bench sought the status of the order after it was informed through the Delhi government's counsel that the notification has been sent to LG for his approval. "That (notification) is waiting (LG's approval) and beyond that we (Delhi government) have no control," Delhi government's counsel submitted. Yesterday, the Delhi government has told the court that 'Chinese manja' would be banned soon as it is "conscious of injuries" caused by the kite-flying thread made of nylon. The court was informed that the Delhi government was in process of issuing a notification for banning 'Chinese manja' and only allowing kite-flying with a cotton thread or natural fibre, "free from metallic or glass components". The Supreme Court has recently sent a similar matter to National Green Tribunal, observing that since the issue relates to protection of environment and wildlife, same should be adjudicated upon by the tribunal. The court was hearing a plea of Zulfiquar Hussain who has alleged that earlier the "victims" of the synthetic thread were birds, "but now humans are also under threat" and referred to the recent death of a 28-year-old man in East Delhi whose throat allegedly got slit by such a thread while he was riding a motorbike. He has also referred to deaths allegedly caused as a result of injuries from the thread in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The petition contended that use and sale of the thread has been banned by Rajasthan High Court and that the Allahabad High Court has issued directions to take necessary steps to prohibit manufacture, use and sale of synthetic kite flying thread like 'Chinese manja'. The plea, filed through advocate Tariq Adeeb, also said that Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments have banned this thread. The petitioner has contended that use, manufacture and sale of the thread is illegal under Environment Protection Act 1986 and sought directions to the government to "strictly enforce the prohibition throughout Delhi". The work to set up an integrated aviation hub at Hisar will begin during the year-long golden jubilee celebration of Haryana. The 'Swarn Jayanti' celebrations of Haryana will begin on November 1 and last till October 31 next year. Haryana was carved out of Punjab as a separate state in 1966. "The state-of-the-art aviation hub would be developed over an area of over 3,000 acres. The central government has been urged to include Hisar and Karnal in the Regional Connectivity Scheme which would come into effect in the second quarter of 2016-2017," Haryana's Civil Aviation Minister Rao Narbir Singh said here today. He said a series of activities to be undertaken in the first phase of this project include expansion of the existing runway from 4,000 feet to 7,000 feet, provision for night-time landing, construction of additional Hangers for Maintenance Repair Overhaul and renovation of the terminal building. "A budget provision of Rs 50 crore has been made in the current financial year for this purpose. Apart from this, Rs 20 crore has also been earmarked for development of airstrips at Pinjore, Karnal, Bhiwani and Narnaul," Singh said. "As announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the aerodrome at Hisar would be elevated as international airport, Singh said in an official release. He said the state government has 196 acres of land at Hisar Aerodrome. "The Haryana government has already engaged M/s Frost and Sullivan India Private Limited, Chennai as consultant for development of Hisar Aerodrome as Integrated Aviation Hub," he said. Based on the recommendations of the consultant, several other activities like an aerocity comprising housing, commercial development, would be undertaken in a phased manner. "This will also help in city side development, employment generation and would have multiplier effect on state GDP," he said, adding Khattar had briefed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar about the plans during a meeting in Delhi recently. The Union minister was requested to consider setting up of the proposed MRO Hub of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to serve the aircraft and helicopters of the defence forces at this Airport, Singh said. Besides, the Union minister also broached the idea of setting up a centre for over hauling of tanks of the Indian Army at Hisar since the location is not very far from the international borders nor very close to it, Singh said. The Haryana Civil Aviation Department has written a letter for getting approval of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding site clearance for developing Hisar aerodrome as international airport or integrated aviation hub. World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) today said it is planning to open 4-5 more centres in emerging cities in the country as it intends to expand in the Asia-Pacific region. "We are considering India as a growing market and see lot of opportunities. We are looking at opening 4-5 new WTCs in emerging cities in the country. We already have 20 WTCs across the country," WTC CEO Scott Ferguson told PTI here. There are 332 WTCs across 89 countries at present. WTCA serves as an 'international ecosystem' of global connections, properties and integrated trade services under the umbrella of the WTC brand. "India is now setting tone of for world economic growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is moving ahead in a measured way with definite policies and plans rather than populist approach," Ferguson said. Ferguson, who is on two-day visit to the city, addressed the board members of the World Trade Centre Mumbai. He will also be visiting Hyderabad, Bangaluru and New Delhi. "The world today needs strong leadership as there are confusing signals around. It is nice to see India growing and the measured approach taken by Modi in growth as well as his messaging. And the Indian economy is backing him on what he is trying to do," Ferguson said. Praising central projects like Make in India and Startup India, Ferguson said that WTC network can have a role to play in such initiatives. "Governments across the world are trying to capture the flourishing startup community and I believe WTCs have a role in this initiative as we have a huge network and connect. "I believe the WTC Mumbai has many programmes in this segment, which the startups will take advantage of," he added. On Britain's decision to leave the European Union, Ferguson said he was disappointed with the referendum outcome. "The lesson learnt is that global business and politics cannot be controlled. We have lots of members in Europe, they will have to find ways to change their approach and businesses," he said. Earlier, Scott Wang, Vice-President, Asia Pacific, WTCA said that India is the fastest growing market for World Trade Centres as the number of WTCs in India has risen from a mere 5 in 2011 to 20 in 2016. "There is change in FDI facilitation in India now. The Make in India campaign has had a huge impact. It is time that WTC Mumbai leverages its service capacities that will make the other WTCs in India grow," he said. WTC Mumbai Vice-Chairman Vijay Kalantri said it is playing a leadership role among the 20 WTCs in India. "WTC Mumbai can play a bigger role in the membership seminars. We receive around 60 trade missions annually and our experience can be shared," Kalantri said. By Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Singapore's prime minister on Tuesday made sales pitches for a Pacific Rim trade deal that both U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have derided and that has been stalled in Congress. Aiming to keep alive hopes for a post-election congressional vote in the closing weeks of 2016 in favour of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Obama said its merits would overcome fierce criticism on the campaign trail. "Hopefully after the election is over and the dust settles, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal. It won't just be a political symbol or a political football," Obama told a White House conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a state visit. Republican presidential nominee Trump and Democratic rival Clinton have said they oppose the TPP in its current form. Trump has taken a more radical anti-free-trade stance, threatening to tear up the 22-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and slap punitive tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and China. The TPP, which counts Singapore and the United States among its signatories, along with countries such as Japan, Mexico and Vietnam, faces a tough fight in Congress. Many lawmakers there are also running for re-election in November and face a rising tide of anti-free-trade sentiment driven by manufacturing job losses. House tax committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a Republican, has said he would back a vote if members' concerns about TPP, including provisions on financial services, biologic drugs and tobacco, can be addressed by the Obama administration. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called prospects for a vote this year "bleak", especially now that Clinton's vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine also opposes the agreement. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the most powerful business lobby in Washington, is not giving up on a possible vote in the "lame duck" congressional session after the Nov. 8 elections. "We are a leading proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an effort we can't - and won't - give up on," Chamber President Tom Donohue said at an event honouring Lee on Monday night. In their conference, Lee cast the deal as pivotal to the U.S.-Asia relationship. "In terms of America's engagement of the region, you have put your reputation on the line," he said. Dropping out of the TPP could harm U.S. relations with its allies in Asia, and may cause Japan to question whether it can continue to depend on the United States for security, he said. The TPP aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world's economy and is widely seen as an economic counterweight to China's influence in Asia. (Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and James Dalgleish) Commercial Feature is a Business Standard Digital Marketing Initiative. The Editorial/Content team at Business Standard has not contributed to writing or editing these articles. For further information, please write to assist@bsmail.in Open office seatings can be intrusive but here's the bad news: It's not going anywhere. Quite contrary to everyone's liking, the ideal arrangment is still about sitting next to one another, according to a new study. However, what's new is that it matters who you're seated next to. Researchers from Harvard Business School (HBS) monitored the seating arrangements and employee output of 2,000 workers as part of the study, Bloomberg reported. They found that those employees sitting next to a productive lot were positively influenced. While those sitting next to lethargic employees felt discouraged. Researchers call this a spill-over effect, but believe the effect of this diminishes outside a 25-foot radius. Regardless of the spill-over effect, people in general dislike open offices as it affects employee attention span and individuality. Therefore, in order to leverage effeciency, companies should ideally seat employees to the type of worker they are. The research concluded mixing people with different levels of productivity can overall have a positve impact. To create an ecosystem for various modes of communication like e-mail and website addresses in Indian scripts, the government will provide complimentary '.bharat' domain name available for one year on purchase of '.in'. "We have written to registrar for providing one year complimentary web address with '.bharat' (available in Devanagari and other Indian scripts) when a person registers a '.in' website," National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) CEO Rajiv Bansal told PTI. The web address with '.in' domain name is being sold across country at starting price of Rs 199 for first year, which can be renewed thereafter for prices starting at around Rs 550. The domain '.bharat' (in Devanagari script) is being sold by only a few companies registered with NIXI. "Most of the next billion that will be impacted by Internet or connect with it will not be English-speaking people. We have to create local language content and develop ecosystem so that non-English citizens can communicate online in their native language," Bansal said. The Department of Electronics and IT had convened meeting of e-mail service providers to make provision for e-mail addresses in Hindi and other Indian languages. The companies, however, said they can provide e-mail address in Indian languages only when there is demand. Google supports transaction from e-mail addresses in Japanese, Mandarin and some other scripts. DeitY officials have also discussed providing search support when a text is typed in an Indian language script, but companies do not see business case for doing so at present. "We have to work on creating e-mail services, online search to enable non-English speaking people conveniently use Internet. We hope that by giving '.bharat' as complimentary Web address, it may encourage entities to experiment and develop content in local languages, including e-mail addresses," Bansal said. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday campaigned alongside Democrat Hillary Clinton at a rowdy rally in his home state of Nebraska, where he challenged Republican Donald Trump to release his tax returns and said he would personally drive people to the polls in November. After delivering a forceful rebuke of Trump's recent statements about the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq, Buffett said he wanted to surprise Clinton and "make a little news" by announcing the launch of a get-out-the vote effort. ALSO READ: Key developments that are shaping the market day "I pledge today that on Election Day, Nov. 8, I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," Buffett said. Buffett also said he was backing a website, Drive2Vote, that would coordinate transportation to cast votes and that he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for the same purpose. "I'm going to be on it all day. I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes," Buffett said. Buffett, a Clinton backer, said his goal is to generate the highest voter turnout in the congressional district that includes Omaha of any in the country. Nebraska is one of just two U.S. states that award electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) conglomerate is based in Omaha, stressed that this gives power to Omaha residents to affect the outcome of the election. Clinton responded to Buffett's pledge with a promise of her own, if his turnout goal is met. "Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together! Maybe if we're really lucky he'll wear his Elvis costume again!" Clinton said. Buffett earlier challenged Trump to release his tax returns, something that presidential candidates typically do. The New York businessman has said he cannot do so until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit. "Now I've got news for him," Buffett said. "I'm under audit, too, and I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime, before the election. "I'll bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return ... and let people ask us questions about the items that are on there," Buffett added, saying Trump was "afraid" not of the IRS but voters. Buffett spoke for nearly 30 minutes to a raucous capacity crowd of roughly 3,100 in a high school in suburban Omaha with Clinton sitting at his side. He said the "final straw" was an ABC interview with Trump that aired Sunday in which Trump criticized Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan. The Khans took the stage together at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, and Khizr Khan delivered a speech about his son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. He also attacked Trump for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump has said he was "viciously" attacked by Khizr Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen and a Muslim, when he publicly doubted the real estate developer had read the U.S. Constitution. Trump also questioned whether Ghazala Khan, who stood at her husband's side during the address, was "allowed" to speak. Khan had also said that Trump had "sacrificed nothing," prompting Trump in his ABC interview to say, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices." Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Trump. "No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan," Buffett said. "We've both done extremely well during this period and our families haven't sacrificed anything." A total amount of Rs 36.98 crore was spent on maintenance of non-operational airports over the last three years while Rs 897.28 crore were spent on 24 additional operational airports from where no scheduled airline is operating, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. This amount was being spent from the consolidated fund of India, he said. Several members of the house raised questions relating to non-operational airports while several others spoke about the need for air-connectivity to various important cities and towns. However he added that the government is working on a "regional connectivity scheme" and once it takes off, "many (non-operational) airports would be put into service." Sinha said while private airlines have the freedom to decide their routes, they could be given concessions for operating under the regional connectivity scheme like reduced tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel, Viability Gap Funding, reduced langing as well as route facilitation charges for flying to regional towns etc. To a question on connecting cities in Maharashtra, Sinha said that while government is keen, the reduction in fuel prices has led to an increase in demand for air travel across the world. This situation has resulted in shortage of planes domestically and the Mumbai Airport getting "congested" as it is difficult to find landing slots. To a question asked on connecting various cities in the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh he said that the Centre is willing to work with the state governments on this. (With inputs from PTI) The Indian real estate market has seen a huge boom in the past decade thanks to a growing urban middle class population. Major real estate companies are targetting developable areas and turning them into construction marvels. Here's a list of the top players in the real estate market: 1. DLF Based out of New Delhi, DLF is the largest commercial player in the real estate sector. It has been leading construction projects for over 70 years and has developed numerous residential colonies in Delhi's Greater Kailash, South Extension, Hauz Khas and other areas. DLF's presence is in over 24 major cities of the country. The company has brought about a paradigm shift in the Indian retail sector by developing malls and retail spaces. DLF Limited recorded consolidated revenues of Rs 9,819 crore for FY16, up by 20% from Rs 8,168 crore in previous financial year. 2. Unitech real estate Unitech is one of the largest real estate companies in the country with diversified operations in the sector. It has continued to build luxurious projects across India. But, recently, the Unitech group drew flak for delay in delivery of the high-end residential project Burgundy on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway near New Delhi. 3. Supertech Supertech has been scaling new heights ever since its inception 25 years back. It has established its stance in North India with frequent new projects. Supertech has also ventured into making designer homes like 'Supernova' in Noida, for which the company has tied up with renowned designer Armani/Casa. However, there have been some challenges. The Supreme Court has asked the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to inspect Supertech's 'Emerald Towers' in Noida, if it has violated the sanctioned plan and has been built on a green area. 4. Omaxe Within a very less time, Omaxe has emerged as one of the players that has carved its path in the real enstate business. With its presence in over 30 cities, it has delivered highly appreciated projects. To continue its upward trajectory, Omaxe is planning to execute quality affordable homes in cities all over Northern India. 5. Oberoi Realty Led by billionaire Vikas Oberoi, Oberoi Realty is based in Mumbai with a strong foothold in entire Maharashtra. Like all major real estate developers, the company has been focussing on developing retail complexes and malls. The company revenue for FY16 was at Rs 1,444.30 crore as against Rs 940.15 crore for FY15. 6. Ansal API Since 1967, Ansal API has been dealing in residential, commercial and retail properties located in Delhi NCR, U.P, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, etc. Last year, the realty major tied up with technology companies like IBM and Cisco for developing Smart Cities. 7. Jaypee Infatech The real estate arm of Jaypee Group, Jaypee Infratech, has been building large townships in Noida and Greater Noida. The company, though, has seen huge losses as of late due to pressure caused by delayed projects. For FY16, the net loss of the company increased to Rs 298.41 crore from Rs 350.44 crore in FY15. 8. Godrej Properties The company has been developing residential, commercial and township projects in over 12 cities over the years. FY16 has marked Godrej Properties' entry into the Noida market. The firm witnessed total booking value of Rs 5,038 crore this year as compared to total booking value of Rs 2,681 crore in FY15. Indian drugmaker Lupin Ltd said it had agreed to buy a portfolio of 21 drugs from Japan's Shionogi & Co Ltd for 15.4 billion yen ($150 million), expanding its presence in its third-largest market. The portfolio will be transferred to Lupin on Dec. 31, subject to regulatory approvals and certain closing conditions, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. The acquisition, which will be done by Lupin's Japanese generic drug unit Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry Co Ltd, will give Lupin access to Japanese branded pharmaceutical market and strengthen its speciality business portfolio, they said. The 21 products currently have sales of $90 million and cover therapy areas such as central nervous system, oncology, cardiovascular and anti-infectives, the statement said. Cheats are now targeting gullible customers who are looking for lucrative travel deals, insurance offers or other attractive services and are hunting online directories like Just Dial to get their mobile data to dupe them. The UP police has busted a gang and arrested 13 people for allegedly running fake call centres and making a kill through their fraudulent schemes. Sources say they earned over Rs 20 crore in the last six months through such fake schemes. According to the police, the gang had three call centres - Karol Bagh in Delhi, sector 57 in Noida and Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. The breakthrough by the UP Special Task Force came while investigating the insurance fraud case registered by HDFC ERGO general insurance. "We were approached by the company and based on the information we found three illegal call centres being operated from Delhi, Noida and Etawah. Three separate teams conducted the raid and arrested 13 people on July 29. The gang was changing their modusoperandi every month," additional police superintendent Triveni Singh told MAIL TODAY. During the investigation, the police team found data of different sector. "This gang operates on the principal of leaking data. They have confessed that they leaked customers'data from just dial.com and other sources. Depending upon the nature of data they used to train their staff to dupe people. After getting the insurance data, they offered bonus or attractive deals to inactive account. Currently, they got car owners data and floated a fake car-breakdown service company," Singh explained. The company had hired female tele-caller executives who were given training based on the data they procured illegally. The gang would lure the victims to deposit large sums of money into different bank accounts on the pretext of expenses for clearance of the bonus amounts. Currently, the gang was selling road assistance and repair facility by floating a non-existing company by the name Road Race. They charged their customers Rs1,500 and assured 24/7 road assistance service but they had no tie-up with any service station. Members of this gang were earlier this year arrested in Hyderabad but after coming out on bail, they changed their base to another city. "Gang members are very sharp as they used to monitor complaints against them. They used to track volume of complaints on various online consumer complaints site and when they realised that the number of complaint is getting too high, they would change their location and business," Singh said. Interestingly, the gang had earlier set up swanky offices but presently, they were operating from a residential area in Karol Bagh which was their headquarters, while organised call centres were set up in Noida and Etawah. Cops are also going to tighten the noose around companies from where data of customers was leaked. "We will write to justdial.com asking them to check their data security. It is alarming that the gang had names, addresses and other details like car numbers, bank details, loan and insurance details. It becomes very easy to target such customers as they would always feel that they are getting calls from the company," he said According to the police, the issue of data leak is alarming as most of the companies do not follow stringent norms to secure its customers' data and this illegal business is completely based on customers' information. Such fake call centres are mushrooming in Delhi and NCR. Similarly, the Delhi police Crime branch has busted an insurance scam, after an 80-year-old Delhi resident was duped of Rs77 lakh. Police have arrested Sumit Verma (32), one of the directors of Davis Value Card (DVCPL) that duped several people. A raid was conducted at Verma's office in Sector 38 Noida Police said the accused received money from victims in different accounts owned by DVCPL. The investigation revealed that several complaints were registered against the company in Delhi NCR, Dehradun and Chandigarh. In association with Mail Today Bureau Ibec have today warned that a decisive and immediate national response to the Brexit "currency shock" is currently needed. The group has warned that the brexit has left many key export businesses reeling with jobs already under threat. The warning from the countrys main business organisation comes as a new survey highlights the intense currency strain on exporters following the UK vote. The survey found that the negative exchange implications of the UK vote is by far the biggest concern of business. Almost half (45%) saw this as the main threat. Ibec claim exporters are operating with a major competitive handicap in the UK market while domestic firms are facing the prospect of cheaper UK imports grabbing market share. Separate economic analysis from Ibec also found that the impact on UK focused export sectors, such as agri-food, will be particularly severe. The analysis of the historical exchange rate and agri-food export relationship shows that a 1% weakness in sterling results in a 0.7% drop in Irish exports to the UK. If sterling was to weaken further towards the 0.90 mark, this would translate to losses of over 700 million in food exports and about 7,500 Irish jobs in that sector alone. Ibec Director of Policy Fergal O'Brien said, "This is now a full blown currency crisis. For exporters, the speed of sterlings decline is on a par with the 1992 currency crisis. Irish exporters to the UK are already 15% less competitive and things could get much worse. The problem demands urgent government attention." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that SiteMinder is set to open its new office in downtown Galway to provide around 100 jobs initially with the potential to grow in future. SiteMinder, the hotel industrys leading cloud platform, will formally announce the opening today in Galway alongside the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell OConnor. The project comes one month ahead of SiteMinders 10-year milestone, to support the companys 20,000-strong-and-fast-growing global hotel customer base and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland. SiteMinders customer base in Ireland includes Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and K Club, as well as Galways own The Connacht Hotel host of todays opening event and The g Hotel and Spa. Galway will complement SiteMinders existing EMEA headquarters in London to service hotels both within the region and around the World and to form the companys fifth office alongside Bangkok, Dallas and Sydney. Europe constitutes the greatest proportion of SiteMinders total customer base and, with the continent expected to become the first to see offline overtaken by online as the primary booking method for travel products by the end of 20171, the company anticipates vigorous growth will continue to come from the region over the coming years. SiteMinder is now actively recruiting graduate sales representatives to join their accelerated development program as well as experienced customer training and support analysts. Managing Director EMEA at SiteMinder, Dai Williams said, "We are delighted to join the thriving technology hub of Galway, which we have identified to be greatly aligned with our companys culture and mission of providing terrific career opportunities for local talent who are passionate about technology and can benefit from an attractive lifestyle and work-life balance." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a novel field of medicine called bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences - known as Google's life sciences unit until last year - and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million pounds over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. The new company, owned 55% by GSK and 45% by Verily, will be based at GSK's Stevenage research center north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. It is GSK's second notable investment in Britain since the country voted to leave the European Union in June. Last week it announced plans to spend 275 million pounds on drug manufacturing. Galvani will develop miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be treated using these tiny devices, which consist of a electronic collar that wraps around nerves. Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines using these implants to stimulate nerves could be submitted for regulatory approval by around 2023. "We have had really promising results in animal tests, where we've shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism, and now we are bringing that work into the clinic," he told Reuters. "Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years." GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. The tie-up shows the growing convergence of healthcare and technology. Verily already has several other medical projects in the works, including the development of a smart contact lens in partnership with the Swiss drugmaker Novartis that has an embedded glucose sensor to help monitor diabetes. Famm said the first generation of implants coming to market would be around the size of a medical pill but the aim eventually was to make them as small or smaller than a grain of rice, using the latest advances in nanotechnology. Patients will be treated with keyhole surgery and the hope is that bioelectronic medicine could provide a one-off treatment, potentially lasting decades. Major challenges including making the devices ultra low-power so that they function reliably deep inside the body. The idea of treating serious disease with electrical impulses is not completely new. Large-scale electrical devices have been used for years as heart pacemakers and, more recently, deep brain stimulation has been applied to treat Parkinson's disease and severe depression, while EnteroMedics last year won U.S. approval for a device to help obese people control their appetite. Galvani, however, is taking electrical interventions to the micro level, using tiny implants to coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. Galvani will initially employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. The company will be chaired by Moncef Slaoui, GSK's vaccines head, who pioneered the drugmaker's drive into the bioelectronics field. Slaoui is retiring from GSK next March but will continue to steer Galvani after that date, a spokesman said. Galvani will be fully consolidated in GSK's financial statements, following the model of the group's majority-owned ViiV Healthcare business, which sells HIV medicines. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us LOGAN A judge has sentenced one of the two men arrested last April, accused of stabbing another man during a fight at a house party in Providence. Jim Tiew appeared in 1st District Court Monday afternoon with his attorney, Joshua Baron. Court records show, the 24-year-old Logan man waived his right to a preliminary hearing in June, instead pleading guilty to one charge of obstructing justice, reduced to a class A misdemeanor. As part of the plea, the defendant agreed to testify against Michael Sao, the 26-year-old codefendant in the case. According to sheriffs deputies, early on the morning of April 9, a 22-year-old Hyrum man was driven to Logan Regional Hospital with a slash wound to his head and face, and stab wounds to the chest and back. Deputies interviewed the victim while he was being treated. They determined that a fight occurred during a party being held at the Providence home. He was able to provide information about Sao and Tiew. During Mondays sentencing, Baron explained that Tiew witnessed the fight between the victim and Sao, but was so intoxicated he couldnt remember the details. Tiew told the court he had way too much to drink the night before the stabbing. He admitted to misleading deputies in their investigation. Judge Thomas Willmore sentenced Tiew to 15-days in jail and placed him on probation for one-year. He also ordered him to write a letter of apology to the victim and complete moral recognition therapy. Court records show, Sao was charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony. He is scheduled to appear again in court August 22 for a preliminary hearing.

will@cvradio.com Map of the Week: University fees in Europe Published on August 2, 2016 en de es pl it fr Application season is long over; now students are desperately waiting to see whether they'll be offered a place at university. If Mum and Dad don't have the funds to help you, you should avoid going to England to study: that's where the tuiton fees are highest. Free education has always been a hot topic in Europe - it's a fundamental part of our values. Here we can study for almost nothing, can't we? After all, we don't live in the United States. But in order to get a university degree without spending too much, you still have to choose a university very carefully. At the European level, it's in England where tuition fees are the highest at 9000 pounds per year (approximately 10.600 euros), after David Cameron's Coailition government tripled the tuition fees. Not astonishing knowing that the former Prime Minister comes from prestigious (and expensive) schools such as Eton and Oxford. In 2012, that fee increase gave rise to heated debates, and the number of registered applicants at English universities decreased. In addition, we have learned this week that British students are no longer entitled to housing allowances and instead must resort to additional loans. You can thank George Osborne, the young ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer (and another graduate of Oxford), for this latest measure. Nevertheless, Great Britain remains one of the most attractive countries in terms of education - even if studying is almost free in many EU countries such as the Scandinavian countries, in Germany or in Greece for example, as shown in the "Eurodyce" map below courtesy of the EU Commission. . Source: Registration fees in (Eurodyce) --- This article is part of our Map of the Week series: charting the stats that matter to Europe, one map at a time. Story by Katha Kloss Translated from Map of the week: Studiengebuhren in Europa Answers Africa is one of a kind platform created for Africans both locally and in the diaspora and those seeking for more in-depth information about Africa. We have always focused on creating the highest quality informational contents right from the beginning. We share the most relevant information on the latest and trending news, events, people, and places in Africa. We produce contents across various categories including Politics, People, Love and Romance, Nature, Entertainment, Technology and pretty much everything else that Africans may find relevant. We aim to answer the most relevant questions about Africa in areas of entertainment, famous people, emerging technologies while we also engage with various distribution capabilities to connect with Africans in need of information who rely on our website to keep in touch with the world that is changing so fast. 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The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ... Lisa Joyners Biography Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ... Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ... Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ... Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! 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Nayyera Haqs Bio What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ... Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ... Meet Phil Mudd of CNN The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? 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The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ... Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ... 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This Is Everything You Should Know About Caroline Heldman, Her Career Portfolio and Other Facts Love it or hate it, there is no escaping the fact that feminism has come to stay in our world. The movement has continued to garner momentum over the years and this is due to the sustained push by several women, and even men, including the likes of Caroline Heldman. A Professor of Politics at ... Understanding The Enigma That Is Gavin McInnes, The Controversies He Has Stirred and All About His Wife Gavin McInnes is a polemical English-born writer and TV personality, who is best known for his racist and fascist ideologies, as well as his co-ownership of Vice Media and Vice Magazine. He is also an actor a SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Gary Allan CONTRIBUTED By Staff Reports of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Mark your calendars. The Ziegenbock Music Festival is returning to Corpus Christi. The Oct. 29 festival, presented by Ziegenbock Beer and Concrete Street Amphitheater, will include eight bands and two stages. This year's headliners are Gary Allan and Cody Johnson. There also will be a Texas Lifestyle Vendor Village, barbecue and mechanical bull riding, among other things. Allan, who last performed in Corpus Christi in 2010, saw his last album, "Set You Free," top the Billboard 200 (Pop Chart) and Billboard Country Album chart. His "Every Storm Runs Out of Rain" also became his fifth No. 1 country radio chart hit. His albums have sold millions of copies and he's garnered 14 Top 10 hits. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. IF YOU GO What: Ziegenbock Music Festival When: Saturday, Oct. 29; (Doors Open at 5 p.m.) Cost: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Information: www.ConcreteStreet.net Full line up: Amphitheater Stage Gary Allan Cody Johnson Jack Ingram Bri Bagwell Pavilion Stage Bart Crow Dirty River Boys Zane Williams Powell Brothers Edgar De La Garza/Special to the Caller-Times Josselyn Obregon practices sign language Monday during the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center's conversational American Sign Language class. SHARE Edgar De La Garza/Special to the Caller-Times Jorge Cruz (left), Marisela Cruz, and Beth Schlueter take part in an American Sign Language III Class. Edgar De La Garza/Special to the Caller-Times Instructor Sean Hill gives a demonstration during an American Sign Language class at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center. Edgar De La Garza/Special to the Caller-Times Josselyn Obregon practices signs during a conversational American Sign Language class. Edgar De La Garza/Special to the Caller-Times Instructor Sean Hill begins his presentation during an American Sign Language class at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Rachell Ungerman's passion and excitement was obvious Monday. But she didn't say a word. She signed it. Ungerman was among 10 other students taking an American Sign Language class at The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center. She got involved with the deaf community at her church. Seven weeks into the class, Ungerman said she is able to carry a conversation and helps to interpret during services. The center, located on McArdle Road near La Palmera mall, is the only one of its kind south of San Antonio. The center opened in 1978, and serves Nueces County and about other 23 surrounding counties. "I love American Sign Language. The emotion doubles because when I am signing I am using my personality," Ungerman said. "Our instructor here is fantastic and I just want to keep helping the deaf community." The center's executive director, Beth Schlueter said its mission is to provide resources, advocacy and education to the deaf and hard of hearing. "Our goal is to promote communication in a community where everyone matters," Schlueter said. "People who are deaf and hard of hearing have different needs and different preference of communication." Aside from conversational classes for adults, children and baby sign language classes, the center also hires qualified sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, note-takers and cart transcriptionists. Interpreters, note takers and transcriptionists help people communicate in medical, legal, economic, government or educational situations. "If you see someone and you don't know what to say and they don't know what to say, it can be uncomfortable," Schlueter said. "Even if we teach people how to say 'hello' or 'nice to meet you' can help." Jorge Cruz and his wife, Marisela, have both worked in customer service and have found themselves unable to help those who are deaf. They joined the class because they'd like to be able to help more people at work and learn a different language. "We'd definitely want to pass this on to our children," Jorge Cruz said. Marisela Cruz said she felt it was just as important as teaching children to speak Spanish. "In this way, they can communicate with others and help others if needed," Marisela Cruz said. Twitter: @CallerNatalia Birthday songs, special prayers and bottle dance summed up weekends SDF, NEC session and thanksgiving service in Bamenda and Chairman, Fru Ndis Baba II village. ADS Crucial decisions were taken during a National Executive Committee (NEC) session of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) party in Bamenda on July 30, 2016 to move forward the reorganisation of SDF party structures in some regions that have so far, suffered speed brakes. In effect, SDF Communications Secretary, Anembom Munjo told Cameroon Tribune that NEC presided at by the partys Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi, validated a report from the party's team charged to reorganise structures in the Littoral and proceeded to apply Article18.8 on the Littoral Regional Bureau led by Hon. Jean Nintcheu to enable the reorganisation team to proceed with the exercise. Meanwhile, North West governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, Senator Simon Achidi Achu, North West Fons, SDF faithfuls, friends and relatives were on July 31, 2016 part of special prayers for Gods grace and protection for the SDF National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi at 75.The event at Presbyterian Church, Baba II, home of the leading opposition pastry leader, inspired Fru Ndi to continue to work towards the betterment of Cameroon. The thanksgiving event honoured and glorified God for Fru Ndi, whom speaker after speaker cheered as a rare statesman. Family Head and Son, Ni Thomas Ndi and Benjamin Fru Ndi thanked all who have supported and criticised the Chairman to be a better nation builder. Fru Ndi summed it himself when he said I will continue to be who I am when Cameroon is the subject, though I stretched my hand and the President did not take it the way I like. ADS | BY Lynchy | Wunderman UKs Aussie expat group chief creative officer Matt Batten is departing the agency soon to pursue new opportunities. Batten took up the UK role in December 2012, transferring from the national executive creative director gig at Wunderman Australia. Batten joined Wunderman Sydney as CD in January 2009, soon promoted to national executive creative director. Battenwas previously a member of award-winning DM teams at BMF and Saatchi& Saatchi. He was also a past chairman of the ADMA Agency Council and a keyplayer in the DM Creative School. Batten served as a Cannes Lions Direct juror in 2011 and was named Digital Creative of the Year in 2010 by Campaign magazine Asia. He was the driving force behind impressive campaigns on behalf of Earth Hour and Microsofts Internet Explorer 8. Before joining Wunderman, Batten served as group creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi. Prior to that, he was at BMF in Sydney for five years. For eight years, he served as head lecturer at the DM Creative School in Sydney. After relocating to London to help align the networks UK operations Wunderman (consumer engagement advertising), Blast Radius (digital), Burrows (CG production) and KBMG (data and insights) into a more holistic offering of integrated marketing, Batten sourced fresh creative talent from the UK, Sweden, Norway, France, USA, New Zealand and Australia, and led the creative team to double in size, win major new accounts, and produce internationally-awarded campaigns. According to Battens LinkedIn profile the agency has increased revenue +95% YOY and is now beating targets for the first time in 5 years. Econsultancy now ranks Wunderman UK as 7th in the top 100 agencies in London, Campaign magazines School Report scored the agency 8 out of 9, and Wunderman UK was Runner-up for Consumer Engagement Agency of the Year 2014. | BY Ricki Green | 303 MullenLowe continues to grow with Joe Van Trump (right) and Nick Plomp (left) joining the agencys creative department in Sydney. Van Trump joins 303 MullenLowe from recent roles at Leo Burnett, where he was co-creative director on Woolworths, and LOUD Advertising, where he was creative director. Says Richard Morgan, executive creative director, 303 MullenLowe: Joe is a hands-on creative who can do everything from help craft a great strategy to shape a brilliant idea. Hes collaborative and tenacious if he stumbles across a good idea, no matter where it comes from, hell do everything in his power to make it happen. Were lucky to have snared him. Originally hailing from the United States of Texas, Van Trump was creative director and managing partner at start-up agency George, later re-joining DDB Sydney in 2004 as creative group head on McDonalds, associate director. Plomp brings a unique perspective to 303 MullenLowe having spent six years editing online culture magazine Ajanaku.com. He joins from TBWA, Y&R and most recently MullenLowe Alfred in the Netherlands where he worked across major brands like Grolsch, LG, Unilever, Danone, Heineken, ABN Amro and many more, winning awards along the way including Gold and Silver Lions for LG. Says Morgan: Nick has big brand experience and an eye for detail and craft no matter the media. Hes also a culture junkie and a social media native, which makes him a great fit for us. | BY Ricki Green | Havas Worldwide Sydney has unveiled its first dedicated brand campaign for the Navy. Part of a wide-ranging new recruitment drive, it showcases the broad career opportunities offered by the Navy. Says Seamus Higgins and Stuart Turner, joint ECDs, Havas Worldwide Australia: For many, the Navy is the great unknown and our creative challenge was to unlock the true essence of what it is like to be in the Navy. We have created a campaign that demonstrates how peoples skills and interests can be turned into something more, with rewarding and empowering messaging to encourage people to realise their goals and discover new possibilities in the Navy. The fully integrated campaign will roll out nationally across multiple channels including TV, cinema, out-of-home, digital, print and radio. The content focuses on demonstrating the Navy experience in order to build a deeper connection with young men and women. By showing the parallels between their lives today and what life could be like for them in the Navy, it demonstrates the Navys ability to recognise and actively develop the potential of new recruits. Says Kaarin Kooij, director military recruitment group captain: People are at the heart of the Navy. The Service has a strong focus on progressing talent through the ranks by identifying and developing potential in them. The Navy becomes the best it can be when we attract people from diverse backgrounds, reflective of the Australian culture. Client: Australian Defence Force Creative Agency: Havas Worldwide Australia Managing Director: Dan Smith Client Business Director: Alex Ball Senior Account Manager: Brad Luo Planning Director: Eryl Thomas Senior Strategic Planner: Peter Pippen Executive Creative Directors: Stuart Turner & Seamus Higgins Art Director: Mick Healy Copywriter: Ray Ali Senior Broadcast Producer: Roslyn Payne Digital Producer: Olivier Boulbain Head of Design: Darren Cole Designer: Nic Adamovich, Michael Macgregor, Dylan Reid Print Producer: Emily Fitzpatrick TV: Production: Goodoil Director: Joel Kefali Executive Producer: Julie Bishop Producer: Andrew McLean DOP: Ryley Brown Post Production: Alt VFX Editing: The Editors, Bernhard Gary Music company: Song Zu Composer: Ben Lam Stills Photography: Photographer: Chris Ireland (Pool Collective) | BY Ricki Green | Sydney executive director, Sasha Firth (left), has been promoted to managing director of GPY&R after almost 4 years with the business replacing Andrew Dowling (below, right), the previous Y&R group managing director of Sydney who has resigned. Previously Firth has led the Brand Asset Valuator offering for Y&R Group with Keith Newton, consulting for clients on brand creation, identity, repositioning and corporate acquisition. Says Phil McDonald, CEO, Y&R Group ANZ: Sasha is a highly regarded strategic business partner with a proven ability to effectively collaborate and change business outcomes for our clients. She adds great energy to our teams culture in Sydney and is a trusted partner for her clients. Ive worked with her closely for a while now and am delighted to see her step into the role, leading GPY&R Sydney. Says Firth on her promotion: Its a privilege to lead the talented GPY&R Sydney team and work closely with VMLs Aden Hepburn and IdeaWorks Danny Lattouf to help realise our shared ambition for the businesses. | BY Lynchy | Aussie expat Matt Batten is set to return to Australia this month to take up the executive creative director role at Sydney content agency Edge. Batton left Australia in December 2012 to take up the group chief creative officer role at Wunderman UK, transferring from the national executive creative director gig at Wunderman Australia. He departed the London agency in June last year and since then has been consulting creative director at Valtech, with offices in London and Manchester. Batten joined Wunderman Sydney as CD in January 2009, soon promoted to national executive creative director. Battenwas previously a member of award-winning DM teams at BMF and Saatchi& Saatchi. He was also a past chairman of the ADMA Agency Council and a keyplayer in the DM Creative School. | BY Ricki Green | The AME Awards competition is now accepting entries for the 2017 competition. World-wide since 1994, the AME Awards has honored campaigns world-wide that successfully demonstrate groundbreaking solutions to challenging marketing problems. Says Deb Ryan, newly appointed executive director, AME Awards: The 2017 AME Awards continues its 23-year tradition of showcasing brilliant creative delivering measurable results and AME diligently monitors the industry to provide relevant categories that mirror evolving creative industry trends across all platforms. For 2017 competition, the AME Awards unveiled a new category to showcase Olympic-themed advertising and marketing created for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. This additional category compliments AMEs robust category roster that included Technology in the Product & Services category group, added last year, to showcase digital advertising and marketing applications utilized within the advertising industry to drive consumer engagement. The AME Awards rigorous monitoring of global technological advancements led the competition to previously launch categories in Augmented Reality and Social TV. Says Ryan: AMEs global Grand Jury is comprised of five regional juries, allowing entries to be judged with cultural relevance within their own region by jurors with the most up to date knowledge of that particular market. Entrants can be sure that their creative work is given the utmost attention and that all award-winning work is worthy of being called the Worlds Best Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness. The AME Awards Grand Jury is responsible for awarding Gold, Silver, and Bronze to the highest scoring entries through two rounds of regional judging to ensure scoring accounts for cultural and economic relevance. This round also selects the AME Green Award winnerthe highest scoring, Gold-winning entry for a company whose emphasis is on resource conservation and negative environmental impact. Gold-winning work from all regions is judged by the full international Grand Jury to determine a Platinum Award for each of the five regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific) and the International Grand AME Award. The 2017 AME Grand Jury of interactive and multidisciplinary marketers, media planners, strategy directors, social media experts, and creative directors will evaluate entries based on four specific criteria, each weighted by importance: Challenge/Strategy/Objectives 20%; Creativity 25%; Execution 25%; and Results/Effectiveness 30%. In 2016, the AME Grand Jury presented the AME Grand Award and Regional Platinum Award/Europe to Grabarz & Partner/GGH Lowe Germany for their campaign Nazis Against Nazis Germanys Most Involuntary Charity Walk for client ZDK Zentrum Demokratische Kultur. Leo Burnett Melbourne earned 2016 AME Regional Platinum Award/Asia-Pacific for #MyFamilyCan for client SPC. BBDO New York was honored with the 2016 AME Regional Platinum Award for Vines in the Real World: Making the Digital Analog for client Lowes Companies. Impact BBDO Cairo earned the 2016 AME Regional Platinum Award for Everyday Hero for Sting, PepsiCos energy drink. | BY Ricki Green | Getting behind Australias most controversial film of the year, The Monkeys has released a stirring campaign to promote Australian writer-director Abe Forsythes feature-length black comedy Down Under, in cinemas this August. Premiering globally at this years Sydney Film Festival, Down Under is inspired by the Cronulla Riots of 2005 and is set during the aftermath of the unrest. Headed up by an all-star Australian cast, the film follows the fictional story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight, destined to collide. The Monkeys provocative poster campaign is set to run nationally across outdoor, in-cinema and on social, in the lead up to Down Unders cinematic release. According to director Forsythe, the challenge with Down Under, from script through to the final edit, was conveying the correct tone. It was vital that the controversial subject matter was not treated lightly. Says Forsythe: The whole team at The Monkeys embraced this challenge and came up with a brilliant execution. It walks that difficult line, but does it with a sense of provocation and humour that makes us look at the issue in a different way. Just like the movie itself. I can genuinely say that working with everyone at the agency was one of the creative highlights of the six-year process it took me to make this movie. Says Justin Drape, chief creative officer and writer, The Monkeys: We hope the film and the campaign will highlight some serious issues we still face in Australia, and the world, today. Everybody should see this film. Abe has somehow made the futility of hatred and ignorance funny despite the long term negative effects that this behaviour is having in our country. Down Under will release in cinemas on August 11th 2016, distributed by STUDIOCANAL Australia. A (sold-out) special preview screening of the film along with a directors Q&A was held last night at The Ritz Cinema in Randwick, Sydney. Creative Agency: The Monkeys Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer: Justin Drape Campaign Creatives: Scott Dettrick, Jake Rusznyak, Dennis Koutoulogenis & Michael Hogg Planning Director: Michael Hogg Interactive Planning Director: Grant Flannery Design Lead: James Halliday Head of Print Production: Tom Harrison Senior Art Buyer: Alison Dunlop Content Director: Samantha Heckendorf Senior Content Manager: Shannon Duhig Community Manager: Alexandra Gee Photographer: Toby Burrows Photographic Production: The Kitchen Creative And it's not the first time the hotel has won. Last year, Madison Groom, also from the Little National, became the first Australian winner of the National Receptionist of the Year award. She was flown to Austria to compete at the international titles. Short will head to Paris in February to represent Australia. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept A Cayuga County businessman is representing himself in a legal fight to remain on the Republican primary ballot in the 54th Senate District race. Bobby Massarini said Tuesday he's awaiting a state Supreme Court ruling to determine whether his campaign to succeed retiring state Sen. Michael Nozzolio will continue. Massarini submitted 1,274 signatures to secure his spot on the Sept. 13 GOP primary ballot. But two Canandaigua Republicans Adeline Rudolph and Greg Westbrook filed objections challenging Massarini's ballot status. They also filed a lawsuit in an attempt to invalidate Massarini's petitions. At a state Board of Elections hearing Friday, Massarini said 311 of his signatures were tossed enough to put him below the minimum of 1,000 signatures he needed to be eligible for the primary ballot. In court, Massarini served as his own attorney and argued that 209 of the 311 invalid signatures should be reinstated. The signatures were tossed due to an error the county Board of Elections had the wrong address for one of his witnesses. (Massarini clarified that it wasn't the Board of Elections' fault, but rather the U.S. Postal Service should've sent back a mail check card to confirm that the address was non-existent.) "Due to the Election Law Reform Act, even errors and omissions in a witness statement is not supposed to be fatal to a sheet," Massarini said in an interview. "The law is on my side. The precedent is on my side. But, you never know." Massarini expects the court will rule on his case in the next day or so. For the moment, he is one of six candidates in the GOP primary. There were seven, but Army veteran Joe Geiger decided to drop out of the race after he faced challenges to his petitions. He said a legal fight over his ballot status would've been too costly for his campaign. While Massarini is optimistic about his own legal battle, he isn't pleased with those who are behind the challenge. One of the individuals who challenged his petitions Adeline Rudolph has donated to Pam Helming, the Republican Party's endorsed candidate in the 54th Senate District race. Helming is the preferred candidate of Albany Republicans, who want to retain control of the seat. "They wanted this to be a coronation," Massarini said. "That's basically what they were looking for. They don't want anybody running against (Helming). That's why they attacked Charlie Evangelista. That's why they knocked Kenan Baldridge off the Working Families Party. Why the Republicans would not want the Democrats to primary makes no sense other than they don't want her running against anyone at any time." Evangelista, an Ontario County legislator, was kicked off the Democratic primary ballot in the 54th Senate District race. Baldridge, who is the Democratic Party's endorsed candidate in the contest, had his Working Families Party petitions thrown out. While there won't be a Democratic primary, there will be at least five Republicans vying for the GOP nod. The field includes Helming, Canandaigua businessman Floyd Rayburn, Lyons Supervisor Brian Manktelow, former Assemblyman Sean Hanna and retired Greece police officer Jon Ritter. 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. For nearly six years in Congress, U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna hasn't been afraid to buck his party. When it comes to which candidate he'll support in the 2016 presidential election, he's doing it again. Hanna, R-Barneveld, penned an op-ed for syracuse.com Tuesday and announced he will vote for Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, in this year's election. The endorsement is less about Clinton Hanna noted that he disagrees with the Democratic nominee on many issues and more about Trump. The GOP congressman said his party's presidential nominee is "deeply flawed in endless ways." "A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable almost gleefully using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices," Hanna wrote. "A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Think about those average people who paid for his choices." Hanna added: "In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country." Hanna's comments received plenty of attention Tuesday, especially from national media outlets covering the presidential race. Clinton's campaign wasted little time in circulating Hanna's op-ed to members of the media. On Clinton, Hanna acknowledged the former secretary of state and ex-U.S. senator from New York has "stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime." "Mrs. Clinton has promoted many of the issues I have been committed to over the years including expanding education and supporting women's health care," he wrote. Hanna, who isn't seeking re-election this year, is the first Republican member of Congress to endorse Clinton. Some GOP members, including U.S. Rep. John Katko, who represents Cayuga County, have been reluctant to support Trump. You won't see Katko, R-Camillus, following in Hanna's footsteps, though. He's already ruled out voting for Clinton. While Democrats praised Hanna for his rejection of Trump and support for Clinton, some Republican leaders were quick to criticize the GOP congressman for his decision. Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey, who co-chairs Trump's New York campaign leadership team, called Hanna's endorse of Clinton "shameful," but not surprising. "Despite running with the designation of the Republican Party and using its apparatus to get elected and re-elected to the U.S. Congress, (Hanna) has effectively stabbed our party and its hardworking rank-and-file members in the back," Dadey said in a statement. "It would hurt more if he had ever acted or voted like a Republican during any of his three terms in Congress." Hanna was first elected to Congress in 2011. During his first term in office, his district included Auburn and most of Cayuga County. Redistricting in 2012 resulted in Hanna's district being altered. It no longer includes any part of Cayuga County. Hanna announced late last year that he wouldn't seek a fourth term in Congress. When all else fails, lend. Thats the strategy of some of the biggest U.S. insurers as they seek higher returns in an investment universe where buying bonds sometimes means guaranteed losses. The largest U.S. banks are constrained by post-2008 rules that make it tougher for them to extend loans. So companies such as MetLife Inc. and American International Group Inc. are grasping more market share. While many insurers have been in the commercial real-estate market for decades, the industry is branching out into home mortgages, small-business lending, car loans, renewable-energy financing and student debt. Theres no question that insurance companies are looking to diversify into new areas and innovate as much as possible, said Adam Hamm, North Dakotas insurance commissioner who serves on the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council. The quiet reshuffling of the lending industry is part of the transformation of American finance following the 2008 credit crisis. Together with hedge funds, private equity shops and tech startups, insurance companies have joined the ranks of shadow banks firms that act like banks without being regulated like them. Lawmakers and regulators have taken notice of the changing landscape, with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton promising to tackle financial dangers by enhancing transparency and reducing volatility in the emergent system. Different Standards Insurers are becoming the new financial supermarkets in part because traditional investments offer minuscule returns 10-year U.S. Treasury notes yield less than 1.6 percent while some European sovereign debt is negative, meaning investors pay to park their money there. And pushing into more aggressive investments, such as hedge funds, tied up too much capital and resulted in losses in recent quarters. AIG Chief Investment Officer Doug Dachille said the ventures only make sense for companies with scale because it requires more staffing to originate the loans. Given the lack of liquidity in the securitized markets, which is how many insurers have previously purchased loans, insurers are now waking up to the reality that its better to own the loans directly, he said. Insurers are now responsible for 11.6 percent of the loans in the global private debt market, which includes direct lending, according to data provider Preqin. Firms boosted mortgage funding by 50 percent to $430 billion in the last decade, according to the Federal Reserve. Shadow Banking Is Booming Outside Regulators Grip: QuickTake In 2015, MetLife, the largest U.S. life insurer, made more property loans than it ever has in its 148-year history. Chief Executive Officer Steve Kandarian said the company plans to keep expanding in 2016 because mortgages have predictable income streams. MetLife declined to comment. AIG has more than $20 billion allocated to commercial mortgages and is increasing its wager as it pulls out of poorly performing hedge funds. TIAA, led by Roger Ferguson, is the worlds largest investor in private debt, Preqin said. TIAA has also hired ex-Carlyle Group LP money managers to create a venture focused on lending to middle-market companies. A TIAA representative didnt respond to requests for comment. Babson Capital, owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., raised more than $2 billion for direct lending, Preqin said, among the biggest efforts this year. A spokesman for Babson and MassMutual declined to comment. Federal Reserve Regulators have traditionally focused on insurers securities-lending and repurchase agreements. U.S. insurance companies are regulated by the states. AIG and Prudential Financial Inc. are overseen by the Fed because theyve been designated systemically important financial institutions. MetLife won a court battle to avoid that designation, and General Electric Co. closed its finance division, in part to escape greater regulatory scrutiny. GE sold off more than $100 billion of its assets and some insurers won business in industries that GE left behind. A Prudential spokeswoman declined to comment. Too Big to Fail, Buffers and Living Wills: QuickTake Last month, the Fed proposed capital rules for insurers more appropriate for their longer-term liabilities. Proposals by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners will make commercial mortgage lending more attractive for insurers in the next two years relative to corporate debt, according to Mark Snyder, the head of institutional strategy and analytics at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Insurers can provide lower-cost alternatives for borrowers, said Mike Coster, chief executive officer of financial services firm Kimberlite Group. Five years ago, a traditional lender might charge 14 percent for mezzanine debt; that product today is about 9.5 percent, he said. And while the pricing is more competitive, insurers arent loosening the terms of the loans, Coster said. S&P analyst Deep Banerjee said default rates from the loans tend to be low due to strict underwriting. Insurance companies are looking increasingly like asset managers. MetLife, MassMutual, Prudential and New York Life Insurance Co. are building units that invest client funds rather than just the cash they hold to back policyholder obligations. A New York Life spokesman declined to comment. Joint Ventures The data show only part of the expansion. Insurers have also formed joint ventures, invested in private equity funds that lend, or acquired lending companies, giving them stakes without carrying loans on their balance sheets. Athene Holding Ltd. owns parts of a home-loan company, a health-care-industry lender and a commercial mortgage firm. An Athene spokeswoman declined to comment. A division of Babson agreed to buy a commercial lender this year. While insurers are viewed as safe lenders because they can deploy funds for a long time and dont have to worry about depositors withdrawing money at a moments notice, they may not have the loan-underwriting expertise of longtime lenders, said Yariv Itah, an asset-management adviser at Deloitte Consulting. And there are cautionary tales, such as loans tied to bankrupt retailer RadioShack Corp., which wiped out first-quarter profit last year at insurer Fidelity & Guaranty Life. An FGL spokesman declined to comment. Theres the risk of not knowing exactly how to do this, Itah said. So whenever you have an investor wading into a new area of investing, theres some operational risk. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. The instructions of the teacher consist, then, merely in a hint, a touch enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops itself. Maria Montessori Many people know about Montessori schools, or the Montessori method, but not many people know that Maria Montessori was real. Today, were going to talk about Maria Montessori the person! Maria Montessori has been one of the most groundbreaking childhood educators of the 20th century. She gave birth to a pioneering method of childhood education that has survived virtually unchanged in its essential features for over 100 years! In 1870, Maria Montessori was born into a well-educated middle class family in Italy. In spite of the old-school values about womens roles in society at the time, Maria enrolled in a boys technical institute when she was 14. She studied her preferred subjects, math and science, and developed an intense interest in biology. Ignoring her fathers protests, Maria started medical school when she was 18 and graduated as Italys first female doctor in 1896. While working at the University of Romes psychiatric clinic, Dr. Montessori became fascinated with the treatment of children with special needs and worked on their behalf. She became the director of a school for children with learning disabilities in 1898, and after working with them for two years, these children, who were previously believed to be unable to learn, took and passed successfully a school examination along with normal students. Maria was regarded as a miracle worker by other educators, and her success lead her to study anthropology and psychology to unravel the potential of normal children. Maria Montessori believed that if her method would work for children with disabilities, then it could be used to benefit other children in a powerful way. In 1907, Maria founded a school that she called Casa dei Bambini (Childrens House), in the slums of Rome. It was a great success and the children thrived. Her unparalleled success with these children was publicized around the world. Maria was invited to visit the United States by Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and others. She spoke at Carnegie Hall in New York City and then attended the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Here, a classroom was set up and, for four months, people watched through a glass wall a group of 21 children, new to the Montessori method, thrive in her prepared environment. Montessori won both of the gold medals awarded for education. Within 10 years, there would be over a thousand Montessori schools in the United States. Maria continued her educational research, her writings and lectures during the 1920s and early 1930s, but the political situation in Europe forced her to leave for India. Fascist governments could not resolve her emphasis on peaceful human collaboration, and consequently her schools were banned in Italy, Spain and Germany. In India, she introduced her teaching methods and trained teachers to carry on her legacy. Maria also worked on her elementary curriculum, which she called a cosmic education, and she wrote and published her "Education for Peace." Maria Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Maria spent her final years in the Netherlands. She passed away in 1952 after a lifetime devoted to the study of child development. The Montessori method has shown an amazing degree of resiliency and most believe that it is a powerful tool for education and real learning. With it we can all learn more of ourselves and give our children, who are our greatest treasures, love and respect when it comes to learning. The Auburn Housing Authority has plans in the works to make substantial upgrades to its oldest affordable housing complex. AHA representatives are developing applications for funding streams to pay for renovations to Melone Village, which was first built in 1952. The facility has 188 units and currently houses 400 people. The remodel would call for extensive infrastructure repairs, including site drainage and landscaping upgrades. The current proposal includes plans for replacement roofs, sidewalks, porches, energy efficient utilities, walls, kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, AHA representatives hope to implement 10 handicap-accessible units and another five for tenants with audio-visual impairments. The project further proposes small playgrounds across Melone Village and a community center with laundry facilities, internet access and programming space, said AHA Executive Director Stephanie Hutchinson. The cost is expected to range from $20 million to $30 million, Hutchinson said. AHA hopes to acquire most of the funding from the sale of low-income housing tax credits to private investors. The funding strategy was used for a $12-million remodel of a separate AHA complex, Brogan Manor, about three years ago. Also factored into the cost is the abatement of asbestos, which is present but not harmful beneath areas of flooring at Melone Village, according to the executive director. "It's important to understand that we're not building luxury apartments here," Hutchinson said at an Auburn City Council meeting on July 14. "We're building safe, decent, affordable housing. This is the reality of what it costs to do so." The project hinges on the acquisition of the tax credits from New York State Homes and Community Renewal and the New York State Housing Trust Fund. Applications are due in early October. As AHA itself cannot apply, ownership of Melone Village would be transferred to the organization's nonprofit affiliate, AHA Development Corporation. The nonprofit would partner with the investors as owners of Melone Village with the housing authority performing property management services. Brogan Manor has a similar ownership structure following the recent renovations. Hutchinson said Brogan Manor's private investor monitors the facility's regulatory compliance, but leaves the day-to-day operations to AHA staff. That ownership structure, however, would negate AHA's current tax exemption, prompting housing authority representatives to recently work out a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with the city of Auburn. The PILOT would take effect for 40 years, with annual payments at least $6,000 per year. The payments are higher than AHA's current $1,500 annual tax liability based solely on land assessments. The Auburn City Council unanimously agreed to the terms of the PILOT two weeks ago, though the agreement is contingent on the renovations moving forward. Hutchinson said the council's commitment to the PILOT is needed for AHA to present a feasible 30-year budget plan to state agencies in its tax credit application. Another piece of that application is site plan approval by the Auburn Planning Board. AHA representatives will brief the board on the project Tuesday, with aims to have site plan approval by October ahead of the application deadline for the tax credits. With the project still in the early planning phases, AHA would expect actual construction to take around three years, according to the executive director. AHA also expects to receive a reply about the tax credits around three to six months after applying. As such, Hutchinson said the housing authority plans to give tenants ample notice and temporary relocation assistance if needed. "We're not going to be upending anybody's life," she said Monday. Along with the work done to Brogan Manor, Hutchinson said AHA has done upgrades to other housing units at Olympia Terrace over the recent years. Meanwhile, representatives project construction completion in January on 28 housing units along Merriman Street for homeless families and single women. This left Melone Village, which was built in two phases in 1952 and 1962, though Hutchinson said the complex has received minimal updates since its construction. And while the shells of Melone Village's housing units are in good shape, the interiors need work, according to the executive director. "We still think they're decent, safe and affordable," Hutchinson said Monday. "At some point, they have to be renovated and we feel now is our best opportunity." See this guy? Hell be responsible for designing everything that BMW makes. Except the cars. His name is Oliver Heilmer, and hes just been named head of Designworks, the company founded in 1972 and acquired by BMW in 1995. The LA-based studio designs everything from electronics and running shoes to subway trains and airplane cabins. Henrik Fisker and Adrian van Hooydonk (now head of design for the entire BMW Group) have both served as its president, but now that role is passing to Heilmer. His predecessor Laurenz Schaffer, who has headed up Designworks since 2009, is now switching to a management role at BMW Group Design. A Munich native, Heilmer has served for the past few years as BMWs head of interior design, and we wouldnt be surprised to see him move even further up the Bavarian automakers design ranks in the future. Check out some of Designworks recent projects in the photo gallery below, and watch and listen to Heilmer showcase the new 7-Series interior in the video at bottom. PHOTOS VIDEO Exactly five months after it landed in Geneva, Lamborghinis new Centenario has been unleashed on the Nardo Ring, a high-speed test track located about 20 km (12 miles) north-west of the town of Nardo, in Italy. Joined by other supercars made by the Raging Bull, the exclusive machine, created in honor of Ferruccio Lamborghinis birth, led the pack in a dizzy run, in its first ever media test, one that should soon see the release of exclusive reviews. Based on Lambos current flagship, the Aventador, the Centenario uses a carbon fiber-made monocoque and body, and has tweaked aerodynamics and rear-wheel steering. Even if one is still willing to pay the 1.75 million ($1.95 million) price tag, its in vain, since all 20 Coupe and 20 Roadster have been already spoken for. Nonetheless, even if most (if not all) of us will never get to experience the Centenario, know that the 770 HP supercar needs just 2.8 seconds to cover the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint and it will go from naught to 300 km/h (186 mph) in 23.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). PHOTO GALLERY VIDEO One of the last true 44 offered for sale is , and the German car maker is keen on demonstrating just how competent its product is in off-road conditions. In their latest presentation, the company took the G-Class on a challenging off-road experience in Kitzbuhel. The venue offers only six kilometers of area to mess around, but its packed with extreme off-road challenges, including trial by gravel, snow, ice, sand and crushed rock. Its safe to say that Kitzbuhel is one of the most demanding courses in the world, and anyone who dares to tackle it must conquer steep 90% climbs and descents, and outrageous incline angles in their quest to discover the limits of a vehicle. Mercedes says that without an experienced guide, navigating through the course is nearly impossible, thats why Christian Vis an off-road instructor for Mercedes-Benz Driving Events was put in charge of the virtual tour. The man has more than 20 years of experience in off-road driving, and has a thing for pushing himself (and the vehicle) to the limits. So sit back, relax, and watch how the G500, along with its 422 hp bi-turbo V8, is being driven around the course in a simple warm-up exercise. You can just do so much with it. With the G-Class, the fun starts where other vehicles reach their limits, says Christian Vis. Again, youre watching a simple warm-up exercise. Too bad most of the G-Wagens wont be used at their full capacity. A leaked ordering guide has revealed that the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will brutalize its rear tyres thanks to 650 hp and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque. Uncovered by the crew at the Camaro 6 forums, the ordering guide shows that the 2017 ZL1s 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 engine boasts exactly the same horsepower and torque figures as the Corvette Z06 but is 57 hp shy of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. These numbers are 10 hp and 10 lb-ft up on what was previously reported for the ZL1. While the Hellcat may continue to lead the muscle car horsepower game, it isnt all that usable on a race circuit. The new Camaro ZL1 by comparison has the ingredients to be more capable on a technical track thanks to higher downforce figures and a near 500 pound weight advantage. Beyond the vehicles engine, the new Camaro ZL1 is offered as standard with a six-speed manual with active rev-matching but can also be ordered with GMs 10-speed automatic transmission. Grip comes courtesy of 285/30ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires at the front and 305/30 section shoes at the rear. Considering how capable the new ZL1 should be on track, we cant imagine where Chevy will go with the next Z/28. PHOTO GALLERY Volkswagen may have become the largest global automaker after it sold more cars than Toyota in the first half of the year, but the consequences of the cheating emissions scandal are starting to kick in. Accused of forging documents on emissions or noise-level tests following the Groups admittance last September to using illegal software on roughly 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide, South Korea decided to order a stop-sale on 32 models made by Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley, out of which 27 are sold locally, Reuters reports. The decision, made on Tuesday, comes from the local environment ministry and revokes certification for 83,000 diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles, which brings the total number of de-certified models to 209,000 in the Asian country, covering 68 percent of the cars/SUVs sold by the automaker in South Korea since 2007. Local authorities also slapped the German carmaker with a 17.8 billion won ($15.98 million) fine, which comes after the government revoked certification of 126,000 VW vehicles last November and fined the automaker with 14.1 billion won ($12.66 million). Prosecutors also raided the German manufacturers offices in Seoul and arrested an executive in June. Volkswagen predicted South Koreas decision and issued its own internal stop-sale in the country last week, but that doesnt mean that the automotive giant has completely lost the battle, as it could take legal action against the governments verdict. PHOTO GALLERY One of Britains oldest automakers, Bristol Cars Limited, recently launched and it sounds like a World War 2 fighter plane. Unsurprisingly, since Bristol is the last remaining descendant that retains the original name of the Bristol Aeroplane Company a major aircraft manufacturer that spawned the admirable and iconic Blenheim, Beaufort, and Beaufighter warplanes. Weighing less than 2,500 pounds (1,113 kg) thanks to its carbon-fiber elements, the Bullet speedster is powered by a BMW-sourced V8, dubbed the Hercules, which boasts 370 horsepower from 4.8-liters of displacement. The engine is refined and developed in-house, and is capable of launching the car from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) making a ferocious sound in the process. It may feature plenty of luxury amenities and high-tech gizmos (including digital radio, smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, and WiFi), but the Bullet is, first and foremost, a pure, old-school British roadster, and it sounds like one too. On the move, it looks retro, but pleasantly futuristic, but dont expect to see one on a street near you because only 70 will be made to mark the car makers 70th anniversary. The price? Just under 250,000 ($329,880). VIDEO OWASCO An Owasco man could face several more charges for his involvement in a crash that killed an Auburn teen. According to Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann, 33-year-old Dain Schneider, of 6977 Owasco Road, has been charged with felony driving while intoxicated, first-degree unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device. Judge Thomas Leone arraigned Schneider on those charges Friday at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse where he was being treated for injuries he sustained in the crash. After his release from the hospital, Schneider was then remanded to Cayuga County Jail with bail set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. Leone revoked Schneider's bail Monday afternoon pending further charges from the county, Budelmann said, as the district attorney's office awaits the results of blood tests and accident reconstruction. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said Schneider was driving on East Lake Road last Wednesday night when he struck another vehicle from behind. The driver of that vehicle, 18-year-old Chloe Calhoun, died as a result of her injuries. Schneider has two previous DWI convictions, Budelmann said one from 2011 in the town of Marcellus, the other from 2007 in the town of Delhi. The defendant was also arrested for DWI in Skaneateles in 2000, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. In addition, Schneider is facing multiple charges from separate cases, including second-degree burglary, first- and second-degree criminal contempt, criminal trespassing and endangering the welfare of a child. According to the district attorney, the county is currently working on the status of those cases. Schneider was originally scheduled to appear in Owasco Town Court Wednesday night. However, the case has since been transferred to Cayuga County. Photo: Contributed Independent liquor store owners in Vernon are going to fight the big guys. Fearful that grocery store chains are planning to buy local licenses to sell wine, the owners hope to convince city council not to grant them. It could have a huge impact, said Claus Larsen, general manager of the Vernon Atrium Hotel & Conference Centre. The BX Creek liquor store resides beside the hotel building. It could affect staff as we have seen in other communities. He said a large delegation from the independent liquor stores would attend an Aug. 15 city council meeting when a presentation would be made. Last year, two specialty stores in Kelowna relinquished the rights to their licences, transferring them to the Overwaitea Food Group and allowing OFG's Save-on-Foods grocery store chain to sell VQA wine at Orchard Park and Mission locations. That began earlier this year. The issue has also taxed city council in Kamloops. Apart from the financial impact, Larsen pointed to the accessibility to alcohol for 15, 16 and 17 year olds if wine is sold in the grocery stores, where the underaged are allowed to go. Larsen said independent owners had already been speaking with some members of council, including Mayor Akbal Mund and Coun. Catherine Lord. The group, along with a representative of ABLE BC, an alliance of beverage licensees, met with staff from the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce last week. The chamber remains neutral at this time, according to Larsen. However chamber staff have offered to help steer the ship through the bureaucracy, Larsen added. Photo: Contributed When I committed to this months attempt to experience something new every day, my goal was to start experiencing life more. I had no idea what I was in for, but I knew it was going to be an adventure. I didnt expect to fall in love with so many new and exciting things that were right in my own backyard. It was such an energizing experience to try something for the first time once again and funny enough, the more I got into each activity, the more I noticed myself shaking out of my day-to-day mindset and how quickly I was able to simply relax and enjoy the experience. There was no more stress, no more deadlines and no responsibilities; I was just present and able to enjoy the moment. I was discovering new rewarding passions that I didnt even know existed and all I had done was get out of my own way and put myself out there. Thats the biggest reason why we often find ourselves in these life ruts we get trapped in our own heads and we feel like theres nothing good for us to do and pretty soon days, weeks, months have gone by and we havent even noticed. But if you can just break free from that mindset, I can tell you from experience now, that not only is there a world of adventure and life out there, theres also an amazing community of people to connect with. Rock climbing, sailing, dragon-boat racing, and crossfit were not only all incredible experiences that I could see myself doing again, but they all had these wonderfully supportive and welcoming networks of people that made the experiences so much more meaningful. Not only was I exploring, learning and growing through these new adventures but I was building a whole new social network of like-minded people who wanted to do the same. As I continued on my positive journey of adventure and community I couldnt help think about the larger effect this was having on my life. After all, wasnt this what life was all about? Experiencing new things, challenging yourself, finding new passions and meeting fun and amazing new people.That was the life I wanted to lead. Why then did I spend so much time doing nothing Stop watching Greys Anatomy and start living your life. When youre old and youve reached a point where you have more days behind you than in front of you, what do you think your life will have been like? What will stick out as the best times of your life? What do you imagine will have been the most fulfilling and meaningful parts? Do you ever wonder why you never hear an elderly person complaining about not finishing an old TV series or getting enough work done at the office? Those werent the things that made their lives worth living. Most seniors I know regret not having experienced life to the fullest. They wish they had gone on that trip, jumped off that cliff or kissed that girl or guy. Its these adventures that make life worth living, but if you let these moments pass, before you know it you could wake up and realize life is over and youve missed it. Routines are the enemy of time and once your brain figures out the patterns of life, it down shifts into autopilot. Much like driving somewhere and realizing upon arrival that you didnt recall any of the trip. Your mind had experienced that pattern so many times that your conciseness blinked and you were there. The same principle applies with life. You need to grow, learn and challenge yourself to experience new things otherwise, you can blink and you will have arrived at the end of life wondering why you got there so quickly. When youre young everything is new and engaging so life moves slowly but when you become an adult its a choice you have to make. If you want to wake up your brain and be alert for lifes journey then you need to choose to make adventure a part of your life. That doesnt mean you need to quit your job tomorrow and move to Hawaii (although that would be awesome), but it does mean that life needs to be more than the daily grind and time consuming vices we make it about now. Stop procrastinating, say yes to life The simple solution to an underwhelming life is to find more ways to put yourself out there. I can guarantee there are countless activities happening right now that you could be taking advantage of but you arent. You need to say yes to life and make living a priority. When opportunities come your way make sure you seize them because so often you wont get another chance. Life Is short, and if you dont want it to pass you by, its up to you to build a life worth living. You only get one life, so why not make it epic? This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed Despite annual summer warnings from the SPCA, drivers continue to leave their pets in hot cars. A car's interior can be a death trap for a dog under the burning rays of the Okanagan sun, but it happened yet again, Monday afternoon. Castanet reader Al Stewart says he was at Sunshine Market in Kelowna's Lower Mission district when he spotted a small lap dog on the rear parcel shelf of an Acura sedan about 4:45 p.m. Another dog was also inside the car as temperatures reached the thirties outside. "There was even a spot to park in the shade, but the driver had chosen not to park there. Disgusting way to treat pets!" said Stewart. The car's windows were cracked open, but that's not good enough, according to the SPCA. Temperatures inside vehicles can rapidly soar to 45 C or more, and it only takes about 10 minutes for a dog to succumb to the heat and get heat stroke. The SPCA advises pet owners leave their animals at home. Across B.C., the organization responds to more than 1,100 calls for animals left in hot vehicles each year. Photo: Thinkstock.com After fire wardens found 38 abandoned campfires over the weekend in the Kamloops Fire Centre, B.C. Wildfire Service asks campers to be more cautious and vigilant. None of the campfires spread but the risk was serious, said Max Birkner, fire information officer. Campfires pose a significant risk in the backcountry since they can easily turn into a wildfire, he said. Firefighters had enough of those to respond to over the weekend despite a hazard rating that remains low to moderate in most areas. Only the Clearwater, Salmon Arm and Penticton fire zones are ranked as high. Birkner said there have been no lightning strikes in the Kamloops area over the last 24 hours. Thunderstorms over the weekend ignited 14 new wildfires in the fire centre, which extends from Wells Gray in the north to the U.S. border and from Lillooet in the west to Salmon Arm in the east. Six other wildfires in the fire centre were believed to have been set by people. All of the fires in the Kamloops zone were minor, spot fires of less than .009 hectares. Careless campfire use can have costly repercussions. Anyone who leaves a campfire unattended for any length of time can be fined $1150. If that fire turns into a wildfire, that person may be fined up to $1 million, face three years in prison and be required to pay for all related fire suppression costs. To date in the fire centre this season, BC Wildfire Service has responded to 130 wildfires, which have burned 252 hectares. Fifty-seven of those fires have been lightning-caused and 71 are suspected to be human-caused. To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, call *5555 on your cellular phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit bcwildfire.ca NewsKamloops.com Master modifier Matt McEntegart spent a year carving and producing his design featured in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. Taking a base vehicle and stripping away the bodywork, matt then covers it in his own muscular super-style design. Photo: Twitter - careymcbeth A BC ferry travelling between Duke Point, on Vancouver Island, and the mainland has been involved in a rescue. BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall says the Coastal Inspiration was called to assist Tuesday morning when a 10-metre pleasure boat ran aground off Valdez Island, south of Gabriola Island, in Georgia Strait. Marshall says the ferry arrived just as two people in the smaller boat had been forced into an emergency dinghy. The two people were taken aboard the ferry and are expected to be fine. The rescue pushed the Coastal Inspiration 45 minutes behind schedule and travellers are being advised of the delay. Photo: Rossa Baker Whitman Glen Park on Tuesday evening. UPDATE: 8:29 p.m. A severe thunderstorm watch for the South Okanagan is at an end. UPDATE: 7:36 p.m. A thunderstorm watch for the Central and North Okanagan is at an end, however it remains in effect in the southern portion of the Valley. Rainstorms caused slick conditions on roads in the central and southern areas of the Valley. There was also some localized flooding in some areas. Kelowna readers sent in some photos of flooding in Whitman Glen Park, off Glenmore Road, after Mill Creek burst its banks. UPDATE: 4 p.m. FortisBC says it's monitoring the weather closely in case of power outages. "Were reminding customers how to be ready and stay safe in the event of an outage," says FortisBC spokesperson Nicole Bogdanovic. That information is available on the FortisBC website. "Our crews are prepared and ready to report in as needed throughout the night," she said. UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. A storm moving through the Okanagan Valley has started to cause a bit of havoc. Lightning in Lake Country knocked the power out to about 1,800. It has since been restored. Skies are darkening in other parts of the Okanagan. As of 3 p.m., Environment Canada was still warning of a severe thunderstorm, which could bring with it large hail and heavy rain. ORIGINAL Another severe thunderstorm watch is now effect for the entire Okanagan Valley. Environment Canada issued the warning Tuesday morning for the Valley as well as the Okanagan Connector, Coquihalla Highway, Nicola Valley, Hope-Princeton Highway and Similkameen areas. Meteorologists say conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain. Large hail can damage property and cause injury, while heavy downpours are likely to cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Environment Canada reminds residents that lightning kills and injures Canadians every year so when thunder roars, go indoors. For up-to-date details on highway conditions and road closures check DriveBC. You can also monitor Environment Canada for alerts, warnings and updated forecasts. For your local weather forecast click here. Photo: tobykeith.com Merritt's Rockin' River Music Festival has only just wrapped up, but organizers are already announcing next year's headliner. Toby Keith, one of country music's biggest stars, will perform at the August long weekend festival, which runs Aug 3-6, 2017. Festival president Kenny Hess made the announcement on the main stage as the festival wrapped up this weekend. "The Rockin River family is thrilled to announce that everyones favorite country star Toby Keith will be standing right here next year!" he said to cheers from the crowd. "We cant thank everyone enough for all their support and we are beyond ready to get next years party started. Keith is Billboard Music's country artist of the decade. His two-decade career has spawned chart-topping hits such as: Red Solo Cup, Beer For My Horses, How Do You Like Me Now? and I love this Bar. He has charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country charts, including 20 No. 1 hits and 21 additional top 10 hits. Keiths albums Pull my Chain, Unleashed, and Shockn Yall have all been certified four times platinum. The annual festival takes place along the Coldwater River, featuring three stages and more than 20 performers. Advance tickets are available at https://rockinriverfest.com/. The 2016 election season has been marked by constant and repeated events that trouble the sensibility of some voters. With the news cycle in overdrive, focus has shifted away from local politics. When it comes to local elections, people we know personally are found on both sides of the ballot. The notion of what a Democrat or Republican is supposed to be becomes blurred by the relative proximity to actual people we have experience dealing with. This is the upside of local politics. One has more of an opportunity to vote for a real person instead of a branded entity. That being said, this years spectacle has brought new questions regarding party unity and the messages at play between the national and local levels. For example, last November Republican candidate Donald Trump callously mocked New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from a congenital joint condition. Mr. Trump had been referencing a 2001 article by Kovaleski in order to support his claim that thousands of Muslim Americans were cheering in the streets after 9/11. Mr. Koveleski denied writing most of Trumps claims. Trump responded by performing a cringe-worthy impersonation of Koveleskis handicap shortly afterward, then moved on to commit his next tragedy of public discourse. Many Americans took this personally. As both the son and father of disabled Americans, so did I. When a candidate for the highest office in the land resorts to such acts, it has an effect. It encourages the ogres in our midst, who believe that blind Americans like my father dont deserve the same level of dignity as those like myself with perfect vision. It casts doubt on the inherent potential of autistic Americans, like my 4-year-old son. Worst of all, it forgives bullies and predators who roll their eyes at the less fortunate. As many already know, this trend extends beyond the issue of Americans with disabilities. As if a case study from political science 101, Trumps words and deeds are the symptoms of a hegemonic group that senses its power slipping away. When the writing is on the wall, these groups resort to scorched-earth politics. They prefer to burn the whole world down rather than share it with anyone else. Their claims become more desperate and incomprehensible, increasing in intensity and inhumanity. This is a simple axiom of history. In light of all this, one must try and square all of the above against the many kind, compassionate, charitable, equality minded Republican friends and colleagues in our own community. Those I know would never stoop to the level of Donald Trump, a man who was born being served, never having served anyone. Our congressional representatives, our state assemblymen, and our other elected leaders who we know as family, and friends are faced with a choice. Do you distance yourself from Trumps rhetoric or support him with silence? Will you stand up and defend those who need it the most? Your neighbors and the voters are waiting for your decision. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... While New York is open for business has largely become a marketing slogan, Im proud that so many of the Finger Lakes regions businesses and local schools are coming together to help create jobs and bridge the skills gap. Their collaborative efforts aim to ensure the states economy and workforce, particularly the manufacturing industry, get back on the right track. According to the Manufacturers Association of New York State (MACNY), manufacturing accounts for 462,000 jobs in New York. As more manufacturing jobs become available, the skills needed and sought after are becoming more technical, requiring a background in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Locally, businesses and schools are coming together to provide todays students - tomorrows employees - with the skills they need to become qualified candidates to fill these roles. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING CRITICAL TO UPSTATES ECONOMY Realizing the need for and benefit of a prepared workforce in the region, manufacturing businesses and organizations are partnering with schools to educate a new generation of workers. For example, Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) has been partnering with the Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers Enterprise (FAME) and local businesses to offer forward-looking curricula and certifications that are relevant to regional advanced manufacturing companies. Workforce development and training is an essential part of rebuilding and fortifying the states manufacturing sector. My colleagues in the Assembly Minority and I have been long-time advocates of career learning and workforce preparation programs geared toward student participation in career and technical education, including: Rebranding BOCES with a new name of Career Prep Centers (A.4080-A, Kolb); Increasing resources for career and technical employees (A.3668-A, DiPietro); Creating the Learning for Work Program in New York high schools designed to accelerate career readiness by offering apprenticeships and enhanced professional degrees (A.8695, Lupinacci); and Removing the Regents requirement for certain career prep center students. INDUSTRY NEEDS LESS RED TAPE & LOWER TAXES IN ORDER TO THRIVE As the only legislative leader in state government who has run a successful manufacturing business, I understand the uphill battle business owners in New York are facing. In addition to advocating for career-readiness programs, I will continue to promote measures designed to ease the burdens of business owners and lower the cost of doing business in New York, including: Replacing the new job-killing minimum wage mandate with an expansion of the value of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 30 to 45 percent of the federal amount (A.9102, Kolb) and a training wage for youth workers (A.4384-A, Kolb); and The Small Business Full Employment Act (A.5898-A, Kolb) proposes tax reforms and credits, prohibits new unfunded mandates, and reduces the regulatory burden on small businesses to create an environment where small businesses can succeed in New York. Standing firm with New Yorks workforce, businesses and educators, I will continue to lead the charge in Albany to improve the manufacturing industry and business climate in our state. What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030, email me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us, find me by searching for Assemblyman Brian Kolb on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter. CYPRUS PussyCash on Monday announced its webcam platform ImLive is celebrating 14 years with a Payout Party. The company said webmasters can enjoy this opportunity simply by referring new Hosts based in the U.S. and Canada to ImLive.com, using their unique referral link. As soon as a referred Host is signed up, approved and making money, they will too. Payouts go as high as $900 per referred Host, awarded along several earning milestones of $100 and over. Plus, affiliates will continue receiving these payouts long-term, on all Hosts signed up and approved during the Payout Party time period, which runs until September 30, 2016. Commissions and Host earnings can be tracked on the PussyCash website. 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CDC issues travel guidance related to Miami neighborhood with active Zika spread Press Release For Immediate Release: Monday, August 1, 2016 Contact: Media Relations (404) 639-3286 New assessments of mosquito populations and test results this past weekend by Florida public health officials, as part of a community survey in the Miami neighborhood where several Zika infections were recently confirmed, have found persistent mosquito populations and additional Zika infections in the same area. This information suggests that there is a risk of continued active transmission of Zika virus in that area. As a result, CDC and Florida are issuing travel, testing and other recommendations for people who traveled to or lived in the Florida-designated areas on or after June 15, 2016, the earliest known date that one of the people could have been infected with Zika. At Floridas request, CDC is also sending a CDC Emergency Response Team (CERT) with experts in Zika virus, pregnancy and birth defects, vector control, laboratory science, and risk communications to assist in the response. Two CDC team members are already on the ground in Florida, three more will arrive today, and three more on Tuesday, August 2. CDC recommends: Pregnant women not travel to the identified area. Pregnant women and their partners living in this area should consistently follow steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika. Pregnant women who traveled to this area on or after June 15, 2016, should talk with their healthcare provider and should be tested for Zika. Pregnant women without symptoms of Zika who live in or frequently travel to this area should be tested for Zika virus infection in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Male and female sexual partners of pregnant women who live in or who have traveled to this area should consistently and correctly use condoms or other barriers against infection during sex or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy. All pregnant women in the United States who live in or travel to an area with active Zika virus transmission, or who have sex with a partner who lives in or traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission without using condoms or other barrier methods to prevent infection should be assessed for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit and tested according to CDC guidance. Women and men who traveled to this area wait at least 8 weeks before trying for a pregnancy; men with symptoms of Zika wait at least 6 months before trying for a pregnancy. Women and men who live in or frequently travel to this area who do not have signs or symptoms consistent with Zika virus disease and are considering pregnancy should consider the risks associated with Zika virus infection, and may wish to consult their healthcare provider to help inform their decisions about timing of pregnancy. Anyone with possible exposure to Zika virus and symptoms of Zika should be tested for Zika. We work closely with Florida to gather and analyze new information every day. With the new information that there are active mosquitoes still in the area and additional Zika infections, we conclude that pregnant women should avoid this area and make every effort to prevent mosquito bites if they live or work there, said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. We apply the same criteria within and outside of the United States, and are working closely with the State of Florida and Miami health departments to provide preventive services, including mosquito control. CDC continues to encourage everyone living in areas with Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, especially pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant, to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Apply insect repellent, such as those containing DEET or other EPA-approved products, to uncovered skin, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, use or repair screens on windows and doors, use air conditioning when available, and remove standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs. We continue to work closely with Florida public health officials to investigate the infections identified in Miami and to intensify mosquito control efforts to reduce the risk of additional infections, said Lyle R. Petersen, M.D., M.P.H., incident manager for CDCs Zika Response and director, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Florida officials are experienced in this type of work, and together we are working to protect pregnant women from the potentially devastating effects of this virus. Based on the confirmation of local Zika transmission in Florida, CDC has updated its Interim Zika Response Plan (CONUS and HI) and has released the Zika Community Action Response Toolkit (Z-CART) to help states with risk communication and community engagement when local transmission is identified. For more information about Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/. ### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Zika Virus Update August 1 Press Briefing Transcript Monday, August 1, 2016, at 1:00 P.M. EST Audio recording media icon [MP3, 6.97 MB] Please Note:This transcript is not edited and may contain errors. OPERATOR: Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in listen only mode for the question and answer session. If youd like to ask a question, please press star followed by number one. Todays conference is being recorded. Any objections, you may disconnect at this time. Id like to turn over the meeting to Tom Skinner, Senior Public Affairs Officer, CDC. TOM SKINNER: Thank you, Angela. Thank you all for joining us for this Zika update regarding south Florida. Were joined today by the Director of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden who will provide some opening remarks, and then well get to your questions. Hell be joined today in the question and answer session by Dr. Lyle Petersen, whos the Incident Manager for CDC Zika Virus Response. Dr. Denise Jamieson, Co-Lead Of The Pregnancy And Birth Defects Team on the CDC Zika Virus Response Team. And Dr. Marc Fischer, a Medical Officer from CDCs Arboviral Diseases Branch who is in Florida. so without further ado, Ill turn the call over to dr. Frieden. TOM FRIEDEN: good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us. This past Friday, we indicated that an area north of downtown Miami had active transmission of the Zika virus. And we said then that we would monitor that situation every single day. New assessments of mosquito populations and new test results from this past weekend by Florida public health officials have found persistent mosquito populations and additional Zika infections in the same area. This suggests that theres a risk of continued active transmission of Zika in that area. As a result, CDC and Florida are issuing travel and testing recommendations for people who traveled to or live in the Florida designated areas on or after June 15th, 2016. That date is the earliest known date that one of the individuals who became infected with Zika could have become infected, as far as the information we have as of today. At the request of Governor Scott of Florida, we are sending a CDC Emergency Response Team or CERT team to Florida. we already have two staff on the ground in Florida, three more en route today and two more will be arriving in Florida three more, I should say, will be arriving in Florida tomorrow. These experts include individuals with extensive experience in Zika, in addressing pregnancy and birth defects, in mosquito control, laboratory science and community engagement. The bottom line of this announcement is that we advise pregnant women to avoid travel to this area and pregnant women who live or work in this area and their partners to make every effort to avoid mosquito bites and prevent sexual transmission of Zika. This advice applies to anyone who lives in or has traveled to this area any time after June 15th. Again, the earliest known date that one of the cases could have been infected with Zika. Id like to step back for a moment and talk about Zika more generally. As we have said since the beginning of this unprecedented outbreak, we are learning something new about Zika every day. We make decisions to update our recommendations and guidance on a day-by-day basis. What we know about Zika is scary. Zika can cause microcephaly, and this is the first time weve seen a devastating birth defect result from a mosquito bite and it causes microcephaly even among women who dont appear to have had any symptoms of Zika infection. But in some ways what we dont know about Zika is even more unsettling. We dont know the long-term impact Zika may have on children born to infected mothers who dont have obvious signs of microcephaly, and these effects may only become apparent months or years in the future. We also dont yet have ideal ways to control the particular mosquitoes that spread Zika, and we need better methods and tools for mosquito control. In Miami, aggressive mosquito control measures dont seem to be working as well as we would have liked. This may happen for at least one of three reasons. First, its possible that the mosquitoes there are resistant to the insecticides that have been used. Second, its possible that there are what we call cryptic breeding places or small amounts of standing water where mosquitoes continue to hatch. And third, its possible simply that this is a very difficult mosquito to control, particularly in a complex urban environment like the one north of downtown Miami. In any case, the vector control expert CDC sent will work with Florida authorities to begin resistance testing so we can determine whether mosquitoes in this area are susceptible to the insecticides being used. That testing, however, is complex and takes at least a week and sometimes three weeks or more. So the mosquito control experts in Florida who have extensive experience with mosquito control as well as our own mosquito control experts are meeting intensively to outline additional measures that may be taken to reduce mosquito populations. At CDC, more than 1,600 of our experts have been working since January to learn more about Zika and protect the health of pregnant women and others. Based on what we know now about the situation in the community north of downtown Miami, in Florida, we recommend the following. First, that pregnant women not travel to the identified area. Second, that pregnant women and their partners who live in this area make every effort to prevent mosquito bites and prevent sexual transmission of Zika. This includes applying insect repellent containing Deet to uncovered skin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, using and repairing screens and windows and doors and using air conditioning when available and removing standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs. That pregnant women who traveled to this area on or after June 15th talk with their health care provider to be tested for Zika. That pregnant women without symptoms of Zika who live in or frequently travel to this area be tested for Zika in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. That male and female sexual partners of pregnant women who live in or have traveled to this area consistently and correctly use condoms or other barriers against infection during sex. For the duration of pregnancy. that all pregnant women throughout the U.S. be assessed for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit and tested according to our guidance. that women and men who travelled to this area and have left the area wait at least eight weeks before trying for a pregnancy. Men with symptoms of Zika should wait at least six months before trying for a pregnancy. And that anyone with possible exposure to Zika and symptoms of Zika be tested for the infection. We do expect that additional individual infections will be reported. There are undoubtedly more infections because most people infected with Zika dont have symptoms. People infected a week or two ago may also have their infections diagnosed. Nothing that we have seen indicates widespread transmission but its certainly possible there could be sustained transmission in small areas. This is particularly a risk for people who dont have screens or air conditioning and who live in crowded spaces. Well continue to update you with what we know when we know it. We understand that people want more information and are understandably concerned about Zika here and elsewhere. We wish we had all of the answers, but the fact is this is a new phenomenon. Zika was not known to cause microcephaly even a year ago, and we continue to learn more each day about Zika. Were doing all that science can allow to get answers and working around the clock to prevent infections. Florida is working hard to reduce the risk of Zika infection and to protect pregnant women. the bottom line here is that because mosquito-control efforts in the specific community, one-mile radius north of downtown Miami, dont appear to be working as well as we would have hoped, and because weve seen more Zika cases over a longer time frame, we advise pregnant women to avoid travel to this area and pregnant women who live and work in this area to make every effort to avoid mosquito bites. Thank you. TOM SKINNER: Angela, I think were ready for questions, please. Well allow reporters to ask a question and a follow-up and then move to the next question. OPERATOR: Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. If youd like to ask a question, please press star followed by number 1. Our first question comes from Richard Besser with ABC news. RICHARD BESSER: Thanks very much. Can you hear me? TOM SKINNER: Yes. Go ahead, Richard. RICHARD BESSER: thanks a lot, Dr. Frieden. I have a question about limiting the travel advisory to such a small area. Has there been additional testing to show that youve been able to Florida has been able to limit the mosquito in the other parts of Miami? And have they done urine testing beyond this affected neighborhood? TOM FRIEDEN: The Miami and Florida officials are doing additional urine testing. Our understanding is there have been several investigations over the past weeks, and in other investigations, no additional cases have been identified or infections have been identified, I should say. In this particular neighborhood, in the 150-meter area around the two workplaces where two initial cases were found, multiple additional infected individuals were identified. Those individuals were all identified within that 150-meter area. Florida is following the recommendation of going to about five times that distance to have a buffer zone in a one-mile radius around the very specific area where the virus has been spreading. We know that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present widely, not just throughout Miami but 30 states in the U.S. and anywhere these Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present, women should take steps to protect themselves, pregnant women in particular, to protect themselves against mosquito bites. RICHARD BESSER: Thanks very much. Just in follow-up, England and Ireland have put out a recommendation to the entire state of Florida. Do you think thats overkill? TOM FRIEDEN: The information i saw from public health England referred to the several block area in the north of downtown Miami. So I am not sure if the travel recommendation is broader than that. But we recommend specific to this neighborhood. We will reassess that on a daily basis. But its very important to be clear that the way Zika spreads is different from the way other mosquito-borne viruses spread. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. There isnt an animal reservoir. Unlike West Nile which persists in the bird population and can affect an entire state, with Zika it is quite focal and generally requires that mosquitoes get re-infected or infected by people who are infected. So persists where there is a crowded population without access to air conditioning or screens and the presence of large numbers of mosquitoes. So we will be looking very carefully as Florida around this area to see if there are other people who have been infected, but in the other investigations theyve done, they have not found other infected people. In this particular investigation, they did find additional individuals both at the workplace where one of the initial workers was diagnosed, was from, and in the community within this 150-meter area. Thank you. RICHARD BESSER: thanks very much. TOM SKINNER: Next question. TOM FRIEDEN: Angela, we can take the next question. OPERATOR: One moment please for the next question. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Betsy McKay with Wall Street Journal. BETSY MCKAY: Hi. Thanks very much. I wanted to follow up on that last comment, Dr. Frieden. You said they found was this everyone? Were all 14 people found within this 150-meter area around the workplace, either at the workplace or in the community? Was that everybody, or are there, you know, some people who may have been infected, you know, in that neighborhood but outside that 150-meter area? And then my second question was, you mentioned that the, you know, mosquito populations arent coming down because of possible resistance. Do you know what insecticide or insecticides are being used? TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you. and Ill refer you to Florida for the details of those questions, but my understanding, which should be confirmed with Florida is that 12 of the 14 infections so far diagnosed that are referred to in Governor Scotts press release today occurred in this 150-meter area. Thats a large number, but not a surprising number. We had two symptomatic infections or three symptomatic infections and we expect four asymptomatic infections for each symptomatic infection. In addition, as I made in my opening remarks, we may well see other infections in that area because of how efficient a vector this particular mosquito is. In terms of insecticides, our understanding is theyve used at least two different products from the pyrethroid class. Next question, please. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Nick Valencia with CNN. NICK VALENCIA: Hello, Dr. Frieden. Thanks for taking the question. Im here in Wynnwood and have been for the last three days. About ten minutes ago, I saw a pregnant woman walking through this neighborhood who told me she plans on ignoring the CDC advisory and, unfortunately, those that Ive spoken to here echo the same sentiment. Is there anything more that can be done? Are you considering more aggressive steps for considering other action in light of this information? Because people just dont seem to be paying attention and are blaming us for perhaps even causing fear among the locals. TOM FRIEDEN: I think what you are experiencing there is something that we have seen, surprisingly, often in the Zika response. Im sorry that people feel that way, but it is a problem. But generally, we take most seriously those threats that are about to happen. And one of the challenges with Zika is, first, people dont get sick because four out of five have no symptoms at all and the last has relatively mild symptoms usually. And second, the problem is six, seven, eight months away when a baby with microcephaly is delivered. But the tragedy of a preventable case of a severe birth defect is something I think we have to make very clear to people. If you see the pictures and the stories from Brazil and Colombia and elsewhere where women are delivering children with Microcephaly and if you think about the uncertainty that many many more babies born to women who were infected with Zika than there are babies born with microcephaly and we dont know if those babies will have neurological problems later in life. It is truly a scary situation, but its not immediately apparent to people that it is this kind of a significant risk. So we appreciate your work at making clear what this means for individuals. I think any parent wants the best for their child, and being able to do whatever we can so that were providing information to the public and, in particular, to pregnant women and their providers so that they can take steps to protect themselves and their pregnancy is really our responsibility and our commitment. Do you have a follow-up question? NICK VALENCIA: Well, I am I have a follow-up question about the vector control team, the numbers. Is it eight total from the CDC? TOM FRIEDEN: Its called a CERT team and includes vector control as well as a variety of other expertise, including birth defects, laboratory science, communications and the Zika virus itself. And pregnancy and birth defects. And eight is the correct number. At this time. Well have more if needed. We already, as I mentioned, have two staff on the ground. Three en route and three more coming tomorrow. Its called a CERT team, c-e-r-t. CDC emergency response team. Next question, please. NICK VALENCIA: Thank you. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Mike Stobbe with The Associated Press. MIKE STOBBE: Yeah, can you hear me? MIKE STOBBE: Thanks. First question, could you say a little more about, again, on the theme of the aggressive mosquito measures that dont seem to be working. Can you tell us how thats been measured and what the numbers are that show that it hasnt been working? and my second question was, could you say just for historical context, when is the last time that CDC or any federal public health agency has advised any members of the public not to travel to some area in the continental United States? TOM FRIEDEN: So in answer to your first question, wed refer you to Florida. Our vector control expert is arriving today. But from the information that we heard, despite the daily use of spraying, the vector control experts there were still seeing new larval mosquitoes and moderately high Aedes aegypti counts. Which is not something that we hoped to see. As I mentioned, this could be because of insecticide resistance and cryptic breeding sites or that this is a very difficult mosquito to control. And with regard to your second question, as far as we know, we can find no similar recommendation in recent years. Of course, Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. and January 15th of this year, we issued recommendations relating to Puerto Rico. Next question, please. OPERATOR: Okay. The next question comes from Liz Szabo with USA Today. LIZ SZABO: Thanks. He just answered my question. TOM FRIEDEN: Okay. Next question. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Daniel Chang with the Miami Herald. DANIEL CHANG: Hi, Dr. Frieden. Thank you for taking my call. I was hoping that you might be able to better identify this 150-meter area that you refer to in your opening comments. The Florida department of health is still giving us the one square mile area, and that was my first question. My follow-up question was related to the CERT team and at which point they would be dispatched. I know it requires a states request. As I saw in the plan that the CDC released earlier, there are different stages at which they could request a CERT team. What is the earliest that Florida could have asked for that assistance? Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: So, thank you. First, in terms of the 150-meter area, I would refer you to the Florida health department. I will say its generally in the center of that one-mile block so that its kind of theres a buffer zone all around it with natural boundaries. In terms of the CERT team, the CERT team actually members of it are already there and have been there since last week. And as I mentioned, will be there today and tomorrow, the full CERT team will have arrived. And weve had very close coordination, collaboration with Florida from the beginning of this. Ive been in essentially daily conversations with the surgeon general of Florida, Dr. Celeste Philip. Also in regular coordination between our experts and theirs. The Florida laboratories have been really at the forefront of some of the innovations and laboratory testing for Zika. So theres a close collaboration here, and this just steps it up to the next level. DANIEL CHANG: Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: Next question, please. TOM FRIEDEN: Next question comes from Jonathan Serrie with Fox News. JONATHAN SERRIE: Hi, Dr. Frieden. You mentioned theres no animal reservoir for this particular virus with the way the mosquitos transferring it. A traveler returns from a country or territory with Zika transmission, gets bitten by local mosquitoes which then pass this on to others. What can you tell us about patient zero or how this virus moved into south Florida? TOM FRIEDEN: Well, because four out of five infections are without symptoms, its unlikely that well ever know exactly who brought it in, where they brought it in from. Thats why its so important that anywhere in the U.S. there are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that pregnant women take steps to protect themselves. Its possible there are occasional transmissions in local areas that may be inapparent because, again, four out of five infections are asymptomatic. I know thats unsettling and in some ways unsatisfying, but thats the way the world works. What we do is take that and then say, what can we do to be maximally protective? We know with 1600-plus infections documented in the U.S., there are many times that number of people who have actually had the disease in the U.S. because most asymptomatic people arent tested. Really the few asymptomatic diagnoses we have are pregnant women in this country. Sso with 40 million-plus travelers to and from affected areas, and intense transmission in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean and in the hemisphere, we know there will be a continuing stream of people coming back from business trips, from travel to visit relatives, from vacations who may feel perfectly fine but dont have any symptoms. Everyone coming back from somewhere where Zika is spreading should use mosquito repellent for three weeks to protect their family in case a mosquito bites them and then gets infected. What you say is exactly correct. The way this is generally spread is that the mosquito hitchhikes in the blood of a traveler and then is bitten by when that traveler is bitten by another mosquito, that mosquito develops the infection and then can bite others. So this is why its so important that, first off, all pregnant women in areas where Aedes aegypti is spreading protect themselves from mosquito bites and all travelers returning from infected areas use mosquito repellent for three weeks to protect their family and their community. Do you have a follow-up question? JONATHAN SERRIE: No, I dont. That answers it. Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you. Next question. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Lena Sun with The Washington Post. LENA SUN: Hi, Dr. Frieden. Can you say anything about whether there is anything unusual that the mosquito folks are seeing about Aedes aegypti in this particular area? You mentioned they may be hiding out in these cryptic areas. I was wondering if theres anything thats come up about the way this mosquito is behaving? Thats one. And my follow-up question has to do with the workplace. The workplace where a lot of this has been occurring, have those workplaces taken extra precautions to warn their workers to get tested or spray or do additional take additional measures? TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you. Whats, I think, challenging about this area is that its a mixed use area. And has many different types of buildings and locations present from industrial to residential. From high end to more economically stressed. From areas that weve seen on the news where theres a lot of nightlife. Areas that are more isolated. So its an unusual area in that regard or not unusual but an area thats not a wall of one type or another type. That does makes mosquito control more difficult because you need to tailor the mosquito-control activities to the specifics of the area to get rid of breeding sites as well as apply larvacide and insecticide effectively. In terms of the workplace Id have to refer you to Florida. I know theyve been quite cooperative and extensive sampling was done at the workplace as well. LENA SUN: Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: Next question. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Pam Belluck with New York Times. PAM BELLUCK: In Governor Scotts press release, he said that CDC was advising not only pregnant women but women considering becoming pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. Are you extending it to that population as well? And as a follow-up, he had said that six of the ten new cases were not symptomatic. I assume that four then were? And were they all identified by, you know, kind of urine testing of people in the area, or were any of them identified because they showed up with symptoms elsewhere? TOM FRIEDEN: Ill answer the second of those questions and then ask Dr. Denise Jamieson to answer the first of them. The details of the investigation again Ill refer you to Florida. Our understanding is that they did surveys both at the workplace, as well as in the community. And for the community for the community survey, they identified six asymptomatic people with positive urine PCR, implying infection within the past two weeks. For the workplace, they identified individuals with both positive PCR and positive IGM. Some had symptoms and some did not. And so Ill refer you to the state for those details. Dr. Jamieson? DENISE JAMIESON: so we are advising that pregnant women not travel to this area that the Florida department of health has identified. In addition, were recommending that women who are considering pregnancy not get pregnant for up to eight weeks after returning from that area. PAM BELLUCK: Okay. If youre considering pregnancy, then you can travel there, just dont get pregnant for eight weeks. DENISE JAMIESON: Correct. PAM BELLUCK: Okay. TOM FRIEDEN: Next question, please. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Robert Lowes with MedScape Medical News. ROBERT LOWES: Dr. Frieden, thanks for taking all our calls. In the press release from Governor Scott, he said that Florida remains safe and open for business. He said, you know, we already welcomed 30 million tourists. We look forward to welcoming more visitors to Florida this summer. Did Florida ask the CDC to limit the size of this travel advisory area? The known transmission area to that particular dimension to basically protect the tourism industry in Miami? TOM FRIEDEN: No. In fact, this is consistent with the CDC guidance wed already published and have updated more recently. The guidance basically takes into account that the Aedes aegypti mosquito doesnt travel more than 150 meters in its lifetime and that within the U.S., transmission that weve seen of dengue and Chikungunya has been very focal so there wouldnt be a technical or scientific basis to give a broader recommendation. We dont have evidence that theres spread more broadly. We do know that all throughout parts of 30 states of the U.S., we have Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In all of those places, pregnant women should protect themselves against mosquito bites. But here, the importance is to be specific so that people in that area can take steps to protect themselves and can avoid travel to that area if they are pregnant. We will continue to look at this data every single day, including additional testing, and if that changes in Florida, then we will adjust the area of warning. ROBERT LOWES: Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: Next question. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Helen Branswell with STAT. HELEN BRANSWELL: Hi. Thanks very much for taking my question. Dr. Frieden, you mentioned that the vector control efforts dont seem to be working as well as they ought to be. What is showing up in their traps? Mostly aedes aegypti? Is it anything else, and I dont think theres been any positive hits yet in terms of infected mosquitoes, and I have a follow-up question. TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you. They are using traps specific for Aedes aegypti and they are catching mostly Aedes aegypti. As far as we know theyve not had any positive mosquitoes. And we dont expect that. Its kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack to get a positive mosquito. We generally find that for determining if there is local transmission, unfortunately, finding cases in people is much more sensitive than finding infections in mosquitoes. HELEN BRANSWELL: okay. My follow-up question, i think Dr. Petersen is on the line. You have been doing work looking at potential vectors for Zika and particularly whether some of the mosquitoes that are more prevalent in the United States could be common vectors. Are you seeing any signs that anything else is a potential problem? DR. LYLE PETERSEN: That work is ongoing. So far to date, theyve been looking at Culex mosquitoes which are the ones that spread West Nile. Weve found no evidence to date that the virus can be propagated in those mosquitoes. TOM FRIEDEN: Well take two more questions. OPERATOR: Next question comes from Nancy Cook with Politico. NANCY COOK: Hi. Thank you so much for taking my question. Hello? TOM FRIEDEN: Yes, go ahead. NANCY COOK: Yeah. I just was wondering, on the Friday call, the CDC, you were saying that there was no need to issue any sort of travel bans. And Im wondering what has changed. You know, its just two days later. What has changed over the weekend to make you guys alter that call? Thank you. TOM FRIEDEN: So as we said on Friday, we literally look at this every single day. And we had basically three pieces of information come in over Saturday and Sunday. The first and most concerning was that it appeared that the mosquito-control activities hadnt had the level of success that we had hoped. They are still seeing more Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (the mosquito that spreads this) than we had hoped. Second, the additional testing that Florida did found additional cases. And those cases went back to June 30th. So there was more extensive spread in this area and more extensive mosquito populations than we had known on Friday. Because of that, today we advised pregnant women not to travel to that area. And well continue to work with Florida to look at the data every single day. Florida is releasing additional information on what they are doing in terms of the investigation of this and other potentially locally transmitted cases. This is not the first investigation theyve done. In other investigations theyve evaluated and not found any local transmission. In this case, they investigated and found further local I should say further local transmission. and for that, they basically have identified, as mentioned, ten additional cases in this area or infections, I should say, in this area, including six asymptomatic community members, as well as add to the two individuals who triggered the investigation here, so a total of 12 cases in this 150-meter radius. They the state has tested more than 2,000 people statewide. Theyve tested more than 200 people through these different investigations of local or potentially locally transmitted Zika, and theyve identified the area where active transmission is occurring. They are doing extensive outreach in that area and the CDC CERT team or the CDC Emergency Response Team is already either there or en route to work with Florida since the request of Governor Scott this morning, but weve been working closely with Florida for weeks on this and other investigations. And we recognize its a situation that changes rapidly. This is what weve seen with Zika. We literally are responding daily. We work 24/7 to protect people. As soon as we get new information that affects how we give guidance, we will provide that new guidance. We have time for one last question. OPERATOR: Our last question comes from Tom Howell with the Washington Times. TOM HOWELL: You mentioned you dont expect widespread transmission but you do expect possible sustained transmission in these localized areas. For people who hear that there wont be supposedly widespread infections swirling throughout the continental U.S. and those who doubt $1.9 billion number, can you explain why the $1.9 billion number is still the number that, you know, you feel is needed to combat this disease? TOM FRIEDEN: Just to be clear, this is a really tough mosquito to control. When Key West had an outbreak of dengue a few years back, despite extensive mosquito control efforts, that outbreak continued for more than a year. And, therefore, its a demonstration of how intensive the efforts need to be to control this infection. In addition, we know that a single child born with microcephaly represents a terrible tragedy for that family. And also can cost $10 million or more in medical and other costs over the lifetime of that child. So preventing these tragic occurrences to the best of our ability requires a robust response. That means investing today, not just in the vaccine, which is very important, but in better ways to kill mosquitoes, better ways to track mosquitoes, better ways to diagnose the infection to protect pregnant women more effectively. Before closing, I just want to reiterate the bottom line which is that what we have learned over the past 48 hours is that mosquito control efforts dont appear to have been as effective as we had hoped, and a number of new cases of Zika have been diagnosed in that specific 150-meter area. Therefore, CDC advises pregnant women to avoid travel to this one-mile radius area north of downtown Miami. And for pregnant women who live or work in the area to make every effort to avoid mosquito bites. Thank you. TOM SKINNER: Thank you all for joining us for this call today. A transcript of this call will be posted to the CDC newsroom later this afternoon. If you have follow-up questions or need additional information, please call the CDC press office at 404-639-3286. Thank you once again for joining us. Well provide more updated information as we have it. Thank you. ### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon State and local strategies are needed to increase access to contraceptive methods and related services, reduce the risk for unintended pregnancy, and minimize the number of pregnancies affected by Zika infection. Potentially effective strategies include addressing policies on high device costs and provider reimbursement, comprehensive provider training on insertion and removal of LARC, provision of youth-friendly services, support to resource-challenged jurisdictions, client-centered counseling and assessment of patient satisfaction, and increased consumer awareness of the full range of contraceptive methods to delay or avoid pregnancy. State-based estimates of contraception use are provided for nonpregnant and postpartum women at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually active female high school students. Among these populations, use of moderate and less effective contraception was most common; use of no contraceptive method and use of LARC varied by state, age group, and race/ethnicity. Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an Aedes species mosquito, sex with an infected partner, or from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. It has also been associated with eye defects, hearing loss, and impaired growth. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Among nonpermanent contraceptive methods, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the most effective contraceptive option for preventing unintended pregnancy. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause congenital microcephaly and brain abnormalities (1,2). Since 2015, Zika virus has been spreading through much of the World Health Organizations Region of the Americas, including U.S. territories. Zika virus is spread through the bite of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, by sex with an infected partner, or from a pregnant woman to her fetus during pregnancy.* CDC estimates that 41 states are in the potential range of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (3), and on July 29, 2016, the Florida Department of Health identified an area in one neighborhood of Miami where Zika virus infections in multiple persons are being spread by bites of local mosquitoes. These are the first known cases of local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission in the continental United States. CDC prevention efforts include mosquito surveillance and control, targeted education about Zika virus and condom use to prevent sexual transmission, and guidance for providers on contraceptive counseling to reduce unintended pregnancy. To estimate the prevalence of contraceptive use among nonpregnant and postpartum women at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually active female high school students living in the 41 states where mosquito-borne transmission might be possible, CDC used 20112013 and 2015 survey data from four state-based surveillance systems: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS, 20112013), which surveys adult women; the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS, 2013) and the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA, 2013), which surveys women with a recent live birth; and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS, 2015), which surveys students in grades 912. CDC defines an unintended pregnancy as one that is either unwanted (i.e., the pregnancy occurred when no children, or no more children, were desired) or mistimed (i.e., the pregnancy occurred earlier than desired). The proportion of women at risk for unintended pregnancy who used a highly effective reversible method, known as long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), ranged from 5.5% to 18.9% for BRFSS-surveyed women and 6.9% to 30.5% for PRAMS/MIHAsurveyed women. The proportion of women not using any contraception ranged from 12.3% to 34.3% (BRFSS) and from 3.5% to 15.3% (PRAMS/MIHA). YRBS data indicated that among sexually active female high school students, use of LARC at last intercourse ranged from 1.7% to 8.4%, and use of no contraception ranged from 7.3% to 22.8%. In the context of Zika preparedness, the full range of contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including LARC, should be readily available and accessible for women who want to avoid or delay pregnancy. Given low rates of LARC use, states can implement strategies to remove barriers to the access and availability of LARC including high device costs, limited provider reimbursement, lack of training for providers serving women and adolescents on insertion and removal of LARC, provider lack of knowledge and misperceptions about LARC, limited availability of youth-friendly services that address adolescent confidentiality concerns, inadequate client-centered counseling, and low consumer awareness of the range of contraceptive methods available. BRFSS is a cross-sectional, random-digitdialed, state-based telephone survey that collects data on risk behaviors and preventive health practices among adult respondents living in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Data from 17 states that might be at risk for mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus (3) and had implemented questions on self-reported contraceptive use as part of the BRFSS Family Planning module in 2011 or as state-added questions in 2012 or 2013 were used to estimate use of contraception among women aged 1844 years at risk for unintended pregnancy. PRAMS is an ongoing state-based and population-based surveillance system designed to monitor selected self-reported maternal behaviors and experiences that occur before, during, and after pregnancy among women who recently delivered a live-born infant.** Data from 28 PRAMS states, reporting in 2013, were used to estimate contraceptive use at the time of the survey (46 months postpartum) among women aged 1544 years with a recent live birth who were at risk for unintended pregnancy. PRAMS sites were included if they might be at risk for mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus (3) and achieved a weighted response rate of 55%. The 2013 MIHA was used to estimate contraceptive use for postpartum women in California. Using methods comparable to PRAMS, MIHA is an annual, statewide-representative survey of women with a recent live birth. YRBSs are conducted by state health and education agencies among representative samples of students in grades 912, to monitor health-risk behaviors, including sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.*** Data from 2015 YRBSs conducted in 28 states that might be at risk for mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus (3) were used to describe contraceptive use among female high school students at last sexual intercourse. For all data sources, contraceptive use was classified according to the estimated percentage of users who experience pregnancy during the first year of typical use as highly effective (<1%), moderately effective (6%10%), and less effective (>10%) (4). Among women reporting more than one contraceptive method, the most effective method was coded. Highly effective, permanent contraceptive methods included female sterilization, tubal ligation, or partner vasectomy. Highly effective LARC methods included intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants. Moderately effective contraceptive methods included hormone injections, contraceptive pills, transdermal contraceptive patches, and vaginal rings. Less effective methods included diaphragm, condoms (male or female), cervical cap, sponge, withdrawal, spermicide, fertility-based awareness methods, emergency contraception, and other. Data for the use of permanent contraceptive methods, although included in the denominator for calculating percentages, are not presented because women reporting female sterilization or partner vasectomy do not need ongoing contraceptive services. Weighted prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals for contraceptive use were calculated overall and by age group, as appropriate (BRFSS: ages 1824, 2534, and 3544 years; PRAMS/MIHA: ages 1519, 2024, 2534, and 3544 years) and by race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white [white], non-Hispanic black [black], and Hispanic). For all surveys, non-Hispanic other race was included in the denominator, but not presented because of small sample sizes. PRAMS/MIHA data were used to estimate the prevalence of contraceptive use by insurance status (private insurance, Medicaid, and none); other insurance was not presented because of small sample sizes. Estimates were excluded when they did not meet the reliability standard established for each surveillance system.**** In the 17 states for which BRFSS data were available, use of LARC at last sexual intercourse among women aged 1844 years at risk for unintended pregnancy ranged from 5.5% (Arizona) to 18.9% (Utah) (Table 1). The proportion of women at risk for unintended pregnancy who used no contraception was lowest in Vermont (12.3%) and highest in Tennessee (34.3%). For all states, moderately and less effective contraception use was lower among older women (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40511). Use of less effective contraception was more common among Hispanic women than among white women (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40511). PRAMS and MIHA data indicated that the proportion of women aged 1544 years at risk for unintended pregnancy using LARC during the postpartum period ranged from 6.9% (New Jersey) to 30.5% (Utah) (Table 2) and was typically highest among adolescents aged 1519 years (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40512). The proportion of postpartum women at risk for unintended pregnancy who did not use contraception ranged from 3.5% (Vermont) to 15.3% (Hawaii). In general, use of LARC and moderately effective contraception was lower in older women (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40512). The proportion of women using less effective contraceptive methods tended to be higher among white and Hispanic women than black women (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40512). Among women with no insurance, use of LARC ranged from 5.3% (New Jersey) to 34.2% (Utah) (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40513). YRBS data indicated that among currently sexually active female high school students in 28 states, LARC use ranged from <2% (North Carolina and Pennsylvania) to 8.4% (Vermont) (Table 3). Use of less effective contraceptive methods ranged from 36.3% (Vermont) to 59.9% (Florida); the proportion of sexually active female high school students not using any contraception was lowest in Vermont (7.3%) and highest in Arkansas (22.8%). Limited data were available to describe sexually active female high school students using contraception by method effectiveness and race/ethnicity (available at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/40514). LafargeHolcim - July 2016 LafargeHolcim has agreed to sell Lafarge India to the Indian conglomerate Nirma Ltd for around US$1400m. It will be Nirmas first investment in the cement sector and comes in spite of a marginally higher offer from a Chinese cement producer. The deal involves three cement works and two grinding centres with a combined capacity of some 11Mt and is also one of the largest ready-mixed concrete producers in India. The disposal of some cement operations were demanded by the competition authorities as a condition of approving the Holcim Lafarge merger. LafargeHolcim has also agreed to sell Holcim Lanka in Sri Lanka to Siam City Cement for US$400m. Holcim Lanka owns one integrated cement works and one grinding centre with a combined capacity of 1.7Mta. It is anticipated that this deal will be completed during the third quarter of the current year. ACCs first-half cement volume increased by 3.8 per cent to 12.48Mt while the ready-mixed concrete output advanced by 11.4 per cent to 1.3mm. The turnover was 0.8 per cent lower at INR57.933bn while EBITDA was 5.7 per cent lower at INR8.9115bn, but the pretax profit did advance by 30.3 per cent to INR632.44m and the net attributable profit advanced by 26 per cent to INR4.6607bn. Ambuja Cement is increased its first-half cement volume by 3.5 per cent to11.62Mt and the turnover edged ahead by 0.7 per cent to INR50.0535bn, while the pretax profit rose by 31.5 per cent to INR9.6668bn and the net attributable profit advanced by 29.3 per cent to INR7.0327bn. Semen Indonesia exports to East Timor ICR Newsroom By 02 August 2016 PT Semen Indonesia has said that it exports 15,000t of cement to Dili, East Timor, every month. Through subsidiary Semen Tonasa, the company has exported to Dili every month since 2000, according to senior manager at the company, Sigit Wahano. Mr Wahano said Semen Indonesia, with a production capacity of 31.8Mta, exports 10 per cent of its production volume every year. Published under Qatar Cement signs US$100m deal with Saudi investors ICR Newsroom By 02 August 2016 The Qatar National Cement Company has agreed a US$100m financing deal with Samba Financial Group of Saudi Arabia, the Peninsula newspaper reports. The investment deal will be used to part-fund Qatar Cements fifth integrated plant, construction of which is already underway at a total cost of QAR950m (US$260m). The new plant will have a clinker capacity of 17,000tpd and grinding capacity of 20,000tpd. Qatar Cement also released its earnings statement for the first half of 2016. This overturned the companys disappointing first-quarter results, which showed a 1.6 per cent YoY fall in profits. In the first six months of 2016, Qatar Cement made a profit of QAR251.7m (US$69m), up 3.75 per cent YoY. Last month, Qatar Cement announced that it would close its oldest cement plant Plant 1 which first came online in 1969 and currently has a capacity of 0.2Mt of clinker and 0.14Mt of cement. Published under The Los Angeles Dodgers decision to send outfielder Yasiel Puig to the minors Monday after trying and failing to trade him wound up creating a media controversy, as Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal initially reported both on Twitter and on Foxs site that Puig showed up at Dodger Stadium and stormed off when he found the news. Puigs agent Adam Katz sent out a statement that Puig never went to the park, and Rosenthal subsequently issued corrections in both places. Heres his Twitter correction: To those upset with first version of Puig story: Im with you. I take great pride in accuracy. It infuriates me that a key detail was wrong. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2016 The information came from sources, but thats not an excuse. Its my job to check everything thoroughly. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2016 The only solution in a situation like this is to apologize, correct the mistake and learn from it. And thats what Im doing. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2016 And his online correction: Puigs agent, Adam Katz, and Dodgers officials said that my initial report that Puig stormed off after arriving at Dodger Stadium and being given the news was inaccurate. Im told he never went to the park, Katz said. The club informed me and the player understood clearly that they were making every to trade him and that if they were unable to come to terms with another club on a trade and successful in acquiring another outfielder that he likely would be demoted. My understanding is that transaction will happen tomorrow. Rosenthals misstep here illustrates both the problems that can arise with anonymous sources (when a source isnt named, their credibility then rests on the reporter and the outlet, and that can damage the reputation of both when the source is wrong) and how quickly an error can spread when made by someone with a large platform. Rosenthals generally very reliable, so his report was understandably passed on through a lot of channels (both on Twitter and on other sites, by both fans and media outlets). Rosenthal deserves credit for correcting this publicly and in detail on both Twitter and Foxs site, and keeping a reference to his inaccurate initial report in the copy there. Many would have just updated the post and eliminated mention of their mistake, but in a case like this, its absolutely appropriate to mention it. This is one misstep, and everyone makes mistakes, but Rosenthal handled the correction well. However, this should serve as a further warning for readers to be leery of anonymous sources, even if the reporter presenting them is generally quite credible. Motorcycle theft A man reported his motorcycle stolen in east Flagstaff this past week. According to the police report, the victim had left the vehicle in a parking lot in the 1900 block of North Fourth Street on July 18. He told officers this past Tuesday that he had located video surveillance footage from a business that showed an unidentified male wheeling the motorcycle away at approximately 6:45 p.m. July 18. The vehicle was a black 2007 Suzuki GZ 250 with Arizona license plate number GMCF8L. It has been entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database as stolen. The investigation is ongoing. Charged with DUI Juliet Alyce Jones, 46, who is transient, was arrested by Flagstaff Police Department on an aggravated DUI with a suspended license charge and a hit-and-run charge at 2:55 p.m. Wednesday. City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest. Two off-duty police officers and a civilian bystander tackled a naked man suspected of assaulting a Flagstaff police officer while high on bath salts Saturday in the Highland Mesa area. According to Flagstaff Police Department, Officer Daniel Beckwith responded to the 2800 block of South Highland Mesa Road at about 6:16 p.m. Saturday to investigate a report of a naked Caucasian man behaving suspiciously. When the officer arrived, the reporting party directed him to a wooded area. The officer could hear the suspect yelling, so he called for more officers to assist him. Beckwith identified himself as a police officer as he approached the suspect, who was nude and still yelling. The suspect responded by telling the officer to take his clothes off. Instead, Beckwith told the naked suspect to calm down and come talk to him. Rather than calming down, the suspect told the police officer to get on the ground. According to FPD, the suspect took a fighting stance as Beckwith approached him. When the officer told him to turn around and put his hands up, the suspect instead started walking toward him. He ignored orders to stop even after the officer pulled out his Taser. When the officer shot the suspect with the Taser, it had no effect. FPD officials said the suspect then assaulted Beckwith, causing both men to fall down a rocky hill. Beckwith sustained severe lacerations and bruises and was unable to stand after the fall. The suspect was able to get up. An off-duty Northern Arizona University Police Department officer, an off-duty Department of Public Safety officer and a civilian bystander then tackled the suspect, who continued to fight. Other FPD officers then arrived to restrain him. The officer and suspect were both taken to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. Hospital staff eventually moved the suspect to the Intensive Care Unit, though it is unclear whether the move was due to injuries he sustained during the fall or another medical reason. The suspect has been identified as a 25-year-old resident of Scottsdale. According to Flagstaff police, he may have a history of mental illness. Police are also investigating whether he was under the influence of bath salts or a similar mind-altering drug. Beckwith's body camera recorded the encounter. The case is still under investigation. Catholic Family News A Monthly Journal Preserving our Catholic Faith and Heritage Home Latest Archives Subscribe CFN Media - videos Contact Us CFN Bookstore Oltyn Library Services 2017 CFN Daily Blog Originally started as a daily Blog update of news reports on the Papal Conclave and ongoing news on Pope Francis, it is now a general Blog updated daily on traditional Catholic topics Updated Regularly Book mark this page click here Luxury hotels in the historic center for a Catholic family. Only luxury hotels can provide a paradisiacal vacation for a big Catholic family. A high-level vacation for families, children and not only. The gorgeous views, divine service, and the best location are all luxury hotels. Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and more. Everyone will find their place in this corner of paradise. Popular destinations Breckenridge, CO, United States In Breckenridge, Colorado, there are plenty of places to visit, whether you're a nature lover or thrill seeker. For nature lovers, the Blue River runs right through town and there are plenty of trails to explore. If you're looking for a thrill, Breckenridge is home to some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the country. There's also plenty of shopping and dining options in town, so you'll never run out of things to do. Breckenridge Luxury Hotels Savannah, GA, United States Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful city with lots of places to visit, including Forsyth Park, River Street, and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Another place to visit is the Savannah History Museum, which is jam-packed with interesting exhibits on the history of the city. Savannah Luxury Hotels Naples, FL, United States Naples is known for its stunning white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. Its also home to a wide variety of attractions, including world-class golf courses, vibrant nightlife, and interesting cultural experiences. Here are five places to visit in Naples, Florida: Naples Pier: Stroll along the pier and enjoy panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico. Fifth Avenue South: This popular shopping and dining district is home to eclectic boutiques, award-winning restaurants, and lively bars. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples: This luxurious resort is set on 26 acres of pristine waterfront property and offers superb amenities, including a world-class spa and championship golf course. The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens: This zoological park is home to more than 700 animals representing 150 species, including flamingos, lemurs, and tigers. Tin City: This eclectic shopping and dining district is housed in a series of restored waterfront warehouses and features eclectic shops, galleries, and award-winning restaurants. Naples Luxury Hotels Naples Luxury Resorts Louisville, KY, United States Louisville is in the heart of Kentucky and is known for being the home of the Kentucky Derby. There are a lot of great places to visit in Louisville, including the Louisville Zoo, the Muhammad Ali Center, and the Frazier History Museum. There are also a lot of great restaurants and bars in Louisville, and it's a great place to visit for a weekend getaway. Louisville Luxury Hotels Galveston, TX, United States Galveston is a Texas coastal town that is rich in history and offers visitors a variety of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include the Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, and Historic Downtown. There are also a number of museums and other historical landmarks, as well as plenty of shopping and dining options. Galveston Luxury Hotels Galveston Luxury Resorts Omaha, NE, United States The birthplace of Warren Buffett, Omaha, Nebraska, is a great place to visit. There are plenty of things to see and do in Omaha, from touring the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium to visiting the Durham Western Heritage Museum. Other popular tourist destinations in Omaha include the Joslyn Art Museum, the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, and TD Ameritrade Park. Omaha Luxury Hotels Columbus, GA, United States Columbus is a charming small town in Georgia that is worth a visit. There are several places to visit in Columbus, including the Riverwalk, the Chattahoochee River, the National Infantry Museum, and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. The Riverwalk is a beautiful walkway along the Chattahoochee River that is perfect for a relaxing stroll or a bike ride. The Chattahoochee River is a great place to go fishing, swimming, or kayaking. The National Infantry Museum is a museum dedicated to the infantry of the United States Army. It is a must-see for history buffs. The Coca-Cola Space Science Center is a museum dedicated to space science. It is perfect for kids and adults alike. Columbus Luxury Hotels Anchorage, AK, United States Anchorage is a great place to visit if you're looking for an adrenaline rush. From skiing and snowboarding in the winter to rafting and fishing in the summer, Anchorage has something to offer everyone. In addition to its outdoor activities, Anchorage also has a variety of cultural and historical attractions, including the Anchorage Museum and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Anchorage Luxury Hotels Portland, OR, United States Portland is a city that is located in the US state of Oregon and it is known for its art scene, food, and coffee. There are a lot of interesting places to visit in Portland, such as the Portland Art Museum, where you can see a variety of art from all over the world. Another place to visit is the Powell's City of Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world. If you're looking for a place to eat, Portland has no shortage of amazing restaurants, such as Pok Pok, which serves Thai cuisine, and Le Pigeon, which serves French cuisine. And, of course, no trip to Portland would be complete without trying some of the city's famous coffee, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Portland Luxury Hotels Florence, Italy No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to Florence. This historic city is home to some of the country's most famous attractions, including the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Michelangelo's David. There's also plenty to see and do outside of the city center, including the picturesque Tuscan countryside and the vibrant university town of Arezzo. Florence Luxury Hotels Florence Luxury Villas Asheville, NC, United States Asheville is a city in western North Carolina. It is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Buncombe County. Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the United States. The city of Asheville proper had a population of 84,236 in 2010. The city is known for its art deco architecture, mountain scenery and outdoor activities, and as the birthplace of American novelist Thomas Wolfe. It is also home to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the second largest craft brewery in the United States. Asheville Luxury Hotels Asheville Luxury Cottages Long Beach, CA, United States There's plenty to do in Long Beach, California without ever having to leave the city limits. If you're looking for a little adventure, head to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a glimpse of the ocean's creatures or take a walk on the boardwalk at Rainbow Harbor. If you're more of a history buff, the Queen Mary is a must-see. This retired ocean liner is now a hotel and museum with plenty of stories to tell. And no trip to Long Beach is complete without a visit to the iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge. Long Beach Luxury Hotels Long Beach Luxury Villas Cincinnati, OH, United States Cincinnati is a city located on the Ohio River in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. The city was founded in 1788 and named after the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers. Cincinnati is a major U.S. city and the metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million people. The city is well-known for its German heritage, Oktoberfest celebration, and its variety of chili dishes. Cincinnati is home to three major sports teams: the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, MLB's Cincinnati Reds, and the NBA's Cincinnati Cavaliers. The city is also home to the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. The city's historic neighborhoods include Over-the-Rhine, Mount Auburn, and Hyde Park. Cincinnati is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of attractions and places to visit, including the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Newport Aquarium, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Cincinnati Luxury Hotels Laughlin, NV, United States Laughlin, Nevada is a great place to visit if you're looking for a fun and affordable vacation. There are plenty of casinos and resorts to choose from, as well as plenty of outdoor activities and attractions. Be sure to check out the local nightlife, and don't forget to take a trip down the mighty Colorado River. Laughlin Luxury Hotels Laughlin Luxury Resorts Anaheim, CA, United States Anaheim, California is home to both Disneyland and California Adventure Park. The parks are just a short walk away from each other, and make for a great day of exploration. Anaheim is also home to the Anaheim Angels and the Anaheim Ducks, so there's always a game to catch. If you're looking for something a little more low-key, Anaheim has a great shopping district and a variety of restaurants to choose from. Anaheim Luxury Hotels Santa Cruz, CA, United States Santa Cruz is a great place to visit! There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of my favorite places to visit are the Boardwalk, the wharf, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Boardwalk is a great place to go for a walk, ride on the amusement park rides, and eat some of the delicious food. The wharf is a great place to go for a walk, eat some seafood, and listen to the street performers. The University of California, Santa Cruz is a great place to visit to learn about the history of the area and to see some of the beautiful architecture. I highly recommend visiting Santa Cruz if you are looking for a fun and interesting place to visit!. Santa Cruz Luxury Hotels Eugene, OR, United States Eugene, Oregon is a great city to visit with a lot of places to see and things to do. One of the most popular attractions is the University of Oregon campus, which is home to a number of museums and a large football stadium. The city also has a vibrant arts scene, with a number of theaters and art galleries. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the dozens of parks and hiking trails in the area, and there are also a number of wineries and breweries in the area. Eugene Luxury Hotels Branson, MO, United States There's plenty to see and do in Branson, Missouri, from state parks and amusement parks to theaters and shopping. Here are some of the most popular places to visit: Silver Dollar City is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." Table Rock State Park has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. The Titanic Museum features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. Branson Landing is a shopping and entertainment complex on the waterfront. There's something for everyone in Branson, Missouri come visit and see for yourself!. Branson Luxury Hotels Panama City Beach, FL, United States The white sand beaches and emerald waters of Panama City Beach, Florida, are a popular tourist destination. The city is home to numerous hotels, resorts, and restaurants, as well as amusement and water parks. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, kayaking, and surfing. Panama City Beach Luxury Hotels Panama City Beach Luxury Resorts Monterey, CA, United States Monterey is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, United States. It stands at the southern end of Monterey Bay, on the Pacific coast. The city is also the home of the Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey is the largest city in the Central Coast region of California. The main attractions in Monterey are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the downtown area. Monterey Luxury Hotels Norfolk, VA, United States Norfolk, Virginia is a great place to visit for its historical places and military bases. Some places to visit in Norfolk are the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and the Norfolk Naval Station. Norfolk Luxury Hotels Palm Springs, CA, United States Palm Springs is a vibrant city located in the Coachella Valley and is known for its year-round sunshine, resort atmosphere and Mid-Century Modern architecture. Top places to visit include the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs Art Museum, Indian Canyons and Moorten Botanical Garden. For a truly unique experience, be sure to check out the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale the worlds largest vintage furniture and design event. Palm Springs Luxury Hotels Palm Springs Luxury Resorts Palm Springs Luxury Villas Rochester, NY, United States Rochester is a city in western New York State and is the county seat of Monroe County. Rochester is known for its annual festivals, including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Rochester Fringe Festival, and the Holiday Folk Fair International. Places to visit in Rochester include the George Eastman Museum, the Strong National Museum of Play, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and the Seneca Park Zoo. Rochester Luxury Hotels Pigeon Forge, TN, United States Visit the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge for a unique experience. This museum is dedicated to the Titanic, one of the most infamous ships in history. Tour the ship and learn about the passengers and crew who were on board. You can even see the actual artifacts recovered from the shipwreck. If you're looking for a little more excitement, head to Dollywood. This amusement park is home to roller coasters, a water park, and plenty of other rides and attractions. Plus, the park is themed around the life and music of Dolly Parton. No trip to Pigeon Forge is complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains. These mountains offer a variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. Plus, the natural beauty of the area is simply breathtaking. Pigeon Forge Luxury Hotels Jacksonville, FL, United States Jacksonville is less than an hour's drive from the beaches of Amelia Island and St. Augustine, and a little more than two hours from Orlando. The city has a lot to offer visitors, including a riverwalk, museums, and a vibrant arts scene. Jacksonville is also home to the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team. Jacksonville Luxury Hotels Minsk, Belarus Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is a city that has something for everyone. If you're looking for a little history, Minsk has plenty of it, with churches and monuments dating back to the 12th century. If you're looking for a lively nightlife, Minsk has that, too, with plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants. And if you're looking for a little nature, Minsk has parks and gardens to enjoy. Here are just a few of the places you can visit in Minsk: The Holy Spirit Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Minsk, is a must-visit for history buffs. The National Library of Belarus is a huge library with more than 18 million items in its collection. The Opera and Ballet Theatre is a beautiful building that hosts performances of both opera and ballet. The Victory Park is a large park with a war memorial, a children's playground, and a lake. And for a little bit of nature in the heart of the city, the Botanical Garden is a great place to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Minsk. Minsk Luxury Hotels Jaipur, India Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is known for its palaces, forts and temples. Some of the places to visit in Jaipur include the Amber Fort, the City Palace, the Jantar Mantar Observatory and the Hawa Mahal. Jaipur is also a great place to shop for traditional Indian handicrafts. Jaipur Luxury Hotels Chicago, IL, United States Chicago is a city full of culture and history. There are plenty of places to visit, such as the Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to many restaurants and bars, so there is something for everyone. Chicago Luxury Hotels Auckland, New Zealand Auckland is a beautiful city located on the north island of New Zealand. There are many places to visit in Auckland, including the Sky Tower, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the Auckland Domain. The beaches in Auckland are also worth visiting, especially Karekare and Piha. Auckland is a great place to visit, and I highly recommend it!. Auckland Luxury Hotels Auckland Luxury Villas Amsterdam, Netherlands If you're looking for a city that's got it all, Amsterdam should be your go-to destination. From the city's lively and vibrant nightlife to its charming and quiet neighborhoods, Amsterdam has something for everyone. Be sure to check out the Anne Frank Huis, the Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh Museum, as these are some of the most popular attractions in the city. And if you're looking for a little bit of nature, be sure to take a walk or bike ride through Amsterdam's many parks. Amsterdam Luxury Hotels Berlin, Germany There are so many great places to visit in Berlin that it can be hard to know where to start. From the iconic Brandenburg Gate to the fascinating Reichstag Building, there's something for everyone in this vibrant city. If you're looking for a bit of history, make sure to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial or the DDR Museum. And for those looking for a bit more fun, there's always the Alexanderplatz Christmas Market or the Zoologischer Garten. No matter what your interests, Berlin is a city you won't want to miss. Berlin Luxury Hotels Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok is a city of contrasts with its gleaming temples and skyscrapers, chaotic markets and tranquil canals. While it's a popular tourist destination, Bangkok is a city that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. Some of the top places to visit in Bangkok include the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the floating markets and the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Bangkok Luxury Hotels Bangkok Luxury Resorts Bangkok Luxury Villas Bruges, Belgium Bruges is a city in Belgium that is worth visiting. It is full of medieval charm and there are a lot of things to see and do. Some of the places to visit include the Markt, the Belfry, and the Begijnhof. Bruges Luxury Hotels Brussels, Belgium Brussels is a city in Belgium that is best known for its chocolate, waffles, and beer. But there is much more to see and do in Brussels than just indulge in the local cuisine. There are a number of interesting historical landmarks to visit, such as the Grand Place and the Atomium, as well as a variety of parks and gardens. And, of course, Brussels is also a great city to explore on foot. Brussels Luxury Hotels Budapest, Hungary Budapest, Hungary's capital, is a city of thermal baths and medival, baroque and art nouveau architecture. Crowded with tourists, the city is bisected by the Danube River into the hilly Buda and the more developed and flat Pest. Among the main places of interest are the neo-Gothic Parliament, the Chain Bridge linking Buda and Pest, the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda bank, and the State Opera House and Heroes' Square on the Pest side. Budapest Luxury Hotels Playa del Carmen, Mexico Home to some of the best beaches in Mexico, Playa del Carmen is a favorite tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. With its lively nightlife, gorgeous coastline and ample shopping opportunities, there's something for everyone in this tropical paradise. Don't miss the opportunity to visit some of the area's most popular attractions, such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba, or the eco-friendly Turtle Beach. With its friendly people, delicious food and stunning scenery, Playa del Carmen is a place you'll never want to leave. Playa del Carmen Luxury Hotels Playa del Carmen Luxury Resorts Playa del Carmen Luxury Villas Denver, CO, United States Denver is a great city for visitors. There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of the top places to visit include the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, and the Colorado State Capitol. There are also plenty of great restaurants and shops to explore. Denver is definitely a city worth visiting!. Denver Luxury Hotels Dublin, Ireland Dublin is a city located in Ireland. It's a city full of culture, with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist spots are the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, and the Dublin Castle. There are also plenty of pubs and restaurants to discover. Dublin Luxury Hotels Dusseldorf, Germany Dusseldorf, Germany is a city with many different places to visit. The city has a mix of old and new buildings, and a variety of activities to do. The best places to visit in Dusseldorf are the Konigsallee, the Rhine Tower, and the Oktoberfest. The Konigsallee is an open-air shopping mall that has many high-end stores. The Rhine Tower is the tallest building in the city and offers great views of Dusseldorf. The Oktoberfest is a week-long festival that celebrates German culture and food. Dusseldorf Luxury Hotels Edinburgh, United Kingdom Edinburgh, Scotland is a beautiful city to visit. The architecture is very old and unique, and there are plenty of historical places to visit, like Edinburgh Castle. There are also plenty of parks and gardens, and lots of shops and restaurants. Edinburgh Luxury Hotels Rome, Italy Rome is a city rich in history and filled with beautiful places to visit. Make sure to stop by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Also be sure to visit St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel while in Rome. If youre looking for a little more nature in your trip, head to the Villa Borghese gardens or the Janiculum Hill for some wonderful views of the city. And of course, no trip to Rome is complete without a gelato!. Rome Luxury Hotels Rome Luxury Villas New York, NY, United States There are many amazing places to visit in New York State. Some of my favorites are the Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Finger Lakes. If you're looking for a city break, New York City is definitely worth a visit. There's endless things to see and do, from touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to visiting world-famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. No matter what your interests are, you'll be able to find something to enjoy in New York State. New York Luxury Hotels New York Luxury Villas London, United Kingdom London is a city rich in history and full of amazing places to visit. Some of my favorite places are Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. There is so much to see and do in London, you could spend weeks here and never run out of things to do. If you're looking for a city full of culture and history, London is the place for you. London Luxury Hotels London Luxury Cottages Madrid, Spain Madrid is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the world. From the Royal Palace to the Prado Museum, theres plenty to see and do in Madrid. If youre looking for a little bit of nature, Madrid has plenty of parks, like the Buen Retiro Park, to relax in. And dont forget to try some of the delicious tapas and wine while youre in town. Madrid Luxury Hotels Memphis, TN, United States The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Memphis is a city rich in history and culture. From Graceland to Beale Street, there are plenty of places to visit in Memphis. Be sure to check out Sun Studio, where rock 'n' roll was born, and the National Civil Rights Museum, which tells the story of the African-American civil rights movement. Memphis is also home to some amazing food, so be sure to try some of the city's famous barbecue and soul food. Memphis Luxury Hotels Miami Beach, FL, United States There is much to explore in Miami Beach, from the famous Art Deco district to the vast beaches and crystal-clear waters. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding, while history buffs can explore the ancient burial mounds at Miami Beach. Shoppers and foodies will find plenty to keep them busy, with vibrant neighborhoods like Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive offering unique boutiques and award-winning restaurants. And of course, no trip to Miami Beach is complete without a visit to world-famous South Beach. Miami Beach Luxury Hotels Miami Beach Luxury Resorts New Orleans, LA, United States You can't visit New Orleans without trying some of the local food. Beignets, Po' Boys, and gumbo are just a few of the must-try dishes. While you're in town, be sure to check out the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and St. Louis Cathedral. If you're looking for some nightlife, Bourbon Street is the place to be. And, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Mardi Gras!. New Orleans Luxury Hotels Milan, Italy Milan is a city located in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is a popular tourist destination because of its historical and artistic heritage. Some of the places you should visit while in Milan are the Duomo, La Scala, and Castello Sforzesco. Milan Luxury Hotels Naples, Italy Naples is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Italy. There are countless places to visit, such as the Royal Palace, the Museum of San Martino, and the Church of Gesu Nuovo. Naples is also home to excellent shopping and dining options. Be sure to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the city's many cafes and take a stroll through the picturesque streets. Naples Luxury Hotels Paris, France Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It's home to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, as well as a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene. If you're looking to explore all that Paris has to offer, here are some of the top places to visit: The Eiffel Tower: This iconic landmark is a must-see in Paris. Climb to the top for stunning views of the city, or take a ride on the elevator to the bottom for a closer look at the structure. The Louvre Museum: This world-famous museum is home to some of the most famous works of art in the world, including the Mona Lisa. The Notre Dame Cathedral: This beautiful cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Make sure to climb to the top for some amazing views of the city. The Champs-Elysees: This famous avenue is a popular destination for shopping and dining. Be sure to wander down the street and take in all the sights and sounds. The Arc de Triomphe: This towering arch is another iconic landmark in Paris. Climb to the top for some amazing views of the city. Paris Luxury Hotels Paris Luxury Villas Prague, Czech Republic Prague is a city rich in history and culture. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy, and the nightlife is vibrant. Prague is a truly unique city and a must-visit for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic. Prague Luxury Hotels Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is known for its beautiful beaches and turquoise waters. This paradise is a favorite destination for travelers looking for a Caribbean getaway. Punta Cana is home to a wide variety of resorts and activities, from enjoying the sand and surf to golfing, spas, and shopping. Nature lovers can also explore the areas jungles, caves, and waterfalls. Punta Cana Luxury Hotels Punta Cana Luxury Resorts Punta Cana Luxury Villas Marbella, Spain If you're looking for an idyllic and luxurious Spanish escape, look no further than Marbella. Located on the country's Costa del Sol, Marbella is home to stunning beaches, top-notch resorts, world-class golfing, and much more. A visit to Marbella is the perfect way to experience all that Spain has to offer. Marbella Luxury Hotels Marbella Luxury Villas Marrakesh, Morocco Marrakesh is a city in Morocco that is full of culture and history. There are several places to visit in Marrakesh, including the Palace of the Bahia, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and the Saadian Tombs. The souks (markets) are also a must-see, where you can find everything from souvenirs to spices to traditional clothing. Be sure to enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or cafes in Marrakesh; the food is delicious and the atmosphere is always lively. Marrakesh is a wonderful city to explore and definitely worth a visit!. Marrakesh Luxury Hotels San Francisco, CA, United States San Francisco is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason. There are plenty of things to see and do in this vibrant city. Here are some of the top places to visit: 1. Fisherman's Wharf: This neighborhood is home to a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as a popular pier where you can enjoy views of the bay. 2. The Golden Gate Bridge: This iconic bridge is a must-see for any visitor to San Francisco. 3. Alcatraz Island: This former federal prison is now a popular tourist attraction. It's a must-see for fans of history and crime dramas. 4. Chinatown: This colorful neighborhood is home to some of the best food in San Francisco. Be sure to check out the Dragon Gate entrance. 5. The Mission District: This trendy neighborhood is home to hip restaurants, bars, and art galleries. San Francisco Luxury Hotels Moscow, Russia Moscow, Russia is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the Kremlin, Red Square, and Saint Basil's Cathedral. Other great places to see include the Bolshoi Theatre, Gorky Park, and the Tretyakov Gallery. There are also many churches and other historical buildings to explore. Moscow is a lively city with a lot of culture and nightlife. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Moscow. Moscow Luxury Hotels Venice, Italy Venice is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The city is built on a lagoon in northeast Italy and is known for its canals and gondolas. There are many places to visit in Venice, including the Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and the Rialto Bridge. Venice is also home to many museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Venice Luxury Hotels Vienna, Austria Vienna, Austria is a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace, the Ringstrasse, and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Vienna is also home to some of the world's best shopping, including the Karntner Strasse and the Graben. Finally, no visit to Vienna is complete without experiencing the city's world-famous nightlife. Vienna Luxury Hotels Zurich, Switzerland Zurich is a marvelous city located in the heart of Switzerland. It is a city that has something to offer for everyone. From amazing restaurants and beautiful architecture to exciting nightlife and gorgeous parks, Zurich has something for everyone. Some of the most popular places to visit in Zurich include the Bahnhofstrasse, which is the city's most famous shopping street, the Lindenhof, which is a beautiful park with amazing views of the city, and Grossmunster, which is a stunning Romanesque church. Zurich is also home to some of the best museums in the world, including the famed Museum of Art and the Swiss National Museum. With its mix of old-world charm and modern amenities, Zurich is a city that is definitely worth exploring. Zurich Luxury Hotels Acapulco, Mexico If you're looking for a Mexican vacation spot with plenty of history and culture to explore, Acapulco is a great option. From the archeological wonders of the ancient city to the stunning coastal views, there's something for everyone in Acapulco. Plus, with its temperate climate, it's a great escape from colder winter weather. Acapulco Luxury Hotels Acapulco Luxury Resorts Acapulco Luxury Villas Nashville, TN, United States One of the United States' most interesting places to visit is Nashville, Tennessee. There's plenty to see and do there, from the Grand Ole Opry to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Music is a big part of the city's history and culture, so be sure to catch a show while you're in town. Other popular attractions include the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, and the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Nashville is also a great place to eat, with a wide variety of restaurants serving up everything from barbecue to Mexican food. So if you're looking for an exciting and diverse city to visit, be sure to add Nashville to your list. Nashville Luxury Hotels Nashville Luxury Villas Atlanta, GA, United States What's not to love about Atlanta? From the iconic Georgia Aquarium to the World of Coke, from the Fox Theatre to Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta offers a wealth of destinations for tourists. Sports fans will want to check out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and history buffs will enjoy the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Braves fans can take a tour of SunTrust Park, and shoppers will enjoy the many boutiques and malls in the city. There's also a great restaurant scene in Atlanta, and music lovers will want to check out the many venues offering live music. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation spot or a place to explore on your own, Atlanta is a great choice!. Atlanta Luxury Hotels Miami, FL, United States The Magic City is a top tourist destination for a reasonthere are endless things to do in Miami! From exploring the trendy neighborhoods and dazzling beaches to soaking up the Latin culture and nightlife, Miami is jam-packed with amazing places to visit. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Wynwood Walls: This outdoor art exhibit is a must-see for any art lover. The colorful murals are awe-inspiring and definitely Instagram-worthy. 2. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: This estate is dripping with luxury and opulence, from the grandiose architecture to the expansive gardens. It's the perfect place for a day of relaxation. 3. South Beach: This world-famous beach is a must-visit for any sun-seeker. The crystal-clear water and soft sand make for the perfect day-long beach getaway. 4. Little Havana: Experience Cuban culture at its best in Little Havana. From delicious food to lively music and dance, there's something for everyone in this vibrant district. 5. Art Deco District: This district is home to Miami's most iconic architecture. Take a stroll down the charming streets and admire the colorful buildings that make Miami so unique. Miami Luxury Hotels Miami Luxury Villas Tokyo, Japan Tokyo is a must-see destination in Japan. There are endless places to explore in this city - temples, shrines, gardens, and more. The Shinjuku district is a great place to start, with its neon-lit streets and myriad shops and restaurants. For a taste of traditional Japan, visit the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa or the Imperial Palace. Nature lovers will enjoy the Hamarikyu Gardens or the Hama-rikyu Teien Garden. And for a unique experience, take a trip to Mount Fuji. Tokyo Luxury Hotels Tokyo Luxury Villas Buenos Aires, Argentina There are plenty of places to visit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some popular tourist destinations include the obelisk, the Casa Rosada, and the Puerto Madero district. Every barrio (neighborhood) has its own unique culture and flavor. San Telmo, La Boca, and Palermo are some of the most popular barrios. There are also many parks and plazas, such as Plaza de Mayo and Plaza de la Republica, that are worth checking out. Buenos Aires Luxury Hotels Hamburg, Germany One of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany is Hamburg. From the lively and colorful harbor district to the grandiose City Hall, there is plenty to see and do in Hamburg. Some of the other popular places to visit include the Reeperbahn district with its pubs and nightlife, the Planten un Blomen botanical gardens, and the architecturally stunning Rathausmarkt square. Hamburg Luxury Hotels Lisbon, Portugal The capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city of fascinating contrasts. From its coastal location, visitors can enjoy stunning ocean views, while its hilly, narrow streets are home to a maze of charming traditional homes and lively nightlife. A city of 7 hills, Lisbon is a bustling metropolis with something for everyone. Here are some of the top places to visit: The Belem Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbons most iconic landmarks. This 16th-century fortress and lighthouse is a must-see for visitors. The Alfama district, with its winding streets and tile-roofed homes, is the oldest district in Lisbon. This is the perfect place to get lost and explore the citys history. The Lisbon Zoo is a great place to enjoy a day out with the family, with over 2,000 animals from around the world. The Christ the King statue, located atop a hill in the suburb of Almada, offers impressive views of Lisbon and the river Tagus. The Lisbon Oceanarium, located in the Parque das Nacoes district, is home to more than 12,000 marine creatures and is one of the largest aquariums in Europe. Lisbon Luxury Hotels Lisbon Luxury Villas Malaga, Spain Malaga is an attractive seaside city in southern Spain with a long history. There are many places to visit in Malaga, including the Gibralfaro Castle, the Alcazaba fortress, and the Malaga Cathedral. Malaga is also home to a variety of museums, including the Picasso Museum. The city is well known for its beaches, and there are many delightful places to relax and enjoy the sun and the sea. Malaga Luxury Hotels Malaga Luxury Villas Munich, Germany When planning a vacation to Munich, Germany, be sure to include these top places to visit: The Marienplatz is a must-see square in the city center, featuring a beautiful Glockenspiel show and the Old and New Town Halls. The Englisher Garten, Europes largest city park, is a great place for a relaxing stroll or a picnic. OlympiaPark is home to the famous 1972 Olympic Stadium as well as a huge amusement park. The Frauenkirche is a stunning church in the old town with a Glockenspiel of its own. Beer lovers will want to visit the Hofbrauhaus, the worlds most famous beer hall. For a bit of history and culture, check out the LudwigMaximilians-University and the Deutsches Museum. There is so much to see and do in Munich these are just a few highlights!. Munich Luxury Hotels Granada, Spain Granada is a city in southern Spain that is known for its Moorish architecture and history. The city is home to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress that was constructed in the late 1300s. Visitors can also enjoy the citys many churches, including the Cathedral of Granada. Granada is also a convenient base for exploring the other cities and towns in Andalusia. Granada Luxury Hotels Bucharest, Romania Bucharest is a city full of history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Palace of Parliament, which is the world's largest civilian building. Other places to visit include the old city center, which is full of charming streets and buildings, and the Botanical Garden, which is the largest botanical garden in Romania. Bucharest Luxury Hotels Bologna, Italy Bologna, Italy is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist destinations include the Piazza Maggiore, the Tower of Asinelli, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. There are also plenty of museums and churches to explore, and the city is full of charming restaurants and cafes. Bologna is an excellent destination for a vacation, and there is something for everyone to enjoy in this amazing city. Bologna Luxury Hotels Porto, Portugal Porto is a port city in Portugal that is well known for its wine. It's also a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Porto, including the old city center, the Dom Luis I Bridge, and the Clerigos Tower. Porto is also home to the famous Port wine caves, which are a must-visit for wine lovers. Porto Luxury Hotels Cologne, Germany Cologne, located on the Rhine River in western Germany, is a city well worth visiting. The city has a long and rich history, dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. Some of the city's most popular tourist attractions include the Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, and the RheinEnergieStadion. Additionally, Cologne is home to a wide variety of museums, shops, and restaurants. In fact, the city has been ranked as one of the best places to live in Germany. So, if you're looking for a great European city to visit, be sure to add Cologne to your list. Cologne Luxury Hotels Istanbul, Turkey If you're looking for an exotic and affordable vacation destination, look no further than Istanbul, Turkey. Filled with historical places to visit and bargains to be found, Istanbul offers something for everyone. Be sure to visit the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque while you're there. Don't forget to bargain for the best prices when shopping in the bazaars, and enjoy some delicious Turkish cuisine while you're at it. Istanbul is sure to leave you with a lasting impression. Istanbul Luxury Hotels Istanbul Luxury Villas Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai is a fascinating and exotic city that offers visitors a mix of traditional Middle Eastern culture and modern, cosmopolitan life. There are plenty of places to visit in Dubai, from the towering skyscrapers of Downtown Dubai to the luxury shopping malls and luxurious hotels of the Palm Jumeirah. Don't miss a chance to experience an Arabian night out on an epic dhow cruise, or take a trip out into the Arabian Desert to see the stunning sand dunes. Dubai Luxury Hotels Dubai Luxury Resorts Dubai Luxury Villas Antwerp, Belgium Antwerp is a city located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital of the province of Antwerp and has a population of over half a million people. Antwerp is a popular tourist destination due to its many historical buildings, museums, and art galleries. Some of the most popular places to visit in Antwerp are the Cathedral of Our Lady, the City Hall, the Rubenshuis, and the Antwerp Zoo. Antwerp Luxury Hotels Lyon, France Lyon is a beautiful city in the south of France that is full of culture and places to visit. Some of the most popular places to visit in Lyon are the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, the Place Bellecour, and the Vieux Lyon. The Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere is a beautiful cathedral that is a must-see when visiting Lyon. The Place Bellecour is a large square in the heart of Lyon that is full of restaurants and cafes. The Vieux Lyon is a district in Lyon that is full of old buildings and is a great place to wander around and take in the sights. Lyon Luxury Hotels Athens, Greece If you find yourself in Athens, there are definitely some spots you won't want to miss. The Acropolis, Parthenon, and Olympic Stadium are all essential stops, but there are plenty of others, too. If you're looking for a bit of history, the National Archaeological Museum is a must-see, while nature lovers will enjoy a visit to the botanical gardens. If you're looking to relax, take a walk along the beach in Glyfada or head to the Plaka district for a charming and picturesque setting. No matter what you're interested in, Athens has something for you. Athens Luxury Hotels Athens Luxury Villas Helsinki, Finland While in Helsinki, make sure to visit these popular tourist destinations: The Senate Square and Lutheran Cathedral The Sibelius Monument Ateneum Art Museum Market Square Helsinki Zoo. Helsinki Luxury Hotels Vilnius, Lithuania The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is a picturesque city with a rich history. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of charming churches, narrow streets, and pretty squares. There are also lots of museums and other places of interest to visit, including the Hill of Crosses, Gediminas Tower, and the Presidential Palace. Vilnius is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars to enjoy in the evening. Vilnius Luxury Hotels Reykjavik, Iceland A city of remote beauty, Reykjavik is teeming with interesting places to visit. One of the worlds most northern capitals, Reykjavik offers stunning landscapes and a wealth of cultural experiences. From the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church to the popular Golden Circle tour, theres plenty to see and do in Reykjavik. Be sure to check out the citys lively nightlife scene, too you wont be disappointed!. Reykjavik Luxury Hotels Glasgow, United Kingdom Some of the most popular places to visit in Glasgow include the Gallery of Modern Art, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. There are also many wonderful parks and gardens to explore, including the Botanic Gardens and Glasgow Green. For those interested in history and architecture, there are many fascinating old buildings to see, such as the Glasgow Cathedral and the University of Glasgow. And for those looking for a lively nightlife, Glasgow has no shortage of pubs, clubs, and restaurants. Glasgow Luxury Hotels Los Angeles, CA, United States As the birthplace of Hollywood and home to some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, there's no shortage of places to visit in Los Angeles. Start by exploring the city's iconic neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills and Hollywood, then venture out to attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach and Disneyland. And don't forget to savour the city's world-famous cultural scene, with its abundance of museums, theatres and restaurants. Los Angeles Luxury Hotels Los Angeles Luxury Villas San Diego, CA, United States San Diego is a city located in California and is a major tourist destination. One of the main reasons people visit the city is for its many beaches. Coronado Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach are some of the most popular and are all within close proximity to the city center. Other attractions in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, and the USS Midway Museum. Restaurants, bars, and shopping can be found throughout the city, and world-renowned museums, like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are also located in San Diego. San Diego Luxury Hotels San Diego Luxury Resorts San Diego Luxury Villas Washington, DC, United States Washington, D.C. is a city full of history and places to visit. Some popular places to visit are the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Smithsonian. D.C. is also home to a number of monuments and memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There are also a number of museums in D.C., like the American History Museum and the National Air and Space Museum. Washington Luxury Hotels Cancun, Mexico Cancun is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Aside from its beautiful beaches, there are plenty of places to visit and things to do in Cancun. Some of the most popular attractions include the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, the eco-park Xcaret, and the nightclubs and bars in the resort district. Cancun Luxury Hotels Cancun Luxury Resorts Cancun Luxury Villas Virginia Beach, VA, United States Virginia Beach is one of the top tourist destinations on the East Coast. From the Virginia Beach Boardwalk to the miles of sandy beaches, there's something for everyone to enjoy. There are also plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions to keep visitors busy. Some of the most popular places to visit in Virginia Beach include: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk: This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. First Landing State Park: This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. Cape Henry Lighthouse: This lighthouse is one of the oldest in the country and offers stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of other things to do in Virginia Beach, including dolphin and whale watching tours, kayaking, and golfing. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation or a romantic getaway, Virginia Beach is sure to please. Virginia Beach Luxury Hotels Virginia Beach Luxury Resorts Beijing, China If you're looking for an amazing cultural experience, be sure to add Beijing, China to your travel bucket list! With beautiful temples, charming hutongs (traditional alleyways), and a lively food scene, there's something for everyone in this bustling city. Plus, Beijing is home to some of the most iconic attractions in China, like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. So if you're looking for an unforgettable East Asian adventure, be sure to add Beijing to your list!. Beijing Luxury Hotels Seoul, South Korea Seoul is a metropolitan city that is home to over 10 million people. It is a city full of culture, history, and a vibrant nightlife. There are plenty of places to visit in Seoul, including the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and N Seoul Tower. The Jeongdongne district is a must-see for anyone interested in art and culture, and the Itaewon district is a great place to go for a night on the town. Seoul Luxury Hotels South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States Known for its dramatic lake and mountain scenery, South Lake Tahoe offers visitors plenty of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include floating down the river on a tube, hiking the trails in the summer and skiing or snowboarding the slopes in the winter. The city also has a variety of restaurants and nightlife options, as well as casinos for those looking to try their luck. South Lake Tahoe Luxury Hotels South Lake Tahoe Luxury Resorts Daytona Beach, FL, United States Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is approximately 40 miles northeast of Orlando, and 85 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The city is known as "The World's Most Famous Beach." Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida. The Daytona Beach area is a popular tourist destination. It is well known for its beaches, sports events, and motorsports. Daytona Beach was the birthplace of NASCAR and home to its first track, Daytona International Speedway. Dayton Beach also features a large number of tourist-oriented businesses, such as motels, restaurants, and bars. Daytona Beach Luxury Hotels Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The coastline of Rio de Janeiro is breathtaking, and the views from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are unforgettable. Rio's world-famous beaches are the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sun and the surf. The city's rich culture and history can be experienced in its many museums and in the lively nightlife. Rio is also a great place to shop for souvenirs. Rio de Janeiro Luxury Hotels Rio de Janeiro Luxury Villas Jaco, Costa Rica Jaco is a town on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It's about an hour drive from San Jose and is a popular spot for surfers, sunbathers, and tourists. There are a number of beaches in the area, as well as restaurants, bars, and hotels. If you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy the Costa Rican sun and beaches, Jaco is a great option. Jaco Luxury Hotels Oslo, Norway Oslo, Norway is a city with plenty of places to visit. You can find the peace and tranquility of nature parks and green spaces, experience the city's vibrant nightlife, or take in the historical and cultural sights. Here are a few of the top places to visit in Oslo: The Royal Palace: Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Vigeland Park: Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. The Maritime Museum: This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. The National Gallery: The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. Aker Brygge: Aker Brygge is a popular waterfront district in Oslo, home to a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops. The area is a great place to people watch and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord. Oslo Luxury Hotels Lima, Peru If you're looking for a city that's bursting with culture and flavor, Lima, Peru is the place for you! This vibrant destination is home to some of the most amazing places to visit in all of South America. From ancient ruins to lush rainforests, there's something for everyone in Lima. Here are just a few of the must-see attractions in this amazing city: The Larco Museum is one of Lima's top tourist destinations. This incredible museum is home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world. The Historic Center of Lima is a must-see for any history lover. This vibrant area is home to some of the oldest architecture in Lima, including the iconic San Francisco Monastery. If you're looking for a little bit of jungle in the city, head to the Parque de la Reserva. This lush park is home to beautiful gardens, a zoo, and even a butterfly farm! No trip to Lima would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu. This ancient Inca citadel is one of the most iconic sites in all of South America. Lima Luxury Hotels Ankara, Turkey Ankara is the cultural and political center of Turkey. The city is home to many museums, including the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and is a popular destination for tourists. The Citadel, the Ataturk Mausoleum, and the War of Independence Museum are all popular tourist destinations in Ankara. The city is also home to a vibrant nightlife and is a popular destination for students. Ankara Luxury Hotels Birmingham, United Kingdom There are plenty of great places to visit in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Some of the most popular places to go include the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the Black Country Living Museum. These places are all great for tourists, as they offer a variety of attractions, including beautiful gardens, interesting art, and a recreation of an old-fashioned town. Additionally, there are plenty of other great places to visit in Birmingham, such as the Jewellery Quarter and the German Christmas Market. Birmingham Luxury Hotels York, United Kingdom With a rich history that spans back over 1,000 years, York is a must-visit destination in the United Kingdom. Explore the city's medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone streets, or enjoy a leisurely walk along the River Ouse. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, such as the York Minster cathedral, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the National Railway Museum. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy in York. York Luxury Hotels Inverness, United Kingdom Inverness, Scotland is a must-see destination on any traveler's list. Filled with rolling green hills, historical sites, and plenty of outdoor activities, there's something for everyone in this charming town. Start by exploring the city center, which is home to a variety of shops and restaurants. Make sure to check out the Inverness Castle, which offers commanding views of the area, and the Inverness Cathedral, a beautiful example of medieval architecture. Outside of the city center, there are plenty of other attractions to explore. The Loch Ness Monster is said to make its home in the loch here, and visitors can take boat tours to hunt for the mythical creature. If you're looking for a more active adventure, take a hike in the hills or go fishing on the loch. No matter what you choose to do, Inverness is a beautiful and welcoming town that is sure to charm you. Inverness Luxury Hotels Marseille, France The Vieux Port (Old Harbor) is the oldest port in France. It is a beautiful place to visit with its sailboats, restaurants, and cafes. The Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica is also worth a visit. It offers stunning views of the city. If you're looking for a more lively atmosphere, head to the La Canebiere. It's a wide avenue with plenty of shops and restaurants. Marseille Luxury Hotels Marseille Luxury Villas Honolulu, HI, United States Honolulu is a city located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. It is the most populous city in the state of Hawaii and the county seat of the City and County of Honolulu. Honolulu is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world and is located in Honolulu. Other places to visit in Honolulu include Diamond Head, the USS Arizona Memorial, and Hanauma Bay. Honolulu Luxury Hotels Honolulu Luxury Resorts Honolulu Luxury Villas Bar Harbor, ME, United States Famous for lobster and stunning ocean views, Bar Harbor is a popular destination in Maine. There are plenty of things to do in the town and its surroundings, including hiking, biking, whale watching, and exploring Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor Luxury Hotels Colorado Springs, CO, United States There are many places to visit in Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is a popular park with beautiful rock formations. Pike's Peak is a 14,115 foot mountain that offers great views and outdoor activities. The Broadmoor is a world-renowned resort with lovely gardens and a championship golf course. Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge and a popular tourist spot. Colorado Springs Luxury Hotels Fort Myers Beach, FL, United States Just an hours drive from the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist spot, especially in the winter when the snowbirds migrate down. The seven-mile-long beach is known for its white sand and clear water and is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, and kayaking. There are also a number of restaurants and bars in the area, as well as a few stores. Fort Myers Beach Luxury Hotels Biloxi, MS, United States There are plenty of places to explore in Biloxi, Mississippi from the citys iconic Beaches to the picturesque Bay Saint Louis. Venture into the citys downtown area to check out the many shops and restaurants, or take a walk along the shoreline. No matter what you choose to do, youre sure to have a great time in Biloxi. Biloxi Luxury Hotels Palermo, Italy If you're looking for a city with a rich and diverse history, Palermo is the place for you. This coastal city in Italy is teeming with medieval architecture, churches, and cathedrals. Be sure to check out the Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Europe, and the Palazzo dei Normanni, the seat of the Sicilian government. Don't miss out on the city's vibrant nightlife and vast array of restaurants that serve up some of the best food in the country. Palermo Luxury Hotels Palermo Luxury Villas Manila, Philippines The capital of the Philippines, Manila is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant culture. There are plenty of places to visit in Manila, including the walled city of Intramuros, the Rizal Park, and the Manila Bay. The city is also home to a large number of churches, including the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church. Manila is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy. Manila Luxury Hotels Zermatt, Switzerland Zermatt is an alpine village in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is famous for its ski resort, mountaineering and hiking trails. The views of the Matterhorn from Zermatt are iconic. The village is car-free, making it a cyclists' and pedestrians' paradise. There are many places to visit in Zermatt, including the village's beautiful churches, impressive museums, and great restaurants. Zermatt Luxury Hotels Basel, Switzerland Basel is a city located in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel has a population of about 176,000 and is the third most populous city in Switzerland. Basel has many interesting places to visit, including the Basel Munster, the Basel Rathaus (town hall), the Basel Zoo, and the Munsterhof, the old town square. Basel also has a number of art museums, including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Schaulager. Basel is a great city to visit, and I highly recommend it!. Basel Luxury Hotels Copenhagen, Denmark There are a number of places to visit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn, and the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is a beautiful amusement park that has something for everyone. It is perfect for a day of fun with family or friends. Nyhavn is a charming canal district that is popular for its brightly colored houses and lively atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing cruise down the canal or take a seat in one of the many cafes and restaurants. The Rosenborg Castle Gardens are home to a majestic castle as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. There is plenty to see and do in Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen Luxury Hotels Steamboat Springs, CO, United States Steamboat Springs is located in northwestern Colorado. The town is named for the steamboats that traveled up the Yampa River in the 1800s. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination, known for its skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and rafting. Steamboat Springs Luxury Hotels Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is home to many tourist attractions. Some popular places to visit in Abu Dhabi include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Ferrari World Theme Park, and the Yas Island Waterpark. There are also a number of museums and shopping malls in Abu Dhabi, making it a great destination for those looking for a mix of culture and leisure. Abu Dhabi Luxury Hotels Abu Dhabi Luxury Resorts Abu Dhabi Luxury Villas Bogota, Colombia There's a lot to see and do in Bogota. Some of the top places to visit include the historical La Candelaria district, the cobblestone streets of Plaza de Bolivar, the Monserrate mountain, the Bogota Botanical Garden, and the Gold Museum. La Candelaria is home to many brightly-colored colonial buildings, churches, and plazas. Plaza de Bolivar is the center of Bogota and is surrounded by important landmarks like the Presidential Palace and the National Capitol. The Monserrate mountain is a popular tourist destination due to its stunning views of Bogota. The Bogota Botanical Garden is the largest in Colombia and features a wide variety of plants and trees. The Gold Museum is home to the largest collection of Pre-Columbian gold artifacts in the world. Bogota Luxury Hotels Cebu, Philippines Due to its location and its rich history, there are plenty of places to visit in Cebu. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include the Cebu Taoist Temple, the Fort San Pedro, the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, and the Magellan's Cross. Cebu Luxury Hotels Cebu Luxury Resorts Lagos, Portugal Lagos is a small town in Portugal with a population of around 22,000. It's located in the Algarve region and is a popular tourist destination. Some of the places to visit in Lagos are the beaches, the old town, and the Marina. The beaches are beautiful and there are a lot of them to choose from. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways with lots of shops and restaurants. The Marina is a great place to walk around and watch the boats. Lagos Luxury Hotels Medellin, Colombia Some places to visit in Medellin, Colombia are: the Botanical Garden, the Ethnographic Museum, the Jardin Botanico, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Park of Lights, and the San Pedro Claver Church. Medellin Luxury Hotels Genoa, Italy While there are many places to visit in Genoa, one of the must-sees is the city's cathedral. Dedicated to San Lorenzo, the church features an intricate Gothic facade and a Renaissance interior. If you're looking for a place to take in some stunning views, head to the Genoa Aquarium, which is located on the promenade stretching along the city's harbor. Genoa Luxury Hotels Hoi An, Vietnam Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam. Its a bridge town thats best explored on foot. The narrow streets are a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architecture. There are tailors, artisans, and lantern shops galore. The food is also some of the best in Vietnam. Be sure to try the local specialties, like Cao Lau and White Rose dumplings. Hoi An Luxury Hotels Hoi An Luxury Resorts Baku, Azerbaijan Baku, Azerbaijan is a city with a lot of culture and history. There are a lot of places to visit, like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. There are also a lot of great restaurants, like the Flame Club, which has a great atmosphere and delicious food. Baku Luxury Hotels San Luis Obispo, CA, United States San Luis Obispo is a city located in the central coast of California. It's known for its natural beauty, relaxed vibe, and abundance of things to do. Some of the top places to visit in San Luis Obispo include the Madonna Inn, Hearst Castle, and the Paso Robles wine country. The city is also home to a variety of beaches, parks, and other attractions. In addition, San Luis Obispo is a great place to live, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and other amenities. San Luis Obispo Luxury Hotels Colombo, Sri Lanka Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The city is located on the west coast of the island and is the administrative, commercial, and industrial center of Sri Lanka. Colombo is also the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, with numerous Buddhist temples. There are a number of places to visit in Colombo, including the Galle Face Green, the Dutch fort, the Pettah Bazaar, and the Sri Lankan National Museum. Colombo Luxury Hotels Yogyakarta, Indonesia The city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia is home to some of the most stunning temples and historical landmarks in the country. The city is also a great place to enjoy traditional Javanese culture and cuisine. Some of the must-see places in Yogyakarta include the Borobudur Temple, the Prambanan Temple, and the Sultan's Palace. Yogyakarta Luxury Hotels Cefalu, Italy Looking for a beautiful and historic place to visit in Italy? Look no further than Cefalu. This town is teeming with history and stunning architecture, and its location on the coast makes it the perfect place to relax and take in the stunning scenery. Don't miss the Duomo di Cefalu, a 12th century Norman church that is definitely worth a visit, or the Palazzo dei Normanni, a former royal palace. Cefalu Luxury Hotels San Jose, CA, United States San Jose, California, is home to a variety of tourist destinations. Some popular places to visit include the Winchester Mystery House, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There are also a number of lovely parks, such as Kelley Park and Plaza de Cesar Chavez, that are well worth a visit. San Jose is also home to a number of great restaurants, so be sure to check out the local cuisine. Whatever your interests, San Jose has something to offer visitors. San Jose Luxury Hotels Hong Kong, China Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in China. There are many places to visit in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Victoria Peak, and the Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is also a great place to shop, with many high-end malls and markets. Hong Kong Luxury Hotels Hong Kong Luxury Resorts Orlando, FL, United States Orlando is a city in the central region of Florida, in the United States. The city is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the metropolitan area also known as Greater Orlando. Orlando is well known for its theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. Other tourist destinations in Orlando include the Holy Land Experience, the Orlando Science Center, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, one of the largest universities in the United States. Orlando Luxury Hotels Orlando Luxury Resorts Orlando Luxury Villas Philadelphia, PA, United States If youre looking for a place thats rich in history and culture, Philadelphia is the place for you. The city is home to numerous iconic landmarks, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Theres also a great variety of museums and other attractions to explore, such as the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum. And, of course, Philly is the birthplace of Americas favorite sandwich, the cheesesteak. So why not visit Americas most historic city and see for yourself what all the fuss is about?. Philadelphia Luxury Hotels Nice, France France is known for its many beautiful places to visit, and Nice is no exception. With its stunning coastline and mild climate, Nice is a popular tourist destination. Some of the most popular places to visit in Nice include the Promenade des Anglais, the Castle Hill, and the Old Town. There is also a wide variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy in Nice. If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing place to visit in France, Nice is definitely worth considering. Nice Luxury Hotels Nice Luxury Villas Singapore, Singapore Singapore is a popular tourist destination, brimming with cultural and natural attractions. From award-winning restaurants to serene gardens and pristine beaches, there is much to explore in this diverse city-state. Here are some of the top places to visit in Singapore: 1. Marina Bay: This iconic waterfront district is home to stunning architecture, world-class landmarks, and a vibrant nightlife. 2. Gardens by the Bay: These stunning gardens feature a mix of plants from around the world, as well as towering sculptures and a biodome. 3. Chinatown: This lively district is home to traditional Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as vibrant street markets. 4. Little India: This neighborhood is known for its vibrant culture and colorful temples. 5. Sentosa Island: This resort island is home to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, and a variety of entertainment options. Singapore Luxury Hotels Singapore Luxury Resorts Nottingham, United Kingdom Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is one of the United Kingdom's major cities, with a population of over 321,000. The city is home to two universities, Queen's Medical Centre, and seven football grounds. Nottingham is known for its lace-making and bicycle manufacturing. The city has a rich history, dating back to the Bronze Age. There are plenty of places to visit in Nottingham, including the Nottingham Castle, the Sherwood Forest, and the National Ice Centre. The city also has a lively nightlife, with a variety of pubs and bars. Nottingham Luxury Hotels Cannes, France Cannes is a city located in the south of France. Some of the places to visit in Cannes are the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the Boulevard de la Croisette, and Le Suquet. Cannes Luxury Hotels Cannes Luxury Villas Park City, UT, United States Park City, Utah, offers visitors a wealth of places to visit and things to do. Main Street, with its charming shops and restaurants, is a must-see. The Park City Museum tells the town's fascinating history, and the Park City Utah Temple is a beautiful sight. For outdoor enthusiasts, there's plenty of skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer. And don't forget to visit the Olympic Park, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held. Park City Luxury Hotels Park City Luxury Resorts Port Angeles, WA, United States If you're looking for a quaint, small town to visit in the US, Port Angeles is worth a stop. Located in the state of Washington, it's right on the Pacific coast with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains. There's plenty of things to do in the area, from hiking and fishing to whale watching and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries. Port Angeles Luxury Hotels Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States If you're looking for a fun-filled Florida getaway, look no further than Fort Lauderdale! With its miles of pristine beaches, world-famous shopping and vibrant nightlife, there's something for everyone in this seaside city. Here are some of the top places to visit in Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas Boulevard: This popular shopping and dining district is home to some of Fort Lauderdale's most upscale boutiques and restaurants. The Beach: With its wide, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, Fort Lauderdale's beach is a major draw for visitors. The Everglades: Just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades are home to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, bald eagles and manatees. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts: This world-class performing arts center is home to a variety of theater, dance and music performances. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Fort Lauderdale today!. Fort Lauderdale Luxury Hotels Fort Lauderdale Luxury Resorts Myrtle Beach, SC, United States Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to visit in the area, including amusement parks, beaches, and golf courses. Myrtle Beach also has a lively nightlife, with plenty of bars and restaurants. Myrtle Beach Luxury Hotels Myrtle Beach Luxury Resorts Salzburg, Austria Salzburg is one of the most visited places in Austria. It is a city rich in history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Mirabell Palace, and the Salzburg Cathedral. There are also many hiking trails and parks to enjoy. Salzburg Luxury Hotels Pattaya, Thailand Pattaya is an amazing city with plenty of places to visit and things to do. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, Pattaya offers something for everyone. There are lovely beaches, interesting temples, great shopping, and exciting nightlife. With its moderate climate and affordable prices, it's no wonder Pattaya is a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world. Pattaya Luxury Hotels Pattaya Luxury Resorts Pattaya Luxury Villas Dallas, TX, United States Dallas is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the ninth most populous city in the United States and the third most populous city in the state of Texas. Dallas is also the main city of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. The city's prominence arose from its historical importance as a center for the oil and cotton industries, and its position as a major transportation hub for the South. Dallas is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, and transportation. The city is home to the world's largest airline hub and the third largest cargo airport in the United States. Dallas Luxury Hotels Kolkata, India Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It is the second most populous city in India, after Mumbai, and the third most populous metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi. The city is notable for its colonial architecture, art and culture, and for its overwhelming poverty. Kolkata is home to the Indian Museum, the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the National Library of India, and the Indian Statistical Institute. Kolkata Luxury Hotels San Antonio, TX, United States San Antonio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas. There are plenty of places to visit in this city, from the well-known River Walk to the exquisite Spanish missions. If you're looking for a fun place to spend the day, you can't go wrong with San Antonio. San Antonio Luxury Hotels Seattle, WA, United States There are many wonderful places to visit in Seattle, Washington. Some of the most popular attractions include Pike Place Market, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Museum of Pop Culture. There are also many parks and gardens, such as Volunteer Park and Seattle Chinese Garden, as well as plenty of restaurants and shops. Located on the other side of the world, Western Australia is a great place to visit for those looking for something different. Some of the most popular attractions include Rottnest Island, the Margaret River region, and Monkey Mia. There are also plenty of beautiful parks and gardens, such as Kings Park and Botanic Garden, as well as restaurants and shops. Seattle Luxury Hotels Liverpool, United Kingdom Liverpool is a city located in North West England and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom. The city is known for its football teams Liverpool and Everton, The Beatles, and its maritime history. Liverpool is a popular tourist destination and is home to various tourist attractions including Mersey Ferry, Liverpool Cathedral, and Albert Dock. Liverpool Luxury Hotels Malmo, Sweden Malmo is Sweden's third largest city with a population of over 310,000. It is located in the province of Scania on the country's southern tip. Malmo is a vibrant city with a strong arts and cultural scene. There are plenty of places to visit in Malmo, including the Malmo Castle, the Botanical Gardens, and the Turning Torso skyscraper. Malmo is also home to a large shopping district and a lively nightlife. Malmo Luxury Hotels Gothenburg, Sweden Goteborg, Sweden's second largest city, is a major port on the country's west coast. It's a popular tourist destination, known for its lively nightlife, beautiful architecture and delicious seafood. Some of the city's highlights include the Liseberg amusement park, the Botanical Garden, and the charming old town district. Goteborg is also home to a large number of museums, including the Volvo Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Universeum science center. Gothenburg Luxury Hotels Ljubljana, Slovenia Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and is a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Ljubljana, such as the castle, the old town, and the cathedral. The city is also home to many museums, art galleries, and parks. Ljubljana is a great city to explore on foot, and there are many restaurants and cafes to enjoy. Ljubljana Luxury Hotels Sydney, NSW, Australia Australia is a vast country with plenty of stunning places to visit, but Sydney is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist destinations on the continent. From the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the beautiful beaches and lush national parks, there's something for everyone in this lively city. There's also a thriving food and nightlife scene, so you'll never run out of things to do in Sydney. Sydney Luxury Hotels Sydney Luxury Villas Melbourne, VIC, Australia There's a lot to love about Melbourne its lively arts and culture scene, its parks and gardens, its diverse range of restaurants and cafes, and its stunning architecture. Here are some of the best places to visit in Melbourne: - Federation Square: This iconic square is a great place to people-watch and take in the city's impressive architecture. It's also home to a number of museums and galleries, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the National Gallery of Victoria. - Queen Victoria Market: This vibrant market is a must-visit for foodies and shoppers alike. It's the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and offers a vast array of fresh produce, meat, seafood, and souvenirs. - Melbourne Cricket Ground: If you're a sports fan, be sure to check out the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It's also home to the Australian Football League, and has hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby Union World Cup. - Royal Botanic Gardens: These beautiful gardens are a great place to relax and take in some of Melbourne's natural beauty. They're home to a number of different gardens, including the Australian Garden, the Sculpture Garden, and the Japanese Garden. Melbourne Luxury Hotels Melbourne Luxury Villas Vancouver, BC, Canada The top places to visit in Vancouver are Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, and Chinatown. These are all must-see attractions that offer an array of activities, scenery, and history. Stanley Park is a world-famous urban park that features greenery, beaches, gardens, and a stunning view of the North Shore Mountains. Granville Island is a vibrant neighbourhood with unique shops, restaurants, and art galleries. Gastown is the city's oldest neighbourhood and is home to charming cobblestone streets and funky boutiques. Chinatown is one of the largest and most vibrant Chinatowns in North America and offers delicious food, interesting history, and vibrant culture. Vancouver Luxury Hotels Toronto, ON, Canada From the CN Tower and Hockey Hall of Fame to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Distillery District, there are plenty of amazing places to visit in Toronto, Canada. With something for everyone, Toronto is a great city to explore. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!. Toronto Luxury Hotels Montreal, QC, Canada Montreal is a vibrant city with something for everyone. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Notre Dame Basilica, the Olympic Stadium, and Mount Royal. The city is also home to a lively arts and culture scene, with theatres, art galleries, and music venues. Montreal is a great place to visit year-round, with festivals and events happening throughout the year. Montreal Luxury Hotels Seville, Spain Seville is one of the most visited places in Spain for a plethora of reasons: its stunning architecture, tapas bars, flamenco and great weather. The Giralda Tower is a must-see when in Seville as is the Plaza de Espana. Andalusian culture is heavily present in the city and is best experienced by wandering the narrow streets and alleyways, popping into a lively tapas bar for a drink and some snacks or enjoying a flamenco show. Seville Luxury Hotels Seville Luxury Villas Ocean City, MD, United States Ocean City is a seaside resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, on the Atlantic coast. It is well known for its long promenade, its fishing, and its crab cuisine. There are plenty of places to visit in Ocean City, including the boardwalk, amusement rides, shopping, and restaurants. You can also visit the Assateague Island National Seashore, which is home to wild horses, or head to the nearby town of Berlin for more shopping and dining options. Ocean City Luxury Hotels Cambridge, MA, United States If you're looking for a quintessential New England town to visit, Cambridge, Massachusetts is the place for you. With its elaborate architecture and Colonial history, Cambridge is a lively town with plenty of things to see and do - perfect for a weekend getaway. Some of the places you won't want to miss include the Harvard University campus, the charming and lively shops and restaurants in Harvard Square, and the leafy paths of the Cambridge Common. Cambridge Luxury Hotels Laguna Beach, CA, United States Laguna Beach, California is a place known for its stunningly beautiful coastline, excellent restaurants, and art galleries. But there's more to Laguna Beach than meets the eye. Here are some of the best places to visit in Laguna Beach: Crystal Cove State Park: This state park is known for its coves, tidepools, and bluffs. It's a great place to go hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. Heisler Park: This park is a great place for a walk or a picnic. It's also home to some of the best views of the Pacific Coast. Downtown Laguna Beach: This charming downtown area is home to art galleries, boutique shops, and excellent restaurants. Aliso Beach: This beach is known for its excellent surfing and swimming conditions. It's also a great place to take a walk or enjoy a picnic. Laguna Beach Luxury Hotels Hot Springs, AR, United States In downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, you'll find historic buildings, antique shops, and art galleries. For nature lovers, there are also plenty of places to visit, including the Garland County Arboretum, Ouachita National Forest, and Hot Springs National Park. Spa enthusiasts can enjoy a relaxing day in one of the area's hot springs. And no trip to Hot Springs is complete without a visit to the world-famous Bathhouse Row. Hot Springs Luxury Hotels Sedona, AZ, United States There are many places to visit in Sedona, Arizona. Among the most popular are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon. The town's unique red-rock formations and ancient ruins offer plenty of photo opportunities. Visitors can also enjoy hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Sedona is a great place to relax and take in the natural beauty of the Southwest. Sedona Luxury Hotels Sedona Luxury Resorts Boulder, CO, United States Boulder, Colorado is a breathtaking city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The city is home to stunning views, ample outdoor recreation, and a lively arts scene. Outdoor enthusiasts will love exploring the city's many trails, parks, and open spaces. History buffs will enjoy checking out the city's museums and historic sites. Culture seekers will appreciate the city's many theaters, art galleries, and restaurants. No matter what your interests, you'll find something to love in Boulder. Boulder Luxury Hotels Key West, FL, United States Key West is a small island off the coast of Florida that is filled with history, charm, and fun places to visit. Its lush tropical setting and the laid-back vibe of the island make it a popular destination for those looking for a relaxing getaway. There are plenty of places to explore in Key West, from the charming historic district to the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys. Here are some of the top places to visit in Key West: -The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: This iconic museum is dedicated to the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West for over 20 years. -Duval Street: This lively street is the heart of Key West's nightlife and is home to many bars and restaurants. -The Southernmost Point: This landmark is located at the end of Duval Street and is the southernmost point in the continental United States. -The Key West Lighthouse: This picturesque lighthouse is a popular spot for tourists and offers stunning views of the island. -The African American Heritage House: This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans in Key West. -The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory: This attraction is home to over 2,000 butterflies and a variety of other tropical plants and animals. Key West Luxury Hotels Key West Luxury Resorts Key West Luxury Cottages Key West Luxury Villas Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden is a city with many places to visit. One place is the Vasa Museum, which is home to a ship that sunk in 1628 and was raised from the ocean floor 333 years later. The ship is preserved and on display in the museum. Another place to visit is the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The palace is open for tours, and visitors can see the royal apartments, the throne room, and the Hall of State. Stockholm Luxury Hotels Destin, FL, United States Looking for a place to visit in Florida? Look no further than Destin! This city is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants, and plenty of places to shop. No matter what you're looking for, you can find it in Destin. Be sure to check out the Destin Harbor and the fishing pier for amazing views and plenty of things to do. If you're looking for a place to relax, head to the beach and enjoy the sun and sand. There's something for everyone in Destin, so be sure to visit this amazing city!. Destin Luxury Hotels Destin Luxury Resorts Ashland, OR, United States There are many places to visit in Ashland, Oregon. Some of the most popular places are the Shakespeare Festival, Lithia Park, and Mt. Ashland. The Shakespeare Festival is a great place to see some of the best plays in the world. Lithia Park is a beautiful park with a river running through it. Mt. Ashland is a great place to go skiing in the winter. Ashland Luxury Hotels Seaside, OR, United States One of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast is Seaside. With its wide, sandy beach and majestic promenade, Seaside is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to eat and shop, and the Seaside Aquarium is a must-see. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, whale watching, or just taking a leisurely stroll along the beach. Seaside Luxury Hotels Newport, RI, United States Newport is a picturesque town located in southern Rhode Island that is home to some of the most visited tourist destinations in the United States. The city is known for its miles of beaches and historic mansions that line the coast. Some popular places to visit in Newport include the Cliff Walk, the Breakers Mansion, the Museum of Yachting, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Newport Luxury Hotels Siena, Italy Siena, Italy is a popular tourist destination, thanks to its well-preserved medieval city center. The city is famous for its art, food, and wine. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, making it the perfect base for exploring this beautiful region of Italy. Don't miss the Duomo (cathedral), the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia. Siena Luxury Hotels Reno, NV, United States Home to the University of Nevada, Reno and a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions, Reno is a great place to visit. Some of the top places to see in Reno include the Nevada Museum of Art, the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, and the Reno Events Center. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking and skiing at Lake Tahoe and biking and kayaking on the Truckee River. In addition, Reno is home to a diverse array of restaurants and nightlife venues. Reno Luxury Hotels Atlantic City, NJ, United States Atlantic City is a popular East Coast tourist destination, known for its boardwalks, beaches and casinos. There are plenty of places to visit in Atlantic City, from the Boardwalk Hall and the Absecon Lighthouse to the Atlantic City Aquarium and Lucy the Elephant. For a more thrilling experience, head to one of the city's casinos, where you can try your hand at blackjack, slots, roulette and more. Atlantic City also offers a wide variety of restaurants, from seafood spots to pizza places, so you're sure to find something to your taste. And if you're looking for some nightlife action, the city has you covered there too. Atlantic City is definitely a place worth visiting!. Atlantic City Luxury Hotels Atlantic City Luxury Resorts Lake George, NY, United States Looking for a place to visit in upstate New York? Look no further than the stunning Lake George. This picturesque locale is located in the heart of the Adirondacks and is known for its pristine beauty and terrific recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, and skiing, among other activities. Don't miss the chance to take in the spectacular views from the summit of Prospect Mountain or from the water's edge. Lake George Luxury Hotels Buffalo, NY, United States If you're looking for a city that has it all, Buffalo is the place to be. From its vibrant downtown district to its abundance of parks and nature preserves, there's something for everyone in Buffalo. Here are some of the top places to visit in Buffalo: 1. The Buffalo Zoo - One of the top zoos in the country, the Buffalo Zoo is a must-visit for animal lovers of all ages. 2. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery - Buffalo's answer to the Louvre, the Albright-Knox is home to some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. 3. The Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village - This living history museum offers a glimpse into what life was like in Buffalo in the 1800s. 4. The Buffalo River - Take a walk or bike ride along the Buffalo River, one of the city's most picturesque areas. 5. Delaware Park - This large park is home to a variety of attractions, including a zoo, a golf course, and a nature preserve. Buffalo Luxury Hotels Rochester, MN, United States Rochester, Minnesota is a city with plenty of places to visit. There's the Mayo Clinic, the Apache Mall, and several other shopping areas, as well as a variety of restaurants. There are also a few parks and golf courses. For those who love the outdoors, Rochester is also close to several state parks and the Mississippi River. Rochester Luxury Hotels Duluth, MN, United States If you're looking for an amazing place to visit, Duluth, Minnesota should definitely be at the top of your list. This city is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States, and there are plenty of things to do here that will keep you entertained for days on end. Some of the most popular places to visit in Duluth include the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Glensheen Mansion, and Chester Creek Park. Additionally, there are a number of excellent restaurants and shopping areas in the city, so be sure to explore everything that Duluth has to offer. Duluth Luxury Hotels Maputo, Mozambique Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Maputo, such as the Jose Eduardo dos Santos Museum, the Maputo Cathedral, and the Rua da Independencia. Maputo is also home to the Maputo Bay, which offers beautiful beaches and great seafood. Maputo Luxury Hotels Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, located on the northeast coast of Spain, is a renowned tourist destination and one of the most popular cities in the world. There are plenty of places to visit in Barcelona, such as the Gothic Quarter, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and more. The city is also home to a lively nightlife and some of the best restaurants in the country. Barcelona Luxury Hotels Barcelona Luxury Villas Split, Croatia Split is a city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is the second-largest city in Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatia. It has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, which includes the City of Split and the surrounding towns, has a population of over 330,000. Split is a popular tourist destination and is the home of the Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other popular tourist destinations include the Riva, the Peristyle, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, and Sustipan. Split Luxury Hotels Split Luxury Villas Dubrovnik, Croatia Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the administrative center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Dubrovnik is nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic". Dubrovnik Luxury Hotels Dubrovnik Luxury Villas Byron Bay, NSW, Australia Byron Bay is a magical place. It's no wonder that it's one of the most popular destinations in Australia. The town is set in a beautiful location, surrounded by rolling green hills and the bright blue ocean. There's plenty to do in Byron Bay, whether you're looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an adventure-filled trip. Some of the top places to visit in Byron Bay include the iconic lighthouse, the stunning beaches, and the lush rainforest. There's also a great nightlife and plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy. If you're looking for an amazing Australian getaway, be sure to add Byron Bay to your list!. Byron Bay Luxury Hotels Wellington, New Zealand If you're looking for a little slice of heaven on earth, look no further than Wellington, New Zealand. With its gorgeous landscape and plethora of activities, there's something for everyone here. Whether you're a nature lover or a city slicker, Wellington has something special to offer. Top Wellington attractions include the Zealandia eco-sanctuary, the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, and the sprawling Te Papa museum. For those who love getting out into the great outdoors, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails, as well as lovely seaside towns and villages to explore. And of course, no trip to Wellington would be complete without trying some of the delicious local cuisine be sure to sample a traditional Maori hangi feast! So what are you waiting for? Book your flight to Wellington today and start planning your perfect holiday!. Wellington Luxury Hotels Saint Louis, MO, United States If you're looking for a fun place to visit with a rich history and plenty of things to see and do, look no further than Saint Louis, Missouri. This vibrant city is home to a variety of interesting attractions, including the Gateway Arch, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. There's also no shortage of restaurants and shopping options in Saint Louis. So, whether you're looking for a place to explore new cultures and cuisines or you're just looking for a place to have some fun, Saint Louis is a great option. Saint Louis Luxury Hotels Bloomington, IN, United States The city of Bloomington, Indiana is home to a variety of attractions and places to visit. The Indiana University campus is a popular destination, as is the city's historic downtown district. Monroe County Courthouse PAGE -- Bats -- an underappreciated denizen of the southern desert -- will be the subject of a festival at Lake Powells Glen Canyon National Recreation Area this week. The National Park Service (NPS) and Glen Canyon Natural History Association (NHA) will host the first annual Glen Canyon Bat Festival Thursday at the Wahweap amphitheater. This free event will include informational booths, kid-friendly crafts and activities, guest presentations, and a bat discovery walk. Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude just after 10 p.m. Arizona MST. The bat festival will highlight how important bats are in reducing insect populations, dispersing seeds, and even pollination in more southern desert climates, Glen Canyon NRA said in a news release. We get to live our lives relatively pest-free here because of the hard work of bats, said Amanda Boston, program coordinator for the Glen Canyon NHA. There are a lot of misconceptions about bats, and the goal of hosting this festival with the park is to celebrate these underappreciated mammals and our unique relationship with them. Guest speaker Jason Corbett with Bat Conservation International will speak about the benefits of bats and the looming threats posed by white-nose syndrome (WNS) to bat populations nationwide. Other presentations and activities will be led by NPS and NHA staff and will even highlight the bat monitoring efforts in Glen Canyon. The event will also showcase local research in Glen Canyon which began in 2015 and continues this year. According to Lonnie Pilkington, Natural Resources Program Manager with the NPS at Glen Canyon, recent bat monitoring projects in Glen Canyon have been able to engage citizen scientists and increase public awareness of the threats bats are facing. Those threats range from white-nose syndrome to habitat loss to impacts from wind power development. Attendees to the Bat Festival will have a chance to participate in a bat discovery walk at 9:15 p.m. Participants will use iPads and other wildlife monitoring devices to identify bat species by sound on an easy 1-mile guided walk between the campground and swim beach. For more information, look to the events calendar at www.nps.gov/glca. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Senator Lamar Alexander on Monday urged the administration to reconsider a proposal to provide new incentives to wind power producers who are already benefiting from the 24-year-old wind production tax credit. Senator Alexander also pointed out that the proposal fails to provide any incentive for nuclear energy this countrys largest source of clean electricity.Wind developers have been getting rich on the backs of taxpayers and the wind production tax credit for over two decades, and there is no reason they should receive additional incentives to build unreliable and unsightly wind turbines, Senator Alexander wrote in a letter to Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, urging against the programs proposed Clean Energy Incentive Program.Already, federal incentives for wind distort some electric power markets by giving wind an unfair advantage over other, more reliable and cost-competitive forms of electricity generation.The subsidy for Big Wind is already so generous that, at times, wind producers can give away their electricity and still make a profit. Providing further incentives to wind developers will only exacerbate this problem.EPAs Clean Energy Incentive Program would give the wind industry a new benefit the EPA and States would provide Emission Rate Credits for wind power producers who could then sell these credits to other carbon-emitting power producers. Wind developers already benefit from the wind production tax credit, which Congress extended for the 10th time in December. The extension, which continued the credit through 2019, will cost taxpayers more than $20 billion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.Senator Alexander, who opposes subsidies for wind, a mature energy source, introduced legislation in July that would cut the wind production tax credit early, ending it on Jan. 1, 2017, and then use the $8.1 billion in savings to increase the authorized funding levels for basic energy research at the Department of Energys Office of Science.The full letter Senator Alexander sent to Ms. McCarthy is below:Aug. 2, 2016The Honorable Gina McCarthyAdministratorEnvironmental Protection AgencyU.S. EPA Headquarters William J. Clinton Building1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20460Dear Administrator McCarthy,I write to express serious concerns about the proposed Clean Energy Incentive Program which will provide duplicative, unnecessary, and harmful incentives for wind energy.Wind developers have been getting rich on the backs of taxpayers and the wind production tax credit for over two decades, and there is no reason they should receive additional incentives to build unreliable and unsightly wind turbines.In December, Congress decided to extend the wasteful wind production tax credit for the tenth time through 2019. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, that extension will cost taxpayers more than $20 billion over 10 years. According to the Congressional Research Service, from 1992 to 2014, the production tax credit has already cost taxpayers $13.8 billion. From 2008 to 2014 alone, the wind production tax credit cost taxpayers $7.3 billion more than $1 billion per year.Already, federal incentives for wind distort some electric power markets by giving wind an unfair advantage over other, more reliable and cost-competitive forms of electricity generation. The subsidy for Big Wind is already so generous that, at times, wind producers can give away their electricity and still make a profit. Providing further incentives to wind developers will only exacerbate this problem.Finally, the Clean Energy Incentive Program picks winners and losers because it fails to provide any incentive for nuclear energy this countrys largest source of clean electricity. Nuclear power provides over 60% of our carbon free electricity and is available 92% of the time. Wind provides only 15% of our carbon free electricity, and thats only when the wind blows which is only about 35% of the time, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and usually occurs at night, when we dont need more electricity.If reliable, cheap, and clean electricity is the goal, then nuclear energy should be incentivized instead of giant wind turbines that produce a puny amount of electricity at a great cost to taxpayers.Sincerely,Lamar AlexanderUnited States Senator The remarkable behaviour of platinum atoms on magnetite surfaces could lead to better catalysts. Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) can now explain how platinum atoms can form pairs with the help of carbon monoxide. At first glance, magnetite appears to be a rather inconspicuous grey mineral. But on an atomic scale, it has remarkable properties: on magnetite, single metal atoms are held in place, or they can be made to move across the surface. Sometimes several metal atoms on magnetite form small clusters. Such phenomena can dramatically change the chemical activity of the material. Atomic processes on the magnetite surface determine how well certain metal atoms can serve as catalysts for chemical reactions. Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna), together with colleagues from Utrecht University, can now watch single platinum atoms form tiny clusters. Carbon monoxide plays a dual role in this process: It allows single platinum atoms to move and form pairs, and then it holds these pairs together for a long time. Only by increasing the temperature can the pair-bonds between platinum atoms can be broken. Lonely Atoms It sounds a bit like an unhappy love story: "Two platinum atoms would actually like to be together, but the magnetite surface keeps them apart", says Roland Bliem (TU Wien). Together with Professor Gareth Parkinson, Professor Ulrike Diebold and their colleagues, he analysed the behaviour of platinum atoms using a scanning tunnelling microscope. "When a platinum atom hits the magnetite surface, it is kept in place by the oxygen atoms in the magnetite. The atoms always end up alone. On other surfaces, pair formation would be favoured, but magnetite does not allow that", says Roland Bliem. The platinum atoms sit on specific places on the magnetite crystal and cannot get away without outside help. However, with the appearance of carbon monoxide, the situation changes completely: "A carbon monoxide molecule can attach to a platinum atom and lift it up", says Gareth Parkinson. "We call that the skyhook effect." The lifting process frees the atom from the tight grip of the magnetite, and together, the molecule and the platinum atom can start moving around randomly across the magnetite surface. When one mobilized platinum atom finds another, they can form a bond as long as both of them are being lifted up by carbon monoxide, diminishing the influence of the magnetite below. When the temperature is increased to 250C, the carbon monoxide separates from the platinum atom and the bond breaks up. The two platinum atoms must once again find separate places on the magnetite surface. This effect opens up a strategy to turn clusters into single atoms an important process in so called "single-atom catalysts". Sometimes clusters of several atoms are formed. These larger clusters, however, cannot be broken up, even at high temperatures. Movies with Atomic Resolution "In our scanning tunnelling microscope, we can image the same part of the surface again and again, so that we can create a movie, showing the dancing atoms", says Roland Bliem. "This is crucial for understanding what really happens on the magnetite surface. We can watch single atoms as they wander across the magnetite surface or bond with each other. If we only had a picture of the end result, we could not say with certainty, whether one specific structure consists of one, two or more atoms. Only by following the time evolution of the atomic motion, we know which interpretation is correct." Bliem did not only conduct the experiments, he also performed complex theoretical calculations to explain the peculiar behaviour of the platinum atoms on a quantum mechanical level. For chemical catalysis, such findings play an important role. "Metals such as platinum are frequently used as catalysts, says Gareth Parkinson. But a large cluster of many metal atoms may have completely different chemical properties than single metal atoms sitting separately on a surface. When we want to optimize catalysts, so we must be able to understand and control the behaviour of the atoms. This work is one step further towards that goal." Bad news for city tech boosters: A widely cited survey that declared Chicago No. 1 for female founders has no statistical validity. The report by San Francisco startup Compass, which provides a data dashboard for e-commerce and tech companies, found that 30 percent of Chicago founders are women, a level of diversity that would top any other city in the world. A year later, the figure is still cropping up. Advertisement But the survey can't support the weight of any "world's best" claim, experts say. "We cannot use this survey to draw conclusions about all startups in Chicago for two reasons," said Ed Malthouse, who teaches research methodology at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. "The first reason is the way that they gathered respondents. The second reason is called selection bias." Advertisement The Compass report was based on a survey sample that was not randomly chosen. Administrators contacted local and national partners to solicit responses to the survey through these groups' social media and email lists. Malthouse said this strategy can leave out entrepreneurs not connected to the groups distributing the survey. And certain people may be more likely to respond based on availability or personal agendas. In Chicago, Compass said it approached 18 groups on the tech and startup scene to reach out to their communities to ask them to take the survey. When contacted by Blue Sky, many said they had no memory of receiving the survey or did not participate, so it is unclear how many local partners made an effort to find respondents. Tallying gender diversity was not the primary purpose of the survey. Compass collected dozens of data points for the 156-page report, which was based on a variety of sources including the survey of about 11,000 entrepreneurs in 40 startup ecosystems globally. It also used information from databases including CrunchBase and AngelList. Compass CFO Jean-Francois Gauthier said the company surveyed 107 early-stage entrepreneurs in Chicago. Gauthier declined to share further data or respondent information. He acknowledged in an email to Blue Sky that the report is based on a limited sample and is "by definition imprecise." He said most people are aware that there is a margin of error. "It's not a perfect survey, by no means," Gauthier said in a later interview. "It's the best answer that we have, together as a community." Compass plans to conduct another similar survey starting in September, with results released in January, Gauthier said. The company wants to work with more community partners to draw more responses. Good data that represents each community will help leaders solve issues, he said. Advertisement Statistically speaking, Chicago ranks no better than Boston in the 2015 report. Results showed that 29 percent of that city's founder respondents were women, noted Stephen Stigler, a statistics professor at the University of Chicago. He reviewed the report and survey methodology at Blue Sky's request. With small sample sizes such as the 107 respondents for Chicago, just a few responses can affect percentages, and statistical adjustments for error mean the report could be off by about 8 percent, he said. That would put the ecosystems of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Montreal in range of Chicago's results. Absent a census of the Chicago entrepreneur community, it is nearly impossible to know how many female founders there really are. Startups can come and go quickly, and typically aren't cataloged by gender of founder. A study may count different types of businesses in its scope. Maura O'Hara , executive director of the Illinois Venture Capital Association, said that about 11 percent of founders of venture capital-backed companies in Illinois are women, citing data from PitchBook, a Seattle-based private equity and venture capital research firm. PitchBook counts 156 female founders out of 1,319 total founders of venture-backed companies nearly 12 percent based on Illinois data since 2006. That figure excludes the many women who bootstrap their companies, so is not comparable to an overall number of female founders. Advertisement O'Hara noted that it would be difficult to keep count of founders in the fast-changing world of startups. People may repeat a positive-sounding figure because it's comforting to think of their ecosystem as inclusive, O'Hara said. But if data is inaccurate, it could harm those it is intended to support. "If you're starting with a flawed figure, the intensity of your efforts may be less, if you don't think you have as big a problem as you have," she said. aelahi@tribpub.com Twitter @aminamania Britney Robbins aims to help communities with the lure of enterprise teaching students to start businesses for underserved areas. Robbins founded the Gray Matter Experience, a new entrepreneurial program for Chicago teenagers that focuses on black business development and gives them money to start enterprises in black communities. The nonprofit organization, which started its first program in July, works with high school students and exposes them to some of Chicago's top black entrepreneurs and professionals. Advertisement Students meet every other Saturday through November at Blue1647, where they learn about entrepreneurial concepts including idea generation, marketing, legal structures and financials. Panel discussions, speakers and workshops include Jason Johnson, founder of the Konveau app, and Thomas K.R. Stovall, creator of the BlackInTech speaker series. "The goal is to put them in front of people they deem as cool who are already successful entrepreneurs," Robbins said. Advertisement A field trip precedes each meeting, and art and music are incorporated throughout. Students will learn to DJ, tour a black-owned film studio, and design shoes with a local designer. "I'm very, very focused on making this an experience that high school students want to be a part of. I'm trying to make sure that if I was a high school student, this was a program I'd want to be involved in," said Robbins, 28. "It's a way for them to see other forms of entrepreneurship and industry that exist." She's unapologetic about the program's black emphasis. The students might be better able to relate to black mentors and presenters, she said. "They'll take information from anywhere, but when you put someone in front of them who is telling them they could do these things, who looks like them, the engagement is totally different," she said. "Now the kids actually say, 'If they can actually do that, I can do that.'" Students are charged with creating businesses that will positively impact their communities by addressing challenges such as food deserts, violence and crime. Each group gets a mentor and a share of $30,000 in seed money. Robbins was previously experience designer at the Future Founders Foundation, which teaches young people about entrepreneurship. Working with high school students there, she wanted to see more participants be able to act on the ideas they developed within the program. The Gray Matter Experience, which Robbins used her own money to start, works with 15 to 24 students at a time. The first class runs through Nov. 12, when the teens will pitch their companies. Aaja Corinne Magee, branding strategist at Aaja Corrine The Brand, will talk personal branding with the group in October, after becoming a fast fan of the concept. Advertisement "Entrepreneurship and education is really a ticket to the next level. We really need to learn how to serve our own," said Magee, 26. "It's a community effort to say, 'If we don't take care of ourselves, who will?' and working to empower this generation to empower the next generation." The mentorship aspect was a draw for Michael Reed, a 17-year-old rising senior at Kenwood Academy. He was in Gray Matter's inaugural class of 20 students. In fact, his group is working on a mentor-mentee matching business. "It appeals to me because I can build a business that will help the larger community in the future," he said. "You can impact so many people." Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer. Twitter @cherylvjackson U.S. News & World Report designated Northwestern Memorial Hospital as high-performing in nine procedures, including heart bypass surgery, knee replacement and hip replacement. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the best in the state for the fifth year in a row and among the top 10 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday. U.S. News ranked Rush University Medical Center, also in Chicago, second in the state. University of Chicago Medical Center earned third place. Advertisement U.S. News ranks hospitals based on a variety of measures, including hospitals' reputations with specialists, patient survival, safety and other care-related issues such as nurse staffing. "This is an achievement that further distinguishes Northwestern Medicine as Chicago's premier academic health system and reaffirms our commitment to providing world-class healthcare to our patients," Northwestern Memorial HealthCare CEO Dean Harrison said in a news release. Advertisement U.S. News designated Northwestern as high-performing in nine procedures, including heart bypass surgery, knee replacement and hip replacement. Northwestern also ranked sixth in the country for cardiology and heart surgery, orthopedics and neonatology. It earned the eighth spot in the country on U.S. News' Honor Roll, a list of the top 20 hospitals in the nation, based on specialty rankings and ratings for procedures and conditions. Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn was ranked fourth in the state, and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood took fifth place. Nationwide, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., took top honors, followed by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The U.S. News and World Report rankings were released less than a week after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled its own hospitals ratings. Those ratings awarded hospitals one to five stars based on 64 quality measures. Northwestern received an overall rating of three stars, which was the most common rating across the country. Rush received four stars, and University of Chicago Medical Center got three stars. Critics of hospital ratings say they don't paint a full picture of a hospital's performance, and they question their usefulness to consumers. U.S. News produced the ratings with research organization RTI International. lschencker@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @lschencker Tina Faltz of Faltz Family Vineyards in Sheridan, Ill. discusses her family's decision to start growing five acres of hops on their 176-acre vineyard. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) While Chicago's craft beer scene is rich and growing, the hop farming craze has yet to fully take root in Illinois. For context: Michigan, top hop producer in the Midwest, will have more than 800 acres of the crop, a key ingredient used to flavor popular craft beer styles such as India pale ales, planted by the end of the year. Washington, Oregon and Idaho where the vast majority of hops in the U.S. are grown collectively have more than 50,000 acres that will be harvested this year. Advertisement Illinois has 30. Hop farms are popping up throughout the Midwest, a trend driven by craft beer's continued growth running parallel to the increasing popularity of locally grown food. But in Illinois, unlike in neighboring Michigan, there's no state university-coordinated effort among brewers and growers to break down potential barriers to business. There's no research underway to determine the best varieties for Illinois farmers to grow that might give them a competitive edge. Advertisement Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 The Faltz family-owned and -operated hops farm in Sheridan, Ill., is approximately 176 acres, with 20 acres of grapes and 5 acres for hops. The hops crop can be seen in the background. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) And while hop farming yields more revenue per acre than commodities, it also requires significant investment to get started. "There's a hesitancy to invest in the land itself when we're not in a proven market. So we're trying to prove the market and show that we're producing high-quality hops and that people want them," said Rich Hauser, president of Bier Blume Farms in Lena, a small town in northwestern Illinois. Bier Blume Farms, in its third growing season, expects to harvest about 3,000 pounds of Cascade and Chinook hops from 3 acres of land, Hauser said, all of which will be sold to local breweries. Another 5 acres have been planted. Eventually, Hauser said, the plan is to form partnerships with Chicago brewpubs and expand the farm to more than 40 acres. In general, it's still cheaper for a Chicago brewery to buy hops from Washington than Illinois. "That's the big issue. The local farmers tend to grow more popular strains (of hops) that, unfortunately, we can get cheaper elsewhere," said Quintin Cole, co-founder of Vice District Brewing, a taproom in the South Loop. A closeup view of hops. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Cole and Hauser have engaged in preliminary talks, they both said, but haven't yet reached an agreement. Like most Chicago brewers, Cole said Vice District sources most of its hops from Washington and Oregon, though it has started buying some from Hop Head Farms in Michigan. Cole said he hopes more investment and collaboration will make it easier to buy local. If Illinois farms were to grow proprietary varieties of hops unique to the region, as some do in the Northwest, that would also present a tantalizing opportunity, Cole said, though he acknowledged developing such strains can be a lengthy process. Hop-heavy beers, such as India pale ales, continue to lead a craft beer movement that's growing into a mature industry. As of July 10, craft IPAs had brought in $562.4 million in year-to-date sales, an increase of almost 30 percent from the same period a year ago, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI that doesn't include liquor stores or Costco. Advertisement And as of June 30, a record-high 4,656 breweries were operating in the U.S., an increase of 917 breweries from the same period a year ago, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group representing small and independent breweries. In other words, the craft beer bubble has not burst, but breweries are facing more competition. And while hop farms in the Pacific Northwest are growing to meet demand, there are opportunities for Midwest farmers looking to capitalize on the abundant need for hops. "For craft brewers looking for ways to differentiate, having local input is a good way to go," said Bart Watson, an economist with the Brewers Association. But it doesn't come cheap. Starting from scratch, a single acre of hops requires an investment of at least $10,000 to $12,000, Hauser said. Growing hops involves a trellis system and other equipment for spraying the plants and picking the hops. And though some brewers use wet hops for seasonal ales, hops usually need to be dried and turned into pellets, which also requires specialized machinery. And for small farms starting out, those costs have to be passed on to the brewer until economies of scale can be realized unless partnerships can be formed with other hop farms to help share the cost. Studying such challenges and identifying solutions have become academic pursuits. In December 2014, Michigan State University convened the Great Lakes Hop Working Group a collaborative group of various universities, including the University of Illinois, that's intended to prioritize region-specific problems and best practices. I see a bright future. To say we're there yet we're not. But it's a very young industry. Dick Faltz, who harvests hops at Fox Valley Winery in Oswego At Michigan State University Extension, educators Rob Sirrine and Erin Lizotte have led the way in research on what varieties grow best in Michigan and how to manage pests and soil quality issues. Sirrine has also helped connect farmers to brewers in the state. Advertisement Michigan has some built-in advantages over Illinois when it comes to hop farming. For example, it's easier for some Michigan fruit farms on the lakeshore that had previously grown grapes to break into hop farming because they already have the trellis system and other equipment, Sirrine said. And Michigan brewers are buying in. As one example, the New Holland Brewing Company recently opened a brewpub in Holland committed to using only Michigan-grown ingredients, including hops. Dick Faltz has designated 4.5 acres of his 170-acre farm in Sheridan, Ill., for growing hops. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) "Overall, there's increasing demand for American hops globally," Sirrine said. "You're also helped by the farm-to-table, farm-to-glass, grow-local movement." Grant McCarty, Sirrine's counterpart at the University of Illinois Extension in Rockford, would like to see some of that momentum in Illinois. As part of his role as local food and small farm extension educator, McCarty acts as a liaison between the few Illinois hop farmers and the broader regional resources of the Great Lakes Hop Working Group. "Part of the challenge is figuring out who the buyer is going to be," McCarty said. "Before you start investing in the farming, you have to figure out how the hops are going to be sold." The opposite is also true: Investment is needed to produce enough hops at a consistent quality to entice Illinois brewers. Advertisement Dick Faltz hopes to step into that void. Faltz, 70, founded Fox Valley Winery in Oswego in 1999. Encouraged by his three sons to tap into the craft beer movement, Faltz decided to designate 4.5 acres of the 170-acre farm for hops in 2013. And so Fox Valley Hops was born. This year, Faltz said he expects to harvest about 6,000 pounds, all of which is contracted for Tangled Roots Brewing Company in nearby Ottawa. Next year, Faltz hopes to add another 90 acres, with the eventual goal of growing hops on more than 200 acres in LaSalle County. "I see a bright future. To say we're there yet we're not. But it's a very young industry," Faltz said. gtrotter@chicagotribune.com Twitter @GregTrotterTrib Insurance premiums for Obamacare will rise an average of 11 percent, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Andrew Harnik / AP) Insurers want to crank up the cost of health insurance premiums by as much as 45 percent for Illinois residents who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, the most popular insurer on the state's Obamacare exchange, is proposing increases ranging from 23 percent to 45 percent in premiums for its individual health-care plans, according to proposed 2017 premiums that were made public Monday. The insurer blamed the sought-after hikes mainly on changes in the costs of medical services. Advertisement Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois said in a statement that the proposed rates are in line with those in many markets across the country, and the proposed increases don't tell the whole story. "No final decisions have been made regarding our 2017 offerings," according to the statement. "While some carriers have chosen to exit the market, we are working toward continuing to provide health insurance options for consumers in Illinois. However, that must be done in a sustainable way." Advertisement Coventry Health Care of Illinois proposed rate increases as high as 21 percent. The Illinois Department of Insurance has until Aug. 23 to review the proposed rates and potentially try to negotiate them down. Final rates can be lower than the ones first proposed by insurers, and the proposed increases don't reflect what consumers will actually pay, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was quick to caution Monday. Last year, average monthly premiums for consumers with HealthCare.gov coverage increased by $4, to $106 a month "despite headlines suggesting double-digit increases," HHS spokesman Jonathan Gold said Monday in a statement. About 75 percent of Illinois residents who buy plans on the exchange qualify for federal tax credits that partially offset the costs of their premiums. "Consumers in Illinois will continue to have affordable coverage options in 2017," Gold said in the statement. "Today's announcement is just the beginning of the rates process, and consumers will have the final word when they vote with their feet during Open Enrollment." Kathy Waligora, director of EverThrive Illinois' health reform initiative, said she also expects many of the rates to be lower than the proposed ones released Monday. "We don't put too much stock in the numbers as they stand right now because we know the [Department of Insurance] is really negotiating the rates up until the last deadline," she said. Ultimately it will be insurers setting the rates that will take effect Jan. 1. Illinois, unlike a number of other states, doesn't have the power to reject the proposed rates outright, said Dena Mendelsohn, a staff attorney at Consumers Union, the advocacy and policy division of Consumer Reports. Regulators in some states, such as California, have been very successful negotiating with insurers to push down proposed rates in the past, she said. That hasn't been the case everywhere. Advertisement "It doesn't appear to me like the Illinois rate regulator is rigorously reviewing these rate proposals and advocating for consumers," Mendelsohn said. Consumer advocates have also complained that Illinois takes too long to publicly release its rates, giving advocates less time to review plans and fight proposed increases. Insurers had to submit their rate plans for Illinois in April, though they were just released publicly Monday as required by the federal government. Other states make the rate plan proposals public when they are filed, and before Monday, more than half of the states had disclosed just how much higher Obamacare premiums could be. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, for example, proposed an average increase of 53.7 percent. The increases aren't a surprise as many insurers have been losing money in the marketplace, said Katherine Hempstead, a senior adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Hempstead said Illinois regulators tend to be realistic about just how low proposed rates can go. "I don't think the Insurance Department wants to push the carriers off a cliff and tell them they can't raise their rates and then they're upside down actuarially," Hempstead said. "You can't sustain a situation where most carriers lose money." Advertisement She noted, however, that recent news of insurer Cigna's plans to start selling marketplace plans in the Chicago area is likely good news for consumers. The additional competition could help hold down prices. It's at least one bright spot for Illinois residents on the exchange, who have been battered by other developments. Insurer Land of Lincoln Health stunned 49,000 enrollees with its announcement this summer that it would shut down Oct. 1, after sustaining heavy financial losses. And last year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois decided to discontinue its broadest PPO plan on the exchange after losing money. lschencker@chicagotribune.com Twitter @lschencker Pete Bensen, one of the top executives at McDonald's, is retiring after nearly 20 years with the company. Bensen was promoted to the No. 2 spot when the company ousted CEO Don Thompson and replaced him with Steve Easterbrook early last year. Advertisement In his role over the past 18 months as chief administrative officer, he was charged with overseeing McDonald's overall strategy and directed operations across several divisions including supply chain and sustainability, restaurant development and franchising, information technology and finance. Bensen earned total compensation of nearly $4 million last year, including a base salary of $950,000. The past 18 months have been one of the most transitory periods in the company's history, with the launch of all-day breakfast, the start of a transition to all cage-free eggs and a number of other efforts to improve the quality and health perception of McDonald's food. Advertisement The company also has undergone a massive effort to refranchise more restaurants, a move the company hopes will lessen corporate liability but also improve the performance of those sites. And in perhaps the biggest planned change, McDonald's announced its intention to leave its decades-old, custom-built headquarters in suburban Oak Brook for a new home base on Chicago's Near West Side. That's expected to be completed in 2018. McDonald's is expected to announce a further shuffling of its executive ranks to account for Bensen's departure "in the coming weeks," the company said. sbomkamp@tribune.com Twitter @SamWillTravel Southwest Airlines Co. pilots called for the replacement of Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly, saying a "misguided focus on cost control" meant the company failed to invest in critical technology that could have prevented canceled flights and stranded passengers. "We believe that a change is needed for the best interests of Southwest Airlines and the loyal customers we serve," Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, said in a statement Monday, which also called for Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven to step down. "We encourage, effective immediately, their replacement in order to secure a more stable, sustainable and profitable future." Senior executives have used record revenue to buy back "excessive shares of stock" rather than invest in the airline and its employees, according to a resolution by the union's board. The union, which is in contract talks with the Dallas-based carrier, cited technical breakdowns during the busy summer and holiday travel seasons over the past several years, including a computer-system outage last month. Executives also boosted maintenance costs and hurt flight reliability by operating the airline's oldest planes too long, said the union, which represents more than 8,000 pilots. Southwest in June said it would speed up the retirement of its so-called 737 Classic fleet to late next year. Southwest last month struggled to recover after an old router and its backup system failed, crashing the carrier's computer systems. While those computers were restored about 12 hours later, flights continued to be canceled or delayed over several days as the carrier attempted to get crews and planes in the right locations. The airline is "studying every single angle" to determine why the failure occurred, Kelly told employees in a voice message after the outage. A new domestic reservation system will be in place next year, and other aging technology will be replaced "over the next three to five years," he said on a July 21 conference call. In October, technological problems forced Southwest to process travelers manually and delayed more than 450 flights across the U.S. The issue affected the airline's website, mobile application, reservations centers and airports. Pilots blamed cost-control efforts for staffing problems during a Chicago winter storm in 2014 that left planes waiting for gates at Midway Airport. Southwest later agreed to pay a $1.6 million U.S. fine for leaving passengers on 16 planes for more than three hours after landing. Malfunctions of the airline's crew scheduling system, a staff shortage and severe weather contributed to the delay, federal regulators said. With her controversial blood-testing company under intense federal scrutiny, Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes took the stage before hundreds of medical laboratory experts Monday to present a new blood-testing device and bat down questions about a series of blunders that have thrust the firm into crisis. Holmes, who spoke at a meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, avoided the long list of regulatory and credibility problems that face the company she founded in 2003, when she was 19. Theranos has experienced a rapid fall from grace, with federal regulators banning Holmes from owning or operating a lab for two years. After a host of operational lapses, the company voided then corrected two years of patients' results from its proprietary Edison technology. Holmes pitched her presentation as an "inflection point," as she works to forge relations with the scientific and medical community. "We fully understand . . . that we have a lot of work to do to engage with this community," Holmes said. "I can tell you, I wish that I had started earlier." Theranos promised to revolutionize the medical industry with technology that could process a panoply of tests using just a few drops of blood from a finger prick. Now the company is facing a federal criminal investigation into whether it misled investors, and its major partner, Walgreens, has ended the relationship. The Silicon Valley start-up said Holmes's presentation would finally pull back the curtain on its science and data for scrutiny. Stephen Master, director of the central laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine, who sat on the panel that questioned Holmes, said the revolutionary promise of Theranos's technology was not supported by the data she showed Monday. "The evidence you presented fell far short of that, so how should we think about it?" Master asked, to applause. Holmes replied that the presentation focused on the architecture of the company's new technology and was an introduction to the invention. Her talk - touted by a public relations firm as a "breakthrough presentation" and filled with videos of robots moving liquids with pipettes - focused on the technical specifications of the new device, called miniLab. The presentation included data generated by Theranos on several blood tests but did not include any peer-reviewed data. The company has submitted its data on a Zika diagnostic to a journal and to federal regulators. Since last fall, Holmes has promised to publish its data in peer-reviewed journals. Scientists' reactions spanned a wide gamut and 583 questions swamped the panel tasked with a 45-minute Q&A with Holmes and three company representatives. Some scientists expressed frustration that the presentation didn't elaborate on any of the company's lapses. Others said the data provided was a good start, but they pointed out that the technologies that are miniaturized in the new device are not unique. Geoffrey Baird, an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington, said the presentation was an attempt to distract from the company's troubles. "This is not the science of Theranos that they were doing any clinical testing on," Baird said. "This is theater, what we're getting right now. This is not science." The line for the talk began to form more than an hour before Holmes was scheduled to go on stage, reflecting the considerable attention that has focused on the spectacular rise and fall of Theranos. Once valued at $9 billion, Theranos was for years a darling of investors and media. Holmes was compared to Apple legend Steve Jobs, featured on magazine covers and able to attract a slate of well-connected former government officials to her company's board - although there were noticeably few with deep expertise in laboratory testing or medicine. Holmes's presentation was punctuated by evidence of the caution the company is now exercising. This year, it added a group of well-respected laboratory medicine experts to its medical and scientific advisory board. The presentation slides carried a footnote that the technology had not received approval by the Food and Drug Administration and was not for sale in the United States. In her introduction to Holmes, Patricia Jones, the president of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, noted that hosting the presentation was not an endorsement of the company. K.T. Jerry Yeo, a professor of pathology at the University of Chicago, said that the technologies presented were all well-known to laboratory professionals, and the Theranos's only innovation was putting a variety of miniaturized lab equipment capable of multiple kinds of blood testsin a single box. "This kind of a presentation, we have seen in one way or another with different companies, trying to make a smaller box," Yeo said, noting that he could see a potential use for the Theranos device, but "the jury is still out." They only showed several "handpicked" tests, Yeo pointed out, and the data also doesn't reflect how the device works in the real world, since it was all tested by Theranos. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans is being challenged for only the second time since he became the county's first African-American chief judge in 2001. Former Chicago alderman Thomas R. Allen, a chancery judge at the Daley Center, confirmed Monday that he will be a candidate when the county's judges vote for the top post in a secret ballot next month. Advertisement But Allen picked his words carefully. "I'm definitely in," he told Chicago Inc. "But I'm not being critical of anybody." Advertisement In a letter to the county's 241 judges, Evans, 73, said, "I welcome the challenge." Allen, 64, touts his experience as a defense attorney and says his platform calls for "more dialogue among the judges." "My thought is we need better working relationships with the other partners in Cook County government, with the Cook County sheriff, with the county board and the board president," he said. Allen said he had been speaking to his colleagues on the bench about his election bid and that he has "taken suggestions from other judges" but declined to name any that are supporting him. Allen, who was the 38th Ward alderman for 17 years, noted that canvassing for votes among judges was "very different" from running for public office. The judges are "a small group, and it's not a public thing. It's very private," he said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > He seemed inclined to keep it that way, declining to comment any further on his pitch to his fellow judges. "A bunch of judges go in the room and whoever gets the most votes wins. That's it in a nutshell," he said. "Whoever wins will have my support and my respect." It's not the first time Allen has run for higher office: He was defeated in 2008 by Anita Alvarez when he ran for Cook County state's attorney. Advertisement Evans, who was himself an alderman and whose bid for Chicago mayor in 1989 was unsuccessful, wrote in his letter to fellow judges that "while I respect any judge's right to run, I respectfully suggest that no other judge has more passion for improving our system of justice nor fought harder or longer to produce the results I believe my leadership and experience have brought about." In 2010, Evans easily held off a challenge for chief judge from former Judge William Maddux. kjanssen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @kimjnews Chicago State University was sanctioned by the Higher Learning Commission, the agency responsible for accrediting the school. The university will remain accredited as it works to resolve the agency's concerns about financial strife. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Facing an unprecedented budget crisis, Chicago State University has laid off nearly 400 employees since the beginning of the year an astounding 40 percent of staff at a school that serves mostly minority and low-income students from the city. The mass layoffs, unusual in higher education, came with a cost: $2.2 million, the bulk of it in severance pay mandated by a long-standing school policy that requires up to a year's notice of being terminated or a payout for the time. It's a policy common at Illinois public universities but generous compared with what is provided by most schools in other states. Advertisement Chicago State spent nearly $1.6 million on severance for about 50 administrators who were provided lump-sum payments in June equal to the salaries they would have received if they had not been terminated. The university spent another $650,000 to pay out unused vacation time for about 130 administrators and civil service employees. It was a significant sum considering the university had only $7.3 million in cash at the end of April, according to records obtained by the Tribune. The university, however, provided no severance to the 10 faculty members laid off last month, saying a provision in the faculty contract that would have required a year's notice did not apply because the school has declared financial exigency. Advertisement While the payments are a short-term expense that will reduce payroll costs by $2 million a month, it's another sign of the South Side university's precarious financial situation. The university, which depends on state funding for about 30 percent of its operational budget, was hit hard by the budget stalemate that left higher education without a dime for most of last year and then provided only partial funding. For the upcoming year, Chicago State has again received limited funding about $13 million that is expected to last through December. And with a projected enrollment decline of about 20 percent, tuition revenue will be down. To make ends meet, the 150-year-old public university, which last year served about 4,500 students, has cut its budget for the coming year by about 30 percent, to $70 million, according to university President Thomas Calhoun Jr. He said recently that the university "has done much to shore itself up financially," including through the layoffs. "We are confident that we are in good shape," he said. In late February, as the need to trim payroll became clear, Chicago State sent notices of potential layoffs to all of its 950 employees. Two months later, hundreds of employees were either laid off with the possibility of being recalled, or terminated. For some, that wasn't enough notice under the university policy. Administrators are to be notified of a potential termination anywhere from three months to one year in advance, depending on how long they have worked at the university. After six years, employees are entitled to a year's notice. The payments ranged from about $4,000 for an associate director who had worked at Chicago State for less than a year, to $94,000 for an associate vice president who had been employed for six years, according to records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Employees received anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $20,000 for accrued vacation time. Advertisement "I was aware of the cost (of the layoffs)," said Renee Mitchell, Chicago State's associate vice president for human resources. "But I am also aware of the savings in the long run, too." The employees who received severance, for example, are not getting benefits. She said there are risks associated with allowing employees to work when they know they will be let go, she said. State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, said the severance pay is "probably a little rich to afford right now given the financial challenges higher education is facing in Illinois." "Those things are nice and probably really help with recruiting ... but the question becomes, can you afford them anymore?" asked Cunningham, vice chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. Indeed, Western Illinois University changed its policy two years ago. Instead of a year's notice, administrators now are entitled to a maximum of six months. The change was made to be more in line with corporate practices and universities outside of Illinois, a spokeswoman said. Western laid off about 130 employees this year, including 17 faculty members and four administrators who received a total severance of $84,582. With the additional state money approved in July, about 78 of the civil service employees who were laid off are being recalled by the start of the fall semester, a spokeswoman said. Other public universities in Illinois have notice rights similar to those at Chicago State, including the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University. EIU laid off 298 employees in the past year, but all employees who had notice rights worked through the remainder of their time. The university paid out $496,627 in accrued vacation and sick time, according to the university. Advertisement Layoffs in higher education are rare, and the employment policies were not written with that purpose in mind, experts said. "These things were intended to provide protection against favoritism or a difference of opinion with the board or a new president," said Jill Leka, an Illinois attorney and general counsel for the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association. "The rationale (behind the policy) makes perfect sense, but maybe it doesn't work in light of the economic circumstances going on right now." Outside of Illinois, college and university employees generally are given less notice of a layoff and less severance. "These people got a good deal, relatively speaking, in a horrible situation," said Raymond D. Cotton, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in higher education. "Universities are very humane in the way that they deal with their employees. They will try to give people a soft landing if they can afford it." But Chicago State faculty said they are not being treated fairly. While administrators received severance, the faculty members did not. According to their union contract, tenured faculty are allowed to work for at least one academic year after being given a layoff notice except in cases of "extreme and immediate financial exigency." Advertisement In February, the university declared financial exigency because of the state budget stalemate. Tenured music professor William Jason Raynovich, who taught at Chicago State for 16 years, was among those laid off. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "Chicago State University is on the South Side of Chicago and I believe we should be much more thoughtful about social justice and about fairness across the board, about treating everyone fairly and with respect," Raynovich said. "The idea that administrators are not taking the hit equally with all of us is upsetting." History professor Steven Rowe, who taught at Chicago State for nine years, said he never imagined he could lose his job and without time to search for a new opportunity. "You feel like when you get tenure you are reasonably well-protected against things like layoffs," he said. Providing notice to administrators but not faculty "is this top-down way of thinking about the university that has dominated the administration for a while." "I definitely don't think it's fair," he said. Advertisement Chicago Tribune's Jennifer Smith Richards contributed. jscohen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @higherednews The agency responsible for reviewing all shootings by Chicago police officers has no record of having investigated six shootings in recent years, according to a critical report from the city's inspector general. Inspector General Joseph Ferguson found that the Independent Police Review Authority had no record of looking into six shootings in which officers fired their guns but didn't hit anyone, according to the report obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. Advertisement The inspector general wrote that it was unclear if the Police Department failed to notify IPRA of the shootings or IPRA's recordkeeping was to blame. IPRA also had no documentation of 14 times when officers used Tasers between 2007 and 2014, records show. Advertisement In a report that castigated IPRA for deficiencies in tracking police use of force, Ferguson noted that more was at stake than a numerical discrepancy. "During this historic moment of transformation of police oversight in Chicago, the city should recognize that use-of-force reporting is a crucial tool for meaningful transparency, accountability, and the fostering of public trust in the Police Department and the agency responsible for police oversight," he wrote. In response, IPRA's head, Sharon Fairley, wrote that the Police Department should share blame for problems in reporting on the use of force. She held that IPRA had no records indicating that the department had notified her agency of the six shootings. The omissions took place between 2007 and 2011, years before Fairley was appointed to run IPRA. Fairley acknowledged that IPRA previously had failed to assess whether the Police Department was providing comprehensive data on officers' use of force. She wrote that her agency was working to "ensure that we have the appropriate personnel and technological resources to address our data management and reporting needs going forward." IPRA is now looking into the six missing shootings, agency spokeswoman Mia Sissac said. She said she could not provide details of the shootings, but IPRA's response indicated that three happened in 2007, another one in 2009 and two more in 2011. Fairley also wrote that her agency had found several instances in which officers' reports on use of force were inaccurate, and she suggested in her response that the Police Department should be faulted for inaccurate reporting, rather than IPRA. A Police Department spokesman declined to comment Monday, but a top aide to Mayor Rahm Emanuel wrote that the Police Department will start issuing public reports in September on use of force, a role that had previously fallen largely to IPRA. The inspector general's report comes as Emanuel tries to deliver on reforms he promised amid the furor ignited in November by the court-ordered release of video showing a white officer shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. Advertisement As the crisis deepened, the mayor installed Fairley, a former federal prosecutor, as IPRA's head in December. Months later, he announced plans to abolish the agency and replace it with a more effective department, though neither Emanuel nor his allies have given details on what will replace IPRA. A recent Tribune investigation detailed IPRA's history of conducting superficial investigations, clearing police despite compelling evidence of misconduct and recommending light discipline. Fairley has acknowledged IPRA's shortcomings and although the agency faces extinction enacted reforms designed to improve investigations and stiffen recommendations for discipline. In the past two months, IPRA has ruled more police shootings unjustified than it had in the prior nine years. The main players involved in the inspector general's report have history together. Fairley was Ferguson's top deputy before leaving for IPRA. Ferguson, meanwhile, served on the task force Emanuel appointed amid the burgeoning political crisis to examine policing and oversight. That task force in April called IPRA "badly broken" and recommended it be razed and replaced. The IG's report criticized various aspects of IPRA's reporting on police use of force, concluding that beyond the six shootings that weren't investigated the figures IPRA provided in its regular reports on police shootings and uses of Tasers and pepper spray were generally inaccurate. Ferguson also wrote that the city should provide greater detail on a wider range of uses of force and make sure police oversight officials have access to complete, detailed data on uses of force. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "This sort of inaccurate and incomplete reporting may erode public trust in the ability of a civilian oversight agency to hold police accountable," he wrote. Advertisement Fairley's response largely concurred with Ferguson's recommendations on reporting uses of force and said some reforms were already underway. "We agree that there remains (an) opportunity for IPRA to bring increased transparency to the work of our office and the performance of CPD," she wrote. dhinkel@chicagotribune.com tlighty@chicagotribune.com Twitter @dhinkel Twitter @tlighty The teen who was shot and killed by Chicago police last week had been driving a car that had been stolen hours earlier from a Bolingbrook home, police in the southwest suburb said Tuesday. The 2002 Jaguar XKR convertible was one of four cars that had been stolen in Bolingbrook between Wednesday and Thursday morning, Bolingbrook Public Safety Director Tom Ross said. Advertisement A surveillance camera at a gas station in the suburb captured 18-year-old Paul O'Neal and three others suspected of participating in the thefts of older-model cars early Thursday, Ross said. Three of the four stolen cars though not the Jaguar were also caught on the camera at the station at Route 53 and Boughton Road, he said. An unarmed O'Neal was fatally shot Thursday evening as he ran from a Chicago police officer after crashing the Jaguar into two police vehicles in the South Shore neighborhood, police said. Advertisement The thieves were not sophisticated, targeting vehicles that had been left unlocked and with their keys in the ignition, Ross said. He called the rash of car thefts highly unusual for Bolingbrook. "It is extremely rare to have four cars stolen in one night," he said. "They were looking for cars with keys in the ignition. They took anything they could." Ross said the Jaguar was reported stolen from the 400 block of Delaware Circle in Bolingbrook. The owner reported last seeing it at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and discovered it missing at 5:55 a.m. Thursday. The video camera captured O'Neal and the three other suspects at the gas station at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Ross said. Also visible were three of the cars that had been stolen overnight: a 2009 Buick Enclave, a 2003 Honda Odyssey and a 2010 Nissan Rogue. Ross said detectives pulled the camera video at the station because in addition to the car thefts several vehicles in the suburb were broken into that same night and a credit card stolen in those break-ins was used at the gas station. All but the Nissan Rogue have been recovered. The Buick was located near 79th Street and Colfax Avenue, not far from O'Neal's fatal encounter with Chicago police. The Odyssey was recovered in Bolingbrook on Merrimack Court, a street close to where the Jaguar was stolen, Ross said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "The theory is they are all at the gas station, the van gets dumped on Merrimac and the Jaguar gets taken," Ross said. Bolingbrook police entered a description of the four stolen vehicles into a shared law enforcement database. Any Chicago police officer who checked the plates on the Jaguar would have discovered that it was stolen. Advertisement Bolingbrook police were notified hours after O'Neal was shot by police around 7:30 p.m. Thursday behind a residence in the 7300 block of South Merrill Avenue in Chicago. O'Neal, driving the Jaguar, struck two Chicago police vehicles that were trying to stop him. Two officers opened fire at O'Neal while he was still in the Jaguar. As O'Neal fled on foot, a third officer chased after him, but O'Neal refused to stop, police said. He was shot once in the back by the officer, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was unarmed, police said. The shooting is under investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has stripped the three officers of their police powers pending the outcome of an IPRA investigation, saying they violated unspecified department policies. asweeney@chicagotribune.com Twitter @annie1221 Mario Casciaro hugs his uncle Lorenzo Vallone at his sister's home in Addison on Sept. 23, 2015, after being released from Menard Correctional Center. Casciaro's 2013 conviction in a 2002 slaying was overturned by an appeals court. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Mario Casciaro was released from prison after his conviction for the murder of his teenage co-worker was overturned, but authorities in McHenry County are balking at having him formally declared innocent. Casciaro the only person ever convicted in the 2002 disappearance of 17-year-old Brian Carrick wants a McHenry County judge to grant him a certificate of innocence. But the prosecutors who took Casciaro to trial three times before getting a guilty verdict once for perjury and twice for murder have formally opposed the certificate. Advertisement If granted, the court document would allow Casciaro to seek compensation from the state for the 22 months he spent in Menard Correctional Center before his conviction for murder with intimidation a rarely used charge was reversed on appeal. Innocence certificates can also help exonerated former inmates get employment and generally reintegrate into society. "It is unfortunate that the McHenry (County) state's attorney continues to deny this grave miscarriage of justice," said Casciaro's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, who has won several high-profile murder conviction reversals and now represents Steve Avery, the Wisconsin man from the "Making a Murderer" Netflix series. "We are confident Mr. Casciaro will prevail, even if we have to take this matter all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court." Advertisement But prosecutors argue that, although the appeals court determined they lacked sufficient evidence to convict Casciaro, that doesn't mean he is "actually innocent." Casciaro "wishes to cast himself as the victim. He is not. The real victim is lying nameless in an unmarked, unhallowed grave," prosecutors wrote, in reference to the fact that Carrick's remains have never been recovered. "The defendant's disinterest, deceit and contempt ... during the investigation exposed his callousness and consciousness of guilt." Prosecutors further argued in their 300-page motion that, "even conceding that the state's evidence of guilt was weak, it does not follow that (Casciaro) is innocent. Rather, (he) must still present evidence of actual innocence that overrides evidence of guilt. (Casciaro) offers no exculpatory physical or DNA evidence, no credible alibi during the time of the attack or thereafter, and no new witnesses or information." The case has attracted national attention and has become one of the most notorious murder mysteries in McHenry County. Carrick disappeared days before Christmas 2002 after being seen at the Johnsburg grocery store where he worked with Casciaro, whose family was part owner. William Carrick, holds a photo of his son Brian that was signed by family and friends at his home in Johnsburg on April 3, 2013. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Authorities contended at Casciaro's two murder trials that Carrick had been dealing marijuana for Casciaro and that he ordered another co-worker, Shane Lamb, to confront Carrick about a debt he owed. Lamb testified that he delivered a fatal punch to Carrick inside a grocery store cooler, but at Casciaro's second murder trial in 2013, he was convicted of first-degree murder with intimidation and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Carrick's blood was found in and around the cooler. Lamb, who received immunity in the case but is now in prison on an unrelated weapons charge, later said he lied on the witness stand under pressure from prosecutors, a claim officials have vehemently denied. In their objection to Casciaro's innocence certificate, prosecutors called the reversal of his conviction "problematic" and "imprudent." They cited, for example, witness testimony that supported Lamb's account, as well as a polygraph test Casciaro took that prosecutors say showed Casciaro being deceptive. They also cited trial testimony from one witness who said he saw Casciaro and Carrick arguing that night, as well as testimony that Casciaro was selling marijuana and that Carrick worked for him. Prosecutors also pointed to testimony that Carrick owed Casciaro money at the time he disappeared and that Lamb worked as an "enforcer" in Casciaro's drug business. Advertisement In overturning the conviction outright last year, the appellate court noted, among several factors, the lack of physical evidence to convict Casciaro. They also questioned Lamb's credibility and said his account did not prove intimidation by Casciaro. Additionally, they wrote that details of the alleged physical altercation did not match up with blood spatter found in and around the produce cooler. "Lamb's entire testimony was so inconsistent, contradictory and incredible that it was palpably contrary to the verdict," appellate judges wrote in their ruling. Prosecutors, however, said Lamb only recanted and claimed he was told what to testify because he was upset about the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence for the weapons charges. They also noted that he had learned he would be featured on a national TV news program about the Carrick case and wanted to "leverage the notoriety and exposure to undercut his prosecution." In her appeal, Zellner sought to cast suspicion on another grocery store co-worker, who has since died, as the possible killer. Prosecutors called that theory "fantastical" and said it did not match the facts of the case. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > After Casciaro's release from prison in September, prosecutors attempted to have their case heard at the Illinois Supreme Court but were denied. Carrick's disappearance and the drawn-out aftermath nearly eight years went by before Casciaro was charged with the murder have long been a source of interest and grief in the small town, where both families were well-known. Carrick was one of 14 siblings and his family lived across the street from the grocery store where he was likely killed. His mother, Terry, died months before Casciaro's arrest. His father, William, saw Casciaro convicted of murdering his son but died before the conviction was overturned. Advertisement Prosecutors noted those turns of events in their objection to the innocence paper. "Since Brian's disappearance ... both of his parents have gone to their grave without ever having known their son's ultimate fate," they wrote, adding his siblings remain "haunted" by his presumed death. The filing also noted that the attention given in recent years to wrongful convictions "has aroused a healthy skepticism of convictions reached without" DNA evidence or a firsthand witness account. "It is important not to attribute injustices elsewhere to circumstances here," prosecutors wrote. They added that, "If one accepts the criminal justice system is imperfect" and sometimes convicts the wrong person, it follows that the same system sometimes "acquits those who are guilty, in fact." Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter. Homestead National Monument will be a pit stop for solar-powered vehicles Wednesday and Thursday. The monument is one of nine designated stops for the American Solar Challenge, a collegiate competition in which students will travel 1,975 miles from Ohio to South Dakota in their personally designed solar-powered vehicles. The competition is intended to promote educational excellence and engineering creativity, according to information provided by Homestead. Each of the solar-powered vehicles passed extensive testing and qualified during a 3-day track qualifier. Teams are expected to arrive between 4 p.m. Aug. 3 and 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Heritage Center, depending on traffic, weather and energy management decisions, American Solar Challenge (ASC) organizers stated in a press release. Twelve teams will make their way to Homestead, each with a lead car and a trailer carrying all the teams' support staff and crew. The teams represent schools including the University of Michigan, University of California Berkeley, Iowa State University, Illinois State University, Principia College, University of Minnesota, Missouri S&T, Dunwoody, Polytechnique Montreal, University of Toronto, Ecole de Technologie Superieure, and Appalachian State University. "We're looking forward to the American Solar Challenge 2016 providing a new, challenging route for the solar car teams, event coordinator Gail Lueck said in the press release. We invite visitors to join us in celebrating these students' engineering creativity and see their solar-powered vehicles in person while visiting national parks along this summer's route." The route will include nine checkpoints from Brecksville, Ohio, to Hot Springs, South Dakota, all at national parks, historic sites, or partner properties throughout the Midwest, according to the ASC website. The solar cars will stay at Homestead for 45 minutes to charge before continuing their route toward Scotts Bluff. Teams that end up staying in Beatrice the night of Aug. 3 can choose to camp at Homestead or an area campground, or stay at an area hotel, Lueck said. Andrea Bornemeier, Homesteads chief of interpretation and resource management, said she expects 350 people to come through Homestead over Wednesday and Thursday as part of the ASC, and that she is excited to check out all the different designs. "There is one that looks like a Mustang, and most have futuristic designs," she said. Bornemeier added that Homestead is a perfect fit to host such an event. "Homesteaders along the way were innovative people, whether it was prairie or desert that they dealt with," she said. "They started from scratch and these folks are in many respects the same, trying to make solar energy easier to do, so we felt it was a good fit." A 25-year-old woman and her daughter who had been missing for more than a week have been located, police said. Sehighya Smith had been last seen with her 1-year-old daughter Milan Gibson on July 25 in the 7100 block of South East End Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood, according to a news release from the Chicago Police Department. The two have been located safe, police said in an updated release on Satuday. Advertisement Anyone with information about the two should contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380. Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Topspin Moody's Investors Service has been far more critical of Chicago finances than its Wall Street ratings agency counterparts, and Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown fired back recently. Advertisement Brown told the Tribune Moody's "backed itself into a corner" last year when it became the first agency and only one so far to push the city's debt rating down into junk territory. "They probably shouldn't have," Brown said last week, while citing a series of steps the city has taken under Mayor Rahm Emanuel to improve the dire financial condition he inherited from former Mayor Richard M. Daley. She pointed to significantly stepped up contributions to the city's police and fire pension systems, a proposal to do so with the laborers' fund and a planned effort to do the same for the city municipal workers' fund, the largest of the four. Advertisement She also noted the mayor's plans to phase out troublesome "scoop and toss" borrowing, under which debt is pushed off onto future generations at higher cost. "So we're doing the right thing," Brown said. "We're going to continue to fix our finances. We're going to work with the ratings agencies that we ask to rate us. And we always acknowledge Moody's, but we're not going to be held hostage." That bit about working with ratings agencies the city asks for ratings was a reference to Moody's, which the city stopped using but continues to rate city debt. Brown's critique came after a top analyst for Moody's last week spoke at a City Club forum on city finances, saying Chicago is not on the brink of financial ruin but needs to do far more than it is to lessen overall city debt, including what it owes to the pension funds. Moody's pointed out city pension debt will continue to grow for well more than a decade before it starts to decline under Emanuel's plans. "How many times do you see what is supposed to be an objective arbiter speaking about a client at a panel with reporters?" Brown asked. (Hal Dardick) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public schedule. *Gov. Bruce Rauner has no public schedule. What we're writing *Here are the biggest Chicago property tax increases under Emanuel hike. Advertisement *Emanuel says tax hike needed to maintain business confidence in city. *Police body camera didn't record officer's fatal shooting of teen in back. *Record tax hike, reassessment double slamming Chicago homeowners. *City to test for lead in some 'high-risk' residences. What we're reading *Cubs acquire another reliever at trade deadline; Sox hang on to Sale, Quintana. *Private equity money increasingly entwined in daily life. Advertisement From the notebook *Trump critique of Khans attacked by Illinois Republicans: Re-election seeking U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk has already said he's not backing his GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump. And, Kirk isn't backing Trump's criticism of the parents of the late U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan. Khan's parents took the stage at the Democratic National Committee to criticize Trump's call for a ban on Muslim immigration and other attacks at various groups. Trump over the weekend responded with his own criticism of the parents of a son who was awarded a Bronze Star after his death while serving in Iraq in 2004. "I would say once you've given your life for the country, you've pretty much paid your full debt to the country. That person should have a sacred place in our hearts, when you've given up everything you have for the country," Kirk, a retired Naval Reservist, said at a news conference. "We need to respect that family and make sure that family's honored and not criticized. I would say to Trump, lay off the Gold Star families. They have given as much as can be given," he said, adding that the military defends First Amendment rights. Joining Kirk in criticism over Trump was Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon, who served in the Air Force and is a pilot in the Air National Guard. Kinzinger has not expressed support for Trump's candidacy and issued a statement that didn't even use the presidential candidate's name. "No one can truly understand the sacrifice a family makes when their loved one serves their country or the heartbreak of losing a loved one. There's no greater love than a man who lays down his life for his friends," Kinzinger said. Advertisement "As a military man myself, I have deep respect for the sacrifices made by anyone who is willing to defend the Constitution. Comments disparaging our service men and women, and their families, are deeply disturbing and wholly unpatriotic," he said. (Rick Pearson) *... And by Illinois Democrats: Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in an email to supporters, said: "Just when you think Donald Trump has sunk to an unimaginable depth with his vile words, he finds a way to dig deeper into the muck and stench of hate speech." Durbin said the appearance of Khizr and Ghazala Khan at the Democratic Convention was "powerful beyond words" and Trump's attacks "came as no surprise." The Khans, he said, "joined a litany of Trump targets: (Sen.) John McCain, (R-Ariz.), America's military, the disabled, women, a Hispanic judge, Mexican immigrants, Muslims and many, many more." Durbin gave email recipients two options: They could click an "admit he's unfit" button to send a message to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "It is more important to them to have a Republican president even if he is clearly unqualified, unstable and hateful," Durbin wrote. The other option: Click the "contribute" button and send Durbin $3, $10, $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000. Advertisement And Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is challenging Kirk for his seat, also condemned Trump. The Hoffman Estates Democrat is a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in Iraq the same year Khan was killed there. "We already knew that Donald Trump was intolerant and unfit to be commander in chief," she said in a statement. "With his despicable attacks on a Gold Star family, we now know he is a cruel and cowardly man, as well." (Katherine Skiba) *Duckworth up with new ad: Duckworth is up with a TV ad featuring a retired Marine combat veteran criticizing Kirk. The 30-second spot, airing statewide, features a short biography of Duckworth, a two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates. It goes on to criticize Kirk's advertising criticizing Duckworth before featuring veteran Wally Kubicki Jr. saying: "Any politician who would say that about another veteran would never get my vote. I'll stick with Tammy." The ad, called "Uniform," can be seen here. (Rick Pearson) *GOP lawmakers, candidates doing road show: Republican lawmakers and legislative candidates are picking up GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner's term-limit theme with their own road show. Advertisement On Monday, suburban Republican senators, House members and candidates held a news conference in Roselle to tout their support for a constitutional amendment asking voters to limit legislative terms. And on Tuesday, House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs hits the road with a handful of Republicans in Minooka to tout the same term-limit theme. Rauner sought to reignite the issue last week with a speech on the subject though it's too late for the proposal to make the Nov. 8 ballot. Rauner campaigned heavily on term limits and backed a citizen petition drive for the issue, though the courts ruled it unconstitutional and have basically said it's up to lawmakers, not voters, to issue the proposal. Such a plan, were it ever to pass the General Assembly with a supermajority vote, a highly dubious prospect, would be prospective only. But for Republicans there is a tie-in with their 2016 strategy of campaigning against Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan has been in the legislature since 1971 and is the nation's longest-serving speaker of the House, holding the title since 1983 with the exception of two years when Republicans took control of the chamber. (Rick Pearson) *What, no Granny Smiths? House Speaker Michael Madigan recently offered an insight into his longevity, citing the old proverb that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Advertisement Madigan gave the advice after being asked about his lunchtime routine, which has long been rumored to consist of a single, sliced apple. "Remember that, an apple a day keeps the doctor away," Madigan told Illinois Public Radio Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Vinicky and WBBM radio's Craig Dellimore during an interview last week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, which aired on Monday. "It worked, and it still works," said Madigan, 74, who has been speaker for all but two years since 1983. "Generally, it's Golden Delicious, sometimes I think it's Honeycrisp," he added. The lighter moment came as Madigan continued his comparison of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying both men are extreme. He noted a lack of funding for scholarships for low-income college students for the upcoming school year, saying Rauner preventing the program from being funded during recent negotiations over the stopgap budget. "If Bruce Rauner wants to pick on some people, he ought to pick on some big people, not little people who are trying to put themselves through college," Madigan said. (Monique Garcia) Advertisement Follow the money *Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash Beyond Chicago *Presidential race, Republican side: Trump reports $35.8 million raised in July. *Presidential race, Democratic side: Clinton regains lead in polls with convention bump. North Carolina State University students wait in line to vote in the primaries in Raleigh, North Carolina, on March 15, 2016. (Sara D. Davis / Getty Images) North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper will no longer defend in court the state law requiring photo identification to vote and creating other voting restrictions because it was struck down by federal appeals judges. The attorney general's office confirmed Tuesday its lawyers won't keep appealing. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday determined the 2013 law was passed with "discriminatory intent" and blocked enforcement. Advertisement Cooper's decision won't halt appeals, since Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and GOP legislative leaders have their attorneys on the case. Still, McCrory blasted Cooper for failing to do his job and keep defending the state. Cooper is challenging McCrory for governor. Cooper has said he would have vetoed the voting changes but his office could still robustly defend laws he opposed personally. Advertisement Associated Press President Barack Obama says Trump's criticism of the Kahns, a fallen Muslim-American soldier's family, is the latest evidence that the Republican presidential nominee is unfit to serve in the White House. August 2, 2016 (Video provided by The White House / Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) (YouTube) In a searing denouncement, President Barack Obama castigated Donald Trump as "unfit" and "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House. He challenged Republicans to withdraw their support for their party's nominee, declaring "There has to come a point at which you say 'enough.'" While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race. Obama questioned whether Trump would "observe basic decency" as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs and condemned his disparagement of an American Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the U.S. Army in Iraq. A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trump's criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominee's calls to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. But Obama argued that isn't enough. "If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Obama asked during a White House news conference. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" No prominent Republican lawmaker responded to Obama's challenge. Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an affront to his party's top elected official, Trump told The Washington Post he wasn't "quite there yet" on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week. Trump's refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the GOP and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook. Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryan's campaign said, "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless." Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton sees those GOP concerns about Trump as an opportunity to reach out to party moderates particularly women who may be so upset by the nominee that they're willing to look past policy differences and questions about Clinton's character. One of those Republicans came around to Clinton's side Tuesday. Hewlett-Packard executive Meg Whitman, a prominent GOP fundraiser and donor, endorsed Clinton and said, "Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character." Obama who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office plans to campaign robustly for Clinton through Election Day. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia. The Khans also appeared at the convention, with Khizr Khan telling the story of his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Khan criticized Trump's position on Muslims and asked whether the real estate mogul had read the Constitution. For most politicians, tangling with a bereaved military family would be out of bounds. But Trump dove in, questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and saying he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan. Trump's criticism was part of a familiar pattern: He can't let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation. Those who have worked with him say that in private meetings he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he's already answered a question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television. Trump's unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage Monday from several Republicans. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was "deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war." Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said the Khans "deserve to be heard and respected." Obama argued those denunciations "ring hollow" as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race. Trump's response? On Twitter, he said, "President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States!" Sen. Mark Kirk, who is facing a tough re-election fight in Illinois, rescinded his endorsement of Trump in June after the GOP nominee criticized an American-born judge's Mexican heritage. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, have broken with the nominee on individual issues but continue to back his candidacy. WASHINGTON Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is touting strides in reducing homelessness among military veterans as his administration reaches the halfway point in building a massive database on veterans' health. Overall veteran homelessness has been cut nearly in half, by 47 percent, although that's still short of Obama's long-held goal of getting it to zero by 2015. Credit also goes to first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Jill, for using their initiative on military families to challenge mayors and county officials nationwide to end veterans' homelessness, the White House says. A half-million veterans have voluntarily given blood samples and health data for a long-term government research program that seeks to enroll 1 million veterans as part of an Obama initiative to make "precision medicine," or tailored treatment, a reality. Those two milestones are being announced Monday when Obama addresses the annual convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, the White House said. The appearance before the service organization is a valedictory address by Obama, who ends his eight years in the White House in January. In a preview of his comments, the White House says Obama will argue that getting ex-military members the health care and benefits they've earned is a national promise that "can't be broken." He also will recap how he has tried to help former military members, moving beyond headline-grabbing scandals over lengthy wait-times for veterans seeking medical care that led to the firing of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Care for America's veterans is a top issue in the presidential campaign, with the nearly 21 million veterans in the U.S. making up a critical voting bloc. Republican Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted the VA under Obama; Democrat Hillary Clinton has been less harsh. Both candidates promise to overhaul the department, including its health care delivery. Trump has proposed allowing veterans eligible for VA health care to take their ID cards to any doctor or facility that accepts Medicare to get immediate care. Clinton would make changes to the existing system. Despite the problems and bad publicity, demand for VA health care continues to grow, increasing 13 percent in the past year, said DAV Executive Director Garry Augustine. "We know that even though the access is a problem, health care in the VA is very good," Augustine said in an interview. The health care side "remains to be fixed," Augustine said, and noted the recent conclusion by a congressionally mandated commission that the department continues to have "profound deficiencies" in delivering health care to millions of veterans. VA already has been making changes in line with the commission's recommendations. Augustine said he'd like veterans to be allowed to seek outside care from an approved system of private doctors who know how to treat veterans. Augustine also expressed concern, shared by the White House, over a backlog of appeals. While a backlog of disability claims that neared 610,000 in 2013 has been whittled to below 80,000, more than 450,000 appeals are pending. Veterans wait an average of three years for a decision, which the White House called "unacceptable." Overall, though, Augustine said veterans appreciate the support they have received from Obama. He cited increased spending on veterans, expanded and better health care for female veterans, tax credits for hiring veterans and strides toward reducing veterans' homelessness, among other issues. Associated Press A man tried to drown his 6-week-old son in a flushing toilet during an armed domestic dispute that led to a SWAT standoff, Pittsburgh police said Tuesday. Dennis Gateley, 31, was in custody awaiting arraignment on charges including aggravated assault against the infant, endangering the child's welfare and illegally possessing a firearm. He was also charged with assaulting and threatening to kill others in the house. Advertisement Gateley's brother told police that he found Gateley, the child's mother, and the child's paternal grandmother arguing in a bathroom late Monday. The grandmother had told police she saw Gateley punching and pushing the child's mother so she grabbed the infant and ran with the child's mother into a bathroom to get away. Advertisement Gateley forced his way into the bathroom and his brother saw the women "yelling at Dennis who was holding the infant child upside-down pushing his head into the toilet," police said in the criminal complaint. The grandmother's boyfriend wrestled the baby from Gateley, police said. When police responded, residents of the house said Gateley was armed and inside. A SWAT was called to the home in the city's Mt. Washington section around 12:30 a.m. A police negotiator persuaded Gateley to surrender about two hours later. The woman and child were taken to a hospital for evaluation. The child was not believed to be seriously injured even though, at one point, Gateley banged the child's head off a wall before pushing it into the toilet, police said. The woman was treated for a black eye. Gateley was bitten by the family's dog during the melee. Online court records don't list an attorney for Gateley, who was on probation for a simple assault conviction last year. Advertisement Gateley's not allowed to own a firearm because he was convicted of felony aggravated assault in a 2009 case in which he also pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and trying to disarm an officer, online court records show. He was sentenced to six to 12 months in jail followed by three years' probation in that incident. Associated Press Sirica Bolling raises her fist as she walks down Jefferson Avenue during a Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality in Newport News, Va., on July 10, 2016. (Aileen Devlin / The Daily Press) A U.N. official just spent 17 days traveling across the United States, and what a 17 days it was. As we're accustomed to U.N. officials doing in other countries, Maina Kiai visited the United States' most restive places, seeking insight on the conditions that prevent peace. From the grief-stricken cities of Baton Rouge and Ferguson, Mo., roiled by the killings of unarmed black men by police officers, to the contentious political battlegrounds of convention-week Cleveland and Philadelphia, Kiai witnessed a country riven by inequality and ideological polarization. Advertisement Kiai is a widely respected Kenyan human rights lawyer and is serving his second term as the U.N. special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. His trip to the United States was spurred by growing concerns that, despite a Constitution that guarantees broad inalienable rights, the world's supposed beacon of freedom is often not living up to international standards of equality under law. At the end of his trip, Kiai published an eloquent statement summarizing what he learned in his discussions with protesters, police officials and community leaders. Below are some of his most prescient passages, including a clear explanation of the nation's enduring structural racism toward African Americans. Advertisement First, however, comes Kiai's introductory description of the United States. It is broad yet concise, and a much needed reminder of how the nation's present is a product of its past. "The United States 'is an economic powerhouse, a military superpower, a global engine of technological development, and one of the oldest democracies in the world. It is also an extremely diverse nation, a nation of indigenous peoples, slaves and immigrants. ... The experiences with various forms of diversity and complexity have not always been smooth. The country was founded on land stolen from its indigenous Native Americans; its early economic strength was built on race-based slavery against people of African descent; and successive waves of immigrants have faced discrimination, harassment or worse.' " On the basis of that history, Kiai writes that it is "impossible to discuss" the rights of freedom of assembly and of association "without issues of racism pervading these discussions." And so before getting to his observations and recommendations, he outlines a long arc of systemic oppression that African Americans have faced in the United States, from the era of slavery to the Black Lives Matter movement he witnessed in his travels. "This issue is particularly grave in the African-American community, and understanding its context means looking back at 400 years of slavery. It also means looking at the emergence of the Jim Crow laws that destroyed the achievements of the Reconstruction Era, which emerged at the end of slavery in 1865, and enforced segregation and marginalized the African-American community to a life of misery, poverty and persecution. "It means looking at what happened after Jim Crow laws were dismantled, when old philosophies of exclusion and discrimination were reborn, cloaked in new and euphemistic terms. These may have not been race-based on their face, but they have, intentionally or not, disproportionately targeted African-Americans and other minorities. "The so-called 'War on Drugs' is a perfect example. From it, one out of every 15 black men is in currently jail. One out of every 13 African-Americans, meanwhile, has lost their right to vote due to a felony conviction. An aggressive emphasis on street-level 'law and order' (or 'broken windows' approach) policing combined with wide police discretion means that African-Americans are subjected to systematic police harassment - and sometimes much worse - often for doing nothing more than walking down the street or gathering in a group. Convictions and incarcerations dramatically increased once the 'War on Drugs' was set in motion, without a corresponding increase in drug use. "Similarly the crime laws passed under the Bill Clinton administration (1993-2001), including the federal 'three strikes' law, implemented aggressively against people of color have contributed to the huge rises in incarceration and exclusion of the black community further fueling discontent and anger. "The effects can often snowball: A minor criminal offense - or even an arrest without substantiated charges - can show up on a background check, making it difficult to find a job, secure a student loan or find a place to live. This marginalization in turn makes it more likely that a person will turn to crime, for lack of any other option, and the vicious cycle continues. Advertisement "These discriminatory laws and practices need to be seen in the larger context. Wall Street bankers looted billions of dollars through crooked schemes, devastating the finances of millions of Americans and saddling taxpayers with a massive bailout bill. Yet during my mission I did not hear any suggestions of a 'War on Wall Street theft.' Instead, criminal justice resources go towards enforcing a different type of law and order, targeting primarily African-Americans and other minorities. "There is justifiable and palpable anger in the black community over these injustices. It needs to be expressed. This is the context that gave birth to the non-violent Black Lives Matter protest movement and the context in which it must be understood. "In discussions with activists, it is clear that 'Black Lives Matter' does not mean that other lives - green, purple, blue, white or other color - do not matter. The Black Lives Matter movement is simply a reaffirmation that black lives do in fact matter, in the face of a structure that systematically devalues and destroys them, stretching back hundreds of years. It is not about granting African-Americans special status or privilege. It is about a historically and continuously targeted community seeking to elevate itself to the same level that everyone else enjoys." So, then, in the summer of 2016, what are the ways African Americans and other minorities are being denied or limited the rights he is charged with promoting - assembly and free association? "Unfortunately almost all cities require permits for protests, contrary to international law and standards. In Philadelphia, as in some other locations, the requirement to obtain a permit is not always rigidly enforced, but this opens the process to arbitrariness and uncertainty. ...When a right is subjected to a permit or authorization requirement, it becomes a privilege rather than a right. ... "It was disturbing to learn that assemblies organized by African-Americans are managed differently, with these protests often met with disproportionate force. Indeed, white and Muslim activists that I met acknowledged that black fellow protesters face harsher police encounters in the context of assemblies: police are more likely to be militarized and aggressive; black people are detained longer after arrests; they face more and heavier charges, more intimidation and more disrespect." New York Rep. Richard Hanna on Tuesday became the first Republican member of Congress to back Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, citing his discomfort with GOP standard-bearer Donald Trump. "He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna said about Trump in an op-ed for Syracuse.com. Hanna's move came after a day of growing tension between Trump and top House Republican Paul Ryan, who told donors that a candidate "can't just run a vague platitude election, hopefully win a personality contest, and then try to bring in transformational, once-in-a-generation reform to an unsuspecting country." Ryan refrained from saying Trump's name during his remarks. Trump tweaked Ryan back, thanking the speaker's Aug. 9 primary opponent for his "kind words," apparently in defense of Trump's proposal to temporarily ban Muslim immigration to the U.S. It wasn't clear whether Hanna's move was a sign of more defections to come, or an outlier. The upstate moderate is retiring at the end of his term, easing the political cost of crossing Trump. Advertisement Hanna said Trump's attacks this week on the Muslim parents of a slain U.S. soldier, who spoke about their son and blasted Trump at last week's Democratic National Convention, was Trump's "latest foray of insults." "While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton." Hanna said. "I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing." Trump's derision of the Muslim parents-whose son he has called a hero-also drew a rebuke from Senator John McCain of Arizona, but the 2008 Republican presidential nominee stopped short of withdrawing his support for Trump. Trump last summer said former Vietnam prisoner of war McCain wasn't a hero, before going on to win his party's nomination. In another defection Monday, top Jeb Bush adviser Sally Bradshaw said she was leaving the GOP to become an independent. "I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump," Bradshaw told CNN in an email. One wonders if Republican leaders have begun to realize that they may have hitched their fate and the fate of their party to a man with a disordered personality. We can leave it to the professionals to determine exactly what to call it. Suffice to say that Donald Trump's response to the assorted speakers at the Democratic National Convention has not been rational. Why denigrate the parents of a soldier who died serving his country in Iraq? And why keep it going for four days? Why assail the record of a decorated general who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan? Why make fun of the stature of a popular former mayor of New York? Surely Trump must know that at any convention, including his own, people get up and criticize the opposition party's nominee. They get their shots in, just as your party got its shots in. And then you move on to the next phase of the campaign. You don't take a crack at every single person who criticized you. And you especially don't pick fights that you can't possibly win, such as against a grieving Gold Star mother or a general. It's simply not in your interest to do so. Advertisement If you are a Republican, the real problem, and the thing that ought to keep you up at night ... is that the man cannot control himself. Robert Kagan The fact that Trump could not help himself, that he clearly did, as he said, want to "hit" everyone who spoke against him at the Democratic convention, suggests that there really is something wrong with the man. It is not just that he is incapable of empathy. It is not just that he feels he must respond to every criticism he receives by attacking and denigrating the critic, no matter how small or inconsequential. If you are a Republican, the real problem, and the thing that ought to keep you up at night as we head into the final 100 days of this campaign, is that the man cannot control himself. He cannot hold back even when it is manifestly in his interest to do so. What's more, his psychological pathologies are ultimately self-destructive. (Disclosure: I was a guest speaker at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last month; I have no role with her campaign.) Trump is, in this respect, unlike a normal politician. A normal politician knows that no matter how much criticism gets under the skin, the thing to do is to smile and wave it off. You don't have to mean it. You don't even have to appear to mean it. But it is what you do, if only to avoid compounding the damage. Trump cannot make this simple self-serving calculation. He must attack everyone who opposes him, even after he has defeated them. He must continue talking about Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's father, even after Cruz has thrown in the towel. He must humiliate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, even after Christie has lain down before him. Advertisement Many of Trump's supporters admire him for his bold challenge to political correctness. But his political incorrectness may be only an unintended side effect of his malady. Some of the insults he fires back at his critics are politically incorrect: the racist and misogynist taunts. But others are just childish: making fun of someone's height, or suggesting that someone's father was involved in the John F. Kennedy assassination. It's not really politically incorrect to say that a prisoner of war is not a hero because he got captured. It's just a way of saying, I don't care if you're a war hero. You criticized me and now I've got to hit you. Trump's insults are scattershot only sometimes touching the raw racist and xenophobic nerves in society. The most important fact is that he is unable to control his responses to criticism. He must double down every time, even if it means digging himself deeper and deeper into the hole. Imagine such a person as president. What we have seen in the Trump campaign is not only a clever method of stirring up the anger in people. It is also a personality defect that has had the effect of stirring up anger. And because it is a defect and not a tactic, it would continue to affect Trump's behavior in the White House. It would determine how he dealt with other nations. It would determine how he dealt with critics at home. It would determine how he governed, how he executed the laws, how he instructed the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies under his command, how he dealt with the press, how he dealt with the opposition party and how he handled dissent within his own party. His personality defect would be the dominating factor in his presidency, just as it has been the dominating factor in his campaign. His ultimately self-destructive tendencies would play out on the biggest stage in the world, with consequences at home and abroad that one can barely begin to imagine. It would make him the closest thing the United States has ever had to a dictator, but a dictator with a dangerously unstable temperament that neither he nor anyone else can control. One can hope it does not come to that. In all likelihood, his defects will destroy him before he reaches the White House. He will bring himself down, and he will bring the Republican Party and its leaders down with him. This would be a tragedy were it not that the party and its leaders, who chose him as their nominee and who now cover and shill for this troubled man, so richly deserve their fate. Washington Post Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Friday, July 29, 2016, in Denver. (Evan Vucci / AP) Sixty-five years ago, America faced the challenge of a snarling demagogue who captured the imagination of millions by fusing legitimate fears of an external enemy with the cultural, regional and demographic resentments of people who disliked the changing nature of our postwar country. Then, as now, a demagogue could draw upon widespread weariness with imperfect and occasionally complacent liberal leaders, important or petty security scandals, the grind of military stalemate in an inconclusive long war. Then, as now, the demagogue benefited from apologists and enablers who privately wanted him defeated but would not take risks or bear political costs to confront him openly. Then, as now, his political adversaries were divided and hesitant in their efforts to formulate an effective response. Then, as now, parts of the Republican Party gave a vicious demagogue a congenial political home. Advertisement Of course, history doesn't repeat itself. Donald Trump is no Joe McCarthy. For one thing, President Dwight Eisenhower and other Republican gatekeepers never allowed McCarthy near their party's nomination for president. For another, America is a far more cosmopolitan and diverse nation today than it was at the close of the Korean War. Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq, speaks at the Democratic National Convention. But history does sometimes rhyme. The Democratic National Convention brought an unexpected echo of the McCarthy era. The occasion was a speech by immigration lawyer Khizr Khan, 65, of Charlottesville, Va. Khan's son Humayun, a posthumously decorated Army captain, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. The elder Khan immigrated in 1980. He has spent more than half of his life in the U.S. His oldest son founded a biotech company where his youngest son now works. Advertisement In six minutes, the grieving father delivered the blistering response Trump deserved: Khan dispatched Trump's bluster with an anger made more powerful by its lack of political artifice or the usual focus-grouped finish. "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery?" Khan asked. "Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one." Khan's words call to mind another unexpected moment from more than 60 years ago, when another dignified lawyer rebuked Sen. Joe McCarthy. Joe Welch, a lifelong Republican, was special counsel to the army and a partner at Hale and Dore. He was sitting in on a hearing about special treatment for a McCarthy aide. McCarthy was on the defensive, and he lashed out. On live TV, the senator accused Fred Fischer, Welch's young associate, of belonging to a "Communist front organization," the National Lawyers Guild. Welch drew blood from McCarthy with his famous question: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" The question answered itself. It emboldened McCarthy's enemies and gave new reasons for McCarthy's prior defenders to move on. Welch cut through a national debate powered by fears of secret enemies in our midst. He called attention to McCarthy's cruelty toward a single sympathetic person. In these early days of television, millions Americans watched it live, and had never seen anything quite like it. Khan's genuine anger "You have sacrificed nothing and no one" provided an equally unexpected, electrifying moment. In every way, the Khan family rebuts Trump's snarling rhetoric. Their life story puts the lie to the anti-immigrant demagoguery that bubbles over this election year. Like McCarthy, Donald Trump did not seem chastened by the exchange. When New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked him about Khan's speech, Trump replied, "I'd like to hear his wife say something." On ABC, Trump added: "His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." Advertisement The ugly intimations are plain enough. For the record, Ghazala Khan participated in a heartbreaking MSNBC interview describing her grief at the loss of her son. She also thanked America for "listening to my husband's and my heart." And on July 31, she wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post. Like McCarthy, Trump derives political advantage from sheer shamelessness, his willingness to wildly attack others. Yet shamelessness creates vulnerabilities and blind spots, too. Trump's words betray a strange, indecency toward two Gold Star parents grieving the loss of their son. Millions of voters are tempted to embrace sweeping rhetoric directed against Muslim Americans and other minorities. That's a reality of American life. But these attacks lose their potency when they're directed against not abstraction but particular, sympathetic human beings. Americans saw for themselves that Khizr Khan is the better man, the better American, than Donald Trump ever will be. Washington Post Harold Pollack is a professor at the University of Chicago. Russia was behind the hacks into the Democratic National Committee's computer network that led to the release of thousands of internal emails just before the party's convention began, U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly concluded. The FBI is investigating. WikiLeaks promises there is more data to come. The political nature of this cyber attack means that Democrats and Republicans are trying to spin this situation as much as possible. Even so, we have to accept that someone is attacking our nation's computer systems in an apparent attempt to influence a presidential election. This kind of cyber attack targets the very core of our democratic process. And it points to the possibility of an even worse problem in November that our election systems and our voting machines could be vulnerable to a similar attack. Advertisement If the intelligence community has indeed ascertained that Russia is to blame, our government needs to decide what to do in response. This is difficult because the attacks are politically partisan, but it is still essential. If foreign governments learn that they can influence our elections with impunity, it will open the door for future manipulations both document thefts and dumps like this one that we can see and more subtle manipulations that we can't. Retaliation is a politically fraught step and could have serious consequences, but this was an attack against our democracy. The United States needs to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin in some way politically, economically or in cyberspace and make it clear that it will not tolerate this kind of interference by any government. Advertisement Even more important, we need to secure our election systems before the fall. If Putin's government has already used a cyber attack to attempt to help Donald Trump win, there's no reason to believe it won't do it again especially now that Trump is inviting the "help," albeit "sarcastically." Over the years, more and more states have moved to electronic voting machines and have flirted with Internet voting. These systems are insecure and vulnerable to attack. But while computer security experts like me have sounded the alarm for many years, states have largely ignored the threat, and the machine manufacturers have thrown up enough obfuscating babble that election officials are largely mollified. We no longer have time for that. We must ignore the machine manufacturers' spurious claims of security, create tiger teams to test the machines' and systems' resistance to attack, drastically increase their cyber defenses and take them offline if we can't guarantee their security online. Longer term, we need to return to election systems that are secure from manipulation. This means voting machines with voter-verified paper audit trails, and no Internet voting. I know the old-fashioned way is slower and less convenient, but the security risks are simply too great. There are other ways to attack our election system on the Internet besides hacking voting machines or changing vote tallies: deleting voter records, hijacking candidate or party websites, targeting and intimidating campaign workers or donors. There already have been multiple instances of political doxing publishing personal information and documents about a person or organization and we could easily see more in this election cycle. We need to take these risks seriously. Hacking of voting machines isn't new. But what is new is a foreign government interfering with a U.S. national election on a large scale. Our democracy cannot tolerate it, and we as citizens cannot accept it. In April 2015, President Barack Obama's administration issued an executive order outlining how we as a nation respond to cyber attacks against our critical infrastructure. While our election technology was not explicitly mentioned, our political process is certainly critical. And while the technology is a hodgepodge of separate state-run systems, together their security affects every one of us. After everyone has voted, it is essential that both sides believe the election was fair and the results accurate. Otherwise, it will have no legitimacy. Advertisement Election security is now a national security issue; federal officials need to take the lead, and they need to do it quickly. Washington Post Bruce Schneier is a lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the author of "Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World." At the end of his second term as our nation's first president, George Washington voluntarily stepped aside to give other individuals the opportunity to serve. Washington probably could have held the office for life if he had wanted. But he stepped down in part because he had led the American armed forces in a war for independence from the British crown: The American Revolution rejected the monarchy in favor of a government of the people, by the people and for people. Trading one king for another kind of long-term leader would have undermined the very principles Washington fought for on the battlefield. Advertisement Now, U.S. presidents can serve only two terms and many states across the country have their own term-limit laws. In Illinois, the issue of term limits is gaining momentum because of growing frustration with what is happening in Springfield. With an $8 billion projected budget deficit and some politicians clamoring for a massive tax increase, voters are looking for legislators to lead by making the difficult decisions about cutting spending. Advertisement Former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., famously said in 2003, "I still believe that term limits is the best way to ensure that the next generation, not the next election, is the central concern in our elected bodies." Too often elections are the central concern in Springfield. For instance, the recent passage of the unbalanced stopgap budget was more about forging a deal ahead of the election than it was about doing the right thing for future generations. Unpaid state bills are projected to grow to $10 billion by the end of the year. Adding additional billions to the state's budget deficit is hardly the way to prop up future generations. Unless voters adopt term limits and the elimination of legislative pensions, very little will change in Springfield. Consider this: Illinois lawmakers have one of the highest salaries in the country and one of the best legislative pensions. As long as elected leaders are focused on job security rather than on what their actions will mean to future generations, Illinois will continue to struggle financially. The state has a 6.2 percent unemployment rate compared with the 4.9 percent national rate. Our state has the worst credit rating of all 50 states, and Illinois is drowning in pension debt. To make matters even worse, Illinois still does not have an actual state budget. Term limits are not a cure-all, but there is no question that they would change the political culture in Illinois. Term limits would empower new voices and lead to the implementation of new ideas. In short, term limits would take away power from political insiders and special-interest groups and return power to the people. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, represents the 52nd House District. Ann Rondeau, the new president of College of DuPage, on May 6, 2016. (Abel Uribe, Chicago Tribune) One of the first things Ann Rondeau did when she took over as president of College of DuPage was get rid of the president's parking spot. Instead, she rotates where she parks and makes a point of walking around campus. That's not the only difference between Rondeau and her predecessor, Robert Breuder, whom the college board of trustees fired in October following months of controversy and investigations launched by county and federal prosecutors. Advertisement Rondeau, who started the job July 1, also agreed to a three-year contract far less generous than Breuder's. His compensation package was worth roughly $495,000 annually and included car and housing allowances. He was set to receive a severance package worth $763,000 until a revamped board of trustees blocked it. Breuder is suing the college over his termination and the cancellation of the severance package. Rondeau has no housing or car allowance. She will be paid a base salary of $325,000 annually with the opportunity for annual raises not to exceed 6 percent if she meets performance goals and if the board approves. No golden parachute if she ends up leaving before her contract is up. The most she would receive in severance would be 75 percent of one year of salary. Advertisement Oh, and all of her expenses lunch or even a round of cappuccinos must be approved by the board. After a Tribune investigation exposed Breuder's outlandish spending and prompted his firing, the board of trustees insisted on an airtight contract for the next president. Breuder and senior managers had spent more than $190,000 on nearly 500 visits to an upscale campus restaurant since it opened in 2011. COD also paid for his exclusive membership to a hunting club and other perks. Rondeau, a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral, said she welcomes scrutiny. "Accountability is liberating. It's an opportunity. It's not a threat," she said during a meeting with the Tribune Editorial Board. An Illinois higher ed administrator comfortable with heavy board oversight and a contract with no bells and whistles? We nearly fell off our chairs. Rondeau's contract even spells out that the school will give her a laptop to use at home but she must return it when she leaves. She also was required to get a minimum of three bids from moving companies before the board would pay to transport her belongings to her new residence. In a state where public college administrators and even some high school superintendents often demand lavish employment contracts, generous severance deals and nearly every expense is reimbursable, Rondeau and the College of DuPage are taking extraordinary measures to protect taxpayers. We especially like the pay-for-performance notion and hope Rondeau excels. Now, which Illinois public university or college is next with an even more austere contract? In light of the Breuder case, state lawmakers also swooped in with new rules for community colleges and local governments, tightening the standards for travel expenses and limiting departure deals. Advertisement College of DuPage has a long way to go to repair its reputation and get off accreditation probation from the Higher Learning Commission, which sanctioned the school following the Breuder controversy. Regaining full accreditation is a top priority for Rondeau. She said she also wants to rebuild relationships with faculty, who at one point took a "no confidence" vote in Breuder. "I want to be as unselfish and college-focused as they are. Nothing I do will not be for this college," she told us. It's unclear if trustees sought out a new leader with a skill set exactly the opposite of Breuder's. But it sure looks like they wrote a good contract. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Just when you think Cook County government is moving toward efficiency, certain elected officials reveal that their commitment to patronage and bloat outweighs their commitment to taxpayers. The Cook County Board on Wednesday is scheduled to vote on whether to cancel a referendum on the November ballot that would combine the offices of clerk and recorder of deeds. The board approved the referendum proposal in June during a lengthy meeting that dissolved into attacks alleging racism. Combining the offices, according to Commissioner Richard Boykin, D-Oak Park, was viewed in his district as "an all-out attack on black elected officials." Advertisement The county clerk, David Orr, is white. The recorder of deeds, Karen Yarbrough, is black. The recorder's duties would be folded into the clerk's office if the referendum passes. Now voters might not get to vote on it at all. Advertisement Two commissioners who opposed putting the referendum on the ballot, Deborah Sims and Stanley Moore, both Democrats from Chicago, are proposing instead that the referendum question be limited to studying the concept of combining the offices, not actually combining them. This is called stalling. Commissioners: Don't reverse yourselves. Hold your ground. Combining the offices of clerk and recorder has been studied for more than a decade. It has been debated regularly since 2012 when Commissioner John Fritchey, D-Chicago, introduced the resolution the first time. It has been supported by countywide elected officials and others who understand that technology largely has replaced the need for a separately elected office that, for the most part, tracks real estate transactions. Fritchey and others estimate the consolidation could save about $800,000 annually. Yarbrough called that "pennies" while defending her office before board members last month. We're pretty sure Illinois taxpayers, already supporting more units of government than citizens of any other state, would not agree that nearly $1 million annually amounts to "pennies." When Yarbrough ran for recorder of deeds, she admitted, "That office pretty much records. It needs to do more than that." No, actually it does not. While Yarbrough has done a fine job running the office since 2012, it has long been considered a patronage dumping ground and is still subject to hiring oversight under the federal Shakman decree. Yarbrough disagrees. Fine. She has until Nov. 8 to persuade Cook County voters to save the office. She is free to make her case. Advertisement That is, if the referendum appears on the ballot for voters to decide. Board members who supported putting it on the ballot in June were: Luis Arroyo, Jr., D-Chicago; John Daley, D-Chicago; John Fritchey, D-Chicago; Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago; Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, D-Chicago; Gregg Goslin, R-Glenview; Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park; Tim Schneider, R-Bartlett; Peter Silvestri, R-Elmwood Park; and Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston. Voting against were Boykin, Sims and Moore; Jerry "Iceman" Butler, D-Chicago; and Robert Steele, D-Chicago. Commissioners Jeffrey Tobolski, D-McCook, and Joan Murphy, D-Crestwood, both of whom portray themselves as allies of taxpayers, were absent. Do Sims and Moore have enough votes to remove Fritchey's referendum during Wednesday's meeting? Asked another way: Which County Board members will defend patronage and inefficiency and which will defend taxpayers? Advertisement Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: "How would you answer that father? What sacrifice have you made for your country?" Donald Trump: "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've done, I've had tremendous success." Advertisement Stephanopoulos: "Those are sacrifices?" U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, killed in Iraq in 2004, left behind grieving parents who love America, their adopted homeland. They are Muslims from Pakistan. The father, Khizr Khan, caused a sensation in his Democratic National Convention speech, pulling out a pocket-size copy of the Constitution and challenging Donald Trump over his statements that he would stop all Muslims from entering the U.S., or suspend immigration from countries compromised by terrorism. In Khizr Khan's words: Advertisement "Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with the future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law.'" Khan, his wife Ghazala by his side, continued: "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one." Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq, speaks at the Democratic National Convention. A savvy candidate, faced with such an emotional barrage from Gold Star parents, would recognize the appropriate response is to honor the fallen, acknowledge the family's hurt and perhaps, at a separate time, have a policy discussion about immigration and national security. Donald Trump showed no such compassion or self-control. He didn't see devastated parents on that stage in Philadelphia, he saw political adversaries who needed to be swatted away. In unseemly, combative statements over several days, Trump went after the parents, questioning whether Hillary Clinton's campaign wrote the speech and wondering if Ghazala Khan was prevented by her religion from speaking publicly. He was insensitive, argumentative and obtuse to the suffering of others. The exchange with Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" was an insight into the self-centered mind of Trump. Asked to cite a sacrifice he'd made for his country, Trump replied that he was successful. Wait, what? He got a pointed question, in the context of American military heroism, about service to others, and responded as if he'd been asked to rattle off a few of his most fabulous attributes and accomplishments. "I've had tremendous success," he said. Trump made it all about himself. Rather than deflect the implicit criticism in the question, he tried to drown it with self-aggrandizement. There's more than a personality quirk or hard-charging campaign style at play here. There's a pathology: the belittling of others through insults, making absurd promises (he'll build a wall at Mexico's expense), stating in his convention speech that he, a superhero, will save the country ("I alone can fix it"). These are the hallmarks of an impetuous person who lacks empathy the ability to walk in another's shoes and recognize, for example, that the Khans deserved respect. Some clinicians attach a diagnosis-at-a-distance to Trump's selfie worldview: narcissistic personality disorder, a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, an unquenchable need for admiration and a lack of empathy. That's more entertaining than meaningful: Voters don't have access to psychological profiles. They'll choose a president by studying the candidates and deciding who would make the best leader. Listening to Trump as he auditions for the job, we're alarmed. If he's elected, what will happen during a crisis when he is mocked by a foreign foe or faces criticism from political leaders at home? Words matter. Can he be diplomatic, or can he respond to a challenge only with rhetorical punches? The outlook is bleak. Advertisement Some Republican leaders have upped their criticisms of Trump, though too few repudiate his candidacy. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan slapped down Trump over the Capt. Khan issue while neglecting to mention the candidate's name. Same from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. On Monday, Sen. John McCain went directly after Trump: "I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates." Donald Trump vanquished 16 candidates in the race to the Republican nomination. None of his opponents could make his or her criticisms stick. It would be deserving if a Muslim couple's defense of American values caused Trump's candidacy to quiver. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. A woman signs up on the HealthCare.gov insurance exchange internet site in Washington, D.C., in October 2013. (Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images) On Monday, Illinois citizens were jolted by a piercing pain in the wallet as federal officials unveiled proposed Obamacare insurance premium rates for 2017. Insurers plan to dial up rates as much as a heart-stopping 45 percent for those who buy plans on the Obamacare marketplace when open enrollment starts Nov. 1. That means thousands of people will scramble for affordable insurance ... and won't find it. Advertisement Is this rate shock unforeseen? Not really. Rocketing Obamacare rate requests have become an annual rite of summer, as welcome as sunstroke. In California, for instance, Obamacare health coverage is slated to rise by an average of 13.2 percent next year more than three times the increase in each of the past two years. In Michigan, the pass-the-smelling-salts proposal is 17.3 percent. No wonder that even before the Illinois rates were released, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials sought to cushion the blow with a hey-it's-really-not-so-bad news release. The feds reminded Americans that proposed rates may be ratcheted back by state regulators. And that people can "shop around" for the best coverage and "vote with their feet." Advertisement In other words: Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along. A hefty premium increase, however, is like a shadow on an X-ray. It portends bigger Obamacare problems to come. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, the state's dominant Obamacare insurer, is proposing rate increases from 23 percent to 45 percent for its individual plans. BCBS President Maurice Smith says that rates are rising to meet costs. "In 2015, for every dollar BCBSIL collected in individual premiums, we spent $1.32 buying care for and providing services to our members," Smith writes. "This is not sustainable." You know what else isn't sustainable? Obamacare. (Scott Stantis) That's not only about Americans deciding they can't afford insurance and opting to pay the tax penalty instead of buying coverage. Industry giant UnitedHealthcare has already voted with its feet, exiting most exchanges, including Illinois, for 2017. Others may follow, fleeing the markets because the medical bills are higher than the companies or officials in Washington expected. That's why Obamacare's prognosis is grim unless the next president and Congress wheel the patient into the operating room for extensive surgery, stat. Americans need more flexible, less costly health coverage driven not by federal decree, but by customers' desires. As for next year's coverage, here's the lesson from 2016: Caveat emptor, Obamacare customers. Shop around, sure. But remember how tens of thousands of people voted with their feet last year for a lower-cost wider-network option offered by Land of Lincoln Health. Advertisement These customers had quality, affordable care until they didn't. Federal officials forced state regulators to shutter Land of Lincoln midyear because of its financial problems. Thousands of policyholders now are scrambling for new policies, which likely means higher costs and even greater out-of-pocket expenses. Those policyholders are learning the hard way that Obamacare is ailing. Customers struggle to pay premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. Many will pay more for less. Insurers struggle to eke out a profit or control losses. You don't need an X-ray machine to reveal the truth: The law is unraveling. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Turkey's foreign minister, speaking to a German newspaper, recently floated the idea of a referendum that would ask voters if they wanted their government to reintroduce the death penalty. Not revelatory, given the prevalence of capital punishment around the world. What's unsettling, however, is that the idea has surfaced amid the detentions and firings of tens of thousands of Turks military officers, professors, teachers, judges following the failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Do these dots connect? Or is it just coincidence that a regime focusing on its alleged foes also is chatting up the death penalty? Advertisement Since the July 15 coup attempt by a rogue element within Turkey's military, the Erdogan government's crackdown has been startling in its scope and size. The number of people suspended from their jobs is now approaching 70,000, according to The Associated Press. More than 49,000 people have had their passports revoked after being deemed possible terror suspects and thus flight risks. At least 10,000 people have been arrested since the coup. Some of those arrested have been journalists, and dozens of media outlets have been silenced. Erdogan believes the mastermind of the coup was his primary political rival, Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who once was a close Erdogan ally and who now lives in Pennsylvania. The crackdown is aimed at Gulenists in the military, academia, the judiciary and the media. More than 1,000 schools run by Gulen followers have been shuttered since the coup attempt. Advertisement Erdogan has asked Washington to extradite Gulen to Turkey, but he'll first have to convince American courts that there's enough evidence against the exiled scholar to charge him with a crime. People sit at the Kizilay Square in front of a Turkish national flag in Ankara during a protest against the failed military coup on August 2, 2016, as a picture of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pictured on a billboard in the background. (Adem Altan, AFP/Getty Images) Turkey is an important U.S. ally straddling Europe and Asia a NATO member and a key partner in the fight against Islamic State. But that doesn't mean the U.S. should look the other way as thousands are arrested and purged from their posts. So far, the Obama administration has been measured in its reaction to the crackdown. Measured, as in milquetoast. White House spokesman Josh Earnest recently told reporters, "We certainly believe that it's important, even as the Turkish government goes to great lengths to determine what exactly happened in the context of the failed coup and to bring some accountability to those who may have been complicit in that effort that it's critically important that the Turkish government not also undermine the very democratic institutions that, ostensibly, they're trying to protect." Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was more to the point, saying the Turkish government's actions following the coup attempt "are getting far out of proportion. ... When tens of thousands of civil servants, teachers and judges are dismissed, thousands of schools and education facilities shut and dozens of journalists arrested without any direct connection with the coup being discernible, we cannot simply stay silent." Finding and trying the people behind the coup and others associated with it is a reasonable application of justice. Treason against a democratically elected government ought to be dealt with firmly yet fairly. But the coup shouldn't be an excuse for indiscriminate trawling of anyone perceived to be a threat. It's unlikely that Turkey was able to make ironclad links between the coup and the thousands of people arrested. Because a journalist gets a paycheck from a Gulenist newspaper, or a teacher works at a Gulenist school, doesn't mean they're connected to the coup. Erdogan's government has to adhere to the rule of Turkish law as it continues its post-coup investigations. The Obama administration and the West have to make that clear to Erdogan's government, and should game-plan what to do if he continues ignoring that message. Yes, that's a delicate dance for Western governments eager to keep Turkey involved in combating Islamic State. But Washington has many ways to exert pressure none easier or more urgent than speaking often and unhappily about the crackdown, and making this point to Erdogan: Sticking to the rule of law will serve Turkey's interests as well as the West's rounding up masses of people indiscriminately is only going to breed more discontent. And the last thing that Istanbul needs is another desperate, destabilizing night of fear and violence. Officials at Township High School Distrct 214 said Tuesday that a federal lawsuit filed recently by a former student alleging he was racially harassed while attending Prospect High School is "unfounded." (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press) Officials at Township High School District 214 said Tuesday that a federal lawsuit filed recently by a former student alleging he was racially harassed while attending Prospect High School is "unfounded." The federal lawsuit, which was filed on July 28 by a former Prospect student, identified as "John Doe," and who describes himself as African-American, alleges that he "experienced years of racially motivated abuse and bullying by his fellow students at Prospect High School," according to Doe's attorney, Bhavani Raveendran. Advertisement "Simultaneously, the teachers and administration of Prospect High School ignored the constant bullying and disparately disciplined John Doe when incidents arose," Raveendran said in a statement Tuesday. "John Doe was subjected to racial slurs, jokes, nicknames, and harassment on the basis of his race. Even after John Doe and his family made repeated complaints, the situation was not corrected. In fact, John Doe's harm was furthered by the teachers and administration of Prospect High School, creating an unbearable atmosphere of intolerance." But in a written statement released this week in response to the lawsuit, District 214 officials denied the allegations. Advertisement "At Prospect High School and throughout High School District 214, we practice a culture of integrity and respect and take that very seriously. These allegations are unfounded, and we are confident our staff provided a safe and supportive learning environment for John Doe, as we do with all of our students. "The family bringing forth this suit has a history of bringing forward lawsuits over the years and waited to file this suit until the day before John Doe's 19th birthday, the day before the statute of limitations would expire," officials added. "We have reviewed the complaint, and remain confident in the education we deliver to every student who walks through our doors. The District as a whole, and the individuals named in this suit, look forward to clearing their names in court." kcullotta@trib.com Twitter @kcullotta 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." The Arlington Heights Police Department is inviting local families to gather at North School Park Tuesday night in celebration of the village's 11th annual National Night Out. As sponsored by the police department and the Arlington Heights Park District, and held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the park at Eastman Street and Arlington Heights Road, the free event puts the spotlight on crime prevention efforts, and aims to strengthen the relationship between local law enforcement and the community, Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Rick Boyle said. Advertisement "Over the past few months, with the recent incidents in Dallas and Baton Rouge, we've been getting a lot of cards and food items at the police station from residents, letting us know that they appreciate their local police officers," Boyle said. "These are some difficult times for police officers across the U.S., but being in a safe community like Arlington Heights, where we get great support, makes the difficult times a little bit easier," Boyle added. Advertisement In addition to interactive demonstrations highlighting the work of the village's police and public works departments, Boyle said the Arlington Heights Fire Department plans to host a live dive tank exhibition, explaining the basics of water rescues. The police department will also award iPads to two local students who were named winners of the recent "Befriend a Badge" collector trading card program, Boyle said. While residents are welcome to bring their own picnic dinner to the park, Boyle said the event will also feature four food trucks, including Toasty Cheese, Best Truckin' BBQ, Chicago Cupcakes and Riverside Chocolate Factory. Free Popsicles, popcorn, water and soda will be available while supplies last, with the event also featuring balloon sculptors, face painting, games, bounce houses, free giveaways and a 7 p.m. band concert. For more details on National Night Out, visit www.vah.com. kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter @kcullotta Aurora police are questioning a 49-year-old man in connection with a Monday shooting inside the Latin American Club on the city's near East Side, according to a news release. A 30-year-old man appeared to be with a group of acquaintances drinking inside the social club, in the 1300 block of Dearborn Avenue, when an argument ensued about 6:40 p.m., according to the news release. Advertisement A preliminary investigation indicates the other man apparently produced a handgun, shot the 30-year-old more than once and left the club. A suspect was taken into custody without incident at his home on the West Side of Aurora, police said. Advertisement The victim was taken to an Aurora hospital for treatment of life-threatening wounds. No other information was available Monday evening, police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in the news release. Club operators could not be reached for comment. In December, 79-year-old Felipe Garcia, of Plano, died after three men robbed and beat him and a 55-year-old male employee at the club. Garcia was a longtime member and worked at the establishment, family members said. That case remains under investigation. Jazz group to perform in downtown Aurora A jazz quintet from Chicago is the featured band at Wednesdays at the Plaza this Wednesday in downtown Aurora. Advertisement The group A Light Sleeper will play experimental jazz and contemporary music at the summer concert series. The free concert is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Millennium Plaza on Stolp Avenue. Advertisement Local businesses host the series of free, live music concerts every Wednesday through the end of August. Groups to be performing include Small Shiny Things Aug. 10, Town Band Aug. 17, Greg Boerner Aug. 24 and Saint Astro Aug. 31. The series is organized by Marissa Amoni and Tony Scott and sponsored by Vicki McCoy of Re/Max Town & Country, Ald. Mike Saville, City of Aurora, Konen Insurance, Karademas Management, AKA Dance, Aurora Downtown, Downtown Auroran Magazine, The Compounder, The Yetee, Aurora Fastprint, Rocktown Adventures, Culture Stock, and Reuland Food Service. For more information, visit downtownauroran.com or Wednesdays at the Plaza on Facebook. School supply drive in Aurora Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora will hold its ninth annual school supply distribution Saturday. The event for children in need will run from 9 to 11 a.m. in the gym at Greenman Elementary School, 729 W Galena Blvd. in Aurora. This event is open to the public. Children must be present to receive supplies. Donation of supplies are being sought for the event. Items needed include pencils, erasers, crayons, dry erase markers, washable markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, pocket folders, spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper, three-ring binders, highlighters, rulers, scissors, supply boxes, book bags and packs of blue and black pens. Advertisement Supplies can be dropped off at the church office, 14 N. May St. in Aurora, through Friday. For more information, contact Caitlin in the church office at 630-896-1033. Kane County clerk recruiting election judges The Kane County Clerk's Office is recruiting election judges for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Judges must be registered voters, must attend a three-hour training and will receive compensation. For information, contact Jim Morefield at 630-232-5994. Prescribed burns focus of nature program Trish Burns, manager of Peck Farm Park, will lead a class about prescribed burns from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 14, at Peck Farm Park, 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva. The discussion will include the fire-adapted natural communities in the area and why fire is one of the most important natural agents of change. Advertisement Advance registration is required. This Learn from the Experts program is for ages 18 and above. The registration fee is $10 per person. Call 630-444-3190 or e-mail programs@kaneforest.com to register. Learn from the Experts programs are taught by experts in their respective fields and offer in-depth learning opportunities about local ecology. The programs are offered through a partnership with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, St. Charles Park District and Geneva Park District. For information on Forest Preserve District of Kane County nature programs, go to www.kaneforest.com. Unwind Wednesday planned in St. Charles On the heels of the success of St. Charles' first Unwind Wednesdays last month, a second event is planned at the First Street Plaza in downtown on Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. "For six years, we envisioned having an event like this in which patrons can buy their drink of choice at separate restaurants and walk out and enjoy them on the plaza," said Shay Clarke, head organizer and general manager of McNally's Irish Pub. "We were quite pleased by the turnout and comments from attendees and everyone involved. We are greatly looking forward to the next one." Advertisement The Downtown St. Charles Partnership hopes to create an inviting downtown that has a vibrant, urban vibe that gives the downtown a unique flavor, said Jake Anderson, DSCP events coordinator. The Giving Moon will be performing at the First Street Plaza. Batavia Creamery, which backs up to the Fox River, has plenty of outdoor seating. (Shonda Talerico Dudlicek / The Beacon-News) Kirk Jansons' parents owned a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in Naperville since he was 9. After two years at the College of DuPage, his parents asked him what he wanted to do. His answer was easy own an ice cream shop. At 21, with financial help from his parents, Jansons began as a Baskin-Robbins franchisee and then, in 2006, he fulfilled that dream of owning his own shop. Advertisement Today, the Montgomery resident is the owner of Batavia Creamery, celebrating its 10th year in downtown Batavia. Batavia Creamery carries 44 flavors and rotates more than 100 others; 15 are staples. "Fifty percent of our business is ice cream scoops in a cup or cone," Jansons said. "We try to have very exotic flavors and things you can't find." Advertisement Examples are Tennessee Toffee with whiskey caramel sauce and toffee bits, Banana Pudding with banana bread and marshmallow whipped cream, and Raspberry Rendezvous with raspberry with dark chocolate chunks sprinkled throughout. However, life wasn't always a bowl of cherry ice cream for Batavia Creamery. During Jansons' first 18 months, the business struggled while the Wilson Bridge was under major construction. "I would question what I was doing," Jansons said. "But ice cream is recession-proof. It's a sweet treat, a feel-good product, and sales continually went up and up and up." Batavia Creamery also offers cake and ice cream cakes, along with Italian ices, smoothies, slushies and freezes. "Ice cream kinda kicks in a lot of family memories for me," said Jansons, referring to his own ice-cream filled childhood. "I've seen a lot of families and kids. Seeing kids come in and having ice cream on the nose. And now everyone takes pictures on their phone." And now with the addition of vegan ice cream, Jansons said, "I get thank-you notes from happy parents. Now they can all have memories of going to get ice cream together. They're making memories and I'm thankful to be a part of that, to make a great memory." Pricing: Scoops from $2 to $4.99. Shave Ice from $1.99 to $3.99. Sundaes from $3.29 to $5.99 for Banana Split. Quarts $7.99. 2-quart Special $14.99. 3-gallon tub $59.99. Novelties from $2.39 for Milk Chocolate & Peanuts Frozen Banana to $3.50 for Clown Cone. Shakes and Malts from $3.99 to $6.99. Frozen Cappuccino from $3.99 to $5.99. Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Sodas and Root Beer Floats from $2.99 to $4.99. Fruit Smoothie from $3.99 to $5.99. Brain Freeze Slushy from $2.99 to $4.99. Freezes from $3.99 to $5.99. Drinks from $1 for pop to $1.75 for Seasonal Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Iced Coffee from $2.99 to $4.99. Cake and Ice Cream Cakes from $10.99 for mini to $139.99 for full sheet. Ice Cream Pies for $17.99. All Ice Cream Cakes from $8.99 for mini to $36.99 for 10-inch round. Cakes from $6.99 for Smash Cake to $43.99 for full sheet. Creamery Mixer for $4 and $5. Hours: Summer hours 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Winter hours noon-9 p.m. daily. Advertisement Batavia Creamery is at 4 N. Island Ave., Batavia. Call 630-482-3729 or go to bataviacreamery.com. Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance writer. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves to delegates after her speech during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. (Mary Altaffer / AP) It's been a crazy couple of weeks for Hillary Colby. That included the letter she got in the mail Monday informing the 42-year-old Aurora woman she had been charged with criminal misdemeanor trespassing for her part in a massive sit-in at the BP Oil Refinery in Whiting, Indiana, in May. Advertisement And there were three more letters from attorneys hawking their talents to be her legal representative. As a long-time environmental activist, this had not been Colby's first protest or her first arrest. But the other charges four of them, to be exact have always gotten reduced to fines. Advertisement She's not sure what's going to happen in this latest skirmish. But her legal problems were not her top concern when I met up with her Monday afternoon. What had Colby really fired up were the four days she spent last week in Philadelphia as an alternate delegate for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. "I'm still in recovery mode," she said, "from the most intense week of my life." Colby, a former social worker who is on disability after a stroke eight years ago, has always been interested in social injustices, according to her mother Mary, also a Bernie supporter who did not attend the convention. But like so many others across the country during this unconventional and at-times crazy campaign, the younger Colby experienced a political awakening upon hearing Sanders speak in Madison in the spring of 2015. The long campaign season, however, did not prepare her for the rude awakening she got in Philadelphia. "I had no idea how ugly, how corrupt, how the convention was designed to keep out the grassroots people from having a voice," said Colby when she met with me on Monday, along with a few other Sanders delegates who wanted to share their experiences. This group of local delegates claimed signs were confiscated and destroyed on a regular basis, and lighting and sound were manipulated for television cameras so the protesters would not be seen and heard. And according to Maggie Wunderly, who represented this district on the rules committee, there was never a chance of bringing their requests to the convention floor. "We expected a debate," said the 39-year-old Auroran, " but there was no discussion." Advertisement To prove their point, Luis Aguilar, a 23-year-old delegate from McHenry, showed me videos and photos taken inside the convention hall. And Colby displayed on her phone a picture of her bruised arm she said was the result of a security person who would not let her use the elevator for those with disabilities. That confrontation, she pointed out, was on the second day of the convention which also happened to be the 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. "I ended up climbing three flights of concrete stairs," said Colby, who uses a cane as she is legally blind and has other neurological issues, "because I did not have a wheelchair." And come November, I asked? Wunderly says she's likely to vote for Clinton, albeit with reluctance, while Aguilar and Colby, still smarting from their treatment and where they see the Democratic party heading, are not there yet. "With this campaign my eyes were really opened to the rigors of the 17 months of craziness we do in our country with each presidential election," said Colby. "Before, I was never aware of the true level of orchestration to present a certain image."' Advertisement Colby, who credits Aguilar with helping her get through a physically-taxing convention, says she's always struggled with health issues, even before a stroke, but grew up with the expectation that "you don't give in to a problem but find a way to work it out." Aguilar, a well-spoken young man who was the most active of the three throughout the primary, insists the way they were treated has only made all of them more motivated. And, while they are disappointed in how the campaign ended, this trio insisted progress has been made. "This is just tipping our toe in the water," said Aguilar, who promises to use most of his energy in the near future to fight the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership. "There are so many groups that have formed out of this campaign that will continue to grow stronger and affect the next election." That being said, they also vow to take what they have learned and run for a local office. It's not just the candidate they followed to the very end, "it's the issues we are fighting for," noted Colby. As for that trespassing charge from Indiana still hanging over her head "We have a pro bono lawyer advocating for us, with the intent to get this charge knocked down like all the others," she said. "But we will see. "It will be interesting," Colby added. "If I have to make a trip back to Whiting, I'll do so gladly." Advertisement But first, she'd like to rest for a bit. Dcrosby@tronc.com GMU's Cowen sees reduction in opportunities to advance as a growing problem Tyler Cowen Much political debate in recent years has focused on income inequality in the United States and what, if anything, the federal government ought to do about it. Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University and director of the Mercatus Center, has studied inequality. While in North Carolina to deliver Duke University's Hayek lecture, Cowen discussed income inequality with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio. (Click here to find recent CJ Radio episodes.)We know that this has been a big issue, especially among Democratic politicians, in recent years - saying that that is a huge problem in the United States. When you, as an economist, look at this issue, is this as big a deal as people are making it out to be?I would reframe the problem a little. I see the issue as lower opportunity at the bottom. The problem isn't the gap between the top and the bottom. If Bill Gates or Steve Jobs earns a lot of money selling a product at a global scale, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. But opportunity in this country, in some ways, has dried up for a lot of people. The single biggest thing we could do to fix this would be to improve our systems of education, especially at the K-12 level.So the idea of focusing on income inequality - not the right way to look?I would focus on barriers to opportunity, which for many people have gone up. So we shouldn't deny the problem, but again, the gains of the well-off are not causing the lack of opportunity for the less well-off. So I think "inequality" really is the wrong word to be framing this with.When you hear the politicians, whether it's those on the Democratic side or Republican side, and talking about what we ought to do about the economy, are any of them on the right track, from your perspective? Or do they all have things that they could do to improve their programs?None of them are on the right track. That's pretty obvious at this point. There have been a lot of ideas in the debates this year, a lot of passion, but not that much careful analysis really, on any side.So if we were trying to look at the biggest economic problems that the United States faces right now, where should we be looking? What kinds of things should we be looking at doing?Well, with respect to the lack of opportunity, another big problem we have is that it's much more costly to move into a dynamic city, to try to get a better job. So in the 1950s, the 1960s, if you wanted to move to Manhattan, Los Angeles, places of that kind, as a way of getting ahead, you were able to afford cheap living quarters. But they don't build more land, and we've put a lot of regulations and restrictions on building.So this is now much harder. I think this is a major problem. It's a silent problem. On any given day, there's no crisis that you see. But it does mean that it is harder for people to find pathways to opportunity. So I think we ought to do more to deregulate building, especially in our most dynamic cities. And I would start with San Francisco.And this is certainly a situation [in which] the people who are already there see some benefits from having the tight restrictions. But as you mentioned, if you're not already there, this creates a major barrier, doesn't it?Especially if they own real estate. They don't want to deregulate the market. But we more and more have an economy where the people who got there first entrench themselves and protect their privilege by passing laws and regulations. And again, this is one of the biggest problems for the American economy today. And it does contribute to what people are describing as this inequality problem.Is anyone who has any position of power looking at this situation in the right way? Or are we just chasing things that we shouldn't be chasing when we're talking about improving our economy?The political dialogue on remedying America's opportunity problems ... people are pretty aware of education. But very often, they're not willing to do that much about it. One nice thing about North Carolina is simply what percentage of the students are, in some way, outside of the state system - be it home schooling, private schools, schools which are not certified or accredited in the typical way. So this makes the system here more competitive.But I think in at least half of America we need more school choice. We need more experiments with charter schools, more home schooling where that's appropriate or possible. And a lot of it's a question of political courage. I think at this point a lot of people know.But when you look at building restrictions, that has received a lot less attention. It's much more invisible. And we need a much more open dialogue about that. And in some ways, this is maybe more likely to come from the Democrats than the Republicans.And why would that be?The people who suffer the most from this, very often, are either Democratic voters or probably they potentially would be Democratic voters if they were to vote: people who are new to this country, people who are lower-income, possibly ethnic minorities. They're the biggest losers. But again, I don't think there's a lot of awareness of this problem compared to, say, debates over the minimum wage.So if Democrats were very interested in dealing with the issues that are the issues of their voters, we might actually see some action on these things? Some positive action on these things?There's some talk. There's not much action. If you look at the people who are on President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, a lot of them are well aware of this problem. I don't mean to speak for them, but I think they would agree with some version of what I'm saying.But these regulations are state and local. And it's quite entrenched. The role of the federal government to do something is not so great. One thing we could do is just to put more building regulation at the state level rather than the city level. And when that's the case, there's a lot of data that state regulators tend to allow more building because they're less captured by the very local landowners. So that's one thing we could start by doing. We're not close to doing it, however.You talked about regulation on building. Another thing that we've often heard is about the number of regulations, or the amount of regulations on people who want to start a business, the entrepreneurs. Is there a lot of work that needs to be done there as well?Occupational licensure is a big problem. Now, over 30 percent of the jobs in this country require some kind of legal license. And you may think this is necessary for, say, a doctor. But when you look at a barber, an interior decorator, these are just barriers to competition. They keep people out. They raise prices for consumers. There's just no good reason to have them.But again, at especially the state level, it's hard to see a lot of change has happened because of inertia, and there are entrenched interests. And the people who are most aware of this tend to be talking and operating at the national or federal level, not at the state.Now people who follow these issues very closely have probably seen some of your blogs at MarginalRevolution.com or your column in The New York Times. But if you had the ear of a politician who's about to say, "OK, we're going to come up with some new policies," what would be the first policy you'd like to see them do that's a change from the status quo? ... Let's say, generic Republican politician. ...I think the Republicans need a new language for talking about poverty and thinking about opportunity. Too much of the platform, for too long a time, has been about tax cuts for the wealthy. And right now, we've already pledged that money to the elderly. If we were to cut taxes now, we'd actually end up raising them even more five years from now.So I don't think that strategy makes much sense. I think the kinds of people who are voting Republican are narrowing in some disadvantageous ways. And the very recent Donald Trump phenomenon, I think, is a result of the fact that a lot of concerns of the Republican Party, as an institution, have become increasingly disconnected from concerns of actual voters.How about if you had a chance to speak to a dynamic Democratic politician who wants to make some positive change? What's the first thing?I would say, "Teach your party some basic economics." A $15 minimum wage is a terrible idea. That's actually more than most manufacturing workers in Mississippi earn. It would put a lot of them out of work.Think of trade and exchange in markets as a positive-sum game. Don't talk about the corporations being evil all the time. Go into a kind of panic because a majority of the young people in your party are voting for Bernie Sanders, who is a self-professed socialist, and most of his economic ideas are very badly off. So I wouldn't really know where to start. A Mobil gas station in Barrington will have to pay a $20,000 civil penalty for a gasoline leak that contaminated soil and groundwater, and caused vapors to enter neighboring homes. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the penalty Monday as part of a settlement with defendant Shri Balaji Inc., an Illinois corporation that owned the Mobil station at 504 E. Main St. near Route 14. Advertisement "This order will protect the community by ensuring that the company will identify and remediate any remaining contamination," Madigan said in a statement. The settlement also requires the owner to submit a remediation plan to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, as well as report soil and groundwater sampling and monitoring tests to the agency, Madigan's office said. Advertisement The owner of the Mobil station declined comment Tuesday morning on the settlement. On Feb. 11, the Illinois Attorney General's office filed a complaint against the owner, saying its underground gasoline tank had been leaking unknown amounts of gas since at least Jan. 25. "The leak was discovered after residents complained of gasoline odors in their homes," according to a news release from Madigan's office. "The complaint alleges leaking gasoline flowed into the soil and groundwater and entered the adjacent sanitary sewer system." The Mobil station first closed Jan. 25 after homeowners complained of a gasoline smell in their homes. Barrington officials shut down the station again at 3 p.m. the next day, just six hours after it reopened for business that morning. "The village went back to the gas station and determined petroleum was still found (Jan. 26) leaking into the sanitary sewer," Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler said in January. According to Lawler, a pressure line leaked in a gasoline pump, causing gas to travel underground to a sanitary sewer in the station's parking lot. He said the gas station's owner hired an environmental contractor to pump water and fuel from under the parking lot into a tanker truck for removal and testing. The station opened again Jan. 29. Advertisement Village officials have said work crews installed plastic lining inside the entire sewer line, preventing gas from seeping into it again. The Illinois EPA also approved the plan, Lawler said. After both incidents, village workers monitored the area with air-testing equipment and did not detect any levels of concentration, Lawler has said. tshields@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @tshields19 The annual Burr Ridge Run for Veterans on Sunday brought out 197 people to take part in the 5K, with 175 finishing the race. The event, organized by Pauline Ozols, raises funds for veterans health care and vets who are either homeless or at risk of being homeless. Money raised was being donated to Volunteers of America Illinois, which has two facilities in Chicago Hope Manor I in West Humboldt Park and Hope Manor II on the South Side providing furnished housing and support services to veterans struggling with or at risk of homelessness. Advertisement Hope Manor I is home to 80 men who served in the Armed Forces. Hope Manor II is home to 73 veterans, male and female, and their dependents. A third facility, Hope Joliet, is planned for that southwest suburb. Ozols has no veterans in her family, but worked with many veterans in her previous job. She said the five months of effort she and other volunteers put into the race and festivities is a tribute to the men and women who have served this country. Advertisement "It is my way of giving back to our veterans who need help," Ozols said. "Anyone who has served our country deserves our sacrifice of time. If this can bring an end to veterans' homelessness, it is worth it." The top male finisher was Craig Robbins with a time of 20:26, and the top female finisher was Than Kaewhawee with a time of 22:00, both in the age 30-39 category. First place finishers by category were Sean Tilles, age 1-10 male; Daniel Szczepanik, age 11-14 male; Taylor Wagner, age 11-14 female; Tyler Gaytan, age 15-19 male; Rachel Wagner, age 15-19 female; Joseph Marksciello, age 20-29 male; Barbara Skiba, age 20-29 female; Robbins, age 30-39 male; Kaewhawee, age 30-39 female; Dan Tempestini, age 40-49 male; Ellen McKenna, age 40-49 female; Armando Avalos, age 50-59 male; Mary Beltran, age 50-59 female; Michael Meissner, age 60-69 male; and Haydee Muse age 60-69 female. Among the runners completed the race were 80-year-old Joseph Kubica, the only runner in the age 80-99 male group, and 73-year-old Betty Mourning, the only runner in the age 70-79 female group. Liliana Scales, director of external affairs and resource development for Volunteers of America Illinois, said there is no limit for how long a veteran can stay at one of the organization's facilities. She said as long as veterans provide 30 percent of their income, regardless of how little that is, they can stay. She added that the facilities are designed to help veterans stabilize their lives and move to the next phase of life. Journey performs Aug. 13 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. The band is comprised of bassist Ross Valory (from left), drummer Steve Smith, lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, lead guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain. (Photo courtesy of Travis Shinn) (Travis Shinn) Although every Journey concert is special, the band's Southland show will be extra special for keyboardist Jonathan Cain, a Chicago native. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park hosts the Aug. 13 stop of the San Francisco Fest 2016 tour. Advertisement "Every year it's like coming home. Back when I left Chicago for Hollywood in the 1970s, I was sure that I was going to get a chance to come back and see relatives and family but not in one of the greatest bands of all time, not in one of the classic rock bands of all the ages," Cain said during a phone interview while on tour. "It's really an honor to represent the Midwest. I've still got a lot in my heart for Chicago. It's an honor to be the Midwest guy to go around the world and play this kind of music and actually be part of the creative process, which has really been fun." Advertisement A Journey member since 1980, Cain is also a songwriter for the group and wrote "Don't Stop Believin'," one of the band's biggest hits, with former lead vocalist Steve Perry and founding member and lead guitarist Neal Schon. "It took the three of us to get that one right," said Cain, who co-penned the tune when he was down on his luck, working a day job and wondering if he should return to Chicago. "In a way this song has helped keep us relevant in different generations. It's a simple song about the permission to dream. I wrote it about looking at the music business from the outside. I wasn't in the groove yet. I wanted to be. My father was the one who inspired the title." Journey's set actually features the 1981 release that included "Don't Stop Believin'." "We're focusing on the 'Escape' album. It's 35 years since it's been out so we're doing that and, of course, we've got Steve Smith back. He brings an amazing energy, almost a rock orchestra kind of thing," said Cain about the drummer who last played with Journey in 1998. "There's a whole different spin. Our production looks fantastic. We have two great opening acts: Dave Mason, legendary songwriter and guitarist from Traffic, and, of course, the Doobie Brothers just rocking hard every night. It's just a great lineup. It's a great night of music." In addition to Cain, Schon and Smith, Journey's lineup is rounded out by co-founder and bassist Ross Valory and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda. "It's really a great night for classic rock. It's like a jukebox," said Cain, who plans to release his Christian rock album "What God Wants to Hear" in August and is working on books about Journey and growing up in the 1950s in Chicago. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Journey When: 7 p.m. Aug. 13 Where: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park Tickets: $27 general-admission lawn or deck (standing room only, no seats); $27-$105 second-pavilion seating; $35-$147 first-pavilion seating Information: 708-614-1616, www.livenation.com or www.journeymusic.com Advertisement Etc.: San Francisco Fest 2016 tour with the Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason A 22-year-old man has been charged with felony burglary after police say he broke into a gun shop and two adjoining businesses in southwest suburban Manhattan early Monday, authorities said. Ricardo M. Barrios-Reyes, of the 200 block of Second Street in Manhattan, also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of burglary tools and resisting arrest, according to a statement from Manhattan police. He was captured after fleeing when an alarm went off, alerting police, authorities said. Advertisement Gibbs Custom Gunsmithing is one of three businesses at 155 W. North St. The others are an antiques shop and a law office. Barrios-Reyes entered all three, according to the police statement. Paula Downs, of Manhattan, who owns the gun shop with Jeffrey Gibbs, said the weapons were locked inside a safe, and Barrios-Reyes did not steal anything there. The shop has a "fairly sophisticated security system in place," she said. Advertisement "From our perspective, everything that we put in place worked like it was supposed to," Downs said Monday. Barrios-Reyes allegedly broke a window and door on the east side of the cinder-brick building, Manhattan police Sgt. Jamie Cavallero said. When Manhattan police arrived, they heard a person inside. Barrios-Reyes slipped out the back window while officers called for backup, Cavallero said. Barrios-Reyes was apprehended "after a foot pursuit," the statement said. Cavallero said Will County sheriff's deputies caught him despite dense fog. Barrios-Reyes had been running and was taken to Silver Cross Hospital, where he was treated for breathing difficulties. He was released into police custody Monday. "After being apprehended, Barrios lied about who he was," the statement said. A section of U.S. Highway 52, which is also North Street, was closed for about an hour early Monday morning. Barrios-Reyes is in Will County Jail awaiting a bond hearing. Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter. Friday's storms that raked the south suburbs were the biggest test yet of a massive reservoir in a portion of the Thornton Quarry, which came online late last fall, according to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Rainfall amounts ranging from about 1 to 2 inches or more were seen in many area suburbs, according to the National Weather Service, with Homewood getting soaked with 3 inches. Advertisement The intensity of the storm much of the water fell in a fairly short period of time quickly overwhelmed sewers, causing street flooding. In Lansing, for instance nearly an inch of rain fell in a 30-minute span, according to a Weather Service observer. The result is like "pouring a gallon of water in a pint cup," South Holland Mayor Don De Graff said. Advertisement Still, his community is among more than a dozen south suburbs, along with Chicago's South Side, that have benefited by the reservoir, in what was formerly the north lobe of the quarry and can hold nearly 8 billion gallons of water. While other "significant" storms have occurred since the reservoir first took water in late November, Friday's storms were "the biggest test to date," Allison Fore, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which operates it, said. Part of the district's Deep Tunnel system, the reservoir, built at a cost of $429 million, also diverts water during storms from older combined sewer systems, where storm and sanitary lines are not separated. A common occurrence was that during heavy storms, water and sewage would back up into streets or spill over into creeks and rivers. Fore said that there hasn't been a combined sewer overflow since the Thornton Reservoir went online. Because the water that flows into the reservoir is contaminated with sewage, the water is pumped to a district treatment plant on the city's South Side before being discharged into waterways. De Graff said his village didn't experience any over bank flooding, a problem that had frequently occurred when heavy storms inundated Thorn Creek, which runs through the village. In 2003, a diversion tunnel rerouted much of that water to a temporary reservoir in the quarry operated by the MWRD, which eased over bank flooding issues. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The village Friday didn't entirely escape flooding, with some storm sewer backups, although those were confined to drainage systems that don't link to the district's Deep Tunnel system, Fore said. In Homewood, despite the heavy rain, the viaduct on 183rd Street at Park Avenue remained passable, while the viaduct on Dixie Highway, between Park and Harwood avenues was closed due to flooding, Mayor Rich Hofeld said. The Dixie Highway viaduct, maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation, floods even if rainfall is fairly nominal, and residents know to avoid it, although "it's a heavily traveled" street, he said. Advertisement Homewood doesn't directly benefit from the Thornton Reservoir, but relies on a large stormwater detention pond at 175th Street and Governors Highway. Hofeld said there was "some sporadic flooding" around the community, but that overall "things went fairly well." A temporary reservoir, with a capacity of 4.5 billion gallons, had been used by MWRD while work on the permanent reservoir was under way. Initially, the reclamation district planned to turn that section back over to the quarry's operator, Hanson Material Services, once the permanent reservoir was finished. However, the district reached an agreement to continue using the temporary reservoir through 2020, which will allow it to gauge whether the extra capacity might be needed because of the increasing severity of storms in the region. mnolan@tribpub.com Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton huddles with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally on Feb. 9, 2016. (Elise Amendola / AP) Irene Kazwara was born 90 years ago next month in a house on 117th Place in Roseland. That was six years after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Advertisement She voted for Franklin Roosevelt in her first election and his last in 1944. Irene's 93-year-old sister, Sophie Peloquin, voted for FDR, too. And neither of them have missed a presidential vote since. Both of them watched the Republicans choose Donald Trump two weeks ago, and I spoke to each of them Thursday, when Hillary Clinton was officially handed the Democratic nomination. Both conventions were must-see TV for the sisters. Advertisement "You really learn a lot," Sophie said. Irene lives now in Memphis, Mo., Sophie in Indianapolis. But they talk frequently. "I think Sophie this time is more of a Republican," Irene said. "So it's interesting when we talk." Interesting. I might have guessed. Aunt Irene and Aunt Sophie are my oldest living relatives, and such understatement of potentially divisive topics is typical of the Dmochowski sisters. My mom, who passed away in 2000, was the 10th of 11 children born to Frank and Anna Dmochowski, and one of eight sisters who survived into adulthood, filling my formative years with examples of strong Polish women who would much rather laugh than argue. Aunt Sophie insisted she is neither Republican nor Democrat. "I voted for quite a few Democrats mostly Democrats," she said. "But I didn't say I was a Democrat. I'd never say that. I've always voted for the man never for the party." Except this time, she can vote for a woman. Advertisement "I never thought I'd see it," Aunt Sophie said. "It really does mean something to me," Aunt Irene said. "(Clinton) has a dream and wants to fulfill it and the fact that she's a woman made it harder for her." Aunt Irene knows whereof she speaks. A single woman most of her life, in her mid-20s, she worked for Sears, first out of Roseland, then the State Street location in the Loop. "I did very well there," she said. "I got a job mostly men got. I traveled for them, working in the credit department. I supervised the heads of the credit departments in the stores. "The man who was my boss believed in what I could do, even though he had a hard time getting (male workers) to accept me. There was a man at the State Street store who gave me a hard time because I was a woman and could tell him what to do, and he didn't like that. "But, by the time he was ready to retire, we were good friends." Advertisement After 15 years at Sears, Aunt Irene moved to Memphis, a town of about 2,000 in Northeast Missouri. She worked at JC Penney's, as a bookkeeper for an oil company, moved to Kansas City to work for the IRS, and came back to Memphis, along the way briefly owning a diner and a Dairy Queen, and working as a saleswoman in a men's clothing store. Meanwhile, Aunt Sophie stayed close to her roots. She married a nice guy from Blue Island, stayed married to him for 60 years, and they moved together from Roseland to South Holland, then Lansing before moving to Indianapolis to be close to their grandsons. Aunt Sophie put in nearly 40 years "39 and a half," she said at the Sherwin-Williams factory on 115th Street, at Pullman's south edge. She left as an executive secretary. "We had women who were better than their bosses," she said, matter-of-factly, with zero bitterness. "They just didn't get the chance." I asked what she remembered about the early days of women voting, when she was a child. "What I can remember, the men would want to know who you were going to vote for," she said. "If they didn't like who you were for, they'd try to talk you out of it." I suspect that's more of the Dmochowski understatement. Advertisement This time around, Aunt Irene is clearly for Clinton. "I don't like Trump," she said. "His thinking, I don't like that at all. I don't think he'd be good for the country. "I don't like the idea of building a wall. I think he's conceited and he thinks he can do anything." As for Aunt Sophie, let's just say she has trust issues with Hillary. "I will say she's a very smart woman probably smarter than Trump," she said. "But she's been a politician all her life I'm just not too sure about her." As for Trump, Aunt Sophie said, "Sometimes I think he's a little crazy But all he needs is a good (vice president). I think (Mike Pence) is a calm man and a very smart man he's a good complement to Trump." Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > I might have tried to argue with Aunt Sophie. After all, I know Bill Clinton was one of her favorite presidents, and I'd have to imagine he'd have some input in Hillary's inner circle. But I am a dutiful nephew, and she'd told me earlier, "You never win in an argument about politics." I guess I'm just glad the world has evolved enough to consider what I have always seen demonstrated (no offense to some pretty great uncles): Gender is not a determining factor when it comes to leadership. I'm glad, especially, Aunt Irene has seen the evolution, too. "I think my opportunities would be better now," she said. "I think a woman could get in easier now. I didn't have an easy time of it. "But I just couldn't see why a woman shouldn't have a job if she was capable." Amen. Advertisement Phil Arvia is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown. "Do you think he knows what he's doing?" asked a top Republican last week about House Speaker Michael Madigan's high-profile role at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Madigan heaped public praise last week on at least two potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Chris Kennedy. And he mentioned U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth by name as his state's next U.S. senator during Tuesday's presidential nomination roll call, which was broadcast throughout the country. Advertisement That may all seem like the usual national convention duties for a state Democratic Party chairman like Madigan, and it is. But Speaker Madigan's poll numbers are so darned awful that the Republicans believe anyone he publicly "touches" is hugely tainted. A recent Republican-sponsored poll found that Madigan's favorability rating was just 13 percent. "He should keep doing what he's doing," cracked one Republican campaign type, who said he was carefully making notes of Madigan's public utterances. Advertisement As is often the case, the two political parties exist in parallel universes. Yes, the Democrats say, Madigan polls poorly. But they don't believe that voters will make up their minds about individual races based on that one "issue" alone. And some are even saying they're pleased that the Republicans are "wasting" their money on a strategy that the Democrats believe won't work. Indeed, the Republicans spent tons of money during several election cycles attempting to tie the fabulously unpopular and currently incarcerated Rod Blagojevich to Democrats, and it only worked once, against Rep. Jay Hoffman in a newly drawn district with lots of unfamiliar voters. And they've been blasting away at Madigan for years, without any discernible impact at the polls. Even so, if there was another high-profile Illinois Democrat out there whose favorability rating was hovering around 13 percent, you can be certain that Madigan and his people would mandate that their candidates and incumbents stay as far away from that person as humanly possible. Heck, the person's rating wouldn't even need to be that low. How many Downstate Illinois Democrats openly campaigned with Pat Quinn two years ago when he lost every county but one to Rauner? The simple fact is that the GOP is placing a multimillion-dollar bet this year on a single person's smashing unpopularity. Yes, the Republicans have tried and failed to do this same thing for literally decades. But never has so much money and effort been expended on the task and Madigan has never been as well-known as he is today. Local news media outlets have so far been mostly cooperative, and the Republicans essentially have their own "newspapers" that are being mailed to voters just to make sure their message gets through. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The House Democrats are expected to counter all this with various retorts, including one that labels the Republican Bruce Rauner as a "failed governor." The Democrats will try to tie Republicans to a governor with a dismal 33 percent job approval rating who, they'll say, wants to slash vital services and inflict harm on everyday working people. In a preview of this, Rep. John Bradley's latest TV ad claims the Democrat "stood up to Bruce Rauner's massive cuts to our schools," and points out that Rauner is "bankrolling" his opponent's campaign and claims his GOP opponent "is worse than Rauner." Bradley, D-Marion, sits at the top of the Republicans' target list, and he has been hammered for weeks in the mail and on TV for being a Madigan "pawn." The House Democrats have often launched their campaigns in early to mid-August, well before the Republicans could afford to fight back. This time, though, the Republicans are flush with Rauner's money and have dominated the playing field for weeks. Speaker Madigan reportedly told attendees at an Illinois Federation of Teachers political conference in early July that the governor's campaign operation had spent more than a million dollars on House races in just two weeks. Advertisement And they're not just spending money on negative attacks. A recent mailer for Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, touts her vote for the stopgap budget "without a tax increase." The mailer also claims Rep. Bryant is fighting "against the Chicago political machine." The Republicans have already sent innumerable mailers like that to voters everywhere before the Democrats have even gotten out of the gate. Not mentioned, of course, is that the stopgap budget Bryant voted for had an $8 billion deficit and will create a $10 billion state payment backlog by December. Details, details. Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com. Testing time and time for testing Do you believe that the word "test" is figuratively a four-letter word? Politicians on the left and right surely do.Republican Governor Pat McCrory and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper are both opponents of excessive and duplicative standardized testing. Surveys suggest that parents, teachers, and administrators believe that "over-testing" is a problem. Even members of the NC State Board of Education, particularly Lt. Governor Dan Forest, want to hold the line on state testing requirements.In one of the many overlooked achievements of his first term, Governor McCrory led an effort to examine North Carolina's end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments. In 2013, McCrory called on the NC State Board of Education to examine state testing requirements and, months later, the board appointed members to the newly created (and unfortunately named) Task Force on Summative Assessment. As a result of the task force's work, for example, the NC Department of Public Instruction initiated an innovative pilot program for through-course/interim assessments in elementary and middle schools.While the amount of time used for standardized testing informed the work of the Task Force on Summative Assessment, there is still much we do not know. For example, how much time do North Carolina public school students spend on testing and tasks related to testing? Is it truly excessive? Who imposes testing requirements? Can policymakers find a way to balance the need for testing with the concerns of those who question its use?The Council of the Great City Schools published "Student Testing in America's Great City Schools: An Inventory and Preliminary Analysis" in October. Researchers found that federal, state, and locally mandated assessments in 66 urban school districts consumed about 25 hours or around 2.3 percent of a typical 180-day school year.But this is somewhat misleading. The Council of the Great City Schools report did not account for optional tests, diagnostic tests for students with disabilities or English learners, school-developed or required tests, or teacher designed or developed tests. In addition, it did not evaluate the time used for test preparation.On the other hand, "Testing Overload in America's Schools," a 2014 paper published by Melissa Lazarin of the Center for American Progress, concluded that schools spend only an average of 1.6 percent of total classroom time for testing. Interestingly, Lazarin observed that school districts required more testing than states. In fact, she found that students in grades K-2 were tested three times as much on district exams as state exams. High school students are tested twice as much on district exams as those mandated by the state.Finally, researchers at the The Benjamin Center for Public Policy Initiatives at SUNY New Paltz analyzed testing time used for New York State standardized English Language Arts and math exams in grades 3-8. Benjamin Center researchers Robin Jacobowitz and KT Tobin found that state testing alone required 2 percent of the total school year. Similar to the Council of the Great City Schools report, their analysis did not include field tests, practice tests, makeup tests, test preparation, and additional testing for English Language Learners or students with special needs.By spending around 2 percent of their time on administering state tests, New York public schools appeared to have broken state law. In 2014, the New York State legislature approved a 1 percent limit on testing. The authors correctly point out that time limits on testing are arbitrary and "grounded less in science and more in rhetoric." In an attempt to appease the anti-testing crowd, legislators approved a law that was politically expedient but empirically dubious.The lessons from these studies are clear. First, legislators should avoid placing arbitrary caps on testing time. There is simply no research that supports it. And schools and districts will find a way to feign their compliance anyway.Second, they should be mindful that school and school district testing mandates likely consume more time than tests required by the state or federal government. Even then, locally-administered testing often varies by school and student. It would be a mistake for state legislators or federal bureaucrats to impose one-size-fits-all rules that govern decisions made at the school and district levels. After all, we have enough of those already. Three Shepard Middle School eighth graders acted as teachers to a group of administrators from across the country who came to Deerfield Public Schools District 109 to learn how the district incorporates technology and innovative instructional techniques into the curriculum. The students were part of the program District 109 put on for the American Association of School Administrators' Digital Consortium July 29 at Shepard and Wilmot Elementary School to showcase the district's advances in high-tech learning. Advertisement More than 60 administrators spent time in the schools including the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) labs where Zach Lefkovitz, James Lundquist and Nicholas Lee explained their perception of the changing role of teachers. "The teacher does very little," Lefkovitz said. "We do most of it ourselves. The first and second day she introduces the class then it's up to us. There are a lot of things to choose from but mostly we do communications, coding and art. We work together and explore." Advertisement Some of the guests expressed surprise at the students' description of the teachers' duties. Jeff Zoul, the district's assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said the style of teaching is something the local schools want to achieve. "They have gone from being the sage on the stage to meddlers in the middle," Zoul said. "I can walk in in the middle of the class and talk to the teacher. I couldn't do that in a math class. They still spend a lot of time in the front of the room." The consortium consists of AASA members with a passion for and expertise in the use of digital media in education, according to District 109 Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld. He said bringing the group to Deerfield will benefit the local schools. "This is a great group of superintendents from around the country who are looking at what we do," Lubelfeld said. "We can share ideas and learn from each other." Some of the guests like Jason Eitner, the superintendent of schools for Waterford Township School District in Waterford, N.J., were eager to learn how District 109 made such a smooth transition from home economics to STEM. After Lubelfeld's first year in the districtthe 2013-14 termhe persuaded the District 109 Board of Education to build both the STEM and CMA (creative media arts) labs as well as new science labs. Rather than hire new teachers, two home economics instructors learned how to teach STEM over the summer. "Good for you were able to that. That's a win, win," Eitner said. "Change is hard," he added in an interview between sessions. "Finding someone to teach code is not easy. You could be looking until the cows come home." Amy Sichel, the superintendent of schools for the Abbington School District in suburban Philadelphia, said she was impressed with what she saw at Shepard and Wilmot. She said her district is not dissimilar to Deerfield. Advertisement Sichel said the facilities helped foster the "four C's" of 21st century educationcreativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. "The science labs are great," Sichel said. "The CMA lab is what we call makers space. I want to see all students have these opportunities regardless of their zip code." Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Fantastic enrollment growth and where to find it I would feel better about the future if I knew what was going to happen.The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) just published the 42nd edition of Projections of Education Statistics . This year's report includes data on public school enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures since 1999 and projections to 2023.Between 2006 and 2011, North Carolina had one of the largest percentage increases in student enrollment. Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming were the only states that outpaced North Carolina's 4.4 percent growth rate. Obviously, enrollment growth in North Carolina eclipsed all states in the Southeast.The NCES projects that North Carolina will increase student enrollment by 10.9 percent between 2011 and 2023. Only 11 states had higher projected enrollment growth. In terms of a numerical change, a nearly 11 percent increase would add almost 157,000 students to our schools and give North Carolina the eighth largest public school enrollment in the nation.The NCES data only provides statewide projections, but the reality is that enrollment growth is not evenly distributed across regions. According to data for the NC Department of Public Instruction, there continues to be remarkable enrollment growth in urban and suburban districts and declining enrollment in many rural ones. For example, between 2006 and 2016, enrollment dropped in nearly half of North Carolina school districts. Districts in the rural northeast were hit particularly hard, while our urban/suburban corridors enjoyed double-digit growth. Some of these declines reflect migration to charter schools, private schools, and home schools, but others were simply the result of population loss.I believe that these enrollment trends will further the political divide between rural and urban areas. (Others are much more optimistic , and I sincerely hope they are right.) Public education funds are allocated on the basis of student enrollment, among other factors. Barring a radical change in the state education funding system, rural districts will continue to receive fewer taxpayer dollars, a worrisome prospect for communities whose primary employer is the school district.To complicate matters, the battle for scarce public resources will not be limited to the public education system. Last week, Dr. Matthew Ladner, senior advisor for policy and research at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, made a compelling case that the increase in student population, coupled with the retirement of baby boomers, will place unprecedented demands on state and federal budgets. As Ladner pointed out,The report is well worth a read, particularly for policymakers who have the foresight to begin preparing for this inevitable clash of generations.Growth is good but difficult. Lawmakers and others who will be responsible for dealing with North Carolina's expected population growth will need to begin planning for it now. Reforms to entitlement programs , the expansion of school choice and alternative delivery models addressing unfunded liabilities , and maintaining a favorable tax and regulatory climate are good places to start. George Cruz-Peralta works at Meijer in Melrose Park. He recently won the Fred Meijer Scholarship award. Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? Advertisement A: I was born and raised in Ecuador. When I was 10 years old, my family decided to move to the United States. I lived in Kennesaw, Ga., a town 30 minutes away from Atlanta, for four years. Things weren't going so well there, [and] my family decided to move to Illinois. In Illinois, I attended Taft High School, which is located in the northern side of Chicago. Q: When did you begin working at Meijer? Advertisement A: I started working for Meijer in February of 2015. Q: How did you hear about the Meijer Scholarship? A: When I first started working, there was a sheet of paper hanging on the announcements board. I looked at it, and it was promoting the Meijer Scholarship. At that moment, I was a brand-new employee, and in order to apply I had to be an employee for at least a year. Q: What was your reaction when you received the award? A: I was very excited to know that I was one of the two people to receive the award. Seeing Doug Meijer coming down with a check was definitely one of the most exciting moments in my life. Q: When you received the award, was there a luncheon or reception? A: After Doug Meijer and the people that he was with interviewed me, we went upstairs to the lunchroom. There were balloons, cookies, drinks, and even a cake that had " Congratulations George" written on it. Q: Where will you be attending school in the fall? Advertisement A: I will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago. This upcoming year will be my second one. Q: What do you plan on studying? A: I'm taking courses to become a mechanical engineer. Q: What are your goals for the future? A: I plan to get my bachelors as a mechanical engineer. My dream job will be working with either space or aircrafts. The year after I graduate, I plan to go to graduate school to obtain a master's degree. Finally, I want to help out my parents economically, so they don't have to work anymore. Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Writing is a solitary endeavor, and so it was with a sense of anticipation and community that local authors of prose and poetry gathered recently on a dark and stormy night at the Glencoe Public Library to participate in its monthly Writers' Open Mic. Held on the second Wednesday, the Open Mic is an opportunity for people to share their work. "We thought we'd give it a try three years ago and it's only getting stronger," said Grace Hayek, Programs and Outreach Librarian. Advertisement The types of works presented are as varied as the authors "the best thing about the Open Mic," said Richard Reeder, a Chicago Literary Hall of Fame member and the evening's moderator, filling in for Bob Boone, who launched the Open Mic in 2012. "They read works in progress, poems, a stories, fiction or non-fiction. There are no strict rules." The Open Mic was an outgrowth of a similar program Boone created for teen scribes. Young Chicago Authors, another program Boone created, turned him into an advocate for creative writing, he said in an email. Advertisement "I was in the unique position to offer Open Mics for writers of all ages; I had lived (in Glencoe) a long time. I had taught writing in the local schools and writing classes at the library. I was familiar with many writing groups and networks. And, finally, I was a part-time writer myself." Boone's second collection of stories, "Back to Forest High," was published last November. The inclusive nature of the Open Mic attracts a multi-generation group, with participants ranging from millennials to retirees. In the latter group is Richard Bair, 72, who has been attending Open Mics for more than a year. He once contributed a 10-minute play, though he's "mostly an audience member." "I come here to enjoy the interplay of ideas," Bair said. Writing has been a release for Anne Caplin since her husband passed away a couple of years ago. She feels that writers understand each other. Caplin's contribution for the night was "a change of pace" from her usual poems, she prologued, before challenging attendees to guess the author's identity. When she was done reading, someone guessed O. Henry, but they were wrong. She, herself, had written the story when she was 14-years-old. Peter Nolan, an Emmy-winning broadcast journalist, read an excerpt from a memoir in progress about his experiences in the Chicago news business. His story recalled an incident in 1975 when Rosemary Kennedy, the mentally challenged sister of Sen. Edward Kennedy, went missing during a visit to Chicago. Alex Ranieri, 21, a former neighbor of Boone in Glencoe, read three poems that she called a departure from earlier "dark material." A playwright and novelist who served a residency in the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia, Ranieri said she appreciated the opportunity to receive feedback on her work. Advertisement "It's difficult to know whether something is good until you've shared it with other people and received some kind of reaction," she observed. Ranieri was accompanied by Allison O'Connor, who also read a collection of poems. One, which dealt with suicide, elicited appreciative murmurs from the group. O'Connor is the daughter of poet and New Trier High School teacher John O'Connor. "Writing is a big part of my life," she said. "It's important that people have spaces to share their work and their voices be heard." Writers' Open Mic Night When: 7p.m., second Wednesday of every month Where: Glencoe Public Library, 320 Park Ave., Glencoe Advertisement Cost: Free Contact: www.glencoepubliclibrary.org The license of a physician's assistant accused of fondling a sedated patient remains in good standing following a hearing and review by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board . A certified registered nurse anesthetist reported that David Tan, while assisting with an arthroscopy of a patient's shoulder on July 1, 2015 at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, touched the patient's genitals several times. Advertisement The nurse became concerned during the procedure and took video of some of Tan's movements with her cellphone. Tan's physician's assistant license and his license to write prescription under the supervision of a physician were temporarily suspended as of July 15, 2015, pending the outcome of an investigation. Advertisement Tan, who was working under the supervision of Dr. Giridhar Burra, an orthopedic surgeon with Hinsdale Orthopedic Associates, said under oath the actions the nurse described were for medical purposes. According to Tan's testimony, patients are held in position on the operating table with beanbags, and pillows are placed to prevent pressure on their limbs and body parts. Tan said his movements that the nurse thought were suspicious were to manipulate a valve on the beanbag to make it pliable and to reposition the pillows. Other medical staff in the operating room, including Burra and two other nurses, testified they did not see Tan do anything inappropriate. The only evidence against Tan was the nurse's testimony. The video is not proof because "there are multiple plausible interpretations" of what the video shows, Administrative Law Judge Mary Catherine Marubio said in her report to the State Medical Disciplinary Board. Tan's hands are not visible in the video and his explanation of what he was doing was plausible, the report stated. "Creditable evidence also exists that (Tan) acted within the scope of his duties as a physician assistant," Marubio wrote in her report dated Jan. 7. "The video does not show any sexual misconduct or non-indicated contact with the patient." Jay Stewart, director of the division of professional regulation of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, on July 5, ordered the temporary suspension end and both of Tan's licenses remain in good standing. Tan said, obviously, he is glad with the findings of the investigation. Advertisement "This whole thing was unfounded," Tan said. "It has done a lot of damage to me, but the truth prevailed. I'm glad these hearings took place to show there was no merit to the complaint." Tan remains employed by Hinsdale Orthopaedics. kfornek@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @kfdoings Pope Francis meets with WYDs volunteers on July 31, 2016 at tauron arena in Krakow on the lasrt day of the World Youth Days (WYD). Pope Francis is in Poland for an international Catholic youth festival with a mission to encourage openness to migrants. (BARTOSZ SIEDLIK / AFP/Getty Images) Members of a Waukegan church youth group said they agree with Pope Francis that teenagers need to get off the couch and get involved in activism and politics. The pope, who delivered the message Saturday in Poland as part of World Youth Day, also advised that a life spent in front of a computer screen or playing video games is not the path to happiness. He challenged youth to change the world through actions. Advertisement "Dear young people, we didn't come into this world to 'vegetate,' to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on. No, we came for another reason: To leave a mark," Francis said. Maria Teresa Mar Requena, 47, a youth minister at St. Dismas Church at 2600 Sunset Ave. in Waukegan, said some members of the congregation went to Poland to hear the pope speak. Advertisement "We're going to squeeze every bit of information from their experience when they get back," Mar Requena said. Youth group member Kevin Escalante, 14, of Gurnee, said he agreed with the pope's sentiments. "It's a really good message because hanging out with your friends and doing good things is better than sitting around at home," Escalante said. "You never know when your life is going to end, so you probably shouldn't waste it." Mar Requena said she too was inspired by Francis' promotion of activism. "I thought the message he gave to the young people was exactly what they need to hear," Mar Requena said. "He has such charisma and uses the right words we all need to hear with directness, sincerity and kindness." In addition to attempting to motivate the world's youth, the pope also addressed how they can confront hatred. "Our response to a world at war has a name: fraternity," Francis said. Escalante said the youth group has helped him communicate with a variety of people. Advertisement "They teach us to communicate better with our peers. I used to be a shy person but now I feel like I can make friends easier," he said. Youth group member Daisy Ramirez, 14, added that being a part of the organization has made her a happier person. Ramirez, of Waukegan, said she believes more people her age should be involved in groups and clubs that help the community including people of different faiths. The group is planning to clean up Waukegan Municipal Beach this month. "Young people have the energy and the time, what they need is direction," Mar Requena said. The 25-member group meets regularly to discuss how to live a spiritual life and plan community service events, which include preparing lunches for homeless families at PADS Lake County, volunteering in a soup kitchen and visiting seniors at the Terrace Nursing Home in Waukegan. The group, mostly between the ages of 12 and 17, also helps with church fundraisers that raise money to purchase gifts for the seniors they visit on holidays, like Valentine's and Mother's Day. "It makes you feel great to do something for other people," Ramirez said. Advertisement The Associated Press contributed. Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun. Newly hired consultant Rick Harris (right) talks to Waukegan resident Ralph Peterson, who despite being a vocal critic of Mayor Wayne Motley, praised the decision to hire Harris to oversee the adoption of a city-wide diversity and inclusion policy and implementation of diversity awareness and skill-based training. (Emily K. Coleman / Lake County News-Sun) The city of Waukegan will hire a human resources consultant to develop a "diversity and inclusion strategy" for the city particularly the police department. On Monday, Mayor Wayne Motley recommended Rick Harris for the 12-month position, which will focus on employee training, meetings with aldermen and residents and managing the police department's reform efforts identified during the U.S. Department of Justice mediation process. The City Council unanimously approved the hire. Advertisement The hire comes as race relations between communities and police departments around the country have been in the national spotlight after officers fatally shot men in Minnesota and Louisiana in early July. In the days that followed, five Dallas officers were killed and nine others were wounded when a sniper opened fire during a protest. In Baton Rouge, La., three officers were shot dead during an ambush, authorities said. "I think it's imperative that we do something of this nature. I don't want something (like) what occurred in Dallas to happen here," Motley said. Advertisement Harris, a Waukegan native, has served as a member of the informal Citizens for Progress Committee that advised the mayor on issues within the black community and was involved in the ongoing mediation process with the Department of Justice. Motley said he spent seven months working with Harris on the reforms and knew he was the right man for the new job. "I couldn't think of anyone else," Motley said. "I didn't even think of anyone else than Mr. Harris because that's how much confidence I have in this man." Motley said he did not reach out to any other human resource consultants but did compare the value of the $80,000 contract to the existing $60,000 contracts the city has with environmental consultants Deigan and Associates and had with Emerging Communities Corp., which consults on municipal efforts to redevelop former industrial properties. Motley said he felt Harris's work, which will be focused citywide and include 25 hours per week at City Hall plus additional time around the community, warranted the higher contract. He noted he originally wanted to hire Harris full-time, but both sides decided a consultant role made more sense. Harris, who owns his own consulting business focused on diversity issues, talent acquisition and general human resource services, has also worked with several large corporations, including Walgreen's and Kraft Foods, according to a resume Harris provided to the city. He is also an ordained pastor, now affiliated with First Baptist Church in North Chicago. While Ald. Bill Valko, 8th, said he is "totally on board" with hiring Harris, he raised a "mild concern" about Harris' previous involvement with the city, in particular that it could appear inappropriate that the man who led the effort to bring diversity training to the city is now at the top of the list for providing that service. Motley said he understood the concern, and Harris would no longer serve on the advisory committee. Advertisement Harris expects he will likely start his work with the city later this month. He said his first steps will be to gather empirical data about the city's staff diversity and talk to aldermen about concerns in their individual wards. He plans on using that information to develop a "diversity and inclusion strategy" for the city, both in the short- and long-term, and then communicating those strategies and goals to residents, he said. Those goals will include diversity awareness, skill-based training and implementing the reforms identified in the Department of Justice mediation process. By this time next year, Harris said he will have reviewed accountability measures so the city can adjust its plans for the coming year. Ald. Lisa May, 7th, who also said the move to hire Harris was a good one, wondered if a short-term contract was the best approach when the city is looking for long-term effects. "I want to make sure we aren't sidestepping real reform, that we're truly committed to it as an organization," she said. Harris said he thinks the one-year contract makes sense for now. It gives the city an opportunity to start small, assess what its needs really are and then plan for those costs in the next budget, he said. Advertisement emcoleman@tribpub.com Twitter @mekcoleman Two families were displaced after a Saturday night fire in a Zion apartment building. Zion Fire Department Lt. Rick Reich said smoke detectors went off about 9:40 p.m. at an eight-unit apartment building in the 4100 block of White Pine Lane. Responding firefighters found smoke on the second floor and had to force their way into one apartment to put out a bedroom fire, he said. Advertisement The building was evacuated and nobody was injured, Reich added. The fire caused smoke and heat damage to the apartment, which was uninhabitable, he said. Advertisement Two families lived in the apartment, and members from American Red Cross were notified to help them find temporary housing, Reich said. The other units in the building were not damaged and residents were allowed to return to their apartments, the lieutenant said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. fabderholden@tribpub.com Twitter @abderholden Kudos for car show A terrific car show at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. There were approximately 250 cars. My favorite car was a 1939 Studebaker. The American Legion helped with the hospital patients, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars provided hot dogs and brats with all the trimmings. It's the 14th year the show been held. It gets larger every year. It was just a great car show. Advertisement Roused about Rauner Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have paid caregivers $15 per hour. That's why I am voting Democratic. Thank you, Mr. Rauner, for slamming the people who look after the elderly. Advertisement Miffed about Melania What a shame that a woman like Melania Trump, who has more money than 99 percent of the population, needs to pose naked in a magazine. I have lost respect for her. I have talked to many others who feel the same way. Twitter @NewsSun Talk of the County is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-4554 or email talkofthecounty@tribpub.com. For a continuously updating blog of Talk of the County comments, go to newssunonline.com/talk. Veteran actor and director Frank Farrell has been attracted to outdoor theater throughout his career, so much so that he attempted to stage outdoor productions in winter while serving as founder and artistic director of Theatre Hikes at Morton Arboretum from 1997 to 2010. It didn't work all that well, he recalled with a laugh. Advertisement "Summer is the time to go outdoors for theater," said Farrell, who's following his own advice by adapting and directing a 100th anniversary production of Edgar Lee Masters' classic "Spoon River Anthology" with Citadel Theatre of Lake Forest. The show will be performed in three locations on subsequent weekends beginning July 29 on the lawn outside the Brushwood Center of Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods and continuing Aug. 5-7 at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest and Aug. 12 and 14 at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest. Farrell, whose association with Citadel Artistic Director Scott Phelps goes back to the early '80s when they were both performing free Shakespeare at Piper's Alley in Chicago, said "Spoon River" was meant to be a change of pace from the outdoor summer Shakespeare they created together the last two seasons including "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "As You Like It." Advertisement "Scott thought it would be good to do something different to surprise our audience...something with poetry," Farrell said. There's a great deal of poetry in "Spoon River," a collection of 209 poems in its original 1915 anthology and 244 poems in its 1916 second-edition. Envisioned as a communique by deceased former residents of the fictional town of Spoon River, the poems tell the life stories, scandalous secrets and everlasting regrets of 244 characters, many inter-connected. Playwright Charles Aidman adapted a theatrical version of the poems in 1963 that's commonly staged today, but Farrell decided to create his own take on Masters' magnum opus, going back to the original poem and winnowing them down to roughly 40, performed by six actors and two on-stage musicians Mark Adamczyk and his daughter Rania Adamczyk of Lake Bluff. In addition to underlying music for many of the poems, the Adamczyks will perform an opening and closing song and three individual songs over the course of the roughly one-hour production, all using Masters' words as lyrics. While the characters are dead, Farrell said he worked hard to ensure the production's mood did not turn funereal. To enliven the proceedings, he arranged for the original live music to be part of the show's fabric and cast about for various means of presenting the material as vivaciously as he could, while remaining true to the spirit of the show. Finally, Farrell said, he felt properly inspired by a story he heard on the radio about a modern trend in which people include personal messages in their own obituaries. The gist of the story, he recalled, was that this was considered something new that the dead might have something meaningful to say to the living. Yet Masters was onto that idea 100 years ago. "That's what I want this show to be: a celebration of life in death," Farrell explained. 'Spoon River Anthology' Advertisement When: 7 p.m. July 2931, Aug. 57, 12 and 14 Where: July 2931 at Brushwood Center of Ryerson Woods, 21850 N. Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods Aug. 57 at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, 760 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest A fundraising performance with a suggested donation of $15 will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Aug. 12 and 14 at Elawa Farm, 1401 Middlefork Drive, Lake Forest Tickets: $15 Advertisement Contact: (847) 735-8554; www.citadeltheatre.org Ground could be broken this fall on a $2 million compressed natural gas fueling station if plans before the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission this week ultimately are approved. "We're trying to make our large fleet as economical as possible. We believe CNG will help do that," said Dick Dublinski, public works director. Advertisement Comments will be taken Wednesday at a public hearing on the project. The proposed fueling station is a partnership between the city of Naperville and CNG provider Trillium. Naperville would contribute $300,000 awarded as part of the Drive Clean Chicago's Drive Clean Station Grant Program, as well as city-owned land near the Naperville Test Track on Jefferson Avenue at Ogden Avenue. The test track is a course where people looking to buy new cars can take them for a test drive. Advertisement The proposed spot would provide easy CNG station access for cars and trucks traveling on Ogden Avenue, Route 59 and Interstate 88, according to city reports. Trillium would design, construct, operate and maintain the station, as well as contribute the rest of the needed funding, Dublinski said. The city then could negotiate for reduced rates to power its fleet of more than 300 vehicles, with a goal of fueling 25 to 35 percent of them with CNG. As proposed, the station would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would start with one, twin-hose pump with room to expand. It could accommodate everything from passenger cars to Class 8 heavy duty trucks, like 18-wheeler semis. Along with city vehicles, the station could provide fuel to Waste Management's fleet of garbage trucks, all of which are powered by compressed natural gas, Dublinski said. Nearby CNG stations already offer the fuel in Downers Grove and in Blackwell and Churchill Woods in DuPage County Forest Preserves, where Naperville's handful of CNG vehicles now fill up. While the fueling station would serve mainly fleet trucks to start, Dublinski predicted passenger cars could fill up there in about five years as automobiles switch from gasoline to the cleaner burning and often cheaper CNG. Market rates price CNG at less than $2 per gallon. The website GasBuddy.com on Monday placed Illinois gas prices at an average of $2.14 and Chicago at $2.30 per gallon. The project needs a conditional use permit for CNG before moving forward, which is why it's going before the planning and zoning commission and the city council. gbookwalter@tribpub.com Twitter @GenevieveBook Facebook users around Naperville and the Fox Valley use the social media site to stay on top of announcements about things like garbage pickup, road closures and other changes in services. Sometimes, those pages also become a soapbox for advocates or a forum for discussion about hot topics around town. Advertisement "Aurora's Facebook friends comment on all topics and we've seen everywhere from a couple of comments on a post to hundreds of comments for a single thread," said Clayton Muhammad, the city's director of communications. But don't expect to see profanity or other unpleasant language on there, he said. Advertisement The city's page, which has 28,000 followers, has an automatic filter that cuts out posts that have cursing or derogatory comments, such as racial epithets. The city's social media policy, which outlines what content is restricted and why, is posted on the "about" section of its Facebook page. Like other area communities, Aurora reserves the right to remove comments and posts that are deemed to be in violation of the Social Media Policy, or violate any law. Reasons for restricting content are broad and include use of slanderous, libelous, offensive, threatening, uncivil, or insulting language. Comments not related to the article being commented upon, comments that promote discrimination, sexual content, solicitations or links to other sites or Facebook tags, political links, encouragement of illegal activity and information that may compromise the safety of the public also are banned. "Other than that, comments stay up and can range from the throngs of the extremely positive comments that we received for the fireworks earlier this week or the throngs of the not so favorable comments that we received when we extended last year's trick-or-treating hours to the following day," Muhammad said. "It's an outlet for information and expression." That outlet for expression became an issue in an Indiana town, which pulled its city and police Facebook pages completely in July after a lawsuit accused the city of violating residents' First Amendment rights by removing posted comments. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the lawsuit against the city of Beech Grove on behalf of two women who say the city removed their critical comments from the police department's Facebook page. In Naperville, spokeswoman Kate Schultz said the city doesn't get many negative comments or trolls on the official Facebook page. "We get a lot of likes, especially for awards we received," Schultz said. Those awards often reaffirm for residents that Naperville continues to be a good place to live and raise a family. The only time Naperville staff deletes comments is if someone is promoting their own product, not commenting directly on the city. Advertisement "We've only had to remove contractors if they've tried to promote their own business," Schultz said. In Elgin, Multimedia Specialist Molly Center said she monitors pages. "We have the profanity settings on pages set to 'high', so any time someone comments with profanities, their comment is automatically hidden by these rules set by Facebook. When a comment is hidden it is still viewable to the person posting and to the poster's friends," Center said. But the social media policy, which is posted to every page in the Notes section, states, "The City of Elgin reserves the right to delete submissions" for many of the same issues Aurora outlined. Center said she has removed comments that violate policy, mostly because they contain links to spam or other sites. "Occasionally someone will post something, a statement or accusation, to our page that may not necessarily be true. We do not delete these, rather provide accurate information or allow others to respond with accurate information," Center said via email. Advertisement No user has been banned for the last couple of years, Center said. But she's keeping track of people who violate the policy. "I keep a running document with screenshots. This way, I have evidence of the same person having multiple violations if I were to ban someone. There is no 'three strikes and you're out' rule, so I am allowed more discretion based on the violations to the policy," she said. "For example, if someone posts three links to other sites on our page, I'm not going to ban them. If there were several personal attacks and insulting language, that's another story. While East Dundee doesn't have an official Facebook page, West Dundee has one monitored by Kim Tibbetts, executive secretary. "The page was established about two or three years ago at the direction of the Village Board as another way to communicate with residents," she said. "We post municipal service information and events, and share items of interest from other local agencies and businesses that we feel will be pertinent and useful to West Dundee residents." As a Facebook page administrator Tibbetts can remove comments or ban users from interacting with the page. But she hasn't don't that very often. "I think I have blocked maybe one or two comments in all of the time that the page has been active. I don't recall what the comments were or what the were in response to, but I must have felt that they were offensive or inappropriate in some way," she said. Advertisement Tibbetts said using the social networking website serves two purposes. "Not only is West Dundee's Facebook page a way to communicate information to the community, but also another way for folks to communicate with the village," she said. "Facebook messages received on the village's page are answered by me, same as emails that are sent to the general village email address." In Indiana, the ACLU argues that cities should not be removing comments. "When a government entity opens up a space for public comment, it cannot regulate those comments based upon someone's viewpoint," ACLU attorney Jan Mensz told WTHR-TV. "The City of Beech Grove has put all public speech on its social media sites at risk of further censorship." The women are not seeking compensation, but want their comments reposted. According to the ACLU, the two women's posts posed valid questions about crime reporting in the city, as well as police action and inaction related to the removal of political yard signs. Advertisement The police department said it was advised by its legal counsel to remove the page, but said it's a loss of the department's most effective tool for soliciting tips on unsolved cases. Attorney Craig Wiley said he believes Beech Grove has a "constitutional basis" to defend itself against the lawsuit, but will try to reach a settlement with the ACLU because of the cost of litigation. "The police solved a lot of crime. They've got a lot of tips and now we've got to take it down," Wiley said. "That's the casualty in this." Indiana University constitutional law professor David Orentlicher said a government agency is not required to create a social media page but once they open it to public comment, it cannot discriminate based on the comment posted. According to Wiley, a settlement with the ACLU would include a new city social media policy. Freelance reporter Erin Sauder and the Associated Press contributed. Genevieve Bookwalter is a Naperville Sun reporter. Steve Lord is a Beacon-News reporter. Mike Danahey is a Courier-News reporter. Zero Hour is fast approaching for Zero Gravity. Demolition of the once-popular nightclub for teenagers and the adjacent Blur club for those 21 and older was to have begun Monday, and is now tentatively set to begin early next week. An assisted living center is to be built on the 6.2-acre site, at the southwest corner of 75th Street and Route 53. Advertisement In the meantime, Lisle-Woodridge Fire District firefighters have been using the shuttered juice bar for training purposes, including "real-life simulation" of rescues and other emergencies, Deputy Chief Keith Krestan said. St. Louis-based Cedarhurst Assisted Living and Memory Care intends to build a three-story, 100-unit, 100,000-square-foot facility on the land. The Greene Valley Forest Preserve abuts the southern and western edges of the property, which has a Naperville address but was annexed by Woodridge. Advertisement Krestan said Cedarhurst officials recently gave the fire district permission to use Zero Gravity's shellfor training exercises and drills. Firefighters periodically have been doing just that since the middle of last week, he said. Cedarhurst owner Joshua Jennings on Monday confirmed company officials "delayed the demolition as a courtesy" to the fire district. "They asked us if they could perform drills there, and it sounded like a great way to begin our relationship with the first responders with whom our staff will ultimately have a working relationship," Jennings wrote in an email. "We expect to start demolition next week, once their drills are finished," Jennings said. He added Woodridge village officials and staff members have been "very welcoming to us and we, in turn, have sought to be great members of the community." Krestan said fire officials were grateful for that opportunity, as there are few buildings of Zero Gravity's size, age or layout within the district's borders that might provide such hands-on training. "We can actually cut holes in the roof to practice ventilation," and can advance water hose lines into the building just as firefighters would do during a real fire, Krestan said. The building also has "several rooms connected maze-like, (which) provides us with the opportunity to conduct open-space searches" for "victims" of a fire or other disaster, he said. Krestan said the building is big enough that it allows the department to "train multiple fire companies at the same time" using a fictitious emergency scenario. "A lot of our people were there (Sunday,) and now we're rotating (firefighters) through the building through this week," he said. Advertisement He also praised Cedarhurst officials, saying the company "recognizes the advantages of using the building before they knock it down," giving firefighters invaluable training "at no cost to us." The Woodridge center will be Cedarhurst's seventh senior residential development, and its only location in northern Illinois. The company has four facilities in southern Illinois, and is building one near Springfield and another in Missouri, a company spokeswoman said last fall. Zero Gravity's owners in the past have talked of relocating the club. Attempts Monday to reach company officials by telephone and email were unsuccessful. wbird@tribpub.com Editor's note: Oil Lamp Theatre has canceled "12 Angry Jurors." The theatre will stage "Weekend Comedy" Aug. 18-Sept. 25. The fate of a young man accused of murdering his father is in the hands of a dozen people in Reginald Rose's "12 Angry Jurors" at Oil Lamp Theater. Artistic Director Keith Gerth directs the production based on Rose's 1954 TV play, "12 Angry Men," which became a stage play and then a critically-acclaimed 1957 movie. Advertisement "It's a really timely story in light of the dialogue that's happening at both the national and local level," Gerth said. "I think what happens in that deliberation room is the most American thing that we do as a country. I think it's a great way to look directly into what it is to be an American and what it means to talk about these issues around race and freedom." To add to the relevance of the piece, Gerth has set it in current day Chicago. He has also assembled a diverse cast of men and women of different ethnicities. "I wanted a jury that was representative of Chicago's population today," Gerth explained. "We have Asian Americans, African Americans, we have some people from Pakistan and a lot of different religious influences around the table, too." Advertisement Nicolette de Guia of Deerfield plays Juror No. 12. "She is an advertising exec and it's her first time serving on the jury," de Guia related. "She is one of the more lighthearted people in the show. She's always the one trying to break up the room with a joke to relieve the tension. My character is the only character that switches her vote back and forth." Juror No. 12's goal is to get everyone to reach a consensus, de Guia indicated. "It's kind of troubling," the actor admitted, "considering someone's life is at stake in this show." De Guia indicated that her character's desire to have everyone agree is elusive because of "extreme attitudes towards race and even gender." The most difficult aspect of this role for de Guia, who is half Filipino, "is hearing some of the truly horrible things that are said by characters and knowing that that's still real." Glenview resident Rob Weinstein plays Juror No. 10 who he describes as "an Archie Bunkerish, bigoted type of guy. I'm the one who upsets everyone with my very backwards thinking with regards to minorities. I'm very impatient and just want to get this whole process over with. My character wants to punish anybody who's not a good white person." Although the race of the defendant isn't ever mentioned in the script, "everybody understands that it's a minority," Weinstein said. Juror No. 10 is a businessman who owns garages. "I just want to declare him guilty. I don't really care about the facts. I don't like his kind of people." It's an interesting character for Weinstein to play because, "He's the polar opposite of who I am." Director Gerth concluded, "One of the challenges of being on a jury in general is to figure out what is actually the truth how does the evidence all come together. When you have twelve people that come from such diverse backgrounds, it makes it even harder." Advertisement De Guia added that, even though you would think a play written in the 1950s would seem dated, "It feels more relevant now than ever." Gerth encourages people to take advantage of some immersion opportunities related to the show. That includes viewing the 1957 film, "12 Angry Men," and checking out the Radiolab Season 5/Episode 3 Podcast (Radiolab.org/story/91653-race). He also recommends the television documentary, "OJ: Made in America." Oil Lamp Theater presents "12 Angry Jurors" When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 11-Sept. 25 Where: 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview Tickets: $35 Advertisement Information: (847) 834-0738; oillamptheater.org From left: Alice Berry of River Forest, Ernest Hemingway Foundation board member, with husband, John Berry, Foundation chairman, and Virginia Cassin of Oak Park, 20-year board member, benefit committee member and former village clerk (Lee A. Litas / Pioneer Press) The Event: "Ernest Hemingway: Alive in Oak Park," was the first annual benefit of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. It took place July 23 at the Oak Park Public Library. Among the 200 attendees were Hemingway fans, Foundation members, caretakers of both Hemingway's first and second Oak Park homes, as well as the Foundation's first scholarship winner. The 2015-2016 Hemingway Birthplace Home Writer-in-Residence, David W. Berner of Clarendon Hills, presented the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship scholarship to Tamsen Cronin of River Forest. Dan Stout of Worthington, Ohio, received the Hemingway Shorts Contest award in absentia. Advertisement The EHFOP fosters understanding of the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, with emphasis on his Oak Park origins and his impact on world literature. Cause celebre: "(Hemingway) was born here in Oak Park, lived here until he graduated from high school and the foundation does a lot to celebrate his life and legacy," said David Seleb of Chicago, EHFOP board member and OP Library executive director. Advertisement Board member, Mary Jane Neumann of Oak Park, is the current owner of Hemingway's second home, together with her husband, Kurt. The couple has two young sons, one of whom happens to share Hemingway's birthday. "You can't walk in without imagining (Hemingway) running through the house as a boy," said Neumann. An acupuncturist by trade, she has set up her practice in the same room in the house where Hemingway's father, an obstetrician, had his practice. "Oak Park is where (Hemingway's) mother taught him about the arts, his father taught him about nature. So he was really shaped by this town and our organization is here to help continue that and also to reach out to new writers," said Neumann. Bottom Line: The benefit raised approximately $28,000 for the preservation and community outreach work of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. More at ehfop.org A pistol shoot and dinner will be held Aug. 7 to raise money for Oak Park police officer John Patterson, who was injured in a May 2015 shooting at his Chicago home. (GoFundMe / Handout) The Fraternal Order of Police announced it will host a "pistol shoot" fundraiser Aug. 7 in Villa Park to benefit an injured Oak Park police officer. Officer John Patterson, who has served the Oak Park Police Department for more than 25 years, was injured in an off-duty shooting at his home in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicago's south side in May 2015. Advertisement According to an FOP release, the pistol shoot and dinner fundraiser will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 7 at Villa Park VFW Post 2801, 39 E. St. Charles Road. The event is being sponsored by the Oak Park Police Department Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8 and VFW Post 2801, which is donating its venue and the food. Although Patterson has been cleared to return to active duty by his personal physician on May 27, the village of Oak Park is requiring him to undergo additional testing at his own expense, the release said. The fundraiser will assist Patterson in paying those costs and other uncovered medical expenses. Advertisement "John Patterson honorably served with the Oak Park Police Department for more than 25 years before he was shot by two men who attempted to rob him as he left home for work," FOP Lodge 8 President James Hawkinson said in a statement. "John has had a long and difficult recovery. The village of Oak Park stopped paying him on May 1, 2016, because he has used up all of his sick and vacation time to recover from what is officially considered by them to be an off-duty incident. We hope the fundraiser will help John through these difficult times." Village of Oak Park spokesman David Powers said the village would not comment on a personnel matter, but he said the collective bargaining agreement between the village and FOP governs officers' paid leave time and salary. "Police officer benefits also are governed by state law, including pension benefits and workers' compensation when injured at work," Powers wrote in an email. "The village cannot extend workers' compensation benefits to someone injured at home, even if the worker is police officer who is the victim of a crime." Tickets are $10 for the pistol shoot and $30 for the dinner. A Go Fund Me page has also been set up at gofundme.com/2h7hvyk to collect donations. As of Tuesday afternoon, the page had collected $2,835 of its $10,000 goal. Those entering the competitive pistol shoot must provide their own firearm and ammunition, have a valid firearm owner's identification card and observe all laws regarding firearm transport. According to prosecutors, Chicago teens Taiwan McNeal and David Bush approached Patterson while the officer was in his garage getting ready for his morning shift. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office alleges Bush pointed a .45-caliber handgun at the officer, while McNeal began patting down the officer. Prosecutors said Bush and Patterson exchanged gunfire, which left Patterson hit with three bullets. Bush, who was also shot, fled with McNeal, and both were later found hiding in the 9900 block of South Princeton Avenue. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, both men remain in custody and are held without bond. sschering@pioneerlocal.com Advertisement Twitter: @steveschering Maine Township trustees appointed one of their own to serve as the municipality's new highway commissioner. Robert Provenzano had served as Maine Township's highway commissioner since Jan. 1, 1998. He officially resigned from the elected position on July 31. His term was to end in the spring of 2017. Advertisement The special meeting to appoint Provenzano's replacement happened within 48 hours of his resignation going into effect. The process of selecting the new highway commissioner involved the board going into closed session for 22 minutes during the middle of the Aug. 1 meeting. When the board resumed open session, members unanimously accepted Walter Kazmierczak's resignation as a trustee from the board and then appointed him to the highway commissioner role. "Why is there such a rush to fill this job?" asked Joan Sandrik, a Maine Township resident who attended the board's meeting. "Why wouldn't you go out and do a search and see if there is somebody with the kind of experience you need for this job?" Advertisement Kazmierczak was first elected to the township board in 2001 and has served as the manager of community relations with the Illinois Council of Banks and Real Estate. His experience and interest in the allocation of social agency grant money is the reason board members gave for choosing him to serve as the new highway commissioner. Also, he was the only member of the board available around the clock for a role officials said requires 24/7 availability. As Pioneer Press reported in June, Kazmierczak, a Park Ridge resident, expressed interest in submitting his name for appointment to the highway commissioner seat. During the public comment portion of the meeting before the closed session, Sandrik said the speed with which the board moved to appoint one of their own to the position reeks of "cronyism." Township Supervisor Carol Teschky defended the board's swiftness in appointing Kazmierczak, arguing that appointing someone to the position from within their ranks ensured continuity of service and the retention of institutional knowledge. "The feeling of this particular board is that there needs to be someone familiar with our operations," said Teschky. "Right now, we have the superintendent ... of the highway department, and he is without a boss, along with six or seven of the employees there. There is no boss there to instruct them to do anything. That's one of the reasons we needed to fill the vacancy now." The highway commissioner's responsibilities include overseeing a department of six paid, nonelected employees who are responsible for maintaining streets, sidewalks and storm sewers within the unincorporated area of the township that shares borders with Des Plaines, Niles, Park Ridge and Glenview. Provenzano was appointed to the highway commissioner position in 1998 after the resignation of Bill Fraser, who had just been re-elected to a four-year term. Before he was appointed highway commissioner, Provenzano had served as township collector in 1993 and as trustee from 1994 to 1998. For most of the meeting, trustees defended the practice in Maine Township of appointing internal candidates to elected positions when whoever is in the role steps down before the term is up. Maine Township Clerk Gary K. Warner chimed in with his take on village appointments. Advertisement "This is the way it goes," Warner said. He gave an example of someone being first being appointed a collector, and then a trustee and then next an assessor or a township supervisor. He pointed out that this hypothetical person would be creating new vacancies that need new appointments as they fill positions made vacant by elected officials who step down before their term is up. "In other words, [critics] don't understand what we're doing here," Warner said. "You just don't walk your way up the ladder. This is what we do; this is our life." Also during the Aug. 1 meeting, board members expressed their frustration with newspaper coverage of Provenzano's resignation, as well as residents who took to social media and community message forums to criticize how the board was handling the appointment process. "I am disturbed by the discourse that has been put out there over newspaper articles," Trustee Laura Morask said. "I'd like to speak for myself when I say there is no preconceived notion, there is no preconceived end result because a newspaper and a person said they were interested [in the highway commissioner position] doesn't speak for me as a trustee ... as to who or what person I'm going to appoint or vote for." Kazmierczak also said he avoids online discussions regarding the board's actions "like the plague." "It's just, on both sides, prejudicial commentary and biased. So why watch it, why look at it?" he said. Advertisement As for the outgoing highway commissioner, Provenzano's annual salary was set by the board in 2012 at an amount of $89,952. According to a village spokesperson on Aug. 2, the municipality is unclear on how Provenzano's pension will be handled since he didn't serve his full term. The reason given for this uncertainty is that the pension is handled by the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which is still processing Provenzano's resignation. Kazmierczak said he was going to decline a pension in his new role as highway commissioner. Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Police arrested 17 people at an underage drinking party over the weekend after a neighbor contacted authorities because partygoers were allegedly going through his yard and damaging it. Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department were called shortly before 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 700 West block of County Road 700 North in Portage Township. Advertisement Police said they found a large gathering of people and cars when they arrived at the residence, and several people began to run toward the rear of the property when police arrived. Others were heard yelling, "The cops are here, run," according to a police report. Oscar Lagunas, 18, with a listed address of the 900 block of 174th Place Hammond, told police he lived at the residence with his father, who was on his way home, and he was aware of the party being loud and people driving through his neighbor's yard, the report said. He told police he was in the process of attempting to get people to leave when they arrived, and the party was his responsibility as he was the host, the report said. Advertisement Lagunas' father arrived and told police he was aware his son was having a party but he did not know there would be so many people. He gave police verbal permission to enter the garage, where police reportedly found a keg of beer and empty alcohol bottles. Oscar Lagunas faces a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Erik Gavara, 20, of the 1500 block of 177th Place, Hammond, faces misdemeanor charges of underage drinking and marijuana possession. Police transported them to Porter County Jail. His father was not charged. Another 13 young adults, mostly from north Lake County and Chicago's south suburbs, face misdemeanor charges of underage drinking and were taken to the jail. Two juveniles, a 17-year-old boy from Hammond and a 17-year-old boy from East Chicago, also face misdemeanor charges of underage drinking and were released to relatives. Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. The following are stories as they appeared in The Lake County Star Newspaper. It was a weekly paper started more than 150 years ago that covered all of Lake and most of Porter counties. The paper was owned and operated by the Wheeler Family, descendants of Crown Point founder Solon Robinson. Items are replicated here as they originally appeared. August 4, 1916 Advertisement The home of Valentine Sauerman, southeast of the corporate limits of this city was entirely destroyed by fire about two o'clock Monday afternoon, when the blaze was discovered on the roof of the kitchen part. It had gotten a good start when first noticed, but by quick work of the family members and neighbors nearly all of the contents were saved. Mr. Sauerman and three sons were at work in the field, a considerable distance away, when they saw flames spreading over the roof and by the time they reach the house, nothing was left to do but to save the contents of the home and protect the other buildings which were close by. A fire alarm was turned in and the city department made the run with the chemical outfit, but on their arrival the flames had spread to such an extent that all efforts were directed to the other buildings. The old hand engine was later called out and was used to a good advantage in saving the adjoining barns and out buildings. The origin of the fire is unknown, but many are of the opinion that sparks from a passing on the Pan Handle tracks, which are but a short distance away, may have dropped on the roof, and ignited the dry shingles. That theory seems to be the only plausible one to offer, inasmuch as the family reported that no fire was used in the cook stove at the noon hour. Crown Point is blessed with one of the finest lakes in the country for swimming and the boys certainly take advantage of it, but what about the girls? It is just as important that every girl should know how to swim as it is for the boys. It should be made part of every Grammar school course for every child to know how to swim. Why not devote part of three days a week for the girls? Why not give them the exclusive use of Fancher Lake until 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week? Also, why not build a substantial bath house for both the boys and girls to dress in? Advertisement August 8, 1944 Peter F. Hein, chairman of the local selectee service board, was the after-dinner speaker at Wednesday noon's meeting of the Rotary club. He gave a comprehensive talk and explanatory review of the routine work of the board members' duties and also gave firsthand information in relation to the four classifications in which registrants are place after order number have been assigned. Mayor W. Vincent Youkey, a guest, also gave a short talk in which he asked Rotary members to co-operate with the city administration in the preparation of a parking ordinance soon to be enacted by the city council. In other cities in the state, Youkey said, business men have helped the parking situation by signing cards and posting placards in their business places pledging themselves and their employees not to park their cars in the business district. Mary Steger, 14-year-old daughter of George Steger, residing near the Youche Country club, was stricken with infantile paralysis Saturday. Her lower limbs, according to a report, are completely paralyzed. Miss Mary is a student of the Riley school on highway 55. The U. S. Navy's new recruiting cruiser will visit the county fair August 14-15 and will dock at the fairgrounds. The crew of the five enlisted men is skippered by Lieut. F. M. Hall. August 5, 1966 Miss Dolores Bremer, Miss Patricia Murray, Miss Diana Stuhimacher, the Rev. H. J. Meyer and the Rev. Walter J. Wenck from Trinity Lutheran church, attended the 3rd North American Sunday School convention of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod at the Conrad Hilton hotel in Chicago over the week end. They were among more than 3500 delegates from the United States and Canada who heard Dr. William A. Buege, chaplain at Valparaiso university, keynote the convention for its task, stressing that "We are what God declares us to be and not what scientists theorize what we are!" "This is really what faith is all about," he said, " the certainty that it is as God declare3s no matter what evidence may arise to tempt us to know otherwise and judge some other way." Michael Brown, 12, of Buck Hill road, Route 7, Crown Point, received 25 stitches to close the wound on top of his head, an injury received Monday evening when the bicycle he was riding struck an auto on North Court. After treatment at a local doctor's office, the boy was sent home. Although the cut was large, it was not deep, Hub police told . The driver, Michael Kerr, 20, of 311 Wright street, Crown Point, told Crown Point police he was driving north on North Court when the boy, on a bicycle, came from a driveway to his left and ran into his right front fender. The boy said he did not see the vehicle until it was too late, ran into the car and was thrown to the pavement. A teen-aged Cedar Lake driver received two broken front teeth Monday evening when he struck another auto as it turned in front of him on the Lowell-Cedar Lake road. Emery L. Manley 16, of Cedar Lake, struck the auto driven by Thomas Pancini, 18, of 240 North Nichols, Lowell. Pancini was not hurt. Advertisement kconley@post-trib.com Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson talks to the crowd gathered at the Hillary Clinton campaign stop. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune) Fresh from attending the Democratic National Convention last week in Philadelphia, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said she thinks traditional red state Indiana will once again go blue in November. Despite losing to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, in the May primary, Freeman-Wilson said Secretary Hillary Clinton will win Indiana and take the state's 11 Electoral College votes based on the strength of the state's ticket. Advertisement "I think things look good for Democrats running for many offices," the mayor said. "That could create the momentum that would allow Hillary Clinton a good chance to win the state." She cited the presence on the ballot of Evan Bayh, the former governor and senator who is a Democrat with significant name recognition and who is attempting to return to the Senate. Freeman Wilson called Bayh a "popular, proven product" with the voters. Advertisement Speaking Monday at the Gary Chamber of Commerce meeting, Freeman-Wilson said Democratic candidates across the state will benefit from the fact that incumbent Gov. Mike Pence gave up his gubernatorial post to be vice presidential nominee paired with Republican Donald Trump. As Freeman Wilson sees it, that means that Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Indiana House speaker John Gregg will not be running against a Republican with the advantages of incumbency. Republican nominee Eric Holcomb has only been lieutenant governor since the resignation in March of Sue Ellspermann who resigned that post to become president of Ivy Tech Community College. That could be a factor in that the Trump campaign has indicated it is focusing attention on certain states, including Indiana, she said. Freeman-Wilson was among Indiana's delegates to the Democratic National Convention held last week in Philadelphia, where she said she was pleased to be a part of a historic event that nominated a woman to be president and also to share that experience with her daughter, Jordan. Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Rabbi Shimon Susskind gives members of his Chabad a tour of the group's new facility in Vernon Hills. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press) Rabbi Shimon Susskind said Chabad-Lubavitch, a Jewish organization based in Brooklyn, N.Y., sent him to Vernon Hills to create a sense of community among Jews of all levels of faith. Six years later, Susskind's Chabad Jewish Center of Vernon Hills has grown enough to rent its first building. Village documents show the Chabad will rent 8,000 square feet in the former J.L. Oil office buildings at 204 Route 45. Advertisement Village trustees on July 19 reviewed notes from an earlier zoning hearing and are set to formally approved a permit during their Aug. 9 board meeting. Documents show the building is short four parking spaces, but Mayor Roger Byrne told Susskind to use the village hall parking lot if needed. Previously, Susskind said the group met either at his house or a nearby Montessori's basement when it was available, and for larger gatherings he'd rent from the Doubletree by Hilton in Mundelein. Advertisement "We are an outreach organization that reaches out to Jews unconditionally, which means even if they're affiliated elsewhere or not affiliated at all, our doors are still open," Susskind said. "It's not membership based, it's program based. We focus on being all inclusive and nonjudgmental. My goal is to help people with Judaism in whatever way they want." Vernon Hills was chosen because a lot of people were already going to Chabads in Gurnee and Northbrook, Susskind said. Furthermore, he said early research showed Vernon Hills is home to a sizable Jewish population. A handful of the Chabad's members toured the Vernon Hills building on July 26, reminiscing on their time and contributions to the organization. Aside from having a large prayer room, Susskind said several of the building's rooms will be used for weekend Hebrew school and adult education sessions on weekday evenings. Susskind said 68 children participated in Hebrew school last year, which involves children age five to 13. He said more than 33 teens were involved in the C-Teen club that meets once a month. "Our adult classes involve contemporary topics in connection to Judaism," Susskind said. "My goal is to make Judaism relevant. The Torah was written over three-and-a-half thousand years ago, and we're still trying to live by it. As a rabbi I try to show how the Torah and its lessons apply in 2016." Adults sometimes lose touch after their children complete a bar or bat mitzvah, Susskind said. The weekday classes will help some reconnect with their roots while others can explore deeper, he said. Daniel Turney of Libertyville said those lessons have influenced him greatly. Advertisement "All the questions that were never answered where I belonged before, for 25-plus years at a conservative synagogue, have been answered or addressed here," Turney said. The ability to share those lessons and relate to others is a big appeal to Ross and Andrea Haim, who lived in Vernon Hills until recently moving to Kildeer. "We have a meal together after each service," Ross Haim said. "That's where we can all chat and mingle, and build a sense of commonality and community, which you wouldn't get from just sitting next to someone at a service." Teri Goldberg of Buffalo Grove said she likes how that sense of community extends beyond the gatherings. "The rabbi and his wife are much more accessible than those in other temples," Goldberg said. "Maybe it's because those places are bigger or their goals are different, I don't know, but Rabbi Susskind and his wife have been to all of our houses and that's helped my family to become much closer to this group and our own faith." Focusing on faith is sometimes difficult in today's climate, Turney said. Advertisement "Some places say you can't go to the high holidays unless you've paid your dues," Turney said. "Here, the high holidays are what's important, not money. We give because we want to support it, not because we have to." Susskind confirmed the lack of a fee structure, saying money can push people away. He said people pay what they can or donate certain skills, like some members who have carpentry skills and are helping to renovate the new building instead of hiring a contractor. Ultimately, Susskind said people are what matter. Although he does a lot of networking to offer his services, Susskind said there is no pressure and no competition. "There are plenty of Jews to go around. I am not looking to take anyone from their temple or talk negatively about a temple," Susskind said. "I even have board members from neighboring temples that comes to some of my classes. We are what people need us to be." rkambic@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @Rick_Kambic The Winnetka Caucus Council is looking for residents to serve on various village boards as part of its annual solicitation for candidates, according to a statement from the group. The Winnetka-Northfield Library Board, the Winnetka Park District Board, the Winnetka Public Schools District 36 School Board and the Winnetka Village Council each need three members, and the village is looking for candidates to apply for village president, according to the statement. Advertisement "We are looking for residents willing to volunteer their time and experience to help manage the future of our town," Caucus Council Chair Walter Greenough said in the statement. The council is looking for residents who are familiar with the issues each board faces, and who will discuss them "openly, constructively and without an axe to grind," according to the statement. Advertisement Those interested in serving should send their contact information through the link on the Caucus Council website, or contact the appropriate committee chair, it said. Those who contact the caucus will be sent a questionnaire concerning their backgrounds and interests, it said. Those who fill out the questionnaire will be interviewed by the appropriate committee, which will recommend candidates to the Caucus Council, according to the statement. All candidates approved by the Caucus Council will be presented to residents at the town meeting on November 16, and the elected candidates will be on the April 2017 ballot, according to the statement. The Caucus Council encourages residents to nominate themselves or neighbors who they think would make good members of any of the boards, according to the statement. Those interested in serving on one of the boards can contact the chairperson of the Caucus Council committees responsible for finding candidates: Bob Leonard, the library board; Jane Saccaro, the park district board; Erica Chesney, the school board; and Anne Wilder, the village council, according to the statement. Their contact information can be found on the Caucus Council website at www.winnetkacaucus.org. Human Resources and Payroll in China 2016/17, the latest publication from China Briefing and Dezan Shira & Associates, is out now and available for download through the Asia Briefing Publication Store. A firm understanding of Chinas laws and regulations related to human resources and payroll management is essential for foreign investors who want to establish or are already running foreign invested entities in China, as well as to location managers and HR professionals who may need to explain complex points of Chinas labor policies. In China, there is a wide range of government institutions involved in HR processes, and while key laws are drafted by the central government, numerous bylaws and regulations are instituted at a local level. The topic is too complex to be covered in complete detail in one book, so the term guide is quite appropriate for the nature of this publication. However, companies should still seek professional advice to deal with any specific situation they face relating to HR. This guide was created in mid-2016 with the latest information available at the time. It was written in consultation with Dezan Shira & Associates, 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 emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asias most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam as well as liaison offices in Germany, Italy and the United States. Dezan Shira & Associates experienced business professionals are committed to improving the understanding and transparency of investing in emerging Asia. Human Resources & Payroll in China covers the following: Recruiting Professionals in China Hiring Staff Payroll and Staff Administration Terminating Employees Employing Foreign Workers 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. How IT is Changing Payroll Processing and HR Admin in China In this edition of China Briefing magazine, we examine how foreign multinationals can take better advantage of IT in the gathering, storing, and analyzing of HR information in China. We look at how IT can help foreign companies navigate Chinas nuanced payroll processing regulations, explain how software platforms are becoming essential for HR, and finally answer questions on the efficacy of outsourcing payroll and HR in China. Labor Dispute Management in China In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss how best to manage HR disputes in China. We begin by highlighting how Chinas labor arbitration process and its legal system in general widely differs from the West, and then detail the labor disputes that foreign entities are likely to encounter when restructuring their China business. We conclude with a special feature from Business Advisory Manager Allan Xu, who explains the risks and procedures for terminating senior management in China. Employing Foreign Nationals in China In this issue of China Briefing, we have set out to produce a guide to employing foreign nationals in China, from the initial step of applying for work visas, to more advanced subjects such as determining IIT liability and optimizing employee income packages for tax efficiency. Lastly, recognizing that few foreigners immigrate to China on a permanent basis, we provide an overview of methods for remitting RMB abroad. A new war epic movie has started filming with more than 40 A-list stars to mark the anniversary of the Chinese army, producers announced on Monday. The cast pose on stage for photos at the press conference to announce the new war epic movie "The Founding of An Army" in Beijing on Aug. 1. [Photo / China.org.cn] The film, entitled and literally translated as "The Founding of An Army, will be the third installment of the "Founding of New China" trilogy. Previously, Han Sanping, the director and former head of the China Film Group Corporation, directed "The Founding of A Republic" in 2009 and co-directed "The Founding of the Party" (also known as "Beginning of The Great Revival") in 2011 with Huang Jianxin to tell stories from the revolutionary era. Now, Han will serve as general initiator and art director on the new installment, which tells the story of how the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was created. Huang will serve as executive producer. The director chair was handed to Andrew Lau, who directed the groundbreaking "Infernal Affairs," which was later adapted into Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning "The Departed." La Peikang, chairman of the China Film Group Corporation, said at the press conference in Beijing that they have been preparing for five years for "The Founding of An Army" and intend to reenact the historic events as accurately as possible. The story opens with the Nanchang Uprising in 1927, which was the first major Kuomintang-Communist engagement during the Chinese Civil War. The uprising was carried out by the Communists to counter the anti-communist purges by the Kuomintang. At the press conference, which was specially held on the 89th anniversary of the founding of the army, a part of cast was also revealed. Liu Ye, a veteran actor, will play Mao Zedong, while Zhu Yawen will play Zhou Enlai. Other actors in the all-star cast include Oho Ou, Ma Tianyu, Liu Haoran and Ma Yili. More actors will be announced soon. "The leaders were all young men at that time, and they gave their youth and loyalty to the country to build a strong army," director Lau said. The film, produced by China Film Co., Ltd., Bona Film Group Limited., Nanchang TV and August First Film Studio, is scheduled to be released next August 1 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the army. You are here: Home China's tourism industry raked in 2.25 trillion yuan (US$346 billion) in revenue in H1, up 12.4 percent year on year, official statistics showed on Monday. Domestic tourists made 2.24 billion trips in the first half, an increase of 10.5 percent. Inbound and outbound trips edged up 4.1 percent to 127 million, China National Tourism Administration (NTA) said. Tourism has become a strong engine for economic growth. The sector contributed 10.8 percent to GDP last year and created 10.2 percent of new jobs, according to NTA data. China's spending in the tourism sector is likely to triple by 2020, to 3 trillion yuan, said NTA head Li Jinzao, during the First World Conference on Tourism for Development in May. China invested more than 1 trillion yuan in the sector last year, an increase of 42 percent from one year before, according to Li. Despite declines in China's exports to Brazil, its imports from the South American country have accelerated this year, with the growth rate reaching 17.3 percent year on year during the first five months, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. During the past two years, Brazil has become the largest source of China's imports of poultry and beef, Shen Danyang, spokesperson for the ministry, said at a news briefing. Bilateral trade between the two countries witnessed steady growth over the past few years. Brazil is China's 10th largest trading partner, and is also China's biggest investment destination in Latin America, Shen said. The number of China-invested enterprises topped 200 in Brazil, and their direct investment stock hit 3.88 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2015. Trade between China and Brazil fell 9.5 percent year on year to 24.1 billion U.S. dollars during the first five months of the year, due to the weak global economy and falling commodity prices, official data showed. I Like Words but Many of Them I No Longer Understand Are they simply trying to confuse me? I think the answer is not a simple one. It just may be that they are confused & they can't help them selves. Allow me to explain my self... A definition of the word "Significant" is... "Having Meaning". A definition of the word "Other" is... "Used to refer to all the members of a group except the person or thing that has already been mentioned". Modern World has combined these two words into "Significant Other". This is where my confusion starts. "Significant Other" is defined as, "A person who is important to one's well-being". Tell me if you think this is progress (No. Don't tell me because I am afraid of what you might tell me.)... There was a time when the word "Spouse" was the word for referring to the one to whom we were married. Then "Significant Other" was invented. Then I started seeing forms I was filling out that listed the categories "Spouse" & "Significant Other". Now I am seeing forms that only list "Significant Other" & "Spouse" has disappeared. I don't think this is progress (Remember I told you I did not want to hear what you think.). I like the word "Spouse". My wife has been my Spouse for a long time &, I may be old fashioned but, I think to start calling her my Significant Other would be a Significant Downgrade . My other Significant Other Quandary started when I was reading a newspaper article the other day. The article made mention of a couple of Significant Others who had separated from each other. Does this mean that they are now Insignificant Others ? Would I kid u? Smartfella Around 1,000 technical schools in China will provide free training to impoverished people from 2016 to 2020, according to a circular issued recently. According to a document issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, anyone who is able to work from a poverty-stricken household can receive free technical training. Local governments should implement national polices on student subsidies and free tuition, and formulate regional polices on the deduction and exemption of other fees, as well as on offering living allowances, the circular said. Impoverished families involved in the project can receive a yearly subsidy of 3,000 yuan (450 U.S. dollars) for each student, which will be drawn from a fiscal poverty relief fund. At present, there are over 3.2 million people studying in 2,454 technical schools nationwide, of which over 75 percent come from rural areas. A former police officer in charge of a case where a teenager was wrongfully executed for a murder he did not commit, stood trial for taking bribes and illegal weapon possession on Monday. According to a local procuratorate in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feng Zhiming, former deputy director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau of Hohhot, the regional capital, was accused of taking advantage of his position and accepted bribes of over 4.5 million yuan (680,000 U.S. dollars). Additionally, Feng could not explain the source of property worth more than 34 million yuan, which far exceeded his legal income. He also had four unauthorized firearms and 549 bullets, the procuratorate said. Huugjilt, the wrongfully executed teenager, was found guilty of raping and killing a woman in a public toilet in Hohhot in 1996 and was executed 61 days after the murder. Feng headed a special team to investigate Huugjilt's case. Zhao Zhihong. [Photo / The Beijing News] A serial rapist and murderer, Zhao Zhihong confessed to the killing in 2005 and was given a death sentence in 2015. On Dec. 15, 2014, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court exonerated Huugjilt, ruling that he was not guilty of rape and murder, as the facts of his case were unclear and evidence inadequate. Investigations against Feng started two days after the exoneration. Authorities must report natural disasters in a timely and exact manner, and those who conceal the truth will be punished, a ministerial official said Monday. Authorities must be aware that any lies will be exposed on the Internet and through new media, as the public now actively participate in disaster relief and in the supervision of officials, said Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo at a meeting. Once major natural disasters such as floods, mudslides and landslides occur, local civil affairs authorities should quickly assess the situation and release all relevant information, Li said. They should not wait to be forced to do so under pressure from the public nor be late and inaccurate in the information released, the minister said. Late last month, the mayor of Xingtai City in north China's Hebei Province apologized for inadequate response to and late, inaccurate reporting of floods that killed at least 25 in the city. Over 40 percent of employees from Taiwan said they plan to leave the island to broaden their horizons and seek better opportunities, according to online survey results released by a business services company Monday. About 10 percent of respondents said they were considering setting up businesses outside the island due to the highly competitive market and unfavorable environment for new businesses on the island. Catering services and PR firms were among the most desired businesses. The Chinese mainland was the first choice of destination, according to the survey, followed by Japan, and the United States. Daniel Lee, vice president of 1111 Job Bank, who carried out the survey, said the Chinese mainland was the top choice because good business relationships are already well-established, in addition to the benefits of Chinese language and culture. More than 21 percent of respondents said they had already experienced working outside the island. The survey polled 532 office workers between July 10 and 28. A traditional ceremony is held to celebrate the opening of the port at Yazhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province, Aug 1, 2016. [Photo / China Daily] China opened a large fishing port, the closest one to the Nansha Islands, on Monday to handle fishing vessels working in the South China Sea. Local authorities and thousands of people held a traditional ceremony to celebrate the opening of the port at Yazhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province. Monday also marked the end of the annual fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea, which started on May 16. More than 300 fishing vessels flying red flags left the port at noon for nearby South China Sea fishing ground. Those intending to make long journeys delayed leaving because of Typhoon Nida's approach. Gui Junjiang, a fisherman from Sanya, sailed with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 km away, where four generations of his family have fished. "The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," he said. Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said the port can accommodate 800 fishing boats, but in the long term it will be able to handle 2,000. Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said, "We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap." The port will be the largest in Hainan. Apart from harboring fishing vessels, it can also shield ships from typhoons and serve as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products. Zhang said earlier that the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea". It is also designed to be a support base for exploiting fishery resources and will help with supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city, which administers an area of about 2 million square kilometers in the South China Sea. The city headquarters are located on Yongxing Island, which is the largest of the Xisha Islands. The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Tuesday issued a regulation on judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas. The explanation provides a clear legal basis for China to protect the maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, said an SPC statement. The regulation, which takes effect Tuesday, states that Chinese citizens or foreigners will be pursued for criminal liability if they engage in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. An unnamed SPC official said maritime courts across China have handled many maritime cases in recent years. "People's courts' jurisdiction over the Diaoyu, Huangyan and Xisha Islands and its adjacent sea areas has never stopped," the official said. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," said the official, adding, "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction, the statement said. According to the regulation, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The regulation also addresses Chinese citizens or organizations engaged in fishing in fishing zones or the open sea under co-management between China and other countries, according to signed agreements. The interpretation specifies the standard of conviction and punishment for illegal marine fishing: Those who illegally enter Chinese territorial waters and refuse to leave after being driven away, or who re-enter after being driven away or being fined in the past year, will be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and will be fined and sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, detention or surveillance. This penalty also applies to those who illegally enter China's territorial seas to fish but do not engage in "illegal fishing" under the law, it said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," defining punishments for fishing without a license in order to encourage legal fishing, said the statement, adding that it also promotes judicial assistance and international cooperation on marine affairs. In recent years, illegal hunting, fishing and killing of endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas has happened frequently, and foreign ships and foreigners have entered China's exclusive economic zones to conduct criminal activities, said the SPC official. The official said applying the Criminal Law to crack down on crimes in China's jurisdictional seas is conducive to safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime integrity. Zhai Yanmin, an unemployed resident of Beijing, was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve after being found guilty of subverting state power Tuesday. Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ordered that Zhai, 55, will have to serve a minimum three-year term should he fall foul of the law within the four-year probation period. The court also deprived Zhai of his political rights for four years. He pled guilty and declined his right to appeal. Zhai was first exposed to concepts such as the "color revolutions" and "peaceful transition" online, the court said in a statement. He then joined an underground church led by Hu Shigen and gradually developed plans to overthrow the state socialist system. According to testimony by Liu Yongping, another member of the underground church, the "church" was not a genuine religious organization. Over half of its membership were "professional petitioners." Hu acted as the "spiritual leader" of the "church" for subversive purposes. Since 2012, Zhai has attempted to incite people to subvert state power by use of the online resources, the court said in a statement. Zhai, together with underground church members and lawyers, engaged and managed illegal petitioners to organize public gatherings, hype up legal cases and incidents, attack the country's judicial system and carry out activities aimed at subverting the state power and socialist system, the statement said. These activities endangered the state and society, it added. "I accept all the charges," Zhai said in his final statement, "With the help and education of the government, I recognize the severity of my crimes. I plead guilty and express my sincere remorse. "I am sorry to the country and my family... If I could go back I would never have become a member of hostile forces or associated with those individuals driven by ulterior motives," he said. He added that he would like to be used as an example of the consequences of listening to and supporting hostile forces overseas and at home, and to inform the public of the dangers of the so-called "democracy," "human rights" and "public benefits" flaunted by them as a mask for criminal activities. The court handed down a light sentence because he confessed, testified against others and repented, according to court statement. Moreover, the court decided that Zhai posed no major threat to the community, it said. The second branch of the People's Procuratorate of Tianjin Municipality filed charges against Zhai with Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on July 15. To safeguard the defendant's rights and interests and ensure a fair and efficient trial, a pretrial conference was held on July 22. It was attended by the prosecution team, defendant and defence counsel, presiding judge Cai Shuying said. During Tuesday's trial, Cai informed the defence team of Zhai's rights and obligations in litigation. The defence team had no objection with any of the evidence used in the trial. Altogether 48 people, including 20 journalists from home and overseas observed the trial. Prosecutors told the court that Zhai, together with three others -- Hu, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping -- had conspired and plotted to subvert state power, and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." The defendant was accused of organizing multiple mass protests to influence public opinion and court sentences. One such case was a fatal shooting incident at a railway station in Heilongjiang Province in May 2015. On May 2 of 2015, police officer Li Lebin shot dead Xu Chunhe at Qing'an County Railway Station. Xu had attacked Li and continued to assault the police officer despite multiple warnings. Follow-up investigations confirmed that Li had acted within the law. After the shooting, Zhai organized protests at the railway station and in front of the county government buildings in support of Xu. Zhai influenced online opinions and led public demonstrations that misrepresented the incident as police brutality. Moreover, lawyers were organized to turn up at protest locations so that the issue gained more traction, Zhai said in his testimony adding that, "they all followed a fixed process." Once an incident had become a "hot issue," lawyers, citizens and petitioners would fan the flames online and plan further protests with each individual assigned "work" for each activity, Zhai said. "I was the 'chief commander' on site. I attacked current laws and smeared the image of the police," he said. "We wanted every issue to gain as much exposure as possible, so we would send ordinary people out on the streets and initiate conflict between the people and officials. We wanted the international community to interfere, (with the aim of) overturning the CPC and launch our own 'color revolution,'" Zhai continued. "None of the sensational cases I took part in have anything to do with my personal interests," Zhai said. "I did not even know the truth in those cases, but I did not care." When asked about the motivation for his crimes, Zhai said he hated the government and the political system because of a failed business venture. "My life went from glory to a failure, and that led to a disgruntled mind," Zhai said in his confession. "I started to impute my personal failure to the government." In addition, he said he had been radicalized by people with ulterior motives. According to the evidence presented in court, Zhai met with 15 people, including Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping, in a Beijing restaurant on Feb. 1, 2015. The discussion covered how they could use the workers' rights movement and other sensitive incidents to promote their own agenda. "We had met at the restaurant to gather lawyers like Zhou and Li, 'citizen movement' leaders like Hu and 'doers' like me to discuss how to topple the current regime, we wanted to overthrow the CPC," Zhai confessed, adding that they reviewed the subversive activities of the previous year, and formulated plans for 2015. Zhai said his confessions were made "by my own free will." "I think today's trial is fair and my rights have been protected during the procedure. My two lawyers have communicated appropriately with me and issued very professional opinions." "I am 55 years old. For the first 50 years of my life, I was a patriotic, law-abiding citizen. Joining this criminal ring has finally led me to the court as a criminal convict." Zhai said he plans to restart his business. Ms. He didn't expect to face a death threat just for not giving a Didi driver a full five-star score rating after taking a ride in his car at 4:00 am on July 31 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He hailed a car from the Didi Zhuanche APP when she was about to go home after a shift in the private cinema where she works. But the driver did not call her when he arrived at the designated location. Ms. He and her friend called the driver three times without receiving any answer, and they had to walk about 100 meters to find the car. The driver told them that his cell phone had crashed the moment they called him. He gave the driver a four-star reward which is only one star less than the full mark after getting off. When He woke up the next day, she found a message from the driver who said that she was heartless as an animal and criticized her for only giving him a four-star rating. Upset at the driver's rudeness, He told the driver she would lodge a complaint against him. The driver then threatened he to kill her if she made a complaint. Worried about her safety, He immediately called the company which later blocked the driver's account. However, in an interview with Chengdu Economic Daily, the part-time driver said he sent the threatening message while he was overcome with rage. According to Didi Zhuanche, the driver is having his account temporarily blocked and if he is shown to be at fault his account may be permanently banned from the Didi Zhuanche service. Pedestrians brave strong wind to cross a road in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 2, 2016. Typhoon Nida landed at 3:35 a.m. Tuesday at the Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, local weather authorities said. The strong typhoon packing winds up to 151.2 km per hour is moving northwest at 25 km per hour, and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to Guangdong's neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) Typhoon Nida made landfall at 3:35 a.m. Tuesday at Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province, the weather authority said. The strong typhoon, packing winds of up to 151.2 km per hour, is moving northwest at 25 km per hour and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Guangdong provincial meteorological station. Nida has brought strong winds and rain to the eastern part of Guangdong Province and the Pearl River Delta region on Tuesday, the provincial meteorological station said. This is the strongest typhoon to directly hit the Pearl River Delta since 1983, said He Guoqing, deputy director of the office of Guangdong provincial flood control headquarters. Guangdong provincial government on Monday evening released a circular ordering the suspension of projects, businesses, markets, schools and transportation. Companies and organizations that do not provide critical services or urban operations were encouraged to close for the day. All ships scheduled to end their fishing ban on Monday were asked to delay their departure and remain at port. Nearly 200 trains were suspended Tuesday, including 180 bullet trains, according to a statement issued by Nanning Railway Bureau. Trains from Guangzhou to Nanning, capital of Guangxi, and Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, were among those suspended. On Tuesday afternoon, as Nida weakened, flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport started to resume. However, as of 2 p.m., 31 flights which are scheduled to depart from the airport had been delayed for more than one hour. Sources with the airport said more flights delays were expected. Flights at Shenzhen airport resumed at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Train services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen started to recover Tuesday afternoon. All passenger ships across Qiongzhou Strait, between Hainan and Guangdong, resumed service at 1 p.m., according to the local maritime department. As of Tuesday noon, no casualties had been reported in Guangdong, according to the provincial flood control headquarters. Sathyajyothi Films is currently bankrolling Thala 57 or AK 57 with Ajith and Kajal Agarwal as the lead with Siva at the helm of affairs. The unit is off to Bulgaria to can important sequences now. Meanwhile, sources inform behindwoods that the esteemed production house may start their next venture after AK 57 with Dhanush as the lead, with bike racing as the premise. It is also said that this project will be one of its kinds. The whisper is that this venture may begin after the production company and Dhanush would get free from their respective commitments. The prospects of the film would be clear after the release of Thala 57. It is to be noted that Prabhu Solomons Thodari is also funded by Sathyajyothi with Dhanush as the lead. Stay tuned and we will update you! Security police stay alert at a suicide bombing site in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on June 20 (XINHUA) On July 23, suicide bombers struck the Afghan capital Kabul, killing over 80 and injuring more than 230 in the blast, the most deadly terrorist attack in the country for 15 years. The Islamic State Group (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The explosion comes hot on the heels of the demise of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan Province near the Afghan border on May 21. Mansour had only succeeded his predecessor, Mullah Mohammad Omar, last July. Having confirmed their leader's death, the Afghan Taliban appointed Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada to the position a few days later. Akhundzada, a religious scholar and former head of the Taliban courts, is unlikely to change the group's hardline direction. The U.S. Government has stepped up intervention in Afghanistan, having lost patience waiting for the Taliban to participate in peace talks with the local government. The U.S. Government and the Taliban both have key roles to play in the Afghani peace process, which is now further complicated as both have rearranged their priorities in order to gain strategic advantages during the peace talks. This serves to add more uncertainty to Afghanistan's future. New Taliban leader Mansour's succession of Omar as Taliban leader catalyzed a power struggle. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and Mullah Manan, the first-born son and younger brother of Omar respectively, both questioned Mansour's authority, while many others believed his ascension to power was in effect a "coup". Akhundzada was named as the new Taliban head by the shura (council), located near Quetta in Pakistan. Though there have been some disagreements over the appointment, they may not cause a leadership crisis like that his predecessor faced. The shura also made Yaqoob joint deputy head of the Taliban, alongside the current deputy, Sirajuddin Haqqani, in a bid to quell disunity in the group. Akhundzada is a senior Taliban figure, but he acquired his reputation as a religious leader rather than as a military commander. However, he comes from the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and proved his credentials in the 1980s after joining the Islamist resistance against the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan. Despite Akhundzada being well placed to appease various factions inside the Taliban, a splinter group led by Muhammad Rasool has still publicly refused to pledge allegiance. Yet, Akhundzada's refusal to participate in peace talks and his demand that foreign forces retreat from the country are likely to gain more support and strengthen his leadership in the group. U.S. shift of stance For years, the U.S. Government and the Taliban failed to hold negotiations. In 2011, the Obama administration sought talks with the Taliban in a bid to achieve peace in Afghanistan, with both sides participating in secret talks in Qatar and Germany. In June 2013, U.S. President Barrack Obama told the press that the U.S. Government was ready to negotiate with the Taliban, citing this as a crucial step toward reconciliation. Real progress looked like being made when the first round of peace talks was held between the Taliban and the Afghan Government in Pakistan from July 7-8, 2015, thanks to efforts from Pakistan, the United States and China. Representatives met for a second round in February of this year, but talks were cut short following Omar's death. The Taliban withdrew from the conference table, leaving the peace process deadlocked. Obama lost patience with Mansour, and in response to the deepening crisis in Afghanistan, he adopted a number of new measures. First, he expanded the authority of U.S. troops in the nation, including loosening restrictions on the use of air strikes and providing Afghan security forces with more robust support. Previously, U.S. combat troops were limited to supporting Afghan task forces, and airstrikes were only permitted on three conditions: if ground troops were under serious threat; to combat Al-Qaeda terrorists; and if Afghan forces were likely to suffer a military defeat by the Taliban. Obama has now committed more troops to the war-torn state. In early July, he announced that 8,400 U.S. soldiers would remain in Afghanistan up to the end of his term in January 2017, compared to an earlier plan to reduce the figure to 5,500 in 2017. The United States seeks to not only counter Al-Qaeda and ISIS but also the Taliban and the Haqqani network. Washington has attached importance to bolstering Afghan security forces, though they are still currently incapable of undertaking security missions independently. On June 19, The Washington Post reported the United States and its allies plan to raise $15 billion of financial aid for Afghan security forces over the next five years. These policy adjustments underline the change in strategy undertaken by the U.S. Government toward the Taliban. The United States has also been in contact with the rebel group led by Rasool in an effort to divide the group. Yet it remains to be seen if the more hardline tactics pursued by the United States will have the desired effect. Uncertain prospects The future of the country is far from clear. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan since September 2014, sought to soothe his major rival, Abdullah Abduallah, by creating a new postChief Executivefor him. However, the post has yet to be authorized by parliament. To compound matters, the parliamentary election has been delayed multiple times. The special appointment of Abduallah and the frequent postponement of parliamentary elections have resulted in dissatisfaction from members of the upper classes, including senior officials who have openly voiced their concerns about Ghani's ability to govern. Additionally, economic deterioration fuels public discontent while making it even tougher to withstand Taliban assaults. In the short term, Afghanistan is likely to become even more unstable. The Taliban has gained more ground in northern and southern parts of the country since last year, and the recent blast in Kabul will only increase anxiety. In the meantime, Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban are ready to assist the Afghan Taliban in launching insurgencies and retaliatory actions. Last September, many foreign jihadists joined the Taliban's offensive in Kunduz and helped the group to temporarily occupy the city. Furthermore, tension in U.S.-Pakistan relations will potentially upset the peace process in Afghanistan. Both nations play a leading role in the Afghan peace process. However, the drone strike that killed Mansour caused enormous protest in Pakistan, with the Pakistani Government claiming the drone strike was a violation of its sovereignty. On the other hand, Pakistan opposes the U.S. strategy to divide the Taliban, fearing it would weaken Pakistan's position in Afghan affairs. The dispute between Washington and Islamabad may lead to the collapse of the newly-established four-party meeting that was designed to advance the peace talks. Afghanistan is set to face a perilous period ahead if such talks cannot proceed. The author is an assistant researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations You are here: Home Flash The U.S. launched the first airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) targets in the Libyan city of Sirte, at the request of Libya's UN-brokered government, the prime minister said in a televised speech. "The first airstrikes were carried out on precise positions of the IS in Sirte, causing heavy losses," Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said. He said the airstrikes would be limited to Sirte and its surroundings. In Washington, Pentagon confirmed the operation in a statement, saying "additional U.S. strikes will continue to target IS in Sirte in order to enable the Government of National Accord (GNA) to make a decisive, strategic advance." "The U.S. stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya," the statement said. It said the strikes were authorized by U.S. President Barack Obama. Since May, Libya's UN-backed government have been striking the IS targets in Sirte, about 450 kilometers east of the capital city Tripoli. The IS has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide attacks in Libya. Flash The clashes between government and opposition forces continued in Equatorias region and other parts of South Sudan over the weekend, a UN spokesman said Monday, citing the UN mission in the country. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, is "deeply concerned" by the clashes between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and oppositions in the Equatorias and other areas of South Sudan, including Nassir in the Upper Nile area, Farhan Haq told a regular briefing. "The UNMISS mission calls on all parties to return to their bases and allow the movement of humanitarian aid to affected areas," said Haq, adding that tensions persist in the capital city of Juba. The mission also said that since the flare-up in tensions over the past weeks, there have been reports of "widespread sexual violence," including rape and gang rape, of women and young girls, by soldiers in uniform and also by unidentified armed groups of men in plainclothes. "These incidents have been reported from a number of locations, including areas in the vicinity of the Protection of Civilians sites near UN House, and also in other neighborhoods of Juba," UNMISS said in a statement. The mission said that it is now protecting some 200,000 civilians in various locations throughout the country and has intensified patrols in and around the protection sites, as well as in the wider Juba city area since the start of the fighting which erupted in Juba early July. South Sudan won independence on July 9, 2011 from Sudan after more than two decades of war that ended in a bitter divorce. The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which led to a cycle of retaliatory killings. Flash The Cuba-U.S. talks on settling multibillion dollars of claims made against each other are one of the most "complex and difficult" negotiations in their normalization process which started last year, a senior Cuban official said Monday. Havana and Washington last week concluded a "substantive" second round of talks in the U.S. capital after the first meeting in December outline their respective claims as part of a deepening detente. "It is an issue of very high complexity, with difficult political, technical and legal aspects that is only in its initial stage," Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno told local press. Washington is seeking a compensation of 10 billion U.S. dollars, mainly for properties nationalized in Cuba after its 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro. Havana, meanwhile, is seeking at least 300 billion U.S. dollars in claims for economic costs of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. "Both sides exchanged information on their respective claims, legal and technical aspects as well as basic information on each case with the goal of preparing the process of negotiation," said Moreno who also headed Cuba's delegation to the talks. He said that both sides will continue in the coming months to hold meetings on the issue but added that Cuba will not rush the talks. "We are talking about a process in two directions, Cuba will not accept unilateral solutions," he noted. Cuba and the United States re-established diplomatic relations a year ago, ending decades of hostility. The two nations have since signed agreements on the environment, mail services, security and direct flights. However, thorny issues like claims, democracy and human rights were barely touched during talks. Flash A Top United Nations relief official is due in South Sudan for a three-day visit this week to see first-hand the appalling humanitarian situation and call for urgent action to alleviate suffering, the UN has said. Displaced civilians taking refuge at the Tomping base of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in the wake of fresh clashes in Juba between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA-IO). [Photo/Xinhua] A statement from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will visit the youngest nation from Aug. 1 to 3. "During the three-day mission O'Brien will meet with people affected by the humanitarian crisis, senior government officials and humanitarian partners," the statement said. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced after recent fighting in Juba and Wau, there is escalating food insecurity and malnutrition across the country, and a cholera outbreak has erupted in Juba and Jonglei. Prior to the eruption of fighting in Juba on July 7, the humanitarian situation in South Sudan was already dire, with unprecedented levels of food insecurity and one in five people displaced. The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan for South Sudan is currently just 40 percent funded as slightly over 500 million U.S. dollars have been received out of 1.3 billion dollars required and additional resources are urgently required to respond to the growing needs. The visit comes after the UN Security Council on Friday extended for two weeks the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), allowing time for its membership to consider options on adapting the operation's mandate amid renewed violence in the world's youngest country. With the mandate of UNMISS set to expire in 48 hours, the Council unanimously approved a short extension -through Aug. 12, by a resolution that also authorized the Mission "to use all necessary means to carry out its tasks." The UN action comes as deadly clashes between rival factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar have, since early July, sent thousands of civilians fleeing the capital, Juba. UNMISS compounds and civilian protection sites have been attacked. The UN refugee agency has reported that thousands of South Sudanese, mostly women and children, have crossed into Uganda since fighting erupted, including an estimated 8,337 refugees on July 21, setting a single-day record since the influx began in 2016. Flash A leading air crash expert has said missing Malaysia Airlines fight MH370 was likely to have been in controlled flight as it hit the water, giving life to the theory it was brought down by a rogue pilot or hijacker. File photo taken on March 3, 2016 shows a piece of an airplane displayed during a news conference in Maputo, capital of Mozambique. [Photo/Xinhua] Air crash expert Larry Vance told Australia's Nine Network that there was no other way to explain why the flaperon, found off the coast of Madagascar, was "extended" meaning it would have been in controlled flight as it hit the water. Vance said the only way to extend the flaperon, something which happens when a plane is attempting a landing, was for the pilot to engage a switch, something which is unlikely to have occurred during an sudden disaster. "You cannot get the flaperon to extend any other way than if somebody extended it," Vance told the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program overnight. "Somebody would have to select it (in the cockpit)." Vance said, from photos released of the flaperon, there was evidence to show the aeroplane hit the water at a controlled speed, pointing to it being a "human engineered event." "Somebody was flying the aeroplane into the water... There is no other alternate theory that you can follow of all the potentials that might have happened. There's no other theory that fits," he said. "The force of the water is really the only thing that could make that jagged edge that we see (on the flaperon). It wasn't broken off. If it was broken off, it would be a clean break." Meanwhile, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) crash investigator Peter Foley said there was a possibility that someone was in control of the plane as it went down. "There is a possibility there was someone in control at the end and we're actively looking for evidence to support that," he said on Sunday night. He admitted that if it was brought down by a "rogue" pilot, the wreckage could be outside the parameters of the Australian-led 120,000 square kilometer search zone. The search for the Boeing 777 is scheduled to end in coming weeks, considering less than 10,000 square kilometers is yet to be searched. "If you guided the plane or indeed control-ditched the plane, it has an extended range, potentially," Foley said. MH370 was a scheduled passenger flight bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. There were 239 passengers and crew on board. Flash About 25,000 people, including more than 12,000 children, have been displaced last night from a neighbourhood in western Aleppo City by intense military attacks initiated by armed opposition groups, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official in Syria said Monday, calling on the warring parties to do their utmost to protect all civilians. "Twenty-five thousand people have fled instantly last night from this area, with whatever they could leave the door with," said Kieran Dwyer, Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Syria, in an interview with the UN News Service via Skype from Damascus. He said that armed opposition groups launched a major military offensive late yesterday afternoon and evening, attacking through the densely populated western part of Aleppo City. Intense fighting, involving airstrikes and the use of heavy weapons, artillery and mortars, has continued through the night, and throughout the day today, he added. Mr. Dwyer said that in the affected neighbourhood, people already displaced multiple times had put up temporary shelters in uncompleted high-rise apartment buildings. UNICEF and its partners had been helping them to get water, food, health services, and education so that they could settle for the time being. Then, the fighting erupted, forcing many of them flee to parks, mosques, and wherever "they can feel a bit safe," he said, adding that emergency kitchens have been set up, and for its part, UNICEF is running emergency water trucks. Asked if more people would be displaced, he said that "we don't know what the dynamic in fighting is going to result in. We are watching and responding at every turn." Meanwhile, the eastern part of Aleppo city has been completely cut off from humanitarian aid since early July, he said, noting that UNICEF and all partners are calling for immediate access to the area, where 300,000 people, including over 120,000 children, are in need of nutrition, food, clean water, and health services. The health system in Aleppo has been devastated, with four military attacks on hospitals last week alone, noted Mr. Dwyer, warning that with only 30 doctors left to serve 300,000, the situation in eastern Aleppo is "dire." Regarding the idea of setting up humanitarian corridors' that would allow aid to be delivered without hindrance, and civilians to flee the besieged areas safely, Mr. Dwyer said that such arrangements must be run by the UN humanitarian team and partners. If civilians decide to leave, they must be protected at every step, and if they decided to stay, they should be protected from attacks and violence, he added. In New York today, Farhan Haq, the Secretary-General's Deputy Spokesperson, reiterated that the UN calls on all parties to the conflict to allow safe, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. The UN remains deeply concerned over the plight of people trapped in Aleppo, as reports indicate that intense fighting has continued in the last days, and that many stores have closed as food runs low, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, he added, an inter-agency convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, hygiene and other emergency items for 71,000 people in need to the hard-to-reach area of Al Houla, in Homs governorate yesterday. Surgical items were removed from health kits during the loading. Mr. Haq also said that the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura visited Teheran on Sunday, and held discussions with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari on the means of pushing forward the political settlement to the crisis in Syria. Also, on Sunday, Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the spokesperson said, explaining that the meeting was part of regular, ongoing consultations between the Special Envoy's Office and the Syrian Government. Mr. Ramzy informed Syria's Foreign Minister of the Special Envoy's intention to reconvene the intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August, with a focus on the political transition, according to the UN spokesperson. Due to the high fire danger, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks properties in Madison County are under Stage 1 fire restrictions effective Monday. The restrictions apply specifically to FWP fishing access sites, wildlife management areas and state parks. In the areas mentioned, the following acts are prohibited until further notice: Building maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire. (Note exemptions below.) Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials. Exemptions: Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act. Persons using a device fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice. Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty. All land within a city boundary is exempted. Individuals may be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned up to 6 months for violating the noted fire restrictions. Flash The Japanese cabinet approved an economic stimulus package worth 28.1 trillion yen (274 billion U.S. dollars) on Tuesday to support Japan's sluggish economy in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the European Union. The package was approved at an extraordinary cabinet meeting Tuesday after the Bank of Japan decided to take additional monetary easing at a policy meeting last week. The package includes additional expenditure by the state and local governments totaling 7.5 trillion yen, among which 1.7 trillion yen will be allocated to building infrastructure to boost tourism and agriculture, and 2.5 trillion yen to enhancing welfare such as nursing care and childcare. The government will also allocate 2.7 trillion yen to rebuilding areas hit by massive earthquakes in 2011 as well as in April. Another 600 billion yen will be used to help small and medium-sized companies deal with possible negative effects from Britain's decision to leave the European Union. In an effort to boost personal consumption, the government will launch a subsidy program to provide 15,000 yen each in cash to low-income earners. The stimulus package also includes public expenditure totaling 13.5 trillion yen, including extending to Osaka a magnetically levitated train line planned earlier from Tokyo to Nagoya. The government estimates the stimulus would push up real gross domestic product (GDP) by around 1.3 percent in the next two years. Flash The joint decision of Washington and Seoul to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea damages the mutual trust and cooperation developed with China by threatening China's strategic security interests. The move, regardless of China's repeated opposition, undermines the foundation of their strategic cooperative partnership at a time when it actually should be deepening. The decision to deploy THAAD breaks the regional strategic balance by tying South Korea to the U.S. chariot of Asia-Pacific re-balancing. With the system's X-band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles (about 1,900 km) from the Korean Peninsula, the United States can spy on almost half of China's territory and the southern part of Russia's Far East, endangering the two countries' national security. Such a system challenges Seoul's argument that it is only directed at missile and nuclear threats alleged from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). As it fits well into Washington's planned anti-missile shield against China in the Asia-Pacific, some South Korean media have commented it as a result of humiliated diplomacy and a move to serve U.S. hegemony. Seoul has chosen to defy China's security concerns and its promises made to China on the THAAD issue, despite the criticism at home. It had tried to keep the months-long consultations with Washington on deployment details from public knowledge, and to fool its people by denying local media disclosures of agreements being reached on the schedule and site only three days before it announced the THAAD deployment. Worse, the announcement was timed to precede, by five days, an ill-grounded ruling on the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines. And only one day after the ruling was issued, it hastily made a statement on where THAAD would be deployed. Seoul is expected to find the moves, in such an ill-chosen sequence, are diplomatic miscalculations by underestimating China's determination and capability to defend its national security. Despite valuing the fruits of efforts to develop bilateral ties, China can by no means allow Seoul to harm its security interests. Seoul's decision has erected a barrier to closer relations with China, and even jeopardized them. Seoul should tread carefully and consider whether a THAAD system would really address its security concerns and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Scott Anthony Roll, a union pipe fitter and father of two charged with meth possession, says he needs the drug treatment option offered by Yellowstone County District Court. The 44-year-old Roll was one of more than 500 people arrested in 2015 on meth charges in Yellowstone County. Felony possession charges in Yellowstone County more than tripled between 2011 and 2015. In response, Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito has proposed a drug intervention program to help "front load" treatment resources and speed up the time it takes to get someone new to the criminal justice system back into society. Seeing some of the same drug offenders revolving through court has been a drain on resources, Twito said. "In the time they are waiting for trial, a large portion of drug offenders will pick up a new set of charges," the prosecutor said. This delays justice and increases the number of cases in an already overcrowded court system. A drug intervention program will allow for relapses associated with meth addiction without resulting in more charges, Twito said. It will also speed up how long it takes to get someone sentenced and into supervision or treatment. In a study of 17 courts using post-adjudication programs like the one Twito is proposing, 13 of the courts saw a reduction in recidivism ranging between four to 25 percent, according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office study. Twito said he chose a post-adjudication program because there was already funding for treatment through the state. A deferred prosecution program would require the county to pay for treatment. The program would include an evaluation for prior convictions, addiction history and general demographic information. Any felony history that involves a crime against a person will most likely disqualify someone from the program. If a person does qualify, they will be asked to plead guilty to their crime at arraignment, Twito said. In exchange, they would have a chance for almost immediate treatment. A typical first-time felony drug conviction in Yellowstone County leads to a three-year deferred sentence and a chance at some treatment programs. However, during their deferred sentence, even a probation violation can lead to new drug charges. Under Twito's plan, the deferred sentence could be reduced to two years with the potential to serve only half that sentence if the person completes the intervention program early. During that time, drug relapses wouldn't always result in charges. "From the research I've seen, methamphetamine addiction begins to change a person's lifestyle between 40 to 90 days after their first use," Twito said. "This program is meant to recognize those people before the addiction takes hold." If the person has a previous conviction, they may still qualify for the program, but by statute they would be entitled to only a suspended sentence. They could be released from their sentence after completing the intervention program and serving two-thirds of the suspended sentence. Treatment options would be determined through a second evaluation after sentencing. "You want the person to be successful," Twito said. After Roll was jailed, he began treatment through an outpatient program as part of Yellowstone County District Judge Ingrid Gustafson's drug offender treatment court. Gustafson's court can take 20 participants and shares the goal of preventing a relapse from resulting in more charges. If a participant is terminated from drug court, he or she generally has their sentence revoked and is brought back before a judge. The seven months Roll spent in jail made it easier to kick his addiction, he said. Once back on the job site, he would have easy access to meth. "Guys making $1,500 to $3,000 a week, you can find any drug you want on a construction site," he said. Clean for over a year now, Roll can't stress enough the importance of keeping people out of jail and getting them into treatment. "When you put them in jail, you aren't helping people," Roll said. "You're just making them better criminals." When they get released, they'll just go back to what they know, Roll said. Roll would not have qualified for Twito's program because he committed thefts in order to cover up the gambling problem related to his meth addiction. Roll said when he was on meth he felt he was "on top of the world." His wife, Christy Roll, 46, said it strained their marriage. Watching her husband take up the option of treatment helped her to support him through his struggle. "You see that he wants to do better," Christy Roll said. "He doesn't want to jump back into that world." Twito plans to reach out to the criminal defense bar, including public defenders, to hear their thoughts on the program. He still needs further approval from the Department of Corrections and the Yellowstone County judges before starting the program. While awaiting sentencing, the drug convict will be required to be on some type of monitoring, something that will need to be funded through the county, Twito said. He plans to start small and re-evaluate the plan in the months after it is initiated. "We can't continue to combat this problem the way we have," Twito said. "We've got to try something." A man charged with kidnapping and raping a 4-year-old girl on a Montana Indian Reservation stopped taking his prescribed anti-psychotic medication before the alleged attack and does not remember the events, according to his defense attorney. Raising the possibility of an insanity defense, Assistant Federal Defender Henry "Hank" Branom asked for a mental health evaluation for 21-year-old John William Lieba II to determine if he is competent to stand trial. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris granted the request in a Monday order, committing Lieba for up to 30 days to an unspecified mental hospital for examination by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist. Authorities say Lieba abducted the girl while she was playing in a park at night in the town of Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and held her for ransom. A grand jury indictment filed in June said he engaged in a sex act with the girl and assaulted her. The girl was found by a Roosevelt County sheriff's deputy on Feb. 28, two days after she disappeared and just a few miles from where she was reportedly abducted. Lieba, of Wolf Point, was apprehended while the search for the girl was ongoing. Authorities have released few other details in the case, including where Lieba allegedly held the girl and what sort of ransom he demanded. Lieba has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of kidnapping someone under 18, aggravated sexual abuse and assault resulting in serious bodily injury on someone under 18. He could face life in prison and up to $750,000 in fines if convicted on all counts. Lieba has received mental health treatment from the Indian Health Service, Branom said, but it's not clear when that treatment occurred or what it was for. "Mr. Lieba has expressed concern about his mental faculties and his ability to assist in his defense," Branom wrote in his request for the mental exam. Staff members of the federal defenders office have voiced similar concerns, the defense attorney said. Prosecutors did not oppose the mental exam request. Morris' approval means Lieba's scheduled Aug. 29 jury trial will probably be delayed. Related charges have been filed against Lieba in Fort Peck Tribal Court. That case is on hold pending the outcome of the federal case. The central government allocated some 5.51 trillion yuan in funding to local governments in 2015, including 501.87 billion yuan in tax rebates, according to a report by China Business News. The central government's spending showed a trend of support for the middle and western regions. Of the 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions that gained more than 200 billion yuan of fiscal support, 12 were from the middle and western regions. Southwest China's Sichuan province received 370.1 billion yuan, the largest amount among all regions. Central China's Henan province was given 340.3 billion yuan, ranking second. Developed areas such as Beijing, Shanghai and East China's Zhejiang province obtained relatively small amounts of support, each with less than 100 million yuan allocated by the central government. Let's take a look at the regions which received the most support from the central government in 2015. Women make folk crafts at a Miao and Dong cultural and custom park in Kaili city, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on July 23, 2016. [Photo/VCG] No 10 Guizhou province, Southwest China Funds from the central government: 231.81 billion yuan Consumers check the design and function of high-tech kitchen sinks at a consumer products expo in Shanghai.[Photo/Xinhua] Foreign firms celebrate the changing face of the fittings and fixtures market in China as both neo-rich and upper middle class Chinese splurge An entrepreneur hits pay dirt, or makes a small fortune, in Chinaand among his or her aspirational objects of desire are the latest premium version of iPhone (of course), a top-end BMW, designer jewellery, branded clothes and accessories, and, wait for it, luxury kitchen and bathroom fittings. That's right. Demand for products like intelligent toilet, good looking shower head, unusual bathtub, kitchen cabinet and oven is so high among the Chinese neo-rich that Shanghai has joined Frankfurt and Milan in hosting a world-class trade fair for the ultimate bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings. Admittedly, Kitchen & Bath China, the exhibition held in June, is not yet in the league of its more renowned overseas versions, which boast a history of more than half a century. It's nevertheless making the trade fairs fiercely competitive. And so, the world's leading makers of bathroom and kitchen products converged on Shanghai for the fair. Predictably, they were promptly courted by local distributors and dealers. Hordes of consumers were, of course, not far behind. Manufacturers spared no effort in making their products stand out from the rest. Each high-end piece was as fascinating as the other. In the world's second-largest economy, premium bathroom and kitchen products have seen rapid growth. In fact, China is now the world's fastest-growing market for these products. The kitchen segment alone grew 6.8 percent to 58.1 billion yuan ($8.8 billion) in 2015. "Sales-wise, it's the third biggest worldwide after Germany and the US, and we can see China is catching up. Perhaps, China will take second place next year," said Thorsten Klapproth, global chief executive officer, Hansgrohe SE, Germany's bathroom fittings giant. To make the most of the Big China Opportunity, Hansgrohe, which reported two-digit sales growth in China last year, put on display its top two brands, Hansgrohe and Axor, in Shanghai. Klapproth drew an analogy to make a point: the two brands, he said, are the Porsche and the BMW of bathroom products. The company also launched its key new annual series, called Metropol Classic, under its Hansgrohe brand. "The Shanghai exhibition is crucial for us to feel the pulse of the Chinese market. The growth rate here is outperforming that of other markets. We have high expectations from this market. That's why, our key products are making their global debuts here," said Klapproth. A foreign model lends elegance to a high-end bathroom stall at a bath and kitchen products fair in Shanghai last year. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Like Hansgrohe, another German bathroom supplies major, Villeroy & Boch, whose products exude European style, recorded high (22 percent year-on-year) rise in sales in China last year, much higher than the 5 percent growth globally. Similarly, Gaggenau, a German luxury kitchen appliances brand, said its sales in China increased 15 percent last year. It's not just the local neo-rich who are driving such high sales growth rates of foreign companies in China. Even the rapidly growing middle class is chipping in with its two cents, so to speak, persuaded by media discourse on aesthetics, modern lifestyle, style and quality. Klapproth said high-end Chinese customers are already mature in their choices, while the middle class, especially those in their 30s who are well-educated and travel abroad often, display a different taste. The latter tend to buy products that are usually found in places like luxury ocean liners, the German Chancellery and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest tower. "They use iPhones, drive BMW cars, and wear clothes of Western brands. This is great for us as they are used to the world's first-class quality that we can guarantee as well. We believe this will be the trend in the long run," Klapproth said. By the end of last year, Villeroy & Boch had more than 200 retail stores covering all the provincial capitals and first- and second-tier coastal cities in China. Hansgrohe has nearly 500 stores and showrooms across China. For its part, Gaggenau said its main investments in China will be in sales and marketing. Three showrooms are planned this year. There, visitors would be invited to immerse themselves in a world of exclusive culinary culture and elements of sophisticated lifestyle. The company said it put great efforts to spread a unique culinary culture and high-end lifestyle among the Chinese upper class. The latter, it said, have started to pay more attention to the quality of their life. Klapproth of Hansgrohe said he does not share some businesses' pessimism on China related to slowing economic growth. The company firmly believes China will continue to grow this year, next year and in the years to come, he said. "A year ago, we doubled our production capacity in China, so we invested a lot of money in our factory in Songjiang district in Shanghai's western suburb. Moreover, we're pouring a lot of money into logistics in the country to get our products faster to Chinese customers. We'll continue such endeavors because we'd love to grow," Klapproth said. Last year, a designers' club for Axor, the other brand of Hansgrohe, was founded in Shanghai. "We've experienced a sharp increase in demand from Chinese consumers for Axor products in recent years. Our goal is to work more closely with top Chinese designers to cater to consumers," said Ren Quansheng, president of Hansgrohe China. HOBSON A new trade agreement could be the shot in the arm Montana agriculture businesses need, but the likelihood of it passing isn't good, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman said Monday. U.S. Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, told ranchers gathered in Hobson that the Trans Pacific Partnership will likely have to wait until a new president takes office. Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor Democrat Hillary Clinton is speaking favorably of the agreement now. "Trump wants to renegotiate it. I'm hopeful that if he's our president, he will go through it and find what's wrong with it, what needs to be renegotiated, get that done quickly and then become supportive of it," Conaway said. Conaway is spending Monday and Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., meeting with Montana producers. He said he wasn't sure where Clinton would fall on the Trans Pacific Partnership. He discussed TPP and a swath of other agriculture topics during a meeting at Bos Terra feedlot in Hobson. Years in the making, the trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations, including the United States, involves 40 percent of the world economy and a third of its trade, according to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. More importantly to Montana, the agreement involves Asian Pacific buyers of the state's wheat. Roughly 80 percent of Montana's wheat is exported, mostly to Asian Pacific buyers, according to the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. A reduction in tariffs on U.S. grain by buyers like Japan, as well as normalized terms for the sale of U.S. beef, is considered by most to be beneficial to the state's $5 billion agricultural economy. Montanans with a stake in agriculture are watching the issue closely. "To me, for the cattle and beef industry, we're going into a period of four to five years where we need the exports," said Jim Fryer, who works in the beef industry. For seven years, ranchers have watched cattle prices strengthen because of consumer demand, combined with the lowest U.S. cattle population since the 1950s. But cattle operations have been increasing their herd populations for several years now, which is pulling prices down. Consumer demand for beef in the United States also is softening. Foreign sales could pick up the slack and normalized trade could help, Fryer and others hope. During the Great Recession, export sales made up more than 10 percent of the demand for U.S. beef, which pushed up sales as restaurants suffered and cashed-strapped U.S. grocery shoppers turned to chicken and pork, which are almost always cheaper. While still stronger than the historic average cost of production, cattle prices have softened considerably over the past year. Zinke said the challenges facing TPP include the scale of the economies of the nations involved, some of which are quite small, while trading partners like Japan are essential to Montana business. "I wish in a time machine we would have done a bilateral agreement between Japan and the U.S. because most of our trade is there, and then put an onramp for other members to come in based on that structure," Zinke said. "But the weakness of that was, you go out to Brunei and New Zealand and you try to go on par with multiple members that are unequal to begin with. What comes out of the sausage factory particularly on labor is a problem." PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen met with visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng on Monday, discussing the cooperation between the two countries under the framework of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, a senior official said. Hun Sen said that Cambodia fully supported the Belt and Road Initiative, adding that the country has been working to link its Rectangular Strategy to the initiative, according to Eang Sophalleth, a personal aide to the prime minister. The prime minister said the initiative would importantly contribute to Cambodia's socio-economic development. For his part, Gao said that his visit to Cambodia was to learn about Cambodia's strategy in connecting with the Belt and Road Initiative and to promote the implementation of agreements that the two countries had reached. The minister said that he would hold talks with Cambodian Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak, Finance Minister Aun Porn Moniroth, and Transport Minister Sun Chanthol on Tuesday in order to explore ways to broaden bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, investment, and transport infrastructure development. During the meeting, Hun Sen pinned the government's honorary medal to Gao to thank him for his contributions to the development of Cambodia. A crystal toilet seat is seen at an exhibition in Shanghai, June 5, 2015. [Photo/VCG] Chinese born in the 1980s and '90s are among the main consumers of high-end bathroom and kitchen products. What's more, foreign manufacturers are going out of their way to meet the demands of this group whose size is increasing by the day. "Compared with the last generation, today's young people grew up, and were educated, in a more international environment. They pay more attention to personalized and stylized modes of life," said Wang Benming, chief economist at the China Building and Decoration Association based in Beijing. "They want to bring their own modern ideas to their homes. They want their mixers, shower systems and kitchen cabinets not only functional but comfortable, stylish and aesthetically pleasing." To help them realize their ideas of fancy homes, the world's top suppliers of home appliances are offering customized services. For instance, Villeroy & Boch hired the services of a European designer who believes that colors reveal emotions. Together, they introduced a series of high-class wash-basins earlier this year. The series offers consumers a choice of 192 colors. On top of that, they can pick matching bathtubs or color-coordinate both, according to the public relations department of the company. Similarly, Hansgrohe Group's Axor, a brand whose slogan is "Designer visions for your bathroom", introduced an upgraded personalized service in China earlier this month. Customers can decide the size and color of the taps, shower heads and other accessories in their bathrooms. Why, they could even choose the characters to be engraved in such accessories. "'Tailor-made' and 'hand-made' products have become key standards by which lifestyle's quality is measured these days. In our personalized solutions, the customers will have their say in every detail. We combine that with our ingenuity, craftsmanship and sincerity, to satisfy consumers' expectations of personal taste and comfort," said Li Tao, senior product manager of Hansgrohe China. "In 2012, Hansgrohe introduced a hand-held shower head with a print of a dragon. This was meant to be a customized product for Chinese consumers, to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, which signifies strength and good fortune in Chinese culture," he said. Like Hansgrohe and V&B, Gaggenau introduced some customized products in recent years in China. Its Vario 400 cooktop series, which combines top-grade materials, functions and delightful looks, became so popular that it helped create personalized kitchens, according to the company. Its products permit a flexible combination of cooktops whose widths range from 38 cm to 90 cm. Thanks to precision crafting of the 3-millimeter stainless steel, appliances can be flush-mounted or surface-mounted with a visible edge. Construction workers walk past a building of the headquarters of Fosun International, in Shanghai, China, Dec 14, 2015. [Photo/Agencies] Fosun Group, one of China's most acquisitive conglomerates, is preparing to sell as much as 40 billion yuan ($6 billion) in assets as it turns its focus toward raising its credit rating to above junk. As it steps back from the more than $15 billion in overseas purchases made or announced since 2010, the group plans to disclose the disposals between now and the end of 2017, Liang Xinjun, chief executive officer of flagship unit Fosun International Ltd, said in an interview aired on Bloomberg Television on Monday. "We will sell assets to repay debts," Liang, 47, said in Shanghai. "We have ample capability to get investment grade ratings. So either strategically, or tactically, Fosun is crystal clear that this has become our strategy." Fosun's dwindling appetite for foreign trophies - it owns Club Med, Wall Street's 28 Liberty building and Cirque du Soleil - makes it an outlier at a time when the likes of China National Chemical Corp and Dalian Wanda Group Co are pushing Chinese companies to their biggest-ever year of overseas acquisitions. Rather than joining the fray, Fosun is focusing on getting leaner before its next phase of growth. Liang is one of the three founders running the insurance-to-mining conglomerate - the other two being Chairman Guo Guangchang and President Wang Qunbin - who spoke on July 24 with Bloomberg in a wide-ranging interview on topics ranging from their ambitions of turning the company into a $100 billion behemoth to the impacts of a possible Donald Trump presidency and Brexit. Guo, whose brief disappearance in December triggered a rout of Fosun shares, signaled the group will move away from centralized leadership. As to the disposals, Liang pointed to about 30 billion yuan to 40 billion yuan in assets such as properties, bonds, and stock holdings that could be sold off. Fosun could part with more than that if it chose to because the company had 118 billion yuan of assets available for sale at the end of 2015, of which 102 billion yuan were parked in listed shares and bonds. So what will they sell? The executives declined to say but Fosun's focus is shifting toward healthcare, finance and leisure. That means businesses such as steel and mining - which accounted for 73 percent of profit when the company went public in 2007 - are ripe for consideration to be sold. Last year, Fosun sold stakes in Nanjing Iron & Steel Co and cashed out of Shenzhen-listed Focus Media Information Technology Co. The group is also pushing for initial public offerings of its units, including the tourism business that operates Club Med, Cirque du Soleil and UK travel group Thomas Cook, according to Liang. Behind the motivation to sell are debt ratings. Fosun International is rated three levels below investment grade at Moody's Investors Service and two notches under the threshold at S&P Global Ratings. Emerging from the junk stigma, which would benefit its key insurance business, has become such a priority for Fosun that the group elevated it last year as one of its top five strategies, according to Liang. Bloomberg A bank clerk in Huai'an city, East China's Jiangsu province, shows a bank card, March 31, 2015. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Commercial banks have said they are stepping up their risk management of the credit and debit card business, as they face new challenges from criminals amid the rapid development of internet technologies, the China Banking Association said in its latest report. The extent of the threat was outlined by an official with the economic crime investigation department of the Ministry of Public Security. Police investigated and prosecuted more than 50,000 credit card fraud cases in 2015, accounting for about one-fourth of their entire economic crime cases, said Che Yaohua. They also prosecuted 178 cases involving theft, purchase and illegal provision of credit card information during the same year, Che told a news conference for the release of a so-called blue book on the development of the bank card industry by the China Banking Association last week. One of the new features of the cases shows that a growing number of criminals are moving away from offline to online crime, adopting up-to-date technologies, Che said. She said they planted Trojan horses into mobile phones via phishing websites and pseudo base stations, committed fraud by using caller ID spoofing to pretend to be a bank's customer service agents, and stole bank card information in bulk. The blue book listed pseudo cards, false identities and internet scams as the top three types of credit card frauds last year. "Commercial banks should further improve risk control capabilities, increase investments in information technologies, strengthen the construction and implementation of internal control systems, and reinforce management of bank card business during the whole process," said Huang Jinbo, deputy director of the banking innovation supervision department of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. "The key is to strike a balance between innovation and risk control. Simply emphasizing customer experience while overlooking safety hazards will harm the financial service industry in the long run," he added. Fan Shuangwen, deputy director of the payment and settlement department of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, said commercial lenders should use new technologies to improve bank card safety, enhance business management and standardize business processes. As concerns over card safety keep growing, the China Banking Association advised bank card issuers to apply big data technologies to realize dynamic, refined and real-time risk management. By the end of 2015, China issued a cumulative number of 5.61 billion debit and credit cards, rising 13 percent from the beginning of the year. Industry watchdog says that consumers' interests could not be well safeguarded Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has ceased online sales of medicines on its Tmall platform as the government tightens its control over the country's nascent e-pharmacy industry. Tmall, the business-to-consumer site of Alibaba, told its online vendors that the site will stop the online sales of medicines as of August 1, citing changes in government regulation. Tmall said in a statement that it will "adjust its business model based on the new regulation in order to provide better service to customers within the law". The change of regulation put an end to China's trial of selling drugs products directly to consumers via online third-party platforms. The change of regulation does not apply only to Tmall. Other e-commerce companies involved in selling drugs on third-party platforms, such as Yhd.com have also received the same ban. A news report posted on the official website of China Food and Drug Administration said that "it is unclear which party (the e-commerce site or the online vendors) should take responsibility when drug products are sold online via third-party platforms". "It is difficult to monitor the quality of drug products sold this way and it is not possible to protect the interests of consumers and ensure safe usage of drugs. Therefore, we decided to end the trial operation", said the report. Analysts said that the regulation will not significantly hurt Tmall's medicine business, as only an estimated 20 percent of its sales are drug products. The other 80 percent are health products and medical equipment. "However, the regulation is a setback for the country's online pharmacy industry," said Lu Zhenwang, an independent internet expert and chief executive officer of the Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy. "Many of China's brick-and-mortar drug chains are allowed to sell medicine to consumers directly online. But they are too small to make a big impact," he said. British students hold UK and European Union flags in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, June 23, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Relations with China unlikely to be affected much by vote to leave EU The United Kingdom remains an attractive destination for Chinese investors after Brexit, and investing in the healthcare sector offers potential, Matt Siddle, a portfolio manager at global asset management company Fidelity International, told China Daily. "The UK economy will continue to be sound after Brexit and the pool of skilled and flexible workers is large in the UK. So there are many reasons for the United Kingdom to be a popular destination for Chinese investors," said Siddle. Siddle said investing in healthcare companies in the UK offers good opportunities. "Healthcare is a long-term structural growth story with increasing demand from an aging population, and the outlook for pharmaceutical companies is improving as their new drug pipelines are healthy, the cost of R&D has declined substantially and the first cycle review approvals of new drugs has increased," said Siddle. "With attractive valuations, the healthcare sector is definitely one of the most attractive areas with growth opportunities," he added. Siddle also said the UK stock market has not been impacted much by the Brexit because most of the earnings of the companies listed on the bourse are generated from outside of the country. Less than 30 percent of the revenue of firms listed on the FTSE 100 index comes from the UK. "The vote to leave the EU had a negative impact on investor sentiment on UK equities, but it also creates opportunities for investors to buy good-quality companies with cash-generative businesses at a discounted price," added Siddle. Fidelity said in the last 18 months European markets have been supported by macro factors such as falling oil prices and euro depreciation, as well as ample liquidity injected through the European Central Bank's expanded quantitative easing program. "In light of the referendum result, central bank policy is likely to remain supportive and European equity market valuations will benefit from Chinese stimulus measures, and mergers and acquisitions," said Siddle. Wu Weijun, chief partner of PwC Beijing, said the referendum result was a disappointment because economic interconnectivity is the future and Brexit is a step back. "But I don't think China-UK relations will be impacted much by Brexit," said Wu. According to Wu, multinational companies should continue to have strategic cooperation with the UK. Bilateral trade between China and the EU was $564.85 billion last year, while trade between China and the UK reached $78.54 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs. Hangzhou Party Secretary Zhao Yide meets the press in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Aug 1, 2016, introducing the preparation work of the upcoming G20 summit. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com] BEIJING - China's tourism industry raked in 2.25 trillion yuan ($346 billion) in revenue in the first half of the year, up 12.4 percent year on year, official statistics showed on Monday. Domestic tourists made 2.24 billion trips in the first half, an increase of 10.5 percent. Inbound and outbound trips edged up 4.1 percent to 127 million, China National Tourism Administration (NTA) said. Tourism has become a strong engine for economic growth. The sector contributed 10.8 percent to GDP last year and created 10.2 percent of new jobs, according to NTA data. China's spending in the tourism sector is likely to triple by 2020, to 3 trillion yuan, said NTA head Li Jinzao, during the First World Conference on Tourism for Development in May. China invested more than 1 trillion yuan in the sector last year, an increase of 42 percent from one year before, according to Li. KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia - Cambodia on Tuesday inaugurated the 140 km national road No 44 here, which had been built under a concessional loan from China. The road is off the national road No 4, going through four districts in western Kampong Speu province and ending at the national road No 5. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo presided over the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by government officials, diplomatic corps and about 10,000 locals. Hun Sen said the road was essential to facilitate travel and goods transport in the province, expressing his sincere thanks to China for her support to the project. Ambassador Bu said she is confident that the road will contribute to improving the livelihood of residents along the road. The road had been constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation in a period of 40 months. Beijing-based Didi, the dominant ride-hailing service provider in China, said in a statement on Monday that it will buy Uber's China operation. [Photo/IC] The Ministry of Commerce said it hasn't received business declaration from Didi Chuxing and Uber Technologies Inc though both companies announced merger Monday. Under the deal, Didi Chuxing agreed to acquire the China business of its rival Uber Technologies Inc. All businesses with large operation scale that may monopolize the market must submit business declaration to the Ministry of Commerce for record, as well as wait for further anti-trust investigation. Companies without such clearance will not be allowed to carry out merger and acquisition in China. Shen Danyang, the ministry's spokesman, said as these two companies haven't submitted business declaration to the ministry, their merger will not become effective and legal. Didi Chuxing and its previous rival Kuaidi also didn't submit business declaration to the Ministry of Commerce when they merged last year, according to the ministry. More than 30 people from the Billings community came out Monday evening for the Back the Blue Rally organized to show support for local law enforcement in the area. Representatives of the Yellowstone County Sheriff's office and Montana Highway Patrol were present outside the Yellowstone County Courthouse as people gathered for the event a few minutes before 5:09 p.m. The time was selected, organizers said, based on a biblical reference found in Matthew 5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Kids carrying signs with slogans supporting officers and written messages of support walked around the rally gathering more messages for officers. Faith Chapel Youth Pastor Shane O'Brien led a prayer and a moment of silence was observed for law enforcement across the nation. Mekka Pertuit, 12, carrying a "We see you" sign, said she wanted to reassure law enforcement that their actions are noticed. Mekka's mother, Kira Pertuit, organized the event along with Echo Jamieson. Pertuit said she and several members of a womens ministry named Beautifully Designed were in Dallas to attend the funeral of five officers killed by a sniper on July 7. Cities in all 50 states participated in the women's ministry's rally, Pertuit said. The event was a "small gesture" of support for law enforcement, Pertuit said. Yellowstone County Undersheriff Kevin Evans was at the event along with his wife, Michelle. Michelle Evans said when she first met her husband, it seemed there was a little less danger to being a law enforcement officer. "To watch him leave every day and to have our kids watch him leave," Michelle Evans said. "We pray daily he comes home safe." She said even though she and her family worry, her husband makes her proud. She said the law enforcement family around her husband is filled with great men and women, who are knit together through tight bond of understanding. "They have to wonder every day who hates them," Michelle Evans said. "It's good to look around and see, the majority of people support them." Kevin Evans said the climate has made him more aware of his surroundings during daily patrol, but that he has felt the support of the local community. He said people approached him at Saturday's Fiesta Car Show and said that they support their local police. Kevin Evans later passed out stickers to some of the kids who came to the event. Jackson Eckley, 8, was one of the kids who came out to show his support of police. He said police protect people and are really helpful and that is why he likes them. The event in the courthouse lasted about 10 minutes, and after, Pertuit asked everyone to follow the handprints plastered around the courthouse, police station and sheriff's office. The prints were done a few hours earlier by young volunteers. Back the Blue bags, which include bottles of water, lip balm and messages of support, will be distributed during the rest of the week to local law officers in the area. A model for an auto show in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, uses the Didi Chuxing car-hailing service to commute from her college to the auto show. [Photo/China Daily] Fares likely to rise as the two operators will not need to pay out heavy subsidies The top two ride-hailing companies in China are expected to soon end the costly fight over the largest such market in the world, with Didi Chuxing agreeing to acquire the China business of its rival Uber Technologies Inc. Beijing-based Didi, the dominant ride-hailing service provider in China, said in a statement on Monday that it will buy Uber's China operation. The deal will make the two former competitors a small shareholder of each other's business. Users of the companies' ride-hailing apps will likely see fares rise, as the two operators will not need to resort to heavy subsidies to woo passengers, analysts said. Uber will continue to operate independently in China. Uber Technologies and Uber China's other shareholders will receive a 20 percent economic stake in the combined company as part of the deal, according to Didi. Didi founder Cheng Wei and Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick will join each other's boards. Cheng said: "Didi Chuxing and Uber have learned a great deal from each other over the past two years. The cooperation with Uber will see the entire mobile transportation industry in China enter a new phase of a healthier and more sustainable development." The move came after the central government legalized ride-hailing services, dispelling regulatory uncertainties over the further expansion of Didi and Uber in China. Wang Xiaofeng, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc, said the main reason behind the merger is to cut costs in the battle between the companies for leadership of China's fast-growing ride-hailing market. "It is only natural that passengers will find decreasing subsidies when hailing rides via the apps," she said. Uber has spent at least $1 billion a year to gain ground in China, while Didi has been offering its own subsidies to drivers and riders to build its business. Wang Siyuan, a white-collar worker in Shanghai, said she enjoys using Uber due to the convenience and good fares brought by competition. "If the fare rise is not too much after the merger, I will certainly keep using the apps," she said. Turning foes into families has many precedents in China's fiercely competitive internet market. Didi Chuxing emerged from a merger between the top two players Didi and Kuaidi on Valentine's Day last year. Zhang Xu, an Analysys International analyst, said the merger will mean that smaller players in China's internet-enabled chauffeur service market will soon feel the pinch. "The combined market share of Didi and Uber in China's chauffeur service is more than 80 percent. Their dominant position will bring more competition to smaller players and force them to improve the quality of service to gain user loyalty," he said. Yao Weiqun, vice-president of the Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Center, said that as Didi and Uber China hold dominant positions in the domestic ride-hailing market, the authorities will have to determine whether the merger breaks antimonopoly regulations. "Compared with other ride-hailing companies, the tie-up of Didi and Uber will bring even more pressure to China's traditional taxi industry," he said. Uber, which entered China about two years ago, makes more than 150 million trips a month. Didi said that its platform handles 16 million orders a day. Zhong Nan contributed to this story. From left to right: Zhang Yao, Kris Wu, Lu Shan. [Photo/IC] Sweet Sixteen, an idol drama starring Kris Wu, Han Geng and Lu Shan, is premiering on screen this Friday. The romance movie, which mainly develops around the emotional conflicts between a girl and two boys, is more than a love triangle. It is also a story of growing up. Xia Mu, the character played by Wu, loses his parents at a young age, which then leads to autism, until he meet Ya Wang, a simple and kind girl. At the news conference on Monday, Kris Wu said this might be his last love drama for some time, as he would like to try different roles. The daughter of PLA Navy pilot Zhang Chao sleeps on his uniform. Her father died after ejecting from his fighter plane when it malfunctioned during a training exercise in April. Provided to China Daily. The widow of a PLA Navy pilot has made public letters she wrote on her WeChat account after the death of her husband, the first Chinese aircraft carrier pilot to die in the line of duty. Zhang Ya, who married Navy pilot Zhang Chao in 2011, wrote of the happy times she spent with her husband. She has also told of the unbearable pain caused by his death and how hard it has been for her to answer questions from their daughter. The story of her husband, Zhang Chao, was broadcast by China Central Television in a prime time news program on Sunday and Monday, while other Chinese media also published reports about him. Zhang Chao died on April 27, several days before he and other pilots were scheduled to conduct their first landing on the CNS Liaoning, the country's first and only aircraft carrier. According to the training plan, Zhang was to make seven takeoffs at a naval base before his first carrier landing, the Navy said. The tragedy happened when Zhang was about to land his J-15 fighter jet on a runway at the carrier-borne aviation force's training base. The plane went out of control due to a mechanical malfunction despite Zhang, a lieutenant commander, trying his best to save it. He was forced to eject from the aircraft at low altitude and died later from his injuries in a hospital after his parachute failed to open. News of his death saw many Chinese internet users express their condolences, A Sina Weibo micro-blogger using the name Shanghaichengyu wrote, "Please do not forget Zhang Chao when China has a strong carrier force." Another user, PLAJia, wrote: "Every service member deserves to be called great. They sacrifice their youth and even their lives to safeguard us." A tree is ripped apart as Typhoon Nida makes landfall in South China's Guangdong province on early morning of Aug 2, 2016. [Photo/IC]] Typhoon Nida landed at 3:35 am Tuesday at the Dapeng Peninsula in the city of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, local weather authorities said. The strong typhoon packing winds up to 151.2 km per hour is moving northwest at 25 km per hour, and is expected to sweep across the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing to Guangdong's neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Guangdong provincial weather authorities. Dozens of flights, trains and ferries scheduled for Monday and Tuesday were canceled on Monday as China issued its highest alert for Typhoon Nida, which was heading toward Guangdong province and neighboring southern areas. Nida, the fourth typhoon to hit China this year, was moving northwest toward southern and southeastern China. It was forecast to make landfall in the central coastal part of Guangdong on Tuesday morning, said DongLin, an expert in typhoon forecasting at the National Meteorological Center. The center issued a red alert, the highest emergency response among the four-tier national system, on Monday afternoon, warning of squalls, heavy rain and rough seas. "The typhoon may grow stronger as it edges closer and reach its peak when landing," Dong said on Monday, adding that winds of up to 172 kilometers per hour, or force 15 on the Beaufort scale, were possible at the typhoon's peak. Niu Ruoyun, another forecaster at the center, said the Pearl River Delta would be the region hit by the strongest downpours through Tuesday night, with the volume of rainfall possibly reaching 100 millimeters per hour in some areas. The typhoon was expected to affect large regions of the south and southeast, including Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Niu said. Guangdong has geared up efforts against the typhoon, which will be the first to hit the province this year, by issuing a red alert that took effect at 2 pm on Monday. Zhou Yawei, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, the province's capital, ordered all construction sites to halt work, while schools were to suspend classes and residents were encouraged to stay indoors. All the city's emergency shelters will be open to the public, the city government's statement said. Ferry services connecting Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong were suspended on Monday. About 100 trains heading for and departing from cities in Guangdong province have been canceled or will change lines to avoid the typhoon until Wednesday, according to statements from provincial train stations. For example, all trains heading for Hainan were halted, and trains linking Guangzhou and Zhuhai were to be suspended on Tuesday. Dozens of flights in three major airports in the province also were canceled or delayed due to the coming typhoon. In other affected provinces, governments also issued high alerts on Monday, requiring full preparations for the typhoon, including that all fishing boats must remain sheltered. Wuzhou, the city hit by an earthquake on Sunday, was warned to be prepared for landslides or other downpour-triggered geological disasters on Monday and Tuesday, said Dong, of the National Meteorological Center. The Ministry of Civil Affairs urged the affected governments on Monday to closely monitor the typhoon's movements and update warnings and information to the public in a timely manner. The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction recommended that residents in the affected regions stock up on enough daily necessities for one to three days. The missile destroyer Jinan of the People's Liberation Army Navy fires an anti-ship missile during a military drill held in the East China Sea on Monday. [Photo by DAI ZONGFENG/For CHINA DAILY] The Chinese Navy conducted a drill on Monday in the East China Sea that was intended to test "to the largest extent" its combat ability and equipment. From the coastal city of Ningbo, in East China's Zhejiang province, Xinhua News Agency reported that the drill involved more than a hundred warships, squadrons of fighter jets, some land-based defense troops and radar, communication and electronic countermeasure forces. The Donghai (East China Sea) Fleet, as well as some forces from the Beihai (North China Sea) and Nanhai (South China Sea) fleets, participated in the Navy's 11th annual military exercises, led by Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Shen Yu, director of the Donghai Fleet training department, told Xinhua that the exercises tested various missiles and multiple-direction operations. The warships successfully conducted several missile-interception operations, Xinhua reported. Chen Shengqi, head of the drill's team of appraising experts, was quoted as saying that the warships had handled air, underwater and surface threats that closely resembled real combat. The People's Liberation Army marked its 89th anniversary on Monday, which was also Army Day. The exercises were the latest in a series of drills conducted amid rising maritime tensions. In July, the Navy held two South China Sea drills. A number of additional exercises are planned as the country picks up the pace of its military reform, characterized by a historic shift in the PLA's organization and structure to gain a more efficient command system. Peng Guangqian, deputy secretary-general of the China Council for National Security Policy Studies, said that in combination with the rapid development of China's military equipment and weapons, it is natural that the number of military exercises has increased. The maritime challenges China faces are increasing, as well, making it necessary for the Navy to raise its ability to cope with the threats, Peng said. Additionally, China's relationship with Japan remains tense over the Diaoyu Islands and that the mainland's ties with Taiwan have soured since the island's new leader took office in May, he said. Han Chunyu Chinese geneticist Han Chunyu defended the authenticity of his gene-editing technique after the head of a genetics lab in Australia said the lab was unable to replicate it. Han's paper describing his research findings on a new gene-editing technology called NgAgo was published online in early May by Nature Biotechnology, a monthly scientific journal of Nature Publishing Group. It drew international attention immediately. Just three months later, some peer scientists began to question the research's viability, largely because they have not been able to replicate the results so far. On Friday, Gaetan Burgio, who heads the transgenesis lab of Australian National University, wrote on his Twitter account that he had found no evidence for genome editing using NgAgo after multiple attempts. Han's paper contradicted the conditions needed for a successful replication, Burgio said. In a previous statement, Burgio said the NgAgo technique is efficient in editing gene fragments of mice. Han, 42, an associate professor at Hebei University of Science and Technology, vowed to repeat the experimental results. Responding to requests that he disclose the original experimental data, he said he'd like to do that upon the journal's request. Nature Biotechnology has not made such a request so far. Han was quoted by Chinese media as saying, "It's like they ganged up against NgAgo." The new technology had been touted as being better than the current mainstream gene-editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9 in precision, efficiency and flexibility, saying it helps solve the "off-target effect" problema major issue with CRISPR/Cas9 in which useful parts of genomes are sometimes removed while editing targeted parts. The NgAgo method is theoretically thousands of times more accurate, earlier reports said. Also, it's about more than just the science: It comes with a potentially huge business impact, according to an opinion published by Qilu Net, a regional news portal in China, especially for companies already heavily invested in the CRISPR technology. NgAgo is a possible replacement for CRISPR once it is widely confirmed, and that inevitably undermines colossal business interests and investments based on CRISPR, the portal said. The primary developers of CRISPR/Cas9 have gone on to establish their own companies and commercialize the technology. Also in May, Caribou Biosciences, which was co-founded by CRISPR/Cas9 co-developer Jennifer Doudna, announced the completion of a $30 million Series B financing round. At the same time, Editas Medicine, co-founded by Zhang Feng of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with Doudna and other scientists, announced a three-year, $5 million agreement with the nonprofit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics. A Beijing-based researcher who didn't want to be named told China Daily on Monday that it's too early to cast doubt on Han's research findings or to jump to any conclusions. "That Han's experimental results cannot be replicated so far doesn't mean it cannot be in the future," the researcher said. "The issue should be left to time and peer scientists. Give it at least three to five years." In May, Han shot to fame overnight to become one of the hottest web celebrities in China, but he maintained a low profile, saying, "I didn't expect all the attention. I only want to focus on science and experiments." Terns are adapting to their new home in Sanya, Hainan province, after a 3,300-kilometer journey from Qingdao, Shandong province. Wu Wei / For China Daily About 44 juvenile terns, all artificially incubated, arrived recently in their new home in Sanya, the tropical resort city of Hainan province, after a four-day journey from Qingdao, Shandong province. The move was part of a project to revive the bird species' habitat. The terns will be domesticated before being released to the sky. Artificial propagation of the birds will also be carried out. Sanya and nearby waters were once home to a large population of gull species, including seagulls and terns. The project was initiated by the Blue Ribbon Ocean Conservation Society in March. It's a nonprofit group, established in Sanya in 2007, that focuses on protection of the ocean environment. "We have been to Zhejiang and Yunnan provinces, as well as other places that were known as ideal habitats for seagulls and terns in China to investigate, and we talked with local experts about the birds for several months. Finally we decided to introduce birds from Qingdao," said Bian Yuqin, a society staff worker. "All of the juvenile terns were incubated from eggs rescued by the Qingdao Wildlife Rescue Association from abandoned nests or eggs that were on their way to dining tables," Bian said. Zhang Shiping, the head of the association, who has been studying wild birds for more than 15 years, said the seagull is a kind of migratory bird, so it would be possible for them to live in Sanya. Terns, also a gull species, were chosen because young wild seagulls cannot be domesticated, he said. "I was worried a lot that the birds would not survive the long journey to the new environment, but it seems that they took it very well and adapted to their new home quickly. I am relieved now: All of them are finding food in the feed trough we prepared," Bian said. The 44 terns, with the help of bird experts, will be taught to recognize different whistles and respond to commands - for example, being told to go back to the cage. Luo Jiuru, an 81-year-old expert on marine environments, who has called for bringing seagulls back to Sanya for decades, was excited to see terns in Sanya again. She witnessed seagulls in the skies in the 1970s. "Sanya is now undertaking an ecology recovery project. Rivers are cleaner, more trees and grasses are being planted and the seagulls are being seen in Sanya again," Luo told Hainan Daily. "Sanya has a better environment now, and this makes the project much easier," she said. Many buildings were not well-planned and pose hygiene problems, fire risks Officials called it "a sheer rumor" that buildings at a prominent Buddhist academy in Sichuan province are being permanently demolished and that monks are being driven out. On the contrary, they said, the plan is to replace the buildings with better, safer ones. Photos showing buildings being torn down were posted and forwarded on messaging platform WeChat recently. The sender of the photos claimed the buildings belonged to the Wuming Buddhist Academy in Sertar county, Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture, and that monks were being forced to move. The photos caused a stir, with a few travel agencies in the province even trying to cash in by luring tourists to "visit the last Wuming Buddhist academy". But an official of the Sertar county government, who didn't want to be named, said in a phone interview on Monday that demolition at the academy - a top destination for Tibetan Buddhism studies in China and the world's largest such institute - will be followed by reconstruction that will create more order and improve safety. "The efforts are made to improve the institute rather than demolishing it and driving away the monks," she said. Hua Ke, head of the United Front Work Department of the Sertar County Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the structures at the academy, which were built in 1980, were designed haphazardly, without regard to geological risks, and they have hidden dangers, as well as problems of hygiene. They also lack modern fire-suppression systems, he said. Residential structures need to be demolished to reduce fire and landslide dangers, and to improve hygiene, he said. One Buddhist who studied in the academy for eight years confirmed that many buildings appear to have been thrown up without careful planning and said nine fires have occurred in recent years. A fire in January 2014 destroyed a number of buildings and brought economic losses of more than 2.3 million yuan ($346,000). In addition, many of the buildings are situated in valleys, and these face the danger of rain-induced landslides, he said, adding that rubbish can be found everywhere because there are too many people. The academy accommodates more than 4,000 people, including monks, nuns and believers from Tibetan and Han ethnicities, according to official records. Hua said the governments of Sichuan province, the Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture and Sertar county have supported the academy with preferential policies and financial aid, and thanks to that support it has grown to its current size. Liu Xiaoling, a resident of Chengdu who has visited the academy several times, either alone or with friends, said it appeals strongly to outside visitors who are curious about Tibetan Buddhism. Each year, tens of thousands of people drive to Serdar to see it. Chris Rudd, provost of University of Nottingham Ningbo China in an interview with China Daily, July 2, 2016.[Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily] Most of the "big bosses" of universities, both in and out of China, don't teach undergraduate classes, but Chris Rudd, provost of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, is an exception. Having taken over the management of the oldest Sino-foreign university in China in August 2015, the professor of mechanics and materials taught second and final year undergraduates every week during his first academic cycle on the dynamic campus. Calling it "deeply satisfying" to work with students and help them overcome challenges in their studies in professional courses and English language skills, Rudd said he actually chose to deliver classes out of his own need to get to know the thinking of his students and their parents. "In making decisions about how we are going to grow this place, it's super important that we understand where the students are coming from and what their attitudes are," he said, adding that getting along with undergraduates on a weekly basis enables him to find out more about that. Rudd also thinks it's an opportunity for him to talk to parents explain such things as why the tuition at Nottingham Ningbo - 80,000 yuan ($12,000) - is dozens of times more than that of domestic universities in China. Although he loves teaching, Rudd said he still finds it challenging, as 95 percent of the undergraduates in his classes are Chinese, which means he has to put all his lessons in a Chinese context while working hard to get the same kind of interactive learning style that teachers would expect to have in a Western university. "You may be giving the same class you've given for 10 years in the UK, but to get the same or even better learning outcomes here, you've got to work hard to challenge yourself, as well as challenge your students," he said, after realizing that Chinese students are not very active participants in class. "So you've got to use different methods to make them interact, because if you don't try to attract them, they won't be getting value from the education, which they just paid a lot of money for." Like other professors, Rudd also has office hours for his students. Although the times are not as fixed as those of other faculty members, students can still send e-mails to him to make a reservation and talk about their studies. Rudd said it's really exciting to teach while running the university, especially helping students break through difficulties in studies, whether it's a difficult concept or technical terminology. Top think tank's members emerge as PLA overhauled A mysterious think tank behind China's substantial military reform has emerged into public view, amid President Xi Jinping's calls for stronger armed forces. As the country began a major overhaul of the People's Liberation Army in 2013, the Central Military Commission - China's top military organ - set up a leading group for deepening national defense and military reform. Since then, massive reforms have occurred in the PLA, including the introduction of five theater commands covering five parts of the country. Cai Hongshuo, deputy head of the expert advisory panel to the military's leading reform team, briefed leaders during a study seminar on Wednesday held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the Party's top organ, Xinhua News Agency reported. The seminar focused on national defense and military reform, and Cai "delivered a lecture on the issue and offered some suggestions" before key members of the Party, including Xi, according to Xinhua. The current rank of Cai, previously known as a researcher with the Central Military Commission's General Office, is not clear. Cai is the first member of the advisory body to appear on China Central Television's prime time news. Another team deputy, Liu Jixian, a retired lieutenant general and former vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Science, first made his current title public last year when he wrote a foreword for a book about military reform. Yang Zhiqi, 70, another retired PLA lieutenant general and former assistant general chief of staff, emerged as the team's chief at a meeting in Beijing in March about defense industry integration, according to an online report by China Securities Journal. Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army Navy, said one of the priorities of military reform is to seek greater advantage in military technologies and to increase the contribution of technological innovation to combat capabilities. Li Chen, an expert on strategic issue studies at Renmin University of China, said the emergence of the team's members "will help the outside world better understand the ongoing military reform". "Their previous posts are important. Taking Liu as an example, his PLA Academy of Military Sciences is a leading think tank for the Central Military Commission. ... Their career backgrounds offer a wide range of relevant studies and practices on the front line," Li said. Li also noted that the expert team is only one of the brain power sources supporting the military reform, and that many seminars have been held. PLA Daily, the military's official newspaper, unveiled some details about the intended role of the advisory team in December. The overall plan for the reform "combines both decision-making by the leaders and assistance by the experts", and ideas have been solicited from more than 900 retired officers and experts, the PLA Daily report said. The China Food and Drug Administration has suspended online pharmacy business with immediate effect due to a lack of supervision. "I support the suspension. Medicines are different from other products, and should be brought under the supervision of medical personnel." Tan Jinying, English major in Wuhan, Hubei province "Online pharmacies can only sell over-the-counter medicines anyway. Our pharmacy also runs an online store, providing delivery services, saving time and energy for our clients." Lu Yuxin, pharmacy employee in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province "It's an extreme measure. It's the responsibility of the authorities to supervise the online business. Rules should be set in this sector." Qu Xueyi, physics major in Harbin, Heilongjiang province "I prefer to buy medicines at the pharmacy, where I can consult pharmacists. For prescription drugs, seeing a doctor is necessary." Hu Jing, civil servant in Chongqing The government will provide training to migrant workers as part of an effort encouraging them to return to their hometowns and start their own businesses over the next five years, in hope of generating more local jobs and alleviating poverty. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said it will take five years to leverage the capabilities of more than 277 million migrant workers to start businesses through education, vocational training, consultation and financial subsidies. "We will tailor training, establish incubators and provide follow-up support," the ministry said. Businesses with low thresholds are considered the most suitable choices, including village-themed tourism, traditional handicrafts and farm products. Since the adoption of reform and opening-up policy in 1978, many peasants have left their villages and farms to work at construction sites, factories and restaurants in cities. Labor-intensive industries have absorbed millions of them and contributed to China's fast development. However, as the country seeks to transition to an economy led by consumer spending and innovation, they were also forced to reflect on their career paths. According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more than 66 percent of polled migrant workers said they would like to return to their hometowns. The top five reasons were age, unattended parents and children, lack of skills that employers needed, unattended farms and the lack of a sense of belonging in cities. Wang Zili, 46, from Anhui province, is a migrant worker who returned home. He had been taking temporary jobs - mostly painting - in several provinces and cities. He came up with the idea of doing business at home when he was employed by an electronics company in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. "I thought my job was very easy and asked the boss whether I could take some materials home and return the finished products to the factory. The boss agreed," said Wang. Wang returned to his hometown and established his own workshop in 2012. "Most of the workers are women, seniors and the disabled left behind by men working in the cities, while more and more men are returning home," said Wang. Cui Chuanyi, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said returning migrant workers will create millions of small and medium-sized enterprises and help farmers to find jobs near their families. Contact the writers at suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn Tibetan horsemen ride in traditional dress as they demonstrate their skills at the annual riding festival in Yushu, Qinghai province, last week. [Photo/Agences] Thundering across the vast Himalayan plateau in traditional finery, Tibetan horsemen gather for an annual riding festival that is a feast for the eyes. Multicolored prayer flags inscribed with religious texts flutter in the breeze, and tents line the green hills surrounding the racing ground in Yushu, in the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai. The area is home to many of China's Tibetans. Spectators at the event - including local Tibetan women in traditional dresses known as chuba, and monks in red robes - lined up to enter a stadium where the atmosphere was relaxed and jovial. One woman in a blue and orange dress stood in front of a pyramid of prayer flags, brandishing an umbrella to protect herself from the harsh sunlight of the high-altitude plateau. The horses are the real draw - brown steeds bedecked in yellow and green ribbons, mounted by riders whose long hair flows in the wind beneath azure skies. The festival, begun in the 1990s, lasts for around five days. It was suspended for several years following the 2010 earthquake in Yushu that killed 2,700 people. The Tibetan people of the area - known as Kham - are famed for their equine skills. Shows of horsemanship and archery are the festival's main events, drawing hundreds of spectators. Government officials say that they hope to use the festival to showcase Tibetan culture and bring tourism to the remote region. "You can see the Tibetan fashion show - the jewelry, the nice clothes and dancing," said one Tibetan spectator. "A lot of Chinese tourists and foreigners come to watch." (China Daily) Pilot Zhang Chao poses for a photo before flying a J-15 "Flying Shark" fighter jet. The 29-year-old lieutenant commander died in April during a routine training exercise. [Photo provided to China Daily] The People's Liberation Army, which celebrated the 89th anniversary of its foundation on Monday, is building up a naval-aviation division to safeguard China's maritime interests. Zhao Lei reports. For most Chinese people, the People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carrier and carrier-based aviation force are some of the most mysterious military units, and also the ones they most want to know about. Only a very small number of people outside the PLA, which was founded on Aug 1, 1927, have been invited to visit the CNS Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier. Everyone else merely sees the colossal vessel and its planes once or twice a year on the TV news. The only time the carrier-based aircraft have been displayed publically was during a parade on Sept 3 last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and China's victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). That morning, five J-15 "Flying Shark" carrier-borne fighter jets, led by Senior Captain Dai Mingmeng, commander of the PLA Navy's carrier-based aviation force, flew over Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, exciting the crowds as an announcer introduced them as the nation's first fixed-wing carrier-based jets. China commissioned the CNS Liaoning in September 2012. Two months later, Dai landed a J-15 on the carrier's flight deck, becoming the first Chinese pilot to do so. In May 2013, the carrier-borne aircraft unit, the first of its kind in the PLA Navy, was established. Although it's only about three years since the unit came into being, the carrier-borne force has already trained several groups of J-15 pilots, Dai said at a media briefing at a naval-aviation base. "It will not take long for us to attain full operational capability on the aircraft carrier," he said. "My pilots train very hard. Their biggest wish is to become good carrier-based fliers as quickly as possible and then safeguard our motherland's interests from above the oceans." The unit has made tremendous progress and improvements in training, and is moving closer to forming a combat-ready force, the PLA Navy said. Tragedy The military has rarely publicized pilot's stories, so few people know the hardships and struggles they experience and the sacrifices they make. That changed when the PLA Navy decided to tell the story of Zhang Chao, a J-15 pilot who died in April during a routine training exercise. The 29-year-old lieutenant commander was the first member of the unit to die in the line of duty. On the afternoon of April 27, Zhang was preparing to land after a routine training session, when the computer on his J-15 suddenly reported a malfunction in the flight-control system. Within seconds, the aircraft had pitched by 80 degrees and began soaring skyward. An investigation concluded that Zhang had tried unsuccessfully to save the plane, and he had no option but to eject from the cockpit before the fighter aircraft crashed. Because the plane was at a relatively low altitude, there wasn't time for his parachute to be fully deployed before Zhang hit the ground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died as a result of serious internal injuries. Zhang was recruited by the PLA Navy in 2004 after graduating from a middle school in Yueyang, Hunan province. He trained as a fighter jet pilot for five years and in 2009 he joined a naval aviation squadron. Inspired by the media coverage of Dai's maneuvers on the CNS Liaoning, the young pilot decided to employ every means possible to join the carrier-based unit. "When I met Zhang during the selection procedures, I told him that being a fighter jet pilot on the carrier meant accepting all possible risks. However, he replied that his dream was to fly the best aircraft on the carrier and that someone had to do the risky job," Dai recalled. In March last year, Zhang passed the stringent selection procedures and became a pilot in the carrier-based aviation force. Senior Captain Zhang Ye, the unit's chief of staff, said Zhang Chao always trained hard and made rapid progress after he joined the J-15 team. "The young man set a high goal and strict standards for himself in training because he wanted to become a good J-15 pilot as quickly as possible," he said, adding that Zhang Chao also had volunteered to help compile a guidebook on the use of airborne weapons. Other pilots who trained with Zhang Chao at the unit have decided to perform a ceremony to remember their fallen comrade when they land on the CNS Liaoning for the first time, according to Captain Sun Baosong, deputy commander of the unit's J-15 squadron, who worked with Zhang Chao. "Flying a J-15 above the carrier was Zhang Chao's biggest wish. We will fulfill that wish for him," Sun said. Contact the writer at zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn Like many aviation fans, I love Top Gun, the legendary 1986 action movie that starred Tom Cruise and the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. The movie implanted the idea in me that being a fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier is one of the coolest and riskiest jobs in the world. Impressed by the film, I started learning about aircraft carriers. I wished that my country could have at least one such ship and that pilots of the People's Liberation Army Navy could fly advanced planes to patrol the oceans. However, when I first watched the movie, about 16 years ago, the PLA Navy only had a few small, antiquated destroyers and frigates and decades-old submarines. Having an aircraft carrier and a carrier strike group seemed like a pipedream. Time flies. The passing years have witnessed my transformation from student to a military news reporter and I've written many stories about the rapid development of the Chinese military. I watched as the nation's first aircraft carrier, the CNS Liaoning, entered service in 2012, and when it conducted a strike group drill in the South China Sea a year later. I have visited the carrier four times and spoken with many of those who serve on her, from the captain to the lowest-ranked sailors. I spent my 32nd birthday accompanying the vessel's deputy commander on his daily tour of inspection when the carrier was taking part in a multi-vessel exercise in the South China Sea. I think it's fair to say I know the ship better than most Chinese people. However, I had never had the opportunity to interview a J-15 pilot until last month, when I was one of a small group of Chinese reporters invited to the Navy's carrier-based aviation unit to cover Zhang Chao's death. The pilots I spoke with looked sad because their brother officer had died in the course of duty, but they did not seem depressed. "We all know there are risks behind what we do, but we don't think about them too much," Captain Sun Baosong, deputy commander of the J-15 squadron, told me. Sun trained with Zhang at the carrier-based aviation unit. "What we need to do now is to perform our duties well - that's what I believe Zhang would want us to do," the senior pilot said. Lieutenant Yuan Wei, who also trained with Zhang, said senior officers including Dai Mingmeng, the unit's commander, took the lead and flew J-15s after the accident to inspire the other pilots. "We trust our leaders," he said. The stronger you want to be, the more risks you have to handle. This has never been truer than for today's Chinese Navy. I don't think this will be the last obstacle the Navy will have to overcome before it builds a strong aircraft carrier force, but I do believe that it won't be long before China's Navy pilots are patrolling the oceans. China's supreme court clarifies maritime jurisdiction (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-02 10:06 BEIJING - The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Tuesday issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas. The explanation provides clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, said an SPC statement. The regulation, taking effect on Tuesday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. An activist accused of subversion, damaging national security and harming social stability pleaded guilty as a high-profile trial got under way at Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday. Zhai Yanmin is accused of posting statements and comments online since 2012 in a bid to subvert State power. He allegedly joined an "underground organization", led by another man named Hu Shigen, which guided residents to instigate others and disturb public order, according to prosecutors from Tianjin's No 2 People's Procuratorate. During the trial, Zhai admitted that he and lawyer Zhou Shifeng hired people who posed as protesters to shout slogans and hold signs in support of the latter while he was in court. "The organization was not registered. During our discussions, it was Hu who usually came up with the ideas, and such ideas were usually harmful to the country," Zhai said in court. "At that time, I agreed with Hu." "Zhou and I had followed hot topics online closely, aiming to take advantage of them to manipulate public opinion," he added. Hu and Zhou are being prosecuted in separate cases. Zhai's case is still being heard and no verdict has yet been given. Activist Zhai Yanmin, who had posted online statements and comments that harmed national security and social stability, has been sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for trying to subvert State power. Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court announced the verdict about three hours after it publicly heard Zhai's case on Tuesday morning. The verdict said that Zhai began publishing statements and comments online in 2012. He also manipulated public opinion and organized several protests to disturb public order with lawyer Zhou Shifeng after joining an unregistered organization led by another man named Hu Shigen, the statement said. Zhou and Hu are being prosecuted in separate cases. The court ruled that Zhai committed the crime of subversion, damaging national security and social stability. Zhai pleaded guilty and cooperated with judicial organs following his arrest, which could be regarded as the reason for the reprieve and his lighter punishment, the court said. Zhai said he accepted the judgment and would not appeal. A screenshot shows an artist's impression of the new vehicle integrating different kinds of engine technologies. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Chinese scientists are researching a new type of aerospace vehicle that will take even those who have never had training to space in about 10 years' time at a much lower cost compared to the current price. China Central Television (CCTV) reported Monday that scientists from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have started work on a new vehicle integrating different kinds of engine technologies. The vehicle will integrate air-breathing engines, such as turbine and ramjet engines, and rocket engine, which would allow it to operate as a normal plane in the atmosphere and as a rocket in space. Researchers said the new vehicle will be reusable and take off and land at normal airports, without the need for special launch pads like the current rockets require, which will reduce cost substantially. Zhang Yong, a scientist from the corporation, said they expect to master key technologies in about three to five years, and significantly improve the vehicle's capability during the application. The vehicle is expected to be used for suborbital flight and orbital insertion by 2030, Zhang said. The expeditions will be between dozens to hundreds of kilometers from the earth. ASPEN, Colo. For many decades, Russian intelligence agencies have used what they call "active measures" to destabilize their rivals. Now they seem to be turning those tools on the U.S. political system, though in the process they appear to have violated Rule No. 1 of the spy business: Don't get caught. U.S. officials say they have strong evidence that Russian intelligence agencies hacked the files of the Democratic National Committee over the last year. What's less certain is whether they deliberately leaked some of those files to WikiLeaks, with the aim of disrupting Hillary Clinton's election campaign though some experts think this "weaponization" of information was likely. Russian President Vladimir Putin grew up in a KGB culture in which such use of active measures was a standard tool of the Cold War. He seems to have carried this tradecraft into the Kremlin employing hacking, black propaganda and other covert-action tools as part of what's politely described these days as "hybrid warfare." U.S. officials say that Russian intelligence in recent years has secretly funded right-wing political parties in Europe, sponsored covert propaganda channels, hacked the electrical grid of Ukraine and cyber-sabotaged other neighboring states, and created networks of "trolls" to attack enemies online. Why does Putin use these active measures to destabilize his rivals? Because they work. They're invisible, deniable and, for the most part, the targets don't fight back. But the DNC hack may have been a bridge too far. It triggered blunt responses last week from top national security officials who were gathered here for an annual conference known as the Aspen Security Forum. When the U.S. discovers evidence of foreign hacking, it should "be public about it," urged John Carlin, the assistant attorney general for national security. "Take it out of the intelligence channel ... that's the only way to change behavior," he argued. James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said he wasn't yet ready to identify the perpetrator of the DNC hack, but he said that from an intelligence standpoint, the U.S. is already "at war" with Russia. "The Russians have for years had a doctrine of ... active measures," explained Elissa Slotkin, acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. She said the Kremlin's tactics attempt "to sow dissent generally, either on a specific issue or just to cause political chaos ... in order to create an opening for themselves." What worries U.S. officials most is that given Russia's demonstrated willingness to use covert-action against its adversaries, the Russians might secretly intervene just before the November election. That might mean releasing embarrassing Hillary Clinton emails, as GOP nominee Donald Trump has urged Moscow to do. It might mean leaking phony news stories, or finding ways to upset financial markets. The American political system is an open and vulnerable target. Why would Russia target the DNC, in an operation that's eerily similar to the Nixon White House's 1972 burglary at the committee's headquarters at the Watergate? Partly, it was an information-gathering operation, like the reported Chinese intelligence hacks of the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain in 2008. But Moscow may have had a special animus toward Hillary Clinton. When she was secretary of state, she endorsed Russian dissenters in the 2011 and 2012 elections. A furious Putin charged back then that she "gave them a signal," and that the dissidents, "with the support of the U.S. State Department, began active work." In other words, Putin thinks Clinton shot first. The DNC noticed a problem in its computer system in April and hired a forensic firm called CrowdStrike to analyze the evidence. The firm concluded in May that two internet addresses linked to Russian intelligence had been inside the DNC systems. How did the DNC information get to Wikileaks? A supposed Romanian hacker who calls himself Guccifer 2.0 claimed credit. But some experts believe this is what's known in intelligence parlance as a "false flag" aimed at masking the Russian hand. And what about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump? Some have argued that he was the intended beneficiary of Moscow's DNC hack. But it seems more likely that Trump is what Russian intelligence officers sometimes describe as a "useful idiot" a person who unintentionally fosters Moscow's campaign of instability. Seven arrested following fatal demolition in Central China (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-02 16:37 CHANGSHA - Seven people have been arrested after a body was found last month in the debris of a demolished home in Central China's Hunan province, prosecutors said Tuesday. Li Jun, former Communist Party of China (CPC) Guanshaling community head in the district of Yuelu in the provincial capital Changsha city, was among those arrested for abuse of power or dereliction of duty on July 28 and 29, according to a statement issued by Changsha People's Procuratorate. The other suspects include four lower-level community officials or employees, the current Party chief, and the head of Chazishan village, according to the statement. On July 7, the body of a woman was found in demolition debris in Chazishan. It is alleged that there had been a dispute between the home owners and the demolition crew. Investigators confirmed that the woman had been crushed to death. According to Yang Quan, who claims to be the son of the deceased, his mother, Gong Xuehui, 60, had not been seen since demolition on June 16. Her body was found weeks later after her son hired an excavator to search through the debris. Yang alleges that on June 16 hundreds of people barged into his home and tried to remove the family, including Gong, from the premises. He told Beijing News that they were locked in a car until their home had been leveled. The report said the family failed to reach an agreement on compensation with the authority managing the demolition. The HOV lane in Shenzhen. [Photo/ycwb.com] Traffic authorities in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, said high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lane has been a success after it was introduced to help deal with traffic congestion in the city four months ago. The HOV lane is on Binhai Road, a freeway connecting the city's Nanshan and Futian districts. Small vehicles with no more than nine seats must carry at least two occupants, including the driver, in order to drive in the lane from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, and from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on working days. Statistics from the traffic police show that the number of vehicles using the HOV lane without passengers has fallen by 11 percent since April 18, while the number of vehicles carrying at least two people on the HOV lane has climbed by 17 percent. Police said the HOV lane could enable the same number of vehicles to carry an additional 870 people per hour. Local traffic police said they would step up monitoring next week targeting violators of the rule. Starting Aug 8, drivers who misuse the carpool lane will be fined 300 yuan (US$48). Apart from the ticket, violations will be recorded on the personal credit records of drivers, which will affect areas such as employment and obtaining a loan, according to the police officer. Both surveillance cameras and traffic police officers on patrol will monitor vehicles using the lane. A driver surnamed Ke told Shenzhen Daily he drove in the HOV lane because he was in a hurry. "I really support the use of HOV lanes because it is a good idea and it does not disrupt our commute," Ke said. Since HOV lanes were first introduced in the US in the late 1960s, they have been adopted by many countries, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but are rare in China. Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, has more than 3 million vehicles. Vehicles have become the largest contributor of pollutants, responsible for 70 percent of the city's air pollution, according to the city government. To tackle rising congestion and pollution, the city enacted a car purchasing restriction system in late 2014, requiring prospective buyers to acquire new car plates by lottery or auction. TIANJIN -- Zhai Yanmin, an unemployed resident of Beijing, was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve after being found guilty of subverting state power Tuesday. Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ordered that Zhai, 55, will have to serve a minimum three-year term should he fall foul of the law within the four-year probation period. The court also deprived Zhai of his political rights for four years. He pled guilty and declined his right to appeal. Zhai was first exposed to concepts such as the "color revolutions" and "peaceful transition" online, the court said in a statement. He then joined an underground church led by Hu Shigen and gradually developed plans to overthrow the state socialist system. Since 2012, Zhai has attempted to incite people to subvert state power by use of the online resources, the court said in a statement. Zhai, together with underground church members and lawyers, engaged and managed illegal petitioners to organize public gatherings, hype up legal cases and incidents, attack the country's judicial system and carry out activities aimed at subverting the state power and socialist system, the statement said. These activities endangered the state and society, it added. "I accept all the charges," Zhai said in his final statement, "With the help and education of the government, I recognize the severity of my crimes. I plead guilty and express my sincere remorse. "I am sorry to the country and my family... If I could go back I would never have become a member of hostile forces or associated with those individuals driven by ulterior motives," he said. He added that he would like to be used as an example of the consequences of listening to and supporting hostile forces overseas and at home, and to inform the public of the dangers of the so-called "democracy," "human rights" and "public benefits" flaunted by them as a mask for criminal activities. The court handed down a light sentence because he confessed, testified against others and repented, according to court statement. Moreover, the court decided that Zhai posed no major threat to the community, it said. The second branch of the People's Procuratorate of Tianjin Municipality filed charges against Zhai with Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on July 15. To safeguard the defendant's rights and interests and ensure a fair and efficient trial, a pretrial conference was held on July 22. It was attended by the prosecution team, defendant and defence counsel, presiding judge Cai Shuying said. During Tuesday's trial, Cai informed the defence team of Zhai's rights and obligations in litigation. The defence team had no objection with any of the evidence used in the trial. Altogether 48 people, including 20 journalists from home and overseas observed the trial. Prosecutors told the court that Zhai, together with three others -- Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping -- had conspired and plotted to subvert state power, and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it." The defendant was accused of organizing multiple mass protests to influence public opinion and court sentences. One such case was a fatal shooting incident at a railway station in Heilongjiang Province in May 2015. On May 2 of 2015, police officer Li Lebin shot dead Xu Chunhe at Qing'an County Railway Station. Xu had attacked Li and continued to assault the police officer despite multiple warnings. Follow-up investigations confirmed that Li had acted within the law. After the shooting, Zhai organized protests at the railway station and in front of the county government buildings in support of Xu. Zhai influenced online opinions and led public demonstrations that misrepresented the incident as police brutality. Moreover, lawyers were organized to turn up at protest locations so that the issue gained more traction, Zhai said in his testimony adding that, "they all followed a fixed process." Once an incident had become a "hot issue," lawyers, citizens and petitioners would fan the flames online and plan further protests with each individual assigned "work" for each activity, Zhai said. "I was the 'chief commander' on site. I attacked current laws and smeared the image of the police," he said. "We wanted every issue to gain as much exposure as possible, so we would send ordinary people out on the streets and initiate conflict between the people and officials. We wanted the international community to interfere, (with the aim of) overturning the CPC and launch our own 'color revolution,'" Zhai continued. When asked about the motivation behind his crimes, Zhai said he hated the government and the political system because of a failed business venture. In addition, he said he had been radicalized by people with ulterior motives. According to the evidence presented in court, Zhai met with 15 people, including Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping, in a Beijing restaurant on Feb. 1, 2015. The discussion covered how they could use the workers' rights movement and other sensitive incidents to promote their own agenda. "We had met at the restaurant to gather lawyers like Zhou and Li, 'citizen movement' leaders like Hu and 'doers' like me to discuss how to topple the current regime, we wanted to overthrow the CPC," Zhai confessed, adding that they reviewed the subversive activities of the previous year, and formulated plans for 2015. Interpretation specifies sanctions for illegal fishing, entry in sovereign waters File photo taken on April 29, 2016 shows a boat moves on the sea near Zhaoshu Island of Qilianyu Islands in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province. [Photo/Xinhua] Fishermen illegally operating in waters administered by China are going to face tougher sanctions than being merely driven off, as has been the common practice until now. The Supreme People's Court issued a judicial interpretation on Monday specifying standards for convicting and punishing those engaged in illegal fishing or entry into Chinese territorial waters and refusing to obey commands to leave. Such acts will be considered as "serious" criminal acts and those responsible will be fined and sentenced to less than one year's imprisonment, detention or surveillance. In addition, Chinese and foreign nationals will be held criminally liable for illegally killing endangered wildlife in waters under Chinese jurisdiction. The interpretation is aimed at helping Chinese maritime authorities better deal with thorny cases of infringements on sovereignty and economic rights, and of ecological crime in the South and East China seas. It took effect on Tuesday. The court said it is "China's first full-scale judicial interpretation on maritime crimes". Chen Chang, head of an observation and research station of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, said that before the interpretation, Chinese law had difficulty in effectively restraining illegal fishing by neighboring countries, such as Vietnam. Chen, who studies the deep waters off the Xisha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea, said some foreign fishermen had resorted to poison or even torpedoes to get their catch, seriously damaging the coral reefs. Chinese authorities had few options but to drive them away, "which is not conducive to effective management or deterrence". The new interpretation "offers viable provisions and a basis to support law enforcement", Chen said. Under the interpretation, seas under China's jurisdiction include not only inland waters and territorial seas, but also such areas as contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The interpretation covers Chinese citizens as well as organizations engaged in fishing in fishing zones or waters under comanagement of China and other countries. Wang Hanling, director of the National Center for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the CASS, said it is the first time that Chinese law has covered fishery zones jointly managed by China and neighbors. Wang pointed out that under the interpretation both Chinese and foreign citizens who engage in illegal activity in the waters will be punished "they are being treated on an equal footing" and their lawful rights and interests are also guaranteed. "The interpretation will help the agencies concerned to better exercise jurisdiction in the sea and protect China's maritime rights and interests," Wang said. It further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction based on Chinese law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the country's judicial practices, he said. China firmly opposes and is strongly dissatisfied with a Japanese defense white paper that is "full of lies", Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Tuesday. The report, approved by the Japanese Cabinet, plays up the South China Sea and East China Sea issues in a groundless manner and attempts to stir up trouble behind the scenes, from which Japan seeks to benefit, Wu said. He accused Japan of unilaterally changing the status quo by illegitimately "purchasing" China's Diaoyu Islands in 2012, enhancing military deployment targeting China, and passing a new security bill to end constitutional constraints on collective self-defense. Japan is attempting to make excuses for its adjustment of military and security policy, military expansion and even amending the Constitution, which should trigger great concern among the international community, he added. The 484-page white paper allocates several more pages to each country, including China and Russia, than the previous report. It devotes more words to China than other regional powers such as Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It also describes China's reclamation work in the South China Sea as a "provocation". "China is carrying out reforms to the People's Liberation Army, which some see as being the largest in the country's history," the report says. "Recently, the reforms have taken place at a rapid pace." Lyu Yaodong, director of the Foreign Policy Researcher Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Japanese Studies, said Japan has exaggerated China's maritime threat in recent years, and its real aim is to make excuses for its military expansion. The Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make 57-year-old Tomomi Inada, currently his ruling party's policy chief, defense minister in a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday. A close ally of Abe, she regularly visits Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted war criminals. Lyu said the reported nomination of Inada shows Abe's hard-line stance on defense. "It is expected that Inada will play hardball in Japan's various territorial conflicts with surrounding countries including China," he said. Wang Ping, a senior researcher of Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Abe is trying to push Japan to become a military power, and nominating a right-wing politician is part of his efforts. Contact the writers at caihong@chinadaily.com.cn China is considering a sweeping overhaul of its steel industry that would consolidate major steel producers into two giants, with one located in the north and the other in the south, according to people familiar with the plan. Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp and Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp will be merged into Southern China Steel Group, while Shougang Group and Hebei Iron & Steel Group will combine into Northern China Steel Group, said the people, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential. The combinations will give Chinese steel mills the scale to rival global giants such as ArcelorMittal SA. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration didn't respond to a request for comment, while a Baosteel Group spokesman declined to comment when reached by Bloomberg. Industry watchdog says that consumers' interests could not be well safeguarded Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has ceased online sales of medicines on its Tmall platform as the government tightens its control over the country's nascent e-pharmacy industry. Tmall, the business-to-consumer site of Alibaba, told its online vendors that the site will stop the online sales of medicines as of August 1, citing changes in government regulation. Beijing's recent reception of a senior Afghan military officer and the reported visit by a Taliban delegation show that China is playing an important role in maintaining stability in the region, analysts said. While meeting in Beijing on Sunday with Qadam Shah Shahim, chief of staff of the General Staff of the Afghan National Army, Defense Minister Chang Wanquan expressed gratitude toward Afghanistan for the country's support in fighting the terrorist East Turkestan Islamic Movement, according to a statement released by the ministry on Sunday. Shahim said Afghanistan would like to deepen cooperation with China in fighting terrorists including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the statement said. How far will Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen go in her endeavors to estrange the island from the mainland? No one seems to be able to tell from what she has said. But everyone can see where her government is trying to lead the island when it comes to relations across the Taiwan Straits. What has happened since she took over the leadership of the island points to what her refusal to clarify her attitude on the 1992 Consensus portends - trying to do as much as she and her administration can toward a de facto "Taiwan independence". When 24 tourists from the mainland were killed in a bus fire in Taiwan on July 19, Tsai as leader of the island, which has benefitted greatly from a large number of tourists from across the Straits, did not say a word about the perished tourists. Instead, she said elegiac words about the Taiwan tourist guide who was also killed in the tragedy. The Montana Rescue Mission needs help after a broken water line flooded the basement kitchen and dining area of the mens shelter at South 28th Street and Minnesota Avenue. As of Monday, the missions main building remained closed to the homeless it shelters nightly and the hungry it feeds daily. A disaster restoration crew was at work inside the 65-year-old building. On Sunday night, about 50 homeless men slept on cots in the Rescue Mission administration offices in a building across the street from the flooded shelter, according to Denise Smith, mission public relations director. Mission staff distributed sandwiches and other no-cook meals to those guests, and to 37 women and children housed at the Womens Shelter on Montana Avenue. The Rescue Mission also continued to supply 18 meals in the evening to the Community Crisis Center. How can the community help? Help Wednesday Volunteers are needed to move bags and boxes of clothing out of the Minnesota Avenue shelter starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Smith said. Pierce RV is supplying two large trailers to transport the stored items to the missions thrift stores on Main Street and 24th Street West. Volunteers also are needed to be at those two stores about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to help unload the trailers. We need as many volunteers as we can get to get shoes and clothing out before it becomes damaged, Smith said. These are items that were stored for the mission to distribute to its guests as needed. The mission needs sandwiches and other ready-to-eat foods to serve to guests at the two shelters and to the Crisis Center clients. The mission also supplies sack lunches for its guests to take to work. Everyone who can help with the Wednesday morning moving, at the mission locations on Minnesota, on Main or on 24th Street West, should call 259-3800 in advance so the volunteers can be coordinated. Individuals and groups who want to deliver sandwiches or other food to the mission also are asked to phone 259-3800 in advance. Community response Local businesses and organizations have been quick to offer help to Montana Rescue Mission, a faith-based nonprofit with a long history of serving Billings homeless people. Smith said A1 Rental donated pumping services and Total Rental provided a 50-percent discount. Food Services of America donated use of a large refrigeration trailer, which was being used to store frozen foods rescued from the flooded kitchen. Soup 'n Such and King of Glory Church brought weekend meals. Head Start and the Army National Guard offered the use of their kitchens. The Billings Food Bank, which has a large commercial kitchen, dining space and cold food storage, also offered to help the mission. In addition to immediate clean-up, the mission building will need renovation. Donations of skilled labor and building supplies will be welcome. What isnt donated, Montana Rescue Mission will have to buy. So for those of us who prefer to write donation checks, this is an excellent time to write them to the mission. Its worth noting that summer is typically a slow time for charitable contributions. Many nonprofit organizations count on getting the bulk of annual donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Montana Rescue Mission certainly didnt count on having a costly flood this summer. The mission has given much to the Billings community: Shelter for men, women and children who have no other place to go, meals for anyone who is hungry, programs to help individuals and families rebuild their lives, get jobs and permanent housing. Now its time for Billings to step up and help Montana Rescue Mission fulfill its mission. A lama from Jokhang Monastery checks a digitally categorized fresco on a combination screen.[Photo by Wang Kaihao/ China Daily] Night falls. Waves of pilgrims gradually begin leaving Jokhang Monastery in the old part of Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region. Then, Luo Wenhua leads his team to begin another night's workshooting pictures of glittering Buddha niches in this monastery, one of the holiest places for Tibetans. Every evening, until midnight, is the only time they get to work on building one of country's most advanced 3-D high-definition image database of cultural relics. Luo, a researcher from the Palace Museum in Beijing, moved to Lhasa in 2013 for this program to help Jokhang Monastery digitally categorize its thangkaTibetan paintings on cotton or silk appliquestatues and frescoes. "The photographs of every statue, for example, are taken from 10 different angles," says Luo. "If epigraphs are discovered, more pictures are taken. "Sections of the photographed frescoes can be magnified to more than a person's height in the database." The sacred names (in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mandarin) of the relics and other information are recorded. About 85 percent of 5,051 statues in the monastery have been covered so far, and the oldest can be dated back to the Tubo era (7th to 9th century), the predecessor of today's Tibet, according to Luo. In total 1,439 pieces of thangka have been found. Jokhang Monastery was founded during the reign of Songtsen Gampo, the first ruler of Tubo, and its construction continued until the early 20th century. Speaking of the relics, Luo says: "It's uncommon for a monastery to have a specific cultural relics warehouse like Jokhang. However, the inventory needs to be done in a better way because the details in the previous one were often vague." "Now that we are recording details we can fill some of the voids in the records in Jokhang." Luo says the digitization of the frescoes should be completed by 2017, and the project will then be expanded to cover the ancient architecture. The database will be in three languagesMandarin, Tibetan and Englishto facilitate access by overseas scholars. He hopes that the material they are collecting can be used to develop something like the Palace Museum's digital exhibitions so that full use can be made of the database, but the proposal is dependent on the monastery's administrators. Potala Palace, another sanctuary in Lhasa built in AD 637, is also making an attempt to use digital technology to better preserve its relics. The Jokhang Monastery and the Potala Palace were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 2000 and 1994 respectively. Ma Li works with woodblock printing at a studio in Sibao town, Liancheng county, East China's Fujian province. Although in a remote mountainous region, Sibao was one of the country's four woodblock printing centers during the Qing Dynasty (1368-1644) and at its peak over 60 percent of local residents were engaged in printing. Classic works printed here were sold across the county as well as in Southeast Asia. Now a museum has been built to display the long history of the ancient craftwork that played an important role in the spread of human civilization. Ma Li started learning the art of carving woodcuts at the age of 16. [Photo/China News Service] Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors on display in Sydney Harbor in 2015.[Photo/Agencies] China's Terracotta Warrior lanterns are to be the centerpiece of Spring Festival celebrations in Manchester in January, marking their first appearance in Britain. The lanterns will illuminate Manchester's Exchange Square as part of the city's 2017 Chinese New Year program, the biggest celebration of its kind in the country outside Chinatown in London. The event will be organized by Heart of Manchester BID along with the Federation of Chinese Associations of Manchester, Manchester City Council and the Confucius Institute. Commissioned for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the show has appeared in many iconic locations, including Sydney Harbor, Zagreb Central Square and Prague's Hradcany Castle. Created by artist Xia Nan, the brightly colored lanterns are inspired by the famous Terracotta Army figures uncovered in 1974 near the tomb of China's first emperor. Each standing more than two meters tall, the lanterns bring together two key elements of Chinese art and culture, namely the compelling story of the Terracotta Army and the 2,000-year-old tradition of lantern-making. "The Chinese New Year celebrations in 2017 are set to be the biggest the city has ever seen," says a spokeswoman for Heart of Manchester BID. "Manchester city center will see in the Year of the Rooster a four-day program (Jan 26-29), celebrating the very best of traditional and contemporary Chinese culture," she adds. More than 6,000 traditional red lanterns will adorn the city's streets alongside a 15-meter tall Golden Dragon spectacle, with light shows and firework displays. Young women enjoy Bye Joe cocktails at a bar.[Photo provided to China Daily] World Baijiu Day, an event designed to make the rest of the world more aware of China's most popular spirit, is officially on Aug 9, but bar events in several cities are beginning early this week. This is the second year for the celebration, organized by Beijing blogger Jim Boyce, and it inspired us to look beyond the week's official events (www.worldbaijiuday.com) and see how the fabled Chinese liquor might be expanding its reach in unexpected places. In Shanghai bars Why is Chinese liquor a surprise in a Shanghai bar? Because in this case, we're talking about American baijiu. The most widely distributed brand produced in the United States, Bye Joe, has made its way back to the Chinese mainland, where its base liquor is sourced. American Matt Trusch, a self-proclaimed lover of Chinese culture, spent about 15 years in Asia before returning to his native Texas after the birth of his third child. Calling baijiu "the juice that keeps China running," Trusch has long been convinced that the white liquor could find a place on global shelves if the alcohol level was lower than traditional mainland levels and if it was marketed as a cocktail base instead of a ganbei-style shot drink. His Bye Joe is 35 percent alcohol, a five-year-aged light-style baijiu from China, "which we filter three or four times to give you a cleaner liquor that's a good fit for cocktail-mixing". Targeting younger and especially female drinkers, he found that Chinese-Americans embraced Bye Joe as a song from home, especially his fruit-flavor infused brands. "Dragon Fire, our most popular label, has notes of dragon fruit, litchi and peppercorn," he says. "Litchi has a positive olfactory sense for most Asians. It reminds them of home, of being young, and it gives a feeling of connection with something inherent to them." That sense convinced Trusch that there was a market for his product in the Chinese mainland, where young drinkers shy away from the heavy, high-alcohol style of liquor their fathers favored. In the past few months, several Western-style bars in Shanghai and Chengdu have featured Bye Joe cocktails, and Trusch was recently back in Shanghai to cultivate Chinese bars as well. China's Global Newspaper Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. [Photo/Agencies] The United States is busy preparing to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the Republic of Korea ignoring the strong protests by China and Russia, which justifiably say it will pose a strategic threat to their security. And the US-led NATO is consolidating its presence in Eastern Europe. What are the motives behind these chessboard moves? At the turn of the new century, the US began its largest strategic adjustment since the end of the Cold War, shifting its strategic focus from Europe and the Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific. Right after George W. Bush took office as US president, his administration made the decision to change the oversea deployment pattern of the US military, from the previous 60 percent for Europe and 40 percent for the Asia-Pacific to 50 percent each for the two regions. It also listed China as a major competitor for the first time. The Bush administration failed to make the strategic adjustment only because of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and the "war on terror" that followed. Ever since President Barack Obama entered the White House he has been determined to advance the "pivot to Asia" strategy to overcome the "threat" China's rise poses to the US' hegemony in the Western Pacific. The Obama administration's strategic push has continued uninterrupted despite the political turbulence in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis and the rise of the Islamic State. NATO's eastward expansion and "pivot to Asia" both are the result of the change in the established international order and the US' altered strategic perception, and they reflect the change in its strategic focus at different times. Some White House officials believe US-Russia relations are not parallel to US-China ties, because they view a power game between the US and Russia as one between "a superpower and a power" but find it difficult to define any game between Beijing and Washington. Given this fact, the US-led eastward expansion of NATO is secondary in importance to the "pivot to Asia" strategy. According to some in the US, the "pivot to Asia" is a strategic design relevant to the US' overall development, while the plan for Russia's containment in Europe is a kind of tactical move. In the context of "pivot to Asia", the US has intensified its efforts to unite its allies in Asia in order to forge an Asian version of NATO. Compared to the impact of NATO's eastward expansion on Russia, the "pivot to Asia" strategy will create more strategic pressures on China. Though China and Russia don't want a confrontation with the US and will not forge a formal alliance, they have been forced to stand closer to cope with the strategic squeeze applied by the US and its allies. China's top strategic priority is to ease the huge security pressures and meet the challenges created by the US' strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific. Since the Asia-Pacific is a region the US will pay special attention to, it is expected to focus its energy and resources on it to check China's rise after putting continuous pressure on Russia. To deal with the US' strategic squeeze, China and Russia should intensify their cooperation in Northeast Asia, a region easier for them to work together compared with areas like the South China Sea. As a start, they should take necessary measures to counter the threat posed by THAAD's deployment in the ROK because the Washington-Seoul move will break the delicate strategic balance on the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, while reiterating its strong resistance to THAAD, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should abandon its nuclear program and stop testing missiles in order to prevent the US and the ROK from using those as an excuse to expedite the deployment of THAAD. The author is an assistant research fellow at the National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Protesters attend the rally to denounce deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) near the US embassy on July 13, 2016 in Seoul, the ROK. The ROK's defense ministry announced on July 13, 2016 that it will deploy the US military's THAAD anti-missile defense unit in Seongju county. [Photo/VCG] Despite the strong opposition of China, the United States and the Republic of Korea have agreed to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the ROK. Although the US claims THAAD is aimed at countering the "nuclear threat" posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", it is actually targeted at China. Why is THAAD's deployment in the ROK strongly opposed by China? THAAD will undermine the regional strategic balance in East Asia and create more obstacles to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. When the strategic balance of a region is broken, an arms race follows and regional disputes and conflicts intensify. The Korean Peninsula is one of the few places in the world where the fear of war is still real. The peninsula nuclear issue has been threatening security in the region for over a decade, and negotiations, including "the Six-Party Talks", to settle the issue have been stalled. In such a sensitive region, THAAD's deployment could open the door to a military confrontation. One way of rectifying the strategic imbalance is for the US and the ROK to rescind their agreement to deploy THAAD. The second way is for Beijing to strengthen its nuclear capability, for once THAAD is deployed in the ROK, major parts of China will be under its anti-missile system umbrella. The deployment of THAAD in the ROK is part and parcel of the US missile defense system in East Asia, a region of strategic importance to the US where it sees China challenging its "DLP" (dominance, leadership and primacy). The US has singled out China as the target for its "rebalancing to Asia" strategy. And THAAD is an indispensable component of that "rebalance". John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University recently published an article in Foreign Affairs outlining "rebalancing to Asia" strategy as a superior "grand strategy" to be applied seriously by the US in East Asia and Europe. These two neoconservative theorists have identified China as "likely to seek hegemony in Asia" and call on the US to undertake major efforts "to prevent it from succeeding". "Rebalancing to Asia" first calls for the US to "rely on local powers to contain China". Should that fail, the US may "have to throw its considerable weight behind them". THAAD is a case in point. The US' involvement in the South China Sea issuesupporting the Philippines in its political farce of seeking "international arbitration" and the exhibition of force by the US Navy and Air Forceis another example of its "rebalancing to Asia" strategy. The US is used to thinking and acting as a hegemonic power. But we live in an era of globalization where countries are more interdependent than ever. No country can be "balanced" or "rebalanced" away as the US wishes. As such, the deployment of missile defense systems in Eastern Europe and East Asia will hurt global stability. THAAD's deployment will worsen the divide in East Asia, where regional arrangements for economic growth are shaped with China at its core while regional security is assumed to be based on the US-centered military alliances. Should this contradictory situation develop further, neither regional economic growth nor security can be sustained. In short, THAAD is detrimental to the regional security of East Asia. No country can expect to achieve absolute security at the expense of other countries' insecurity. East Asia should enjoy peace and stability based on common and cooperative security. Therefore, the countries involved in the power game should reconsider their ill-conceived decisions in order to restore the regional strategic balance. The author is former vice-minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and former vice-minister at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Courtesy: Chinausfocus.com A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. [Photo/Agencies] While overestimating Beijing's influence on Pyongyang, Seoul has to a greater extent undervalued Beijing's commitment and endeavors to broker peace between the two Koreas. Beijing fully endorsed the UN sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the belief that there is no better way to dissuade Pyongyang from continuing with its nuclear weapons program, and persuading it to return to the negotiating table. And despite the continuous show of defiance by Pyongyang, there are credible signs the United Nations sanctions are beginning to bite. While there is no guarantee a cornered Pyongyang will not make desperate moves, there is an oft-neglected fact that calls for attentionPyongyang, too, prefers negotiations. Its offers of talks have repeatedly been ignored because Seoul and Washington have considered the preconditions it has set unacceptable. However, all this potential for reaching a negotiated solution with Pyongyang may come to naught with the Republic of Korea's decision to deploy the United State's Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system. With Pyongyang constantly rattling its sabers, Seoul's security concerns are legitimate. Beijing understands and respects them. But Seoul does not seem to reciprocate in kind and is ignoring Beijing's own legitimate security concerns. The strongest argument for deploying the THAAD anti-missile system is a sense of security. Yet, as many analysts have pointed out, THAAD's defensive capabilities are limited in the face of Pyongyang's threats to the ROK, which come from its artillery, short-range and lower-altitude missiles, which THAAD does not provide a defense against. And instead of intimidating the DPRK, the decision to deploy THAAD has instead invited more angry responses from Pyongyang, significantly escalating tension and hostility. The security situation on the Peninsula will only worsen hereafter. And that is before taking into account the THAAD's serious divisive impacts on the region. Sizeable as they are, economic ties with China may not be as important to Seoul as its security alliance with the US. Seoul seems to believe the cost of alienating Beijing is worth it, and affordable, and there is little Beijing can do beyond voicing its own security concerns and protesting. But the damage will not stop there. THAAD will substantially change Northeast Asia's security landscape. Since Seoul is helping Washington consolidate its strategic deployment that can be easily targeted against both China and Russia, it is natural for them to act to counter this threat. The ROK may find itself in the middle of a mini arms race, where it will have to follow suit if it does not want to expose itself to further, more dangerous security threats. This will be a road of no return. Editor's Note: A forum regular, claudeckenni, has traveled to 12 provinces and more than 20 cities in China. To help others enjoy the Middle Kingdon's most amazing places, he picked his favorite spots and shared handy travel tips for each one. Comments are welcome. 1. Dunhuang Located at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang was one of the most important cities in ancient China. Today, it is a small beautiful town in the Gobi Desert with a population of less than 200,000 people. With its rich history dating back over a thousand years, Dunhuang is a great place to visit for those who wish to experience life in the desert. Places to visit in Dunhuang: Mogao Grottoes The biggest and most important grottoes in China, filled with exquisite Buddhist artifacts and manuscripts. In order to protect the artifacts, the number of visitors is limited and advanced booking is required. Yueyaquan National Park A great place for those who wish to experience the desert. Go early in the morning and ride a camel to see the sunrise. Climb to the top of sand dunes and slide down using a "giant wheel". The oasis itself is not too impressive up close, but very beautiful from afar. Yadan Landforms / Devil City Beautiful landforms resembling an ancient city in the middle of the desert. Note: Do: Watch performances by local residents. Ask your hotel/guide. Some of them are good, some of them are bad. I watched one about the Goddess of Dunhuang and I liked it. Its depends on your own preference. Eat: Lamb meat skewers. They are delicious. People in Dunhuang seem nicer than in other places in China. The prices for fruit etc are more expensive than any other cities though, because they need to import them from the South. Well, we're in the middle of the desert anyway. Infant formula on display at a supermarket in Nantong, Jiangsu province. Consumer confidence in infant formula on the mainland has plummeted, leading many concerned parents to turn to imported products.[Photo/Provided to China Daily] After an investigation into overseas brands of milk powder, about 40 percent of the 19 tested have been "disqualified" from the Chinese market because they did not meet the national standards. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Monday: Maybe because of the safety concerns about domestic infant formula in recent years, maybe because of their blind zeal for overseas products, some Chinese customers prefer foreign brands of milk powder to domestic ones. These customers were quite astounded at the news that some well-known foreign brands have been disqualified from the Chinese market. As a matter of fact, it is not really about their quality, but rather the different standards for formula milk in various countries. It is quite normal that different countries have different formula milk powder. The differences derive from catering to the bodily requirements of babies in different nations. For instance, as women in Japan eat a lot of seafood, Japanese baby formula may not need to contain much iodine or zinc, while inland Chinese babies may need more of the two elements. As for Chinese customers, they are quite ignorant of the formula milk needed for their babies. As China has recently increased the quality and safety of formula milk powder, domestic customers should get rid of the mindset of foreign brands only and try more formula milk that is made in China, which will be more suitable for their babies. A Lame Deer man on Monday admitted federal charges accusing him of killing a Lame Deer woman by driving recklessly. A jury trial had been scheduled to start Monday for Joseph Curtis Morrison Jr., 53, but instead, he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as charged in an indictment during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Billings. An indictment accused Morrison of driving recklessly on Aug. 27, 2015, in Lame Deer, causing the death of Daisy Ann Rowland, 49. Her brother earlier had identified Rowland as the victim. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sullivan said in court records that Morrison drove through a stop sign at a four-way stop in downtown Lame Deer and ran over Rowland, who was walking in a crosswalk, killing her immediately. Morrison then quickly abandoned his vehicle and fled from the scene, he said. Morrison was driving a Chevrolet Suburban when it left the road as he approached the intersection, went up on the sidewalk around cars stopped at the stop sign and through the intersection. The vehicle struck Rowland and pulled her under, he said. Rowlands body was dislodged after the vehicle hit the curb. Morrison then accelerated and continued westbound, Sullivan said. The vehicle was found abandoned at the next turnoff, he said. Witnesses saw the crash and also talked to Morrison. One of the witnesses said that Morrison parked the car in a driveway and told her that he had hit somebody, Sullivan said. Morrison also told the witness that said he had fallen asleep at the wheel and had been awake for about a week, he said. While executing a search warrant on the Suburban on Aug. 28, investigators found a bottle of Black Velvet on the passenger-side floorboard and a wallet with identification cards for Morrison. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters has not yet set a sentencing date. Morrison faces a maximum eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He remains in custody. Students of Beijing International Studies University.[Photo/Agencies] What is the role of a professor? Of course, to teach students. Most of the world's top universities require their professors, however senior they may be, to deliver lectures and hold seminars for their students. Besides, studies show that while students learn more from professors, the professors, too, benefit from the process, because teaching helps them to deepen and improve their research. But for long professors in Chinese universities, in general, have preferred to conduct research instead of teaching students in classrooms. In the past, some reports even said senior professors had been away from classrooms for so long that students no longer recognized them. The cause of the problem is twofold. First, higher education authorities judge the performance of a university mainly by its academic, not teaching, achievements. For example, they tend to honor the professors who get awards for their research works and ignore those that teach well. Second, most colleges use published academic works as a benchmark when it comes to promoting associate professors to the post of professors, or giving professors higher titles; their performance in class accounts for only a small percentage of the requirements. Published works are considered very importantas opposed to teaching performancefor evaluating a professor's performance, which further encourages university teachers to put more efforts into research. Having realized the problem, the country's top leadership has made it clear in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) that teaching is as important as research for higher education institutions, and that a top university must pay attention to both. The Higher Education Law, revised in 2015, also says cultivating talents is the duty of higher education institutions. Echoing the top leadership's call, the Ministry of Education has issued one document after another to implement a policy that encourages professors to go back to classrooms. That's part of the ongoing education system reform. According to the Ministry of Education's latest data, the percentage of professors taking classes has increased from 54 percent in 2003 to more than 90 percent now because of the encouragement policy. However, as some undergraduates and professors say, there remain some problems. For example, some professors come to class without ample preparation; some simply do not care about the students' performances. As a Chinese saying goes, some professors "are physically present in the classroom but spiritually somewhere else". To solve these problems, the ongoing education reform should include new measures. In fact, some colleges have already started trying out new measures, which include increasing the percentage of teaching in professors' performance evaluation, so that those teaching well also get the chance of being promoted, and encouraging professors to combine their teaching with research and share the results of their studies with students in class. But it requires the joint efforts of all, not only colleges, to encourage professors to give due importance to teaching. For that, the Ministry of Education should change the funding standards of universities and list teaching performance, not only research achievements, among the indexes used to evaluate the performance of a college. Only when university funding is decided by how well colleges teach will they pay more attention to teaching. Besides, universities should be granted more autonomy. It is better for universities to recruit their teaching staff and decide their payments, for that will allow university administrators to better implement the reform measures and realize the goal of encouraging professors to go back to classrooms. The author is president of Beijing International Studies University. LUO JIE/CHINA DAILY The direction of the financial tides flowing in and out of China's shores has been changing. The perception that China is primarily attractive as an inbound investment center is now being outpaced by Chinese money heading across the world to acquire assets. In 2015, China's non-financial outward direct investment (ODI) was $118 billion. Based on the Ministry of Commerce's 2015 data for foreign direct investment (FDI), which stood at $128.5 billion and the non-financial ODI of $118 billion, one can therefore assume China's total ODI (financial and non-financial) actually exceeded FDI for the first time in 2015. This represents a significant shift. UBS expects China's ODI to accelerate to an 18 percent compound annual growth rate from 2015 to 2018, having recorded on average at 14 percent during 2008-14. Globally, developed markets have attracted a far higher share of China's ODI. Nearly two-thirds of China's offshore investments are currently being routed to those markets, with North America, Europe and Asia accounting for more than 80 percent of Chinese acquisitions in 2015. By specific industry sector, more Chinese money has been invested in tech and tourism businesses, while investment in resources, such as energy and metals, has declined. UBS projects that sectors with solid domestic fundamentals such as consumer, IT and tourism will continue to record accelerated ODI during the medium term. In sectors such as rail, ports, home appliances and telecom equipment, emerging Chinese multinationals may significantly alter the global competitive landscape in upcoming years. State-owned enterprises were the original initiators of Chinese ODI, because they enjoyed government support and had access to low-cost funding. Today, private enterprises have access to the same kind of funding levels and there is a perception that the days of SOEs embodying the biggest momentum supplied by the Chinese economy has passed. However, that hypothesis is not borne out by the information gleaned from Chinese investment offshore. Participation by the SOEs in ODI has actually been rising, and now represents over half of offshore mergers and acquisitions. Overseas expansion should be positive for Chinese companies, given the still relatively strong yuan and cheap domestic funding. The ability to pick up debt finance at a relatively modest cost is key to the proliferation of Chinese ODI. Eighty to 90 percent of Chinese outward investment has been financed with debt, though we have noticed that A-share companies have been more inclined to rely on equity financing. However, growth in Chinese ODI is not a foregone conclusion. There are still challenges. The sustainability of overseas expansion depends on capital flows, foreign reserves and the yuan's value. Also a weaker global economic environment may jeopardize bullish sentiment toward investing overseas. There is a misconception that Chinese companies are insensitive to acquisition costs and as a result are willing to pay a hefty premium. But the data suggests otherwise. Chinese companies pay on average a 27 percent acquisition premium compared with the global average of about 24 percent. This year, the momentum has increased. Chinese companies have announced $145.4 billion of overseas M&A during the first half of 2016, although not all them may be successfully completed. That figure exceeds the all-time high of $116.2 billion during the whole of 2015. There is still a long way to go, though. China's direct investment abroad in 2014 was about 1.2 percent of GDP, compared with the US' 1.9 percent and Japan's at 2.5 percent. In the coming years, Chinese investment will be spreading across the world. The author is Head of China Strategy, UBS Securities. A big fire is seen at a chemical plant in the Gulei Peninsula in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, on April 8, where an explosion on Monday evening injured six people. The fire resurfaced hours after it was extinguished late Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua] Lucid waters and lush mountains are the nation's goals, President Xi Jinping has said. Since he became the top leader, China has taken every possible measure to make environmental protection one of the government's principal guidelines as it deals with eco-problems and economic restructuring. More than 20 years ago, in nearly every development program, China set the goal of transforming its development patterns, which were heavily reliant on energy, especially fossil fuel consumption. Although China's economy grew at double digits for long, the economic growth caused heavy environmental damage. Besides, China has not yet fulfilled its objectives of changing its development patterns. But preliminary figures now indicate that Xi's team is on track to deliver on its promise. For instance, China's coal consumption decreased 2.9 percent and 3.6 percent year-on-year in 2014 and 2015. And even though the consumption figure for the first half of this year is not yet available, coal production is believed to have dropped year-on-year by 9.7 percent in the January-June period. For decades, coal accounted for about three-fourths of China's total energy consumption but that ratio fell to a historic low of 64.4 percent in 2015. Qi Ye, director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy of Tsinghua University and Nicholas Stern, president of the British Academy, have published a joint paper on the subject on Nature Geo-science website. And former energy chief Zhang Guobao has, on the basis of data, said China's coal peak year, by and large, was 2013. Basically, these achievements have been accomplished in the macroeconomic framework of the "new normal" and supply-side reform, which are focused on reducing industrial overcapacity. But they have also improved the quality of the economy by increasing the output from almost all inputs, such as energy, capital, human and other resources. To achieve this, China adopted what might be termed a strategy of "killing two birds with one stone". China has not yet announced a legally-binding ceiling for coal consumption on a countrywide basis, but nearly all provincial capitals and municipalities, most of which suffer from heavy air pollution, have set their goals for coal use. For example, Beijing's coal consumption will be no more than 10 percent of its total energy mix next year. Shanghai has banned all households and small-scale boilers from using coal. And some areas of Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, have been prohibited from burning coal altogether. Sichuan has already announced a ceiling on coal consumption. Even Shanxi, China's largest coal producing province in North China, has started building large-scale wind farms and setting up solar plants to gradually replace coal use. The phasing out of coal consumption and the ceiling policy are similar to what happened across Europe when countries realized the importance of protecting the environment. As such, the bottom-up approach of China to curb coal use has positive implications even though the coal industry faces the pressure of low price and rising lay-offs. The policies adopted by China will help reduce industrial overcapacity, especially in the steel industry. In some cities, blue-sky days have increased dramatically since the clean-air campaign was launched. That is the kind of environment people long for and deserve. Such environmental welfare approach can help reduce the healthcare bill of families and the government. From a policy point of view, these practices may help the government put a ceiling on total energy consumption. And if that happens, it would be a huge step forward in fulfilling China's commitments to reducing energy consumption. Another revolutionary step would be to revise the peak year for China's carbon emissions, which was previously set by the government around 2030. It seems Xi's goal of developing a green and beautiful nation is on way to be achieved before schedule. The author is deputy chief for China Daily European Bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. [Photo/Agencies] Recently, South Korea announced that it will deploy the defensive system THAAD in the countrys south. The South Korean government justified its decision by stating that its objective is protecting its citizens from unexpected future attacks especially from North Korea. Before venturing into the impact of deploying THAAD upon the relations between the nations in the region specifically and its consequences regarding the world peace generally, heres a brief introduction of the system. THAAD is an acronym that stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. Its mechanism is based upon shooting down short and intermediate ballistic missiles before they strike their targets. Using Kinetic energy, the system will destroy the attacking missiles. It is too obvious that South Korea is suspicious of the intentions of North Korea which possesses such weapons. The system consists of five fundamental components. The interceptions, using the radar, will detect any incoming missile that attempts to attack the South Korean nation. With the help of the fire control and support equipment, the launchers will fire projectiles to destroy the attacking missiles. Due to the fact that the system has no warheads on its missiles, it is potentially safer than colliding with the incoming nuclear missiles. According to nuclear experts, destroying them with the system will not cause nuclear explosion. The system has been used by the US for several years to protect units in Guam and Hawaii. The South Korean officials explained the need to deploy the system emphasizing the fact that North Korea, in defiance with the international community, continues to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the South Korean government and its alliances to maintain a viable defense system against aggressive actions from North Korea. They believe that THAAD will accomplish that objective. Despite statement from the US that the main objective of deploying the system is protecting South Korea from future attacks from North Korea, the project is causing a great deal of controversy. China and Russia expressed great concern about the impact of deploying the system. They believe that it will lead to militarizing of the peninsula and escalating the already existing tension in the region. They emphasized that the US has a devious motive which is intensifying its presence in South Asia. Assuming no surprises in the second half of the year, Chinas growth in 2016 will remain near the target of 6.5 percent reflecting structural transition in the mainland, secular stagnation in the West and post-Brexit tensions globally. In mid-July, Chinas second-quarter GDP figures beat estimates with a 6.7 percent expansion, thanks to support by a slate of stimulus measures from the government and the central bank. In the next two quarters, Chinas growth is expected to decelerate to around 6.5 percent or less. In annualized figures, the quarterly data indicates an expansion of nearly 6.5 percent, which remains close to the ambitious target of 6.5-7 percent. At the same time, the consumer price index (CPI) is likely to increase to 2.5 percent. Diminished global prospects Since early spring, policymakers have opted for fiscal and monetary stimulus, particularly to support property markets which have fueled home prices, while contributing to construction, employment and stability. However, the central government is between a rock and a hard place, thanks to diminished global prospects. In the US, fiscal conditions have tightened and rate hikes remain on hold. In Europe, expansion relies excessively on central banks quantitative easing and ultra-low rates. In Japan, Prime Minister Abe is pushing still another huge fiscal stimulus, while central bank is relying on negative rates and aggressive monetary injections. In this international comparison, the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) looks almost conservative as it has allowed the deflation of some asset bubbles. Nevertheless, while the PBOC may not resort to policy rate cuts, it is likely to engage in further cuts of reserve ratio requirements (RRR), which will reduce the amount cash banks need to hold. As a result of leverage, Chinese banks non-performing loans (NPLs) have increased, while concerns have risen about asset quality, due to credit expansion. Beware of sustained credit expansion Between 2007 and 2014, debt-to-GDP ratios rose in major advanced economies, by more than 50 percentage points in many cases. During the same period, Chinas debt quadrupled to $28 trillion, fueled by real estate and shadow banking. In the advanced West, accumulated debt will constrain growth for decades to come. Despite relatively faster debt accumulation, China may be better positioned to overcome credit expansion. Unlike major advanced economies, China can still manage its debt on the back of growth. In the US, government debt exceeds 105 percent of the GDP, while below 2 percent growth is not adequate to contain the challenge. Whats worse, Washington lacks a credible, bipartisan and medium-term debt plan. In the Euro area, government debt exceeds 96 percent of the GDP, while 1 percent growth is inadequate to defuse the challenge. Whats worse, while Brussels may have political will to contain the debt burden, it lacks the institutions to do so. Second, in advanced economies, general government debt is a result of a long-term gap between revenues and expenditures. The leverage is structural. In China, government debt is still tolerable, whereas excessive leverage evolved largely at the local level following the 2009 stimulus. Nevertheless, Chinas credit expansion remains about 13 percent; twice as high as the countrys growth pace. Moreover, concern is increasing about shadow banking-associated indebtedness. Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine looks out of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion as it flies over the southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 March 22, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] CANBERRA -- A leading air crash expert has said missing Malaysia Airlines fight MH370 was likely to have been in controlled flight as it hit the water, giving life to the theory it was brought down by a rogue pilot or hijacker. Air crash expert Larry Vance told Australia's Nine Network that there was no other way to explain why the flaperon, found off the coast of Madagascar, was "extended" meaning it would have been in controlled flight as it hit the water. Vance said the only way to extend the flaperon, something which happens when a plane is attempting a landing, was for the pilot to engage a switch, something which is unlikely to have occurred during an sudden disaster. "You cannot get the flaperon to extend any other way than if somebody extended it," Vance told the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program overnight. "Somebody would have to select it (in the cockpit)." Vance said, from photos released of the flaperon, there was evidence to show the aeroplane hit the water at a controlled speed, pointing to it being a "human engineered event." "Somebody was flying the aeroplane into the water... There is no other alternate theory that you can follow of all the potentials that might have happened. There's no other theory that fits," he said. Overseas Chinese students at the University of Washington in Seattle are being targeted in a tuition scam run on the Chinese social networking app WeChat, according to university police. The number of Chinese victims is said to be about 90, and $1 million in tuition fees has been stolen from them, University of Washington Police Department investigators told Seattle Times on Monday. A suspect has not been identified, according to police. "We received reports from multiple students, and are working hard to resolve this case," Major Craig Wilson of the university police told China Daily. On July 19, police alerted students to the scam and urged them not to share their university information or checking account numbers with anyone. The scam began to unravel recently when a New York detective contacted the university about the use of stolen credit cards for summer tuition payments, The Seattle Times reported. The newspaper, citing university police, said that at least 19 students have been defrauded, totaling $190,000. A freshman male from South China's Guangdong province, who asked not to be identified, told China Daily that he was tricked into believing that he could save 5 percent of his summer quarter tuition (about $10,000) by sending money to and providing personal university account information to a female Chinese student who contacted him on WeChat, a popular messaging app for Chinese students in the US. "I never doubted it because I received a confirmation letter from the university saying my tuition balance is changed to 0," he said. "But several days later, the balance was back to the previous number, and I realized it was a scam. Another victim, a junior from Beijing, told China Daily he has known the female student who helped promote the scam for years. However, he also said it is too early to decide if she is part of the criminal operation. "Some Chinese social media go too far right now. I have reported it to the police and am still waiting for the result of the investigation," he said. "I think the scam works because the female student who originally approached these students claimed that she has been working with the Husky Help Organization," said the student, a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at UW. "Some of us even have met and worked with her before." The association is the largest non-profit organization of Chinese students at the school. "To Chinese students, 5 percent of tuition for a quarter is good enough to cover one month of meals," said the student. Husky Help is a nonprofit, registered student organization at the university, established by several UW Chinese international students in 2013. The organization is dedicated to helping international students, especially those from China, to adjust to the new living/social/study environment at UW, and is popular with Chinese students. On Sunday, the UW International Student Services alerted students to a scam in which telephone callers posing as police or agents of the Internal Revenue Service or US Customs and Immigration Service tell students that they owe money, and unless they pay immediately, they will be arrested or deported. The callers know students' names and other personal information. lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com In its 2016 defense white paper, Japan interferes in the South China Sea. [Photo by Cai Hong/chinadaily.com.cn] On August 2, Japanese government approved this year's version of defense white paper, which described the security environment surrounding the country "increasingly severe". It highlighted "more tangible" and "acute" challenges and destabilizing factors. The white paper went to great lengths to define China as one of the "destabilizing factors" along with Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It made irresponsible accusations against China, claiming that China continues to act in an "assertive" manner, including attempts at changing the status quo by coercion. China's "dangerous acts" in the South China Sea and East China Sea could cause unintended consequences. On June 8, three Russian naval ships entered the waters close to the Diaoyu Islands. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Hatakaze quickly followed them into that area. In response to the Hatakaze's entry, the Chinese Jiangkai I-class frigate rushed into the waters, according to the Japanese weekly Nikkei Asian Review. Hiding the first part of the episode, the white paper criticized China for its frigate's entry into Japan's "contiguous" zone near the disputed islets in the East China Sea. (To overblow Chinese ship's entry, Japan's foreign ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua in the tee hours of that day, and lodged a protest.) Refusing to have a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, Japan is unlikely to talk with China over its settlement, leaving the waters near the islands a minefield. The white paper, the first after Japan's security legislation went into effect in March, played up the so-called "gray zone" situations, or neither pure peacetime nor contingencies over territory, sovereignty and economic interests. The white paper served as an implementation scheme for the controversial security bills that enable Japan's Self-Defense Forces to play a more comprehensive global military role and allow implementation of the new US and Japan alliance guidelines. The legislation provides greater flexibility, responsiveness, and interoperability for training, exercises, and planning on a broader spectrum of security issues by easing restrictions on Japanese Self-Defense Force operations, including the ability to exercise collective self-defense. This will empower Japan to be an active player at the region and global stages. The defense legislation eliminates geographic constraints by substituting a situational threshold (situations that "gravely affect the peace and stability of Japan") rather than limiting support to "situations in areas surrounding Japan". It authorizes support to non-US troops. A British consultant talks with a visitor over the weekend at the 2015 China Education Expo in Beijing. WANG ZHUANGFEI/ CHINA DAILY There's good news for Chinese students in the UK. The British government has issued a new visa policy that allows foreign students to stay six months more after their course ends. They will not have to submit proof of funds or education background certification. A spokesman of UK Home Office said that the new plan, which was officially launched on July 25, will attract more students and at the same time allow buffer time for them to apply for work visa (Tier 2 visa). The new rules apply only to students of some elite universities. The government will monitor the situation in real-time to assess the changes. The new plan is aimed at overseas student visa (Tier 4 visa). According to the new policy, students will have a six-month extended visa period on the course duration basis, two months longer than earlier. However, this plan only applies to graduate students admitted to Cambridge University, Oxford University, Imperial College and University of Bath. Also the course duration shouldn't last for more than 13 months (pre-sessional language courses excluded). Besides, no fund or education background certification will be required, although Cambridge has asked students to prepare all these necessary papers to avoid rejection. This is the first time ever in the past four years that the UK government has eased overseas student visa policy as new PM Theresa May shifted her tightened policy on migrants as Home Secretary. Long before May took office, immigration policy had become a nightmare for Chinese students and immigrants. May called off PSW visa in 2012, which allowed two more years for the graduates to stay in UK without any work visa. She also tried to cancel the four-month extended visa period for overseas students, claiming that the grace period was not needed. The plan was shelved after then-finance minister George Osborne intervened. In general, visa policy of UK regulates three kinds of visa types: visitor visa, work visa and student visa. Work visas include Tier 1 visa (for entrepreneur), Tier 2 visa (for general worker) and Tier 5 visa (for temporary worker). Student visa is Tier 4 visa. More allegations could surface in a state investigation of Stillwater County Weed Control Coordinator Will Patterson, including that pornography was present on his county computer. The Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the probe, which started in the wake of allegations that Patterson used county resources to spray a Stillwater County commissioner's private property. The commissioner, Dennis Shupak, owns about 425 acres of land north of Columbus, according to records from the Montana Department of Revenue. But a July 22 letter from Stillwater County Attorney Nancy Rohde to DCI Investigation Bureau Chief John Strandell notes "numerous developments" in the case. " ... there is substantially more to the initial allegations, including the finding of pornography on the Weed Coordinator's computer," Rohde wrote. Rohde also indicated that Patterson may have sprayed more than one private property with county equipment. Rohde would not comment further. Shupak has also declined to comment on the matter. The investigation began in late June, after Patterson was put on paid leave amid the allegations. An interim coordinator has been at the helm of the weed control district. Department of Justice spokesman John Barnes confirmed on Monday that the investigation is still ongoing. Let me start with the following two propositions: I have zero inside information about Uber in China. I think Uber did the absolute right thing by selling most of its China operations to Didi. I base this less on what I know about Ubers business and more on what I know about doing business in China. The Washington Post, in its article, Why Didi Chuxing is buying Uber in China, has this to say about the deal: Didi Chuxing, Ubers archrival in China and the largest ride-hailing service in the country, is buying Ubers China operations. The deal has a lot of advantages for Uber, which is privately valued at $68 billion. The San Francisco company will receive a $1 billion investment from Didi, according to individuals familiar with the agreement. Uber, which will maintain its brand in China under Didis ownership, will receive a 17.7 percent stake in Didi, according to a press release sent from Didi. The terms are evidence that Uber put up a strong fight and that both sides had a lot to gain from a partnership. It then gives us the obligatory company quotes about how the two companies working together will be able to achieve so much more than had they remained apart and how their deal will set the mobile transportation industry on a healthier, more sustainable path of growth at a higher level. Yada, yada, yada. Many years ago, I spoke at a high level conference in Hong Kong for a particular industry. My talk was on what these companies needed to do from a strictly legal perspective to get into China. I talked about the logistics of going into China as a joint venture, as a WFOE, and by staying outside of China and simply licensing their brand names and technology to Chinese companies. I was originally supposed to speak for around 45 minutes and I prepared my talk accordingly. But about an hour before my talk, the organizer asked me to do whatever I could to stretch it out to 75 minutes because one of the speakers scheduled for later that day had fallen ill. I had no problem agreeing as I speak without notes and strongly encourage questions and so I am used to having to adjust as I go along, usually by adding or subtracting examples or by riffing more or less on a point. So on this day I would obviously need to riff more and I did. Oh how I did. Whoops. At one point, I started riffing on the differences between joint ventures that work and those that dont and on how joint ventures tend to fail as soon as the Chinese side believes it no longer needs the foreign side. Then after I said that, I decided I would use this particular industry as an example and as I started doing that I starting musing out loud on how I did not understand what it was that Western companies in this industry had to offer Chinese companies and that when I had asked Western companies what would allow them to to outcompete their Chinese competitors, their answers were vague at best. This did not make the audience (all in this particular industry) happy and after my talk a handful of participants rushed me to give me the same weak explanations I had already heard all given with near religious zeal. As far as I know, no Western company has succeeded in this industry in China yet and it is looking like one never will. Why do I bring up that event in this post? Because Chinese companies will almost always (though not always) be able to maintain lower cost operations in China than a Western company and so Western companies without other advantages generally dont succeed in China. Is this what happened with Uber? Uber founder Travis Kalanick pursued the China market fiercely, and has made dominance in China a top priority. He visits the country frequently attempting to woo everyone from local government officials to city police forces, which had cracked down on ride-hailing services (China legalized ride-hailing services in July). His first call in the morning was to his colleagues in China, the individuals said. The company entered the China market in 2014. But the battle with Didi was costing both companies huge sums of money. Uber reportedly spent $1 billion last year. In China, they were neck-in-neck in a race to the bottom, frequently lowering their prices to lure consumers and constantly raising money to outdo the other. In the end, neither company was profitable in China. At some point, it looks as if reality set in. If true, Ubers sale was both brilliant and timely. Uber gets a stake in Chinas ride hailing service without taking on massive risk. Equally importantly, Uber gets to contribute and profit from its core expertise, without having to get too much into the muck: Selling itself to Didi was a way for the company to stay competitive in China without burning through its cash. The merger will tie the fates of the two companies, both of which have global ambitions, together. As part of the deal, Baidu and other Chinese shareholders of Uber will also receive a 2.3% economic interest in Didi. Under the agreement, Didi Chuxing will also obtain a minority equity interest in Uber. Cheng Wei, founder and chairman of Didi, will join the board of Uber. Kalanick will join the board of Didi. One big benefit Didi may get from the deal are software algorithms that Uber has developed. For far longer than the four-year-old Didi, Uber has invested in hiring data scientists and engineers who write code to match drivers with passengers, essentially triangulating peoples locations in real-time and then predicting supply and demand. Top talent in data science is still hard to come by, said Didi Vice President Stephen Zhu, in a recent interview with The Washington Post. To help identify and recruit talent, the company announced a $100,000 prize in machine learning a branch of computer science associated with artificial intelligence, prediction, and data mining in the U.S. earlier this year. In the long term, Didis success will depend on its artificial intelligence algorithms, Zhu said. Every user and driver have their own preferences and patterns and we have to match them all in a second,he said. The core is artificial intelligence, in essence, the pattern of how people move around in big cities. I guess all I am saying is that companies especially SMEs should not be so quick to demand full control over what they do in China and should think longer and harder about how they can stick their toes into China via licensing deals and distributorships. Our China lawyers get calls all the time from American, Australian, and European companies seeking our help in getting them out of China by extricating them from their joint venture or by helping them close down their WFOE. But I truly cannot remember an instance where we have been called to help a company get out of a well crafted China licensing agreement or China distributor relationship. Just something to consider. MISSOULA The Roaring Lion fire capitalized on some exotic wind conditions during its Sunday evening takeoff, and it will have more atypical weather on Tuesday. We expect to upgrade to red flag warnings on Tuesday afternoon, when a strong cold front moves in, National Weather Service meteorologist Genki Kino said on Monday morning. A cold front this strong for this time of year is unusual. The front should bring winds with gusts between 25 and 35 mph through the Bitterroot and Missoula valleys on Tuesday afternoon, with speeds in the mountain ridges topping 50 mph around Tuesday evening. Thats likely to make firefighting on the 3,505-acre Roaring Lion fire 5 miles southwest of Hamilton extremely challenging. About 150 firefighters have been deployed to the blaze, with a Type I incident command team expected to take over operations Tuesday morning. The Roaring Lion fire has triggered evacuations of at least 500 people, with another 1,000 residents on pre-evacuation notice. The fire threatens about 400 primary homes as well as about 100 secondary homes near Hamilton. Many observers noticed the fire smoke column rotating as it rose on Sunday evening. Kino said thats because a regular down-canyon evening wind created spinning vortexes as the fires uphill heat pushed the opposite direction. The effect is similar to whirlpools that form between the main downstream current of a river and the upstream flow of a streamside eddy. In the Roaring Lion fire, the wind shear also created fire whirls that lifted tornadoes of flame hundreds of feet into the air. Rick Potts has been spending the summer at the St. Mary Peak fire lookout, about 23 air-miles from Roaring Lion Canyon. Although he served on an initial attack team during the catastrophic Yellowstone National Park fires of 1988, he said hed never witnessed fire behavior like Sundays in the Bitterroots. Watching that go from a thin plume of smoke to a roaring inferno within half an hour Ive never seen that, Potts said. It went from something you might handle with initial attack to something you couldnt get close to. And the Forest Service and Hamilton Fire (Department) moved on it almost instantly. They had engines and a helicopter up there but by the time they got to it, it exploded up the hill, spotted and started a second fire. It just engulfed the whole mouth of the canyon. Tuesdays cold front should pass out of the Bitterroot Mountains area by Wednesday morning. But it will be followed by persistent hot weather leading to a weekend of potential dry thunderstorms. Those storms carry lightning that could trigger more wildfires. Missoula County fire officials raised the local fire danger status very high on Monday. All fuels both live and dead have dried to the point that fires will become very active quickly, said Jordan Koppen, spokesman for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. We cant afford for anyone to be careless during activities that have the potential to start a fire, so we urge the public to be extremely cautious with fire. Koppen added that equipment operators and motorists towing trailers should be especially careful about controlling hot metal and friction sparks while outdoors. More information on fire-safe tactics is available at http://firesafemt.org/. On Monday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Roaring Lion firefighting efforts were eligible for federal assistance. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds can be used to cover 75 percent of state and local firefighting costs. However, the grants do not provide assistance for individual home or business owners affected by the fire, or other infrastructure damage related to the fire. FEMA spokesman Randy Welch said the money would pay for field camps, equipment use, repairs and replacement, tools materials and supplies. The increased tempo of fire activity has forced state and federal fire crews to prioritize their resources. Lolo National Forest spokesman Boyd Hartwig said three 20-person Hotshot crews have been released from the 13-acre South Tamarack fire 6 miles north of St. Regis after reaching mop-up status on Monday. A Type-II initial attack crew remains on the scene, where the fire is 20 percent contained. The Northern Region Geographic Area, which includes Montana, shifted to Preparedness Level 3 on Monday. That reflects the changing tempo of fire starts and need for personnel, equipment and aircraft. The Northern Region remains ranked fourth out of seven geographic areas as fires in Colorado and parts of the Southwest demand higher priority. As dry weather shifts to the Northwest, that priority will shift as well. Statewide, Montana fire observers reported 15 new fires including two large incidents (Roaring Lion and Copper King). Those come on top of five existing large fires and dozens of smaller blazes. The Copper King fire 8 miles east of Thompson Falls should move to a Type II incident command management on Tuesday. It has burned about 700 acres. As of Monday, it had a crew of 33 backed up by a helicopter on the line. While no evacuations have been ordered, residents in the Copper King and Snider communities have been warned to prepare their structures for fire defense. Several roads along the west side of the Thompson River have been closed for fire safety, as have the Copper King and Clark Memorial campgrounds. Bartlett & West was awarded the contract to draft a master plan for the Missouri Valley Complex, also known as the fairgrounds, at Monday's Burleigh County Park Board meeting. The firm was chosen from three applicants. Spending in the contract is capped at $50,000. The purpose of the plan is to determine uses for the 302-acre parcel. Deadline for its completion is Jan. 31. County Commissioner Kathleen Jones said a series of public meetings will be scheduled in the next four months to gauge what recreational features people want there. No new features are expected at the site until 2018, as 2017 will be a planning year, said Randy Bina, executive director for the Bismarck Park District. Jones said changes to the fairground will be phased in over a 10-year period in the plan. The Bismarck Parks and Recreation Department, contracted by the county to manage some county parks, started the plan with county support. Jones said the county wants family-oriented features, but its future uses will hinge on what the public and stakeholders state they want and available funding. A nature trail, dog park, horse trail, anchor building and agriculture arena are among the requests received. Projects that would be supported by community fundraisers could help advance the fairgrounds, she said. A committee, including Jones and Commissioner Jerry Woodcox, interviewed the firms before making a recommendation to the county park board. Lawmakers convene this morning for the 15th special legislative session in state history with a tall task before them: fixing a more than $300 million projected budget shortfall in three days time. Both chambers gavel in at 9 a.m. Gov. Jack Dalrymple will then go to the House and deliver a brief 9:30 a.m. budget address during a joint session. From there, work begins on a five-page bill, which was unveiled Monday. The bill will come before the Delayed Bills Committee before being introduced in the Senate. A joint meeting of both chambers appropriations committees will meet to gather testimony on the proposed budget bill before the Senate takes it up in its appropriations committee. Republican majority leadership says the general plan is to complete committee work on the Senate side today, vote on it Wednesday morning and kick it to House for committee work. If all goes smoothly the House would vote on the bill Thursday morning before adjourning. On July 13, Dalrymple ordered lawmakers to return to Bismarck this week to address a projected $310 million budget shortfall for the biennium. The Republican majoritys plan calls for a 2.5 percent budget cut to general funded agencies, draining the remaining $75 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund and authorize a contingency transfer of up to $100 million in Bank of North Dakota profits. K-12 education would be held harmless in the proposed plan through Foundation Aid Stabilization Fund dollars, while human services would be held harmless through general fund dollars and corrections budget cuts would be kept at 1 percent. Visit www.bismarcktribune.com for further updates during the special session. (Photo : YouTube) Uber and Didi Chuxing have joined forces. Advertisement Two of the biggest players in the Chinese ride-hailing industry are set to merge forces. Uber Technologies recently announced that it is selling its China business to competitor Didi Chuxing, which happens to be the biggest ride-hailing service in the country. The deal will put an end to the ongoing battle for dominance between the two giants. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The combined value of the two companies, Uber China and Didi Chuxing, are estimated to be around $35 billion. Investors of Uber China, which includes Chinese tech giant Baidu, will receive a 20 percent stake in Didi Chuxing. Following the deal, Uber will continue to operate its app in China for now. The deal between Didi Chuxing and Uber China is considered a complicated one by many experts. It includes a stipulation that requires Didi Chuxing to invest $1 billion into Uber. In a statement, Uber chief executive officer Travis Kalanick said, "As an entrepreneur, I've learned that being successful is about listening to your head as well as following your heart. I have no doubt that Uber China and Didi Chuxing will be stronger together." According to some industry experts, the merger between Didi Chuxing and Uber China may complicate some of the latter's international alliances. Didi Chuxing is working with Lyft in the United States, Ola in India, and Grab in several Southeast Asian markets. According to Tech Node, Didi Chuxing also has a $1 billion investment in U.S. tech giant Apple. In 2015, Didi and Kuaidi merged into a single company which created China's biggest ride-hailing service. The merger put together two of China's most valuable Internet businesses, Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings. Advertisement TagsUber, Uber China, Didi, Didi Chuxing, ride-hailing, china Buildings under construction are reflected on glass at the People's Bank of China office building in Chongqing, China. Advertisement The Chinese government is set to grant more banking licenses to those who want to operate banks in the country, after initially awarding five private banks with licenses last year. Twelve private banks are reportedly processing the necessary documents to get their licenses to operate, with most of them committed to provide financial assistance to technology startups and existing companies. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the banks have promised that should they receive their licenses to operate in the country, they will focus on helping technology companies in China. China has been pushing for the entry of private capital into the banking sector through various channels, like allowing private companies to start the establishment of privately-owned banks. The CBRC has written detailed rules specifying the principles, policies, standards and procedures for the approval of the establishment of private banks. The market niche for these private banks includes internet finance and supply chain finance, depending on the backgrounds of their major shareholders and local government support. They will mainly target micro and small companies. The city of Shanghai has a private bank, its first, but is ready for another in the city's Zhangjiang Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. Regulators have finished a feasibility study to set up a private bank in Fujian, a province on the southeast coast of China. Other cities are also interested in establishing private banks. One bank, Fujian Huatong Bank, which has a registered capital of Rmb3 billion (US$450 million), was promoted by 10 Fujian-based companies in different sectors, including retail, manufacturing and real estate. Under the mechanism, a commercial bank will forge strategic cooperation agreements with investment institutions that invest in qualified technology companies. The bank will then extend loans to such tech companies. Advertisement TagsChina Banks, China Private Banks, China Bank Licenses, China Bank Permits (Photo : Twitter/Lenovo_in) Lenovo is planning a major expansion in India. Advertisement Lenovo is planning a major expansion in India.The Lenovo-Motorola partnership is looking to increase its sales in the country. The company has sought the Indian government's approval to open single brand retail outlets to increase its sales in the country. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Lenovo's move comes a month after the Indian government relaxed local sourcing rules for foreign companies interested in opening single brand showrooms in the country. China's Le Eco and U.S.-based Apple Inc. have also applied for single brand retail license. "Sales have been growing at a healthy pace in India and we expect to maintain a strong momentum even during the current fiscal," Lenovo India's Sudhin Mathur told Times of India newspaper. The Chinese tech giant also named Rajesh Thadani as the head of its India consumer business. Thadani, the former Lenovo Indonesia chief, will be tasked with accelerating Lenovo's consumer and online business to the next level, the company said in a statement. The Chinese smartphone maker on Monday launched its next-generation smartphone model - the Lenovo Vibe K5 Note - in India. The Lenovo Vibe K5 Note is now exclusively available on India's top e-commerce platform Flipkart at Rs 11,999 ($180) for the 3GB variant and Rs 13,499 ($203) for the 4GB variant. The smartphone has already been released in China and Thailand. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 processor and features 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via microSD. It has a 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 HD resolution and 13MP primary camera with dual-LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera. The Killer Experience you've been waiting for can now be yours starting Aug 3, 11:59 pm. See you there! #KillerNote5 pic.twitter.com/DxqdaftXKY Lenovo India (@Lenovo_in) August 1, 2016 Advertisement TagsLenovo, lenovo india, Lenovo Motorola, lenovo vibe k5 note (Photo : Getty Images) Chinese state media has criticized Britain's decision to delay the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project. Advertisement Chinese state media on Monday criticized the British government for delaying Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project. State-run Xinhua news agency, in a commentary, slammed the U.K. for its "suspicious approach" to Chinese investments in the country. "Giving the green light to a 24-billion-U.S.-dollar project can never be an easy decision, and China fully understands and respects British government's requirement for more time to ponder," it said. "However, what China cannot understand is the "suspicious approach" that comes from nowhere to Chinese investment in making the postponement." Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The commentary warned that the postponement of construction works on the nuclear plant could risk driving away Chinese investment in U.K. The new British cabinet, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, recently decided to delay the ongoing work at Hinkley Point C nuclear power point. Former Business Secretary Vince Cable blamed May for the delay. "When we were in government Theresa May was quite clear she was unhappy about the rather gung-ho approach to Chinese investment that we had," Cable said last week. China, which is funding one-third of the nuclear power plant, has urged the British government to end uncertainty over the project. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, in a press release, said: "I'd like to stress that the project was agreed on by China, Britain and France in the spirit of reciprocity and win-win cooperation." Hua added that the project, initiated by the previous British government, has always been supported by Britain, and France. France, on the other hand, also expressed its unhappiness over Britain's shocking decision to postpone the project. Advertisement Tagschina, UK, State Media, Hinkley Point, France Filipino fishermen prepare and resupply their boat for another fishing trip to the Spratlys, on July 10, 2016 in Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines. Filipino fishermen are ready to set sail into the South China Sea while claiming rights to the disputed waters between China and the Philippines. (Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images) Advertisement Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui claimed that the ruling made by the ad hoc arbitral tribunal in The Hague on the claim of the Philippines in the South China Sea has no legal basis. Hui told a leading Russian media that the ruling will have, under any circumstances, no impact on China's sovereignty, maritime rights, and interests in the South China Sea. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement He insisted that the Nansha Islands on the South China Sea have been under the territory of China since the ancient times, based on historical facts. "China defends the settlement of the South China Sea dispute through dialogue and consultation with the directly involved countries on the basis of respect for historical facts and international law, with the aim to maintain peace and stability in the region," Li was quoted by a Russian media as saying. The ambassador also clarified that China does not encroach on the interests nor envy the development of other nations. As such, it also does not give up its own legitimate claims and interests. Saying the tribunal's ruling has no legal basis, Li said China did not participate in the proceedings and reiterated the government's stance that it neither accepts nor recognizes the ruling. "In this way we exercise our rights in accordance with international law, and we also protect the dignity of international law," Li said. China denounced the emphatic July 12 ruling in favor of the Philippines as an absurdity that had no legal basis and part of an anti-China plot cooked up by the United States. Despite what it described as a ruling with no legal basis, the Chinese government has not resorted to taking stronger action nor has it expressed any sign of taking the issue by arm. China has instead called for a peaceful resolution on the issue while committing to defend its territory. Advertisement TagsSouth China Sea, china sea (Photo : Getty Images) US Assistant Attorney General John Carlin. Longtime FBI employee Kun Shan Chun has confessed to spying for China. Advertisement A former FBI employee with access to classified information in the bureau faces up to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to espionage charges, US prosecutors said on Monday. Chinese-born Kun Shan Chun, 46, was found to have provided sensitive US government information to the Chinese government during his long stint with the FBI, the prosecutors said. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Chun was arrested in March by US authorities and is currently detained on charges of acting as a spy for China. He reportedly passed on classified US information to Beijing officials who allegedly showered him with money, services of sex workers, and expensive hotel accommodations. Ten years Prosecutors said Chun, who joined the FBI in 1997, faces up to ten years imprisonment after committing grave violations, one of which was his failure to disclose that he met with a Chinese national during his trip overseas "Kun Shan Chun violated our nation's trust by exploiting his official position to provide restricted and sensitive FBI information to the Chinese Government," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin of the US Justice Department said. In a criminal complaint filed against Chun, prosecutors accused him of secretly entering into a joint venture with a Chinese technology company called Kolion. Expensive perks The complaint also charged Chun with passing on vital information to the company in exchange for rewards. As an electronic technician at the FBI, Chun had access to sensitive and classified information which he passed on to the Chinese government, the criminal complaint said. Chun's legal counsel, Jonathan Marvinny, said he made a deal with the prosecutors to drop the lying charges against his client if Chun would plead guilty to espionage. The FBI has stepped up its campaign to thwart Chinese espionage including economic sabotage allegedly being perpetrated by Beijing and Russia. Advertisement TagsFBI, espionage, Washington, Beijing, economic sabotage, china (Photo : Getty Images) China's Navy has conducted military drills in the disputed East China Sea. Advertisement China's Navy on Monday kicked off combat drills in the East China Sea in an attempt to flex its military muscles. China's Defense Ministry, in a statement, said that the Navy conducted large-scale military drills in the East China Sea. The military exercise involved firing dozens of missiles and torpedoes. A submarine, a cruiser and more than 100 vessels from all three fleets of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) participated in the drills. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "The exercise was aimed at bolstering the assault intensity, precision, stability and speed of troops amid heavy electromagnetic influences," the statement said. "An information technology-based war at sea is sudden, cruel and short, which requires a fast transition to combat status, quick preparation, and high assault efficiency." Chinese officials, however, downplayed the drills saying that the military exercise should not be considered as a threat or provocation. Beijing recently conducted similar combat drills in disputed the South China Sea region. The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, on July 12, rejected China's territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea saying that it has no legal basis. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Japan expressed 'concern' over increased Chinese activities in the East China Sea region. "Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku Islands, such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands," the Japanese government said in its annual defense assessment paper. Check out a footage of the Chinese Navy combat drills in East Asia Sea here. Advertisement Tagschina, military drills, East China Sea Chinese soldiers are taken prisoner during the Sino-Vietnmese War in 1979. Advertisement The Communist Party of China has reacted to the call of warmongers within its ranks to attack the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea by getting its rubber stamp Supreme People's Court (SPC) to reaffirm China's jurisdiction over the South China Sea. The Chinese supreme court issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas, including the South China Sea, which an international tribunal said China has no legal claim to. It also warned all foreigners of criminal liability for violating China's sovereignty. The regulation took effect Aug.1. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The SPC regulation subverts the legally binding award to the Philippines by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. It seeks to justify China's continued defiance of international law by providing an alleged legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas. The regulation says Chinese citizens and foreigners will be pursued with criminal liability if they engage in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. The regulation was President Xi Jinping's strongest reaction yet to China's humiliating defeat at the Permanent Court of Arbitration on July 12. It fell far short of strident demands by hardliners within the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that China "give them (the U.S.) a bloody nose like Deng Xiaoping did to Vietnam in 1979." One source said the People's Liberation Army is ready for war. The analogy to the 1979 war was inappropriate since the Sino-Vietnamese War from February to March 1979 was a humiliating defeat for China. Relying mainly on its vastly outnumbered but battle hardened peasant militia, Vietnam inflicted 26,000 casualties (8,500 killed) on the PLA. Chinese state-run media, however, portrayed the defeat as a great victory for China. Xi, however, has resisted mounting calls for China to attack the U.S. Navy, the Philippines and Vietnam. He has supported the call for a peaceful resolution of tension through talks while promising to defend Chinese territory. China will host the G20 summit from Sept. 4-5 in Hangzhou, and this high-profile gathering of the world's richest economies is preventing Xi from taking military action before the summit takes place. Some Western military analysts believe the best time for Chinese military action against the U.S. and its Asian allies would be after the summit but before the U.S. presidential elections on Nov.4. Advertisement TagsCommunist Party of China, Supreme People's Court, Permanent Court of Arbitration, South China Sea, People's Liberation Army, Sino-Vietnamese War Black mold and overcrowding were two issues pushed forward as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro met with tribal leaders in Bismarck Tuesday to discuss housing challenges on reservations in the state. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., invited Castro to the Northern Plains Housing Summit at the Ramada Inn to hear from tribes about an overall lack of housing as well as a need to test home environments for amphetamines. What I heard today is that we need to look at sometimes barriers that exist in our housing programs that make it difficult for tribes to take advantage of those programs," Castro said to reporters after meeting with tribal leaders. This was the second time Castro visited North Dakota, first visiting Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in 2014. Heitkamp invited Castro to visit North Dakota again last October to continue the discussion. We are in crisis in housing in Indian Country," Heitkamp said. We need to find new and better solutions. Chairman Dave Flute, of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, said he sees families stacked in two-bedroom, one-bathroom homes. There are 13,000 members in his tribe, and about 7,000 people living on the reservation. "We dont have near the amount of homes we need. Its such a large problem. Its a complex problem," said Flute, who noted every tribe faces different challenges when it comes to housing. We do share some commonality with the mold, the meth and the lack of housing," he said. On the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, mold already has made its way into housing built about six years ago. Why is there mold in there already? Is it because of the materials were getting to build those homes? I dont know," said Flute, suggesting education of tribal members on how to take care of their homes also would be helpful. "We need the technical assistance to educate and to teach not just the people that are going to live in those homes or rent those homes, but I also believe and would argue that our boards need that technical assistance, too," he said. Maintenance issues Jody Ground, acting director of housing at Fort Berthold, said his tribe's main concern is on funding for the upkeep of more than 730 units on the reservation, as well as for methamphetamine testing. We have no new projects for the next year because were just trying to maintain the stuff that we do have at this time," Ground said. About two years ago, tribal members developed a methamphetamine remediation program, in which unoccupied units were tested prior to renting them to ensure there's no methamphetamine. "If they do come back positive and there is methamphetamine in there, then we go in and remediate them to the recommended EPA standard," Ground said. No recoup of costs But there's no federal funding available to recoup the costs for methamphetamine testing, he said. The remediation program comes from the tribe's own budget. Ground said he's talked with other tribes who have methamphetamine programs in effect, some for more than 10 years. "Every time Ive spoken to any of them the same thing comes up, we have no funding to recoup our costs as part of our remediation, he said. Methamphetamine use has become a nationwide problem, not just on reservations. Ground said he's also concerned because there aren't any long-term studies done on the effects of methamphetamine in a home. Its such a new thing, and were having to deal with it now more reactive instead of proactive," he said. After meeting with tribal leaders, Castro said he also heard of difficulties tribes have with matching grants from HUD or other agencies. That matching component is difficult for a tribe to come up with," Castro said. Thats the kind of very helpful information that we can take and look at. Other solutions include marrying job skills development in Indian Country with the need in housing, Heitkamp said. Theres no doubt that we have a huge need for housing. Theres no doubt that we have a huge need for development of job skills, and this is just a perfect place," she said. To do this, there needs to be funding, she said. We need to be creative. It's not just all going to come from the federal government, weve got to look a public-private partnerships, and we know that theres been places where this has worked very well," Heitkamp said. For example, a tribe in Omaha, Neb., started a project on a housing unit in Detroit Lakes, she said. Theyre developing skills there and theyre using that as a tribal corporation to basically build housing," Heitkamp said. The project is funded through repayment, including recruiting people to live and work on a reservation and pay a mortgage or rent. Often workers who come to work at the reservation leave because they have no place to stay, she said. Weve got to look at expanding opportunities," Heitkamp said. (Photo : US Navy) U.S. aircraft carrier group Advertisement A war between China and the United States will be a conventional war in which China will suffer very severely, whether the war takes place in the next few years or by 2025, said a new report by U.S. global policy think tank the Rand Corporation. There is no possibility of a Chinese victory in this war. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The "First Sino-American War" will only be fought in the air, at sea and in cyberspace. Its likely battlefields will be the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Chinese mainland. It will be the first conflict involving the U.S. and China since the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 that ended in an Armistice. The First Sino-American War will see U.S. aircraft and missiles strike the Chinese mainland while China will be unable to attack the continental United States because it lacks the long-range strategic weapons such as aircraft carriers and long-range supersonic bombers to do so. China can only use cyber warfare against the American homeland. Rand predicts the war will end in a bloody stalemate that will have catastrophic consequences for the economies of both the U.S. and China -- and the world. There is also the likelihood of a Second Sino-American War. "Each side's increasingly far-flung disposition of forces and growing ability to track and attack opposing forces could turn much of the Western Pacific into a 'war zone,' with grave economic consequences," said the study. "It is unlikely that nuclear weapons would be used: Even in an intensely violent conventional conflict, neither side would regard its losses as so serious, its prospects so dire, or the stakes so vital that it would run the risk of devastating nuclear retaliation by using nuclear weapons first." Rand also assumes that "China would not attack the U.S. homeland, except via cyberspace, given its minimal capability to do so with conventional weapons. In contrast, U.S. nonnuclear attacks against military targets in China could be extensive." Rand believes American losses in this war will be significant, but Chinese losses might well be catastrophic. "If either U.S. or Chinese political leaders authorize their military commanders to carry out plans for sharp strikes on enemy forces, a severely violent war would erupt. "As of 2015, U.S. losses of surface naval and air forces, including disabled aircraft carriers and regional air bases, could be significant, but Chinese losses, including to homeland-based A2AD systems, would be much greater. Within days, it would be apparent to both sides that the early gap in losses favoring the United States would widen if fighting continued." The reports said that as of 2015, "the longer a severe war dragged on, the worse the results and prospects would be for China. "By 2025, however, inconclusive results in early fighting could motivate both sides to fight on despite heavy losses incurred and still expected. Although prospects for U.S. military victory then would be worse than they are today, this would not necessarily imply Chinese victory." Advertisement Tagschina, United States, First Sino-American War Australian atheists want non-religious to stop listing Star Wars characters as their religion on census forms 02 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | SYDNEY (Christian Examiner) These aren't the statistics we're looking for, atheists down under are saying in an effort to curtail the number of Australians who might list "Jedi " as their religion in the nation's upcoming census. In the last census in 2011, more than 64,000 Australians listed the "hokey" religion, as the smuggler Han Solo called it in Star Wars, as their official religion. That was 6,000 more than listed their allegiance to the Force in the previous census. But now, atheists in Australia don't find the listing of one's religion as "Jedi" to be a comical way of expressing no religion at all. That is why the Atheist Foundation of Australia is encouraging people to simply report "no religion" on the upcoming census. In other words, atheists want the government of Australia to be aware of just how many of them there are in the country. "Accurate census data helps policy makers & political leaders make all sorts of planning and funding decisions. So if you're not religious anymore, mark the 'No religion' box on the 2016 Census," an information piece provided by the atheist group says. Those who chose a term like Jedi or the equally obscure Pastafarian (a religion devoted to the so-called Flying Spaghetti Monster) are officially counted in the "not defined" category instead of the "No religion" category. "This reduces the 'No religion' numbers and therefore advantages the religion count. While it may be funny, it is serious mistake to answer in this way," the guide claims. Some have suggested, however, that there might be a kernel of truth in people marking themselves down as the disciples of Master Yoda and Ben Kenobi. Dirk Libbey writes at Cinema Blend: "While certainly many in the nation are just making a joke at the census' expenses, maybe a few of them really do try to follow in the ways of the Jedi. It wouldn't be the worst religion to follow. It's about trying to connect with other living things, holding on to peace and letting go of anger and hatred (assuming you're a practicing light side Jedi of course). Maybe even those who started to list themselves as Jedi for the joke value have gone on to embrace the idea." The Aussie Jedi are not the first officially to list themselves as Jedi. The running gag started in the United Kingdom in 2001 when nearly 400,000 listed themselves as knights of the Star Wars realm. By 2011, the number had fallen to only 176,000. Missionary family of five dies in tragic car accident 02 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | OMAHA (Christian Examiner) A missionary couple and their three young children were killed in car crash on a Nebraska highway July 31, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their children 3-year-old Ezra, 23-month-old Violet and 2-month-old Calvin were en route from Minnesota to the last leg of their missionary training at the Colorado headquarters of WorldVenture when the accident occurred. The couple had one month of training left before they would have been assigned to Japan. According to Nebraska State Patrol, the couple's van was hit by a tractor trailer and pushed into three other westbound vehicles. Police arrested the driver of the semitrailer on suspicion of five counts of felony motor vehicle homicide. He is expected to be charged formally soon. In this age, the Church is imperfect, to say the least. We are not blind to her shortcomings. Yet, we dare not downplay her beauty either. The Church is, after all, the Bride of Christ. Wisdom would tell us to think twice before insulting a man's wife. The Lord did not consider himself above dying for the Church; he does not now count himself above dwelling in her midst and working through her. If you care about people knowing and experiencing Jesus Christ, you should care about the work of establishing churches among the nations. Others injured in the accident were transported to area hospitals for treatment and are expected to survive. WorldVenture released a statement saying Jamison and Kathryne Pals were "all about the people of Japan being reached for Jesus, that they might know the joy of salvation." "Following their language acquisition training they anticipated sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and discipling new followers of Jesus. In speaking with WorldVenture President Jeff Denlinger, Jamison and Kathryne's fathers each echoed this sentiment: 'Though we are devastated, we are praying that God would bring many to Christ through their testimonies and this tragedy,'" the statement said. The Pals were members of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., where they served in the church's local ministry. They also worked in the church's international missions efforts. The church is well known for its pastor, John Piper, who stepped down as pastor in 2013 after nearly 30 years of service. The church issued a brief statement via social media. It said the couple and their children will be sorely missed. "We weep and mourn and ache together as their church family in a very specific way. Some look at death and see a tragedy the tragic end of all their hopes and dreams. As Christians, we look death in the face and see ultimate victory, not tragedy, because Jesus defeated sin and death for all of his people. Facing death without Jesus is an eternal tragedy weeping that never ends," the statement from the church said. But it continued: "And so, while we grieve, we rise up with the resurrection faith as we embrace together our blessed hope the Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. And so, we celebrate the fact that the Pals family is not dead, but more alive than ever because of the grace of God that is ours in Jesus Christ." The Pals were planning on serving the Christ Bible Institute in Nagoya, Japan. The Pals kept a blog "For the Joy of Japan." It features articles on their children, their planned move to Japan, and a fair amount of encouragement for the church to consider missions. "The thing that makes Christian missions unique is Jesus Christ. And, Jesus Christ manifests himself to the world through his people. Therefore, we aim to reach the unreached by establishing local, visible expressions of Jesus Christ," Jamison Pals wrote July 15. "In this age, the Church is imperfect, to say the least. We are not blind to her shortcomings. Yet, we dare not downplay her beauty either. The Church is, after all, the Bride of Christ. Wisdom would tell us to think twice before insulting a man's wife. The Lord did not consider himself above dying for the Church; he does not now count himself above dwelling in her midst and working through her. If you care about people knowing and experiencing Jesus Christ, you should care about the work of establishing churches among the nations." Christians in Iran continue to face persecution, and pastors in particular are targeted, according to OneNewsNow.com. Recently, three pastors from Azerbaijan were arrested after they visited Iran. International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that the reason for their arrest is unknown. The Iranian government seems to target Christians for no apparent reason which has caused Christian families to be fearful for their safety. ICCs Sandra Elliot commented on the persecution Christians face in Iran: "They never really back off, she said. It's more about when we hear it happen. I think a lot more is going on than what we hear about, honestly." She also condemned the actions of the Iranian government: The identity of a nation as an Islamic republic is more important [to them] than anything else, including the sovereignty of citizens from other countries. It's absolutely ridiculous. It's a whole other level of tyranny when they're arresting visitors than when they're arresting their own people - which is also obviously a tragedy." Elliot called on the U.S. government to condemn Irans actions and to do something about the persecution Christians are facing. Publication date: August 2, 2016 A Tennessee newspaper has caused a stir for refusing to run an advertisement placed by a Christian store. FoxNews.com reports that Lois McGinnis and her family own Cedar Springs Christian Store in Knoxville. The McGinnis family owns two store locations, but recently decided to close the second location. McGinnis called the local newspaper, the News Sentinel, to place a going-out-of-business ad. McGinnis wanted the ad to say: Store closing sale Cedar Springs Christian Store Clinton Highway location All merchandise, fixtures, slat walls must go. Sale through August 13, phone 865.947.XXX. But when McGinnis opened the newspaper the day the ad was scheduled to run, it wasnt there, so she called the newspaper office. The employee whom she spoke with explained to her why the paper hadnt run her ad: She said our ad did not run because it contained an offensive word, McGinnis told Fox Newss Todd Starnes. I asked what that offensive word was and she said the offensive word was Christian. McGinnis received no notification from the newspaper that the word Christian would be considered offensive. The newspaper also did not say they would refund her money for not running the ad. Cedar Springs Christian Store decided to tell their Facebook followers about the experience with the News Sentinel. It did not take long for residents of the Knoxville area to call out the News Sentinel for its bias. Because of the outcry, the newspaper eventually backpedaled and stated, We had a system failure, which resulted in a classified ad for Cedar Springs getting hung up in our front end system. The newspaper also said they would now run the ad for an extended period of time without extra charge. Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com Publication date: August 2, 2016 A pastor from Oregon who won an assault rifle in a raffle may face charges for unlawfully transferring the weapon to a parishioner. ChristianToday.com reports that Pastor Jeremy Lucas of The Episcopal Churchs Christ Church parish in Lake Oswego, Oregon set out to win the AR-15 rifle so that he could melt it down and remake it into a symbol of hope. Pastor Lucas was hoping to add his voice to the gun control discussion. Lucas succeeded in winning the rifle, which was the raffle prize at a fundraiser hosted by a local softball team. Lucas spent $3,000 of his personal money and bought 150 raffle tickets. His plan worked when he won the rifle. However, he is now in trouble for handing the rifle to a parishioner after he won it. Oregon law requires anyone transferring a weapon to someone else to make sure the other person has had a background check. If convicted of unlawfully transferring a weapon, Lucas could face a fine of up to $6,250 and up to a year in prison. He has not allowed this possible conviction to deter him from his original purpose, however. "Anything that furthers the conversation about our gun laws in the state of Oregon, I'm happy that that would happen," he said. Publication date: August 2, 2016 Iranian authorities charged a well-known pastor with acts against national security and beat another as persecution of Christians continued the past month. Youcef Nadarkhani, a pastor once charged with apostasy and then acquitted in 2012, was charged with acting against national security. Summoned to the 13th Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht on July 24, he was released but then told he had a week to raise the equivalent of US$ 33,000 in security bond, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). It was unclear why the court would release him without bond in order to raise a bond for his release. It was also unclear how much of the bond Nadarkhani has been able to raise. Iranian Security Service (VEVAK) officers on May 13 raided the home of Nadarkhani and his wife, Tina Nadarkhani, in Rasht along with 10 other Christian households. The Nadarkhanis were arrested and then released immediately. Three other Christian converts, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie, were detained and then later released without charge on a bond of approximately US$33,000. With regards to Pastor Nadarkhani, the authorities summoned him, charged him and let him go home to raise the money within seven days, at which point he will be imprisoned if he fails, said Kiri Kankhwende, senior press officer for CSW. We cannot speculate as to why his case was handled this way while the other three members of his church were detained pending bail. Conjecture may prove unhelpful, so we would rather not speculate. In 2010, the Iranian government charged Nadarkhani with apostasy and sentenced him to death. The charges stemmed from a 2009 arrest after Nadarkhani went to his childrens school to question the Islamic-only religious education that was available. In September 2012, he was released from prison following his acquittal on apostasy charges. He was found guilty of evangelizing, however, ordered back to prison on Dec. 25, 2012 and released on Dec. 7, 2013. Mervyn Thomas, CSWs chief executive, said in a press statement, It is deeply troubling to hear of the renewed harassment of Pastor Nadarkhani. The national security charges leveled against him are spurious and an indication that the authorities persist in criminalizing the Christian community for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. Hunger Strike Christian prisoner Maryam Naghash Zargaran, 36, ended a hunger strike she had resumed on July 5 after Iranian authorities denied her demands for early release. Because Zargaran has served a third of her sentence and has shown good behavior, she qualifies for review for early release, according to Iranian statutes. She also sought release for several medical ailments, including a serious congenital heart condition known as an atrial septal defect, commonly referred to as a hole in the heart. Zargaran also has severe headaches accompanied by ear pain, tremors, chronic joint and spine pain and numbness in her hands and legs. According to Middle East Concern (MEC), on July 20 prison officials examined Zargaran and produced a medical report confirming that her medical condition was serious. Nevertheless, according to MEC, Maryams request was considered and denied by an Iranian court, and the reason given for rejecting her demand was that MOIS [Iranian Ministry of Intelligence] did not want her to be freed. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights, an official from MOIS met with Zargaran last month in prison and said that officials would review her case. It is likely family pressure had some role in Zargarans decision to end her hunger strike. Twenty days into the protest, Zargarans family and friends noted a significant deterioration in her health. Prison medical staff say that her blood pressure is very low, she has pains and numbness in her feet possibly early signs of Multiple Sclerosis and that she is suffering psychologically as a consequence of her imprisonment, MEC said in an earlier statement about her hunger strike. The July hunger strike was not the first time Zargaran chose to starve herself over her detention. On May 27, she began a hunger strike to protest the prosecutors repeated refusal to allow her to temporarily leave the prison and go to a hospital for treatment that the prison wouldnt or couldnt provide. On June 6, she received permission to go to a hospital and stopped her hunger strike. But on June 19 she was ordered to return to prison. She complied and returned on June 27, too soon, sources said, for proper treatment of her infirmities. She resumed her hunger strike soon after. Iranian officials arrested Zargaran in January 2013 for her activities in the Iranian house-church movement and her association with Saeed Abedini, a U.S.-Iranian Christian pastor imprisoned on fabricated charges related to his house-church work. Zargaran was found guilty of threatening national security and sentenced to four years in prison, which she began serving on July 13, 2013. An appeal for retrial was denied. Appeal Hearing Ebrahim Firoozi, a Christian convert from Islam, was beaten by prison guards July 13 and forcibly taken to a court hearing. Firoozi, a prisoner in Gohardasht Prison in Iran, was summoned to the appeal hearing but refused to go because he thought it was sufficient for his lawyer to attend in his absence. Ironically, when Firoozi was brought to court, one of the judges in the case was absent, and the appeal hearing was postponed. It is set to reconvene in November. A welder from Robat Karim, 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Tehran, Firoozi has been under the scrutiny of the Iranian security apparatus since January 2010, when he was arrested for leaving Islam and hosting religious meetings. A Revolutionary Court convicted him of creating propaganda against the state and sentenced him to 10 months in prison, of which five were suspended. He was released on June 8, 2011 but then arrested again on March 8, 2012. Charged with creating propaganda against the state for allegedly trying to create a website about Christianity, he was sentenced to one year in prison and two years in exile. On Sept. 16, 2013, Firoozi was arrested a third time, and on April 2015, a judge in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to five years in prison for creating a group with the intention of disturbing national security for his role in organizing Christian meetings and conducting evangelical work. Firoozi appealed but had been waiting for last months hearing for a year. During that time, he has been denied access to religious books, even though the books he requested were published with the permission of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The whereabouts of four Christians from Azerbaijan arrested in Iran in June remain unknown. According to MEC, Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov from Word of Life Church in Baku all went missing on June 24 after security agents raided an engagement party in Tehran and arrested about 10 people. Most of those arrested were released, but the four were detained. Their location is unknown, but they were able to contact their families once or twice, despite being confined in solitary holding cells. Through MEC, the families of the three men issued a brief statement about the arrest and detention. On 22nd June 2016 our husbands and fathers Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov travelled to Tehran in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the statement read. They were invited as guests in Iran to participate in an engagement ceremony and meet with their Iranian friends. As we discovered later, they were arrested on 24th June by security agents during an engagement ceremony and they have not been charged with any crime. Eldar, 48, Yusif, 51, and Bahram, 37, are all married and have children. Yusif has a young son with Downs syndrome under his care. They have not been charged with any crime, and their future is unknown to all of us. We ask all who are concerned to help our husbands and fathers to return safely to their homes! According to Present Truth Ministries, Amin Khaki, an assistant pastor and convert from Islam, was released July 14 from Ahvaz Prison. Khaki was arrested March 5, 2014 along with seven other Christians at a picnic in Shoush, in Khuzestan Province. Khaki and three other Christians were later found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison for spreading Christianity. A re-trial was held on Feb. 1, and the sentences were upheld. In June, all four Christians presented themselves to Ahvaz Prison to serve their sentences. Present Truth Ministries was concerned that Khaki would be forced to serve a previously suspended sentence of a year, but the threat never materialized, and he was released. Hossein Barounzadeh, Mohammad Bahrami and Rahman Bahmani still have four months left of their sentences to serve. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Courtesy: Morning Star News Publication date: August 2, 2016 On Thursday, July 28, advocates of immigration reform and White House officials gathered to discuss the significance of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for the Asian American Pacific Islander community and to encourage those eligible to apply for the program. A similar program was announced by Obama via executive order in 2014 called Deferred Action for Parents of American and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, that would have offered protection from deportation and a renewable three-year work permit to parents with children who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program, however, was blocked by the Supreme Courts 4-4 ruling, resulting in a non-decision that affirmed the lower court decision to block the program. The gathering was held about a month after the Supreme Courts non-decision and advocates expressed that they wanted to reassure community members that the 2012 DACA program is still in place. According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), over 1.1 million people in the U.S. are eligible to apply for DACA. The 2012 DACA program allows eligible undocumented individuals who came to the United States as young children to receive work permits and temporary exemption from deportation. Within the AAPI community, over 130,000 undocumented individuals are eligible to apply for the program, according to a 2014 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, only 14.6 percent of those eligible have applied. We want to know why these numbers are so low, said Reva Gupta, Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. There are approximately 138,000 undocumented AAPIs in Los Angeles County, 16,000 of whom are eligible to request DACA, according to MPI. The largest populations come from the Chinese (3,000), Indian (1,000), Filipino (3,000), and Korean (6,000) communities. For DACA recipients, two out of three have found jobs with better pay and over half have found work that better aligns with their education and training. Wages among DACA recipients have increased by 45 percent, Gupta said, referring to a recent survey by the Center for American Progress and the National Immigration Law Center. Martha Flores, Chief of Staff at the Los Angeles District United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) warned applicants from seeking assistance from those perpetrating immigration scam, encouraging those interested to seek legal advice from authorized personnel and to visit uscis.gov for free resources. A new study by a Pakistan-based NGO said that textbooks in Pakistan have material that promotes hostility towards non-Muslims religions. The 52-page report examined 78 textbooks from grades five through 10, and found about 70 new additions of bias to the previously existing misrepresentations in the texts highlighted by a previous 2011 study. The research was conducted by an NGO Peace and Education Foundation, and was funded by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). A Punjab textbook for sixth grade Islamic studies says, "Christians learned tolerance and kind heartedness from Muslims. The fair treatment and good governance of Muslims improved the living standard of the region. They started to live prosperous and peaceful lives under the patronage of Muslims." A history book (Page 85) used in Peshawar schools, reads: "The English took power from Muslims, so they considered Muslims as their true enemies. They closed all doors of development to Muslims. So Muslims had no choice but to fight the English . . . Christian pastors were forcefully converting locals to Christianity." Apart from citing historical instances which are not real, the material comprises of fundamentalist teachings encouraging individual Muslims to take steps against those who are not living virtuous lives. Asma Bukhari, a Muslim lawmaker, expressed her concern that such education is breeding hatred and lack of love for humanity. "Beards are getting longer," said Bukhari, a Muslim lawmaker. "Humanity is disappearing. Both women and Islam are being manipulated." "Our textbooks are full of personal opinions, which have nothing to do with Islam. It is embarrassing that extremists shout 'Allah is great' (God is greatest) when they blow themselves up." "Pakistan's public school textbooks contain deeply troubling content that portrays non-Muslim citizens as outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior; are filled with errors; and present widely-disputed historical 'facts' as settled history," USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George said in a statement on the report's release. "Missing from these textbooks are any references to the rights of religious minorities and their positive contributions to Pakistan's development." "These textbooks sadly reflect the alarming state today of religious freedom in Pakistan," he said. "A country's education system, including its textbooks, should promote religious tolerance, not close the door to cooperation and coexistence." Reverend David B. Oh, the senior pastor of Southern California Bethel Church in Buena Park, was inaugurated as this newspaper's first chairman of the board of directors. "As I was appointed to be the first chairman of the board and prayed about whether to take on the position, I realized that there is a specific calling for my role in helping spread the gospel of Jesus, and happily accepted," said Rev. Oh during the inaugural ceremony which took place on July 31 at Southern California Bethel Church. "I will do my part in the background to help Christianity Daily to share about Jesus, to help the churches and members of the church who believe in Jesus to become one, and to rebuke but also lead the world by sharing the gospel." Leaders of several Korean Christian organizations were gathered at the inaugural ceremony, including the president of the Southern California Korean Ministers' Association, the vice president of the Council of Korean Churches in Orange County, and the president of the Council of Korean Churches in Southern California. Oh graduated from Sungkyul University in South Korea, and also studied theology in Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America, Azusa Pacific University, and Houston Graduate School of Theology, and has served as a pastor in the Korean immigrant church context for some 40 years. I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up. Where does a true patriot turn in the 2016 presidential election? The Democratic Party's national convention is attempting to lay claim to the patriot mantle. Yet the party is not quite there. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was heckled with chants of no more war. The Code Pink wing lost the nomination this year, but it won the platform and may yet win it all in the next cycle. President Barack Obama seeded his own speech with patriotic grace notes, and though he recoils from Donald Trump, his horror at Trump's style seemingly blinds him to their similarities. On substance, they are more alike than not. This shouldn't be shocking, considering that Trump has been a Democrat for most of his life. What is stunning is the degree to which so many patriots whose eyes water at the flag and the national anthem imagine that Trump is a patriot in the same mold. Obama reproached the Republican nominee for wanting to turn away from the rest of the world. But that's Obama's view, too. He's happier to be a follower than a world leader, never more gratified than when the U.S. is more modest. When asked why he failed to give even rhetorical or moral support to the millions of Iranians in the streets during the abortive Green Movement, his administration explained that the U.S. was tainted by its history and that any expression from us would have backfired. His refusal to help the suffering people of Syria failing even to provide a safe haven for refugees, which has had radiating consequences for Europe's stability and security was grounded in the same perspective, that American power is blundering when it is not downright imperialistic. When he did intervene, as in Afghanistan, it was feckless. In Libya, he played second fiddle to European powers, which seems more morally acceptable to progressives. Trump thunders that we don't win anymore (he's referring to trade, which is completely wrong) and bristled (rightly, in this instance) at the humiliation of our sailors at the hands of the Iranians in January. But like Obama on steroids, he takes a dim view of America's moral standing. When he was questioned about his warm endorsements of Russian President Vladimir Putin and reminded that Putin has killed quite a few critics, Trump shrugged, Our country does plenty of killing also. That's an extraordinary calumny, implying not the indisputable fact that we have too many violent deaths in America but that, like Russia, our government engages in targeted assassinations of political opponents. Here Trump leaves Obama behind altogether. Asked about the attempted coup in Turkey, Trump's tropism toward tyrants was manifest. He praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's success in thwarting the coup, and when asked about Erdogan's crackdown on thousands of journalists, educators, judges, civil servants and others, Trump was unmoved. I think right now when it comes to civil liberties, our country has a lot of problems, he said. He mentioned Ferguson and Baltimore and police being killed, and he offered this: When the world looks at how bad the United States is and then we go and talk about civil liberties, I don't think we're a very good messenger. Trump misses the most crucial fact about Turkey: The thwarted coup may have empowered Erdogan to take one of the world's most advanced countries with a Muslim majority, a NATO ally, down the path of Iran. But also consider his view of America. Is that how a patriot thinks? We lack the moral standing to criticize other nations on human rights? Trump has infamously praised Saddam Hussein (He killed terrorists no, the opposite) and Kim Jong Un, about whom he said: You got to give him credit. ... He wiped out the uncle. He wiped out this one, that one. I mean, this guy doesn't play games. But Trump has reserved his greatest affection for Putin. Yes, George W. Bush praised Putin (once), but he wised up. Yes, Obama attempted to reset relations (less explicable), but he was forced to backtrack when Putin snatched Crimea, reintroduced Russia's military directly into Syria and made proxy war on Ukraine. Trump is on notice about all of that and much more. It is common knowledge (which is not to say Trump knows it) that Putin's opponents tend to die by poison and other methods beloved by the KGB; that state-controlled Russian media ceaselessly incite America hatred; that Russian internet trolls seek to destabilize democratic governments in Europe and quite likely here; that Putin sides with Iran, Bashar Assad (Syria's genocidal dictator) and Hezbollah; and that Putin, having strangled civil society and freedom in Russia, seeks to recapture the lost glory of the Soviet empire. Yet Trump bats his eyes at Putin like a schoolgirl with a crush. Part of Trump's appeal is chauvinism a strutting sort of nationalist appeal (unsupported by anything approaching policy ideas). It's more than odd, then, that his followers are unshaken by his willingness to be Putin's poodle. Is Boston Cardinal O'Malley a Democrat Hack, Asks John Snyder Contact: John Snyder, Telum Associates, LL.C, 202-239-8005, WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 / "O'Malley criticizes Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for his immigration rhetoric but ignores Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage," Snyder added. youtu.be/gthDhbdVZRU O'Malley told Radio Teilifis Eirearn of Ireland July 17 he is worried about Trump's rhetoric on immigration, according to the Catholic News Service. "I worry about his rhetoric," said O'Malley. "It's very easy to stir up resentment and to blame groups of people." Snyder noted, "Immigration is a matter of opinion but abortion is a matter of Catholic doctrine. "Catholics cannot in good conscience vote for a political candidate who promotes abortion. That means Clinton. Why doesn't O'Malley tell it like it is? Is this prince of the Church an acolyte of the left?" "Unfortunately," Snyder continued, "O'Malley is not alone in this episcopal recalcitrance. American Catholic bishops in general are ignoring a major moral responsibility. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and individual ordinaries so far have failed to indicate that Catholics in good conscience may not vote for the presidential candidacy of abortion supporter Hillary Clinton," he added. Snyder noted, "Father Stephen F. Torraco, Ph.D., in his EWTN analysis of catechism voting requirements for Catholics, states clearly that to vote for a candidate 'with the knowledge that the candidate is pro-abortion is to become an accomplice in the moral evil of abortion. If the voter also knows this, then the voter sins mortally.' "If Clinton became president, she surely would nominate abortion promoting justices to the United States Supreme Court at any and every opportunity. She also would nominate abortion promoters to lower federal courts. She would appoint supporters of abortion and other heinous practices to various positions throughout the federal bureaucracy." Snyder said, "A Clinton presidency would feature legal persecution of Catholics and the Catholic Church for upholding traditional Christian morality. This probably would include criminal penalties for conviction. "Bishops should inform Catholics they cannot in good conscience support Clinton for president. The best practical way to prevent Clinton from becoming president is to elect the Trump-Pence ticket. Catholic Church officials and others can support the Trump-Pence ticket to preserve freedom of religion." Share Tweet Contact: John Snyder, Telum Associates, LL.C, 202-239-8005, gundean@gmail.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- "Is Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley a Democrat hack," John M. Snyder of Telum Associates asked here today."O'Malley criticizes Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for his immigration rhetoric but ignores Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage," Snyder added.O'Malley told Radio Teilifis Eirearn of Ireland July 17 he is worried about Trump's rhetoric on immigration, according to the Catholic News Service. "I worry about his rhetoric," said O'Malley. "It's very easy to stir up resentment and to blame groups of people."Snyder noted, "Immigration is a matter of opinion but abortion is a matter of Catholic doctrine."Catholics cannot in good conscience vote for a political candidate who promotes abortion. That means Clinton. Why doesn't O'Malley tell it like it is? Is this prince of the Church an acolyte of the left?""Unfortunately," Snyder continued, "O'Malley is not alone in this episcopal recalcitrance. American Catholic bishops in general are ignoring a major moral responsibility."The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and individual ordinaries so far have failed to indicate that Catholics in good conscience may not vote for the presidential candidacy of abortion supporter Hillary Clinton," he added.Snyder noted, "Father Stephen F. Torraco, Ph.D., in his EWTN analysis of catechism voting requirements for Catholics, states clearly that to vote for a candidate 'with the knowledge that the candidate is pro-abortion is to become an accomplice in the moral evil of abortion. If the voter also knows this, then the voter sins mortally.'"If Clinton became president, she surely would nominate abortion promoting justices to the United States Supreme Court at any and every opportunity. She also would nominate abortion promoters to lower federal courts. She would appoint supporters of abortion and other heinous practices to various positions throughout the federal bureaucracy."Snyder said, "A Clinton presidency would feature legal persecution of Catholics and the Catholic Church for upholding traditional Christian morality. This probably would include criminal penalties for conviction."Bishops should inform Catholics they cannot in good conscience support Clinton for president. The best practical way to prevent Clinton from becoming president is to elect the Trump-Pence ticket. Catholic Church officials and others can support the Trump-Pence ticket to preserve freedom of religion." home US Tennessee newspaper lifts ban on Christian ad after initially labeling the word 'Christian' as 'offensive' A Tennessee newspaper has performed a U-turn after initially rejecting an ad for a Christian bookstore for containing the word "Christian," which it considered "offensive." Cedar Springs Christian Stores took to Facebook on Saturday to thank its supporters and make a public announcement that the Knoxville News Sentinel finally agreed to run its ad. "We have enjoyed a working relationship with the Knoxville News Sentinel and appreciate the work they do in our community," read the post. "We are grateful that they are now printing our ad and hope that the awareness brought to this issue will prevent mistakes like this going forward." The paper also gave the Christian company an extra two days to run its ad for free for the inconvenience of the initial rejection. The incident was sparked after Cedar Springs Christian Stores decided to close one of its locations, and the owners had decided to inform their customers about the closing down sale through an ad they submitted on July 26 to be run on July 28 that read, "Store closing sale a Cedar Springs Christian Store a Clinton Highway location a All merchandise, fixtures, slat walls must go. Sale through August 13, phone 865.947.XXX." However, co-owner Lois McGinnis did not find the ad in the newspaper when she checked the paper on the scheduled day. She called up the company to ask what had happened. "She said our ad did not run because it contained an offensive word," McGinnis told Fox News, on what a classified ads employee for the paper had told her. "I asked what that offensive word was, and she said the offensive word was 'Christian'." McGinnis also lamented that the newspaper did not notify her about their decision not to run their ad nor return their money. So she shared the incident on social media, which resulted in outrage among many who rebuked the decision by the newspaper. Knoxville News Sentinel referred to what happened as a "misunderstanding" between the two companies and issued Friday an apology on Facebook. They blamed the issue on a "system failure" and "technological issue" for misclassifying the requested ad by the Christian bookstore. They also stressed their good business relationship with Cedar Springs Christian Stores, their history of working together and added that they granted them extra running time for their ad at no extra cost. Evangelicals and top Christian leaders meet Clinton in series of 'listening sessions' Hillary Clinton's advisors and supporters have met with top evangelical and Catholic leaders in Washington recently for "listening sessions" to discuss policies for the Democrat presidential hopeful. The closed-door sessions, each for about a dozen religious leaders, were not aimed at gaining support but on hearing concerns and recommendations on issues such as refugees, poverty and international aid. The first was organised as early as June 23 and have continued throughout July. "The goal of both meetings has been to a) learn about the priorities of people of faith engaged in humanitarian work b) work with supportive leaders to help get them and their communities involved in our field organizing efforts in Virginia and elsewhere," a Clinton campaign spokesperson told TIME. A representative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops went to one of the early forums and said "we are open to meeting with both parties around development issues". He said the discussion encouraged religious perspectives on policy ideas. Deborah Fikes, former permanent representative to the United Nations for the World Evangelical Alliance, who has endorsed Clinton, also attended a session. "It truly was a listening session that offered substantive discussions with our feedback from faith organizations in the Middle East, with people on the ground working in some of the most critical locations with refugees and IDPs," said Fikes. "I was encouraged that senior advisers to Hillary Clinton really understand the importance of the world that faith groups do in all aspects of American foreign policy and value and respect our advices." Steve Roese, co-founder of Water is Basic in South Sudan with Bishop Elias Taban, said: "It is very encouraging, as somebody who is deeply involved in helping the marginalized, that a campaign would take time to listen." Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, said "new orthodoxies" on social issues such as gay marriage could squeeze conservative religious groups out. "Most of the humanitarian work in Africa, like schools and hospitals, were started mostly by missionaries, including a lot of evangelicals," said Carey. "If the government tries to impose ideological constraints on civil society groups, then we could be written out of the picture, and that would be a lose-lose, certainly for our organizations, but much more importantly for the work that needs to be done." French mosques will be built using taxpayers' money in bid to stamp out extremism Mosques in France will be built using government money in an attempt to stop Muslims places of worship being funded by radical overseas groups. The French Muslim Council (CFCM) proposed a new foundation for the construction and running of mosques, paid for by fees from the halal food sector. The French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve backed the idea and said he wanted it launched in October. France has the largest Muslim population in the European Union and currently bans the use of public money for places of worship. But the Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said he wants to stop mosques being built with overseas funds. Cazeneuve said 20 Muslim places of worship had been shut recently due to allegations of extremism. "There's no room in France for those who call for and stir up hatred in prayer rooms or mosques, and do not respect the principles of the republic," he said. The French government wanted "total transparency" in how mosques were financed, while maintaining the state's strict secular principle, he added. The debate over mosque funding was reignited after Catholic priest Fr Jacques Hamel had his throat slit by two men who claimed allegiance to ISIS. The terrorist group said they were responsible for the attack in which five were taken hostage during morning mass in a town near Rouen, northern France. There is suspicion that overseas funding has encouraged the radicalisation of some Muslims and France's recent spate of Islamist-inspired attacks. Anouar Kbibech, the head of CFCM, said on Monday: "Almost all Muslims of France are attached to a serene, open, tolerant Islam and they are fully respecting the values and laws of the republic." 'Gay subculture and Grindr' at Irish seminary: why Dublin archbishop is sending trainee priests to Rome The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has decided to stop sending trainee priests from the diocese to the Irish national seminary because of what he calls "strange goings-on" there, amid reports of a "gay sub-culture". Instead of sending the would-be priests to St Patrick's College in Maynooth, in north County Kildare, Archbishop Martin will dispatch them to the Irish College in Rome. This process will begin with three seminarians going to Rome next autumn. The move comes after claims in the Irish press of rumours that some of the 60 resident seminarians at Maynooth have been using the homosexual dating app 'Grindr'. Martin told The Irish Times: "I wasn't happy with Maynooth...There seems to be an atmosphere of strange goings-on there, it seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around. I don't think this is a good place for students". He added: "However, when I informed the president of Maynooth of my decision, I did add 'at least for the moment'." The anonymous letters were reportedly circulated in clerical circles about the use of the dating app. However, The Tablet reported that Martin had made the decision "some months ago" and informed the other bishops of his intention at the summer general meeting of the Irish hierarchy in June. Martin did not comment on the rumours, merely adding that he himself had a "certain bonding" with Rome and that he felt the Irish Pontifical college there provided "a good grounding" in the Catholic faith. Martin spent 25 years at the Holy See in Rome, mainly at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace before being appointed Archbishop of Dublin in 2004. The rector of the Irish college, Monsignor Ciaran O'Carroll confirmed that the three Dublin seminarians would be "transferring" to Rome. Home Office wins appeal, can block Syrian refugees coming from Calais camps The Home Office has won an appeal against a group of Syrian refugees who had been allowed to come to the UK from Calais' Jungle camp. A landmark ruling in January meant that three teenagers and one 26-year-old who had relatives here could move to Britain immediately. Although the Home Office's case in the Court of Appeal on Tuesday was successful, it will not mean the refugees will be deported. But Citizens UK, who bought the initial case, said the ruling could effect future claims from refugees with relatives in the UK. The Bishop of Barking, Peter Hill, a spokesman for the campaign group said the Home Office must develop a "functional system" for identifying child refugees with potential to be reunited with their families in the UK. Relying on charities and volunteers to process claims one by one was "inefficient, costly to the taxpayer, and hugely stressful for the children", he said. "We know of two boys who have died in the last 12 months trying to reach their families in the UK," he added. "The government has a legal and a moral responsibility to ensure that refugee children who have close family members in the UK are granted safe passage." The four claimants had fled Syria and one the 26-year-old suffers from severe mental health problems. Under EU regulations asylum seekers must claim refuge in the first country they reach. Those with a relative in another European country can claim there but only once they have been processed in their first country. Despite none of the four having successful claims in France, lawyers persuaded judges in January they should be allowed into the UK to claim asylum. But on Tuesday three judges "allowed" the Home Office's appeal and said bypassing the EU rules, known as the Dublin III Regulation, "can only be justified in an especially compelling case". It continued: "In the light of the psychiatric evidence before the upper tribunal about the first four respondents and the evidence of the French lawyers and NGOs adduced by the respondents suggesting that there would be a delay of just under one year in the French system and that there was no possibility of expedition, the result the tribunal reached may have been justifiable. "I am, however, not entirely persuaded that, had the tribunal applied the correct test, it must inevitably have reached the same conclusion. In those circumstances, the appropriate course would normally have been to remit the matter to the tribunal for reconsideration. "However ... I have concluded that it would be inappropriate to take that course. I would therefore simply allow the appeal and make no further order." George Gabriel, a campaigner with Citizens UK, said the ruling will make reuniting refugee children with their families in Britain more difficult. He said: "When we brought this case, it was an enormous kick up the arse for the government, and the system is now working better because 50 children have been brought to Britain since the case. "But it means that charities like ours will have to continue identifying children one by one, taking them through a lengthy bureaucratic process as they have to wait to be reunited with their loved ones. "Today is a great day for bureaucrats because it means that the letter of the process will have to be followed despite the clearly unacceptable wait this leaves refugee children facing. We fear this means many will take the situation into their own hands, choosing between people traffickers on the one hand and train tracks on the other." Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and an evangelical Christian, branded the Home Office "inhumane" and said: "It is disgusting that the government is putting ideology above what is best for these desperate and vulnerable children." He added there was "no doubt" it was best for the children to remain in the UK. Yvette Cooper said she was "appalled" at the new Prime Minister Theresa May after she promised to defeat modern slavery at the weekend. The chair of Labour's refugee taskforce said the appeal would put children in "even greater risk of slavery, exploitation and abuse". Israel detains senior World Vision employee, raids Jerusalem office Israel has detained a member of staff from World Vision for more than 40 days and raided its Jerusalem office. World Vision is the world's largest evangelical Christian charity and has operated in Israel-Palestine for more than 40 years. However, it confirmed to ThinkProgress that one of its employees, Mohammad El Halabi, was detained while working in Gaza. World Vision's East Jerusalem office released a statement in June saying they were "not aware of his whereabouts and of what (if anything) [El Halabi] is being accused,". It said he was detained on June 15 at the Erez checkpoint on his way home from routine meetings and was held without access to legal counsel or family visits. An update on Friday said his detention had been extended until August 2. The statement said: "We will continue to reach out to the relevant authorities including calling on Israeli authorities to release Mohammad or allow him access to legal support." It continued: "World Vision stands by Mohammad who is a widely respected and well regarded humanitarian, field manager and trusted colleague of over a decade. He has displayed compassionate leadership on behalf of the children and communities of Gaza through difficult and challenging times, and has always worked diligently and professionally in fulfilling his duties." Israel frequently places Palestinians in "administrative detention", a process that does not require an indictment or trial. The practice has been widely condemned by human rights organisations who say it is open to abuse. The apparent targeting of a World Vision employee for such a long period of detention marks an unusual attack on a charity run by a wing of the church with which Israel generally enjoys good relations. However, World Vision has been critical of Israel's policy toward the Palestine issue in the past. Its vice-president Steve Haas wrote an article for the Lausanne movement questioning Christian Zionism, saying: "This theological position has backed the largest and longest occupation of another people group in modern history, an oppressive Israeli legal system which [Archbishop Desmond] Tutu and many other church leaders have called 'apartheid on steroids'." The organisation subsequently distanced itself from Haas' comments after fierce criticism from Christian Zionists, saying "broad statements such as those in the Lausanne piece oversimplify issues at hand, limit meaningful dialogue, and harden staunch perspectives toward the conflict". The comments about Christian Zionism in the article were "unhelpfully simplified and combative" and "limit meaningful dialogue between people who care about peace in the region". However, it reiterated its position that a two-state solution was desirable. Israel's continuing blockade of Gaza has led to the territory facing what aid agencies are calling a humanitarian catastrophe. Clean water is in desperately short supply, there is no sewage treatment and a UN report has said by 2020 there will no drinkable water there at all. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter for Donald Trumps The Art of the Deal, describes Trump, as a deeply damaged human being. He grew up in a way that left him without a heart or conscience. Hes a sociopathic Black Hole sucking up everything around him; he has no close friends. Trump, is the apocalyptic Armageddon is upon us candidate. In his narcissistic, acceptance speech; he undemocratically said, Only I alone can fix it; when speaking of our America. His wifes speech was plagiarized. Ted Cruz said, Vote your conscience. Home state, Ohio Republican governor John Kasich, didnt attend the convention; including the two former Bush presidents. Trump questions our membership in NATO; whose purpose is defending Europe and North America from aggressor nations like Vladimir Putins Russia. Trump, has an admiration of Putins strongman tactics. When Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, she had a combative relationship with Putin. She compared Russias invasion into Ukraine to Hitlers expansionistic moves in 1930s Europe. Trumps party platform doesnt call for arming Ukraine against Russian aggression; previous Republican platforms did. Paul Manafort, Trumps campaign manager, was a consultant for the Russian backed, now-ousted pro-communist Ukrainian government. Manafort still has relationships with Russian billionaires. FBI-NSA evidence indicates the Kremlins cyberspecialists breached the Democratic National Committees emails. Scheming to damage Clintons campaign outcome in a way that would allow Trump to be elected and presumably allow Putin to influence Trumps dangerous strongman impulses. Trump wants to torture terrorists; evidence shows it doesnt work. The Geneva Conventions prohibit it. Trump proposes to slaughter families of terrorists, including innocent children. Trump said North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, You gotta give him credit for seizing the government and murdering his uncle. My conclusion: Trump is irrational and has a depraved dark soul. Additional information? Google: Donald Trumps Ghostwriter Tells All. 'Jurassic World 2' news update: Production set in Hawaii in February; Producer teases story "Jurassic World 2" is in pre-production with the actual filming set in February in Hawaii. Producer Frank Marshall has been meeting with director Juan Antonio Bayona as well to put together the premise. "I just got back from London from meeting with Juan Antonio and the production designer. We're designing, he's doing storyboards, and we're in full pre-production to start shooting sometime early next spring," Marshall revealed to Collider. As for the story to be told in "Jurassic World 2," Marshall said that Bayona has been collaborating with Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow, who directed the mega successful first film. "As a director Bayona has his input but Colin and Derek are writing the script, so there have been numerous meetings and we have the template for the movie," Marshall explained. "But of course he's putting in his own ideas and taking ownership of it, but it's pretty much the same story that they originally came up with," he went on to say. He did not offer further details on this plot though. There's a lot of pressure on "Jurassic World 2" being as good, if not better than the first one, which went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all time. Marshall knows very well the pressure to deliver, but it looks like he got it covered as he has in place what will make the film a big hit a great story, action sequences that help the plot progress and the effective involvement of characters in these scenes. That being said, "Jurassic World 2" will be more than just its larger-than-life dinosaurs that make for great visuals. Marshall's team is also finding ways to incorporate these in a story that will make sense with the characters. Chris Pratt and Bryce Howard Dallas will be back in "Jurassic World 2" with Steven Spielberg set to be executive producer. The film releases June 22, 2018. Pastor who won assault rifle in raffle could face misdemeanor charge A US pastor who won an assault rifle in a raffle last week with the intention of destroying it might face charges because he passed it to a parishioner for safe keeping. Rev Jeremy Lucas of The Episcopal Church's Christ Church parish in Lake Oswego, Oregon, deliberately set out to win the AR-15 rifle. He spent $3,000 from a personal fund and donations and bought 150 raffle tickets. He won the prize, even though 499 were tickets sold in total. The raffle was organised to raise funds for a softball team from Milwaukee High School and other nearby schools who wanted to travel to California to play in the Western Regional Tournament. As soon as he has his licence and can take possession of the gun, he will melt it down and work with an artist to have it remodelled into a symbol of hope. However, according to Oregon Live he is facing potential charges because the law requires anyone transferring a weapon from one person to another to perform background checks, even when no money is involved. Captain Bill Fugate, a spokesman for the Oregon State Police, told Oregon Live that Lake Oswego police had asked them to look into the case. If Lucas were convicted of an unlawful transfer of a weapon he could face a maximum fine of $6,250 and up to a year in jail, Fugate said. Lucas told the Portland Tribune he would cooperate fully with any investigation and was glad his actions had prompted debate about gun control laws. "Anything that furthers the conversation about our gun laws in the state of Oregon, I'm happy that that would happen," he said. Pope Francis takes step towards ordination of women in the Catholic Church The Roman Catholic Church took the first tentative steps towards women's ordination today when Pope Francis announced a new commission to look at the possibility of women deacons. However, there are concerns among campaigners for women priests in the Catholic Church that women deacons will be ordained in an attempt to fob them off from expecting any further moves towards equality. In an indication that the Pope is serious about moving forward on this issue, half of the commission's members are themselves women, all highly regarded as intellectuals and academics from institutions around the world. Pope Francis indicated in May that he intended to set up an official commission to study the diaconate of women, "especially with regard to the first ages of the Church." Today's announcement came after a period of "intense prayer and mature reflection", Vatican Radio announced. The Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women will be headed by the Archbishop Luis Ferrer, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and, like Pope Francis, a Jesuit. Half of 12 other members are women: Sister Nuria CalduchBenages, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, Professor Francesca Cocchini, of La Sapienza University, Sister Mary Melone, Rector of the Pontifical University in Rome, Marianne Schlosser, professor of spiritual theology at the University of Vienana, Michelina Tenace, professor of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and Phyllis Zagano, professor at Hofstra University, Hempstead in New York. Deacons are the first of the three holy orders of deacon, priest and bishop. They can take weddings and funerals but may not say Mass. Male deacons can also marry, unlike most Catholic priests. Women priests in the Catholic Church would remove one of the main barriers to Anglican and Catholic unity, but would put a serious new barrier in place to unity between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Vatican did make clear today that the Pope was not currently considering the issue of women priests. Pat Brown of Catholic Women's Ordination told Christian Today: "This is good news. We see it as a step towards the ordination of women into the priesthood. We hope the commission will consider women on an equal footing with me in the diaconate. We do not see it as something we are just going to settle for. But obviously having women at the altar is going to help us. We will pray about it and hope it will be a good thing." Rouen Cathedral packed as thousands gather for Jacques Hamel funeral Thousands of mourners have gathered for the funeral of Fr Jacques Hamel who was murdered last week at the altar of his church at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy by self-proclaimed Islamist militants. Hundreds of people were gathered inside the 13th century Gothic cathedral in Rouen for the funeral Mass for the priest, who was taken hostage along with three nuns and two other fellow worshippers. The service this afternoon was led by the Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun, and attended by a number of clergy and public figures including France's interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, and Mohammed Karabila, the imam of the mosque at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Pallbearers carried Hamel's coffin through the Cathedral's 'Door of Mercy' - so-called to mark this Jubilee Year of Mercy - and placed it on an ornate rug before the altar. Addressing the congregation, Hamel's sister Roselyne recounted how during his military service in Algeria he had refused an officer's grade so as not give the order to kill others, and how he once emerged the sole survivor in a desert shoot-out. "He would often ask himself, 'why me'? Today, Jacques, our brother, your brother, you have your answer: Our God of love and misery chose you to be at the service of others," she said. In the homily, Archbishop Lebrun said: "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light." The service, which took place amid tight security, is being followed by a private burial. The funeral was also broadcast on a big screen to mourners outside the church. Hamel was attacked by Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean, both 19, who forved the priest to his knees before cutting his throat. Sister Danielle, one of the nuns present, managed to escape and alert the authorities, who shot the attackers dead as they left the church. Self-styled Islamist militants have killed more than 200 people in France since January 2015. The Prime Minister, Manuel Valls has said that the State must reinvent its relationship with the "Islam of France". France has the largest Muslim population of any country in the EU, around 8 per cent of the total. Philippe Maheut, the vicar general of the Rouen diocese, said: "Father Hamel's stole, the sign of his life as a priest, will be put on the cross of Christ, in the choir of the cathedral as a sign that, like Jesus, he gave his life in a way that was not chosen, but was real". Additional reporting by Reuters. Satanic Temple wants to establish Satan clubs in U.S. public schools After targeting invocations at city council meetings, Satanists are eyeing to establish After School Satan Clubs in public schools across the U.S., aiming to be like the Christian The Good News Clubs. The Satanic Temple has sent letters to schools and petitioning officials to open After School Satan Clubs when the new school year starts. Temple chapter heads from Utah, New York, Boston and Arizona were in Salem, Massachusetts last July 10 to discuss the establishment of the club along with others from Minneapolis, Detroit, San Jose, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Florida who participated online, reported The Salt Lake Tribune. "It's critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think," said Satanic Temple co-founder Doug Mesner. According to the Satanic Temple, the curriculum they are proposing for the club is about development of reasoning and social skills such as snacks, literature lesson, creative learning activities, a science lesson, puzzle solving and an art project. Each student will be given a membership card and parents should give consent before a student will be allowed to attend any meeting. "We think it's important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings," said the group's Utah chapter head, who uses the name Chalice Blythe. The Satanic Temple is leveraging on the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Good News Club v. Milfrod Central School, which said that excluding an after-school programme because of religious views of its organisers was a violation of free-speech rights. By 2011, there were 3,560 Good News Clubs in the U.S. "As it is illegal for the schools to discriminate against specific religions or preference others, After School Satan Clubs cannot be denied wherever Christian, or any other religious clubs, operate," according to the After School Satan Club website. The Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver agreed that the Satanic Temple has the legal right. "I would definitely oppose after-school Satanic clubs, but they have a First Amendment right to meet," he said. "I suspect, in this particular case, I can't imagine there's going to be a lot of students participating in this. It's probably dust they're kicking up and is likely to fade away in the near future for lack of interest." The Satanic Temple is thanking the Liberty Counsel "for opening the doors to the After School Satan Clubs through their dedication to religious liberty," said Greaves. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson: I'm a Christian who backs gay marriage The Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has described herself as "a practising Christian, a Protestant and a Unionist who is engaged to a Catholic Irishwoman" ahead of a speech delivering a "positive message" on gay marriage in Belfast. Davidson, who recently became engaged to Jen Wilson, said she is "honoured" to have been invited to give the Amnesty Pride lecture in Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is not legal. Not for the first time, the Scottish Tory leader made clear her support for a change of law in Northern Ireland. "As a practising Christian, a Protestant and a Unionist who is engaged to a Catholic Irishwoman, for me, equal marriage isn't about one religion, country or community," she said. "It is about people in Northern Ireland being afforded the same rights as everybody else. Scotland is a better place today because of equal marriage and I want to take that positive message from our experiences here to Belfast and beyond." Moves to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland have been repeatedly blocked in the devolved Stormont assembly. A fifth attempt last November collapsed after it was vetoed with a mechanism used by the Democratic Unionist Party. Last year, Davidson was active in the successful campaign for 'equal marriage' to be introduced in the Republic of Ireland. After the passing of the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Act in 2014, Davidson wrote that she wept for five minutes. "I am not ashamed to say that on returning to my parliamentary office after the vote, I cried deep sobbing tears of relief and release and joy and pain and pride and dozens of other emotions all mixed up together," she said. "In truth, I didn't really know why I was crying - I hadn't expected to - but I couldn't stop for a full five minutes." Davidson wrote in the Herald: "As a practising Christian who is gay, the passage of the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Act has been an intensely personal experience, as well as one that encompassed universal themes and fundamental rights." Shocking catalogue of child rape by Anglican clergy unfolds in Australia A devastating story of mass child rape perpetrated by an Anglican paedophile ring is unfolding in the latest hearing of Australia's Royal Commission into child sexual abuse. The first day of the two-week sessions heard of the crimes perpetrated by Rev Peter Rushton, an Anglican priest who was Archdeacon of Maitland and who died in 2007. His catalogue of child rape and abuse was finally exposed by an ABC investigation. He led a paedophile ring involving other clergy and lay people from the Newcastle diocese over as many as four decades. Rushton's godson, Paul Gray, told how he was taken to St Alban's School for Boys in Hunter Valley. This was the 1960s, and boys would be anally and orally raped by groups of men in a locked room called the "f***ing room", according to Daily Mail Australia. Gray, who was first raped by Rushton when he was just ten years old, wept in the witness box as he testified to being abused alone and in groups of boys, in the boys' school and on church camps. Rushton would even use a knife to cut his back and then smear his body with the blood which he said was "symbolic of the blood of Christ", the Mail said. The two week hearing at Newcastle Courthouse is looking into the experiences of survivors of child sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy and lay people involved in or associated with the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. The commission says allegations are being made against clergy and lay people associated with the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. As well as Rushton they include Graeme Lawrence, Gregory Goyette, Andrew Duncan, Bruce Hoare, Graeme Sturt, Ian Barrack, Rushton's reported boyfriend James Michael Brown and another Anglican priest. Some of these men have already been defrocked. Brown is currently serving 20 years in prison for 103 sex offences against boys. He was originally sentenced to ten years but when he appealed, the court doubled his sentence, Mary Ann Mueller reported for Virtue Online. The current bishop, Greg Thompson, is expected to tell the commission that he himself was molested as a boy by two Anglican clergy, including his own bishop. He has made a formal apology to the victims of sexual abuse on behalf of the dioceses. He has also said there will be "no accommodation" to perpetrators. In a video, he admits that some people will find the evidence presented to the commission hard to believe and that it will make them very angry. A full list of witnesses has been published by the commission and also includes other current and former senior clergy of the diocese. Barrister Naomi Sharp, advising the commission, said the diocesan professional standards Michael Elliott, was among those who would give evidence, Guardian Australia reported. She said Elliott is expected to say he believes the diocese is harbouring a large number of active offenders with little or no accountability in place. Lyn Wickham, a member of Cardiff parish in Newcastle and also of the diocesan council, says in a video on the diocesan website that the next two weeks will be a "challenging time" for everyone in the diocese. "Many people will be shocked by what they hear and read," she says. It is essential to work together to shape a healthy future, but also to face the past, she says. Surge in refugees prompts spike in Church of England attendance... in Finland The Church of England has become the fastest growing religious group in Finland thanks to a boost from large amounts of refugees arriving in the Nordic country. Attendance in CofE parishes has shot up by 20 per cent according to Rev Tuomas Makipaa, the Church's Assistant Area Dean for Finland. With small numbers to begin with, the recent surge was prompted by arrivals from countries with dominant Anglican presences such as Sudan and South Sudan. "Aid agencies warn that the upsurge of fighting in South Sudan will see the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of civilians worsening, wrote the Church's Suffragan Bishop in Europe, the Rt Rev David Hamid in his Eurobishop blog. "The Finnish government, working with the UN, continues to offer settlement to Sudanese [and] South Sudanese fleeing the violence and war." Hamid cites the example of one White Nile Congregations church run by Rev Amos Manga and says: "Our church is fully engaged in many parts of this Nordic country in providing care, a spiritual home and pastoral accompaniment to the new arrivals." On a trip last Sunday to Helsinki, Hamid said he confimed people both from the local St Nicholas church and from overseas. "The fellowship and joy in the congregation was infectious as the young people renewed their baptismal vows, were chrismated and received the Apostolic Rite of the laying on of hands," he wrote. "The service was in English, Arabic and Finnish. The priests assisting me were Finnish, Sudanese and Nigerian in origin. Yes, this is the Church of England!" Theresa May and sharia law: What does the new Prime Minister mean for Islamic courts in the UK? Theresa May's inquiry into Sharia Law is heading into freefall. As Home Secretary she commissioned a review into the use of sharia courts in the UK. But within weeks the whole project appears to be unravelling. More than 200 individuals and human rights groups branded the inquiry a "whitewash" in an open letter to May. The signatories said the panel was biased after an Islamic scholar was made chair and two imams were given advisory roles. They added the review had a "narrow remit" and the wrong focus after it said it would focus on "best practice" from the courts rather than questioning whether they existed. They wrote: "It is patronising if not racist to fob off minority women with so-called religious experts who wish to legitimate sharia laws as a form of governance in family and private matters. "By making religious appointments, the Government has lost a vital opportunity to examine the discriminatory nature of not only sharia councils but all spheres of religious arbitration including the Batei Din [Jewish court]." The review was commissioned after Baroness Cox, a Christian peer and campaigner in the House of Lords, compiled extensive evidence of women being abused and discriminated against through sharia courts in the UK. She said there were certain aspects of sharia law that inherently unacceptable and it was wrong to say discrimination was only the result of a "distortion" by courts. But at the launch of the inquiry in the spring, then Home Secretary Theresa May, said many people "benefit a great deal" from practices such as sharia law. The Home Office stressed it was not "a review of the totality of Sharia law, which is a source of guidance for many Muslims in the UK." Rather it would look to take "best practices" from the sharia courts and examine whether some had operated in a "discriminatory and unacceptable" way. It is this refusal from the outset to question the very existence of sharia courts that has attracted so much attention from women's advocacy and human rights groups. They say sharia law in its very nature is discriminatory towards women. The criticism was brought to a head when Professor Elham Manea, an expert in Islamic law and campaigner for women's rights, announced she would not even give evidence to the review because she considers the basis so flawed. She said Islamic scholars on the panel are "part of the system they are supposed to be investigating" and added the terms of reference meant it "would not be in a position to address the discriminatory nature of the law applied in the parallel legal system of Sharia law in the UK and the Islamist extremism that feeds it". But since most of this resentment boiled over Theresa May has been appointed Prime Minister. Amber Rudd, the new Home Secretary, will now oversee the independent review, chaired by Islamic professor Mona Siddiqui from Edinburgh University. Tim Dieppe, director of Islamic Affairs at the campaign group Christian Concern, told Christian Today he hoped the change in personnel means the inquiry would be abandoned. "[There is] an opportunity for the new Home Secretary to ditch it and do something sensible," he said. "We know action needs to be taken and we know what action needs to be taken," he added. "Whatever the inquiry says it has now lost legitimacy and any credibility. It should be scrapped." But Siddiqui told Christian Today that May's move to Downing Street would not change the terms of the inquiry. "Everything is going ahead as originally planned," she said. She added the panel was not often in touch with ministers directly but was "communicating with the secretariat and they are in place as before". Amber Rudd has not made her thoughts known on sharia courts nor what her approach will be over the inquiry. The Home Office has been approached for comment. Trump calls Clinton 'the devil' after row over Muslim soldier's parents Donald Trump has directly called Hillary Clinton "the devil" as the Republican steps up his increasingly heated rhetoric against his Democrat opponent. Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania last night, he criticised Clinton's democratic rival for the presidential nomination Bernie Sanders, saying he "made a deal with the devil". He added of Clinton: "She's the devil". At an earlier rally in Ohio, Trump said that he feared the election in November "is going to be rigged". The comments come after a row over Trump's attack on the parents of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq. Senator John McCain, a veteran of the Vietnam War and former Republican candidate for president, became the latest in a chorus of cross-party criticism of Trump, saying he does not have "unfettered licence to defame the best among us". The dispute began last Thursday night when the late soldier's father Khizr Khan addressed the Democratic National Convention (DNC) with his wife, Ghazala, standing at his side. Khan spoke emotionally of the sacrifice his son had made for the country as an American Muslim, specifically criticising Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country. In response to the speech, Trump suggested that Ghazala Khan might not have been "allowed" to speak, implying her silence reflected restrictions placed on women by some conservative Muslims. "She had nothing to say, maybe she was not allowed to speak, you tell me," he added on Sunday. Ghazala Khan wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post on Sunday saying that she had remained silent during her husband's remarks because she was worried she would be too emotional to speak. The Khans then conducted several interviews, discussing the support they have received since Trump's attacks. But Trump took to Twitter to say: "This story is not about Mr Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the US. Get smart!" Clinton has said Trump has treated the parents as scapegoats, while leading Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, issued statements in support of the family. Last year, Trump claimed that McCain - who was taken prisoner for five years during the Vietnam War - was not a hero since he had been captured. In a statement last night, McCain said Trump's latest views do not represent "our Republican Party." Local and federal law enforcement convened in Mandan on Tuesday by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., stressed the importance of prosecution and prison time not just treatment as a response to the growing opiate problem in the state. "Treatment is very, very inefficient," said Jeffrey Stamm, director of Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federal program that assists local law enforcement in targeting drug crime. "Most folks enjoying their run on heroin or opiates don't want treatment," he said. "One of the best prevention programs for drugs is law enforcement." Bismarck Police Chief Dan Donlin said people often avoid prison time here, racking up multiple offenses and probation violations before they are put behind bars. "I think the overall feeling with law enforcement is 'build more jails,'" Donlin said, citing conflict between police and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, whose director recently advocated for sentencing reform around drug possession and mandatory minimums. Bringing together the treatment and tough-on-crime philosophies, Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert said a good solution would be to add treatment in jail by hiring at least one mid-level person to work with the inmates. Many people get out of jail and start using drugs again right away, Heinert said. He noted that one inmate was recently released with a drug patch after 90 days in jail. He came back one day later with methamphetamine in his system. "That's what we haven't dealt with," Heinert said. Law enforcement agreed that cracking down on heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considerably more powerful and deadly than heroin, posed difficult, 21st century problems. "The internet is a real struggle," Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said of fentanyl, which is frequently sold on the dark web and paid for with an anonymous electronic currency known as Bitcoin. Alex Khu, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in St. Paul, Minn., told the panel he is educating his agents on cyber crime, because more drugs are being ordered from China and delivered directly to consumers. "It's like Whac-a-Mole," Khu said of chasing such criminals online. At the meeting, Hoeven presented legislation meant to help law enforcement go after fentanyl sellers by closing a loophole that allows close variants of the drug to be labeled as "not for human consumption" and sold legally. "We've got to have laws that catch up with what's going on," Hoeven said. Which books inspire this preacher who sees thousands come to faith each summer? Soul Survivor, currently underway, sees 30,000 young people to descend on the small English town of Shepton Mallet each year. Andy Croft, its deputy director, has been almost a permanent presence on the Soul Survivor main stage these last few years and has had the privilege of seeing literally thousands of young people come to faith there. He made time in his intense preparation for the events to talk to me about his passion for books and about the three that changed his life. Here's what he said: Why do you make time to read as a Christian leader? Reading has always had a massive role in me growing as a Christian. It's one of the main ways that I learn, and one the main ways that I discover things that God has taught other people. Which are the books that you find yourself recommending new Christians? One of my favourite things to do is to read biographies of people who have had adventures with God. I find those incredibly inspiring and challenging. I've found that it's been one of the key ways that God actually has spoken into my life over the years. Which is the first of the Christian books you would say changed your life? When I was about 20 I came across a book called The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen and in reading it God really spoke to me profoundly about forgiveness. Nouwen is kind of meditating on the parable of the prodigal son and he uses a painting by Rembrandt to do that. If you're not into art don't be put off because he's really digging in to the scripture. He draws out the forgiveness of the father, what it is to receive forgiveness in the younger brother and then the story of the older brother (I always connect with the older brother). He talks about what it is to come to know joy and to be welcomed home. I found through reading that I was able to forgive other people in my life, receive God's forgiveness and receive his joy in a whole new way. Can you think of another book that has had as deep an impact on you? Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster is one of the best books I have ever read. You feel like every word he's written is full of wisdom, everything is there very intentionally and he manages to capture how you grow as a Christian. He emphasises both the grace of God but also the fact we have a role to play in that and then he walks you through some really simple daily practices that open us up to hearing God speak, to becoming obedient and to becoming like Christ. I've learnt how to submit a bit better. I've learnt how to study God's word better. I've learnt how to meditate and pray better. It's one of the most practical, godly books of wisdom I've ever come across. You have said how much you like biographies, tell us about one that has particularly inspired you. J Hudson Taylor: A man in Christ by Roger Steer is a book that I read year after year after year. I've highlighted bits all over it and I come back to them again and again and the reason is he's just a really normal guy. Hudson Taylor was around in the 1800s and went as a missionary to China. Today millions of people in China would trace their kind of knowing Christ back to the influence of the China Inland Mission that Hudson Taylor started. What I love is that I see his failures and I also see his successes. Each one of them encourages you to step out to take a risk to believe and expect God in prayer and to understand that He can use your life, your really simple life, to make a difference for Him. I think it's impossible to read it and not be inspired. You can order Andy Croft's top three books here or pop into your nearest Christian bookshop. Dr Krish Kandiah is a contributing editor to Christian Today, the founding director of Home for Good and the executive producer of Books for Life. You can catch up with last month's interview with Canon J. John here. Christies Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on living in Hong Kong for two decades, why Christies specialists are romantics and her love of Portobello Road There are two types of collector. As Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art I meet both established collectors, who know exactly what they want, and those who are buying for the first time either as an investment, or because theyve found something they love. Its great to see a new generation of collectors even if it does make me feel very old! I now see the sons and daughters of collectors I first worked with coming through the doors of Christies Hong Kong. Theres still an intense interest in collecting, and sourcing the best pieces. When I came to Hong Kong in 1997, I thought, What have I done? I had finished studies at SOAS [School of Oriental and African Studies] in London, and was asked to move to Christies Hong Kong. At the time, the Asian financial crisis was at its peak. People were sitting on their hands in our fall auction nobody was bidding. It was interesting to live through that time. The art market has changed. I joined Christies as an administrator in 1993. Since then, its changed a lot the global art market has expanded, experiencing a number of rollercoaster rides along the way. Now the market moves so fast it can be difficult to keep up! Im often asked to define a good buy. The answer really depends on what a collector likes whether that be ceramics or Buddhist works of art. Of course, the value of certain areas has grown exponentially in recent years. As specialists we work to find the best pieces at the collectors ideal price point. They can set the bar as low or as high as they want to. There are always pieces you develop an emotional attachment to. I remember being bowled over the first time I saw the Dragon jar from our 30th Anniversary sale. It was clear that I was looking at something really important; the size and the quality of the paintings was absolutely astounding. Our job is like detective work. Were always learning, and its humbling to realise that there are still things we dont know. We work with ancient objects, and trace their history through the centuries consulting museum archives or external experts for more complex cases. Its fascinating to find out why an object was made and for whom. Records might reveal, for example, that a vase was made for an emperor, who specified a dragon handle. As specialists we live and breathe art. Its not just about buying and selling. I love going to the markets of Portobello Road just as much as the British Museum. Its great to look at pieces, and to handle them sometimes I have to remind myself that I cant run my fingers across the works in museums! In my work I see the good, the bad and the ugly. But the ugly is, of course, subjective. The good is a great pleasure; the bad helps us to know what is good; and the ugly keeps us on our toes! Its important to see the unusual and the bizarre. As specialists, I think it makes us better professionals. Christies specialists are real romantics. We live in a different world, built from the stories of the pieces we sell, and the worlds theyve come from. Were aware of the past, and how the past can affect the present. All objects can become reminders of a specific moment, or of the lovely characters weve come across in our lives. I dont have a time machine, but this is perhaps the closest Ill get. Houston startups GroupRaise and IntuiTap Medical are among the 142 semifinalists for the 43North startup competition that will award $5 million in capital, including a $1 million grand prize. The semifinalists represent four continents and 10 countries. GroupRaise is an online marketplace for reservations for 20 to more than 200 people at restaurants where a percentage of the sales is donated to a charitable cause. IntuiTap is a device designed for spinal punctures. It integrates imaging of the spine with needle guidance and analytics to help physicians get where they need to go on the first try. A Houston developer is planning a new condominium project next to River Oaks that will target wealthy empty-nesters looking to downsize. The project, to be called The Revere, is planned for 2325 Welch at Revere in Vermont Place, a changing neighborhood just south of San Felipe and east of Kirby. A Florida man is accused of stabbing his wife after they started arguing about mango peelings left on the floor. According to the Palm Beach Post, Uriel Bradshaw, 84, was eating mangoes in his West Palm Beach home on Saturday and his 65-year-old wife became irritated after he left parts of the mango on the floor. When she pointed out the mango peels to her husband, Bradshaw "lunged at the victim with a steak knife," the newspaper reports. Erik Estrada is one of the last people you expect to run into at the San Antonio International Airport. The TV star, known for his role as a motorcycle cop on the classic series "CHiPs," was spotted taking photos with fans at the airport Monday. SAN ANTONIO - Native American ceramics from the mission era, square nails, a bone button and other historical remnants are among the more than 300 artifacts discovered after two weeks of digging in Alamo Plaza. Nesta Anderson, lead investigator in an archaeological project in the city plaza, said her teams have found a variety of items reflective of the site's multi-layered past but that they did not yield an extraordinary centerpiece. "This is daily life at its best. We're getting what you would probably find in many households" of the 18th and 19th centuries, Anderson said during a briefing Monday, as dozens of artifacts were shown to the media and visitors for the first time. "We've got a few sherds of Goliad ware, which was native-made, but was made both before Europeans got here and through that period of contact," she said. "We're all 'oohing' and 'aahing' every time we get anything out. That 'wow piece' may be coming up. We just never know." So far, unearthed items include a piece of glass stamped "San Antonio Apothecary" from the 19thcentury, bits of ceramics found in Europe and Mexico, part of a toothbrush, antique bottle glass, a corroded utility knife or scissors blade, and square nails from the 1800s. Envisioning past and future A week earlier, the archaeological team, comprising experts from engineering contractors and the University of Texas at San Antonio's Center for Archaeological Research, reported finding mission-era adobe bricks near the plaza's southwest corner. The teams are nearly finished with the west wall excavation, and have three 1-by-1-meter or 1-by-2-meter units open at the likely site of the Alamo's south wall, closer to the center of the plaza. Artifacts are being cleaned and documented by the archaeological research center, which will hold them in trust. "They are state-owned artifacts, so they belong to the people" under state law, Anderson said. "As of yet, we're not finding a lot of battle-related things." In a statement, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said the artifacts will "help us envision a better future for the Alamo with exciting educational exhibits and innovative ways of telling the Alamo's complete story. "I encourage everyone to join us in this exploration of the Alamo and be a part of Texas history." The archaeological project, set to continue for at least two more weeks, will support a long-range master plan for the Alamo area. shuddleston@express-news.net @shuddlestonSA GRAND FORKS -- Business and political leaders spent Monday making the case for a large defense contractor to consider expanding to Grand Forks. Executives from Raytheon, which manufactures numerous products including sensing systems for large unmanned aircraft systems, listened to the pitch and received a tour of Grand Sky business park. We brought officials from Raytheon to Grand Forks to highlight the kind of dynamic UAS technology and business environment we can offer them an environment they wont find anywhere elsewhere, said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. The park, on land rented from Grand Forks Air Force Base, aims to be home to businesses involved in the unmanned aircraft industry, ranging from manufacturers to data management centers. Representatives from the business park, the city and county of Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota, local business support organizations and others met with Raytheon representatives. This is our first visit and were trying to get the lay of the land and the opportunities for what we do next, said Jim Hvizd, vice president of international business development for Raytheon. Hvizd added later what he had seen so far in North Dakota was a great enterprise. He was accompanied on the trip by Kristin Spivey, senior manager of strategy and business development, and Joe Zummo, director of governmental relations. During Mondays presentation, Grand Forks officials also highlighted UNDs UAS program and research, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, state research grants and financial incentives should the company choose to build at Grand Sky. Both of the business parks anchor tenants, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corp., work with Raytheon in some capacity. General Atomics and Raytheon announced last month an initiative to evaluate how to integrate unmanned aircraft flight control, sensor collection and other capabilities into an existing radar system. General Atomics Reaper aircraft would be outfitted with the system under the arrangement. Northrop Grummans Global Hawk already include Raytheon products, namely its sensing system that allows the aircraft to produce high-resolution imagery that can penetrate clouds, among other features. Raytheon has headquarters in Waltham, Mass., and employs about 63,000 people worldwide. The company posted $23.2 billion in revenue in 2015. A man wearing body armor and equipped with an AK-47 at a Kentucky Walmart told police that he was buying supplies for an end-of-the-world scenario. According to The Lexington Herald-Leader, police were called to the Kentucky Walmart on Saturday after customers saw the man, 26, in a car. A 20-year-old woman with a baby and a 20-year-old man were also in the car, the newspaper reports. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GALVESTON James Larry Cosby shot his daughter in the head in the back of an SUV and clubbed to death her female lover before dumping their bodies near a dumpster behind a convenience store on the Bolivar Peninsula in 2014, a prosecutor told jurors on the first day of Cosby's capital murder trial. A bloody fingerprint found on a decorative shutter from Cosby's house discovered near the bodies of Brittney Cosby and Crystal Jackson, both 24, link Cosby to the crime, Assistant Galveston County District Attorney Paul Love told jurors. BACKGROUND: Car sought in deaths of lesbian couple found in storage lot Also, the prosecutor said, cell phone records show that Cosby's mobile phone traveled from Houston to Port Bolivar and back to Houston on the day of the slayings. "All the evidence leads back to one person, and that's Mr. Cosby," Love told the seven men and seven women who comprise the jury, including the two alternate jurors. READ MORE: Victim's father held in slayings of 2 Bolivar women In addition to the March 6, 2014, slayings, Cosby is charged with two counts of tampering with evidence related to a corpse, prosecutors said. Before attorneys made their statements, District Judge Patricia Grady asked Cosby how he pleaded to the charges. "Not guilty, your honor," Cosby, 48, replied forcefully as he stood next to his attorneys at the witness table in a dark suit. READ MORE: Family prays where bodies found on Bolivar "There is no direct evidence linking Mr. Cosby to the murder of Brittany and Crystal," defense attorney Greg Russell told jurors. Russell said that the only two witnesses who identified Cosby as being on the Galveston-Bolivar ferry on the day of the killings initially were uncertain in their identification. Before the trial, the defense unsuccessfully tried to convince the judge to disallow their testimony. READ MORE: Bodies of 2 women found behind Bolivar store In outlining the case against Cosby for the jury, Love said that prosecutors were unable to say why Cosby killed his daughter and her lover, but said, "What we will prove to you is that he did it." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The director of "Klondike Kalamity," which opens Aug. 5 at Cast Theatrical Co. in downtown Rosenberg, sees many similarities between old-fashioned melodramas and the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas she cut her teeth on as an ingenue. "I ended up doing just about all of them over the years," Sandra Barkerding of Richmond said of shows such as "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance," which were popularized by London librettist W.S. Gilbert and symphony composer Arthur Sullivan. "They're both tongue-in-cheek," said Barkerding, also pointing out the populist appeal of both melodramas and Victorian-era operettas. "Gilbert and Sullivan made fun of politicians; they used wit and irony to poke fun at the establishment," she said. More Information Want to go? What: "Klondike Kalamity" Where: Cast Theatrical Co., 1909 Ave. G. in Rosenberg When: 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, Aug. 5 to Sept. 3, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14 and 28 and Saturday, Aug. 20. Cost: $17 (Students and senior adults $16) Information: For reservations, visit www.casttheatrical.com or call 832-889-3808. See More Collapse A melodrama such as Gary Peterson and David Byrne's "Klondike Kalamity" is merciless toward those "who take advantage of weak and innocent people," Barkerding said. Among the stock characters in a melodrama, she explained, are a hero, a heroine and a villain. Audiences are encouraged to hiss and boo the bad guy. "When you walk into the theater, everyone is handed a bag of popcorn and encouraged to throw popcorn at the villain," Barkerding said. "It's great fun. There is a lot of interaction," she added. "The actors break the 'fourth wall' and actually talk with the audience. You prepare them for that by engaging them in improvisation during rehearsal. It's really important that actors know their lines because somebody may speak to you when you least expect it, and you have to give a response, comfortably, while staying in your role and keeping within the storyline." In "Klondike Kalamity," 17-year-old William Pocklington portrays the hero, Canadian Mountie Roger B. Upright. "He has been disgraced for crimes he didn't commit," said the senior at Travis High School in Richmond. The youngest cast member is Travis High junior Kaitlyn Currier-Graves who portrays a fair and lovely maiden who hopes to escape a sawmill blade and the wrath of villainous Fangduster T. Barrelbottom, portrayed by Jayson Looney. The senior member of the cast is Karen White Hayden, who at 67 plays Farley Goodbody. "It's really fun," said the veteran actress, who most recently appeared as Aida in Joe DiPietro's "Over the River and Through the Woods" at Del Webb's Sweetgrass community in Richmond, where Barkerding is president of the Drama Club. The director and her husband, Roger Barkerding, moved from West Springfield, Virginia, to Richmond in March 2013, to live closer to their daughter's family, including three grandchildren, in Meyerland. The cast of "Klondike Kalamity," which is set during The Great Yukon Blizzard of 1888, also features Jonathan Balzer, Tim Bauer, Danielle Currier-Graves, Jeff Hochreiter, John Ramirez and James Rudel. Mary Westbrook is the show's assistant director. "We like to engage the audience," said Pocklington, who also starred as the hero in last summer's melodrama. "It's possible," warned Barkerding, "if you're sitting on the front row, somebody will come sit on your knee. But the actors can usually sense from your body language whether that will be OK. " A proposed master plan for a mixed-use development in Telfair has prompted Sugar Land's planning and zoning commission to ask the city to reconsider a decision not to allow apartments on the property except for a facility with senior adult units. "I believe this can't be successful without multifamily," commission member Dan Simeone said during a July 28 meeting. The commission's unanimous support of multifamily housing on the property reopens a yearlong conflict between the city, its elected officials and its residents who feared apartments would crowd schools and increase traffic. The 87.5-acre Telfair development is at the southeast intersection of U.S. 59 and University Boulevard north of the Texas Instruments site. The Telfair development must be successful, said Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Kathy Huebner, because it will include Sugar Land's planned Smart Financial Center, a performing arts venue scheduled to open in January. The center, flanked by a large temporary parking area, will be on 38 acres of the development that Sugar Land owns. But the master plan for the 49-acre portion of the property owned by developer Newland Communities was up for discussion on July 28, and the future for that land is less certain. Newland Communities and Gensler, the architecture firm designing the master plan for the site, presented a plan last summer that would have included 900 apartments on the property, even though apartments were never part of the city's original land-use plan for that part of Telfair. The 900 apartments sparked concern from some Sugar Land residents, causing Newland Communities and Gensler to issue a statement that they would not be including apartments on the site. Recently elected Mayor Joe Zimmerman promised during his campaign that there would be no apartments in Telfair. But, without people living on the property, the restaurant and retail scene wouldn't be as vibrant as originally envisioned because there won't be a core population to support it, said Hal Sharp, principal with Gensler. In the master plan presented Thursday for feedback from the commission, Newland Communities and Gensler slated for office space some of the property that would have been multifamily housing, a total of 735,000 square feet. Part of the site's layout - including six rectangular office buildings, flanked by parking garages - prompted concern from commission members. "It's like a glorified office park," member Heather Davis said. Huebner agreed. "I really think you need to go back to the drawing board on this," she told Newland and Gensler. In addition to office space, the proposed master plan included a central plaza, a hotel, restaurants and retail establishments along the edges of the property and at the bottom level of some of the office buildings and an age-restricted living facility with a cap of 240 units. If Newland Communities and Gensler decide to reconsider including apartments on the site, they would likely have to request an amendment to Sugar Land's general land plan for Telfair and then present a new master plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission with the multifamily housing, said Lisa Kocich-Meyer, director of planning for Sugar Land. To begin construction on the site, Newland Communities and Gensler have to return with a master plan that the Planning and Zoning commissioners would recommend for approval to City Council. Both Planning and Zoning and City Council would also hold public hearings. There is no timeline yet on when Newland Communities and Gensler will submit a new master plan. But Huebner asked City Council to consider supporting multifamily. "Putting in the multifamily is a very touchy issue," said Alan Bauer, senior vice president with Newland Communities in Houston. "So, we have to have full support from all levels of the city, whether it's council or Planning and Zoning or staff." With the help of a state grant, Spring ISD is launching full-day pre-Kindergarten at five elementary campuses for the 2016-17 school year. The school district was awarded a $1.2 million grant to be spent over two years. The grant was part of a $116 million pot that was divvied up among 578 school districts and public charter schools under state Legislature's House Bill 4. SISD expects to spend the funds on additional personnel and resources to create a full-day pre-K at five elementary campuses - Link, Thompson, Heritage, Lewis and Clark Primary schools. About 475 four-year-olds will have access to full-day pre-K. While final enrollment numbers weren't available for the upcoming school year, the district served just below 2,000 pre-K students during the 2015-16 school year across 25 elementary campuses. "Parents are going to see a huge difference between a half-day and full-day program I think the parents are going to see more than just, 'Does my kid know the letters of the alphabet or colors?' They'll see their child will be able to engage in different activities with their peers," said Donna Jones, principal at Link Elementary, about the increased focus on social and emotional development in pre-K education. Prior to the grant, Spring ISD piloted a full-day pre-K program at Lewis Elementary through a partnership with Avance Houston, a nonprofit aimed at educational programming for kids and parents in low-income communities. A half-day program meets for just 180 minutes, or three hours, a day. That doesn't leave much room to go over reading, writing, shapes, colors and numbers while still leaving room for play time and a meal. With a full-day pre-K, which includes nap time, kids are expected to soak up even more knowledge while playing with new friends. "A typical day in a half day, we would receive the kids, try to hit some of the high points of letter, sound recognition, math, shapes and numbers, but when you have a whole day available to you, you can expand it to science, social studies and the social developments that kids really need. Kids can work together in groups and work on cooperation and teamwork. Those are foundational things we need as human beings," Jones said. The grant doesn't go into effect until August 2016, and most school districts are still hammering out the details of their grant expenditures. While Spring is committed to a full-day program and the expenses that come with it, nearby Klein and Tomball ISDs are still committed to half-day pre-K. KISD was awarded $840,000, and TISD was awarded $153,000 to spend over two years, according to the Texas Education Agency grantee list. At KISD, 1,148 pre-K students enrolled in the 2015-16 school year across 26 campuses. To boost the quality of its educational offerings, Klein is looking at investing the funds in resources for family engagement, resources and books for teachers and out-of-town staff development opportunities so that the district can collaborate more with teachers across the state. Because the grant wasn't awarded until late June, particulars are still being hashed out. "We at KISD do believe our program is high quality already, so what this is going to allow us to do is provide additional development opportunities for our teachers," said Carrie Farmer, instructional officer for language arts at KISD. "I don't think we can say a cookie cutter this is what's happening, but it will be tweaked at each campus." Throughout the school year, school district recipients will be monitoring the effectiveness of the grant in improving early childhood education. If the first year translates into growth, a second year of funding would be on the table. TISD is a comparatively smaller district with a steady annual enrollment of about 200 pre-K students. The school district plans to purchase Google Chromebooks and other instructional materials for the classroom, professional development and training for parents. The face-to-face and online training will help parents develop a support role in the development of their child and develop strategies to monitor academic growth. "This grant is a great opportunity for us to enhance an already well-developed pre-Kindergarten program for our students and their families," said Valerie Petrzelka, executive director of elementary schools at TISD. While the grant is a temporary cash infusion, school districts are paying close attention to the effectiveness of their plans so that even if the grant were to be cut in the next state legislative session, they could continue to build on the successes of the grant. In Montgomery County, Conroe ISD was one of three school districts to receive a pre-Kindergarten grant, and that means more resources to teach a projected 1,300 preschoolers. Children must be 4 years old and at-risk to be enrolled in pre-K. "That age range is the perfect time for learning to occur in students to a big degree," said Jepilyn Matthis, elementary language arts and early childhood coordinator at CISD. A $960,000 grant was awarded to the school district in late June as part of the state's effort to bolster its program for one year. CISD typically spends around $3 million, or $2,300 per student, on its pre-K program, so the grant marks a 30 percent increase in funding for the 2016-17 school year. The first day of pre-Kindergarten can be heart wrenching as anxious parents drop off their teary-eyed children in a classroom filled with strangers. But starting this fall, an added boost to the Conroe Independent School District's program will have more families eager to come on board. CISD was one of three school districts in Montgomery County to receive a pre-Kindergarten grant, and that means more resources to teach a projected 1,300 preschoolers. Children must be 4 years old and at-risk to be enrolled in pre-K. "That age range is the perfect time for learning to occur in students to a big degree," said Jepilyn Matthis, elementary language arts and early childhood coordinator at CISD. A $960,000 grant was awarded to the school district in late June as part of the state Legislature's House Bill 4 to bolster its program for one year. CISD typically spends around $3 million, or $2,300 per student, on its pre-K program, so the grant marks a 30 percent increase in funding for the 2016-17 school year. Students will still learn to read, write, identify shapes and colors, and all of the rudimentary academic skills that teachers shape in those formative years. The grant will trickle down in a few ways. As a condition of the award, schools developed a family engagement plan to implement in the upcoming school year. Though CISD hopes to boost engagement among parents in traditional ways - family nights and parent mentoring - the school district is looking at a smartphone app that could further incentivize engagement. The district is in the process of vetting the app, the name of which wasn't disclosed, but has not committed to purchasing it. The app is downloaded on the parent's phone or tablet and used to model daily, age-appropriate activities to use when interacting with their child, like sorting pots and pans in the kitchen to practice shapes. "The teacher can customize (the app) so if the class is working on sorting, they can have activities at home modeled for them about how they can do that at home. It's not necessarily child specific, but it's something their child can watch and replicate at home," said Shellie Winkler, director of elementary education. The grant will also be spent on more classroom resources, staff development and more paraprofessionals, also known as a teacher's aide, for pre-K classrooms to bring down the student-to-adult ratio to around 11 to one. Other Montgomery County school districts that were awarded grants include Magnolia, Splendora and New Caney. "I think just having more opportunity for what we already do but just at a higher level can only be more beneficial," Matthis said. Neighboring Spring ISD in north Harris County will spend $1.2 million over two years on additional personnel and resources to create a full-day pre-K at five elementary campuses - Link, Thompson, Heritage, Lewis and Clark Primary schools. About 475 four-year-olds will have access to full-day pre-K. Final enrollment numbers weren't available for the upcoming school year, the district served just below 2,000 pre-K students during the 2015-16 school year across 25 elementary campuses. "Parents are going to see a huge difference between a half-day and full-day program I think the parents are going to see more than just, 'Does my kid know the letters of the alphabet or colors?' They'll see their child will be able to engage in different activities with their peers," said Donna Jones, principal at Link Elementary, about the increased focus on social and emotional development in pre-K education. Prior to the grant, Spring ISD piloted a full-day pre-K program at Lewis Elementary through a partnership with Avance Houston, a nonprofit aimed at educational programming for kids and parents in low-income communities. A half-day program meets for just 180 minutes, or three hours, a day. That doesn't leave much room to go over reading, writing, shapes, colors and numbers while still leaving room for play time and a meal. With a full-day pre-K, which includes naptime, kids are expected to soak up even more knowledge while playing with new friends. "A typical day in a half day, we would receive the kids, try to hit some of the high points of letter, sound recognition, math, shapes and numbers, but when you have a whole day available to you, you can expand it to science, social studies and the social developments that kids really need. Kids can work together in groups and work on cooperation and teamwork. Those are foundational things we need as human beings," Jones said. The grant doesn't go into effect until August 2016, and most school districts are still hammering out the details of their grant expenditures. While Spring is committed to a full-day program and the expenses that come with it, nearby Klein and Tomball ISDs are still committed to half-day pre-K. KISD was awarded $840,000, and TISD was awarded $153,000 to spend over two years, according to the Texas Education Agency grantee list. At KISD, 1,148 pre-K students enrolled in the 2015-16 school year across 26 campuses. To boost the quality of its educational offerings, Klein is looking at investing the funds in resources for family engagement, resources and books for teachers, and out-of-town staff development opportunities so that the district can collaborate more with teachers across the state. Because the grant wasn't awarded until late June, particulars are still being hashed out. "We at KISD do believe our program is high quality already, so what this is going to allow us to do is provide additional development opportunities for our teachers," said Carrie Farmer, instructional officer for language arts at KISD. "I don't think we can say a cookie cutter this is what's happening, but it will be tweaked at each campus." Throughout the school year, school district recipients will be monitoring the effectiveness of the grant in improving early childhood education. If the first year translates into growth, a second year of funding would be on the table. TISD is a comparatively smaller district with a steady annual enrollment of about 200 pre-K students. The school district plans to purchase Google Chromebooks and other instructional materials for the classroom, professional development and training for parents. The face-to-face and online training will help parents develop a support role in the development of their child and develop strategies to monitor academic growth. "This grant is a great opportunity for us to enhance an already well-developed pre-Kindergarten program for our students and their families," said Valerie Petrzelka, executive director of elementary schools at TISD. While the grant is a temporary cash infusion, school districts are paying close attention to the effectiveness of their plans so that even if the grant were to be cut in the next state legislative session, they could continue to build on the successes of the grant. "While we hope the grant gets renewed, and we're hopeful, we would never stop searching for additional sources of funding We do anticipate that this will be a great thing and that this is something we will continue to do," Winkler said. More than 40 percent of Native Americans on North Dakota reservations live in poverty, a rate at least 9 percent higher than tribal areas nationwide, show new statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. At least 14 percent of tribal members living on North Dakota reservations live in overcrowded conditions or lack a kitchen or plumbing, according to figures compiled using American Community Survey data. The numbers arent surprising to Turtle Mountain Tribal Chairman Richard McCloud, who spent many years delivering mail to homes on the reservation that were in poor condition. Some homes lacked running water and many housed two or more families, he said. Ive seen as many as 20 people in one dwelling, in a two-bedroom house, McCloud said. To me, thats a crisis. To brainstorm ways to address the severe housing needs in tribal areas, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will be in North Dakota today to participate in the first Great Plains regional Indian housing conference. Castro toured North Dakotas Turtle Mountain reservation and South Dakotas Pine Ridge reservation in 2014. In an interview with Forum News Service, Castro called those visits probably the most poignant visits Ive had as HUD secretary because of the severe need that exists. During the summit, Castro said he hopes to get input from tribal leaders about how HUD can improve housing opportunities in Indian Country. Improving the quality of life of tribal communities is a priority for President Obama, Castro said. Im looking forward to getting back to North Dakota to talk about the severe need to make investments in housing opportunities. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., who invited Castro to North Dakota, is urging HUD to consider creative solutions such as public-private partnerships to address the housing needs. If we simply do what weve always been doing, were going to fall further and further behind, said Heitkamp, who will be the keynote speaker during the event. The lack of adequate housing has many impacts on the quality of life in Indian Country, including the success of children in school. McCloud said some kids have reported to teachers that theyre tired at school because they only have a blanket and pillow at home or they had to sleep in a closet or bathtub due to overcrowding. If were serious about improving conditions for kids, if were serious about better outcomes, thats got to start at home with better housing, Heitkamp said. At the Fort Berthold reservation, in the heart of North Dakotas Oil Patch, the housing needs are similar but the cost to maintain housing units is at a record high, said Jody Ground, acting executive director of housing at Fort Berthold. The rates are still up there. Theyve kind of stabilized but still theyre still high, Ground said. We always say theres kind of a Bakken price and then a regular price. HUD also is seeking input from tribal communities on a Native American housing needs study, which will is expected to be released at the end of the year, Castro said. The event is from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Ramada, 1400 East Interchange Ave., Bismarck. Im convinced that in the years to come, we can be more creative in how we approach Native American housing needs, Castro said. I see this housing summit as a strong starting point for that. A former government official of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks from a construction contractor has pleaded guilty to federal charges in North Dakota. Randall Phelan was an elected representative of the governing body of the Three Affiliated Tribes from the end of 2012 to the middle of 2020. Investigators say Phelan used his official position to help the contractors business by awarding contracts, fabricating bids and managing fraudulent invoices. His trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. Phelan and two others were originally charged with receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bribery scheme on the oil-rich Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The contractor has pleaded guilty to bribery. Los Angeles Times Whitewashes Murder of 3 Israelis | Main | Moderate Hamas Media Favorite Calls for Small Stabs to All Parts of Israel August 02, 2016 Anti-Israel Human Rights Watch Accidentally Admits: Israel Does Not Occupy Gaza Human Rights Watch (HRW), a self-described human rights advocacy organization, inadvertently acknowledged that Israel does not occupy the Gaza Strip in a July 31, 2016 report. CAMERA has frequently highlighted HRWs record of anti-Israel bias and distortions (see, for example Human Rights Watch Discredited Even By Its Founder,? Oct. 20, 2009). Elder of Ziyon, an American blogger who writes about the Arab-Israeli conflict and antisemitism, highlighted HRWs admission in its recent report on Palestinian Arabs seeking to visit family members incarcerated by Israel for terror-related offenses. Ziyon noted that one theme of HRWs report is Israel is violating international law by incarcerating Gazans in prisons within Israel rather than within the occupied territories. They get this from the Fourth Geneva Convention article 76, which states Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied territory, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein.? Yet, the HRW report proceeds toif unintentionallyacknowledge that the Geneva rules cannot apply to Gaza, because Israel ended its permanent ground troop presence in Gaza in 2005, Israel can and should transfer them [prisoners] to the West Bank, the other part of the occupied Palestinian territory [emphasis added]. The prohibition against removing prisoners from the occupied territory is designed, in part, to allow them to maintain family ties, and the Israeli government should facilitate visits for family members from Gaza to the maximum extent possible.? However, as Elder of Ziyon pointed out, the Geneva conventions dont make a distinction between occupied territory where the occupying army has actual control? and occupied territory where the army has no possibility of maintaining the obligations of the Convention.? Although the Geneva conventions dont make such a contrast, HRW is attempting to do so. Elder of Ziyon explained the reason for HRWs effort to make a distinction where none exists: Because Gaza isnt occupied by any reasonable definition of international law, and HRW knows it. The state of occupation in international law is binary, either it is or it isnt, based on whether the occupying army has effective control. If the army cannot set up a prison within the territory, then by definition the territory isnt occupied.? In an Oct. 19, 2009 New York Times Op-Ed entitled Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast,? HRWs founder Robert Bernstein said his former organization had lost critical perspective? on Israel. HRWs verbal gymnasticsas displayed in its attempt to reinvent the definition of occupation?illustrate that, when it comes to a fair analysis of Israel, it remains M.I.A. Posted by SD at August 2, 2016 09:55 AM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment About one-fourth of the world's countries and territories prescribe legal penalties for blasphemy, defined as speech or action contemptuous of religion, and more than one in 10 for apostasy, the abandonment of one's faith, Pew Research Center reports. Drawing data from a larger 2014 study of global restrictions on religion, Pew researchers last week noted that two American states -- Massachusetts and Michigan -- currently maintain laws banning blasphemy. The nation's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, however, essentially renders such state laws irrelevant. A 19-year-old died Saturday afternoon in San Marcos after he hit his head while jumping into the water and did not resurface, officials said Monday. Michael Hughes, of New Braunfels, died shortly before 5 p.m. at Stokes Park. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ASHLAND, Ohio (AP) Hillary Clinton said Sunday that Donald Trump repaid the "ultimate sacrifice" of a U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq with insults and degrading comments about Muslims, as the soldier's bereaved father pressured Republican Party leaders to distance themselves from the GOP presidential nominee. Clinton's comments came after Trump refused to back down from his criticism of the Gold Star parents' remarks. "Am I not allowed to respond?" Trump had tweeted. "Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!" It was the latest bitter rhetorical volley between the defiant Republican candidate, Clinton and the family of a fallen soldier since the two parties concluded their major conventions last week and the nation looked ahead to a close election this November. Trump's stand has once again left Republican leaders facing demands to denounce their party nominee and overshadowed Clinton's campaign message with controversy. "He is a black soul," said Khizr Khan, whose son Humayun received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after he was killed in Iraq in 2004. "And this is totally unfit for the leadership of this beautiful country." Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," he said, "It is majority leader's and speaker's moral, ethical obligation to not worry about the votes, but repudiate him, withdraw the support." Likewise, Clinton told Republicans on Sunday: "This is a time to pick country over party." In statements released Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned any criticism of Muslim Americans who serve their country and rejected the idea of a Muslim travel ban an idea proposed by Trump earlier in the campaign. But neither statement mentioned Trump by name or repudiated him. McConnell praised Capt. Khan as an "American hero," while Ryan noted that many Muslim Americans have served "valiantly" in the U.S. military. "Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan should always be honored. Period," Ryan said. Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic minority leader, issued a blistering statement of his own, saying anything short of revoking their endorsements of Trump was "cowardice" on the part of McConnell and Ryan. "This shouldn't be hard," Reid said. "Donald Trump is a sexist and racist man who insults Gold Star parents, stokes fear of Muslims and sows hatred of Latinos. He should not be president and Republican leaders have a moral responsibility to say so?." On a post-convention bus tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania, Clinton said Trump has a "total misunderstanding" of American values and has inflamed divisions in American society. "I don't know where the boundaries are. I don't know where the bottom is," she told reporters during a campaign stop at a cheese barn in Ohio. "I do tremble before those who would scapegoat other Americans," she told parishioners in a Cleveland church on Sunday morning. "That's just not how I was raised." At last week's Democratic National Convention, Pakistan-born Khan told his son's story and questioned whether Trump had ever read the Constitution and said "you have sacrificed nothing." During the speech, Khan's wife, Ghazala, stood quietly by his side. "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say," Trump said, in an interview with ABC's "This Week." Ghazala Khan responded Sunday in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, saying talking about her son's death 12 years ago is still hard for her. When her husband asked if she wanted to speak at the convention, she said she could not. "When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant," she wrote. At one point, Trump had disputed Khan's criticism that the billionaire businessman has "sacrificed nothing and no one" for his country. "I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures," Trump said. Trump, who had no campaign events scheduled this weekend, released a statement late Saturday night calling Humayun Khan "a hero" but disputing his father's characterization. "While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr. Khan who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things," said Trump. Trump's rebuke was unusual in the world of politics where officials only speak well of families whose loved ones die in service to their country. When Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq, staged prolonged protests on the war, then-President George W. Bush responded by saying that the nation grieves every death. When asked about the mother of a State Department official killed in Benghazi, Libya, who blamed Hillary Clinton for her son's death, Clinton told "Fox News Sunday" that her "heart goes out" to the families and that she didn't "hold any ill feeling for someone" who has lost a child and recalls events differently. Across the country, veterans and their families closely watched the political back-and-forth. "It was inappropriate on both sides," said Mark Farner of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, as he stood a few feet from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. "For one to use it as it as the Democrats intended it to be used, and I don't think Trump handled it the way he should have on his end." Farner had just made a rubbing of the name of his cousin, Calvin Wilson, who was killed in action in February 1967. Romell Short of Washington, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has no problem with veterans' families being politically active and speaking about their experiences. "America should know the suffering and the cost of war and part of that is the sacrifice of American troops and the sacrifice of American families," Short said. But he cautioned that the views of families should be read separately from their family member who served. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called a lawsuit by three University of Texas at Austin professors aiming to stop the state's controversial campus carry law "frivolous." In their lawsuit, filed last month, the UT professors argue that allowing guns in classrooms "chills their First Amendment rights." They claim campus carry, a new state law allowing licensed individuals to carry handguns throughout college campuses, also violates their second and 14th Amendment rights. Paxton, in a brief filed in U.S. district court Tuesday, says the professors are wrong on all counts. "The claim that Plaintiffs' right to academic freedom has been violated suffers from a threshold problem: Plaintiffs have no individual right to academic freedom, because the right to academic freedom is held by their institution," Paxton wrote in the brief. "To be sure, Plaintiffs have First Amendment rights as to their academic research, their out-of-class public statements, and a plethora of other forms of expression. But this case is not about any of that. Plaintiffs have alleged a violation of their right to academic freedom, with a focus on their classroom curriculum and instruction. On those matters, Plaintiffs do not have an individual First Amendment right to academic freedom their institution, the University of Texas, does." The controversial law took effect Monday and despite heated rhetoric on both sides of the debate, officials really do not know what to expect from it. Guns will have to be concealed and may be carried only by people 21 and older - leaving out a large chunk of the student population. Police and other university officials cannot ask who is carrying, so they do not have estimates on how many guns will be on campuses across the state. Still, many professors are worried about what will happen when students bring guns into classrooms. Some faculty have threatened to change their curriculums, worried that touchy subjects could set off a student with a gun. Others have left the state, citing campus carry as a reason for taking jobs elsewhere. The president of the University of Houston's faculty senate wrote Monday on Facebook that he may join them. The Texas State Bars Professional Ethics Committee has issued Ethics Opinion #661 approving lawyers use of competitive keyword advertising. The opinion concludes: A lawyer does not violate the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct by simply using the name of a competing lawyer or law firm as a keyword in the implementation of an advertising service offered by a major search-engine company. This is the result that my co-author Angel Reyes and I advocated in our recent (uncited) article, Regulation of Lawyers Use of Competitive Keyword Advertising. While the conclusion may seem to non-lawyers like common-sense, this issue has bedeviled lawyers and I did not expect such a clear and decisive ruling. Going forward, I expect this ruling will influence other states evaluating their own ethics rules about competitive keyword advertising. Background Competitive keyword advertising occurs when a company buys its competitors trademarks to display keyword advertising. Although its not a universally lauded practice, most industries have embracedor least acquiesced toits legitimacy. In parallel, courts routinely find competitive keyword advertising permissible under IP (e.g., trademark and publicity rights) laws. Nowadays, plaintiffs rarely win lawsuits over competitive keyword advertising, even when the advertiser displays the competitors trademark in the ad copy. Unlike most other industries, the legal industry has not yet embraced competitive keyword advertising. Thats due in part to the legal industrys traditional role as a late adopter; plus the legal industry must consider how its ethics rules overlay the IP rules. As a result, the legal industry is still working towards a catharsis over competitive keyword advertising. The three main legal precedents in the field: * Habush v. Cannon, holding that publicity rights didnt restrict competitive keyword advertising by lawyers * The Florida Bar initially proposed banning competitive keyword ads by lawyers. After a group of academics (including me) intervened, the bar reversed that ban into a tacit acquiescence. * In an under-the-radar move, the North Carolina bar banned competitive keyword advertising by lawyers in 2012, and it has disciplined one lawyer pursuant to that interpretation. The Texas Opinion The opinion analyzes three Texas Rules of Professional Conduct. The opinion discusses Rule 7.01(d), which restricts creating a false impression that lawyers are associated, and Rule 7.02(a), which restricts material misrepresentations in lawyer advertising: [competitive keyword advertising] would not in normal circumstances violate either Rule 7.01(d) or Rule 7.02(a). The advertisement that results from the use of Lawyer Bs name does not state that Lawyer A and Lawyer B are partners, shareholders, or associates of each other. Moreover, since a person familiar enough with the internet to use a search engine to seek a lawyer should be aware that there are advertisements presented on web pages showing search results, it appears highly unlikely that a reasonable person using an internet search engine would be misled into thinking that every search result indicates that a lawyer shown in the list of search results has some type of relationship with the lawyer whose name was used in the search. My article with Angel Reyes gets into more detail about consumer expectations towards keyword advertising. The opinion also discusses Rule 8.04(a)(3), which prohibits conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation: given the general use by all sorts of businesses of names of competing businesses as keywords in search-engine advertising, such use by Texas lawyers in their advertising is neither dishonest nor fraudulent nor deceitful and does not involve misrepresentation. The opinion then expressly rejects the North Carolina opinion: this Committee has considered but does not concur with 2010 Formal Ethics Opinion 14 of the Ethics Committee of the North Carolina State Bar (April 27, 2012) (ruling that a lawyers use of a competitors name as a keyword in a search-engine advertising program violates the equivalent of Texas Disciplinary Rule 8.04(a)(3) because such use constitutes conduct involving dishonesty in that the conduct shows a lack of fairness or straightforwardness). The opinion does not expressly discuss what happens if the competing lawyers name shows up in the ad copy. So long as the ad doesnt create a false or misleading impression about the relationship between the advertiser and competitor, the opinion does not seem to restrict that practice. Implications Texas has the third most lawyers in the country (and Florida is 4th), so this opinion should get a lot of attention from other states when they confront competitive keyword advertising. The opinion is clean, decisive and unambiguous (in contrast to Floridas marble-mouthed expression of the same conclusion), and it also has logic and common sense on its side. For these reasons, I anticipate other states will similarly reject North Carolinas outlier, anachronistic and poorly reasoned opinion. If so, the Texas opinion should accelerate the end of debates over the legitimacy of competitive keyword advertising by lawyers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It was the kind of response you might expect from Donald Trump, not the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. David Cochrane of Dallas, visiting San Francisco with his wife, sent an email to Supervisor London Breed on July 25 complaining that there was way too much trash on city streets. I was embarrassed to be an American because of the way San Francisco is presented to the world, he wrote. Four days later, Cochrane received a reply. If you are embarrassed to be an American, then you are barking up the wrong tree here, buddy, the unsigned email from Breeds office said. Why dont you write a letter to the editor of whatever town youre from if your panties are in a bunch? Cochrane took the advice, but instead of contacting his local news outlet, he forwarded the response to The Chronicle. Breed said Monday that the email had been written by an intern who has since been dismissed. The volunteer clearly showed extremely poor judgment and will not be continuing in my office, Breed said in a statement. As with most legislative offices, we rely on volunteers. This is explicitly not how we train them to conduct themselves. Breed added, I take full responsibility for the volunteers words and have personally apologized to Mr. Cochrane. She said the reply should have included an apology for the trash and a promise to notify the appropriate city officials. In his email, Cochrane singled out Fishermans Wharf as nasty and added, I will never return to your city and am telling everyone I know not to come to such a dump. Breed said Cochrane was right, too the trash on the streets is unacceptable. It is embarrassing, Breed said. I called 311 four times this weekend because there was trash just sitting there. All over the city. After receiving Breeds apology, Cochrane said in an email, I am satisfied with her actions. Emily Green Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle. Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @emilytgreen GULFPORT, Miss. - As Jackson County is in the midst of seeking a new provider for its county ambulance services, Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes is ready to do the same, even if it means breaking off from the county on ambulance service. On Monday, Hewes sent a letter to the Harrison County Board of Supervisors telling them to nullify its contract with American Medical Response (AMR) or the city will negotiate with an ambulance provider on its own terms. Hewes letter noted, "While the City would prefer to continue as a party to the aforementioned Interlocal Cooperation Agreement, we believe it in the best interest of the City of Gulfport not to do so in light of the fact that Requests for Proposals/Qualifications have not been pursued by the County prior to the December 31, 2016 renewal date." Harrison County Board of Supervisors President, Beverly Martin According to Harrison County Board of Supervisors President Beverly Martin, AMR's contract with the county ends on Dec. 31, 2016. While the mayor is looking for instant gratification, Martin said it is impossible to void the contract by Hewes' desired deadline. "We never said we would not go out for Request for Proposals (RFP)," Martin said. "We planned to review the contract during the budget review process which begins on Aug. 9. Apparently, the city has some kind of deadline in their interlocal agreement with the county that expires in sixty days, so according to the Mayor, he sent us the letter because he was following what was in their agreement. That is their deadline, it is not ours." The previous board renewed AMR's contract with the county, according to Martin. When she and other current board members were sworn in at the beginning of the year, their plan was to review every contract the county has along with every company the county does business with, she said. According to WLOX, a public records request showed them that no one was responsible for holding AMR to response times within their contract with the county. After these findings were presented to the previous board, a more concerted effort to hold AMR accountable would be implemented, according to the board. Jackson County is currently seeking a new ambulance provider and AMR is listed as one of the potential suitors who picked up an RFP packet. 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. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- An man who set fire to his parents' Ocean Springs home and then fired a shotgun at police attempting to intervene was sentenced Monday to 30 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Timothy Beaugez, 57, of Ocean Springs was sentenced by Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Robert Krebs on two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officers and one count of first-degree arson in the October 2013 incident. Beaugez pleaded guilty to the charges on June 30. Beaugez was sentenced to 30 years on the two counts of aggravated assault, and 20 years on the arson charge. He will serve 15 years in state prison, followed by 15 years on post-release supervision. The two sentences will run concurrent. Beaugez was also ordered to pay a total of $3,000 in fines and $250 to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, along with restitution still to be determined. "I commend the thorough and professional investigation by the Ocean Springs Police Department and State Fire Marshal's Office," said District Attorney Tony Lawrence. "The officers demonstrated great restraint when responding to this volatile and dangerous scene." Beaugez' father, Raymond "Big Boy" Beaugez told The Mississippi Press the day of the incident that Timmy Beaugez entered the elder Beaugez' home on General Pershing Avenue and made his way to the back of the home while his father sat on the front porch with a friend. Donna Jean Beaugez was inside the home visiting with her daughter, Susan Carlat, Timmy Beaugez' sister. "The next thing I know, the dadgum house is on fire," Raymond Beaugez said at the time. He and his wife, along with their friends, escaped the home without injury. When police arrived on the scene, however, an officer went to the door and Timmy Beaugez shot at him with a shotgun which family members said he had brought with him to his father's house. The officer drove himself to Ocean Springs Hospital for treatment. Family members said Timmy Beaugez had poured gasoline inside the house to start the blaze. The home was virtually gutted, but has since been rebuilt. "We worked together with law enforcement and the victims to resolve this case in a manner that held this defendant responsible for his actions," said assistant DA Justin Lovorn. Driven to Profitability Published: 02 August 2016 by Dr. Hayao Nakahara by Dr. Hayao Nakahara The largest bare board fabricator isnt necessarily the one that sells the most circuit boards. The author begins this report with the same comments every year: It is becoming more challenging to compile the NTI-100 list of the worlds largest printed circuit board fabricators. And the 2015 edition was the toughest yet, thanks to the volatile exchange rates and increasing value of the assembly portion. Versus the US dollar, the average value of the Japanese yen fell 14.35% year-over-year, and the Euro fell 19.65%. Given the Brexit situation, the world economic outlook is uncertain, and currency values against the US dollar are rising and falling as this report is written. After hitting a low of 123 against the US dollar, the yen began to climb and was 102 yen/USD as of this writing, or a 20% appreciation in a very short time. Three years of Abenomics effort was washed away in four hours after the UKs decision to leave the EU. The fiscal years of most Japanese companies end on Mar. 31; determining which exchange rate (TABLE 1) to use for converting Japanese output in local currency to US dollars gives the author a headache. Table 1. Average Exchange Rates About 60% of Taiwanese fabricators output is made in China. Its value in RMB (yuan) is converted to NT dollars, and then added to their domestic (Taiwan) revenues. Because Taiwan fabricators calculate their output every month in both Taiwan and China, applying an average yearly exchange rate creates discrepancies. The author converts this total NT dollar-based revenue to US dollars. This creates a double discrepancy. The same occurs for all fabricators with production plants overseas. Flexible printed circuit (FPC) fabricators are problematic, particularly those that cater to Apple, which requires FPCs to be delivered assembled (to its EMS providers, such as Foxconn and Pegatron). It is common knowledge that about 40% of the assembled FPC value for Apple (mainly the iPhone) consists of components; another 20% is assembly cost, and the remaining 40% is the value of the bare FPC. However, FPC fabricators do not disclose how much of their work is for Apple. A funny thing about Apple is it does not permit PCB suppliers to mention Apple. So, in Japan, Apple suppliers call it B-company or Banana Company instead. In Taiwan, it is referred to as Fruits Company. Such practice seems to be a part of Apple culture, almost as notable as its preferred black solder mask. (Sarcasm aside, the author loves Apple products.) Roughly $6.7 billion of assembled FPC boards was estimated to have been delivered to EMS companies supporting Apple in 2015, judging from various rumors heard in Asia. If a 40:60 split is right, with 40% being bare board, the bare board portion is probably about $2.7 billion. That would mean the value of components and assembly was $4 billion for Apple products (FPC only). Some large rigid board fabricators also engage in assembly. These include Compeq, GBM (a part of HannStar), TTM Technologies and Shennan Circuits, for example. Sanmina and Multek are subsidiaries of large EMS companies (Sanmina and Flex, respectively). Both seem to be engaged in some amount of assembly outside their parents operations. The assembly portion of rigid board fabricators is substantial, estimated at close to $1 billion. Here again, the situation is not simple. Some use internally produced PCBs for assembly, and some purchase PCBs from outside vendors. Whatever assumption is made on assembly value tends to be quite speculative. As such, the author decided not to attempt eliminating assembly value from the output of PCB fabricators. More commentary on this subject later. Other than that, the usual assumptions are made. All acquisitions in 2015 are treated as if made on Jan. 1, 2015. Therefore, the revenues of fabricators that acquired other fabricators are pro forma. Some 104 PCB fabricators had revenue of $100 million or more in 2015 (TABLE 2). Viasystems, which was purchased by TTM Technologies on May 31, 2015, had 2014 revenue of $1.2 billion. TTMs sales in 2014 do not include the revenue of Viasystems. Viasystems is listed at the bottom of the table to demonstrate its year-to-year growth rate properly. Other acquisitions dont amount to much. Table 2. Worlds Largest PCB Fabricators, 2015 Table 2. Worlds Top PCB Fabricators, 2015 (continued) A Korean Comeback? TABLE 3 summarizes the regional results of the NTI-100. China now has the largest number of top fabricators, one-third of the total. Even so, the author is afraid several Chinese fabricators may be missing. He has a gut feeling of their output, but guessing is dangerous. So, they were not included. Taiwan still has the largest value despite a smaller number of entries. (Note some 60% of Taiwanese companies output is now made in China.) In the case of Japan, overseas production value is now also much larger than the domestic production, also close to a 60:40 split. Nearly 100% of the growth at Japanese fabricators came from overseas production, notably from FPC business for Apple. Table 3. NTI-100 Distribution by Region South Korean fabricators performed poorly for the second consecutive year because of Samsungs reduced purchases of PCBs from domestic fabricators. Flexcom fell off the list because its 2015 revenue was only $65 million; it is now in bankruptcy. SI Flex went into default; although, its current status is not known to this author. As Samsung Electronics is back on the offense, Korean PCB fabricators seem to be breathing easier. If the yens value did not fall so much, Japans production value would have been about $14 billion, much closer to that of Taiwan. If the current currency exchange rate holds, Japans share will jump notably percentage-wise in 2016. Next year the US will lose MFlex, which is about to become a part of Chinese metal stamping company Suzhou Dongshan Precision. Since Dongshan Precision does not know much about PCB business, the author speculates it is likely to keep the current MFlex structure intact for a while. The Chinese PCB fabricator Shenzhen Fastprint Circuit purchased US probe card fabricator Harbor Electronics, as well as the UKs Exception PCB two years ago. A substantial portion of production made by the US, Europe and Southeast Asia comes from China. For example, 10 to 15% of Wurth Elektronik and Schweizer Electronic comes from trades. Compare the NTI-100 table with the authors assessment of the world output (TABLE 4). In 2015, Chinas output accounted for 48.5% of the world share. Chinese fabricators are probably responsible for $9 billion, or about 31%. It was 28% in 2014. More Chinese fabricators are joining the NTI-100 ranks every year, as seen from comparing the number of entries in 2014. Table 4. World PCB Forecast, 2011-2017 If the currency exchange rates in 2015 remained at the 2014 level, the world output in US dollars would have been $61.6 billion, a small increase, rather than the decline. With the UK (probably) leaving the EU, anything could happen in 2016. The next president of the US will also influence the world economy and, hence, the PCB business as well. What happened in 2015? Apple suppliers were the big winners, at least in revenue. Automotive PCB fabricators also fared well. Substrate fabricators encountered hardships, as did PC motherboard fabricators. Wearable board fabricators did OK, but because of circuit size, not so much in revenue. The author visited Asian countries several times in the past year. The most frequently asked question: Nakahara-san, what do you think of the automotive PCB market? With or without this question, many PCB fabricators are aggressively pushing into this market; this author estimates the 2015 market was about $5.2 billion and will top $7.5 billion by 2020, as the electronics content of the car continues to increase. Demand for more electric cars (PHV, EV and FCR, etc.) will require a large number of inverters and converters with heavy copper. At this moment, Japanese and Taiwanese PCB fabricators capture more than 60% of the automotive PCB market. Both are pushing aggressively, particularly the Taiwanese, since their PC motherboard and HDI microvia board businesses are weakening, which drove up the Taiwan fabricators position. In 2015, about 9% of the world PCB production was for automotive. By 2020, it could reach a much higher percentage, perhaps 13 to 15% (TABLE 5). Table 5. Estimated Automobile PCB Fabricator Sales, 2015 In researching this report, the author went through many financial reports compiled by PCB fabricators. One might think lower revenue would mean red ink. Insofar as Taiwanese fabricators are concerned, that is not true. Some Taiwanese fabricators did extremely well in revenue, and profits were up accordingly. Some lost revenue but were resilient and remained profitable. Their respective financial performances are the envy of fellow PCB fabricators around the world (TABLE 6). Nonetheless, their profits are declining every year as price competition intensifies. The global decline in production value is due mainly to currency effects, but continued price erosion also has a big impact, despite volume increases. Table 6. Profits and Tax Rates of Select Taiwan PCB Fabricators It does not matter if a PCB fabricator is small or big. The bottom line is, is it profitable? In 2016, TSMCs fan out wafer-level package (FOWLP) for the A10 application IC for Apple will have some impact on flip-chip CSPs, which will make the substrate business uncertain. Poor PC sales have reduced demand for motherboards, flip-chip BGA for main CPU, and HDD (which is being replaced by SSD, or solid state device). 2016 will be a year to watch from both the technology and market viewpoints. The Bare Board Champion? This year, the author decided not to go into detail of individual fabricators because he tends to get carried away, and the report will get too long. Large fabricators are typically public, and most seem to know what goes on with them. Just one comment. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in 2015 were Nippon Mektron ($3.41 billion), ZDT ($2.7 billion) and TTM Technologies ($2.45 billion). It is estimated TTMs bare board portion is about $2.35 billion, while that of Nippon Mektron and ZDT are $2.1 billion and $1.895 billion, respectively. These two FPC fabricators revenues include a large number of components. The accuracy of these numbers is not guaranteed, but the author believes they are roughly correct. So, if this assumption proves correct, the number one bare board fabricator was TTM Technologies. Dr. Hayao Nakahara is president of N.T. Information; nakanti@yahoo.com. Register now for PCB West, the Silicon Valley's largest trade show for the printed circuit industry, taking place Sept. 13-15 in Santa Clara: PCBWEST.COM TUPELO, Miss. -- Tupelo police officer Tyler Cook will not face any charges in the shooting death of 37-year-old, Antwun 'Ronnie' Shumpert, District Attorney John Weddle announced on Monday. On Monday, Weddle held a press conference detailing the events of June 18 when Shumpert was involved in an altercation with Cook. According to Moss Point native and attorney, Carlos Moore, Shumpert was pulled over while driving a car owned by his friend Charles Foster, who was a passenger in the vehicle at the time. After being pulled over by Officer Joseph Center, Shumpert fled the scene. Weddle says Center gave Shumpert commands loudly to stop, but he did not. Shumpert managed to get far enough out of Center's reach until he could no longer see Shumpert, according to Weddle. Center called for backup and more officers arrived to case the area. Cook was one of the responding officers, along with his K-9, Alec. Alec eventually led Cook to a house where an opening at the bottom of the house revealed a hand. According to Weddle, Cook gave Shumpert commands to surrender and to show his hands. Cook said Shumpert refused and he then gave his K-9 unit Alec the "bite" command and he attempted to remove Shumpert from underneath the house. Shumpert, according to Cook's account, scuffled with Alec. While Alec lost control of Shumpert, he still had Shumpert's jersey within his mouth. Shumpert slid out of the jersey and charged and tackled Cook, according to Weddle. In the ensuing scuffle, Shumpert was able to get on top of Cook and to strike him multiple times, according to Weddle. Cook, according to Weddle, said he feared for his life and was beginning to lose consciousness so he discharged his firearm four times striking Shumpert in the chest, lower chest, right arm, and pelvic area. Three of four bullets were recovered, Weddle said. After presenting the findings of the case, Weddle delivered the news that a grand jury found that Cook acted within policy and would not be indicted. After the news broke, Moore released a statement on behalf of the family saying, "While we are incredibly disappointed that the officer who killed Antwun 'Ronnie' Shumpert will not be charged with a crime by the state of Mississippi, we will continue to monitor the investigations currently being conducted by the FBI and Department of Justice." "Our lawsuit against several parties is moving forward and our own investigation into exactly what occurred that night is ongoing. Today's announcement about the grand jury's decision is but one step in our lengthy quest for justice. We will not stop until we have exhausted every lawful avenue for Ronnie's family," Moore said. For the first time in history, announced researchers this May, a majority of the worlds population is living in urban environments. Citiesefficient hubs connecting international flows of people, energy, communications, and capitalare thriving in our global economy as never before. However, the same factors that make cities hubs of globalization also make them vulnerable to small-group terror and violence. Over the last few years, small groups ability to conduct terrorism has shown radical improvements in productivitytheir capacity to inflict economic, physical, and moral damage. These groups, motivated by everything from gang membership to religious extremism, have taken advantage of easy access to our global superinfrastructure, revenues from growing illicit commercial flows, and ubiquitously available new technologies to cross the threshold necessary to become terrible threats. September 11, 2001, marked their arrival at that threshold. Unfortunately, the improvements in lethality that we have already seen are just the beginning. The arc of productivity growth that lets small groups terrorize at ever-higher levels of death and disruption stretches as far as the eye can see. Eventually, one man may even be able to wield the destructive power that only nation-states possess today. It is a perverse twist of history that this new threat arrives at the same moment that wars between states are receding into the past. Thanks to global interdependence, state-against-state warfare is far less likely than it used to be, and viable only against disconnected or powerless states. But the underlying processes of globalization have made us exceedingly vulnerable to nonstate enemies. The mechanisms of power and control that states once exerted will continue to weaken as global interconnectivity increases. Small groups of terrorists can already attack deep within any state, riding on the highways of interconnectivity, unconcerned about our porous borders and our nation-state militaries. These terrorists likeliest point of origin, and their likeliest destination, is the city. Cities played a vital defensive role in the last major evolution of conventional state-versus-state warfare. Between the world wars, the refinement of technologiesparticularly the combustion engine, when combined with armormade it possible for armies to move at much higher speeds than in the past, so new methods of warfare emphasized armored motorized maneuver as a way to pierce the oppositions solid defensive lines and range deep into soft, undefended rear areas. These incursions, the armored thrusts of blitzkrieg, turned an armys size against itself: even the smallest armored vanguard could easily disrupt the supply of ammunition, fuel, and rations necessary to maintain the huge armies of the twentieth century in the field. To defend against these thrusts, the theoretician J. F. C. Fuller wrote in the 1930s, cities could be used as anchor or pivot points to engage armored forces in attacks on static positions, bogging down the offensive. Tanks couldnt move quickly through cities, and if they bypassed them and struck too deeply into enemy territory, their supply linesin particular, of the gasoline they drank greedilywould become vulnerable. The city, Fuller anticipated, could serve as a vast fortress, requiring the fast new armor to revert to the ancient tactic of the siege. Thats exactly what happened in practice during World War II, when the defenses mounted in Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad played a major role in the Allied victory. But in the current evolution of warfare, cities are no longer defensive anchors against armored thrusts ranging through the countryside. They have become the main targets of offensive action themselves. Just as the huge militaries of the early twentieth century were vulnerable to supply and communications disruption, cities are now so heavily dependent on a constant flow of services from various centralized systems that even the simplest attacks on those systems can cause massive disruption. Most of the networks that we rely on for city lifecommunications, electricity, transportation, waterare overused, interdependent, and extremely complex. They developed organically as what scholars in the emerging field of network science call scale-free networks, which contain large hubs with a plethora of connections to smaller and more isolated local clusters. Such networks are economically efficient and resistant to random failurebut they are also extremely vulnerable to intentional disruptions, as Albert-Laszlo Barabasi shows in his important book Linked: The New Science of Networks. In practice, this means that a very small number of attacks on the critical hubs of a scale-free network can collapse the entire network. Such a collapse can occasionally happen by accident, when random failure hits a critical node; think of the huge Northeast blackout of 2003, which caused $6.4 billion in damage. Further, the networks of our global superinfrastructure are tightly coupledso tightly interconnected, that is, that any change in one has a nearly instantaneous effect on the others. Attacking one network is like knocking over the first domino in a series: it leads to cascades of failure through a variety of connected networks, faster than human managers can respond. The ongoing attacks on the systems that support Baghdads 5 million people illustrate the vulnerability of modern networks. Over the last four years, guerrilla assaults on electrical systems have reduced Baghdads power to an average of four or five hours a day. And the insurgents have been busily finding new ways to cut power: no longer do they make simple attacks on single transmission towers. Instead, they destroy multiple towers in series and remove the copper wire for resale to fund the operation; they ambush repair crews in order to slow repairs radically; they attack the natural gas and water pipelines that feed the power plants. In September 2004, one attack on an oil pipeline that fed a power plant quickly led to a cascade of power failures that blacked out electricity throughout Iraq. Lack of adequate power is a major reason why economic recovery has been nearly impossible in Iraq. No wonder that, in account after account, nearly the first criticism that any Iraqi citizen levels against the government is its inability to keep the lights on. Deprived of services, citizens are forced to turn to local groupsmany of them at war with the governmentfor black-market alternatives. This money, in turn, fuels further violence, and the government loses legitimacy. Insurgents have directed such disruptive attacks against nearly all the services necessary to get a city of 5 million through the day: water pipes, trucking, and distribution lines for gasoline and kerosene. And because of these networks complexity and interconnectivity, even small attacks, costing in the low thousands of dollars to carry out, can cause tens of millions and occasionally hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Iraq is a petri dish for modern conflict, the Spanish Civil War of our times. Its the place where small groups are learning to fight modern militaries and modern societies and win. As a result, we can expect to see systems disruption used again and again in modern conflictcertainly against megacities in the developing world, and even against those in the developed West, as we have already seen in London, Madrid, and Moscow. Another growing threat to our cities, commonest so far in the developing world, is gangs challenging government for control. For three sultry July days in 2006, a gang called PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital, First Command of the Capital) held hostage the 20 million inhabitants of the greater Sao Paulo area through a campaign of violence. Gang members razed police stations, attacked banks, rioted in prisons, and torched dozens of buses, shutting down a transportation system serving 2.9 million people a day. The previous May, a similar series of attacks had terrified the city. The attackers moved on foot, and by car and motorbike, wrote William Langewiesche in Vanity Fair. They were not rioters, revolutionaries, or the graduates of terrorist camps. They were anonymous young men and women, dressed in ordinary clothes, unidentifiable in advance, and indistinguishable afterward. Wielding pistols, automatic rifles, and firebombs, they emerged from within the city, struck fast, and vanished on the spot. Their acts were criminal, but the attackers did not loot, rob, or steal. They burned buses, banks, and public buildings, and went hard after the forces of ordergunning down the police in their neighborhood posts, in their homes, and on the streets. The violence hasnt been limited to Sao Paulo. In December 2006, a copycat campaign by an urban gang called the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) shut down Rio de Janeiro, too. In both cases, the gangs fomenting the violence didnt list demands or send ultimatums to the government. Rather, they were flexing their muscles, testing their ability to challenge the government monopoly on violence. Both gangs had steadily accumulated power for a decade, helped in part by globalization, which simplifies making connections to the multitrillion-dollar global black-market economy. With these new connections, the gangs profit horizon became limitless, fueling rapid expansion. New communications technology, particularly cell phones, played a part, too, making it possible for the gangs to thrive as loose associations, and allowing a geographical and organizational dispersion that rendered them nearly invulnerable to attack. The PCC has been particularly successful, growing from a small prison gang in the mid-nineties to a group that today controls nearly half of Sao Paulos slums and its millions of inhabitants. An escalating confrontation between these gangs and the city governments appears inevitable. The gangs rapid rise into challengers to urban authorities is something that we will see again elsewhere. This dynamic is already at work in American cities in the rise of MS-13, a rapidly expanding transnational gang with a loose organizational structure, a propensity for violence, and access to millions in illicit gains. It already has an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members, dispersed over 31 U.S. states and several Latin American countries, and its proliferation continues unabated, despite close attention from law enforcement. Like the PCC, MS-13 or a similar American gang may eventually find that it has sufficient power to hold a city hostage through disruption. The final threat that small groups pose to cities is weapons of mass destruction. Though most of the worry over WMDs has focused on nuclear weapons, those arent the real long-term problem. Not only is the vast manufacturing capability of a nation-state required to produce the basic nuclear materials, but those materials are difficult to manipulate, transport, and turn into weapons. Nor is it easy to assemble a nuke from parts bought on the black market; if it were, nation-states like Iran, which have far more resources at their disposal than terrorist groups do, would be doing just that instead of resorting to internal production. Its also unlikely that a state would give terrorists a nuclear weapon. Sovereignty and national prestige are tightly connected to the production of nukes. Sharing them with terrorists would grant immense power to a group outside the states controlthe equivalent of giving Osama bin Laden the keys to the presidential palace. If that isnt deterrent enough, the likelihood of retaliation is, since states, unlike terrorist groups, have targets that can be destroyed. The result of a nuclear explosion in Moscow or New York would very probably be the annihilation of the country that manufactured the bomb, once its identity was determinedas it surely would be, since no plot of that size can remain secret for long. Even in the very unlikely case that a nuclear weapon did end up in terrorist hands, it would be a single horrible incident, rather than an ongoing threat. The same is true of dirty bombs, which disperse radioactive material through conventional explosives. No, the real long-term danger from small groups is the use of biotechnology to build weapons of mass destruction. In contrast with nuclear technology, biotechs knowledge and tools are already widely dispersedand their power is increasing exponentially. The biotech field is in the middle of a massive improvement in productivity through advances in computing power. In fact, the curves of improvement that we see in biotechnology mirror the rates of improvement in computing dictated by Moores Lawthe observation, borne out by decades of experience, that the ratio of performance to price of computing power doubles every 24 months. This means that incredible power will soon be in the hands of individuals. University of Washington engineer Robert Carlson observes that if current trends in the rate of improvement in DNA sequencing continue, within a decade a single person at the lab bench could sequence or synthesize all the DNA describing all the people on the planet many times over in an eight-hour day. And with ever tinier, cheaper, and more widely available tools, a large and decentralized industrial base that is hiring lab techs at a double-digit growth rate, and the active transfer of knowledge via the Internet (the blueprints of the entire smallpox virus now circulate on the Web), biotech is too widely available for us to contain it. In less than a decade, then, biotechnology will be ripe for the widespread development of weapons of mass destruction, and it fits the requirements of small-group warfare perfectly. It is small, inexpensive, and easy to manufacture in secret. Also, since dangerous biotechnology is based primarily on the manipulation of information, it will make rapid progress through the same kind of amateur tinkering that currently produces new computer viruses. Terrorists also have a growing advantage in delivering bioweapons. The increasing porousness of national borders, size of global megacities, and volume of air travel all mean that the delivery and percolation of bioweapons will be fast-moving and widespreadpotentially on several continents at once. It is almost certain that we will see repeated, perhaps incessant, attempts to deploy bioweapons with new strains of viruses or bacteria. Picture a Russian biohacker who, a decade from now, designs a new, deadly form of the common flu virus and sells it on the Internet, just as computer viruses and worms get sold today. The terrorist group that buys the design sends it to a recently hired lab tech in Pakistan, who performs the required modifications with widely available tools. The product then ships by mail to London, to the awaiting suicide vectorsmen who infect themselves and then board airplanes headed to world destinations, infecting passengers on the planes and in crowded terminals. The infection spreads quickly, going global in dayslong before anyone detects it. Its very possible that many cities will fall in the face of such deadly threats. Megacities in the developing worldwhich often, because of their rapid growth, widespread corruption, and illegitimate governance, arent able to provide security or basic services for their citizensare particularly vulnerable. However, cities in the developed world that properly appreciate the threats arrayed against them may devise startlingly innovative solutions. In almost all cases, cities can defend themselves from their new enemies through effective decentralization. To counter systems disruption, decentralized servicesthe capability of smaller areas within cities to provide backup services, at least on a temporary basiscould radically diminish the harmful consequences of disconnection from the larger global grid. In New York, this would mean storage or limited production capability of backup electricity, water, and fuel, with easy connections to the delivery gridat the borough level or even smaller. These backups would then provide a means of restoring central services rapidly after a failure. Similarly, cities may combat networked gangs by decentralizing their own security. Cities have long maintained centralized police forces, but gangs can often overwhelm them. Many governments are responding with militarized police: China is building a million-man paramilitary force, for example; and even in the United States, the use of SWAT teams has increased from 3,000 deployments a year in the 1980s to 50,000 a year in 2006. But militarized police may too easily become an army of occupation, and, if corrupt, as they are in Brazil, they may become enemies of the state along with the gangs. A better solution involves local security forces, either locally recruited or bought on the marketplace (such as Blackwater), which can be powerful bulwarks against small-group terrorism. Such forces may become a vital component in our defense against bioterrorism, too, since they can enforce local containmentand since large centralized services, like the ones we have today, might actually accelerate the propagation of bioweapons. Still, if improperly established, local forces can also become rogue criminal entities, like the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia and the militias in Rio de Janeiro. Governments need to regulate them carefully. In the future, we probably wont know exactly how we will be attacked until it happens. In highly uncertain situations like this, centralized solutions that emphasize uniform responses will often collapse. Heterogeneous systems, by contrast, are unlikely to fail catastrophically. Moreover, local innovationsupplemented by a marketplace in goods and services that improve security, detection, monitoring, and so onis likely to develop responses to threats quickly and effectively. Other localities will copy those responses that prove successful. In June 2007, the FBI and local law enforcement halted a plot to blow up the John F. Kennedy International Airports fuel tanks and feeder pipelines. This was another great example of how police forces, if used correctly, can defuse threats before they become a menace [see On the Front Line in the War on Terrorism]. However, our current level of safety will not last. The selection of the target demonstrated clearly that future attackers will take advantage of our systems vulnerability to disruption, which will sharply increase the number of potential targets. It also showed that these threats can emerge spontaneously from small groups unconnected to al-Qaida. More and more attempts will come, with higher and higher rates of success. Our choice is simple: we can rely exclusively on our current security systems to stop the threatsand suffer the consequences when they dontor we can take measures to mitigate the impact of these threats by exerting local control over essential services. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton has been the tail that wags Mayor Bill de Blasios public safety dog since Day One. He is arguably the only strong leader in the entire administration, andone fearsthe only one with the vision, experience, and common sense necessary to keep New York City safe. Now hes on his way out, leaving those whove opposed his practices a clear path to impose their own stunted policy prescriptions on the city. Dont doubt for a moment that theyll try, or that theyll find the mayor receptive to their arguments. De Blasio is moving into an election year with only one solid voting bloc in his corner: African-Americans. Sadly, the debate over urban policing in 2016 is as racialized as it has been since the 1960s. Two years after the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and 15 months following the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore, animosity between the citys cops and a large segment of its black community runs deep. The world may have turned its attention to Dallas and Baton Rouge, but the NYPD hasnt forgotten the 2014 murders of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos as they sat in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street. Their killer, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, claimed he acted in retaliation for Garner and Brown. Bratton largely has corralled the NYPDs rank-and-file resentment. He hasnt eradicated it, but hes ensured that it plays a minimal part in day-to-day policing. This may well have been his principal contribution to public safety in the city; its easily as important as the clearly defined and easily understandable philosophy of policing that he brought to One Police Plaza. That philosophy will now come under attackindeed, it has been under attack by activists and a city council majority since the beginning. Absent Brattons reputation and the force of his personality, plus de Blasios obvious unwillingness to challenge directly a commissioner he hired as a hedge against being seen as soft on crime, the outlook is far from positive. Yes, Brattons designated successor, career-cop James ONeill, is first-rate. But hes no Bratton, a master of politics as well as tactics. Nor, for that matter, can he measure up to Ray Kelly, Brattons predecessor and another outsize personality. Kelly and Bratton, each in his own way, understood that the key to effective policing lies in unrelenting attention to detail. When care is taken with the little things, the big things tend to take care of themselves. Thats the essence of the so-called Broken Windows approach to crime and disordera willingness to act on the fact that subway fare-beating, aggressive panhandling, and public drunkenness are gateway offenses to greater crimes. Bring them under control and felony rates will falland stay low. Proactive policing has fallen out of favor with New Yorks political class. De Blasio campaigned hard and sincerely against it in 2013. City council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito hates it, and the council itself is trying to outlaw it. The usual assortment of community activists are vocal in their condemnation of Broken Windows policing. The arguments generally are race-based: Broken Windows enforcement disproportionally affects black New Yorkers and other minorities and therefore is illegitimate. But crime and disorderly neighborhoods also disproportionately affect minorities, who will be the principal victims of slackened enforcement. Nevertheless, racial resentment is real, and exploiting it is a proven political tactic. Without Bratton standing in the breach, its not hard to see what the policy debate will produce. New York isnt Chicago, where violence is now endemic, but nor is it the relatively tranquil city bequeathed to de Blasio by Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg, either. Losing Bill Bratton means more than the risk of losing proactive policing. It means losing a principled, effective leader at a time when such are in perilously short supply. Theres no reason to believe that James ONeill wont measure up on the merits, but at this point, its the politics that matter most. All New Yorkers of good will should wish him well. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images Achizitie de Servicii Tehnice de creare a plantatiilor forestiere de protectie din cadrul primariei Andrusul de Jos si a primariei Vadul lui Isac, r. Cahul Two sisters from New Jersey have received a $9.5 million jury award stemming from a 2009 boat collision that left them with serious injuries and killed one of their friends. Jamie and Gina Franzino, of Mahwah, were aboard a 15-foot skiff that collided with a 31-foot boat in the Manasquan Inlet. The driver of the larger boat, Ed McCarthy, of McCarthys Marine Sales, was found liable in a trial in January, The Record reported. Last week, at the conclusion of the damages portion of the trial, a jury of five women and three men awarded $3.9 million to Jamie Franzino and $5.1 million to Gina Franzino. Gina Franzino also received $500,000 to cover an anticipated hip replacement operation. An email message left with McCarthy wasnt returned Saturday. While money cannot take away Jamie or Ginas physical and emotional scars, it will certainly help them carry on their lives with financial stability, Samuel L. Davis, an attorney who represented Gina Franzino, told the newspaper. According to Coast Guard officials, at the time of the crash the skiff carrying five people and the larger Boston Whaler with two people aboard collided on the north side of the Manasquan River between Point Pleasant Beach and Brielle. After the collision, the smaller boat came to rest in about 2 feet of water near Fishermens Cove, a conservation area also known as Dog Beach Jamie Franzino suffered injuries including a collapsed lung, broken rib, fractured pelvis and concussion. Gina Franzino suffered a broken pelvis and had to have her spleen removed. Another passenger on their boat, 24-year-old Kyle Tanis, of Mahwah, suffered a skull fracture and drowned. The two men aboard the larger boat were not injured in the collision. The crash tore the tail off the skiff and left its front end heavily damaged. Its center console was ripped from the hull by the impact. The Boston Whaler also sustained extensive damage. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A 46-year-old Vancleave man has admitted he stole nearly $106,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. The Sun Herald reports Ricky Wade Perry has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, a charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. will sentence him Nov. 1. An indictment says Perry stole about $105,793 from the Social Security Administration between July 2009 and March 2015. The money was from Social Security Disability Insurance payments. A federal grand jury indicted Perry on March 22. Perry has remained free on a $25,000 bond since his initial court appearance in April 6. Lodge managers and cafe owners along Californias dramatic Big Sur coast were looking Friday at a summer of jittery guests and cancelled bookings after fire officials warned that crews will likely be battling a wildfire raging in steep, forested ridges just to the north for another month. Big Sur establishments were already reporting as much as a 50 percent drop in business, said Stan Russell, executive director of the chamber of commerce even though the only signs of the blaze were fire trucks and an occasional whiff of smoke along the famously winding and scenic Highway 1. Normally, this time of year is when everybody really runs at 100 percent, Russell said about tourism in the area. This is when we make our money. The week-old blaze a few miles to the north of Big Sur had been blamed for one death a bulldozer operator working the fire line destroyed 41 homes and burned 48 square miles (124 square kilometers). Flames were concentrated in forested ridges above the summer fog line along the coast. Many patches of fire were in areas too steep to be reached, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. More than 4,200 firefighters were battling the wildfire that fire officials expect to linger until the end of August. Highway 1 remained open, but signs along the narrow route warned travelers that all state parks in the area were closed because of the fire. At the luxury Post Ranch Inn, where clifftop rooms that open to sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean go for more than $2,000 a night, general manager Kevin Geanides was offering refunds to guests canceling stays because of the wildfire. Business was off about one-fourth, he estimated. Smoke was thick along the Big Sur coast for the first days of the blaze. With a shift in the wind, the past few days, if you were standing on our ridge, you wouldnt even know there was a fire, Geanides said. Other residents and travelers agreed. Hotel workers reviewed emergency evacuation plans as a precaution, despite the blue skies along the coast. At the Ventana Inn & Spa, another luxury lodge on the redwood-lined coast, front-desk worker George Ochoa reckoned the fire was about five miles away. But Ochoa knew, everything could change within the next hour or 30 minutes, he said. Were ready. Fire officials previously ordered at least 350 residents to evacuate homes that were closer to the flames. Tom and Donna Huntington, both 65, and three-decade residents of the hard-hit town of Palo Colorado, fled their home on the first day of the fire. They have been staying with friends and at a Red Cross shelter at a school. Its a heartbreaker. I could cry right now, Tom Huntington said. Im so lucky I didnt lose my house. And I know some people that have. Other evacuees included at least four people who acknowledged they had been growing marijuana in the area, Monterey County sheriffs Sgt. Kathy Palazzolo said. Other wildfires burned elsewhere in the West. On the outskirts of Los Angeles, crews had stopped the spread of a 61-square-mile (157-square kilometer) blaze that killed one man and destroyed 18 homes. Fire officials said that fire was 85 percent contained eight days after it broke out in suburban Santa Clarita and spread into the mountainous Angeles National Forest. Authorities have not determined the cause of either fire in California. In Idaho, a wildfire crossed a state highway and threatened a backcountry yurt outpost popular among winter recreationists. In Wyoming, favorable weather allowed firefighters to take the offensive against a wildfire threatening seasonal homes. The fire in Shoshone National Forest has burned about 19 square miles (49 sq. kilometers). Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. vote.jpg Summit County voters will consider tax proposals in six communities Tuesday, August 2. (John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer/file photo) Summit County voters will head to the polls Tuesday, August 2, for a special election. Tax issues in six communities will be on ballots. Here's what voters need to know: Macedonia: A proposed city income tax increase from 2 percent to 2.5 percent beginning October 1 to pay for road improvements and storm water projects. The increase would cost a resident making $50,000 an additional $250 per year in income tax. New Franklin: A proposed city income tax increase from 1 percent to 2 percent to fund police department operating expenses, general city operations and capital improvements. Residents earning $50,000 would pay an additional $500 per year in income tax. With passage of the increase, the city would eliminate the existing 2.5-mill police levy amounting to $27 a year in real estate taxes per $100,000 of home value, retroactive to Jan.1, 2016, for collection year 2017. Northfield Center Township: An issue to replace a 2-mill tax and add 4 additional mills to fund expenses, wages, benefits, operations and facilities of the township's fire department. The proposal would increase taxes $149 a year per $100,000 of home value. Springfield Township: A 2-mill renewal levy resulting in no tax increase, to pay for fire department equipment, buildings and firefighters, and ambulance equipment and emergency medical services operated by the Springfield Township Fire Department, for 5 years. Manchester Local School District: A $30,586,437 bond issue and 0.5-mill tax levy to pay for improvements to school district buildings and equipment. Passage of the issue would cost residents $308 per $100,000 home value. Springfield Local School District: A tax renewal and a new 3.68-mill levy for the school district's emergency requirements, which would cost homeowners an additional $128.80 per $100,000 home valuation for five years. Summit County polls will be open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. BRUNSWICK --- The Brunswick City Schools board of education is considering a policy change that would allow graduating seniors who have met district academic standards, but have failed a portion of the Ohio Graduation Test, to participate fully in commencement ceremonies. "Invariably there is someone who meets our (district) requirements and fails part of the Ohio test," Brunswick High School Principal, Michael Draves, said at an Aug. 1 board work session. "Board policy states that you have to meet both requirements in order to be able to walk at graduation." Currently, district policy states that in order to receive a diploma, a student must earn 21 credits, including 14.5 in core subjects - English, Math, Science and Social Studies; 5.5 elective credits; and a half-credit each of health and physical education. In addition, a student must pass all five OGT tests in order to graduate. Students who pass four out of five of the OGT tests can also be eligible with certain conditions related to the OGT score itself, attendance, and grade point average in the subject area of the test not yet passed. As Draves pointed out, those who are not eligible to receive a diploma for any reason - district or state mandated - are also ineligible to walk across the stage and be recognized with their peers during commencement ceremonies. "We're not saying anything about graduation requirements, but whether they walk at graduation if they meet our requirements," school board President, Rich Nowak, said. Local decision While OGT failure affects few students each year - two members of the Class of 2016 were ineligible to walk at graduation for this reason - school board and administration members at the work session were largely in agreement that parts of that policy should be changed. Draves said that the Brunswick City Schools has one of the highest four-year graduation rates, at 96.8 percent, in the area. He added that the vast majority of students who do not graduate fail to meet the district requirements, not those set by the state. Superintendent Michael Mayell said the decision of whether or not students can participate fully in commencement exercises should be made based upon local standards. "Commencement is a Brunswick thing, it's not a state thing," Mayell said. "That doesn't mean (students who don't meet the district or state standards) should get a diploma, but I have always said if we make a decision, make it in favor of the child." Draves said one of the two students prohibited from walking at graduation this past school year is a prime example of how the district policy can backfire. The decision to prohibit the student's commencement participation was based upon information the district had from the state at graduation time. It was later discovered, when scores were provided by the state "in June or July," Draves said, that the student had actually met the state requirements. Board member, Lisa Durichko, said the policy's language regarding state eligibility and commencement participation puts the district in the position of potentially "gypping students out" of one of the most important moments of a high school career. Likewise, board member Tammy Schebek suggested changing the district policy regarding commencement participation for those who have not passed the state test to include considerations of attendance, discipline, and taking the test every time it is made available. "I asked my own kids - and they aren't brilliant students but are smart - and they told me you have plenty of times to pass this," Schebek said. Board member Grant Relic, however, cautioned that changing the policy could become a slippery slope. "We want to make sure they are still passing all our requirements," Relic said. "There is always going to be a kid who is a half-point away and there will be the 'Johnny is not a good test taker' (excuse). I wouldn't say we are 'gypping' them out of anything; they gypped themselves out when there are 440 other who did the job (they) didn't. Maybe this goes along with the societal phenomenon of everyone-gets-a-trophy." Placing the proper focus Mayell replied that the board has "never wavered" on district graduation requirements and Draves insisted the administration will continue to "do our damnedest to make sure we don't have big numbers of students who don't graduate." "I'm not in the business of lowering requirements for kids but maybe (changing the board commencement policy) is a pragmatic solution for a problem that doesn't need to exist," Draves said. "And we are going to emphasize that diploma and that we need to see these kids back in the summer." Still, he allowed that the district is aware that walking across the stage and being handed a faux diploma could be enough for some students. "That is the fear," Draves said. "That some kids will say 'everyone thought I graduated, so I'll just keep working here' or whatever." Patrick Geschke, district director of educational programs and innovation, said such a reaction would be "the worst case scenario." More state changes Adding to the board's considerations are changes in Ohio graduation requirements beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. Firstly, following statewide upheaval from Ohio school districts this past school year over the wildly inconsistent OGT results, the Ohio Department of Education has decided to use only one testing company beginning in 2017. The state is also changing its method of determining graduation eligibility. In short, the OGT will be replaced by a point system of seven "end of course exams" in core subjects - including Algebra I and Geometry, or integrated Math I and II; Biology; American history and American government; and English I and II - in which students must score a cumulative 18 points. If a student fails to meet these thresholds, the state will allow two additional paths to graduation - through state approved industry credential testing, available at schools like the Medina County Career Center; or by earning a "remediation-free" score in English and Mathematics on a nationally recognized college admission exam. Nowak said he wonders if the district should continue to tie its graduation ceremony requirements to state graduation requirements, which can be changed fairly arbitrarily and without much input from local districts. "The state is trying to provide more opportunity for students to graduate, but we don't know if that is going to be the case for us," he said. "If we go from a couple kids to 85 kids not meeting this assessment, it goes from a little problem to a nightmare." New policy legislation Board members agreed to have Mayell draw up a draft policy change regarding commencement participation eligibility for board review. Mayell noted that the district would have until April to make changes to the policy in time for 2017 graduation activities. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The family of a Cleveland Clinic technician shot and killed on his way to the hospital in 2014 is facing a court battle after the hospital system denied his death benefit claim. Stephen Halton Jr. was fatally shot on Jan. 11, 2014 while waiting at the 15300 Lake Shore Avenue RTA stop. It was 4:30 a.m. and the 30-year-old anesthesiology technician was on his way to the hospital where he had been called in to assist in a liver transplant. About one year after his death, Halton's family applied for death benefit compensation that would pay about $850 per week to his widow and two daughters. The Ohio Industrial Commission initially refused the family's claim. The hearing officer said that because Halton's job required him to be on call beginning at 6 a.m., he couldn't have been considered on call when he was shot at 4:30. But the commission sided with the family in a subsequent appeal, citing language in Halton's contract with the hospital that said that the time spent returning to the hospital would be considered on-call paid time. The family also cited several cases in which Ohio courts had sided with employees who were killed or injured while responding to work calls. After receiving a call at midnight, Dalton had to catch an early bus to be at the hospital in time for a 6 a.m. liver transplant, the commission found, meaning that he was in the course of his employment while he was waiting at the RTA stop. The commission granted Halton's family death benefits, forcing Cleveland Clinic to pay retroactive benefits accrued during the appeal process. The hospital then filed an appeal June 22 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, asking the court to overturn the ruling. Halton's father, Stephen Halton Sr., says in a letter to media that he is dismayed by the hospital's refusal to pay his family's claim. Halton Sr. is not seeking any part of his son's death benefit. "In the midst of our grief, we now must fight Stephen's employer in court to ensure that his wife and children receive the benefits they deserve," he wrote. "As his father, I am shocked at the Cleveland Clinic's greed and insensitivity in this matter." Cleveland Clinic responded Wednesday with a statement that calls Halton's death a tragedy. "The loss of Mr. Halton that occurred while commuting to work was tragic," Cleveland Clinic Communication Director Eileen Sheil writes. "Cleveland Clinic is committed to meeting its legal responsibilities to its employees. At this time, we are working through the state of Ohio's workers' compensation process." This story has been updated to say that the Cleveland Clinic was required to pay retroactive benefits upon the most recent Ohio Industrial Commission ruling in favor of the Halton family. It has also been updated to include a comment from the hospital. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A former Linndale police officer and Rocky River resident admitted Tuesday to helping deal large amounts of club drugs in the Cleveland area. Jonida Alicka, 29, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. She was arrested in March, along with her sister Denisa Alicka and Michigan residents Rinald Turhani and Leka Konini. The FBI has said the quartet conspired to bring MDMA and high-quality marijuana from Canada to the Cleveland area. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Jonida Alicka faces a likely sentence of between 57 and 71 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster will sentence her on Nov. 2. Jonida Alicka has been in jail since her arrest. Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, she quietly answered Polster's questions during the 20-minute hearing. Her father and sister watched from the viewing gallery. Under the plea agreement, she agreed to forfeit two firearms and $2,281 in cash seized during FBI searches. Jonida Alicka worked one day a week as a reserve officer for the Linndale Police Department. The FBI said she conducted several drug deals during her shifts while wearing her police uniform. She was fired after her arrest. Prosecutors said some of the drugs were dealt out of the Rocky River apartment complex where Denisa Alicka lived. She and Jonida Alicka would routinely travel from New York and Michigan with drugs, according to court records. Prosecutors have described the two as having a lavish lifestyle, complete with plastic surgery, luxury cars and trips to Miami. If you want to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section. Three who would be Ohio governor pressing the flesh Convention gives potential hopefuls a chance to make themselves known Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted gives his victory in Columbus, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. A decade-old lawsuit over the state's voting laws has resulted in millions in legal fees for the attorneys who filed the suit. (Plain Dealer file photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The state of Ohio has racked up more than $2.7 million in legal fees it will likely have to pay to attorneys who have engaged in a decade's worth of litigation over voting laws passed by the state's legislature and enforced by the secretary of state's office. And while a federal appeals court said part of that amount must be re-calculated, the cost is expected to increase significantly in the future, as those same lawyers still need to add in the nearly three years of legal work completed since the last time a judge ordered payment. The legal battle at issue has raged on since 2006, though it is in line with challenges to a series of laws passed by Republican-controlled legislatures across the country in the past few years. Courts in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Texas, North Dakota and Kansas issued scathing opinions in the past week that invalidated key parts of voting legislation passed in each state, with each court stating that the laws were aimed at curbing minority participation in elections. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless first filed suit against the secretary of state over laws passed by the legislature that required voters to provide identification at polling places. The case has evolved and continued after elected officials passed laws that affected provisional ballots. This resulted in a trial earlier this year, after which Columbus federal Judge Algenon Marbley issued a constitutional rebuke of the state's laws pertaining to the disqualification of absentee and provisional ballots for technical violations. So far, Marbley has ordered the state to pay legal fees and costs to the private attorneys who brought the case, which includes Cleveland attorney Subodh Chandra and his firm, along with the San Francisco law firm Alshuler Berzon, for work done up to 2013. The state fought these orders, claiming they were excessive, but with limited success. The last order came in 2015 when Marbley ordered the state to pay more than $2.2 million. The case is a good example of the large bills that taxpayers have to foot when the state defends laws passed by the legislature and continuously appeals the decisions to higher courts. These bills tend to add up in cases where a judge finds that the constitutional rights of citizens were violated as a result of legislative actions. Appeals court's ruling The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling issued Monday, largely upheld Marbley's order for legal fees. The court wrote that the state "never (tells) us how and why the hours were excessive except to say that they are 'too high.'" (You can read the full ruling here or at the bottom of this story.) Its ruling came with two caveats that will require Marbley to re-calculate the legal fees order. The appeals court said: * The hourly rate that Marbley assigned to Altshuler Berzon -- which had one attorney awarded a $750-an-hour rate -- was too high and not comparable to what other attorneys in Columbus would charge for similar work. This is expected to reduce the total amount awarded. * The current cap on what is referred to as "fees for fees," or payment for hours worked by attorneys to calculate legal fees, should be removed. The cap was set by Coulter v. Tennessee, a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case that only allowed for attorneys to collect "fees for fees" worth three percent of the total hours worked on the main case. This is expected to enlarge the legal fees award. Taking both caveats into account, the award is expected to shrink, though the total for the work done up to 2013 will likely be around or just below $2.5 million, said attorney Sandhya Gupta, an attorney in Chandra's law firm. The meter is still running In addition to the previously-awarded $2.5 million, Chandra's firm and the other attorneys have performed three years of legal work -- including drafting court filings and participating in a trial -- for which they are expected to ask for legal fees. The state has appealed Marbley's trial decision and the federal appeals court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Thursday. If Chandra and the other attorneys prevail, the additional fees will be "quite significant" and will likely again reach seven-figure sums, he said. Chandra, a Democrat who ran for attorney general in 2006, described the state's tactics as "running a Ponzi scheme against yourself." He said the tactic of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Attorney General Mike DeWine, both Republicans, is to "litigate these things into the ground" and constantly appeal decisions made by lower court judges. Chandra said, "they seem to absolutely fight everything" and never take responsibility for what he says are unconstitutional laws. "He needs to be held accountable for this by taxpayers," Chandra said of Husted. Chandra's lawsuit is hardly the only example of voter-related lawsuits brought against the state that could prove costly. Dan Tierney, a spokesman for DeWine, said his office has a duty to defend the state and legislators when they are sued. As to when enough is enough, though, he said that call is made on a case-by-case-basis. If legal fees are getting high, he said, "that certainly could be a factor though it certainly is not only the only factor you look at." Matt McClellan, a spokesman for Secretary of State Jon Husted, said the office is waiting to see what happens when the case goes back to Marbley. But he questioned the tactic taken by many groups that have sued the state over election-related issues in the past year. "If they would work with us a little more and educate voters on how easy It is to vote, we might be farther along," McClellan said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Twilight at the Zoo Twilight at the Zoo is an annual event which brings thousands of Clevelanders together to party on the Cleveland Metropark Zoo's grounds. (Photo courtesy Dale McDonald/Cleveland Zoological Society) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This Friday, after the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's animals are put inside for the night, the park will be crowded with more than 8,000 guests for the annual party Twilight at the Zoo. It's the 23rd year for the massive event, hosted by the Cleveland Zoological Society. With 19 different bands and a variety of food and beer trucks, the evening will change the zoo's typical family-friendly atmosphere into a party for those 21 and older. "We're just trying to mix it up a little bit. Since we do concentrate on getting families out here to see the zoo every day, we thought it would be nice to get adults out here to see it in a different way," said Sarah Crupi, the manager of external relations at the Cleveland Zoological Society. The event, which has seen big crowds in its history, sold out in record time this year, according to Crupi. The event begins at 7 p.m. and runs until midnight. For guests who arrive when doors open, they have one hour to see their favorite animals until the creatures are brought inside at 8 p.m. Crupi said that this is to keep the animals' regular schedules intact, since they aren't normally kept in their full exhibits after hours. "We want to keep them safe from partygoers," said Crupi. Stretching across the grounds of the zoo, the party will have bands playing near the major exhibit points, like the Elephant Crossing and the new Rosebrough Tiger Passage. Crupi encouraged visitors to wear walking shoes so that they can fully explore the zoo's grounds. All of the performing bands are local, and they include rock cover band Almost Famous, funk and Motown cover band Funkology and Irish punk band Craic. Wrapping up the night is Disco Inferno, a band that was voted the favorite 2016 band in one of the Zoological Society's social media contests. All performing bands are donating their performance times to help with fundraising efforts. According to Crupi, Twilight at the Zoo is considered to be Cleveland's largest fundraiser. All the profits from the event go towards the zoo's programs and different conservation causes. She expects to raise more than $625,000 in support of both the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Cleveland Zoological Society. "It's easily one of our most popular events of the year," she said. FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- A 39-year-old Lakewood woman was drunk when she crashed her SUV into a Fairview Park cellphone store, police said. Angela M. Layton, of Waterbury Road was cited with operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to control. An arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 10 in Rocky River Municipal Court. A witness called police at 12:23 a.m. July 25 and said an SUV had just crashed into at Boost Mobile store in the 22900 block of Lorain Road. Officers found Layton standing outside the SUV. Layton had no signs of physical injury, but she was disoriented and unsteady on her feet, Fairview Park police Chief Erich Upperman said Tuesday. No one was inside the store at the time of the crash. Layton refused to take a blood-alcohol test, police said. "We feel that she was under the influence of something, but we don't know what," Upperman said. Police took Layton to Fairview Hospital for medical treatment. An officer later caught her trying to leave the hospital. After police left Layton at the hospital, she left against doctor's orders, Upperman said. An officer on patrol found her at 6:30 a.m. lying under a tree in the 12600 block of Lorain Road, more than two-and-a-half miles away from the hospital in the 18100 block of Lorain Road. The officer spoke to Layton and she seemed fine, so the officer helped her to a nearby bus stop, Upperman said. An employee at a Giant Eagle in the 21500 block of Lorain Road called police at 10 a.m. and reported that Layton was disoriented inside the store. Police took her back to the hospital. Upperman said officers did not arrest Layton after the crash because she needed medical attention. "She was taken to the hospital and they apparently didn't keep a close eye on her, even after an officer told them she tried to leave the first time," Upperman 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: Cleveland Clinic The Cleveland Clinic ranked No. 1 in heart care on the U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list again this year, it's 22nd consecutive year at the top for the specialty. The hospital also moved up to the No. 2 hospital spot overall on the "Honor Roll" rankings, second to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. (Plain Dealer file/Shooting Star Photography) ( Shooting Star Photography) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the 22nd year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Cleveland Clinic's heart care program No. 1 in the nation in its annual list of best hospitals. The Clinic also ranked in the top three nationally in eight other specialties, giving the hospital system the No. 2 spot overall. The hospital's overall ranking jumped three places from last year, ahead of No. 3 Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore at No. 4, and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in the fifth spot. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota was ranked first this year. The top five hospital systems this year have swapped places in U.S. News rankings a number of times in recent years. Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, a heart surgeon in his 11th year at the helm of the institution, said the ranking helps draw heart patients to the city from around the globe. "It's a recognition that speaks to the experience and quality of the Cleveland Clinic's cardiac team," Cosgrove said, noting that about 20 percent of all of the hospital's patients come from outside the Northeast Ohio area. Cosgrove said the hospital's overall No. 2 ranking will help bolster that figure, too. "I don't think that most people in Cleveland recognize the quality of the organization that is here," he said. In Ohio, the Clinic and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center were ranked first and second, while University Hospitals Case Medical Center took the No. 3 spot this year. The Clinic's Fairview Hospital was ranked No. 4, and Akron General Medical Center came in at No. 9 (tied with Riverside Methodist Hospital-Ohio Health). MetroHealth Medical Center ranked 11th, while Summa's Akron City and St. Thomas Hospitals ranked No. 18 in the state. The U.S. News rankings include listings of the best hospitals in each of 16 specialty areas for patients seeking care for rare or life-threatening conditions. It also includes the best regional hospitals in areas of "common care" such as hip and knee replacement surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure and the chronic lung disease COPD. But the rankings, which are determined by a formula that is more than one quarter reputation-driven, aren't very helpful to consumers, said J.B. Silvers, a professor of health care finance at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "U.S. News is largely a popularity poll, as far as I'm concerned," Silvers said. "[The rankings] have a real bias toward well-known nationally ranked hospitals and programs. You're going to have the same usual suspects appearing in the top spots." Among the top players, the opinions of doctors (which count for 27.5 percent of the U.S. rankings score) are helpful in distinguishing the best of the best, he said. Among less well-known hospitals and programs, though, rankings like these don't differentiate well, he said. "As you move down the list, it's less and less helpful." The U.S. News Rankings are just one of many different hospital rating and ranking metrics available, and one of few that uses reputation as a measure. Among the other measures are Hospital Compare, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service's (CMS) reports on hospital performance; the Leapfrog Group's safety scores, put together by corporations and other large buyers of health care to grade how thousands of hospitals nationally fare on safety measures compared to national benchmarks; and the quality and accountability measures gathered by The Joint Commission, a not-for-profit organization that certifies that health care facilities have met certain quality standards. Last week, CMS's Hospital Compare provided an overall rating on a five star scale for hospitals, summarizing performance in 64 measures of how well each hospital performed, on average, compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The rating systems often provide very different pictures of treatment quality at the same institutions, though. For example, the Clinic receives four of five stars on Hospital Compare's new overall rating and a "B" in the Leapfrog Group's safety scores. But it scores a dismal 49 of 100 on Consumer Reports' hospital safety scores, which are based on data on infection rates, complications, the number of times people have to return to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, and other measures. UH, on the other hand, fares better on Leapfrog ("A" grade for safety) and in the Consumer Reports ratings (53 of 100), but gets three stars on the federal Hospital Compare standards and ranks lower on the U.S. News list. Can any one rating be reliable when each tends to paint its own picture of quality? The problem, say both Cosgrove and Silvers, is that every rating system uses its own measures of quality, performance and safety. "Some of them include financial success and some don't. Some include patient experience and some of them don't. Some of them include bed sores and some of them don't," said Cosgrove. "I think there's a growing frustration amongst hospitals across the country that there are so many different metrics and rating systems." The "cacophony of information" is frustrating to patients too, said Silvers, who is also the John R. Mannix Medical Mutual of Ohio Professor of Health Care Finance and professor of banking and finance at Weatherhead School of Management. "We're in the infancy of this whole process of informing consumers. None of the ways of measuring quality are particularly good." Cosgrove and Silvers hope that at some point, the way hospital quality is measured will be standardized so that consumers can compare care fairly. That may be a long way off though. "I hope we'll see in the industry that we'll see a push towards that," Cosgrove said. The experts behind the U.S. News hospital rankings say the list relies less and less on reputation (it used to be solely based on doctor opinion) and continues to incorporate more hard data measures as they become available. For example, the heart care specialty rankings saw a reduction in the amount of emphasis placed on reputation this year by 3 percent to allow for a "transparency" measure, which gave a corresponding amount of credit to institutions that voluntarily publicly reported certain data on how their patients fared. Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said the rankings are designed for patients seeking the best possible care in highly specialized areas such as cardiology, cancer, and gynecology, among others. When asked about the plethora of ratings and rankings tools available to consumers, Harder wrote in an email: "The more information available to consumers, the better." Overall ratings like the federal Hospital Compare list released last week "can obscure variations in quality within a hospital - for example, its heart care may be great and its cancer care suboptimal," he said. For the Clinic and other top finishers, the U.S. News ranking brings its own prestige, the label reinforcing the reputation. Like their college rankings, the U.S. News label for hospitals has come to command a certain amount of respect because it's been around so long and is well respected, Cosgrove said. "There are a lot of different ways to rank colleges too. Everyone turns to U.S. News because, over and over, it's the most established," Cosgrove said. Here's how the Clinic and UH ranked this year: UH ranked in the top 50 programs nationally for eight of 16 specialties, down from nine last year. The hospital's new rankings are: cancer (28); ear, nose and throat (35); gastroenterology (27); geriatrics (41); gynecology (30); neurology and neurosurgery (47); orthopedics (24); and urology (39). UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital ranked No. 4 in the country for its neonatalogy program in the U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals rankings released in June. Nine Cleveland Clinic programs placed in the top three nationally again this year: cardiology and heart surgery (1); diabetes and endocrinology (3); gastroenterology and GI surgery (2); gynecology (3); nephrology (2); orthopedics (3); pulmonology (3); rheumatology (3); and urology (2). Four others placed in the top 10: cancer (8); geriatrics (8); neurology and neurosurgery (6); and ophthalmology (8). For more on the rankings, go to usnews.com/best-hospitals. An estimated 10 to 20 million birds and other animals die after feeding off of lead-laced animal carcasses left in the field by hunters. Above, a golden eagle. Photo by Alamy 477 shares It was just a few months ago that America watched Flint unpack boxes of bottled water in the midst of battle against lead contamination in its municipal water supply. Arrests followed, since reckless managers put lives at risk, particularly children who drank contaminated water. Weve known for thousands of years that lead is a deadly toxin, yet its only been in recent decades that weve taken it out of gasoline, paint, and other substances. The lingering effects of lead pipes still pose hazards for communities. And we havent even take the obvious step of removing it from ammunition, which sport hunters disperse and collectively plant in fields and forests every hunting season. Every day, at any one of our nations hundreds of wildlife rehabilitation centers, caretakers do everything within their power to counteract the effects of lead poisoning in eagles, condors, doves, ducks, and all manner of other creatures. The victims have the classic symptoms of lead poisoning: tremors, kidney and liver failure, and extreme weakness. Blood tests typically show lead levels literally off the charts. The culprit? Its estimated that between 10 and 20 million birds and other animalsincluding more than 130 speciesdie every year from lead poisoning. Its time for our federal government to ban the use of lead ammunition on tens of millions of federal lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Scientists have called lead ammo the greatest, largely unregulated source of lead knowingly discharged into the environment in the United States. Since it breaks into fragments upon impact, lead inevitably makes its way into the food chain as animals feed off of carcasses left in the field by hunters. Hunting families are at risk too, since the meat from animals shot and cooked for the table can contain tiny lead shards. In 2013, California became the first state in the nation to phase out the use of lead ammunition for the taking of all wildlife, setting a deadline of 2019. Its up to other states and the federal government to follow suit. The HSUS, along with other wildlife conservation groups and sportsmen, has petitioned the Department of the Interior to require the use of nontoxic ammunition when a firearm is discharged on the more than 160 million acres of federal lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Just like we saw in 1991 when the USFWS began requiring the use of non-lead shot for hunting waterfowl, this would result in millions of unintended animal victims being saved. In the meantime, hunters can choose lead alternatives. Readily available and comparably priced copper and steal ammunition is outperforming archaic lead loads and doesnt continue to kill days, weeks, and months after leaving the gun. Sadly, with their heels firmly planted in the ground, groups like the National Rifle Association contrive a conspiracy even when phasing out lead shot will be beneficial for hunters, wildlife, and retailers. Poke around on the websites of the biggest ammo manufacturers and youll find even the firearms industry singing the praises of lead alternatives. Looking for premium performance without the premium price? asks one brand-name maker of steel shot. Well, it will sell you a shell that delivers denser patterns for greater lethality and is zinc-plated to prevent corrosion. Sport hunters often cite the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt in the context of their pastime. He was a conservationist and hunter through and through. But he understood that conserve is an action verb. It requires active engagement. That means phasing out the use of lead ammunition and ending its devastating effects. If Flint taught us anything, its that we cannot wait until a public health crisis erupts to address an obvious problem. Lead is a poison. It kills people and non-human animals alike. A ban on toxic ammunition would hit the bullseye in ending decades of unnecessary and entirely avoidable poisoning and destruction of wildlife in our nation. police tape.jpg The father of a 4-month-old Ohio girl found dead along a riverbank on Monday was charged in her death, authorities say. (cleveland.com file photo) LOVELAND, Ohio -- Authorities found a 4-month-old Ohio girl dead along a riverbank on Monday and her father, who reported her missing, was charged in her death. The remains, believed to be those of Kaylynn Crawford, came less than 24 hours after her father told police someone snatched her from his parked car in a northern Cincinnati suburb and fled. The girl's father, Charles Crawford, has been arrested on a charge of murder, according to the Ohio AttorneyGeneral's Office. He's being held at the Clermont County Jail. Crawford reported Sunday night that Kaylynn was taken from his vehicle while it was parked at a dollar store in Loveland, but investigators said they believe that story was fabricated. Authorities found the remains and the girl's car seat near the Little Miami River, a few miles from the store. An autopsy has yet to be completed. Loveland police, the FBI and special agents with the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation had helped in the search for the girl. A statewide alert issued earlier for the missing girl had said she was wearing a sleeveless, white onesie decorated with a pink giraffe, with pink sandals and a gold band with a bow on her head. cleveland police tape 2 Charges were dropped Tuesday against a man previously accused of shooting a 21-year-old man in Cleveland. (File photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped charges against a man previously accused of fatally shooting an aspiring rapper. Roderick Cooper, 21, was freed from the city jail on Monday. He had been there since about 11 p.m. Friday. The aggravated murder charge was withdrawn Tuesday in Cleveland Municipal Court. A defense attorney said police released Cooper pending further investigation into the July 26 fatal shooting of Jason Miranda. The shooting happened at a home in the driveway of a home on Kirton Avenue near West 130th Street. Miranda, a father of two, was shot in front of his 1-year-old son, friend's said. Miranda was an aspiring rapper who went by the stage name Tito. Miranda walked outside the house to move his car, Cleveland police said. Witnesses told police a man walked up to Miranda and told him to "give it up." The shooter fired several shots, hitting Miranda in the abdomen. The shooter ran, police said. Police and paramedics found Miranda lying on the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Family members of a 26-year-old transgender woman found dead Saturday morning in Cleveland think she was killed because of her gender identity. Skye Mockabee's body was discovered by the owner of a granite shop the day after she went missing, according to her family and police reports. Mockabee got into a van with a man she met online just after midnight Friday morning, texted her mother that she appreciated everything the mother had done for her and never came home, Mockabee's mother and live-in boyfriend told cleveland.com. The owner of Ecclesiastic Granite Fab on West 130th Street found Mockabee the next morning lying face-down, bleeding from her mouth. Cleveland police said her body showed signs of head trauma. Detectives are investigating her death as a homicide but have released few other details about the investigation. "They beat my baby to death," Mockabee's mother, Phyllis Carlock, said in a phone interview Tuesday. Mockabee's family believes that the 2009 graduate of Lincoln-West High School was killed because of her identity as a transgender woman. "Whoever did this was not comfortable with my baby being the way that (she) was," Carlock said. "They couldn't accept it." Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said she could not confirm whether investigators think Mockabee's identity as a transgender woman is a motive in her death. The official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. Mockabee began hormone therapy at a clinic near her apartment. She also started saving money for a sex change operation to make her outward appearance match the person she was on the inside, her live-in boyfriend William Philpott said. Carlock said she accepted Mockabee's new identity as a woman, but couldn't stop calling her her son. She said Mockabee was OK with the arrangement. Both said Mockabee loved to please others and had a playful sense of humor. "(She) wouldn't hurt nobody," Philpott said. Mockabee's easy demeanor makes her death seem all the more unbelievable to her family. Philpott picked Mockabee up from the Greyhound Station in downtown Cleveland July 25 after she visited family out-of-town. The next morning she cooked him bacon and eggs, he said. Mockabee had started working at a Chipotle off Broadview Road in Cleveland earlier this year. She also worked as an escort and advertised herself online, her mother said. Mockabee told Philpott Thursday night that a man she had met online was going to come to their apartment near West 117th Street and Lorain Avenue and pick her up. She texted Philpott a picture of the man, who said he was coming from Lakewood. The man showed up about 12:20 a.m. Friday, and Mockabee got into his silver minivan. She said she would be back in about an hour, Philpott said. He texted her about 30 minutes later, asking if she was OK. She replied, "yes baby." Philpott texted her about 1:30 a.m. and got no answer. He texted her a few minutes later. Still nothing. He started trying to call. After several rings, her phone went to voicemail. Philpott kept calling and texting past 3 a.m., and never got an answer. But her mother did. Mockabee texted Carlock about 3:45 a.m. and told her how much she loved her and appreciated her, and that the two would always be together, Carlock said. Then, about 4 a.m., Mockabee's phone stopped ringing and went straight to voicemail, both Carlock and Philpott said. Carlock said she thinks the person Mockabee was with let her say goodbye to her mother before they beat her and dropped her body off in the parking lot where she was found. "Whoever did this knew the connection me and my baby had together," Carlock said. "I want to look him in his face, and ask him why. Why would you do somebody like that? "That was my child," she said. "Whether (she) was gay or didn't fit your approval, (she) belongs to me. That was my child and you took (her) from me." If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man charged in connection with a drive-by shooting that left a 2-year-old girl blind in one eye was arrested Monday in Canton. JeJuan Burns, 19, is charged with felonious assault in connection with the July 15 shooting of 2-year-old Alaya Brown at her home in the 4100 block of East 146th Street. U.S. Marshals arrested Burns about 4 p.m. Deputy marshals said they gathered information Monday that he was hiding in the Canton area and zeroed in on a home in the 900 block of Highland Road N.E. A K-9 officer tracked Burns to the basement of a home. He will be held in the Stark County Jail until he's brought to Cleveland to face charges. "A brave little girl who suffered a gunshot wound to the head was all the motivation the men and women of the Cleveland Police and the U.S. Marshals needed to hunt this reckless fugitive down," said Northern Ohio U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott. "We continue to join Alaya's family in prayer as she battles for recovery." Burns is accused of being the getaway driver in the incident, according to court records. He pulled up to the home to talk to a resident, court records say. A second car pulled up next to Burns' car. A passenger of Burns' car fired several gunshots. Alaya was outside in her 21-year-old mother's arms when a bullet struck the toddler in the arm and head, a family member previously said. Burns then drove off and went into hiding, according to court records and Elliott. The bullet cracked the girl's skull. The right side of her brain is dead and she's now blind in one eye, according to the family member. She had brain surgery at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital the day of the shooting. Alaya was born premature and has battled epilepsy and diabetes for her entire short life, family members said. She had trouble walking and talking, and seizures before the shooting. Alaya was one of 92 people shot in Cleveland in July. She is the youngest shooting victim that month. Burns entered a drug treatment program that could have erased his felony conviction for stealing a car in February. Part of the program stipulates that Burns commit no more crimes or the conviction could be reinstated. If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. ELYRIA, Ohio -- Groups opposed to the sale of the Confederate battle flag at the Lorain County Fair will hold rallies this month to honor what they say is the "true American flag." The Lorain County Democratic Party and the Fair Minded Coalition are urging people to boycott the fair, which is planned for Aug. 22-28 at the Wellington Fairgrounds in southern Lorain County. The groups say the Confederate flag is an insult to many and a painful reminder of slavery and racism and that its sale should be banned by the Lorain County Fair Board. Here are the dates for the two American flag rallies: --Sunday, Aug. 21: A large "Rally 'Round The Flag" event is planned for 3 to 6 p.m. at Ely Square in Elyria, the day before the opening of the county fair in Lorain. --Sunday, Aug. 28: A second American flag rally will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park, 1800 West Erie Ave., Lorain. Both will feature veterans and speakers who will talk about the importance of the flag for which they fought. The speakers will talk about why the Confederate flag is an insult. On Saturday, Aug. 8, the Fair-Minded group will have a booth at the Oberlin Family Fun Fair on Main Street where they will hand out American flag pins and pocket U.S. Constitutions. They will also ask people to sign a petition to ban the sale of Confederate flags from the county fair. Jeanine Donaldson, head of the Fair Minded group formed to protest the sale of the Confederate flag at the fair, and others have tried since last year to convince the fair board to ban the flags. The large Confederate flags are sold by one vendor from West Virginia, though other vendors have sold the flag in the past. "We thought we could get through to the Lorain County Fair Board," Donaldson said. "We attended their monthly meetings and made our case, but they act as if it's business as usual. They said the flags will be sold there once again." Fair Board President Brian Twining did not return several calls by The Plain Dealer. Elyria attorney Kim Meyers, fair board member who is steadfast in his belief that the flag should be sold, also did not return calls made to his office. Meyers has said Confederate battle flags have been sold at the fair for at least 30 years and no one has complained. He said the flags fall under the umbrella description of Civil War memorabilia, and he saw no reason to ban them. He said today that the position of the board remains unchanged. But Donaldson said she doesn't understand how the fair board can't see that the sale of the flag make African Americans feel unwelcome. "Black people from all over attend the fair," Donaldson said. "Seeing that flag and all it stands for has a chilling effect on us. It's also highly disrespectful to our American flag to fly a Confederate flag at a county fair." She said area churches will include the message in their services. "I just don't understand how the fair board will allow the sale to continue, knowing how it is dividing people." Anthony Giardini, chairman of the Lorain County Democratic party, said his group will not have a booth at the fair for the second year because of the controversy. He has asked elected Democratic officials and officeholders to do the same and said most have agreed. "We believe that flag is not an historic artifact, but is a symbol of hate and intolerance," he said. "There is no difference in selling that flag than selling flags for ISIS, the Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan. It's all the same thing." eastclevelandcityhall 2.jpg East Cleveland, a city in financial distress, has appointed commissioners to explore a merger with Cleveland. EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- East Cleveland completed the first step in opening annexation discussions with Cleveland by appointing three commissioners to represent the city in negotiations with Cleveland. During a special council meeting Monday evening, a unanimous vote approved the ordinance that designated Andrew Jackson, Chris Glassburn and Sandra Morgan as commissioners and announced the city's intent to explore a merger. The choice now goes to Cleveland City Council to enter these discussions and to appoint three commissioners of their own. "This is huge for East Cleveland," Council President Thomas Wheeler said in an interview Tuesday. Who are the commissioners? Jackson owns several small businesses and is president and CEO of Elsons International, a packaging company. He was also involved in the Greater Cleveland Partnership as part of the Commission on Economic Inclusion. Glassburn is a senior policy advisor for Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. Morgan, an East Cleveland resident, has a long history of civic endeavors in Cleveland and East Cleveland and is director of external affairs for Kent State University's College of Arts and Sciences. Jackson, Glassburn and Morgan were chosen after an open application process and being interviewed by City Council. While Cleveland City Council considers the proposal, East Cleveland will use the time to provide its commissioners with all the information that they need, Mayor Gary Norton said. What led to this? East Cleveland's leaders are pursuing a merger between the two cities because of East Cleveland's poor finances. An petition effort in 2015 to prod City Council to pass this kind of ordinance failed when Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Russo ruled that a technical error by the elections board made the petitions invalid. Petitioners started a second attempt to collect signatures in April. Norton, on behalf of the city, also explored asking the state permission to file for bankruptcy in late April. However, the Ohio tax commissioner's office replied that only council could make the bankruptcy request, and it must undergo certain preparations to do so. Council also approved an ordinance Monday that would ask the Cleveland Foundation for funding to support a study conducted by Conway MacKenzie. So what's next? Cleveland City Council could choose not to move forward on the annexation discussion, or has 30 days to appoint its own commissioners, Council President Kevin Kelley said. After that, the joint commission would have 120 days to discuss a merger and provide a report. Then the issue would go to both the voters of both East Cleveland and Cleveland. Cleveland City Council could choose to approve the ordinance themselves. However, Kelley said people seem to prefer giving Clevelanders a vote. Kelley said he's very interested in keeping this discussion alive, but that the priority will be to make sure Cleveland is not put in financial harm. Cleveland has its own issues to deal with right now like the consent decree and a potential income tax increase, he said. "There are a lot of moving parts," Kelley said. "There are a lot of questions we have to answer, and we need to get started." This story was updated to clarify the process of approving a Cleveland-East Cleveland merger. ECOT sign.JPG A judge has ordered the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) to turn over student log-in records to the state by Tuesday. (Patrick O'Donnell/The Plain Dealer) COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Franklin County judge ordered the ECOT online school today to give the state the log-in records of students that have been the subject of a battle between the school and the Ohio Department of Education. The department is trying to audit the attendance records of the 15,000 student online giant to see if students participated in classes enough to merit the $108 million in state tax dollars the charter school received last year. Lawyers for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow lost a bid last month to block the audit, then refused to provide records anyway, saying the state would need to obtain a court order before it would comply. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer French issued that order today, giving the school until Tuesday to comply. French granted the state's request to have the records provided as that the state is measuring its attendance and eligibility for funding unfairly. ECOT spokesman Neil Clark said the school will comply as soon as it can. Clark also lashed out at the department on several fronts, saying that the department is trying to cover for its own incompetence in not knowing how to handle the audit. And he repeated the school's belief that a 2002 funding agreement between the school and ODE that did not require the school to produce log-in records still is in force today. "ECOT has repeatedly stated and submitted a signed a contract with ODE," he said. "ODE knows they need to abide by the terms. So why are we in court? To protect our contract that's why." Final Cleveland July shooting map Cleveland police investigated 75 shootings across the city in July. See the below interactive version of the map. (Chris Morris/The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland saw at least 92 people suffer gunshot wounds in July and 12 of those people died. There were at least 75 shootings, including 10 with multiple victims. Those numbers are slightly below the numbers from the same month in 2015 where there were 101 shootings and 17 deaths. Cleveland has 60 homicides through the first seven months of this year. There were 67 at this point last year. The July shootings ranged from a 2-year-old girl who was shot in the head and survived to a 60-year-old man shot during an argument over presidential politics at a bar on East 131st Street. The shootings happened throughout Cleveland, but most of them occurred on the city's East Side. Here are some takeaways from the shootings: 14 homicides total, 12 were shot Cleveland had 14 homicides in July, including the 12 that came as a result of gun fire. A transgender woman's cause of death is pending, but police said she appeared to suffer head trauma. A 56-year-old man named William Harrison was also stabbed to death. The 14 homicides is the deadliest month in Cleveland since October, when there were 20 homicides. This July is the third deadliest month since 2010. There were 17 homicides in July 2015. Seven victims were less than 18 years old The seven children shot in Cleveland this month includes a 2-year-old girl shot in the head in the 4100 block of East 146th Street and an 11-year-old girl shot in the 3400 block of Seymour Avenue. Someone opened fire on the 2-year-old girl's mother as she was holding her daughter. A bullet went through 2-year-old Alaya Brown's arm and into her skull. The bullet cracked her skull. The right side of her brain is dead, and she is blind in one eye, family members said. An 11-year-old girl was in her living room watching a movie and holding her 3-year-old sister when someone fired at least five shots into the home. A bullet hit the girl in the leg. Her family said she is expected to recover but will have to spend months in physical therapy learning how to walk again. A 16-year-old boy was injured about 4:30 p.m. Sunday at a home in the 11300 block of Itasca Avenue after a friend accidentally shot him in the chest, according to police reports. The friend was twirling a silver handgun on his finger and pointing it at the boy. A witness told police everyone was laughing as the boy played with the gun, according to police reports. The gun fired and blood gushed out of the boy's chest. The teen ran from the home and collapsed on East 115th Street. The boy was taken to University Hospitals, where he was listed in critical condition as of Sunday. Most shootings in one day Ten people were shot on July 23, including two near East 38th Street and St. Clair Avenue. The victims drove away but crashed on East 9th Street and St. Clair Avenue, police said. The day before, thousands of police officers from around the country left Cleveland following the Republican National Convention. No one was shot during convention-related protests. All 10 of the victims survived. Deadliest day Four people were killed on July 17. The first happened about 12:15 a.m. Jonathan Peters, 19, suffered a fatal gunshot at a bus stop on Lakeview Road near Earle Avenue. A black pickup drove by at slow speed and a man jumped out. The two got into an argument and Peters ran. The gunman initially walked in the opposite direction, then turned and and fired several gunshots at Peters, hitting him multiple times, police said. Two women -- Tyisha J. Austin, 36, and Laquita M. Robinson, 26 -- were found dead inside a car just after 6:45 a.m. on East 101st Street near Colonial Avenue. Austin was shot several times in the chest and head. Robinson was shot once in the head, police said. The fourth and final gunshot victim of the day was Russell Warren, 30. Warren suffered from schizophrenia and he got into an argument about 10:30 a.m. with a 28-year-old family member. The woman refused to give Warren her gun. Warren threatened the woman's children and lunged for her gun. She picked up the gun and shot him in the chest, killing him. The woman has not been charged in the shooting. Most victims in one shooting Five people were shot at the Agora Ballroom and Theater. Multiple people fired shots in the parking lot after Damn Near Naked club promotions hosted a party at Agora, according to posts on Twitter. All of the victims survived. The shooting was one of 10 last month that had multiple victims. August outlook Two people were shot less than two hours into the new month. A man was shot about 1 a.m. in the 9700 block of Elizabeth Avenue and one hour later a 20-year-old woman was shot in the thigh and buttocks during an attempted robbery at a home in the 2000 block of West 73rd Street. A third person was shot about 8 a.m. outside the Galleria in downtown Cleveland. A Cuyahoga County Sheriff protective services officer shot a man who lunged at him with a knife or screwdriver. The man was treated and released from the hospital and the officer was placed on paid administrative leave. Another man was shot in the leg about 3 p.m. Monday. Three others were shot between midnight and 3 a.m. Tuesday, bringing August's total to seven shootings in 27 hours. If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. SAN TAN VALLEY, Arizona -- An Arizona man and woman are facing charges after they reportedly left their toddler alone at home so they could play Pokemon Go. Brent Daley, 27, and Brianne Daley, 25, are being held in the Pinal County jail on charges of child neglect and endangerment, according to a news release from the Pinal County Sheriff's Department. Deputies were called at about 10:30 p.m. Friday after the Daleys' 2-year-old son was found wandering alone outside a neighbor's house. The neighbor went to the Daley's house but no one was home. "The deputies found the child locked out of his home in 96-degree weather with no water while his parents were gone interacting with their Smartphone game," Sheriff Paul Babeu says in the news release. The child, who was barefoot and wearing a diaper and T-shirt, was crying and trying to get back into the house. Deputies say he was red-faced, sweaty and dirty. Deputies discovered a door to the home was unlocked and went inside, but no one was home. They were able to contact the boy's father on the phone, but when told his child had been found abandoned, Brent Daley replied, "Whatever," and hung up, the news release says. The couple returned about an hour later and told deputies they had left the child sleeping inside while going out to put gas in their car. The couple was arrested, and Babeu says they later admitted to leaving the boy alone for up to 90 minutes in order to play Pokemon Go. The child has been placed in protective custody. "We never would have imagined that parents would abandon a child to play Pokemon Go," Babue says. "This goes beyond comprehension." If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. Tamir Rice graffiti Jump-N-Joey's, a children's play and party center in Bloomington, Indiana, was found vandalized Tuesday with spray-paint of Tamir Rice's name across the building. (Jump-N-Joey's Facebook page) BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - An Indiana business was vandalized Tuesday by someone who spray-painted Tamir Rice's name across the side of the building. Chance Jeffress, the owner of Jump-N-Joey's, a children's party center, arrived Tuesday morning to find "TAMIR RICE" painted in green paint across the side of his building, WTHR reports. He initially didn't understand what the lettering meant, but police who arrived quickly realized it was the name of a Cleveland boy shot and killed by police in 2014. Jeffress told WTHR that he believes his business was targeted because it is hosting a free family event Tuesday for the annual Night Out Against Crime, a nationwide event that facilitates community relations with the police. "If they want to target the police department, that's one thing, and that seems to be the translation," Jeffress said, according to the Indianapolis Star. The event at the party center is still on, and Jeffress thinks the party will be better attended than it would have been if his business wasn't vandalized, WTHR reports. Tamir was playing with a replica gun outside Cudell Recreation Center on Cleveland's West Side in November 2012 when two police officers responded to a call of a "man with a gun." The 12-year-old boy was shot within seconds of the officers' arrival, and he died the next day. In December 2015, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office declined to indict the two Cleveland officers - Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback - involved in the shooting. The decision sparked days of protest in Cleveland and nationwide. Tamir's family received a $6 million settlement from the city of Cleveland in April. Photos of the graffiti were posted on the Jump-N-Joey's Facebook page. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. Bernie Sanders Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., walks off the stage after speaking to delegates during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (John Locher, AP Photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton weeks ago. The decision sent Sanders supporters into a spiral of emotion. Heartache. Peace. Acceptance. Determination. And it splintered his backers into different camps: those who now support Clinton, those who refuse to and those who are still on the fence. Bernie or Bust tears flowed last week on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, as Sanders thanked the unlikely crew that made up his political revolution: a movement ignited by income inequality. He bid goodbye to the millions who donated an average of $27 to his campaign. Cleveland.com interviewed some Northeast Ohio residents and politicians who supported Sanders. We asked these voters who they now plan to back this fall, and why. Some Sanders supporters said they bounced back to support Clinton. They are choosing to vote for Clinton because they believe her platform closely matches that of their white-haired, Brooklynite champion. Others plan to cast ballots for Clinton, not because they like her, but to stop controversial Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from taking office. What's abundantly clear: As Sanders exits the presidential politics stage, supporters are sad to see the senator go. Choosing Hillary Bridget Finnegan, 36, said she cried when Sanders gave his support to Clinton. The Euclid Schools special educational teacher served as a delegate for Sanders. She made campaign phone calls. She cared about the movement, and the issues. She particularly wanted to get big money out of politics. But when Sanders asked her to support Clinton, she listened. She said she believes Clinton's views on most social issues align with her own. She believes the candidate will stand up for women's issues and work to raise the minimum wage. Bridget Finnegan Another huge motivator to vote Clinton? "Trump is too dangerous to vote third party," she said. Finnegan said in an email that she's disappointed in the Bernie or Bust movement: "Too much is at stake to pout and go home because we did not get exactly what we wanted. Revolutions require pragmatism, and they are not respecting his legacy." Finnegan said she worries that Clinton may not work to overturn Citizens United --the court case that allows businesses to contribute huge sums to campaigns -- because of her Wall Street ties. And she believes the candidate has an authenticity problem. But she said people should not ignore Clinton's qualifications due to her email scandal. "People can criticize Hillary, she has her faults, but ultimately, she is the most qualified person to be POTUS," she wrote in an email. "Her decades of service to the United States should not be dismissed over some emails, and that is why I am still feeling the Bern in my heart, but I'm with Her in my brain." Bernie or Bust Joanna Graczyk Joanna Graczyk supported Sanders in the primaries. And she plans back the Vermont senator in the November general election, too. The 31-year-old said she will write Sanders' name in on her ballot on election day. She knows he doesn't have a chance of winning. But she wants to send a message. She's not a Clinton fan. "She's not a good candidate. She seems fake to me. It seems like she'll just say anything to get people's votes. Just because you like one Democrat doesn't mean you love them all," she said. When Sanders backed Clinton, "it kind of upset me," Graczyk said. The Avon resident thought about Trump, but didn't want to swing too far to the right. A vote for Hillary State Rep. Stephanie Howse, a Democratic delegate from Cleveland, voted for Sanders on the convention floor. But she'll cast her ballot for Clinton this fall. Ohio state Rep. Stephanie Howse She liked how Sanders brought non-traditional voters to the polls. She liked how he brought issues like income inequality to the forefront. But it wasn't hard for her to throw her support behind Clinton, because Howse said she always planned to back the Democratic nominee. She sees many parallels between Sanders and Clinton -- the politicians agree on issues like debt-free college. "For me it's not (like) one is drastically different than the other," Howse said. "I didn't necessarily have like two strong feelings like, 'Oh, I'm supporting this one, and I hate this person.' This is not how I saw this election at all." Howse said she understand the sadness behind the Bernie or Bust movement. She's made it a priority to hear out those supporters' concerns. "I have been in that place where you give everything to a campaign and you lose. Like losing sucks. There's no ''ifs, ands or buts about it. Losing sucks. And it hurts and it is painful," she said. "Time will heal that. Because like I've said, I've been there." "She's definitely still a liberal" Katie Schanz, 35, said she knows that Clinton will defend LGBT rights. Minority rights. The environment. That's why she decided to back the former secretary of state after Sanders conceded. Katie Schanz "She's still is part of the progressive platform. She's definitely still a liberal. She has her faults. Yes, there's a lot of argument to be made for her corruption in politics," Schanz said. But at the end of the day, Clinton is "still going to stand for all the same beliefs that I have," Schanz said. The bartender, who lives in the Edgewater neighborhood of Cleveland, said she will always back Sanders. But she understands that it's time to move on from his presidential bid. "I don't like using it in past tense," she said. "I definitely still support him." "We can all get very upset that our person didn't win. Certainly there are justifiable reasons to dislike Hillary Clinton, but we have to face reality for what it is. He's not an option anymore," she said. Undecided Daniel May, a 21-year-old John Carroll University student, said he liked that Sanders seemed to care about communities. The Vermont senator appeared to dig deep and learn about the problems that everyday Americans face. Daniel May But when Sanders endorsed Clinton, May started to reevaluate. May said Clinton could win his vote if he saw her out in communities more, listening to residents' struggles. That's why he picked Sanders in the first place. The Pittsburgh native remains undecided. He's thinking about Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. But he said that he's leaning toward voting for Clinton. Why? "My biggest decision with whoever it is that I vote for -- it's not going to be Donald Trump," May said. "My specific goal is just to make sure my vote goes completely against him." He's worried that a third party candidate could serve as a spoiler vote in this election. Never Hillary Jennifer Snitzer, a 36-year-old from the East Side of Cleveland, still supports Sanders. And she won't be voting for Clinton this November. Instead, the stay-at-home mom said she plans to cast her ballot for Johnson, the Libertarian. Her views don't align with any specific political party. Jennifer Snitzer "I'm sort of in the middle," Snitzer said. "I don't pick my candidates based off of their party affiliation -- but which candidate who's more in line with my personal views." She looks for the candidate who best matches her beliefs. Sanders fit. But when Sanders endorsed Clinton, she reconsidered the field of candidates, and decided Johnson fit best. Snitzer said that she loved former President Bill Clinton. But she just can't trust his wife. "She's in bed with Wall Street, but yet she claims that she's against big banks and big businesses," Snitzer said. Snitzer said there's nothing the former secretary of state can do to win her vote. "I feel like this country is ready for a woman, just not her. I have a very strong dislike of her," Snitzer said. "She has dug her hole deep enough that, in my opinion, she can't get out of it." Snitzer said she believed Sanders endorsed Clinton to play nice with the Democrats. And she's not worried about Trump winning the presidency because she's betting Democrats will regain control of Congress, prompting a political stalemate. She said Trump is "not going to accomplish or destroy a single thing, because they're going to be going back and forth the whole time." Stop Trump When Sanders left the race, Joy Adamson, 32, felt hopeless. She never thought Clinton would beat the Vermont senator in the primaries. Joy Adamson But the Lakewood resident said she chose to back Clinton when she saw Trump's momentum during the Republican National Convention. She determined then that the Republican candidate seemed like a real threat. And she decided she needed to support anyone but Trump. "I don't know if I'm voting so much for Hillary as I'm voting against Trump," Adamson said. "If we elect a president like Trump, then we're basically showing the rest of the world that we support ideas of hatred and bigotry and intolerance -- against the rest of the world. I see that as really hurting our country globally." Rob Portman U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, was endorsed by Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County, a group identified with Jeff Mixon, a local Democrat. The county Democratic party wants Mixon to resign from its executive committee. (John Minchillo, Associated Press) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Monday asked Jeff Mixon, who has a group called Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County, to resign from the party's executive committee in light of an endorsement by Mixon's group of a Republican U.S. senator's reelection. By endorsing Sen. Rob Portman when the party has endorsed Portman's Democratic challenger, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Mixon violated the local party's unity rule, said party chairman Stuart Garson. The rule says no party officer or executive committee member "may oppose any endorsed Democratic candidate" in a partisan race. Mixon, however, appeared in a mood to challenge the county party, saying Garson has now "ignited a war that will not end well" for Cuyahoga County Democrats. "Stu Garson, the face of STRUCTURAL RACISM in Cuyahoga County, failed to utter a single word during the judicial and prosecutorial debacles that essentially gave racist police officers the green light to murder innocent, unarmed African-Americans," Mixon said in an email to the media. "Instead of seeking justice, he surrendered what was left of his moral conscience to the political power of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association," Mixon's email said. "Now, he is seeking my resignation for yielding to my own moral conscience." If Mixon doesn't resign from the executive committee, a 600-member group that exists to vote on local party endorsements, county Democrats will have to use internal proceedings to try to oust him. "I'm not here to challenge the right to endorse," Garson said in a telephone interview. But if a Democrat on the executive committee endorses a Republican in a partisan race, it is a violation of the party's rules, he said. Mixon's reaction provides the latest episode in which he has thrust himself, or been thrust, into the limelight. His group has a name that led many to believe he is part of the Black Lives Matter national movement, protesting police violence against black men and women and fighting inequality. When Mixon announced that Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County endorsed Portman, the immediate public and press reaction was as if the Pope had changed his religion. It quickly became clear, as Cleveland Scene reported two weeks earlier, that Mixon's group had no affiliation with the national Black Lives Matter organization. The local group affiliated with the national movement is called Black Lives Matter in Cleveland, and it further affirmed that difference Friday. It added in an email, "Black Lives Matter Cleveland is not in the business of endorsing candidates, but rather holding them accountable to the people that they serve." Mixon himself acknowledged the difference in a phone call with cleveland.com Friday, and said his group is using political tactics rather than protests to fight racial inequality. Those tactics, he said, extended to criticizing Strickland, whose record of helping the disenfranchised, he said, paled compared with Portman's. Mixon has now added the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party to his list of those harming minority interests. The charge could draw public interest. But it also overlooks the county Democrats' long connection with Cleveland-area African-American officeholders and voters. In Cuyahoga County, they are intertwined, as last evidenced by the overwhelming support for President Barack Obama's elections. "Because of a deep disdain for the Republican Party, the African-American vote has long been taken for granted by the corrupt Cuyahoga County Democratic Party -- a party whose legislation forms the foundation of STRUCTURAL RACISM in Cuyahoga County," Mixon said in his email. Mixon also contended in this and a separate email Monday that Garson's attempt to oust him is hypocritical because, he said, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge violated the same rule with impunity in 2013. Mixon has not returned a request made by email and phone message to discuss this further. His charge appeared to be in reference to a Cleveland City Council election in 2013. Fudge, a former mayor of neighboring Warrensville Heights, backed a challenger rather than the incumbent Cleveland councilman, who had establishment Democratic support. Both candidates in that race, however, were Democrats, and the race was nonpartisan. Garson said the 2013 situation not only differed from Mixon's endorsement of a Republican, but that the party bylaws were updated in 2014 after a three-plus-year, section-by-section review to make sure the rules were clear. Mixon made one more point in his defense: By stating that Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County endorsed Portman, and by criticizing Strickland, he was merely stating what the executive board of Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County had decided -- but putting it "in my unique style of prose." Mixon lists himself as president of Black Lives Matter of Cuyahoga County, but it is unclear how that group is structured or whom the other officers might be. Mixon suggested Friday that his group's organizational structure allows it to take political action, unlike most other nonprofits. An online search of IRS and Federal Election Commission records, which list similarly structured organizations, showed no listings for Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County. Donald Trump Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a town hall campaign event, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Columbus. (Evan Vucci, The Associated Press) Donald Trump slings some Rust Belt wisdom while dumping on fire marshals in Columbus. Nina Turner passes on her Green card. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup. Donald Trump returns to Ohio with some rusty rhetoric: The Republican presidential candidate returned Monday to Columbus with some thoughts on why Ohio - a must-win battleground state - deserves its "Rust Belt" label, which Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and others find pejorative. "Because everything is rusting and rotting," Trump explained. Marshal matters: The wealthy New York businessman, unhappy that capacity at his town hall-style forum was limited to 1,000, also blasted the local fire marshal for turning away supporters. He wondered if political motivations - the Columbus mayor is a Democrat - were afoot. Political motivations? More like Trump being Trump. Convention center construction was among the reasons for the strict attendance cap, the Columbus Dispatch reports. And city safety officials said Trump's team knew ahead of time about the venue's 1,000-person capacity. As Politico's Nick Gass notes, the Columbus fire marshal is not the first to incur Trump's wrath in recent days. This has become a pattern and very much part of Trump's new message. He is painting the picture of a system rigged against him, cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer writes. Why paint that picture now? The first CNN/ORC poll since the Democratic National Convention shows a 7-point bounce for Democrat Hillary Clinton. She leads Trump 52 percent to 43 percent, head to head. When Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party hopeful Jill Stein are included, Clinton's lead over Trump shrinks slightly - to 45 percent to 37 percent. Countdown clock: The general election is 97 days away. It's not easy being Green: Nina Turner has turned down an overture to join the Green Party as its vice presidential candidate. The former state senator from Cleveland informed presumptive presidential nominee Jill Stein of her decision Monday. Turner, a big Bernie Sanders backer, tells me she will remain a Democrat - but she's not yet ready to endorse Clinton. Ohio Right to Life endorses Trump: There was no chance the anti-abortion group would endorse Clinton. But Trump has been all over the place when it comes to abortion. The inconsistencies don't bother Mike Gonidakis, the group's president. He tells the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jessie Balmert that he celebrates "any conversion to our movement, and Mr. Trump has done just that." A news release from Gonidakis indicates Trump's selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate also impressed Right to Life members. "Governor Pence," Gonidakis writes, "is a proven pro-life leader in our neighboring state of Indiana, an outstanding governor whose pro-life record contrasts sharply with the pro-abortion record of [Clinton VP pick] Tim Kaine." Speaking of Trump endorsements ... there must be days Rob Portman wishes he never offered his. Once again the Ohio senator, who has a tough re-election fight this fall with former Gov. Ted Strickland, finds himself distancing himself from Trump without withdrawing his support. This time, as the Dispatch's Randy Ludlow writes, the friction is over Trump's public feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim-American parents of a fallen soldier. Speaking of Portman endorsements ... The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party has asked Jeff Mixon, "who has a group called Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County, to resign from the party's executive committee in light of" the group's decision to back Portman, cleveland.com's Stephen Koff reports. And Mixon is swinging back at Chairman Stuart Garson. "Mixon's reaction provides the latest episode in which he has thrust himself, or been thrust, into the limelight. His group has a name that led many to believe he is part of the Black Lives Matter national movement, protesting police violence against black men and women and fighting inequality." As Koff notes, the group is not affiliated with the movement's Cleveland chapter. Marcia Fudge recaps a sweet week: "I do know it's made me a lot more popular than I ever intended to be," the Cleveland-area congresswoman says of her turn last week as permanent chair of the Democratic National Convention. "I'm walking through the airport in Philadelphia leaving and people are like, 'Oh we saw you, you were great.'" My full Q&A with Fudge. End of (another) era in Akron: Northeast Ohio pols are mourning the loss of Summit County Executive Russ Pry, who died over the weekend after a battle with colon cancer. The Democrat's "sudden death is the second major leadership shakeup in Summit County in the past 15 months," the Akron Beacon Journal's Amanda Garrett writes. "In May 2015, Don Plusquellic - a friend of Pry's - abruptly walked away from being Akron mayor after holding the office 27 years." Ilene Shapiro, the Summit County Council president, was sworn in Monday as interim county executive, cleveland.com's Jennifer Conn reports. "Shapiro will hold the executive's position until the Summit County Democratic Party nominates a candidate to run in Pry's place at a central committee meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 11 in the North High School auditorium." Nice work if you can get it: An ad posted Friday by a mystery Craigslist user in the Columbus area "offers actors $50 each ($75 for racial minorities) 'to fill seats at various GOP events throughout the fall campaign season,'" cleveland.com's Pelzer reports. "Last week, after many Bernie Sanders delegates walked out of the Democratic National Convention, an advertisement was posted to Philadelphia's Craigslist also offering $50 each to 700 paid actors to fill 'empty' convention seats. ... The idea of placing a fake Craigslist ad came up in Democratic National Committee emails that were recently made public by WikiLeaks." Get Battleground Briefing, our FREE politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox: Sign up here. Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @HenryJGomez. John Hinckley In this March 30, 1981, file photo, a U.S. secret service agent with an automatic weapon watches over James Brady, the president's press secretary, after Brady was wounded in an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. Reagan was seriously wounded but recovered. Brady died in 2014 as a result of his wounds. A D.C. policeman, Thomas Delahanty, lies to the left of Brady after also being shot. Delahanty survived with permanent nerve damage to his left arm. The fourth person shot by John Hinckley Jr., Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, who, like Delahanty, took a bullet to protect the president, also recovered. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and is due to be released from a mental hospital this Friday per a federal judge's finding that he's no longer a danger to himself and others. (Ron Edmonds, Associated Press, File, 1981) CLEVELAND -- John Hinckley, the deluded young man in 1981 who shot President Ronald Reagan and three others in a bizarre attempt to get actress Jodie Foster to notice him, is 61 now. As early as this Friday, Hinckley will walk away from St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., a free man. He has been tethered to the psychiatric hospital since his trial in 1982, when he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. But over the last 10 years, he has been granted furloughs of increasing length and frequency to stay with his mother, and even allowed a driver's license. The tether was stretched past the breaking point last Wednesday when U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman ruled that Hinckley is no longer a threat to himself or others, and allowed him to go live with his 90-year-old mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. He must live under certain restrictions, but he is essentially free to come and go as he pleases. Patti Davis, President Reagan's daughter, objected in a strongly worded piece written for The Washington Post (reprinted in last Sunday's Plain Dealer), saying she was sickened but not surprised by the judge's decision. Those of us who are confounded by the urge of so many in our judicial system to "understand" the motivations of murderers and other violent criminals, and put them back out among us, can easily share both of Davis' reactions. Davis wrote that her father believed forgiveness is crucial to healing, and thus had forgiven Hinckley. I believe in forgiveness, too. If you lose your temper with me or spill red wine on my carpet or forget my birthday and tell me you're sorry - you are off the hook, no questions asked. But if you take a gun and shoot my president, his press secretary and two men tasked with protecting him, there is no coming back from that. You are not forgiven, no matter how many years pass or how sick psychologists say you were. Reagan almost died from Hinckley's gunshot. Press Secretary James Brady spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, partially paralyzed, and his death in 2014 was ruled a homicide. Police Officer Thomas Delahanty suffered nerve damage in his arm and was forced into early retirement. Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy recovered after heroically stepping in front of Reagan and taking a bullet that had been intended for the president. If I had my way, Hinckley would not have spent the last 34 years being coddled in a psychiatric hospital at taxpayer expense. He would have been sent to whatever final reward awaits him by the same instrument of death he tried to mete out to Reagan. But we lack the national will to treat our violent criminals in kind, or at least lock them away forever, to make certain they never again are able to prey on their more peaceful brethren. So instead, we read too often about paroled murderers and attempted murderers who are set free to spread their particular form of misery. The poster child for that, of course, became famous five years after Hinckley got Jodie Foster to notice him. The William Horton story is now popularly used by liberals as an example of politicians playing on racial fears, but we should never forget what he did to earn his notoriety. In 1974, Horton and two accomplices robbed a gas station in Lawrence, Massachusetts, then stabbed the 17-year-old attendant 19 times and left him to die in a trash can. Horton was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but 13 years later was released as part of a weekend furlough program enabled by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. Horton traveled to Maryland, where he broke into an apartment, pistol-whipped and stabbed the male occupant, then tied him to a chair so he could watch while Horton raped his fiance. The Horton incident was used in a political ad to show Dukakis' attitude toward crime and punishment when he ran for president in 1988, and rightfully so. But we don't have to go back to 1987, or all the way to Maryland, to find instances of murderers set free to commit crimes again. Examples are everywhere. A quick scan of news archives just over the last couple of months shows two men, one in Findlay and one in Canton, who had been paroled after serving time for a killing and now stand accused of murdering again. The blood of the subsequent victims is not on the hands of these two Ohioans, nor on Horton's. It is on the people who don't believe in capital punishment, who keep killers clothed and fed and warm in prison, and then let them go ... betting the lives of everyone who comes into contact with them. Perhaps we will get lucky with the ticking time bomb that is Hinckley, and his new-found freedom. If not, putting him under the control of his 90-year-old mother seems hardly sufficient. I've got a better idea: If Judge Friedman is so confident in his ruling that Hinckley is no threat, then maybe he should allow Hinckley to come live with him and his family. Ted Diadiun is a member of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Strongsville John Bedford.JPG John Bedford attended his last meeting as Strongsville's communication and technology director in July. He retired Aug. 1. (Bob Sandrick, special to cleveland.com) STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - The city has hired a new communication and technology director to replace John Bedford, a double-dipper who retired from municipal service Monday - this time for real. David E. Sems, CEO and owner of Sems & Associates Ltd., a Middleburg Heights technology consulting firm, will earn $139,145 a year. Bedford's annual salary was $129,854, although in 2016 he earned $66,647, since he worked only half the year, said Steve Kilo, Strongsville's human resources director. At a City Council meeting last month, Mayor Thomas Perciak thanked Bedford, who joined the city full-time in 2005. During his tenure, Bedford established the city's website and TV station, and helped lead the effort to get Southwest Emergency Dispatch Center - which serves Berea, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville - off the ground. "For all that you have given up and the hours you have spent developing, implementing, the many, many years of service to the city of Strongsville, John, we thank you for everything you do," Perciak said. At the meeting, council terminated a contract with Sems & Associates - which the city has used as a technology consultant since 2005, the same year Bedford started - due to David Sems' hiring. Under the contract, the city would have paid Sems & Associates $175,000 this year to help with "video processing and surveillance, forensic and fraud prevention, data network engineering and computer hardware and software maintenance." In 2015, the city paid Sems & Associates $150,768 for similar services, according to Kilo. Here is a little about Bedford and David Sems: John Bedford: In December 2013, council voted to rehire Bedford, one month after he retired. It meant that Bedford joined the ranks of "double-dippers" who collect both a taxpayer-funded pension and government salary. At the time, Bedford said his salary was $118,000. Since then, his pay has risen by about 10 percent. In 2013, city officials praised Bedford. Perciak said his work record was "enviable," and noted that Bedford spent his entire career working in Strongsville, first for the Strongsville City Schools. Perciak said he plucked Bedford from the schools when he was first elected mayor, although initially Bedford worked part-time for the city. It was Bedford's idea to install fiber-optic cables in all of the city's buildings, Perciak said. He said city office doors lock automatically at 5 p.m., thanks to Bedford's contributions. Also, more advanced technology that Bedford introduced has led to fewer city workers. Charles Goss, Strongsville's director of public safety, said that before Bedford arrived, each city department had its own communications and data systems. He said Bedford channeled all city communications into a central network. Police Chief James Kobak said that before the city hired Bedford, two or three police officers were taken off the street to handle computer duties. He said those officers are back on patrol thanks to Bedford. Council voted 5-2 to rehire Bedford in 2013. Councilmen Matt Schonhut and Jim Carbone voted no. Schonhut was so torn by the vote that he broke down and cried during the meeting. "I was elected to represent the people and I talked to a lot of people about this," Schonhut said at the time. "None of them had anything bad to say about John, but the retire-rehire process is looked down upon." David Sems: A Strongsville resident, Sems is a certified public accountant. According to his resume, he started his career at Ernst & Young, an international audit firm, where he worked in the fraud investigation and dispute services department. Then he became the firm's American leader of forensic data analytics services, which involves examining computer data to identify fraudulent activities. Sems started Sems & Associates in 2009, after he left Earnst & Young. His work in forensic technology spans several types of industries - including law enforcement - and has led him to 13 countries in Europe and Africa. Also, Sems has spoken to several groups, including the FBI, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the New York Computer Forensic Shows. Cedar Point is trying to ease your ride back home Cedar Point, one of the state's top tourist draws, has had to close twice in the past three years because of water-main problems. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com) (John Kuntz, cleveland.com) SANDUSKY, Ohio - A member of Sandusky's City Commission is promising that the city will fix the infrastructure problems that forced Cedar Point, one of the state's top tourist destinations, to close for a second time in just over two years. City Commissioner Dick Brady said the water-main break that occurred this past weekend - which closed Cedar Point early on Saturday and shuttered two resort hotels and Soak City waterpark on Sunday - was on the causeway, which connects the amusement park to mainland Sandusky. Two years earlier, in June 2014, a water main broke under the park's main parking lot, which forced the closure of Cedar Point, Soak City and two hotels for two days. "With a couple of breaks in a couple of years, it's time for us to look at a long-range plan," said Brady. "Reliability is so important to Cedar Point. They have an obligation to their customers and their stockholders and we understand that." The water lines to the park are old, installed in 1959, and under a lot of stress in the summer, when more than 3 million visitors travel over them to reach Cedar Point. After the water main break in 2014, the city replaced 1,700 feet of water line that travels under the parking lot, according to Brady. But more needs to be done, he said. Commissioners will likely meet in the next few weeks to develop a plan for what Brady called "a truly redundant system" on the Cedar Point peninsula. It's unclear how much any new repairs would cost; repairs earlier this year cost the city $315,000. Currently, the city water system does have a secondary line to carry water to the park, which is how Cedar Point was able to open Sunday. But it doesn't provide the same volume of water that the primary system does, which is why Soak City and the hotels remained closed. Cedar Point, too, is developing its own back-up system - a 1-million gallon water tower under construction at the park, which will be finished this fall, according to Brady. "But I don't think that is a solution," said Brady. "We still have an obligation to fill that water tower." In response to this year's break, Brady said the city would consider installing a full-volume back-up line, either across the causeway or along Cedar Point Road (also known as the Chaussee). Last weekend's break occurred at about 7 p.m. Saturday. Shortly after, Cedar Point officials made the decision to close the park, which was scheduled to close at midnight, as well as the two hotels on the peninsula, Hotel Breakers and Sandcastle Suites. Guests had the option of receiving a refund or moving to other, nearby hotels. Said Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark, "We fully understand that the timing of the hotel closures was not convenient for guests or our own staff. However, based on the information we received from the city, the timing in which we received it, and in the interest of guest safety, the closures were executed in the best manner possible." Later that evening, park officials announced that Cedar Point would open on Sunday, but Soak City, Hotel Breakers and Sandcastle Suites would not. By Monday, all hotels and parks were operating normally. Brady said crews worked overnight, from 7:20 p.m. Saturday until 4:05 p.m. Sunday, to fix the break. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Council on Jewish Organizations (COJO) honored 37 city police officers from the 120 Police Precinct during a Medal Day Ceremony at the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center, Sea View July 26. "We want to make a public declaration at this Medal Day Ceremony to stand with the NYPD, New York's Finest, said Mendy Mirocznik, president of COJO. He adds: "We understand the frustrations you're facing and the reality in which you serve. An awards ceremony is important to say thank you to the hard working men and women of the NYPD who keep us safe 24/7 around the clock. Tonight it is important that we as an appreciative community say thank you to the officers and remind you that your hard work does not go unnoticed. It is thanks to your blood, sweat, tears and efforts that crime in the 120 is down the lowest in the last 20 years," said he. Mirocznik stressed the reality that "Crime takes no vacation. It knows of no holiday break or summer reprieve. Crime is a sad reality monitored every live long moment by the hardworking devoted and caring officers of the NYPD, our heroes. We salute the NYPD who protect us." In addressing the crowd Mirocznik thanked Chief Edward DeLatorre and Inspector Robert Bocchino for their leadership and hard work and the officers honored for a job well done. COJO officials and many Staten Island's highest ranking officers were present: Assistant Chief Edward DeLatorre, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Staten Island, Inspector Thomas Delahanty, operations commander of Patrol Borough Staten Island, Deputy Inspector Robert Bocchino, commanding officer of Precinct 120, Cpt. Thomas Kempner executive officer of the 120 Precinct, NYPD Chaplain Victor Brown, Josephine Marino, president of the Precinct 120 Community Council and elected officials such as Assemblyman Michael Cusick and Assemblyman Ron Castorina, Jr. Also in attendance was Jeffrey Ward of the Detective Endowments Association and Allen George of the Patrolman's Benevolent Association. "As the Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Staten Island, I have first-hand knowledge how diligent and responsible the NYPD is in policing Staten Island," said Assistant Chief DeLatorre. "I commend COJO, a great community partner, its President Mendy Mirocznik, and its CEO Scott Maurer for organizing, sponsoring and hosting this Medal Day Ceremony for the 120 Precinct." DeLatorre further stated, "In regards to what is going on in New York and the country right now, some people are misguided and are painting us with an ugly brush. We must let them know, that whoever wears a uniform has a heart of gold. I thank you for your excellent job and please keep up the good work and please keep making us proud." "New York City is fortunately facing a record low in crime. In 2015 in the 120 we saw crime in the lowest it has been in the last 20 years. In 2016 we saw an additional 6 percent decrease in crime compared to 2015," said Deputy Inspector Bocchino, commanding officer of the 120. A congratulations again and keep up the good work. I thank Mendy and COJO for sponsoring this event." "Today we celebrate your valor, heroism and all the great things you do for Staten Island. It is not an easy time to put on the uniform and to be a police officer" said Assemblyman Castorina. "We watch people who have placed a target on the police and I want you to know that blue lives matter and they matter to me. You work hard for us and we respect you and appreciate you." "I want to thank our men and women in blue for all you do for our community said Assemblyman Cusick. "I am lucky enough to represent the people and community I love. I was born and raised on Staten Island and Staten Island is in my blood and is important to me. As an elected official it is part of my job to do what we can to make sure that the quality of life of our community should be the best it can be. It is important that we work together with the NYPD to keep this the safest borough in New York City." The officers, all from the NYPD's 120 Precinct in St. George, were recognized for a number of services and achievements from their time spent at the precinct during 2015, with many officers bringing home more than one award. Along with the honoring of officers, the precinct itself and Commanding Officer Bocchino was presented with a Proclamation Award from COJO. "I look forward to working every single day with you," said Josephine Marino, president of the Precinct 120 Community Council. "To these officers the women and men in blue, I want to say thank you. It is a pleasure to serve for the last 20 years as the Community Council President. God Bless you all." The following NYPD personnel were honored at the ceremony: Lieutenant of the Year, Lt. Justin Farren, Patrol Sergeant of the Year, Sgt. Steven Last, Sergeant of the Year, Sgt. John Borruso, Special Operations Sergeant of the Year, Sgt. Joseph Pollari, Anti-Crime Cop of the Year, PO Rudy Anzalone, Detective of the Year, Det. Steven Lopez, Staff Cop of the Year, PO Nicholas Regina, Domestic Violence Cop of the Year, PO Timothy Harasek, 1st Platoon Cop of the Year, PO Sean Pallone, 2nd Platoon Cop of the Year, PO Michael Otterbeck, 3rd Platoon Cop of the Year, PO Michael Liconti, Civilian of the Year, SPAA Diana Diaz, Auxiliary Cop of the Year, Auxiliary Fashil Masoud, Commanding Officers Award, Sgt. Katarzyna Ganley, Community Award, PO Duane Conner, Civilian Appreciation Award, CCA Jonathan Trimarche. CELEBRATIONS: AUG. 3 Happy birthday Wednesday to Danny Gavrity, Rosemary Buono Sciascia who turns 49, Victoria Nasta, George Balletto and Gabby Nasta. Stick to principle - your bone, your spine - that's how you stand up. You're as good as your word. The opposite, you're as bad as your word. Sloganeering, pointing-figure: "devil" "prisoner" "criminal" - throw out those shits, only bouncing back to you (What's goes around, comes around). Slogan works for a moment, but not competent to stand trial of a long time, especially when you make unpopular choices - Paul Ryan came to picture this morning, below. ~~ i toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP Rep. Paul Ryan is a powerful member of Congress he's House speaker serving his ninth term, and up for re-election. But some persuasive forces including GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and conservative pundit Ann Coulter are expressing support for his Wisconsin primary opponent Paul Nehlen. The state holds its Republican primary next Tuesday, Aug. 9. Ryan has endorsed Trump, though it's hardly a cozy relationship Ryan took a while to endorse, and during his Republican convention speech he barely mentioned the candidate. And he hasn't been shy about criticizing Trump. Over the weekend, Ryan defended Khizr Khan, a Muslim father who spoke at the Democratic convention about his soldier son who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Ryan said he "rejects" any religious test for entering the country a clear jab at one of Trump's evolving immigration proposals and that "Captain Khan was one such brave example" of Muslim-Americans who have "served valiantly in our military and made the ultimate sacrifice." Members of Congress were mostly silent or critical of Trump's response to Khan. Sen. John McCain said, "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." But Nehlen, who has referred to Ryan as "Lyin' Ryan" (reminiscent of Trump's own attacks of his presidential primary opponents), defended Trump's response to Khan, saying it was Khan who had "attacked, ridiculed and attempted to humiliate Mr. Trump and his positions on critical national security issues." In a statement , Nehlen wrote a point-by-point defense of Trump's response to the Khans and stance on terrorism. "Just because Capt. Khan was a patriotic Muslim-American who loved and fought for his adopted country, that doesn't mean other Muslim-Americans don't hate the United States and wish our people deadly harm," Nehlen wrote. In a tweet, Trump thanked Nehlen for his post: Nehlen has also attracted national attention beyond Trump. Conservative pundit Ann Coulter will join Nehlen at two rallies this Saturday in Janesville and Kenosha. And former vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has endorsed Nehlen, saying Ryan's "political career is over but for a miracle because he has so disrespected the will of the people." Nehlen is tapping into that populist sentiment with his #DumpRyan campaign hitting Ryan over immigration and for not proposing to build a border wall like Trump has. One TV ad features parents whose children were apparently killed by undocumented immigrants: YouTube "Don't let one more American child die because Paul Ryan won't secure the border. Your vote on August 9th can save a life," Nehlen said at a recent campaign rally. Former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has also waded into a House race by supporting Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz's primary opponent Tim Canova. Sanders had repeatedly called for Wasserman Schultz to resign as chair over her handling of the election. She did so after the convention, and after an email leak showed DNC staffers trying to undercut the Sanders campaign. "The political revolution is not just about electing a president, sisters and brothers. We need a Congress with members who believe, like Bernie, that we cannot change a corrupt system by taking its money," an email from the Sanders campaign in support of Canova read. Carousell founders Quek Siu Rui, Lucas Ngoo and Marcus Tan. The Singapore-based startup raised $35 million in Series B funding and plans to use the funds to expand into other markets. Singapore-based startup, Carousell, has raised $35 million in a funding round led by Rakuten Ventures, underscoring growing appeal for peer-to-peer marketplaces in Asia. Other investors in the Series B funding round included Sequoia India, Golden Gate Ventures and 500 Startups, according to a statement. The company, which was founded in 2012, allows users to buy and sell a broad variety of items on an online marketplace, ranging from beauty products, fashion, lifestyle gadgets to furniture and home appliances. Sellers upload photos of the items they'd like to sell while buyers use the chat function to buy. The new funds raised will be used to speed up Carousell's growth into new markets, strengthen its product and engineering capabilities and build a world-class team, Quek Siu Rui, co-founder and CEO at Carousell told CNBC by email. Recently, the Singaporean company hired the former managing director for Southeast Asia at Airbnb, Chai Jia Jih, to oversee the company's international expansion. To date, Carousell has raised approximately $41.8 million, and is available in 13 major cities around Asia, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Taipei and most recently in Hong Kong. Quek did not disclose which markets are next on Carousell's radar. Carousell's marketplace had over 35 million listings globally as of the second quarter of 2016, with more than 70 listings made per minute, according to Quek. "On average, a Carousell user spends about 17 minutes a day on the app," he said. Peer-to-peer marketplaces have seen growing popularity in Asia, with competitors such as Indonesian marketplace, Tokopedia, also snagging funding in recent months. Tokopedia has raised $247.7 million in total equity funding to date, according to CrunchBase data. Other competitors also include many unofficial user-created Facebook groups that offer a similar peer-to-peer selling platform. The competition, Quek said, was "further validation that the problem we are solving is a massive one, and [it] shows a real need for innovation in marketplace that have traditionally only served the desktop internet users community." Asia currently boasts two of the world's largest smartphone markets - China and India. To stand out from the competition, Carousell puts emphasis on speed. Quek said it took as little as 30 seconds to post a listing on the marketplace; and users can communicate within the app, eliminating the need for messaging apps or emails. Rakuten Ventures' managing partner, Saemin Ahn, said in a statement, "When Rakuten Ventures first invested in Carousell, it was a scrappy and hungry group of founders determined to change the way people transact with one another in the 21st century ... we now see their vision and this want for interacted shared by vast groups of people not only in Singapore, but also in countries like Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. An F-35A conducts testing with a short-range air-to-missle flying over the skies of California. After years of testing and development delays, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday that Lockheed Martin's F-35A stealth fighter jet is "combat-ready." "I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability," General Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, said in a release. "The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory, because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield." The announcement is a major boost for Lockheed, which has pinned its hopes on the fighter aircraft and largely self-financed the program since winning the deal in 2001. Lockheed stock was up marginally in above average trading on Tuesday. A Lockheed spokesman termed the news "a historic and monumental day for the program." According the Air Force, the F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability, including "limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment with an operational squadron of 12-24 aircraft." The U.S. military said Monday that the F-35A completed its first live air-to-air "kill" test by launching an air-to-air missile and directly hitting a drone over a military test range off the California coast on July 28. "The U.S. Air Force decision to make the 15 F-35As at Hill Air Force Base combat ready sends a simple and powerful message to America's friends and foes alike the F-35 can do its mission," said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the F-35 Program Executive Officer. "This successful test demonstrates the combat capability the F-35 will bring to the U.S. military and our allies," U.S. Air Force Maj. Raven LeClair, the test pilot, said in a release. The Air Force will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world with more than 1,700 aircraft. In June, the F-35 was deployed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho where it cleared 88 of 88 sorties and "performed exceptionally well in mock combat engagements," Lockheed Chairman and CEO Marillyn Hewson disclosed during the company's recent earnings conference call. She also said the aircraft is "achieving increased stability in the software on the aircraft and in the ground support equipment." Lockheed has self-funded around $1 billion for production of the aircraft under two initial contracts and in July told analysts that amount might grow to levels of as much as $500 million per month. On the production side, Lockheed said it expects to increase deliveries to 53 F-35 aircraft this year. Through July 19, the company has delivered about 180 aircraft since the program's inception. The fighter program was originally expected to cost about $1.5 trillion by the end of the aircraft's 55-year life cycle, although the cost per jet is down nearly 60 percent since the first plane was delivered. There are three variants of the F-35 aircraft the Air Force's F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing version), the F-35B (a U.S. Marine Corps version capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings) and the F-35C (the Navy version with larger wings, special landing gear for aircraft carriers, and greater fuel capacity). The F-35B variant was declared operational last July by the U.S. Marine Corps, meaning it is ready to be deployed. The F-35C is still undergoing testing and the Pentagon is estimating it will be operational in 2019. At age 17, Chantel Waterbury got her first real taste of the power that comes from being your own boss, selling Cutco knives door-to-door. "I was looking through a newspaper and saw this ad," Waterbury says. "It made me think there was potential to make a tremendous amount of money." But this wasn't your average summer job to earn enough to go shopping or fill up her gas tank. Waterbury was hustling to pay for her first year of college at Santa Clara University in California. She raked in a whopping $30,000 in one summer, enough to fund her first year of school. "I was driving to people's homes, doing five to seven demos a day, seven days a week," she remembers. "It gave me tremendous confidence, running a business at a young age." It's amazing to me how fearless I was at the time. It was this or nothing. Chantel Waterbury founder of Chloe + Isabel Chantel Waterbury selling Cutco knives as a teenager to pay for college. Source: Chantel Waterbury So it only seems fitting that Waterbury, now 40, is at the helm of a direct-selling empire of her own, New York Citybased Chloe + Isabel. The social-commerce company allows merchandisers to set up curated online jewelry boutiques to sell to customers on the web and in person. What's more, she is employing over 10,000 saleswomen across the country, 70 percent under age 34. Products retail for under $200, and merchandisers keep between 25 and 40 percent of sales the more they sell, the more they keep. Chloe + Isabel keeps the rest, generating revenue off its merchandisers' sales online and in pop-up shops. The retail veteran walked away from a 15-year corporate career to launch Chloe + Isabel in 2011. She was a vice president of merchandise and design at Haskell Jewels in New York City, developing jewelry for big brands like Kenneth Cole. Then a conversation with her mother, who was losing her battle to breast cancer, gave her the push she needed to launch her business. "I always knew I wanted my own company, but you get to a point in your life where you become comfortable," Waterbury says. In "the last conversation I had with my mom, she said, 'This isn't the daughter that I know. The daughter that I know was fearless she wouldn't have been afraid to take that plunge.'" Waterbury, then a new mom to a baby boy, gave herself six months to get off the ground. She did just that, raising $3.5 million before launching. Five years later, the company has raised over $37 million from investors, including SoftBank Capital and General Catalyst Partners, and is reportedly valued at more than $100 million, a number the company declines to confirm. "It's amazing to me how fearless I was at the time," she says. "It was this or nothing." Chloe + Isabels jewelry ranges from $18 to $200. Source: Chloe + Isabel Following are excerpts from a CNBC interview on Squawk Box Europe, with Julia Chatterley and Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. JC: Prime Minister, thank you for speaking to us. Let's start with the banks. You've said the stress tests are a big success for Italy. Why? MR: I think the stress test show Italian banks as not the problem of European system. This is the real new. If you think about the last 12 months, every day we received a lot of news, the problem of our European system are Italian banks and our position was no, it's not true. Finally the results of stress tests show the reality we have the best bank around Europe as Intesa Sanpaolo and we have four of five banks in a good situation. We have all the problem - This problem is Monte dei Paschi di Siena ... and everyone know, they knew that, situation. We worked very strongly with the private solution, with the market solution, to give a perspective and an opportunity in the next months to these very great banks without the problem of NPL non-performing loans. So I'm satisfied for the result. I think we need a different strategy for the future as European institution because it's clear the message now it's time to create a new direction in the economy in Europe. This is my view. JC: Monte dei Paschi as you mentioned, Monte dei Paschi has got its private solution but we've had recapitalizations in the past. Why should investors believe that this is the final time? MR: Because for the first time we cut off the problem of non-performing loans. Let me be very clear Julia, we know Italian economy suffered a lot from the problem in the last five years, maybe 10 years. In the first 50 years after World War 2, Italy was the biggest economy in the growth in Europe but after the Maastricht parameters and the European Union, Italy became the problem of the European institution, particularly in the last period for responsibility of Italian politicians who didn't achieve the goal of reforms, Italy became the worst place in terms of growth and unemployment. So in the last period, Italian banks without public support for a decision, for me a mistake, but for the decision of my predecessor, without public support Italian banks, so grew up obviously [inaudible] the level of non-performing loans. It's normal if you have 10 years of crisis, three years of recession, it's normal for the European, for the Italian banks have a lot of NPLs. Now for the first time,Monte dei Paschi is without NPL because the operation called Atlante claim every NPL in the bank. So this is the final JC: But they are just a fraction of the non-performing loans that you have more broadly in the banking sector. So are you saying that this could be a model for the rest of the banking sector because these aren't the only non-performing loans, they are just a fraction of them? MR: I think there is the best way to solve the problem of NPL is the growth. And this is my priority, my dream and my nightmare, every day I think about it. Growth, growth, growth. I became Prime Minister after two years of recession and the first result is not jobs at co-operative banks, constitutional reform, electoral law the first priority and the first result for me is to see Italy come back to growth. But with this model of Atlante we can show clearly to international investors, to the markets, the situation of NPLs is not the situation - is not focused on the narrative the last month. In other words. JC: It's not big enough - The concern is that it's not big enough for the problem. MR: Personally I (am) really concerned for the future of European institution, but not for Italian NPL but for the situation of other banks in all countries, for the financial instruments of other banks. So I am not JC: You're looking towards Germany there? MR: Also, also Germany banks we Our economy is very, very close friend of the German economy, particularly in the northeast. Unfortunately, we have two Italy, not one Italy. There is the Italy of North is absolutely near to the German economy and with performance badder [inaudible] than Germany in lots of issues. And we have a problem in the south. This is our priority to give legality to give transparency, to give a very correct process against corruption and against the problems and inefficiency of public administration. So yes I worried for the other banks, but Italian NPL are more or less in this moment 80 billion in GDP which is 20 times more. So OK. We have a problem we must reduce, we have to reduce the time line of justice. This is the priority for Italian government and we achieved the result for the future. We must work also for the present for the backlog but this is not a terrible problem. Private savings in Italy, I agree with the consideration of Carlo Messina the CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, I think the public savings and the private, the private savings, I'm sorry - the private savings in Italy are really a private savings of Triple A - high quality, incredible performance, because Italian savings are good. JC: Do you guarantee that no retail investor no Italian investor in bank bonds will ever be bailed-in? Because that's your fight with Brussels now. MR: I fought for these and also for..avoid the risk of institutional investors because I think it's time to open the doors of Italy to market and give the guarantee for the retail people but also for the international investors. JC: So no bail in? There will be no bail in? MR: Personally I don't, I don't agree with the new legislation in Europe but obviously I respect that. I don't agree because I believe that the priority in this moment is give confidence to the citizens and if we continue with the [inaudible] of bail in, this is a problem for the sentiment of confidence of European citizens. So for me, this is a mistake, but I respect the law. I don't agree with the law of austerity in Europe but I am the president of council of minister and prime minister will reduce the level of deficit in an incredible way, in respect to my predecessors so I respect the law. I'm not agreeing but I respect it. My view is if we really, if we want to be present in international markets as our competitors in America and in Asia we need a new sentiment of confidence by European citizens. So. I don't know what happened but I know for me Italy is totally fighting for avoid bail in because also soft bail in could be a disaster for the credibility and for the confidence. This is the reason for which I fought for a market solution and there is also one, one thing more and this is my priority, is cancel the power of politician in the banks. Let me be very clear. In Italy for a lot of period, for a lot of times for a lot of years politicians arrive everywhere. Politicians decide a career in the universities, decide the roll of banks, decide everything. Personally, I believe in a different model of democracy. Very similar to the Anglo-Saxon model in which we are the government. We attend to the law too to respect the procedure of democracy, but banks are in the hands of markets not in the hands of politicians, particularly the local politicians and this is the reason for which I changed, that we changed the legislation about co-operative banks. JC: So bearing in mind what you have said, that you are fighting against the European regulations now on bailing, do you think investors need to have more confidence in Italian banks and that Italian banks are undervalued? MR: My view is that Italian banks are good. There are some problems, yes, the first is Monte de Paschi, we know but Monte de Paschi is also a great brand, the most ancient bank around Europe, 1472 I think I don't remember. It is from Sienna, I am from Florence we have a little rivalry [inaudible] but also myself as Florentine... JC: You just said that shouldn't be happening... MR: Yes but if you think about Tuscany also in the time of globalisation, the relations between the little city near the neighbour city [inaudible] are terrible. Jokes apart, I must recognize Monte de Paschi di Sienna is a great brand and if now without NPL , with a clear strategy, I think these banks could be a very good bank for the future. Obviously, I think all the banks, particularly one very important bank, need a recapitalisation for the future but this is the market, we will decide in the next weeks and the next months. I think Italy is a very great place for the international investors because we changed job markets and legislation about the jobs after 40 years of polemics. I know the problem because I had for one year, 1 million of people in the streets against me, unions against me but I think this is a good thing for the people. I called jobs act copying from Obama administration, and now I am really happy because after the day one of my government here in Palazzo Chigi to today, we have 600 000 new jobs, it is an incredible evolution, 75 percent new jobs, stable new jobs, this is very very important. So new legislation in the jobs. Very important for me institutional reform reduce the level of simplification, the level of institution. So simplification, more efficiency just to make you an example, Italy was the place with the most, a high number of police institutions not policemen, police institutions, 5. We reduced, we arrived to 4. We reduced the number of politicians, we fight for to reduce the red tape of bureaucracy so Italy today is ready to welcome international investors, and I think Italian banks could play a role in the new strategy of Europe. It is important bring back the role of politicians and give the message very clear: this is market time, not politicians time. JC: Let's talk then about constitutional reform and your referendum later on this year. Can you win? MR: I'm sure we win but not because this is my victory, because if this referendum becomes a referendum about my future. JC: You have made it a referendum about your future though MR: I use expression very strong about my future after the referendum. Because you know we have also recent experience in the UK. It's not easy. Lose the referendum and come back the day after as nothing happened it's not correct. But at the same time. The priority in this moment is discover what is this referendum. This referendum is about two different model. One is the mode model of today. Italy is the place with the high number of senators and member of parliament, 945 members of parliament. In United States are the half. I understand the very importance of Italy. But the double of member member of parliament than the United States I think is too much. It's about the power of regions. It's about the vote of confidence. Italy is only one country. Between the Western countries with the double vote of confidence and these means a lot of things just to make one example, my government is the government number 63 in 70 years, 63 because with this model with double vote of confidence it's too easy to change a majority to give instability so this referendum is about the future of country and I'm sure Italian people, if the people read the question in the, in the ballot in the electoral place will vote for change. JC: Why are they so undecided. You've got 40 percent of people undecided and equally split at the moment. People saying yes and people saying no. How do you turn that around. How do you convince people? MR: Our asset will be reality. The most important thing for us will be simply show the question, because if today the people also the polls is about what do you think about Renzi's referendum. Our strategy in the next weeks will be this is not Renzi's referendum. This is a referendum. Do you want a 1,000 member of parliament, 1,000 politicians or we want to reduce the level of politicians in Italy. I'm supportive for the politics but not for too much politicians. The second point - do you want stability. Exactly as all the countries around the world. Or you continue with the change focus simply on the ideas of politicians in Rome. So If you think banks, public administration, jobs act, constitutional reforms are different types of different pictures of a framework, the same framework is give simplicity to Italy, reduce the level of politicians in this country, give more efficiency to this country and this is important not for me not, for myself. It's important for the future because my view is that Italy is the most important country in Europe in terms of genius creativity, quality of life relation between culture tourism and education. So Italy could play a role in the next 10 years, 20 years if finally reduce the level of difficulties of politicians. JC: Will you still resign if you lose? MR: I will win. JC: But if you lose? MR: I will win. But I think people need to understand what instability will follow. Not just the fact that you're still going to have this quick turnover of governments if you don't manage this reform. But also, there's a risk if you look at the polls, that we're in a situation where perhaps the Five Star Movement are allowed to lead this country. The people need to understand what voting no here means we learnt that in the UK. I think the priority is invest in this campaign electoral campaign not in the fear of possible victory of other but invest in the narrative of what happen if finally Italy chooses simplicity. So if we start with the electorate campaign focused on the OK, there is the risk of populists, there is the risk of a Five Star Movement or [inaudible], I think we made a mistake. Don't think to elephant gives us as message [inaudible] the American leaders of electoral campaign. I believe in very clear message. I think Italian people are very serious and I believe in my country, I believe in my citizen. I know what does deserve for because these reform came from lots of years of discussions. What is the difference? The difference of 43 years, my predecessors speaking, spoke, about this reform and nobody achieved the results. Now we achieved this result and now we will go to electoral people and we give the message. Do you want change and finally choose the future, or do you want to continue with this model or destroy the perspective of growth of the last years in Italy. This is the discussion. This is the Derby. This is the corner and I am really confident because I believe in Italy and obviously, I will respect every decision of my people but maybe when the polls will discuss about - will show the result of the real question of the referendum. I think the result will be very clear for us. JC: Why do you think you and your party have lost support and the Five Star Movement in particular has gained. What's going on in Italy? Because as you said you have tried to tackle reform. Do you think people expect too much of you? MC: My view is that this after the last electoral local elections a lot of politicians, journalists, people said OK, this is the victory of Five Star Movement. Why. Because Five Star Movement won two very important cities, Rome and Turin, and obviously, let me be very clear about it. I'm totally ready to support her at the institutional level every effort of the new mayors Mayor ??, Mayor ?? in Turin because I think there is the priorities of very good cooperation at lower institutional level but at the same time let me be frank with you. I don't think this local election could become a survey for the national politics because if you look at the results, we won in the more or less 60-65 percent of cities. We won in the majority in terms of a number of institution in the last two years. But there are there are differences between the local cities. Also if you look in the same place in Italy, the same region, very very neighbouring city you can see a very different result in a city a great victory of my party the Democratic Party (Democratic in Italian) in other a victory of Five Star Movement in other the victory of rights. Because the Berlusconi's party won lots of cities. NotThis is in the north, in the south, in the center. So my opinion is that local elections are local elections. Italian people now is in front of a new thing for the politics. For the first time, a government achieved in two years lots of reforms. I don't discuss if this reform is good. I think so or not good. But it's a new thing for Italian politics because usually if you think about the elections around in this country, every election, every party repeat the same thing. We will change electoral law, we will change constitution, we will change jobs market, we will change public administration. Now there is a government really change that. I think in the good and the current direction my opposition think the opposite. But there is a great change. Finally politicians show to Italian people we have, we are in a different world. This very important in my opinion, we will see the next election will happen but JC: The argument Five Star Movement make in particular though is that is one area where you don't differ from your predecessors. In fact, they make a comparison between you and Berlusconi and I know you've had plenty of those for different reasons. But on corruption, because they say you're no different. And that kind of filters down to the Italian people. Why aren't you different? MR: But the difference is obvious. This is in the in the reality every day. If you think about the new laws against corruption, we increase the sanctions against corruption. We created an authority called anti-corruption authority and I called a former judge against the Mafia and [inaudible] to give the leadership in this project in this authority. Thanks to the efforts of our [inaudible] and the authority against the corruption we achieved results as (like) Expo. When I arrived here in this room the first message of my friends "Please dont touch organization of Expo. It's full of corruption." My reaction was I called Cantone. We work very strongly we fought. We will fight against the corruption and we will organize a great Expo. Five Star Movement's politics was "no no no it's impossible to organize Expo". We won this battle. The reality is it's very easy when you stay in the opposition to say "ah there is the same thing there is the same thing but a reality show in the past, Italy lost the opportunity to fight really against corruption. Now, our decision is incredible, strongly determined against corruption. Personally, I believe will be very interesting to see the results of Five Star Movement in the city administration, because also if I'm not happy because my party loses the election in Rome, there is now is a great opportunity to see what really Five Star Movement could do just to make one example. I think if you stay only in the Parliament to say "no no no no", you can arrive to bring a vote of protest. But then when you are responsible for government I think this is the real challenge. And personally, I am totally supportive to the mayors of every color, every political party, because I think there are a lot of divisions between we and all the parties. But there is this sentiment of belong to Italian country with the priority. So I'm really confident for the future of my country. And let me be very clear also on my party, because the Democrat Party in this moment in Europe is the only party in the socialist field that really gave a very strong message of radical change. JC: You've thrown the gauntlet down to the Five Star Movement here in Rome as well. Let's move on, because I want to talk about the Brexit vote to some degree. And this also had an impact on the banks, because people were looking at Italy then as potentially the next domino to fall in Europe. Do you feel like there's been a change among EU leaders, whether it's Angela Merkel, whether it's Francois Hollande, to try and help you specifically to tackle the Euro skepticism in Italy. Do you feel like they're going to be more amenable to reform? MR: I think this is not correct. I think together, Angela, Francois and myself, we will work together to reduce the skepticism in Europe. Let me be very clear. I think there is not a problem in Italy. There is a problem in Italy, as in France, as in Germany, as in Netherlands- the next election will be March 2017 in Netherland. There are a lot of problems around Europe, if Europe don't consider Brexit an incredible wake up. Brexit is bad news but is also at the same time a good opportunity. Your question is how; I think with a Europe able to discuss not only about finance but about human values, about the future of students, about the future of manufacturing 4.0, about a very incredible presence of fight against digital divide and a program for broadband because the world is in a different age around the world. The world today is not the world of ten years ago. And if Europe continues to discuss only about technocrats, rules, technicians rules, Europe is finished. So the question is not about how Angela and Francois could help me, but how everyone could help their respective countries to consider Europe as a great place for the future of democracy ideals. Exactly here in Rome, 59 years ago, the founding fathers signed an agreement to give birth to European institutions. March 25 1957. So, our priority is that, arrive to the new appointment in March 2017, sixty years after, with a process and a project, with concrete ideas in which there is a social Europe, not only a banking union, in which there is a student place for European citizens and not only a place for technocrats, in which finally Europe come back to be a dream because Europe was a miracle. After five centuries, the first period of peace for 70 years. But this miracle could happen again. In August 22nd I will host Angela and Francois in a very specific island, in a very particular place, gorgeous place - Ventotene island. The place in which Altiero Spinelli wrote the document about a United States for Europe and we will discuss preparing Bratislava Summit, preparing the Council of October and preparing the very important meeting in Rome in 2017. I'm totally sure if we choose a different Europe in which there is not only austerity but investment. If you think about the result of Barack Obama's government from 2008 to 2016 and European government 2008 to 2016 you can see with the public investment and with the private support, really United States of America reduce the level of unemployment to the half of the first month of 2008. Why in Europe not? Because the religion of austerity was the religion of a lot of European leaders. I think with every effort we can change this direction. We have in a lot of things, differences between Merkel, Hollande and other leaders. But I think the priority is really: change the relation between Europe and the citizens. If we don't change, Europe will be always the responsible in eyes of citizens. Also if this is not true, if there is a Europe, a social Europe, Europe will be the parachute for the people. If we continue only with the financial Europe, the risk will be Europe become the responsible for every problem in this continent. JC: You mentioned the U.S, I want to move on. What do you make of Donald Trump? MR: I don't know who is the Republican man in the United States who said that 'I'm ready to work with the next president, whoever she will be'. Jokes apart, as Italian Prime Minister, I will work with every president of the United States. I will host him, or rather her, in Taormina for G7 in May 2017 for a very important event. I am ready to discuss with the new president and I hope we can have the same level of confidence, friendship and great cooperation we had with President Barack Obama, who really changed deeply the history and also the future of the United States of America, because Obama changed history, but in my view change also the future of United States. Honestly, I prefer the victory as Democrat. I hope Hillary Clinton could become the first woman and if you think about the last eight years ago, everyone knew there is not black man and woman president of United States. In 2008 they elected a black man, if this time elect a woman, we solved the problem and we are really, really, really happy. Jokes apart, I respect the great democracy of the United States of America. JC: I just want to ask quickly about his comments regarding Russia he said that he'd potentially allow Russia to claim Crimea as theirs and he would accept that. How does that make you feel? MR: I, I, I think that personally I'm, I'm working very strongly in my parliament to give a message, because my parliament is in the majority very friend of traditional relation between Russia and Italy, to explain the importance, to respect international coalition and also to respect by Russia, the sovereignty and the borders in Ukraine. And at the same time, I work very strongly in the international consensus, international meeting, to explain the importance of don't close the door to Putin. During G7, during the European Council, I'm maybe the most strong to explain the necessity to maintain a climate of dialogue. This is the traditional role of Italy; give a message to build a bridge, not a wall. This is the very important position of Italy: We stay with the international coalition. We stay with United States of America and we ask to Russian authorities to implement the Minsk protocol for Ukraine. And we ask also to President Poroshenko to continue in the direction of implementing reforms, very important. We offer also a model, a south euro model, to give a correct mix between independence and integration in a part of east Ukraine. At the same time, I think we need involve Russia in the fight against terrorism, against Daesh, in every, every theater of war in Syria. Obviously, I know the importance of Russian authorities to give freedom to Palmyra, and Palmyra is also a symbol, not only a city, but also in the other international theatres. Now I know there were, I think we will discuss in the European Council of October about the necessity to have a good relation between Europe and the most important neighbor of Europe. And at the same time, I think will be very clear the message: Russia have to respect the protocol of Minsk. Minsk protocol have to be implemented. And as Italians, we work in this direction. For myself, when I spoke in my parliament, the people think I too much friend of enemy of Russia, when I spoke in the European Council, I considered the opposite. I think it's important to have a good position respecting the relation with the international coalition because this is our family and we stay with our family, and at the same time don't close the door to dialogue with Russia because it will be very stupid thing, close the possibility to cooperate, particularly in the fight against terrorism and Daesh. JC: And do you think Donald Trump perhaps has a few things to learn on the foreign policy front? MR: My view is that we cannot enter into a political discussion in the United States of America. But If you think about the situation and the role, the leadership,and the position of the United States, I think it's obviously for me and for a lot of us to prefer Hillary Clinton as commander in chief, because with her there is a woman able to know every dossier, able to have an history and a future with other partners and for this reason I'm not able to vote in United States of America, but I think it's clear in this case, what could be my vote. Now it's time to respect the great democracy of the United States. I follow a great speech of President Obama in Philadelphia, incredible words. I very appreciated also the speech of Michelle Obama. But this is America, a place in which Obama's family wake up in a house built by slaves. This was the statement of Michelle Obama and now great democracy of the United States showed President Obama in the White House. Obama explained very clearly his position about the future of America, the great dream of America and I believe this is the America in which we believe, the America who is the leader of the free world. So I very appreciated the consideration of the President of the United States of America. Contact: Sarah Whiteacre CNBC +44 (0) 20 7653 9300 Sarah.Whiteacre@cnbc.com About CNBC: CNBC is the leading global broadcaster of live business and financial news and information, reporting directly from the major financial markets around the globe with three regional networks including CNBC in Asia, CNBC in EMEA and CNBC in the US. CNBC.com is the preeminent financial news source on the web, featuring an unprecedented amount of video, real-time market analysis, web-exclusive live video and analytical financial tools. CNBC is dedicated to CEOs, senior corporate executives; the financial services industry and private investors. The channel is available in more than 385 million homes worldwide. CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal. The market turned ugly this week, as Jim Cramer saw the same elements that wreaked havoc in the past return. Once again, the strong dollar and lower oil have managed to sink stocks. "Perception always trumps reality, at least initially. Sooner or later, though, we will settle into a fact-based situation where we can try to make money off of what is actually happening, not the bogus nightmare scenarios that are so easily traced out," the "Mad Money" host said. Crude has now declined more than 20 percent from its recent highs. Cramer found it remarkable how much investors didn't care when oil plunged to $40 a barrel from $50. The entire market still moved higher as it happened. However, when oil dipped below $40 a barrel last Friday, black gold once again coupled with the averages and took stocks down. This is because of a growing belief that auto companies, which reported weak sales on Tuesday, are signaling a slowdown and the weak oil market signals the same thing, Cramer said. "This is the demand story I keep talking about, that there just isn't enough demand out there or oil would be going up, not down," Cramer said. First, Garner said investors should brace themselves for more damage. "Once the smart money gets wiped out ... Garner thinks oil can start rallying again, which would be a welcome sign for this market," the " Mad Money " host said. Garner found that the sell-off in oil has occurred in an orderly fashion so far, which is why the stock market ignored it and didn't fall along with it at first. However, as crude heads lower, she expects the weak-handed bulls to get washed out, crush oil and send the stock market even lower. He spoke with Carley Garner, a technician and commodities expert who is the co-founder of DeCarley Trading , author of "Higher Probability Commodity Trading" and Cramer's colleague at RealMoney.com . With the price of oil falling once again, Jim Cramer turned to the charts to determine when it could rally. From a seasonal perspective, oil tends to trade downward through early August. However, Garner took a look at who owns oil futures right now by comparing the weekly chart of West Texas Intermediate crude to the results of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's commitments of traders report. Every week, the CFTC measures the net long or net short positions of large speculators, small speculators and companies buying and selling oil futures. Garner reviewed the large speculators, because it indicates what big institutional money managers are doing. Garner found that when oil peaked in June, large speculators accumulated a position of 370,000 futures contracts. This was the biggest bullish bet by big money since before the oil collapse in mid-2014. Such a large accumulation of futures contracts worried Garner, as it means it is only a matter of time until money managers are forced to liquidate and cause the price of oil to fall. Since that high in June, the price of crude has declined by approximately 20 percent, and Garner says this is a result of liquidation. Garner thinks there could be plenty of more pain to come, as crude tends to bottom near 200,000 futures contracts. "If that is where we are headed, and Garner believes it is, then she would expect oil prices to fall to the mid-$30s," Cramer said. In her experience, bottoms in oil tend to be very dramatic and painful as weak-handed bulls are flushed out. Unfortunately, she said the market hasn't seen a real washout yet. She expects oil to fall to $38.50 or even $32.50 a barrel if things get worse. She thinks it is more likely that oil will push its floor of support at $34.50 a barrel, and if it holds, then crude will rebound. However, if oil breaks down below $35, Garner anticipated that things will get really ugly. In fact, there would not be much of a floor for support until the mid-$20s. And if oil doesn't hold above $25, traders will likely eye $15 as the next floor of support. Garner does not expect things to get that brutal, though. She thinks oil will more likely turn around at about $35 a barrel. Ultimately, Garner wouldn't be surprised if oil rebounded to $48 or even $68 per barrel if the strong dollar decides to weaken again. "While Garner thinks oil is headed lower from these levels, she is not exactly bearish. In truth, she thinks you should prepare for what could be a terrific buying opportunity in the mid-$30s before we bounce back," Cramer said. While he won't get a chance to vote for the next U.S. president, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was clear that he's not rooting for Republican candidate Donald Trump. "I think it is obvious for me and for a lot of us to prefer Hillary Clinton as commander-in-chief, because with her, there is a woman able to know every dossier, able to have a history and a future with all the partners," Renzi told CNBC on Monday. Clinton's four-year stint as U.S. Secretary of State may raise her appeal with the world's leaders, all of whom are eager for no geopolitical shocks post-election. Plus, as a Democrat, Clinton is much closer on the political spectrum to Renzi, who leads Italy's center-left Democratic Party. Renzi added that he liked the idea of the first black president of the U.S. being succeeded by its first woman. Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is not ready to support Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, despite Ryan's endorsing him months ago. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, told The Washington Post that the congressman from Wisconsin sought his endorsement, but as of now he is still considering it. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump told the newspaper. "We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet." Later in the day, a spokesman for Ryan responded in a statement that "neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week, regardless." Earlier Tuesday, Trump raised eyebrows when he tweeted out thanks to Ryan's primary challenger, Paul Nehlen. Nehlen released a statement defending Trump amid criticism over his remarks about Muslim parents of a slain U.S. solider. They criticized Trump at the Democratic National Convention and in media appearances after the event. Tweet 1 Trump also told The Washington Post he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his Arizona primary. Read the full Washington Post story here. The Rio Olympics 2016 are now just days away, so the eyes of the world will soon be firmly fixed on Brazil. So what better excuse to shine a spotlight on the gold medal-worthy fashion to hail from the South American nation? Here some of the country's most stylish editors and street style stars reveal how women approach style in a place where the average temperature is 27C and all-black outfits are an alien concept... Marina Larroude, Fashion Director at TeenVogue Marina Larroude started her fashion career at Vogue Brasil, and then went on to be Style Director at Style.com and Fashion Director at TeenVogue.com. While she now lives in New York, a world away from her home town Aracatuba, her Brazilian upbringing still has a huge influence on how she dresses every single day. Why she will never wear black "I lived in the countryside where it's summer all year around - about 80/90 degrees throughout the year," Larroude says. "You can barely wear jeans, so I love dresses. If it's 60 degrees in New York, I'll wear skirts and dresses and I just can't wear pants. I didn't own any clothes that were black growing up, so still wear lots and lots of colour, and lean towards cotton and dresses. I don't own a lot of black and will very rarely wear a black outfit - maybe once a year. I'm not afraid of wearing colour and gravitate towards pieces that have that Brazilian aesthetic, so always buy more resort and summer pieces." image: blue bridesmaid dresses Why Brazilian women don't wear cut-off shorts and t-shirts- and they focus on grooming "Brazilian women dress quite glamorously, with off-the-shoulder tops, and sexy looks which are about the body," Larroude adds. "They don't dress down in cut-offs and t-shirts, so in the heat they'll wear a beautiful, vibrant cotton dress and never look too casual. Women really embrace how feminine they are and that's a beautiful thing - they don't want to be cool, but want to look pretty all of the time." "The thing about Brazilian women is you can't put on a lot of clothes, so they dress up with their beauty, body and hair - they go to the hair salon all the time and have perfect skin. That's the only way can look dressed up. If you go to Rio or Sao Paolo, women are always very, very polished," Larroude explains. Marina Larroude's Brazilian labels to invest in: "My favourite label for swimwear is Jo de Mer, it's fashionable and cool and not just a basic bikini set. Martha Medeiros does very unique lace dresses, which take over 300 hours to make each piece and are created in a community where women hand make the lace. Lane Marinho also create made to order shoes which are very special." While in Rio, Larroude advises visiting Via Flores which stocks a number of Brazilian designers and NK Store for stylish buys. Helena Bordon, Fashion blogger and street style star In Sao Paulo, it's all about being practical but stylish "I'm a proper Paulista - this is what they call people who are from Sao Paulo. I am always going around from one meeting or shoot to another so I always try to keep my style casual but with a twist," Bordon says. "Brazil is a tropical country so we tend to wear lighter things, but I love a good pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and amazing shoes - for the day I am obsessed with cool flats and sneakers. Living in Sao Paulo, I have learned to be practical but always make sure accessories are on point." Brazilian women have fun with fashion "Brazilians love prints, flowy dresses and fabrics and a cool pair of sunglasses and flats. It is super hot here all year round so we want to keep it fresh but always with a fun twist. I think we like to have fun with fashion," Bordon explains. "Brazil is all about colours and cool prints, and a 'sexy' effortless style and the bodies are also on point!" ALso Read: girls bridesmaid dresses Dutch supplements maker DSM on Tuesday raised its outlook for 2016 as it reported an 18 percent rise in core earnings, helped by low material costs and tight cost controls, beating market forecasts. The company, which reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of 328 million euros ($366.5 million) on sales of 1.9 billion euros, said it now expected EBITDA growth for the year "moving from high-single digit into the low to mid teens." watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS) may have a strong future, Italy's prime minister told CNBC on Monday, in spite of the stricken lender receiving the bottom score in a Europe-wide stress test. "My view is that Italian banks are good," Renzi told CNBC in Rome. "There are some problems, yes. The first is Monte dei Paschi, we know. But Monte dei Paschi is also a great brand, the most ancient bank around Europe If now, without NPLs (non-performing loans), with a clear strategy, I think this bank could be a very good bank for the future." BMPS is the world's oldest bank and currently the third largest in Italy. It is struggling under a massive pile of bad debts. As expected, it fared poorly in the latest round of the European Banking Authority's (EBA) stress tests, the results of which were revealed on Friday. The sector was once again front and center for investors on Tuesday morning. Shares of BMPS were down 7 percent and Unicredit tanked and was briefly suspended from trade over concerns about its bad loan portfolio. watch now Fabrizio Viola, chief executive of BMPS, told CNBC Monday that he believes the bank will have a "positive" future after a last-ditch recapitalization plan announced on Friday. Moody's, the ratings agency, said in a statement that the "rescue plan would benefit all creditors if completed" but still had a "number of material risks". The EBA's regular tests are designed to judge how Europe's "systemically important" banks would fare following a big economic shock like the global financial crisis of 2007-08 or the subsequent euro zone debt crisis. The EBA found that out of 51 top European banks, BMPS would have the greatest difficulty covering its toxic loans between now and 2018 in an adverse economic situation. BMPS's fully-loaded common equity tier 1 capital (CET1) ratio a key measure of a bank's ability to withstand shocks would fall into negative territory at -2.2 percent in such a scenario effectively running out of money. Concerns were also raised about Italy's Unicredit , whose CET1 ratio would hit 7.1 percent in a situation of severe economy stress. BMPS's new plan would see global investment banks underwrite its rights issue. This could stave off the need to pump Italian taxpayers' money into the bank or bail-in junior bondholders which could prove highly unpopular for Renzi. However, it hinges on BMPS raising a hefty 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) by the end of the year. watch now Despite facing what is effectively a vote of confidence in his leadership come October when a referendum on constitutional reform is due to take place, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told CNBC that he was sure of a win. "I am sure we (will) win," Renzi told CNBC in an exclusive interview in Rome on Monday. "This referendum is about the future of the country and I am sure the Italian people, if (they) read the question in the ballot in the electoral place, will vote for change," he said. Voters will go to the polls in October to make the final decision on whether they approve constitutional reforms long championed by Renzi, including a plan to strip the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, of most of its power and radically cuts its numbers. The vote is potentially very destabilizing as Renzi has pledged to resign if the public votes "no." The prime minister was keen to distance the vote from being about his leadership, however. "Our strategy in the next weeks will be (to promote the fact that) this is not Renzi's referendum. This is a referendum," he said. Asked if he would resign if he lost the vote, Renzi would not answer the question directly and was adamant of victory, repeating "I will win." Renzi might appear confident but as recent history has proved in the U.K., public opinion and referendum results can be hard to predict. As with the U.K.'s referendum on membership of the European Union (EU) that was held in June, Italy's referendum is also seen as close run with many voters undecided. Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group puts a 60 percent probability on the Italian referendum passing. However, it says polls have narrowed sharply since April, making a no vote more likely as the government's popularity wanes. A no vote would likely cause the Renzi government to collapse, according to Eurasia. "A debilitated Renzi would come under intense pressure to resign; he may himself not wish to cling on to power," analysts Federico Santi and Mujtaba Rahman said on Friday in a report. Uber's sale of its China business to ride-hailing rival Didi Chuxing should be a major concern for Lyft, according to Tusk Ventures CEO and Uber adviser Bradley Tusk. That's because Didi will make a $1 billion investment in Uber Global as part of the deal announced Monday, raising questions about the $100 million Didi invested in Lyft eight months ago, he said. In Tusk's view, Didi is now more likely to put its chips behind Uber, which controls a larger share of the ride-hailing market and has a higher valuation. "I just think that if you're Didi, and now you've got a stake in Lyft and a stake in Uber, and you're saying which bet do I really want to double down on, you're going to double down on Uber. There's no real comparison to Uber and Lyft," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box." Tusk Ventures helps tech start-ups navigate politics and regulations. The firm assisted Uber in its dispute with New York City over a proposed cap on its drivers. President Barack Obama on Tuesday called out prominent Republicans for continuing to endorse Donald Trump in his bid for the White House. "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. I said so last week and he keeps on proving it," Obama said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House. Obama said Trump is "woefully underprepared" to be president. "He doesn't appear to have basic knowledge on critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia," Obama said. Obama said this opinion of Trump is shared by prominent Republicans. "I think what's been interesting is the repeated denunciations of his statements by leading Republicans including the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader and prominent Republicans like John McCain," he said. "The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Jim Cramer said Tuesday that Pfizer is setting itself up to split with the creation of its Pfizer Innovative Health and Pfizer Essential Health. The biopharmaceuticals company released its second-quarter earnings Tuesday at 64 cents per share, beating analysts estimates of 62 cents per share. Its revenue came in at $13.1 billion, edging past expectations for $13 billion. Cramer told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that splits in the industry have typically been very good, particularly looking at the biotech business Baxter , which split last year. "I think this is a nice prep," he said. The drugmaker did not offer hints on whether it will split in its earnings report, but after Pfizer ended its acquisition of Botox-maker Allergan in April, the company put the idea back on the table. CEO Ian Read said in April he would reach a decision by the end of 2016 on whether to break up the company. Following the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union in June, the economy is seen falling by 0.2 percent in the third quarter, with the risk of further decline into recession, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said on Wednesday. The U.K. economy is likely to shrink in the three months following the Brexit vote, marking the first quarterly contraction in almost four years, according to Britain's oldest independent think-tank. Pedestrians walk in the rain at the Canary Wharf business district in London. "We are expecting a marked slowdown in the U.K. economy," Simon Kirby, head of macroeconomic modelling and forecasting at NIESR, told journalists at a media briefing on Tuesday. He put a 50 percent probability on a technical recession when the economy shrinks by two or more consecutive quarters in the next 18 months. This NIESR prediction follows on from Goldman Sachs, whose economists forecast a "mild" recession in the U.K. by early 2017. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also warned of a possible recession, although that is not the global body's base-case scenario. "I don't think any of us are talking about a recession on the scale of that (U.K. downturn in 2008-09 after the global financial crisis)," Kirby said. The downbeat forecast may put further pressure on the Bank of England to act after its two-day policy meeting that starts on Wednesday. NIESR sees the bank cutting its base rate by 25 basis points after this meeting and making a further 15 basis point-cut in November. This would take the Bank of England rate from its current all-time low of 0.5 percent to 0.1 percent. It added that the bank might also reintroduce quantitative easing. Philadelphia On a sweltering, 100-degree afternoon, several miles north of the Democratic National Convention here, Nassem Hudson asks a reading mentor if he can read Grace for President aloud to other kids. The book is about a little girl who hears theres never been a woman as U.S. president and decides that needs to change. Naseems peers are seated on the floor of Tree House Books, a North Philadelphia organization that began as a neighborhood book store and now uses reading, books, and literacy to improve the lives of children, adults, and the surrounding community. The Monday afternoon reading session, which links younger children with high school and college students who help them with their literacy skills, is part of a summer Life with Books program run by Tree House Books. The themes of the Life with Books program, which operates with cohorts of children in five-week cycles, focuses the childrens reading and activities on entrepreneurship, social justice, environmentalism, and other themes. For example, the children recently wrote a letter to the police captain of the 22nd Precinct here about law enforcement. The goal is to create a reading continuum from young age into adulthood, said Charlyn Griffith, Tree House Books director of community engagement for Tree House Books. The idea is that teenagers at Tree House, who work there through the Philadelphia Youth Network , experience an improvement in own academic work as they help younger children with their reading. And many of the adults the organization serves are underemployed or unemployed, underscoring their needs and the goals of its programs. The adult that isnt taught to read as a child is the adult who doesnt read to his or her child, Griffith said. The Ecosystem And while Tree House Books serves a variety of roles in its North Philadelphia neighborhood, it is also one of several groups playing a part in a larger, nonprofit Philadelphia campaign called Read by 4th, which involves partners from the public and private sectors and is managed by the Free Library of Philadelphia. The goal of the Read by 4th campaign is simple, or at least its simple to articulate: By 2020, the campaign wants to double the number of incoming 4th graders who read on grade level in the City of Brotherly Love. But the problem Read by 4th campaign faces is a daunting one: Right now, fewer than 4 in 10 public school students in Philadelphia are proficient in reading when they enter the 4th gradeand thats a predictor of getting way off-track, said Jenny Bogoni, the executive director of Read by 4th in Philadelphia. The campaign wants to push hard on improving school readiness, regular school attendance, the quality of education in schools, and out-of-school and summer learning opportunities. That last factor is where Tree House Books, in addition to staying true to its own mission in the city, can play an important part. I think of it as an ecosystem, Bogoni said, describing the campaigns diverse approach. It really means that when youre trying to address a social issue thats been intractable for decades, you need a cross-sectorial approach. Because it isnt dependent on any one sector or any one activity to change the tide. The smallest, youngest, but most important part of that ecosystem, Nassem, age 9, considers himself a good reader. But Tree House provides him with more than help with literacy. On Monday, it gave him a chance to get a snack, express himself, share his favorite cartoon movie with his peers, and connect with young people who can help him and understand his background. I like coming here and knowing that I have people who care about me, said Naseem, whos heading into the 4th grade next year. This is a safe place. The Pledge In the Philadelphia neighborhood that Tree House Books calls home, the reading skills of young people desperately need improvementright next door, just 12 percent of students scored proficient on the state English/language arts exam in 2014-15 at the Tanner G. Duckrey K-8 school. Over 93 percent of the students there were black, and every single one was considered economically disadvantaged, as of the 2015-16 school year, according to district statistics. The reading levels will make you sad. The math levels will break your heart, said Eli Goldblatt, a board member of Tree House Books and Temple University English pofessor. (Just 5 percent of Duckrey students scored proficient in math in 2015-16.) After an economic analysis of the struggling neighborhood many years ago said a bookstore could be a worthwhile endeavor, and after the store opened its doors on the site where a tree used to stand, children were the first to come through its doors, Goldblatt said. A Temple graduate student started volunteering to help those children with literacy skills, and Tree House Books offering and programs for children have expanded and evolved ever since. Each day of the week through the five-week reading program, the children read the same book with their teenage and young adult mentors. One day might feature If I Were President, in keeping with Tree House Books current legacy and leadership theme to match the 2016 election. But at the end of that day, the kids wont encounter that book for another week. They might even have to stop at a particularly dramatic moment, to build the drama for the next week. Our kids are going to expect more of their teachers because of the time theyre spending here, Griffith said. But before any reading, the children have to go through several steps: They have to sign in, grab a notebook with their names on them, and wash their hands. Then they sit at a table with markers and crayons on top of paper. We want them to be able to write all over the place, Griffith said. Every camper, along with the teenagers and college students, have to check in. That means have to take time to share something about how they feel, and share a personal preference or insight, such as their favorite superhero. On Monday, for example, they were asked to share their favorite animated show or movie"Frozen gets several nods. Then theres the Tree House Pledge, in which the children say they must behave honestly and nonviolently, and remember personal responsbility, among other things. (View the slideshow at the beginning of this post to hear Ayah Free, Griffiths 5-year-old daughter, recite the pledge.) Snack is servedon Wednesday its onion-flavored chips and blueberries. Then its storytime. In addition to focusing on reading that helps the younger children as well as themselves, the teenage mentors learn not saying Whats wrong with you? and saying What happened? to their younger mentees who are having rough days, said Naeemah Gadson, 17, and a rising senior at the Academy at Palumbo in Philadelphia. And the program has also helped the teenagers think long-term. Keaira Jones, 18, a Tree House program assistant and rising freshman at Mansfield University in nearby Mansfield, Pa., said that the Tree House programs create a special environment. And its helping her think about a future in the field. I want to be an entrepreneur. But Im thinking about a day care. So this is ... helping me learn how to deal with children. Working with my peers is wonderful. We get to feed off each other, Jones said. The Summer Read by 4th itself is, in turn, part of the nationwide Campaign for Grade-Level reading initiative around the country, which focuses on improving reading skills overall and for low-income students in particular. About 240 communities around the country have some sort of similar campaign, Bogoni said. In Philadelphia, Read by 4th is also focusing on areas of child development that dont directly deal with reading, but which together campaign leaders say greatly influences a childs ability to stay on track with reading skills in their elementary school careers. They want to reduce chronic absenteeism, track students health and nutrition, and develop kindergarten entry assessments, among other goals. And while state funding streams, the Every Student Succeeds Act (the federal K-12 law), and a push for evidence-based literacy instruction in classrooms play into the groups strategy, the campaign wants to focus on activities beyond school walls. Over the summer, the campaign is helping to create new (and to help pre-existing) read-aloud sessions and other literacy efforts at over 140 summer camps in the citythats probably been the campaigns biggest success so far, said Abby Thaker, the director of strategic partnerships for Read by 4th. Each of those camps hosts roughly 30 kids. Places that arent already thinking about summer reading are getting on board and infusing summer reading into their habits, Thaker said. There are also book distributions at several sites; drop-in reading programs at over 50 libraries, and awareness efforts that include Mayor Jim Kenney and local radio personality Cheryl Hayden, whos known as Cappuchino. Bogoni said they want to make literacy part of breathing and for kids to cross paths with reading in multiple ways. The Obstacles During his check-in Monday, Benjamin Butler, 16, a rising junior at Eastern University Academy Charter School, discusses the reality show he wants to be on, America Ninja Warrior. You have to have strategy. You have to be smart with your movements, cause any second you could mess up. Theres a bunch of obstacles you have to make it through, Benjamin said. There are obstacles for everyone involved in the literacy efforts, too, for Tree House and Read by 4th. Bogoni says that, simply put, schools are underfunded, an issue with a rocky and recent history in the city and in Pennsylviania. And she notes that, for all the groups focus on the ecosystem and its multifaceted approach, theres a large amount of pressure to show clear improvement on academic metrics. And those involved with Tree House Books say that although the group has worked with Tanner Duckrey K-8 school closely in the past, the strength of its partnership with the neighborhood school fluctuates. But Bogoni said the campaigns goals are not unrealistic. Theres a role for everyone in this, she said. I personally believe that grade-level reading is not something we cant get to. The fact that it hasnt moved in decades doesnt mean it cant be done. On Monday, one thing that never faltered was the heat. After spending much of the mid-day reading and sharing their thoughts with each other, the children at Tree House Books are ready for a change of pace. They get their swimsuits on and head out to go to a neighborhood pool. It is the summer vacation, after all, and it is 100 degrees in Philadelphia. Photo slide show and photos of Tree House Books by Deanna Del Ciello/Education Week: Children at Tree House Books eye their snacks before beginning their reading sessions; Keaira Jones, 18, a Tree House program assistant, reads to children; in keeping with the 2016 presidential election, the children are reading Grace for President and are involved in other activities touching on democracy and civics. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . watch now watch now watch now Samsung unveiled the large-screen Galaxy Note 7 "phablet" with a stylus pen on Tuesday, in an attempt to capture the premium end of a slowing smartphone market, boost profits and poach customers from rival Apple . Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 has a number of key features taken from the S7 and S7 Edge its flagship smartphones. The key features include: A slightly curved 5.7-inch display S Pen stylus Retina scanner to unlock the phone with your eyes as well as fingerprint scanner Water resistant display and S Pen Support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) video streaming. Images shot in HDR essentially make the contrast between light and dark colors even more prominent so the white highlights are even brighter. The purpose is to make the image on screen look more realistic. It's one of the first phones to support this. 12 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel selfie camera A 17 percent increase in battery capacity versus the Note 5 Expandable storage up to 256 gigabytes Edge display the same as the Galaxy S7 Edge The last Note device, the Note 5, came out in 2015. Samsung skipped the Note 6 in order to bring the handset in line with its flagship S7 models. The Note '"phablet" was a category Samsung has been credited with creating when it launched the first version in 2011. It accounts for around 6 percent of the company's total smartphone shipments, but analysts said it is an important device because it's one Samsung can make a larger margin on. Margins have come under pressure in the low-to-mid-end of the smartphone market where Chinese players have been able to bring high-spec but low-priced devices to market. At the same time, the overall smartphone market has been slowing. Samsung has been focusing on winning in the premium smartphone space where it competes again the likes of Apple and Huawei. "What we're findingis the premium end of the smartphone market is the part that's growing. So we took a strategic decision to focus on the premium segment with theS6 and S7 seriesand they have done incredibly well for us and put real momentum into our smartphone business again," David Lowes, chief marketing officer for Europe, told CNBC in an interview ahead of the launch. The Galaxy Note 7 can scan a person's eyes to unlock the phone. Samsung Following this shift in focus, operating profit in its IT and mobile communications division of which smartphone sales are a large chunk were up 56 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2016, helped by raising the sales proportion of the Galaxy S7 Edge to over 50 percent of shipments. Can Samsung steal Apple's following? Analysts said the release of S6 and S6 Edge in February 2015 marked a turnaround in Samsung's smartphone business, which had struggled after the S5 was met with lukewarm reception. The S7, S7 Edge and Note 7 have continued that process and the company considers it is now in a position to challenge Apple, something that it has struggled with previously. "Users recognize that they now have a premium device that can stand up against the iPhone and that's what Samsung needs to do, they need to keep their customers loyal," Francisco Jeronimo, research director for mobile devices in Europe at IDC, told CNBC by phone. "Before the S6, people who moved from Apple to Samsung, went back to the iPhone because they were not happy with the experience and value they were getting for the price they were paying. That changed with the S6 and S7 and now with the Note 7 and that will bring a good result for Samsung in the long term because they need to be a premium brand." Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 launch comes as Apple is slated to release the iPhone 7 next month. Apple has itself been struggling with declining iPhone sales which fell in its latest quarter and some investors have expressed concern that its next flagship smartphone will be underwhelming. Analysts said this could be a chance for Samsung to capture those users currently on an iPhone 6 or lower and looking to upgrade. Samsung's S Pen stylus comes with the Note 7 and can be used to carry out a range of functions from writing to translating text. Samsung "It does seem like if Samsung gets it right, it has a chance to really make a dent into that high end segment which it has really been struggling to do against Apple for several years," Daniel Gleeson, senior consumer technology analyst at Ovum, told CNBC by phone. New Gear VR headset Samsung also took the wraps of an upgraded GearVR headset its virtual reality headset which is compatible with its latest device. It's not much different from the current product except that it has a slightly wider field of view and the color has been changed to a shade of blue-black so it doesn't reflect light, which could interfere with the experience. The new Samsung GearVR Samsung An index of small business employment growth eased last month after hitting its highest level of the year in June. The Paychex IHS Small Business Jobs Index pulled back 0.12 percent to a reading of 100.68 in July from the previous month, in line with the year-to-date average for 2016. A measurement above 100 indicates job growth. The index eked out a gain of 0.04 percent from the year-ago period. Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO, said the drop in July is not large enough to indicate any broader slowdown in the U.S. economy. He noted the job-growth rate in small businesses is up 0.3 percent year to date. "It's cautious, but it's still positive," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "We saw a nice pop up in June, and year to date we're still up." The South Atlantic region, which stretches from Delaware to Florida, led all other U.S. Census Bureau divisions. The area has seen small business employment increase 0.8 percent over the last year. Washington state's reading slipped 0.83 percent to 103.63, but it remained the top-ranked state. Seattle also continued to lead other metro areas in the index, despite its reading declining from June. Small business jobs growth eased in eight of the nine industries the index tracks. Only the trade, transportation and utilities sector saw its reading advance. The Paychex IHS index measures same-store, year-over-year changes in worker count to determine trends in employment. Paychex is an outsourcing solutions firm, and IHS provides information and analysis. The report comes three days before the Labor Department releases its closely watched monthly U.S. jobs data on Friday. Three key skillsacademic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoningcan predict how well a student does with the kind of deep reading comprehension required in secondary school and beyond, according to a recent study. Typically, reading comprehension has been viewed simply as the product of decoding and oral language comprehension, according to the report, which was produced as part of the federally funded Reading for Understanding initiative and published in a recent special issue of the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness . That is, it is widely thought that if students can understand a text thats read aloud to them, they can also understand it by reading it, as long as their decoding skills arent getting in the way. For this study, the researchers focused on three factors, which they chose by analyzing deep reading tasks and looking at what historians, scientists, and literary analysts do as readers. The factors are: Academic language , defined as formal written language with features that make it harder to process text. Those include reduction in use of subject pronouns and action verbs; increase in nominalizations, passives, and embedded relative clauses; and lexicalized discourse, stance, and epistemic markers. , defined as formal written language with features that make it harder to process text. Those include reduction in use of subject pronouns and action verbs; increase in nominalizations, passives, and embedded relative clauses; and lexicalized discourse, stance, and epistemic markers. Perspective-taking , or the ability to recognize that different actors have different experiences of the same events, and , or the ability to recognize that different actors have different experiences of the same events, and Complex reasoning, or the ability to think effectively about complex issues that have no single correct answer. This includes students ability to reason about concepts such as evidence, truth, knowledge, and conflict. These three predictive factors have not previously been systematically attended to in curricular design or instruction, the report states. The study looked at results for nearly 3,000 students in grades 4 through 7 on the Global Integrated Scenario-Based Assessment, a computer-based test of deep reading skills created by the Educational Testing Service. The researchers found that all three factors were statistically significant predictors of deep reading comprehension. Academic language was the strongest predictor, suggesting that this is an important area of focus to prepare students for secondary school texts with their increasingly unfamiliar and challenging language, the study says. Taken together, these findings on the roles of academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning in deep comprehension suggest that, for students in grades 4 through 7, we need to consider other models of reading comprehension beyond the SVR [i.e., simple view of reading as decoding and oral language comprehension]. Common-Core Changes The study notes that the default in comprehension instruction in the United States is teaching comprehension strategies, the approach endorsed by the National Reading Panel 16 years ago. But curricula and professional development aligned with the Common Core State Standards have put more emphasis on close reading and assigning complex texts, which aim to develop deep reading comprehension. However, simply having students engage in close reading and use harder texts isnt enough, the researchers write. Our findings suggest that these practices are unlikely by themselves to be helpful to students struggling with academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning, and might in fact lead to frustration and reduced motivation, the report states. A better understanding of the processes underlying deep reading comprehension will, we hope, generate approaches to instruction that directly address the linguistic and cognitive challenges students face. The rest of the recent issue of JREE, published by the Society of Research on Educational Effectiveness, is devoted to reading comprehension as well. You can find three other studies here , too. Related: After six straight years of rising sales, there is a new reality settling in at dealerships around the country: Sales may have finally peaked. "I think we're going to settle into a period with a more relaxed buyer attitude," said Karl Brauer, senior director of automotive industry insights at Kelley Blue Book. "It's going to be harder for the auto companies to pull buyers in without using more creative incentives." Indeed, July's auto sales figures show automakers did spend more to win over buyers. The amount of money spent on incentives as a percentage the average price paid for a new vehicle hit 9.9 percent last month, according to RBC Capital Markets. That's the highest level since November 2010, the firm said. And TrueCar said the average industry incentive in July was $3,225 a year-over-year increase of $159 per vehicle sold. These deals helped the auto sales pace come in at 17.88 million in July, according to Autodata, within the range of analysts' forecasts. Rising incentives have long been a concern for investors, who are worried automakers will return to the days of massive discounting. That was one reason why these firms struggled to consistently post profits in the late '90s and early 2000s. However, since the industry bottomed out during the latest recession with annual sales dropping to 10.4 million vehicles in 2009 automakers have been able to keep incentives in check. That has been due, in part, to pent-up demand and an improving economy, which convinced many Americans they should buy a new car, truck or SUV. In 2011, when Rachel Bowman saw an abundance of large, pretty reddish fish while riding in a boat across the Florida coast, she didn't think much of it. But a year later, once she got certified to dive, she speared the exotic fish and recognized an opportunity. Three years later, the fisherwoman, who was born in North Carolina and whose father was a shrimper, is selling this creature, called lionfish, to restaurants, local markets and 26 Whole Foods Markets across Florida. "I'm the first person to sell [lionfish] to Whole Foods and to set up that deal," Bowman told CNBC. And in the Sunshine State, many other commercial fishing operations have begun to sell lionfish as well. Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific region, arrived in Florida sometime before 2011. Many scientists speculate the creature was introduced, probably more than once by accident or intentionally. Now the red, brown and white fish is invading parts of the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea at an alarming rate. Similar invasions have been underway, including by the zebra mussel, which moved into the Great Lakes and has spread into the Mississippi River. The U.S. Geological Survey recently released data to better understand the biology and ecology of the nonnative invasive lionfish. They used genetics and tracking data with the help of reported sightings from trained citizen scientists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, an organization committed to ocean conservation, did a lot of the data collecting early on. Now scientists must find ways to control the growing population before it continues to have an impact on habitat and wildlife. The fishing industry is doing its part. Hunting the fish might help with reducing its numbers. he first recorded lionfish sighting in United States waters dates to 1985. The distribution of lionfish in 1995 (on left) and 2015 (on right).TSource: nas.er.usgs.gov Pam Schofield, a fish biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, told CNBC, lionfish have a voracious appetite, eating almost everything in their path from economically important fish such as juvenile grouper and snapper to crabs, shrimps and algae-eating creatures. The fish are also armed with venomous spines, which keep their predators at bay, and they can survive in diverse aquatic environments. "It seems lionfish had persisted for years at very low densities," Schofield said in a statement, "and then finally built up enough of a population to become invasive and spread onto other areas." Researchers want to figure out where the fish are now and where they might go next. And potentially, what harmful affects the unprecedented species could have on the habitat and wildlife. Schofield said scientists have found a wide variety of native species in the stomachs of lionfish. The fish in the region are already under pressure to survive due to water pollution, climate change and fishing. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. If given the keys to the White House, Donald Trump's policy on trade deals and global relationships could turn the tide of globalization, according to one investment strategist. When accepting his official nomination as the Republican candidate to be the next U.S. president, the billionaire businessman said "Americanism not globalization will be our credo" adding "We (the U.S.) will never-ever sign bad trade deals." This followed earlier statements in which Trump took aim at globalization blaming it for "wiping out the U.S. middle class". Speaking to CNBC Tuesday, David Roche, president and global strategist at Independent Strategy said a Trump presidency holds real risk for markets. "He could reverse globalization which is part of the bedrock of financial market returns because it speaks directly to how equities will operate," he said. "You go for instance from buying global brands to local subsidized players." Roche said political events are becoming more of a risk factor on the upside and the downside for equities. In terms of supporting equity markets, Peter Oppenheimer, chief global equities strategist at Goldman Sachs, told CNBC Tuesday that both Trump and Clinton could provide some benefit. "As you move toward the U.S. election you are going to see more uncertainty again. The one potential for support is that both are more likely to increase fiscal spending," he said. A day after the CDC warned pregnant women against traveling to one neighborhood in Miami after learning the Zika virus is spreading there via mosquitoes, consumers looking to cancel their flights into the city may encounter difficulty. To date, travel-associated cases make up the vast majority of Zika infections in U.S. In these instances, patients have brought the virus back to the U.S. after visiting Zika-prone regions. But officials are now dealing with a fresh problem: evidence of active transmission by mosquitoes in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. The evidence prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue travel guidance on Monday, urging pregnant women to avoid the area. Zika is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites and has been linked to congenital microcephaly and other serious brain defects among babies born to mothers who had the virus. There is also evidence that the virus can be spread through sexual contact with an infected person. But those wishing to alter their travel plans may find hurdles ahead. At American Airlines , which has the most flights into Miami International Airport, there has been no change to its cancellation policy in light of the latest Zika developments. "We don't have any plans to make changes to our policy," said Ross Feinstein, spokesman for the airline. American Airlines charges customers flying domestic at least $200 to change their ticket before the scheduled day of travel. Its website notes the charge can vary depending on the type of ticket booked and the fare of the replacement ticket. Meanwhile, Delta is directing customers to contact it if they have concerns about traveling to Miami and want to change their plans. "We've had flexible reacommodation available for anyone concerned about traveling to an area with Zika present since late February," said Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for the airline. "This way we can work with them on a case-by-case basis, as situations vary," Durrant said. United said it's "monitoring" the situation, but is following the CDC guidelines, which to date only say pregnant women should avoid one particular section of Miami. "Right now, we don't have a specific waiver in place for Miami," said Charlie Hobart, a United spokesperson. But if customers have questions, Hobart urged them to call the airline, which will deal with the situation on a case-by-case basis. Whether it's for celebrity investors or small businesses on Main Streets across America, Deluxe is the expert to turn to when it comes to small business marketing. Small businesses drive an incredible portion of the American economy. More than 50 percent of the employed population works at a small business. Entrepreneurs and small businesses have generated more than 65 percent of net new jobs in the past two decades. More importantly, small businesses provide a way for dreamers and entrepreneurs to realize their potential and provide opportunities for communities to bond and prosper. We believe that small businesses are the future of the American economy. Deluxe is shining a spotlight on the stories of these heroes the small business owners themselves through the film and photo essays of the Small Business Revolution project. Deluxe has been a leading provider of marketing services and products for small businesses for more than 100 years. Today, our powerful suite of services helps small businesses run and market their businesses on their own terms, and evolve as they grow. We've become the go-to resource to solve small business marketing challenges even for high-profile investors first for "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec's investments, and now for businesses featured on "Cleveland Hustles." And coming soon, we're doing it for the businesses on Main Street in Wabash, Indiana. For the winners of the Small Business Revolution on Main Street contest, we're not just transforming small businesses, we're revitalizing a town. ONEONTA, N.Y. The Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage is pursuing funding to purchase additional analytical equipment for grain testing, research, and processing. The equipment will help farmers to cultivate value-added crops, including malting barley and other practices important to the craft food and beverage industry. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) has written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) urging them to fund the equipment purchase, Gillibrands office said in a news release issued Monday. Hartwick opened its Center for Craft Food and Beverage in January, according to the schools website. It aims to become a quality testing site and technical-assistance center for craft food and beverage producers, focusing on locally-grown and locally-sourced material. Once approved, the center will use the federal funds to purchase a laboratory scale micro-malting system, Gillibrands office said. The demand for New York barley and other small grains from craft brewers continues to increase and testing labs like the Center at Hartwick College will be vital to help farmers get their products to beverage producers, Gillibrand said in the release. Once the Center for Craft Food and Beverage is expanded, growers and small businesses will have the additional support they need to compete in the farm brewery and craft food and beverage industry. The Center will help lower the cost of production, ensure the consistent, high quality of New York grains, and help our producers build their brands and compete in New York and beyond. Gillibrand on July 22 announced that the USDA will be expanding conventional barley-crop insurance to 13 new counties this year and an additional 16 counties for crop year 2017. Additionally, the USDAs risk-management agency (RMA) will begin offering coverage for malting barley in four counties beginning in 2017. Surrounding counties added to the conventional barley-crop insurance expansion include Oneida in 2016 and Chenango and Broome in 2017. RMA will add Otsego County to the malting-barley expansion list in 2017, the Democrats office said. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com ITHACA Tompkins Financial Corp. (NYSE: TMP) announced it has named Brian A. Howard president of Tompkins Financial Advisors, its wealth-management division. Howard will also serve as a member of the leadership team of Tompkins Financial. He joined the financial company on July 25, it said in a news release. Howard brings more than 30 years of leadership experience with nationally recognized financial-services firms to his position at Tompkins Financial Advisors. Most recently, he served as a senior VP, market manager for KeyBank covering the Central New York region, where he oversaw the banks full-service, wealth-management division for high-net-worth clients. At US Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, Howard held leadership positions including managing director; market executive for the Boston market; and senior VP, market leader for the Central New York market, the release stated. A Syracuse resident, Howard will be based at Tompkins Financial Advisors Ithaca office. The firm also has offices in Pittsford and White Plains, New York, and Wyomissing and Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com The government has won the 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle case and the Langbord family has lost in their efforts to take back the 10 coins they once held. Original images by Tom Mulvaney, courtesy of the United States Mint. Shown is one of 10 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagles found by the Langbord family that have been in dispute since their discovery in 2002. A decade-long legal battle over the ownership of 10 double eagles was decided in favor of the government and against the Langbord family. Only one example, supposedly once owned by Egypt's King Farouk (pictured), remains legal for private ownership. It looks like the government will get the keep the Langbord familys 10 1933 Saint-Gaudens gold double eagles that were allegedly discovered in a familys safe deposit box shortly after the sole 1933 double eagle that can be privately owned was sold for $7.6 million in 2002. A decade-long legal battle between the family and the government followed to decide ownership of the valuable coins. In an Aug. 1 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, nine judges joined a 60-page decision finding that while there were errors at the trial level, these mistakes did not affect the outcome. In doing this, the majority sided with a jurys 2011 decision awarding the coins to the government. Connect with Coin World: The majority concluded its case by stating: This case is unique for many reasons. It involves iconic American gold pieces that apparently had lain dormant in a safe-deposit box for decades. Almost immediately after the 1933 Double Eagles surfaced in 2002, the right to possess and own them was vigorously disputed. The resolution of that dispute required the District Court to consider novel questions of constitutional, statutory, and common law. The able trial judge worked diligently through all of the issues and gave both sides a fair trial. Once the jury had spoken, the District Court declared that the 1933 Double Eagles had always been property of the United States. Although the benefit of hindsight has convinced us that certain errors were committed in the conduct of the trial, they did not affect the outcome. We will affirm the judgment of the District Court. Voluntarily surrendered The government has long argued, All 1933 Double Eagles are, and always have been, property belonging to the United States and that the Langbord family had voluntarily surrendered the coins to the Mint. Joan Langbord said she found the coins in the back of a safe deposit box alongside property that had belonged to her father, Philadelphia jeweler and occasional coin dealer Israel Switt. Her two sons, David and Roy, joined her in the lawsuit. Shortly after discovering the coins, the Langbord family through their attorney, Barry Berke, presented the 10 coins to the government for authentication. The Mint did not return the coins, claiming them as stolen property. In December 2006 the family brought suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the Mint, the Department of the Treasury, and various federal officials, requesting that the government either initiate a forfeiture proceeding or return the coins. That district court ruled in favor of the Langbords, finding that the Mint seized the coins unlawfully and that the familys constitutional due process rights were violated. The case went to trial in July 2011 in which a jury ruled in favor of the government. On Aug. 29, 2012, the district court confirmed that the coins were not lawfully removed from the Mint and remained property of the government, regardless of how the coins came into the familys possession or applicable forfeiture statutes. A contested point was if the government had appropriately filed its forfeiture complaint back in 2009 within a 90-day statutory deadline. In April 2015, two judges in a three-judge panel within the Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned much of the district courts rulings, finding that the government missed a crucial deadline under Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act. The panels majority effectively overturned the 2011 jury decision and ordered that the coins be returned to the family. While agreeing that the government did not meet the deadline, one judge in the three-judge panel differed and was of the opinion that this should not result in the return of the coins. The split decision likely emboldened the government, and it filed a petition for rehearing en banc on July 28, 2015. With this, all 12 judges in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals would hear the case and decide. Oral arguments followed on Oct. 15, 2015. At the hearing, the Langbord family contended that the government filed its forfeiture action too late and the district court erred at trial with respect to evidence and its jury instructions. The government reiterated that it did not have to initiate forfeiture proceedings against the coins because it was not obligated to repossess its own property. The most recent decision held that the coins were properly treated as seized government property and that seizure alone does not initiate a forfeiture proceeding because it does not implicate a transfer of legal title. In comparing the Langbord situation with another case involving drug money, the court wrote, A seizure is neither the same as a forfeiture nor does it automatically trigger forfeiture proceedings. No window of opportunity Despite the Langbord family claiming that there was a window of opportunity in which someone could have exchanged gold for coins including 1933 double eagles the most recent ruling concluded that the governments experts established at the 2011 trial that no 1933 double eagles ever left the Mint through authorized channels. The majority opinion sided with the governments numismatic expert David Tripp, summarizing his argument as follows: The Mints records track the movement of each 1933 Double Eagle. These records were remarkably detailed, going so far as to show the payment of three pennies and their year of minting in one transaction. The records indicate that 445,500 Double Eagles were struck. Five hundred of those were sent to the Cashier, while the remaining 445,000 were sealed in a basement vault. Of the 500 held in the Cashiers office, 29 were destroyed in tests to determine the coins purity and weight, 2 were sent to the Smithsonian, and the remaining 469 were placed in the basement vault. Then, in accordance with the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, the 445,469 coins left in the vault were ordered melted into gold bars. By this accounting, it is clear that not a single 1933 Double Eagle was ever authorized to be issued to the public a fact to which both a 1933 Double Eagle historian and a forensic accountant testified. A dissent penned by Judge Marjorie Rendell and joined by two other judges challenged the appeals court majoritys distinction between seizure and forfeiture, noting that seizure often includes forfeiture. The dissent concluded that the Mint would have been better off complying with the relevant forfeiture proceedings. Judge Rendell who penned the 2015 decision overturning the District Court and finding that the government should return the coins wrote, This case involves precisely the type of situation that CAFRA was enacted to prevent: the Governments seizing and taking ownership of property in derogation of the rights of ordinary citizens. After the Aug. 1 decision, Berke told Reuters, The Langbord family fully intends to seek review by the Supreme Court of the important issue of the unbridled power of the government to take and keep a citizens property. With this, the final chapter may yet remain to be written. The London 2012 gold medal is suspended from its original purple ribbon that is detached at the seam. The sport for which the gold medal was awarded was being disclosed only to the high bidder, a collector from the United Kingdom who wishes to remain anonymous. One of the first winning gold medals to appear at public auction from the 2012 London Summer Olympics realized $55,831 in a July 21 sale by RR Auction. An anonymous collector from the United Kingdom paid $55,831 to acquire a winning gold medal from the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games that was offered by RR Auction. The gold medal was among 296 lots of Olympic memorabilia, including 44 participation medals, 19 winners medals and 31 torches offered in the online sale, which opened July 14 and closed July 21. The sale brought total prices realized of $302,250, which includes the 22.5 percent buyers fee added to the final closing hammer price of each lot won. Connect with Coin World: The auction company did not disclose the incuse edge inscription identifying the sport for which the gold medal was presented, as doing so would also help identify the recipient of the medal. The auction company said the edge inscription would be disclosed only to the winning bidder. The medal is gilt silver, 85 millimeters in diameter, and was designed by British artist David Watkins. The obverse of the medal features XXX OLYMPIAD LONDON 2012 inscribed along the top border, above the winged Nike over Panathinaikon Stadium with the Acropolis in the background. The reverse features the emblem of the London Games against an abstract linear background. Other auction results include: ??Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics torch, $22,826. ??London 1908 Summer Olympics gold winners medal, $19,232. ??Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics torch and original box holder, $15,784. ??London 1908 Summer Olympics gilt silver participation medal, $12,426. ??Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics set of gold, silver, and bronze winners medals, $11,026. ??Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics silver winners medal, $9,432 The Olympic Memorabilia auction from RR Auction began on July 14 and concluded on July 21. More details, including results can be found online at www.rrauction.com. Snow Leopard cubs gaze at the viewer on the Perth Mints latest Proof silver 50-cent coin from Tuvalu, the third in a series featuring cubs of big cats. The third release in the Perth Mints series celebrating cubs depicts the snow leopard. These rare and beautiful leopards live in the steep and rocky alpine regions of Central Asia. They are insulated by thick hair, and their wide fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. Snow leopards have powerful legs and they are able to jump as far as 15 meters. They use their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against severe mountain chill. The Proof Snow Leopard Cubs .999 fine silver 50-cent coin from Tuvalu was released July 5. Connect with Coin World: The coins reverse features two colorized snow leopard cubs in the mountains in Central Asia. The inscription CUBS and the Perth Mints P Mint mark also appear in the design, which was created by Tom Vaughan. The Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse of the coin, along with the year date and the denomination. This coin is housed in a classic Perth Mint presentation case within a themed shipper and is accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. The Snow Leopard Cubs coin follows the release of coins for tiger and jaguar cubs. The final two releases in the five-coin series will depict white lion and lynx cubs. All of the coins in the series, no matter the design, each weigh 15.591 grams, measure 32.6 millimeters in diameter and have a maximum mintage of 5,000 pieces. Distributor Talisman Coins offers the Snow Leopard Cubs coin for $42.95. Quantity discounts are available, with purchases of three to five coins at $41.95 each, six to nine coins at $40.95 each, and 10 or more coins at $39.95 each. Earlier releases are also available at varying prices. To order any of the Cubs coins, visit the distributor website. The organization based in Special Region-4 in Shan State held talks with the Union Peace Commission yesterday in Yangon over the upcoming Union Peace Conference21st Century Panglong. The two sides also discussed land issues, environmental conservation, human rights and freedom of belief, the report said. MU swine center to double its space for modified pigs An $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow the swine center to double its space for animals. Participants at the July 30 summit agreed to hold tripartite political talks with the presence of the government, ethnic armed groups and political parties. Also discussed was an eight-point structure for the federal union formation, as well as bringing the Union Tatmadaw under civilian control. The eight-principles for the establishment of federal union included equal autonomy, self-determination, true federal union, safeguards for the rights of minor ethnic groups, democratic rights, gender equality and multiple-party democracy. However, at the summit, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a major ethnic armed group alliance, stated again that it would not sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government if some ethnic armed groups were not permitted to join. Tatmadaw have officially stated that unless the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA) decide to disarm, they will all be excluded from signing a ceasefire agreement. The UNFC view is that only when all ethnic armed groups are allowed to sign it [NCA], we [UNFC members] will then sign it, said Nai Hongsar, Vice-chair of UNFC. An all-inclusive 21st Century Panglong Conference all depends on the results from on-going discussions between the respective groups and government. The spokesperson stated at the Mai Ja Yang press conference that the participants gathered common ground to take with them to their meetings with the government but were advised to not solely use this collective stance when making decisions. The five-day summit took place in Mai Ja Yang, the controlled-area of the Kachin Independent Organization, between July 26 to 30. It was held with the two main objectives of negotiating the various viewpoints on the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Conference and to find common ground for the establishment of a federal, democratic union. In October, 2015, eight ethnic armed groups signed the NCA with the Thein Sein Government. However, various groups, including UNFC members, opted out of signing the agreement because it was not all-inclusive. Out of all the 21 non-state armed groups, four groups, including the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), did not attend the summit. Over 200 representatives were present at the Mai Ja Yang summit, including representatives from 17 ethnic armed groups of both current NCA-signatories and non-signatories, the Womens League for Burma (WLB), political party alliances and the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) and Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF). Explore Six Vintage Buildings That Have Found New Life as Hotels SHARE The towering building at at 100 North Main in downtown Memphis is one of the prominent features of the city's skyline and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal Environmental Court granted another delay Monday for owners of Memphis' tallest building to fix code violations and remove potential hazards for firefighters. Shelby County Environmental Court Referee John Cameron ordered owners of 100 North Main to submit written plans to remedy fire and building code issues including non-working elevators, storage of materials that could burn and blocked sidewalks. Cameron continued the case until Aug. 15. Cameron's order came after Larry Weissman, attorney for IMH Memphis LLC, said the ownership group is still working to secure $60 million to $70 million in financing for a planned renovation. Weissman said the work being sought by the court would cost an estimated $1.6 million. Assistant City Prosecutor Kenya Hooks said the city didn't object to another delay, provided owners are responsive to previous court directions to submit plans for doing the work. The case has been grinding along since last fall, when the Memphis Fire Department anti-neglect team cited the building at Main and Adams for dangerous conditions. In court Monday, the Fire Marshal's office presented a slide show of the building's interior. It showed jury-rigged electrical connections, debris blocking hallways, drums of unidentified substances and problems such as a computer room where floor panels had been removed, creating an obstacle course. Inspector J.T. Hopkins of the Fire Marshal's office, referring to the electrical connections, said, "Your honor, if 100 North Main burns, this is where the fire is going to start." Hopkins testified the stairwells had been mostly cleared of debris, but he estimated about half the emergency exit hallways were obstructed. Weissman conceded little progress had been made this summer, but he said that was because funding hadn't been obtained. "I can only report to you today they are close to that (financing)," Weissman said. Cameron said if maximum fines of $50 a day a violation were imposed, the tab would come to more than $100,000. He said authorities would rather see that money go into rehabilitating the 38-story building. Cameron reiterated a threat made in June, that the court could be forced to get the city to fix the violations and assess the costs as a lien on the property. An ownership group led by Memphis-born businessman Isaac Thomas bought the building from a longtime owner in 2013 and emptied it of office tenants a year later. Thomas' proposal to convert it into apartments and a hotel never got off the ground, and it sold again last August to IMH Memphis LLC. IMH Memphis's principal contact, Eli Freiden, another Memphis-born businessman, has been involved in ownership of a Tampa retirement community that's being sued by Florida insurance regulators because of financial problems. John W. Bartle, an Indianapolis area businessman who has described himself as a developers' representative on 100 North Main, also has been involved in the Florida case. August 1, 2016 New Olivet Baptist Pastor Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. poses with kids from the neighborhood around the former Vance Middle School where Whalum is trying to generate support for a full-service community center. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) David Waters Columnist SHARE August 1, 2016 New Olivet Baptist Pastor Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. is trying to generate support for a full-service community center at the former Vance Middle School. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) Vance didn't have a chance. The middle school near Downtown was doomed to close as soon as it opened on the old Owen College campus in 1971. That was when we started desegregating schools and neighborhoods by race and resegregating them by class. Memphis was denser then with about the same number of residents as today living on half the land area. The city kept expanding its territory but not growing, stretching the school system's resources. The suburbs kept growing and expanding, siphoning more students from the city. As we've tried to undo the damages, we further undermined schools like Vance and neighborhoods like Vance Avenue. Revitalizing impoverished edges of Downtown by removing housing projects that fed Vance. Reinforcing underresourced schools like Vance by reconfiguring city and county school districts. Rescuing so-called "failing schools" like Vance by removing obstacles to charters and other alternative schools. Eventually, the inner-city school, designed to serve hundreds of 7th-9th graders from Interstate 240 west to the river, from Beale Street south to McLemore, was "underperforming" and overwhelmed. By the time it was closed in 2014, about 170 students were sitting in half-empty classrooms in an "underutilized facility" in an ever shrinking school system. The school with a 900-seat auditorium now sits boarded-up behind a chain-link fence, deserted in the city's poorest and most blighted ZIP code. What a waste of space, potential and hope. What an opportunity to turn blight into light. "It is my position that this kind of blight that is sponsored by the school system is causing damage to the whole city," said Dr. Kenneth Whalum Jr., a former city school board member and senior pastor of New Olivet Baptist Church. "But the reality is, the people who were left behind in neighborhoods where schools have been closed still have hope. They just need someone to reach out." Whalum is reaching out. He has asked Shelby County Schools for permission to lease the old Vance Middle School campus for $1 a year. In exchange, he would establish "Urban Oasis," a neighborhood center offering a variety of educational, economic and social programs for children and adults. Whalum visited old Vance again Monday. He carried with him a copy of the definition of oasis: "A fertile spot in a desert where nourishment is found. A pleasant or peaceful area in the midst of a difficult, troubled, or hectic place or situation." Commercial entrepreneurs are finding creative, innovative ways to create urban oasis spots for millennials in Memphis by repurposing old, deserted department stores, hotels, warehouses and breweries. We should be encouraging social entrepreneurs like Whalum to find creative, innovative ways to create "pleasant or peaceful areas" in places where commercial interests fear to tread. The growing number of closed schools are a good place to start. Mayor Jim Strickland, Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael and Congressman Steve Cohen co-signed Whalum's request. The Memphis City Council endorsed Whalum's idea in a resolution approved unanimously last month. It's a good time for the school board to consider the request. Later this month, the board is expected to review the school district's new comprehensive facilities plan. It's part of an effort, encouraged by the county commission, to "right-size" a district with 180 schools, about 100,000 students, and about 30,000 empty seats. The district has closed 24 former city schools in the past five years. Supt. Dorsey Hopson has said the district might have to close as many as 24 more. Half of the closed schools are still in use eight by charter schools and four by the district. Two were demolished and another is scheduled to be. Vance and seven others are empty. More will be closed in the coming years all of them in neighborhoods struggling to overcome massive public and private disinvestment. Instead of leaving them empty or tearing them down, let's encourage social entrepreneurs like Whalum to reinvest in them. We can start by giving Vance a chance. Contact columnist David Waters at waters@commercialappeal.com. Former Syrian National Council vice-president Nour Al-Ameer fled to Turkey after being arrested and tortured by the Assad regime that's when someone attempted to phish her and steal her identity with a fake Powerpoint attachment purporting to be about the crimes of the Assad regime. Al-Ameer smelled a phish and sent the email to the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab (previously), who traced the attack and found a seemingly accidentally exposed logfile on the phishing site that points to the attack having an Iranian connection; "possibly a privateer and likely working for either the Syrian or Iranian governments (or both)." Group5 stands out from the operations that have already been reported on: some of the tactics and tools used have not been observed in this conflict; the operators seem comfortable with Iranian Persian dialect tools and Iranian hosting companies; and they appear to have run elements of the operation from Iranian IP space. Like a chameleon, Group5 borrows opposition text and slogans for e-mail messages and watering holes, showing evidence of good social engineering and targeting. However, Group5's technical quality is low, and their operational security uneven. This is a common feature of many operations in the Syrian context: since the baseline security of many of the targets is very low, many successful threat actors seem to conserve (and in some cases not possess) more sophisticated techniques. We believe we identified Group5 early in its lifecycle, before all of the malware that had been staged and prepared could be deployed in a full campaign. Our analysis indicates that Group5 is likely a new entrant in Syria, and we outline the circumstantial evidence pointing to an Iranian nexus. We do not conclusively attribute Group5 to a sponsor, although we suspect the interests of a state are present, in some form. Group5 is just the latest addition to an expanding cast of actors targeting Syrian opposition groups, and its entry into the conflict shows the continuing information security risks that they face. Group5: Syria and the Iranian Connection [John Scott-Railton, Bahr Abdulrazzak, Adam Hulcoop, Matt Brooks, & Katie Kleemola/Citizen Lab] How foreign governments spy using PowerPoint and Twitter [Ron Deibert/Washington Post] Experts see Iranian link in attempt to hack Syrian dissident [Raphael Satter/AP] SHARE Body cameras will be used by Memphis police officers beginning in October, according to MPD Director Toney Armstrong. By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal After several high-profile, fatal, officer-involved shootings from Ferguson to North Charleston, a national civil rights coalition has graded police departments on their body camera policies, and Memphis received low scores. The Washington, D.C.-based Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, with the help of technology consulting firm Upturn, reviewed 50 law enforcement agencies' body-worn police camera policies. The eight criteria examine whether a department: makes the department policy publicly and readily available; limits officer discretion on when to record; addresses personal privacy concerns; prohibits officer pre-report viewing; limits retention of footage; protects footage against tampering and misuse; makes footage available to individuals filing complaints and limits the use of biometric technologies. Memphis received low scores in all but one area: for limiting officer discretion when using the cameras and requiring them to record a wide range of on-duty activities. The officers must activate their cameras when responding to all calls. The department requires officers who fail to record a required activity to document their reason in writing in multiple reports and systems, the report noted. Last year, the group evaluated 25 police agencies and this year doubled its evaluation appraisal of the policies. Our principles emphasize that without carefully crafted policy safeguards in place, there is a real risk that these new devices could become instruments of injustice, rather than tools of accountability, Wade Henderson cq, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Leadership Conference, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. . In its evaluation of Memphis body camera policy, the department was given a low score for not having its body camera policy available online publicly and readily available, in contrast to other departments including San Francisco, which has a Web page dedicated to the development of its body camera policy, and provides biweekly updates of the group working on the policy. Memphis, like several other departments, including Chicago, Baltimore and St. Louis, was also given low scores for allowing officers to review the recordings when completing their written reports in an effort to be accurate. No department received a green light on this criteria, said Harlan Yu, a principal at Upturn, who worked on the score card with the Leadership Conference. However, six department policies have partial prohibitions in place, for certain critical incidents like officer shootings. Memphis adopted its police body camera policy last September even though the rollout of the devices has been slowed because of problems with the technology and officer inexperience. To date, 28 officers have been equipped with the body-worn cameras at the Crump Station while 400 police cars have in-car cameras. Even if it is not a full implementation and all officers dont have them, I think it is important that these policies be available, even during the pilot stage, to ensure when there is a full implementation that the policies are appropriate, Yu said about Memphis. The department was also given a low score for not making footage available to individuals filing police misconduct complaints and for not placing any limits on the use of biometric technologies, such as facial and voice recognition, to search footage. The score card report notes which agencies were awarded more than $500,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to support their body camera programs. Memphis was not one of the agencies to receive DOJ funding. The city has committed to spend as much as $15 million on the body-worn cameras and the in-car cameras. The report states that as of August, of the 68 major city police departments, 42 now have body worn camera programs with policies in place. No department has a perfect policy, Yu said during a conference call with reporters. Departments are updating their policies all the time, and that is a good thing because the purpose of this all is to ensure that there is accountability and transparence. In the document, "Police Body Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard" released Tuesday, the police departments were scored on eight criteria outlined by a coalition made up of civil rights, privacy and media rights groups. The eight criteria examine whether a department: makes the department policy publicly and readily available; limits officer discretion on when to record; addresses personal privacy concerns; prohibits officer pre-report viewing; limits retention of footage; protects footage against tampering and misuse; makes footage available to individuals filing complaints and limits the use of biometric technologies. Memphis received low scores in all but one area: for limiting officer discretion when using the cameras and requiring them to record a wide range of on-duty activities." The officers must activate their cameras when responding to all calls. The department requires officers who fail to record a required activity to document their reason in writing in multiple reports and systems, the report noted. Last year, the group evaluated 25 police agencies and this year doubled its evaluation appraisal of the policies. Our principles emphasize that without carefully crafted policy safeguards in place, there is a real risk that these new devices could become instruments of injustice, rather than tools of accountability, Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Leadership Conference, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. In its evaluation of Memphis body camera policy, the department was given a low score for not having its body camera policy available online publicly and readily available, in contrast to other departments including San Francisco, which has a Web page dedicated to the development of its body camera policy, and provides biweekly updates of the group working on the policy. Memphis, like several other departments, including Chicago, Baltimore and St. Louis, was also given low scores for allowing officers to review the recordings when completing their written reports in an effort to be accurate. No department received a green light on this criteria, said Harlan Yu, a principal at Upturn, who worked on the score card with the Leadership Conference. However, six department policies have partial prohibitions in place, for certain critical incidents like officer shootings. Memphis adopted its police body camera policy last September even though the rollout of the devices has been slowed because of problems with the technology and officer inexperience. To date, 28 officers have been equipped with the body-worn cameras at the Crump Station while 400 police cars have in-car cameras. Even if it is not a full implementation and all officers dont have them, I think it is important that these policies be available, even during the pilot stage, to ensure when there is a full implementation that the policies are appropriate, Yu said about Memphis. The department was also given a low score for not making footage available to individuals filing police misconduct complaints and for not placing any limits on the use of biometric technologies, such as facial and voice recognition, to search footage. The score card report notes which agencies were awarded more than $500,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to support their body camera programs. Memphis was not one of the agencies to receive DOJ funding. The city has committed to spend as much as $15 million on the body-worn cameras and the in-car cameras. The report states that as of August, of the 68 major city police departments, 42 now have body worn camera programs with policies in place. No department has a perfect policy, Yu said during a conference call with reporters. Departments are updating their policies all the time, and that is a good thing because the purpose of this all is to ensure that there is accountability and transparence. SHARE By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal The Memphis Police Department is investigating a variety of crimes that took place overnight, leaving one man struck by a car and another critically injured by gunfire. MPD spokesman Louis Brownlee said officers were called to the Extended Stay Hotel near Wolfchase Galleria Mall at 10:09 p.m. and found 18 cars in the hotel parking lot were broken into. At 1:26 a.m. Tuesday, officers found another 15 cars were broken into at the Holiday Inn Hotel nearby on New Brunswick Road. There was no suspect information when the calls came in, Brownlee said. At 12:52 a.m., a man came to the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar and told authorities he was run over at the intersection of Lamar Avenue and American Way, Brownlee said. The man's condition was not available and MPD is continuing to investigate, Brownlee said. In a separate incident, officers responded to a home in the 600 block of Brister Street at 10:35 p.m. Monday where a man was shot. The victim told police he was standing outside the home by the garbage talking with people when a white Ford "hastily" pulled out of the driveway, Brownlee said. The victim was taken to Regional Medical Center in critical condition. FILE - In this Thursday, July 28, 2016 file photo, Khizr Khan, father of fallen U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan, and his wife Ghazala speak during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has engaged in an emotionally charged feud with the Khans after Khizr Khan criticized Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the country and asked where the GOP nominee had read the Constitution. Trump fired back, suggesting Khan had "viciously" attacked him and that Khan's wife had not been "allowed" to speak because she is Muslim. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) SHARE By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTON Tennessee Republicans backing Donald Trump for president opted on Monday not to criticize the GOP presidential nominee for his comments about the Muslim-American parents of an Army captain who was killed in Iraq. The GOP lawmakers called Capt. Humayun Khan, killed by a suicide bomber in 2004 as he tried to save other troops, "an American hero" but were careful not to condemn Trump for ramping up his feud with the slain soldier's parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan. "The issue here is not one of the Khan family's patriotism or sacrifice that is indisputable it is about stopping the encroachment of radical Islam," Rep. Diane Black of Gallatin said. "Donald Trump remains the only candidate in this race with the strength to combat this threat and to keep Americans safe, which is why my support for him will not waver." Black said Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, have clarified via social media that Khan "is an American hero and that his family, like every Gold Star family, is deserving of our respect." The Trump-Khan feud began after Khizr Khan, with his wife at his side at the Democratic National Convention, criticized Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the country. Responding to that aspect of the feud, Rep. Phil Roe of Johnson City said, "I have repeatedly said that anyone entering this country should pass a security test, not a religious test, because I believe that discriminating against anyone because of their religion is against everything we stand for." Humayun Khan "made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation," said Roe, an Army veteran himself. He said Khan's parents "deserve the respect of every American who values liberty." In speaking at the Democratic convention, Khizr Khan denounced Trump from the convention stage for smearing Muslims and wondered if the GOP presidential nominee has even read the Constitution. Trump fired back, suggesting Khan had "viciously" attacked him and that Khan's wife had not been "allowed" to speak because she is Muslim. His comments drew wide condemnation from fellow Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, who said that while Trump may be the GOP party's nominee, he does not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Tennessee Republicans, however, offered praise for the fallen soldier without directly criticizing Trump. "Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero who served his country honorably," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood. "He and his family deserve the utmost respect, and it is appropriate that the Trump campaign has clarified its belief that Kahn was a brave warrior who saved lives and protected American values." Sen. Bob Corker's office said he "is proud of our men and women in uniform, including Captain Khan, who courageously gave his life in defense of our country. He believes Captain Khan's service to our nation should be celebrated." Sen. Lamar Alexander "is grateful for the service of Captain Khan and the sacrifices he and his family have made for this country," his spokesman said. SHARE By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal Former Lakeland mayor Gene Fletcher died Monday night, several suburban officials confirmed to The Commercial Appeal. "The passing of Gene Fletcher marks the end of an era in public service and the loss of a good friend in suburban Shelby County," state Sen. Mark Norris said. "I first worked with Gene when he was Mayor of Lakeland and I was a County Commissioner. He was the first mayor to invite me to judge Lakeland's Christmas decorations in what became a holiday tradition. "He leaves a legacy of accomplishment, unselfish service and quiet dignity for which we are grateful and of which his family can rightfully be proud. Chris and I extend condolences to his wife, (Arlington Community Schools Commissioner) Barbara, and the entire Fletcher family. We share their sorrow and send our prayers that the peace which passes all understanding will be theirs as we give thanks for all that Gene did for us and for our community." Mike Wissman, Arlington mayor, said Mr. Fletcher also served as an alderman in Arlington. Several hundred protesters make their way down North Green Street in Tupelo, Mississippi, chanting and singing during a march on Saturday. The event was in response to the June 18 fatal shooting of Antwun Shumpert by Tupelo Police officer Tyler Cook. Lee County grand jurors on Monday cleared Cook in the shooting. (Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, via AP) SHARE By Jeff Amy, Associated Press Grand jurors on Monday cleared a northeast Mississippi police officer of wrongdoing in a June 18 shooting that left a man dead. District Attorney John Weddle told reporters that a Lee County grand jury declined to indict Tupelo Officer Tyler Cook in the shooting of Antwun "Ronnie" Shumpert. An autopsy found Shumpert, who died at a hospital, was shot four times. "The grand jury found Officer Tyler Cook acted lawfully and has cleared Officer Cook of any wrongdoing," Weddle said. Cook is white. Shumpert was black. Shumpert's family members have said the shooting was unjustified, and filed a federal lawsuit against the city seeking $35 million in damages. They've also called for a federal civil rights investigation into Shumpert's death and the broader practices of the Tupelo Police Department. "While we are incredibly disappointed that the officer who killed Antwun 'Ronnie' Shumpert will not be charged with a crime by the state of Mississippi, we will continue to monitor the investigations currently being conducted by the FBI and Department of Justice," said Carlos Moore, a lawyer for Shumpert's family. Hundreds of people seeking changes in the city's police department protested Saturday in Tupelo. Weddle refuted claims by Shumpert's family and their attorney that Shumpert had suffered improper violence at the hands of Cook and a police dog. "There are no wounds described in the autopsy that are consistent with a dog bite," Weddle said in a news conference at the Lee County Justice Center. Weddle said physical evidence showed Shumpert was shot four times at close range, consistent with Cook's version of events that Shumpert had emerged from under a house and attacked the officer, leading Cook to shoot Shumpert when the officer feared for his life. Weddle also refuted claims that Shumpert had been bitten in the groin by Cook's police dog, saying that was a gunshot wound. He also said cuts on Shumpert's back came from efforts to remove bullets. Finally, he refuted Moore's claims that he had found an eyewitness who had recorded video, saying the woman in question was held by a police officer near the scene of the original traffic stop and could not have seen the altercation in the backyard of a house. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen (right). (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Grace Tatter, Chalkbeat Tennessee Up to 20,000 Tennessee families can now request funds from the state's first education voucher program, which opened applications Monday. The program will allow parents of students with disabilities to receive public money for private services such as home schooling, private school tuition and tutoring. And while less controversial than the more sweeping voucher proposals debated in recent years, the program is set to provide an unprecedented amount of public money to individual households. "It is important that we ensure our most vulnerable children have access to a quality education that meets their unique needs," state Sen. Delores Gresham, the Republican from Somerville who sponsored the 2014 bill authorizing the program, said in a press release. Under the law, families with a child with eligible disabilities will receive an average of $6,000 annually in a special savings account. Parents can apply online, and those who qualify will receive the money in January 2017. The Department of Education has estimated that approximately 20,000 students statewide have eligible disabilities, which include autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairments, and intellectual and physical disabilities. There is no cap on the number of students who can participate. That money comes with a trade-off, though. Families who opt for the funding must waive their rights granted by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which mandates that all students receive a "free and appropriate" public education. The program is based on similar programs in Florida and Arizona. Upon its passage, the Tennessee bill was lauded by education advocacy organizations like Tennessee Federation for Children and the Florida-based Foundations for Educational Excellence as giving Tennessee parents unprecedented control over their students' educations. "The Tennessee Department of Education strives to ensure that every Tennessee student has access to the tools they need to maximize learning," Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said in a press release. "We believe this program is a unique opportunity to empower families to make decisions for their individual children as we continue our commitment to supporting all students." The program is in some ways similar to a proposed voucher program for low-income students that has stalled in the House of Representatives for several years. That program would allow low-income Tennessee students to apply for approximately $6,000 toward private school expenses. More information about the Individualized Education Accounts for students with disabilities, including resources for parents, can be found on the Department of Education's website. Chalkbeat Tennessee is a nonprofit news organization covering educational change in public schools. Read more about Tennessee education news at tn.chalkbeat.org. A small Human Rights Campaign equality banner flies on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Miss., as several hundred people rally outside the building and called on Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to veto House Bill 1523, which many believe will allow discrimination against LGBT people, Monday, April 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) SHARE By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves responded forcefully in his decision denying Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's request to lift a stay on the state's "Religious Freedom" law, saying the public interest is better served by maintaining the status quo until an appeals court decides the issue. Bryant's office has yet to respond to Reeves' Monday ruling. The governor's office had not issued a statement as of midday Tuesday, and there was no mention of the decision on the official social media accounts of the governor's office. Bryant went alone in challenging Reeves' June 30 decision striking down the law after Atty. Gen. Jim Hood declined to join him. the governor argued Reeves should allow the law to go into effect pending the appeals court decision. In addition to asking Reeves to lift his stay, Bryant's attorneys also asked the appeals court to lift it until it decides on the constitutionality of the law. Reeves said he wasn't sure it was proper to ask the appeals court to lift the stay before Reeves had ruled himself on whether to lift it. Either way, Reeves said he believes it makes no sense to allow the law to go into effect until its constitutionality is resolved. "Although (Bryant and his attorneys) contend that they are being irreparably injured because Mississippi cannot enforce HB 1523, enjoining this particular piece of legislation results in no injury to the State or its citizens," Reeves wrote. "A Mississippian or a religious entity for that matter holding any of the beliefs set out for special protection ... may invoke existing protections for religious liberty, including Mississippi's Constitution, Mississippi's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the First Amendment to the United State Constitution. HB 1523's absence does not impair the free exercise of religion." HB 1523, or the "Religious Freedom" law as it is often called, allows private businesses and certain public officials to decline services if they feel providing them conflicts with their personal views. Legislators earlier this year passed the law, signed by Bryant, as a way to protect religious views in the wake of last summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Opponents say it unconstitutionally denies basic rights. Reeves' Monday decision disputes Bryant's assertion that freedom of religious conscience is violated every day the law is in effect. "HB 1523 is not like federal laws which permit persons to opt-out of going to war or performing abortions," Reeves said. "In this case the public interest is better served by maintaining the status quo a Mississippi without HB 1523." Reeves also questioned the attitudes of backers of the law toward gay people. "If (those filing the motion) truly believe that providing services to LGBT citizens forces them to 'tinker with the machinery of death,' their animus exceeds anything seen" in other cases cited, Reeves wrote. He also addressed the negative impact spurred against the state. "To the extent the preliminary injunction will help alleviate the damage wrought on this State by an HB 1523-caused economic boycott, moreover, that too supports denying a stay of the injunction." For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser The three senior bankers who were sentenced on Friday are among the first to go to jail for illegal actions that contributed to the global economic crisis of 2008, which triggered waves of global instability, which contributed to the ongoing refugee crises and wars, mass unemployment, crippling austerity, the near-collapse of the Eurozone, Brexit, and soaring inequality. Five years ago, the Irish government bailed out its banks though it had not guaranteed their deposits, putting the Irish taxpayers on the hook for 40 times annual GDP. Government economists estimate that it could take another 15 years to recover the cash-infusion. Irish Life and Permanent Chief Executive Denis Casey was sentenced to two years and nine months; Anglo Irish Bank finance director Willie McAteer will serve 42 months; Ango Irish's head of capital markets, John Bowe, will serve 24 months. In the USA and the UK ground zero for financial fraud in the runup to the crisis bankers have been spared any criminal sanctions, thanks to official policies of levying fines rather than risking the stability of the banks and the people who depend on them. As Matt Taibbi explained in his must-read 2014 book The Divide, the affected banks still paid their senior staff titanic bonuses and salaries, and there were few dismissals after the crash. All three were convicted of conspiring together and with others to mislead investors, depositors and lenders by setting up a 7.2-billion-euro circular transaction scheme between March and September 2008 to bolster Anglo's balance sheet. Irish Life placed the deposits via a non-banking subsidiary in the run-up to Anglo's financial year-end, to allow its rival to categorize them as customer deposits, which are viewed as more secure, rather than a deposit from another bank. "By means that could be termed dishonest, deceitful and corrupt they manufactured 7.2 billion euros in deposits by obvious sham transactions," Judge Martin Nolan told the court, describing the conspiracy as a "very serious crime". "The public is entitled to rely on the probity of blue chip firms. If we can't rely on the probity of these banks we lose all hope or trust in institutions," said Nolan. Ireland jails three top bankers over 2008 banking meltdown [Conor Humphries/Reuters] (Image: Anglo Irish Bank, Belfast, Ardfern, CC-BY-SA) (via Reddit) Interpol has arrested a top Nigerian email scammer who stole more than $60 million by tricking businesses into handing over funds by posing as trusted suppliers. The 40-year-old Nigerian, known as Mike, is allegedly the leader of a criminal ring that targeted hundreds of victims across the world, Interpol said on Monday. He and at least 40 other individuals pulled off their scheme by allegedly pretending to be CEOs or suppliers using hacked email accounts of legitimate companies. The criminals then sent fake emails, asking the victims to wire funds or send payment to bank accounts under the scammers control. The Nigerian at one point conned a victim into paying $15.4 million, Interpol said. To hack the email accounts, the scammers targeted small and medium businesses in the U.S., India and Romania, among other countries. Authorities first became aware of Mike when, in late 2014, security firm Trend Micro began investigating the malware used in his scams. The malware was designed to steal email and web logins. By analyzing the malwares command-and-control infrastructure, Trend Micro managed to track the Nigerians location. Mike was then arrested in southern Nigeria in June and he faces charges for hacking, conspiracy, and obtaining money under false pretences. However, Interpol made no mention of the rest of his criminal ring. Its members also come from Nigeria, along with Malaysia and South Africa, Interpol said. These kinds of email scams, also known as CEO fraud or the supplier swindle, have become a growing problem. Businesses across the world have been duped into giving away at least $3.1 billion, according to the FBI. Interpol is advising businesses tp verify an email senders identity before wiring off any funds. To avoid hacking, emails accounts can also be better protected when using two-factor authentication. Google parent company Alphabet will begin testing a drone delivery service in the U.S. in a bid to overcome any hurdles to rolling out the technology, the White House said Tuesday. Alphabet will kick off a research study for Project Wing at a Federal Aviation Administration test site "to help regulators answer critical safety and human factors questions" for drone deliveries, the White House said in a statement. Alphabet first tested its delivery drones in Queensland, Australia, in 2014, where the company delivered a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water to farmers. Google and Amazon are both developing drone delivery systems, but lots of questions remain about how the services will actually work, including how and where packages will be dropped off. The tests at the FAA site could help assuage the U.S. government's concerns about the safety of such systems and how they will operate. The Project Wing announcement was one of several made during a White House workshop on drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. The National Science Foundation said it would invest US$35 million in drone research over the next five years. The research is aimed at designing and controlling drones to be used for infrastructure inspection, disaster response, agricultural monitoring, and studying severe storms. The U.S. must avoid crippling the drone industry through slow-moving regulatory processes, FAA administrator Michael Huerta said during the White House workshop. "This is an industry that's moving at the speed of Silicon Valley," he said. "We at the FAA know that we can't respond at the speed of government." The U.S. Department of the Interior said it will use drones to support search and rescue operations, augmenting its manned aircraft operations. In addition, the Future of Privacy Forum, Intel, and PrecisionHawk released a report calling on drone makers to embrace privacy early in the design process, in response to concerns among consumers. "The Privacy-by-Design framework states that developers should embed privacy into the design and architecture of devices, systems and business practices," the report says. "In doing so, privacy is enabled by default, not 'bolted on as an add-on, after the fact.'" There's a lot to like in Samsung's new Galaxy Note7, which will ship on Aug. 19. The sharp screen is accentuated by a slight curve on the edges that makes the device easy to handle. It has a snappy, 64-bit processor, and it can rock games and virtual reality with the companion Gear VR headset. Samsung's attention to smaller details makes it a fine device. Here are seven things you need to know about Note7: Many similarities with Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge The Galaxy Note7 is a large-screen version of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, with a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440-pixel display. The USB-C port is an improvement over S7's micro-USB 2.0 ports. Common features include a 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth and wireless charging. The Note7 is pre-loaded with Android 6.0.1, weighs 169 grams and is 7.9 millimeters thick. It has 64GB of internal storage and an SD card slot. The iris scanner has its own camera A unique Note7 security feature is the ability to scan the iris as a way to log users into the device. Here's how it works: Place your eyes in front of the iris scanner -- which is an IR camera -- located on top of the screen, which will scan your eyes. It will match up the scan against encrypted iris information stored in a secure hardware layer on the phone. Iris scanner works in multiple light settings, but it won't work with sunglasses, Samsung said. What chip does your Note 7 have? In U.S., China, and Japan, the Galaxy Note7 will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset; in other places, it'll be Samsung's Exynos 8 Octa 8890 chip. The Snapdragon 820 has been modulated for cellular networks and spectrum bands in those countries, and U.S. carriers like Verizon prefer Qualcomm's chips for backward compatibility of CDMA networks. The Samsung Exynos chip works on cellular networks in Asia and Europe. What chip is better? Qualcomm's Snapdragon has a better modem and a slight edge in graphics over Samsung's Exynos. Regardless, the Note7 delivers booming graphics and runs applications much faster than its predecessors. The LTE data download speeds could reach up to 600Mbps (bits per second) and upload speeds up to 150Mbps. Snapdragon is more versatile with support for LTE-U, which allows for faster data transfers over licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Old peripherals will work with the USB-C port in Note7 The Note7 has a USB-C port, a first in Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have micro-USB 2.0 ports, and many peripherals -- like portable mobile phone chargers and storage devices -- are designed to plug into that port. Those peripherals can be used with Note7 with a micro-USB 2.0 to USB-C connector that Samsung is providing with the new handset. Note7 will log you into your Samsung-based Windows PC Like Apple, Samsung wants its hardware devices to work seamlessly. That's been difficult because Samsung's devices run on three OSes: Windows in most PCs, Android in mobile devices, and Tizen in wearables. The Note7 shows some results of Samsung's effort to bridge that gap between devices. Users can swipe a finger on the Note7 fingerprint reader to log into a Windows-based Galaxy TabPro S 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrid. Users can also login into a TabPro S by pattern authentication -- by drawing specific shapes -- on a Note7. Samsung Flow is different from Windows Hello, a Microsoft feature for biometric authentication to log into laptops, but a Samsung spokesman said the companies are working together to see how the features could be used together. No clarity if Note7 will support Google's DayDream A great add-on to the Note7 is the new Gear VR headset, in which the phablet can be fitted to virtually roam cities, play games, or ski down a mountain slope. Samsung declined to comment if Note7 would work with Google's emerging DayDream VR platform, which will be available in specific handsets by the end of the year. The Gear VR headset and Note7 could be combined for DayDream, which has minimum hardware requirements of a high-resolution screen, specific sensors, and strong graphics capabilities. Samsung said announcements on DayDream-compatible devices will come at a later date. Microsoft has opened up sales of the HoloLens development kit to anyone with $3,000 to spare, a move that could significantly expand the community of developers building apps for the augmented reality headset. Until now, HoloLens was available only to developers and companies through Microsoft sales reps, but from Tuesday, anyone in the U.S. or Canada can buy up to five headsets online through the Microsoft Store. There was no word about availability in other countries. HoloLens can overlay three-dimensional images onto the real world. By tracking the user's movements, the 3D images can be continually redrawn to match the user's perspective, making them appear like objects in real space. One such application was demonstrated at last month's Worldwide Developer Conference in Toronto. Japan Airlines showed a HoloLens app that lets engineers get up close with a full scale, computerized model of a jet engine. The app can highlight engine parts and show how different components work together in a way not possible with a real engine. The HoloLens now on sale is the same developer edition that has been offered to Microsoft partners, and buyers are asked to acknowledge before completing purchase that they understand it's not a finished product intended for consumers. Microsoft also asks buyers to agree not to resell the product and acknowledge that no refunds are available. Difficulty in obtaining the HoloLens has led to a healthy mark-up on the device on Ebay. On Tuesday afternoon, units were selling for up to $5,000. In June, Microsoft said it was opening up the HoloLens platform, allowing other device makers to build their own versions of the product. As virtual reality and augmented reality gain popularity with consumers, attention is turning to ways these immersive technologies can be used in U.S. schools and in the work force. Panelists at an event on Tuesday called Virtual Reality Meets Capitol Hill discussed the emerging role that federal, state and local governments will face to keep the U.S. competitive with China and other countries in fostering VR growth. The event was held at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Speakers called for greater investments by the federal government in wired broadband, but they also backed attempts by private wireless carriers to expand 5G wireless networks. Both network improvements will be needed to reduce latency between role players inside VR worlds, some of whom will be physically thousands of miles apart. "We have to build a bridge between [VR and AR] technology and the government world," said Chelsea Collier, founder of Digi.City, a group that focuses on technology innovation and public policy. "A government fix is not the answer, but we have to move in the same direction." Panelists estimated there are already about 1,200 VR companies and more than 900 AR companies globally with a market potential of $150 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, government policies need to catch up, said moderator Adam Zuckerman, director of innovation at Discovery Communications. One suggestion was to urge Congress to update the 1934 Telecommunications Act to embrace the potential for VR in job settings and schools. "VR has the potential for revolutionizing education and learning and to really get down to the issue of the inequalities in high quality learning for way too many people in our country," said panelist Johan Uvin, assistant secretary for career, technical and adult education at the U.S. Department of Education. "Think of the young person in Appalachia, with no access to an employer to help get ahead in a career," Uvin said. "There are good early examples of work-based VR. VR and emerging technologies could be the solution." Monifa Vaughn-Cooke, director of the VR Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park, said VR offers the potential for training workers to handle emergencies in critical jobs, such as running a control room for a nuclear reactor facility. With nuclear power production, the federal government has a role in providing consistent training procedures for jobs across the different federal agencies that oversee nuclear plants, Vaughn-Cooke said. Doug Brake, telecommunications policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said that VR and AR will "push the boundaries of what's possible with broadband today." Noting that there is "already a real constraint for VR" with latency, he said federal policies are needed to "push investments in broadband to allow VR to grow." Will Mason, founder of UploadVR, an organization fostering VR developers, said U.S. policymakers need to recognize the "incredible amounts" of funding that the Chinese government is providing for VR development. "I'm not seeing so much of that [investment] here in the U.S., especially on the government side, in immersive technology space and that could end up being a problem," he said. "Right now, VR in the U.S. is ahead on the tech side, but with billion of dollars on [China's] side, it will only grow and accelerate." While Mason said there should be a role for the federal government in VR, other panelists said VR adoption in workplaces and schools will have to start in a more gradual, grassroots manner. "We are talking with New York City public schools about getting VR into schools, but it has to be a bottom-up demand," said Elizabeth Reede, CEO of WoofbertVR. Her company provides VR curriculum to teachers to help students explore concepts and ideas, primarily through the arts. "Teachers are asking for it. City governments understand it slightly." But Brake argued that it might not make sense for schools to jump early on the VR bandwagon, at least until it becomes more affordable. "We are early on the cusp on VR in education, so I'm not sure it makes sense for schools to be early adopters," he said. "We should let costs come down." MIT has a complicated relationship with disobedience. On the one hand, the university has spent more than a century cultivating and celebrating a "hacker culture" that involves huge, ambitious, thoughtful and delightful pranks undertaken with the tacit approval of the university. On the other hand -- well, on the other hand: Star Simpson , Bunnie Huang , and Aaron Swartz . In Nightwork , first published in 2003 and updated in 2011, MIT Historian T. F. Peterson explores this contradictory relationship and celebrates the very best, while suggesting a path for getting rid of the very worst. MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito gave me my copy of Nightwork when he appointed me Activist-in-Residence to the Media Lab, taking it from a huge stack. He hands it around to a lot of people. Ito is a big fan of disobedience: he was Timothy Leary's godson, helped finance Mondo 2000, and started the ISP business in Japan by building out a PSI network operations center in his apartment's bathroom. More recently, he got Linkedin founder Reid Hoffman to put up a $250,000 prize for "disobedient research," announcing the prize onstage at the Forbidden Research summit, where EFF announced its lawsuit against the federal government to legalize hacking DRM and Edward Snowden and Bunnie Huang announced their project to build a spyware-detecting phone case to defend journalists and activists from governments. Nightwork is, first and foremost, a celebration of the hacks themselves: putting a fire-engine on the dome, turning the dome into a giant R2D2, installing an upside-down dorm-room on the ceiling of a high outdoor archway, perfectly camouflaging the door to the office of the new university president on his first day, and so on. These reports, delightful as they are, focus (of course) on the engineering ethic, the sweetness of the hack, the elegance of the solution to problems constrained by complexity, finances, time, and skills. Then there's the pedagogical value of the hack. Hacks are like class projects, but bigger, longer, more involved, self-directed, and played for high stakes (fame and approbation, or arrest and tragedy), and key to the engineering ethic. This, too, was covered in depth at the Forbidden Research conference, in Liz George's outstanding account of the creation of one of the most daring hacks in MIT history. Most significant, perhaps, is the material on the relationship of the administration to its hackers. For more than a century, the university and its security and facilities staff have cultivated a relationship of mutual respect, trust and admiration with hacking students. This cordial relationship fosters a culture of safety and skill among hackers, who make sure their hacks conform to building and safety codes, come with disassembly instructions, and include gifts and snacks for the crews who have to take them down. It's this last section that's the most remarkable: America says it celebrates "rule breakers," but that is posed against a zero-tolerance, three-strikes, minimum-sentencing culture that has jailed millions of Americans (mostly racialized people of color) for minor drug infractions, turned children into lifelong sex offenders for taking pictures of their own bodies, and has turned schools into places that cultivate fear and compliance, not risk-taking and rule-breaking. It's bad, and it's getting worse and worse (and it can't get better unless we try something different). That's the amazing thing about Nightwork, the thing that makes it feel like it comes from a parallel universe: it describes a big, powerful institution that (some of the time) treats rule-breaking as the natural outflow of the intellectual curiosity it was constituted to promote, and channels that rule-breaking into safe, effective, and delightful expressions. Nightwork [T. F. Peterson/MIT Press] The widespread and rapid decline of local papers is a great source of sadness. Those of us who have worked on the editorial floor of a newspaper can scarcely help feeling sentimental about the experience no matter how rough and rowdy it felt at the time. Gareth Davies, a reporter who has resigned from the Croydon Advertiser, has taken to Twitter, to express his dismay. He says the paper consists entirely of stories scraped from website by subs and put in paper and adds: Reporters no longer have any input or involvement in the paper product, including no chance at proofreading it..A paper with a proud 147-year history reduced to being a thrown together collection of clickbait written for the web. Under the ownership of Trinity Mirror the paper now has no photographers and two reporters, who cover the rest of Surrey and Sussex as well as Croydon (which has a population on its own of 380,000): Without any prior warning they were put on shifts, including working on Sundays. Every six weeks reporters have to work 12 consecutive days. The few reporters who are left are not allowed to meet contacts unless there is a guarantee of a story. They have to get permission from a non-editorial manager to claim travel expenses. They already work at least 30 mins away from patch, in poorly paid jobs. What do readers get in return? A website focused on live blogging everything, with reporters told to write like they speak down the pub.Well, it breaks my heart. I couldnt stick around to watch the paper be destroyed & I would not help them do it. Local press should be a vital part of democratic accountability and a force for change, not an exercise in generating clicks by any means. Reporters at the Croydon Advertiser must seek permission to write any stories that would be expected to generate fewer than a thousand hits on the website. David Higgerson, of Trinity Mirror, has hit back: Has Trinity Mirror banned stories which will generate fewer than 1,000 page views? No (and in fairness Gareth doesnt say that, although thats the interpretation many have given). Has Trinity Mirror instructed reporters to get permission to write stories which generate fewer than 1,000 page views? No. Do we think its a good idea for the people who know a story and an area best (the journalists in the newsroom) to discuss how to ensure a story generates more than 1,000 page views? Yes. Why? There are two reasons for this. The first is cold economics. Much of the revenue which funds our journalism comes from advertising which is dependent on page views. Another rump of it comes from local advertisers who need convincing that our brands have an impact online locally. Therefore, the more people who see a story locally, the greater chance we have of convincing local advertisers to jump on board. The second reason is about readers. A story which generates fewer than 1k page views will have been read by fewer than 1k people. According to ONS data, Croydon Council covers a population of 264k. So a story generating fewer than 1k page views will reach 0.4% of the local population at most. Thats not a strong place for a news publisher to be when it seeks to hold authorities to account. So our content approach is to determine that if a story is worth doing, for readers, we need to make sure that readers want to read it. Gareth claims many council and health stories fall beneath the 1,000 page views mark. Lets ask why, and do something about it, as people should care about the council schools, bins, roads and health boards GPs, hospitals, accident departments It is possible both to sympathise with Davies and accept that Higgerson is merely facing up to the economic realities if local papers are to survive at all. In one regard conditions are likely to get tougher. The statutory advertising that councils must place in local papers for planning and licensing applications is pretty outdated. It amounts to a hefty council subsidy and I doubt it will last forever. On the other hand if the economy generally grows then so will the amounts spent on advertising including local spending. Human nature has not changed and that means a thirst for local news remains. Indeed the problem for the traditional printed weekly paper is partly our impatience. We dont want to wait that long to find out what is happening. Local papers adapt by putting greater emphasis on their websites. But providing local news and comment via social media is a game where we can all join in. The number of professionals may have fallen but there has been a welcome flood of amateurs. For local councillors all this represents not only an opportunity but a duty. In terms of campaigning, councillors and council candidates should be set wider expectations by the political parties they represent. Tweeting should be regarded as a basic requirement. So should emailing news bulletins to all local residents who wish to receive such missives (which is actually most of those given the opportunity). I run a local blog the Hammersmith and Fulham Forum which offers an alternative perspective to the official propaganda on my Councils website. Usually councillors are expected to canvass and leaflet quite right. But these days campaigning involves more than that. This is not just about winning votes. If, as Davies fears, local papers are becoming constrained from being a vital part of democratic accountability then councillors especially opposition councillors need to fill the gap. There is more to scrutiny then sitting in committee meetings. Councillors and residents must communciate with each other to keep track on what is happening. Verizon Communications agreed to acquire Fleetmatics Group PLC (NYSE: FLTX)for $60.00 per share in cash representing a value of approximately $2.4 billion. Fleetmatics offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) fleet management solution that provides operators with visibility into vehicle location, fuel usage, speed and mileage, and other insights into their mobile workforce. As of March 31, 2016, Fleetmatics served approximately 37,000 customers and approximately 737,000 subscribed vehicles throughout Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy. The company has approximately 1,200 employees and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with North American headquarters in Waltham, Mass. "Fleetmatics is a market leader in North America -- and increasingly internationally -- and they've developed a wide-range of compelling SaaS-based products and solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses," said Andres Irlando, CEO of Verizon Telematics. "The powerful combination of products and services, software platforms, robust customer bases, domain expertise and experience, and talented and passionate teams among Fleetmatics, the recently-acquired Telogis, and Verizon Telematics will position the combined companies to become a leading provider of fleet and mobile workforce management solutions globally," Irlando added. In June, Verizon Telematics also announced the acquisition of Telogis, Inc., a global, cloud-based mobile enterprise management software company based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. That transaction closed on July 29. Verizon Telematics, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, operates in more than 40 markets worldwide and offers comprehensive wireless, software and hardware solutions to consumers, enterprises, automakers and dealers to power connected-vehicle products around the world. http://www.verizon.com https://www.fleetmatics.com/ Verizon Confirms $4.8 Billion Acquisition of Yahoo Mergers And Acquisitions, Verizon, Yahoo Verizon confirmed a deal to acquire Yahoo for $4.8 billion in cash. The deal does not include Yahoos cash, its shares in Alibaba Group Holdings, its shares in Yahoo Japan, Yahoos convertible notes, certain minority investments, and Yahoos non-core patents (called the Excalibur portfolio). Yahoo will remain a registered, publicly traded investment company holding these assets, and will change its name once the deal closes. Yahoo, which was founded... READ MORE The New York Times' tumblr of photos from its voluminous archive is full of impactful and gorgeous moments. May 23, 1974: A kiss outside City Hall, where gay rights activists had gathered to show support for a gay rights bill up for a vote at the City Council. The anti-discrimination measure was defeated, 22 to 19, but the bill's backers vowed to resubmit the following week, although they would "not press for action until after the November election." It didn't pass until 1986. Photos include "back stories", literally notes on the back of a photo to add context including how the photo was used, how much the photographer was paid, and the published caption, if applicable. via The Lively Morgue. See sample pages from this book at Wink. The White Donkey: Terminal Lance by Maximlian Uriarte Little, Brown and Company 2016, 288 pages, 7 x 10.5 x 1 inches $15 Buy a copy on Amazon Maximillian Uriarte served four years in the Marine Corps infantry and went on two combat deployments to Iraq. While on active duty, he created an online comic strip, Terminal Lance, which grew from a small following to being published in official armed forces publications. In The White Donkey, which he calls his "thesis project," he tells a story about the existential crisis of the military experience and what it means to enlist during a time of war. Subjects like hazing and PTSD are covered in the course of the story as he explores what might drive a Marine to suicide. We follow Abe, a young, white middle-class kid who enlists after high school for want of a direction, trying to find something better to do with his life. He makes a friend in another "grunt," Garcia, who's there because there are no better paths for him. The contrast is stark. Garcia: "I didn't have shit else going for me, you know? I was with the wrong crowd a lot, I'd probably be in prison by now if not here." Abe's privilege is shown by his encounter with an Iraqi policeman who tells him: "I have met many of your type over the last few years, coming here to fulfill some personal conquest, but you never stop to think about how arrogant you are. You seek some enlightenment at the expense of my people." The story follows Abe through training, his experience of the tedium of war, his need for validation and legitimacy in the eyes of fellow Marines, and finally, the horror of combat and the alienation of the returning veteran into his previous society. There are encounters with the locals, mistakes made, and the surreal encounter with the White Donkey, which holds up an entire column of armored vehicles as it plods slowly along in the middle of the road. The art employed in The White Donkey is minimalist, stylized and realistic. Uriarte makes excellent use of color and story-board style to convey dramatic scenes. He makes use of color washes to separate different episodes of the stories. The pages of boot camp and training in Hawaii is a verdant green, Abe's trips back to the civilian life is rendered in shades of blue-gray and the scenes in Iraq are in shades of brown and olive. White space is deliberate and used to great effect. The language is punctuated with frequent profanity and the story is spiked with humor that is at times bitter and obscene. In other words, situation normal for a story set in today's armed forces. This book hits you right in the gut. If you've ever wondered what it's like to serve in the Marine Corps and the experience of deployment in a war-torn country like Iraq, this book will help you understand. Carolyn Koh What costs are the people of the world obsessed by? Cubans seem preoccupied with the prices of cigars, for example, and Venezuelans with gasoline. Koreans are fixated on rhinoplasty's damage to their plastic, while Russians just want to fly a MiG jet. The cost of living trumps all in England, but the Irish are more concerned with the cost of death: funeral expenses are their national nightmare. The most WTF results: the cost of slaves in Mauritania, and land in Antarctica. The map was created on the basis of Google autocompletion defaults, so factor in things like medical tourism and real estate speculation by the world-hopping elite, etc. SHARE Caleb K. Loving By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press Caleb Loving sat quietly at McDonald's, a bag of what looked like homemade explosives open on the seat next to him when he was arrested, police officers testified at his trial Tuesday. Loving was already suspected of starting a fire at an apartment where he resided in supervised living under nearly around-the-clock care. Before any of that happened, however, there were warning signs, according to testimony: Items a caretaker found in his possession, things he said, unexplained chemical odors. "This person is not the Caleb I knew," said Chameka Coit, one of those caretakers. "Who was the Caleb you knew?" Deputy Prosecutor Javier Lugo said. "He was a sweet person, gentle. He will do anything for you," Coit said. Hesitating, she added, "I know there is an underlying illness." Loving, 26, is charged with possession of a destructive device or explosive, a level 2 felony; arson, a level 4 felony; criminal recklessness, a level 6 felony; and false informing, a class B misdemeanor. The charges stem from two incidents on July 23, 2015, including an early-morning fire at Sugar Mill Creek Townhomes on North Green River Road and Loving's arrest at a nearby McDonald's several hours later. On Monday, defense attorney Stephen Owens told the jury in Vanderburgh Circuit Court he would argue Loving was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Jurors spent most of Monday afternoon listening to attorneys question clinical psychologist David Cerling, who had been appointed by the court to determine if Loving was competent to stand trial. Cerling testified that Loving had been removed from an abusive family at an early age and lived in supervised care most of his life. He said Loving had been diagnosed with a number of psychological conditions, including: Depression, oppositional defiant disorder and reactive detachment disorder inability to connect with people. Based on his own testing, Cerling said he believed Loving was mildly intellectually impaired. But crucially, for both sides in the trial, Cerling said he believed that Loving could appreciate what he was accused of doing was wrong at the time. "He was never violent or verbally abusive. He could say negative things but never that he wanted to harm anyone," Coit said. Coit said she had been Loving's daytime caretaker for Compass Residential Health. For two years she drove him to job sites, took him shopping, oversaw his spending, and generally cared for him. Loving was prone to short answers when questioned, she said, but that he would have conversations with her. "He liked survival gear-type stuff so he talked about it a lot," she said. "I never imagined that this is what it would be used for." She said Loving had a computer, video games and television in his bedroom and would sometimes order survival food, water packets and equipment or buy it on shopping trips. Coit said he talked about leaving supervised care and returning to Hawaii, where he was born. She recalled a conversation in which Loving told her about "pressure bombs" he made when he had lived in a group home operated by a different company. "Did he tell you why he did that?" Lugo said. "He said he wanted to see if he could do it," Coit said. "We talked about if those feelings ever came back to tell me so he could get help." On the day before the fire, July 22, Coit said she arrived at noon and immediately smelled an odd chemical odor in the apartment. When she questioned Loving about it, he told her it was air freshener, Coit said. After she was unable to pinpoint the odor's source she decided to leave with Loving for awhile. When they returned two hours later the odor was still there. Coit said she called her supervisor, who told her to search his room. The search turned up a can of gasoline, matches and an empty metal container of what appeared to be camping fuel, Coit said, all of which she confiscated. She did not find any of the knives or the hatchet Loving was arrested with later. She had already confiscated a blow torch Loving had bought at Menard's, a nearby store. Coit left the house at 11 p.m., when caretaker Heather Norman arrived. An hour and a half later a fire was discovered in Loving's locked bedroom. He was gone. Loving would not be reported seen again until a man waiting at McDonald's drive-through saw him walking across a field toward the restaurant, bag in hand. SHARE By Richard Gootee of the Courier and Press A Northern Vanderburgh County RV dealer announced twin contributions to 911 Gives Hope and ECHO Housing Corp Tuesday morning. The company's president said the employees of Basden's American RV wanted to help both veterans and first responders. "They said, 'let's donate to a good local cause,' " said president J.B. Strassweg. "We wanted to do something ... for the people who protect us and need our help." Strassweg said the business has been a longtime supporter of 911 Gives Hope, but this is the first time that American RV took proceeds from its Memorial Day sales and contributed to local nonprofits. He called it an honor to contribute to both causes. Both organizations received a $2,500 check on Tuesday. Stephanie TenBarge, executive director of ECHO, said the donation will go to the organization's Lucas Place II project, which is focused on assisting homeless disabled veterans, and other veteran programs. There are 27 veterans living in Lucas Place II, TenBarge said. "We are honored to be the recipient of this amount of money," she said. Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin accepted the check on behalf of 911 Gives Hope, a charity supported and run by local first responders that is dedicated to helping area children. Bolin said American RV's donation will specifically go to a smaller fund maintained by the organization to help first responders and their families during times of need. That direction was stipulated by American RV, Bolin said. "We couldn't do any of the things we do without the support of local businesses. One of the things that (American RV) has done for us for several years is that during our 911 Gives Hope toy drive, we'll use one of their RVs just to keep our volunteers warm or to just go and sit down to take a break because we're out throughout the night," he said. "Not only are they giving money (to us today), but they have supported us for quite a while." Mike Pence speaks Monday in Carson City. (Photo: Andy Barron/RGJ) SHARE By Seth A. Richardson, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal / USA TODAY Network The controversy surrounding Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps comments about fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan and his family, who appeared at the Democratic National Convention, followed vice presidential candidate and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to Carson City and Reno on Monday. Trump has questioned if Khans father, Khizr, actually wrote his speech and questioned whether his mother, Ghazala, was allowed to speak. Trump also said he made sacrifices similar to Khan. During the town hall segment at the Carson Nugget on Monday, Catherine Byrne, who said her son serves in the Air Force, asked Pence about what he thought of the comments and why he supported a candidate who often disparaged the armed forces. The crowd quickly turned on Byrne. They booed her with one man yelling, Why are you here? Capt. Khan is an American hero, Pence said. We honor him and his family. We cherish his family. Byrne appeared on MSNBC, where she said she was thankful Pence was respectful to her and that most people were supportive of her question after she sat down. "Once I sat down, nobody really came up to me and said anything hateful or hurtful to me," she said. "I got more people coming up to me saying thank you for my courage." The controversy could prove problematic if the issue sticks in a state where nearly 10 percent of the populace are veterans. Pence, whose son is a Marine, was careful to mention Khan both in Carson City and Reno calling him a hero both times but also pushed back against the media, saying they were treating Trump unfairly compared to Democrats criticism of Benghazi victim Sean Smiths mother at the Republican National Convention. Trump also backed off some of his statements Monday. Democrats pounced on Trump and Pence on the issue before both appearances. Hank Alderson, an 89-year-old Vietnam War veteran from Reno, said the Khan attack was the latest in a long list of reasons why Trump shouldnt be elected. He has neither the education nor temperament, said Alderson, a registered Democrat. He is too quick to fly off the handle. He is emotionally unstable and has exhibited it his entire life. Here are three other takeaways from Pences visit: Pence isnt the same draw as Trump Pences town hall in Carson City attracted about 400 people. His rally in Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort attracted less than that. Thats minuscule compared to Trumps rallies during the caucuses, when he drew thousands of supporters. Adding to that is Pence's relatively unknown status in Northern Nevada. What I know about Mike Pence is basically whats been broadcast since his VP pick, said Gordon Stafford, 65, of Reno. Id heard the name but I didnt really know anything about him. Pence didnt have much profile before he came into the state in the form of connections or donations. Still, people were supportive of the candidate, in part because they placed full faith in Trump. I just know that he seems to be an honorable man, said Janet Kupfer, 61, of Reno. Very trustworthy, and he seems to support Trump 100 percent in his policies and Im all for it. This is a law-and-order election Mass shootings, terrorist attacks, cop killings and just about every other security issue came up in Pences speech. Pence praised Trump and said the Republican candidate would ensure safety for Americans, provide law enforcement officers with resources and combat enemies abroad head-on. People at the Carson City event even chanted law and order at one point. Pence asserted that Trump was the only candidate who could actually get fundamental change done because he doesnt concern himself with political games. We dont need more of what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are offering the people of the United States of America. Besides the law-and-order agenda Pence was promoting, the other key factor in his speeches was rallying people against Clinton, who was the butt of several jokes and jeers. Attorney Joey Gilbert, a Trump supporter, spoke before the Reno event and called Clinton a rat. Pence mentioned her several times, saying she was corrupt, ineffective or inadequately equipped to be president. Clinton and other Democrats have been pushing back on Trump as well. At its news conference Monday, the party called Trump incompetent and dangerous for America. This trend has continued for several months and doesnt appear to be letting up any time soon. The North matters Possibly the biggest takeaway is that not only is Nevada a player in the presidential election, but the North matters very much. Pence made the trip to the Silver State less than two weeks after the end of the Republican National Convention, hitting both the more rural area of Carson City and the largest metro center in Reno. U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., introduced Pence at both stops and said the reason the Indiana governor came to the area was clear: the North can sway an election. Amodei referred to the 2012 election when U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., eked out a narrow victory against Shelley Berkeley to describe the importance of the Northern vote. Berkeley bested Heller in Clark County by more than 61,000 votes. However, Heller took every other county, including Washoe County, which he won by more than 20,000 votes. The latest polls show the race is very close between Clinton and Trump. Which way the state goes could come down to Washoe County. Jim Merritt Majority Caucus Chair State Senator District 31 (Photo: provided) SHARE By Jill Disis, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network Those who threaten or attack police officers and their families could face additional jail time under two new proposals from Indiana lawmakers. Both plans were announced after a particularly tense month for law enforcement in Indiana and around the nation. Eight police officers were killed during ambush attacks in Baton Rouge and Dallas in July; in Indianapolis, two officers have been shotand injured in recent weeks, while another cop's east-side home and parked police cruiser were fired upon more than a dozen times. "We have to instill in everybody that our public safety officers are our heroes," said Sen. Jim Merritt, an Indianapolis Republican. "It now seems as though, around our country, they are under attack." Merritt was joined Tuesday by more than half-a-dozen current and former police officers, lawmakers and other public safety officials at the Indiana Statehouse to announce his legislative proposal aimed at protecting police and their families. Some officials, like Sen. Michael Crider, a Greenfield Republican, said they've heard from law enforcement officers who don't park their marked cars in their driveways for fear of being targeted. Crider, a retired Department of Natural Resources officer, said he recently heard from a young trooper who parks his police car in a relative's garage because he does not have a garage of his own. "Folks, that's just absolutely unacceptable," Crider said. "We cannot have officers in that situation." Merritt's bill has not been written, but he said his plan would likely change the state's criminal code to enhance certain penalties when an officer is the target of violence, even if that officer is not on the clock. While some criminal charges, such as battery, allow the state to upgrade the charge to a more serious one if an on-duty officer is attacked, those charges don't include enhancements when an off-duty officer is targeted. Other charges, meanwhile, don't contain enhancements when an officer is attacked in any circumstance. Merritt cited the recent shooting of an off-duty IMPD officer's home and car. Marion County prosecutors charged the suspect in that case with criminal recklessness, a low-level felony punishable by up to six years in prison. While that man could face additional time behind bars for unlawful possession of a firearm, Merritt said his proposal would send a broader message about valuing police and making them unafraid to park their cars at home. "When you're going through a neighborhood and you see a police officer's car in the driveway, I think it really offers a security a culture of safety for that neighborhood," Merritt said. "And it's something that we need to get back to." The proposal's specifics still need to be worked out. Merritt said if the law is to be applied in particular cases, attackers also should have knowledge that their targets work in public safety. Asked if the enhancement would also require intent to harm, Merritt said lawmakers will have to iron out the language. The announcement came days after another lawmaker announced her own police protection proposal. State Rep. Wendy McNamara, a Mount Vernon Republican, told the Courier & Press on Friday that she plans to introduce legislation next year that would make it a felony to threaten a specific law enforcement agency or other emergency personnel. McNamara told IndyStar on Tuesday that her plan could make such comments punishable by prison time. She cited a recent threat made on social media against the Evansville Police Department by someone believed to be affiliated with a local gang. Right now, no law would apply in that case. "Each day, our law enforcement officers and even our first responders receive credible threats," McNamara said. "Our laws haven't necessarily kept up with the times. The instant threats on social media you can't find those anywhere in statutes." Indiana would not be the first state in recent months to consider stiffer penalties against those who target public safety officials because of their profession. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in May signed into law a "Blue Lives Matter" bill that made the state the first in the country to make violence against public safety officials a hate crime. The approaches taken by Merritt and McNamara appear to be different than what Louisiana considered. Both Indiana lawmakers announced proposals aimed at either enhancing existing criminal offenses or creating new ones, but neither distinguished such offenses as "hate crimes." Indiana is one of five states that does not have a hate crime law. "Right now, we're just focusing on police officers," Merritt said. "That's my goal today, is to close the gaps and make sure our... public safety officers are protected on a 24/7 basis." Keith Cooper was sentenced to 40 years in prison and served 9 1/2 before being released in 2006, after evidence of his innocence surfaced. (Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar 2015 file photo) SHARE By Madeline Buckley, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network Keith Cooper learned that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tapped Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate while he was watching the news on television last month. And Cooper was angry. More than 200 days have passed since a former deputy prosecutor wrote to Pence asking that he pardon Cooper, an innocent man who sat in prison for nine years. More than two years have passed since the Indiana Parole Board heard Cooper's petition for pardon. Pence has yet to formally exonerate Cooper. "He can't even do right by me," Cooper told IndyStar on Monday. "What is he going to do for all U.S. citizens?" The 49-year-old Chicago-area man was released from prison in 2006, shaving decades off his sentence after he agreed to a deal offered by prosecutors as the tide turned against his conviction. He was allowed to go free and reunite with his family. Yet his conviction for armed robbery still stood, despite mounting evidence that he was innocent. In the years since he agreed to the deal, evidence of his innocence continued to grow. IndyStar extensively detailed the discrediting of the case against Cooper in a December 2015 story. Cooper in 2014 asked the Indiana Parole Board for a pardon. The agency recommended that Pence grant it, which would dissolve the conviction on his record and affirm his innocence. The attorney who helped prosecute Cooper, former Elkhart County Deputy Prosecutor Michael A. Christofeno, in January wrote a letter to Pence urging that he pardon Cooper as he said newly uncovered evidence exonerated Cooper. But still, the conviction hangs around Cooper's neck, weighing him down. He hasn't been able to secure a promotion at work. The conviction is on his record, there to raise eyebrows each time he is pulled over for a minor traffic violation. Cooper thought the recommendations of the parole board and the former prosecutor meant that a pardon from Pence was a no-brainer and would come soon. Pence has pardoned only three people since he took office in 2013. None of the pardons was granted on the basis of innocence. A spokeswoman in the governor's office said the pardon for Cooper remains under consideration. "Literally, with a stroke of a pen, Governor Pence could make a real change in someone's life," said Elliot Slosar, Cooper's attorney. "Without a pardon being granted, (the conviction) prevents him from using his educational abilities to create a better life for his family." Cooper has worked the same forklift job since he was released from prison. Just recently, Cooper said, he was passed over for a promotion. He once was made to stand in a lineup at a Chicago police station after an officer pulled him over, saw his conviction and suspected him of a local crime, Slosar said. Now, Pence's time in office is ticking away. He dropped his re-election bid in favor of a chance at vice president. Democratic candidate John Gregg will now face Eric Holcomb, the candidate Republicans picked to replace Pence on the November ballot. Cooper is left to wonder: Must he wait for a new governor to secure his exoneration? Pence is in the national spotlight now, facing the intense scrutiny that comes with a presidential election. It's unclear how, or whether, that might affect Cooper's quest for justice. "Obviously, Governor Pence is in the middle of a national election," Slosar said. "Our hope is that he will be able to find a moment to grant Keith the justice he has been waiting for." Former IndyStar reporter Kristine Guerra contributed to this story. SHARE Jacqueline Jordan Evansville Khizr Khan, an American Muslim, was asked to be a Guest Speaker at the Democrat National Convention in July. He was obviously a "plant," vetted by the Democrat planners of the convention program, who were undoubtedly pleased by his performance. In fact, Khan probably exceeded their expectations by performing a surprise stunt, producing a copy of the United States Constitution from his pocket and waving it around while questioning Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, as to whether he had even read it. He embellished his criticism of Trump in the days following the DNC Convention, hurling personal insults at him. Khan's issue with Trump seemed to stem from Trump calling for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration. Trump's plan is essential to our national security, suspending immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism and threats against the United States. Trump has recommended that the ban could be lifted when our nation is able to properly screen/vet people entering our country. I would think that Mr. Kahn, having lost a son in battle, in Iraq, would be in favor of protecting our country from possible radical Islamic terrorists/Jihadists who might try to enter the U.S. under pretense, and cause heartfelt grief to many other innocent families, like yours. News / Regional by Staff reporter MTHWAKAZI Liberation Front (MLF) on Friday wrote to South African Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini, seeking protection of thousands of people from Matabeleland, who fled Zanu PF brutality and sought refuge in the neighbouring country since the Gukurahundi era to the recent wave of political disturbances.MLF acting president, Mpiyezwe Churchill Guduza, secretary-general, Andrea Sibanda and international relations secretary, Chrispen Nyoni asked for formal protection from King Zwelithini for the Mthwakazi citizens." . . . the brief protection of the people of Mthwakazi, which we obediently seek from our great king, is subsequently addressed within the context of the following treatise and submission," the letter reads."The scope of it being, that within the borders of present day Zimbabwe, we have two States, which were forcibly incorporated by the former colonial power, Britain in 1923, without the consent of the people of Mthwakazi. We request for an official appointment with Your Majesty at your convenience."The leaders said they wanted to tell King Zwelithini of the chaotic developments in Zimbabwe and brief him on their reasons for pushing for a separate State in Zimbabwe.MLF leaders said the Mthwakazi people were originally from Zululand, hence, their decision to engage the Zulu King."Mthwakazians were in the current geographical location, as a result of the leadership and direction of the Zulu King Shaka KaSenzangakhona and the Zulu general, Mzilikazi kaMatshobane, who singularly built the nation of Mthwakazi."Conscious of the fact that as the Ndebele/Zulu people that are only separated by mere geographical location, we still regard ourselves as the subjects of the mighty Zulu kingdom. It is in this brief that, as Mthwakazi peoples, we highlight that we have endured so much suffering that a failure to meet His Majesty, the King, may mean meeting him after the Mthwakazi people would have involved themselves in the chaotic situation that is ensuing and developing in present day Zimbabwe."This maybe be done in self-defence and or parrying a repeat of what happened in the past, where a crack battalion was unleashed on the innocent people, who were butchered in what is known as the Gukurahundi genocide." Children tortured in detention Brutal system exposed The image is now seared into the public consciousness. A boy in detention in the Northern Territory strapped into a chair, his head covered by a hood also tethered to the grim, purpose-built device. The distressing scene was one of many shown on the ABC TVs Four Corners program, Australias Shame, (25-07-2016) which dealt with the issue of the brutalisation of Aboriginal children in NT prisons, the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in this instance. Part of the rally held at Town Hall Sydney on Saturday. (Photo: Tom Pearson) The revelations have left the future of NT Chief Minister Adam Giles and his whole government hanging by a thread as calls go out for their immediate sacking. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quickly assessed the level of public outrage and responded with the announcement of a Royal Commission, presumably to get to the bottom of the scandal and punish those responsible. The quickly formulated move has not stemmed public anger. Over the weekend, large protests took place around the country at the shameful situation in the NT and the attempt to contain the fallout. An open secret Theres little doubt the terrifying regime in place at Don Dale would have continued unchanged if not for the Four Corners program. It is a troubling thought that it is left to the national broadcaster to lift the lid on this type of scandal and that, over the years, it has suffered swingeing cuts, harmful political board appointments and constant attack from government heavyweights in return. It transpires that a government agency referred practices at the Don Dale centre to the NT Police in 2015. The claim that boys were encouraged to fight one another in return for a can of coke and a chocolate per week and to eat bird faeces are still under investigation. Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, NT Senator Nigel Scullion, said he could recall vaguely some media reporting about abuse in October last year but that it hadnt, as he put it, piqued my interest sufficiently. The NT government is defending itself hard against the boys depicted in the scenes in which they were gassed, stripped naked, struck, sworn at, and held in prolonged solitary confinement. It dismisses claims that the treatment violates United Nations Conventions against Torture and insists all the methods used, including the restraining chair and hood, were legal. Its initial response to the lawsuits brought by six detainees was to lodge counter-claims. These have been withdrawn, also a result of the massive public outrage, but Adam Giles, now acting in the Corrections portfolio, insists the government will defend itself in court and resist any financial settlement. Past failures The PM and sections of the media have feigned shock at what goes on behind closed doors in prisons and police watch houses across the country. Australian authorities have an attitude problem, a privileged class and race bias when it comes to questions of crime and punishment. Many still hold the medieval point of view that prisoners are detained not as punishment but for punishment. If a prisoners human rights are violated, and even outrageously violated, the response is well, they shouldnt have broken the law and got themselves into that situation. The attitude is many times worse when it comes to Aboriginal prisoners. Institutional racism against the first Australians has led to dispossession, marginalisation and impoverishment. The young victims end up in the hands of the justice system. The failure of this system has been a national embarrassment for a very long time. It has been examined in Royal Commissions including the one into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which reported in 1991. Twenty-five years later, incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians are higher than at the time of the report. Australia-wide the rate is 15 times higher than for non-Indigenous people. In WA, the rate is closer to 20 times. There have been over 340 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission. Only a small proportion of the Royal Commissions 339 recommendations were implemented. Among those that were endorsed by every state and territory was number 161 that said that police and prison officials should seek medical attention immediately if doubt arises as to a detainees condition. This recommendation became law but it has been ignored on many occasions with deadly consequences. The publics scepticism about the proposed Royal Commission is perfectly understandable. The insistence that it be limited to conditions in the Northern Territory flies in the face of the universally acknowledged, nation-wide crisis surrounding Aboriginal men and women in detention. The terms of reference are too restricted. The choice of former NT Chief Justice Brian Ross Martin to preside over the commission soon came home to roost. It left many Aboriginal leaders incensed. Justice Martin has now resigned stating, Notwithstanding the nature of the commentary, it has become apparent that, rightly or wrongly, in this role I would not have the full confidence of sections of the Indigenous community which has a vital interest in this inquiry, he told media in Canberra. As the Guardian went to press Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda and former Queensland Supreme Court justice Margaret White were appointed to replace Martin. Needed: more than a Royal Commission There must be a thorough investigation into the incidents and the administrative culture at the Don Dale centre and into the whole juvenile justice and child protection system in the Northern Territory. But even if the Royal Commission were to have two additional, Aboriginal co-commissioners, as called for by newly-elected ALP Senator Pat Dodson, and even if its scope were extended to the whole of Australia, deep and lasting change would not be likely outcomes. Recommendation 339 from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was to initiate a formal process of reconciliation between Aboriginal people and the wider community. That led to the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and a number of official and community-driven initiatives. In spite of this, as indicated above, the figures on incarceration and detention are worsening. The 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody called on governments to legislate for the utilisation of imprisonment as a last resort. In line with this, it recommended community orders, personal development courses which might provide the offender with skills, knowledge, interests, treatment or counselling likely to reduce the risk of re-offending. (Recs 92, 94) In the case of discrete or remote communities, sentencing authorities consult with Aboriginal communities and organisations as to the general range of sentences which the community considers appropriate for offences committed within the communities by members of those communities (Rec 124) Importantly, it called on governments to ensure that: a. Police Services, Corrective Services, and authorities in charge of juvenile centres recognise that they owe a legal duty of care to persons in their custody; b. That the standing instructions to the officers of these authorities specify that each officer involved in the arrest, incarceration or supervision of a person in custody has a legal duty of care to that person, and may be held legally responsible for the death or injury of the person caused or contributed to by a breach of that duty; and c. That these authorities ensure that such officers are aware of their responsibilities and trained appropriately to meet them, both on recruitment and during their service. (Rec 122) These and many other critical recommendations have not been implemented. The political climate has deteriorated with the economic conditions, and social problems have been met with solutions such as mandatory detention and three strikes and youre in. Aboriginal communities have been closed or threatened with closure. Aboriginal services have been de-funded and mainstreamed. The Intervention in the NT has done untold damage to communities. Despite the current, momentary hand-wringing, intolerance of all sorts is being fuelled in the corridors of power. Even the proposed referendum on the recognition of the prior occupation of Australia carries with it the danger of a blow to any hope of genuine land rights. Abuse is not the inevitable policy of our justice system, it is an indictment on our nation. It is a shameful indictment on our nation as a whole, opposition leader Bill Shorten told the media while attending the Garma festival in north-east Arnhem Land over the weekend. Unfortunately, abuse is the inevitable result of the social and economic system derived from colonialism the capitalist system of exploitation and all its attendant ills of division, subjugation and violence. The implementation of limited changes flowing from a thorough-going investigation into the questions raised during the Four Corners program will have to be fought for and watched over by progressive Australians. Lasting change around the just demands of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is bound up with the struggle for a government of a new and radically different type in Australia. Opinion / Columnist Sometimes it is difficult to understand whether Zanu-PF leaders live here on earth or they choose to ignore everything and just make sure that their body guards protect them while they send armed ones to arrest, kidnap, torture, threaten and intimidate the rest of the population. This is atrocious and indeed provocative to all Zimbabweans. The Zanu-PF deputy leader and Vice President Mphoko insults the democracy loving people of Bulawayo because they are probably refusing to be excited by his partisan distribution of chicks that he is getting from Peter Cunningham a farmer reportedly tormented and psychologically maimed by Zanu-PF.There are some questions to ask. Is Peter Cunningham very happy that he is giving those chicks to Zanu-PF supporters only as the situation is in Bulawayo? On his farm he had people from the community and not political activists. In Bulawayo recipients of the chicks are mobilized on a Zanu-PF ticket. This is one of the many bribes that are taking place. Zanu-PF is not doing this vote buying from Cunningham's chicks only. They are giving urban residential stands to their supporters country wide. They are distributing maize meal to their supporters only in the Western suburbs of Bulawayo.While Zapu cannot talk a lot on behalf of Peter Cunningham it is known that the man is just a community loving farmer who has been trying to live with the people. The people who have benefited from the projects are the ones who have judged him so, hence, Zapu joined other parties and organisations to protest against the unjustifiable and all logic defeating seizure of his farm. When Mr. Mphoko intervened little did the people know that he wanted to use the project for his own party. Ironically it is the other faction of his party that was calling for the seizure. Don't the people of Matopo feel hoodwinked by this false gesture of good intervention by Mr. Mphoko?It is now clear that Mr Peter Cunningham's spirit of sharing what one has with his fellow citizens has earned the people of Matopo and Bulawayo endless insults. A senior Zanu-PF leader who is the Provincial Governor insulted the people saying that they are rendering themselves slaves to Cunningham by opposing that the farm be given to one individual. Now distributing what he has acquired from the same farmer Mr. Mphoko insults the people of Bulawayo. Other press reports say he called us "political prostitutes". The struggling masses of the high density suburbs are humiliated every day by Zanu-PF supporters who move from door to door mobilising themselves to receive the chicks excluding those who are not members of the party.Now that Mr. Peter Cunningham's chicks must be distributed everywhere in the whole country is he going to produce enough and still go on with his initial projects? This is not different from what Mr. A Ncube the Provincial Governor wants which is: the destruction of the whole project.Where on earth has one ever seen development that is based on loyalty to party politics, worse still to factional party politics? The majority of Zimbabweans reject these political bribes. There will never be enough chicks for everyone, there can never be enough stands to give to everyone, there isn't just enough maize to feed the nation and people will find other means of survival without the maize meal handouts received after being politically purchased. The majority will not benefit and they will not simply vote for Zanu-PF.----------------Mkhululi Zulu Editorial The struggle against racism and oppression The Royal Commission into the Northern Territory Juvenile Detention System announced by Malcolm Turnbull last Thursday was condemned as a sham. Since the details of the Royal Commission were released there has been widespread community condemnation of the lack of involvement of Indigenous organisations in the process and its narrow parameters. The federal government and the NT government are being driven by the fear of political fallout internationally and nationally and by their total commitment to maintaining the system which has bred and fed the racist and abhorrent conditions shown on the ABCs Four Corners program. The federal government is clearly hoping it can cut off growing community outrage without addressing the long- term systemic abuse of Aboriginal youth. Damage control is the agenda and not justice and real change for Indigenous youth. The situation of Indigenous people in Australia today is reflected in increasingly horrific statistics and data on incarceration rates, spiralling youth suicide rates, educational and health gaps, the ongoing removal of Aboriginal kids from their families and communities in epidemic numbers, the attacks on land rights and closure of remote communities. Aboriginal people make up just 3 percent of the Australian population yet make up 28 percent of total prison inmates. Previous Reports and Royal Commissions, including the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Little Children Are Sacred Report, have recommended that any change must have at its centre the full involvement of Aboriginal people, communities and organisations. Successive governments, both liberal coalitions and labour, have ignored and actively opposed this involvement. The Northern Territory Intervention is only one shameful example, but one which has wrought devastating outcomes for Indigenous people and communities in the Territory. The NT intervention was introduced by PM Howard in 2007 and based on lies about the prevalence of child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities. It demonised Aboriginal men in order to justify another land grab. Communities desperate for decent housing were forced to sign long term leases of their land to government in exchange for housing. The housing has failed to eventuate. The Intervention was renamed and continued by the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments despite overwhelming evidence it undermined communities and worsened outcomes across every domain for Aboriginal children and communities. The only beneficiaries have been large mining companies who have increased access to the rich mineral resources of the NT. Since the invasion and colonisation of Australia by the British monarchy and ruling class and the imposition of capitalism on the Indigenous population, Aboriginal people and their culture have been under relentless attack. Generations of Aboriginal people have been subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment of genocidal proportions. Driven by the ceaseless drive for more profits the capitalist system has nothing to offer Indigenous Australia except as we are seeing with the recently announced Royal Commission: more of the same. The active struggle of Indigenous people against racism and oppression, against paternalism and the denial of their historic rights is a powerful push against capitalist ideology and sets an example for others to stand up and challenge the class system. Steps towards socialism will be made as the Indigenous struggles are linked up with other socialist minded sections of the non-indigenous population, particularly within the working class and other sections of society exploited and disadvantaged by capitalism. Proposed nuclear waste dump On July 29, members of the CPA protested outside of the South Australian governments first information session regarding the nuclear waste dump proposed for the state. Protestors wore shirts that read NO DUMP and were joined by other anti-nuclear activists. The SA government invited the public to talk nuclear over coffee and get the facts. It contends that issues regarding radiation, transportation of nuclear waste, and the environment are of little or no concern. It argues that there will even been significant financial benefits for South Australia. Premier Jay Weatherill also ruled out the possibility of a referendum as was suggested by Senator Nick Xenophon. CPA General-Secretary Bob Briton spoke to media outlets, explaining that he was not convinced about the safety of the dump nor the financial viability. He suggests that investments in renewable energy infrastructure and green jobs would be more beneficial to the state. Open letter re youth detention Dear Prime Minister, The Australian union movement welcomes todays announcement of a Royal Commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory. However, having considered the proposed terms of reference, it is clear that more must be done in order to ensure that this is not another redundant report that fails to bring about lasting change. The confinement of the proposed Royal Commission to only the Northern Territory, the involvement of the Territory government and the development of the Terms of Reference within Cabinet with the exclusion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and its leaders is unacceptable. The Royal Commission must be guided by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community with a national remit. A Commission should also consider the recommendations from a number of existing reports on this issue which have been ignored by Territory and federal governments. On these points, the union movement is proud to echo the demands of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda and Shane Duffy, the chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and co-chair of Change the Record. We have seen Royal Commissions including the Aboriginal Deaths In Custody (1991) Commission, and reports such as Little Children are Sacred (2007), fail to change the way the white Australian justice deals with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Previous reports have served to paper over what has now been revealed to the world as a national disgrace. This Royal Commission must do more to end, and not simply conceal, the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in detention. The proposed Royal Commission must be different from what has come before, and cannot be the only action taken to address the systemic issue of mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and children in custody. In relation to the magnitude and appalling nature of the incident at Don Dale, it is also right for the federal government to consider the position of the federal Indigenous Affairs Minister and the entire Northern Territory government. These elected officials have failed in their duty of care to their constituents. It is right to say that the country has completely lost its trust in these representatives. In scoping a Royal Commission, there must also be structural change to ensure greater levels of consultation are prioritised with the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander community. This should include the government keeping its election commitment to establish an Independent Custodial Inspector, a measure that has been called for by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services repeatedly, to no avail. Finally, this Royal Commission must lead to decisive action to address the myriad of other crises in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Youth suicide is at crisis levels, imprisonment rates continue to climb and community services have been systematically defunded. Policies such as the Community Development Program, whose discriminatory nature harks back to even darker periods of race relations in this country, must be addressed. I call on you to demonstrate the intention to govern for all Australians by taking the radical but necessary steps to address the issues exposed this week, and the myriad of other crises that remain hidden. Yours sincerely, Dave Oliver Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions Rush to whitewash It is an indication of the cruel dysfunction and collusion at state and federal level of government that the perpetrators of the NT child abuse and torture of juveniles, the NT government, will be involved in the design and administration of the royal commission to investigate it. Perhaps the churches should have designed and administrated the royal commission into their institutions sexual abuse of children in their care? CPA members attending the rally in Sydney on Saturday. (Photo: Tom Pearson) The abuse and torture of juvenile inmates at Darwins Don Dale detention centre has rightly outraged many people and exposed Australia to the world as a violator of human rights. The 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody emphasised that prison should be a measure of last resort if the vicious cycle of criminalisation and imprisonment is to be addressed. More than 28 percent of total prison inmates in Australia are Aboriginal even though they represent only three percent of the population. One in three women prisoners and more than 50 percent of juveniles in detention are Aboriginal. In the Northern Territory 96 percent of juveniles in detention are Aboriginal. According to Ruth Barson, the director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, the NT is without a doubt in breach of its human rights obligations under the Convention against Torture and Mistreatment and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ms Barson says the NT youth justice system is substandard, the main youth detention facility being a decommissioned adult prison. The NT system does not meet basic, minimum international standards and nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples over-imprisonment is at crisis point. Critically, says Ms Barson, the NT government cannot be immune from the commissions investigation. It has known about this treatment for years. The Turnbull governments swift call for a royal commission, with narrow terms of reference and restricted to the NT, smacks of what it is, an attempt at a whitewash, made all the more evident by the appointment of former NT chief justice Ross Martin as the royal commissioner. This is a reflection of both the federal and territory government in damage control to minimise the political fallout. This is a national issue that requires a national approach. Indigenous organisations, including the Northern and Central Land Councils, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT and legal groups, have rejected Martins appointment. Medical Services Alliance chief executive John Paterson stated that the Prime Minister had let Territorians down and undermined the royal commission. The current criminal justice system sucks Indigenous people up and deposits them like waste in custodial institutions. The incarceration rates allow the abuse and deaths in detention to happen and continue. Clearly the NT government, from Chief Minister Adam Giles down, are lying about their knowledge and complicity in the abuse. As a first measure they should be made to resign. Tom Pearson Esteban Gutierrez says he has resolved his dispute with Lewis Hamilton from the Hungarian Grand Prix after the pair clashed when Hamilton blasted the Mexican for not obeying blue flag sufficiently. At the Hungaroring Hamilton gesticulated at Gutierrez when he attempted to lap the Haas driver while leading the race, with the Mexican retorting post-race by calling the world champion 'disrespectful'. Gutierrez says the pair spoke about the incident in Germany and agreed a resolution with each apologising for their initial reaction. "We resolved that, definitely, and he was happy with my explanation," Gutierrez said. "He also offered an apology, and I explained as well in that case. "I have never been penalised for that [blue flags]. In fact, very often I've been told by the team I'm too easy, so I said okay, that I would try to do my best. Obviously you want to lose the least amount of time possible, it's part of the race. You are fighting and doing your best. "I was on super-soft tyres at that moment, he was catching me very slowly, and when I saw he was one second behind, or something like that, I really backed off and let him by in Turn 2." Despite resolving one conflict, Gutierrez has found himself in a similar situation with Daniel Ricciardo at Hockenheim after the Australian sarcastically commented on the team radio during the race that the Mexican was 'one of his favourites' as he attempted to pass. After the race Gutierrez, who was surprised by the criticism says he will aim to 'make things better'. "I did my best. It was not my intention to block or anything," he said. "If he is not comfortable with it, I will try to speak to him and make things better. It's not my intention to do anything bad to anyone. I will speak to him." PLAY: Which F1 driver are you? Gutierrez is currently in action as part of the first Pirelli 2017 tyre test with Ferrari at Fiorano, after taking over from Sebastian Vettel on Tuesday. Sussex News Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Opinion / Columnist When Charles Robert Darwin, an English naturalist and geologist, published his book On the Origin of Species in 1859 - a little over 150 years ago - proposing his theory of evolution with compelling evidence, he could not have insult more of his generation even if he had spit in their mouth! The most offending notion in his whole book was than mankind evolved from an ape like creature and that the champ is our cousin! This flew right in the face of all accepted school of thought of the God, world and mankind's place in it."Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1: 26.This Charles Darwin fellow was discounting the mankind's position as the one creature made in God's own image and given dominion over everything else. Worst of all, the fellow was discounting the very existence of God Himself as all living things, according to his theory, evolved from simple, single celled organism over billions of years; making a complete mockery of all the "Let there be light, and there was light!" bull.It was painful enough to be dethroned as one made in God's own image but to be given a champ as a long lost cousin was an insult many could simple not endure; their egos would simple not allow that! Damn the "compelling evidence"!Thank God (many who believe in evolution still find room for God and religion - Genesis' account of creation is a religious synopsis pregnant with symbolism and not a scientific theory backed by hard evidence) reason prevail, compelling evidence cannot be discounted on the basis of perceived egos but only by the production of compelling evidence to the contrary.Further research has shown that the human genome, the DNA, the coded genetic recipe defining each and everything alive or has ever lived, is 99% identical to the genome of the chimpanzees and bonobos making them mankind's closest relative in the tree of life. The gorilla's DNA is 98% identical to our own.Have a chimp for a close cousin has not stop us excelling in every sphere of intellectual endeavor. We are light years ahead of the chimp if chimp is a day ahead of the gorilla and confirming Genesis' assertion of man having dominion over all living things.Whilst there is nothing in the human genome to differentiate the intellectual ability of one human from another or the basis of race, gender, religion, etc. Still some nations or tribe within a nation have certainly performed better than others so within nations and tribes some have assumed dominion over others. The dominance of one nation or tribe over the other has not been a permanent fixture like that on mankind over other living things but has it peaks and troughs with the passage of time just as there are hills and valleys with the passage of distance.When Zimbabwe attained her independence in 1980, after nearly a hundred years of white colonial exploitation and oppression many thought the country was set for great things; freedom, justice, peace and economic prosperity. 36 years later, only Mugabe, his cronies and his apologist and their families would deny the economic reality that the country is in a real mess. There is compelling evidence that the root cause of the economic mess is the decades of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption which has result in the criminal waste of the country's human and material resources.Mugabe and his cronies are like hyenas that grow fat on carrion of the drought victims, except that they are the ones who have drought on this economic ruin on the nation and they have grown filthy rich from the mismanagement and wholesale looting. But with unemployment a nauseating 90% plus, with the country's health and education services all but collapsed, chronic power and water shortages, 76% of the population now living in abject poverty, etc. even Mugabe and his cronies cannot deny the country is in a mess. This is not where the people expected to be back in 1980!Sadly Zimbabwe has become the basket case of the white supremacists who resisted the ending of white colonial rule in Africa on the grounds that "blacks were inherently incapable of selfgovernment!"There is compelling evidence to prove that Zimbabwe has suffered from the ill effects of corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regimes. Yes the misrule has been a complete disaster for the nation. How we react to this grim reality of 36 years of failed governance will decide whether we continue to sink or come up for air.We can bury our heads in the sand, which is what Mugabe and his cronies are forcing us to do, and continue we have not put one foot wrong these last 36 years and all our economic problems are because of the sanctions imposed by the West, drought, etc. We will continue to sink into the abyss!Or we can admit we have let ourselves down as a nation; we should have never allowed Mugabe and his cronies 36 long years to drag the nation this deep into the abyss. Whatever else they may claim to be, the bottom line is that they are mere mortals and it is in the power of another mortal to refuse to be led by the nose like a bull.Throughout the 36 years, we have had many opportunities to end Mugabe's corrupt and tyrannical rule with the best opportunity being during the GNU when all we had to do is insist on the implementation of the democratic reforms agree in the 2008 GPA. Not even one reform was implemented and we lost that chance.The country's worsening economic crisis is forcing Mugabe and his cronies to acknowledge the reality of the economic meltdown, Mugabe and his cronies are engaged in a dogeatdog fight over the fast dwindling wealth. Like it or not they know the present system is unsustainable although they a loathed to accept the change must include far reaching political reform. It is for us to make sure there are far reaching political reforms; we implement all the 2008 democratic reforms.As a black person accepting that our leaders, Mugabe and his cronies, are corrupt and incompetent has been comparable to mankind at Charles Darwin's time accepting mankind is not special, he not made by God in His own image. There is compelling evidence that Mugabe and his cronies are corrupt and incompetent, we need to accept this reality, implement the democratic reforms design to end Mugabe's noregimechange mantra and set the nation free of his corrupt and tyrannical rule that has brought nothing but misery and ruin!Mankind's genius over our nearest cousin the chimp was in accepting Charles Darwin's compelling evidence that we evolved from a simple single celled organism just like every other living organism and move on and be the ape that has reached for the stars and beyond. Similarly Zimbabweans' genius would be to accept black leaders can be corrupt and incompetent, learn from Mugabe's corrupt and tyrannical misrule, and build a healthy and functional democracy and put the nation on the map as a free and prosperous nation. Cloud News HPE: Cloud And Storage Chiefs Leave, America's Sales Chief On The Way Out, Cloud Business Reorganized Joseph F. Kovar Share this HPE's Antonio Neri Hewlett Packard Enterprise is replacing several key product and sales executives and reorganizing its cloud business in the wake of the decision to spin off its Enterprise Services business and merge it with CSC. The changes also come after HPE's June restructuring of its sales and marketing operations. Antonio Neri, executive vice president and general manager of the HPE Enterprise Group, wrote in a Tuesday blog post that his group is making a number of promised changes to help it strengthen its organization and be better prepared to win in markets where it competes. [Related: Partners Cheer HPE Sales And Marketing Restructuring; Two Top Execs To Step Aside] Neri wrote that several HPE executives have left or will be leaving the company. This follows the June news that CTO Martin Fink and Chief Customer Officer John Hinshaw plan to leave HPE by year-end. Manish Goel, senior vice president and general manager of HP storage, has decided to leave HPE to "pursue other opportunities," Neri wrote. Goel will be replaced by Bill Philbin, a six-year Hewlett-Packard veteran who until this month served as HPE's vice president of data protection, data retention, and software-defined storage. Goel had been a long-term storage exec at NetApp before leaving that company in late 2013 to join big data analytics company Guavus. Goel joined Hewlett-Packard, which split into today's HPE and HP Inc., in March of 2015. Philbin spent nearly three years in software development at IBM before moving to NetApp in late 2006, where he spent four years managing that company's core storage systems. He left NetApp to join HP in 2010. Neri also wrote that HPE, which he said is seeing strong momentum across its Helion Cloud service portfolio, is reorganizing that business to move its Helion OpenStack and Helion CloudSystem teams to HPE's Enterprise Group to be part of the newly-created Software-Defined and Cloud Group. "By bringing these assets together, we create a single organization tasked with a common mission to provide best-in-class solutions that enable developers and operators to deploy their applications across traditional and cloud infrastructures, simply and effortlessly," Neri wrote. The reorganization will result in Bill Hilf, senior vice president and general manager for the HPE cloud business, leaving the company. Hilf left Microsoft, where he was general manager for Windows Azure product management, in mid-2013 to join Hewlett-Packard where he has served as a top cloud business executive. HPE has called on Mark Interrante to head the Software-Defined and Cloud Group, Neri wrote. Interrante, currently a senior vice president of engineering at HPE, joined the company two years ago after several years at Rackspace and Yahoo Media. HPE is also making a major executive change in its sales team in the wake of the June Enterprise Group reorganization. Robert Vrij, managing director of Americas sales, will leave the company by year-end, at which point Jim Merritt, who currently leads HPE's Asia-Pacific and Japan sales, will take over, Neri wrote. An HPE spokesperson told CRN via email that the company would not provide additional information about the changes beyond Neri's blog post. Chris Case, president of Sequel Data Systems, an Austin, Tex.-based solution provider and HPE channel partner, told CRN that he does not expect any immediate impacts to his company's business from the changes Neri outlined. "Our HPE business has been growing like crazy," Case said. "HPE had a number of layoffs recently, but we really didn't notice it. From the partner standpoint, everything seems fine with HPE." Case would like to see HPE use the change in storage leadership to develop new NAS solutions as a way to better compete with HPE rival NetApp. "NAS is the biggest weakness at HPE," he said. "HPE can front a 3PAR solution with a Windows Storage Server for NAS. But there's no true native NAS solution from the company. HP had its Ibrix line, but it didn't sell. And HPE has a solution based on Scality, but that's more focused on object storage." Networking News VMware CTO Wolf: Get Ready For New VMware NSX-Cisco Integration Steven Burke Share this VMware Vice President and CTO Chris Wolf Tuesday told about 150 IT leaders to expect more integration between VMware's NSX platform and Cisco in the future. "We have had very good talks with Cisco, I do expect that we'll be able to share some things publically in the not too distant future regarding those conversations," said Wolf when asked what IT executives can expect with regard to VMware NSX -Cisco integration in the future. "Cisco is an awesome hardware vendor. They have been a great partner of VMware for a very long time We are going to be able to do some very good integration with Cisco, as we have done with many of our other partners." Wolf's comments came at a keynote address at cloud computing solution provider superstar GreenPages' 2016 Cloudscape Summit conference at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, N.H. [Cisco Live 2016: The 10 Most Impactful Announcements You Need To Know] GreenPages CTO Chris Ward, for his part, said he expects the VMware-Cisco integration efforts to show up first in Cisco's FirePower next-generation security appliances. "What I think you are going to see is Cisco FirePower being integrated similar to how Palo Alto Networks has their stack integrated," said Ward. "You may see other integrations on the Cisco front as well maybe even controller integration with NSX. But the first thing I think you will see will be on the security side." The Cisco FirePower integration would provide Cisco with muscle to compete more aggressively with Palo Alto Networks which has had NSX integrated with its platform for the last several years, providing customers with the ability to implement automated security policies. Wolf's comments on the thawing in the software-defined networking (SDN) battle between VMware and Cisco come just two weeks after the CTO of Cisco's cloud services and platform unit, Zorawar Biri Singh, told Cisco Live attendees that customers want tighter integration between Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and VMwares NSX technologies. He also hinted at an official SDN collaboration between the vendors. "There's a set of feature requests that our customers are asking for and the common theme has been, 'We want to see VMware and Cisco work together closely,'" Singh said in a Q&A session at the Cisco Live Conference in Las Vegas. "I think we've been doing that and customers have actually been recognizing that piece. So the work continues I feel very optimistic that we have a pretty good roadmap with our friends at VMware." The stronger ties between VMware and Cisco come as NSX is gaining momentum. VMware now has 1,700 customers that have deployed NSX and recently announced new pricing and packaging that provides "very low cost entry points," said Wolf. Wolf conceded that there was "friction at the beginning" of the VMware NSX SDN offensive several years ago, but stressed that the conversation should never be an "us or them" paradigm. "I think you'll continue to see good momentum there with Cisco and others. Hopefully you are even seeing that in the field there is not that adversarial tone with the vendors," Wolf said. "We have customers today that are using [Cisco] ACI for Cisco Fabric management and then they are laying NSX on top of it. So it doesnt have to be one or the other." VMware is mounting an all-out charge to provide a software-defined control plane for a multi-cloud world with a software-defined management platform that secures devices, apps and infrastructure across on-premise data centers, public clouds, managed clouds and next-generation platforms like Docker and Cloud Foundry. VMware has even worked with hypervisor rival Microsoft around the Azure public cloud to drive forward with the open virtual networking standard to make sure "the SDN investments" that customers make are "portable," said Wolf. Furthermore, VMware is investing in Open vSwitch, a network automation platform, which is supported by Microsoft. "That is allowing us to expand NSX capabilities into [Microsoft] HyperV, Docker and lots of other technologies," said Wolf. "We are doing the same level of network virtualization that Google would do, but the difference in our approach is that we are multi-cloud and we are multi-data center," said Wolf. Ultimately, Wolf believes NSX will drive more network consumption for Cisco and other network hardware vendors. "When you make it easier to consume the network and easier to move resources around the network, all of a sudden you need more network capacity. That benefits the hardware vendors, and Cisco makes great network hardware," he said. GreenPages CEO Ron Dupler said GreenPages is seeing double-digit sales growth with VMware overall and growing interest and momentum around NSX. "We are having a huge year with VMware," he said. "We have a number of customers using VMware as the underlying basis for their transformation -- enabling digital transformation by creating automation for their internal IT service platform and then implementing a control plane for multi-cloud." Dupler said VMware is the leader in enabling legacy IT to transform in a multi-cloud world. "They are taking legacy infrastructure and turning it on its head by creating a new software-defined platform and control plane that the new application and container technologies can plug into through open APIs," he said. Dupler said the VMware NSX-Cisco collaboration has been driven by customer demand along with the leadership of new Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. "The leadership change at Cisco and the cultural change has been really helpful in having these two companies have a much more sane approach in terms of working together," he said. "VMware and Cisco are both really important strategic partners for the channel. The fact that they were at war was bad. The two of them coming together is good news for all of us. Ultimately at the end of the day it is not about GreenPages, Cisco or VMware. It is about the customer and delivering value." Security Solution Overload The security industry turned out in force to Las Vegas this week to attend the annual Black Hat Conference. Vendors used the opportunity to showcase their latest and greatest technology releases. Those releases included new updates for threat detection, product integrations, security services, threat intelligence and much more. Vendors said the new solutions will help customers step up their game against attackers and cope with new threat vectors, many of which were presented by hackers at the show. Take a look at 16 solutions that were launched at the show this week. San Giorgio del Porto and Costa Crociere have signed an agreement for the "development of a world-class center for ship repair and conversion," according to a statement. Costa has thus taken a 33.3 percent share in the Chantier Naval de Marseille company based in Marseille and controlled by the Genoese San Giorgio del Porto. "The agreement between San Giorgio del Porto and Costa Crociere for the strengthening of Chantier Naval de Marseille calls for an initial investment of 10 million Euros aimed at increasing the efficiency of the shipyard with the best available technologies," said Costa. "The investment will generate volumes and a scale that will allow the entire shipping industry to take advantage of the facilities for any type of vessel and maximize the potential of the basin n.10 able to accommodate big ships. The investment will also create a positive impact in terms of direct and indirect employment." "The Italian ship repair industry is an excellence that San Giorgio del Porto has also exported to Marseilles, where the infrastructural features of the port allow for a business expansion to new market segments. With the establishment of Chantier Naval de Marseille in recent years, we have laid the foundation to create a center that specializes in ship transformation and repair. The new partnership with a major player such as Costa Crociere strengthens this project and enablesthe creation of a truly world-class ship repair and conversion pole, aglobal point of reference open to all ship-owners and all market segments," said Ferdinando Garre, San Giorgio del Porto CEO. Costa Group is the leader in the European market and is pursuing a strategy based on innovation to be the forward-thinking company of the industry. This strategic partnership, the very first of this kind for the Costa Group, represents a milestone for our future operations and will ensure best in classmanagement of all the necessary maintenance activities on our ships, including the next generation ships that we will receive in the next few years.I am sure that this partnership will bring a great added-value to both Companies and new opportunities to build an innovative and efficient shipyard," stated Michael Thamm, Costa Crociere CEO. Chantier Naval de Marseille operates three dry docks, including dockn.10, the biggest graving dock in the Mediterranean seawith dimensions of 465 by 85 meters. Royal Caribbean Cruises reported net income of $229.9 million, or $1.06 per share, on revenues of $2.1 billion for the second quarter of 2016, compared to net income of $184.9 million, or $0.84 per share, on revenues of $2.0 billion last year. The increase in net income was driven largely by reduced fuel costs and so-called other income. Royal also reduced its full-year guidance to a midpoint of $6.05, a $0.20 decrease from its previous guidance. The company cited the negative impact of rising fuel prices and the weakness of the British pound. The gross revenue per passenger day for Q2 was $210.94 compared to $217.46 last year. Gross ticket revenue per day was $151.95, compared to $159.26 last year, while onboard revenue was $58.99, compared to $58.20. The increase in onboard revenue was said to be driven by beverage and internet packages. Net revenue per passenger day was $163.77 in Q2 this year, compared to $175.37 last year. The net ticket revenue per passenger day this year was $118,43, compared to $127.29 last year, and the net onboard revenue was $45.34 this year, compared to $48.08 last year. Richard Fain, CEO and chairman, said that the companys brands were doing well in North America, Northern Europe and the Western Mediterranean, with 60 percent of its capacity, but experiencing softness in the Eastern Mediterranean and China. Softness in China is being driven by huge capacity growth rather than faltering demand, said Fain. Fain compared the Chinese market to the evolution of the North American market. He said that absorbing a doubling of capacity in one year with only modest price softening was a sign of market strength. He added that China, with 9 percent of the companys passenger capacity, continues to generate yields that are above average. The company also noted softness in the close-in booking market for Shanghai-based sailings, not mentioning the chartering sales model. Furthermore, he said the companys strongest markets -- the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, Northern Europe the Western Mediterranean will only see a modest capacity increase in 2017. Analysts asking questions on the call also seemed distracted by balance sheet items regarding the sale of Pullmantur, which has had a constantly-changing business strategy in recent years. In addition, Cuba was not mentioned whatsoever. Royal Caribbeans adjusted net income earnings forecast for Q3 was for $3.10 per share, compared to $2.84 last year. The improvement is expected to be primarily driven by the deconsolidation of the Pullmantur Group. As Royal Caribbean made its announcement, its shares dropped more than 6 percent in early morning trading. Yahoo users might want to reset their passwords. A hacker claims to have stolen the login information for 200 million Yahoo accounts and is selling them on the black market. The stolen records are up for sale on TheRealDeal, a darknet marketplace that offers illegal goods. For 3 bitcoins, or US$1,824, anyone can buy them. The hacker, known as peace_of_mind, has claimed to have previously sold login credentials for LinkedIn and Tumblr users. In a brief message, peace_of_mind said the Yahoo database came from a Russian group that breached LinkedIn and Tumblr, in addition to MySpace. In the case of the Yahoo accounts, the database most likely comes from 2012, the hacker said. Copies of the stolen Yahoo database have already been bought, peace_of_mind added. On Monday, Yahoo said it was aware that the stolen database was on sale, but it neither confirmed nor denied that the records were real. Our security team is working to determine the facts, the company said in an email. Back in 2012, Yahoo reported a breach, but of only 450,000 accounts. A hacking group called D33ds Company had claimed responsibility, but Yahoo said that most of the stolen passwords were invalid. Its unclear if that hack is connected with this sale of 200 million accounts. Other security researchers have also noticed a Russian hacker known as "the Collector" selling tens of millions of email logins from Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail. Peace_of_mind has posted a sample of the stolen Yahoo database, which includes user email addresses, along with passwords that have been hashed using the MD5 algorithm. Those passwords could easily be cracked using a MD5 decrypter available online. The database also contains backup email addresses, as well as the users' birth dates. IDG News Service tried several email addresses from the stolen records and noticed that Yahoos login page recognized them and then asked for a password. However, other emails addresses were no longer valid. Although Yahoo hasnt confirmed the breach, users should still change their passwords, said Adam Levin, chairman of security firm IDT911, in an email. In addition, users should make sure they arent using the same passwords across Internet accounts, he added. Fernando Becerra-Cruz Camarillo, Calif., Aug. 3, 2016 As a 20-year-old computer programmer, Fernando Becerra-Cruz knew he was not cut out to work in a factory, washing and stacking heavy plastic strawberry jam barrels at the rate of about 100 an hour. This was hard, physical labor I couldnt keep up, Becerra-Cruz said. But the recent immigrant from Mexico spoke no English and had no college degree, so he had no choice. Then one day, the topmost barrel on a stack fell and smacked him in the head, throwing him to the ground. Years later, Becerra-Cruz, now 27, looks toward graduation as one of CSU Channel Islands (CI)s successful transfer students. As a student, he is already employed as a student assistant graphic designer in the Admissions office at CI, and hopes to continue to pursue his love of graphic art after graduating. In the past, CI has enrolled more than 900 students with more than half of those students coming from Ventura County's community colleges. This fall, CI plans to enroll a record number of 1,100 new transfer students. Students seeking to attend CI as a transfer student beginning in spring of 2017, can apply from Aug. 1-31. Many transfer students, like Becerra-Cruz, are non-traditional students with family obligations who are seeking a more fulfilling, higher-paying career. Becerra-Cruz grew up in Mexico City with his mother and three brothers. His father was a factory worker in Oxnard who visited Mexico City regularly. Becerra-Cruzs youngest brother had special needs so his parents decided it would be best to immigrate to Oxnard to be with his father. The decision was cemented when Becerra-Cruzs aunt was kidnapped and killed during a carjacking near their Mexico City home. The family earned legal residency in 2004, but Becerra-Cruz stayed in Mexico City to finish high school, worked as a computer programmer for a while, and then joined his family in 2009. After the factory accident, Becerra-Cruz decided to change his life. Always shy, the soft-spoken Becerra-Cruz vowed to do whatever it took to get an education here in the U.S. I went to Oxnard College with my broken English and they started to speak to me in Spanish, he said. They told me all the help that they can give me with financial aid. It gave me hope. Becerra-Cruz spent two years just studying English. He became an honors student, then took another two years at Oxnard College and earned his associate degree in Arts & Humanities, then transferred to CI. Now in the last semester of his senior year, Becerra-Cruz will complete his degree at the end of the fall semester with a bachelors degree in Art and will participate in Commencement in spring of 2017. He specializes in graphic design and social media. As the eldest brother, Becerra-Cruz has worked to be a good example to his younger brothers. One brother is attending Ventura College with plans to transfer to the University of California, Santa Barbara to study engineering and another is attending Oxnard College, also with plans to become a transfer student. Im the one who pushed them to go to college. I sent my mom to college as well, he said, adding that she studied child development. In order to apply as a transfer student, you must have completed enough community college credits to attend CI as a junior. For more information regarding admissions and to apply, visit http://www.csuci.edu/admissions/transfer/. In addition, CI will be offering Transfer Student Information Sessions on select Fridays this fall. For more information visit: http://www.csuci.edu/visit-campus/tours/prospective-student-events.htm # # # About California State University Channel Islands CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CIs strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative masters degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media. STRATFORD Five local men are accusing All My Sons Moving and Storage of refusing to pay overtime and forcing its employees to work numerous hours each week without pay. In a class action lawsuit seeking $2 million in damages, four former employees and a current worker claim All My Sons, which has local offices in Stratford, refuses to pay workers for the time it takes to set up for the day, wash and fuel the vehicles, and drive to a destination. The lawsuit states that the company has a policy for not paying for the transport of empty trucks. Even with these off-the-clock hours, the lawsuit states employees often work more than 40 hours in their regular six-day workweek but are paid straight time, not overtime pay, for those additional hours. We think this is a very strong case of wage theft, said Gary Phelan, the attorney representing plaintiffs Terrance Durant, Dwight Rich, Joshua Smith and Jason Hunt, all of Bridgeport, and Keith Matyasovsky, of Stratford. No employee should be treated this way just to get a paycheck. The men all began working for the company in 2013, but only one is still employed there. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims the company violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act along with Connecticut labor laws. Although All My Sons is based in Texas and has offices throughout the country, the lawsuit is focused on the Connecticut location. A representative at All My Sons declined to comment. Phelan said he estimates there could be as many as 100 former and present employees who could form part of the class action. Certainly around the country theres been an escalation in these kinds of wage theft cases usually not as extreme as in this case, Phelan said. Michael Devlin, of law firm Berchem, Moses & Devlin, who is not involved in the case, agreed that these types of cases have become increasingly common in Connecticut. There has been greater regulatory emphasis and oversight, which has heightened employee awareness, Devlin said in an email. Devlin said the remedies of these types of cases can extend beyond the wages lost, and can include attorney fees. The lawsuit against All My Sons seeks attorneys fees, as well as unpaid and incorrectly paid wages, unpaid overtime hours and liquidated damages. Increasing employee knowledge about their rights has led to the rise in complaints over the years, said Thomas Bucci, an attorney with Willinger, Willinger & Bucci. In the past, employees were happy to work and allowed the employers to take advantage of them, but with more awareness of employee rights there are significantly more complaints of this type, he said. Hopefully this sends a message to other employers that you cant treat your employees this way, Phelan said. Its unfortunate these kind of practices continue until somebody has the courage to file a lawsuit. ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227 BRIDGEPORT More than 100 residents, facing in some cases double-digit-percentage property tax increases, filled the City Council chambers Monday night, demanding that an outside financial review board take over the citys fiances. Mayor Joseph Ganims response: Been there, done that. The citys spending is out of control, proclaimed David Walker, to a standing ovation from the crowd, many who held placards protesting the tax increases. Its time to get real, continued Walker, who was U.S. comptroller general in the early 2000s. Creating an oversight board is essential if the city hopes to avoid bankruptcy. He said it is unlikely with the higher tax rates that companies would agree to move to Bridgeport, especially when surrounding towns have lower rates. Pete Spain, one of the leaders of the tax protest, complained that many more taxpayers than the mayor contended are facing higher tax bills, and that an independent financial review board is the only hope to get the city out of its financial morass. The nice people who we elected are over their heads, Spain said, motioning to the seats of the council members, many which were empty. When Ganim was first elected mayor in 1991, he took over after a financial review board had been in charge of Bridgeports finances as a result of an aborted attempt by his predecessor, Mary Moran, to declare bankruptcy. Bridgeport had been there and done that, and it wasnt pretty, the mayors spokesman Av Harris, said Monday in response to the calls for a review board. The answer is not to give control of Bridgeports finances over to an outside group which doesnt understand the city and its people. Harris said Ganim inherited a fiscal mess, when he took office in January, but is making significant progress cleaning it up. We are doing the difficult but necessary things to put us on a firm financial footing, Harris said. A growing number of adults about 52 million suffer from arthritis, and data show women are more likely than men to develop it. In 2014, 26.5 percent of women reported having doctor-diagnosed arthritis, compared with 20.5 percent of men, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention behavioral risk survey. Many women dont realize they are at a higher risk than their male peers, said Dr. Abhijeet Danve, a rheumatologist and faculty member in Yale School of Medicines rheumatology division. Of all the patients with arthritis, almost 60 percent of them are women, he said. Several factors likely make women more susceptible than men: biological traits, genetics and hormones, Danve said. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, which commonly is defined as inflammation of one or more joints that affects surrounding tissue. The two most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and both disproportionately affect women, according to the Atlanta-based advocacy group the Arthritis Foundation. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, affects 27 million adults nationwide while rheumatoid arthritis impacts more than 1.5 million, according to the Arthritis Foundation. An increasing diagnosis In all, one in five adults nationwide has some type of arthritis, the group reports, and it is the leading cause of disability in the United States. The number of people with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is expected to swell to 67 million by 2030, according to the organization. The CDC estimates that 78 million will be diagnosed with arthritis by 2040. Arthritis tends to be more common in older adults. According to the CDC, 53 percent of those with arthritis in 2014 were age 65 or older. Dr. Germano Guadagnoli, chief of rheumatology at Bridgeport Hospital, said womens longevity also makes them more susceptible to osteoarthritis, which has a greater chance of developing the older a person is. Women are living longer, so were seeing more with osteoarthritis, he said. Biologically, womens ligaments are more lax than mens, Danve said. Intended to help women accommodate a baby and give birth, this trait tends to make their joints move more than mens, increasing the risk for osteoarthritis, he said. Women also have wider pelvises than men, also to aid in the birthing process, which puts more stress on their knees and makes knee arthritis more common in women, Danve said. Some women experience this especially after pregnancy, which stretches ligaments near the pelvis and puts added pressure on knees, he said. Hormones play a role as well. There is evidence that estrogen helps protect against arthritis by preventing inflammation from progressing, Danve said. When (women) enter menopause, they lose their estrogen and arthritis can develop, he said. Also, more women than men tend to be obese, another risk factor, he said. Every pound of weight gained puts three additional pounds of stress on knees and six pounds on hips, he said. But while hormones and genetics likely play a role, Guadagnoli said, there are no definitive reasons why women get arthritis more often than men. Nobodys really pinned it down, he said. We just see it as a pretty well-established demographic. Predispositions When it comes to inflammatory types, like rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus, Guadagnoli said, genetics are the main factor in women being affected. Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus have underlying autoimmune disorders, which tend to impact more women than men, he said. Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis typically are genetically predisposed to it and come into contact with a trigger that develops the arthritis, he said. Its not yet known what the trigger is, he said, but it could be a virus or bacteria. People genetically predisposed to rheumatoid arthritis who do not experience the trigger dont end up developing arthritis, he added. Gout is the only type of arthritis that affects men more than women, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Symptoms of arthritis vary depending on the type of arthritis, but they all have some common ones, such as pain and tenderness in the joints, swelling in one or more joints, warmth and redness in a joint, and stiffness or difficulty using or moving a joint, according to the foundation. Rheumatoid arthritis typically affects smaller joints, like those in the hands and feet, early on before progressing to knees, ankles, elbow, hips and shoulders, according to the foundation. With osteoarthritis, symptoms usually come on slowly and worsen over time. While men tend to get osteoarthritis in their hips, women typically get it is in their hands or knees, according to the group. Women also are two to five times more likely to have anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than men, which makes them more likely to develop knee arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Overall, CDC data show that Connecticut has a relatively low prevalence of residents suffering from arthritis. Twenty-one percent of Connecticut residents age 18 and older had doctor-diagnosed arthritis, compared with a national median prevalence of 24 percent. In other New England states the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis was reported as: Vermont and New Hampshire, 24 percent; Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 25 percent and Maine, 27 percent. The figures are age-standardized percentages; the CDC weighted the data in order to allow people within states populations to be compared accurately even though age groups within the data vary widely. To ward off arthritisespecially osteoarthritiswomen should to lose weight if necessary and alleviate stress on their joints, either through non-weight-bearing exercise or with an occupational therapist, Danve said. A lot of the population of women are not aware that they should be doing this to prevent osteoarthritis, he said. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org). This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SHELTON One is a four-and-a-half-term incumbent who says the tax-and-spend plans of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy need to be reined in. Opposing him is a businesswoman and the chairwoman of the citys Planning and Zoning Commission, who says with companies struggling and even leaving Connecticut, now is the time to add more business-experienced legislators to the mix of career politicians and attorneys. On Aug. 9, 3,300 Shelton Republicans in the 113th District will chose between state Rep. Jason Perillo, a deputy minority leader in the state House, and Ruth Parkins, who has the support of Mayor Mark Lauretti and several members of his family. But the five campaign donations totalling $170 that Parkins received from employees of the R.D. Scinto Inc. are what have Perillos supporters talking. Questions of propriety Its not something I would do, said Perillo, who is the grandson of former Shelton Mayor Vincent Tisi. But I guess everybody has a different bar. Oh my goodness, Parkins said of the controversy. Her position with the Iroquois Pipeline Operating Co. is based in one of Scintos Shelton Towers. More Information Jason Perillo Age: 38 Resides: Coram Avenue Family: wife, Becky, daughter, Lydia, 2 Employment: State representative and Valley Emergency Medical Services Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting from Georgetown; master's degrees in public policy from Harvard and business from Boston College Ruth Parkins Age: 59 Address: Meadow Lake Drive Family: Single mother of college-educated daughters, Jessica and Sara Employment: Public affairs manager at Iroquois Pipeline Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from Sacred Heart University with master's degrees in business administration and public administration from the University of New Haven See More Collapse I have worked in the Scinto Towers for 20 years, and as an employee of Iroquois, I have a working relationship with these employees from R.D. Scinto, she said. They are the people I contact when I am planning events within the Scinto complex. Parkins itemized campaign financial disclosure statement, filed with the State Election Enforcement Commission, discloses the July 13 contributions of R.D. Scinto employees. They contributors are: Bruce Bernhard, a concierge; David Thomas, Scintos director of securities and risk management; and Jeannine DiSario, an executive assistant, who each gave $50 personal checks. Kayleigh Apicerno, who works in marketing, and Tammie Anastasia, an architectural designer each gave $10 personal checks. So what? said Lauretti. Shes got a good sense of her community and what Shelton needs. He called her a consensus builder who works well with people ... Thats important when youre in my position. The mayor noted that on some months the Planning and Zoning Commission meets three times. Their work is very important, he said. All this development generates tax dollars. But others question the contributions. Is it ethical? Thats the question, said Greg Tetro, a local resident and vocal critic of the Town Center at Shelter Ridge project pending before Parkins Commission. If I was running against Jason Perillo I wouldnt have done it, added Jimmy Capra, a freshman alderman and Perillo backer. If you accept donations from a developer or their employees, you shouldnt be voting on their projects. Recently, the Planning and Zoning Commission reached a unanimous consensus to direct its staff to prepare a favorable resolution for vote at the panels Aug. 9 meeting involving a R.D. Scinto project. Scinto is seeking a Planned Development District zone change for 100 Commerce Drive. There the company intends to demolish the former Tetley Tea headquarters and construct three buildingsa two-story retail building, a one-story building with a drive-through and a coffee shop with a drive-through. It has not yet been voted on or approved, Parkins said. A matter of timing Parkins, a single mother of two college-graduate daughters, said she has long considered running for state office. Its all about timing, and now is a good time, she said. She claims Perillo is not a team player. Still, she said, Any time you take on an incumbent its an uphill battle. But Parkins has been buoyed by meeting two thresholdsobtaining the required signatures to force a primary and receiving $5,000 in contributions from 150 local residents to qualify for $11,140 in public financing. As a result, shes stepping up her campaign with phone calls and mailers. She also is a businesswoman whose commission has been responsible for monitoring and overseeing the citys growth. Meanwhile, Perillo, married with a toddler, said hes meeting with residents, telling them hes the candidate to take the fight to Dannel Malloy and the Democratic leadership. Ive been very aggressive in doing that over the years, he said. Perillo said Malloys plan to tax mileage is just another money grab. Itll discourage people from driving to work and supporting their families. We shouldnt be making it hard for people to work or make their medical appointments. And Perillo questions whether that money would go to bridges and road repairs as claimed, or end up in the general fund. I dont believe any commitment they make except, to spend money, he said. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. MSPs that want to be successful in the long run must look at cybersecurity as a foundational service, one they must excel at Section of GAP closed during bridge work "The last time the bridges were re-decked was in 1995. They have become almost unsafe to be used," said Lindsay Baer. Boo! What are the scariest spots in Lake County? The old courthouse. A tea room in Mount Dora. Lake County has several places that are thought to be haunted. 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. Baroness Wheatcroft, pictured, has come under fire for 'trying to block Britain's exit from the EU' It is hard to imagine a worse example of arrogant and brazen contempt for democracy. From their lofty perches in the unelected House of Lords, a group of peers, led by Tory ex-financial journalist Baroness Wheatcroft, are plotting ways to block Britains exit from the EU. With a casual disregard for the referendum outcome, they plan to vote down Brexit laws, extract some token concessions from Brussels, force a second vote and, hey presto! secure a result more to their liking. Astonishingly, Baroness Wheatcroft argues all it would take is some minor adjustments to freedom of movement rules and the public millions of whom voted Leave explicitly to restore proper controls over immigration would happily back staying in. As for her ludicrous idea that a committee should trawl through the arguments of the campaign to prove the public were misled into voting for Brexit, what would it make of Remains apocalyptic and we now know, hollow predictions of economic disaster? For elected MPs to attempt to derail Brexit and defy the clearly expressed will of 17.4million Leave voters would be outrageous enough. But coming from the ermine-clad, appointed denizens of the upper chamber, it reeks of total disdain for voters. In the coming months and years, Theresa May will have a lot on her plate, but reform of the bloated House of Lords, long a national embarrassment, cannot come soon enough. More grubby gongs As with the House of Lords, so too this countrys tainted honours system is in desperate need of reform. In theory, it rewards genuine and faithful public service, but with Sundays leak of David Camerons Chumocracy Honours, its reputation hit a depressing new low. Mr Cameron has not deigned to explain his decision to reward a staggering 48 allies, aides and donors, nearly all of whom backed the Remain campaign. But yesterday, in attempting to defend the list, his close ally, Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne, inadvertently revealed the black motives behind it. Sir Desmond, who was himself surprise surprise! knighted at Mr Camerons behest only weeks ago, said the gongs were a repayment for a debt of honour owed for political favours and a relatively light way of paying it off. His disgraceful implication is that honours are payback for grubby political deals, and that the recipients might have cause to expect much more. Meanwhile, we learn Mr Cameron is to further tarnish his post-Downing Street reputation by sending another raft of aides to the Lords. Is it any wonder the public are cynical about the political system? Press ahead, Mrs May Last week, Theresa May took the difficult, but eminently sensible, decision to re-examine the multi-billion pound Hinkley Point nuclear power station deal. Yesterday, China responded with what amounted to a veiled threat. Its official news agency a mouthpiece for the State warned the decision would stain Britains credibility as an open economy and could deter future investment. Prime Minister Theresa May has made a 'sensible decision' to re-examine the Hinkley Point nuclear power station deal Mrs May also had to endure a hissy fit from a junior Treasury minister, former Goldman Sachs banker Lord ONeill brought in by George Osborne who was quite unreasonably upset that he hadnt been consulted about the delay. A mother-of-four has spoken of the emotional distress she suffered when breastfeeding that made her want to rip her baby off her chest. Lacey Barratt had breastfeeding aversion, a condition she believes is not spoken about enough. The photographer and doula told Daily Mail Australia it is a misconception that breastfeeding comes naturally to mothers, and hopes to open the channels for discussion by sharing her story. Sharing her story: Melbourne photographer, doula and mother-of-four Lacey Barratt (pictured) has spoken out about breastfeeding aversion In a candid blog post, the 29-year-old from Melbourne spoke about how it felt when she experienced breastfeeding aversion with her babies. It is the feeling of heebeejeebees when feeding your babe, she wrote. It is intense irritability. Intense frustration and intense emotional distress. As soon as baby latches, you want to rip them off. Or at least, that is what it is like for me. Distressing: She described aversion as feelings of 'heebeejeebees when feeding your babe' She went on to write about one experience that saw her leave her one-year-old son screaming in bed because she could not face breastfeeding him. The more he screamed, the more I refused to offer him boob. So much so that I became so annoyed, I got in the car and left. It was around 3am, she said. It is the feeling of heebeejeebees when feeding your babe. Lacey Barratt, mother Upon arriving home Ms Barratt said she had a glass of water and mentally prepared herself before going back to feed. He wasn't hungry. He didn't even eat. He just wanted my comfort, she said. She said by sharing her story it lets her followers know she is human and other women experiencing breastfeeding issues that they are not alone. Ms Barratt had experienced breastfeeding aversion with all three of her babies, but only realised what it was after speaking with a friend. When she described how she felt her friend said she had an aversion, told her to drink plenty of water and pump if need be. Knowing she was not alone made a huge difference for the Melbourne mother. Finding support: She spoke about her feelings of aversion to her friend, and said by sharing her story she hopes other mothers will know they are not alone I think by speaking out about the negatives of breastfeeding, as well as the positives, its a good way to let women know youre not broken or dysfunctional, she said. I breastfed all three of my children and every single one was a new experience. She encouraged mothers who had difficulties breastfeeding to not be discouraged and said having the proper support could make all the difference. Aversions don't last forever. They are generally short lived and able to be worked through, she wrote. You are not a bad mum if you feel these feelings. You are actually a very normal mum. Education: You are not a bad mum if you feel these feelings. You are actually a very normal mum,' she said The problem is, you just don't know it, because no one talks about it. She said women who experienced problems breastfeeding could phone the Australian Breastfeeding Associations helpline. Alternatively, there are Breastfeeding Aversion Facebook groups. It's well and truly winter now, and as the temperatures drop so many of us are stocking up on cold weather woollies. But what if you want to be warm and ethical? Blogger and vegan Anna Weatherlake gave FEMAIL her top winter pieces that are also guaranteed to be cruelty. From boots and bags to jumpers and jackets, we've got you covered. Scroll down for video Ethical: Blogger and vegan Anna Weatherlake (above) has given FEMAIL a list of her top cruelty-free fashion picks for winter UNREAL DREAM JACKET You can have the fur look without any real fur, as proven by Unreal Fur's jacket ranges which are stocked at The Iconic. The brand's forest green jacket is on trend and perfect to pair with some black skinny jeans and heels for a night out. The jacket comes in a range of other colours as well, like midnight blue and black, and sells for AUD$289. Fake forever: Unreal's fake fur jacket in forrest green will keep you warm and looking great LEATHER LOOK SKINNY JEANS Want the rocker-chic look of leather pants without having to wear actual leather? Blank NYC has you covered. Their 5 Pocket Out Vegan Skinny jeans are mid-rise and very slick, looking just like the real thing. Sold by Myer, you can pick up a pair for AUD$160. Rocker chic: For the rock-n-roll look of leather pants without the leather, Black NYC has you covered WELLINGTON BOOTS For a slick, upmarket version of the traditional farmer's boot, Givenchy delivers. Their Eva Chain Wellington boots would be just at home at a festival as a lunch in the city. The brand says the chain strap gives the shoes an 'unconventional twist' and suggests wearing them over leggings with a chic rain coat. They will set you back AUD$675, which may be a little above most people's budget for wellies. Fancy: For upmarket wellies, Givenchy delivers with their Eva Chain boots BOMBER JACKET Bomber jackets are back in, with Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid both sporting them recently. Alpha Industries have a cruelty-free one that will help you emulate the it girls' style and is available in either khaki or black. The MA-1 Flight Jacket is available at Style Runner for $225 if you want to rock the look. Like Kendall: A bomber jacket has been seen on all the it girls, so get yourself one in khaki OVERSIZED SCARF The 70s are back, with the cuts and colours from the decade all through stores this season. Get in on the trend with an oversized scarf from ASOS that will keep you warm and fashionable. The store's Oversized Square Scarf In 70s Check is only $39 and can be styled traditionally around your neck or even as a shawl. 70s are back baby: For a retro scarf, ASOS has giant square ones for all occasions CROSS BODY BAG For a classic cross-body bag, it can be hard to find something well made that is completely free of animal products. Evontte's Terry bag is a natural leather look satchel is small enough to not feel like a burden, but big enough to take around day-to-day. It's AUD$98.55 and even has two separate phone pockets for all your tech. Classic and cute: A cross body bag that looks like leather but is completely vegan is the way to go PEEP TOE HEELS For the last few years, cage-style heels have had a huge resurgence and this year they're still going strong. ASOS' Glamorous Black Suede Peep Toe Shoe Boots keep on trend whilst keeping your feet warmer than traditional heels might. They're only AUD$61 and pair well with either dresses or jeans for a day at the office or a dinner date. Caged: Cut-out boots and heels are still in, and for only $61 these can be yours CLASSIC COAT Every woman needs a classic coat in her life that goes with everything and makes an outfit look more sophisticated. Staple's New Day coat in beige is classic enough to keep for years, with a slight 70s vibe to keep you in fashion. It's $179 from The Iconic, and a great staple investment. Classic coat: For a touch of sophistication, a simple beige coat does the trick every time EVERYDAY COUTURE BAG Whilst many couture bags are made with animal products, if you want a designer handbag that's also vegan Stella McCartney is the place to go. The designer's Black Beck Shoulder Bag is big enough to tote your things to the office each day and beautiful enough to take out to dinner. At AUD$1,425 it's a splurge, but will last for years. Couture cool: To spoil yourself, a Stella McCartney Beck Shoulder Bag is big enough for everyday at the office CLASSIC JUMPER In winter, a well made and classic jumper is a must have. Seed's Curve Hem Zip Sweater is perfect with a roll neck and exposed zippers. Worn best with a pair of jeans and trainers to weekend brunch, it looks casual but classy. It's 100 per cent cotton and will set you back $129.95. Warm and woolly: A jumper is key for the colder months, and Seed's classic cuts and colours are perfect WINTER HAT Beanies are out, winter hats are in. Boohoo's Lola Band Black Fedora is perfect to dress up and outfit and add instant cool, best paired with a chunky scarf and matching coat. At AUD$20 it's a bargain too, so grab it whilst you still can. Hat's off to you: Beanies are out, fedoras are in, so get yourself a classic felt one from Boohoo OVER THE KNEE BOOTS Something else that's very on-trend this season is very high over-the-knee boots. With a chunky heel and faux-suede fabric, the Public Desire Natalia Grey Over The Knee Boot from ASOS will be your new winter favourites. They're AUD$87 and pair best either with mini skirts or tucked-in leggings. Lovely: Grey over the knee boots will keep you on trend but the colour will set you apart LEATHER JACKET For a leather jacket that's not leather but gives the same look, Nasty Girl has you sorted. Their Atomic Vegan Leather Jacket is textured with beautiful silver details, and designed to keep you warm even when there's 'serious wind chill'. It's AUD$155 and will make you feel like Sandy from Grease in a second. Rock-n-roll: For biker chic, Nasty Gal has a faux-leather jacket that is designed to keep you warm too SLOGAN PIN The final style tip Ms Weatherlake has is to wear your politics on your sleeve with a Peta pin. The Faux Not Fur pin is $9.99 and stylishly designed, in black and gold. 'It's cool to be kind, and fashion should never come at the expense of our furry, fluffy or feathered friends,' she told FEMAIL. A doting daughter travelled 5,000 miles to give her mum the ultimate birthday surprise after two years apart. Kate Visser, 23, who lives in Canterbury, Kent, started planning her surprise visit to Oregon to shock her mum, Wendy Rice, 51, after telling her she couldn't afford to travel to see her on her birthday. She hadn't seen her mum in two years after moving to the UK with husband, Peter, but spoke to her every day on the phone. Surprise! Wendy Rice was overcome when her daughter Kate shocked her on her birthday Overcome: Wendy, 51, screamed and whooped as she opened the door to reveal her daughter Shock: She couldn't contain her surprise that Kate had flown 5,000 miles to Oregon After booking the trip she started building a cover story so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. While travelling the 5,000 miles to Oregon, Kate sent pictures and video of herself in the UK to make sure her mum never suspected a thing. She looked up where her mum was staying on Google Maps and found her way across to their house before filming the ultimate reaction video. Before the door fully opened, mum Wendy can be heard screaming hysterically before shouting: 'Oh my god, Katelyn!' Tearful: Wendy broke down as the pair enjoyed their happy reunion Together again: The pair couldn't contain their joy as they embraced after two years apart Close: Even thought Wendy and Kate hadn't seen each other for two years, they chatted every day on the phone The video has drawn a lot of positive responses on Facebook with people feeling touched by the mother and daughter's close connection. Kate, who runs a marketing firm, said: 'Before doing it I thought she was going to freak out and kept looking up if someone can die from a positive emotional shock. 'I was so scared she was going to have a heart attack or heart problems because of the shock from seeing me but really wanted to make her day. Daughter: Kate, 23, moved to the UK two years ago along with her husband Peter Planning: The 23-year-old spent weeks preparing the secret trip back to the States 'We are so close, we're best friends and speak every day on the phone so it took a lot of planning and sneaking around to give her this surprise. 'I hadn't seen her in a long time and it was her birthday coming up so I thought it was time. 'Before flying over I took a lot of photos and videos of myself in the UK to send to her so that she wouldn't suspect anything. 'I started filming when I was a block away, I was so nervous and shaky. 'After knocking the door my heart was beating out of my chest. 'I later found out my mum genuinely didn't believe it was me on the doorstep, she thought someone was pretending to be me - she really couldn't believe I was there. Journey: Kate took this picture as she flew across the world to see her mother Disguise: In the past few weeks Kate has sent her mother plenty of pictures of Canterbury to put her off the scent 'I watch it over and over again now, I'm still shocked by her reaction but end up beaming every time I hear her say "Katelyn, Katelyn". 'She only ever calls me Katelyn when she's really happy or upset, so I knew I'd given her a shock. 'I can't watch it with a straight face, it makes my heart feel all warm and I was so glad she loved my little surprise.' Her mum Wendy, was thrilled by the surprise and after getting over the initial shock loved watching the video back too. Wendy said: 'I was in absolute disbelief. 'It scared me, because how could that be possible? She was just in England a few hours ago. 'After the shock wore off, it was all hugs and giggles for the rest of the night. A seemingly innocent photograph of a buff-boded man working out is driving the internet wild. The image, which was shared on Imgur, shows a muscular bodybuilder caught mid-conversation while lying on the floor surrounded by weights. However, the combination of his unfortunate pose and tensed physique have made his torso resemble something rather cheeky. An image of a muscular man taking a breather from his workout has gone viral for a rude reason and has people commenting: ''What has been seen cannot be unseen' The image was uploaded to the photo sharing site with the caption: 'This guys chest looks like a girls a**.' One second glance at the naughty shot and you'll never be able to unsee the resemblance. Since being posted, the picture has gone viral, being viewed more than 270,000 times and received countless (mostly lewd) comments. One user writing under the pseudonym GozerTheGonzerian poster: 'What has been seen cannot be unseen.' While another wrote, 'can he twerk with his chest?' Scroll down for the reveal! The original picture was posted with the lewd comment: 'his guys chest looks like a girls a**' It's the latest in a long line of teasing images doing the rounds on the internet. Last month, a photograph that shows a little girl camouflaged against a rocky landscape is driving people to distraction on social media site Imgur. The image shows a dramatic boulder-strewn landscape and asks readers to find a young tourist wearing a purple hoodie and waving at the camera. However, such are the cracks and crevices on the honey-coloured stones, it's very tricky to spot her without a helping hand. Desperately seeking: This image, posted on social media site Imgur, has foxed internet users with its challenge to find a little girl hiding amidst the rocky landscape - so, can you see her? The shot was posted with the teasing caption: 'Can you find her? Look closely', which only served to infuriate those who couldn't see anything but a weather-sculpted collection of rocks. Some begged for the poster to 'red circle' so they could see the whereabouts of the girl, while another called the teaser 'brutal'. If you haven't yet spotted her in the image above - here are a few clues as to her whereabouts. She's in the first half of the image, perched just above one long, jutting stone. She's also waving like mad at the camera. Between a rock and a hard place: the chameleon-like girl blends in perfectly with her surroundings despite waving and wearing a purple hoodie I'm here! Zoom in on the youngster and you can clearly see her purple jumper and blonde hair against the sand-coloured rocks of the unknown tourist destination If you do spot the chameleon-like tourist without any help, congratulate yourself; it's almost impossible without a guiding hand. Previously this mind-boggling map, which tested geographical knowledge by switiching countries around, was circulated on the internet. The quiz from Playbuzz saw six countries swapped on a map of the world - shown below - but can you spot them all? Do you know your USA from your Canada, your Latvia from your Lithuania and your Cambodia from your Vietnam? In this reordered map, countries that you're used to seeing in their set places on the world map appear to have shifted. The giant land mass stretching from Europe to Asia is now labelled Canada, while the large island continent in the southern hemisphere is called Brazil. So how quickly did you spot the remarkable changes across the globe? How quickly were you able to spot that Canada became Greenland, Russia became Canada and Greenland became Russia? The map test is the latest teaser from the site, that recently challenged the web to spot Disney princesses in a huge crowd scene. Among the faces, including the Seven Dwarfs, the Genie, Winnie the Pooh and the Cheshire cat, are the iconic cartoon heroines. But how quickly can you spot Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Ariel? In this crowded scene, princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas,and Ariel are all hidden. But how quickly can you spot them? Although some princesses - including Belle and Pocahontas are fairly easy to spot, Snow White, Ariel, Jasmine and Cinderella are a little bit trickier. Some Playbuzz users have even noticed that there are more princesses than the six you have been challenged to find - Auroa from Sleeping Beauty can be spotted in the top and centre, as well as Kida from Atlantis and Mulan. How many did you spot? Some Playbuzz users have even noticed that there are more princesses than the six you have been challenged to find - Auroa from Sleeping Beauty can be spotted in the top and centre, as well as Kida from Atlantis and Mulan Another puzzle recently put film buffs to the ultimate test with a dense crowd scene in which every image references a movie. The challenge is whether you can identify the clues and name the cinematic work that inspired it. Take the test to see how many you get right... The crowded scene created by Playbuzz is set on a tarmac foreground with buildings to the left and right and a backdrop of the Hollywood sign, over which birds wheel through the sky and starships appear to be fighting each other. This crowd scene is filled with clues but can you identify them and name all 50 films it references? A lone turret is up in flames, while a chasm appears to be opening up in the hillside while the rest of the image appears to depict chaos. Some clues are more literal than others, for instance a man playing a violin atop a building brings to mind the famous musical starring Topol. Fingers tightly closed around some US currency, also accurately depicts a classic US film. In fact, the test will appeal to those with a wealth of knowledge about Hitchcock films (five clues) and famous directors Martin Scorese hits (three films) and George Lucas (two). Three cartoons pop up, along with two classic Second World War flicks, musicals also have a place, while a Audrey Hepburn film is included along with one of Patrick Swayze's most loved works. Ridley Scott films are also featured, with one of them providing one of the easiest visual aids. This ultimate film test is just the latest in a slew of optical illusions that are driving the internet wild. Another brain teaser revealed how even photographs are not always what they seem. A picture appears to show a beautiful scene of a lake, with mountains in the distance. But can you spot what is really going on? The image appears to show a beautiful scene of a lake, with mountains in the distance. But can you spot what is really going on? If you look extremely closely you'll see that the landscape doesn't include any water at all. What appears to be a the lake is in fact a concrete wall obscuring part of the scenery, with the shrub growing on the other side. It is one of the trickiest optical illusions on the web, that baffled many who simply couldn't spot what was really being pictured in the image. If you look extremely closely you'll see that the scene is not, in fact, of a lake. Instead, the photograph is showing a concrete wall Back in 2015, the infamous 'dress' divided internet users, who simply could not agree over whether it was black and blue or gold and white - with even Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift joining in on the debate. One year later, the Adidas jacket did the same, with people saying that they saw numerous colour combinations, including blue and white, green and gold, black and brown, and green and brown. And this week a new colour spectrum illusion emerged to frustrate the nation, proving once again that our perceptions of colour can be very different from each other. Is this colour blue or green? When asked to name the colour above, 64 per of respondents said that it was green, with 32 per cent believing it to be blue Optical Express surveyed the UK public with the seemingly simple task of identifying shades of blue and green, as part of a study into our perception of colour. When asked to name the colour, 64 per of respondents said that it was green, with 32 per cent believing it to be blue. However, when asked to name the same colour adjacent to two distinctly blue images, many changed their minds - with 90 per cent then stating that it was green. The shade is indeed more green than blue. According to the RGB colour spectrum, the values of the colour are 0, 122 and 116. However, when asked to name the same colour adjacent to two distinctly blue images, many changed their minds - with 90 per cent then stating that it was green Back in 2015, the infamous 'dress' divided internet users, who simply could not agree over whether it was black and blue or gold and white - with even Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift joining in on the debate. One year later, the Adidas jacket (right) did the same WHY DO WE SEE COLOURS DIFFERENTLY? Every single person is unique and as a result, our brains process information differently. Depending on how you interpret colours, one person might see it one way, while the very next person who looks at it might see it differently. Light enters the eye and hits the retina, which is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. The light is converted to an electrical signal which travels along the Optic Nerve to the Visual Cortex in the brain. The brain makes its own unique interpretation of this electrical signal. It is not surprising that many respondents changed their mind when seeing the colour in contrast to the two blue shades, as we perceive an objects colour based on a comparison to its surrounding shades, not on the actual colour itself. Assessing colour vision is just one of the myriad of examinations that can be undertaken during a routine sight test. Its possible for colour blindness to go undetected depending on severity - as its impossible to see the world through another persons eyes. Conditions such as protanomaly, deuteranomaly and tritanomaly can range from inconvenient to quite dangerous - often preventing those inflicted from pursuing certain careers. If you have any concerns about your colour perception, you should seek an appointment with a registered optometrist. Stephen Hannan, Clinical Services Director at Optical Express Advertisement People also had their brain tested by the 'perception test', that challenged quizzers to answer a series of quickfire questions. The test began by setting out the rules: 'Answer the following questions loudly and as quickly as possible. Don't think too much and don't cheat!' The challenge, tjhat was also created by Playbuzz, went through a series of animal pictures, asking you to name what each one is. Internet users are being challenged to test their brain power in a new quiz - which the majority of people will fail The quiz goes through a series of animal pictures, asking you to name what each one is Quiz takers are required to answer the following questions loudly and as quickly as possible The rules stated at the beginning of the quiz add: 'Don't think too much and don't cheat!' The test surprises the quiz taker by throwing out a completely different question: 'Name one city in the USA' The photographs feature a cute-looking cat, a guinea pic and a cow. The test then surprises the quiz taker by throwing out a completely different question: 'Name one city in the USA.' So what did you say? According to the creators of the quiz, 92 per cent of people answer New York under pressure. But if you're one of the few people that named a different city, it shows you've got a creative and innovative mind. Sometimes the easiest-sounding brain teasers are the most difficult ones. And one of the latest puzzle to sweep the web certainly plays by those rules. Created by a PlayBuzz user, this colour photo depicts a grey car seat with a mysterious object hidden on it that it's up to you to find At first, the secret object is impossible to find. However, after a more detailed search you can spot a grey iPad lying flat on the back on the seat Created by a PlayBuzz user, this colour photo depicts a grey car seat with a mysterious object hidden on it that it's up to you to find. At first, the secret object is impossible to find. However, after a more detailed search you can spot a grey iPad lying flat on the back on the seat. The iPad is well-camouflaged because it's the same colour as the seat, with similar markings. Another brainteaser to have swept the web depicts a happy-looking holiday scene. The latest brainteaser to have swept the web depicts a happy-looking holiday scene A dad can be seen peacefully reading a newspaper while his two children fish beside him - one successfully managing to reel in a big one. But within the scene, six holiday-themed words have been hidden, and the challenge is to spot them all. Four of the six words, including 'tree' and 'boy' are relatively easy to spot. However, the other two are slightly more difficult. The version of the picture with rings around the words shows how many you got right - or simply failed to spot. Within the scene, six holiday-themed words have been hidden, and the challenge is to spot them all Year five pupils at a primary school in Glossop, Derbyshire, were left as stumped as their parents by a question which asked them to 'calculate the perimeter of these composite rectilinear shapes'. One dad, 43, was so baffled that he turned to social media, appealing for help in solving the question. As the Manchester Evening News reported, he wrote on Facebook: 'My sons grandma had spent a while helping him with his homework and most of it was straightforward but this one question left her stumped. The maths puzzle was given to year five pupils at a school in Glossop, Derbyshire 'I then spent an hour or so trying to work it out but found it impossible. 'I really do think it is impossible and it is certainly not something a ten-year-old can answer.' On social media, many have claimed that the answer is 44cm for both - but not everyone is in agreement. Another puzzle recently swept the internet, with many trying to solve it using advanced mathematics then kicking themselves when they realised the real solution. Antley Lamont Staten posted this brainteaser on Facebook, which has been shared more than 370,000 times. The puzzle shows a grid of nine numbers and a sign next to it asking people to share the image when they find the error. Yet another puzzle is sweeping the internet, this time boggling the minds of everybody with its deceptively simple answer, above Lots of people have been trying but failing to solve what they think is a mathematical equation on the right side. One wrote: 'It' s 4 and 5. 3 + 6=9 2+5=7 not 8 and 1+4=5 not 7. That's how I looked at it.' However, the answer is that 'mitsake' is spelled wrong. Theodore O'Connell II wrote: 'This is funny. Most people will pay more attention to the numbers and not the spelling of the sign.' Pat Ireland said: 'Just shows that it's true - most of us only see the first and last letter of a word.' Many have been trying to solve the riddle with advanced mathematics, but were probably left kicking themselves when they realised the real solution. The answer is that 'mitsake' is spelled wrong It came after another very tricky puzzle challenged the internet to find a gherkin hidden among a whole host of burger ingredients. The brainteaser features a solitary gherkin mixed in with beef burgers, fries and other tasty-looking garnishes. The challenge is made even more difficult because of all the other green items featured, including salad leaves, cucumber and avocado slices. The brainteaser features a solitary gherkin mixed in with beef burgers, fries and other tasty-looking garnishes The visual puzzle was created by illustrator Sally-Ann Heron for food delivery service Deliveroo. The 25-year-old said: 'I kept forgetting where it was myself, while I was drawing it. I was really hungry by the time I'd finished it.' The gherkin is actually hidden towards the bottom left of the image, behind an onion ring and a beef burger. It's not the only food-themed puzzle to have internet users scratching their heads in recent weeks. The gherkin is actually hidden towards the bottom left of the image, behind an onion ring and a beef burger In April, popular high street bakers Greggs posted a pasty puzzle that showed a lone cheese and onion bake in a pile of steak slices. The brainteaser was inspired by the Where's Wally-style puzzles challenging people to spot animals amongst throngs of creatures that have been sweeping the net in recent months. For those not familiar with the baker's offerings, picking out the pasty proved difficult. This optical illusion has had pasty lovers scratching their heads - and rubbing their stomachs The eagle-eyed spotted that the difference lies in the patterns of the pasties. While the steak bakes feature diagonal lines, the cheese and onion bake is scored with a V-shaped design. The lone cheese and onion bake is hidden at the bottom right corner of the puzzle. The cheese and onion bake is tucked away in the bottom right hand corner (circled in red) This is the latest brain-teaser taking the internet by storm, inviting people to take on the challenge in fewer than five seconds Internet users were also challenged to see if they could spot what was wrong in this sentence, above, that listed a colourful series of numbers above - in fewer than five seconds. Reading both text and numbers at a quick pace can result in skipping bits out - which many people who failed to spot the mistake have fallen foul of here. The numbers, which are in colour, attract the eye and the reader may automatically find themselves checking those for a mistake. In fact, the error is hidden in the text informing you that there is a mistake to spot. The results, circled in red, show that the mistake is the fact that the word 'the' has been written twice Those with a keen eye for detail, and practised in the art of speed-reading, will have noticed that the word 'the' is written twice. The puzzle is a slight detour from the current trend of Where's Wally-style quizzes. After a spate of illustrations in which a panda was hidden amongst snowmen, Star Wars figures, elephants. The craze was sparked by Hungarian illustrator Dudas in December 2015 with he drew a group of snowmen and sneaked in a lone panda amongst them. Seven months later the craze for puzzles shows no sign of abating, Dudas, or Dudolf as he is known when drawing, spawned the Where's waldo-style internet puzzle craze back in December last year when he asked fans to find the panda hidden in these snowmen The image of the panda was shared hundreds of thousands of times as it captivated internet users who eventually found him here Dudolf followed up with a series of wide-eyed owls and challenged viewers to spot the cat hidden amongst them. Reddit user Oneste stuck with the panda theme, but this time drew the fuzzy creature hiding among a group of Stormtroopers to mark the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There amongst Imperial troops including Stormtroopers, Speeder Biker riders and Snowtroopers, is a single panda with the same black and white colouring as the other figures. Whilst we know that overuse of phones can damage our vision and health, have you ever stopped to consider that your daily session on Snapchat could be making you look older and uglier? According to skincare experts, using mobile phones is wreaking havoc with our faces, causing all sorts of ailments from sagging jaws and forehead creases to tired eyes and tech neck. Whether scrolling through Instagram or texting friends, the average user checks their phone 85 times a day, spending a total of five hours looking at their device; that's around a third of the time that the person is awake. So is your face a victim of your phone addiction? We've called on the best dermatologists to share the tell-tale signs that you're overusing your phone and the clever ways you can fix it. From squinty lines to dark spots, there's plenty of weird ways your mobile phone is rapidly ageing your face. We've called on a host of experts to explain how and reveal the ways you can prevent it Tired eyes and squint lines Whether its glare from the screen, reading font that is too small or straining to read a phone in bright sunlight, repetitive squinting can cause pronounced lines and wrinkles around the eyes, as well as frown lines between eyes. As Glenn Carp, Ophthalmic Surgeon at the London Vision Clinic explains, spending long bouts of time staring at your phone can wreak havoc with your eyesight. He explains: 'Most of us are already aware that sitting at your computer screen all day can be detrimental to your vision. You are encouraged to take regular breaks from working at your desk. 'However, with the prevalence of smart phones having saturated the mobile industry, most of these breaks tend to be concentrated on our phone- checking personal emails or the latest tweet and not allowing us to truly break the cycle. 'When we use our near vision in this way for long periods of time, we only blink for around four to seven times per minute. Our usual rate of blinking is more like 18 to 20 times per minute, so this is a significant reduction- it can cause symptoms such as dry eyes and blurred vision.' 'Taking regular breaks away from any screen, drinking plenty of water and making sure you blink regularly should help to avoid these symptoms.' As Glenn Carp, Ophthalmic Surgeon at the London Vision Clinic explains, spending long bouts of time staring at your phone can wreak havoc with your eyesight Acne Speaking on your phone for long periods of time can lead to bad acne, warns dermatologist Dr. Justine Hextall of The Harley Medical Group. She said: 'Your phone can accumulate a lot of bacteria. When you place the phone on your skin to make a call, your skin is not only in direct contact with the bacteria, but it also starts to perspire and even trap oil in the pores. 'Worse yet, the pressure of the phone on your skin creates blemishes so wipe your phone daily with antibacterial wipes to remove the majority of the bacteria that is building up. 'Also ensure that you're using acne-fighting products if this is a condition youre prone to. The Avene Cleanance Expert regulates the production of sebum (oil) to mattify the skin, limits the spread of acne causing bacteria and reduces redness and inflammation.' Sarah Chapman, a top London facialist, suggests thoroughly wiping down your mobile device with alcohol wipes on a daily basis. Emma, who works at the Dr Frances Prenna Jones clinic in Mayfair, has shared her foolproof guide to clearing your skin for good - and it's a lot more straightforward than you think. Your phone can accumulate a lot of bacteria. When you place the phone on your skin to make a call, your skin is not only in direct contact with the bacteria, but it also starts to perspire and even trap oil in the pores When people try new skincare routines, few would consider acid as an addition to their everyday regime. But Emma maintains that you shouldn't be intimidated by acids because they're one of the most popular and effective treatments for the skin. She favours salicylic, which she advises washing your skin with twice a week. 'Use Dr Frances Prenna Jones Super Clean daily; it is packed with super-effective antibacterial salicylic acid and enzymes which boost cell turnover for brighter, younger looking skin. 'Then use an Agera salicylic wash about twice a week,' she advises. 'It's 20 per cent salicylic, which is the only acid that penetrates at a pore depth so will dissolve what's in the pores and is anti-inflammatory. 'Acne is not just one thing - it's dehydration, it's excessive oiliness, inflammation, swelling and bacteria. Salicylic wash targets lots of those things; it's fantastic for taking down inflammation and clearing out the bacteria and congestion.' Tech neck and tense jaw Tech Neck is another common concern for those who overuse their phone. When youre constantly looking down at your phone or tablet, youre causing horizontal wrinkles on your neck and decolletage. The neck and decolletage are highly visible parts of our body, and one of the most biggest indicators of aging skin. Most of us take special care of the skin on the face but often forget the neck and below. The skin structure of the neck and decolletage is much thinner and more fragile than the face. Considering that this skin is more delicate and vulnerable, its important to apply a product that is specially formulated with tightening and smoothing benefits, in addition to the richer hydration that a traditional moisturiser doesnt provide. Inge Theron, founder of FaceGym and FT Spa Junkie, says it's important to start at the root cause of the problem so try and implement a 'digital downtime' for a few hours every day. Dinner is a great place to start; turn your phone off so you are not tempted by the blings and spend time doing what you love - read a book, take a walk, prepare dinner or meditate and get back into yourself. Eat plenty of vitamin C, found in leafy greens and berries, which is crucial for building collagen - the most important thing for keeping your skin looking firmer and younger when phone face strikes If you are suffering from 'tech neck', very simple head stretches can work wonders. Place your right hand on your left side of the head and left hand on the base of the neck and shoulder and gentle pull the head to the right - you should feel a lovely and tender neck stretch. Repeat on the other side and do five of these a day, in the morning and evening. Working the platysma (the big muscle that runs from your jawline to your shoulder) is also very useful. Sit with an erect spine, pull your lips back against your teeth, and turn the corners of your mouth downward, open your mouth slightly, and activate the muscles of your jaw. Keep your lips pressed firmly against your teeth and the corners of your mouth turned down. The tendons on your neck should stand out. Wiggle your lower jaw up and down start with just five and work up to ten exercises. For those who are already experiencing the saggy jowls from smart phone face, it's important you use targeted products for lifting and shaping and not just moisturising. Apply along the jowls rubbing in the direction towards the heart and not the other way around. 'I'd also invest in the new FaceGym Face Ball; it works wonders to release tension between the eyes, the jaw and can be used to lift saggy skin,' she said. Vitamin C, found in leafy greens and berries, is crucial for building collagen - the most important thing for keeping your skin looking firmer and younger. Dark spots Our tablets emit blue light, which travel on a wavelength similar to that of UV rays. Because of this, many experts have raised concern that blue light can have similar effects as UV rays on the skin, including dark spots. A British man was in for a surprise when he ordered a plate of 'cheesy onion rings' while abroad. Sam Ferguson, 28, from Worcester, ordered the dish from the menu at Hotel Boulevard in Nairobi, Kenya, where he has recently moved for work. However instead of battered onions covered in melted cheese, the waiter served up a plate of chunks of cheese with finely-sliced red onion - topped off with what appears to be a green chilli garnish on the side. This is what Sam Ferguson received after he asked for a plate of 'cheesy onion rings' Sam's brother Mike explained how he had recently moved to Nairobi to start his own company He snapped a picture of the bizarre meal and his brother Mike shared it onReddit, where it has since gone viral and been viewed more than 500,000 times. Commenting below the photograph, one Redditor joked, 'deconstructed cheesy onion rings,' while Hellman109 mused: 'Actually those onions "rings" are more cut up then standard ones.' One wrote: 'I find the fact that someone is using red onions for onion rings far more appalling. What kind of savage uses anything but yellow/sweet?' He had hoped for a plate of onion rings (pictured) but said what he got instead was 'awful' Mike explained: 'My brother's in Nairobi, went out for a meal and ordered cheesy onion rings,' adding that the dish was in fact listed on the menu. He also joked that his brother was 'a bit of a b******' and that he had moved out to Nairobi to start a bird watching tour company. Sam told Mirror Online: 'We had a couple of cheese cubes. It was awful. She found herself thrust into the spotlight four years ago thanks to her high-profile relationship with Prince Harry. But two years on from their split, and thanks to a budding acting career and an appearance in Mulberry's spring summer 2015 campaign, interest in Cressida Bonas shows no sign of waning. The 27-year-old actress recently spent three months working in America and Cressida has revealed that she prefers working Stateside to Britain, because she gets less attention there. Out of the spotlight: Cressida Bonas has revealed she prefers working in America to the UK because she's not known there Speaking to Harper's Bazaar she said: 'I liked working in America because I have a sort of freedom there. I'm not known in America in the same way as I'm known here. 'It means I feel free to walk into a meeting and be a blank canvas. That's what you want as an actor.' Cressida has just finished filming Bye Bye Man and although she's used to rubbing shoulders with the Royals she found herself star stuck when one of her idols Faye Dunaway appeared on set. Royal life: Cressida found herself in the limelight thanks to her relationship with Prince Harry which lasted from 2012 - 2014. Pictured at Twickenham in March 2014 From fashion to film: The 27-year-old is often seen at London Fashion week - pictured with Sir Phillip Green in 2015 but has spent the past three months shooting a film in America She explained: 'It was surreal, because at university I did a module on post-modernism in film and we studied Bonnie And Clyde thoroughly. 'I watched the film a million times and I'd done all this work and watched all her films when she was young. When she came on set I was star struck, because she is such an incredible figure.' Cressida is building up plenty of experience working with established actors and her most recent project saw her work alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy and Nicole Kidman on stage as part of Danny Boyle's The Children's Monologues. Big career move: Last year Cressida performed one-woman play An Evening with Lucian Freud which she has described as the biggest challenge of her life The project, which saw the actors reading children's letters from warn-torn countries, proved so successful that Cressida helped Boyle to raise enough money for his charity Dramatic Need to build two community centres in South Africa. Working alongside such calibre of stars is a stark contrast to "the biggest challenge of her life" performing on stage for an hour in An Evening with Lucian Freud last year. With school out for summer, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have reportedly jetted off on a five-star French holiday with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. According to French newspaper Sud Ouest, the royal family of four, who are apparently holidaying in south west France, spent a night at the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz - where a basic room costs 422 a night. The hotel, which 19th century Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie de Montijo used as their summer palace, is described as 'a hotel rich in memories, style and history' on its website. Scroll down for video According to The Mirror, Kate and William, both 34, along with George, three, and Charlotte, one, flew into Pau-Pyrenees airport last Tuesday The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reportedly stayed at five star seafront hotel Hotel du Palais in Biarritz - where a basic room costs 422 a night According to the website, it is the hotel's style, which is 'neither passe or pompous but profoundly elegant, that makes the hotel such a jewel in a seaside resort smiled upon by fortune and fashion'. The hotel has two restaurants and the resident chef is Jean-Marie Gautier, who has a Michelin star. His menu features contemporary, classic cuisine favouring seasonal ingredients and regional products, with touches of inspiration from the rest of the world. The spa houses a 15-metre outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, Turkish bath and solarium with breathtaking ocean views. Whilst a standard room costs just over 400 per night, staying in an Imperial Suite at the hotel in August will set you back up to 3,910 per night (3,304) for bed and breakfast, according to the website. Rather fittingly, 19th century Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie de Montijo used the hotel as their summer palace The spa houses a 15-metre outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, Turkish bath and solarium with breathtaking ocean views Basic rooms cost over 400 a night, whilst an Imperial Suite at the hotel in August costs up to 3,910 per night (3,304) According to The Mirror, Kate and William, both 34, along with George, three, and Charlotte, one, flew into Pau-Pyrenees airport last week in the Duke of Westminsters 8m private jet . They are thought to have landed last Tuesday and be spending the majority of their stay with friends. A spokesperson for the hotel refused to comment when contacted by MailOnline, saying the matter was 'private'. A spokesperson for Kensington Palace also refused to comment when contacted by MailOnline. According to the website, it is the hotel's style, which is 'neither passe or pompous but profoundly elegant, that makes the hotel such a jewel in a seaside resort The seaside resort is described as being 'smiled upon by fortune and fashion' The hotel is positioned right on the sea front with sweeping views of the ocean The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently announced that they plan to visit Canada this autumn. It's five years since the royal couple last touched down together on Canadian soil - in July 2011 - on what was their first tour as a married couple having wed just two months prior. It's unclear as to whether Kate, 34, and William, 34, will be joined on the trip by Prince George, three, and Princess Charlotte, one. Kensington Palace recently announced that Kate and William, both 34, will travel back to Canada again this autumn - five years after their first visit together A statement released by Kensington Palace said: 'Their Royal Highnesses have been invited to visit by the Government of Canada. They will visit British Columbia and the territory of Yukon as part of their tour.' The note added that the couple were 'delighted' to be returning to Canada. It read: 'They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 - their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way.' The couple will be the guests of His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving at Calgary Airport in Yellowknife, Canada back in 2011, shortly after they were wed William and Kate got into the swing of West Coast life back in 2011 Prince William throws a barrel into the back of a chuckwagon during his visit to Calgary, Alberta in 2011 Kate will be the guests of David Johnston, the country's Governor Of his guests, Johnston said: 'Sharon and I will be delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada. Their Royal Tour will take them to the beautiful province of British Columbia and the scenic territory of Yukon. 'Once again, our true Canadian pride and spirit will shine and be at the very heart of this visit so they can feel at home.' Last time the couple visited the country, they had just wed and prompted the kind of reaction that might ordinarily be reserved for pop stars. The couple famously canoed across Blatchford Lake in the Northwest Territories and even spent a night in a hidden forest retreat The Toronto star reported on how the Duchess was clearly a natural at royal life, reporting: 'In a matter of hours, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge signalled to the world that she has the makings of an international fashion icon' Their 11-day tour in early July 2011 saw them visit Canadas Capital Region, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Slave Lake and Calgary. The royal family continues to hold Canada dear, with the Queen reigning as the country's sovereign since 1952. A new study has revealed that more than a quarter of women feel so embarrassed by their naked body that they have sex with the lights off or avoid it entirely. According to a new survey of more than 2,000 British men and women more than 75 per cent of women claimed they disliked their body with 66 per cent saying they are 'ashamed' of their appearance. In the study, conducted by Weight Watchers, 27 per cent of women admitted they have sex with the lights off or not at all due to a lack of body confidence. Lights out: One in four women have revealed they are so embarrassed about their bodies they refuse to have sex with the lights on And it seems that the participants hate looking at themselves naked - with 60 per cent of women avoiding looking at themselves in the mirror when getting undressed. And the survey also revealed that 38 per cent of those surveyed - both men and women - admitted they thought there partner would not find them as attractive if they saw them naked. The survey was conducted by the weight management company to mark the launch of the first naked issue of the Weight Watchers magazine. Low self esteem: In the study, conducted by Weight Watchers 66 per cent of women said they felt 'ashamed' of their shape But despite the results from the survey six brave women and three courageous men are bucking the trend and have stripped off for a naked shoot after losing a total of 22st 3lbs and 29st 13lbs respectively. Speaking about the findings and the idea behind the new issue of the magazine Editor Helen Renshaw said: 'It is worrying that so many people feel unhappy or ashamed of their bodies. 'We hope that showing and celebrating healthy, strong, real bodies will inspire people to feel more confident about their own body shape.' Body confident: Six brave women have stripped off naked to show off their weightloss in the September issue of Weight Watchers magazine 'The idea of the Naked Issue was developed because in the world of womens consumer magazines, the September edition is traditionally all about the new fashion season and is the most influential issue of the year. 'We love fashion as much as the next person, but what is more interesting than clothes is what is going on in our heads and how we feel about our bodies.' The women will appear in the September issue while the three men will star in the October magazine. Her bridesmaids wore slip dresses and no bras, while the officiant When models get married, their nuptials can be quite a bit different from 'normal' occasions. And when runway regular Hanne Gaby Odiele tied the knot this weekend, the walk down the aisle seemed to have more in common with a jaunt down the catwalk. The 27-year-old said 'I do' to DJ and fellow model John Swiatek in upstate New York, and both the ceremony and reception bared the unmistakable signs of Pinterest lurking and a desire to shun all things traditional. But it was the bride's wedding gown if it can even be called that which stood out most. Hanne walked down the aisle in a hooded cape, a la Little Red Riding Hood, draped over white pants and a skimpy bralette. Model Hanne Gaby Odiele got married in upstate New York this weekend and walked down the aisle in a hoodedcape Designer darling: Underneath, she was wearing pants and a bralette by Balenciaga Romantic: She and DJ and fellow model John Swiatek said 'I do' under a structure that looked like a cross between a tee-pee and a chuppah We did it! After saying their vows, the couple kissed and high-fived Casual: The model's bridesmaids went braless in lilac slip dresses while the groomsmen wore sneakers In love: The 27-year-old model called the occasion the 'best weekend of our lives' The Balenciaga look was designed by Alexander Wang, one of several recognizable guest at the wedding. Hanne has modeled for Wang several times in the past, as has her now-husband; the pair actually appeared in the Spring/Summer 2016 campaign for Alexander's eponymous label, although Hanne's wedding ensemble was Balenciaga. 'Big shout out to @alexanderwangny for making the wedding ensemble of my dreams!' Hanne wrote on Instagram on Monday. Other big-name guests to attend included Victoria's Secret Angel Martha Hunt, Mica Arganaraz, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Lexi Boling, and Britt Maren. Models Kasia Struss, Anna Ewers, Sheila Marquez, and Alanna Zimmer served as her bridesmaids, each wearing a silk lilac slip dress and apparently all falling in line with a strict 'no bra' policy. They also went barefoot. Star-studded: Models in her bridal party included Kasia Struss, Anna Ewers, Sheila Marquez, and Alanna Zimmer Flats: Her groom wore a white suit and the duo each donned matching white shoes Comfy: Known for wearing whatever designers put her in on the runway, Hanne didn't seem bugged to be wearing a bra in front of her father (pictured), who walked her down the aisle Standing out: Hanne said the outfit, made for her by Alexander Wang, was 'the wedding ensemble of my dreams' A-list: Alexander Wang (center) attended the wedding as a guest, as did several other fashion industry names Catwalk: Hanne is a runway regular who seems to have picked up many model friends The bridesmaids didn't hold traditional bouquets, either, but rather carried different-sized baskets of flowers in yet another deliberately unique touch. When the ceremony began at Stone Tavern Farm in Roxbury which is about three hours north of Manhattan Hanne was walked down the aisle by her father, who wore a classic black suit. Her groom was waiting in a white suit with white loafers, which matched the bride's own chunky white flats. The ceremony was officiated by fashion executive Louise du Toit, whose cheeky Instagram handle is @louisusthechrist. Louise also picked an eye-catching ensemble, dressed in a dramatic pink robe over a white mini-dress. Officiant: They were wed by fashion executive Louise du Toit, whose Instagram handle is @louisusthechrist Country kids: After saying 'I do', they frolicked together in a nearby field Fashionable crowd: Model guests included Lexi Boling (left), Victoria's Secret Angel Martha Hunt, Mica Arganaraz, Jacquelyn Jablonski, and Britt Maren Always posing: Some of the models, like bridesmaid Anna Ewers, used the pretty backdrop for some fashion-forward photos Under the stars: The reception was held in a decorated barn, and guests held up sparklers during the first dance So much fun! Afterward, the after party included a bounce house and fireworks So on point: The bride and her bridesmaids wore customized Juicy Couture tracksuits while traveling to the ceremony Fashion-forward guests sat in rows that had been decorated with mason jars full of flowers, and watched as the couple recited their vows under a pyramid structure that appeared to be a cross between a tee-pee and a chuppuh. Hanne and John kissed as man and wife, high-fived, and walked out to applause before running out in a nearby field to frolic in the grass. The party was then held in a barn on the premises, where the couple sat at their own table to enjoy the festivities. They enjoyed their first dance inside the all-wood structure while guests held sparklers in the air. Pictures of the mother-daughter duo have gone viral Her mom, 30-year-old Jamie Dawn Beckstead, went home and buzzed the same line across her own head The five-year-old went under the knife on July 22 but was sad to have a line shaved through her hair Faith May Beckstead needed surgery to remove a brain tumor that was pushing on her optic nerve and destroying her A Utah mom facing the unimaginable reality of her daughter having brain surgery did what little she could to make the little girl feel better and in the process, managed to touch the hearts of men and women across the internet. Jamie Dawn Beckstead, 30, was naturally heartbroken when her five-year-old daughter Faith May had to go under the knife to remove a brain tumor on July 22. But while she couldn't cure her or stop the surgery, she could cheer her up about having her head shaved. Like mother, like daughter! Faith May Beckstead, five, had to have some of her hair shaved for surgery so her mom Jamie Dawn, 30, copied her Tough cookie: The little girl needed to have a brain tumor removed in July The tumor was pushing on her optic nerve and destroying her pituitary gland, the 'master gland' that controls growth and development. To operate, the hospital had to shave a line in Faith May's pretty brown hair, starting at the front of her scalp and reaching back behind her right ear. She'll also have a scar along that area of her head for the rest of her life, though she'll likely be able to grow most of the hair back and style it accordingly. For now, though, she was a 'a little down' when she noticed the hair missing on her head, and her mom did what she could to cheer her up. Sweet: The story was shared on the Love What Matters Facebook page, where it went viral Loving family: Jamie and her husband have two other children and live in Utah Jamie shaved a similar line across her head, also ending behind her ear so the two would match. For a set of pictures taken at the hospital, the two have identical hairstyles, down to their ponytails. Jamie nestles her little girl, and the two both smile for the camera. The pictures were later shared on the Facebook page Love What Matters, where they've been liked 18,000 times. 'This is Faith May, my superhero!!!' the poster wrote. 'Every superhero has a sidekick who picks them up, dusts them off, and makes them feel stronger then ever.' On the mend Faith May (left) is recovering from issues with her optic nerve and pituitary gland Nice: Jamie said she is 'humbled and grateful' for words of support she's gotten online 'In true sidekick fashion Faith's mom, Jamie Dawn Beckstead, went home during a shift swap and came back looking just like Faith! Judging by her smile she loves it!' After the post went viral and racked up supportive comments for the family, Jamie expressed words of gratitude. 'I am beyond humbled and grateful to every single person here praying and sending well wishes. May God bless each one of you for your kindness,' she wrote. In these straitened times, budget supermarkets are having no problems persuading shoppers to head for their most cost effective products. However, just because you have a 25p aubergine in your basket doesn't mean you know how to cook up a storm with it. Step forward 35-year-old Instagram chef Miguel Barclay, from London, who has amassed more than 60,000 followers on his @onepoundmeals account thanks to his incredibly cheap - but delicious-looking - meal ideas. Scroll down for video The man behind the one pound meals: chef Miguel Barclay has won a legion of followers on social media thanks to his cost-effective - and delicious-looking - meals Looking good: A fancy ballotine of chicken and cheesy leeks costs just 99 per person Dishes including this cheese, tomato and mushroom pizza have proved a hit thanks to the wallet-friendly costs involved - just 54p in this case The cost-conscious can't get enough of dishes including stuffed chicken and cous cous for 99p, a similarly priced ballotine of chicken and cheesy leeks and an aubergine stack that will set you back 86p. Photos of the dishes are all shot with a level of professionalism that might be reserved for a glossy cook book, which is clearly winning over would-be chefs shopping on a shoe-string. The majority of the posts created by Barclay are videos, offering step by step instructions on how to create meals in your own kitchen. Miguel, who works in e-commerce, told FEMAIL that all the food he creates comes in at less than 1 per portion. He said: 'I have always had a passion for food and like to over-experiment with my dishes. MIGUEL BARCLAY'S AUBERGINE STACK (86p per portion) A taste of Italy! This aubergine stack will set home cooks back just 86p Slice and griddle an entire aubergine. Keep 3 slices aside and finely chop the rest. Fry chopped garlic in a pan and add half a can of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 5 mins, then add chopped aubergine and cubed feta. Layer ingredients to create an aubergine stack. Video coming soon. Ingredients aubergine: 45p (Lidl) garlic clove: 3p (1 bulb/30p Tesco) 1/2 tin tomatoes 16p (1kg/31p Lidl) 50g feta: 22p (200g/89p Lidl) Advertisement 'My mind is always searching for the core flavours that create a particular dish, and when I started to strip away the layers, slowly my dishes were getting simpler and as a by-product, much cheaper.' He said that he set himself a challenge initially - creating well known dishes for less than 1. 'I posted them on Instagram and quickly they started to become popular. After only a few months I had tens of thousands of followers and was having fun experimenting with my own dishes too.' He says keeping under 1 is 'difficult': 'I have had to sacrifice garnishes like a wedge of lemon with my paella, but on the whole my dishes do not suffer too much with the price constraints.' A chicken and leek pie with puff pastry costs 92p Wallet-friendly: This chicken biryani costs just 89p per portion, says Miguel A very fancy version of mushrooms, bacon and egg on toast will set you back just 48p Finger lickin' good: This chicken dish comes in at 99p per person, while a Spanish omelette, right, costs just 68p per person Mamma mia! Italian staple gnocchi comes in at 38p per person Forget the garnish and shop at Lidl, says Miguel as he explains ways to trim prices right down (Pictured: a garnish-free paella for under 1) He says his number one tip when trying to create a dish for under 1 is to shop at Lidl. 'They cannot be beaten on most prices and the quality is actually comparable with the bigger supermarkets.' Other winners include mushrooms, bacon and egg on toast, elegantly presented, for 48p using bread 10p (Waitrose), egg 6p (Lidl), mushrooms 10p (Lidl) and bacon 22p (Lidl). Elsewhere there's a Spanish omelette that comes in at 68p a portion and is made from potato, 20p (1kg/80p Sainsbury's), onion, 8p (1kg/59p Tesco) and six eggs, 15 eggs/1 Lidl. University of York lecturer says regulation would make cannabis safer But mental health expert Ian Hamilton said potency is more complicated Study found joints contain 0.3g - lower than the 1g we once believed Data suggests joints are not as strong as governments are warning Cannabis continues to be the world's favourite illicit drug with around 147 million people using it annually. However, there are fears the drug is becoming increasingly potent and it could pose a public health risk. But how reliable is the evidence? And is it really getting stronger? Critics have accused the UK government of ignoring emerging evidence cannabis was becoming more potent and it represented a serious public health problem HOT TOPIC FOR DEBATE The debate about cannabis potency and harm is long running. In the UK, where there are 2 million annual users, it pre-dates the 2004 downgrading of cannabis classification from class B to class C. But this episode demonstrated some of the issues with estimating the harms of the drug. Research conducted at the time highlighted how the relative harms of cannabis compared with other class B substances was one of the factors behind the decision to reclassify. However, critics accused the government of ignoring emerging evidence cannabis was becoming more potent and it represented a serious public health problem. Those more sympathetic to the change in classification questioned whether this interpretation of cannabis potency was accurate. They highlighted how an alternative conclusion had been drawn from published research which suggested only modest changes in cannabis potency over the 20 to 30 years prior to 2004. Others, meanwhile, questioned the relevance of potency evidence, pointing to a shortage of studies looking at the consumption of cannabis in a natural setting. They also said users may well be smoking higher strength strains, but they could be 'titrating' their doses as a consequence, for example, by taking smaller puffs. The debate over potency is not helped by politicians referring to the 'lethal quality' of today's cannabis. Most assessments of cannabis potency have focused on increasing levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ARE THERE DIFFERING LEVELS OF POTENCY? Although the evidence is inconclusive, there is widespread acceptance strains of cannabis are stronger than in previous decades. To date, most assessments of cannabis potency have focused on increasing levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). But this doesn't provide the full story. Cannabis contains hundreds of compounds, some of which interact with each other. For example, THC helps the user get high, but another compound, cannabidiol (CBD), can counter this by reducing unpleasant feelings such as anxiety. So it is the balance between THC and CBD over time that is important. A recent analysis of over 10,000 cannabis transactions carried out in the US between 2000 and 2010, estimated the average joint contains 0.3g It would seem many cannabis producers have competed to incrementally increase THC levels while selectively breeding out the more protective cannabinoids. Seizures from the US Drug Enforcement Administration show how this ratio has changed in America over the last 20 years. This changing ratio was helped in the UK by the introduction of hydroponic techniques in the 1980s for cultivating cannabis. IS THE RESEARCH OUTDATED? Proxy measures of cannabis potency such as those based on home seizures of cannabis are widely used and quoted. But we don't know if the cannabis seized is a representative sample of the cannabis in circulation. Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, describes it as 'a massive data hole'. Also, the quality and sophistication of the cannabis testing procedures, such as chromatography, used to analyse seizures has improved over recent decades. But this means seminal and widely quoted research is outdated and less relevant. Another factor to consider is how much cannabis is consumed in the average joint. A recent analysis of over 10,000 cannabis transactions carried out in the US between 2000 and 2010, estimated the average joint contains 0.3g. This is significantly lower than the previous estimates of 0.75 to 1g. How deeply a user inhales and how long the smoke is held in the lungs can also influence the strength of the hit from a joint Other factors that influence the strength of the hit are how deeply you inhale and how long you hold the smoke in your lungs. The method used to ingest the drug also influences a user's experience, such as eating, vaping or smoking. Dose can be increased by using a bong whereby a greater quantity of the drug is inhaled in one go compared to a single hit on a joint. Higher potency concentrates known as 'dabs' have the potential to alter the level of intoxication. Research gathered from a subset of cannabis users creates ill informed policy, threatening the credibility of public health messages. WHY CANNABIS SHOULD BE REGULATED Without any quality assurance system such as the one recently introduced at a festival, it is likely younger users who haven't been using cannabis for long are the most vulnerable to variations in cannabis potency. There are also public health implications. Cannabis users have to rely on their own knowledge when deciding on the dosage to achieve the desired high. A regulated market such as the one in Colorado could mean users are able to make better decisions and, in turn, reduce the rate of people needing treatment services where cannabis is the primary problem. It is time for a national survey of cannabis which not only provides information about the strength of cannabis but how exactly it is consumed too, mental health experts warn The government should regulate cannabis products to make them safer, enabling consumers to make more informed choices. It should create opportunities for targeted education and harm reduction, and employ other evidence-based health interventions. The science underpinning the cannabis potency story is problematic. With so many people using cannabis, it can't be acceptable to continue with a system where basic information about this product's strength and purity are obscure. After being told she had bone cancer, Florencia Pistrittos mind was focused on one thing: survival. I just couldnt stop crying, recalls Florencia, 31, a former waitress from Edinburgh. All I could think about was my two-year-old son Marco. So when it was explained that the chemotherapy she needed might leave her with long term side-effects, this barely registered. Florencia had a 10cm tumour in her thigh. My doctors told me it was touch and go whether they could save my leg, but said it was possible to cure me with chemotherapy and surgery, she says. Two years later, Argentinian-born Florencia Pistritto, Edinburgh, is in remission from cancer Over the next ten months Florencia was given 17 cycles of cisplatin, a widely used form of chemotherapy. I cant say the risks werent explained to me because they were, she says now, two years later. Before I started on cisplatin I was warned it might cause hearing loss and was given a hearing test. But when you have a two-year-old and are trying to stay alive you tend not to worry so much about your hearing. However, after her first session, in July 2014, she noticed what she calls a ringing noise in her ears. And when Marco was shouting his voice sounded muffled, she adds. I didnt want to lose my hearing at 29 on top of everything else, but I had little choice as the doctors said cisplatin was the most effective drug for my cancer. Each new session of chemotherapy marked a further deterioration in her hearing, and after five cycles she needed hearing aids in both ears. For Florencia, who speaks fluent Italian and who hoped to start a new career as a translator once her treatment was completed, it was a worrying development. Cisplatin is given to 25 per cent of cancer patients, and while it is effective at destroying cancer cells, it may also damage the tiny hairs inside the ear that are crucial for hearing. Florencia, who speaks fluent Italian and who hoped to start a new career as a translator once her treatment was completed, was worried about her gradual loss of hearing Around 60 per cent of patients who receive the drug will develop hearing loss. The higher the dose and more courses of chemotherapy the worse the damage. Cisplastin contains platinum, a heavy metal thats very effective against cancer. But its not just hearing loss. Florencia, like many who have cisplastin and other forms of chemotherapy, suffers from so-called chemo brain, characterised by problems concentrating and fatigue. These side-effects have a big impact on my quality of life, she says. Striking a balance between the need to eradicate cancer cells with the need to maintain quality of life after the treatment is difficult. It is a growing challenge: advances in cancer treatment mean more people than ever are surviving cancer, according to a report published yesterday by the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, but around a quarter are left facing some kind of poor health or disability. Many have been affected by the side-effects of their cancer treatment. A study just published in the journal Cancer found that one in five women over 65 with newly diagnosed breast cancer had lost the ability to complete some of the basic tasks necessary for independent living within one year of starting treatment as a result of the treatment itself. Im grateful of course to have had such effective treatment,' Florencia says. 'But with two million survivors in the UK there has to be more emphasis on our quality of life after treatment Its not just chemotherapy that can cause long-term issues. For example, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that women whove had radiotherapy for breast cancer had up to a 4 per cent greater risk of heart attack radiation is linked to coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) and heart valve disease. At least 500,000 people in the UK are now living with ill health or disability due to their cancer treatment according to Macmillan Cancer Support. Problems include chronic fatigue, sexual difficulties, mental health problems, urinary problems such as incontinence and gastrointestinal problems. Professor Jane Maher, a consultant oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Hillingdon, West London, explains that some problems may only emerge months after treatment, and can persist for ten years or more. Its fair to say that health problems related to cancer treatment often go under recognised and under treated, she says. Patients often dont connect their symptoms to their cancer treatment especially if they start after treatment has ended. 'They may develop poor bowel control more than a year after pelvic radiotherapy, for example, while those treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy as children may develop heart failure during labour due to damage to the heart. Around 60 per cent of patients who receive the drug will develop hearing loss. The higher the dose and more courses of chemotherapy the worse the damage Others suffer from chemo-brain a recognised form of cognitive impairment related to chemotherapy. Fatigue is very common in the first year after treatment which can make returning to work hard. However, as more people now live many years after undergoing cancer treatment, attention is turning to try to ensure that those years are not mired by the effects of that treatment. The charity Action On Hearing Loss has just announced a research grant to investigate exactly how chemotherapy drugs enter the hair cells in the ear and cause the irreparable damage. Cisplatin is a gold standard treatment for solid tumours and is incredibly effective but it can cause profound hearing loss, says Dr Ralph Holme, the charitys director of biomedical research. Its a significant health problem. Our research is going to focus on understanding how cisplatin gets into the hair cells and then well be screening a number of existing compounds to see if they can protect against this. Florencia gradually lost her hearing during the cancer treatment, and now completely relies on hearing aids Switching treatments may help prevent some long-term effects, suggests Dr Timothy Yap, a clinician scientist at The Institute Of Cancer Research, London, and consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden Hospital, London. For example, we make sure patients are aware that hearing loss is a possible long-term side-effect of cisplatin and tell them that they should inform their oncologist if they notice any changes in their hearing, he says. Even before tinnitus is obvious they may notice a buzzing sound or whooshing noise, so they can be switched to another type of chemotherapy such as carboplatin which has a much lower risk of hearing problems, before the damage becomes too widespread. Carboplatin also contains platinum, though is not as effective as cisplastin. Doses or scheduling may also be altered. Another option is trying to personalise the treatment using drugs targeted at the patients specific cancer. Dr Yap treats selected lung cancer patients with targeted drugs called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, such as Tarceva, Iressa and Afatinib. These targeted drugs act like homing missiles against specific cancer targets, in this case EGFR, rather than proving toxic against all cells. They work by blocking signals that tell cancer cells to grow. Patients are now screened first to detect if they have an EGFR mutation in their cancer, so oncologists can predict whether these targeted drugs will work for them. Dr Yap says that in certain groups of patients these targeted treatments not only have fewer toxic side-effects than chemotherapy, they can in some cases be more effective. As more people now live many years after undergoing cancer treatment, attention is turning to try to ensure that those years are not mired by the effects of that treatment Also being introduced are genetic tests that can identify patients who wont respond to breast cancer chemotherapy, for example, so they can avoid side-effects from treatments that would never have helped them. The National Institute of Healthcare and Excellence (NICE) updated guidance this month to recommend patients are given a new genetic test called Oncotype DX which can predict which women with certain types of early stage breast cancer will respond to chemotherapy. This test helps clinicians make more informed decisions about who will benefit most from treatment with chemotherapy, explains Dr Jeremy Braybrooke, a consultant medical oncologist at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. COMMON SIDE EFFECTS TO CANCER TREATMENTS Breathlessness Tiredness (fatigue) Infertility Hair loss Mouth ulcers Eating problems Pain Lymphoedema Weakened heart and bones Menopausal symptoms Source: Macmillan Advertisement If chemotherapy is unsuitable after surgery, radiotherapy or hormone treatments may be used instead. Strategies are now being introduced to minimise some of the debilitating side-effects of radiotherapy, too. There are also simple breath-holding exercises which we can teach people to do while having radiotherapy so their heart is kept away from the chest wall and less likely to be damaged by the treatment, says Professor Maher. Breath-holding protects by pushing the heart away from the radiation beams. A study at Harvard University found for women having radiotherapy for breast cancer it cut exposure to the heart by up to 96 per cent. Its hoped that in the future cancer patients may avoid the long-term effects that Florencia has been left with. She knows shes incredibly lucky to be still here but her hearing is now so limited even with hearing aids that she has to wear constantly, that she will not be able to work as a translator. Im grateful of course to have had such effective treatment, but now there are two million cancer survivors in the UK there has to be more emphasis on what our quality of life will be like after treatment. A leading Aids charity has won a High Court battle over whether a preventative treatment for HIV should be funded by the NHS. The decision has sparked a row among campaigners who believe it might lead to irresponsible sexual behaviour and will use up vital funds at a time when life-prolonging cancer drugs are being rationed. The debate relates to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a 'highly effective' anti-retroviral drug which stops the virus being transmitted between partners where one is HIV-positive. It has been called a 'game-changer' by Aids charities as when taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by more than 90 per cent. However, studies show condom use falls among men taking the drugs - and critics suggest it will encourage promiscuity and 'risky lifestyles'. The once-a-day pill costs around 100 a week per patient, and works by stopping the virus multiplying - so it can't be transmitted. It is aimed at uninfected men who are having unprotected sex with other men - and therefore considered 'at risk'. Scroll down for video A High Court judge is to rule on whether a preventative treatment for HIV should be funded by the NHS (file photo) Today, Mr Justice Green, sitting in London, ruled in favour of the National Aids Trust (NAT) who brought a challenge against NHS England. NHS England has long argued it did not have the power to fund the treatment because it was a preventative drug - and the responsibility to provide it should fall to local authorities. However, the drug is currently used in America, Canada, Australia and France, protecting the most at-risk gay men. The ruling was broadly welcomed by leading medical organisations and MPs, who said it was 'ethical' and would save many lives. But critics today voiced outrage given the drugs would cost the NHS 20 million a year if introduced. Philip Davies, the Tory MP for Shipley, said it was wrong the taxpayer was funding HIV drugs when thousands of cancer patients were deprived access to crucial medicine themselves. There isnt a bottomless pit to spend on the NHS. Weve got to prioritise and decide where we should rank this in the list of NHS spending priorities, he told MailOnline. The fact that were depriving cancer patients crucial drugs at the expense of other treatments is something weve got to look at. You cant fund everything on the NHS. Youve got to wander what reaction youd get if you looked a cancer patient in the eye to explain you havent been able to fund their treatment because youve prioritised other treatments. WHAT IS PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS? Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV. When someone is exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use, these medicines can work to keep the virus from establishing a permanent infection. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92per cent. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently. PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone. But people who use PrEP must commit to taking the drug every day and seeing their health care provider for follow-up every three months. Source: Centres for Disease and Control Preventions Advertisement Others were concerned giving couples pills to prevent HIV infection would lead to reckless sexual behaviour. James Mildred, a spokeman from Christian organisation CARE today told MailOnline funding PrEP would encourage promiscuity. He said: 'If this drug is ultimately made available on the NHS we think there is a danger it will end up promoting promiscuity and more hedonistic, but risky lifestyles. 'We would have very real concerns therefore that making PrEP more available will have unintended consequences. He continued: 'It would be tragically naive to assume PrEP will reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases when that will not necessarily be the case. 'At the very least we would urge a healthy degree of scepticism about whether or not the drug really will prove a game changer as some are claiming.' Andrea Minichiello Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern added prescribing the treatment to gay men would not encourage responsible sexual health. She said: 'Of course, it is important that we protect people and seek cures from disease. 'However the real challenge here is the underlying behaviour and lifestyle which is risky and damaging to good health and proper relationships.' But other HIV charities said while the majority of gay men use condoms to prevent being infected with HIV, there is also an 'ethical duty' to provide PrEP to those who do not. Prep can be paid for privately with a doctor's prescription but is not yet available through the NHS. It costs around 400 per patient a month although the NHS would agree a far lower price, possibly half this amount. This is considerably cheaper than the 15,000 a year it costs to treat a patient with HIV. The once-a-day pill costs around 400 a month per person, and works by stopping the virus multiplying - so it can't be transmitted between partners. Pictured, an artwork of the virus The NHS in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not made a decision on whether to fund PrEP yet. Mr Justice Green ruled NHS England is legally able to fund the drug - and had 'erred' in deciding it had 'no power or duty' to do so. The health body said PrEP will now go through a process to decide whether it will be routinely prescribed. A row erupted earlier this year after NHS England said it would not fund PrEP. In March, the body decided the treatment was a preventative service and was therefore not its responsibility. It has said local councils are in charge of funding preventative health services. 'CONDOM USE FELL AMONG COUPLES TAKING HIV-PREVENTION DRUGS' Condom use fell among men taking PRrEP drugs, a study found. The French IPERGAY study revealed the drugs were effective in preventing HIV even when used intermittently. However, condom use declined among those taking the treatment. The study looked at 332 people split into four groups. The majority 54 per cent took their PrEP medication regularly but used condom infrequently. The second group 23.5 per cent) took their drugs and used condoms regularly. Around 16 per cent did not adhere to their PrEP course and did nto use condoms frequently. And 6.5 per cent did not take their drugs regularly but did use condoms. This suggests only a small subset of the group use a combination of PrEP and condoms to prevent infection. Another study by Kaiser Permanente found condom use fell in 41 per cent of men taking PrEP. Advertisement However, NHS England agreed to a re-evaluation after the NAT launched a legal challenge. Then in May it said it had 'considered and accepted NHS England's external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission PrEP', and that under 2013 regulations 'local authorities are the responsible commissioner for HIV prevention services'. It said if it prioritised PrEP there was the risk of a legal challenge from proponents of other 'treatments and interventions that could be displaced by PrEP'. The NAT, an independent charity, challenged the May 31 decision to 'exclude' PrEP from consideration by NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group 'as part of its annual commissioning process'. It argued the body does have the legal power to commission the drug. Speaking today, Mr Justice Green said: 'No one doubts that preventative medicine makes powerful sense. 'But one governmental body says it has no power to provide the service and local authorities say they have no money. 'The claimant is caught between the two and the potential victims of this disagreement are those who will contract HIV/Aids but who would not were the preventative policy to be fully implemented. 'In my judgment the answer to this conundrum is that NHS England has erred in deciding that it has no power to commission the preventative drugs in issue.' He added NHS England has 'mischaracterised the PrEP treatment as preventative when in law it is capable of amounting to treatment for a person with infection'. In any event, NHS England had the power to commission preventative treatments because that facilitated, or was incidental to, 'the discharge of its broader statutory functions'. The judge gave NHS England permission to appeal against his ruling to the Court of Appeal. Dr Jonathan Fielden, NHS England's director of specialised commissioning and Deputy National Medical Director, said there would be an appeal against the conclusions reached by the judge as to the scope of NHS England's legal powers under the National Health Service Act 2006. Dr Fielden added: 'In parallel with that we will set the ball rolling on consulting on PrEP so as to enable it to be assessed as part of the prioritisation round. 'Of course, this does not imply that PrEP - at what could be a cost of 10-20 million a year - would actually succeed as a candidate for funding when ranked against other interventions. 'But in those circumstances, Gilead - the pharmaceutical company marketing the PrEP drug Truvada - will be asked to submit better prices, which would clearly affect the likelihood that their drug could be commissioned.' Studies show condom use does fall in men taking PrEP. PrEP has been called a 'game-changer' by campaigners as when taken consistently, it has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 90 per cent Matthew Terrell, writer and gay activist told Huffington Post he talks with men on gay dating apps Grindr and Scruff who say they no longer use condoms because they are taking the drugs. He said: Please stop using this pill as a license to engage in unprotected sex. You are going to wreak havoc on the sexual health of our community, and you are turning one of the greatest medical advances of our times into an expensive sex toy. Charities said would provide an additional defence against HIV - and would not be used simply as an alternative to safe sex. It comes after the results of a trial, published in February 2015, suggested that rates of HIV infection could be slashed by treating actively gay men with the anti-viral drug when they are healthy. Dr Michael Brady, medical director at the HIV/Aids charity Terrence Higgins Trust, welcomed the findings and described the drug as 'a game-changer'. He said PrEP offered 'another line of defence' against HIV, alongside condoms and regular testing. Studies show condom use falls among men taking the drugs - and critics suggest it may encourage promiscuity Dr Brady said: 'It is not a vaccine and it won't be for everyone, but, once approved, we expect it to significantly increase the momentum in our fight against the virus. 'We urge the Government, NHS England and local authorities to make PrEP a key priority in the fight against HIV.' The LGA's community well-being portfolio holder, Izzi Seccombe, welcomed the High Court's decision, saying: 'We are pleased that today's ruling confirms our position that NHS England has the power to commission the HIV treatment PrEP. 'During the transition period to the implementation of the NHS and Care Act 2010, NHS England sought to retain commissioning of HIV therapeutics, which the PrEP treatment clearly falls into. 'We therefore believe that it is, and should remain, an NHS responsibility. 'Councils have invested millions in providing sexual health services since taking over responsibility for public health three years ago, and we look forward to continuing to work with NHS England to determine how PrEP could be introduced across the country, and reduce the risk of HIV infection. Women who have their appendix or tonsils out are more fertile, a study has found Women who have their appendix or tonsils out when they are young are more likely to get pregnant, a study has found. They become pregnant more quickly than the rest of the population, it showed. Having such an operation will not boost a woman's fertility - but the finding will reassure women having such procedures that it won't harm their chances of motherhood, researchers said. They do not know why the link exists, but suspect it might be down to the behaviour of women who have these operations. They added the findings might lead to new treatments - but advised women not to have their tonsils and appendix taken out unnecessarily. For years, doctors have been taught having an appendix out cut a woman's chances of conceiving. But the new study, by scientists from the University of Dundee's medical school, debunks this as a myth. It examined the anonymised medical records of hundreds of thousands of women across Britain. The results revealed women who had both tonsils and appendixes out were the most fertile. Pregnancy rates were significantly higher among those who had an operation to remove their appendix (54.4 per cent) or one to take out their tonsils out (53.4 per cent). WOMEN ARE BEING PUSHED INTO IVF CLINICS DESPITE REMAINING FERTILE UNTIL THEY ARE 45, SAYS FERTILITY EXPERT Women remain fertile until they are 45 and are wrongly being pushed into early IVF by private clinics, Robert Winston, Britain's leading fertility expert, has said. The NHS advises that women's fertility starts to decline sharply from 35 and those planning to have a family should take this into account. But Lord Winston, who heads the Genesis Research Trust in London, dismissed this. He said women are able to conceive until their mid-40s and suggested fertility clinics that say otherwise are doing so for financial gain. Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday he said: 'Actually even at the age of 40 your chances of getting pregnant spontaneously are pretty good if you keep trying, and it's really not until you're 45 there is a really sharp turn off. Advertisement They were highest among women who had both out (59.7 per cent), compared with those in the rest of the population (43.7 per cent). And the time it took to get pregnant was also shortest among those who had both an appendectomy and tonsillectomy. The study followed a 2012 report from the same research team which initially revealed the surprising statistics around appendectomies and pregnancy. Mr Sami Shimi, of the University of Dundee medical school said: 'For many years medical students were taught that appendectomy had a negative effect on fertility and young women often feared that having their appendix removed threatened their chances of later becoming pregnant. 'Our first study produced such a surprising result - that women who had had their appendix removed actually appeared more likely to become pregnant - that we wanted to look at a wider group to establish whether this was really related to the removal of the appendix, which if left can be a cause of inflammation. 'However, once again the results have been surprising. We have found that women who have had an appendectomy or tonsillectomy, or even more particularly both, are more likely to become pregnant, and sooner than the rest of the general population. 'This scientifically challenges the myth of the effect of appendectomy on fertility. What we have to establish now is exactly why that is the case.' Mr Shimi said that the findings should not be taken as a sign that women should go under the knife for an appendectomy or tonsillectomy thinking it would increase their chances of becoming pregnant. Researchers do not know why the link between having tonsils or appendix out and fertility exists - but suspect it might be down to the behaviour of women who have these operations He said: 'This research does not mean that removing a normal appendix directly increases fertility. 'It does however mean that young women who need to have their appendix removed can do so without fear of the risk on future fertility.' Dr Li Wei, of the School of Pharmacy at University College London, added: 'This research is of paramount interest because appendectomy and tonsillectomy are very common surgical operations, experienced by tens of thousands of people in the UK alone. 'Although a biological cause is possible, we believe that the cause is more likely to be behavioural. We are pursuing both hypotheses with further research.' The study was published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility. A two-year-old girl could develop a life-threatening blood clot at any time because she has twice as many veins as most adults. Cambree Hensley's life is plagued by Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS), which affects just one in 100,000 people worldwide. The condition impacts the development of blood vessels, soft tissues, and bones and means the toddler from Oklahoma City veins are much larger than usual. Scroll down for video. Cambree Hensley's life is plagued by Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS), which affects just one in 100,000 people worldwide Her increased blood flow causes swelling putting her at high risk of developing a fatal blood clot. As a result, her left leg is two-and-a-half inches wider and an inch longer than her right She experiences pain every day, and her increased blood flow causes swelling putting her at high risk of developing a fatal blood clot. But doctors can not tell her parents if or when this will happen, as every case of KTS is unique. As a result of the condition, her left leg is two-and-a-half inches wider and an inch longer than her right. And it often leads to her losing balance and falling over because the increased blood flow makes her leg heavier. She wears specially designed shoes with a one inch orthopedic lift to help her walk. Cambree's mother Ashley, 32, said: 'I feel scared out of my mind, but it's my job to be a strong mum for Cambree. 'Every day I get people saying, "What's wrong with her leg?" 'It hurts a little bit, but I've taught her to say, "It's my pretty birthmark". 'She is still our strong angel though and loves dancing around.' It often leads to Cambree losing her balance and falling over because the increased blood flow makes her leg heavier. She wears specially designed shoes with a one inch orthopedic lift to help her walk, pictured She had a special glue inserted into the major veins to minimise the condition, laser treatment to toughen the skin on her leg to make bleeding easier, and sclerotherapy to shut off some of her smaller veins. Every day her mother Ashley, 32, has people ask what's wrong with Cambree's leg, but she has taught to say it's her 'pretty birthmark' (left with father Matt, 32) Within seconds of Cambree's birth at Oklahoma's Norman Regional HealthPlex in August 2013, doctors noticed a port wine stain covering most of her left leg Doctors told her the mark could signify more serious underlying problems, and they would need to monitor it. The next morning, Cambree was examined by paediatricians and a dermatologist, who could not agree on a diagnosis, because KTS is so rare, pictured with mother Ashley and father Matt Within seconds of Cambree's birth at Oklahoma's Norman Regional HealthPlex in August 2013, doctors noticed a port wine stain covering most of her left leg. Not realising its implications, Mrs Hensley didn't care about the birthmark. All she wanted was to hold her baby. Then doctors told her the mark could signify more serious underlying problems, and they would need to monitor it. She broke down in tears and said the 'wonderful moment had been ripped away' from her. The next morning, Cambree was examined by paediatricians and a dermatologist, who could not agree on a diagnosis, because KTS is so rare. Six days later, Cambree's parents took their daughter to Cook Children's Hospital in Texas, three hours away. Her parents were on tenterhooks as she was seen by a neurosurgeon, a genetics doctor and a haematologist. They examined her birthmark, her vascular malformation and noted her left leg was two-and-a-half inches wider and an inch longer than the right. Officially diagnosed with KTS at eight days old, doctors explained Cambree's condition was potentially life-threatening, because of the frequency of blood clotting. Cambree was officially diagnosed with KTS at eight days old, they explained her condition was potentially life-threatening, because of the frequency of blood clotting Her parents are fundraising for annual check ups in Boston and further surgery, in a bid to close the main extra vein down and lower her chances of developing a debilitating blood clot Mrs Hensley said: 'We were happy to get a diagnosis, but nervous as we were told the condition gets worse with time.' For the first eight months of Cambree's life, the family felt very isolated. WHAT IS KLIPPEL-TRENAUNAY SYNDROME? Klippel Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare genetic condition which affects the development of blood vessels, soft tissues and bones. It has three main side effects: a 'port wine stain' (Marley's big 'bruise'), the overgrowth of bones - particularly limbs - and varicose veins. The disorder is estimated to affect around one in 100,000 people. It can occur in people who have no history of the disorder. There is no cure and treatment is symptomatic. KTS is often a progressive disorder, and complications may be life-threatening. Source: US Library of Medicine Advertisement Then they found support through a Facebook group for KTS sufferers and their families. Through the network, they discovered Boston's Children's Hospital in Massachusetts, had an excellent reputation for treating the condition. Within two months of contacting them, surgeons there recommended closing off Cambree's extra vein, to slow down the blood flow. And in April 2015, Cambree was admitted to the Boston facility for 'vein mapping' a type of ultrasound used to monitor flow. She also had a special glue inserted into the major veins to minimise it, laser treatment to toughen the skin on her leg to make bleeding easier, and sclerotherapy to shut off some of her smaller veins. In September 2015, she returned for further laser therapy, surgery to remove three extra veins and a couple of non-life threatening blood clots in her leg. Her parents are fundraising for annual check ups in Boston and further surgery, in a bid to close the main extra vein down and lower her chances of developing a debilitating blood clot. Flu jabs may not protect fat people from infection, a new study suggests (file photo) Flu jabs may not protect fat people from infection, a new study suggests. Experiments found the vaccines protected lean mice against viruses - but did not work as well on obese rodents. Overweight animals were more susceptible to the virus, which penetrated more deeply into their lungs, making it harder to repair the damage caused. The findings raise concerns about the effectiveness of vaccines in obese humans who are known to be at a raised risk of suffering severe flu. Obese people are more likely to be hospitalised or die of a flu infection - and vaccines are the front line defence in combating epidemics of the virus. The World Health Organization estimates that globally, 10 per cent of adults worldwide and 42 million children under the age of 5 now qualify as obese. And these numbers expected to grow, while scientists also fears a future pandemic caused by bird flu or other strains that jump species. The lead author Dr Stacey Schultz-Cherry, of St Jude Children's Research Hospital, said: 'This is the first study to show that current strategies to bolster the effectiveness of flu vaccines protected lean mice from serious illness but fell short of protecting obese mice from infections. 'There is a critical public health need to translate these findings to humans and understand vaccine response in this growing segment of the population.' The strategies include increasing the vaccine dose and adding substances called adjuvants to them, which enhance the body's immune response. Obese people are also more likely to suffer flu complications - including hospitalisation and death - and vaccines are the front line defence in combating epidemics (file photo) In the study, researchers used vaccines prepared from killed viruses that are the basis of flu shots. The vaccines targeted A H1N1 seasonal flu strain, which was the most common cause of flu in 2009. It was also associated with the 1918 outbreak known as the Spanish Flu, and bird flu strain A(H7N9). ZIKA IS IN THE UK: MORE THAN FIFTY CASES DIAGNOSED IN BRITISH HOSPITALS THIS YEAR INVOLVING PATIENTS WHO TRAVELLED OVERSEAS More than 50 people in the UK have been diagnosed with Zika virus this year, health officials confirmed. Public Health England released a statement following reports of three people in West Yorkshire being treated for the virus after returning from overseas. Professor Paul Cosford, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: 'As of 27 July 2016, over 50 cases have been diagnosed in UK travellers since January 2016. The risk to the general public is low - and all the patients had caught the virus abroad, he said. He said: 'We expect to see small numbers of Zika virus infections in travellers returning to the UK, but the risk to the wider population is very low as the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus is not found in the UK. Advertisement Scientists looked at the immune response of both lean and obese mice after they received a vaccine. This included looking at how different doses and different adjuvants changed that response. These methods are used to improve the effectiveness of vaccines in adults and high risk groups. While adjuvants improved the immune response to vaccinations in both lean and obese mice, the overall immune response was reduced in the obese animals. Following vaccination, the obese mice had lower levels of antibodies - immune cells that fight off infections - and higher levels of the virus. And lean mice who received vaccines with adjuvants were protected from severe flu infections while obese mice were not. Dr Schultz-Cherry said: 'The addition of adjuvants to the vaccines led to levels of neutralising antibodies in both the lean and obese mice that have been considered to be protective. 'Surprisingly that did not translate into protection from flu infection or fatal disease in the obese animals.' She a suggested obese individuals may be at risk of flu infections even if there are levels of antibodies in their blood that reach what have previously been considered protective levels. A four-fold increase in the dose of A(H7N9) vaccine bolstered the immune response in both lean and obese mice, but failed to protect the heavier animals from flu-related deaths. Obese people may be at risk of infections even if there are levels of antibodies in their blood that reach what have previously been considered protective levels, experts said (file photo) Protective antibodies from lean mice also failed to protect obese mice from flu infections. Dr Erik Karlsson, a staff scientist in the Schultz-Cherry laboratory, said: 'That suggests the problem lies with the immune response of the obese animals rather than the antibodies themselves.' The obese mice seemed more susceptible to the virus; levels of it remained elevated after vaccination, when compared to levels of the virus in the blood of lean animals. Dr Schultz-Cherry said: 'The virus penetrates more deeply into the lungs of obese mice, and the animals seem to have a more difficult time repairing the damage.' Unions have called for an end of 'blink and you'll miss them' Health Secretaries as the Sunak shuffle gives England its fifth Health Secretary since 2021 and the NHS faces multiple crises. Record waiting lists, a broken emergency service system, looming staff strikes and the prospect of the worst winter facing the NHS in living memory are just a selection of the issues No10 must get a grip on. To handle the numerous problems newly anointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Steve Barclay (bottom left and right) as his Health Secretary yesterday, the fourth MP to hold the position in 12 months. It's Mr Barclay's second go at the job, having briefly filled the post between July and September after Sajid Javid (top right) quit the position in a wave of resignations to hit then PM, Boris Johnson. His most memorable event in the role was being accosted by a member of the public outside a hospital who accused him of doing 'bugger all' about the NHS crisis. Mr Barclay replaces Therese Coffey (bottom centre), who kept the seat warm for a grand total of 49 days as part of the ill-fated Liz Truss Government. Ms Coffey last night thanked her ministerial team on Twitter, saying 'we achieved a lot together in seven weeks'. Some of her most memorable achievements include implying NHS nurses unhappy with their pay can leave the UK, telling her staff to stop using the Oxford comma, and admitting to illegally supplying antibiotics to her friends. Today unions called for an end to chaos in Westminster and for Mr Barclay to get a grip on the staffing crisis they claim is fuelling the issues facing the health service. The revolving door of ministers has left Matt Hancock (top left) the longest serving Health Secretary in recent times, having an almost three year stint before resigning after footage of him emerged breaching social distancing guidelines by kissing a colleague. A petition calling for all children to be vaccinated against chickenpox has attracted nearly 3,000 signatures. It was created by a mother who was told her son had the 'worst case of chickenpox ever seen'. A vaccine, called Varilrix, has been available for use in Britain since 2013 - but is currently only offered to those likely to come into contact with the illness. Sarah Allen, 36, appeared on ITV's This Morning show with her son, Jasper, two, who spent five days in hospital with his entire body covered in red, raw, itching sores. But the nursery manager from St Neots, Cambridegshire, wants the vaccine to become part of NHS's routine childhood immunisation schedule. Scroll down for video Jasper Allen, two, (pictured healthy, left) was hospitalised for five days with 'the worst case of chickenpox doctors had ever seen' (right) Nearly 3,000 people have signed Sarah Allen's petition so far, after her son spent five days in hospital with his entire body covered in red, raw, itching sores Chickenpox infects about 65 per cent of children in Britain before their fifth birthday. She said: 'We are one of the only countries who do not routinely vaccinate against chickenpox - Europe, the US and Australia all now do. 'My kids have had all their immunisations but this was not something that ever crossed my mind to vaccinate them against privately. 'I don't want this to be a debate about vaccination - I don't care if you do not want to vaccinate your child, but sign the petition so everyone else has the choice.' If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government will respond to her request, while 100,000 will force the topic to be considered for debate in Parliament. However, it is thought if a childhood vaccination programme was introduced, it would leave those without more likely to contract the illness as an adult. And if adults contract the infection, they are more likely to develop a severe infection or a complication in pregnancy, when there is a risk of harming the baby. Although children are routinely vaccinated in the US, Australia and Germany, the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in 2010 decided the vaccine should not be rolled out to all children. Red, itchy sores erupted all over his body and became infected, causing the toddler's temperature to soar A vaccine, called Varilrix, has been available for medical use in the country since 2013, but Sarah Allen wants it to become available to all. She was told her son, Jasper, two, had the 'worst case of chickenpox ever seen', pictured on This Morning In response to the petition, a Department of Health spokesperson said: 'Chickenpox is usually a mild illness in children with most recovering quickly. 'We look very carefully at all the evidence for all vaccines, and we have to be guided by expert advice. VACCINE THAT COULD SAVE TEN LIVES A YEAR Chickenpox infects about 65 per cent of children in Britain before their fifth birthday. It is caused by a virus known as varicella-zoster, which causes a rash of red, itchy spots that turn into blisters. For the majority of children it is mild but it can sometimes cause serious problems such as pneumonia or swelling of the brain. It claims the lives of about ten children every year. A vaccine, called Varilrix, has been available in Britain since 2013, but is only usually given to children and adults who are particularly vulnerable to complications. Although children are routinely vaccinated in the US, Australia and Germany, the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in 2010 decided the vaccine should not be rolled out to all children. However, a trial on expanding it to more youngsters is currently being conducted at Southampton. Advertisement 'Our vaccination experts currently only recommend the chicken pox vaccine for people who are most at risk of serious illness or in close contact with those at risk, although they are reviewing this. 'Those at risk can include some health workers or children with family members who are undergoing medical treatments such as chemotherapy which can affect their immunity.' Jasper Allen's case was so bad doctors considered contacting medical journals as they had never seen such an extreme case. He was put on an IV drip and given antiviral medication, antibiotics and morphine to help his ravaged body fight the virus. Mrs Allen claims two days before he required emergency treatment, she was refused an appointment at her local GP surgery because a receptionist did not think the condition was severe enough to warrant a visit. She said: 'Everyone's reactions in the hospital were just complete shock over how severe it was - the doctors all wanted to come and see this worst ever case of chickenpox. 'There was even talk about using the pictures for a medical journal. 'One of the paediatric nurses with 40 years' experience said she had never seen anything like it. 'It shouldn't have affected a healthy two-year-old as badly as it did - imagine how it could have affected a child with a compromised immune system.' Jasper's mother Sarah, 36, said she phoned for a GP appointment after noticing spots on her son. She claims the receptionist told her seeing a doctor wouldn't be necessary She continued: 'I was one of those parents who couldn't wait for my two-year-old to get chickenpox so then it was out of the way - I didn't think there was any harm in letting him get it. 'But to see him get it like that and see how it took over his body was just heart-breaking. 'Nearly every child I've ever had in my care has had chickenpox at some point, but never like this. 'It was definitely not "just chickenpox" and I want people to realise this.' She said every parent says their child's chickenpox was bad, but when she shows people pictures of Jasper, none of them can believe just how bad it was. Mrs Allen also has a five-year-old daughter Poppy with her postman husband Keith, 36. The couple first noticed a few spots on Jasper in July after he had battled scarlet fever the week before. Days later, when Jasper's temperature soared, she went to A&E where he was immediately admitted to the children's ward and put on an IV drip and antiviral medication, antibiotics and morphine The following morning he erupted in hundreds of spots and Mrs Allen called her local GP surgery to book an appointment. But she claims the receptionist told her 'every mother thinks their child has bad chickenpox' and that seeing a doctor wouldn't be necessary. When Jasper's temperature continued to rise, she took him to the same GP surgery and he was prescribed antibiotics and oral medication for an infection. Several hours later his condition hadn't improved so Mrs Allen took him to A&E at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon. There, he was quickly admitted onto the children's ward and spent five days in hospital on an IV drip and antiviral medication, antibiotics and morphine. Mrs Allen said: 'When I first called our local GP's surgery I spoke to the receptionist to make an appointment for Jasper but when I told her it was chickenpox she said to me "every mother thinks their child has bad chickenpox". 'I knew I wasn't being a neurotic mother - I have two children and have run a nursery and seen hundreds of kids with chickenpox before so I knew this wasn't normal. 'They should listen to parents more - we know our babies better than anybody in the world. Jasper lives with his mother, Sarah, postman father Keith, 36 and his five-year-old sister Poppy (pictured) Mrs Allen said: 'Everyone's reactions in the hospital were just complete shock over how severe it was - the doctors all wanted to come and see this worst ever case of chickenpox. There was even talk about using the pictures for a medical journal' She continued: 'When Jasper was admitted to hospital, it was scary but I was also relieved I was actually being taken seriously and they were doing something about it. 'As we were sat in the waiting room waiting for a bed I could see this redness in his chest spreading all over him before my eyes. 'We couldn't hold him for three days because he screamed every time we touched him. 'It is worse when it's your own child because all you want is to take the pain away for them, it broke my heart.' Doctors still do not know why the chickenpox Jasper contracted was so severe and he is undergoing heart scans to make sure there are no lasting effects. Doctors still do not know why the chickenpox Jasper contracted was so severe and he is undergoing heart scans to make sure there are no lasting effects Mrs Allen wants parents to trust their instincts when it comes to their children's health. She said: 'It was definitely not "just chickenpox" and I want people to realise this' Now Mrs Allen is calling on the Government to make a vaccination against the disease - currently only available to certain children on medical grounds - free for all children on the NHS A spokesman for Cambridge and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said they were unable to comment upon individual patient cases. CHICKENPOX: WHAT THE NHS ADVISES There is no cure for chickenpox, and the virus usually clears up by itself without any treatment. If a child is in pain or has a high temperature (fever), a mild painkiller, such as paracetamol, can be given. Never give a child aspirin if it is suspected or know they have chickenpox. Children with chickenpox who take aspirin can develop a potentially fatal condition called Reye's syndrome, which causes severe brain and liver damage. Speak to the GP or pharmacist if you are not sure which medicines to give your child. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement They said: 'However in the event that a child contracts chickenpox, the NHS offers the following advice and information: Chickenpox is usually a mild illness from which most children recover on their own. 'Symptoms include a high temperature, aches and pains, and a rash of blisters. These usually pass within a week or two, and the blisters dry up and fade. 'The best treatment is to use soothing creams and/or appropriate doses of paracetamol to ease any discomfort, while keeping your child hydrated by giving them lots to drink. 'It is highly advisable that parents and carers keep a watchful eye on children who have chickenpox, as complications, although rare, can develop - especially in children who are very young, are on other medications or who may have a weakened immune system. 'If you are ever concerned about your child's health then call NHS 111 who can give advice or refer to an appropriate NHS service, including A&E if necessary. U ndergoing transition earlier in life is behind longer term symptoms 1 in 5 who had hysterectomies were afflicted by 'constant night sweats' Common symptoms of menopause can last for more than a decade Having a hysterectomy doubles the odds of a woman enduring persistent hot flushes and night sweats, scientists have found. Researchers found many symptoms of the menopause can last for more than a decade after surgery, seriously affecting a woman's life - even when the ovaries have been retained. Women who have gone under the knife to have their womb removed were twice as likely to have vasomotor symptoms - such as flushes or sweats, the experts claim. Scroll down for video Having a hysterectomy doubles the odds of a woman having hot flushes and night sweats that last for more than a decade, new research has found Researchers from the University of Queensland examined 17 years of data from more than 6,000 women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). They found approximately 20 per cent of the women had a hysterectomy with ovary conservation before turning 50. And almost a third of these women experienced hot flushes that persisted long term, and around one in five were afflicted by constant night sweats. Louise Wilson, lead researcher, said: 'These rates were double those of women who did not have a hysterectomy during the study period.' But she added their findings could not be explained by any differences in lifestyle or income. Hysterectomy remains one of the most common gynaecological procedures performed worldwide. In economically developed countries, rates are highest among women aged between 40 and 50. Women who had the procedure with both ovaries removed were consistently reported to have more frequent or severe hot flushes and night sweats. Hysterectomy remains one of the most common female procedures performed worldwide. The surgical procedure removes all or part of the womb from women Professor Gita Mishra, from the ALSWH, said: 'That is thought to be related to the abrupt decline in oestrogen levels post-surgery. 'However, the effect of a hysterectomy when ovaries are retained has been less clear. 'This study shows that for many women hot flushes and night sweats can have a major impact on their quality of life, productivity and social life for well over a decade.' But he said further research was needed to determine the reasons for this higher risk. He added: 'It is likely that the biological mechanism is extremely complex, but transition to menopause earlier in life is likely to be a factor for these women who all underwent the procedure before the age of 50. 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? The World Health Organization says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region. People aren't immune to it, and the Aedes mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere - including along the southern United States. Canada and Chile are the only places without this mosquito. MOSQUITOES It is typically transmitted through bites from the Aedes species of mosquitoes. They are aggressive feeders, commonly biting multiple people in quick succession, fueling the spread of the virus. The Aedes aegypti - which spreads other tropical diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever - is most commonly associated with Zika. It thrives in warm climates. Its cousin, the Aedes albopictus has also been linked to Zika. Worryingly for Americans in northern states, this species can survive in cooler temperatures. Unlike some other types of mosquitos, Aedes mosquitos are active during the daytime. They are most active during mid-morning and then again between late afternoon and nightfall. SEX Scientists have found Zika can be transmitted sexually - from both men and women. Couples should abstain or wear condoms for eight weeks if either partner has traveled to a country with a Zika outbreak, regardless of whether they have symptoms. The first case of sexually-transmitted Zika during the current outbreak was reported in Texas at the beginning of February. Pregnancy: The infection can take two routes - through the placenta and through the amniotic sac The woman became infected after sexual contact with a man who had caught the virus in another country. On July 15, it was confirmed that women can pass the virus to men after such a case was seen in New York City. There are also reported cases of sexual transmission in France and Canada. Prior to this outbreak, there was a case of sexual transmission of Zika in 2008 when researcher from Colorado, who caught the virus overseas, infected his wife on returning home. MOTHER TO BABY A mother can pass the virus to her unborn baby during pregnancy. There are two ways this can happen, according to a recent study. Through the placenta: During the first trimester, it can travel through the placenta by infecting numerous placental cells - something very few viruses can do. This route is the most damaging to the fetus, and is most likely to leave the child with birth defects, including microcephaly. Through the amniotic sac: In the second and third trimester, the virus can make its way through the amniotic sac. This route is less likely. The baby would have a much smaller risk of birth defects at this stage than if it were infected in the first trimester. During childbirth: Since the virus can live in the woman's womb lining, there is a chance the baby can become infected when it is born. 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. 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. Women who douche are twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer, a national U.S. study shows. Prior studies have linked douching, or vaginal washing with a device, to yeast infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancies. Researchers have also found associations between douching and cervical cancer, reduced fertility, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. But the new National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences study is the first to tie cancer of the ovaries to the procedure routinely practiced by millions of American women. Vaginas clean themselves yet 25% of women use cleaning devices - but there is a danger WHAT IS DOUCHING? Vaginas naturally clean themselves. But some women use scented sticks, sprays and other materials to perfume their crotch. Squirting cleansers or other mixtures inside the canal only interferes with nature's balance. Douching can cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. This can lead to yeast infections, and push bacteria up into the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. The Office on Women's Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warns against it. Nevertheless, one quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 44 douche, HHS says. Advertisement Joelle Brown, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, San Francisco said that although she knew about other health problems associated with douching, the link between douching and ovarian cancer took her by surprise. 'While most doctors and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly recommend that women do not douche, many women continue to douche because they falsely perceive douching to have positive health benefits, such as increased cleanliness,' she said. Brown was not involved in the current study. Interventions to encourage women not to douche are needed, she said. Ovarian cancer is known as 'the silent killer' because women often experience no symptoms until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. An estimated 20,000 American women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 14,500 die from it annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new analysis in the journal Epidemiology followed more than 41,000 women throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico since 2003 as part of the Sister Study. Participants were 35 to 74 years old, and each had a sister who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The subjects were free of breast and ovarian cancer when they enrolled in the study. By July 2014, researchers counted 154 cases of ovarian cancer among participants. Women who reported douching during the year before entering the study nearly doubled their risk of ovarian cancer, the study found. The link between douching and ovarian cancer was even stronger when the authors looked only at women who didn't have breast-cancer genes in their family. No study had ever before examined a possible relationship between douching and ovarian cancer, senior author Clarice Weinberg said. She is deputy chief of the biostatistics and computational biology branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. 'There are a number of health reasons not to douche, and I can't think of any reason to do it,' she said. Some women use scented sticks, sprays and other materials to perfume their crotch Vaginas naturally clean themselves, and squirting cleansers or other mixtures inside the canal only interferes with nature's balance. Douching can cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, lead to yeast infections, and push bacteria up into the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, according to the Office on Women's Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Nevertheless, one quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 44 douche, HHS says. Brown, who led a 2016 study published in PLoS One that examined women's motivations for douching, said she has long been fascinated by the display of so-called feminine hygiene products lining drugstore shelves. There are a number of health reasons not to douche, and I can't think of any reason to do it Senior author Clarice Weinberg 'In most pharmacies you can find entire aisles dedicated to vaginal douches, suppositories and gels that are meant to make your vagina smell like a tropical splash or a cookie,' she said. Women douched as far back as 1500 B.C., when an Egyptian papyrus recommended intravaginal washing with garlic and wine to treat menstrual disorders. American women once douched with Lysol, and some mistook the toilet bowl disinfectant for birth control. Women often learn to douche from their mothers, Brown's study found. They do so because they see douching as a necessary part of good hygiene, to prepare for sex, to clean up after sex and at the urging of their male partners. Despite medical recommendations, douching remains a common practice because women 'believe that the products they are using would not be for sale or recommended by their mothers if they were not safe,' Brown said. 'In general, I think women do not realize that douching products do not fall under the same kind of safety regulation as drugs,' she said. 'Instead, douching products are considered cosmetics, which means that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require that douche manufacturers test their products for safety.' Pakistan is desperate, and it is starting to show. With the world seemingly not interested in listening to Pakistani rhetoric on Kashmir, the Federal government declared July 19 a black day in memory of the slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani. Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enjoyed some grandstanding by declaring at a rally: We are waiting for the day (when) Kashmir becomes (a part of) Pakistan. Pakistan's provocations over J&K could deal a body-blow to Indias democracy and secularism if it accepts the idea that because Muslims are the majority in a state, they should be able to secede. (Pictured: Recently deceased Hizbul militant Burhan Wani) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj promptly hit back, accusing Nawaz Sharif of advancing the despicable design of destabilising South Asia by exporting dirty money and dangerous terrorists. New Delhi made it amply clear that sections of the Pakistani establishment could continue to dream, but it had no legal rights on the issue. Knockout India had already delivered a knockout punch to Pakistan at the United Nations on the issue of Kashmir. Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enjoyed some grandstanding by declaring at a rally: We are waiting for the day (when) Kashmir becomes (a part of) Pakistan. Strongly hitting back at Islamabad for raising the killing of Burhan Wani in the UN, Delhi had said Pakistan extols the virtues of terrorists, thus using terrorism as a state policy towards the misguided end of coveting the territory of others. Indias Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, was responding to the remarks made by Pakistani envoy Maleeha Lodhi about Wanis killing during a debate on human rights in the 193-member UN General Assembly on Wednesday. In her statement, Lodhi not only raised the Kashmir issue but also mentioned the extra-judicial killing of Wani, whom she described as a Kashmiri leader, by Indian forces. Other senior Pakistani officials had also been using the turmoil to further their agenda to take advantage of the tension in the Valley. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj promptly hit back, accusing Nawaz Sharif of advancing the despicable design of destabilising South Asia by exporting dirty money and dangerous terrorists The Pakistani PMs adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, suggested that India cannot suppress the voice of Kashmiris - who are struggling for their just right of self-determination - by using brutal force and committing human rights violations in the Occupied Kashmir. Since its independence, Pakistan has believed that because of Kashmirs Muslim majority status, it has a right to seize it from India by fair means or foul. In the absence of this external dimension, the problem was much more manageable. After all, Indias democratic institutions have been successful in addressing the grievances of several other groups that have felt alienated from the mainstream. But the Kashmir issue has become entangled in an India-Pakistan structural conundrum, where a revisionist Islamabad has tried to change the status-quo in its favour by using Kashmir as leverage. Since its independence Pakistan has believed that because of Kashmirs Muslim majority status, it has a right to seize it from India by fair means or foul Both the conservatives and the liberals in India fail to see the complexities inherent in the tangled web that India and Pakistan have woven in Kashmir, and refuse to reckon with the long-term consequences of their supposed solutions. It is clear that no Indian government is in a position to allow Kashmirs secession from India for fear of encouraging separatist movements elsewhere in the country. Indias democracy and secularism would receive a body-blow if India accepted the idea that because Muslims are the majority in a state, they should secede. In this light, if there has been a success in the India-Pakistan peace process in the last few years, it has been a recognition on both sides that territorial changes are strictly out of bounds. Kashmiri women shout anti-Indian slogans during a pro Kashmir freedom protest in Srinagar Moreover, there will be broader geopolitical ramifications of an independent Kashmir which will remain dependent on the kindness of its neighbours. India, Pakistan, and China will try to enhance their strategic interests and compete for the loyalty of Kashmir. Contention It is not readily evident if an independent Kashmir would not be as much of a bone of contention between India and Pakistan as the present state of affairs. Islamist extremism would get a boost worldwide even as India, already under assault from rising Islamist fundamentalism, would find it difficult to manage growing tensions between Hindu extremists and Islamist radicals. It would be no exaggeration to suggest that it would be the end of India as the world has come to know it. Indias democracy and secularism would receive a body-blow if it accepted the idea that because Muslims are the majority in a state, they should secede It is also important to recognise that the Indian state, for all its faults, is not the only guilty party in this context. The saga of Kashmir is one of competing nationalisms and all versions are equally self-serving. On one hand, the Indian government continues to champion Kashmir as a symbol of Indias secular democratic ethos - and fails to acknowledge that a majority of Kashmiris have ceased to view themselves as Indians long ago. On the other, the separatists who want independence from India will continue to refuse to account for the aspirations of the Hindus and Ladakhis as if they are not a part of this dispute at all. If in the Indian states narrative there is no place for those who dont want to be Indians, the narrative of the so-called freedom fighters says there is no place for those who do want to be a part of India. Negotiation Pakistan has a revisionist agenda and would like to change the status quo in Kashmir, while India would like the opposite. India hopes that the negotiations with Pakistan would ratify the existing territorial status quo in Kashmir. Successive Indian governments have worked on negotiations on this premise. But at its foundation, there are irreconcilable differences. No confidence-building measure is likely to alter this situation. An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard alongside graffiti bearing the name of popular rebel commander Burhan Wani Indias belief has always been that the peace process will persuade Pakistan to cease supporting and sending extremists into India and start building good neighbourly ties. Pakistan, by contrast, has viewed the process as a means to nudge India to make progress on Kashmir, which is a euphemism for Indian concessions. The Indian government has responded well to Pakistani provocations. There is no need to be diffident about Indias role even as Indian polity tries to find a way out of continuing violence in Kashmir. Pakistan should be told to focus on its own problems and let Indian democracy work out a solution to Kashmir. Abhishek Damani, a first-year student at Kirori Mal College (KMC), is still waiting to decide what subjects he will choose to study in his second year. Like hundreds of students, he has been desperately waiting for his semester results which have been delayed by over a month. Damani told Mail Today: There is no information about the semester results. Though the classes for the new semester have begun, the teachers are equally clueless about the results. Everything is on hold as of now. Delhi University students are still waiting for the striking teachers to mark their papers and give them their grades for the year Results delayed In a mark of protest against a notification by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Delhi University teachers had boycotted the evaluation process, which has delayed the results of undergraduate courses. The examinations for various UG courses ended in May, and the centralised evaluation process was scheduled to start at 13 centres from May 24. But in line with the boycott call by the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), none of the 3,000 teachers on evaluation duty turned up. Sushmita Verma, a second-year student of Hindu College, said: It has been two months since we appeared for the examination. But the results have still not been declared. Teachers are still saying that the evaluation is on and it will take another two-three weeks". Students worried The delay has not only affected the first and second-year students but also worried final-year students who are applying for higher studies. The teachers lifted the boycott of evaluation for the final-year students on June 16 and decided to rejoin the admission process on July 5. The results have been declared a week behind schedule, and the students have been able to apply for various universities. We are glad that the teachers decided to evaluate our papers, but even after that the results have come out quite late. The teachers might be having their own issues but they should not have played with any students future, said Krishi Arora, a final-year student of Hansraj College who finished this year. Hundreds of students have been waiting for semester results which have been delayed by more than a month (file pic) The delay in evaluation of the answer sheets has led to a delay in the declaration of the results, and it's the students who are facing the consequences. Its over a month and our results have not been declared even after the new session has started. We are still waiting for our results to get declared. Why do we have to suffer because of whatever happened in the past or [is] still happening? "I understand even teachers want their demands to be heard, but the administration should think about the students too, said Anoop Singh, a second-year student. Results expected Sources in the administration said that the results are expected to come in the next few weeks. There's more trouble in store for Lalit Modi after Interpol began reconsidering its move to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him. The relief he initially received from Interpol is likely to end, as it has written a fresh letter to the CBI (the nodal agency for Interpol in India) seeking clarification on the cases pending against him. This is the second time Interpol has considered issuing an RCN against the former Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL. Former IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi finds himself in hot water again, with Interpol writing to the CBI to seek clarification on cases pending against him In the first instance, when the Indian agencies had pressed for an RCN against him, the move was stalled as he had given a representation to Interpol through his UK-based lawyer. Lalit Modi claimed that Indian agencies were targeting him due to political rivalry in which he had become a victim. As per Interpol rules, a person is given relief in such matters if he or she gives a representation that they have become a victim of political conspiracy. Now, there is fresh trouble for him as Interpol has started the process afresh and has sought details relating to criminal cases pending against him in India. It has asked whether Chennai Police have registered a case against him, and if a charge-sheet has been filed in the case. Details have also been sought regarding a money laundering investigation against him being carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Interpol also wants to know whether Indian agencies have declared him an absconder. It is pertinent that a Mumbai court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Modi on the charges pressed by the ED. Interestingly, no agency has been able to file a charge-sheet against him. But if Interpol is convinced by information given by the agencies then there is also a possibility that an RCN may be issued against him. In that situation, Modi will be left with little choice but to join in investigations in India. Presently he is living in the UK, but after Brexit Lalit Modi applied for citizenship in Saint Lucia for himself and his family members. St. Lucia, as per its due diligence norms, sent correspondence to India to find out whether there were any criminal cases pending against him. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had to cut short her roadshow in Varanasi after falling ill towards the end of the eight-km march on Tuesday, causing much anxiety in political circles. Congress sources said that the 69-year-old leader was suffering from viral fever and was advised not to pursue her programme. Sonia Gandhi fell ill after kicking off the Congress UP campaign with a Varanasi roadshow However, she decided to go ahead with it as she was not inclined to cancel at the last minute. The roadshow came to an abrupt end at the Lahurabeer Crossing of Varanasi, and Mrs Gandhi was taken to a nearby hotel where she was attended by doctors. At around 7pm she was taken to the Babatpur airport in an ambulance and after a wait of over three hours, she was finally airlifted to Delhi. She arrived at the airport at round 7.30pm, and because of bad weather she could not be moved to the chartered plane, a local journalist told Mail Today. The roadshow came to an abrupt end and Gandhi was taken to a nearby hotel where she was attended by doctors Chief medical officer of Varanasi, Dr V B Singh, told Mail Today over the phone that Dr O P Tiwari, a cardiologist, examined Mrs Gandhi along with a team of doctors. Mrs Gandhi is fine and there is nothing to worry about, Singh said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish the Congress matriarch well, saying he was praying for her recovery and good health. In a corner of a dusty village near Ahmedabad, a temple stands out as an unusual project. Its being built by a low-caste woman, Pintooben. She is the sarpanch of Rahemalpur village, and is using her personal savings for the construction of the new shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. As she walks through the winding lanes of Rahemalpur to show the temple to India Today TV's special investigation team, the middle-aged woman stops short of climbing its unpainted steps. Pintooben is spending her own money to build her village a temple, but says people would object if she set foot in it because of her caste Like numerous other fellow Dalits excluded from religion in Gujarat, Pintooben is not allowed to enter the sanctum of any Hindu house of worship. Custodians of the mainstream religion have drawn the boundaries for her and other low-caste worshippers. After villagers demanded a new temple at Rahemalpur, the Dalit sarpanch generously sponsored its construction. She says she has so far spent Rs 10 lakh to build the holy place. Its my own money, not the panchayats, she says. The sarpanch earns her living from selling the produce from her 35-bhiga land. I was asked (by the people) to build it, so I gave the money for its construction, adds Pintooben. She speaks of "internal divinity" in her conversation with undercover reporters, because shes aware that religion bars her from physically showing up at sacred sites. When asked, You are spending so much, wouldnt you like to step into the temple?, she says, Id like to, but theres opposition. There can be a ruckus. One among 100 may be there to object and say the temple has been defiled, the god has been defiled. Pintooben summed up the fears of Gujarats Dalit community, who are socially banned from regular religious practices. Last month, four low-caste men were stripped, humiliated, and beaten with belts and rods for skinning a dead cow. India Today TVs investigative crew found that the anti-Dalit discrimination ran much deeper in the land of the father of the nation. The team observed that untouchability, outlawed after independence, remains sanctified by religion. Almost all temples there nurse the ancient notions of purity and pollution, the bedrock of untouchability. Hindu temples were found to be shunning Dalits brazenly to preserve the so-called piety of the faiths upper-caste elders. You are welcome if you want to come in, but these men cant go inside, warns the priest of a Kali temple at Kota village in Gandhinagar, as he segregates upper-caste worshippers from the low caste. Even at big, touristy shrines like the Swami Narayan Nutan Mandir at Kotha in Gandhinagar, Dalits are treated as outcasts The priests refuse to touch them. Will you not even give them the tilaks? asks an undercover India Today reporter. Theyll do it with their own hands. None of us does that, replies the priest. Between the doorway and the gods stands a firewall that Dalits cant cross. They cant even partake of prasad with others. This ostracism is drawn from a wretched, antiquated belief that stigmatises Dalits as a burdensome contamination, and exalts their isolation as purification. If they sit where they are sitting now (which is outside of the sanctum), we do nothing. But if they come inside, well purify it with the holy water from the Ganga, explains a temple caretaker, outlining age-old prejudices that label these people as contagiously toxic. Even at big, touristy shrines like the Swami Narayan Nutan Mandir at Kotha in Gandhinagar, they are outcasts. At the famous Nag temple at Unava in Gandhinagar, Dalit devotees recoil inside their designated borderlines. Temple seniors here justify the Dalit prohibition, citing their own convoluted theories on karma. They are prohibited. ... Its their karma, argues a Nag temple caretaker. God has prohibited them (from entering), not us. ...This is his (gods) ban, he insists. At another temple dedicated to Lord Ram, at Sadra in Mehsana, the priest blatantly displays upper-caste supremacy over faith, saying hes well within his rights to deny entry to Dalits. If a classic car fan dreamt up their perfect place to work it would probably look a lot like Bicester Heritage. Everywhere you turn, classics ranging from pre-war racers to 1960s sportscars greet you: an E-Type parked by the side of the tree-lined road, a Lotus Europa in race livery sat outside a workshop, and a 1920s Bentley peering through the sliding door of the Power House of the same vintage. And theres a good reason why this former 1920s RAF base fits right into a historic motoring fans ideal spot, its a classic car business centre dreamt up by one. Bicester Heritage has transformed a disused RAF base dating back to the 1920s into a home for classic car businesses, such as Kingsbury Racing Bicester Heritage, with its 30 businesses on one elegant site, is the brainchild of businessman Dan Geoghegan, who believed that the fragmented but highly-valuable British classic car industry needed a new way of working. It came from bitter experience, explains the car-mad businessman and property developer. I spent thousands of miles fulfilling my hobby, trying to get cars restored and all of the specialists were scattered around the country and not very good at communication. We had to find these people, get cars to them, get them restored and then try to enjoy them. And so Dan had the idea of creating a hub, where classic car businesses could cluster helping customers who wanted to use their services and delivering the firms themselves more business. Its such a simple idea that its a surprise no-one had done it in Britain already. As anyone who owns a car - let alone a treasured old one knows, finding good trusted people to work on it can be extremely tough. With classic cars getting to these specialists can be time-consuming and frustrating. There may be only a handful who deal with your specific car and in this fragmented industry they are often on out-of-the-way industrial areas, or even down farm tracks. Taking your classic to a garage that knows what its doing for its annual service could mean a journey across the country, while a restoration could involve a mechanic in one area, a parts supplier in another and an interiors specialist in another. The classic car industry is a sizeable one for the UK, estimated at 4billion, and Dans experience from a life around old cars was that customers and businesses had plenty to gain from pulling firms together. The idea of a hub may not be new, but it certainly was for historic cars, he says. But while he was sure the concept would work, there was a problem Dan faced where to do it. His property background has specialised in taking landmark sites that need a new direction and giving them a fresh lease of life. But he explains that typically he arrives from the opposite direction when working on developments - he already has the building as a starting point. This time round he had the idea but needed the right site. Fortunately, a contact tipped him off that RAF Bicester was up for sale and the perfect spot was found. The historic 1920s RAF bomber station is moments from the M40 and just outside the Oxfordshire town of Bicester. Dan describes the 348 acre site as home to 50 beautiful buildings and 500 trees in a parkland setting. The tree-lined avenues and open doors of the buildings at Bicester Heritage provide regular glimpses of historic cars The redbrick buildings and hangars are situated on tree-lined avenues, in the classic RAF base trident formation, which was devised to get ground crew quickly up the centre road to the airfield and air crew up the outer roads. The airfield was first occupied in 1916 by the Royal Flying Corps, which then became part of the newly-formed Royal Air Force, in 1918, and RAF Bicester became a training depot. In the mid-1920s the airfield was transformed into a state-of-the-art Bomber Station and then expanded in 1936, later becoming home to famous Second World War planes. RAF Bicester was at the forefront of aviation excellence, explains Dan, but in the decades after the war its use declined and it was mothballed in 1976. English Heritage described it as the best-preserved bomber airfield from the period up to 1945 and local residents resisted a plan to put housing on it in the 1990s, but by the time the Bicester Heritage team took over it was semi-derelict. Despite falling into disrepair the site remained special. It had been made a conservation area, some areas were declared scheduled ancient monuments and there were 19 Grade II listed buildings. In 2008, it was described as most at risk of all defence estates in Britain. The Ministry of Defence wanted to sell but was keen to preserve the base and so the Bicester Heritage team spent a huge amount of time putting their proposal together. It proved a winning one and backed by private investors, Dan bought the site for 3.4million and began work in 2013. Classic Performance Engineering prepares cars for historic racing fans to compete in events The mechanics at Classic Performance Engineering also work on servicing, maintaining and restoring cars like this Jaguar E-Type Bicester Heritage opened for business a year later and now has more than 30 businesses on the site, with plans to add more and potentially even a hotel and conference centre. The businesses it is now home to range from historic car dealers, to workshops and motorsport specialists. On a trip round Bicester Heritage, on foot and as passengers in his 1935 Alvis Speed 20, Dan proudly shows us some of those who have joined his centre of excellence. We visit Classic Performance Engineering, which does maintenance, servicing and restoration work on classic cars, but also prepares historic grand prix, race and rally cars for owners who compete in them. All of Bicester Heritage's buildings are known by their old RAF names, Kingsbury Racing is based in the old Engine Fitting Shop Kingsbury Racing specialises in 4-cylinder Bentleys that are both restored and raced At Kingsbury Racing Shop, a 4-cylinder Bentley restoration specialist, cars and engines are being worked on in various states and we meet a young apprentice training to work on historic cars here and at college. Car dealer Robert Glover shows us round his selection of mainly pre-war cars, housed in the old Power House, which was used as a set in the film the Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. His showroom houses vintage Bentleys - including a car with a one-off body - and a polished aluminium-bodied Vauxhall from the 1920s, when he says the carmaker was at the cutting edge and considered the equivalent of McLaren today. Among the cars Pendine has on offer is a Corvette Stingray in NASA regalia (left) - painted in hommage to cars that were given to astronauts when they returned from missions. Meanwhile, Robert Glover is selling a polished aluminium-bodied Vauxhall (right) from the 1920s when the carmaker was considered cutting edge and the equivalent of McLaren today. His fellow classic car dealer, James Mitchell, of Pendine Historic Cars, spent 11 years working in the trade and then brought his start-up here. He believes that his business has benefitted hugely from those who have visited the site and gone on to buy cars. James showroom is in the Blast House, designed to withstand the most powerful of enemy bombs. It has a huge outer wall surrounding it, which is juxtaposed with the inside walls covered with thousands of decorative green tiles. It makes an evocative backdrop for the cars on display, which range from a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray painted in NASA-style - in hommage to cars given to astronauts when they returned to Earth - to a stunning classic red 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia SS. People are drawn to this site for a reason, he says of Bicester Heritage. Ive got something I never had in London, Im selling cars from footfall. Pendine's showroom is the Blast House with its thick outer wall designed to withstand bombs The hefty exterior wall of the Blast House is in contrast with the ornate green-tiled interior that plays host to the cars being sold by Pendine's James Mitchell Elsewhere, among the business on the site are vehicle detailing specialist Auto Wax Works, where a stunning blue Porsche 911 is being worked on, Vintage Magnetos, which works on these ignition systems for historic cars, BMP Blasters, which does sand blasting and preparation of car bodies, Classic Oils, fittingly housed in the old Lubricant Store, and the Vintage Car Radiator Company. Bicester Heritage is also home to Historit, which provides secure car storage facilities with expertise in classic and vintage vehicles. Dan describes this as ideal for those who own a classic and would rather store it somewhere away from home the advantage being that Bicester is on the doorstep of some of Englands best driving roads in the Cotswolds. One of the things Dan seems proudest about at Bicester Heritage is those owners who have taken advantage of all thats on offer, with some cars bought from one of the dealers, moving across to the mechanics for work, upholsters for retrimming, detailers for a final flourish and then being enjoyed in freshly-restored condition by owners. The Power House is home to Robert Glover's showroom and was in the Imitation Game film Bicester Heritage founder Dan Geoghegan is a historic car fan who believes in driving his vehicles, such as this 1935 Alvis Speed 20 As someone who races historic vehicles and even offers me the chance to drive the 1936 Riley Sprite that he took me round the airfields small track in, Dan clearly believes classic cars are there to be driven. And while Bicester Heritage may be home to cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, Dan is keen to welcome more modest and modern classics too. Whether its worth 100,000 or 1,000, if the owner loves it, then so do we, he says. As part of that welcome Bicester Heritage hosts its Sunday Scramble four times a year, where visitors can explore the site, its buildings and the cars put on show by attending classic car owners. The last event attracted 5,000 people and the next one takes place from 9am to 2pm on Sunday 7 August. Bicester Heritage also launched the Flywheel Festival at the start of July, with a display of historic motoring and aviation, live music, a fair, vintage trade stalls and racing legend Sir Stirling Moss in attendance. Perhaps most importantly though, the site is now home to the UKs first historic vehicle restoration apprenticeship course, run in conjunction with the local Banbury and Bicester College. This will play a key part in training young entrants to the classic car industry and help pass skills down through the generations. This is a commitment to the future of those young people and the industry, reflecting that which owners put into their classics. A glamorous hotel worker is accused of leading a secret double life and being a key player in a 21.5million cyber scam to defraud US and British bank customers. Olga Komova used her job in a sumptuous four-star Thailand holiday spa resort as cover for her sinister role in an international money laundering ring, it is alleged. Known as a 'charming' guest relations manager with a love of frolicking on Koh Chang island's tropical beaches, Komova, 25, stole huge sums from innocent westerners in a Russian-run criminal scheme, say the US authorities. Thai police arrested the multilingual Komova and a Russian associate Dmitry Ukrainsky, 44, last month on an FBI demand for the pair's extradition to face justice in the United States. Glamour: Olga Komova is accused by the FBI of being a key player in a 21.5million mega-cyber crime scam defrauding US and British bank customers Cover-up: Komova allegedly used her hotel management job in sumptuous four-star Thailand holiday spa resort as cover for her sinister role in an international money laundering ring Double life: Known as a 'charming' guest relations manager with a love of frolicking on Koh Chang, US authorities say Komova stole huge sums from westerners in criminal scheme Both have been indicted in the US and face money laundering charges. They were accused of using multiple credit and debit cards, and deploying dozens of bank accounts in their names to receive and launder funds stolen by Russia-based hackers. It is claimed that two were involved in sending 'malware' to the email addresses of their victims in the US and Britain, along with other countries. This let them obtain the usernames and passwords of online bank account customers in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Italy and Germany, who were defrauded. It is not clear which Western banks were compromised. But illegal withdrawals were made and the money was wired to Thailand, say reports in Bangkok. Pictures show Komova, from Uzbekistan, posing in her black swimsuit on a Thai beach and she also enjoyed trips to France and Italy with her boyfriend - but her friends say she was 'modest' and 'certainly did not live a millionaire's lifestyle'. Despite the seriousness of the accusations, the US move has sparked fury in Moscow which has unleashed a diplomatic tirade accusing Washington of the latest in a series of politically-motivated 'judicial kidnappings' of its citizens abroad, coupled with a warning to Bangkok not to bow to the FBI's demands. Scam: Komova and her alleged accomplice Dmitry Ukrainsky, 44, are accused of deploying dozens of bank accounts in their names to receive and launder stolen funds Extradition: Thai police arrested the multilingual Komova and a Russian associate Ukrainsky last month on an FBI demand for the pair's extradition to face justice in the United States Charges: Komova and Ukrainsky are accused of using multiple credit and debit cards in their names to receive and launder funds stolen by Russia-based hackers 'Ringleader': But a MailOnline investigation has revealed that Komova's father Mikhail Komov (pictured), living in Russia, is also seen by US investigators as a ringleader in the 'scam' Even Vladimir Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has become personally involved in unusual case, demanding Thailand blocks US extradition demands. But a MailOnline investigation has revealed that Komova's father Mikhail Georgevich Komov, 47, a trained pilot now out of FBI reach in Russia, is also seen by US investigators as a ringleader in the 'scam'. Separately, we have established that eight years ago he was detained in Thailand for alleged money laundering and child pornography offences in the United States. Even more seriously, he was accused by the FBI of acting as a 'broker' for adults seeking child sex liaisons. It is believed he slipped the FBI net after Bangkok released him from detention without extraditing him. A close friend of Komova's, with knowledge of her arrest, said today: 'Actually, the FBI want her father. Like her, he had an Uzbekistan passport, but he's in Russia. And he's now got a Russian passport too, so he's safe.' Tashkent-born Komova speaks four languages and is said to have an 'impressive background' in hotel management. She even claims to have assisted Koh Chang Tourist Police as an interpreter at the same time the FBI believe she was siphoning cash as a vital link in a money-guzzling gang. Her friends in Thailand contacted in recent days by MailOnline openly blamed her father for getting her into trouble and 'ruining her life' in the tropical paradise where she has a French boyfriend, and worked at the Emerald Cove Koh Chang Hotel. One said: 'He asked her to do something and she did not realise what she was getting into. Now she could face a long sentence in the US.' Another said: 'This could ruin her life. It's so unfair for such a charming, outgoing, but hard working girl. She is modest, not some secret tycoon.' However, it is clear that that the FBI take the case so seriously that its own agents were on the ground in Thailand when the pair's arrests were made by the Thai authorities. Puppet: Komova's father was arrested in Thailand eight years ago for alleged money laundering and child pornography offences in the US Claims: It is believed Komova's father slipped the FBI net after Bangkok released him from detention without extraditing him. He is now living in Russia out of the clutches of the FBI Talented: Tashkent-born Komova speaks four languages and is said to have an 'impressive background' in hotel management. She has lived in Thailand for eight years Shock: Komova has earned the respect of locals living in Koh Chang as she has mastered the Thai language. She has resigned from her job a customer relations manager And Bangkok sources say the Americans are convinced she is 'an integral part of a major crime', although it will be for a Thai court to decide if the evidence stacks up to extradite her and her alleged accomplice. With Ukrainsky - her father's friend who runs a yacht rental business in the major resort of Pattaya - she controlled at least 40 dodgy bank accounts, all now frozen. The FBI suspect there were more, as yet not located, it is reported. She owned the cards and the accounts that were in her name, say the US authorities. Another friend insisted: 'She's a really good, honest girl. Of course, this is down to her father. 'She is an Uzbek citizen but she has been living and working in Thailand legally, and never, ever broke any law. 'I've known Olga for six years, and she's been living here for eight years. The Thais respect her because she has learned their language on her own. 'Apart from her father, she has no-one in else left in her family, but now he lives in Russia. I've heard he asked her to help him with something. Massive fraud: Bangkok sources say the Americans are convinced she is 'an integral part of a major crime', although a Thai court will decide if enough evidence exists to extradite her Surprise: Those who know Komova in Thailand say that her father is a ringleader behind the scam and that she live in Koh Chang 'modestly' with her boyfriend, who is from Nice in France Disbelief: A friend insisted: 'She's a really good, honest girl. Of course, this is down to her father. She is living and working in Thailand legally, and never broke any law.' 'Then it turned out that Olga was being used - and she was arrested. He is allegedly not a very transparent man and now he's hiding somewhere in Russia.' She added: 'It's terrible and I'm so sorry for Olga.' She strongly denied that her friend led a secret millionaire's existence. 'I can tell you she has never had a fancy lifestyle,' she said. 'She has always earned her living herself.' She did not live at the hotel where she worked and staff we spoke to at the weekend said they did not know much about her private life. 'She did not live at the hotel, she had a place outside,' said one. Another friend in Thailand said: 'I can't believe it. It's awful that such things can happen to such good people. 'Olga is a very kind and good-hearted person, and she supported me in hard times. We met on the island three years ago, but there's no way you can be jealous of what's she's been through in her life. 'Her mother died when she was a teenager. Her dad did time in a jail in Thailand, I believe. A year ago her grandma died. 'She has been legally employed at a good hotel, the Emerald Cove. Her boyfriend is a great guy. 'He's the only one who's been sincerely worried about her. I hope everything works out for the best.' Her boyfriend, who is from Nice, in France, is liaising with a lawyer who will represent Komova in the extradition hearing expected next month. He declined to comment before he is allowed to see her in detention. A source close to her called it a 'very sensitive case'. When MailOnline tracked down her father in Stavropol, southern Russia, he denied any involvement and claimed his daughter had been framed by the US secret services, and was now suffering appalling conditions in a Bangkok prison. 'She still doesn't understand what's happening - and no one understands,' he said. 'It's clearly a game of the American secret services, catching people for totally made up stories. Or a special frame-up. 'Most likely, someone either used Olga's bank account or card. Simply stole it. That's the whole truth.' Mr Komov said that in her cell his daughter and Ukrainsky are not allowed to use a phone - adding: 'It's a nightmare'. Manager: Komova has been working as customer relations manager at the four-star Emerald Cove Koh Chang Hotel along with her French boyfriend Fight: Her boyfriend, who is from Nice, in France, is liaising with a lawyer. He declined to comment before he is allowed to see her in detention Support: A friend said: 'Olga is a very kind and good-hearted person. We met on the island three years ago, but there's no way you can be jealous of what's she's been through in her life.' Double life: The friend went on: 'Her mother died when she was a teenager. Her dad did time in a jail in Thailand, I believe. A year ago her grandma died. Her boyfriend is a great guy.' 'Conditions there are just like in the movie Bangkok Hilton with Nicole Kidman. ' He admitted to knowing Ukrainsky for a number of years, and said they were former business partners in Thailand. Komova and her widower father - who is now remarried to Natalia - are in touch on social media, their accounts show. A colleague at her hotel on Koh Chang said: 'She resigned some days ago. We are not allowed to say anything about it.' Unlike Komova, her co-accused Ukrainsky has spoken from his prison cell to deny he was involved in the scam. 'The Thai authorities have not accused me of anything,' he said. 'During my arrest, they immediately told me that I was being detained on the request of the USA. 'There were two Americans present when I was detained. They introduced themselves as employees of the FBI and immediately offered me to voluntarily leave for the USA, and to face the court there.' But he insisted he would 'fight' the extradition demand in the Thai courts. 'I do not consider myself guilty of the crimes the Americans accuse me of,' he said. 'I am accused, allegedly, of being a member if not a leader of an international criminal group with Russian roots and connections that is launching malware on the computers of its victims. 'They also are accusing me of laundering money for this organisation. I'm not a hacker, I hardly know how to operate a PC. Everyone who knows me is aware of that.' Moscow has launched a formal diplomatic protest to the Thais over the US demand to extradite its citizen following the pair's arrest on 15 July, six days before it was first announced. While Russia is kicking up a storm over Ukrainsky, the Uzbekistan authorities have not gone public on how they are handling Komova's case. Moscow foreign minister Lavrov said he had raised the matter with the Thai authorities and his ministry said: 'The American authorities continue the unacceptable practice of 'hunting' for Russians all over the world, ignoring the norms of international laws and twisting other states' arms.' Russia deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov accused the US of 'extrajudicial and illegal abductions of other countries' nationals'. In one earlier case which infuriates Moscow, Thailand extradited Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the US where he was subsequently sentenced to a 25-year jail sentence for conspiracy to kill US citizens and officials, delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organisation. The Russian embassy in Bangkok said of Ukrainsky: 'We have visited him at the detention facility. He flatly denies his guilt.' Held: Komova and her alleged accomplice Dmitry Ukrainsky have appeared in court in Bangkok where they remain in jail as the US fights for their extradition Diplomatic row: Komova and Ukrainsky's detention has sparked a Russian row with US. The Russian embassy said: 'We have visited him at the detention facility. He flatly denies his guilt.' 'We are doing the utmost to prevent his extradition to the United States and are providing him with consular support,' said the Russian Foreign Ministry's ombudsman for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov. He accused the US of the 'vicious practice of detaining our citizens in third countries in violation of international and bilateral obligations, including the 1999 treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal affairs'. The FBI told Russian news agency Sputnik: 'Unfortunately, we have no comment for you.' Advertisement Discarded gas canisters are strewn across the floor while metal bolts that were once due to be used in suicide vests - this is the deserted power station allegedly used as an ISIS bomb making factory in Libya. Troops battling jihadis in the north African country raided the Al-Khaleej power plant near Sirte during a furious anti-ISIS offensive in June - and discovered it was home to a makeshift explosives factory for extremists. Inside the vast hangar on the edge on the Libyan desert, government forces found the components of suicide vests - similar to the one used to injure 12 people in the ISIS attack on the German town of Ansbach nine days ago. Following fierce clashes near the disused power station, Libyan forces found the corpses of 25 jihadis inside - but said at least 160 had been living there. Danger: ISIS transformed the abandoned industrial hangar into a workshop for fashioning lethal explosive-filled car-bombs Terror: The facility walls are daubed with sinister graffiti, including the flag of the terror group Daily life: Heaps of nuts, bolts and other small metal components were surrounded by seven-litre bottles of water Escape: Commander Negro revealed that it is thought many of the fighters in the facility are posing as members of the public, after shaving off their beards and long hair (pictured) Trapped: Chief engineer of the Al-Khaleej power station Hassan Forjani said electricity supplies had not been restored to central Sirte where ISIS are penned in On the floor of one room, piles of thick hair and tufts of beard trimmings lay strewn among discarded ammunitions boxes and seven litre bottles of water. Libyan commander Ahmed Negro told MailOnline: 'There were big numbers of Daesh here - at least 160. 'We think most of them went to Sirte, but some of them may be posing as ordinary citizens, because they shaved off their beards and cut their long hair before they ran away.' We think most of them went to Sirte, but some of them may be posing as ordinary citizens, because they shaved off their beards and cut their long hair before they ran away. Commander Negro 'We think the water was blessed by having the Holy Koran recited over it, and then used in making IEDs,' explained a solider named Hamed. MailOnline gained exclusive access to the power station on Libya's central Mediterranean coast after it was freed by Libyan forces battling against ISIS in June. Retreating militants left the grounds laced with mines and IED booby-traps, meaning access was restricted for two months until the area had been made safe. Unearthed: Libyan fighters have been able to learn a lot about the fighters and their weapons, after discovering clues inside the abandoned facility Security: Retreating militants left the grounds laced with mines and IED booby-traps, meaning access was restricted until the area had been made safe Wartime: Roughly-cut sheets of the bullet-proof metal lay abandoned amongst oxyacetylene gas canisters, used for cutting through thick metal. Pictured, a flag left behind Graffiti: MailOnline gained exclusive access to the power station on Libya's central Mediterranean coast, which was left behind after the ISIS fighters inside fled One of the perimeter walls was still stained with blood, where the commander of a bomb disposal unit had been killed. 'He successfully dismantled one mine but he didn't realise it was attached to another, directly underneath, which exploded when he tried to move the first, deactivated mine,' explained Commander Negro. In the living quarters, prayer times were scrawled on walls and a kitchen cleaning rota instructed ISIS adherents to keep the kitchen clean, reminding them that Allah sees everything. Some text from the Hadith - an important Islamic text recording the sayings of the Prophet Mohamed - listing seven ways to reach paradise was taped to a door. When they were not preparing explosives, ISIS members appear to have spent their time covering walls and doors with graffiti glorifying ISIS ideologies. 'ISIS follows the path of the Prophet,' read one, while another said: 'We will never give up. We will apply Sharia Law.' 'ISIS forever,' was spray-painted on the exterior of one building. Beside a smashed window was written 'Sirte: the mother of all battles,' indicating that the terror group had long been preparing to defend Muammar Qaddafi's former hometown, which they made their North African stronghold for more than a year. ISIS follows the path of the Prophet. We will never give up. We will apply Sharia Law.' Graffiti left behind on the bomb-making factory walls A crude illustration of a suicide bomb car was labelled 'Dogma' - the name Libya's branch of ISIS gives to these terrifying weapons, many of which were prepared in the very grounds of the power station. ISIS had transformed an industrial hangar into a workshop for fashioning lethal explosive-filled car-bombs to be used by their many adherents willing to undertake suicide missions. Outside the hangar stood an abandoned water-tanker lorry, which militants were customising into a lethal suicide vehicle before they were forced to flee from the power station by advancing Libyan forces. Libyan soldiers inspecting the vehicle said the truck would have been packed with explosives via a large hatch, set into its roof. The finished bomb - innocently appearing to be an ordinary water tanker - would have probably targeted a military checkpoint with a huge blast. A similar truck was detonated at a police academy in January this year, killing 60 police and wounding several hundred. Jumble: Debris lies scattered around the facility, including the remnants of the ISIS fighters daily lives as well as their sinister weapons making Remains: A great deal of bomb making equipment was left scattered around the factory when it was raided by Libyan troops after ISIS fighters fled Debris: Scattered on the ground around the hangar were bumpers ripped from ordinary cars, which were replaced with sheets of thick metal, used as bullet-proofing Force: Many ISIS members in Sirte are foreign fighters, including some from English-speaking sub-Saharan African countries Life: In the living quarters, prayer times were scrawled on walls and a kitchen cleaning rota instructed ISIS adherents to keep the kitchen clean, reminding them Allah sees everything Raid: Libyan troops were able to reclaim the factory, as they make important advances against ISIS in the African country In the last three months, ISIS has carried out over 40 car bomb attacks on Libyan military positions and field hospitals, in an attempt to stop advancing government forces. At the beginning of Libya's three-month battle to eliminate ISIS from the region, militants drove bullet-proofed vehicles and lorries at speed towards targets. But recently the terror group has changed tactics, employing white Toyota land cruisers, popular in Libya, or ordinary civilian cars with explosives hidden beneath bedding and mattresses, to avoid detection. Roughly-cut sheets of the bullet-proof metal lay abandoned amongst oxyacetylene gas canisters, used for cutting through thick metal, and assorted scrap offcuts and empty gas bottles which soldiers said were packed into vehicles with explosives to create lethal blasts that would send shrapnel flying. Ground: Losing the Libyan city of Sirte, flagged as ISIS' most important base outside of Syria or Iraq, represents a major set-back for the terror group Littered: Now the premises has been made safe, the power plant has restarted, providing electricity to residential areas that had been without power for months Remnants: There are still used coffee cups and discarded food cans lying around in the car-bomb manufacturing warehouse Life: In the living quarters, some text from the Hadith - an important Islamic text recording the sayings of the Prophet Mohamed - listing seven ways to reach paradise was taped to a door Clues: Messages scrawled on the walls of the factory give a glimpse into the minds of the fighters who lived there, with messages of support for the terror group's objectives Scattered on the ground around the hangar were bumpers ripped from ordinary cars, which were replaced with sheets of thick metal, used as bullet-proofing to prevent troops blowing them up before reaching their targets. 'Daesh needed these industrial metal sheets at any cost and one local engineer was reportedly paid 30,000 cash to supply these and provide fabrication and welding services,' said a man named Mohamed, who lives nearby. 'Some people who didn't flee had no choice but to work for Daesh but others did so because they were offered a lot of money,' he added. On the walls of the hangar a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was written in English. Many ISIS members in Sirte are foreign fighters, including some from English-speaking sub-Saharan African countries, according to a man named Mehdi, who lived under their reign of terror in Sirte for a year. Discovery: Libyan troops unearthed a power station that had been transformed into an ISIS bomb making factory Allah sees all: A cleaning rota taped to one of the walls of the facility detailed the times that fighters had to clean the kitchen, offering an extraordinary insight into their day-to-day lives Drawing: An illustration drawn by one of the ISIS fighters who called the facility home shows a disembodied hand waving a flag of the terror group Example: A crude drawing shows how the terror group planned attacks and made the weapons to carry them out at the base Gruesome: One of the perimeter walls is scarred with blood where the commander of a bomb disposal unit had been killed Now the premises - where 14 Libyan were shot dead on Christmas Day 2014, has been made safe, the power plant has restarted, providing electricity to residential areas that had been without power for months. Europe will not be blackmailed by Turkey in talks for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in the EU, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday as relations with Ankara are strained in the aftermath of a failed coup. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said over the weekend that Ankara would back out of its agreement with the EU to stem the flow of migrants if the bloc does not deliver the promised visa-free travel for Turks in return. German politician Sigmar Gabriel said Europe will not be blackmailed by Turkey in talks for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in the EU Gabriel applauded a decision to prevent Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a Turkish rally in Cologne via video-link on Sunday in the wake of a failed coup Visa-free access has been subject to delays due to a dispute over Turkish anti-terrorism legislation and the post-coup crackdown. Berlin urged Turkey to show proportionality in its pursuit of those behind the coup, comments that angered Ankara. 'It is up to Turkey if there is or there isn't visa liberalisation,' Gabriel said. 'Germany and Europe should under no circumstances be blackmailed.' A Turkish woman holding a Turkish and a German flag waits for the start of a demonstration in Cologne, Germany, on Sunday Syrian refugees arrive on the beach, crossing the sea from Turkey to Lesbos, in Greece Gabriel applauded a decision to prevent Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan from addressing via video-link a rally in Cologne on Sunday. The ban prompted the Turkish Foreign Ministry to summon the German charges d'affaires. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said it remained up to Turkey to fulfil the conditions required for visa liberalisation. One is named after vice-president John C Calhoun, a 1804 Yale graduate Has appointed a committee to rename historical buildings around campus But he said Monday he had changed his mind after hearing concerns Yale University has taken a step to rename buildings with names deemed offensive and racist on its campus. One of them, Calhoun College, bears the name of John C Calhoun, a 19th-century vice-president, South Carolina senator and Yale alumnus who established himself as a vocal advocate for slavery. Yale President Peter Salovey announced in April that the university was preserving the name of Calhoun College, defying those who railed against it. But Salovey changed his mind after many raised their voices in protest. Yale President Peter Salovey announced Monday that the university had formed a committee to work on renaming some buildings on campus, including Calhoon College (pictured) 'Many faculty, students, alumni, and staff have raised significant and moving concerns about that decision,' Salovey said in a message Monday. 'And it is now clear to me that the community-wide conversation about these issues could have drawn more effectively on campus expertise.' Controversy has surrounded the name of Calhoun College for decades. But it received new attention last year as protesters on campuses around the country called for universities to address the legacies of historical figures. Salovey said in April that keeping Calhoun's name would help Yale confront the history of slavery in the United States. John C Calhoun (pictured), a 19th-century vice-president, South Carolina senator and Yale alumnus, established himself as a vocal advocate for slavery A black dining services worker, Corey Menafee, used a broomstick to smash a stained-glass window depicting slaves inside Calhoun College back in June. Menafee was arrested but criminal charges have since been dropped. Yale has re-hired Menafee, who had described the images as offensive. Salovey has now appointed a new committee to develop guidelines for proposals to remove historical names from university buildings, including Calhoun's. He said requests to remove the name will be reconsidered after the committee's work is completed. Yale will also relocate and remove some of the windows in its residential colleges and replace them temporarily with tinted glass, Salovey announced Monday. He didn't specify whether the specific window that Menafee broke was included in the group. Trump also claimed Clinton was 'evil' and said Sanders 'made a deal with the devil' by endorsing her at the DNC He also suggested that the Democrats rigged their primary Donald Trump said Monday night that he's afraid November's general election will be 'rigged' against him, laying the groundwork for an excuse if he were to lose to Hillary Clinton. The Republican presidential nominee claimed during a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio that the Democratic primary was 'rigged' in favor of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party could repeat the achievement. Trump doubled down in an interview with Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity, taped before a second rally in Pennsylvania. 'November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged,' he said. 'And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us.' Scroll down for video Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed at an Ohio rally on Monday (pictured) that he 'fears' the general election will be rigged in November Trump made the allegation after first suggesting the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Clinton (pictured with Warren Buffet on Monday) could defeat Bernie Sander Trump also renewed his complaint that his own Republican primary was stacked against him, and large margins of victory in key states were his only salvation. 'I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, to be honest. I have to be honest. I have to be honest because I think my side was rigged,' he said. Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon rushed to criticize the real estate tycoon on Twitter. 'Even for a reflexive conspiracy theorist like Trump, this is pathetic,' Fallon tweeted. 'It's dangerous, too.' In addition to preemptively delegitimizing a potential loss to Clinton in November, Trump was sending a signal to his loyal supporters that they have to vote in order to help him avoid a 'rigged' defeat. 'We have to motivate our base,' a Trump aide said Tuesday morning. 'If the people who come to our rallies don't turn out in November, we're pretty much sunk.' Trump doubled down on his claim in a taped interview with Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity Trump added that he has been hearing 'more and more' that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Hillary Clinton's national spokesman lashed out at Trump on Monday night Trump's claim joins a long list of conspiracy theories he has been happy to publicize, including the allegation that President Obama was not born in the United States and that Sen Ted Cruz's father was associated with JFK's assassin. He has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been 'rigged' in the past. It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trump's expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has claimed that the Democrats' process was also rigged. On Monday night Trump said Sanders 'made a deal with the devil' by endorsing Clinton, who he called the 'devil'. The extraordinary claim comes fresh off a nearly week-long scandal after Trump insulted Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who gave a powerful speech to the DNC about their Army veteran son Army Capt Humayun Khan was just 27 when he was killed while running towards a suicide bomber who'd burst into his base in a taxi - probably saving hundreds of lives The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trump's remarks. The event in Ohio was Trump's first campaign appearance since the onset of his tussle with the parents of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose Army veteran son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. He later criticized the family in an interview Sunday and again in a pair of tweets Monday morning, but did not mention them once during his Ohio rally. Asked on MSNBC Monday whether Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said: 'I don't want to hear anything from him and I don't want to say anything to him.' But Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, called the couple's son an 'American hero' during a campaign rally on Monday. Pence quieted the audience after they booed the mother of a US Air Force pilot, who asked the Indiana governor how he can can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the Nevada crowd to quiet down, telling them 'That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like.' The body camera of an officer involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager in the back was not recording at the time, Chicago Police have said. Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said an investigation is underway to determine why the equipment did not capture the killing of Paul O'Neal. The 18-year-old, from Chicago, was shot on Thursday night during a stolen vehicle investigation in the city's South Shore neighborhood. The body camera of an officer involved in the fatal shooting of Paul O'Neal (pictured) was not working at the time, Chicago Police have said Authorities have said officers stopped a Jaguar convertible that had been reported stolen at the corner of 73rd Street and South Merrill Avenue. Police said officers opened fire after the driver, identified as O'Neal, put the car in drive and sideswiped a squad car and a parked vehicle. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital, and autopsy results showed he died of a gunshot wound to the back. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Paul O'Neal's death a homicide. Three officers involved in the shooting were relieved of their police powers after officials concluded they violated policy. Relieving officers of their police powers is considered a more serious step than putting officers on desk duty, which is routinely done after a police shooting. The 18-year-old, from Chicago, was shot on Thursday night during a stolen vehicle investigation in the city's South Shore neighborhood Chicago police investigate the fatal shooting in the 7300 block of South Merrill Avenue in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood on Friday Officers relieved of police powers must turn in their badges and cannot make arrests. Chicago's use of body and dashboard cameras increased significantly after the release of a video last fall of a white officer shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. That shooting, and the initial statements by a union spokesman about McDonald lunging at police that turned out to contradict what was on the video, raised serious questions about what the public was being told about police shootings. Boy vanished while walking to get the bus to school in Soho, Manhattan And Ramos has been cleared by a judge at the request of Patz's parents But Pedro Hernandez has now been criminally charged with killing child Was found responsible for killing Patz after a case brought by his parents Jose Ramos was a longtime suspect in the A Manhattan court has thrown out a wrongful death judgement against a convicted pedophile accused of killing 6-year-old Etan Patz. Jose Ramos had been a longtime suspect since the boy went missing in 1979, and was found responsible for his death after a case brought by his parents. But after another man was criminally charged with killing Patz, his parents asked to have the judgement against Ramos overturned, because letting it stand would be an 'injustice'. Scroll down for video A Manhattan court has thrown out a wrongful death judgement against a convicted pedophile accused of killing a 6-year-old boy more than forty years ago Patz vanished from a street in Soho on May 25 while walking to catch the bus to school. His body was never found and the case became one of America's most high-profile missing child investigations. Ramos was never criminally charged but had been held civilly liable for Etan's death since 2004, when he stopped cooperating with questioning. But, according to judge John Kennedy, the criminal case against the new suspect: 'Casts doubt on the validity of the judgment taken against Ramos.' Both Ramos and, through his lawyers, Hernandez deny killing Etan, who vanished while walking to his school bus stop. Hernandez faces retrial this fall after a jury deadlocked last year. Jurors were not told about the wrongful-death judgment against Ramos but did hear defense testimony casting suspicion on him. Ramos' lawyer, Frank Rothman, said on Monday: 'It's about time his judgment was vacated.' Pedro Hernandez was arrested in 2012 on a tip that he had confessed to a church prayer group Jose Ramos (pictured) had been a longtime suspect in the case of Etan Patz, who went missing in 1979, but was cleared after another man was criminally charged Hernandez' lead lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, declined to comment, as did prosecutors. Ramos, 73, told federal authorities about interacting with a child he was all but sure was Etan on the day he vanished, although Ramos later denied it. Meanwhile, he was convicted of sexually assaulting boys in Pennsylvania and remains in prison on a conviction of violating sex offender registration rules. 'What did you do to my little boy?' Etan's father, Stanley Patz, asked in letters he wrote Ramos for years. Then Hernandez, 55, of Maple Shade, New Jersey, was charged in 2012 after giving a confession his lawyers later said was false. Saying Hernandez' trial had persuaded them of his guilt, Etan's parents asked a court this winter to throw out the $2.7 million judgment against Ramos. 'It would have been an injustice' to let the judgment stand, their lawyer, Brian O'Dwyer, said Monday. Forget the Bible verse that says: 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'. The devout-Christian co-host of The View Paula Faris is seeing red and vowing to get revenge on the show's moderator Whoopi Goldberg. Faris, who also anchors the weekend edition of Good Morning America, is often quoting scripture behind the scenes and is known for singing worship tunes. Now, the 40-year-old journalist is singing a different tune -one made famous by Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls: 'And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going!' ABC News cut Paula Faris' days on The View down from five to one. The decision was made two weeks ago and since then, Faris has only appeared on the Friday episodes Following the demotion, Faris, a 40-year-old journalist, yelled at executives and claimed it was 'Whoop Goldberg's doing', a source close to the show said. Pictured above is Goldberg with Kelly Osbourne Executives at ABC News have cut Faris' days on The View down from five to one. The cut comes after focus group feedback research on the co-host was 'some of the lowest the network has seen since Elisabeth Hasselbeck,' a source at the network told Daily Mail Online. The decision was made two weeks ago and since then, Faris has only appeared on the Friday episodes moderated by original View co-host, Joy Behar. A source told Daily Mail Online: 'The day they told Paula she was livid. It was the first time anyone behind the scenes had ever seen her lose her cool. 'She yelled at the executives when they presented the information and said: "This is a bunch of bull!" She was outraged. Despite the meeting taking place behind closed doors in Faris' dressing room, those passing by could hear her gripe about how 'I know this is Whoopi's doing' and accused the Oscar winner of sabotaging her. 'She is adamant that the network bowed to pressure from Whoopi to get rid of Paula as part of her negotiations to return for Season 20,' the insider claims. The source added: 'Despite the fact that there was clear research showing her that the talk show's audience could not relate to her, she couldn't comprehend how the viewers did not like her. 'She kept saying: "She'll regret what she did to me, I promise you that."' Despite not being involved in Faris' demotion, Goldberg has made no secrets about not liking Faris, a source said. Together they are pictured above with Behar (left) and singer Martina McBride (second left) Daily Mail Online broke the news in May that Goldberg has signed on to return to The View for Season 20 despite rumors that she was leaving the show. After being told about her demotion, Faris went into the makeup room to get groomed for the show and openly declared: 'I'm not going anywhere, I'm here to stay.' Guest hosts Jedediah Bila and Sara Haines - both of whom will be named as permanent co-hosts alongside Sunny Hostin for Season 20 - just looked uncomfortable, unaware of how to respond to Faris' unsolicited outburst. 'ABC News really wanted to fire Paula from the show altogether, but The View has terrible image problems with all the recent firings over the last few years,' according to the show source. 'They also thought just ditching her could affect the ratings of the weekend edition of Good Morning America. 'And let's not forget that they're just getting past the disaster they faced with hiring Michael Strahan full time from Live with Kelly and Michael and the fallout with Kelly Ripa. 'So Paula's demotion was the network trying to save face with the audience for very self-serving reasons.' Despite not being involved in Faris' demotion, Goldberg has made no secrets about not liking Faris. Daily Mail Online previously reported that the show's moderator once told ABC executives about GMA contributor Sara Haines: 'That's the one you should have hired, instead of the other one.' Goldberg regularly has had on-air spats with Faris, making disgusted faces and even covering her face with her dreadlocks when Faris says things she doesn't like. Guest hosts Sara Haines and Jedediah Bila will be named as permanent co-hosts alongside Sunny Hostin for season 20, a source told Daily Mail Online According to the show source, Goldberg believes that Faris' friendship with ABC executive Barbara Fedida is the only reason that she wasn't terminated after the research came back. 'Everyone jokes about how Barbara Fedida thought Paula would be her new Barbara Walters on this show. But Ms. Walters was beloved to by the audience, Paula isn't. 'At some point, ABC has to realize that The View has suffered since Barbara Fedida took over. She doesn't know the first thing about casting a talk show.' Faris is not the only co-host that has been reduced to a one day work week now. ABC News has also cut Raven Symone's schedule from three days to one. The controversial former 'The Cosby Show' and Disney's 'That So Raven' star has been plagued with backlash from African-American viewers since joining the show for not being very educated on history and social issues. With the show making politics the lead hot topic of the show, they realized they needed someone more well-read to handle those discussions, which is why they brought ABC's Senior Legal Analyst Hostin on. 'Again, the only reason Raven was fired altogether is because the network has horrible image issues as a whole with their turnover rate. No network wants to get the backlash NBC got for Ann Curry ever again,' the source said. Ng Lap Seng is waiting trial on bribery charges but also faces being This is Hillary and Bill Clinton - pictured with a Chinese billionaire accused of being the front for his country's attempt to manipulate an American election. The couple were pictured with Ng Lap Seng at a Democratic function before he became embroiled in an investigation into illegal campaign donations to the 1996 election. Now the scandal is threatening to return to haunt the Clinton - as Ng faces being questioned in font of Congress, something he managed to evade by fleeing the country in the late 1990s. Communist frontman? Ng Lap Seng was seen shaking hands with Bill Clinton in a picture taken before the revelation of illegal money being donated to the 1996 Clinton campaign Finally facing questions: Billionaire Ng Lap Seng, who was in Federal Court in Manhattan in June, fled the country to avoid giving Congressional testimony but is now facing demands to give evidence While the illegal donation scheme led to the prosecution of a long-time friend of Bill Clinton, investigators were never able to conclusively establish whether the operation was part of a Chinese government effort to buy influence and access in the Clinton White House. The 1996 foreign donor scandal led to investigations in both the House and Senate, which uncovered evidence that Democratic fundraisers ignored red flags about the sources of the illegal donations. It also found indications that the Clinton administration and the Democratic National Committee traded access and favors in exchange for the money. The case led to the indictment of long-time Clinton friend Charlie Trie, an Arkansas restaurant owner. Trie pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and said he used straw donors to make illegal contributions with money supplied by Ng. At the time, Trie also denied that the money had any direct connection to the Chinese government, and claimed the DNC and the Clinton White House were unaware the donations were coming from foreign sources. Ng's background and how he ended up as a major funder of Clinton's reelection bid is still largely a mystery. But the recent bribery charges against him in New York provide additional indications that he is closely involved with the Chinese government. Testimony: In an investigation led by then Senator Fred Thompson, the Chinese government was accused of trying to affect the 1996 election outcome. Charlie Trie, who was jailed, later gave evidence. Ng was arrested in New York last year for allegedly offering bribes to the former president of the United Nations general assembly, John Ashe, who died suddenly last month in a barbell weight accident. Ng reportedly made a number of trips to the U.S. carrying suitcases full of money, and prosecutors said Chinese officials were also involved in the bribery scheme. Ng's trial is scheduled to begin in January and he remains under house detention in New York. According to a 1998 House Oversight Committee report, Ng was 'flat broke' in 1979 when he moved to Macau from Guangzhou. But by the 1990s, he had become a 'wealthy landowner' who ran a major casino and hotel frequented by Macau gangsters. Ng was also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress, 'a communist organization in the People's Republic of China,' according to the report. One unnamed business associate told investigators that Ng was 'a peasant farmer before coming to Macau, but somehow had been selected to act as a front for the People's Republic of China'. The chief investigator on the Congressional committee at the time told Daily Mail Online Ng was a key missing link in the inquiry. 'Ng Lap Seng was the source of huge amounts of illegal foreign funds that ended up in the Democratic National Committee through straw donors,' said David Bossie, who is now president of the Citizens United watchdog group. He's with her: Hillary Clinton, who campaigned with billionaire Warren Buffett in Ohio on Monday, met the Chinese billionaire accused of being a front for his country's government 'We never got to find out if he was acting as an agent of the Chinese government or his true motivation,' Bossie added. Ng's attorney said on Thursday that he would not make his client available for an interview with congress. However, the House Oversight Committee could override this by issuing a subpoena to Ng. 20 MONTHS FOR PAYING OUT BILLIONAIRE'S CASH A tearful U.S. citizen who bribed a top United Nations official to get support for business ventures was sentenced to 20 months in prison last Friday by a judge who said bribery schemes do 'substantial damage' to the U.N.'s image. Sheri Yan, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in Manhattan after pleading guilty to a bribery charge in January. Yan admitted paying more than $800,000 in bribes to former U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe, who died several weeks ago in an accident at home. He was awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to a tax charge in the case. Jailed: Sheri Yan leaving an earlier hearing Broderick rejected a request to keep Yan out of prison by defense attorney Christine Chung. Prosecutors sought a nearly six-year prison term. Chung said she was working as a consultant when she met Ashe in early 2012 in Hong Kong, where Ashe offered to make her an adviser when he became president of the General Assembly. By spring 2012, Yan was passing along bribes to Ashe. Prosecutors say funds for the bribes came largely from Ng Lap Seng. Yan's plea agreement said she gave bribes to Ashe to persuade officials in Antigua to enter into business contracts with foreign companies. At the time, Ashe was an ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda. Advertisement In 1994, Ng struck up a business relationship with Charlie Trie, a friend of Bill Clinton's who had run a Chinese restaurant in Arkansas that Clinton frequented while he was governor. That same year, Trie made a $100,000 donation to the DNC, even though he had never made any comparable political contribution before and had no apparent wealth. He began to get invitations to high level DNC events and continued to make large contributions, many of them through proxy donors and using money from Ng. In total, Ng reportedly channelled over $1 million into the DNC and Clinton's legal aid fund during the reelection campaign. As the donations poured in, Ng and Trie were granted numerous private meetings with top Clinton administration officials and meetings with Bill Clinton himself - including the handshake caught on camera. Currency transaction reports reviewed by congress showed that Ng carried 'large amounts of cash into the United States before each of his meetings,' according to the report. Trie was also appointed to Clinton's Commission on United States-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy in 1996 'despite the fact that he lacked any qualifications to serve,' the report stated. When a Senate aide involved with the trade commission questioned Trie's appointment, 'these objections were met with the response that Trie was a 'must appointment' from 'the highest levels of the White House',' said the report. Although DNC officials later claimed they did not realize the money was coming from Ng, the Chinese billionaire was listed as a donor on one of its event programs and his signature was on another $15,000 donation check, according to the report. Trie, who first became friendly with Clinton in 1982, told congress that he was able to arrange coffee meetings with Bill Clinton for these donors in exchange for $50,000 donations to the DNC. Bossie said that the question of foreign influence in an election has been revived in recent weeks, amid suspicions that the Russian government was behind an email hack at the DNC earlier this month. 'The question of whether a foreign government tried to influence a presidential election is important as we see by the alleged Russian hacking,' said Bossie. Introducing Hillary Clinton today in Omaha, Nebraska, billionaire investor Warren Buffett became the latest American to challenge Donald Trump to release his taxes. Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, noted how Trump had used being under an audit as an excuse to keep his returns from the public, which is generally unheard of when it comes to presidential candidates. 'Now, I've got news for him I'm under audit too!' Buffett told the crowd. 'And I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime between now and the election. I will bring my tax return. He can bring my tax return. Nobody's going to arrest us.' Scroll down for video Billionaire investor Warren Buffett introduced Hillary Clinton in Omaha, Nebraska today and challenged Donald Trump to release his tax returns 'There are no rules against showing your tax returns,' Buffett continued. Trump had hinted that it would be inappropriate to release his returns, in which several years are under an audit, while the process was ongoing. 'And just let people ask us questions about the items that are on there,' Buffett said. Buffett is the third big-name businessman to get behind Clinton's bid for the White House in the past week. Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday night, calling out Trump as a 'con.' Then, Hillary Clinton headed across the state of Pennsylvania by bus and stopped in Pittsburgh where Mark Cuban of 'Shark Tank' fame told his hometown crowd that Trump is a 'jagoff,' a derogatory term in what locals call 'Pittsburghese.' Splitting off from her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton headed to Nebraska today for her rally with Buffett while the veep wannabe headed back to his home of Richmond to surprise campaign workers. In Omaha, Buffett making his first campaign appearance alongside Clinton surveyed the crowd. 'How many of you would be afraid to have your tax return be made public?' he asked. 'You're only afraid if you have something to be afraid about.' Hillary Clinton headed to Omaha, Nebraska today to get a campaign boost from billionaire Warren Buffett (seated left) Hillary Clinton is vying for just one electoral vote in Nebraska, as the rest of the state votes solidly Republican 'And he's not afraid because of what? The IRS?' Buffett continued. 'He's afraid because of you.' The billionaire told the other billionaire he would meet him in Omaha 'or Mar-a-Lago' he said, referencing Trump's Florida estate. 'We're both under audit and, believe me, nobody's going to stop us from talking about what's on those returns,' Buffett offered again. 'And send the word to him if you will,' the polite businessman added. Moving on from the offer of a tax return show-and-tell, Buffett said that he disagreed 'violently' with Trump's dire assessment of the country. He also criticized the real estate investor for suggesting he could fix the country's problems alone, a familiar sentiment that Clinton shares in her stump speech. 'It takes some kind of nerve or something else to really have the notion that you're the only one out of 325 million people who can fix it,' Buffett said. Speaking on the news of the day, the ongoing feud between Trump and Muslim-American Gold Star family Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who lost their Army captain son in 2004 while he was on tour in Iraq. Buffett said watching Trump say that he had sacrificed too, during an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, was the 'final straw.' 'No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan,' Buffett said. 'No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan.' 'We've both done extremely well during this period and our families haven't sacrificed anything,' Buffett pointed out. Buffett also shed some light on why Clinton might make a visit to bright red Nebraska that hasn't voted for a Democrat since President Lyndon B. Johnson's election in 1964. Before that, it went for Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936. However, as Buffett pointed out, saying he wanted to 'make a little news' that would be a 'surprise even to Hillary,' Nebraska's electoral votes are cast by congressional district, instead of the winner of the state getting them all. In 2012, President Barack Obama won Nebraska's one blue-ish electoral vote. And thus, Omaha's congressional district could help break a national tie. 'We're going to help that process along this time,' Buffett said. 'I have pledged today that on Election Day ... I will take at least ten people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there.' Therefore, Buffett revealed, he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for Eection Day. 'I'm going to be on it all day, I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes,' the billionaire said, urging residents to 'shame' their politically unaware neighbors into voting this time. He ended his spiel by reminding the audience that the Constitution's Article Two had used male pronouns 20 times. Was denied bail in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday Said to have a $3000 per day drug habit, including cocaine, heroin and ice Alleged to have led police on a dangerous car chase through Melbourne An addict who is said to have consumed $3000 of drugs per day, including ice, heroin and cocaine, allegedly led police on a wild chase through busy city streets. During the dangerous pursuit in Melbourne took place in late March, he rammed two police cars and allegedly threw cash from the window of the luxury BMW he was driving. He evaded officers, driving on the wrong side of the road and eventually abandoning the damaged vehicle. Witnesses at the the time said they saw bullet holes in the car, but police said no gunshots had been fired during the incident. Sean Murphy, 26, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday and was refused bail because he posed a threat to the community Police investigators dust a black BMW for fingerprints in Downie Street in Melbourne's CBD after a high speed pursuit in March A police officer inspects a black BMW with a smashed windscreen Police said when he was eventually arrested two weeks later it took six officers to restrain him, the Herald Sun reported. His arrest came on April 15, according to The Age. Sean Murphy, 26, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday and was refused bail because he couldn't control his drug use. He faced 48 charges including drug trafficking, car theft and ramming police cars. A CCTV image of Mr Murphy after exiting a taxi in east Melbourne in March Cash, scissors and what appears to be a cell phone are taken from a vehicle abandoned after the pursuit in late March Police learned of his expensive drug habit from his crime associates, it was reported. Drug and alcohol counsellor Craig McDonald recommended Mr Murphy's release for a two-month rehabilitation, but Magistrate Michael King said he posed an 'unacceptable risk' to the community. Police captured Mr Murphy in April while responding to reports of a man selling drugs from his car. Inside the car, police were reported to have found a handgun, drugs and cash. Images of the vehicle he is believed to have abandoned in March after the pursuit show a black BMW with a smashed windscreen and police officers took items like cash from the car. An image of a man believed to be Sean Murphy after exiting a taxi in east Melbourne Cash is seen in an evidence bag as police investigators inspect a black BMW in Downie Street in Melbourne's CBD in late March Pauline Hanson released a book under her name and copyright in 1997 claiming that by 2050 Australia would be ruled by an Asian lesbian cyborg named Poona Li Hung. It was just one of many bold statements in the 234-page essay-style novel, which also suggested Aboriginals were savage 'cannibals' who ate their babies, and gun control-advocates had 'retarded sexual and emotional maturity.' The controversial politician, who has been re-elected to Federal parliament with her One Nation Party after a two-decade absence, admits now that she had no idea what was in the book and only saw it after it had been edited and published. However, footage uncovered in an SBS documentary on her life shows Ms Hanson proudly boasting about her 'very informative' book, riding a wave of popularity after her 1996 maiden speech warning Australia was 'in danger of being swamped by Asians'. Scroll down for video Pauline Hanson recommending crowds to buy her book 'The Truth' in 1997, which suggested that Aboriginals were cannibals and claimed Australia would soon be ruled by a lesbian cyborg One Nation Party co-founder David Oldfield (pictured with Ms Hanson) said the book was 'the stuff of science fiction' and Ms Hanson was 'foolish' to not have read the book The book, titled 'Pauline Hanson: the Truth', is compiled in two separate sections; a collection of Ms Hanson's speeches and an analysis of Asian immigration, Aboriginals, the gun debate and the future of Australia. In its section on what it calls 'the Aboriginal Question,' the book cites academics from the early 1930s who wrote that indigenous Australians were 'cannibals.' Pauline Hanson: The Truth, was launched by the politician and had her copyright on it. She later distanced herself from it and said she had not seen it until it was published 'They killed and ate their own women and children, and occasionally their men. The older women were often killed for eating purposes like livestock,' the book reads. 'We took this land by appropriation, we took it because ... the Aboriginals could not defend it.' Another part of the book claims Aboriginals 'striped with white and yellow warpaint' would attack Chinese immigrants while 'screeching like demons from the deepest hell.' 'To the cannibal blacks the new chum Chinese were manna from heaven. Hundreds of them were ambushed, captured, and eaten at leisure.' One of the book's more peculiar claims was that Australia would soon be overrun by Asians if it did not cease all immigration. The book continued on to suggest that by the year 2050, Australia would be ruled by President Poona Li Hung, a part-cyborg lesbian of Chinese and Indian descent. Pauline Hanson's 'The Truth' argued that Aboriginals were cannibals who 'killed and ate their own women and children ... for eating purposes like livestock' The book also touched on reverse-racism and offered research into 'comparative Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Benefits.' The most downtrodden person in this country is the white Anglo-Saxon male It concluded that: 'The most downtrodden person in this country is the white Anglo-Saxon male.' 'It's got to the stage where the balance has swung too far and men don't know what to do.' Pauline Hanson's 'The Truth' also firmly opposed the National Firearms Agreement, which was passed in government in 1996 following the Port Arthur massacre. The book quoted Sigmund Freud in saying that gun-control advocates were 'retarded sexually', before arguing that by the same logic of banning guns the nation should 'ban doctors' - because people die in Australian hospitals from infections. It was the stuff of science fiction - it may as well have been Planet of the Apes After a significant backlash following the release of the book, Ms Hanson clarified that the book had been compiled by four anonymous authors and not herself. In an interview in 2004, she conceded that the book's release and ambiguous authorship was a result of poor 'delegation.' 'Like I said at the time, there was so much happening with the media and you just cannot do everything yourself. You just cannot sit down and read every book or every article or know every candidate that stood,' she told ABC's Andrew Denton. In a recent SBS documentary on her life, Ms Hanson admitted that she had no idea what was in the book and only saw it after it had been edited and published WHO IS PAULINE HANSON? Born on 27 May, 1954 in Brisbane Left school aged 15 and fell pregnant with Polish refugee at the age of 16 Married and then divorced after sharing two children Re-married in 1980 and had two more children. Divorced and then opened a fish and chip shop in Ipswich Entered politics in 1994 as member of Ipswich City Council Joined Liberal Party in 1996 and was endorsed as candidate for Oxley Won the seat, which was the safest Labor seat in Queensland, despite being disendorsed by Liberal party Entered Federal parliament as an independent in 1996 Founded her One Nation Party in February, 1997 After being re-elected in 1998, experienced slow demise in popularity Resigned from One Nation Party in 2002 Spent 11 weeks in jail in 2003 after being found guilty of electoral fraud. Was released upon appeal Returned to One Nation in 2014, contesting and winning a seat in the Queensland Senate in 2016 Advertisement David Oldfield, co-founder of the One Nation Party, distanced himself from the book and said it was released prior to his involvement with the party. 'I never had anything to do with it,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'She (Ms Hanson) was foolish not to have read it before she gave them permission to use her image and her name on it.' 'Theres some weirdo stuff in there, theres stuff in there thats completely away from what One Nation ever thought. ' 'It was the stuff of science fiction - it may as well have been Planet of the Apes.' Mr Oldfield said the book was a 'mistake' that he ignored, choosing to get on with 'what the party needed to do rather than the ravings of a lunatic.' Linda Burney, the first Aboriginal woman to have been elected to the Australian House of Representatives, told SBS the book was 'just wrong and kind of crazy.' 'It is just wrong and kind of crazy,' said Linda Burney. 'I went to school at a time when we were taught that Aboriginal people were the closest example to stone age man, but that was back in the late 60s it wasnt in the late 90s,' she said. 'Seriously who on earth put this together and who read it? Did Pauline Hanson read it?' But David Ettridge, who co-founded the One Nation Party, defended the book. 'That becomes a matter of opinion, at the time we thought well heres something that tells a story. We think its relevant, it's an example of how history is being distorted,' he told SBS. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pauline Hanson for comment. Labourer then got out of his 4x4 and began pushing and shoving motorist Footage shows him pulling up to biker and shouting 'you're a f****** b******' Last week he launched foul-mouthed rant at motorcyclist in Falkirk The 4x4 driver who tried to fight a fellow motorist at a busy junction once 'nearly died' when he was the victim of a terrifying road rage incident, MailOnline can reveal today. Labourer Stuart Morris, 27, appeared to call a motorcyclist a 'f****** b******' before shoving him during a bust-up at a roundabout in Falkirk, Stirlingshire last Friday. Today it emerged that in 2012 he was knocked down while shopping in Falkirk when 'hormonal' mother-of-one Suzanne Gilchrist rammed into him and wove through crowded streets as he desperately clung to the bonnet of her car. Yet three years on Mr Morris, who works at ABC Events, was himself filmed swearing at a biker and yelling 'You're a f****** b******,' before getting out of his green 4x4 to confront him. Dramatic footage of the incident, caught on the biker's head camera, shows the pair exchanging cross words before coming to blows as other motorists look on. Past: Labourer Stuart Morris, 27, who appeared to call a motorcyclist a 'f****** b******' before shoving him during a bust-up at a roundabout in Falkirk, Stirlingshire last Friday, has been revealed as a road rage victim himself who was once dragged along a road on a car bonnet In 2012, Mr Morris (above) was shopping when 'hormonal' mother-of-one Suzanne Gilchrist rammed into him and wove through crowded streets as he clung to the bonnet of her car 'Hormonal' mother-of-one Suzanne Gilchrist drove towards Mr Morris, described as an 'unconnected passerby' and struck him, causing him jump onto the bonnet in June 2012 MailOnline has made a number of attempts to contact him at his workplace and at home. The biker is heard swearing back as Mr Morris says 'come on then' and the pair begin to shove each other. Mr Morris then continues to push the motorcyclist until he falls to the ground with his bike. Other motorists can be heard beeping their horns before trying to break up the pair. As Mr Morris heads back to his car, he is confronted by the biker again who he brands a 'psychopath'. Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident, but it has now emerged that Mr Morris was once the victim of a dangerous road rage incident himself in which he was dragged along a busy street on a car bonnet. In 2012, he was shopping in Falkirk when 'hormonal' mother-of-one Suzanne Gilchrist rammed into him and wove through crowded streets as he desperately clung to the bonnet of her car. Shocking footage shows him stepping out into the high street where he is struck by Gilchrist's Ford Focus. He can then be seen sprawled out on the bonnet of the car as she drives erratically through the town centre. He was later taken to hospital on a spinal board, telling police he 'thought he was a goner', but was dispatched with only minor injuries. Speaking at the time, Mr Morris, from Camelon, Falkirk, described it as 'like something out of a Hollywood action film.' In the latest road rage video, Mr Morris can be seen approaching the motorcyclist victim and calling him a 'f****** b******' before shoving him in the middle of the road at a busy junction Stuart Morris was the victim of his own road rage incident in Falkirk in 2012. He is seen holding onto the bonnet of a silver Ford Focus after being struck by 'hormonal' Suzanne Gilchrist He said: 'I had been out doing some shopping when suddenly this woman drove straight into me. 'I sort of jumped and fell across the bonnet of the car and expected her to stop but she raced off at high speed. 'I can remember clinging on for my life because I thought that if I was thrown off I'd be seriously injured or worse. 'It was absolutely terrifying. It's not the sort of thing you expect to happen when you are out for a quiet afternoon in Falkirk.' Gilchrist, who was aged 37 at the time, blamed her terrifying outburst on a 'hormonal imbalance'. Her defence lawyer told a court: 'She had thought that she was pregnant and was obviously suffering from some sort of hormonal imbalance, and was on such a knife-edge that she panicked. She was hysterical.' A court heard she was trying to get away from a security officer from a Boots store at the Howgate Shopping Centre, who was trying to speak to her about an alleged theft. Motorists can be heard blowing their horns to break the pair up as they continue to fight. Pictured: Mr Morris challenges the motorcyclist after climbing out of his green 4x4 (right) The pair are heard swearing at each other throughout the video captured on a helmet-camera Mr Morris is pictured left appearing to hold a gun, and right following his earlier road rage incident in 2012 Stirling Sheriff Court heard that as Gilchrist sped off, Mr Morris - an 'unconnected' passer-by - happened to be crossing the road and was in her way. She drove towards him and struck him, causing him to jump onto the bonnet to avoid being hurt. She then drove off 'at speed' through the town, weaving from side to side. Gilchrist, from Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Morris, failing to give way at junctions, and trying to throw him from her car to the danger of his life on June 12 2012 and was jailed her four years and three months. Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Morris said; 'If it'd been a child she hit, the child would have been killed, as they wouldn't have been able to hang on. 'She was crazy. When my girlfriend gets hormonal, she just shouts a bit, she doesn't try to kill anyone. 'Gilchrist only stopped in the end because I smashed her windscreen. She deserves the jail - no-one like that should be free.' However, his brush with death didn't stop him launching the sickening road rage attack on a fellow motorist last week. It is not clear what caused the ruckus as the two vehicles approached the Westfield roundabout in Falkirk but head-cam footage clearly shows Mr Morris grappling with the motorcyclist. After the biker is pushed to the ground the pair continue to fight on the grass next to the road Mr Morris goes to head back to his vehicle after pushing the man and his bike to the ground After exchanging a foul-mouthed rant at one another, they appear to tussle in the middle of the road - attacking each other both verbally and physically. Eventually the scuffle is broken up when other motorists leave their vehicles and run over to stop the men fighting. One man advises the biker to 'calm down and wait until he goes away.' He responds by saying: 'He's trying to punch somebody with a helmet on.' Another motorist then hands the biker his helmet visor, which appears to have come off in the fight. The video concludes with a woman stating that the incident had been reported to the police as the biker walks around on the spot in apparent shock. It is not clear what caused the ruckus as Mr Morris abandons his vehicle to confront the biker The helmet-cam captures the moment the man is pushed to the ground along with his bike Prior to the ruckus, Mr Morris could be heard shouting 'you're a f****** b******' at the biker A police Scotland spokesman said: 'We received a report of a road rage incident that happened on Friday 29 July on Stadium Way, Falkirk.' 'Officers are following a positive line of enquiry.' MailOnline has contacted Mr Morris for comment. The shocking incident was reported to the police who are following a 'positive line of enquiry' Stuart Kelly took his own life after relentless bullying over lock-out laws He is in jail for the one-punch attack that killed Thomas Kelly in 2012 The cousin of Thomas Kelly's killer has blamed the Kelly family for the bullying their son Stuart received before he took his own life. Karissa-Leigh Loveridge took to Facebook this week to defend her cousin, Kieran Loveridge, who is serving ten years for manslaughter over the one-punch attack on Thomas Kelly - saying he is not to blame for Stuart's tragic suicide. Instead, Ms Loveridge said his parents should not have 'put a 16-year-old in front of the media' and 'have continued to do so as the years went on'. Stuart, 18, took his own life on July 25 after relentless bullying from trolls over his family's campaign against alcohol-fuelled violence and NSW's controversial lock-out laws. Scroll down for video Karissa-Leigh Loveridge has defended her cousin Kieran after the death of Stuart Kelly Loveridge (left) is in jail for the manslaughter of Stuart's (right) brother Thomas Kelly following a one-punch attack in 2012 Ms Loveridge wrote on social media this week that her cousin is not to blame for Stuart's death. The post has since been deleted Daily Mail Australia has contacted Karissa-Leigh Loveridge for further comment, however she wrote on social media there is 'no way in the world my cousin Kieran can take blame for Stuart's death', Yahoo7 reported. 'I just want to set a few things straight Yes Kieran is doing his time for his actions. But to all you people who are judging and blaming Kieran I suggest you know the facts before listening to the media,' she wrote in a post that has since been deleted. 'Myself and my family are sorry for the loss of Stuart Kelly and completely understand the pain the family is going through. Ms Loveridge then went on to say that while Stuart had been bullied over the lock-out laws this was 'not an excuse' for his death and 'no one deserves to die'. 'But the public need to understand the Kelly parents did put this 16-year-old in front of the media and continued to do so as the years have gone on. Ms Loveridge wrote about Stuart being bullied over the lockout laws and said 'no one deserves to die' Thomas Kelly (left and right) died after a random attack by Loveridge in Sydney's Kings Cross Pictured is Thomas Kelly's funeral at Kings College Chapel in 2012 'I am not justifying my cousins' actions but don't just assume this is my cousin's fault,' her post finished. Stuart's death came four years after his older brother and 'best friend' died following a one-punch attack at the hands of Loveridge. The 18-year-old had been relentlessly bullied online by trolls opposed to the NSW lock-out laws his family were strong supporters of. Last week their father Ralph Kelly posted a tribute to his youngest son writing: 'The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained'. In a death notice for Stuart his parents wrote: 'You lived a very special life and brought us all so much joy and happiness. 'You showed extraordinary strength, courage and hope. 'We will miss you forever our darling Stuart, together in peace with your beautiful brother Thomas. 'Take Kare. We love you so very much. Mum, Dad and Madeleine.' Stuart is pictured here age 14 embracing a family member at his brother Thomas' funeral Pictured here are Ralph (left), Kathy (centre) and Madeleine Kelly (right) After Thomas, 18, was killed by a single punch in Sydney's Kings Cross in 2012, Stuart and his family launched a foundation to campaign for tougher rules on alcohol-fuelled violence. He enrolled at St Paul's College at the University of Sydney to study marine biology but left in February after just one night because he was unable to adjust. A funeral for Stuart will be held this Thursday at the Kings College - the same place his brother was farewelled four years ago. Loveridge is currently serving a 13-year jail term after a public campaign for tougher rules on alcohol-fuelled violence. Qatari investors now own a fifth of British Airways after increasing their stake in the UKs flag carrier following a share price slump. Qatar Airways is thought to have spotted an attractive opportunity to snap up more shares in British Airways owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), after the value of Sterling fell following the EU referendum. While the Pound dropped, IAG, which also owns Spains Iberia, budget airline Vueling and Irelands Aer Lingus, has seen its shares plunge by a quarter after Britain decided to leave the EU. Qatari investors now own a fifth of British Airways after increasing their stake in the UKs flag carrier This prompted Qatar Airways to lift its stake from 15.67per cent to 20.01per cent. The move will prove controversial because new Prime Minister Theresa May said foreign takeover bids for British firms must be assessed to determine whether they are in the national interest. Qatar Airways is owned by the state of Qatar. Under current rules, foreign investors cannot own more than 49per cent of a European airline, but building a massive stake in the firm would give it influence over decisions which it makes. Prime Minister Theresa May said foreign takeover bids for British firms must be assessed to determine whether they are in the national interest Qatar Airways is thought to have spotted an attractive opportunity to snap up more shares in British Airways owner, International Airlines Group In 2006 when Dubai Ports World bought P&Os ports business, which included six gateways in America, for 3.9billion the US objected on security grounds. The Ports were hived off into a separate company. The two airlines already have a partnership for maintenance, cargo, purchasing of equipment and some route sharing. Qatar Airways said its interest in IAG is purely financial: The recent market valuation of one of the worlds leading airline groups has provided what we believe is an attractive opportunity to increase our shareholding in IAG. We continue to be highly supportive of IAGs strategy and management team and we do not intend to increase our percentage shareholding further unless there are material changes to the current situation. Isabel Spearman, pictured, was a problem solver for Samantha Cameron When David and Samantha Cameron said their farewells in Downing Street, a small group of aides looked on. One was wearing a flowing flowery dress, which guaranteed she stood out from the crowd. This was Isabel Spearman, who had spent most of the previous five years in charge of Mrs Camerons daily routine. There was no job too big or small from arranging the minutiae of her diary, to suitcase-packing, selecting the right outfit for a particular event and advising on her hair. There were also baby-sitting duties. However, she was said to be imperious and high-handed with officials and even MPs who she suspected of trying to get too close to either the Prime Minister or his wife. This made Spearman deeply unpopular outside the Camerons close-knit inner circle. Spearman actually left her job in No10 last year, but stayed friends with the Camerons and volunteered to help organise their tearful post-Brexit departure from Downing Street. She was living up to her own self-styled motto: I will fix it. In return, Cameron has now tried to fix it for Spearman, 37, by recommending her for an OBE in his resignation honours list. Not surprisingly, this has caused widespread disdain. An OBE for SamCams bag carrier, hairdresser and stylist? She was a glorified message-taker and make-up artist. Why on earth does that warrant her being given such a senior honour? said one senior Tory last night. One cynical theory is that the initiative came from Mrs Cameron who, having left No10, is keen to launch her own fashion label, possibly with Spearman. The title OBE would look good on the companys headed paper, it has been suggested by a disaffected Tory. For her part, since she left Downing Street, Spearman has worked as a brand and image consultant. How ironic, therefore, that her own image has suffered as a result of these accusations of cronyism. In addition, matters have not been helped by a disastrous business venture involving her husband Mark Crocker, the stepson of the late Lord Oaksey, doyen of the horse racing world. Mrs Cameron, centre, is said to have completely relied on her 'stylist', right, for her day-to-day organisation He was a director of a beauty products firm launched by the socialite Jemma Kidd, which collapsed in 2012 with debts of 2million and was wound up. One of the other five directors was Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the corrupt newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell who drowned after falling from his yacht (named The Lady Ghislaine) amid allegations that he had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from the pension fund of the Daily Mirror, which he owned. Last year, Ghislaine Maxwell was forced to deny lurid claims that she had recruited young girls as sex slaves for her one-time lover, the billionaire financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was a friend of Prince Andrew. Like so many of the Camerons friends, Spearman had a privileged background. She was born in 1979, the year Margaret Thatcher came to power, to strong Tory stock and was brought up in Perthshire. Her father, Lochain, is a farmer and company director. Her Spanish mother, Pilin, is the sister-in-law of Lord Garel Jones, the former Conservative minister who was seen as a key plotter in the political assassination of Mrs Thatcher. Her grandfather, Sir Alexander Cadwallader Spearman, was a Conservative MP and her Eton-educated younger brother is married to a member of the now defunct Brazilian royal family. Ms Spearman's bonds with the Cameron's blossomed after she got a job with Samantha's mother Lady Astor at her furniture company Oka With such a pedigree, it is not surprising that Tatler magazine once put her top of its Little Black Book of the countrys most eligible singletons. Spearman became a leading member of the so-called Notting Hill set of Tories, the clique of public school-educated friends united by a conviction that they were born to rule. She was introduced to them after working for the luxury handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, who is one of Samantha Camerons closest friends. She was also close to Flora and William Astor, Mrs Camerons step-brother and sister. Her bonds with the Camerons strengthened when Spearman got a job with Mrs Camerons mother, Lady Astor, at her upmarket furniture company Oka. Lady Astor then began lending her to her daughter as a wardrobe assistant for two days a week when the Tories were in Opposition. In 2010, when the Camerons moved into Downing Street, she was taken on as a special adviser, with her 60,000 salary paid for by the taxpayer with one day a week funded by the Conservative Party. In charge of Mrs Camerons diary, she helped put together her outfits and organise charity events. She had a desk in No12 Downing Street but operated mostly from the neighbouring flat, which was the Camerons home and where she helped to baby-sit the couples young children. Often attending meetings with the Prime Ministers team to ensure that the couples diaries never clashed, Spearman (known as Bells, a diminutive of her first name) was said to know more about the PMs life than any of his political confidantes and was as determined as a lioness to keep it that way. A senior Tory who dealt with Camerons office regularly said: Isabel had a great knack of making sure that other people never got too close. She could be ice-cold. Spearman acted as a buffer between Mrs Cameron and Andy Coulson, the no-nonsense No10 communications director who quit and was jailed for his role in the phone-hacking scandal when he was in his previous job as editor of the News of the World. Ms Spearman also acted as a buffer between Mrs Cameron and the since-disgraced former No.10 spin doctor Andy Coulson (pictured) Before Spearman arrived, Coulson occasionally clashed with Mrs Cameron because he wanted her to do more high profile appearances. In 2013, he wrote in GQ magazine: The time has now come for Sam to play a more public role and take some risks ... She should now be persuaded that the 2015 campaign is already under way and shes badly needed in the trenches. Such was the power of the woman whose tasks included ensuring that Sam Camerons belt matched her shoes and that her hair flicked in the right direction. Last night, as the chumocracy row raged over David Camerons honours list, one grumpy Tory grandee compared the nomination for an OBE for the stylist behind his clothes horse wife with the famous story about the mad Roman emperor Caligula, who was said to have been so enamoured with horse, that he intended to appoint him a consul. Beer lovers from all over the world have taken part in a new drinking race - that sees competitors down a bottle of beer before each lap. Dozens of runners took part in the Beer Mile World Classic in north London on Sunday, which was the first ever intercontinental drinking race of its kind. The rules state that each competitor has to run four laps of the track, covering a one-mile distance, and drink one beer measuring 355 ml before each lap. Dozens of runners took part in the Beer Mile World Classic in north London on Sunday, which was the first ever intercontinental drinking race of its kind Competitors have to run four laps of the track, drinking a 355ml beer before each lap Corey Bellemore, from Canada, won the men's elite race with a new Beer Mile world record time of 4:34:35. He drank his beer in just 8 seconds on some laps, while managing to keep up his running pace on the track. Speaking after the race, Bellemore said: 'Just tried to chug the beers as quick as I could, hold them down.' In the women's elite race, Erin O'Mara, from the US, took the top prize, after finishing the race in 6:43:35. Female competitors are pictured downing their bottles of beer before the first lap The winner of the Women's Elite Race, Erin O'Mara, was seen throwing up after the race However, the Beer Mile did appear to take a toll on O'Mara, who was seen throwing up shortly after the race. Meanwhile, Chris Hepworth, who won the non-elite race, said: 'The first like 50 metres after you down the drink are just awful, trying to stop yourself from being sick and burp it up, and then after that it actually feels alright. 'It's just the drink and the 50 metres after it.' O'Mara, from the US, took the top prize after completing the beer mile in 6:43:35 Chris Hepworth, who won the non-elite race, said the first 50 metres after downing the beer were the worst Race organiser Corey Gallagher said: 'At the start of every lap, you start with chugging a beer. 'When you're finished, you throw it to the side or pour it over your head to show that it's done and continue on. A woman has been charged with drink driving after her car crashed into the back of a police vehicle which was stopped at a red light in the south-west of Sydney on Monday night. The marked police car was sitting at traffic lights at the intersection of Alfords Point Road and Clancy Street in Padstow Heights when a woman driving a Toyota Corolla crashed into them, 9 News reports. Police said the 40-year-old woman later allegedly provided a breath analysis reading of 0.152 - more than three times the legal limit. A drunk woman crashed her car into the back of a police vehicle which was stopped at a red light in the south-west of Sydney on Monday night The female driver's licence has now been suspended. Police said she has been charged with drink driving and has been ordered to appear in Sutherland Local Court on September 8. Mass murderer Julian Knight is preparing a High Court challenge to overturn the law that will keep him in jail until he's on his death-bed or too frail to harm others. It's two years since the vexatious litigant - who killed seven people in the 1987 massacre - became eligible for parole. Mass murderer Julian Knight has engaged to lawyers to try and get him released from prison The Hoddle Street killer has engaged top lawyers to fight the legislation introduced by the previous state government to keep him behind bars, according to a report in the Herald Sun. Two years have past since Knight technically was eligible for parole but for the legislation brought in by the Victorian Government which was designed specifically to keep him locked up. The publication states that documents show that Knight claims his continued imprisonment 'interferes with or substantially eliminates' the role of the parole board. Knight is serving seven consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 27 years following the Hoddle Street massacre on August 9, 1987. The now 48-year-old shot and killed seven people, and injured a further 19. He is serving his sentence at Port Phillip Prison in Truganina, near Melbourne. Julian Knight was convicted of the murder of seven people in the 1987 massacre, where another 19 people were injured Knight (pictured left in 1997 and right in 2012) claimed he needed to access the computers for research Mass murderer Julian Knight (pictured) is reportedly launching a high court bid to overturn legislation that will keep him in jail despite being eligible for parole Although he was eligible for parole in 2014, in 2012 the Victorian Parole Board refused to set a tentative date for Knight's release, despite this previously being practice three years out from a minimum sentence finishing. 'The board, in exercise of its role, saw you as a risk to the community,' the Commonwealth's lawyer Robert Crowe said at the time. The in February, 2014, laws enacted by the Victorian Parliament prevented his release. Then premier Denis Napthine said that it was 'a special situation for Julian Knight'. 'Julian Knight is our worst mass murderer,' Mr Napthine said. He claimed that Knight had a history of 'further inappropriate behaviour and disrespect for our fellow man whilst in jail'. 'He deserves to rot in jail,' he added. It's two years since Knight - who killed seven people in the 1987 massacre - became eligible for parole A seven-year-old has made her mark as a graffiti artist in New York City. Lola Glass is a Brooklyn-based graffiti artist who has painted colorful murals on walls throughout Bushwick, according to the New York Post. The creative kiddo has also tagged walls in Miami, Florida. Seven-year-old Lola Glass (pictured) has made her mark as a graffiti artist in New York City. The Brooklyn-based graffiti artist has painted colorful murals on walls throughout Bushwick such as the one pictured The creative kiddo has also tagged walls (pictured) in Miami, Florida Her work even caught the attention of a group of professional artists known as the Bushwick Collective. Pictured is a mural she painted in Brooklyn Her work even caught the attention of a group of professional artists known as the Bushwick Collective. The expert artists invited the youngster to become the first second grader to paint at the Art Basel in Miami. Joe Ficalora, the founder of the Bushwick Collective, gave Lola her own wall to paint, her mother told the Post. 'The next thing we knew, he gave Lola her own wall, shook her hand and said, 'Welcome to the Bushwick Collective,' Lola's mother Cecile Depraetere said. And with the help of her mother, she is mentored by some of the most respected graffiti artists in the world. Lola started drawing when she was three years old. Last spring, she discovered her passion for graffiti art and has been painting murals ever since. 'I thought it would be cooler than just drawing on paper. Spray-paint fills up more space than colored pencils,' she told the Post. The expert artists invited the youngster to become the first second grader to paint at the Art Basel in Miami Lola started drawing when she was three years old. Last spring, she discovered her passion for graffiti art and has been painting murals ever since Lola was even given her own wall to paint in Miami. She's pictured with artist, Chor Boogie, in front of her art work at the Art Basel in Miami Controversial plans by Amazon to deliver parcels using drones have already sparked protest before the online shopping giant has even got the idea off the ground. The retailer is believed to have won permission to test the drones - some of which can be the size of a kitchen table - over picturesque farmland on the outskirts of Cambridge. But the site is next to an historic Roman road, whose ten miles of hedges are home to some of the rarest birds in the country. Buzzards, hawks and red kites will all fly in the same skies that will be used by Amazons drones and their potentially deadly propellors. Online shopping giant Amazon has sparked fury with controversial planes to use drones to deliver parcels. Pictured, an Amazon PrimeAir drone The retailer is believed to have won permission to test the drones - some of which can be the size of a kitchen table - over picturesque farmland on the outskirts of Cambridge Long-eared owls and turtle doves - now threatened with extinction - also nest in the countryside near Balsham. The Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke say it is an important archaeological site with protected wildlife which would be severely impacted by the noisy low-flying machines. Julia Napier, the groups secretary, said yesterday: We are absolutely horrified at the idea. There are dozens of protected species of flora and fauna and birds that will be severely affected by the noise and disturbance of drones. She compared the sound of a drone to that of a high-powered drill and worried that the irritating whine will ruin the tranquility of the entire area. Besides the array of wildlife that could be affected, locals also fear a collision between the drones and the numerous power lines in the area - and even the turbines of a nearby wind farm. There are dozens of protected species of flora and fauna and birds that will be severely affected by the noise and disturbance of drones. Julia Napier, secretary of Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke Some analysts have also suggested that drones could be hijacked and transformed into flying weapons of terror. Colin Bull, of software firm SQS, said that drones could be stacked with bombs or grenades and must be embraced and feared in equal measure Putting it bluntly, these devices are in fact a flying payload system with the ability to deliver anything, including incendiary devices or grenadesWe have to take care. Falling in to the wrong hands, theres currently nothing to stop someone flying a payload-laden drone into a busy city or even airspace, he told InfoSecurity, an online magazine. Last night, further concerns about the Amazon drone program emerged. Terry Holloway, managing director of Cambridge Aero Club, which is based at the nearby airport, said: The scheme poses several dangers not least the sheer size of the Amazon machines. Buzzards (pictured), hawks and red kites will all fly in the same skies that will be used by Amazons drones and their potentially deadly propellors The Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke say it is an important archaeological site with protected wildlife which would be severely impacted by the noisy low-flying machines. Pictured, a red kite There are already regular reports of drones coming too close to aircraft taking off and landing - pilots from here have reported them flying at altitudes of up to 3,000 feet. Fortunately the drones currently available are quite small and light and although they could wreck a jet engine, they are unlikely to cause any immediate danger or risk. But the new delivery drones are six-foot across and carry a payload - if one of those were to hit a commercial airliner it could cause catastrophic damage and possibly lead to loss of life. Drones are also noisy - they make a high-pitched sound and using them in built-up areas is bound to provoke complaints about noise. Drones are also noisy - they make a high-pitched sound and using them in built-up areas is bound to provoke complaints about noise. Terry Holloway, managing director of Cambridge Aero Club The test zone is in the middle of prime farming land and the National Farmers Union said yesterday that it was already looking at the effect of drones in the countryside. East Anglian spokesman Brian Finnerty said: There are concerns over the effect the noise of low-flying drones could have on livestock. It would appear that livestock are not currently protected by the CAA regulations concerning drones but we will be watching the situation closely as it develops. Amazon have refused to confirm or deny whether the land bordering the Roman road, south east of Cambridge, between the A11 and Balsham, is being used to test drones. But the necessary permission has already been granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA will allow Amazon to test beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban areas, testing sensor performance to make sure the drones can identify and avoid obstacles, and flights where one person operates multiple highly-automated drones. Long-eared owls and turtle doves (pictured) - now threatened with extinction - also nest in the countryside near Balsham Amazon, which is currently recruiting staff for its drone project, announced two years ago that it would begin testing drones, and ihas chosen the name Prime Air for its programme. Pictured, a long-eared owl A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), which is published to all pilots, informs them drones will be tested at up to 750ft from dawn to dusk until the beginning of October. Amazons delivery drones which weight 55lbs and will carry loads of up to 5lbs, can reach speeds of more than 50mph, and have a range of 15 miles. The companys boast is that it will be able to make drone deliveries in less than 30 minutes. Tim Johnson, CAA Policy Director, said: We want to enable the innovation that arises from the development of drone technology by safely integrating drones into the overall aviation system. These tests by Amazon will help inform our policy and future approach. Amazon, which is currently recruiting staff for its drone project, announced two years ago that it would begin testing drones, and ihas chosen the name 'Prime Air' for its programme. Listed on its website are jobs in Cambridge for roles including flight operations engineer the job spec reads: You can expect to collaborate on test plans, plan the test evolution, and execute the flights while working closely with our flight engineering and flight test teams in Seattle. An Australian family facing imminent deportation from Britain say they will be left homeless, jobless and significantly in debt if forced to leave. Kathryn and Gregg Brain, who moved here with their son Lachlan in 2011, had until midnight last night to secure a job that met Home Office visa requirements. The family had moved to Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands on Mrs Brains student visa but the terms of their stay were later changed by the Government. Mr Brain says the family has racked up a five-figure debt in their fight with the Home Office to remain in the UK, saying that Scotland was the place that we felt like we really belonged. Kathryn and Gregg Brain, who moved to Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands with their son Lachlan in 2011, had until midnight last night to secure a job that met visa requirements We came over here on the promise that once Kathryn had finished her studies wed be able to stay on for two years on a very straightforward ticket post-study work visa which was subsequently, retroactively cancelled, he told the BBC. What we want is for the UK Government to honour the promise it made to us six years ago when we committed to coming over here, selling our house [in Australia], selling up just about everything that we owned and investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the local economy. Speaking as the deadline loomed, Mr Brain said he had been throwing up since the morning at the prospect of deportation. There is only so much adrenalin your body can dump into your system at one time, he said. But this isnt any different from another day we have been running on three or four hours sleep a night, doing 15- to 20-hour days trying to get something put together. Scottish MEP David Coburn, leader of Ukip in Scotland, said the case exposed the folly of the current, heartless immigration system. This family, who have a great deal to offer Scotland and their local community, are being thrown out, while we are keeping many immigrants convicted of heinous offences, he said. The sooner we end freedom of movement for EU citizens, the sooner we can have the fair and compassionate immigration system that would keep this family in Scotland and protect our country from foreign criminals. Mrs Brain had taken a place at the University of the Highlands and Islands studying Scottish history and archaeology, with her family listed as dependants on her student visa. Mr Brain had been working full-time as a receptionist in a legal office, while their seven-year-old son was schooled entirely in Gaelic. But only ten months after they moved to Scotland, the post-study work visa with which the family had planned to stay in the country was scrapped. Mrs Brains student visa expired in December, and since then they have been fighting to stay. The family had moved to Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands on Mrs Brains student visa but the terms of their stay were later changed by the Government. They say they will be left homeless, jobless and significantly in debt if forced to leave the country by the Home Office She has been trying to secure work which meets the requirements for a tier two visa, including a minimum salary threshold of 20,800. Mr Brain said the family have received around a dozen job offers which he described as wonderful and humbling but none that would meet the specifications. Its got to be earning at least 20,800, which is not just a graduate position but a graduate with some years of experience in the field, so its very difficult to get to that level, he said. But he said they are hopeful that a 28-day extension can now be secured. The family have won support from actor Tom Conti, who accused the Government of moving the goalposts by scrapping the post-study work visa and said it was something wed expect of the Soviet Union or Iran. He said he would be prepared to provide money to the family to ensure they maintain a minimum balance in their bank account in order to meet visa requirements, telling Radio 4s World At One programme: If youre not allowed to work, how do you maintain a minimum balance? A spokesman for the Home Office said he could not comment on the familys case, or what might happen if they refused to leave. He added: All visa applications are considered on their individual merits, and applicants must provide evidence to show they meet the requirements of the immigration rules. Illegal migrant we DID let stay went on to carry out violent rape Ethiopian-born refugee Elias Hussain Mahmud, who illegally entered Britain, raped a young woman on her way to work months after being granted the right to stay here A migrant who illegally entered Britain raped a young woman on her way to work months after being granted the right to stay here. Elias Hussain Mahmud, 22, knocked his victim to the ground from behind and threatened to kill her before raping her twice. The Ethiopian-born refugee who has been jailed for 12 years for the horrifying attack entered Britain illegally last year but was later granted leave to remain in the UK until 2020. Yet less than nine months after he was granted political asylum, he attacked the lone woman at 5.40am as she made her morning walk to her office in Swansea, South Wales. The victim, who cannot be named, is said to be too scared to leave her own home since the attack in April, Swansea Crown Court heard. The refugee knocked her over from behind before the pair struggled on the ground. But Mahmud overpowered her and raped her twice as lay pinned down to the pavement in the city centre. He then ran off, but was arrested just 45 minutes later after police received calls about a man acting suspiciously in a nearby residential area. At an earlier hearing at Swansea Magistrates Court, Mahmuds solicitor Paul Jackson said his client had been granted political asylum. Mr Jackson said: He has come to this country from a war-torn area of Ethiopia. He has been granted political asylum and works full time. Mahmud, of Mount Pleasant, Swansea, last week pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making a threat to kill when he appeared in court. MIGRANTS DOUBLE AFTER TURKEY COUP The number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands has doubled since the failed military coup in Turkey. More than 1,170 have crossed the Aegean in the fortnight after the attempted putsch, up from 560 in the two weeks before. The surge came as Turkey threatened to aggravate the migrant crisis by pulling out of its 5billion deal with the EU to help tackle it. In March, Brussels agreed to hand over the cash and ease visa restrictions on travellers from Turkey if it took back all those arriving on the Greek islands. But Turkey yesterday vowed to rip up the deal unless its 80million citizens get fully visa-free travel to the EU. At least 290 people died in the coup attempt and the Turkish president has threatened to bring back capital punishment in the aftermath. It is not known if the rise in migrants crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands has been prompted by the violence itself or because they know it will be more difficult for the EU to return them there now. Meanwhile, thousands continue to cross daily from North Africa to Italy. The Italian coastguard said 6,500 were rescued from Thursday to Sunday with five bodies found. Advertisement After the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Esyr Jones said: This was a very serious incident which understandably caused a lot of public concern. A lone female was walking to work when she was assaulted and raped in terrifying circumstances. This incident has had a life-changing impact on the victim and our thoughts first and foremost are with her. Responding to the Mahmud case, a Home Office spokesman said: This Government puts the rights of the British public before those of criminals. Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and the refuge we provide by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. The shocking case comes after it was revealed last month that an illegal immigrant from Somalia should have been deported before he tried to kidnap and molest four schoolchildren. Adbi Waise, 28, was served a deportation order in 2013 after being sentenced to eight years for the violent rape of a 21-year-old woman he dragged off the street in 2008. He was released from his sentence early in 2014 and taken to an immigration removal centre. But he was freed following a Government moratorium on deportations to Somalia. Officials ruled that the war-torn country was too dangerous to send foreign criminals back there. And three weeks later, the drug dealer pretended to be a policeman to kidnap the school girl and attempt to snatch four more in a space of around two and a half hours. A court heard how he stalked his victim as they walked to school and offered drugs to children as young as ten. When he was finally jailed for 12 years last month, the judge described him as every parents worst nightmare and recommended he be deported. Somalia is ranked the worlds most corrupt country by Transparency International, yet it has received 583million in aid from Britain. Britain is engulfed in a national housing crisis as those living in the North and Midlands are hit as hard as Londoners, a report revealed last night. Home ownership in England is at its lowest level in 30 years as runaway house prices and slow wage growth have left millions unable to fund a deposit, the study said. The research by think-tank The Resolution Foundation found the most dramatic drop in Greater Manchester and other northern cities such as Leeds and Sheffield. MPs said the housing crisis is becoming a national emergency following the release of the study, which found only 63.8 per cent of people in England own a property. Variations: The percentage of homeowners in UK regions, along with the peak ownership (next to the green image), the month in which this was set (in white) and the fall since then (in red) Home ownership levels in the UK at their lowest in 30 years, according to think-tank The Resolution Foundation Average rent and house prices have soared over the past 30 years compare to wage increases The figure was 70.8 per cent in April 2003, when home ownership peaked, and is the lowest since 1986, when the rate was 63.5 per cent and Margaret Thatcher began allowing council tenants to buy their homes. Of Manchester residents, 57.9 per cent are home owners, compared with 72.4 per cent in April 2003. This is despite the average home in the Manchester area costing 146,381, less than a third of a typical home in London, according to the Office for National Statistics. In Yorkshire and Humberside, which includes Leeds and Sheffield, just 68.7 per cent own a home, down from 78.1 per cent in October 2005. In the West Midlands, including Birmingham, the rate has fallen from 70.5 per cent in April 2005 to 59.3 per cent. The Resolution Foundation said Londons crisis could spread unless the Government builds more affordable homes. Falling levels: Home ownership has dropped to its lowest level since 1986, as this graph shows Down: Greater Manchester has seen the sharpest drop in ownership by 14 percentage points since the early 2000s. Double digit falls in home ownership have also been seen in South and West Yorkshire, driven by the cities of Sheffield and Leeds, and the West Midlands area On the other hand: With the fall in home ownership, there has been a growth in private renting, with the proportion of private renters across England nearly doubling between 2003 and 2015 Stephen Clarke, policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: London has a well-known and fully blown housing crisis, but the struggle to buy a home is just as big a problem in the cities across the North of England. The shift to renting privately can reduce current living standards and future wealth, with implications for individuals and the State. The housing crisis is turning into a national emergency Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat leader MPs and The Resolution Foundation suggested the big drop in home ownership outside London reflects a shift towards part-time work, including zero-hour contracts which make it harder for people to secure a mortgage. Last night Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: The housing crisis is turning into a national emergency. Wages are being squeezed and with the rise of zero hour contracts the bank of Mum of Dad is being stretched to breaking point. Chris Leslie, Labours former shadow chancellor, said support for housebuilding was inadequate. Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron described the housing crisis as a 'national emergency' He added: Its also getting more difficult to get a mortgage because the UK is moving towards a gig economy where more people are offered short term contracts. 'This makes it harder for people to persuade banks that they are in long-term stable employment. The UK is moving towards a 'gig economy' where more people are offered short term contracts Chris Leslie, ex-shadow chancellor Despite Government initiatives such as Help to Buy, the number of first-time buyers relying on money from parents and relatives has risen sharply as property prices soar. A Government report published last month showed 27 per cent of those who bought their first home last year funded a deposit by relying on the bank of Mum and Dad, compared with 21 per cent 20 years ago. Across the UK, the home ownership rate has fallen from 70.9 per cent in October 2004 to 64.1 per cent, according to the Resolution Foundation. In the London suburbs, 57.8 per cent of people own their homes, down from a peak of 71.4 per cent in October 2000. The attention spans of modern day university graduates has become so short that one leading finance giant has been forced to revamp its interview process to find the best recruits. Jobseekers applying for a role at KPMG previously sat through three assessments over several weeks - in a process that is typical of many blue chip firms. But the accountancy firm has now squashed the whole process into a single day. And it is also promising to let applicants know if they've got a job within two working days. The attention spans of modern day university graduates (stock photo) has become so short that a finance giant has been forced to revamp its interview process to find the best recruits The change follows a survey of so-called millennials the generation reaching adulthood after the year 2000 which found they were annoyed at having to wait for results. Experts said it showed new employees were more impatient than ever before. Lee Biggins, managing director of job website CV-Library, said: 'Millennials have been born and bred in a digital world and therefore expect to see results quickly. 'Having a lengthy recruitment process is becoming less and less acceptable and often means brands miss out on the best talent because they have already been snapped up their savvier competitors.' KPMG surveyed 400 young people applying for its graduate scheme. It found more than a third were annoyed at how long the recruitment process took, and at the long wait to find out if they had a job. The biggest complaint, though, was a lack of feedback for unsuccessful candidates. Chairman Simon Collins said the changes were a bid to keep up with smaller and more nimble start-ups. 'We are competing with the full gamut for the best brains and talent leaving university,' he said. 'Getting our graduate recruitment right is crucial to the long-term success of our business.' It follows a similar change at investment bank Goldman Sachs, which has scrapped face-to-face interviews at universities in favour of a conversation via internet video link. And services firm Deloitte has changed its selection process so recruiters do not know where candidates went to university. The aim is to prevent bias and increase diversity in the workforce. Surveys have found that millennials see career progression as a top priority, even more than high pay. They are also much less loyal to employers than previous generations and are quick to switch jobs if a better offer is available. Research shows 27.5 per cent of candidates expect to hear back from a recruiter within two days of an interview CV Library's own research shows 27.5 per cent of candidates expect to hear back from a recruiter within two days of an interview. And another 47 are only willing to wait between three and five days. Mr Biggins said: 'This demonstrates the 'on demand' world that we live in and indicates that recruiters waiting beyond a week to decide on their next employee are missing out almost three-quarters of the UK's job hunters.' The world of finance is notoriously competitive and some top employers are also seeking to calm down their eager young workforces. Investment bank Credit Suisse has launched a campaign called Protecting Friday Night, demanding its highly-paid employees leave their desks by 7pm. They have been sternly ordered not to come back before lunchtime on Saturday at the earliest. UBS is giving its staff at least two hours of 'personal time' a week when they can have a rest from work. The Take Two scheme was masterminded by investment bank president Andrea Orcel. 'In an ideal world we wouldn't need this initiative, it would happen anyway,' she told Fortune. 'But for now having a branded initiative takes away the concern of finishing early or starting late.' JP Morgan has also told employees to take weekends off, and Goldman Sachs is looking to promote junior bankers more quickly so they don't quit. Dane Swan has appeared in a social media picture with a bare-breasted women, just months after he sent out a nude selfie. The photo of the Magpies midfielder surfaced on Snapchat, Herald Sun reported, but it is unclear when it was taken. Swan, 32 and a Brownlow Medallist, is shown making the devil's horns sign with his hands alongside a woman who exposed her breasts for the camera. Scroll down for video A photo of Magpies' Dane Swan (second from right) with a bare-breasted woman has surfaced on Snapchat Swan's social media landed him in hot water in January when a nude selfie he'd reportedly sent to female fans was leaked (pictured) Two other men are also pictured. A Collingwood spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia. The club told Herald Sun what players do with their own time is their business. Swan's social media landed him in hot water in January when a nude selfie he'd reportedly sent to female fans was leaked to Woman's Day. It is unclear whether Swan and his girlfriend of eight years Taylor Wilson remain together, however they have appeared in social media images as recently as June. The AFL's social media policy bans players from 'accessing, downloading or transmitting any sexually explicit material, violent or graphic images'. Swan is pictured on his 32nd birthday this year with Richmond's Dustin Martin Swan is pictured on a night out in Adelaide with friends last year 32-year-old Swan, a Brownlow Medallist, is pictured with two Emirates flight attendants last year Swan took to social media last week to say he was sick It is unclear whether Swan and his girlfriend of eight years Taylor Wilson remain together, however they have appeared in social media images as recently as June (pictured together at the 2015 Brownlow Medal awards) Every BBC star who earns more than the Prime Minister should have their pay made public, MPs are demanding. A damning report by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee found no good reason for details of presenters and executives who receive more than 143,000 a year to be hidden. Publishing names and salaries would reduce suspicion the Corporation overpays staff, it said. Scroll down for videos Strictly Come Dancing presenters Claudia Winkleman, left, and Tess Daley, right, are among the BBC's highest earning presenters Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, left, is thought to earn more than 450,000 alongside Radio 2 DJ and former Top Gear presenter Chris Evans, right The BBC argues that disclosure could lead to a poachers charter that would help its commercial rivals lure talent away. But the MPs said this was disingenuous, adding that the salary levels are common knowledge in the industry. At present, the BBC must reveal the salaries of its top executives but only releases what it pays its top talent in pay brackets with no names. Earlier this year the Government White Paper on the future of the BBC proposed that the broadcaster should identify which stars earn more than the director-generals salary of 450,000. That would mean some nine stars including Eurovision host Graham Norton, Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker and Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans would have had their pay revealed. However, the committee has gone further by recommending that the threshold be brought down to the same salary as the Prime Minister. Fiona Bruce, pictured, the newsreader and presenter of Antiques Roadshow and Fake Or Fortune, is thought to earn 500,000 A list of 43 BBC celebrities reportedly being paid more than 143,000 was heavily denied by the BBC after it was published by a news website in May. Lineker is said to earn 1.8million, while Evans is reportedly on 600,000 and was getting an extra 125,000 an episode for Top Gear. Jeremy Vine, the Radio 2 DJ and Eggheads host, is understood to be on 800,000 and Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on over 500,000. Fiona Bruce, the newsreader and presenter of Antiques Roadshow and Fake Or Fortune, is thought to earn 500,000. MP Damian Collins, acting chairman of the committee, said: All these salaries are paid by the licence fee-payer, whether they are for broadcasters or BBC executives. 'Why should there be different rules for each? Its disingenuous to say confidentiality is needed to prevent poaching when in general everyone in the industry knows what everyone else is getting paid. Committee member Nigel Huddleston, Tory MP for Mid Worcestershire, said: The fact that it has been difficult to find out what talent is paid raises suspicion. 'This would reduce that, and the chance of there being unfair or inappropriate compensation to BBC talent. Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen added: The BBC wants every advantage of being funded by the taxpayer but all the confidentiality of a private company. The committee also raised serious concerns about the appointment of Rona Fairhead as chairman of the BBCs new Unitary Board, which will replace the BBC Trust. Eggheads host Jeremy Vine is understood to earn 800,000 per year Miss Fairhead, who has chaired the Trust since August 2014, was asked by Downing Street to stay on and run the new board until 2018. The lack of recruitment process was criticised by SNP MP John Nicholson, who said last month the appointment had broken rules. The committee highlighted the very different responsibilities of being head of the BBC Trust and what Miss Fairhead will now be expected to do. A BBC Trust spokesman said: The Trust has always accepted that the appointment of the BBC Board Chairman, and the process by which this is done, is a matter for the Government. 'The chairman underwent a rigorous and open appointment process. A spokesman for the BBC said: The BBC already publishes more information about talent pay than other broadcasters. 'We cut our bill for talent pay by 8million last year, but creating a poachers charter by publishing the salaries of individual presenters and actors wouldnt be in the interests of licence fee-payers who say they want the best talent on the BBC. The UBS trader, aged 36, now faces being deported to his native Ghana Kweku Adoboli was sentenced to seven years after making unauthorised trades at UBS A convicted fraudster who lost Swiss bank UBS 1.4billion has said other rogue traders could still follow in his footsteps due to massive pressure to make a profit. Kweku Adoboli was sentenced to seven years behind bars after making unauthorised trades at the bank. He was described by prosecutors as a sophisticated liar and master fraudster and now faces being deported to his native Ghana. The 36-year-old claimed that colleagues knew about his actions and he was under major pressure to make a profit. UBS has always denied anyone else was involved and he was the only one charged. Several other employees testified that Adoboli acted alone. But speaking to the BBC, he said: The young people Ive spoken to, former colleagues I have spoken to, are still struggling with the same issues, the same conflicts, the same pressures to achieve no matter what. And this goes back to the structure of the industry. People are required to take risk to generate profit, because yields in the industry are consistently compressed. And if investment banks continue to chase the same level of profitability as they have in the past, the only way to generate those profits is to take more risk. Adoboli is living with friends in Edinburgh and speaks for free at banking conferences. The son of a senior United Nations official, he moved to Britain when he was 12 and is fighting extradition because he feels British in culture and claims he could help reform finance. He claimed to have been unable to get a job since coming out of prison a year ago. Adobolio said he didnt think of himself as a criminal, adding that although he made terrible choices his intentions were in the right place. Adoboli claimed that colleagues knew about his actions and he was under major pressure to make a profit However, he said: The very first thing I did when I was arrested was say Im sorry beyond words and I said it through my lawyers, but that is what I said. During my trial I said it repeatedly. And these are not just devices. Its how I feel, I failed. I made mistakes. People around me made mistakes too, but thats not the point. I unreservedly apologise for what happened - it was a huge failure and part of the redemption is about that. The only way to move forward is to face it with full honesty. I went to prison for it. I was asked to pay a price, to accept my dishonesty. The traders actions only came to light when he wrote an email to his manager confessing his misdeeds. Adoboli had spent three years using the banks money for unauthorised trades. He put false information into the banks computers to hide the risky trades he was making and exceeded the banks per-employee daily trading limit of 76m. The trades cost the bank 1.4bn, and wiped off 3.4bn from its share price. Schoolchildren have been left traumatised after becoming violently ill from eating chemicals that looked like popping candy given to them by an older student. Twenty-five pupils at Deception Bay North State School, north of Brisbane, ingested a product called Mystical Fire in the school yard on Monday after they were given it by a nine-year-old girl, who told them it was popping candy. Four students were hospitalised and one girl who ingested the substance told her friend that she didn't want to go back to school as she was fearful that it would happen again. Scroll down for video Ella (pictured) said her friend Leilani who was tricked into ingesting the substance Mystical Fire feared returning to school Mystical fire was given to students at Deception Bay North State School by an older student who told them the substance was popping candy 'One of my friends in grade four, her name is Leilani and she got a bit sick, she said that she doesn't really want to go back to school because she doesn't want it to happen again,' Leilani's friend Ella told the Today show. Mystical Fire is substance that can be purchased from camping stores and is thrown on fire to make multi-coloured flames. Deception Bay principal Pamela O'Loughlin says a full investigation will determine who brought the product to school amid reports it was a nine-year-old girl. But she says it's important to remember the incident involved young, Grade 4 students, and said they must be treated gently. Mystical Fire is a substance that can be purchased from camping stores and is thrown on fire to make multi-coloured flames Up to 25 primary school students have been treated for nausea and throat burning after they ingested an unknown chemical hidden in lollies and 'fell down shaking' Queensland Ambulance Service have confirmed that the Year 4 students ingested Mystical Fire, a substance that can be purchased from camping stores and is thrown on fire to make multi-coloured flames 'These are little children. They were Grade 4-aged children so we need to show a little bit of care for their feelings,' she told ABC radio on Tuesday. 'When we do get to the people or person who brought it along (to school), did they really understand what it was? Do we really know that?' Ms O'Loughlin said staff at the school handled the emergency very well, and provided preliminary first aid when the children began complaining of sore throats and mouths and nausea. Paramedics were quickly called in and she said the four children who were taken to hospital were doing fine, and were all released by Monday evening. A spokeswoman for Queensland Ambulance Service said 25 students were 'experiencing nausea and upset tummies from the ingested substance' One young student said she did not consume the 'lollies' as other children told her they felt sick after eating them Ms O'Loughlin will speak with pupils on Tuesday to warn them to take extreme care with what they put in their mouths and what they bring to school. A spokeswoman for Queensland Ambulance Service said 25 students were 'experiencing nausea and upset tummies from the ingested substance'. A parent of a ten-year-old child said the Mystical Fire looked like like 'white popping candy,' according to the Courier Mail. The child was reportedly offered the substance from an older student wearing a black hoodie and 'fell down shaking' after taking it. The school was reportedly locked down while paramedics attended to the sick children. Students who were not taken to hospital were sent home with their parents. Paramedics were called to Deception Bay State School, north of Brisbane, about 2.20pm on Monday after students, aged 9 to 10, began vomiting and complaining of a sore stomach A spokeswoman for Queensland Ambulance Service said 25 students at Deception Bay State School, were 'experiencing nausea from an ingested substance' The mailman hugs and pats the dog before continuing to work The dog's owner recorded the friendly greeting between the pair The owner of a fearsome looking German Shepherd has secretly recorded the postman cuddling the dog as part of his daily routine. The friendly German Shepherd who is misunderstood by the public as an aggressive dog due to his large size lives with his owner, Michael Collins in Tarungain in New Zealands North Island. According to Mr Collins, the unidentified mailman makes sure to stop by his property every day to spend some time with the dog even if he has no letters or packages to drop off. Mailman hugs and pats a big German Shepherd at the Tarungain property even if he doesn't have any mail to deliver As the mailman approaches the front gate the German Shepherd is seen leaping from its spot to greet the mailman. Everyday whether or not we have mail this mail man always stops to see my dog who is only nine-months-old, said Mr Collins. He always gets over looked as a dangerous or unapproachable dog, maybe because he's big I am not sure. He doesn't bark at them or growl. But this guy here always makes an effort to get off his bike to give him a hug and a pat! The nine-month-old German Shepherd waits for the mailman at the front gate before rushing to him as he hears him arrive Users on social media applauded the mailman for showing affection to the animal and the gentle nature of the puppy. What a gorgeous Shepherd! Such a beautiful nature - and hats off to the nice Postie who spends the time with him, said Toni. Thats awesome. I know for me I am very standoffish of bigger dogs but to see his tail wag as soon as he saw the postman was very cool. Awesome to see this, Michelle said. The diary belongs to Heinrich Himmler, who can be regarded as one of the most notorious mass murderers in history At first glance, the entries read like those of any other desk diary belonging to a senior politician or military figure. Most are matter-of-fact, even banal. 1315 hrs: Discussions with colonel; 1600 hrs: Tea with Governor and agree to be godfather to his son; 2200 hrs: Military briefing; 0030 hrs: Played card games. But then, as you read more closely, you realise that this diary belonged to no ordinary statesman or soldier. Take, for example, the entry dated March 21, 1943: 12 oclock. Land in Weimar and drive to Buchenwald camp. Lunch at Buchenwald camp. Afterwards continue the visit and return to Weimar. Or consider this, from January 9, 1943: 1315 hrs: Land in Warsaw. Received by SS-Senior Colonel von Sammern-Frankenegg and SS-Lieutenant Colonel Hahn. Lunch in the mess of the Security Police. Drive through the Ghetto. Inspection of stockpiles. From reading these two small entries alone, it is obvious that the owner of this diary was a man deeply complicit in the atrocious crimes of the Third Reich. This was a man who not only inspected concentration camps such as Buchenwald, but also dined in them. Furthermore, this was a man who would fly across occupied Europe in order to decide the fates of tens of thousands of Jews whom he had personally ordered to be cruelly crammed into the infamous Warsaw Ghetto. The diary belonged to none other than Heinrich Himmler, who can be regarded as one of the most notorious mass murderers in history. Scroll down for video Hitler stands beside Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo, to observe a parade of Nazi Stormtroopers in 1940 As head of the dreaded SS, it was Himmlers role to oversee the Holocaust and, in doing so, he sent millions to their deaths. But as well as being a perpetrator of genocide, there was a mundane aspect to Himmler, and it is this chilling combination that emerged yesterday when the German newspaper Bild started publishing extracts from the senior Nazis hitherto unseen desk diaries. They were discovered recently in the Russian Military Archive in Podolsk, 30 miles south of Moscow. The diaries have lain in the archive for 71 years, after they were seized by the Red Army at the end of the war, and shipped back to the Soviet Union where their historical importance was, for years, unappreciated. Covering the years 1938, 1943 and 1944, they run to around 1,000 pages and, in the words of Professor Nikolaus Katzer of the German Historical Institute (DHI) in Moscow, they constitute a document of shudderingly outstanding historical significance. It should be stressed that academic historians do not usually make such hyperbolic claims. As head of the dreaded SS, it was Himmlers role to oversee the Holocaust and, in doing so, he sent millions to their deaths Ever since the farrago in 1983 of the Hitler Diaries, in which the leading historian Lord Dacre formerly Hugh Trevor-Roper was to authenticate what soon emerged to be crude forgeries, experts on the Third Reich are very cautious when a diary supposedly belonging to a high-ranking Nazi lands on their desks. However, in this instance, we can be almost sure the diaries are not fakes. Professor Katzer and his team have undoubtedly put the volumes through more validation than Lord Dacre was able to do so by himself in a bank vault in just a few hours, such was the secrecy around the apparent discovery at the time. And we already have other confirmed volumes of Himmlers desk diary from the years 1941, 1942 and 1945 with which the latest finds compare favourably. So if the diaries are indeed the real thing, what do they tell us about this most evil of men? These diaries were not written by Himmler himself. As such, they are not as personal a record as the letters that were published two years ago, in which Himmler could be seen writing fondly to his wife after touring horrific places such as Auschwitz. These diaries were instead written by a series of adjutants, who would record with utmost meticulousness nearly every hour of Himmlers long days. But the devil is well and truly present in these pages and pages of details. On one day in 1944, the diary records how Himmler receives a massage from his private physician. Then the banality slides into brutality. A little later, the diary records with utter cold-heartedness, how Himmler presumably sufficiently relaxed after his treatment orders the execution of ten Poles. Not long after that, the diary notes how the head of the SS demands the provision of new guard dogs at Auschwitz, which are capable of ripping apart everyone but their handlers. Adolf Hitler, accompanied by other Nazi party officials, walks down a staircase at the 1938 Annual Reichs Party Congress in Nuremburg This constant contrast between Himmlers two sides man and monster is present throughout the diaries. Heinrich Himmler is a beast full of contradictions, says Dr Matthias Uhl of the German Historical Institute. On one hand, he was the ruthless issuer of death sentences made in passing and the planner of the Holocaust. On the other hand, he was a hypocritical carer for his SS elite, his family, friends and acquaintances. No entry captures this contradiction more powerfully than that of March 21, 1943, the day when Himmler visited and had lunch in Buchenwald. That morning, he had helped Hitler celebrate the Day of Commemoration of Heroes in Berlin, during which, unbeknown to the Nazi leadership, Hitler had narrowly missed being assassinated in a failed suicide bombing by a German army officer. Himmler would have been greeted almost as an old friend at Buchenwald, as the camp commandant, SS-Senior Colonel Hermann Pister, had worked in Himmlers private motor pool from 1937 to 1939. Over lunch, the two men would have chatted about old times, as well as discussing the exigencies of running a camp in which some 56,000 people would eventually be killed. Himmler regarded the concentration camp system as very dear to what passed for his heart, and he had even personally selected the site of Buchenwald. Judging by his diary, Himmler would have spent some three-and-a-half hours at the camp, during which time he would have seen the suffering of so many emaciated prisoners under his care. Heinrich Himmler, SS Reichsfuehrer-SS, head of the Gestapo and the Waffen-SS, and Minister of the Interior of Nazi Germany from 1943 to 1945, reviews infantry troops But, then, like the supposedly civilised figure he purported to be, we next see Himmler taking tea with Governor Sauckel at four oclock, during which this most evil of men agrees to take on the morally wholesome role of godfather to Sauckels son. Sauckel was hanged at Nuremberg for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The diaries also contain a reference to a horrific episode in which Himmlers twisted dual nature is laid bare. On February 12, 1943, the diaries show that Himmler arrived in Lublin in occupied Poland at midday, after which he had lunch at the airport hotel. He then boarded a train and the diary blandly notes that, between 3pm and 4pm, he toured the SS-Sonderkommando. This refers to Himmlers visit to Sobibor extermination camp that day, during which the head of the SS personally witnessed the gassing of some 400 Jewish girls and young women, before attending an SS celebratory banquet that evening. The atrocity was witnessed by a survivor called Meier Ziss. It was cold already when Himmler and a lot of SS arrived by armoured train, recalled Ziss. Girls had been brought in, I dont know exactly how many, and they had to wait two or three nights before they were gassed. ziss recounted that, during Himmlers visit, the SS were ordered not to use their sticks or whips in order to make a good impression. After seeing the gassing, Himmler was said to have declared he was satisfied with the arrangements at Sobibor, that it was a well-run camp, and he promoted its commandant, Franz Reichleitner, to SS-Captain. What shocks most about the new diaries is the utter blandness in which visits and events such as this are recorded, and are juxtaposed with the routine chores of officialdom such as lunches and meetings endured by any bureaucrat or politician. To appreciate that is to start to understand the unique evil of Nazism. Adolf Hitler in discussion with Heinrich Himmler at the Fuhrer's mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden For men like Himmler thought of themselves as legitimate leaders, and affected the trappings of any modern politician. What these diaries show is that Himmler desperately wanted to be seen as the embodiment of the effective organiser and networker the truth, of course, was that his mission was murder. As Himmler was to say in a speech to a Nazi gathering in October 1943: Most of you here know what it means when 100 corpses lie next to each other, when there are 500 or when there are 1,000. To have endured this and, at the same time, to have remained a decent person with exceptions due to human weaknesses has made us tough, and is a glorious chapter that has not and will not be spoken of. Himmler was never to receive the justice that he was due. He cheated the noose he would have undoubtedly faced at Nuremberg by biting into a cyanide capsule shortly after he was captured by the British. Sydney PR executive Roxy Jacenko has been shooting a 60 Minutes special for several weeks Celebrity public relations executive Roxy Jacenko has been filming a 60 Minutes special with Channel Nine following a trying year in the spotlight. The mother-of-two was diagnosed with breast cancer just weeks after husband Oliver Curtis was jailed for insider trading. Daily Mail Australia can confirm the news magazine program has been shooting the forthcoming feature about her life for weeks. She will sit down with reporter Allison Langdon. Ms Jacenko - who will go under the knife for surgery this week - was accompanied by a TV crew during a recent family visit to a Sydney zoo. Two cameraman could be seen in the background of a social media picture of her children Pixie, four, and Hunter, two, at Taronga Zoo at the weekend. Scroll down for video Camera crew: Ms Jacenko was trailled by a Nine crew at Taronga Zoo at the weekend The Channel Nine program is thought to have been wooing the Sweaty Betty executive for some time. In June, executive producer Kirsty Thomson was seen at the executive's annual ticketed talk, 'In Conversation with Roxy Jacenko'. The Daily Telegraph reported the Bentley-driving Bondi executive is not thought to have been paid for the story. Roxy Jacenko (pictured arriving at court with husband Oliver) claimed the 'stress' of his trial could have played a role in her breast cancer forming A Nine Network spokesman said: 'We can confirm 60 Minutes are in production for an interview with Roxy Jacenko. 'There is no confirmed date for story to air.' The Sweaty Betty executive told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday she's glad to finally undergo surgery. 'After an extremely challenging past 3 weeks of tests and consults with various surgeons and oncologists I am relieved to get things underway with my surgery,' Ms Jacenko said. She said doctors will determine her prognosis and then commence treatment 'to hopefully get on top of my cancer diagnosis'. It is unclear whether the camera crew will be following her into the hospital. She discovered the lump just weeks after husband Oliver was jailed, suggesting to reporters that the 'stress' of her husband's trial could have played a role in the lump's formation. Curtis, 31, is serving a two year sentence in Parklea Prison alongside the likes of Brothers 4 Life gang members. In a sentencing submission to the NSW Supreme Court, Ms Jacenko said her husband was the 'primary carer' of their children. 'He is generally the one who is home to ensure they have dinner, are bathed and put to bed,' she wrote. 'I am often unable to be relied upon to be at home at a regular time to do these things due to the nature of my work'. Since he was taken away, she has regularly posted videos of her children struggling to go to sleep at night. This week, she filmed the pair wishing their father a happy birthday. The Nine Network program is not the only account of Ms Jacenko's life in the works. A former Miss Florida winner is suing the pageant after organizers took her crown and accused her of cheating. Last month, Genesis Davila, 24, was accused of breaking pageant rules by getting her hair and make-up professionally done. But her attorneys filed the suit Monday, asking a Miami-Dade circuit judge to issue an emergency injunction restoring her title, according to the Miami Herald. Scroll down for video Miss Florida winner, Genesis Davila, 24, is suing the pageant after organizers took her crown and accused her of cheating Last month, Davila (left) was accused of breaking pageant rules by getting her hair and make-up professionally done by stylists. This Instagram photo was cited by the executive producer of the pageant Grant Gravitt who said she violated the rules Grant Gravitt (pictured) said that the Puerto Rican model 'sought an unfair competitive advantage, and that's just not acceptable in our system' Davila's lawyer, Richard Wolfe, presented an enlarged photo of the Instagram post that pageant director Grant Gravitt cited as a violation of pageant rules. The photo Wolfe showed in a Monday press conference was dated for July 9, 2016, eight days before the contest, according to the lawsuit. Davila was crowned Miss Florida on July 16 after competing against 64 other women but she was dethroned six days later. 'I am innocent. All these false allegations have taken me completely by surprise,' Davila said during the press conference. 'I am honest and hard-working.' Wolfe said that Gravitt had cropped out the date on the Instagram post to falsely smear Davila's name, as he presented the case for a defamation lawsuit seeking $15 million, along with the return of her crown, according to the Herald. 'She didn't have a professional hair and makeup person. She did it herself,' Wolfe said at the press conference. 'No one is going to have their hair and makeup done nine days in advance of a pageant.' Miss Florida USA released a statement saying they couldn't comment on pending litigation. After Davila was stripped of her crown, the title went to Linette de los Santos. The photo Wolfe showed in a Monday press conference was dated for July 9, 2016, eight days before the contest, according to the lawsuit. Davila is pictured receiving the crown Davila was crowned Miss Florida on July 16 after competing against 64 other women but she was dethroned six days later. Miss Florida USA released a statement saying they couldn't comment on pending litigation De Los Santos was born in the Dominican Republic and she's also a student at Nova Southeastern University law school. The person wearing the crown will represent Florida at the Miss USA pageant. According to the lawsuit, Gravitt also accused Davila of lying about her US citizenship forcing her to hire a lawyer to prove that she was indeed a citizen of the US. Davila was born in Puerto Rico. 'Let me remind you, Puerto Rico is part of this country,' Wolfe said. Gravitt initially said that the Puerto Rican model 'sought an unfair competitive advantage, and that's just not acceptable in our system'. 'We have a zero-tolerance policy on rules. Whether it's something major or minor, it's all about keeping an equal and level playing field.' According to the lawsuit, Gravitt also accused Davila of lying about her US citizenship forcing her to hire a lawyer to prove that she was indeed a citizen of the US Initially Gravitt said they were able to obtain 'substantial proof' that she violated the rules after pageant organizers received complaints from contestants When Davila was stripped of her title Gravitt said she had made a 'poor life choice' when she decided to use professional stylists to help her with hair and makeup in her private room. The Miss Miami Beach USA model posted on Instagram: 'DREAMING on a cloud,' shortly after she won the crown. Pageant organizers received complaints from contestants and there were also eyewitnesses, Gravitt told 10 News. Gravitt said they were able to obtain 'substantial proof to link her and her vendors to her room on an evening which they were not allowed'. Her lawyers said that Gravitt had cropped out the date on the Instagram post to falsely smear Davila's name The lawsuit is seeking $15 million in defamation and for the return of her crown Hill: Trusted aide to Mrs May Dozens of special advisers to the countrys top politicians have been allowed to waltz into lucrative jobs after the Government exempted them from independent checks. Officials quietly watered down the rules before the last General Election, paving the way for aides to take their experience and contacts into the private sector. The ease with which the special advisers, or Spads, move from Whitehall to business has been labelled a revolving door. They were previously required to apply to the appointments watchdog Acoba, which examines cases for conflicts of interest and can impose restrictions. As confidantes to the countrys top politicians, the Spads are often privy to an array of top secret information and possess contact books that are hugely attractive to private companies. The loophole in the screening process was exposed as it emerged that Theresa Mays new chief of staff broke rules by failing to declare a job with an influential lobbying firm. Fiona Hill should have informed Whitehall officials when she took up a role with Lexington Communications after losing her job advising Mrs May in 2014. But the trusted PR, who was recently re-hired by the new Prime Minister, failed to comply with the already lax regime that is designed to stop officials trading on insider information. Experts described the decision to exclude Whitehalls legions of special advisers from the screening process imposed on other senior civil servants and ministers as worrying. It also follows intense criticism of David Cameron, who promised to put an end to cronyism and lobbying in 2010, after his plans to lavish gongs on political allies were revealed this week. A change in rules introduced in July 2014 exempted all but the highest-paid aides on more than around 95,000 a year from being scrutinised by Acobas panel. The rules are not contained in law and are only advisory. They require Spads simply to apply to the permanent secretary of the department they have just left, informing them of any job they take within two years of leaving. The results are tucked away on departmental websites rather than appearing in Acobas log. Official documents show that scores of influential aides have taken advantage of the procedure to join the private sector. Tamasin Cave, of SpinWatch, which campaigns against lobbying by former ministers, said: These arent insignificant figures. They are valuable commodities and to exempt them seems to go against what David Cameron said in terms of clamping down on lobbying. 'It sounds like a lot of hot air. The contempt she [Hill] has shown for the rules is supportive of a culture in Westminster and Whitehall that sees trading insider knowledge as routine. Theresa Mays new chief of staff broke rules by failing to declare a job with a lobbying firm. It also follows criticism of David Cameron, who promised to put an end to cronyism and lobbying Miss Hill, the Prime Ministers campaign director during her Tory leadership bid, failed to comply with even the less stringent conflict checks. She lost her 74,000-a-year job as special adviser during Mrs Mays first four years in the Home Office in June 2014. She then worked for the Centre for Social Justice think tank, where she wrote a report on modern slavery. She only started work at Lexington after the election and was registered as a lobbyist. A Whitehall source told The Times Mrs Hill did not deliberately evade the rules and blamed the passage of time since leaving the Home Office. A Mail investigation earlier this year revealed that two-thirds of ministers and officials had taken a private job in the same sector after leaving office. This led to accusations that Acoba the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is toothless. There is no suggestion rules were broken. It seems like centuries ago that I wanted to be a mural painter. Murals were rare at that time - at least here in the southeastern U.S. I admired all the ones I could find in books, and liked the work of Thomas Hart Benton especially. He had done one for the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, which I admired, and was working on one for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville which he barely finished before he died. Maxfield Parrish, the Philadelphia artist and illustrator, had also done one in Tiffany glass which I admired, and finally got to see at the old Curtis Publications building (Saturday Evening Post), in Philly. But back in the 1970's I was looking for new ways to interest people in my artwork. I started working for architects of the city, doing color renderings of their proposed new buildings which they could show to prospective clients and hopefully get new work for themselves. A local building contractor, Wynston Bland, "discovered" me through my renderings , and we shared a lot of the same artistic interests. He put me to work on a very long, narrow mural for his American National Bank and Trust Company (now SunTrust), which was/is located on Lee Highway at Shallowford Road. We agreed that the theme of it should relate to Chattanooga - and I made it into a kind of pictorial history of our city from early times until the Victorian era - with just a hint of the modern age by inclusion of the bank's emblem or logo at the right side. I painted it "in place" on canvas that Mr. Bland installed for me above what would be the tellers cages. I did my painting after the building workmen left at 4:30, and had access to the building all weekends. This mural was Mr. Bland's own idea...a gift of appreciation to the bank, paying me for it out of his own pocket. It was his idea, but I was given total artistic freedom to interpret Chattanooga history in my own way. He also hired a local ceramicist to develop some really beautiful tile with which he decorated the facade of the building. Both the ceramics lady and I were left alone to create our own designs independently. She set up a trailer with studio and kiln at Blands office and I worked from both my home studio and on-site.. He followed the ladys work and mine very closely,as if he were trying to learn something from us. This new branch opened without fanfare, and there was no effort either to focus attention on the ceramicist's work, or on mine. Both were for decoration only. I cannot say that I ever got a single phone-call or inquiry about the work, but I do know that people looked at it and commented on it, because Jed Mescon once did a short feature about it on Channel 3. Seems that people were noticing the central figure's eyes which followed them as they walked past. THAT is a very common phenomenon that people have noted regarding murals for centuries, but I was flattered that people were at least noticing my work - and that Mescon had done the story about it. The interesting ceramic work was first to go when the building was enlarged years later, and my mural survived until within the last 10 years. I have no idea whether it was preserved in some way or went to the scrap-heap of history! Another project of the 1970's was in the form of a small competition. Five local artists were asked by Fowler Brothers (the leading furniture and Interior Design business in town) to submit designs for a mural for the Mountain City Club of Chattanooga. That club had been housed in a very old and shabby-appearing downtown building for many years and was due for a brand new and more elegant space. A major local architect designed the building and Fowlers was chosen to do all the decorating. Fowlers had worked everything out except the large space - 8 feet tall, and 30 feet long - which was left open for the mural. All five of the selected artist-candidates were called in individually to see what Fowlers had decided on for the color scheme. The mural had to blend with that pre-determined scheme, but the pictorial content was left entirely up to each artist. Again, I chose an interpretation of the history of Chattanooga, as the Club members were all local businessmen and industrialists. In my design I did about the same thing as in the bank mural, (above), using some of the same elements although treated in a very different way. One stipulation by Fowlers for the new mural was that it was "not to be accented" (i.e., with special lighting), and was to remain just a long, but decorated, expanse of wall. Fact is that it could not help but dominate, as it was the central feature of the main "living room" area where the men sat and gossiped while puffing their Dutch Masters cigars and reading their Wall Street Journals. I matched all the colors that Fowlers gave me and was able to use them all successfully in the painting. I also needed models for the few figures that were shown. The two Victorian ladies on the right side were purely original and imaginary creations, as was the coonskin cap backwoodsman on the left. The central figure, however the Cannoneer was based on a real person. He was a young art student from several doors away from me one Mike Connally. Mike and his brother, Krich, loved to do short skits based on comic characters from the early black and white movies (Laurel and Hardy, to be sure!) and Mike could create authentic looking costumes out of thin air. Mike therefore became the cannoneer for my mural by posing while I took a few Polaroid shots of him. Mike was gifted in many art and theater-related matters, and did such beautiful pastel portrait sketches that he was hired by Channel 3 to do all their courtroom drawings. Mike, however, tragically drowned in the Tennessee River near his Bluff View apartment, still only in his early twenties. Channel 3 and the entire city lamented his passing, and UTC granted him a posthumous showing of his work in their new art gallery. The Mountain City Club mural was painted on several 8 x 4 sheets of Masonite, IN MY LIVING ROOM! My ceilings were barely 8 tall, and the Masonite was just floppy enough that I had to devise an easel so that three panels could be secured together in perfect alignment for painting at the same time. When all the panels were finished, the work had to be approved, of course, and I could not display it in its entirety from inside the house, so I therefore had to set it up outside against the west wall. The neighbors must have been startled to see a parade of black Cadillacs come down the hill and park in front of my house and with such personages as Tommy Lupton getting out to do the inspecting! The entire committee all from Lookout Mountain gave me high praise and approved the work! *Sigh* Oh what a relief it was when they went away happy! Fortunately, I did not have to transport it to its new home, as it was graciously picked up and installed in the new building by a crew that was furnished by the architect a crew who were highly skilled in fitting panels together. It was amazing the fine trimming they had to do to obtain such a perfect fit of one sheet to the next. I was very relieved and very pleased to see it finally hanging in place. But, alas! Just as the older architects of every city have seen their first building demolished years later, so the muralist sees his earlier work bite the dust! Twenty-odd years later the Mountain City Club needed a total re-decoration, and my mural was taken down. No one thought of calling the artist (me) to tell him about it, they simply took it down and were about to scrap it. I am eternally grateful to Mr. Glenn Showalter of Blue Cross/Blue Shield (AND the Signal Mountain Playhouse) for saving it (without my knowledge), and storing it for years in the Blue Cross (old Miller Brothers) building downtown. In the late 1990s it was re-discovered and publicized on Channel 9, offering it to anyone who would be able to display it. As a result, the Chattanooga airport got it and installed it in a new and special room which was supposed to impress visitors with samplings of Chattanoogas goods and services. It fit perfectly onto a diagonal wall, and I was very happy about its new venue. It hung there only a short period of time until the dreaded 9-11 event occurred in NYC, and the new room was needed for Airport Security. I believe Security created a new wall to cover it up, but I also believe it is still there. Dont know, and may never know, as I can no longer walk to snoop around! It has possibly had some additions or modifications done to it by someone other than me Mural Number Three was for Chattem, Inc. It was the brain-child of a Chattem Director from Texas who had seen some large, colorful murals and thought that Chattems new office building hidden away on the side of Lookout Mountain could benefit from such a work in their lobby. (He was right, of course!) And so I was selected to do it as a direct commission, without competing. I was most flattered. But when the design work got underway, CEO Alex Guerry had a few restrictions: I was not to show any people not even the founders of the company. No one. I felt that at least one or two chemists should be shown at work in their lab, but I proceeded. Without some people to humanize it, I thought, it would have an empty, vapid look and it did! It took many conferences with Mr. Guerry to work out all the details and what should or should not be shown as they seemingly had hundreds of products. Especially troublesome were those long strings of formulae which were to be included, and which denoted the very life-blood of the company: those for Rolaids and Bufferin, which Dr. Irvine Grote had so meticulously worked out years before. THIS painting was even taller than the last. TEN feet, and I had no idea how I could do it at home. It was Mr. GEORGE LITTLE of the Little Art Shop who rescued me from that dilemma, as he had some upstairs space with 10 foot ceilings where I would be welcome to work. He had sold me the canvas and we had discussed my new project, so was very helpful, and I will always be grateful to George for helping a fellow artist in need! Mural Four was originally done for the brand new and very cool Cosmopolitan Health Spa on Brainerd Road; their interior decoration was all to be Greco-Roman. There were countless very expensive details that Nashville owner, Seth Smith, was incorporating into the building such as an oblong dome above the large indoor pool. In a corner beside the pool there was to be a whirlpool bath located beneath a curving wall which needed to be decorated! A friend, Paul Shelton, tipped me off to this fact, and I was soon linked up with Mr. Smith. I created the new mural to fit a definite space and submitted it to Smith. He heartily approved, and was one of the easiest clients to work with that I ever knew. My design included either Greek or Roman soldiers one on horseback throwing spears, etc. Smith loved it, so I painted it in Chattanooga, and, as his empire grew, I was sent to paint the same exact mural in every new location throughout the south! Fortunately, I had made a pounce pattern of the original Brainerd Road design a minor art I had learned while at Kirkman Vocational HS many years before and while working summers at Charles Regans sign shop. All I had to do in the distant locations was to unroll my pattern, tape it to the wall, dust a mixture of charcoal and talcum powder through the perforations and *poof* I had my drawing exactly positioned transferred to the wall, ready for paint. Mural Number Five was a total failure. I was to compete with another local artist to do a mural for a northern Georgia bank. Only thing they specified was that all the Board of Directors should be depicted a sizable crowd the idea of which did not appeal to me at all. But the fact that it would provide an excuse to show the John Ross house and Lookout Mountain together in the background was sufficient to inspire me. I worked on the design for DAYS, trying to fit all the people into the layout, and made a full-color rendering at the scale of one inch to the foot. I even made an accurate cardboard model of the John Ross house to help me get the desired perspective. D-Day arrived when we were supposed to -present our designs and I was called into the conference room first. Ten minutes later I was done and the other competitor went in. I just went home and waited for an hour or more, expecting the possible phone-call. It didnt come. Then I decided to call the bank and ask for the man behind the competition and he was still in conference with the other artist. The other artist did indeed get the job and I heard no more from the bank. About a year later I wondered how the new mural was coming along and went in to see what might have been done. Nothing! Someone told me that the other artist had not been able to do the job and there was no mural. I always felt that that competition was rigged from the start. I do not mind losing when the competitions are honest, but it can be hurtful when you realize you were just a pawn in the rigging, All those events are over 30 years old, so, except for this writing, I do not even think about it anymore. Architects and building contractors get their proposals rejected all the time, so it should be no different for artists! For all the effort I put into my mural work, I can honestly say that I never received ONE phone-call or inquiry about a single one of them. I get far more attention, and have as much fun, from doing these articles for John Wilsons chattanoogan dot com, so think I will just keep on writing! Maybe Ive finally found my true calling! I DO want to thank GEORGE LITTLE and PAUL SHELTON for helping me along the mural route! GLENN SHOWALTER was also an angel for just thinking about Preservation! And the CHATTANOOGA LIBRARY was second to NO other library! Now, kindly forgive me for the really poor-quality picture posted at the top. The dud mural is at right center, and I think you can figure out which is which if so interested. And please note that my sequence of numbering in the article does not match the position of the artwork in the picture. The introduction of sea marshals on French cross-Channel vessels has come a step closer as armed personnel took part in an on-board security exercise. Brittany Ferries carried out the exercise on the Mont St Michel ferry, travelling from Portsmouth to Caen, as part of moves to make the highly trained military personnel part of the security network. Announcements in English and French alerted up to 800 passengers that they were in the middle of a security exercise. Half-way through the crossing, at about 5.30pm, around three hours before the ship's scheduled arrival in France, three armed French sea marshals wearing full military kit landed on the ship by helicopter. Brittany Ferries carried out the exercise on the Mont St Michel ferry (stock photo) as it travelled from Portsmouth to Caen The marshals, who are effectively part of the French military, patrolled the ship and carried out other security measures. The exercise was part of a potential ramping up of security in light of recent terror attacks in France and elsewhere in Europe, amid fears there may be more to come. With the nation on its highest level of security alert, French authorities are keen to be seen to be doing something positive, particularly on French-flagged vessels, to tackle potential security threats. Public demands in France for increased security have accelerated rapidly in the last few weeks. A Brittany Ferries spokesman said: 'Access to outside decks was not allowed at the time of the helicopter's arrival. The security crew travelled with passengers to France, where they left the ship on foot. 'Security exercises like today's on board Mont St Michel give Brittany Ferries an opportunity to practise its incident response in partnership with other agencies. 'Safety and security are our highest priority and we operate according to robust procedures set out in the ISPS (International Shipping and Port Security) Code, an international framework endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). 'We very much appreciate passengers' support during this exercise and thank them for travelling with Brittany Ferries.' Two leaders of the Fundamentalist LDS Church have been arrested, accused of violating their supervised release. FLDS bishops Seth Jeffs and John Wayman were arrested for violating the terms of their supervised release. Jeffs and Wayman are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in St. George on Tuesday. Scroll down for video Seth Jeffs, left, brother of imprisoned polygamous leader Warren Jeffs, and John Wayman, right, have been arrested after allegedly violating the terms of their release from jail It's not clear what violation they may have committed and there are no further details about their arrest. Both men faced a list of conditions for being released from jail after their February arrest including the wearing of GPS monitoring devices, and having no contact with witnesses or victims. Jeffs, the brother of FLDS leaders Warren Jeffs and Lyle Jeffs, has been in South Dakota, where the polygamous church maintains a compound. Seth Jeffs, will appear in court on Tuesday. He is the brother of imprisoned sect leader Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints He and Wayman are among 11 people facing food stamp fraud and money laundering charges, accused of ordering members of the FLDS Church to hand over Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits to leaders. Jeffs' religious freedom rights allow him and others in the sect to share food stamp benefits as part of their communal living, his attorneys contend in a new court filing Tuesday. Like Amish who don't send their children to public high school, members of the polygamous group on the Utah-Arizona border believe not donating their food stamp benefits would go against their religious beliefs and "endanger their own salvation," attorneys wrote. On the run: Lyle Jeffs, acting president of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) fled home confinement on June 19 rather than face a multi-million-dollar food stamp fraud trial FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs recently disappeared from home confinement. The polygamist church leader likely used olive oil to slip off his ankle bracelet and flee from his trial in a multi-million-dollar fraud case, the FBI revealed. Jeffs fled from a home in northwest Salt Lake City, Utah, after removing his GPS tracker on June 18, investigators believe. He had been released from jail for less than two weeks Leaders at the FLDS Church took food stamp benefits from members and used them as they wished, diverting at least $12 million, prosecutors say. Prosecutors say sect leaders instructed followers to buy items with their food-stamp cards and give them to a church warehouse, where leaders decided how to distribute products to followers. They say food stamps were also cashed at sect-owned stores without the users getting anything in return. The money was then diverted to front companies and used to pay thousands for a tractor, truck and other items, prosecutors say. Jeffs is one of 11 people who have been charged in the case. Donald Trump called his Democratic rival 'the devil' on Monday in a high-profile escalation of his campaign rhetoric at precisely the moment he needed to change the subject. Facing a four-day-long scandal over his criticism of the father of a Muslim soldier who died in combat, the Republican presidential nominee shifted gears. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Trump told an overflow crowd at a high school in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 'made a deal with the devil' when he endorsed Clinton at last week's Democratic National Convention. 'She's the devil!' he added. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 'SHE'S THE DEVIL!': Donald Trump went all-in on Monday night as he said that when Bernie Sanders made an endorsement 'deal with the devil,' Hillary Clinton was the Satan figure DEAL WITH HER: Trump said Bernie Sanders made a 'deal with the devil' when he agreed to endorse Hillary Clinton during last week's Democratic National Convention Trump has hinted at the insult before, saying Friday in Colorado that 'Bernie blew it. He sold his soul to the devil. He did.' But Trump had previously stopped short of declaring that Hillary Clinton is, in fact, the Prince or Princess of Darkness. By rallying around Clinton instead of standing on principle, the billionaire said, Sanders 'made a bad deal. He should have not made a deal. He would have gone down as [having] done something really important.' 'Once he made that deal, and believe me, he has buyer's remorse.' 'If he would have just not done anything just go home, go to sleep, relax he would have been a hero,' he said. 'But he made a deal with the devil. She's the devil! He made a deal with the devil. It's true.' It's not the first time Satan has figured in this year's presidential election. NO FINGERS? Trump celebrated his day in Ohio and Pennsylvania with KFC chicken and a knife and fork CAPACITY CROWD: Thousands packed a high school gymnasium to hear their plainspoken political hero speak on Monday night NOT THE FIRST: Ben Carson connected Clinton to Beelzebub last month, saying at the Republican National Convention that her mentor Saul Alinsky had dedicated his book 'Rules for Radicals' to Lucifer Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN in April that it was Clinton who 'made a deal with the devil' by accepting millions in campaign cash from Wall Street banks. 'LUCIFER IN THE FLESH': John Boehner (pictured) used that epithet to roast Sen. Ted Cruz in April 'And we know the devil wants his money in the end,' Weaver said. Weeks later, former House Speaker John Boehner told an audience at Stanford University that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who was then giving Trump a strong primary fight, was 'Lucifer in the flesh' and 'a miserable son of a b**ch.' And Dr. Ben Carson, who may run the Department of Health and Human Services in a Trump administration, tried to tie Clinton to the devil two weeks ago during his Republican National Convention speech. The former secretary of state, Carson said, was a disciple of far-left activist Saul Alinsky who dedicated his book 'Rules for Radicals' to 'Lucifer, the original radical who gained his own kingdom.' Trump's Pennsylvania speech was heavy on talk of manufacturing jobs and trade, clobbering the Clintons for their 1990s era support for the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Republican nominee has called NAFTA the 'biggest job-killer' in recent history. It's a theme he's hit on often in rust-belt states including Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Trump also predicted that despite her recent flip on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Clinton will back the multi-nation trade pact if she becomes president. An overwhelming 85 per cent of LGBTIQ Australians remain opposed to a plebiscite on same-sex marriage. The biggest survey ever conducted among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning community found that men and women of all age groups and in every state and territory were against the plebiscite, Pink News reports. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pledged to bring a public plebiscite as soon as possible. In the survey participants, were asked if they supported or opposed a plebiscite on marriage equality in late 2016 or early 2017. A new study of 5500 LGBTIQ people has found that almost 85 per cent surveyed are against the government's plebiscite Final results showed that 84.7 per cent of participants said they were opposed, with 71.5 per cent strongly opposed. A meagre 9.9 per cent of participants supported a plebiscite, with 6.5 per cent strongly supporting it, and 5.4 per cent undecided. If the Coalition refused politicians a vote in Parliament until after a plebiscite is held, 57.8 per cent of those questioned in the study said that reform should come only after there is a vote in Parliament without a plebiscite. The study also asked the question if people would support a plebiscite if it was 'fairly framed' and 'had a good chance of success', but opposition to it still remained. The survey found that LGBTIQ men and women of all age groups and in every state and territory were against the plebiscite Just 9.9 per cent of participants surveyed supported the government plebiscite LGBT rights activist and academic Rodney Croome said the results proved the plebiscite was not supported The survey was designed by social scientist Sharon Dane and supported by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and campaigner Rodney Croome . Mr Croome said the results show that the LGBT community do not believe in the plebiscite and it would only delay changes to the marriage laws. 'There are clear concerns about the indignity of our rights being subject to a show of hands and the negative impact of hate speech on the mental health of LGBTIQ people,' Mr Croome said. A man who allegedly threatened to blow up a train after claiming he was carrying a bomb in his suitcase has been charged following a terrifying peak-hour ordeal. Queensland commuters were forced to evacuate Helensvale train station on the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning following reports of a bomb threat. The 41-year-old man allegedly told passengers on board he had a bomb in his silver suitcase with a switch that allowed him to set it off, 9News reported. Scroll down for video Queensland commuters were forced to evacuate Helensvale train station on the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning after reports of a Clayfield man threatening to blow up a train The Clayfield man has been charged with one count of bomb hoax - falsely state/inform bomb present. He is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Earlier on Tuesday, the man had boarded a light rail tram at Surfers Paradise with the same suitcase where he also threatened commuters. Police tracked the man down via CCTV footage before he boarded a train. He was arrested at Helensvale station. Bomb squad officers were called in to x-ray the man's suitcase while a police sniffer dog scoured the train but no suspicious items were located. Other passengers on board trains were advised to get off the carriages as the hold-up caused delays from Varsity to Beenleigh. 'He made threats in relation to blowing up a train,' Queensland Police spokeswoman Karen Shaw told 9News. 'He was in possession of a silver suitcase and alerted to the fact that he had a switch and he was going to blow up patrons on that train. Bomb squad officers were called in to x-ray the suitcase after the man claimed he had a bomb A bomb dog (pictured) was also called in to scour the train for any devices on Tuesday Trains were suspended in both directions and the railway station was blocked off for almost an hour, with police urging people to avoid the area. However, services have since resumed in both directions after the area was deemed safe, but commuters can expect delays of up to 15 minutes. The Public Safety Preservation Act was enforced within the Town Centre Drive, North to the entrance of the Helensvale Train Station and south of the entrance to the Railway Station, Town Centre Drive. Police revoked the PSPA around 8.15am after the man was arrested and taken into custody. Queensland Police officer Karen Shaw said the man had made threats against the public Trains were suspended in both directions and the station was blocked off, causing delays Services have resumed in both directions after Helensvale train station was deemed safe A Queensland police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the threat resulted in the evacuation but the area has been cleared and trains are running again. Investigations into the incident are continuing as charges are yet to be laid. Gave a blow by account of the process on his Once dubbed 'Sexiest Man Alive', Olympian Ryan Lochte has surprised fans with a new hairdo that is proving as divisive as that blue and gold dress. The 11-time Olympic medalist had a weekend makeover, dying his brown locks a pale silver-blue. He gave his Instagram followers a blow by blow account of the dying process straight from the salon and the results are causing quite a stir. Once dubbed 'Sexiest Man Alive', Olympian Ryan Lochte has surprised fans with a new hairdo that is proving as divisive as that blue and gold dress. He gave his Instagram followers a blow by blow account of the dying process straight from the salon and the results are causing quite a stir His Atlanta-based hair stylist Jenn Jones was responsible for the new look but Lochte remained silent about who - or what - his inspiration was Lochte says it's blue, but the Internet says it's grey. His Atlanta-based hair stylist Jenn Jones was responsible for the new look but Lochte remained silent about who - or what - his inspiration was. Speculative suggestions include a Pokemon trainer, Kyle Jenner and a blue haired Troll Doll. Maybe he thinks the new look brings out the color of his ocean-blue eyes. Or perhaps he hopes to blend into his natural habitat as he embarks on his Free Relay odyssey later this month. Inspiration? Speculative suggestions include a Kyle Jenner, Pokemon trainer, and a blue haired Troll Doll. Lochte has been named both American and World Swimmer of the Year twice in his career He has a total of 70 medals in major international competition including 45 first place finishes Either way, Lochte claims to be 'Rio Ready'. And if his hair hasn't made the splash he was intending, hopefully his sparkling success rate in the pool will give him a different kind of glory. According to his website, Lochte has been named both American and World Swimmer of the Year twice in his career (2010 & 2011) and has a total of 70 medals in major international competition including 45 first place finishes. A prominent member of Sydney's anti-lockout campaign launched a shocking attack on the Kelly family, accusing them of 'revelling' in the spotlight after their eldest son Thomas was killed as the result of alcohol-fuelled violence in Kings Cross in 2012. Chris Sinclair, who ran events at John Ibrahim-linked Crane Bar in Kings Cross, wrote a mocking blog post in February about Stuart and his family, claiming in his vile rant the family had become 'Australia's very own version of the Kardashians'. Stuart Kelly, 18, killed himself last Monday, and is believed to have struggled with abuse he received from people against Sydney's lockout laws, which were introduced in part following the death of his brother. Scroll down for video Chris Sinclair, who formerly ran events at Crane Bar, in February wrote a blog post mocking the Kelly family In his vile blog post, Sinclair called the Kellys 'Australia's very own version of the Kardashians' and said Stuart had 'no understanding' of the issues (Stuart pictured centre with father Ralph and mother Kathy at the teen's graduation last October) Stuart Kelly, 18, took his own life last Monday - four years after his elder brother was killed in a random one-punch attack in Kings Cross There is no suggestion Sinclair's former employer holds the same views. In his post called Keeping Up with the Kellys, at Surely Not blog, Sinclair even called father, Ralph, a 'media wh***'. 'His youngest son [Stuart] was continuously wheeled out in to the spotlight, delivering scathing statements about the debauchery and danger of Kings Cross and the so-called booze culture, declaring 'Australia was an alcoholic'. 'Fairly impressive for a teenage private school boy from Bowral.' Sinclair continued his shocking rant, writing the Kelly children were 'revelling in the spotlight, preaching to all about things they would have on understanding of. 'What was once considered a loving family were now more or less Australia's very own version of the Kardashians.' Chris Sinclair published the post, called Keeping Up with the Kellys, in February this year at his blog called Surely Not Stuart Kelly, 18, committed suicide last Monday after he was 'bullied' for campaigning for the lockout laws He also claimed Thomas and Stuart's mother, Kathy Kelly, had 'carved a potentially lucrative career on the speaking circuit'. Sinclair also wrote an anti-lockout post on his blog the day Stuart was found dead. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sinclair at the Surely Not blog, Crane Bar, and the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation for comment. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Keep Sydney Open campaign manager Tyson Koh said Sinclair was not involved in the campaign. He said he was aware of the post but decided not to republish it. 'I believe the Kellys should never have been made the focus of the lockouts debate, and that goes for both sides of the argument,' Mr Koh said. 'Anyone who follows us knows that we have run a respectful campaign that focuses on the bigger issues concerning Sydney's nighttime economy and the solutions needed to make it as safe and vibrant as possible. Stuart's older brother Thomas (pictured together as children) was killed in 2012 by an unprovoked punch 'It's also important to note the difference between Keep Sydney Open and other "anti-lockout activists", and other people in the greater community who simply dislike how lockouts have affected our city.' Mr Koh added he hoped no one would 'take advantage of this tragedy for their own gain'. 'Because that's what this is, a tragedy. Stuart Kelly was an inspirational young man and his death is a loss to us all. He was under a great deal of pressure, coping with the loss of his brother on top of campaigning against violence, a goal I share. I wish the Kellys all the strength they need during this unimaginably tough time.' Stuart was an ambassador for the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation, which the family set up after his brother's death to campaign against alcohol-fuelled violence. His death comes four years after Thomas was killed in 2012, igniting the debate on Sydney's controversial lockout laws. Sinclair called Thomas and Stuart's father a 'media wh***' for campaigning against alcohol-fuelled violence Sinclair's shocking blog post accused father, Ralph Kelly (left), of being a 'media wh***' and said the mother, Kathy (right) 'carved a potentially lucrative career on the speaking circuit' Two of the three Kelly children are now dead, leaving only Madeleine (pictured left as a child) after Stuart (centre as a child) committed suicide last week following the death of Thomas (right) in 2012 Thomas was enjoying his first night out in the city's infamous Kings Cross with his girlfriend when, at around 10pm, he was attacked randomly by Kieran Loveridge. Within 24 hours the 18-year-old had died after his life support was switched off in hospital. Loveridge was initially given a five-year jail sentence which caused public outcry and and prompted an appeal spearheaded by the Kelly family for a harsher punishment. In 2014 he had his sentence increased to a minimum of 10 years. He was moved to a maximum security facility after conducting an affair with a prison guard last year. Stuart, who was 14 at the time Thomas died, took his own life late last month. The 18-year-old was found dead in a car park in Mona Vale on Sydney's northern beaches last Monday. Friends claim he was the victim of unrelenting abuse from bullies who blamed the family for Sydney's controversial lockout laws. Readers who are struggling should call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. Thomas (pictured) was enjoying his first night out in the city's infamous Kings Cross with his girlfriend when, at around 10pm, he was attacked randomly by Kieran Loveridge A man accused of killing mother-of-seven Lynette Daley has been physically attacked outside a NSW court after members of her family came face to face with him. Adrian Attwater and Paul Maris faced Grafton Local Court on Tuesday after they were charged when Ms Daley's bloodied body was found on a remote beach in northern NSW in 2011. Attwater was forced to shield his face as he left the court as dozens of Ms Daley's relatives and friends surrounded him as he walked to a car, screaming 'hang, you dog'. Scroll down for video Adrian Attwater, who is accused of killing mother-of-seven Lynette Daley, was physically attacked outside a NSW court after members of her family came face to face with him One woman chased him out onto the roadway before she fell to the ground. Maris was chased into a nearby police station and had to be given an escort away from the courthouse. Ms Daley, 33, was found naked, bloodied and bruised on Ten Mile Beach on the NSW north coast in January 2011 with a blood alcohol level seven times the legal limit. The mother-of-seven was allegedly on a camping and fishing trip with the two men when she suffered serious injuries from violent sex. The two men, who were known to police at the time, allegedly forced Ms Daley to perform a series of sex acts in the back of Mr Maris' four-wheel-drive while she was heavily inebriated. An autopsy found Ms Daley's had died from blunt force genital tract trauma after allegedly being subject to a violent sex act while she was heavily drunk. The men allegedly burned a blood-stained mattress and some of Ms Daley's clothes before calling for help. Paramedic Adam Jarrett was one of the first emergency responders on the scene and said Ms Daley was dead before they arrived. Lynette Daley, 33, was found naked, bloodied and bruised on Ten Mile Beach on the NSW north coast in January 2011 with a blood alcohol level seven times the legal limit Attwater was forced to shield his face as he was attacked outside the court Attwater was forced to shield his face as he left the court as dozens of Ms Daley's relatives and friends surrounded him as he walked to his car, screaming 'hang, you dog' One woman chased Attwater out onto the roadway before she fell to the ground Attwater and Harris were both charged over her death but the charges were dropped in 2012 when prosecutors decided not to take it to trial. They found themselves at the centre of an inquest into her death and the Director of Public Prosecutions announced this year the case would be reviewed. Attwater has since been charged with manslaughter and aggravated sexual intercourse without consent. Maris faces charges of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and accessory after the fact to manslaughter. Adrian Attwater (left) and Paul Maris (right) were charged over Ms Daley's death after her body was found on Ten Mile Beach in NSW back in January 2011 The two men, who were known to police at the time, allegedly forced Ms Daley to perform a series of sex acts in the back of Mr Maris' four-wheel-drive while she was heavily inebriated A two week hearing is being conducted by the Royal An Anglican home for boys in the Hunter region of NSW was used by a paedophile ring headed by a senior clergyman to access and sexually abuse children. On Tuesday the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse opened a two-week hearing into what the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle did to stop priest Peter Rushton and a pedophile network of clergy and laypeople who preyed on children for decades. Victim Paul Gray gave evidence and said he was taken to St Albans School for Boys in the Hunter Valley in the 1960s, where there was a locked room called the 'f***ing room' where boys would be forced to have group oral and anal sex with adult men. Priest Peter Rushton is the alleged head of a paedophile ring that an anglican boys home in Newcastle to access and abuse boys Mr Gray broke down in the witness stand when he told how he was repeatedly raped by a gang of men at the boys home. Mr Gray wept as he recalled how his godfather Father Peter Rushton, who was a priest at Cessnock, had anally raped him when he was just 10. In the mid-1960s Rushton began taking Mr Gray to St Alban's Boys Home where he was locked in a room and a number of men would rape or have oral sex with him, the commission was told. Mr Gray told how Rushton, who died in 2007 without being convicted, would cut his back with a knife and smear the blood on his body - 'it was symbolic of the blood of Christ'. He was taken to St Alban's regularly by Rushton over an 18-month period. He recalled how on one occasion a number of boys were made to lie down on beds and six or eight men would choose a boy and take him to a separate room. Once 'Father Peter' took him to a church camp at Yondaio where there were about five men and one other boy. House of horrors: St Alban's Home for Boys was where Rushton and others allegedly sexually assaulted children Mr Gray said he knew what was going to happen so he ran. Two men chased him. He hid in the bushes near a cliff edge. The men caught him and raped him, and he heard the other boy screaming so he too was being assaulted. He told the commission he totally blocked out the abuse but had recurring memories of a green room - it was a bedroom in Rushton's house. It was not until 2010 when it became public that Rushton had been abusing boys that memories came flooding back to him. Mr Gray had a major breakdown. Commissioners Robert Fitzgerald, Justice Peter McClellan and Bob Atkinson (left to right) arrive at the opening day of the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse He asked the commission to allow a minute's silence for all the victims who could no longer face the struggle of carrying the scars of their childhood abuse and took their own lives. 'I would like them to be able to testify before the royal commission through our silence for one minute.' Chief Commissioner Peter McClellan said after three and a half years of investigation into child abuse in institutions it had emerged that for some the impacts were so overwhelming 'they do take their own lives'. Chief Commissioner Peter McClellan said for some victims the impacts of abuse were so overwhelming it led to people 'taking their own lives' The hearing which runs for two weeks will hear from a number of bishops who were based at Newcastle. Naomi Sharp, counsel advising the commission, said Michael Elliott the current professional standards director in the Diocese of Newcastle would give evidence. He is expected to say he believes the diocese is harbouring a large number of active offenders 'with little or no accountability in place', Ms Sharp said. # For support and information about suicide prevention, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78. Naomi Sharp, counsel assisting the Royal Commission, gives the opening address A doctor who was accused of asking a 19-year-old man with Tourette Syndrome to take off his clothes before groping him was allowed to continue seeing patients for more than seven months after allegations arose. Dr Andrew Churchyard, a senior neurologist for Cabrini Health and Monash Health in Melbourne, was accused of sexually assaulting university student Tom Monagle during two medical consultations in May 2015 and appeared to ejaculate during the latter appointment, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Monagle filed a complaint with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the police but the Medical Board of Australia ruled that Dr Churchyard could continue practicing if he was accompanied by a chaperone as the police investigation continued. Dr Andrew Churchyard (pictured), a Melbourne neurologist, was allowed to continue seeing patients for seven months after he was accused of sexually assaulting a man, 19 Dr Churhyard allegedly sexually assaulting university student Tom Monagle (pictured) during two medical consultations in 2015 and appeared to ejaculate during the latter appointment Mr Churchyard was charged with two counts of indecent assault in July 2015. Cabrini Health allowed Mr Churchyard to continue to consult patients with a chaperone after the charges had been laid. Monash Health immediately suspended Mr Churchyard. 'We are brought up to trust our doctors 100 per cent, from the moment we see one, and that is why people get away with it,' Mr Monagle told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'Because the patients may be vulnerable, there is a massive amount of trust and a huge imbalance of power.' Despite the physician being charged with two counts of indecent assault, he was allowed to continue working for Cabrini Health (pictured) as long as he was accompanied by a chaperone Monash Health (pictured) immediately suspended Mr Churchyard After Mr Monagle's complaint, more men came forward claiming Mr Churchyard had also sexually assaulted them, dating back to 2010. It wasn't until one of the victims accused of Mr Churchyard of touching him during a consultation with a chaperone in February 2016 that the Medical Board of Australia suspended his registration. Mr Churchyard's trial was set for February next year but committed suicide two weeks ago on July 18. Former Victoria Health Commissioner Beth Wilson told the Sydney Morning Herald she had been concerned about Mr Churchyard's behaviour. Mr Churchyard's (pictured) trial was set for February next year but committed suicide two weeks ago on July 18 Ms Wilson, who is also a member of the Cabrini Health patient care committee, said when she mentioned her concerns to a Cabrini clinician last year, she received 'an icy silence.' 'He then told me that the doctor was a good bloke and that his colleagues were rallying around him. He blamed the victim and then attacked the victim's mother,' Ms Wilson said. The Junior Achievement 2016 Superhero Bowl event kicks off Tuesday with the start of the online auction. Bids help bowlers raise money for JAs programs which are delivered to local students free of charge. Junior Achievement gives young people knowledge and skills to own their economic success, plan for the future and make smart academic choices, said officials. The support of this event will help empower the dreams of more than 13,000 students in Hamilton, Catoosa, Walker, Marion and Sequatchie Counties. Junior Achievement of Chattanooga is not a United Way Agency. Visit the online auction at https://www.biddingforgood.com/JASUPERHEROBOWL The bodies of three missing teenagers were found in a truck that plunged off the side of a cliff in Los Angeles County on Monday evening. Daniel Gamboa, 19, Kasey Vance, 18, and Samantha Ornelas, 17, all from Fontana, were discovered in the wreckage of a white Toyota Tundra 900 feet below the Angeles Crest Highway above Altadena, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed. The group was last seen on Saturday, when they told family members they were going on a hike near Mount Wilson but had not been heard from or seen since. Scroll down for video Daniel Gamboa, 19, (left), Samantha Ornelas, 17, and Kasey Vance, 18, (right) were killed when Daniel's pickup truck lost control and plunged off the side of a hilltop highway near the Angeles National Forest The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed that three bodies were found in the wreckage, located close to mile marker 40 on the highway. Fontana police personnel, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and L.A. County Fire Department search and rescue crews, had been combing the Angeles National Forest for the missing teens. Los Angeles County Sheriff's air rescue crew officials told KTLA crews had been searching the highway between Lytle Creek and La Canada all day. It was close to 5 p.m. when the 2008 Toyota truck was finally located. Los Angeles County Sheriff's air rescue crews had been searching the highway between Lytle Creek and La Canada all day, when around 5 p.m. they found the tailgate and eventually located the truck (pictured) Authorities had been looking for clues to try and determine where the teens might have been. Gamboa's credit card was used in Rancho Cucamonga after midnight on Sunday, according to detectives. Ornelas' cellphone also pinged a cellphone tower near Mt. Wilson early on Sunday. Before the wreckage was found, Isabel Ornelas, Samantha's sister, spoke how it was unsettling to not know where her sister might be. The pickup truck was found almost 1,000 feet below the road and buried in the ravine among dense vegetation making it exceptionally difficult for rescue crews to spot She said the outing with her friends was 'spontaneous' because she was not dressed for a hike. 'I'm thinking spontaneous turned into a disaster,' Ornelas said. 'She's a good kid. This isn't the type of kid who goes out partying or drinking,' she said during the news conference. A California man has filed a lawsuit against California sheriff's officials after surveillance video circulated widely online showed deputies beating him with batons as he lay on the ground crying out in pain. Stanislav Petrov says in the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court that he had his hands out ready to be handcuffed when Alameda County sheriff's deputies tackled him and began hitting him with steel batons in November 2015. The lawsuit says deputies took photos of a bleeding Petrov as a 'trophy' and stole his gold chain, which was never booked into evidence, and money and gave them to witnesses to buy their silence. Scroll down for video California man Stanislav Petrov (pictured) has filed a lawsuit against California sheriff's officials after surveillance video circulated widely online showed two deputies beating him with batons as he lay on the ground crying out in pain Petrov says in the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court that he had his hands out ready to be handcuffed when the two sheriff's deputies tackled him (pictured) and began hitting him with steel batons in November 2015 The lawsuit says deputies took photos of a bleeding Petrov as a 'trophy' and stole his gold chain, which was never booked into evidence, and money and gave them to witnesses to buy their silence The attorneys claim their client was hospitalized for 12 days, suffered a concussion, broken hands and facial fractures from his violent arrest, according to the Los Angeles Times. The incident began November 12 in the parking lot of a San Leandro motel on the east side of San Francisco Bay, which is where deputies, Luis R Santamaria and Paul D Wieber, started chasing Petrov after spotting him in a stolen Mercedes Benz. Deputies attempted to block Petrov's exit from the parking lot with their patrol cars, but the suspect rammed the vehicles and sped away. The Mercedes allegedly grazed a deputy standing next to his patrol car as it sped out of the parking lot. Deputies chased the Mercedes across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, reaching speeds of 100mph, before Petrov allegedly abandoned the vehicle in the city's Mission District and tried to flee on foot. The deputies can be seen in two surveillance videos running down Petrov in a desolate alley and beating him for about 40 seconds. Deputies, Luis R Santamaria (right) and Paul D Wieber (left) were each charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault under color of authority and battery in May. Both deputies pleaded not guilty and are free on $140,000 bail but they're due back in court this month Two residents' surveillance cameras captured the deputies (pictured) continuing to beat the suspect with steel batons as he lay on the ground, crying out in pain. The two stopped beating Petrov after other officers arrived Petrov was never charged with a crime in connection with the case and his suit seeks unspecified damages. He's pictured after the incident in the hospital Two residents' surveillance cameras captured the deputies continuing to beat the suspect with steel batons as he lay on the ground, crying out in pain. The two stopped beating Petrov after other officers arrived. Santamaria and Wieber were each charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault under color of authority and battery in May. Both deputies pleaded not guilty and are free on $140,000 bail but they're due back in court this month. Vice President Joe Biden officiated his first ever wedding Monday, for two longtime White House staffers. Brian Mosteller director of Oval Office operations for President Barack Obama and Joe Mahshie, a trip coordinator for first lady Michelle Obama, tied the knot during an intimate affair. The ceremony took place in Vice President's living room at his home in the US Naval Observatory in Washington. Vice President Joe Biden officiated his first ever wedding Monday, for two longtime White House staffers Brian Mosteller (left) director of Oval Office operations for President Barack Obama and Joe Mahshie, (right) a trip coordinator for first lady Michelle Obama tied the knot during an intimate affair The ceremony took place in Vice President's living room at his home in the US Naval Observatory in Washington He obtained a temporary certification from the District of Columbia for the ceremony, his office told BuzzFeed. Biden posted a photo of the ceremony on his Twitter account, with the words: 'Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn't be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys.' His wife Dr Jill Biden, the Second First Lady and an American educator, later posted a tweet saying: 'Love is love!' According to a Washington Post profile, Mostelle is described by admiring colleagues as an 'unsung hero of the administration...without whom Obama arguably would not have such a universal reputation for cool.' His wife Dr Jill Biden, the Second First Lady and an American educator, later posted a tweet saying: 'Love is love!' Mostelle is described by admiring colleagues as an 'unsung hero of the administration...without whom Obama arguably would not have such a universal reputation for cool.' The article even touted his ability to 'basically read President Obama's mind' and when the President is in Washington, 'every move the president makes, every person he meets and every meeting he attends has been carefully orchestrated by him'. Mahshie, meanwhile, has been a trip coordinator for the First Lady for nearly a year, according to his Linked In page, before which he was a staff assistant at the visitor's office of the White House. The daughter of former Vice President Al Gore celebrated her marriage in 1997 at her father's official residence (pictured) This is not the first time the Naval Observatory has hosted wedding receptions. The daughter of former Vice President Al Gore celebrated her marriage in 1997 at her father's official residence. The lavish affair boasted an conditioned tent erected on the lawn and a performance by Aretha Franklin. The ceremony itself took place at the National Cathedral nearby. Advertisement What was supposed to be a girl's night out turned into tragedy for one tight-knit extended family when they suddenly became swept up in the Maryland floodwaters while leaving a restaurant on Saturday night. Jessica Watsula, 35, was one of two who were killed in the devastating flood that hit Ellicot City in Maryland this weekend. Father-of-three Joseph Blevins, 38, has been confirmed as the second victim. Watsula was on a girl's night out that had been organized by her sister-in-law on the night of her death, her brother Curtis Brubaker told Daily Mail Online. Jessica Watsula, 35, (pictured with her 10-year-old daughter Sarah) and Joseph Blevins, a 38-year-old father-of-three, have been identified as the two people killed in the devastating flood that hit Ellicot City, Maryland on Saturday Watsula's brother Curtis Brubaker (pictured together with his son) told Daily Mail Online that he searched for his sister for four hours in the mud before he found out she had died She had dropped off her 10-year-old daughter at Brubaker's home in Pennsylvania before heading to Maryland for dinner and painting with his wife Christina, who brought along her mother Grace and sister Jacqueline. When the foursome came out of the restaurant that night, there were only two inches of water on the ground, Brubaker said. Watsula's car was just across the street, so she offered to drive the group to their parking spot. She started the car and turned the lights on and within 30 seconds a wave 'came out of nowhere', Brubaker said. 'Next thing they know the car is drifting.' Brubaker, whose wife would tell him everything the next morning, said his sister shouted at the group to get out of the car. The water was already up to their waist. All four of the women held on tight to a telephone pole and 'within seconds the water is up to their chest', he said. 'One minute there's no water, next it's like a tsunami wave.' Brubaker said Watsula's daughter (pictured with his younger daughter) was her 'shadow' and that the two of them were 'inseparable'. 'I cannot believe my niece won't have her,' he said Brubaker (pictured with Watsula and his two older sisters) said he couldn't leave the tragic scene until he knew exactly what happened to his little sister 'The last thing my sister said was "God help us, God help us.''' Brubaker said his wife was washed down the street and separated from the group after something hit her foot. Christina was able to grab onto a side of a building that had busted out from the damage and pulled herself inside. 'She thought then she'd never see her mother again,' Brubaker said. 'But she thought out of the whole group my sister would be the one to survive.' Brubaker said Watsula had loved 'anything to do with working out' and 'was a little powerhouse' who lifted daily. Christina managed to find someone with a phone and left Brubaker a message that was almost indiscernible because the connection was so bad. He saw a Los Angeles area code and could only make out that his wife had been separated from everyone and was banged up. 'I thought for a second they got robbed, or that she was kidnapped,' he said. His wife finally managed to reunite with her mother and sister, but Christina immediately realized that Watsula wasn't with them. 'My wife started going to every rescue person, she kept refusing to get medical help because she was preoccupied with finding my sister,' he said. She then found a chaplain at the scene who gave her his phone, and she told Brubaker that there was a massive flood. He thought that she had said everyone was there - but it was a miscommunication. Christina and her mother-in-law, who suffered a mild heart attack, finally went to the hospital. That's when Brubaker found out his sister was missing. A submerged car is pictured in the Patapsco River, seen from the Howard County side of Patapsco Valley State Park after the sidewalk caved in from the flood Workers gather by street damage following the flooding in the town. The historic, low-lying town was ravaged by floodwaters Vehicles are piled on top of each other on Main Street. Ellicott City, about 14 miles west of Baltimore, received 6.5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, and most of it fell on Saturday evening between 7pm and 9 pm. After finding someone to watch the three children, he jumped into his car and sped toward Maryland. The roads were covered in mud, strewn with the clothes of people who had gotten caught in the flood. Brubaker didn't hesitate. He grabbed his flashlight and headlamp, threw on a safety vest he kept in his car, and spent the next four hours searching for his little sister. He said rescue crews didn't try to stop him when they found out who he was looking for. Every few miles he would have to take off his Keen sandals to clean the layer of mud that had formed between his feet and shoes. It was around 3am that Brubaker was finally directed to a crew that had answers. He showed them a picture of his sister and Brubaker asked if he could see her. At 6am, after the medical examiner had arrived and the ambulance shut its doors, Brubaker returned to his Jeep, a small brown bag of his sister's belongings in his hands, as the sun came up seven hours after his search began. 'I just, I wasn't going to stop,' he told Daily Mail Online. 'I wanted closure. There's no way I could have my little sister gone and nobody find her.' The extent of the damage was apparent on Monday morning, as a number of business owners were permitted to walk through the town and survey the damage to their property County officials said at a news conference that up to five buildings had been completely destroyed and up to 30 more had significant damage Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said the devastation was the worst he had seen in 50 years 'I wanted to find her, but at the same time I didn't want to find her,' he said, hoping she was at another hospital, or clinging to a tree. Brubaker said rescue workers told him that night that his sister was lucky to have him. But it is he who feels lucky to have known her. 'I'm extremely heartbroken,' he said. 'I never though this would've happened in my life.' 'Words cannot describe the sadness I feel.' Brubaker said the loss has been even more devastating for his sister's daughter Sarah, who was like her 'shadow'. 'I don't know if I've ever seen a mother-daughter bond that strong before,' he said. 'Those two were inseparable. I cannot believe my niece won't have her.' A GoFundMe has since been set up for Sarah, who will live with her father. Brubaker said the couple amicably divorced a long time ago and that Sarah's father is a 'great guy' who he knows will 'keep her active in our whole family'. Watsula was the first victim of the flood to be found early on Sunday morning, authorities revealed. Her body was recovered in the Patapsco River at 2.20am. Joseph Blevins' body was recovered later that morning at 8.30am. Blevins, whose family could not be reached for comment, was with his girlfriend when their vehicle was caught in the floodwaters, according to The Baltimore Sun. A group of rescuers formed a human chain in Maryland to help a woman trapped in her car escape the flood The woman thought she wouldn't make it, but she managed to jump out of her car window and was picked up by a rescuer Brubaker's wife later realized she had ridden in the same ambulance as his girlfriend. Blevins was the director of financial aid at the University of Baltimore. University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke and Provost Darlene Brannigan Smith said the father-of-three was 'widely' known for his 'calm demeanor, good sense of humor and helpful attitude'. 'Joe strongly believed in the role of financial assistance in transforming students' lives,' they said. 'He had an important job, and he did it amazingly well.' Blevins had a catchphrase: 'What can I do for you? How can I help you?' and he was known for making every student and parent who walked through his door feel cared for. He was an office prankster who loved his co-workers, often leaving them secret selfies on their cell phones. One of them once told Blevins her five-year-old son had become obsessed with Star Wars. He showed up at her house a few days later with his own five-year-old son in tow, and their entire Star Wars movie collection to lend. 'I felt like it was the most thoughtful and genuine thing anyone could do,' Laura Jordan said. As family and friends of Watsula and Blevins only begin to come to terms with their heartbreak, Ellicot City is beginning the clean-up. Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said the devastation was the worst he had seen in 50 years. Most homes and businesses along Main Street were affected by the extreme weather and it could cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair the damage and take months to clean up, he added. 'It looks like the set of a disaster movie,' said Kittleman. 'Cars everywhere, cars on top of cars, parts of the road are gone, many parts of the sidewalk are gone, storefronts are completely gone.' The town, about 14 miles west of Baltimore, received 6.5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, and most of it fell on Saturday evening between 7pm and 9pm. Entire sidewalks were wiped away after six inches of rain fell in just three hours in low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland Workers gather by the sidewalk of Main Street that caved in after Saturday night's flooding in Ellicott City A statement from the office of Gov. Larry Hogan said the storms caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure in central Maryland The hill in front of the A.M.E. Baptist Church is seen washed away in the overnight flash flood Workers stabilize a building on Main Street after the sidewalk caved in due to the overnight flooding County officials said at a news conference that up to five buildings had been completely destroyed and up to 30 more had significant damage. Fire and rescue crews rescued 120 people during the flooding and more than 170 inoperable vehicles were stranded in the Main Street area and along the river. Gov Larry Hogan toured the damaged area on Sunday along with Kittleman and Rep Elijah Cummings, who has an office in the town. Hogan declared a state of emergency, which will allow greater aid coordination and assistance. 'No one has ever seen devastation like this in Ellicott City or anywhere in Howard County,' Kittleman said. 'There are a lot of businesses that are going to be hurting for a long time. There are a lot of people that lost their apartments and their homes.' A state of emergency was declared in Ellicott City to allow for greater aid coordination and assistance Main Street slopes dramatically toward the river and has long been susceptible to flooding Fire and rescue crews rescued 120 people during the flooding and more than 170 inoperable vehicles were stranded in the Main Street area and along the river With so much rainfall, there was nowhere for it to go other than the street. 'Everything funneled toward that Main Street area. There's hills on both sides, the river's on the third side,' Elliott said. 'In this case the Patapsco River was coming up, too. We believe there's some contributions to the flood from both directions.' Ellicott City was established in 1772 as a mill town along the Patapsco, and many 18th and 19th century buildings were still intact before Saturday's floods. Once a home to mill workers, in recent decades it has become known for restaurants, art galleries, antique shops and nightlife. Main Street slopes dramatically toward the river and has long been susceptible to flooding. The county courthouse and government headquarters are located in Ellicott City but are on higher ground. With so much rainfall, there was nowhere for it to go other than the Main Street, which is surrounded by hills on both sides The heavy rain was part of a system of thunderstorms that moved through the region Zakaria called him off for trying to explain away his errors with tweets Trump said on Twitter he meant Putin wouldn't go if Trump were president But Putin has already annexed Crimea and intervened in eastern Ukraine GOP nominee said in Sunday interview Putin is 'not gonna go into Ukraine' CNN host Fareed Zakaria called Donald Trump a 'bulls**t artist' on live television Monday, before comparing the GOP nominee to Adolf Hitler. Zakaria blasted Trump for remarks he made on Sunday in an ABC interview, in which he said Vladimir Putin was 'not going to go into Ukraine'. The Russian President annexed Crimea in 2014 and prompted a military intervention in eastern Ukraine that same year. 'It's look, you know, I have my own ideas. He's not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down,' Trump said on ABC's This Week Sunday. Scroll down for video CNN host Fareed Zakaria called Donald Trump a 'bulls**t artist' on live television Monday (pictured), before comparing the GOP nominee to Adolf Hitler Trump tried to explain away his statement in a tweet later on - a technique that Zakaria denounced as characteristic of the Republican nominee on Monday. 'When I said in an interview that Putin is "not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down," I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea!' Trump tweeted. But Zakaria blasted Trump's attempt to clarify his statement, saying Trump has employed the same tactic before. 'Every time it is demonstrated that Donald Trump is plainly ignorant about some basic public policy issue, some well-known fact, he comes back with a certain bravado and tries to explain it away with a tweet or a statement,' Zakaria said. He works as the host of the Fareed Zakaria GPS on Sundays and appeared on air Monday to discuss Trump's claims regarding Putin. 'There's a term for this kind of thing: this is the mode of a bullshit artist,' Zakaria added. 'It's entertaining if the guy is trying to sell you a condo or a car. But for the president of the United States, it's deeply worrying.' Trump (pictured at a campaign rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania on Monday) said on Sunday that Vladimir Putin was 'not going to go into Ukraine' The Republican nominee then tried to explain his statement in a tweet (pictured), a technique that has become customary of Trump according to Zakaria Zakaria then criticized some of the arguments used by Trump to rationalize Putin's annexation of Crimea. Trump told Stephanopoulos: 'But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were.' Zakaria compared this to the rhetoric used by Hitler when he annexed parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938, according to a transcript by the Huffington Post. 'It is important to understand that the argument that Donald Trump is putting forward about Crimea is the same argument that Adolf Hitler made about the Sudeten Czechoslovaks,' Zakaria said Monday. A Good Samaritan left a heart-warming message on an envelope 'to make the world a happier place' with $10 in it to pay for parking at a hospital car park in Adelaide. Social media consultant Kristy Schirmer was visiting Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital with her two-year-old son Parker on Monday afternoon when she spotted an envelope attached to a parking meter. On the envelope was written: 'THIS IS FOR YOU to pay for your parking. I hope your hospital visit today was for a happy reason but if not, I send you love and light (heart). Just trying to make the world a happier place, one Random Act of Kindness at a time (smiley face) Pay it forward! x.' A Good Samaritan stuck this envelope with $10 on it on a parking meter at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital Schirmer posted a pic of the note on Twitter but did not take the money herself. 'I left the money there as I didn't think it was meant for me. Everybody had done the same thing as me - looked at it, noticed there was money inside but left it there for someone who was a little more deserving,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm sure someone has been a recipient of this random act of kindness. It's a lovely hospital and there's a lot of positivity. 'Even though there can be lots of sadness and stress as well there was obviously people who wanted to make it a bit more positive for those going there.' Kristy Schirmer (pictured with her sons Campbell, 5, and Parker, 2), posted a photograph of the note on Twitter Schirmer was at the hospital with her two-year-old son Parker who had a follow up appointment for a small health concern. 'It wasn't a huge concern. It was just to rule out any further procedures and we weren't too stressed about it. It was two good things that happened on the day and the envelope obviously struck a chord with people,' she said. However it may have been also a way of showing anger at having to pay for hospital parking as much an act of kindness. Parking at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital has been a contentious issue 'Paying for car parking at the children's hospital has been a contentious issue at the best of times, and it has been quite contentious here in Adelaide,' Schirmer told Daily Mail Australia. An engineer at a Sydney hospital where a newborn was fatally given 'happy gas' instead of oxygen has been stood down. Last month two newborn babies at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital were given nitrous oxide - or 'happy gas' - instead of oxygen at birth, killing one and leaving the other with brain damage. An oxygen outlet in one of the hospital's theatres was incorrectly installed and certified by BOC Limited in July 2015. The hospital engineer involved in commissioning the gas outlets has been stood down. Two newborn babies were given nitrous oxide instead of oxygen at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in June and July The state government handed down the interim report into the fatal mix-up on Tuesday. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said she deeply regretted the 'profound suffering' caused to the two families. 'It is my strong belief that BOC Limited, which installed and certified the medical gas outlet, and Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, which was required under Australian standards to check it, will share responsibility for this tragedy,' she said. 'To date, a hospital engineer involved in the commissioning of the gas outlets in the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital operating theatres has been stood down.' NSW Health has stopped using BOC for installation, commissioning and testing. All current work by the company has been cancelled. Sonya (right) and Youssef Ghanem (left), from Bankstown in Sydney's west, lost their baby boy John after he was administered nitrous oxide instead of oxygen Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Chief Health Officer, said documents showed the gas line was tested on installation. 'Clearly who[ever] undertook that testing ... is the matter for the investigation,' Dr Chant was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. A number of investigations into the error are underway, including a coronial investigation and a review of staff protocols to see if the incidents were preventable. All medical gas outlets installed in New South Wales over the past five years are also being checked. Drug trafficking suspects have been pictured helping Jakarta police officers destroy a haul of methamphetamine while wearing orange prison shirts and black masks. The suspected drug traffickers, both locals and foreigners, were all recently arrested for their role in distributing the illegal drugs through Indonesia. Photographs show the accused traffickers pouring the shards of meth into a burning metal container as part of an ongoing national anti-drug campaign in the country. Authorities at police headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, force recently arrested drug traffickers to help them destroy a huge haul of methamphetamine The suspected drug traffickers, both locals and foreigners, were all recently arrested for their role in distributing illegal drugs President Joko Widodo says drugs pose a bigger danger than Islamist militancy and he has ordered an intensification of a drugs war that has included the execution of drug traffickers, the latest last week when three Nigerians and an Indonesian faced a firing squad. But while raids, arrests and punishments pick up, state funding for rehabilitation, that weans people off drugs and cuts demand, is dwindling. That leaves thousands of people with few affordable options, in a country that within years has gone from being a drug transit point to one of Southeast Asia's biggest markets for narcotics. 'We need support in terms of budget to be able to rehabilitate all drug users in need,' Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indra Parawansa told Reuters. 'Our budget alone is not enough for that, it is experiencing a decline.' The government estimates there are six million drug users in the country of 250 million people. Of those, more than 1 million are addicted to meth, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2013 report. But less that one percent of dependent users got treatment in 2014 compared with a global average of 16 percent, it said. Raids, arrests and punishments are up as the country intensifies its war on drugs - but funding for rehabilitation (pictured) have been slashed Recovering drug addict Rizki Mulyadi, 26, cools off after a herbal bath at a traditional rehabilitation centre in Purbalingga, Central Java Indonesian law mandates rehabilitation for people caught with small quantities of drugs. But many end up in crowded jails. 'Many of those who are in prison should not be sentenced to prison at all, they should be sent to rehab,' Parawansa said. Parawansa's ministry aims to rehabilitate 15,000 drug users this year on a budget of 87 billion rupiah ($6.6 million). Next year, it will only get funds to help 9,000, she said. 'Many of those who are in prison should not be sentenced to prison at all, they should be sent to rehab While rehabilitation funding has been cut, the president has tripled the budget of the national counter-narcotics agency, known as the BNN, to 2.1 billion rupiah ($160,000). It also draws on the police budget. A spokesman for Widodo, asked about the cut to rehabilitation spending, said many areas were seeing tighter budgets, and it did not mean the president did not value rehabilitation. 'The president is concerned about how to prevent the spread in drug use and rehab programmes are part of that,' said the spokesman, Johan Budi. 'We need to be hard on smugglers and traffickers, and that explains why the president is taking a hard approach, but that doesn't mean the war on drugs is at the expense of rehabilitation. Both law enforcement and rehabilitation are happening at the same time.' Recovering drug addicts and staff at a traditional rehabilitation centre participate in physical activity during a prayer session l Indonesia is not the only country to take a hard line. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has also declared a drug war and about 300 suspected dealers were shot dead in July, most in vigilante killings, police say. Thailand has also for years been tough on drugs but its soaring prison population has recently prompted a re-think and the downgrading of meth from a Category 1 drug to reduce numbers in jail. Critics say Widodo's stand on drugs criminalizes victims and makes the path to recovery that much harder. 'They want to build more prisons but they should be building more rehab centres and making more treatment options available,' said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch in Jakarta. A traditional rehabilitation centre in Purbalingga village on Java island says it has treated hundreds of addicts with herbal teas and baths, prayer and counselling. Rizki Mulyadi, 26, is one of those such addicts, hoping to overcome a six-year addiction to the drug of choice for many in Indonesia: crystal methamphetamine, or 'meth'. The centre in Purbalingga is one of 160 such facilities across Indonesia that use traditional methods. There are 18 government rehab centres and almost 400 private ones and public clinics using more conventional means. Staff at the rehabilitation centre prepare a herbal bath for recovering addicts Ahmad Ischsan Maulana, head of the Purbalingga centre, said his clients must stop all drugs when they arrive. 'I get them to quit immediately and replace their intake with herbs,' he said. 'That relieves withdrawal symptoms without side effects,' said Maulana, known as 'the boiling teacher' because of the hot baths. His small complex of dormitories houses about 30 people. 'What's important is our faith in Allah who is the only one that can heal us. No doctor can heal us of drug addiction.' He says none of this clients has come back but he does not monitor people after they leave. Mulyadi said he was determined to stop drugs. 'I've come here to rebuild my relationship with my family,' he said, showing off a tattoo on his chest of his five-year old son. The drug of choice for many addicts in Indonesia is crystal methamphetamine, or 'meth' A lonely war veteran has become an online sensation after his local pub landlord wrote a Facebook post about his exploits during the Second World War. Ted Fullerton, 96, from Cottingham in East Yorkshire, served with the RAF in Burma during the war and regularly wears his medals when out and about in town. Last week, when he visited his local, pub manager Ben Lopez, 28, brought the brave veteran to tears after thanking him for his service to the country and asking about his life. Second World War veteran Ted Fullerton, 96, from Cottingham in East Yorkshire, served with the RAF in Burma during the war and regularly wears his medals when out and about in town (Pictured: The photo of Mr Fullerton which was posted on Facebook and quickly went viral) Mr Fullerton (pictured) served as an engineer with the RAF during the Second World War Mr Fullerton, a widower whose wife Irene died in 2004, confessed that he did not think anyone was interested in him or his life any more. Following their emotional conversation Mr Lopez posted a picture of Mr Fullerton on Facebook and said: 'He came into my pub today for dinner. 'I couldn't help notice the medals on his chest and ask him about his life and say thank you for serving our country. 'He became really overwhelmed and cried. He said 'thank you young man no one cares about what I have to say any more.'' Last week, when he visited his local, pub manager Ben Lopez, 28, (pictured) brought the brave veteran to tears after thanking for his service to the country and asking about his life Ted Fullerton is pictured with his wife Irene in a limousine in Sarasota in this undated picture Since writing about Mr Fullerton on Facebook the post has been shared more than 100,000 times, liked more than 250,000 times and has 66,000 comments on it from people expressing their thanks to the veteran. Chris Ball wrote: 'Much respect and thanks Sir for your service.' Shaun O'Brien said: 'Thanks Ted, big respect to you. True hero.' Dionne-Louise Lavender-Davies added: 'Thank you Ted, without your bravery we would not be who we are today, bless you sir x' Mr Fullerton spent most of the war in India as an aircraft engineer before returning to the UK Mr Fullerton aged 18 with his older sister Mary at 22, sat astride his motorcycle (left) and right Speaking to MailOnline this afternoon, Mr Fullerton revealed he wrote a letter to his beloved wife back home every day for six years during the war Mr Fullerton, who is blind in one eye and joined the RAF aged 18, had never heard of Facebook before he was told he had become a viral sensation. He said: 'I wasn't expecting any of this. I didn't know this lovely young man was going to get me involved. I'm very much obliged to everyone. 'I'm shocked, but absolutely delighted. I couldn't be anything else really could I?' When asked how he met his wife, Irene, (both pictured on a cruise in 1981) he said: 'I can't remember how I met her, but I am pleased I did. We did very well as I progressed. We travelled the world' Mr Fullerton, who is blind in one eye and joined the RAF aged 18, is seen at his drawing board Speaking to MailOnline this afternoon, Mr Fullerton revealed he wrote a letter to his beloved wife back home every day for six years during the war. The retired businessman spent six years at war as a mechanical engineer. He wrote letters to his wife Irene, who he married before joining the RAF, every day for the six years they were apart. Mr Fullerton admits his memory has started getting 'worse and worse' in the last two years He returned to his wife in 1947 and the couple later went on to have one child, Margaret Mcacky, together. Today he said during the war he was run over and badly broke his back. Speaking about the incident, he said: 'I broke my back during the war. When I came out of the Air Force, I could not do any heavy lifting. 'So later in life when my wife had a stroke, she had to go into a home.' After Mrs Fullerton's stroke he moved to Cottingham from Kirkella, East Yorks., and he said it was 'the best decision I've ever made'. He said: 'I could visit my wife every day without exception and I had dinner with her every day. I never missed a day.' Mr Fullerton was born in Hull before he left school at 14 after a poverty-stricken childhood. His father died when he was just three-years-old - leaving his mother to bring him up, along with his brother and sister, on her own. After initially working as a page boy at the Regal cinema he was given a job at Kingston Engineering on the recommendation of a local priest. He went on to become a multi-millionaire after developing a career in engineering that saw him secure patents for 26 different inventions. After Mrs Fullerton's stroke he moved to Cottingham and said it was 'the best decision I've ever made'. He said: 'I could visit my wife [at the nursing home] every day without exception and I had dinner with her every day. I never missed a day' Mr Fullerton lived in this semi-detached property in Grimbsy until he was 11 years old His inventions included precision machinery to disposable plastic gloves and false fingernails. And his own engineering company in Hull ended up exporting some of his designs to more than 20 countries, as well as supplying big names such as British Aerospace, Reckitt and Colman, Priestmans and Rolls-Royce before he lost his fortune. Mr Fullerton admits his memory has started getting 'worse and worse' in the last two years. When asked how he met his wife, he said: 'I can't remember how I met her, but I am pleased I did. We did very well as I progressed. We travelled the world.' Advertisement More than 150 people have been killed and more than a million have been displaced due to flooding in India, officials have confirmed. Near constant torrential downpours during the monsoon in the states of Bihar in the east, Assam in the remote northeast and Himachal Pradesh in the north have damaged roads, telephone cables and uprooted trees. At least 152 have been killed in three states over the past week, state authorities said on Tuesday, with 34 dead in Assam alone; while more than a million have fled their homes and are sheltering in government-run camps. More than 150 people have been killed and more than a million have been displaced due to flooding in India, officials have confirmed At least 21 rare one-horned rhinos have been killed due to the flooding of vast tracts of Assam's famous Kaziranga National Park and 80 per cent of the 166-square-mile reserve is underwater. Pramilla Rani Brahma, the state's forest and environment minister, said: 'Most of the rhinos killed are calves, separated from their mothers during the massive flooding.' 'It is sad that we lost about 17 rhinos in the floods this time, which is something unprecedented,' the minister added. The park, home to about 2,500 rhinos, draws scores of tourists and was visited by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their official tour of India earlier this year. Near constant torrential downpours during the monsoon in the states of Bihar in the east, Assam in the remote northeast and Himachal Pradesh in the north have damaged roads, telephone cables and uprooted trees Eight rare baby orphans have been orphaned by the floods and wildlife groups are calling for donations. Rathin Barman, deputy director of the Wildlife Trust of India, said they were now struggling to feed and care for the rhinos, aged from one to eight months. 'Some of them are injured and are being treated by our staff in the rescue centre,' he said. 'We are right now hand-raising them, providing them formula milk and essential vitamins. We will release them only after two years,' he added. There are fears more rhinos would need assistance once waters receded in the park, which has been stripped of vegetation by the floods. At least 152 have been killed in three states over the past week, state officials said on Tuesday, with 34 dead in Assam alone; while more than a million have fled their homes and are sheltering in government-run camps The park had five foot-high floodwaters in some places, forcing many of the park's animals, including wild elephants, wild buffaloes and boars, to cross a highway to move to higher ground. The heavy monsoon rains have come after two straight years of drought in India. On Monday, landslides and heavy rains blocked highways leading to Tibet and Manali, a tourist resort in Himachal Pradesh state, with hundreds of people stranded for several hours before rescuers cleared the way, the Press Trust of India news agency said. In Bihar state, around 260,000 flood victims were taking shelter in more than 400 relief camps set up by the state government. At least 400 medical camps have been set up as well to aid people who have spent several nights outdoors after their homes were submerged by rainwaters. In Assam, where floodwaters started receding on Tuesday, some 3.8 million people have been affected by the floods, according to state authorities. More than 700,000 have taken shelter in 770 relief camps. At least 21 rare one-horned rhinos have been killed due to the flooding of vast tracts of Assam's famous Kaziranga National Park, which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited earlier this year The Valspar Corporation, a coatings manufacturer, selected Kenco Logistics to provide warehouse, production and IT services at two key U.S. locationsa 400,000-square-foot coatings facility in Romeoville, Ill. and a 72,000-square-foot furniture-care facility in Grand Rapids, Mi. In addition to its distribution capabilities, Kenco was selected because of its supply chain intelligence system, UNIFY, which delivers critical shipment visibility in the form of reports, analysis views and dashboards. We are excited to have Kenco as a partner that is dedicated to bringing our customers the latest innovations, the finest quality, and the best customer service, said Patrick Young, senior logistics manager at Valspar. At the Valspar Romeoville facility, Kenco is providing warehouse management and labor for the distribution of latex and oil-based consumer paints. At the Grand Rapids location, Kenco is handling furniture care and mattress-protection productionincluding filling, packaging, and kitting product for retail saleas well as distribution services. With our solid onsite management team, supported by our deep corporate resources, we are dedicated to making these showplace facilities for Valspar, said David Caines, chief operating officer at Kenco. Moreover, UNIFY will provide Valspar a new level of visibility with just a few keystrokes. A man has been gored to death by a bull after it charged at him in front of spectators during a summer festival in Spain. Juan Manuel Calle Sanchez, 59, was rushed to hospital after being attacked as he fell to the ground while trying to outrun the animal in a fenced-off area. He reportedly tried to climb out of the enclosure to escape but fell back in and was attacked by the bull. Scroll down for video Raging: Pictured is the black bull that gored a man to death at a festival in Spain on Sunday Mr Sanchez suffered a collapsed lung after being gored in the chest and later died on the operating table. A video posted on YouTube by spectator Anibal Clemente shows the black bull running at people inside the enclosure, with people sat on fences watching. Suddenly the animal charged after a man in a fluorescent t-shirt. The incident happened on Sunday night during an annual celebration in the village of Valrio near Caceres in south west Spain. No escape: The victim (not pictured) was Juan Manuel Calle Sanchez, 59, who fell back into the enclosure while trying to escape Angry: In a video posted online the bull is seen running towards men who were standing in the enclosure Local mayor Juan Carlos Blazquez confirmed the death of the bachelor, who lived alone in the area, on Monday. The Mayor declared three days of mourning and said: 'From the municipality of Guijo de Galisteo, we offer condolences to the family and friends of M.C.S. who died during the celebration of the last bullfighting festival of the town'. The man's funeral was due to take place on Tuesday. Last month two men died on the same day after being gored in Spanish festivals. Deadly: The man was rushed to hospital after suffering wounds to his chest but died on the operating table Spectators: The video shows crowds of people watching on as the bull charged around the enclosure A 29-year-old died after attacked by a heifer during an annual festival in Pedreguer near Valencia on Spain's east coast. He was named as Ruben Frasquet Morant. A 65-year-old man died during a bull run in Fuentesauco in the province of Salamanca. Around the same time bullfighter Victor Barrio, 29, was killed in front of hundreds of spectators including his wife Raquel in a bull ring in Teruel east of Madrid. Last year 12 people died at bull festivals across Spain. The most-famous festival involving bulls is the San Fermin festival in Pamplona which takes place every July. Parents must be on high alert after a man tried to drag a six-year-old boy into his van in the latest in a series of child abduction attempts to be reported. Three young children were approached by the van in Stockport and the man then grabbed one by the arm and tried to drag him inside, telling him he was to 'help with his deliveries'. But the boy managed to free himself from the man, who police said was black or Asian and wearing a high-vis vest when he tried to take the boy on Saturday. A woman attempted to drag an eight-year-old boy into a car at a water park (pictured) after luring him towards her by asking if he wanted to see some puppies, police said Just days later, a woman wearing a bobble-hat and sunglasses tried to lure a young boy into her Toyota 4x4 by asking if he wanted to see some puppies at Chorlton Water Park in Manchester. The eight-year-old, who was playing hide and seek at the time, managed to fight her off with the help of his friends and run away on Monday at around 5.45pm. Police advised parents and children to be on high alert during the summer holidays after two attempted child abductions in tourist hotspot beaches in Cornwall over the last few days. Yesterday, a man wearing black combat gear tried to snatch a three-year-old girl in Perranporth, by attempting to 'lead her off' before a woman intervened and he fled. The same man was reportedly spotted lurking in the same gear at nearby Trevellas beach in St Agnes two days before. A spokesman from Truro Police said: 'We would like to remind parents to remain alert but not alarmed, and to call us should they feel anyone is acting suspiciously.' The youngster, who had been playing hide and seek at the Chorlton Water Park (pictured) in Chorlton, Manchester, fought off the woman with the help of his friends and ran off Manchester Police revealed how the woman shouted to the boy and mentioned the puppies as he went over, then grabbed his top and tried to drag him into the back at Chorlton Water Park on Monday. They said the woman had been sitting in the back of the grey Toyota 4x4 with tinted windows, which was parked near where the boys were playing. She was wearing a bobble-hat and sunglasses and there were two men in the front of the car, one of whom was on the phone when the attempted abduction took place at around 5.45pm on Monday. The Toyota had side steps and a spare wheel on the rear, which was parked near where the children had been playing. Greater Manchester Police said the woman had been sitting in the back of a grey Toyota 4x4 with tinted windows, which was parked near where the boys were playing Detective Inspector Paul Walker, from Greater Manchester Police, said: 'Clearly this is a worrying set of circumstances and I understand people will be alarmed when they hear news of this incident, but we have a number of officers currently investigating what has taken place here and we are making numerous inquiries to trace the people involved. 'If anyone was in the area of the Chorlton Water Park early on Monday evening, and you remember seeing this grey Toyota 4x4-type vehicle, then please get in touch and tell us what you saw. Your information may seem trivial to you, but it could be important to this investigation.' Anyone with information on either of the attempted child abductions is asked to call Greater Manchester Police on 101. Horrifying new details have emerged from extracts of mass murderer Heinrich Himmler's diary detailing his sinister speech justifying the Holocaust to underlings, his bloodthirsty call to 'defend the Fatherland with streams of blood' - and even his affair with his secretary. Noted meticulously on October 4 1943 in the diary of the 'Reichsfuhrer-SS' as a 'Group Leader meeting', hides the true horror of what Himmler would say in his speech is masked at 5.30pm in Poznan, occupied Poland. It was the secret key speech of the entire extermination programme in which, among other things, Himmler told his executioners: 'I am talking about the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish people. Scroll down for video The diary belongs to Heinrich Himmler, who can be regarded as one of the most notorious mass murderers in history 'It is one of those things that is easily said. 'The Jewish people is being exterminated,' every Party member will tell you, 'perfectly clear, it's part of our plans, we're eliminating the Jews, exterminating them, a small matter.' 'And then along they all come, all the 80 million upright Germans, and each one has his decent Jew. They say: all the others are swine, but here is a first-class Jew. And none of them has seen it, has endured it. Most of you will know what it means when 100 bodies lie together, when 500 are there or when there are 1000. 'And... to have seen this through and -- with the exception of human weakness -- to have remained decent, has made us hard and is a page of glory never mentioned and never to be mentioned. Because we know how difficult things would be, if today in every city during the bomb attacks, the burdens of war and the privations, we still had Jews as secret saboteurs, agitators and instigators. Himmler was in charge of the entire terror apparatus of the Nazi state from the policeman on the beat and the Gestapo to the concentration camps and the extermination plants like Auschwitz and Treblinka 'Altogether we can say: We have carried out this most difficult task for the love of our people. And we have suffered no defect within us, in our soul, or in our character.' At 9.30pm that evening he dined with the SS killers and two hours later boarded his private train Steiermark for the journey back to Berlin. He played cards, curling and went stargazing. In the diaries which have surfaced in Russia he recorded every nocturnal walk he made. And they also betray his infidelities. 'Very often inspection of the diaries when he writes that he is on the road, there is the suspicion that he was in fact spending the time with Hedwig Pottgast, his mistress,' said Dr. Matthias Uhl of the German Historical Institute which is examining the 1,600 pages of the diaries covering 1938, 1943 and 1944. Cologne born Hedwig was his private secretary to morphed into his lover. He called her 'Bunny' and she bore him two illegitimate children - Helge and Nanette-Dorothea in 1942 and 1944. Cologne born Hedwig Pottgast was Himmler's private secretary who morphed into his lover and bore him two illegitimate children. He refers to time with her in his diary as 'on the road' Himmler's wife Margarete (centre) knew of his mistress and tolerated the arrangement - pictured above with her daughter Gudron waiting to testify against Nazi war criminals Himmler's wife Margarete knew of his mistress and seemingly tolerated the arrangement. The record shows that he often escaped to his country house at Tegernsee near Munich with his family. One of the other women with access to him was Hitler's favourite female pilot, Hannah Reitsch. Other entries from the diaries, discovered in a Russian military archive after vanishing in the chaos of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and being serialised by the bestselling BILD newspaper in Germany, include two from 1938. The private life of Heinrich Himmler also surfaces in the diaries of the monster - truly illustrating the banality of evil. On March 9 that year he records a 'comradely' lunch at the Dachau concentration camp outside Munich: the first such camp set up by the regime which would go on to kill 36,000 people by the time the war ended. The next day he chronicles a visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp outside of Berlin with propaganda maestro Joseph Goebbels. And four days after that he was in the east of the country visiting the Buchenwald concentration camp where he also lunched. The mass murderer records his hobbies next to entries inspecting the 'effectiveness' of diesel engines used to gas 400 in front of him so he could see how it worked. Above, entrance to Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration Camp Later that night he travelled to Weimar where he dined with the Nazi party Gauleiter - local leader - Fritz Sauckel, a man who would later hang for war crimes at Nuremberg for organising slave labour in wartime. Himmler noted in his diary: 'Tea and agreement to become godfather to his son.' Himmler was the godfather to dozens of children of high ranking Nazis during his career. On February 10 1944, as the Allied stranglehold on the Reich begins to tighten and the Red Army moves ever closer to Berlin, Himmler retired that night to watch the German film 'Titanic' about the sinking of the luxury liner. The night before he had spent with Hitler at his Wolf's Lair in Rastenburg, East Prussia, where the news was all bad on all fronts. But between mass murder, collapsing fronts and saturation bombing of the homeland, Himmler found time to pursue his hobbies. On January 15 1943, as the German 6th Army was freezing to death at Stalingrad, Himmler wrote that he enoyed a curling session before adding that he was going for a sauna at 6.00pm. On July 20 1944 came the attempt on Hitler's life in the Wolf's Lair when army officer Count Claus von Schenk Stauffenberg detonated a bomb designed to destroy him and Nazism. Hitler survived, and the terror unleashed by Himmler on the conspirators was terrible. He was in a routine meeting with Karl Wolff, Hitler's adjutant, at the time and was awaiting the arrival of Italian despot Mussolini. Everything changed after the attempt on Hitler's life. '13.45: Wolf's Lair - talk with the Fuhrer (because of the assassination attempt),' records the diary. Then: '15.00 - lunch with General Field Marshall Keitel and a visit of the scene of the bombing.' Himmler had to speak louder than usual because army commander Keitel's hearing was impaired by the bomb blast. At 7.30pm Himmler flew to Berlin with one order; to 'clean up' the forces of Stauffenberg who was intent on seizing all levers of power. At 9.30pm, back in Berlin, Himmler was chauffered to his HQ to hear of the arrest of Stauffenberg. After he was shot on his orders the diary records that Himmler went for a late 'snack.' After midnight he was into a long day of 17 appointments. In the diary he recorded: 'Quelling of the revolt by Stauffenberg, etc.' At 4.08 am the next day he forbade the word Valkyrie to be used in Germany. Valkyrie was the codeword for the Stauffenberg revolt which he termed in the diary a 'rebellion of conscience.' At 5.00am he was at Gestapo HQ in Berlin. At 9.00am he breakfasted with General Wolff and talked about filming the strangulation of the plotters at the Ploetzensee Prison in the city. Later on the morning of 21 July Himmler ordered the exhumation of stauffenberg and others shot the night before at the Bendlerblock, the army HQ in Berlin they had taken over. On his orders the uniforms on the bodies were stripped of rank badges and medals, burned and the ashes strewn over city sewage works. The diary shows that Himmler flew later that day back to Hitler in the Wolf's Lair to report on retribution measures against the 'traitors.' Hitler stands beside Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo, to observe a parade of Nazi Stormtroopers in 1940 In the end 7,000 people were murdered on Himmler's orders for their involvement in the conspiracy to kill the Fuhrer, many thousands more sent off to concentration camps. By then the Third Reich had less than a year of life left. On October 18 1944 the Red Army was at the gates of East Prussia - Germany proper - with Berlin in its sights. Himmler, though, carried on as if in a dream. That day he had lunch 'with SS-Group Leaders' where he issued the order for the formation of the German Volkssturms - the home guard of old men and boys designed to stop a mechanised army of five million Russians. 'All men aged between 16 and 60 shall defend the home soil of the Fatherland,' he ordered. It was a death sentence for tens of thousands more people. Himmler ended with; 'Our opponents have to learn to understand that every kilometre of our country, will cost streams of blood. Each city block, each village, each farmstead, every ditch, every bush, every forest will be defended by men, boys, old men and, if need be, by women and girls.' The routine for Himmler, the diary makes clear, did not alter in these momentous days. Dinners, meetings, talks with Hitler and other Nazi leaders - until on 28 February 1945 the paperwork reads; 'Reichsfuhrer SS in bed with a cold.' The 1945 diary, which rests in the Federal Archive in Berlin, ends in March that year. Known to Hitler as 'The faithful Heinrich,' Himmler betrayed him at the end by engaging in secret peace talks with the Allies brokered by Count Folke Bernadotte of sweden. On April 28 Hitler learned of his double dealing and stripped him of all offices and booted him out of the Nazi party. He shaved off his moustache and wandered Germany with a group of other fugitives in civilian clothes until he was stopped by a British patrol on May 21 1945 near Luneburg in the north. Two days later, when he was recognised, he bit on a cyanide capsule and was dead in seconds. His body was buried in an unmarked grave on Luneburg Heath, never to be found. The diary is dotted with references to Puppi - his nickname for his daughter Gudrun, pictured, a diehard Nazi who is still alive, living in a suburb of Munich On December 18 1941, in another diary that was discovered in Russia 25 years ago, Himmler wrote that Jews in Russia were to be 'exterminated as partisans.' Both that diary and the ones covering the years 1938, 1943 and 1944 - found earlier this year in a Russian military archive at Podolsk - detail several trips he made to the most notorious Nazi deth factory: Auschwitz in occupied Poland. On January 9 1943, his diary states that he was also in Warsaw, home to the biggest Jewish ghetto in Europe where Jews had been crammed in appalling conditions into a few city blocks before being transported for extermination. The diary records how he was collected from the airport by an SS officer before being transported to the casino of the security police for lunch. Then; 'A talk, a drive through the ghetto, a visit to the holding area and then at 18.00 hour, departure from Warsaw.' There was not a word about the suffering of the people in the ghetto. The detail about where he was and what he was doing fills in an enormous gap for Third Reich scholars and illustrates how much time and energy he and his SS were expending murdering defenceless people at a time when the regime was fighting hard to survive the war. On February 12 1943 he flew to Lublin in the far east of Poland to lunch with senior SS officers including Odilo Globocnik, one of the greatest criminals of all time. Globocnik - called lovingly 'Globus' by Himmler - set up the four 'pure' extermination camps of the Holocaust in 1942; Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka and Chelmno. Unlike other killing centres like Auschwitz and Majdanek, which also operated as huge labour camps, these four death factories existed only for murder. And in them Globocnik oversaw the murders of an estimated two million people. As head of the dreaded SS, it was Himmler's role to oversee the Holocaust and, in doing so, he sent millions to their deaths On that visit Himmler, after dining at the Airport Hotel in Lublin, travelled to Sobibor where 250,000 people were murdered. The diary records that on this day he visited the SS-Sonderkommando in the camp: the name given to work prisoners ordered to dispose of the dead before they too were executed and burned. The purpose of the visit: to gauge the 'efficiency' of the diesel engine gas chambers at the site. Because no transport was due on this day the diary mentions that several hundred young women and men were brought from Lublin to be exterminated for Himmler's observation. Ada Lichtman, a rare survivor of the camp, rememberd Himmler being driven away. 'There was a huge banquet given in his honour,' she recalled. 'I had to decorate the tables. 'Himmler was so enthusiastic about this visit. When he drove away our murderers were wearing new decorations he had presented to them.' Speaking to The Mirror, Auschwitz survivor Leslie Kleiman, 86, whose whole family was killed in the Holocaust said: 'I am not surprised Himmler was able to write about his life and then at the same time be responsible for Auschwitz and the other concentration camps.' 'I remember how the guards enjoyed what they were doing as we heard the screams and wails of those about to die. 'They were quite happy to do it, and that must have come from Himmler,' she said. This was a man who not only inspected concentration camps such as Buchenwald, but also dined in them. Furthermore, this was a man who would fly across occupied Europe in order to decide the fates of tens of thousands of Jews whom he had personally ordered to be cruelly crammed into the infamous Warsaw Ghetto. As head of the dreaded SS, it was Himmler's role to oversee the Holocaust and, in doing so, he sent millions to their deaths. The diaries have lain in the archive for 71 years, after they were seized by the Red Army at the end of the war, and shipped back to the Soviet Union where their historical importance was, for years, unappreciated. Covering the years 1938, 1943 and 1944, they run to around 1,000 pages and, in the words of Professor Nikolaus Katzer of the German Historical Institute (DHI) in Moscow, they constitute 'a document of shudderingly outstanding historical significance'. It should be stressed that academic historians do not usually make such hyperbolic claims. Adolf Hitler, accompanied by other Nazi party officials, walks down a staircase at the 1938 Annual Reichs Party Congress in Nuremburg Ever since the farrago in 1983 of the Hitler Diaries, in which the leading historian Lord Dacre formerly Hugh Trevor-Roper was to authenticate what soon emerged to be crude forgeries, experts on the Third Reich are very cautious when a diary supposedly belonging to a high-ranking Nazi lands on their desks. However, in this instance, we can be almost sure the diaries are not fakes. Professor Katzer and his team have undoubtedly put the volumes through more validation than Lord Dacre was able to do so by himself in a bank vault in just a few hours, such was the secrecy around the apparent discovery at the time. And we already have other confirmed volumes of Himmler's desk diary from the years 1941, 1942 and 1945 with which the latest finds compare favourably. Thousands of Americans who flocked to buy a pocket version of the US Constitution after Muslim-American lawyer Khizr Khan held it up during his fiery speech have unwittingly bought a version annotated by a Mormon extremist. The Pocket Constitution has become a best-seller on Amazon.com - probably because it was the cheapest edition, at $1, compared to $4.64 for a version containing only the original text. But many may not have realised the 52-page pamphlet was printed by the National Center for Constitutional Studies, a fringe Mormon group founded by the late W. Cleon Skousen. Scroll down for video Khizr Khan, father of fallen US Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan holds up a copy of the Constitution of the United States - but it is not the version now top of Amazon's best-seller list Skousen, whose most famous book was The Five Thousand Year Leap, was a Right-wing ideologue whose beliefs and conspiracy theories heavily influenced Glenn Beck. The Intercept says the version of the Constitution which has become a best-seller claims the US is subject to a Christian Gods ruling and the federal government should not interfere in people's lives in any way. The NCC version was widely praised by armed anti-government militiamen who took over the Malheur wildlife refuge building in Oregon in January. Ammon Bundy, who led the occupation, praised the NCCS version of the Constitution and told the Los Angeles Times: 'That's where I get most of my information from. What were trying to do is teach the true principles of the proper form of government.' Best-seller: The NCCS version, with annotations by W Cleon Skousen, is the cheapest version of the U.S. Constitution on Amazon, retailing at $1 (free on Kindle) The Constitution emerged as a best-seller days after Muslim-American lawyer Khizr Khan, whose son Captain Humayun Khan was killed while serving in Iraq, flashed a pocket Constitution and offered to lend it to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a speech at the Democratic National Convention. But the version held up by Mr Khan was not the NCCS version. WHO WAS W. CLEON SKOUSEN? Willard Cleon Skousen was a Canadian-born ultra-conservative author who died in 2006. He worked as an FBI Special Agent in the 1940s but left in 1951. Later the Feds had a 2,000-page file on him. He worked as a law professor at Brigham Young University in Utah and was Salt Lake City's police chief in late 1950s. He argued for the elimination of all trade unions, income tax, the minimum wage and the Federal Reserve system. His book, The Five Thousand Year Leap, has been cited by TV host Glenn Beck as being hugely influential on his own views. Advertisement The reviews on Amazon under the NCCS version make for interesting reading. Matt Rygler wrote: 'Thank you, Mr Khan, for reminding me I should carry this with me everywhere I go. The greatest document in the history of man.' But another reviewer, Bill, writes: 'This is not merely a pocket Constitution. It includes the insane ramblings of W. Cleon Skousen. He is in no way an expert in Constitutional law or American history. 'He was an end times Mormon conspiracy crank who merely inserts his personal delusions alongside. This has led to many people who are too lazy to read the Constitution themselves and learn the history, to take his personal beliefs as fact. It has led to a great many people thinking they can take over government property, and even more stupid people supporting them.' The American Civil Liberties Union is now offering copies of the Constitution, without any annotation, for free. W. Cleon Skousen (left) was an influential Right-wing ideologue. His book The Five Thousand Year Leap was said to have influenced talk show host Glenn Beck (right) Several people had posted reviews, warning of the annotations, but it appeared most people bought it without realizing who was the group behind it Trump sparked a huge political row when he lashed out at Mr Khan's wife, Ghazala, claiming she had stood silently next to her husband during his speech because she was 'probably not allowed to speak'. Mrs Khan later said she had not spoken because she was simply too distressed. Trump defended himself, claiming Mr Khan viciously attacked him during his emotional DNC speech. But Mr Khan said the GOP nominee has no empathy and should not be president. The businessman condemned Khizr and Ghazala Khan for not giving him a right to respond. He then turned his comments into an attack on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump has claimed Mr Khan viciously attacked him during his emotional DNC speech On Twitter, he wrote: 'I was viciously attacked by Mr Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!' In another post he said: 'Captain Khan, killed 12 years ago, was a hero, but this is about RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR and the weakness of our "leaders" to eradicate it!' On CNN's State of the Union, Mr Khan denied claims his speech was written by the Clinton campaign. He also added that his address was shortened because of time constraints. 'His [Trump's] policies, his practices do not reflect that he has any understanding of the basic fundamental constitutional principles of this country, what makes this country exceptional, what makes this country exceptional in the history of the mankind. 'There are principles of equal dignity, principle of liberty. He talks about excluding people, disrespecting judges, the entire judicial system, immigrants, Muslim immigrants. These are - divisive rhetoric that is totally against the basic constitutional principle. Advertisement The elderly French priest murdered by two ISIS fanatics during morning mass tried to fight back against his killers while screaming 'Go away, Satan', it emerged at his funeral today. Leading a moving service to 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel, the archbishop of Rouen revealed that the parish priest used his feet to kick out at the extremists during the attack at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Hundreds of priests and bishops filled Rouen cathedral this afternoon, along with hundreds more mourners, to pay tribute to the priest who was slaughtered by two jihadis who stormed the quiet mass ceremony a week ago. Addressing the solemn mourners during the two-hour Mass ceremony today, Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said: 'Evil is a mystery. It reaches heights of horror that take us out of the human. 'Isn't that what you wanted to say, Jacques, with your last words, when you fell to the ground? After you were struck by the knife, you tried to push away your assailants with your feet and said, 'Go away, Satan.' You repeated it, 'Go away, Satan.'' With those words, Archbishop Lebrun said, 'You expressed ... your faith in the goodness of humans and that the devil put his claws in.' Scroll down for video Pallbearers carry the coffin of Father Jacques Hamel into Rouen Cathedral which was followed by fellow priests and bishops Members of the clergy carried the cross into Rouen Cathedral ahead of the coffin of Father Jacques before the service One member of the clergy solemnly walks in the procession up to Rouen Cathedral behind the coffin of Father Jacques Archbishop of Rouen and Primate of Normandy Mgr Dominique Lebrun walks near French police who provide security outside the Cathedral in Rouen The service is being held today for 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel in the 11th Century Gothic cathedral in the city of Rouen, which is being patrolled by police commados Four pallbearers carried Father Jacques coffin into the church where 2,000 mourners had gathered inside for the service Earlier, Father Jacques's sister revealed how he was a former soldier who fought against Muslims in Algeria but refused a promotion as he did not want to order others to kill. Roselyne Hamel gave a heart-rending tribute to her brother at his funeral in the 11th Century Gothic cathedral in the city of Rouen, which was patrolled by police commandos. The priest was later buried at a private location in a ceremony, which was only attended by members of his close family. In her heart-rendering eulogy, his sister described Father Jacques as 'my brother, everyone's brother.' Addressing the congregation, Ms Hamel recounted how during his military service in Algeria her brother had refused an officer's grade so as not give the order to kill others, and how he once emerged the sole survivor in a desert shootout. 'He would often ask himself why me? Today, Jacques, our brother, your brother, you have your answer: Our God of love and misery chose you to be at the service of others,' she said. She also made a plea for peace during her eulogy saying: 'Let's learn to live together, let's be workers for peace.' Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun addressed the congregation in Rouen Cathedral, where the funeral was being held Father Jacques coffin was laid on an ornate rug on the floor in front of the clergy at the altar of the Gothic Cathedral The gathered clergy bow their heads and pray as they file past the coffin of Father Jacques at his funeral today Also paying tribute was Father Jacques' niece Jessica Deleporte who also told the congregation of her memories of growing up with her uncle. She said in her address: 'Like you, I choose respect, like you, I choose love, like you, I choose to fight.' Father Jacques became the latest victim of terror in France when two 19-year-old jihadists stormed his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray last Tuesday and slit his throat at the altar. Later in the service, a a red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar Another red stole was also place over Father Jacques coffin as well as his white priest's vestment robes, as is tradition when a priest dies Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which a worshipper was left seriously wounded. More than 2,000 mourners gathered at Rouen Cathedral today, to pay their respects to the murdered priest. A section of pews was also set aside for residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where Father Jacques was killed in the church there. More than 2,000 people were inside the cathedral with a pew specially set aside of residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where Father Jacques was murdered French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, right, attended the funeral alongside local politicians from Normandy A long procession of clergy, bishops and archbishops followed four pallbearers, who carried Hamel's simple coffin into the Cathedral through the 'Door of Mercy' and placed it on an ornate rug before the altar. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, celebrating the Mass, extended thanks to Catholics attending the service but also to 'believers of other religious faiths, in particular the Jewish community and the Muslim community, very affected and already decided to unite for: `Never again.' He added: 'As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light.' Hundreds of people also gathered outside the cathedral as they paid tribute to the murdered priest whose funeral was today A big screen was also set up outside so those unable to get inside the cathedral could watch the service outside A woman wipes a tear from her eye while watching the funeral service for Father Jacques outside Rouen Cathedral today A mourner clutches a small picture of the slaughtered priest as he pays his respects outside Rouen Cathedral today Outside the church, mourners took communion as a member of the clergy handed out communion wafers during the funeral service A mourner holds the order of service for Father Jacques funeral beside a large floral tribute places outside Rouen Cathedral Among those gathered outside the cathedral in Rouen were members of the Muslim community who attended in solidarity Later, a red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar, with the Rouen diocese explaining that 'Father Hamel's death was similar to that of Christ, unjustly convicted and put to death.' Another red stole was set atop a white priest's vestment lying over Hamel's coffin. A giant screen had also been set up outside Rouen Cathedral to broadcast the service, which was not attended by French president Francois Hollande, despite it taking place in his hometown. It comes as France's head of state and his senior ministers have been roundly booed and barracked because of the appalling security failures that have allowed such barbarous attacks to happen. People gathered outside the cathedral in the havy rain ahead of the funeral of Father Jacques Hamel at Rouen Cathedral Mourners begin to gather outside Rouen Cathedral as armed police look on ahead of the funeral of Father Jacques Hamel However, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve attended the funeral mass along with local Muslims. Meanwhile, police commandos and undercover officers were milling the crowds around Rouen Cathedral nearby. The funeral of 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel will be held at the 11th Century Gothic cathedral in the city of Rouen today Police sources confirmed that security would be 'at the highest possible of level, because of the ongoing fear of attack.' Crowds gathering for public events are considered particularly vulnerable as ISIS continues its barbarous campaign. The attack stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims. However, the two communities have largely rallied together, with churches opening their doors to Muslims on Sunday for a moving tribute to Hamel, and against radical Islam. The two teenagers who cut Father Hamel's throat at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen, last Tuesday morning were both from Algerian backgrounds. This raises the possibility that Adel Kermiche, one of the killers who lived close to the church, may have known about the priest's military service record. The bitter legacy of the Algerian War, which ended in 1962 after the deaths of hundreds of thousands over eight years, remains strong in France. French forces were accused of war crimes, including torturing and shooting civilians, and their opponents, the FLN National Liberation Front, often responded in kind. Outrages spilled over into France itself, where Algerians were murdered by police in cities such as Paris. Since the war, France's vast Algerian community has frequently accused the French establishment of discriminating against them, and perpetuating the war against their culture and Muslim religion. Meanwhile earlier Pope Francis said Islam could not be equated with terrorism. 'It's not true and it's not correct (to say) Islam is terrorism,' he said, defending his decision not to name Islam when condemning the brutal murder. Abdel Malik Petitjean, right, and Adel Kermiche, left, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which a worshipper was left seriously wounded 'If I have to talk about Islamic violence I have to talk about Christian violence. Every day in the newspapers I see violence in Italy, someone kills his girlfriend, another kills his mother-in-law, and these are baptised Catholics.' The church attack came just two weeks after Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, leaving 84 dead and injuring more than 300 people. The repeat attacks in France have raised tough questions about security failures, but also about the foreign funding of many mosques. Interior Minister Mr Cazeneuve said Monday that authorities have shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam since December. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on August 5 An impotent man found guilty of bludgeoning a sex worker with stiletto then slashing her throat is keeping his lips sealed on his motivation for the heinous killing. Chungaung Piao, 28, was convicted in June of murdering Sydney prostitute Ting Fang while she was working in a hotel in Adelaide's CBD, on New Year's Day 2015. The married father has this week lodged an appeal against his conviction and told his lawyer not to reveal his personal circumstances, reports Adelaide Now. Scroll down for video Ting Fang's lifeless body was found in a room of the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Adelaide Chungaung Piao, a 28-year-old married father from Adelaide, told his lawyer not to reveal his personal circumstances This stiletto is allegedly one of the weapons used to murder the 25-year-old, Sydney based sex worker Prosecution allege Piao struck Ms Fang over the head with her own stiletto (pictured) in her hotel room Mr Piao's lawyer, Defence lawyer Greg Mead, told Adelaide Supreme Court he was specifically instructed not to make any sentencing submissions. 'I'm in a position where I'm not able to say anything to Your Honour other than what came out at trial about my client.' Prosecutor Tim Preston said only basis the court's had in sentencing was his strong intention to kill and the victim was in a vulnerable position. 'We cannot say what that should be ... his motivation might have been something to do with money or something to do with sexual humiliation,' he said. The jury in South Australia's Supreme Court took five hours to unanimously decide Mr Piao had used Ms Fang's stiletto and a cleaning razor to murder her. Throughout the case, the jury heard evidence that the married father's thumb print was found on the bottom of the shoe used to hit the woman in the head, and the razor used to slice the sex-worker's throat matched a packet Piao had purchased for his cleaning business. Ms Fang was working out of a hotel room (pictured) when she was brutally murdered Piao has denied the charges put against him since his arrest and his counsel say someone else is responsible Jurors also heard that Ms Fang happily agreed to an extended overnight booking with Piao and texted her minder to say she was tired and would be able to earn a night's wages without having sex, as the 28-year-old man was impotent. Jurors were also told that Piao was being threatened over a $3000 debt when he booked an appointment with Ms Fang at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Adelaide. His bank accounts were also allegedly empty or overdrawn at the time, meaning he would not have been able to pay for the booking. Ms Fang's lifeless body was found with two V-shaped lacerations on her scalp and a 13cm, deep wound on her throat caused by two separate slashing motions. Piao has denied the charges since his arrest, and his counsel argued someone else was responsible for the young woman's death. State law suggests he will face a mandatory life sentence and a non-parole term of at least 20 years. The alarm was raised after the bath in her room began to flood on New Years Day 2015 An exclusive Cotswolds hotel has been accused of sexism after advertising for a porter, but said the job was 'not a role for ladies'. Whatley Manor, a five-star retreat near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, put up the controversial advert in the window of a nearby Post Office. It read: 'We are seeking people with driving licenses to join the team of Front of House Porters. Exclusive Cotswolds hotel Whatley Manor has been accused of sexism after advertising for a porter, but said in the advert (pictured) the job was 'not a role for ladies' 'The work involves moving luggage, moving cars, tending fires, generally taking deliveries, keeping the reception area tidy.' In brackets, it then adds: 'Sorry, it's just not a role for ladies.' Bosses at the award-winning hotel, where rooms cost up to 1,500 a night, said the advert was not supposed to offend. The five-star retreat (pictured) near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, put up the controversial advert in the window of a nearby Post Office But it was been met with anger from people living around Malmesbury, including world champion bodybuilder, Charlene Harvey, 36, who slammed the hotel for assuming every woman is 'weak'. 'There are physiological differences between a man and a woman, but a woman can train and be just as strong as a man,' she said. World champion bodybuilder, Charlene Harvey, 36, (pictured) who lives in Malmesbury slammed the hotel for assuming every woman is 'weak' 'You can't assume every woman is going to weak.' She added: 'I didn't think they were allowed to do things like this anymore. In today's industry it's a bit out of place.' And Twitter user Sarah Hirons described the author of the ad, which was put up in May and has recently been posted online, as 'medieval'. Gill Salter, HR boss at Whatley Manor, said the advert was not supposed to be placed in the Post Office but in a local school. The HR boss said: 'We didn't intend to discriminate or upset anybody and it is certainly not the normal advert we use. 'We were trying to make them understand that the role includes heavy lifting.' She added: 'We just had someone struggling in with big boxes so strength was one of the issues. 'Water delivery is really heavy so this was a practicality issue.' An official statement released by Whatley Manor added: 'We are very sorry for any offence caused by this particular advert.' out of the 146,000 in attendance Three music fans died after attending a weekend rave in California headlined by Ice Cube and Major Lazer. Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego; Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills, Los Angeles; and Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco died after attending last weekend's Hard Summer Music Festival in Fontana. They were among nine hospitalized following the outdoor event at Fontana's Auto Club Speedway attended by 146,000, according to organizers. Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego, (left) died after attending the Hard Hard Summer Music Festival in Fontana, California, over the weekend. Police have also identified Roxanne Ngo, 22 of Chino Hills, (right) as among the deceased People attend the HARD Summer Music Festival at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, on Sunday. Authorities say multiple people died after attending the weekend rave Mr Lee and Ms Dominguez died early on Sunday while Ms Ngo died early yesterday, the coroner said. The causes of death were under investigation but the deaths were all considered separate cases. 'We were deeply saddened to learn about the deaths of three people who attended the festival this weekend,' Hard Summer spokesman Alexandra Greenberg said in a statement. 'While the causes of the deaths have not yet been determined, we ask everyone to keep them in their prayers. 'Our sincerest thoughts and condolences are with their family and friends. Angel Ghaemi, 22, of Palos Verdes Estates, told the Los Angeles Times she had been waiting to leave the event when she encountered a woman who she later learned was Ms Dominguez dying. Alyssa Dominguez, as she appears on her Facebook page, died after attending the festival Ms Dominguez posted on Twitter about the extreme heat before the event at the weekend Ghaemi told the newspaper the woman's pupils were completely dilated and she had no pulse while her friends were sobbing and in shock. 'I tried to do CPR and nothing was working,' she said. 'We really needed a defibrillator and an ambulance. 'I can never forget. She looked beautiful, that's all I could think. It was the most surreal, life-changing moment of my life.' Friend Paolo Cruz posted pictures of himself and Ms Dominguez on Twitter. 'Still can't believe it's true... rest easy,' he said. Friend Paolo Cruz posted multiple tweets on social media remembering his friend Ms Ngo was a University of California Riverside student whose online blog detailed her background as the daughter of Vietnamese parents and how she was studying public policy so she could help people in the healthcare sector. 'Once I do graduate, I have big plans for my future,' she wrote. The Health Sciences Academy from her high school posted on Facebook today about her death, saying 'Goodbye Roxy'. 'It's with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to one of our own, Roxanne Ngo, who was in our very first HSA class,' the HSA wrote. 'She passed away this morning at 3AM. For those of us that knew her, she lit up a room when she entered it, with a sweet smile, a generous and loyal heart, kindness, and a genuine, sweet spirit. 'We won't say anymore here, out of respect for her family, but please keep her family in your prayers and thoughts.' Hard Summer was moved to Fontana this year after two young women died of drug overdoses at last year's event at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona. Roxanne Ngo as she appears on her Facebook page 'While the causes of the deaths have not yet been determined, we ask everyone to keep them in their prayers,' organizers said of the deaths in a statement. The parents of 19-year-old college student Katie Dix recently sued event promoter Live Nation, Los Angeles County and others over Dix's death, which authorities blamed on multiple-drug intoxication. The death of 18-year-old UCLA student Tracy Nguyen at the event was from an Ecstasy overdose, authorities said. The defendants have declined to comment on the lawsuit. Ecstasy is a popular drug at raves, where it's used to enhance the musical experience. It can lead to dehydration, however, causing concern among medical officials that its use in hot, crowded quarters where people sometimes dance for hours can lead to collapse and sometimes death. Temperatures in the Fontana area, 50 miles east of Los Angeles, have been in the 90s and one concertgoer said increased security at this year's event caused people to wait in line for up to two hours in the sun each day just to get in. In this photo from Saturday, rescue personnel carry a man off the concert grounds on a stretcher, for an unspecified reasons 'I think the venue they had it at this year wasn't that great,' said 20-year-old college student Annabelle Muljana who has attended the last three Hard Summers. 'All the different stages were really far apart so every time you wanted to check out a different artist you had to walk a long way in the heat. Also, the venue didn't have much shade. Everything was out in the open.' Muljana said she didn't see any obvious signs of drug use but did see medical personnel treating one young woman who had collapsed in the heat on Sunday. She believed the woman was later taken away in an ambulance. Some venues have banned raves in recent years amid mounting concern about overdoses. The popular Electric Daisy Carnival was moved to Las Vegas after the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum stopped holding raves following numerous drug overdoses and other problems. The Cow Palace in San Francisco banned them in 2010. Hard Events, founded in 2007 by music executive Gary Richards, who also performs as DJ Destructo, has grown dramatically in recent years and branched out to include hip hop as well as electronic dance music, or EDM. Ahead of last weekend's rave, Hard Summer officials posted a lengthy list of safety warnings on its website for people attending this year's event. They urged people to stay hydrated, take regular breaks from dancing and monitor themselves for any signs of heat exhaustion. The warnings also said illegal drugs would not be tolerated and that people bringing prescription drugs would have to check them with medical authorities. China has suggested it could pull its 100billion investment in the UK if Theresa May decides to cancel the Hinkley Point nuclear project. As the fall-out continues from Downing Street's surprise decision last week to put plans for the 18bn deal under review until the autumn, the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua wrote a strongly-worded article yesterday setting out its threats to the British economy. It said the 'new British Government' is jeopardising the 'hard-won mutual trust with China' and said the 'golden era' of co-operation with Britain could be over. The deal to build Britain's first nuclear plant for decades would be a third owned by the state-backed China General Nuclear Power Corp - the main obstacle as Downing Street is concerned about heavy Chinese involvement in the UK's national infrastructure. It added that China 'cannot tolerate any unwanted accusation against its sincere and benign willingness for win-win co-operation'. In further revelations over the troubled deal for Hinkley Point C, it emerged this morning that the head of the French energy giant EDF gave his fellow board members just two days to read 2,500 pages of contracts before they were asked to vote on whether to give the project the green light. A strongly-worded article by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua warned Theresa May (pictured right during a visit to Poland last week) not to jeopordise the 'hard-won mutual trust with China' that peaked last year when Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) made a famous state visit to the UK China suggested it could pull its 100billion investment in the UK if Theresa May decides to cancel the Hinkley Point nuclear project Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clarke (right) arrive for the first meeting of Theresa May's new Industrial Strategy Cabinet committee today, which could prove crucial for the Hinkley Point nuclear project The 17 board members of EDF, which is 85 per cent owned by the French government and has been contracted to build the expensive nuclear reactor, voted 10-7 in favour of going ahead with the project last week. Beijing's thinly-veiled attack on Mrs May's new administration also warned that in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, 'openness is the key way out'. The words from the agency - which reflects official views in Beijing - piles pressure on the new UK Prime Minister, who is chairing the first meeting of her new cabinet committee on industrial strategy today. She will attempt to distance herself from George Osborne's economic legacy by pledging to pursue a 'proper industrial strategy'. Culture Secretary Karen Buck (left) and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox (right) also attended the Industrial Strategy Cabinet committee today Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green (left) and Education Secretary Justine Greening (right) were present at the first meeting of the Industrial Strategy Cabinet committee today, which Theresa May wants to use to reboot the British economy following the Brexit vote But it could be undermined by the resignation of Lord O'Neill, the Treasury minister who has reportedly threatened to quit over Mrs May's anti-China stance. The alarming commentary from the state-run news agency was further proof of China's frustration at Downing Street's unwillingness to press ahead with the Hinkley Point C project on the north Somerset coast following the EDF board's long-awaited decision last week to approve the deal. Last night China's foreign ministry urged Britain to press ahead with the deal, with the ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said they had 'noted' the decision of Mrs May to review the project. She said: 'I would like to stress that this project was agreed upon by China, Britain and France in the spirit of mutual benefit and cooperation, and win-win cooperation, and has always had the strong support of Britain and France.' China 'hopes that Britain can reach a decision as soon as possible, to ensure the project's smooth implementation', she added, without elaborating. Co-operation: David Cameron with President Xi Jinping at a pub near Chequers last year It marked a dramatic shift in tone from the UK government after David Cameron and George Osborne spent years fostering closer relations with Beijing. Officially the Chinese government said it hoped for a speedy resolution to the Hinkley situation. But Xinhua reacted more strongly in a commentary that said China would not tolerate 'unwanted accusations' about its investments in the UK. It said the delay 'not only draws queries from the international community about its openness towards foreign investment, but also adds uncertainties to the 'golden era' of China-UK ties'. Xinhua went on: 'Giving the green light to a $24billion project can never be an easy decision, and China fully understands and respects the British government's requirement for more time to ponder. However, what China cannot understand is the 'suspicious approach' that comes from nowhere to Chinese investment in making the postponement.' Controversial: A computer-generated image of the HInkley Point reactor The news agency said China could 'wait for a rational British government to make responsible decisions, but cannot tolerate any unwanted accusation against its sincere and benign willingness for win-win co-operation'. Pressure is mounting on the Prime Minister to approve the Hinkley plans. As well as anger from China there are fears the French could claim 2.5billion compensation if the project is scrapped. French energy firm EDF has been contracted to build the plant in a joint venture with China General Nuclear. Last week EDF approved funding only to be told the Government would need until September to review the plans further. But officials at the energy giant told the Financial Times that chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy gave board members just 48 hours to review contracts - all written in English - on the Hinkley Point nuclear project before last week's crucial vote. Officials close to the board members opposed to the deal said many were pressured into supporting the deal. One board member - Gerard Magnin - quit just hours before the vote last Thursday in protest at the expense and viability of the project. President Xi Jinping: In a rare statement Chinese officials yesterday called for the Government to give Hinkley the go-ahead as soon as possible The 18bn project: A CGI image of Hinkley Point. Pressure is mounting on the Prime Minister to approve the Hinkley plans The Hinkley project has been mired in controversy. Originally slated to cost 10billion, the Government claims it will now cost 18billion. But critics say the final bill for building the power station could reach 29billion. And while it is now planned to be up and running in 2025, this is several years later than originally promised. There are further worries about the type of reactor because similar ones being built in Finland and France are years overdue and well over budget. The project is also controversial because it is, in effect, being built by foreign governments. EDF is 85 per cent owned by the French state, while one-third of the cost is being provided by Chinese investors. Meanwhile it has emerged that the French are expected to demand compensation for the 2.5billion they have already spent on Hinkley if the plans are scrapped. A source told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche: 'They would have to support the extra costs in case the negotiations are prolonged and the funds committed by EDF to prepare the site.' A former Central Investigation Bureau officer in Poland, Jacek Wrona, slammed the German government's response to terror attacks A former Central Investigation Bureau officer in Poland has claimed 'Western Europe is practically dead' and blamed Angela Merkel's migration policy for its demise. Jacek Wrona slammed the German government's response to terror attacks while appearing on a Polish chat show alongside military historian Dr Rafal Brzeski,wPolityce reports. Wrona compared the situation to the fall of the Roman Empire, saying: 'Europe is at the end of its existence. Western Europe is practically dead. 'These people live in a void, without ideas. And they come the young, who want to acquire wealth, as once did the barbarians. And they have the power.' He said the EU is suffering because of political correctness. 'The worst problem for services is political correctness. We need a sober judgment,' Wrona claimed. Dr Brzeski also criticised the German government's response to recent terror attacks. 'The Germans have had enough of this, which does not mean that the government has had enough. These are two different approaches,' he said. Their comments come after five separate incidents in Germany between July 18 and July 26. Angela Merkel set out a nine-point plan on Thursday to respond to the attacks, including an early warning system for the radicalisation of refugees The attacks, two of them claimed by Islamic State, also left dozens wounded and have burst any illusions that the country is immune to atrocities like those also claimed by Islamic State in neighbouring France. Dr Brzeski accused Germany of 'self-censorship' when it reports on terror attacks and said 'there is nothing worse than self-censorship in journalism'. Munich was the scene of the bloodiest of the German attacks, on July 22, in which an 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman killed nine people. Wrona said it would have been easy for the Munich shooter to get a gun because of free movement in the EU and 'the whole Balkans are flooded with weapons'. Right-wing activists marched in Berlin in May under the motto 'Merkel must go' to protest against German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her liberal asylum policy Two of the assailants in the other attacks, a Syrian asylum seeker who blew himself up in Ansbach and a refugee from either Pakistan or Afghanistan who attacked people on a train in Bavaria, had links to Islamist militancy, officials say. The Munich gunman did not. Critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel have blamed the attacks on her open-door refugee policy, under which over a million migrants, many fleeing war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, entered Germany in the past year. Merkel set out a nine-point plan on Thursday to respond to the attacks, including an early warning system for the radicalisation of refugees. But she refused to reverse her welcoming stance toward refugees. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer arrive for Wagner's opera 'Tristan and Isolde' at the Bayreuth Festival, in Bayreuth, Germany, on Monday The German leader said the assailants 'wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need'. 'We firmly reject this,' she said. Merkel repeated her rallying cry from last year when she opened the borders to people fleeing war and persecution, many from Syria, which brought nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees to Germany in 2015. 'I am still convinced today that 'we can do it' - it is our historic duty and this is a historic challenge in times of globalisation,' she said. 'We have already achieved very, very much in the last 11 months.' President Joachim Gauck said he understood why many Germans were shaken after the attacks, but Germany would not submit to the assailants. Dennis Clark, candidate for Tennessee State Representative for the 28th Legislative District will host a community meeting addressing gun violence on Wednesday, at the Archway Building at 2523 Glass Street, starting at 11:30 a.m. Mr. Clark will meet with community members and leaders to address and discuss ways on how to coordinate community based grass roots efforts to combat the citys escalating issues involving gun violence and youth delinquency. During this time, he will also give a brief statement regarding his brothers tragic death and will unveil a collaborative initiative designed to address economic and social inequities plaguing the urban community. Mr. Clark said, I have spent my career and this campaign advocating for safer streets and stronger communities. Although my heart is heavy and there is nothing I can do now to bring my brother back, I will dry my tears and continue this campaign, this fight against gun violence, so that no more mothers or fathers will have to bury their child to another senseless act of violence in Chattanooga. Whale encounters do not get much closer than this! A French tourist captured an enormous 18 meter long fin whale rising to feast just inches from a boat full of people. The captain had never seen anything like it. Eric Mouellic was on his first trip to Canada and decided to go whale watching by Tadoussac in Quebec. Open wide: The moment a 50 tonne fin whale breaches by a boat of tourists in Quebec He could not have hoped to have had a better view of the world's second biggest mammal. The huge 50 tonne fin whale broke the surface to swallow krill just inches away from the boat with a crowd of tourists on board. It then plunged down underneath the vessel heading back to the deep. Mr Mouellic's footage of the rare-encounter has now gone viral after he uploaded it on YouTube last weekend. The best recorded angle of the breach currently has over 300,000 views. Mr Mouellic told CBC News: 'We were really lucky. Within 15 minutes of our departure, we saw porpoises, seals, belugas and several finback whales. Out of my whale! The 18m long mammal almost crashes into the vessel after rising to feast Close encounter: The whale then plunges down underneath the boat returning to the deep 'It was already marvelous. Then there were these two finbacks, one of which passed under the Zodiac without touching the boat. It was, in fact, magic.' He added the boat operator said he had never seen anything like it in 15 years. Whales try to avoid hitting boats, which is why in the video the mammal turns on its side to escape a collision. Britain's new representative in Brussels will be put in charge of tackling terrorism across the European Union. Sir Julian King is being made Commissioner for the Security Union in a surprise move by the executive's president, Jean-Claude Juncker. The outgoing UK ambassador to France was not expected to be handed a high profile portfolio given Britain's vote to quit the bloc. The announcement comes soon after a spate of so-called 'lone wolf' attacks in France and Germany, including the Bastille Day massacre in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest in Normandy. Sir Julian King, a career diplomat, will be responsible for leading on counter terrorism after being appointed as Britain's new EU commissioner Security is a 'pressing challenge' and the wave of terror attacks in France, Germany and Brussels underline the need for 'swift progress', Mr Juncker said. Sir Julian will be expected to come up with 'concrete' action to tackle terrorism, prevent radicalisation, disrupt organised crime and fight cybercrime, he added. The new commissioner has been tasked with drawing up measures to deal with returning foreign terrorist fighters, improving information and intelligence sharing and boosting protection for critical infrastructure and soft targets. Sir Julian, whose appointment on the commission must be approved by MEPs, will report to a series of vice-presidents who form Mr Juncker's top team. Despite the Brexit vote, the UK remains a full member with the right to one of the 28 seats on the powerful Commission until it has formally left the EU. Mr Juncker said all commissioners must be 'very determined and very responsible' in their work and must only have the 'promotion of the general interest of the Union in mind'. A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We welcome this decision by the President of the European Commission. 'The UK will continue to fulfil our rights and obligations as a member state until we leave the EU and the Prime Minister has been clear that we will be an active player so it is right that we should continue to have a Commissioner role. 'Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face. 'The President called the Prime Minister yesterday evening to inform her of his decision. We now look forward to Sir Julian being confirmed in the role.' Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker today handed Britain the crucial counter terrorism and security brief despite the Brexit vote Sir Julian was sent to Brussels to fill the vacancy left when former commissioner Lord Hill of Oareford resigned in the wake of the referendum. A career diplomat, he took up an ambassadorial posting in Paris in February this year, having previously served as ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2011. He spent five years in Brussels from 2004-09, first as part of the UK representation to the EU and then as chief of staff in the office of the British Commissioner, serving under Lord Mandelson and Lady Ashton. Is Nigel Farage top of the list? Juncker says he keeps a black book of all the political foes who have betrayed him EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker has admitted he keeps a 'little black book' with the names of people who have betrayed him. The European Commission president said he calls the book, 'Little Maurice'. 'It's where for 30 years I've made a note when someone betrays me,' he said. The former prime minister of Luxembourg would not reveal who was named in it, but said it 'doesn't have many entries, because people rarely betray me'. Rivals: Jean-Claude Juncker and former Ukip leader Nigel Farage are famous for their clashes during European Parliament sessions He told Belgian newspaper Le Soir: 'I've never taken revenge, [but] I take my precautions. The book's name comes from a common German expression: The bitterness of little Maurice. 'In Luxembourg, when someone was irritating me, I would say, "Careful, Little Maurice is waiting for you".' Mr Juncker is expected to take a hardline against Britain over Brexit negotiations. He last week appointed Frenchman Michel Barnier as the Commission's lead negotiator. Yesterday he defended the choice, saying: 'Michel Barnier is a good guy. The British don't like him but that doesn't mean that he doesn't like the British.' Meanwhile, it emerged last night that Britain could face a demand from Brussels for billions of pounds towards pensions for Eurocrats when it leaves the European Union. Spat: The European Commission president revealed he keeps a little black book with the names of his political rivals The country could be asked to contribute towards the 50billion total pension liability for all current and retired EU officials, the Financial Times reported. EU pensions are covered on a 'pay-asyou-go' basis from the EU budget rather than through employee contributions invested into a fund. Around 1,730 Britons make up the 22,000 retired EU officials drawing pensions at present. An investigation into the life of a 76-year-old man who faces trial next week for murdering his first wife 54 years ago has unearthed a staggering trail of mysteries. Felix Vail is suspected of murdering Mary Horton Vail, whose body was pulled from the Calcasieu River in Louisiana in 1962. He claimed she drowned while they were out fishing but he had taken out life insurance on his wife two months earlier and an autopsy later revealed she had a large bruise to the back of the neck and a scarf pushed in her mouth. Scroll down for video Felix Vail (left) is now an old man but one ex-girlfriend said that as a younger man he was handsome and 'sexy' and he himself has admitted having slept with hundreds of women. He is accused of murdering his first wife Mary Horton Vail (right) Vail, who was once a blond-haired, blue-eyed Adonis who claimed to have bedded hundreds of women, was indicted in June 2013 for second degree murder but is also suspected of killing two other ladies. It has now emerged that three months before he was charged a brassy private investigator nicknamed 'Batgirl' had covertly recorded hours of conversation with the unsuspecting Vail at his home in Canyon Lake, Texas. Gina Frenzel, a redhead who is a ringer for Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy, had read Gone, a short book on Kindle about Vail by veteran Mississippi investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell. She emailed Mitchell in March 2013 and offered to go and talk to Vail. Mitchell, who had been unable to get Vail to talk, told her: 'He won't talk to you' but Frenzel was undeterred and went to see him posing as an insurance investigator looking into a neighbor's house fire. She wore a low-cut top but hid a recording device in her bra. Vail was tricked into talking to her and ended up telling her how he had drunk animal blood and also said he knew a lot about killing. Astonishingly at one point Frenzel even managed to snoop around in his belongings and took photographs of 13 pairs of women's earrings which Vail appeared to have kept as souvenirs. Vail is still being investigated in connection with the mysterious disappearance of a girlfriend, Sharon Hensley, who went missing in 1973, and also his second wife, Annette Craver Vail, who disappeared in 1984. If found guilty he will automatically receive a life sentence without parole. Felix Vail is known to have lived in various places across the southern U.S. in the last 50 years and was known to have dated hundreds of women during that time. So far he is only charged with one murder, in Lake Charles, in 1962 Jerry Mitchell (left), a veteran investigative reporter with the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Mississippi, tracked down Felix Vail (right) but was unable to persuade him to talk Vail is known to have lived all over the southern United States but he grew up in Montpelier, Mississippi and lived there between 1989 and 2012. But in May 2012 Mitchell tracked him down to a trailer there and began asking him awkward questions about the missing and dead women in his life. Vail skipped town shortly after and rocked up in Texas and it was there that Frenzel befriended him and gained his confidence. She recorded him talking about 'killing people, murdering, pain, incapacitating people.' Gina Frenzel, a sassy private investigator and is nicknamed Batgirl, managed to get Vail to talk for hours and recorded it covertly He also said he and another man had 'enough autonomy that we are held in suspicion by all of our family and friends for being able to think of something and do it without looking at whether it's legal or not, or permissible by society or not.' Vail told her he liked to eat 'live raw meat' and said: 'If you were going to eat animals, you would have to kill them and drink the blood. Suck it out of the body and drink it right then. That would be live meat.' At one point point he talked about his missing wife, Annette, and Frenzel said: 'His eyes got huge. It was the most evil look I've ever seen.' Annette Craver Vail's mother, Mary Rose, had spent years investigating Vail, convinced he killed and disposed of her daughter. But she was a lone voice in the wind until she heard Mitchell on the radio talking about the 'Mississippi Burning' case - which he had exposed. Mitchell, who works for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, told Mail Online: 'She contacted me in 2010 and said "Would you be interested in a serial killer who lives in Mississippi?".' Two years later she visited Mississippi and showed Mitchell masses of documents she had found about Vail. She showed him almost identical letters he wrote to the families of both Annette and Sharon Hensley saying they had gone away with an Australian couple because they wanted to start over and travel the world. Mitchell said he showed a copy of the post mortem on Mary Horton Vail to pathologist and world-renowned expert, Dr Michael Baden, who said he was confident it was a homicide. A husband in Kenya hacked his wife's hands off with a machete for failing to conceive after seven years of marriage - even though he was impotent. Jackline Mwende was brutally slashed by Stephen Ngila at her home in Masii, Machakos County after he told her 'Today is your last day'. The 34-year-old is said to have flown into a rage because she had failed to conceive during their marriage - despite doctors saying he was the reason their inability to have children. Scroll down for video Jackline Mwende (pictured) was brutally slashed by Stephen Ngila at her home in Masii, Machakos County after he told her 'Today is your last day' Medics told him last year that his fertility problem could be rectified with treatment - but he failed to show up for appointments, Kenyans reports. After splitting for three months, he returned to their home and attacked her with a large machete - chopping off both of his wife's hands. Mwende, 27, was also left with horrific injuries to her head. The case has sparked outrage in Kenya. Revealing her ordeal, Mwende told The Nation: 'He moved out of our house three months ago and came back on Sunday (July 24) at around 8.30pm. When I opened the door, he said "today is your last day" and started slashing me with the panga.' She later called for Ngila to he jailed for life 'for being heartless and wanting to kill me despite my love for him.' Mwende, 27, was also left with horrific injuries to her head. The case has sparked outrage in Kenya Ngila was arrested a day after the incident and remains in police custody. Naitore Nyamu, from the African office of Equality Now, which promotes women's rights, told MailOnline: 'This is a particularly shocking case for Kenya, where we have been working for many years to end all forms of violence against women. 'We are glad that the police have made an arrest so quickly and hope that the law is now fully enforced. We can't afford to let perpetrators act with impunity, which has sometimes been the case here in years gone by. 'The government needs to take a zero tolerance stance on protecting the rights of women and girls. 'It needs to ensure that Kenyan police are properly trained to deal with cases like this sensitively and effectively. The majority of Americans learn from an early age that their presidents are constitutionally limited to serve two terms. But the news came as a shock to one four-year-old girl who burst into tears when she discovered President Obama would soon be leaving office. Abella Tomlin, from Beaverton, Oregon, was told the news by her mother, who had been listening to speeches at the Democratic National Convention in the car. A four-year-old girl from Beaverton, Oregon, burst into tears when she discovered President Obama would soon be leaving office With the waterworks well and truly open, Abella Tomlin asked her mom Andrea if she could watch a movie as it 'would make me feel better'. The little girl wailed 'I miss Obama,' when her mother asked her why she was so sad. Andrea explained: 'Abella has been an Obama fan since day one. She has grown up with him as a hero in our household, and as such has always talked about how much she loves him. 'I was just listening to the DNC speeches, and she asked me what they were talking about. Abella Tomlin, from Beaverton, Oregon, was told the news by her mother, who was listening to speeches at the Democratic National Convention in the car With the waterworks well and truly open, Abella asked her mum Andrea if she could watch a movie as it 'would make me feel better' 'So I explained to her that the country is getting ready to elect a new president. 'She immediately had tears running down her face and explained to me that Barack Obama was our president and how could we get a new one when we already had one.' In a bid to console her devastated daughter, Andrea asked Abella whether she thought Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton would make a good President. After replying she thought so, she doubled down and admitted she would still miss President Obama. The little girl wailed 'I miss Obama,' when her mother asked her why she was so sad Andrea explained: 'Abella has been an Obama fan since day one. She has grown up with him as a hero in our household.' Andrea added: 'After the video ended, Abella asked if we could 'just pretend that Obama would still be the president' and could he please have dinner with us. 'I don't allow her to see anything about Trump. 'If we can't have Obama, then Hillary is the one for us.' President Obama will leave office on January 20 next year, when the 45th president is inaugurated. He will be replaced by either the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton or the Republican pick Donald Trump, who are battling it out to be elected on November 8. Sydney woman said they were 'celebrating' snowfall until they were stuck No one was injured and crews manage to clear the roads by 10.30pm Drivers were 'caught by surprise' by heavy snow and some slid into a ditch More than 80 people have been rescued by emergency services after their cars became trapped in heavy snowfall for over five hours. Police and State Emergency Services volunteers travelled to Jenolan Caves, west of the Blue Mountains in NSW on Tuesday evening after 80 people in 14 vehicles including seven buses, became bogged. A number of the drivers were 'caught by surprise' by the snow and some of the vehicles slid into a ditch. Police and State Emergency Services volunteers travelled to Jenolan Caves, west of the Blue Mountains in NSW on Tuesday Dozens of sightseers are stranded in freezing conditions after their vehicles became bogged in snow at Jenolan Caves Snow fell in and around Oberon and Jenolan Caves on Tuesday, leaving a number of vehicles trapped No one was injured. By 10.30pm, three SES crews had managed to pull the vehicles out of the ditch while the passengers 'remained warm' on board. As the snow continued to blanket the roads, rescue trucks dragged the tourist buses back to safer ground. A Sydney woman said the sightseers initially 'celebrated' the snow on their drive home after exploring the caves. 'We saw the snow falling and we were celebrating, but as we got further up the road it started to get heavier and we just got stuck,' Rebecca said. Rebecca (pictured), from Sydney, said the sightseers initially 'celebrated' the snow on their drive home after exploring the caves By 10.30pm, three SES crews had managed to pull the vehicles out of the ditch while the passengers 'remained warm' on board As the snow continued to blanket the roads, rescue trucks dragged the tourist buses back to safer ground SES Assistant Commissioner Greg Newton praised the work of the volunteers About 80 people, and 14 vehicles including seven buses, were stuck in the heavy snow 'If it's not possible to get those vehicles on their way we'll look at what else we need to do to be able to look after those people' an SES spokesperson said A number of roads were closed in and around Jenolan Caves due to the heavy snow fall 'We had one car that went up ahead of us and we hope he got through okay, but we can't go any further. Rebecca said the unfortunate weather comes just a day after her wedding. SES Assistant Commissioner Greg Newton praised the work of the volunteers, as locals now prepare for an east coast low to further affect the mid north coast overnight. SES will monitor the situation into the night and decide whether to move the stranded people to a safer location 'We saw the snow falling and we were celebrating, but as we got further up the road it started to get heavier and we just got stuck,' Rebecca said Vehicles were trapped in the thick snow until about 10.30pm The tourist buses were back on course after about five hours of being trapped in a ditch Mr Newton praised the work of the volunteers, as the SES prepare for an east coast low expected to further affect the mid north coast on Wednesday Four relatives will stay in UK - but their case will no longer set precedent The Home Office today won an appeal against a landmark ruling allowing four Syrian refugees from the Calais 'Jungle' camp in Calais to come to Britain - but they can still stay in the UK. The case could have set a legal precedent that allows many other refugees wanting to cross the Channel from France to come to Britain. The young men - three teenagers and a mentally-ill 26-year-old - wanted to be reunited with their siblings in the UK. The group will not be deported from Britain, but today's ruling means that others in Calais must apply for asylum in France first before trying to get to the UK. It also means child refugees in migrant camps do not have an automatic right to join relatives in the UK. Battle: Four Syrian refugees who won a landmark legal case to come to Britain after living in France have lost their case at the Court of Appeal - but they will stay in the UK The four have a legal entitlement to come to the UK to seek asylum because their relatives are already legally living here. Under EU law known as the Dublin regulation they would only be allowed to join their relatives in Britain if they had already applied for asylum in France. Their legal team refugees had argued that the boys faced 'intolerable' conditions in the camp in breach of their human rights. The court heard that all the men have been traumatised, that several of them suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and that squalid conditions at the camp aggravated these health problems. Their lawyers in Britain successfully argued that because of bureaucratic failings in France and the refugees' entitlement to a family life under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, they should immediately be brought to Britain and their asylum applications processed here. But today three Court of Appeal judges ruled in favour of the Home Office appeal against the ruling. The judges said they 'allowed' the Home Office's appeal in the case. The ruling stated that bypassing the Dublin III Regulation 'can only be justified in an especially compelling case'. At an earlier hearing, James Eadie QC, acting for the Home Office, said: The appeal was necessary because the approach of the tribunal has potentially far-reaching and serious consequences for the ability of the United Kingdom to control its borders and for the integrity of the Dublin III system. Upset: Their legal team refugees had argued that the boys faced 'intolerable' conditions in the Calais camp (pictured) in breach of their human rights It went on: 'In the light of the psychiatric evidence before the Upper Tribunal about the first four respondents and the evidence of the French lawyers and NGOs adduced by the respondents suggesting that there would be a delay of just under one year in the French system and that there was no possibility of expedition, the result the tribunal reached may have been justifiable. 'I am, however, not entirely persuaded that, had the tribunal applied the correct test, it must inevitably have reached the same conclusion. 'In those circumstances, the appropriate course would normally have been to remit the matter to the tribunal for reconsideration. 'However...I have concluded that it would be inappropriate to take that course. I would therefore simply allow the appeal and make no further order.' YOUNG AFGHAN RECALLS HIS TIME IN CALAIS 'JUNGLE' Afghan refugee Ali spent seven months in the 'Jungle' camp in Calais before he finally met a British volunteer worker who helped bring him legally to Britain. Now settled and living with his sister in England, he remembers those long months in the sprawling camp as dark days when he nearly gave up hope. Ali, 16 - whose name the Press Association has changed because he is a child, said every night he would join the desperate crowds who would try to stow themselves into lorries making their way to Britain. Speaking in English, he told the Press Association: 'It was very hard in Calais, it was very cold and sometimes you would have no food. 'Four or five times a week I would try to get onto a lorry, but the French police or the terror guards would check them and force us out. Once, the terror police hurt my leg and arm by hitting me with their baton. 'I knew people who died in Calais - people would hide themselves in refrigerated lorries full of vegetables. 'I just wanted to finish my life. I was tired of this life - tired of constantly trying to get to the UK. I had so many problems'. Asked how his life in Britain compares to his time in Calais, Ali laughed. 'You cannot compare my life here in Britain with Calais - it is so much better now', he said. Getting help and legal advice through Citizens UK, he applied to come to Britain under the Dublin III regulation and is now enrolled in college and hopes to one day become a politician. The charity is calling on the Home Office to do more to find other boys and girls like Ali and reunite them with their families already living in Britain. Advertisement Campaigners are angry about the decision. George Gabriel, a campaigner with Citizens UK which helped to bring the the case on behalf of the Syrians, warned that the ruling will make reuniting refugee children with their families in Britain harder. He said: 'When we brought this case, it was an enormous kick up the a*** for the Government, and the system is now working better because 50 children have been brought to Britain since the case. 'But it means that charities like ours will have to continue identifying children one by one, taking them through a lengthy bureaucratic process as they have to wait to be reunited with their loved ones. 'Today is a great day for bureaucrats because it means that the letter of the process will have to be followed despite the clearly unacceptable wait this leaves refugee children facing. 'We fear this means many will take the situation into their own hands, choosing between people traffickers on the one hand and train tracks on the other.' The Bishop of Barking, Peter Hill, a spokesman for Citizens UK, said: 'We are disappointed that the Home Office's appeal has been upheld. Relying on volunteers and lawyers to identify refugee children who may be eligible for family reunification, and then relying on those lawyers to process the claims child by child and case by case is inefficient, costly to the taxpayer, and hugely stressful for the children. 'Citizens UK is calling on the Home Office to establish a functional system for identifying refugee children with potential claims to family reunification in the UK. At the current rate of reunification it will take a year before all the children in Calais are reunited with their families. This is forcing children to take matters into their own hands, stowing away in lorries or vans. 'We know of two boys who have died in the last 12 months trying to reach their families in the UK. 'The Government has a legal and a moral responsibility to ensure that refugee children who have close family members in the UK are granted safe passage.' The Home Office has said more than 30 children have been accepted for transfer to the UK under the new Immigration Act and that over 100 children have been accepted under the Dublin regulations since the start of the year. A spokesman said: 'We welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal to recognise the principle that those seeking protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. 'Any request to unite family members under the Dublin Regulation is carefully considered. Where someone seeking asylum elsewhere in the EU can demonstrate they have close family members legally in the UK, we will take responsibility for that claim.' And Los Angeles Ethics Commission is now demanding he pay fine for leak A police officer accused of racism after he arrested Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts is being told to pay a $10,000 fine for leaking audio of the incident. Sergeant James Parker released a recording of his encounter with Watts after she was found having sex in a parked car in an attempt to show the arrest was not racially motivated. But now the Los Angeles Ethics Commission is demanding recently retired Parker admits he was wrong to release the tape - or else hand over the money. Sergeant James Parker (left) released a recording of his encounter with Daniele Watts (right) after she was found having sex in a parked car in an attempt to show the arrest was not racially motivated If the officer admits his guilt, the Ethics Commission would reduce the fine to $2,500, reports TMZ. In September 2014, Parker approached Watts after onlookers complained she was having sex with her boyfriend in a car with the door open outside the CBS studios in Los Angeles. Parker, who was with two other officers, told Watts she would just be detained but then arrested her when she refused to hand over her ID. She claimed the police were heavy-handed and left her 'wrist bleeding in pain' and said the whole affair left her humiliated. Her boyfriend, Brian James Lucas, specifically said on Facebook the LAPD arrested them after they assumed his girlfriend was a prostitute because they saw an interracial couple. But now the Los Angeles Ethics Commission is demanding recently retired Parker (pictured) admits he was wrong to release the tape - or else hand over the money In the immediate aftermath, prominent civil rights leaders took up Watts' cause. But they then asked her to apologize when the audio - leaked to TMZ - was made public. Parker said the recordings showed he was simply responding to 911 calls and behaved reasonably during their encounter. He added that it was Watts' attitude and uncooperative nature that led to her arrest. Pictures obtained by TMZ showed Daniele Watts straddling her boyfriend Brian James Lucas in his car while the couple steady themselves with their hands on the car sunroof In the recording, Watts told Parker: 'Do you know how many times the cops have been called just for being black? 'Just because I am black and he's white? I'm just being really honest.' In May last year, Watts pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace with loudness. She was ordered to write an apology to three police officers and the occupants of a building near where she was briefly detained. The skateboarder smashed the car then tried to lure the driver outside Driver beeped him then clipped into the board while passing by Police are hunting for a skateboarder who An infuriated skateboarder severely dented a car after smashing it with his board in a shocking road rage attack. The driver of the 2005 red Mazda 3 beeped their horn at the skateboarder in Queenslands Brisbane on Sunday afternoon about 3pm. The driver accidentally clipped the skateboard, prompting the skater to punch the car window and swing his board into the car, reports the Courier Mail An infuriated skateboarder left a car severely dented after smashing it with his skateboard (pictured) After damaging the car the skater then tried to lure the driver outside for a brawl. The driver went to a nearby police station to report the incident. Police are now hunting for the skateboarder, who took off in an unknown direction. The incident took place at South Pine and Pullen Road at Brisbane's Everton Park. Teen slain: Two 12-year-old boys have been charged in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jose Angel Mendoza in North Carolina Two 12-year-old boys from North Carolina have been charged in the killing of a teenager who was found fatally shot behind a church in Winston-Salem. The two underage suspects were arrested Monday and each charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of 15-year-old Jose Angel Chegue Mendoza. Police say Mendoza was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds at around 8.45pm on Friday in an open area behind the Progressive Apostolic Church on Crews Street in Winston-Salem. He was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where he died. Police Lt. Eric Montgomery says investigators are not releasing any further information about the boys charged because they are juveniles. Hallowed ground: Mendoza was found shot multiple times behind the Progressive Apostolic Church in Winston-Salem (pictured) on July 29 Investigators had previously said that the shooting was not random, and they believed that the victim and shooters knew each other. Lt Montgomery said it will be up to the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office to decide whether to ask a judge if prosecutors can try the boys as adults. Jose Mendoza is survived by his parents, two brothers and sister Yazlin. The boy's older brother said Jose loved skateboarding, boxing and cars. He was the type of kid if he saw you struggling, and he had one loaf of bread left, he would give you it, Chino Mendoza told the station WNCN. On his Facebook page, Chino wrote of his slain brother: 'I had so much hope for you, I was so proud of you.' Family in mourning: Jose is survived by two brothers (pictured) and sister Yazlin (center) The rising freshman was remembered by those who knew him as a nice boy who was excited to start high school this fall Danyelle Parker, Jose Mendoza's former principal at Mineral Springs Middle School, remembered the rising freshman as quiet and respectful. Deena DeShazor, Jose's seventh-grade language teacher, told The Winston-Salem Journal that even though he was an average student and was not always quick to raise his hand in class, he was smart and knew the answer when she called on him. Jose, whose nickname was 'Rico Suave' because of his relaxed demeanor and good looks, was one of the students DeShazor kept tabs on after graduation. You couldnt help but fall in love with him, she said. Jose was a special boy and I just hate that his life ended so soon because I know he was going to be phenomenal. Yazlin Mendoza has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise $2,000 to cover her brother's funeral expenses. Ms Mendoza wrote online that her younger brother 'wasn't a bad child,' but rather ended up 'in the wrong place at the wrong time.' ISIS has urged its supporters to 'break the cross' and called Jesus a 'slave to Allah' in the latest issue of its propaganda magazine, Dabiq. The 15th issue of the twisted multi-lingual publication appears to try and convert Christians and attempts to claim that ISIS is in fact Islamic. 'In essence, we explain why they must abandon their infidelity and accept Islam, the religion of sincerity and submission to the Lord of the heavens and the earth,' the magazine says. The editorial claims Jesus himself is a 'slave of Allah' and that 'the true religion of Jesus Christ is a pure monotheistic submission'. It adds that when Jesus returns in the final days he will 'wage jihad for the cause of Allah'. Propaganda: ISIS have released the latest issue of their Dabiq magazine The jihadi author goes on to reason that the masses are too scared to call the group Islamic because its 'politically incorrect'. He notes there are 'exceptions among the disbelievers... who will unabashedly declare that jihad and the laws of the Shariah as well as everything else deemed taboo by the Islam-is-a-peaceful-religion crowd are in fact completely Islamic'. The article says these people tend to have far less credibility and 'are painted as a social fringe, so their voices are dismissed and a large segment of the ignorant masses continues believing the false narrative'. 'As such, it becomes important for us to clarify to the West in unequivocal terms yet again why we hate you and why we fight you.' The comment comes after Pope Francis said the world is at war in the wake of an ISIS supporter murdering a priest in France - but insisted it is not a 'war of religions'. The magazine features a whole editorial titled Why We Hate You and Why We Fight You. The list-style article explains 'we hate you, first and foremost, because you are disbelievers; you reject the oneness of Allah whether you realize it or not'. The other six reasons ISIS hates everyone who isn't a member of its terror group is because they are reportedly 'liberal', 'atheist', commit 'crimes against Islam' and 'crimes against the Muslims' and invade 'our lands'. 'As long as there is an inch of territory left for us to reclaim, jihad will continue to be a personal obligation on every single Muslim,' the propaganda piece states. The magazine begins by taking responsibility for all the recent terror attacks carried out by followers of its message, including those in Wurzburg (where an Afghan teenager carried out an axe attack on a train) the massacres in Nice and Orlando and the attack of the French priest. The operations, according to Dabiq, were carried out 'the hidden soldiers of the Caliphate', 'led to the martyrdom of twelve soldiers of the Caliphate and the deaths and injuries of more than six hundred Crusaders', and were aimed at the 'cross-worshippers and democratic pagans of the West.' Ideology: The magazine attempts to explain why ISIS hates everyone who isn't a follower of its twisted ideology It includes an apparent admission that the French and German attacks were by 'our brothers' and 'soldiers of the caliphate' individuals acting largely independently of the Islamic State's central organisation. In his attack on the Orlando nightclub, the magazine brags, Omar Mateen 'succeeded in massacring the filthy Crusaders, killing and injuring more than 100 of them before he was killed. The operation was reported as being the most deadly attack in America since the Manhattan raid 15 years ago.' In the attack on the French church in Normandy, two 'soldiers of the caliphate' killed 'a priest and wounded a number of others before being killed.' The issue, full of impenetrable jargon, arcane footnotes and obscure religious references, takes aim at 'sodomites', secularists, smokers of marijuana and feminism. Supporters: Islamic State fighters wave flags along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa after the group seized the city in 2014 'The Western woman', says one of its writers, 'is encouraged to compete with men in the workplace, to display of her body what no man ever displays, and to be more promiscuous than any prostitute has ever been. Another article about the 'near-extinction of the Western woman' advises women not to 'imitate man' and to cleave to motherhood, 'while his father works as the breadwinner and she obeys her husband as his wife.' The article bemoans that 'more and more women abandon motherhood, wifehood, chastity, femininity, and heterosexuality, the true woman in the West has become an endangered creature.' Brutality: A recent ISIS video shows Islamic State religious police reportedly chopping off the hand of an alleged thief in Raqqa, Syria Boasting: The foreword of the magazine references the recent attacks claimed by ISIS Dabiq's leading story, titled Break the Cross, criticises Christian and Jewish theology and a short essay called 'By the Sword' looks at the cross over between violence and religion. 'The clear difference between Muslims and the corrupt and deviant Jews and Christians is that Muslims are not ashamed of abiding by the rules sent down from their Lord regarding war and enforcement of divine law,' the article says. The propaganda rag also references the controversy surrounding Donald Trump and the parents of a dead Muslim U.S. soldier Capt. Humayun Khan. Ghazala Khan and her husband, Khizr Khan, first made headlines last week when they spoke at the Democratic National Convention, critiquing Trump's divisive rhetoric against Muslims and their son, who died fighting for the U.S. in Iraq in 2004. In response, Trump claimed he was 'viciously attacked' by the couple and denied the opportunity to respond to their claims. The magazine features a picture of Khan's grave with the caption: 'Beware of dying as an apostate'. Controversy: The magazine referenced the fallout between Donald Trump and the parents of Muslim U.S. soldier Capt. Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq in 2004 Previous issues of the publication have targeted Shi'ite Muslims, journalists, even the Muslim Brotherhood. Recent issues of Dabiq have ventured into territory both obscure and surreal, provoking ridicule on social media and allegations among analysts that ISIS is 'jumping the shark' in its efforts to reach out to a new audience. In this issue an article called 'Contemplate the Creation' features a picture a picture of a young jihadi holding a kitten, a common trope in ISIS propaganda, and a bizarre aside on the proper relationships between men and women which draws on the secret life of bees. 'The different members of the colony all know their responsibilities and are able to communicate with each other in a language unknown to other creatures', says its writer sagely. Jason Barnes to thank him She was reunited with human chain The woman rescued from her stranded car by a human chain in severe flooding in Maryland at the weekend has reportedly met and thanked the man who organised the rescue effort and carried her to safety. Jamie Knight, 29, has been revealed as the person in the car in the dramatic cellphone footage shot of the flooding in Ellicott City on Saturday. And Jason Barnes, who owns nearby story All Time Toys, was named as the man who risked his life, fell into the rushing waters before regaining his footing and carrying Ms Knight to safety. Scroll down for video Jamie Knight was reunited with rescuer James Barnes after his human chain effort saved her Jamie Knight thought she wouldn't make it, but she managed to jump out of her car window and was picked up by one of the rescuers, Jason Barnes During a reunion filmed by local television station WUSA9, Ms Knight and Ms Barnes met for the first time after she had previously expressed a desire to meet her then anonymous rescuer and tell him 'I really owe you'. Ms Knight told him: 'Thank you so much.' Mr Barnes responded: 'Not a problem. It was the decent thing to do.' But Mr Barnes has jokingly revealed the welcome was not as warm when he returned home to his wife. Ms Knight and Mr Barnes meet, with the woman thanking him for saving her life 'She yelled at me first, in tears (and) told me never to do it again,' he told WUSA9. He said everyone in the chain was a hero and typical of the town which had been through natural disasters before. 'We didnt expect anyone to survive.' he said. 'It's just the neighborly love that is always there. There was me and three other people who helped get her out. 'I was the last link in a very strong chain.' Ms Knight at first tried to steer her car into safety but was pulled by the rushing waters Mr Barnes formed a human chain to help Ms Knight, trapped in her car, escape the flood In a video posted by another local business owner, Ms Knight was almost swept away by the fast flowing water as she tried to drive through the deluge. 'Get out, get out,' one person screamed to her off-camera. At least four people are then seen linking hands as they desperately edge closer to the stranded driver. 'You're not going to make it!' one of the rescuers tells her. 'I can't get out,' she replies, trying to climb out of her car's window. 'You have to,' another rescuer responds. Mr Barnes fell while trying to reach the car and was pulled by the flood. He managed to stay up and reached the car Several people joined hands to get closer to Ms Knight as her car was pulled by violent flooding that destroyed Ellicott City The man at the end closest to the car, Mr Barnes, was briefly pulled by the water, but managed to hang on to the car. He helped the woman out of the car and carried her in his arms, before they were both pulled back to safety. Ms Knight told WUSA9 she was not a strong swimmer. The actor has also praised Bernie Sanders for his remarks on climate change, calling the Vermont Hillary Clinton is heading to Hollywood yet again later this month for another big ticket fundraiser. The presidential hopeful will be making her first trip to California since officially becoming the Democratic nominee for some fundraising events, including one that will be hosted by one of Tinseltown's biggest stars - Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio will host Conversations with Hillary on August 23, a $33,400-a-plate luncheon which will be held at the Oscar-winning actor's home, according to Deadline. Scroll down for video Here's to the ladies who lunch: Leonardo DiCaprio will host a fundraising lunch for Hillary Clinton later this month in Los Angeles (DiCaprio and Clinton above in 2003) Steep price: The $33,400-a-plate event will be held at the home of the Oscar-winning actor (Clinton left and DiCaprio right leaving a June fundraiser at the home of Harvey Weinstein) Only $2,700 of the ticket price will go to Clinton, with the Democratic National Committee getting the rest of the money from each ticket. The guest list for the event is still being finalized, but will likely include many of DiCaprio's A-list pals who are also Clinton supporters, such as Tobey Maguire and his wife Jennifer, Jennifer Lopez and producer Harvey Weinstein. DiCaprio was a guest at a Clinton event Weinstein and his British-born wife Georgina Chapman hosted at their Manhattan townhouse in June, which also brought out Sarah Jessica Parker ad her husband Matthew Broderick, Martha Stewart and reality star Bethenny Frankel, among others. He also donated $2,700 to the Clinton campaign during the primary, the most that is allowed from an individual donor. And while DiCaprio is now supporting Clinton, he had some very positive things to say about her opponent Bernie Sanders last December in response to remarks he made about climate change. 'Look, not to get political, but listening to Bernie Sanders at that first presidential debate was pretty inspiring - to hear what he said about the environment,'DiCaprio said in an interview with Wired. 'Who knows which candidate is going to become our next president, but we need to create a dialogue about it. I mean, when they asked each of the candidates what the most important issue facing our planet is, Bernie Sanders simply said climate change. To me thats inspiring.' DiCaprio is a noted environmentalist who was honored for his work in 2014 at the 8th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards. Making a difference: DiCaprio is a noted environmentalist who was honored for his work in 2014 at the 8th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards (above) Clinton will also attend a fundraiser the evening before DiCaprio's luncheon at the home of billionaire producer Haim Saban. That event will be co-hosted by Saban and his wife Cheryl, Disney CEO Bob Iger, DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg and Casey Wasserman. The Democratic nominee made numerous trips to Los Angeles during the primary, attending fundraisers at the homes of Napster founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker, CAA chief Bryan Lourd and George Clooney, to name just a few. After naming five generals who were allegedly protectors of dealers, Duterte will now target narco-politicians Office Secretary Martin Andanar said 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities Image shows a dead man next to a sign that says: 'Do not follow me, I am a drug pusher and my house is a drug den' Over 500 people have been killed since the start of July and the death toll is set to rise even further fter winning elections in May this year Ordered drug pushers to be 'put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish' a He ordered police to carry out summary executions and also urged citizens to kill drug users and dealers Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been dubbed 'The Punisher' because of his brutal war on drugs Advertisement A man gunned down in the street lying next to a sign that reads: 'Do not follow me, I am a drug pusher and my house is a drug den.' These are the images of President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs. Some men are seen stripped to their underwear, with their hands and feet tied. Others have their faces covered in tape or their clothes soaked with blood. Homeless children are pictured huddling together lying on a cardboard sheet in the middle of the street as the chaos goes on around them. Wives and family members are pictured clutching the lifeless bodies of their loved ones who were killed in the summary executions carried out by police officers, without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Officers have killed over 500 suspected drug traders and users and more than 100,000 people have surrendered to police in the first month of the campaign. A man lay dead next to a placard reading 'Do not follow me, I am a drug pusher and my house is a drug den,' after being shot by an unidentified gunmen in Manila, Philippines on July 28 Filipino police crime investigators gathering evidence next to victims killed by unidentified gunmen Homeless children are pictured huddling together lying on a cardboard sheet in the middle of the street as the chaos goes on around them A Filipino woman grieving the loss of her relative who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Manila on July 28 After naming five generals who were allegedly protectors of drug dealers, President Duterte said his next targets are narco-politicians. President Duterte on Tuesday demanded the surrender of Albuera town Mayor Ronaldo Espinosa Senior, and his son, Kerwin Espinosa, on the grounds of drug-trafficking and the coddling of drug dealers within 24 hours. An order of shoot on sight will be given if they resist. In his first state of the nation address to parliament Mr Duterte, dubbed 'The Punisher', ignored the outrage over the continuing death count, declaring that drugs were 'drowning his country' and had to be stopped at all costs. 'Double your efforts. Triple them if need be,' Mr Duterte told police 'We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish,' he said. After naming five generals who were allegedly protectors of drug dealers, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said his next targets are narco-politicians A victim shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Manila on July 28 is carried away in a body bag Two men lay dead in the street as Filipino crime investigators gather evidence Filipino funeral parlor workers carrying a victim who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Manila Two women cry in grief after armed assailants in a motorcycle shot their loved one in a main thoroughfare on July 23, in Manila A young alleged drug dealer pictured with his hands and feet bound and his head wrapped in tape besides a road Police examine the body of an alleged drug dealer in Manila, as shocked locals look on The body of three alleged drug suspects lie inside a room littered with pink toys and a Hello Kitty cushion. A gun can be seen by one of the men's feet A crime scene shows where an alleged drug dealer was killed. There has been at least 300 drug related deaths since the start of July An alleged drug dealer and victim is found with his head wrapped in tape A man is seen shot dead outside of a local shop in Manila and was another alleged drug dealer A man in a blood soaked white t-shirt lays curled up on the ground next to a handgun Another two bodies are seen in alleyways after being shot dead in Manila, The Philippines An alleged drug dealer and victim is seen here with his hands bound and his head wrapped in tape A woman clutches her dead husband in grief after armed assailants on a motorcycle shot him in a main thoroughfare on July 23 Human rights groups obtained police figures that showed Mr Duterte's violent crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24. This figure does not include drug dealers killed by vigilante groups and those working outside the law. Mr Duterte made it clear he would pardon police if they were charged with human rights violations for carrying out his merciless orders. Nearly 60,000 Filipino drug addicts surrendered themselves earlier this month to the government after President Duterte urged citizens to 'go ahead and kill' drug dealers and users. Mr Duterte won elections in May and immediately promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs. The wife of the victim said he was not a drug peddler and that he was nothing more than a pedicab driver plying his trade when he was shot in front of her A funeral services worker in a yellow t-shirt is seen alongside police as another body of an alleged drug dealer is recovered in Manila Local people line up behind a yellow police crime scene tape as police carry out an investigation in Manila Funeral workers transport bodies of alleged drug dealers and victims of summary executions inside a funeral parlor on July 27 The body of an alleged drug dealer waits to be transported to a funeral home in Manila This picture was taken at midnight after a drug raid in a large shanty community of the port area district on July 21, 2016 in Manila A Filipino woman grieves the loss of her husband, next to a placard which reads 'I'm a pusher'. The man was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines A Filipino funeral parlor worker wraps a body in in Pasay City, south of Manila While women grieve the death of an alleged drug pusher in Pasay city, south of Manila (left), Filipinos carrying a wounded villager in Malabon City, east of Manila (right) The body of a drug user is carried away in the town of Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs has already killed almost 300 people since the start of July Filipino villagers grieve the loss of their relative, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila Nearly 60,000 drug addicts across the Philippines have handed themselves in to authorities after president Duterte promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs handcuffed together inside a police headquarters in Manila. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said close to 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities Filipino inmates are seen inside a jail in Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte has urged citizens to 'go ahead and kill' drug dealers and users Police officers remove packing tape wrapped over the lifeless head of an alleged drug dealer on a street in Manila 'These sons of w****s are destroying our children. I warn you, don't go into that, even if you're a policeman, because I will really kill you,' the president told an audience during a speech in the country's capital, Manila. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said close to 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities since the administration began its intensified campaign against drugs. Police have confirmed killing more than 110 drug suspects since the president came to power, while local news reports suggest that figure is around 200. At least 43,000 alleged drug traffickers have been 'neutralised' and 300kg of shabu, a highly addictive methamphetamine, has been confiscated, according to local reports. President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs. He vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post. Duterte has also told police he would protect them from legal consequences if they killed drug dealers, the Post reported. Picture shows the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs. Police have confirmed killing more than 110 drug suspects since president Duterte came to power Police officers investigate the body of an alleged drug dealer, his face covered with packing tape and a placard reading 'I'm a pusher', on a street in Manila At least 43,000 alleged drug traffickers have been 'neutralised' and 300kg of shabua, a highly addictive methamphetamine, has been confiscated Pictured, arrested Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs resting inside a shanty in Manila. President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs President Duterte vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post Last week, gruesome images showing slain drug dealers with 'I'm a pusher' signs covering their chests emerged. The grim scenes of alleged drug dealers found shot dead in Manila last week are growing increasingly common as police wage a bloody war on narcotics. The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism. As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control. Filipino suspected drug users and pushers participate in exercises after voluntarily surrendering in Manila Grim scenes of alleged drug dealers found shot dead in Manila last week are growing increasingly common as police wage a bloody war on narcotics. A Filipino allegedly involved with illegal drugs standing on top of an electric post as rescuers try to convince him to get down The Filipino man allegedly involved with drugs is arrested by policemen after clinging on top of an electric post for hours In response to the criticism, Solicitor General Jose Calida held a press conference on Monday at national police headquarters to insist on the legality of the police killings and to encourage more deaths of people suspected of being involved in the drug trade. 'To me, that is not enough,' Calida said of the killings so far. 'How many drug addicts or pushers are there in the Philippines? Our villages are almost saturated (with drugs).' A lawyer and a former prosecutor, Duterte has urged law enforcers to kill those they believe are involved in the drug trade, as well as other criminals. Members of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives conducting investigation following a police operation against illegal drugs Pictured, the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs lying in a pool of blood in Manila A member of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives examining recovered evidence in Manila. The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism In one of the deadliest single incidents, police reported killing eight 'drug personalities' during a pre-dawn raid on Saturday in a small southern town. One of the nation's top human rights lawyers, Jose Manuel Diokno, warned last week that Duterte had 'spawned a nuclear explosion of violence that is spiralling out of control and creating a nation without judges'. Former senator Rene Saguisag, a prominent human rights lawyer during the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, also criticised Duterte's statements naming and shaming alleged drug lords and police officers ahead of a formal investigation. As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control Solicitor General Jose Calida held a press conference on Monday at national police headquarters to insist on the legality of the police killings and to encourage more deaths of people suspected of being involved in the drug trade Pictured, a Filipino suspected drug user takes his oath taking after voluntarily surrendering 'Do we still probe and have a trial as part of due process? Useless, it seems to me,' Saguisag wrote in an online column last week. Some opposition lawmakers have also called for a congressional investigation into the spate of killings. Calida, a Duterte appointee, said he would protect police from or during congressional probes, while emphasising it was up to critics to prove allegations of abuse rather than base inquiries on speculation. 'I am here to encourage the (police) not to be afraid of any congressional or senate investigations. We will defend them ... I am the defender of the (police),' he said. Advertisement A Syrian town was attacked by a helicopter dropping toxic gas just hours after a Russian chopper was shot down nearby killing all five on board, local rescuers have claimed. Graphic pictures yesterday showed the burning remains of a Russian helicopter which crashed down in Idlib province before a crew member's body was dragged through the dirt. The Kremlin claimed the aircraft had been returning from war-torn Aleppo after delivering humanitarian aid. Hours later another chopper was seen dropping containers of toxic gas on the nearby town of Saraqeb affecting 33 people - mostly women and children. Syria Civil Defence workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify that. A man receives treatment at the Sahra hospital after suspected chlorine gas was dropped on the town of Saraqeb A helicopter was seen dropping containers of toxic gas on the town of Saraqeb affecting 33 people - mostly women and children. A baby is treated Rescue workers giving treatment to a baby who was allegedly affected by a chlorine gas canister attack dropped by an unidentified military helicopter in Saraqeb An object claimed to be a chlorine gas canister dropped by an unidentified military helicopter Crash site: The aircraft, carrying three crew and two officers, was shot down down in the Idlib province in north western Syria today Gruesome pictures show what is believed to be the body of a Russian pilot being dragged through the dirt after the aircraft was gunned down A spokesman for the group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. 'Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas,' said the spokesman. The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment. Both government and opposition forces have denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war. Syria Civil Defence workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify that Videos have been posted online purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms Both government and opposition forces have denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war A rescue worker giving treatment to a baby who was allegedly affected by the chlorine gas canister attack Western powers say the government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks. The Syrian government and Russia have accused rebel forces of using poison gas. Monitors at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, injuring a large number of citizens. Yesterday, Russia's defence ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. The helicopter came down in Idlib province, roughly mid-way between Aleppo and the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, near the Mediterranean coast. Mystery surrounded the discovery in the wreckage of an ID card showing a picture of a blonde woman Russia's Ministry of Defence said the helicopter was returning to the its main air base in the western province of Latakia following a delivery of humanitarian aid in war-torn Aleppo The Russian defence ministry said the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russia's main air base in the western province of Latakia. Gruesome pictures emerged showing what was believed to be the body of a Russian pilot being dragged through the dirt and loaded on to a truck. It came as mystery surrounded the discovery in the wreckage of an identification card showing a picture of a blonde woman. The image was found along with a haul of personal belongings of those inside, including Russian drivers' licences, passports and insurance cards, as well as Orthodox Christian icons. Two activist groups - the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees - say rebels shot down the Mi-8. 'A Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down from the ground after delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo,' the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. 'Three crew members and two officers... were on board.' In a later statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added: 'As far as we know from the information we've had from the defence ministry, those in the helicopter died, they died heroically, because they were trying to move the aircraft away to minimise victims on the ground.' Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists show the burning wreckage the helicopter seemingly taken in the first few moments after it crashed. In one film, a rocket pod can be seen next to the wreckage. People standing nearby are seen taking cellphone photos and shouting 'Allahu Akbar,' or God is great in Arabic. A Russian helicopter has been shot down by rebels in Syria, it has been revealed. Pictures show what is believed to be the wreckage The body was piled on to the back of a truck after being dragged through the dirt in Syria Two activist groups - the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees - say rebels shot down the Mi-8 The helicopter appears to have broken up as it crashed. In another video, its tail can be seen lying separately from the aircraft's body in flames The helicopter that crashed near Aleppo was a Russian Mi-8 (file picture) which had reportedly been on an aid mission to the city The helicopter appears to have broken up as it crashed. In another video, its tail can be seen lying separately from the aircraft's body in flames. Russian air forces are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war. Around 25 miles north-east of the crash site, rebel groups are staging an offensive to break a government siege on rebel-held parts of eastern Aleppo city. Pro-government forces on the ground are being supported by heavy air strikes in the area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the helicopter incident. Idlib province has a strong presence of both fighters for the al-Qaeda branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front and rebels. Around 25 miles north-east of the crash site, rebel groups are staging an offensive to break a government siege on rebel-held parts of eastern Aleppo city There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the helicopter incident. Idlib province has a strong presence of both fighters for the al-Qaeda branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front and rebels Syrians gather around the burning wreckage of a helicopter, belonging to Russian military, after it was shot down by anti-regimist opposition forces in Tell Sultan town In one film, a rocket pod can be seen next to the wreckage. People standing nearby are seen taking cellphone photos and shouting 'Allahu Akbar,' or God is great in Arabic Pictures taken in the aftermath of the crash show how the helicopter burst into flames in the crash The group announced last week that it was changing its name and relinquishing ties with al-Qaeda in an attempt to undermine a potential US and Russian air campaign against its fighters. The group is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. In July, two Russian airmen were killed in the central Homs province when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were ISIS fighters. An Mi-28N helicopter gunship crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members, but the Russian military said there was no evidence it came under fire. Syrians living nearby flocked to the scene of the crash with pictures showing the burning wreckage of the helicopter Inspection: A group of men examine part of the Russian helicopter while one man takes pictures on his mobile telephone Rebels posted pictures online showing documents and identification photos found in the wreckage Russian air forces are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war and have been providing aerial support Images shared on social media purportedly showed a dead body stripped of his clothes and Russian identity documents taken from the crashed helicopter. Grim pictures have emerged online showing men trampling on dead crew members near the crash site A Russian warplane was shot down by a Turkey along the Syrian border in November, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting. Earlier on Monday, a Syrian military official said that government forces repelled an attack by insurgents that was an attempt to break the siege imposed on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo. The development came a day after Syrian rebels launched the offensive to break up the government's siege of eastern, rebel-held part of the city. The U.N. estimates some 300,000 people are still trapped in the rebel section of Aleppo, with dwindling food and medical supplies. The U.N.'s special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura warned on Friday that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks. Opposition activists said intense fighting was still ongoing in Aleppo on Monday. The Syrian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, did not elaborate. The U.N. estimates some 300,000 people are still trapped in the rebel section of Aleppo, with dwindling food and medical supplies. Pictures show a building hit by Assad's regime in Aleppo on Sunday Meet the UK's oldest fitness instructor who is still teaching two classes a week thanks to her daily brandy at the age of 99. Minnie Solomons has been teaching keep fit classes for 50 years and shows no sign of slowing down even after having a hip operation. The great-grandmother of four teaches her exercise classes every Monday and Tuesday and only gave up her Wednesday class 18 months ago. Minnie Solomons has been teaching keep fit classes for 50 years and shows no sign of slowing down even after having a hip operation The great-grandmother of four teaches her exercise classes every Monday and Tuesday and only gave up her Wednesday class 18 months ago Widow Minnie, from London, said she started keeping fit about 50 years ago The retired shop assistant has ditched the leotards and dance routines of her earlier years in favour of seated aerobics for the over 70s. But she still easily remembers the 45-minute routines and adds new moves to keep her students - most who are two decades her junior - on the ball. Widow Minnie, from London, said: 'I started 50 years ago when it was all standing up and on the floor and the rest of it, but now it is just chair exercises. 'I get great satisfaction from doing it and I thank God every day that I am able to do it. 'I do a Monday and a Tuesday and I used to do a Wednesday too, until I had the hop operation. 'Unfortunately I still have an ache, so something had to go.' Minnie, who lived through both world wars, was born in 1915 and was evacuated during the Blitz. She married Jacob Solomon in 1939, a boxer in the RAF, and they had one daughter together. They worked alongside each other in his electrician's shop. The retired shop assistant has ditched the leotards and dance routines of her earlier years in favour of seated aerobics for the over 70s Despite having a hip operation 18 months ago and suffering from arthritis, Minnie is still in good health When Jacob, or Tonney as he was affectionately know, passed away 20 years ago, Minnie never remarried. She now leads fitness classes in South Woodford in north-east London for a group over-70s, as well as another class nearby. Granddaughter Naomi Lyons, 57, said: 'She doesn't realise how unique she is. She can't quite do what she used to do but she has this incredible way of thinking. 'Sometimes I think she's barking mad, but most of the time I think fair play. She's been doing keep fit since I was a teenager. 'I remember her always writing down exercises and different movements in a book. 'It's mainly chair exercises. She showed me some of their little movements - some of them can hardly move. She sees the funny side.' The fitness fanatic lives a thrifty lifestyle and only treats herself to a glass of brandy every night and just a weekly shower to save water. She refuses to let her hair go grey and the only beauty treatment she uses is Oil of Olay - which she has been applying for around 50 years (Minnie at her sister's wedding) Minnie's wartime habits die hard as she has a stand-up wash in her kitchen everyday and still only uses powdered milk (circled at a family event decades ago) Naomi, who is also her full-time carer, said that people are stunned when they find out the secret to Minnie's success. 'They ask her what she eats to stay looking that young and she tells them 'lettuce!' she said. 'They can't believe it. She has a child's portion really of salad and a couple of pieces of fruit. She has family meals with us too.' Minnie, who is 100 next June, added: 'It is luck of the draw, and I try to eat me five a day.' Despite having a hip operation 18 months ago and suffering from arthritis, Minnie is still in good health and her doctor said she has the body of a much younger woman. She refuses to let her hair go grey and the only beauty treatment she uses is Oil of Olay - which she has been applying for around 50 years. Minnie's wartime habits die hard, as she has a stand-up wash in the kitchen everyday and still only uses powdered milk. Naomi said: 'I've tried to tell her that normal milk won't go off, but she insists.' A man suspected of murdering a six-year-old schoolboy more than 20 years ago who then fled the UK in the back of a campervan has been arrested in Portugal. Convicted arsonist James Watson, 35, was arrested in April over the unsolved murder of schoolboy Rikki Neave, who was found strangled to death in 1994. The six-year-old was found dead on the same estate in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, where Watson grew up. Convicted arsonist James Watson, 35, was arrested in April over the notorious and unsolved murder of schoolboy Rikki Neave, who was found strangled to death in Peterborough in 1994 The convicted arsonist was arrested in April over the notorious and unsolved murder of schoolboy Rikki Neave in 1994. He was released on police bail but then absconded Father-of-one Watson was first arrested over the unsolved murder in April this year. He was released on police bail but then absconded from a hostel in Northampton in June and then used a motorhome to smuggle himself out of the UK from Dover, Kent. It is understood he and a friend decided to hide out in Portugal but the pair have now fallen out, prompting Watson to decide to return home. But this afternoon, before he could return to the UK he was arrested by local officers in Lisbon. The arrest follows ongoing work by officers from the Major Crime Unit, national authorities and authorities in Portugal. He will remain in custody in Portugal while extradition proceedings begin. It is believed he was arrested under a European Arrest Warrant on suspicion of breaching his licence. Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit are expected to travel out to Portugal in the coming days. Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that Watson was arrested by Portuguese police in Lisbon. James Watson, 35, (left and right) who is suspected of killing a six-year-old child, fled the UK Previously, speaking from his hideout, Watson said: 'I am NOT on THE RUN and I AM coming back. I didn't run. Let's make that clear. 'It just so happens that at the same time that I am doing this (travelling around Europe) happens to be while I am on bail. I always intended to come back for bail. 'The police, probation and MAPPA (Multi-agency public protection arrangements) know this.' Watson, of Peterborough, is due to answer police bail on September 20. He added: 'It's f****** mad. I have so much going on (with) travel plans. I am having to rearrange all my travel plans back to the UK. 'It's a f***** nightmare. I've never been on a commercial flight. It's first time madness.' Watson added: 'My family are fine. They would naturally worry about me, I would worry if they didn't. 'Those people close to me, the ones I can about and want in my life know all the need to know, they are all my family.' He has now sent a string of photos to friends and family showing him drinking beer, sun-bathing and even posing nude. He is pictured right in the motorhome in which he travelled The self-confessed police hater - who served six years for fire-bombing a police station - revealed last month that he just 'walked out the country' without a passport or any checks. He sent a string of holiday photos to friends and family showing him drinking beer, sun-bathing and even posing nude as he lapped up the rays on the Continent. After his first arrest Watson was taken away for days of 'intensive' questioning before being released on bail until June 15. Police were made aware on July 15 that the suspect had breached his police bail by travelling overseas and UK police began liaison with European forces to locate him and ensure his return to this country. The self-confessed police hater - who served six years for fire-bombing a police station - revealed last month that he just 'walked out the country' without a passport or any checks A police spokesman said: 'We have reason to believe that the 35-year-old man from Peterborough who was arrested in connection with the historic murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave left the country while on police bail. 'We have been in communication with him and are working with him and partner agencies in order for him to return to the UK promptly.' Police have told the schoolboy's mother Ruth - who stood trial for the murder but was acquitted- that they are aware of her frustration around the current situation. However she has been told by a senior officer that 'every effort is being made to secure the suspect's return to the UK'. Mrs Neave said: 'I am very anxious about all of this, I am under a lot of pressure and I have had to get some sedation to calm my nerves because they have been shot to pieces.' Watson was given a indefinite sentence in January 2009 for causing 800,000 of damage by setting fire to the British Transport Police's headquarters in Peterborough city centre. He was given a five year minimum tariff and released at the end of July 2015, after serving six years. At the court hearing into his sentencing Peterborough crown court heard that Watson had a hatred of authority since feeling let down by those in charge of his care as a child. Denied sexual assault: Alex Di Francesco, 36, who is pictured leaving Highbury Corner Magistrates Court today, was said to have forced himself on the 24-year-old woman A barrister who allowed a young woman he chatted up in a wine bar to don his wig and gown at his chambers was today cleared of sexually assaulting her. Alex Di Francesco, 36, of Flamstead, Hertfordshire, was said to have forced himself on the 24-year-old woman after meeting her in Dalys Wine Bar on The Strand in Central London. Di Francesco, who was once voted 13th sexiest barrister in London by law blog LegalCheek, allegedly told her to grow up and demanded to know why she wouldnt have a one-night stand with him when she tried to push him off her. But he was left in tears this afternoon after being found not guilty of one count of sexual assault at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in North London. Deputy District Judge Mr Nicholas Wattan said: I'm concerned her recall of what happened is impaired by the amount of alcohol she had that evening.' I can't be sure the events unfolded in the way she described, added the judge, saying Di Francesco's 'credible' account 'stood up well to cross examination'. Earlier, the court was told how the pair had flirted at the wine bar on January 30 this year when the woman refused to believe he was a barrister until he went online to show her his profile at 25 Bedford Row Chambers in Holborn. Di Francesco allegedly met the woman in Dalys Wine Bar on The Strand in Central London When the bar shut, he took the young woman, who worked in management at a law firm and also had a law degree, to his chambers to prove he was who he said he was. Defence barrister Di Francesco, who has represented defendants against sexual assault charges, then tried to force the woman to have sex with him, it was claimed. Dilichi Onuzo, prosecuting, said: They chatted for an hour until closing time. He told her he was a barrister, she did not believe him so went on Google to check. They had a conversation about whether he had a wig and gown. The woman said it was the third bar she and a female friend had been to that night and she had shared champagne and wine and consumed up to three double vodkas. Di Francesco was once voted 13th sexiest barrister in London by law blog LegalCheek She was reassured by Di Francescos profession, adding: There was then a level of trust. I work at a law firm and theres an interest, something in common. The complainant showed him a picture of her in a bikini on her phone, saying: Thats when he said I had a really nice bum. It was a flirty comment. 'His whole demeanour was quite arrogant, he knew we were taken aback by what he did for a living and played on that. Di Francesco allegedly told the women he lived with his father. Miss Onuzo added: She went to his chambers at 25 Bedford Row and he took her to his office to show her his wig and gown. She tried on the wig and gown and he took her upstairs to an office, where there was a large conference table. 'He tried to kiss her, she moved away. She felt sleepy and lay down on the floor. He laid down and pulled down her tights and panties and reached for her. 'She pushed him away, pulled up her tights and pants and he then grabbed her bum really, really hard. The court heard how the pair had flirted when the woman refused to believe he was a barrister until he went online to show her his profile at 25 Bedford Row Chambers (pictured) in Holborn Mr Di Francesco asked her Arent we going to have sex? and she found him aggressive and confrontational. She started crying and said she was having an anxiety attack, which he seemed to find funny and started laughing. She threw up and he was standing behind her. Di Francesco denied sexual assault, insisting that all the touching was consensual and that the complainant had kissed him back During the alleged assault the complainant said the barrister told her to grow up and questioned why she wouldnt want a one-night stand. The woman eventually left by calling an Uber taxi and reported the incident to her friend. She told the court: Because of his profession and the level of trust I did not see any danger signs. But in the chambers building things changed, the court heard. The woman said: I was starting to feel more on edge. It was just two of us in a locked building. Hes significantly bigger than me. Im very petite and I was drunk. Di Francesco went in for a kiss, she said, adding: I pulled away because I was feeling more and more uncomfortable. I could feel the room spinning, I felt I couldnt stand for any longer. He lay down, there was a brief exchange. 'He pulled down my tights and put his hand towards (me). It happened in seconds and thats when I pushed his hand away. 'He followed up with: Arent we going to have sex? The situation had completely turned from what I thought it was and I said: No. We arent going to have sex. He was starting to get more aggressive in his tone of voice. I was alarmed and felt at my most vulnerable. I did not know it was not going to escalate, we were in a locked building and I didnt know how I could get away. He reached around and grabbed my bum and repeated the earlier comment and said: Youve got a really nice bum and squeezed it hard. He said I was pathetic for being a 24-year-old girl and not having a one-night stand. The woman did not tell police about the alleged assault until the next Monday. She said: 'I blamed myself for the fact I hadn't looked after myself and I had got drunk. 'It wasn't until I got more comfortable and I told my mum and my housemates and they said "no, what he did is wrong and alcohol didn't have anything to do with it". It's taken a very long time to even consider being close to someone again.' Arent we going to have sex? What Alex Di Francesco allegedly asked the 24-year-old woman Di Francesco was arrested and questioned by police. He said she was lying about pulling away from kissing and she had kissed him back, explained the prosecutor. Jennie Dempster, defending, asked why she had chosen to go back to his chambers in the middle of the night. She said: 'Have you ever been back to someone's offices in the early hours of the morning previously? 'If you were interested in his job did you not think "that's a plan for next week? We can do it one evening?". If you were tired and a bit drunk, why didn't you say "we can do it find other night"?' Giving evidence, Di Francesco said the woman teased him, saying he couldn't be a lawyer because he had gone to Birmingham University. He said she also showed him pictures of her wearing a bikini. The barrister said the woman refused to have sex but invited him back to her home in south London at least five times so they could 'spoon'. He said she became angry when he refused to go with her, adding: 'I said I can't, I live in Harpenden. She said "you won't go home because I won't have sex with you" - she said it in a way that got under my skin. 'I said "that's not true, but to be perfectly frank, if that's not what we're going to do what's the point?" It might not have been the most sensitive thing to say. 'I'm in chambers lying on the floor, she wasn't aggressive - she was just accusatory, and it wasn't nice anymore and I thought "I've got to leave".' He said I was pathetic for being a 24-year-old girl and not having a one-night stand Alleged sexual assault victim He admitted sliding his hand from her tights to her bottom, but said he pulled away as soon as she told him no. Di Francesco said he initially thought she was claiming she felt nauseous as a ploy to keep him lying on the floor with her. Asked what his intentions with the woman were, the barrister replied: 'My intentions were to spend more time with her, to see chambers, to talk and to do the things we ultimately did do. 'It was not my intention to have sex with her, I didn't know whether we would have sex, I didn't know how the night would develop but we didn't go to chambers to have sex.' He insisted she did not pull away from his kisses, saying: 'There was no sharp end to the kiss, there was nothing that had made me think that I had overstepped the mark or I had done something that I shouldn't have.' Di Francesco denied sexual assault, insisting all the touching was consensual and that the woman had kissed him back. He claimed the woman had asked her to lie on the floor with him and 'be the big spoon'. Di Francesco was called to the bar in 2008 and was a Lamb Building Chambers tenant until May 2015. He has been a Middle Temple Hall Inn member since 2006. Deputies in Florida have released photos of a newborn baby boy who was found abandoned outside an apartment complex, in hopes of finding the child's mother. The infant, a Hispanic male, was discovered Friday morning lying on a wicker loveseat on the back porch at Buena Vista Point Apartments near Orlando. Doctors who examined the child estimated he had been born just hours before. Scroll down for video Foundling: This hours-old baby boy was found abandoned near Orlando, Florida, Friday morning. He had the umbilical cord still attached The newborn was left lying in this wicker loveseat on the back porch at Buena Vista Point Apartments Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies released photos of the infant Monday. Spokeswoman Jane Watrel says investigators hope pictures of the baby will help them track down the infant's mother. According to a press release from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a call about an abandoned baby at 8.40am on Friday. A 35-year-old resident at the apartment complex on Apopka-Vineland Road had just returned home from a night shift at a hotel and was walking by his porch when he heard what sounded like a whimper or crying, reported the station WFLA. Moments later, the man discovered the infant lying in a wicker seat and brought him indoors. The man's roommate then called 911. The boy had his umbilical cord still attached and was wearing a diaper and a child-size small black T-shirt with a red Nike logo on the front. He was wrapped in a brown fitted sheet. The child was taken to Winnie Palmer Hospital in stable condition and was later released into the care of a foster family. Video courtesy of WESH2 Good Samaritan: The man who discovered the infant on his porch at the apartment complex near Orlando (pictured) took him inside to await the arrival of police Clues: The infant was dressed in a size small black T-shirt with a red Nike logo on the front (left). He was wrapped in a brown fitted sheet (right) According to the sheriff's news release, there is a concern for the well-being of the boy's mother, since it is believed that she has not received medical treatment and may suffer from complications related to childbirth. Jane Watrel, of the Orange County Sheriffs Office, says criminal charges 'are not even part of the conversation,' and that they simply want to talk to the boy's parents to find out what happened and obtain his medical history. Florida has a Safe Haven law where a child can be left at a fire station or a hospital, no questions asked. Advertisement In a time before the internet, when Page Three was an instant ticket to stardom, glamour models such as Samantha Fox, Heather Mills and Kathy Lloyd were household names. Adorning the iconic newspaper page during its 1980s heyday helped launched their careers and saw them rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Now, rare pictures of Britain's most famous models from the time - which range from sexy semi-nude and lingerie shots to playful portraits - are going under the hammer. Scroll down for video Photographs of famous Page Three girls, including Samantha Fox (pictured) are going under the hammer at auction Fox shot to fame in 1983 at age 16 and went on to have a successful modelling and music career The collection includes raunchy pictures of Heather Mills, before she had her leg amputated when she was just 25 Mills said: 'They were making records, and doing TV shows. Being a glamour model [in the 80s] wasn't regarded as sleazy' The Welsh model Kathy Lloyd, who was discovered at 16 when she left school to work in retail, was first persuaded to go public with her pictures in 1986 Lloyd was one of Britain's most famous Page 3 girls, starting her career at 18 on the pages of newspapers and lads' magazines Lloyd left school at 16 and became a Page Three favourite - she went on to host her own chat show The raunchy pictures were taken by photographer Philip Raymond-Barker and his steamy collection includes snaps of the most recognisable models of the day. Mills - who was awarded 24.3m in her divorce settlement with Sir Paul McCartney in 2008 - was pictured in a series of seductive poses early in her career before she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident in 1993. Mr Raymond-Barker's collection includes a topless picture of Fox, who shot to fame in 1983 aged 16 when her mother sent pictures of her in lingerie to the Sunday People's 'Face and Shape' competition. She came second out of 20,000 girls and was invited to test shoot for The Sun's Page Three feature. Her parents gave consent for her to pose topless and she became the youngest Page 3 Girl and the only one given a four-year contract. Her photo was published under the headline 'Sam, 16, Quits A-Levels for Ooh-Levels'. She won The Sun's Page Three Girl of the Year award for three consecutive years between 1984 and 1986 and went on to pose nude for men's magazines. She retired from Page Three modelling at age 20 and launched a music career, releasing her hit song Touch Me (I Want Your Body), which went to number one in 17 countries. She is currently a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother. Kirsten Imrie started appearing as a Page 3 girl in The Sun in November 1988, shortly after her 21st birthday, and continued to appear regularly on Page Three until August 1993. She also posed nude for a wide range of men's magazines Former Page Three model Jackie St Clair dated the X Factor supremo Simon Cowell back in the Seventies HISTORY OF PAGE THREE The Page 3 pin-ups were introduced by the Sun in 1970, less than a year after Rupert Murdoch bought the title. But the News Corp boss signalled in 2014 that he was considering dropping the feature. Last year it had been widely thought the controversial segment had been dropped after 44 years - only for it to be reintroduced a week later under the headline 'clarifications and corrections'. However that turned out to be a one-off and it now includes pictures of scantily-clad women instead. The Sun continues to run the Page 3 website which features multiple topless shots of a different model on a daily basis. Advertisement Elsewhere, the Cotswolds-based photographer is selling off nude pictures of famed Welsh model Kathy Lloyd. Like Fox, she left school at 16 and worked at Topshop before appearing in The Sun aged 18 in 1986. She became a regular on Page 3 and appeared in lads' mags such as FHM and Loaded before hosting TV programmes, Talking Dirty and Kathy Lloyd's Naughty Business on a Granada satellite station in 2002. The photos are being auctioned on August 12 at Moore Allen & Innocent Auctioneers, in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Valuers estimate the pictures could be sold for as much as 500. Auctioneer Philip Allwood said: 'These photographs are more than 30 years old, but the models still attract a fervent following, and we're expecting a lot of interest from their fans. 'Interest in Samantha Fox, particularly, will be greater now that she has entered the Big Brother House. 'Raymond-Barker shot the models for glossy European publications. 'Many of these images will never have been published in the UK - and some may never have been published at all.' Former Page Three model Samantha Fox was the final contestant to enter the CBB house last Thursday night An Alan Partridge cameraman was branded 'vindictive and unpleasant' by a judge after he lost a court battle against his ex-girlfriend over their 1.1million former home. Gary Sterne, 47, lived with Amanda Miller, 41, for almost a decade, but their home in Kensal Rise, north London, was in his name alone. When the couple separated in 2011, Mr Sterne, who worked on the I'm Alan Partridge series, said Miss Miller was not entitled to a penny. Cameraman Gary Sterne, 47, (left) was branded 'vindictive and unpleasant' by a judge after he lost a court battle against his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Miller, 41, (right) over their 1.1million former home Miss Miller sued him for a share, but he argued that should have nothing, calling her 'mentally unstable' in a bitter court case. Now, after a five-year court fight, a judge has awarded Miss Miller a 48,675 share of the house and landed Mr Sterne with a 230,000 court bill. Describing him as 'vindictive and unpleasant' in his behaviour, Judge Nigel Gerald said Mr Sterne should hand over the money, or lose his house. 'If this money is not paid within six months, then the property will be sold,' he told the TV cameraman at Central London County Court. Although it was his on paper and despite his claims otherwise, the couple had always intended that Miss Miller should have an interest in it, the judge said. And because Mr Sterne had brought much of the court costs on himself, he would also have to foot that bill, estimated at a combined 180,000, he said. 'A line can be drawn under this unfortunate piece of litigation and both parties can move on with their lives,' he added. During a hearing earlier this year, the judge was told Miss Miller, who is originally from the US, had come to the UK to be with the 'person she loved' and had moved in with Mr Sterne in 2002. While she didn't have enough money to contribute to the cost of buying Kensal Rise, their conversations made it clear it was their home, she argued. Mr Sterne, lived with Amanda Miller, 41, for almost a decade, but their home in Kensal Rise, north London, (pictured) was in his name alone 'The intention at the time was that we were partners for life and we were going into this together,' she said. 'I trusted the fact that, when we made this agreement, my name would eventually be on the title. 'I never ever was made to feel that it was entirely his property, that never ever was an issue on my mind whatsoever. 'I had given up everything for him and our lives together, and this was our property together. 'We intended to make this our family home, have children. 'I was completely convinced in my head that this home was mine as well as his - it was ours.' But the relationship faltered and Mr Sterne moved out in the spring of 2011, leaving Miss Miller living alone in the property. Mr Sterne was adamant that he had wanted her out and only allowed her to stay a few months while she saved up for another home. She had initially paid 500-a-month towards the house and outgoings, but he stopped asking for it in a bid to get her to move more quickly. 'I didn't allow her to stay, I had no choice,' he told the judge. 'She was showing no signs of moving on. Other than forcibly moving her, I had no other choice.' Miss Miller eventually left a year after the breakup and Mr Sterne now lives in the house with his new partner and their children, the court heard. Ruling on the case, Judge Gerald said Miss Miller was entitled to 5.5 per cent of the value of the property, a total of 48,675. But despite that defeat, Mr Sterne had fought on in an 'unreasonable' manner, asking for another hearing to try to cut his bill, said the judge. 'It's clear he was going to use this as an opportunity to try to reduce the amount owed to Miss Miller to nothing,' he added. 'It served to continue the vindictive and unpleasant approach to Miss Miller adopted throughout the course of the trial.' Emma Read, representing Mr Sterne, who also worked behind the scenes on EastEnders Live, insisted he had not behaved badly at all. There was nothing very unusual about a dispute over a property after a breakup, she told the judge. But Benjamin Fowler, for Miss Miller, said Mr Sterne had taken an 'aggressive' stance towards her and brought up 'hurtful' matters in the case. He had tried to make the case all about mental health, claiming her depression made her mentally unbalanced, he said. 'He did this to deliberately undermine her case,' Mr Fowler told the judge. Mr Pals helped fight child hunger before dedicating himself to the mission Family were travelling to Colorado for last session before going to Japan Died alongside their three children, Ezra, 3, Violet, 1, and Calvin, 2 months A family of five who were planning to move to Japan to become missionaries have been killed in a car crash on the way to a training session. Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both 29, died on the Interstate 80 in western Nebraska alongside their three children, Ezra, 3, Violet, 1, and 2-month-old Calvin. They were travelling from their home in Saint Paul to Colorado for their final instruction session before leaving for the Christ Bible Institute in Nagoya, Japan. A family of five who were planning to move to Japan to become missionaries have been killed in a car crash on the way to a training session Jamison and Kathryne Pals, (pictured) both 29, died on the Interstate 80 in western Nebraska The couple died alongside their three children (from left) Violet, 1, Calvin, 2 months and Ezra, 3 The family were four miles from Brule when they were struck by a semi-trailer into the path of three passing vehicles. The driver, Tony A. Weekly, from Florida, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Dennis Vogan, from WorldVenture, the charity organizing the mission to Japan, called the news 'devastating'. 'We talked to both of their families and they are just crushed,' he told The Denver Post. 'They had done short-term work in college. They also did work with their church locally (in Minneapolis).' Karen Pals, a sister-in-law from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, said the family had planned to move to Japan in the fall. 'This was going to be a permanent thing,' she said. 'They were very committed to their work.' Jamison Pal's father, Rick, from Hugo, Minnesota, paid tribute to the couple's compassion. Jamison Pal's father, Rick, said: 'Jamison and Kathryne ... they had a heart for people,' he said. 'They loved what they were doing' A spokesman for Feed My Starving Children said: ' We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the Pals family He said: 'Jamison and Kathryne ... they had a heart for people,' he said. 'They loved what they were doing.' Mr Pals worked as a grant writer for Feed My Starving Children for three years before dedicating himself to preparing for the mission. A spokesman for the charity said: ' We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the Pals family. 'We are in shock but comforted to know this amazing family is now with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whom our hope is found.' The Pals wrote about their missionary work on a blog, For the Joy of Japan. In the final post, they said they would focus writing about their family, in particular the progress of their youngest child, Calvin. a legal grenade launcher and made his own explosives An alleged ISIS sympathizer has been arrested after buying explosives from an undercover FBI. Muslim convert Sebastian Gregerson, aka Abdurrahman Bin Mikaayl, from Dearborn, Michigan, has been accused of stockpiling weapons to carry out an attack. The 29-year-old, who has worked at Target and Wal-Mart, has been charged with unregistered possession of a destructive device and unlicensed receipt of explosive materials. The complaint reveals a counterterrorism investigation that began in April 2015 following a tip that Gregerson had an arsenal of weapons - including a bazooka, a legally-owned grenade launcher. He is also said to have had rounds of AK-47 ammunition, tactical gear, ski masks and a training video for using a Russian assault rifle Alleged ISIS sympathizer Sebastian Gregerson, 29, from Dearborn, Michigan, has been arrested after buying explosives from an undercover FBI. An image on his Facebook (above) shows a man riding a horse and carrying the Islamic State flag The FBI said he bought grenades on Sunday from the undercover agent in Monroe. He was then taken into custody. Documents said he purchased 'an arsenal of weapons, ammunition, tactical gear and tactical training materials.' Court papers say Gregerson has had several recorded conversations with an undercover agent during which he allegedly talked about grenades and grenade launchers He said he possessed a legal grenade launcher and described tactics he would use to commit an attack on a building with the grenades, according to the FBI. Gregerson also talked about how he could make homegrown high-explosive grenades, which are illegal, using hollow shells. It doesn't say whether Gregerson was planning an attack or why he was purchasing explosives. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit hasn't elaborated. GREGERSON'S 'ARSENAL' Bazooka Grenade Launcher Grenades Road Spikes Handguns AK-47 ammunition Tactical gear Ski masks Training video for a Russian assault rifle WHAT HE WANTED TO BUY Smoke grenades Fragmentation grenades Ati-personnel mine - that contains C4 explosive and hundreds of steel balls that rapidly shoot outwards upon detonation Advertisement In June, the FBI said Gregerson bought road spikes online that can be used to slow or disable vehicles. Other purchases included tactical training items, including handguns and dummy rounds. 'The purchase of training versions of these weapons makes it unlikely that the weapons were purchased for recreational use, such as hunting,' the complaint states. Gregerson made an initial appearance Monday in U.S. District Court and is being held pending a Thursday detention hearing. He appeared in ankle chains and handcuffs with his long brown beard and nearly waist-length hair. Gregerson is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A Facebook account belonging to a user with the same name includes an image of a man riding a horse and carrying an Islamic State flag. Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University's Program on Extremism, told the Detroit News Islamic State supporters have used the same photo in the past. 'That suggests to me that he is a supporter (of the Islamic State),' Hughes said. The Detroit News, which first reported the allegations, said two of Gregerson's supporters declined to comment outside of court. Billed as a work of 'raw, unflinching honesty', the controversial book will be eye-catchingly called Spare (left and inset top) - a 'loaded' reference to his position as the younger brother of the heir to the throne. The Spanish language version is even more pointed, having been given the subtitle En La Sombra, or 'in the shadow'. Publishers of the delayed memoir, set for release on January 10, have made it clear that Harry (with Meghan, right) will not shy away from sensitive subjects, such as the family's decision to encourage him and his elder brother Prince William to walk behind their mother Diana's coffin. The claims surrounding such a 'candid' and 'personal' first-hand account of his life will do little to allay fears at Buckingham Palace that the estranged prince is out - once again - to try to settle perceived scores. A spokesman for the King declined to comment last night. But it is understood that the Royal Household has already been warned that the 416-page, 28 book is 'critical of everyone and everything' and they are 'dreading' it. Harry was reportedly paid a $20million (18.4million) advance for the book as part of a three-title deal worth 36.8million. His defence said he renounced his support for the Islamic State He has since drawn ISIS flags and kept newspaper Been in prison since he pleaded guilty in June to terror-related charge Radicalised teen also allegedly planned to strap a bomb to a kangaroo Sevdet Besim planned to run over and behead a police officer last year A man who pleaded guilty to planning a foiled terror plot - which included strapping a bomb to a kangaroo - has since drawn Islamic State flags in his prison cell, a court has heard. Sevdet Ramadan Besim, 19, has been in prison since he pleaded guilty in June to single terror-related charge, over a plot to behead a police officer on Anzac Day. The court heard months after his April arrest the radicalised teenager decorated his cell with hand drawings of Islamic State flags and newspaper articles on the terror group, reports ABC. Scroll down for video Sevdet Besim (pictured), 19, admitted to plotting to run down and behead a police officer in a terror attack on Anzac Day last year Besim's defence said he renounced his support for the Islamic State and said the plot was an 'immature response' to the death of his friend, Numan Haider, shot dead by police in 2014. But Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke said his cell was adorned with pro-ISIS messages and his interview with police showed he was not in fact 'immature.' 'He knew precisely what questions to answer, he knew precisely what questions not to answer,' Mr Rapke said. 'He knew when to lie, when it would advantage him and he demonstrated a degree of understanding and knowledge of historical matters beyond his years in relation to the significance of Anzac Day and so on.' The court heard he had revealed his excitement over the impending attack in messages to a teenage boy in the UK. 'I feel like a young kid with a ticket to Disney world cant wait ahahah. Yeh I wanna make sure I get shot too. Not b4 I take out at least 1,' the Victorian Supreme court heard according to a report in the Herald-Sun. The court heard months after his April arrest the radicalised teenager decorated his cell with hand drawings of Islamic State flags and newspaper articles on the terror group Besim was arrested in counter-terrorism raids in April last year (pictured) In online communication with a UK teenager, he said he chose Anzac Day to 'make sure the dogs remember this as well as there fallen heros (sic)'. Besim said he was 'ready to fight these dogs on there (sic) doorstep'. 'I'd love to take out some cops. 'I was gonna meet with them then take some heads ahaha.' Besim had a pledge to the leader of Islamic State on his phone and had created a 'martyrdom' note discussing his burial wishes, the court heard. Besim's defence said he renounced his support for the Islamic State The note revealed Besim was motivated by Haider's death, who was shot dead when he slashed two counter-terrorism officers in Melbourne in 2014. The note also showed he believed there was a war between Islam and the West. He has told a psychologist he remains dedicated to Islam but now rejects violent extremism. He has been in custody since April 18 last year when 200 heavily armed officers swooped on the city's southeast. The teenager admits planning his attack from mid-March to mid-April, including researching Anzac Day services in Melbourne and Dandenong. Sean Flowers Jr (pictured) intentionally drowned his son, police said A man was arrested after witnesses say he waded into a pond with his three-month-old baby, who drowned as horrified onlookers desperately tried to intervene. Sean Flowers Jr. is in custody pending a homicide charge, with Milwaukee police saying he intentionally drowned his son near the Glenbrook Apartments in Wisconsin, FOX reported. Witness Robert Amstadt told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it was 'the most evil thing Ive ever seen' before adding, 'That baby cried all the way out into the water. Then the crying stopped.' Flowers, 25, was with several family members on Saturday when he got into an argument with his son's mom and waded into a pond behind the apartment complex (pictured) Witness Joey Griffin jumped in after him and yelled: 'Where's the baby? Where's the baby?' (pictured, police at the scene after another witness called 911 at 8.45pm) Flowers, 25, was with several family members in the 9200 block of North 75th Street on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of his grandmother's death. He got into an argument with the mother of the child, before wading into a pond behind the apartments with his son until the water reached his chest, police said. Witness Joey Griffin told FOX: 'Without thinking, I just ran into the water. I yelled at him "Where's the baby? Where's the baby?" 'And then I saw a baby floating in the water. I grabbed it. I tried to swim away with it. He lunged at me and took the baby again and swam further, deeper. Griffin, (pictured), said Flowers Jr grabbed the baby from him and swam further. He added: 'No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just lose...You just wish you could've did more' Amstadt, who lives in the apartment complex, called 911 around 8.45pm after he heard an argument break out with a woman's voice yelling: 'Give me back my baby', he told the Journal Sentinel. The witness told the Journal Sentinel a crowd was 'crying and screaming' as they followed Flowers, frantically pleading with him and yelling: 'He's drowning the baby!' Flowers was still in the pond when authorities arrived on the scene, although he was no longer holding his son. He was tased and taken into custody on $150,000 bail, according to the Milwaukee County Jail website. The unconscious infant was found 'within minutes' but efforts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. 'We all lost. We all lost this one. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just lose...You just wish you could've did more,' Griffin said. Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn told CBS: 'I think that the situation that led up to that man drowning his child is just about one of the most horrific things I've certainly encountered in my police career...' Robert Amstadt (pictured), a witness who lives in a nearby apartment, called it 'the most evil thing Ive ever seen' before adding, 'That baby cried all the way out into the water. Then the crying stopped' Police arrived and found the unconscious infant but he was pronounced dead at the scene 'I just can't imagine what was in that man's head. I just can't imagine. I'll never be able to figure that out. It's just wretched,' The baby, born on April 18, 2016, was named Sean A. Flowers III after his father. The child's mother also had a daughter with Flowers Jr, who had disputed he was the biological father until a DNA test proved he was wrong, the Washington Post reported. He was granted joint custody with the mother, who later filed a restraining order against him with allegations of domestic abuse. A judge denied his request to clear his criminal record after he said he had difficulty providing for his family. An elderly driver who crashed his car into a Michigan lake was pulled out of the vehicle by a group of Good Samaritans just seconds before it sank to the bottom. The 65-year-old was rescued after losing control of his car due to a 'medical condition' and crashing into Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Farms, a town bordering Detroit. Two men who witnessed what happened took it upon themselves to jump into the water and attempt to free the driver from the sinking car, before three police officers arrived at the scene and also jumped in, cops said. Close call: The 65-year-old driver lost control and crashed into Lake St. Clair on Monday Video taken from the scene shows the group of men smashing a back window (right) to open the front door and pull the unresponsive driver out (left) Scary moment: The video shows the man being dragged to shore just as the car submerges The two Good Samaritans were doing some landscaping work in the nearby park. They tried to use a rock to smash the window of the car to get the driver out. 'The landscapers were using a rock and weren't really getting any good hits on it, so I retrieved an ax from my vehicle, and Keith Colombo got his baton, and that's how were were able to get access the window and get through,' Grosse Pointe Farms Public Safety Officer Michael Scott told CBS News. Lt. Andrew Rodgers said the group was able to pull the man out before the car sank underwater. Video taken by a witness onshore shows the car almost completely under as the driver was pulled out. The driver experienced some type of medical condition when he lost control of his silver Cadillac ATS sedan The car was towed out of the water later in the day. The man was transported to hospital 'I'd say we were in the water five, seven minutes,' Rodgers told CBS. 'So it was five, seven minutes that seemed like an hour... and it's like...how much time do we have left?' The driver, whose name was not released, was transported to a local hospital for observation. He was unresponsive as he was pulled from the car. No other cars were hit, though Lake Shore Drive was closed while police cleared the scene. The incident happened around 10:30 am. Police said about 20 to 30 people were standing around, some of them shooting video on their phones. A dispute over the $184,000 raised in donations for a homeless student has been resolved after the woman who started the campaign questioned the 19-year-old's integrity and had GoFundMe review the fundraiser. The outpouring of donations came after reports that Fred Barley had biked six hours to get to Gordon State College in Georgia and was sleeping there in a tent until the start of the semester. Casey Blaney started a GoFundMe campaign last month to help pay for the young man's education - but then posted an update that she had asked for the campaign to be reviewed after having doubts about Barley's story. The pair had issues over how the funds should be handled and Barley posted an update on Facebook on Monday saying the dispute had been resolved and that Blaney was no longer involved in the matter. Debbie Adamson, the owner of DB's Pizzeria who gave Barley a job, revealed to Daily Mail Online that the dispute was sparked after Blaney questioned Barley's integrity because 'he said and did things that any 19-year-old kid would do.' Scroll down for video A dispute over the $184,000 raised in donations for Fred Barley (center, with his girlfriend, left), a homeless student, has been resolved after Casey Blaney (right), the woman who started the campaign revealed her doubts about the teenager's story She also revealed that Barley had left his job at her establishment and 'gone into hiding' because of the attention he has received. 'It wasn't an issue with his story, it was his integrity after the fact,' Adamson told Daily Mail Online. She explained Blaney questioned his integrity because of immature remarks he had made. 'It wasn't that he wasn't homeless, she believed that. But he was a 19-year-old kid that said and did things that 19-year-olds do. 'She held him at fault instead of understanding that he was 19.' Adamson cited an incident, in which Barley had been offered five cars from companies who had heard his story. She said that he had remarked he would keep one, give one to his girlfriend and sell the others - but Blaney felt he should not accept so many gifts. Adamson added: 'Her opinion of his integrity was because he was a 19-year-old kids who did 19-year-old things. She felt like he should have been more grown up.' In another instance, Barley had left work one night to join his girlfriend at a hotel room and walked there. 'She felt like he should have had more respect. It was really trivial and small things like that,' Adamson added. 'She wants nothing more to do with it.' The GoFundMe page (above) says the campaign organizer has stopped accepting donations On Monday, Barley posted on Facebook that the dispute over how to handle the funds have been resolved She added that Blaney has since left Georgia and has traveled to Hawaii, where her husband is stationed in the military, leaving matters to be handled by her attorney. Meanwhile, Barley has moved into his dorm room and is laying low until classes start next week. 'He went into hiding because the media would not leave him alone,' Adamson said. She said that Barley had an opportunity to go to a school out-of-state but it had not panned out, so he would attend Gordon. 'His job is here and available if he wants it.' Blaney did not return Daily Mail Online's calls for comment. In a post on the GoFundMe campaign page, she wrote: 'Unfortunately, multiple questions have been raised about Fred's story. 'We've received conflicting information about his initial story, and we just want to make sure the donors and the public have all of the information available to them before the funds are transferred to a trust to pay for his education. 'We just want to do the right thing, and we've asked for the campaign to be reviewed.' Barley got a job as a dishwasher at DBs Pizzeria in Barnesville, after owner Debbie Adamson (right) heard his story. She says he has left his job and 'gone into hiding' The pair had clashed over how best to manage the money. Blaney wanted to set up a trust overseen by a professional, which Barley was happy with, but he wanted more say over who managed it, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On Monday, Barley posted on Facebook that Blaney did not want to be involved with the educational trust but their lawyers have come to terms that both parties agree on. 'So I have some great news for everyone that has been following the story,' he wrote. 'I will be allowed to put [the funds] into a trust that covers both living expenses and help with my tuition. 'Mrs. Blaney would like to turn over everything to her lawyer, and does not want anything to do with the trust account any longer. 'Together , my attorney and her attorney are working cooperatively to ensure that all assets donated go strictly to me and in a trust that I agree with.' GoFundMe spokesperson Bobby Whithorne told Daily Mail Online: 'We're pleased everyone agreed to set up an Educational Trust for Fred. 'As soon as the trust is fully established, the funds will be directly transferred to the trust.' Last Thursday, GoFundMe.com said it has frozen the account of the campaign until it resolves questions about the young man's story. Wright Gammon, a lawyer for Blaney, says the fund-raiser was shut down earlier because of the overwhelming amount of giving. Whithorne said the funds would remain on hold 'until all the questions have been answered.' Barley's uncle Jimmy Tolbert told the AJC that Barley was not living with his family. His biological parents did not stay together, Tolbert said, and the teenager had moved in with his mother years ago. Fred Barley was sleeping homeless in a tent but was determined to register for his college classes But Tolbert said his nephew had called him a few weeks ago to say he was homeless and needed a place to stay. They discussed Barley going to live in South Carolina with Tolbert, but the plans fell through, he added to the AJC. Barley said he then decided to bike to the college and hoped to get there and find a job before other students arrived in the fall. Officials at Gordon College confirmed that Barley has now enrolled for his second semester. He is a biology major and hopes to go to medical school after college. The community in Barnesville had rallied around him, but became disheartened after Adamson, who gave him a job at her pizzeria on Main Street, said he was leaving the town to go to another college. People started getting angry, she said, acting like 'he was just somebody who conned everybody and ran,' AJC reported. And in another post last week, Barley defended himself over the attacks on his character and insisted he had not lied about his story. 'I've had so many people attack my intelligence, my life, my character , and even more important, my integrity. I have not lied to any of you, nor will I. Barley shared pictures of his new dorm room (above), where he has pinned letters and cards of support to his wall 'I just want to say thank you guys for the love and support,' Barley wrote alongside this picture of letters and cards he has received 'I never told you guys I was a perfect student nor tried to portray it because I'm not.' He added: 'I never intended on being a role model for younger kids, or the nation's feel good story, but I'm glad God put the responsibility on me because it gives me a chance to say God is real to a much wider group of people. 'And I know it seems like everything good in the world , always aborts to bad, but with God by my side I haven't been stricken by all the turmoil , it actually encourages me. 'A lot of people have been trying to tell me that my name is being slandered in multiple ways, it's okay. I accept it with the most genuine love. 'Whatever transpires between Casey and I, I want her to still know that I love her and forgive her.' Blaney also addressed allegations in the community from people who claimed she would control the funds raised. In a post on the 'Success for Fred' Facebook page on Saturday, she said: 'I have never, and have no intentions of ever being listed on, or in control of the educational trust. Blaney said she has been overwhelmed by the amount of publicity the story has received CASEY BLANEY'S FACEBOOK POST ON THE DISPUTE I would like to address one important fact about the current narrative being pushed - that I will not turn over the GoFundMe donations so they can be set up in a trust by Mr. Fred Barleys trust attorney and/or personal attorney. This past Thursday was the first time that our attorney has spoken to a formally retained attorney, representing Mr. Fred Barley. It is virtually impossible to turn funds over to trust personnel and/or attorneys that, to the best of our knowledge, have never existed until day before yesterday. Repeated attempts were made to Mr. Barley to have his trust team and attorney contact us, if in fact, they existed. We received contact from a personal attorney for the first time, day before yesterday (Thursday), that works in a firm with trust attorneys. During the course of the GoFundMe campaign, a neutral third-party, unknown to both Fred and I, reached out to Fred in order to connect him with former professional athletes, in an effort to help him navigate his new-found notoriety. After speaking with this third-party, Fred and I both agreed that it would be in his best interest to allow one of these individuals to guide him and help him assist him with the donations from the GoFundMe campaign. As the days went on, this third party began to question Mr. Fred Barleys actions and behaviors. Subsequently, this third-party decided to suggest to the former athletes that they step away from the situation. Thus, this has fallen back in my lap, as I am the organizer of the GoFundMe campaign. With integrity and transparency of the campaign in mind, I then proceeded with the plan that all parties had agreed upon from the start of the campaign to continue with setting up an educational trust. Mr. Fred Barley posted publically that he would not sign off on any trust that is set up outside of using his own trust officials and lawyers; this obviously tied my hands and the hands of any willing trust attorney. Since the professional athletes that previously agreed to assist in this, were no longer involved and no trust attorney representing Mr. Fred Barley had yet contacted us, on behalf of Fred, these events had placed me, as the GoFundMe campaign organizer with this responsibility. The GoFundMe that I selected on the GoFundMe campaign site, when setting up the campaign, was the option of education/educational purposes. There are legal parameters inherent to that and I am required to follow those; they are a shaping force that dictates how we are to proceed. I have never, and have no intentions of ever being listed on, or in control of the educational trust. Hopefully, within the next few days, we will receive an initial proposal from Mr. Fred Barleys attorney, to create a trust. That is our understanding of the next step. Once a trust has been created, GoFundMe will have the final decision as to whether to release those funds to the trust. No funds will ever be released to me. Advertisement 'Hopefully, within the next few days, we will receive an initial proposal from Mr. Fred Barleys attorney, to create a trust. That is our understanding of the next step. 'Once a trust has been created, GoFundMe will have the final decision as to whether to release those funds to the trust. No funds will ever be released to me.' She earlier said that she is overwhelmed by the amount of publicity the story has received. 'All of the funds are going into an educational trust. I am a wife and a mother and cannot continue to handle the multitude of calls, texts, social media requests and comments,' she wrote on Facebook. She had set up the campaign for Barley on July 12 after police found him sleeping in a tent outside the college in Barnesville ahead of his second semester. Police first told the teenager to come out with his hands up. But instead of removing him from the grounds, the officers sat down and listened to his story. Barley told them he was homeless and had ridden his little brother's bicycle more than 50 miles in the blistering heat from Conyers to the campus to register for classes. He had planned to stay in the tent until dorms opened on July 18 with just a bowl of cereal and some water to last him until he could get a job. Touched, the two officers put him up in a motel room for two nights. One of the officer's wives posted Barley's story on a community Facebook page - that's how Blaney first heard about the teenager and couldn't get him out of her mind. She and her son Cole went to go find the teenager at the motel when she knew his two days were up. Asking what she could do for him, he replied that the only thing he wanted was a job. Barley (pictured) had ridden his little brother's bicycle more than 50 miles from Conyers to the campus to register for classes. Left, he is pictured with gifts from well-wishers Someone touched by Barley's story of determination to succeed sent him a new mountain bike and running shoes which he is pictured with in front of his motel room So Blaney and her son hit the streets, and found a job for him as a dishwasher at DBs Pizzeria. 'I created a position for him before he walked in the door,' Adamson told WSB-TV at the time. 'I didn't know his name. I didn't know the color of his skin. I didn't care. I've been there so I guess I have a soft spot for anyone that is that determined to succeed in life.' Blaney said she had 'cried and cried' when Barley asked if he could spend more time with her and her family as he felt a connection with them. 'How could this happen to this kid?!' she asked. Blaney then set up the GoFundMe page for him, which led to donations of clothes, shoes, furnishings, and even a new mountain bike - and raised more than $184,000 in 20 days before the account was frozen. She then posted a video on the 'Success for Fred' Facebook page in which she said she would be taking Barley to a bank to talk about opening a trust for him. 'Some of the gifts aren't as important as the friends I've made,' the teenager told WSB recently. Donald Trump already has apologized to the family of slain U.S. Army Capt. Humayan Khan by calling him a 'hero,' Trump's son Eric said Tuesday, in the latest twist in the running dispute with the family. Eric Trump was asked on 'CBS This Morning' about the demand by gold star families that the Republican presidential candidate apologize after tangling with Khan's parents, who appeared at the Democratic National Convention. 'Would your father be willing to apologize and move on?' asked co-host Norah O'Donnell. 'You know, that's a great question for him,' Eric Trump responded. 'And I think he has by calling him a hero,' he said. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Eric Trump told CBS This Morning he believes his dad already has apologized by calling slain Army Captain Humayun Khan's family by calling him a hero Embattled: Donald Trump, who campaigned in Pennsylvania on Monday, was hit by blowback from his response to the Khan family as the controversy entered a fourth day He then tried to clean up his dad's statement on Sunday that he had sacrificed by building structures and employing thousands of people. 'You know, and in terms of the one question, whether you've made a sacrifice, I'm sure my father has. Now whether that's not the ultimate sacrifice the ultimate sacrifice is a soldier dying for this nation, dying to protect the three of us, there's no question about it,' he told his interviewers. There was blowback from the controversy throughout the day Monday, as Arizona Senator John McCain blasted Trump for his remarks, the gold star families demanded an apology, and Khan's mother, Ghazala, gave a tearful interview on MSNBC. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan both distanced themselves from Trump's comments, while President Obama defended gold star families as 'the very best in our country.' Khizr Kahn brandished a pocket copy of the constitution during his speech at the Democratic National Convention Cohost Charlie Rose asked Eric Trump who tells his father when he's wrong implying that someone needs to have a talk with him now 'I think that this was something that was honestly blown in, hugely, out of proportion,' because, first of all, he said that the Khan family looked like amazing people ... which for whatever reason never wants to get reported,' Eric Trump said. 'He called him a hero so many, so many different times ... this isn't a Muslim thing, this is an ISIS thing and also an anti-Syrian, anti-refugee thing coming into the country because he doesn't want to see more Americans dead. My father is a great patriot, he doesn't want to see more Americans dead, and he sees what's happening around the country, and quite frankly, he's shaking his head.' Father Khizr Khan blasted Trump at the convention when he said Trump 'smears the character of Muslims' and brandished a pocket copy of the Constitution and said: 'Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.' Eric Trump said Tuesday that, 'Everybody told us that the toughest three months of our lives are going to be the months after the convention. They say, in Presidential politics, and you guys aren't politicians, but it is just absolutely ruthless.' 'You see anybody who dies, who dies for the nation, for the three of us at this table, made the ultimate sacrifice. But, you know, for my father about the Kahn family, it's not about a soldier who is an amazing guy, my father even said that during the interview, it sounds like he's a really amazing guy, you know this is about a big problem that we have around the world and that's radical terror,' he continued. He went on to mention killings in San Bernardino and the recent beheading of a French priest. 'My father's simple message it's not an anti-Muslim message it's an anti-terror message,' he said. ' You know, we have ISIS and they're running rampant around the world and we have to do something about it,' he said. Co-host Charlie Rose asked Eric Trump who tells his father when he's wrong. 'We can tell him he's wrong. I mean' Trump responded. Asked when was the last time he told his dad he was wrong, Trump responded: 'Well, listen, we do it respectfully, and we go back and forth as a family, and I think that's actually the benefit of having kind of children be part of this process.' Trump was also asked about his dad's comment to USA Today how Ivanka would have responded if she were harassed as women at Fox News are alleged to have been by ex-boss Roger Ailes. 'I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case,' Trump snr said. Eric Trump told CBS that what his dad meant is that his sister wouldn't 'allow herself to be subjected' to such treatment. Advertisement Half a month's worth of rain fell on Britain last night as the summer dry spell came to an abrupt end. And there is more to come with further downpours forecast this week as low pressure moves across the country. Due to a weather system bringing warm, moist air from the Atlantic, South Wales saw 1.5 inches of rain in 12 hours. The rainfall at the start of August was significant with national rainfall averages for the month coming in at 3.5in. Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said it was quite a lot of rain for the country, especially after a dry July. Misery on the beach: Holidaymakers are battling the weather at West Looe in Cornwall today after heavy rain in the area The McMullan family try to stay warm as they eat ice creams (left) while Owen Buchanan plays (right) in South Queensferry Poor weather: A couple and their dog brave the wet and windy conditions on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset Dangerous conditions: Spray is seen on the M4 motorway near Bridgend, South Wales, today after heavy rainfall over Britain Beside the seaside: People enjoy the beach at Bournemouth in Dorset despite the rain bringing misery for holidaymakers Unplesant: People shelter from the rain as they walk along the seafront at Southwold in Suffolk this afternoon Moving around: A horse grazes on higher ground as the River Ogmore swells into the fields near the coast in South Wales He added: Quite a few places in the south of the UK - the West Country in particular - saw about an inch of rain. Interestingly, last month, the Isle of Wight saw barely any rain at all. 'Yet through the course of that 12-hour period on Monday they saw 23mm (0.9in) of rain at St Catherine's Point. Swanage in Dorset recorded 1.3in (34mm) and Wych Cross in East Sussex saw just over 1in (26mm) in 12 hours. Meanwhile Alice Holt Lodge in Hampshire clocked up nearly 1in (25mm) and Larkhill in Wiltshire saw 0.9in (23mm). Mr Wilson said: The rain is gradually easing off, but it is still hanging around across some southern counties. Today's forecast: Rain is spreading into parts of Scotland this afternoon, but it is drier elsewhere and warm in the South Nice weather for ducks: Sailing boats take to the water on Wimbledon Park Lake in South West London on a wet day today Sailing in Wimbledon today: A Met Office meteorologist said Britain had had quite a lot of rain last night for the time of year A Scottish Terrier looks out from a beach hut in Southwold, Suffolk (left), while horses shelter in Ogmore, South Wales (right) Call this summer? Two people shelter under an umbrella at West Looe in Cornwall as the month begins with bad conditions Poor ice cream trade today: People shelter from the wet and windy weather on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset 'So it will bring some further rain over the course of today. He said temperatures are around average for the time of the year and highs of around 24C were expected today. By the end of the day Mr Wilson said it will turn dry across England and Wales. However the rain will push across Northern Ireland then gradually into Scotland and northern parts of England. Tomorrow there will be another area of low pressure pushing in from the Atlantic. No cricket today: Spectators take shelter under umbrellas as rain delays the start of Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles in Bristol Sparsely populated: There were few people making the most of the summer holidays on Ayr Beach in South Ayrshire today There's no-one there: West Looe beach in Cornwall, which is usually packed with visitors during August, is deserted today Going for a stroll; A woman shelters from the rain under an umbrella as she walks along the seafront at Southwold in Suffolk Colourful umbrella: A man holds the hand of a young girl as they walk along the seafront at Southwold in Suffolk today Having fun: Reece Swift, ten, plays with a kite during wet and windy weather on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare today Trying to enjoy themselves: One man takes a photo on his mobile phone of another next to Bournemouth Pier in Dorset today Blocked: A road near Bridgend, South Wales, is closed to traffic today after half a month's worth of rain fell in parts of the UK Mr Wilson said this will bring quite heavy and frequent showers especially in north western parts of the UK. Right across the UK it will be an unseasonably windy day tomorrow,' he added. 'We could see gusts of up to 35 to 40mph across western exposures, The Environment Agency had a single flood alert in place this afternoon, for the River Tamar in north Cornwall. This followed the rainfall, but a spokesman said there had been no reports of flooding in the last 24 hours. Temperatures hit 33.5C in Oxfordshire a fortnight ago on July 19, which was Britain's hottest day of the year so far. Travel chaos for commuters after historic bridge collapses onto a railway line Thousands of commuters faced travel chaos today after part of an historic bridge collapsed onto a railway line . Services between London and the East Midlands were cancelled or delayed after tonnes of rubble tumbled onto the tracks overnight in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. Passengers faced rush hour disruption and services between Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield were badly affected. A huge pile of debris collapsed onto the railway tracks, blocking off the route through. Dramatic: The sudden collapse of a bridge has caused major disruption to trains between the East Midlands and London Inspections: Network Rail said teams had been working through the night to remove the debris from the railway Network Rail said teams had been working through the night to remove the debris from the railway but did not expect the line to reopen today. A spokesman said: Owing to a bridge collapse at Barrow upon Soar, train services between Leicester and Loughborough will be disrupted today. This will affect journeys on the London St Pancras/Nottingham/Leicester and the Leicester/Lincoln/Grimsby routes. Residents described hearing a bang like a bomb going off as the bridge tumbled 12ft (3.6m) to the tracks below. They also said one side of the bridge had been sinking for several years and the crossing was due to be shut this week for repairs. James Laverie said: I heard a bang. It was like a bomb had gone off. There was absolute chaos: two fire engines, police cars. A water main was taken out. Surveying the scene: The collapse, at Barrow upon Soar, near Loughborough, happened in the early hours of the morning Trains between London and Nottingham, Derby and Leicester have been disrupted and replacement buses put in place Jess Haynes said he first realised something had happened at about 11pm, adding: I heard a lot of cursing. Two rows of bricks from the arch are in danger of collapse. Resident Daniel Howe added: We live right across the road from the bridge but slept through it all. It was only when I got up and looked at Facebook at 6.30am that I realised the bridge had collapsed. I usually use the train to get into work in Leicester so I will have to drive in today. Another local said: The path on the left hand side has decided to sink gradually over time. They scheduled for the road to be closed for the next three nights and then this. It was subsiding on one side and the wall was cracking and we assumed that's why they were having the repairs done. While many people were late for work others had their holidays delayed as a result of the bridge collapse. Pat Macreadie, of Great Oakley, Northamptonshire, who was trying to get to Thirsk in North Yorkshire, said: We're having to change trains quite a lot anyway to get to Thirsk. Residents said one side of the bridge had been sinking for several years and was due to close this week for repairs Leicestershire Fire Service said a crew from Loughborough and a technical rescue unit attended the scene in the early hours It's not the best start to a three-day break but I suppose it can't be helped. I'm just glad nobody was hurt in the accident. Commuter Melissa Parkes, 27, who was trying to get from Birmingham to Loughborough, said: I usually get a train from Leicester to Loughborough but now I'm having to stand in the rain waiting for a bus instead. This has delayed me and it's not ideal. One commuter, who travels regularly from Leicester to Nottingham, said: Normally, it takes me about 25 minutes to get to work and it has taken me two hours so far, it is a tad frustrating." Leicestershire Fire Service said a crew from Loughborough and a technical rescue unit from Southern station attended the scene at around 12.20am. A spokesman said: All railway traffic had been stopped and the road had been closed. Residents described hearing a loud bang like a bomb going off as the bridge tumbled 12ft (3.6m) to the tracks below Shocking photographs show the huge pile of debris, which collapsed onto the railway tracks blocking off the route through A bridge inspector from Network Rail decided that there was no need to evacuate nearby homes. We left the incident in the hands of the railway authorities. East Midlands Trains has advised rail passengers travelling northbound from Leicester that a replacement bus service is in operation. A company spokesman said: A replacement bus service is running in both directions between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway. This is only for customers travelling to/from Leicester, Syston, Sileby, Barrow upon Soar and Loughborough. If you are travelling from any other station you must use alternative routes." Severn Trent Water said a burst water main caused by the collapse has been repaired and the water supply to homes in the area had been restored. Eight people are injured after a minibus crashes into a ditch in the countryside A man suffered life-threatening injuries when a minibus carrying eight people crashed into a ditch this morning. There were seven passengers and the driver in the vehicle when it left the A1101 Sutton Road in Leverington. Four ambulance crews, police and firefighters attended the scene near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire at about 6am. Serious crash: Eight people have been taken to hospital today after a van crashed into a ditch in Leverington, near Wisbech Emergency response: Four ambulance crews, police and firefighters attended the scene in Cambridgeshire at about 6am The man was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge by land ambulance to be treated for chest injuries. Two people were taken to the King's Lynn Queen Elizabeth Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Black Eats Chicago Week Spotlights City's Best Black-Owned Restaurants By Stephen Gossett in Food on Aug 2, 2016 7:19PM Hidden Manna Cafe / Facebook When I answer a phone call from Toure Muhammadfounder of Black Chicago Eats, a new website that spotlights black-owned restaurants, and the driving force behind the happening-now Black Chicago Eats WeekI have to quickly finish a mouthful of food so we can chat. I hope that was from a black-owned restaurant! he says, right on cue. (Alas, it was a Kind bar.) But thanks to Muhammads efforts more people will likely be sharing his passion, especially this and next week, when he encourages diners to use his websiteand their own experience and knowledgeto support black-owned restaurants. Black Chicago Eats Week runs from now through Aug. 12. In that time, Muhammad encourages not just visits to applicable restaurants, but interactivity. His website is a starting point, he says, but hes asking that participants use the hashtag #blackchicagoeats when they dine, discuss their experiences and find new spots, not yet on the site. (Blackchicagoeats.com launches from Beta on Aug. 12.) I want them to chime in about the best vegetarian, the best sandwich spots, everything, Muhammad told Chicagoist. Im very excited about the concept. (The Tribune, DNAinfo and Eater all published stories about Black Chicago Eats earlier today. Hat tip!) On the site, Muahmmad lists guides like "12 Classic Black-Owned Restaurants Every True Black Chicagoan Knows," which features definitive spots like Harolds Chicken Shack, Uncle Remus, Original Soul Vegetarian and Lems Bar-B-Cue. But he wants to illustrate a deeper breadth, beyond the most prominent. He tells me takeout-only Popup Dropoff in Avalon Park (home of Spaghedough, a kind of turkey spaghetti) and Hidden Manna CafA in Matteson (great Southern, Louisiana-influenced creole) are two such lesser-known gems. Muhammad says under-exposed black-owned restaurants could strongly benefit from such efforts. If I want Italian, I know where to go. If I want Chinese, I know where to go. Were aware of how to get many of those authentic ethnic flavors. But thats not necessarily the case with the places featured on Black Chicago Eats." So put down the breakfast bar and take heed. She then colours each photo by hand with Photoshop - and the process can take days to get perfect Ms Amaral researches the story behind every photo that she wants to colour before beginning Advertisement An incredible artist has taken some of the defining historical moments of the past 150 years years and brought them to life in 'colourised' photos. From a portrait of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria before he was assassinated in 1914, to a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk burning himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon in June 1963, Brazilian artist Marina Amaral has transformed photos from around the world. The stunning collection of images capture emotive moments from both World Wars, painting a grim picture of what life was like on the front line. Ms Amaral has also breathed new life into celebrity photos, such as those of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, and royal portraits. In one beautiful photo, a 14-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is pictured sitting by a window reading a book in a colourful pink, blue and white striped dress. Taking shelter: Soldiers from the 36th Armoured Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division at Geich, in Germany, on 11 December 1944, sit beside a tank. The 9th Infantry Division was among the first U.S. combat units to engage in offensive ground operations during World War II Fighting back: This photo was taken during the Warsaw Uprising - a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi in 1944. August 1 marked the 72th anniversary of the battle No Man's Land: This retouched picture - originally from a 1928 film - shows a French soldier falling after being shot one hundred years ago, on February 21, 1916, after the first shots were fired in the battle for the French fortress town of Verdun Hands up: A German soldier is pictured being captured by a Soviet soldier during the Battle of Moscow, on December 1, 1941 Many of the photos that Ms Amaral has colourised were originally taken in the First and Second World Wars. A heartbreaking pictures shows German members of the Polish 150 huddling in blankets on a freezing cold railway track after walking from Lodz, Poland, to Berlin on December 14, 1945. Another pictures a French soldier falling in No Mans Land after being shot one hundred years ago, on February 21, 1916, in the battle for the French fortress town of Verdun. The 21-year-old artist believes she is creating a second perspective with the photos. I started colourising photos a year ago, when I found a few colourisations on the internet by accident, Ms Amaral told MailOnline. As I've always been very passionate about history and Photoshop, I started practicing and trying to develop my techniques on that very same day. Refugees: This pictures shows Germans who were expelled from Poland and walked from Lodz, Poland, to Berlin on December 14, 1945. Huddling in blankets, they are waiting by a railway track hoping to be picked up by a British army train Historic day: The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II as monarch of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon took place on 2 June 1953. The vibrant red and gold hues of the ceremony are brought to life in this photo Self-immolation: In June of 1963, Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon. He was attempting to show that to fight all forms of oppression on equal terms, Buddhism too, needed to have its martyrs Scrubbing up: New Zealand Soldiers are pictured washing their socks in wooden tubs during World War I. Rows of laundered socks hang on lines in the background. The photograph was taken in Bus-les-artois, 7 May 1918, by Henry Armytage Sanders She explained the process involves a lot of research and reading - and every inch is coloured by hand at her computer. I never start to work with a photo without first researching the story behind it. Then, I collect the greatest amount of information that can help me with the colours. I like to say that the process of the colourisation itself is like a traditional painting: many hours of work are required, as well as a lot of study, a lot of patience, and many layers of different colours. Every inch is coloured by hand. There's nothing automatic in the process, Ms Amaral said. Depending on the photo that shes working with, the process can take a few hours or even a few days. 'I Have a Dream': Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and activist Mathew Ahmann are pictured in a crowd during the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. in August 1963 The eyes of the army: The Sopwith Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter in the Royal Air Force (RAF). This photo shows the No. 43 Squadron ready for a patrol over the German lines in October 1918 Regal: A fourteen-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, when she was a mere princess, is pictured here sat by the window with her nose in a book Appeasement: British Premier Sir Neville Chamberlain is pictured here on his return from talks with Hitler in Germany, at Heston airfield, London, on September 24, 1938. Chamberlain brought with him a terms of the plan later to be called the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland Equality: Lyndon Johnson is pictured here meeting with civil rights leaders at the White House. In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon signed into law the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony Shot and killed: Lee Harvey Oswald was an American sniper who assassinated President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. In this photo, nightclub owner Jack Ruby (in the hat at right) shot and killed Oswald when he was being transferred from the Dallas police station to a nearby jail two days after killing the president She said colourising allows a deep connection to be immediately established between the viewer and the photo, as soon as the colours are in the right places. It's almost like magic, she said. Ms Amarals photos are now being used by history teachers to show students what historic moments may have looked like. They send me emails saying that their students immediately began to attend classes with higher interest after seeing the images in colour. I truly believe that this is very important educational work, and I feel very happy to be able to contribute in some way, she said. Ms Amaral explained her favourite transformation so far is her colourisation of Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which brings the vibrant red and gold hues from the ceremony to life and really gives a sense of the grand nature of the occasion. Nazi fuhrer: Adolf Hitler's blue eyes are shown in this colourised version of one of his many portrait photos Literary hero: Jack Kerouac, an American novelist and poet, is pictured here in his naval reserve mugshot. In the summer of 1942, Kerouac - after dropping out of Columbia University - signed up for the merchant marine and shipped out aboard the U.S. Army Transport ship Dorchester Elegant: Jacqueline Lee 'Jackie' Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963 Assassinated: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was born on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria. In 1900, Ferdinand gave up his children's rights to the throne in order to marry a lady-in-waiting. In 1914, a Serb nationalist assassinated him. One month later, Austria declared war on Serbia and World War I began Family photo: Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley are pictured here with their daughter Lisa Marie. Priscilla and Elvis met in November 1959 when Priscilla was just 14 1/2 years old. Elvis formally proposed to Priscilla in December 1966 The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918) earned widespread fame as a World War I ace fighter pilot. He was credited with 80 kills before being shot down, his legend as the fearsome Red Baron enduring well after his death Murdered: Nicholas II of Russia was the last Emperor of Russia, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his forced abdication on 15 March 1917. In the spring of 1918, Nicholas and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks Moderniser: The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, served from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln is pictured here in 1863 at the age of 54 Mountaineering: President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir are pictured on Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park 1906 In office: The 33rd U.S. president, Harry Truman, assumed office following the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Truman made the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan, helped rebuild postwar Europe, worked to contain communism and led the United States into the Korean War The Desert Fox: Erwin Rommel was a senior German Army officer during World War II. He was implicated in a plot to overthrow Hitler and in 1944 he took his own life by biting into a cyanide capsule Portraits: A young John Fitzgerald 'Jack' Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, is pictured left. He served as the 35th President of the United States. Joseph Goebbels (right) was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 Gangster: Alphonse Gabriel 'Al' Capone was an American gangster who attained fame during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. His seven-year reign as crime boss ended when he was 33 years old The Department for International Development, run by Priti Patel, has said it will look into any claims of wrongdoing A development charity that works in Malawi using millions of pounds of British aid cash has been linked with a 'cult-like' group whose founders are on the run from Interpol in Mexico. The revelations about the Malawian branch of Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) and its links to the mysterious Teachers Group prompted the Department for International Development (DFID) to promise an investigation. A BBC investigation has revealed DAPP is allegedly controlled by the Teachers Group and that many of its staff are effectively obliged to send an average of 25 per cent of their earnings to the organisation. A college allegedly used by the Teachers Group to recruit members was built by DAPP using 2million of British aid, part of total payments worth 5.6million since 2012. Britain has spent no money with DAPP since May this year when payments were stopped at the claims have been referred to the counter fraud and whistleblowing department. DAPP also takes funding from Unicef, the UN's children's charity, for projects such as sanitation and new schools. The Teachers Group was founded in Denmark in the 1960s to run a Government-funded alternative schools system until its creator Mogens Amdi Petersen was charged with fraud in 2001. Peterson was found not guilty in 2006 but immediately left the country. The broadcaster said he was now sought by Interpol and was thought to be at a luxury compound in Mexico. The links between DAPP and the Teachers Group were exposed by Patrick Goteka, a charity worker who was given the opportunity to move to the US - but on arrival was forced to make a monthly contribution and follow rules. BRITAIN'S CONTROVERSIAL AID BUDGET PROTESTED BY MORE THAN 230,000 PEOPLE Britain's foreign aid budget was pushed strongly by David Cameron as Prime Minister but it has proved deeply controversial. More than 230,000 people signed a Mail on Sunday petition demanding the programme be reined in amid concern over wasted spending. MPs were accused of 'patronising' taxpayers who raised concerns that money from Britain's enormous overseas aid budget was being wasted. They were slammed by fellow MP Andrew Percy - who is now a Government minister under Theresa May - for rudely dismissing the protest at a Commons debate. The End The 12bn Foreign Aid Madness petition called on the Government to review its commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid each year. The petition argued that having a fixed target, which is set to rise to 16 billion by 2020, leads to waste and corruption, and that UK aid should instead be spent as and when required. But the appeal fell on deaf ears for most MPs present. Labour MP Stephen Doughty, a former adviser at the Department for International Development, said it was 'lazy and wrong' to claim much of the foreign aid budget was being wasted. Advertisement He told the BBC: 'They said, ''We cannot send someone who is not in the Teachers Group.'' So they said: ''You should join.''' Mr Goteka said there was no 'initiation ceremony' or documentation to join the group but found himself pressured to make 'voluntary' payments to the Teachers Group's 'common economy'. He said: 'If you write more money to your wife they will say, ''Cancel this and start again.'' 'People were crying when they were making those budgets. It was just a shame.' Mr Goteka said he had been taken to the resort in Mexico and said the Teachers Group philosophy was 'Forget about your family - think about Teachers Group'. He added: 'It's like you have sacrificed the whole of your life, 100 per cent in Teachers Group.' Explaining the 'cult-like' nature of the group, Mr Goteka said agreement became 'automatic' and said: 'Those people are intelligent. 'They try to explain to you... so you agree to say, ''Ah, thank you very much. Now I'm agreeing. I didn't understand it.''' Another DAPP worker Christopher Banda told the BBC he joined Teachers Group in 2009 because it was his 'job security'. He said: 'We call ourselves comrades... and we share the private life together. 'We only get a chance one weekend a month to visit our family.' Harrison Longwe, who was a DAPP accountant in 2014 and 2015, told the BBC a quarter of the charity's more than 700 strong Malawian staff paid contributions to the Teachers Group. The direct payments amounted to as much as 30 per cent of earnings, he said, and averaged 25 per cent. Millions of pounds in UK aid is spent with DAPP each year on projects such as schools and sanitation. The Department for International Development has promised to investigate the 'serious allegations' about the Teachers Group In a statement to the broadcaster, DAPP denied 'it demands contributions from staff for membership of TG, that it pressurises employees to contribute to TG' or that it makes any deductions that are not 'per instruction by the individual employee'. DFID HAS SPENT 5.6M WITH DAPP MALAWI SINCE 2012 DAPP's annual reports reveal years of support from DFID on a variety of projects. In 2015, the UK helped fund a TB programme and in 2014 Britain backed a women farmer's club. In 2013, British cash part funded a new teacher training college that had been due to open last year - with the money from the UK amounting to 25 per cent of the charity's funding that year. The total funding spent since 2012 amounts to 5.6million and projects have included providing emergency nutrition supplements to 330,000 children in urgent need since 2015, as well as building 65,000 handwashing facilities and 60,000 latrines since 2013 improving sanitation and tackling the risk of disease. Advertisement A spokesman from DAPP Malawi told MailOnline: 'Over the past 21 years, DAPP Malawi's work has reached nearly 3 million people in Malawi, and at no time has donor funding ever been used for purposes other than those intended and agreed with donors.' The Department for International Development told the BBC: 'We will not hesitate to act in any situation if wrongdoing is proven. 'DFID welcomes any evidence and documentation that the BBC can send us in order to investigate these serious allegations.' A spokeswoman added to MailOnline: 'DFID has a zero tolerance approach to fraud and corruption full stop. 'Payments to DAPP have been suspended and we encourage the BBC to share their evidence in full.' Megyn Kelly is voicing her frustration with a comment made by Eric Trump in regards to sexual harassment in the workplace. When asked to clarify a statement made by his father Donald in which he said that daughter Ivanka would leave her career or company if she were harassed, Eric said his father stood by his words. 'I think what hes saying is, Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman, she wouldnt allow herself to be objected to it,' said Eric on CBS This Morning. Shortly after, Kelly retweeted CNBC correspondent John Harwood when he shared Eric response, writing: 'Sigh.' Later in the day, Eric responded to criticism his comment had received by writing on Twitter: 'I said sexual harassment is a "no go" and should be addressed by Human Resources. It's totally unacceptable behavior.' Scroll down for video Response: Eric Trump (above) was asked to clarify his father's statement that Ivanka would 'find another career or find another company' if sexually harassed at work Not having it: Megyn Kelly (above) retweeted CNBC correspondent John Harwood after he shared Eric's response on Twitter, writing: 'Sigh' The Fox News host's comment comes two weeks after it was reported that she told a team of internal investigators she had been sexually harassed by her former boss Roger Ailes. That investigation was launched in the wake of a lawsuit filed against Ailes by former Fox News Host Gretchen Carlson, who claimed she lost her job when she refused to have a sexual relationship with the disgraced CEO. Carlson also commented on Eric's statement, writing on Twitter: 'Sad in 2016 we're still victim blaming women.' A majority of Fox News' on-air talent rushed to defend Ailes in interviews after Carlson filed her suit early last month, but the network's biggest star, Kelly, remained silent and refused to give any public comment. Two weeks later, it was reported that Kelly did offer up some private comments about Ailes in her interview with the individuals conducting the investigation. Kelly allegedly told them that she had heard and seen the type of harassment that Carlson detailed in her lawsuit because it happened to her when she was starting off at the network. Days after details of Kelly's interview were reported in the press, Ailes resigned as CEO of Fox News, walking away with a $40million severance package. Reason: Eric's comments come one week after Donald spoke about how he would respond if his Ivanka (above on July 27 heading to wotrk) was harassed at work Allegations: Kelly reportedly told internal investigators at Fox News that she had been sexually harassed by her former boss Roger Ailes (above on July 19) Eric's comments come one week after Donald spoke about how he would respond if his daughter was harassed at work. 'I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case,' said Donald in an interview with USA Today. Donald also used that interview as a chance to discredit Carlson. 'There was quite a bit of fabulous things said [about Ailes by Gretchen Carlson],' said Donald. 'It would be easier for me and more politically correct for me to say you are right. But you would think she wouldnt say those things.' Just days prior to that, Donald said of Ailes while appearing on Meet the Press: 'He's been a friend of mine for a long time and I can tell you that some of the women that are complaining, I know how much he's helped them.' He then added: 'And even recently and when they write books that are fairly recently released, and they say wonderful things about him.' Advertisement More than 8,000 refugees have been rescued from the Mediterranean in just five days, it has emerged. Italian rescuers lifted 1,800 migrants from 14 packed inflatable dinghies and two small wooden fishing boats off waters off Libya on Monday alone. Last night, hundreds of refugees from Somalia, Libya, Bangladesh, Egypt, Congo and West Africa arrived at the southern Italian port of Salerno on board a rescue ship. More than 800 refugees of sub-Saharan origin have arrived in Salerno from the Channel of Sicily carried by the Siem Pilot ship More than 8,000 refugees have been rescued from the Mediterranean in just five days, it has emerged. Pictures show the Italian Navy approaching a wooden migrant boat today Hundreds of refugees from Somalia, Libya, Bangladesh, Egypt, Congo and West Africa arrived at the southern Italian port of Salerno on board a rescue ship Meanwhile the bodies of 120 migrants have washed up on the shores of Libya in the past 10 days, not from previously known shipwrecks. The latest rescues will lift to over 94,000 the number of migrants brought to Italian ports this year, roughly in line with 2015, according to Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The number of migrants trying to reach Europe via the Greek islands has dropped sharply since an EU-Turkey deal designed to stem the flow was agreed in March. According to the Italian Navy, three Italian ships rescued over 560 people in the southern Mediterranean Sea on Monday alone The Italian Navy made several rescues of boats off the country's coast this week. Medics wheel one casualty away for treatment The latest rescues will lift to over 94,000 the number of migrants brought to Italian ports this year, roughly in line with 2015 Numbers on that route are running at dozens per day rather than the thousands per day seen this time last year. It comes as it emerged that the death toll of refugees trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean has topped 3,000 in just seven months. Meanwhile, Germany revealed 42,300 minors had reached the country unaccompanied in 2015. Germany's Federal Office for Statistics said About 91 per cent, or some 38,700, of these children and teenagers were male, while only about 3,600 girls entered Germany without their parents. A woman lifts up her shirt as a doctor examines her for injuries after she was rescued in the Mediterranean this week Hundreds of refugees could be seen sitting on the Siem Pilot ship as they were being transported to shore in Italy The death toll of refugees trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean has topped 3,000 in just seven months Germany saw an unprecedented influx of migrants in 2015. More than a million people registered for asylum, the majority of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Unaccompanied refugee children are normally taken into care by the country's youth welfare offices. According to the IOM, global migrant deaths topped 4,000 in the first seven months of this year, a 26 per cent increase in the fatality rate compared with the same period of 2015. The total of 4,027 migrant deaths this year includes those who perished crossing the Mediterranean as well as others who died on the North African route and at the Turkey-Syria border, according to the Geneva-based IOM. Some 3,120 people have died since January 1 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The most deadly route has been the crossing towards Italy, which has cost 2,692 lives, followed by the routes to Greece (383) and Spain (45). More than 8,000 refugees, many from sub-Saharan Africa have been rescued in the last five days, it has emerged Hundreds of migrants arrived in Italy after a series of rescue operations carried out by the country's Navy yesterday Two migrants wrap themselves in blankets as rescue workers help them ashore in the port of Salerno last night IOM raised its Mediterranean death toll on Tuesday after 33 more bodies were discovered in recent days off the Libyan coastal town of Sabratha. The new IOM figures brought the number of bodies that have washed up in Sabratha to 120 over the last 10 days. Neither IOM nor Libya's coastguard - which first reported the Sabratha deaths - had details on whether the fatalities were caused by a single shipwreck or several accidents. IOM spokesman Joel Millman said those who perished were likely trying to make the treacherous journey to Italy. Aside from the Mediterranean, North Africa has proven the deadliest place for migrants this year, with 342 fatalities. Aside from the Mediterranean, North Africa has proven the deadliest place for migrants this year, with 342 fatalities Migrants sit on the port at Salerno in Italy with a soldier watching on as they wait to be moved in to temporary accommodation A man carries a young baby ashore after reaching the port of Salerno in western Italy last night Some migrants passing through the region have been killed by people smugglers or 'national authorities', IOM said, warning over the rise in violent deaths of migrants on the North African route. The number of deadly attacks on migrants and refugees among Syrians seeking transit through Turkey has also spiked. French police are racking up traffic violations in a BMW vehicle confiscated from a jailed arms dealer who is reportedly receiving the infringement notices behind bars in his prison mail. The problem had become so bad his lawyer claimed the prisoner was even served licence suspension notices when he ran out of demerit points - while sitting behind bars. The bizarre case was reportedly made possible after French police were allowed in 2011 to use cars seized from suspects. A BMW 118D similar to the model used by French police after confiscating from an arms dealer The Daily Telegraph reports that the man, from Lupel in France's southwest, was arrested in 2013 with two Kalashnikov assault rifles and two pistols in a BMW 118D vehicle. Police later requisitioned the car under the new law, it was reported. But lawyer Cyril Malgras reportedly told French media outlet Midi Libre the dealer has received regular letters in his jail at Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, near Montpelier. Prison de Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, near Montpelier, where the dealer is imprisoned For example, the dealer had received a fine for driving 12 km/hr over the limit on the A9 motorway between Beziers and Nimes on November 28 last year. However, he had actually been sitting in his prison cell. According to Midi Libre, Mr Malgras said he had written to authorities several times to get the licence returned after it was suspended because of so many fines.'That was the cherry on the cake!' he reportedly said. Retiring New York Republican representative Richard Hanna has become the first sitting lawmaker to say publicly that he'll vote for Hillary Clinton. 'I do not expect perfection, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins,' the upstate lawmaker writes in an unrestrained op-ed in Syracuse.com. 'He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country,' Hanna wrote. Hanna, a three-term lawmaker whose term is up in December, cited as the last straw Trump's latest foray into insults' his clash with the family of slain U.S. Army captain Humayan Khan. Representative Richard Hanna blasted Donald Trump in an op-ed, calling him 'unfit to serve,' and said he is voting for Hillary Clinton 'Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country,' he said. He told Syracuse.com in a separate interview: 'I saw that and felt incensed. I was stunned by the callousness of his comments." Hanna's announcement comes as Trump has repeatedly been at loggerheads with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who held off but ultimately endorsed Trump. A frustrated Ryan told donors Monday the party 'cant just run a vague platitude election, hopefully win a personality contest, and then try to bring in transformational, once-in-a-generation reform to an unsuspecting country.' Ryan's office declined to comment on whether the speaker had a head's up about the op-ed or weighed in on the bold statement by a member of his caucus. Hanna has previously split broken with his party on abortion and gay marriage, and in 2015 he worked for the election of former Speaker John Boehner, who fended off a conservative Tea Party challenge and was succeeded by Ryan. Hanna cited Trump's bankruptcies and questioned his character, and would make government 'much, much worse' Hanna, pictured here with Democratic representative Carolyn Maloney, announced he is voting for Hillary Clinton DON'T LOCK HER UP: Hanna writes that Clinton 'has issues,' but at least 'she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself' Hanna said a deciding issue for him was Trump's treatment of the parents of fallen Army captain Humayan Khan. Khizr Khan spoke at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia Hanna, who has previously said he would never support Trump, went after the GOP nominee's character as well as his policy proposals. 'A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable almost gleefully using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices, Hanna wrote. 'A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Think about those average people who paid for his choices.' Clinton, who represented New York in the Senate, he writes, at least 'stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself.' He writes that Republicans can 'live to win or lose another day,' and shares fears that it is becoming harder for the GOP to nominate an 'electable' candidate. 'While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing,' he writes. 'I trust she can lead. All Republicans may not like the direction, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Our response to the public's anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate.' Hanna frets that the party is becoming unelectable, and writes that the party has catered to its political base, and has 'largely alienated women, Hispanics, the LGBT community, young voters and many others in general' Other Republicans, including Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, have refused to endorse Trump, but none have said they'll vote for Hillary. Other New York lawmakers expressed misgivings about Trump during the primaries. But prominent New York representative Peter King, for example, has thrown his support to Trump. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT A dog is recovering since his rescue by firefighters after being impaled while trying to jump a fence. Wilbur the yellow Labrador was impaled on one of the pointed spikes of an iron fence as he tried to jump to catch vultures in Gaston County, North Carolina, on Saturday, WBTV reports. When his owner Mary Anne Dixon Hubbard came home, she saw what had happened and called 911 while her son helped secure their pet while they waited for emergency crews. Scroll down for video A dog is recovering since his rescue by firefighters after being impaled on an iron fence Vets say Wilbur (above, after his ordeal) is lucky to be alive as none of his vital organs were hit Hes never tried to jump this big of a fence or even attempted it, she told the local station. We think there was a bench too close that he might have jumped on but then he didnt make it and was impaled the fence post went all the way through. But remarkably, Wilbur remained calm throughout his ordeal even as firefighters used a tool to cut parts of the fence away to rescue him. David Brumbaugh, the assistant chief of New Hope Fire Department, said he was impressed by Wilburs calm demeanor as the rescue progressed. He said crews were careful to cut around the piece of the fence that had gone through the dogs hind quarters. Wilbur remained calm throughout his ordeal even as firefighters used a tool to cut parts of the fence away to rescue him The yellow Labrador (before the incident) was impaled as he tried to catch vultures With the training we have, if youre impaled by something, we dont remove it we package you and send you to the hospital, he told WBTV. The fence post fell out on the way to the hospital, where vets said Wilbur was lucky to be alive because it had missed the dogs vital organs. He needed to buy Saturday nights lottery ticket, Dr Laura Dvorak said. Wilbur is at Charlotte Animal Referral and Emergency Hospital and is likely to be there for a few more days until his injuries heal, the Charlotte Observer reports. In the meantime, his owners have bought and installed a rubber strip to place along the pointed posts of the fence to ensure another accident doesnt happen. Wilbur's owner Mary Anne Dixon Hubbard (pictured) said he had never tried to jump a fence that high before A western Tennessee man has been accused of killing his girlfriend's 5-month-old baby boy. Braxton Edwards, 20, was arrested and charged Monday with first-degree murder in the death of Maxyn Killingsworth, Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said in a news release. The infant died Saturday from injuries he suffered Wednesday at a home in Kenton, according to authorities. Braxton Edwards, 20, was arrested and charged Monday with first-degree murder in the death of Maxyn Killingsworth, Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said Thomas says Edwards had been left to care for the baby while the mother, Destiny McCurdy, was at work. Edwards told investigators he had tripped while walking with the child. Edwards was initially charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect prior to the boy's death. Thomas, according to the Jackson Sun, said: 'Edwards told investigators with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office that he tripped while walking with the child and the child began to seize. Edwards was initially charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect prior to the boy's death 'Edwards later called 911, and the child was initially transported to the emergency room in Union City, Tennessee, and later transferred to LeBonheur Childrens Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. 'Once at LeBonheur Children's Hospital it was determined that the child had a subdural hemorrhage with compression fractures of the T11 and T12 vertebra.' Citing court documents, the newspaper reported that Edwards claimed he tripped over a dog and landed on the infant. Court documents also reportedly described Edwards as saying that he placed Maxyn on a couch for a diaper change and the five-month-old began seizing. Via the Jackson Sun, they documents said that according to Edwards, the seizure ended and he shook the unresponsive infant several times. Thomas says Edwards had been left to care for the baby while the mother, Destiny McCurdy, was at work. McCurdy is seen with her son Maxyn in this Facebook image Edwards' arraignment took place Tuesday, and he is held on $100,000 bond, the Jackson Sun reported. His mother Staci Brewer wrote on Facebook Sunday: 'Braxton did not harm this child with intent, with malice, with anger, nor did he purposefully try to kill him. 'He Did Not BEAT this child as people are implying!!' Dexter Killingsworth is the baby's father and told the Jackson Sun: 'Knowing that he's in a better place and he doesnt have anything else to worry about. 'Even if he didn't learn to walk here, he can learn how to walk up there on the golden streets.' A GoFundMe page for Maxyn's parents has raised more than $1,300. Christians working in a Greek island detention center for asylum seekers have reportedly offended Muslim detainees after trying to convert them to their religion and repent their sins. People held at the Moria detention camp on the island of Lesbos are said to have been given conversion forms inside copies of Arabic translations of the St John's gospel - including during the sacred month of Ramadan. The Muslim detainees are being held under the terms of the EU-Turkey migration deal. Detainees have alleged the forms were distributed by Greek charity Euro Relief, which is helping managing the site. Tents surround the Moria refugee camp where asylum-seekers wander the complex They are among a few thousand asylum seekers detained in camps on Greek Islands after the new deal was reached in March. The Guardian reports that it has seen the form which invites asylum seekers to sign a statement declaring: 'I know I'm a sinner ... I ask Jesus to forgive my sins and grant me eternal life. My desire is to love and obey his word.' The newspaper reported that asylum seekers felt the religious intervention was insensitive. The Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos Mohamed, a detainee from Damascus, told the Guardian : 'It's a big problem because a lot of the people are Muslim and they have a problem with changing their religion. They were trying this during Ramadan, the holiest Muslim month.' According to the report, a second Syrian, Ahmed, said: 'We like all religions, but if you are a Christian, and I give you a Qur'an, how would you feel?' Euro Relief director Stefanos Samiotakis, told the Guardian he had already taken action after being told of the developments. It is the world's deepest lake, covers an area greater than the size of Belgium and is renowned for its rich biodiversity. But the flora and fauna of Lake Baikhal in Russia is at risk after a mysterious bad-smelling patch of green sludge was discovered floating on the surface. Much of the water in the lake, which holds 20 per cent of the planet's freshwater and is more than a mile deep, is now feared unsafe for animals to drink. Scroll down for video The flora and fauna of Lake Baikhal in Russia is at risk after mysterious bad-smelling patch of green sludge was discovered floating on the surface A dead mink, with what appeared to be chemical burns, was found washed up on the lake's shore The pollution was spotted on the water surface close to the village of Maksimikha in south-eastern Russia's Republic of Buryatia where locals complained that it smelt foul. It was estimated in local reports that the size of the strange spot was around 50 to 70 metres (164 to 229 feet) in diameter. A dead mink, with what appeared to be chemical burns, was found washed up on the lake's shore. A Russian social media user, by the name of Anonim 03, posted footage of the spot of the green sludge to local website VKontakte. Much of the water in the lake, which holds 20 per cent of the planet's freshwater and is more than a mile deep, is now feared unsafe for animals to drink The pollution was spotted on the water surface close to the village of Maksimikha in south-eastern Russia's Republic of Buryatia where locals complained that it smelt foul It was estimated in local reports that the size of the strange spot was around 50 to 70 metres (164 to 229 feet) in diameter He wrote: 'Does anybody have an idea what is going on with Lake Baikal?!' Local residents also said that the water around the patch had turned green, and there is a disgusting smell of chemicals. Biologist Mikhail Ovdin who said: 'To be honest I haven't seen anything like that in the 33 years of my life by Lake Baikal.' Mr Ovdin believes that the reason for the spot might be connected with microorganisms like algae including spirogyra (also known as water silk or blanket weed) which in itself is an indicator of faecal contamination. Biologist Mikhail Ovdin who said: 'To be honest I haven't seen anything like that in the 33 years of my life by Lake Baikal.' The biologist thought the spot could be an indicator of faecal contamination Scientist Oleg Timoshkin agreed and said: 'The lake is covered with algae. Spirogyra is an indicator of faecal contamination. On top of that, all the sanitary and epidemiological indicators are far below standards.' But Russian health watchdogs have said it is nothing worse than seaweed and have urged people not to worry. Konstantin Radnaev, an official from a local healthcare watchdog, said: 'There is nothing serious about it. 'Based on preliminary information there is no indication of human involvement in the incident.' Mr Radnaev also stressed that there was no sign of chemical contamination in the water around the spot. Scientist Oleg Timoshkin agreed and said: 'The lake is covered with algae. Spirogyra is an indicator of faecal contamination.' But Russian health watchdogs have said it is nothing worse than seaweed and have urged people not to worry Four Chicago Spots Make Bon Appetit's List Of 50 Best New Restaurants By Stephen Gossett in Food on Aug 2, 2016 5:28PM Pub Royale (Photo credit: Martha Williams) Bon Appetit Magazine on Tuesday released its annual, taste-making list of Americas 50 best new restaurants; and local diners should be happy (if not surprised) to see that four Chicago spots made the cut. (Only New York City has more selections, with five. But thats not matterits not like theres some kind of perceived rivalry between the cities.) Chicagos best debuts, according to the list, are Ukrainian Village new-school brasserie Boeufhaus, West Loop pasta standout Monteverde, West Town casual Indian spot Pub Royale and Grant Achatz and companys Roister, in Fulton Market. Ten restaurants will then be chosen from the list and ranked as the magazines Hot 10 in mid-August. In April, Chicagoist wrote, Boeufhaus is a surprisingly ambitious restaurant and certainly more than just a steakhouse. Right now it's not too crowded, but it won't be that way for long. That probably goes doubly now. On Monteverede, Chicagoist spoke with chef Sarah Gruenberg and published a photo gallery of some of those made-before-your-eyes plates last November. Former Chicagoist food editor Melissa McEwen called the food at Pub Royale "brash" and the flavors "intense" in a positive appraisal in May, 2015. And we took a quick peek at Roisters casual but not simple(indeed) restaurant back in March. A Connecticut judge on Tuesday denied a request by a former attorney for President George W Bush in prison for the attempted murder of his ex-wife to stop her from collecting a nearly $29million verdict. A lawyer representing John Michael Farren, 63, had made the request to a state judge in Stamford on Monday. A civil trial jury found Farren liable for beating his wife, Mary Margaret Farren, and awarded her $28.6million. Farren is appealing the settlement to the US Supreme Court. Scroll down for video Legal fail: John Michael Farren (pictured left in court in 2010), in prison for the attempted murder of his ex-wife Mary Margaret Farren (pictured right), has tried and failed to stop her from collecting a $29million civil settlement Brutalized: Mary Margaret Farren suffered broken bones in her jaw and cheek and other injuries after her husband attacked her with a metal flashlight High-powered client: Farren was deputy White House counsel for President George W Bush Superior Court Judge Robert Genuario said in his ruling on Tuesday that only the state Appellate Court could provide a 'stay of execution' pending the outcome of Farren's US Supreme Court appeal, reported The Stamford Advocate. But the Appellate Court had already denied Farren's request to delay the collection of the civil settlement. Farren was deputy White House counsel for George W. Bush and undersecretary for international trade under Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush. He's currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for attempted murder in the January 6, 2010, attack on his then-wife at their New Canaan mansion, where Farren bludgeoned the woman with a flashlight and choked her. Idyllic setting: The January 2010 attack took place inside the Farrens' mansion in New Canaan, Connecticut (pictured) Mary Margaret Farren (L) and daughter Abigail attend the opening of the Dior boutique at CityCenterDC on January 14, 2016 in Washington DC The couple's two daughters, a baby and a 7-year-old, slept just down the hall during the violent confrontation, which took place two days after Mrs Farren had served her husband with divorce papers. Farren choked his wife and bludgeoned her with a metal flashlight until she lost consciousness. She ultimately managed to flee the house with her children. Farren later disputed the seriousness of the charges and also tried to use a mental health defense, but a judge didn't allow it. During her husbands trial, Mary Margaret Farren took the witness stand and described in graphic detail the vicious beating she had endured. 'He was on top of me and he was squeezing my neck, strangling me, and slamming my head... into the floor,' testified Mrs Farren, who suffered broken bones in her jaw and cheek and other injuries from the attack. 'He said, ''I'm killing you''.' Farren (pictured left) was sentenced to 15 years in prison in July 2014 after a jury found him guilty of attempted murder, first degree assault and risk of injury to a child Speaking to ABCs 20/20 last July, Mary Margaret recalled thinking she was dying during the attack. During the trial, she told the court how her husband was trying to strangle her Speaking to ABCs 20/20 last July, Mary Margaret, a one-time high-powered attorney earning a $500,000-a-year salary from the Manhattan-based law firm Skadden Arp, according to Above The Law, recalled thinking she was dying during the attack and said that it took a long time for her wounds to heal. The impact was so severe that I completely lost my sense of smell, she said. John Michael Farren was sentenced to 15 years in prison in July 2014 after a jury found him guilty of attempted murder, first degree assault and risk of injury to a child. The judge also ordered that he never again have contact with his two daughters. Farren was general counsel at Xerox in 2007 when he was named deputy White House counsel during George W. Bush's second term. He served as undersecretary for international trade in the Commerce Department under Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush. A young British man who traveled to Syria to fight against ISIS terrorists with a Kurd militia has been killed during a firefight. Dean Carl Evans, 22, of Reading, died fighting with Kurdish forces in Manbij in the Aleppo district of Manbij. His father John Evans told his friends on Facebook his son had died on July 21. 'To all my friends and family for those who knew my son Dean Carl Evans the young age of 22 sadly lost his life in Sierra (sic) fighting for our country,' John said in the July 23 post. Scroll down for video Dean Carl Evans, the British man reportedly killed 'fighting ISIS' in Syria, pictured in uniform in a video posted on YouTube by Kurd supporters Mr Evans in the YouTube clip posted by Kurd supporters. His death was reported on his father's Facebook account Mr Evans firing a gun in a video from YouTube posted by Kurd supporters after his death On July 24, John Evans posted a picture of Dean in his youth in a military-style uniform. 'My son Dean Carl Evans born on 7/10/93 sadly was killed in Syria on Friday. He was loved and will be missed by all his family and friends rip son xx xx,' he said in the post. It was believed that Dean was a member of International Brigades of Rojava, an international volunteer group fighting against the so-called Islamic State. On July 27, Mr Evans posted again about the wishes he had received from family and friends since his original post reporting of the death. 'I would like to say a massive big thank you to all my freinds (sic) and family who sent there condolence for the loss of my son he would have been very proud and would have regarded you all as his brothers and sisters, thank you again,' he said. Mr Evans in military-style uniform in a photo from his youth. The photo was posted by his father John Evans to Facebook last month His father pays heartbreaking tribute to his son on Facebook John Evans listed his work background on Facebook as having worked in the British Army - (Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment). His post was shared by a Sarah Greenfield, of the US state of Washington, who said she was Dean's second cousin. 'This is my second cousin who I never got the pleasure of meeting....' Ms Greenfield wrote. 'But I can for sure say right now I am very proud to have been related to this handsome young man R.I.P MY HERO! 'I love u so much and am sending my love and prays to you.' Mr Evans pictured in uniform in a video from YouTube posted by Kurd supporters Several Kurd-linked Twitter accounts are also said to have reported that a man from Reading had been killed during fighting in Manbij, in the Aleppo Governorate of Syria. 'British YPG (A Kurdish militia that opposes ISIS) fighter Dean Carl Evans (Givara Rojava) martyred in Manbij clashes against ISIS on 21st July 2016,' one Twitter account reportedly wrote. In a tribute video posted by Kurd supporters on YouTube, Evans is apparently shown in Syria firing weapons and in military uniform. In it he says: 'My family, my family, my mother passed away four years ago,' he says in the clip. Donald Trump may have driven an even larger wedge between military veterans and his presidential campaign on Tuesday with an offhand comment in the midst of an otherwise touching moment with a military veteran. While telling the story of a lieutenant colonel who presented him with his Purple Heart medal as a vote of confidence, Trump quipped: 'I always wanted to get the purple heart. This was much easier.' The Purple Heart is awarded to servicemen and women who are wounded in combat, and to surviving family members of those who are killed in action. Wanting one is akin to a death wish or close to it. Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman came on stage and posed with Trump for photos before telling him that he didn't want to speak to the crowd. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, posed on stage with a Purple Heart medal given to him by Lieutenant Colonel Louis Dorfman, right, during a campaign appearance in Ashburn, Virginia on Tuesday The Purple Heart is given to U.S. servicemen and women who are wounded in battle, and awarded posthumously to those killed in action So I said, "Lieutenant colonel, would you like to say something?"' Trump told his audience in an Ashburn, Virginia high school auditorium. 'He goes, "No sir. I'd like you to just keep saying what you're saying." Amazing. it's amazing. what an honor.' The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Dorfman laughed at Trump's joke. But Trump has been bickering with the father of a Muslim man who was killed in combat in 2004, and Tuesday's unforced error will add fuel to that fire. Khizr Khan, a Pakistani immigrant, blasted Trump at the Democratic National Convention and then in a series of TV interviews drawing return fire from the real estate tycoon. An NBC reporter tweeted that she spoke to Dorfman before Tuesday's rally and he said at the time that he was giving Trump a replica medal, not the real thing Trump has made improving veterans affairs a major plank in his campaign platform, but Tuesday's gaffe could drive a new wedge between him and former military members Trump said Tuesday that Dorfman told him he was handing over his real Purple Heart medal, but an NBC reporter tweeted that the veteran had said before the rally that it was a copy. The Republican presidential nominee reiterated later in his speech that he would reform the Department of Veterans Affairs if he wins the White House. 'I talk about our veterans, because our veterans are being treated horribly,' he said. 'When you hear "22 suicides a day," that's inconceivable. Twenty-two suicides a day!' ' Our veterans are being treated horribly. We're going to turn that around so fast your head is going to spin.' Thousands of wildebeest sprint across a fast-flowing river as part of a perilous migration a third of the herd will not survive. The brave animals - some of which weigh up to 43 stone - must cross the Mara River, which is plagued by crocodiles up to 16-feet-long. Every year, from July to September, around one million zebra and wildebeest migrate from Masai Mara in Kenya to Serengeti in Tanzania. Scroll down for video Thousands of wildebeest sprint across a fast-flowing river as part of a perilous migration a third of the herd will not survive The brave animals - some of which weigh up to 43 stone - have to cross the Mara River, which is plagued with crocodiles up to 16-feet-long Every year, from July to September, around one million zebra and wildebeest migrate from Masai Mara in Kenya to Serengeti in Tanzania The 5,000 wildebeest made a huge noise as they ran through the river before walking up the hill on the other side. Photographer Paolo Maffioletti, 59, travelled to that part of Africa to capture the wildebeest's migration. Dr Maffioletti, from Bergamo, Italy, said: 'This is the great migration from Masai Mara in Kenya to Serengeti in Tanzania. 'Every year about 1 million zebra and wildebeest migrate to look for fresh grass and to find more rainfall. 'Around 5,000 wildebeest were crossing the river Talek that day - which is a small tributary of the Mara River.' The 5,000 wildebeest made a huge noise as they ran through the river before walking up the hill on the other side A wildebeest plunges into the river, desperately trying to avoid the crocodiles waiting below He said: 'Around 5,000 wildebeest were crossing the river Talek that day - which is a small tributary of the Mara River' According to Dr Maffioletti, the Mara River is a formidable barrier in the annual migration. 'Crocodiles in the Mara River are much larger and it is difficult to cross, often many wildebeest drown after being attacked by them. 'They must reach the bank of the river as soon as possible because they are so vulnerable. 'The wildebeests have to stay together to protect themselves from predators including lions, hyenas and crocodiles.' Dr Maffioletti added: 'They made such a loud noise which was really impressive. 'The crossing of the river is one of the best moments of wildlife.' According to Dr Maffioletti, the Mara River is a formidable barrier in the annual migration He said: 'Crocodiles in the Mara River are much larger and it is difficult to cross, often many wildebeest drown after being attacked by them' A Palestinian asylum seeker accused of operating a 7million people trafficking ring from a UK hostel faces 20 years in a Greek prison if he is extradited, a court heard. Jamal Owda faces being sent to Greece over claims he helped smuggle hundreds of people from the Mediterranean country to Macedonia. But doctors have argued his deportation would breach his human rights due to prison overcrowding and as he is suffering from post traumatic stress from growing up in war-torn Gaza. Jamal Owda is facing extradition to Greece over claims he is part of a people trafficking ring The 27-year-old, who is alleged to have snuck into Britain in the back of a lorry in 2014, was arrested in an asylum hostel in Sefton Park, Liverpool, where he had been staying for several months. When he was arrested in a dawn raid in December, polices found had 17,500 in cash hidden in a speaker in his room. Westminster Magistrates heard today that Owda was part of a lucrative smuggling operation between 2014 and 2015. James Stansfeld representing the Greek authorities said: 'The allegations include payment of 1,500 Euros per case so we are saying hundreds of thousands of Euros were made from the conspiracy. 'The maximum sentence for this is also 20 years, this is a substantial extradition offence.' District Judge John Zani confirmed that Owda came to the UK in May 2014 and was refused asylum. He claimed he has another application from June 2015 'still pending'. Greek authorities claim his gang charged around 1,500 euros to get people into Europe Speaking through an Arabic interpreter, Owda said: 'I challenge anyone on the face of the earth to come forward and prove these allegations. In Greece I've never done any wrongdoing. 'I lost my student visa and my residency for what, I don't know. My visa was still valid but I have lost my residency.' Owda had psychiatric treatment in his native Gaza, Palestine, between 2006 and 2008 where he was diagnosed with paranoia and hallucinations, the court heard. Dr Pamela Walters, a consultant in forensic and addiction psychiatry at HMP Wandsworth, told the court Owda is at risk of suicide and suffered post traumatic stress disorder from living in Palestine. She said: 'Historically he had reported hearing voices and has symptoms of dissociative disorders along with serious personality problems, probably brought on by the PTSD from what he saw in Gaza as a child. 'He has tried a wide range of self harm methods such as bleaching, razor blades, jumping down stairs and hanging. The fact they are so varied is a concern that there is real intention behind his actions to harm himself.' Owda was arrested at this asylum centre in south Liverpool and had 17,500 in his room Dr Walters added: 'He was also very anxious about a BBC documentary filmed at the prison in which he was interviewed due to his extradition case for people smuggling. 'He felt it was a little against his wishes and felt pressured into doing it. He felt particularly distressed about that and helpless as it was now out there on the Internet for his family to see.' The trafficking ring reportedly took asylum seekers from the Balkans before smuggling them into EU states, including Britain, Germany and France. Holidays-makers at Australia's airports could be looking at huge delays from next week as thousands of Department of Immigration and Boarder Protection workers strike. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has told the department its members will walk off the job for 24 hours starting at midnight on August 12. CPSU members in other departments will hold an hour-long stop work meeting on the same day. Holidays-makers at Australia's airports could be looking at huge delays from next week as thousands of Department of Immigration and Boarder Protection workers strike (stock image) The strikes are in protest over an enterprise bargaining deadlock, which has continued for over three years, The Canberra Times reported. Three-quarters of the Commonwealth's 150,000 public servants don't have an enterprise and bargaining agreement. Some of the largest departments have not yet reached an agreement with staff regarding workplace rights. The CPSU said 60-70 percent of front line airport staff are union members and the impact could be significant. CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood told the publication: 'As with past strikes the impact of this action is likely to vary from place to place, but may cause delays for international air passengers.' A spokeswoman for the Department of Immigration and Boarder protection told the Canberra Times action by CPSU members could affect international airports, container examination facilities, client services, sea ports, international mail facilities and visa processing sections. CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood at Sydney Airport in November 2015 The union has asked Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull for a meeting to sort out the issue and hinted at further strikes if an agreement is not reached. Ms Flood said the workers wanted to keep their existing workplace rights, particularly the family friendly conditions and a fair wage outcome. When Karl and Elizabeth Gfatter eloped in 1941, it was against the wishes of their parents, who said the couple were two young to be married. Karl's father even made him a bet - if the marriage lasted more than a year, he would pay $100. But when it comes to long-lasting love, the Gfatter's - Karl is 94, Elizabeth, 91 - from Poughkeepsie, New York, sure know what they are doing, and at the weekend renewed their vows, 75 years after their wedding. Here come the bride and groom ... again: Karl and Elizabeth Gfatter were first married in 1941. At the weekend, 75 years later, they were married again at River Valley Care Center Big day: Elizabeth Gfatter were all white for the occasion and even had flowers in her hair River Valley Care Center staff spent weeks preparing for the couple's second big day The couple's wedding outfits were accented in pink - Elizabeth's favorite color The couple said it was true love and honesty that had kept them together for so long The couple had just moved into the River Valley Care Center in Poughkeepsie, following the death of their adult daughter last year. When staff heard their 75th anniversary was approaching, they decided to plan something special for the two. At the celebration, Elizabeth was asked the secret to such an enduring marriage. 'Love and honesty...and be good to each other,' she told ABC 7 News. Karl and Elizabeth met as children, later dated in high school, and after that, Karl proposed. 'We eloped because they didn't want us to get married yet - they said we were too young,' Elizabeth added. When they eloped 75 years ago, Karl and Elizabeth Gfatter were told they'd never make it The pair celebrated their wedding anniversary Monday by renewing the vows Staff at the nursing went to a lot of effort to throw the couple a special second wedding Karl left for two years after their wedding to serve for the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. He recalled the bet his father made with him, and was forced to pay up. 'He said, ''I'll tell you what, if it lasts more than a year I'll give you 100 bucks'',' Karl said. Elizabeth said she never questioned whether Karl would be a good husband, even if they were just high school sweethearts. 'He just said he loved me, and that's all that mattered,' she said. The couple had just moved into the River Valley Care Center in Poughkeepsie, following the death of their daughter last year. She was 68 The two had just one child, who died in January 2015. She was 68. 'There were complications with me and we couldn't have any more children,' Elizabeth told The Poughkeepsie Journal. Michelle Obama was on hand to clean up the president's appearance as he greeted the Prime Minister of Singapore. The first lady wiped her husband's nose in front of the crowds in Washington D.C. as Lee Hsien Loong and his wife arrived. President Obama squinted slightly as his wife reached out and touched his face. But it appeared to save the Commander-in-chief from any embarrassment. Scroll down for video Michelle Obama wipes something off the president's nose as they prepare to welcome the Prime Minister of Singapore to the White House The pair looked like any normal couple as they walked onto the red carpet holding hands as Loong kicked off his state visit. Michelle wore a custom-designed yellow dress while her husband donned his usual attire - a suit. They are celebrating the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city state. The Singaporian prime minister has urged the United States to maintain their 'indispensable role' in the Asia-Pacific and ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. President Obama squinted slightly as his wife touched his wife in front of the crowds She then touched his cheek as they stood in front of the White House Michelle was seen looking around at his face before reaching out to clean up his appearance Calling Singapore a 'rock solid' partner, Obama welcomed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after an elaborate ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, where hundreds of U.S. military members in blue and white uniforms formed an honor guard. The two leaders were then meeting in the Oval Office, and Lee will also be honored with a state dinner on Tuesday evening. The U.S. president said they shared a 'common vision of a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific and a more secure world.' He paid tribute to the tiny nation's transformation from third world country to a first world country in the past five decades, describing it as a 'red dot on many maps, but with a very big impact on the world.' It's not known whether she was taking something off his face or was just trying to be playful She is seen grabbing at his face behind the presidential lectern The pair looked like any normal couple as they walked onto the red carpet holding hands as Loong kicked off his state visit President Obama shares a joke with the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong at the start of his state visit Obama (right), First lady Michelle (second left)), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs. Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore wave from the balcony during their arrival ceremony Michelle later appeared with members of band after a performance for her and Ho Ching, wife of Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the National Gallery of Art She shared a joke with Carol Fisher (right), chief creative officer of Savoy Elementary School Ashraf Amrani, 30, went on to kill his parents Hassan, 72, and 59-year-old Zohra (pictured) before committing suicide A police sergeant who decided to leave a convicted rapist on the streets just days before he killed his parents said he got it 'very wrong', an inquest heard today. Ashraf Amrani, 30, was on bail when his body was discovered on a first-floor roof in Westbourne Park Road, west London, on February 13 2015. When police went to inform his parents the following day, Hassan, 72, and Zohra, 59, were found dead at their flat, which was on the same street. Just three days before he murdered his parents, Amrani was arrested on suspicion of affray after he reportedly pursued a stranger with a large knife. He was released on street bail - which is when a suspect is bailed without being taken to a police station - and is usually used for offences such as shoplifting. Officers took him to St Mary's Hospital in London after he became unwell and he was treated for taking nine ecstasy tablets. He went on to discharge himself at 3am the following day. Sergeant Sandy Gordon, who made the bail decision, gave evidence at the second day of the inquest into the three deaths being held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday. When asked by coroner Bernard Richmond QC if, looking back, he got the decision right or wrong, Sgt Gordon said: 'Very wrong.' The court heard how the sergeant had conducted a police national computer search of Amrani who gave an alias name to officers, and discovered there were five names he had been known by before. The parents were found at their home in west London (pictured) in February when police went to inform them of their son's death, who was found on a roof nearby He also found Amrani had a rape conviction - for which he had been handed a seven year prison sentence, with two and a half years left to run on his licence. Mr Richmond asked: 'Weren't there alarm bells ringing in that you had a convicted rapist potentially changing his name?' Sgt Gordon said: 'It wasn't that he was using that name for the first time. It was always on his record. I did not really consider that.' He added that at about 1am, PC Alexander Gill had informed him that Amrani, who had previously been restrained with handcuffs and leg straps, was 'quite calm' and 'seemed to accept' he needed to stay at the hospital for 48 hours. Sgt Gordon admitted that making this a bail condition 'would have helped', saying he drew on his experiences and went off what he had been told about the situation at the hospital. He added: 'He had taken a lot of drugs, I just thought now he was more reasonable, was coming down off the drugs - the danger has passed.' The court heard how Amrani also had a conviction for the possession of an offensive weapon - which Sgt Gordon said he was aware of after checking his records. Nick Yeo, his barrister, asked Sgt Gordon if Amrani's rape conviction and possession of cannabis were an 'important consideration or not when making his bail decision'. He replied that 'it was an important decision' - and after spending time in prison, he thought 'he had learnt his lessons and was a grown up'. Amrani had a history of drug abuse and traces of cannabis and MDMA were discovered in his system after he died. Sergeant Sandy Gordon, who made the bail decision, gave evidence at the second day of the inquest into the three deaths being held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London (pictured) His family had sought to get him psychiatric care in the past and his GP said he had reported suicide attempts. Mr Richmond asked: 'We have heard from the family drug use was much more problematic - had you been aware he had an ongoing drug problem what effect would that have had on your decision (to bail)?' Sgt Gordon said: 'I genuinely thought this was a one off. Someone who is a substantial user generally does not overdose on drugs'. In his evidence PC Gill said he was told by Sgt Gordon to relay to medics at the hospital that if Amrani tried to leave they should call 999. Mr Richmond described this instruction as 'pretty useless' because 'in the absence of an offence there is nothing they can do' - saying it had 'zero effect whatsoever'. Two Turkish gangsters who executed an associate before burying him in a forest were caught after CCTV captured one of the killers in a DIY shop as he practiced digging the shallow grave. Yilmaz Coskun, 36, and Remzi Akguc, 41, were today found guilty of murdering Hidir Aksakal, 47, who was shot four times following a row over one of the killers' girlfriends at a fish restaurant. The final bullet - fired from a gun believed to have been held inside his mouth - 'literally blew a hole in the top of his skull,' a court heard. Scroll down for video Yilmaz Coskun, 36, and Remzi Akguc, 41, have been found guilty of murdering Hidir Aksakal and burying him in a shallow grave. Chilling CCTV footage showed Akguc practicing digging as he bought a shovel before burying his victim Killers: Coskun (left) and Akguc (right) were both found guilty of murder and unlawful burial Aksakal's corpse remained undisturbed for three weeks until a lone walker strayed from the path to look at cobwebs in a dark area of Epping Forest in north east London. Asad Mukhter made the gruesome discovery of a 'foul smelling sack' near the banks of an area known as Hollow Pond on September 8 last year. Mr Aksakal's dead body had been tied up with rope, wrapped in a tarpaulin and buried in a shallow grave. The victim, who was known as Boxer Cetin, was himself cleared of murder at the Old Bailey in 2002. Investigations led police to Coskun's Tottenham home, where Mr Aksakal met his demise in the early hours of August 17 last year. The gun used to kill him was found in a hedge behind the house, while it was later discovered that Akguc had been to a builders' merchants on the day of the murder. Mr Aksakal, 47, was shot four times following a row over one of the killers' girlfriends at a fish restaurant CCTV from a North London branch of Travis Perkins caught Akguc buying a shovel, tarpaulin, rope, trolley and gloves which in total cost more than 230. The chilling footage even showed him trying out the shovel for size as he performed a practice digging action in the shop. Both Coskun and Akguc admitted they were involved in disposing of the victim's body but each blamed the other for the killing. Both men gave evidence against each other during the trial at the Old Bailey and unusually they were not allowed in the dock together as the verdicts were returned. They could both be sentenced to life in jail tomorrow after a jury found them guilty of murder and unlawful burial. As he was led to the cells, Coskun told jurors who convicted him on a majority of ten to two: 'Wrong decision, wrong decision. I never done nothing wrong. You're going to live with this.' A third suspect, Metin Cuce, is still being hunted by police and he is believed to be in Turkey. CCTV footage shows the men get out of a car before burying Mr Aksakal, whose body was lying in the boot of the vehicle The court heard that Mr Aksakal - described as 'not a small man' - went to meet his two killers on August 16 last year. They were seen arriving together at a fish restaurant in Green Lanes, north London, at around 12.30am. The owner of the Sariyer Balik restaurant said they appeared drunk and that he saw an argument between Coskun and Mr Aksakal, during which the victim denied having said something to Coskun's girlfriend. The argument died down and the group left with Cuce in the early hours after Coskun was heard to tell Mr Aksakal: 'If we leave we leave together.' Mr Aksakal was last seen alive in a minicab speaking Turkish with two other noisy passengers who seemed drunk. 'It is the prosecution case that the two men travelling in the back of the taxi to Templeton Road were these two defendants,' prosecutor Ed Brown QC said. It was not until September 8 that Asad Mukhter, who was out walking alone, came across Mr Aksakal's shallow grave. 'He was some way off the beaten track when he made the gruesome discovery of a foul smelling sack in a water logged area,' Mr Brown said. 'Once he got a little closer he was able to see that whatever it was, was protruding from what appeared still to be freshly dug earth.' A handgun believed to have been used to shoot Mr Aksakal was found in a hedge behind Coskun's home, along with two socks The frightened walker did not raise the alarm until the following day, when police arrived to find Mr Aksakal's body. Still clothed, he had been wrapped in tarpaulin and buried in that shallow grave. His hands and legs had been tightly bound with pieces of blue rope while a new-looking shovel was found dumped in water nearby. Mr Aksakal, from Margate, Kent, was identified by his fingerprints and a post-mortem examination revealed four gunshot injuries. There were two bullet wounds to the chest, one to the left arm and one to the head. 'This appeared to have been caused by a gun being discharged whist the muzzle of the weapon was inside the deceased's mouth,' Mr Brown said. 'The round had travelled upwards and backwards, exiting through the top of the head. This wound would have been instantly fatal, obviously.' He told jurors the disposal of the body was 'no quick and easy task' and said: 'This was plainly not the work of one man and not the work of anyone acting out of duress or fear you may easily conclude. 'It was a joint effort and joint, voluntary and determined effort to avoid the consequences of murder. Rising Rents Prompt Wrigleyville's Decades-Old Bookworks To Close This Fall By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 2, 2016 4:41PM Bookworks / Facebook Chicago is about to lose one of its longest-running independent bookstores; and Wrigleyville will lose one of its last links to the old neighborhood in the process. Bookworks, a specialty retailer of used books and a Clark Street staple since 1984, will close the doors on its brick-and-mortar shop this fall, according to a report by Crains. Co-owner Ronda Pilon confirmed the closure, telling Chicagoist that increased rents and frequent construction in the area drove the decision. Pilon said that Bookworks landlord raised rents this past January after feeling pressured to keep rates at market level. Also, construction projects on W. Newport Ave. have interfered with parking; and lane closures along Clark Street have caused decreased visibility, Pilon said. A lot of our exposure has been cut offincluding to tourists, she told Chicagoist. Thats a big factor. Another familiar culprit has negatively impacted revenue: online pricing. Before online, if a book was scarce, one had to call or walk to used bookstores. As supply jumped, competitive pricing went down, she said. But Bookworks model relied less on squeezing profit margins. Our goal was always to turn books over and not wait for that one extra dollar. We emphasized quick stock turnover, Pilon said the neighborhood itself has changed right along with the book-retailing industry. Its hard to imagine Wrigleyville 32 year ago. There was no glitz and no flair. It was a really different place. We arrived with only 4000 books and built the shelves ourselves. I dont know if we could do that today. Bookworks plans to close on Oct. 15. The shop is running a staggered sale in the meantime. Books are 25 percent off the used price through Aug. 15, then 50 percent off the used price until at least September. Pilon and co-owner Bob Roschke will continue to offer used books through their online shop after the closure. [H/T Crain's] A man, 58, has been charged with abusive sexual conduct after he touched a female passenger who was asleep on an overnight Virgin America flight, prosecutors said. Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, of Visakhapatnam, India, is accused of massaging the vagina and buttocks of a woman next to him on Flight 170 from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey on July 29. Attorney Paul Fishman said Kunam was arrested on July 30 when his flight arrived, and was released on $50,000 bond following a Monday court appearance in Newark federal court. Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, of Visakhapatnam, India, is accused of massaging the vagina and buttocks of a woman next to him (pictured, file photo of Virgin America plane) Kunam was seated in an aisle seat next to the woman, who was sleeping in a middle seat. According to the complaint, she awoke to find his hands massaging her vagina and buttocks areas. He was also rubbing his bare feet against hers. The woman then traded seats with her male travel companion, and Kunam offered to buy him a drink and told him he wanted everyone to forget about the incident, prosecutors said. A member of the flight crew then moved Kunam to another seat, and the defendant said he would not touch the victim again, the complaint said. Virgin America spokesman Dave Arnold said in a statement that the crew had been alerted to 'reports of a disruptive individual' accused of inappropriate touching. He added flight crew moved the person and notified law enforcement who were waiting when the plane landed. The charge against Kunam carries a maximum two-year prison term and $250,000 fine. Detectives investigating a water fight in Londons Hyde Park that spiralled out of control and led to three people being stabbed have released 12 new pictures of people they would like to speak to. A police officer was one of those stabbed when crowds at an event in the park became aggressive on July 19. A second police officer was injured when they were hit by a flying bottle. Detectives investigating a water fight in Londons Hyde Park that spiralled out of control and led to three people being stabbed have released 12 new pictures of people they would like to speak to In a statement a Met police spokesman said: 'Police are looking to identify these persons in relation to the disorder in and around Hyde Park and Marble Arch on the evening of Tuesday, 19 July. 'The 24 images previously released - in relation to disorder at Hyde Park, Westminster; McDonalds, 2-4 Marble Arch, Westminster; Burgess Park, Southwark and Malvern House, Stamford Hill Estate, Hackney - are also being re-released as part of an ongoing appeal to trace those involved.' It has not been suggested that the people pictured were involved in the stabbings. A branch of McDonalds in Marble Arch was also ransacked, with a group jumping over the counter and grabbing food. Three people, including a police officer, were stabbed when crowds at an event in the park became aggressive on July 19. It has not been suggested that the people pictured were involved in the stabbings A second police officer was injured when they were hit by a flying bottle As well as releasing the new pictures, Scotland Yard appealed for any witnesses who have video footage of what happened to send it to police. Thousands more officers were sent out on the beat after the incident as the Met sought to avoid repeats of the chaos. Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed at a separate water fight in Burgess Park, Southwark, while police attempting to shut down an illegal block party in Stamford Hill, Hackney, had bottles thrown at them. Tempers flared as police tried to disperse a 4,000-strong crowd and began seizing sound equipment as some chanted 'Black Lives Matter'. In a statement a Met police spokesman said: 'Police are looking to identify these persons in relation to the disorder in and around Hyde Park and Marble Arch on the evening of Tuesday, 19 July' A branch of McDonalds in Marble Arch was also ransacked, with a group jumping over the counter and grabbing food One terrified onlooker wrote on Facebook at the time: 'I can't believe what I witnessed in Marble Arch whilst passing by on the bus. 'Young boys running around with large machete looking knifes, a whole leap of 16, 17, 18 year old girls & boys literally scattered everywhere, I was scared for all their lives. 'And what really shook me up was seeing the young black boy looked about 17 outside Hyde park with a stab wound to his chest. 'It was so heartbreaking, I called the ambulance from the bus as it literally just happened & just to make sure but no way was I getting off that bus it was so erratic buses had to stop, I saw police & no ambulance.' Unconfirmed reports on social media indicated all of the events were pre-arranged but poorly organised. The event in Hyde Park had been called 'Bashment in the Park' and a flyer had been circulating on Twitter and Facebook. As well as releasing the new pictures, Scotland Yard appealed for any witnesses who have video footage of what happened to send it to police David Buchanan used computer scripts he had created during a moment of 'boredom' in the school holidays to access account details of Mumsnet members, leaking 2,000 details A bored schoolboy with Aspergers syndrome who hacked into popular parenting website Mumsnet which led to vicious hoax bomb threats and fabricated claims of kidnappings has avoided jail. David Buchanan used computer scripts he had created during a moment of 'boredom' in the school holidays to access account details of Mumsnet members, leaking the details of around 2,000 individuals including the CEO. The 18-year-old also used his computer skills to hack into Guildford Royal Grammar School's intranet and gather passwords belonging to his rugby teacher and 37 other pupils. False claims of kidnappings were made in the wake of Buchanan's hacking spree which also lured Mumsnet users to a replica malicious website. Buchanan, who was aged 17 when he uploaded a malicious computer code onto the social networking site, told police about hacking into his school's internet database when quizzed over the attack on Mumsnet. The teenager was caught out when a BT IP address registered to his home was picked up for just four seconds when he forget to protect his online identity. Prosecuting the teenager at Guildford Magistrates' Court today, Rebekah Hummerstone made it clear the bomb hoax and shooting claims were not made by Buchanan but revealed the hack cost the site 82,000. She said: 'Between July 14 and August 22, 2015, the Mumsnet website was hacked into. 'The hack was achieved by the creation of false Mumsnet profiles and the creation of malicious computer scripts and was embedded into Mumsnet profiles. 'Genuine users were then enticed to view the malicious false profiles which took them to a website which was a phishing page to obtain account details. 'After access was gained, as a direct consequence, 2,100 members' registration details were published on the Internet.' Offensive material was published on profiles and accounts were then defaced. Buchanan (pictured centre outside Guildford Magistrates' Court today) was spared jail but sentenced to a 12-month community order and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work Some victims' registration details, including the CEO's, were leaked and were the subject of hoax calls with allegations of shootings and kidnappings. Miss Hummerstone said: 'An alleged bomb hoax was made at the headquarters of Mumsnet in London. 'The Mumsnet website also suffered denial of service and would often go offline for some periods of time. 'David Buchanan was responsible for creating the computer code that enabled the compromise of Mumsnet accounts and the website.' Mumsnet, a site for parents to share tips and advice, was set up in March 2000 and now has 8,000,000 members worldwide. Miss Hummerstone said: 'Before the attack on Mumsnet on website 8chan the vulnerability of the parenting site was discussed. 'If genuine members used their own profiles they would automatically be redirected to phishing sit Mumnet.zerofees.us 'They would be required to enter their username and password before they were automatically redirected to the genuine Mumsnet site homepage. There is no evidence to show that you do not know the difference between right and wrong Chairman of the Bench, Michael Morritt A Lenovo laptop was seized at Buchanan's home in Surrey when he was arrested at 8am last October. Buchanan, of Fernhurst, Surrey, admitted two counts of causing a computer to perform a function to secure or enable unauthorised access to a programme or data. He also admitted one count of carrying out unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent or hinder access to a computer. Miss Hummerstone said: 'Mr Buchanan had significantly contributed to the development of the malicious script uploaded onto profiles. 'As a result of the incident Mumsnet invested in security measures. 'The CEO indicated that, apart from the anxiety and stress, the detail of financial loss caused by the attacks was 82,000.' Buchanan was described by teachers as a 'dedicated student' with a 'bright future' when quizzed over his hacking of the school site in 2014 and Mumsnet site in 2015. Defending Buchanan Chirstoper Convey said: 'What is quite obvious is David Buchanan was assisting in the harvesting of usernames and passwords. 'He wrote the script that redirected Mumsnet users. 'He checked to see if it would work then handed it over to hackers. 'Mr Buchanan didn't instigate the hack on Mumsnet. 'He didn't create the phishing website and he didn't create the fake user profiles.' Prosecutors made it clear to the court today that the bomb hoax and shooting claims were not made by Buchanan but revealed the hack cost parenting website Mumsnet about 82,000 The Chairman of the Bench, Michael Morritt, said while Buchanan's Aspergers did not give him an excuse for his actions, it gave a small explanation as to what he did. He said: 'These are offences that are very serious especially when heard within the adult court. 'At the time of these offences you were actually a youth and we have taken this into account. 'The offences in question were not planned directly by yourself but it was, for your part, sophisticated as confirmed by police cyber crime unit officers. 'The phishing site fix, along with the VPN, using a Tor browser to conceal identification shows a level of knowledge and sophistication. 'There is no evidence to show that you do not know the difference between right and wrong. 'Upon realisation of what was happening on the Mumsnet site you disabled the script and removed the VPN from your laptop.' Buchanan was sentenced to a 12-month community order and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. A boy has died in Russia after contracting anthrax from a thawed reindeer carcass thought to have died 75 tears ago. Ninety people are having checks in hospital and eight people have been confirmed to have contracted the disease. The Yamalo-Nenets region in Northern Russia is still on a quarantine lockdown after a heatwave fueled the spreading of the disease. The outbreak of anthrax in western Siberia is believed to be linked to the thawing of a frozen reindeer carcass (stock image) The bizarre sequence of events in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region has a chilling echoes of the recent TV drama Fortitude - starring Michael Gambon and Stanley Tucci - in which the defrosting of a woolly mammoth triggered an ancient illness which makes people kill each other. Russian Ministry of Agriculture officials believe the anthrax emanates from the thawing out of the carcass of a frozen reindeer which died 75 years ago. More than 2,300 reindeer have died in the heatwave, which sent the temperature soaring to 35C. Anthrax is a deadly bacterial disease which has largely died out in Europe since a vaccine was invented in 1954. But it has been used in biological warfare, including in 1916 when the Russian Army was targeted with it by rebels in Finland. Around 1,200 reindeer have died in western Siberia in the last month, which officials blamed on freakishly hot weather - temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius (95F). But laboratory tests have confirmed they were killed not by a heatwave but by anthrax. The Governor of the region, Dmitry Kobylkin, ordered a mass evacuation of reindeer herders and their families in the Yamalsky district in the Ural Mountains. Michael Gambon, who plays alcoholic wildlife photographer Henry Tyson, is pictured in a scene from Fortitude Tests in a Moscow lab have not yet confirmed the 13 patients' illnesses were caused by anthrax. But they are being treated with antibiotics, as if they were suffering from it. If confirmed it would be first anthrax outbreak in Russia since 1941. Dr Peter Eichacker, a senior investigator at the US National Institutes of Health, told CNN: 'It's unclear (what form of anthrax it is), but it's most likely the gastrointestinal tract form.' He said the most likely cause was eating infected meat and added that symptoms included nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. There are echoes of the plot of Fortitude (starring left to right, Sofia Grabl, Christopher Eccleston, Michael Gambon and Stanley Tucci) in this week's events in Siberia Officials have been giving the anthrax vaccine to all reindeer in the region and infected carcasses will be burned, similar to the way animals were disposed of in Britain after the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak. Fortitude was a 'Nordic noir' TV thriller series which aired on Sky Atlantic and starred Christopher Eccleston and Danish actress Sofie Grabl. Donald Trump isn't withholding his endorsement from House Speaker Paul Ryan as a form of 'payback,' the real estate mogul's campaign insisted Wednesday. 'He did a clever play on words with what Speaker Ryan has said to your own Jake Tapper back in May "Im not quite there yet,"' Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway told CNN Wednesday. Ryan famously said he was 'not ready' to endorse Trump this summer before he finally came around, in language Trump echoed in a Tuesday interview with the Washington Post. But it was all in good fun, Conway insisted. 'Thats classic Donald Trump,' she said. 'He didnt endorse his opponent. These reports are like hes fundraising for the opponent. Hes going to write in an absentee ballot for speaker Ryans opponent. No such thing,' Conway said. COY: Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's not ready to back House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain in their contentious primary election battles Campaign spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway said the mogul's comments about Ryan were 'classic Trump' 'If Paul Ryan objected to Donald Trumps candidacy, I assume he would have not had the gavel at the convention,' she said, referencing how Ryan kept his ceremonial role gaveling in the convention that nominated Trump in Cleveland. Whatever his intentions, Trump's refusal to endorse Ryan who faces a stiff challenge from businessman Paul Nehlen and his ongoing spat with the gold star Khan family has infuriated Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus, who called Trump Tuesday to discuss the candidate's recent actions. Disputing the characterization of the withheld endorsement as payback, Conway said, 'No, Payback would be endorsing the opponent, actively campaigning for him the way a lot of folks have urged him to, and he has not frankly. Trump on Tuesday told The Washington Post that he isn't ready to support Ryan or Arizona Senator John McCain as they fight contentious primary battles to keep their seats in Congress. In withholding his endorsement from Ryan, who faces a primary election next Tuesday in Wisconsin, Trump said he's 'not quite there yet.' Trump praised challenger Paul Nehlen, saying he's running 'a very good campaign.' He remains on the fence despite 'giving it very serious consideration.' Ryan's primary is Tuesday. Scroll down for video CHOPPING BLOCK: Ryan (left) and McCain (right) have been critical of Trump during his five-day feud with the Muslim parents of a military veteran who was killing in action in 2004 On Monday night Trump tipped his hand with a tweet. 'Thanks to @pnehlen for your kind words, very much appreciated,' he wrote. THE OTHER MAN: Paul Ryan's challenger is Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen '@realDonaldTrump my pleasure, Sir,' Nehlen responded. 'Just want to Make America Great Again.' Trump has had a strained relationship with Ryan, stemming from a series of controversial statements that the speaker refused to support including one that he labeled as 'the textbook definition of racism.' 'I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country,' Trump told the Post on Tuesday. 'We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And Im just not quite there yet. Im not quite there yet.' Ryan seemed to have settled into supporting the GOP nominee at the party's nominating convention in Cleveland last month, however, making more recent news cycles all the more curious. Nehlen on Wednesday that he hasn't been in contact with Trump outside of the Twitter exchange, although if he got Trump's endorsement he would be 'humbled' and 'flattered' by it. He bashed Ryan as a 'career politician' who is for 'open borders.' 'He has said that hes not for the wall. He has said that hes going to sue Mr. Trump' over the proposed Muslim ban, Nehlen told CNN. TIPPING HIS HAND: Trump tweeted back and forth Monday with Paul Nehlen, the Wisconsin businessman who is trying to unseat Ryan, the GOP's highest ranking elected official 'Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice,' Ryan said in response to the public tiff between Trump and the parents of a Muslim serviceman killed in action 12 years ago. 'Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan should always be honored. Period.' The Washington Post interview raised eyebrows on the campaign trail: Trump has castigated the newspaper at every turn as a biased rag and banned its reporters from covering his events in person. He also beat up on McCain Tuesday, saying: 'I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets.' 'He has not done a good job for the vets and I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets. So I've always had a difficult time with John for that reason, because our vets are not being treated properly. They're not being treated fairly.' McCain has for many years had primary jurisdiction over the Senate committee that oversees the Department of veterans Affairs, an agency that Trump has criticized as corrupt and negligent. But McCain has his own path into the Trump campaign, through Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, the billionaire's running mate. About two dozen students engaged in a silent protest at Donald Trump's rally today in Ashburn, Virginia were tossed out after having turned their backs on the GOP nominee. The young demonstrators sporting shirts that said 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Islam Peace' took up the last several rows of seats at the rally and were escorted about by a combination of Trump's security, local police and Secret Service. As they were pulled out, they threw up peace signs and then gathered outside the Briar Woods High School doing the same. Scroll down for video Students stood and turned their backs on Donald Trump while he spoke today at a high school in Ashburn, Virginia Silent protesters held up peace signs as they were pulled out of the venue by a mix of Trump's security, local police and Secret Service About two dozen students were ushered out of a packed auditorium as Donald Trump spoke in the swing state of Virginia Donald Trump encountered a smattering of protests today when appearing at the Briar Woods High School Trump, who's come under heavy criticism in recent days for comments he's made about a Muslim-American Gold Star family, was greeted with others shouting him down early on in today's speech. 'Their 15 seconds of fame,' he chuckled, as his own supporters drowned out protesters with shouts of U-S-A. 'Now that Bernie's out, that doesn't happen anymore,' he seemingly said of protesting. 'It's like, amazing.' 'You know, the safest place to be, anywhere is at a Trump rally,' the candidate boasted. 'It's true, it's true.' Then the students had their turn protesting backs to Trump and stayed completely quiet. Security wasn't having that either as each young person was pulled out and taken outside the venue. ONLY JOKING: Donald Trump told the mother of a crying baby that she could stay at his Virginia rally on Monday, but minutes later had them both escorted out 'See ya,' one Trump supporter was heard telling the group, according to an account from USA Today. Besides protesters getting kicked out at today's Virginia rally, The Donald also bounced a mother and her crying baby. 'Don't worry about that baby,' Trump said from the podium as the child wailed. 'I love babies! I love babies. I hear that baby crying I like it! What a baby, what a beautiful baby.' 'It's young and beautiful and healthy, and that's what we want,' he said. In time, however, Trump had enough of the screaming tot and backtracked. 'Actually I was only kidding,' he said, turning his back to the woman. 'You can get the baby out of here.' An Oklahoma dentist made his first court appearance Monday on charges of first-degree murder, after allegedly beating to death his lover's young son. Bert Franklin, 35, was arrested on July 20 in connection to the death of 19-month-old Lincoln Van Henry Lewis. Prosecutors allege that the dentist, who is married and has four children of his own, killed the little boy with a blow to the head. The victim was so badly injured he was hemorrhaging from both eyes, police say. Arraigned: Bert Franklin, 35, appeared in court for the first time Monday via video link (pictured) after being charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty Double life: Roxanne Lewis-Randall, pictured with her son Lincoln, said she had been in a relationship with Franklin for a year and did not know he was married Franklin was charged with first-degree murder on Thursday and was arraigned on Monday. Dressed in a black and white jail uniform, he remained silent during Monday's video arraignment except when he said, 'Yes, sir,' to the judge, The Oklahoman reported. Franklin has pleaded not guilty. His bond was denied. Authorities say that, on July 17, the victim's mother found him unresponsive at home and took him to Mercy Hospital, where he was diagnosed with skull fractures. Due to the severity of his injuries, the child was later flown to a Tulsa hospital where he passed away the following day, according to police. A doctor who initially treated Lincoln in Oklahoma City called police because the toddler's injuries were consistent with abuse, according to a press release cited by Tulsa World. Monstrous crime: Oklahoma dentist Bert Franklin, 35 (left), has been charged with killing his lover's 19-month-old son, Lincoln Van Henry Lewis (right), with a blow to the head Web of lies: Detectives said neither Roxanne Lewis-Randall nor Franklin's wife (pictured right) knew of one another's existence Franklin surrendered to police on July 20 and was taken to Tulsa County Jail. He was then transferred to Oklahoma City Jail. According to Franklin's arrest affidavit obtained by NewsOK, the 35-year-old dentist from Tulsa, who is married with four young children, had been carrying on a year-long affair with Lincoln's mother, Roxanne Lewis-Randall. Ms Lewis-Randall told police that on July 17, she was downstairs in her home in the 14800 block of Gravity Falls when she heard a loud 'thud' from an upstairs bedroom, where Franklin and Lincoln were alone at the time. Franklin later told his girlfriend that the noise she heard was a small ball he was throwing to a puppy. When Ms Lewis-Randall went to check on her son in the morning, his body was limp and he would not wake up, she said. Chilling threats: Ms Lewis-Randall (left) claimed that Franklin hated Lincoln's biological father (pictured right) and threatened to kill him, 'skin him in Bricktown' and cut off his penis An autopsy that was performed in the wake of the child's death found that Lincoln had severe swelling and trauma to his brain, as well as hemorrhaging in both eyes caused by a pair of skull fractures. Detectives said when they interviewed Bert Franklin, they found his story to be inconsistent with the evidence in the case. According to Ms Lewis-Randall, her boyfriend hated Lincoln's biological father and had threatened to kill him, 'skin him in Bricktown' and cut off his penis, reported Fox 25. She also claimed that Franklin recently had begun to exhibit 'controlling behavior.' investigators stated in Franklin's arrest warrant that his wife and his mistress were not aware of one another's existence. His Facebook page states that Franklin works at Signature Smiles Dental Spa in Tulsa. He reportedly has been with the practice for eight years. Family man: Franklin is married and has four children, he is pictured with one of them above A bio on the dental practice's website states that Franklin graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, where he received the Dental Wellness Partner Scholarship. He also holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical chemistry from Oral Roberts University. Posts and photos shared on Ms Lewis-Randall's Facebook account reveal that her son Lincoln was born prematurely in late December 2014 and spent nearly two months in NICU. She was finally able to take him home in February of last year, calling him in one status update her 'miracle babe.' The woman also has two older children, a son and daughter. Trainee Catholic priests have been meeting up using the gay dating app Grindr at Ireland's top seminary, it has been claimed. Dublin's archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin said he was 'somewhat unhappy' about rumours that students at St Patrick's College in Maynooth were using the app, which he claimed 'fostered promiscuous sexuality'. The church leader will boycott the centuries-old college - which is just 16 miles from the Irish capital - and send students to a school in Rome instead. Dublin's archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin (pictured) has confirmed he will stop sending trainee priests to Ireland's main Catholic college amid claims of a gay dating culture there The most senior Catholic in the Irish Republic said he made the decision some months ago because of an 'atmosphere that was growing in Maynooth' exposed through anonymous accusations in letters and online blogs. He said: 'There are allegations on different sides. 'One is that there is a homosexual, a gay culture, that students have been using an app called Grindr, which is a gay dating app, which would be inappropriate for seminarians, not just because they are trained to be celibate priests but because an app like that is something which would be fostering promiscuous sexuality, which is certainly not in any way the mature vision of sexuality one would expect a priest to understand.' Claims were made that the seminary were dismissing anyone who tried to make an allegation about a gay culture there. Dr Diarmuid Martin said he was 'somewhat unhappy' about rumours that students at St Patrick's College in Maynooth (pictured) have been using gay dating app Grindr, which he believed 'fostered promiscuous sexuality' Dr Martin told RTE: 'I thought a quarrelsome attitude of that kind was not the healthiest place for my students to be and I decided to send them to the Irish Pontifical College (in Rome).' Founded in 1795, Maynooth College was once the largest seminary in the world. It was built to train 500 trainee Catholic priests every year but numbers have nosedived to about 60 in recent years with a fall-off in vocations. While Dr Martin has decided to send student priests from the Dublin Archdiocese overseas instead, he insisted he was not ordering other Bishops to do likewise. However, the Archbishop said a 'whole series of anonymous allegations' were being circulated about goings-on at the Maynooth seminary. While 'some material has resulted to be true', he added that it was impossible to fairly investigate and carry out due process while those making claims remained anonymous. The most senior Catholic in the Irish Republic will boycott the centuries old college - just 16 miles from the Irish capital - in favour of the Irish Pontifical College in Rome (pictured) Efforts by him to recruit an independent person who could deal with whistleblower complaints were met with 'simply more anonymous letters' he said. 'A culture of anonymous letters is poisonous and until that is cleared up I would be happier sending my students elsewhere,' he added. Dr Martin said authorities at Maynooth needed to find a way people could come forward with 'solid, hard evidence'. The senior catholic leader also criticised the 'comfortable' regime at the seminary. A man named locally as cafe owner Huseyin Gulbudak was stabbed to death yesterday by a member of his own family, witnesses have claimed A cafe owner stabbed to death yesterday was murdered by a member of his own family, witnesses have claimed. The owner, named locally as Huseyin Gulbudak, was hacked to death with a machete-like weapon at his cafe in Kilburn, north London, according to horrified onlookers. A fellow cafe owner said Mr Gulbudak, 48, was killed by a relative. Barangu Gulbudak, 21, was arrested and has been charged with murder. His relationship to Mr Gulbudak is not clear, but police said they were known to each other. Local residents heard a sudden commotion at Efes Cafe, on Kilburn High Road, at around 7pm last night before Mr Gulbudak was seen 'covered in blood'. Witnesses also said they saw two brave pensioners fighting with the knifeman as they desperately tried to save the cafe owner. Mr Gulbudak was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Another cafe owner, who gave his name as Mehmet, said father-of-three Mr Gulbudak was killed by a member of his own family. 'I am very upset and still shocked. I am sort of heartbroken,' Mehmet said. 'It is horrible to think such a good man would die in such a way.' Huseyin Gulbudak, 48, was hacked to death with a machete-like weapon at his cafe (pictured) in Kilburn, north London, according to horrified onlookers Local residents heard a sudden commotion at Efes Cafe (pictured), on Kilburn High Road, at around 7pm last night before Mr Gulbudak was seen 'covered in blood' Brian Mannion, 50, owner of The Black Lion pub, described how he saw the cafe owner covered in blood with a man in his 20s in the kitchen. 'I knew [Mr Gulbudak] as Ali and I had been buying tea from him since 1993, he must have been there for over 20 years,' Mr Mannion said. 'At around 7pm, I heard shouting coming from what sounded like the kitchen of the cafe. There had been an altercation in the kitchen. 'When I went outside after hearing the commotion, I saw Ali covered in blood along with a guy in his 20s, who also had blood on his shirt. 'I saw him bleeding, He was slouched on a chair. I saw the other guy get arrested myself. 'After about ten minutes around 10-12 police officers came and there were two ambulances. There were four customers in there as well, they were helping him. I didn't go in and help. 'The guy was arrested. I recognise him because he works there sometimes. 'I don't know how long they were trying to resuscitate him, but it felt like a long time.' A forensic officer is seen removing evidence from Efes Cafe after a man was stabbed to death Mr Mannion added that 'the guy who killed him' worked at the cafe on Fridays and often covered shifts for a waitress. 'He seemed like a nice, quiet character, he was never inhospitable,' the landlord said. 'They were a Turkish family. I think they lived in north London. I can't think why this would happen. 'Ali was a nice and hard working guy, I never spoke to him in detail about his family. He worked really hard I used to ask him how long he was going to keep working so hard. 'He would be in that cafe from 8am to 8pm. He said until his children were educated. I think he had three kids and a wife.' John McCooke, the owner of the Good Ship bar on the same road as the murder, said one of his staff saw 'a commotion' across the road. 'The manager went out to have a look and saw there were tables and chairs flying around. He said he also saw a man with a knife in his hand,' Mr McCooke said. 'Two male pensioners apparently tried to fight him off with no joy. 'Apparently the attacker closed the shutters after the attack and made no attempt to escape.' Local estate agent Dara Djarian, 25, said: 'We weren't open, but customers are saying a machete was used.' New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who has become a close advisor to Donald Trump, came to the defense of 'gold star' families as Trump struggled to put an end to an imbroglio involving the parents of slain army captain Humayun Khan. 'You're not going to find me being critical of Mr. or Mrs. Kahn' Christie told reporters at the New Jersey state house in Trenton. Christie called the loss of a child 'unfathomable' and said it gave the couple, who spoke at the Democratic convention in support of Hillary Clinton last week, license to say what they want. 'I think it gives them the right to say whatever they want, whether they're right or wrong,' Christie told reporters. 'We need to honor their son's sacrifice.' New Jersey governor Chris Christie defended the parents of slain Army Captain Humayun Khan at a press conference in Trenton Tuesday. He said their status as gold star parents gives them the 'right to say whatever they want' Father Khizr Khan blasted Trump at the convention when he said Trump 'smears the character of Muslims' and brandished a pocket copy of the Constitution and said: 'Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.' His wife, Ghazala, stood stoically at his side. Trump afterward questioned her silence and asked whether it had to do with her Muslim faith and asked why she had 'nothing to say,' something Ghazala Khan disputed in a tearful interview on MSNBC. Trump continued to speak out against the Khans via his Twitter account Monday morning, as they were giving an interview on the Today show Ghazala Khan (left) broke down in tears Monday morning as she remembered her son, who died fighting for the U.S. during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 Trump appeared with Christie in Lawrenceville, NJ in May, then helped Christie retire his debt from his failed presidential campaign The distancing from the Republican presidential nominee who had Christie on a short list of potential vice presidential running mates comes as longtime Christie aide Maria Comella told CNN she is voting for Clinton, calling this a moment where 'silence isn't an option.' 'Donald Trump has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on people's anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the 'other,'' Comella said. 'Instead of trying anything remotely like unifying the country, we have a nominee who would rather pick fights because he views it as positive news coverage,' she said. 'It may make him media savvy, but it doesn't make him qualified or ready to be president,' NJ.com reported. Comella, 35, previously advised New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. On Monday, longtime inner circle Jeb Bush advisor Sally Bradshaw announced that she was leaving the Republican party. Trump mocked her boss mercilessly as 'low energy' and beat him in the primaries. Longtime Christie advisor Maria Comella called Trump a 'demagogue' who is 'preying on people's anxieties,' and said she'll back Democrat Hillary Clinton Earlier in the campaign, when Trump was under fire for his comments about 'Mexican' judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing a case involving Trump University, Christie defended him. As for what advice he may have given Trump, Christie said: ' Ill give my advice to him as I always to, personally and privately, he said. Eric Trump defended his father in an appearance on CBS This Morning Tuesday, indicating his dad had effectively apologized by calling Khan a 'hero,' although no formal apology has been offered. 'He called him a hero so many, so many different times ... this isn't a Muslim thing, this is an ISIS thing and also an anti-Syrian, anti-refugee thing coming into the country because he doesn't want to see more Americans dead,' Eric Trump said. 'My father is a great patriot, he doesn't want to see more Americans dead, and he sees what's happening around the country, and quite frankly, he's shaking his head.' Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, have stated their support for gold star families without defending Trump's comments. Man, 27, Shot In The Neck In Lakeview Monday Night By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 2, 2016 2:25PM Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock) A man was shot in the neck on Monday night in the heart of Lakeview, according to police. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of N. Racine Ave. The victim, a 27-year-old male, suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, police told Chicagoist. Witnesses heard the sound of gunfire and discovered the man lying on the ground. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center and listed in critical condition, according to police. The attack occurred in the alley near the BP gas station at West Belmont Avenue and North Racine Avenue, according to NBC 5 reports. Police did not disclose a motive for the shooting. No one was in custody as of early Monday morning. The rape suspect was arrested in October 2015 and fired from his job a month later Ingram is married to state Senator Erica Smith-Ingram, a Democrat, and the two have four children A former North Carolina probation officer married to a state senator has been indicted on multiple counts of rape and extortion. The State Bureau of Investigation says 50-year-old Maud Ingram, of Henrico, was indicted on seven counts of first-degree rape and seven counts of extortion. Ingram, who is the husband of state Senator Erica Smith-Ingram, was arrested on September 18, 2015, on charges including attempted second-degree rape and felony obstruction of justice. Husband in trouble: Maud Ingram (left), 50, who is married to North Carolina state Senator Erica Smith-Ingram (right), has been indicted on counts of rape and extortion Ingram, who had worked as a probation officer, was arrested on September 18, 2015 Authorities say the victims in those charges were probationers, reported the station WITN. The state Department of Public Safety says Ingram was fired from his job last November after five years. Following his September arrest, the SBI set up a hotline to see if additional victims would come forward. Around the time of her husband's arrest, Smith-Ingram released a statement saying she had no knowledge of the basis for the charges against him. Authorities say the victims in the rape and extortion charges against Ingram (right) were his probationers Ingram and his wife have four children, the youngest of whom, 5-year-old Rhema Elias (pictured on Ingram's T-shirt), passed away in 2013 Smith-Ingram, a Democrat and former science teacher, was elected in 2014 to represent State Senate District 3, which includes Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Hertford, Martin, Northampton, Tyrrell, and Washington counties. out Trump's attack on the family of Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in action in Iraq French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday a victory by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump could make politics more conservative around the world and said the real estate magnate made people 'feel nauseous'. A Trump victory in November could also affect France's presidential election in the spring of 2017, said Hollande, who has not yet announced if he will seek re-election. 'If the Americans choose Trump, that will have consequences, because an American election is a world election,' the Socialist leader told journalists. The intervention by a world leader over the Capt Khan row came as President Barack Obama on Tuesday called Trump 'unfit' to become president. 'Yes. I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president,' Obama said at a news conference, 'I said so last week and he keeps on proving it.' Trump hit back claiming Obama, supported by Hillary Clinton in her time as Secretary of State, had 'destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Speaking out: French president Francoise Hollande said of Trump: 'A certain number of excesses have ended up making people feel nauseous - even in the United States.' Caught in a storm: Trump has become engulfed in days of difficulty over Captain Khan, whose father accused the Republican candidate of having a 'dark heart' 'It could lead to a very strong turn to the right in the world, or to a correction ... the American campaign shows issues that will be reflected in the French campaign,' said Hollande. The Socialist will face strong competition from far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen if he chooses to run again for the French presidency. 'A certain number of excesses have ended up making people feel nauseous - even in the United States - especially, as Donald Trump did, when criticizes the memory of a soldier,' he said. Trump has been caught up in a row after the family of Captain Humayun Khan, killed in action in Iraq, spoke against him, with the officer's father, Khizr, speaking at the Democratic National Convention and accusing Trump of ignoring the constitution. Trump questioned the silence at the event of the dead man's mother, Ghazala, prompting her to cry in a television interview and her husband to accuse Trump having a 'dark soul'. Hollande said he was hearing 'hurtful, humiliating comments' during the election campaign. Speaking about politicians in general, he said 'they should be respected when they are respectable'. Gold star family: Khizr Khan addressed the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week flanked by his wife and accused Donald Trump of ignoring the constitution Fallen: Captain Humayun Khan died in 2004 in a suicide attack on his base in Baqubah, telling his men to fall back as he ran towards a taxi which crashed through the gates. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery Obama said he was shocked by Trump's attack on the Khan family: 'The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country. The fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues, in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job. ' Trump hit back with a statement in response to what he characterized as Obama's 'failed leadership.' 'Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi,' he said. Jotting down all the areas of disagreement he shares with the president and Democrats' White House candidate, Trump said, 'Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office.' The sitting president was afforded the opportunity to tear into Trump Tuesday afternoon at a joint press conference with the prime minister of Singapore when a reporter asked for his opinion on Trump's 'fitness' to succeed him. Obama called on Republican leaders to disavow their party's nominee over his dispute with Khizr and Ghazala Khan. He said doesn't doubt that Republicans are sincerely 'outraged' by Trump's comments, adding: 'But there has to come a point in which you say, somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgement, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world because a lot of people depend on the White House getting stuff right.' President Barack Obama says he has serious doubts about Donald Trump's ability to serve as commander in chief After his rally on Tuesday Trump responded to Obama with this scathing statement, seen above on his Facebook The two-term president said his opposition to Trump replacing him at this point goes beyond policy differences, and he did not have these concerns about his 2008 and 2012 Republican opponents, John McCain and Mitt Romney. 'I didn't have a doubt that they could function as president,' he said. 'I think I was right and Mitt Romney and John McCain were wrong on certain policy issues, but I never thought that they couldn't do the job.' If either of them had won, 'I would have been disappointed, but I would have said...to all Americans this is our president,' the Democrat stated. Obama said he does not have the same confidence that Trump will 'abide by certain norms and rules and common sense' that go along with being president or that he would 'observe basic decency.' 'Thats not the situation here,' he professed. 'And this is not just my opinion, I think what's been interesting is the repeated denunciations of his statements by leading Republicans,' he said, that include Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader and other prominent Republicans such as Senator McCain. Eric Trump told CBS This Morning he believes his dad already has apologized by calling slain Army Captain Humayun Khan's family by calling him a hero The president said 'the question that I think they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer?' Meanwhile Trump's son Eric tried to pour water on the blazing row. His father already has apologized to the family of slain U.S. Army Capt. Humayan Khan by calling him a 'hero,' Eric on 'CBS This Morning'. He was asked about the demand by gold star families that the Republican presidential candidate apologize after tangling with Khan's parents, who appeared at the Democratic National Convention. 'Would your father be willing to apologize and move on?' asked co-host Norah O'Donnell. 'You know, that's a great question for him,' Eric Trump responded. 'And I think he has by calling him a hero,' he said. He then tried to clean up his dad's statement on Sunday that he had sacrificed by building structures and employing thousands of people. 'You know, and in terms of the one question, whether you've made a sacrifice, I'm sure my father has. Now whether that's not the ultimate sacrifice the ultimate sacrifice is a soldier dying for this nation, dying to protect the three of us, there's no question about it,' he told his interviewers. 'This was something that was honestly blown in, hugely, out of proportion,' because, first of all, he said that the Khan family looked like amazing people ... which for whatever reason never wants to get reported,' Eric Trump said. 'He called him a hero so many, so many different times ... this isn't a Muslim thing, this is an ISIS thing and also an anti-Syrian, anti-refugee thing coming into the country because he doesn't want to see more Americans dead. My father is a great patriot, he doesn't want to see more Americans dead, and he sees what's happening around the country, and quite frankly, he's shaking his head.' There had been blowback from the controversy throughout Monday, as Arizona Senator John McCain blasted Trump for his remarks, the gold star families demanded an apology, and Khan's mother, Ghazala, gave a tearful interview on MSNBC. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan both distanced themselves from Trump's comments. A Texas man decided to surprise his friend with the news he was a match as a kidney donor - but neither were prepared for how emotional the moment would turn out to be. Graham McMillan found out last month that he was viable to donate a kidney to his college buddy, nurse Danny Kolzow, and turned up at the Fort Worth hospital where he works with the sign: 'Heard urine need of a kidney, want mine?' While the sign was clearly a joke, it went straight over Kolzow's head, and video of the special surprise shows him crying with happiness over the news. Big announcement: Graham McMillan showed up to his friend's work with a sign that read: 'Heard urine need of a kidney. Want mine?' McMillan has learned he could be a kidney for his friend, nurse Danny Kolzow, and went to the hospital where he worked to tell him Surprise!: This is the moment Kolzow (center) discovers his friend is donating a kidney to him McMillan, a youth pastor, agreed to get tested to see if one of his kidneys would be compatible and was a match. Here he embraces his friend with the good news 'My kidney's going inside that body right there,' McMillan can be heard saying Kolzow had asked his friend to text him if he learned his organ was a match, but McMillan decided against that approach. 'There's no way I'm just going to text you,' McMillan told The Dallas Morning News. 'I just wanted to film his reaction for his parents.' Kolzow, a nurse at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, was diagnosed at age 16 with Alport syndrome, a genetic condition that causes kidney disease. His kidney was only at 7 per cent functionality and he needed a donor quickly. However, on July 27, McMillan and Kolzow were admitted to Baylor to undergo five-hour surgery to transplant the former's kidney into the latter. Goodluck: On July 27, the two underwent a five-hour kidney transplant surgery Success: Doctors say they are happy with the surgery has gone 'I got to see my current hero, laying down part of his life for me,' Kolzow told WFAA. Doctors have told Kolzow that, so far, they are happy with the success of the transplant. 'The nurses are just blown away by how well the kidney is working,' Kolzow said. 'I'm putting out more than a liter of urine an hour, which is incredible.' Both men will need two-to-three weeks of serious rest to recover from the surgery. A Conservative Party donor who was reportedly recommended for a knighthood in David Cameron's resignation honours list has said he will refuse it. Ian Taylor, who gave an estimated 300,000 to the Remain campaign in the lead up to the EU referendum, said he would write to Cameron and Theresa May requesting that his name is not put forward. The proposed knighthood for Taylor - who is one of the most powerful figures in the oil industry - had infuriated Eurosceptic MPs. Scroll down for video Gong gone: Ian Taylor (left), who was reportedly recommended for a knighthood in David Cameron's (right), resignation honours list, has said he will refuse the honour. 'In recent days, speculation in the media has suggested that I may be recognised in the forthcoming resignation honours list,' Taylor said in a statement tonight. 'This has been accompanied by seriously inaccurate comments about the company I lead. 'In these circumstances, I think it is right that I request that my name does not go forward, if indeed I was being considered for an honour.' 'Tonight, I am writing both to the outgoing and the current Prime Minister requesting that I would not wish to be considered for an honour at this time. 'I will, of course, be continuing to participate actively in all the causes that I and my family passionately believe in, notably broadening access to the arts for everyone.' A list of potential recipients of honours was leaked to the Sunday Times and appeared to show Cameron rewarding key members of his failed campaign for the UK to remain part of the EU. Among them was Taylor, the 60-year-old chief executive and president of Vitol Oil, whose head office is in Switzerland. Taylor gave an estimated 300,000 to the Remain campaign in the lead up to the EU referendum Vitol, which he joined from Shell in 1985, has been plagued by controversies including over its operations in Iraq, Libya, and Serbia, and over its own tax affairs. Taylor, who has an estimated 175million fortune, also gave 500,000 to the No campaign in the referendum on Scottish independence. At the time, the campaign faced calls to return the money, with then-Scottish first minister Alex Salmond raising concerns about Vitol. Taylor first gave money to the Tories after Cameron became leader in 2005. Vitol Oil has an annual turnover of almost 300billion and made a profit of 1billion in 2014. In 2007, Vitol pleaded guilty to grand larceny in a New York court for giving kickbacks extra payments to Iraqs national oil company during Saddam Husseins regime to win favour. The company paid $17.5million in restitution. In 2011, Vitol was named as a key backer of the Libyan revolution after it sent tankers loaded with diesel to rebel-held ports. Cameron was urged in the House of Commons to hand back Taylor's donations in 2014 after it emerged that Vitol paid $1million (750,000) to Arkan, the Serbian war criminal, in the 1990s. Samantha Cameron's aide and fashion confidant Isabel Spearman, left, is reportedly set to be appointed an OBE while George Osborne's aide Thea Rogers, right, is set for the same honour Cameron, who stood down as prime minister last month, was accused of 'sticking up two fingers' after an honours list was leaked. Opposition MPs demanded a complete overhaul of the system after it was claimed that Cameron is pushing to reward personal aides, political donors and senior figures on the losing Remain campaign. Prime Minister Theresa May said she would not interfere in the honours process because it would set a bad precedent. Senior Government figures said they were stunned by the scale of his cronyism which apparently also includes nominations for his wifes personal stylist Isabel Spearman, and ex-Chancellor George Osbornes close aide Thea Rogers, who is said to have encouraged him to lose weight. Others said to be in line knighthoods are cabinet members and Remain supporters Philip Hammond, Michael Fallon, David Lidington and Patrick McLoughlin, as well as donor Andrew Cook. Tory sources said ex-party chairman Lord Feldman, Mr Camerons old university friend, had played a key role in compiling the resignation honours list despite being entirely unelected himself. One ex-Cabinet minister said: This is just appalling. He is brazenly rewarding people who were totally loyal to him personally and ignoring all those ministers who worked hard and loyally served the party and the country. Secondly, he is brazenly rewarding those who were with him in his failed project to keep Britain inside the EU. General John Allen, who stepped out of his usual role to deliver a blistering attack against Donald Trump at the Democratic convention, defended his decision Tuesday and said he would disobey orders to torture prisoners or take out terrorists' families. Allen's decision to jump into the public arena with his views caused controversy in the military. Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in DefenseOne Monday that ' generals and admirals are generals and admirals for life,' and that it was ''near impossible' for them to speak only for themselves. Allen, who used to head forces in Afghanistan, said he felt 'compelled' to speak out by Trump's statements. At the GOP convention, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn spoke on Trump's behalf. Retired Gen. John Allen, former commander of the International Security Assistance Forces and Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, says he 'agonized' over his decision to address the Democratic convention 'I agonized over this. It was not a decision that I took lightly,' Allen told CNN. 'And with the comments about the potential for our involvement in torture or carpet bombing or the potential that he knows more than all the generals knows about ISIL, those comments ultimately required me to come forward and make these remarks and offer my support to secretary Clinton to be the president of the United States and the commander in chief.' Sen. Ted Cruz made a remark during the campaign about carpet bomging ISIS. It is a tactic used during World War Two and the Vietnam War. The U.S. military now tries to rely more on precision munitions and drone strikes. Trump said late last year during the primaries, '"I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.' Allen said it was the 'inherent responsibility' of commanders to disobey orders they consider immoral. He then referenced: 'Public statements about the potential we could find ourselves in torture or the murder of the families of alleged terrorists, or be engaged in indiscriminate carpet bombing.' 'I would hope that we would never find ourselves in the position where the Commander in Chief would give that order. But were we to receive that order, wed be obliged first to advise that that order is illegal and then were it to be reinforced wed have to disobey it,' he said. Trump in the GOP debate in New Hampshire said, 'I'd Bring Back a Hell of a Lot Worse Than Waterboarding.' He said of terrorists last December, 'you have to take out their families.' Allen said he would 'absolutely' refuse such an order. Some senior military leaders have challenged Allen's decision to jump into the political arena The convention crowd responded with chants of 'USA!' 'I couldnt believe how enthusiastic that crowd was that day to the many messages that they were receiving' 'Theres be no question in my mind. An illegal order like that Id have an obligation to the Constitution of the United States which I swore to defend with my very life. Thats about the rule of law.' He continued: 'Its about who we are as an American people and I would disobey that order if I were given the order to abjectly torture detainees in my possession, or to attack the families of alleged terrorists and murder them as well. Id be forced to. I would have no choice.' Allen lit up the Democratic convention hall in Philadelphia last week when he said, 'The free people of the world look to America as the last best hope for peace and liberty for all human kind.' The crowd erupted into chants of 'USA! USA!' as Allen stood with veterans from a variety of ethnicities. 'We stand before you tonight to endorse Hillary Clinton for the president of the United States of America,' he said. Allen said he was invited to address the convention, but didn't say who with the Clinton campaign contacted him. He said he spoke so enthusiastically because of his loyalty to the American people and 'also to be heard over the crowd.' 'I couldnt believe how enthusiastic that crowd was that day to the many messages that they were receiving,' he said. Jeremy Hunt has ordered NHS trusts to provide life-changing cataract surgery to elderly patients 'without delay'. The Health Secretary said it was down to doctors or eye specialists to decide when patients needed the operations, not cost-cutting managers. A Daily Mail investigation last week revealed how three quarters of hospitals deny surgery unless patients' vision is extremely poor. We then exposed how NHS hospitals are charging the elderly four times the standard price and encouraging them to pay privately to jump the queue. Jeremy Hunt (pictured) said it was down to doctors or eye specialists to decide when patients needed the operations, not cost-cutting managers NHS hospitals are charging the elderly four times the standard price and encouraging them to pay privately to jump the queue (stock photo) Charities say thousands of patients are losing their sight needlessly and becoming housebound, dependent and isolated. Currently there are no national guidelines setting out which patients are allowed the operation, which costs just 800 an eye. This means local NHS trusts are left to draw up their own strict rules and some demand patients prove they have suffered repeated falls or have hearing loss. Growing numbers of MPs and charities are urging the NHS to introduce a national set of guidelines to end the arbitrary rationing. Mr Hunt said: 'Any patient who needs cataract treatment should get it without delay. Decisions about who gets cataract treatment should always be clinically-led and in the best interest of patients, and patients can pursue their right to ask for an alternative provider if they haven't started treatment within 18 weeks of referral.' Labour health spokesman Diane Abbott said patients were being asked 'grossly inappropriate' questions to prove they were worthy of surgery. 'Ordinary people will be horrified to learn hospitals are being forced to ration such crucial surgery and the Government must answer for this failing,' she added. 'Imagine being asked whether you've 'fallen over' to see if you need an eye operation. 'Cataract sufferers shouldn't have fork out hundreds of pounds for surgery that could prevent them from going blind.' Around half of over-65s suffer cataracts to some degree an estimated 4.5million Britons. The condition occurs when the lens in front of the eye becomes cloudy with age, and this usually worsens with time. But it can be easily treated by a 30-minute operation to replace the affected lens with a plastic implant, which patients describe as 'life transforming'. Many NHS trusts will offer patients treatment only if they fail sight tests even when wearing glasses. They must get a score of 6 out of 12 or less, meaning that even with glasses their vision is still half as good as a normal person. Some trusts go further by asking 'grossly inappropriate' questions to prove their quality of life is severely affected. These include whether they have fallen over twice in the last year, struggle to recognise faces or also suffer from hearing problems. Holly Heath, of the Royal National Institute for the Blind charity, said: 'Any findings which indicate that patients are being unfairly denied cataract operations must be taken seriously. Labour health spokesman Diane Abbott (pictured) said patients were being asked 'grossly inappropriate' questions to prove they were worthy of surgery Around half of over-65s suffer cataracts to some degree an estimated 4.5million Britons (stock photograph) 'It costs health and social care budgets far more to treat someone who has lost their vision than to prevent their sight deteriorating in the first place. The decision should be based on clinical need and the impact on a person's quality of life must also be taken into account.' Dr Dolores Conroy, of eye research charity Fight for Sight, said: 'A person whose sight is restricted by a cataract will, at some stage, absolutely need surgery and it is well known that delaying surgery can lead to older people having other accidents. This has the potential to significantly increase NHS costs in the longer term.' NICE, the NHS watchdog, is due to publish the first cataract surgery guidelines in 2018. But campaigners are worried they will be simply ignored by health trusts as they won't be legally binding. Growing numbers of hospitals are allowing patients to 'queue jump' by paying for surgery from their own pockets. Leeds Teaching Hospitals charges 3,450 an eye and the Royal Free in North London charges 2,750. Yeovil Hospital in Somerset tells patients that if they self-fund they 'can receive treatment almost immediately and on a date to suit you'. Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who sits on the Commons health committee, said: 'It is completely unacceptable that people are being denied this life-changing operation, but this is an all-too-common experience due to this Government's mismanagement of the NHS. 'It's time the Government kept its promise to increase NHS funding.' Four patients reveal how the life-changing operation changed their lives Stan Clark, 76, was made to wait more than a year for treatment Stan Clark, 76, was made to wait more than a year for treatment and then the NHS would only do one eye. His wife, Karen, 65, was refused treatment completely because her sight was not deemed poor enough, even though she struggled to drive. The couple were so worried she would be involved in a serious accident that they ended up using their savings to pay for her to have surgery privately. Mr Clark, a retired oil company worker, from Pembroke, West Wales, said: 'I was blind in one eye. That cataract was that bad. It was generally miserable. 'And the other eye was being used so much I was straining and squinting with it ... You are always just worrying about whether your eye is going to shut down. Describing his wife's situation, he said: 'Karen found it very difficult. We couldn't risk waiting for her to get treatment on the NHS as she was driving a lot every day. 'She could have had an accident as the headlights can dazzle you when you are only using one eye. I was on tenterhooks waiting for her to come back every night ...In the end we thought it was only a few grand so she went private. 'If I was still working I would have been forced to go private as I used to drive a lot.' Meanwhile, Helen Heraty was told that the NHS would only treat one eye even though she was virtually blind. The 56-year-old, who runs a boutique hotel in York, ended up borrowing money from her son to pay for the treatment privately after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cataract. She said she was told by NHS doctors in York that they would only do her right eye but would wait until her left had got sufficiently bad before treating it. Mrs Heraty, who has seven children aged 11 to 27, said: 'I became increasingly reliant on my children to help me out with everyday tasks. I couldn't function it was a very difficult time. 'It was like looking through a Vaseline-coated lens. One eye was completely gone and the left eye I was down to 50 per cent vision. I couldn't drive at night, I could barely drive during the day and I couldn't see colour. Helen Heraty was told that the NHS would only treat one eye even though she was virtually blind 'Had I been 70 or 80, I wouldn't have been so fussed about it. 'But I was 55, I knew I was going to be working for a lot of years I need to be able to see.' Mrs Heraty had her cataracts treatment privately at the London Eye Hospital. She ended up opting for a far more hi-tech lens than those offered by the NHS, which cost 8,000 an eye. These have corrected her vision so well she no longer needs to wear glasses to read or see long distances. Speaking about the operation, she said: 'I was nervous, but it didn't hurt. When the bandages came off the next day it was incredible. Not only did I have focus but I hadn't realised I couldn't see colour any more the sky was blue again! 'I'm very, very happy with the results. I'm sat here looking at the distance and I'm able to read a book. That's all I wanted.' Paul Marchant, 66, spent around 9,000 on two cataracts procedures after deciding to have his treatment done privately. The grandfather-of-two was struggling to drive for long periods and could not clearly make out people's faces as he passed. Having worn glasses since the age of 11, he was told by his optician that she was unable to do anything more to help. After noticing a swift decline in his eyesight in just three years, Mr Marchant, from Chesham, Buckinghamshire, was determined to fix the problem as quickly as possible. He decided to bypass the NHS and have two operations done privately because he believed his case would not be considered 'serious enough' to be done by the health service, adding: 'The perception is that you need to be virtually blind.' Paul Marchant, 66, spent around 9,000 on two cataracts procedures after deciding to have his treatment done privately Earlier this year he had a corneal graft and cataract surgery at the Wellington Hospital in north London. Mr Marchant said: 'My quality of life is hugely different ...Everything is clearer.' And Bernice Cowles waited two years for cataract treatment on the NHS and was initially told her sight was too good. The 83-year-old was caring full-time for her late husband William and struggled to read the writing on his prescriptions without a magnifying glass. She worried she would misread a number and put his life at risk by giving him too much medication. The grandmother, from West Horndon, Essex, was referred for an operation to repair her worse, left eye in April 2015. But this was only following a routine sight test which revealed her vision was now so poor it met the NHS's strict 'eligibility criteria.' Bernice Cowles waited two years for cataract treatment on the NHS and was initially told her sight was too good In 2013 she said: 'I'd like them to assess me not just on what I can see but what I have to do. It should be taken into consideration ... I need to have it done. I don't want to jump queues, I just want to get on the waiting list. 'It would give me peace of mind and mean that I won't have to worry so much about the future.' The move comes at a cost to taxpayers of up to 20million a year There are also worries the new pills could encourage 'sexual risk taking' The NHS will appeal against a High Court ruling forcing it to prescribe a drug to prevent HIV because children with cystic fibrosis, amputees and blood cancer sufferers could be refused treatment. A High Court judge yesterday ordered health officials to provide the daily Prep tablets - branded a 'promiscuity pill' by critics - costing taxpayers up to 20million a year. NHS England will appeal because providing the 5,000 annual patient cost will hit funding for 13 other treatments. This includes a drug to help children with cystic fibrosis breathe, prosthetic limbs for amputees, hearing implants for the deaf and stem cell treatment for adults with lymphoma. The HIV drug the NHS must offer would be given to up to 10,000 gay men who don't have HIV but are at high risk of being infected through unprotected sex. But critics, including one Aids charity, warn it is a strategy 'fraught with dangers'. They say it could encourage men to have sex with multiple partners without condoms and may even lead to higher HIV rates as it is not 100 per cent effective. Scroll down for video This is a conceptual view of HIV within the bloodstream. The NHS has been told to prescribe a drug to prevent HIV There is also concern that scarce NHS funds are being spent on a preventative medicine at a time when vital cataract surgery and cancer drugs are being rationed. Cataract surgery costs just 800 an eye and enables patients to leave their homes unaided and recognise loved ones' faces. One MP yesterday suggested it would be difficult to justify the cash spent on the HIV drug to a cancer patient who had been denied a life-saving treatment. And last night NHS England said the ruling would delay a decision on whether it could fund 13 other treatments including for children with cystic fibrosis. Trials have shown that Prep, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, is 92 per cent effective at preventing HIV as long as the pills are taken every day. Tradenamed Truvada, they work by blocking an enzyme that would otherwise allow HIV to make copies of itself, and take over the body. NHS England which funds drugs had initially refused to prescribe Prep. It argued that because it is a preventative medicine, it should be funded by local councils. But this stance was challenged by the National Aids Trust charity and a judge in the High Court yesterday ruled there was nothing to stop the NHS from paying. The ruling was broadly welcomed by leading medical organisations and MPs, who said it was 'ethical' and would save many lives. But other campaigners are worried the drug will fuel a rise in sexually transmitted infections and may even lead to increased rates of HIV as it is not 100 per cent effective. There is evidence of a dramatic fall in condom use among men taking the drug, leaving them exposed to other infections. Experts are also worried that the HIV virus may evolve to become resistant to the Prep drug resulting in a much stronger, deadlier strain. There is also concern that scarce NHS funds are being spent on a preventative medicine at a time when vital cataract surgery and cancer drugs are being rationed Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the US, voiced concern 'about the potential for overall spread of the virus as well as other sexually transmitted diseases for which Prep offers no protection'. Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, said: 'There isn't a bottomless pit to spend on the NHS. We've got to prioritise and decide where we should rank this in the list of NHS spending priorities. 'The fact that we're depriving cancer patients of crucial drugs at the expense of other treatments is something we've got to look at. You can't fund everything on the NHS. 'You've got to wonder what reaction you'd get if you looked a cancer patient in the eye to explain you haven't been able to fund their treatment because you've prioritised other treatments.' Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: 'This is a strategy fraught with dangers. Making Prep freely available to already promiscuous homosexuals could well encourage more sexual risk taking and more sexually transmitted disease as a result. 'Prep works. It saves money and it will make an enormous difference to the lives of men and women across the country' Deborah Gold, the National Aids Trust 'The best way of preventing HIV infections is by avoiding the high-risk sexual behaviours that lead to it. Those who rely on it for protection against HIV are effectively playing Russian roulette.' James Mildred, of the Christian Action Research and Education charity, said: 'We have really serious concerns about the NHS spending tens of millions on a drug that we believe could facilitate more risky sexual lifestyles. Given the risks of increased promiscuity associated with Prep, this would be an expensive and potentially irresponsible action.' The drug is being offered at a time when cataract surgery is being restricted, with the Daily Mail highlighting cases of health tourists being allowed to jump the queue. It can be used by women but has so far been targeted at those at high risk of HIV, predominantly gay men. Prep can be paid for privately with a doctor's prescription but is not yet available through the NHS. It costs around 400 per patient a month although the NHS would agree a far lower price, possibly half this amount. This is considerably cheaper than the 15,000 a year it costs to treat a patient with HIV. Last night, NHS England said it would appeal the ruling and insisted that it could still refuse to fund the drug regardless of the outcome. It said it would measure it for cost-effectiveness alongside several other treatments currently under assessment. A spokesman said decisions over funding on 13 other treatments would be delayed because of yesterday's decision, as the NHS needs to know how much money it has in the budget before it can decide. They include treatments for children with cystic fibrosis, prosthetic limbs and certain types of implants for deafness. The NHS has been told to prescribe a drug to prevent HIV despite concerns it is expensive and could encourage 'sexual risk taking' But Deborah Gold, of the National Aids Trust, welcomed the ruling. She said: 'Prep works. It saves money and it will make an enormous difference to the lives of men and women across the country who are at risk of acquiring HIV.' Dr Iain Kennedy, of the British Medical Association's public health medicine committee, said it 'will help save many lives and reduce the risk of HIV'. However, some medical experts are worried that HIV could evolve to become resistant to the drug. In February, doctors reported the case of a 43-year-old gay Canadian man who tested positive despite taking Prep for two years. Meanwhile, a recent French study found that condom use declined to just 24 per cent among men taking Prep. A legal firm that has spent years hounding traumatised British troops was humiliated yesterday when its access to public money was axed. The decision to strip Public Interest Lawyers of its ability to claim legal aid is a victory for the soldiers it tormented. The ambulance-chasing firm led by controversial human-rights lawyer Phil Shiner has dragged veterans through the courts for years, often with false claims that they tortured and murdered Iraqis. But the announcement means it will no longer be able to use taxpayers money to sue the Government or British servicemen. The decision to strip Public Interest Lawyers of its ability to claim legal aid is a victory for the soldiers it tormented The ambulance-chasing firm led by controversial human-rights lawyer Phil Shiner (pictured) has dragged veterans through the courts for years, often with false claims that they tortured and murdered Iraqis The Legal Aid Agency said it was terminating the contract because Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) had breached its rules. The news vindicates the Daily Mail, which has fought to expose PIL tactics such as using touts to drum up business in Iraq in contravention of Legal Aid Agency rules. Mr Shiner has made his name suing the Armed Forces, and he and his firm have pocketed 3.9million in legal aid since the beginning of the Iraq War pursuing spurious claims against British troops. PILs past cases will now come under scrutiny, and it could be forced to hand back millions from dubious claims made against blameless soldiers. The Legal Aid Agency acted following a review of PILs practices and an investigation by the solicitors watchdog that could result in the closure of the firm. Mr Shiners troubles do not end there the allegations against his firm are understood to be so serious the Government is referring them to the National Crime Agency. The Legal Aid Agency said: We have terminated our contract with Public Interest Lawyers as we consider the firm has breached its contractual requirements. We have taken this action after a thorough review of information provided by PIL, following the investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority into the firm. We are clear that contractual breaches with LAAs contract are proven and warrant investigation by the relevant authorities. The news vindicates the Daily Mail, which has fought to expose PIL tactics such as using touts to drum up business in Iraq in contravention of Legal Aid Agency rules Mr Shiner (pictured) has made his name suing the Armed Forces, and he and his firm have pocketed 3.9million in legal aid since the beginning of the Iraq War pursuing spurious claims against British troops Last night, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: We have seen our legal system abused to falsely impugn our Armed Forces. Now we are seeing justice done. Every day, our servicemen and women show bravery and dedication in difficult circumstances. They should not be subject to unfounded legal claims. We are working on a package of measures that, alongside this ruling, will ensure they arent. The allegations against PIL centre around two main issues, the first being PILs role in the 31million Al-Sweady war crimes inquiry into allegations of murder and torture by British forces. In December 2014, the five-year public inquiry exonerated British troops and said claims made by PILs clients were deliberate and calculated lies. Since the revelations came to light, Mr Shiner has been charged by his professional body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which referred him to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. Although he could be struck off, the public is not allowed to know the charges against him, and he has won the right to have his disciplinary case heard behind closed doors a move being challenged by the Mail. The accusations against Mr Shiner are understood to centre on his role in the Al-Sweady inquiry. Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: Legal aid is designed to support some of the most vulnerable members of society not to pursue spurious cases against our brave Armed Forces overseas. The investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has unearthed some very serious allegations. 'I am determined that public money should not be misused or wasted and I will not tolerate any abuse of the legal aid rules that are so vital to the proper functioning of our justice system. The Mail has campaigned to halt witch-hunts against soldiers facing multiple probes into incidents from more than a decade ago The Mail has campaigned to halt witch-hunts against soldiers facing multiple probes into incidents from more than a decade ago. PIL has lodged more than 1,000 claims of criminality by British soldiers, along with civil claims using legal aid to extract vast amounts of compensation from taxpayers. In January, former prime minister David Cameron declared war on ambulance-chasing lawyers and ordered changes to legal aid to stop the persecution of troops. But it has intensified, with recent figures showing that PIL and fellow legal firm Leigh Day have passed 3,281 allegations of criminal activity by soldiers to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which investigates such cases. So far, 900 of these have been thrown out. The firms are also pursuing soldiers at The Hague a court that normally tries war criminals. Soldiers many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder have faced as many as five probes each in relation to a single incident as a result of the soaring claims. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said of PIL: People will have serious questions about how this contract was awarded in the first place. Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured) plans to shake up the way Downing Street hands out honours following the controversy over David Cameron's resignation list Theresa May plans to shake up the way Downing Street hands out honours following the controversy over David Cameron's resignation list. Colleagues said she was keen to avoid the mistakes of her predecessor, who had allowed the impression to be given that awards were being given to cronies. One MP close to the Prime Minister criticised the way her predecessor had drawn up his resignation list, and pledged that Mrs May would do things differently, adding: 'You certainly won't see Theresa doing something like this. 'She certainly wouldn't be abusing the honours system in this way.' Mrs May is expected to use her first honours list, likely to be in the New Year, to make it clear they will be introduced in a more open and transparent way. Mr Cameron has faced stinging criticism this week after he pushed through a list of 48 gongs for former aides, Conservative donors and Remain supporters. A Government source said of Mrs May: 'Anyone who knows her attitude to these things would know this would be something she would want to look at. She is a woman who does things properly.' Last night, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life called for a cross-party review of party funding to ensure such scandals did not happen again. It became clear this week that a separate list of peerages which Mr Cameron submitted has been blocked after a Whitehall probity committee raised concerns about Michael Spencer. The former Tory treasurer, who has given millions to the party, was turned down because he is chief executive of the spread-betting firm Icap, which was fined 55million for its role in the Libor scandal. Yesterday it emerged that the Lords Appointments Commission had blocked the proposed peerage for Mr Spencer. Aides to Mrs May said she would not overturn the committee's objections and it was reported last night that Mr Cameron had decided not to continue the fight for Mr Spencer to be on the list. David Cameron (right) planned to nominate former Tory Treasurer and City boss Michael Spencer (left) for a peerage, but sources said he had failed the 'sniff test' over his links to a firm involved in the Libor fixing scandal Yesterday, friends of the Icap boss told the Mail he was upset at the snub saying he had done nothing wrong over the Libor fraud, in which inter-bank lending rates were rigged. One said Mr Spencer felt the gongs had been given to PR men and that he has been singled out even though he behaved properly during the Libor scandal. The Lords Appointments Commission has seven members three political, four independent who check all nominees. They cannot veto names, and they look only at the 'propriety' of candidates rather than 'suitability'. But no prime minister has ever rejected their advice. Mr Cameron's former tennis partner Lord Feldman (pictured) helped him draw up his controversial resignation honours list David Cameron's list of peerages may be much longer than thought and possibly the largest in living memory. It had been thought there were about 15 names, including party donors and former aides. But he may have put forward 40 or more 'Westminster sources' told the Daily Telegraph last night. Lord Bew, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: 'The big question that links it all up is this one on party funding. 'The British people themselves think you would only give money to a party unless you expect a peerage or some such goody but they also believe they should not have to contribute a penny towards funding political parties which would solve the problem.' Alistair Graham, Lord Bew's predecessor as chairman, added: 'The Prime Minister should announce she's not going to have a resignation honours list I think she should convene a cross-party group to look at possible reform The latest episode has underlined how important it is to have a look at the honours system to see more transparency and attract wider public support.' Last night Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: 'With a new leader and a new Tory Party chairman, I challenge them to join me to restart cross-party talks on funding for political parties. Big money from union barons from rich donors must not continue to warp our politics. The whole sorry saga of Cameron's cronies shows how we must kick big money out of politics.' Yesterday, former Downing Street adviser Rohan Silva, who refused an honour, said too many awards go to diplomats, civil servants or chairmen of publicly-listed companies. 'I think the real scandal over the honours system over the past years, decades, is the fact so few entrepreneurs, so few people who take real risks and build companies get honours,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today. He said less than 1 per cent of honours go to people who have started businesses. Britain's border security is clearly under-resourced and warships should be drafted in to guard small harbours against people-smugglers, MPs said Tuesday. A worryingly low total of just three Border Force patrol boats are available to protect more than 7,000 miles of UK coastline, they warned. Their report called for Royal Navy ships to help Border Force protect our lightly-guarded small ports and beaches, which are increasingly seen as soft targets by smugglers and migrants travelling in small boats who try to avoid heavy security at ferry ports and Eurotunnel trains. As the report was released today, Dorset police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill warned of a 'perfect storm' as Border Force weaknesses were magnified by the withdrawal of special branch officers from ports. Britain's border security is clearly under-resourced and warships should be drafted in to guard small harbours against people-smugglers, MPs said Tuesday MPs said the four Border Force cutters, including HMC Vigilant, pictured, were not enough to keep 7,000 miles of coastline secure Incidents so far this summer include 18 Albanian migrants who had to be rescued from a sinking dinghy off the coast of Dymchurch in Kent, 17 Albanians found on a catamaran in Chichester harbour, West Sussex, and the discovery of three Iranians drifting in an inflatable boat off Dover. MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Committee said Border Force was clearly under-resourced. The report adds to growing pressure for naval assistance to be given to Border Force, which has just four patrol boats, one of which is currently in the Mediterranean. Four more that are promised will be unavailable for at least another year. In comparison, Italy has 600 vessels to guard a coastline that is 3,000 miles shorter, the report said. Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: Criminal gangs continue to exploit weaknesses in security at small ports in Britain to illegally transport migrants from the continent. THEIR SWEEPING REPORT ALSO: Accused former foreign secretary, now Chancellor, Philip Hammond of complacency over reports that half a million people have gathered in Libya hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe Blamed the EU for failing to foresee or prepare for a colossal migrant crisis and doing too little too late to deal with it Criticised the EUs Schengen open borders system for allowing terrorists who slip in free passage across the continent Called for 157 unaccompanied children living in camps in Calais who have family in Britain to be allowed to cross the Channel Advertisement 'Despite maritime security being critical to an island nation, Border Force is operating worryingly low numbers of vessels to protect our borders. Royal Navy chiefs are understood to be prepared to devote one or more River-class patrol boats to assist Border Force if Home Secretary Amber Rudd requests them. Two of the 260ft vessels, which have a crew of 45, are working on fishery protection but could be released if Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom gives permission. The MPs report, Migration Crisis, said: Border Force needs to be given all the necessary equipment, including vessels, to enable it to carry out its responsibilities effectively. 'The number of Border Force vessels in operation appears to be worryingly low. 'Royal Navy vessels should be made available to Border Force to make up for shortfalls, where necessary. Mr Underhill told BBC Today port security was in a 'lot of trouble' and added: 'The special branch have been taken away and they used to monitor the small ports. 'They are being taken away under a three year programme... in Dorset we are starting to lose officers now. 'They are not (being replaced). They are centrally funded by Government and they are being moved into the inner cities. That's why this is a perfect storm - Border Force is just one part of this.' The report called for Royal Navy ships to help Border Force protect our lightly-guarded small ports and beaches, which are increasingly seen as soft targets by smugglers and migrants travelling in small boats who try to avoid heavy security at ferry ports and Eurotunnel trains The MPs' report added that tightened security at major ports and airports had led to a displacement of illegal migration, with small ports now targeted, and said security must be strengthened at these points too as a matter of urgency. The Home Office said there were additional military and law enforcement vessels available, but the Ministry of Defence said Border Force has not yet requested naval assistance. The Home Office added: We continue to work tirelessly to maintain the security of our border. 'We will respond to the committees recommendations in due course. Alp Mehmet, of the Migration Watch UK think tank, said: Clearly the challenges facing the UK Border Force remain significant and are growing. 'It is imperative that more money is devoted to address the issue of illegal immigration. More than 150 children living without parents in migrant camps in Calais should be brought to Britain, the MPs report said The recommendation came three months after former prime minister David Cameron responded to the Daily Mails call for compassion by inviting 3,000 children stuck in squalid refugee camps in France, Germany and Italy to come to this country More than 150 children living without parents in migrant camps in Calais should be brought to Britain, the MPs report said. The 157 children who are known to be unaccompanied should already have arrived here, it added. The recommendation came three months after former prime minister David Cameron responded to the Daily Mails call for compassion by inviting 3,000 children stuck in squalid refugee camps in France, Germany and Italy to come to this country. As the report on the Border Force was issued today, there were warnings from a police and crime commissioner of a 'perfect storm' facing port security But there were concerns that doing so might encourage more migrants to attempt risky journeys to reach Britain. The Home Affairs Committee report said: We accept the Governments concern that allowing unaccompanied children to join family members already in the UK might create a pull factor, resulting in more vulnerable young people making dangerous journeys to try to reach the UK. We appreciate that these are sensitive and complex matters and that proper account needs to be taken of the legal and safeguarding requirements in the countries where unaccompanied children are currently located. But the MPs said that ministers should as a one-off action accept all of these children into the UK now. The report added that some refugees in camps in Calais had family members in Britain and should be entitled to enter the country. The MPs also said: We are yet to see any evidence of a strategy designed to deliver a long-term solution to the presence of these camps. In March the Mail reported on hundreds of lost boys who were living in squalid conditions in Calais. The European Union was criticised by MPs for not foreseeing the scale of the migrant flow and then failing to handle the crisis. Some 4,027 migrants have died so far this year, a 26 per cent increase from the same period in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration The European Union was criticised by MPs for not foreseeing the scale of the migrant flow and then failing to handle the crisis. The report also said the EUs efforts to stop people-smugglers have been poor. Some 1.25million asylum-seekers came to Europe last year and more than a quarter of a million migrants arrived in the first six months of this year. The report from the Commons Home Affairs Committee said the union was too slow to respond, adding: The EU failed to anticipate the scale of migrant flows, and did not have the structures in place to cope. The MPs said the EUs 5billion deal with Turkey in March, under which new arrivals can be sent back to Turkey, came far too late. They added that further action is urgently required to ensure vulnerable people do not suffer further exploitation by criminals and face the current high risk of death. FEARS OVER PORT SECURITY RAISED AGAIN A WEEK AFTER TWO COURT CASES ON MIGRANT SMUGGLING ENDED Stephen Jackson was jailed last week for smuggling a separate group of migrants in Chichester marina Today's report comes less than a week after two separate court cases on smuggling migrants into Britain came to a conclusion with sentencing. Last Friday Robert Stilwell and Mark Stribling pleaded guilty to conspiring to assist unlawful immigration following their bungled smuggling operation in which they had to be rescued by lifeboat crews. The pair were arrested after they were caught attempting to smuggle 18 Albanians - including one woman and two children - into the country near the small Kent town of Dymchurch in May. The bid ended in a dramatic rescue operation when their rigid inflatable boat started taking on water in the early hours of the morning in the English Channel - forcing the migrants to make panicked phone calls to families in Calais. Stribling, 35, was jailed for four years, eight months and former judo champion Stilwell, 33, for four years, four months. The sentencing came on the same day that a British sailor was jailed for four years and nine months for smuggling 17 immigrants into a south coast marina. Stephen Jackson, 51, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to assisting unlawful immigration by sailing a boat-load of Albanian men aged 20 to 44 into Chichester Marina in West Sussex on May 23. At Lewes Crown Court, it was revealed that a European Arrest Warrant has been issued for Jackson for allegedly perverting the course of justice in connection with a murder in Spain. Advertisement Some 4,027 migrants have died so far this year, a 26 per cent increase from the same period in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. The committees report also accused former foreign secretary Philip Hammond of being complacent in respect of Libya, where a reported 500,000 people are waiting to cross the Mediterranean illegally. The report said a promised Royal Navy ship has not been sent to the North African country. It also said that the EU should offer Libya a deal like Turkey. Committee chairman Keith Vaz said ships in the Mediterranean saved lives but failed to deter migrants or stop criminal smuggling networks, adding: The EUs response in combating people traffickers who are exploiting, exacerbating and profiting from this crisis has been poor. Terrorists have taken advantage of the EUs Shengen free-movement system, leading to a raised security threat, the MPs also warned. Uber Driver Carjacked And Passengers Robbed Early Tuesday By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 2, 2016 3:13PM An Uber driver was carjacked and his passengers were robbed early on Tuesday in Douglas, according to police. Two suspects, driving a white, four-door sedan, pulled in front of the Uber drivers car as he picked up a pair of passengers at about 2:10 a.m. in the 3100 block of S. Lake Shore Dr., near East 31st Street, police told Chicagoist. The two armed offenders then approached the vehicle: one forced the driver, a 63-year-old man, from the car; the other robbed the two passengers and told them to get out of the vehicle. The offenders then fled, leaving with both vehicles, police said. The driver, identified by the Tribune as Roy E. Smith, told the paper he has been a driver for Uber since October. One of the passengers, a 30-year-old male, suffered a slight laceration to his head, according to police. He was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center where he was treated and released. Chicagoist has reached out to Uber for comment and will update this post accordingly. Update, 3:00 p.m.: We have been in contact with the driver. Hes doing ok, and were still gathering information, Uber spokeswoman Kayla Whaling told Chicagoist. The incident occurred while on trip, Whaling confirmed, which would make the drivers vehicle eligible for Ubers coverage if he has collision insurance. Its my understanding that damage to your vehicle would include theft. Isabel Spearman, who used to work for Sam Cameron in Number 10, was on the former Prime Minister's resignation honours list A former aide of David Cameron has launched an astonishing defence of the OBE granted to the ex-PM's wife's 'special advisor', saying she is no mere stylist. Isabel Spearman, who used to work for Samantha Cameron in Number 10, was on the former Prime Minister's resignation honours list leaked on Sunday. Her name drew particular criticism on the list of 48 because she was described as a 'stylist'. One of Mrs Spearman's former colleagues in Downing Street, who asked not to be named, said it was 'just not true' to give her such a title and claimed the way she had been singled out for criticism was 'sexist'. The former aide insisted there was 'nothing improper' about Mr Cameron's honours list. 'There is no one on the list who should not be on the list,' the aide said. 'There is nothing improper that has gone on. 'Everyone on the list has worked very hard in the service of their country. All this has gone through the proper process. It is no different to other resignation lists.' The aide said that Mrs Spearman was a hard-working and popular member of Mr Cameron's staff. 'Isabel worked incredibly hard and the idea that she was not popular is just untrue, she was a fantastic team player. The way she has been singled out in this way is sexist. 'She was nothing to do with Samantha Cameron's hair, she did a lot of work behind the scenes, and she is a true professional who had a heavy workload.' The former aide said Mrs Spearman was Samantha's only member of staff, adding: 'There was a lot of work no one knows about, a large amount of Press coverage, a lot to manage. She was an incredibly popular member of the team.' Mrs Cameron is said to have relied on her 'stylist' (right) for her day-to-day organisation Isabel Spearman (pictured right and left with SamCam) was a problem solver for Mrs Cameron On Monday, Labour deputy leader Tom Watson described Mrs Spearman as a stylist. 'I've never met Samantha Cameron's stylist but I don't think she deserves an OBE,' he said. 'David Cameron chose to give her an OBE because he knows her. He shouldn't just give honours to friends.' The Prime Minister will condone cronyism if she allows Ed Llewellyn, David Cameron's former chief of staff to become Britain's ambassador to France, Mr Tom Watson has said. Mr Watson told the London Evening Standard: 'If it's true that Ed Llewellyn is being lined up as ambassador to France, Theresa May must block his appointment. She can't walk away from this cronyism row.' Shocking footage has emerged of a tiger pulling off the bumper of a car at the same Beijing wildlife park that a woman was killed a week ago. In the video, the animal can be seen approaching the vehicle and quickly pulling off the vehicle's bumper, according to a video posted by the People's Daily Online. Last week, a woman was eaten alive by a tiger while another was seriously injured after they got out of their vehicle which was passing through the enclosure. Hello! The car was driving through the Siberian tiger enclosure when the incident occurred Thanks for that! It pulled off the bumper and was seen dragging it into a nearby bush Close encounter: The tiger carefully pulls at the bumper before tearing it off The footage is filmed from inside the car which is driving through the tiger enclosure at the Badaling Wildlife Park around an hour outside of Beijing. Another car can be seen ahead as the tiger sidles up to the vehicle. The tiger looks at the car and its surroundings before wandering over to the left hand side of the car. Suddenly, the animal rips off the bumper from the car and drags it into a nearby bush. The video claims that the driver is the founder of an online marketing company in China. The claim has not been confirmed. It's mine now! It then continues to drag it away before disappearing into the bushes Need a new one! The bumper was completely ripped off in the incident at the safari park Observing the area: The tiger looks at the car and its surroundings before wandering over A woman was eaten alive by a tiger while another woman from the same party was seriously injured in the same safari park on July 23. The younger woman and the man are understood to have had an argument at which point she stormed out of the car. The older woman then followed her out and was instantly attacked by the Siberian tiger. The 6,000-acre park which allows people to either drive themselves or join a tour, tells people not to leave their vehicles at any point. The family were eventually rescued by Badaling's staff, but there was nothing that could be done for the older woman. The younger woman was seriously injured, an official confirmed. Entrance to the park costs 5, and visitors can feed the animals - although they aren't allowed to get close to the attraction's larger residents. The woman gets out of the car and walks around to the other side after having a fight with a man inside the vehicle As she remonstrates further, a huge tiger is ready to pounce behind her at the Badaling Wildlife World The woman is dragged tot he floor where she is mauled by the big cat, sustaining serious injuries Advertisement A 6,400-square-foot sinkhole has opened up suddenly on a busy city road in China, and two people remain missing after being dragged into the pit. Heavy rains on Monday night caused tarmac to collapse into a muddy hole on Zhongyuan Road in the western area of the city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, east China, according to People's Daily Online. The 16ft-deep hole opened within minutes at 7.30pm on Monday night, causing pedestrians to be dragged into it. Scroll down for video Scary: Two people remain missing after the sinkhole appeared on the busy road in Zhengzhou, Henan province, east China Dangerous: The 16ft-deep hole opened within minutes at 7.30pm on Monday night, causing pedestrians to be dragged into it Big job: Excavation and repair vehicles spend the best part of Tuesday trying to rectify the disaster, but with little success Bad experiences: Song Qingbin, 36, was walking along with a female colleague when they were pulled into the muddy pit A further two local people were successfully rescued by emergency services later in the evening after they rushed to the scene, as the gaping hole grew to 100ft wide and 65ft long. Song Qingbin, 36, a teacher at a local school, was walking along with a female colleague when they were pulled into the muddy pit without warning. Police were able to pull Song out of the hole, alongside 21-year-old Song Yamin, but it caused the road to collapse further and more people fell into it. Meanwhile Song's co-worker Zhang Fan remains missing, along with one other pedestrian from the local area. Song Yamin said he was returning from a company meeting when the incident occurred. He added: 'I saw people were gathering to see something. Praying for them: Song's co-worker Zhang Fan remains missing, along with one other pedestrian from the local area Destructive: City officials confirmed a large underground water pipe had burst after being flooded during the heavy rains Terrible scenes: A local school was evacuated by police amid fears over broken electricity wires and sewage pipes 'I hadn't had a chance to join the crowd before falling into the sinkhole myself. Thankfully, passersby and the police pulled me out using a rope.' Large construction repair vehicles were summoned to the scene around 11pm to begin the gradual road repair process, while a local school was evacuated by police amid fears over broken electricity wires and sewage pipes. City officials confirmed a large underground water pipe had burst after being flooded during the heavy rains. A lovesick Dutch man waited for ten days in a Chinese airport for a date to arrive, a luckless ordeal which left him requiring hospital treatment after developing severe health problems. Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, flew from Holland to Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, Hunan province, south China on July 22 in the hope of meeting a 26-year-old woman he met online two months ago, known only by the surname Zhang. When he found no one waiting for him at the airport, Mr Cirk refused to leave the building and ended up sleeping there for ten nights, according to People's Daily Online. Pity: Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, flew from Holland to Huanghua Airport in Changsha, Hunan Sorry: He waited for ten days for the woman he had met online, Zhang, to arrive and meet him True love? Mr Cirk was found with glamorous pictures of Ms Zhang on his mobile phone The prolonged wait - coupled with lack of sleep and adequate nutrition - had a bad effect on the Dutchman, causing him to pass out as an effect of his severe diabetes. With his condition worsening, emergency services were summoned to airport, where they quickly took Mr Cirk away for treatment. He was later pictured with a drip attached, being pushed around in a wheelchair. Ms Zhang told news reporters she had been having plastic surgery treatment in Zhengzhou while Mr Cirk waited, and had turned her phone off while her face was wrapped in gauze. The 26-year-old confirmed she did not expect Mr Cirk to make the 5,400 mile one-way trip from his home city Amsterdam to Changsha. She told a local news channel: 'We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me. 'One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later.' Ms Zhang says she called Mr Cirk in hospital, after which they had a two hour conversation and discussed the Dutch man's ordeal. Dangerous: The wait left the diabetes-sufferer with health issues and he had to be hospitalised Tragic tale: The Chinese woman said it was 'inconvenient' for her to return to see Mr Cirk The Chinese woman said it was 'inconvenient' for her to return to Changsha to see Mr Cirk, but asked that medical staff look after him well. Commenters on the social media platform Weibo were unimpressed by Mr Cirk's antics and few of them had sympathy for his plight. Referring to the stylized photos Mr Cirk were showing off on his phone of Ms Zhang , one user said: 'Doesn't he know that everything in China is fake?' In a cruel twist on events, another user added: 'Perhaps she did go to the airport, saw what he looked like, and promptly turned back around.' This is the sickening moment animal lovers found around 400 dogs crammed into trucks destined for dinner plates in China. An animal protection group rescued the truck in China's Hebei province on August 1, reports Huanqiu, an affiliation with the People's Daily Online. Police confirmed that the driver did not have the necessary certification to carry the animals, a spokesman from the protection group told MailOnline. Tragic: Many of the animals were found in a bad condition and needed attention Shocking: Truck was carrying around 400 dogs when it was stopped by volunteers and police Sickening: The dogs were crammed into small cages inside the truck bound for restaurants According to Mr Yu, head of the Handan Small Animal Protection Group, a volunteer from the group saw the truck at around 4pm on July 31. The volunteer saw that the truck was not full and had a feeling that it would be heading to Shizhuang village which is well known for its dog-trading business. More volunteers were called in to wait several intersections near the village for the truck to leave, said Mr Yu. At around 2am the next morning, the truck left the village and local traffic police were able to stop the vehicle. According to Mr Yu, more police arrived and detained the driver, a worker and the trader who had given them more dogs in the village of Shizhuang. Tragic photos show the state the animals were in when they were rescued from the truck Tragic: A volunteer saw the truck and alerted the animal protection charity to the case The dogs were a range of breeds including achshunds, Golden Retrievers and Border Collies He says: 'There were 366 dogs on the truck but some had escaped so I estimated the total number to be around 400.' The suspects had confirmed to the police that the dogs would be sent to a slaughterhouse and killed for their meat, said Mr Yu. The local livestock sanitation department were also called in as it was thought that the animals were probably in need of vaccinations. The dogs were mainly in a bad condition. According to witnesses, most of the breeds were Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers and Border Collies. Mr Yu said illegal dog trading is a common occurrence in China: 'Incidents as such take place in China every day. It shows that an underground industry chain has developed, from dog purchasing to dog transporting. 'All of the actions have avoided the inspection of legal departments. Many of the dogs are stolen, others are sold by owners at very low prices to dog meat traders.' Handan Small Animal Protection Group is currently looking after the dogs that have been saved. Mr Yu said they're waiting to hear from local authorities to see what to do with the animals next. Handan Small Animal Protection Group is currently looking after the dogs following the rescue Mr Yu, head of the Handan Small Animal Protection group, said volunteers worked together The centre of our galaxy may be more of a stellar retirement home than a nursery. Astronomers peering into the heart of the Milky Way have found a huge region lacking young stars. While researchers have previously found youthful stellar bodies in the innermost regions of the galaxy, new research has uncovered a sprawling region at its heart from which they are missing. According to the team of astronomers, the findings contradict previous indications of a stellar nursery nestled deep within the galaxy's core and could change our understanding of the Milky Way. Despite a small clump in the centre, astronomers found the heart of the Milky Way was lacking in youthful stars. Pictured is an artists impression of the implied distribution of young Cepheid stars (shown as blue stars) plotted on the background of a drawing of the Milky Way A STELLAR NURSERY OR A STELLAR DESERT? Previous studies had suggested that a stellar nursery may be tucked away in the central Milky Way, behind the veil of gas and starlight, with a scattering of young stars dotted across the central galactic bulge. But the latest findings suggest that within the most central region of the galaxy, called the extreme inner disk, there has been no new star formation in for hundreds of millions of years. An international team of astronomers mapping young Cepheid stars found that apart from a small cluster at the heart of the galaxy, the central region was devoid of youthful stars. Advertisement While there are a great number of stars at the galactic centre, clouds of stellar gas can obscure their light, masking what lies behind the veil when seen from Earth. The sun is an outlier in the Milky Way, sitting out on one of its spiral arms, but astronomers can use young stars called Cepheids as markers to measure vast distances across the galaxy. These stars, typically less than 300 million years old are known as standard candles, as they pulsate in a regular way which can be used to measure relative distance. But scientists have also used them to reveal the structure of our immediate stellar surroundings. An international team of astronomers from Japan, South Africa and Italy searching for Cepheids which are far younger than our 4.5 billion-year-old sun found that when they scanned the heart of the Milky Way, there was something of a stellar 'desert' where the stars should be. While there are a great number of stars at the galactic centre, clouds of stellar gas can obscure their light, masking what lies behind the veil when seen from Earth (stock image). But astronomers can use young stars called Cepheids as markers to measure vast distances across the galaxy Other than a small clump of Cepheids in the centre of the Milky Way, the surrounding central region was devoid of the young stars. We already found some time ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way in a region about 150 light-years in radius, said Professor Noriyuki Matsunaga, an astronomer at the University of Tokyo, who lead the research. Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8,000 light-years from the centre. An artists illustration of the Milky Way shows newly discovered Cepheid stars marked by yellow points. The previously known objects, located around the Sun (marked by a red cross), are indicated by small white dots. The central green circle around the core of the galaxy marks the location of the Cepheid desert Previous studies had suggested that a stellar nursery may be tucked away in the central Milky Way, behind the veil of gas and starlight, with a scattering of young stars including Cepheids dotted across the central galactic bulge. But the latest findings suggest that within the most central region of the galaxy, called the extreme inner disk, there has been no new star formation in for hundreds of millions of years. Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert, explained Professor Michael Feast, co-author and astronomer at the University of Cape Town. The latest findings suggest that within the most central region of the Milky Way (illustrated), called the extreme inner disk, there has been no significant star formation for hundreds of millions of years Professor Giuseppe Bono, from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, added: The current results indicate that there has been no significant star formation in this large region over hundreds of millions years. The movement and the chemical composition of the new Cepheids are helping us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the largest update to the PC software since it launched last year, has become available to consumers today. The global update sees Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana become more central, being used as part of any search, while a new feature called Windows Ink enables users to annotate on their screens more freely, and across different apps, with a stylus. The Anniversary Update comes just days after Microsoft ended a free upgrade program for users eligible to update to Windows 10, which was released in July last year. Scroll down for video More than 350 million devices have been upgraded to Windows 10 since the software was released last year. Now the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the largest update to the PC software since it launched last year, will start to become available to consumers today WHAT DOES THE UPDATE INCLUDE? The new update sees Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana become more central, being used as part of any search. A new feature called Windows Ink enables users to annotate on their screens more freely, and across different apps, with a stylus. The Microsoft Edge web browser, introduced in Windows 10 to replace Internet Explorer, is also being tweaked so it becomes more power efficient. Advanced security features include facial recognition technology, Windows Hello, being made available to log in to websites and apps. New gaming experiences including features for Xbox One and the Xbox app. New tools for the classroom. For schools with dedicated IT support, the updated Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer tool enables them to set up shared devices, in bulk, in a matter of minutes. Advertisement Anyone who has already upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade will get the new features free. More than 350 million devices upgraded for free to Windows 10 since the software was released last year. But users wanting to move to the software from either Windows 7 or 8 must pay for Windows 10, with prices starting at 99.99 ($132.11) in the UK. The update sees Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana become more central, being used as part of any search, the company explained in a blog post. A new feature called Windows Ink enables users to annotate on their screens more freely, and across different apps, with a stylus. The Microsoft Edge web browser, introduced in Windows 10 to replace Internet Explorer, is also being tweaked so it becomes more power efficient. New gaming experiences were also introduced, including features for Xbox One and the Xbox app. For schools with dedicated IT support, the updated Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer tool enables them to set up shared devices, in bulk, in a matter of minutes. Cortana is now available above your lock screen so you can do things like ask questions, play music from your PC or set a reminder without unlocking your device To help protect businesses from accidental data leaks the biggest source of lost data the Anniversary Update delivers Windows Information Protection, formerly referred to as enterprise data protection WHAT CORTANA DOES NOW Cortana is now available above your lock screen so you can do things like ask questions, play music from your PC or set a reminder without unlocking your device. Cortana can save and recall key information, like your frequent flier number or where you parked at the airport. You can also add photos to make your reminders visual, like a photo of a bottle of wine you enjoyed at a restaurant. Cortana can give you notifications across all the devices you have with Cortana like sharing directions across devices or from text or messaging services on your phone. Advertisement 'We are committed to delivering continuous innovation to you: including features that bring Windows Ink and Cortana to the mainstream; a faster, more accessible and more power-efficient Microsoft Edge browser; advanced security features for consumers and enterprises; new gaming experiences and new tools for the modern classroom,' the technology firm said. 'Everyone running Windows 10 will get these new features for free.' The advanced security features include facial recognition technology, Windows Hello, being made available to log in to websites and apps. To help protect businesses from accidental data leaks, the biggest source of lost data, the update delivers Windows Information Protection, formerly referred to as enterprise data protection. The company has been pushing hard to encourage users to upgrade to the new operating system. New tools for the classroom. For schools with dedicated IT support, the updated Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer tool enables them to set up shared devices, in bulk, in a matter of minutes Microsoft has also introduced a smart assistant, similar to Siri, called Cortana. To use Cortana, users simply type a question into a search box on the taskbar, or can even verbally ask a question into the computer's microphone BATTERY LIFE OF BROWSERS Recent tests performed by Microsoft streamed the same video on four unplugged, identical laptops, each on a different browser. Google Chrome: Four hours and 19 minutes Mozilla Firefox: Five hours and nine minutes Opera: Six hours and 18 minutes Microsoft Edge: Seven hours and 22 minutes Advertisement But Microsoft has found itself embroiled in controversy over the upgrade. Some users reported the new operating system which comes in at around 6GB downloading automatically in the background without their permission. It has also faced criticism after it emerged Windows 10 contained a keylogger that tracked what users type. It also tracks their activity online and collects data about their computing habits. Despite including a series of controls to disable some of the tracking elements, many of the core data collection features cannot be turned off. This, together with the threat of progammmes that worked on earlier versions of Windows not working with the new software, has left many unwilling to upgrade until the operating system was updated. But Microsoft's free download period for Windows 10 ended on July 29. The free upgrade was available to people whose tablets and PCs are running on Windows 7 or newer. It now costs 99.99, or $119, for the Home version and 189.99, or $200, for the Pro version. Windows 10 has a range of new features, designed to be as user-friendly as possible. Suggests Joan of Arc may have heard holy voices because of her condition Joan of Arc claimed to have a hotline to heaven and described the holy voices she heard and visions she saw when put on trial for heresy in 1431. But after making her a famous figure in French society, it was this testimony of her incredible abilities that led to the peasant girl-turned-warriors grisly execution at the tender age of 19. Now, neurologists have claimed the much-loved saint may have heard voices because she suffered from a form of epilepsy. Joan of Arc (statue pictured) claimed to have a hotline to heaven and described the holy voices she heard and visions she saw when put on trial for heresy in 1431. Now, neurologists has claimed Joan of Arc may have heard voices because she suffered with a form of epilepsy THE LIFE OF JOAN OF ARC Joan of Arc was born in 1412 into a pious Catholic family of peasants. She began to hear voices at the age of 13 and believed God had chosen her to lead France to Victory against England in the 100 Years War. She convinced Charles of Valois to let her lead the army to the besieged city of Orleans, where it was victorious. But after the prince became King Charles VII, Joan was captured by English allies, the Burgundians. She was tried for witchcraft, heresy and dressing as a man, among 70 charges, History.com reported. Keen to distance himself from the accused witch, Charles VII didn't come to her aid. Joan initially said she had heard voices and saw visions of saints, but under duress, she relented on her claims she had ever received divine guidance in her mission to put Charles on the throne. The story goes that she went against orders by wearing men's clothes days after doing this and was sentenced to death as a result. She was burned at the stake in the market place of Rouen at just 19 years old, in 1431. Some 20 years later, however, a new trial ordered by Charles VII cleared her name Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920 and is one of historys most famous saints. Advertisement Neurologists from the universities of Foggia and Bologna in Italy explained the medieval heroine - who led France to victory in its long-running war with England and its French allies, the Burgundians - may have had a type of epilepsy. This is not the first time it's been suggested, with a previous study in 1991 claiming the 'voices', visions, and convictions maybe down to 'ecstatic epileptic auras', which famous author Dostoevsky is also said to have suffered from. But after a study focusing on the symptoms and possible trigger factors obtained from records of the Trial of Condemnation - when Joan was on trial - the Italian neurologists, hypothesised the 'voices' Joan heard were 'probably auditory epileptic hallucinations'. Doctors Guiseppe d'Orsi and Paola Tinuper think they are a symptom of a type of epilepsy that affects the part of the brain that handles what we hear, or as the they put it, 'an expression of an epileptic syndrome named idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features, (IPEAF).' For example, one of the documents states Joan of Arc said she heard voices and saw saints such as St Catherine and St Margaret - and visual hallucinations are a symptom of IPEAF. Other historical reports said she also heard the sound of bells, which sometimes triggered voices form religious figures. Drs d'Orsi and Tinuper explained in a letter published in the journal of Epilepsy and Behaviour that hearing specific sounds can trigger seizures, perhaps explaining Joan of Arcs messages from the saints. During her interrogation, Joan of Arc said she heard voices two to three times a week and then later, declared: There is never a day that I do not hear them [the voices]. However, this frequency does not match the experts diagnosis as people with IPEAF, whom, they wrote 'usually show low seizure frequency'. Neurologists from the universities of Foggia and Bologna in Italy explained the medieval heroine may have had a type of epilepsy that affects the part of the brain responsible for hearing. A stock image of a scan of an epilepsy-affected brain is shown 'Nevertheless, in IPEAF, seizures are infrequent at onset and often tend to recur after drug withdrawal, while substances with antiepileptic features taken from Joan did not clearly emerge from the documentation of her Trial of Condemnation,' they said. But their case is strengthened by documents that state Joan of Arc also sometimes heard voices while she slept. The scientists quoted from the 'third private examination', written on 12 March 1431, which states Joan of Arc said: '...I was asleep: the Voice awoke me It awoke me without touching me...' While this may seem unbelievable, its thought around 40 per cent of people with the form of epilepsy have seizures while they sleep and some can hear 'voices'. The researchers write in their letter to the editor that after six hundred years from Joan's death, we reaffirm the impossibility to arrive at a final conclusion.' This leaves the door open for devout fans of the saint to believe Joan of Arc was a messenger from God and may have received divine messages. Writing in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior, Drs Guiseppe d'Orsi and Paola Tinuper said they noticed a number of symptoms described in documents of Joan during her Trial of Condemnation in 1431. A ring believed to have belonged to the martyr is shown above However, the scientists added: 'From a strictly semiologic point of view, we confirm that the features of Joan's spells have many similarities to IPEAF rather than ecstatic epilepsy.' There's a change DNA could one day solve the mystery of Joan of Arc once and for all. Its believed a strand of her hair exists with a bundle of letters sealed with wax. The DNA in the hair could in theory be analysed to discover whether genes linked to the form of epilepsy are present. The researchers wrote: 'The discovery of these letters and especially the hair could be important not only from a historical point of view but also from a scientific perspective to characterize Joan's genetic code.' The device could one day be used by police to catch drunk drivers Alcohol content of the sweat is sent to a phone using Bluetooth This causes the wearer to perspire so their sweat can be A new kind of 'temporary tattoo' could help prevent drunk driving incidents, researchers claim. Scientists have created a disposable sticky circuit board, which can be applied to the skin, to measure a wearer's alcohol levels. These results are then sent to wearer's smartphone to tell them if they have had one too many drinks. The disposable sticky circuit board (pictured), which can be applied to the skin, is able to measure a wearer's alcohol levels, before sending a result to their phone to tell them if they are intoxicated HOW DOES IT WORK? The device comprises a tattoo that sticks to the skin and a magnetic circuit board that attaches to it. Silver and silver chloride electrodes are printed onto commercial tattoo paper, which generate a small amount of current for five minutes. The current causes a thin layer of gel on the tattoo to release a drug that causes the wearer to sweat. When the tattoo becomes moist with sweat, an electrochemical sensor made of an alcohol-sensitive enzyme can measure alcohol concentration in the perspiration. The results are transferred to a phone via Bluetooth. Advertisement The new method would be an accurate and simpler alternative to testing alcohol levels by measuring a person's blood alcohol concentration by pricking their finger, or relying on a breathalysers, which are simple to tamper with, IEEE Spectrum reported. The device is the brainchild of engineers at the University of California, San Diego and has two parts. The first is a temporary tattoo that sticks to the skin, while the second is a small, flexible circuit board that attaches magnetically to the tattoo. The team of engineers screen printed silver and silver chloride electrodes onto commercial tattoo paper. These electrodes can generate a small current for five minutes. The current causes a thin layer of gel on the tattoo to release a drug that causes the wearer to sweat. The device comprises a tattoo that sticks to the skin and a magnetic circuit board that attaches to it. This graphic shows how it might work When the tattoo becomes moist with sweat, an electrochemical sensor made of an alcohol-sensitive enzyme can measure alcohol concentration in the perspiration. The results are then transferred to a phone via Bluetooth. The device was tested by nine healthy volunteers who wore on the 'tattoos' on their arms before and after drinking alcohol. The new method would be an accurate and simpler alternative to testing alcohol levels by measuring a person's blood alcohol concentration by pricking their finger, or relying on a breathalysers, which are simple to tamper with. A stock image of a drinker is shown It was able to accurately measure the alcohol concentration in their blood, according to the study published in the journal ACS Sensors. Patrick Mercier, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the university told IEE Spectrum the tattoo only costs a few cents to make so it's disposable. This means it could be used by the police to test for drunk driving, bartenders and students who want to self-test, for example. The team is now working on a version of the device that could track alcohol levels over 24 hours, which could be useful for doctors wanting to monitor a patient's alcohol intake, in the future. Martyn Thomas, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, told MailOnline: 'I would be concerned though if people used it to decide when to stop drinking, or whether it was safe and legal to drive, because alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream at different rates, depending on the individual and what they have recently eaten for example.' The device could one day be used by the police to test for drunk driving (a breathalyser is pictured), bartenders and students who want to self-test, for example He also said a sample of nine volunteers is far too few to provide statistical evidence of accuracy and further testing is needed. Will Stewart, another Fellow of the Academy added: 'Blood alcohol varies over time after a drink and depends on other things such as food intake. 'So you could look fine shortly after a drink but be dangerous later. If you want to be safe to drive just not drinking looks a lot simpler!' Sahar Danesh from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), told MailOnline: 'We are now starting to see research and development around devices that can monitor our health and wellbeing and inform us of any change in our condition. 'As smart technology develops we will see innovations like electronic-skin, that can tell you about your health in real time and give you information on things like, how much alcohol is in your system. 'There is the potential for these innovations to play a useful role in continuing efforts to keep our roads and drivers safe.' Advertisement These fascinating photos capture a centuries-old Taiwanese fishing practice which has all but died out, though not quite. Lighting a bamboo stick with flammable sulfurous soil to attract a frenzy of jumping sardines, a group of 30 fisherman off the northeast coast is struggling to keep the tradition alive. There used to be 300 boats using this method each night but now there are only three, according to the local fishermen's association in Jinshan District, north of Taipei. Scroll down for video These fascinating photos capture a centuries-old Taiwanese practice known as sulphuric fire fishing which has all but died out, though not quite There used to be 300 boats using this method each night but now there are only three, according to the local fishermen's association in Jinshan District, north of Taipei The remaining fishermen have a three-month seasonal window from May to July; during which they spend up to six hours a night at sea to catch between three and four tons of sardines. This can earn them, on a really good night, over $4,500. Only bad weather forces them to shore early. 'My daily earnings are unstable, but for a living I need to sail,' said Jian Kun, a 60-year-old boat owner of the fire fishermen's plight. The government provides a subsidy to the fishermen to encourage them to continue fire fishing and also filed the technique to the Department of Cultural Affairs for registration as a cultural asset in 2014. Lighting a bamboo stick with flammable sulphurous soil to attract a frenzy of jumping sardines, a group of 30 fisherman off the northeast coast is struggling to keep the tradition alive The remaining fishermen have a three-month seasonal window from May to July; during which they spend up to six hours a night at sea to catch between three and four tons of sardines And the annual Jinshan Sulphuric Fire Fishing festival was started in 2013 to help promote the practice, while photography tours have been set up to generate interest and boost finances. The method of lighting the fire has been updated to include the use of calcium carbide, but the boats are old, with little to ease the physical toll on the fishermen who average around 60 years old. Sulphuric fire fishing was first practised during the period of Taiwan's Japanese Rule, between 1895 and 1945, but now Jinshan is the only place it exists. And with modern day fishing operations as advanced as they are, it seems likely that Jinshan's tradition will die out with its last fisherman. During this fishing season, on a really good night, they can over $4,500 - and only bad weather forces them to shore early The government provides a subsidy to the fishermen to encourage them to continue fire fishing - pictured, a fisherman prepares ice for transporting sardines The boats are old, with little to ease the physical toll on the fishermen who average around 60 years old - pictured, workers load sardines onto a lorry Sulphuric fire fishing was first practiced during the period of Taiwan's Japanese Rule, between 1895 and 1945, but now Jinshan is the only place it exists - pictured, fishermen unload the fish Fans of the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones" are still trying to digest the news that Season 8 of the series will be its last. HBO announcing this past weekend that "Game of Thrones" will be done in 2018. Veteran actor Jonathan Pryce, who plays 'High Sparrow' on the series, admits the show has certianly increased his brand. A file photo of Jonathan Pryce. [Photo: mtime.com] "The recognition factor has risen considerably. Some good, some bad in that everyone wants to have their photograph taken with you and you have to make sure that when you leave home, you're dressed respectably and you're sober and you're not looking like some I do look like an old tramp. I'm growing my beard now because we're remounting 'The Merchant of Venice,' which we take to America in a few weeks' time, so I do look like an old tramp, there you go. Take my photograph, I don't care." The 7th season of "Game of Thrones," which will be made up of seven episodes instead of the usual 10, is due out next summer. The 8th and final season will air in 2018. Though "Game of Thrones" will come to an end, the producers have not ruled out the possibility of a spin-off. A hard-partying British tourist who passed out on a lifeguard tower after a boozy night out in Magaluf had to be rescued by firefighters after he refused to wake up. A security guard found the holidaymaker as he slept off his hangover on the roof of the tower on Magaluf Beach. His friend also went to sleep where he fell after getting his fill of booze on the Punta Ballena party strip - finding a spot on the hard concrete floor of the promenade along the beach. Firefighters had to rescue the boozy British tourist who fell asleep on top of the tower The beach security guard alerted firefighters after he failed to wake the man on top of the lifeguard tower. With the sun rising and the beach beginning to fill up with early-morning visitors, firefighters decided to remove the man. They had to run a ladder up the tower and wake the man as he was still worse for wear before helping him to his feet. The man was unable to tell firefighters why or how he scaled the tower, said a local official. The men passed out after a night on the notorious Punta Ballena party strip (file photo) The island across the water from his vantage point is Sa Porrassa - known to British tourists as Black Lizard Island - where two British tourists accidentally started a fire last June after reaching it on a rented pedalo. One of the pair, identified as 17-year-old Scot Robbie Nimmo, later claimed the fire was inadvertently started by a discarded cigarette butt and said they attempted to put it out with a sandal which melted with the heat. Two helicopters carrying water were called in to help battle the fire which burnt about five acres of the island. A local politician later branded the youngsters as 'reckless' although Robbie and his friend, known only as Calum, said they had been 'clumsy'. It is not known if anyone went to the rescue of the second drunk Brit sprawled out on the pavement in Magaluf whose sleep was unperturbed by morning walkers and joggers getting some early exercise in. Magaluf is currently on a drive to rid itself of its downmarket image after it made headlines round the world two summers ago when a bar sex video involving a British teenager went viral. New bylaws aimed at cleaning up Magaluf's battered image were passed by the local council in May last year with all-party support when the right-wing Partido Popular was still in charge of the town hall. They included a ban on night-time street drinking and changes to the controversial pub crawls which have afflicted the party resort. Thousands of British tourists visit Magaluf every year for its beaches and night life Under the modified by-laws, police were given powers to fine people consuming alcohol in groups who were making noise and being a nuisance, especially between the peak drinking hours of 10pm and 8am. The night-time sale of take-away alcohol was also banned - and bars ordered to stop customers from taking drinks with them as they moved between pubs on the brash Punta Ballena strip where 95 per cent of revellers are British or Irish. Councillors also announced cash penalties for people caught jumping from hotel balconies into swimming pools - a craze known in Spain as balconing - and men who take their shirts off away from the beach. Last week it emerged supermarkets and mini-markets in Magaluf are set to be banned from filling their shop fronts with alcohol. A proposal to stop the practice was approved at a full meeting of Calvia Council which has control over the party resort. Last August a British holidaymaker was woken up by police after falling asleep on top of a bridge following a boozy night out on the Costa del Sol. The tourist picked the most uncomfortable bed in Malaga after a few too many drinks at the city's annual summer festival. Police were sent to the city centre bridge - known as the Bridge of the Germans because it was gifted to the city by Germany - after calls from worried passers-by. The fire crew brought him down in a cherry picker after finally managing to wake him. The unnamed 40-year-old's details were recorded and he was formally reported for disorderly conduct as well as a drugs offence. It also emerged officers who found the holidaymaker discovered a vaporiser with a small amount of marijuana and hashish inside. A spokesman for Malaga's local police force said afterwards: 'The arch where he was sleeping was only about a foot wide and officers who attended closed off the bridge to pedestrians at one point because they were worried he might fall on someone. 'The firefighters were called so they could bring him down safely. Many empires have come and gone over the centuries but do you know which countries and territories were once governed by another? A new infographic has mapped out some of the most famous empires through history, including the British, Roman and Ottoman empires. You may be surprised to learn that the British empire was bigger than the Mongolian empire and that the empire that lasted the longest was the Egyptian one. The British empire, which spanned across the globe from 1583 to 1997, was the biggest empire in history in terms of both population size and area The Mongolian empire, most famously established by Genghis Khan, is only 670,000sqkm smaller but had a population size of just one fifth of that of the British empire at its peak The Tsarist Russian empire, which existed between 1721 and 1917, encompasses many of the territories that later formed the USSR According to the infographic compiled by justtheflight.co.uk, the British empire, which spanned across the globe from 1583 to 1997, was the biggest empire in history in terms of both population size and area. At its peak, it was known as 'the empire on which the sun never sets' as it spanned across so many different time zones. In comparison, the Mongolian empire, most famously established by Genghis Khan, is only 670,000sqkm smaller but had a population size of just one fifth of that of the British empire at its peak. The Spaniards conquered much of central America in part thanks to the famous explorer Christopher Columbus Through their presence in the Americas, the Spaniards brought smallpox, which is believed to have contributed to the end of the Aztec empire The Portuguese empire was spread across South America, parts of Africa and regions in Asia in search of trade routes and spices However, through his conquest, Genghis Khan's soldiers are said to have killed as many as 40million people. The Tsarist Russian empire, which existed between 1721 and 1917, encompasses many of the territories that later formed the USSR. For almost 200 years, the capital of the empire was in Saint Petersburg before it was moved back to Moscow. The Spaniards conquered much of central America in part thanks to the explorer Christopher Columbus. Through their presence in the Americas, the Spaniards brought smallpox, which is believed to have contributed to the end of the Aztec empire. The Roman empire was primarily based around the Mediterranean sea but also spanned across southern Europe and northern Africa More than a thousand years after the Roman empire ended, the bigger Ottoman empire took over many of the same regions Through their empire, the Spanish brought many new ingredients back to Europe. For example, it was the Spanish Conquistador Don Hernan Cortes who first introduced the continent to chocolate. Similarly, the Portuguese empire spread across South America, parts of Africa and regions in Asia in search of trade routes and spices. Its last colony, Macau, was only returned to China in 1999. Through history, many territories have been conquered again and again. For example, the Roman empire was primarily based around the Mediterranean sea but spanned across southern Europe and northern Africa. The Achaemenid empire, also known as the first Persian empire, covered much of the Levant and parts of central Asia Several hundred years later, many of the territories in the Achaemenid empire were absorbed into the Umayyad Caliphate But more than a thousand years later, the bigger Ottoman empire took over much of the same regions. Similarly, the Achaemenid empire, also known as the first Persian empire, covered much of the Levant and parts of central Asia. Several hundred years later, many of the territories were absorbed into the Umayyad Caliphate. The oldest and perhaps most enduring empire was Ancient Egypt, which existed between 3,100BC and 30BC. While its empire has long fallen, and the country has since been conquered by several other nations, many of the monuments from Ancient Egypt still exists today. A flight attendant was left with red marks on the side of her face and her neck after she was allegedly slapped by an angry passenger in a row over hand luggage. Philippines-based airline Cebu Pacific said the female employee was assaulted at the end of a flight from Manila to Davao. The female passenger could now face charges for assault and a lifetime ban from the low-cost airline. The Cebu Pacific flight attendant was left with marks on the side of her face and on her neck Photos posted online show the flight attendant with red marks or bruising on her jawline and on her neck below her left ear. Cebu Pacific said in a statement the passenger became upset before Saturday's flight departed because she had to stow her luggage in the overhead bin. The airline said the flight attendant helped the woman with her luggage and there were no problems until the plane landed around 90 minutes later in Davao. Spokesman JR Mantaring told CNN the passenger stayed behind as other travellers disembarked and called cabin crew over. That's when she slapped the flight attendant, he added. The assault occurred after a flight from Manila to Davao City in the Philippines (file photo) In a Facebook post that was later deleted, the flight attendant claimed the able-bodied woman was angry with cabin crew because they refused to carry her bags, and compared them to bus drivers. She said she would pursue a case against the woman, who is reportedly a doctor. Cebu Pacific said it is providing 'full support' to the crew member who was assaulted. It said the employee is now considering filing charges against the passenger. The airline said: 'CEB will always fully support its staff when they have been subject to abuse, physical or verbal, from disruptive passengers. 'Actions that CEB will consider will be to refuse carriage of the passenger on any future CEB flight, along with legal support to its staff member if charges are deemed appropriate.' Two daredevils have exposed security flaws at Rome's Colosseum after they scaled the ancient building in a daring and illegal stunt under the cover of darkness. Footage posted online shows the German tourists going over security fences and walking through the Flavian Amphitheatre - built between 70-80 AD - before climbing to the top of its 157ft outer wall via scaffolding. Flavius Vesely said he and a friend did not encounter any security when they sneaked into the historic site in the heart of ancient Rome. Flavius Vesely said he and a friend did not encounter any security at Rome's Colosseum Vesely, 23, said he and his friend, whom he did not identify, did not cause any damage The pair enjoyed spectacular views over the Colosseum from atop its 157ft outer wall The pair risked arrest and, following terror attacks in Europe, could have sparked a significant security alert in the centre of Rome had it been spotted by authorities. Vesely, from Kassel, Germany, told MailOnline Travel: 'The military was standing around the Arch of Constantine, but they didn't suspect what we do.' The 23-year-old is part of a group of urban explorers called Visual Enemies. He previously scaled Cologne's Gothic cathedral, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. Vesely and his friend are part of a group of urban explorers called Visual Enemies After reaching the top of the outer wall they abseiled and managed to evade authorities The pair risked arrest and could have sparked a significant security alert in central Rome Vesely said they chose the Colosseum for 'its long-standing history and iconic architecture' The urban explorers climbed over fences and scaled scaffolding to reach the top In Shanghai, he was caught by the police and released after spending seven hours at a police station. Vesely said: 'I just climb on buildings for the footage and fun. Those stunning photos and videos I can get from there show the city from a different angle. 'The Colosseum got our attention because of its long-standing history and iconic architecture. 'I just want to add that we didn't destroy anything and have great respect for those buildings we climb on.' In the past, Rome's courts have come down hard on tourists who have defaced the Colosseum. In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined nearly 16,000 and given a four-month suspended sentence for engraving a big letter 'K' on a wall. It was one of several incidents where people carved letters or names into stone walls or columns, or tried to steal bricks. Ryanair passengers were forced to deplane an aircraft before take-off after fuel began to leak out of the engine. The Boeing 737 was due to leave Cork Airport in Ireland at 1pm yesterday (Monday), bound for Tenerife. But crew noticed the fuel spill and fire engines were quickly deployed to the tarmac. This photo shows the area of tarmac where the fuel leak took place by the plane's left engine Emergency services were called to the aircraft, and the passengers were escorted back to the terminal at Cork The incident occurred as the plane was being refuelled, and a large amount of the liquid spilled to the ground underneath the left wing. Speaking to the Irish Mirror, one passenger described how they could 'smell kerosene,' but at first 'thought nothing of it'. 'One of my kids then said she was getting an awful smell,' said the passenger. 'I moved over to the other side of the plane and saw fire crews under the left wing. There was a big fuel leak on the ground. 'Someone said it might have been a faulty valve or something but we weren't told anything officially but probably better safe than sorry to take us off again.' Passengers were flown out to Tenerife almost four hours later on a replacement aircraft (file image) Those on board Flight FR-1402 were then escorted back to the terminal at the Irish airport, where they were given vouchers for refreshments. Passengers later boarded a replacement aircraft with the flight taking off at 4.40pm, over three hours and 40 minutes later than scheduled. A Ryanair spokesperson told MailOnline Travel: 'This flight from Cork to Tenerife was delayed ahead of take-off due to a minor technical issue. 'Customers disembarked and were provided with refreshment vouchers, and to minimise delay, boarded a replacement aircraft, which departed to Tenerife. 'Ryanair sincerely apologised to all customers affected by this delay. One hundred British Airways passengers were forced to endure a 36-hour delay to their flight back to the UK from Cyprus. The Boeing 767 from Larnaca to London Heathrow was scheduled to fly out on Sunday evening at 7.30pm. But a 'technical fault' with the plane meant the aircraft didn't fly back to the UK until this morning (Tuesday). 100 passengers were stranded in Cyprus after a technical fault was discovered on their British Airways Boeing 767 flight home to Heathrow (file image) Passengers took to social media to hit out at BA's seemingly inadequate communication And passengers spoke of their frustration at the delay, during which they claim they were left in the dark at the time about when they would return. One traveller, who was flying back on flight BA663 with her fiance, tweeted her frustration with the airline to MailOnline, saying that she felt 'stranded'. 'Never flying British Airways again! Stranded for 24 hours, no sign of when we can leave,' she wrote on the social media site, before hash-tagging 'worst airline', 'no communication', and 'stranded'. Another passenger tweeted his disappointment that 'no-one seems to know' what was going on during the flight delay When contacted by MailOnline Travel, she said: 'The communication from the beginning has been shocking. No one was told at the airport where they needed to go or what to do. 'Any information we were given by BA staff was brief. We only found out where we had to go or what was going on was by asking each other and spreading the word among all the passengers. 'We were constantly given new times for flying out and then it would change again and the only way we found anything out was through asking each other. 'They should have called out a new plane from London as soon as the fault on the plane was found not 24 hours later.' The passengers eventually departed Larnaca Airport this morning on a flight at 8am local time, arriving back in London at 10.10am Another passenger, Buster Parry, asked the airline 'what is actually happening with BA0663 tonight?', and added that 'no-one seems to know', on Twitter, before adding that he had a 'tired and hungry daughter'. Those stranded in Cyprus were given hotel accommodation for the two nights by BA. The flight eventually landed back at Heathrow at 10.10 am this morning (Tuesday). A spokesperson for British Airways told MailOnline Travel: 'The flight landed back in the UK this morning (Tuesday). We did everything we could to minimise the delay following a technical fault with the aircraft. 'The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and cannot be compromised. Cynics thought their Big Brother romance would be short and sweet but lovebirds Jackson Blyton and Georgina Leigh Cantwell are still going strong. So strong, in fact, they are already discussing marriage plans after only a few dates on the outside. In an interview with OK! magazine, Jackson, 24, revealed he has the long term in mind. We want to get married on the beach in Barbados, he sensationally declared. Lovebirds: Jackson - pictured with Georgina for OK! magazine this month - has revealed he has the long term in mind for his Big Brother partner It wasn't all charm from the model, who began by saying of 26-year-old Georgina: At first I didnt like her.' But he quickly redeemed himself: 'On the first night I started to think theres more to this girl and I knew I had to peel away the layers. Im the happiest man alive right now. This is what I wanted for so long,' he triumphantly proclaimed. He went on to say that he's never liked anyone more than reality star Georgina: Ive never wanted someone so much and been in awe of them. I just know I can be with Georgina. Pucker up! Clearly having missed her tremendously during his time in the house, Jackson enjoyed a steamy kiss with his girlfriend, who looked equally delighted to see her beau Officially together: Georgina Leigh Cantwell and Jackson Blyton on their first official date since leaving the Big Brother house last week A man of his word: 'I made a lot of promises in that house to her and I want to fulfill all of those promises,'said Jackson when leaving the show Smitten: The couple revealed their plans for marriage in an interview with OK! magazine 'Ive never looked at someone and got into an emotional state like I have with Georgina. If she wanted the moon I would try my hardest to get her it. The couple dubbed the lady and the tramp enjoyed a rapid romance before Georgina was evicted from the house three weeks into the shows run. But that short time was enough to get to know each other inside out. Georgina said: In the house you get to see everything about somebody. Jackson has seen the worst and the best of me. Sometimes I was really horrible and he still wants to be with me. Jackson added: I said if we are still together at the end of Big Brother we will go to Disneyland Paris. In a year, if we are still together, well get engaged and I will give her the proposal she wants. The model, who has worked for ASOS and Calvin Klein, also talked about his two-year-old son, Kash, whose mother is model Maille Doyle. He was the subject of some tense conversation in the house when Georgina told Jackson she would't have got involved if she knew he had a boy. Jackson said: Him being born was a massive slap of reality. When he was about four months old I focussed on being a dad. I gave up modelling and looked after Kash. My dad left me when I was born so not being around for my son was the last thing I was going to do. Even as a boy, I dreamed about being a father. I dont regret it as I have the greatest son in the world. One happy lady: Watching on from a gallery overlooking the main arena, Georgina - flanked by her fellow evictees - looked close to tears of joy as Jackson poured his heart out live on TV Georgina defended her comments on the show about Jackson's son by saying she only meant that it alters, not destroys, their relationship. They broadcast me saying if Id known Jackson had a son I wouldnt have got involved. 'But then they cut the part when I said because that means theres a third person involved and it alters the dynamic of the relationship.' In love: 'I literally saw the best and worst of Georgina, and the best far outweighed the worst,' said Jackson During Tuesday night's Big Brother live final Jackson declared his love for his fellow housemate Georgina in front of the nation. Leaving the house in third place, the model was asked what his true feelings for the reality star were, to which he replied: 'I love her.' Asked what he really thought of Georgina after spending just three weeks in the house with her, Jackson said: 'She's so beautiful, and I love her.' Watching on from a gallery overlooking the main arena, Georgina - flanked by her fellow evictees - looked close to tears of joy as Jackson poured his heart out live on TV. Going onto label his tempestuous lady love 'incredible', he revealed he plans on keeping the promises he made to her in the house. Read the full interview wiht Jackson and Georgina in the new issue of OK! magazine No will: Star Trek's Anton Yelchin did not leave instructions on how to distribute his near $1.4 million estate in case of his death He only had a short spell as a big name in showbusiness before his sad death. But court documents have revealed Star Trek's Anton Yelchin left behind a nearly $1.4 million estate, though he failed to make a will. His parents Victor and Irina Yelchin filed to become administrators of the actor's estate on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The 27-year-old actor was crushed to death by his Jeep Grand Cherokee in the driveway of his Studio City home in June. According to the filing he left behind at least $641,000 in personal property and had $731,000 in equity in his home. An attorney representing Yelchin's parents announced on Monday they are planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler, which made the Jeep that killed their son. The company has extended sympathies to Yelchin's family in a statement, but said it could not comment on their plans for a lawsuit. The actor's vehicle was subject to a recall because the gear shifters have confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly. The SUV was part of a global recall of 1.1 million vehicles by automaker Fiat Chrysler in April. Taking action: His parents Victor and Irina Yelchin filed to become administrators of the estate Lawsuit: His parents are also suing Fiat Chrysler after it emerged the Jeep that killed their son was subject to a recall A government investigation into the gear shifters found 266 crashes that had injured 68 people as of late June. Fiat Chrysler has said it is speeding up its recall of the vehicle. The actor shot to fame as the young Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek film series, and makers have confirmed his part will not be recast. Crushed: He died after being pinned between his SUV and this security fence at his LA home Big break: He became a star after being cast as Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek films Yelchin was found pinned against the gate of his home in Studio City, California, by his Jeep Grand Cherokee at around 1am on June 19. The Jeep crushed his lungs and investigators believe he died within 60 seconds of the impact, sources told TMZ. Yelchin's death was ruled an accident by the Los Angeles medical examiner after an autopsy was performed. He has become an icon for teenage fans struggling with their own sexuality. And YouTube star-turned musician Troye Sivan, 21, came face-to-face with one such fan during his first ever performance on Australian television on Tuesday's edition of the Today show. Clearly overcome with emotion, a crying audience member named Cody spoke to Troye from the audience through a microphone, gushing: ' In 2014 I came out and I was 14 years old and I didn't get much acceptance.' Emotions running high: Troye Sivan, 21, came face-to-face with a crying fan during his first ever performance on Australian television on Tuesday's edition of the Today show 'And I got like bullied really badly and then I moved to Sydney where I finally accepted myself,' 'And if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive today,' the fan revealed through streaming tears. Troye was bullied out of a Perth private school at age 12 and was subsequently home schooled. 'In 2014 I came out and I was 14 years old and I didn't get much acceptance': Clearly overcome with emotion, a crying audience member named Cody spoke to Troye from the audience through a microphone In 2014, he came out as gay in a YouTube video that took the world by storm. Speaking to Out Magazine in March, Troye described being gay as 'fun', saying: 'Fun is how I feel.' 'Fun is kissing boys and kissing girls sometimes. I can do whatever I want, and no one will bat an eyelid,' he said. 'If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive today': The weeping fan made a heartfelt admission after describing his own struggles with coming out as gay He also graced the cover of Rolling Stone last year, telling the magazine that many of the people who made his adolescence difficult had 'come out of the woodwork' to congratulate him on his success. 'Definitely people have come out of the woodwork a little bit, but I've only really had about four friends that I am really, really close with,' he said. 'In Perth I feel like I get a little bit of social anxiety. I probably do better with adults than I do with people my age.' Coming out: In 2014, he came out as gay in a YouTube video that took the world by storm She's never been one to sky away from flaunting her enviable figure. And now, Pascal Craymer, 29, has gone step further by stripping completely naked for a calendar shoot in Spain earlier this week. The ex TOWIE star - who is best known for her brief and ill-fated romance with Mario Falcone - sizzled as she posed on the soft sand as she became one with nature. Scroll down for video Sizzling! Pascal Craymer, 29, posed completely naked for a calendar shoot in Spain earlier this recently, showing that she's full of body confidence Flaunting her gorgeous figure, the chestnut haired beauty displayed her beautifully bronzed skin as she posed for the camera. Later, clad in a white swimsuit, Pascal struck a number of sultry as she seductively unfastened the skimpy one-piece's gold chain around her neck to reveal her buxom bust. Carefully protecting her modesty, the former reality star held a number of risque poses that exhibited her tiny waist and taut stomach as she slowly stripped down to nothing. Fun in the sun! The ex TOWIE star - who is best known for her brief and ill-fated romance with Mario Falcone - sizzled as she posed on the soft sand as she became one with nature Spreading out: Flaunting her undeniable svelte figure, the chestnut haired beauty displayed her beautifully bronzed subtle skin as she posed for the camera Perky: Clad in nothing at all, Pascal struck a number of sultry looks to the camera as she seductively poses on her knees The stunning star opted for minimal make-up that let her bronzed complexion shine through as her brunette locks were teased to loose as they soaked up the surf. In one shot, Pascal arches her back as she lies on the soft sand as she peels her swimsuit to her waist, draping her breasts with her arm - flaunting some sexy sideboob. In another sultry pose, the model bares her toned bare back to the camera she kneels on the beach-front completely naked as she coyly she looks over her shoulder - letting her long locks fall loosely on her shoulders. Seductive: Carefully protecting her modesty, the former reality star held a number of risque poses that exhibited her tiny waist and taut stomach as she slowly stripped down to nothing Sunkissed: The stunning star opted for minimal make-up that let her bronzed complexion shine through as her brunette locks were teased to loose as they soaked up the surf In one shot, Pascal arches her back as she lies on the soft sand as she peels her swimsuit to her waist, draping her breasts with her arm - flaunting some sexy side boob The rather saucy snaps of the ITVBe star come after she revealed her ex Ashley Cole remained on good terms with his former wife Cheryl. They were always speaking when I was with Ashley, she said. Theyre good friends. I dont believe the fallout was real. Daring: In another sultry pose, the model bares her toned bare back to the camera she kneels on the beach-front completely naked as she coyly she looks over her shoulder - letting her long locks fall loosely on her shoulders Tell all: The rather saucy snaps of the ITVBe star come after she revealed her ex Ashley Cole remained on good terms with his former wife Cheryl File photo shows the site of an ongoing construction project in an oil and gas treatment plant in Kazakhstan. [Photo: cnpc.com.cn] The first train carrying liquefied natural gas from Kazakhstan to China has arrived at the border crossing at Xinjiang. It's arrival is being hailed as the next step in greater energy transport connections between China and central Asian countries. The new rail link for Liquified Natural Gas is expected to help shore-up LNG resources, which have been coming up short in China due to growing demand and the limited capasity at the sea ports to transfer LNG onshore. Wang Xinchun, director of the Alashankou Free Trade Zone's economic development bureau in Xinjiang, says their port of entry is going to significantly increase energy transport options for China. "There will be one train each week, which will transport 300-thousand tons year. In the future, we expect to be able to increase the annual LNG imports to 800-thouisand tons or more according to market demand and the needs of domestic companies." The border crossing at Alashankou in Xinjiang has seen over 8.7 million tons of goods worth over 3.5-billion US dollars pass through so far this year. She's set to star in and produce her passion project, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks. And on Monday, Oprah Winfrey took to Instagram to introduce Kee Simone, the young actress who will play her character as a child in HBO biopic The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, based on Rebecca Skloot's bestseller. 'Just finished 1st table read with my younger self! @keesimone #HenriettaLacksmovie,' the 62-year-old wrote with a picture of herself with her arm around Kee's shoulders. Scroll down for video Back to the future: Oprah Winfrey posted this Instagram on Monday, saying, 'Just finished 1st table read with my younger self! @keesimone #HenriettaLacksmovie' In a story ripped from true life, an African-American woman, Henrietta Lacks, became an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cervical cancer cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line, known as HeLa, in the early 1950s. Renee Elise Goldsberry plays Henrietta while Oprah plays her daughter Deborah as a grown woman with Kee as her younger self. Passion project: The 62-year-old, pictured at the an event in Hollywood in June, is prepping biopic The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks for HBO Joining Oprah as executive producers are Alan Ball, Peter Macdissi, Carla Gardini and Lydia Dean Pilcher. The project has been in the works for years, according to Variety. It was first announced in 2010 when Oprah's Harpo Films acquired the book rights. At that time the media mogul was attached to produce, alongside Alan for HBO Films. Ripped from real life: The movie follows Henrietta Lacks, the unwitting pioneer for medical research when her cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line in the 1950s But it sat in development and it wasn't until Oprah agreed to star in the biopic that it was put on a fast-track with filming due to begin this summer. Meanwhile, the media mogul, actress and TV host is also in final negotiations to play Mrs. Which in Disney's adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time, to be directed by Ava DuVernay, according to Deadline. The pair previously collaborated on Selma, about Martin Luther King Jr's historic march, which Oprah starred in and produced. Margot Robbie showed off her fantastical style as she attended the world premiere of Suicide Squad on Monday. The actress wore a shimmering gold-and-black gown with a unique unicorn design as she joined costars Will Smith, Cara Delevingne, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Scott Eastwood and Joel Kinnaman at The Beacon Theater in New York City. The 26-year-old's striking gown featured a large, sequined unicorn rearing up over a black background. Scroll down for video All that glitters: Margot Robbie stood out in a sequined, unicorn-patterned dress at the premiere of Suicide Squad at The Beacon Theater in New York City on Monday The dress also featured sheer black sleeves and a high collar, with the unicorn design's shimmering mane flowing over her left sleeve and large wings across the back. The Aussie star added a slim black and gold clutch and black heels. She pulled her blonde hair back in a chic, messy bun, and left some wisps free to frame her face. Fashion risk: The 26-year-old stunned in the unique look, which featured a shimmery unicorn design over the front and sleeves All smiles: Margot's floor-length gown had sheer sleeves and a high neckline She's got wings: The back of her unique dress revealed the unicorn's wings and tail Golden touch: The striking gown also featured structural shoulders and sheer sleeves Great cast: Margot was joined by Suicide Squad costars Viola Davis, Will Smith, Jared Leto and Joel Kinnaman at the New York premiere Stylish stars: Margot posed with Will and Jared as they arrived at the premiere of their high-anticipated DC Comics adaptation Margot- who plays the Joker's devoted follower Harley Quinn in the highly-anticipated film - added light blush and a dramatic, dark red lip. The cast have been busy hitting the promotional trail for Suicide Squad ahead of its premiere. The film comes out on August 5 in the US and UK and on August 4 in Australia. British model-turned-actress Cara also opted for an eye-catching look at the premiere, choosing an edgy mini dress. Glam look: Margot wore her blonde hair back in a low bun, and played up her lips with dramatic dark lipstick All smiles: The Australian actress beamed as she showed off her glittering gown Big night: The Aussie star plays Harley Quinn in the highly-anticipated Suicide Squad film The 23-year-old wore a plunging, sheer mini-dress with a see-through design and cut-outs with a large, ruffled tie on the side. Cara, who plays Enchantress in the film, added thigh-high black suede Christian Louboutin boots and drop earrings. The Paper Towns star wore her blonde hair in glamorous waves, and added dramatic shimmering eye shadow and a classic red lip. Supermodel style: Cara Delevingne wore a see-through, plunging mini dress with cut-outs and ruffles to the Suicide Squad premiere Glam look: The model-turned-actress added a shimmery smokey eye and red lipstick Edgy style: Cara wore a studded mesh dress with a low-cut neckline, paired with thigh-high Christian Louboutin boots Looking good: Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman looked handsome in a blue suit and tie as he joined Cara at the premire Fashion icon: The British beauty looked stylish in the deconstructed mini with side ruffles Star of the show: Cara set off her look with plenty of silver, star-shaped bling Movie star Will looked sharp in a dark suit as he arrived at the premiere with son Jaden Smith, 18. The 47-year-old, who is starring in his first comic book movie adaptation in Suicide Squad, added a light grey shirt and checked tie. He added a pocket square and brown oxfords. Family affair: Suicide Squad star Will brought along his son, actor Jaden Smith Father-son duo: Will wore a sharp suit with light grey shirt and matching tie for the premiere Will appeared to be in a great mood, flashing a smile and taking time to greet and sign autographs for fans waiting outside the theater. The actor, who plays Deadshot in the film, was joined by his actor-fashion model son Jaden, who wore his dreads piled high on his head. The teenager showed off his usual eclectic style in a large black-and-white coat and pink socks. World premiere: Actress Viola looked chic in a shimmery grey gown as she joined Will, Margot and Jared at the screening on Monday Stylish: The 47-year-old star wore a dark suit with sharp pocket square Comedy favourite: Will was his usual animated and upbeat self on the red carpet Fan favorite: Will flashed a grin as he stopped to greet fans outside The Beacon Theater Eclectic style: Model Jaden wore a black and white coat and flashed his pink socks Suicide Squad star Viola Davis, 50, looked chic in a shimmery grey gown as she attended the screening. The How To Get Away With Murder star, who plays the baddies' boss Amanda Waller in the DC Comics adaptation, added a white clutch and blue velvet heels. She accessorized with large gold earrings and a bold bracelet, and added coral lipstick. Actress Karen Fukuhara, 24, also looked lovely in a light blue, floor-length dress with delicate silver details on a sheer overlay. By her side: Viola Davis was joined by actor-producer husband Julius Tennon at the screening Stylish: The 50-year-old Emmy winner paired a grey shimmery dress with blue heels and a bold bracelet A vision: Suicide Squad actress Karen Fukuhara wore a pretty, floor-length gown with a delicate silver details All smiles: The 24-year-old wore her ombre hair in soft waves Also at the premier was Oscar-winner Jared, who plays The Joker in Suicide Squad. The 44-year-old wore a long blue coat with pink floral embroidery on the sleeves and lapel, with a fish and Donald Duck design on the front and a colorful lion on the back. Jared added loafers and long necklaces, and sported a scruffy beard as he stopped to pose for selfies with excited fans. Bold look: Suicide Squad star Jared Leto wore a long blue coat with pink floral embroidery Check it out: The Oscar-winner showed off a colorful lion design on the back of his coat Joking around: Jared flashed two thumbs up as he greeted excited fans outside the theater Say cheese: Jared and Joel snapped selfies with fans as they arrived at the premiere Date night: Joel was joined by his tattoo artist wife Cleo Wattenstrom, who wore a black gown with gold choker neckline Dapper dude: Scott Eastwood was on fine form as he joked around Terrific trio: Elon Musk, Jared and Cara struck a pose together Australian actor Jai Courtney also looked sharp as he arrived at The Beacon Theater for the premiere. The 30-year-old Terminator star, who plays Boomerang in Suicide Squad, wore a light blue suit and crisp white shirt. He was accompanied by Mecki Dent, who wore a long, plunging black stress with slim straps. Suicide squad star: Actor Jai Courtney was joined by Mecki Dent, who wore a low cut black dress Premiere: The Australian star wore a blue suit and black pocket square DC role: Jai plays Boomerang in the film, which hits theaters August 5 Rock on! Jai goofed off with, from left, Scott Eastwood, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Will and Adam Beach Big smiles: Will caught up with British actor Adewale, who looked handsome in a blue suit Scott Eastwood, 30, also looked stylish as he arrived at the premiere, wearing a pinstriped navy suit and tie. Actress Leven Rambin also attended, wearing a blue, halter-neck dress with a cut-out waist and mesh hemline. The 26-year-old was joined by her husband, former True Blood actor Jim Parrack, who plays one of The Joker's henchmen in the film. Sharp: Actor Scott Eastwood looked dapper in a navy pinstripe suit Sleek look: Actress Leven Rambin wore a navy dress with cut out waist and mesh hemline Date night: The Grey's Anatomy actress was accompanied by her husband, actor Jim Parrack Big fans: Director Kevin Smith showed off his Joker hockey jersey as he arrived with his daughter, actress Harley Quinn Smith Taking the plunge: Actress Yolonda Ross showed off some cleavage in her navy and pink gown Also attending the premiere was director Kevin Smith and his actress daughter Harley Quinn Smith, who is named after Margot's character. The Clerks director, 45. was dressed for the occasion in a hockey jersey with The Joker's image. Harley Quinn, 17, wore a cute cropped, halter-neck top and matching A-line skirt. Quirky style: Actor Adam Beach, who plays Slipknot in Suicide Squad, was joined by Summer Tiger, who wore a skintight pink dress and day-glo heels Leather look: Singer Kehlani flashed her midriff in a black bra top and McQ Alexander McQueen Pre SS17 Leather Flares Cameo? Comic book writer Frank Miller, who wrote Batman, 300 and Sin City, also attended the Suicide Squad premiere Sharp: Adewale wore a smart blue suit and red tie, while comedian and Mindy Project star Ike Barinholtz opted for a black jacket Group shot! The guys let loose on the red carpet, posing for a funny selfie Centre of attention: Margot looked incredible with her vampish lipstick Selfie time: Will ensured the moment was captured on camera Bunch of jokers: The smartly clad leading men couldn't resist putting on an animated display Taking to the stage: The gang all got up on stage to present the film She wowed fans with an energetic comeback performance in Chicago on Sunday, after being signed off work for exhaustion. And Ellie Goulding looked refreshed- and very pouty, as she arrived at LAX airport on Monday. Sporting full lips and an all-black ensemble, the 29-year-old British songstress appeared in good spirits having spent last week recuperating in St Tropez. Scroll down for video Back with a bang: Ellie Goulding looked refreshed- and very pouty, as she arrived at LAX airport on Monday Covering her face with dark sunglasses, the Love Me Like You Do star wore her blonde tresses loose around her face. And going for casual airport attire, she wore a black semi-sheer top, showing just a hint of her bra underneath. Dressing the outfit down with fitted sweatpants and trainers, Ellie cut a stylish figure as she ambled through the airport. Art if make-up: The blonde beauty opted for a hint of pink lipgloss, drawing attention to her full pout and perhaps hiding the dark marks that had seemingly appeared on her lips Casual chic: Sporting full lips and an all-black ensemble, the 29-year-old British songstress appeared in good spirits having spent last week recuperating in St Tropez And despite going for minimal make-up, the blonde beauty opted for a hint of pink lipgloss, drawing attention to her full pout and perhaps hiding the dark marks that had seemingly appeared on her lips. Carrying an army-print bag, Ellie headed for the exit with her pals. On Sunday the hitmaker returned to the stage for day four of Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago's Grant Park for the first time since her hiatus. On the go: Carrying an army-print bag, Ellie headed for the exit with her pals Having being signed off from performing due to exhaustion in July, it was clear from the show that Ellie had regained her energy after jetting off on the relaxing French break, to catch up on sleep and aid her recovery. And it recently came to light that it was lack of sleep which caused the fitness fanatic to be sapped of all her energy. According to The Sun, Ellie had been suffering with sleep condition insomnia, which is what caused her to abandon her recent stage performances. However the songstress appeared delighted with her comeback show, tweeting afterwards: 'I know people use this world for so many differed reasons... But I am BLESS-ED. What a night @lolapalooza'. It was the baby bombshell that sent shockwaves though the loyal legions of Bachelor fans. But Bachelor producers have dismissed claims one of the hopefuls is expecting a child following reports that a positive pregnancy test was found the the mansion. Warner Brothers denied a test was found at the luxury house by one of the crew members and insisted there was no truth to the NW Magazine story. Bizarre: A picture emerged of Richie posing with a fake baby after Bachelor producers denied claims that one of the contestants is pregnant The revelation came as a bizarre picture emerged of Richie Strahan cradling a fake baby. Richie has previously claimed he does not have sex with any of the contestants on the reality TV series, insisting he 'doesn't take off his pants' during the show. The strawberry blonde heartthrob made the revelation on the Kyle and Jackie O Show after being quizzed about whether his 'carpet matches the drapes'. Denial: Bachelor producers have dismissed claims one of the hopefuls is expecting a child following reports that a positive pregnancy test was found the the mansion Hunk: Richie has previously claimed he does not have sex with any of the contestants on the reality TV series He was played an audio clip where Bachelor hopeful Laura Williams was heard saying: 'Does the carpet match the drapes. I can tell you that it's a yes. And it's probably a yes from a few reports.' Fighting back laughter, Richie then said: 'That's the best spoiler. I don't take off my pants.' When Kyle Sandilands asked whether he has sex with any of the 22 girls on the show, he said: 'No of course not mate, you've got to respect all the women.' False claims: Warner Brothers denied that a test was found at the luxury house by one of the crew members Shock! Bachelor Richie Strahan was said to have been the most shocked by the news after denying suggestions he did not have sex with any of the contestants on the upcoming series He said it was difficult squeezing in time alone with any of the women under the scrutiny of the cameras. 'I'm filming 20 hours a day, I'm under the pump. It's like a pash and dash at three and four in the morning.' It came after Richie said he would be open to having sex on the first date if the spark was there. Spoiler: He was played an audio clip where Bachelor hopeful Laura Williams (right) was heard saying: 'Does the carpet match the drapes. I can tell you that it's a yes' 'If you are feeling it, go for it,' he told OK! magazine. Alex Nation is the only contestant in the show so far who has openly admitted to having a child. During the first episode, she told Richie about her five-year-old son Elijah. A spokesman for Warner Bros told the Sydney Morning Herald there was 'no truth' to the most recent pregnancy claims. 'Warner Bros. can confirm that there is no truth to this story. There was no positive pregnancy test found at the mansion,' the company said in a statement. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the company for comment. First kiss: On his first solo date, which was with Nikki Gogan, Richie enjoyed the first kiss of the series Cara Delevingne flashed a lot of flesh at the world premiere of Suicide Squad in New York City. The 23-year-old fashion model turned actress hit the black carpet in a plunging metallic studded mini-dress on Monday night. The blonde beauty turned every head as she confidently put her lithe figure on display in the tiny semi-sheer Anthony Vacarello frock. Scroll down for video Sexy night: Cara Delevingne flashed a lot of flesh at the world premiere of Suicide Squad in New York City on Monday The front of Cara's sexy asymmetrical design featured a deep V nearly grazing her navel. The sleeveless dress was mostly covered in silver embellishments including multiple safety pins which held together the silk fabric. The actress showed off some more skin as a diagonal cut-out ran the length of her trim tummy to below her side boob revealing her tattooed rib cage. Sultry creation: The 23-year-old fashion model turned actress hit the black carpet in a plunging metallic studded mini-dress Daring look: The blonde beauty surely turned a lot of heads as she confidently put her lithe figure on display in the tiny semi-sheer cut-out frock Cara teamed the shortened hemline with a pair of suede thigh-high Christian Louboutin stiletto boots. The fashionable star accessorized with silver rings on her grey manicured hands and multiple earrings on her lobes. Her short blonde tresses channeled old Hollywood glamour with smooth waves and a deep side part which was held back with two silver barrettes. Old Hollywood Glamour: Her short blonde tresses were styled in smooth waves with a deep side part held back with two silver barrettes showing off her decked out ear lobes Perfect pairing: Cara topped off the retro look with a red lip and a bold shimmery smoky-eye. And she teamed the shortened hemline with suede thigh-high Louboutin stiletto boots Check out the back view! Cara flashed a lot of flesh with the open back design Standing out: The fashionable star accessorized with silver rings on her grey manicured hands and multiple earrings on her lobes The model topped off the retro look with a red lip and a bold shimmery smoky-eye. Cara's girlfriend, St. Vincent, was spotted with the actress as they left the Greenwich Hotel ahead of the premiere. The 33-year-old musician, who didn't appear to pose on the black carpet, wore a white blouse with a black bow collar. Fierce! Cara looked super hot in the skimpy metallic number on the black carpet Suicide Squad sees Cara plays a villainness called the Enchantress in the film inspired by the DC Comics With the gang: Cara joined her co-stars Karen Fukuhara, Margot Robbie, Ike Barinholtz and John Kinnaman on stage Strike a pose: Will Smith gets the cast together for a group selfie on the red carpet Let's go! Cara's girlfriend, St. Vincent, was spotted with the actress as they left the Greenwich Hotel ahead of the premiere Camera shy? The 33-year-old musician, who didn't appear to pose on the black carpet, wore a white blouse with a black bow collar, and wide-legged trousers Keeping things in check: The 23-year-old looked a bit concerned she may expose her chest on the red carpet She tucked the stylish top into a pair of black wide-legged trousers and donned a coordinating pair of mules. The raven-haired beauty added a pop of color with a bold red lip to match her girlfriend along with her leather purse which dangled by her side. Suicide Squad sees Cara plays a villainess called the Enchantress in the film inspired by the DC Comics. Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5. All star cast: Cara joined her large group of co-stars on stage as they introduced the film Mingling: Cara joined co-star Jared Leto - who plays The Joker - and South African entrepreneur Elon Musk at the after-party Silver details: The front of Cara's sexy asymmetrical design featured a deep V and diagonal cut out held together by metallic pins She did everything in her power to land a cameo role in the Absolutely Fabulous movie. And stars of the show, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, have revealed that despite Rebel Wilson's efforts to land a role, she was only available for one day of filming. During an interview with Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O on Tuesday, Joanna said: 'By the time we actually got around to asking her she was so famous and so brilliant that she had literally a day she could give us, I think it was our last filming day.' Scroll down for video Star power: Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley have revealed that Rebel Wilson was only available for one day of filming after the Australian comedian begged them for a cameo role Joanna said they first heard about Rebel when she lived with Little Britain star, Matt Lucas. 'Years ago she was sharing an apartment in LA with Matt Lucas and he said to me "Oh my flatmate Rebel, she's called Rebel Wilson" because no one knew who she was those days. '"She's a big fan and if you ever do anything can she be in it?" and I said "of course, of course!"' the funnywoman explained. Gushing about Rebel to the KIIS FM hosts she described the Australian actress as: 'So brilliant and just an amazing person.' Love her: Gushing about Rebel to the KIIS FM hosts Joanna described the Australian actress as: 'So brilliant and just an amazing person' Determined: Rebel has previously admitted that she begged the British comedy duo for her a cameo role in the Absolutely Fabulous film Bubbly blonde co-host Jackie then said: 'I did hear that she sort of threw out the script and did her own thing, does that get, do you mind?' Kyle quickly butted in with: 'Oh what a pain in the a**, when someone comes along and you've been spending your entire life...' Piping up on the phone, Jennifer said: 'I don't care as long as it's funny!' Jennifer and Joanna are currently in Australia doing the media rounds for their new movie and recently attended the premiere of the hit film in Sydney. Pop the bolly: Jennifer and Joanna are currently in Australia to promote their new film Rebel previously admitted that she begged the British comedy duo for her cameo role in the Absolutely Fabulous film. 'I emailed her and said, 'If you need me for anything I'll be there.' I full out got down on my knees and begged. There's no level to which I wouldn't have gone to!' she told the Daily Mirror. Her approach paid off - and Rebel eventually shot a day's worth of 'funny' cameo material for the film back in November. Rebel joins an exhaustive list of stars who have cameo appearances in the film including Joan Collins, Jon Hamm, Dame Edna Everage, Lulu, Jerry Hall, Stella McCartney and Alesha Dixon. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie will be released in Australian cinemas August 4. She's been enjoying a relaxing trip through Europe while taking time off from hosting the Today show. And Lisa Wilkinson posted one last envy-inducing snap on Monday as she enjoyed a swim overlooking the Greek Islands, before heading back to reality. Looking chic in a black one-piece while over looking the ocean from a pool, the 56-year-old captioned the snap: 'One last swim & one last look at that incredible view before heading home...' Back to reality: Lisa Wilkinson posted one last envy-inducing snap on Monday as she enjoyed a swim overlooking the Greek Islands, before heading back home to Sydney Outstretching her arms and holding on to the edge of the pool she was seen taking in the stunning view. Her brunette locks were swept up and tucked into a white fedora hat, which she purchased earlier in the trip as her and her husband Peter FitzSimons travelled through Paris. The picture appears to be taken by her hubby and she looked perfectly content soaking up the sunshine. Workout: The Today show personality captioned another snap: 'Jeez I have climbed some stairs on this trip. And loved every second of it... Everywhere you look, a view to die for!' Endless summer: Lisa has been sharing plenty of envy-inducing snaps with her fans and appears to be getting good use out of the fedora she purchased earlier in the trip Lisa and Peter have been exploring the Greek Islands and documenting their travels on social media. The Today show personality captioned one snap: 'Jeez I have climbed some stairs on this trip. And loved every second of it... Everywhere you look, a view to die for!' The couple cosied up together for a sweet selfie as they waited for a stunning Santorini sunset while 'nabbing the last table' at a packed clifftop restaurant. Living the life: Lisa and her husband Peter FitzSimons have been exploring the Greek Islands and documenting their travels on social media What a view: The couple cosied up together for a sweet selfie as they waited for a stunning Santorini sunset while 'nabbing the last table' at a packed clifftop restaurant Earlier on during their lavish travels through Europe, they met up with their youngest child, daughter Billi in Paris, while she enjoyed her university holidays abroad. During a day out together, Lisa and Billi explored the city and snapped a selfie as they strolled past the hotel Sarah Jessica Parker stays at during Sex And The City. Lisa and her partner of 23 years appeared to be relishing their time together in the 'City Of Love'. Along with their daughter, the couple also have two sons, Jake, 22, and Louis, 20. She is no doubt excited about the arrival of her first child later this year. But it seems former Miss Universe Australia Laura Csortan is eager for her pregnancy to end for more than one reason. The beauty took to social media on Tuesday to reminisce over summers spent sipping beer in the sunshine, posting a throwback snap of herself doing just that on Instagram. Scroll down for video 'Miss you!' Pregnant former Miss Universe Australia Laura Csortan reminisced over cold beers and sunshine in a throwback snap on Thursday The 39-year-old held the brown bottle with blue labelling aloft as she smiled from behind her flowing blonde locks that cascaded over one side of her face. Cali sunshine and cold beer... #missyou, she wrote next to the photo shared with her 22,000 Instagram followers. Laura posted another snap of the same occasion in Santa Cruz soon after returning from her month-long trip across the western U.S. state last year. 'Comfort food': Laura posted another snap of the same occasion in Santa Cruz last year, revealing she used the beer to wash down a hearty meal of a burger and fries In it she posed with a beer in hand and in front of a hearty burger and fries. The model is preparing for life as a single mother having discovered she was pregnant after splitting from the baby's father. On Tuesday she shared a sweet snap of herself cuddling with her baby nephew Bastien. Preparation: The model is preparing for life as a single mother, she sharing a sweet snap of herself cuddling with her baby nephew Bastien on Tuesday 'Love my visits with my fave little family. @libertyambertol #bubbabastien #miguelthegalah Bonus is, I can shop and cuddle at the same time!' she wrote on Instagram. A week ago she shared another photo with another adorable nephew Tex, who was playing with her sunglasses in a Sydney cafe. Laura wrote that she was practising but drew the line at pooy nappy change. Practice: A week ago she shared a sweet snap of herself cuddling with her baby nephew Tex, who was playing with her sunglasses in a Sydney cafe Keeping mum: After Laura revealed on social media that she is half way through her pregnancy, speculation has gone into overdrive on who the father is Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about being a single mother soon after the announcement, Laura said: 'You don't know what to expect. 'My theory on it is I'll just take each day as it comes. So long as it's loved beyond anything else'. 'I'm prepared for the sleepless nights and all that. I'm not kidding myself that it's going to be easy. I'm just ready for it. 'I didn't know how [the pregnancy announcement] would be received but really wonderful and support from single mothers and women who have wanted to be single mothers and didn't know how to go about it'. Who's the daddy? The 39-year-old has kept quiet on the mystery man's identity and in the past has been romantically linked to former AFL player Chad Cornes (L) and model Joshua Slack (R) She told Woman's Day in June that while she still speaks to her ex, he will not be involved in their child's life. 'He respects my decision (to have the baby), and when the baby's older I'm happy with her finding out who her father is. I'm going into this with an open mind,' she said. The beauty has been romantically linked to former AFL player Chad Cornes and model Joshua Slack in the past. She was at the premiere of a movie about a human being turned into a cat. And Jennifer Garner was looking purr-fect in red at the screening of Nine Lives in Los Angeles on Monday. The estranged wife of Ben Affleck showed what her husband was missing by flaunting her feminine figure at the exciting event. Scroll down for video Scarlet fever: Jennifer Garner looked red hot at the premiere of Nine Lives in Hollywood on Monday The curvy cutie displayed her knockout body to the full in a scarlet number that hugged her figure in all the right places, and which boasted a flattering pleated skirt. Jennifer, 44, completed her look with a pair of towering black stilettos. In the film she plays Lara Brand, the wife of a business tycoon played by Kevin Spacey who has distanced himself from his family. But in a last minute birthday gift dash for their 11-year-old daughter he buys a magical cat, and after an accident finds himself living inside its body. Red hot: The busty beauty showcased her ample assets as she posed for photographers Angle proof: The 44-year-old was looking great for her age from all vantage points What pregnancy rumours? Jennifer showcased her slender physique to the maximum But there's more, for he is told by the mysterious pet shop owner from whom he purchased the pussy, who is played by Christopher Walken, that he must reconcile with his family within a week or he will be stuck as a cat forever. The movie also stars Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, and the 50-year-old looked thrilled to be at the event with her daughter, cuddling up to her girl on the red carpet. Jennifer's on-screen daughter Malina Weissman, 13, was also there, while, most excitingly of all, celebrity cat Pudge also turned up to see the film. She cannot curb her enthusiasm: Cheryl Hines looked excited to be starring at the event Hines' tomato catch-up: She looked delighted to cuddle up to her red-dress wearing friend Oh mother: The actress then grabbed her daughter for a red carpet kiss Fun-sized star: Malina Weissman plays Jennifer's daughter in the picture A four-star experience: Cheryl, Malina and Jennifer posed up with co-star Talitha Bateman Jennifer's appearance in the form-fitting number will surely put paid to rumours she may be expecting. The mother of three, whose children are all fathered by ex Ben Affleck, fueled speculation last week by wearing a loose fitting dress. The former lovebirds married in June 2005 after dating for a year. Mini-me you complete me: Jennifer and Malina looked perfectly cast Feline fine: Internet celebrity cat Pudge was among the dignitaries at the star-studded event Pretty in pink: Lilimar Hernandez took the carpet in a cute dress Fine fillies: Melora Hardin and beauty queen Greer Grammer also trotted down the red carpet Making up the numbers: Mr Kelly Ripa Mark Consuelos was there with daughter Lola Ben and Jennifer announced their separation last summer, one day after their 10-year wedding anniversary. Although there have been rumors the couple have reconciled, it appears this is not the case. Nine Lives, which was originally set to be released in April, is coming out on Friday. Must Dash: Damon's ex Rachel Roy was there with her daughters Party on: Jennifer looked thrilled to be attending the post-screening bash at Craig's Bachelorette bad boy Chad Johnson interrupted a live TV special to make a pitch to be the next Bachelor. The 28-year-old, whose alpha male personality soon made him the villain of the latest season of The Bachelorette, was in the audience at the After The Final Rose special when JoJo Foster was asked who she thinks should be the next Bachelor. As she started talking about Luke Pell or Chase McNary, Chad quickly got to his feet and started speaking, leaving JoJo, 25, sighing: 'Not Chad!' Scroll down for video He's back! Bachelorette baddie Chad Johnson interrupted the live After The Rose special to make his pitch to be the next Bachelor Chad - who stars in Bachelor In Paradise, starting this Tuesday - soon made a pitch to be the new Bachelor himself. 'Obviously, there's a lot of people out there that probably think I'm a bad guy, just 'cos, y'know, the way I was on the show,' he said, wearing a gray suit and black shirt. 'When you watch Bachelor in Paradise obviously you're probably going to even amplify think the same thing or even worse - I made some mistakes,' he admitted. Making his case: Chad admitted making mistakes on Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, but said everyone deserves love - even him Make it stop: 'Not Chad!' JoJo exclaimed when the real estate agent interrupted the show Tough year: Chad said he'd been through a lot with the recent death of his mother and pointed out he was also a Marine as he made his case 'But I've been through a lot this last year - I lost my mom and one of the thing that they didn't show on the show is I'm also a Marine - and so I've had a long life. 'I think a lot of people - they deserve love. 'I think I, as well as other people, deserve love, and so I think maybe I deserve to be the next Bachelor!' Not shy: 'I deserve to be the next bachelor,' Chad told host Chris Harrison Happily ever after? Bachelorette host Chris Harrison chatted with Jojo Fletcher, who got engaged to Jordan Rodgers on Monday night's finale Loved up: JoJo suggested either Luke Pell or Chase McNary be the next Bachelor As the audience mostly booed - with a few cheers - JoJ asked sarcastically: 'Who is cheering? 'I feel it's mixed emotions at best,' host Chris Harrison quipped, telling Chad: 'Let's see how Paradise goes. What could possibly go wrong?' He then stressed: 'Watch tomorrow night - it is truly a train wreck. 'I mean, epic proportions.' The Chad Bear: Chad admitted his time on Bachelor in Paradise - which begins next week - would make people think he was 'even worse' Hot temper: Host Chris Harrison said Chad's time on Bachelor in Paradise was a train wreck of 'epic proportions' A worker welds steel reinforcement during construction of the Lhasa-Nyingchi segment of Sichuan-Tibet Railway in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 19, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] China is considering a sweeping overhaul of its steel industry that would consolidate major steel producers into two giants, with one located in the north and the other in the south, according to people familiar with the plan. Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp and Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp will be merged into Southern China Steel Group, while Shougang Group and Hebei Iron & Steel Group will combine into Northern China Steel Group, said the people, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential. The combinations will give Chinese steel mills the scale to rival global giants such as ArcelorMittal SA. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration didn't respond to a request for comment, while a Baosteel Group spokesman declined to comment when reached by Bloomberg. The mergers would enhance government efforts to reduce capacity in the world's biggest producer as part of its drive to overhaul an inefficient sector and bolster an economy growing at its slowest in decades. China's crude steel-producing capacity reached a record of 1.2 billion tons at the end of 2015, according to the China Iron & Steel Association. The plan "will help accelerate eliminating excess steel capacities as the companies will remove duplicated products," Helen Lau, an analyst at Argonaut Securities Asia Ltd, said from Hong Kong. They both enjoyed Geordie Shore relationships with bitter ends. So Stephen Bear and his new girlfriend Lillie Lexie Gregg have plenty to say about their romances with Vicky Pattison and Gary Beadle respectively. The Celebrity Big Brother hunk lashed out at his former love as he posed for a stunning photoshoot with his girlfriend for OK! magazine. Scroll down for video Loved up: Stephen Bear and his new girlfriend Lillie Lexie Gregg have plenty to say about their romances with Vicky Pattison and Gary Beadle respectively Stephen, who goes by his surname Bear, met Lillie during their stint on the forthcoming fifth season of Ex On The Beach - which also starred Gary. Since then he has entered the CBB house where he vowed to stay faithful to his fashion designer girlfriend - yet also lashed out at his previous relationship. Seemingly a creature of habit, Bear met Vicky during his initial stint on the third series of Ex On The Beach, yet their relationship ended acrimoniously with the I'm A Celebrity winner calling him a 'f*****g sly c**t.' In his sweet couple shoot with Lillie, Bear said: 'When we broke up she blocked me on social media and said some really nasty things. Then and now... Seemingly a creature of habit, Bear also met Vicky during his initial stint on the third series of Ex On The Beach, yet their relationship ended acrimoniously with the I'm A Celebrity winner calling him a 'f***ing sly c***' Cute: Stephen, who goes by his surname Bear, met Lillie during their stint on the forthcoming fifth season of Ex On The Beach - which also starred Gary I think she finds it hard to trust people so Im not surprised shes single. Im the best boyfriend and I introduced her to my family, so for her to call me vile was a joke. Bear's words come after Vicky blasted him for talking about her upon his entrance to the CBB house, after which she said: ' Wow.... Just stop talking about me man... Allow it... Pathetic. Want to be on a reality to show these days?! Just drop my name #shoein.' Lillie meanwhile was quick to hit out at her former love as she reacted to claims from Gary's ex-girlfriend Charlotte Crosby that he was worse than a 'murderer'. Happy times: Their romance has dated back to May with Lillie littering her social media feeds with snaps of the pair together, especially with her beloved family Former love: Bear's words come after Vicky blasted him for talking about his upon his entrance to the CBB house, when she said: ' Wow.... Just stop talking about me man... Allow it...' Charlotte suffered a ectopic pregnancy with Gary while he was filming Ex On The Beach alongside Bear and Lillie, where he is said to have enjoyed a threesome with Charlotte Dawson and Jemma Lucy. She said: Its absolutely disgusting. There are so many horrendous things going on in the world. I dont really care whats shes been through with him. Bear entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Thursday yet remained relatively quiet about his relationship with Lillie. Sweet: She said: Its absolutely disgusting. There are so many horrendous things going on in the world. I dont really care whats shes been through with him Happiness: The pair revealed to OK! that after departing Thailand, where Ex On The Beach was filmed, they immediately began spending time together The latest issue of OK! magazine is on newstands Their romance has dated back to May with Lillie littering her social media feeds with snaps of the pair together, especially with her beloved family. The pair revealed to OK! that after departing Thailand, where Ex On The Beach 5 was filmed, they immediately began spending time together. To further confuse their convoluted love stories, Vicky and Gary previously shared a steamy kiss in the Geordie Shore house - making for a wholly confusing romantic web. While Bear lights up TV screens in CBB, Lillie has been blazing the promotional trail for Ex On The Beach with the rest of the cast including Gary, yet it is unsure what the status of their friendship is. The latest issue of OK! magazine is on newstands He plays supervillain The Joker in the upcoming Suicide Squad flick. And Jared Leto is showed he is the polar opposite from his demented clown character. The 44-year-old actor cuddled up with some adorable puppies during his appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Monday night. Scroll down for video Adorable: Jared Leto gave a puppy a kiss during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Monday night Jared joined in on a game of 'Pup Quiz' where every correct answer in animal trivia brought him a new dog to cuddle up with. The Oscar-winner was off to a hot start as he answered the first question seamlessly and the 41-year-old chat show host got his first question wrong so Jared cosied up with two precious pooches. The tide turned as Jared missed a question about zebras worth two puppies. Jimmy got his 'Double Puppardy' question right and was up by a score of 4-2. Cute: The 44-year-old actor participated in a game of 'Pup Quiz' where every correct answer in animal trivia brought him a new dog to cuddle up with Having fun: The Oscar-winner was off to a hot start as he answered the first question seamlessly Jared reigned victorious, however, as his 'Final Puppardy' guess was closer for the win. Later on in the episode, Jared was the first guest interviewed for the show as he brought out a small box as a present for Jimmy. Perhaps the funnyman shouldn't have been too excited as Jared opened up the gift to reveal a small snake as the actor chased the scared host around the set with it. Aww factor: He looked happy as he snuggled and baby talked an adorable pooch Puppy party: Jimmy got his second question wrong so Jared got another puppy Furry friends: He petted the adorable white dogs Jared showcased his wacky side on the programme as he sported a light blue and white knit sweater with a tiger embroidered on it along with burgundy trousers with a white stripe down the side. He finished it off with a pair of black leather Gucci loafers and had his dark locks combed back and had a considerable amount of scruff on his face. No doubt it was a busy night for the star as he also attended the New York City premiere at the Beacon Theater of Suicide Squad. He once again showed off his fashion-forward style in a long blue suede coat with pink floral embroidery on the sleeves and lapel with a fish and Donald Duck design on the front and a colourful lion on the back. Having fun: Jared was later set to be interviewed as he brought along a small wrapped gift Squeamish? Jared revealed a small snake in the box and chased around Jimmy with it Keeping it cool: Jared showcased his wacky side on the programme as he sported a light blue and white knit sweater with a tiger embroidered on it Good spirits: He shared a few laughs with the host Petrified: Jimmy was scared by the creature even while in the box Jared also sported a white top tucked into black trousers and the same designer shoes while accessorising with long necklaces. The film is centered around a gang of DC Comics characters and also stars Margot Robbie, Cara Delevigne, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Scott Eastwood and Joel Kinnaman. Suicide Squad is set for limited release in the US this Thursday with the UK release following on Friday. Bold look: It was a busy day for Jared as he attended the Suicide Squad premiere in New York CIty while wearing a long blue coat with pink floral embroidery Check it out: The Oscar-winner showed off a colorful lion design on the back of his coat Joking around: Jared flashed two thumbs up as he greeted excited fans outside the theater Russell Crowe's estranged wife Danielle put on an amorous display with her new boyfriend Adam Long as they held hands during a stroll in the park last month. The 47-year-old and her beau were joined by one of her children, 10-year-old son Tennyson, who appeared in happy spirits. Danielle cut a relaxed figure clad in gym clothes while cuddling up close to Adam as they walked side-by-side. Scroll down for video Smitten: Russell Crowe's estranged wife Danielle Spencer put on an amorous display with her new boyfriend Adam Long as they held hands during a stroll through a park last month Danielle showcased her remarkably slim figure in a pair of flared black trousers and a a shiny black coat. She wrapped a black jumper around her waist and appeared to wear minimal make-up for the trip. Meanwhile, she bundled her blonde locks into a messy ponytail wore a black cap paired with dark shades. Getting to know each other: The 47-year-old and her beau were joined by one of her children, 10-year-old son Tennyson who appeared in high spirits Chic: Danielle showcased her remarkably slim figure in a pair of flared black trousers and a a shiny black coat Adam showed off his casual style wearing a pair of cargo trousers paired with a grey and blue sweater. He appeared content as he held on tight to Danielle's hand as they strolled along, looking very comfortable together. Meanwhile, Tennyson wrapped a scarf around his shoulders and wore a white printed T-shirt. Looking relaxed: Adam showed off his casual style wearing a pair of pale cargo trousers paired with a two tone grey and blue sweater Loved-up: He appeared content as he held on tight to Danielle's hand as they strolled along Little man: Tennyson wrapped a scarf around his shoulders and wore a white printed T-shirt Danielle appeared to be quite happy as she enjoyed the low-key outing. She and Russell split in 2012 - but the Gladiator star is reportedly still coming to terms with her boyfriend spending time with his sons, Charles, 12, and Tennyson. The thought that someone else is spending more time with them than he is and is slotting into life with his entire family anyone would feel jealous, a source allegedly told Womans Day. Her boys: Danielle appeared to be quite happy as she enjoyed the low-key outing Its never easy to watch someone move on and be happy with someone else, but everyone knows Russell has and will always love Danielle. The 52-year-old is regularly seen with his pride and joy kids, this weekend taking the youngest to a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL match. The Hollywood actor even took most of the past year off to spend more time with his kids in Australia, after only seeing them for about 30 days in 2012. Team effort! Danielle and Tennyson were also spotted sharing the same blue scarf Wintery weather: The trio appeared to be deep in conversation as they walked through a park But now, according to the magazine, he is worried that the growing attention on his estranged wife's new relationship will affect the boys, whom he has always tried to shield from the public eye. Meanwhile, Adam has started to spend more time at Russells $10 million house in Rose Bay, Sydney, where Danielle lives with the children. Russell has never wanted them to be brought up in the public domain. He really wants them to have a normal upbringing, a friend told the gossip magazine. She's now a successful designer of her own clothing brand Draper James. And Reese Witherspoon displayed why her style is worthy of a collection as she headed out on a shopping trip in Los Angeles on Monday. Looking incredibly chic, the 40-year-old actress radiated effortless glamour in her elegant ensemble as she headed to the shops and later stopped by her office. Scroll down for video Pretty as a petal: Reese Witherspoon displayed why her style is worthy of a collection as she headed out on a shopping trip in Los Angeles on Monday Teaming a pretty lilac floral blouse with a flirty white mini-skirt, the Oscar-winning star looked every inch the summer belle for her day of running errands. The mother-of-three looked more than ready to embrace the summer weather, as she showcased her toned and tanned pins in her pretty outfit. Reese completed the ensemble with delicate printed heeled sandals and a white laser cut tote bag. The actress added a trendy woven white fedora with a co-ordinating black bow, and covered her face with some rounded shades as she enjoyed her stroll in the Californian sunshine. Natural style: Looking incredibly chic, the 40-year-old actress radiated effortless glamour in her elegant ensemble as she headed to the shops and later stopped by her office Flower power: Teaming a pretty lilac floral blouse with a flirty white mini-skirt, the Oscar-winning star looked every inch the summer belle for her day of running errands The Legally Blonde star added some serious bling to her outfit, jazzing the shirt up with a chunky gold chain, gold hoops and a matching watch, bracelets and rings. Reese laughed as she spoke on the phone during her trip, as she stocked up on essentials. The screen star appears to be enjoying some down time this week, embracing a break in her busy schedule. She was spotted heading to a yoga class near her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, earlier on Monday. Leggy lady: The mother-of-three looked more than ready to embrace the summer weather, as she showcased her toned and tanned pins in her pretty outfit The actress looked toned and tanned in a grey vest and skin-tight black cropped leggings, that she paired with colourful trainers. The blonde styled her hair in a messy updo with strands framing her face as she covered her eyes with white-rimmed shades. Reese looked in high spirits as she left the gym which might have been due to the feel-good endorphins flooding her blood stream after her session. But the Walk The Line Oscar winner's good mood was more likely due to her naturally sunny disposition. Starting the week right: Reese was spotted heading to a yoga class near her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, earlier on Monday Work it: The actress looked toned and tanned in a grey vest and skin-tight black cropped leggings, that she paired with colourful trainers It's amazing Reese finds time to exercise as regularly as she does. She's a mother to her children Ava, 16, and Deacon, 12, with her ex Ryan Phillippe, and Tennesse, three, with her agent husband Jim Toth. The Legally Blonde star is getting ready to debut the autumn collection of her Draper James brand of clothing and accessories after opening a store in Nashville, Tennessee, in October. Yoga bunny: The blonde styled her hair in a messy updo with strands framing her face as she covered her eyes with white-rimmed shades She revealed on Instagram on Monday that it will be 'inspired by influential and iconic Southern muses' starting with 'the beautiful @dollyparton!' Reese is presently filming HBO's dramedy series, Big Little Lies, with Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard. She and Nicole are also co-executive producers. She is in talks to host her own TV chat show to be produced by Ellen DeGeneres' production company. Reese also has three films in the works. First up will be Universal Pictures' animated movie Sing, which opens on December 21 and will also feature the voices of Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey. She will produce and star in Tinker Bell and is also in pre-production on director Paul Feig's Wish List, both due out next year. Family worship: Reese pictured in November with Tennessee, her three-year-old son with husband Jim Toth and Deacon, 13 and Ava, 16, her kids with her first husband Ryan Phillippe They are often showcasing their love for each other through various snaps posted on social media. And Paris Jackson gave her followers another look into her love life on Monday, courtesy of a photo she shared with boyfriend Michael Snoddy, 26. The duo reportedly began dating in March, around two weeks before the star turned 18. Head-over-heels: Paris Jackson, 18, gave her followers another look into her love life on Monday, courtesy of a photo she shared with boyfriend Michael Snoddy, 26 In the snap, the couple of nearly five months are seen cuddling in a pool at night. Paris, clad in a black T-shirt, hugs her beau close as she plants a kiss on his cheek. The teen did not write a caption for the photo, appearing to let her action speak for itself. 'Fam photo': Earlier on Tuesday, the daughter of Michael Jackson also shared a photo of her boyfriend and their two dogs Earlier on Tuesday, the daughter of Michael Jackson also shared a photo of her boyfriend and their two dogs. 'Fam photo,' wrote the star. In the snap, Paris, who is clearly head-over-heels for her boyfriend, shares a smile as she leans into her beau while holding a pup in her hand. Their thing: The short-haired blonde also appears to have a love for tattoos like her man Online, Paris is often seen support her musician beau by snapping videos and posing for pics while at his gigs. The short-haired blonde also appears to have a love for tattoos like her man. Prior to her loved-up relationship with Michael, Paris dated Chester Castellaw for almost one year. James Corden has often joked on The Late Late Show about looking identical to handsome actor Matt Damon. Calling him his 'brother from another mother,' Corden got together with the Jason Bourne star in a pre-recorded segment as he pretended to be his stunt double in unseen scenes from the hit flick. Dressed up identically to Matt in a brown leather jacket, James at first pretended to be excitedly awaiting a key role, predicting he would play the action hero's 'younger, sexier brother' in the skit. Scroll down for video Hijinks! James Corden has often joked on The Late Late Show about looking identical to handsome actor Matt Damon Instead Matt got him to do his dangerous stunts - starting with him getting punched in the face, leaving him with a black eye. 'This can't be the first time he's been punched in the face . he's got an extremely punchable face,' Matt said afterward. Next, he got the Brit to jump off a tall building - with no protection to save him from the landing. Calling him his 'brother from another mother,' Corden got together with the Jason Bourne star in a pre-recorded segment as he pretended to be his stunt double in unseen scenes from the hit flick Dressed up identically to Matt in a brown leather jacket, James at first pretended to be excitedly awaiting a key role, predicting he would play the action hero's 'younger, sexier brother' in the skit 'The whole point is the action is gritty and real - we don't use crash pads,' he told him, advising him: 'Aim for the dumpster.' After James missed the dumpster and landed flat on the floor, Matt said: 'I don't think we're going to use that shot.' The host was then seen with his neck in a brace, complaining about how he 'shattered my elbow, strained my neck, and dislocated my penis - which I didn't even know was possible.' After James missed the dumpster and landed flat on the floor during a stunt, Matt said: 'I don't think we're going to use that shot.' For the final stunt, he was told he just had to walk - with the crew calling out that the scene was 'stunt man gets hit by train' just milliseconds before James was flattened. For the final stunt, he was told he just had to walk - with the crew calling out that the scene was 'stunt man gets hit by train' just milliseconds before James was flattened. 'He died doing what he loved to do,' Matt said with mock concern, looking more horrified when told he was still alive. 'That means I still have to do his show? Damn it,' he said ending the skit. 'He died doing what he loved to do,' Matt said with mock concern, looking more horrified when told he was still alive. Fight time! The star went through some choreography During their interview, Matt admitted that he so often hits stunt doubles for real during their fight scenes that he offers to buy them a bottle of champagne for each blow. He said at the end of his first fight scene in the first Bourne movie he 'owed a case of champagne,' adding: 'And that's my average on the four movies - roughly four bottles of champagne.' But French co-star Vincent Cassel was not interested in the deal, with Matt recalling: 'He had no interest in my champagne. He was just like, ''Matt, don't hit me in the face. I will buy my own champagne.'' During their interview, Matt admitted that he so often hits stunt doubles for real during their fight scenes that he offers to buy them a bottle of champagne for each blow. He said at the end of his first fight scene in the first Bourne movie he 'owed a case of champagne,' adding: 'And that's my average on the four movies - roughly four bottles of champagne.' He had the opposite problem in an action scene when his 'dear friend' Julia Stiles was riding on the back of a bike with him, and he was afraid of going too fast and leaving her 'on her ass.' 'The whole build up happens, the cars come screeching around the corner, everything's exploding - and I stalled the bike,' he recalled. He said '600 people' there all looked down in embarrassment for him - except 'one guy who's training me to box who laughs kinda like the Penguin' which is all he heard. Meanwhile, his fellow guest on the show, Key & Peele star Keegan-Michael Key, offered to play Bond in the next 007 movie - to ease the way for Idris Elba to get it. 'And I know he's Snapchatting the whole thing,' he added with an embarrassed smile. Matt bravely suggested that his famous character would defeat British spy James Bond in a fight, saying: 'Bond relies on those gadgets, Bourne, he just picks up stuff and turns into a weapon.' 'No offense to the Brits, but American ingenuity,' he smiled. Meanwhile, his fellow guest on the show, Key & Peele star Keegan-Michael Key, offered to play Bond in the next 007 movie - to ease the way for Idris Elba to get it. 'If you let me play James Bond then we could just move up the ladder gradually to Idris,' he joked. 'I'm caramel, and then we move into the chocolate.' 'If you let me play James Bond then we could just move up the ladder gradually to Idris,' he joked. 'I'm caramel, and then we move into the chocolate.' 'We got a little cream in our coffee.' Matt joked. While he was happy teasing his host, Matt also admitted getting 'teared up' when he watched his Carpool Karaoke episode with Stevie Wonder. Touching moment: While he was happy teasing his host, Matt also admitted getting 'teared up' when he watched his Carpool Karaoke episode with Stevie Wonder. 'This is true. When he called your wife,' he said, clearly being genuine. 'I saw Chris Martin a few months ago in London and he said the same thing. It was just so beautiful,' he insisted, calling Stevie a 'national treasure.' 'It really choked me up, it was so beautiful,' Matt said. She's been escaping from her worries on a Barbados break with her family following the Love Island drama. And Zara Holland looked every inch the beach babe as she hit the sandy shores of the island on Monday, sporting a brightly coloured bikini. The 20-year-old former beauty queen - who was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after having sex on-screen on the ITV2 reality show - displayed her hourglass curves in her two-toned swimwear as she splashed around in the sea. Scroll down for video Life's a beach: Zara Holland looked every inch the beach babe as she hit the sandy shores of Barbados on Monday, sporting a brightly coloured bikini Zara highlighted her ample chest in her tiny triangle bikini top in a vibrant shade of electric blue with a neon green lace trim. The bold swimwear flattered her toned physique and served to complement her deep tan after days of bronzing on the beaches. The blonde bombshell's matching briefs drew attention to her long legs and shapely derriere as she sunned herself in the shallows. Cheeky: The blonde bombshell's matching briefs drew attention to her long legs and shapely derriere as she sunned herself in the shallows Cooling down: Zara was enjoying an ice cold drink as she topped up her tan on the beach Bold swimwear: Zara highlighted her ample chest in her tiny triangle bikini top in a vibrant shade of electric blue with a neon green lace trim Bronzed beauty: The bold swimwear flattered her toned physique and served to complement her deep tan after days of bronzing on the beaches Zara accessorised her beach attire with a simple gold pendant and hid behind a pair of Aviator shades. She wore her straight locks down loose and highlighted her features with barely-there make-up. Zara has also been joined by her mum Cheryl, 51, on her holiday, and the pair are enjoying spending quality time together. Bling: Zara accessorised her beach attire with a simple gold pendant and hid behind a pair of Aviator shades Family getaway: Zara has also been joined by her mum Cheryl, 51, on her holiday, and the pair are enjoying spending quality time together Natural beauty: She wore her straight locks down loose and highlighted her features with barely-there make-up Checking in: The disgraced beauty queen - who was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after having sex on-screen on the ITV2 reality show - was playing on her phone Reality TV mishap: Speaking to MailOnline, Zara revealed that sleeping with Alex Bowen on Love Island was 'the biggest mistake of her life', but she did not regret the action Moving on: The pageant girl is trying to put her steamy on-screen romp behind her The disgraced pageant girl quit Love Island, flying home to England to look after her mother upon hearing she had fallen ill. Zara also confessed that Cheryl wasn't impressed with her for having a steamy romp on national television, but was supportive of her no matter what. Speaking to MailOnline, Zara revealed that sleeping with Alex was 'the biggest mistake of her life', but she did not regret the action. Speaking out: She said, 'Sex is nothing to be ashamed of. We're all women but I just don't regret my actions, I just regret doing it on TV' Disappointed: She added that life had been 'very hectic' since leaving Love Island but admitted she was still disappointed about losing her title Unfortunate: Zara revealed, 'I'm still very sad to have lost my crown - and the way I was treated by the Miss Great Britain Organisation' 'Women like to have sex,' she stated. 'I just personally have never had a one night stand before and a lot of women have one night stands and there's nothing wrong with sex and if you wake up in the morning and it makes you feel good. 'Sex is nothing to be ashamed of. We're all women but I just don't regret my actions, I just regret doing it on TV.' She added that life had been 'very hectic' since leaving Love Island but admitted she was still disappointed about losing her title. 'I'm still very sad to have lost my crown - and the way I was treated by the Miss Great Britain Organisation - but the support I've had from the public has been overwhelming,' she said. Keeping protected: Zara was seen slathering a tanning oil over her body Simple touches: Zara accessorised with a few choice bangles and stud earrings Keeping covered: Zara took shelter in a patch of shade to ensure she wasn't burning The strapping physique that helped win him legions of fans was back on display as Jason Momoa ushered in his birthday with Hollywood star Michael Fassbender on Sunday evening. Hawaiian born Jason - best known for playing doomed Dothraki leader Khal Drogo in Game Of Thrones - went shirtless as he partied with the Prometheus star at trendy London nightspot Bull in a China Shop. Adding a series of snaps across social media, the bearded actor reveals his broad chest while posing alongside a comparatively diminutive and significantly shorter Fassbender. Scroll down for video Birthday boy: The strapping physique that helped win him legions of fans was back on display as Jason Momoa ushered in his 37th birthday with Hollywood star Michael Fassbender on Sunday evening Captioning the shot, in which he offers the camera a cheerful thumbs up gesture, he wrote: '@bullchinashope1 might need to rename the bull to. MOMOA in a chinashop Whisky starts flowing. The Clothes come off ALOHA kanaka.' The actor was enjoying a late night drink at the Shoreditch bar as he prepared for his 37th birthday on August 1st, and he documented the celebration with numerous images - including one of himself and wife Lisa Bonet. Lisa - the ex-wife of rocker Lenny Kravitz - is pictured sitting on her husband's lap while the couple enjoy a pint of Guinness. Cheers: Jason also shared a snap of himself and wife Lisa Bonet enjoying a pint of Guinness Drink up: Separate images find the hunk posing with pals while enjoying a range of alcoholic beverages Captioning the shot, he wrote: 'Life goals. Find a goddess who drinks Guinness Make babies Live ALOHA.' Separate images find the hunk posing with pals while enjoying a range of alcoholic beverages. Jason has often taken to Instagram to share sweet snaps with his children. Down the hatch: The Hawaiian born actor partied with pals as he prepared top celebrate his birthday on August 1 The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actor recently posted a photo with his son, Nakoa-Wolf, seven, his daughter, Lola, nine, and 27-year old step-daughter Zoe Kravitz. 'Proud papa. @zozobear121 missing mama bear. But finally with my babies Summer is going to be epic PapaSauvage and da rascals,'he wrote alongside the image. Jason plays superhero Aquaman in the forthcoming DC film Justice League, which hits theaters in 2017. Later this year, he'll appear in Going Under, The Bad Batch, and the TV series Frontier. She confirmed she was expecting her second child via a surrogate last week. And Sally Obermeder couldn't wipe the smile off her face as enjoyed a take-away coffee in Sydney's Double Bay on Monday. The 40-year-old Daily Edition co-host beamed with happiness as she stepped out in a simple, yet classy, black and white outfit. Scroll down for video Happy: Sally Obermeder beamed with joy on Monday as she stepped in Sydney's Double Bay after announcing she was expecting her second child via a surrogate The mother-of-one slipped into a white V-neck blouse which she tucked tightly into a pair of high-waisted trousers. The black straight-legged pants featured a horizontal 3D effect and finished tightly around the ankles. Sally added some height to her office attire with a pair of matching black closed-in heels. Out and about: The 40-year-old stunned in a chic black and white ensemble Growing family: The Daily Edition host revealed last week she and husband Marcus are expecting another baby via a surrogate. Pictured with daughter Annabelle As she carried a hot drink in one hand, her dark brown locks fell loosely over her shoulders in a natural wave. The TV personality showed off her flawless complexion as she opted for a nude-base makeup that included a brush of black mascara and eyeliner. Sally revealed last week she and her husband Marcus are expecting another baby in the upcoming months via a surrogate. Big news! Sally claimed she was thrilled to be welcoming her second child after revealing in her struggle to conceive naturally Breakthrough: Sallys first child, Annabelle, was conceived with the help of IVF Sally, who was cleared of breast cancer in 2012, took to Instagram to announce the happy news. In the photo, Sallys four-year-old daughter Annabelle could be seen holding up a sign, confirming the new addition to the family. Im going to be a big sister, it read. Meanwhile, Sally said she was thrilled to be welcoming her second child after previously speaking about her struggles to conceive again. Opening up: Sally told New Idea she could only have another child through surrogacy Yes, it's true. Thrilled to bits to share that @marcusobermeder and I are adding to our family thanks to the most incredible surrogate, she captioned the post. In an interview with New Idea magazine earlier this year, the brunette revealed she could only have another child through surrogacy. She claimed doctors had warned her that another pregnancy could risk her life. Ive been told in no uncertain terms that its far too dangerous for me to be pregnant again, in terms of the cancer returning, she said. Her cool bohemian style has become something of a trademark. And Vanessa Hudgens ticked all the style boxes once again as she headed out in another chic ensemble with her boyfriend Austin Butler in Venice Beach, California, on Monday. The the former High School Musical star, 27, wore a dainty white crop top and long skirt, after telling People Style magazine that her stomach is her biggest body insecurity. Scroll down for video Boho babe: Vanessa Hudgens ticked all the style boxes once again as she headed out in another chic ensemble with boyfriend Austin Butler in Venice Beach, California, on Monday The Grease Live! star said she'd worked hard to be body confident about her tummy. 'I think the stomach region for all girls is something we all struggle with,' she said. 'The pooch! I think we all know what that pooch is.' But Vanessa said being grateful for her health had helped her overcome any nagging insecurities. 'I dont think we give our bodies enough gratitude for simply just doing what it does, without us telling it to do it,' she shared. On Tuesday, the actress' white crop cut across her toned stomach to give a flash of the gym bunny's tanned tum. Abs-olutely fabulous: The former High School Musical star, 27, looked a summer vision in a dainty white crop top and crochet midi skirt Vanessa matched the garment with a white high-waisted midi skirt, which tied at the waist and buttoned all the way to its hem. The A-line number was patterned with dainty crocheted flowers from top to bottom, and featured two slits at the front, to reveal her leggy frame. In keeping with her quirky style, the actress paired the look with some funky caged sandals in nude and pale pink, which laced at the top. Vanessa completed the outfit with a tan and black leather Danielle Nicole tote bag. The Grease Live! star was accompanied by her actor boyfriend of five years Austin Butler, 24, who mirrored her casual but cool look in skinny jeans and a navy t-shirt, paired with tan lace-up brown boots and a cap. The brunette actress sipped on a cool iced drink in the warm weather as she ventured out with her beau, who took a quick phone call as they strolled. Hard work pays off: The white crop, featuring a square neck and thick straps, cut across her stomach to give a flash of the gym bunny's toned and tanned tum The Spring Breakers starlet sported a golden tan on the outing, likely to have been picked up from the couple's luxurious break to Italy last month. Vanessa appeared to get nostalgic about their two-week romantic getaway on the day of their outing, taking to her Instagram on Monday to post a candid snap from the Italian break. Posting a shot of her sat on a balcony, overlooking the idyllic coastal setting in a blue maxi dress, the star wistfully captioned it: 'memory monday...#VsVivaItaly'. 'Memory Monday': After venturing out with her boyfriend the star got nostalgic on Instagram, posting a throwback snap of their recent idyllic getaway to Italy Vanessa, who formerly dated High School Musical co-star Zac Efron, has been in a relationship with Austin since 2011. The actress is set to get back to work after some time off over the next few weeks, being scheduled to play Emily Locke in NBC's upcoming comedy, Powerless. The television series, following a failing insurance company, is due to show on NBC in 2017. GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a novel field of medicine called bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences known as Google's life sciences unit until last year and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million pounds (US$715 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said yesterday. The new company, owned 55 percent by GSK and 45 percent by Verily, will be based at GSK's Stevenage research center north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. It is GSK's second notable investment in Britain since the country voted to leave the European Union in June. Last week it unveiled plans to spend 275 million pounds on drug manufacturing. Galvani will develop miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be treated using these tiny devices, which consist of a electronic collar that wraps around nerves. Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines using these implants to stimulate nerves could be submitted for regulatory approval by around 2023. "We have had really promising results in animal tests, where we've shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism, and now we are bringing that work into the clinic," he said. "Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years." GSK first unveiled its aims in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. The tie-up shows the growing convergence of healthcare and technology. Verily already has several other medical projects in the works. They're best known for playing the outrageous Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. So it was no surprise to see Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley channelling their iconic characters at the Melbourne premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie on Tuesday. Jennifer, 58, carried a plush toy dog on the gold carpet, while Joanna, 70, was dripping with jewellery in a sparkly sheer top. Scroll down for video Flamboyant: Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley appeared to dress in character as they attended the Melbourne premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie on Tuesday Joanna was the gaudier of the two, pairing her top with some sequinned animal print trousers and glitzy gold stilettos. She accessorised with several items of statement jewellery, and even wore eye-catching lavender nail polish. Joanna did not go light with her makeup either, opting for a slick of deep red lipstick and a sultry smokey eye. Sheer delight! Joanna (R) turned heads with a see-through black top and gaudy jewellery Making a statement: She accessorised with several items of jewellery and lavender nail polish Her partner-in-crime, Jennifer, was no shrinking violet either. The comedian kept wrapped up against Melbourne's cold winter in an oversized pink and peach jacket. She clutched a brown toy dog in one hand and wore a large, dramatic necklace. All smiles: Jennifer and Joanna happily posed for photographs on the gold carpet Woof woof! Jennifer, 58, carried a plush toy dog on the red carpet Fitting right in at the premiere was the cast of The Real Housewives of Melbourne. Pettifleur Berenger looked festive in a pair of red, three-quarter length pants and a white faux-fur jacket. The 51-year-old rocked some pointed gold stilettos on her feet, which she matched with a gold handbag. What a drag! The English comedian posed with two sensational drag queens Hey there: Blonde beauty Joanna adjusted her hair as she greeted fans A royal greeting! The British actress greeted her Australian fans in a rather regal manner Gamble Breaux, who recently returned from Bali, displayed her surgically-enhanced assets in a plunging cocktail dress. The 45-year-old reality TV star accessorised with a thick choker and also wore thigh-high leather boots. The blonde bombshell completed the glamourous look with a tasseled black clutch. Is it Christmas? Pettifleur Berenger looked festive in red pants and a white faux fur jacket What an eyeful! Gamble Breaux wore a glitzy cocktail dress with a plunging neckline Pretty in pink: Susie McLean also sparkled in a cute pink dress and matching earrings The last member of the cast to show up was Janet Roach, who stunned onlookers in a skintight, sheer black cocktail dress. Janet's racy garment showed off the 57-year-old's underwear, which consisted of what appeared to be a G-string and a lacy bra. She isn't shy! Janet Roach, 57, dared to bare in a sheer dress Hot stuff! The Real Housewives of Melbourne star gave fans a glimpse of her racy underwear Also in attendance were TV stars Rebecca Maddern and Lauren Phillips, actress Sigrid Thornton, and fashion designer Alannah Hill. Natalie Bassingthwaighte also made an appearance in a pair of velvet trousers. The pop star was also seen mingling with some drag queens on the gold carpet. Red velvet: Natalie Bassingthwaighte sported red velvet pants and a white top Scared? The former pop diva looked surprised as a drag queen towered over her Kiss kiss: She blew as kiss for the photographs with her fans Demure: Rebecca Maddern (left) and Lauren Phillips (right) rocked conservative attire One of a kind! Fashion designer Alannah Hill sported a unique ensemble Her fashion statements have arguably commanded more attention than her various public appearances as she continues to promote new film Pete's Dragon. And Tuesday morning proved to be no exception as Bryce Dallas Howard arrived at ITV studios for a chat with Fiona Phillips on breakfast TV staple Lorraine. The 35-year old actress caught the eye in a demure fitted dress that accentuated her voluptuous frame as she chatted to the Scottish host about her latest film project. Scroll down for video Looking good: Bryce Dallas Howard caught the eye in a demure fitted dress that accentuated her voluptuous frame during an appearance at ITV Studios on Tuesday morning A delicate floral print and semi-sheer detail gave the outfit a sophisticated flourish, while a scalloped below-the-knee cut rounded it off. The actress daughter of Hollywood veteran Ron Howard offset her ethereal white dress with a pair of nude heels, while her liberal use of bold red lipstick gave the overall look a splash of vibrancy. In keeping with the elegant nature of her look Bryce opted to maintain her lightly tousled ginger locks with a simple side parting. Busy girl: The actress was on hand to talk about new film Pete's Dragon - a remake of the 1977 Walt Disney classic Striking: A liberal use of bold red lipstick gave the overall look a splash of vibrancy, while lightly tousled ginger locks with a simple side parting Plenty to talk about: Bryce chatted to stand-in host Fiona Phillips about her latest role The actress was on hand to talk about new film Pete's Dragon - a remake of the 1977 Walt Disney classic - and she admitted legendary father Ron was delighted about her casting in the fantasy adventure. 'He was really excited. This was one of a few movies that I watched again and again as a kid,' she said. 'What was interesting about the original film, it had an animated character, but it was a real boy. 'It feels so real, even though there's this dragon.' Opening up: The actress admitted legendary father Ron was delighted about her casting in Pete's Dragon Stylish: A delicate floral print and semi-sheer detail gave her outfit a sophisticated flourish, while a scalloped below-the-knee cut rounded it off Promotional trail: The actress has been promoting her new film ahead of its release on August 12 across the United Kingdom and United States Bryce features alongside Robert Redford in the new film, and she revealed their initial meeting was a memorable one. 'Our first scene we were running together from a great distance. I started that run and thinking, "I'm running towards Robert Redford." And I barrelled into him. 'He said, "You came at me like a cannonball!" I'm like, "Nice to meet you." That's how I would meet somebody! ' Pete's Dragon is released in the United Kingdom and United States on August 12. She is known for never putting a foot wrong when it comes to fashion. And on Tuesday, Erin Holland turned heads on the red carpet at the Versace fragrance for men launch in Sydney. The 27-year-old model stunned as she posed for photographs in an orange off-the-shoulder dress. Scroll down for video Putting her best foot forward: Erin Holland turned heads on the red carpet at the Versace fragrance for men launch in Sydney on Tuesday The loose-fitting garment fell freely over her slender figure and featured over-sized bell-styled sleeves. Erin accessorised her attire with beige peep-toe high heels and a pair of large gold hoop earrings. She wore her blonde shoulder-length hair in a side sweep and styled with a flick at the ends. Flawless: The 27-year-old model dressed to impress in an orange off-the-shoulder dress Cold shoulder: The loose-fitting garment featured over-sized bell-styled sleeves She's a true beauty: While opting for a nude-base makeup, she wore her blonde locks out and styled them with a flick at the ends The 2013 Miss World Australia winner opted for a nude-based makeup look which included a shimmer bronzer, deep pink lipstick and a brush of black mascara. Also at the exclusive event was Australia's first-ever Bachelor, Tim Robards. The reality TV star turned personal trainer opted for a grey suit which he paired with a light purple button-up shirt. While posing for photos, Tim showcased his unshaven look and let his two-toned fringe flop across his forehead. Fur-tastic! Makeup artist Rachel Brook also attended the event wearing a stylish pink coat and sheer blouse which revealed her black bra Dapper display: Tim Robards opted for a grey suit and a light purple button-up shirt Rugged: The 2013 Bachelor showcased his unshaven look while allowing his two-toned fringe to flop across his forehead Despite displaying a large smile for the camera, the 33-year-old seemed to be flying solo at the event with his girlfriend Anna Heinrich no-where to be seen. Fashion stylist Donny Galella also made an appearance, dressing in a stylish mustard-coloured suit jacket and a black turtleneck. He rounded off his look with black jeans which he buckled up with a matching leather belt. Colonel Mustard? Fashion stylist Donny Galella also made an appearance, dressing in a stylish yellow suit jacket and a black turtleneck On the ball! Sydney Swans player Tom Derickx opted for a pair of white jeans and a black T-shirt which he covered with a matching leather jacket Stylish: While styling his hair to the right and rocking an unshaven look, the 28-year-old accessorised with a silver chain necklace and a pair of brown dress shoes The celebrity stylist accessorised his look with a pair of two-toned framed glasses. Sydney Swans player Tom Derickx was also in attendance on the night. The AFL player cut a laid-back look as he opted for a pair of white skinny jeans and a plain black T-shirt which he covered with a matching leather jacket. While gelling his hair to the right and rocking an unshaven face, the 28-year-old accessorised with a silver chained necklace and a pair of brown dress shoes. Hugh Sheridan was treated to an up close and personal experience at the Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie premiere on Tuesday. While attending the event in Melbourne, the 31-year-old cosied up to the film's leading lady Joanna Lumley after greeting her on her arrival. Within moments of laying eyes on one another, the pair embraced in a tight hug while displaying big smiles for onlookers. Scroll down for video A class treatment: Actress Joanna Lumley (L) cosied up to Hugh Sheridan (R) on the red carpet at the Melbourne premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie on Tuesday After rubbing shoulders with the 70-year-old British star, Hugh took to social media to share a picture from the memorable moment. He captioned the post: 'Whaaaaaat?' Later he uploaded another photo of himself at the A-list event, but this time alongside writer and actress Jennifer Saunders. Up close and personal: Upon laying eyes on one another, the pair embraced a tight hug while displaying big smiles for onlookers Star-struck: Hugh took to social media to share a picture from the memorable moment The pair looked to be in deep conversation in the image, as Hugh gave a shout out to his friend Rebel Wilson who has a cameo in the film. The Australian actor wrote: '@Rebelwilson you should be here'. Earlier this week, Jennifer revealed Rebel improvised a number of lines for her brief role - some of which had to be cut because they went too far. Ladies' man: Moments later, Hugh uploaded another photo of himself, this time alongside writer and actress Jennifer Saunders Reaching out: The Aussie actor gave a shout out to best friend Rebel Wilson, saying 'you should be here' 'She was so filthy, absolutely terrible,' Jennifer told Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday. 'You'd write lines and then you'd realise she'd mentally discarded those lines and come up with something much funnier. But filthy.' Jennifer added: 'There were times when we had to say 'not pos' stop now. But that's what I love, I love her.' Rebel has previously admitted that she begged Jennifer to be considered for a role in the film. Shes dusted herself off and moved on following the controversy that surrounded another alleged sexting scandal with married TV presenter Vernon Kay. And Rhian Sugden certainly looked untroubled by the recent furore as she snapped into holiday mode and showed off her assets for a series of busty Instagram snaps. The 29-year old glamour model took advantage of soaring temperatures on the Mediterranean coast by stripping down to a backless pastel pink swimsuit. Scroll down for video Hard to miss: Rhian Sugden took advantage of soaring temperatures on the Mediterranean coast by stripping down to a backless pastel pink swimsuit fora series of snaps Taking to social media, Rhian treated followers to a full length shot in which she strikes a pose on the aft of a yacht as it cruises through waters off the coast of Turkish resort town Kalkan, where she is currently enjoying a summer break. A second, self-taken shot finds the blonde who is engaged to former Coronation Street star Oliver Mellor offering the camera a trademark pout while showing off her ample cleavage in a pink bikini top. Rhian has bounced back in the months following a second reported sexting scandal with Kay, who is married to fellow presenter Tess Daly, after they first exchanged flirty messages in 2010. Busty: A second, self-taken shot finds the blonde offering the camera a trademark pout while showing off her ample cleavage Speaking about their relationship, Rhian claimed the pair had got back in touch in December, after a break of six years, which felt like an 'old friendship coming back'. She said the messages were not like the explicit texts they had exchanged in 2010, until it emerged that Vernon had 'stalked' her Instagram and labelled one of her photographs a '10/10'. However the saga surrounding the sexting scandal continued in June when Rhian was allegedly taken to Manchester's A&E department after telling the doctor she was suffering from chest pains, on Friday. At the time a source told The Daily Star: 'With all the stress from the death threats and people threatening to harm her family, Rhian has been finding it difficult to cope and it's taking its toll on her.' The insider added: 'She hasn't been eating properly and is struggling to power on through all the abuse.' Erin Holland has defended Sonia Kruger after she received a backlash for proposing a ban on Muslim immigration to Australia on the Today show last month. The 27-year-old told Daily Mail Australia that while she 'doesn't necessarily agree' with the statement, she does not condone how Sonia was treated online. 'She got so much hate online which is really sad because it is probably where a lot of these problems are coming from in the first place,' the model said on Tuesday. Scroll down for video Standing by her: Erin Holland (L) has defended Sonia Kruger (R) after she received backlash for proposing banning Muslim immigration to Australia on the Today show last month 'Its unfortunate and I wouldnt wish it upon anyone. There is no place for that kind of hatred online.' Erin defended Sonia, saying the 50-year-old was just 'doing her job' at the time of making the claims. 'I think she was put in a really difficult situation and they did ask her for her opinion, whether or not I agree with (her comments). 'Your opinion is important. Youre on a panel and you are there to give your opinion with facts. Nasty behaviour: The 27-year-old told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that while she 'doesn't necessary agree' with the statement, she does not condone how Sonia was treated online Speaking out: Erin defended Sonia, saying the 50-year-old was 'doing her job' at the time of making the controversial claims 'She did what was asked of her and it didnt end too well unfortunately.' Erin later addressed the issue of immigration, calling it 'a really, really sensitive topic.' She added: 'But at least it has brought up conversation in Australia because it is a conversation we need to have'. Last month, Sonia set off a social media firestorm when she argued there is a correlation between the number of Muslims in a country and the number of terrorist attacks. Starting the talk: Erin addressed the issue of immigration, saying '(It's) a really, really sensitive topic but...it is a conversation we need to have' Headline news: Last month, Sonia set off a Twitter storm over her remarks on Muslim migration The Voice Australia host said she had 'a lot of very good friends' who were Muslims and peace-loving, beautiful people. 'But there are fanatics,' she added. 'Personally, I would like to see it stop now for Australia because I want to feel safe, as all of our citizens do, when we go out to celebrate Australia Day'. When host Lisa Wilkinson asked her directly whether she wanted the borders totally closed to Muslim migrants, Kruger replied: 'Yes, yes I would'. They have both returned to the single life in recent weeks, splitting from their respective long-term lovers Lydia Bright and Kate Wright. But James 'Arg' Argent, 28, and Dan Edgar, 25, seemed to be taking their break-ups in their stride as they moved into their very own Essex bachelor pad on Monday. The TOWIE hunks beamed down from the balcony of their new home as they sported matching Mr & Mr white towelling robes. Scroll down for video Lads pad: TOWIE stars James 'Arg' Argent, 28, and Dan Edgar, 25, moved into their very own bachelor pad in Essex on Tuesday, in light of their recent break-ups Mr & Mr: Sporting matching white robes printed with 'Mr' on the front, the cheeky chappies looked excited at the prospect of their new home The Essex lads jokingly portrayed the image of a newly wedded couple in their usual cheeky style as they cosied up on the balcony. Showing off deep golden tans from recent trip to Palma to film The Only Way Is Majorca, Arg and Dan looked completely co-ordinated for the move. Keeping comfy in the matching gowns, the stars laughed and looked in high spirits as they transferred their belongings into their new domain. The pair didn't take long to express their excitement openly to their social media followers, too. Couples who dress together...: Both showing off tans from recent trip to Palma for The Only Way Is Majorca, Arg and Dan co-ordinated completely for the move The only way is up: The move marks a new chapter in their relationship histories, having decided to live together after breaking up with their respective TOWIE ladies Lydia and Kate Taking to Instagram, Dan posted a smiley selfie of the two friends, announcing the news simply with the caption: 'We're in!' followed by a house emoji. Arg was quick to respond in his usual witty style, re-posting the snap on his page and writing of his new housemate: 'CONGRATULATIONS @danedgar You've made the right decision...I hope haha! Do you think it's a good idea guys!? Lol #TOWIE' The move marks a new chapter in both Arg and Dan's relationship histories, having decided to live together after breaking up with their respective TOWIE girlfriends Lydia Bright and Kate Wright. Arg split from on/off beau Lydia back in May, when she discovered her man - who has previously battled issues with alcohol and drugs - had allegedly suffered a relapse after checking into rehab. Single and ready to mingle: Arg split from on/off girlfriend Lydia back in May, when she discovered her man had allegedly suffered a relapse 'We're in': Taking to Instagram, Dan posted a smiley selfie of the two friends, announcing the news simply with the caption 'We're in!' followed by a house emoji Lydia and Arg dated on and off for years until 2012, before they decided to give things another try in April 2015. The couple's recent split has been far from amicable however, with the 26-year-old blonde telling Arg that she 'despised' him during a heated row on a beach in Majorca for last month's special episode The Only Way is Majorca. She said of the break-up: 'For me there is no going back, we have been through a lot over the years. but I reached my limit the evening we broke up.' Meanwhile Dan and Kate, 24, went their separate ways a few weeks ago, revealing they had split on the inaugural TOWIE episode The Only Way is Majorca. Trouble in paradise: The couple's recent split has been far from amicable, with 26-year-old Lydia telling Arg that she 'despised' him during a heated row on a beach in Majorca Speaking to newly-single Lydia Bright, Kate revealed in the opening scenes: 'We went to Mexico and we had the most amazing holiday but... you know, it just felt like we were friends.' However, the pair then controversially spent the night together later in the episode, making for a confusing twist for both the show and the couple's relationship. Speaking to friends in Palma, Dan admitted: 'I stayed at Kate's - it's just confused things now. We split up because the spark was gone, then last night the chemistry was there again. When there's feelings involved its different.' Kate added on the situation: 'I felt like I lost my best friend. I've been thinking about him all day but when I'm not around him it's easy but it's so hard when were all around each other all the time.' Its complicated: Dan and Kate, 24, broke up just a few weeks ago but re-ignited their flame by spending the night together in Majorca, confusing their feelings towards each other The birth of a new baby is a time for celebration. But Eva Mendes has revealed that the same week she welcomed daughter Amada Lee, she also buried her brother. Talking to Latina magazine, on whose September cover she stars, she explained that the death of Carlo Mendes in April was 'heartbreaking'. Scroll down for video 'It was beyond heartbreaking': Eva Mendes tells Latina magazine that she buried her brother the same week she gave birth to baby Amada 'Losing my brother brought our family closer, and we were already close to begin with,' she explained. 'So to just see everybody be there for one another and show up, I feel so lucky to have them. And then they were there for me when Amada was born. 'We had a funeral service for him and that same week I had the baby. So it was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful. Actor Carlo died from cancer at the age of 53 on April 17, with Eva and her movie star husband Ryan Gosling welcoming Amada just 12 days later. Cover girl: Eva opened up to the magazine for it's September issue, which she covers Along with their baby daughter, Eva and Ryan also have a one-year-old, Esmerelda. And for now, at least, the 42-year-old actress is focusing on parenthood ahead of her career. The Hitch star tells Latina that it would take something 'really special' to end her hiatus. 'Im not sure, but it would definitely take something really special. Proud parents: Eva with Ryan Gosling, the father of her two children 'I dont like saying, "take me away," but essentially thats what work does. I think it can be very, very healthy if its something that feels worthwhile. 'Right now I feel very fortunate to be home with my kids. I feel so lucky, and Im just taking advantage of that.' With her work on hold, Eva's focus is very much on her home life. Close: Eva posted this picture of her brother, following his death earlier this year She says her own mother is her inspiration as a parent. 'Everything shes been through, the challenges in her life, she handles everything with such grace and elegance and has a great sense of humor,' she said. 'I have a really strong support system within my family and outside, with other amazing women. We love each other and support each other, and I try to do that as much as possible out in the world.' Daddy's girl: Ryan with daughter Esmerelda last month She and Ryan plan to raise their daughters to be bilingual, she tells the magazine. 'We're constantly playing Cuban music. I speak to them in Spanish, and my mom speaks to Esmeralda in Spanish,' she said. 'Well, now she speaks to both of them in Spanish. Any time I have an opportunity to introduce her or themI have to say "them" now, though my newborn just sleeps all the timeto my culture, whether it's through music, or through food, I do. That is a main priority, for sure.' He has debuted a more rugged appearance in recent weeks, swapping his clean shaven look for a bushy beard. And it appears MasterChef Australia judge Matt Prestons impressive facial hair is here to stay. The English food critic showed off his dramatic new look at the Melbourne premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie on Tuesday. New look? MasterChef's Matt Preston showed off his bushy beard on the red carpet as he arrived at the Melbourne premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie on Tuesday But it wasn't just his striking beard that made the 52-year-old TV personality stand out from the crowd. Matt also sported one of his signature brightly coloured cravats, which he tucked neatly into his dapper suit. Matt also opted for a crisp black blazer which he teamed with a matching button-up shirt. Stepping it up: Matt is known for his unique style and brightly coloured cravats But the father-of-three's appearance comes as no to surprise to his legion of fans. He continually pushed the boundaries of fashion in the recent series of MasterChef with his eclectic taste in suits, from lime green to dusty pink. The journalist admits his savvy sense of style is based on choosing outfits that allow him to stand out. Leading the way: Matt's impeccable style includes a number of well-cut colourful suits and fancy cravats, many of them handmade by his friend and designer Leona Edmiston So many to choose from! Matt's eclectic taste in suits ranges from lime green to lilac and everything in-between I think, for me, its the whole difference between style and fashion; style should be what you want to wear, he told The Daily Telegraph in June. Matt's impeccable style includes a number of well-cut colourful suits and fancy cravats, many of them handmade by his friend and designer Leona Edmiston. He also likes to switch up his eye-catching ensembles with mixed and paisley prints, including tartan and pinstripes. Breaking the internet! On a recent episode, the judge was mocked on social media after he turned up to the MasterChef kitchen wearing a bright pink three-piece suit Comparisons: One viewer said Matt looked like Grimace of McDonald's fame in a purple suit Memes: Matt's choice in stylish ensembles has prompted plenty of discussion on Twitter On a recent episode, the judge was mocked on social media after he turned up to the MasterChef kitchen wearing a bright pink three-piece suit. Matt even poked fun his own outfit - which featured a natty pocket square, a gold chain and Akubra hat on his Instagram account. He posted a selfie with the caption: 'I channel how Barney the dinosaur would dress if he ran a Colombian drug cartel.' They live on opposite sides of the world. But despite the distance between them, Justine Schofield insists that her romance with US-based TV presenter Matt Doran is just fine. 'It works for us,' the Australian culinary queen told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday. 'It works for us:' Ex-MasterChef contestant Justine Schofield told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday her long-distance relationship with US-based TV host Matt Doran is going well The former MasterChef contestant is based in Sydney, where she films her popular cooking show, Everyday Gourmet. Meanwhile, Matt is over in America, where he hosts the TV series Crime Watch Daily. The pair reportedly catch up every couple of months, and so far are managing their long-distance relationship well. But in January, Justine told Adelaide Now about the 'exhausting' travel schedule due to their transcontinental romance. 'I'm exhausted, it's taking a toll:' In January, the culinary queen was singing a different tune when she spoke about her transcontinental romance Sweet: Justine is based in Sydney where she films her cooking show, while Matt is in Los Angeles where he hosts Crime Watch Daily 'I'm exhausted, it's taking a toll,' she confessed, but said the constant travelling has provided some unexpected benefits. 'I've been back and forth a few times but you know what, it's great to get inspiration from all these places I've been travelling to. The food scene in the US is pretty cool,' the Everyday Gourmet host revealed. Justine, who rose to fame on MasterChef Australia's debut season in 2009, first traveled to the States to visit her partner last year. Zhang Li has spent more than 30 years working as a postman in the countryside at the western mountainous area in Henan Province. During the past three decades, the number of handwritten letters packed in his bag has plummeted from 70-80 to two to three pieces, and those letters are usually messed up with the advertising papers inside the mailboxes. In the past century, most of the handwritten letters were sent between the elderly and the men enrolled in the army, said Zhang, who was in charge of the mail service covering 22 villages. During those years, Zhang would also spend his time reading letters to illiterate seniors. The decline of the handwritten letter isn't exclusive to rural China. In a post office in Beijing, the handwritten letters and postcards delivered from mailboxes are no more than 200 much less than the bills and advertisements posted at more than 5,000 in total each day. Chen Liangjun, an official from the post office administration in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, said that about half of the 2,000 mailboxes in Ningbo are vacant and the rest usually had only two or three letters. In the end of the 1980s when the cell phones were not so popular, the mailboxes in Ningbo were often crammed with letters and post cards during festive occasions, Chen recalled. Although the fashion of handwritten letters is losing its charm, the post officers in Ningbo are still required to check each mailbox every day and their routes are overseen by an app installed. According to the State Post Bureau, the number of mailboxes nationwide has been reduced for three straight years from 2013. There had been a total of 130,000 mailboxes by the end of 2015, 13,000 less than that of a year earlier. Additionally, the price of mail deliveries, which was 0.8 yuan for a letter weighed within 100 grams inside the city or town and 1.2 yuan out of town have little changed since the price adjustments implemented in 2006. At the same time, the letter volume from 2013 to 2015 had dropped respectively by 10.4, 11.5 and 18.3 percent. "The diminishing size of the postal items is exacerbated by unchanged mail prices, the shrinking businesses and the increasing costs of labor, vehicles and management," Chen said. According to Postal Law, the country should reimburse the post offices for both their ordinary and special services. Chen said, however, that the funds are far from sufficient. Therefore, the post offices have to launch banking and other spinoff businesses under the preferential policies of the country. While the decline of the post office services are looming large, business of express deliveries are enjoying a sharp rise. According to the State Post Bureau, business transactions of the express deliveries has grown by 61.6, 51.9 and 48 percent year on year from 2013 to 2015, and the revenue of the business had increased by 36.6, 41.9 and 35.4 percent at the same time. The revenue of the express delivery last year in total constituted 68.6 percent of the entire post service industry. Businesses of the privately-owned express deliveries companies like S.F. Express, ZTO and YTO Express are expanding fast as the aggregate revenue last year in the private sector hit 224.6 billion yuan (US$33.86 billion), seven times the size of the total income of the state-owned post offices. According to the Several Opinions on Promoting the Development of Express Delivery Business issued by the State Council last year, the businesses in the sector are expected to cover each spot of the countryside and create a business size of 50 billion packages in a year with the revenue totaling 800 billion yuan by 2020. Despite the prevalent express delivery services which may cause the ordinary mail service to die a natural death, people working in the post offices are struggling to maintain the traditional ways of communication. "Handwritten letters, as a way of traditional communication, will continue to live on," said Chen. Postmen like Zhang agree that in at least 30 years the traditional letters will still be welcomed and are not supposed to follow in the footsteps of telegrams that have been completely abandoned since 2000 in the country. He's been trotting around the globe for nearly two months with girlfriend Taylor Swift. But it looks like Hiddleswift's lovefest is on pause for now as Tom Hiddleston departed Los Angeles where he's recently been staying with the pop princess. The 35-year-old star was pictured at LAX on Tuesday with two large suitcases after leaving Taylor's home in Beverly Hills. Going to be gone for long? Tom Hiddleston was spotted at LAX on Tuesday jetting out of town with two big suitcases Looking casual in a navy sweater and jeans The Night Manager star was stony-faced as he rolled his luggage outside the terminal that houses British Airways. It certainly appears that the Brit-born actor is jetting off for a long trip but could perhaps just be heading home to the UK for a fresh wardrobe selection. There was speculation recently that Tom and Taylor were on the rocks due to their sudden lack of public appearances together in recent weeks. Lovefest on pause: The 35-year-old actor reportedly came from girlfriend Taylor Swift's home where he has recently been staying in recent weeks When their romance first emerged in June they were photographed numerous times in LA, New York, Nashville, Rhode Island, the UK, Australia, and Italy. However the duo were pictured holding hands last week during a romantic dinner date in Santa Monica and eyewitnesses also spotted them at The Church Key restaurant in West Hollywood on Saturday. Last week it emerged that Armani are reportedly no long considering Tom as a contender to succeed Taylor's ex Calvin Harris as their next underwear model. Working up a sweat: The Night Manager star was spotted leaving a gym in Los Angeles on Monday Apparently bosses changed their minds because of the actor's 'embarrassing' romance with the Bad Blood star. A US fashion source is quoted in the Mirror as saying: 'Tom was on the shortlist as they examined who could take over from Calvin. 'Obviously with Tom now being Taylors other half and the Calvin past deal, it would generate huge media coverage and headlines. Whirlwind romance: The couple were last pictured together in Santa Monica last week during a dinner date 'Armani would hate to be seen as getting PR for their brand by riding on Taylor Swifts coat tails, so Tom will not get the job.' The source continued: 'While Tom is without doubt one of the sexiest actors of his generation, he may not be the right fit this time.' A spokesperson for the actor declined to comment. Meanwhile, Hiddleston's six-part TV series The Night Manager has earned 12 Emmy award nominations, which he is 'thrilled' about. She had spelled words many of us have never even heard of and rivalled top academics with her knowledge of Florence Nightingale. All of which was easy-peasy for ten-year-old Rhea, who was last night crowned the brainiest child in Britain. The real challenge came when she was handed her trophy which seemed to be almost as big as her. The private schoolgirl from London, whose surname has not been revealed, triumphed in a tense final of Child Genius on Channel 4, which saw her competitive mother intervene to help her win a point over a rival. Rhea's mother Sonal, whose pushy attitude shocked viewers, successfully claimed a question on Florence Nightingale was too general. The extra point meant that fellow finalist Stephen, 12, who had been on the same total, was kicked off Rhea to the final head-to-head with nine-year-old Saffy. Scroll down for video Winner: Rhea grabs her Child Genius trophy as she was crowned the brainiest child in Britain Controversial: The win was partially overshadowed when Rhea's mother, Sonal (pictured), shocked viewers as she intervened when her daughter missed a point Appeal: Sonal, pictured talking to an adjudicator, who has put her career on hold as an obstetrician to focus on her daughter's education, successfully objected to a question, securing an extra point and getting a rival kicked off Anger: Many viewers took to Twitter to condemn the 'pushy' approach Rhea's mother Sonal took Quizmaster Richard Osman, who adjudicates on the BBC's Pointless game show, said the audience were left gasping as the finalists calculated sums including '14 times 3, minus 16, times 3, divided by 2, plus 44', and answered questions such as which nationality was composer Gustav Holst (English). Rhea, who wants to go to Oxford or Cambridge to train to be a doctor, clinched the coveted trophy after spelling polydactylous (meaning having many digits) and thelytokous (which means producing only females). En route to the final round she had to answer a series of fiendish questions on her specialist subject the influence of Miss Nightingale on military and domestic healthcare reform from 1853 to 1914. But controversy overshadowed events when Rhea's mother, who has shocked viewers of the series with her pushy attitude, intervened when her daughter missed a point. Following the specialist subject round, Sonal, who has put her career on hold as an obstetrician to focus on her daughter's education, successfully objected to a question. Appeal: Independent adjudicator Olivia van der Werff was asked to intervene by the mother and Rhea's answer on a Florence Nightingale question was eventually accepted Discussions: The decision to award Rhea an extra point meant she avoided a tie-break with fellow finalist Stephen, 12, and progressed to the head-to-head with nine-year-old Saffy Sonal, who has put her career on hold as an obstetrician to focus on her daughter's education, had already astonished viewers during the series with her pushy attitude and extreme competitiveness Independent adjudicator Olivia van der Werff agreed it had been too general and accepted Rhea's answer of Dr Duncan Menzies to the question, 'To which medical officer did Florence Nightingale report to in the Crimea?' The decision to award Rhea an extra point meant she avoided a tie-break with fellow finalist Stephen, 12, and progressed to the head-to-head with nine-year-old Saffy. The state school pupil from Surrey, who reads 40 books a month, had topped the leader board with her specialism on the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, monetary policy and tax reform, 1979-1990. In the final showdown, the two girls consistently matched one another's answers, and the camera frequently showed their steely glances across to each other between questions. Yet Rhea emerged victorious when, at nine points apiece, she correctly spelled eleemosynary, another word for charitable. Twitter was inundated with comments about the way Rhea's mother handled the situation THE QUESTIONS RHEA MASTERED What was the name of the artist who painted Harmony in Red? (Answer: Henri Matisse) In the navigational term GPS, what does the letter P stand for? (Answer: Positioning) In which year of the 18th century was America's Declaration of Independence? (Answer: 1776) The conflict between Britain and Spain which began in October 1739 was the so-called War of Jenkin's ___? (Answer: Ear) Three hydrogen atoms and one nitrogen atom make up one molecule of what? (Answer: Ammonia) Which British Prime Minister was a neighbour of the Nightingale family? (Answer: Lord Palmerston) Who, in a letter to the Duke of Cambridge, famously said of Nightingale 'I wish we had her in the war office'? (Answer: Queen Victoria) Advertisement Rivals: Rhea got her hands on the coveted trophy having spelt the words eleemosynary, polydactylous, anachronism and thelytokous to beat contenders Stephen and Georgia (pictured) Victory: En route to the final having beaten Jonathan (pictured) along the way, she had to answer a series of fiendish questions on her specialist subject, which covered the influence of Miss Nightingale on military and domestic healthcare reform from 1853 to 1914 Rhea even beat state school pupil Serafina (pictured) from Surrey, who reads 40 books a month, had topped the leader board with her specialism on 'the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, monetary policy and tax reform, 1979-1990' Following her victory, Rhea, who moved with her family from the US six years ago, revealed the intense preparation she and her parents put into the competition when saying: 'It has really been worth getting up early, going to sleep late, studying. It just feels really, really great.' Her parents were filmed telling her that winning is paramount and that she can only go to Oxford or Cambridge and the talented youngster seems to share their ambitions. In a previous episode, she said: 'I do think I could be the next Albert Einstein.' Last night she said: 'I don't want to be an ordinary kid. I think it is really cool to be a gifted child.' Ten-year-old Rhea (pictured) has been officially crowned the brightest child in Britain, after triumphing in a tense final of Child Genius The climax to the Channel 4 series was not without controversy as the competition adjudicators had to get involved when Rhea's mother intervened He's been enjoying a luxurious holiday in New Zealand with his girlfriend Anna Heinrich this week. But Tim Robards was flying solo when he attended the launch of Versace's new men's fragrance in Sydney on Tuesday night. The outing comes just hours after the 33-year-old was seen enjoying a private helicopter ride over the snowy mountains of Queenstown. Scroll down for video Flying solo: Tim Robards stepped out at a Versace fragrance launch in Sydney on Tuesday night, just hours after returning home from his New Zealand holiday The former Bachelor star swapped his ski boots for a dapper grey suit, which he teamed with a pastel lilac shirt. His red carpet get-up was completed with a silk pocket square and a pair of cognac dress shoes. Meanwhile, his salt-and-pepper locks were slicked back and styled with a side part. Dapper: The 33-year-old looked suave in a grey suit, paired with cognac dress shoes and a pastel shirt The buff star appeared right at home as he smiled and posed for the cameras, although he was unaware of visible stains on his suit jacket. Earlier in the day, the fitness enthusiast shared a glimpse of his adventure-filled getaway with Anna as the couple took a horse-back ride. 'Had a great conversation today about agro-diversity and local viticulture with my riding buddy...' Tim wrote alongside the postcard-worthy snap. Hours earlier: Before dressing up for the red carpet event, Tim was enjoying the last hours of his luxury holiday with a private helicopter ride over Queenstown Two days earlier, Tim appeared on Anna's social media in a photo of the enamoured duo enjoying a glass of wine at their hotel's bar. While the location appeared to be ripe for an impending engagement between the couple, who have been dating for more than three years since meeting on The Bachelor, a ring doesn't seem to be on the cards any time soon. Anna, 29, recently confirmed that the pair are in no rush to tie the knot, telling Be: 'Every relationship is different and for us we have just been getting to know each other every day'. Adventurous couple: Tim and his girlfriend Anna Heinrich were seen enjoying a ride on horse backs earlier in the day Last October, Tim revealed he did not want to propose on holiday when it's most expected and explained he hoped to be able to surprise his girlfriend. Chatting on The Daily Edition, the reality TV star appeared nervous as he told Sally Obermeder and Tom Williams on the topic of marriage: 'we're definitely getting closer'. 'I've gotta make something that's very left of centre, where she's not expecting it,' he said. Javi Marroquin is happy to be home after serving six months in the United States Air Force in Qatar. The Teen Mom 2 star, 23, shared his heartwarming return to his son Lincoln, two, and stepson Isaac, six, via Instagram on Monday. And his estranged wife Kailyn Lowry, 24, didn't hold back either when she posted the same photo with a sweet 'Welcome back!' message. Scroll down for video A soldier's homecoming: Teen Mom 2's Javi Marroquin got a warm welcome from son Lincoln, two, and stepson Isaac, six, after deployment from the U.S. Air Force in Qatar Javi was understandably emotional in the picture that showed him hugging Isaac with one arm and reaching out to his younger boy with the other. Even the family dog got involved in the homecoming, strolling over to Javi for a loving headlock as an MTV camera man captured the moment for, one would presume, a future episode. 'My world in one picture,' Javi wrote in the caption. Friendly exes: Kailyn Lowry, pictured with Javi and Isaac in 2015, posted a sweet 'Welcome home' message on Tuesday even though the couple split earlier this year Daddy's boys: Javi clearly adores Lincoln and Isaac, who is Kailyn's son with her ex and fellow Teen Mom 2 cast mate Jo Rivera Isaac brandished a 'Welcome Home' sign that he'd crafted with an assortment of crayons while Lincoln just smiled and reached out to his dad with both arms outstretched. Kailyn revealed in March that she was divorcing Javi, who was stationed overseas in the Arab country at the time. The couple share one son, Lincoln, and Isaac is Kailyn's son with her ex and fellow Teen Mom 2 cast mate Jo Rivera. Unconventional family: Kailyn (pictured with Javi and sons in 2015) said in a recent Teen Mom 2 reunion show that Isaac calls Javi 'Dad' They may not be blood-related, but Javi clearly adores Isaac. 'Thats a huge reason why I think were still together,' Kailyn said in the Teen Mom 2 reunion show - which aired in June three months after the split. 'Because Isaac, I mean, he calls Javi "dad." So yeah, that plays a big factor. I think about my mom... I probably had about eight stepdads as a kid.' Kailyn appeared to be just as relieved as her boys that Javi was home safely. She posted Javi's photo on Instagram with the caption: 'Welcome back! @javim9.' The couple wed in 2012. Massive fires rage in California Thousands of firefighters continued to battle huge wildfires in California on Monday, where a prolonged drought has left vegetation tinder-dry. At least one person has died in the blazes that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Since July 22, California has been threatened by blazes like the massive Soberanes fire which has charred 40,618 acres (16,437 hectares) north of Big Sur, one of the region's most popular tourist draws with its sharp cliffs rising above the Pacific Ocean. Flames blown by strong winds close in on homes at the Sand Fire on July 23 2016 near Santa Clarita, California David McNew (AFP/File) Authorities have sent almost 5,300 people to fight the wildfire, which so far has been just 18 percent contained, according to data from the state CalFire agency. The fire has destroyed 57 homes, and is threatening another 2,000 structures which has prompted authorities to evacuate thousands of residents. The driver of a bulldozer died last week while taking part in the fire battle. Another wildfire, the Goose fire, has been burning since Saturday in Fresno county. It now has blackened 1,798 acres and is just five percent contained. CalFire said high temperatures were making it rough going for the some 1,300 firefighters battling that blaze. But it's been good news for the Sand fire, in Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles. It scorched more than 41,000 acres square miles and forced more than 20,000 residents to flee before being brought under control. The outlook for fires in the most populous US state is not promising for now. The National Interagency Fire Center said Monday that "California will continue to see elevated potential due to long-term dryness. This will occasionally be amplified through the fall and early winter as offshore flow events become more common." Dry conditions have killed 65 million trees which increases the fire risk significantly, it added. US billionaire Buffett challenges Trump to reveal tax returns US billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump Monday to release his tax returns, a feat which the Republican presidential candidate has so far resisted. Trump has said he won't release the documents because he is under audit, which Buffett -- one of the world's richest men -- suggested is a weak excuse. "Now I've got news for him, I'm under audit too," Buffett said, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in Nebraska. "You're only afraid if you got something to be afraid about." Renowned investor Warren Buffett has called on US presidental candidate Donald Trump to come clean and release his tax returns Yuri Gripas (AFP/File) "He's afraid because of you," Buffett told the attendees. Buffett suggested he and Trump meet "any place, any time" before election day to publicly go over their tax records together. The business magnate also sharply criticized Trump for a recent dispute with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having "sacrificed nothing" for the country. In an interview aired on ABC Sunday, Trump insisted he had, in fact, made "a lot of sacrifices" for the United States. Buffett declared otherwise: "Donald Trump and I haven't sacrificed anything," he said, referencing Trump's remark. "How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" Airport chaos after typhoon Nida hits Hong Kong Hordes of angry passengers stranded after Typhoon Nida pummelled Hong Kong crowded the airport on Tuesday, desperately seeking flights as the city emerges from lockdown while the storm swept across southern China. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools and shops shut and the stock market closed for the day as the storm brought violent winds and torrential showers. Gusts of 151 kilometres (93 miles) per hour whipped the city and rain lashed down during the night, leaving three people injured and a trail of fallen trees and torn-down scaffolding. Workers attempt to secure bamboo scaffolding that was blown over in Hong Kong during a "T8" storm signal raised for Typhoon Nida Anthony Wallace (AFP) The storm triggered a Typhoon 8 signal -- the third-strongest category -- which was downgraded Tuesday as winds eased and the typhoon passed onto mainland China. But as the city's deserted streets began to come to life as buses and train services resumed, Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport was inundated with stranded passengers. An airport authority spokesman told AFP only 500 flights would run between 6:00 am and midnight local time on Tuesday (2200 GMT on Monday to 1600 GMT). On a normal day, the airport would handle 1,100 flights. More than 150 flights were cancelled Monday as Nida approached, leaving stranded passengers to sleep on the floor in the departure hall. Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair cancelled all of their flights in and out of Hong Kong for 16 hours, from 10:00 pm Monday until 2:00 pm Tuesday. But the backlog due to the peak summer period is such that Cathay has urged passengers booked on flights between Tuesday night and Wednesday to postpone or cancel "non-essential travel". - 'Don't go out to play!' - "Services remain strained...it has been a significant challenge as many flights are already operating at capacity," the airline said in a statement, apologising to its customers. Security guards prevented passengers without flights from reaching check-in desks Tuesday, redirecting them to another part of the airport to seek help from staff. Some complained that airline staff had not given them food vouchers or emergency accommodation despite lengthy waits. "The airline was giving inconsistent information. There was no announcement whatsoever about accommodation, food or the weather situation. It's chaotic," one passenger told local channel TVB. Another passenger from the Philippines told AFP he had not been provided with food or accommodation, despite being at the airport since 7:00 pm Monday. His flight has been rescheduled for 10:00 pm Tuesday. After sweeping past Hong Kong, Nida made landfall early Tuesday in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, with winds still blowing at up to 151 kilometres per hour. It was the strongest typhoon to hit the Pearl River delta in 30 years, the China News Service cited experts as saying. Shenzhen issued a red alert over rain -- the highest in a four-tiered warning system - after the downpours totalled more than 80 millimetres, China's meteorological bureau said. The city's port and the Shenzhen Bay Bridge connecting the mainland to Hong Kong were temporarily closed, CCTV said, with around 140 flights cancelled at its airport. In neighbouring Zhuhai, rainstorm warnings were upgraded to orange, the second-highest alert level, on Tuesday. Work was cancelled, scenic spots closed and city bus services stopped, the Guangzhou Daily said. A few people were still taking selfies on the oceanside boardwalk, prompting the provincial meteorological bureau to post on social media: "Warning once again that the wind is strong and the waves high by the seaside -- don't go out to the beach to play!" Nida brought strong winds and torrential rains to the northern Philippines over the weekend, while southern China has already been hard-hit by storms this summer. Super Typhoon Nepartak left at least 69 dead in July in the mainland's eastern province of Fujian -- despite being downgraded to a tropical storm. Typhoon Nida Fallen trees pictured in the aftermath of Typhoon Nida in Shenzhen, China's Guangdong province Hundreds of flights were axed after Typhoon Nida swept past Hong Kong late Monday evening Anthony Wallace (AFP) Kerry calls on Russia, Assad to "restrain" from offensive strikes US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged Russia to "restrain" itself and the government in Syria as fierce fighting there continues on the day he had hoped political transition could start. "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," he told journalists. Kerry said the government's attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Russia and the Syrian government to practice restraint and refrain from launching offensive operations Saul Loeb (AFP) "The target date was set with the agreement that the parties were going to be able to go to the talks and begin immediately to negotiate," he said. "But because of the continued offensive operations of the Assad regime, the opposition found it impossible to sit in Geneva and actually negotiate without the cessation of hostilities." President Bashar al-Assad's forces have surrounded rebel-held districts in the city of Aleppo, one of the main front lines in the conflict ravaging the country since 2011. Aleppo's southern edges have been ravaged by intense fighting in recent days as rebels seek to ease the government siege and cut off the regime's own access route into the rest of the northern province. Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of an international effort to bring Assad's regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups. Hopes for the existing peace process rest on a UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-country International Syria Support Group. Under the roadmap, signed by both Syria's ally Iran and Assad's pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire would precede Geneva-based talks on "political transition." The plan, endorsed by the UN in December, calls for the creation of a transitional body that should have taken place on August 1, followed by a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. "Almost all of the time, from the moment of the announcement of the target date until today, has been consumed by trying to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful," Kerry said, implicitly acknowledging the failure to meet the roadmap so far. "These are important days to determine whether or not Russia and the Assad regime are going to live up to the UN, live up to the cycle, or not," Kerry said. "And the evidence thus far is very, very troubling to everybody." Restoring medieval Tibetan shrines in Nepal's Himalayas Deep in the heart of a medieval monastery in Nepal's remote Upper Mustang region, the battle to restore sacred murals and preserve traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture is in full swing. Tsewang Jigme is among the artists toiling to safeguard the unique cultural heritage of this former Buddhist kingdom high on the Tibetan plateau, which escaped the ravages of the Cultural Revolution in neighbouring China. "These murals are irreplaceable... I feel nervous every time I touch them, I know I need to work very carefully so as not to do any harm to them," the 32-year-old painter told AFP. Artist Tsewang Jigme is battling to restore sacred murals and preserve traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture in Nepal's remote Upper Mustang region Prakash Mathema (AFP) Upper Mustang only opened to outsiders in 1992 and its murals, scriptures and cave paintings provide a rare window into early Buddhism. The region's Lo Gekar monastery was established by the founder of Tibetan Buddhism and predates the oldest temple complex built in Tibet, which was severely damaged in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution. But wind and rain eroded the mud walls of monuments and rotted wooden ceiling beams, while smoke from ceremonial butter lamps turned luminous frescos black. - 'Irreplaceable' - A decade ago, two chortens -- Buddhist shrines believed to protect communities from misfortune -- in the village of Ghemi were close to collapse. One was in such a poor state that children were using it as a playground and had broken interior painted slate panels. "The shrine was already in such bad shape, the children had no idea that it was special and deserved respect," said Raju Bista, treasurer of the local non-profit Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation. In 2008, the foundation, which is headed by the former king of Upper Mustang, received nearly $23,000 in US government funding to restore monuments, including Ghemi's chortens. "The rich cultural heritage here is irreplaceable and the monuments are made of mud, of paint, of wood and can easily fade away and frankly be gone forever," said US ambassador to Nepal, Alaina B. Teplitz. "I think that would be a loss for the people of Nepal but (also) for the world at large," she told AFP. The two-year-long restoration involved more than 100 workers and craftsmen, who cleaned the monuments, rebuilt the walls, replaced rotting timber beams and repaired the carvings. When a massive earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 nationwide and destroying around half a million homes, Ghemi was unscathed, prompting devout villagers to say that the restored shrines had protected them. Other monuments fared less well. Jampa Lhakhang, a 15th-century monastery famous for having the world's largest collection of mandalas (Buddhist cosmic designs) painted on its walls, was severely damaged. The earthquake weakened many medieval structures in Upper Mustang's walled capital of Lo Manthang, including the monastery and the former king's five-storey palace. It also ruptured the main drainage system, allowing water to penetrate monastery walls and raising the risk of mould. - Damaged by quake - The quake caused layers of plaster to separate and crack into pieces at the Jampa Lhakhang, where shards of 500-year-old frescos still litter the floors. The proposed restoration work will shore up the structure by injecting plaster and glue into the walls and will be overseen by the American Himalayan Foundation, which has worked in the region since 1998. The murals will then be cleaned and retouched, a practice frowned on by some western conservationists. The local Loba community, however, believe it is better to pray to undamaged images of the Buddha, and see it as their duty to keep them in good repair. That means artists like Jigme, who has spent years working to preserve Upper Mustang's murals, play a critical role. It is a painstaking process that involves grinding gemstones like lapis lazuli and malachite into a fine powder that is mixed with water and animal glue to create pigments. "Compared to Tibet, where so much was destroyed, we have been very lucky," Jigme said, recalling his visits to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in China's Sichuan province a decade ago. Jigme was part of a team working to restore murals covered by thick layers of mud, put there by villagers to keep the paintings safe during a failed 1959 uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. "It took a long time to remove the mud but slowly the face of god revealed itself... and all the old villagers watching us began to cry," he said. "They did whatever they could to save those paintings... now we have to do whatever we can to protect our heritage." Upper Mustang only opened to outsiders in 1992 and its murals, scriptures and cave paintings provide a rare window into early Buddhism Prakash Mathema (AFP) Nepalese artists restore sacred murals in a monastry in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang Prakash Mathema (AFP) Gyalpo Jigme Foundation treasurer Raju Bista poses in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang Prakash Mathema (AFP) Suspended jail sentence for China protester A Chinese court on Tuesday handed a rights activist a three year suspended jail sentence for organising street demonstrations, state media said, the latest conviction in a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Zhai Yanmin was convicted of "subverting state power" for acts including waving banners and shouting slogans in four protests since 2014, the official Xinhua news agency cited a court in the northern city of Tianjin as saying. Zhai was held more than a year ago in a sweeping crackdown which saw more than 200 lawyers who had taken on civil rights cases considered sensitive by China's ruling Communist Party and activists held for questioning. China's President Xi Jinping has overseen a tightening of controls on civil society since assuming power in 2012, closing avenues for legal activism Greg Baker (AFP/File) About a dozen remain under arrest on "state subversion" charges. Zhai, who was unemployed, was the first of the group to be convicted, with further trials expected this week. China's President Xi Jinping has overseen a tightening of controls on civil society since assuming power in 2012, closing avenues for legal activism which emerged in recent years. The court ruled that "though illegal and provocative assemblies in public places" Zhai had "attacked the national legal system", Xinhua said. Together with several human rights lawyers he had "plotted to overthrow state power, adopting a systematic style of government-overthrowing thought", it added. Evidence presented at the trial, which apparently lasted only a few hours, included banners, books and "audio and video recordings", Xinhua said, without giving their provenance. Zhai's wife Li Ermin was put under house arrest early Tuesday and could not attend the trial, a close friend told AFP. Police surrounded the courthouse in Tianjin for the verdict, turning away foreign media hoping to report on the case. In an unusual move, four Hong Kong media outlets were permitted inside, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper said. The sentence, relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions, came after Zhai "admitted" to prosecutors' accusations in court, Xinhua said. He also provided testimony implicating prominent human rights lawyers including Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping in state subversion, Xinhua said. Zhou -- the director of the Fengrui law firm at the centre of the crackdown last July -- will also go on trial on subversion charges this week, the SCMP said. Another prominent Fengrui attorney, Wang Yu, who was detained over a year ago, has been released on bail, a Hong Kong TV channel said Monday, as it showed her praising her jailers. It was not clear whether Zhai had been released following the verdict. Authorities in Tianjin could not be reached for comment. Flash Government of Malaysia, Australia and China announced on Friday that search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 would be suspended upon completion of the current search area, but promised to resume search should new evidence emerge. The announcement was made following a tripartite meeting attended by transport ministers of the three countries in Malaysia. Despite the discovery to some debris, a joint search effort has not yet found the main body of the aircraft in the south Indian Ocean, where it has presumably ended its journey. In a joint communique, the three ministers said none of the debris had provided information that positively identified the precise location of the aircraft. With less than 10,000 square kilometers out of the 120,000 square kilometer high priority search area remaining to be searched, the ministers acknowledged that "the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading." "Ministers agreed that should the aircraft not be located in the current search area, and in the absence of credible new evidence leading to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft, the search would not end, but be suspended upon completion of the 120,000 square kilometer search area, " according to the joint communique. But officials said the three governments committed to find the aircraft, stressing that "suspension does not mean the termination of the search." "Should credible new information emerge which can be used to identify the specific location of the aircraft, consideration will be given in determining next step." Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, most of them being Chinese nationals. Japan warns China over territorial aggression Beijing risks triggering unintended conflict with Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan warned Tuesday in an annual security assessment. China's sweeping claims over the strategic South China Sea, where it has built a series of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations despite overlapping claims from other nations, have stoked international alarm. The region's superpower "continues to act in an assertive manner" and its actions "include dangerous acts that could cause unintended consequences," Tokyo said in a defence white paper. Chinese fighter jets flew across the Miyako Strait yesterday in what was perceived by the Japanese as a show of aggressive intent FILE PHOTO Beijing is under pressure to respect a UN-backed tribunal's finding last month that there is no legal basis for its ambitions over the resource-rich South China Sea where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others also lay claims. The white paper said China was "poised to fulfill its unilateral demands without compromise" including efforts "to turn these coercive changes to the status quo into a fait accompli". And it again called on Beijing to abide by the ruling of the tribunal, which China has denounced as a fraud. Japan also expressed concern over increased activity in the East China Sea, where the two countries have competing claims over a group of small uninhabited islets called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. "Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku Islands, such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands," it said. In the year to March 2016, Japan's air force scrambled jets 571 times against Chinese planes flying near Japanese air space, an increase of 107 from the previous year, it added. In June Japan accused China of sending a spy ship into its territorial waters as Tokyo conducted a joint exercise with the United States and India. And last month the two countries were at loggerheads over accusations Japanese warplanes locked their fire control radar onto Chinese aircraft. Beijing sparked alarm after it unilaterally established an air defence identification zone in the East China Sea in 2013, demanding all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in February that China's military presence in the South China Sea was increasing the risk of "miscalculation or conflict" between regional countries. A US warship in May sailed close to a disputed reef Beijing has built up into an artificial island, prompting China to express "dissatisfaction and opposition". Japan's white paper also highlighted concerns over North Koreas nuclear programme, saying it was possible it has "achieved the miniaturisation of nuclear weapons and has developed nuclear warheads". Since carrying out a fourth nuclear test in January, North Korea has claimed it miniaturised a nuclear warhead to fit on a missile and successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland. South Korea's Park gets personal in US missile system row President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday evoked memories of her parents' assassination as she hit back at opposition to the planned deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system in South Korea. The defence ministry announced last month that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, will be installed in Seongju -- a rural county about 200 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of Seoul -- by the end of next year. The decision was predicated on the growing threat posed by North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme. Thousands of South Korean residents hold up banners reading "We absolutely oppose THAAD deployment" during a July rally YONHAP (YONHAP/AFP/File) Protesting Seongju residents have alleged that the system's powerful radar poses health and environmental hazards, while opposition lawmakers have been less than supportive of the move. At a cabinet meeting Park voiced frustration at the objections to what she insisted was an "unchangeable" decision to deploy the system. "If we cannot take basic defensive steps like deploying THAAD, how can we protect the country and the people?" she said in remarks posted on her official website. "I have lost my parents in the most excruciatingly painful way. My only remaining calling is to safeguard the country and people from various threats," she added. Park's father, the former president and military strongman Park Chung-Hee, was shot dead by his own intelligence chief in 1979. Her mother was killed in 1974 during an earlier assassination attempt on her father by a North Korean sympathiser. Park Geun-Hye never married or had children and once proclaimed herself wedded to the nation and its welfare. While promising to listen to the complaints of the Seongju residents, the president warned against listening to "strange and groundless rumours rather than scientific evidence" about the THAAD deployment. "I ask the political circle to gather their wisdom and efforts to prevent internal division and conflict," she added. Tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have been running high since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a series of ballistic missile tests. North Korea has threatened to take "physical action" against the THAAD deployment, saying any South Korean ports and airfields hosting US military "hardware" would become a target. Atheists urge Australians 'don't be Jedi' for census Atheists are urging Australians not to describe themselves as "Jedi" in the upcoming census, warning that doing so in homage to "Star Wars" makes the country appear more religious than it really is. Ahead of the August 9 five-year census, the Atheist Foundation of Australia has requested citizens mark themselves down as having "no religion" if they do not consider themselves tied to a faith. "If old religious men in robes do not represent you... don't mark yourself as 'Jedi'," says a campaign poster featuring Yoda and two other Jedi masters. Jedi numbers dropped in the 2006 Australian census to 58,053 but bounced back five years later to 64,390 Bill Wechter (AFP/File) "'Jedi' and other joke religions are not placed in the 'No Religion' category but in 'Not Defined'. This makes Australia seem more religious than it really is." Foundation president Kylie Sturgess said she was encouraging people "to be counted as what they are". "Our attitude is, well here's an opportunity to have a say on the census; pop down what you are," she told AFP. "Maybe 'no religion' suits you, maybe you are someone who has drifted away from the church. "But unfortunately 'Jedi' is just not an option on the census." The joke arose years ago when an email campaign wrongly claimed that if 8,000 people put themselves down as Jedi it would have to be officially recognised as a religion. At the 2001 Australian census, more than 70,500 people listed their faith as "Jedi knight" or something similar, which would indicate the country had nearly as many believers in the "Force" as it had members of the Salvation Army. "Whether or not people took the claim seriously, it was the start of a reporting phenomenon that gained speed internationally," the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in 2013, adding that New Zealand, Canada, England and Wales subsequently reported large Jedi contingents. Jedi numbers dropped in the 2006 Australian census to 58,053 but bounced back five years later to 64,390. Sturgess admits that she has put down Jedi as a "bit of a laugh" in the past. "But the fact is that the ABS just doesn't count it, they consider it 'not defined'," she said, adding "the joke is kinda getting a bit old". Australian statisticians could instead follow Britain's example. In the 2001 England and Wales census, 390,000 people, or 0.7 percent of the population, entered their religion as "Jedi" but they were included among the atheists. Michael Douglas's son leaves prison after 7 years: media The eldest son of actor Michael Douglas has been released from prison after serving seven years for drug trafficking, and is now in a halfway house in New York, US media reported on Monday. Cameron Douglas, 37, was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison for possession and sale of methamphetamine. His sentence was extended by two years in solitary confinement after he admitted smuggling drugs into the prison. Cameron, Michael Douglas's son with his first wife Diandra Luker, was originally set to be released in 2018 but is currently living at a rehabilitation center in New York, EOnline and ABC News reported. The Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas visited his son in prison regularly, who was released after serving seven years for drug trafficking Fabrice Coffrini (AFP/File) Cameron Douglas now plans to write a tell-all book describing his life as heir to one of the most respected Hollywood dynasties and how drugs led him to prison, according to the New York Post's gossip section "Page Six." The Oscar-winning actor visited his son in prison regularly. He criticized the US penal system when accepting an Emmy Award for playing the role of the pianist Liberace in the TV movie "Behind the Candelabra" in 2013. "At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but Ive reached a point now where Im disappointed with the system," he said. "If you happen to have a slip, they punish you. In my sons case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement." Libyan unity forces fight IS in Sirte Libyan pro-government forces battled to retake territory in the Islamic State group stronghold Sirte on Wednesday, but faced fierce resistance from jihadist snipers and mines. Fighters allied to Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), supported by US air strikes, are trying to retake the coastal city -- hometown of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi -- from IS which has controlled it since June 2015. The loss of Sirte would be a major blow to the jihadist group, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq. Smoke billows from buildings after the air force from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) fired rockets targeting Islamic State group positions in Sirte, in July 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File) "Our forces... are trying to strengthen their advance with the support of ongoing American air strikes that have given momentum to the military operation," said Reda Issa, a spokesman for forces loyal to Libya's unity government. American warplanes carried out seven strikes against IS positions in Sirte on Monday and Tuesday at the GNA's request, but Issa did not say whether further strikes took place on Wednesday. GNA forces have been battling to oust jihadists -- who seized control of the town in the chaos following the fall of Kadhafi -- since May 12. They entered the city on June 9 and have so far retaken the city's port, international airport, an air base and a hospital. But their advance slowed as IS hit back with sniper fire, car bombs and suicide attacks. "There are targets that are hard to hit because they are among the houses," said Issa. "American air strikes, which are very accurate, will help to destroy those targets," he added. - US strikes show 'contempt' - The country's rival government based in the east condemned the US air strikes, slamming them as a political move by the GNA to sure up their hold on power. A spokesman for forced linked to the Tobruk parliament Ahmed al-Mesmari slammed the US support as "political attempt by (GNA head Fayez) Serraj to achieve political gains". Two rival governments are competing for authority in Libya -- the GNA, based in Tripoli, recognised by the international community, and the elected House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk, which has refused to endorse the unity government. On Tuesday the Tobruk parliament summoned the Tunis-based US ambassador to protest, saying it expected a written or verbal response if he could not attend in person. Dar al-Ifta, the highest religious authority in the country, which does not recognise the GNA, also condemned the US air strikes against IS. It said the raids showed "contempt for the many sacrifices of the martyrs" and were a violation of Libya's sovereignty. The Tobruk administration faces its own fight with jihadists. For two years, Libya's second city Benghazi has been the scene of daily clashes between the forces of General Khalifa Haftar, who is aligned with the Tobruk-based authorities, and a militia alliance known as the Revolutionary Shura Council. On Tuesday evening, 23 fighters allied with the House of Representatives were killed in a suicide attack in Benghazi, a medical source in the eastern city told AFP. - 'Support to limit losses' - US President Barack Obama defended the air campaign on Tuesday, saying defeating the jihadists there was in America's national interest. Obama has said that American air strikes serve the national security interests of the US and its European allies. Washington has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq since 2014, with the aim of "destroying" the group, which has carried out atrocities throughout the areas it controls. Washington has launched several strikes against IS in Libya in recent months. In November US bombing in the eastern city of Derna killed a jihadist who Washington said was the most senior IS commander in Libya. The fight for Sirte has taken its toll on GNA forces. More than 300 have been killed and 1,500 wounded, according to medical sources in Misrata, 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Tripoli, where the GNA's command centre is located. A spokesman for the GNA forces told AFP: "We asked for (US) support to limit our losses". "We have had more than 100 amputations, numerous clinical deaths and gravely wounded," Mohamad Ghassri said. The GNA decided to seek help from the US air force instead of buying intelligent weapons for its own warplanes because of the UN arms embargo on Libya since 2011, Ghassri said. Italy's defence minister Roberta Pinotti said Wednesday that Rome was "positively" considering a request from the US to use its airbases and airspace for strikes in Libya to boost the fight against IS. US launches air raids against Islamic State group in Libya Fighters from the Libyan unity government entered the coastal city of Sirte on June 9 Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File) A Libyan pro-regime fighter prays next to an armed vehicle on the outskirts of Sirte, on July 18, 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File) Russian strikes slow rebel assault in Syria's Aleppo The Syrian regime's key ally Russia launched heavy air strikes overnight on the outskirts of divided Aleppo city, slowing a "last-chance" assault by rebels seeking to break a government siege. The assault began on Sunday and is intended to ease the encirclement of the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, where an estimated 250,000 residents have been under regime siege since July 17. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described it as the largest rebel attack in Aleppo since 2012, when fighting left the city roughly divided between opposition control in the east and regime forces in the west. Opposition fighters fire shells from their position in Aleppo's southern countryside, towards regime positions on July 31, 2016 Omar Haj Kadour (AFP/File) But government troops backed by Russian warplanes have put up a fierce defence, the monitor said. "The Russian raids didn't stop all night on the front lines" there, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "This has slowed the offensive and allowed regime troops to retake five of the eight positions that rebels had taken since Sunday," he added. The strikes came despite an appeal by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday for Russia to "restrain" itself and its ally in Damascus from "offensive operations". Kerry said regime attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. Moscow blasted criticism by Washington over its actions. - New route - "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti agency. The Aleppo offensive groups fighters from Fateh al-Sham Front, formerly Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, the powerful Islamist Ahrar al-Sham and other factions. The Observatory said 50 rebels and allied jihadists had been killed since it began, as well as dozens of regime troops. Six people also died and 10 were wounded by mortar fire on regime-controlled districts of southwest Aleppo, it said. The official SANA agency said five people died. The route used by regime forces and civilians living in government-controlled parts of Aleppo runs through Ramussa, on its southwest outskirts, the main target of the rebel assault. Its capture would both cut off government forces and open a new route into the city for rebels. The Observatory said at least 30 civilians had also been killed since Sunday in opposition bombardment of government-held southwestern districts of Aleppo. "This battle is the last chance for rebels. If they lose, it will be difficult for them to launch a new assault to break the siege," Abdel Rahman said. "For the regime also, it's a question of life or death. They've been preparing for this battle for months and it'll be a tough blow for its troops if they lose." Residents in east Aleppo have reported food shortages and rising prices since government troops seized the last remaining road into opposition-held districts of the city on July 17. - 'Chlorine attack' - Elsewhere in Aleppo province, the Observatory said at least 11 people were killed in air strikes believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes on the rebel-held town of Atareb. In the town of Saraqeb, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Aleppo, 24 people suffered breathing difficulties after a barrel bomb attack, the Observatory said. Residents said the attack had used chlorine gas, but the monitor could not confirm this. The incident took place close to where Russia said on Monday one of its military helicopters was shot down over Idlib province, killing the five people on board. Last week Russia announced the opening of "humanitarian corridors" to allow residents and surrendering fighters to flee eastern Aleppo for government-held territory. This was met with scepticism by both residents and some internationally, and 35 NGOs in a statement on Tuesday called the initiative "deeply flawed". The groups, including Save the Children and Oxfam, urged implementation of a UN call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo. But Damascus and Moscow say some residents and fighters have begun using the passages and Syrian state media reported Tuesday that "dozens of families" had crossed from the east. In the north, meanwhile, the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces alliance backed by US-led coalition air strikes advanced Tuesday in the jihadist stronghold of Manbij, where it now controls 60 percent of the town, the Observatory said. Syria's conflict has killed more than 280,000 people and drawn in world powers on both sides since it erupted in March 2011. Jihadists and rebel groups have launched a major assault on the southern edges of Aleppo Syrian civil defence workers look for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building following reported air strikes in a rebel-controlled neighbourhood of Aleppo Thaer Mohammed (AFP/File) Aleppo's escape corridors Bangladesh offers reward for top missing Islamists Bangladesh police offered a reward on Tuesday for two top Islamists accused of spearheading the rise of extremism in the country, which is reeling from a mass killing at a Dhaka cafe. Police announced a two million taka ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury, who disappeared after allegedly masterminding the cafe attack. Chowdhury is accused of heading a faction of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) homegrown militant group, blamed for scores of murders of members of religious minorities. A sign of solidarity is placed near the restaurant where a bloody siege ended in the death of seventeen foreigners and five Bangladeshis, in Dhaka on July 5, 2016 Roberto Schmidt (AFP) Police are also searching for sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq and offering a similar reward. He is accused of heading a second Islamist group, Ansar al Islam, suspected of killing a series of secular bloggers and activists. "We are trying to arrest them. We believe if they are brought to justice.... we can eliminate extremism from the country," national police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters. Authorities are under great pressure to crack down on extremism in Muslim-majority Bangladesh after a recent increase in gruesome attacks. Five gunmen stormed an upscale cafe in the capital on July 1. They killed 20 mainly foreign hostages and two police officers in Bangladesh's deadliest single militant attack of recent years. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the cafe siege, releasing images of the carnage and a photo of the attackers posing with its black flag. Hoque reiterated that police have no evidence of IS involvement, saying "these are homegrown extremists. They are mainly JMB members" who sympathised with the IS jihadist group. Hoque said 30-year-old Tamim planned the attack on the cafe after returning from living in Canada in 2013. Releasing details of the second wanted Islamist, a senior police officer told AFP that Haq was sacked from the army in 2011 for his role in a failed military coup. Authorities say the two homegrown extremist groups have been responsible for killing at least 80 people over the last three years, including foreigners. Hoque defended police progress in tracking down those behind the mayhem, saying officers "have arrested 172 people for their involvement in the incidents". The rewards were posted as the education ministry ordered the closure of several schools reportedly linked to radical Indian preacher Zakir Naik as well as members of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The schools were operating "without any permission" from authorities, ministry spokesman Mohammad Saifullah said in a statement, as the government tries to halt suspected radicalisation of students. Anger as Hong Kong pro-independence leader barred from polls A high-profile Hong Kong pro-independence leader said Tuesday he had been barred from standing in upcoming parliamentary elections -- the latest candidate backing separation from mainland China to be disqualified. The apparent ban for Edward Leung, of the Hong Kong Indigenous party, from the September vote came despite him signing a controversial new form declaring Hong Kong is an "inalienable" part of China. Critics have slammed the new stipulation by electoral authorities as political censorship and an attempt to deter prospective candidates from advocating self-determination or independence from Beijing. Edward Leung of the Hong Kong Indigenous party, speaks to reporters outside the High Court on July 27, 2016 Anthony Wallace (AFP) Some activists are calling for more distance or even a complete breakaway from the mainland as fears grow that freedoms in the semi-autonomous city are disappearing due to Beijing interference. Campaigners, including Leung, have challenged the declaration form in court and at least 13 prospective candidates have refused to sign it. Leung, 25, eventually signed last week, despite his open advocacy for an independent Hong Kong, in the hope the authorities would validate his candidacy. But he said he had been barred from standing. "This election is a dark election, an election that is being controlled," Leung told reporters late Tuesday. "Every day Communist China rules (Hong Kong)... I won't be able to enter the Legislative Council. So what else can I do? Revolution!" His party accused the electoral commission of "trampling the will of the people, abusing administrative power and giving up political neutrality". "There is no way the crime of selecting candidates according to political goals can be easily forgiven," it said in a statement. The statement added a government officer handling Leung's case had explained she did not believe he had changed his pro-independence stance when notifying him by email that his application had been unsuccessful. Leung later walked into a government briefing for election candidates and raised his middle finger at the speakers before departing to cheers and chanting from hundreds of supporters outside, some of whom wore balaclavas. Other pro-democracy politicians also walked out of the meeting carrying banners saying "Defend fair elections". The founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, Andy Chan, was one of three other hopefuls barred in recent days from standing in the September vote. Chan had refused to sign the declaration form. The other two prospective candidates disqualified were also part of the "localist" movement, which is pushing for more autonomy for Hong Kong after mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win political reform. Beijing and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said advocating independence goes against the city's mini constitution, known as the Basic Law, and that independence activists could face legal consequences. Various government departments including the electoral office made no comment Tuesday. Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997 under an arrangement that guarantees civil liberties unseen on the mainland. Taiwan's ex-leader Ma in court over libel case Taiwan's former president Ma Ying-jeou made his first appearance in court Tuesday in a long-running libel case against a commentator who claimed he had taken illicit political donations. It comes as Ma himself faces a series of cases brought by political rivals now that his presidential immunity has ended. Those cases make a range of allegations, including accusing Ma of leaking political secrets, failing to declare assets and benefiting a company in a controversial stadium construction project. Taiwan's former president, Ma Ying-jeou, denies that he accepted $6.25 million in political donations from a company seeking favours Sam Yeh (AFP/File) Ma served as president for two terms, from 2008 to May this year when he handed the reins to rival Tsai Ing-wen. He made no statements during Tuesday's hearing at the High Court, which has been reviewing his appeal after a district court cleared commentator and radio show host Clara Chou. Outside court he denied that he had accepted Tw$200 million ($6.25 million) in political donations from a company seeking favours. Ma filed defamation lawsuits in 2014 against Chou for alleging that he accepted illicit political donations from food giant Ting Hsin International Group, which has been hit by a string of safety scandals. "I did not accept Tw$200 million in political donations from Ting Hsin or benefit (the company). This is very clear," Ma told reporters. Chou accused him of accepting under-the-table funds to act as the firm's "guardian", an allegation which sparked public anger following the scandals. Ma firmly rejected the allegation, saying his government fully investigated the company's alleged involvement and indicted dozens of people. Chou was cleared by Taipei district court last December on the ground of freedom of expression. Ma won the leadership in 2008 with the biggest landslide in Taiwan's democratic history, favoured by a public fed up with the scandals of his predecessor Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who was jailed for corruption. Iraq PM bans travel by officials accused of corruption Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has imposed a travel ban on several parliamentary officials accused of corruption, his office said Tuesday, but the parliament speaker rejected the order. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi on Monday told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. Abadi ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those accused, in order "to investigate the validity of the allegations", a statement from his office said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Iraq's anti-corruption commission to investigate allegations against several lawmakers Adam Berry (AFP/File) But Juburi rejected the travel ban, saying this could only be ordered by the judiciary and calling for everyone to respect both it and the constitution. "The decision to prohibit the travel of any citizen who carries an Iraqi passport is one of the exclusive prerogatives of the Iraqi judiciary," his office said in a statement. The members of parliament accused by Obeidi included Alia Nasayif, who has herself brought corruption allegations against the minister. The other two are Mohammed al-Karbouli and Hanan al-Fatlawi. It was unclear if the travel prohibition applied to Obeidi. Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi declined to give the names of the officials affected by the ban or to clarify whether or not it applied to Obeidi. Obeidi's official Facebook page outlined his allegations, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. Another post charged that Juburi and three lawmakers, including Nasayif, had blackmailed Obeidi "for the purpose of passing corrupt deals and contracts at the expense of Iraqi blood". Obeidi's official Twitter account also said he had revealed the "names of MPs and politicians who practise acts of blackmail against him to pass corrupt contracts, among them the (speaker) of parliament". Monday's session broke down after Obeidi's accusations, which Juburi then denied at a press conference. Abadi on Monday ordered Iraq's anti-corruption commission to investigate the allegations and to work on the issue with a parliamentary committee. The row surrounding the defence minister comes as Iraq prepares for a drive to retake second city Mosul, the biggest operation yet in the country's war against the Islamic State group. The acrimony follows weeks of deadlock over Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet earlier this year. Flash A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that Britain will continue to seek a stronger relationship with China, Reuters reported. The statement came following British new cabinet's decision last week to delay the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant program, which has raised concerns about its openness towards foreign investment. May's spokeswoman said it was natural for the incoming government to want to look at the plans in detail, adding that Britain still valued its ties with China. "With the role that China has to play on world affairs, on the global economy, on a whole range of international issues, we are going to continue to seek a strong relationship with China," the spokeswoman said, as quoted by Reuters. Asked whether national security would play a part in the review of the Hinkley Point nuclear project, the spokeswoman declined to comment on the review process. Britain has cast doubt on the 24-billion-U.S.-dollar project with French utility EDF to build Britain's first new nuclear plant in decades, delaying a final decision on the plan just weeks after May took office as prime minister. "The UK needs a reliable and secure energy supply and the government believes that nuclear energy is an important part of the mix," Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said in a statement Friday, adding that the government will consider carefully all the component parts of this project and make its decision in the early autumn. The new nuclear power station would be Britain's first since Sizewell B opened in 1995 and is considered vital in helping the country meet its energy requirements. The project is expected to offer thousands of jobs for local people while bridging the electricity gap left by the closure of all coal-fired plants in Britain as of 2025, with 7 percent of electricity supply guaranteed nationwide. Myanmar tourism boom set to bring 7.5m visitors a year Myanmar is hoping to lure 7.5 million tourists a year by 2019, an official said Tuesday, as the impoverished former junta-ruled nation emerges as one of Southeast Asia's hot destinations. Travel to the once-cloistered country used to be reserved for the well-heeled and intrepid, prepared to endure the travails of a country under military rule with patchy electricity and limited communications. But foreign tourists have flocked in since the country began opening up in 2011, with a celebrities such as pop stars Beyonce and Jay Z helping to popularise the message that the country is open for visitors. Myanmar is on track to welcome 5.5 million tourists this year, when it only welcomed a little of 2 million in 2013 Soe Than Win (AFP/File) This year Myanmar is on track to welcome 5.5 million tourists, nearly a million more than 2015, Tint Thwin, director-general of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told AFP. "We hope the number will grow to 7.5 million tourists per year within three years," he said on the sidelines of a major tourism conference in Yangon. "We will try to find new destinations for tourists to visit and we will also support community-based tourism," he said in an effort to raise incomes in one of Asia's poorest countries. In comparison, neighbouring Thailand -- a regional tourism behemoth -- received 30 million visitors last year, offering a tantalising glimpse of the riches to be made. Curiosity in Myanmar's culture and natural beauty has surged in recent years in lockstep with the rollback of most international sanctions and the ascension of Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power. But challenges remain. Hotels are expensive and often do not meet the standards of more traveller-friendly countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. There have also been a number of incidents where tourist behaviour has clashed with Myanmar's conservative culture. A Spanish tourist was deported last month for sporting a tattoo of the Buddha on his leg in the Buddhist-majority country, while authorities are struggling to prevent the surging visitor numbers from damaging the vast Bagan temple site. Myanmar travel groups are also hoping to attract wealthier package tours to provide year-round jobs. India appeals for help for baby rhinos rescued in floods Indian wildlife officers appealed on Tuesday for help in caring for eight rare baby rhinos feared orphaned by recent deadly floods in the remote northeast. Rescue teams in boats have pulled the stranded rhinos from floodwaters which have hit India's famed Kaziranga National Park, home to the world's largest population of the one-horned animals. Rathin Barman, deputy director of the Wildlife Trust of India, said they were now struggling to feed and care for the rhinos, aged from one to eight months. Rescue teams in boats have pulled the stranded rhinos from floodwaters which have hit India's famed Kaziranga National Park, home to the world's largest population of the one-horned animals Subhamoy Bhattacharjee, Subhamoy Bhattacharjee (IFAW-WTI/AFP) "Some of them are injured and are being treated by our staff in the rescue centre. We are right now hand-raising them, providing them formula milk and essential vitamins," Barman told AFP. "We will release them only after two years," he added of the eight. "We appeal to the public to donate money for the upkeep of the rescued babies. They drink six packs of milk a day which costs 1,500 rupees ($23) and this will continue for a minimum of one year," he said. It was unclear whether the calves were left orphaned by the floods or were separated from their mothers as the beasts tried to flee to higher ground. Seventeen adult rhinos along with deer and other animals have been found drowned in Kaziranga, a 430-square-kilometre (166-square-mile) protected area of forest in the state of Assam. "It is sad that we lost about 17 rhinos in the floods this time, which is something unprecedented," Assam forest minister Pramilla Rani Brahma told AFP on Tuesday. The park, home to about 2,500 rhinos, draws scores of tourists and was visited by Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate during their official tour of India earlier this year. Barman said he feared more rhinos would need assistance once waters receded in the park, which has been stripped of vegetation by the floods. The floods that hit the region every year have killed at least 24 people in Assam and left another 2.3 million homeless in recent days, said state flood control minister Keshab Mahanta. Rights groups call on UN to condemn Philippine drug killings Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. Police figures show that over 400 drug suspects have been killed a month into Rodrigo Duterte's presidency Ted Aljibe (AFP/File) "Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed," said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. "Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot." The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and "demand an end to the atrocities." De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. "We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction. This is the compulsion for more killing," said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation's human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte's apparent support of extra-judicial killings. Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte's presidency. The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. Duterte's campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished country Sri Lanka withdraws freehold land offer to China Sri Lanka said Tuesday it was withdrawing permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land being reclaimed under a $1.4 billion port project after India objected. Instead it will grant the state-owned construction company a 99-year lease on the land next to the port in Colombo, under a new agreement. "India had a big concern about giving freehold land to China near the Colombo harbour," government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters. The government has put the $1.4 billion port project on hold pending a review of all the big-ticket agreements signed under the previous administration Ishara S.Kodikara (AFP/File) "We have amended the agreement. There will be no freehold land but it will be on a 99-year lease." The government had put the project on hold pending a review of all the big-ticket agreements signed under the previous administration of Mahinda Rajapakse. The former president relied heavily on Chinese investment to rebuild the country's infrastructure after the end of the island's decades-long ethnic war in May 2009, a move which some say alienated India. The Chinese-funded port was also controversial among environmentalists. Senaratne said the developers had agreed to drop a proposed Formula One track and increase public park space, and environmental safeguards would be put in place. The project is being funded by China Communications Construction Company and was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014 during a visit to Colombo. Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests. But Senaratne said the government had decided to go ahead with the project under new terms. Colombo would set up an offshore banking centre to compete with Dubai and Singapore, he said. The reclamation represents the biggest-ever single foreign investment in Sri Lanka. It will add 269 hectares (672 acres) of real estate in the congested capital, which has a population of over 650,000. Once completed, the Chinese will have 108 hectares (266 acres) on a 99-year lease for commercial development. Earlier, 20 hectares of that was to be on a freehold basis. Under the agreement, the Sri Lankan government will get 62 hectares (153 acres) and the rest will be public parks and access roads. China, the largest single lender to Sri Lanka, secured contracts to build roads, railways and ports under Rajapakse, who is under investigation over allegations of corruption during his decade in power. The administration of President Maithripala Sirisena says the terms negotiated by the previous government were unfavourable. But it has still decided to go ahead with many of the Chinese-funded projects. Nepal's Maoist leader to be next prime minister The leader of Nepal's Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after K.P. Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. "We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister's post," deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Former Nepalese Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal led a decade-long insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal Bikash Karki (AFP/File) Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one", led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2008, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli's coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. The Maoists and Nepali Congress are in talks with United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) -- an alliance of protesting parties -- in an attempt to secure their votes. "The talks so far have been positive and we are inclined to support him in the election tomorrow," said Lal Babu Raut, vice-chairperson of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, one of the member parties of UDMF. "We are hopeful that our grievances against the constitution will be addressed by the new government." More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution -- particularly over the rights of marginalised communities -- have failed to yield agreement. Thousands of jobless Asians stranded in Saudi Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said Tuesday. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home Fayez Nureldine (AFP/File) India said Monday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. A foreign ministry statement said that "most of the workers want to leave these companies but only after settling their dues". The Pakistan embassy had set up special centres and a fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations. Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country. Bahrain denies rights activist bail despite health concern A Bahraini court on Tuesday denied bail for prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab despite a new request to free him on health grounds, a judicial source said. The 51-year-old activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was rearrested in June and is on trial on charges of insulting a state institution and neighbouring Saudi Arabia online. He attended Tuesday's hearing during which the judge rejected his defence team's request to free Rajab because of his "health situation," the source said. Nabeel Rajab is on trial on charges of insulting a state institution and neighbouring Saudi Arabia online Mohammed alL-Shaikh (AFP/File) However, a doctor will check up on the activist in prison, the source added. Rajab has had recurring health problems and was briefly hospitalised late in June. But the court ordered that he remain in custody throughout the trial and set the next hearing for September 5. The criminal court had also denied bail for Rajab during the first court hearing on July 12. Amnesty International has said Rajab could face up to 13 years if convicted and has denounced what it described as a "farcical trial". The Shiite activist has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to Bahrain's Sunni authorities. He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorised protests in the Shiite-majority kingdom. Obama makes last push for Asia-Pacific trade deal Facing fierce opposition to a landmark Asia-Pacific trade deal, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday made a last-ditch economic and strategic case for Washington setting the terms of global trade. Painting the 12-country pact -- which does not include China -- as part of a battle with Beijing for regional influence, Obama also warned strengthening anti-trade forces that they could not roll back the tide. The pact is strongly backed by the White House -- where it is seen as a key part of Obama's "pivot to Asia" -- but is opposed by both presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. US President Barack Obama hosts Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) for a State Arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, August 2, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP/File) It has yet to be ratified by Congress, where legislators have one eye on the November elections. "Right now I'm president, and I'm for it," Obama said tersely, indicating a fresh push to get it passed before he leaves office in January. "If we don't establish strong rules, norms for how trade and commerce are conducted in the Asia-Pacific region, then China will," Obama said as he hosted Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House. "We are part of a global economy. We're not reversing that. It can't be reversed." Instead, Obama said the vexed Trans-Pacific Partnership was part of the answer to questions like "how do we make sure that globalization, technology, automation, those things work for us, not against us?" In a pitch to the political left, he also said that because of TPP, labor standards in Vietnam were improving and Malaysia was more seriously tackling human trafficking. Lee gave Obama some political support, calling for the deal to be passed and warning America's reputation in the world was "on the line." "Your friends who have come to the table who have negotiated, each one of them has overcome some domestic political objection, some sensitivity, some political cost to come to the table and make this deal," he said. "If at the end waiting at the altar the bride doesn't arrive, I think there are people who are going to be very hurt -- not just emotionally but really damaged. For a long time to come." With remarkable candor, Lee said rejecting the TPP would hurt not just Japanese leader Shinzo Abe but security relations with Japan, one of a number of countries in Asia that the United States is treaty-bound to protect. Lee said that countries like Japan would rethink whether America's military support could be guaranteed. Israel reverses funding curbs on Jewish schools not teaching maths Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in Israel will have access to state funds without having to teach core subjects such as maths, as parliament on Tuesday reversed proposed reforms. The move was part of an agreement bringing ultra-Orthodox political parties into a coalition which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed in 2015. The law passed on Tuesday reverses reforms led by liberal Yesh Atid party -- now part of the opposition -- two years earlier. Around 40,000 pupils are registered with ultra-orthodox schools in Israel Menahem Kahana (AFP/File) According to a statement issued by the Knesset, or parliament, the education minister -- currently Naftali Bennett of the national-religious Jewish Home -- will now be able to decide how much secular studies the institutions will be obliged to teach. Under the Yesh Atid reform, which had been set to be implemented in 2018, funds would be withheld from schools that received partial state support if they did not teach at least 55 percent of the required core curriculum subjects such as maths, English and science, seen as crucial for eventually joining the work force. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who was finance minister when the reforms were passed, said ahead of the vote that the new law "would damage an entire generation of young people and rob them of their right to make a living". Zehava Galon of the left-wing Meretz party said: "When a group funded by the state rejects its fundamental values -- it shouldn't be funded by the state." Around 40,000 pupils are registered with ultra-Orthodox schools in Israel. The scrapped legislation created unnecessary tensions and would have made it difficult for the state to supervise ultra-Orthodox schools, an education ministry official told AFP. "The (Yesh Atid) law created a conflict with the ultra-Orthodox sector," he said. "Education should be through dialogue, not coercion." Meir Porush of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, who is also deputy education minister, said the claim his sector did not learn mathematics and other core curriculum subjects was "a lie and incitement". Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 10 percent of Israel's Jewish population, and enjoy political influence beyond their numbers with influential factions in parliament that work to secure a wide range of benefits for their community. Netanyahu's previous coalition in 2013-2015 did not include the ultra-Orthodox parties. It passed legislation on sensitive issues such as the exception of the ultra-Orthodox from military service and the funding of schools, with the current government now having reversed many of the planned changes. Twin suicide bombings kill 6 Yemeni soldiers Two suicide car bombings struck an army base in southern Yemen on Tuesday killing at least six soldiers and wounding 12 others, a military official said. One bomber detonated his explosives-laden car at the gate of the base in the city of Habilayn, in Lahj province, while the second car bomb went off only 50 metres (yards) away, the official said. The number of fatalities is likely to rise, the official added. Yemen has been gripped by a devastating conflict that escalated in March 2015 when Saudi-led air strikes began against Shiite Huthi rebels Saleh Al-Obeidi (AFP/File) The base belongs to troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who earlier this year launched an offensive against Al-Qaeda militants. The offensive, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, pushed the militants out of several cities, including Mukalla, the provincial capital of Hadramawt, but Al-Qaeda fighters have since regained some ground. Yemen has been gripped by a devastating conflict that escalated in March 2015 when Saudi-led air strikes began against Shiite Huthi rebels after the insurgents seized northern and central parts of the country including the capital, Sanaa. Flash A Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down by gunfire in Syrian territory controlled by terrorists previously known as al-Nusra Front, Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. A Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down by gunfire in Syrian territory controlled by terrorists previously known as al-Nusra Front. [Photo/Xinhua] "According to our information, the helicopter was shot down from the ground over the area under the control of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group and associated so-called moderate opposition units," said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Operational Directorate. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham was previously known as the al-Nusra Front before breaking ties with al-Qaida and changing its name. Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said the helicopter was shot down in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib by gunfire from the ground while returning to the Hmeimim Air Base after delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo. Rudskoi called the downing a terrorist act against Russian forces, which were deployed in Syria with the aim to help Syrian government fight terrorists. Kremlin confirmed earlier in the day that all five people on board the downed Mi-8 were killed. According to Rudskoi, Russian air forces actively supported government troops to repel enemy attacks and carried out selective strikes on militant positions. "The Syrian army troops and the national militia, with the support of Russian aviation, repelled a militant attack at 4 a.m. today. More than 800 militants were killed, and 14 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, and more than 60 vehicles with mounted weapons destroyed," Rudskoi was quoted in an official statement. The spokesman criticized the terrorist groups Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham for conducting over 100 attacks in Syria's northern province of Aleppo in the last two months, with constant shellings of residential areas. Rudskoi also said Russia fully supports the UN initiative on "improving the modalities of the Russia-Syrian humanitarian operation in Aleppo." As Moscow and Damascus on Thursday launched a large-scale humanitarian operation in Aleppo, Rudskoi confirmed seven corridors were opened for rescue and aid delivery, as well as a separate one for militants to surrender. In a bid to quell the prolonged crisis, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Thursday, offering amnesty to rebels who lay down their arms and surrender to authorities within a three-month deadline starting July 28. Meanwhile, the Syrian army engaged in intense battles on Monday, as rebels unleashed a wide-scale offensive in Aleppo to break a siege imposed recently by the Syrian army. Alaskan woolly mammoths died of thirst: study One of the world's last surviving groups of woolly mammoths likely died of thirst as the salty seas rose around these iconic Ice Age creatures 5,600 years ago, researchers say. The study also warns that a similar scenario could imperil island people and animals in the coming years as the climate warms and sea level rises, making fresh water harder to access. The research took place on St. Paul Island, a remote area of Alaska that was once part of the Bering Land Bridge that joined the Americas to Asia. One of the world's last surviving groups of woolly mammoths likely died of thirst 5,600 years ago, a study said Pedro Pardo (AFP/File) The island became isolated between 14,700 and 13,500 years ago due to sea level rise during the last deglaciation, and the land area shrank significantly. Its current size is 42 square miles (110 square kilometers). No humans were known to live in the area at the time, said the report in the August 1 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal. To find out what happened to the woolly mammoths, researchers collected a sediment core from one of the few freshwater lake beds on St. Paul Island. By analyzing the core for signs of fungi that grow on animal dung and using radiocarbon dating, they were able to tell when mammoths disappeared. The sediment DNA "showed the presence of mammoth DNA until 5,650 years ago, plus or minus 80 years," said the study, which described the finding as the most precise dating yet of a major extinction event. "After that time, there is no mammoth DNA and so no mammoths on the island." So what happened? Researchers think that these large beasts, similar to modern day elephants, somehow persisted for some 5,000 years after mainland populations disappeared -- likely from a combination of hunting and climate change -- but were done in by the continual shortage of fresh water. Much like elephants, which drink some 50 gallons (200 liters) per day, woolly mammoths would have struggled during what researchers found to be an extended period of dry conditions and declining water quality. Over the course of 2,000 years, the area grew progressively smaller and drier. Lakes became shallower, and water holes more crowded. When scientists analyzed mammoth bones and teeth as well as the remains of other aquatic creatures, they found signs of progressively drier conditions leading up to the extinction event. "It paints a dire picture of the situation for these mammoths," said Matthew Wooller, director of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a co-author of the study. "Freshwater resources look like the smoking gun for what pushed them into this untenable situation." The Alaskan mammoths were outlived only by a population of mammoths on Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia, which survived until about 4,700 years ago. "Freshwater availability may be an underappreciated driver of island extinction," said the report in PNAS. "This study reinforces 21st-century concerns about the vulnerability of island populations, including humans, to future warming, freshwater availability, and sea level rise." Obama says Trump 'unfit' to be president In a searing and virtually unprecedented presidential rebuke, Barack Obama declared embattled Republican White House nominee Donald Trump "unfit" to be president and called on party leaders to disown him. Obama piled on as Trump's campaign reeled from multiple self-inflicted scandals, calling the 70-year-old mogul "woefully unprepared" and "unfit to serve as president." "He keeps proving it," said Obama, standing alongside the prime minister of Singapore and casting aside any pretense of domestic unity. US President Barack Obama speaks about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a press conference in Washington, DC on August 2, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP) In recent days, Trump has criticized Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his wincing Republican backers to issue awkward denunciations. Congressman Richard Hanna went one step further, becoming the first Republican lawmaker to say he will vote for Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, in November. "I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways," Hanna wrote in a newspaper editorial announcing his decision. Obama turned up the heat on Republicans who appear increasingly ill at ease with Trump but have not withdrawn their endorsement. "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe," Obama said. "This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making." "There has to be a point in which you say: 'This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.'" "There has to come a point at which you say 'enough,'" he said. "The alternative is that the entire party, the Republican Party, effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated by Mr Trump." - Trump hits back - Leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain may have been given further pause by Trump's refusal to reciprocate their endorsements. Trump won the Republican primary handily, but is trailing Clinton in general election polls by around four percentage points. Obama has already endorsed his fellow Democrat and has repeatedly pilloried Trump's populism. But his comments in the East Room of the White House -- where Abraham Lincoln lay in state and Theodore Roosevelt today casts a painted gaze -- are a significant and highly personal escalation of presidential rhetoric. Last week, Obama addressed the Democratic convention in Philadelphia and painted this election as a choice not between a Democrat and Republican, but a Democrat and a demagogue who threatens democracy. "There have been Republican presidents with whom I've disagreed with, but I didn't have a doubt that they could function as president," Obama said Tuesday. Turning to his 2012 and 2008 election opponents, Obama said "Mitt Romney and John McCain were wrong on certain policy issues, but I never thought that they couldn't do the job." Trump hit back at Obama in a written statement, describing his two terms in office as an example of "failed leadership." - Gold star fight - Obama's comments came amid a roiling war of words between Trump and the father of a slain US soldier who rebuked the Republican nominee as having "sacrificed nothing." "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," said Obama. Later in the day, Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson blamed both Obama and Clinton for the death of the soldier, Army captain Humayun Khan. "Donald Trump never voted for the Iraq War. Hillary Clinton did," she told CNN. "It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life," she said. Khan was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, when Clinton was serving in the US Senate but Obama had yet to be elected to national office. On the campaign trail on Tuesday, Trump further dropped jaws by telling a mother and her crying baby to leave a rally and saying he "always wanted to get a Purple Heart," after being given one by a military veteran who supports him. The military honor is given by a sitting president to a member of the armed forces who is killed or wounded in combat. "This was much easier," Trump remarked. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a Purple Heart medal given to him by lieutenant colonel Louis Dorfman, on August 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Virginia Molly Riley (AFP) Graphic comparing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Adrian Leung (AFP) UN asks Saudi coalition to do more to prevent Yemen child deaths The Saudi-led coalition must address "very serious concerns" about the killing of children in Yemen, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, but the alliance remained off a blacklist of child rights violators. Ban reported to the Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame, a move that sparked an outcry from human rights groups. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to the decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the military alliance was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children's deaths in Yemen last year. Yemeni children walk on stones in front of buildings that were damaged by air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition over the past year in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 23, 2016 Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File) "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children," Ban said, adding that the United Nations is continuing its review with the Saudi-led coalition. Last week, Saudi Arabia outlined in a 13-page confidential letter to the UN secretary-general the measures that the coalition is taking to prevent civilian deaths. In the letter obtained by AFP, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi offered to share with the United Nations the results of 10 investigations of air strikes on hospitals, homes, a wedding party and markets. Ban said he had received information on the steps taken by the coalition, but that these fell short and that "the content of the report stands." "We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented," he told a council debate on children and armed conflicts. Leila Zerrougui, the UN envoy for children in conflict, told reporters that the review was focused on future steps to protect children, suggesting that the coalition would not be put back on the list. "What happened in the past, for me, is behind," said Zerrougui. - Off the list - Speaking to reporters outside the council chamber, Mouallimi repeated that the de-listing of the coalition was "irreversible, final and unconditional." "I said that then and it is even more true today." The coalition has invited UN officials to come to Riyadh to discuss their concerns and to obtain information on the investigations, he added. In his letter, the Saudi ambassador said the coalition had set up a committee to compensate victims and opened a direct dialogue with aid organizations to guarantee the protection of hospitals. Mouallimi also provided details of steps taken to designate targets and ensure they have "identifiable military purposes." They include drawing up a list of prohibited targets such as schools and diplomatic missions and working with "local forces to identify and vet targets for airstrikes." Ban in June said he was forced to remove the coalition from the list after Saudi Arabia threatened to cut off funding of UN aid programs. Riyadh denies the accusations. Human Rights Watch said the coalition had "strong-armed the secretary-general in an attempt to escape scrutiny." "The coalition should be returned to the secretary-general's list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemen's civilians," said HRW's director for child rights advocacy Jo Becker. The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many other parts of the country. The war has killed some 6,400 people and left the impoverished country on its knees, with 80 percent of the population in dire need of food aid, according to the United Nations. Arab-Kurd forces push into IS stronghold in Syria An Arab-Kurdish alliance backed by US-led coalition air strikes advanced Tuesday in the jihadist stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, where it now controls 60 percent of the town, a monitor said. Syrian Democratic Forces have been fighting to seize the key town near the border with Turkey from the Islamic State group since late May. With the support of coalition air raids, SDF forces advanced Tuesday into the east and west of the town, while IS forces retreated to the north and centre of Manjib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 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) That allowed the SDF to open a route between Manjib and Hassaka, a Kurdish stronghold around 150 kilometres (90 miles) to the east, said the Britain-based monitoring group. Manbij sits on the route between the Turkish border and the eastern city of Raqa, the jihadists' de facto capital in Syria. The fate of thousands of civilians inside Manbij has raised fears among humanitarian agencies. US woman accidentally shoots self while Snapchatting A woman in the US state of Florida tried to Snapchat a video of herself holding a gun but instead accidentally shot her cellphone, injuring her right hand, authorities said. Regina Powell, 22, said she was "foolishly playing" with the .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, trying to make a Snapchat video, when it went off, the Volusia county sheriff's office said. The bullet destroyed her cellphone and injured her thumb and index finger. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 586 people were killed last year in accidents involving firearms Karen Bleier (AFP/File) The incident occurred Sunday in Deltona, Florida. Police were still looking for the gun, which the woman's aunt tossed out of her car window as she drove Powell to the hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 586 people were killed last year in accidents involving firearms. Russia rejects US criticism of Aleppo strikes Moscow on Tuesday blasted criticism by Washington over its actions in Syria, saying it was "unacceptable" to demand restraint around Aleppo, the city divided between Syrian government troops and rebels. "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti agency. Britain-based monitors reported that Russia launched heavy air strikes in the Aleppo outskirts, slowing a last-ditch effort by rebels to break the siege. Moscow had announced the launch of humanitarian corridors out of Aleppo for civilians and surrendering rebels, a scheme that some NGOs said was "deeply flawed," calling instead for a UN-mandated plan of escape routes George Ourfalian (AFP/File) US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called on Russia and its Damascus ally to restrain "from conducting offensive operations" in Aleppo, where regime forces surrounded rebel-held districts. Kerry said the attacks prevented the warring parties from meeting Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition to agree on the framework for political transition. "We will see in the course of the next hours, few days, whether or not that dynamic can be changed," Kerry said. Ryabkov however rejected such talk as an ultimatum. "To hear from Washington that... the next hours and days will be decisive, that is an ultimatum-like, unacceptable tone. I think this is regular blackmail that is common to the Americans," said Ryabkov. Moscow had announced the launch of humanitarian corridors out of Aleppo for civilians and surrendering rebels, a scheme that some NGOs said was "deeply flawed," calling instead for a UN-mandated plan of escape routes. Ryabkov countered that the US itself uses the corridor scheme and is only against it because Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are crushing opponents who have not joined the ceasefire or surrendered. India's Sonia Gandhi falls ill Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's opposition Congress party, fell ill at an election campaign event Tuesday. Gandhi was in Varanasi, the constituency of rival politician and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh state, when she suddenly pulled out to fly back New Delhi. "I regret that I couldn't complete my trip because of illness," Gandhi said in a statement tweeted by her party. Indian Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi receives floral tributes during a roadshow in Varanasi on August 2, 2016, ahead of 2017 Uttar Pradesh State Assembly elections Sanjay Kanojia (AFP) "On advice of doctors she had to cut short..but she'll be back," said another Congress tweet. The party made no official comment about Gandhi's medical condition but local news channels said she was suffering from a high viral fever and dehydration. Reports added that she would be taken from the airport directly to a hospital in the capital for treatment and recovery. Italian-born Gandhi, 69, is the widow of assassinated former premier Rajiv Gandhi. She leads a party that lost the 2014 elections to the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party after consecutive wins in 2004 and 2009. "Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health," Modi said on Twitter. Poll rival says Gabon's Bongo should take DNA test President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon should take a DNA test to prove his parentage and eligibility to run for reelection later this month, a rival candidate said on Tuesday. Bongo has faced allegations that he is not Gabonese, but Nigerian, and that he was adopted by his father Omar, who was president from 1967 until his death in 2009. "We are faced with a candidate who has no right to be a candidate. We are witnessing a forced transition and a violation of our constitution," said Leon Paul Ngoulakia, one of 14 people challenging Bongo in the August 27 election. Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba looks on during the regional security summit on the threat by Boko Haram to African security in Abuja, on May 14, 2016 Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP/File) Ngoulakia is a cousin of Bongo's and until recently was one of his closest aides. "Ali Bongo has produced at least four birth certificates, all seemingly fake. How come none of our institutions is able to prove his nationality and parentage," Ngoulakia told AFP during a visit to Paris. "Why doesn't he simply submit to a DNA test to end all this debate? The people of Gabon are tired of this affair and want to hear other debates that are more important to our country's future," he said. On July 25, the constitutional court rejected an appeal against the eligibility of Bongo, who came to power in a disputed election following his father's death. "The legal battle is not over. Procedures are continuing, the law must be followed all the way," insisted Ngoulakia. He said that Gabonese authorities had prevented opposition candidates holding public meetings and used tear gas in demonstrations. "Conditions for a peaceful and transparent election are not in place," he said. Two more arrested in Zimbabwe war veteran crackdown Zimbabwean police on Tuesday arrested two more senior members of the country's war veterans' association in a growing crackdown on critics of President Robert Mugabe, lawyers said. Headman Moyo, the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) vice chairperson and his Harare provincial counterpart Hoyini Samel Bhila were arrested on charges of undermining Mugabe's authority, bringing to five the number of former liberation war fighters arrested under the same law. "Police charged Headman Moyo and Hoyini Samuel Bhila after the two handed themselves to detectives at Harare central police station," Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said in a statement. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, 92, who has ruled since 1980, has faced a groundswell of opposition in recent months Jekesai Njikizana (AFP/File) Mugabe, 92, in power since 1980, has faced a groundswell of opposition in recent months as the country's moribund economy collapses and the government struggles to pay its workforce. Previously loyal supporters of the president, the war veterans released a highly critical statement two weeks ago attacking Mugabe as "dictatorial" and accusing him of being unable to address Zimbabwe's problems. Mugabe has promised "severe" treatment of the statement's authors. On Monday, ZNLWA secretary general Victor Matemadanda was seized by police at a court hearing of a colleague, association spokesman Douglas Mahiya who also faces charges of insulting the head of state. The war veterans' political commissar Francis Nhando was also arrested outside the court. A new non-partisan opposition movement known as #ThisFlag has also galvanised anti-government sentiment in Zimbabwe, where security forces have crushed signs of dissent for decades. Last month, a one-day strike shut down offices, shops, schools and some government departments as people protested over an economic crisis that has delayed salaries for civil servants and the military. $89,000 ice cream truck joins Boston police force It's the ice cream truck that police hope can defrost any lingering iciness from ordinary Americans on particularly hot days: meet the latest $89,000 addition to the Boston police fleet. Festooned in balloons and unveiled to the public on Monday, the blue-and-white van is marked with police insignia and has "Free Ice Cream" written in large blue letters underneath a serving hatch. "If you had told me 30 years ago that the Boston Police Department would have an ice cream truck as part of its patrol force... I would've said you were crazy," said city police commissioner William Evans. The Boston police force's new ice cream truck is part of a city community policing effort set up in 2010 to reach out to children Rob Carr (Getty/AFP/File) The truck is part of a city community policing effort set up in 2010 to reach out to children. The initiative has already handed out more than 120,000 free pots of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. A police spokeswoman told AFP that the truck had been donated by the Boston Police Foundation and was valued at $89,000. Although it will not make daily patrols it will be out in force at community events or on particularly hot days in the city, she said. "I absolutely love the new truck," Evans said. "The goodwill it generates between my officers and our city's young people is undeniable and nothing short of remarkable." Alphabet joins drone tests as US considers new rules Google parent Alphabet is joining tests for drone deliveries, US officials announced Tuesday, as the White House unveiled accelerated rulemaking for commercial unmanned aircraft operations. The announcement at a White House event said the US tech giant would participate in safety research through Project Wing, which is part of the "moonshot" unit called X created last year when Google was reorganized under Alphabet. Project Wing will work at one of the six research centers set up by the Federal Aviation Administration for drone tests and its data "will be shared with government partners to help regulators answer critical safety and human factor questions for (drone) cargo delivery operations," a White House statement said. The EHang commercial drones Series V.1 and Series V.2 (top C) are displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2016 David McNew (AFP/File) At the "White House Drone Day" event, officials announced steps toward expanding rules for drone operations, including for newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas, after a first set of regulations unveiled in June. "We hope to propose a rule on unmanned aircraft operations over people by the end of this year," FAA administrator Michael Huerta said. A White House statement said the FAA "is working on the next regulatory steps for safely integrating (drones) in the airspace" for "beneficial uses of drones near crowds, such as aerial photography or videography for newsgathering; for certain types of infrastructure inspection; and other applications." The FAA said it was launching an Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team "that will include a wide variety of stakeholders from the drone and aviation industries" to study the proposals and was establishing a Drone Advisory Committee that will be chaired by Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich. "We need to incorporate unmanned aircraft and their users into our culture of safety and responsibility. But we need to do it in a way that doesn't stifle the enthusiasm for this growing industry," Huerta said. "We've found that the best way to accomplish this is to partner with a wide range of government, aviation and technology stakeholders." - Onward, upward - Huerta said the government has registered more than 500,000 hobby drones in eight months, but sees a need for more rules for commercial operators. A first set of rules unveiled in June, and taking effect August 29, allows unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds (25 kilograms) to fly in sparsely occupied areas, up to 400 feet (120 meters) high during the day. Officials say drones offer the potential for vast economic benefits -- estimated by the industry to generate more than $82 billion for the US economy and support some 100,000 new jobs by 2025. "Unmanned aircraft are transforming industries -- providing filmmakers with a fresh angle on the world, and giving first responders a new tool for search-and-rescue operations," Huerta said. "They're improving the safety of our transportation infrastructure -- inspecting miles of rail tracks and pipelines that crisscross our country. And they're tackling jobs that can be dangerous for people or other aircraft to do." Announced at the event was the allocation of $35 million in research funding by the National Science Foundation over the next five years to study the beneficial applications of drones for disaster response, agricultural monitoring, the study of severe storms and other uses. The first set of rules stop short of allowing some long-sought applications, including delivery of goods by retailers like Amazon in populated areas. The Obama administration had been criticized for its perceived slowness in establishing drone regulations, while the technology evolved at a rapid clip. As the world's largest online retailer, Amazon raised eyebrows in late 2013 with its plan to airlift small parcels to customers by drone in select markets, less than 30 minutes after an order is received. Trump says not ready to back House Speaker Ryan, McCain Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday he was "not quite" ready to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan in his upcoming primary, a stunning rebuke to the party's top elected official. With little more than three months before the White House election Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post, also said he was not prepared to endorse Republican Senator John McCain in his re-election bid in Arizona. The real-estate tycoon also lashed out at another Republican US senator, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, as weak and disloyal. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Briar Woods High School August 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Virginia Molly Riley (AFP) "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump said of Ryan, who faces a challenge by a conservative insurgent in the August 9 Wisconsin primary. "We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet," Trump said. "I'm not quite there yet." Trump's refusal appears to amount to blunt political retribution three months after Ryan used very similar language to say "I'm just not ready" to back Trump. That controversial declaration set off weeks of debate among conservatives over whether to rally behind the presidential hopeful. Ryan eventually endorsed Trump despite his misgivings. Now only two weeks after its national convention in Cleveland aimed at showcasing Republican unity, the party faces further divisions, which come amid heated debate over Trump's comments about the Muslim American parents of a US Army captain killed in combat in 2004. Ryan's challenger for his House of Representatives seat, Paul Nehlen, defended Trump's comments, earning praise from Trump, who on Monday night tweeted he "very much appreciated" Nehlen's "kind words." Trump in the Post interview did not say whether he would endorse either candidate but said "I'm giving very serious consideration to that whole situation, to Ryan, to Paul." Trump also said Ryan had sought his endorsement, a claim disputed by the speaker's campaign. "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement," Ryan campaign spokesman Zack Roday said in a statement, adding the campaign was "confident" Ryan would win his primary. Trump was adamant about not having endorsed McCain, a former prisoner of war who issued a scathing anti-Trump statement about his handling of the Khan family controversy. "I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets," Trump said. "He has not done a good job for the vets," he added. "Our vets are not being treated properly. They're not being treated fairly." McCain, seeking a sixth Senate term, faces a three-way battle in his August 30 primary. Ayotte, facing a tough re-election battle in New Hampshire, also has spoken out harshly against Trump, saying she was "appalled" by his attacks on the Khans whose son was killed in Iraq. Trump's criticism of her was severe. "Kelly Ayotte has given me zero support, and I'm doing great in New Hampshire," he said. Billionaire Warren Buffett ready to take on Donald Trump OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump including escorting people to the polls himself. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton in Nebraska Monday, Buffett savaged Trump's business record, questioning his bankruptcies and asking why the Republican presidential candidate won't release his tax returns. The so-called "Omaha Oracle" then announced a new campaign called "Drive 2 Vote," designed to bring out voters in Nebraska's second congressional district, which offers a single Electoral College vote to the district winner. "I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," said Buffett, adding that he had reserved a 32-seat trolley for the day with a goal of getting the highest-percentage turnout of any congressional district in the country. "Let's give America a civics lesson." Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, waves to members of the audience as she and Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, arrive at a rally at Omaha North High Magnet School in Omaha, Neb., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Nebraska is one of two states that assign some electoral votes based on the results within congressional districts. While the state is Republican overall, President Barack Obama won a vote here in 2008 in the more liberal district where Clinton appeared Monday, which includes Omaha and the suburbs. The boundaries have since been redrawn to make the district less blue. The Midwestern stop came amid a clash between Trump and a Muslim-American family who spoke against him at the Democratic National Convention. Trump responded by attacking Khizr and Ghazela Kahn, whose son served in the U.S. Army and was killed in Iraq in 2004. Buffett called Trump's comments "the final straw," arguing that his family had not sacrificed like military families. Buffett, who endorsed Clinton last year, was the latest in a series of business leaders attacking Trump as Clinton seeks to woo moderate and independent voters. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban campaigned with Clinton over the weekend, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a searing indictment of Trump's economic proposals during the Democratic National Convention. Before several thousand people gathered at an Omaha high school, Buffett challenged Trump to agree to a meeting where they would both release their tax returns. He also said that after Trump listed his casino and hotel company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995, investors lost money, even though "in 1995 when he offered this company, if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent." Buffett repeated long-held assertions that the tax code favors the wealthy, which Clinton echoed, pledging to pay for new programs through more taxes on the rich. Clinton also continued the assaults on Trump, criticizing him for making products overseas. She promised to "support the kind of small businesses that Donald Trump has consistently stiffed." Clinton enthusiastically received Buffett's plan to get out voters and upped the ante. She said that if the district has the highest percentage of voters and if she wins, then she'll come back soon "and Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together." Amid cheers Clinton added, "Maybe if we're really lucky he'll wear his Elvis costume again." Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett shakes hands with members of the audience after speaking at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at Omaha North High Magnet School in Omaha, Neb., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) 10 Things to Know for Tuesday - 2 August 2016 Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday: 1. TRUMP SAYS ELECTION COULD BE RIGGED The Republican presidential nominee makes an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate, one he did not back up with any immediate evidence. A Miami-Dade County mosquito control worker sprays around a school in the Wynwood area of Miami on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. The CDC has issued a new advisory that says pregnant women should not travel a Zika-stricken part of Miami, and pregnant women who live there should take steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual spread of the virus. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) 2. WHO IS DEMANDING TRUMP APOLOGIZE Families of American service members killed in combat, as Trump feuds with the grieving parents of a fallen, decorated Muslim Army captain. 3. TRUMP IS BUFFETTED Billionaire investor Warren Buffet savages Trump's business record, questioning his bankruptcies and asking why the Republican won't release his tax returns. 4. DAILY INTELLIGENCE BRIEFINGS TO BEGIN FOR CANDIDATES Trump and Hillary Clinton will soon start getting top-secret intelligence briefings, as Democrats and Republicans bicker over whether the candidates can keep a secret. 5. WHERE HEALTH OFFICICIALS ARE WARNING PREGNANT WOMEN TO STAY AWAY The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells couples who have been to a Zika-stricken part of Miami to put off having children. 6. RIO'S WATERWAYS REMAIN AS FILTHY AS EVER Just days ahead of the Olympic Games, an AP-commissioned study finds the city's water contaminated with raw human sewage and teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria. 7. COURT RECORDS SHOW HOT AIR BALLOON PILOT SPENT TIME IN PRISON The Texas businessman kept flying despite at least four convictions for drunken driving. Whether drinking habits had anything to do with the crash that killed 16 people on Saturday is unclear. 8. WHERE ANOTHER VOTER ID LAW WAS BLOCKED A federal judge has blocked North Dakota's voter identification law after a Native American group said it unfairly burdens them, the latest court ruling against voting laws that critics say harm minorities. 9. HOW A SHOOTING SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY PREPARED Police say a 19-year-old man who shot and killed three people at a party in suburban Seattle was so unfamiliar with his new semi-automatic rifle that he parked his car across the street and read the AR-15's instruction manual just before the attack. 10. WHO THE YANKEES HAVE TRADED AWAY Star outfielder Carlos Beltran is out of the Bronx, along with pitchers Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Ivan Nova. The rebuilding Yankees will fight to avoid their first losing season since 1992. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Cumberland Valley High School, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Mechanicsburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Japan defense papers raises concerns about China, NKorea TOKYO (AP) Japan called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action as "dangerous" in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. This year's 484-page report allocated several more pages to each country than the previous one. It cited North Korea's technological advances in recent nuclear tests and says Pyongyang might have achieved the capability to miniaturize atomic weapons and develop warheads. FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2015 file photo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) escort ship "Kurama" leads other vessels during a fleet review in the water off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) "North Korea's military activity has increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and become a grave and imminent threat not only to Japan but also to the security in the region and the international society," the report said. It reiterated concerns that North Korean may have acquired a missile capable of launching as far as 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). The report called China's reclamation moves in the South China Sea a provocation, and urged Beijing to accept a recent international arbitration ruling. It said China's escalating activity in the East China Sea caused Japan to scramble against Chinese warplanes more than 570 times last year. The report said China has stepped up activity around Japan-controlled islands that Beijing also claims, adding that a Chinese warship entered a strip of water just outside Japanese claimed waters in the area. China's actions over conflicting maritime claims are unilateral and high-handed, and some of them are "dangerous actions that could trigger unanticipated situations," the report said. "They raise strong concern about what may happen in the future." FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2015 file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, stands with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, second left, and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, left, during the official triennial Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet review aboard the JMSDF escort ship Kurama in the waters off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (Kazuhiko Yamashita/Kyodo News via AP, File) FILE - In this June 21, 2016 file photo, Japan Self-Defense Force members set up a PAC-3 Patriot missile unit deployed in case of a North Korean rocket launch at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) China holds live-fire navy drills in East China Sea BEIJING (AP) China's navy has fired dozens of missiles and torpedoes during exercises in the East China Sea that come amid heightened maritime tensions in the region, underscoring Beijing's determination to back up its sovereignty claims with force if needed. The live-fire drills that began Monday follow China's strident rejection of an international arbitration panel's ruling last month that invalidated Beijing's claims to a vast swath of the South China Sea. That led to days of angry statements from Beijing, followed by live-firing naval exercises in the South China Sea and the launch of regular aerial patrols in the area. In this Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a missile is launched from a navy ship during a live ammunition drill in the East China Sea. China's navy has fired dozens of missiles and torpedoes during exercises in the East China Sea that come amid heightened maritime tensions in the region, underscoring Beijing's determination to back up its sovereignty claims with force if needed. The live-fire drills that began Monday follow China's strident rejection of an international arbitration panel's ruling last month that invalidated Beijing's claims to a vast swath of the South China Sea. (Wu Dengfeng/Xinhua via AP) On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said the East China Sea exercises were aimed at improving the "intensity, precision, stability and speed" of its military. "An information technology-based war at sea is sudden, cruel and short, which requires fast transition to combat status, quick preparation and high assault efficiency," the ministry said. The drills include ships, submarines, aircraft and coast guard forces, illustrating China's growing emphasis on integrated training under realistic conditions. China's navy has been closing the gap with its U.S. rival in both ship numbers and technology, including the deployment of advanced anti-ship missiles, nuclear submarines and the country's first aircraft carrier. While global attention has been drawn to the South China Sea, where five governments exercise territorial claims overlapping with China's, Beijing also operates extensively in the East China Sea, where it claims a string of uninhabited islands controlled by Japan. In this Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a missile is launched from a guided-missile destroyer during a live ammunition drill in the East China Sea. China's navy has fired dozens of missiles and torpedoes during exercises in the East China Sea that come amid heightened maritime tensions in the region, underscoring Beijing's determination to back up its sovereignty claims with force if needed. The live-fire drills that began Monday follow China's strident rejection of an international arbitration panel's ruling last month that invalidated Beijing's claims to a vast swath of the South China Sea. (Wu Dengfeng/Xinhua via AP) Snapping up cheap spy tools, nations 'monitoring everyone' LIMA, Peru (AP) It was a national scandal. Peru's then-vice president accused two domestic intelligence agents of staking her out. Then, a top congressman blamed the spy agency for a break-in at his office. News stories showed the agency had collected data on hundreds of influential Peruvians. Yet after last year's outrage, which forced out the prime minister and froze its intelligence-gathering, the spy service went ahead with a $22 million program capable of snooping on thousands of Peruvians at a time. Peru a top cocaine-producing nation joined the ranks of world governments that have added commercial spyware to their arsenals. The purchase from Israeli-American company Verint Systems, chronicled in documents obtained by The Associated Press, offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look into how easy it is for a country to purchase and install off-the-shelf surveillance equipment. The software allows governments to intercept voice calls, text messages and emails. Pedestrians talk on their cellphones in Lima, Peru, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Under a July 2015 decree, police now track cellphone locations without a court order but would need one to listen in. All four Peruvian phone companies are cooperating. They signed a pact with the government in Octoboer the details of which were not disclosed. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Except for blacklisted nations like Syria and North Korea, there is little to stop governments that routinely violate basic rights from obtaining the same so-called "lawful intercept" tools that have been sold to Western police and spy agencies. People tracked by the technology have been beaten, jailed and tortured, according to human rights groups. Targets identified by the AP include a blogger in the repressive Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, opposition activists in the war-ravaged African nation of South Sudan, and politicians and reporters in oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. "The status quo is completely unacceptable," said Marietje Schaake, a European Union lawmaker pushing for greater oversight. "The fact that this market is almost completely unregulated is very disturbing." The Verint documents that AP obtained in Peru, including training manuals, contracts, invoices and emails, offer more detail than previously available on the inner workings of a highly secretive industry. "There is just so little reliable data on this," said Edin Omanovic, a researcher at Privacy International, a London-based advocacy group. "These commercial tools are being used in a strategic and offensive way in much the same way that military tools are used." The scope and sophistication revealed in the Peru documents approximates, on a small scale, U.S. and British surveillance programs catalogued in 2013 by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. That trove showed how the U.S. government collected the phone records of millions of Americans, few suspected of crimes. Even after some reforms, there is still much to be done in the U.S. and abroad to rein in Big Brother, privacy advocates say. Reached at Verint's corporate headquarters in Melville, New York, an assistant to CEO Dan Bodner said the company would have no comment. "We typically don't comment to reporters," said Barbara Costa. Verint and its main competitors hail from nations with well-funded spy agencies, including the United States, Israel, Britain and Germany, and have operated with limited oversight. With more than $1 billion in yearly sales, Verint is a major, longtime player in an industry whose secrecy makes its size difficult to quantify. Verint Systems Ltd., the subsidiary that sold the surveillance package to Peru, is based in Herzliya, Israel, outside Tel Aviv. In regulatory filings, the parent corporation boasts upward of 10,000 customers in more than 180 countries, including most of the world's largest companies and U.S. law-enforcement agencies. The company says its products help businesses run better and "make the world a safer place." In 2007, Verint provided Mexico with a U.S.-funded, $3 million surveillance platform aimed at fighting drug cartels. Surveillance sales account for about a third of its business. However, the company discloses little about those products, which it says collect and parse massive data sets to "detect, investigate and neutralize threats." It also does not identify its law enforcement and intelligence agency clients, but the AP independently confirmed through interviews and documents that it has sales in countries including Australia, Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Switzerland. About half of Verint's surveillance dealings are in the developing world, said analyst Jeff Kessler of Imperial Capital in New York. The Peru installation known as Pisco, a nod to the local brandy illustrates how the private surveillance industry has piggybacked on multibillion-dollar government research in the West. Many security experts who honed their skills in Israel's military have gone to work in the private sector, effectively putting their tech chops at the service of less sophisticated nations for a fraction of the cost. Like spy tools wielded by larger nations, Pisco lets officials "intercept and monitor" satellite networks that carry voice and data traffic, potentially putting private communications of millions of Peruvians at risk. A software manual offers step-by-step instructions on how to intercept those communications with Verint equipment: Connect to a satellite, identify the callers, then "open a voice product" their jargon for a phone call. Next on the flow chart: "Voice is heard." ___ 'PINPOINT NEW TARGETS OF INTEREST' Since the early 2000s, Verint and top competitor Nice Systems have sold mass surveillance products to the secret police in Uzbekistan, according to extensive research by Mari Bastashevski for Privacy International. She found the companies also sold such systems to neighboring Kazakhstan, also a tightly governed nation. Israeli technicians from both companies have rotated in and out of Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, for tech support and maintenance, Bastashevski found. Nice Systems sold its surveillance business to Israeli defense heavyweight Elbit Systems last year. That equipment has let Uzbek secret police quickly locate and arrest people who discuss sensitive information on the phone or via email, dissidents say. "The authorities' main weapon is people's fear," said Tulkin Karayev, a Sweden-based exile. "Freedom of speech, freedom of expression all this is banned." Asked by the AP whether Nice Systems' sales had enabled political repression, Elbit spokeswoman Dalia Rosen would not comment. "We follow the leading standards of corporate governance and focus on ethical behavior in our business dealings," she said. Over the past two decades, Uzbekistan has "imprisoned thousands to enforce repressive rule," Human Rights Watch reported last year. The price of dissent is arbitrary detention, forced labor and torture, the group said. A report submitted to the U.N. by three rights groups deemed torture by the secret police systematic, unpunished and encouraged. Three years ago, metal worker Kudrat Rasulov reached out to Karayev from Uzbekistan via Facebook seeking advice on how he could help promote free expression in his country. The exile said he suggested that Rasulov, now 46, write critical commentary on local media reports. Rasulov's weekly reports were then published online under a pseudonym. Rasulov thought he was being careful. He created a new email account for every article he sent, and the two men discussed the articles over Skype. But after six months, Rasulov was arrested. He is serving an 8-year-prison sentence for subversion. Karayev believes Rasulov was undone by surveillance, and Human Rights Watch agreed. The court's sentence found he was convicted based in part on his Skype communications and contact with Karayev, the group said in a report. "They were reading Skype. They were listening to his phone calls. That's the way they build their cases," said Steve Swerdlow, the report's author. In Colombia, Verint has racked up millions in sales. As recently as 2015, U.S. customs officials funded maintenance for a wiretapping system, according to government contracts. Nearly a decade ago, its products were abused by officials who were later sacked for illegal eavesdropping, senior police and prosecutors told the AP at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Like the United States, most countries require court orders to use the technology. But where rule of law is weak, abuse is not uncommon. The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago saw a government fall after a wiretapping scandal involving Verint-supplied equipment. In 2009, a total of 53 people, including politicians and journalists, were illegally monitored, according to a former senior security official who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. The Verint equipment remains operative, though now a court order is needed to use it. One piece of the Verint product mix that Trinidad and Tobago bought is Vantage Broadway. A promotional brochure published by Israel's defense ministry for a 2014 trade show in India describes it as data-analysis and pattern-seeking software. It pairs with a product called Reliant to "intercept, filter and analyze huge volumes of Internet, voice and satellite communication." The package Peru bought includes both Reliant and Vantage, documents show. The little regulation that exists in the commercial mass-surveillance trade falls under a non-binding international arms export-control regime called the Wassenaar Arrangement. In December 2013, it was amended to add monitoring products like Reliant and Vantage and "attack-ware" that breaks into smartphones and computers and turns them into listening posts. The United States has not ratified the amendment; the federal Commerce Department proposed rules that raised objections in Silicon Valley. Israel says it is complying, and the European Union ratified the update. But Schaake, the EU lawmaker, said its 28 member states act independently and "technologies continue to be exported to countries that are known human rights violators." Surveillance technology from Israel, meanwhile, is being used in South Sudan, where a 2 -year-old civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, a panel of U.N. experts reported in January. U.N. and human rights groups say the government deploys it to track down, jail and torture dissidents and journalists. The ability of South Sudan's intelligence agency "to identify and illegally apprehend individuals has been significantly enhanced" through the acquisition of "additional communications interception equipment from Israel," the U.N. experts wrote. They did not name the suppliers, and a government spokesman declined to discuss the issue. While there is no direct evidence that Verint is a supplier, an AP reporter confirmed the names of two company employees on a flight in May from Ethiopia to the South Sudanese capital of Juba. Typing on a laptop, one was working on a presentation that named the three telecoms that operate in the country. Verint did not respond to questions about whether it supplied surveillance technology to South Sudan. An activist jailed for four months in Juba said his interrogators spoke openly about tapping his phone, played recordings of him in intercepted phone conversations and showed him emails he had sent. He spoke to the AP on condition he not be identified, saying he fears for his life. Joseph Bakosoro, a former South Sudanese state governor who was also held without charge for four months, said his interrogators played for him a voicemail that had been left on his cellphone. They claimed it was evidence he backed rebels. Bakosoro said the voicemail proved only that he was being bugged. His interrogators didn't hide that. "They told me they are monitoring me," he said. "They are monitoring my phone, and they are monitoring everyone, so whatever we say on the telephone, they are monitoring." ___ 'WHO WILL GUARD THE GUARDS?' Three years after Peru acquired the Verint package, it's not yet up and running, Carlos Basombrio, the incoming interior minister said just before taking office last week. "When it becomes operative, it will be used against organized crime (in coordination) with judges and prosecutors." Located in a three-story building next to the country's DINI spy agency, Pisco sits on a Lima military base off-limits to the public. It can track 5,000 individual targets and simultaneously record the communications of 300 people, according to agency documents, with eight listening rooms and parabolic antennae affixed outside to capture satellite downlinks. Control of Pisco was shifted to the national police after the spying scandal that crippled the intelligence agency. Verint sent Israeli personnel to train Peruvian operators, adding eight months of instruction at the host government's request, records show. One major eavesdropping tool has, however, been active in Peru since October. It can physically track any phone in real time using geolocation. Under a July 2015 decree, police can locate phones without a court order, but would need one to listen in. Government officials wouldn't offer details on what software was being used to track cellphones. But two months before the decree, DINI officials said payment had been authorized for a Verint geolocation product called SkyLock. That software enables phone-tracking within the country, and a premium version can pinpoint any mobile phone in most countries. All four Peruvian phone companies agreed to cooperate on geolocation, signing a pact with the government the details of which were not disclosed. Civil libertarians consider warrantless geolocation a dangerous invasion of privacy, especially in a nation with pervasive public corruption. Peru's incoming congress is dominated by Fuerza Popular, a party associated with imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori. He ran one of the most corrupt Latin American regimes in recent history. In July 2015, the Verint surveillance platform got caught in the chaos of Peruvian politics. Word of the purchase was leaked, triggering a government audit. The Miami-based Verint vice president who made the sale, Shefi Paz, complained about the phone companies' apparent foot-dragging in emails and letters to DINI officials. They weren't making themselves available for meetings. "Verint should not have to suffer from political delays," Paz wrote . Reached by phone, Paz declined to comment. The eavesdropping products Verint and its peers sell play an important role in fighting terrorism, said Ika Balzam, a former employee of both Verint and Nice. That is a common industry claim, echoed by politicians. And yet, Balzam acknowledged, there are no guarantees that nation-states won't abuse surveillance tools. "There is a saying," Balzam said: "'Who will guard the guards?'" ___ Associated Press writer Frank Bajak reported this story in Lima and AP writer Jack Gillum reported from Washington. AP writers Maria Danilova in Washington; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Jason Patinkin in Juba, South Sudan; Tony Fraser in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Kristen Gelineau in Sydney contributed to this report. ___ Documents about the Peru program: http://bit.ly/2awHVE0 ___ Frank Bajak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fbajak Jack Gillum on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackgillum This Thursday, July 28, 2016 photo shows the Verint offices in Herzliya, Israel. The Mellville, N.Y.-based company discloses little about its surveillance products, which it says collect and parse massive data sets to "detect, investigate and neutralize threats." Such so-called "lawful intercept" software available for years to Western police and spy agencies is now easily obtained by governments that routinely violate basic rights. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) This Thursday, July 28, 2016 photo shows the Verint offices in Herzliya, Israel. The Mellville, N.Y.-based company discloses little about its surveillance products, which it says collect and parse massive data sets to "detect, investigate and neutralize threats." Such so-called "lawful intercept" software available for years to Western police and spy agencies is now easily obtained by governments that routinely violate basic rights. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) This image shows a page from a Peruvian government document dated August 2015, obtained by The Associated Press. It outlines a domestic electronic surveillance platform from the American-Israeli firm Verint Systems. This page shows a photo of buildings in Peru's capital, Lima, where it was being installed; labels indicate offices for prosecutors, meeting rooms and "listening rooms." Originally acquired by Peru's intelligence agency, the platform is now to be staffed by police. (AP Photo) Former Vice President Marisol Espinoza attends the inauguration ceremony for President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at Congress in Lima, Peru, on Thursday, July 28, 2016. In 2015, after the country's intelligence agency purchased a secret surveillance system from the American-Israeli security firm Verint Systems, Espinoza said she caught two intelligence agents staking her out. The uproar over Perus rogue agency forced out the prime minister, but the government did not halt installation of the system. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) New Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio, foreground, and Finance Minister Alfredo Thorne attend the inauguration ceremony for President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at Congress in Lima, Peru, on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Three years after its acquisition, the Verint surveillance system purchased by Peru has been installed but is not up and running, says Basombrio. "When it becomes operative, it will be used against organized crime, with judicial oversight." (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) This undated photo provided by exiled Uzbek activist Tulkin Karayev shows dissident Kudrat Rasulov, a blogger who published commentary critical of the government under a pseudonym. To protect his identity, he created a new email account for every article he sent, discussing them with with Karayev over Skype. Rasulov was arrested in 2013 and is now serving an 8-year-prison sentence for subversion. Karayev believes Rasulov was undone by surveillance. (Tulkin Karayev via AP) This undated photo provided by exiled Uzbek activist Tulkin Karayev shows dissident Kudrat Rasulov, a blogger who published commentary critical of the government under a pseudonym. To protect his identity, he created a new email account for every article he sent, discussing them with with Karayev over Skype. Rasulov was arrested in 2013 and is now serving an 8-year-prison sentence for subversion. Karayev believes Rasulov was undone by surveillance. (Tulkin Karayev via AP) Edin Omanovic, a research officer at Privacy International, poses for a photo at the company's offices in London on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. The advocacy group works to expose companies that enable surveillance that it says erodes people's privacy. There is just so little reliable data on this, Omanovic said of the prevalence of off-the-shelf state surveillance tools. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Edin Omanovic, a research officer at Privacy International, poses for a photo at the company's offices in London on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. The advocacy group works to expose companies that enable surveillance that it says erodes people's privacy. There is just so little reliable data on this, Omanovic said of the prevalence of off-the-shelf state surveillance tools. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) PICTURED: Cuban cattle country keeps up rodeo traditions SANCTI SPIRITUS, Cuba (AP) In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they tackle a bicycle. At the tender age of 6, Dariadna Corujo is already an expert barrel racer and calf roper, wearing pink boots as she competes in rodeos on the hot, flat grasslands of central Sancti Spiritus province. A group of neighboring cattle ranchers founded a non-governmental group called Future Ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cuba's rodeo culture, which dates back centuries to Spanish colonial times. The group teaches rodeo skills like roping and riding along with more practical education in ranching, veterinary medicine and farming. In this July 29, 2016 photo, cowgirl Dariadna Corujo winds up to lasso a calf during an improvised rodeo event at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. At the tender age of 6, Dariadna is already an expert barrel racer and calf roper. In the flat grasslands of Sancti Spiritus, a group of neighboring cattle ranchers founded a non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cubas rodeo culture, which dates back centuries to Spanish colonial times. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) The best students can start farm- and ranch-related studies at local universities without passing the difficult national entrance exam. A founder of the group proudly notes the students often know so much that they give informal classes to other students. In Sancti Spiritus' cattle country, 80 children are enrolled in the association, which struggles to find the funds for basic needs like gasoline for the vehicles taking the students to competitions. Many families save for years in order to buy their children saddles, boots and lassos. "At $12 a lasso, do you know how many liters of milk I have to sell?" said Dariadna's father, Donato Corujo. The children of Future Ranchers have become the main attraction at many Sancti Spiritus rodeos, and a standard at religious processions and Cuba's May Day parades. In this July 29, 2016 photo, a young cowboy looks out from a bus window as he waits to be transported via bus to an improvised rodeo event at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In Sancti Spiritus cattle country, 80 children are enrolled in the non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers association, which struggles to find the funds for basic needs like gasoline for the vehicles taking the students to competitions. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, cowgirl Dariadna Corujo sits on her horse while herding cattle near a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. At the tender age of 6, Dariadna is already an expert barrel racer and calf roper, wearing pink boots as she competes in rodeos on the flat grasslands of central Sancti Spiritus province. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, 2-year-old cowboy Wrangler Ponce pulls two horses at his parents farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle. In Sancti Spiritus cattle country, 80 children are enrolled in a non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers, founded by a group of neighboring cattle ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cubas rodeo culture. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, cowgirl Dariadna Corujo rides her horse near a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. At the tender age of 6, Dariadna is already an expert barrel racer and calf roper, wearing pink boots as she competes in rodeos on the flat grasslands of central Sancti Spiritus province. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, 2-year-old cowboy Wrangler Ponce pours water into a wheelbarrow serving as a water troff for the horses at his parents farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle as well as skills like roping and riding along with more practical education. Those who grow up to be the best start farm- and ranch-related studies at local universities without passing the difficult national entrance exam. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, 5-year-old cowboy David Obregon works to lasso a goat for milking at his parents farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. A group of neighboring cattle ranchers founded a non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cubas rodeo culture, which dates back centuries to Spanish colonial times. The group teaches rodeo skills like roping and riding along with more practical education in ranching, veterinary medicine and farming. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, 5-year-old cowboy David Obregon runs across the yard of his parents farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle. Those who grow up to be the best start farm- and ranch-related studies at local universities without passing the difficult national entrance exam. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, young cowboys milk a goat at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. A group of neighboring cattle ranchers founded a non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cubas rodeo culture, which dates back centuries to Spanish colonial times. The group teaches rodeo skills like roping and riding along with more practical education in ranching, veterinary medicine and farming. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, cowboys watch an improvised rodeo event at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, a cowboy throws a calf to the ground to wrap its legs, during an improvised rodeo game at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle as well as skills like roping and riding along with more practical education. Those who grow up to be the best start farm- and ranch-related studies at local universities without passing the difficult national entrance exam. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, children of the Future Ranchers organization sit on horses as they wait for the release of a calf during an improvised rodeo event at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. The children enrolled in the non-governmental organization have become the main attraction at many Sancti Spiritus rodeos, and a standard at religious processions and Cubas May Day parades. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, 5-year-old cowboy David Obregon holds down a calf during an improvised rodeo event at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle as well as skills like roping and riding along with more practical education. Those who grow up to be the best start farm- and ranch-related studies at local universities without passing the difficult national entrance exam. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this July 29, 2016 photo, cowboys team up to help 5-year-old cowboy David Obregon learn to ride a calf during an improvised rodeo game at a farm in Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. In the Cuban countryside, many children learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a bicycle. In Sancti Spiritus cattle country, 80 children are enrolled in a non-governmental organization called Future Ranchers, founded by a group of neighboring cattle ranchers more than a decade ago to revive Cubas rodeo culture. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Suspect in Ohio officer's fatal shooting wants trial moved MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (AP) The attorney for a man accused of fatally shooting an Ohio policeman is seeking to move the trial, citing "extensive" publicity in the potential death penalty case. Herschel Jones III pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges in the January slaying of Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell. The 34-year-old Cottrell was found behind the village's municipal building, after Jones' ex-girlfriend warned police that he was "looking to kill a cop." Jones' attorney argues it would be impossible to get an impartial jury from Knox County because its residents have been exposed to extensive coverage about Jones, who has a lengthy criminal history. Ex-church official gets bail, prosecutor vows to retry him PHILADELPHIA (AP) The city's top prosecutor vowed on Tuesday to retry a former church official imprisoned for nearly three years over his handling of abuse complaints, even though the monsignor's conviction has twice been overturned. Monsignor William Lynn was the first U.S. Roman Catholic Church official ever charged or convicted of helping to shield child molesters within its ranks. A judge on Tuesday agreed to release Lynn from prison days after the state Supreme Court threw out the conviction, concluding the 2012 trial judge allowed too many priest-abuse victims not directly tied to the case to testify. Prosecutors had called the witnesses to show a pattern of behavior at the Philadelphia Archdiocese. FILE In this Jan. 6, 2014, file photo, Monsignor William Lynn leaves a bail hearing at the Center for Criminal Justice in Philadelphia. Lynn, a former Philadelphia church official imprisoned over his handling of abuse complaints is seeking bail after Pennsylvania's highest court granted him a new trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Lynn was charged with endangering a boy by transferring a suspected predator-priest to his parish in the late 1990s. His lawyer questioned District Attorney Seth Williams' intent to retry the case. Lynn, now 65, has served all but three months of his three-year sentence. "I think we all know where Lynn stood in this (church) hierarchy. We all know that Lynn never touched a kid," lawyer Thomas Bergstrom said after a hearing Tuesday in which Lynn was ordered released on his original $250,000 bond. "Whether he's a scapegoat or not ... we're prepared to try a fair trial any day." Williams said there is "substantial evidence" against Lynn. "My office takes the charges of institutional sexual abuse extremely seriously," Williams said in a statement. "I will continue to use every available legal option at my disposal to prosecute pedophile priests and those who shield them." Lynn has been in and out of prison during his appeals. He was due to be paroled in October, but relatives instead picked him up Tuesday from a state prison in northeastern Pennsylvania. Lynn, who will live with them in the Reading area, is due back in court Thursday to get a trial date. Despite two recent bouts with pneumonia, his spirits remain strong, Bergstrom said. The accuser in Lynn's case, a former altar boy who said he was raped by two priests and his fifth-grade teacher, has since settled a civil lawsuit against the archdiocese. At Lynn's initial trial, 21 other priest-abuse victims testified over several weeks, describing horrific sexual abuse by Philadelphia priests that stretched back for decades, long before Lynn's tenure as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. Lynn knew about those cases because he read through their complaints, which were kept in a locked, secret file room. He also made a list of 35 priests accused of sex abuse. The late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua had the list destroyed, according to a memo introduced at trial. A copy nonetheless survived. The trial judge called Lynn "a monster in clerical garb who destroyed the souls of children." But defense lawyers and other critics questioned why prosecutors charged a middle man in the church bureaucracy and failed to arrest the cardinals for whom he worked. An advocacy group for clergy-abuse victims said Tuesday that his case put employers on notice that they must report child sexual-abuse complaints. "Finally, a Catholic enabler a church official who put kids in harms' way has been punished. And he may be punished further," said Karen Polesir, Philadelphia-area director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "That should make many employers think again when they're tempted to hide known or suspected child sex crimes." Hillary Clinton took a break from the presidential campaign on Tuesday to attend the funeral in Rhode Island of her longtime friend, Mark Weiner, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser. Former President Bill Clinton delivered the eulogy, saying he was there to represent the 'much despised and maligned political class, those of us who wouldn't have gotten as far in life and certainly wouldn't have had half as much fun if it hadn't been for Mark Weiner.' Hillary Clinton didn't speak at the funeral, but her husband remembered Weiner as 'forever young, forever exuberant, always just a little too much'. The Clintons were just some on a long list notable people who attended the funeral service of Mark Weiner, center, an entrepreneur and die-hard democrat who died (pictured in 2004) Former President Bill Clinton rides in the back seat as a car pulls out from Temple Beth-El after the funeral of Mark Weiner Weiner has been friends with the Clintons since 1976, when he worked with Hillary Clinton on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. Here he is pictured in Connecticut in 2002 He recalled Hillary Clinton had hired Weiner to oversee an Indiana congressional district during Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign in that state. He noted Weiner died preparing to go to the Democratic convention. 'He was always on the job, always trying to advance what he believed in.' Clinton joked that he thinks he added 6 months to Mark Weiner's life by introducing him to Sophia Loren at a Swiss restaurant. 'No one will ever think of him for more than 30 seconds without breaking into a smile,' he said. After Clinton spoke, Hillary Clinton, looking distraught, followed the casket down the center aisle. Weiner provided campaign buttons and other merchandise to Democratic presidential campaigns since 1980 and held leadership positions throughout the party. He died last week at 62 after a year's long battle with cancer. He was preparing to travel to the Democratic National Convention to hear Bill Clinton speak when he died. Hillary Clinton seen chatting with Susan and Mark Weiner, longtime Clinton friends, at a fundraiser Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo is greeted as she arrives at Temple Beth-El for the funeral of Mark Weiner U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., third from left, is greeted outside the funeral service The crowd at his funeral was filled with Democratic players that also included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, former national security adviser Tom Donilon and veteran political consultants James Carville, Paul Begala and Tad Devine. Other attendees included Hollywood producer Steve Bing, the former president of baseball's National League, Leonard Coleman Jr., and drummer Max Weinberg. Weiner became close friends with the Clintons in 1976, when he worked with Hillary Clinton on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. He worked on every presidential campaign since that year. Bill Clinton told mourners that Weiner was a fierce competitor in business and politics. He said Weiner would do anything for his friends, but also performed kindnesses for strangers. Weiner would give someone a tip for seating him in an empty restaurant, he said. Clinton remembered the fun of playing endless rounds of the card game Oh Hell! with Weiner during trips together all over the world. A Providence police officer with a police canine checks the area outside Temple Beth-El in Providence, Rhode Island Jesse Jackson is pictured arriving at the service in Providence Joseph Paolino, the former ambassador to Malta, said during his remarks that Weiner could not wait to see Hillary Clinton become the first woman nominated as a major party's presidential candidate. Addressing Hillary Clinton, who sat in the front row, he said that Weiner had recently been fitted for a tuxedo 'because he wanted to dance with you at the inaugural ball.' The Clintons departed with the family. Hillary Clinton appeared upset and nodded to people as she left, out of the view of cameras. Devine, a senior adviser to the Bernie Sanders' campaign, went to high school with Weiner and Donilon. Weiner was manager of the basketball team. 'He was a unique, one-of-a-kind guy,' Devine said before the service. Jackson first met Weiner during his 1984 run for president. Later, Weiner became a founding board member of Jackson's Rainbow PUSH coalition. Trump moves from 'Crooked Hillary' to 'the devil' on stump MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) On the campaign stump, Donald Trump has opened August by moving from "Crooked Hillary" to "the devil." Speaking in Pennsylvania on Monday, the billionaire real estate mogul derided Bernie Sanders' capitulation in the Democratic primary race and Sanders' decision to support Clinton. Trump said of Sanders: "He made a deal with the devil. She's the devil." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump applauds as he leaves a campaign rally at Cumberland Valley High School, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Mechanicsburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump in recent days has taken to categorizing the Clinton-Sanders understanding as a "deal with the devil" but this was the first time that he went so far as to specifically equate Clinton with Lucifer. Trump's supporters packed a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, high school gymnasium and thousands more were left outside or forced to watch in a spillover room. Japan defense report raises China, North Korea concerns TOKYO (AP) Japan called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action as dangerous in an annual defense report approved Tuesday by the Cabinet. Key points in this year's 484-page report: NORTH KOREA: The report notes that Pyongyang may have achieved the capability to miniaturize atomic weapons for warheads, as well as acquired a missile capable of reaching as far as 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). "North Korea's military activity has increased tensions on the Korean peninsula, and become a grave and imminent threat not only to Japan but also to the security in the region and the international society." FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2015 file photo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) escort ship "Kurama" leads other vessels during a fleet review in the water off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) ___ CHINA: Rapidly expanding and assertive maritime and air activity and a lack of transparency in China's military buildup have destabilized the military balance in the region. Some of China's moves over conflicting maritime claims are "dangerous actions that could trigger unanticipated situations. ... They raise strong concern about what may happen in the future." ___ SOUTH CHINA SEA: China's land reclamation and construction in the South China Sea are a provocation. China has been pushing to use the reclaimed islands for military purposes, while continuing to expand toward the Indian Ocean. Beijing should accept a recent international arbitration ruling aimed at settling its maritime disputes with the Philippines. ___ EAST CHINA SEA: China has stepped up activity around Japanese-controlled islands that both claim, the report says, noting that a Chinese warship entered water just outside Japanese-claimed waters in the area. Increasing activity in the East China Sea also prompted Japan to scramble against Chinese warplanes more than 570 times last year. Japan calls the disputed islands the Senkaku, while China calls them the Diaoyu. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi Find her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mari-yamaguchi FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2015 file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, stands with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, second left, and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, left, during the official triennial Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet review aboard the JMSDF escort ship Kurama in the waters off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (Kazuhiko Yamashita/Kyodo News via AP, File) FILE - In this June 21, 2016 file photo, Japan Self-Defense Force members set up a PAC-3 Patriot missile unit deployed in case of a North Korean rocket launch at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. Japan has called North Korea's nuclear and missile development a "grave and imminent threat" to the region and international security, and criticized China's increasingly assertive military action in its annual defense report. The report, approved Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, by the Cabinet, comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for Japan to take on greater military roles abroad. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) Balloon pilot was never grounded due to gap in oversight LOCKHART, Texas (AP) If Alfred "Skip" Nichols had been a commercial airplane pilot, he probably would have been grounded long ago. Nichols, the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed over the weekend in Texas, killing 16, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunken driving and twice spending time in prison pointing to gaps in oversight of hot air balloon pilots. Whether the pilot's drinking habits had anything to do with the crash was unclear. A former girlfriend described Nichols as a recovering alcoholic. She said he had been sober for at least four years and never piloted a balloon after drinking. This undated photo provided by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides shows Alfred "Skip" Nichols. Nichols was identified by friends and colleagues as the pilot of the downed hot air balloon, operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. Investigators said the balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing Saturday, July 30, 2016, into a pasture near the Central Texas town of Lockhart. (Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides via AP) The Federal Aviation Administration might allow a recovering alcoholic to fly commercial jets if the pilot could show that he or she was being successfully treated, said John Gadzinski, an airline captain and aviation safety consultant. But the agency is unlikely to accept an airline pilot with convictions for driving under the influence, he said. The 49-year-old Nichols also had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997. Customers reported to the Better Business Bureau that their rides would get canceled at the last minute and their fees never refunded. When pilots apply for a ballooning certificate with the FAA, they are not required to disclose any prior drunken driving convictions, only drug convictions, said Patrick Cannon, a spokesman for the Balloon Federation of America trade group, who called that a loophole in the law. He noted that the ballooning certificate specifically says not to include alcohol offenses involving a motor vehicle, as those are covered on the FAA's medical application. But balloon pilots do not have to get regular medical exams from FAA-certified examiners. They are only required to write a statement certifying that they have "no medical defect" that would limit their ability to pilot a balloon. Commercial plane pilots are required to fill out a form that includes questions on alcohol dependence or abuse and convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol. A member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt, criticized what he called a "disparity" in the FAA requirements for balloon operators compared to plane or helicopter pilots. "I was an airline pilot for 24 years, flew airplanes for 32 years, and I had to have a medical, an FAA medical every six months," he said. Nichols got his commercial license to pilot hot air balloons in Missouri in July 1996. His first drunken driving conviction came in St. Louis County in 1990, followed by two more convictions in 2002 and a fourth in 2010, according to online court records. He was also convicted of a drug crime in 2000 and spent about a year and a half in prison before being paroled. He was returned to prison in April 2010 after his parole was revoked because of his drunken driving conviction that year. He was paroled again in January 2012. After they receive a license, all pilots are supposed to notify the FAA within 60 days of a drug or alcohol conviction. However, Cannon said, there is no oversight of that reporting requirement for balloon pilots. Investigators said they do not yet know why the balloon operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture Saturday near Lockhart, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio. While there were patches of fog on the day of the flight, the ground crew said it was clear when the balloon took off, and there was no sign of any maintenance trouble with the balloon, Sumwalt said. An examination of the balloon after the crash found "no evidence of preexisting failures, malfunctions or problems," he said. ___ Schmall reported from Fort Worth. Associated Press writers Reese Dunklin and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Jim Salter in St. Louis and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. Flowers and a New Testament lay near crime scene tape at the scene of Saturday's hot air balloon crash near Lockhart, Texas, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Sixteen people were killed in the crash. (Deborah Cannon/Austin American-Statesman via AP) National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Robert Sumwalt speaks during a news conference at the scene of Saturday's hot air balloon crash near Lockhart. Texas, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Sixteen people died in the crash. (Deborah Cannon/Austin American-Statesman via AP) A DPS trooper talks with men at a checkpoint near the scene of Saturday's hot air balloon crash near Lockhart, Texas, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Sixteen people were killed in the crash. (Deborah Cannon/Austin American-Statesman via AP) An impromptu memorial stands outside the home of Tresa and Joe Owens in Brookshire, Texas, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Family members told the Associated Press the couple died in the hot air balloon crash that killed 16 people on Saturday near Lockhart, Texas, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio. (AP Photo/John Mone) Health officials advised pregnant women to avoid a part of Miami where mosquitoes are transmitting Zika directly to humans. Mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland, citing four cases they strongly believe were caused by bites. Ten more cases were announced Monday, even though Florida authorities have yet to find any mosquitoes actually carrying the virus. And another was announced on Tuesday. Of the 15 people infected, two are women and 12 are men, and one has not been identified. Eight patients showed symptoms of Zika, which can include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. The others had no symptoms. The disease is often so mild that most people don't know they are infected. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Warning: Pregnant women have been told to avoid this Zika-stricken area in Miami Zika fears: A Miami-Dade County mosquito control worker sprays around a home on Monday. The CDC has told pregnant women to stay away from the Zika-stricken neighborhood ARE MIAMI MOSQUITOES IMMUNE TO BUG SPRAY? CDC officials fear mosquitoes in the Wynwood area of Miami are immune to the bug spray that is being used since weeks of spraying has done nothing to diminish the population. 'It's possible that the mosquitoes there are resistant to the insecticide that's been used,' the center's chief Tom Frieden warned on Monday. 'It's possible that there may be what we call cryptic breeding places. 'This is a very difficult mosquito to control, particularly in a complex urban environment.' His words came as Florida health officials finally requested an emergency response team from the CDC. The state resisted seeking such dramatic measures for weeks - and did not even tell the CDC about the first potential Zika infection until a day before it reached the public after a week of investigations. Advertisement All 15 cases are thought to have occurred in Miami's Wynwood arts district, a trendy, fast-gentrifying neighborhood of warehouses, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Officials have now started patrolling the streets of the neighborhood handing out insect repellent to homeless people. Rosemary LeBranch was doing laundry in Wynwood when health officials came to her house a few days ago and took urine samples from her, her daughter and her father. Her father, Gabriel Jean, tested positive for Zika, she said Monday. He had already spoken with a doctor and was advised to wear long shirts and pants outdoors. 'He said nothing hurts; he doesn't have any pain. He doesn't feel anything,' she said. More than 1,650 cases of Zika have been reported in U.S. states. Nearly all have been the result of travel to a Zika-stricken country or sex with someone who was infected abroad, but now more than a dozen people have been infected in the U.S. Florida health officials said they have tested more than 200 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties since early July. An emergency response team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help Florida authorities investigate the outbreak, collect samples and control mosquitoes. Scott asked for a CDC emergency team to help Florida combat Zika, which has been sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months and now may be gaining a long-dreaded foothold in the U.S. The White House said a team will be sent quickly. 'We will continue to keep our residents and visitors safe utilizing constant surveillance and aggressive strategies, such as increased mosquito spraying, that have allowed our state to fight similar viruses,' Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement Monday. Government health officials warned pregnant women Monday to avoid the Zika-stricken part of Miami and told couples who have been there recently to put off having children for at least two months, after the number of people feared infected through mosquito bites in the U.S. climbed to 14. The CDC also said expectant mothers should get tested for the virus if they have visited the neighborhood since mid-June. Jordan Davison and Melissa Felix work for a cruise line and were enjoying their day off Monday looking at Wynwood's spray-painted murals. 'It's not like a big thing, right?' the 25-year-old Davidson said. 'It's kind of freaky. There's so much going on we didn't know, didn't really think about it. ... I might wear bug spray going forward.' The CDC fears mosquitoes may be immune to the spray they're using as it's having no effect NEW TRAVEL ADVICE The CDC and the state of Florida issued new guidelines for tourists on Monday. Anyone, who has traveled to or lived in the area affected by Zika since June 15 should consider getting tested. That is the earliest known date that one of the people could have been infected with Zika. Men and women who have recently been in the affected area should wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive a child. Pregnant women have also been told to stay away from the infected area. Advertisement CDC officials said they could not remember another time in the 70-year history of the disease-fighting agency when it told members of the public not to travel someplace in the U.S. Zika infections in pregnant women can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including extremely small skulls. The global outbreak has led to more than 1,800 serious defects. The virus can linger in the blood and urine for weeks and has been found in sperm for months. As a result, the CDC said men and women who have recently been in the affected area should wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive a child. And men who have had symptoms of Zika should wait at least six months, the CDC said. The travel warning covers an area of about one square mile in Wynwood to the east of Interstate 95 and south of I-195. It's large enough, health officials said, to provide a buffer around the suspected hot zone. The tropical mosquito that spreads Zika travels less than 200 yards in its lifetime. Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical medicine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, said the CDC should be more cautious and expand the travel advisory to all of Miami-Dade County. 'If you're pregnant or think you might be pregnant, avoid travel to Miami, and possibly elsewhere in South Florida,' he said. 'I'm guessing most women who are pregnant are doing that. I don't think they're sitting around waiting for the CDC to split hairs and fine-tune it to a specific area.' CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said the narrowly drawn warning was dictated by science and not by any concern for Florida's crucial tourism industry. He said it was based on the nation's ability to contain previous outbreaks of other diseases carried by the same mosquito. 'There wouldn't be a technical or scientific basis to give a broader recommendation,' Frieden said. Obama: Pulling up drawbridge on trade would hurt US workers WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama found common cause with the leader of Singapore in the face of growing political headwinds against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, warning that to "pull up a drawbridge" on trade would only hurt the United States and its workers. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged the United States to maintain its "indispensable role" in the Asia-Pacific and ratify the TPP as he joined Obama at the White House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city state. Obama said that people have legitimate fears about the impact of globalization and being "left behind" but the answer cannot be to back away from trade and the global economy. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks during a joint news conference with President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) "To try to pull-up a drawbridge on trade would only hurt us and hurt our workers. The answer is to make sure that globalization and trade is working for us and not against us," Obama told joint news conference after talks with Lee in the Oval Office. "TPP is designed to do precisely that," Obama added. Singapore, a close U.S. partner, is one of the 12 nations in the TPP, an agreement key to Obama's effort to boost U.S. exports and build strategic ties in Asia. But Lee's Washington visit comes as opposition to the TPP intensifies in the United States. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton are both against it. Asked about that opposition, Obama responded: "Right now I'm president and I'm for it, and I think I have the better argument." Calling Singapore a "rock solid" partner, Obama welcomed Lee after an elaborate ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, where hundreds of U.S. military members in blue and white uniforms formed an honor guard. Lee will also be honored with a state dinner on Tuesday evening. Lee described America as a longtime stabilizing influence in the Asia-Pacific, and said it has put its reputation on the line over TPP. He said other nations such as close U.S. ally Japan have faced political costs at home to make the deal. "If at the end, waiting at the altar the bride doesn't arrive, I think there are people who are going to feel really hurt, not just emotionally, but really damaged for a long time to come," Lee said, adding that it could undermine confidence in the U.S. as a security partner. The Obama administration says it remains determined to try and win congressional approval for TPP, but the chances of achieving that in the "lame duck" session after the Nov. 8 election and before the new president takes office Jan. 20 appear slim because of the depth of political opposition, not least from Obama's fellow Democrats. Obama, however, expressed confidence his administration could get it done. He said he was ready to sit down publicly with people on both the right and left of the political spectrum to go through provisions of TPP to address "misinformation" about the agreement. He said the alternative was to allow China to set trade rules that would ignore labor, environmental and other standards. The deal would eliminate trade barriers and tariffs, streamline standards and encourage investment between the 12 countries that include Mexico, Japan, Vietnam and Australia that account for about 40 percent of global economic output. But critics say the pact undercuts American workers by introducing lower-wage competition and gives huge corporations too much leeway. Singapore, a city state of 5.7 million people, is heavily dependent on international trade for its prosperity. In 2004, it became the first Asian nation to strike a bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S. Last year, the bilateral trade in goods totaled $47 billion, with the U.S. enjoying a $10 billion surplus. Singapore is also a strong advocate of the U.S. security role in Asia although it retains cordial ties with China too. Under Obama, the U.S. has deployed littoral combat ships in Singapore, and last December, deployed a P-8 Poseidon spy plane there for the first time, amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea. Obama said the U.S. and Singapore shared a "common vision of a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific and a more secure world." He paid tribute to the tiny nation's transformation from third world country to a first world country, saying it "punches above its weight." The state dinner for Lee will be the first held for a Singaporean leader since October 1985, when Ronald Reagan hosted Lee's father, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The U.S. and Singapore opened diplomatic relations in 1966, a year after the U.S. recognized Singapore's independence from Malaysia. President Barack Obama answers questions during a joint news conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) President Barack Obama hosts a state visit ceremony for Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug, 2, 20216. The prime minister of the Southeast Asian city state joins Obama in Washington to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the contentious Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal will be high on the agenda. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama host a state visit ceremony for Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, August 2, 2016. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill are at right. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Trump suggests general election could be 'rigged' COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested that he fears the general election "is going to be rigged" an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. Trump's extraordinary claim one he did not back up with any immediate evidence would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio on Monday. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks away after speaking to reporters before a town hall event, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. Trump has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former secretary of state received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories, including claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and, more recently, that Sen. Ted Cruz's father was an associate of President John F. Kennedy's assassin also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He then asserted that November's general election may not be on the up-and-up. He repeated the charge Monday night on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," saying: "November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." Requests to Trump's campaign for additional explanation were not returned. The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been "rigged." It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trump's expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats' process was also rigged. Monday night, Trump said Sanders "made a deal with the devil," and said of Clinton, "She's the devil." The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trump's remarks. The event in Ohio was Trump's first campaign appearance since the onset of his tussle with the parents of a slain Army veteran, but he did not address the flap. He spoke for nearly an hour Monday in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. Trump criticized the family in an interview Sunday and again in a pair of tweets Monday morning. Asked on MSNBC Monday whether Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said, "I don't want to hear anything from him and I don't want to say anything to him." But his running mate, Mike Pence, quieted a campaign rally crowd Monday that booed a woman who said she had a son who serves in the U.S. Air Force and asked how he can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the Nevada crowd to quiet down, then said about the questioner: "That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like." He continued: "Capt. Khan is an American hero. We honor him and his family ... we cherish his family." He added that Trump had great respect for veterans. ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz ___ Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed reporting in Carson City, Nevada. __ Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire ___ This story has been corrected to fix spelling of Khan in last paragraph. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands during a campaign rally at Cumberland Valley High School, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Mechanicsburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Cumberland Valley High School, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Mechanicsburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump is 'unfit,' Obama says, challenging GOP to end support WASHINGTON (AP) In a searing denouncement, President Barack Obama castigated Donald Trump as "unfit" and "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House. He challenged Republicans to withdraw their support for their party's nominee, declaring "There has to come a point at which you say 'enough.'" While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race. Obama questioned whether Trump would "observe basic decency" as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs and condemned his disparagement of an American Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the U.S. Army in Iraq. A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trump's criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominee's calls to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. But Obama argued that isn't enough. President Barack Obama speak to reporters during a joint news conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) "If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Obama asked during a White House news conference. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" No prominent Republican lawmaker responded to Obama's challenge. Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an affront to his party's top elected official, Trump told The Washington Post he wasn't "quite there yet" on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week. Trump's refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the GOP and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook. Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryan's campaign said, "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless." Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton sees those GOP concerns about Trump as an opportunity to reach out to party moderates particularly women who may be so upset by the nominee that they're willing to look past policy differences and questions about Clinton's character. One of those Republicans came around to Clinton's side Tuesday. Hewlett-Packard executive Meg Whitman, a prominent GOP fundraiser and donor, endorsed Clinton and said, "Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character." Obama who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office plans to campaign robustly for Clinton through Election Day. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia. The Khans also appeared at the convention, with Khizr Khan telling the story of his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Khan criticized Trump's position on Muslims and asked whether the real estate mogul had read the Constitution. For most politicians, tangling with a bereaved military family would be out of bounds. But Trump dove in, questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and saying he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan. Trump's criticism was part of a familiar pattern: He can't let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation. Those who have worked with him say that in private meetings he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he's already answered a question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television. Trump's unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage Monday from several Republicans. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was "deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war." Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said the Khans "deserve to be heard and respected." Obama argued those denunciations "ring hollow" as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race. Trump's response? On Twitter, he said, "President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States!" Sen. Mark Kirk, who is facing a tough re-election fight in Illinois, rescinded his endorsement of Trump in June after the GOP nominee criticized an American-born judge's Mexican heritage. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, have broken with the nominee on individual issues but continue to back his candidacy. ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz ___ Associated Press writers Erica Werner in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Ashburn, Virginia contributed to this report. ___ Follow Julie Pace on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC President Barack Obama answers questions during a joint news conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a Purple Heart medal given to him by a supporter during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP FACT CHECK: Trump gets much wrong on Ukraine WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump is trying to claw back a string of inaccurate comments about Ukraine, but he's yet to get it right. On the weekend, Trump asserted in an ABC interview that Russia would not enter Ukraine, not seeming to know Russian troops were already there. He suggested the 2014 annexation of Crimea didn't count because the peninsula's people preferred being part of Russia, which was Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated reason for taking it. Prodded by his interviewer, the Republican presidential candidate modified his statement afterward. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump applauds after speaking during a town hall event, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "Already in Crimea!" Trump tweeted Monday, referring to Russian forces. "That's what I said!" The attempted clarifications left much unclarified. Here's how Trump's comments comport with the facts: ___ TRUMP on Putin: "He's not going into Ukraine, OK. Just so you understand: He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right?" THE FACTS: Putin did go into Ukraine. After Ukrainian protesters chased Viktor Yanukovych, their Russian-backed leader, from power in February 2014, Russian troops stationed at a base in Crimea seized strategic locations on the peninsula and replaced the local government with pro-Kremlin politicians. Russia annexed the territory after a widely discredited referendum a month later. Moscow didn't stop there, according to the central government in Kiev and its Western backers, sending troops and military equipment to help separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. They say Russia continues to train rebels and direct low-level attacks against Ukrainian forces on the front line. Russia acknowledges it has some military officials in Ukraine, but says no regular troops are there. In his tweets Monday, Trump sought to explain himself: "When I said in an interview that Putin is 'not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down,' I am saying if I am President." ___ TRUMP: "You know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also." THE FACTS: Trump is right that many Crimeans, being ethnically Russian, felt close to Moscow. But that is only part of the story. The March 2014 referendum that officially showed 95 percent of Crimeans wanting to join Russia faced an avalanche of criticism. It occurred as thousands of Russian troops were controlling Crimea. There were charges that people voted at gunpoint. No respected international election monitors supervised the balloting. Crimea's large Muslim Tatar minority, whose families were forcibly relocated to Central Asia during Soviet times, defiantly opposed joining Russia. Many ethnic Ukrainians stayed at home. And the world community almost universally panned the annexation. ___ TRUMP: "As far as the Ukraine is concerned, it's a mess. And that's under the Obama's administration, with his strong ties to NATO. So with all of these strong ties to NATO, Ukraine is a mess." THE FACTS: Ukraine is not a NATO country and is not covered under the alliance's basic premise that "an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies," so Trump's implication that NATO somehow failed Ukraine is incorrect. Ukraine has never been part of the 28-member organization. And although NATO has mobilized for campaigns in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya, the self-described defensive alliance has never engaged in military action against Russia. It probably would never do so unless a NATO member such as Poland or one of the Baltic states were faced with Russian aggression. ___ TRUMP: "If we can have a good relationship with Russia and if Russia would help us get rid of ISIS ... that would be a positive thing, not a negative thing." THE FACTS: Hawks in both parties have attacked Trump for suggesting closer U.S.-Russian coordination against the Islamic State. Much of the criticism has been unfair. Trump's suggested approach is in line with the current strategy of the Obama administration. And Republican and Democratic administrations have a long history of counterterrorism cooperation with Russia, even during times of strained relations. Former President George W. Bush worked with Putin to fight al-Qaida and other extremist groups after 9/11. As secretary of state, Clinton took partial credit for Russia opening up a northern corridor for U.S. troops and materiel to reach Afghanistan. Trump also has been accused of having a hand in the Republican Party platform's omission of pushing for lethal aid to Ukraine, a long held GOP position. The current platform calls for "appropriate assistance" to Ukraine. Senate Republicans on the spot over Trump comments on Khan WASHINGTON (AP) The uproar over Donald Trump's criticism of a bereaved Army family put vulnerable Republican senators in a tight spot, underscoring anew the political challenges created for the GOP by its newly minted presidential nominee. And with the general election campaign now squarely underway, the firestorm over Trump's attacks on the Khan family is likely just a taste of trials to come as Republicans negotiate how closely to align with their volatile nominee. Senate Republicans running for re-election weighed in one after another Monday to condemn Trump's repeated attacks on the parents of slain U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, with former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain of Arizona leading the charge. And in an op-ed Tuesday, a New York congressman became the first House Republican to announce that he would vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. McCain issued a lengthy statement insisting that Trump has no right "to defame those who are the best among us" and pleading: "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates." FILE - In this May 9, 2016, file photo, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., speaks during a news conference in Philadelphia. Republicans aren't just distancing themselves from Donald Trump, they're making a point of not campaigning with him. When Trump was in Pennsylvania last week, Toomey was nowhere to be found. Same with Chuck Grassley in Iowa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said Trump's comments "are not in line with my own beliefs about how the members of the military and their families should be treated." Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said that "Capt. Khan is an American hero in every sense of the term, and the Khans deserve our sincerest gratitude." Yet as Democrats were quick to point out, most of the Republicans criticizing Trump had already declared their plans to vote for him for president, and despite their collective outrage, none of them withdrew their support. Several, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, avoided mentioning the billionaire by name. President Barack Obama weighed in on Tuesday, declaring that Trump is unfit to be president and questioning why GOP leaders including Ryan, McConnell and McCain continue to support him. "The question I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Obama said at a White House news conference. "There has to be a point in which you say this is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party," the president added. "And you know, the fact that that has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow." The furor surrounds Trump's accusations against Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. Trump complained that Khizr Khan was "viciously attacking" him by appearing on stage at last week's Democratic National Convention holding up a copy of the Constitution, questioning whether Trump had even read it and asserting the billionaire had sacrificed nothing. Trump has responded by insisting he had made sacrifices and questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak on stage, which she later said was because she was too bereaved. It's just the latest Trump-created conundrum for Republican senators who need support from Trump's enthusiastic backers to win re-election, but risk alienating moderate Republicans, independents, minorities and women if they embrace the GOP nominee too closely. "There's no question that Donald Trump is making it very difficult for House and Senate candidates who are running on the ballot in November," said Brian Walsh, a GOP strategist and former spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Writing in the Syracuse Post-Standard, GOP Rep. Richard Hanna said it's not enough to denounce Trump's comments. "He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country." The lawmaker, who has announced his retirement, said that while he disagrees with Clinton on many issues, "I trust she can lead." Candidates have also wrestled with whether to appear alongside Trump when he campaigns in their states. When Trump appeared Monday in Columbus, Ohio, vulnerable GOP Sen. Rob Portman was not on-hand; aides said he was doing previously scheduled events related to opioid legislation he has sponsored. Grassley's aides also cited scheduling conflicts as the reason Grassley did not attend Trump events in Iowa last week. Burr, on the other hand, joined Trump on the campaign trail in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, last week, and other campaigns, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's, have said they're open to joint appearances with Trump. Trump is backed by all but two vulnerable GOP senators Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is still in a "wait-and-see" mode, and Mark Kirk of Illinois, who withdrew his endorsement after Trump's attacks on a U.S. judge of Mexican heritage. ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz ___ Follow Erica Werner on Twitter @ericawerner Godzilla comes back to Japan, in ways fresh and familiar TOKYO (AP) Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The Associated Press noted four ways the new film "Shin Godzilla," or "New Godzilla," breaks from its past, and other ways it is reassuringly familiar. It's now showing in theaters in Japan and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. ___ WHAT'S DIFFERENT: In this July 30, 2016 photo, the poster of "Shin Godzilla", or "New Godzilla", is displayed under the monster's head at a movie theater in Tokyo. Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The latest in the giant reptile Godzilla movies Shin Godzilla, or New Godzilla, opened in Japan on July 29 and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) The Americans: Japan's most important ally sends scientists and other advisers, their participation depicted at times as a nuisance. A Japanese-American special envoy, played impudently by Satomi Ishihara, asks where the nearest Zara store is, but mainly mediates between Japan and the U.S., which is worried Godzilla might reach its shores. She resists a U.S. proposal to nuke Godzilla. "Is Japan going to have the atomic bomb dropped for the third time?" she asks mournfully. Given that the 2014 Hollywood Godzilla helped Toho film studio decide to revive the series it originated, the U.S. has proved a true ally for Godzilla's silver screen survival. The man behind the monster: Godzilla is not a man wearing a rubber suit, like in the 1954 original. Toho used motion-capture technology based on the movements of Mansai Nomura, an actor in traditional Kyogen theater whose casting was a secret until opening day. The center of gravity is kept low during Kyogen moves, similar to Noh dance, except that Kyogen specializes in comedy. Nomura said he was honored to be chosen for the role, stressing that he hoped to communicate the spiritual and the ghostly in Godzilla. "I am thrilled that the DNA of Kyogen, which has more than 650 years of history, will now be part of the DNA of the pride of Japanese cinema that life called Godzilla," he said in a statement. The 2011 Fukushima disaster: Godzilla is no longer a result of nuclear testing. Instead, the monster recalls the March 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated northeastern Japan. In the film, people measure the radiation around them and share information on social media, as they did five years ago. News conferences and meetings are filled with confusion and jargon, and government officials on screen even use the same word that was used to describe how unprepared Japan had been for the tsunami, "soteigai," or "beyond expectations." Scenes of people fleeing from torrents of water, and later huddled in gymnasiums, bring back heartbreaking memories of the 2011 disaster. Defending itself: Post-World War II Japan has repeatedly stressed it will abide by pacifism. When Godzilla crashes onto its shores, Japan debates how far it can go in defending itself. That reflects a modern debate over using Japan's military beyond its self-defense role. Bureaucrats try their best to find Japanese-based solutions, treating Godzilla as a crisis requiring military might and vowing the nation can be rebuilt from scratch as it was after World War II. The original monster symbolized the tragedy of nuclear power and, through it, the ability of humankind to destroy itself. Now the threat we perceive could be anything, but is almost certainly a horror we brought on ourselves. ___ WHAT'S FAMILIAR: The monster: Godzilla at first looks like a snake or an eel slithering through the cityscape. Nearly an hour into the movie, it stands upright like the Godzilla we know, with protruding scales lining its back and a giant tail lashing uncontrollably. As it was, with the way the 1954 original was scripted, Godzilla is more about our anticipation, the nightmare that reflects our deepest fears. The new Godzilla glows red as though embers electrified by atomic power flicker beneath its jagged skin. The destruction: The new film is inspired by the storyline of the 1954 original, more than the rest of Toho's 28-film series that had Godzilla battling oversized moths, evil robots and other fantastic creatures. It smashes the same landmarks as all the other Godzillas, such as Tokyo Station, the Parliament building and the Wako department store with the clock tower. And all that the masses of people can do is run from it in sheer terror. The sounds: That same eerie screech, created by scratching contrabass strings, is heard. And this film pays homage to the original music. When the credits roll, with Nomura's name closing the 329-strong actors' lineup, it's the same composition by Akira Ifukube that plays, a fitting ending for the Japanese comeback Godzilla. ___ "Shin Godzilla" trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysRIwlEBjuw&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89VLZgo1Vg Japanese site for the "Shin Godzilla" movie: http://shin-godzilla.jp/ ___ Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/yuri-kageyama In this July 30, 2016 photo, children pose with a scaled down model of Godzilla displayed at a movie theater in Tokyo. Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The latest in the giant reptile Godzilla movies, Shin Godzilla, or New Godzilla, opened in Japan on July 29 and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) In this July 30, 2016 photo, the poster of "Shin Godzilla", or "New Godzilla", is displayed under the monster's head at a movie theater in Tokyo. Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The latest in the giant reptile Godzilla movies opened in Japan on July 29 and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) In this July 30, 2016 photo, a scaled down model of Godzilla is displayed at a movie theater in Tokyo. Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. The latest in the giant reptile Godzilla movies Shin Godzilla, or New Godzilla, opened in Japan on July 29 and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Bulgarian terrorism trial of 3 Syrians adjourned SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) The trial of three Syrian nationals charged with terrorism offenses in Bulgaria was adjourned on Tuesday after their defense lawyers complained that the translation of the indictment into Arabic has been received only a day ago. The lawyers said that the required time for the defendants to study the papers was at least seven days. The specialized court, which handles cases of terrorism and organized crime, accepted the request and adjourned the trial for September without fixing an exact date. The court turned down another request by the defense to return the case to the prosecution because of alleged contradictions in the filed indictment. The men, aged 20, 22 and 25, who had obtained refugee status in Germany, are accused of trying to go to Syria to join jihadi groups. In February, the three had arrived in Greece from Germany and tried to cross into Turkey but were not allowed in. Eventually, they had decided to pass through Bulgarian territory on their way to Turkey. They were caught by Bulgarian border police in the town of Svilengrad on Feb. 8 and eventually sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for three years, for attempting the illegal border crossing. The prosecution said it had found photos of members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic State group saved in the mobile phones of the accused, and messages to such people in their communications records. The three were charged with terrorism and taken into custody, on the basis of evidence collected from the questioning of eight witnesses, including some whose identities were being kept secret, as well as on the basis of forensic examination of their mobile phones. German-Jewish writer Angelika Schrobsdorff dies at age 88 BERLIN (AP) The German-Jewish writer Angelika Schrobsdorff, whose bestselling works included a book about her mother growing up in Germany and then having to flee when the Nazis came to power, has died. She was 88. German news agency dpa reports Schrobsdorff died in Berlin last weekend, but didn't have any further details. Pakistani militant group sending aid to Indian-held Kashmir MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) A Pakistani official says a charity belonging to a banned terror group has dispatched an aid convoy for Muslims in Indian-held Kashmir. Deputy Commissioner Masood-ur-Rehman says the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation plans a sit-in at the cease-fire line dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan if its convoy carrying ambulances, doctors, medicines and activists isn't allowed to cross the boundary on Tuesday. The foundation is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India alleges was responsible for the killing of over 160 people in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. Washington has designated Lashkar-e-Taiba's founder, Hafiz Saeed, a terrorist and has a $10 million bounty on him. He lives in Pakistan. US man cleared of rape after 5 years in Philippine jail MANILA, Philippines (AP) An American man jailed in the Philippines for more than five years was freed Tuesday after being acquitted of rape. A court in metropolitan Manila cleared Scott McMahon, of Seattle, after finding no clear evidence that he committed rape, as a Filipino woman alleged, a court official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. A jail officer, Omar Surigao, said that after the acquittal, McMahon was released from the Muntinlupa City jail in metropolitan Manila. He said McMahon's mother, Shelley Campanella, was among those present when McMahon was released. McMahon, who has two children with his Filipino fiancee, had been detained since April 7, 2011. Campanella has said that her son was wrongly accused of rape by the woman after he filed a case against her for allegedly traumatizing his young son. The woman, the wife of McMahon's friend, had allegedly burst into McMahon's home with police, shouting as she looked for her estranged husband. The incident allegedly traumatized the son. Syrian government and rebels trade gas attack accusations BEIRUT (AP) Syrian rebels accused government forces of launching toxic gas attacks on civilians in a town southwest of Aleppo on Tuesday. The government rejected the claim and accused the rebels of using chemical weapons themselves. Rebel sources provided video of people receiving treatment who they say were among the victims of a gas attack, but the images were not conclusive and neither of the gas attack claims by the rebels or the government could be independently verified. The accusations on both sides came amid heightened fighting around the contested northern city that killed at least 20 people, activists and government media reported. This Sunday, July. 31, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows a Syrian young man burns tyres in an attempt to prevent airstrikes above Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) Rescuers and doctors in rebel-held Saraqib, a town in the northwestern Idlib province, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Aleppo, reported dozens of cases of severe breathing difficulties, saying the symptoms pointed to a chlorine gas attack. A neurologist, Dr. Ibrahim al-Assad, said he treated 16 of the 29 cases brought to his hospital on Monday night, most of whom were women and children. One elderly man needed critical care but most of the casualties were suffering from breathing difficulties, red eyes and wheezing, al-Assad said. He said first responders smelled the gas at the site of the bomb attack, which he described as a busy shopping area near an ice cream shop. Rebels and activists have reported chlorine gas attacks in the town before, but the lack of chemical labs or independent testers makes it difficult to verify these claims. The government denies that is has launched chlorine gas attacks. Syrian state media later reported that five people had died and eight others had experienced breathing difficulties after artillery shells laced with toxic gases landed on the old city of Aleppo. It said the shells were launched by rebels. Fighting has intensified around Aleppo and its neighboring provinces since the government sealed off the final route into rebel-controlled neighborhoods of the city. The United Nations said the encirclement of rebel-held areas of deeply divided Aleppo traps nearly 300,000 residents, making it the largest besieged area in war-torn Syria. Rebel fire killed at least nine civilians, including three children, in the government-held portion of Aleppo, while presumed Russian or Syrian government airstrikes killed at least 11 in Atareb, a town to Aleppo's west, activists and government media reported. The rebels have launched a counteroffensive, clashing with government forces on a number of fronts. They detonated at least one large tunnel bomb underneath a government position on the southern outskirts of Aleppo on Tuesday evening, in a renewed attempt to break the government's siege on the city's east. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said fighters were killed on both sides in battles around the southern al-Ramouseh and al-Amerieh neighborhoods of the city, but did not have exact figures. Several rebel factions, including the Levant Conquest Front formerly known as the Nusra Front and linked to al-Qaida announced they had taken government positions there and killed soldiers. The Observatory said at least 11 people, including five children, were killed when bombs were dropped in a market in the rebel-held town of Atareb. The activist-run Aleppo Media Center said the death toll was 20, posting pictures of destroyed buildings and civilians searching for survivors. On Tuesday, residents of the rebel-held parts of Aleppo returned to burning tires, sending up big plumes of black smoke in the hope of preventing airstrikes. But anti-government activists and residents reported that airstrikes and unguided barrel bombs hit various parts of the city. At least one person was killed in al-Sukkari neighborhood, according to the activist-operated Local Coordination Committees. On social media, rebel fighters asked residents to stay indoors and away from front lines. Syria's state news agency reported that four women and three children were among the nine killed when rebels shelled and fired at three front-line neighborhoods on Monday night. ___ Associated Press Writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria contributed to this report. This photo provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian citizens inspecting damaged shops after airstrikes hit a market in Atareb, west of the divided city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Aug 2, 2016. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory said at least 11 people, including five children were killed when bombs were dropped in a market in Atareb. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) This photo provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian citizens inspecting damaged shops after airstrikes hit a market in Atareb, west of the divided city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Aug 2, 2016. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory said at least 11 people, including five children were killed when bombs were dropped in a market in Atareb. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) This Tuesday, July. 26, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian stand as they watch a bulldozer removes rubble from damaged buildings after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) In this Sunday, July. 31, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrians help an injured man, center, after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) In this Friday, July. 29, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian citizens inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) In this Wednesday, July. 27, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian citizens inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) FILE - In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 file still image from Syrian state TV video, shows young men with their faces covered surrendering to government forces, in Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Syrian State TV, via AP, File) FILE - In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 file still image from Syrian state TV video, shows women and children arriving in a street lined with heavily damaged buildings in the government-held part of the Salaheddine neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Syrian State TV, via AP, File) In this Friday, July. 29, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows a Syrian boy passes by by a market where gasoline stored in barrels is sold, in Aleppo, Syria. Residents trapped in rebel-controlled Aleppo are struggling to survive the crippling encirclement of their once thriving city. Bread, medication and fuel are running short. For the tens of thousands who chose to remain, the battle for Aleppo is a pivot point in the Syrian war. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) Jurors in police shooting case to be extensively questioned CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Potential jurors in the murder trial of a white former police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a black motorist will be extensively questioned on their views about race and police conduct before being seated in the case. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman said Tuesday the jury pool will be sent a general questionnaire about race relations and police conduct with a jury summons. They will then fill out a more specific questionnaire asking what they know about the Walter Scott case when they get to the courthouse. Defense attorney Andy Savage had made a motion asking that jurors be sent the questionnaires to express thoughts on race and police conduct without fear of public embarrassment or reprisal. FILE - In this June 19, 2015 file photo, police tape surrounds the parking lot behind the AME Emanuel Church as FBI forensic experts work the crime scene, in Charleston, S.C. Attorneys for the man charged with killing nine people at a Charleston church are challenging federal prosecutors intention to seek the death penalty against him. Lawyers for Dylann Roof argue in a motion filed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, that the death penalty and federal death penalty law are unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) The judge asked the prosecutor and defense attorneys to develop the questionnaires and submit them to the court. Former North Charleston officer Michael Slager, 33, stands trial in October for murder and faces 30 years to life if convicted in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. Scott was shot running from a traffic stop in April, 2015 in a shooting captured on cellphone video. The incident reignited the national debate over the treatment of blacks by white officers. Newman said court officials will be able to adequately handle security for the high-profile trial. "Our concern would be the atmosphere in which Mr. Slager would be tried," Savage told the judge in asking if he had any concerns. Newman also ordered that the state provide the defense with contact and other personal information from four witnesses who have given statements. Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson said that there was no reason social security, immigration numbers and birthdates be provided. Newman ordered the defense not to reveal such information to anyone else. He also ordered that pictures from a small camera found in Scott's car be provided to the defense. Wilson said the shooting occurred some distance from the vehicle and there was a question whether the camera was camera scene evidence to which the defense was entitled. ___ Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com Authorities: Deputy kills man who hit him with vehicle LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) Authorities say a South Carolina sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who hit him with a vehicle. The Lexington County Sheriff's Department tells local news outlets deputies were called to a home at 7 a.m. Monday for reports of a suspicious person in a vehicle. Authorities say the man drove toward and struck a deputy, who then shot the driver. Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified the motorist as a 43-year-old white man who died at the scene. Sheriff Jay Koon says the deputy involved was also white and is a 6-year department veteran. The deputy was treated and released for non-life threatening injuries. Experts see Iranian link in attempt to hack Syrian dissident PARIS (AP) Syrian opposition activist Noura Al-Ameer was combing through her emails late one night when a message caught her eye. The sender was "Assadcrimes" and he promised information about Iranian meddling in the Middle East. But the email seemed odd. Al-Ameer turned to her husband, cybersecurity trainer Bahr Abdul Razzak, in their small, book-cluttered home in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. "Have you heard of this group before?" Al-Ameer asked. Bahr Abdul Razzak, 29, left, and his wife Noura Al-Ameer, 29, use their phones in Istanbul, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Syrian opposition activist Noura Al-Ameer was combing through her emails late one night when one caught her eye. The sender was "Assadcrimes" and he promised information about Iranian meddling in the Middle East. But the message seemed odd somehow. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) "No," he said. "But let me check the email." Abdul Razzak, a fellow at internet watchdog group Citizen Lab, quickly determined that the group was bogus. The email, sent on Oct. 3 last year, was an electronic trap one of hundreds of malicious messages that have flown back and forth as rebels grapple with the government of Bashar Assad in Syria. This one had been aimed at snaring Al-Ameer in particular; the website registered by the hacker was in her name, suggesting an attempt to steal her identity. Al-Ameer is a well-known opposition figure, and stealing her data or her identity could have been the jumping off point to attack other Syrians in and out of the country. As Abdul Razzak and his colleagues tried to trace the hackers, they found a trail of digital clues leading to Iran. Their story detailed in a report issued Tuesday by Citizen Lab, an interview with the couple and conversations with outside experts raise the possibility that Iran has gone beyond sending men and materiel to tip the scale in Assad's favor. The country's hackers may have joined the fray as well. "It's not a shock," said Al-Ameer, a 29-year-old who spent six months in Syrian government detention before moving to Turkey in 2013. "They're fighting our people on the ground. I think it's normal for any side that fights you on the ground to fight you on the internet." Evidence of an Iranian link is outlined in a 56-page report by Citizen Lab, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. The group has made a specialty of tracking the hackers who've dogged Syria's opposition, which lead author John Scott-Railton said had turned into "something of a petri dish for threat actors in the Middle East." The report says those behind the "Assadcrimes" website appear to have inadvertently exposed their site's logs, showing evidence that its creators accessed it in part from the Iranian internet space. The site itself briefly hosted a Farsi-language email service, and a string of data recovered from the malicious code used to target Al-Ameer appeared to refer to a developer who runs a malicious software site registered in the Iranian city of Shiraz. The evidence isn't conclusive but it "lets us think that we're perhaps looking at a group that's operating from Iran," Scott-Railton said. He cautioned that it wasn't possible to say much about the group's potential sponsorship government or otherwise. An outside expert who evaluated Citizen Lab's report endorsed its work. The botched cyberespionage attempt "is consistent with Iranian activity we've previous observed, in terms of operational security, social engineering, and technical sophistication," said John Hultquist, a threat intelligence manager at network security company FireEye Inc., based in Milpitas, California. Calls to Iran's Embassy in Paris were not answered Tuesday. The hackers in Al-Ameer's case appear to have made some mistakes. But Scott-Railton said those who target Syria's scattered opposition activists are only as sophisticated as they need to be. Many groups operating in the area, including the pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army, have used very simple tools and persistent trickery to repeatedly compromise savvier targets. "Not all hacking in a conflict looks like Stuxnet," said Scott-Railton, referring to the complex computer bug widely suspected of being unleashed by the United States to sabotage Iran's nuclear program. "What this shows is how powerful social engineering is." Al-Ameer said that, in a way, the hacking was scarier than when she says she was arrested and tortured at the hands of Assad's security forces. "When they arrested me, I was careful just to tell them what I wanted," she said. "When they hack you, they will know everything without harming you physically. For our case, it's more dangerous than arresting. "Inside Syria or outside Syria, we're not safe." ___ This story has been corrected to show the accurate spelling of the FireEye intelligence manager's last name is Hultquist, not Hulquist. ___ Online: Citizen Lab's report: https://citizenlab.org/2016/08/group5-syria/ ___ Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com Bahr Abdul Razzak, 29, left, and his wife Noura Al-Ameer, 29, use their phones in Istanbul, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Syrian opposition activist Noura Al-Ameer was combing through her emails late one night when one caught her eye. The sender was "Assadcrimes" and he promised information about Iranian meddling in the Middle East. But the message seemed odd somehow. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Stressed times for Europe's banks despite rosy assessment LONDON (AP) The results of recent stress tests of Europe's biggest banks should have reassured investors that the sector can withstand another crisis. A slump in share prices across the industry since the findings' publication on Friday suggests many have yet to be convinced. On Tuesday, bank stocks across Europe even those that were effectively given a clean bill of health by the European Banking Authority's tests fell sharply for the second day and weighed heavily on the wider market indexes. The falls aren't just confined to Italy, where concerns over the health of the banking sector have been the most acute. Britain's Barclays fell 3.6 percent while Germany's Commerzbank slid 9.2 percent and Italy's UniCredit dropped another 7.2 percent. A pigeon flies away from a bridge in front of the towers of the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) As a result, the main indexes in Europe fell sharply both Germany's DAX and France's CAC-40 closed down 1.8 percent. It's difficult to pin down a single reason why European banking stocks have taken such a battering this week. After all, Friday's stress tests into Europe's 51 biggest banks showed that only Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena, or MPS, was severely underfunded. Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in London, says the tests' findings failed to address many of the concerns investors have about the state of Europe's banks, including the rising costs they face for parking their cash at the European Central Bank. The ECB has in recent months been reducing its so-called deposit rate further below zero in the hope that banks opt to lend money rather than place it at the ECB. That rate is now minus 0.4 percent and many economists think it could be cut further in coming months as the ECB tries to encourage lending. "Skepticism that the EBA bank stress tests painted a far too rosy picture of the health of Europe's banks while paying no account of the current negative rate environment nor for that matter the fiscal health of Portuguese and Greek banks," Hewson said. No banks from Portugal or Greece were assessed in the stress tests. And they are two countries still struggling with high debts and low growth, a backdrop that makes their banks susceptible to a new financial or economic crisis. Throughout Europe's debt crisis, it was clear that problems in one country can easily spill over to another. One country that saw a number of its banks assessed Friday was Italy. Italian banks have been worn down by some 360 billion euros ($400 billion) in loans that won't be paid back in full as a result of years of crisis and subdued growth that's made it difficult for firms and households to service their debts. The scale of the non-performing loans stands a little below 20 percent of the banks' total loan stock, a level that weighs on their propensity and ability to lend. Given Italy's position as the eurozone's third-largest economy, any major financial problems that put in doubt the state's own finances would create a new crisis for the currency bloc that could outweigh those of the past few years, notably in Greece. MPS, Italy's third-biggest lender, sought to get ahead of its poor result in the stress tests with a plan to offload a large chunk of its soured loans at a certain discount and a 5 billion euro ($5.6 billion) capital increase. The money injection from private sources avoids a potentially painful bailout for the Italian bank that under new EU rules would have imposed losses on creditors like bondholders, many of which are small savers in Italy. Though welcome, MPS' cash call has stoked expectations that other banks may have to do something similar and that has contributed to the wave of selling in stock markets this year, notably of Italian banks. "It's likely that the weakness in Italian banks in particular may be down to renewed fears that more recaps are needed in the sector," said Jim Reid a senior analyst at Deutsche Bank. A related concern is that Italy's banks won't address their problems, partly because of the country's legal system, which makes foreclosure agreements far lengthier than elsewhere in Europe. And though the Italian government has acknowledged the fragility of the banking system and introduced some modest reforms and legal changes, it may find it difficult to push the banks to shore up their finances given the new EU rules and the potential impact on savers. That's even more unappetizing for the government as it prepares for a referendum on political reforms and a possible election soon after. As a result, the banks could just continue to stumble on, further hobbling an economy that's barely grown in years. "The real turning point for Italian banks will be when markets acknowledge that the stock of bad debts, also helped by the recent government initiatives, is on a downward trend and the banking system back in supporting the real economy," said Nicola Nobile, senior eurozone economist at Oxford Economics. Bank stocks have been under pressure for months, some more so than others. That was evident in the news that Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse have been dropped from the Stoxx 50 index of leading European shares in the wake of their sharp share price falls over the past year. Both have seen their market values slump by around two-thirds over that time. The two stocks fell further Tuesday as their departure from the index means that funds that track top indexes readjust their investments. Deutsche Bank fell a further 4.8 percent, while Credit Suisse slumped 5.9 percent. Parts of illegally slaughtered horse found in Florida HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Authorities in Florida are investigating an apparent slaughter of a horse after pieces of its body were found. Investigator Richard Couto of the Animal Recovery Mission tells local news outlets that investigators from the group found the horse's body early Sunday off a dirt road in Homestead. Couto estimates that about 90 percent of the horse had been removed. Parts of the horse were found scattered in the grass. Miami-Dade police's agricultural unit will investigate the incident, although it's a difficult crime to prosecute. The Latest: Turkey's Erdogan blasts EU over migrant deal BERLIN (AP) The Latest on migration to Europe from Middle East and Africa (all times local): 3:05 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing the European Union of not upholding its side of an EU-Turkey agreement on migration, saying that promised funds and visa-free travel for Turks to the EU haven't been delivered. The agreement earlier this year was instrumental in stemming the flow of people heading from Turkey to nearby Greece, from where they hope to head northward into the European heartland. Erdogan said Turkey was sheltering 3 million Syrians and Iraqis, yet 3 billion euros ($3.35 billion) promised by the EU had not arrived, and the visa issue had not been settled. Erdogan said the steps on both sides must be "taken simultaneously." He said: "You cannot demand the refugee return agreement without fulfilling your obligations. Sorry but we are not a country that you can boss about." ___ 1:45 p.m. The British government has won a legal appeal against a ruling allowing four Syrians living in a refugee camp in France to join family members in Britain. In January a U.K. court ruled that three teenagers and a disabled adult should be able to apply for asylum in Britain, despite a law that says refugees must apply in the first safe country they come to. It said the four should be reunited with relatives in Britain on human rights grounds. On Tuesday three appeals court judges ruled the lower court had not "applied the correct test." The four Syrians are already in Britain and the government is not seeking to deport them. But refugee campaigners say the judgment will make it harder for child migrants to be reunited with their families. ___ 1:40 p.m. The International Organization for Migration says the bodies of about 120 migrants have washed up on the Libyan shore in recent days. A spokesman for the Geneva-based aid agency says the information came from Libyan authorities and the deaths "are not from previously reported shipwrecks in the Mediterranean." Joel Millman said Tuesday that 4,027 migrants died worldwide between Jan. 1 and July 31, about three-quarters of them in the Mediterranean. He says the figure represents a 35 percent increase compared with the same period last year. ___ 11:45 a.m. Germany's Federal Office for Statistics says some 42,300 unaccompanied minors entered the country from abroad last year. The office said in a statement Tuesday that this was an increase of 30,700, or 263 percent, compared with the previous year. About 91 percent, or some 38,700, of these children and teenagers were male, while only about 3,600 girls entered Germany without their parents. Germany saw an unprecedented influx of migrants in 2015. More than 1 million people registered for asylum, the majority of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Nearly 100 ducks illegally released up for adoption soon SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) Nearly 100 domesticated ducks that officials say were illegally released in New Jersey are expected to be available for adoption early next week. Barnyard Sanctuary founder Tamala Lester tells The Record newspaper (http://bit.ly/2aJA9do ) that she's received more than 100 offers to adopt the 92 Khaki Campbell ducks. They'll be available on Aug. 8 after they have been in quarantine for three weeks. Authorities say they don't have new information into the investigation, which started last month, after a report of ducks being released into the Hackensack River. Many were found in the grass outside of a Secaucus mall. Lester says each duck will be available for a $20 adoption fee. ___ Funeral Mass for slain French priest: Attackers were 'Satan' ROUEN, France (AP) The archbishop of Rouen, leading Tuesday's solemn funeral Mass for an elderly priest slain a week ago by two extremists, said the Rev. Jacques Hamel tried to push away his attackers with his feet, saying "go away, Satan," remarks that underscored the horror of the murder at the altar that touched a chord throughout France. Hundreds of priests and bishops filled the sumptuous Rouen cathedral along with many hundreds more people, including Muslims who have joined in the grieving since the murder of the 85-year-old priest, slashed by his attackers while celebrating morning Mass. Hamel's grisly murder sent shockwaves that went beyond his humble work as a small-town parish priest, touching other faiths and all of France. It came less than two weeks after 84 people were killed in an attack by a hurtling truck in Nice on a crowd of Bastille Day revelers. The coffin of Father Hamel is carried outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before his funeral mass, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) "Evil is a mystery. It reaches heights of horror that take us out of the human," Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said during the two-hour Mass. "Isn't that what you wanted to say, Jacques, with your last words, when you fell to the ground? After you were struck by the knife, you tried to push away your assailants with your feet and said, 'Go away, Satan.' You repeated it, 'Go away, Satan.'" With those words, Lebrun said, "You expressed ... your faith in the goodness of humans and that the devil put his claws in." Roselyne Hamel, the priest's sister, told the crowd: "Let's learn to live together, let's be workers for peace." Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, also in charge of faiths, was among those attending the Mass in the cathedral, which dates from the 12th century. Hundreds of people watched the ceremony on a big screen outside, under constant rain. Lebrun, celebrating the Mass, extended thanks to Catholics attending the service but also to "believers of other religious faiths, in particular the Jewish community and the Muslim community, very affected and already decided to unite for: 'Never again.'" Lebrun invited people to return to churches on Aug. 15, the day celebrating the Assumption of Mary, to express that "violence will not take over in their hearts." On Sunday, dozens of Muslims in France and Italy attended Catholic Masses as a gesture of interfaith solidarity following the attack on the priest. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the priest, two nuns and an elderly couple were held hostage before the assailants slashed the priest's throat and seriously wounded the other man. Another nun at the Mass slipped away and raised the alarm, and police shot to death both attackers as they left the church. Tuesday's ceremony was organized under tight security, and the burial was private. Meanwhile, several cities and towns across the country have decided to cancel traditional August fireworks shows and other outdoor summer events, citing security reasons. After Nice, Avignon and smaller French towns cancelled their fireworks displays and authorities in Marseilles called off an air show by the renowned Patrouille de France scheduled for next week, an event that draws crowds of more than 100,000 people every year. ___ Corbet and Masha Macpherson contributed from Paris. Religious officials sit during the funeral mass for Father Jacques Hamel at the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Charly Triballeau, Pool via AP) The coffin of Father Hamel is carried outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before his funeral mass, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) A police officer watches people waiting outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before the funeral mass for the priest that has been killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Police officers watch a man leaving the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before the funeral mass for the priest that has been killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) People watch on giant screens the funeral mass for Father Hamel, outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Pallbearers carry the coffin of Father Jacques Hamel at the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Charly Triballeau, Pool via AP) The crowd gather outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, during the funeral mass for Father Hamel, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) A man holds a religious leaflet showing the priest Jacques Hamel during his funeral mass, outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) From the left, French Junior minister for Local Authorities Estelle Grelier, French President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve stand during the funeral mass for Father Jacques Hamel at the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Charly Triballeau, Pool via AP) People attend the funeral mass for Father Jacques Hamel at the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Charly Triballeau, Pool via AP) A photo of Father Jacques Hamel is on display during his funeral mass at the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Charly Triballeau, Pool via AP) The Latest: Pence avoids discussion of GOP tensions WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 12:20 a.m. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence isn't addressing GOP tensions after running mate Donald Trump refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain. With the Arizona state flag in the background, Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence answers a question at a campaign rally Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Pence spoke at a town hall event Tuesday night in Phoenix then took some questions from the few hundred people in attendance but didn't mention the endorsement snub. An Associated Press reporter later asked Pence if he would endorse McCain or Ryan while the candidate was signing autographs and posing for selfies with supporters. The Indiana governor appeared to ignore the question and kept on moving down the line. Trump told The Washington Post earlier Tuesday that he's "just not quite there yet" when asked about an endorsement of Ryan, who faces a primary election next week. In that interview, Trump also declined to support McCain's re-election. ___ 11:15 p.m. Top Republican donor and fundraiser Meg Whitman is endorsing Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, saying she cannot support a candidate who has "exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division." The Hewlett-Packard executive says in a statement Tuesday night that Republican nominee Donald Trump's "demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character." Whitman says Trump's "reckless and uninformed" positions on critical issues from immigration to the economy and foreign policy show he lacks the policy depth and judgment a president needs. She says national security would be in danger under a Trump presidency and she encourages all Republicans to support Clinton in November. The former eBay chief executive ran unsuccessfully for California governor in 2010, spending $144 million of her own money in a $178 million losing battle against Democrat Jerry Brown. __ 9 p.m. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine made a quick dinner stop Tuesday night in a key Florida county, where local party leaders promised him a wide victory margin in November. The Virginia senator stopped at Betty's Soul Food Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, where state Sen. Chris Smith and other party leaders promised that Hillary Clinton will carry Broward County by 250,000 votes. Broward is Florida's most Democratic county, and Clinton needs a large margin there to counteract Donald Trump's likely advantage in rural and northern parts of the state that are heavily Republican. Kaine ordered Buffalo wings, fried shrimp and lemonade. __ 8 p.m. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence criticized comments President Barack Obama made Tuesday about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's lack of judgment, saying Obama himself knows a lot about being "woefully unprepared." Pence spoke before several hundred people at a town hall in Tucson, Arizona, and was scheduled to appear in Phoenix later Tuesday. Trump's running mate spent much of his speech railing against Obama policies. Obama said Tuesday that Trump was unfit to be president and challenged Republicans to disavow their support for him. Pence criticized Obama's policies in Iraq, saying they led to the growth of the Islamic State group. __ 7:45 p.m. Donald Trump is reiterating his concerns that the November election will be "rigged" against him, speculating that people without proper identification "are going to vote 10 times." Trump is discussing voter ID during an interview Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor." The Republican presidential nominee says, "You don't have to have voter ID to now go in and vote and it's a little bit scary." Over the last two weeks, courts have dealt setbacks to voter ID laws in several states. Critics of photo ID requirements say they fall disproportionately on minority voters and the poor. Trump says without voter ID, "people are going to walk in, they are going to vote 10 times maybe. Who knows?" __ 6:10 p.m. Donald Trump may be withholding his endorsement from House Speaker Paul Ryan, but Ryan says he never sought it in the first place. The Wisconsin Republican's spokesman, Zack Roday said neither Ryan nor anyone associated with his re-election ever asked for Trump's backing. Roday added that the Ryan team was "confident in a victory next week regardless." Ryan faces a challenge from longshot candidate Paul Nehlen (KNEE-lin) in the Aug. 9 primary. Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post, refused to support Ryan and longtime Sen. John McCain in their upcoming Republican primaries. Trump said he is "not quite there yet" in backing Ryan, echoing the words the Wisconsin Republican used several months ago in withholding his endorsement of Trump before relenting weeks later with tepid support. ___ 4:54 p.m. Donald Trump is refusing to support House Speaker Paul Ryan and longtime Sen. John McCain in their upcoming Republican primaries. In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump said he is "not quite there yet" in backing Ryan, echoing the words the Wisconsin Republican used several months ago in withholding his endorsement of Trump before relenting weeks later with tepid support. Ryan's primary is Aug. 9. Trump also declined to back McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam who was critical of Trump's criticism of a Muslim American parents whose son was killed in Iraq. Trump criticized New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who also admonished Trump for his comments. Trump's refusal to back the incumbents is a breach of political decorum that comes just two weeks after a convention designed to showcase party unity. ___ 4:47 p.m. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton says Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should apologize for criticizing the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq. In a tribute to his son at the Democratic National Convention last week, Khizr Khan said Trump had sacrificed nothing. Trump said he was "viciously attacked" and questioned why Khan's wife stood silently during her husband's speech. After speaking to the Political Animals group in Little Rock, Cotton said Tuesday that Trump should "express his regret and apologize," then build his campaign around making Americans safer and more prosperous. The Republican freshman senator is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He told the group that failures in the intelligence community become well-known, but that its successes must remain a national secret. ___ 4:35 p.m. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is back in Florida, taking the Clinton campaign's job-creation promises to the important battleground state. Kaine was speaking Tuesday in Dayton Beach, his second appearance in central Florida in 10 days. The campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been targeting Florida, which Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012. Kaine talked about shared prosperity between business owners and workers. "As businesses succeed, it's not just the CEO taking it all himself. It sharing," Kaine said. ___ 3:05 p.m. Two more Democratic Party officials have resigned in the wake of an embarrassing email hack. Chief finance officer Brad Marshall and communications director Luis Miranda left their jobs on Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee says. Earlier Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that DNC chief executive Amy Dacey had resigned. Dacey has been hired to work for a Democratic communications firm, AP reported. It's the latest fallout from the hacked emails, which exposed an apparent lack of neutrality in the primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with some party officials disparaging Sanders. ___ 2:45 p.m. One of Donald Trump's top allies New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that it's inappropriate to criticize the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has been engaged in an emotionally charged feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Khizr Khan, who is Muslim, gave a tribute to his son last week at the Democratic National Convention that was heavily critical of Trump. Christie said Tuesday that the pain of losing their son gives the Khans the right to say whatever they want. Responding to comments from President Barack Obama that Trump isn't qualified to be president, Christie says Obama has disqualified himself from giving comments like that because he says Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person in American history to be president. Christie is the head of Trump's transition team. ___ 2:30 p.m. Former President Bill Clinton is paying tribute to a longtime friend who died last week. Bill and Hillary Clinton attended the service for Mark Weiner (WEY'-ner) Tuesday at the Temple Beth-El synagogue in Providence, Rhode Island. Weiner was a major Democratic donor and fundraiser. In the eulogy, Bill Clinton said Weiner was fiercely competitive in business and politics and would do anything for his friends, as well as for complete strangers. Clinton remembered Weiner as "forever young." Weiner died in Newport after a long battle with cancer. He was 62. The Clintons departed with the family. Hillary Clinton appeared upset and nodded to people as she left. Weiner has been friends with the Clintons since 1976, when he worked with Hillary Clinton on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. ___ 1:35 p.m. Donald Trump is reacting to comments by Barack Obama that he is unfit to lead the country, accusing the president of "failed leadership." Trump issued a statement Tuesday with a barrage of attacks against Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, saying they have "single-handedly "destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS." He accused the pair of putting Iran "on the path to nuclear weapons" and said they have allowed "dozens of veterans to die" and "repeatedly admitted migrants later implicated in terrorism." Trump also accused Obama and Clinton of sending America's "best jobs overseas to appease their global interests." The Republican nominee concluded his statement saying: "we need change now." __ 1:05 p.m. Donald Trump says the Arab Gulf states wouldn't exist without U.S. help. But the U.S. relies on Gulf states too. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, all Arab Gulf nations, are part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, conducting airstrikes and providing other support. Trump told supporters in Ashburn, Virginia Tuesday that if he is elected president, he would require the Arab Gulf states to finance a safe zone in Syria. "They are going to pay," Trump told the crowd. The Arab gulf states, which make up a cooperative body called the Gulf Cooperation Council, are home to 20 percent of the world's oil supply. ___ 12:55 p.m. The chief executive of the Democratic National Committee has resigned in the wake of an email hack that embarrassed the party on the eve of its convention. That's according to three Democratic strategists familiar with Amy Dacey's decision to leave her job. The people spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The Democrats say other personnel moves at the party are also expected Tuesday. The content of the hacked emails exposed an apparent lack of neutrality in the primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with party officials disparaging Sanders. Party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned her position before the convention began. After being booed at a later appearance in Philadelphia, she chose not to speak from the convention stage. By Julie Pace and Julie Bykowicz ___ 12:50 p.m. Hillary Clinton has arrived with her husband in Rhode Island to attend the funeral of a longtime friend. Former President Bill Clinton will give the eulogy on Tuesday for Mark Weiner, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser. The service for Weiner (WEY'-ner) is being held at the Temple Beth-El synagogue in Providence. Weiner died last week in Newport after a long battle with cancer. He was 62. The Democratic presidential nominee walked to the front of the synagogue shortly after noon, holding her husband's arm. Attendees also include the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and veteran political consultants James Carville, Paul Begala and Tad Devine. Weiner has been friends with the Clintons since 1976, when he worked with Hillary Clinton on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. ___ 12:20 p.m. Donald Trump is joking that he wants a crying baby ejected from his rally in northern Virginia. Trump, the Republican nominee, was interrupted Tuesday by the wails of a child. "Don't worry about that baby, I love babies," Trump said. "I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a beautiful baby." But when the baby continued to cry, Trump followed up by saying "Actually, I was just get kidding you can get that baby out of here!" Trump then seemed to suggest that he was joking and that the baby could stay. The child soon stopped crying. ___ 12:15 p.m. About a dozen protesters have been escorted out of Donald Trump's rally in northern Virginia. The group started chanting "Hillary" in support of Trump's general election opponent Hillary Clinton during the Republican nominee's rally in Ashburn. One protester was wearing a shirt reading "Islam means peace." Many of them raised fists when they were escorted out. Trump did not acknowledge them as they were removed. Several other attendees were escorted out before the event started. __ 12:10 p.m. Donald Trump says that without the U.S., "the Gulf states won't exist." Speaking to supporters in Ashburn, Virginia, Tuesday, Trump said that if he is elected president, he would require the Arab Gulf states to finance a safe zone in Syria. "They are going to pay," Trump told the crowd. The Arab gulf states, which make up a cooperative body called the Gulf Cooperation Council, are home to 20 percent of the world's oil supply. Trump also reiterated his stance that the U.S. "can't have people coming in from Syria who have bad intentions." ___ 12:05 p.m. Donald Trump claims that 20 people have given Hillary Clinton a total of $60 million and he would like to know who those people are. Speaking at a rally in Ashburn, Virginia., Tuesday, Trump said he wants to "find out how many of them I know," referring to Clinton's top donors. Trump did not specify a time frame in which Clinton allegedly raised that money. Clinton's campaign said the Democratic nominee raised $63 million in July for her campaign. Trump continued his attack on the Democratic nominee, calling her "Crooked Hillary," which prompted chants of "lock her up" from the crowd. ___ 11:55 a.m. Donald Trump is saluting a veteran who presented the Republican presidential nominee with his Purple Heart. Trump said the man approached him before a Tuesday rally in Ashburn, Virginia, and presented him the medal he received for being wounded in combat. Trump said he was "honored" to receive it. He then joked that "I always wanted to get a Purple Heart. This was much easier" His comments came amid his ongoing flap with the parents of a Muslim-American soldier who was killed in Iraq. Trump never served in the military, receiving medical and education deferments during the Vietnam War era. ___ 11:45 a.m. President Barack Obama says that Donald Trump is unfit to be president and "he keeps proving it." Obama was speaking during a news conference with the prime minister of Singapore, who is visiting the White House. The president is challenging Republican leaders to withdraw their endorsements of Trump. Obama says Trump's criticism of a fallen Muslim-American soldier's family is the latest evidence that the GOP presidential nominee is unfit to lead America. ___ 11:40 a.m. President Barack Obama is challenging leading Republicans to repudiate Donald Trump. Obama says Trump's criticism of a fallen Muslim-American soldier's family is the latest evidence that the GOP presidential nominee is unfit to lead America. Obama is also citing Trump's misstatements on global crises. At a news conference Tuesday, Obama noted that many leading Republicans in Congress have denounced various Trump statements. But he asked why they are still endorsing him. Obama said there has to be a point when people break with the party's standard-bearer. Otherwise, he said, the denunciations are hollow. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine speaks at the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality Management at Daytona State College Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP) FILE- This June 3, 2016, file photo shows Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., delivering his speech titled "America's Enduring Commitment to Security and Prosperity in Asia" at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Distinguished Public Lecture in Singapore. Senate Republicans running for re-election weighed in one after another Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, to condemn Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps repeated attacks on the parents of slain U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, with former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain of Arizona leading the charge. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) German heavy metal festival bans bags amid security fears BERLIN (AP) Heavy metal fans planning to attend this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany might want to travel light. Organizers say rucksacks and bags are banned from the main festival grounds this year for security reasons. Safety concerns have increased at public events across Germany since a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a music festival in Ansbach last month, injuring 15 people. FILE - In this July 29, 2015 file photo festival attendees of the Wacken Open Air wait at the train station with their luggage to be transported to the festival grounds in Itzehoe, northern Germany. Heavy metal fans planning to attend this year's festival had best travel light. Organizers say rucksacks and heavy bags are banned from the main festival grounds due to security. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP, file) Wacken spokeswoman Anna Lorenz said Tuesday that checking rucksacks would slow security checks too much. But festival-goers will be able to take in waist packs, and larger bags are still allowed at camping sites nearby. The Aug. 4-6 festival , held in a small village northwest of Hamburg, is expected to draw 75,000 people this year. The over 120 acts include Iron Maiden, Saxon and Blind Guardian. 'Little ninja': Zika-spreading mosquito puts up tough fight MIAMI (AP) The mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving harder to eradicate than expected, the nation's top disease-fighter said Tuesday as authorities sprayed clouds of insecticide in the ground-zero neighborhood, emptied kiddie pools and handed out cans of insect repellent to the homeless. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the mosquito-control efforts in the bustling urban neighborhood aren't achieving the hoped-for results, suggesting the pests are resistant to the insecticides or are still finding standing water in which to breed. "We're not seeing the number of mosquitoes come down as rapidly as we would have liked," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Jade Brown, 7, right, touches the stomach of his mother Gabriella Acevedo, who is eight months pregnant, as they leave the Borinquen Medical Center, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Miami. The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to the nearby neighborhood of Wynwood where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting Zika directly to humans. Acevedo has not been tested for the Zika virus and is concerned for the health of her unborn child. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Mosquito control experts said that's no surprise to them, describing the Aedes aegypti mosquito as a "little ninja" capable of hiding in tiny crevices, sneaking up on people's ankles, and breeding in just a bottle cap of standing water. Fifteen people have become infected with Zika in Miami's Wynwood arts district, officials said Tuesday. These are believed to be the first mosquito-transmitted cases in the mainland U.S., which has been girding for months against the epidemic coursing through Latin America and the Caribbean. On Monday, the CDC instructed pregnant women to avoid the neighborhood, marking what is believed to be the first time in the agency's 70-year history that it warned people not to travel somewhere in the U.S. The Zika virus can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads. At the same time, U.S. health authorities have said they don't expect major outbreaks in this country, in part because of better sanitation and the use of air conditioners and window screens. On Tuesday, Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspectors toting backpack blowers released white clouds of bug spray in Wynwood. They also went door to door, handing out information, checking tires and other objects for standing water, and dipping cups to take water samples from vacant lots, building sites and backyards. In one lush yard, an inspector tipped over a kiddie pool and a cooler full of water. Daily aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes and larvae has been approved for the next four weeks over a 10-square-mile area around Wynwood, county officials said. The city of Miami said it is running more street sweepers in Wynwood to remove the litter and stagnant water that can serve as breeding grounds, and police officers handed out 50 cans of bug spray to homeless people in the neighborhood. "Be sure that you use it," Officer James Bernat said as he gave repellent to several people who had been sleeping on the street. Dozens of pregnant women streamed into Borinquen Medical Center, a clinic just outside Wynwood where doctors said they were getting more and more nervous requests for Zika testing. On the sidewalk outside, eight-months-pregnant Gabriella Acevedo said she would rush back to her Wynwood home. "I'm going to put the AC on blast and try not to go outside. I've been bitten by mosquitoes probably two weeks ago, but I don't feel sick," she said. "It's just really stressful to me." Because of environmental regulations governing which chemicals can be used as insecticides, mosquito control authorities cannot easily switch to another compound if bugs prove resistant to it. Nothing has worked to stop this mosquito elsewhere in the world except for the introduction of mosquitoes modified to pass on genes that kill their offspring, said Michael Doyle, executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. And the Food and Drug Administration has not given approval to that approach in the U.S. "We have to totally rethink mosquito control for Aedes aegypti," Doyle said. "It's like a little ninja. It's always hiding." Frieden complained that in the U.S., "we really dismantled the mosquito monitoring and control infrastructure over the past few decades." The result: "We have blind spots where we don't know where the mosquito populations are and what the susceptibility is to different insecticides," the CDC director said. The U.S. government might have underestimated how difficult it would be to control Zika's spread, said University of Florida public health researcher Ira Longini. But he also said there aren't enough of the disease-transmitting mosquitoes living in and around houses to cause long-term or widespread outbreaks in this country. "In defense of the CDC and the government, it's a difficult problem to solve," he said. An inspector with the Miami-Dade County mosquito control department looks for standing water as he inspects an empty lot, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to this neighborhood where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting Zika directly to humans. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Joe Blackman, an inspector with the Miami-Dade County mosquito control department, picks up his clipboard with leaflets informing residents about how to prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to this neighborhood where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting Zika directly to humans. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) An inspector with the Miami-Dade County mosquito control department, looks for standing water as he inspects an empty lot, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to this neighborhood where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting Zika directly to humans. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Olympic and anti-doping leaders clash over Russian scandal RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Declaring that the global drug-testing system is damaged, Olympic leaders and anti-doping officials vowed Tuesday to fix the problems and prevent the type of scandal that has embroiled Russian athletes in the lead-up to the games in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency clashed again Tuesday over the allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia that have rattled the Olympic movement and created chaos ahead of Friday's opening ceremony in Rio. But both sides agreed on one thing the need to repair the international anti-doping system and restore trust and credibility in the fight against drugs. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach speaks during the opening ceremony of the 129th International Olympic Committee session, in Rio de Janeiro on August 1, 2016, ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) "This is not about destroying structures," IOC President Thomas Bach said, referring to WADA. "This is about improving significantly a system in order to have a robust and efficient anti-doping system so that such a situation that we face now cannot happen again." Bach spoke after a debate in which International Olympic Committee members overwhelmingly backed the executive board's decision not to take the "nuclear option" of banning Russia's entire Olympic team. Bach and many members pointed fingers at WADA for failing to act sooner on evidence of state-run doping in Russia and for releasing its findings so close to the start of the games. "I don't feel as if I've been run under a bus," WADA chief Craig Reedie told reporters, insisting that both sides were in general accord on the need to find solutions for the future. "Somebody said this system is broken," he said. "I don't think all the system is broken. i think quite a lot of the system still works, but that certain parts of the system need revision." Reedie said he had received assurances from officials at high levels of the Russia government that they accept they have a problem and need to fix it. "It is absolutely essential that we cannot have the biggest country in the world non-compliant on a permanent basis," he said. Bach opened the IOC's three-day general assembly by seeking formal backing for the board's decisions on the Russian crisis. After a debate lasting more than two hours, Bach asked for a show of hands, and only one of the 85 members Britain's Adam Pengilly voted against his position. Despite evidence of a vast state-organized program involving Olympic sports in Russia, the IOC board rejected calls for a total ban and left it to international sports federations to decide on the entry of individual Russian athletes for the games. Bach said it would be wrong to make individual Russian athletes "collateral damage" for the wrongdoing of their government. "Leaving aside that such a comparison is completely out of any proportion when it comes to the rules of sport, let us just for a moment consider the consequences of a 'nuclear option,'" Bach said. "The result is death and devastation. This is not what the Olympic Movement stands for. The cynical 'collateral damage' approach is not what the Olympic movement stands for." The IOC has been roundly criticized by many anti-doping bodies, athletes' groups and Western media for not applying a complete ban on the Russian team. Pressure for a full ban grew after WADA investigator Richard McLaren issued a report accusing Russia's sports ministry of orchestrating doping program and cover-ups involving athletes across more than two dozen summer and winter Olympic sports. "Natural justice does not allow us to deprive a human being of the right to prove their innocence," Bach said. Underlying the deep split between Olympic leaders and anti-doping officials, Bach and others put the responsibility on WADA. "I think it's not the reputation of the IOC that has to be restored, it's the reputation of WADA," Israeli member Alex Gilady said. Argentine member Gerardo Werthein added: "At times WADA has seemed to be more interested in publicity and self-promotion rather than doing its job as a regulator." Reedie said he spoke later with both men and addressed their concerns. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Reedie's positon was not compromised by the debate. "We don't always agree on everything," he said. "It wasn't a totally one-sided debate. We aired a lot of issues." Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov claimed there was a political campaign against Russia and cited "discrimination" against clean athletes not connected to doping. "I urge you to resist this unprecedented pressure that is now on the entire Olympic movement and not to let this pressure to split the entire Olympic family," he said. U.S. member Larry Probst said it was wrong to attribute the problem to "international politics." "We have a doping problem," the U.S. Olympic Committee chairman said. "And it's not just Russia, it's global. The current system is broken and we need to fix the problem." A few members did question the IOC decision to keep Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova an 800-meter runner who helped expose systematic doping in her homeland out of the games. "If there was to be one exception, it should have been her," Richard Peterkin of St. Lucia said. The strongest criticism came from Canadian member Dick Pound, a former president of WADA who has been outspoken in calling for a complete ban on Russia something he had previously called "the nuclear option." He said the reputation of the IOC was on the line. "We need to do a lot more to show that we really do care about fair play, honest competition and clean athletes," he said. By the end, however, Pound was among the 84 members who voted in favor. "The arrow's left the bow," he said. The decision has been made, it's not going to be changed between now and the start of the games." ___ AP Sports Writer Stephen Wade contributed to this report. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during the Opening Ceremony of the IOC Session at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/David Goldman) International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during the Opening Ceremony of the IOC Session at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/David Goldman) The Latest: Obama says Libya bombing to restore stability WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the visit of the prime minister of Singapore to the White House (all times local): 11:50 a.m. President Barack Obama says the new U.S. bombing operation in Libya is needed to drive out Islamic State group militants and restore stability to the troubled North African country. President Barack Obama and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Anthem during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Obama told reporters Tuesday at a White House news conference that the campaign had been requested by internationally-backed authorities in Libya and would continue for as long as necessary. He said it is in the vital national security interest of the United States. The president reiterated his regret that conditions in Libya have deteriorated in recent years. But he also repeated his belief that the NATO-led bombing that drove dictator Moammar Gadhafi from power was necessary to prevent massacres. ___ 11:40 a.m. President Barack Obama is challenging leading Republicans to repudiate Donald Trump. Obama says Trump's criticism of a fallen Muslim-American soldier's family is the latest evidence that the GOP presidential nominee isn't ready to lead the country. The president said Trump is unfit to be president and 'he keeps on proving it' Obama is also citing Trump's misstatements on global crises. At a news conference Tuesday, Obama noted that many leading Republicans in Congress have denounced various Trump statements. But he asked why they are still endorsing him. Obama said there has to be a point when people break with the party's standard-bearer. Otherwise, he said the denunciations are hollow. ___ 11:30 a.m. President Barack Obama is reaffirming his commitment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. Obama says people have legitimate fears about the impact of globalization and being "left behind" but the answer cannot be to back away from trade and the global economy. He says to "pull up the drawbridge" would hurt American workers. Obama was addressing a news conference after meeting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House Tuesday. The U.S. and Singapore are among the 12 nations in the TPP that would cut trade barriers and tariffs. Opposition to the TPP is intensifying in the United States, with both major presidential contenders campaigning against it. Lee is urging Congress to ratify the deal as soon as possible. ___ 9:55 a.m. President Barack Obama and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are sitting down for a formal meeting in the Oval Office. The two leaders walked side by side together along the West Wing colonnade from the South Lawn after the arrival ceremony for Lee. In the Oval Office, they exchanged pleasantries and joked with each other but made no comments to reporters who were briefly allowed in for the start of their meeting. U.S.-Asia relations and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal involving both Singapore and the United States are on the agenda. Obama and Lee plan to hold a joint news conference at the White House following their meeting. ___ 9:40 a.m. President Barack Obama says Singapore is an anchor for U.S. efforts to boost ties to Asia and has been a "rock-solid" partner. Obama is welcoming Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House for a state visit. He says the U.S. and Singapore share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous Asia. Lee says the world has changed dramatically since the U.S. and Singapore opened diplomatic relations 50 years ago. He says American policies and actions have contributed to peace and prosperity in Asia, though he says the region isn't without challenges. Lee is also urging the U.S. Congress to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. ___ 9:15 a.m. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are welcoming the leader of Singapore to the White House for a state visit marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between their countries. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was greeted by an elaborate welcome ceremony as his limousine pulled in to the South Lawn of the White House. Hundreds of U.S. military members in blue and white uniforms formed an honor guard, some carrying bayoneted rifles. A canon fired repeatedly as a military band played the two countries' national anthems. Obama and the prime minister plan to meet in the Oval Office before taking questions from reporters. Lee will also be honored with a state dinner on Tuesday evening. ___ 9 a.m. The prime minister of Singapore is joining President Barack Obama at the White House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city state. But the two leaders will also discuss a shared cause with less rosy prospects the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. Singapore, a close U.S. partner, is one of the 12 nations in the TPP, an agreement key to Obama's effort to boost U.S. exports and build strategic ties in Asia. But Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Washington visit starting Tuesday comes as opposition to the TPP intensifies in the United States. Both Republican contender Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who are competing to succeed Obama as president, are against it. Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce late Monday, Lee urged its ratification, saying the pact would give the U.S. better access to the markets that account for 40 percent of global economic output. He said it would also add heft add heft to Washington's so-called "rebalance" to the Asia-Pacific. President Barack Obama speak during a joint news conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) President Barack Obama walks with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a reception and discussion, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 in Washington. Prime Minister Lee discussed the Trans Pacific Partnership, TPP, and other topics. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Deadly election season for South Africa's candidates JOHANNESBURG (AP) South Africa's municipal election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday's vote. National police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths, most of them occurring in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. One motivation behind the killings is the chance of a steady job as a councillor in a country where more than 25 percent of people are unemployed, said Gareth Newham, head of the governance, crime and justice division of the local Institute for Security Studies. An elderly voter arrives at a polling station to cast an early vote on the eve of the country's municipal elections in Johannesburg, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. This election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists in South Africa, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday's vote. National police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths, most occurring in KwaZulu-Natal province. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell) "These are people who go from literally being unemployed to suddenly being able to afford a much better lifestyle. So there is intense competition for those positions," Newham said. Even the lowest-grade part-time councillor was making up to 16,300 rand ($1,110) a month last year . The posts also come with the chance to control local resources and patronage. Newham said another factor in the recent killings is the relative impunity of such attacks in the past. "Ninety percent of the time, people are getting away with it. It's low-risk," he said. President Jacob Zuma's office has urged that the municipal elections remain peaceful, and campaigning in many parts of the country has been calm. The African National Congress party, which has ruled South Africa since the first all-race elections 22 years ago, faces a serious challenge in some of the country's most important cities. Those include the largest city, Johannesburg; the Tshwane metro area around the capital, Pretoria; and even the eastern coastal municipality named after the ANC's star, Nelson Mandela Bay. Many of the political killings this year have not been in such contested areas, instead occurring in the traditional ANC stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal, which has a history of political violence. The killings have forced some candidates into hiding, said Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, co-chair of the National Coordinating Forum of community groups that partner with the Electoral Commission on observing and other activities. One candidate from KwaZulu-Natal told South African media he was shot in the chest last month outside his home and said he had taken refuge about 350 kilometers (217 miles) away in Johannesburg, where he planned to remain until the elections. David Mazibuko has said he remains a candidate, even in hiding. He told The Associated Press late last week that he "didn't get anything from detectives" yet on resolving his case. Children leave their school which is being used as polling station, on the eve of the country's municipal elections in Johannesburg, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. This election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists in South Africa, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday's vote. National police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths, most occurring in KwaZulu-Natal province. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell) Children leave their school which is being used as polling station, on the eve of the country's municipal elections in Johannesburg, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. This election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists in South Africa, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday's vote. National police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths, most occurring in KwaZulu-Natal province. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell) Police say passengers were thrown from the bus into a ditch while others screamed from the inside Advertisement Five people have been killed and at least 16 more have been injured after a tour bus ripped in half after crashing in central California. Thirty people were on board when the bus veered off the road and slammed into an exit sign pole - causing the vehicle to split - on Tuesday morning. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said rescuers brought out 'bags of body parts' that belonged to the victims and survivors. They also heard screaming from inside the bus while other victims were thrown onto the side of the road. The driver has been identified as Mario David Vasquez, 57, from Los Angeles, who suffered 'major injuries'. Five people have been killed and at least 16 more have been injured after a tour bus crash between the cities of Atwater and Livingston in central California Thirty people were on board when the bus slammed into an exit sign on Tuesday morning Onsurez didn't have details about additional injuries or the cause of the crash that happened early Tuesday on State Route 99 between the cities of Atwater and Livingston. Sheriff Warnke told the Merced Sun Star: 'Theres a tremendous amount of carnage here - a very, very nasty accident. 'When I first got there, I could hear people screaming from inside of the bus. 'Several people had been ejected and were lying in the ditch. It was harder to get to them immediately because of the amount of diesel fuel that had spilled.' Jennifer Rivera, 12, who survived the crash, told the Sun Star she was sleeping when the bus crashed. 'It was just me and my uncles.I dont know what happened to them. They were hurt and battered.' Photos and video show the unmarked white bus crashed into the pole of a highway exit sign. Emergency workers were also seen climbing in through the windows Onsurez says the bus was heading from the Mexican state of Nayarit to Pasco, Washington. The cause of the crash is being investigated. None of the victims have been identified. Reports suggest the bus had three safety violations in April 2016. There was either no, or a defective brake warning device; the bus was equipped with prohibited, non-automatically folding seats in the aisle, and the FMCSA found the company needed to inspect/repair parts and accessories, KMPH reported. Emergency workers were also seen climbing in through the windows at the crash site California Highway Patrol officers investigate the scene of a charter bus crash Debris is seen strewn all over the road in the area surrounding the crash site Rescue crews respond to the scene of the charter bus crash on northbound Highway 99 Horrific images show the damage caused by the exit sign as it tore through the bus Police said they could hear screaming from inside the bus when they arrived. Passengers were also thrown into a ditch on the side of the road The bus was on its way from somewhere in Mexico to Pasco, Washington, via Los Angeles and Sacramento Mexican mayor, police arrested in deaths of 10 MEXICO CITY (AP) A mayor and four local police officers have been arrested in a western Mexican state in connection with the murder of 10 people who were killed and burned over the weekend, the state's governor said Tuesday. Michoacan Gov. Silvano Aureoles said in an interview with Imagen Radio Tuesday that authorities initially thought the bodies found in a pickup near a gas pipeline in Cuitzeo had been somehow related to illegal pipeline taps. However, Aureoles said that the investigation eventually revealed that police from the town of Alvaro Obregon had detained the victims. Speaking with Milenio television, Aureoles said that interviews "point directly to the mayor who gave the order." Without naming the mayor, he said he and four police officers had been transported to prison. State prosecutor Jose Martin Godoy also said in a news conference Monday night that the mayor gave the order. "After they were detained, on instructions from the mayor, the civilians were transported to a place in Alvaro Obregon where they were killed and then they took the bodies to a property in Cuitzeo where they set them on fire," he said. The motive appeared to be related to a rivalry over street-level drug sales, Aureoles said. The state of Michoacan has been convulsed for years by drug violence. Also, early Tuesday morning, unidentified gunmen killed the mayor of a town in the central Mexican state of Puebla. The Puebla state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday in a statement that Huehuetlan Mayor Jose Santamaria Zavala was found dead beside his SUV on the side of a rural highway. He appeared to have been shot with a 9mm pistol. A witness who was travelling in the vehicle with the mayor, but who was unharmed, told investigators that rocks had been placed blocking the highway. Armed men then demanded money from the payroll, but those in the car were not carrying money, the statement said. Turkey's Erdogan blasts EU for not adhering to migrant deal ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the European Union Tuesday of not upholding its side of an EU-Turkey agreement on migration, saying that promised funds and visa-free travel for Turks in the EU had not been delivered. The agreement was instrumental in stemming the flow of people heading from Turkey to the nearby Greek islands. Under the deal, migrants and refugees arriving on Greek islands from March 20 on faced deportation back to Turkey. Among incentives offered in return, Turkey would receive funding to help it care for refugees it is hosting, while its citizens would also be granted visa-free travel in the EU. But plans to loosen visa rules in particular have run into trouble. The EU demands that Turkey fulfill a list of criteria first notably, amending its anti-terrorism laws. EU countries want to ensure Turkey cannot use those laws to target academics and journalists. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an event for foreign investors, in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Erdogan said, once more blasted unnamed Western countries which he says supported an attempted coup on July 15 which left more than 270 people dead. "The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups." (Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) "We are the ones who are protecting the European Union by sheltering 3 million Syrians and Iraqis," Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara at an event for foreign investors. "They still haven't brought about their promises. They promised 3 billion euros ($3.35 billion), this money still hasn't arrived. The visa issue still hasn't been brought about. But they expect us to meet (our) obligations. I am sorry but these steps will be taken simultaneously," he said. "You cannot demand the refugee return agreement without fulfilling your obligations. Sorry, but we are not a country that you can boss about." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed in an interview with the daily Rheinische Post that Turkey must fulfill the EU's conditions before the bloc will lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens. The conditions, he said, "are known to all sides involved." The man who led what's known as Shays' Rebellion is getting a new gravestone to correct an old typo. Massachusetts native Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who led a protest against the state's harsh economic policies. His six-month armed rebellion was put down in 1787, but it exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and figured prominently in the drafting of the Constitution. Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who led a protest against the state's harsh economic policies. His gravestone is missing the 's' at the end of his surname Pictured is a monument for the last battle of Shays' Rebellion Rebels had attempted to keep land belonging to farmers unable to pay taxes from being taken by the government, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. Shays fled to southern Vermont, and he was pardoned a year later. He later moved to western New York, where he died in 1825. He's buried in a cemetery in Conesus, 30 miles south of Rochester. His gravestone is missing the 's' at the end of his surname. The six-month armed rebellion was put down in 1787, but it exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and figured prominently in the drafting of the Constitution Daniel Shays is buried in Union Cemetery, pictured The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports that a descendant, Phil Shays of Clarence, is dedicating a new stone on August 12. Phil Shays told the outlet in an interview: 'I felt it was kind of an injustice.' His ancestor is buried in a private graveyard, with a new stone costing $6,000, according to the newspaper. Phil Shays recalled: 'I even gave thought to exhuming the body and taking him [to Arlington]. UK official lauds Cyprus' help in anti-ISIS air campaign NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Cyprus' support for Britain's air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq has been essential in sustaining almost 3,000 combat missions so far this year, Britain's defense secretary said Tuesday. Michael Fallon said the Royal Air Force hasn't kept such an operational tempo in a single theater of conflict in more than 25 years. Britain maintains two military bases on Cyprus including Akrotiri, from where anti-IS missions are being flown. Fallon said it would be "much harder to sustain" so many missions, which included 948 air strikes in Syria and Iraq, without the help of Cyprus. The country's eastern shores are 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the Syrian coastline. "Only the U.S. is doing more," Fallon said after talks with Cypriot counterpart Christoforos Fokaides, adding that IS "is losing land, losing money, losing the fight." Fallon said the air campaign has helped push the Islamic State group out of 40 percent of the territory it had taken since 2014. "Britain is determined to keep pulling out all the stops in this fight against evil," he said. Fallon also offered assurances that British voters' decision to leave the European Union in a June referendum doesn't mean that the country will "abandon European security." Kosovo man charged over attempt to join IS group in Syria PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Kosovo prosecutors have filed charges against a man who allegedly wanted to join the Islamic State group in Syria but was caught and sent back by Turkish authorities. Prosecutors said Tuesday that the ethnic Albanian, identified only as V.C. in line with privacy laws, was charged under legislation that prohibits joining a foreign paramilitary force or participating in a conflict abroad. They say the suspect hoped to reach Syria via Turkey last December, but was denied entrance to Turkey at Istanbul airport. The following day, he was sent back to Pristina, where he was arrested. If convicted, the man could face up to 15 years in prison. Roof attorneys want death penalty ruled unconstitutional CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Attorneys for Dylann Roof, the white man charged with killing nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church, want a federal judge to rule the death penalty unconstitutional and allow their client to plead guilty and serve life in prison. Lawyers for 22-year-old Dylan Roof filed the motion on Monday saying a flawed process of sitting juries willing to recommend the death penalty violates the rights of both potential jurors and defendants. The government is seeking the death penalty against Roof who is charged with hate crimes and other counts in the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Prosecutors allege Roof posed with the Confederate battle flag before the killings and talked of starting a race war. FILE - This June 18, 2015, file photo, provided by the Charleston County Sheriff's Office shows Dylann Roof. Attorneys for the man charged with killing nine people at a Charleston church are challenging federal prosecutors intention to seek the death penalty against him. Lawyers for Roof argue in a motion filed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, that the death penalty and federal death penalty law are unconstitutional. (Charleston County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) His federal trial is set for November. He also faces the death penalty in state court where he is charged with murder in a trial set to begin early next year. In the filing, Assistant Federal Public Defender Sarah Gannett said while some aspects of jury selection in death penalty cases have been considered by the courts, other issues she puts forward are being raised for the first time. While the law provides that all citizens have an opportunity to sit on juries, juries willing to impose a death penalty don't represent a cross-section of the community, the filing said. Gannett said such juries are more likely to be white, older, predominantly Protestant and less educated than the rest of society while women and minorities tend to be excluded. She also noted that excluding jurors who oppose the death penalty for religious reasons violates constitutional protections against requiring religious tests for holding office or having positions of public trust. "If a proposed juror is Catholic, Quaker or any sect of any other religion and adamantly opposed to the death penalty, death qualification discriminates against that juror's religion," she said. Both Roof's state and federal attorneys have said he is willing to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Gannett said U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel should allow the federal case to proceed as a non-capital case. Then Roof could plead guilty and "would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release and this prosecution would conclude," she wrote. FILE - In this Thursday, June 18, 2015 file photo, Charleston, S.C., shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof is escorted from the Shelby Police Department in Shelby, N.C. Attorneys for the man charged with killing nine people at a Charleston church are challenging federal prosecutors intention to seek the death penalty against him. Lawyers for Roof argue in a motion filed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, that the death penalty and federal death penalty law are unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Ben Earp, File) Kenya man accused of chopping off wife's hands with machete NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) A Kenyan woman said Tuesday she wants her husband jailed for life for chopping off her hands with a machete because she allegedly could not bear him children. Stephen Ngila has been charged with attempted murder after the July 25 attack in Machakos town southeast of the capital, Nairobi. His wife, Jackline Mwende Ngila, told The Associated Press that tests done four years into their marriage showed that her husband is the one with reproductive issues. She said their relationship deteriorated after the tests, which were done three years ago, and that her husband did not show up for treatment as doctors prescribed. "We bought a plot and built a house which all along . we wanted to see our children play in the compound," she said. Her father, Samuel Munyoki, asked, "If Ngila never wanted my daughter, why did he not return her?" Human rights groups have condemned the attack. The government needs to take a zero-tolerance stance on protecting the rights of women and girls, said Naitore Nyamu of the organization Equality Now. "This is a particularly shocking case for Kenya," she said. "We can't afford to let perpetrators act with impunity, which has sometimes been the case here in years gone by." The Latest: Washington fire under control, structures lost BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) The Latest on wildfires burning in the Western U.S. (all times local): 8 p.m. A fast-moving fire in central Washington that started Tuesday afternoon has been brought under control with some homes and outbuildings lost. A work crew from the California Conservation Corps Butte County Fire Center cuts a line on Black Mountain near the town of Tollhouse, Calif., while fighting a blaze Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Grant County Sheriff's Office says the fire is still burning but not making a run as it did earlier in the day with high winds just north of Moses Lake. Officials say they don't yet know how many structures have burned or the amount of land. Shelters have been set up for people as well as livestock from about two dozen evacuated residences. Also on Tuesday, fire crews were making headway on a blaze that started Saturday night in south-central Washington on the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center. The fire that has scorched about 276 square miles was up to 20 percent contained, from 10 percent Tuesday morning. It's the largest of several wildfires burning in Washington state. 6:40 p.m. Firefighters continue to make progress on a half-dozen wildfires in northern Nevada. But crews fear gusty winds blowing off the Pacific Ocean could fan flames that forced evacuations earlier on tribal lands near Pyramid Lake north of Reno. A firefighter was treated for cuts at a Reno hospital Tuesday, but no other injuries were reported. No structures were immediately threatened by the biggest complex of fires that has burned about 75 miles of rangeland but is now estimated to be 40 percent contained about 40 miles north of Reno. About 800 firefighters remained on the lines Tuesday evening as winds picked up to 15 mph. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning through 10 p.m. for hot, dry conditions, with winds forecast to gust up to 35 mph Tuesday night north of U.S. Interstate 80. ___ 5:16 p.m. A fire official says a deadly wildfire that continues to spread near California's scenic Big Sur was started by an illegal campfire. Fire information officer Deborah McClain said Tuesday that investigators determined the blaze started July 22 in an area of Garapata State Park where campfires are prohibited. McClain says officials are still trying to determine who started the campfire and are asking for information from campers who were in the area before the massive blaze charred 67 square miles and destroyed 57 homes. A bulldozer operator working the fire lines was killed last week in a rollover accident in steep, forested ridges. ___ 4:40 p.m. A new wildfire in central Washington state has prompted the immediate evacuation of about two dozen homes. Grant County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kyle Foreman says the wind-driven fire started Tuesday afternoon about seven miles north of Moses Lake, closing a portion of State Route 17 in the area. Authorities said the fire had moved more than two miles in heavy sage and grass, but there was no estimate yet on how much land had burned. Fire crews were monitoring high winds and making headway Tuesday afternoon on a large blaze that started Saturday night in south-central Washington on the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center. The Yakima-Herald reported (http://goo.gl/yxcqaB ) the fire that has scorched about 273 square miles was up to 20 percent contained, from 10 percent Tuesday morning. It's the largest of several wildfires burning in Washington state. ___ 4:55 p.m. Hundreds of additional homes are being evacuated or placed under alert as strong winds threaten to spread a Montana wildfire that's already destroyed at least 14 homes. Fire information officer Mike Cole said the blaze in the Bitterroot National Forest had burned nearly 7 square miles by early Tuesday. Residents of about 630 homes southwest of Hamilton were under evacuation orders Tuesday. Another 215 homes were placed on alert due to concerns the fire could blow up Tuesday evening. Also in Montana, a new fire started Tuesday afternoon about 16 miles northwest of Wolf Creek. The fire grew from 5 acres to an estimated 500 acres in a little over two hours. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton says no evacuations have been ordered and no structures were immediately threatened. ___ 1:15 p.m. Forecasters say the threat of significant wildfires will expand into parts of Oregon, Montana and Wyoming this month, while a broad swath of the South and the East Coast will see increased danger later in the year. The National Interagency Fire Center's monthly outlook , released Monday, says the potential for big fires will remain above normal during August in parts of California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah because of dry grass and bushes. By September, the fire threat is expected to swing back toward normal over much of the West but increase in the South. By October and November, the potential for significant wildfires is expected to be above normal in an arc of states from Texas to New Jersey. ___ 12:05 p.m. Officials say two specially equipped military cargo planes have been made available to drop fire retardant on blazes burning across the West. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said Tuesday that the C-130s are expected to be ready for firefighting missions on Wednesday. Each can drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in as little as five seconds. The C-130s can be mobilized when the civilian tanker fleet is stretched thin. Initially, they'll be based in Boise, home of the center that coordinates wildfire-fighting efforts nationwide. ___ 11:55 a.m. Officials are reporting 60 percent containment of an 8-square-mile wildfire sparked by lightning on a mountain in northwest Nevada. There have been no injuries and no structures are immediately threatened by the fire in the Poodle Mountain area, about 100 miles north of Reno. Winds are forecast later in the day. Fire commander Glen Uhlig says about 415 firefighters are working in hot, dry conditions to prevent the fire from crossing State Route 447, near Squaw Creek Reservoir. They were aided by air tankers and helicopters. In eastern Nevada, officials are reporting 80 percent containment of a 1.3-square-mile wildfire on public rangeland about 95 miles northeast of Las Vegas. ___ 11:45 a.m. Firefighters were bracing for strong winds and authorities have ordered more evacuations during a fire in western Montana that destroyed 14 homes and may have contributed to a death. The fire started Sunday and has burned 5.7 square miles in Bitterroot National Forest. Residents were allowed back into the burned area Monday evening, but the area was closed again Tuesday and the evacuation zone expanded because high winds and low humidity were forecast. Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman says his undersheriff toured the burned area and said it looked like a moonscape. Fire information officer Mike Cook says the 200 firefighters working the blaze were trying to hold onto gains made Monday and protect homes. ___ 10:35 a.m. A wildfire north of scenic Big Sur near California's Central Coast spread again overnight and has now charred more than 67 square miles. The blaze that broke out July 22 has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening 2,000 additional structures. It was less than 18 percent contained Tuesday. Firefighters on Monday got help from a spike in humidity and lower temperatures, and they are hopeful for more of the same Tuesday. Officials say more than 5,400 firefighters from across California are fighting the fire in steep terrain that is considered some of the most extreme in the United States. All California State Parks from Point Lobos State Natural Reserve through Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are closed until further notice. Full containment is not expected until Aug. 31. ___ 9:40 a.m. More than 1,400 firefighters are battling a blaze in southwest Idaho that has grown to 66 square miles and destroyed a state-operated backcountry structure. Officials say the fire expanded by about 5 square miles Tuesday in rugged terrain and was nearly 30 percent contained. It's not expected to be fully contained until mid-September. Crews plan to build fire lines and use previous wildfire burn scars to try to prevent the fire from moving farther north. The $60,000 yurt that burned is a round, tent-like structure with a dome roof and plastic skin. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has five other yurts it manages as part of an agreement with the Boise National Forest, and several remain threatened. ___ 8:50 a.m. Firefighters in northwest Nevada are bracing for dry, hot winds and the possibility of erratic flames as they battle a series of wildfires that have charred almost 75 square miles of rangeland. Incident commanders predict humidity in the single-digits Tuesday in the Virginia Mountains, with wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe town of Sutcliffe is no longer threatened, but residents in some rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary. The lake is closed. About 800 firefighters are battling the fires, which are roughly 40 percent contained. About 50 miles north, a wildfire in the scenic Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area has burned nearly 8 square miles. ___ 8:25 a.m. Crews overnight got a bit more control over a stubborn wildfire in California's Central Valley. The blaze has destroyed three homes and is threatening another 400 northeast of Fresno as it heads into its second week. It also has burned two other buildings. Authorities said Tuesday that firefighters increased containment to 30 percent. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says about 300 people were under evacuation orders from homes just outside the Sierra National Forest. The 4.5-square-mile blaze started Saturday afternoon in steep, rugged terrain. A work crew from the California Conservation Corps Butte County Fire Center cuts a line on Black Mountain near the town of Tollhouse, Calif., while fighting a blaze Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee via AP) Firefighters keep a lookout from Sky Ranch off Cachagua Grade as smoke and flames from a back burn light up a ridge to the south in east Carmel Valley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Higher humidity and lower temperatures on Monday helped firefighters battle the destructive wildfire near the scenic Big Sur coast. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) Obama's library a tough choice between 2 historic parks CHICAGO (AP) The two parks that Barack Obama considered for his presidential library are only a mile apart in Chicago's South Side. But the decision to build the museum in the lakefront park rather than in a nearby impoverished neighborhood has left some residents worried it was a missed opportunity. The Obama Foundation will hold a ceremony Wednesday to unveil details of the president's choice of Jackson Park instead of Washington Park. For the city's residents, there are key differences between the two historic parks, which are both near the University of Chicago. Here is a look at each site, and the pros and cons involved in the decision: FILE - This May 12, 2015 file photo shows Jackson Park in Chicago. The decision to build Barack Obama's presidential library at the lakefront park rather than a nearby impoverished neighborhood has left some residents worried the museum will deliver less of a boost to the South Side. Some say Washington Park, a mile to the west, has greater needs because of poverty and population decline, and the location decision is a missed opportunity to spur development there. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File) ___ PARK WITH A VIEW Jackson Park is along Chicago's picturesque Lake Michigan shoreline and is rich in history. It was home to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and the tranquil lagoons and other features designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted for the event remain. The park also is home to the fair's former Palace of Fine Arts Building, which now houses the Museum of Science and Industry. The Obama Foundation seemed to conclude that more visitors would be drawn to Jackson Park. The organization said building the library there would have "the greatest long-term impact on the combined communities." "With its aesthetics, iconic location, historical relevance from the World's Fair, we believe Jackson Park will attract visitors on a national and global level that will bring significant long-term benefits to the South Side," foundation Chairman Marty Nesbitt said in announcing the choice Friday. The park abuts the Woodlawn neighborhood, an area of need but one where decades of revitalization efforts have already left a mark. ___ NO OLYMPICS, NO LIBRARY A mile to the west is Washington Park, also designed by Olmsted, who originally conceived of the two expanses as one park. They are connected by a strip of green known as the Midway Plaisance. Washington Park would have been at the center of the world this week if Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics had succeeded. The loss of the presidential center and library is another blow to the neighborhood's quest for a revival. Now, the only major development prospects seem to come from the nearby University of Chicago, where Obama once taught constitutional law. The university has bought up land and opened an arts incubator, restaurant and bookstore with artist Theaster Gates. But a lot of ground remains vacant and there are few jobs, grocery stores, shops and quality housing. The surrounding neighborhood is associated with poverty, population decline and empty lots. It's also closer to the belt of neighborhoods that are home to most of Chicago's gang violence. But Washington Park, too, is steeped in historical significance. It hosts the DuSable Museum of African American History. The surrounding community became home to many blacks who moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, when waves of black Southerners moved north in the early and mid-20th century to escape from segregation and racism. ___ ROOM TO GROW Obama, who started out as a community organizer on Chicago's far South Side, said in a written statement Friday that the library will spur development. Obama said he and first lady Michelle Obama "can't wait to forge new ways to give back to the people of Chicago who have given us so much." But some urban policy planners feel those ambitions would have had more room to grow in Washington Park, where the prevalence of vacant lots offer ready-made space for spinoff development ranging from souvenir stands to restaurants to hotels. "I'm just so unhappy," said Jacky Grimshaw, vice president for policy at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, an urban development and economic advocacy organization. Grimshaw, a longtime resident of the area who grew up playing in Washington Park, said building the library there could have reversed population decline and created more economic opportunity. "Here is a grand opportunity that is being missed," she said. ___ THE GENTRIFICATION EFFECT But some Washington Park community leaders are quietly pleased the library will be close but not too close. The area was once home to one of the highest concentrations of public housing in the country before those high-rise projects were torn down about a decade ago. Their residents were able to remain in the neighborhood thanks to federal housing benefits for low-income people. Activists were concerned the library might have driven a rapid gentrification that would have raised housing costs and forced longtime residents out. The Latest: Conditions upgraded for injured in bus crash ATWATER, Calif. (AP) The Latest on a deadly California bus crash (all times local): 6 p.m. The six most seriously injured people in a deadly California bus crash are out of critical condition. Dr. Kathleen Eve, trauma surgeon at Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, said Tuesday that three patients are now in serious condition and three are in fair condition. Eve says some had head and neck injuries along with broken bones, and some amputations had to be performed but she did not elaborate. Some remain on ventilators and are unconscious, but their vital signs are stable. She said the patients she treated, whose ages range from 30s to 50s, will need to be in the hospital between two days and a week. Twelve other patients with less serious injuries were treated at other hospitals. Five people were killed in the charter bus crash on a highway in the state's agricultural Central Valley. ___ 5:25 p.m. One of the survivors of Tuesday's deadly central California bus crash says the bus appeared to be trying to pass another vehicle that wouldn't let it in just before it veered off the highway and slammed into a pole, killing five people. "That vehicle wasn't allowing him to pass and it kind of ran him off the road," Nakia Coleman of Pasco, Washington, told Washington's Tri-City Herald newspaper. California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez says the bus suddenly turned sharply off the highway before the crash. He says investigators are still trying to determine why. Onsurez added that investigators haven't been able to interview the driver yet because of his injuries. ___ 2:30 p.m. At least 18 survivors of a deadly bus crash on a central California highway have been treated at hospitals. Spokeswoman Carin Sarkis says Doctors Medical Center of Modesto received two men and a woman who were all in critical condition and two women in serious condition. Spokeswoman Pennie Rorex says Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock received four patients, including a man in serious condition who was being transferred to Modesto. Emanuel treated and released the other three. Memorial Medical Center in Modesto received four patients. Spokesman Craig Baize says all were admitted in fair condition. Mercy Medical Center in Merced received five patients. Spokeswoman Lindsey Wine says four were discharged and one was transferred elsewhere in stable condition. Authorities say five people were killed when the bus struck a signpost in the San Joaquin Valley. About 30 were aboard. ___ 12:20 p.m. A man who survived a pre-dawn bus wreck on a California highway says he was awakened from his sleep when he was thrown into the seat in front of him and then to the floor. Leonardo Sanchez spoke to The Associated Press in Spanish outside a hospital near where the bus hit a sign post on State Route 99 in the San Joaquin Valley early Tuesday. Authorities say five people were killed and at least five others were flown to hospitals in unknown condition. Sanchez says he found himself in a chaotic scene: passengers were screaming and crying, some called for help and some were unable to move. The 55-year-old says the impact left him with pain in his stomach and a bruised jaw and mouth. ___ 9:30 a.m. A California sheriff says several injured passengers lost limbs when a speeding bus veered off a highway and struck a pole, killing five people. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke tells The Associated Press that the bus hit the pole of a highway sign head-on early Tuesday, and it sheared through the vehicle before stopping at the first axle "with a great impact." Warnke says rescuers brought out "bags of body parts" from the survivors following the crash on State Route 99 just south of Livingston. The sheriff says the bus operated by Autobuses Coordinados USA was heading to Washington state and was due in Livingston at 1:30 a.m. to change drivers. The California Highway Patrol says five people died and at least five people were airlifted to hospitals in unknown condition. ___ 7:15 a.m. Authorities say a bus crash on a central California freeway has killed five people and sent at least five others to hospitals. California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez says the five injured were airlifted to hospitals. He didn't have details about additional injuries or the cause of the crash that happened early Tuesday on State Route 99 between the cities of Atwater and Livingston. Photos and video show the unmarked white bus crashed into the pole of a highway exit sign that appears to have torn through the middle of the vehicle. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows. Onsurez says the bus with about 30 people aboard was heading from Southern California to Sacramento. The northbound lanes of the freeway are closed during the investigation. ___ 5:55 a.m. Authorities have responded to a bus crash on a central California freeway. California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez says the crash happened shortly before 3:30 a.m. Tuesday on State Route 99 between the cities of Atwater and Livingston. Photos and video show the unmarked white bus crashed into the pole of a highway exit sign that appears to have torn through the middle of the vehicle. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows. Onsurez says the bus with about 30 people aboard was heading from Southern California to Sacramento. Additional details were not immediately available. The northbound lanes of the freeway are closed during the investigation. Turkish, Italian leaders spar over probe into Erdogan's son MILAN (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says an Italian criminal investigation involving his son could complicate relations with Rome. Italy's premier dismissed the comments, saying that Italian judges don't respond to the Turkish leader. Erdogan's son Bilal is under investigation for alleged money-laundering in Bologna, where he moved last year with his family. Erdogan told RAI News 24 Tuesday that the probe "could put our relations with Italy in difficulty" and added that Italy should instead concentrate on the Mafia. Italian Premier Matteo Renzi responded with a message on Twitter, saying: "In this country, judges respond to the law and the Italian constitution, not to the Turkish president." Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an event for foreign investors, in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Erdogan said, once more blasted unnamed Western countries which he says supported an attempted coup on July 15 which left more than 270 people dead. "The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups." (Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) Italian dies of meningitis after Poland pilgrimage ROME (AP) The Italian bishops' conference says a young Italian pilgrim died of meningitis after attending the World Youth Day event in Poland, and is urging anyone who used the same hospitality facilities to get vaccinated. The conference said the girl, who came from Rome, died at a Vienna hospital as she traveled home from Poland. Pope Francis led several events at the Catholic youth jamboree in Krakow, which ended on Sunday. Pilgrims who were traveling with the girl already received the vaccine. The bishops' conference said others who used the same facilities in Krakow for Italian pilgrims should do the same. Jury deliberating murder case of officer who shot black teen NORFOLK, Va. (AP) A white former police officer on trial for first-degree murder in Virginia testified Tuesday that he shot and killed an unarmed black teen after the 18-year-old knocked away his stun gun and charged toward him. The former Portsmouth officer, Stephen Rankin, was responding to a shoplifting call outside a Wal-Mart in April 2015. Rankin said he calmly approached suspect William Chapman II before they struggled. After losing his stun gun, Rankin said, he drew his pistol and repeatedly commanded Chapman to "get on the ground." He said the teen screamed "shoot me" several times before running toward him from 6 feet away. Stephen Rankin stands between two Portsmouth Sheriff's Deputies Friday, July 29, 2016 as they wait for members of the jury to look over the scene in the corner of a Walmart parking lot in Portsmouth, Va., where William Chapman II was shot and killed by then Portsmouth police officer Rankin last year. Rankin is now on trial for murder. (Bill Tiernan/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) A jury started deliberating Rankin's fate late Tuesday afternoon. Although police seldom face criminal charges after shootings, the officer's trial comes amid increasing nationwide scrutiny of police tactics and race. On-duty officers kill suspects about 1,000 times a year, according to Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. But only 74 have been charged since 2005. For local black leaders, the trial is a reckoning over police-involved shootings and officers who aren't held accountable. But Rankin's lawyers say the shooting should be judged on its own set of facts and has nothing to do with the deaths of other black men at the hands of police. Rankin was fired after last year's indictment. During his testimony, he said he did not radio for backup or press an emergency officer-assist button on his radio after losing his stun gun. But he said didn't have time. "I had no reason to think he was going to stop attacking me," said Rankin, 36. "I was scared." In closing arguments, a prosecutor and defense attorney offered conflicting views over whether Rankin had other options. Prosecutors Stephanie Morales said Rankin chose to shoot Chapman when he could have used pepper spray. "He brought a gun into what is at worst a fist fight," she said. Defense attorney James Broccoletti said Rankin's only choice was to shoot Chapman because "everything he tried to do didn't work." Unlike other recent police-involved shootings, this one was not recorded on witnesses' cellphones or on security cameras. Witness testimony was contradictory. Paul Akey, a construction worker who was nearby, said Chapman "went after the officer with throwing fists, and it looked like he knocked a Taser out of the officer's hands." But Gregory Provo, a Wal-Mart security guard, said Chapman never charged at Rankin. He said the teen ignored the officer's commands and "made a quick gesture to fight" before being shot. Prosecutors had failed to convince the judge to allow Rankin's ex-wife to testify. They said she would have told the jury that Rankin fantasized about shooting people on the job. Chapman's death marked the second time Rankin killed someone while on duty. He was cleared of wrongdoing from the first shooting in 2011. In that case, he fired 11 times at a white burglary suspect he said charged at him with his hands reaching into his waistband. French Muslims step out of invisibility after attacks PARIS (AP) French Muslims have been officially invisible, expected to blend in with the rest of the citizenry in secular France. But now they are speaking out and being called on to take a larger role in combatting the threat from Islamist extremists. The killing of a priest last week at the altar of his Normandy church by two 19-year-old extremists has become a lightning rod for change. In an unusual joint statement published Sunday, a group of more than 40 Muslim lawyers, doctors and other professionals said that French Muslims must move from the shadows to front and center, and take action because those representing Islam have lost touch with the young. The coffin of Father Hamel is carried outside the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before his funeral mass, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed by two Islamic extremists last week in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) "We were silent because we learned that in France religion is a private affair," the signers wrote, referring to the secular values France prizes and the French model of integration by which citizens forego their cultures of origin for Frenchness. "Now we must speak because Islam has become a public affair and the current situation is intolerable." The signers said Muslim leaders are unable to reach out, let alone represent, a younger generation of Muslims some of them "the prey of jihadi Islam ideologues." France's strict brand of secularism was behind two laws to ban Muslim apparel headscarves in classrooms in 2004 and face-covering veils in streets, in 2010. It has also meant French authorities normally communicate only with Muslim leaders through the French Council for the Muslim Faith, or CFCM an umbrella group the government helped set up in 2003 as conduit for dialogue with a religion that, unlike Catholicism, has no hierarchy. But now, even the government is reaching beyond Muslim officialdom to implore citizens of the Islamic faith to join in the battle for hearts and minds against extremists. "The most important challenge is not that of institutions. It is that of our citizens of the Muslim faith who in their families, their neighborhoods, must feel concerned and take their responsibility in hand," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in an interview Tuesday with the daily Liberation. In an exceptional reach-out, he said that "Islam of France" must be rebuilt, expanding training for imams and reducing foreign financing of mosques. "Muslims have an immense responsibility" helping the state "combat those who put into question our public freedoms," he said. With an estimated 5 million Muslims in France the largest Muslim population in western Europe Islam is the country's second religion after Roman Catholicism. But previous attacks elicited little more than communiques from the main Muslim organizations deploring the horrors and recrimination from some quarters because Muslims weren't strongly denouncing the acts of the terrorists. Raphael Liogier, an expert on Islam at the prestigious Science Po university in Aix-en-Provence, says signs that Muslims are stepping into the fray may be the start of real change. "They are under two injunctions: be quiet and at the same time take a position," Liogier said. "If they say nothing, one thinks they have accepted the attacks ... Today, they consider that this double injunction is no longer manageable." The turning point appears to have come with the slaying of Rev. Jacques Hamel and the attack in the Riviera city of Nice, less than two weeks earlier, where 84 revelers were killed by a huge truck that mowed down crowds on Bastille Day on a famed beachside avenue closed for a fireworks display. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group like the killing of a police couple in their home in June and two waves of attacks in Paris last year that killed 147. Yet, like in some other cases, the Tunisian attacker in Nice had not shown signs of being a practicing Muslim. Mohammed Karabila, president of the Muslim cultural center in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where the priest was killed, said the two attacks "made us understand." A symbol of the state and a symbol of religion were hit, he said by telephone. "The message is clear. They (IS) want to fracture us, fracture French society." Since its creation in 2003, the CFCM has been the main Muslim voice for the public, as well as the government, but it is an often fractious group of various Muslim currents in France that are influenced, and partly financed, by countries where each group has its roots. Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are making plans to revamp what authorities have tried for decades to build: an "Islam of France" specific to French Muslims. As part of the initiative, they want to revive a foundation that could provide private funds for mosques and make foreign funding visible. They also want a single cursus for the training of imams. "Our country must show the entire world that Islam ... is compatible with democracy," Valls said in his Sunday commentary. Liogier, meanwhile, predicts Muslims will increasingly speak out but with potential risk to themselves since "they are the target par excellence" of the Islamic State group, which views Muslims integrated in the West as infidels. After the attacks, the CFCM stepped forward to call on Muslim faithful to visit churches in a sign of solidarity with Christians. Many did and Catholics also joined Muslims at Friday prayer in a local mosque. One Muslim leader, Abdelatif Hmitou, castigated the slain attackers during the Friday prayer. "You are not a part of civilization," he said bold words given the omnipresent worry among Muslims that Islam is being tainted by the actions of extremists. Celebrating the funeral Mass on Tuesday for the slain priest, the Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun, said that it had been "an error" to keep religion private. During the ceremony, he invited Muslims to return to churches on Aug. 15, the Catholic feast of the Assumption. Police officers watch people leaving the Rouen cathedral, Normandy, before the funeral mass for the priest that has been killed by two Islamic extremists last week in the nearby town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Tuesday, Aug.2, 2016. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was killed in his church as he celebrated morning Mass. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray's Priest Auguste Moanda, second left, delivers his speech , flancked by Mohammed Karabila, President of the Muslim Regional Council of Normandy, left, Priest Pierre, center and Anouar Kbibech, President of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, right, as muslim worshippers attend the friday prayer at the Yahya Mosque, in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, France, Friday, July 29, 2016. Four days after the hostage taking in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, officials and worshippers of the muslim community paid tribute to Priest Jacques Hamel and Christian community. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Trump accepts a Purple Heart amid veteran controversy ASHBURN, Virginia (AP) A military veteran gave his Purple Heart to Republican nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday, prompting the Republican nominee to declare that this was "much easier" than serving in combat. Trump, who is embroiled in a row over his criticism of the family of a slain soldier, said that a man approached him before his event in Ashburn, Virginia, and handed him his medal, which is awarded to soldiers wounded in combat. He told the crowd at his rally that he has "always wanted to get the Purple Heart." "I said to him, 'Is that, like, the real one or is that a copy?'" Trump recounted. "And he said, 'That's my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you.' And I said, 'Man! That's like, that's like big stuff.'" Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a Purple Heart medal given to him by a supporter during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier," continued the celebrity businessman, who has never served in the armed forces. "But I tell you, it was such an honor." The veteran, Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman, declined Trump's invitation to speak at Tuesday's town hall. On Monday, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nonprofit service organization with 1.7 million members, released a statement calling Trump out of bounds for tangling with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, a Muslim family whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. The fallen soldier was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. At last week's Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan criticized Trump's call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States and accused Trump of sacrificing "nothing and no one." In response, Trump said he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan and implied that Ghazala Khan, the soldier's mother, stood silently alongside her husband during the speech because, as a Muslim, she was restricted her from speaking. John Bircher, the national spokesman for the Military Order of the Purple Hearts, told The Associated Press that anyone who receives the Purple Heart, a medal that honors servicemen and women injured or killed in battle, is technically entitled to give it away should they choose. However, he added, "for someone to have a Purple Heart, it's an act of stolen valor. No one who isn't entitled to the Purple Heart valor should have one," he said. Trump, who has made helping veterans a centerpiece of his campaign, drew criticism for holding a fundraiser for veterans organizations but not distributing the money until news organizations asked questions. He's also made conflicting statements about why he was never called up for service himself during the Vietnam War. A talented athlete during his high school years in a military academy, he received five draft deferments, one of which came as a result of a physician's letter stating he suffered from bone spurs in his feet. Asked about the deferment at a rally last July, Trump told reporters he could not recall which of his feet was affected. His campaign later said he suffered from the temporary malady in both. Another of Trump's light-hearted remarks at the Virginia event also produced double-takes. He was interrupted Tuesday by the wails of a child and Trump joked that he wanted the crying baby ejected from his rally. "Don't worry about that baby, I love babies," Trump said. "I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a beautiful baby." But when the baby continued to cry, Trump followed up by saying he was "Actually, I was just kidding. You can get that baby out of here," he said. Trump still appeared to be joking. It was unclear if the child's mother left the room or if the child just fell silent. ___ Associated Press writers Vivian Salama and Jeff Horwitz in Washington contributed to this report. Follow Jonathan Lemire on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/@JonLemire ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Starbucks recalls stainless-steel straws on reports of cuts SEATTLE (AP) Starbucks is recalling stainless-steel straws it sold in its stores and online after three reports of children suffering "mouth lacerations" while using them. The Seattle-based company says about 2.5 million of the straw sets were sold in the U.S., and 301,000 were sold in Canada. The straws have a ridge at the bottom that keeps them attached to beverage lids. Starbucks says people should not let children use the straws, which are rigid and can pose an injury risk. PICTURED: In Brazil's Amazon, worship with psychedelic tea CEU DO MAPIA, Brazil (AP) Canoes slide through a narrow river, dodging branches and trees for more than four hours to reach a tiny village deep in the Amazon jungle of western Brazil. The community's culture revolves around an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime. The Ayahuasca brew is sacred to Ceu do Mapia villagers, who use it in rituals that blend Indian beliefs with Roman Catholicism. The Cult of the Holy Daime was started in 1930 by a descendant of slaves. It wasn't until the early 1980s that rubber tapper Sebastiao Mota de Melo, nicknamed Godfather Sebastiao, took hundreds of followers deeper into the forest to create a new village that would live by the doctrine of the Ayahuasca tea. People here believe the drink heals the body and expands the mind. In this June 22, 2016 photo, a boatman gets ready to cross the Purus river near the city of Boca do Acre, Amazonas state, Brazil. The Purus river provides the main access to the community of Ceu do Mapia in a trip of more than four hours deep in the Amazon jungle of western Brazil. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) "There was nothing here. We had this cleansing ceremony with a candle and we built a house for everyone, for all the people who arrived first. We were all family," said Rita Gregorio de Melo, wife of Sebastiao and the village's matriarch. Melo died in 1990, but his wife, who is now 91, still heads the sect with her two sons. Brewing the sacramental tea is a ritual in itself. Men chant to a steady rhythm, banging mallets on jungle vines called Jagube. In a giant pot, a man cooks the juice that comes out of the hammered vines and mixes it with a plant with hallucinogenic properties named Psychotria viridis. The tea is used several times during religious ceremonies, but otherwise not usually more than weekly. While the hallucinogenic effects are usually moderate, drinkers say it helps facilitate spiritual connections. On a recent evening, villagers gathered for a celebration. Women wore shiny white crowns on their heads, green sashes over their shoulders and green belts around their waists. At the church, Alfredo Gregorio de Melo, son of the village founder and spiritual leader of Holy Daime, lit candles on a table shaped like the Star of David. Men and women lined up in two separate rows to drink the tea after making the sign of the cross. They then sang together prayers and psalms in a large circle. "The Daime is everything to me. It saved me from death," said Luiz Lopes de Freitas, a village man. "I found a world that heals and teaches faith." In this June 22, 2016 photo, boatman Sebastiao Melo pilots his boat through the Igarape Mapia river towards the Ceu do Mapia community in Amazonas state, Brazil. This community revolves around an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime. The Ayahuasca brew is sacred to Ceu do Mapia villagers, who use it in rituals that blend together Indian beliefs with Roman Catholicism. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, butterflies congregate on the shore of the Igarape Mapi river near the community of Ceu do Mapia, in Amazonas state, Brazil. The butterflies gather attracted by the minerals that accumulate on the sandy shore. Ceu do Mapia revolves around an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime. The Ayahuasca brew is sacred to Ceu do Mapia villagers, who use it in rituals that blend together Indian beliefs with Roman Catholicism. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 23, 2016 photo, girls walk in front of a mural with images of the founder of the Ceu do Mapia community, Godfather Sebastiao, and his wife Godmother Rita, at Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. In the early 1980s rubber tapper Sebastiao Mota de Melo, nicknamed Godfather Sebastiao, took hundreds of followers deep into the forest to create a new village that would live by the Ayahuasca tea doctrine. Melo passed away in 1990, but his wife, who is now 91, still heads the sect with her two sons. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, Godmother Alda Figueira stands in a plantation of Chacrona (Psychotria viridis) used to make an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. The Cult of the Holy Daime was started in 1930 by a descendant of slaves. People here believe the drink heals the body and expands the mind. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, girls run amidst a plantation of Chacrona (Psychotria viridis) one of the components of an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. In the early 1980s a rubber tapper named Sebastiao Mota de Melo, nicknamed Godfather Sebastiao, took hundreds of followers deep into the forest to create Ceu do Mapia, a new village that would live by the Ayahuasca tea doctrine. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, a man crushes vines to make an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime, in front of a cross and a book of hymns of the doctrine of Santo Daime, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Brewing the sacramental tea is a ritual in itself. Men chant as they follow a steady rhythm to bang wooden pestles on jungle vines (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo pieces of Jagube (Banisteriopsis caapi), one of components of the psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime sit after being pounded to extract its juices at the tea house in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. People here believe the psychedelic drink heals the body and expands the mind. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 poto, a man moves a cauldron used for brewing a psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Ayahuasca brew is sacred to Ceu do Mapia villagers, who use it in rituals that blend together Indian beliefs with Roman Catholicism. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, Raimundo Sidnei throws Chacrona leaves (Psychotria viridis ) into tea brewing cauldrons, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Chacrona is one of the ingredients for making an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, a cauldron with the mixture of Jagube (Banisteriopsis caapi) and Chacrona leaves (Psychotria viridis) is brought to a boil during the preparation process of a psychedelic tea, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. The Cult of the Holy Daime was started in 1930 by a descendant of slaves. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, a man dressed in white walks on the community's main bridge to participate in the Holy Daime ritual in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Men and women gather in the local church to celebrate the Brazilian harvest and the feast of Saint John. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, 83-year-old Godmother Julia Chagas, left, walks supported by her granddaughter to attend the ritual of the Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Chagas is the widow of rubber tapper Sebastiao Mota de Melo, nicknamed Godfather Sebastiao, the founder of the community. She still heads the sect with her two sons. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016. photo, 12-year-old Maria Clara, preens in front of her house before going to the religious service of Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. The whole village gathers to celebrate the Brazilian harvest and the feast of Saint John. Women wear shiny white crowns on their heads, green sashes over their shoulders and green belts around their waist. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In tis June 22, 2016 photo, members of the community mill around the local temple before partaking in the ritual Holy Daime in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. During the service men and women lined up in two separate rows to drink the psychedelic tea after making the sign of the cross. They then sing together prayers and psalms in a large circle. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo members of the church of the Holy Daime attend a service in honor of Saint John, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. A photo of the founder of Santo Daime, Raimundo Irineu Serra, known as Mestre Irineu is displayed prominently in the background.(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, 9-year-old Natalia Catarina takes part in the consecration of the Holy Daime during a religious service at the church of Ceu do Mapia, in Amazonas state, Brazil. All members of the community, including children, consume the psychedelic tea during the service. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, women hold candles during a religious service in the church of the doctrine of Holy Daime, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. At the church men and women line up in two separate rows to drink the tea after making the sign of the cross. They then sing together prayers and psalms in a large circle. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, Godfather Alfredo Gregorio, center, leads a religious service in the church of doctrine of the Holy Daime, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Alfredo Gregorio de Melo is son of the village founder, rubber tapper Sebastiao Mota de Melo, nicknamed Godfather Sebastiao. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, church members of the doctrine of the Holy Daime warm themselves next to a bonfire during a break in the service in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. The community revolves around an ancient psychedelic tea locals know as the Holy Daime. The Ayahuasca brew is sacred to the villagers, who use it in rituals that blend together Indian beliefs with Roman Catholicism. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 22, 2016 photo, a woman wearing a white crown warms up next to a bonfire during a break in the service of the church of the doctrine of the Holy Daime, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. During the all night service men and women line up in two separate rows to drink the psychedelic tea after making the sign of the cross. They then sing together prayers and psalms in a large circle. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) In this June 23, 2016 photo, members of church of the doctrine of Holy Daime stand during a religious service, at dawn, in Ceu do Mapia, Amazonas state, Brazil. Most services last all night and into the morning. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) Indiana officer accused of shooting another agrees to return CINCINNATI (AP) An Indianapolis police officer arrested in Ohio after he allegedly shot a fellow officer will be returned to Indiana to face an attempted murder charge. Officer Adrian Aurs agreed Tuesday to waive extradition during a brief court hearing in Cincinnati. Indianapolis police spokesman Sgt. Kendale Adams says the Marion County Sheriff's Department would return the 42-year-old officer to Indianapolis. He says information about the timing of the transfer won't be disclosed due to security concerns. This photo provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 shows Indianapolis police officer Adrian Aurs. Accused of shooting a fellow officer, Aurs allegedly forced his way into his estranged wifes apartment and fired at least three rounds as she was being interviewed about a domestic violence incident, according to court documents released Monday. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office via AP) Authorities say Aurs shot an Indianapolis police detective late Friday as that officer was interviewing Aurs' estranged wife about a domestic violence incident. The detective suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his right side and arm. Trump talk of cutting US forces in Korea has rocky precedent WASHINGTON (AP) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alarmed U.S. allies in Asia and elsewhere by suggesting that American military support should depend on their willingness to pay. But he would not be the first U.S. president to consider shaking up time-honored military deployments. Four decades ago, President Jimmy Carter tried to withdraw troops in South Korea, and failed. He wanted to trim the defense budget and pressure South Korea over human rights abuses, but hit a wall of opposition. If history shows that some of Trump's proposals aren't unprecedented, it also demonstrates the political perils of tinkering with alliance commitments. Those commitments may be more urgent today than in Carter's time, given North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal and its progress toward having missiles that could strike the United States. FILE - In this Jan. 24, 1977 file photo, President Jimmy Carter is interviewed in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alarmed U.S. allies in Asia and elsewhere by suggesting that American military support should depend on their willingness to pay. But he would not be the first U.S. president to consider shaking up time-honored military deployments. Four decades ago, then-President Carter tried to withdraw American troops in South Korea, and failed. He wanted to trim fat from the U.S. defense budget and put pressure on South Korea over human rights abuses, but hit a wall of opposition in his own administration and in Seoul. (AP Photo, File) A senior North Korean diplomat warned in an Associated Press interview last week of a vicious showdown if the U.S. and South Korea hold annual war games as planned this month. Pyongyang is seething after Washington slapped sanctions on its leader, Kim Jong Un, over human rights abuses. The U.S. retains about 50,000 troops in Japan and 28,500 in South Korea. Advocates say that has fostered peace and prosperity in a region of intense rivalries and means the U.S. is better-placed to deal with North Korea's nuclear threat. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, sees it that way. Trump does not. Although Asian allies pay about half the cost of stationing U.S. forces on their soil, Trump has said Japan and South Korea should pay more or he might withdraw U.S. troops. He's also open to Japan and South Korea acquiring nuclear weapons rather than relying on American deterrence. That could spark a regional atomic arms race. The U.S. forces in South Korea are a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended without a formal peace treaty. Troop numbers have fallen over the years. In 1971, President Richard Nixon withdrew about one third of the 60,000 U.S. troops there, despite stiff opposition from Seoul. Carter who had been a submarine officer in the Pacific during the Korean War, was determined to go further when he took office in 1977. American public opposition to military involvements abroad was running high after the Vietnam War. Also, Carter was no fan of South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee, who imprisoned political opponents. In 1977, Carter signed a top-secret order to remove 15,000 troops by mid-1980 out of a total of about 40,000 and eventually remove nuclear weapons from South Korea, while keeping the Air Force in place. Many of Carter's top advisers opposed the drawdown. Maj. Gen. John Singlaub, the chief of staff of the U.S. Command in Korea, went public with his objections. He warned in a newspaper interview that it could lead to war. Carter reassigned him. South Korea was worried about Carter's drawdown proposal from the time he was advocating it as a candidate. North Korea expert Bob Carlin, who was CIA analyst at the time, recalled a South Korean army colonel taking him in November 1976 to a tunnel that had been dug by North Korea under the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, between the two Koreas. He said the colonel launched into a long complaint about the dangers from the North and the gullibility of Americans in wanting to withdraw troops. The killer blow to Carter's plan was a U.S. intelligence report in 1978 that North Korea had 40 percent more ground forces than earlier thought, and a two-to-one advantage over South Korea in tanks and artillery. At a tense June 1979 summit, South Korean President Park lectured Carter on why withdrawing forces would be a mistake. Carter then had a heated discussion with his top advisers in the presidential limousine as they returned to the Seoul residence of then-U.S. ambassador William Gleysteen. In his memoir, Gleysteen recounted an angry debate with Carter, as South Korea's prime minister looked on. Ultimately, Carter backed down on troop withdrawals after Park committed to increase South Korean defense spending and release 180 political prisoners. After four years in office, Carter had reduced U.S. troop numbers in Korea by less than 3,000. He blamed pressure from the Pentagon and the CIA. "I was somewhat skeptical of intelligence reports that North Korea had doubled the size of its military within a few years, but had no way to disprove them," Carter wrote in his 2010 memoir, "White House Diary." He made a bigger impact after his presidency. In 1994, Carter paved the way for a now-defunct aid-for-disarmament deal. Bigger U.S. troop reductions occurred in the mid-2000s, when President George W. Bush shifted forces from South Korea to meet military demands in Iraq. That coincided with a thaw in inter-Korean relations. But even during periods of reduced tension, the standoff at the DMZ has continued. USVI steps up fight against mosquitoes amid Zika outbreak SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The U.S. Virgin Islands announced Tuesday it is stepping up its fight against mosquitoes amid what officials in the U.S. territory say is a significant Zika outbreak. Health officials said a company hired by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use an organic larvicide and eliminate any potential breeding areas as part of a one-year contract. Crews will inspect and treat hospitals, schools, churches and daycare centers that request service on all three islands, as well as any public areas where mosquito-borne diseases have thrived. "The Virgin Islands is in the midst of a significant outbreak, and we are doing everything possible to get to the root of the issue," said Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Davis. FILE - This 2006 file photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is behind the large outbreaks of Zika virus in Latin America and the Caribbean. On Friday, July 29, 2016, Florida said four Zika infections in the Miami area are likely the first caused by mosquito bites in the continental U.S. All previous U.S. cases have been linked to outbreak countries. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP, File) The U.S. territory of more than 100,000 people is reporting nearly 80 Zika cases, 58 of them on St. Thomas, 20 on St. Croix and one on St. John. Officials are concerned that the actual number of people with Zika is much higher because eight of 10 people who get it have no symptoms. Ten pregnant women have tested positive, a concern for authorities because Zika has been linked to severe birth defects. No cases of a temporary paralysis condition known as Guillain-Barre linked to Zika have been reported, health department spokeswoman Nykole Tyson said in a phone interview. She said the Virgin Islands is using the larvicide Vectobac WDG to fight the spread of the mosquito-borne virus. Other nearby islands including Puerto Rico are facing a Zika epidemic. Puerto Rico recently announced it would use the larvicide Bti to fight Zika, with nearly 6,000 cases reported in that U.S. territory. Man convicted of Briton's murder in Italy seeks new trial ROME (AP) Lawyers for a man from the Ivory Coast who is serving 16 years in an Italian prison for the 2007 murder of a British student are seeking a new trial. Rudy Hermann Guede was convicted of the slaying of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, where she was sharing an apartment with U.S. student Amanda Knox. Guede has denied killing Kercher. Italian media said the lawyers filed the request Tuesday, contending their client is innocent. They also noted Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, who steadfastly proclaimed innocence, were definitely acquitted last year by Italy's highest criminal court. Guede's conviction ruled he committed homicide "acting with others," but he's the only one to be definitively convicted of the slaying. Iran says world powers must fulfil nuclear deal commitments TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that world powers have not fulfilled their commitments under the landmark nuclear deal, harming Iranian economic growth. Speaking on state TV, Rouhani said that "if the other party had acted properly, we would be in a better situation today." He said Iran still cannot access its foreign assets, although it is able to export more oil and to access the international banking system. He said U.S. congress, Israel and other regional countries are thwarting the implementation of the deal. Spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. State Department has assessed that Iran is meeting its obligations under the deal and "we're meeting ours." Kirby said the U.S. would continue to abide by its commitments under the agreement, which he described as having a "stabilizing effect on the world." The deal, which went into effect in January, limited Iran's nuclear program in return for lifting some sanctions. Iran has repeatedly complained that it has fulfilled its end of the deal while all the agreed-upon sanctions have not yet been lifted. Tehran is still struggling to attract large-scale foreign investment and many multinational companies remain fearful of U.S. prosecution or fines for doing business with Iran. The U.S. government still maintains some of its own sanctions against doing business with Iran that are outside the scope of last year's deal. Scientists' annual physical of planet: 'Earth's fever rises' WASHINGTON (AP) Earth's fever got worse last year, breaking dozens of climate records, scientists said in a massive report nicknamed the annual physical for the planet. Soon after 2015 ended, it was proclaimed the hottest on record . The new report shows the broad extent of other records and near-records on the planet's climatic health. Those include record heat energy absorbed by the oceans and lowest groundwater storage levels globally, according to Tuesday's report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "I think the time to call the doctor was years ago," NOAA climate monitoring chief Deke Arndt, co-editor of the report, said in an email. "We are awash in multiple symptoms." FILE - In this June 29, 2015, file photo, children play as they cool down in a fountain beside the Manzanares river in Madrid, Spain. Earths fever got worse last year, breaking dozens of climate records, 450 international scientists diagnosed in a massive report nicknamed the annual physical for the planet. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File) The 2015 State of the Climate report examined 50 different aspects of climate , including dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers worldwide. A dozen different nations set hottest year records, including Russia and China. South Africa had the hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of October: 119.1 degrees Fahrenheit (48.4 degrees Celsius). Even though it was a relatively quiet hurricane year in the Atlantic, there were 36 major tropical cyclones worldwide 15 more than average, said NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, co-editor of the report published Tuesday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. And at the heart of the records is that all three major heat-trapping greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide hit record highs in 2015, Blunden said. "There is really only one word for this parade of shattered climate records: grim," said Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb, who wasn't part of the report, but called it "exhaustive and thorough." But it's more than just numbers on a graph. Scientists said the turbo-charged climate affected walrus and penguin populations and played a role in dangerous algae blooms, such as one off the Pacific Northwest coast. And there were brutal heat waves all over the world, with ones in Indian and Pakistan killing thousands of people. One-third of Earth's land mass had some kind of drought last year. Much of the intense record-breaking and record-flirting weather was because of a combination of a natural El Nino the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather globally and ever increasing man-made global warming. "This impacts people. This is real life," Blunden said. Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado said in an email that the report, which he wasn't part of, illustrates the combined power of nature and humans on Earth's climate: "It was like injecting an already amped-up climate system with a dose of (natural) steroids." About 450 scientists from around the world helped write the report and in it NOAA highlighted one of the lesser-known measurements, ocean heat content. About 93 percent of the heat energy trapped by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas goes directly into the ocean, the report said. And ocean heat content hit record levels both near the surface and deep. NOAA oceanographer Gregory C. Johnson, a study co-author, said the oceans are storing more heat energy because of man-made climate change with an extra El Nino spike. Johnson summed up Earth's climate in a haiku, published deep inside the report: "El Nino waxes, warm waters shoal, flow eastward, Earth's fever rises." ___ Online: Report: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/bams/2015 ___ Follow Seth Borenstein at http://twitter.com/borenbears and his work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/seth-borenstein Canadians urged precautions after Zika found in Florida OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Canada's Public Health Agency is telling pregnant Canadian women who visited Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida on or after June 15 to take precautions against the Zika virus. The warning comes after U.S. health officials said mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Gregory Taylor said Tuesday because four million Canadians visit Florida annually, an unknown number could be affected by the latest U.S. discovery. Taylor says any pregnant women who visited the area on or after June 15 should see their health care providers for testing. Michigan ex-prosecutor pleads guilty in prostitution probe LANSING, Mich. (AP) A man who served as prosecutor in Michigan's capital for nearly 20 years pleaded guilty Tuesday to misconduct in office in a prostitution investigation that grew out of a human-trafficking probe and forced him to quit. Stuart Dunnings III pleaded guilty to a felony as well as a misdemeanor, soliciting a prostitute, in a deal that dismisses 14 other charges in three counties. "We are one step closer to accountability for (Dunnings), justice for victims, and a chance to restore the public trust tarnished by a public servant who only served himself," said Attorney General Bill Schuette, who will seek a prison sentence. Former Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III waits for his preliminary hearing Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Judge Michael Klaeren's courtroom at the Jackson County Courthouse in Jackson, Mich. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in the Jackson County Courthouse in Jackson, Mich. Stuart Dunnings III who served as prosecutor in Michigan's capital for nearly 20 years pleaded guilty Tuesday to misconduct in office in a prostitution investigation that grew out of a human-trafficking probe and forced him to quit. (Dave Wasinger/Lansing State Journal via AP) Dunnings, who was Ingham County's prosecutor, declined to comment after the court hearing in Jackson. Authorities pursued Dunnings based on information first gathered during a human-trafficking investigation by the FBI. He was accused of hiring prostitutes in three counties and inducing a woman to become a prostitute. Dunnings, 63, was arrested at a coffee shop in March. He subsequently took a paid medical leave, sought unspecified treatment in Tennessee and officially resigned in July. Coincidentally, he pleaded guilty on the day of Michigan's primary election in which four Democrats and two Republicans are trying to advance to the fall election in the county prosecutor's race. Clinton sees best-yet fundraising numbers as general begins WASHINGTON (AP) Hillary Clinton raised $63 million in July for her presidential campaign, her best month yet and a summertime haul that puts her ahead of President Barack Obama's fundraising at the same point in his re-election race. The Democratic nominee also may have outraised her Republican opponent once again. In addition to her campaign money, she brought in another $26 million last month for the Democratic National Committee and state parties, bringing her total monthly fundraising to about $90 million. Donald Trump said Monday that he'd raised $35.8 million for his campaign in small donations, but he has not disclosed his full July total. Like Clinton, Trump has a fundraising partnership with party allies through which he can collect checks of hundreds of thousands of dollars from individual donors. FILE - In this July 30, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, speaks in Pittsburgh. Hillary Clinton raised $63 million in July for her presidential campaign, her best month yet and a summertime haul that puts her ahead of President Barack Obamas fundraising at the same point in his re-election race. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) At a campaign event Tuesday in Virginia, Trump promised to continue writing checks to his own campaign. "I'll be in for over $100 million when it's all finished," he said. "That's a lot of money." A billionaire businessman, Trump already has contributed about $50 million to his effort. Both campaigns must provide their latest fundraising details to federal regulators by August 20. The Clinton campaign said it began August with $58 million in the bank. And that's not because she is penny-pinching. Clinton has maintained a 700-plus-person campaign payroll and spent $35 million on television commercials between the last week of June and last week, according to Kantar Media's campaign advertising tracker. Clinton notched a number of fundraising "bests" last month. July was her first full month as the party's clear nominee, and that showed in her finances. She saw a 75 percent increase over her previous best fundraising month, which was June, when her campaign collected $36 million. Looking back at the previous presidential race, Obama's campaign took in about $49 million in July 2012, finance records show. Clinton has worked to build out her online fundraising operation and saw her top total in that area just last week as she officially accepted her party's presidential nomination at its convention in Philadelphia. The campaign said she raised more than $8.7 million in the 24 hours around her speech. Her onetime Democratic opponent, Bernie Sanders, raised more than $6 million in the 24 hours after winning the New Hampshire primary, after declaring in a nationally televised victory speech that he was "going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America." Trump also has trained his attention on online fundraising, netting more than $3 million in the 24-hours after making his first email solicitation for campaign cash in June. ___ Associated Press writer Lisa Lerer contributed to this report from Ashburn, Virginia. ___ Keep track on how much Clinton and Trump are spending on television advertising, and where they're spending it, via AP's interactive ad tracker. http://elections.ap.org/content/ad-spending ___ Follow Julie Bykowicz on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/bykowicz Turkey's premier withdraws about 1,500 insult lawsuits ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says he has withdrawn lawsuits against about 1,500 people, including opposition politicians, journalists and writers, for insulting him or his office. Speaking Tuesday night in a live interview with CNN Turk, Yildirim said he withdrew the lawsuits Monday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also said he will drop insult lawsuits against him, as a gesture toward the opposition as they seek to forge better relations in the wake of a failed July 15 coup. Yildirim announced the withdrawal of the lawsuits after saying he was determined to continue working more closely with the opposition. The ruling party's policies have often been seen as polarizing. The future of your skin is in this bottle! This Vitamin C serum, 5 YEARS in the making, is clinically proven to correct and protect against premature skin ageing (and it's now 50% OFF at Boots!) Ex-Navy SEAL Eric Greitens wins Missouri governor primary JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. Greitens prevailed over another self-described outsider, businessman John Brunner, and a pair of more experienced Republican leaders longtime Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway. He declared to cheering supporters at his victory party: "Together, we are leading a conservative revolution to take our state back." Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Greitens will face Attorney General Chris Koster, who easily won the Democratic gubernatorial primary, in the Nov. 8 general election. Koster, a former Republican state senator and prosecuting attorney, touted himself as a "conservative Democrat" in his victory speech and pledged a campaign showing that "fiscal conservativism and social tolerance can live together in our state." The Missouri governor's office will be open because two-term incumbent Jay Nixon, a Democrat, has served the maximum amount allowed under state law and cannot seek re-election. Greitens, 42, of St. Louis, already has a resume that few could match. He's been a Rhodes scholar, a boxer and black belt in taekwondo, and traveled on humanitarian missions around the world documenting the lives of street children in Bolivia and refugees from genocidal wars in Bosnia, Rwanda and Zaire. He joined the Navy in 2001, just months before the Sept. 11 attacks, and trained to be a SEAL officer. While deployed in Iraq, he was chlorine-gassed in a suicide bomb attack but returned to duty within days. He later served as a White House fellow under President George W. Bush in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And Greitens founded the nonprofit group The Mission Continues, which connects veterans with volunteer work to ease the post-military transition. He's also written three books, including the bestselling memoir "The Heart and the Fist," and published a collection of documentary photography. He introduced himself to Missouri voters with an attention-grabbing TV ad in which he fires a military-style assault rifle into a seemingly empty field, causing a fiery explosion of a gasoline bomb. He pledged to "take aim at politics as usual" and clean up a state Capitol he claimed is run by "career politicians owned by corrupt consultants, high-paid lobbyists and special interests." The message appeared to resonate with many voters in a year that also saw the rise of outsider presidential candidates, including Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic runner-up Bernie Sanders. "The fact that he's not a career politician speaks to a lot of people right now," said Debbie Raines, of Liberty, a part-time camp worker who voted for Greitens. Koster took a subtle jab at Greitens on Tuesday night, denouncing a "disturbing political campaign" season that has featured "candidates shooting machine guns and doing sit-ups for the cameras." Koster pledged "careful, thoughtful leadership" that includes more funding for public schools, roads and health care. Greitens countered by calling Koster "the poster child for career politicians," asserting to his applauding crowd: "We are coming to put an end to his political career." As a fundraising gimmick, Greitens' campaign has sold stickers described as "ISIS hunting permits," including ones signed by the former Navy SEAL who claims he killed Osama bin Laden. But he also raked in high-dollar donations from around the country, including $1 million from Michael Goguen, a California venture capitalist accused of sexual abuse in a pending civil lawsuit. Goguen has denied the allegations. Greitens' Republican rivals called on him to return the money, but Greitens said he won't rush to judgment as the case is pending. In the final days before the election, a Democratic affiliated political group also launched an ad attacking Greitens for keeping the money. His Republican opponents also questioned whether Greitens truly is conservative. He attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver in 2008 for then presidential-nominee Barack Obama's speech. And Greitens once was courted by Democrats as a potential candidate. The backgrounds of the four Republicans were one of the few ways they could distinguish themselves in the primary. All four candidates supported expanded gun rights and tax cuts. They also sharply criticized the way Nixon responded to protests at the University of Missouri in Columbia last year over racial concerns and to riots following the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. ___ Associated Press writer Margaret Stafford and Bill Draper contributed to this report from Kansas City. Ballentine reported from Chesterfield. Follow David A. Lieb at: http://twitter.com/DavidALieb Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens, holds his son, Joshua, as he speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speaks to a crowd of supporters at the DoubleTree Hotel Chesterfield, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Chesterfield, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas) Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder speaks to supporters Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Cape Girardeau, Mo., as he concedes to Eric Greitens. Former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday. Greitens prevailed over another self-described outsider, businessman John Brunner, and a pair of more experienced Republican leaders longtime Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway. (Fred Lynch/The Southeast Missourian via AP) Republican gubernatorial candidate John Brunner leaves the stage after conceding the election at his watch party Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Frontenac, Mo. Former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday. Greitens prevailed over another self-described outsider, businessman John Brunner, and a pair of more experienced Republican leaders longtime Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) University of Idaho eyes partnering with Peru potato center MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) University of Idaho officials are negotiating a deal with the International Potato Center in Peru, in hopes of getting access to the center's vast potato gene bank. More than 4,000 potato varieties that include potatoes cultivated in the Andes thousands of years ago could help solve modern day problems facing potato growers, school officials said. "If you're looking for new sources of genes to solve potato problems like late blight, or potato cyst nematode, you name it that is the most likely place you're going to find those resources," plant science professor Mike Thornton told the Capital Press (http://bit.ly/2aZHQtf ). Late blight caused the Irish potato famine, and remains the No. 1 pathogen for potatoes around the world. In Idaho, the discovery of the pale cyst nematode in 2006 was the first detection in the United States of the microscopic pest that can reduce crop production by 80 percent. Getting access to the potato gene bank at the center in Lima would also boost the school's potato-breeding efforts, Thornton said. As part of the deal with the center in Lima, school officials would share scientific expertise. "I think we've got as good of a scientific group as anywhere in the world, so I think we can help them," he said. Discussions started last year after two school officials visited the center on a trade mission facilitated by Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. It's not clear when an agreement might be signed. Joe Kuhl, an associate professor specializing in biotechnology, said he hopes to get a special permit to bring Peruvian potatoes to Idaho to isolate a genetic marker for resistance to pale cyst nematode. That could help future breeding efforts at the school and offer insights the center isn't equipped to handle, he said. ___ Court won't rehear Ventura case against Chris Kyle's estate MINNEAPOLIS (AP) An appeals court has denied former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's request for a rehearing of his defamation case against the estate of slain Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle. In June, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out a $1.8 million verdict awarded to Ventura. On Tuesday, the court denied a request for a rehearing without giving a reason. Ventura's attorney, David Olsen, had argued that the court's ruling placed too much emphasis on comments Olsen made at trial that suggested insurance would cover a defamation award. Man charged with murdering 3 at suburban Seattle party EVERETT, Wash. (AP) Prosecutors have filed three charges of aggravated first-degree murder against a 19-year-old accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend and two young men to death at a party in suburban Seattle over the weekend. Allen C. Ivanov also faces one charge of attempted murder, accusing him of shooting and seriously wounding an 18-year-old man, and one count of first-degree assault. Police say Ivanov admitted during interviews after his arrest that he committed the shootings at a home in Mukilteo early Saturday. They say he was upset that his ex-girlfriend, Anna Bui, appeared to be moving on with her life after their recent breakup. Allen Ivanov appears at Snohomish District Court in Everett, Wash., via video link from the Snohomish County Jail, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. A lawyer representing the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting three other teens at a party in Washington state over the weekend says the case raises troubling questions about the availability of guns. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times via AP) The charges were filed Tuesday in Snohomish County District Court. Aggravated murder can bring the death penalty in Washington, but Gov. Jay Inslee has declared a moratorium on capital punishment. Ivanov's lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Paul Kramer, the father of the surviving victim, Will Kramer, told a news conference at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle that he feels fortunate his son is still alive, The Seattle Times reported (http://goo.gl/QGPKSN ). His son still has a tube in his chest to drain bleeding after being shot in the back. A bullet shattered his left shoulder blade. "Life is so precious," he said. "I pray that we collectively find ways to live in peace, in harmony and in love." Kramer said his son was sitting with three friends when the shooting broke out. Two are now dead. "He lost some dear friends, and that has scarred him," Paul Kramer said. After Will was wounded, he hid between a barbecue and a fireplace. He then ran out into the yard and hid in some bushes, his father said. Anna Bui, Jake Long and Jordan Ebner were killed. All were 19 and 2015 graduates of Kamiak High School, where Ivanov also attended. Ivanov and Bui were both students at the University of Washington's Bothell campus. A friend of the Mukilteo shooting victims reacts as Allen Ivanov appears at Snohomish District Court in Everett, Wash., via video link from the Snohomish County Jail, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Everett, Wash. A lawyer representing the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting three other teens at a party in Washington state over the weekend says the case raises troubling questions about the availability of guns. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times via AP) Sultan Akbar, friend of Mukilteo shooting suspect Allen Ivanov, is interviewed by the media about Ivanov following a bail hearing at Snohomish District Court in Everett, Wash., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. A lawyer representing Ivanov, the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting three other teens at a party in Washington state over the weekend, says the case raises troubling questions about the availability of guns. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP) Court victims advocate Christina Harkness speaks with Mukilteo resident Terry Thomas, left, and friends of both the victims and suspect Sultan Akbar, second from right, and Andre Nguyen, right, after hearing for Allen Ivanov at Snohomish District Court in Everett, Wash., Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. A lawyer representing the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting three other teens at a party in Washington state over the weekend says the case raises troubling questions about the availability of guns. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP) People mourn at a memorial in the parking lot of Kamiak High School Sunday, July 31, 2016, after a community vigil for the victims of a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning at a house in Mukilteo, Wash.,killing three teenagers and wounding one. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP) Hundreds gathered for a community vigil Sunday, July 31, 2016, for the victims of a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning at a house in Mukilteo, Wash.,killing three teenagers and wounding one, at the Mukilteo Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP) Joseph Song, long-time friend of victim Anna Bui, mourns Sunday, July 31, 2016, at a memorial in the parking lot of Kamiak High School after a community vigil honoring the victims of a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning at a house in Mukilteo, killing three teenagers and wounding one. Song and Bui recently reconnected at UW Bothell where they were both students. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP) Niger president says Boko Haram will be defeated NIAMEY, Niger (AP) Niger's president has reassured residents in the southeast Diffa region that Islamic extremists Boko Haram, who stage attacks there, will be defeated, and called on all citizens to rally behind government development plans. President Issoufou Mahamadou addressed the nation late Tuesday, before Wednesday's celebration of 56 years of independence from former colonial France. Mahamadou, who won a second five-year term in March elections, said the multinational force with neighboring countries will defeat the Nigeria-based militants. He also said despite security and climate challenges Niger has in the past five years reduced its poverty rate, and has had an average economic growth rate of 6 percent. He said it has also improved ranking with Transparency International moving from 134 to 99. Officials report 'legal death' of driver in I-80 crash OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) Officials say a sixth victim from a fiery crash in western Nebraska that killed a Minnesota family is on life support for donation of his organs. The Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday it was notified of the "legal death" of 56-year-old Terry Sullivan of Denver. The patrol says Sullivan is on life support in a Colorado hospital for organ donation. No details were released. The driver facing charges in the accident is 53-year-old Tony Weekly. The Florida man remained jailed Tuesday on $100,000 bond. The patrol says Weekly was inattentive and speeding through a construction zone Sunday when his truck hit several vehicles on Interstate 80. The crash killed a Minnesota couple and their three children. British Columbia slaps real estate tax on foreign buyers VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Foreign nationals buying Vancouver real estate will pay an additional property transfer tax of 15 percent as part of an effort to address high real estate prices and low vacancy rates. The tax which took effect Tuesday will apply to foreign buyers registering the purchase of residential homes in Metro Vancouver. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said last week he's been calling on the province for over a year to take action. Vancouver's housing market has been the hottest in the country for the past few years. Mexican actress who met with drug lord asks case be dropped MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo wants Mexico's government to drop accusations of obstruction of justice and money laundering related to her meeting last year with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Del Castillo's representatives said in a statement Tuesday that the actress has filed papers seeking a court injunction demanding prosecutors "either charge her with a crime or close the criminal investigation." "The Mexican Attorney General's office has constantly violated her rights to due process by leaking information of the investigation to the media, and violating her presumption of innocence," the statement said. FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2014 file photo, actress Kate Del Castillo speaks during a news conference in City Council chambers in Los Angeles. Del Castillo asked on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, that the Mexican government to drop accusations of obstruction of justice and money laundering related to her meeting last year with drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman (AP Photo/ Nick Ut, File) Mexican media published a series of seemingly flirtatious text messages between her and Guzman that were leaked earlier this year. Mexican authorities have said they are investigating possible money-laundering involving Guzman and del Castillo's tequila business and have sought to question the actress. They have said she is considered a witness, and she has not been charged with any crime. A kind of summons for del Castillo to be questioned has been issued, but the naturalized U.S. citizen has remained in Los Angeles, where she lives. Her lawyer in the United States says she has nothing to hide and is willing to talk to Mexican authorities. Del Castillo arranged actor Sean Penn's interview with Guzman in October while the Sinaloa cartel leader was on the lam after his second prison escape. Guzman was recaptured in January. The actress' representatives said she will continue with plans to make a movie about him. "Kate has consistently made clear that her only goal was to produce an artistic and journalistic project of Guzman's life story and turn it into a compelling and informative film project that would help Mexicans and Americans understand the deadly business of the drug cartels," said the statement from Capitol Media Partners, a Los Angeles-based communications and public affairs firm. Bernie Ecclestone praises police operation to free kidnapped mother-in-law Bernie Ecclestone has praised police after his mother-in-law was released unharmed from kidnappers who reportedly demanded a 40 million ransom. Mr Ecclestone, 85, is understood to have offered to pay for a private security firm to track down Aparecida Schunck, the mother of the mogul's wife, Fabiana Flosi, who was abducted from her home in Sao Paulo more than a week ago. According to reports the Formula One boss also wanted to fly to Brazil to assist police, but was told doing so may have harmed their efforts. Bernie Ecclestone and his wife Fabiana Flosi, whose mother Aparecida Schunck was freed by police after she was kidnapped in Brazil The 67-year-old was rescued from a flat on the outskirts of the city on Monday without any money being paid to her kidnappers. Shortly after Ms Schunck was reunited with her relatives Mr Ecclestone said he was "very happy" with the police operation that he described as "unbelievable". "The last few days haven't been very good. This isn't a good thing to happen to you and your family," he told the Mail Online. "The police officers we dealt with were fantastic, they did an unbelievable job, it was absolutely first class. We are very, very, very happy with them." Investigators from Brazil's elite anti-kidnapping unit are probing allegations that a helicopter pilot who had worked for the Formula One boss was linked to the plot. Jorge Eurico da Silva Faria, who works for Ecclestone in Brazil, was one of three men arrested in connection with the kidnapping, said police. A spokesman for Sao Paulo police said da Silva Faria was arrested "red-handed" with two other men, Vitor Oliveira Amorim and David Vicente Azevedo. "The investigation continues and the police did not rule out the involvement of other suspects," he added. It is believed investigators monitored phone calls between the family of Ms Schunck and the captors, tracing them to the location where she was being held. She was not harmed in the operation conducted by Sao Paulo's anti-kidnapping division. Speaking after she was freed Ms Schunk said: "I just ask that the crooks do not kidnap anyone else in Sao Paulo because they will be arrested." According to reports her abductors had demanded 28 million for her release, later increasing it to 40 million. Brazilian magazine Veja had reported that the ransom for Ms Flosi's mother had been demanded in pounds sterling and divided into four bags of cash. Elisabete Sato of Sao Paulo police told the BBC that the ransom, thought to have been the largest in Brazilian history, had not been paid. Mr Ecclestone married Ms Flosi, 38, in 2012, three years after meeting her at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Brazil is hosting this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which starts this week. Security has emerged as the top concern, including violence possibly spilling over from Rio's hundreds of slums. August downpours bring an end to summer dry spell Half a month's worth of rain fell in parts of the UK on Monday night as the summer dry spell came to an abrupt end. And forecasters have predicted further downpours will follow this week, with low pressure moving across the country. Due to a weather system bringing warm, moist air from the Atlantic, West Glamorgan in Wales saw about 1.5in (39.2mm) of rain in just 12 hours. Heavy rain brought an abrupt end to the summer dry spell With national rainfall averages for the month of August coming in at 3.5in (89.5mm), Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said it was "quite a lot", especially after a dry July. He added: "Quite a few places in the south of the UK - the West Country in particular - saw about an inch of rain or 25mm-30mm. "Interestingly, last month, the Isle of Wight saw barely any rain at all - yet through the course of that 12-hour period on Monday they saw 23mm (0.9in) of rain at St Catherine's Point." Swanage in Dorset recorded 1.3in (33.6mm) in 12 hours, Wych Cross in East Sussex saw just over 1in (26.4mm) in that same period and Alice Holt Lodge in Hampshire clocked up almost 1in (25.2mm), w hile Larkhill in Wiltshire saw 0.9in (23.2mm). Mr Wilson said: "The rain is gradually easing off, but it is still hanging around across some southern counties, so it will bring some further rain over the course of today." He said temperatures are around average for the time of the year and on Tuesday highs of around 24C (75.2F) were expected. By the end of the day Mr Wilson said it will "turn dry across England and Wales, but we will see the rain across Northern Ireland pushing its way gradually into Scotland and northern parts". On Wednesday there will be another area of low pressure pushing in from the Atlantic, which Mr Wilson said will bring quite heavy and frequent showers especially in north-western parts of the UK. "Right across the UK it will be an unseasonably windy day tomorrow and we could see gusts of up to 35-40mph across western exposures," he added. The latest update from the Environment Agency (EA) at 2pm showed a single flood alert in place, for the River Tamar in north Cornwall, after widespread rainfall over night. Slaughter in Aleppo 'will forever be a symbol of international shame' Aleppo in Syria is the "new Srebrenica" and will "forever be a symbol of international shame", a former international development secretary has said. Tory MP Andrew Mitchell also accused the international community of having stood by while "appalling slaughter" takes place in the country's second largest city. The United Nations believes between 250,000 and 275,000 people are trapped in besieged areas of Aleppo as it attempts to ensure aid reaches those in need. Smoke rises over Aleppo, Syria (AP) Syrian government forces have tightened their siege of rebel-held sections in recent weeks, prompting a rebel attack aimed at breaking it. Mr Mitchell, a supporter of creating humanitarian protection zones in Syria, said ground troops should be thought about but "probably not ours and probably not Western troops". He suggested troops within the region could provide protection to civilians. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Mitchell said : "What has to happen is there has to be safe corridors out of Aleppo. "They must be run by the United Nations... and we must have an end to the bombing." He went on: "Only the United Nations can symbolise the authority of the international community in this position. Some progress has been made, Britain has shown tremendous leadership on the United Nations and also in the international Syria support group. "But p rogress is terribly slow and in the face of all this Aleppo is now the new Srebrenica. That is what the UN is saying. "One of the great world cities of a population of 2.3 million, 2 million people have now fled and the 300,000 people left in Aleppo are in quite appalling danger." The Srebrenica massacre in 1995 resulted in Bosnian Serb forces killing some 8,000 Muslim men in a designated United Nations safe area. Asked if the comparison with Srebrenica is what he believes is happening in Aleppo, Mr Mitchell replied: "Yes I do. "I think that we are seeing there a slaughter that will forever be a symbol of international shame. Aleppo will join the list of Srebrenica, what happened in Rwanda only 20 years ago - a ll of that will stand in the history of international shame and Aleppo joins that list. "The international community has been completely paralysed in trying to do something about it. Home Office wins appeal against ruling allowing Calais 'Jungle' refugees into UK The Home Office has won its appeal against a landmark ruling allowing four Syrian refugees living in the "Jungle" camp in Calais to come to Britain. An immigration judge ruled in January that the three teenagers and 26-year-old man with mental health problems should be brought immediately to the UK and reunited with their families. But while the Home Office is not seeking to deport the four Syrians, it appealed against the ruling because it feared it could set a legal precedent and undermine Britain's control over its borders. The refugees had been living in the Calais migrant camp known as the Jungle All four have been reunited with their families in various parts of the UK, two of them have been granted refugee status in Britain while the other two are still waiting for a decision to be made. George Gabriel from Citizens UK, the charity that has represented the children, warned the ruling will lead to further delays and refugee children will be driven into the hands of people smugglers. Under a law called Dublin III, asylum claims must be made in the first country the person reaches, but a child refugee can have their claim transferred to another country if they have relatives lawfully living there. But lawyers for the Syrians argued the regulation was not working as not a single child had been brought to the UK from the Calais camp under the rule because of bureaucratic failings in France. They demanded the British courts intervene to bring the four to Britain immediately, arguing that they faced "intolerable" conditions in the camp and they had an entitlement under the Article 8 right to a family life to be reunited with family in the UK. The four Syrians were immediately brought to Britain and the decision was hailed by campaigners as a landmark ruling that could pave the way for many other unaccompanied minors to come to the UK from refugee camps in Europe. But three Court of Appeal judges on Tuesday ruled in favour of the Home Office appeal against the ruling. Criticising the decision, Mr Gabriel said: "When we brought this case, it was an enormous kick up the arse for the Government, and the system is now working better because 50 children have been brought to Britain since the case. "But it means that charities like ours will have to continue identifying children one by one, taking them through a lengthy bureaucratic process as they have to wait to be reunited with their loved ones. "Today is a great day for bureaucrats because it means that the letter of the process will have to be followed despite the clearly unacceptable wait this leaves refugee children facing. "We fear this means many will take the situation into their own hands, choosing between people traffickers on the one hand and train tracks on the other." Handing down their judgment, Court of Appeal judges Lord Justice Moore-Bick, Lord Justice Longmore and Lord Justice Beatson stated that bypassing the Dublin III Regulation "can only be justified in an especially compelling case". It stated that given the evidence of the psychological trauma the four had experienced and testimony warning that their claims could take just under a year to process "the result the tribunal reached may have been justifiable". But it added: "I am, however, not entirely persuaded that, had the tribunal applied the correct test, it must inevitably have reached the same conclusion. "In those circumstances, the appropriate course would normally have been to remit the matter to the tribunal for reconsideration. "However...I have concluded that it would be inappropriate to take that course. I would therefore simply allow the appeal and make no further order." The ruling said the Home Office had sought the appeal not in order to deport the four Syrians, but to overturn it because of the legal repercussions it could usher in. It stated that a barrister acting for the Home Office explained that "the appeal was necessary because the approach of the Upper Tribunal has potentially far-reaching and serious consequences for the ability of the United Kingdom to control its borders and for the integrity of the Dublin III system". The Home Office argued that the asylum claims should have been made in France and that, under Dublin III, they could then have been handed over to Britain. The Bishop of Barking, Peter Hill, a spokesman for Citizens UK, said they are "disappointed" with the result which will leave refugee children relying on volunteers to help them come to Britain. He said: "Citizens UK is calling on the Home Office to establish a functional system for identifying refugee children with potential claims to family reunification in the UK. At the current rate of reunification it will take a year before all the children in Calais are reunited with their families. This is forcing children to take matters into their own hands, stowing away in lorries or vans. "We know of two boys who have died in the last 12 months trying to reach their families in the UK. "The Government has a legal and a moral responsibility to ensure that refugee children who have close family members in the UK are granted safe passage." Bella Sankey, policy director for rights organisation Liberty, said: "Government may have won in court today but what an empty and Pyrrhic victory. Home Office intransigence on reuniting vulnerable refugee children with family members already in our country forces them into the hands of traffickers and ruins lives. "We have the capacity to provide them with safety and a childhood with their own families. It is deeply un-British to use public funds to instead shut the door on them and leave them languishing in 'a living hell' on our doorstep." Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "It is disgusting that the Government is putting ideology above what is best for desperate and vulnerable children. "These kids have already been through what no child should have to, and there is absolutely no doubt that what is best for them is to be with their family, here in the UK. Not only that, but we were given a pledge to take more refugee children which the Government has broken." A Home Office spokesman said: "We welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal to recognise the principle that those seeking protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. "Any request to unite family members under the Dublin Regulation is carefully considered. Where someone seeking asylum elsewhere in the EU can demonstrate they have close family members legally in the UK, we will take responsibility for that claim." He said more than 30 children have been accepted for transfer to the UK under the new Immigration Act and that over 100 children have been accepted under the Dublin regulations since the start of the year. Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Refugee Taskforce, said: "I am appalled that Theresa May has pursued this appeal to make it harder for vulnerable child refugees who are alone in Europe to join family in Britain. "These children's lives and safety are at risk as they have no one to look after them. The result of this appeal is to put extra bureaucratic obstacles in the way of lone child refugees who are desperately vulnerable to trafficking, slavery and abuse - even though they have relatives who could care for them here. "After the Dubs amendment the Government should be making it easier for Britain to do its bit to take lone child refugees. Instead they are doing the opposite and forcing children to wait longer in danger when they could be safe. "By pursuing this appeal the Government is turning its back on the small number of vulnerable child refugees who could have been offered safe haven quickly with relatives in Britain. "Theresa May personally made the decision to pursue this appeal - and it is a complete disgrace that a British prime minister should behave in this way. Samsung's latest Galaxy phablet offers iris scanner technology Samsung has revealed that its latest smartphone will come with an iris scanner, for improved security, for the first time. The Galaxy Note 7 is Samsung's so-called "phablet" smartphone and comes with a stylus - called the S Pen - to use on the phone's 5.7-inch screen. The S Pen has also been given a range of new features compared to previous generations of the Note, including the ability to translate words on-screen from and into a series of languages when hovered over text. It has also been made fully waterproof for the first time, as is the Note 7 itself. Samsung's latest offering has iris scanner technology The iris scanner can be programmed to unlock the device using just your eyes thanks to a small infra-red sensor built into the front of the phone. Samsung's previous generation Note 5 was not released in the UK, however the Korean technology giant will bring its newest phablet to Britain due to customer demand - naming it the 7 to bring it in line with their flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge that were released earlier this year. The new device is also set to be the first major smartphone to support High Dynamic Range (HDR) video streaming - a higher quality image that increases the contrast between light and dark to offer more detailed images on-screen. The device will also come with a dual edge display and be available in three colours - black, silver and blue - when it goes on-sale in the coming weeks. Samsung also revealed a new version of its Gear VR virtual reality headset to go with the Note 7, which has been given a streamlined design as well as an increased viewing range. EuroMillions jackpot-winning syndicate to be revealed A family who scooped the 61.1 million EuroMillions jackpot are to reveal how they will spend their fortunes on Wednesday morning at a press conference in Newport, south-east Wales. The syndicate, from nearby Monmouthshire county, will talk about the life-changing win at the Celtic Manor Resort in the Usk Valley at 10.30am. The relatives jointly claimed Friday's winning jackpot, which is the largest of the four to be won by UK ticket-holders this year. The 61,102,442.90 EuroMillions prize could be paid out when banks open on Monday Subject to validation, the 61,102,442.90 prize could be paid out when banks open on Monday, lottery operator Camelot said. A National Lottery spokesman said: "What an amazing win for the UK - the fourth EuroMillions jackpot to be won here this year. "We're delighted the ticket-holder has come forward to claim their prize and their ranking of 10th place in the National Lottery rich list." Friday's winner matched five main numbers and two lucky stars. The winning numbers were 01, 21, 26, 40 and 50, while the lucky star numbers were 02 and 04. As well as the jackpot prize, five players won a guaranteed 1 million and a luxury trip to Australia's Gold Coast in the UK Millionaire Maker, a National Lottery spokesman said. The latest win comes after an unnamed UK ticket-holder claimed 51.8 million on EuroMillions in April, which followed jackpots worth 24.7 million and 24.6 million won by UK ticket-holders in February. All three ticket-holders remained anonymous. Rhea, ten, wins Child Genius 2016 title in 'greatest final' Ten-year-old Rhea has been named Child Genius 2016 in a nail-biting final that host Richard Osman hailed the "greatest in the history of the show". The west London schoolgirl, whose surname has not been revealed, shot ahead at the beginning of the round with six correct answers to her opponent Saffy's two, but the girls drew equal on nine points as they entered the final head-to-head question. Rhea, who moved with her family from the US six years ago, correctly spelled the word "eleemosynary", meaning relating to charity, to claim the Child Genius title at the end of four weeks of competition on the Channel 4 show. Richard Osman said the final of Child Genius 2016 was the 'greatest ever' Osman told her the audience were "gasping" as the pair quickly calculated sums including "14 times 3, minus 16, times 3, divided by 2, plus 44", and answered questions on everything from the nationality of composer Gustav Holst to the year the American Constitution was approved by Congress. He said: "I'm going to go on record and say that was the greatest final in the history of Child Genius." Speaking of her win, Rhea said: "It's meant getting up early, going to sleep late, studying. It just feels really, really great." Her place in the final was secured by her mother Sonal - who gave up her job as an obstetrician to train Rhea - who queried an incorrect answer that she had given during her specialist subject round on Florence Nightingale's influence on military and healthcare reform. Independent adjudicator Olivia van der Werff agreed the question had been too general and accepted Rhea's answer of Dr Duncan Menzies to the question, "To which medical officer did Florence Nightingale report to in the Crimea?" which brought her equal to Saffy on 16 points, whose specialist subject was Margaret Thatcher's premiership and tax policy. It meant Birmingham-born Stephen came third with 15 points on degree-level questions on spiders that mimic insects while his sister Georgia, 10, came fifth in the competition after answering 11 correct questions on Russian ballet and the career of Rudolf Nureyev. UK seas 'worryingly low' in patrol boats to secure borders Britain's Border Force has a "worryingly low" number of boats for patrolling the coast - despite being given a key role in heightened security arrangements, a Commons committee has warned. MPs highlighted differences between the UK's fleet and the capacity other European nations can call on - and said Royal Navy vessels should be made available to plug any gaps. They also called for security to be stepped up at smaller ports amid fears they are being targeted by criminal gangs. Border Force cutters are in short supply, it has been warned Controversy erupted earlier this year when it emerged that just three Border Force cutter vessels were being used to patrol the UK's 7,000 miles of coastal borders. The issue fell under the spotlight after 18 Albanians were rescued from a sinking inflatable boat off the Kent coast. In May ministers announced measures to bolster maritime security, including new patrol boats for Border Force to supplement the existing five-vessel fleet. While the first batch were to be in place within months, full deployment is not expected until the end of next year. By contrast, reports suggest Italy has as many as 600 boats for 4,700 miles of coast. Border Force has been given a "k ey role in implementing strengthened coastal security measures" - but it is " experiencing problems in gaining access to a sufficient number of patrol boats", the Commons Home Affairs committee said. Its report added: " Only four of the new vessels are currently deployed and the remaining four will not be available for more than a year." Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, said: "Despite maritime security being critical to an island nation, Border Force is operating worryingly low numbers of vessels to protect our borders." In addition security "must be tightened" at small ports which are now being used by gangs to move people between the continent and the UK, the committee said. The Home Office said the comparison in the report between the UK and other European maritime countries only includes the number of cutters currently deployed in UK territorial waters and takes no account of the additional military and law enforcement vessels available. The wide-ranging report also: :: Described conditions in Calais migrant camps as "absolutely atrocious"; :: Accused the EU and its member states of failing to anticipate the scale of migrant flows; :: Warned of a "two tier system" among local authorities in relation to the Syrian refugee resettlement programme, with figures showing some areas received scores of people under the expanded scheme between October and March - while others took in none; :: Urged ministers to encourage their own councils to take their "fair share" of refugees; :: Called on the Government to, "as a one off", accept 157 unaccompanied children in Calais who have family members in the UK; :: Said maintaining the Le Touquet agreement, which allows British border checks to take place on French soil, should be a "priority". Mr Vaz described Europe's efforts to address the "colossal" refugee crisis as "lamentable". He also warned that the Paris attacks "demonstrated that terrorists are exploiting this crisis" and said the EU external border must improve security - including deploying equipment to fingerprint and check everyone against security databases. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Our priority is to offer humanitarian support to those most in need while maintaining the security of our borders." She said refuge has already been provided for more than 1,800 Syrians under the scheme, while the Government is "on track" to deliver on its pledge to resettle 20,000 by the end of the parliament. The spokeswoman added: "We have also made clear our commitment to bringing very vulnerable children from Europe. "At the same time we continue to work tirelessly to maintain the security of our border, intercepting attempts to enter the UK illegally and targeting the callous gangs that profit from people smuggling." David Simmonds, of the Local Government Association, described the report as "out of date", adding: "We are confident that there will be sufficient places that will support the Government's pledge to resettle 20,000 people by 2020." Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: "We have said for years that the Border Force doesn't have enough resources, but successive governments have continued to cut budgets and staff. "Instead of planning humanitarian solutions, the Tories' response to the refugee crisis has been appalling. "If people fleeing war and desperate circumstances are seen as a problem to be tackled, rather than human beings to be helped, this risks fuelling the kind of anti-migrant and racist sentiment that was stirred up during the EU referendum campaign." Steven McIntosh, of Save the Children, said: "Making sure our borders are secure is important, but the lives and safety of children must be our top priority. "The UK Government's offer of a home for lone refugees was a humane and life-saving promise which must be delivered, by ensuring local councils have the resources to support vulnerable children as soon as possible." He added: "Heads of state have an opportunity to rectify this at President Obama's displacement summit next month." The Freight Transport Association (FTA) backed the report's call to protect the Le Touquet agreement as a priority, warning that border infrastructure in Dover could not cope with the required checks if they crossed the Channel. Chris Yarsley, FTA's EU affairs manager, said: "FTA recognises the pressures on governments on both sides of the channel in terms of domestic security. However, the juxtaposed border controls and security investments must continue to help guarantee the security of UK-bound drivers and vehicles who simply wish to perform their job and continue to deliver the UK economy. Bank of England stress tests 'like ship radar unable to detect an iceberg' The Bank of England's stress tests are "worse than useless", according to a report claiming British banks would buckle under the strain of a major economic shock. A study by the Adam Smith Institute said the Bank's stress tests are like a "ridiculously easy exam with a ludicrously low pass rate", which disguises the ability of UK banks to cope with an economic blow on the scale of the 2008 financial crisis. The report, which pinpoints 13 flaws in the stress test, said every single UK lender would currently fail "more rigorous" stress tests by the US Federal Reserve. The Bank of England's own stress tests come under fire in new report. It fears that the UK is "sailing blindly into a second global financial crisis" and has called on the stress tests to be scrapped in favour of forcing decision-makers to be personally liable for risks. Kevin Dowd, professor of finance and economics at Durham University, who wrote the report, said: "The purpose of the stress-testing programme should be to highlight the vulnerability of our banking system and the need to rebuild it. "Instead, it has achieved the exact opposite, portraying a weak banking system as strong. This is like having a ship radar system that cannot detect an iceberg in plain view. "As the EU banking system goes into a renewed crisis, the UK banking system is in no fit state to withstand the storm. "Once contagion spreads from Italy to Germany and then to the UK, we will have a new banking crisis but on a much grander scale than '07-'08. "The Bank of England is asleep at the wheel again, and we will be back to beleaguered banksters begging for bailouts - and the taxpayer will be ripped off yet again, but bigger this time." The research comes as the Royal Bank Scotland performed poorly compared to other British banking giants when the results of the European stress tests were announced on Friday. Under serious pressure, RBS's capital levels fell by 7.5 percentage points - the third biggest fall of the 51 banks tested. Deutsche Bank's share price took a hit at the end of June when it was branded one of the globe's riskiest banks by the International Monetary Fund. There is also mounting concern over the state of the Italian banking sector. Russian helicopter shot down in rebel-held Syria By Lisa Barrington and Dmitry Solovyov BEIRUT/MOSCOW, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. Images on social media purportedly taken at the scene of the crash showed a dead body stripped of clothing being dragged through the dirt near the wreckage. Russian identity documents purportedly taken from the helicopter could also be seen. Russia's defence ministry said the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russia's main air base in the western province of Latakia. "As far as we know from the information that has reached the defence ministry, those on board died, they died heroically," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. The helicopter came down near the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib province, roughly mid-way between Aleppo and the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, near the Mediterranean coast. U.S.-BACKED REBELS No group has claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. Islamic State fighters are not active in the area, but there are other Islamist rebel groups there, as well as moderates backed by the United States and its allies. That raises the prospect -- which could cause a major diplomatic incident -- of the helicopter having been brought down by a U.S.-supplied weapon. The United States has equipped some rebel groups with TOW anti-tank missiles, which can also be used against helicopters. Russia's military has since September last year been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war. In Aleppo, around 40 km (25 miles) north-east of the crash site, rebel groups are under siege from government forces backed by Russian air support. Rebel groups are staging an offensive to try to break the siege. Moscow said last week it was opening humanitarian corridors for civilans to leave the rebel-held areas, and for fighters to give up their arms. However, rebel activists and aid groups have expressed scepticism, saying Russian aircraft are bombing the city and causing civilian casualties. U.S. officials have suggested the plan may be an attempt to depopulate the city so that the Syrian army can seize it. Russian denies targeting civilians. Thailand's king treated for low fever, 'possible infection' - palace BANGKOK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Thailand's 88-year-old king, the world's longest reigning monarch, has been treated for a low fever and a "possible infection" in his blood, the palace said in a statement on Monday. The palace, in what it said was a monthly update on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's health, said a team of physicians also monitored the monarch last month for a build up of cerebrospinal fluid. News about the king's health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is deeply revered. The king has been treated for various ailments over the past year at Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital and was last seen in public on Jan. 11, when he spent several hours visiting his palace in the Thai capital. Anxiety over the king's health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included military takeovers and sometimes violent street demonstrations. "In the month of July 2016 a low fever was present," said the palace statement. "Blood tests showed a possible infection and physicians therefore had to administer antibiotics. After the treatment His Majesty's condition showed some improvement." In a June statement the palace said the monarch was being treated for "water on the brain", or hydrocephalus, a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain. "The medical team has continuously monitored the condition of the cerebrospinal fluid and found drainage of cerebrospinal fluid throughout the month of July to be satisfactory." If he defeats Sean Duffy in the Aug. 9 Republican primary and wins election as 7th District U.S. representative on Nov. 8, Don Raihala wants voters to decide a referendum with several questions. One would ask if U.S. Supreme Court members should serve 10-year terms instead of having lifetime appointments. Another would ask if congressional term limits should be set. And a third would ask if a balanced federal budget should be required. People arent satisfied with the kind of representation they are getting, said Raihala, a Superior man who is running for a third time for the 7th District Congressional seat. That representation since first taking office in 2011 has been provided by U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, who lives in Wausau. Attempts to interview Duffy for this story were unsuccessful. Duffy has campaigned on reducing the national debt, which is $19 trillion. On his website, he says the nation borrows nearly a $1 trillion a year. The borrow-and-spend mentality is impractical, unacceptable, and without leadership to change course, a sure recipe to end up in the same financial dire straits as Greece and Spain, he said. Duffy blames the Obama Administration for not acting on measures to lower the nations debt. We need to decrease the size of government and cut spending across the board, he said. Boehner ally By having a balanced budget, I hope (Congress) becomes more responsible, Raihala said. He says Duffy continues to follow the legacy of former House Speaker John Boehner, who retired from Congress last year. For the majority of Seans record it reflected John Boehners record, said Raihala, who is a licensed real estate broker. He said he attended a town hall held by Duffy in Superior and asked the 40 people there if they thought Boehner was a great guy, and two people raised their hands. On another issue, Raihala said the nations southern borders must be secured. He said potential immigrants from war-torn Syria must be properly vetted before being allowed in the United States. The same holds true from people from any areas with a high terrorism risk, he said. Energy position Duffy said the nation should take an all-of-the-above stance to energy policies. He said the country should develop alternative energy technologies and also expand the countrys production of oil and natural gas. Duffy also favors completing the Keystone Pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. Many wounded in car bombing of Turkish police vehicle in southeast -sources DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A car laden with explosives slammed into a vehicle carrying police in southeastern Turkey on Monday, wounding many officers, in an attack that appeared to have been carried out by Kurdish militants, security sources said. Members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) carried out the attack, which struck at 5:45 p.m. (1445 GMT) in Bingol province, the sources said. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union, has waged an armed campaign against security forces in the mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984, pushing for Kurdish autonomy. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died in the violence. Unrest has flared anew since a ceasefire collapsed in July 2015, and thousands of militants and hundreds of soldiers and police have since died. Rights groups have said about 400 civilians have also perished. Russia must restrain itself, Assad from offensive Syria strikes -Kerry WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The United States called on Russia and the Syrian government on Monday to refrain from offensive operations in Syria, as fighting continued on the day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hoped a political transition could begin. Asked if he was dismayed Aug. 1 had come without a political transition to help end Syria's five-year civil war, Kerry said the target date was set earlier this year when there were hopes political talks could take hold amid a reduction in violence. However, a "cessation of hostilities" that began in February has now all but unraveled. In the latest incident, a Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, killing all five people on board. "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," Kerry told reporters. "These are important days to determine whether or not Russia and the Assad regime are going to live up to" the effort to end the violence and to resume peace talks, Kerry said. "The evidence thus far is very, very troubling to everybody." In-flight beer a rare treat for Nepali migrant workers leaving vulnerable families behind By Rina Chandran KATHMANDU, Aug 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - For Nabin Lama, leaving Nepal after his annual home leave to return to his construction job in Saudi Arabia is not easy. What makes the journey bearable - even enjoyable - is the can of beer he can drink on the flight from Kathmandu. As soon as the seatbelt sign dinged off on a flight to Mumbai - from where he and a couple of hundred other Nepalis would take a connecting flight to Jeddah - Lama rose to look for the stewardess. "Beer," he bellowed, waving to her as she made her way down the aisle with a tray of fruit juice and water. "It's a tough life there. But at least we can earn something and help our family," said Lama, 24, one hand on his passport, a white sticker across its green cover identifying a Nepali recruitment agency and his job. "But we can't drink there. So we have a beer on the flight. It feels good," he said with a grin. Lama comes from one of the world's poorest countries. On-going political instability since a decade-long civil conflict ended in 2006 has discouraged investment, hampered growth and curbed job creation in Nepal, forcing hundreds of thousands to migrate overseas for work. Most go to the Middle East, Malaysia and India, from where they send remittances which make up almost 30 percent of Nepal's annual gross domestic product, according to the labour ministry. Most migrants are in low-paid, unskilled jobs in construction, or work as security guards and domestic helpers. Many face labour abuses including long hours, unsafe conditions and withholding of their wages and passports, say activists. Many are trafficked, tricked into doing jobs that they did not sign up for, or under conditions and wages far worse than they were promised. Their families are not that much better off. Elderly parents, as well as young women and children left behind in remote villages are themselves vulnerable to traffickers and racketeers, and struggle with everyday hardship. "There are hardly any young men left behind in some districts," said Nandita Baruah, deputy country representative at Asia Foundation, an international development organisation, in Kathmandu. Families left behind may be duped into sending their children with traffickers posing as aid workers, or even selling their kidneys in India for money, she said. "Migration is increasing the economic and social vulnerability of the country: people left behind are exposed to the harsh economic realities, and it makes them take greater risks, like trusting a trafficker or a kidney tout," she said. ZERO COST More than 3.8 million permits to work abroad were issued in the decade to 2015, representing about 14 percent of the current population, according to Nepal's labour ministry. This does not include the hundreds of thousands crossing the border into India, where they do not require a permit. Nepal is forecast by the World Bank to have received about $6.6 billion in remittances in 2015. But the journey to an overseas job is fraught with challenges and usually leaves workers deep in debt. Recruitment agencies that facilitate procuring a job and a work permit often charge 200,000 to 500,000 rupees ($1,860 to$4,660) per worker. That is several times the average income of about $730. Fear of losing their job and not being able to pay back the money - usually borrowed from moneylenders, often underwritten by the family home, or from selling land - forces workers to tolerate harsh working conditions and low wages. "Migration is important - most workers do well, earn a living, support their families," Baruah told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "But the very first journey of migration leads to indebtedness. And they are bonded to their employers because of the huge burden of debt," she said. The Nepali government introduced a "zero-cost" migration policy last year, which makes the employer and recruiter responsible for costs. But the law is applied unevenly. After female domestic workers in the Gulf countries complained of abuse, Nepal in 2012 banned women below the age of 30 from going there as domestic helps. But many women produced fake papers to say they were older than 30, or were hired for other jobs. Nepal has since lowered the age limit to 26 years. In June Nepal banned its nationals from working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria after 13 Nepali security guards were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul. These measures to protect workers have had limited success. "We know that when labour-sending countries try to protect their citizens through such bans, unscrupulous recruiters just use unregulated channels," said Meenakshi Ganguly, head of Human Rights Watch for South Asia. Instead, Nepal should monitor recruitment agencies, engage with host countries to enforce worker rights and ensure embassies provide emergency shelters and assistance, she said. A spokesman for the labour ministry said Nepal aims to sign labour agreements with Saudi Arabia and Malaysia to improve workers' rights, similar to those already agreed with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and South Korea. "These agreements ensure the rights of our workers, minimum pay and other benefits and are effective to protect their interests," Shiva Raj Sedai said. QUAKE EFFECT The absence of working-age men was felt deeply in the days and weeks following twin earthquakes in Nepal last year which killed about 9,000 people, and damaged or destroyed more than 900,000 houses. Women tending to children and elderly relatives were often not in a position to go to relief camps, claim compensation, or rebuild their homes quickly, said Lily Thapa, founder of Women for Human Rights in Kathmandu. "Women whose husbands are working overseas are vulnerable and helpless, particularly during disasters," Thapa said. "There were many instances of sexual violence after the quakes directed at such women," she said. Teaching skills and creating jobs at home will be key to keeping emigration in check, Baruah said. The government also needs to prepare for the return of these workers in the event of an economic downturn or anti-migrant laws in the host countries. There is already a slow trickle from the Middle East and Malaysia as jobs dry up because of lower oil prices. More than 10,000 Indians in Saudi Arabia who have been laid off are facing a "food crisis", Indian officials have said. "Imagine if the 1,500-1,700 men who leave each day from the Kathmandu airport start coming back," Baruah said. "Imagine what will happen when they come back to a country where there are no jobs." For Lama and his friends drinking beer on the flight, that is a distant prospect for now. "I have a contract for one year," he said. "After that, I will have to find another job somewhere." Local Mexico mayor, policeman arrested over alleged murder of 10 MEXICO CITY, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A local mayor and a police officer were among those arrested on Monday for their alleged involvement in the murder of 10 people in western Mexico, state prosecutors said. Early investigations show police picked up a group of people at a store in the state of Michoacan and forced them to get into a red truck on the orders of local mayor Juan Carlos Arreygue, state prosecutor Jose Martin Godoy told a news conference. The next day their bodies were found dead and burned. The death toll rose to 10, from nine on Saturday. The policeman and Arreygue, who is mayor of Michoacan's Alvaro Obregon municipality, were arrested along with three others, Godoy said. Taiwan stocks fall in line with other regional bourses; Taiwan dollar eyed TAIPEI, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan stocks fell on Tuesday in line with some other Asian markets, paced by declines in banks and technology shares. The main TAIEX index was down 0.2 percent at 9,066.25 as of 0341 GMT, after closing 1.07 percent higher at 9,080.71 in the previous session. The electronics subindex sank 0.2 percent, while the financials subindex lost 0.3 percent. Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd, parent of Taiwan's biggest life insurer, shed 0.6 percent. Smaller rival Fubon Financial Holding Co Ltd was off 0.4 percent. Bangladesh officials visit Manila to seek recovery of bank heist money By Krishna N. Das, Serajul Quadir and Karen Lema DHAKA/MANILA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Officials from the Bangladesh central bank are visiting Manila this week to pressure the authorities in the Philippines to find ways to return the $63 million that is still missing out of the funds stolen from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year, two people close to Bangladesh Bank said. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank account between Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, and succeeded in transferring $81 million to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in Manila. Only about $18 million has been recovered. The Bangladeshi officials are alleging that the money was allowed to disappear into the casino industry in the Philippines, where investigators say it was laundered, because of systemic failures at RCBC, the two sources said. Bangladesh Bank is relying on internal RCBC documents to buttress its assertion that the Filipino bank's Jupiter Street branch in Manila ignored suspicions raised by some RCBC officials when the money was first remitted to the accounts on Feb. 5, and then delayed acting on requests from RCBC's head office to freeze the funds on Feb. 9, said one of the sources in Dhaka. RCBC did not respond to requests for comment, but its then president Lorenzo Tan told a Senate hearing in March that the incident was "some judgment error from the people on the ground". "I think what happened here is we had the IT controls, the human controls. But unfortunately, it failed in the end, in the execution," said Tan, who subsequently resigned. "Yes, we are sorry this happened, but you know, it is human error, human judgment or intentional." The Bangladeshi delegation consists of Debaprosad Debnath and Abdul Rab from Bangladesh Bank's financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Bank lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, and Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines, John Gomes. They plan to meet with officials from the anti-money-laundering council in Manila, the Philippines' department of justice, the central bank of the Philippines and from RCBC over the next four days, said the sources. Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha declined to say if the bank had plans to sue RCBC, but added it was trying to recover the money with the help of the Philippines' central bank. BLAMED EMPLOYEES RCBC has previously blamed its own employees for the ease with which the money left the bank, including the manager of the branch in question. But the Dhaka source said the Bangladesh Bank believes the failures extend beyond individual officers and that RCBC allowed itself to be used as a conduit for the illegal transfer of stolen money. Bangladesh Bank claims the documents show that RCBC should be accountable for the losses. The documents, which have been reviewed by Reuters, include emails between RCBC managers at the time of the heist in February as well as memos and emails to various RCBC officials during a subsequent internal investigation. They show that RCBC had frozen the accounts concerned at its Jupiter Street branch in Manila for about an hour on Friday Feb. 5 because of questions from some bank officials about where the money had come from, where it was going, and whether the transfers were legitimate. At 6.27 pm on that day, a temporary hold was placed on the accounts at the branch, pending further investigation into the "validity of the remittances and nature of the funds", according to one memo that was sent on March 21 by the head of RCBC's human resources group, Rowena F. Subido, to Ismael S. Reyes, its national sales director for retail banking. Some officials at RCBC's headquarters, also in Manila, had questioned the transfers after about $22.7 million of the money was withdrawn from one of the accounts in cash at 3.16 pm that day only to be then deposited to another account that was opened at around 3 pm that day at the same branch, according to the notice sent to Reyes. However, the hold on the accounts was shortlived. By around 7.30 pm it was lifted after then Jupiter Branch Business Manager Maia Deguito's "representation to her superiors" that the transactions were legitimate, according to another memo sent to Reyes. Deguito was fired by the bank earlier this year and is under investigation by the Philippines' anti-money laundering council. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer for Deguito, said that RCBC could not escape blame by singling out employees for mistakes. "If she had any fault, she was negligent and she was naive," Topacio said. He said RCBC did not act urgently on the stop payment requests from the Bangladesh central bank. The documents show that when the bank reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 9 after the Chinese New Year holiday, RCBC's settlements department received messages as early as 9.15 am from Bangladesh Bank, alerting it about the fraud. It sent four emails, between 10.59 am and 11.30 am, to its Jupiter Street branch, asking it to recall or freeze the remaining funds, the documents show. The reasons for the delay in sending those emails could not be ascertained. The branch processed withdrawals, totalling $58.15 million, between 10.24 am and 11.35 am, the documents show. According to former Senator Sergio Osmena, who led a Philippines' Senate probe into the events, only $15.2 million of this was withdrawn before 11.19 a.m. Federal judge blocks North Dakota voter identification law Aug 1 (Reuters) - North Dakota on Monday became the latest state to have its voter identification law blocked by a federal court, adding to a string of recent rulings across the United States on the grounds that such measures disenfranchise poor and minority voters. North Dakota joined North Carolina and Wisconsin, where voter-ID restrictions were struck down by federal courts on Friday, victories for advocates who claim the measures are an attempt to suppress voters who tend to cast ballots for Democrats. Seven Native American voters filed a federal law suit against North Dakota claiming measures passed by the Republican-led legislature in 2013 and 2015 are unconstitutional and violate the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The laws added restrictions to the types of identification voters can use at polling places and banned "fail-safe" provisions allowing them to vote without the required identification in certain circumstances. United States District Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction on Monday against North Dakota's law, writing in his ruling that the law adds "substantial and disproportionate burdens" for Native American voters compared to other voters in the state. "No eligible voter, regardless of their station in life, should be denied the opportunity to vote," he wrote. Hovland pointed to several statistics in his ruling that showed Native Americans, especially those who live without a car or far from driver's license site, would be more effected by the laws than non-Native Americans. North Dakota Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger told the New York Times that he would not appeal the decision and that November's election "would revert to using less restrictive identification rules." Critics argue that such provisions are designed to drive down turnout by minorities and poor people who rely more on flexible voting methods and are less likely to possess state-issued photo IDs. Proponents of such laws say they aim to eliminate voter fraud. "We want everyone to vote," The plaintiffs' lawyer Thomas A. Dickson told the New York Times, "and whoever has the most votes, they win. That's the American way. Somehow, we've gotten away from that." Romania - Factors to watch on August 2 Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday. PPI DATA Romania's National Statistics Board to release industrial producer prices data for June at 0600 GMT. FX RESERVES The Romanian central bank's foreign exchange reserves, excluding 103.7 tonnes of gold, rose by 930 million euros on the month to 32.66 billion euros ($36.46 billion) at the end of July, it said on Monday. DEBT TENDER Romania sold a more than planned 721.2 million lei ($180.84 million) worth of July 2027 treasury bonds on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 3.42 percent, central bank data showed. CENTRAL BANK Romanian deputy central bank governor Bogdan Olteanu resigned on Monday after anti-corruption prosecutors opened an investigation into his time as speaker of parliament's lower house, his lawyer was quoted as saying. CEE MARKETS Hungary's forint eased in a slow market on Monday, while the Polish zloty and the Czech crown shrugged off July manufacturing data that came in below market expectations. WHEAT Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender on Monday to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment from Sept. 11-20. GASC is seeking to buy cargoes of soft and/or milling wheat from the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. ANTIBIOTICE IASI Romanian state-owned drugmaker Antibiotice Iasi reported a net profit of 16.4 million lei ($4.12 million) in the first half, 7.8 percent higher on the year. Ziarul Financiar For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on Metro hit by restructuring costs, weak rouble and attacks By Emma Thomasson BERLIN, Aug 2 (Reuters) - German retailer Metro reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter results on Tuesday as the fall in the rouble and Islamist attacks hurt sales, while restructuring costs and investment in a new loyalty programme squeezed profits. Quarterly earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), before special items, fell to 154 million euros ($172 million) on sales down 2.7 percent to 13.6 billion, missing analysts' average forecasts for EBIT of 182 million on sales of 13.8 billion. "We expect the EBIT miss and weak operational trends to weigh on the shares," said Citi analyst Nick Coulter, who pointed to falling like-for-like sales at the cash-and-carry unit in Germany and France and at the Real hypermarket chain. Metro shares were down 7.3 percent by 0837 GMT, making them the top faller on Europe's Stoxx 600 index. The company said its business supplying hotels and restaurants suffered in France and Belgium from fears of more Islamist attacks, although like-for-like sales rose in Turkey and Spain. "Terror has had an impact on the way people dine out," Chief Executive Olaf Koch told a call for analysts, adding the Euro 2016 soccer championships in France had also put a temporary dampener on the restaurant sector across the continent. Metro reported one-off costs of 190 million euros, mainly relating to restructuring measures at its cash and carry business in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. Chief Executive Olaf Koch said the costs were due to a decision to speed up steps to decentralise management of the business and overhaul stores, which he said had dampened sales in the short term but should bear fruit within three years. While the weaker rouble dented sales, Koch told a conference call for journalists that Metro's Russian business had seen its first period of positive like-for-like sales in June after a long decline, making him confident for full-year margins. As third-quarter EBIT only accounts for just over a tenth of the expected annual total, Metro reiterated its forecast for slight rises in overall sales and EBIT in fiscal 2015/16, excluding special items, predicting a better fourth quarter. Consumer electronics unit Media-Saturn reported a bigger loss than most analysts expected as it sold more televisions due to Euro 2016, but at low margins, and spent more on investment in ecommerce and marketing to launch a loyalty programme. Koch said Metro's plans to separate its wholesale and food business from Media-Saturn by mid-2017 were on track and that the company would give further details on the transaction, capital structure and strategy on Sept. 8 and 9. MADISON With an already wild and unpredictable 2016 presidential election now in its final 100 days, the role Wisconsin will play in the campaigns of two unpopular nominees is starting to take shape though the political landscape remains volatile. There are some signs both campaigns are looking to make a play for Wisconsins 10 electoral votes, which Democrats have won by varying margins for the past seven presidential cycles since 1984. A candidate must secure 270 electoral votes to win the election. Republican nominee Donald Trump announced Saturday he would hold a rally in Green Bay on Friday. He sent his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, to Waukesha last week for his first post-nomination speech. The quickly organized event drew 400 attendees in the states GOP stronghold, a figure that conservatives opposing Trump highlighted as a possible sign that enthusiasm for Trumps candidacy among Wisconsin Republicans remains mild. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in her nomination speech Thursday mentioned Wisconsin among states where Trump should be manufacturing his line of products, instead of overseas. Clinton, who lost primary campaigns in Wisconsin in 2008 and this year, previously scheduled her first rally with President Barack Obama in Green Bay, but it was canceled in the wake of the Orlando nightclub massacre and has yet to be rescheduled. Several state and national political observers say they dont expect Wisconsin to factor into the campaigns as prominently as in years past or as much as some of the other traditional battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Still, they say the Badger State will likely continue to draw heavy advertising and several candidate visits as what one expert called a skirmish state. I would think that if Trump (were to win) Wisconsin he would be well on his way to winning a national victory, but it would seem like other states are more in the firing line this year, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball at the University of Virginias Center for Politics. Kondik said he expects Trump to focus primarily on expanding on the electoral map 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney won by turning out white middle class voters in rust belt states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. If that strategy catches fire, he might be able to expand to even whiter states such as Wisconsin. If Wisconsin becomes a two- to three-point race or a tie, that might indicate that Trump is really moving the white votes and doing better among that group than Romney did, Kondik said. Madison-based Democratic strategist Paul Maslin noted that while Clinton has a campaign team in place in Wisconsin, the state was not one of the eight where she began advertising in June. Her state spokeswoman said the campaign has been organizing for months in Wisconsin. Trump, meanwhile, has hired even fewer staff here and hasnt begun advertising anywhere, so it remains to be seen how Wisconsin will play into his broader strategy. His state campaign director Pete Meachum, former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffys chief of staff, did not respond to a request for comment. Voting Democratic in presidential elections Republicans have taken over all branches of state government since 2010, though even in 2012 when Gov. Scott Walker won a historic recall election and Janesville native Paul Ryan was the GOP vice presidential nominee, Obama easily won the state and liberal Democrat Tammy Baldwin was elected to the U.S. Senate. In the past four presidential elections, Wisconsins role as a battleground state has gradually diminished, Maslin said. Democrats won the state by very narrow margins less than half a percentage point in 2000 and 2004, and in 2008 the state initially drew a lot of attention that tapered off toward the end. Obama won that year by almost 14 points and in 2012 by almost seven points. Clintons lead over Trump in the state diminished from double-digits a year ago, when Trump was leading in national polls but still considered a long-shot for the nomination, to as close as four points in the latest Marquette Law School Poll in mid-July before the conventions. Its not a safe state. Nobody views it that way, Maslin said. But its clearly not right in the crosshairs either. Trump came away from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland with a bump in the national polls that some poll watchers said drew the race into a dead heat. Clinton was also widely expected to receive a bump in the polls after accepting her partys nomination in Philadelphia last week. What effect the conventions had in Wisconsin will become more clear as the Marquette poll releases its next round of results in a week-and-a-half. Poll director Charles Franklin said in a typical election cycle the post-convention polls would show partisan voters closing ranks behind their respective candidates. As of the last Marquette poll, 95 percent of Wisconsin Democrats were already supporting Clinton while only 80 percent of Republicans were supporting Trump. Both candidates also have had historically high unfavorable ratings compared with other presidential nominees. The last Marquette poll before the conventions found 63 percent of registered voters held an unfavorable view of Trump and 58 percent held an unfavorable view of Clinton. Franklin said whether those numbers drop in the post-convention polls comes down to the dissidents on both sides the supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders among Democrats and the conservatives who have refused to back Trump. Franklin said the Democrats may have been more effective in courting skeptical voters to their side with a steady stream of big name, highly respected, highly visible speakers, including Sanders himself calling for party unity. The Republicans, meanwhile, had less star power and observed Trumps archrival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz withhold his endorsement in a speech that received boos. If the poll finds the race continuing to tighten, that could draw more resources to Wisconsin from the Trump campaign. If it tightened to 2-3 points, well be more of a battleground, Franklin said. If it widens, then Trump has a wide variety of problems. Voters paying attention In traveling around the state this election cycle, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he has noticed people paying closer attention to the presidential election than in past years, but also expressing dissatisfaction with both candidates. Vos said Clinton is struggling to win support because theres a level of economic anxiety out there with folks who just feel things arent working for them. But he acknowledged Trump has some of his own issues and in order to win will have to present himself as more diplomatic and presidential. Thats why I think the race is tied in most places around the country, Vos said. I assume once we get to the debates, that will push the final people who are a little more undecided. UW-La Crosse political science professor Joe Heim disagreed with other political observers, predicting Wisconsin will be a hard-fought state, especially because there is also a competitive U.S. Senate race rematch between incumbent GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh and former Sen Russ Feingold of Middleton. The combination of (the Clinton-Trump) race being relatively close and the Feingold-Johnson race being close, youre going to see a lot of campaigning in the state, Heim said. Even if Trump were behind four or five points, given the demographics he appeals to, Wisconsin should be in the crosshairs. Ken Mayer, a UW-Madison political science professor who studies presidential politics, said this election had defied all expectations so its difficult to make predictions. Typically polls after the second convention set the tone of the race, and the numbers remain stable. However, he noted, a year ago nobody predicted Trump would be the Republican nominee. By the end of next week there will be enough polling data to give a sense of what the race looks like, Mayer said, referring to national polls. We can forecast this according to the traditional rules, but those traditional rules seem a little bit unstable right now. Its not a safe state. Nobody views it that way. Paul Maslin, Democratic strategist Carlyle could make a brace of $2 bln acquisitions in Japan - exec By Junko Fujita TOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Carlyle Group said it could make a pair of acquisitions in Japan worth $2 billion apiece, a strategic departure from a previous focus on smaller deals as big Japanese firms are gearing up for spinoffs of larger assets. "There could be about two large deals in Japan from our current fund focusing on Japan," Takaomi Tomioka, a Carlyle managing director said on Tuesday. "With equity and debt combined, we could invest as much as 200 billion yen in each deal," he said, speaking at a media briefing. Tomioka didn't name any acquisition targets, nor indicate any preferred sectors for investment. The Washington D.C.-based private equity house has previously concentrated on investments in smaller firms in Japan, where larger corporations traditionally staved off drastic restructuring measures, instead seeking support from their lenders when businesses ran into trouble. But management at larger Japanese large firms are facing growing pressure from investors - as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government - to boost returns on equity. That has led to an acceleration of corporate spinoff moves this year. Last week, people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co, Japan's biggest drugmaker, will accept bids for its 70 percent stake in a chemicals business, Wako Pure Chemicals Industries Ltd, in a move to streamline Takeda's operations. Sale of the whole business could fetch more than $1 billion, they said. Named by the people as a potential suitor, Carlyle declined to comment on the deal, as did Takeda. Carlyle raised 120 billion yen in a new fund in August last year focusing on investments in medium-sized Japanese companies. Its investment period ends in 2020. If more resources were needed for a potential deal, Carlyle could use money from other funds focused on investments in the U.S. and Asia, Tomioka said. Carlyle could also seek money from financial investors to invest in a deal, or it could team up with a corporate investor, he added. UK watchdog pushes back insurance claims deadline to June 2019 By Huw Jones LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Consumers who believe they have been mis-sold loan insurance have until the end of June 2019 to make a claim, Britain's markets watchdog proposed on Tuesday, a year later than expected and potentially adding to the cost for banks. Banks have paid 24 billion pounds ($32 billion) in compensation to customers over the past five years for mis-selling payment protection insurance (PPI), making it Britain's costliest scandal in financial services. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the rule for setting a deadline for all PPI claims would come into force by the end of 2017, and would be accompanied by a 42 million pound consumer campaign to raise awareness of the cut-off date paid for by a levy on banks based on number of complaints. The actual deadline would come into force two years later, by the end of June 2019, the FCA said in a statement. The FCA had indicated in November the deadline would be sometime in 2018 and analysts said the longer period may mean more payouts for banks. "For example, in its 2015 full year results, Lloyds set aside additional provisions to cover claims until mid-2018, so it is possible that an extra year's worth of provisioning may now be required," said Shore Capital analyst Gary Greenwood. "We would not be surprised to see top-ups of a few hundred million pounds, and perhaps as high as one billion pounds, for each of the large UK banks, with Lloyds being the worst affected." Shares in Lloyds, RBS and Barclays were down two percent or more by 1000 GMT. Lloyds, which has 2 billion pounds of unused provisions, said it was disappointed the deadline had been pushed back. "At this stage our guidance on our provisioning remains," it said in a statement. The PPI policies, designed to protect borrowers in the event of sickness or unemployment, were found to have often been sold to people who would have been ineligible to claim. Regulators have had rules for PPI claims in place since 2010 and normally a deadline of three years is set, but surveys showed many people unaware they had bought the product. "Putting a deadline on PPI complaints will bring the issue to an orderly conclusion in a way that protects both consumers and market integrity," FCA Chief Executive Andrew Bailey said. "We will ensure that our communications campaign will engage with all those who could be affected, particularly vulnerable consumers." The watchdog also set out the timetable for claims following the so-called Plevin ruling by Britain's Supreme Court, which suggested there might be additional cause for complaint concerning commissions paid on PPI sales. The FCA said on Tuesday rules for Plevin type claims would come into force by the end of March 2017, with the cut-off date set for June 2019. Consumer watchdog Which? said the redress scheme for PPI claims was wholly inadequate and must be made more straightforward. PNG court orders Australia to present an asylum seeker resettlement plan By Colin Packham SYDNEY, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Australia to present a resettlement plan for nearly 900 asylum seekers held in what it says is an illegal detention centre on Manus island -- a move detainees fear will further delay their release. The Supreme Court ruled more than three months ago that the detention centre, used to house asylum seekers trying to reach Australia, was illegal. The centre was approved by the Papua New Guinea government and is funded by Australia. The court order is the latest delay in determining the future of the detainees and human rights groups say tensions are rising in the detention centre, which has a history of violent protests and self harm by detainees. "The level of frustration on Manus Island is as high as it has ever been," said Ian Rintoul, an Australian refugee advocate who was on Manus Island last week. "The court action, while a glimmer of hope, is frustrating them as there has been no action despite detention being found to be unlawful." Under Australia's hardline immigration policy, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing to camps on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea or on Nauru in the South Pacific. They are never eligible to be resettled in Australia. The Papua New Guinea government has said it plans to close the Manus centre after the Supreme Court ruling, raising the question where will the detainees be resettled. Many in Papua New Guinea do not want the asylum seekers in their community. The asylum seekers come from across the Middle East and Asia predominately, with Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan accounting for the bulk. Some have been held in detention for several years. Lawyers for the 898 Manus island detainees have asked the Supreme Court for compensation of 1,500 kina ($462.75) for every day they were held illegally. The Supreme Court said it would call on Australia to provide a representative on Thursday to provide details on a resettlement plan. "The court has embarked on this process on issue of resettlement. That is a matter for the two governments, what we want is for them to be released," said Ben Lomai, a lawyer for some of the detainees, told Reuters on Tuesday. Greece gets one bid for rail freight hub ATHENS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Greece has received one bid to build and run a rail freight hub it has been trying to set up since 2008, an official close to the process said on Tuesday. The bid is from ETBA, a unit of Greece's Piraeus Bank which manages and develops industrial parks, in collaboration with Goldair, a domestic firm offering cargo and logistics services, the official said. The selected investor will have to build a terminal with access to the national railway network and Greece's largest port in Piraeus and operate it for 60 years. The deadline for binding bids for the Thriasio terminal - which was pushed back twice this year to give investors more time to prepare - expired on Monday. The process is being managed by state-owned company GAIAOSE, which manages the real estate of Greek railways OSE. "There has been one bid by ETBA and Goldair and GAIAOSE's task now is to evaluate the bid," said the official at GAIAOSE who declined to be named. Greece, which had to turn to its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund in 2010 for financing to overcome a debt crisis, is still struggling to kickstart its economy after seven years of recession. Once the investor has qualified, GAIAOSE will unseal technical and financial details of the proposal. The official said it would aim to have the details of the financial offer by the end of the month. PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - AUG 2 MOSCOW, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. VEDOMOSTI www.vedomosti.ru - Fifty-seven percent of voters are sett to support the United Russia party in the parliamentary election on Sept. 18 despite a widespread feeling that it expresses the interests of oligarchs, state bureaucracy and security officials, the daily writes, citing a survey by Levada pollsters. - Russia's Communists and Liberal Democrats, known for their support of "common people", will themselves enjoy support from just 10 percent of the Russians, the daily adds. - An agribusiness firm controlled by the family of Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev has bought two grain elevators, expecting growth in grain output this year. The company could produce up to 2 million tonnes of grain, analysts say. KOMMERSANT www.kommersant.ru - On Monday, Russia suffered the most serious losses after the start of its military campaign in Syria when five officers died aboard a helicopter shot down over Idlib Province. - Russia's state controlled nuclear power company Rosatom is ready to replace a nuclear reactor at Belarus's first nuclear plant it is building after a construction accident. The reactor slipped off during its installation and hit the ground. Officials say it was not damaged, however, the daily reports. ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA www.rg.ru - Global stability can be achieved on the basis of improved relations between the United States and Russia, with their mutual interests taken into account, the daily writes, citing U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. - Moscow authorities have no intention whatsoever to privatise the city's vital assets by selling off stakes in the underground metro lines or water supply company Mosvodokanal, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said. RBC www.rbc.ru - Former RusHydro CEO Yevgeny Dod, accused of a large-scale fraud with 2013 bonus payments, is reported to have paid off 73 million roubles ($1.09 million) to the company which the court had accused him of miappropriating. IZVESTIA www.izvestia.ru - Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said Russia and Iran will expand their military cooperation, which could mean conduction of joint military operations in Syria and Middle Asia, the daily writes. Hungarian foreign minister says Russia poses no threat to NATO members BUDAPEST, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Hungary's foreign minister said on Tuesday he thought it "unrealistic" that Russia would attack any NATO member, a view that contrasts with some other NATO member countries in the region who see Moscow as a real threat. Relations between Russia and the West soured after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatists in the east. NATO members including Poland and the Baltic states have voiced concern that they could be targets of hostile acts from Russia, and last month NATO leaders agreed to deploy military forces and to increase air and sea patrols there. "I don't think it is a realistic assumption today that Russia would attack any NATO member state," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with news portal Index.hu. Szijjarto said each NATO member state had feelings of "different intensity" about a perceived threat from Russia, and that he respected other views. "This is not how we feel about Russia. I don't think Russia would pose an existential threat to us," he said. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative government has granted a deal to Russia's Rosatom to build new reactors at Hungary's nuclear power plant, and has promoted what it calls a "pragmatic" relationship with Russia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia also have less fraught relations with Russia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has called for a removal of the sanctions imposed by the West over Russia's role in Ukraine. But tensions flare up intermittently. Bulgaria's defence minister last month accused Russia of growing airspace violations, describing them as "provocations toward Bulgaria and its air forces". When asked about Turkey, Szijjarto -- who had earlier described the failed coup in Turkey as a "terrorist act" -- said he did not see any anti-democratic developments in Turkey. South Sudanese refugees flee violence, report looting, killing GENEVA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. "They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks." Key issues in South Africa's local government election JOHANNESBURG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - South Africa holds local government elections on Wednesday and opinion polls suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could lose major cities it has held since the end of apartheid rule 22 years ago. Below are some of the key issues at the elections. KEY CITIES * The ruling party risks losing the economic hub of Johannesburg, the capital Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Bay on the east coast, according to opinion polls. * The ANC has said its own surveys show that it will win the key contested municipalities. * The party's main threat is the official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). * Some 26.3 million voters are registered to vote in the local elections where 204 parties will field candidates. THE ECONOMY * The central bank says the economy of Africa's most industrialised country will grow by zero percent this year. The opposition has criticised the ANC for the stagnation. * The unemployment rate stands at about 27 percent. * All parties have promised to improve social services if elected. Several anti-government protests have erupted across the country with demands for better housing, water and electricity supply. MANDELA * Millions still feel a strong loyalty to the ANC, the party of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela nearly three years after his death. * The opposition has also tried to cash in on the Mandela name, saying the ANC has betrayed most of the values he stood for. President Jacob Zuma has criticised the DA for invoking Mandela's name in their campaigns. * Zuma has himself come under fire from the opposition over several scandals that have plagued his tenure. The president has said he is fit to rule. RACE * South Africa has come a long way from its racially divided past, seeking to reflect the "rainbow nation" espoused by anti-apartheid campaigner and veteran cleric Desmond Tutu. * But racial tensions still simmer. The DA party expelled a white member after she referred to blacks as monkeys earlier this year, one of several racists statements that have triggered a social media storm. RURAL STRONGHOLD * The ANC draws its support from the majority black population in the rural areas comprising mainly older citizens. * The ANC is however facing a stiff challenge in some rural areas such as Marikana, a hardscrabble mining community northwest of Johannesburg, that was once its stronghold. Turkish FM presses Pakistan on schools said linked to coup suspect By Asad Hashim ISLAMABAD, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pakistan promised Turkey's visiting foreign minister on Tuesday it would investigate a network of schools Ankara wants shut for alleged links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last month's coup attempt. However, foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz stopped short of agreeing to close PakTurk International Schools and Colleges, which educates 10,000 students and denies any affiliation with the cleric. The request by Turkey is part of an international campaign by President Tayyip Erdogan against the interests of Fethullah Gulen and his religious movement. Erdogan and the Turkish authorities blame the cleric and his followers for orchestrating last month's failed military coup, in which more than 230 people were killed. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, preaches Sunni Islam together with a message of interfaith dialogue. He denies any involvement in the failed coup. Since then, thousands of people have been detained, suspended from work or placed under investigation, with the government vowing to purge the army, police and judiciary of elements it says support Gulen. In Islamabad, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Gulen's "terrorist group" should be stamped out. "It is not secret that this organisation has institutions or their presence in Pakistan and in many other countries," he said. "I am sure the necessary measures will be taken. We have to be very careful with such organisations and their causing risk and threat for the security and stability of every country that they have presence." Aziz congratulated Turkey for its "victory for democracy and liberty" and said Pakistan would look into the schools but hoped to keep them open as they were well managed and provided good education. "We will try to find an alternative arrangement for the schools to continue whereas their other activities have to be managed or curbed," he said. Turkey and Pakistan have traditionally had close ties, which have warmed further under the leadership of Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Turkey has applied pressure to other countries that are home to Gulen-backed institutions. Gulen's Islamist "Hizmet" movement runs some 2,000 educational establishments in about 160 countries. The PakTurk organisation, which has been operating in Pakistan for 21 years and has more than two dozen campuses, denied being part of Gulen's network. "We are deeply concerned by allegations ... trying to connect the PakTurk International Schools and Colleges in Pakistan with Mr Fethullah Gulen," it said in a statement. China regulator says Didi, Uber deal will need Mofcom approval BEIJING, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A merger between Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and the China unit of U.S. rival Uber could face its first hiccup after China's commerce ministry (Mofcom) said on Tuesday it had not received a necessary application to allow the deal to go ahead. However, Didi said there was no need to seek regulatory approval, saying the two ride-hailing companies' lack of profits meant they weren't required to file with the ministry. Didi's acquisition of Uber's China operations, announced on Monday, will create a roughly $35 billion ride-hailing giant and could raise monopoly concerns as Didi claims an 87 percent market share in China. Uber China is the second largest player. Mofcom, one of China's anti-trust regulators, said at a news briefing that the two firms need to seek approval for the deal to go ahead. It had been unclear previously whether such a filing would be required as both firms are loss-making in China. "Mofcom has not currently received a merger filing related to the deal between Didi and Uber," ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said. "All transactors must apply to the ministry in advance. Those that haven't applied won't be able to carry out a merger" if they fall under applicable anti-trust and merger rules, he said. In an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday, Didi contested Shen's assertion that the firm is required to apply for approval. "We are in close communication with authorities," said Didi. "Some of the financial metrics of the transaction did not meet the filing requirements. UberChina and Didi are not profitable yet, and UberChina's turnover in 2015 didn't meet the 400 million yuan ($60.30 million) trigger requirement for the anti-trust process." Didi and Uber have been in a fierce battle in China, spending billions of dollars to subsidise rides and win users. Other players, however, could step up competition. Jia Yueting, head of LeEco, the parent of smaller ride-hailing rival Yidao, said in a social media post the firm would offer steep rebates to attract passengers to help avoid a monopoly in the market. "Yidao will soon kick off an even more aggressive cashback campaign," according to a translation of Jia's posting provided by a LeEco spokeswoman. Poland's proposed solution to Swiss franc mortgage problem WARSAW, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Polish president's office and central bank governor Adam Glapinski presented on Tuesday a plan to address the country's problem with costly Swiss franc denominated mortgages. Please find below key points of the proposed solution: VOLUNTARY CONVERSION MECHANISM * Poland's financial regulator is to issue recommendations for banks with portfolios of loans denominated in foreign currencies, which mainly consist of Swiss franc-denominated mortgages. * The regulator is to significantly increase capital requirements for those portfolios, so that banks will find it unprofitable to keep holding these loans on their books and will thus be induced to offer voluntary conversion for borrowers. * According to the proposal, the best way to increase capital requirements would be to increase risks weights for the portfolios, so that banks nevertheless willing to hold these portfolios would have to put aside more capital. * According to the proposal, it is not possible to introduce a universal increase in capital requirements due to EU regulation related to the CRR/CRD4 EU Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive. So, the increase in capital requirements is to be implemented on a case-by-case basis, in the so-called Supervisory Review and Evaluation (SREP). * The increase in risk weights is to be spread out over time, but the scale of the increase is to be clearly visible and decisive. Banks will be given time to conduct a gradual restructuring of the loans. * The risk weights are to be chosen so that the effect on capital would be larger than the cost of conversion. * The increase in the risk weights requires action and decisions from the financial regulator KNF, but does not require any changes in the law. According to the proposal, KNF is to take action as soon as possible. * According to the proposals, a recommendation from the European Systemic Risk Board on foreign currency loans (ERRS/2011/1) should discourage sales of foreign-currency loans portfolios from Polish banks to entities abroad. RETURN OF EXCESSIVE FX CONVERSION FEES * The president's office also presented on Tuesday the main points of a bill that will force banks to refund to foreign-currency borrowers excessively high costs of currency conversion fees charged by banks, the so-called FX spreads. * The bill will concern loan agreements signed from Jul. 1, 2000 to Aug. 26, 2011. * The bill states that an FX spread higher than 0.5 percent is excessive. * The president's office said the total cost for banks of returning the FX spreads to borrowers would be from 3.6 billion zlotys ($932 million) to 4 billion zlotys ($1.04 billion), if all eligible borrowers apply to participate. Australians in Scottish Highlands in limbo as visa deadline passes By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH, Aug 2 (Reuters) - An Australian family facing deportation from the Scottish Highlands after a change in visa rules is now in limbo, waiting to hear from the British government whether they will be given more time to meet visa requirements. Gregg and Kathryn Brain, who moved to Scotland in 2011 with their son Lachlan, are hoping for a job offer or a new extension to their visa after the last one expired at midnight on Monday. Their case has attracted much sympathy in Scotland, where Kathryn Brain was previously given permission to study and then work as part of a now defunct British government-backed scheme to shore up the Highlands' ageing and shrinking population. "This is simply about honouring the deal signed up to," Gregg Brain, a health and safety expert, told Reuters. "We signed up for a deal and built a life here, only to have the ground pulled out from under our feet." Visa rules were changed in 2012 with an eye to addressing voter concerns on immigration in the United Kingdom as a whole. Immigration was at the centre of Britain's June vote to leave the European Union. "(The Brains) simply don't know if there will be a knock on the door at some point and they will be removed," Ian Blackford, the lawmaker for Dingwall where the Brains live, told Reuters. "If that is the route they (Britain's interior ministry) want to go down, well, we just don't know, we're in their hands," he said, adding that he had yet to receive a reply to two letters sent to British Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill's office in the last 24 hours. A spokesman for the interior ministry said that any family that failed to comply with the regulations was expected to leave the country voluntarily. "We have given (the Brains) three extensions on an exceptional basis over a number of months to allow them to try to secure a job that would allow them to meet the immigration rules, but this cannot be open-ended," the spokesman said. "OVERWHELMING RESPONSE" The Brains have settled in Dingwall, where Lachlan, 7, has learnt the ancient Scottish language Gaelic. The case attracted the attention of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose devolved government has no say on immigration but who made a personal appeal on the family's behalf in May. Kathryn Brain, who studied Scottish history and has been seeking work as a curator, was offered what appeared to be visa-compliant work at a Highlands distillery earlier this year. But the offer was withdrawn in late July, giving the family little time to search for an alternative before the Aug. 1 deadline. The Brains have moved house four times in as many months and have been supported by the generosity of mostly local benefactors because their latest visa extension did not include permission to work. "The response has been overwhelming," said Gregg Brain. "One day Lachlan came home from school and in his bag was a blank envelope with 10 pounds ($13) in it. It makes me cry just thinking about it." He describes his family as an example of successful immigration, qualified and integrated in a community where young families are needed to bolster the economy. He joked that the intense interest in the case might serve as experience for a future in public relations in the legal sector. Spain faces spectre of third election as parties lock horns By Sarah White and Blanca Rodriguez MADRID, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Spain's two main political parties held fruitless talks to form a new government on Tuesday and acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said a new election - the third in less than a year - may be necessary. Seven months of negotiations to form a new government have so far come to a dead-end, following national elections in December and June that left Spain with a hung parliament. A meeting on Tuesday between the only two parties which together command enough seats in parliament to form a majority, the second-placed Socialists and Rajoy's People's Party (PP), yielded little. Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, after only his fourth head-to-head with Rajoy since December, reiterated his party would vote against a PP-led administration in an eventual parliamentary confidence vote. Without at least an abstention by the Socialists - arch-rivals of the PP and its previous incarnations over the past four decades of democracy in Spain - the conservatives will struggle to get the majority they needs to allow Rajoy to govern. "With this Socialist 'no', the situation remains blocked and this takes us to a third election," Rajoy told a news conference. The stand-off between the two parties is so acute Rajoy and Sanchez did not even detail when they might meet again, and they have yet to outline what broad reforms could provide the basis for an understanding, even with the Socialists in opposition. Rajoy's PP was stripped of its absolute majority in the December and June elections, after the rise of newer parties during an uneven recovery from recession splintered the political landscape. A rapidly-approaching deadline to present 2017's budget to Brussels by mid-October has added urgency to parties' talks, as missing it would likely cause concern at a time when Spain faces a major effort next year to trim its public deficit. DOING WELL Spain's economic recovery has largely weathered the uncertainty, with a thriving tourism sector fuelling a jobs spurt that has in turn kept consumer spending on track. The acting government last week raised growth prospects for 2016, though it also trimmed its outlook for 2017 as worries mount over the fallout from Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Economists also believe fading tailwinds including low oil prices currently favouring energy importers like Spain will make for a more challenging 2017. Some Socialist insiders believe the party could eventually abstain in a parliamentary investiture vote, allowing the PP to form a minority government. But Rajoy has refused to face such a vote unless he has the Socialists' support ahead of time, perpetuating a game of chicken between the two sides. "The right-wing parties are the ones that have to reach an agreement, the left is not going to support the right," Sanchez said. Canada to let potential Supreme Court justices nominate themselves TORONTO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Canada will change the way it fills vacancies on its top court, letting qualified lawyers and judges nominate themselves for Supreme Court openings and using a nonpartisan advisory board to recommend candidates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. There is a looming vacancy on the nine-member Supreme Court, with Justice Thomas Cromwell announcing he will retire in September, giving Trudeau his first chance to appoint a member of the court since becoming prime minister last November. Supreme Court justices in Canada are picked by the prime minister. The prime minister's appointments do not require parliamentary approval, in contrast to the required Senate confirmation for appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. The change, announced in a government press release, creates a new system for determining candidates for the court. Justices can serve until the court's mandatory retirement age of 75. The move by Canada's Liberal government, elected last year, is aimed at making the selection process more transparent, Trudeau wrote in a column in the Globe and Mail newspaper on Tuesday. "The process used to appoint Supreme Court justices is opaque, outdated, and in need of an overhaul," Trudeau wrote. "Gone are the days of governments - Liberal and Conservative alike - nominating Supreme Court justices through a secretive backroom process." While the selection of Supreme Court judges in Canada has traditionally been less political than in the United States, there have been controversies. In 2014, the Supreme Court rejected then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper's pick of Marc Nadon in a high-profile clash, saying Nadon was not qualified. Trudeau said the independent and nonpartisan advisory board will be chaired by former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Kim Campbell. Once potential justices have applied for consideration and a shortlist of candidates has been compiled, the justice minister will consult with other levels of government, various parliamentary committees and opposition politicians, Trudeau wrote. The eventual nominee will appear in a question-and-answer session moderated by a law professor before legislators from all parties. Supreme Court appointments have become highly politicized in the United States. The nine-member U.S. high court has had a vacancy since the death of a justice in February because the Republican-led Senate has refused to take any action on Democratic President Barack Obama's nominee to the position. Italy would consider any U.S. request to use Sicily air base for Libya strikes ROME, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Italy would consider allowing the United States to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for strikes against Islamic State militants in Libya if asked, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Tuesday. The two NATO allies had agreed in February that Italy would only allow the U.S. to conduct "defensive" strikes from there. U.S. planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, at the request of the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, to help push militants from their former stronghold of Sirte. U.S. officials said this was the start of a sustained campaign. When asked on RAI state television whether the U.S. would be allowed to use the air base during the air campaign, Gentiloni said: "Should there be requests, we will consider them." So far Italy has not been asked, an Italian government source said. The government can approve use of the base in eastern Sicily without a parliamentary vote, the source said. On Tuesday, Robin Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command, declined to give any details about the U.S. strikes or where they originated. Sigonella is home to a U.S. Naval Air Station as well as a base for the Italian Air Force. It is sometimes used for logistical support for U.S. and other NATO forces. "It's a very positive fact that the Americans decided to intervene in Libya," Gentiloni said on RAI TV. "Ninety percent of the migrants that arrive in Italy come from Libya and that is why we are so interested in the stabilisation of the country, beyond the terrorist threat." FTSE hits two-week low as stress tests keep pressure on bank stocks By Kit Rees LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Britain's benchmark share index fell to a two-week low on Tuesday as the heavily weighted banking and energy sectors dropped, although motor insurer Direct Line jumped after results. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended down 0.7 percent at 6,645.4 points, its lowest level since mid-July, as the bank sector extended losses after the results of Europe-wide stress tests. Britain's banking index fell 1.5 percent. Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland, which were among the worst-performing banks in the stress test, ended down 3.6 percent and 1.8 percent respectively. "The recent stress tests have sent bank shares plummeting for a second day," CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler said. Analysts said UK banks were also being affected by drops in Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, which were relegated from the blue chip STOXX Europe 50 index, and by Commerzbank falling after a profit warning. Shares in oil major Royal Dutch Shell also dropped after HSBC cut its price target on the stock while Liberum analysts downgraded Shell to "hold" from "buy". However, Direct Line surged 12.6 percent - its strongest one-day performance on record - after its half-yearly profits beat expectations. Zambian president to take strong measures to protect peace - spokesman LUSAKA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Zambian President Edgar Lungu will resort to "draconian measures" if the opposition tries to disrupt the peace before, during or after the country's elections next week, his spokesman said on Tuesday. Zambia will hold presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on Aug. 11. There will also be a referendum about proposed amendments on environmental, socio-economic and media rights not currently guaranteed in the constitution. Presidential spokesman Amos Chanda told Reuters the president had information that the opposition planned to disrupt law and order as the country heads to the elections, an accusation the main opposition party has denied. "The president told traditional leaders ... on Monday that, should the opposition try to implement the plan, then he will invoke draconian measures," he said without giving details. The secretary general of the main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), Steven Katuka, said that was absurd. "(The) UPND completely rejects these accusations," he said in a statement. Zambian police arrested 28 opposition supporters on July 20 on suspicion of rioting and making petrol bombs, the latest sign of political tensions ahead of elections, a senior officer said. The arrests came shortly after the election commission lifted a 10-day ban on campaigning imposed on some parts of the southern African country to prevent violence. TransCanada plans to develop $800 mln project in Mexico Aug 2 (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp said it plans to build an $800 million marine terminal and oil pipeline project along with Sierra Oil & Gas and Grupo TMM SAB in Mexico. The project, which comes at a time when TransCanada's key projects closer to home are facing delays, includes a marine terminal, a 265 km (165 mile) refined products pipeline and an inland storage and distribution hub in central Mexico. TransCanada, which has been ramping up its spending in the Latin American country, said it will hold a 50 percent interest in the project, with Sierra Oil & Gas holding 40 percent and Grupo TMM holding 10 percent. TransCanada said in June it would build and operate a $2.1 billion natural gas pipeline in Mexico through a joint venture with a unit of Sempra Energy. Somalia urged to pass law banning "horrendous" FGM By Emma Batha LONDON, Aug 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Somalia's next government should ensure a law is passed banning all forms of female genital mutilation (FGM), a U.N. official said on Tuesday, describing the deeply entrenched practice as a "horrendous rights violation". Somalia has the world's highest rate of FGM with 98 percent of women between 15 and 49 having been subjected to the potentially deadly ritual. A bill on FGM is sitting in parliament but is unlikely to be debated until next year because of elections expected this month in the Horn of Africa country. Jeremy Hopkins, deputy representative for UNICEF in Somalia, said the U.N. children's agency was optimistic a law would eventually go through, but the details in it would be crucial. "Our approach for the legislation is to go slow. We don't want to risk this being politicised," he said in an interview in London. "We promote total abandonment of FGM, whereas there is a large part of public opinion in Somalia which will promote a milder form of FGM," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Most women in Somalia have undergone the severest form of FGM, known as infibulation, in which the external genitalia are sliced off and the vaginal opening sewn up. The cutting is usually done by traditional circumcisers, sometimes using rusty and unsterilised instruments. Hopkins said there was evidence that families were moving towards "a milder form of FGM", but that this was not something UNICEF condoned. "I would say there has been quite a big shift in recent years away from infibulation to this lesser form," he added. It is not clear whether the alternative form involves a small nick or the partial removal of the clitoris. Hopkins said UNICEF was concerned that parents appeared to be increasingly taking their daughters to clinics to undergo FGM. Campaigners say the "medicalisation of FGM" serves to legitimise the practice. "It's still a horrendous rights violation and I would question the integrity of any health staff who undertake such (a procedure)," Hopkins said. FATWAS FGM often causes a host of health problems. In some cases girls may bleed to death or die from infections. Others may suffer fatal childbirth complications later in life. However, the ancient ritual is widely considered a prerequisite for marriage in Somalia where uncut girls risk ostracisation. Many also believe FGM is a religious obligation even though it is not mentioned in the Koran. The northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland has led the way in tackling FGM with religious leaders issuing a fatwa against the practice at the end of 2013. Hopkins said this was a significant step and would have been inconceivable a decade ago. He hoped discussions on a fatwa could be restarted with religious leaders in the neighbouring semi-autonomous region of Somaliland who have previously opposed issuing a decree. Hopkins said he had met families in Somalia whose daughters had died from FGM and women whose lives had been destroyed by debilitating childbirth injuries related to FGM. But he said even if parents understood the risks they often felt compelled to have their daughters cut. "I remember 12 years ago a father saying, 'We get that it's bad for our daughters, but I want my daughter to have a husband. What are you going to do about that?'," Hopkins said. UNICEF has therefore adopted an approach to encourage communities to give up FGM collectively through public declarations. Syrian army, allies counter-attack to regain lost ground in Aleppo By Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Syrian army backed by Russian fighter jets pounded rebel positions in the city of Aleppo on Tuesday in a bid to crush a major insurgent campaign to break the siege of opposition-held parts the city, rebels said. Rebel groups launched the wide-scale assault on Sunday to break through a strip of government-controlled territory and reconnect their encircled sector of eastern Aleppo with a swathe of insurgent territory in the west of Syria. This would open a new route south of the city for a quarter of a million civilians in eastern Aleppo who are under siege by the army and its Iranian-backed allies, who tightened their grip last week on a road on the northern edge of the city that was the only route into rebel districts. Rebels mainly from Jaish al Fatah alliance of Islamist groups pushed from the south of the city while fighters from Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades pounded government-held areas of Syria's most populous city and commercial hub before the war broke out in 2011. The heaviest fighting on Tuesday centered around the strategic Ramousah area southwest of Aleppo. Video released by the Mujahideen Army brigade showed fires raging at a military academy near the country's largest artillery base. "We are now overlooking the Ramousah area but Russian jets are intensifying their bombing, which is holding us back from moving quickly," said Abu Rakan, military commander from Failaq al Sham brigade. Rebels said jets believed to be Syrian and Russian bombed their areas southwest of Aleppo. A rebel source in Jaish al Fatah said they had deployed around 10,000 troops, at least 95 tanks and several hundred rocket launcher vehicles in a three-stage battle they gave the name of the "great epic battle of Aleppo". They had also prepared scores of suicide bombers to drive explosive-laden military vehicles into army posts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain, which described the rebel offensive as the largest so far, said fighting also broke out across the divided city's main fronts. The Syrian army said insurgent rockets killed at least nine people, mainly women and children, in Hamadaniyah and Ramousah districts in the last day. At least five civilians were killed when rebels fired toxic gas on the old quarter, it added. Best Christian Workplaces Institute Announces 2016 Honorees Contact: Kathy Lopus, Best Christian Workplaces Institute, 206-230-8111 MERCER ISLAND, Wash., Aug. 2, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- 128 faith-based organizations and churches across the United States and around the globe have been named 2016 Certified Best Christian Workplaces by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI). The honor offers convincing, continued evidence that a healthy, flourishing workplace culture makes for effective organizations. "Certified" status represents the top 51 percent of 252 organizations whose employees completed the BCWI Employee Engagement Survey from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The anonymous, online, 58-question survey provides an objective, quantifiable measure of workplace culture based on eight essential factors of health: fantastic teams, life-giving work, outstanding talent, uplifting growth, rewarding compensation, inspirational leadership, sustainable strategy and healthy communication. "The excellence displayed in each of these 128 Certified honorees confirms that a thriving workplace culture does in fact drive the efficiency and productivity essential to organizational effectiveness," said BCWI President Al Lopus. Since 2003, BCWI has served more than 800 faith-based organizations, involving more than 300,000 total employees from executives and senior leaders, to managers and staff. The Best Christian Workplaces Institute is an international non-profit, research-based, organizational development and human resources consulting firm, headquartered in Mercer Island, Washington. Their vision is that Christian workplaces would continue to set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world. The organizations honored as 2016 Certified Best Christian Workplaces are: CAMPS & CONFERENCE CENTERS CRISTA Camps - Shoreline (Seattle), WA Eagle Lake - Colorado Springs, CO Glen Eyrie - Colorado Springs, CO Lake Ann Camp - Lake Ann, MI WinShape Retreat - Mount Berry, GA CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS Briarcrest Christian School - Memphis, TN Central Christian Academy - Wichita, KS Cherry Hills Christian School - Highlands Ranch, CO College Heights Christian School - Joplin, MO Heritage Christian Academy - Overland Park, KS Kings Schools - Shoreline (Seattle), WA Legacy Christian Academy - Valencia, CA Lionheart Children's Academy - Euless, TX Northwest Christian Schools - Colbert, WA Santa Fe Christian Schools - Solana Beach, CA Seattle Urban Academy - Seattle, WA Southside Christian School - Simpsonville, SC Toledo Christian Schools - Toledo, OH Valley Christian Schools - Cerritos, CA Valor Christian High School - Highlands Ranch, CO Wheaton Academy - West Chicago, IL CHURCHES Bethlehem Baptist Church - Minneapolis, MN BMA America - Conway, AR Bridgeway Community Church - Columbia, MD Central Christian Church - Mesa, AZ Cherry Hills Community Church - Highlands Ranch, CO Christ Community Church - Elgin, IL Christ the King - Bellingham, WA Church of the King - Mandeville, LA Church of the Shepherd - St. Charles, MO Community Christian Church - Naperville, IL Compass Point Bible Church - Burlington, Ontario Coquitlam Alliance Church - Coquitlam, BC, Canada Cornwall Church - Bellingham, WA Cross Point Church - Nashville, TN Crossroads Christian Church - Evansville, IN Eastminster Presbyterian Church - Wichita, KS Eastview Christian Church - Normal, IL Experience Life Church - Lubbock, TX Fairhaven Church - Dayton, OH First Christian Church of Johnson City - Johnson City, TN First Free Church - Onalaska, WI Floris United Methodist Church - Herndon, VA Fountain Springs Church - Rapid City, SD Gateway Church - Southlake, TX Glen Ellyn Bible Church - Glen Ellyn, IL Grace Bible Church - Virginia Beach, VA Harvest Church - Billings, MT Irving Bible Church - Irving, TX Kentwood Community Church - Kentwood, MI Lake Pointe Church - Rockwall, TX Legacy Christian Church - Overland Park, KS Mountain Christian Church - Joppa, MD Pantano Christian Church - Tucson, AZ Park Community Church - Chicago, IL Pinelake Church - Brandon, MS Pleasant Valley Baptist Church - Liberty, MO Redeemer Lutheran Church - Fort Collins, CO River Pointe Church - Richmond, TX Rocky Mountain Christian Church - Niwot, CO Rolling Hills Christian Church - El Dorado Hills, CA South Bay Church - San Jose, CA Southeast Christian Church - Louisville, KY Southridge Community Church - St. Catharines, ON Canada Sparks Christian Fellowship - Sparks, NV Syndal Baptist Church - Glen Waverley, VIC Australia The Wesleyan Church - Fishers, IN Valley Ranch Baptist Church - Coppell, TX Vineyard Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH Vineyard Columbus - Westerville, OH Wayside Chapel - San Antonio, TX Willow Creek Community Church - South Barrington, IL HIGHER EDUCATION Bethlehem College & Seminary - Minneapolis, MN College of Biblical Studies - Houston - Houston, TX Crossroads Bible College - Indianapolis, IN Grace School of Theology - The Woodlands, TX Olivet Nazarene University - Bourbonnais, IL MEDIA CRISTA Media - Seattle, WA KSBJ - Humble, TX LightMelbourne - Vic, Australia Precept Ministries International - Chattanooga, TN PARACHURCH & MISSIONS Apartment Life - Euless, TX Care Net - Lansdowne, VA Children's HopeChest - Colorado Springs, CO Christian Veterinary Mission - Seattle, WA CDF Capital - Irvine, CA Coalition for Christian Outreach - Pittsburgh, PA Compassion Australia - Warabrook, NSW, Australia Compassion Canada - London, Ontario, Canada Corporate Chaplains of America - Wake Forest, NC CRISTA Ministries - Seattle, WA DiscipleMakers - State College, PA East-West Ministries - Plano, TX English Language Institute/China - Fort Collins, CO HOPE International - Lancaster, PA Jewish Voice Ministries International - Phoenix, AZ Jill's House - Vienna, VA Joni and Friends - Agoura Hills, CA Kids Around the World - Rockford, IL Light of Life Ministries, Inc. - Pittsburgh, PA Miracle Hill Ministries - Greenville, SC Novo Ministries - Oklahoma City, OK Portland Rescue Mission - Portland, OR Reasons to Believe - Covina, CA Scripture Union Scotland - Glasgow, Scotland UK Seed Company - Arlington, TX The Gideons International - Nashville, TN The Navigators - Colorado Springs, CO Union Gospel Mission Association of Spokane, Inc. - Spokane, WA Upward Sports - Spartanburg, SC Vision House - Renton, WA Water Mission - Charleston, SC Willow Creek Association - Barrington, IL Willow Creek Canada - Ottawa, Ontario Canada World Concern - Seattle, WA WorldServe Ministries (Canada) - Surrey, BC WorldVenture - Littleton, CO PRODUCTS & SERVICES ABHE (The Assoc. for Biblical Higher Education) - Orlando, FL C12 Group - Greensboro, NC / Franklin, TN CapinCrouse LLP - Greenwood, IN Christian Family Care - Phoenix, AZ Classical Conversations - West End, NC Dow Smith Contracting Company, Inc - Smyrna, TN Garland Heart - Plano, TX Lead Like Jesus Spartanburg, SC Outreach Colorado Springs, CO Samaritan Ministries International - Peoria, IL The Parable Group - San Luis Obispo, CA For more information, visit Best Christian Workplaces Institute online: www.bcwinstitute.org. Each week, find proven insights from top Christian leaders on the BCWI Blog (blog.bcwinstitute.org) and Flourishing Culture Podcast (blog.bcwinstitute.org/podcast). White House directs federal agencies to consider climate change By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. federal agencies should disclose whether their actions and decisions will have an impact on climate change, the White House announced on Tuesday. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized an update after nearly six years of consultations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a Nixon-era statute that called on officials to weigh the environmental effects of projects such as highways, dams or oil drilling. The update takes NEPA a step further by requiring agencies such as the Interior Department to the Army Corps of Engineers to quantify greenhouse gas emissions in NEPA project reviews and to describe the potential climate change impacts. "This increased predictability and certainty will allow decision makers and the public to more fully understand the potential climate impacts of all proposed federal actions," the CEQ said in a statement. This would prompt agencies to consider alternatives or propose measures to mitigate the climate impacts of a project, it said. Since the CEQ first proposed to modify NEPA in 2010 to include weighing climate change impacts, Republican lawmakers have discouraged the move saying it would be a way for the Obama administration to regulate carbon emissions without congressional approval. President Barack Obama has used executive authority to use the federal Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, oil and gas infrastructure and energy development on public lands. Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the CEQ's announcement is "a game-changer" that would ensure that federal agencies do not "approve mines that will destroy the climate, or bridges that will get washed away." Conservation group The Wilderness Society said the CEQ guidance will ensure that decisions about whether to allow energy exploration or development on federal land do not contribute to climate change. "Federal land management agencies should implement this guidance without delay, and use cutting-edge science to make climate-smart decisions," the group said. The Republican chair of the House committee on natural resources, which deals with federal land policies, said the new CEQ guidance would trigger lawsuits and effectively block every major energy or infrastructure project. It was in the summer of 2009, sometime in July, that the idea of Mountain Echoes was born. Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck had hosted a dinner where the guests included the Indian ambassador Pavan K Varma, Ravi Singh, publisher at Penguin books, and myself. Her Majesty is an accomplished writer, and her masterfully evocative book Treasures of the Dragon Kingdom had been published only recently. In the course of a splendid meal and animated conversation, not just about books, Varma suggested the idea of a literature festival in Bhutan. Her Majesty responded with enthusiasm, as did I. "Yes, and we will call it Mountain Echoes," I declared, with note of prophecy in my voice, "and it will be the most beautiful mountain festival in the world." The Jaipur Literature Festival, of which I am a co-director, had already begun to make waves. "Mountain Echoes" was the title of a book of oral biographies of Pahari women that I had edited, and a festival we at Yatra books had recently hosted in Dehradun with the Himalayan Library. Kalki Koechlin performing her monologue at Mountain Echoes 2015. (Courtesy: Mountain Echoes Facebook page) When things take off and are meant to happen, they gather a mysterious momentum and synchronicity. Here we are, with season seven of Mountain Echoes set to take off in Thimphu from August 26-28. And it is, in my biased view, the most heartachingly beautiful and evocative mountain festival in the world. Ambassador Pavan Varma and the India Bhutan Foundation brought the dream alive. With the formidable Mita Kapur of Siyahi as the producer, and me, Siok Sian Dorji, Pramod Kumar KG and Tshering Tashi as co-directors, the Bhutan Literature Festival has established a distinct and unique identity. Over the last six years we have hosted speakers like Ali Sethi, Alka Pande, Anuja Chauhan, Ashok Ferrey, Ashwin Sanghi, Barkha Dutt, Chetan Bhagat, Dasho Karma Ura, Dayanita Singh, Lopen Karma Phuntsho, Florence Noiville, Gavin Francis, Gulzar Sahib, Imtiaz Ali, Jerry Pinto, Kalki Koechlin, Kishwar Desai, Kunzang Choden, Laila Tyabji, Lily Wangchuk, Lucy Hawking, Marcus du Sautoy, Navtej Sarna, Paro Anand, Patrick French, Pawo Choyning Dorji, Sonam Kinga, Urvashi Butalia, Valmik Thapar, Vikram Seth, Wendell Rodricks and William Dalrymple. And the list goes on. The prime minister of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay, has also participated as a speaker. Her Majesty The Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the chief royal patron of Mountain Echoes, enthusiastically participates in the festival every year. The clock tower in Thimphu has echoed and resonated with music from The Raghu Dixit Project, Soulmate, Vivek Rajagopalan Quartet and Eka; and Bhutanese bands like Baby Boomers, Daydream Farmers, and Zhaw and the Ngorigaps. We have had bright-eyed youths and venerable monks, pop icons and cerebral thinkers, future prime ministers, film directors, Bollywood stars, and all manner of storytellers and thinking people in a passionate exchange of ideas and narratives. And this, our seventh year, when we welcome, among others, Amitav Ghosh and Pico Iyer, is going to be our best ever. A few flashbacks and cameos to bring these memories to life Retired police officer and Bhutanese crime writer "Yongba" Karma Tenzin asks a radiant Waheeda Rehman to sing a song for the audience, and she does! Waheeda Rehman with Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. (Courtesy: Shrirang Swarge) Arshia Sattar and Dasho Karma Ura trace the history of Hanuman in Indian mythology and religion, and discuss parallels with the "compassionate monkey" of the Jataka tales. Kalki Koechlin holds the audience spellbound with a stark dramatic monologue. Mahesh Dattani talks of theatre and things theatrical. Wendell Rodricks on style, fashion and aesthetics. Tshering Tashi on unclimbed mountains. You had to be there. I first visited Bhutan in 1999, and have been there perhaps 22 times now. I am a "Pahari" by birth and instinct, from Kumaon in the central Himalayas. Mountain people, in my understanding, are different, they have special qualities of grit and stubborn strength, wherever in the world their elevated homelands might be. I believe that the Himalayas have a continuity of culture which is not just geographical and latitudinal but goes deeper. Mountain Echoes has tried to reach out and connect on issues of environment ecology and biodiversity, and what better place on our planet than carbon-negative Bhutan? Music, oral traditions, folklore, food, and textiles connect the sweep of the Himalayan regions, and our festival is a platform for sharing these "Mountain Echoes". The ancient kingdom of Bhutan is also the youngest democracy in the world. It is an honour to have been associated with those first early years, and all of us high altitude junkies have learnt and grown and been blessed in the process. Check these links for our programme for 2016. See you at "Mountain Echoes". Dalit issues ranging from atrocities to representation to empowerment have predominantly influenced the contemporary political narrative. It is often observed that social issues are turned into misguided missiles under the influence of passionate rhetoric and emotional platitudes. Let us try to understand the Dalit problem from a dispassionate perspective. It is a perspective beyond vilification and vindication, and the purest way to decode that would be analysis on the basis of sound data and logic. As we know, the attack on Dalits by cow protection groups at Una (in Gujarat) has embarrassed India. It is an incident that has put a question mark on the progressive and forward-looking character of our nation. Incidents like these make it difficult to believe we are the same nation that sent a satellite to Mars or became part of the elite group of nations to possess Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). It is beyond doubt that the culprits in the Una incident need to be punished. We are a constitutional democracy and no one has the right to take the law into his or her own hands. The problem occurs when we are plagued with motivated perspectives while examining socially sensitive issues like the present one. The attack on Dalits by cow protection groups has, without a doubt, embarrassd the nation. In the name of social justice or for that matter standing up for the cause of the subaltern, one-sided reportage and columns are being used against the government in power at the Centre. It is not a herculean task to see that the problem of caste is more social than political in nature. Needless to say, politics does have a role in the long-term to deal with this problem because to effect any change you need resolute political will. But depoliticising the Dalit issue will be more pragmatic as National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data clearly indicate that the number of registered cases of atrocities against Dalits has been embarrassingly higher under the Congress dispensation. This is expected because the Congress has been in power at the Centre more than any other political party in the entire political history of independent India. The data for the number of registered crimes against Dalits show Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 8,075 cases in 2014, followed by Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka with 7,893, 4,114, 2,266 and 2,138 cases respectively. The BJP is not in power in any of these states. The decadal data is also important to be noted here. The number of crimes recorded in this category during 1991-2001 was 17,731, with an average of 1,612 atrocities per year. Growing assertion of Dalits through affirmative action and opening up of markets resulted in a drastic reduction of cases of atrocities in the following decade. In the period of 2002-2015, 14,634 cases of atrocities were registered with an average of 1,045 offences every year. If we dig deep into specific data like the number of rapes, murders, and other offences against the scheduled castes, one can infer that politics or the party in power has got little to do with cases of caste-related atrocities. As a case in Tamil Nadu in March 2016 highlighted, there have increasingly been assaults on Dalits by OBCs in the state. Bihar is another example where intermediate caste groups like Yadavs and Kurmis have been violently taking on the growing assertion of Dalits. Politics is a dirty game of construction and manipulation of identities. Especially social identities. Manipulating social identities is electorally advantageous and beneficial for political parties. As members of the civil society, the least we could do is to avoid cases like Una to be looked at with prejudicial and ideological lenses. The Central government, which is just about two-and-a-half-years old, has taken steps to integrate the subaltern social groups into the mainstream. On September 8, 2014, the government paid tributes to one of Kerala's visionary Dalit leaders, Mahatma Ayyanakali. On the economic front, the government is working closely with the Dalit Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), in order to promote entrepreneurship as a tool of emancipation. For this purpose Stand Up India was launched on the birth anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ram, late deputy prime minister and a great Dalit leader. In the days to come, we are likely to witness more positive stories of Dalit empowerment. A case in point is the spirit in which Milind Kamble is steering the DICCI. Last year, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the DICCI, more than 1,000 Dalit entrepreneurs assembled in New Delhi to declare that they were equal and relevant stakeholders in the growth story of India. In this meeting Kamble said: "We don't want to be jobseekers but job-givers." This one line would serve as a definite tool of emancipation for those who have been marginalised for decades. However, the situation demands that more needs to be done. A prime minister, chief minister, MLA or MP cannot do this; it needs the intervention of several key stakeholders like the media, civil society, judiciary, spiritual organisations and especially the youth of India. The author is not arguing that the Dalit scenario is good; it is still far from good. But there is hope. The Dalit narrative is replete with stories of agony, victimhood and protest. Ignoring the positive side of the story with many Dalits rising to the top echelons purely by dint of their efforts and merit would be a great disservice to the Dalit cause. What we forgot in the case of Una is that the enlightened citizenry of Una decried such attempts of the cow vigilantes and initiated a social boycott in clear terms that no social interaction (marriage, for instance) would be done with the families of the accused. home World ISIS crucifies man for apostasy in Syria The Islamic State militants executed and crucified a civilian man in Aleppo on Thursday after accusing him of apostasy, according to activists and eyewitnesses. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) terrorist group accused 28-year-old Hussein Muhammad of being an apostate after he refused to join the Islamic prayers at the mosque. They arrested Muhammad, executed him by gunfire and then crucified his dead body on an electric pole in central al-Bab for everyone to see. "The Sharia Court accused Muhammad of apostasy for refusing to join prayers at the mosque," an activist, who spoke anonymously, told ARA News. "A Sharia judge decided to execute and crucify the man in public, claiming he was an apostate who refused to perform Sharia duties and violated the basic laws of the Caliphate," the activist added. Thousands of residents in al-Bab gathered to witness the public execution Thursday afternoon, reported Ahmed al-Beik, a rights activist. "The victims' body will remain crucified for three days, and ISIS threatened people that anyone who would try to remove him will be mercilessly punished," al-Beik said. According to Jihad Watch, an organization that exposes jihad theology and ideology to apprise the world of the real situation, the Islamic law includes the capital punishment for those charged with apostasy. Bukhari 9.84.57, a hadith, quotes Prophet Muhammad as saying, "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most respected Muslim cleric in the world, said that Islamic judges for both Sunni and Shi'ite Islam agree that apostates must be punished. He added that the four main schools of jurisprudence, namely Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali and the other four (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-'ashriyyah, Al-Ja'fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) all agree that capital punishment must be handed on apostates. "If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn't exist today," Jihad Watch quoted the Muslim cleric as saying. home US South Carolina church shooter's lawyers argue that federal death penalty is unconstitutional Attorneys for a white man accused of killing nine black parishioners in a racially motivated attack at a South Carolina church a year ago argued that their client should not face the death penalty, asserting the punishment is unconstitutional. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Dylann Roof, 22, who is accused of opening fire on a Bible study session at Charleston's historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. The shooting shook the country and intensified debate over U.S. race relations, which were already roiled by numerous high-profile police killings of unarmed black people. Attorneys for Roof argued in a document filed in a U.S. District Court in South Carolina on Monday that the federal death penalty is "cruel and unusual punishment" and, as a result, violates the U.S. Constitution. "No one can be lawfully sentenced to death or executed under it, no matter what his crimes," the attorneys wrote in the motion. A court ruling that the Federal Death Penalty Act is unconstitutional would allow Roof to plead guilty and proceed to the sentencing phase of his case in which he could be to life in prison without parole, his attorneys said. In an earlier court filing, federal prosecutors cited a number of factors for seeking the death penalty, saying Roof singled out victims who were black and elderly, and showed no remorse. They also cited "substantial planning and premeditation." The argument that the death penalty is unconstitutional is a typical line of defense. The federal trial against Roof is set to begin on Nov. 7. Federal death sentences are rarely carried out in the United States. Roof also faces a state capital punishment trial, which is scheduled to begin in January. Roof faces different charges in each case. State prosecutors in South Carolina charged him with murder and attempted murder, while federal prosecutors charged him with 33 counts including hate crimes, obstruction of religion and firearms offenses. One phrase from Michelle Obamas speech at last weeks Democratic National Convention has echoed around television, radio and social media. It has historic connections to our region. I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, Mrs. Obama said in her keynote. The first ladys remark about the White House needs to be taken in context to be properly understood. The three paragraphs of which it is part won enthusiastic applause from the party delegates in Philadelphia. The comment received instant attention online and on air, perhaps most notably from commentator Bill OReilly on his Fox News program. He deemed her assertion as essentially correct, then added: Slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government ... These laborers were, however, held in bondagewithout any say about their food, lodgings or working conditions, we would note. What sprang to our minds, though, was that the Mrs. Obama opened the door for a closer look at the history of the nations capital and where the people and materials to build it came from. Enslaved people actually built many of the early public buildings in Washington, D.C. Did slaves do it alone? No, of course not. They worked with a mix of free Americans and newly arrived immigrants on these monumental, years-long projects. Their handiwork includes the White House, Capitol, the Treasury Department and the U.S. Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery). Washingtons French-born architect, Pierre LEnfant, designed the federal city with those major landmarks in mind, giving them prominent sites in the capitals unique streetscape. The stone for these important structures (and others), each designed to impress onlookers and testify to Americans ambitious hopes for the young republic, came from Stafford County. Quarries near the Potomac River offered one of the mid-Atlantics only known sources for such building blocks. One still sees this Aquia freestone, so named for the ease with which it could be split and carved, in many of the regions most significant historic buildingsincluding the lovely Aquia Church in North Stafford, Fredericksburgs Old Town Hall and the U.S. Capitols Crypt and Statuary Hall. Best of all, you also can see one of the places where men wrested the sandstone from the earth, their chisel marks still obvious. Stafford Countys Government Island park, on Aquia Creek, is both a nature preserve and a historic site of national importance. Just ask White House historians or the architect of the Capitol, who have trekked to Stafford to visit what author and historian Jane Hollenbeck Conner, who saved Government Island from modern development, calls the birthstone of their buildings. In 1790, George Washington signed a congressional measure designating a site where the Anacostia River flows into the Potomac as the spot for what became Washington City. A year later, LEnfantthe first presidents chosen planner for the capitalbought the island about 40 miles down river for $3,192 for the governments use. There, stonemason Collen Williamson trained enslaved people whojoining European immigrants and white laborers from Virginia and Marylandquarried and cut the rough stone that was shipped to Washington, then dressed and laid by Scottish masons to erect the presidents House. Jesse Holland, author of Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering AfricanAmerican History In and Around Washington, D.C., puts it thus: African American slaves [dug] the foundation that the White House sits on today. African American slaves sawed the lumber. They baked the bricks. They quarried the marble. The D.C. commissioners, tasked by Congress with building the city, wanted to import laborers from Europe to do the job, according to the White House Historical Society. But not enough workers could be recruited, so they relied on African Americansthe majority enslavedto provide most of the labor that built the White House, the Capitol and other early government buildings. Slave owners in Maryland and Virginia, including White House architect James Hoban, rented their human property to contractors. The HBO miniseries John Adams depicted the general scene when John and Abigail Adams became the first first couple to occupy the Executive Mansion. The African Americans did unimaginable back-breaking work, says Clarence Lusane, author of The Black History of the White House. ... nobody was really willing ... to do it. So slave labor played a massive role in getting this city built. Those facts are uncomfortable. And Mrs. Obamas remark was met with defensiveness by some. But surely, this is a history lesson the world should know. It illustrates how far America has come, and has yet to go. It is proof of the American dream, which we must build anew every day. A high-voltage electrical fire Friday severely damaged the interior of the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Behavioral Health Clinic in the town of Culpeper, shuttering a site that provides crucial mental health services. No one was injured in the blaze that began in the basement at 650 Laurel Street, next to the Culpeper Health Department and hospital. The fire was not related to ongoing renovations to the building built by the agency in the 1970s, according to Rapahannock-Rapidan Community Services Director Brian Duncan. The fire rendered the building unusable, he told the board of supervisors Tuesday morning, and it wont be fixed and reopened for up to eight months. In the meantime, clients are being referred to the agencys Bradford Road site for services or out-of-county. Duncan said he hoped to have a temporary rental office operational within the next few weeks. However, the fire is curtailing the new, anticipated rapid response counseling services the agency launched just four weeks ago, addressing long wait times in non-emergency situations. Once the behavioral health clinic is temporarily re-established in Culpeper, the public can walk in from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and talk to a counselor about mental health or substance abuse issues. Whereas it used to take months to get an appointment in a non-emergency, now it will be available same day. You can come in and you will be seen, Duncan said. He said his agency provides the safety net for people without insurance or who are under-insured. In addition to the rapid response model recently implemented, community services is preparing to open a crisis intervention drop-off site at the local hospital where law enforcement can drop off individuals experiencing a mental health crisis for evaluation versus law enforcement having to remain with the individuals while they are evaluated. Duncan said they hope to activate the drop-off center in October, and that it would be open about 100 hours per week. Its an exciting development for our region, he said. In other news, Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services recently broke ground in Elkwood on a new rehab center for adults with intellectual disabilities with an estimated completion date by next spring. The Culpeper Senior Nutrition Site on U.S. Avenue, meanwhile, is nearing the end of its extensive rehabilitation slated for completion in October, Duncan told the board Tuesday. Considering what we had to work with, it really is going to be nice, he said. Culpeper County Supervisor Jack Frazier referred to the agencys Fiscal Year 2017 program plan in commenting on the more than 13,000 people in the five-county region struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, including the heroin and opiate epidemic sweeping the nation. That number there is pretty high, Frazier said. He questioned if medication-assisted treatment was available in Culpeper, providing, for example, daily doses of methadone for those seeking to get off of heroin. So people can still stay productive by taking these step-down drugs, Frazier said. Duncan said he supports the option, but that there is no funding to start that service at this time. In addition, he said, there is a lack of local doctors interested in or willing to provide medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction. Duncan added, however, that he anticipated such services would soon be available since the heroin epidemic is getting so much attention. I wish we had the money to hire a medical practitioner to provide the service hopefully soon, he said. Seventy-five years ago, the world blew up in just six months. World War II ostensibly started two years earlier, when Germany invaded Poland. In truth, after the rapid German defeat of Poland in September 1939, the conflict was mostly confined to Western Europe for nearly the next two years. By summer of 1940, only Britain had survived Hitlers European victories. The dormant European war only went global on June 22, 1941, when Germany suddenly surprise-attacked the Soviet Union, its former partner. America and Asia were still not directly involved in the 1941 expansion of the war until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and British Malaya on December 7-8. Yet the war was even then not truly global until Germany and Italy inexplicably declared war on the United States on December 11. America was suddenly mired in a two-front war on land, sea and in the air against the Axis powers from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert, and from the coast of Florida to China. These three calamitous events of 1941 marked the real beginning of World War II, in which some 65 million perished, more than 60 percent of them civilians. Hitler had no need to attack the Soviet Union, a vast country that even Napoleon could not successfully invade and one that was supplying vast amounts of natural resources to his German war machine. Japan likewise had no reason to bomb the British and Americans in the Pacific. Neither democracy was planning to start a war with the Japanese. Industrial Japan could have gotten most of its oil from the Dutch East Indies, modern Indonesia. Its colonial master, the Netherlands, had been conquered by Germany and was no longer a colonial power. An aggressive Japan likewise could easily have had all of Indochina and other orphaned European colonies without triggering a war against the worlds two largest navies. Had Germany not declared war on the United States after Pearl Harbor, it is likely that America would have focused on Japan and left Britain alone to fight Germany just as it had done since 1939. So why did the three Axis powers commit such blunders that would lose them the new global war in less than four years? Nations, like people, are irrational. After conquering all of Western Europe, Hitlers Germany felt itself invincible. It saw the Soviet Union as weak and ripe for a double-cross. Japan had carved out large swaths of China and likewise felt all-powerful. It had little respect for an isolationist America, in the same manner that Hitler had discounted Russia. Italy and Germany ignored the obvious industrial might of the United States. They declared war without calculating that they could not even make an aircraft carrier or four-engine bomber, while America could produce them in huge numbers. Hitler and Mussolini also never stopped to think that neither power could reach America, while the United States had the potential to bomb Europe and make a military landing there. All three Axis powers boasted of the superiority of their fascist militaries. But the Germans, Japanese and Italians never paused to add up the populations, resources and economies not to mention the morale and determination of their new global enemies: Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States. Collectively, the Allies enjoyed vastly greater assets than the Axis powers. What can we learn about the Axis powers disastrous choices of that fateful year, 75 years ago? Weaker nations often stupidly start wars against stronger ones, especially if they think national strength is judged only by willpower and not by factories, oil, resources, arms and men. Wars also take on a strange logic of their own. Once the shooting starts, leaders whip up public opinion, seek out new enemies and allies, and delude themselves that their conflict will be neither long nor costly. Today, terrorist groups such as ISIS and nations such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran all wrongly believe that much stronger but sometimes directionless Europe and the United States are weakening and have lost deterrence. In a sane world, it would be utter folly for ISIS to try to repeat a 9/11-like terrorist attack. It makes little sense for Russia to annex the Baltic states in the manner of the Crimea. It would be stupid for China to prompt a sea or air fight with Japan or Taiwan. Nonetheless, all these powers may convince themselves the perceived benefits outweigh the costs. Iran has concluded that rogue countries that acquired a bomb (North Korea and Pakistan) became more powerful and respected by the West, but nations that gave up their nuclear programs (Libya) or had them dismantled (Syria and Iraq) either were conquered or torn apart. We should be careful this anniversary year. War starts when weak but aggressive nations are deluded into believing that they are powerful and wrongly conclude that the truly strong and rational are somehow weak. Contact Victor Davis Hanson author, most recently, of The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern by emailing author@victorhanson.com. 2016, Tribune Content Agency, LLC Columnists get complaints. After my last column (which argued that maybe the economy is better than we say), I got one from Alice Lang of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She accused me (politely) of ignoring the long-term unemployed, of which she is one. After our conversation, I asked her to put her thoughts in an email. Heres what she wrote, slightly edited. Its a powerful counterpoint for me and, I think, for readers. (Note: Lang, an advocate for the long-term unemployed, made similar complaints to a Forbes columnist in 2015.) Dear Mr. Samuelson, I dont think you fully understand what it is like to be a well-educated American who has been shut out of the economy. Unfortunately, there are thousands like me who have been unable to restart careers after the Great Recession and are facing frustration and despair as long-term unemployment drags on and on. I am 54. My background includes a Masters degree in history and a Certificate in Teaching English as a second language (ESL). I have worked as a journalist and was an ESL instructor for five years at a local college before my job was downsized in 2014 due to budget cuts. Since then, I have been unable to find full-time work, even though I have been diligently networking and applying for jobs. I currently write a monthly business column for The Spartanburg Herald-Journal (for free) about employment issues and also write contracts to try to stay solvent. Although I agree that our economic expectations were raised during the 1990s boom, I dont think it is a false expectation for Americans to want good paying, full-time jobs. Unfortunately, many of the 14 million jobs created (since the employment low-point), which you mention in your column, are low-wage, part-time service jobs which are not what people need in order to support themselves and their families. In Spartanburg, very few white-collar jobs have been created. Instead, the new jobs are in fast-food restaurants and distribution centers, which are popping up everywhere due to our low cost of land. Every day, I read articles from national newspapers, and I am continually dismayed and angered by journalists that accept without question the government statistics of glowing successes in job creation. Whatever happened to investigative journalism? Why arent reporters looking beyond the statistics to the thousands of real people still suffering from long-term unemployment? The anger driving this election cycle comes from voters in financial distress. The media is misinformed when they state that only blue-collar workers and uneducated people supported the anti-establishment candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. People in the middle class, who are being pushed into poverty, also supported them. I care deeply about long-term unemployment because I know first-hand the damage it inflicts on a persons health and well-being. I am very concerned that none of our leaders will admit to the severity of the issue. In past recessions, having a college degree gave one an edge to get back to work. This time, members of the well-educated middle class have been left on the sidelines. As one of the long-term unemployed, I can tell you that we feel voiceless and invisible. *** Its hard not to be moved. But its also worth remembering that the employment situation has improved. The basic statistics are these: In June, there were nearly 2 million workers who had been unemployed for more than 27 weeks the usual definition of long-term joblessness, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was about a quarter of the 7.8 million unemployed. Both figures were down from their peaks. In April 2010, the long-term unemployed totaled 6.8 million, about 44 percent of the 15.3 million then unemployed. Still, the numbers are meaningless if you cant find a job. 2016, Washington Post Writers Group If youve recently taken a trip to the Acadian town of Cheticamp, on the west coast of Cape Breton, you may have noticed a modernistic new addition. In the summer of 2014, Dalhousie Architecture students created an innovative, wooden banana-shaped structure to house the weekly farmers market. This design, known as a gridshell, not only protects vendors and market-goers from the strong southeasterly winds, it also draws in local tourists with its fresh, contemporary look. The gridshell was created by Dal Architecture students part of a unique design-build course called Coastal Studio. Created by Architecture Professor Ted Cavanagh, its open to students like Sarah Dede and Josh Nieves taking their Master of Architecture (MArch) degrees. The program allows them to work with their hands and see the fine lines of drawings come to life. A unique learning environment We had been working in the field for a few years but what we really wanted to do was work with our hands, explains Josh. In offices, you dont quite get it. You can understand how things go together but its completely different when you assemble something yourself. Architects are always concerned with the final product, but this is teaching us a little bit more about the process to achieving that final product. Dalhousie has such a long history of amazing design build programs, explains Sarah, who, like Josh, came to Dalhousie from San Antonio, Texas. This program is what sparked our interest in Dalhousie. It sounded really neat and like something we would definitely be interested in. Once we found out we were accepted we were so excited to make the move to Canada. Currently, Sarah, Josh and other Dalhousie students are working on a gridshell design for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park (below). This will be the fifth and final gridshell from the collaborative series between Dalhousie, the University of Arizona, University of North Carolina Charlotte, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette. This is a multi-purpose pavilion that will hopefully be used for concerts, weddings, and anything the community wants, says Sarah. We are working really hard to use local materials, too. For instance, the wood we are using for the roof is locally sourced, as is the stone and slate for the flooring. Theyre trying to pull a younger crowd and audience to the park, adds Josh. Theyre trying to ramp up the infrastructure of the park so more people will want to come check it out. Bridging the gap Design-build courses like Costal Studio help set Dals Architecture program apart, and giving students the opportunity to work with their hands while using concepts they have previously learned in class is an incredibly valuable opportunity. I think Costal Studio really allows students to bridge that gap between class or office work and real life experience in the field, states Sarah. The ideas we learn in class become an Aha! moment when youre out in the field with your tools. Its cool to think to yourself, I remember learning this in class, and then using that knowledge in a real life situation. Learn more about Coastal Studio and its work at its website. Hyundai is marking the success of its most famous SUV in the Indian market, the Creta, by bringing out a special Anniversary Edition. We got a glimpse of this car when Hyundai gifted the first SUV of the lot to badminton player Saina Nehwal in July this year during it's unveiling in Banglore. We figured out the changes made on the special Creta and also spoke with Hyundai Dealerships in Delhi which are expecting its arrival soon. So if you are interested in this special Creta, do have a look at the expected changes it will come with. 1. Colour Scheme: Just one! This edition will only be available in white colour. Its a safe choice and we must say, white with all the rest of the bodywork does make this special edition standout 2. Trim: Again, just one! It will be available only on the SX+ trim 3. Engine: Both petrol and diesel engines will be available in this edition 4. Blackened Top: The roof along with pillars will get a glossy black paint. Its a nice contrast overall w.r.t the white colour scheme on offer 5. Body decals: It will endorse the 1 Anniversary Edition decal on the C-pillars while dual colour decal strips in matte grey and red are also a part of the package 6. No chrome bar at the back: Yes, for many who felt that the use of chrome is a bit too loud, Hyundai has made a change at the back. This edition will sport a body-coloured bar at the top of the number plate on the tailgate instead of a chrome set-up. 7. Interiors: On the inside, Hyundai has used a red and black theme to jazz up the interiors. The seats adorn a red layout along with red stitching on the sides. The dashboard also gets the red flavour on the vertically-stacked AC vents while the rest of the cabin gets a black treatment. The steering wheel will be draped in leather. On the whole, the cabin does appear sporty. 8. Only in Manual, No Automatic: From what we could gather, this edition will only be available with manual transmission On the mechanical front, the engines will remain unaltered. Bookings have started for this edition, Hyundai is expecting deliveries to commence sometime soon. Although, we could not close in on the exact premium that Hyundai will ask for this edition, but one can expect an increase of Rs 35,000-40,000 for the Anniversary Edition Creta. Source: CarDekho.com Hyundai India recently marked the completion of a decade-long partnership with the Chennai Port Trust. On this occasion, Hyundai India has received a cheque of Rs 19.69 crore from Cyril C George, the chairman of Chennai Port Trust. The payment comes as a refund of wharfage charges for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Hyundai has exported more than 2 million cars from India since 2006 and has received a total wharfage refund of Rs 165 crore. After the companys inception in 1996, HMIL started exporting via the Chennai Port from the year 2000. This was followed by a treaty that was signed between Hyundai India and Chennai Port in 2006. Hyundai Motor Company had assigned HMIL as a small car export hub. Prior to the treaty, HMIL exported three lakh cars through the Chennai Port. Commenting on the occasion, managing director, HMIL, YK Koo said, Exports have been integral to HMIL and we are happy to have had a great partnership with the Chennai Port which has only grown and strengthened over the years. This association has not only helped catapult Hyundai as the No.1 exporter for over a decade, but also helped HMIL play a critical role in Hyundais global operations. The partnership has been further strengthened as HMIL shipped no less than 800 cars from the Chennai Port to Pipavav in order to realise the latters goal of making coastal RoRo voyages. The maiden Coastal RoRo voyage set sail from the East to the West coast of India. For Hyundai Motor Company, HMIL plays a critical role in the global export department. HMIL currently exports passenger cars to around 92 countries across Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific. Source: Zigwheels.com InterGlobe President Aditya Ghosh said IndiGo still expects to have a total of 24 A320neo planes in its fleet by the end of this fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. New Delhi: Indian budget airline IndiGo might have to delay taking delivery of more Airbus A320neo planes to allow Pratt & Whitney time to sort out engine problems, the carrier's owner said on Monday. IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation, has ordered 430 A320neo narrow-body aircraft in total, making it one of Airbus's largest customers. InterGlobe President Aditya Ghosh said IndiGo still expects to have a total of 24 A320neo planes in its fleet by the end of this fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, if there are no delays in taking delivery due to engine problems. "Pratt & Whitney and Airbus both are trying very hard to fix the issues. Right now we just want them to focus on that and meet those timelines they have given us," Ghosh told a call with analysts. Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, has encountered problems with slow engine startup times and erroneous engine software messages in the new engine, already causing a delay in the delivery of planes to customers. IndiGo, India's largest airline, received its first A320neo in March after a three-month delay and has taken delivery of another four since then. "Operationally the A320neo continues to be a challenge," Ghosh said, adding that problems with the engines on its existing A320neo planes were making it difficult for IndiGo to maintain flight schedules. InterGlobe reported a 7 per cent fall in net profit for the fiscal first quarter on Monday, blaming competitive air fares in India's booming aviation market that is clocking up 20 percent annual growth in passenger numbers. Net profit for the April-June quarter fell to 5.92 billion rupees ($89 million), from 6.39 billion rupees a year ago. Total income from operations at the budget carrier rose 8.7 per cent to 45.79 billion rupees. IndiGo said it increased its fleet size to 109 during the quarter. The company also reduced its debt by 4.59 billion rupees to 27.86 billion rupees by retiring debt related to three aircraft taken on a finance lease. Telecom minister Manoj Sinha on Tuesday launched Twitter sewa for redressal of grievances of the citizens in the telecom and postal sectors. New Delhi: Consumers can now complain about their telecom issues like call drop and over-charging through Twitter to the telecom department. Telecom minister Manoj Sinha on Tuesday launched Twitter sewa for redressal of grievances of the citizens in the telecom and postal sectors. People having any complaints can tweet to twitter handle of the minister @manojsinhabjp. The telecom ministry and department of post will henceforth compile a list of complaints from this Twitter Sewa and categorise them into immediate, mid-term and long-term complaints. Complaints received against any telecom operator and Department of Post (DOP) on my Twitter handle will be communicated to the concerned telecom operator and DOP immediately for quick resolution and better service, Mr Sinha said. He said that telecom service providers are expected to resolve the complaints forwarded to them under this arrangement. The challenge is gigantic as India has the biggest postal network in the world and the number of mobile-phone subscribers had already crossed 1 billion in January this year. Therefore, we are aware that complaints are going to pour in from across the country and in great numbers. But I would like to assure you that ministry will rise up to this challenge, he said. Twitter India Head for news, politics, government Raheel Khursheed said Twitter Sewa platform is free for government departments and the company expects to gain subscribers in the country from this. Telecom minister also underlined that there are chances that this twitter Sewa may be misused by some rogue elements but he expressed the hope that Twitter authorities will take care of the same. Mr Sinha expressed hope that all parties involved in the scheme shall use the utility of Twitter sewa to the fullest to address the grievances of the public. The ruling BJP has issued a whip to all its Rajya Sabha MPs to be present in the House, where it is in minority. New Delhi: Indias biggest tax reform is finally set to become a reality with the main opposition Congress indicating its support for the long-pending constitution amendment bill for GST in the Rajya Sabha, following months of backroom bargaining. Racing against time to roll out a national goods and services tax (GST) from April next year, the government has listed the Constitution (122nd Amendment) bill, 2014, for discussion and approval in the Upper House on Wednesday. The ruling BJP has issued a whip to all its Rajya Sabha MPs to be present in the House, where it is in minority. The government has been working overtime to pass the crucial legislation in the ongoing monsoon session of parliament and has been holding intense consultations with the Congress and other regional political parties to reach a consensus. Finance minister Arun Jaitley met senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma once more on Monday, besides other leaders to bring about a consensus on the bill. Following the meeting, Anand Sharma said that his party had reached broad understanding with the government over key provisions of the GST bill. GST being a constitution amendment bill needs the nod of two-third members. In the 245-member Upper House it needs approval of 163 lawmakers. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 72 MPs in Rajya Sabha, and hence, the support of other political parties is crucial for the passage of GST. Lok Sabha had already passed the bill in May last year, but once Rajya Sabha passes the amended bill, it will need to be ratified by the Lower House. The bill will then need to be ratified by at least 15 states in their respective assemblies before the President gives his assent for its enactment. First proposed by the Congress in 2006, the GST regime seeks to subsume all indirect taxes levied by the Centre and states and create a common market across the country by removing all fiscal barriers. Policy makers and industry analysts expect GST to boost Indias economic growth by up to 2 per cent. The GST bill is listed for consideration and passage on Wednesday in Rajya Sabha and we seek support of all political parties. The mood is in favour of its passage, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said. In a meeting of empowered committee of state finance ministers on July 26 almost all the states had come on board on the key provisions of the constitution amendment bill, signalling its passage in the current session of parliament. It was agreed at that meeting that the 1 per cent additional levy over and above the central and the state GST would be dropped. Subsequently, the next day, the Union cabinet approved the proposal to do away with the levy and also gave its nod for wordings in the bill for full compensation to states in the event of revenue loss from the new tax regime. With this one, of the key demands put forward by the Congress was met, raising hope for the bills imminent passage. The other two demands of the Congress were capping the GST rate at 18 per cent in the constitution itself and more say for states in the proposed GST council. As the states in the empowered committee meeting rejected the idea of fixing the threshold for the GST and putting it in the constitution, the Congress was cornered on its demand. (This story originally appeared on Financial Chronicle) The complaints lodged through Twitter Sewa will be available to the ministry officials and can be categorised immediate, mid-term and long-term complaints. New Delhi: Telecom and postal service users can now file complaints with the government directly on social media platform Twitter. Communications Minister Manoj Sinha launched Twitter Sewa for registration and resolution of complaints. The complaints lodged through Twitter Sewa will be available to the ministry officials and can be categorised immediate, mid-term and long-term complaints. With this the department will be able to respond in real-time to complaints, assign it to relevant officers, assign criticality and track the complaints. "Complaints received against any telecom operator and Department of Post (DOP) on my Twitter handle will be communicated to the concerned telecom operator and DOP immediately for quick resolution and better service," Sinha said. The platform will also address grievances raised against private players. "I hope both government, Private Telecom service provider make use of this tool fullest to its potential to serve the customer," Sinha said. Twitter India Head for News, Politics, Government Raheel Khursheed said to register complaints a customer will only need to tweet and the platform will pick key words used in the complaint to forward it to concerned authorities. "People can use four commands to escalate their complaints. These are #DoTSewa, #BSNLSewa, #MTNLSewa, #PostalSewa," Khursheed said. He said the Twitter Sewa platform is free for government departments and the company expects to gain subscribers in the country from this. Twitter Sewa platform is being used by Railway, External Affairs and Commerce Ministry. The social media giant is in discussion with the Home Ministry, Health Ministry, MyGov etc for bringing them on to this platform. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Rabia is demanding a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleging that CBI, currently investigating the case, had concurred with the finding of the Mumbai police. Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday asked Rabia Khan, mother of late actress Jiah Khan whose body was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her house in 2013, to draw a list pointing out anomalies, if any, in the probe made by police and CBI into the death of her daughter. While Mumbai police and CBI have concluded that it was a case of suicide, Rabia claimed her daughter was murdered and demanded that Jiah's actor boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi should be tried for murder and not for abetment of suicide. Rabia is demanding a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleging that CBI, currently investigating the case, had concurred with the finding of the Mumbai police, that Jiah's death was a case of suicide and not homicide. A division bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil asked Rabia to prepare the list of anomalies and submit it on August 23. The bench said the list should have three columns -- one listing anomalies in police probe, the second enumerating anomalies in CBI investigation and the third mentioning Rabia's views on the points left out in the probe. Rabia's lawyer Dhairyasheel Patil pointed out anomalies saying the probe had not taken into account the BBM (mobile) messages exchanged between Jiah and Sooraj. He claimed Sooraj had deleted these messages but this aspect was not considered in the probe. Patil also pointed out that the post mortem report had mentioned that Jiah's neck bore an injury mark which indicated she might have been strangulated or assaulted but this too had not been considered by the investigating authorities. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, however, said that CBI had consulted on the injury mark an expert from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who had ruled out murder while asserting that it was a case of suicide. Singh also said that the probe done by CBI was in the right direction and the allegations levelled by Rabia were baseless. Sooraj was arrested on charge of abetting her suicide on June 10, 2013, a week after the body of the actress was found hanging at her residence here. He was released on July 2, 2013, after the high court granted him bail. The year 2014 saw Salman Khan make a very interesting debut. He launched his production house SKF (Salman Khan Films) and even released his first film, Dr Cabbie. The production house followed it up with films such as Hero and even the big budget Salman starrer, Bajrangi Bhaijaan. However, all these films so far have had support from another studio, which has a big clout in distribution, not only in India, but worldwide as well. However, in a major development, the actor plans to go completely solo soon, with his next release with Kabir Khan, Tubelight. A source reveals, Salman has a team at his production house to plan things in advance. He wanted to set up a production house that will be independent with time and will make and release films on its own. Since its inception, they have done a lot of homework and made a strong long-term plan. As for the actor, his stardom is only getting bigger with each release. So the team now feels that the production house can finally handle everything on its own. Salman is currently in Mumbai and will leave for Ladakh in soon to start shooting for Tubelight. Amar Butala, CEO of Salman Khan Films is overlooking the entire process to ensure nothing goes wrong. A source adds, Apart from production, SK Films will also market and release the film on its own. Instead of selling their film to a studio, they will be taking on the risk of doing it themselves. Meanwhile, his last release, Sultan, continues its march towards Rs 300 crore. Leonardo Di-Caprio was recently spotted in Ibiza, Spain, lounging on a private yacht with girlfriend Nina Agdal and his good friend Tobey Maguire. A few days ago, the Oscar-winning actor took to Twitter to remind fans how important it is to vote for leaders who take climate change seriously. I believe in science. I believe that climate change is real @HillaryClinton. The time is now. Vote, he tweeted, showing his support of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Leo will also host Hillary for a fundraiser later this month, reports Variety.com. The event on 23 August is priced at $33,400-per-person and is billed as a Conversation with Hillary. They say the apple doesnt fall too far from the tree and it is true as far as Aparna Shibu is concerned. The daughter of Malayalam director Shibu Balan, Aparna grew up watching her father assisting Sathyan Anthikad in various films before he turned independent through the Sreenivasan-Sangeetha-starrer Nagaravaridhi Naduvil Njaan. In fact, she said that it was to Sathyan Anthikad she first revealed her acting dreams. The ace director encouraged Aparna to follow her dreams and that gave her the confidence to forge ahead. Aparna says, My father is a director and I have hence grown up seeing him work behind the camera. Though everything looks very easy on screen, there is a lot of hard work involved behind the scenes and I was privy to that. I wanted to know more about the art of film- making but my father wanted me to concentrate on my studies and get a professional degree. Thrissur based Aparna went on to do her B Tech in computer Engineering and later decided to do a course in airport management and find work in Kolkata but she had a small break in between. A happy chain of events was set in motion during the break, about which she explains, My father was doing his film and was looking for assistant directors so he enquired if I would be able to assist? I did not have anything to do at that moment and so ended up assisting him. I was in charge of costume continuity and though it is only a small part of a huge canvas, I understood how important and integral each phase is to the overall perfection of a film! I also knew that I had to assist in a lot more films to glean experience about film making. Meanwhile she worked in a bank but found the work pace too hectic so she decided to quit her job. Though Aparna has done various jobs, she emphasizes, I like doing a lot of things but my ultimate aim is films." Currently the pretty girl is donning the avatar of a VJ for a leading channel about which she says, I got a call from the channel and did an audition after which I was selected. It was out of curiosity that I started VJing but I have come to love my job now. Meanwhile her film dreams are in place and she adds, I want to act and I received an offer but the project did not take off. I want to start my innings through a good banner. My father prefers not to launch me and he too advised me to start off with a good banner. So the wait is on. The fight between junior artistes association and the rest of Tollywood took an ugly turn as each party unleashed charges against each other after the attack on producer Achchi Babu. According to sources, the agents of some junior artistes allegedly barged into the producers guest house with goons on July 26, physically assaulted him and forced him to sign blank cheques and promissory notes seeking immediate payment of their dues. The total remuneration for the junior artists was totalled to the tune of Rs 15.5 lakh. Condemning the attack on Achchi Babu, actor Manchu Manoj alleged, The junior artistes associations of Vizag have no affiliation to the Film Federation of Hyderabad. These associations are mostly hiring non-card holders as junior artists for peanuts. They have formed into a syndicate and turn into dictators for producers and artistes. Achchi Babu is the producer of Manojs upcoming film, the shooting of which has been going on at a set erected near Muthyalamma Palem near Parawada in Vizag for the past 15 days. By bringing non-card holders, who have no experience with shooting, at least two hours of our time are wasted each day to train them. I had already paid `10 lakh and we were in talks with them over their pay, but they made threatening calls and attacked me. After making us pay Rs 850 for each artistes a day, they pay them just Rs 250 to Rs 350, Achchi Babu said. Director Ajay Andrews alleged that the agents, who were acting as leaders of junior artistes associations, were also part of other unions, including drivers unions. According to Parawada CI B.Ch. Swami Naidu, both parties, including the producer and junior artistes agents, lodged complaints against each other on Monday night. Manchu Manoj turns Tiger Manchu Manoj is all set to don the role of an LTTE commander in his upcoming film, tentatively titled as Okkadu Migiladu under the banner of SNR Films. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Manoj said that he would play two roles in two different time periods 1990 and 2016. We felt that Vizag was the apt location for this periodic drama set in the 90s and our producer erected a `75-lakh set. Major sequences of the film were already shot with military helicopters, artillery guns and 600 fighters in 15 days. The film has historic significance and takes a peek into LTTE operations, reveals Manoj. The changes come as McDonald's competes with other restaurant chains that are overhauling their menus to make them more appealing to health-conscious consumers. (Photo: Pixabay) Oak Brook, Illinois: McDonald's Corp has removed chickens raised with antibiotics that are important to human medicine from its U.S. supply chain months ahead of schedule, part of its drive to target increasingly health-conscious consumers. The fast food company also said it is removing artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets and several breakfast items and rolling out new hamburger buns that do not contain high fructose corn syrup. The changes come as McDonald's competes with other restaurant chains that are overhauling their menus to make them more appealing to consumers seeking healthier options. McDonald's is "more customer-obsessed than ever before," McDonald's USA President Mike Andres told reporters. Some health experts have raised concerns that the overuse of antibiotics for poultry may diminish their effectiveness in fighting disease in humans. The company had previously planned to phase out chickens raised with antibiotics important to human medicine by March 2017. It completed the move earlier due to quicker than expected work by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which helped to verify that the birds were not given the drugs, said Marion Gross, senior vice president of McDonald's North American supply chain. Artificial preservatives will be removed from McDonald's pork sausage patties, eggs served on McGriddles sandwiches and scrambled eggs served on breakfast platters, according to the company. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fatty fish like salmon or albacore tuna per week. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help the heart heal itself after a heart attack, according to a new study High doses, derived from fish oil and taken daily for six months after a heart attack, helped reduce scarring in the heart muscle and increase its ability to pump blood, researchers found. "Omega-3 fatty acids have been studied for decades and have a direct beneficial effect on the heart," said senior author Dr. Raymond Y. Kwong, director of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. But in two trials of fish oil for heart attack survivors, the results had been conflicting, he said. One trial found that the supplements did reduce the risk of death shortly after heart attack, while another found no benefit. Those trials administered one gram of the supplement per day. For the new study, 360 heart attack survivors were randomly assigned to take either omega-3 supplements or a placebo, starting within a month of hospitalization and continued for six months. Patients in the omega-3 group took four times the dose as those in the previous two trials: four one-gram capsules of Lovaza, a prescription fish oil, every day. The placebo group took corn oil capsules. All patients received lifestyle counseling and were monitored by doctors to make sure their drug regimens did not interact adversely with additional fish oil or placebo pills. They had cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before starting the capsules and after therapy six months later, according to a report released by the journal Circulation. After six months, compared to the placebo group, those in the fish oil group had less fibrosis, or thickening and scarring, of the heart muscle in the region of the heart attack. The also had less blood left in the left ventricle of the heart after the heart muscle fully contracted, which means the heart was pumping more effectively. Some people are better able to absorb and utilize fish oil, and those with the biggest increase in red blood cell levels of omega-3 levels had a 13 per cent reduction in leftover blood in the left ventricle, compared to a 6 per cent reduction for the fish oil group overall. There was some concern that very high doses of fish oil would increase the risk of bleeding for patients who are already taking blood thinners and other medications after heart attack, but there were no adverse effects in the study, Kwong said. "The initial insult of a heart attack will damage a part of the heart muscle, which dies, so the rest of the heart muscle has to work extra hard," Kwong said. The heart pump function is weaker and scar tissue develops, and over time these two processes can lead to heart failure, he said. Though heart attack survival has greatly increased with improved treatments, heart failure later is still common, he said. Past research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation. "We know that things like the degree of cardiac damage and cardiac dysfunction are important factors, however the data from the current paper suggest that other factors, such as inflammation, may also play a role," said Andrew J. Taylor of the department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, who was not part of the study. "This is an important observation as it suggests another avenue for intervention to improve patients' outcomes" after a heart attack, Taylor told Reuters Health by email. But there needs to be more data on how to translate these findings to improved patient outcomes, he said. Based on these results, it seems logical that patients who take omega-e supplements will have a lower risk of heart failure later than those in the placebo group, although this study didn't look at that, Kwong said. Insurance does not currently cover high-dose fish oil prescriptions for heart attack patients, and commercially available non-prescription fish oil supplements are not regulated for safety or consistent dose in the same way, he said. "There's no way" that eating fish will provide the same amount of omega-3 that patients got in this trial, although in general it's not a bad idea to try to eat more fatty fish, Kwong said. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fatty fish like salmon or albacore tuna per week. Chennai: Though there are many who love to sleep, and can do so at any hour, there are some others who sleep for barely three to four hours a day. Doctors say both excessive sleep and lack of it can result in individuals developing diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Sleep is one of the most essential requirements of the body that needs to be fulfilled in order to keep the body healthy. It has been found that over the years, the average number of sleep hours has been reducing among the public, said diabetologist Maduhmati. R. Reducing the number of hours of sleep even for only a week can result in the development of early diabetes, she added. A majority of todays population are workaholics and sleep is secondary for many of them. There is only a limit of stress that the body can handle, said counsellor Nilam. P. Too little rest disrupts your bodys circadian rhythm, which if disturbed, results in the body becoming less responsive to insulin, a hormone the helps cells turn sugar into energy. It is then that the body develops diabetes, said diabetologist K.Thomas. Another factor for the lack of sleep is light. Many tend to forget the importance of sleeping in darkness. Being exposed to regular patterns of light and dark regulates our circadian rhythm, added Thomas. Doctors say it is not only lack of sleep that can affect the body, but too much sleep can put a person at a great risk for type 2 diabetes. Many do not know when is the right time to sleep. People tend to stay up all night and sleep in the mornings. There are some others who sleep right after stuffing themselves with food. Such factors can also increase the risk for diabetes, added Madhumati. Though my days are usually hectic, I make it a point to take my afternoon nap. Doctors had told me that it helps serve as a stress buster. However, it was only after my health started getting affected, did I become aware of the fact that sleeping on a full stomach is not advisable, said Pushpalatha (43), a Mylapore resident. London: If you want to keep the sexual attraction alive in long-term relationships, then be responsive to each others needs outside the bedroom. A new study, by American and Israeli scientists suggests, women reacted more strongly to responsiveness than men, but males also felt the benefits, reports the Independent. A hundred couples kept a diary for three weeks for the study and reported on the sexual desire they felt for their partner, in addition to their perceptions of how responsive their partner was. The results, which found sexual desire increased along with responsiveness, were reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. According to Gurit Birnbaum, a psychology professor at the Interdisciplinary Centre in Herzliya, Israel, who co-authored the paper, Our research shows that partners who are responsive to each other outside the bedroom are able to maintain their sexual desire. Responsive partners, who are aware of their companions emotional needs, demonstrate a high level of understanding of their spouse and are thought to have deeply invested in a relationship. Responsiveness, which is a type of intimacy. is so important in a relationship because it signals that one is really concerned with the welfare of the other, but in a way that is truly open and informed about what the other cares about and wants, Birnbaum said. Sexual desire thrives on increasing intimacy and being responsive is one of the best ways to instil this elusive sensation over time; better than any pyrotechnic sex, he added. Bulandshahr: Days after a teenage girl and her mother were dragged out of their car and gangraped in UP's Bulandshahr, it has emerged that the doctors at a hospital where they were taken for treatment had refused to believe the victims. Recalling the nightmare, the victim's mother said that her daughter was profusely bleeding when they were taken to a nearby government hospital. "I had bruises all over...my daughter was bleeding...but the doctor didn't believe us. She said we were lying about her condition," the victims mother was quoted in an NDTV report. The victim's mother said that the female doctor refused to believe that they were raped. She added that her daughter was shaking and desperate when the doctor told her to sit quietly in a corner. In the aftermath of the incident, the family of the 13-year-old girl and her mother has threatened to commit suicide if the accused were not punished within three months. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the minor victim's father, a cab driver whose family was attacked by a group of bandits on Friday night. The dacoits had brutally raped the woman and her daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. "There were seven-eight men. They tied our hands and feet and beat us. They kept beating us even when we begged for water or we made any movement," the 39-year-old man said, alleging that they did not get any help on dialing police control room number 100. Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the crime. The DGP, who had visited the spot of crime, said the Special Task Force of UP Police was on the job. Shahjahanpur district administration has extended security to the family members of Bulandshahr gangrape victims as demanded by them. District magistrate Pushpa Singh, who met the family members of the victims on Tuesday in Kalan area, said directives have been issued to the police to provide security to the family. "As demanded by the family, they have been assured of arms licence at the earliest," she said. Besides Lohiya Awas and old-age pension, the grandfather of the victim will also get monetary help through the Rani Laxmibai Samman, Singh said, adding the locality of their native house will also be electrified. She said all necessary help will be provided to the family by the administration. No one has been arrested so far, and the district child welfare committee has directed a team to probe the incident. (Representational photo: Videograb) New Delhi: Taking corporal punishment to a whole new level, a class four student of Nushrat Ali Islamic Madrasa in Haryana was chained by the authorities in a bid to prevent him for bunking classes. According to reports, the matter came to light when the father of the student lodged a police complaint demanding stern action against the school authorities, claiming that his son was chained for completing his homework. On investigation, it was revealed that the teachers in the madrasa took this uncommon step to prevent him from fleeing home to the madrasa without completing his course work. "We did it to stop him from fleeing home during school hours," teachers reportedly told the police. No one has been arrested so far, and the district child welfare committee has directed a team to probe the incident. Two teachers have been charged with various Sections of the IPC, including 506 (threatening to life) and the Juvenile Justice Act. A loud explosion was heard on the premises of the Mysuru District Court in Mysuru on Monday. A bomb squad was dispatched and two suspicious bags were found (Photo: KPN) BENGALURU: Forensic experts, who examined the spot at Principal District Judge Court Complex in Mysuru where a low-intensity bomb exploded on Monday evening, said that the blast was similar to the simultaneous minor blasts that had taken place at the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) party offices in Bengaluru about eleven years ago in August 2005. An official in the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) told Deccan Chronicle that in Mysuru, the miscreants had kept the explosive inside a pressure cooker. He termed the act a mischief and an attempt to create a scare. Further, FSL experts who visited the spot, opined that the incident was similar to the blasts that occurred at the party offices of Congress and JD(S) on August 26, 2005. After the inspection, the team has found some similarities between the Mysuru court incident and the blast at the offices of political parties, he said. Incidentally, the blasts at both the offices also took place in August. Explosions had taken place at both offices almost at the same time on a Friday evening. No casualties were reported in both incidents. In the JD(S) office blast, a windowpane in the toilet was damaged, while no much damage was reported at the Congress office, where the explosion took place in the cellar. The girls family had repeatedly filed complaints against Senthil, but the police allegedly took no action. (Photo: Representational Image) Chennai: A 32-year-old man broke into a house in Puducherry, poured kerosene and set himself on fire. He died the same evening. According to a report in NDTV, Senthil, a driver, had been stalking a 17-year-old girl for over a year, but she had rebuffed his advances repeatedly, which angered him. One afternoon, when the girls parents were not home, Senthil barged into the house, set himself on fire and then hugged the girl so she would also burn alive. While Senthil is now dead, the girl has been hospitalised with 75% burn injuries. A year ago, Senthil had accused the girl's family of chopping off his right leg and arm. A police investigation revealed, however, that he lost the limbs because he was sprawled on a train track in a drunken state. The girls family had repeatedly filed complaints against Senthil, but the police allegedly took no action. The report comes months after Infosys techie Swathi S was hacked to death at a train station in Chennai. Like the girls parents, Swathi had also complained to the police about her stalker, to no avail. Madhavan on Sunday went to his wifes parents house had a quarrel with her and forcibly took the child and smashed it on the wall in anger, police said. TIRUVARUR: In a bizarre case of infanticide, the Tiruvarur district Police arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly murdering his four-month-old male baby by thrashing him against a wall at Annukudi village near here on Monday. The accused Madhavan, married Vaishanavi of Maruthapatnam couple of years ago, after a love affair and the couple recently had a baby. However, his wife, resenting her husbands torture demanding more dowry, had gone back to her parents home. Madhavan on Sunday went to his wifes parents house had a quarrel with her and forcibly took the child and smashed it on the wall in anger, police said. The infant was rushed to the Government medical college hospital Tiruvarur, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday. Police arrested Madhavan and are investigating. Mumbai: Abu Jundal, the key plotter of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was handed life term along with six others in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case on Tuesday by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. The case is related to seizure of huge amount of arms, ammunition and explosives by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in 2006. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif-- were handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, on Tuesday observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Read: MCOCA court convicts Abu Jundal, 12 others in arms haul case Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage "jihad". The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. The MCOCA court had last week convicted Jundal under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substance Act and Indian Penal Code, while others under varying charges. Charges against them under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were, however, dropped. The court had accepted the prosecution's contention that the cache of arms and ammunitions that the ATS had intercepted from two cars had originally been procured from Pakistan. While convicting Jundal, and 11 others, the court had observed that ATS could not substantiate the charges of MCOCA against them, even as it accepted direct and substantial evidence presented by the agency in the case. The special court had framed charges against the 22 accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The court had granted bail to ten accused during the trial. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was eventually vacated in 2009. The Bombay High Court had also earlier directed the lower court to expedite the trial. The state police was using all its resources to nab the other accused said Director General of UP Police. Lucknow: The three men arrested in the Bulandshahr gangrape case were identified by the victims, police said on Tuesday even as opposition parties accused ruling SP of "protecting" criminals ahead of Assembly polls and a senior minister suggesting that it could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the UP government. Director General of UP Police Javed Ahmed said, "The names of other accused are almost clear and efforts are on to arrest them." The three men who have been arrested, were identified by the victims, he said, adding that the state police was using all its resources to nab the other accused. Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the crime. The DGP, who had visited the spot of crime, said the Special Task Force of UP Police was on the job. Meanwhile, the family of the 13-year-old girl and her mother, who were gangraped at gunpoint, has threatened to commit suicide if the accused were not punished within three months. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the minor victim's father, a cab driver whose family was attacked by a group of bandits on Friday night. The dacoits had brutally raped the woman and her daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. "There were seven-eight men. They tied our hands and feet and beat us. They kept beating us even when we begged for water or we made any movement," the 39-year-old man said, alleging that they did not get any help on dialing police control room number 100. Accusing the Samajwadi Party government of "protecting and appeasing" criminals ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled next year, BJP asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to seek a CBI probe in the gangrape case if he has any "shame" left. Meanwhile, senior SP leader and UP minister Azam Khan has kicked up a controversy by suggesting that the Bulandshahr case could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the ruling party, drawing condemnation from rival parties. Khan, who was in Rampur yesterday, termed the gangrape of the 13-year-old girl and her mother as an attempt to "malign" the SP government by those who want to "come to power" in poll-bound UP. Una incident resulted in widespread agitation by Dalits following which several political leaders had met the victims at their village and Rajkot hospital. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: After Gujarat, Dalits in Lucknow shudder to touch a dead cow to skin it for a living after "gau rakshaks" (vigilantes) thrashed two of their community members on suspicion of cow slaughter here last week. Scared of being beaten up, some members of the community approached their contractors to take up their case with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation or other authorities after some of them were assaulted in Takrohi area in Indira Nagar here on July 28. "We are aware of the matter and have lodged a complaint with the police against unidentified persons," Additional Municipal Commissioner Avaneesh Saxena told PTI. He said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has also requested police and the district administration to provide security to them so that they can lift carcasses and skin them. He said as an immediate precautionary measure, photo identity cards would be issued to contractual workers engaged in such task. The community members have decided not to lift carcasses till they were issued such identity cards to ensure their security. There have been complaints of increased attacks on the Dalit community members in the city in the past six months. They have been attacked while transporting a dead cow on the civic body's call to lift dead animals so that these do not rot in front of people's houses. They have often complained that when they go to dispose of the carcasses after skinning them, they are attacked by cow vigilantes who charge them with slaughtering the animal. Dejected over the non-implementation of their rights issued by the state government, as many as 5,000 people from the Christian community will come together on August 25 for a Maha sammelan to register their protest at Bheemili. (Representational image) Visakhapatnam: Dejected over the non-implementation of their rights issued by the state government, as many as 5,000 people from the Christian community will come together on August 25 for a Maha sammelan to register their protest at Bheemili. Christians in Andhra Pradesh are a dejected lot as they are unable to enjoy the facilities extended by the government towards them. The RTI replies received from Mandal revenue officers (MRO), district collectors and minority welfare officers from the state, reflect the apathy shown by the various offices towards the GOs issued by the government to safeguard the interest of the minorities, claimed Oliver Rayi, founder president Christian Welfare Association (Bheemili). The state government had issued various GOs for the welfare and protection of the Christian community, but implementation of those are at stake due to callousness of the ground-level officials, he alleged. For instance, there was a GO in 2009 directing all MROs to constitute a Burial Ground Advisory Board and through that take necessary steps for setting up and running a Christian burial ground, but till date the majority of the MROs have failed to do the same, he said. The 10-year action plan for the development of minorities is yet to be framed. Christians could avail the fund to build churches under government schemes, but to no avail. Similarly, there is apathy being shown in issuing various certificates, he alleged. We will take our woes to the political leaders urging them to direct the concerned officials to take necessary action towards the problems of the Christians. We will also sensitise our community people about their rights they are privileged for, said Rayi. This maha sammelan will later be taken to all district headquarters in a phased manner. Even so, if the woes of the Christians were not addressed, the community has threatened to launch a statewide movement. Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said that the state and central governments were mulling special drives to recruit youths in police, army and other forces. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI) Jammu: Army would soon hold a special drive to recruit youths in Paddar belt of Kishtwar. Stressing the need to create employment in the state, especially in the far-flung areas, Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said that the state and central governments were mulling special drives to recruit youths in police, army and other forces. "The youth of Paddar belt will soon get an opportunity to join the Indian Army as the Defence Ministry has agreed to hold a special drive in the area," he said at a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 2.24 crore power project in Kishtwar on Monday. He called on the youth to find self-employment. There are schemes under which the government provides financial aid and expertise to set up income-generating units, Singh said. The deputy chief minister said a special thrust is being laid on extending road connectivity to all parts of the state. "Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Jammu and Kashmir has received funding of Rs 2,800 crore to provide road link to all areas," he said, adding that soon road projects would also be taken up in Paddar area to connect the villages. Singh said land for 'Model College' proposed for the area has been identified and campus building would soon begin. Listing other projects proposed for Kishtwar, he said the construction of an airstrip in Kishtwar town would add a new dimension to the development of the hill-district. "The pilgrim and leisure tourism would get a fresh lease of life with the start of air service to the district," he said. The arrested woman is suspected to be the wife of Rashid who is the prime suspect behind the 21 missing youths from the state. (Representational Image) Kasaragod: A 29-year-old woman from Bihar, suspected to have links with the alleged recruitment of youths from Kerala to Islamic State (IS), is being questioned here by the state police after being taken into custody from New Delhi. The woman, identified as Yasmin Ahmed, was arrested by a special team of Kerala police from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi when she was about to leave the country for Kabul on Sunday, police said. She allegedly had close connections with Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasaragod, who is the prime suspect behind the 21 missing youths from the state. She was brought here last evening and produced before a local court after detailed interrogation, a senior police official said. "We took her into custody from New Delhi and brought her here yesterday. She was charged under various sessions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A court here later remanded her to judicial custody," Kanhangad Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Babu told PTI. The woman is suspected to be the second wife of Rashid and is believed to have played a key role in the alleged recruitment of state youths to IS, the official added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to reports that some Keralites had joined IS, had informed the Assembly on July 11 that 21 persons were missing from the state. Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad as per preliminary information available, he had said. As per media reports, these people had gone to Syria and Afghanistan and were in IS camps, he said. The BSF patrol party had been sent to apprehend the smugglers who were trying to smuggle cattle from Leusipakuri border outpost and had seized 34 cows though they could not apprehend anyone. (Photo: Representational Image) Kolkata: Six BSF personnel were seriously injured when a patrol team of the force was attacked by about 100 cattle smugglers with sticks and sharp weapons near a border outpost in Siliguri on Tuesday. The BSF patrol party had been sent to apprehend the smugglers who were trying to smuggle cattle from Leusipakuri border outpost and had seized 34 cows though they could not apprehend anyone. "But when we were returning with the cattle to hand them over to police, around 100 cattle smugglers attacked us with sticks and sharp weapons. They also tried to seize the cattle. Around six to seven of our jawans were seriously injured," a senior official of BSF's North Bengal Frontier said. "In order to stop them we had to fire around six rounds in the air to disperse the smugglers," he said. West Bengal is a hub for cattle smuggling because of the high demand for beef in neighbouring Bangladesh. Cattle from almost all over the country are sent to the state to be smuggled to Bangladesh. However, cattle smugglers are finding it difficult to carry on in recent months after the vigil on the border has been enhanced to stop their activity. Lucknow: With the Akhilesh-led government facing Opposition ire over the Bulandshahr gangrape case, UP minister Azam Khan on Tuesday alleged that the incident could be a political conspiracy to defame his government ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls. Hinting that the Congress could be behind the alleged gangrape of the 34-year-old woman and her minor daughter, who were robbed and raped at gunpoint in Bulandshahr, Azam said that a probe must be launched to investigate the truth. We must also probe whether this entire controversy is a move by some Opposition elements to defame the government. People who want to come to power may be stooping this low for political interests, Azam told the media on Monday evening. The victim's family sharply reacted to his claims, and a relative said that Azam Khan 'has gone mad'. "Azam Khan pagalpan ka shikaar ho gaye hain (Azam Khan is suffering from madness)," said the victim's uncle to the media. Khan had claimed that the Opposition would not shy from stooping to desperate levels to sling mud at the ruling government in the state. If the Congress can instigate 1000 riots in the country for votes, if for votes Gujarat can happen, if Muzzaffarnagar, Shamli and Kairana can happen, then why not this. Had Gandhi been alive, all this might have not happened, but they even got him killed, Khan added. Read: Deliver justice or will commit suicide, threaten UP gangrape survivors' kin A gang of dacoits had brutally raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur on Friday night. Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested the three accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. Facing flak from opposition, the state government had suspended five officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. New Delhi: A defiant AAP MP Bhagwant Mann on Monday told a committee set up to probe his Parliament House videography issue that he has not breached the security, which members said was a contradiction as he has already tendered an unconditional apology for his act to the Speaker. Mann was grilled by the committee for nearly one-and-a- half hours during which he maintained that he has not breached security of the high security complex. He is learnt to have reiterated his demand that the ambit of the panel be extended to summon the Prime Minister for "inviting" ISI personnel to the Pathankot airbase in the aftermath of a terror strike there in January. "In a way he was not repenting. He asked for more time and said he cannot appear tomorrow. We have asked him on August 3 now," said a panel member. Last week, in a five-page letter, Mann had refused to tender an unqualified apology and had demanded that the prime minister too be summoned before the committee. Since the committee has to submit its report on August 3 to the Lok Sabha Speaker, it may seek an extension. "We were mandated to find out whether Mann has breached security and if he has, the action which needed to be taken. The other task is to recommend how such breaches can be prevented in the future. But so far we have not touched upon this aspect as we have concentrated on Mann. We may need more time now," said another member. At the meeting today, several members were "cut up" as Mann's response was considered as "contradictory and confusing". Members pointed out to him that while he wants the panel to be wound up as he has not committed a breach, on the other hand he wants its ambit to include the Prime Minister. While most members want the panel to recommend "stringent action", others want him to have his final say on Wednesday before taking a final call. In the nearly 12-minute video, apparently shot on July 21, Mann gives a running commentary as his vehicle crosses security barricades and enters Parliament. "I'll today show you something you would not have seen earlier," he says. Mann then enters a room where questions to be taken up inside Parliament are being sorted and describes the process. According to WHOs status of vaccine development: The first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV) by Sanofi Pasteur, was first registered in Mexico in December, 2015. Bengaluru: French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur told Deccan Chronicle how the vaccine, Dengvaxia, would be of great help considering the whopping number of dengue cases across the country and city. Sanofis dengue vaccine is the first such vaccine approved. It has been proved effective against all four serotypes of the disease, said Jean-Pierre Baylet, Country Head, Sanofi Pasteur India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. He said the vaccine "can prevent more than 80% of hospitalisations and up to 93% of severe dengue cases in the targeted 9-year and older, at-risk population." It has been eight months since the worlds first dengue vaccine was introduced. Since December 2015, when Sanofis dengue vaccine was first approved in Mexico, it was given the nod in Brazil, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Sadly, the vaccine couldn't see the light of the day in India because there is a three-level approval process for new drugs and vaccines, with applications scrutinised by an expert committee (SEC), a technical committee and an apex committee. In India, Sanofi Pasteur is cooperating fully with the Indian regulatory authorities to find the best solution," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said that a clinical development programme (Phase I, Phase II and Phase III) involving over 40,000 people of different ages, geographies and epidemiological settings, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds from 15 countries around the world has been conducted. Our vaccine was the first to successfully complete phase III clinical efficacy and safety studies in dengue-endemic countries," he added. In 2015, a pooled efficacy analysis of the two Phase III study results, including 25 months of follow-up, reported that the vaccine is 65.6% effective in preventing dengue irrespective of the serotype and severity. WHO recommends that countries should consider introduction of the dengue vaccine CYD-TDV only in geographic settings where epidemiological data indicate a high burden of disease. On pricing, he said, Based on our program-based pricing policy, the public price can differ between countries; i.e, it will decrease with increasing number of age cohorts to encourage large immunisation programmes. Furthermore, in all the countries where we have conducted cost-effectiveness analysis studies to date, Sanofi Pasteurs dengue vaccine has been shown to be at least cost-effective. Saeed, who is carrying a USD 10 million US bounty on his head, warned the government that Singh's presence in Islamabad may create unrest among Kashmiris. (Photo: AFP/PTI) New Delhi: A day before Home Minister Rajnath Singh visits to Pakistan amidst threats of protest by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the BSF on Tuesday said it was sure the Pak Rangers and other authorities there will take adequate measures to foil the plans of the terror mastermind. Calling Saeed's plans of undertaking massive protests and march towards the Attari-Wagah border when Singh steps on Pakistani soil a "political" move, Border Security Force chief K K Sharma said the border guarding forces on both sides have been "sensitised" and they will ensure that the SAARC Home Ministers meeting to be held tomorrow in Islamabad is not disrupted. Read: Hafiz Saeed warns of nationwide protests if Rajnath Singh visits Pakistan "This (Saeed's protest call) is the internal matter of Pakistan and I am very sure that my counterparts Pak Rangers are more than competent to handle this issue. I am sure this (Saeed's threat) is not going to disrupt the SAARC meeting. Hafiz Saeed will not be successful," he said. Sharma, who only last week returned from Pakistan after holding the annual bilateral Director General-level talks with the Rangers, said both the forces have also discussed measures to mount effective vigil at the Attari-Wagah border which is thronged by large crowds that witness the daily retreat ceremony in the evening. Read: Rajnath Singh to attend SAARC meet in Islamabad as scheduled A blast in 2014 at Wagah on the Pakistan side had killed over 50 people after the retreat ceremony got over. "Yes, this was one issue that was taken up with Pak Rangers, both of us are conscious of the fact that the threat is there and consequently we both have strengthened our security measures. We have done it on our side (of the border) and they have done it on their side. I am sure they (Rangers) will handle it (Saeed's threat to march towards Wagah) well," he said on the sidelines of an event here. Read: SAARC summit: Rajnath may submit proof against Pak for sponsoring terror The BSF DG added at least four battalions of the force (about 4,000 personnel) have been recently deployed on the Punjab frontier and two in Jammu to further fortify security measures and the counter-infiltration grid along the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) running along the two states. "The LoC in Kashmir is under army and I would not like to comment on that," he said when asked about similar measures in this area. Sharma said new equipment have been provided to the BSF troops guarding the border even as the intelligence gathering mechanism has been strengthened. "I am happy to say that there has been no infiltration in the IB areas guarded by us in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat in the last 8-10 months. "The BSF in its area of responsibility is fully prepared against infiltration bids. We cannot stop them from occurring but can thwart them. We will not allow them (infiltrators) to succeed," Sharma said. The DG added it was important for them and the Rangers to keep talking. "I feel it is always better to keep open the channels of communication because it is through talks only that we can sort out things," he added. About a proposal to install a high-mast Indian tricolour along the Attari-Wagah border front, the DG said the BSF was "for it" and developments are taking place on this front. "Officially we have not taken it up with Pakistan. As per norms nothing can be created about 150 metres from the zero line at the border and this flag that will be installed is proposed to be further behind this. We support it fully and we welcome it," he said The DG added a land in possession of Punjab tourism board has been identified for the proposal. DG Sharma said, BSF will observe the remaining part of 2016 as the year of 'Divyaang Yodha' (specially-abled fighter) as he flagged off a para-cycling team that will paddle from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Khardungla in Jammu and Kashmir between August 5 and 15. "The aim of the event is to have psychological empowerment of the disabled persons to make them able to overcome their mental inhibitions and to start leading a normal life. A 'Divyaang Yodha' skill mission has been planned with a series of activities," the force said in a statement. The paramilitary has tied up with an NGO to build training expertise in this regard. The Twitter handle of the Consulate General of India, Jeddah (@CGIJeddah), posted photographs of food being distributed to the stranded Indian workers in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Twitter) New Delhi: The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia is collecting details of thousands of workers from the country laid off by their employers there, ahead of MoS External Affairs V K Singh's visit there to asses the situation and finalise modalities to bring back those wanting to return home. Currently a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about others residing in different parts of Saudi Arabia. Singh is leaving for Jeddah tonight via Dubai and MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said his on-ground assessment will determine future course of action. Earlier on Tuesday, Singh's ministerial colleague in the MEA M J Akbar, who looks after issues relating to the Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indians who have lost their jobs. Read: VK Singh leaves for Saudi today, to assess problems of jobless Indians "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," MoS in the MEA Akbar said in a series of tweets. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by government of that country. The Indian mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot buy it. Read: No Indian worker will go hungry in Saudi Arabia, says Sushma Swaraj External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said on Monday that all affected Indians will be brought back. A team from the Indian embassy had on Monday met Saudi labour officials to complete procedures relating to the protection of legal dues of the workers once they have departed from the country. Swarup said the Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, where the Ambassador sought their help in collecting information about the affected workers. They were provided a proforma on which the requisiteinformation is to be submitted to the embassy. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. MEA officials said Singh will reach Jeddah early next morning and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Swarup said 4,072 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger are living in nine camps in Riyadh and one in Dammam, while 1,457 workers belonging to M/s SAAD Group are putting up in two camps in Dammam. Five workers from M/s Shifa Sanaya are in a camp in Riyadh and 13 workers who were employed with M/s Taiya Contracting Company are staying in one camp. "A total of 5547 Indian workers belonging to fourteen camps are being provided assistance by Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Of these, food was required by Indian workers in one camp each in Riyadh and Dammam. "In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah all of whom have been provided food by the Indian Consulate. Hence, there are atotal of 7700 affected Indians workers in twenty camps," said Swarup. The Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday in Riyadh. "The information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit / continue / transfer is being collected separately," said the MEA Spokesperson. Making a statement in Parliament on Monday, Swaraj had said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament. We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. National Investigation Agency and Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu Police have registered cases to probe the alleged links of Indian youth with ISIS and have arrested 54 persons so far. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) New Delhi: Terrorist organisation ISIS has attracted "very few youth" from India and both the central and state governments have launched various programmes for their de-radicalisation, the government told Lok Sabha on Tuesday. "The international terrorist outfit, viz., Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh, uses both positive and negative imagery to attract recruits from across the world. "However, they have influenced or attracted very few youth from India," Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The Islamic State (IS) is known by different names and has set up a caliphate under Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi. The existing legal provisions are effective instrumentalities to combat offences relating to terrorist financing and money laundering, he said. "Various programmes are being undertaken by the central and state governments to deal with the issues of counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation," Ahir said. The Minister said incidents of protests or demonstrations against award of capital punishment to terrorists and killing of terrorists in encounters with security forces have been reported from some states. "Police and public order being state subjects, the state governments concerned are required to take appropriate action against such elements as per relevant provisions of law," Ahir said. In reply to another question, he said the National Investigation Agency and Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu Police have registered cases to probe the alleged links of Indian youth with ISIS and have arrested 54 persons so far. "Some persons have been reported missing from some parts of Kerala, who are suspected to have joined terrorist outfits like ISIS, but their links have not yet been established. Kerala Police has registered nine cases in this connection," the Minister said. The terrorist outfit, ISIS, is using various platforms to propagate its ideology and to attract recruits from across the world, Ahir said. "The intelligence and security agencies maintain a close watch to identify potential recruits. Various programmes are being undertaken by the central and state governments to deal with the issue of counter radicalisation and de-radicalisation," he said. New Delhi: Members of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the opposition YSR Congress on Tuesday forced brief adjournments of Lok Sabha proceedings creating noisy scenes demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. This was the second consecutive day of their vociferous protests which drew the ire of the Speaker who said sloganeering will not help meet their demand. As soon as the House met for the day, members from YSR Congress trooped into the Well holding placards demanding special category for Andhra Pradesh following the creation of Telangana. Read: Centre non-committal on special status for AP despite TDPs demand Led by an MP wearing traditional attire including a yellow headgear, TDP members entered the House holding banners. Standing at the aisles, they refrained from entering the Well. However, the member wearing the headgear was seen moving around the Well, wishing leaders of various parties sitting on front benches with folded hands. An anguished Speaker Sumitra Mahajan reminded the members against displaying placards. "Raise your issue during Zero Hour. Doing like this will not solve your problem...I am sorry for your behaviour," she said. Read: Bandh in Andhra Pradesh over special status demand disrupts bus services YSR Congress leaders had earlier staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament premises on Tuesday demanding special category status for the state. TDP workers were also seen joining the protest with placards and banners in their hands. In protest against the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress along with other parties has called for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said the NDA's alliance partner TDP also failed to impress upon the Centre in achieving special status for Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) held its emergency meeting on Sunday and demanded implementation of the Act, which led to the creation of Telangana state in 2014, "in letter and spirit". TDP President and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had targeted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and also lashed out at the Centre for trying to "shirk" its responsibility over issues concerning Andhra Pradesh. Arun Jaitley had last week told the Rajya Sabha that the Central Government is committed to keep all its promises and will fulfill all responsibilities. BJP said party leaders and union ministers will visit places associated with the freedom movement and pay tribute to leaders while recalling their contributions. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off a mega BJP campaign '70 saal azadi-yaad karo kurbani' on August 9, the 75th year of Quit India movement, and virtually the entire Council of Ministers will travel across the country to "rekindle the spirit of patriotism". Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu announced the details of '70 saal azadi-yaad karo kurbani' (70 years of Independence-recall the sacrifices) programme firmed up in the Parliamentary Party meeting. "The idea is to rekindle the spirit of patriotism among the people to convey to the new generation the sacrifices made by our leaders who fought for the freedom movement and recall the great valour shown by them," he told reporters. Referring to incidents like Kakori case, Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Dandi March and Quit India movement, he said party leaders and union ministers will visit places associated with the freedom movement and pay tribute to leaders while recalling their contributions. "Incidents like Kakori, Quit India movement, Dandi March will be recalled so that younger generation can take inspiration from the same. The Prime Minister will launch the campaign on August 9," he said. The party will also observe Tiranga Yatra from August 15-22. The Delhi High Court had on March 27 last year granted seven-day custody parole to Vikas to visit his 93-year-old grandfather, who underwent an angioplasty. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Expressing grave concern over the repeated parole granted to Vikas Yadav and two other convicts in the Nitish Katara murder case, the victim's mother Neelam Katara on Monday urged the Tihar Jail authorities to revive its working system and asked the Delhi Government to look into the matter. "I expect the Delhi Government will go to the bottom of this. Also another criminal who is with Vikas and also convicted in my son's murder, Sukhdev Pehelwan, he has also been going to his home town every month twice,"Neelam told ANI here. "I would like the Delhi Government to get into the details of both these people as to how they are allowed to go. Why they are allowed to go? I think the Tihar Jail should revive its working system? she added. Neelam further said this shows that criminals like him have no repentance and they are continuing to just subvert the system. "And of course, the Tihar Jail is helping them in doing it," she added. Neelam's reaction comes in wake of reports that Vikas was granted parole twice last year on the pretext of attending a court proceeding in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. Neelam had told the Delhi High Court earlier in March that if Vikas, convicted of murdering her son Nitish, is released on parole, he may kill someone else and 10 years later the victim's mother could be standing before the court seeking justice. The submission was made before Justice Siddharth Mridul while opposing Vikas' plea for four weeks' parole to sell his ancestral property in Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi High Court had on March 27 last year granted seven-day custody parole to Vikas to visit his 93-year-old grandfather, who underwent an angioplasty. The High Court had on February 6, 2015, enhanced the sentence of Vikas and his cousin Vishal from life imprisonment to 25 years without remission for murdering Nitish and five more years for destruction of evidence in the case. Yadavs' acquaintance Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehelwan was also awarded an enhanced life sentence of 20 years without remission by the High Court. The three were awarded life term by a trial court for abducting and killing Nitish, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002. They did not approve of the victim's affair with Bharti, the daughter of DP Yadav. Bengaluru: On Monday, a student of a leading university in the city sent shock waves on the campus by posting an article on a website under the title A Plea For Respect: Christ University Student Complains Of Sexual Harassment On Campus. This article has been published on youthkiawaaz.com, a popular website among college students. The girl student, who has remained anonymous, highlights issues ranging from infrastructure problems to sexual harassment. Yes, we feel increasingly vulnerable and its about time this issue was addressed," she writes. It was in my first semester that a particular issue with regard to my assignment brought me to the office of a member of the management, a powerful figure in the Christ administration and a professor. Pleasantries aside, he sent jitters down my spine. He proceeded to peer at my rather fitting suit and commented that I looked smart. But, he wouldnt stop at that. He said he wished girls dressed as smart as I did in a tone that reeked of conceit, knowing fully that I wouldnt bring it up ever because he was an influential man. He was the very man who has allegedly been accused of sexual harassment previously as well. Initially, I refused to subscribe to such claims. But, the menacing glance and smirk on his face was enough to prove otherwise. His notoriety preceded himself. The smugness with which he goes about his daily activities without a care for repercussions of his deplorable behaviour is rather frightening. All I could do was to make a mental note never to visit him alone. In another instance, a professor in the English Department flirted with me and wondered if I might be lured into watching a movie with him. A normal conversation within the confines of a classroom in the presence of other students didnt deter him from asking me something as absurd. This is a man who has posed similar questions to other female students on several occasions. Despite a negative faculty evaluation on the part of the students, he continues to teach in Christ. The same professor asked a male friend about the maal hes managed to score among his female classmates. Yes, girls are goods and we definitely fancy being scored. I met him a few days into the new academic year and a mere handshake lingered a minute too long before I pulled it back in disgust. My counsellor suggested that my teacher was being friendly and I should adopt a less guarded demeanour. She is one among the many who help legitimise inappropriate advances under the pretext of cordial behaviours. This is done strictly under the instruction of the administration that has, time and again, stifled and threatened students who spoke up against such harassment. A friend was pulled up by the counsellor for her appearance. Apparently, her made up face and excessivelipstick is the reason why she had low attendance and also happens to distract boys in class. The very claim is outrageous, reeking of a superior attitude. Moreover, the absurdity of the non-existent correlation is amusing. Similarly, another girl was subjected to some harsh character assassination when the Dean accused her of being unmoralistic for carrying lipstick and wearing leggings. I understand that the latter is against college rules, but that definitely doesnt warrant such comments marring ones personal reputation. There is nothing to suggest that carrying a lipstick is against college rules. This girl was left in tears, with nowhere to go. "All these instances have left me quite agitated. One might say that there are several avenues within the university where such issues might be taken up, but I beg you to reconsider. The Student Council is a farce, filled with sycophants who merely serve the imperial edicts of the administration. The Open Forum wherein students are allowed to discuss issues ailing them has no powers, recommendatory or otherwise. Moreover, the faculty in Christ turn students against each other, crushing any expressions of solidarity. We sit in classes infested with snitches waiting for an opportunity to witness the legendary fall of the brave and outspoken. I was advised against reporting this matter to the NAAC members who visited our campus a year earlier simply because it would most certainly lead to my expulsion. Fear and insecurities rule the lives of students within the campus for one simply cannot risk an issue with the almighty management. Srinagar: A petrol bomb was hurled at the house of Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar in Parraypora area of the city last night, police said on Tuesday. No one was hurt in the attack that was carried out by unidentified persons. J&K Education Minister Naeem Akhtar's house was attacked by unidentified miscreants on Tuesday. (Photo: ANI Twitter) "A petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of the Education Minister at Parraypora late last night, causing damage to the main gate of the house," a police official said. Akhtar and his wife were not present in the premises as they have shifted to high security Gupkar Road after the PDP-BJP government was sworn in March last year. A petrol bomb was also hurled at the office of Road and Buildings department at SDA colony in Bemina area of the city last night, the official said. He said no one was hurt in the incident. 31 children have now been put under observation after around seven of them also showed symptoms of food poisoning. (Photo: File/ Representational Image) Kapurthala (Punjab): Two children died of suspected food poisoning at an 'ashram' for mentally challenged children in Kapurthala in Punjab while 31 others were taken to hospital after they were taken ill. The deceased children were aged between 10 and 12. Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh said 33 children were residing at Sukhjit Ashram near the railway station in Kapurthala. Last night, two children showed symptoms of food poisoning and started vomiting. Within an hour, one of them died at the ashram, while the other child died at the hospital this morning. As a precautionary measure, all 31 children have been put under observation after around seven of them showed symptoms of food poisoning and were rushed to the civil hospital, he said. The cause of deaths is not yet clear but an inquiry has been ordered, he said, adding the food samples have also been taken by the health teams that are camping in the ashram. New Delhi: As the government circulated copies of the draft Constitution Amendment Bill to bring Goods and Services Tax (GST) among MPs, top Congress leaders got into a huddle to chalk out the party's strategy on Tuesday ahead of its consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, among others, in Parliament House and discussed various points regarding the key tax reform legislation. Congress sources said Gandhi will hold another round of discussion on the issue after which Sharma will meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to put across the party's point of view. "Rahulji held discussions with top party leaders on the GST Bill and discussed the party's strategy," Kharge told PTI after the meeting. Another top Congress leader said the draft bill has just been circulated and the party leaders will react only after studying it in detail. "The draft of the bill has just come and let us study it first," the Congress leader said. There were strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform in independent India would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government has said talks are on with major political parties to build a consensus on the measure before it is taken up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. "We would list the bill for consideration tomorrow in Rajya Sabha. We have talked to all parties and the Prime Minister had said at the beginning of this session that GST is in the interest of all. We hope the GST Bill will be passed with consensus," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. At the BJP meet, Jaitley also briefed the MPs about the bill. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a singleindirect tax regime across the country. According to top government sources, a fresh round oftalks will be held today with the main opposition Congress. Jaitley had on Monday held consultations with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. He had also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, besides some other leaders. Later, along with Anant Kumar, he met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The government, the sources say, is keen to bring about four key amendments in the Constitution Amendment Bill which will include the scrapping of 1 per cent additional tax provision and grant of more powers to states for providing them full compensation for a period of five years. The key Congress demand for rephrasing of the language for setting up of dispute resolution mechanism in the GST Council has also been agreed to by the government. Chennai: The State Assembly on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution moved by chief minister Jayalalithaa asking the Centre to rename Madras High Court as Tamil Nadu High Court and not Chennai HC as proposed in a Bill introduced in Parliament last month. Later, Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring in a necessary amendment in the Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha to rename High Court of Madras as the High Court of Tamil Nadu . It would not be appropriate to name the high court which has jurisdiction over the whole of Tamil Nadu as the high court of Chennai; hence it is befitting that the high court which is presently called the HC of Madras be renamed as the HC of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa said moving the resolution which was supported by all the parties including DMK and Congress. The Centre introduced the The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha on July 19 in order to rename the high courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. As per this Bill, from the appointed day, the HC of Madras will be known as the high court of Chennai. This House urges the Union government to alter the name from Chennai HC, proposed in the Bill introduced in Parliament to Tamil Nadu HC, the resolution said. Pointing out that the high courts situated in other states take the respective names of such states, which were formed on linguistic basis in 1956, the resolution said that since the HC, which is situated in the Chennai city, has jurisdiction over the whole of Tamil Nadu and it has an HC bench in Madurai, it would be appropriate to rename the HC of Madras as the HC of Tamil Nadu. Deputy Opposition leader Duraimurugan welcomed the resolution. I welcome the resolution moved by the chief minister on behalf of my party. It will be appropriate to name HC of Madras as HC of TN instead of HC of Chennai, he said. In a letter to Mr Modi, she said that based on overwhelming public opinion in Tamil Nadu, the proposed change of name was debated in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. After a detailed discussion, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on August 1, 2016, to call upon the government of India to move necessary amendments to the bill introduced in the LS so as to rename the HC of Madras as the HC of TN for the reasons outlined in the resolution, she said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether mere membership of a banned organisation will make a person a terrorist, if he does not resort to violence or incites people to violence or creates public disorder by violence. A three-judge bench of Justices J.S. Khehar, V. Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra, decided to have a relook at the definition of a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and anti-terror laws, after Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar informed that the 2011 judgment had wide ramifications and all the High Courts are following the same. In 2011, the apex court had held that mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person a terrorist unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence or creates public disorder by violence or incitement to violence. The Supreme Court had set aside a judgement of the Designated Court, Assam at Guwahati convicting Arup Bhuyan under Section 3 (5) of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) for being a Member of Ulfa. Centre objects to terror verdict The court held mere advocacy or teaching the duty, necessity, or propriety of violence as a means of accomplishing political or industrial reform is not per se illegal. It will become illegal only if it incites to imminent lawless action. The Centre filed a petition seeking to recall this judgement saying police could not wait for banned outfit members to carry out acts of terror. It said such a judgement defies logic as any member of a terrorist organisation could open an office anywhere and start recruiting people and police would not be able to do anything. The government said authorities could not wait for each individual member to commit any criminal act and it was liable to take action against him since being a member of a banned organisation, he/she subscribed to the ideology of that group which believed in violence. The Solicitor General told the court that the judgement is detrimental to the interests of the government and no action can be taken against a member of terrorist organisation. If this judgement is allowed to remain, there is possibility of terrorism being spread. The bench posted the matter for hearing on days other than Mondays and Fridays. New Delhi/Varanasi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched her party's campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election with a massive roadshow in Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency Varanasi on Tuesday, but soon had to halt the event due to health concerns. According to Congress sources, Gandhi was suffering from viral fever but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last minute. The roadshow, which continued for about three hours, was halted for sometime at the Lohurabir roundabout near the fag end of the eight-km march route from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line. The roadshow later proceeded without Gandhi. Sources said Gandhi complained of uneasiness and after taking rest for sometime, she left the area. She had to cancel her planned visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. "Saddened that due to my ill health, I had to cut my visit to Varanasi short. Couldn't visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple either. I will come back very soon, and then visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple," Sonia told the media. Modi reacted to the news of Sonia's ill health and prayed for her quick recovery. "Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health," Modi tweeted. Thousands of Congress supporters and workers had taken part in the roadshow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line, a distance of about eight kilometres earlier on Tuesday. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of B R Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers criss-crossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later moved to a vehicle with open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-Banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called '27 Saal, UP Behaal'. Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats -- Amethi and Rae Bareli -- in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while BJP and its ally Apna Dal secured 73 seats out of total 80. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishor had planned the campaign strategy of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in the Bihar Assembly polls. Indian government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers. (Photo: Twitter) New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh will leave for Saudi Arabia tonight to asses difficulties of thousands of Indians, who have lost their jobs, and finalise modalities of bringing back those wanting to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, his ministerial colleague MJ Akbar, who looks after issues relating to Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the issue of the jobless Indians. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. Read: 10,000 stranded Indians to be evacuated from Saudi, says Centre "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," Mos in the MEA Akbar said in a series of tweets. MEA officials said Singh will arrive in Jeddah early morning on Wednesday and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Thousands of Indians in Saudi Arabia were facing severe food crisis due to financial hardships after they lost their jobs due to slowdown of the economy in the Gulf. The Indian Mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot even buy food. Making a statement in Parliament on Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. Read: No Indian worker will go hungry in Saudi Arabia, says Sushma Swaraj "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was "fluid and dynamic". They said the situationvaried from company to company. Sources said 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations. Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 8-10 days, they said. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. Lucknow: UP minister Mohd Azam Khan, on Tuesday, stirred yet another controversy when he said that the Bulandshahar highway rape case could be a political conspiracy to malign the image of the Akhilesh government. The BJP reacted sharply to the ministers statement and state BJP president Keshav Maurya said, The statement shows the utter lack of sensitivity on the part of the government. We demand a CBI inquiry into the incident. Mr Khan told reporters in Rampur, We need to investigate whether this is a conspiracy by opponents who want to defame the government. He further said, For votes, some people can stoop to any level. There can be a Muzaffarnagar, a Shamli and Kairana...why not this? For power, politicians can murder people, trigger riots, kill innocent people, so the truth has to be found out. It could be the handiwork of those who want to gain power by tarnishing the image of this government. Mr Khans statement comes ahead of chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs plan to meet the victims on Thursday. The state government has been facing flak over the incident with the BSP, Congress and BJP demanding the CMs resignation. Meanwhile, the victims family have said they dont want politicians visiting them. They only want justice. Bengaluru: A day after Deccan Chronicle published the diary of a sexually harassed college student of a prominent private university in the city, government agencies have swung into action. The State Womens Commission (SWC) has decided to take suo motu action against the university. I am in Navalgund. Once I return to Bengaluru, I will initiate action, said Ms Manjula Manasa, Chairperson SWC. Read | He peered at my suit and said I looked smart: student cries for justice The state higher education department too is expected to launch an inquiry. An officer said that besides this allegation, they have also received several other complaints from students and parents. We will initiate action, he said. Many students have forwarded the Deccan Chronicle report to the MHRD and National Commission for Women (NCW). On Monday a girl student had written about sexual harassment she faced in the university. University authorities did not reply to mutliple emails sent by Deccan Chronicle. BENGALURU: A part of Kempegowda Road over the Metro tunnel caved in, creating a 2 ft wide and 10 ft deep hole, scaring the commuters on a busy Tuesday morning and exposing the shoddy work done by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and other civic agencies. Though the BMRCL claimed that it had taken all precautions while digging the tunnel, and that the exact reason behind the collapse was not known, experts said it was because of the vibrations caused by the tunnel boring machines and commercial operations of Metro trains. The recent heavy rains may have also contributed to the collapse, they said. Mr Sreehari, traffic adviser to the government, warned that roads could cave in similarly all over the city, where the Metro underground network is passing through, if no proper care is taken. The BMRCL should strengthen the soil all along the tunnels and underground corridors, he advised. The BMRCL should make pits at one metre intervals and fill them with cement and concrete which will help strengthen the soil and prevent further caving in, he said. In the last few months, it is the second time that the road above the tunnel has caved in, causing inconvenience to the public. Many commuters on KG Road said that they were scared to go through roads where Metro tunnels have been built as such incidents can cost lives. Ashok Kumar, an autorickshaw driver, said that the road collapsed when a garbage truck passed over it around 9.45 am. The rear wheel of the truck got struck and 30 of us struggled hard to push the lorry out of the hole. We called up Upparpet police and BMRCL. The police came to the spot within 30 minutes, while BMRCL officials took over an hour. They immediately took precautionary measures, he said. The road over a Metro underground line caved in near Bhumika Theatre on Kempegowda Road, in Bengaluru on Tuesday (Photo: SHASHIDHAR B.) A BWSSB engineer, who inspected the spot along with BMRCL officials, said that no sanitary or water pipeline was leaking under the road. The caving in could be for a different reason, he said. BMRCL spokesman U.A. Vasanth Rao said that there could be many reasons for the collapse and that it was still a mystery. A cavity could have been created when different civic agencies laid utilities under the road and that would have led to sinking of the earth, he said. The Metro tunnel runs 45 feet below the surface. We have taken all precautionary measures to ensure the safety of Metro and road commuters. Instead of passing the buck, the BMRCL took the responsibility and filled the cavity. The caving in may occur elsewhere for various reason, but we cannot predict, he said. May happen again: Traffic expert Traffic expert M.N. Sreehari warned that Tuesdays caving in over the Metro underground tunnel is not a one-off case, and may happen again at different places if proper precautionary measures are not taken. He told Deccan Chronicle that Metro tunnels may have weakened buildings and other structures above the ground because of vibrations. If proper care is not taken to strengthen the soil around the tunnel, it may lead to disasters, he said. In some stations, Metro roof is leaking. This is an indication that no proper water proofing has been done, he said. All precautions taken: BMRCL BMRCL spokesman U.A. Vasanth Rao said that adequate care has been taken while BMRCL dug the tunnels. Sensors were placed to check the vulnerability and to check the quantum of vibrations. Wherever sensors showed deflections, we have either strengthened the structures or brought down weaker ones. The BMRCL issued notices wherever the structures are weak. But some have not allowed the BMRCL to demolish them at Chickpet and surrounding areas, he said. Major structures over Metro tunnels Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Building, Majestic (interchange station) and City Railway Stations are underground stations. Some of the major structures over the the tunnels are Bengaluru University, Cauvery Bhavan, Mysore Bank, Shikshakara bhavan, Alankar Plaza, Janata Bazar and others. New Delhi: With alarm bells ringing in Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modis home state-Gujarat, the BJP could possibly take time to name a successor to the state chief minister, Ms Anandiben Patel, who resigned on Monday. She had also announced her decision on the Facebook. The exercise to name her successor could be finalised after Independence Day. The BJP's Parliamentary Board, which was expected to meet on Tuesday evening to take a final call on the issue has been delayed as the prime minister was preoccupied. The Parliamentary Board could possibly meet on Wednesday. Besides other names, speculations are rife that the BJP chief, Mr Amit Shah could possibly be rushed to Gujarat to replace Ms Patel following the volatile situation in the state. Other top leaders and strategists were of the opinion that if Mr Shah was sent to Gujarat at this juncture, BJPs electoral game plan in Uttar Pradesh could take a major hit and the party, which has lost Delhi and Bihar cannot afford to lose the high-stake UP Assembly polls. Also being closest to the Prime Minister, Mr Shah moving out of Delhi could lead to major organisational problems. What was also worrying for the party was BSP chief, Ms Mayawatis proposed visit to Una on Thursday to meet the Dalit family members, who were assaulted after they were found allegedly skinning a dead cow. The cow was reportedly killed by a lion. Ms Mayawatis visit in Una has become a major cause of concern for the BJP not merely in the state but also for the forthcoming UP assembly polls. Earlier, comprising only 7.1 per cent of the total population in Gujarat, the ruling BJP had never been worried about the dalit vote bank. However, with UP elections approaching and the Patidar community, comprising 20 per cent of the total population up in arms against the state government, BJP leaders are a worried lot. The BBMP's budget for fogging is Rs 8 crore! Yet, come the monsoons and even when hospitals and clinics are inundated with dengue victims, no fogging is done. The excuse - WHO guidelines that apparently ban fogging! Let us let you into a little secret, BBMP. Virtually all restaurants that are open to air, most five star hotels and now even neighbourhood committees are hiring private foggers to fumigate their homes and places of business every day. DC has learnt that city hospitals are treating an average of 20 dengue cases per day. Yet, the city's health authorities refuse to acknowledge that dengue is a killer, saying people are dying of multiple organ failure, not dengue. Err...dengue, causes multiple organ failure! Once again, with the BBMP unable or unwilling to help manage the crisis, it is the citizenry that steps in to curb the disease at the grass-root level. The citys dengue story is getting complicated. Only two days ago a 31- year- old woman died at a city hospital of dengue going by her family and friends, but neither her doctors nor the BBMP health officers are willing to confirm it. Whether or not the authorities are willing to accept the gravity of the situation, hospitals are still seeing a large number of dengue patients every day. We are treating some 20 dengue cases and on an average do two or three blood transfusions every day. Any patient with a platelet count of 20,000 or less and who is bleeding, is admitted for transfusion, said Dr Shankar Prasad, Medical Director, St. Philomena's Hospital. Manipal Hospital too is treating five to 10 cases every day going by its head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Dr Pankaj Singhai. And the vector-borne disease continues to causes many families grief. Twenty-seven-year-old Ganesh's family was expectedly worried as he walked in to meet the doctor at CMH hospital in Indiranagar with a platelet count of 26000 recently. He has fever and only yesterday his platelet count dropped from 29,000 to 26,000. Just two days ago he had a count of 45,000, added his father. Whether the BBMP will classify him as a dengue patient is, however, unclear as despite private hospitals claiming to be deluged by patients suffering from the disease, it is willing to acknowledge only 861 cases in 361 private health facilities since January in the city. We add up cases that have been confirmed by NIV, Mac Elisa and NS1 Antigen tests from across hospitals in all the eight zones, explained an epidemiologist with the civic agencys Public Health Information and Epidemiological Cell. Read | Q&A with Padma Shri Dr K K Aggarwal, Honorary Secretary, General IMA and President Heart Care Foundation of India Ask Dr M Udaya Kumar Maiya, Medical Director of Portea Medical and he says the test and symptoms are both important for diagnosis of dengue. If the Igm Mac Elisa test is strongly positive and a patient, who has bleeding, is in a state of shock, is lethargic and has a very low platelet count , dies after admission, it would be safe to say that he or she has died of dengue complications. Otherwise it can be attributed to non-specific viral infection, he explained. While advising Bengalureans not to hit the panic button, Dr Pavan Mangalore, consultant, emergency medicine, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, however, says they do need to be alert. The period between the third and sixth day of the fever is the most critical when patients could suffer from abdominal pain, giddiness, extreme lethargy and tiredness. You need to be aware of these symptoms and keep the patient properly hydrated, he said. Although some patients do walk in with gums bleeding as a result of low platelet count, Dr Murali of CMH Hospital says there could be internal bleeding as well, which is more worrying. The same bleeding can occur in the brain or kidney. If they are bleeding on the inside, patients will have complications involving many organs, which could lead to multiple organ failure and death, he added. Dr K K Aggarwal, president of the Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI), believes community participation is vital to preventing and controlling the spread of diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which include zika, chikungunya and yellow fever besides dengue. In community participation, individuals, families and communities are involved in the planning and conduct of local vector control activities. The government does not have enough staff to search every backyard to identify and destroy all mosquito breeding sites," he pointed out. Doctors also continue to stress that the most effective way to prevent dengue is to control mosquito populations, which means getting rid of standing water in containers, pet dishes, flower pots, vases, buckets, tyres and cans in and around the house. Or at the very least these should be covered so mosquitoes dont get an opportunity to lay eggs, they emphasise. Fogging, spraying only in some pockets Hardly any fogging or spraying happens across Bengaluru, except in few pockets and this has contributed in the alarming rise in dengue and other vector borne diseases. The residents have been blaming BBMP authorities for their laid back attitude and the civic agency continues to be in a denial mode and downplay the problem. BBMP officials claim that a larvae study is going on, wherein they have identified water collection points and are looking at areas of water stagnation, where both fogging and spraying is going on. Eastern Bangalore is where we are conducting fogging as number of cases in that area is very high, said a BBMP official. As for disease control measures, another health official said, Anti larval operation, anti fogging operation are being carried out, especially in eastern Bengaluru. BBMP alone cannot do much regarding this and people should also take initiatives to ensure that water does not accumulate in empty tanks or vessels. We can only mitigate and educate people, he added. Teams have been formed across all 198 wards to conduct larvae survey and spray chemicals. Since the larvae has a seven-day life cycle, our workers are visiting open places like bus stops, vacant plots and other places, identifying breeding zones at constituency level. The survey is an ongoing process and will continue till September, he said. Ways to protect yourself from the bite of the Aedes Aegypti Use Environmental Protection Agency registered insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535. Use insect repellent with 20% to 35% of DEET as more than this can irritate the skin. Make sure you apply it to all exposed skin Apply and let sunscreen dry before using insect repellent. You want the mosquito to land on the repellent, not your sunscreen. Minimise exposed skin Wear light coloured and long sleeved attire and keep legs covered too as the mosquitoes are drawn to dark colours, floral patterns and sweet perfumes. Wear clothing treated with permethrin, a chemical used as an insecticide. Treat your own clothes, shoes with a permethrin spray. Sleep under mosquito nets with windows and doors closed or securely screened if there is no air conditioning. Symptoms Dengue warning signs include severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting, red spots or patches on the skin, bleeding from the nose or gums, vomiting of blood or blood in stools, drowsiness or irritability, pale, cold or clammy skin or difficulty breathing. Diagnosis Clinical diagnosis is made by the health care professionals based on a constellation of symptoms and clinical laboratory findings (e.g., CBC, platelet count). Laboratory diagnosis is specific for dengue is made through testing of a blood sample. CDC Guidelines for Prevention The most effective way to prevent dengue is to prevent mosquito bites and control mosquito populations. As only a few infected mosquitoes can cause large outbreaks of the disease, effective mosquito control requires community support Mosquito- proof your home, in and out, install or fix screens on windows and doors. Do not prop open doors, allowing mosquitoes to fly in. If you have air-conditioning, use it. Drain and dump standing water found in containers and other things in and around the house. Or at least cover them so mosquitoes dont have an opportunity to lay eggs. Weekly wash out containers with a brush or sponge to remove mosquito eggs. What to do when one has high fever The monsoon season brings with it several kinds of viral infections and fevers. Most of them are largely harmless and abate after a week or so. But if the fever continues for more than three days and is accompanied by rashes on the body and intense headache, make sure to consult a doctor. Prevention of dengue At the Personal level: Do not wear half sleeves and shorts during the monsoon and use mosquito repellent creams or nets at home. Ensure there is no source of mosquito breeding in and around your home or workplace. At the Community level: Don't let water stagnate in containers, coolers, tyres and broken pots or even half broken tender coconuts. Hyderabad: GHMC town planning officers will be held responsible for old buildings collapsing in Greater Hyderabad, minister K.T. Rama Rao said after the collapse of a 75-year-old building at Chilkalguda late on Monday. GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy directed GHMC staff to carry out an emergency drive to find out dilapidated buildings, "Loss of life must be prevented. The negligence of the staff will be viewed seriously. GHMC will identify worn out buildings with the help of corporators, the public and its staffers. GHMC officers have been directed to demolish identified buildings. If the properties are involved in cases ban orders will be issued and boards will be put up." The minister has ordered to hold town planning officers responsible if any old building collapses and people die in their jurisdiction areas. The commissioner said the town planning wing of Chilkalguda had issued notices to the owners of the collapsed 75-year-old ground plus one building in 2015 and 2016, and except for the meat shop owner all others had vacated the building. Later, the GHMC demolished the entire building. In the last two weeks four buildings collapsed in Greater Hyderabad. The first was the under construction portico of Film Nagar Culture Club on July 26 which killed two labourers and injured many. It was followed by an old commercial electronic store in Secunderabad which buried alive the store owner. The fourth incident was on Tuesday when an illegal arch of a gated community crashed in Kukatpally. Following the alarming number of building crashes GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy has ordered a training session next week for all engineers and supervisors of GHMC by JNTU experts. Collapsed arch was illegal: The collapsed arch of Vasant Colony in Kukatpally was illegal. The GHMC had not granted permission to the builders to construct the arch and it was not part of the building plan. The report of the GHMC Circle 14 authorities on the incident said, The construction of an arch by the builder of the apartment project in survey number 145/2, in Kukatpally is illegal. Permission was issued for the construction of residential apartment blocks A B C D & E consisting of a cellar, and stilt plus five floors containing 540 flats. The file mentioned Ms B. Lakshmi Narasamma and five others and the development agreement was made by GPA holder Teja Homes Pvt Ltd and eight others. The entrance arch was being built adjacent to E Block. The applicant has not obtained occupancy certificate from the GHMC as the apartments are under construction. At the final stage of the verification of the sanctioned plan it was noticed that no permission was accorded for the entry arch which collapsed, the report said . The crashed illegal arch is an example on how gated communities, and colonies build arches without GHMC permission. It is mandatory for the applicant to mention about any additional construction in the building application. If that is not done the GHMC will have the right to demolish it. On the Kukatpally arch collapse, GHMC circle 14A deputy commissioner N. Narender said the GHMC has asked the police to register a criminal case against the builder Shiva Prasad Reddy and eight others including Tejas Construction which took up the construction. The GHMC has also issued notices to the architect and structural engineer of the building. Action will also be taken against the town planning officer who failed to conduct inspections. Lawyers of J&K High Court hold placards during a protest rally against the killing of 50 civilians and use of Pellet guns by forces, in Srinagar on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) SRINAGAR: Unidentified assailants threw Molotov cocktails at the private residence of Jammu and Kashmirs education minister and spokesman of the State government, Syed Naeem Akhter Andrabi, at Parray Pora along the Srinagar airport road on late Monday night. Police said that no one was hurt as one of the petrol bombs fell in the house compound and the other outside the premises. In fact, no one lives in the house as Mr. Akhter shifted to an official bungalow in the high security Gupkar Road here after becoming a minister in the PDP-BJP government in March 2015. Mr. Akhter was not available for comment but police officials said that it was a serious incident as it took place in an area which has remained comparatively peaceful during the past over three weeks when the Kashmir Valley witnessed the worst spell of turbulence following the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Protests and clashes between irate crowds of youth and stone-pelting mobs and the security forces continued for the 25th consecutive day but these were restricted to fewer areas. Nine persons were injured in clashes at Imam Sahib in southern Shopian district. Meanwhile, separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked Pakistan to provide medical assistance to over 200 Kashmiri youth who have suffered eye injuries and scores others faced with risk of limb loss after being hit in pellet and rifle firings during the ongoing unrest in the Valley. According to University Foreign Relations Office director Prof. C. Venugopal Rao, students from about 80 countries have either been alumni or are students of the university. Hyderabad: Almost 2,500 foreign students, mostly from the African countries, have been given provisional admissions in Osmania University. Officials expect about 1,900 of them to enroll for the 2016-17 academic year. The university attracted 1,246 foreign nationals last year. About 70 per cent of the admissions are for undergraduate programmes, while most of the rest join post-graduate courses and less than five per cent for Ph.D programmes According to University Foreign Relations Office director Prof. C. Venugopal Rao, students from about 80 countries have either been alumni or are students of the university. OU has been one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education along with Pune and Mysore universities as far as foreign nationals are concerned. Besides its University for Potential Excellence status, what sets apart Osmania University is its academic connection with Asian and West Asian countries right from Nizams period, he said, Of the nearly 2,500 provisional admissions given this year, 1,900 are self-financed and another 550 are under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship. While a student getting an ICCR scholarship gets full tuition fee and monthly stipend for the duration of course, self-financing students pay from their own pocket. This year students from China, South Africa, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, the Maldives, Nepal, Malawi, Djibouti are joining OU. For the first time, students from the Comoros archipelago off the Africa coast have sought admission. While 85 per cent of PG students will be accommodated on the campus, UG students will be allotted to noted institutions like Nizam College, PG College at Saifabad, Bhavans Vivekananda College, Sainikpuri, AV College, Anwar-ul-loom College, St.Marys Yousufguda, St. Francis, Villa Marie and Koti Womens College. Prof. Venugopal Rao said nearly 1,100 students are attending under-graduate classes that began on July 4. About 25 per cent of the students were accommodated in Nizam College. BCA a hot favourite among Foreign students at Osmania University The Bachelor of Computer Applications, which has fewer takers here, is a hot favourite among foreign students. University Foreign Relations Office director Prof. C. Venugopal Rao said nearly 640 provisional admission letters had been issued for foreign students who sought admission in BCA. Of them, 300 have already joined the university, he said. Students hailing from West Asia and even African countries get good placement opportunities in their countries after completing the BCA. Hence the heavy rush. Keeping foreign students in mind we have even revived the course in some colleges, he said. Prof. C. Venugopal Rao said the BCA had lost significance after the huge increase in the number of engineering seats. Earlier, the BCA and the MCA opened doors for an IT career. Local students and their parents now prefer the B.Tech or BE degree. New Delhi: Ahead of Home Minister Rajnath Singhs visit to Islamabad for a meeting of Saarc home and interior Ministers, India has conveyed to Pakistani security agencies that he faces threat from four major terror outfits : Islamic State, Taliban, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Tayeeba. Sources said Indian security agencies who are in touch with their Pakistani counterparts have been assured that an elaborate security cover has been planned for the Indian Home Minister which will almost be at par with that of a head of state. Indian security agencies have been closely monitoring security arrangements for Rajnath Singh particularly in wake of threat issued by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. Even Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has said that Pakistani Government should not have invited Mr Singh for the Saarch conference. The home minister has a very high threat perception during his visit Islamabad for the Saarc summit starting Wednesday. We are in regular touch with Pakistani agencies as providing security is the responsibility of the host nation and have conveyed our concerns to them particularly about the threat from terror groups. They are making stringent arrangements and we are hopeful that the visit will go on smoothly, a senior Home Ministry official said. Meanwhile, BSF chief K.K. Sharma said Hafiz Saeeds plans of undertaking massive protests against Indian Home Ministers visit was a political move and border guarding forces on both sides have been sensitised and they will ensure that the Saarc home ministers meeting to be held on Wednesday in Islamabad is not disrupted. This protest call by Hafiz Saeed is the internal matter of Pakistan and I am very sure that my counterparts Pak Rangers are more than competent to handle this issue. I am sure it is not going to disrupt the SAARC meeting. Hafiz Saeed will not be successful, the DG said. In the last few days, the BSF has deployed about 4,000 personnel on the Punjab frontier and 2,000 on the Jammu side to further intensify border patrolling and strengthen the counter infiltration grid. Congress president Sonia Gandhi waves to crowds during a massive road show in the run-up to the UP Assembly elections, in Varanasi on Tuesday (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Congress president Sonia Gandhi held a massive road show in Varanasi on Tuesday to launch the partys campaign for the 2017 assembly elections. Mrs Gandhi choosing Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency, adds significance to the event. She had last visited the city in 2004. Varanasi is also considered to be the political hub of eastern UP. In another politically significant move, Mrs Gandhi began her Varanasi visit by paying floral tributes to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in a city that is revered by all Hindus, particularly upper castes. She removed her footwear before she went up to offer floral tributes at the Ambedkar statue an act reserved usually for deities. Congress hopes to regain the Dalit and upper caste vote banks for a comeback in the 2017 assembly elections and her tributes to Ambedkar are a part of the Congress strategy. Mrs Gandhi, however, was forced to cut short her visit to the holy city by about two hours due to ill health. She is said to be suffering from dehydration and high fever. Mrs Gandhi returned to Delhi without offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and her address to the media was also cancelled. Mrs Gandhi took a 55 minute break during the road show at Maldahiya and was given medical attention. Later, she moved to a vehicle with an open sunroof. Earlier, the 8-km long road show from the Circuit House to the Englishiya Lane had thousands of supporters waving enthusiastically to the Congress president and chanting Har Har Mahadev. The Congress president was showered with rose petals all through the route. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women that came in large numbers. Hyderabad: Two people were killed when an old building collapsed at Padmarao Nagar in Chilkalguda during Monday midnight's rain. The victims are Md. Akbar Ghori, 38, and Md. Wajeed Pasha, 29, who were working in their chicken shop in the building when the mishap occurred. The building was several decades old and was worn out. All shops except the chicken centre were closed by 10 pm. Otherwise the casualties would have been more, officials said. The police found that the GHMC had issued a notice asking to demolish the building. However, the owners, Basith and Aziz, ignored it. Chilkalguda police has booked a case against the owner under Section 304 A (causing death through negligence). The incident occurred at around 11 pm on Monday night. The building is situated near the post office galli opposite Deccan Medical Hall. As it was Bonalu the owner had kept the shop open late. The incident occurred due to the heavy rains in the last four days, said deputy mayor Mohammed Baba Fasiuddin, who visited the spot. The friends of Muhammed, 50, who happened to be in the shop, said that seconds before it collapsed he saw part of the building caving in. I ran out of the building hearing the sound. But the two of them could not make it, he said. Both victims died on the spot trapped under the mud and debris. Later, a rescue mission was carried out by the police and firemen who pulled out the bodies. Police said the victims were about to close the shop as they had finished work. They were cleaning the shop when the building caved in, said Chilkalguda inspector K. Srinivasalu. Relatives of victim Akbar Ghori, a resident of Kindi Basthi in Chilkalguda, said that he had been running the chicken shop since 15 years. He has two children, a 10-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl. He was the sole breadwinner of his family, said one of his relatives. Wajeed Pasha, an assistant of Akbar, had been working in the chicken shop since eight years. The car was being driven by Ravi Kiran, also from the same nieghbourhood. Chennai: A 28-year-old-man and his 41-year-old-maternal uncle were killed when the car they were travelling in rolled over into a pit by the roadside pit in North Malayambakkam near Poonamallee on Sunday evening. Seven others, including the driver, had a narrow escape despite the car being considerably damaged. Sources said the group of friends and relatives from Vaithi Nagar in Poonamallee had gone to a childrens home near an amusement park near Tambaram for lunch on Sunday. The group left the home at around 5 pm after they disbursed educational assistance to the needy children. When the car was passing by North Malayambakkam, the car driver applied sudden brakes to avoid running over a stray dog that came in the car's path. In the process, the car rolled over thrice plunging into the roadside pit. P. Ravi (41), resident of Vaithi Nagar, Poonamallee sustained grievous injuries and died on the spot. His nephew, M. Mohan Kumar (28), also from Vaithi Nagar, was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the government hospital. The car was being driven by Ravi Kiran, also from the same nieghbourhood. Six others - B. Prabhu (25), M. Saravanan (21), K. Baskar (22), R. Jyanesh (21), M. Tharun Kumar (11) and Santhosh (5) - who were in the car and suffered injuries are being treated at GH. The Poonamallee Traffic Investigation Wing had registered a case. Court will conduct hearing on Wednesday in connection with a petition filed by police seeking the court's permission to collect signature specimen from Ramkumar. Chennai: The metropolitan magistrate court on Monday has extended the judicial custody of P. Ramkumar, accused in Swathi murder case, until August 12. Magistrate S. Gopinathan extended Ramkumar's remand through videoconference facility. When the matter came up for hearing, the prison officials produced Ramkumar before the videoconference facility from Puzhal prison. Last week, the court granted permission to the Nungambakkam police to videograph Ramkumar on August 8 enabling the police to match it with the CCTV footages of Ramkumar collected near Nungambakkam railway station before and after the murder. The police will send videographs and the CCTV footage for forensic analysis. Meanwhile, the court will conduct hearing on Wednesday in connection with a petition filed by police seeking the court's permission to collect signature specimen from Ramkumar. After collecting all the evidences and documents, the Nungambakkam police will file charge sheet before the court shortly. Hyderabad: Ten professors from Osmania General Hospital and three from Gandhi Hospital have opted for Andhra Pradesh leading to non-functioning of the units and causing delay in planning elective surgeries. In OGH the effect is felt more as the professors are from dermatology, gynaecology, anaesthesia, dental, neurosurgery, ENT, cardio-thoriacic, general medicine, pulmonology and microbiology units. In Gandhi Hospital of the seven units of general medicine, three professors are gone and one has retired due to which only three units are functioning. The professors opted for Andhra Pradesh to the Kamalnathan committee in the bifurcation process as they were native of that region. Their nativity certificate submitted to the committee alloted to them to that region. They have got posting orders on July 20th. The doctors have shifted and started work in their postings since August 1st. A senior health official explained, The moving out of a professor in a unit leads to delay in patient care as the elective surgeries and teaching in the colleges both are affected. The burden of this dysfunctional unit falls on other units as patients, teaching and also post-graduate students require to be divided under the existing professors. The worst is the effect on elective surgeries as they are not able to give immediate dates to patients. Dr K Narismulu, professor of general medicine earlier in Gandhi Hospital and now transferred to Kurnool Medical College explained, In Gandhi Hospital, we have only three units functioning while the remaining four are not functioning as there are no professors as they have moved out. One professor has retired in March but there is no one promoted for that position. There is definitely a dent felt. If the promotions or the new appointments are not made on time, the teaching and patient care both will suffer. In Gandhi Hospital and OGH the planning time for elective surgeries presently ranges from 15 days to 20 days. Another health official explained, With the units not functioning properly the backlog is going to advance to 30 to 45 days and that will show poorly on the patient front. Hyderabad: T. Venkaiah never thought that sweeping the roads of Hyderabad and disposing garbage, which he did for 16 years, would fetch him national recognition. The Rajendranagar GHMC sanitation worker has been named the Best worker in India by the ministry of urban development, and is among the top three in the country to be honoured with an award. The 49-year-old contract worker of the GHMC is the only one selected from the state. Mr Venkaiah will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 6 at the launch of the Swachh Survekshan 2017 in New Delhi. GHMCs South Zone commissioner Srinivas Reddy said, Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the GHMC was invited to nominate the best sanitary workers based on their performance. Ten from the GHMC were identified and nominated. Among them was T. Venkaiah. His attendance always remains 100 per cent, and he does not even take weekly offs. He has a good rapport with locals and residents. He is known for the accuracy of his work, especially good segregation of waste; he is very active in sanitation works. There have been no complaints about him so far. Earlier, too, he has been awarded cash prizes by the GHMC commissioner for his good work. Venkaiah educates on waste Mr T. Venkaiah, an outsourced contract worker of the GHMC has been named the Best worker in India by the ministry of urban development. The GHMC Circle 24 worker had earlier worked for the gram panchayat department when Rajendranagar was not merged with Greater Hyderabad. I started work with a salary of Rs 1,200; after 16 year of service now I draw Rs 10,475. My daily job is to collect and segregate wet and dry waste. I ensure that the colonies allocated to me, like Babul Reddy Nagar, Saibaba Nagar and Mohan Reddy Nagar under Rajendranagar Circle remain clean and green without any sanitation problem, said Mr Venkaiah, who lives in Ganganpahad village. His elder son is also a contract employee with the GHMC, while his younger son is studying Class X. One does not have to tell Venkaiah to clear the waste. Rain or thunder, he is always punctual. He in fact educates the residents about solid waste management, said Ms Savitha Reddy of Mohan Reddy Nagar. On August 6, the ministry of urban development will conduct a ranking of 500 cities across the country to know their sanitation status. On the same day the top three best workers will be facilitated. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Tuesday claimed that he never called the Bulandshahr gangrape a political conspiracy, asserting that he was a very sensitive person. Never said it was Oppositions conspiracy, I only said that UP polls are close & so many such incidents are happening and they need to be investigated, Azam Khan told the media when he was asked if his comments were misconstrued. Read: 'He's gone mad,' says victim's uncle after Azam calls UP rape 'political conspiracy' A gang of dacoits had brutally raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur on Friday night. Earlier on Monday, Khan had hinted that the rape could have been a political conspiracy and claimed that the opposition could stoop to any level to defame the Akhilesh government. We must also probe whether this entire controversy is a move by some Opposition elements to defame the government. People who want to come to power may be stooping this low for political interests, Azam had said. If the Congress can instigate 1000 riots in the country for votes, if for votes Gujarat can happen, if Muzzaffarnagar, Shamli and Kairana can happen, then why not this. Had Gandhi been alive, all this might have not happened, but they even got him killed, Khan added. Read: Deliver justice or will commit suicide, threaten UP gangrape survivors' kin Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested the three accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. Facing flak from opposition, the state government had suspended five officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. Mumbai: Under attack from Shiv Sena over a separate statehood for Vidarbha region, Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday told BJP's bickering ally that he was the Chief Minister of "Akhand (entire) Maharashtra". Fadnavis was speaking in the State Assembly as the contentious issue of separate Vidarbha dominated proceedings for the third day. Sena MLA and former Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu asked Fadnavis to clarify his stand on the issue. Prabhu also demanded that cases of treason be filed against those who gave slogans for a separate Vidarbha state in the House. "There is no proposal as of this moment for a separate Vidarbha before the State Government," Fadnavis said. It is not right to discuss an issue which is not pending before this House, he added. "I am the CM of an Akhand Maharashtra," Fadnavis said. "While BJP has been in favour of (creation of) smaller states, Sena has opposed it," the CM said. "Both the parties are in the government. This is not the government's stand," he added. Fadnavis appealed to the House members to put a stop to the discussion on separate Vidarbha issue. "NCP doesn't have any right to seek my resignation. People have that right," he said. "Ask NCP's Praful Patel who has backed separate Vidarbha. Should we discuss in the House what he has said," the CM said. "We have taken an oath to be true to the Constitution. The Constitution provides for a House member to put forth his views on formation of a separate state. A criminal offence cannot be registered against him for this," Fadnavis said. Prabhu said there's no commitment for an Akhand Maharashtra in the statement by Fadnavis on the Vidarbh a issue. Opposition Congress-NCP legislators shouted slogans in support of a united Maharashtra. Shiv Sena legislators also joined in. Opposition legislators staged a protest on the stairs at the entrance of Vidhan Bhawan, against division of the western state. After the statement by Fadnavis in the Assembly, Sena ministers left for 'Matoshree', party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence in suburban Bandra. Congress president Sonia Gandhi during the launch of poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh, in party headquarters in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) Varanasi: Taking the battle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turf, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched her party's campaign for the 2017 UP Assembly elections in the constituency. Gandhi flew in here for a day-long programme in the constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city. The Congress President is also set to participate in a road show which would take her to various parts of the city. Her choice of starting the campaign from Varanasi for the Assembly elections scheduled next year is significant given the fact that it sends a signal that Congress is daring Modi on his home turf. This is Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister. Gandhi is scheduled to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. She is accompanied by Sheila Dikshit, who is the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in the state, AICC General Secretary Gulam Nabi Azad, UPCC Chief Raj Babbar, senior party leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh. Congress has launched a campaign "dard-e-banaras" to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress is out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in last 27 years through a campaign called "27 saal UP behal". Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seats-Amethi and Rae Bareli in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also set the stage for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to help and assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishore was earlier strategist of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in Bihar Assembly polls. New Delhi: A day after Anandiben Patel decided to step down as Chief Minister, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said making her a "scapegoat" would not save the BJP in Gujarat as the 13-year Narendra Modi rule in the state was responsible for its "burning". "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle. 13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 2, 2016 The Gujarat Chief Minister yesterday decided to step down, saying it was time for the new leadership to take over as she is soon going to turn 75. Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled by the end of next year and Congress is upbeat as it had put up a good showing in the rural areas in the western state's panchayat elections. Congress has been out of power in the Gujarat for over two decades. The state has been witnessing an agitation by the Patidar community to fulfil their quota demand while Dalits are up in arms after seven people from their community were flogged by a group at Una for skinning a dead cow. Terming Patel's resignation as "overdue", Congress had on Monday accused the BJP leadership of trying to protect her in spite of "growing unrest" among Dalits and the Patidar community over her handling of issues related to them. All India Congress Committee General Secretary, in-charge of Gujarat, Gurudas Kamat also said if she is made a Governor of any state or accommodated into the Union cabinet, then it will amount to rubbing salt on the wounds of Dalits and the Patidar community. Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modis maiden visit to Telangana on August 7 is likely to end without any big announcements such as the release of additional funds to the youngest state by the Central government. Generally states expect some kind of support from the Central government during such high profile visits. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who met Mr Modi in July, had also submitted a long wish list, which includes seeking Central help for various projects such as Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya. The Telangana State government, however, it appears, does not expect too much from the Prime Ministers first visit to the state in terms of monetary support to the state. According to sources in the TRS, the Chief Minister will not seek any assurance from the Prime Minister on fund allocation to state at a public meeting to be attended by both the leaders at Gajwel. Karimnagar TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar said the Chief Minister will not seek any help from the Centre at the public meeting. On the invitation of the Chief Minister, the Prime Minister is coming to the state as a guest. We had already sought whatever support we want from the Centre. And now the guest should not be troubled by making more demands. On his part, the Chief Minister is pulling out all stops to impress Mr Modi. Sources claim that the TRS had told its cadre to make the Gajwel meeting a grand success by mobilising five lakh people. Speaking to this newspaper, Telangana BJP Legislature Party leader G. Kishen Reddy said, The Prime Minister normally avoids making any promises and announcements of funds during State tours. He added Mr Modi likes to sanction projects to various states without much fanfare. The revival of Ramagundam fertilisers factory is one such example. So I dont think he will promise anything new to Telangana. However senior Congress leader and MLC Ponguleti Sudhakara Reddy appealed to the Prime Minister to treat Telangana on par with Andhra Pradesh in granting funds and projects during his maiden visit to state. At a crucial time in the Arun Shourie/Pradip Baijal journey in the disinvestment ministry, confabulations between Osamu Suzukis Suzuki Motor Corporation and the Government of India came to an abrupt standstill. The standoff was over control premium for Maruti Suzukis Golden Share, which would hand over control of Indias homegrown Maruti to the Japanese auto major as it would become the majority shareholder. It was tense and gruelling, and no headway was made as the government was clear it would not relinquish control over Indias premier passenger carmaker for less than Rs 1,000 crores. But the Japanese would have none of it, they were hard-boiled negotiators too. So Mr Baijal and Co in the disinvestment ministry realised it was best to back off for the time being. To cool things off, it was decided that the Japanese delegation should be sent to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, and the thread could be picked up later. It worked like clockwork. The Japanese returned from Agra refreshed. The government came back to the table and cracked it wide open. A control premium of Rs 1,000 crores changed hands, and this became an iconic moment in the disinvestment battle. That was the fierce doggedness that was shown in Atal Behari Vajpayees tenure on reforms. Between the strategic sale of sick PSUs, road-building programmes under the Golden Quadrilateral and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and capital account convertibility reforms, Mr Vajpayee left a lasting legacy. This is something the present government could learn from. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to mirror standout reforms, but India has wasted two years and a bit to wait for something transformational. Plodding ahead, pursuing incrementalism and gradualism, an irate Mr Modi is obviously concerned with this intellectual bankruptcy. At a Niti Aayog meeting on July 28, a worried PM spoke of how India needed transformational change. The slow pace of reforms and the complete paucity of structural changes in the past two years has hurt the PM and the BJP governments image. Mr Modi was propelled to power on a platform of growth and development. Logic says that the right wing is good for reform. Of course, there were many other tall promises the government has failed to deliver on. But what hurts India optically is that nothing is really moving except successful administrative reforms. Deeper reforms, unfortunately, remain unpalatable. The Luddites are deeply embedded across Indias political spectrum. Once UPA-2 got 206 Lok Sabha seats in 2009, it decided to rewind to practising welfare economics and veering back to an age of socialist dogmas, by going back to its default settings. The BJP, under Mr Modi, sadly cannot reshape the narrative either. Spitballing wont help. The Niti Aayog has finally unveiled this governments 15-year Vision Document, a planning paper that is set to be the bedrock for the future. At the same event, the PM said he had the courage to experiment and wanted the Niti Aayog to think big and pioneer innovative, out-of-the-box ideas. Emphasising the bulwark of cooperative federalism, he was obviously unhappy with the way things are going, as he sought drastic policy overhaul and reform. It is unacceptable that the BJPs cerebral inputs have fallen way short of expectations. The PMs running theme has been transformation over incrementalism. Yet the corresponding ideas have failed to emerge. Which makes one wonder at the width and depth of the BJPs think tanks and allied policy mavens. At a media giants economic summit in January, the PM spoke about Reform to Transform. In November 2015. Mr Modi told 80 top secretaries he wanted, transformational ideas for next years Budget and shift the focus from output to outcome. Now the question is: if the all-powerful PM has a bee in his bonnet about transformative ideas, and rightly so, why is this not forthcoming? Cant the government and the party come up with killer applications that provide breakthrough benefits? I cant believe for a moment that the BJP doesnt have thinking horsepower. Or is someone trying to impede the PM? Niti Aayog vice-chief Arvind Panagariya wants more experts in the government, but that is not the answer to Indias woes. The Niti Aayog itself must be transformative and communicative, as I dont think it has so far delivered on anything significant. Time, it is said, stops for no one. In early July, Mr Panagariya said: On strategic divestment, you will see action in the next six months I would say, meaning that the process is on, but you will see some action happening in the next six months or less. One sincerely hopes so, for this sounds like typical bureaucratese, the bane of Indian governance. With reformers like Amitabh Kant and Ratan Watal in Niti Aayog, one expects some serious ideation. What about the rest of the government? Are there no ideas of substance which will materially change and transform? Is the well so shallow, the gene pool so restricted? What is perhaps most galling is the singular lack of big-ticket ideas. The ecosystem is working sub-optimally, private investment lies crippled. While politicians fight for financial and economic inclusion of Indias vast swathes of poor, boosting the capacity of the state and finding new avenues to bridge the infrastructure, energy and capital deficit remains distant. Balancing finances to pump prime social welfare programmes and Indias poor infrastructure is another challenge. Revenue mobilisation remains the primary task to fund all this. Take the Rs 40,000-crore National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, that was conceived in Budget 2015 (February), but got its CEO, Sujay Bose, only on June 27 this year. Look at the time lag for just about everything from announcements to outcomes how will one ever get a swift response? The journey becomes an expedition, that assumes the avatar of a voyage with no closure in sight. This is the real scourge of the Indian economy. Mr Modi was likened to Deng Xiaoping when he came to power in 2014. India awaits transformation as it has had enough of rhetoric. The writer is a former editor, author and visiting fellow at Observer Research Foundation. He loves the space where politics and economics converge. Gujarat CM Anandiben Patels surprise announcement on Monday that she wanted to resign reveals open infighting within the state BJP, with the saffron partys all-India chief Amit Shah playing a lead part in the denouement, as Anandiben supporters have hinted. This lends the matter a dimension that goes beyond Gujarat. Ms Patel, Gujarats first woman chief minister, had been loyal to Narendra Modi throughout his career as CM of Gujarat, and she was politically rewarded for sticking close. This went to the extent that a Cabinet meeting in 2010, when Mr Modi was CM, cleared a proposal for a suspicious land grant at ridiculous rates for a company with which Ms Patels daughter Anar was linked, and this has become a scandal. When Mr Modi shifted to New Delhi, he handpicked Ms Patel as his successor to lead the Gujarat government although he was aware there was considerable opposition to her elevation within the BJP. When Ms Patel called on the PM in New Delhi in May, she was apparently assured she wont be replaced although the rumblings against her were rising. But political circumstances have forced her out. Her benefactor could no longer save her. In that sense, this is the first tower in the BJP citadel to fall after Mr Modi became PM. Corruption charges against the BJP-run state governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and insinuations made against external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in the Lalit Modi affair, were brazenly stonewalled by the Modi government. The Gujarat CMs removal became unavoidable as Mr Modis favourite ran a corrupt show (many instances of which are now being cited), she projected an anti-dalit face, specially after the disgraceful July 11 episode at Una in Gujarat when harijan families were flogged by gau rakshaks, who seem to have got a free run and fear nobody, for doing their traditional work of skinning dead cows. After this, in protest, many Gujarat dalits consumed pesticides and took their own life. This is real bad news for the BJP, which has been trying hard since last year to cultivate dalits, especially in the coming UP Assembly elections. Thousands of dalits rallied in Ahmedabad on Sunday and pledged not to do their traditional cleaning work. The BJP is once again being seen as an anti-dalit party. It is a bad advertisement for the so-called Gujarat model of development. Last year the Anandiben government lathicharged the patidar (Patel) community, the BJPs main vote bank in Gujarat, when they held a protest for their quota demand. Anandibens rule has damaged the BJPs electoral prospects. A rescue act cant be easy. Border defence and border policing are important aspects of national security. They require different approaches, and different organisations. Border defence is primarily the responsibility of the Army, requiring concentration of force at tactical locations not only for defence but for counter-offensives into enemy territory. Border policing is required to prevent infiltration and smuggling and also maintain law and order in the border areas. Primarily the responsibility of the paramilitary, it requires dispersal of force with platoon/company posts covering the border. There should be close cooperation between the Army and the paramilitary. In war, there should be unity on the border with paramilitary units working under the Armys command. During British rule our land borders were very tranquil. However, the tribes in the Northwest were turbulent, often carrying out raids into settled areas. The Army had to frequently carry out operations against tribesmen. This was considered good live training for war. The northern borders in the Himalayas had been peaceful from the dawn of history. The land borders in the east have dense jungles which were considered impenetrable. No military threat was visualised from that direction. However, during the Second World War, for the first time we faced an invasion from the east. The Japanese invasion was decisively defeated at Kohima and Imphal. However, the vulnerability of our eastern border was underscored again by the Chinese aggression in 1962. During British rule, the jungle region beyond the Inner Line had no settled administration. Primitive tribes were allowed to live their secluded lives. They had not been exposed to civilisation and their way of life was no different from the way their ancestors lived several centuries ago. Head-hunting would take place among the tribes. Often punitive expeditions had to be undertaken against the tribes, specially when they descended from the mountains and raided the plains of Assam. There were a few Scouts Battalions in the northwest for border policing commanded by majors from the Army, like the Gilgit Scouts, Tochi Scouts and Khurram Scouts, all working under Army formations in the region. In the East, the British started with the Cachar Levy in 1935 which was redesignated Assam Rifles in 1917. Army officers served on deputation with Assam Rifles battalions and Assam Rifles units took part in the First and Second World Wars. Exercising overall command of the Assam Rifles in Assam used to be a brigadier designated IG Assam Rifles working under Assams governor. After Partition, our land borders with Pakistan both in the west and east became very live borders. Later, so did our borders in the north with China. Initially, we had no border police force on our borders with West and East Pakistan. Ad hoc arrangements were made for policing on the Indo-Pakistan border with State Armed Police units and militia/scouts. In 1965 the Border Security Force was raised to police the India-Pakistan border. Border policing normally requires platoon or company-level engagement. Anything on a larger scale should entail the regular Army taking over operations. The organisation, equipment and functioning of the border police should be tailored to this requirement and not to that of a parallel Army. The BSF, with 200 battalions, artillery and an air wing, is the worlds largest border guarding force. Beyond border policing, it is tasked to be Indias first line of defence, have the capability for limited aggressive action and also defend an assigned sector. The BSF performed creditably in the east during the 1971 war. The other three border police organisations are the Indo-Tibetan Border Police of 50 battalions deployed on our northern border with China, 46 battalions of Assam Rifles in the Northeast, and now 70 battalions of the Sashastra Seema Bal for the India-Nepal border to prevent cross-border crime and smuggling. Thus, we have a total of 352 battalions for border policing working under the home ministry. The 13-lakh-strong Indian Army is the third-largest Army in the world. Along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, it is required to defend the country. In view of the grave external and internal threats we face, we have to maintain large military and paramilitary forces. At the same time we must ensure we get rid of flab and improve the teeth-to-tail ratio so that our forces carry out their tasks effectively and economically. This will also release funds for acquiring modern weapons. The UK has cut its Army by 20 per cent, reducing its manpower by 82,000. The US Army is being reduced by 80,000 and Chinas 2.3-million-strong Peoples Liberation Army is being reduced by 3,00,000. The defence ministry has set up a committee to reduce the flab in our Army and to improve the teeth-to-tail ratio. A similar committee is required for the paramilitary forces, keeping in view the requirements of border policing. Economy can be effected by making them less top-heavy and possibly having some common training institutions. All institutions of governance in India civil, military and paramilitary have become very top-heavy. This not only adds flab but also delays and clogs decision-making. It increases the proverbial red tape. Till the 1970s, a ministry in the Government of India had a secretary, some joint secretaries, deputy secretaries and undersecretaries. An additional secretary would sometimes be there, but that was not very common. Today we have a principal secretary, secretary, special secretary, additional secretary, director, deputy secretary, undersecretary, and now assistant secretary in ministries, increasing the levels of functioning in the Central Secretariat. Similarly in the states, where we had about half a dozen joint secretary-level officers, including the chief secretary, there are now dozens of secretary-level officers. The police has also followed suit in a big way. New senior ranks above IG Principal DG, DG, Special DG and Additional DG have been introduced. Till the 1970s, the UP police had one officer in IG rank looking after the state police. Today UP has 131 officers of IG rank and above. Starting with a cadre review, the Army has also gone for large-scale rank upgradations. There are top-heavy and bloated headquarters at different levels. However, compared to the bureaucracy and the police, the Army has less flab on this account. The committee set up by the defence ministry must reduce flab in the military and increase the teeth-to-tail ratio (teeth being the fighting element and supporting elements the tail). The teeth are considered more important in a fighting Army but cannot function without the tail. The correct balance must be achieved. Due to cross-border terrorism and insurgency, we have to keep a manpower-intensive Army. Reduction in combat units may be difficult and can only be marginal. The flab can be found more in our logistics set-up and in our top rank structure, particularly on staff at all headquarter levels. The Indian military must have adequate manpower and the most modern military hardware to enable India to be a leading world power. The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir Opening official Stores allows the company to effectively cut out the middlemen. China-based consumer goods manufacturer Lenovo has applied for single-brand retail licence in India, which will allow the company to own and run showrooms in the country. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Lenovos recent smartphone launch event. Lenovo India declared that the total earnings from mobile sales for the year ended March 31, 2016 stood at $1.3 billion; almost twice the sales achieved in the previous fiscal. In a statement to the media, Sudhir Mathur, director for the mobile business group at Lenovos Indian operation said that sales have been growing at a healthy pace in India and the company expects to maintain the flow during the current fiscal. At present, Lenovos smartphones and laptops can only be bought through online and regular outlets; however, opening official Stores will allow the company to effectively cut out middlemen. According to the media reports, besides applying for the single-brand retail license, the company has applied for e-commerce business in the country. This, however, makes it a necessity for the company to sell 30 per cent locally sourced goods in the country under foreign investment norms. To fulfil this requisite, the company is planning to introduce eight-nine smartphones in India over the coming months. Thus, expects to grow 30 per cent this year. Other companies, including Apple and LeEco have also applied for the single-brand retail license in India. Mumbai: Samsung finally unveiled its much awaited Galaxy Note 7 at an event on Tuesday held in New York. The event was also streamed live on YouTube for the global audience. Some of the highlighting facets of the device include a significantly improved design, better user experience, iris scanner and enhanced performance. While the device still retains its large 5.7-inch QHD bezel-less screen, the main attraction of the whole unit is the advanced S Pen. Moreover, both the handset and the S Pen are IP68 certified, which prevents it under five feet water and free from dust-related issues. The handset features a praiseworthy symmetrical design along with dual curved architecture, rounded back and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. A complex 3D thrermoforming process is the reason behind the smartphones impeccable design. As Justin Denison, Samsungs Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, said, "It is designed for pioneerspeople who need a canvas for their boldest ideas, and a pen that can bring them to life." If thats not enough to excite fans, for the first time ever, the company has decided to put the devices large screen to use by offering high-quality HDR content. According to the company, this will drastically improve the detailing in video quality. It has partnered with Amazon to bring exclusive HDR content to the Galaxy Note 7. Moving on to the performance, the Galaxy Note 7 is powered by a Snapdragon 820 Chipset in the US and its native Exynos chipset in other parts. The chipset is further enhanced by the presence of 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, which can be extended to 256GB via external MicroSD card. To be clearer, the company claimed that the CPU on the Note 7 is 31 per cent more efficient; a GPU that is 58 per cent better along with an enhanced RAM. All this is supported by a 3,500mAh battery which is further empowered by wireless fast charging technology. It also comes along with USB Type-C connector for fast data transfers. In terms of camera, the handset gets the same 12MP rear camera featured on the S7 and S7 Edge. The front 5MP camera is also the same the Flagship S series. However, the major change with this device is the biometric iris scanner, which matches the pattern of your eyes to unlock the device; the 4-digit pass code can also be used though. With the Iris scanner, comes a lot of integrated services such as banking, secure folder storage, and Samsung Pay. While none of the payment services are available in India, the software integration is admirable. The smartphone is available in four colours Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and all-new Blue Coral. However, the company decided to stay silent regarding the pricing for now. The #GalaxyNote7 comes in four stunning colors: Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and all-new Blue Coral. pic.twitter.com/VNLsjDpkkq Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) August 2, 2016 Most advanced S Pen Though the device is laudable on its own, the super-efficient S Pen that comes along with the handset is a major trait making it even better. With the S Pen, users will now be able to attain much more. We haven't just changed the way the S Pen looks and feels. We've changed the way it thinks. #GalaxyNote7 pic.twitter.com/MIBN6o7ylI Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) August 2, 2016 Using the nifty pen, artists will be able to use newer techniques including new oil sketching and blending tricks. The diameter of S Pens tip has now been reduced 50 per centfrom 1.6mm to 0.7mmfor a realistic feel. Keeping in mind the numerous activities user indulge in with the S Pen, the company has also decided to allot a new appSamsung Notesdedicated only to activities using the S Pen. Apart from that, the S Pen is now a capable translator helping you quickly decode unknown languages. It also keeps you on track; users can quickly note down something on the phone which will be flashed later on the always-on display. Smart select is another facet that allows users to create GIF animations from video clips. With so much to offer, the smartphone along with the S Pen seem to be a step forward for the company. The company said that the device arrives on August 19 and it is speculated to be unveiled in India on August 11. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. (Photo: AP) Columbus: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested Monday that he fears the general election "is going to be rigged" - an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. Trump's extraordinary claim - one he did not back up with any immediate evidence - would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. Trump has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former Secretary of State received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman - who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories, including claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and, more recently, that Sen. Ted Cruz's father was an associate of President John F. Kennedy's assassin - also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He then asserted that November's general election may not be on the up-and-up. Requests to Trump's campaign for additional explanation were not returned. The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump did not repeat his claim at an evening rally in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. But he has not been shy of asserting that the electoral process has been "rigged." It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Republican rival Ted Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trump's expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats' process was also rigged. Monday night, Trump said Sanders "made a deal with the devil," and said of Clinton, "She's the devil." The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trump's remarks. The event in Ohio was Trump's first campaign appearance since the onset of his tussle with the parents of a slain Army veteran, but he did not address the flap. He spoke for nearly an hour Monday in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. Trump criticized the family in an interview Sunday and again in a pair of tweets Monday morning. Asked on MSNBC Monday whether Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said, "I don't want to hear anything from him and I don't want to say anything to him." But his running mate, Mike Pence, quieted a campaign rally crowd Monday that booed a woman who said she had a son who serves in the U.S. Air Force and asked how he can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the Nevada crowd to quiet down, then said about the questioner: "That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like." He continued: "Capt. Kahn is an American hero. We honor him and his family ... we cherish his family." He added that Trump had great respect for veterans. Because he was an FBI employee, the threat "was all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," the prosecutor added. (Representational Image/ YouTube Screengrab) New York: An FBI electronics technician with a top security clearance pleaded guilty on Monday to funneling photographs of FBI documents and other sensitive information to China. Prosecutors in federal court in Manhattan charged Kun Shan Chun - a naturalised US citizen who goes by "Joey Chun" - with making false statements in connection with his security clearance to cover up his connections to Chinese associates that included at least one unnamed government official. Chun, 46, threatened American security by acting as an unauthorized foreign agent, US Attorney Preet Bharara said in statement. Because he was an FBI employee, the threat "was all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," the prosecutor added. Chun, who was released after the plea, declined to speak to reporters as he left the courthouse. Defense attorney Jonathan Marvinny said in a statement that his client "deeply regrets" what he did. "The truth is that Mr. Chun loves the United States and never intended to cause it any harm," the lawyer said. Court papers allege that after beginning work for the FBI's Computerized Central Monitoring Facility, Chun cultivated a relationship with Chinese associates seeking technological data and other information. In 2013, Chun downloaded an FBI organisational chart from his FBI computer in Manhattan and later turned it over to an unnamed Chinese official, the papers say. About two years later, he "took photographs of documents displayed in a restricted area of the FBI's New York Field Office, which summarized sensitive details regarding multiple surveillance technologies used by the FBI," the papers say. He later used his personal cellphone to send the photos to China, they add. Authorities say Chun was rewarded with cash, free travel and other favors for himself and his family. The court papers cite one email exchange in which a Chinese associate wrote about treating Chun and his future wife to a trip to France and Italy with "five-star hotels the entire way." During a conversation with an undercover investigator, he claimed his associates also sometimes paid for prostitutes for him, the papers say. There was no immediate response from the Chinese Embassy in Washington to a request for comment on the case. Ottawa: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday sweeping changes to the way Supreme Court justices are chosen, vowing diversity while scrapping a tradition of regional representation on Canada's top bench. Also for the first time ever, interested lawyers and judges can apply on their own behalf to be justices. An independent panel led by former prime minister Kim Campbell will sort through applications and provide a shortlist of three to five candidates to the prime minister. The changes aim to end what critics decried as a partisan and unaccountable selection system described by Trudeau himself as "a secretive backroom process." "The nine men and women who sit on the Supreme Court bench must be jurists of the highest caliber, they must be functionally bilingual and they must also represent the diversity of our great country," Trudeau said in a Globe and Mail op-ed. Citing Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, he added: "If we are to fully meet the challenges of judging in a diverse society, we must work toward a bench that better mirrors the people it judges." "A diverse bench brings different and valuable perspectives to the decision-making process, whether informed by gender, ethnicity, personal history or the myriad other things that make us who we are," he said. Under the previous Tory administration, the selection of top judges became mired in controversy after the government's pick was rejected in 2013. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court ruled that the appointee lacked the legal qualifications. After leaks revealed similar shortcomings of other candidates put forward by Stephen Harper's government, the Tories ended parliament's involvement in the selection process. Under the new regime, the nominee will be vetted by a parliamentary committee. Trudeau's advisory panel, meanwhile, includes an aboriginal leader, and lawyers with expertise in gay and other minority rights. Campbell, the panel's chair, was Canada's first female prime minister in 1993. The nominee will replace retiring Justice Thomas Cromwell, who hails from Nova Scotia province, in September. Under the old system, the new justice would be picked from the same area, but that won't necessarily be the case now, according to the prime minister's office. Cornell had amassed two semi-automatic rifles, approximately 600 rounds of ammunition, and had researched how to make bombs. (Photo: AP) Chicago: A man in the US state of Ohio has pleaded guilty to charges that he planned to attack the US Capitol during a speech by President Barack Obama last year. Christopher Lee Cornell, a 22-year-old from the Cincinnati area, pleaded guilty to "terrorism charges" on Monday, the Justice Department said in a statement. Cornell admitted to attempting to kill government employees, possession of a firearm to commit violent crime and attempting to "provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation," it said. According to the plea agreement, he said that from about August 2014 through January 2015 he had schemed to travel to Washington in order to attack the US Capitol during Obama's State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015. Cornell had amassed two semi-automatic rifles, approximately 600 rounds of ammunition, and had researched how to make bombs. He was arrested on January 14, 2015. "The defendant admitted that his planned attack on the US Capitol was an attempt to provide material support and resources -- both personnel and services -- to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," the department said, using another name of the Islamic State group. "After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for others to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens," according to his admissions in the plea agreement. Cornell faces as much as 40 years in prison on the charges. 3 UT Austin professors who have sued, claiming their free speech rights would be violated, because students with guns would create a fearful atmosphere. (Photo: Representational Image) Chicago: Texas became the eighth US state to allow guns on campuses Monday -- a controversial decision that comes on the 50th anniversary of a deadly sniper rampage at a university. The law, which was passed last year, requires public universities in Texas to permit concealed weapons in campus buildings, although schools can impose limits on where guns are allowed. At the University of Texas at Austin, where a mass shooting in 1966 claimed 14 lives, the institution's president Gregory Fenves said the emotionally charged issue would likely be little noticed on campus. "We have a very safe campus," Fenves said, "And I think that will continue." Texas joins seven other states which also allow concealed guns on university campuses, including Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Eighteen states specifically ban the practice. Critics of the law include three UT Austin professors who have sued, claiming their free speech rights would be violated, because students with guns would create a fearful atmosphere and stifle the open expression of ideas. In an opinion piece published last week in The Dallas Morning News, Seema Yasmin, who teaches at a public university in Dallas, echoed that theme. "I'm not scared of guns. I'm scared of this combination: term exam stress, undiagnosed mental illness and the ability to carry guns in university buildings," Yasmin wrote. Proponents argue that allowing concealed weapons on campuses makes students and teachers safer, because any potential shooting attacks can be halted more quickly by armed citizens. As the new law went into effect, UT Austin dedicated a new sculpture on its campus grounds for the victims of the 1966 massacre. The stone block sculpture is etched with the names of all 17 people killed by gunman Charles Whitman: the 14 killed on campus, his mother and wife whom he killed earlier in the day, and one more campus victim who would die of his wounds years later. Whitman, a former military sharpshooter, climbed the university's clock tower building and shot for more than 90 minutes before being killed. "This massacre... occurred before terms like mass shooting," said Lloyd Doggett, a Texas congressman who 50 years ago was a student at UT Austin. "Now, such gun violence has become all too commonplace." Some of the shooting's survivors attended the ceremony, including Claire Wilson James, who lost her unborn child when she was wounded. "Let this memorial remain here on campus and in our minds, as a reminder of the power we have each moment to become a community of love and reverence for life," James said during the ceremony. It is unclear what the impact of the Texas law will be. For one, concealed guns have been allowed on Texas university campuses since 1995. The new law now allows them inside buildings as well. A person has to be 21 or older to be licensed to carry a gun in the state. That limits the number of college students who would qualify. And despite fears, university officials say there is little evidence of increased violence. After the law was passed a year ago, the University of Texas examined 17 other universities where students are allowed to carry guns. "Most respondents reported that campus carry had not had much direct impact on student life or academic affairs," said UT's subsequent report. "We have found little evidence of campus violence that can be directly linked to campus carry, and none that involves an intentional shooting." Still, the law could have damaging public relations effects. Already, two UT Austin professors have parted from the school. A candidate to lead the university's communications school reportedly withdrew citing the concealed carry law. Asked whether the school was concerned that students might stay away, Fenves said the institution is monitoring any potential impact. "At this point, I can't say it's had an undue effect on our ability to recruit," he said. Ban reported to the Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame pending a review, triggering an outcry from rights groups. (Photo: AP) United Nations, United States: The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen must do more to address "very serious concerns" about the killing of children, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, as he weighs whether to return the alliance to a blacklist of child rights violators. Ban reported to the Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame pending a review, triggering an outcry from rights groups. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children. They must always come first," Ban said, adding that the United Nations was continuing its review with the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to the decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the military alliance was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children's deaths in Yemen last year. Last week, Saudi Arabia outlined in a 13-page confidential letter to Ban the measures that the coalition is taking to prevent civilian deaths. In the letter obtained by AFP, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi offered to share with the United Nations the results of 10 investigations of air strikes on hospitals, homes, a wedding party and markets. The coalition will share the results of the investigations with the United Nations during a meeting they have proposed be held in Riyadh, he said. Ban told the council he had received information on the measures taken by the coalition, but that these fell short. "We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented," he told the council. Ban emphasized that "the content of the report stands." In his letter, the Saudi ambassador said the coalition had set up a reparations committee to consider compensation for the victims and opened a direct dialogue with aid organizations to guarantee the protection of hospitals. Mouallimi provided details of steps taken to designate targets and ensure they have "identifiable military purposes." They include drawing up a list of prohibited targets such as schools and diplomatic missions and working with "local forces to identify and vet targets for airstrikes." Ban in June said he was forced to remove the coalition from the list after Saudi Arabia threatened to cut off funding of UN aid programs. Riyadh denies the accusations. The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many other parts of the country. The war has killed some 6,400 people and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, the United Nations says. Laura Hansen, 20, was detained at Schiphol airport as she arrived back in the country almost a year after leaving with her husband. (Photo: AFP) The Hague: A young woman who returned home to The Netherlands with her two children after fleeing Syria has been arrested on suspicion of links to the jihadist Islamic State group, officials said on Tuesday. Identified in Dutch media reports as 20-year-old Laura Hansen, the woman was detained late Monday at Schiphol airport as she arrived back in the country almost a year after leaving with her husband. She had allegedly fled the conflict zone in Syria and arrived back in Schiphol airport, where she was arrested immediately on arrival, the Dutch prosecution service said. She is suspected of participating in a terrorist organisation in Syria and/or Iraq between September 1, 2015 and July 12, 2016, it added in a statement. Her two children were taken into care, and prosecutors are now investigating whether to bring any formal charges. A woman identified by the same name appeared on Kurdish television early last month saying she had fled from the grips of the jihadist group. She said her 27-year-old husband had told her they were going on holiday in September, and instead had taken her against her will to the IS stronghold in Raqqa, northern Syria. After several months, she was transferred to Mosul, in northern Iraq. Hansen told Kurdistan24 television she had escaped IS with the help of her father, and surrendered to the Kurdish peshmerga after her two young children were injured in a bombing in Mosul. I didnt want to come to Syria... He pushed me, she said of her husband, speaking in halting English to the Arbil-based TV channel. They put me in a house. It was all (guarded by) men. Men with beards and guns, she said. I was trying all the time to flee from the hell in which I was living. The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP that diplomats had been in touch with Hansen and her family when she was in Iraq. Our consulate-general in Arbil was in touch with the local authorities all the time and assisted with Lauras return to The Netherlands, a foreign ministry spokesman said. At least 250 Dutch people have left the Netherlands for Syria and Iraq to join fighters there, according to the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). About 40 have since come home, while another 42 are believed to have died in the fighting. London: A British man detained in the United States for allegedly trying to wrestle a gun from a police officer at a Donald Trump rally is suffering from severe mental illness and risks dying in prison, his mother said on Tuesday. Michael Sandford, 20, is due to face trial in Nevada on August 22. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and one felony count of impeding and disrupting the orderly conduct of government business. His mother, Lynne Sandford, told a news conference in London that her son, who has been diagnosed in the past with autism, depression and other mental health conditions, had been on suicide watch in a Nevada prison for the past three weeks. She portrayed her son as a compassionate, child-like man who enjoyed watching "Peppa Pig", a British children's television programme, and who was bewildered and frightened by his incarceration. She said her son had attempted to take his own life when he was 14 years old and was suffering from anorexia. Michael Sandford was arrested after an incident at a Trump rally at the Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas on June 18, and later told an investigator he wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate, according to US court papers. He has not been charged with attempted murder. "I accept that Michael has tried to do a bad thing but he is mentally ill and is not a bad or dangerous person," said his mother, adding that she had last spoken to him on the phone on Sunday. "He kept breaking down and sobbing on the phone, saying 'please, please, I just want to come home'. He's very remorseful ... He's just in a really bad way," she said. Sandford has launched a campaign to have her son repatriated to Britain so he could be treated in a secure medical facility. She has raised 19,600 pounds ($25,950) through the crowd-funding website Crowd Justice to pay for legal and other expenses. She said a British consular official who had visited her son in prison had reported that he was shackled and handcuffed. "It's not clear that Michael actually understands what he has done," said Saimo Chahal, the family's British lawyer, speaking alongside Lynne Sandford. "Because of his Asperger's, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and other psychological conditions there is a question mark over whether he's fit to plead and to undergo the trial process in the States," she said. Chahal said she was working to provide the public defenders' office in Nevada with independent evidence of Michael Sandford's mental illness. She expected the trial to be postponed by at least 56 days initially to allow time for that. She hoped a trial would not happen and that Sandford would be repatriated to Britain as part of a plea bargain agreement. Lepard has been registered on sex offenders list for life while Comway has been registered on the list for 10 years. (Representational Image) London: A teenager who was filmed sexually assaulting an unconscious woman has been jailed for eight years after he was heard saying 'it's technically rape'. According to a report in The Sun, the attacker, identified as Leppard, made the statement only after one of his friends, Tommy Conway, slapped the unconscious woman's naked bottoms and said that it was his turn to rape the girl. While the case was undergoing a trial in the Maidstone Crown Court, prosecutors said that the victim was high on alcohol when she was sexually assaulted by the teens. She came to know about the rape only after she was shown the video clip by her friend. During one of trials, the court was told that the attackers did not use a condom and the girl too did not consume any contraceptive pill since she wasn't aware of the assault. Prosecutor Nina Ellin said that the victim's friend was the one who recorded the act on camera. "While she was filming it, Conway came in and jumped on top of Leppard as he was having sex. While on top, Conway was making groaning noises and imitating motions of having sex and making sexual comments," Ellin was quoted as saying. At one point, Conway grabbed her leg and lifted it up while she was engaged in sex with Jamie Leppard," Ellin added. Leppard has been charged with one count of rape and faces eight years in prison. His friend and partner in crime denied any involvement but was convicted and locked up by the court for a period of two years and three months. Lepard has been registered on sex offenders list for life while Comway has been registered on the list for 10 years. Moreover, both have been barred from working with children and vulnerable adults for life. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. (Representational Image) Manila: Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said Tuesday. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said Monday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo said. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan said 8,520 of its nationals in Saudi Arabia had not been receiving their salaries for several months. A foreign ministry statement said that "most of the workers want to leave these companies but only after settling their dues". The Pakistan embassy had set up special centres and a fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations. Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country. In Manila the Migrante officials also said Filipinos could not leave because they lacked proper permits or were still awaiting months of back pay. A childs stuffed bear lies abandoned at the Jungle in Calais as French authorities move to clear the camp. (Photo: AP) London: The British government on Tuesday won its legal appeal against a decision to let four Syrian refugees living in France's "Jungle" camp come to Britain, but they will not be deported. A British immigration tribunal in January ordered the interior ministry to allow the four to enter Britain while their asylum claims were considered. However, three Court of Appeal judges on Tuesday upheld a challenge by the interior ministry, saying they were "not entirely persuaded" by the justifications used by the tribunal. The three teenagers and a 26-year old with mental health problems had been living in the sprawling Calais camp for over two months. Under European Union rules, refugees should apply for asylum in the first country they reach, but children and vulnerable adults can transfer their claims to another country if they have relatives legally living there. Lawyers argued conditions in the camp were "intolerable" and that bureaucratic delays in France meant that the Syrians' applications to live with relatives in Britain were not being processed. The tribunal agreed that the application should be processed in Britain, and that the four should be allowed to live in the country in the meantime. In January, the four arrived in Britain to a welcome from about 100 pro-refugee demonstrators holding yellow balloons and banners reading "refugees welcome". They were reunited with their families and two have since been granted refugee status, with the other two cases pending. The government is not seeking to deport the four but is concerned that the tribunal's decision set a legal precedent. Campaigners had hoped that the ruling would jolt the government into action, opening the way to relocate more unaccompanied minors from the "Jungle" camp in Calais to Britain. "It (Tuesday's ruling) means that charities like ours will have to continue identifying children one by one, taking them through a lengthy bureaucratic process as they have to wait to be reunited with their loved ones," George Gabriel, a campaigner with charity Citizens UK, told the Press Association. "We fear this means many will take the situation into their own hands, choosing between people traffickers on the one hand and train tracks on the other." Confessing to her crime, the accused told the court that she filmed the sex act with her son to please her cousin in Pakistan. (Photo: Instagram) St Mellons, Cardiff: A woman who filmed herself having sex with her 14-year-old son at her home in UK has been jailed for a term of five years. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused, made a pornographic film with her minor son and sent the video clips to her cousin residing in Pakistan. The woman is also accused of storing indecent images of her three-year-old daughter. While the case was undergoing trial in court, prosecutor Ian Kovin said that the accused, a mother of four, was told by her relative in Pakistan to create the indecent material. The prosecutor told the court that the sex racket came to light when one of her daughters came across the video clip on her brother's mobile phone. Kovin told the court that the indecent material included oral sex clips along with other sex acts. "She was telling him to take the video. It showed full intercourse. It showed the son with his naked mother, rubbing her breasts and vaginal area," Kovin was quoted as saying. Confessing to her crime, the accused told the court that she filmed the sex act with her son to please her cousin in Pakistan. The woman admitted to six counts of incestuous sexual act, storing child pornography images as well as circulating them. She has been jailed for five years and has been registered on the sex offenders list for life. LINCOLN Students of Southeast Community College photography instructor Bradley Peters probably dont even know theyre learning from a Yale-educated photographer. He doesnt care if they know about his college pedigree, but he does care about students finding their passion. My favorite thing is when students start to believe in themselves, Peters said. I am always trying to find those things in students and making it nurture and grow. He said it took him some time before he found his passion in photography. Many of his teachers would tell him he wasnt good at art, and he should try something else. They were wrong, he said. I had a lot of teachers who pointed out my flaws. I was lucky by the time I got to college. Originally from Columbus, Peters attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and studied psychology. He had some elective classes to fill and took an introductory photography course and fell in love with it. He took every photography class offered at UNL. I decided I would have a much more fulfilling, enriched life in photography than getting my doctorate in psychology, Peters said. He decided to apply to Yale for his masters degree in photography, knowing only nine students a year are accepted. He was the fourth and last student from UNL to get into the program. It was the only school he applied to. His classmates were students from the East and West coasts, as well as an international student. Theres nothing special about me to get into a school like that, I just made it my goal, he said. Peters graduated in 2008 and learned more than he ever imagined. I went to school with my heroes, Peters said. I learned from the best and will pass that on to my students. Its never too late in your life to do something. You should never feel obligated. He and his wife, Dara, decided to stay on the East Coast for another year before coming to Nebraska to settle down. The couple has three children under the age of 6. They love the state of Nebraska and plan to stay here because of the affordable cost of living, and they still find it in the budget to travel. People are wonderful here, he said. On the East Coast, if youre nice to people, they wonder what youre up to. In addition to instructing at SCC, Peters also teaches at Peru State College and Midland University. He still finds time to pursue his passion of photography, especially in the summer when he has more time. A lot of people think of photography as a hobby, Peters said. For me its something I have to do. If I dont do it, I go crazy. If youre an addict of anything, you find a way to make it happen. Peters says people dont always like his work, and he takes pride in that. I like images that are metaphorical, he said. Where you can pull out your own personal narrative. I take a lot of pride that people get mad at my work for different reasons. Peters recently released a book featuring black-and-white photos he used to get into graduate school. His goal for the future is to work as a full-time photography teacher. He turned down a full-time job in Brooklyn because he wants to raise his family in Nebraska. Artistically, I can do whatever I want here, and I dont have to worry about my safety, he said. Lincoln has really upped its game in the last decade, and I think its only going to get better. Police are also searching for sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq and offering a similar reward. He is accused of heading a second Islamist group, Ansar al Islam, suspected of killing a series of secular bloggers and activists. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) Dhaka: Bangladesh police offered a reward on Tuesday for two top Islamists accused of spearheading the rise of extremism in the country, which is reeling from a mass killing at a Dhaka cafe. Police announced a two million taka ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury, who disappeared after allegedly masterminding the cafe attack. Chowdhury is accused of heading a faction of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) homegroup militant group, blamed for scores of murders of members of religious minorities. Police are also searching for sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq and offering a similar reward. He is accused of heading a second Islamist group, Ansar al Islam, suspected of killing a series of secular bloggers and activists. "We are trying to arrest them. We believe if they are brought to justice.... we can eliminate extremism from the country," national police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters. Authorities are under great pressure to crack down on extremism in Muslim-majority Bangladesh after a recent increase in gruesome attacks. Five gunmen stormed an upscale cafe in the capital on July 1. They killed 20 mainly foreign hostages and two police officers in Bangladesh's deadliest single militant attack of recent years. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the cafe siege, releasing images of the carnage and a photo of the attackers posing with its black flag. Hoque reiterated that police have no evidence of IS involvement, saying "these are homegrown extremists. They are mainly JMB members" although they sympathised with the jihadist group. Hoque said 30-year-old Tamim, who was born in Bangladesh, planned the attack on the cafe after returning from living in Canada in 2013. Releasing details of the second wanted Islamist, Hoque said Haq was sacked from the army in 2011 for his role in a failed military coup. Authorities say the two homegrown extremist groups have been responsible for killing at least 80 people over the last three years, including foreigners. Hoque defended police progress in tracking down those behind the mayhem, saying officers "have arrested 172 people for their involvement in the incidents". Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. (Photo: AP) Dhaka: The bodies of five Islamists behind a deadly attack on a Bangladesh cafe have still not been claimed a month later, police said on Monday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against extremism. Relatives of the men have spoken of their shock and horror at learning of their involvement in the siege in Dhakas Gulshan neighbourhood, in which 20 hostages were killed -- many of them hacked to death. On Monday tens of thousands of university and college students across the country stood in silence and formed human chains in front of their schools. No terrorism, we want peace. We want life without fear, read one banner at a womens college in Dhaka. Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to shame those behind the attacks. Clerics at the mainly Muslim countrys more than 300,000 mosques have been asked to give sermons on why Islam forbids killing. Police said the bodies of nine other men allegedly from the same group who were shot when police launched a raid on a militant hideout on July 26 are also still being stored at a state hospital. No relatives came to us or officially applied for the bodies of the 14 extremists, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Masudur Rahman told AFP. Sohel Mahmud, a forensic doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said several families had come to identify the bodies. But no one wanted to take them home for burial, he said. Police gave no official reason, but officers speaking on condition of anonymity said the parents of the extremists were overwhelmed with guilt. Six of the young men were from well-off Dhaka families, among them 18-year-old Rohan Imtiaz. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP he was stunned and speechless to hear of his only sons involvement in the carnage and apologised to the nation. Abdus Salam said his brother Mohammad Abdullah, one of the nine killed in the shootout with police, had betrayed the family and his country. Thats why we dont want to take his body, he told reporters last week. Chang Wanquan's comments came several weeks after an international tribunal dismissed the country's claim to most of the South China Sea, a judgement it angrily rejected. (Photo: AFP/Representational Image) Beijing: China's Defence Minister has urged preparations for a "people's war at sea" to counter offshore security threats and safeguard sovereignty, state media reported on Tuesday. Chang Wanquan's comments came several weeks after an international tribunal dismissed the country's claim to most of the South China Sea, a judgement it angrily rejected. Chang "called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea", Xinhua news agency said. The military, police and people should prepare to mobilise to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he was quoted as saying during a tour of the coastal province of Zhejiang. The agency did not say what day he was speaking or elaborate further. Several Asian states have counter-claims in the South China Sea, where China has reclaimed reefs and islets to build airstrips and other major facilities. The United States says it will continue naval patrols close to the reefs and outcrops to assert the principle of freedom of navigation, a move which has angered Beijing. Ealier Tuesday China announced penalties for "illegal" fishing in its waters, including disputed areas. The Supreme Court defined penalties for boats operating in "sovereign" areas including the South China Sea, in what appears to be an attempt to strengthen Chinese governance of the waters. The question of who has the rights to fish in the disputed Sea has been a major bone of contention between Beijing and Manila, which brought the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Beijing and Jakarta have also clashed over maritime rights, with Beijing claiming "historic" fishing grounds close to Indonesia's Natuna Islands. The new regulations outline penalties for both Chinese and "foreign" fishermen operating "illegally" in Chinese waters, including its "exclusive economic zone" (EEZ), a 200-nautical mile region surrounding a country's territory. The UN-backed tribunal denied China's claims to an EEZ in the Spratly Islands, where the Chinese coastguard regularly expels fishing vessels from the Philippines. Beijing refused to accept the ruling, saying the court had no jurisdiction. Those boats that "illegally enter" Chinese waters more than once in a year or refuse to leave the waters will be subject to fines and up to a year in jail, a posting on the court's website said. It also established penalties for harvesting coral and giant clams, as well as other endangered species. Any foreigners who believe that Beijing has violated their rights are welcome to take their claims to Chinese courts, the ruling said. China also has maritime disputes with a number of other countries, including Japan and Vietnam. Beijing risks triggering unintended conflict with Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan warned Tuesday in an annual security assessment. Zhang contacted the channel a day after the report was aired to give her side, saying that she had thought it had all been a joke. (Photo: Facebook) Beijing: A lovesick Dutch, who spent 10 days in a Chinese airport in the hope of meeting his online girlfriend, has been hospitalised for exhaustion. Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, recently flew from Holland to Hunan province in central China in the hope of meeting his online girlfriend, a Chinese woman known only as Zhang. But he ended up spending 10 days waiting at Changsha airport, after she failed to show up. Cirk told Chinese media that he met Zhang, 26, in an app two months ago and romance blossomed. He decided to fly to visit her, but when he got to Hunan found no-one had come to meet him at the airport. He refused to leave the airport for the next 10 days, and was eventually taken to hospital suffering physical exhaustion, the BBC quoted reports by Hunan TV. Zhang contacted the channel a day after the report was aired to give her side, saying that she had thought it had all been a joke. "We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me," Zhang said. "One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later." Zhang also added that by the time Cirk arrived at the airport, she was away having plastic surgery in another province and had turned off her phone. On Chinese social media, the majority of users were keen to point out the apparent absurdity of the Dutch man's actions. The hashtag "Foreign man went to Changsha to meet his online girlfriend" has been trending on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo. "He must be stupid, why would anyone do this?" asked one user. "Doesn't he know that everything in China is fake?" commented another. Others, however, had some sympathy. "Here's a guy taking a relationship seriously, don't play around with his feelings," the netizen said. "If you don't want him anymore, tell him so he can go home." "What does this say about Chinese integrity?", asked another. Cirk was scheduled to fly home earlier this week. Zhang reportedly said she was still keen to meet Cirk after her recovery, indicating that she was still interested in maintaining their online relationship. Lahore: A Jamaat-ud-Dawah caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, on Tuesday staged a sit-in at the Line of Control at Chakothi, saying they will not leave unless India receives relief materials brought by them for Kashmiris. "We will not leave from the LoC till India agrees to receive the relief goods and medicines we have brought for Kashmiris of Srinagar," said Hafiz Abdur Rauf, chairman of the Falayh-i-Insaniat Foundation, a sister organisation of JuD. Read: Pak provokes India, passes resolution for UN probe into Kashmir unrest Talking to PTI over phone from Chakothi, Rauf said the Pakistani army and police had stopped them near the LoC at Chakothi. "We have requested the Pakistani authorities to speak to the Indian army to receive the relief goods, dry food and medicines we have brought here in more than 10 trucks for our injured Kashmiri brethren who are in dire need of it," he said. The JuD caravan left from Muzaffarabad for Chakothi on Tuesday afternoon and reached its destination after getting a welcome at Ghari Habibullah, Natian Wala. Read: Hafiz Saeed's plans against Rajnath's Pakistan visit will not succeed: BSF According to Ahmad Nadeem, a JuD member who is also part of the caravan, all business activities remained closed in Chakothi and the people gave a warm welcome to them. He said it has been decided in principle that not a single participant will leave till "our just demand is met". "Tomorrow more people will join this sit-in to put pressure on the authorities concerned to persuade India to accept the relief goods," he said, adding that the FIF and JuD just want handing over the relief goods to the Kashmiris as 'no politics' was involved in it. Talha read out the message of his father Hafiz Saeed to the participants of the rally expressing the resolve that "Kashmir will become (part of) Pakistan". China commissioned its first aircraft carrier Liaoning in September 2012 and launched a specially designed J-15 fighter jets to operate from its deck. (Photo: AFP/Representational Image) Beijing: China, which is developing two more aircraft carriers, is building up a naval-aviation division to safeguard the country's maritime interests amid escalating tensions over the disputed South China Sea. China commissioned its first aircraft carrier Liaoning in September 2012 and launched a specially designed J-15 fighter jets to operate from its deck. Although it's only about three years since the unit came into being, the carrier-borne force has already trained several groups of J-15 pilots, Senior Captain Dai Mingmeng, commander of the 2.3-million strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's carrier-based aviation force was quoted as saying by state-run 'China Daily'. "It will not take long for us to attain full operational capability on the aircraft carrier," he said. China is developing two more aircraft carriers. Chinese media reported for the first time the crash of one of J-15 jets during the landing exercises on the ground in April this year in which its pilot was killed. One of the J-15s crashed after its computers reported a malfunction in the flight-control system. An investigation concluded that the pilot had tried unsuccessfully to save the plane and he had no option but to eject from the cockpit before the fighter aircraft crashed, the report said. Because the plane was at a relatively low altitude, there wasn't time for the pilot's parachute to be fully deployed before Zhang hit the ground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died as a result of serious internal injuries, it said. The Chinese military suspended carrier-based jet fighter pilot training for nearly two months after a fatal crash, the Hong Kong-based 'South China Morning Post' reported. J-15s are the core jets for China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and other more advanced domestic carriers which are reportedly under construction. The development of navy's aviation division came as Beijing strongly defended its claims over the disputed South China Sea (SCS) in the aftermath of international tribunal's verdict striking down China's claims over the area. Last month, a UN-backed international tribunal struck down China's claims over the South China Sea, saying Beijing has no "historic rights" in the disputed area. The tribunal struck a blow to China's claims over almost all of the SCS, saying that Beijing's much touted nine-dash line had no legal basis. China has rejected as "null and void" the verdict and said it "neither accepts nor recognises" the ruling of the tribunal. China claims sovereignty over almost all of SCS based on historic rights, including reefs and rocks in the sea as well as hundreds of miles from Chinese shores. Pushpa Kamal Dahal has served as Prime Minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2009, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. (Photo: AFP) Kathmandu: The leader of Nepal's Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after K.P. Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. "We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister's post," deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one", led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2009, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli's coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution particularly over the rights of marginalised communities have failed to yield agreement. A petrol bomb was hurled at the house of Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar in Parraypora area of the city last night, police said today. No one was hurt in the attack that was carried out by unidentified persons. "A petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of the Education Minister at Parraypora late last night, causing damage to the main gate of the house," a police official said. Akhtar and his wife were not present in the premises as they have shifted to high security Gupkar Road after the PDP-BJP government was sworn in March last year. A petrol bomb was also hurled at the office of Road and Buildings department at SDA colony in Bemina area of the city last night, the official said. He said no one was hurt in the incident. COLUMBUS A 35-year-old man who broke a glass across the face of a 65-year-old Columbus woman and later bit a corrections officer during booking has been sentenced to prison. Platte County District Judge Robert Steinke sentenced Ramon Caballero Jr. to two to three years in prison for second-degree assault in connection with the March 28 incident that began at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of 44th Avenue. Steinke gave Caballero, who was living in Lincoln at the time of the incident, credit for 123 days served in the county jail while the case was pending. In exchange for Caballeros no contest plea, the prosecution dismissed a second similar assault charge. Court documents describe an incident that began with Columbus Police arriving at the scene to find the victim sitting in a back bedroom of the apartment holding a blood-soaked towel over her right eye. Witnesses reported an intoxicated Caballero hit the city woman across the face with a drinking glass, then ran out the back door of the apartment, according to Officer Bradley Wanglers probable cause arrest statement. The suspect, Wangler wrote in his statement, was apprehended outside on the back side of the apartment complex. Pieces of a broken glass were found inside the apartment. As the victim was getting medical attention from rescue personnel, Wangler said: I observed that her right eye was turning black and she had several minor cuts around her left eye. There were also minor cuts around her right eye. After Caballeros arrest for the initial incident, the sheriffs office was dispatched to the county jail to investigate an assault report involving a corrections officer. Caballero was accused of attempting to flee the jails booking area and, after being caught and wrestled to the floor, biting and breaking the skin of a corrections officer, according to a statement written by sheriffs Deputy Troy Higgins. During the investigation of the attempted escape, Higgins said the suspect claimed the officer bit himself and was attempting to shift blame for his injury. The bite, which drew blood, was captured on video. The recording confirmed the officers version of the events, the deputy said in his statement. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is leading her Republican rival Donald Trump by seven points following last week's Democratic convention, according to a latest national poll today. Clinton, who last week scripted history by becoming first woman presidential nominee of a major political party, has 46 per cent support among voters. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee has the support of 39 per cent of voters, CBC News said in its latest poll. Clinton's popularity increased by four points after Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week. The race was tied last week after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. With this Clinton returned to her June lead margin. CBS News said while Clinton received a four-point bump after Democratic Convention, Trump received a two point increase in his popularity rating after his convention. However, CBS News pointed that Clinton's increase in popularity rating is far less than 13 point bump of her husband's Bill Clinton in 1992. In 2008 and 2012, the outgoing President Barack Obama received a similar bump, while Al Gore in 2000 received a popularity increase of 10 percentage points, but he eventually went to lose the election. According to CBS News polls, positive views of Clinton increased by five points among registered voters, from 31 per cent a week ago to 36 per cent. Her unfavourable views dropped six points: from 56 per cent to 50 per cent. On the other hand, over half of voters continue to hold an unfavourable opinion of Trump. Only 31 per cent view him favourably. As per RealClearPolitics.Comm which keeps track of all major nation al polls, Clinton has an average 2.2 percentage points lead over Trump. Kashmir, which came to life last evening following relaxation in strike by separatists, today again witnessed as shutdown as curfew remained in force in some parts and restrictions were in effect in rest of the Valley to maintain law and order. y as the separatists had announced a relaxation in the agitation programme to allow people to buy essentials in view of the prolonged shut down since July 9 in the Valley. However, all markets remained closed today and public transport was off the roads in view of the strike call given by the separatists. Curfew remained in force in six police station areas of the city, Anantnag town, Kokernag and Khanpora in Baramulla district as restrictions on assembly of four or more people continued in entire Kashmir, a police official said. "Curfew is in place only in six police station areas of Srinagar city -- Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Batamaloo and Maharajgunj," he said. The separatist groups have been spearheading the agitation to protest the civilian killings during the protests following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Protests broke out across Kashmir Valley on July 9, leading to clashes with security forces in which 49 persons have been killed and over 5600 persons injured. Mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped in the entire Valley where the postpaid mobile telephony services have been restored across all networks. The incoming facility on prepaid connections has also been restored, but the outgoing calls are barred on such numbers. The separatist camp has extended the shutdown call in Kashmir till August 5, calling for a march to Hazratbal shrine on Friday. 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment today by a special MCOCA court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif-- were handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, today observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage "jihad". The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. Jundal was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. The MCOCA court had last week convicted Jundal under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substance Act and Indian Penal Code, while others under varying charges. Charges against them under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were, however, dropped. The court had accepted the prosecution's contention that the cache of arms and ammunitions that the ATS had intercepted from two cars had originally been procured from Pakistan. While convicting Jundal, and 11 others, the court had observed that ATS could not substantiate the charges of MCOCA against them, even as it accepted direct and substantial evidence presented by the agency in the case. The special court had framed charges against the 22 accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The court had granted bail to ten accused during the trial. The trial was stayed by the Supreme Court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was eventually vacated in 2009. The Bombay High Court had also earlier directed the lower court to expedite the trial. The three municipal corporations in the city have been slack in conducting surveys to identity dangerous buildings under their respective areas. They carry out the survey once a year, before the monsoon season. While the survey conducted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation this year has found only 35 dangerous buildings so far in all the six zones, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation has surveyed 3,75,255 buildings this year and found two dangerous buildings and marked three complexes as repairable. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has identified 17 dangerous buildings falling under its jurisdiction so far this year. Officials with the north and east civic agencies said that some wards have not been covered under the survey. The survey conducted this year has not covered all the wards under the North and East Corporations. So the number of dangerous buildings will go up once the remaining wards are surveyed, said a senior official with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The north civic agency has fully demolished only one dangerous building so far this year. Last year, the north civic agency had found about 411 dangerous building in the survey. In all, 3,36,170 buildings were surveyed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2015. Officials said that apart from the annual survey, corporations do not have any monitoring mechanism to check dangerous buildings under their limits. The incidents of building collapse have been on the rise as illegal construction especially in the unauthorised colonies has increased many folds in the past couple of years, said an official. Last week, two persons were injured when a portion of a double-storey building had collapsed in Central Delhis Karol Bagh area. A portion of the double-storey building called Pili Kothi, built in 150 square yard on Arya Samaj Road, had collapsed injuring two bystanders on Thursday last. Beijing risks triggering unintended conflict with Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan warned today in an annual security assessment. China's sweeping claims over the strategic South China Sea, where it has built a series of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations despite overlapping claims from other nations, have stoked international alarm. The region's superpower "continues to act in an assertive manner" and its actions "include dangerous acts that could cause unintended consequences," Tokyo said in a defence white paper. Beijing is under pressure to respect a UN-backed tribunal's finding last month that there is no legal basis for its ambitions over the resource-rich South China Sea where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others also lay claims. The white paper said China was "poised to fulfill its unilateral demands without compromise" including efforts "to turn these coercive changes to the status quo into a fait accompli". And it again called on Beijing to abide by the ruling of the tribunal, which China has denounced as a fraud. Japan also expressed concern over increased activity in the East China Sea, where the two countries have competing claims over a group of small uninhabited islets called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. "Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku Islands, such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands," it said. In the year to March 2016, Japan's air force scrambled jets 571 times against Chinese planes flying near Japanese air space, an increase of 107 from the previous year, it added. In June Japan accused China of sending a spy ship into its territorial waters as Tokyo conducted a joint exercise with the US and India. And last month the two countries were at loggerheads over accusations Japanese warplanes locked their fire control radar onto Chinese aircraft. Beijing sparked alarm after it unilaterally established an air defence identification zone in the East China Sea in 2013, demanding all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in February that China's military presence in the South China Sea was increasing the risk of "miscalculation or conflict" between regional countries. A US warship in May sailed close to a disputed reef Beijing has built up into an artificial island, prompting China to express "dissatisfaction and opposition". Japan's white paper also highlighted concerns over North Korea's nuclear programme, saying it was possible it has "achieved the miniaturisation of nuclear weapons and has developed nuclear warheads". Since carrying out a fourth nuclear test in January, North Korea has claimed it miniaturised a nuclear warhead to fit on a missile and successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland. Four key members of interstate narcotic drug cartel, including two foreigners, were nabbed and 4 kg heroin worth Rs 16 crore was recovered by a special cell on Monday . The arrested are Michael Chinedu Chukwudi (36), the kingpin, a Nigerian and his wife Catherine Leonard Mrope (26), a Tanzanian, Balwinder Singh (53) and Surender Singh (36). It was revealed that the heroin recovered from the African nationals was being supplied to Punjab and Delhi-NCR. The special cell had kept a close watch on the activities of the syndicate since four months. Balwinder and Surender were arrested on Saturday when they had arrived to Delhi as they had procured a consignment of heroin from the African couple, who resided in Pochanpur, Dwarka. Balwinder and Surender revealed that they were a part of a narcotics syndicate active across India. They had received a consignment of 3 kg heroin from Chukwudi and Mrope, who were arrested later. Chukwudi told the police that he had been providing drugs to many suppliers in Punjab, Balwinder and Surender for the past six months. He also told that his African friends had contacts in Pakistan and Afghanistan, who used to supply him heroin through couriers and by human carriers. Both Chukwudi and Mrope possessed fake passports of South Africa. The couple was also having stickers of fake Indian visa and immigration stamps. He also told that secret cavities, carved inside suitcases, bags, household items and items of regular use were being used to safely smuggle narcotics to India, which was being collected and distributed in smaller quantities. Both Balwinder and Surender earlier worked as cooks in Germany. About 15 years ago, the former came in contact with a drug peddler. After his death, Balwinder took over and continued the racket. Surender later joined Balwinder. Chukwudi and Mrope came to India 2 years ago. Patients suffered as OPD services were hit at the Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital as over 300 students from Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, Bara Hindu Rao and Army College of Medical Sciences agitated outside the OPD block. The students blocked the department from 8 am to 12 noon paralysing OPD services at the hospital. The emergency department was running. The OPD started functioning only after 12 noon. The medical students ended the agitation after the Directorate General of Health Services assured them to take care of the issue, said a senior administrative official at Safdarjung Hospital. The students demanded that the Delhi University should not take over the seats affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU). There were proposals put forward for Delhi University to take over the seats. Students claimed that the seats should remain with the GGSIPU. The students were given in writing that the affiliation of the colleges to GGSIPU would not be changed to DU. Earlier, on Friday, the students had agitated at Safdarjung Hospital over the same issue. According to students, students on the MBBS curriculum and those in the PG programme want the seats to remain with the Indraprastha University. Delhi University may introduce a state quota in which students of Indraprastha University in the MBBS programme may lose out while opting for higher studies, said students. Nurses threaten strike Medical services are likely to be hit across the national capital from Tuesday onwards with nurses at government hospitals launching an indefinite strike. The nurses across Centre-run, Delhi government-run, MCD-run and NDMC-run hospitals will be on strike. The nurses have been betrayed as several of our demands have not been looked into despite our repeated requests. If the government does not meet our demands, we will be forced to carry on with the strike, said a representative of All India Government Nurses Federation. The nurses have demanded better pay conditions, risk allowances and work conditions. The association has demanded that contractual nurses get special area allowance, higher education allowance and non-practising allowance. Railway nurses should be granted eight days off every month. We area ware that patients suffer if nurses go on strike but we are left with no option, said the representative. Nepal Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" is all set to become the Prime Minister for the second time as he filed his nomination today after receiving crucial backing from the agitating Madhesis by signing a three-point pact. The 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president's candidacy was proposed by Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was seconded by senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara, ahead of tomorrow's election that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre signed a three- point agreement with the Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by Prachanda, the only official candidate for the race. Madhesi parties, which have the combined strength of 42 in the 595-member Parliament, have also hinted that they would join the government led by Prachanda. Before filing his nomination paper for the Prime Minister's election, Maoist chief Prachanda and NC chief Deuba signed the agreement with the Madhesis, mostly of Indian- origin, which assured the Madhesi communities of addressing their demands through political understanding and amendment to the Constitution. Although the former premier with anti-India stance is only one candidate, there will be voting for and against Prachanda and it is likely that CPN-UML and its alliance will vote against him. The Prime Minister's post has remained vacant since last week after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation following the Maoist's withdrawal of support to the coalition government. Despite media reports that a senior leader of CPN-UML, probably, former Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam, would contest against Prachanda, the party took a last-minute decision not to contest the election, clearing a way for the Maoist chief to become the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal. He has earlier served as Nepal's Prime Minister from 2008 to 2009. As the agitating United Madhesi Front has decided to vote in favour of Prachanda, he is expected to get at least 360 votes, though only 298 votes are required for winning the election. Three Madhesi leaders - Upendra Yadav of Social Forum- Nepal, Sarvendra Nath Shukla of Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhawana Party - have supported Prachanda's candidacy. As per the agreement, the government-in-waiting would implement the Madhesi Front's demands that include acknowledging those killed during the Madhes agitation as martyrs and providing free treatment to the injured besides amending the Constitution to redraw provincial boundary, while the Madhesi parties would support the new government. The crucial development comes a day after Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari gave a fresh call to all political parties to form a majority government when the deadline given to them for forging consensus expired without yielding any results. It is learnt that the Parliament has started preparation for beginning the procedure of electing the premier tomorrow. Speaker Onsari Gharti has called a meeting of the Parliament for 11 am to elect the new Prime Minister after embattled premier Oli resigned on July 24, triggering a fresh political turmoil in Nepal. Prachanda is likely to announce a small cabinet comprising members from Maoist party, Nepali Congress, CPN-United and Rastriya Prajatantra Party on Thursday after being declared as the Prime Minister. Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi's takeover of country operations of its US rival Uber has triggered worries of potential monopoly and fare hikes among the public who are used to highly subsidised fares offered by both the firms due to cut-throat competition. The on-demand mobility (ODM) firm Didi yesterday announced it was taking over Uber China, in a deal that could see the combined Chinese firm valued at USD 35 billion. The US-based firm will take a 5.9 per cent stake in Didi, which in turn did not disclose the stake it will take in Uber. Under the deal, that follows China's recent legalisation of ODM services, Uber China will continue to operate independently, and though some experts have called the end to the fierce competition as "reasonable", many have warned of a monopoly that could result in higher prices. The deal is not subject to anti-monopoly review by China's cabinet as both have not made profits and Uber China's revenue did not reach the review threshold, Didi said. However, the takeover would in fact create a monopoly as the two might have more than 90 per cent of the market share in China, said Wu Weiqiang, vice president of the Hangzhou Institute for Reform and Development. Monopoly could reduce competition and result in higher prices for more profits, said Zhou Hanhua, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Passengers and drivers are also worried that they will lose benefits following the deal. "I am worried about fewer discounts and higher fees," said Wang Rong, a 27-year-old resident of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. "I hope my salary will not decrease in the future," said Shen Yangfei, a Hangzhou driver. Ye Yun, a public relations representative for Didi, told state-run Xinhua news agency that discounts for passengers and drivers will continue "for a long time". "On-demand taxi-hailing services have just started in China," said Yang Jianhua, head of the Public Policy Research Institute of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences. "There is very high potential in many aspects of this business." The two companies have been locked in a bitter battle for customers in China marked by huge discounts since last year. Didi has strong capital support, while Uber has unique data processing technology and capital operations, and is one of a few foreign tech firms that has been able to compete with domestic rivals head-on in China. While Didi has the majority of China's ODM services, Uber has managed to establish a foothold and made inroads in lower-tier cities this year. In June, Didi announced it had secured USD 7.3 billion in equity and debt financing, including USD one billion from Apple, which valued the company at around 28 billion dollars. Uber secured over USD six billion in its latest funding round. Liu Zhen, Uber's China head of strategy, said in June that most of the money would fund operations in China. A day before Home Minister Rajnath Singh visits to Pakistan amidst threats of protest by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the BSF today said it was sure the Pak Rangers and other authorities there will take adequate measures to foil the plans of the terror mastermind. Calling Saeed's plans of undertaking massive protests and march towards the Attari-Wagah border when Singh steps on Pakistani soil a "political" move, Border Security Force chief K K Sharma said the border guarding forces on both sides have been "sensitised" and they will ensure that the SAARC Home Ministers meeting to be held tomorrow in Islamabad is not disrupted. "This (Saeed's protest call) is the internal matter of Pakistan and I am very sure that my counterparts Pak Rangers are more than competent to handle this issue. I am sure this (Saeed's threat) is not going to disrupt the SAARC meeting. Hafiz Saeed will not be successful," he said. Sharma, who only last week returned from Pakistan after holding the annual bilateral Director General-level talks with the Rangers, said both the forces have also discussed measures to mount effective vigil at the Attari-Wagah border which is thronged by large crowds that witness the daily retreat ceremony in the evening. A blast in 2014 at Wagah on the Pakistan side had killed over 50 people after the retreat ceremony got over. "Yes, this was one issue that was taken up with Pak Rangers...both of us are conscious of the fact that the threat is there and consequently we both have strengthened our security measures. We have done it on our side (of the border) and they have done it on their side. I am sure they (Rangers) will handle it (Saeed's threat to march towards Wagah) well," he said on the sidelines of an event here. The BSF DG added at least four battalions of the force (about 4,000 personnel) have been recently deployed on the Punjab frontier and two in Jammu to further fortify security measures and the counter-infiltration grid along the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) running along the two states. "The LoC in Kashmir is under army and I would not like to comment on that," he said when asked about similar measures in this area. Sharma said new equipment have been provided to the BSF troops guarding the border even as the intelligence gathering mechanism has been strengthened. "I am happy to say that there has been no infiltration in the IB areas guarded by us in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat in the last 8-10 months. "The BSF in its area of responsibility is fully prepared against infiltration bids. We cannot stop them from occurring but can thwart them. We will not allow them (infiltrators) to succeed," Sharma said. The DG added it was important for them and the Rangers to keep talking. "I feel it is always better to keep open the channels of communication because it is through talks only that we can sort out things," he added. About a proposal to install a high-mast Indian tricolour along the Attari-Wagah border front, the DG said the BSF was "for it" and developments are taking place on this front. "Officially we have not taken it up with Pakistan. As per norms nothing can be created about 150 metres from the zero line at the border and this flag that will be installed is proposed to be further behind this. We support it fully and we welcome it," he said The DG added a land in possession of Punjab tourism board has been identified for the proposal. DG Sharma said BSF will observe the remaining part of 2016 as the year of 'Divyaang Yodha' (specially-abled fighter) as he flagged off a para-cycling team that will paddle from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Khardungla in Jammu and Kashmir between August 5 and 15. "The aim of the event is to have psychological empowerment of the disabled persons to make them able to overcome their mental inhibitions and to start leading a normal life. "A 'Divyaang Yodha' skill mission has been planned with a series of activities," the force said in a statement. The paramilitary has tied up with an NGO to build training expertise in this regard. A 29-year-old woman from Bihar, suspected to have links with the alleged recruitment of youths from Kerala to Islamic State (IS), is being questioned here by the state police after being taken into custody from New Delhi. The woman, identified as Yasmin Ahmed, was arrested by a special team of Kerala police from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi when she was about to leave the country for Kabul on Sunday, police said. She allegedly had close connections with Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasaragod, who is the prime suspect behind the 21 missing youths from the state. She was brought here last evening and produced before a local court after detailed interrogation, a senior police official said. "We took her into custody from New Delhi and brought her here yesterday. She was charged under various sessions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A court here later remanded her to judicial custody," Kanhangad Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Babu told PTI. The woman is suspected to be the second wife of Rashid and is believed to have played a key role in the alleged recruitment of state youths to IS, the official added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to reports that some Keralites had joined IS, had informed the Assembly on July 11 that 21 persons were missing from the state. Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad as per preliminary information available, he had said. As per media reports, these people had gone to Syria and Afghanistan and were in IS camps, he said. Malaysia today made public its reluctance to handover two of its businessmen to India in connection with Aircel-Maxis probe being carried out by the CBI, saying the two countries did not have "any such (legal) agreement" for execution of an arrest warrant. "No, we do not have any agreement with India that we can execute their warrant of arrest. No, we cannot do that," Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters when asked if Malaysian police would act on the arrest warrants. The comments of Abu Bakar came a day after the CBI moved a court in New Delhi for issuance of warrants of arrest against Malaysian telecommunications tycoon T Ananda Krishnan and his corporate captain Ralph Marshall. Krishnan, promoter of Maxis based in Malaysia, and Marshall, who headed Maxis' UK-based subsidiary Astro All Asia Network, are sought by Indian authorities to testify in a money-laundering case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran in connection with the a 2006 Aircel-Maxis deal. The central probe agency had moved the designated court for issuing arrest warrants against Krishnan and Marshall as the duo had failed to appear before the agency despite being summoned four times by the court. The summonses to the duo, who had been charge-sheeted by the CBI in August 2014, were sent to the Malaysian Attorney General through diplomatic channel. However, there was no word from the Malaysian authorities on the summons. The court has fixed August 27 as the next date of hearing on whether to accept the CBI request for issuance of arrest warrants. Senior SP leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has kicked up a controversy by suggesting that the Bulandshahr highway gangrape could be an outcome of a political conspiracy against the ruling party, drawing condemnation from rival parties. Khan termed the gangrape of a 13-year-old girl and her mother by a group of bandits near Bulandshahr last week as an attempt to "malign" the Samajwadi Party(SP) government by those who want to "come to power" in poll-bound UP. Assembly elections in UP are due next year. "It must be investigated whether people, with the opposite ideology or those who want to come to power, are behind this incident in order to malign the government," he said in Rampur yesterday. "When innocent people can be murdered for political gains, for votes Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar can happen, when Shamli and Kairana can happen...It is not just a matter of two rapes. It is important to know the truth behind it," Khan was heard as saying in a video that has gone viral on social media. He was referring to incidents of communal violence in the past. Reacting sharply to Khan's statement, BJP today said Azam Khan has crossed all the limits. "He is doing politics on gangrape now. It's a matter of shame," UP's BJP chief K P Maurya said, and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. At a press conference in Delhi, BJP's national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the comments by Khan showed how low the ruling party can stoop for votes. In an apparent damage control, Khan today said his remarks were misconstrued since UP was headed for elections. He said punishment is very important in heinous crimes like the gangrape incident. "They(the perpetrators) should be punished every second." "If the government is not sensitive enough to these matters then it does not have any right to speak about people. This is a very painful incident, it's even worse than death. "We understand their pain. We cannot change the truth. If we get into more details more number of people may be involved. This is an insult to the government. Which government will want such an incident?" SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav denied any laxity on part of the state government over the gangrape incident, asking what does suspension of police officials mean? "You cannot accept that all the persons have been suspended. What does it mean? Do you expect them to be suspended before the crime (happens)? No one was sleeping," he told reporters. He also accused the media of being prejudiced towards the UP government, saying "why don't you talk about the girl that was raped and burnt in Delhi? You are never talking about it. You are prejudiced against the Uttar Pradesh government. "We have been living here for the past 25 years, are we not concerned?" he added. The workers' money in EPFO has not been diverted to stock markets but it is invested in funds which are safe and profitable, the government said in the Rajya Sabha. Replying to a Calling Attention Motion of Ahmed Patel (Congress), Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya asserted that his "paramount interest will be safeguarding of the workers' interest." Patel's motion was on the alleged diversion of money from Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to stock market. Describing the allegation as "totally incorrect", Dattatreya said, "There is no question of diverting funds. This government is pro-poor, pro-worker and pro-progressive... We have made (investments) in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and not in share markets." ETF is a fund which holds several assets such as stocks, commodities or bonds and most ETFs track an index like a stock index or a bond index. With regard to the pattern of such investment (pension funds in ETFs) and in long term investments with equity participation, he said the interests are "positive and encouraging". "This worldover pattern is giving positive returns. These funds (equity funds) are generally for 10 years or more period, so that's why this will give encouragement in a positive direction and in a profitable manner," he said. He assured the House that the government is maintaining a "cautious approach" and is "more concerned" about the workers' money in the EPFO. "The indications are positive and we are in the right direction," Dattatreya said. On the quantum of investments in ETFs, he said a March 2, 2015 notification by the Finance Ministry had prescribed minimum 5 per cent of the investible deposits and maximum 15 per cent in ETFs. Besides, the Para 52 of the EPF Scheme, 1952, mandates that the investment will be made in accordance with the notification of the central government. Of the total amount, 75 per cent is being investment in Nifty and the remaining 25 per cent in BSE, he said. "In Nifty there are 50 baskets and in the BSE, 30 baskets. The funds are not invested in individual shares," he added. The total amount invested, so far, is Rs 7,468 crore and its current market value is Rs 8,024 crore, which is an interest of 7.45 per cent, the Minister said. "Earlier only SBI was investing it, but now to increase competition, we have also allowed UTI," he added. The Minister said EPFO's total corpus is Rs 7.5 lakh crore and of this Rs 6 lakh crore was invested in equity, government and corporate bodies till August 2015. After August 2015, only Rs 1.25 lakh crore has been invested. Assuring about the safety of the funds, Dattatreya said: "These are social security amounts and that too workers amount. I, as head of the apex decision making body of the EPFO, Central Board of Trustees (CBT), my paramount interest will be safeguard of the workers interest." Patel said the minister's reply was "not satisfactory" as he had not clarified on his question of "minimum guarantee". "The minister has also not replied on T K Rangarajan's (CPI-M) question on how can they invest a worker's contribution without taking his or her consent," he added. Patel told Deputy Chairman P J Kurien that he wants to move a resolution against the government under Rule 167 stating that the House "Strongly disapproves of" the government's move to invest EPFO money in ETFs. To this, Kurien said: "If you want to move a resolution, you have to give a notice. Please give the notice under the concerned rule. At this point, I am not allowing you to move the resolution." Naresh Agrawal (SP) asked whether a notice can be served orally, to which Kurien replied that a notice has to be given in writing. After Dattatreya's reply, Tapan Kumar Sen (CPI-M) wanted the minister to clarify on whether the government has followed the recommendations of the statutory tripartite body on the investment by the EPFO in ETFs. "You are talking about global practices, but in many countries there is an ensured guaranteed return. What about this here," he questioned. A lovesick Dutch, who spent 10 days in a Chinese airport in the hope of meeting his online girlfriend, has been hospitalised for exhaustion. Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, recently flew from Holland to Hunan province in central China in the hope of meeting his online girlfriend, a Chinese woman known only as Zhang. But he ended up spending 10 days waiting at Changsha airport, after she failed to show up. Cirk told Chinese media that he met Zhang, 26, in an app two months ago and romance blossomed. He decided to fly to visit her, but when he got to Hunan found no-one had come to meet him at the airport. He refused to leave the airport for the next 10 days, and was eventually taken to hospital suffering physical exhaustion, the BBC quoted reports by Hunan TV. Zhang contacted the channel a day after the report was aired to give her side, saying that she had thought it had all been a joke. "We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me," Zhang said. "One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later." Zhang also added that by the time Cirk arrived at the airport, she was away having plastic surgery in another province and had turned off her phone. On Chinese social media, the majority of users were keen to point out the apparent absurdity of the Dutch man's actions. The hashtag "Foreign man went to Changsha to meet his online girlfriend" has been trending on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo. "He must be stupid, why would anyone do this?" asked one user. "Doesn't he know that everything in China is fake?" commented another. Others, however, had some sympathy. "Here's a guy taking a relationship seriously, don't play around with his feelings," the netizen said. "If you don't want him anymore, tell him so he can go home." "What does this say about Chinese integrity?", asked another.Cirk was scheduled to fly home earlier this week. Zhang reportedly said she was still keen to meet Cirk after her recovery, indicating that she was still interested in maintaining their online relationship. Raising its pitch over tensions on the disputed South China Sea, China today called for preparations for a "people's war at sea" to counter offshore security threats while its top court warned foreigners of criminal liability for violations of its maritime rights. Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan has warned of offshore security threats and called for substantial preparation for a "people's war at sea" to safeguard sovereignty. Speaking during an inspection of national defence work in coastal regions of east China's Zhejiang Province, Chang called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chang said the military, police and people should prepare for mobilisation to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. His comments followed verdict of international tribunal on July 12 that struck down China's claims over the South China Sea and raised tensions between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the East China Sea. Two days ago while addressing a reception to celebrate 89th founding anniversary of the 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA), China said it will "staunchly" protect the country's maritime rights and interests and is "fully confident and capable of addressing various security threats and provocations". The PLA will "unswervingly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests including territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests," Chang had said. "It will always stand ready to be called upon and be able to fight and win," he said. Meanwhile, China's Supreme Court today issued a regulation to reaffirm its jurisdiction over the country's territorial seas and warned Chinese and foreigners of criminal liability for violations like illegal fishing, Xinhua reported. The explanation provides clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, it quoted a statement by Supreme People's Court (SPC) as saying. The regulation, taking effect on Tuesday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests," it said. The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction, the statement said. According to the regulation by the SPC, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The regulation also addresses Chinese citizens or organisations engaged in fishing in fishing zones or the open sea under co-management between China and other countries, according to signed agreements. The interpretation specifies the standard of conviction and punishment for illegal marine fishing - those who illegally enter Chinese territorial waters and refuse to leave after being driven away, or who re-enter after being driven away or being fined in the past year, will be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and will be fined and sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, detention or surveillance, it said. The penalty also applies to those who illegally enter China's territorial seas to fish but do not engage in "illegal fishing" under the law, it said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," defining punishments for fishing without a license in order to encourage legal fishing, the statement said, adding that it also promotes judicial assistance and international cooperation on marine affairs. The SPC move is seen as an attempt to provide legal cover to China's maritime claims over all most all of the South China Sea (SCS) in the backdrop of the judgement of the tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, (PCA) quashing China's nine-dash line claim over the SCS. It also upheld the Philippines rights over the area claimed by Manila. China has rejected the tribunal verdict delivered in response to the Philippines' petition, which the PCA said is binding. While Beijing said the tribunal's verdict was null and void as it is illegally constituted, today's regulation by the top Court was expected to provide a legal cover for Chinese military and coast guard to effectively implement China's claims over nearly 90 per cent of the SCS and back the rights of its fishermen to continue fishing in the areas. Besides the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contests China's claims over the area with counter claims. The Court regulation followed assertions by the Chinese military to protect the country's maritime rights and interests in the backdrop of increasing tensions over the SCS after an international tribunal struck down Beijing's claims. With thousands of Indians reeling under severe financial crisis in Saudi Arabia after losing their jobs, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh tonight left for the Gulf nation to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back those who want to return to India. Ahead of Singh's visit, the Indian embassy there has launched an initiative to collect details of the Indians laid off by their employers. Currently, a total of 7,700 affected Indian workers are living in 20 camps and the embassy is in the process of collecting information about others residing in different parts of Saudi Arabia. Singh left for Jeddah tonight and MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said his on-the-ground assessment will determine future course of action. Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by government of that country. The Indian mission has provided food to the Indians who cannot buy it. Earlier today, Singh's ministerial colleague in the MEA M J Akbar, who looks after issues relating to the Gulf region, met Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indians who have lost their jobs. "Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. "Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers," Akbar said in a series of tweets. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had yesterday said that all affected Indians will be brought back. A team from the Indian embassy had yesterday met Saudi labour officials to complete procedures relating to the protection of legal dues of the workers once they have departed from the country. Swarup said the Indian embassy in Riyadh convened a meeting of community social workers and volunteers yesterday, where the Ambassador sought their help in collecting information about the affected workers. They were provided a proforma on which the requisite information is to be submitted to the embassy. The government has requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. MEA officials said Singh will reach Jeddah early tomorrow morning and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. He is traveling to the Saudi city via Dubai. Swarup said 4,072 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger are living in nine camps in Riyadh and one in Dammam, while 1,457 workers belonging to M/s SAAD Group are putting up in two camps in Dammam. Five workers from M/s Shifa Sanaya are in a camp in Riyadh and 13 workers who were employed with M/s Taiya Contracting Company are staying in one camp. "A total of 5547 Indian workers belonging to 14 camps are being provided assistance by Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Of these, food was required by Indian workers in one camp each in Riyadh and Dammam. "In addition, there are 2,153 Indian workers belonging to M/s Saudi Oger in six camps in Jeddah all of whom have been provided food by the Indian Consulate. Hence, there are a total of 7700 affected Indians workers in 20 camps," said Swarup. The Embassy teams visited six camps yesterday in Riyadh."The information about each worker, about his total service, pending salary, desire to exit / continue / transfer is being collected separately," said the MEA Spokesperson. Making a statement in Parliament yesterday, Swaraj had said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. "Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," she said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh's visit. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. There are many people who like to transform every opportunity that comes their way into something fun and adventurous worth remembering for a long time to come. Similarly, Amod Mathew and Rashmi Ashok from Christ University made use of an opportunity to fulfill their dream of travelling while helping kids learn. The 18-year-old students did an internship in Sri Lanka where they taught government school kids and also captured and wrote about the native beauty of the country. The two spoke to Sirisha Venkatesh about their exciting experience and the challenges they faced. How did it all start? Amod: Growing up, Ive always wanted to capture moments and show others the beauty I see in them. Im not a good artist, so for me, photography was a way to express what I saw. Rashmi: My passion is to travel the entire world, capture its beauty and keep it with me. I also enjoy writing. When I heard that Ive got an internship, I decided to do something to fulfill my dream. Tell us about the opportunity in Sri Lanka. Amod: As a student of media studies, I had to intern in this semester holidays. I heard about this internship from a friend and it sounded very exciting. Teaching little kids English while also travelling seemed like a dream. Rashmi: I found out about this internship from a senior. Though not related to my coursework, it allowed me to travel the beautiful country. It also put me in contact with people of various nationalities and living with them, I have learnt so much more about diverse cultures. Did you face any problems? Rashmi: The initial challenge was convincing my parents to let me go, but eventually they saw what this meant to me and agreed. They were very supportive and happy about this. Amod: The local language posed a bit of a problem. Communicating was difficult, but if you see, language is only a barrier if we allow it to be. I picked up enough of the local language to get by so things were easier. What was your experience like? Rashmi: Sri Lanka is absolutely beautiful. Supposedly a developing country, it is amazing how clean and well-organised it is! The locals were friendly and always helped us out with directions to places. During this internship, we taught English to children in a government school. The effort has been extremely rewarding as the children were loving and eager to learn. The memory of 12 year olds dancing to Roop Tera Mastana is something I cant forget. I am grateful for it all. Amod: We had a really funny experience. On our first trip to the town, Rashmi and I were searching for a SIM card shop, and as Indians, we ran across the road when the traffic thinned out. Two traffic cops stopped us promptly and berated us in the local language. We shook our heads, and said Indian, Indian. It was only then that they stopped, laughed, and said, No wonder you ran across the road! It wasnt hard to teach the children; they were quick learners and they like Sachin Tendulkar and new Hindi songs.They were always happy to be around us, talking about different things, about India and asking how it is different from Sri Lanka. I feel the population and pollution are much lesser in Sri Lanka. On the weekends, we would catch a train and travel to different tourist destinations, making sure to explore every bit that place had to offer and take pictures. We had planned to visit the Yala National Park in the last week of our stay but had to cancel our plans due to the floods. Tell us about your blog. Amod: We wanted to do something different with the internship, and after visiting so many beautiful places, we decided that we would like to share our experience with other people through a blog! Rashmi: We realised that unless we promote the offbeat places we visited, we arent really giving back anything to the wonderful place. So we decided to create a personalised blog, where we could provide inspiration as well as information on our travel. Its called bohemiansblog. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is unhappy over Azam Khans comments on the Bulandshahar rape that it was a conspiracy hatched by the Opposition parties. The comments have drawn flack from the victims family and other political parties. Assembly polls are near...it should be probed if the gang-rape is a political conspiracy hatched by the Opposition to malign the Uttar Pradesh government, Khan said in his hometown of Rampur on Monday. Khan said the Opposition could stoop to any level to oust the Samajwadi Party (SP) regime in the state. It (opposition) can do anything to grab power, the minister added. Slamming the minister for the comments, the father of the minor victim said he lacked sensitivity. I want to know if the minister would have made such comments if this had been his daughter, he said. Sources in the Samajwadi Party (SP) here said Akhilesh is very upset over Azams remarks. He should have refrained from making such comments at a time when there is massive outrage over the incident, a senior SP leader told DH. Akhileshs plans Khans comments came amid reports that Akhilesh was preparing to meet the victims family. The comments are a huge embarrassment to the party and the government, the leader said. BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the chief minister should sack Azam from the state Cabinet. Such comments would embolden criminals and demoralise the police force, he said. Armed bandits waylaid the Noida family on a busy highway connecting Delhi with Kanpur in Bulandshahar district, about 500 km from here, on Friday and gang-raped a 14-year old girl and her mother while holding other members of the family at gun point. DH News Service A total of 16 countries in the Asia Pacific are negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This is a mega regional free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10 Asean countries and six others (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea). The RCEP trade ministers will meet in Laos on August 5 to try and resolve some of the issues that are stuck in the negotiations. One such controversial issue in RCEP is the investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS). Provisions on this are being pushed by Japan and South Korea. It is important to recall here that both these countries are also members of another mega regional Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which too has provisions on ISDS. Thus, TPP wording is being mirrored in RCEP. This is significant if one believes in the narrative that for Asia, RCEP is merely a stepping-stone to TPP. While the fate of TPP hangs on the outcome of the US elections, with both the US political parties questioning it, there is enough evidence to show that RCEP is beginning to look like a TPP. The ISDS manner of settling disputes gives a foreign investor the right to raise a legal challenge against a host government. This is done before a panel of handpicked arbitrators. This is unprecedented in public international law. Even the World Trade Organisations dispute settlement mechanism (DSM) only allows a state to fight a state, not a corporation to challenge a state! Threats of such an arbitration proceeding have a chilling effect on the ability of governments to regulate different social and economic sectors, in the fear of possible claims being filed by multinational companies for millions of dollars. A leaked copy of the RCEPs investment chapter includes proposals to allow foreign investors to sue governments at an international tribunal. These investor suits can be for unlimited cash damages and compound interest. If the proposals are accepted, this ISDS would allow foreign investors to sue RCEP governments if they regulate in ways that disadvantages the foreign investor, for example, by reducing investor profits, including either by introducing new laws/policies or changing legal/policy regimes, even if it is for public interest reasons. Past ISDS cases have successfully challenged health, environmental, tax, financial regulation and many other laws and a losing government in one case had to pay an investor as much as $40 billion. This is difficult enough for any government to afford, but RCEP includes three least developed countries: Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who would find it particularly burdensome to pay foreign investors this much. There are 696 known ISDS cases against 107 countries and the number filed each year has been rapidly increasing (the most ever were filed in 2015). India has been at the receiving end of several such cases. Curiously, Indian investors themselves are using ISDS against the Government of India, as in the Antrix-Devas deal annulled just last month. Investors based their claims on the bilateral investment treaties (BITs) between Mauritius and India. These cases which broadly interpret investors rights and restrict governments ability to regulate have caused many developed and developing country governments to rethink their support for investment protection provisions (including ISDS) in BITs and FTA investment chapters. Indias model bilateral investment promotion agreement (BIPA) allows for ISDS only on a condition: it requires the investor to first take recourse to national judicial fora. Only when those domestic options are exhausted is an ISDS-like proceeding permitted. In other RCEP countries: a) The Government of Indonesia is withdrawing from its BITs; b) Singapores Attorney General and the Chief Justice of Australias highest court have expressed concerns about ISDS; and c) The New Zealand Chief Justice noted that human rights based determinations of domestic courts may give rise to ISDS claims. Opposition to ISDS In countries outside RCEP, there is also opposition to ISDS including countries such as South Africa and Ecuador are withdrawing from their BITs. Germany opposes ISDS in Europes FTA negotiations with the USA. The Dutch, French and Austrian Parliaments oppose ISDS in their FTA negotiations with Canada and the USA. All US state-level legislatures oppose ISDS in any treaty. Various United Nations (UN) human rights bodies have also stated their serious concerns about ISDS including 10 UN Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts on human rights who said that the ISDS cases demonstrate that the regulatory function of many States and their ability to legislate in the public interest have been put at risk and governments have been chilled from regulating. They recommended that in negotiations of FTAs like RCEP, the negotiating texts are published and the negotiations are conducted transparently with the participation of stakeholders including civil society. While so-me provisions on ISDS in RCEP talk of transparency obligations, there is enough said about maintaining secrecy. For example, any protected information that is submitted to the tribunal shall be protected from disclosure in accordance with the procedures laid down in RCEP. Given this, RCEP civil society organisations across the region are strongly urging RCEP countries to reject ISDS in the trade agreement. Trade ministers from RCEP countries meeting this week need to heed that call. Travis Kalanick, the co-founder and chief executive of the ride-hailing giant Uber, often defended his eagerness to risk billions on winning the Chinese market with a simple question: If you have a chance to become Amazon and Alibaba at the same time, why not try? The implication was simple. Over the last couple of decades, Amazon, Facebook, Google and other US technology giants have each followed a similar script for world domination. Like an imperial armada rolling out from North Americas West Coast, these companies would try to establish beachheads on every other continent. But when US giants tried to enter the waters of China, the worlds largest internet market, the armada invariably ran aground. Plagued by opaque and ever-shifting regulations and a culturally abstruse way of doing business, US companies fell to a series of local giants. Instead of Google, Baidu. Instead of Facebook, WeChat, owned by the giant Tencent. And instead of Amazon, Alibaba. That has left us with a divide: today, there is the Chinese internet, and there is the internet of the rest of the world. A network seen in its early days as a tool to foster financial and political unity across a fragmented planet has irrevocably cleaved into two separate spheres. Kalanick, a famously competitive and aggressive entrepreneur, had apparently studied these risks and seemed determined to bridge that gulf. He would try to take on China not as an afterthought, but as a central mission of his fledgling company. He would risk billions and spend a great deal of time in China to figure out the secrets of winning there. The goal seemed lofty, but the opportunity, after all, was eye-popping: Amazon has a market value of $365 billion, and Alibaba is worth about $200 billion. The ride-hailing business might one day grow to be as valuable as e-commerce, if not larger and wouldnt it be fantastic if you could own it all, everywhere? Well, you cant. The announcement on Monday that Uber will sell its Chinese operations to its rival Didi Chuxing, effectively ceding China to the homegrown favourite, cements an emerging global state of play: a kind of Chinese-American Cold War over the internet. Entrepreneurs across the globe can choose to win in China or the rest of the world. You can be Alibaba or you can be Amazon. You can be Uber or you can be Didi. But you cant be both. Given the rising Chinese market and increasing tension over the role of US tech firms in the rest of the globe, the gulf between the two sides promises to become one of the most important factors in determining the shape of global tech innovation. How exactly might the war play out? In some ways, being at the mercy of two poles of internet leadership could be good for citizens of planet earth. In emerging markets like India, West Asia and parts of Africa and South America, the giants of China and the US are increasingly investing billions to compete for local customers in e-commerce, social networking, ride sharing and other markets. For instance, Duncan Clark, an investment adviser in China who wrote Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built, pointed to the way Amazon and Alibaba act as foils for one another. Amazon is increasingly making its own branded products, taking on Procter & Gamble and others, and also getting into the logistics business, and shipping, and everything else, Clark said. But Alibaba is a marketplace that doesnt hold inventory and describes themselves as helping local merchants so maybe theres some argument that Alibaba could serve as a counter globally to Amazon. But Ubers deal with Didi in which Uber will take an 18% stake in the combined company, which is certain to become the monopolistic player in the Chinese ride-hailing market points to another potential outcome: a series of accommodationist deals in which giants cede large parts of the world to one another, pragmatically carving out their spheres of influence like players in The Great Game. In that way it could be like the Yalta Conference, said Clark, referring to the 1945 meeting in which the victors of World War II determined the postwar geopolitical order. However the global order shakes out, each sides home territory seems safe from invasion by the other. Ubers retreat in China was preceded by a parade of failures by earlier US tech firms. Some fell short for obvious political reasons companies that traffic in information, like Google, Facebook and Twitter, were essentially stymied from the start by the Chinese censorship regime. Others, like Amazon and eBay, failed to appreciate some of the differences in how business got done in China, especially the importance of personal connections. Of all US tech firms, Apple has achieved the biggest success in China about 25% of its sales occurred in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in 2015. But in recent months, it, too, has been running into political hurdles in the region. The barrels that will be thrown at you when youre trying to do business in China will just never stop, said Mark Natkin, the managing director of Marbridge Consulting, an advisory firm based in Beijing. Youll constantly be above one barrel or recovering from jumping one, and as youre dusting yourself off you look down the road and here comes the next one. Previous failures Compared with previous failures, Uber seemed to do everything right in China. It set up a separate company, Uber China, which had a buy-in from local investors, including from a local giant, Baidu. It hired many local experts, and worked closely with the national government to foster friendly relations. Insiders say Kalanick was also personally invested in the deal. He visited China eight times in the last year and a half, and became something of a tech star in the Chinese media. Publicly, Kalanick had insisted he was fighting for total victory in China. But he must have known that Uber would always struggle to achieve dominance, given the emerging centrality of ride-sharing to the future of infrastructure in China. Still, even if he failed to win everything in China, investing early in the country seemed too big to skip. The ride-sharing opportunity in China is basically as big as the rest of the world combined, if not bigger, said Ben Thompson, an analyst based in Taiwan who writes the tech newsletter Stratechery. For Uber, China was basically frosting on the cake. For now, its especially delicious frosting. The $2 billion Uber spent tackling China is now worth about $7 billion in the new merged entity; if Didi does become one of Chinas largest tech companies, the value of Ubers stake in China could rise geometrically, making the firm much more attractive in a potential initial public offering. Pulling out of China also frees up Uber to invest more in other markets India and Indonesia are big targets as well as expand its expertise in core technological initiatives like mapping data and self-driving cars. But if spending big to tackle China ultimately works out for Uber, it will be an anomaly, and certainly not a model for other US tech giants. The ride-sharing market is one the few markets where the upside is big enough to justify going in, Thompson said. For most other companies, going into China is still going to be nothing but pain. Shedding the states geographical identity, the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has decided to drop the word West and keep just Bengal as the name of the state. The Cabinet has ratified the change on Tuesday and is calling a special session to discuss the matter. The state government passed the proposal to change the name of West Bengal to just Bengal, a move that was approved in a Cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat in Kolkata. Coming out of the meeting, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters, Weve proposed that in Bengali the name of the state be Bangla or Banga. In English, the name will be just Bengal. The administration took the decision for the sake of the people of the state, its heritage and culture, as well as to promote and protect its interests at the national level, he added. Chatterjee further said that the government will convene a special session of the Assembly on August 26 to discuss only this issue. The session will be followed by an all-party meeting over August 29 and 30, where the issue will be discussed and the ruling party will urge all to accept the new name. During the last days of the Left rule in 2011, erstwhile chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjees government had cleared a similar proposal. The proposal was to rename the state as Paschim Banga, the Bengali word for West Bengal, but the idea was shelved. While, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been toying with the idea ever since coming to power in 2011, the issue could not be taken up earlier due to other pressing matters, Chatterjee said. He pointed out that going by the protocol, the proposal has to be passed by the state Assembly and then forwarded to the Parliament, where it has to be ratified by both the Houses. While, the outlook of the Opposition parties in the state, namely Congress and the Left, has remained yet unknown, going by Union Minister of State Babul Supriyos enthusiastic acceptance of the proposal, it is likely that BJP would support the process. Its a great idea, Supriyo said. The BJP MP from the state, however, raised some practical issues related to the re-christening and pointed out that choosing the Bengali name would be difficult. Banga, which in Bengali is pronounced as bongo, is an instrument people play. We shouldnt have this name, he said. The YSR Congress bandh demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh was total on Tuesday with educational institutions and businesses shutting down and buses staying off the roads. Addressing the media at his party headquarters here, YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy called the bandh a great success, as he vowed to continue the fight for the Special Category Status (SCS). We had to fight with the government machinery, Jagan said. Police unleashed terror and agitators cane charged in several places. Jagan accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of holding back his party workers from participating in the day-long bandh. Police detained several YSR Congress workers in many areas as they tried blockading bus depots. Security was provided for inter-state buses plying from Vijayawada Central bus station, where several YSRC, Congress and left party workers were arrested Tuesday morning for stopping buses. The bandh was partial in Tirupati, where former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and YSR Congress Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy were arrested for holding a rally. MPs disrupt Lok Sabha for 2nd day Noisy sloganeering from Andhra Pradesh MPs in Lok Sabha on Tuesday prompted the government to assure them it would consider granting special category status to the state, DHNS reports from New Delhi. Some members have concerns over particular issues. The government stands by its commitment. We are trying to find a solution to these issues, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in an attempt to pacify the MPs. MPs from TDP, a constituent of the ruling NDA, and opposition YSR Congress screamed slogans and held placards demanding special status. The protests prompted Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House twice, but the MPs resumed the commotion when it reconvened. MPs are protesting for the second day in Lok Sabha over the governments delay in giving special status and additional financial compensation to AP following its bifurcation to create Telangana. When the Lok Sabha convened for the days business, YSRC MPs, led by Y S Avinash, trooped into the well of the House raising slogans. TDP MPs followed suit, but held their protests from the aisle. Further needling India, Pakistans parliament has unanimously passed a resolution, condemning human rights violations in Kashmir and demanding the UN Human Rights Commission to send a fact-finding mission to the Valley to investigate it. The 34th session of the National Assembly (the parliament), which began last evening with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, extended its support to the Kashmiris. The National Assembly of Pakistan strongly condemns the recent atrocities perpetrated on innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces, said the resolution passed on Monday night. It said the use of pellet guns was deplorable and is against the canons of international humanitarian laws. This House denounces these reprehensible acts...It is confident that these blatant violations of international law cannot deter the valiant, oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir from continuing to press their demand for realisation of their right to self-determination, which is enshrined in numerous UN Security Council Resolutions, it added. It reiterated Pakistans continuing political, moral and diplomatic support for the struggle in Kashmir. The resolution pressed the government to urge the international community, inter-governmental and inter- parliamentary organisations, NGOs, civil society and the media to ask India to immediately stop violations of the human rights. One more dies Meanwhile in Kashmir, one person was killed and another injured in fresh violence, even as normal life remained disrupted for the 25th consecutive day on Tuesday due to strike called by separatists and curfew imposed by the authorities in some parts of the Valley. With this the death toll has gone up to 50. A police officer said the government official, identified as Baburam, was stopped by a mob when he was on his way to Ramban in Jammu division and asked to alight from the vehicle. As soon as the official and his personal security guard got off the vehicle, the mob tried to set it ablaze. Barely days after armed bandits waylaid a Noida family on a highway in Bulandshahar district and gang-raped a minor and her mother, yet another gang-rape shook Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. A Dalit teacher was gang-raped by three people in the states Bareilly district, about 250 km from here, on National Highway 24 that connects Lucknow to Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday. According to sources in the police, the culprits dragged the victim, who was on her way to school where she taught, into their car and took her to a secluded place and gang-raped her. The culprits dumped the victim in a sugar cane field a few kilometres away from the spot and fled. The victim, who managed to inform her family, later lodged an FIR with the police. She said that the culprits had also shot a video of the incident and threatened to make it public if she approached the police to file a complaint. DH News Service A huge sinkhole opened up on the busy Kempegowda Road, taking motorists by surprise. The incident took place around 10 am. There were no casualties. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) officials rushed to the spot as the land caved in right above the underground Metro line between Central College and Majestic Metro station. The sinkhole was around 15 feet deep, an eyewitness said. BMRCL chief public relations officer (CPRO) U A Vasanth Rao said the hole was filled after following certain procedures. We filled the hole with sand and then a concrete mixture. It has nothing to do with our underground work, which is far below the surface, he said. DH News Service Manjula Manasa, the chairperson of Karnataka State Women Commission, visited Yamanur and Alagwadi villages of Navalgund taluk in Dharwad district on Tuesday, and heard the grievances of the people. Both these villages bore the brunt of the police excesses on July 29. She said that it was an unfortunate incident and that the visuals of police caning the villagers, women and senior citizens were heart-wrenching. The villagers are in deep shock over the severe police action and have asked the Commission to deliver justice to the victims. The commission would be submitting a comprehensive report to the government in the next three days based on the information given by the villagers, said Manjula. If the commission needs additional information pertaining to the incident, it will direct the Superintendent of Police to appear before the commission and his statement will be recorded, she said. Register murder cases N H Konaraddi, the Navalgund MLA, has demanded that the policemen involved in the assault on farmers should be arrested and murder cases registered against them. He said that the government should release innocent farmers who have been arrested by the police. The State Human Rights Commission has sought a report within two days over the caning of protestors by the police at Yamanur in Navalgund taluk, Dharwad district, on Saturday. Commission chairperson Meera Saxena told reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday that she would get video footage of the incident to examine them. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asking him to abide by his duties as head of the state, and protect the people of the state. Stating that he was well aware of the grief Siddaramaiah was enduring following the loss of his son Rakesh, Kumaraswamy has appealed to the former to immediately address the police atrocity in Naragund and Navalgund taluks. When you were in Belgium, there were police excesses where hundreds of women and children were brutally beaten up by the police. Just because some anti-social elements damaged police vehicles and public property, hundreds of farmers were taken to task. They have been arrested and booked for non-bailable offences, he said. Addressing Siddaramaiah endearingly, Kumaraswamy asked him to immediately convene a Cabinet meeting to withdraw cases against the 180 farmers who have been put behind bars in Ballari and Chitradurga. He also wanted Siddaramaiah to visit Yamanur and meet the victims of lathi charge. If you do this, my love for you will only grow Siddaramanna, he has stated. Deve Gowda called Siddaramaiah over the phone and consoled the chief minister. Gowda said that he was unable to attend the funeral of Rakesh owing to his ill health. For Hungund farmer Fakirappa (42), arranging Rs 400 every week for dialysis at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubballi is a herculean task. Though his wife is willing to donate her kidney to the sole bread winner of the family, Fakirappa is still not able to go in for the surgery. For, the only government hospital in the state which performs kidney transplantation is in Bengaluru, a city which is not just far away from his village but also a place where he cant afford post-operation expenses. While the surgery would cost less than Rs 1 lakh, he will have to bear post-operation cost of over Rs 1 lakh. I could have gone for the operation if there was a government hospital with this facility in North Karnataka, Fakirappa says. According to Health and Family Welfare department, there are 36 institutes in the state that have permission to transplant kidney, liver and heart. But most of them are in either southern or coastal Karnataka. The KLES Hospital in Belagavi has such a facility in North Karnataka. Apart from the Prime Minister Super Speciality Yojana Hospital on Victoria Hospital campus in Bengaluru, all the other hospitals are private ones. According to Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka as on July 29, as many as 2,533 patients are waiting for organ transplantation in the state, including 1,880 for kidney and 582 for liver transplantation. A good chunk of these patients are from North Karnataka. KIMS Nephrology Department Head Venkatesh Moger said travelling to hospitals in other regions is financially and physically unaffordable for both patients and their relatives. This is one of the reasons why more people are not going in for organ transplantation, which is a better solution than regular dialysis. On a average, two to three patients are referred to Bengaluru for transplantation every month. However, most of them do not undergo kidney transplantation. KIMS is among many hospitals that have sought permission to conduct live organ transplantation. But getting permission from the Authorising Committee is difficult, say heads of over 10 hospitals and medical colleges to whom Deccan Herald spoke to. We are already performing more complex surgeries than kidney transplantation. However still the Committee, citing requirement of two organ transplantation specialists in hospital is denying the permission," said SDM Hospital, Dharwad, Medical Superintendent Sathya Shankar. The hospital has one organ transplantation specialist and there are several Bengaluru-based specialists who are willing to visit the hospital on demand. Even the Human Organ Transplant Act doesnt specify the requirement of a second specialist to accord permission. The hospital had applied for organ transplantation centre in 2014. There are other hospitals too, which have not received any response from the Committee. It has been one year since we applied for the facility, by paying a fee of Rs 10,000. But so far, there has been no response from the Committee. Authorities have not even come for inspection, said Hubballis Tathwadarsha Hospital Managing Director Bharat Kshatri. The Forest department has sent a proposal to the state government to declare Southern Bird Wing butterfly as the state butterfly. If all goes well, Karnataka will be the second state in the country after Maharashtra to have a state butterfly. Karnataka already has Indian Roller as the state bird and elephant as state animal. The forest department sent the proposal to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) and state government in the last week of June. The proposal was to be tabled at the State Wildlife Board meeting that was scheduled to be held on August 1, 2016, for its approval. However, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who heads the Board, is mourning the death of his son Rakesh. Sanjay Mohan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research and Utilisation) told Deccan Herald that the decision to have a state butterfly is to attract people to nature, educate them, create awareness about the species and increase conservation for this flagship species, as in the case of tigers. This particular butterfly was chosen because of its colour- red and yellow, which is same as the colours of the state flag. It is also easy to sight this butterfly which is found in abundance in the state. It is not endemic and is also the largest butterfly found in India. The idea to have a state butterfly cropped up at the previous With Nature (OWN) workshops. The workshops are held in the forest department head office to explain fundamentals to nature lovers. The workshops comprise various elements such as awareness about antlers, beehives, tiger scats and flora and faunaMohan said. Conservationists and entomologists are of the view that this will be just a mere publicity stunt. Environmentalist M B Krishna said Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh both have Indian Roller as their state bird. So, this time while choosing the butterfly, they should be cautious and ensure that no other state has the same one. The butterfly should be unique to the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be back to work on Wednesday, two days after his elder son Rakesh was laid to rest. He will chair a meeting of BBMP officials to assess the damage caused by heavy rains in Bengaluru last week. The meeting will be held at his home office Krishna. In a media statement, the chief minister said he was finding it difficult to cope with the loss of his son and added that no parent should ever face the tragedy of losing a child. He also stated it would take a long time for him and his family to overcome the grief. The chief minister said that he would never forget the love and concern showed by the people of the state, irrespective of caste, religion or social status, to Rakesh when he was undergoing treatment at Antwerp University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Rakesh succumbed to multi-organ failure on Saturday. Siddaramaiah recalled that when Rakesh was being treated at the hospital, a Kannadiga family living in Brussels had volunteered help, including providing home-cooked food. He said he would be grateful to Vijendra, a Bengalurean working in Brussels, and his wife. Siddaramaiah also stated that he would forever remain indebted to the thousands who had gathered at the Exhibition Grounds in Mysuru to pay homage to Rakesh. Rakeshs body was kept at the grounds for public viewing. He also thanked a range of politicians who, cutting across party lines, shared his grief. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad recalled that when he laid the wreath on the body and stood at a corner on Monday, Siddaramaiah called him and enquired about the flood situation. Just 15 minutes before Rakesh was laid to rest, Siddaramaiah asked me about the steps taken to deal with the flood. I told him about the need for long-term measures. Vinayak Bhaurao Raut (Shiv Sena) MP from Maharashtra told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka were being oppressed, amidst protests from Karnataka MPs. Raising the issue during zero hour, Raut (MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurga) said, Marathi-speaking people of Karwar, Belagavi, Nippani are fighting for natural justice. States were reorganised in 1956 on the basis of languages spoken in that particular area. But, unfortunately the Marathi speaking people could not get their own state at that time. This was strongly contested by BJP MPs, including Pralhad Joshi and Shivakumar Udasi. They said Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka were the most safe. With a majority of the tendered solar power projects stalled due to procedural delays, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday instructed district administrations to clear them at the earliest. Shivakumar, who held a video conference with deputy commissioners in Bengaluru, gave strict instructions to officers not to harass companies that have come forward to set up solar plants. Stressing on the fact that these projects have to take off within a years time, the minister reiterated that only three documents were sufficient for clearances for these projects, which were coming up on deemed lands. He said he had received complaints that the district administration was insisting on submission of 18 documents for getting clearances. The projects undertaken under both the Central and state governments would add around 6,500 MW to the grid by 2020. By end of next year, the department hopes to generate at least 2,000 MW. A majority of the DCs said that they were granting clearances as and when they receive applications. When Belagavi deputy commissioner said that two of the projects were held up as the district-in charge minister wanted to hold discussions about the same, Shivakumar said, No one should interfere - you have to take up the project. You cant sit and wait for some politician to give you permission for the projects, including the district in-charge minister. He was also irked when the Koppal deputy commissioner told him that land conversion of deemed land had taken over eight months. It should not have taken more than 15 days, he shot back at the officer. When officials from Tumakuru said that villagers were refusing to part with their lands in Pavagad for installation of four transmission poles, Shivakumar said that a major international project (90 MW) was being stalled because of this. Taking officials to task, he said the department was losing Rs 30 lakh a day because of this delay. He said the farmers were creating problems as they were demanding more compensation. The minister said that the department had returned 1,500 MW of power to the Central grid as the demand had reduced with the onset of monsoon. He said that currently, the demand stood at 7,000 MW. According to officials, the department had earlier placed an order for 1,000 MW at Rs 4.36 per unit. However, as the demand had reduced, the department would take a final call on whether to purchase the power shortly. OMAHA Hillary Clinton brought her presidential campaign to red state Nebraska on Monday, focusing like a laser on metropolitan Omaha's 2nd Congressional District presidential electoral vote. Clinton targeted economic growth that will create new jobs and increase income for middle-class Americans, pointing especially to the need for infrastructure construction and repair. Nebraska, she said, would benefit from investment in clean energy and expansion of broadband into unserved rural areas. "The economy is not working the way it should for everyone," Clinton said, recreating some of the message she delivered to the Democratic National Convention last week when she formally accepted her party's presidential nomination. Clinton's appearance attracted several thousand supporters to a raucous rally in the gym at Omaha North High School, which was decked out in red, white and blue. Joining her at the podium was iconic Omaha investor Warren Buffett, who took on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, billionaire to billionaire. Challenging Trump to release his income tax documents, Buffett said: "You're only afraid if you have something to be afraid of." Staring at the audience, Buffett said, "he's afraid because of you." Referring to Trump's recent criticism of the Muslim parents of a U.S. soldier who was killed in Iraq after the father chastised Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, Buffett invoked the rebuke aimed at the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy by Boston attorney Joseph Welch in 1954. "I ask Donald Trump: Have you no sense of decency, sir?" Buffett scoffed at Trump's suggestion that he too has made sacrifices in accumulating his wealth. "I have made money," Buffett said. "I have made no sacrifices." Nebraska's distinctive system of awarding three of its five electoral votes to the presidential winner in each of the state's congressional districts was the lure that attracted Clinton to Omaha on a day when she also would campaign in Virginia and Colorado, both of them battleground states. President Barack Obama won the Omaha district electoral vote in 2008. If she wins the congressional district this time and is elected president in November, Clinton said, she'll return to celebrate with Buffett on the streets of Omaha. During an interview inside the gym prior to Clinton's arrival, the campaign's national political director, Amanda Renteria, said the campaign is targeting the diversity of the 2nd District, which contains large Latino and African-American populations. Labor, youth and women also are important components of Clinton's support, she said. "All groups are important, but there are key demographics," Renteria said. "Our strategy leaves no one off the table." Trump, she said, "has energized the Latino community for generations" with his sharp words about immigration and immigrants. The campaign is focusing on "the job message" with proposals for the largest job creation program since World War II, Renteria said, including an early emphasis on infrastructure construction and repair. In Nebraska, Renteria said, 2,700 bridges need repair and 25 percent of the population does not have access to broadband service. Former Sen. Ben Nelson praised Clinton in brief remarks prior to her appearance. "I know she has the skills, the experience, the empathy and the decency to be the next president," Nelson said. Colfax County commissioners cautioned Treasurer Janis Kasik last week to follow all state and county regulations on the hiring of an immediate family member as a temporary worker in her office to help sort new license plates and complete other errands. The longtime treasurer raised the issue of hiring her daughter for a temporary job to ease a staff crunch created recently when another employee departed for a different position with the county. Were a very busy place, Kasik told the board while noting that she advertised the open office job in two of the four newspapers in the county during the past couple of weeks and received no applicants. The treasurer said she met the ad deadlines for the Leigh and Clarkson newspapers, but missed them for the Schuyler and Howells papers. The deadline for accepting applications was July 29. Earlier this month, Kasik requested an opinion from County Attorney Denise Kracls office on the disclosure rules that an officeholder must follow in order to hire a family member. When hiring a family member, state rules require Kasik to file a disclosure notice, either on the record at a county board meeting or in writing to the county clerk, and advertise for applications for the job. The board must approve the hiring. An officeholder is not required to wait for county board approval in the hiring of an employee who is not a family member. In 2015, Kracl wrote in her opinion, Merrick County Sheriff Kevin Campbell was fined $3,000 by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for failing to file proper paperwork and advertise a position he eventually filled by hiring his wife. Be advised, Kracl wrote, the sheriff was personally liable for that fine imposed by the state disclosure commission. County personnel policies also state an officeholder must advertise the job, not hire someone who is not qualified and not terminate another employee to make funds available for a family member. Board members were cautious and suggested Kasik consider delegating some of the offices work to other employees. The hiring of a family member would be under the scrutiny of the public, Commissioner Mike Dvorak told the treasurer. Weve got to follow the rules, Commissioner Gil Wigington said. Im not taking the liability if there is a problem." Commissioner Jerry Heard advised the treasurer to assign more tasks to other employees. Delegate some work to people down below to take some of the burden off of you," he said. If you cant delegate to other workers, what are they there for? Wigington said. Dales of Prevnar vaccine, the drug maker's star product, fell short of estimates Pfizer topped analyst estimates when it released its second quarter earnings on Tuesday on the back of strong performances from new drugs Ibrance and Xeljanz. The positive results for the pharmaceutical company come despite its biggest product Prevnar disappointing in the quarter. The shots sold $1.26bn, compared with estimates of $1.58bn, after sales in the US leveled-off following what Pfizer said was pent-up demand. Profit came in at 64 cents a share, according to a statement from the New York-based drugmaker. Analysts had predicted 62 cents on average. Revenue rose 11% to $13.15bn, the company said, beating projections for $13.01bn. Ibrance, its new breast cancer treatment drug tripled from the year previous to $514m, and sales could reach $4.81bn by 2018, according to Bloomberg data. Rheumatoid arthritis pill Xeljanz beat expectations of $199m to bring in $217 for Pfizer. Unlike various other large drugmakers that painted a more prospective picture for the full-year alongside their second quarter results, Pfizer left its annual guidance unchanged. Ian Read, chief executive, said: "Our continued sharp focus on executing against the distinct strategies for both our Innovative Health and Essential Health businesses has delivered a strong financial performance during the second quarter as well as for the first half of 2016." Despite the strong performance, shares were down by a little over 3% shortly after the open in New York. Pfizer shares have recovered much of their lost ground over the last six months and are trading at a similar level to 12 months ago. Producer prices in the eurozone rose more than expected in June, according to the latest data from Eurostat. Prices were up 0.7% on the month versus economists expectations for a 0.4% increase and a 0.6% rise in May. Eurostat said the 0.7% increase was driven by rises of 2.4% in the energy sector, 0.3% for intermediate goods and 0.1% for both capital goods and non-durable consumer goods. Prices for durable consumer goods remained stabled, while prices in total industry excluding energy were up 0.2%. On a year-on-year basis, prices were down 3.1%, which was less than the 3.5% drop economists had expected and the previous months 3.8% decline. Dennis de Jong, managing director at UFX.com, said:After last months disappointing numbers, ECB president Mario Draghi will be pleased with the respite provided by todays producer price index results. It still remains to be seen how Europe will react to the UKs decision to leave, but todays boost shows some promising robustness at least. Home ownership in England has fallen to the lowest level since 1986, particularly in Manchester and the Midlands, as it becomes increasingly unaffordable, according to a think-tank. Resolution Foundation said English home ownership fell by 14.5% to 58% this year from its peak in 2003. In the West Midlands it fell 11.2% to 60% this year from its peak in 2003. London, also recorded double digit falls as it decreased by 13.5% in outer London to 58% this year from its peak in 2000. The foundation said that London was not the only city experiencing a housing crisis. Resolution Foundation policy analyst Stephen Clarke, said: London has a well-known and fully-blown housing crisis, but the struggle to buy a home is just as big a problem in cities across the North of England. The chances of owning a home have fallen fastest in Greater Manchester over the last decade, though the Leeds and Sheffield city areas have also experienced sharp drops. In the UK, home ownership fell 6.8% to 64% home ownership, in England it decreased 7% to 64%, Scotland dropped 6% to 64%, Wales declined 5% to 70% and Northern Ireland slid 10.5% to 63%. The foundation, which used data from the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey, found that in the 1980s the average first-time buyer paid under 30,000 for a house, in comparison to the average 150,000 today. As home ownership fell, renting from private landlords increased to 19% in 2015 from 11% in 2003. In Greater Manchester it rose sharply to over 20% from 6%. Renters spend most of their income (30%) on housing than people who own (23%). The foundation also highlighted the insecurities of renting short-term and the struggle to accumulate wealth that they may need later in life while paying rent. Clarke said: These drops are more than a simple source of frustration for the millions of people who aspire to own their home. The shift to renting privately can reduce current living standards and future wealth, with implications for individuals and the state. We cannot allow other cities to edge towards the kind of housing crisis that London has been saddled with. Clarke said he was encouraged by the Prime Ministers intentions when Theresa May said she would tackle the housing deficit. Its encouraging that the new prime minister has talked about tackling the housing deficit. She may find that making good on this promise could secure as important a legacy as negotiating a successful exit from the European Union. In her maiden speech as Prime Minister, May said it was an injustice that if youre young, youll find it harder than ever before to own your own home. Former BHS owner Philip Green should write a cheque to compensate the collapsed company's pensioners and say sorry, said the former head of the Pension Protection Fund. Lady Barbara Judge told the BBC the Pensions Regulator needed more powers to prevent a recurrance of what happened at the High Street chain, which collapsed in April with a 571m pension fund deficit. Green sold the store chain for 1 last year but it failed under the ownership of Retail Acquisitions Ltd, controlled by Dominic Chappell, and is now being wound up with the loss of 11,000 jobs. "He should be writing a cheque and saying 'I'm sorry'," Judge said. "My proposal is that the Pensions Regulator or some other agency be set up, like the Competition and Markets Authority, [so] that every time a corporate transaction of a certain size takes place with a pension fund of a certain size... a filing would be made by the parties it interested." "They would say this is the deal... and this is what we are going to do for our pensioners. "Under my scenario we would have a pensions regulator that looked at every pension fund in the country and then had an obligation to talk to those pension funds about what they were doing." Her comments on Green echo those of Frank Field MP, who co-chaired the parliamentary inquiry into BHS. Under-fire Green was slammed in the inquiry's report that criticised him and others involved in the collapse as being the unacceptable face of capitalism. Retired race driver Chappell was also panned in the report from the Work and Pensions and Business select committees. Inquiry co-chair MP Frank Field said Green should make out a cheque for at least 571m, after the report cited Greens failure to sort out a 571m pensions deficit as a primary catalyst for the chains collapse. Criticism was also directed at the handling of the businesss sale to Chappell, who is a former bankrupt and had no experience in retail prior to BHS. [He] hurriedly sold to a manifestly unsuitable buyer, the report said of Greens conduct when flogging BHS off to Chappell for a nominal 1 last year. Around 20,000 people are said to be eligible for a BHS pension, with the Pension Protection Fund set to take a 271m loss as a result. Reportedly, Green has privately spoken of his willingness to make a contribution to the pension deficit, but he has remained staunchly quiet over the collapse of BHS with the exception of his appearance before MPs. Several firms were also named as playing roles leading to the collapse of BHS and its pension fund, including Goldman Sachs, law firm Olswang and accountants Grant Thornton. Employees have been working their last days at BHS stores across Britain in recent weeks, with stores closing as stock is exhausted. Field has repeatedly asked Green to "write a cheque" to sort out the pension fund in an increasingly bitter war of words with the tycoon. He has accused the businessman of "displacement therapy" and said he had to "face up to the evil he has done in destroying BHS". Green hit back by saying Field had tried to create a "false narrative" and that progress was being made in addressing the pension deficit. 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. Pennsylvania Libraries Expand Accessible Reading Opportunities Published: 2016-08-02 Author: Benetech | Contact: benetech.org Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A Jump to: Main Digest | Publications Synopsis: Pennsylvania Libraries partner with Benetech/Bookshare to expand accessible reading opportunities for patrons with print disabilities. In a mission to expand more meaningful and accessible reading experiences for Pennsylvania residents who cannot read standard print, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Free Library of Philadelphia have entered into a partnership agreement with Benetech, a Silicon Valley nonprofit that manages Bookshare, the world's largest online accessible library for individuals with qualifying print disabilities. advertisements Main Digest In a mission to expand more meaningful and accessible reading experiences for Pennsylvania residents who cannot read standard print, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Free Library of Philadelphia have entered into a partnership agreement with Benetech, a Silicon Valley nonprofit that manages Bookshare, the world's largest online accessible library for individuals with qualifying print disabilities. Today, Bookshare serves more than 425,000 members who are blind, have low vision, a physical disability, or a learning disability, like dyslexia. The new partnership will enable qualified Pennsylvania residents who are print disabled to enjoy unlimited and 24/7 access to over 446,000 available electronic books at no cost in digital audio, text, and braille formats. Patrons can read Bookshare's accessible ebooks on tablets, smart phones, computers, assistive technology devices, and MP3 players using free and paid apps and some free reading tools. Mark Lee, Library Services Manager at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped said, "This partnership greatly expands the number of accessible titles available to Pennsylvania residents who are print disabled. Now they will have the opportunity to access those titles instantly and through a device of their choosing." Bookshare collections include a broad range of topics for all age groups and reading interests such as New York Times bestsellers, children's literature, picture books, fiction and nonfiction, scientific and technical journals, periodicals, professional publications, career guides, and much more. In addition to English titles, ebooks are offered in other languages, including Spanish. Currently, through awards from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), all students in the United States with qualifying disabilities can access Bookshare for free. Through the new Pennsylvania state library partnership, all eligible Pennsylvania patrons, of all ages, will have access to Bookshare. Keri Wilkins, Administrator, Philadelphia Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped said, "I agree with Mark about the benefits of this partnership. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped have been long-time partners in serving our residents with print impairments. Working with Benetech is another great step in expanding accessible titles using Bookshare now and well into the future." In 2016, Benetech announced similar partnerships with libraries in New York City and with the state of Georgia. Brad Turner, Vice President of Global Literacy at Benetech said, "We're excited about this new partnership with Pennsylvania state libraries to change how people with disabilities read today. We extend an invitation to other library systems with a similar mission to follow their footsteps and consider Bookshare to be the online accessible library that can open the world of meaningful reading experiences for their patrons with print disabilities." For information about the Pennsylvania library partnership, contact Mark Lee at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh or Keri Wilkins at the Free Library of Philadelphia. For information about Benetech, Bookshare, and partnerships, contact Lisa Wadors Verne, Program Manager, Education Research and Partnerships. Benetech is a different kind of tech company. We're a nonprofit whose mission is to empower communities in need by creating scalable technology solutions. Our work has transformed how over 425,000 people with disabilities read; made it safer for human rights defenders in over fifty countries to document human rights violations; and equipped environmental conservationists to protect ecosystems and species all over the world. Our Benetech Labs is working on the next big impact. Visit www.benetech.org Bookshare is the world's largest online library of accessible ebooks for people with print disabilities. Through its extensive collection of educational and popular titles, specialized book formats, and reading tools, Bookshare offers individuals who cannot read standard print materials the same ease of access that people without disabilities enjoy. In 2007 and 2012, Bookshare received two five-year awards from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free access for all U.S. students with a qualifying print disability. Bookshare is an initiative of Benetech, a Palo Alto, CA-based nonprofit that develops and uses technology to create positive social change. www.bookshare.org Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is supporting individual achievement and strengthening the power of community. Through the community's investment, the Library is enhancing the lives of people in the greater Pittsburgh region with dynamic and diverse resources such as creative learning programs for children and teens, job and career assistance for our community's workforce, and free computer and Internet access for all. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh builds community, enables learning, provides access and values people. www.CarnegieLibrary.org The Free Library of Philadelphia system, with 54 locations and the Rosenbach, advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 25,000 yearly programs and workshops; free public computers and extensive Wi-Fi, including neighborhood Hotspots; and rich special collections, including those at Parkway Central Library and at the Rosenbach. With more than six million in-person visits and millions more online annually, the Free Library and the Rosenbach are among the most widely-used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact. www.freelibrary.org Disabled World is an independent disability community established in 2004 to provide disability news and information to people with disabilities, seniors, their family and/or carers. See our homepage for informative news, reviews, sports, stories and how-tos. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or learn more about Disabled World on our about us page. advertisements Disabled World provides general information only. The materials presented are never meant to substitute for professional medical care by a qualified practitioner, nor should they be construed as such. Financial support is derived from advertisements or referral programs, where indicated. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement. Cite This Page (APA): Benetech. (2016, August 2). Pennsylvania Libraries Expand Accessible Reading Opportunities. Disabled World. Retrieved October 28, 2022 from www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/visual/pa-reading.php Permalink: Pennsylvania Libraries Expand Accessible Reading Opportunities Jobs or no jobs, developers kept city property-tax abatements Columbus routinely offers tax abatements to businesses pledging to create jobs, but when those promises aren't kept there are usually no consequences. As many area communities will be observing Trick-or-Treating this weekend and Monday, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections advises you and your family to keep your children safer this Halloween by discussing ahead of time what to do if you are ever separated. A list of safety tips from state agencies is below to help ensure a safer Halloween weekend for everyone. You can also find the hours for trick-or-treating in Door and Kewaunee counties by clicking here. -A parent or trusted adult should always accompany children -Stay on well-lit streets and stick to neighborhoods you know -Only stop at homes where the porch light is on -Never enter a home or car for a treat -Trick-or-treaters should carry a cell phone to allow for quick communication -If the child carries a cell phone, activate location services prior to trick-or-treating -Call 911 if you see any suspicious or illegal activity Children should yell No! and run from any stranger who tries to take them somewhere -Have a responsible adult check treats at the end of the night Similarly, the Wisconsin Department of Health also suggests some tips for families with trick-or-treaters and families who are giving out candy. Costume Tips -Choose costumes that are light-colored and more visible to motorists. -Use reflective tape to decorate costumes and candy bags to increase the visibility of children to drivers. Reflective tape may be purchased at hardware, bicycle, or sporting goods stores. -Use make-up rather than a mask; if your childs costume does include a mask, make sure it fits snugly and that the eyeholes are large enough to allow full vision. -Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. -Costumes should be short enough that a child will not trip and fall. -Choose costume accessories such as swords or knives that are made of soft and flexible material. -Do not use novelty contacts such as cat eyes or snake eyes. Pedestrian Safety -Engage in Halloween activities during the daylight hours, if possible. -Do not enter homes or apartments without adult supervision. -Remind children to walk, not run, and to only cross streets at crosswalks. -Be sure your children are accompanied by a responsible adult who has a flashlight. ----- -Flashlights or chemical light sticks should be used so that children can see and be seen by motorists. Halloween Home Safety -Remove obstacles from your lawn, porch, or steps if you are expecting trick-or-treaters. -Make sure your front porch is well-lit. -Avoid using candle-lit jack-o-lanterns if possible. If you do use candles, dont place them near curtains, furnishings, or decorations. Move them off porches where childrens costumes may ignite. -Keep your pets in another room when you are expecting trick-or-treaters. -Small children should not carve pumpkins; instead, allow them to draw the designs on the pumpkin and adults may carve. -Turn on an outside light if welcoming trick-or-treaters. Honda looks set to enter a convertible or roadster version of the NSX supercar into production. Hot on the heels of the regular coupe version that will enter the Australian market from early 2017, the NSX's lead program engineer Jason Bilotta told Drive that a drop-top follow-up was under consideration. "We've incorporated many items in the package to prepare for a convertible and we are studying whether that would make sense within our life cycle," he said. "We'd like to [spin out a few derivatives]." Given the timeline of the current NSX, it is possible that a convertible model could be shown off before year's end. Bilotta wouldn't be drawn to speculation. Honda offer a limited production targa top version of the original NSX in 1995 and it is understood the Japanese manufacturer is particularly intent on value-adding with its latest supercar. There is also strong prospects for a Type R version, stripped-back GT3 style road car and even an electric version. Tesla has offered insight into a fatal crash that claimed the life of a US customer. Joshua Brosn, 40, was at the wheel of a Tesla Model S in self-driving "autopilot" mode when the sedan slammed into the side of a truck earlier this year. Representatives from the innovative car maker reportedly told a US Senate Committee that the car's autonomous emergency braking (self-braking) system failed to prevent the crash. The New York Times attributed the revelation to anonymous US senate staff who said Tesla considers its self-braking and self-driving features to be separate systems. Tesla has not publicly said exactly what caused the crash, only that it is investigating the matter. But the brand has said the car's camera may have struggled to differentiate the side of a white truck with a brightly lit sky. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk also tweeted that the car's "radar tunes out what looks like an overhead road sign to avoid false braking events". The company has faced criticism for pursuing self-driving features too quickly, with influential magazine Consumer Report calling on Tesla to deactivate autopilot features in customer vehicles. One of Tesla's key technology suppliers, Mobileye, has also parted ways with the brand. Potential customers could be affected by the crash. A survey of 1500 people by AlixPartners found Tesla's fatal incident had driven up awareness surrounding self-driving technology, but reduced the proportion of people willing to ride in a self-driving car. Another study by the Boston Consulting Group found American and European drivers were taking an increasingly conservative approach toward self-driving cars, while potential customers in China were more open to autonomous motoring. The results come as Mercedes withdrew television advertisements for the semi-autonomous new E-Class range in the US. The ads featured a self-driving autonomous concept car effectively a lounge room on wheels - which is not available to the public. - with Wire Services Small businesses must ensure behaviours that fuel domestic violence are not tolerated at work, and that affected staff have access to appropriate support. Doing so will help facilitate a better outcome for individuals, while minimising the financial risks associated with productivity loss and low morale, according to domestic violence strategist and solutions consultant, Lisa McAdams. McAdams spoke to Dynamic Business ahead of a gala dinner in Sydney on Wednesday, 10 August to raise funds for The Dangerous Dance, a new documentary feature film which seeks to engage women and men in a difficult conversation about the causes of domestic violence. The film is being produced by FilmStretch, whose managing director, Claire Stretch, provided insight into the films core themes. For most women their wedding dance is a very public and symbolic culmination of a long held desire the desire for love, family and fulfilment in a committed relationship, Stretch said. But love can be blind. Particularly in the early, romance stage when human brains are flooded with a cocktail of dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin. When the honeymoon is over, however, the stark reality is that 1 in 4 Australian womens dreams will crumble in the face of the harsh actuality of domestic abuse and family violence. And this not only affects their home life, but also their working life. Everyone is affected McAdams, who will speak at the gala dinner as part of an expert panel, told Dynamic Business that it can be difficult for people experiencing domestic abuse to remain in the workplace when their employer fails to provide sufficient support. She explained that employers who fail to ensure a supportive and safe environment face increased absenteeism, lower morale and productivity loss amongst co-workers, and loss of key personnel, which gives rise to costs associated with and time lost to recruiting and training new staff. Small businesses can have a policy and procedure in place, McAdams said. Where this isnt practical, businesses at least need something in their handbook or information pack saying they are supportive of employees dealing with domestic on a case by case basis. They can also make sure supervisory staff are aware of the helplines available to people. Ensuring people feel safe to disclose at work will help ensure a safe workplace for all and the continued employment of affected individuals, minimising the financial impact of domestic abuse. By talking openly about domestic violence and doing everything to eradicate workplace bullying and harassment, employers will create an environment where the behaviours are called out and not tolerated. McAdams identified steps small businesses can take to support employees affected by domestic violence, including those who are leaving the perpetrator: Allowing time off for court dates and appointments with doctors, therapists and lawyers. Accommodating a change of working hours, so they are not on a predictable routine. Making sure there is an up-to-date emergency contact. If they are customer focused, allowing them to take a back office role for a while. Whilst it is important to support someone going through or leaving a domestic violence relationship, it is also important to be aware of the individuals boundaries and your boundaries as a business, as over-involvement could stand in the way of someone reaching out for the professional help they need, McAdams explained. Further information The gala dinner is being held on Wednesday, 10 August at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf from 7pm. Australian of the Year, David Morrison, will deliver a keynote speech. Following this, there will be an an expert panel on behaviour and culture change. Donations to the production budget of The Dangerous Dance are fully tax deductible A group of Carlisle area churches are working together to organize a prayer event for late October in an effort to unify local Christians behind a message of renewal. Renew Carlisle: Prayer for a Fresh Encounter with Jesus Christ is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Carlisle Expo Center, 100 K St. The public is invited to attend. Its open to anybody, said Shad Baker, senior pastor at the Carlisle Evangelical Free Church. We will encourage people to break into small groups for prayer. Clergy and lay people of different denominations will lead a time of prayer on various subjects of spiritual renewal, Baker said. There will be time set aside for singing. Planning for the event began several weeks ago after 20 leaders of different churches and faith organizations met to talk about the need for prayer and unity. We were discussing how we would like to see people in the Church be transformed and to commit themselves to being disciples of Jesus, said Josh Crain, senior pastor of the Meeting House Church. It was prompted by a desire to see Christians follow Christ more closely, Baker added. The result was a show of support across denominational lines which led to the decision to host the event at a neutral location instead of a local church. In developing the event, organizers identified five key prayer concerns they would like to touch on in October, Crain said. The first is that more people will come to know Jesus and how He can change lives. The second is for Christians to follow Jesus to the point of transformation, according to Crain. He added the third is to call upon a spirit of unity among churches under the person of Jesus while the fourth is to pray for healing to reconcile broken relationships, restore marriages and to make well the suffering. The fifth thing we want to pray for is to be a people who have generous assumptions of others, Crain said. By that, he means to look beyond those differences in opinion that tend to divide rather than unify a people especially in an election year. Both men said they had a calling to bring local Christians together. I felt God working in my heart for a few months, Crain said. The Church really needed a fresh experience with Jesus. Crain was particularly inspired by a friend of his in California who wrote an article for a Christian network pressing the need for a revival. The main thrust of his article is he would like to see the Church be transformed from the inside out and be able to heal some of the division in our culture, Crain said. Crain reached out to his friend Baker who was experiencing a similar call to action in his own faith walk. They in turn reached out to other faith leaders and found there was a common ground among a range of Christian denominations in the Carlisle area. Though their approach to faith may differ, the leaders agreed they had in common a belief in Jesus and that was enough for them to work together, Crain said. We feel we have to get our own house in order before we can be a force in the community. There is a lot of anger that is being expressed, Crain added. We have become a fearful culture. It turns out that Jesus has a lot to say about not fearing but loving one another and showing kindness to those we do not agree with. We can help build bridges between opposing factions. Both men agree the purpose of the October prayer event is to begin to unify the faith community in Carlisle. They see the event as a catalyst with more change to come. We do not have a particular plan that we are advocating, Baker said. Yet we expect after a period of prayer to meet again to discuss what the follow-up steps would be. We dont know what will come out of it, Crain added. Good things have to happen when followers of Jesus get together. Car premiums start rising again Car insurance premiums have started to rise again with a small increase in the average quoted premium for an annual comprehensive car insurance policy over the second quarter, according to the AAs latest benchmark British Insurance Premium Index. This follows a first-quarter slump after a sharp year-end spike, for the three months ending 30 July 2016. The typical quote to someone shopping around for their cover rose by 12.56, or 2.3%, to 568.48. That compares with a 0.4% fall over the previous quarter and a rise of 10.1% over the last three months of 2015. Over the 12 months ending 30 June, the typical Shoparound* quote has risen by nearly 84 from 484.86. This is an increase of 17.2%, compared with the 20.7% rise over the 12 months ending March 2016. The Shoparound quoted premium is an average of the five cheapest premiums for each customer in a nationwide basket. The prices are derived from both the direct and price comparison site markets. Michael Lloyd, director of insurance at the AA comments: Premiums have not risen by as much over the second quarter as some commentators predicted although its still an upward trend that I expect to continue over the rest of the year. But it appears that the steam has gone out of the sharp rises we saw last year and competitive pressure is, once again., beginning to keep prices in check. Nevertheless, the insurance industry continues to face many challenges. For example, increasing numbers of car owners shop around for their cover every year, especially at a time when premiums are going up. As more people look for introductory offers there is less incentive for companies to offer loss-making prices to attract new business that will, a year later, go elsewhere. So I believe this is one driver of recent premium increases while insurers are looking for ways to better reward customer loyalty. Nevertheless, false or exaggerated claims for whiplash injury remain unacceptably high, thanks to the persistence of cold-calling claims management firms; rising costs of crash repairs as vehicles become more complex and a rise in uninsured driving all keep premiums higher than they should be. Regional winners and losers Northern Ireland has seen the biggest increase in car insurance premiums over the quarter at 7.8%, taking the average quoted Shoparound premium to just over 800, making it the once again the most expensive UK region to insure a car. The cheapest remains Scotland with an average Shoparound premium of 404, an increase of 2.5% over the quarter. The smallest quarterly increase is Border/Tyne Tees where a 1.4% rise has taken the average quoted premium to 565. Winners and losers by age Young drivers (aged 17-22) who already pay the highest premiums for their car insurance, have seen the biggest jump this quarter 3.5%, or over 42 added to the typical 1,240.50 of a policy. The smallest increase was at the opposite end of the age scale, those over 70 seeing a rise of 1.2% to 452. The age band attracting the lowest premium is 60-69 with an average Shoparound quote of 349 a rise of 3.2%. Comments Lloyd: Young drivers account for the largest number of crashes involving death and serious injury and their premiums recognise that. Premiums for drivers aged over 70 begin to rise and increase sharply as drivers reach their 80s and 90s yet the number of claims for this age group remains significantly lower than for drivers in their teens and 20s.. By now youve likely at least heard about if not actually heard Khizr Khans powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention last week. Mr. Khan and his wife Ghazala lost their son Captain Humayan Khan when he was killed by a car bomb in Iraq in 2004. This Gold Star family had some very pointed words for Donald Trump: Donald Trump responded pretty much how you would expect him to: He attacked the Khan family. The man who got five deferments to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War denigrated the parents of this war hero, even suggesting that Ms. Khan was silent on stage because she is a Muslim woman who was not allowed to speak. Never mind that Trumps own wife often stands silently beside him when he bloviates in front of a microphone. Ms. Khan later explained that she is still too emotionally despondent over the loss of her son 12 years ago to be able to speak about it in public. In his speech, Mr. Khan pulled out a pocket U.S. Constitution and asked the man he accurately describes as having a black soul if hes ever actually read it. Donald Trump, youre asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? he said. I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words, look for the words, liberty and equal protection law. If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims, he continued. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending America you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one. Trump went on nonsensically to say he has sacrificed by creating tens of thousands of jobs, equating job creation to the violent loss of a loved one, and to attack the family further on Twitter. He absurdly pivoted to saying this isnt about the Khans but about RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM! His ongoing obsession with attacking anyone who criticizes him has turned what might otherwise have been a one-day news event into a multi-day PR fiasco that has Republicans and other conservatives around the country including veterans groups like VoteVets.org and the VFW excoriating Trump in press releases and statements. The Michigan Democratic Party wants to be sure the Republican nominee has actually read the U.S. Constitution and is now planning to send copies to him. And thats where you come in. In honor of the 27 Amendments to the Constitution, for a contribution of $27 or more, well send Donald Trump a copy of our founding document, in your name, so that next time he talks about stripping rights away from U.S. citizens, hell have one handy to remind him of what it means to be an American. Click here to make your contribution today and teach Trump a lesson he should never forget that our Constitution guarantees liberty and equal protection to all Americans, not just people like him. Thank you for all that you do to keep our country great. Its time to let Donald Trump know that our country will not stand idly by while he disparages our war heroes and their families. [Image courtesy of the Michigan Democratic Party] The Rotary Club of Carlisle recently held its 11th annual Christmas in July event at One West Penn and Two West Penn apartments in Carlisle. Residents were treated to cookies and drinks, games, prizes, Christmas songs and a visit from the Jolly Old Elf, himself. Each resident was also given a goodie bag filled with personal care items and everyday necessities. The Carlisle High School cheerleaders performed cheers for the residents, passed out gifts and helped serve. One resident, Evelyn Adams, was treated to a special celebration of her 100th birthday, and was given flowers, a card and a surprise visit from some of her children. She readily sat on Santas (aka Dan Monken) lap for pictures and later posed for pictures with Rotary District Governor Kevin Cogan and the Cheerleaders. Human memories are fickle and fade, but the Internet never forgets. And that may cause deep regrets someday for politicians in Michigan who have hitched their wagons to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Its been true for many months that every week Trump somehow finds a way to stoop to a new low. Since the start of the Democratic National Convention, however, Trump has ratcheted up his offensiveness to a near-daily occurrence. His recent attacks on the family of Capt. Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq and indeed, his campaign surrogates attempts to smear the heroic soldier himself would in any other year be the end of a presidential candidates campaign. Of course, in any normal year, such a candidate wouldnt have even made it this far. Not after attacking Mexican immigrants as rapists, attacking a female journalist for having blood coming out of her wherever, and attacking Sen. John McCains military record while having been a draft dodger himself. Not after making fun of a female opponents physical appearance and mocking a reporters physical handicap. And certainly not after encouraging Russia to spy on his political opponent. UPDATE 8/10: And most certainly not after suggesting violence against Clinton and liberal jurists. Its important to recap these moments because they are a reflection of Trumps vile character that must not be forgotten. And this post will serve as a Googleable reminder of all the Michigan politicians who said Trump is their guy. These politicians endorsed him some more heartily than others despite his obvious mental and emotional unfitness for office. As Trumps rhetoric grew ever more offensive over the course of the campaign, showing himself lacking even in basic human decency, many have remained silent and looked the other way, while a few have denounced his offensive statements even while continuing to endorse him. Case in point: Attorney General Bill Schuette, who is trying to have it both ways. Schuette says some of Trumps statements are deplorable. Its not how I act, feel, behave. Its not how I was raised. But support a presidential candidate who acts, feels, behaves that way? No problem! Im not going to turn the keys to America over to Hillary Clinton, Im going to support the Republican Nominee and thats going to be Donald Trump, Schuette said to Fox UP. Because the stakes are so high, Supreme Court Justices, we cant have a Europeanization of the American economy, which is the Obama-Clinton approach of more taxes, more rules, more regulations. Its the height of hypocrisy. Its also cynical, business-as-usual politics from Schuette. Look, Schuette can denounce Trumps rhetoric until the cows come home, but as long as hes still endorsing him, hes covered in #TrumpStink. So without further ado, here are the rest of the elected officials who support Trump in Michigan. If you have one to add, either leave a comment below or email me. U.S. Rep. Candice Miller takes the cake with the most enthusiastic endorsement, quoted in Politico: I am totally and completely looking forward to President Trump hes our nominee, Miller said. I believe in the good sense of the American people, the voters, and clearly the voters in our party in enormous numbers have chosen Trump as the nominee. Its over. Listen, I think weve all become politically correct run amok, and the American people are fed up with it. U.S. Rep. Dave Trott said he appreciates how Trump is giving a voice to millions of Americans who have been ignored by Washington and are disgusted with the failures of the career politicians running this country. U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop endorsed Trump, saying he has raised concerns that all Americans have. Like Schuette, he said Trumps rhetoric makes him uncomfortable, but then he quickly brushed off the concern: But this is the kind of personality that he has. Interestingly enough, its the exact kind of personality that a lot of people like because theyre sick of the political correctness in this country, and they want to see something different. Uh, OK. Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, in a statement quoted by MLive, said: I support our presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. Republicans across the country spoke, and they chose him to be our Partys nominee. Her spokesperson added that Trump is articulating what many Americans are feeling. Asked by MLive about Trump, state Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said: Hes not my favorite candidate but again, ABC. Anybody But Clinton. House Speaker Kevin Cotter gushed: Absolutely. Absolutely. Im prepared to vote for whomever our nominee is. What I feel passionate about is we have to make sure a Republican takes back the White House, so Ill be voting for whomever that nominee is. U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek told WLUC Trump is the best guy to change the way Washington works. At the national level of course, Im endorsing Mr. Trump, Benishek said. I think hes the best guy to change whats happening in Washington, and we certainly need that. Hes going to shake things up, hes not politically correct, hes out there, he says what it is and Im looking forward to the election. 7th District Congressman Tim Walberg says has endorsed Trump and last year said all Republicans should learn from him. U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar told the Detroit News: We need Republican leadership to move our country in a better direction, and I believe its important that we dont allow Hillary Clinton to become our next president. State Sen. Jack Brandenburg, in his endorsement statement, stressed Trumps honesty and candor. [Editors note: Trump has been found by non-partisan fact checkers to be the least honest presidential candidate of 2016.] We need people at this time to be very very honest with the American people, Brandenburg told WDET. I think people collectively realize that Sanders and Trump really are conveying a heartfelt message that they want to help Americans. According to the Livingston Daily, State Sen. Joe Hune wrote on Facebook: I appreciate his war with political correctness and the issues that he has brought forward. Donald Trump has forced the Republican Party to talk about illegal immigration and trade deficits, which absolutely must be addressed. Hune also praised Trumps business experience and candor. Lt. Gov. Brian Calley endorsed Trump on the first night of the Republican National Convention, tweeting: It is time for republicans to unify behind @realDonaldTrump. Former House Speaker Rick Johnson told MLive: Thats whats nice about Donald Trump. He does speak his mind. He says what he thinks, and thats what we need, he argues. State Sen. Patrick Colbeck put his Trump support this way to the Detroit Free Press: I think everyone is unified by the idea that we dont want Hillary Clinton in the White House. Also according to the Detroit Free Press, former state Sen. Jason Allen, who is running in the 1st Congressional District, said he was prepared to support Donald Trump as the nominee that Republican voters chose over Hillary Clinton. And in Michigans 10th Congressional District, former state Sen. Alan Sanborn, state Rep. Tony Forlini and businessman Paul Mitchell all said they will back Trump. Mitchell said: Our policy positions do not have to align on every issue to recognize we are being poorly served by having the Democrats in the Oval Office next January. State Sen. Tom Casperson, running against Allen in the 1st Congressional District, called for unity in his endorsement of Trump, because we cannot handle this country cannot handle four more years of President Obamas policies. And, thats what were gonna get if the other side gets in. Jack Bergman, Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional district and retired Marine lieutenant general, has refused to denounce Trump. Bergman was recently asked by a reporter whether he still supported Trump even after Trump insulted the Khan family. Bergman responded, Well, hes the Republican nominee the last time I checked. So you have a choice. You have a choice. As a pilot, I choose not to make my choices too early because the winds may change. They may change the runway on me. Or something might happen. So Im going to watch whats happening here over the next few weeks. State Rep. Brandt Iden was quoted by WWMT during the convention, before Trumps speech: I think they are going to come out more unified tonight, and I think we are going to see that its going to be a unified party. I think it is going to be a great speech, and we are going to move forward and win in November. And finally, perhaps the strangest endorsement so far has come from former state Rep. Chuck Moss, who is currently running for Oakland County Commission. In Dome Magazine, Moss argued that Trump is restoring Americas tradition of free expression. Donald Trump was the little boy who yelled that the Emperors immigration policy was B.S. And everyone who felt silenced, suddenly looked around. Donald Trump went on to say more things that everybody was thinking, but which had been silenced by the Administration and enforced by a complicit P.C. media. And one by one, the villagers in the town square are saying hell, yeah! Thats what we thought all along. Harry Potter is right, the Ministry is lying and the Emperor is naked. Donald Trump stood up and said it, which is why he may well be our next President. If you dont like that, dont blame Trump. Blame the folks who for their own reasons silenced Americas once robust tradition of free expression. And blame those who should have had the courage to speak up, but didnt. For the record, U.S. reps. Fred Upton, Bill Huizenga and Justin Amash are the only ones thus far to have the courage to speak up and refuse to support Trump. From our fine friends at the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT): MEA and AFT Michigan members will gather together at 10 sites across the state tomorrow (Wednesday, August 3rd) to protest Gov. Rick Snyders frivolous appeal of a court ruling that school employees are owed 3% of their salary that the state illegally stole from their paychecks. Snyders decision to appeal is just another example of the wrong priorities that Snyder and his allies have about public education. School employees are fed up with Snyders constant disrespect and attacks on educators and public education. Its time to gather together and make our voices heard and to advocate for the public schools that Michigan students deserve. Sign up to attend a protest near you see the list of locations and times below. Whether or not youll be able to attend a protest on Wednesday, you can help raise our collective voice using social media. Through a tool called Twibbon, weve created graphics that you can share on social media to raise awareness you can: Post or tweet a pre-written message about the protests on Facebook and Twitter Put a filter/frame over your profile picture Set a graphic as your cover photo Share on social media now! Here are the up-to-date locations and times for Wednesdays protests: Detroit Cadillac Place (outside Snyders Detroit office 3044 W Grand Blvd) Noon 2 p.m. Southfield Southfield High School (24675 Lahser Rd) 10:30 a.m.-Noon. Lansing Adado Riverfront Park/Lansing Community College (300 N Grand Ave) 2-5 p.m. Grand Rapids Corner of 28th Street and the East Beltline 4-6 p.m. Kalamazoo MEA Kalamazoo Office (4341 South Westnedge, Ste 1210) 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Flint Genesee Valley Mall (Linden Rd entrance, 3341 Linden Rd) 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Mt. Pleasant Central Michigan University campus (corner of Mission and Bellows) 2-5 p.m. Traverse City MEA Traverse City Office (1745 Barlow) Noon 1:00 p.m. Marquette Marquette Post Office (corner of Washington and 3rd) 10:00 a.m. Noon Escanaba Delta County Court House (310 Ludington St) Noon-1 p.m. (Eastern time). Microsoft on Tuesday announced a slew of cloud-powered intelligent services in Office 365 apps that aim to assist research and writing efforts. Researcher lets users access the Bing Knowledge Graph to find and incorporate sources and content for research papers without leaving Word. Editor uses machine learning and national language processing, combined with input from Microsofts linguists, to make proofing and editing suggestions designed to help users improve their writing. These updates will be rolling out to Office 365 within the coming months, a Microsoft spokesperson said in comments provided to TechNewsWorld by company rep Lenette Larson. Researcher will be available this month for Word 2016 users. Editor will arrive in August, with expanded capabilities scheduled to roll out this fall. Microsofts plans include expanding Researcher to mobile platforms. Going to the Source Researcher lets users pull in relevant material from the Web through Bing Knowledge Graph and add it in properly formatted citations. Microsoft plans to expand Researchers body of reference materials to include sources like national science and health centers, encyclopedias, history databases and more. Researcher Mobile will let users create quick outlines for papers on any device. My first thought was, Damn! Why didnt they have this when I was in school?' said Laura DiDio, a research director at Strategy Analytics. Researcher is a double-edged sword, she told TechNewsWorld. On the one hand, its a useful tool; on the other hand, who vets the sources? The feature isnt a silver bullet, but its better than nothing, DiDio said, and will have an immediate, tangible and ostensibly, positive impact on researchers. The question of which sources will be included in Knowledge Graph searches is a big issue, observed Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. Microsoft says that it will continue expanding Researchers body of reference materials, he told TechNewsWorld. Thats great, but itd be nice to know which specific sources are currently and will eventually be included. Smart Enough? Editors capabilities may raise concerns with people who have struggled with autocorrect and autofill capabilities. Theres nothing worse than doing a spell and grammar check and finding out your checker is schizophrenic when it comes to words like its and its, for example. Or it keeps changing IoT to iota,' DiDio remarked. Will Editor be helpful, or will it be an annoyance? The technology behind Editor is a new Office-created intelligence engine that uses the best of local and online machine learning and linguistic technologies with deep partnerships with Bing and Microsoft research, the Microsoft spokesperson noted. Editor uses online services when appropriate. Editor supports more than 90 languages, including various flavors of English, and is smart enough to understand the market differences in languages, the spokesperson pointed out, and the help it provides is tailored to the market the user is in. Security Misgivings The specter of Researcher pulling in tainted websites automatically is a real concern, especially in the wake of the Cerber zero-day ransomware attack on Office 365 users last month. Microsoft detected the attack and began blocking the Cerber ransomware attachment the next day, but roughly 57 percent of organizations using Office 360 received at least one copy of the malware during the attack, according to Avanan. There is currently no known way to decrypt a Cerber-encrypted file, said Gil Friedrich, CEO of Avanan. The only solution is to recover from backup or pay the ransom. The growth of Office 365 within more companies makes it a more desirable delivery vector, Friedrich told TechNewsWorld. Bing Knowledge Graph is a new vector, and the victim will trust every file because it has been filtered but not necessarily for malware. Protecting against infection requires using multiple types of detection mechanisms, Friedrich said. The Internet of Medical Things, Part 1: A New Concept in Healthcare Concerns have been multiplying in the United States over the creaks of a medical infrastructure thats bearing the weight of an aging population. Current and upcoming members of the over-65 club are helping to drive a new age in healthcare, in which devices connect patients with caregivers, things get even smarter, and machines get even better at learning what sensors are saying. The swelling over-65 segment of the population, which accounts for about 63 percent of the U.S. long-term healthcare services, is expected to drive the demand for new healthcare technologies, according to a recent report from Grand View Research. The high, unmet medical needs of seniors is one factor that has pushed healthcare organizations to adopt and expand on remote patient monitoring and telemedicine. Efforts to meet those needs will sustain the market for the Internet of Medical Things until at least 2022 at which point the sector is expected to near $410 billion, according to the research firm. Leading the sectors growth are its medical devices, which are projected to drive a compound annual growth rate of 28.3 percent between now and then. All Shapes and Sizes Theyve been popping up on wrists in the form of smartwatches like the Apple Watch and connected fitness bands like Fitbit. Google plans to put them in peoples eyes, employing a contact-lens form factor to read glucose levels. mc10 has developed a biometric stamp, about the size of a medium band-aid, that reports a users vitals to connected devices and doctors. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Buffalo are working on a pendant, worn on a choker-type necklace, that can analyze chewing and swallowing sounds to determine what wearers are eating and alert them when theyve consumed too many carbs. This is the face of a smarter, more connected manifestation of modern medicine. Still, the devices patients and consumers use are only one side of the coin, noted Ian Shakil, CEO of Augmedix. The Internet of Medical Things will continue to evolve and deliver value by getting the complexities of technology out of the way and connecting or better yet, reconnecting doctors with patients, he told TechNewsWorld. One of the original partners for Googles Glass at Work enterprise initiative, Augmedix has focused on the right side of the coin. Google shuttered the consumer side of its Glass program, focusing instead on the enterprise and on companies that develop augmented reality experiences for other organizations. Augmedixs Glass-based service frees the hands of doctors to spend more of their time working with patients and less of it looking at documents. Augmedixs service is optimally designed to deliver the highest quality patient notes resulting in improved patient care and pay or reimbursement, said Shakil. The Eyes Have It Before using the service, physicians would spend 70 percent on their time on documentation, the company estimated. This newly reclaimed time can be repurposed in-clinic for other administrative tasks or even to see more patients, Shakil said. While Augmedix has been working to free doctors from the bog of documentation, care facilities long since have adopted technologies such as real-time location systems. RTLS is one of the original use cases for the IoMT and predates the term, according to Joel Cook, senior healthcare solutions manager at Stanley Healthcare. Such systems traditionally have been leveraged for asset management, such as locating equipment and monitoring for temperature-sensitive substances, he told TechNewsWorld. Pulling from the opposite direction, hospitals now are focusing on improving the patient experience, along with tuning the efficiency of staff operations. Using wireless RTLS devices, staff and family members can trace a patients entire journey through the hospital from the waiting room to surgery to post-op, and how long they spent in each area, Cook said. Data, Big and Small Along with mobility, which is afforded by wearables and IoMT devices, data and analytics are key factors in modernizing medicine to meet demand, according to Keith Cooper, CEO of Constant Therapy. At Constant Therapy, developers and researchers have been building out and maintaining a platform that evaluates patients with the goal of improving brain function. Patients input data by performing tasks on smart devices, and the software makes individual assessments and recommendations. By collecting anonymized data from every persons interaction with our therapy programs, we can analyze what works and what doesnt work for each type of individual, Cooper told TechNewsWorld. Constant Therapy uses more than 200 million data points to deliver precise and personalized therapy with science as its basis, he said, noting that this is exactly what is envisioned by personalized medicine. Meanwhile, Glooko software engineers have built a platform that connects users and their diabetes devices to caregivers and the companys analytics platform. The service supports more than 50 cloud-connected medical devices, from continuous glucose monitors to insulin pumps, along with a host of mobile phones and tablets to help people better understand the impact their behavior has on their diabetes, explained Michelle de Haaff, vice president of marketing and customer success. By connecting these devices to mobile apps that can provide on-demand insights, reminders and notifications, de Haaff said, the IoMT can increase adherence rates to taking medications, improve nutrition and exercise commitments, and deliver the data needed for remote patient monitoring. The Internet of Medical Things, Part 3: Safety First Consumer Reports on Thursday urged Tesla to disable the automatic steering function and change the name of its Autopilot driving assist feature. Questions recently have arisen over whether Teslas Model S vehicles can operate safely without regular human intervention. Consumer Reports change request sprang from concerns over a number of recent test crashes, including a fatal accident involving a tractor-trailer in Florida, which is the subject of a federal investigation. The organization questioned whether the Autopilot feature lulls drivers into a false sense of security, and whether Autopilot-equipped cars can function safely without drivers paying close and consistent attention to potential safety hazards and road conditions. In the long run, advanced active safety technologies in vehicles could make our roads safer, said Laura MacCleery, vice president of consumer policy and mobilization for Consumer Reports. But today, were deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology. Hands on the Wheel The Autopilot feature cannot drive the car, but it allows drivers to have their hands off the steering wheel for minutes at a time, said MacCleery. Until the company updates the program to verify that hands should be on the wheel, Consumer Reports recommendation is that the feature should be disabled. Consumer Reports tested semi-autonomous features from Audi, BMW and Mercedes, and those systems require the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel, noted Jake Fisher, CRs director of auto testing. Statistically Safer Tesla is constantly introducing enhancements proven over millions of miles of internal testing to ensure that drivers supported by Autopilot remain safer than those operating without assistance, a Tesla spokesperson said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by company rep Keely Sulprizio. We will continue to develop, validate, and release those enhancements as the technology grows. While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decisions on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by media, the spokesperson added. Model S vehicles have driven 130 million miles on Autopilot with one confirmed fatality. That compares to one fatality per 94 million miles for all vehicles in the U.S. and one fatality for every 60 million miles driven worldwide, Tesla pointed out. Federal Probe The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week sent a letter to Tesla seeking documents regarding the May 7 crash of the 2015 Model S vehicle. Questions have arisen about whether the forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems worked properly. NHTSA called the request a standard step in its preliminary investigation of the design and performance of Teslas automated driving systems that were in use at the time of the crash, administration spokesperson Rebecca Grapsy told the E-Commerce Times. The investigation may raise questions about potentially wider safety concerns surrounding the entire autonomous vehicle industry, and autonomous vehicle advocates may have to scramble to counteract growing worries. Our coalition was founded with the express purpose of increasing road safety and dramatically reducing the over 35,000 road fatalities that occur in the U.S. each year, said David Strickland, counsel for the Self Driving Coalition for Safer Streets. We remain dedicated to developing and testing fully autonomous vehicles in order to bring the promise of self-driving vehicles to roads and highways, he told the E-Commerce Times. Accident Reports The company may have a growing problem on its hands due to the rolling nature of the disclosures about its safety record, suggested Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. I think even more telling than the fatality that weve now learned about, or Consumer Reports or the NHTSA stance, is that were starting to hear about more accidents, he told the E-Commerce Times. The level of driver error in those incidents indeed may be quite high, Brauer acknowledged, but he questioned whether drivers actually were given clear and honest disclosure about the Autopilot features capabilities. Having technological limitations is OK as long as consumers know about the technological limitations, he said. Entry Price The Consumer Reports request comes at a critical time for Tesla. The company on Wednesday introduced the Model X 60D SUV, for US$74,000 a more consumer-friendly price than its other models. The announcement of the lower-priced model follows news that Teslas recent sales failed to meet expectations. It also follows a public spat with Fortune over Teslas handling of information concerning the fatal crash. Tesla took vehement exception to a critical report Fortune published, saying it was fundamentally incorrect. The Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly is investigating whether Tesla disclosed the crash to investors with a proper filing in a timely manner. An SEC spokesperson declined to comment. Amazon, which has appealed to U.S. regulators for years for permission to test package delivery with aerial drones, last week announced a new partnership with the UK government to launch a pilot program there. A cross-government team, supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, has granted Amazon permission to begin testing beyond-line-of-sight operations in suburban and rural communities; performance of sensors designed to make sure drones can identify and avoid obstacles; and the feasibility of allowing a single person to operate multiple highly automated drone vehicles. Amazon has been investing in Prime Air research for quite some time, said Paul Misener, vice president of global innovation policy and communications at Amazon. The deal moves the company closer to its goal of delivering packages in 30 minutes or less to customers in the UK and other parts of the world, he noted. Using small drones for delivery of parcels will improve customer experience, create new jobs in a rapidly growing industry, and pioneer new sustainable delivery methods to meet future demand, Misener added. Long Slog Amazon has struggled for years to maintain logistics support and keep costs down during peak shopping periods, such as the Christmas holiday season, through traditional delivery channels like UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, and other major delivery operations. It launched Prime Air in 2013 in preparation for its plans to begin making deliveries in multiple markets across the globe using drones that weigh less than 55 pounds and fly at altitudes of under 400 feet. Amazon has Prime Air development centers in the U.S., Israel, Austria and the UK. Delivery services are struggling to differentiate in a competitive market, Paul Teich, principal analyst at Tirias Research, told the E-Commerce Times. How can packages be delivered faster and more efficiently than the current two days from anywhere, or one day from a local warehouse benchmarks? The reason for delay in the U.S. is largely due to the lack of an adequate safety regime, said Michael Blades, senior industry analyst for aerospace and defense at Frost & Sullivan. The biggest issue is not the technology its the unmanned traffic management construct and collision-avoidance standards, he told the E-Commerce Times. There are dozens of companies working on collision-avoidance systems using LIDAR, RADAR or cameras in various combinations that have to be tested before a delivery system can be approved for beyond-line-of-sight operations, Blades noted. Drop the Slurpee! Amazons UK announcement came just days after 7-Eleven teamed up with startup company Flirtey and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems to complete a historic drone delivery test in Reno, Nevada, the first ever FAA approved drone delivery to a customers home. The deliveries included Slurpee drinks, a chicken sandwich, donuts, hot coffee and candy. Amazons UK tests will help put pressure on regulators in the U.S. to speed the process for a more innovative drone delivery regime in the U.S., said Michael Drobac, executive director of the Small UAV Coalition. The problem in the U.S. was a lot of people didnt think this was real, he told the E-Commerce Times. I think we were narrow-minded in how we approached this. The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation recently finalized rules for small UAVs to fly with a certified remote pilot, as long as the vehicle remains within the line of sight of the operator. Amazons drone delivery ambitions have drawn criticism from skeptics. There are still way too many risks and potential liabilities involved, particularly drones making improper delivery drops, collisions, or even the risk of terrorism by a remotely operated vehicle, warned Paula Rosenblum, analyst at RSR Research. Maybe Im missing something, but I think all of the above make it way, way too risky, she told the E-Commerce Times. Id probably take delivery as long as Amazon made it completely clear Id be held harmless in the event of any of the above. 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Out of dozens of attendees interviewed in the line outside Cumberland Valley High School admittedly a small sample for an auditorium with a capacity of 5,000 the most common and most prominently cited issue that drew them to Trump was immigration. Im less concerned about keeping people out, but you should know whos coming in, said Ron Doyle of Chambersburg. I see it all the time. Youve got Mexicans taking jobs away from my boys. Like many, Doyle hearkened back to a time when things were easier in Central Pennsylvania. I wish [young people] could have been here in the early 1980s, Doyle said. You could quit a job in Harrisburg one day and get hired in Carlisle the next morning. Concerns about immigration outside Trumps campaign event Monday night could be roughly divided in two, those who blamed immigration for the loss of jobs, and those who were more concerned about security. Many attendees seemed to identify the threat of terrorism by organizations in the Middle East, and illegal immigration from Latin America, as one in the same issue. Im glad he wants to build a wall to keep the ISIS people out, said Ashley Sanderson of Dover. Keeping out illegal citizens in the U.S. and cleaning up our streets, were the primary concerns of Bryce Shields of York. Shields also echoed a conviction held by many other attendees that the Democratic Party desired to forcibly remove firearms from conservatives. Although the Democratic platform includes tighter background checks and limits on new gun sales, no confiscation has been proposed. Im against anyone who wants to take my guns away, Doyle said. Matt Fagerstrom of Hershey was one a few attendees who also touched on Trumps proposed tax reductions. Fagerstrom pointed to the often-cited figure that $1 in tax revenue can cost up to $3 in private-sector revenue. Fagerstrom said he also appreciated Trumps reluctance to get involved in overseas conflicts, although was supportive of the candidates recent suggestion to bolster U.S. military presence in the South China Sea in order to pressure China into more favorable trade agreements. [China] is starting to do their own empire building ... its reminiscent of what Japan did before WWII, Fagerstrom said. Trump has to be tough on China. Negotiations have to happen. Pretty soon, all the corporations are going to be gone, said John Arnold of Dillsburg, in reference to offshoring of manufacturing jobs and the relocations of some companies to overseas tax havens. But Arnold, like many people, was unsure how specifically Trump would decouple American industry from foreign partners, which U.S. manufacturers rely upon for raw materials and sub-assemblies or how Trump would force those nations to adopt more competitive labor and royalties standards. My philosophy is just to rely on Trump. You have to have a businessman to get business back, Arnold said. We need a level playing field with other nations, said Annette Gearhart of Palmyra, who asserted that only three NATO countries are paying their fair share of what it costs to defend everyone. Gearhart said she did not identify as Republican or Democrat. I just like someone who can get the job done, she said. Roughly half of the attendees said they identified as Republicans. The other half said they had no party affiliation, or said they had voted predominantly Democrat in the past, but now supported Trump. Many were not readily able to identify specific policies that drew them to Trump. Rather, the other recurring theme, other than immigration issues, was Trumps outsider status. Hes not a politician, hes an outsider, said Dave Isgriggs of Annville. Isgriggs wife, Pamela, said she liked that Trump had pushed himself as the law and order candidate, citing what she believed was widespread welfare fraud amongst minorities, a belief echoed by several other attendees. For many, these stakes were extremely dire. Many believed that minority populations were unable to assimilate, and would always identify by their racial background rather than by their place of birth. I dont want to be wearing a burka, but our children, the way things are going, they will, said Stephanie Tate of Grantville. In 20 years, there will be more Muslims in Europe than actual Europeans. While also touching on his impression that illegal immigrants are able to misuse food stamps although legally not able to, as such benefits are only available to citizens or permanent residents Justin Shelly of Etters said he believes that Trump is the last chance to prove a rigged system wrong. Honestly, I think its rigged, Shelly said. If we dont win this, its over. Its going to be rigged for the rest of our lives. An historic agreement has been reached between Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Friends of the Earth and other environmental and labor organizations to replace the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors with greenhouse-gas-free renewable energy, efficiency and energy storage resources. Friends of the Earth says the agreement provides a clear blueprint for fighting climate change by replacing nuclear and fossil fuel energy with safe, clean, cost-competitive renewable energy. BREAKING: Californias Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to be replaced with 100% clean energy!https://t.co/3VQuCIReKJ NRDC (@NRDC) June 21, 2016 The agreement, announced today in California, says that PG&E will renounce plans to seek renewed operating licenses for Diablo Canyons two reactorsthe operating licenses for which expire in 2024 and 2025 respectively. In the intervening years, the parties will seek Public Utility Commission approval of the plan which will replace power from the plant with renewable energy, efficiency and energy storage resources. Base load power resources like Diablo Canyon are becoming increasingly burdensome as renewable energy resources ramp up. Flexible generation options and demand-response are the energy systems of the future. By setting a certain end date for the reactors, the nuclear phase out plan provides for an orderly transition. In the agreement, PG&E commits to renewable energy providing 55 percent of its total retail power sales by 2031, voluntarily exceeding the California standard of 50 percent renewables by 2030. This is an historic agreement, Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, said. It sets a date for the certain end of nuclear power in California and assures replacement with clean, safe, cost-competitive, renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage. It lays out an effective roadmap for a nuclear phase-out in the worlds sixth largest economy, while assuring a green energy replacement plan to make California a global leader in fighting climate change. A robust technical and economic report commissioned by Friends of the Earth served as a critical underpinning for the negotiations. The report, known as Plan B, provided a detailed analysis of how power from the Diablo Canyon reactors could be replaced with renewable, efficiency and energy storage resources which would be both less expensive and greenhouse gas free. With the report in hand, Friends of the Earths Damon Moglen and Dave Freeman engaged in discussions with the utility about the phase-out plan for Diablo Canyon. The Natural Resources Defense Council was quickly invited to join. Subsequently, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, Coalition of California Utility Employees, Environment California and Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility partnered in reaching the final agreement. The detailed phase out proposal will now go to the California Public Utility Commission for consideration. Friends of the Earth (and other NGO parties to the agreement) reserve the right to continue to monitor Diablo Canyon and, should there be safety concerns, challenge continued operation. The agreement also contains provisions for the Diablo Canyon workforce and the community of San Luis Obispo. We are pleased that the parties considered the impact of this agreement on the plant employees and the nearby community, Pica said. The agreement provides funding necessary to ease the transition to a clean energy economy. Diablo Canyon is the nuclear plant that catalyzed the formation of Friends of the Earth in 1969. David Brower left the Sierra Club and founded Friends of the Earth over a disagreement about nuclear power and the Diablo Canyon plant specifically. The plant was the first issue on the organizations agenda and it has been fighting the plant ever since. This agreement is not only a milestone for renewable energy, but for Friends of the Earth as an organization. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Worlds First 24/7 Solar Power Plant Powers 75,000 Homes Renewable Energy Has Arrived Help Put an End to Coal Mining on Public Lands Nations Largest Residential Solar Storage Project to Launch This Summer A team of bird-watchers stumbled upon a bird that hasnt been seen in eastern Nepal for almost 200 years. The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) hasnt been spotted for 178 years and was thought to be locally extinct, according to Australian Geographic. A group of ornithologists spotted the bird on a 10-day bird watching tour. Photo credit: Paulo Coteriano, Flickr We were excited when we first spotted a pair of red-faced liocichla in the forest, Hem Sagar Baral, of the Zoological Society London and leader of the tour, told the Kathmandu Post. The sighting of the bird after more than a century and a half has raised hopes of finding more such species that have not been sighted for a very long time. The bird-watching group originally saw just two red-faced liocichlas, but when they returned to the spot the next day, they saw eight birds, including a male-female pair, Australian Geographic reported. When we confirmed it was the red-faced liocichla we all felt so happywe were so excited, Tikaram Giri, a senior field ornithologist, said. We never thought and never expected to see it so easily. Photo credit: Jason Thompson, Flickr The red-faced liocichla is widely distributed throughout Vietnam, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Discoveries of species previously thought to be extinct are not uncommon, Australian Geographic said. Several species of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and plants have been rediscovered after years of no sightings. Diana Fisher, University of Queensland fellow, said about a third of all mammals ever feared to be extinct have been rediscovered. There are large numbers of poorly known species around the world only known from a single museum specimen as well, Fisher told Australia Geographic. So it is hard to know anything much about them or where they exist. Photo credit: Bob Du, Flickr But there is still reason for the bird-watching group in Nepal to celebrate. Nepal is home to 878 species of birds, 8 percent of the worlds known birds. Even with the abundance, a lot of the species are close to being labeled as threatened. Nearly 20 percent of Nepals birds (167 species) are threatened with extinction in the country including 37 species which are threatened on a global scale, the Zoological Society London wrote. Another 62 species are closing in on having a threatened status, the Weather Channel reported. Nine species are believed to be extinct in Nepal because they have not been spotted since the 19th century. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: First Mammal Goes Extinct Due to Human-Caused Climate Change Worlds First Spotty Dog and Cow-Like Sheep Created Using Gene Editing Rewilding Our National Parks Is it Too Soon to Consider Removing Giant Pandas From the Endangered Species List? Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested Monday that he fears the general election "is going to be rigged" an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. Trump's extraordinary claim one he did not back up with any immediate evidence would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Those remarks took center stage as Trump headed to the rally at Cumberland Valley High School later in the day to speak to a crowd of around 3,500 supporters. Trump estimated an additional 5,000 people were turned away at the doors for the rally, which began just over an hour past the scheduled 7 p.m. start time as Trump's caravan faced delays due to weather. More than 1,500 people watched in an overflow area in support of their candidate. The raucous crowd chanted "U.S.A., U.S.A." as people waited inside for Trump's arrival in Mechanicsburg, with protesters and supporters trading barbs outside the gymnasium. Some police have donned riot gear as protesters and @realDonaldTrump supporters have begun some verbal sparring. pic.twitter.com/hAiMXHtd06 Tyler T. Miles (@TylerTMiles) August 2, 2016 Once on stage inside the CV gymnasium, Trump centered his speech on his campaign slogan of making America great again, drawing rousing cheers from the crowd. That included a focus on more jobs, building the "wall," defeating "Crooked Hillary," repealing Obamacare, halting illegal immigration, and keeping America safe. "We're going to make America great again. We're going to make America safe again," he said later. The billionaire real estate mogul derided Bernie Sanders' capitulation in the Democratic primary race and Sanders' decision to support Clinton. Trump said of Sanders: "He made a deal with the devil. She's the devil." Trump in recent days has taken to categorizing the Clinton-Sanders understanding as a "deal with the devil" but this was the first time that he went so far as to specifically equate Clinton with Lucifer. Trump bounced around on various campaign topics on a night that featured attendance and support from Cumberland County Republicans like Rep. Stephen Bloom, who opened the rally with a prayer; State Rep. Mike Regan; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta; and U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. When discussing jobs: "What do you like better, Harrisburg or Mechanicsburg? It doesn't matter if you get your jobs back." When discussing Pennsylvania: "Republicans haven't won in Pennsylvania in 28 years. This year will be different." When discussing the Supreme Court: Even if they dont like me which you do even if they dont like me, they have to vote for me because I am going to pick great Supreme Court justices." When discussing terrorism: "They can chop off people's heads, bury them in sand, and we can't water board them? It's unfair playing field." When discussing the campaign: "If we don't win on Nov. 8, I will consider this a tremendous waste of time, energy and money." .@realDonaldTrump says people who don't like him will vote for him because he will appt conservative SC justices. pic.twitter.com/Rg28o71H1G Dennis Owens (@Owens_abc27) August 2, 2016 Ohio Trump made the claim of a rigged election during a campaign stop in Ohio earlier in the day, after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. Trump has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former secretary of state received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories, including claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and, more recently, that Sen. Ted Cruz's father was an associate of President John F. Kennedy's assassin also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He then asserted that November's general election may not be on the up-and-up. He repeated the charge Monday night on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," saying: "November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." Requests to Trump's campaign for additional explanation were not returned. The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been "rigged." It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Republican rival Ted Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trump's expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats' process was also rigged. Monday night, Trump said Sanders "made a deal with the devil," and said of Clinton, "She's the devil." The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trump's remarks. FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California The 2017 Genesis G80 sedan will begin arriving at Hyundai Genesis dealerships next month, priced from $42,350, including a $950 destination charge. That represents an increase of $2,650 over the starting price of the 2016 Hyundai Genesis that the new model replaces as Hyundai rebrands its luxury models under the Genesis nameplate. Competitors to the G80 in the large luxury-sedan market segment include the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Buick LaCrosse, Chrysler 300, Lexus GS and Volkswagen Passat. The base 2017 Genesis G80 is powered by a standard 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 311 horsepower and 293 pound-feet of torque. The optional 5.0-liter V8 puts out 420 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. Both engines come mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and feature selectable modes that include Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow in both standard rear-wheel-drive and optional all-wheel-drive configurations. The new G80 comes standard with a host of advanced safety features, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, lane keeping assist, high-beam assist and a rearview camera. The appropriately upscale interior, with available premium materials such as genuine aluminum and matte wood finishes, boasts standard 12-way power front seats with heat and available ventilation, as well as available heated rear seats. Standard infotainment features include a high-end audio system, a 9.2-inch high-definition display, 64-gigabyte solid-state drive, and smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Options include a head-up display and a 14-speaker Lexicon audio system. And, as previously reported by Edmunds, all Genesis buyers will be treated to the Genesis Experience, a suite of services that include complimentary maintenance, free valet service for maintenance appointments and a complimentary loaner car for the first three years or 36,000 miles. Edmunds says: Consumers in the market for a luxury sedan might want to get in touch with a Hyundai Genesis dealer and add the 2017 G80 to their shopping lists. This year, Marcie Lipsitt, a special education advocate from Michigan, has been responsible for about 500 of those complaintsand counting. Lipsitts focus is on the websites of school districts and other educational institutions, which she says widely disregard the needs of users who are blind or visually impaired, or who cannot use a mouse to navigate a page. Other website problems she has spotted include videos with no captions, or text and background color combinations that are a strain for people with low vision. Her letters have gotten results. In June, the Education Departments office for civil rights announced that it had entered into settlement agreements over website accessibility with schools, districts, and departments of education in seven states and in Guam. All of those complaints originated with Lipsitt, who fires off at least a couple of letters a day from her home in Franklin, 20 miles outside Detroit. I have nothing to lose but time and sleep, said Lipsitt, who squeezes in the letters in addition to her work as a lay advocate, helping families with special education disputes. But Lipsitt, who is not visually impaired, said this is about more than being a prolific gadfly. The proposed regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act say that, in many cases, placing information on a website is sufficient for states and districts to meet public reporting requirements. But what use is it to the public if that essential information cant be read by everyone? Lipsitt and other advocates want the regulations to state that if states and districts are allowed to use their websites as the equivalent of a town crier, then those sites should be usable for everyone. If those final regulations dont include web accessibility, then shame on everyone, Lipsitt said. Crucial Elements Some of the elements behind accessible web design are clear to any user, such as well-organized sites that feature obvious navigational pathways and multiple ways to access information. There are also some technological requirements that might be invisible to users of standard web browsers, but are essential to those who use screen readerssoftware that converts text into synthesized speech. For example, imagine using a word-processing program to type a block of text with a title. To distinguish the title from the text, a user might enlarge the font and make it bold. Those changes are visual clues that those words should be considered separately from the text that follows. But those visual changes on a website mean nothing to screen-reader programs without embedded codes that tell software that certain words are meant to be a header. Without such coding, screen readers only see an undifferentiated block of text. Images present a similar problem. An accessible website would include a specially coded image description. Without that coding, a screen reader will only spit out a file name, such as school_123.jpg. School districts and educational institutions are hardly alone in having poorly designed websites, said Marla Runyan, the lead accessibility consultant with Perkins Solutions, which advises government agencies, retail outlets, and educational institutions on website usability. Perkins Solutions is under the umbrella of the Perkins School for the Blind, the oldest school for the blind in the United States. The intent of your website is that you have something you want to share or sell, Runyan said. Why would you shut out that many people? No one would think of physically slamming the door in the face of a blind person, but impossible-to-navigate websites are the computer equivalent of the same action, she said. Theres nothing more frustrating than being a fully capable individual, but yet I have this barrier in front of me to keep me from doing what Im able to do, she said. Slow to Change But entities have been slow to change unless theyve been hit by legal action, Runyan said. Both Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 26-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act set guidelines for technology accessibility, but those rules have stagnated while internet use has grown in leaps and bounds. Experts in the field are waiting for the government to release refreshed guidelines. But in the meantime, the Education Department and the Justice Department have said that websites should follow the accessibility guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium, an international standards organization. Lipsitts letter-writing campaign started back in February 2014, when Michigan proposed some changes to its special education regulations that she protested. She was also angry that the monthlong comment period required people to either mail a letter to a post office box, or to navigate a complicated web portal. Without knowing anything about website accessibility at the time, she filed a complaint. Michigan ended up in an agreement in June 2015 to revamp its website. After filing a few more complaints against other entities, in 2016 Lipsitt started her campaign in earnest, using computer software that evaluates websites for their usability. At the request of another advocate, she checked the site of the New Mexico Department of Education. Then she checked the New York City district, because she was unhappy with an article she had read about the citys mayor, Bill de Blasio. At that point, Lipsitt decided to check the website of every states department of education. Then she moved on to the education websites of the territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam. Next came the countrys 100 largest school districts. She has filed complaints against charter schools, virtual schools, and schools for the deaf and blind. She has also turned her attention to other entities, such as the New York Public Library and PBS, the public broadcasting network. Lipsitt said the Education Department told her that the office for civil rights has assigned a disability expert to oversee all of her complaints. Officials at the department would not confirm this, saying that privacy rules prevent it from revealing information about complainants. But a department spokesman said that anyone can file a complaint, that all complaints are evaluated to see if they warrant further investigation, and that its not unusual for several complaints to come from one person. The Juneau, Alaska, district is one of the school systems that entered into a settlement agreement with the Education Department in June. (Lipsitts complaints have also included school districts that serve state capitals.) Kristin Bartlett, the districts chief of staff, said that the complaint came at the same time the school system was looking for a new website vendor. In better financial times, the district had a dedicated web manager. In recent years, it had outsourced that work to companies that it thought were providing accessible pages, Bartlett said. The new web vendor is providing services at a lower cost than the previous web vendor, Bartlett said, and the district is in the process of training employees in accessibility guidelines. Employees in the district who use screen readers and other assistive technology will also serve as monitors, Bartlett said. The complaint and investigation has created a lot of awareness about something that we want to be doing anyway, and that we thought we were doing, she said. But now were doing it better. Its a benefit for us to be looking at this more closely. A year after state lawmakers gave the green light to break up the nations fifth largest school district Nevadas Clark County schoolsa new plan has emerged that would keep the sprawling system intact. Rather than split the approximately 320,400-student district into a number of smaller entities, the committee charged with reorganizing Clark County schools is now proposing to give much broader authority over how the schools are managed to principals . In a way, the district will be resurrecting and expanding a successful, but short-lived, program it ran starting in the 2006-07 school year, when a select number of school principals were given expanded autonomy as part of an empowerment schools model. Empowerment schools students scored higher in state English/Language Arts and math tests than before the schools adopted the model, according to the state legislature. Breaking Up the Bureaucracy Site-based school management that combines expanded principal autonomy with additional parent and community involvement is not exactly new. Districts such as Chicago and Denver use governance models that allow principals to control significant portions of their schools budgets. Clark County schools has been one of the fastest-growing large school systems for years. The effort to possibly break up the district was a response to years of pent-up frustration from parents and Clark County residents, particularly those who live in suburban and rural municipalities. They argued that the district, which encompasses 15 municipalities, including Las Vegas, had become a mammoth bureaucracy that was not responding to the needs of students and parents. Though the plan to put principals in charge of key decisions is a departure from the original idea of a district break-up, its been well-received. But it has also opened up a new round of questions, including whether the districts school leaders will have the skills needed to succeed. Principals in Charge Under a proposal to reorganize Nevadas Clark County school district, the systems more than 300 principals would be responsible for hiring and firing teachers and other staff members, budgeting, and selecting services their schools need from the central office. The districts central office, meanwhile, would shrink, but remain in charge of payroll, labor negotiations, and accounting. Source: Advisory Committee to Develop a Plan to Reorganize the Clark County School District The union that represents Clark County principals and administrators for example, wants assurances that principals will be able to hire and fire staff members without interference from their bosses. Some parents expressed concerns that nothing in the plan speaks directly to the needs of students with disabilities or English-language learners, who make up a significant part of the districts enrollment. The principals union also told the committee it wanted safeguards that would prevent the district from returning to a system that allows central office employees to place teachers and other staff in schools against principals wishes. Lisa Mayo-DeRiso, a member of Break Free CCSD, a grassroots organization that initially wanted the district to be broken up, is excited about the proposal, which she thinks could transform education in Clark County. At the end of the day, if we can graduate more kids, send those that want to go to college to college, those that want a vocation to a vocational school and make the educational experience better for those kids, then we have done our job, she said. The proposal was crafted by Michael Strembitsky, a former superintendent of the Edmonton school system in Canadas Alberta province, who popularized site-based school management in the 1970s. Strembitskys proposal calls for a smaller central office in Clark County that would retain control over things like payroll, labor negotiations, and accounting. Principals, however, would be responsible for the entire school operation, including hiring and firing teachers and staff members. Importantly, they would control 85 percent of their schools budgets and would be able to purchase services, such as equipment and supplies, as needed, from the central office. Funding for schools would also be allocated on a per-pupil basis, with a weighted-student formula applied for those with special needs, including low-income students, English-language learners, and students with disabilities. Additionally, a school organization team, comprised of the principal, parents, and teachers, would help set goals and objectives. The superintendent would still hire and fire them. Shift Away From Break-Up Plan The evolution from possible breakup to decentralization occurred over the course of the year, during which a legislative committee embarked on a series of meetings and hearings with experts, parents, teachers, students, and Clark County residents and elected officials. John Vellardita, the executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents the districts teachers, said the breakup push was fueled by the assumption that a large bureaucracy like Clark County was failing at its core mission: educating students. We said, rather than talk about what the organizational form should be in the school district ... lets talk about whats the optimal education delivery system that we can create that will be conducive to greater student outcomes, he said. The Strembitsky plan would not address some of the districts highly segregated demographics, but the weighted-student formula would funnel more money to schools that enroll large numbers of students with greater needs, such as English-learners and low-income students, said Nancy E. Brune, the executive director of the bipartisan Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, a Nevada think tank. One potential challenge of the new proposal, Brune points out, is whether the district has a large enough supply of principals capable of taking on the greater responsibilities. We have a lot of work to do in making sure we have the right people leading those schools, she said. I feel like we need to have a parallel conversation [about] the system of developing principals as we roll out this plan. And Antonio Rael, a principal who runs a turnaround school, and Katie Decker, the principal of three schools, testified to the advisory committee that while the plan was predicated on the leadership at the school level, principals had not been formally included in the process that led up to the drafting of the proposal. Michael Roberson, a state senator who is the chairman of the reorganization committee, said the panel will continue to refine its proposal based on the feedback and that he hopes to have a final plan ready for consideration by the end of the month. The proposal must be subjected to at least six public hearings before the advisory committee approves it. Ohio officials want the states largest online school forced to turn over attendance data used in determining school funding. The state education department has asked a Franklin County judge to force the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow to turn over records showing when students logged on to do schoolwork last year and for how long. Students work on computers instead of in actual classrooms at the school that could lose millions of dollars in state funding if students are falling short of the minimum attendance required by the state. The school has refused to provide login and logout records despite losing an attempt in court last month to block a state audit. School officials argue that login durations dont provide a full accounting of the time students spend doing school-related work. Legislatures in 21 states sought this year to expand topics in sex education classes, in many cases to address teen dating violence or child sexual abuse, according to a new legislative analysis. Lawmakers have debated 90 bills on sexuality education since January, but only five pieces of legislation actually became lawin Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Virginiaaccording to a report by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a nonprofit advocacy group. A new Virginia law requires high school instruction on healthy relationships and avoiding dating and sexual violence. Maryland integrated online and social harassment prevention into its anti-bullying law and required sexual abuse prevention to be covered in elementary-grade health courses. By contrast, the report found more than 1 in 4 of the bills studied would have moved away from science-based curricula or restricted students access to comprehensive sex education classes. Two of those became law: Mississippi extended its abstinence-only sex education requirement, which was set to expire this year, and Oklahoma passed a law requiring the states health agency and districts to provide educational materials that clearly and consistently teach that abortion kills a living human being. The report found fewer than half of high schools and 1 in 5 middle schools nationwide provide sex education that cover 16 critical topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control, including how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted, and explanations of preventative care needed for reproductive health. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine Supporters of career and technical education have reason to be pleased with the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine. Kaine, who served as Virginias governor from 2006 to 2010, gave CTE new prominence in the Every Student Succeeds Act. He introduced an amendment to a Senate version of the bill that eventually became ESSA that would have designated CTE as a core subject. ESSA does away with the term core subject, but the list of disciplines that now make up a well rounded education under the law includes CTE, along with 16 other subjects. In his first official appearance as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons running mate on July 23, Kaine, the son of a welder, talked about his own experience as a career-tech educator. While serving as a Catholic missionary in Honduras, Kaine taught carpentry skills to children there. (They, in turn, taught him to speak Spanish, he said.) Introducing himself with Clinton, Kaine gave many shoutouts to education. He talked about how his father-in-law, former Virginia Gov. Abner Lindwood Holton, a Republican, integrated schools in the Commonwealth, and how his wife was among the first to attend them. He spoke about how he and his wife sent their own children to those same, integrated public schools. Policy Experience As a U.S. senator, Kaine, along with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, introduced the Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015. The bill would require secondary schools to teach students about safe relationship behavior and preventing sexual assault, among other issues. And after ESSA passed, he praised a provision that allowed states to use Title IV money to teach students about safe relationships. Not too long before stepping aside as Virginias governor in 2010governors in Virginia are term-limitedKaine ordered a review of minority students participation in gifted and talented programs. He responded to the economic downturn of eight years ago by proposing $340 million in education cuts in the state back in 2009, his last full year in office, for fiscal 2010. His wife is Anne Holton, who stepped down last week as the secretary of education for Virginia. Thats a cabinet-level position, but different than the state superintendent, Steven Staples, who oversees the state department of education. When Kaine ran for Virginia governor in 2005, the centerpiece of his education platform was for the state to offer universal prekindergarten to all 4-year-olds, however, that hasnt come to pass. Indiana Governor Mike Pence Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, has quite a bit in common with the man at the top of the ticket, at least when it comes to school choice and academic standards. For instance, presidential nominee Donald Trump campaigned vehemently against the Common Core State Standards. Indiana, under Pence, was the first state to ditch them. And before that, the state backed out of federally-funded PARCC tests aligned to the standards. Trump has also voiced support for school choice, without getting into specifics about exactly how hed expand it. But Pence has a robust record on the issue, according to a detailed look at the subject by Chalkbeat Indiana. As governor, he worked with the legislature to create a $10 million grant fund that would offer an extra $500 per student to charters that post better outcomes than traditional public schools. And, if Pence had his way, the funding would have been even more robusthe initially pitched a $1,500-per charter-school student increase. Pence also gave charter schools access to a $50 million fund to help cover the cost of loans for school construction or the purchase of educational technology. And he successfully called for lawmakers to raise the $4,800 cap on vouchers for elementary school students. (Now the cap will be dependent on family income and local school spending, as high school vouchers already were.) Pence also persuaded lawmakers to approve bonus pay for highly effective teachers. Policy Clashes As a member of Congress from 2001 to 2013, Pence was decidedly against a strong federal role in K-12 policy. Back in 2001, Pence was one of just a handful of lawmakers to vote against the No Child Left Behind Act. The law, which was overwhelmingly popular at the time, represented a serious expansion of the federal footprint on K-12. Later, as a leader of the Republican Study Committee, Pence continued to criticize the law, telling the National Journal back in 2006 that it seemed like something former President Bill Clinton would have pushed through. As Indiana governor, Pence in 2014 helped start a $10 million preschool program in the state, but demand has far outstripped the programs capacity. Pence initially refused to apply for up to $80 million in federal funds, through the Preschool Development Grant program, to help the Hoosier State create more slots. But heavy criticism of that refusal led him to reverse course earlier this year and he wrote to federal Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to ask for details on how to apply for the funds. Also as governor, Pence also has clashed repeatedly with Indianas elected superintendent, Democrat Glenda Ritz. For instance, Ritz wasnt happy when he created a new Center for Innovation and Career Education, aimed at strengthening ties between Indianas schools and the private sector. Ritz saw the new agency as stepping on her turf. The agency creation led to tension between Ritz, Pence, and the state board of education, especially over Indianas A through F grading system. Pence ultimately dissolved the center, in part to smooth things over. HARRISBURG Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey for a second term on Monday, less than a week after speaking in support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. Bloombergs political action committee, Independence USA, called Toomey a pragmatic leader and credited him for working to address gun violence. I look at the candidate, not the party label, because we can only solve our biggest problems if we come together across party lines, Bloomberg said. Chances are that no candidate is ever going to be perfect for you on every issue, but when brave people buck party orthodoxy and demonstrate bold, pragmatic leadership, they deserve support from all of us. Toomey faces former state Environmental Protection Secretary Katie McGinty, a Democrat, in November. McGinty communications director Sean Coit said Toomey is not a moderate on gun issues and has taken positions on Social Security privatization and health care that do not show pragmatic leadership. No endorsement is going to change the fact that Pat Toomey is in lock step with the gun lobby in Congress, Coit said. Bloomberg, who was elected mayor as a Republican, is also supporting two Democrats in statewide races this fall Josh Shapiro for attorney general and Joe Torsella for state treasurer. ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. In May of 2010, Airmen of all ranks were sitting on a plane, some anticipating what life would be like during their deployment to Afghanistan. Others, like then-Airman 1st Class Anthony Anderson, were thinking about how their job would affect the mission and those around them. I started thinking, Okay, now [bomb building] really countsand on top of building Im going to have people shooting at me, Anderson said, recalling the list of obstacles that piled up in his mind as he became more anxious. Now a staff sergeant assigned to the 28th Munitions Squadron, Anderson works as a conventional maintenance crew chief and munitions inspector for Ellsworth AFB. Anderson is definitely a go-to guy, said Staff Sgt. Tim Weaver, the noncommissioned officer in charge of conventional maintenance production assigned to the 28th MUNS. Whenever anyone has a question on munitions, he knows the answer and is really knowledgeable on things. Anderson, who was born and raised in Howard Air Force Base, Panama, was inspired by his father who served for 12 years and grandfather who served during the Korean War, both in the Air Force. He decided to follow suit and join the Air Force in September 2008. Even when my dad got out he continued to work for the Air Force, Anderson said. So it never left our family. Anderson said when he joined in as open mechanic, he wasnt sure what to expect upon receiving his munitions technician job now he knows. There is no doubt that I love the job, Anderson said. I definitely say its one of the top most important jobs in the Air Force. What [munitions technician crewmembers] do for air power, it comes out of the teams at every base that has fighters and bombers, because whats an aircraft without its bombs? The career of this conventional maintenance Airman was just starting during that plane ride, and soon Anderson realized the changes it would bring to his life. When we first started building, we began to physically hear our bombs going off in the city near us, Anderson said about his deployment in Afghanistan. During the night, you could see the flashes over the hill from our bombs going off. It was to the point we would see a flash and load up another bomb, because we knew [the MQ-9 Reapers, MQ-1 Predators and A-10 Warthogs] just expended one. It was constant go, go, go. Anderson described his first deployment as an adrenaline rush because Taliban rockets were aiming at their munition building shop. It is also where he learned his first dud had resulted in three fellow Airmen killed in action, a failed explosive that changed his outlook on his job. I started thinking about the big picture when informed of our dud, Anderson said. I thought about if those [military members] were married or did they have kids, and if that bomb had gone off correctly, they could have gone home to go see their kids. Thats three families that dont get their father back. Although he felt he was responsible, Anderson said he could not let that get in his way. I had to get over it to continue the mission, Anderson said. You cant let those situations continue to be a gray cloud over you because you wont be able to get your job done. Not everything is doom and gloom to the conventional maintenance crew chief. Always know theres light at the end of the tunnel, Anderson said. If things seem bleak at the moment, no matter how much stress youre under you can keep pushing through. You would be amazed at how much you can do yourself as long as you believe in yourself. There are many reasons Airmen serve, and for Anderson, the love of his country is one of them. I serve because I love the freedom this country gives me and the rest of the U.S. citizens and it is definitely something worth fighting for, Anderson said. Ill gladly be that one percent that gets to serve and prove that this is worth fighting for, every day and every hour. Kelly, Pastore debate inflation, energy policy in congressional race Kelly and Pastore went head-to-head in a debate Tuesday that was organized by WQLN and Erie News Now, which first aired the taped debate Thursday. Area police departments will take part in various National Night Out events Tuesday in Cumberland County. National Night Out is a community event designed to raise awareness of crime prevention and encourage citizens to engage in crime prevention activities in their own neighborhoods. Crime prevention activities can be as basic as locking doors and on turning lights. The Carlisle Police Department will sponsor a free National Night Out event Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carlisle Borough Swimming Pool at 1236 Franklin Street. Multiple public safety agencies will participate in the event, as well as a police K-9 demonstration and other law enforcement presentations. Additionally there will be food and refreshments available on site. Corporate sponsors for this event are Walmart and Giant Food Stores. Associates from Walmart will be on hand with child ID cards. The ID cards provide parents with personal documentation of their children, which include vital information, fingerprints, and a photograph. The Walmart associates will be assisting with youth fingerprinting and providing vouchers for the photographs, that can be taken at the local Walmart. Silver Spring Township Silver Spring Township will host an event from 6-9 p.m. at Stony Ridge Park that will include K-9 demonstrations, a bike giveaway, bike rodeo and other events. Representatives from fire, EMS and police will be involved. Children age 12 and younger are invited to bring their bicycles and helmets for a safety course that teaches the rules of the road, balance, starting and stopping. Upper Allen Township Upper Allen Township Police are encouraging residents to turn on their porch lights, say hello to their neighbors and meet their local officers as they patrol the area Tuesday night. National Night out is a time to strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, Upper Allen Township Police officials said in a news release. National Night Out is a way to let criminals know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. So please come out and help your community. East Pennsboro Township East Pennsboro Township Police will host an event from 6-8 p.m. at Adams Ricci Park, which will include the Pennsylvania State Police mounted unit, a K-9 demonstration, displays, free gifts, food and prizes. Lower Allen Township Lower Allen Township will host an event from 6-9 p.m. at the Municipal Services Center, 2233 Gettysburg Road. The event will include discussions with police officers about Internet and home safety, Rocco the township K-9 officer, music, free child identification kits, McGruff the Crime Dog, emergency vehicles and information on health and safety issues. West Shore Regional Police West Shore Regional Police Department will hold an event from 6-8 p.m. in the Wormleysburg Borough Hall parking lot, 20 Market St. The local band Not Quite Rite will perform. Those attending can dunk a police officer in the dunk tank. Proceeds from the dunk tank go to the departments K-9 program. 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 Hillary Clinton strode on stage in Philadelphia Thursday night and showed herself ready to win the presidency. In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, she presented herself less in her historic role as the first woman presidential candidate of a major party and more on her merits as the best candidate for the job. She was positive, extolling the greatest ideals of the nation and making a persuasive case that all Americans will benefit from bolstering our democratic principles. Yet she also drew judicious attention to the evident flaws of her opponent, Donald Trump. In doing so, her message was clear: Game on! It was exactly the message she needed to deliver to a skeptical electorate. Indeed, speakers throughout the Democratic convention made a point of contrasting Clintons experience and gravitas to Trumps lack of character, seriousness and scruple. These critiques were all the more effective because they avoided the vituperation and bombast that Trump prefers in his attacks. By the conventions last day, Trump had become so miffed by the criticism directed his way that he let his violent, menacing character show through. In a press conference he said he wanted hit some of the speakers so hard that their heads would spin and they would never recover. Thanks, Donald, for reminding us who the adult is in this race. What will stick with many voters is the candidate Clinton showed herself to be steeled and calm the attributes that will make our country prevail against its many challenges. Indeed, Trumps antics make the reasons to shun Clinton appear petty. It may be true that voters want new blood, not another family returning to the White House as if a dynasty. And, yes, Clintons judgment was terrible in creating a separate email server at the State Department. Yes, she has not held regular press conferences as she should. She is not smooth before the cameras. Her past pecuniary relationships with Wall Street raise questions about her political affinities. Her vote for the Iraq invasion was simply wrong. But all these objections recede in the face of Trump. He is a candidate so unworthy of the powers of the presidency it is stunning. A candidate for president simply cant shoot off his mouth about foreign policy, as Trump has done. He has threatened to extort our NATO allies. He has invited the Russian government to commit cybercrimes against the United States government. He has alienated Mexico, a neighbor and major trading partner. His rhetoric about Muslims is a gift to terrorists. Contrast that to Clintons tenure as secretary of state. She was integral to the decision to kill Osama bin Laden and the negotiation of the treaty that got Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, among other achievements. America has a simple choice. It is between one who is reliable and intelligent and experienced enough for the responsibilities of the presidency and one who is not. It also happens to be a historic moment for women. For too long in politics, female candidates have been subject to unfair standards of scrutiny, including the superficial sorts of judgment we associate with middle school. Clintons certainly seen her fair share. Why are her pantsuits even a topic of commentary? How many times do we have to hear male pundits complain about her lecturing tone? Her voice is like that of many women. It can take on a different range, a higher one, when she changes her tone either for emphasis or when riled. Thats mechanics, people. Its about her vocal cords, and its not a reason to determine a person unfit for political office. Hillary Clinton was always enough. She didnt need an association by marriage to Bill to rise to professional heights. Born as she was nearly 70 years ago, not to wealth or privilege, maybe she didnt even realize this early on. But history will probably judge that it was Bill who got to the White House with the help of his wife, not the other way around. Clintons been on a path to the White House her whole life, and not just to be a first lady. Shes been gaining the types of experiences that would ready any person male or female to fulfill the job of president. Its just taken the nation until 2016 for other factors to align in a womans favor. Now its time to elect her. In a rather ironic twist, accused mass murderer Dylann Roof, who was arrested after allegedly shooting nine Bible study participants in a church last year, has challenged the court's decision to punish him with the death penalty. According to Roof's lawyers, they are asking the judge to declare the death penalty to be unconstitutional for violating human rights. "The facts of this case are indisputably grave. But if, as we contend here, the FDPA (Federal Death Penalty Act) is unconstitutional, no one can be lawfully sentenced to death or executed under it, no matter what his crimes," the shooter's defense team stated in their request. Roof's lawyers further stated that the Charleston shooter would be willing to withdraw his challenge if federal prosecutors, who have been pushing for the gunman to be given a death sentence for his crimes, would withdraw their initiative to grant the death penalty to the case. "Mr. Roof will withdraw this motion and plead guilty as charged to all counts in the indictment," Roof's lawyers added. The 22-year-old Roof is accused of shooting nine churchgoers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. Roof entered the church, attended an hour of Bible study with the churchgoers, then proceeded to shoot them. Among his victims were Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the church's pastor and a state senator. Roof was later arrested a day after the incident in North Carolina, where he told investigators that he was attempting to start a race war with his actions. Upon his arrest, Roof incited controversy after it was revealed that the officers who arrested him treated him to a free meal in Burger King en route to the police station. According to Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford, Roof complained that he was hungry after his arrest. Thus, the officers who apprehended him opted to give him a free meal. During his trial, Roof once again caused outrage after the judge who arraigned his case, Charleston County Magistrate James Gosnell Jr. told the court that Roof's family are also victims of the incident. Due to his remarks, grieving families of Roof's victims called the judge insensitive and racist. Over the course of his case, Roof has not shown much remorse for his actions -- something that federal prosecutors used as a means to pursue the death penalty for the mass shooter. Kun Shan "Joey" Chun, a naturalized U.S. citizen and an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has pleaded guilty to leaking top secret information to the Chinese government on Monday. Chun admitted having acted as a double agent for China between 2011 and 2016, during a time in which he had top secret security clearance and access to classified government information. The 46-year-old Chun was born in China, but he eventually became a naturalized American citizen. When he was 27 years old, he began to work for the FBI as a technician at the Bureau's Computerized Central Monitoring Facility in New York. He was granted his top secret security clearance a year after his employment, in 1998. According to prosecutors of the case, Chun had started his espionage against the United States as early as 2006, when he established connections with at least one "Chinese Official." By 2011, Chun had allegedly been in constant contact with his connection to the mainland, sharing U.S. secrets with the official. "On multiple occasions prior to his arrest in March 2016, Chun collected sensitive FBI information and caused it to be transmitted to Chinese Official-1 and others, while at the same time engaging in a prolonged and concerted effort to conceal from the FBI his illicit relationships with these individuals," the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Over the course of his espionage activities, prosecutors believe that Chun had taken pictures of a sensitive area and transmitted details about surveillance technologies used by the Bureau. He had also allegedly leaked the FBI's organizational chart, though personnel names had been removed. New York Southern District U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has expressed his views about Chun's offenses to the United States. "Americans who act as unauthorized foreign agents commit a federal offense that betrays our nation and threatens our security. And when the perpetrator is an FBI employee, like Kun Shan Chun, the threat is all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," he said. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin summed up the rationale behind the charges against the double agent. "Kun Shan Chun violated our nation's trust by exploiting his official U.S. Government position to provide restricted and sensitive FBI information to the Chinese government," he stated. However, Chun's defense attorney Jonathan Marvinny stated that his client is gravely sorry and that he is regretting his actions. "The truth is that Mr. Chun loves the United States and never intended to cause it any harm," he said. The sentencing of Joey Chun is scheduled for Dec. 2. A mother of a deployed U.S. Air Force officer has experienced how it is to be ganged up on in a public town hall event in Carson City, Nev. on Monday. In a Republican rally, Catherine Byrne, the mother of Staff Sgt. Raymond T. Harmon of the U.S. Air Force, was booed and jeered at after she asked Donald Trump's running mate, aspiring Vice President Mike Pence, about his views on the GOP nominee's treatment of veterans. Byrne started her question by stating that her son currently serves in the U.S. Air Force, much to the crowd's delight. However, once the Air Force mom started her question about how Donald Trump is disrespecting America's armed forces and veterans, the crowd's change of heart was immediate. Throughout her question, the angry crowd booed and jeered at her, drowning out her words. Despite this, however, the mother continued on. "You've got a son in the military, how do you tolerate this disrespect?" she asked. What was quite surprising was that Pence, who was supposed to be answering Byrne's questions, allowed the brutal booing and jeering to continue for about 10 seconds before asking the crowd to settle down. "That's OK. That's what freedom looks like, and that's what freedom sounds like," Pence said, addressing the crowd. The aspiring Vice President proceeded to praise the late Capt. Khan, who was killed in the Middle East and whose parents recently emerged as one of the staunchest critics of Donald Trump. Over the course of the weekend, the spat between the GOP nominee and the fallen Capt. Khan's parents have reached new heights, with the Khans criticizing Trump for being unconstitutional and the GOP nominee alleging that the fallen Capt.'s mother was not allowed to speak due to her Muslim faith. "Capt. Khan is an American hero and we honor him and honor his family," Pence said. "The story of Capt. Khan is an incredibly inspiring story." The potential Vice President, however, also defended his running mate, stating that among the candidates for the 2016 presidential election, there is no one more dedicated to the armed forces than Donald Trump. "I have never been around someone more devoted to the armed forces of this country. There is no one more devoted to the veterans in this country," Pence added. Denise Martinez, who was among those who booed Byrne, stated that she believed Pence handled the situation masterfully. "I thought he handled it really, really well," she said. "Looking back, I think I would've taken the high road. He handled it the right way, the way I wish Trump would have," she said. Jack Christenson, a veteran and supporter of the GOP candidate, was less forgiving of the Air Force mother, stating that while Byrne might have had the right to ask her question, she "violated everyone else's rights" by speaking out at the event. As for the mother who was booed and jeered at for asking a question, she simply stated that her expectations of the events did not align with what ultimately happened. "It was supposed to be a town-hall-style event," she said. The recently concluded California textbooks process has brought out a slew of dishonest, poorly informed, and ideologically predetermined articles pretending to lend expertise on the situation, which is first of all a debate on the history curriculum in American schools, rather than Indian history alone. Although Chinnaiah Jangams piece in this journal (2016) initially attempts to provide a historic overview of Indian immigration to the US and situate the present controversy in that context, it inevitably trickles down into a narrow course that wilfully ignores several facts in order to sustain a baseless attack on Scholars for People, with some personal presumptions thrown in as well. The mandate of Scholars for People, which began with a community petition in March, protesting the denial of India and Hinduism in the frameworks, was the issue of denying India's existence, and not caste or even Hinduism, a crucial fact Jangam omits to mention. An honest analysis of this issue would have at the very least laid out the positions of various parties accurately, as well as the flow of events that took place, instead of resorting to a sophomoric guessing game based on names and identities (would Jangam censure Irfan Habib, say, for writing about Hindu history the way he takes umbrage at some of us in Scholars for People?). It should be noted at the outset that Jangam does not offer a single link to the letters submitted to the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) by the South Asia Faculty Group (SAFG) in 2015 and 2016 (South Asia Studies Faculty Review of Proposed California Curriculum Framework, Nov 2015; South Asia Faculty Cover Letter 2, Feb 2016). These are the documents in which the SAFG attempted to make a case for their recommendations, namely that several references to India be replaced with South Asia, and for the word Hinduism to be replaced with religion of ancient India". It was the acceptance of several of these changes in March 2016 by the California History Social Science Project (CHSSP) that led to the formation of Scholars for People, and it was this issue that dominated the petition, letters, and articles initiated by Scholars for People since March. India Erasure and "Caste Erasure" The mandate of Scholars for People from the beginning was neither Hinduism nor caste, but fundamentally to debate the fashionable academic notion that India did not exist before 1947, and to challenge the belief that the late cold war concoction South Asia was somehow more accurate and inclusive instead. The SAFG edits led to the complete erasure of India in several key places in the curriculum, subsuming its people into a terra nullius fantasy devoid of existence and accomplishment; for example, changing a line about Central Asian Turks conquering Northern Indian states into expanding into Northern Indian plains (qtd in Edits Proposed by South Asia Faculty Group, no date). A public petition initiated one week after the CHSSP accepted the SAFG edits, gained the support of 25,000 people including several non-Hindus, and even non-Indian persons (Scholars for People, Don't Replace "India" with "South Asia" in California History Social Science Frameworks, online petition). Several academics and secular public intellectuals joined the Scholars for People forum, and some academics also wrote independently to the IQC to express their opposition to the SAFG position, including the Social Science and Religion Faculty Group (SSRFG) with over 40 American scholars including Diana Eck and Barbara McGraw. Unfortunately, beginning in early April, a concerted media and social media smear campaign began with the sole aim of misrepresenting the issues at stake in California (Juluri 2016). These reports began to marginalise a real event, the acceptance of over 30 SAFG edits denying the existence of India and/or Hinduism, in favour of an allegation that various Hindu lobbying groups were trying to erase the mention of caste in the textbooks, which was merely a hypothesis, at least to the extent that virtually none of the dozens of edits requested by these groups were even accepted, nor were all of them about "erasing caste." In any case, the IQC review process concluded in May with a discussion of 30 edits over which much discussion had taken place. 20 edits had to do with the India/South Asia issue, and 18 of these were broadly settled in favour of what Scholars for People had requested. The remaining edits remained as the SAFG had recommended, and the language linking caste to Hinduism remained as strong as it was at first. This version was accepted by the State Board of Education in July (although a last minute representation alleging Islamophobia by a group of Islamic scholars led to a deletion of language referring to forced conversions and Islam). Aryans and Hitler in Hinduism Chapters While I cannot comment on the hundreds of suggestions submitted by dozens of parents and Hindu advocacy groups over the last two years, I can speak clearly for myself, and for Scholars for People which came together later, on the issues. I submitted my first set of suggestions to the IQC in October 2015 in which I had added several points that would enrich students appreciation of Hindu philosophy and culture to make the Hinduism content on par with that of other religions, without asking for any deletions of caste (none of my suggestions were acted upon, or even acknowledged in the December draft). My main concern then was with the lingering colonisation narrative about Hinduism left over from the Aryan invasion theory-language in the books (which existed so widely in the United States that textbooks in one state even had photos of Hitler in the ancient India chapter), and also about expanding positive content on Hinduism, on a par with other religions (Juluri, Letter To IQC May 18th 2016). I did believe then, and still believe now, that there is an issue of inequity in the depiction of Hinduism when compared to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in the curriculum. There is clear evidence of this, not only in terms of the content of the textbooks, but also in terms of the testimonies presented by dozens of school children who spoke in Sacramento over the past few years (see Arumuganathaswami and Bajpai 2016); Voice of California Hindus). Their point was simple: there is virtually no critical discussion of any other faith (such as their role in global imperialism, conquest, genocide and slavery), but Hinduism alone is studied entirely by its inequities. Although our main focus was on the India/South Asia question, Scholars for People did offer, towards the end of the process, an attempt to evaluate the multiple claims made by different Hindu advocacy groups and parents on some of these issues (the May letter cited by Jangam), an act which somehow seems to have lent itself to unsubstantiated taints of "guilt by association" by Jangam and other activists who find it convenient to lump our position into the same category as those of certain religious advocacy groups like Hindu American Foundation, whose mandate and history has been very different from that of Scholars for People. He accuses us of replicating the "Hindu right-wing government's ... historical narrative" without any specific evidence of either this "government narrative" or ours. He cites our criticism of Pollock and Doniger without revealing where he himself stands on the issue of Hindus being depicted as "fascist conquerors of their own land. Does he agree with them? Or with the Aryan invasion theory, and the sly attempts by these scholars to somehow blame Hinduism for the horrors of the Nazi holocaust? Outright Lies Against Scholars for People and My Book In conclusion, I should place on record that in addition to ignoring or suppressing the whole range of issues that Scholars for People has been engaged with, Jangam also attempts to misrepresent our credentials. His claim that no historians supported our position is totally false and suppresses the fact that Ravi Korisettar, one of Indias most respected archaeologists, supported our May letter in which we questioned the SAFGs claims on archaeology and Indus Valley among other issues (other historians like Michel Danino and Saradindu Mukherjee support our letter too, but Jangam would perhaps prefer to duck out of engaging their work by dismissing them as not credentialed enough as the SAFG did). As for caste privilege, I can only try to be accountable to mine, but would ask him to introspect whether "beneficiaries ofcolonialism", as he calls us, would really be struggling so hard to contest ignorant and racist textbook content from the colonial era in 21st century America. One of the ironies of the caste debate in California is that the SAFG position on Dalits has often been supported by self-identified Brahmin activists whereas the much vilified Hindu groups, like the Hindu Education Foundation, actually consist of members of underprivileged caste groups who wish to see a better depiction of subaltern contributions to Indian history, than merely as victims and "palace sweepers."[i] I also urge Jangam to take a look at the other important scholarly interventions he skipped mentioningthe Social Science Faculty Research Group, consisting of over 40 US scholars including Diana Eck, Francis X. Clooney and Barbara McGraw, who have also called for a change in how caste and Hinduism are depicted in the textbooks. I wonder if he skipped mentioning them because their "castes" don't quite lend themselves to his sort of analysis, or simply because their intervention affirms that the textbooks issue is an American minority issue rather than some Indian right-wing project. And as for his allegation about my having sworn allegiance to the Brahminical ideology of sanatana dharma at my book talk in Hyderabad, it is indeed a very colourful way of characterising someone who was simply born a Hindu (as for what this "ideology" means to me, he can also look up my writings on Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a poor peasant caste child of Rayalaseema, whom my family accepted as guru, daivam, and sarvam). Finally, I strongly disagree with Jangams presumptuous declaration that my book Rearming Hinduism is somehow a scholarly justification for Hindu militancy. It is a very hurtful charge to make so lightly, and since he has not offered any evidence from my book to back up his frivolous allegation, it is clear that not only has he failed to read my book before commenting, he has studiously avoided reading the numerous readers comments on my book on websites like Amazon, and elsewhere which explicitly point out that my book has nothing to do with arms, armaments, or militaristic predilections of any kind. While I do talk about the need for righteous anger against todays violently anthropocentric global modernity, I have been anti-militant and unapologetically sentimental in my book to the extent of stating clearly that the right way to rearm Hinduism is through kindness and love. I am also not sure what ferocious Hindu gods and their actions Jangam thinks I propitiate in my book. But if it is a reference to the broken Hampi Lakshmi-Narasimhaswami on the cover, it is telling that he sees its broken state not as a reminder of misogyny, violence and imperialism against an ancient and indigenous nature-worshipping culture that ought to be preserved and cherished, but sees it only through the prejudiced lens of a colonial-protestant mythology about Hinduisms dark and dangerous gods. Surely, the task of decolonising Indian history demands at the very least an accurate understanding, and then an appropriate critique, before we decide that only a normative and pure conception of anti-Hindu ideology will suffice as acceptable in academia? When a subaltern position makes that claim, accountability, and decency demand that one listens. But when the very existence of global anti-Hindu ideologies, institutions, and forces is denied blissfully, how credible can academia remain? What Jangam and other impulsive commentators have missed out is the fact that questioning the present form in which Hinduism and caste are taught in California (ScholarsforPeopleJuly16, July 2016) does not mean we oppose a factual, precise, and age-appropriate discussion of caste in California. Scholars for People has never supported the view that caste and Dalit issues should not be taught for fear of bullying, and I request Jangam to show any evidence that we have said this. Our position very simply is that there needs to be honesty and fairness in the textbooks, and one cannot simultaneously whitewash imperialism and violence associated with global monotheisms while continuing to demonise Hinduism, and even its liberal interpreters so viciously. It is remarkable that so many observers who cannot identify and eliminate colonial-era missionary propaganda from their critiques believe that they have a monopoly of knowledge on the "real roots of Hinduism." The final outcome of the 2016 review process is this; the slightest mentions of the spread of Islam through force have been erased; Hinduism alone continues to be criticised among all religions (though a few positive points have been added compared to the 2005 version), and the words "India" and "Hinduism" have been reinstated after being initially denied altogether. What has changed though, is the fact that ten years ago there were perhaps no more than two or three scholars willing to speak up against the academic dogma on Hinduism and Indian history, and now there are at least fifty. And no matter how many devious attempts are made to misrepresent scholars who question the current dogma of normative anti-Hindu fanaticism in academia, the truth cannot be suppressed forever. Notes Vamsee Juluris response (EPW, 2 August 2016) to my article (EPW, 16 July 2016) starts with an interesting statement: "California textbooks process has brought out a slew of dishonest, poorly informed, and ideologically predetermined articles pretending to lend expertise on the situation, which is first of all a debate on the history curriculum in American schools, rather than Indian history alone. Not only does this first sentence points to the authors regrettably intolerant opinion towards ideas that differ from his own, it also contains the puerile argument that the debate on the history curriculum in American schools can somehow preclude discussions on Indian history, even when the representation of the latter is the moot point in this debate. Identity and History Juluri accuses me of indulging in sophomoric guessing game based on names and identities. I was born and educated in India and like any other Indian I do not have to guess anyones caste. I am aware of how names and surnames are proudly flaunted by upper caste-Hindus to legitimise intellectual authority, among other things. In fact, caste-identity is central in this context because perspectives are rooted in cultural and social experience. Caste Hindus have a nostalgic perception of Hinduism because for centuries their inherited privileges have been sanctioned by Hinduism; but a Dalit, with his/her everyday experiences of humiliations and violence will not talk about Hinduism in the same way. Thus my ideas do not stem from personal presumptions; rather I read the social and historical implications of Hinduism critically not just as a historian but also as a Dalit. For English educated caste Hindus, it is easy and convenient to pretend that they do not believe in or have a caste, while continuing to reap the benefits, material and intellectual, overtly and covertly, through the power of their given names and caste networks. Identities of individuals and communities are important because they reflect historical and social experiences, and political and ideological agendas also emanate from them. Very rarely do we come across people who step outside their inherited privileges to stand with the oppressed and the deprived. Since I point out the privileged caste roots of the advocates of Scholars for People, Juluri asks would Jangam censure Irfan Habib, say, for writing about Hindu history the way he takes umbrage at some of us in Scholars for People? Perceptive readers would no doubt see the covert communal orientation of the Scholars for People behind Juluris picking of Irfan Habib and not another Indian historian. To answer his rhetorical question, however, I would contend that no, I do not subscribe to the dogmatic idea that only a Hindu should write Hindu history. In fact, I believe anyone with professional expertise and empathy for the communities they engage with, are eligible to write their history. India and Hinduism Juluri says the mandate of Scholars for People from the beginning was neither Hinduism nor caste, but fundamentally to debate the fashionable academic notion that India did not exist before 1947, and to challenge the belief that the late cold war concoction South Asia was somehow more accurate and inclusive instead. Historically, India as a territorial nation, for that matter, the idea of nation itself is a product of capitalism and its avatar, modernity. It is ahistorical and dogmatic to argue that in the pre-modern world there were nations, and India existed as a nation among others. Benedict Anderson, Partha Chatterjee and others have provided fascinating theoretical and historical analyses of this basic historical process. To further understand how the territorial imagination of Bharat/Hindu nation matured during colonial times, one may refer to Manu Goswamis Producing India: From Colonial Economy to National Space (2004). The idea of imagining ancient India as Hindu is the product of Orientalism as Brahmin leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak inspired by Max Muller, who traced the roots of the Vedas to the Arctic. This idea in the course of time became a potent political weapon in the hands of Hindu fundamentalists who now claim a natural right over the nation and its imagination. This imaginary concept delivered political dividends and continues to do so. In addition, they have also attempted to co-opt Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives as part of this imagined, Hindu India and have quibble with the entity of South Asia. Juluri claims that the petition campaign by the Scholars for People had the support of more than 25,000 people, including several non-Hindu, and even non-Indian persons, and also that several academics and secular public intellectuals joined the Scholars for People forum, and several academics also wrote independently to the Instructional Quality Commission to express their opposition to the SAFG position. Yes, numbers do speak well, but one needs to ask who are these people signing and endorsing the project? The majority of them are caste Hindus of privileged backgrounds who have never borne the burden of caste stigma and never experienced violence and humiliations imposed by Brahmanical Hinduism. Can Juluri get even a hundred Dalits to sign his petition? This reflects the problem in the politics of the majority. Juluri questions my position on Sheldon Pollock and Wendy Doniger who were viciously targeted by the Hindu right in India and outside. I may disagree with some of their views but I stand with them as a South Asian historian, in defending their freedom to write and critically engage with the production of knowledge. About Hinduism, Juluri says I had added several points that would enrich students appreciation of Hindu philosophy and culture to make the Hinduism content on par with that of other religions, without asking for any deletions of caste, as he states that there is an issue of inequity in the depiction of Hinduism. Let me address the issue of Hinduism and its inequity in depiction of their historical context. Firstly, the consolidation of Hinduism as a religion was a result of the 19th century project of colonialism. The problem with Hinduism is that it doesnt have one authoritative text or one god as its focal representation, unlike other religions. In fact, if there is one thing, which binds all Hindus together like a spinal cord, it is caste. Historically, Hinduism as a religion is a newer development, but influenced by orientalism and Brahmanical imaginations, caste Hindus assume the notion to have come from antiquity. So inequity of representation is part of the legacy of Hinduism itself, not an imposition from outside, as it lacks clarity in terms of origins, beliefs and ideas. The second aspect of Juluris edits is about the appreciation of Hindu philosophy and culture. It is again a problematic assertion because foundational ethics of Brahmanical Hinduism rely on hierarchy of castes and the principle of discrimination. If one has to teach Hindu culture and philosophy it should start with its ethical fault lines rather than a distorted version of glory of Hindu philosophy and culture. Perpetrator-Victim Doublespeak of Diasporic Identity Juluris chooses to gloss over the cultural and social (capital) advantages needed to gain privileged access to education and resources to migrate to privileged first world countries like the United States of America, and land in privileged positions. Juluri asks me as to introspect whether "beneficiaries of colonialism" as he calls us would really be struggling so hard to contest ignorant and racist textbook content from the colonial era in 21st century America. This position of victimhood with respect to racism and minority status is simultaneously ironical and surreal. Finally I urge Juluri to relook at the video of his book launch and talk in Hyderabad about where he begins his talk thanking people and says our cause is our home, our Sanatan Dharma is always home.[1] These words express his world view of Sanatan Dharma, which aims to restore the caste system in the form of Chaturvarna. Even the god man he claims to believe and worshipSri Sathya Sai Baba also had to bear the caste as a poor peasant caste child of Rayalaseema in his mention. I write this rejoinder in the backdrop of a painful reality of unfolding violence against Dalits by caste Hindus across India. Finally let me end this rejoinder by invoking a famous debate on justice in Platos Republic which says The only way really to injure a man is to make him a worse man. (qtd in The Republic of Plato 1941, 12). It cannot and should not be overlooked that Hinduism, as practised as a religion and philosophy, through its often violent and violating ideas and practices, has perpetuated injustice and inequality and denied basic human existence to millions. Moreover it lacks a moral imagination to recognise the humanity of fellow humans like Dalits and Muslims. References Goswami, Manu (2004): Producing India: From Colonial Economy to National Space, Chicago : Chicago University Press. Rearming Hinduism - Introduction & talk by Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Youtube video, posted on 14 April 2015, viewed on 1 August 2016, https://youtu.be/8gam7dtmztY. Parliament passes Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2016 Published: August 2, 2016 The Parliament has passed Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to conduct of uniform entrance examination for admission to all medical educational institutions. The bill seeks to replace the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 and its provisions will come in to force retrospectively from May 24, 2016. Key Features of Bill Introduction of a uniform entrance examination for all medical educational institutions. It will be applicable for admission at the undergraduate and the post-graduate level. If states have not opted for the uniform entrance examination, then the examination will not be applicable at the undergraduate level for the academic year 2016-17. This provision will be applicable to state government seats in government and private medical institutions. The uniform entrance examinations will be conducted in Hindi, English and other languages. Empowers to MCI to frame regulations for (i) the manner of conducting the exams, (i) the authority designated to conduct exams and (iii) Specify languages other than English and Hindi in which the entrance examinations will be conducted. Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016 Besides, Parliament also passed the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to conduct of uniform entrance examination for admission to all dental medical educational institutions. The bills seek to amend the Dentists Act, 1948 to replace the ordinance that was promulgated in May 2016. It seeks to keep state boards out of the ambit of National Eligibility Entrance Examination (NEET) for admission BDS courses for academic year 2016-17. Comment With passage of the bills, admission to medical and dental courses across the country will be done through a single common entrance test i.e. NEET from academic year 2017-18. The NEET has been designed to curb corruption by bringing in transparency, checking multiplicity of exams and to stop exploitation of students in counselling. However it said that this new system will affect rural students as there is no uniform educational syllabus across the country. Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016 Topics: Bills and Acts medical education National Parliament Latest E-Books They are British, Finnish, French, Chinese and Italian. They are young and talented and have overcome fears and apprehensions to give their education an unforgettable boost. They have chosen the ESRF as a springboard to the future. They are just a few of the hundreds of students from the world over for whom the ESRF plays a significant role. Meet some of the young talents we welcomed this year. 'I didnt know anything about the ESRF before last year. I was amazed by the Experimental Hall. Its huge and so full of high-tech instrumentation and equipment. How on earth did they build it? Im amazed by how much people know and by all this technology. Its an accumulation of the work of hundreds and hundreds of scientists, each contributing their part', says Pierre-Olivier Autran, student in materials engineering at the French engineering school Polytech Montpellier and currently on placement at the ESRF. Awesome? Indeed! Very often, a traineeship at the ESRF is the first experience of working abroad, and the decision to leave home, family and comfort zone doesnt come without some initial anxiety. The idea of integrating the ESRF can be dompting, as Yi Yao, a Chinese student on the Erasmus programme and affiliated to the University of Rennes, France, reveals: 'I never thought Id be able to work here, because I believed that everyone was young, successful, knew all about physics and was obviously a genius. Now, Ive seen that everyone is a genius, yes! But that if you have the right attitude and you really want to, theres a place for you here.' Marco Moretti and Yi Yao in front of the RIXS spectrometer on ESRF's ID20 beamline. ESRF/C. Argoud. Aim high and let fly! Yi has felt her confidence boosted by her placement at the ESRF. 'Before I thought all of this was out of reach for me. The notoriety and success of the ESRF made me feel it may be too big for me to fit in.' Now she feels more at home here, mainly due to the culture of openness and trust at the ESRF. 'Compared to China, here I have been given more trust over the equipment and participation in the experiment.' Serena Pantalone, from the University di Parma in northern Italy, admits to having felt intimidated about joining a team where people 'knew a lot'. 'I felt like a small student at the beginning, but now I feel like a member of the team. My supervisor is fantastic and has been really helpful, everyone has.' Student Serena Pantalone (left) with supervisors Gabriele Giachin and Montserrat Soler-Lopez inside one of the biology laboratories at the ESRF. ESRF/C. Argoud. Serena says her English was scholastic before the start of the assignment. She had no school basics of French and remembers that, at first, it was very difficult to communicate outside the campus. 'I found that people didnt want to speak English, but if I tried to speak French first then most people turned out to speak good English and were really helpful!' Miika Rasola, a Finnish student in theoretical physics at the University of Helsinki, admits shyly that he was worried he wouldnt be up to standard for the work given him. His fears turned out to be unfounded and now he feels more confident about his skills. 'My tutors knew exactly what to expect from me and didnt put me in any difficulty. The people are very nice here, its not difficult to fit in.' 'I was quite scared at the idea of finding myself without anywhere to stay', says Pierre-Olivier, who studies in southern city of Montpellier. 'I got a lot of refusals by phone but, once I came to Grenoble, it was really very easy to find lodgings.' A rich diversity of cultures and professions Mirroring the image of the ESRFs population and spectre of professions, trainees also originate from many different horizons and their topics of study are just as diverse. Serena is in the last year of a Masters course in molecular biology. She is studying three proteins that are possibly implicated in Alzheimers disease. Her mission is to make crystals of these proteins, then study them using the ESRFs X-rays. In this way she aims to gain a better understanding of their structure and behaviour. For Serena, the six month placement in the macromolecular biology laboratory at the ESRF has given her a practical experience to complement a mainly theoretical approach at the University. 'Before, I was mainly studying with books as company. Now Im interacting with a large group of biologists and have gained enough experience in the lab to be autonomous.' She feels more open-minded than before and more confident in collaborating with non-biologists. 'I have worked with mathematicians and physicists here, something I would never have imagined doing before.' Pierre-Olivier has the mission to upgrade the reconstruction process for tomographic applications in collaboration with a PhD student and researcher at neighbouring institute CEA (French Atomic Agency). 'This placement has given me the chance to acquire a solid base in computing. For me, the computing experience is an absolute necessity to complement the materials engineering.' Using iterative algorithms, Pierre-Olivier is developing a software program which would allow to reduce by 75% the number of projections, or photos, needed to reconstruct, with very high resolution, 3D tomographic images of samples under study. If feasible, the program would cut the data-taking time by 75%, enabling a current 5-hour manoeuvre to be completed in a little over 1 hour. 'Curiosity took over and it motivated me to go even further into the programming. I surprised myself by taking problem-solving to a much deeper level that I thought I could!' Ennio Capria (right) with student, Pierre-Olivier Autran from Polytech Montpellier. ESRF/C. Argoud. The multi-cultural environment can also be surprising as Pierre-Olivier found out: 'I imagined it would be very French here, but thats not at all the case. Its amazing how people just switch from one language to another without batting an eyelid. Its great to hear English, then Spanish then Italian spoken almost all within the same phrase!' Collaboration is also key in the world of research, whether among individuals of different nationalities and professions or between different research institutes. As Ennio Capria, engineer in charge of the Nanoelec Platform for Advanced Characterisation in the ESRFs Business Development Office, and Pierre-Oliviers supervisor at the ESRF, explains: 'The work carried out by Pierre-Olivier will support the research programme established for an Innovation Lead Long Term Proposal (iLTP) resulting from a collaboration between the ESRF, STMicroelectronics and the CEA-LETI. The iLTP is focused on advanced characterisation of nanoelectronics devices, including statistical analyses, and involves several of the ESRFs nanocharacterisation beamlines, in particular nanotomography operated on ID16A.' Miika Rasola, one of the rare Finnish students, has designed electrochemical cells to investigate the chemical reactions on the interface between liquid and solid states on the high-energy beamline, ID31. The first cell has been designed and the parts ordered. Miika hopes they will arrive for him to assemble them before the summer shutdown in August. Jakob Drnec, scientist on ESRF's ID31 beamline, with Miika Rasola, Finnish student from the University of Helsinki, look at an unusual set-up inside the beamline experimental hutch. ESRF/C. Argoud. Every day is a good day The ESRF is also host to technical apprentices. Ryan Evans and Ashley Churchman are just winding up a three-week placement as part of their apprenticeship at the UKs Science and Technology Facilities Council. Ive not had a bad day here yet, says Ryan in a cheery accent from northern England. My supervisor, John, is the first person to make me smile in the morning and hes been really helpful. Ryan was given two main projects during the placement. First he had to manufacture a circuit to monitor the robot sample placer, then he built a test station for beam shutters to control their position and check the functioning of the electronics and pneumatics. The projects involved working directly on the beamlines and experimental set-ups, a novelty for Ryan. Everything is very well organised and projects seem to go to plan. The hardest thing was understanding the French names of the components! Its Ryans first experience of working and living abroad. With a rudimentary grasp of the language, he has particularly appreciated the very practical approach of the French lessons. We had to buy a bus pass, order a meal in a restaurant or go shopping, he explains. It was good to get some guidance on the cultural differences too, to be sure not to offend anyone. Ive really enjoyed it. Engineers and technicians work well together and theres a lot of respect between colleagues for each others skills, says Ashley. A taste of France and Europe for these UK apprentices. From left to right: supervisor Keith Baldock, apprentices Ashley Churchman and Ryan Evans, supervisor John Surr. ESRF/C. Argoud. Its Ashleys third placement abroad through the STFC apprenticeship and he has already worked at CERN and ILL. His mission here is to design and assemble a security circuit (emergency stop framework) to house an X-ray camera on ESRFs ID06 beamline. My supervisor and colleagues here have put a lot of trust in me. They appreciate that Ive done an apprenticeship and have not made me start from the basics for this placement. For Keith Baldock, ESRF senior technician and Ashleys tutor, the benefits are not all one-sided and the ESRF reaps the rewards of its investment in training these young talents. He says, 'I found Ashley was of great benefit to the group during his short stay here. He was always polite and showed a lot of motivation and enthusiasm for the projects we worked on. He learns very quickly, and had some passion for learning the French language.' Do you want a springboard to the future? Find out more about training opportunities at the ESRF. Text by Kirstin Colvin Tell Joko Widodo: Fire Wiranto. He is not fit to be Indonesia coordinating minister. Sign ETAN's petition here. A-N-T-I ALIANSI NASION A L TIMOR LESTE BA TRIBUN A L INTERNASION A L (Timor-Leste National Alliance for an International Tribunal) Tel: +670 7266564 / 7289241/77402231 We Stand Against Impunity, Deny Formerly Accused General Wiranto Frodm Holding a Position of Power! For more than a decade victims and the families of victims in Timor-Leste have consistently insisted on truth and justice for Timor-Leste from Indonesia and the international community. Human Rights & Justice ETAN,Tapol, Watch Indonesia: Appointment of General Wiranto as Minister confirms the deep-rooted impunity in Indonesia page IntroductionWe have been monitoring a real life political phenomenon happening in Indonesia, namely the decision of President Jokowi to include former General Wiranto as the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs in his new cabinet. This decision has unsettled us a great deal. We recall what happened in 1999, before, during, and after the referendum in Timor-Leste which resulted in more than two hundred thousand (200,000) civilians suffering torture, rape, forceful removal, enforced disappearance and murder.These acts violate the fundamental human rights principles and values set out in international humanitarian law. For this reason, these acts are deemed crimes against humanity.For more than a decade victims and the families of victims in Timor-Leste have consistently insisted on truth and justice for Timor-Leste from Indonesia and the international community, especially from the members of the UN Security Council.In 1999 Wiranto was the Supreme Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces who had the competence and power to ensure security and stability for the process during and after the Referendum as set out on May 5, 1999 in agreement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs from Indonesia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs from Portugal, and the United Nations Secretary General.Former General Wiranto was the Supreme Commander of the Indonesian military and is a responsible member for the large scale and systematic violence, removal and persecution that resulted in 280 deaths and forced 200,000 people to flee to Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) in Indonesia, as well as the mass destruction inflicted on the personal possessions and assets of the Timorese people.In March 2003 the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) issued an indictment against Former General Wiranto and others.The aforementioned unit also requested for the Dili District Court to issue a warrant of his arrest. on March 19, 2004. The Deputy Prosecutor General for Serious Crimes issued a letter to support the issuance of a warrant of arrest against General Wiranto, with irrefutable evidence against him proving that General Wiranto committed human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Timor- Leste.Despite these gross charges, former general Wiranto lives as a free man holding positions of influence and power in Indonesia today. He has never gone under any formal justice procedures where he could be prosecuted for his crimes and rather lives with an ambiguous status of 'accused,' and trusted within the Widodo administration.1. For the international community to influence the Jokowi Government to take seriously the prevention of nominating criminals within the government structure in order to further strengthen the process of democracy and to uphold human rights in Indonesia and elsewhere around the world;2. For the UN Security Council to consistently uphold its decision to combat impunity, based on the indictment issued by the Special Panel for Serious Crimes in 2003. We ask that an effective mechanism be sought to ensure that criminals are held accountable in a credible fashion, in particular the former General Wiranto;3. Indonesia and Timor-Leste need to strengthen and foster democracy to brake the chain of impunity and establish societies that respect human rights values and strengthen the democratic rule of law. Therefore, we urge and standby Indonesia to immediately remove Wiranto from the Joko Widodo Government structure.4. We Call on the international community members state has a moral responsibility to arrested the accuses former General WIRANTO.Try criminals to support permanent reconciliation.Remove the Accused Wiranto.Hooray for Truth and Justice.The struggle continues!Dili, 29 July 2016Members:LBH Jakarta: Pers Rilis: 1454/SK-Rilis-MKR/2016 -5 Alasan Menolak Wiranto menjadi Menko Polhukam : ; - CM ?; - New York, NY (August 1, 2016) - The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 17 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its spring Fellowship Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, four-year award are outstanding postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators across the country. The Fellowship encourages the nation's most promising young scientists to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with independent funding ($231,000 for basic scientists; $248,000 for physician-scientists) to work on innovative projects that have the potential to impact cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. May 2016 Damon Runyon Fellows: Sudeep Banjade, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Scott Emr, PhD, at Cornell University, Ithaca, studies how cellular membranes are remodeled. The ESCRT family of proteins (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) regulate this remodeling process; misregulation has been found to be involved in many cancers. He aims to understand the specific roles of the ESCRT-III proteins for polymer remodeling and membrane deformation, using biochemical, biophysical and genetic approaches. Kyle G. Daniels, PhD, with his sponsor Wendell Lim, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco, aims to improve the ability of engineered T cells to kill cancer. Specifically, his goal is to understand how signaling events during T cell activation determine the therapeutic properties of activated T cells. He uses synthetic immunology techniques and computational methods to search for synthetic receptors that confer desired functions upon T cells. Ultimately, he hopes to design and create receptors that improve the ability of T cells to proliferate, persist, recruit other immune cells, and kill cancer cells. Ivana Gasic, Dr.Sc, with her sponsor Timothy Mitchison, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, aims to elucidate the "microtubule integrity response," mechanisms that monitor the health of microtubules in cell division under normal physiological conditions and in cancer. Microtubules are frequent chemotherapy targets in treatment of various cancers, such as leukemia, lymphomas, melanoma, lung, ovarian, and breast cancer. Microtubule-targeting chemotherapeutics are believed to kill cancer cells through mitotic arrest. There is, however, growing evidence that they impact non-dividing "interphase" cells as well; this mechanism remains largely unexplored. She seeks to explore the microtubule integrity response, which may reveal how microtubule poisons kill non-dividing cancer cells, and help design better anti-cancer therapies. Daniel H. Goldman, PhD, with his sponsor Rachel Green, PhD, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, studies the process of protein synthesis, which is often misregulated in cancer, causing uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. The balance of protein production in healthy cells is maintained in part by RNA-binding proteins, which modulate the efficiency of mRNA translation by the ribosome. However, the mechanisms underlying such regulation are not well understood. He is combining high-throughput sequencing technologies with single-molecule imaging in living cells to elucidate the mechanisms by which RNA-binding proteins regulate protein synthesis. Jeffrey A. Hussmann, PhD [Rebecca Ridley Kry Fellow], with his sponsor Carol Gross, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco, is studying how translation is regulated in healthy cells and how this regulation goes awry in disease. Cells control protein abundance by modulating how frequently messenger RNAs are translated by ribosomes, but the mechanisms that determine how densely ribosomes are packed onto each individual transcript are poorly understood. He is developing experimental approaches to produce transcriptome?wide single?molecule measurements of ribosome density in order to advance this understanding. These approaches will provide insights into the the key role that this process plays in the development and progression of many cancers. Megan Insco, MD, PhD, with her sponsor Len Zon, MD, at Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, studies advanced melanoma. Melanoma initiation and drug resistance rely heavily on factors that control gene expression. Proteins called Cyclin Dependent Kinases (CDKs) show promise as drug targets in multiple difficult-to-treat cancers and are enabling a method to "drug" the previously "undruggable" process of gene expression. She aims to determine whether any of the transcriptional CDKs could be an effective drug target in advanced melanoma. Alexander Jaeger, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Susan Lindquist, PhD, at the Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, is investigating how a protein called the Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 (HSF1), a potent pro-survival transcription factor, orchestrates changes in the three-dimensional architecture of chromosomes to activate tumor supportive gene expression programs in diverse cancer types. Increasing evidence suggests that the three dimensional architecture of chromosomes can influence the unique gene expression programs that support tumor growth. He aims to determine how gene expression is significantly altered in cancer cells when compared to normal cells. Elise C. Jeffery, PhD, with her sponsor Sean Morrison, PhD, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, studies "stromal cells" that support the function of blood stem cells in the bone marrow. Cancer treatments such as irradiation and chemotherapy damage the bone marrow, and the repair of this tissue is crucial for the recovery of the blood system. She is characterizing the role of a newly identified factor produced by stromal cells in this rebuilding process. These studies have the potential to enhance our understanding of bone marrow repair, and to identify new methods for improving the recovery of the blood system in cancer patients following irradiation or chemotherapy. Brian J. Laidlaw, PhD, with his sponsor Jason Cyster, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco, is investigating the mechanisms underlying immune cell positioning following viral infection and tumor challenge. Localization of immune cells to particular sites within the tissue is critical for their maintenance and protective capacity upon reencountering an antigen. How immune cell migration within the tissue is regulated remains poorly understood. His studies should significantly enhance our understanding of immune cell trafficking and inform the development of new immunotherapies against cancer that modulate these pathways to promote tumor regression. Natasha M. O'Brown, PhD, with her sponsor Chenghua Gu, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, is investigating the molecular mechanisms that govern the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which acts as the gatekeeper for the brain. While the BBB protects the brain from pathogens and provides the necessary environment for normal brain function, the BBB also acts as an obstacle to drug delivery for the treatment of neurological diseases, including brain tumors. A key regulator of BBB integrity, Mfsd2a, limits transcellular movement across the barrier and therefore prevents leakage into the brain. Using a combination of zebrafish genetics, small molecule screens, and live imaging, she aims to understand how this protein regulates these BBB processes. By investigating the cellular signals that induce or remove barrier properties, she hopes to identify ways by which she can selectively manipulate the barrier to allow for drug delivery to the brain. Jose M. Ordovas-Montanes, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Alex Shalek, PhD, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, studies how inflammation in the gut influences individual epithelial and immune cells. Inflammation is one of the largest risk factors for developing colon cancer. A better understanding of the cellular factors involved in precipitating malignancy may lead to novel approaches for blocking the initiation of cancer and restoring the gut to a healthy balanced state. Ying Qi Shirleen Soh, PhD, with her sponsor Jesse Bloom, PhD, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, focuses on how viruses such as influenza evolve to infect diverse host species. Zoonotic transmissions of influenza from avian and swine hosts to humans have the potential to result in pandemics with severe public health consequences. Cancer patients, in particular, are disproportionately susceptible to complications arising from infection. Dissecting the pathways and mechanisms by which influenza can adapt to the human host will aid in the ability to predict and prevent pandemics resulting from zoonotic infection. Sarah Z. Tasker, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with her sponsor Paul Hergenrother, PhD, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is synthesizing a new set of small molecules based on natural products, designed to have structural features to allow them to cross the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier protects the brain, but it also prevents most chemotherapeutic agents from reaching tumor cells in brain cancers, meaning prognoses for cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme and brain metastases are often poor. She will test these new compounds for anticancer activity, and will study whether active compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. The goal of these studies is to discover new anticancer small molecules and to better understand how these molecules penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Iva Tchasovnikarova, PhD, with her sponsor Robert Kingston, PhD, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, is investigating the role of chromatin remodeling in epigenetic gene silencing by the recently discovered HUSH complex. Her research aims to delineate how heterochromatin formation is achieved through the concerted action of heterochromatin-associated proteins, heterochromatic histone modifications, and ATP-driven chromatin remodeling. As heterochromatin formation has been shown to be associated with oncogenic events, her future work will define general principles that could be exploited to design cancer therapies aimed at heterochromatin dysregulation. Eric Wang, PhD, with his sponsor Nathanael Gray, PhD, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, is applying a chemical biology approach to identify kinases and small molecule inhibitors that enhance the immune system's tumor surveillance capabilities. Therapies that enhance the anti-tumor activity of the immune system have shown tremendous promise in patients; however, only a subset of patients and tumors respond well to such treatments, so identifying complementary strategies to increase the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies is increasingly important. His goal is to obtain mechanistic insight into the anti-tumor immune response and to identify small molecule drugs that may improve the efficacy of immunotherapies in patients. Emma Watson, PhD [Suzanne and Bob Wright Fellow], with her sponsor Stephen Elledge, PhD, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, is taking advantage of high-throughput genetic screens to map gene networks involved in the response to metabolic stress. Cancer cells tap into growth-promoting metabolic programs, enabling them to robustly proliferate using limited resources from the tissue microenvironment and bloodstream. The metabolic plasticity observed in cancer cells can be at least partly attributed to metabolic stress response pathways that enable the cancer to mobilize resources for growth. Identifying the genes involved in sensing and enacting responses to metabolic stress will provide potentially novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of cancer. Linghe Xi, PhD [Dale F. and Betty Ann Frey Fellow], with her sponsor Elaine Fuchs, PhD, at The Rockefeller University, New York, is studying signaling events that drive squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), a common form of skin cancer. She focuses on WNT signaling, which is an important player in cell fate determination. It appears that WNT signaling is essential for SCC tumor formation, but exactly where and how it is required remains unknown. She is dissecting the activity of WNT signaling during the progression from normal epithelial cells to benign papillomas, and then to malignant SCC tumors. She is also investigating the critical downstream effectors of WNT signaling in this process, in order to identify improved targets for cancer therapeutics. ### About the Foundation To accelerate breakthroughs, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation provides today's best young scientists with funding to pursue innovative research. The Foundation has gained worldwide prominence in cancer research by identifying outstanding researchers and physician-scientists. Twelve scientists supported by the Foundation have received the Nobel Prize, and others are heads of cancer centers and leaders of renowned research programs. Each of its award programs is extremely competitive, with less than 10% of applications funded. Since its founding in 1946, the Foundation has invested over $300 million and funded over 3,500 young scientists. This year it will commit over $17 million in new awards to brilliant young investigators. 100% of all donations to the Foundation are used to support scientific research. Its administrative and fundraising costs are paid from its Damon Runyon Broadway Tickets Service and endowment. CONTACT Yung S. Lie, PhD Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation yung.lie@damonrunyon.org 212.455.0521 Young American adults aren't doing it as often as you'd think. Although Americans are now strikingly more accepting of premarital sex, a new study reveals that more Millennials, born in the 1990s in particular, are nevertheless forgoing sex during young adulthood. The new sexual revolution has apparently left behind a larger segment of this generation than first thought. "This study really contradicts the widespread notion that Millennials are the 'hookup' generation, which is popularized by dating apps like 'Tinder' and others, suggesting that they are just looking for quick relationships and frequent casual sex," said Ryne Sherman, Ph.D., co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University. "Our data show that this doesn't seem to be the case at all and that Millennials are not more promiscuous than their predecessors." A key finding from the study conducted by Sherman and co-authors Jean Twenge, Ph.D., San Diego State University, and Brooke E. Wells, Ph.D., Widener University, is that the changes in sexual inactivity in Millennials was not related to the time period or decade, but rather to the generation. "This is really about this generation of young American adults and not the time period in which they are living," said Sherman. "This has very little to do with changing norms about sexual behavior; the generations are just different and it has everything to do with them." To determine if this shift was due to differences in age or generation, the researchers used a two-pronged approach to compare sexual inactivity rates by birth decade among 20 to 24 year olds. They conducted a unique age-period-cohort analysis using the entire sample of adults ages 18 to 96 in the General Social Survey (GSS), a nationally representative sample of American adults since 1989. They also examined gender, race, education, region, and religiosity as moderators to determine whether any changes in sexual inactivity differed from one group to another. Among Americans aged 20 to 24, Millennials born in the early 1990s were significantly more likely to report no sexual partners after age 18 than GenX'ers born in the late 1960s. Fifteen percent of the 20- to 24-year-old Americans born in the 1990s had no sexual partners since turning 18, compared to 6 percent of those born in the 1960s. The only other generation that showed a higher rate of sexual inactivity were those born in the 1920s. The increase in adult sexual inactivity between the 1960s and the 1990s generations was larger and significant among women (from 2.3 percent to 5.4 percent), but not among men (from 1.7 percent to 1.9 percent). It was non-existent among Black Americans (2.6 percent to 2.6 percent, compared to a significant jump from 1.6 percent to 3.9 percent among Whites). "Many of the differences between the groups in the recent generations were also significant," said Sherman. "For example, women were more likely to be sexually inactive compared to men, Whites more than Blacks, those who did not attend college more than those who did, and in the East more than the West." Americans born in the 1990s were the most likely to be sexually inactive in their early 20s, and showed a definite break with those born in the 1980s. Other findings from the study indicate that those born in the 1990s are growing up more slowly than those born in the 1980s. For example, fewer get a driver's license or work for pay, also showing a generational break at some point in the 1990s. The researchers speculate that there may be a number of reasons for this major shift between Millennials and other generations including more sex education and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, easy access to pornography because of technology, or perhaps even differences in defining what sexual activity is and is not (e.g. oral sex vs. intercourse) since generations define sex differently. "While attitudes about premarital sex have become more permissive over time, rise in individualism allows young American adults to have permissive attitudes without feeling the pressure to conform in their own behavior," said Sherman. ### About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu. WASHINGTON -- The first known household survey examining the collateral harm to pregnancy services in areas affected by the West African Ebola epidemic suggests a significant slide backwards in child and maternal health. The study, conducted in Liberia, points to the deep disruptions caused by the Ebola epidemic -- even in parts of the country with relatively limited transmission. The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic killed approximately 11,300 people, but its long term effects on the region's health is expected to be compounded by many factors including the deaths of at least 500 health care workers. In addition, many facilities closed while other preventive and therapeutic services were interrupted. "We also know that the stigma associated with Ebola interfered with people seeking healthcare services, in addition to the perception that people can contract Ebola if they go to health facilities," explains the study's senior author John Kraemer, JD, MPH, assistant professor of health systems administration at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies. "It appears these perceptions are a major factor in the decrease of the number of people utilizing health facilities." Kraemer and his colleagues, including those from Last Mile Health, an organization focused on health in rural Liberia, set out to measure the indirect health consequences of Ebola so that a fuller understanding could inform efforts to restore health care in Ebola-impacted areas. They focused specifically on maternal health services, which are dependent on functioning health systems. Their findings are published in PLOS Medicine. The researchers compared the odds of facility-based delivery among 686 births in the period before the Ebola epidemic with the 212 births during the epidemic in a specific rural area. They found a 30 percent reduction in the odds of facility-based delivery during the Ebola outbreak. "The district we surveyed had one Ebola cluster and its health facilities remained open, unlike in other parts of the country where the epidemic was more intense," Kraemer explains. "Given that, our results most likely underestimate the impact on facility births in high-burden areas where there were closures." The drop appears to be correlated with fear, Kraemer says. The odds of facility-based delivery were 41 percent lower among women who reported a belief that Ebola was or may be transmitted in health facilities, but not significantly lower among women who reported believing that Ebola was not transmitted in health facilities. "Prior to the Ebola epidemic, Liberia made big gains in the rate of babies being delivered at health facilities, which translates into healthier moms and babies." Kraemer says. "Maternal health, like almost all other health services in Liberia, was badly damaged by the epidemic. It is critical that we stay focused on rebuilding Liberia's health care system, which will require long-term investment." "Building and maintaining stronger health systems will be critical to preventing future global public health emergencies," says John Ly, MD, co-lead author of the study and medical director at Last Mile Health. "Last Mile Health is supporting the Government of Liberia and the Ministry of Health to build a more robust health system, one that will ensure a well-trained and equipped health worker in even the most remote communities." ### About Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. Connect with GUMC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have developed a system that uses transformed human stem cells to speed up screening of existing drugs that might work against rare brain and other cancers. A report on their proof-of-concept work, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, describes experiments that transform human stem cells into an aggressive and rare form of pediatric brain cancer called medulloblastoma. Those cancer cells' genetic profiles can then be rapidly compared with hundreds of common, lab-grown human cancer cells already tested against existing drugs. By creating a cell model of medulloblastoma from human cells rather than working with mouse cells, the researchers say they can be more confident that patients' response to the drugs identified in the screenings may be more comparable to humans, according to Eric Raabe, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Standard treatment for pediatric medulloblastoma, which strikes 500 children per year in the United States, combines radiation and chemotherapy, but a subtype known as Group 3 -- which makes up 28 percent of the cases -- tends to cause the most relapses in patients, and the survival rate is only 30 to 40 percent, says Raabe. "Overall, 70 to 80 percent of medulloblastoma patients treated with conventional radiation and drug therapy survive and are considered cured," he adds, "but many patients with the Group 3 subtype don't fare as well." In recent years, one strategy scientists use to find new or better treatments is to look to databases of existing drugs that have been matched to the genetic profiles of lab-grown cells for common cancers. However, Raabe says, rare cancers and their subtypes are not well-represented in such databases, and creating such lab-grown cell lines directly from patients' tumors is difficult. Moreover, he adds, such tumor-derived cells sometimes acquire genetic changes that can vary from the original tumor. For the study, the scientists used lentiviruses as a transport system to insert cancer-related genes common to Group 3 medulloblastomas in human neural stem cells. As the stem cells replicate, the cancer-linked genes transform the stem cells into cancer cells. The tumors then grown from these transformed cell lines "compare very well biologically to actual human medulloblastoma, and their gene expression profile fits with that of human tumor cells," Raabe notes. Raabe and his colleagues then used RNA sampled from the new tumors to create a "signature" of gene expression that they could compare to similar signatures in three large databases of cell lines that have been screened and matched with existing drugs. "We wanted to find whether the cells we created matched any of these existing signatures," Raabe explains, "because if they did, then we would have some idea of what kinds of drugs are more or most likely to kill these cells. We didn't have to do the laborious screening to test 100,000 compounds against our own cells." Using this method, the scientists zeroed in on a group of compounds called CDK inhibitors that may be promising treatments for Group3 medulloblastoma, Raabe says. One of those drugs, palbociclib, is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating a type of advanced breast cancer, Raabe says. When he and his colleagues added palbociclib to their transformed cell lines, they found that the drug decreased cell line growth by more than 50 percent and more than tripled cell death compared to untreated cells. The drug also extended the survival of mice implanted with tumors grown from established Group 3 human medulloblastoma cell lines by nearly 50 percent, from 25 to 37 days. Raabe says that palbociclib and other such drugs, called cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, are being tested in phase I clinical trials in children with various brain tumors. "There is interest in testing these agents in more advanced studies specifically for recurrent medulloblastoma, potentially in combination with other new agents," he says. Although it took several years to develop this model of Group 3 medulloblastoma and show its similarity to primary tumors, Raabe says, "This system may be one way to find drugs for rare cancers for which there are only a few human cell lines or to model very rare subtypes of adult and pediatric cancers." ### Other scientists who contributed to the research include Allison Hanaford, Antoinette Price and Charles Eberhart at Johns Hopkins; Tenley C Archer, Jong Wook Kim, Tobias Ehrenberger, Paul A. Clemons, Vlado Dancik, Brinton Seashore-Ludlow, Vasanthi Viswanathan, Michelle L Stewart, Matthew G. Rees, Alykhan Shamji, Stuart Schreiber, Ernest Fraenkel, Scott L. Pomeroy, Jill P. Mesirov, and Pablo Tamayo of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard; Ulf D. Kahlert and Jarek Maciaczyk of Heinrich-Heine University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany; and Guido Nikkhah of University Hospital Stuttgart, Germany. Funding for the study was provided by the St. Baldrick's Foundation, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Giant Food's Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, the Spencer Grace Foundation, the Deming Family, the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation, the National Cancer Institute (P30 CA006973, R01NS055089, U01CA176152), the National Institutes of Health (R01 CA154480, R01 109467, R01GM074024) and the Comprehensive Cancer Center Freiburg. In Canada and the U.S., doctors are increasingly being encouraged to try to identify depression in children and adolescents - even if they do not have obvious indications of the disease. In order to do so, the physicians often use short questionnaires that ask about symptoms of depression. But, according to new research, there is insufficient evidence to show that any of these questionnaires accurately screen 6- to 18-year-olds for the disease. The researchers believe that this calls into question the use of these assessment tools for this group and raises worries about possible misdiagnosis of the disease in this age range. "Our study shows that if depression screening were carried out using existing screening tools, many non-depressed children and adolescents would be mistakenly identified as depressed," says Brett Thombs, who is affiliated with the Jewish General Hospital's Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and McGill University's Faculty of Medicine. He is the senior author on a study that was recently published on the subject in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Inadequate testing of screening tools In order to assess the quality of the screening tools that are currently being used to identify depression in children or adolescents, the researchers carried out an exhaustive search of the medical evidence looking for studies that put the screening tools to the test. In the end, they were able to identify just 17 studies where the test results from the screening tools were compared with results from a diagnostic interview to determine if the children or adolescents in the study actually had depression. Thombs and colleagues, including lead author Dr. Michelle Roseman, then assessed the methodology and results of these 17 studies. They found that most of the studies were too small to make a valid determination about the accuracy of the screening tools and that the methods of most studies fell short of expected standards. They also found that there was inadequate evidence to recommend any single cut-off score for any of the questionnaires. (Patients scoring above a pre-defined cut-off score are considered likely to be depressed, whereas patients below the cutoff are not.) Roseman says, "There was not a single tool with even moderate evidence of sufficient accuracy to effectively identify depressed children and adolescents without also incorrectly picking up many non-depressed children and adolescents." Depression screening for children and adolescents is controversial Depression in children is a disabling condition associated with behavioral problems and poor school performance. But routine screening for the disease in this age group is controversial. In the United Kingdom and Canada it is not recommended. On the other hand, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recently recommended routine screening of adolescents between 13-18, but not of younger children, as part of regular medical care. Thombs believes that given the inaccuracy of the tools currently being used, some children could end up mislabeled as depressed. "This could lead to the unnecessary prescription of potentially harmful psychiatric medications and negative messages about the mental health of some children who do not have mental health disorders." Moreover, a potentially massive amount of resources would be needed to sort out which children may really be depressed. Research suggests relatively few would meet the criteria. "These resources would then not be available to provide treatment to large numbers of children and adolescents who are known to have severe mental health problems, but who do not receive adequate care." The researchers say that to properly assess the accuracy of depression screening tools in children, large, well-designed studies that present results across a range of cut-off scores are needed. ### This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada, and a Murray R. Stalker Primary Care Research Bursary. "Accuracy of Depression Screening Tools to Detect Major Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review," M. Roseman, L. Kloda, N. Saadat, K. Riehm, A. Ickowicz, F. Baltzer, L. Katz, S. Patten, C. Rousseau, B. Thombs, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, May, 2016, DOI: 10.1177/0706743716651833 Contact: Prof. Brett Thombs, Jewish General Hospital and McGill Faculty of Medicine, brett.thombs@mcgill.ca Katherine Gombay, McGill Media Relations Office/ Relations avec les medias katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 514-398-2189 http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/ http://twitter.com/McGilluMedia Haptics researchers have long known that applying ultrasonic vibrations to a flat, featureless glass plate makes it feel slippery. But they have also long debated why this occurs. Northwestern University's J. Edward Colgate and his team have finally put the debate -- and mystery -- to rest. They discovered that the vibrations reduce friction by causing the fingertip to bounce on pockets of trapped air. "Understanding this underlying reason is extremely useful," said Colgate, professor of mechanical engineering and Allen K. and Johnnie Cordell Breed Senior Professor in Design at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering. "This information will help us engineer more sophisticated devices that not only vary friction but do other things, such as exert forces on the finger." Supported by the National Science Foundation, the research was published on August 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Michael Wiertlewski, a former postdoctoral fellow in Colgate's laboratory and research scientist at Aix-Marseille Universite in France, was first author of the paper. Rebecca Fenton Friesen, a PhD student in Colgate's laboratory, also contributed to the work. A haptics technology pioneer, Colgate aims to redefine the way users interact with their touchscreens. With long-time collaborator Michael Peshkin, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern, Colgate and his team created the TPad phone, a standard smartphone nestled in a case that enables physical textures to be communicated through the screen. Ultrasonic vibrations in the glass modulate the friction between it and the finger, causing the screen to feel sticky, slippery, bumpy, or wavy. The lack of understanding of the underlying mechanism that makes the screen feel slippery posed a barrier to furthering the research. Earlier studies showed that when objects, such as metal discs, were placed on a vibrating screen, they floated above it. But haptics researchers were hesitant to apply these findings to a finger. "Fingers are different than what has been used in other studies," Colgate said. "They're not hard or rigid, and they're rough because of the fingerprint and build up of dead skin cells. We've been trying to understand this phenomenon for a number of years, but the kind of instruments we needed weren't available." Wiertlewski overcame this hurdle by building an apparatus to image the finger as it experiences the ultrasonic vibrations. He built a novel fingerprint imager -- a high-tech cousin of the kinds used in security -- and connected it to a TPad. This allowed the research team to see through the transparent screen of the TPad to watch the finger fast enough to make measurements of the distance between the screen and finger at the time scale of the ultrasonic vibration. "We saw the skin moving -- a lot," Colgate said. "It's vibrating with almost as much amplitude as the TPad itself, but it's happening too fast to feel it." The finger bounces so quickly, in fact, that the air trapped between it and the screen has no time to escape. Instead, the air compresses and acts like a spring. The vibrations push the finger up into the air, and as the finger comes back down, it falls onto a cushion of air instead of the screen. The process reduces friction and emulates the feeling of slipperiness. "We saw other types of objects floating," Colgate said. "By no means is the finger floating. It's bouncing." Colgate believes that having this information will help his team pursue one of haptics' biggest challenges: using vibrations to push a bare finger. This effect could be used, for example, to push the fingers to align them over a keyboard, which could be useful for people who are blind, have low vision, or are in situations where they cannot use their eyes, such as when driving or in the dark. While Colgate's team has achieved this effect in the laboratory, the force has not been as strong as they would like. They know why -- the screen cannot effectively grab the fingers when the vibrations have reduced friction. "Almost anything you do on a touchscreen could be influenced by this finding," Colgate said. "We can do more interesting things with the TPad and develop future technologies." ### Men diagnosed with prostate cancer can be provided with a more accurate estimate of their risk of death from the disease, and treatment planned accordingly, according to a Research Article published by Vincent J. Gnanapragasam, of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK and colleagues in PLOS Medicine. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men, and the risk of disease progression and death is very variable when the disease is diagnosed while it is localized to the prostate gland. Providing as accurate an estimate as possible of the individual risk is important in planning appropriate treatment, which could range from surgery to management by regular observation, as well as in providing advice and support to patients. Based on data from more than 10,000 UK men with prostate cancer, Gnanapragasam and colleagues developed a scheme in which men were grouped into 5 strata with different levels of risk of prostate cancer death, based on straightforward, routinely available, clinical measurements such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, disease stage, and tumor grade as judged by biopsy. In two large groups of men with prostate cancer analyzed separately, this scheme performed better in predicting the risk of cancer death compared to the current 3 risk strata system endorsed by most national and international guidelines. The authors noted that, because their study was limited by reliance on cancer registry records and by relatively short duration of follow-up (median 6.9 years), further validation in independent additional cohorts is needed. In an accompanying Perspective article, Sigrid V. Carlsson and Michael W. Kattan, respectively of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA and Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA, discuss the importance of accurate risk estimation in prostate cancer to guide decision making by doctors and their patients. ### Research Article Funding: There was no specific funding for this project. The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry is funded by the Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: Gnanapragasam VJ, Lophatananon A, Wright KA, Muir KR, Gavin A, Greenberg DC (2016) Improving Clinical Risk Stratification at Diagnosis in Primary Prostate Cancer: A Prognostic Modelling Study. PLoS Med 13(8): e1002063. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002063 Author Affiliations: Academic Urology Group, Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom National Cancer Registration Service Eastern Office, Public Health England, Cambridge, United Kingdom Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom 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.1002063 Contact: Vincent J. Gnanapragasam University Lecturer University of Cambridge Academic Urology Group Cambridge Biomedical Research Campus Hills Road Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UNITED KINGDOM 01223274316 vjg29@cam.ac.uk Perspective Article Funding: SVC's work on this paper was supported in part by a Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (P30-CA008748). SVC is also supported by a post-doctoral grant from AFA Insurance. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: Carlsson SV, Kattan MW (2016) On Risk Estimation versus Risk Stratification in Early Prostate Cancer. PLoS Med 13(8): e1002100. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002100 Author Affiliations: Department of Surgery and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States of America Department of Urology, Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America 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.1002100 A major revision is required in our understanding of our Milky Way Galaxy according to an international team led by Prof Noriyuki Matsunaga of the University of Tokyo. The Japanese, South African and Italian astronomers find that there is a huge region around the centre of our own Galaxy, which is devoid of young stars. The team publish their work in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing many billions of stars with our Sun about 26,000 light years from its centre. Measuring the distribution of these stars is crucial to our understanding of how our Galaxy formed and evolved. Pulsating stars called Cepheids are ideal for this. They are much younger (between 10 and 300 million years old) than our Sun (4.6 billion years old) and they pulsate in brightness in a regular cycle. The length of this cycle is related to the luminosity of the Cepheid, so if astronomers monitor them they can establish how bright the star really is, compare it with what we see from Earth, and work out its distance. Despite this, finding Cepheids in the inner Milky Way is difficult, as the Galaxy is full of interstellar dust which blocks out light and hides many stars from view. Matsunaga's team compensated for this, with an analysis of near-infrared observations made with a Japanese-South African telescope located at Sutherland, South Africa. To their surprise they found hardly any Cepheids in a huge region stretching for thousands of light years from the core of the Galaxy. Noriyuki Matsunaga explains: "We already found some while ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way (in a region about 150 light years in radius). Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8000 light years from the centre." This suggests that a large part of our Galaxy, called the Extreme Inner Disk, has no young stars. Co-author Michael Feast notes: "Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert." Another author, Giuseppe Bono, points out: "The current results indicate that there has been no significant star formation in this large region over hundreds of millions years. The movement and the chemical composition of the new Cepheids are helping us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way." Cepheids have more typically been used to measure the distances of objects in the distant Universe, and the new work is an example instead of the same technique revealing the structure of our own Milky Way. ### Media contacts Ms Kanako Takeda The University of Tokyo Japan kouhou.s@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp Thami Nkwanyane University of Cape Town Tel: +27 21 650 5672 thami.nkwanyane@uct.ac.za Thembela Mantungwa South African Astronomical Observatory Tel: +27 21 460 9319 tm@saao.ac.za Science contacts Prof Noriyuki Matsunaga The University of Tokyo Japan matsunaga@astron.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp Prof Michael Feast University of Cape Town and South African Astronomical Observatory Tel: +27 21 650 2396 mwf@ast.uct.ac.za Prof Giuseppe Bono University of Rome Tor Vergata Italy bono@roma2.infn.it Prof Marco Galliani INAF Italy marco.galliani@inaf.it Prof Marco Malaspina INAF Italy marco.malaspina@inaf.it Images and captions https://www.ras.org.uk/images/stories/press/MilkyWay/fig11.jpg An artist's illustration of the Milky Way, the Galaxy we live in, with the locations of the newly discovered Cepheid stars marked by the yellow points. The previously known objects, located around the Sun (marked by a red cross), are indicated by small white dots. The central green circle around the core of the galaxy marks the location of the 'Cepheid desert'. Credit: The University of Tokyo https://www.ras.org.uk/images/stories/press/MilkyWay/fig3b.jpg An artist's impression of the implied distribution of young stars, represented here by Cepheids shown as red or blue points plotted on the background of a drawing of the Milky Way. With the exception of a small clump in the Galactic centre, the central 8000 light years appear to have very few Cepheids, and hence very few young stars. Credit: The University of Tokyo Further information The new work appears in A lack of classical Cepheids in the inner part of the Galactic disc, N. Matsunaga, M. Feast, G. Bono, N. Kobayashi, L. Inno, T. Nagayama, S. Nishiyama, Y. Matsuoka and T. Nagata, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Oxford University Press, in press. After the embargo expires, a copy of the paper will be available for free download from http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/mnras/stw1548 A preprint of the paper is available from http://arxiv.org/abs/1606.07943 Notes for editors The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS, http://www.ras.org.uk), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organizes scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognizes outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others. The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content. Follow the RAS on Twitter via @royalastrosoc Among patients recently hospitalized with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; a measure of heart function), the use of the drug liraglutide did not lead to greater post-hospitalization clinical stability, according to a study appearing in the August 2 issue of JAMA. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States with more than 4 million admissions per year from 2003-2009. Abnormal cardiac metabolism contributes to the pathophysiology of advanced heart failure with reduced LVEF. A class of drugs, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists have shown cardioprotective effects in early clinical studies of patients with advanced heart failure. Kenneth B. Margulies, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues randomly assigned patients with established heart failure and reduced LVEF who were recently hospitalized to the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide (n = 154) or placebo (n = 146) via a daily subcutaneous injection; study drug was advanced to a dosage of 1.8 mg/d during the first 30 days as tolerated and continued for 180 days. The primary outcome for the study was a score in which all patients, regardless of treatment assignment, were ranked across 3 hierarchical tiers: time to death, time to rehospitalization for heart failure, and time-averaged proportional change in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level from study entry to 180 days. Higher values indicate better health (stability). Among the 300 patients who were randomized, 271 completed the study. Compared with placebo, liraglutide had no significant effect on the primary end point. There were no significant between-group differences in the number of deaths (12 percent in the liraglutide group vs 11 percent in the placebo group) or rehospitalizations for heart failure (41 percent vs 34 percent) or for the exploratory secondary end points (primary end point components, cardiac structure and function, 6-minute walk distance, quality of life, and combined events). Prespecified subgroup analyses in patients with diabetes did not reveal any significant between-group differences. "The GLP-1 agonist liraglutide did not improve posthospitalization clinical stability in patients with advanced heart failure and reduced LVEF despite prior studies indicating that GLP-1 therapy might ameliorate mechanisms of myocardial insulin resistance reported in patients with severe cardiomyopathies," the authors write. "These findings do not support the use of liraglutide in this clinical situation." ### (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.10260; the study is available pre-embargo 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. Media Advisory: To contact Kenneth B. Margulies, M.D., call Abbey Anderson at 215-349-8369 or email abbey.anderson@uphs.upenn.edu. To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story This link will be live at the embargo time: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.10260 In a study appearing in the August 2 issue of JAMA, David M. Levine, M.D., M.A., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues examined trends in seniors' use of digital health technology in the U.S. from 2011-2014. The sickest, most expensive, and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population are seniors 65 years and older. Digital health technology has been advocated as a solution to improve health care quality, cost, and safety. However, little is known about digital health use among seniors. For this study, the researchers analyzed results from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older. Each year, NHATS asks the same respondents about every day (nonhealth) technology use and 4 digital health modalities: use of the internet to fill prescriptions, contact a clinician, address insurance matters, and research health conditions. This study included participants in 2011 who were followed yearly until 2014. In 2011, the average age of the 7,609 participants was 75 years; 57 percent were women. Although 76 percent of seniors used cell phones and 64 percent computers, fewer used internet (43 percent) and email and texting (40 percent). Less than 20 percent used internet banking, internet shopping, social network sites (2013 data), and tablets (2013 data). Fewer seniors used digital health technology: 16 percent obtained health information, 8 percent filled prescriptions, 7 percent contacted clinicians, and 5 percent handled insurance online. In 2011, variables associated with less use of any digital health were older age; black, Latino, and other race/ethnicity; divorce; and poor health. By 2014, although cell phone and computer use were stable, small statistically significant increases were noted in other every day technologies. Use of 3 of 4 digital health technologies increased. The proportion of seniors who used any digital health increased from 21 percent in 2011 to 25 percent in 2014. "Digital health is not reaching most seniors and is associated with socioeconomic disparities, raising concern about its ability to improve quality, cost, and safety of their health care. Future innovations should focus on usability, adherence, and scalability to improve the reach and effectiveness of digital health for seniors," the authors write. ### (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.9124; the study is available pre-embargo 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. Media Advisory: To contact David M. Levine, M.D., M.A., call Lori Schroth at 617-525-6374 or email Ljschroth@partners.org. To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story This link for the study will be live at the embargo time: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.9124 Early use of vasopressin to treat septic shock did not improve the number of kidney failure-free days compared with norepinephrine, according to a study appearing in the August 2 issue of JAMA. In 2015, it was estimated that there were more than 230,000 cases of septic shock, with more than 40,000 deaths in the United States each year. Norepinephrine is currently recommended as the first-line vasopressor (an agent that produces vasoconstriction and a rise in blood pressure) in septic shock; however, early vasopressin use has been proposed as an alternative. Anthony C. Gordon, M.D., of Imperial College London, and colleagues randomly assigned patients who had septic shock requiring vasopressors despite fluid resuscitation within a maximum of 6 hours after the onset of shock to vasopressin and hydrocortisone (n = 101), vasopressin and placebo (n = 104), norepinephrine and hydrocortisone (n = 101), or norepinephrine and placebo (n = 103). The primary outcome was kidney failure-free days during the 28-day period after randomization, measured as (1) the proportion of patients who never developed kidney failure and (2) median number of days alive and free of kidney failure for patients who did not survive, who experienced kidney failure, or both. The trial was conducted at 18 intensive care units in the U.K. A total of 409 patients (median age, 66 years) were included in the study, with a median time to study drug administration of 3.5 hours after diagnosis of shock. The number of survivors who never developed kidney failure was 94 of 165 patients (57 percent) in the vasopressin group and 93 of 157 patients (59 percent) in the norepinephrine group. The median number of kidney failure-free days for patients who did not survive, who experienced kidney failure, or both was 9 days in the vasopressin group and 13 days in the norepinephrine group. There was less use of renal replacement therapy in the vasopressin group than in the norepinephrine group. There was no significant difference in mortality rates between groups. In total, 11 percent of patients had a serious adverse event in the vasopressin group vs 8 percent in the norepinephrine group. "Among adults with septic shock, the early use of vasopressin compared with norepinephrine did not improve the number of kidney failure-free days. Although these findings do not support the use of vasopressin to replace norepinephrine as initial treatment in this situation, the confidence interval included a potential clinically important benefit for vasopressin, and larger trials may be warranted to assess this further," the authors write. ### (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.10485; the study is available pre-embargo 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. Media Advisory: To contact co-author Stephen J. Brett, M.D., email stephen.brett@imperial.ac.uk. To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story This link for the study will be live at the embargo time: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.10485 PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Aug. 2, 2016 -- Valley Fever, a potentially deadly dust-borne fungal disease, should be easier to diagnose and treat thanks to a testing technology developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Northern Arizona University (NAU), and now protected by a patent issued today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. TGen and NAU have exclusively licensed this technology to DxNA LLC, a company based in St. George, Utah, which plans to make this Valley Fever Test commercially available to hospitals and clinics upon completion of FDA clinical trials and a subsequent FDA 510(k) submission for review and clearance later this year. Valley Fever is endemic to Phoenix and Tucson, but also is spreading throughout the arid regions of North and South America. It is an infection caused by the microscopic fungus Coccidioides, a pathogen that lives in desert soils and typically enters the body through the lungs. An estimated 150,000 Americans are infected annually by Valley Fever, and as many as 500 die each year. "Currently, there is no definitive test for Valley Fever. Our new rapid, 1-hour, genetic-based test will provide physicians and patients with a precise diagnosis, enabling prompt treatment and preventing this disease from becoming more serious," said Dr. Paul Keim, Director of TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division, or TGen North, based in Flagstaff. "For the past decade, TGen has worked to develop better tools and technology to address Valley Fever, and we think it is critical to be able to apply our cutting-edge science to problems in our own backyard," said Dr. Keim, who also is the Cowden Endowed Chair of Microbiology at NAU, and Director of NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics (MGGen). Valley Fever most commonly causes a progressive lung infection, but can also spread to other parts of the body, including the skin, bone, brain and the rest of the nervous system. Nearly 60 percent of those infected by Valley Fever -- including other vertebrates, and especially dogs -- develop no significant symptoms. However, some patients develop highly debilitating symptoms, such as cough, fever and fatigue. These symptoms are similar to other respiratory diseases caused by bacteria or virus, and often lead to delayed diagnoses and inappropriate treatment. Very severe Valley Fever can require lifelong treatment with antifungal drugs, and even result in death. This new genetic-based test can precisely identify both strains of Valley Fever: Coccidioides posadasii, found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and much of Latin America, and Coccidioides immitus, which is found in California, Washington and Baja Mexico. Most infections occur in central and southern Arizona. Each year on average, there are an estimated 150,000 cases in Arizona, resulting in more than 1,700 hospitalizations at a cost of more than $86 million. "These high costs are driven to a significant degree by the high level of misdiagnosis, resulting in an average time to diagnosis of 5 months from when a patient first seeks care," said David Taus, CEO of DxNA LLC. "Our test provides definitive results in 60 minutes, dramatically improving the diagnosis of the disease over current methodologies, both in terms of time and accuracy." The intellectual property used in DxNA's Valley Fever Test is exclusive to DxNA LLC, and covers both human and veterinary applications, Taus said. ### About TGen Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, and diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: http://www.tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen. Media Contact: Steve Yozwiak TGen Senior Science Writer 602-343-8704 syozwiak@tgen.org About DxNA LLC? DxNA is a privately held company located in St. George Utah. It is a molecular diagnostics company that develops and distributes portable, fully-integrated systems and tests for infectious disease in the medical, agricultural, food safety, and biosecurity markets. The Company's systems and technologies enable rapid and precise molecular testing to take place on-site by allowing for otherwise complex laboratory procedures to be performed almost anywhere. DxNA's patented GeneSTAT portable Real Time PCR molecular diagnostic testing system will allow individuals with minimal training to conduct accurate real-time diagnostic testing in virtually any location including laboratories, clinics, physician offices, emergency rooms or field settings. Designed with economy in mind, GeneSTAT is inherently less costly than the real time PCR systems typical of clinical laboratories. About Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University is a high-research university with a statewide enrollment of 28,000 students. More than 20,000 students attend the Flagstaff campus, with 8,000 students enrolled online and at Extended Campus sites statewide. Research in genetics, forestry and ecology has drawn international recognition to the university, which also is highly regarded for its education, business and engineering programs. NAU launched competency-based Personalized Learning in 2013, the first self-paced, online education program that cuts the cost and time to an undergraduate degree. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In early 2014, months before the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and shortly after the Black Lives Matter movement got its start, Michael Schlosser, the director of the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois, began offering police recruits classes that challenged their views about race and racism, introduced them to critical race theory and instructed them in methods to de-escalate potentially volatile encounters with members of minority groups. The Police Training Institute trains police recruits from about 500 police departments in the state of Illinois. Rather than adopting a military approach to training, PTI uses an adult-learning model, encouraging interactive learning and integrating scenario-based role playing into every aspect of training. The Policing in a Multiracial Society Project, an optional 10-hour class to which many Illinois police chiefs elect to send their recruits, exposes new officers to ideas they may never have encountered before. It asks them to ponder, for example, their own and others' innate racial biases, and offers evidence of the harm that can accrue from the notion that someone can be blind to another person's race, or that racism is no longer a meaningful factor in many people's lives. Schlosser and his colleagues describe the course in a paper in the International Journal of Criminal Justice. (Watch a video about the training.) Schlosser designed the course Sundiata Cha-Jua, a U. of I. professor of African American studies and of history; Helen Neville, a professor of African American studies and of educational psychology; community member Imani Bazzell; and student Maria Valgoi. He and his colleagues are studying whether the training meaningfully alters racial awareness in a mostly white, mostly male police force. That evaluation involves questions from the Colorblind Racial Attitudes Scale, a tool developed by Neville. The CoBRAS questionnaire assesses a respondent's tendency to acknowledge - or dismiss - racial bias in their own lives and in society in general, Neville said. Another study co-authored by Schlosser and published in the journal Race and Social Problems, found that police recruits are more likely than others to subscribe to colorblind racial beliefs - the notion that they, and people in general, see no differences among people from different racial groups and treat everyone the same. "Although some people think it's good not to 'see race,' findings using the CoBRAS and similar scales suggest that to deny, distort or minimize the existence of racism is related to greater racial intolerance and old-fashioned racist beliefs," Neville said. Other research has demonstrated that police racial attitudes are pliable. Perhaps the most compelling example is a 2012 study of New York City police officers who took a semester-long ethnic studies course. The researchers found that, on average, white police officers' colorblind racial attitudes had shifted meaningfully by the end of the class. Their CoBRAS scores moved closer to those of minority officers, who, not surprisingly, were less likely to subscribe to colorblind racial beliefs in the first place. Schlosser is trying to improve upon that outcome. The free, optional training available at the PTI adds 10 hours to the police recruits' 12-week training. "A typical police recruit is between 22 and 26 years old. And even though that's young, that's a lot of life experiences which have created your thought process, your social identity and what you think of life in general," Schlosser said. "And to say that we can change that in 12 weeks, it's tough." As a white, retired police officer who spent 20 years on the force of a small, but diverse, Illinois town, Schlosser is an outlier in the police-training world. For reasons he can't entirely explain, he has an abiding interest in police relations with minority communities. While pursuing a Ph.D. in education at Illinois, for example, he chose courses that fell outside the norm for a white police administrator. "I took classes in critical race theory, the sociology of racism - any class having to do with understanding critical issues involving race in our country," he said. Schlosser's dissertation involved testing whether colorblind racial attitudes in police recruits could be altered through targeted training. That initial effort failed to make an immediate difference in their attitudes, as measured by the CoBRAS test before and after the training. Since then, Schlosser and his colleagues have adjusted the training program, giving recruits more time to share their ideas and attitudes about race and policing; bringing in African-American and other speakers who were arrested, convicted and jailed for crimes they didn't commit; and role-playing with an experienced team of trainers (many of them African-American) who walk young recruits through a variety of potentially volatile scenarios, many of which include a racial component. Roughly 75 percent of the more than 500 police chiefs who send their recruits to the PTI now elect to include the new training. The team is gathering data on the new training regimen, evaluating recruits before and afterward to see if this approach has more success. Brown's death, followed by numerous tragic deaths of unarmed black men, women and children in interactions with police, alerted much of the nation to a problem that minority communities have complained about for generations, Schlosser said. "Some police officers - and, as found in the investigation that led to the Ferguson report, whole departments - are unfairly targeting people in minority communities and using disproportionate force against them," he said. "The fallout from Ferguson and the incidents that followed was when everything started, with the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing," he said. "And as bad as that was, the first thing that came to my mind was, I bet some people will be listening to me now." Schlosser said most police officers never fire their guns or harm anyone in the course of performing their duties. "The Department of Justice Bureau of Statistics determined that in 98 percent of police interactions, there's no force used. And the odds of you shooting somebody as a police officer is 0.03 percent," he said. "Unfortunately, there are situations where police officers must use force - at times deadly force - against a resisting subject when they themselves or others are in imminent jeopardy of death or great bodily harm. But I wonder how much race comes into play - not only in these situations, but also in everyday interactions with racial minorities. We hope to minimize - through training - the influence of racial bias in police decision-making." ### Editor's notes: To reach Michael Schlosser, call 217-333-2337; email schlossr@illinois.edu. To reach Helen Neville, call 217-244-6291; email hneville@illinois.edu. The paper "Improving Policing in a Multiracial Society in the United States: A New Approach" is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau. [LINK to email: diya@illinois.edu] The paper "Police Endorse Colorblind Racial Beliefs More Than Laypersons" is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau. COLUMBIA, Mo. -Experts are concerned that college students are making ill-informed student loan decisions with potentially negative consequences to themselves and the economy. As a result, universities are trying to 'think outside the box' to find ways to reduce undergraduate borrowing and help assist students in making better financial choices. At the University of Missouri, initiatives within the financial aid office, backed by new research from the Truman School of Public Affairs, are showing that establishing relationships, more than merely providing information, is important when helping students make better financial decisions. "Financial aid experts have long been trying to determine the best interventions to help students better understand their debt and change borrowing behaviors," said Nick Prewett, director of MU's Financial Aid office. "Research from the Truman School of Public Affairs shows information alone is not sufficient to change borrowing behaviors. To be successful, our office focuses on building personal relationships with students through one-on-one counseling and outreach." Prewett points to the "proactive" philosophy of the MU Financial Aid office as an explanation of why MU's average debt load of $21,000 is less than the national average debt of $30,000. One intervention being used is the practice of sending debt letters to all student borrowers; these letters include information about debt accrued, estimated monthly payment and remaining borrowing eligibility. Rajeev Darolia, assistant professor of public affairs, partnered with the MU Financial Aid office to test the role information from a debt letter plays in borrowing decisions. Using financial aid records, the experiment identified non-graduating undergraduate students who had obtained student loans during their time at MU. Half of the group were randomly assigned to receive the official letter, while the other half did not. Darolia found that the letter, in isolation, did not have an overall effect on borrowing. While there was no difference in borrowing, one important outcome was noted--students who received the letter came to the financial aid office at a much higher rate than those who did not. "Results from the study indicate that information alone, without other supports, is likely not enough to systematically change financial aid decisions," Darolia said. "What is also needed is the ability to sit down with somebody and really go into detail about the implications of student loans and have that information available in many different ways." In addition to sending debt letters, which are now distributed to all MU students with student loans, MU's Financial Aid office also: Calls students who are at risk of borrowing an excessive amount; Assigns a specific counselor for every MU student; Communicates with students and parents via social media about student loans, work study opportunities and scholarships; Connects students with one-on-one exit counseling provided by the Mizzou Office for Financial Success Darolia's paper "An Experiment on Information Use in College Student Loan Decisions," recently was published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Research Department. Darolia is a visiting scholar for the payment cards center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. ### Editor's note: A step-by-step checklist is one example of how the MU Financial aid office works with students to help them understand their student loans. It's assumed that family and friends will help out in the event of a medical crisis, but that's not always feasible. And when stroke survivors need more than 20 hours of care per week, as a study in the August edition of Stroke shows, it's a large burden for their loved ones. More than half of elderly stroke survivors receive help from a caregiver, requiring 22.3 hours of assistance per week on average. That's nearly double what elderly patients who have not had a stroke require, at an average of 11.8 hours of help. A group of University of Michigan researchers found the need for care translates to about $11,000 per stroke survivor per week, for an annual estimate of around $40 billion in costs to care for elderly stroke survivors. "Previous studies underestimated the caregiving resources that are used, and we expect the cost of caregiving will only increase as baby boomers age," said first author Lesli Skolarus, M.D., M.S., a neurologist with the U-M Comprehensive Stroke Center. Caregivers could include unpaid, like family and friends, along with paid caregivers, as about one-third of stroke survivors with informal care also receive paid care. Activities included in the estimate are accompanying the patient to physician appointments, cooking, cleaning, helping the patient eat, bathe and dress and helping with money matters and insurance decisions. Using data from a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries, the team compared 892 elderly self-reported stroke survivors to 892 non-stroke controls, accounting for demographics and other health conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease or dementia. The researchers determined more than half of elderly stroke survivors receive help from a caregiver, requiring 22.3 hours of assistance per week on average. That's nearly double what elderly patients who have not had a stroke require, at an average of 11.8 hours of help. "Stroke survivors need a caregiver to spend the equivalent of half of a full-time job each week to help them," said senior author James Burke, M.D., M.S., a neurologist with U-M's Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Veterans Affairs. "Caregiving is an especially big burden in patients with neurological conditions." Skolarus added, "We need to plan for other mechanisms to support caregivers and survivors. Hopefully planning now will reduce the future burden." The team first presented the research at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. ### Additional authors: Vicki Freedman, Ph.D., U-M Institute for Social Research; Chunyung Feng, Ph.D., of the U-M's Comprehensive Stroke Center and Jeffrey Wing, Ph.D., MPH, of Public Health at Grand Valley State University. Funding: National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 MD008879), National Institute of Health's National Institute of Aging (U01AG032947), NIH/NINDS K23 NS073685 (Skolarus), NIH/NINDS K08NS082597 (Burke) Disclosure: Bracket Global (Skolarus, consultant) Reference: "Care Received by Elderly US Stroke Survivors May Be Underestimated," Stroke, August 2016. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.012704 A pilot study opens a window on a biological mechanism for health benefits of urban greenery and on the methodology to expand research efforts EUGENE, Ore. -- Aug. 2, 2016 -- New research finds that airborne bacterial communities differ from one urban park to the next but those of parking lots are alike -- and differ from those of parks in subtle but potentially important ways. At a glance, such findings seem intuitive. Parks often have different vegetation in them, and asphalt-covered parking lots are much the same -- barren asphalt bombarded by solar radiation as well as heavy metals and fuel from motor vehicles. The importance, according to University of Oregon researchers, is that this pilot study describes not only the differences in microbial communities but also how far from a park the influence may extend. Recent studies suggest that the composition of the bacterial communities may be important to human health -- and not in the ways you think, says Gwynne Mhuireach, a doctoral student in landscape architecture who led the new study that is online ahead of print in the journal Science of the Total Environment. There is a reason, she says, to believe that healthy air depends not just on the absence of bad things like pollutants, but the presence of good things such as bacteria with which humans have co-evolved. "We're starting to build larger and more complex cities," Mhuireach said. "I am interested in ways to help maintain people's health and happiness as we do so. Some studies say that as we are building these denser cities we are losing green space. I am looking for mechanisms that explain why vegetation helps people and how we can design for it." In the study, the researchers simultaneously collected six air samples over an eight-hour period at five parks and five parking lots in Eugene. The locations were free of tall trees that block air movement to constrain microbial differences due to air circulation -- another role vegetation may play. The idea, Mhuireach said, was to first discover whether vegetation was a significant source of microbes for nearby areas. Microbial samples were gathered using three petri dishes and three vacuum-pump-driven units -- all placed 2 meters (6 feet) above the ground at each site. Researchers collected 5.8 million DNA sequences representing 16,633 operational taxonomic units from 40 unique bacterial phyla. Subsequent DNA analyses found that Sphingomonas, commonly found in soil and on plant surfaces, accounted for one fourth of bacteria collected. Also abundant were Hymenobacter, Pedobacter, Agrobacterium and Rhodococcus, all soil-associated species. The samples were collected during the harvesting season of the grass-seed industry north of Eugene, when prevailing winds likely blew associated microbes into the sites, researchers noted. Parking lots tended to be more similar to each other, with a prevalence of Acetobacteraceae, while parks had unique bacterial fingerprints likely reflecting vegetation types in and near each park. The findings provide evidence of how differences in vegetation in an urban area influence airborne microbial communities at fine spatial scales, said co-author Bart Johnson, a professor of landscape architecture. The study, he said, provides a path to future studies that should help guide landscape design in cities where growing populations are driving denser living spaces. While the specifics of how plant-associated microbes affect human health, and whether microbes contribute to the well-documented benefits of urban parks for people are unknown, the researchers suggest that "provisioning urban residents with green space within 400 meters (about 1,300 feet) of their homes" would make it more likely that they are exposed to the "park-like microbiome." "There have been studies that compared the health of children who grow up on farms versus cities," Johnson said. "They've concluded that the lower incidence of allergies in children from farms was related to different microbial exposures, but there has been little work to examine whether there is enough microbial variation at the fine spatial scales of a park, a street or a block to potentially influence the health of children in cities. "Do children and adults with greater exposure to vegetation receive increased health benefits because of the associated microbes? We don't know, but this study points to some promising new directions of inquiry," he said. Equally important, the researchers documented that the simple use of petri dishes, a passive data-collection approach, successfully captured airborne microbial samples comparable to the more-expensive use of vacuum-powered equipment at the study sites. "We just let air out of the sky settle into petri dishes and found that we can use this method in future projects because we found similar composition and diversity of microbes using both methods," Mhuireach said. Mhuireach's research, Johnson said, creatively combines methodologies from biology, architecture and landscape architecture. It is reminiscent, he said, of Dr. John Snow's mapping of cholera outbreaks in the 1850s. Snow's work provided a scientific understanding of how the disease was spread by waterborne bacteria rather than by "bad vapors," and it coincided with the efforts of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to incorporate nature into urban park designs to improve human well-being. "Olmtead was dealing with invisible things -- then unknown -- that influenced people's health," Johnson said. "This new research is pointing to a biological mechanism behind Olmstead's ideas." Mhuireach, who grew up on a farm, said she has been curious about health differences between people who grew up in rural and urban areas. She and her co-authors noted that while overall health has improved with technological progress and lifestyle changes, researchers have found that the shift away from childhood exposures to natural environments is associated with later-life inflammatory response problems such as allergies and asthma. "As the research advances," she said, "we will be looking at vegetation around homes and neighborhoods where people live to start answering the big questions: Why does green space improve people's well-being? Are there physiological as well as psychological mechanisms? Are there beneficial microbes that we should be exposed to on a daily basis?" ### Co-authors were Adam E. Altrichter, Joshua Ladau, James F. Meadow, and Jessica L. Green, all of the UO when the project began, and Katherine S. Pollard, an expert in bioinformatics and computational biology at the University of California, San Francisco. The research was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grants through the UO Biology and Built Environment Center, UO Department of Landscape Architecture, National Science Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Mhuireach also was supported by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship. Sources: Bart Johnson, professor of landscape architecture, 541-346-2235, bartj@uoregon.edu; and Gwynne Mhuireach, gwynhwyf@uoregon.edu Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews. Links: Johnson faculty page: http://landarch.uoregon.edu/bart-johnson Department of Landscape Architecture: http://landarch.uoregon.edu Teledentistry can bring dental care to people who lack it, University of the Pacific finds Bringing "virtual dental homes" to schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities can keep people healthy - reducing school absenteeism, lessening the need for parents to leave work to care for an ailing child, and helping to prevent suffering for millions of people who have no access to a dentist, a six-year study by University of the Pacific demonstrates. The findings were reported today by the Pacific Center for Special Care, a program of the university's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Pacific developed the teledentistry system and has evaluated it in more than 3,000 patients across California since 2010. More than $5.5 million in federal, state and other grants supported the demonstration project. The virtual dental home is a community-based oral health care delivery system that uses telehealth technology to link specially trained dental hygienists in the community with dentists in dental offices and clinics. The approach was developed by Pacific Center Director Paul Glassman, a professor of dentistry at University of the Pacific, who collaborated with a broad range of stakeholders to leverage advances in dentistry and telehealth, create training programs for dentists and hygienists, and win policy and other changes needed to pilot and evaluate the system. "Our six-year demonstration project confirms that this is a safe, effective way to bring care to people who need it," Glassman said. "Basing a virtual dental home in a school, a nursing home or other community setting allows dental hygienists to prevent or treat the majority of oral health problems on site, and also brings prevention information to patients, families and caregivers. Finally, it connects on-site care in the community to dentists in dental offices." Since the demonstration project began, Glassman and his team have implemented the system in 50 California Head Start preschools, elementary schools, community centers, residential care facilities for people with disabilities, senior centers and nursing homes. Preliminary findings persuaded Oregon, Hawaii and Colorado to also pilot the system. One of the first virtual dental homes opened its doors at Harmon Johnson Elementary School in North Sacramento, where almost 100 percent of students are eligible for Medi-Cal. The school's dental "home" is a cheery room, just off the cafeteria, where kids can have their teeth checked by a dentist via telehealth. The school's part-time, grant-funded dental hygienist cleans teeth, treats some small cavities, and teaches tooth brushing, flossing and tooth-friendly nutrition. She gives away free toothbrushes to children and their family members, with as many free replacements as needed. "Our students and families are excited because the preventive dental care takes place at school, a safe and caring learning environment that's a second home to them. There are smiles all around, even among staff," said Michelle Rivas, president of the Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Trustees. "When children have less need to travel to a dental office, they are less likely to miss hours of critical instructional time in the classroom. Being able to receive preventive care will also help keep them healthy and better able to learn." Other children's advocates also endorse the approach. "California's children are facing an oral health care crisis," said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children's Partnership, a California-based national children's advocacy organization. "The virtual dental home helps bring critical, comprehensive care to children where they are. With care in the community by oral health providers working at the top of their expertise, we are helping to better meet the diverse needs of California's children and families." California Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) also argues that more schools and other community settings should have on-site teledentistry care. "Results from the research further demonstrate the benefits of this oral health care delivery system and how this program can reach children and communities that would otherwise likely go without," Low said. He is author of a bill now before the Legislature, which would provide $4 million in funding to expand virtual dental homes statewide. The measure is cosponsored by The Children's Partnership and California Dental Association. "AB 648 will supply more community-based sites across the state with access to preventive and basic dental care through the virtual dental home model," Low said. The California State Auditor underscored the need in a 2014 report. It found that in 32 of California's 58 counties there were too few dentists to serve children enrolled in Medi-Cal. Five counties had no active Medi-Cal dentists. In 11 counties, not a single dentist accepted new Denti-Cal patients. In California, 24 percent of all children complete elementary school without ever having seen a dentist. The situation is even worse for low-income children. In 2013, only 41 percent of children eligible for Medi-Cal received any dental services. Findings of the six-year report include: Examining dentists using the telehealth system determined that approximately two-thirds of children and about half of seniors and people with disabilities in long-term care facilities can have their oral health needs met by dental hygienists in the community, without the need to see a dentist in person. No adverse outcomes were reported for any of the procedures performed by hygienists. The virtual dental home system delivers significantly more prevention and early intervention at less cost per patient than the current Denti-Cal system. Financial projections based on the demonstration project experience indicate the system could be financially viable in the Denti-Cal system. The Pacific Center for Special Care is committed to improving the oral health of underserved people throughout California and nationally. In addition to creating best-practice models, it advocates for improved access to dental care for anyone who faces challenges to receiving oral health services through the traditional oral health care system. These include people who have difficulty maintaining good oral health or accessing oral health services because of medical, physical, social, economic or geographic conditions. ### The center is part of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, based at University of the Pacific's San Francisco campus. The school has been serving the community and educating oral health care providers since its founding in 1896. For more information, visit PacificSpecialCare.org. About University of the Pacific Established in 1851 as the first chartered institution of higher education in California, University of the Pacific prepares students for professional and personal success through rigorous academics, small classes, and a supportive and engaging culture. The university's distinctive Northern California footprint includes campuses in Sacramento, San Francisco and Stockton. For more information, visit http://www.pacific.edu. Imagine a nurse who gets the flu while working at a hospital. He goes home to recover -- and an uninfected replacement nurse comes in. This kind of substitution happens all the time in the real world -- teachers, doctors, firefighters and others with essential societal roles get sick and a substitute comes in to fill their role. A new study shows that this kind of health-protecting behavior -- a "relational exchange" -- can explosively accelerate the spread of some epidemics. This finding is in striking contrast to the standard "mass-action" disease models -- like many used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other health organizations--that don't account for this reality. The study was published August 1 in the journal Nature Physics. "One take-home of our study is that it may be very difficult to predict the size of a disease outbreak," says Sam Scarpino, a scientist at the University of Vermont who led the new research with two colleagues, "and that mass-action models can't really account for the kind of sudden speed up and slow down" in transmission that many real-world epidemics show--and that the scientists' new model produces. EPIDEMIC PLANNING "This doesn't mean nurses and doctors shouldn't go home when they're sick, " says Scarpino. Almost the opposite. Instead, the new findings suggest that as epidemics approach their peak, replacement workers are in a more dangerous situation than conventional disease models would suggest. "If you're making strategic decisions about how many healthcare workers you need, how many people you might expect to show up in the hospital, or how many courses of antivirals or antibiotics you might need, then the pace and tempo of cases matters deeply," Scarpino says. Being able to quickly replace sick workers not just at the beginning of an epidemic but at its peak is one key to limiting its spread. But if you can't predict that it's about to exponentially speed up "with a huge number of new cases coming in," Scarpino says, "that could easily overwhelm the health care system and hospitals." INFECTED NODES Disease modeling is becoming an increasingly important part of health-care and epidemic planning. The now-standard mass-action models assume that infected people interact with other people at random, like so many molecules bouncing in the air. This approach has been defended on these grounds: if it's not a perfect reflection of the real world then at least these models give forecasters a sense of the worst-case scenarios. But Scarpino and his colleagues disagree. Their approach represents this essential worker behavior in a dynamic network, where "infected nodes" get rewired when a replacement worker comes in. An emergent property of their model shows that there can be critical transitions where the epidemic accelerates faster than the supposed worst-case scenario of a mass-action model -- and just as suddenly burns out. And their model points to another worrisome dynamic. Imagine during a disease epidemic that the worker replacement rate is "high enough to keep an outbreak under control, but that after some time the rate is slightly reduced. This might occur, for example, after the initial fear wears off," the scientists write. Their model indicates that a slight reduction in the rate at which, say, sick teachers or doctors are replaced "can push the system over a discontinuous transition," such that a "microscopic change" in the rate of replacement can lead to a very large change in disease prevalence. Suddenly, the epidemic is now in a higher gear, and if public health officials then wish to "bring the system back to its previous state," they write, "the replacement rate must be increased well beyond its previous value for the system to return to the initial state." FLU VS. DENGUE The scientists were able to back-up their modeling results with data from actual epidemics. Scarpino and his two co-authors, Laurent Hebert-Dufrene at the Santa Fe Institute, and Antoine Allard at University of Barcelona in Spain, analyzed existing national data from seventeen flu outbreaks in the US, twenty-five years of state-level flu data, and nineteen years of dengue fever data from Puerto Rico. They found the predicted pattern -- "accelerating exponential transmission near the outbreak peak" -- in most of the outbreaks of influenza, but almost not at all in dengue. "In this paper we use dengue fever as a kind of null model," explains Hebert-Dufrene. The scientist didn't expect to see the same accelerations in dengue from replacement behavior, "because in dengue, behavior is not as important," he says. "You can stay home, but the mosquitoes will find you." The new study had its beginning during the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa. During that time, Scarpino, a mathemetical biologist and expert on epidemiology who leads UVM's Emergent Epidemics Lab, observed how many health care and funeral workers would get sick and a healthy person would replace them--only to get sick themselves. He wondered how this kind of substitution affects the spread and speed of the virus and various other kinds of epidemics. "Our study suggests that replacing sick workers quickly throughout an epidemic is important," Scarpino say, "and vaccines, if they're available, should be provided to substitute teachers and nurses and other critical replacement workers as far in advance as possible." ### There is new evidence that the "mother's curse" - the possibility that moms may transmit genes to their children that harm their sons but not their daughters - holds true in animals. Such a possibility arises because there are two independent parts of the genome in the eukaryote cells, which are found in plants and animals, and the two are locked in a "conflict-driven molecular arms race" that impacts human health and wellness. The lion's share of the genome is located in the cell nucleus. But there is also a much smaller secondary portion located in the mitochondria. According to the generally accepted theory, mitochondria were originally independent bacteria that developed an ability to tap highly toxic oxygen molecules as a powerful energy source. Eukaryotes lacked this capability, so some of them found a way to swallow the mitochondria's ancestor without digesting it - converting it into an "endosymbiont," an organism that lives within the body of another organism. Unlike the nuclear genome, which is built from a combination of father's and mother's genetic material, the mitochondrial genome is passed down exclusively from the mother. As a result, male offspring are an evolutionary dead end. While natural selection actively suppresses mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that weaken females, there is no direct mechanism for weeding out those that weaken males: a situation that leads to the mother's curse. While natural selection actively suppresses mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that weaken females, there is no direct mechanism for weeding out those that weaken males: the situation that makes the mother's curse possible. Now, a team of biologists from Vanderbilt University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have discovered a mtDNA mutant in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that substantiates the mother's curse hypothesis in animals: It reduces male offspring's fertility as they age but does not have any observable effect on female siblings. "In the 20 years since this possibility was recognized, a few mitochondrial mutants have been reported that have deleterious effects on male offspring," said Maulik Patel, assistant professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt who headed the study, "but none of them convincingly showed that the mutants did not have any negative effects on the females. Our study is the first to look comprehensively for possible effects of male-harming mtDNA mutants on females and we were fortunate to find one such mutant that has a negative impact on male offspring without having, as far as we can assess, any adverse effects on the female siblings." The discovery is described in an article published online Aug. 2 in the journal eLife. The "mothers curse" is one of the more bizarre consequences of natural selection. According to evolutionary theory, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA are locked in an unending competition. As one accumulates beneficial mutations, then the other is forced to adapt. This is known as the "Red Queen hypothesis." The name is derived from a statement made by the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass: "...it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." In plants, which have much larger mitochondrial genomes that contain a larger number of genes, striking instances of male-harming mitochondria have already been discovered. The mitochondrial genome in animals is much smaller, however, making it much harder to detect similar male-harming mutations. The experiment that ultimately discovered the male-harming mtDNA mutant was something of a tour-de-force that took more than four years to complete. The scientists set up 18 independent lines of fruit flies, each consisting of 300 females and 100 males. In 12 of these lines virgin females were collected every generation and mated with males from the original stock. The researchers did this for 35 generations (about 70 weeks). In the remaining six lines the females were allowed to mate with the sibling males of their choice. Throughout this period the researchers were monitoring fitness of flies to determine whether males were getting harmed. "Ganesh Miriyala, Aimee Littleton and I spent a year and a half 'flipping flies' with no idea of whether we would end up with anything meaningful," said Patel. Miriyala and Littleton were research technicians at the Hutchinson Center. Fortunately, when they were done, the researchers found that a single-point mtDNA mutant had taken over one of the lines. This produced a single amino-acid change in the chemical structure of a subunit of an enzyme called cytochrome C oxidase. The researchers determined that the mutation causes the sperm production and sperm motility of the males to drop prematurely as they age, but it does not appear to have any other effects on males or females. "We weren't looking specifically for mutants that affect fertility," said Patel, "but, in retrospect, it makes sense. Mutants that affect males but not females must be affecting tissues that are different in males and females." Their findings are consistent with a hypothesis that has been advanced to explain an association between a human mtDNA mutant and reduced sperm motility: That mtDNA mutations may be a significant contributor to untreatable male subfertility, known to affect 7-10 percent of men. The researchers also discovered that the mutant enzyme was temperature sensitive. Turning up the temperature in their cages by four degrees Celsius caused the male carriers to become almost completely sterile. This allowed the scientists to perform an additional experiment to test a second prediction of the mother's curse hypothesis: that the nuclear genome should evolve mechanisms for restoring male fitness by suppressing the activity of male-harming mtDNA mutants. They mated females with the mutant mtDNA with males from a number of different fruit fly strains collected from a number of different locations around the world. Then they assayed the male offspring's fertility and were surprised to discover that the nuclear genomes from many of the strains were capable of completely restoring the males' fertility. "The strategy that we used in this study, combined with advances in methods for manipulating mitochondrial genomes, provides us with exciting new opportunities to explore the 'dark side' of one of the oldest and most important symbioses on the planet. We hope this will lead to ways to treat mitochondrial diseases, only a few which currently can be treated, and which are inherited by one newborn in every 200 and become manifest in about one adult out of 5,000," said Patel. ### In addition to Patel, Miriyala and Littleton, co-authors of paper include Janet Young from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Hieko Yang andYukiko Yamashita from the University of Michigan, Kien Trinh, Scott Kennedyand Leo Pallanck from the University of Washington. The research was conducted in the laboratory of evolutionary biologist Harmit Singh Malik at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The research was supported by grants from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, the Mathers Foundation and National Institute of Health grants F30 AG045021, GM104990 and GM074108. While tropical forests continued to decline, a remarkable change is happening: tree cover on agricultural land has increased across the globe, capturing nearly 0.75 Gigatonnes carbon dioxide every year. A new study titled "Global Tree Cover and Biomass Carbon on Agricultural Land: The contribution of agroforestry to global and national carbon budgets" provides insights into the patterns of this tremendous change at global, regional and national scales. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), agriculture and land-use change account for about 24% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change will also have strong impacts on food security in the long-term. Therefore agriculture needs to reduce its climate footprint. But a recent study has shown that the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from crop and livestock production is limited. At the same time, large forest areas, primarily in the tropics, are still being converted into agricultural land to feed the world's growing population. For these reasons, agricultural practices that can significantly reduce carbon emissions are in high demand. Trees on agricultural lands - also known as agroforestry systems - have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation while improving livelihoods and incomes and providing invaluable ecosystem services at the same time. The World Bank estimates that globally 1.2 billion people depend on agroforestry farming systems, especially in developing countries. However, trees on agricultural lands are not considered in the greenhouse gas accounting framework of the IPCC. A team of researchers from various institutions in Africa, Asia and Europe carried out a study to assess the role of trees on agricultural land and the amount of carbon they have sequestered from the atmosphere over the past decade. The study, entitled "Global Tree Cover and Biomass Carbon on Agricultural Land: The contribution of agroforestry to global and national carbon budgets", looks at biomass carbon on agricultural land both globally and by country, and what determines its distribution across different climate zones. Biomass on agricultural land globally "Remote sensing data show that in 2010, 43% of all agricultural land globally had at least 10% tree cover, up from eight percent in the preceding decade," said Robert Zomer of the World Agroforestry Centre, lead author of the study. "Given the vast amount of land under agriculture, agroforestry may already significantly contribute to global carbon budgets." However, regional differences in the trend are significant. The distribution of tree cover on agricultural land depends on climatic conditions in different parts of the world. High tree cover is found in humid areas such as South East Asia, Central America, eastern South America, as well as central and coastal West Africa. Tree cover on agricultural land was moderate in south Asia, sub-humid Africa, central and western Europe, the Amazonia and mid-west North America. On the other hand, low tree cover was found in east China, northwest India, west Asia, the southern border of the Sahara Desert, the prairies of North America and southwest Australia. Biomass on agricultural land by country Remarkable differences are noted in changing biomass carbon stocks over time among countries. Brazil, Indonesia, China and India had the largest increases, while Argentina, Myanmar, and Sierra Leone had the largest decreases in biomass carbon stored on agricultural land. High average carbon mass levels were to be found in 26 countries in the humid tropics, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Indonesia in the lead. On the other hand, 60 countries found in arid and desert parts of the world around the Sahara Desert in North Africa, the Kalahari in southern Africa, Middle East, as well as central and southern Asia recorded low carbon levels over the ten-year period. "Study results show that existing tree cover makes a major contribution to carbon pools on agricultural land, demonstrating the potential to add to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts," said Jianchu Xu of the World Agroforestry Centre. "If tree cover is accounted for, the total carbon stock is over four times higher than when estimated using IPCC tier 1 estimates alone." Given the large amount of agricultural land where tree cover is below its potential, the study suggests that a huge mitigation potential exists and should be explored more systematically. "The results of our spatial analysis show that trees on agricultural land sequestered close to 0.75 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide globally per year over the past decade," said Henry Neufeldt, Head of Climate Change research at the World Agroforestry Centre. "If we can harness good policies to enhance positive examples and stop negative trends, trees in agricultural landscapes can play a major role in greenhouse gas mitigation. But no one should say that this is already solving the problem for agricultural emissions as long as we do not know what is actually happening on the ground." ### Correct citation: Zomer R J, Neufeldt H, Xu J, Ahrends A, Bossio D, Trabucco A, van Noordwijk M and Wang M. "Global Tree Cover and Biomass Carbon on Agricultural Land: The contribution of agroforestry to global and national carbon budgets". Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 29987 (2016). doi:10.1038/srep29987 Participating institutions Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, China Centre for Mountain Ecosystem Studies, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), East and Central Asia Region, Kunming, China World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Kenya and Indonesia Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, United Kingdom International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Soils Division, Nairobi, Kenya Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, IAFES Division, Sassari, Italy Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources (DIPNET), University of Sassari, Italy Wageningen University and Research, Plant Production Systems, Wageningen, the Netherlands Written by ACM *Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/(UpDated)/- Contrary to claims of being a "New" Modus Operanti for Killing People, in fact, the Cowardish Truck Massacre of 84 Civilians (Women+Children included) at Nice, had Precedents, as f.ex. a MEP revealed in EU Parliament's Plenary in Strasbourg, pointing at a strikingly Similar Deadly Terrorist Attack at Graz, in Austria, etc., while France anounced an "Intensification" of AirStrikes against ISIL Terrorists, atrocious BeHeaders even of Innocent Civilian People, and Russian President Vladimir Putin called Paris for Joined Actions (See Infra). So that French President Hollande's Denonciation, (speaking Shortly after the Massacre at Nice, Overnight), of the Fact that "All of France is Threatened by Islamic Terrorism !", appears fully Justified by Facts, (See Infra), but also Long Overdue ..., (while various strange, but officialy unrelated Fires also hit Nice'e Neighbouring City Marseille and even Paris' Eiffel Tower's area, almost at the Same Time, at the aftermath of the National Day of July 14 : See PHOTO above). --- Indeed, a Similar Method to Kill People, as that used by that Mass Murderer at Nice, i.e. to Hit one or more Persons with a Car used as Weapon, was already Threatened, by ISIS' Islamic Terrorists, to be also abused even against the Now Incoming New British Prime Minister, Theresa May, who was Officialy Anounced as such, just at the Eve of that Terrorist Attack at Nice (See Infra) !... A Stern Warning, about Nice's "modus operanti", had already been made as Early as since July 2015, (See "Eurofora"s NewsReport at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euparliamentonisildeadlyterror.html ), by Austrian Georg Mayer (from the Frontrunner FPO Party), who Denounced also the Fact that, curiously, despite its Brutal Mass Murder aspects of a Big Car Attack against Defenseless Civilian People at the Pedestrian area in this landmark European City of Historic Culture, by a recently Radicalized Muslim Bosnian Immigrant that the Country had accepted to Host, provide with a Job, and even give him Full Citizenship, had been rather Covered-up by Establishment's Media. -"I'm from the Austrian City of Graz, where a Massacre took place making 3 Dead and 40 Wounded People, without having yet been Officialy Clarified whether, even this, had been Motivated by Radical Islam", Mayer Criticized. He was speaking of a June 20, 2015 Mass Killing in the Central Square of that Big City at Europe's Heart, where a Bosnian-origin Muslim aged 26, (granted Austrian Citizenship, Hired at a Driver's job, and Married, with 2 Children), suddenly, after a Quarrel with his Wife reportedly because he wanted to Oblige her to put an Islamic Scurf over her Head, to the point that Austrian Authorities had to Protect her, at her demand), he rushed with an Expensive, Big Car, normaly used for Sports, against various Innocent Civilian People at the Pedestrian Zone, Killing a Cyclist, Stumbing with a Knife behind their back a Couple of Elders, Crashing with his Car (at around 100km p/h. !) 2 other Walkers, (including a Child aged only 4 Years, who Died), and making about 36 Wounded, (a Dozen of them in a Serious situation, and one in Critical, Life-Threatening), before letting the Police quietly arrest him, as if it was a matter of routine... - "When these interlinked Murders approach so Close to us, we are particularly Shocked, because we ... perceive Profound Changes :" - Even if, Establishment's "Media and Politicians tell us, most of the times, that they (Extremist Islamic Terrorists) would be All ...Individual Perpetrators ("Lone Wolfs"), nevertheless, in fact, "we (EU) have to do with ....an Army of Individual Perpetrators !", Mayer Criticized. - "For Years we .... Warned ..that Radical Islam was Already at the Center of our (EU) Society", he pointed out. => So that, "the Next Battleground is Europe !", as (mainstream German Newspaper) <> already titled on its Frontpage Article Headlines. - In consequence, "this (recent) Problem of Terrorism, that was Imported (inside the EU) due to the Failures of EU Governments, is one of the Largest that we ...will have to Face during the Coming Years", he had Warned. It cannot be excluded a priori, that this Graz Precedent might have, eventualy, "Inspired" the Mass Murderer of Nice, particularly since he head, reportedly, being Preparing such a move, already since Many Months, and possibly since 2015, (See Facts Infra). ----------- + This had been Preceded also by anOther Similar Deadly Incident at Dijon (France), back on December 2014, when another such man Attacked with his Car and Threw Down 13 People, rolling against bystanders on the pavement for more than 30 Minutes before he was apprehended, while Crying "Allah Akbar !" and "for Paklestine Cildren !", only to find, afterwards, that the Prosecutor, who had initialy opened an Enquiry for Terrorism, finaly Skiped that, because the Aggressor reportedly had some ...Psychological Problems ! ++ And the Next Day, also in France, in the City of Nantes, another Driver reportedly Therw his Van against a Christmas Market's Crowds up to a Wine Stand, where he Killed a Civilian and Wounded Many, also Shouting : - "Allahu Akbar !", attempting to Stab to Death, etc., but the Police, once again, claimed that it would have been an "Isolated" case of just a mentaly "unstable" individual, witthout an obvious relation to Islamic Terrorism... *** But already Previously, 2 Similar, Deadly Terror Attacks by Cars, on October and December 2014, stroke in Jerusalem, at Israel, where Media denounced "Changing Tactics" of Islamic Terrorism : At First, a Driver reportedly ploughed his Car into commuters, Killing a Woman and a Baby. This was Followed, Next Month, by another Driver who Threw his Big Van against a Tram and Bus Stations full of People, before Hitting also Other Cars on the Road, and finaly getting out to Hit Bystanders with a Metal Bar, Killing a Druze Minority Policeman and Wounding 14 Civilian People, (reportedly Revendicated by Hamas), until he was Shot. ("Eurofora" Screenshot from Video at "Telepgraph.co.uk" on Van Attack Killing/Wounding People at Tram/Bus Stations+ after ISIS 9/2014 Call, in Israel, Jerusalem, 11/2014) ------ ++++ Indeed, it's as Early as since September 2014 that a Spokesman of ISIL's Deadly Extreme Islamic Terrorists and atrocious BeHeaders even of Innocent, Defenseless civilian People, had notoriously Launched an Appeal to "Kill .. DisBelieving American(s) or European(s) - especially ... French - ... including Citizens of Countries ...into Coalition against Islamic State, ... in Any Manner or Way", f.e. by "Run(ning) him over with your Car", (etc). Nicknamed "Sheikh" Abu Mohammed Al-Adnani, (originaly Taha Falaha), he Moreover, added : "DoN't Ask anyone for advice (or) judgment"; Just "Kill the Infidels", not only "the Military", but also "Civilians", (i.e. without making any distinction between Armed Soldiers and Unarmed, Peaceful Civilian People, even Elders, Women, Children). --- (New UK PM Theresa May, walking to the Church on Sunday, with her Husband) +++++ Moreover, by an Astonishing Coincidence, it's also the Now Incoming New British Prime Minister, just anounced earlier This Same Week, Theresa May, an Experienced former Minister, recently of JHA, who has reportedly been Threatened, as Early as, already since March 2015, (i.e. Close to the above-mentioned Deadly Big Car Attack at Graz in Austria : Comp. Supra), to be"an Evil Witch", that "should be Hunted down and Run Over with a Car (sic !), to Shut her up from Speaking words Against Islam, as ISIS reportedly Called to do ! ----------------------------- But, as usual, even Now, enstranged Family Members, (in this case, even permanently living in Africa !), as well as some Imams imported and established in France, repeated the ersatz Claim that the Murderer would be more or less "Crazy", and have No Relation at all to the Islamic Religion. However, this last, obviously Crucial point, was reportedly Found to be False, according to several Other Witnesses, who knew personaly the Truck Mass Killer, and attested of his Islamic interests. Moreover, other Witnesses revealed that, already among his own Family and/or Other Personal contacts, several were Islamic Extremists or Linked to them, (See Infra). And his own Father is actively involved with an Islamic Party in Tunisia, according to rumours circulating at the Web. In Wider terms, recently, an Investigative French Journalist, making Enquiries among Extremist Islamists, (including a Local Chieftain from Turkey, who stressed his Wish for "much More Blood" to be shed in France), expressed his Astonishment for the reportedly "too Easy" way for Jihadists to Escape from Police. Even that ISIL-related Turkish Jihadist Recruiter had Boasted for his Success to get out of Prison in only a Few Months, after giving the Impresssion to have a "Good Behaviour" (sic !), as mainstream Australian Media ABC revealed... ------------------------ Nevertheless, the Tunisian immigrant's Islamic Radicalisation, as well as a more "classical" profile of Ordinary Petty Thug, would have reportedly been developed only during Recent Years, (i.e. Long After he had obtained a 10 Years permit to stay and work in France, between 2009 and 2019), i.e. perhaps after he Separated from his Wife and Children, (between 2014 - 2016), according also to French JHA Minister Cazeneuve. "Recently", he had Started to Send Money, even 300 or 400 each time, to his Family at Tunisia, one of his Brothers reportedly said. This corroborates also anOther Source in France, a Woman Neighbour at Nice, who reported that he used to "Lend" her Money, "without asking to be reimbursed". Moreover, at least one mainstream Media (RTL.be) reports that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's Brother would have Revealed that, suddenly, he send them, Secretely, by Recent Special Means, a much Bigger Amount of Money : about "100.000 ", (even if this Last Point has Not yet been Confirmed). But, already, "3 Relatives" of the Killer have been "Islamic Extremists, who were Jailed in Tunisia", according to British Media "Daily Mail", whose Journalist, reporting from the spot, cites "Police Sources". "2 of them" were "Training with Weapons in the Mountains", as Early as since "2008", reveals the UK Newspaper, which also Publishes a Photo of Nice's Mass Murderer's Brother holding a long Rifle, with his Kid, (as ISIS has already done in its Horrible Propaganda, f.ex. by showing Kids Killing with a Knife a Defenseless Prisoner, etc). (UK Newspaper "Daily Mail") Afterwards, "One ... definitively Flew to Europe", and "we are Checking if he was at Nice", while anOther "went to Syria", (i.e. at ISIL's main areas), and only a "Third", "usualy lives Here" (in Tunisia), even if he was "Not Traced". They are "Brothers and Cousins of Bouhlel's Wife", according to Tunisian Sources, (i.e. of that Woman that, Curiously, was the Only Initialy Arrested Suspect, who was, Shortly Afterwards, ...Released by the French Police)... + Even more important : A local Lawyer at Nice, who had initially Claimed that he Knew Well the Murderer, having served as His Defense Lawer when he had been Condemned for some comparatively Petty Crimes in the Recent Past (1 - 3/2016), in order to Boast, in several INTWs to Radio-TV Big Media, (immediately Retransmitted also by a lot of various Other Media almost Everywhere), that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel would "Not Look at all as an Islamic Extremist", but "just like an ordinary petty thug", (i.e. Denying the ISIL's link), has just been found to be a Gross Liar : - in fact, he had NEVER been the Killer's Lawyer in the Past (in fact, he had been served by anOther, absolutely Differend Lawyer) ! This Failed Attempt to Hide the Mass Murderer's links to Islamic Terrorism, even by such Gross Lies, provoked a Scandal. ------------------------------------------ (ISIS Islamic Terrorists Revendicated that Mass Deadly Attack against Innocent Civilian People at Nice) --- + Far from being merely a Mentaly Unstable, "Lone Wolf", reacting Emotionaly, as some had initialy claimed, on the Contrary, the Murderer had carefully Plotted and Prepared his Move, in Cold Blood, Many "Months" Before (may be even a Year), and had relevant Contacts and various Accomplices, as an on-going Investigation found (Partly UpDated) : I.e. at least from the Beginning of the Month, since on 4rth July he had already Chosen and Reserved "the Biggest" Lorry offered by a Nearby Business, for Mid-July. Afterwards, investigators (mainly with CCTV Cameras, Eyewitnesses, etc) found that he had also Tested the Road ("Promenade des Anglais") of the Future Massacre, with that Same Truck, during the 2 Previous Days, coming and going all along that, without any problem, neither arising any suspicion, (despite a general Prohibition of Big Lorries DownTown, and the Proximity of the Mass Event of the 14th July National French Day). Even at this latest, Fatal Date, he had arrived Hours before that Road was Blocked, with that easily spotted Huge White Lorry, reportedly Claiming to the Police that he would be "Selling Ice-Creams" ! But Policemen, curiously, did Not check at all that Huge Truck and its Contents, despite an "Emergency" Anti-Terror status in France, and even recent years' revelations about various illegal Traffick and Smuggling taking place via such Lorries, (including of Drugs, Arms, irregular Migrants, etc). In addition, Bouhlal had also taken a "Shelfie" Photo of Himself, Smiling among the Peacefuly strolling French People, his Future Victims, and Send it to a Brother in Tunisia, (who Refused to let it be seen by the Press), just a few Hours before the Massacre Starts. Most Important, he had even send 2 Messages to certain probable Accomplices (at least one of them reportedly arrested and detained later-on), saying (by a Code) that he had foound and brought in "the Equipment", at "5 before C" (a Mysterious yet reference, possibly to an Event or Location), as well as Asking for Fire-Arms. >>> As the Investigation advances further, a Paris' Prosecutor reportedly revealed that the Murderer had severeal "Accomplices", had been "Radicalized" as an Islamic Extremist, and was PreMedittating and Preparing the Mass Killing probably as Early as "since 2015", (i.e. a Year Before !).. Inter alia, he had seeked a Drug used by "Kamikaze" Suicide Terrorists on 2015, and had Discussed with Accomplices that precise Mass Killing by a Heavy Truck modus operandi elready maney Months Earlier, had been provide with a Gun by Muslim Albanians, Photographed Together with some Pals and the Fatal Truck several Days before the Massacre, (etc). Last, but not least, National and Local Policemen, Soldiers, etc., reportedly present on the spot, did Not manage to Stop a ...2 Km Long Deadly Attack by that Heavy Truck against Defenseless Civilian People all along an overcrowded Main Road, specialy reserved for the French National Day Event, but Only After a Simple, Unarmed and Anonymous Citizen took the Initiative to Jump onto Bouhlal's Car and Open its Door, obliging the Murdered to Stop, in order to Seize his FireArm, Point it at him and Shoot, pushing him Outwards, so that a Policeman found the Time to Shoot Back and Neutralize the Murderer, (Long After it Crushed at least 84 Innocent Civilian People Killed meanwhile)... ----------------------------------- "FIGARO" : - "Win the War !" V. PUTIN : Join Russian + French forces against Islamic Terrorism ---------------------------------------------------------- (The Day After:"Figaro'"s FrontPage = "WIN THE WAR !" + "Strike Back mercilessly !") ---- => However, mainstream, Center-Right French Newspaper "FIGARO" published overnight a Front-Page Headline Calling to "Win the War !". It was followed by an "Editorial" Article, written by the Editor in Chief himself, Titled - "A Merciless Riposte (Counter-Attack)", or "Strike Back WithOut Mercy", a Sub-Heading pointing to the Fact that Islamic "Caliphat's Soldiers do Not make War with Half-Measures", and Concluding that "it's Now that Action Must be Taken, in order to Stop that Awful Series" of Deadly Terrorist Attacks against Civilian People. Almost All Political Leaders of the Biggest Opposition Parties, both Marine Le Pen's "FN" Rightists, and Nicolas Sarkozy's Center-Right "Republicans", (including Former Prime Ministers Alain Juppe and Francois Fillon, etc), converged in Criticizeing the Fact that the current Government (still led by the "Socialists") had Not Yet Taken all the Necessary and Possible Measures during the Latest 18 Months of Unprecedented Mass Terrorist Attacks in France, (Jan. 2015 - July 2016). MLP even went as far as to also Ask from several Members of the PSoc. Government to "Resign". As for the Experienced, former President of France, and current Leader of the Main Opposition Party, Sarkozy himself, he was First to Visit Nice just after that Bloodbath, Stressing, particularly, that the Horrible Spectacle of Killed People's Cadavers at the Streets "Must Stop". Later-on Sarkozy also found that, Today, we are Facing "a Total War" by ISIS' Terrorists, Warning that, in fact, -"It will be Them, or Us !", as he characteristicaly said, while also reiterating an Extended List of concrete Measures, which should be taken asap. (Sarkozy : It's "a Total War" => "It will be Them, or Us !") Indeed, things look Serious, as the Latest Mass Killing of Innocent Civilians at Nice was later Followed also by an ISIS' Propaganda Video where 2 Islamic Terrorist BeHead defenseless Prisoners while Insulting all the French as "Criminal People" (sic !) and Threatening to bring such Cowardish Atrocious BeHeadings even of Civillian People throughout all France... ------------------------------------------------ + Meanwhile, among a Long List of European and International Leaders' various Statements, shortly After the Massacre, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the Exceptional Initiative to Publish 2 successive Anouncements in a few Hours Time, (the 2nd even Directly Transmitted in Full by Publishing a Video), on the Massacre of Nice, addressing himself Both to French President Hollande and, even more solemnly, "to the French Nation" : - Condemning that "Outrageous Terrorist Attack in France", "the Criminal Act in Nice", which "was Committed with extreme Atrocity and Cynicism", as he said, President Putin reminded the Fact that also "Russia knows Terrorism and the Threat it creates for Us All", since "Our People have had to deal with Similar Tragedies Many Times", (f.ex., after the notorious Chechnya War, also at Dagestan's "Beslan SchoolChildren" Mass Hostage-Taking, Back on 2004, as well as in Moscow's Opera, etc), while even Nice's "Deaths and Injuries", "Included" also "Russian Citizens", he observed. => In Addition, what is most Important Today, is that, in Fact, "We Can Defeat Terrorism", "Only through a United Effort", the Russian President (who has notoriously a lot of Armed Forces already Engaged in a Serious Fight against Islamic Terrorism, including ISIL, at Syria and elsewhere, and has Recently Liberated from ISIS' Deadly and Destructive Terrorists, f.ex. also the Historic, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Palmyra) Concluded in this Exceptional Address for France, Confirming Russia's Interest in the Closest possible Cooperation with France and its Other International Partners in all Counter-Terrorist Efforts, as his Spokesman, Pescov, underlined. Since Russia's active involvement in Syria, more and more Territories, Earlier Invaded and Occupied by ISIL's Terrorists, have Recently Started to be Liberated, and this has Positively influenced even some parts of Land at Iraq, revealing an Historic U-Turn towards the Decline of those Extremist Islamists, atrocious BeHeaders even of Civilian People, who are Now Losing Ground in several Areas, as the Latest Maps clearly indicate, (See relevant MAP, herewith). But, until now, Outgoing US President Barack Hussein Obama has resisted Moscow's Offers to Act Jointly in order to Liberate Raqqa, ISIL's alleged "Capital", and that Lack of real Unity and Decisiviness in the Anti-ISIL Terror side, has obviously Hamperered an Otherwise obviously Existing Potential for a much Greater Efficiency on the spot. Something which Might, naturaly, Change with the Forthcoming US Presidential Elections, but also if the European, and particularly French, as well as British, Italian, but mainly Franco-German, and, above all, Collective EU Factor, could Begin to Really Move, in a Well Coordinated and Decisive way, with a Full Political Will to Finaly Settle this Problem, Protect all Europeans and Eradicate for ever such Atrocious InHuman Monstruosities puttin an End to ISIL's Mass Killings even of Innocent Civilian People, (against whom they seem to have desperately augmented their attempts to do Harm, particularly since they have Started to prove Unable to Stand a Real, Face to Face, Military Confrontation on the Battlefield, between Warriors, - and Not just Massacrating, as Coward Thugs, some Defenseless Civilian People, even Elders, Women and Children... Could Nice's latest, and particularly Horrible, such Cowardish ISIL Terror, become, from now-on, the Beginning of a Real Game-Changer, inciting to Open a New Horizon for putting, at last, an End to such Monstruously InHuman Atrocities for ever ? ----------------------------------------------------- Let's Hope. However, in the meantime, it's what could be named as "the Internal Front", which looks to be at the Forefront : Many initial Reactions and Calls to Act obviously Focus, more than ever, mainly on the Measures that Need to be taken in order to Prevent and/or Fight Radicalisation, Avoid that Terrorists Slip among Police's Fingers, before - if not after- a Crime is committed, etc. In this regard, to put it in a nutshell, at least one thing is Cryctal-clear : Strong and Efficient Measures to Prevent and/or Fight Extreme Islamist Radicalisation's ideology from Poisoning even more the Society, is, Naturally, now a Must. But, on the Contrary, Other Measures, eventually Restructive of the Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms of All EU Citizens, even when there isn't any relation to the "Threat of Islamic Terrorism" denounced by French President Hollande, (Comp. Supra), can be very Dangerous. Both for European a.o. Democracy per se, and for People's Trust. At the Same Time, in parallel, various converging Recent Facts point also towards a Growing Popular Feeling (Now repercuted further even by Top mainstream Politicians) that EU Citizens have Not been sufficiently Protected vis a vis Islamic Terrorism's Threat, that probably some Blunders and/or a MisPlaced "Tolerance" or an Excessive "Politicaly Correct" stance, ("Plot Theorists" even evoke some eventual "Complicities", at least Partly, etc), MisCalculations, etc., May have Hindered to Prevent such Horible Massacres. (Angry Popular Reactions during PM visit at Nice after the Mass Killing of Defenseless Civilians by Islamic Terrorism) http://www.ultimedia.com/deliver/generic/iframe/mdtk/01321922/src/u5qsmq/zone/6/showtitle/1/ Initialy Marginal at the "Charlie Hebdo" Killings, back on January 2015, (even is Wolinski Wife's critical stance, etc., should be taken into account, among others), this Appeared Stronger around the "Bataclan" etc. Mass Killings of November 13, 2015, also in Paris, (where some Victims' Families started to React quite Strongly), and seems to Emerge even More Widely, now, at the aftermath of Nice's Tragic Events, concerning Both Victims' Families and the People at large, (as even an Unprecedented double "Boo" and "Resign !" Calls v. Prime Minister Valls during a Ceremony at Nice, already showed). (Killer Truck rolled a Long Way accross Nice's Avenues, including the "Blocked" "Englishmen Walkway", practicaly UnHindered ! ) Among others, some still Pending Questions obviously Need some Good and Solid Answers, concerning f.ex. the Mystery of How it was possible for so Heavy and Huge Truck, not to be Remarked, Stoped and Examined by the Police, while the Killer was coming and going during 3 Crucial Days through Nice's Centre and even at its Most Important Avenue at the Seaside, (Both, in principle, Prohibited for so Big Trucks), up to the "Secure" Area notoriously Reserved for the 14th July Fireworks ; why an Initial, June 2016 Plan to Surround the Events' Area and Check Every Person entering inside (as it was done f.ex. aso at Strasbourg's Christmas Market, back on 12/2015), was Later-on Abandoned, on July 2016, for a Simple Police "Blockade" at Only 2 Points, which was too Easily Bypassed by the Killer's Truck ; and how such already Ideologicaly Radicalized, former Petty Thugs, can Stroll around, almost Everywhere, (even with such Heavy Instruments, a Loaded Arm and 5 other reproductions of Kalasnikov Rifles, etc) Totaly UnHindered (even inside "Security" Areas) ; as well as, Why, Contrary to 2 Simple, Unarmed Citizens, who Heroically Attempted to Stop the Mass Murderer by their Bare Hands, just by Jumping and Grasping that Killer Truck's Door, while Risking their own Lives, (a Motorcyclist, who was Tragically Crashed by the Terrorists's Truck, and a Simple Walker, who was Shot by the Killer's Arm, but managed to Escape, Helping, however, the Police to Target, Shot and Stop the Mass Killing at that Crucial Moment), while, on the Contrary, all those Numerous National and Local Policemen, Soldiers, Secret Services, etc., hadN't yet Managed to Take Any Such Decisive Action, before 84 Civilian People were Atrociously Killed, during a 2 Km.-Long, Direct Trajectory accross that mainstream "English Walkway" ; Is it true, as a Nice PoliceWoman denounced, or Not, that National Police wasn't even visible in CCTV at the Entry of the "Blocked" Avenue ? How come that a Big Vehicle Attack on such a Large Avenue, exceptionaly reserved for Pedestrians that Day during the July 14 Event, had not been Foreseen and Prevented, despite a Long Series of Recent Car Attacks by ISIS' Terrorists, as "Eurofora" proved above ? (Etc). This List could also Include Many Popular Reactions against some Controversial semi-Official Statements reportedly Claiming that, even in the foreseable Future, Nothing could Prevent such Odious Mass Killings of Civilian People, that several commentators found at least Exagerated, if not Scandalous. In Nice's concrete case, the Mere Fact that the Truck Killer had reportedly claimed to the Police "he was ..."Selling Ice-Creams" (sic !), is Simply Not Enough ! --- An Original Testimony, in this regard : Just One (1) Hour Before Nice's Events, "Eurofora"s co-Founder was Crossing, Together with others, a Strasbourg City's main Avenue, when, Suddenly, we were Obliged to Stop, get Out of any Public Transport Means, Private Cars, Motorcycles, running Bicycles, etc, being Blocked and Stuck by a Big Over-Concentration of a Huge Mass of People, Gathered around the City Hall's Tower, and Waiting for the Same "14th July" Fireworks, as in Nice. It was incrfedibly Difficult, if not quite Impossible, to Find a Way and to Pass Through all that Never-Ending Mass of People (Youngsters, Elders, Couples, Families, Women, Children, etc), which was Becoming more and more Dense, as More People were Arriving Each Minute, (and the Organizers' scarce Indications on How to Get Out, were Grossly Insufficient, if not InCompetent, or even MisLeading). We had to Walk Slowly, making Long, Time and Energy Consuming Zig-Zag Manoevers, Pushing and/or Imploring People who were Sitting on the Floor to let as Go Away, accross Squares, Streets, Bridges, Peninsulas, Construction Sites, UnExpected immovable Barriers, etc., in order to Manage, much Later on, to Reach, Exhausted, at last, a Free to Move area. But, in the MeanTime, we were absolutely Aware of the obvious Danger (that we've had clearly Felt, then) for All those UnProtected and Blocked People (irresponsibly Massed like Sheep in a Groundfloor Area, too Easily Attacked from almost Any Side) to Fall Victims of an eventual Terrorist Attack, at any moment... Once Out, we Run to get Away from that Risky, OverLoaded, "Stucked" and UnProtected Area. However, even Before Arriving Home, that Horrible Massive Massacre of Innocent and Defenseless Civilian People, at an apparently Similar Situation in Nice, had Just Started ! => Judging from what we had just Experienced, sincerely Astonished, in Strasbourg, (HQ of EU Parliament's Full Plenaries, PanEuropean CoE, ECHR, etc), it's Highly Possible that, indeed, (as Many have already Said), it Could and Should have been Prevented, and Innocent Victims' Human Lives Saved... (../..) (NDLR : Partly UpDated) *** ("DraftNews", as already send to "Eurofora" Subscrivers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version, might be published asap). *** Written by ACM *Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- One among the most Important, mainstream German Medias, "Die Welt" ("The World"), a Leading Member of the EU Media Alliance "ALENA", has apparently just adopted, in substance, a main Analysis initialy made by "Eurofora" on a notoriously Controversial and UnPopular EU - Turkey Deal about the recent Mass "Tsunami" of Massive Asylum Seekers/Irregular Migrants influx through Turkey into EU (+Shengen) Member Greece, heading towards Berlin and other core EU Countries from the Last Sommer of 2015 until about Spring 2016 : - I.e., particularly the Fact that this Deal, (notoriously obtained under "Blackmail" Pressure brokered Deal, a shady Sunday at a Brussels under an Urgent total Transport "Black Out", imposed then by Islamic Extremist Terrorist Attacks), had proven to be, in real Practice, also, almost entirely "Useless", in fact, given mainly the Borders' Checks seriously Protecting the so-called "Western Balkans' Route" to more Mass Irregular Migration, which had already been established by 5 or 6 European (EU and Non-EU) Countries BEFORE that Controversial EU Turkey Deal had eben Started to progressively enter into force, (until now rather partialy, and not yet in full). "Eurofora"s initial Findings were based mainly on a Pioneer then , and Contrary to the Previously Established Dominant Views, quite "Dissident" Factual Analysis, using particular Official Data provided by UNHCR, the IMO, National Athorities, Government Officials' public Statements, verified Press Reports, etc., and was Published as Early as, already since 4 Months Before this August 2016, i.e. at the Beginning of May. See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/unpopulareuvisafreefor80millionsturksuseless.html . After a Lot of Time had Passed since then, at First, some Short Mentions to our views had Started to Emerge, quite Hesitating and in an Unclear mannzer, in the Middle of a few Other Press Articles published much Later-on by certain Collegues in a Few Media at Various EU Countries, until, suddenly, at the Latest EU Summit of Heads of State/Government in Brussels, at the End of June 2016, appeared a Short but Interesting Mention, at EU Council's Website, governed by EU President Donald Tusk's (former Polish Prime Minister) team, at least of the Fact that the Recently Witnessed Sharp Fall of that "Tsunami" (Comp. Supra) had, at least, Already Started Before this EU - Turkey shaky Deal, and was Due also to Other, Previous and Parallel Factors, depending on European Countries' Decisions and Acts, and Not on Turkey, (such as, f.ex., a Decision to "Fully" apply certain "Shengen" Area Rules, etc, as that Short Text simply argued, including, however, also the closing of Borders, subsequently). But, Unfortunately, (due also to "BREXIT" and a usual "Terrorist Attack" in Turkey almost often at the eve of an Important relevant EU Decision-Making Event), such Interesting Starting Points were Not Discussed among EU Leaders, (as even EU Commission's President, Jean-Claude Juncker, briefly Confirmed to "Eurofora", while saluting us at he End of his Press Conference, the Next Day in the "Justus Lipsius" Building's main Press Working Area), Contrary to their Initial Schedule, because they had been practicaly Obliged to Alter, at the Last Minute, that Summit's Draft Agenda, in a way which hadn't left, in fact, any other choice, than to Simply Endorse, Exceptionaly withOut any Debate, the Draft Conclusions already Prepared by Technocrats Specialists beforehand, which, inevitably, gave an Impression of "Business as Usual" on this, in fact, very "Hot" Issue... But, Today, "Eurofora"s above mentioned, Pioneer Factual Analysis, pertinent Data Gathering, overall Graphics, and main Conclusions, naturally can Help Support, even Further, at least the Main Points Now made by mainstream German Media "Die Welt", in Response to the Latest Turkish Threat that Ankara would entirely Stop that Controversial EU-Turkey Deal, if Europe didn't Yield to an Ultimatum to Give an UnPopular (both among EU Citizens and EU Parliament's MEPs, as several Polls and Debates have clearly revealed) "Visa-Free" status to 80 Millions of Turks, that would Allow them to Enter and Stay Into the EU, whenever they like and without previous Controls, during about 6 Months Each Year, Starting some Day from the Beginning of October 2016, according to a Demand initialy made "mezzo voce" by Turkish President Erdogan, and now Stressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglou, reportedly at an INTW at the Austrian Newpaper "Kurrier", etc. Indeed, what "Die Welt'"s main, Front-Page Top Article, Replies, Today, to that "New Provocation" from Ankara, as it calls it, (Participating to the quasi-General Reaction adopted also by several Other mainstream EU Media, meanwhile), under the explicit Heading : - "Turkey has to Loose More than the EU" (in case of Clash), is the Following, (according to a Fast Translation from the Original Text in German, over to English) : - EU had adopted that Controversial (and Costly : some 8 Billions in Full Grants to Turkey, during 2016-2018) Deal, mainly "Because it had Internal Problems whith that Refugee Crisis, and was (then) Unable to Effectively Protect its (EU) External Borders", so that this "Blackmail" - as a Top Polish Newspaper had immediately Called it, and EPP ChristianDemocrat Party President, former Longt-Time Strasbourg Top MEP, Joseph Daul had Acknowledged, in a March 2016 Meeting in Strasbourg : See also relevant, then, Daul's Statements to "Eurofora", at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eppheaddauloneuexternalborders.html - "Agreement with Ankara, Seemed to be a Pragmatic Way out". - But, "Meanwhile, the Europeans had to Learn that the Deal itself is a Problem with "Explosive" Force. Because Ankara is using the Instrument to Threaten and Blackmail". That's Why "the Climate between Turkey and the EU is Poisoned for a Long Time" nowadays, "Die Welt" resumes. + "The Threat of Turkish foreign Minister Cavusoglu to terminate the agreements, If the required Visa-Free status for Turks is not introduced until October, represents a New Provocation", the Top German Media points out in Reply. - "Because, according to the agreed terms and conditions that apply for such liberalisation, it depends upon Ankara", (i.e. if Turkey Fils the Gap of certein Human Rights/Democratic Reforms). But, "in view of the steady Dismantling of fundamental Democratic rights in the Last few Weeks, Visa facilitation has become Distant", "Welt" inevitably observes. - Already, "Erdogan, even before the failed coup attempt two weeks ago, was Not willing to loosen the Anti-Terror Laws in his country, as demanded by the EU", (NDLR : in order to Protect Freedom of Expression, and mainly, Press Freedom), "so the Chances that he might do that Now, are at Zero". However, "Brussels canNot give in at this point", the mainstream German Media stresses. Therefore, "that Ultimatum makes it once more clear that, at present, in Turkey, Other values are considered, than those which are applied in Europe". => Under the Heading : "The Closure of the Balkan Route is Crucial", (as "Eurofora had already Warned and Proved, already 4 Months Earlier : Comp. Supra), "Die Welt" goes on to attest, Today, that : - "However, Brussels (EU) and Berlin can (now) Respond .. to the New Threats". Because "the Flow of Refugees is, Today, much Smaller, than it was even a few Months Ago". "But, this Development, is Not Due to the Turkey Deal", "Welt" agrees, at last, with "Eurofora". - Simply Because, in Fact, it's "rather the Closing of the Balkan Routes, through Countries such as FYROMacedonia, Hungary, and Austria, (as well as Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, etc), which Keeps Refugees from entering into the EU through Turkey. Since it is No Longer Possible (for most of them) to Travel to Germany, and other Sought-after (EU) Targets", it Explains. - So that, in addition, it's also "Greece" which, normaly, should "have much Less Refugees" still coming irregularly from Turkey", as, indeed, it's until recently tthe case, "Because, in that (Financial) Crisis-stricken (EU + urozone Member) Country, Asylum Seekers might Not be Better than in Turkey", from the current Economic point of view, "Welt", perhaps a bit exagerating, argues in substance. + Also Because, Meanwhile, "EU Pays, as Agreed, a Lot of Money, in order to Support Turkey in the Care-taking of Refugees", (about 8 Billions earmarked for that purpose, in Full Grants, between 2016-2018). => Therefore, "Ankara has, thus, Much to Loose", in case of an EU - Turkey clash. So that, "Despite all those Threats" by Turkish Officials, in Fact, Turkish President "Erdogan will Not Risk a Clash with Europe, "if that (Controversial and UnPopular) Visa-Free" status for 80 Millions of Turks, "Never happens", the mainstream German Top Media logically concludes. (../..) *** ("DraftNews", as already send to "Eurofora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version, might be published asap). *** Illustration: Kevin February Euromoney meets China Construction Bank chairman Wang Hongzhang in a Beijing boardroom dominated by a vast tapestry of the Great Wall of China. It is a symbol of longevity and permanence in a place that has seen enormous change, with much more to come. Wang understands more than most just how dramatically the sands can shift in his country. Born in July 1954, five years after Mao announced the formation of the Peoples Republic of China, at 17 he became a sent-down youth, the euphemistic term for young people during the Cultural Revolution who were sent, willingly or otherwise, to work in rural areas. His time in the Communist Party he joined in 1974 and became an alternate member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2012 has seen the leaderships of Mao, Hua Guofeng, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and now Xi Jinping. He knows all about change. That sort of long-term view is useful for the head of a big-four Chinese bank a group, which though it appears impregnable, has many challenges ahead. 1. Get Your Fill of Water and Water-Based Foods One of the first things to do when you have a urinary tract infection is drink plenty of water. Thats because drinking water can help flush away the bacteria that's causing your infection, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (3) It puts you on the right track for recovery. Most people can be assured theyre getting the water they need by simply drinking water when thirsty, according to the health and medicine division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (4) But to be safe, you may want to make sure youre drinking at least six to eight 8-ounce (oz) glasses of water each day. (3) General recommendations have suggested that women get about 91 oz of water daily and men get about 125 oz each day, including water from food, as also noted in that group's report. (4) 2. Load Up on Vitamin C for a Healthy Urinary Tract Getting plenty of foods high in vitamin C is important because large amounts of vitamin C make urine more acidic. This inhibits the growth of bacteria in your urinary tract, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine's health library. (5) However, if you have an active UTI, you may want to avoid citrus or other acidic foods. These foods are known to irritate the bladder, which is the last thing you need when youre having pain urinating. 3. Soothe UTI Pain With Heat Inflammation and irritation from UTIs cause burning, pressure, and pain around your pubic area, says Kandis Rivers, MD, a urologist in the Henry Ford Health System in Wast Bloomfield, Michigan. Applying a heating pad can help soothe the area. (3) Keep the heat setting low, dont apply it directly to the skin, and limit your use to 15 minutes at a time to avoid burns. 4. Cut Bladder Irritants From Your Diet When you have a UTI, caffeine, alcohol, spicy food, nicotine, carbonated drinks, and artificial sweeteners can irritate your bladder further, making it harder for your body to heal, according to the Cleveland Clinic. (6) Focus on healthy foods, such as high-fiber carbohydrates (including oatmeal or lentil soup), that are good for your digestive health, says Holly Lucille, ND, RN, a naturopathic doctor in private practice in West Hollywood, California, and the author of Creating and Maintaining Balance: A Womans Guide to Safe, Natural Hormone Health. 5. Go Ahead, Empty Your Bladder Again Every time you empty your bladder even if its just a small amount you rid it of some of the bacteria causing the infection. (3) Keep making those bathroom runs, advises Dr. Rivers. 6. Consider Herbal Remedies You may find some relief from taking the herb uva ursi (bearberry leaf), which is sometimes used as an herbal remedy for lower urinary tract infections. (7) But Rivers cautions that it should be taken only for short periods of time five days or less as it could cause liver damage. Its important to note that even though bearberry leaf may help some, there have been no large randomized controlled trials (the gold standard when it comes to proving the effectiveness of a drug or treatment in medicine) testing it as a remedy for UTIs. (7) Some preliminary research, including as a study published in 2016 in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, also suggests that D-mannose supplements may help to prevent and treat UTIs. (8,9) Researchers think it might keep bacteria from attaching to the walls of the urinary tract. D-mannose is a simple sugar found naturally in fruits, including oranges, apples, and cranberries. Always be sure to check with your doctor before an herbal supplement. Supplements, herbs, and other medication you might be taking can cause side effects or may interact with one another. The effects can sometimes be serious. 7. Change to Healthier Daily Habits Lifestyle changes matter because they can help you recover from a UTI and might prevent another infection, according to the NIDDK. (3) Quit smoking. Wear loose cotton clothing and underwear. Wipe yourself clean from front to back. Choose only fragrance-free personal hygiene products. 8. Cut Back on Meat and Poultry Some studies, such as one published in August 2018 in the journal mBio, have linked contaminated poultry and meat to E.coli bacteria strains that can cause UTIs. (10) These studies havent proven that eating meat or poultry causes UTIs. In fact, some E.coli can live in the intestines without causing any problems. However, bacteria from the gut can enter the urinary tract and cause infection. This risk is greater in women than men, because women have shorter urethras than men, meaning the bacteria has less distance to travel to reach the bladder. Cutting back on meat and focusing on fruits and veggies may slightly cut your risk of UTIs. According to a study of Buddhists in Taiwan, published in January 2020 in Scientific Reports, compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians had a 16 percent lower risk of UTI. (11) Related: Vegetarian Diet Linked to Lowered Risk Of Urinary Tract Infection A Note About Cranberry Juice and UTIs Cranberry juice or cranberry extract in supplemental form has long been used as a home remedy for UTIs. The thought is that the proanthocyanidins in cranberries may help prevent bladder infections by keeping the bacteria from clinging to the bladder wall, says Sonya Angelone, MS, RDN, a nutrition consultant based in San Francisco, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Yet theres scientific controversy over how effective cranberry juice is at preventing UTIs due to conflicting conclusions in studies on the topic, according to an article published in May 2016 in Advances in Nutrition. (12) Some studies have found it might work, while others have found no effect. Bottom line, there is some evidence it may help, and it doesnt hurt to try it, says Angelone. Just be sure to chose unsweetened cranberry juice (the sugar in sweetened cranberry juices can actually feed a bacterial infection). Mix this with sparkling water or plain yogurt, she recommends. Another low-calorie option choose a cranberry pill that contains d-mannose, she says. Are Bananas Good for UTIs? The American Urological Association calls bananas a bladder-friendly food. (13) Thats because bananas arent likely to irritate the bladder in most people. Other bladder-friendly fruits and veggies include: pears, green beans, winter squash, and potatoes. While eating bananas may help to lessen bladder irritation, eating bananas alone wont make a UTI go away. Can Onions Help UTIs? Onions, especially raw ones, may cause bladder irritation in some people. (6) If you have an active UTI, eating foods that further irritate the already inflamed tissues of the urinary tract could make UTI symptoms worse. Can Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Treat UTIs? Studies, such as one published in January 2018 in Scientific Reports, have shown that apple cider vinegar has some antibacterial and antifungal properties, but theres no scientific or medical evidence that drinking apple cider vinegar cures UTIs. (14) Drinking large amounts of apple cider vinegar could lead to throat irritation and tooth decay. Is Coconut Oil Effective at Alleviating UTI Symptoms? Some studies have suggested that coconut oil may have antimicrobial properties. (15) However, theres no research looking specifically at the effect of coconut oil on UTIs. Additional reporting by Marie Suszynski. At The Stream, Douglas Axe issues a challenge to Science Guy Bill Nye. Axe invites Nye to visit his team of scientists in Seattle and confront the genuine science that is rocking orthodox evolutionary theory, while also considering the evidence for intelligent design. Mischievously, Dr. Axe gave the same title Undeniable to his new book as Nye gave to his own recent work. So in that respect, the two are well matched as conversation partners. Beyond that, I think Nye would be at a disadvantage, which may be why he has up till now seemed to prefer hanging around with creationists. Axe begins: Bill Nye, host of the popular 1990s kids program Bill Nye the Science Guy, has become a celebrity spokesman for science. Nyes hero status got a major boost in 2014 when he debated young earth creationist Ken Ham. I couldnt bear to watch, knowing their shared tendency to replace scientific argument with appeals to authority (a form of Biblical authority for Ham and the authority of scientific consensus for Nye). Several million people did watch, though, and millions more have since then. Nye has been back in the headlines recently after paying a visit to Hams new Ark Encounter theme park, promoted as a full-size replica of Noahs ark. Reporters ate it up. Im sure that kind of publicity is hard for either man to resist, but shouldnt Nye at least try to resist it? If hes really a science guy, shouldnt he pay less attention to jousting with Ham and more attention to the weighty scientific case against Darwins account of life? After all, how serious can he really be about Darwinian evolution if he ignores all the research that shows it doesnt do nearly what is advertised? True. And isnt it curious how creationists and evolutionists enjoy this symbiotic relationship? Ken Ham, no doubt with the single pure intention of defending his way of reading the Bible, effectively acts as Nyes enabler. He provides Mr. Nye with a convenient way of evading hard questions about the adequacy of Darwinian mechanisms in explaining lifes history. Their debate at the Creation Museum was a big hit, with five and a half million viewers on YouTube so far. (See Casey Luskins comments here.) But there can be no meaningful debate or conversation between parties that, instead of arguing about science, prefer to appeal to their favorite authorities. And that situation seems to suit Bill Nye just fine. The nub of Doug Axes challenge? Its a matter of eningeering: As a former Boeing engineer, [Nye] describes in his book the considerable effort that went into developing those turned-up tips on the ends of aircraft wings, called winglets. In the testing stages, winglets did more harm than good until the concept went through many rounds of revision. But after countless hours of research and development a beneficial winglet design finally emerged, after which these perfected winglets quickly became a standard feature of commercial jets. Barn owls have winglets too, but in this case Nye assures us there is no evidence that they were deliberately designed. Natural selection caused owl winglets to be invented by accident, Nye assures us. Humans design in a top-down way, where the low-level details are worked out in order to meet the top-level objective, but according to Nye, nature works the other way around. Hmmm. Why would an engineer be so quick to dismiss the lessons learned from engineering? If engineered aircraft winglets were at first worse than useless a waste of time and energy why be so quick to assume that a mindless and ruthlessly cost-cutting process like natural selection would be able to get over that hump? Engineers benefit from clear goals, dedicated research budgets, and the patience and foresight to stick with something that isnt working at all, sensing that it will work. Those key ingredients of invention are completely absent from Darwins recipe for innovation. Nye hides behind Hams Ark, as if the only alternatives were design-denying materialism or Scriptural literalism. The binary choice is simply false, but it evidently serves Nyes purposes. Dr. Axe invites him to come out from there and have a meaningful discussion: As I explain in my book, theres plenty of counter-evidence evidence that the clumsy cost-cutting effects of natural selection prevent even very modest acts of invention. As passionate as Nye is about science, then, why would he choose to ignore all this evidence? In the time he took to visit Ken Hams ark, he could have visited a team of scientists here in Seattle who have spent decades testing the ideas he takes for granted, showing them to be woefully inadequate. When two scientists disagree about evolution, Nye writes, they confer with colleagues, develop theories, collect evidence, and arrive at a more complete understanding. Exactly. So why not do that, Bill? By dropping your authoritarian approach and engaging some of these scientists who disagree with you on scientific grounds you might find something more rewarding than publicity. The team I work with here in Seattle would welcome you for that kind of in-depth conversation. Now how much would you pay to be a fly on the wall if that meeting ever comes to pass? Photo: Bill Nye, by Bill Hrybyk, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer. From: Chuck Gallagher -- The Business Ethics Expert - Keynote Speaker For Immediate Release: Dateline: Greenville , SC Tuesday, August 2, 2016 While my primary focus is ethics, the reality of the lack of ethical behavior often leads to illegal behavior and that is fraud pure and simple. So lets look at 4 keys to responding to internal fraud: Whats Your Fraud Policy? I asked this question not long ago to a board member for a local Credit Union and his response was priceless: We fire them! Now while he said that with pride, the reality was when pressed further he honestly had no clue what the formal anti-fraud policy was. Side note, thats a real problem for a board member. A written policy might be seen by some as insignificant but from a legal perspective might be one of the most important documents you can have. In internal policy offers a layer of protection that most lawyers defending claims wants to see. It demonstrates that you have taken the time to document your culture, your intent and (hopefully) communicate your policy to all employees. An attorney friend who was defending a wrongful termination lawsuit said that when it became clear that the terminated employee was terminated for a clear violation of the written policy that they agreed to, the attorneys on the other side knew that their suit was quickly a losing proposition. When the board member above said, we fire them in todays environment that is not enough. Specifics and clear violations are what make actions for fraud stick. The policy is one clear way that Credit Unions should be responding to fraud. The content of the policy is crucial. What is fraud at least what is it according to your policy? Anyone would think that theft is fraud, but is taking a ten out of the drawer and making change with cash in your possession (your personal) funds to make change fraud? What amount constitutes fraud? What if the action doesnt involved cash. Can taking office supplies or equipment constitute fraud? I have a fortune 50 client that has a policy that says, De minimis use of office supplies is within the acceptable bounds of behavior and not considered unethical. What is your threshold? Lastly, what do you want an employee to do if they suspects fraud? While the idea of a whistleblower is displeasing to some, the reality is according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners ( What Happens When Fraud is Reported? You hear from your whistleblower hotline about a suspected fraud. What do you do? The problem is our first action may be a reaction fraught with emotion and that might just be wrong. Now while Im not proud of my past (over 25 years ago) behavior, I committed fraud and know from the perpetrator end what the collapse of an illegal action feels like. The best action is a measured action that allows the Credit Union to meet with the suspected wrongdoer. What would appear to be obvious Ill state here: (1) make sure the meeting includes more than just the interviewer and the perpetrator (or suspected perpetrator). A witness is critical; (2) Likewise, expect the interview to be recorded (by the perpetrator) using his/her cell phone. Take nothing for granted and make sure the rules of the interview are clear. Do not let the perpetrator have time to craft a story. People, by nature, will tell you the truth when they are faced with specific questions that they dont have time to craft a lie to cover. Of course all are innocent till proven guilty so make sure that you have consulted with appropriate counsel before making any potentially false accusations. Open ended questions that allow someone to come clean makes for a far better outcome. If you have specific proof of the allegation provide what is needed as it is needed in order to make clear to the perpetrator that there is no option other that clear and truthful transparency. From personal experience, I know that my fraud was collapsing and there was no option other than to tell the truth. That was difficult, but once out, the process of dealing with the consequences and making a different set of choices began. While the perpetrator will, most likely, resist the collapse of the fraud responding to internal fraud through direct confrontation is most effective when done well. Youre Right its Fraud What Now? Responding to internal fraud requires you to report and do so quickly. If there is suspicious activity FinCEN requires a Suspicious Activity Report within 30 days. Likewise, there is a strong likelihood that law enforcement and NCUA will become involved. For goodness sake, dont fail to report what might be a problem just because you want to avoid publicity or protect a valued employee that might have gone rogue. Equally important is report the suspicious activity to your bond carrier. Many bonding policies have certain procedures that must be followed and benefit of immediate notification cannot be overstated. A credit union client (for ethics training) reported to me after the fact, that their delay in reporting unethical/illegal activity created substantial problems in receiving coverage for their claims. Likewise, prosecute! If you have a culture of strict ethics and compliance action, then responding to internal fraud requires that you prosecute anyone involved in an illegal action or report a suspect of illegal action to law enforcement. If you want your policy to have teeth, then you have to be willing to let those teeth bite. It is said that employees respect what management inspects. In this case, when responding to internal fraud, by being willing to prosecute every time, there is a clear message sent that the consequence will be swift and painful. Make Sure Your Ethics Training is Effective! As an ethics trainer, its clear to me that most ethics training is highly ineffective. The focus seems to be on what the rules are and gaining agreement on making sure that they are followed vs. on the motivation behind what causes good smart people to make dumb stupid choices. Human behavior follows a pattern. By establishing ethics training that focuses on the pattern of behavior it is possible to bring subconscious behavior possibilities to the light and by doing so reduce the likelihood that an employee will respond to internal fraud temptations. An effective ethics training program is a fundamental key to accomplishing legal protection and behavior change. YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME! Save Save Save Save Save The post Most financial institutions are diligent about preventing internal fraud, but according to data from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , in 2016 there were over 119,000 forms of reported fraud in the US thru June 2016. While most of them are not internally generated, according to the NCUA ( National Credit Union Association ) reports, the number of suspicious incidents involving employees is on the rise. A critical issue for Credit Unions and (for that matter) any financial institution is the importance of responding to internal fraud.While my primary focus is ethics, the reality of the lack of ethical behavior often leads to illegal behavior and that is fraud pure and simple. So lets look at 4 keys to responding to internal fraud:I asked this question not long ago to a board member for a local Credit Union and his response was priceless: We fire them!Now while he said that with pride, the reality was when pressed further he honestly had no clue what the formal anti-fraud policy was. Side note, thats a real problem for a board member.A written policy might be seen by some as insignificant but from a legal perspective might be one of the most important documents you can have. In internal policy offers a layer of protection that most lawyers defending claims wants to see. It demonstrates that you have taken the time to document your culture, your intent and (hopefully) communicate your policy to all employees.An attorney friend who was defending a wrongful termination lawsuit said that when it became clear that the terminated employee was terminated for a clear violation of the written policy that they agreed to, the attorneys on the other side knew that their suit was quickly a losing proposition. When the board member above said, we fire them in todays environment that is not enough. Specifics and clear violations are what make actions for fraud stick. The policy is one clear way that Credit Unions should be responding to fraud.The content of the policy is crucial. What is fraud at least what is it according to your policy? Anyone would think that theft is fraud, but is taking a ten out of the drawer and making change with cash in your possession (your personal) funds to make change fraud? What amount constitutes fraud? What if the action doesnt involved cash. Can taking office supplies or equipment constitute fraud?I have a fortune 50 client that has a policy that says, De minimis use of office supplies is within the acceptable bounds of behavior and not considered unethical. What is your threshold?Lastly, what do you want an employee to do if they suspects fraud? While the idea of a whistleblower is displeasing to some, the reality is according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners ( ACFE ) the #1 way fraud is discovered (or uncovered) is from whistleblowers. And as we consider your fraud policy an effective way of responding to internal fraud is making sure that there is an anti-retaliation clause present to protect the brave whistleblower who might be the most effective deterrent to internal fraud.You hear from your whistleblower hotline about a suspected fraud. What do you do?The problem is our first action may be a reaction fraught with emotion and that might just be wrong. Now while Im not proud of my past (over 25 years ago) behavior, I committed fraud and know from the perpetrator end what the collapse of an illegal action feels like. The best action is a measured action that allows the Credit Union to meet with the suspected wrongdoer. What would appear to be obvious Ill state here: (1) make sure the meeting includes more than just the interviewer and the perpetrator (or suspected perpetrator). A witness is critical; (2) Likewise, expect the interview to be recorded (by the perpetrator) using his/her cell phone. Take nothing for granted and make sure the rules of the interview are clear. Do not let the perpetrator have time to craft a story. People, by nature, will tell you the truth when they are faced with specific questions that they dont have time to craft a lie to cover.Of course all are innocent till proven guilty so make sure that you have consulted with appropriate counsel before making any potentially false accusations. Open ended questions that allow someone to come clean makes for a far better outcome. If you have specific proof of the allegation provide what is needed as it is needed in order to make clear to the perpetrator that there is no option other that clear and truthful transparency.From personal experience, I know that my fraud was collapsing and there was no option other than to tell the truth. That was difficult, but once out, the process of dealing with the consequences and making a different set of choices began. While the perpetrator will, most likely, resist the collapse of the fraud responding to internal fraud through direct confrontation is most effective when done well.Responding to internal fraud requires you to report and do so quickly. If there is suspicious activity FinCEN requires a Suspicious Activity Report within 30 days. Likewise, there is a strong likelihood that law enforcement and NCUA will become involved. For goodness sake, dont fail to report what might be a problem just because you want to avoid publicity or protect a valued employee that might have gone rogue.Equally important is report the suspicious activity to your bond carrier. Many bonding policies have certain procedures that must be followed and benefit of immediate notification cannot be overstated.A credit union client (for ethics training) reported to me after the fact, that their delay in reporting unethical/illegal activity created substantial problems in receiving coverage for their claims.Likewise, prosecute! If you have a culture of strict ethics and compliance action, then responding to internal fraud requires that you prosecute anyone involved in an illegal action or report a suspect of illegal action to law enforcement. If you want your policy to have teeth, then you have to be willing to let those teeth bite. It is said that employees respect what management inspects. In this case, when responding to internal fraud, by being willing to prosecute every time, there is a clear message sent that the consequence will be swift and painful.As an ethics trainer, its clear to me that most ethics training is highly ineffective. The focus seems to be on what the rules are and gaining agreement on making sure that they are followed vs. on the motivation behind what causes good smart people to make dumb stupid choices. Human behavior follows a pattern. By establishing ethics training that focuses on the pattern of behavior it is possible to bring subconscious behavior possibilities to the light and by doing so reduce the likelihood that an employee will respond to internal fraud temptations. An effective ethics training program is a fundamental key to accomplishing legal protection and behavior change.YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!The post Credit Unions 4 Keys to Responding to Internal Fraud appeared first on Chuck Gallagher From: Jack Marshall -- ProEthics, Ltd. For Immediate Release: Dateline: Alexandria , VA Tuesday, August 2, 2016 Director Comey said my answers were truthful, and what Ive said is consistent with what I have told the American people, that there were decisions discussed and made to classify retroactively certain of the emails. -Hillary Clinton to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, asserting that what was demonstrably false was true, regarding a public statement by Comey that can be Googled and watched on YouTube instantly. My reaction when I saw that: KABOOM! The top of my head blew right off, bounced off the ceiling and knocked over the lamp. Wallace asked Clinton directly about what she had been saying to the public about her e-mails since May of 2015: that she did nothing wrong, that her private, secret e-mail server was approved by the State Department, that she never received or sent a classified e-mailokay, that didnt work, that she never knowingly sent a classified e-mailwait, wait, that she never sent or received an e-mail that was marked classified. Comey, in his televised, live statement announcing his decision not to recommend prosecution for Clinton, directly contradicted her. In his careful statement Comey said, Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.,,,seven e-mail chains concern matters that were classified at the Top Secret/Special Access Program level when they were sent and received. These chains involved Secretary Clinton both sending e-mails about those matters and receiving e-mails from others about the same matters. There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clintons position, or in the position of those government employees with whom she was corresponding about these matters, should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversationeven if information is not marked classified in an e-mail, participants who know or should know that the subject matter is classified are still obligated to protect it. There is no way that an individual of normal facility with the English language can listen to or read that statement and conclude that Comey was saying that Hillarys answers to questions about the e-mails to the American public and the news mediafor over a year!were truthful, as in full of truth. A technical argument can be made, if one wishes, that Comey didnt say that Clinton lied, because maybe she is an idiot and incompetent, and didnt know or understand what any reasonable person in Secretary Clintons position should have known and understood, leading to her factually false (and constantly evolving as more facts where uncovered) explanations over months and months. What should we make of this? The less left-biased of the Washington Posts factcheckers, Glenn Kessler, slammed Clintons statement to Wallace with his worst lie rating, Four Pinocchios. He also seemed disgusted, writing, Clinton is cherry-picking statements by Comey to preserve her narrative about the unusual setup of a private email server. This allows her to skate past the more disturbing findings of the FBI investigationFor instance, when Clinton asserts my answers were truthful, a campaign aide said she is referring to this statement by Comey to Congress: We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI. In her response to Wallace, Clinton at one point appeared to deflect responsibility to her aides: I relied on and had every reason to rely on the judgments of the professionals with whom I worked. And so, in retrospect, maybe some people are saying, well, among those 300 people, they made the wrong call. As we have seen repeatedly in Clintons explanations of the email controversy, she relies on excessively technical and legalistic answers to explain her actions. While Comey did say there was no evidence she lied to the FBI, that is not the same as saying she told the truth to the American public which was the point of Wallaces question. And although Comey did say many emails were retroactively classified, he also said that there were some emails that were already classified that should not have been sent on an unclassified, private server. Thensigh! Kesslers bias sneaked through, as he wrote, Thats the uncomfortable truth that Clinton has trouble admitting. This is blatant equivocation. She refuses to admit it, and more than that, claims the opposite. That isnt having trouble, thats refusal to tell the truth, even to the extent of lying about what is right in front of everyones eyes. Hence the Jumbo designation. Indeed, Hillarys lie on Fox is worse than Elephant? What elephant? Hillary is saying, Elephant? Thats no elephant! Its a puppy! The reaction of Atlantics Ron Fournier, a liberal journalist who nonetheless is capable of honesty and integrity, to Clintons answer to Wallace was anger and dismay: This is a note to Clinton Democratsa desperate plea, actually. Your candidate staged a winning convention in Philadelphia: big stars, tight messaging, and a compelling case against her rival, Donald Trump.Hillary Clinton may be rising in the polls as a result, which is good news for people like me across the political spectrum who find Trump to be vacuous, soulless, and temperamentally unfit for the presidency. Yet Im not angry at Trump; I expect him to be repugnant. I am angry at Clinton, because she followed up her convention with another unnecessary lie; another excuse for people to distrust her; another thin reed upon which undecided voters could justify a belated allegiance to a man who former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called a dangerous demagogue. And again, the bias slips out. Slim reed? Really, Ron? A political leaders habitual and shameless lying to the American public to cover-up wrongdoing is a slim reed to justify rejecting a Presidential candidate as unfit and untrustworthy. Did I DREAM Watergate? Then there is Mother Jones, a pretty typical progressive commentary site, which is to say, typically unable to be objective and debasing itself at every opportunity to deny that a Democrat/progressive/woman/black/ gay/ Hispanic is capable of wrongdoing or even mistakes. Mother JonesIm not kidding, nowused Hillarys Unethical Quote Of the Month and Jumbo that made my head explode as a catalyst to publish an essay by its primary propagandist, Keven Drum, titled Hillary Clinton Is One of Americas Most Honest Politicians. It really did! Not only that, but the article, though obviously a Clinton defense tactic compelled by Clintons lie, didnt mention the Fox interview while insisting that poor Hillary gets bad rap. Drums proof that shes so honest? A chart showing how PolitiFact, the most biased and untrustworthy (but, like Drum, also the most ideologically biased) rates other politicians honesty compared to Hillary. Heres the funny part: Drums article was posted in the afternoon. the day after Clintons Jumbo. PolitiFact registered its assessment of Clintons answer to Wallace at around 6 pm. The assessment, according to its Truth-O-Meter, was Wrote PolitiFact in part: When Comey announced the FBIs findings July 5, it was clear that there are obvious inconsistencies between what Clinton said publicly about classified information on her private email server before her FBI interview and what the FBI found. Pointedly, Clinton said there wasnt any classified information in her email, and he said there was. Well also note a couple other major inconsistencies between Clintons remarks and the FBIs findings: Clinton repeatedly said she turned over all work-related emails to the State Department in 2014, about 30,000 emails. However, Comey said FBI investigators uncovered several thousand work-related emails that she had not handed over to the State Department. And, Clinton has said her email servers had numerous safeguards. It was on property guarded by the Secret Service. And there were no security breaches. Comey said that while theres no evidence anyone successfully hacked Clintons email servers, they certainly were susceptible to attack. There was no full-time security staff, which are found at government agencies and commercial email providers like Google. Further, he noted that Clinton used her personal email abroad, which could have allowed hostile actors to access her account. Our ruling:A reasonable person would interpret Clintons statement to mean that Comey has endorsed her public remarks about her email. This is not the case.Further, while not explicitly rebuking Clintons public comments, Comey highlighted a major problem with them. Clinton repeatedly said she did not have any classified information whatsoever in her email, marked or unmarked. After the FBI investigation, including the interview with Clinton, Comey said she unequivocally did. We rate her claim Pants on Fire. Fortunately for Hillary, that rating didnt make it into Drums chart. Whew! Ethics Alarms take on the latest Clinton deceitfest is this. Commenting upon James Comeys statement, I wrote, as my final observation, 8. If Clinton has sufficient integrity and common sense, she will quickly accept the verdict and conclusions described by Comey, admit carelessness and poor decisions, promise that she has learned important lessons that will make her a better leader, and vow to do better. Well, she flunked that test, didnt she? She flunked it because she treats the American public like serfs and fools, is incapable of being transparent or admitting wrongdoing, and deserves every bit of the distrust, dislike and suspicion most American have for her. Hillarys corrupted supporters like DrumI may have to vote for this awful women, but I am not a supporterneed to dig deep and find some kind of integrity and ethical courage, so they can confront their heroI know, I know, she has a vaginaand not allow her to enter the White House assuming that the nation doesnt care if its leaders lie, and that just because they may elect a habitual liar when the alternative is an orangutan, a block of Limburger or Donald Trump doesnt mean lying as a primary tool of governance is just fine with us. Share this: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 (NewsUSA) - Sponsored News - Technology continues to change the way businesses operate, and that includes how they find resources to get started, fund growth and find a buyer. DPOUSA is one example of the latest paradigm in funding business opportunities. DPOUSA is an online financial platform connecting companies with capital sources, buyers with sellers, and people seeking business opportunities. 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DPOUSA includes a database of more than 30,000 accredited investors and financial institutions that collectively have over $500 billion to invest in businesses, and the site is designed to facilitate all types of transactions, for startups and well-established businesses alike. To ensure the growth of the platform, DPOUSA has committed resources for an ongoing campaign utilizing traditional, digital and social media to build its national presence. For more details about DPOUSA's services, please visit www.dpousa.com. Article Resources Link to this article: Copy and paste the following code Embed this article: Editors, click here for story elements. Let's block ads! (Why?) Fox News' prides itself on being "fair and balanced," as reflected in its adoption of this phrase as its motto. When tested against its coverage of the last night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the use of the slogan strains credulity. The network's coverage was so biased it could be considered an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign. Three of the night's most memorable speeches, which aired live on both CNN and MSNBC, were preempted on Fox News either by commercials or interviews with Trump supporters. In doing this, Fox News did an incredible disservice to its viewers. They included the speech of Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg, a retired Army captain who tackled a suicide bomber, which was preempted on Fox by an interview with a woman featured in a new NRA commercial. A powerful speech by U.S. Marine Corps General George Allen, in which he condemned Trump's calls to torture suspected terrorists, was interrupted by Fox for an interview with General Michael Flynn, who has backed Trump on torture. Flynn criticized Allen, whose still-unfinished speech was broadcast silently in the background. But the most memorable speech ignored by Fox News was the moving testimony of Khizr M. Khan, whose Muslim son was killed while serving as a U.S. soldier in Iraq. Capt. Humayun Khan was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for saving the lives of his men when he advanced forward toward an explosives-laden vehicle driven by a suicide bomber. Mr. Khan, who immigrated to America with his family from the United Arab Emirates, boldly challenged Donald Trump's repeated attacks on Muslims with his hijab-wearing wife standing by his side. Over the past year, Trump has called for mass surveillance of Muslims in America. In November, Trump said he would "seriously consider" closing mosques in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris last year. The next day he said the United States would have "absolutely no choice" but to close down mosques where "some bad things are happening." Trump has also proposed a complete ban on Muslims entering the U.S. On June 28, Time magazine reported that Trump had refused to clarify recent statements that appeared inconsistent with his earlier positions. When asked last month if the Trump campaign would soften his stance on the Muslim ban, "Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told Time, 'This is not accurate.'" When the Associated Press asked Trump to clarify how he would identify Muslims, Trump told the AP reporter via email: "You figure it out!" "Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son 'the best of America,'" Mr. Khan said at the DNC. "If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America. "Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future," Khan continued, addressing Trump directly. "Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution?" Khan looked straight into the camera as he reached into his breast pocket and produced a small copy of the Constitution, holding it high. "I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law.' "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery?" Khan asked Trump. "Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending America -- you will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. "You have sacrificed nothing, and no one," he added. Instead of broadcasting Mr. Khan's speech live, Fox News aired a commercial attacking Hillary Clinton on Benghazi. Mr. Khan's speech is particularly powerful when contrasted with Trump's 1997 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, where he compared his sexual promiscuity during the 1970s with others' service in the Vietnam War. Trump avoided serving in Vietnam with repeated student deferments from the draft. "It is a dangerous world out there," Trump told Stern, after being congratulated for having avoided contracting a sexually transmitted disease. "It's scary, like Vietnam ... It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier." Someone needs to ask Trump Mr. Khan's question directly: Has he even read the Constitution? So far, he has given no indication that he has. Earlier this month, when asked during a meeting with House Republicans whether he supports the powers of Congress enumerated in Article I of the Constitution, Trump responded that he supports the entire Constitution, including Article XII. The Constitution only has seven articles. Trump has an obligation to prove to voters that he not only has read the Constitution, but that he understands and is willing to follow the Constitution as the supreme law of the U.S. Presidential debates are routinely devoted to single subjects, such as national defense or the economy. Yet presidential candidates are rarely forced to answer questions about their understanding of the Constitution. Which is why we call on the Commission on Presidential Debates to devote one of its debates this fall solely to questions that challenge the candidates' constitutional literacy. The future of our freedoms may very well depend on their answers. Tuesday, August 2, 2016 One-Time-Use Tamper-Proof Transparent Wine Bags A restaurant licensee may permit a patron, following the consumption of a full course meal, to remove from the licensed restaurant establishment one partially consumed bottle of wine purchased in connection with the meal, a portion of which bottle of wine was actually consumed during the meal. One of the conditions which must be met by the restaurant licensee involves the use of a one-time-use tamper-proof transparent bag. Before a restaurant licensee may permit a partially consumed bottle of wine to leave the restaurant, the restaurant licensee or an agent of the restaurant licensee must: securely reseal the bottle of wine, place the resealed bottle in a one-time-use tamper-proof transparent bag, and securely seal the bag. The one-time-use tamper-proof transparent bag must insure that the patron cannot gain access to the bottle while in transit after the bag is sealed. Restaurant licensees have asked what types of bags may be used, and the procedures for the use of such bags. Any clear plastic bag may be used, so long as the manner in which the bag is sealed prevents the bag from being opened and then resealed. For example, the resealed partially consumed bottle of wine may be placed in a large clear plastic food storage bag. The opening of the bag may then be securely sealed across the entire length of the bags opening with a series of staples placed immediately next to each other. Clear tape may then be placed over the staples in order to prevent injury to the patrons hands, or damage to the patrons clothes or car. This procedure makes the bag tamper-proof because the bag cannot be opened without tearing the bag. Alternatively, the resealed partially consumed bottle of wine may be placed in a large clear plastic food storage bag, the opening of which is sealed along its entire length with a special tape which immediately forms a chemical bond to the plastic of the bag. Such tape cannot be removed without tearing the bag, which makes the bag tamper-proof. Restaurant licensees may also elect to purchase specialty bags having a flap with a pre-glued area which can be exposed by the removal of a protective strip when the bag is ready for sealing. The glue must be of a kind which immediately forms a chemical bond to the plastic of the bag, so that the bag cannot be opened without tearing it. As a general rule, evidence bags used by law enforcement agencies are tamper proof. The restaurant licensee should personally evaluate a sample of any specialty bag whose use is contemplated as a wine bag to make sure that the bag meets the statutory requirements. Sample bags from the following persons have been informally reviewed by the Office of Counsel and have been found to be in conformity with the statutory requirements. This finding of acceptability does not constitute a formal determination by the Members of the State Liquor Authority, and is not to be construed as an endorsement. Daniel Mullock Bago Vino LLC 416 West 49th Street Suite 5A New York, NY 10019 Tel: (917) 318-5968 E. Charles Hunt Greater NYC Chapters New York State Restaurant Association 1001 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212) 398-9160 Extension 14 Fax: (212) 398-9650 About Tracy Jong Tracy Jong has been an attorney for more than 20 years, representing restaurants, bars, and craft beverage manufacturers in a wide array of legal matters. She is also a licensed patent attorney. Her book Everything You Need To Know About Obtaining and Maintaining a New York Retail Liquor License: The Definitive Guide to Navigating the State Liquor Authority will be available next month on Amazon.com as a softcover and Kindle e-book. Her legal column is available in The Equipped Brewer, a publication giving business advice, trends, and vendor reviews to help craft breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries build brands and succeed financially. She also maintains a website and blog with practical information on legal and business issues affecting the industry. Follow her, sign up for her free firm app or monthly newsletter. www.TracyJongLawFirm.com TJong@TracyJongLawFirm.com Facebook: Tracy Jong Law Firm Twitter: @TJLawFirm LinkedIn: Tracy Jong Tracy Jong Law Firm Monday, August 1, 2016 I must confess, I didnt see this variation of the Naked Teacher Principle coming. That long-running topic on Ethics Alarms involves teachers who allow naked or sexually provocative photographs of themselves to become available to their pre-college age students. The verdict here is that such teachers have no basis for complaint if their employers subsequently judge them to be fatally diminished as role models and authority figures, having traversed into the category of sex objects, at least for some students. There are many variations of the principle that have been explored here, some requiring substantive exceptions, like The Provocatively-Clad Bodybuilding Teacher Principle. Some are slam-dunks, like the Online-Porn Star Teacher Principle. Today the question raised is how we should feel about potential First Ladies who have left naked photo-shoots in their wake. Melania Trump, now the speech-writer trophy wife of GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump, was previously not a role model, but just a model, and occasionally a naked model. The tabloid New York Post somehow got a hold of some of her more stimulating photos and published them, the first batch with the typical Post headline, The Ogle Office, and the second, showing Mrs, Trump in some girl-on-girl action headlined, Menage a Trump. Is this unfair of the Post? Is this below-the-belt, attacking Melania to get at her husband? The Trump-hating Huffington Post, which puts the following questionable description of Trump under every article including his name Editors note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims 1.6 billion members of an entire religion from entering the U.S. (someday remind me to unpack this, which is substantially unfair and misleading) has rushed to Melanias rescue in an article by Zeba Blay, a typical HuffPo social justice warrior of impaired analytical skills, arguing that You Can Be Anti-Trump Without Slut-Shaming Melania. Boy, is it terriblehypocritical, inconsistent, illogical, silly. 1. Central to Hillary Clintons argument that she is qualified to be President is that she spent 8 years as First Lady. This means that the Democrats, whose number includes just about everyone connected with the Huffington Post, believe that First Lady is a substantive position. I dont think it is, or should be, but thats what Trumps opponents are arguing, because if they dont believe that, there goes about half of Hillarys claim to have relevant experience. Melanias past, her judgment, her values and past conduct are, therefore, according to Trumps opponents, completely relevant to the election. 2. Blay writes, Ultimately, the nude photos are irrelevant. They tell nothing about Melania Trumps character or her ethics, and they certainly tell us nothing of Donald Trumps. That, ultimately, is the call of every voter to make, not Bays. I can see where the choice to be photographed nude for compensation is relevant to assessing someones judgment and values. I can certainly see where a rational voter, who knows that the First Lady, along with the President, is a symbolic presence representing our nation to the rest of the world, feels that Melanias image as nude model will not be helpful, especially to Muslims. The photos are relevant. 3. Writes Blay, Defending Melania Trump from being slut-shamed and reduced to a thing rather than a person, doesnt mean having to defend Donald Trump if you disagree deeply with his message. He himself, after all, seems to be pushing her body and her beauty as a selling-point. If Melania didnt see those modelling jobs as slutty, then there is no reason to argue that she is shamed by publicizing them. She is an adult, and was when they were taken. She made the choice, and she is accountable. She didnt know she would be married to someone running for President, you say? I dont blame her: she shouldnt be. Still, there is nothing unethical about revealing the product of a potential First Ladys choices. Nobody made her pose nude. She made the decision to accept money to be objectified, and she is estopped from complaining that those photos objectify her. She consented. Why should the Post, or Blay, hesitate to publicize photos made with Melanias full cooperation? Blays argument would apply to naked photos taken without Mrs. Trumps knowledge or consent, but not these. 4. This is news. Of course its news. Its news like Bill Clintons cigar tricks were news. What if there were photos of Eleanor Roosevelt performing a lap dance for a sailor? Irrelevant? If nude photos of the elegant Jackie Kennedy surfaced, taken when she was a moonlighting debutante, is Blay seriously arguing that those should have been censored by the press, because the public couldnt handle the truth? 5. More Bland Of course, the sexist scrutiny that Mrs. Trump is getting should come as no surprise. Michelle Obama has undergone similar attacks over the last eight years. Shes been called, numerous times, an ape and a monkey. Huh? So showing actual photographs of Mrs. Trump that show her in all her anatomical glory is the equivalent of racist insults to Mrs. Obama? Run that by me again, would you? 6. Again, Bland making no sense: What this speaks to is how the First Lady (or potential First Lady) is still viewed as an extension of her husband, rather than as an individual in her own right. Did an editor even read this junk? The photos are of Melania, who is running for First Lady in her own right. How is revealing something about her past not focusing on her as an individual? 7. Most bizarrely of all, the author, who doubles down on HuffPos official position that Trump is a misogynist, ends by saying that the photos certainly tell us nothing of Donald Trumps character or ethics. Well, speak for yourself, Zeba. While Barack Obama married a lawyer and intellectual equal, and George Bush married a dedicated teacher, and Bill Clinton married a political ally, lawyer and activist, Donald Trump chose for his life partner (actually the role is partner until he finds a woman who is younger after the previous partners looks begin to fade) a woman almost thirty years younger whose primary appeal to him is her appearance (we also know this from his own statements), who had to lie about her credentials and who couldnt write her own speech without stealing part of it. This tells me a lot about Trump. I knew all of it before, but maybe a lot of people dont. Hes misogynist. Melania has the only qualities he cares about in women. 8. There is nothing unethical about the Post publishing the photos. The way the paper framed them was unfair and slimy, but the Post is unfair and slimy, pretty much every day. 9. Thus, the Naked Presidential Candidates Wife Principle: Neither a potential First Lady nor her husband have any basis for complaint if naked photos of the candidates wife that she allowed to be taken become public, and the source publishing them has violated no ethical principles by doing so. AUSTIN Lawyers challenging Texas redistricting maps are asking a federal court in San Antonio to lay out a schedule for the rest of the case, cautioning that the lawsuit needs to proceed to avoid potential disruptions to the next round of state elections in 2018. Lawsuits brought by civil rights groups alleging the states political boundaries for Congress and the Texas House discriminate against minorities have largely stalled with no progress in the last two years. Now several of the groups, including the NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens, have asked the court in San Antonio to set a hearing to hammer out a schedule for remaining action, a move that could be seen as asking the judges to get moving on a case that has languished. The minority groups argue theres roughly a little more than a year left to finish up all pending redistricting litigation before Texas starts getting ready for the 2018 elections, a cycle that will include races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. We dont have much time to get things ready for the 2018 election, said Renea Hicks, a lawyer in the case representing Travis County. All were asking for is someday after Labor Day, please call us all to San Antonio for a hearing to set a schedule for the rest of the case. The last time the San Antonio court weighed in on the case was in November, when it made clear there would be no changes to political boundaries for the presidential election to avoid a repeat of 2012 when redistricting map litigation threw the election cycle into disarray. Thats when the San Antonio court redrew redistricting maps originally passed by the Legislature in 2011 because a federal court in Washington ruled they discriminate against minorities. Intended to serve as a temporary fix, the Legislature adopted the court-drawn maps with only slight changes as permanent during a special session in 2013. Lawyers in the case have been waiting anxiously for a ruling from the San Antonio court on a portion of the redistricting lawsuit since August 2014 when a trial concluded on the maps passed by the Legislature in 2011. A connected lawsuit challenging the election boundaries passed by the Legislature in 2013 has yet to go trial in that time. Luis Vera, the lead lawyer representing LULAC in the case, said the three judges overseeing the case in San Antonio have had more than enough time to act. Its time that whatever the court is going to do, we want them to do it now, Vera said. Weve argued this thing. Weve briefed everything. Weve given the court every map possible. Theyve got to do something. High tunnel crops to be featured during educational short course Growers, educators and industry personnel can learn more about the aspects of high tunnel crop production during a short course Nov. 9 offered by ISU. Every major UK supermarket has now made a commitment to end the sale of eggs produced by caged hens by 2025. Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons and Iceland have set a 2025 deadline to allow a transition to cage-free production. The look for alternative production systems will force the egg industry into its biggest change since the introduction of the enriched cage system in 2012; a move which then cost farmers in excess of 400m. NFU poultry board chairman Duncan Priestner Barn production where birds are kept indoors but have freedom to roam a shed is widely considered to be the replacing system. NFU poultry board chairman Duncan Priestner warned that the decision to end caged-eggs would not just impact those using enriched cages but would have a knock-on effect on the entire egg sector. He warned against snap decisions that could leave poultry farmers out of pocket. The NFU says producers need more details to be able to effectively plan 'Minimal disruption' to businesses "This change will impact greatly across all egg production systems so it is absolutely imperative that we and our members have clarity over retailers future plans and have our concerns addressed as soon as possible," said Mr Priestner. "Although 2025 is nine years away, time is of the essence to allow our producers to make the necessary changes, with minimal disruption to their businesses and to our customers the British public - a market worth an estimated 895m. "We have built good relations with the retailers UK agricultures biggest customer - and will be looking to those relationships to secure much needed clarification and certainty for our members. "UK retailers have a very good track record on sourcing UK egg and we look to that commitment continuing." The NFU says producers need more details to be able to effectively plan and make the necessary changes to their businesses in the remaining nine-year timeframe up until 2025. Stimulating environments Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA have both applauded the decisions by retailers. Dr Tracey Jones, Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, says: "Of course, whilst the timelines are longer than we would like we at Compassion very much welcome these pledges. "We have worked to influence and educate food companies on animal welfare for decades, and we will continue to work with these retailers to ensure the production system changes required to go cage-free will offer the hens a good quality of life in rich and stimulating environments." Mia Fernyhough, a hen welfare specialist for the RSPCA, said: "It is fantastic news that Tesco, Iceland and now Morrisons are all committed to going cage-free. "We hope they will not only stop selling packs of eggs from caged hens but they will also stop using them as ingredients in own-brand products like cakes, quiches and fresh pasta. "Sadly around half of the eggs laid in the UK are still from birds kept in cages, provided with little more usable space than an A4 sheet of paper per hen. "Its time cages were consigned to the history books and we hope that the last few supermarkets still selling eggs from caged hens follow suit." The Landworkers Alliance has announced eight recommendations for a post-Brexit agricultural sector. The organisation, which represents small-scale farmers producing food using only sustainable methods, asks for policies that "support producers, protects the environment and prioritizes access to healthy, nutritious food for all". The organisation admit it is a "complex and essential" issue, but nethertheless say it is a "great opportunity" for the government to "listen to the needs and desires of all stakeholders". Landworkers Alliance policy recommendations Focus on National Food Security Direct public money to high quality food and good farming The LWA want a more 'just' food system End the discrimination against small farms Create and maintain agricultural employment Improve environmental and welfare standards Invest in farmer-led research for resilient solutions. Build markets that work for farmers. Democratize agricultural policy making. 'More resilient and just food system' Over the next 6 months the the Landworkers Alliance will carry out an a consultation among its members to draw up policy proposals that aims to address the needs of food producers in the UK. The alliance says it will also work with other organizations to draw up a framework for a "Peoples Food Policy", with the goal to end "systemic inequalities and misguided policies" affecting the food and farming sectors. Adam Payne, a spokesperson for the LWA said the UK's small-scale, ecological farms are an "amazing resource" that "nourish a huge amount" of our rural culture. Mr Payne said: "They offer us a pathway towards a more resilient and just food system. "However, in the past, the UKs farming strategies have undermined domestic production of healthy, affordable food and left many small farms unfairly disadvantaged in the market place. "We are looking forward to dialogue with the government to ensure that post-brexit agricultural policy is more equitable, more resilient and more just." Trystan and Katie-Rose Davies from Breconshire have said I do to supporting NFU Cymrus Back Welsh Farming big bale campaign. The newlyweds tied the knot at St Cynogs Church in Merthyr Cynog, on Saturday, 30 July and decided to have a NFU Cymru branded bale in the photographs of their special day. The big bale campaign, launched by NFU Cymru at this years Royal Welsh Show, aims to highlight the importance of consumers and retailers supporting Welsh agriculture during a challenging time for the industry. The newly-wed couple decided to show their support for Welsh agriculture (Photo: Riley Photography) The campaign has seen huge support from farmers all across Wales and it is hoped that the message will be heard loud and clear down at the National Assembly in Cardiff Bay. Katie-Rose Davies (nee Pugh) who initially approached NFU Cymru for a bale sticker said: "Trystan and I decided to use the Its Time to Back Welsh Farming bale sticker at our wedding because we love promoting Welsh farming. "We are both very passionate about the industry and as the next generation of farmers we want to make sure that the industry is sustainable long into the future. "We used the sticker on pink bale wrap to help fund research into Breast Cancer. "A number of my family members have been affected by cancer so we thought it would be a good way of raising awareness of the cause." Three rural companies have been awarded a 180,000 grant from Northern Ireland's Rural Affairs Minister Michelle McIlveen. The three businesses, from the Causeway Coast and Glens area, were awarded the money to help develop. The grants are the first to be handed out under the Rural Business Investment Scheme. The scheme provides investment support for the creation and development of micro and small enterprises (including farm diversification and private tourism businesses) in rural areas. Garvagh company A Farlow (Engineering) Ltd has been offered 90,000 towards construction of a new workshop. An offer of 90,000 has been made to Currie Engineering Ltd, also of Garvagh, to help purchase specialist equipment. And Ballymoney-based Agquip Ltd is to receive up to 6,005 to help take forward a digital marketing project. 'Wealth of entrepreneurial talent' Highlighting the benefits the funding will bring, the Minister said: "There is a wealth of entrepreneurial talent and potential in this area, and indeed across all of our rural communities. "These three companies typify these qualities, and I wish them every success as they take their projects forward. "Around 24 million of support will be made available under the Rural Business Investment Scheme to help local businesses in rural areas grow and develop." All businesses applying for investment require a business plan to support their application at time of applying. - , , , . The farming unions from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have committed to work together on a new shared ambition for a progressive future for farming in the UK post-Brexit. Representing 76,000 farm businesses across the UK, the presidents and directors from NFU, NFU Cymru, NFUS and UFU met at Agriculture House, Stoneleigh yesterday (1 August). During the meeting each agreed their organisations must be the focal point for cross-border cooperation in the wake of the UKs decision to leave the European Union. The farming leaders identified the trade and investment climate as a critical focus for the unions to collaborate on, as well as ensuring simple access to labour, domestic farm policies that work for farmers across the UK and, clarity over the UKs exit from the EU. UK farming is a 'strong and dynamic sector' "The industry has huge potential", the union Presidents said NFU President Meurig Raymond, on behalf of the Presidents, said: "UK farming is a strong, dynamic sector that already contributes so much to society and the economy. "But the industry has huge potential. That is why the coming months and years are vitally important to develop the right policies that enable our great industry to prosper. "We have committed to providing a united front for the 76,000 farm businesses we represent and the 460,000 people who work on farms across the UK. "We believe this will provide us with the best chances of working with Government departments on the policies that will impact UK agriculture. "The working areas weve just identified are the building blocks to the strong, collective and influential voice that we want to achieve for the industry. "In the unchartered waters that our government finds itself, we want to be the consistent, reliable and representative body to look to for expertise in these working areas. "Agriculture is the bedrock of the UKs largest manufacturing industry, food and drink, worth 108 billion. "The presidents of the farming unions have made it our mission to ensure that this value is matched with an ambition to shape a profitable, productive and progressive future for food production." The UK government has welcomed a move by the USA to publish consultation proposals on the lifting of import restrictions on lamb from Britain. The ban on British lamb to the USA has been in place since 1996 following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The ban was extended in some countries to sheepmeat on the basis that a related sheep disease belongs to the same family of TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathys) diseases. The current consultation aims to bring USA legislation in line with the world animal health organisations position that TSEs do not pose any risk to human health. Environment and Rural Affairs Secretary, Lesley Griffiths The consultation paves the way for the potential lifting of the ban on the export of British lamb to the USA. It follows prolonged negotiations between UK and Welsh Government ministers and officials with the US Department for Agriculture (USDA). Last week the Welsh Rural Cabinet Secretary, Lesley Griffiths, hosted the USDAs agricultural counsellor, Stan Phillips at the Royal Welsh Show. The Cabinet Secretary said she "wholeheartedly welcomes" the development, saying it clears the way for lifting of the ban on the export of Welsh lamb to the USA. 'Extremely high quality' lamb "We have worked tirelessly in recent years to press home the point to the US Government that our lamb is of an extremely high quality," the Cabinet Secretary said. "More importantly, it is safe for peole to eat, a point I reiterated to Stan Phillips just last week at the Royal Welsh Show. "We will maintain dialogue on this issue in the weeks and months ahead to ensure a successful outcome to our discussions. "Following the UKs decision to leave the European Union we must look to negotiate new deals with markets around the world. "The USA represents a huge market for us with 300 million potential consumers. "This development could lead to a golden opportunity for us to showcase our world class Welsh lamb to a new audience and at the same time provide a major, lucrative boost to the Welsh red meat industry." Third series of Clarkson's Farm in production, Amazon confirms Spring Lake moves forward with town manager contract State Local Government Commission to review Spring Lakes contract to hire a former Kenly town manager, but the state treasurer remains opposed. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is expanding required reporting of beneficial owners for cash real estate purchases beyond Manhattan and Miami to six new areas in California and Texas. The Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) require title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind domestic and foreign companies used to pay all cash for luxury residential real estate in six major metropolitan areas. Beneficial owners need to be identified if they own 25 percent or more of the purchaser of the real estate. Title insurers have to obtain and record a copy of the beneficial owners drivers license, passport, or other similar identifying documentation, FinCEN said. The GTOs released Wednesday cover: All boroughs of New York City Miami-Dade County and the two counties immediately north (Broward and Palm Beach) Los Angeles County, California Three counties comprising part of the San Francisco area (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties) San Diego County, California, and The county that includes San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County). The GTOs become effective for 180 days beginning August 28. GTO reporting price thresholds are: New York The Borough of Manhattan $3,000,000 The Borough of Brooklyn $1,500,000 The Borough of Queens $1,500,000 The Borough of Bronx $1,500,000 The Borough of Staten Island $1,500,000 Florida Miami-Dade County $1,000,000 Broward County $1,000,000 Palm Beach County $1,000,000 California San Diego County $2,000,000 Los Angeles County $2,000,000 San Francisco County $2,000,000 San Mateo County $2,000,000 Santa Clara County $2,000,000 Texas Bexar County $500,000 FinCEN said it remains concerned that all-cash purchases (i.e., those without bank financing) may be conducted by individuals attempting to hide their assets and identity by purchasing residential properties through limited liability companies or other opaque structures. In particular, a significant portion of covered transactions have indicated possible criminal activity associated with the individuals reported to be the beneficial owners behind shell company purchasers, FinCEN said. The agency is using the GTOs to gather information that can be used for possible future regulatory approaches. Earlier this month, the DOJ filed civil forfeiture actions against about $1 billion in real estate and other assets allegedly bought with money allegedly misappropriated from the Malaysia sovereign wealth fund 1MBD. The assets included high-end real estate and hotels in New York and Los Angeles. The DOJ alleged that 1MDB officials and others used shell companies with bank accounts in Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the United States to launder about $3.5 billion from 1MDB. FinCEN Acting Director Jamal El-Hindi said Wednesday, The information we have obtained from our initial GTOs suggests that we are on the right track. By expanding the GTOs to other major cities, we will learn even more about the money laundering risks in the national real estate markets, helping us determine our future regulatory course, El-Hind said. Three weeks ago, the DOJ said it is returning about $1.5 million to Taiwan that came from the sale of a forfeited New York condo and a Virginia home bought with bribe money paid to the family of Taiwans former president, Chen Shui-Bian. In 2014, the DOJ settled civil forfeiture actions against Teodoro (Teddy) Obiang, the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea. Among the assets he allegedly bought with money looted from his home country was a $30 million mansion in Malibu, California. The settlement required him to sell the mansion. FinCEN said Wednesday it is targeting title insurance companies because title insurance is a common feature in the vast majority of real estate transactions. A sample GTO FinCEN is sending to the title insurance companies in the targeted geographic areas is here (pdf). ____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Hell be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016. Margot Robbie donned a stunning unicorn dress for the 'Suicide Squad' world premiere. Margot Robbie The 26-year-old actress - who portrays Harley Quinn in the highly-anticipated Warner Bros. and DC Comics anti-hero movie about a mercenary team of super villains - walked the black carpet at the Beacons Theatre in New York on Monday (01.08.16) in a sparkling Alexander McQueen gown emblazoned with the mythical creature, which she teamed with a dark lipstick and messy updo. Meanwhile, her co-star Cara Delevingne looked equally glamorous in an Anthony Vaccarello studded mini dress and thigh-length Christian Louboutin boots, while Jared Leto stood out from the male stars of the film thanks to an intricately embellished blue Gucci coat. Margot recently revealed she fell out of a helicopter while shooting the movie, leaving her bruised - but she had been most nervous about wearing towering shoes. She said: "I'm not good in heels in the first place so I was a little nervous but we got through it. I didn't fall over, but I fell out of the helicopter, everyone remembers that one!" The Australian beauty had to hold her breath under water for a fight scene in the film, and though she only had to master it for 60 seconds, her competitive nature pushed her to aim for five minutes. She said: "I worked with this amazing free-diver, and he came in and I did four sessions with him. His name's Kirk. "It's all about lowering your metabolic rate. You kinda, like, meditate underwater. It's what free-divers do, but it's amazing." Margot explained that she was driven to hold her breath for longer in competition with her stunt double, but she was satisfied with making it as far as she did. She said: "I got to five minutes and I was like, 'You know what? This is above and beyond what I thought I'd get to. I'm good, I'm good with five.'" Margot is also joined in the film by Will Smith as expert marksman Deadshot and it is the second time they have acted together after appearing in comedy crime drama 'Focus' opposite one another. The Australian blonde beauty revealed she was responsible for convincing Will, 47, to learn to swim after discovering he couldn't on the set of the 2015 film. Margot was asked to reveal a secret about her co-star and she said: "When we first met Will didn't know how to swim. I was insistent that he get in a pool. He did lessons." Will, who joined her for the interview, defended himself by explaining there was much call for swimming in Philadelphia where he grew up. Will said: "Up in the city of Philly there wasn't a lot of swimming pools." The film is based on DC Comic's anti-hero team who are recruited by a secret government agency led by Amanda Waller to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency and saving the world from a powerful threat. 'Suicide Squad' is released on 4 August. Free Fire is the movie that is set to close the BFI London Film Festival 2016. Free Fire The London Film festival is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and it will be director Ben Wheatley who will have the honour of bringing the festival to a close. Wheatley is one of the most exciting British directors and Free Fire come swiftly after the success of High-Rise earlier this year. The movie sees Wheatley back in the director's chair and he has teamed up with Amy Jump to pen the film's screenplay. Speaking after the announcement was made, the filmmaker said: "I'm very proud to be showing FREE FIRE at the BFI London Film Festival. To be the closing film is a great honour. LFF have been fantastic in supporting the films I've made (me and an army of 100s) and I can't wait to show Free Fire to the Festival audience!" Free Fire is Wheatley's third film to be presented at the Festival, following High-Rise (2015) which screened as Festival Gala and Sightseers (2012) which screened as Laugh Gala. The film brings together a fantastic cast list as Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Jack Reynor, Michael Smiley, and Sam Riley are all on board. Massachusetts late '70s. Justine (Larson) has brokered a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two Irishmen (Murphy & Smiley) and a gang led by Vernon (Copley) and Ord (Hammer) who are selling them a stash of guns. But when shots are fired in the handover, a heart-stopping game of survival ensues. It has already been announced that A United Kingdom, which is directed by Amma Asante and stars Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo, will open the festival. The rest of the programme will be announced on Thursday 1st September. The 60th BFI London Film Festival begins on Wednesday 5th October and runs until Sunday 16th October. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on David Prowse is disappointed he wasn't asked to reprise his role as Darth Vader in the spin-off 'Star Wars: Rogue One'. David Prowse Prowse has said that it would have been "nice" to be asked to play the sci-fi villain again after he spoke the dialogue of the Sith lord during the filming of the original trilogy of 'Star Wars' films. He said: "It'd be nice to be offered the job again, because I'm still fit and healthy, and I'm still Darth Vader in and around the country. "I get loads and loads of requests, you know, to do loads of personal appearances, both as myself and him. People are still very interested in Darth Vader." Prowse seems to have changed his tune as just before the release of the last film 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', in 2015, he moaned of having not been considered only to insist he didn't care anyway. In an interview with Radio Times, he said: "No one bothered to contact me about the new movie and to be honest, I don't care. I don't even own Darth Vader's mask anymore." However, Prowse - who was replaced by James Earl Jones after voicing Darth Vader's lines for three of the films - praised the return of the Dark Lord. He said: "When you think back to Star Wars in the 70s, like 76 I think it was, or around that period, now we're talking about sort of 40-odd years further on, and Star Wars is as big as ever." Meanwhile, the lack of contact the actor has had from Lucasfilm is likely related to the reported falling out he had with George Lucas - who sold the production company to Disney - after the director accused him of leaking the major plot line that revealed Luke was in fact, Vader's son. And in later years he excluded himself from official 'Star Wars' events. 'Rogue One' is a stand-alone 'Star Wars' film and will be released on December 16. 2016 has already been a hugely successful year for Disney and Pete's Dragon is another film that is on the horizon. Pete's Dragon Yes, there's not long to wait now until the remake of Pete's Dragon hits the big screen... and it really is promising to be a wonderful family film this summer. Pete's Dragon is a remake of the 1977 film of the same name and will be a mix of live performances and wonderful special effects. David Lowery is in the director's chair and he has teamed up with Toby Halbrooks to pen the film's screenplay. The brand new trailer for the film has arrived and we have it for you to take a look at: Pete's Dragon is only the fourth feature film of Lowery's career and his first since Ain't Them Bodies Saints back in 2013. Needless to say, this is the biggest film of his directing career to date. The director has brought together a fantastic cast as Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, and Karl Urban are all on board. Oakes Fegley will also take on the title role of Pete, in what is the biggest role of his young career. For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales... until she meets Pete (Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie (Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Captain America: Civil War, Zootropolis, The Jungle Book, and Finding Dory have been huge hits for Disney in 2016 and Pete's Dragon looks on course to be another enormous success. Pete's Dragon is released 12th August. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Pippa Middleton scaled the Matterhorn in Switzerland to raise money for the Michael Matthews Foundation. Pippa Middleton The foundation was established in memory of her fiance James Matthews' late brother Michael, who died in 1999 at the age of 22 while climbing Mount Everest. Pippa, 32, who got engaged to James in July, was accompanied by her brother James Middleton and told the Mail on Sunday: "It was humbling to have been able to climb one of the world's most beautiful mountains and raise money for a charity created in memory of an extraordinary young man who lost his life on another peak. Although I have raised money in the past for the Michael Matthews Foundation, it has now become even more important to me and my family. "It would have been good if James had been here to share the experience, something I know he would have loved to have done. Mountain climbing, though, has disturbing memories and understandably James kept his feet firmly on the ground, whilst giving us his complete support." Pippa revealed she and her 29-year-old brother were "honoured" to be able to pay tribute to Michael and raise money for his foundation, which builds schools in remote areas around the world. She said: "Although neither I nor my brother ever met Michael, we both share his spirit and passion for the mountains. We made this climb knowing he would have been there nudging us on, and we are honoured to be supporting his memory." Pippa and James previously scaled Mont Blanc together in 2008. Prince Charles helped pick seaweed in the Scottish Highlands. Prince Charles The 67-year-old royal toured New Wave Foods factory, which handpicks seaweed in the local area, as well as helping the employees pick some of the natural product from Mey beach. Peter Elbourne, operations director of New Wave Foods, said: "The far north of Scotland is blessed with cool, clean water that is ideal for high quality seaweed. Sustainability is central to what we do; stocks are carefully managed and our harvesters are trained to cut seaweed to allow regrowth. Getting to where we are today has required a lot of hard work and we're delighted to be able to show HRH The Prince of Wales our operations." Whilst operations manager Thomas McGee added: "There is limited access for jobs in this area and this is an avenue that may create more opportunities for local people, especially as we are now very close to producing our own products." During his visit to the Highlands, the Prince of Wales - who is first in line to the British throne - also visited Wick Sheriff Court, which was celebrating its 150th anniversary. Sheriff Berry, who presides at the court, shared: "It's an opportunity for anyone here today to see the input from the sheriff clerks, the procurator fiscal, police, social workers and honorary sheriffs - people in the community who can deal with certain matters. "This is a big geographical area and it's very important we have access to justice for anyone in the community, so that people who have a civil claim of a fairly straightforward nature can come along and deal with it easily. On the other end of the scale we deal with serious criminal charges sitting with a jury of 15 people." The unstoppable Priyanka Chopra covers London, New York and Mumbai all in the span of a week and she knows how to tweak her style to fit the sensibility of each city. We help breakdown the globetrotters city specific wardrobe. Los Angeles Priyanka took to the streets of glamorous LA in a lace-up mini dress by Barbara Bui cinched at the waist with a broad leather belt. Heres how you can get her look: Polyester swing dress, Rs 791, Asos.com Leather obi belt, Rs 1,760 , Asos.com Synthetic pointy-toe heels, 20 pounds, New Look @ Asos.com Sports goods and sportswear retailer Adidas India has received an approval to bring in FDI in retail through its existing wholesale entity to open company owned stores and now plans to open 30-50 outlets by 2020.This means the company will not have to set up a separate retail company, the Economic Times reported. Sports goods and sportswear retailer Adidas India has received an approval to bring in FDI in retail through its existing wholesale entity to open company owned stores and now plans to open 30-50 outlets by 2020. This means the company will not have to set up a separate retail company, the Economic Times reported. It may be recalled that Adidas first...# It may be recalled that Adidas first received the FDI approval for company owned stores in October 2015, but under which it was required to set up a separate entity under government norms existing at that time.However, in November, the government subsequently eased the rules permitting companies to market their goods through wholesale, retail and ecommerce channels for the first time.In addition to opening company owned stores, Adidas India will also start its ecommerce website, Adidas Group's managing director for India, Dave Thomas said while revealing the details.These stores will come up from the middle of next year, with the first few in Delhi where it will have 3-4 outlets across various formats which also includes one factory outlet.Thomas further added that it will now apply for approval to set up company owned stores and an ecommerce website for its Reebok brand. (AR) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India In order to hike sales and also follow an omnichannel strategy, online fashion retailer Yep-Me is planning to open 400 brick and mortar stores by this fiscal end.Quoting Yep-Me's CEO Vivek Gaur, the Economic Times said the retailer has identified cities like Noida, Meerut, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ludhiana and Latur for expansion through franchise route. In order to hike sales and also follow an omnichannel strategy, online fashion retailer Yep-Me is planning to open 400 brick and mortar stores by this fiscal end. Quoting Yep-Me's CEO Vivek Gaur, the Economic Times said the retailer has identified cities like Noida, Meerut, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ludhiana and Latur for expansion through franchise route.# According to Gaur, a majority of the stores in metros will be company owned, while those in tier II towns will be franchisee owned.The company currently manages four stores in Gurgaon and is doing five times more sales than what it does from online sales from the same city.We figured out that we can sell profitably and get a multiplier on online sales by having an offline presence, putting us in a different orbit altogether," Gaur said.Orders received on its website from smaller towns, will be shipped directly from these stores rather than its warehouse, provided the outlet has the product in stock.In addition, the retailer will offer a seamless shopping experience across multiple towns by allowing anywhere returns of products bought by customers across stores in different cities. (AR) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India Temasek has picked a stake in Moncler, an Italian- French retailer of high end apparel, through acquiring an equity stake in a newly incorporated investment company from Ruffini Partecipazioni.The Singapore based investment company said this investment represents Temasek's first significant investment in an Italian company. Temasek has picked a stake in Moncler, an Italian- French retailer of high end apparel, through acquiring an equity stake in a newly incorporated investment company from Ruffini Partecipazioni. The Singapore based investment company said this investment represents Temasek's first significant investment in an Italian company. According to Temasek, Moncler...# According to Temasek, Moncler operates in over 70 countries through a network of mono-brand stores and major exclusive luxury department and multi-brand stores.We see opportunities in leading European companies that are looking to expand and diversify their export markets to growth economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, Temasek added.Temasek's head of Europe, Tan Chong Lee said, This investment represents Temasek's largest commitment to an Italian company to date.Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an investment company based in Singapore, with a $180 billion or 158 billion portfolio as at 31 March 2016. (AR) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India Producer of wide format inkjet printers Mimaki USA has launched RasterLink6 version 5.0 RIP software, whose features include Pantone colour libraries and colour replacement via spectrophotometer measurements.According to the Japan headquartered company, the RasterLink6 RIP software offers ease-of-use combined with powerful tools delivering enhanced image quality, colour and optimised output. Producer of wide format inkjet printers Mimaki USA has launched RasterLink6 version 5.0 RIP software, whose features include Pantone colour libraries and colour replacement via spectrophotometer measurements. According to the Japan headquartered company, the RasterLink6 RIP software offers ease-of-use combined with powerful tools delivering enhanced image...# It drives the entire range of Mimaki inkjet printers including roll-based and flatbed; eco-solvent, latex, UV-LED, solvent UV and dedicated textile solutions, it said.This version includes the Pantone + Solid Coated as well as Solid Uncoated colour libraries under which spot colours in design files are automatically detected and converted to the most accurate CMYK build.The Adobe Illustrator compatible DIC colour collection and Mimaki original colour collections, including metallics, have been added to the preset library as well, Mimaki USA added.RasterLink6 version 5.0 also eliminates the requirement for special colour software by enabling the use of a spectrophotometer to directly measure colour patches, or samples to be used as replacement colours.In addition, frequently used colours can be stored in the colour collection, enabling more accurate colour reproduction while reducing the time and cost incurred in colour matching.Also included is the ability to create FOTOBA cut marks directly within the Rasterlink6 operation window.This new functionality streamlines production by allowing operators to create cropmarks while in the RIP without the need for additional design software, the company explained.These marks can be used with FOTOBA cutters for post print finishing and also support copying, layout arrangement and tiling, it observed. (AR) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan have flown out of the country for a mini vacation, and people are guessing that the couple might have gone to their favourite holiday destinaton, Switzerland. Check out Kareena Kapoor & Saif Ali Khan's airport pictures here! Kareena Kapoor, tried her best to hide her pregnancy news but later gave in and confirmed that she's pregnant. Bebo, is expecting a baby and is due in December, 2016. Hilariously Funny Tweets! 25 Times Fans Ended Up Trolling Bollywood's Logic However, admist all the pregnancy hullabaloo, news started doing the rounds that Kareena will take a maternity break from acting amd this has disappointed the actress immsensly. "I'm just fed-up of people making it (her pregnancy) to be a death of some sort. In fact, it should be a message to a lot of people that marriage or having a family has absolutely nothing to do with my career." The Bachchan Household Angry With Aishwarya Rai's Intimate Scene In ADHM? Not just stopping there, Kareena Kapoor vented out her frustration about the topic and further commented, "I'm pregnant, not a corpse. And what maternity break? It's the most normal thing on earth to produce a child. It is high time the media back off, and stop treating me any different than I ever was. Anybody who is bothered shouldn't work with me... but my work goes on as is, like always. Stop making it a national casualty. We are in 2016, not in the 1800s. Probably, even at that time, people were way more civilised and normal than the way the media is behaving and speculating now." Katrina Kaif Sizzles In A Bikini In A New Picture From Baar Baar Dekho! Among the emerging star kids, Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda is taking internet by storm with her pictures. The girl remains in news because of her hot pictures. Navya Naveli Nanda posted some droolworthy pictures with her friends on Instagram recently. You can see Navya's latest picture by clicking on the slider below. The very beautiful, Navya Naveli Nanda graduated from the Sevenoaks school in London a few months ago. Post her graduation, she headed to the serene island of Phuket in Thailand for a holiday with her close friends, which also included Shahrukh Khan's dashing son Aryan Khan. The duo then took off for a yacht trip with their pals. Also Read: CAUGHT KISSING! Sridevi's Daughter Jhanvi Kapoor Spotted With Boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya At A Party Navya Naveli Nanda is a rage amongst youngsters thanks to her evershining presence on the social media. She is very popular because of her stylish pictures and her charm. Among many star kids in Bollywood, Navya Naveli Nanda's big debut is perhaps the most awaited. There were reports that Navya keeps posting her hot pictures to be in the limelight as she has plans to join Bollywood. But grandfather Amitabh Bachchan denied the rumours and said that at present Navya Naveli Nanda only wants to focus on her studies. The superstar told a leading daily, "I have no idea, I am hearing this from you."Adding further, "I don't think she will work in Bollywood anytime soon. She is still studying." Well, we love Navya's instagram pictures and cant wait to see her on the big screen! Nivin Pauly, the crowd-puller of M'town has succeeded in impressing not only the audiences but also the eminent personalities of the Indian film industry. And the list also includes the Bollywood hitmaker, Anurag Kashyap. The actor recently met Anurag Kashyap when the director paid a visit to Kochi recently. According to the rumour mills, Anurag is planning to produce a Malayalam film, with Nivin in the lead role. Interestingly, the young actor also shared a click with the director on his Facebook page. Nivin has also stated that he is waiting for Anurag to join their team soon, hinting their plan to associate for a movie. However, the reports are yet to be officially confirmed. Along with Nivin Pauly, actor Farhaan Faasil and a group of young film-makers also visited Anurag, in the informal meet hosted by actress-director Geetu Mohandas. Anurag Kashyap is a very close friend of Geetu Mohandas and her husband, the cinematographer-director Rajeev Ravi. It was Rajeev who cranked the camera for most of the popular works of Anurag. The director, who is a follower of Malayalam cinema, and has showered praises on Rajeev Ravi's Kammatipaadam through his Twitter page. Well, we are waiting for him to venture into Mollywood with a Nivin Pauly project. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 11/01/16 -- Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE MKT: GORO) (the "Company") today announced the timing of its third quarter earnings conference call scheduled for November 3, 2016. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and 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 into physical gold and silver and take delivery. Conference Call Gold Resource Corporation's CEO Mr. Jason Reid will host the conference call Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Topics of discussion will include third quarter results and an update on current operations. The conference call will be recorded and posted to the Company's website in three to five business days from recording. Q&A Following Mr. Reid's opening remarks, the Company will answer questions during a live Q&A period. Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016 Time: 11:00 AM Eastern (9:00 AM Mountain) Attendee Access Information: Title: Gold Resource Corporation Third Quarter Conference Call Host Name: Jason Reid Company Name: Gold Resource Corporation US/CAN Toll Free: 800-967-7154 International Toll: 719-386-0002 Passcode: 876090 Please dial-in to the meeting at least 5 minutes prior to the start time using the attendee phone number and passcode. About GRC: 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. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company has 56,556,874 shares outstanding, zero warrants, zero debt and has returned $108 million back to shareholders since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010. Gold Resource Corporation 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 Corporation'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. Contacts: Corporate Development Greg Patterson 303-320-7708 HONG KONG, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/01/16 -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704), a global leader in security software and solutions, today announced its collaboration in the arrest of the head of an international criminal network suspected of stealing more than $60 million through business email compromise (BEC) scams and CEO fraud. The arrest is the result of a joint operation by INTERPOL and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission utilizing Trend Micro research to identify and arrest the culprit. "Trend Micro is a strong proponent of public-private partnerships in the constant battle against cybercriminals," said Raimund Genes, chief technology officer for Trend Micro. "We have a collective adversary in those who mean to do harm via technology, and we at Trend Micro do all we can to support law enforcement in apprehending and prosecuting these attackers. This is another a milestone for the cybersecurity community working together." The Nigerian national is believed to be the leader of a 40-person network across Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa that provides malware and carries out attacks. He is also suspected of colluding with money launderers in China, Europe and the U.S. who provided illicit bank account details in which stolen money was housed. "Arrests like this are made possible by partnerships between members of the security community which come together with the common goal of making the internet a safer place," said Noboru Nakatani, Executive Director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. "BEC scams are particularly difficult to combat due to their complexity, which is why public-private sector cooperation is essential." Trend Micro is a strategic partner supporting INTERPOL and its member countries with knowledge, resources and strategies to fight global cybercrime through its Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore. Company Logo http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/3868 About Trend Micro Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cyber security solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 5,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world's most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables users to enjoy their digital lives safely. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.hk. MEDIA CONTACT: Claudius Lam Trend Micro + 852 2866 4362 (Office) + 852 9022 0876 (Mobile) Email Contact Transaction expected to close in September 2016 WISeKey International Holding Ltd (WIHN.SW) a leading Swiss cybersecurity company, announced today that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the semiconductor technology and business of INSIDE Secure (Euronext: INSD.FR), a leader in embedded security solutions for mobile and connected devices. The acquisition and technology integration will create the first ever comprehensive trusted end-to-end cybersecurity platform for people and objects (IoT). Following this acquisition, WISeKey's cybersecurity offerings will include certified hardware software, system certification, provisioning and up to management of cybersecurity services. This transaction represents the final stage in the process of repositioning INSIDE Secure's software security and technology licensing to be able to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding mobile payment and mobile banking markets and to also provide embedded security technology licenses for Internet of Things (IoT) markets. The scope of the transaction would include the transfer of products, technology, customer agreements, and certain patents. More specifically, it would include the transfer of assets related to the development and sale of secure integrated circuits for the strongly growing IoT market as well as a complete team in R&D, sales, marketing and support. The activities of INSIDE Secure to be acquired for IoT, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, EMV payment card and secure access generated pro forma revenue (unaudited) of US$33.6 million in 2015. Ongoing support and solutions would be provided to existing INSIDE Secure customers for current products and development projects to ensure a smooth customer transition. The terms and conditions of the transaction are in line with those announced on May 19, 2016. Upon completion of the transaction, WISeKey will pay INSIDE Secure CHF2 million in cash (net of transferred cash) plus bonds convertible into listed shares of WISeKey International Holding Ltd worth CHF11 million. The transaction is due to close in September 2016 and is subject to customary closing conditions, and to the French finance ministry's approval since it involves the acquisition of control by a foreign company of a business operating in a strategically important area (provision of cryptology capabilities and services). Creating the first comprehensive trusted end-to-end cybersecurity platform for people and objects (IoT) Thanks to WISeKey solutions, IoT devices would be able to organize themselves into trusted networks based on mutual authentication, identity and integrity. This trusted cybersecurity platform will only enable IoT devices which can provide a recognized identity and a valid integrity report to communicate with peer devices that are part of the trusted community. INSIDE Secure's integrated circuits will allow WISeKey's cryptographic Root of Trust ("RoT") and digital certificates to be hosted on a hardware vault that has received the highest level of certification to encrypt the communication and authenticate the devices. Furthermore, it leverages the massive deployment of WISeKey's RoT now embedded in more than 2.5 billion devices worldwide benefitting from the strong cryptographic capabilities to operate on induced power, allowing to be deployed in all sorts of IoT products. Addressing fast growing IoT market The ability to authenticate and remotely manage millions of networked, automated devices and equipment is becoming pervasive from the factory floor, to the hospital operating room, to the residential home everything, from refrigerators, watches, wearables to wine bottles, is connecting and communicating via the Internet. The Internet of Things security market is expected to grow from $6.89 billion in 2015 to nearly $29 billion by 2020 according to a report published by Markets and Markets, thus growing at an annual rate of 35% over the next five years. These massively deployed connected objects are facing regular attacks hence generating a large need for trusted end-to-end cybersecurity solutions. Chairman and CEO of WISeKey, Carlos Moreira commented on the envisaged acquisition: "With this acquisition, customers can directly purchase trusted end-to-end cybersecurity solutions from WISeKey, embedding personalization within Integrated Circuits and having the highest level of security certification. As an example, WISeKey's cryptographic RoT combined with the acquired INSIDE Secure's technology will enable wearable devices to connect safely and make secure transactions including payments. WISeKey technology will empowers IoT devices to be authenticated with digital identities via a trusted platform and/or blockchains before agreeing to communicate. I believe such a comprehensive trusted end-to-end cybersecurity platform will enable the optimum level of security to safely develop interactions in a world of connected people and objects." Mr. Moreira added, "The acquisition of INSIDE Secure will significantly drive both short- and long-term revenue growth for WISeKey and also accelerate our strategy for global expansion. We are very excited about the opportunities ahead, and what we will be able to accomplish by working together with INSIDE Secure team." About WISeKey WISeKey is a leading cybersecurity company and selected as a World Economic Forum Global Growth Company. WISeKey is currently deploying large scale Internet of Things ("IoT") digital identity ecosystems and has become a pioneer of the 4th Industrial Revolution movement launched this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos. WISeKey's Swiss based Cryptographic Root of Trust (RoT) integrates wearable technology with secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, and empowers IoT and wearable devices to become secure transactional devices. WISeKey has patented this process in the USA as it is currently used by many IoT providers. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com About INSIDE Secure INSIDE Secure (Euronext Paris FR0010291245 INSD) provides comprehensive embedded security solutions. World-leading companies rely on INSIDE Secure's mobile security and secure transaction offerings to protect critical assets including connected devices, content, services, identity and transactions. Unmatched security expertise combined with a comprehensive range of IP, semiconductors, software and associated services gives INSIDE Secure customers a single source for advanced solutions and superior investment protection. For more information, visit www.insidesecure.com Disclaimer: This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160801006378/en/ Contacts: Press and Investors: WISeKey Carlos Moreira, +41 22 594 3000 Founder CEO cmoreira@wisekey.com or WISeKey Investor Relations (US) The Equity Group, Inc. Lena Cati, +1 212-836-9611 lcati@equityny.com or INSIDE Secure Richard Vacher Detourniere Group General Manager CFO rvacherdetourniere@insidefr.com Transaction expected to close in September 2016 Regulatory News: INSIDE Secure (Paris:INSD) (Euronext: INSD), a leader in embedded security solutions for mobile and connected devices, announced today that it has executed a binding agreement to sell its semiconductor business to WISeKey International Holding Ltd, a Swiss cybersecurity company listed in Zurich (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN). This follows on from the May 19, 2016 announcement and represents the final stage in the process of repositioning INSIDE Secure around software security and technology licensing, to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding mobile payment and mobile banking markets and also provide embedded security technology licenses for Internet of Things (IoT) markets. The terms and conditions of the transaction are in line with those announced on May 19, 2016. Upon completion of the transaction, INSIDE Secure will receive CHF2 million in cash (net of transferred cash) plus bonds convertible into listed shares of WISeKey International Holding Ltd worth CHF11 million. The transaction is expected to close in September 2016 and is subject to customary closing conditions, and to the French finance ministry's approval since it involves the acquisition of control by a foreign company of a business operating in a strategically important area (provision of cryptology capabilities and services). About INSIDE Secure INSIDE Secure (Euronext Paris FR0010291245 INSD) provides comprehensive embedded security solutions. World-leading companies rely on INSIDE Secure's mobile security and secure transaction offerings to protect critical assets including connected devices, content, services, identity and transactions. Unmatched security expertise combined with a comprehensive range of IP, semiconductors, software and associated services gives INSIDE Secure customers a single source for advanced solutions and superior investment protection. For more information, visit www.insidesecure.com. About WISeKey WISeKey is a leading cybersecurity company and selected as a World Economic Forum Global Growth Company. WISeKey is currently deploying large scale Internet of Things ("IoT") digital identity ecosystems and has become a pioneer of the 4th Industrial Revolution movement launched this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos. WISeKey's Swiss based Cryptographic Root of Trust (RoT) integrates wearable technology with secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, and empowers IoT and wearable devices to become secure transactional devices. WISeKey has patented this process in the USA as it is currently used by many IoT providers. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of INSIDE Secure, which shall not be considered per se as historical facts, including the ability to manufacture, market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for specific projects developed by INSIDE Secure, estimates for future performance and estimates regarding anticipated operating losses, future revenues, capital requirements, needs for additional financing. In addition, even if the actual results or development of INSIDE Secure are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments of INSIDE Secure may not be indicative of their in the future. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "could," "should," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "aims," "targets," or similar words. Although the management of INSIDE Secure believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonably made, they are based largely on the current expectations of INSIDE Secure as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In particular, the expectations of INSIDE Secure could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties involved in unexpected regulatory actions or delays related notably to building and operating permits and renewable support policies, competition in general or any other risk and uncertainties developed or identified in any public documents filed by INSIDE Secure with the AMF, included those listed in chapter 4 "Risk factors" of the 2015 "document de reference" approved by the French financial market authority (the Autorite des marches financiers the "AMF") on March 30, 2016 under number R. 16-014. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made in this press release will in fact be realized. Notwithstanding the compliance with article 223-1 of the General Regulation of the AMF (the information disclosed must be "accurate, precise and fairly presented"), INSIDE Secure is providing the information in these materials as of this press release, and disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160801006254/en/ Contacts: INSIDE Secure Communication corporate Geraldine Sauniere, +33 (0) 4 42 905 905 Marcom Director gsauniere@insidefr.com or INSIDE Secure Investor Relations Richard Vacher Detourniere, +33 (0) 4 42 905 905 Group General Manager CFO rvacherdetourniere@insidefr.com or WISeKey Company contact: Carlos Moreira, +41 22 594 3000 Founder CEO cmoreira@wisekey.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Cabinet office is slated to release the Japan consumer confidence index for July at 1:00 am ET Tuesday. The index is seen at 42.00, compared to 41.8 in June. Ahead of the data, the yen held steady against its major rivals. As of 12:55 am ET, the yen was trading at 114.58 against the euro, 135.25 against the pound, 105.98 against the Swiss franc and 102.51 against the U.S. dollar. 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. OSAKA, Japan and LEUVEN, Belgium, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502) ("Takeda") and TiGenix NV (Euronext Brussels: TIG) ("TiGenix") today announced that the 24-week results of the Phase 3 ADMIRE-CD trial investigating Cx601 have been published in The Lancet. Cx601 is a suspension of allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (eASC) injected intra-lesionally for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn's disease with an inadequate response to at least one conventional or biologic therapy. The ADMIRE-CD trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 study, designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a single treatment of Cx601 for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease patients. A significantly greater proportion of patients in the Cx601 group versus the placebo group achieved the primary endpoint of combined remission (defined as clinical assessment of closure of all treated external openings draining at baseline, despite gentle finger compression, and absence of collections >2cm confirmed by MRI) at week 24 in the ITT population 53 (50%) of 107 vs 36 of 105 (34%), respectively (97.5% CI 0.2-30.3; p=0.024) and the mITT population 53 (51%) of 103 vs 36 (36%) of 101 (0.5-31.2; p=0.021). These results were confirmed in the per-protocol population and in additional supportive and sensitivity analyses. This definition of remission is more stringent than those commonly used in clinical trials on perianal fistulizing disease, as it includes both clinical and radiological assessment by MRI. Treatment-emergent adverse (non-serious and serious) and discontinuations due to adverse events were comparable between Cx601 and placebo arms. In addition, severity of perianal Crohn's disease was assessed at baseline and all study visits with the Perianal Disease Activity Index (PDAI). In the mITT population, the PDAI score was similar in the Cx601 and the placebo groups at baseline. The improvement in PDAI with Cx601 was significantly greater than placebo at week 6, 12 and 18. In addition, the mean total PDAI score at week 24 with Cx601 (4.4) was close to the threshold for inactive perianal disease (PDAI<4) at which patients do not need medical or surgical treatment. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that affects approximately five million patients worldwide. People living with Crohn's disease often experience complex perianal fistulas for which there are limited treatment options. Recognizing the debilitating nature of the disorder and the lack of treatment options, in 2009 the European Commission granted Cx601 orphan designation for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease. In March 2016, TiGenix announced that it submitted the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Cx601. TiGenix also recently announced 52-week data indicating the potential for efficacy and safety of a single treatment of Cx601 are maintained during a year of follow up. "We are very proud of the results of this study," said Prof. Dr. Julian Panes, ADMIRE-CD Global Study Coordinator and Head of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Unit at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. "The Lancet is one of the most highly regarded and well known medical journals in the world; we are very delighted to have the Cx601 data selected by this prestigious publication," he continued. Dr. Marie Paule Richard, Chief Medical Officer at TiGenix stated that, "Our study is, to our knowledge, the first large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial to use clinical assessmentof fistula closure and MRI assessment of absence of abscesses as recommended in the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization guidelines." Last month, TiGenix entered into a licensing agreement with Takeda, a global leader in gastroenterology, under which Takeda acquired the exclusive right to develop and commercialize Cx601 for complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease outside the United States (U.S.). Based on the data from this pivotal Phase 3 trial in Europe, TiGenix submitted aMAA to the EMA in the first quarter of 2016, and a decision by the EMA could be expected in 2017. If granted, following Marketing Authorization in the European Economic Area Takeda will become the Marketing Authorization holder and will be responsible for all commercialization and regulatory activities. A pivotal Phase 3 trial for Cx601 for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas is expected to start in theU.S. in 2017. In the U.S., TiGenix intends to apply for fast track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which would facilitate and expedite the development and review process in the U.S. About Takeda Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502) is a global, R&D-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its research efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. It also has specific development programs in specialty cardiovascular diseases as well as late-stage candidates for vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology, central nervous system and gastroenterology, as well as its presence in emerging markets, fuel the growth of Takeda. More than 30,000 Takeda employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients, working with our partners in health care in more than 70 countries. For more information, visithttp://www.takeda.com/news. Takeda's Commitment to Gastroenterology Takeda is a global leader in gastroenterology. With expertise spanning more than 25 years, the company's dedication to innovation continues to evolve and have a lasting impact. ENTYVIO (vedolizumab) demonstrates Takeda's global capabilities and expansion into the specialty care market in gastroenterology and biologics. Designed and developed specifically to target the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, ENTYVIO was launched in 2014 for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. TAKECAB (vonoprazan fumarate) is Takeda's potassium-competitive acid blocker and was launched in Japan in 2015.Takeda also markets motility agent AMITIZA (lubiprostone), which originally launched in 2006 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation, and received subsequent approval to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and opioid-induced constipation. Preceding these notable launches, Takeda pioneered gastroenterological breakthroughs in proton pump inhibitors beginning in the 1990's with lansoprazole. Through specialized and strategic in-house development, external partnerships, in-licensing and acquisitions, Takeda currently has a number of promising early stage GI assets in development, and remains committed to delivering innovative, therapeutic options for patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases. About TiGenix TiGenix NV (Euronext Brussels: TIG) is an advanced biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising novel therapeutics from its proprietary platforms of allogeneic, or donor-derived, expanded stem cells. Two products from the adipose-derived stem cell technology platform are currently in clinical development. Cx601 is in Phase III for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease patients. Cx611 has completed a Phase I sepsis challenge trial and a Phase I/II trial in rheumatoid arthritis. Effective July 31, 2015, TiGenix acquired Coretherapix, whose lead cellular product, AlloCSC-01, is currently in a Phase II clinical trial in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In addition, the second product candidate from the cardiac stem cell-based platform acquired from Coretherapix, AlloCSC-02, is being developed in a chronic indication. On July 4, 2016, we entered into a licensing agreement with Takeda, a large pharmaceutical company active in gastroenterology, under which Takeda acquired the exclusive right to commercialize Cx601 for complex perianal fistulas outside the United States. TiGenix is headquartered in Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain). For more information, please visit http://www.tigenix.com/. About Cx601 Cx601 is a suspension of allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells (eASC) locally injected. Cx601 is an investigational agent being developed for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease patients that failed conventional therapy including antibiotics, immunosuppressant, or anti-TNF therapy. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine and patients can suffer from complex perianal fistulas for which there is currently no effective treatment. In 2009, the European Commission granted Cx601 orphan designation for the treatment of anal fistulas, recognizing the debilitating nature of the disease and the lack of treatment options. Based on positive Phase 2 results, TiGenix sought scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the future development path of Cx601. TiGenix then initiated a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial in Europe and Israel designed to comply with the requirements laid down by the EMA. 'Madrid Network,' an organization within the Autonomous Region of Madrid which helps companies to grow through high-technology innovation, issued a soft loan to help finance this Phase 3 study. The program is funded by The Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) within the framework of the INNTEGRA plan. The study's primary endpoint was combined remission, defined as clinical assessment at week 24 of closure of all treated external openings draining at baseline despite gentle finger compression, and absence of collections >2cm confirmed by MRI. In the 24 weeks results of the Phase 3 study reported in August 2015, Cx601 achieved statistically significant superiority (p<0.025) on the primary endpoint with 49.5% combined remission at week 24 compared to 34.3% in the placebo arm in the ITT population. These results translate into a relative risk of 1.44, meaning that patients receiving Cx601 had a 44% greater probability of achieving combined remission than placebo patients. Efficacy results were robust and consistent across all statistical populations. Treatment emergent adverse events (non-serious and serious) and discontinuations due to adverse events were comparable between Cx601 and placebo arms. The Phase 3 study trial has completed a follow-up analysis at 52 weeks post-treatment. Based on the positive 24 weeks Phase 3 study results, TiGenix has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the EMA in early 2016. TiGenix is preparing to develop Cx601 in the U.S. after having reached an agreement with the FDA through a special protocol assessment procedure (SPA) in 2015. On July 4, 2016 TiGenix entered into a licensing agreement with Takeda, a pharmaceutical company leader in gastroenterology, whereby Takeda acquired an exclusive right to commercialize Cx601 for complex perianal fistulas in Crohn's patients outside of the U.S. CONTACTS: For TiGenix: Claudia D'Augusta Chief Financial Officer claudia.daugusta@tigenix.com +34 91 804 92 64 For Takeda : Tsuyoshi Tada Media in Japan tsuyoshi.tada@takeda.com +81 33 278 2417 Elissa Johnsen Media outside of Japan elissa.johnsen@takeda.com +1 224 554 3185 BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3:15 am ET Tuesday, Switzerland's retail sales data for June is due to be released. Sales are forecast to drop 2 percent annually in June following a 1.6 percent drop in May. Ahead of the data, the Swiss franc showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the Swiss franc fell against the euro and the pound, it rose against the yen. Against the U.S. dollar, the Swiss franc held steady. As of 3:10 am ET, the Swiss franc was trading at 1.0826 against the euro, 1.2793 against the pound, 0.9668 against the U.S. dollar and 105.82 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. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Swiss retail sales continued to decline in June, data published by the Federal Statistical Office showed Tuesday. Retail sales declined by real 3.9 percent year-on-year in June, faster than the 1.7 percent decrease seen in May. It was also bigger than the expected fall of 2 percent. Sales have been falling since August 2015. On a monthly basis, retail trade turnover registered a 0.5 percent decline in June. Excluding service stations, retail sales decreased 0.5 percent from May. Sales of food, drinks and tobacco slid 0.7 percent and non-food sales decreased 0.6 percent. In nominal terms, overall retail turnover dropped 4.6 percent in June from previous year. The decline has been ongoing since January 2015 and this was the largest decline since January 2003, the statistical office said. Month-on-month, retail turnover fell 3.9 percent in June. 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. Deal combines the UK's largest beacon network with an exclusive private marketplace PubMatic, the marketing automation software company for publishers, is pleased to announce its partnership with Proxama PLC (AIM:PROX), the leading mobile proximity commerce company, to exclusively power the automation of ad buying for media buyers and sellers across its portfolio of apps. PubMatic will provide Proxama with a leading private marketplace (PMP), enabling brands and agencies working with Proxama to see the premium ad space available before deciding which placements to invest in. This will ensure the right advertisers are connected to Proxama's publisher partners and their audiences. This trend is reflected in PubMatic's Q4 2015 QMI report, which detailed how high calibre brands are increasingly using mobile private marketplaces to target mobile consumers with timely, relevant advertising messages. Proxama will work with PubMatic to drive its programmatic strategy across its app inventory. Proxama's apps on Android and iOS devices trigger contextually relevant notifications when in proximity to a Bluetooth beacon which awakens the app, where a relevant and timely ad is served. Brands can capitalise on the consumer's exact physical context and dwell time to deliver ads to an audience with a higher tendency to engage. Proxama's network of beacons are deployed in conjunction with the UK's leading Out of Home media owners, as well as in high consumer dwell-time locations such as on buses, taxis and in airports across London and the UK. "Proxama has the biggest network of Bluetooth beacons in the UK; however, if the ads being served aren't relevant to consumers, the value we offer to brands and publishers is reduced considerably," said John Kennedy, CEO at Proxama. "Therefore, we need a programmatic strategy to help us realise the value of advertising through PMPs. PubMatic was the obvious partner." Paul Gubbins, Country Manager, UK at PubMatic added: "With location targeting at the heart of mobile buy-side conversations, access to the inventory that Proxama has and that can provide the exact physical state of the audience is valuable to agencies and the advertisers they represent. We're delighted that Proxama has chosen us as their exclusive revenue automation partner and we look forward to supporting them as they build out their automated media buying and selling solutions." About PubMatic PubMatic is the leading marketing automation software company for publishers. Through real-time analytics, yield management, and workflow automation, PubMatic enables publishers to make smarter inventory decisions and improve revenue performance. Focused on serving the needs of premium publishers, PubMatic inspires buyer confidence by providing flexibility in audience discovery and planning media campaigns through its Media Buyer Console and APIs. The company's marketing automation software platform provides a global roster of comScore publishers with a single view into their advertiser relationships across every screen, every channel and every format. PubMatic was ranked by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing companies in the US for the fourth consecutive year in 2015. The company has offices worldwide, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California. About Proxama PLC Proxama PLC (AIM: PROX) is the leading mobile proximity commerce company. Proxama specialise in transport based mobile proximity services, using Bluetooth beacon-led technology, to deliver the most accurate and reliable mobile location and behavioural data for digital advertisers and agencies. Proxama's award-winning mobile technology platform, TapPoint, enables brands to connect physical and digital assets via mobile to increase consumer engagement, retail sales and loyalty, across transport networks and high footfall destinations. PubMatic is a registered trademark of PubMatic, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005011/en/ Contacts: PubMatic Emma Newman, 07903 317414 VP, Marketing, International Emma.Newman@pubmatic.com or Proxama PLC CCGroup Jo Ashford, +44 (0) 203 824 9218 proxama@ccgrouppr.com LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The U.K. construction sector shrank less than expected in July, survey results published by Markit showed Tuesday. The Markit/Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 45.9 in July from 46.0 in June. It was forecast to fall to 44.0. The reading was below the 50.0 no-change threshold for the second straight month, reflecting contraction in the sector. The reading signaled the fastest overall decline in construction output since June 2009. Companies said weaker order books continued to act as a brake on business activity in July. The uncertainty after the EU referendum was the main factor that weighed on business activity in July, especially in the commercial building sector, Markit said. Survey respondents noted heightened risk aversion and lower investment spending among clients,notwithstanding a greater number of speculative enquiries in anticipation of lower charges, Tim Moore, a senior economist at Markit, said. 'While there is little to suggest an imminent turnaround in business conditions, a relief factor appears to have softened the fall in business optimism among UK construction companies.' 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. Pan African Resources PLC ("Pan African" or "the Company" or "the Group") (Incorporated and registered in England and Wales under Companies Act 1985 with registered number 3937466 on 25 February 2000) Share code on AIM: PAF Share code on JSE: PAN ISIN: GB0004300496 TRADING STATEMENT AND PRODUCTION UPDATE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2016 TRADING STATEMENT In terms of paragraph 3.4(b) of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited, a listed company is required to publish a trading statement as soon as it is satisfied that a reasonable degree of certainty exists that the financial results for the period to be reported upon next, will differ by at least 20 percent from those of the previous corresponding period. Pan African is incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985 and accordingly, its presentation currency is Pounds Sterling ("GBP"). The average ZAR:GBP exchange rate affect the reporting of results in GBP. For the reporting period ended 30 June 2016 ("current reporting period"), the average prevailing ZAR:GBP exchange rate will be used to translate earnings per share ("EPS") and headline earnings per share ("HEPS") from ZAR to GBP. For the reporting period ended 30 June 2015 ("prior reporting period"), the average ZAR:GBP exchange rate was ZAR18.00:1. For the current reporting period, the ZAR depreciated against the GBP, with an average exchange rate of ZAR21.45:1. This 19.2 percent year-on-year depreciation in the average exchange rate should be taken into account for the purposes of a comparison with the prior reporting period. 1. EPS and HEPS Pan African advises shareholders that its EPS and HEPS for the current reporting period are expected to be between: 1. EPS: 157 percent to 177 percent higher than the 11.48 cents EPS for the prior reporting period (being EPS of 29.47 cents to 31.77 cents). 2. HEPS: 152 percent to 172 percent higher than the 11.67 cents HEPS for the prior reporting period (being HEPS of 29.45 cents to 31.79 cents). Using the average ZAR:GBP 21.45:1 exchange rate that prevailed during the current reporting period, the Group's EPS and HEPS in GBP terms for the current reporting period are expected to be between: 1. EPS: 114 percent to 134 percent higher than the 0.64 pence EPS for the prior reporting period (being EPS of 1.37 pence to 1.50 pence). 2. HEPS: 111 percent to 131 percent higher than the 0.65 pence HEPS for the prior reporting period (being HEPS of 1.37 pence to 1.50 pence). 2) Normalised illustrative EPS and HEPS EPS and HEPS include certain non-operational gains and losses on financial instruments, referred to hereunder. When the Group's earnings are adjusted for these gains and losses (the "normalised illustrative EPS and HEPS") are expected to be between: 1. EPS: 275 percent to 295 percent higher than the 11.48 cents EPS for the prior reporting period (being EPS of 43.10 cents to 45.40 cents). 2. HEPS: 269 percent to 289 percent higher than the 11.67 cents HEPS for the prior reporting period (being HEPS of 43.08 cents to 45.42 cents). The normalised illustrative EPS and HEPS in GBP terms for the current reporting period would have been between: 1. EPS: 213 percent to 233 percent higher than the 0.64 pence EPS for the prior reporting period (being EPS of 2 pence to 2.13 pence). 2. HEPS: 208 percent to 228 percent higher than the 0.65 pence HEPS for the prior reporting period (being HEPS of 2 pence and 2.13 pence). The following adjustments were made to EPS and HEPS to derive this normalised illustrative EPS and HEPS: 2.1) Financial instruments Cost Collar Barberton Mines entered into a short term strategic hedge ("the Cost Collar") in July 2015, when the prevailing spot gold price was ZAR440,000/kg, to protect its cash flows and the Group's annual dividend against severe adverse movements in the ZAR gold price. During the current reporting period, the Group recorded a post-tax unrealised mark-to-market fair value loss of ZAR82 million on the Cost Collar (2015: post-tax realised Cost Collar derivative income of ZAR32.3 million). The economic consequence of the mark-to-market fair value adjustment is to lock in revenue on 25,000oz of gold production from Barberton Mines at ZAR625,000/kg (the closing ZAR gold price at 30 June 2016) for the twelve month period commencing 1 October 2016. Share options The share price increased significantly from ZAR1.80 to ZAR3.75 during the current reporting period (an increase of 108 percent), which resulted in an increase in the Group's cash settled share option costs. The post-tax effect of cash settled share option costs for the current reporting period amounted to ZAR65.2 million (2015: post-tax ZAR4.4 million gain). The fair value adjustment of the Group's rehabilitation liability and associated investment resulted in the rehabilitation liability reducing by ZAR38.2 million (2015: increased by ZAR19.7 million) and the rehabilitation investment increased by ZAR9.4 million (2015: ZAR33.9 million). 2.2) Shanduka Gold Proprietary Limited ("Shanduka Gold") transaction Shareholders were advised on 26 May 2016 and 1 June 2016 that the Company had entered into agreements to acquire Standard Bank of South Africa Limited's ("SBSA") 16.9 percent and Jadeite Limited's ("Jadeite") 33.6 percent interest in Shanduka Gold ("the Transaction"). The Transaction was concluded on 7 June 2016 for a total consideration of ZAR547 million, which equates to a Pan African share price of ZAR1.25 per share. Shanduka Gold is, from an accounting perspective, deemed to be controlled by Pan African and Shanduka Gold's full shareholding of 436,358,059 shares in Pan African will eliminate upon consolidation for accounting purposes. As the Transaction only became effective on 7 June 2016, the issued shares are weighted in the current reporting period resulting in 1,811,427,377 shares being taken into account for purposes of calculating EPS and HEPS for the 2016 financial year. Had the Transaction been effective on 1 July 2015, the number of shares taken into account for calculating EPS and HEPS would have been reduced as follows: Pan African Shares Shares % Change Opening balance shares - 1 July 2015 1,831,494,763 - Issue of shares - vendor placement 111,711,791 6.1% Elimination of shares held by Shanduka Gold (436,358,059) (23.8%) Closing balance 1,506,848,495 - Reduction in number of shares 324,646,268 17.7% This reduction in the number of shares was incorporated into the normalised illustrative EPS and HEPS reported above. PRODUCTION UPDATE Earnings for the current reporting period improved relative to the prior reporting period due to the robust operating performances from Barberton Mines and Evander Mines. The improved operational performance was supported by an increase in the realised ZAR gold price of 21.6 percent to ZAR542,850/kg (2015: ZAR446,274/kg) during the current reporting period. The Group's earnings were further enhanced by consolidating the Uitkomst Colliery's results for the three months effective from 1 April 2016. Phoenix Platinum production was however adversely impacted by the curtailment of current arisings following International Ferro Metals (SA) Proprietary Limited being placed into business rescue. Year ended 30 June 2016 Mining operations production summary Barberton Mines Evander Mines Phoenix Platinum Uitkomst Colliery (Gold oz) (Gold oz) (PGE oz) (Coal tonnes) 2016 113,281 91,647 8,339 136,102 2015 105,776 70,081 10,245 - % movement 7% 31% (19%) - The Uitkomst Colliery coal sales relates directly to underground coal production sales and excludes coal bought in from third parties for blending and further processing. The Uitkomst Colliery production is consolidated from 1 April 2016. GROUP NET DEBT The Group's operations are robust in their cash generation and its net debt position at 30 June 2016 was ZAR347 million (2015: ZAR321 million), after the cash share buy-back of ZAR182 million for SBSA's interest in Shanduka Gold, the acquisition of the Uitkomst Colliery for ZAR148 million in cash and the ZAR210 million dividend payment in December 2015. At the date of this trading statement, the Group's net debt had reduced to ZAR255 million, which included an amortising ZAR82 million gold loan entered into in 2014 to finance the Evander tailings retreatment plant. ELIKHULU PROJECT UPDATE Following receipt of a positive high-level assessment of the Elikhulu tailings retreatment project, the Company has mandated DRA Projects (Pty) Limited to conduct a definitive feasibility study on the project. The results of the study will be available in November 2016, where after shareholders will be appraised. The financial information contained in this trading statement has neither been reviewed nor audited by the Company's auditors. Pan African anticipates that it will release its provisional audited results for the period ended 30 June 2016 on or about 21 September 2016. For further information on Pan African, please visit the Company's website at www.panafricanresources.com 2 August 2016 Contact Details Corporate Office The Firs Office Building 1st Floor, Office 101 Cnr. Cradock and Biermann Avenues Rosebank, Johannesburg South Africa Office: + 27 (0) 11 243 2900 Facsimile: + 27 (0) 11 880 1240 Registered Office Suite 31 Second Floor 107 Cheapside London EC2V 6DN United Kingdom Office: + 44 (0) 207 796 8644 Facsimile: + 44 (0) 207 796 8645 Cobus Loots Deon Louw Pan African Resources PLC Pan African Resources PLC Chief Executive Officer Financial Director Office: + 27 (0) 11 243 2900 Office: + 27 (0) 11 243 2900 Phil Dexter John Prior / Paul Gillam St James's Corporate Services Limited Numis Securities Limited Company Secretary Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker Office: + 44 (0) 207 796 8644 Office: +44 (0) 20 7260 1000 Sholto Simpson Matthew Armitt / Ross Allister One Capital Peel Hunt LLP JSE Sponsor Joint Broker Office: + 27 (0) 11 550 5009 Office: +44 (0) 207 418 8900 Julian Gwillim Daniel Thole Aprio Strategic Communications Bell Pottinger PR Public & Investor Relations SA Public & Investor Relations UK Office: +27 (0)11880 0037 Office: + 44 (0) 203 772 2500 Jeffrey Couch/Neil Haycock/Thomas Rider BMO Capital Markets Limited Joint Broker Office: +44 (0) 207 236 1010 www.panafricanresources.com Acacia Mining plc Registration number 7123187 ("the Company") TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS In accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules, the Company advises that its issued share capital comprises 410,085,499 ordinary shares of 10 pence each. The voting rights of all these shares are identical with each share carrying the right to one vote. The Company holds no ordinary shares in Treasury. The above figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interests in, or a change to their interest in Acacia Mining plc under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. 2 August 2016 LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BAE tours of River Class Patrol Vessel and Shipyard: 14th September, 2016 | Glasgow, UK Main Conference: 15th - 16th September, 2016 www.offshorepatrolvessels.com To celebrate the conference's 11th anniversary year we're going to Glasgow - the home of some of the Royal Navy's most illustrious vessels, including their new Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers and, of course, the River Class OPV. We are delighted to announce that our lead sponsor, BAE, will be conducting exclusive tours of their world-class shipyards for our guests, along with a visit to HMS Forth, the Royal Navy's latest River-Class OPV. This proven annual event attracts senior navy and coast guard chiefs from around the world to discuss with each other and industry leaders the challenges of maritime policing: countering illicit flows including migration, piracy, SAR, pollution monitoring, fishery protection and EEZ patrol. Through assessing platforms and auxiliary technologies, delegates benefit from a clear understanding of the technologies on offer and the best path to balancing capability and affordability to help deliver optimum mission effectiveness tailored to unique national requirements. The forum benefits from our international experience and series of regional-specific satellite events to bring together the most relevant and thought-provoking conference agenda to date - with OPV operators and industry stakeholders taking part from the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. "Offshore Patrol Vessels 2016, now in its 11th year heads to Glasgow where our lead sponsor BAE and the Royal Navy are conducting pre-conference exclusive tour of their world class shipyards and the latest River-class OPV - HMS Forth. Following this, the event heads back into Glasgow for 2 days of case-study based conference and exclusive networking -, this year the event looks set to be bigger than ever"- Alexander Hackett, Conference Director Speakers at this industry forum will include: Vice Admiral Gonzalo Cabrera Castillo , Deputy General Director of Naval Construction, Mexican Secretariat of the Navy, Mexican Navy , Deputy General Director of Naval Construction, Mexican Secretariat of the Navy, Rear Admiral John Nadeau , Assistant Commandant for Capabilities, United States Coast Guard , Assistant Commandant for Capabilities, Rear Admiral Wei-Yang Shao , Director of Shipbuilding Development, Republic of China ( Taiwan ) Navy , Director of Shipbuilding Development, Rear Admiral Wittaya La-Orchan , General Director of Mahidol Aldulyadej Naval Dockyard, Royal Thai Navy , General Director of Mahidol Aldulyadej Naval Dockyard, First-Degree Captain Hijran Rustamzade, Commander, Azerbaijani Navy Download the full programme here: http://www.offshorepatrolvessels.com/agenda-mc?utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=11313.010-external-pressrelease&utm_term=agenda&utm_content=text&mac=11313.010_prnewsevent&disc=11313.010_prnewsevent Media contact: Richard Jones, +44 (0)20-7036-1300, Richard.Jones@iqpc.co.uk or visit: www.offshorepatrolvessels.com Press are invited to attend please email Richard Jones at Richard.Jones@iqpc.co.uk . VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - French shares tumbled on Tuesday, with investor sentiment hit by slumping oil prices and concerns over the health of lenders across Europe. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's comments in an interview to CNBC on Monday also contributed to a deepening pessimism about the European financial industry. 'Personally I (am) not concerned for Italian non-performing loans but for the future of other European banks,' he said. The benchmark CAC 40 was down 72 points or 1.65 percent at 4,336 in late opening deals after declining 0.7 percent in the previous session. Financials led declines, with AXA, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale Group losing more than 3 percent each. On a relatively light day on the economic front, Eurostat figures showed that industrial producer prices in the euro zone rose 0.7 percent from the previous month in June, slightly faster than the 0.6 percent climb in May. 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. Frankfurt am Main (ots) -- Moderate improvement in business climate among SMEs - Business assessments at their highest level since April 2014, expectations virtually stable - Sales price expectations returning to normal - Solid growth in Germany thanks to construction and consumptionThe Brexit vote and the developments in Turkey have failed to upset German SMEs. The SME business climate, the central indicator of the KfW-ifo SME Barometer, rose instead by 0.3 points in July to 16.7 balance points, having already been on a consistent upwards trajectory in the first half of 2016.This is mainly due to SMEs' assessments of their current business situation. At 27.6 balance points - 0.6 points more than in June - the companies' evaluation of their current operations reached their highest level since April 2014; the economy thus succeeded in getting off to a good start in the third quarter. At the same time, the business expectations of SMEs remain almost stable (-0.1 points to 5.7 balance points). Bearing in mind that uncertainty has heightened considerably since the Brexit vote, this sends out a reassuring signal that indicates sober-mindedness.Nonetheless, the Brexit vote does not leave the SMEs entirely unscathed. The first signs of a slowdown have been detected, particularly in the export-sensitive economic sectors: sentiment is stagnating among industrial SMEs, while weakening somewhat at a high level in the wholesale sector.The current leader in terms of "sentiment" is the SME construction sector, whose climate indicator climbed 1.3 points in July to reach a new all-time high of 27.9 balance points. Given the forecasted strong demand for new dwellings, residential construction, which is essential for the small and medium-sized construction companies, will likely remain a reliable driver of the German economy for some time to come.On the other hand, corporate investment has become an economic uncertainty among the GDP components following the Brexit decision. A deterioration of the economic outlook in Europe and uncertainty about the future relationship with the UK, which is Germany's third most important export market, could lower the propensity to invest. It is therefore very opportune that the sales prospects, which are an important determinant of investment decisions, are at least supported again on the price side. For the first time since the beginning of 2014, the sales price expectations of small and medium-sized companies at least reached the long-term average again in July.Overall, the July results of the KfW-ifo SME Barometer are consistent with KfW's updated economic forecast for 2016 and 2017. Dr Jorg Zeuner, Chief Economist at KfW Group, stated in this respect, "We predict solid growth in employment, consumption and residential construction, which is however likely to be offset by less dynamic exports and corporate investment under the new Brexit conditions compared with the previous forecast." All in all, he expects the German economy to grow by 1.5% in 2016 and by 1.2% in 2017, and points out that the slowdown is attributable solely to the fewer number of working days next year. "Although the economic outlook is not particularly spectacular, it is nonetheless still quite solid under the present general conditions - thanks to domestic demand", Zeuner said.The current KfW-ifo SME Barometer can be found at: www.kfw.de/mittelstandsbarometer.KfW Business Cycle Compass Germany and Europe - Brexit update: www.kfw.de/Konjunkturkompass.Originaltext: KfW digital press kits: http://www.presseportal.de/nr/41193 press kits via RSS: http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_41193.rss2Contact: KfW, Palmengartenstr. 5 - 9, 60325 Frankfurt Kommunikation (KOM), Nathalie Cahn, Tel. +49 (0)69 7431 4400, Fax: +49 (0)69 7431 3266, E-Mail: presse@kfw.de, Internet: www.kfw.de SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Baristas Coffee Company, Inc. (OTC PINK: BCCI) "Seattle's World Famous Costume Coffee" announced today that it has become the sole supplier of White Coffee single serve cups compatible with the Keurig K-Cup Brewing System. 2.0 for Overstock.com. Overstock joined Amazon by making Baristas White Coffee the only supplier of White Coffee single serve cups available on either site. Overstock is one of the nation's top ten retailers and ranks in the top three among online retailers. Amazon is the largest retailer in the country and Baristas White Coffee single serve cups are the top selling product of its type nationwide and have been since being introduced early this year. White Coffee is a rarity and is developed using a slow and low heat roast that preserves a much higher caffeine level than a traditional roast. Because the beans have been under-roasted, white coffee has a lighter taste than traditional coffee and is described as both neutral and nutty. Baristas White Coffee is now available on Overstock.com and utilizes Baristas award winning five bean variety of pure Arabica beans that have been hand selected and individually roasted to touch all seven parts of the taste experience in the perfect combination. Barry Henthorn - CEO commented; "Becoming the sole supplier of White Coffee single serve cups compatible with the Keurig 2.0 K-Cup Brewing System on Overstock.com after the success we have experienced partnering with Amazon solidifies that there is a strong demand for our truly unique Baristas White Coffee cups. Baristas will continue to focus on expanding our distribution network for this and other great Baristas retail products." The Baristas White Coffee single serve cups are available via www.overstock.com at http://www.overstock.com/Food-Gifts/Baristas-White-Coffee-Single-serve-K-Cups-Pack-of-12/11895330/product.html?refccid=WIPFPPEQVQHJRMKA6IYNGBCIBU&searchidx=0 as well as on www.amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/s?marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1KJQ056WTND0E&merchant=A1KJQ056WTND0E&redirect=true. About Overstock.com Overstock.com is a discount online shopping retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that sells a broad range of products including furniture, rugs, bedding, electronics, clothing, jewelry and cars. About Amazon.com: Amazon.com, Inc. is an American international electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon.com started out as an online bookstore, but it soon diversified, selling DVDs, VHSs, CDs, video and MP3 downloads/streaming, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. The company also produces consumer electronics -- notably the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and the Kindle Fire tablet computer -- and is a major provider of cloud computing services. About Baristas Coffee Company (BCCI): Headquartered in the Seattle, Washington area, Baristas Coffee Company, Inc. was formed to create a national brand of drive-thru espresso stands. BCCI is accomplishing this by acquiring established businesses that fit its model, opening new locations, and by franchising. Baristas has separated itself from the competition with its "theme" of joining attractive female baristas in entertaining costumes preparing the finest beverages available on the market. Baristas can currently be found in five greater Seattle area locations as well as in Florida, and Montana. For more information on this fascinating concept please visit us at www.baristas.tv. For Investor Relations Contact: Barry Henthorn barry@baristas.tv (206)579-0222 NANJING, China, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ET Solar announces it has signed a cooperation contract to enter into a joint venture (JV) with Xi'an LONGi Silicon Materials Corp., the world's largest high-efficiency mono-crystalline products manufacturer. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394860 Under the JV, ET Solar and LONGi will complement and expand their respective expertise and advantages in technology, development, products, branding and sales channels. Together they will be dedicated to promoting high-efficiency mono-crystalline solar modules around the world. Both parties consider efficiency pivotal for future solar technology development and cost breakthroughs. Cost-effective mono-crystalline technologies will be the most important engine for increasing solar power efficiency. Both companies look forward to making ET Solar a world-leading, high-efficiency mono brand, and to reaching parity with high-efficiency PV products and significant cost reductions on downstream power generation. Both ET Solar and LONGi have great confidence in the future of the collaboration. "This strategic contract signifies an enhancement of mutual cooperation on technology, products and global marketing," said Xinghua WANG, Chairman of ET Solar. " Through this cooperation, ET Solar and LONGi will complement each another, forming a compatible and efficient alliance that combines the upstream and downstream sectors of the solar industry." "ET Solar and LONGi have their respective specialities in the PV industry," said Baoshen ZHONG, Chairman of LONGi, "but we share similar views and ideas about how to develop a global market, contribute to the environment and establish a subsidy-free PV market with net metering. Our strategic cooperation will open new doors for both parties." As an advanced solar module manufacturer, ET Solar has long been dedicated to providing cutting-edge PV products and services to satisfy customers' diversified demands for solar energy. ET Solar has provided a cumulative 5 GW of modules for customers around the globe. As the world's largest mono-crystalline product manufacturer, LONGi has always focused on R&D for mono products, leading to continuously decreasing costs and increasing Chinese market share of mono modules -- from 20% to 25%. About ET Solar ET Solar is an advanced solar module manufacturer. With local sales & marketing subsidiaries and offices in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North & South America, ET Solar has provided solar modules and turnkey solution services to customers in over 90 countries. To learn more about the ET Solar, please visit http://www.etsolar.com. About LONGi Founded in 2000, Xi'an LONGi Silicon Materials Corp. is the largest high-efficiency mono-crystalline products manufacturer in the world. LONGi provides high-quality products and services for photovoltaic and semiconductor products. To learn more about LONGi, please visit http://www.longi-silicon.com. For more details, please contact: Eric Zhang Tel: +86-25-8689 8098 ext.9011/+86-136-4518-8386 Fax: +86-25-8689-8097 E-mail: eric.zhang@etsolar.com / pr@etsolar.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/et-solar-longi-co-found-jv-to-create-global-leading-mono-brand-300307561.html BROOKFIELD, NEWS -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE: BBU)(TSX: BBU.UN) announced today financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. Three months ended Six months ended June June 30 30 -------------------- --------------------- US$ millions, unaudited 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net (loss) income attributable to unitholders(1) $ (33) $ 8 $ (38) $ 186 Company FFO(1,2) $ 58 $ 41 $ 95 $ 83 Brookfield Business Partners (or "BBU") generated Company Funds From Operations ("Company FFO") totaling $58 million for the quarter compared with $41 million in 2015. Results benefitted from the increased contribution from our construction services segment, contribution from the acquisition of our Western Australia energy operations at the end of the second quarter in 2015 and realized gains from dispositions of a portion of our investment securities. We reported a net loss attributable to unitholders for the quarter ending June 30, 2016 of $33 million compared to net income of $8 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2015, primarily due to an impairment taken at our graphite electrode manufacturing business related to a repositioning of the business that we had planned at the time we acquired it. "We made significant progress on a number of operating initiatives during the quarter and generated strong Company FFO of $58 million," said Cyrus Madon, CEO of BBU. "We have a strong balance sheet with substantial liquidity and are well positioned to capitalize on a number of investment opportunities." Operational Update The following table presents Company FFO by segment: Three months ended Six months ended June June 30 30 -------------------- --------------------- US$ millions, unaudited 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO by segment Construction Services $ 25 $ 17 $ 47 $ 44 Other Business Services 15 14 17 16 Energy 17 2 35 12 Other Industrial Operations 2 8 (3) 11 Corporate and Other (1) - (1) - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO(1,2) $ 58 $ 41 $ 95 $ 83 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our construction services segment continued to perform strongly and generated Company FFO of $25 million during the quarter, compared to $17 million in the second quarter of 2015. We continue to expand our operations globally with 13 additional projects compared to the same period in 2015. During the second quarter of 2016, we signed over $1 billion of construction projects in Australia and the United Kingdom, including six residential and commercial developments, and one mixed-used project. Our other business services segment generated Company FFO of $15 million during the quarter, compared to $14 million in the second quarter of 2015. The increase was primarily attributable to our facilities management operations where we benefitted from new contract wins from earlier in the year. Consistent with our growth strategy for the facilities management business, we signed agreements to acquire two businesses, one in Canada and the other in the U.S. While these acquisitions are relatively modest in size, they will assist to increase the scale, reach and efficiency of our operations and increase the value of our business. Our energy segment generated Company FFO of $17 million for the quarter, compared to $2 million in the second quarter of 2015. The increase in our results was due to the contribution from our acquisition of our equity accounted oil and gas operations in Western Australia in June 2015. We substantially contracted our Australian oil and gas production at the time of the transaction and therefore were not significantly impacted by underlying oil and gas price weakness. In addition, we realized gains on the disposition of investments in energy related securities which we acquired earlier this year when capital markets experienced significant volatility. These increases were partially offset by lower performance from our Canadian energy operations due to a weak pricing environment. Our other industrial segment delivered Company FFO for the quarter of $2 million, compared to $8 million in the second quarter of 2015. The decrease in Company FFO is due to a negative contribution from our graphite electrode manufacturing business and lower results from our metals and mining operations. Comparative results for 2015 do not include our graphite electrode operations as the acquisition was completed in August 2015. Results from this operation are currently below historical average as we made the acquisition at a low point in the business and industry cycle. The decrease in Company FFO was offset by gains realized on the sale of equity securities and an increase in the contribution from our bath and shower manufacturing operations as a result of new product sales and cost reductions. Distributions The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.07 per unit, payable on September 30, 2016 to unitholders of record as at the close of business on August 31, 2016. This distribution will cover the period from June 20, 2016, the spin-off date of BBU, to September 30, 2016. Additional Information Brookfield Business Partners' Letter to Unitholders and the Supplemental Information are available at www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com. Brookfield Business Partners is a business services and industrial company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low production costs. Brookfield Business Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Brookfield Business Partners is the flagship listed business services and industrials company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with $240 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. For more information, please visit our website at www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com. Conference Call and Quarterly Earnings Details Investors, analysts and other interested parties can access Brookfield Business Partners' second quarter 2016 results as well as the Letter to Unitholders and Supplemental Information on Brookfield Business Partners' website under the Investors section at www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com. The conference call can be accessed via webcast on August 2, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com or via teleconference at 1-800-319-4610 toll free in North America. For overseas calls please dial +1-604-638-5340, at approximately 10:50 a.m. Eastern Time. A recording of the teleconference can be accessed at 1-855-669-9658 or +1-604-674-8052 (Password 0592#). CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION Note: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, include statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of Brookfield Business Partners, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods, and include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "seeks," "intends," "targets," "projects," "forecasts" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "may," "will," "should," "would" and "could." Although we believe that our anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Brookfield Business Partners to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in the countries in which we do business; the behavior of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates; global equity and capital markets and the availability of equity and debt financing and refinancing within these markets; strategic actions including dispositions; the ability to complete and effectively integrate acquisitions into existing operations and the ability to attain expected benefits; changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates); the ability to appropriately manage human capital; the effect of applying future accounting changes; business competition; operational and reputational risks; technological change; changes in government regulation and legislation within the countries in which we operate; governmental investigations; litigation; changes in tax laws; ability to collect amounts owed; catastrophic events, such as earthquakes and hurricanes; the possible impact of international conflicts and other developments including terrorist acts and cyber terrorism; and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in our documents filed with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States. We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, Brookfield Business Partners undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING USE OF NON-IFRS MEASURES This press release contains references to Company FFO. When determining Company FFO, we include our unitholders' proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments. Company FFO is not a generally accepted accounting measure under IFRS and therefore may differ from definitions of Company FFO or Funds from Operations used by other entities. We believe that this is a useful supplemental measure that may assist investors in assessing the financial performance of Brookfield Business Partners and its subsidiaries. Company FFO should not be considered as the sole measure of our performance and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, analysis of our financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. References to Brookfield Business Partners are to Brookfield Business Partners L.P. together with its subsidiaries, controlled affiliates and operating entities. Brookfield Business Partners' results include limited partnership units held by public unitholders, redeemable partnership units and general partnership units. Notes: 1. Attributable to parent company prior to the Spin-off on June 20, 2016 and to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, and redemption-exchange unitholders post Spin-off. 2. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO of equity accounted investment. A reconciliation of net income to Company FFO is available on pages 6 and 7 of this release. Brookfield Business Partners L.P. Consolidated Statements of Financial Position As of June 30, December 31, US$ millions, unaudited 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 709 $ 354 Financial assets 606 409 Accounts receivable, net 1,799 1,635 Inventory and other assets 716 748 Property, plant and equipment 2,287 2,364 Deferred income tax assets 92 64 Intangible assets 426 445 Equity accounted investments 370 492 Goodwill 1,142 1,124 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets $ 8,147 $ 7,635 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liabilities and equity in net assets Liabilities Accounts payable and other $ 2,466 $ 2,375 Borrowings 2,058 2,074 Deferred income tax liabilities 90 102 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total liabilities 4,614 4,551 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equity in net assets Equity attributable to unitholders(1) 2,119 1,787 Non-controlling interests 1,414 1,297 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total equity in net assets 3,533 3,084 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total liabilities and equity in net assets $ 8,147 $ 7,635 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: 1. Attributable to parent company prior to the Spin-off on June 20, 2016 and to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, and redemption-exchange unitholders post Spin-off. Post Spin-off, equity is also attributable to preferred shareholders and Special LP unitholders. Brookfield Business Partners L.P. Consolidated Statements of Operating Results Three months ended Six months ended June June 30 30 -------------------------------------------- US$ millions, unaudited 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 2,008 $ 1,630 $ 3,685 $ 2,776 Direct operating costs (1,865) (1,484) (3,434) (2,507) General and administrative expenses (64) (48) (126) (89) Depreciation and amortization expense (76) (61) (148) (114) Interest expense (23) (10) (47) (20) Equity accounted income, net 20 6 47 9 Impairment expense (106) - (106) - Gain on acquisitions/dispositions 28 7 28 269 Other expenses, net (21) (14) (31) (18) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income before income tax (99) 26 (132) 306 Current income tax (expense) recovery Current (7) (10) (10) (21) Deferred 15 3 22 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net (loss)income $ (91) $ 19 $ (120) $ 295 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attributable to: Unitholders(1) $ (33) $ 8 $ (38) $ 186 Non-controlling interests $ (58) $ 11 $ (82) $ 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: 1. Attributable to parent company prior to the Spin-off on June 20, 2016 and to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, and redemption-exchange unitholders post Spin-off. Brookfield Business Partners L.P. Statements of Company Funds from Operations For the 3 months ended Other June 30, 2016 Construction Business US$ million, unaudited Services Services Energy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 1,119 $ 482 $ 63 Direct operating costs (1,082) (429) (44) General and administrative expenses (10) (26) (4) Equity accounted income - 7 34 Realized disposition gain, net - - 19 Interest expense (1) (3) (7) Current income taxes (1) (4) - Company FFO attributable to non- controlling interest - (12) (44) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO(1,2) 25 15 17 Depreciation and amortization Impairment expense, net Deferred income taxes Other expense, net Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments Non-cash items attributable to non-controlling interest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss attributable to unitholders(2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the 3 months ended Other As per June 30, 2016 Industrial Corporate IFRS US$ million, unaudited Operations and Other Financials ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 344 $ - $ 2,008 Direct operating costs (309) (1) (1,865) General and administrative expenses (24) - (64) Equity accounted income - - 41 Realized disposition gain, net 9 - 28 Interest expense (12) - (23) Current income taxes (2) - (7) Company FFO attributable to non- controlling interest (4) - (60) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO(1,2) 2 (1) 58 Depreciation and amortization (76) Impairment expense, net (106) Deferred income taxes 15 Other expense, net (21) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments (21) Non-cash items attributable to non-controlling interest 118 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss attributable to unitholders(2) $ (33) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: 1. The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with BBU's Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners' Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 5 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners' results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments. 2. Attributable to parent company prior to the Spin-off on June 20, 2016 and to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, and redemption-exchange unitholders post Spin-off. Brookfield Business Partners L.P. Statements of Company Funds from Operations For the 6 months ended Other June 30, 2016 Construction Business US$ million, unaudited Services Services Energy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 2,007 $ 933 $ 129 Direct operating costs (1,938) (847) (87) General and administrative expenses (20) (50) (8) Equity accounted income - 10 87 Realized disposition gain, net - - 19 Interest expense (1) (7) (15) Current income taxes (1) (6) (1) Company FFO attributable to non- controlling interest - (16) (89) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO(1,2) 47 17 35 Depreciation and amortization Impairment expense, net Deferred income taxes Other expense, net Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments Non-cash items attributable to non-controlling interest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss attributable to unitholders(2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the 6 months ended Other As per June 30, 2016 Industrial Corporate IFRS US$ million, unaudited Operations and Other Financials ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 616 $ - $ 3,685 Direct operating costs (561) (1) (3,434) General and administrative expenses (48) - (126) Equity accounted income - - 97 Realized disposition gain, net 9 - 28 Interest expense (24) - (47) Current income taxes (2) - (10) Company FFO attributable to non- controlling interest 7 - (98) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company FFO(1,2) (3) (1) 95 Depreciation and amortization (148) Impairment expense, net (106) Deferred income taxes 22 Other expense, net (31) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments (50) Non-cash items attributable to non-controlling interest 180 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss attributable to unitholders(2) $ (38) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: 1. The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with BBU's Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners' Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 5 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners' results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments. 2. Attributable to parent company prior to the Spin-off on June 20, 2016 and to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, and redemption-exchange unitholders post Spin-off. Contacts: Brookfield Business Partners - Media: Suzanne Fleming (212) 417-2421 suzanne.fleming@brookfield.com Brookfield Business Partners - Investors: Jennifer Ritchie (416) 956-5230 jennifer.ritchie@brookfield.com www.brookfieldbusinesspartners.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (NYSE: FSM) (TSX: FVI) announces that it will release its financial statements and MD&A for the second quarter after the market closes on Monday, August 8, 2016. A conference call to discuss the financial and operational results will be held on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Hosting the call will be Jorge A. Ganoza, President and CEO, and Luis D. Ganoza, Chief Financial Officer. Shareholders, analysts, media and interested investors are invited to listen to the live conference call by logging onto the webcast at: http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175208 or over the phone by dialing just prior to the starting time. Conference call details: Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 Time: 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern Dial in number (Toll Free): +1.877.407.8035 Dial in number (International): +1.201.689.8035 Replay number (Toll Free): +1.877.660.6853 Replay number (International): +1.201.612.7415 Replay Passcode: 13642320 Playback of the conference call will be available until August 23, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Playback of the webcast will be available until November 9, 2016. In addition, a transcript of the call will be archived in the company's website: http://www.fortunasilver.com/s/financial_reports.asp. Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Fortuna is a growth oriented, silver and base metal producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma silver mine in southern Peru and the San Jose silver-gold mine in Mexico. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com. ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY Carlos Baca, Investor Relations Manager Trading symbols: NYSE: FSM / TSX: FVI Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward looking statements which constitute "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward looking Statements. The Forward looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mines and mineral properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's mines and mineral properties; mineral resource and reserve estimates; timelines; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these Forward looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "will be" or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; changes in prices for silver and other metals; technological and operational hazards in Fortuna's mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; governmental and other approvals; political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to expectations regarding mine production costs; expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company 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 law. There can be no assurance that Forward looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward looking Statements. Contacts: Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Investor Relations: Carlos Baca T (Peru): +51.1.616.6060, ext. 0 www.fortunasilver.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Creditors now have a new advantage when managing debt recovery with the release of Equifax Debt Services, a set of interconnected tools and services designed to make recovering money owed easier and more profitable. With this new solution, the debt recovery process from pre-collection through recoveries is fully managed by Equifax, and clients have a clear view of their customers at every step using the intuitive software dashboard. "Our clients in every industry face many challenges when recovering debt, often stemming from having incomplete or insufficient data on a customer, and from navigating through a disjointed process," explains Rob Durham, Vice President of Sales & Business Development at Equifax Canada. "Our new solution is streamlined with Equifax managing the process end-to-end; customer data is enriched throughout the process, and recovery activities are continuously assessed. Our clients can view and monitor their collections activities and outcomes in a simple dashboard every step of the way." In other geographies, debt services solutions from Equifax have delivered an uplift of over 30 per cent in the predictive power of whether an account will pay, according to analysis conducted by Equifax in 2014. This can enable greater accuracy and lead to significant cost and time savings. Now Equifax Canada clients can get deeper insight into their customers' ability to pay and use these insights to inform decisions and reduce money and time spent on collecting money owed. Built with trusted data and insights, practitioner expertise in debt recovery and market leading technology, Equifax Debt Services can help inform the decisions and advance the performance of creditors in Canada. For more information visit the Equifax Canada website. About Equifax Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases include employee data contributed from more than 5,000 employers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,200 employees worldwide. Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.com Contacts: Media Contacts: Andrew Findlater SELECT Public Relations afindlater@selectpr.ca (416) 659-1197 Tom Carroll Equifax Canada MediaRelationsCanada@equifax.com (416) 227-5290 BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Factors beyond the U.S. pose risks to the domestic economy and these must be watched closely, so that policy can be tightened in a gradually and patiently, Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan said Tuesday. The central banker also said that there was need for economic policy action beyond monetary policy, such as structural reforms and fiscal policy, on a global level to address several key challenges. 'I am closely monitoring how slowing growth, high levels of overcapacity and high levels of debt to GDP in major economies outside the U.S. might be impacting economic conditions in the U.S.,' Kaplan said in a speech in Beijing. 'I am also closely tracking how these issues might be affecting the slope of the U.S. Treasury yield curve as well as measures of tightness in financial conditions.' Kaplan said China's transition from an export-and-manufacturing-driven economy to a consumer and services-based one, and hence lower growth rates, should be monitored carefully for spillover effects on currencies and global financial conditions. Regarding 'Brexit', Kaplan said it will take time for events to unfold before one can assess the ultimate impact on the economies of the U.K., Europe and the rest of the world. 'In light of these challenges, I have been suggesting that removal of accommodation should be done in a gradual and patient manner, based on a realistic assessment of progress toward achieving the Federal Reserve's dual-mandate objectives regarding full employment and price stability,' Kaplan said. 'I am also very cognizant that, from a risk-management point of view, our monetary policies have an asymmetrical impact at or near the zero lower bound.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de SAN FRANCISCO, CA and TORONTO, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Achievers, an industry leader in employee recognition and rewards solutions, today revealed key details of its annual Achievers Customer Experience (ACE) conference, which will be held in Toronto from September 13-14, 2016. Now in its seventh year, the event has been hailed as an informative, innovative and influential forum on employee engagement and recognition in North America. "Many businesses today are looking for new ways to drive employee engagement in the pursuit of greater business success. At ACE, we bring together top industry experts and leading luminaries to share best practices that can be used to change the way the world works," said David Brennan, Achievers general manager. "We are thrilled with the caliber of thought leadership, real-world insights, and hands-on training opportunities that will be made available to our attendees. With its networking opportunities, insights into Achievers' latest product enhancements, and educational case studies, there is something for everyone at ACE 2016." Designed to deepen attendees' understanding of employee engagement and what program success looks like, ACE features three session tracks led by established thought leaders, HR industry strategists, and Achievers experts. Customizable for attendees' unique interests and needs, the three tracks are: Aspire: Showcasing expert advice from forward-thinking minds in HR and business, this thought leadership track challenges attendees to shift their everyday mindsets and aspire to greatness. Achieve: Attendees will hear real-world examples from companies and practitioners like them who are using the Achievers platform to elevate engagement and recognition programs to accomplish brilliant business outcomes. Accelerate: Learn from power users and product experts how technology is accelerating recognition and engagement program success. Get an inside look at the latest enhancements, integrations and features that are driving adoption, usage and insights. The program is also designed to inspire with three exceptional keynote speakers: award-winning journalist, Joan Lunden; on-air personality, Mel Robbins and best-selling author, Spencer West. In her keynote, "Fostering Leadership & Achieving Dreams," Lunden will draw on more than 30 years of journalistic excellence -- including nearly two decades on Good Morning America -- to highlight ways that attendees can achieve success and balance in life. Currently one of CNN's most popular on-air commentators and opinion writers, Robbins will present the interactive and motivational session, "The Five Second Rule: Achieve Breakthrough Performance in your Career & Life." Spencer West, whose book, Standing Tall: My Journey chronicles his life after losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, will share his mesmerizing story of overcoming obstacles to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, using his personal experiences to motivate attendees to find opportunity in their own challenges. In addition to the keynote speakers, ACE also features provocative and stimulating breakout sessions with HR thought leaders, including: Andrew Sykes, Founder and President, Habits at Work: Sykes, president of Habits at Work, will discuss the role of pivotal habits in creating thriving (healthy, happy and secure) employees and the "dose value" of these pivotal habits on performance at work. Aimee Lucas, Customer Experience Transformist & Vice President, Temkin Group: Lucas will explore the connection between customer experience (CX) and employee engagement (EE) and share proven EE tactics that have yielded positive CX results at other organizations -- including how employees are incented, recognized, and celebrated. Bobi Seredich, Co-Founder of The Southwest Institute for Emotional Intelligence: Seredich's highly interactive workshop, based on research around Emotional Intelligence and Stephen Covey's Speed of Trust, is designed to engage HR leaders at all levels and help them to strategically identify and close trust gaps in their organizations. Taking place the evening before the official start of the conference -- but also not to be missed -- is the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Awards Gala on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Steam Whistle Brewery in downtown Toronto. Honoring this year's winners, the gala will celebrate our list of the top 50 employers in North America for their leadership in finding innovative ways to make engagement, alignment and recognition a foundational piece of their workforce enablement strategy. For more information on how to register, or on ACE in general, visit: http://bit.ly/ACE2016PR. Follow the conversation on Twitter at @Achievers or AACE16. About Achievers Achievers' Employee Recognition and Rewards solution provides companies with a robust foundation for their employee engagement initiatives that enables both social and rewards-based recognition. Designed for today's workplace, Achievers' innovative SaaS platform can increase employee engagement and drive business success. It empowers employees to recognize and reward each other in real time and aligns employees with company values and goals. Delivering millions of recognitions annually, the Achievers platform inspires employee loyalty, engagement and performance in 150 countries. Visit us at www.achievers.com. Achievers is a Blackhawk Network company and is headquartered in Toronto and San Francisco. CINCINNATI (dpa-AFX) - Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) reported a profit for the fourth-quarter that surged from the prior year, which included a Venezuelan deconsolidation charge of $0.71 per share. Quarterly net sales were down three percent versus the prior year period hurt by a negative three percentage point impact from foreign exchange and a negative two percent combined impact from Venezuela deconsolidation and minor brand divestitures. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter beats analysts' expectations. 'Looking forward, we're committed to continued productivity improvement and cost savings that provide the fuel for innovation and investments needed to accelerate and sustain faster top-line growth. We expect fiscal 2017 to mark another significant step toward our goal of balanced growth and value creation and total shareholder return in the top third of our competitive peer group,' said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer David Taylor. P&G projects organic sales growth of about 2% for fiscal 2017. The Company expects the combined headwinds of foreign exchange and minor brand divestitures to reduce sales growth by about one percentage point. As a result, P&G estimates all-in sales growth of about 1% for fiscal 2017. The company said it expects core earnings per share growth of mid-single digits versus fiscal 2016 core EPS of $3.67. P&G noted that core EPS growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 will be disproportionately affected by foreign exchange headwinds, which do not fully annualize until later in the year, and the impact of lost finished product sales to its Venezuelan subsidiaries. All-in GAAP earnings per share are expected to increase 45% to 55% versus fiscal year 2016 GAAP earnings per share of $3.69. The fiscal 2017 GAAP EPS estimate includes approximately $0.10 per share of non-core restructuring costs and a substantial gain from the divestiture of 41 beauty brands to Coty Inc. The exact earnings gain from the transaction with Coty will not be known until the completion of the deal, which is targeted for October 2016. Net earnings attributable to the company for the fourth-quarter surged to $1.951 billion from the prior year's $521 million. Net earnings per share were $0.69, an increase of 283% versus the prior year period that included a Venezuelan deconsolidation charge of $0.71 per share. Core earnings per share were $0.79, a decrease of 15% from the prior year. Core earnings per share results declined due to increased marketing investments, lower gains from minor brand divestitures, and a higher core effective tax rate versus the comparison period. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, currency-neutral core earnings per share decreased eight percent. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.74 per share for the fourth-quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Quarterly net sales were $16.1 billion, a decrease of three percent versus the prior year period hurt by a negative three percentage point impact from foreign exchange and a negative two percent combined impact from Venezuela deconsolidation and minor brand divestitures. Organic sales increased two percent for the quarter driven by a two percent increase in organic shipment volume. Wall Street expected revenues of $15.83 billion for the quarter. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Mundoro Capital Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MUN) (www.mundoro.com) ("Mundoro" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has entered into an amendment agreement ("Amendment") to option a fourth property, the Company's 100% owned Borsko Jezero exploration license, to its partner Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC") with whom Mundoro has an earn-in agreement ("Agreement"). On March 7, 2016 Mundoro announced it had granted to JOGMEC an earn-in option on three of Mundoro's exploration licenses: Dubrava, Padina and Zeleznik (the "Timok North Projects") located within the Timok Magmatic Complex in northeastern Serbia (Figure 1: Timok North Projects). This Amendment will now add a fourth property to the earn-in Agreement with revised terms as described below. Teo Dechev, CEO and President of Mundoro commented, "Mundoro and JOGMEC have been building a strategic partnership and bringing the Borsko Jezero exploration license into the partnership is a natural progression of the relationship given that Borsko Jezero is an extension of the Dubrava license already under option directly to the east. The Mundoro-JOGMEC land package, as amended, establishes a continuous exploration area in the Timok district which has proven mineral endowment with operations such as the Bor and Veliki Krevali mines as well as the Cukaru Peki deposit. JOGMEC has proven to be a good partner with the 2016 exploration program well under way on the Timok North Projects. We look forward to announcing steady news flow as results come in from the various fields programs underway." Summary of Revised Earn-In Terms Pursuant to the Agreement and Amendment, Mundoro has granted to JOGMEC the following earn-in and option rights to the now four Timok North Projects: Borsko Jezero, Dubrava, Padina and Zeleznik. Stage One Earn-in: JOGMEC may earn a 51% interest in the Timok North Projects by making US$4 million (previously US$3 million) in expenditures by March 2019. JOGMEC is under a firm commitment to spend US$1 million of this amount by March 2017. Stage Two Earn-in: Following the Stage One Earn-in, JOGMEC has a right to acquire an additional 24% interest in the Timok North Projects, for a total of 75% interest, by funding the completion of a Feasibility Study by the eighth anniversary of the Agreement (March 2024). Additional Terms: On completing the Stage Two Earn-In, JOGMEC will have a right, exercisable for a period of 60 days, to purchase an additional 5% interest in the Timok North Projects from Mundoro, for a total of 80% interest. The purchase price for the 5% interest will be determined by an independent appraisal of fair market value. JOGMEC will be responsible for future expenditures on the project through to production if it completes Stage Two, including Mundoro's share of capital expenditures. Mundoro's portion of capital expenditures shall be repaid from 50% of the cash flow that Mundoro would otherwise be entitled to receive on a pro rata basis from the joint venture. If either party dilutes below 10%, their interest will convert into a 2% NSR of which up to 1% NSR will be re-purchasable for a total of US$4 million. Mundoro will be the initial operator of the Timok North Projects. A management committee has been formed and is comprised of two representatives from each of Mundoro and JOGMEC. Mundoro-JOGMEC Timok North Projects Borsko Jezero License Borsko Jezero is a 34.50 sq.km area located near the central portion of the Timok Magmatic Complex. The Borsko Jezero exploration license is directly adjacent to the west of the producing Bor copper porphyry mine which is directly west of the Veliki Krivelj copper-gold porphyry mine. During the 2013 exploration program of the Borsko Jezero license, Mundoro completed AMT and Induced Polarization ("IP") geophysical surveys over re-interpreted regional magnetic geophysical data which generated several promising anomalies. A scout drill program totaling 3,226 m drilled in five holes was completed in 2013. All holes intersected hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks of various types suggesting proximal or distal location of mineralised sources. Two holes were drilled in the Borsko Jezero and Dubrava corridor BJ-04 (728.3m depth) and BJ-05 (495.3m depth) in order to explore favorable geology and structure along the corridor between the Bor mine to the north and the Cukaru Peki deposit to the south. Drillholes BJ-04 and BJ-05 intersected copper and gold mineralization and copper-gold anomalous intervals related to hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks: -- Drillhole BJ-04 intersected two styles of Cu-Au mineralization of covellite veinlets and chalcopyrite-pyrite with minor bornite ore clasts. This style of ore clasts is similar to one of the neighboring Bor deposits called "Novo Okno" located approximately 2 km to northwest of BJ-04. Drillhole BJ-04, starting from 22 m, intersected Cu-Au mineralization of: -- 28 m @ 0.2% Cu, 0.25 g/t Au (0.36% CuEq.) -- including 7m @ 0.5% Cu, 0.69 g/t Au (0.94% CuEq.) -- Drillhole BJ-05 intersected mineralized and anomalous gold intervals starting from 377 meters, related to argillic altered andesite containing disseminated pyrite and quartz-carbonate veins and veinlets. Drillhole BJ-05, starting from 377 m, intersected Au mineralization: -- 1 m @ 1.69 g/t Au; and -- 11 m @ 0.53 g/t Au Recent follow-up work includes soil sampling at 400m x 200m grid over an area of approx. 20 sqkm located in the central part of the license. This area was previously highlighted with significant Cu-Au stream sediment geochemistry results. Results from 248 collected samples are expected in early August 2016. Zeleznik License Zeleznik is a 60 sq.km area located at the northern end of the Timok Magmatic Complex. The Zeleznik exploration area falls within the recently discovered sediment-hosted gold belt and is in the immediate vicinity of the producing Majdanpek copper porphyry deposit. First stage drilling on the southern Zeleznik targets, the West Zone and the East Zone, has demonstrated that previously defined surface mineralization, identified through soil sampling and trenching, remains open at depth and along strike at both the target areas. At the West Zone drilling intersected several hornblende-biotite porphyry dikes cutting basement gneiss. The porphyries are potassic altered and the host gneiss is cut by A-type quartz veins and veinlets containing pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralisation. The veins appear to be dipping east, parallel to and presumably controlled by the gneissic foliation. A 25m intercept centered on the early porphyry dyke averages 0.47% CuEq (see press release from January 12, 2015). At the East Zone, drilling and surface sampling has identified significant intersections as: -- Channel 21: 46m @ 0.36% Cu, 0.56 g/t Au -- Channel 19: 32m @ 0.34% Cu, 0.42 g/t Au -- Channel 23: 13m @ 2.60% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au -- ZELDD_04: 6m @ 0.48% Cu, 0.46 g/t Au -- ZELDD_05: 81.2m @ 0.22% Cu, 0.23 g/t Au, including 2.8m @ 2.1% Cu, 1.5 g/t Au. -- ZELDD_06: 4.9m @ 0.82% Cu, 1.00 g/t Au (see press release from January 12, 2015). Mundoro believes there is good potential for discovery of bulk porphyry mineralization containing high grade sulphide blocks which should improve the overall grade. Current Field Program Mundoro completed an in-fill soil sampling program in Q2/16 which has identified new targets at the Northern portion of the Zeleznik license. The results are follow up to a Cu-Au-Mo anomalous area approximately 800m x 600m in size. The infill soil geochemistry results are expected to be released in August 2016. The Company completed IP and CSAMT-AMT surveys in H1/16 to further define the drill targets along the East and West Zones. The Company expects to commence drilling in the Zeleznik license in August 2016 with drill results to be released in H2/16. Dubrava-Ostrelj License Dubrava-Ostrelj ("Dubrava") is a 51 sq.km area which wraps around the Bor Mine Complex and is 3.5km from the Freeport-McMoran and Nevsun Cukaru Peki deposit. The license area geology is made up of Upper Cretaceous subduction-related magmatic rocks which are the host rocks of the producing Bor and Majdanpek deposits. The license was screened using stream sediment sampling, reconnaissance mapping and an AMT geophysical survey. One drill hole, BJ-04, tested a target that was interpreted as a structural trend related to the Bor deposits. BJ-04 demonstrated positive results with a Cu-Au mineralized intersection of 28 m @ 0.2% Cu, 0.25 g/t Au (0.36% CuEq.) including 7m @ 0.5% Cu, 0.69 g/t Au (0.94% CuEq.) Subsequent soil sampling, detailed mapping and rock sampling around the BJ-04 collar location highlighted a NW trending geochemical anomaly possibly related to the intersected mineralization at depth. Subsequent exploration work continued with a regional CSAMT geophysical survey on the southern part of the license which highlighted NE structures cross-cutting the main NW trend and which may have played a role in localizing the mineralization. Current Field Program Mundoro conducted further geophysical surveys and detailed mapping in Q2/16 in order to better define follow-up drill targets. The Company commenced drilling in the Dubrava license in July 2016 with drill results to be released in H2/16. Padina License Padina is a 12 sq.km area that is located east of the Bor Mine Complex and contiguous (to the south) to the Dubrava license. The Company completed a CSAMT geophysical survey over the license in order to assess the area and generate drill targets related to the regional Krivelj fault, which is known to control the Veliki Krivelj Cu-Au porphyry orebody. The Krivelj fault has been interpreted to continue along strike through both the Padina and Dubrava licenses. Results highlighted a resistivity low anomaly 300m to 400m wide which was followed for approximately 3.5km along the Jurassic Limestone basement. Sampling, Analysis and Qualified Person Drillhole orientations were surveyed at approximately 50 meters intervals. Drill core was collected from drill sites by the Company's geologists and processed and sampled at the Company's core shed according to industry best practice standard procedures. Samples were collected as half PQ or HQ core at two meters length intervals. Where necessary the sampling lengths were adjusted to reflect the geological boundaries. All samples are assayed using 50 gram fire assay with atomic absorption finish and ME-ICP61 by ALS Romania. The entire sample was crushed to 2mm, then split off a 1 kg sample and pulverized the split to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures include the systematic insertion of standards and duplicates into the sample streams. Duplicate core samples are taken every 25 samples and standards and blanks are inserted after every 20th sample. All data collected from detailed logging and assay results from the laboratories are routinely verified and entered in an Access data base. Technical information contained in this Press Release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. G. Magaranov, P. Geo., Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About JOGMEC JOGMEC was established in February, 2004, following the integration of the former Japan National Oil Corporation (JNOC) and Metal Mining Agency of Japan (MMAJ). It is a corporation under the Japanese Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI), with a mandate of investing in developing minerals projects worldwide to help secure a stable supply of natural resources for Japanese industry. About Mundoro Mundoro is a Canadian mineral exploration and development public company focused on building value for its shareholders through directly investing in mineral projects that have the ability to generate future returns for shareholders. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of projects in two European countries as well as an investment in a producing gold mine in Bulgaria and a feasibility stage gold project in China. The Company holds eight 100% owned projects in Serbia, the four Timok North Projects are in option to JOGMEC, and the four Timok South Projects are being advanced by Mundoro. Mundoro's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "MUN". On behalf of the Company, Teo Dechev, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This News Release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe" or "continue" or similar words or the negative thereof, and include the following: completion of the earn-in expenditures and options by JOGMEC; and completion of a definitive joint venture agreement by the parties. The material assumptions that were applied in making the forward looking statements in this News Release include expectations as to the mineral potential of the Timok North Properties, the Company's future strategy and business plan and execution of the Company's existing plans. We caution readers of this News Release not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements contained in this News Release, as there can be no assurance that they will occur and they are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include general economic and market conditions, exploration results, commodity prices, changes in law, regulatory processes, the status of Mundoro's assets and financial condition, actions of competitors and the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this News Release are made as of the date of this News Release and the Board undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and for a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com. 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. Contacts: Mundoro Capital Inc. Teo Dechev CEO, President and Director +1-604-669-8055 www.mundoro.com MCLEAN, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today reported its second quarter 2016 financial results and filed its quarterly Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company's Form 10-Q and press release are available now on the company's website, www.freddiemac.com/investors, along with the second quarter 2016 financial results supplement. The company will hold a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (ET) on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, to discuss the company's results with the media. The conference call will be concurrently webcast. To access the live audio webcast, use the following link http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/bwmyws9z. The replay will be available on the company's website at www.FreddieMac.com/investors for approximately 30 days. Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for approximately one in four home borrowers and is the largest source of financing for multifamily housing. Additional information is available at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog. LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 --Black Hat USA 2016 Booth No. IC-16 - Demisto, Inc., an innovator in Security Operations technology, today announced an open industry standard (COPS, Collaborative Open Playbook Standard) to build and share cyber threat incident response playbooks, facilitated with the introduction of Demisto Free Edition, the free version of Demisto's Bot-powered security ChatOps platform. The platform helps automate and streamline security operations and incident management processes. The playbooks developed in Demisto Enterprise and Free Edition can be shared with other organizations to facilitate development and sharing of standard playbooks and incident response procedures. The open standard uses YAML as the exchange format and has a schema specifically designed for security operations, and is not proprietary. Hence the playbooks developed in Demisto Free Edition can be exported and converted to other product formats. The new solution will be unveiled and demonstrated this week at Black Hat USA 2016 in Las Vegas, in Demisto's booth number IC-16 in the Innovation City on the expo floor. As attackers collaborate to create more sophisticated attacks, the security industry has lacked an open incident response standard to create response procedures that use collective knowledge. While security intelligence solutions which share just threat information exist, today's announcement is a step forward to building response standards for the industry. Now, organizations can collaborate and build response procedures together or contribute back to the community for use by other organizations. With the Demisto Free Edition and open standard for playbook exchange, organizations can begin collaborating on incident responses to address today's complex cyber threats. "Incident Response procedures have always been ad-hoc and unstructured with varying degrees of effectiveness," said Stuart McClure, Author "Hacking Exposed," former Global CTO McAfee and Founder & CEO, Cylance. "There is a real need for us to coordinate across companies and vendors to build standard, well thought out, response procedures. Demisto's creation of a standard, non-proprietary, exchange format is a big step in the right direction. All organizations will be able to build and adopt playbooks, share them and improve them continuously using the standard. This will definitely result in organizations being better prepared for the future attacks." The new open standard also facilitates automation and coding into playbooks of internal procedures on security operations and incident response which previously remained in dusty folders, static documents, wiki docs and presentations. Now these documents and procedures can be shared across organizations by creating playbooks using the standard format. These tasks and procedures can also be automated via Demisto Free Edition and the library of open source automation scripts from Demisto. Demisto's open source library of automation scripts contains hundreds of scripts which can be used to automate actions across more than 40 already integrated security solutions. "While cyber criminals collaborate to attack and steal from organizations, our industry until now has lacked a means for sharing best practices around incident response and community development of playbooks," said Dan Sarel, Demisto co-founder and VP of Product. "Organizations can now automate and track their processes for incident response using playbooks developed in Demisto Free Edition, which are easy to create and do not lock the organization into a single platform. At Demisto we believe that the only way to combat cybercrime is through collaboration and we are proud to offer today a major step in this direction." With a focus on collaboration, Demisto has built the industry's largest incident response community using Slack. The community of more than 500 security analysts from all over the world shares best practices in incident response, tools and training courses. In addition to the community, open playbook standard and hundreds of automation scripts, Demisto has created numerous open sources projects, including a very popular Slack bot which has nearly 1000 teams using it for protecting Slack and for security analysts to aggregate threat reputation using ChatOps. These open source projects include open source SDKs in Go programming language for VirusTotal, IBM X-Force Exchange, Crowdstrike, Cylance and Slack. Availability and Pricing The Demisto Free Edition and open playbook standard are available today directly from www.demisto.com/community. About Demisto Demisto helps Security Operations Centers scale their human resources, improve incident response times, and capture evidence while working to solve problems collaboratively. Demisto Enterprise is the first comprehensive, Bot-powered Security ChatOps Platform to combine intelligent automation with collaboration. Demisto's intelligent automation is powered by DBot which works with teams to automate playbooks, correlate artifacts, enable information sharing and auto document the entire incident lifecycle. Demisto is backed by Accel and has offices in Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv. For more information, visit www.demisto.com or email info@demisto.com. Demisto is a registered trademark of Demisto in the United States and other countries. All other company and product names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Contact: Dan Spalding Email Contact (408) 960-9297 TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - August 02, 2016) - ioFABRIC announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named ioFABRIC to its 2016 list of Emerging Vendors. This annual list recognizes recently founded, up-and-coming technology suppliers who are shaping the future of the IT channel through unique technological innovations. In addition to celebrating these standout companies, the Emerging Vendors list also serves as a valuable resource for solution providers looking to expand their portfolios with cutting-edge technology. ioFABRIC -- which just won Startup of the Year and Most Innovative CEO in its category at the annual CEO World Awards -- was selected on the strength of its Vicinity software, a software-defined storage platform that extends the life of existing storage, increases performance, reduces capital expenses, and enables organizations to add storage as needed for performance and capacity. Vicinity profiles all storage and provides the intelligence to manage it quickly and effectively, whether it be on-premises or in the cloud. Vicinity supports VMware, Hyper-V, and Openstack as well as Docker, and delivers traditional features, such as alerting, logging, monitoring and metrics. Installation comes as a simple turnkey virtual appliance for Hyper-V, VMware, or in the host for Linux, KVM and Openstack. "The select group of companies on our Emerging Vendors list have already made a name for themselves in their short time in the IT community, introducing leading-edge technologies with the potential to transform their segments of the IT market," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "These tech suppliers are quickly making their mark on the industry and are the ones solution providers should watch in 2016." "We are beyond humbled by this and other recent recognition for ioFABRIC and Vicinity," said ioFABRIC co-founder and CEO Steven Lamb. "Early in 2013, I had a notion that we could fundamentally change the way companies were storing and managing data, and I'm proud to see our dedication to solving complex data storage problems being embraced by the industry and the media that covers it." The Emerging Vendors list will be featured in the August 2016 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/emergingvendors. About ioFABRIC ioFABRIC Inc. is a software-defined storage company that increases business agility while reducing storage costs. Its vision is to transform storage into something a business can simply depend on, eliminating admin demands, and freeing IT time to focus on true business innovation. Its flagship product, ioFABRIC Vicinity, drastically reduces storage OPEX and CAPEX with intelligent automation and growth through commodity hardware and the cloud. Vicinity Solutions are available to extend existing storage systems, solve migration problems, and deploy as distributed storage, hyperconverged, or Docker. Vicinity is sold through ioFABRIC's reseller and distribution channel, supported by its industry leading LEaD program. Partners sell Vicinity as licensed software with support or by white-labeling it with additional hardware and/or software. Founded in 2013 by an executive team that has worked together for more than 20 years, the company is funded by private investors and Real Ventures. ioFABRIC is an industry leader in customer service and product development: agile and responsive. For more information visit www.ioFABRIC.com/Learn. Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. The Channel Company logo is a trademark of The Channel Company, LLC (registration pending). All rights reserved. Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/1/11G108876/Full_page_photo-34e24304ef8fb500a47e8bafdb69fc79.pdf CONTACT AGENCY: Judy Smith JPR Communications 818-798-1475 judys@jprcom.com CONTACT CLIENT: Deborah Lamb PR Manager 844-216-7415 deborah@iofabric.com CONTACT CHANNEL COMPANY Melanie Turpin The Channel Company (508) 416-1195 mturpin@thechannelco.com PUNE, India, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The in vitro fertilization (IVF) market is expected to reach $756.7 million by 2021 growing at a CAGR of 10.1% fueled by intra-cyto plasmic sperm injection segment and driven by growing incidence of male infertility with Asia-Pacific expected to hold largest share of regional in vitro fertilization market. Complete report on global in vitro fertilization market spread across 159 pages, profiling 10 companies and supported with 100 tables and 41 figures is now available http://www.marketreportshub.com/in-vitro-fertilization-industry-research-marketsandmarkets.html Factors such as declining fertility rates, growth in the media age of first-time motherhood, growing cases of male infertility, growth in healthcare expenditure, rise in consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, implementation of government initiatives and introduction of new and advanced products are driving the in vitro fertilization market. However, high cost coupled with low success rate, and restrictive regulation and ethical concerns are expected to restrain the growth of this market to a certain extent. The intra-cyto plasmic sperm injection segment accounted for the largest share of the global in vitro fertilization market, by technology, in 2016. Growing incidence of male infertility is contributing to the large share of this segment. The embryo culture media accounted for the largest share of the global in vitro fertilization market, by reagents, in 2016 and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Imaging systems segment accounted for the largest share of the global in vitro fertilization market, by equipment, in 2016. However, sperm separation systems are expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The fertility and surgical centers segment accounted for the largest share of the global in vitro fertilization market, by end user, in 2016. Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of the in vitro fertilization market in 2016, followed by Europe and North America. The large share of the Asia-Pacific in vitro fertilization market can primarily be attributed to the high maternal age in Japan, abolishment of China's one child policy, rising fertility tourism in India and Thailand, growing surrogacy and high prevalence of PCOS in India and growing number of ART procedures in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Cooper Surgical, Inc. (U.S.), Vitrolife AB (Sweden), Cook Medical, Inc. (U.S.), Irvine Scientific (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), ESCO Micro Pte. Limited (Singapore), Genea Limited (Australia), The Baker Company (U.S.), IVFtech ApS (Denmark) and EMD Serono, Inc. (U.S.)are some of the key players in the global in vitro fertilization market. Order a copy In Vitro Fertilization Market by Product (Incubators, Cryosystem, Sperm Seperation System, Cryopreservation Media, Embryo Culture Media), Technology (Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis, Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) & End Users - Forecast to 2021 research report at http://www.marketreportshub.com/purchase?rpid=4129 . Major players in the market are focusing on various strategies such as agreements, alliances, collaborations, and partnerships; new product launches; acquisitions; product approvals; expansions; and other strategies (product enhancement and spin-off), to establish a strong foothold in the global in vitro fertilization market. On a related note, another research on Infertility Treatment Devices Market Global Forecast to 2020 says, the global market is expected to reach USD 3,698.92 million by 2020 from USD 1,822.32 million in 2015, at a CAGR of 15.21% between 2015 and 2020. North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global infertility treatment devices market in 2015. Market growth is majorly driven by the rising infertility rate among couples and single women. Companies like The Cooper Companies Inc., Cook Group Incorporated, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Vitrolife AB, Research Instruments Limited, Esco Micro Pte. Ltd., Genea Limited, IVFtech ApS, Irvine Scientific and The Baker Company, Inc. have been profiled in this 140 pages research report available at http://www.marketreportshub.com/infertility-treatment-devices-marketsandmarkets.html . Explore more reports on Life Sciences market at http://www.marketreportshub.com/categories/life-sciences . About Us: Market Reports Hub is your one-stop online shop for syndicated industry research reports on 25+ categories and their sub-sectors. We bring to you to the latest in market research across multiple industries and geographies from leading research publishers across the globe. Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. Tel: +1-888-391-5441 sales@marketreportshub.com Connect with Us: G+/Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/110654518968238222746/about Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarketReportHub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marketreportshub/679736978808693 RSS/Feeds: http://www.marketreportshub.com/rss.xml VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- NV Gold Corporation (TSX VENTURE: NVX) ("the Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a Letter of Intent (the "LOI") with Redstar Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: RGC) ("Redstar") setting forth the terms under which NVX intends to acquire 100% of Redstar's exploration assets in Nevada, subject to completion of due diligence, the finalization of a definitive agreement governing the acquisition and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). These assets consist of a 100% interest (less existing NSRs) in 11 exploration projects (the "Projects") in Nevada, as well as the AngloGold-Ashanti database (the "Database") purchased by Redstar in 2008. Under the terms of the LOI, NVX and Redstar propose to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement under which NVX will acquire the Database and the Projects in consideration of NVX issuing to Redstar 6,000,000 common shares of NVX and Redstar having the right to name two of a proposed 6 member board of NVX. Under the definitive agreement, NVX will also be required to raise CDN$350,000 within 90 days of the completion of the definitive agreement or else NVX must return the Projects and the Database to Redstar in exchange for Redstar returning 95% of the shares of NVX it receives under the acquisition. If, after NVX raises the CDN$350,000, Redstar owns less than 29.9% of the outstanding shares of NVX, NVX would be required to issue Redstar additional shares of NVX to increase Redstar's share ownership of NVX shares to 29.9%. John Watson, CEO of NVX has confirmed he will subscribe to a lead order of the placement for up to CDN$100,000 after signing of the definitive agreement. The LOI is not binding on the parties, except that Redstar has agreed to a 30-day exclusive right for NV Gold to complete its due diligence and negotiate a definitive agreement and NV Gold has agreed to fund the annual claims maintenance costs due in August, 2016 for the 11 Nevada properties it proposes to acquire. John E. Watson, President of NVX, states: "The proposed acquisition of this exceptional exploration property package consisting of 11 projects in the main mineralized trends of Nevada, and the geological Database, would mark a significant milestone for NVX and its return to an exploration focus in Nevada and the Great Basin. The Database is extensive and represents the results of decades of reconnaissance and exploration by a respected major company, estimated at a historical cost close to US$20 million. NVX looks forward to welcoming Redstar as a significant shareholder, and working closely with its new director appointees, with a focus of creating value, the development of key partnerships and exploration to make the next Nevada discovery." "Redstar's goal is create near term value for our shareholders, while ensuring that in the long term additional upside is realized for assets we control. To ensure our Nevada portfolio receives the attention and focus it requires for a potential discovery and/or joint venture partnership, we searched for a group with a solid management team that brings the technical and district expertise to unlock the value in our assets where the market currently gives no credit to Redstar and its shareholders," commented Peter A. Ball, CEO of Redstar, "NVX's highly regarded technical team, with their extensive knowledge of Nevada, now will control a solid portfolio of projects and an extensive database that will create the opportunity of exploration success for NVX, and subsequently Redstar's shareholders. Redstar looks forward to working closely with Mr. Watson and the NVX team and being a significant shareholder to participate in the upside." Review of Nevada Assets to be Acquired by NVX The Database The Database, which covers Nevada, portions of Utah, Idaho and California, includes extensive proprietary exploration files created by AngloGold-Ashanti and its predecessors, as well as significant regional geological, geochemical and geophysical data, much of it also proprietary, as well as significant amounts of exploration information performed by Redstar from 2005 to 2014. The exploration programs which generated this data encompassed nearly 30 years of effort at a cost of an estimated US$20 million. The Projects The eleven (11) Nevada projects NVX proposes to acquire include both sediment-hosted and volcanic-hosted gold systems on important mineralized trends, including the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend and the Walker Lane. Each of projects have significant results to date: - Cooks Creek is a sediment-hosted gold system located eight miles west of the world-class Pipeline deposits being mined by Barrick Gold. Historic drilling intersected 21.3m (70 feet) grading 2.3 gpt gold (0.068 opt). The undrilled "Dinner" Zone has yielded surface rock-chip values to 2.45 gpt Au. A drill permit is currently in place, providing the opportunity for immediate advancement of this promising project. - Seven Devils is a volcanic-hosted epithermal gold prospect located along the "Western Nevada Rift" trend that includes Kinross' Goldbanks, Newmont's Sandman and Paramount's Sleeper deposits. The identified gold system at Seven Devils is in excess of 6,000 feet long and contains surface rock-chip gold values up to 3.47 gpt. Targets include both high-grade epithermal veins and disseminated gold. - Oasis is near the Goldfield district in western Nevada and contains a porphyry-style copper-gold system with extensive low-grade gold mineralization (2010-11 drilling yielded 96.1m grading 0.26 gpt Au, 30.5m grading 0.4 gpt Au and 196m of 0.22 gpt Au). Drilling results also suggested increasing copper at depth with the gold. The gold mineralization is currently exposed over an area of approximately 1,000m X 1,250m and is potentially open at depth and to the south. - Gold Cloud is along the southeastern portion of the Cortez Trend and contains a 2-km-long zone of carbonate veins and silicification (jasperoid) with gold values at surface up to 2.8 gpt. The mineralization occurs along a range-front structure and could represent the upper-most or lateral edges of a larger gold system yet to be explored at depth or under shallow pediment alluvial cover in the adjacent valley. - Painted Hills is a low-sulfidation, mid-Miocene bonanza-style vein target located 50 miles NW of the Sleeper deposit, which is geologically similar. An initial program, conducted in 2007 yielded extensive low-grade gold mineralization beneath a barren opalite cap. Previous drilling results point to a high-grade "boiling-zone" target below the levels tested in the drilling, and potential also exists under the adjacent alluvial cover outboard of a range-front fault. - Richmond Summit is approximately 7 miles NNW of Newmont's Gold Quarry mine. This Carlin-style, sediment-hosted target has yielded surface samples as high as 7.75 gpt, with lower plate rocks exposed within 300 m of the property and intersected in drilling. - Baker is approximately 12 miles north of Newmont's new Long Canyon mine. The project is focused on anomalous mercury and arsenic, along with local hydrothermal barite within fault-controlled jasperoids at a range front. Peripheral stratiform jasperoid is widespread. - Larus is a Carlin-style gold system along the Cortez Trend, 2 miles NW of the Mt. Hope Molybdenum project. Rock-chip samples have yielded up to 3.2 gpt of gold. Carbonates occur as a block above a low-angle detachment fault, with upper-plate siliciclastic rocks and volcanics lying below the fault. Gold locally occurs in the underlying siliciclastic rocks (to 2 gpt), and N-NW trending faults with gold cut (post-date) the detachment, suggesting a rooted gold system. Mineralization is known over a strike length of at least 1,200 m and a vertical range of at least 160 m. - Root Spring is an epithermal gold-silver vein system in northwestern Nevada that is geologically similar to the world-class Rochester silver-gold mine operated by Coeur Mining 26 km to the NW. The gently- dipping vein system within Triassic Koipato Group volcanic rocks lies along a range front and can be traced for 1.2 km with a width of 150 m, although alluvial cover obscures extensions. Rock-chip values in veins reach 9.36 gpt gold (0.273 opt) and 1500 gpt silver (44 opt). First-phase drilling in 2012 intersected vein and disseminated Ag-Au mineralization down-dip of exposed veins (e.g., 12.1 m grading 14 gpt Ag and 0.16 gpt Au), but drilling was very shallow (68 m average length) and the system remains poorly explored. - Queens and Long Island are 5-7 miles SE of Kinross's Round Mountain Mine and are volcanic-hosted epithermal systems similar in age to Round Mountain. Historic shallow (less than 150m) drilling at Queens in the early 1990's yielded 0.70 gpt over 23 m, 0.46 gpt over 17 m and 0.53 gpt over 14 m. Rock chip sampling has been encouraging. If it completes the acquisition and raises the required funds, NVX intends to advance certain of the existing targets through surface geologic work, geophysical surveys and possible drilling at some or all of the 11 Nevada projects and NVX will immediately begin analysis of the Database to select priority target areas for acquisition of new projects. NVX plans to become a project generator, with the goal of providing high-quality mineral exploration projects for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region. The immediate goal is to prepare these projects for lease or joint venture. Dr. Jake Margolis, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific or technical information in this news release. It is intended that Dr. Margolis, formerly Redstar's U.S. Exploration Manager, will be a consultant to NVX on the existing projects and the generation of new projects. Dr. Margolis previously worked for AngloGold-Ashanti and was instrumental in developing and advancing these Nevada projects and assisting in building the extensive Database. About NV Gold Corporation NV Gold is junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is planning to focus on delivering value through mineral discoveries utilizing the prospector generator model. Leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, NV Gold's geological team intends to use the Database, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with the eleven (11) gold projects, to uncover opportunities for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region that have been overlooked. NVX also continues to advance its Surselva property, in Graubunden, Switzerland. On behalf of the Board of Directors, John E. Watson, President and CEO For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed acquisition of the Properties and the Database and the terms of such acquisition, the proposed raising of CDN$350,000, the geological potential of or the potential to lease or joint venture any of the Properties, the generative value of the Database, the expectation of creating shareholder value from NVX's efforts as owner of the Properties and the Database and other future plans and objectives of the Company, including exploration plans, 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include regulatory issues, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company 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 otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Contacts: NV Gold Corporation John E. Watson President and CEO 303.674.9400 john@watson-assoc.com www.nvgoldcorp.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Commerce Department is scheduled to release its personal income and spending report for June at 8:30 am ET Tuesday. Economists expect 0.3 percent increases each in personal income and spending. Ahead of the data, the greenback showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the greenback held steady against the yen and the euro, it declined against the franc and the pound. The greenback was worth 1.1194 against the euro, 101.56 against the yen, 0.9662 against the franc and 1.3284 against the pound 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. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Revelo Resources Corp. ("Revelo" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: RVL) is pleased to announce that it has completed surface geological mapping and received results from surface geochemical surveys at its Morros Blancos project that, combined with historic information including limited historical geophysical and peripheral drilling data, delineate and refine two potential porphyry copper targets. The principal conclusions from recent work include: -- Morros Blancos Norte (MBN) represents a porphyry copper-moly (+/- gold) target related to a zone of quartz-alunite alteration over about 2 km x 2 km, within a larger zone of advanced argillic alteration including the presence of pyrophyllite, over about 4 km x 3 km. Hydrothermal alteration mineralogy and zonation patterns, combined with multi-element geochemical anomalies including Mo from 2.5 ppm up to 8 ppm in sieved surface samples, define a central target area some 2 km x 1 km in size. -- Morros Blancos Sur (MBS), centred 8 km southwest of MBN, also corresponds to a porphyry copper-moly (+/- gold) target, with similar characteristics to MBN, but with the addition of a quartz-veinlet stockwork partially exposed at surface, including "A"-type veinlets, which suggests somewhat deeper erosion and probable telescoping of the porphyry copper system. Mo anomalies above 2.5 ppm in sieved surface samples range up to 32 ppm, and the target area is at least 1.5 km x 1 km in size, and possibly larger, within an overall hydrothermally altered area some 5 km x 4 km in size. -- Altamira represents a third area of interest within the overall Morros Blancos property, and is located approximately 17 km south of MBS, but is poorly explored to date. It does however represent another potential porphyry copper target with extensive hydrothermal alteration related to a feldspar porphyry intrusion, but will not be further discussed here. Tim Beale, President and CEO of Revelo, commented: "Morros Blancos represents an exciting new discovery for Revelo in an area with very easy access close to the Pan-American Highway, and located within the Paleocene mineral belt of northern Chile that hosts giant porphyry copper deposits such as Spence and Sierra Gorda. Morros Blancos Sur is particularly interesting with exposed quartz-veinlet stockworks at surface, within an otherwise heavily leached desert environment. The presence of important molybdenum geochemical anomalies at surface could be significant, as they are sometimes related to porphyry copper centres in the sub-surface in these leached environments. Other general similarities and compelling exploration data also suggest that Morros Blancos Norte could be an important and likely geologically related, target. We will look for a partner to drill test these targets, which are located along a segment of one of the world's most prospective belts for major porphyry copper deposits." Please visit the Morros Blancos page on Revelo's website (http://www.reveloresources.com/projects/morros-blancos) for further information. WORK AND RESULTS - MORROS BLANCOS Detailed geological and hydrothermal alteration mapping has been completed on key portions of the Morros Blancos porphyry copper project, focused on the MBN and MBS targets, with preliminary work carried out to date at Altamira. Visual interpretations of hydrothermal alteration characteristics in the field have been supported by in-house mineral analyses carried out by Revelo's technical team using a "Terraspec" near-infrared mineral analyser. Additionally, geochemical results from more than 1,500 sieved surface fines (desert soils and colluvium) samples collected by a previous owner, together with limited rock-chip sampling, have been re-plotted and re-interpreted, and supplemented by more than 800 sieved surface samples collected by Revelo over MBN and MBS. Three reverse circulation historic drill holes on the northern periphery of the MBN target, and three historic diamond drill holes on the western periphery of the MBS target, have also been reviewed, re-logged and analysed with "Terraspec" near-infrared mineral analyser. Two, short IP geophysical lines at each of the MBN and MBS targets, together with partial magnetics coverage of the targets, have also been re-processed and re-interpreted. Although there is no QA/QC information available for the historic geochemical data, and consequently those data must be treated with caution, results are consistent with those obtained more recently by Revelo. Both MBN and MBS represent zones of extensive advanced argillic alteration or "lithocaps", dominated by intense quartz-alunite alteration within larger areas of quartz-alunite-dickite-pyrophyllite and kaolinite alteration. High-temperature alunite (K-alunite) and high-temperature kaolinite (WX-kaolinite) tend to be focused, and are generally coincident with the best geochemical anomalies at surface. Additionally, a peripheral drill hole to the west of the main target at MBS includes sericitic alteration at depth. Bismuth anomalies are coincident with molybdenum at MBN, whereas selenium is more anomalous at MBS, suggesting a deeper level of erosion. Zinc geochemical anomalies are peripheral at both MBN and MBS, suggesting a typical geochemical zonation pattern for porphyry copper systems. Both target areas at MBN and MBS are coincident with magnetite-destructive anomalies on a combination of heli-borne and ground magnetic surveys, and the limited IP information available also shows chargeability anomalies associated with both target areas. The quartz-veinlet stockwork at MBS is poorly exposed, but is visible in one old trench, and in several areas with colluvial cover and minor outcrops, extending over approximately 1.5 km x 1 km. The stockwork is coincident with the best geochemical and geophysical anomalies. Veinlets, including centre-line "B"-veinlets with molybdenum have been observed in historic diamond drill holes drilled outside the main target area to the west and northwest. Morros Blancos Sur represents an un-drilled porphyry copper target in a highly prospective belt with very easy project access. Target depth is unknown at this time, but the presence of a quartz-veinlet stockwork, including "A"-type veinlets and Mo in surface fines samples, suggests a reasonable level of erosion and likely telescoping of the system. Morros Blancos Norte has similar characteristics, but without a quartz-veinlet stockwork being recognised at surface, suggesting a slightly lesser amount of erosion and/or the absence of telescoping. However, in the context of porphyry copper clustering, and other similarities between the targets, both represent valid targets for drill testing. MBN and MBS appear to be related to a common fault zone - the Morros Blancos Fault - that trends north-northeast - south-southwest through the centre of the MBN target area, and along the eastern margins of the MBS target area. ABOUT MORROS BLANCOS Morros Blancos is located in northern Chile and centred around 75 km east-southeast of the coastal port town of Taltal, in a similar geological setting to, and approximately 55 km southwest of, the Guanaco Mine gold mine owned by Austral Gold. The property also lies along trend and some 300 km south of the Spence (BHP Billiton) and Sierra Gorda (KGHM) porphyry copper deposits, and some 135 km south of the El Penon (Yamana Gold) gold-silver mine and immediately east of the Amancaya gold-silver project (Austral Gold). The project area is easily accessed via the Pan-American Highway between Taltal and Antofagasta, and a good quality dirt road heading off from the Agua Verde station. Total travel time from Taltal is approximately 1 hour. The project area comprises a total of approximately 13,500 hectares of wholly-owned tenement, split into two blocks with the northern block containing the Morros Blancos Norte and Morros Blancos Sur targets, and the southern block containing the Altamira target. Of the total Project area, around 9,500 hectares were acquired in a stock transaction, and are subject to an underlying royalty (see Morros Blancos Project fact sheet on Revelo's website for more details http://www.reveloresources.com/content/468/MorrosBlancos_2016-07_Final.pdf). Morros Blancos lies within the heart of the highly productive Paleocene volcanic belt of northern Chile that hosts some of the most important precious metals and copper deposits in the country. District geology comprises principally andesitic ignimbrites, tuffs and lavas cut by dacitic domes of lower Paleocene age, related to the Paleocene-aged magmatic arc that developed to the east of the Coastal Belt Jurassic magmatic arc. 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. Revelo has contracted Ian Gendall, CEO and President of Genco Management Inc., to carry out some of the detailed geological, structural, and hydrothermal alteration mapping at Morros Blancos, in conjunction with Revelo technical staff, and also to integrate historic information in order to define new targets for further work. Mr. Gendall has abundant experience in the exploration and evaluation of porphyry copper systems in South America and elsewhere. Mr. Gendall is a Qualified Person as set out In National Instrument 43-101, and he is independent of Revelo in accordance with the application of section 1.5 of National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Demetrius Pohl, PhD., Certified Professional Geoscientist (CPG), an independent consultant, is the Company's Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosures for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators, and has approved the written disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release. 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. 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. To view the Regional Location Map of Morros Blancos, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/rev_morblanc.jpg To view the Geological Map - Morros Blancos, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/rev_morblanc_geo.jpg To view the Key Exploration Features - Morros Blancos, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/rev_morblanc_exp.jpg Contacts: INVESTOR CONTACT Chiara Orrigoni Investor Relations Manager +1 604 687-5544 info@reveloresources.com www.reveloresources.com OAKLAND, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Expertise addresses fast-changing energy patterns in United States and Canada and adds building engineering expertise for planning and evaluation of energy efficiency programs New experts strengthen DNV GL's advanced data analytics and strategic consulting capabilities to support customers in energy efficiency planning and evaluation DNV GL, the world's largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has made three key additions to its Sustainable Use business: Craig Williamson, Bob Ramirez, and Marc Collins. Energy use patterns in North America are rapidly changing in response to customer-sited automation technologies, distributed energy resources, and evolving regulatory climates. DNV GL has taken a major step in expanding its longstanding industry leadership in managing these changes by adding expertise in energy efficiency program evaluation, energy data analytics, and energy efficiency planning. DNV GL helps utility customers harvest value from interval metering data via a range of predictive analytics tools, end-use load decomposition and demand response program support. Craig Williamson strengthens the company's data analytics capabilities with decades of hands-on work within utilities and as an advisor and instructor, with particular expertise in statistical methods. As energy efficiency programs look for new ways to meet challenging goals with custom, behavioral, and systems approaches, Bob Ramirez brings deep and diverse expertise in building science to the company's energy efficiency evaluation staff. With the expansion of energy efficiency programs in Canada, Marc Collins provides a broad range of high-level expertise in efficiency program policy, strategic planning, and evaluation in that country. "With these three established energy experts joining our team, we are able to continue to improve the depth of services we offer our clients," said Miriam Goldberg, DNV GL's director and country manager for the Policy Advisory and Research group. "Each of them brings an element of expertise that complements and expands our capabilities in areas that are becoming more and more important to the energy industry." Marc Collins, CEM, CMVP is a senior principal consultant and is located in Toronto, Canada. While involved with projects across North America, Mr. Collins will have particular focus on Canadian organizations. For the past ten years, Mr. Collins has held senior positions in energy efficiency program evaluation from both the consulting and program administrator perspectives. Bob Ramirez, P.E. is a principal engineer with more than thirty years of energy consulting experience. His key areas of expertise include commercial and residential impact evaluations, support for and creation of TRMs and other deemed savings methods, large-scale on-site verification and baseline studies, energy efficiency potential studies, measure cost and cost-effectiveness analysis, as well as broad and extensive experience with energy efficiency technologies and end-use load shapes and large-scale building simulation/modeling. Craig Williamson, senior principal consultant, has thirty years' experience with electric and natural gas utilities. He is recognized as an industry expert in load research, statistical analysis, and sample design. He also brings in-depth knowledge on utility load research data analytics, forecasting, rate design, cost allocation, demand response, and program impact evaluation. DNV GL Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organisations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL provides classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. It also provides certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. DNV GL, whose origins go back to 1864, operates globally in more than 100 countries with its 16,000 professionals dedicated to helping their customers make the world safer, smarter and greener. In the Energy Industry In DNV GL we unite the strengths of DNV, KEMA, Garrad Hassan, and GL Renewables Certification. DNV GL's 2,500 energy experts support customers around the globe in delivering a safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy supply. We deliver world-renowned testing, certification and advisory services to the energy value chain including renewables and energy efficiency. Our expertise spans onshore and offshore wind power, solar, conventional generation, transmission and distribution, smart grids, and sustainable energy use, as well as energy markets and regulations. Our testing, certification and advisory services are delivered independent from each other. Learn more at www.dnvgl.com/energy. Contacts: Bethany Genier Marketing Communications Advisor, Americas DNV GL - Energy E-mail bethany.genier@dnvgl.com Direct +1 781 418 5734 Nancy Broe Public Relations Director McDonnell Group, Inc. Direct: +1-404-583-0003, Extension 105 nancy@themcdonnellgroup.com www.themcdonnellgroup.com SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Certive Solutions Inc. (OTCQB: CTVEF)(CSE: CBP) - ("Certive" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that effective July 26, 2016, the Company's Omega division executed an agreement with a major U.S. hospital to review outpatient pharmacy accounts for undercharges related to waste and inaccurate allocation of pharmacy units to patient accounts. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the Company will identify accounts to be reviewed, bill the denied claims with appropriate documentation and perform appropriate follow-up for payment. The agreement is an expansion of a current customer relationship and a new segment of charge accuracy and chart review for the Omega division, representing opportunities across multiple Certive customers in all divisions. Van Potter, CEO commented that "the opportunities for recovery of lost charges on pharmacy accounts is not only a new segment of business for Omega but one that leverages over 20 years of identifying missing charges in outpatient surgeries nationwide. Certive will deploy its resources to expand the scope of this "blue ocean" opportunity." Brian Cameron, CFO noted that "the technology developed by Omega and used internally to conduct these reviews will continue to significantly enhance the scale and accretive nature of the cash flow generated by the Omega division." For more information, please visit our website at www.certive.com, or contact Certive directly at 480-922-5327. About Certive Solutions Inc. Certive Solutions Inc. (Scottsdale, Arizona) provides revenue cycle management solutions to the U.S. healthcare market. Certive's claim audit and recovery services, billing services, and software solutions help providers work with payers to efficiently manage the reimbursement process and improve financial performance. Certive's highly skilled and experienced management team, combined with proprietary workflow and analytics, audit and identify, and bill and collect, underpayments in accordance with contractual obligations between the public or commercial insurance carrier and the designated provider. The healthcare market is changing. Certive works with clients to provide efficient and effective solutions aligned with reform initiatives to improve healthcare and reduce costs. FORWARD-LOOKING AND OTHER STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect our expectations and assumptions regarding our growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking statements reflect our current beliefs and are based on information currently available to us. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results, including those in respect of the foregoing items, to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: - the effect of continuing operating losses on our ability to obtain, on satisfactory terms, or at all, the capital required to remain a going concern; - the ability to obtain sufficient and suitable financing to support operations, development and commercialization of our services; - the risks associated with the development of our technology; - the risks associated with the increase in operating costs from additional development costs and increased staff; - the timing and nature of feedback from customers; and - our ability to successfully compete in our targeted markets. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on what we consider to be reasonable assumptions based on information currently available to us, there can be no assurance that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and our assumptions may prove to be incorrect. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made as of the date of the original document and have not been updated by us except as expressly provided for in this press release. As required by securities legislation applicable to reporting issuers, it is our policy to update, from time to time, forward-looking information in our periodic management discussions and analyses and provide updates on our activities to the public through the filing and dissemination of news releases and material change reports. Contacts: Certive Brian Cameron Chief Financial Officer bcameron@certive.com 480-922-5327 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Fairmont Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: FMR) ("Fairmont") announces that it has consolidated a historic resource of 12.3 million short tons (11.2 million tonnes) of 99.20% SiO2, 0.41% Al2O3, and 0.36% Fe2O3 (from GM Report 39387, 1982, page 6) by staking. The two additional claims staked which contain the historic resource and are contiguous to the original Baie-Comeau Quartzite claims that Fairmont Resources announced in a press release on January 23, 2015 (http://goo.gl/y1eR9z) Map 1 Location of Baie-Comeau Quartzite Property http://fairmontresources.ca/pdf/20160802%20Map%201.pdf Table 1 - Historic Resource of Baie-Comeau Quartzite Property Reserves Content % --------------------------------------------- Millions of short tons SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 Pit 1 (level 810) 3.5 99.3 0.39 0.036 Pit 2 (level 840) 3.3 99.3 0.40 0.034 Pit 2 (level 810) 6.1 99.3 0.40 0.034 Geological Reserve 12.3 99.2 0.41 0.036 Conversion to metric tonnes 11.2 99.2 0.41 0.036 The Historic Resource was completed by Amtec Inc., of Ste-Foy, P.Q. on July 15, 1982 for their client Steep Rock Iron Mines Ltd. The historical "estimated or drilled indicated tonnage" cited above is mentioned for historical purposes only and uses terminology not compliant with current NI 43-101 reporting standards. The reliability of these historical estimates is unknown but considered relevant by Fairmont as it represents significant targets for future exploration. The qualified person has done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource but Fairmont is not treating this historical estimate as a current mineral resource. Historical "estimated or drill indicated" is not equivalent to mineral reserves or resources as it is not supported by at least a preliminary feasibility study. In order to verify this as a current estimate, Fairmont will need to conduct additional exploration work in the form of diamond drilling to verify the historic data. Map 2 Location of Historic Resource on Baie-Comeau Quartzite Property http://fairmontresources.ca/pdf/20160802%20Map%202.pdf Test work by Union Carbide Canada demonstrated that the quartzite from Baie-Comeau was acceptable for ferro-silicon production. In report GM 31179, a letter and results from Union Carbide Canada Limited are reported. Quoting from the letter "although the Al2O3 values tend to be on the high side, the quartz is of acceptable quality for ferro-silicon production" In the recently filed Silicon Ridge Mineral Resource Estimate NI 43-101 Technical Report, dated July 20, 2016 by Rogue Resources, the optimized pit economic parameters included Ferro Silicon Grade quartz sales pricing at CDN$100 per tonne. Table 2 Test Results from Union Carbide on Baie-Comeau Quartzite Property ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Content % % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hole and Intersection Loss on SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 Cao Ignition ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H1 75-80 99.05 0.12 0.25 0.01 0.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 47-53.5 98.67 0.55 0.2 0.01 0.32 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 94-100 98.8 0.55 0.16 0.01 0.23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 134-187 98.88 0.47 0.16 0.01 0.23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 189-190 98.87 0.56 0.14 0.01 0.17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 419-420 99.1 0.4 0.11 0.04 0.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 947.5-950 99.07 0.37 0.13 0.06 0.12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H2 965-970 98.76 0.6 0.19 0.07 0.13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H4 125-150 99.05 0.4 0.12 0.06 0.12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H4 355-360 98.84 0.59 0.14 0.03 0.15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- In GM30063, Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited ('WGM') issued a report to Universal Minerals Corporation on the Baie-Comeau Silica Deposit, dated June 3, 1970. This is an earlier report based on less drilling and testing than the Amtec report of 1982. This earlier report calculated an ore reserved based upon a theoretical open pit with reserves of 3,500,000 tons grading approximately 98.5% Sio2, with waste rock of 100,000 tons and an estimated average overburden thickness of 1.5 feet. This report also stated that "Potential reserves on the property are many times this figure and could amount into the hundreds of millions of tons" and that "it is recommended that a decision be made to bring the property into production, providing other factors beyond the scope of this report are favourable". The Company advises a qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves as such the Company is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. The resource calculation was part of a Feasibility Report on the Baie-Comeau Silica Deposit of Universal Minerals Corporation, by Surveyer, Nenniger and Chenevery Inc., within the section Report To Universal Minerals Corporation on The Baie-Comeau Silica Deposit, Completed by Watt, Griffis and McOuat Limited date June 3rd, 1970. The historic estimate was based on five diamond drill holes total 3,309 feet and two trenches. The resource was not prepared under current CIM definitions of mineral resources. Within GM30063 results and conclusions of test work using a 3 stage magnetic separator to increase the SiO2 purity. In the first stage of magnetic separation - free iron and iron bearing particles were liberated. In the second stage biotite and muscovite were separated. And in the third stage muscovite and stained silica particle with inclusions were separated. There was nearly a 7% loss of ore through this process, but the iron within the silica was reduced to 0.02% Fe2O3 with the recommended feed rate. In GM30063 crushing and grinding testing was completed with Nordberg Manufacturing. Positive crushing and results at a rate of 50 tons per hour were achieved. Testing by Lakefield Laboratories, also in GM30063, being able to increase silica grade to 99.16% SiO2 from 98.36% SiO2 head grade in test one, and 99.20% SiO2 from a head grade of 98.78% SiO2. The work completed by Surveyer, Nenniger & Chenevert Consulting Engineers of Montreal, Quebec in GM 30063 added that "One of the prime advantages of the deposit is its nearby location to the Baie-Comeau all year round deep sea harbor, giving easy access to the Canadian and United States East Coast markets. The central portion of the deposit is located only 10 miles from the harbor." In GM20143 titled Baie-Comeau Quartzite Deposits Geological Report, received by Natural Resources Quebec on June 20, 1967, the author Laurier Juteau, Eng, states that "the quartzite is too massive and homogenous to reflect structure. Some irregular jointing is present, but no pattern was determined." Juteau also states in the report "it is impractical to calculate the available tonnage which could exceed any anticipated requirements of local markets which may develop. The exposures are extensive and have heights ranging to 500 feet, which would assist any quarrying operations." In GM10368, in the Geological Report of Quartzite Deposit Baie-Comeau PQ by C.P. Robertson dated August 31, 1960 early test work demonstrated high grade SiO2 results. In an one set of results, a total of 112 surface samples of approximately 50 lbs each were blasted at five-foot intervals and the average assay of these was 99.0% SiO2, 0.77% Al2O3 and 0.22% Fe2O3. An additional 21 samples of approximately 10 lbs each were collected and analyzed as two composite samples which returned an average grade of 99.0% SiO2, and 0.58% Al2O3. From diamond drill holes, eleven 10-foot samples were selected of typical quartzite with an average grade of 98.64% SiO2, 0.58% Al2O3 and 0.16% Fe2O3. From this work it was concluded that the average grade of quartzite that could be produced was in above 98.5% SiO2. Table 3 General Specifications for Different Uses Of Silica (Source - Sidex (www.sidex.ca) Exploring for silica in Quebec) http://fairmontresources.ca/pdf/20160802%20Table%203.pdf The historical "estimated or drilled indicated tonnage" and metallurgical, market studies, and other test work cited above is mentioned for historical purposes only and uses terminology not compliant with current NI 43-101 reporting standards. The reliability of these historical estimates is unknown but considered relevant by Fairmont as it represents significant targets for future exploration. The qualified person has done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource but Fairmont is not treating this historical estimate as a current mineral resource. Historical "estimated or drill indicated" is not equivalent to mineral reserves or resources as it is not supported by at least a preliminary feasibility study. In order to verify this as a current estimate, Fairmont will need to conduct additional exploration work in the form of diamond drilling to verify the historic data. All of the GM reports referenced to in this release are available: http://sigeom.mines.gouv.qc.ca/ Granitos de Badajoz (GRABASA) Fairmont Resources is still in discussions with funding groups in the UK, Canada and USA with respect to the acquisition of Grabasa. Fairmont will provide an update on funding when agreements are in place. Roger Ouellet, P. Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. About Ferrosilicon Ferrosilicon (FeSi) is used to remove oxygen from the steel and as alloying element to improve the final quality of the steel. Silicon increases namely strength and wear resistance, elasticity (spring steels), scale resistance (heat resistant steels), and lowers electrical conductivity and magnetostriction (electrical steels). Special FeSi like low Al, High Purity and low C ferrosilicon are used in the production of special steel qualities for transformers/motors, ball bearings and shock absorbers, tire cord steel and in stainless steel. About Fairmont Fairmont Resources Inc. is a rapidly growing industrial mineral and dimensional stone company trading on the Toronto Venture Exchange symbol FMR. Fairmont's Quebec properties cover numerous occurrences of high-grade titaniferous magnetite with vanadium, with the Buttercup property having a permit to quarry dense aggregate. Where these occurrences have been tested they have displayed exceptional uniformity with respect to grade. Fairmont also controls three quartz/quartzite properties, with the Forestville property having independent end user testing confirming the suitability of quartzite from Forestville for Ferro Silicon production. Fairmont is also in the process of acquiring the assets of Granitos de Badajoz (GRABASA) in Spain which includes 23 quarries and a 40,000 square metre granite finishing facility that has produced finished granite installed across Europe. Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains 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 not guarantees of future performance. Fairmont 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 Fairmont's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Fairmont's exploration program of its mineral properties and Fairmont's limited operating history. 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, Fairmont undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Fairmont 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. Contacts: Fairmont Resources Inc. Michael A. Dehn President and CEO 647-477-2382 michael@fairmontresources.ca www.fairmontresources.ca QIS Capital Doren Quinton President 250-377-1182 info@smallcaps.ca www.smallcaps.ca VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Advantage Lithium Corp. (the "Company" or "Advantage Lithium") (TSX VENTURE: AAL), is pleased to announce it has received conditional approval, from the TSX.V Venture Exchange ("TSX.V"), to close the financing announced June 20th. The Company has received subscription agreements for 16 million shares to raise $4.0 million. Final approval is expected in conjunction with TSX approval of the farm-in agreement with Nevada Sunrise. The working capital from this financing will allow the Company to fund anticipated corporate overheads, initial acquisition costs, tenure payments and all initial work programs for the lithium brine projects in Nevada, including: -- Clayton NE, adjacent to Albemarle's Silver Peak mine in the Clayton Valley Basin - N. America's only brine-hosted lithium production. -- Jackson Wash, located in the Lida Valley of Nevada - potential to host reservoir of continental brine-based lithium -- Gemini, located in the Lida Valley Basin - a flat, desert basin with a similar geological setting to the lithium-rich Clayton Valley basin. David Sidoo, Proposed President and Director, of Advantage Lithium, commented, "We are pleased to have attracted the investors to close out the full financing and raise $ 4 million, this confirms the investors' confidence in our team and strategy. The funds will finance exploration programs on our highly-prospective lithium brine projects in Nevada and we will continue to review additional opportunities. With Tesla's $5 billion Gigafactory now open for business, the timing for Advantage Lithium, and the sector in general, couldn't be better". The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Ross McElroy, P.Geol., Technical Advisor to Advantage Lithium Corp., and the Designated Qualified person for the company. About Advantage Lithium Corp. Advantage Lithium Corp. is a resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of lithium properties and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Common Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AAL.H". ADVANTAGE LITHIUM CORP. Nick DeMare, Corporate Secretary Cautionary Statement: Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange Requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "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", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Advantage Lithium which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company and Advantage Lithium disclaim 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 expressly required by applicable securities legislation. 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. Contacts: Advantage Lithium Corp. Nick DeMare Corporate Secretary 604.685.9316 604.683.1585 (FAX) ndemare@chasemgt.com www.AdvantageLithium.com Orlando, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2016) - Currency Exchange International, Corp. (TSX: CXI) (OTCBB: CURN), is pleased to announce it has signed a Master Services Agreement and a corresponding Statement of Work with a national financial institution in North America. The foreign currency services are expected to commence at select locations in August 2016 and are expected to be in place at all transacting locations by the end of 2016. The financial institution will utilize CXI's inventory on consignment model at select locations and a decentralized foreign banknote model across its customer network. All branches will directly interact with CXI through the company's proprietary software - CEIFX. The select locations holding foreign currency inventory generally have Euros, U.K. Pounds, Japanese Yen, Mexican Pesos and some Caribbean currencies in stock daily. Holding the foreign currency at the branch makes it available for immediate purchase by account holders and non-account holders, affording customers the convenience of same-day currency exchange at the location. All other foreign currencies sold to customers, of the more than 80 offered, can be exchanged at these locations with a one to two business day turnaround time. The first set of locations serviced by CXI in August 2016 will be through the consignment model, immediately expanding the currency service offering. The entire branch network, using the decentralized model, is expected to begin transacting with CXI in October 2016. Randolph Pinna, President and CEO of CXI said, "The entire CXI team is very proud to have CXI's services and reputation recognized by the institution as it was determined our software, service and level of dedicated customer care will expand the value of their foreign banknote service down to their clients. We look forward to working with this excellent financial institution." About Currency Exchange International, Corp. The Company is in the business of providing a range of foreign currency exchange and related products and services in North America, including the Hawaiian Islands. Primary products and services include the exchange of foreign currencies, wire transfer payments, purchase and sale of foreign bank drafts and international travelers' cheques, and foreign cheque clearing. Related services include the licensing of proprietary FX software applications delivered on its web-based interface, www.ceifx.com ("CEIFX"), and licensing retail foreign currency operations to select companies in agreed locations. The Company's services are provided in Canada by its wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Currency Exchange International of Canada Corp., based in Toronto, Canada through the use of its proprietary software www.ceifx.ca. Contact Information For further information please contact: Bill Mitoulas Investor Relations (416) 479-9547 Email: bill.mitoulas@ceifx.com Website: www.ceifx.com CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release includes forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This forward-looking information includes, or may be based upon, estimates, forecasts and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, demand and market outlook for wholesale and retail foreign currency exchange products and services, future growth, the timing and scale of future business plans, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities. Forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "predict", "preliminary", "project", "will", "would", and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date such information is provided, and on information available to management at such time. Forward-looking information involves significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in such forward-looking information. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking information due to a number of factors including, without limitation, the competitive nature of the foreign exchange industry, currency exchange risks, the need for the Company to manage its planned growth, the effects of product development and the need for continued technological change, protection of the Company's proprietary rights, the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry in which it operates, network security risks, the ability of the Company to maintain properly working systems, theft and risk of physical harm to personnel, reliance on key management personnel, global economic deterioration negatively impacting tourism, and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing in a manner unrelated to operating performance and impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital, as well as the factors identified throughout this press release and in the section entitled "Risks Factors" of the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for Year Ended October 31, 2015. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents management's expectations as of the date hereof (or as of the date such information is otherwise stated to be presented), and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. The Toronto Stock Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this press release. 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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 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. TORONTO, ON and TAMPA, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Cott Corporation (NYSE: COT) (TSX: BCB) announced today that it has closed its previously announced acquisition of Eden Springs ("Eden"), a leading European direct-to-consumer services provider specializing in home and office delivery ("HOD") water, office coffee services ("OCS") and filtration. Eden was held by investment funds affiliated with Rhone Capital and was purchased for EUR 470 million, on a debt and cash free basis. The Eden acquisition is consistent with Cott's stated diversification strategy to expand in HOD water, coffee and tea services as well as filtration services where its platform, operating strength and potential synergies can be leveraged. Eden is a scale business that generated over EUR 360 million in pro forma revenues during 2015. The acquisition broadens the distribution platform of Cott's existing UK/European business by providing access to a direct-to-consumer route distribution platform in Europe serving over 800,000 homes and offices. In line with Cott's strategy, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to adjusted free cash flows in its first full year and provide a cash on cash IRR above its cost of equity. "The Eden acquisition further accelerates Cott's diversification and is another great step in our stated strategy to pursue opportunities in the higher margin home and office water delivery, coffee, tea and filtration categories where we believe we can leverage our platform and operating strength to drive synergies and build shareholder value," commented Jerry Fowden, Cott's Chief Executive Officer. Tom Harrington, DS Services CEO, will continue in that capacity at DS Services, and will also oversee Eden Springs, which will assist in fully leveraging best practices, procurement scale, back office processes and synergies across Cott's HOD businesses. Tom Harrington commented, "We are very excited about expanding our platform into the European market. We firmly believe that our combined businesses will create an even stronger, cash generating, growth and service oriented platform across North America and Europe. In addition, these platforms not only provide opportunity for organic growth but we also expect to capitalize on Eden's and DS Services' combined scale in procurement and expertise in follow on tuck-in acquisitions." Raanan Zilberman, Eden's CEO, commented, "We are excited to join the Cott family. The transaction is an important step as we strengthen our international capacity and enhance our market-leading position. Furthermore, we believe that the transaction will enable the expansion of our portfolio and services, and will provide increased opportunities for our employees and customers alike." The purchase price is approximately EUR 470 million, on a debt and cash free basis, representing a mid 7x Eden's estimated adjusted 2016 run rate EBITDA of over EUR 60 million (mid 6x multiple including estimated run-rate synergies of approximately EUR 10 million). Cott financed the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and the private placement of EUR 450 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.50% senior notes due January 1, 2024. As a part of Cott's second quarter 2016 earnings release, Cott will announce a date for a separate modeling call which will include additional financial information. ABOUT COTT CORPORATION With the acquisitions of DS Services of America, Inc. and Eden Springs, Cott has combined leading providers in the direct-to-consumer beverage services industry with its traditional business, one of the world's largest producers of beverages on behalf of retailers, brand owners and distributors. Cott now has the largest volume-based national presence in the North American and European home and office delivery industry for bottled water and one of the five largest national market share positions in the U.S. and Europe office coffee services and filtration services industries. Cott reaches over 2.3 million customers through routes located across North America, Europe, Israel and Russia supported by national sales and distribution facilities, and fleet. Cott's broad portfolio allows it to offer, on a direct-to-consumer basis, a variety of bottled water, coffee, brewed tea, water dispensers, coffee and tea brewers and filtration equipment. Cott believes it has the broadest distribution network in the direct-to-consumer beverage services industry in North America and Europe, which enables it to efficiently service residences and small and medium size businesses, as well as national corporations, universities and government agencies. Non-GAAP Measures To supplement its reporting of financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP, Cott utilizes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including 2016 estimated Eden Springs adjusted EBITDA, to separate the impact of certain items from the underlying Eden Springs business. Management believes this supplemental information is useful to investors for their independent evaluation and understanding of the transaction with Eden Springs. Additionally, Cott supplements its reporting of net cash provided by (used in) operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP by excluding capital expenditures and acquisition, integration and transaction costs to present adjusted free cash flow (on a stand-alone and pro forma basis), which management believes provides useful information to investors about the amount of cash generated by the business that, after the acquisition of property and equipment, can be used for strategic opportunities, including investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions, paying dividends, and strengthening the balance sheet. With respect to our expectations of performance of Eden as it is being integrated, reconciliations of adjusted free cash flow accretion are not available, as we are unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the relevant GAAP measures without unreasonable effort. We expect that the unavailable reconciling items, which primarily include foreign exchange impact and phasing of capex, could significantly affect our financial results. These items depend on highly variable factors and any such reconciliations would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors. We expect the variability of these factors to have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future GAAP financial results. The non-GAAP financial measures described above are in addition to, and not meant to be considered superior to, or a substitute for, Cott's financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures included in this earnings announcement reflect management's judgment of particular items, and may be different from, and therefore may not be comparable to, similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Safe Harbor Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 conveying management's expectations as to the future based on plans, estimates and projections at the time Cott makes the statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and Cott cautions you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements related to expected synergies and contribution to Cott's performance, and the potential impact the acquisition will have on Cott and related matters. The forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the time necessary to satisfy the conditions to the closing of the transaction and management's current plans and estimates. Management believes these assumptions to be reasonable but there is no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in this press release include, among others: changes in estimates of future earnings and cash flows; expected synergies and cost savings are not achieved or achieved at a slower pace than expected; integration problems, delays or other related costs; retention of customers and suppliers; and unanticipated changes in laws, regulations, or other industry standards affecting the companies. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures, including but not limited to risk factors contained in Cott's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other filings with the securities commissions. Cott does not undertake to update or revise any of these statements in light of new information or future events, except as expressly required by applicable law. Website: www.cott.com CONTACT: Jarrod Langhans Investor Relations Tel: (813) 313-1732 Email Contact Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2016) - Opawica Explorations Inc. (TSXV: OPW) (the "Company" / "Opawica") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX) ("Globex" ) to earn a 100% interest in 24 mineral claims located in Beauchastel Township, Quebec, collectively known as the Bazooka West Property ("BWP"). The initial consideration payable to Globex is $30,000 and the issuance of 500,000 common shares of the Company upon TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the transaction, and an additional $30,000 and 500,000 common shares of the Company by January 31, 2017 or upon the issuance of a permit to drill, whichever occurs first. In addition, Globex shall retain a three percent (3%) Gross Metal Royalty upon all mineral production from the property, of which one percent (1%) may be purchased for one million dollars within the first five years of the option. The transaction is subject to regulatory acceptance. The acquisition extends Opawica's strike length to the west adjacent to the Company's 100% owned Bazooka Property ("BP Property") for a total of approximately seven kilometres on the prolific Cadillac Larder Lake Break ("CLLB"). The Company's BP Property is contiguous to the western boundary of Yorbeau Resources Inc.'s ("Yorbeau") Rouyn property situated nine kilometres southwest of Rouyn Noranda, Quebec. The gold mineralization on the Company's BP Property, where past drilling has intersected world class gold intercepts, appears to be the extension of the mineralized zones and gold resources known to exist on the western end on the Yorbeau Rouyn property. The Company is now preparing a prospective drill program that is designed to test the fold nose feature, or cross fault, of the CLLB situated on the eastern portion of the Company's BP Property. Some of the drilling is planned to be conducted perpendicular to the apparent north-south orientation of much of the quartz veining within this part of the CLLB that strikes east-west through the entire approximate seven kilometre width of Opawica's BWP and BP Property holdings. The initial Phase I program will be announced at a later date following the securement of a drill permit. Significant gold mineralization has been established on the Bazooka property from near surface to approximately 250 metres vertical depth from past drilling by previous owners such as Siscoe (1944) interval of 5.79 metres of 77.18 g/t Au (true width unknown), with more recent drill intercepts ranging from narrow and intermittent anomalous gold values up to Soquem (1981) interval of 7.50 metres of 25.77 g/t Au; Lake Shore Gold Corp. (2003) intercept of 1.25 metres of 94.11 g/t Au; and RT Minerals Corp. values of up to 17 metres of core length at 7.86 g/t Au, including 7.20 metres interval of 16.77 g/t Au (RT Minerals Corp. June 21, 2011 press release). These recent intervals are estimated at approximately 85 to 93% true widths. This gold mineralization is known to exist within 50 metres on strike to the gold mineralization on the Yorbeau property and for a current strike length on Opawica's BP property for approximately one kilometre. The remaining six kilometres of the total CLLB on Opawica's BWP and BP Properties has had little to no drilling completed. Opawica's BP Property hosts gold mineralization from past drilling which is approximately 500 metres west of the Yorbeau shaft and 250 metres west of the Yorbeau ramp. In addition, gold mineralization is immediately adjacent to an existing capped and accessible shaft on Opawica's Bazooka property. The Opawica and Yorbeau properties have a common north-south boundary extending for about two kilometres. The Company also announces that it has initiated the preparation of a ground reconnaissance program on its 100% owned McWatters property. The McWatters property is a 404 hectare property that is contiguous to the eastern boundary of the above noted Yorbeau property. As part of this work, the Company will locate the drill collar of a historic drill hole that reportedly returned a near surface intercept of 7.0 g/t Au over an interval of 3.7 metres (Lake Shore Gold Corp. 2003 - Sludge sample Imperial to Metric drilled 1979 - MNR Quebec Govt files) and review trenches in the vicinity where grab samples returned up to 1.6 g/t Au (RT Minerals Corp. 2011). The purpose of this work is to outline a drill program in this area. On June 22, 2016, Yorbeau announced that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Kinross Gold Corporation ("Kinross"), whereby Kinross has the option to acquire a 100% interest in Yorbeau's Rouyn property in Quebec, Canada, for consideration that includes exploration expenditures of C$12 million; cash payments of USD $25,000,000 plus 2% of the prevailing gold price multiplied by the number of ounces of gold in measured, indicated and inferred resources identified in a resource estimate, to be completed; as well as an equity participation in Yorbeau upon signing a definitive option agreement (see Yorbeau press release dated June 22, 2016). QUALITY CONTROL Mr. Yvan Bussieres, P.Eng., is the Independent Qualified Person who has prepared or supervised the preparation of the information that forms the basis for the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Kiernicki President and Chief Executive Officer Opawica Explorations Inc. Telephone: 604-681-3170 Fax: 604-681-3552 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-looking Statements Certain statements in this press release relating to the Company's exploration activities, project expenditures and business plans are approximate and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of securities legislation. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements represent management's best judgment based on current facts and assumptions that management considers reasonable, including that operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by issues such as adverse market conditions, mechanical failure, unavailability of parts, labor disturbances, interruption in transportation or utilities, or adverse weather conditions, that there are no material unanticipated variations in budgeted costs, that contractors will complete projects according to schedule, and that actual mineralization on properties may not achieve any category of resource(s). The Company makes no representation that reasonable business people in possession of the same information would reach the same conclusions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, fluctuations in the price of gold, equity markets or in currency markets could prevent the Company from achieving its targets. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There is no guarantee that drill results reported in this news release or future releases will lead to the identification of a deposit that can be mined economically, and further work is required to identify resources and reserves. We seek safe harbour. Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2016) - Sunset Cove Mining (TSXV: SSM) (the Company) has filed its financials for the year ending March 31, 2016 today. This is another positive step in the Company's efforts to meet the requirement of the regulatory bodies to have the shares return to being traded on the TSX Venture Exchange. The company would also like to thank the Board of Directors for their work on this matter. Also the Company would like to thank the audit team at Wasserman Ramsay for their diligent work on the file under a tight time line. The Company will also take the opportunity to announce that the board of directors has accepted to focus its work on the recently acquired Manganese Property and adopted a resolution to authorize a name change to Manganese X Energy Corp. so as to better reflect the new exploration focus it will be undertaking in 2016. This proposed change has been submitted to the TSX Venture Exchange for approval. On another note, Mr. Jason Mychasiw, a long-time director tendered his resignation from the Board of Directors effective at the end of the meeting. With new professional responsibilities and this inflection point in the Company's life, the Board thanked Jason for his contribution and wishes him well in his future endeavours. With the closing of the recent financing under certain escrow conditions required by the TSX Venture Exchange and the filing of its current year-end financial statements the company has also made an application for reinstatement to trading. Sunset Cove's mission is to acquire and advance high potential mining prospects located in North America with the intent of supplying value added materials to the lithium ion battery and other alternative energy industries. For more information visit the website at www.sunsetcovemining.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Lorne Woods, President; 1-877-234-0692 Martin Kepman, Director - martin@kepman.com 1-514-802-1814 Forward-Looking Statement: Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Sunset Cove Mining. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. 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. SAN MATEO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Sunstone Partners, a $300 million growth equity firm investing in technology-enabled services companies, today announced significant expansion of its investment team, hiring two new Vice Presidents, promoting a third Vice President, and hiring three new Associates. Andy Cao, Vice President. Andy Cao was promoted from a Senior Associate on the investment team to Vice President in recognition of his contributions to the Sunstone Partners team in sourcing and leading transactions and managing investments. Andy has been working with the Sunstone Partners team since 2012. Previously, Andy worked as a Global Banking Analyst at Citigroup. Andy is a graduate of the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering. Ankur Rathi, Vice President. Ankur Rathi joins Sunstone Partners as an investment team Vice President after earning his MBA from the Wharton School. Previously, Ankur was an Associate at Riverside Partners, a technology and healthcare focused private equity firm in Boston. Before Riverside, Ankur was an Associate at Allstate Investments, focused on global investing as a limited partner in private equity firms. Ankur began his career as an analyst at BMO Capital Markets in the Mergers & Acquisitions group. He also holds a B.S. in Accountancy and a B.S. in Finance with High Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Gabriel Shaukat, Vice President. Gabe Shaukat joins Sunstone Partners as an investment team Vice President after earning his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Previously, Gabe was an Associate at Primus Capital, a healthcare and technology focused private equity firm in Cleveland. Before Primus, Gabe worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in the Consumer and Retail group. Raised in Columbus, Georgia, Gabe earned a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia, graduating summa cum laude with honors. Emanuel Pleitez, Associate. Emanuel Pleitez joins Sunstone Partners as an investment team Associate after serving as a consultant to the Sunstone team during the raising of Sunstone Partners' first fund. Prior to joining Sunstone Partners, Emanuel served as a Commissioner for the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions and Head of Strategy and Business Development for Qlovi, an education technology startup. Before Qlovi, Emanuel was Chief Strategy Officer for Spokeo. Previously, Emanuel was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Prior to McKinsey & Company, he served as Special Assistant to Chairman Paul Volcker in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Designated Federal Officer of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB). Emanuel began his career as a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Equities Product Group of the Securities Division. Emanuel is currently a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve and the chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Raised in Los Angeles, Emanuel holds a B.A. from Stanford University. YueFeng (Mike) Du, Associate. Mike Du joins Sunstone Partners as an investment team Associate after working as an Investment Banking Analyst at Deutsche Bank in the Technology, Media, Telecom Group. During his time at Deutsche Bank, Mike focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising for companies across the TMT sector. Mike graduated from Duke University with degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Finance. Mike was originally born in Dalian, China and was raised in Vancouver, Canada. Sidhant Misra, Associate. Sid Misra joins Sunstone Partners as an investment team Associate after working as an Analyst in The Walt Disney Company's Corporate Strategy and Business Development group. He also completed a summer internship program with the U.S. Treasury Department. Sid graduated with an AB in economics from Harvard College, cum laude. The Sunstone Partners leadership team includes Co-Founder / Managing Directors Gustavo Alberelli, Michael Biggee, John Moragne and Arneek Multani, and Managing Director-Operations, John Reardon. About Sunstone Partners Sunstone Partners is a new growth equity firm focused on technology-enabled services companies. The firm is a spin-out of the growth equity team of Trident Capital, a multi-stage investment firm with seven funds and $1.9 billion of capital under management since 1993. Sunstone Partners makes growth equity and growth buyout investments in companies that have annual revenue of at least $10 million, are growing at greater than 20% per year and are profitable. We invest in both sizable minority positions and control transactions. www.sunstonepartners.com For further information, please contact: Howard S. Zeprun Chief Operating Officer Sunstone Partners 400 S. El Camino Real, Suite 300 San Mateo, CA 94402 Email Contact LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- The growing prevalence of negligently performed, low-cost plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic treatments is cause for concern, according to Los Angeles plastic surgeon Christine Petti, MD. In her almost 30 years of private practice, she has seen first-hand the devastating effects botched cosmetic enhancements can have on the health and appearance of patients. Often, she is sought to correct deformities and disappointing results created by other practitioners, many of which could have potentially been avoided. Too frequently, Dr. Petti says she sees dissatisfied patients who have taken advantage of an economically priced procedure that jeopardized the quality of their care. "Patients may go to unqualified physicians, nurses, or non-licensed individuals, and even out of the country where medical care is not as expensive, but also may not be of high quality," she explains. Dr. Petti has seen all kinds of surgical disasters result from low-cost cosmetic procedures performed in the United States and medical tourism destinations, such as Mexico, Hong Kong, Dominican Republic, South America, and the Middle East, to name a few. She finds that many of these cases involved "an unqualified provider in a compromised, non-medical situation that is unsterile and violates the quality standards of surgical care." In some of the cases Dr. Petti has witnessed, practitioners have even utilized black market implants and non-medical-grade injectables, which can cause severe complications and disfigurement. Though the prices may be low, the risks to the patients are high, warns Dr. Petti. She lists infection, poor circulation (which can lead to skin death), unnatural results, scarring, negligent surgical errors, and even death as the potential results from choosing a surgeon who lacks the proper skill, qualifications, and ethics to perform cosmetic surgery. At her practice, Dr. Petti performs a significant number of corrective surgeries to repair the disappointing results of botched facelifts, neck lifts, breast augmentations, liposuction and other procedures. In some cases, complex reconstructive techniques and multiple surgeries are required to rehabilitate the form, function, and/or feel of the affected areas. For those who have been the victim of botched plastic surgery, Dr. Petti suggests scheduling a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who has extensive experience in corrective and revision surgeries to fully evaluate any physical and aesthetic concerns. A skilled surgeon may have the ability to develop an effective treatment plan to repair damage and restore a more natural appearance. About Christine Petti, MD, FACS Dr. Christine Petti is a plastic surgeon, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and an active member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society for Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). A graduate of Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame and Georgetown University, Dr. Petti earned her medical degree from The Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Petti completed her plastic surgery residency at The University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a medical expert for The Medical Board of California. She has published numerous scientific manuscripts on laser body contouring, laser liposuction and laser cellulite treatment. Dr. Petti is the Medical Director of Palos Verdes Plastic Surgery Medical Center and Spa Bella, Medical Day Spa, located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, California. She has been featured as an expert on the Discovery Health Channel and a variety of popular television programs, including "The Doctors," "20/20," and "Inside Edition."Dr. Petti is available for interview upon request. For more information about Dr. Petti and her practice, please visit dr-petti.com and facebook.com/drpetti. To view the original source of this press release, click here: https://www.dr-petti.com/news-room/los-angeles-plastic-surgeon-discusses-causes-and-results-of-botched-cosmetic-procedures Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3039937 Christine Petti, MD, FACS Cosmetic and Laser Surgery 3400 W. Lomita Blvd., Ste. 305 Torrance, CA 90505 (310) 539-5888 Rosemont Media (858) 200-0044 www.rosemontmedia.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Donald Trump Campaign has accused that Hillary Clinton accepted money from a company linked to ISIS. A statement issued Monday by Stephen Miller, Senior Policy Advisor to Trump, said the Clinton Foundation listed Lafarge on its Contributor and Grantor Information, which shows the Foundation received between $50,001 and $100,000 from the French cement maker. He cited a report by French daily Le Monde, that says Lafarge entered into deals with armed groups in Syria, including the Islamic State Group, in order to protect its business interests in the country. At the heart of the 'murky deals' as alleged by Le Monde, is a cement company northeast of Aleppo that Lafarge bought in 2007. The Jalabiya cement works went into operation in 2010, a year before the start of Syria's ongoing civil war. A pass stamped with an IS group seal and endorsed by the group's finance chief in the Aleppo region proves the company had struck a deal with IS group to allow for free circulation of its goods, the newspaper reported. In order to keep making cement Lafarge bought licenses from and paid taxes to IS group middle-men and oil traders, the newspaper alleged. The Trump Campaign alleged: 'More than any major presidential nominee in modern history, Hillary Clinton is tied to brutal theocratic and Islamist regimes.' 'All the while, she refuses to tell the truth about radical Islam's war against people of different beliefs, lifestyles and values.' 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. DUBLIN, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Cambodia Garment Manufacturing Industry Overview, 2011-2020" report to their offering. Cambodia, situated in the core area of south-east Asia, is one of the least developing countries in the world. It is experiencing a relatively rapid growth in recent years. From 2010, the economy remained an annual growth rate of over 6% in Cambodia. From 2013, the economic annual growth rate remained above 7%. The Cambodian government claimed to maintain an annual growth rate of above 7% by 2018 in the newly developed 2015-2025 Industry Development Plan. Under the context of free economic system, Cambodia is one of the most open economies in Asia. Products manufactured by Cambodia can be exported with generalized system of preference (GSP) and most favored nations (MFN) treatment in many countries such as the U.S.A., Europe and Japan. Particularly, with regards to textile and garment products imported by Cambodia, the U.S.A. gives looser quotas and cuts raised import tariffs, the European Nations have no barriers and Canada provides preferential measures such as granting the exemption of import duties. Garment manufacturing industry is one of the mainstay industries in Cambodia. By the end of 2015, garment manufacturing enterprises registered in Cambodia reached over 1,400. According to the report, about 1,100 enterprises among them are in normal operation. Garment manufacturing enterprises in Cambodia mainly operate with foreign capital from areas such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. They mainly concentrate in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville with convenient traffic. Most raw materials of garments and foot-wears in Cambodia are mainly imported from Asian countries, especially from China, Japan and South Korea. At present, Cambodia garment factories can manufacture garments with technics of washing, tie-dyeing and embroidering, but still lack dyeing and finishing skills. In 2015, the minimum wage of garment manufacturing industry is USD 140 per month, increased by USD 12 per month, but is still at a relatively low level in the world. Garment manufacturing industry provides over 700 thousand jobs for Cambodia, and creates plentiful indirect job offers as the primary pillar industry of Cambodia. In Cambodia, there are many newly established garment manufacturing enterprises as well as dozens of bankrupting ones each year mainly for weak competitiveness, strike issues and rising costs. In 2015, the product export value of garments in Cambodia reaches USD 6 billion, accounting for approximately 70% in the total export value. The major export markets of Cambodia textile garments and foot-wears include Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada. Cambodia is ready to join TPP in the future. It is estimated that the Cambodia garment manufacturing industry will be confronted with more development plans in the next few years. Key Topics Covered: 1 Relevant Concepts of Garment Manufacturing Industry 2 Analysis on Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2011-2015 3 Competition Status of Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2013-2015 4 Analysis on Top 5 Garment Manufacturers in Cambodia, 2013-2015 5 Analysis on the Cost and Garment Price in Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2013-2015 6 Prediction on the Development of Garment Industry in Cambodia, 2016-2020 Companies Mentioned - Grand Twin International (Cambodia) Plc. - M & V International Manufacturing Ltd. - Shen Zhou (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. - T Y Fashion (Cambodia) Plc. - Tak Fook (Cambodia) Garment Ltd. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/bdgzfw/cambodia_garment 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 WESTON, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Combining exceptional surgical skills with a natural and sophisticated touch is the hallmark of the Weston Center for Plastic Surgery's approach to cosmetic plastic surgery as an art form. The practice serves patients not only in Weston but in the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami metropolitan areas as well as the communities in and around Boca Raton and Parkland. The addition of Nathan Eberle, M.D., D.D.S., to the practice has further enhanced its ability to pay particular attention to each patient as an individual, devoting the time and care necessary to fully understand each patient's needs. Dr. Eberle is a Maxillofacial, General and Plastic Surgery credentialed surgeon who brings 10 years of intensive training and experience with a specific focus on Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Surgery of the Head and Neck. Weston Center for Plastic Surgery is known for its unique level of excellence, and Nathan Eberle, M.D., D.D.S., only enhances its reputation as he is one of only 75 surgeons in the entire United States with these credentials of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Surgery of the Head and Neck. Dr. Eberle's specialties in plastic surgery include facial surgery, such as facelift, neck lift, endoscopic brow lift, blepharoplasty, otoplasty, rhinoplasty, facial implants, genioplasty, fat transfer/fat grafting; body contouring, including Brazilian butt lift, abdominoplasty, mommy makeover, arm lift, body contouring after weight loss; and breast enhancement, including breast augmentation and breast lift and reduction. Dr. Eberle received his B.A. from the University of Iowa, in Iowa City and his D.D.S. from the University of the Pacific, San Francisco, before going on to earn his M.D. from the University of Florida, Gainesville. Dr. Eberle underwent intensive residencies in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Florida, Jacksonville, then a General Surgery residency at the University of Florida, Jacksonville, followed by his Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. The results of Dr. Eberle's extraordinarily broad and deep educational background are multiplied by his hands-on experience and his flawless eye for aesthetics. Dr. Eberle is a staunch believer in the ethos that, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Dr. Eberle's background is perfectly suited to analyzing each patient's unique anatomical structure and designing a customized treatment program that achieves optimal results and delivers the ultimate in patient satisfaction. To learn more about Dr. Eberle and the Weston Center for Plastic Surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Eberle, please visit plasticsurgeryweston.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3040323 Contact: Weston Center for Plastic Surgery 2300 N. Commerce Parkway Suite 308 Weston, FL 33326 954-228-6052 SARNIA, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. (OTC PINK: LLLI) would like to provide an overall update on the company's significant sales activity at this time. Due to heightened political, civil and international tensions at all levels of law enforcement and security today, Lamperd is experiencing strongly increased interest in the company's product line as well as our advisory and training services. Because of these rising tensions and also a rising demand safer alternatives in modern police work, Lamperd's management and sales teams have been conducting more demonstrations and negotiations with potential new customers and distributors of our products in 2016 than ever before in our history. The large order of our flash grenades announced in June from one of our Canadian distributors represents the first completed sale of many we are currently processing. These new orders in development originate from both government agencies and private users. Specific announcements with more details will be made as new orders are signed. Currently, Lamperd has been requested to provide sales quotations on more than 20 million dollars in tenders. Additionally, Lamperd is pleased to announce that our company has been invited to attend the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) Access Controlled Symposium in April 2017 at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. This is a major security industry event highlighting the most important new products and developments for the benefit of high level military and civilian users. The JNLWD Symposium includes international participation from all parts of the world. Lamperd management is honored and proud to have had our company selected to present at this very important security industry event. About the Company Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. is a manufacturer of less lethal weapons and ammunition for defensive purposes only. Lamperd has a range of products to fit all defensive purposes. We also offer our Model X100 streaming video and audio wifi body camera, worn by police and military personnel. This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results. Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements. While these statements are made to convey to the public the company's progress, business opportunities and growth prospects, readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements represent management's opinion. Whereas management believes such representations to be true and accurate based on information and data available to the company at this time, actual results may differ materially from those described. The company's operations and business prospects are always subject to risk and uncertainties. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ are and will be set forth in the company's periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact: Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. Barry Lamperd 519-344-4445 President www.lllico.com HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- For the second year in a row, Houston Police Federal Credit Union has earned a place among the healthiest credit unions in America. The financial institution research website, DepositAccounts.com, ranked Houston Police Federal Credit Union 90th out of more than 6,000 federally insured credit unions in the United States. Houston Police Federal Credit Union was one of only 64 credit unions to make the list two years running. DepositAccounts.com awarded Houston Police Federal Credit Union an A+ rating for each of the following criteria: Texas Ratio - How much capital a bank has available compared to the total value of loans considered at risk. As of March 31, 2016, Houston Police Federal Credit Union had a Texas Ratio of 2.25% which is excellent. Deposit Growth - As of March 31, 2016, Houston Police Federal Credit Union had increased its total deposits by more than $41 million, resulting in 8.27 percent growth for the year, which is considered excellent. Capitalization - Both FDIC and NCUA consider capitalization levels of banks and credit unions to be of high importance. As of March 31, 2016, Houston Police Federal Credit Union had $631.5 million in assets with more than $86 million in equity, resulting in a capitalization level of 13.66%, which is excellent. "The entire Houston Police Federal Credit Union team takes its fiduciary responsibility very seriously, and we are proud that DepositAccounts.com has once again recognized us with an A+ rating," said Ayn Talley, President with Houston Police Federal Credit Union. "We very much appreciate each and every one of our 25,000 members and we know they have many choices when it comes to their financial services." The full list may be found at: https://www.depositaccounts.com/banks/health.aspxhealthiest. Houston Police Federal Credit Union's one-time membership fee is $0.25 and a minimum deposit can be as little as $5. To learn about membership eligibility, visit https://www.hpfcu.org/join.html. Like HPFCU: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonPoliceFCU Connect with HPFCU: https://www.linkedin.com/company/houston-police-federal-credit-union Review HPFCU: http://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-police-federal-credit-union-houston About DepositAccounts.com DepositAccounts.com is the largest and most comprehensive online publication in the U.S. dedicated to banking/savings (deposits) information for consumers. It covers all 12,200 federally insured banks and credit unions and utilizes its patented technology to track more than 225,000 consumer deposit rates, each updated nightly. The site features more than 11,000 editorial articles detailing depository strategies and highlighting current bank rates and offers. It is also home to one of the largest communities of depositors on the Web, hosting more than 100,000 comments, customer reviews, and forum threads. About Houston Police Federal Credit Union Houston Police Federal Credit Union was established in 1937 as a non-profit organization to serve Houston's Finest - the men and women in the City of Houston law enforcement profession, and their families - with a commitment to the needs of members and prudent management of their financial resources. Today, Houston Police Federal Credit Union is a major financial institution with over $642 million in assets and over 25,000 members. We have 3 convenient office locations along with over 110 free ATMs in Houston and the surrounding areas. Learn more at www.hpfcu.org. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3040337 Contact: Mitzy Plumb 713.986.0200 x 211 Email Contact WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The head of an international criminal network behind thousands of online frauds has been arrested in a joint operation by INTERPOL and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). The 40-year-old Nigerian national was identified only as 'Mike'. He is believed to be behind scams totaling more than $60 million involving hundreds of victims worldwide. In one case a target was conned into paying out USD 15.4 million, an Interpol statement said. The network compromised email accounts of small to medium businesses around the world including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa, Thailand and the US, with the financial victims mainly other companies dealing with these compromised accounts. Heading a network of at least 40 individuals across Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa which both provided malware and carried out the frauds, the alleged mastermind also had money laundering contacts in China, Europe and the US who provided bank account details for the illicit cash flow. Following his arrest in Port Harcourt in southern Nigeria, a forensic examination of devices seized by the EFCC showed he had been involved in a range of criminal activities including business e-mail compromise (BEC) and romance scams. 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. LONDON, Aug. 2,2016 /PRNewswire/ --Gathering from all corners of the world with their families and friends, the newest graduates from the University of Roehampton, London Online programmes celebrated their graduation during ceremonies and events held at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 27 July 2016. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130822/CL67658LOGO The graduates have earned degrees from the MBA and MSc in Project Management programmes, and there were also several who were the first to earn the University's online MSc in Information Systems Management. Together with the first online graduates who participated in the February 2016 ceremony, they comprise the inaugural 2016 graduating cohort. "The University of Roehampton, through our colleges, has a long tradition of providing higher education, lasting 175 years. We are committed to expanding access to education, ensuring that all of our students become the kind of graduate employers value. We introduced online masters programmes in 2012, in order to provide the opportunity to gain a Roehampton degree to a wider range of students from across the world. We are delighted to see so many of our online students graduate this year," said Professor Paul O'Prey, Vice-Chancellor of the University. Online graduates had the option to attend the graduation ceremony in person and graduate with the University's campus-based students at the Royal Festival Hall, in the heart of London's South Bank arts and cultural quarter. "Having worked in the financial sector for nine years, I consider the Nigerian banking industry to be one of the most technologically driven sectors in the country. I chose Roehampton's online programme because I wanted to develop my managerial competencies and be able to make strategic decisions that would support my organisation through using innovative technology," said Oluchi Anih, an MSc in Information Systems Management graduate from Abuja, Nigeria, who attended the ceremony and events with her family. "Since beginning my degree I have been promoted, and recently I received a commendation from management, so my efforts have paid off more than I could have imagined." Currently, students from more than 150 countries study online with the University. Designed for adult learners, the fully online learning model delivers contemporary online programmes reflecting the world in which its students live and work. Through these programmes, students gain the critical thinking skills and practical knowledge they need to expand their expertise and advance their careers. Roehampton Online offers a portfolio of online masters degrees in areas of study including business and management, psychology, public administration, public health, education and theology. For more information about the University of Roehampton's online programmes, please visit https://online.roehampton.ac.uk. About the University of Roehampton, London Online Located in London, the University of Roehampton has a proud history that dates back 175 years. Today, working professionals from more than 150 countries study online and earn a quality education assured by the UK government's Quality Assurance Agency. Roehampton Online believes that learning is a life-changing and lifelong journey that provides access to a brighter future, and offers a range of online masters programmes that have been designed to enrich students' knowledge and help them develop practical skills that can be applied immediately and promote career advancement. For information about Roehampton's online programmes, visit https://online.roehampton.ac.uk. These programmes are provided in partnership with online learning expert, Laureate Online Education. For more information about Laureate, visit www.laureate.net. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Appearing alongside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday, Billionaire investor Warren Buffett challenged her general election opponent Donald Trump to release his tax returns. Buffett spoke at a Clinton campaign rally in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and offered to meet Trump 'any time, any place' to compare their returns. 'You're only afraid if you got something to be afraid about,' Buffett said. 'He's not afraid of the IRS. He's afraid because of you. I will meet him in Omaha or Mar-a-Lago or he can pick the place.' 'We're both under audit,' he added. 'And believe me, nobody will stop us from talking about what's on those returns. Send the word to him, if you will.' Trump has steadfastly refused to release his tax returns, repeatedly citing an ongoing audit by the Internal Revenue Service. The Trump campaign noted that the real estate tycoon has filed financial disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission, but Buffett argued that is not enough. 'As someone who's filled out financial statements and someone who has filled out an income tax return, I call tell you, they are two very different animals,' Buffett said. 'You will learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he produces his income tax return.' The Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO also attacked Trump for his comments about the parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. 'How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?' Buffett said. 'I ask Donald Trump: have you no sense of decency, sir?' Buffett invoked the controversial McCarthy hearings of the 1950s in his criticism of Trump's attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan. 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. Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recentgasoline market in the USreport until 2020. Vendors are identified based on their revenue and market dominance in terms of experience, geographical presence, product portfolio, financials, and R&D. Competitive vendor landscape In the US, gasoline is not sold directly by the refiners but through resellers. Around 80% of the fuel sold in the US is through convenience stores. As the convenience stores range from standalone stores to multi-store chain, we have not considered them in our vendor landscape. We have considered only the refiners who have presence in the US gasoline market. The gasoline market in the US is highly fragmented, with the presence of many large global vendors. The market is highly competitive with players competing to gain more market share. Intense competition and the rapidly changing market dynamics are the key factors for the competition among vendors. With rising competition, the market is witnessing consolidation. According to Sayani Roy, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on oil and gas, "The competitive environment in this market is expected to intensify during the forecast period with steady demand and lack of innovation in gasoline production technology. It could also result in mergers and acquisitions. International players are expected to grow inorganically during the forecast period by acquiring regional or local players." Request for sample report: http://goo.gl/3jmOEq Top five gasoline market vendors in the US BP BP is a major player in the gasoline market in the US. The company offers gasoline through the following sectors such as: Retail The company supplies fuel and related services to American customers through independent jobbers and dealer wholesalers. As of FY2014, the company had 7,100 BP and ARCO-branded retail sites across the US. Refining BP's downstream operations are involved in the refining, transportation, selling and trading of crude oil and petroleum products. It currently operates refineries in Cherry Point, Wash; Toledo, Ohio; and Whiting, Ind. The installations have a total capacity of processing over 725,000 barrels of crude oil. It also produces a broad range of fuels, petrochemical, and lubricants to cater to the highway, rail transportation, residential, commercial, and institutional heating, and power generation. Chevron Founded in 1879, Chevron stands headquartered in San Ramon, California. The company is involved in the exploration, production, refining, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas. It markets and sells transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products, generates power and produces geothermal energy; and develops energy resources such as biofuels for the future. Chevron offers three premium brands such as Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex, which hold the top positions in their markets. The three brands Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex fuels contain the Techron additive that cleans the engine, delivers lower emissions, and offers better performance. Chevron offers Techron Concentrate Plus, which provides high-performance gasoline fuel system. The fuel formulated with advanced polyether amine (PEA) technology offers complete fuel system treatment in gasoline passenger cars, light trucks, and vans. ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Texas, US. The company is involved in the exploration, production, and distribution of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. It explores, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas, LNG, natural gas liquids, and bitumen. The company is one of the major players in the refinery and gasoline market in the US. It owns and licenses various gasoline brands that are sold in approximately 11,700 stations in the US. It also owns 1,700 outlets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern areas of the US. The rest of the gas outlet of the company are owned and operated by independent dealers and marketers. Exxon Mobil Exxon Mobil was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Texas, US. The company is involved in the operation of petroleum and petrochemical business that includes exploration, refining, and production of oil and gas, coal and minerals, and electric power generation as well. The downstream portfolio of the company comprises of refining facilities in 17 countries. This segment is one of the largest manufacturers of lube base stocks and petroleum products and finished lubricants. It has a strong global refining and distribution network worldwide. Shell Shell was incorporated in 1922 and is headquartered in Texas, US. The company produces, refines petroleum, chemicals, fuels, and lubricants. The company's business segment is divided into three categories such as Upstream; Downstream; and Corporate. Shell offers commercial fuel that is one the leading marketer of unbranded gasoline, diesel, and heating oil. Shell provides Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline, which offers protection against gunk and corrosion and enhanced protection against wear. Browse Related Reports: Global Jet Fuel Additives Market 2015-2019 Global Fuel Additives Market 2015-2019 Global Bunker Oil Market 2015-2019 Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005136/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- WCB Resources Ltd. ("WCB" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: WCB) announces the resignation of Mr Jim Simpson as a Director. The Board thanks Mr Simpson for his contribution and support and wishes him well in his future corporate endeavours. About WCB Resources WCB is an exploration and development company that is focussed on the Misima Island Project in Papua New Guinea where a significant gold resource was outlined in May 2015. Misima Island was a previous major gold producer between 1988 and 2004 with past and historic production estimated at 4.0M ounces of gold. WCB's strategy is to build shareholder value focussing on the Misima asset whilst also continually evaluating projects that may compliment the Misima project. This strategy is being developed by a synthesis of WCB's core skills in project evaluation, structured acquisition, exploration and project development and operations, areas where WCB directors and executives have significant experience. On behalf of the Board of Directors Cameron Switzer, President and Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: WCB Resources Ltd. Cameron Switzer President and Chief Executive Officer +61 7 3212 6242 +61 4 2777 2111 (cell) cswitzer@wcbresources.com Sixth consecutive year Teleperformance operations in Latin America are recognized, and seventh consecutive year Teleperformance ranks as a best workplace Regulatory News: Teleperformance (Paris:RCF), the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the 25 Best Multinational Workplaces in Latin America by the prestigious Great Place to Work Institute. Teleperformance's operations in Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic were included in the rankings with proven exceptional leadership and employee management, while also cultivating a trusted workplace culture. Companies nominated for Great Place to Work list go through a rigorous application process and are selected and ranked predominantly on the basis of employees' response to the Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey. The results found employees in Latin America believe in Teleperformance's values of creating a positive work environment and culture, and where opportunities for career growth are prevalent. "It is a special honor to be named among the top 25 Best Multinational Workplaces in Latin America," said Juan Sada, Chief Executive Officer, Teleperformance Nearshore Region. "This recognition reflects our commitment to people, which is fundamental to our business model. I would like to thank our employees in the Latin America region for their devotion in pursing the company's commitment to offer great customer experiences." "Our Teleperformance team in Latin America is committed to exceptional customer service, which can only be accomplished through a positive culture so our people look forward to making a real difference on each interaction," said Paulo Cesar Salles Vasques, Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, Teleperformance Group. "We are all proud to see our outstanding teams in Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic recognized for their hard work, dedication and passion by the distinguished Great Place to Work Institute." Executives representing Teleperformance Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic accepted the award at a ceremony at the Fairmont Mayakoba Resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico on May 19. "Congratulations to Teleperformance for being part of the list of Best Companies to Work in Latin America," said Lesslie Perez de Davidovich, Regional General Manager, Great Place to Work Institute, Central America. "This is due to the company's efforts to ensure trust, belief in the company employees work for, pride in achievement, and a culture of positivity. The degree of pride in the organization, and the levels of authentic connection and camaraderie employees feel, are also essential components. We appreciate Teleperformance's commitment to helping build a better society in Brazil, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic, each a Great Place to Work." In addition to being acknowledged as a Best Multinational Workplace in Latin America, Teleperformance was recognized as Best Workplaces in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Central America the Caribbean: Caribbean origin (Dominican Republic), Central America the Caribbean: Multinationals (El Salvador Dominican Republic) and Central America the Caribbean: over 1,000 employees (El Salvador). ABOUT GREAT PLACE TO WORK Great Place to Work Institute began the search of the Best Companies to Work for in 1981 and sees its mission in supporting companies to build Great Workplaces characterized by trust, pride and camaraderie. Great Place to Work is in 45 countries with more than 5,500 organizations, representing over 10 million employees all over the world. ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE GROUP Teleperformance (RCF ISIN: FR0000051807 Reuters: ROCH.PA Bloomberg: RCF FP), the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, serves companies around the world with customer care, technical support, customer acquisition and debt collection programs. In 2015, it reported consolidated revenue of 3.4 billion ($3.7 billion, based on 1 $1.11). The Group operates 147,000 computerized workstations, with close to 190,000 employees across 311 contact centers in 65 countries and serving more than 160 markets. It manages programs in 75 languages and dialects on behalf of major international companies operating in a wide variety of industries. Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: STOXX 600, SBF 120, Next 150, CAC Mid 60 and CAC Support Services. They also have been included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index since December 2015, with regard of the Group's performance in corporate social responsibility. For more information: www.teleperformance.com Follow us: Twitter @teleperformance View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802006339/en/ Contacts: Teleperformance PRESS RELATIONS MARK PFEIFFER, Tel: 1 801 257 5811 mark.pfeiffer@teleperformance.com or INVESTOR RELATIONS QUY NGUYEN-NGOC, Tel: 33 1 53 83 59 87 quy.nguyen@teleperformance.com DALLAS, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Cherubim Interests, Inc. (OTC PINK: CHIT) ("the Company"), an expansion-stage alternative construction and real estate development company, is pleased to announce that it has executed a distribution agreement with XWALLS. XWALLS provides liberating spaces that foster connections through the evolutionary hybridization of walls and windows. By rescuing workers from ineffectual drywall offices and partitioned cubicles, XWALLS is a transformative way to bring people, places and ideas together. The result is environments and spaces that spur creativity, invite collaboration, and foster innovation in an ever more technologically interconnected world. "We are excited about this revolutionary technology and believe that XWALLS is another building block in advancing our revenues and expansion," states Patrick J. Johnson, CEO of CHIT. "It allows companies to grow without being strained by methodologies or infrastructure. Technologies change, and XWALLS allows companies to change and grow with them. We believe that this technology complements what we offer in many instances. It is a perfect fit for us." XWALLS engages and enhances inter-connectivity among its users within and beyond XWALLS spaces, creating an ever-expansive space for everyone to engage with. Clean integration of your technology within XWALLS opens up more space Less clutter and more light to boost productivity and enlighten your vision XWALLS technology can be embedded and integrated between the glass panels themselves, seamlessly allowing for audio-visual presentation and collaboration via XWALLS such as: Videoconferencing Remote access control to smart TV screens Screen-to-screen mirroring Projections with matted panel technology and much more More than just ordinary walls, XWALLS turns walls into connection and interaction hubs with its ability to integrate collaborative technology right into the wall. XWALLS seamlessly integrates with existing building technologies, construction methods, and architectural features such as bulkheads, windowsills, baseboards and drapery pockets, while incorporating emerging trends such as Smart Locks. About XWALLS XWALLS provides liberating spaces that foster connections through the evolutionary hybridization of walls and windows. By rescuing you from ineffectual drywall offices and partitioned cubicles, XWALLS is a transformative way to bring people, places and ideas together. XWALLS prides itself in creating environments and spaces that spur creativity, invite collaboration, and foster innovation in an ever more technologically interconnected world. For more information, visit www.xwalls.ca About Cherubim Interests Inc. Cherubim Interests specializes in alternative construction projects, as well as covering the entire spectrum of real estate development: due diligence, acquisition, planning, construction, renovation, and management; providing complete beginning-to-end development programs for mixed use, single, and multifamily projects and properties. For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com Safe Harbor Statement This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E and/or 27E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to raise necessary financing, retention of key personnel, timely delivery of inventory from the company's suppliers, timely product development, product acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and products, in addition to general economic risks and uncertainties. Cherubim Interests, Inc. Patrick J. Johnson Chief Executive Officer (844) 842-8872 pjohnson@cherubiminterests.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market got off to a weak start for the week Tuesday, after the long holiday weekend. The market barely remained above the 8,000 point level following today's loss. Weakness in global markets weighed on the Swiss market at the start of the week. European markets ended the session solidly in negative territory, primarily due to weakness in bank stocks. The results of the EU bank stress tests and disappointing results from German bank Commerzbank weighed on the sector. Continued weakness in crude oil prices also had a negative impact on sentiment. The Swiss Market Index decreased 1.43 percent Tuesday and finished at 8,011.24. The Swiss Leader Index fell 1.87 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 1.29 percent. Credit Suisse dropped 6.2 percent on the news that it will be removed from the STOXX Europe 50 index next Monday. UBS sank 6.0 percent and Julius Baer slipped 1.1 percent. Dufry declined 5.0 percent after two banks lowered their price targets for travel retailers. LafargeHolcim weakened by 4.4 percent. Swatch fell 2.4 percent and Richemont dropped 4.3 percent. The index heavyweights all finished in negative territory. Novartis finished with a loss of 0.8 percent. The company's Alcon subsidiary received U.S. approval for its Micro-Stent CyPass. Roche declined 0.9 percent and Nestle surrendered 0.8 percent. Galenica was one of the few gainers of the session, with an increase of 0.6 percent. 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. Technavio analysts forecast the global location-based services (LBS) market in the healthcare industryto grow at a CAGR of more than 32% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global LBS market in the healthcare industry for 2016-2020. Based on application platform, the market is segmented into the following: asset management, staff management, patient management, and others. Technavio ICT analysts highlight the following four factors that are contributing to the growth of the global LBS market in the healthcare industry: Wide deployment of RTLS tags in hospitals Rapid adoption of Wi-Fi and WLAN in hospitals Growing use of healthcare wearables Fall in price of RFID tags Wide deployment of RTLS tags in hospitals In the healthcare sector, a large number of hospitals are deploying real time location systems (RTLS) tags to enhance operations, efficiency, and profitability. RFID tags are used in a wide variety of applications such as asset management, indoor navigation, location analytics, and quick location of equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, and infusion pumps. Apart from these applications, RTLS tags are used to monitor equipment and patients as well as to locate hospital staff. In addition, tracking surgical instruments and other reusable medical equipment through RTLS solutions help automate sterile processing workflow of cleaning, sterilizing, and distributing medical equipment, surgical and dental instruments, and critical supplies. HF tags and UHF RFID tags are widely used in healthcare applications. HF tags are used for short-read range up to three inches. They are used to tag blood samples, tissue samples, and other critical fluids. UHF RFID tags are used for long-range purposes such as tracking and locating critical medical devices, managing inventory, and tracking and identifying patients. Rapid adoption of Wi-Fi and WLAN in hospitals RFID bands and tags are being increasingly used in hospitals. Consequently, the deployment of LANs, WLANs, and Wi-Fi has increased in the past few years. The availability of high-speed mobile broadband network and the decrease in the deployment cost of such networks are the major reasons for the growing acceptance of LANs, WLANs, and Wi-Fi, particularly in the healthcare industry. According to Rakesh Kumar Panda, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on M2M and connected devices, "Wi-Fi enabled RTLS are used to track the location of various assets inside the hospital campus. Infusion pumps, when connected to Wi-Fi, are easier to locate. Many hospitals and healthcare institutions are adopting virtual private networks for data security and for providing seamless connectivity to their staff and patients." Growing use of healthcare wearables With the increase in the number of people with chronic conditions worldwide and the rise in healthcare costs, it is very difficult for the hospital staff to manage all the patients simultaneously. Additionally, patients have to wait in long queues for long hours. To resolve this problem, vendors have introduced remote patient monitoring (RPM). This application allows physicians to monitor the patient from a remote location or home with the help of wearable healthcare devices. RPM helps both patients and doctors and increases the efficiency of hospital management. It also helps in reducing healthcare cost, travel time, and hospital visits for both patients and staff. Healthcare wearables such as activity trackers, smartwatches, health monitors, and pedometers are used to track the activities of doctors, staff, and patients. "Eight out of 10 older consumers in the US suffer from one or more chronic diseases, increasing their dependency on families or caregivers. So, RPM is a practical solution for this issue and is expected to propel the growth of the market during the forecast period," says Rakesh. Fall in price of RFID tags Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are widely used in the healthcare industry for asset tracking and workforce management helping the industry to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of various operations. With the growing adoption rate of RFID tags and competition among players, the price of RFID tags is falling rapidly. In 2014, for instance, the price of RFID tags dropped by 30%-40% compared with 2012. Currently, the price of a single active RFID tag is USD 15 to USD 20, and this rate is reduced further for bulk demands. The rapid fall in RFID tags is also attracting small- and medium-sized hospitals to implement RTLS solutions. Browse Related Reports: Indoor LBS Market in Western Europe 2015-2019 Global Indoor LBS Market 2015-2019 LBS Market in India 2015-2019 Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you. About Technavio Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160802005154/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com Teneo to launch new operating division advising major global companies and organizations on key risk identification, prevention and response Commissioner Bratton to join firm in September 2016 NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Teneo Holdings, the global CEO advisory firm, today announced that New York City Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton, will join the firm as Senior Managing Director and Executive Chairman of Teneo Risk. Teneo Risk is a new division of the firm focused on advising clients on key risk identification, prevention and response. Commissioner Bratton will join Teneo in September, following his retirement from the New York City Police Department. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150708/234271LOGO Teneo Risk is a natural extension of Teneo's business model, which now includes over 550 employees, across 12 different operating divisions, providing services that integrate the disciplines of strategic communications, investment banking, management consulting, geopolitical intelligence, talent development, digital analytics, corporate governance, government affairs and corporate restructuring. Teneo Risk will advise clients across several key areas including: Cyber Risk & Security and Data Protection; Smart City Planning and Infrastructure Development Advisory; Crisis Response and Preparedness; Infrastructure Protection and Anti-Terrorism Preparedness; Corporate Security Strategy; High-Profile Event/Venue Security Advisory and Security Due Diligence. "I am very pleased to welcome Commissioner Bratton to Teneo," said Declan Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Teneo. "In a world of increasing uncertainty and instability, CEOs and business leaders are now, more than ever, looking for advice on critical risk and security issues from trusted, proven experts. Commissioner Bratton brings unparalleled expertise that will benefit our clients around the globe." Commissioner Bratton is one of the world's most respected and trusted experts on risk and security issues. He was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Police Department for the second time in his career by Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2014. Over the course of his decades-long career in law enforcement, Commissioner Bratton has established an international reputation for re-engineering police departments and fighting crime. "I am extremely impressed with the global business Teneo has built over the last five-years and I believe in the firm's focus on working with the CEOs of the world's largest companies," said Commissioner Bratton. "I look forward to bringing my experience to bear as I develop Teneo Risk and help the firm's clients address a range of important issues." In addition to his work in law enforcement, Commissioner Bratton is also a noted commentator, and consultant. He has also authored two books, The Turnaround: How America's Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic and Collaborate or Perish!: Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World. He holds a bachelor's degree from Boston State College and is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute. At Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, he was a Senior Executive Fellow in Criminal Justice and a member of the school's National Executive Session on Policing. For his collaborative efforts in working with U.S. and British police forces, he was recognized by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the honorary title, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). ABOUT TENEO: Teneo is a global advisory firm that works exclusively with the CEO's and leaders of the world's largest and most complex companies providing strategic counsel across their full panoply of key objectives and issues. Comprised of the most senior talent, we work collaboratively to solve the most complex issues. Working across the three core areas of financial, reputational and transformational, we integrate the disciplines of strategic communications, investment banking, management consulting, business intelligence, talent development, digital analytics, corporate governance, government affairs and corporate restructuring to fully answer and deliver any strategic objective. The firm was founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Doug Band and Paul Keary and now has more than 550 employees located in 14 offices around the world. For more information on Teneo, please see www.teneoholdings.com. CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- STORAGEVAULT CANADA INC. ("StorageVault") (TSX VENTURE: SVI) has entered into an asset purchase agreement dated August 2, 2016 with a vendor ("Vendor") to purchase for an aggregate purchase price of $14,950,000, subject to customary adjustments, all of the self storage assets, property and business used in the operation of the Calgary store owned by the Vendor (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition is an arm's length transaction. It is anticipated that the closing of the Acquisition will occur on or before October 31, 2016. With this transaction, StorageVault has closed, waived conditions for or announced approximately $50 million in arm's length transactions so far in fiscal 2016. Purchase Price and Payment The purchase price for the Acquisition is $14,950,000, subject to adjustments, and is payable by certified cheque or wire and will be financed with funds on hand, first mortgage financing and the assumption of certain debt in relation to the Acquisition (the "Debt"). Material Conditions Precedent to the Proposed Acquisition The obligations of StorageVault to complete the Acquisition are subject to initial conditions including, but not limited to: satisfactory due diligence; satisfactory Environmental Site Assessment Reports; satisfactory financing; current creditor consent for StorageVault to assume the Debt; and StorageVault board of director approval of the Acquisition. The obligations of the Vendor to complete the Acquisition are subject to the initial condition that the sale of the assets is approved by the security holders of the Vendor. The initial conditions for the Acquisition must be satisfied on or before 30 days after the execution of the agreement (unless extended in certain circumstances). The obligations of both StorageVault and the Vendor to complete the closing of the Acquisition are subject to the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions of the Acquisition. Negotiations to Purchase Approximately $45 Million of Storage Assets from Access Self Storage Inc. In addition, StorageVault is in negotiations with Access Self Storage Inc. ("Access"), a major shareholder of StorageVault, to purchase approximately $45 million of Access assets in Southern Ontario and Montreal, Quebec (the "Access Negotiations"). It is anticipated that up to approximately 20% of the purchase price will be satisfied by the issuance of common shares of StorageVault. Currently, there are no agreements, letters of intent or term sheets in respect of the Access Negotiations. If the Corporation enters into an agreement in relation to the Access Negotiations, StorageVault will issue a further news release disclosing the particulars of the transaction. Any transaction resulting from the Access Negotiations would be a related party transaction and would be subject to applicable TSXV rules and Multilateral Instrument 61-101. There can be no assurance that any of these negotiations will result in definitive agreements. There can be no assurance that a transaction will result from the Access Negotiations. Other Information The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Acquisition or the Access Negotiations and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. There can be no assurance that the Acquisition will be completed as proposed or at all. About StorageVault Canada Inc. StorageVault owns and operates storage locations in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to: the proposed Acquisition and any transaction that results from the Access Negotiations, including the potential aggregate size of any transaction that results from the Access Negotiations; the potential issuance of common shares of the Corporation as consideration for any transaction that results from the Access Negotiations; the business, assets and property of the Vendor in the proposed Acquisition; and the timing for completion of the proposed Acquisition. This forward-looking information reflects StorageVault's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to StorageVault and on assumptions StorageVault believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the completion of satisfactory due diligence by StorageVault in relation to the proposed Acquisition; the satisfactory fulfilment of all of the conditions precedent to the proposed Acquisition; the receipt of all required approvals for the Acquisition, including current creditor consent for the assumption of the Debt and Vendor securityholder and StorageVault board of directors approvals; the availability of satisfactory financing for the proposed Acquisition; market acceptance of the proposed Acquisition; the satisfactory negotiation and execution of formal purchase agreements in relation to the Access Negotiations; TSXV acceptance of any transaction that results from the Access Negotiations including acceptance of the issuance of any common shares as consideration in relation to such transaction; and the ability of StorageVault to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and TSXV Policy 5.9 in respect of any transaction that results from the Access Negotiations. Forward looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of StorageVault to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; the actual results of future operations; competition; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting StorageVault; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations and appraisals; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. A description of additional assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in StorageVault's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although StorageVault has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of StorageVault as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. However, StorageVault expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Contacts: StorageVault Canada Inc. Mr. Steven Scott Tel: 1-877-622-0205 ir@storagevaultcanada.com StorageVault Canada Inc. Mr. Iqbal Khan Tel: 1-877-622-0205 ir@storagevaultcanada.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: LRA) ("Lara" or the "Company") is pleased to report that its partner Kiwanda Copper LLC ("Kiwanda") and the Carajas Copper Company Limited ("CJC"), have agreed to acquire the Company's Picha Copper Project in southern Peru. Under terms of an existing agreement between Lara and Kiwanda (see Company news release of June 2, 2015 for details), Lara will receive forty million shares of CJC and will remain entitled to a net smelter returns royalty on any future production of 2% for precious metals and 1% for base metals. The Picha Project is located in the Moquegua Department of southern Peru. To date Lara has completed geological and alteration mapping, surface sampling and ground geophysics (158 line km of Magnetic and 65 line km of Induced Polarization surveys). The positive copper results from sampling, along with the widespread alteration, brecciation, vein stockworking and geophysical anomalies, are indicative of potential to discover a porphyry system at depth. The Picha property lies approximately 17 kilometres ENE of Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.'s San Gabriel gold deposit, for which indicated and inferred resources of 12.3 million tons at average grades of 6.5 grams per ton gold (2.5 million ounces) are reported. Qualified Person Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release. About Lara Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA". Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Lara Exploration Ltd. Chris MacIntyre VP Corporate Development +1 416 703 0010 www.laraexploration.com HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Nobilis Health Corp. (NYSE MKT: HLTH) (TSX: NHC) ("Nobilis" or the "Company") today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. All financial results are expressed in U.S. dollars. "Our second quarter results reflect a continuation of our growth and operating strategy, including strong growth in case flow and higher average revenue per case, driven primarily by acquisitions made in 2015," said Harry Fleming, chief executive officer of Nobilis. "As we announced Monday, we have entered into an agreement to acquire Arizona Vein and Vascular and its affiliated clinics and Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs), adding five locations in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas and a new vascular brand. Looking ahead, we continue to seek potential acquisition opportunities in which we can leverage our marketing capabilities." Second Quarter 2016 Financial Results Total revenue for the second quarter of 2016 increased to $61.9 million, a 26.6% increase over the same period the prior year. Total case volume increased by 248 cases, or 5.4%, to 4,863 in the second quarter of 2016, as compared to the same period the prior year. Revenue per case increased to $11,524 in the second quarter of 2016, as compared to $10,136 in the same period the prior year, reflecting the impact of a higher acuity case mix from the purchase of three new hospitals in 2015. The increase in total revenue and total case volume in the second quarter compared to the same quarter the prior year was due primarily to the acquisitions of three hospitals in 2015. Net income attributable to Nobilis for the second quarter of 2016 was $4.8 million, or $0.06 per basic and fully diluted share, as compared to a net loss attributable to Nobilis of $0.4 million, or $0.01 per share, in the same period the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA(1) for the second quarter of 2016, which adds back certain non-cash and non-recurring expenses, was $8.5 million, an increase of 22.7% over Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $6.9 million for the same period the prior year. Total cash was $18.8 million, accounts receivable was $77.6 million and total debt was $22.1 million as of June 30, 2016, compared to $15.7 million, $92.6 million and $22.7 million, respectively, at December 31, 2015. As of August 2, 2016, Nobilis has collected approximately 91% of its December 31, 2015, receivables and is on track to collect the remaining balance. As of June 30, 2016, the Company owned and/or managed four acute care surgical hospitals and five ambulatory surgical centers, and had affiliations with an additional 36 facilities. First Half 2016 Financial Results Total revenue for the first six months of 2016 increased to $113.1 million, a 30.5% increase over the same period the prior year. Total case volume for the first six months of 2016 increased by 706 cases, or 8.7%, to 8,837 cases from 8,131 cases for the same period the prior year. Revenue per case increased to $11,754 for the first six months of 2016, as compared to $10,282 for the same period the prior year, reflecting the impact of a higher acuity case mix from the purchase of three new hospitals in 2015. The increase in total revenue and total case volume for the first six months of 2016 compared to the same period the prior year was due primarily to the acquisitions of three hospitals in 2015. Net loss attributable to Nobilis for the first six months of 2016 was $0.2 million, or $0.00 per share, as compared to net loss attributable to Nobilis of $4.8 million, or $0.08 per basic and fully diluted share, in the same period the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA(1) for the first six months of 2016, which adds back certain non-cash and non-recurring expenses, was $8.9 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $11.4 million for the same period the prior year. Full Year 2016 Guidance For full year 2016, Nobilis is reiterating its original organic growth guidance of 20% for total revenues, or $275 million, and 21% for Adjusted EBITDA(1), or $51 million. While our pipeline remains strong, as evidenced by the recently announced agreement to acquire Arizona Vein and Vascular, the timing of acquisitions is always uncertain. Therefore, from this point forward, Nobilis will no longer provide guidance that includes acquisitions. As we close future acquisitions, including Arizona Vein and Vascular, we will provide additional guidance. Conference Call Information Nobilis will host a conference call on August 3rd, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. CDT (9:00 a.m. EDT) to discuss its financial results for the second quarter of 2016. To participate in the conference call, please dial (877) 201-0168 in the US and Canada, and +1 (647) 788-4901 internationally. Please enter conference ID 58489839. There will be a livestream of the conference call available at: http://investors.nobilishealth.com/investors/events-and-presentations/. About Nobilis Health Corp. Nobilis (www.NobilisHealth.com) is a full-service healthcare development and management company which currently owns or manages four surgical hospitals and five ASCs, partners with thirty-six additional facilities throughout the country, and markets seven independent brands. Deploying a unique patient acquisition strategy driven by direct-to-consumer marketing, Nobilis is focused on a specified set of procedures that are performed at our centers by local physicians. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities laws, including the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan" or "continue." These forward-looking statements are based on current plans and expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors which could significantly affect current plans and expectations and our future financial condition and results. These factors, which could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those anticipated, include, but are not limited to our ability to successfully maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting; our ability to implement our business strategy, manage the growth in our business, and integrate acquired businesses; the risk of litigation and investigations, and liability claims for damages and other expenses not covered by insurance; the risk that payments from third-party payers, including government healthcare programs, may decrease or not increase as costs increase; adverse developments affecting the medical practices of our physician limited partners; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our physician limited partners; our ability to grow revenues by increasing case and procedure volume while maintaining profitability at the Nobilis Facilities; failure to timely or accurately bill for services; our ability to compete for physician partners, patients and strategic relationships; the risk of changes in patient volume and patient mix; the risk that laws and regulations that regulate payments for medical services made by government healthcare programs could cause our revenues to decrease; the risk that contracts are cancelled or not renewed or that we are not able to enter into additional contracts under terms that are acceptable to us; and the risk of potential decreases in our reimbursement rates. The foregoing are significant factors we think could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected results. However, there could be additional factors besides those listed herein that also could affect us in an adverse manner. We have not undertaken any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All of our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made or, if a date is specified, as of such date. Subject to an mandatory requirements of applicable law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions, circumstances or information on which the forward-looking statement is based. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing factors and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed on March 15, 2016, as updated by other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NOBILIS HEALTH CORP. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS. MARCH 31, 2016 AND DECEMBER 31, 2015 (In thousands) (Unaudited) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ (unaudited) Assets Current Assets: Cash $ 18,823 $ 15,666 Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance of $2,494 at June 30, 2016 and $5,165 at December 31, 2015 77,608 92,569 Medical supplies 4,724 4,493 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,573 2,789 ------------ ------------ Total current assets 104,728 115,517 Property and equipment, net 34,976 35,303 Intangible assets, net 18,601 19,619 Goodwill 44,833 44,833 Deferred tax asset 27,805 25,035 Other long-term assets 1,997 1,720 ------------ ------------ Total Assets $ 232,940 $ 242,027 ============ ============ Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current Liabilities: Trade accounts payable $ 20,588 $ 23,381 Accrued expenses 13,640 16,648 Lines of credit 3,000 - Current portion of capital leases 3,793 5,193 Current portion of long-term debt 1,693 1,243 Current portion of warrant and stock option derivative liabilities 801 332 Other current liabilities 5,377 5,025 ------------ ------------ Total current liabilities 48,892 51,822 Lines of credit 3,500 3,000 Long-term capital leases, net of current portion 13,603 13,654 Long-term debt, net of current portion 20,397 21,469 Warrant and stock option derivative liabilities, net of current portion 983 2,619 Other long-term liabilities 3,663 3,386 ------------ ------------ Total liabilities 91,038 95,950 ------------ ------------ Commitments and Contingencies Contingently redeemable noncontrolling interest 9,393 12,225 Shareholders' Equity: Common shares, no par value, unlimited shares authorized, 76,757,229 and 73,675,979 shares issued and outstanding, respectively - - Additional paid in capital 216,865 211,827 Accumulated deficit (85,650) (85,491) ------------ ------------ Total shareholders' equity attributable to Nobilis Health Corp. 131,215 126,336 Noncontrolling interests 1,294 7,516 ------------ ------------ Total shareholders' equity 132,509 133,852 ------------ ------------ Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity $ 232,940 $ 242,027 ============ ============ NOBILIS HEALTH CORP. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In thousands, except earnings per share) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, ------------------------ ------------------------ 2016 2015 2016 2015 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Revenues: Patient and net professional fees $ 55,176 $ 45,366 $ 101,533 $ 80,424 Contracted marketing revenues 4,668 2,839 8,150 3,649 Factoring revenues 2,027 662 3,461 2,645 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Gross Profit 61,871 48,867 113,144 86,718 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating expenses: Salaries and benefits 12,591 9,028 25,168 16,672 Drugs and supplies 12,177 8,850 24,197 13,860 General and administrative 27,474 20,402 52,483 33,600 Bad debt expense - 200 - 200 Depreciation and amortization 1,981 955 4,510 1,592 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Facility operating expenses 54,223 39,435 106,358 65,924 Corporate expenses: Salaries and benefits 2,030 1,001 3,312 1,992 General and administrative 4,497 6,524 10,408 12,515 Legal expenses 990 741 2,575 1,212 Depreciation 76 30 130 56 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total corporate costs 7,593 8,296 16,425 15,775 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) from operations 55 1,136 (9,639) 5,019 Other (income) expense: Change in fair value of warrant and stock option derivative liabilities (1,657) (1,670) (1,699) 1,704 Interest expense 687 294 1,371 784 Other income, net (1,159) (1,321) (2,813) (1,469) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total other (income) expense (2,129) (2,697) (3,141) 1,019 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests 2,184 3,833 (6,498) 4,000 Income tax (benefit) expense (331) 454 (2,249) 606 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) 2,515 3,379 (4,249) 3,394 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests (2,291) 3,745 (4,090) 8,242 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) attributable to Nobilis Health Corp. $ 4,806 $ (366) $ (159) $ (4,848) =========== =========== =========== =========== Net income (loss) per basic common share $ 0.06 $ (0.01) $ (0.00) $ (0.08) =========== =========== =========== =========== Net income (loss) per fully diluted common share $ 0.06 $ (0.01) $ (0.00) $ (0.08) =========== =========== =========== =========== Weighted average shares outstanding (basic) 76,754,950 63,531,390 75,780,695 61,872,658 =========== =========== =========== =========== Weighted average shares outstanding (fully diluted) 77,616,886 63,531,390 75,780,695 61,872,658 =========== =========== =========== =========== NOBILIS HEALTH CORP. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (In thousands) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, ------------------ ------------------ 2016 2015 2016 2015 -------- -------- -------- -------- Net income (loss) attributable to Nobilis Health Corp. $ 4,806 $ (366) $ (159) $ (4,848) Interest 687 294 1,371 784 Income taxes (331) 454 (2,249) 606 Depreciation and amortization 2,057 985 4,640 1,648 -------- -------- -------- -------- EBITDA $ 7,219 $ 1,367 $ 3,603 $ (1,810) Non-cash compensation expenses $ 1,668 $ 6,717 $ 3,504 $ 10,126 Change in fair value of warrant and stock option derivative liabilities (1,657) (1,670) (1,699) 1,704 Acquisition expenses 818 519 1,183 1,338 Non-recurring expenses 462 - 2,271 - -------- -------- -------- -------- Adjusted EBITDA(1) $ 8,510 $ 6,933 $ 8,862 $ 11,358 ======== ======== ======== ======== (1)Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash compensation expenses, change in fair value of warrant and stock option derivative liabilities, acquisition expenses and non-recurring expenses. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of financial performance required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). Items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance. Adjusted EBITDA is an analytical indicator used by management and the health care industry to evaluate company performance, allocate resources and measure leverage and debt service capacity. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income, cash flows generated by operations, investing or financing activities, or other financial statement data presented in the consolidated financial statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP and is thus susceptible to varying calculations, Adjusted EBITDA as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Net income attributable to Nobilis Health Corp. common shareholders is the financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP that is most comparable to Adjusted EBITDA as defined. Contact Information: Kolin Ozonian Vice President, Corporate Development kozonian@nobilishealth.com 713-355-8614 NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - August 02, 2016) - Samsung debuted the latest iteration of its Galaxy-brand smartphone today, the Galaxy Note7. The reveal confirms significant upgrades to the camera setup, S Pen, processing chipset, storage features, and overall design. As with this year's Galaxy S7 edge, the Note 7 will feature a dual-curved QHD Super AMOLED display, though with the series signature screen size: 5.7". The phablet will also utilize Samsung's new Always-On Display, which continuously displays time, date, and notification data even when the device is asleep. In addition to these features, the Note 7 will support HDR video playback, making it one of the first smartphones ever to do so. Samsung Galaxy Note7 64GB Smartphone http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1269582-REG/samsung_n930_blue_galaxy_note_7_64gb.html Samsung has enhanced the Note 7's camera array, as well. It now features a 12MP rear shooter, with dual-pixel technology that Samsung promises will allow you to shoot more detailed photos, even in low-light conditions. A 5MP selfie camera is also on board. Two features that were brought back in this year's Galaxy S variants also make their triumphant return in the Note 7: IP68-rated waterproof and dustproof protection, and a microSD card slot that allows users to add up to 256GB of memory to their base storage of 64GB. Battery life has also been greatly improved for the Note 7. Now sporting a muscular 3500mAh battery, the Note 7 should have enough power to sustain its impressive performance for countless hours. In addition to this impressive list of features, Samsung also announced that the Note 7 would incorporate its new iris scanning technology. The built-in iris scanner promises to add an extra layer of security to the Note 7 by converting users' iris scan into a digital signal only they can use. Samsung also overhauled the Note 7's S Pen. The tip thickness was cut in half -- down to 0.7mm -- and like the Galaxy Note 7 itself, the S Pen is now both water- and dust-resistant. Responsiveness has been refined, and a new suite of functionality was created specifically for the S Pen, including text translation and GIF creation. All these features -- combined with a new chipset, the latest version of Android OS, and a suite of compatible accessories -- mean that the new Note 7 could very well be Samsung's strongest phablet showing yet. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1269582-REG/samsung_n930_blue_galaxy_note_7_64gb.html GSM / 4G LTE Capable International Variant/US Compatible LTE f/1.7 12MP Rear + 5MP Front Cameras Exynos 8893 Octa-Core Chipset 64GB Storage Capacity and 4GB of RAM microSDXC Expansion up to 256GB 5.7" Super AMOLED Display Quad HD 2560 x 1440 Native Resolution IP68 Water-Resistant Construction Android Marshmallow 6.0 B&H Photo is an authorized Samsung dealer, with the most up-to-date Samsung product information, product pricing and promotional offers. Follow B&H on Social Media: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/socialLanding.jsp https://www.facebook.com/bhphoto/ https://twitter.com/BHPhotoVideo https://plus.google.com/+BandH https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto/ Apple iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/b-h-photo-video-pro-audio/id390928219?mt=8 B&H Google App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bhphoto&hl=en About B&H Photo Video As the world's largest source of photography, video, audio, and the latest trending technologies, including drones, virtual reality, and 3D Printers, B&H Photo Video is known worldwide for its attentive, knowledgeable sales force, excellent customer service, and fast, reliable shipping. Visitors to the website can access a variety of enlightening articles and educational videos. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide for over 40 years. Latest Trending Technologies Virtual Reality: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/360-spherical-virtual-reality-production/ci/29185/N/3705627361 Drones: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/aerial-imaging/ci/27989/N/3765401970 Gaming Gear: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/xbox-360/ci/26268/N/3838122491 Customers making purchases on the B&H website can now make a split payment with multiple credit cards, a useful feature for those with limited credit on their individual cards. Previously, this method of payment was only available to customers when purchasing by phone or in store. Many items can now be ordered online and picked up at our NYC Superstore. Add any qualifying items to your shopping cart and select STORE PICKUP. You will then have an opportunity to indicate who will be making the pickup, if it is someone other than yourself. You'll receive an email (up to 45 minutes) after completing your order, indicating that your order is ready for pickup at the B&H SuperStore. The B&H YouTube Channel has an unmatched wealth of educational photographic content. Our entertaining and informative videos feature product overviews from our in-house specialists, as well as photography industry experts. You can even view the B&H Event Space presentations from many of the world's foremost photographers and interviews with some of photography's most dynamic characters. Tap into this exciting resource by subscribing to the B&H YouTube Channel here. In addition to these videos, the B&H Explora blog presents new product announcements, gear reviews, helpful guides, and tech news written by product experts and industry professionals. When you're in Manhattan, take a tour of the B&H Photo SuperStore, located at 420 Ninth Avenue. The expo continues all year round in the camera kiosks at B&H. Featuring the newest cameras, the kiosks are manned by manufacturer representatives, who are there to guide you and demonstrate the latest photographic technology. With hundreds of products on display, the B&H Photo electronics store is the place to test-drive and compare all the latest technology gear. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/2/11G109063/Images/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_7-7080e0961ce68cc99ae67ff6baf3e96a.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/2/11G109063/Images/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_7_Blue-e37943497eb49bea9aa31980e5c07f34.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/2/11G109063/Images/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_7_IRIS-c9df38d1ba44933e8ac916abd1eebaf7.jpg Embedded Video Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0a6Y9JvPqo Michael Smith B&H Photo Video 212-615-8820 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Crexendo, Inc. (OTCQX: CXDO), a hosted services company that provides hosted telecommunications services, broadband internet services and website hosting services for businesses, today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2016. Financial highlights for the 2016 second quarter Consolidated revenue for the second quarter of 2016 increased 20% to $2.3 million compared to $1.9 million for the second quarter of 2015. Hosted Telecommunications Services Segment revenue for the second quarter of 2016 increased 35% to $1.9 million compared to $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2015. Web Services Segment revenue for the second quarter of 2016 decreased 26% to $347,000, compared to $469,000 for the second quarter of 2015. Consolidated operating expenses for the second quarter of 2016 increased 2% to $3.0 million compared to $3.0 million for the second quarter of 2015. On a GAAP basis, the Company reported a $(778,000) net loss for the second quarter of 2016, or $(0.06) loss per diluted common share, compared to net loss of $(1.1) million or $(0.08) loss per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net loss was $(507,000) for the second quarter of 2016, or $(0.04) loss per diluted common share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(734,000) or $(0.06) loss per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2015. EBITDA for the second quarter of 2016 was $(740,000) compared to $(1.0) million for the second quarter of 2015. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2016 was $(525,000) compared to $(744,000) for the second quarter of 2015. Financial highlights for the six months ended June 30, 2016 Consolidated revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2016 increased 19% to $4.4 million compared to $3.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Hosted Telecommunications Services Segment revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2016 increased 35% to $3.7 million compared to $2.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Web Services Segment revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2016 decreased 25% to $743,000, compared to $997,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Consolidated operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2016 decreased 2% to $6.1 million compared to $6.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. On a GAAP basis, the Company reported a $(1.6) million net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2016, or $(0.12) loss per diluted common share, compared to net loss of $(2.2) million or $(0.18) loss per diluted common share for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Non-GAAP net loss was $(1.1) million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, or $(0.08) loss per diluted common share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(1.4) million or $(0.11) loss per diluted common share for the six months ended June 30, 2015. EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $(1.6) million compared to $(2.3) million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $(1.1) million compared to $(1.6) million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Total cash and cash equivalents, excluding restricted cash, at June 30, 2016 was $923,000 compared to $1.9 million at June 30, 2015. Cash used for operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $(710,000) compared to $(1.7) million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Cash provided by investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $11,000 compared to cash used for investing activities of $(20,000) for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $125,000 compared to $629,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Steven G. Mihaylo, Chief Executive Officer commented, "I am pleased with our ongoing progress. We increased our revenue Q2 2016 over Q2 2015 and our backlog continues to grow. We have kept a lid on expenses, even with the substantial year over year increase in revenue, and we have not increased our costs year over year. Our ability to control our costs, while increasing our backlog is a strong indication of our ability to grow this business. We will continue to work to increase our Dealer Partner Channel and our Direct Sales Channel. We continue to provide service, technology and phones that provide exceptional value. We are the right solution to support customers who are moving their expensive legacy phone services to the cloud." Mihaylo added, "We continue to excel at providing solutions for enterprise customers. As I have discussed before our integrated sales process with engineering is particularly suited to providing enterprise solutions. Enterprise customers with multi-location instillations however do have a longer lag time from sale to recognizing revenue. We continue to work on improving and growing the business." Conference Call The Company is hosting a conference call today, August 2, 2016 at 5:30 PM EST. The telephone dial-in number is 888-430-8709 for domestic participants and 719-325-2393 for international participants. The conference ID to join the call is 2637145. Please dial in five to ten minutes prior to the beginning of the call at 5:30 PM EST. About Crexendo Crexendo, Inc. (OTCQX: CXDO) is a hosted services company that provides hosted telecommunications services, broadband internet services and website hosting services for businesses. Our services are designed to make enterprise-class hosting services available to any size businesses at affordable monthly rates. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "will" and other similar statements of expectation identify forward-looking statements. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include information about Crexendo (i) being pleased with ongoing progress; (ii) keeping a lid on expenses even with the substantial year over year increase in revenue; (iii) ability to control costs and increasing backlog is a strong indication of the ability to grow business; (iv) continue working to increase Dealer Partner Channel and Direct Sales Channel; (v) providing service, technology and phones that provide exceptional value; (vi) being the right solution to support customers who are moving their expensive legacy phone services to the cloud; (vii) excelling at providing solutions for enterprise customers; (viii) integrated sales process with engineering being particularly suited to providing enterprise solutions; (ix) enterprise customers with multi-location instillations having a longer lag time from sale to recognizing revenue and (x) continuing to work on improving and growing the business. For a more detailed discussion of risk factors that may affect Crexendo's operations and results, please refer to the company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 as well as Forms 10Q for 2016. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made and the company undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. CREXENDO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands, except par value and share data) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 ------------- --------------------- Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 923 $ 1,497 Restricted cash 100 112 Trade receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $13 as of June 30, 2016 and $35 as of December 31, 2015 422 364 Inventories 129 134 Equipment financing receivables 131 131 Prepaid expenses 1,065 1,046 Other current assets 8 15 ------------- --------------------- Total current assets 2,778 3,299 Certificate of deposit 252 251 Long-term trade receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $22 as of June 30, 2016 and $24 as of December 31, 2015 53 81 Long-term equipment financing receivables 242 319 Property and equipment, net 24 33 Deferred income tax assets, net 482 482 Intangible assets, net 401 466 Goodwill 272 272 Long-term prepaids 238 288 Other long-term assets 142 169 ------------- --------------------- Total Assets $ 4,884 $ 5,660 ============= ===================== Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 263 $ 76 Accrued expenses 948 812 Notes payable, current portion 136 57 Contingent consideration - 99 Deferred income tax liability 482 482 Deferred revenue, current portion 819 775 ------------- --------------------- Total current liabilities 2,648 2,301 Deferred revenue, net of current portion 53 81 Notes payable, net of current portion 980 965 Other long-term liabilities 62 109 ------------- --------------------- Total liabilities 3,743 3,456 ------------- --------------------- Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share - authorized 5,000,000 shares; none issued - - Common stock, par value $0.001 per share - authorized 25,000,000 shares, 13,405,246 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2016 and 13,227,489 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2015 13 13 Additional paid-in capital 58,197 57,614 Accumulated deficit (57,069) (55,423) ------------- --------------------- Total stockholders' equity 1,141 2,204 ------------- --------------------- Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 4,884 $ 5,660 ------------- --------------------- CREXENDO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share and share data) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, --------------------------- -------------------------- 2016 2015 2016 2015 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Revenue $ 2,267 $ 1,890 $ 4,441 $ 3,742 Operating expenses: Cost of revenue 917 855 1,830 1,716 Selling and marketing 636 580 1,246 1,183 General and administrative 1,274 1,375 2,565 2,935 Research and development 216 165 445 368 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Total operating expenses 3,043 2,975 6,086 6,202 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Loss from operations (776) (1,085) (1,645) (2,460) ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Other income (expense): Interest income 4 7 8 13 Interest expense (31) (3) (66) (13) Other income, net 29 29 64 248 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Total other income, net 2 33 6 248 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Loss before income tax (774) (1,052) (1,639) (2,212) Income tax provision (4) (8) (7) (18) ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Net loss $ (778) $ (1,060) $ (1,646) $ (2,230) ============ ============= ============ ============ Net loss per common share: Basic $ (0.06) $ (0.08) $ (0.12) $ (0.18) Diluted $ (0.06) $ (0.08) $ (0.12) $ (0.18) Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic 13,292,334 12,700,624 13,268,107 12,699,784 Diluted 13,292,334 12,700,624 13,268,107 12,699,784 CREXENDO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, ---------------------------- 2016 2015 ------------- ------------- CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (1,646) $ (2,230) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating activities: Amortization of prepaid rent 161 161 Depreciation and amortization 74 160 Amortization of prepaid interest expense 12 - Expense for stock options issued to employees 351 582 Amortization of deferred gain (47) (47) Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions: Trade receivables (30) 167 Equipment financing receivables 77 76 Inventories 5 (7) Prepaid expenses (40) (162) Other assets 34 (114) Accounts payable and accrued expenses 323 (258) Deferred revenue 16 (61) ------------- ------------- Net cash used for operating activities (710) (1,733) ------------- ------------- CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Purchase of property and equipment - (24) Release of restricted cash 12 4 Purchase of long-term investment (1) - ------------- ------------- Net cash provided by/(used for) investing activities 11 (20) ------------- ------------- CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from notes payable 150 - Repayments made on notes payable (68) - Proceeds from exercise of warrants 102 690 Payment of contingent consideration (59) (61) ------------- ------------- Net cash provided by financing activities 125 629 ------------- ------------- NET DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (574) (1,124) CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD 1,497 2,906 ------------- ------------- CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT THE END OF THE PERIOD $ 923 $ 1,782 ============= ============= Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash used during the period for: Income taxes, net $ (2) $ (1) Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing information: Prepaid assets financed through notes payable $ 116 $ - Issuance of common stock for prepayment of interest on related-party note payable $ 90 $ - Issuance of common stock for contingent consideration related to business acquisition $ 40 $ 40 CREXENDO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Supplemental Segment Financial Data (In thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Revenue: Hosted telecommunications services $ 1,920 $ 1,421 $ 3,698 $ 2,745 Web services 347 469 743 997 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Consolidated revenue 2,267 1,890 4,441 3,742 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Income/(loss) from operations: Hosted telecommunications services (872) (1,091) (1,835) (2,441) Web services 96 6 190 (19) ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Total operating loss (776) (1,085) (1,645) (2,460) ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Other income/(loss), net: Hosted telecommunications services (3) 18 (10) 39 Web services 5 15 16 209 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Total other income, net 2 33 6 248 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Income/(loss) before income tax provision Hosted telecommunications services (875) (1,073) (1,845) (2,402) Web services 101 21 206 190 ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Loss before income tax provision $ (774) $ (1,052) $ (1,639) $ (2,212) =========== ============ ============ ============ Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures To evaluate our business, we consider and use non-generally accepted accounting principles (Non-GAAP) net income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure of operating performance. These measures include the same adjustments that management takes into account when it reviews and assesses operating performance on a period-to-period basis. We consider Non-GAAP net income (loss) to be an important indicator of overall business performance because it allows us to evaluate results without the effects of share-based compensation, rent expense paid with common stock, interest expense paid with common stock, and amortization of intangibles. We define EBITDA as U.S. GAAP net income (loss) before interest income, interest expense, other income and expense, provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. We believe EBITDA provides a useful metric to investors to compare us with other companies within our industry and across industries. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA adjusted for share-based compensation, and rent expense paid with stock. We use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to review and assess operating performance. We also believe use of Adjusted EBITDA facilitates investors' use of operating performance comparisons from period to period, as well as across companies. In our August 2, 2016 earnings press release, as furnished on Form 8-K, we included Non-GAAP net loss, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. The terms Non-GAAP net loss, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA are not defined under U.S. GAAP, and are not measures of operating income, operating performance or liquidity presented in analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, Non-GAAP net loss, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for net loss or other consolidated income statement data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations include, but are not limited to: EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; they do not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debt that we may incur; they do not reflect income taxes or the cash requirements for any tax payments; although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will be replaced sometime in the future, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; while share-based compensation is a component of operating expense, the impact on our financial statements compared to other companies can vary significantly due to such factors as the assumed life of the options and the assumed volatility of our common stock; and other companies may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using Non-GAAP net income (loss), EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA only as supplemental support for management's analysis of business performance. Non-GAAP net income (loss), EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated as follows for the periods presented. Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In accordance with the requirements of Regulation G issued by the SEC, we are presenting the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures and reconciling the unaudited Non-GAAP financial metrics to the comparable U.S. GAAP measures. Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP Net Loss to Non-GAAP Net Loss (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ (In thousands) (In thousands) U.S. GAAP net loss $ (778) $ (1,060) $ (1,646) $ (2,230) Share-based compensation 158 211 351 582 Amortization of rent expense paid in stock, net of deferred gain 57 57 114 114 Amortization of intangible assets 33 58 66 123 Amortization of interest expense paid in stock 23 - 46 - ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ Non-GAAP net loss $ (507) $ (734) $ (1,069) $ (1,411) ============ ============ ============ ============ Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP Net Loss to EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ (In thousands) (In thousands) U.S. GAAP net loss $ (778) $ (1,060) $ (1,646) $ (2,230) Depreciation and amortization 36 73 75 160 Interest expense 31 3 66 13 Interest and other income (33) (36) (72) (261) Income tax provision 4 8 7 18 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ EBITDA (740) (1,012) (1,570) (2,300) Share-based compensation 158 211 351 582 Amortization of rent expense paid in stock, net of deferred gain 57 57 114 114 ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ Adjusted EBITDA $ (525) $ (744) $ (1,105) $ (1,604) ============ ============= ============ ============ Crexendo, Inc. Steven G. Mihaylo CEO 602-345-7777 Smihaylo@crexendo.com TORONTO, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Brookfield Office Properties Inc. (the "Company"), a subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners L.P. ("BPY") (NYSE: BPY) (TSX: BPY.UN), announced today that BPY and other related entities of BPY have provided full and unconditional guarantees (the "Guarantees") for all of the Company's Class AAA Preference Shares (the "Preference Shares") and all of the debt securities of the Company issued pursuant to its indenture dated December 8, 2009 (the "Debt Securities"). At the time of entering into the Guarantees, the Company had C$2,363 million of Preference Shares outstanding and C$350 million principal amount of Debt Securities outstanding. As a result of the Guarantees, the Company has received an exemption from the requirements to file certain continuous disclosure documents with Canadian securities regulators, including financial statements, on the basis that holders of the Preference Shares and the Debt Securities will have access to certain continuous disclosure filings on BPY as the guarantor. Certain financial information of the Company will be included in the consolidated summary financial information in BPY's consolidated annual financial statements and interim reports going forward. This will simplify the Company's reporting requirements and reduce costs. Each of the Guarantees will terminate (subject to any existing rights or claims at the time of such termination) upon, among other things, the date that no Preference Shares or Debt Securities, respectively, are outstanding. A copy of the Guarantees have been filed on SEDAR under the profile of the Company. Investors should refer to that filing for the complete terms of the Guarantees. About Brookfield Office Properties Inc. Brookfield Office Properties Inc. is a subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE: BPY) (TSX: BPY.UN), a global commercial property company that owns, operates and invests in best-in-class office, retail, multifamily, industrial, hotel and triple net lease assets. Brookfield Office Properties owns, develops and manages premier office properties in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Its portfolio is comprised of interests in 121 properties totaling 88 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, London, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, making Brookfield the global leader in the ownership and management of office assets. Landmark properties include Brookfield Places in New York City, Toronto and Perth, Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles, Bankers Hall in Calgary and Darling Park in Sydney. About Brookfield Property Partners L.P. Brookfield Property Partners L.P. is one of the world's largest commercial real estate companies, with over $65 billion in total assets. Brookfield Property Partners is a leading owner, operator and investor in commercial property assets, with a diversified portfolio that includes 148 premier office properties and 128 best-in-class retail malls around the world. Brookfield Property Partners also holds interests in multifamily, triple net lease, industrial, hospitality and self-storage assets. Brookfield Property Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.brookfieldpropertypartners.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Brookfield Property Partners is the flagship listed real estate company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $240 billion in assets under management. Certain of Brookfield Property Partners' investor relations content is also available on its investor relations app. To download Brookfield Property Partners' investor relations app, which offers access to SEC filings, press releases, presentations and more, please visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brookfield-property-partners/id1052584266?ls=1&mt=8 to download on your iPhone or iPad or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theirapp.brookfield for your Android mobile device. Brookfield Contact: Matt Cherry Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications (212) 417-7488 Email Contact VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Further to its news release of July 5, 2016, Parlane Resource Corp. (TSX VENTURE: PPP) ("Parlane" or the "Company") announced today that it has closed Tranche 1 of its non-brokered private placement with the issuance of 1,407,780 Units (the "Units") priced at $0.15 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $211,167.00. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half of one share purchase warrant with each whole Warrant (a "Warrant") entitling the holder thereof to acquire an additional common share of the Company for a period of two years at a price of $0.20 per share. A cash payment of $900.00 was paid as a finder's fee for a portion of the financing attributable to such finder's efforts. All securities issued are subject to a hold period of four months in accordance with the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities laws. Parlane also announces that it has entered into an agreement with Deveron UAS Corp. to acquire an undivided interest in 28 contiguous claims covering approximately 12,968.43 hectares located in the prolific Omineca Mining Division in British Columbia, more commonly known as the Nechako Property. The Nechako gold property is situated on the Nechako Plateau, approximately 110 kilometres southwest of Vanderhoof and 160 kilometres west of Quesnel, adjacent to New Gold Inc.'s Blackwater and Capoose properties. The acquisition calls for an immediate cash payment of $50,000 and additional cash payments of $50,000 in the first and second anniversaries of the agreement. The acquisition is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approvals. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Robert Eadie, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director 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. Contacts: Parlane Resource Corp. Robert Eadie President, Chief Executive Officer and Director 1-604-602-4935 1-604-602-4936 (FAX) MONTREAL, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- S.I.F.I- Societa Industria Farmaceutica Italiana S.p.A. ("SIFI"), a prominent Italian Eye Care company, and Knight Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: GUD) ("Knight"), a leading Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that they have entered into an agreement whereby Knight received the exclusive rights to commercialize NETILDEX in Canada. NETILDEX is a fixed combination of netilmicin and dexamethasone for the treatment of ocular inflammation of the anterior segment of the eye, in presence or at risk of bacterial infection. Under the terms of this agreement, Knight will also handle all ongoing regulatory and commercial activities for NETILDEX in Canada. Destum Partners acted as the advisor for SIFI on this agreement. "We are pleased to partner with SIFI and add a unique product to our growing ophthalmology portfolio," said Jonathan Ross Goodman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Knight. "NETILDEX will offer patients and physicians a new antibiotic with a well-established corticosteroid in an innovative product line." "We are pleased to be working with Knight, whom we believe is well positioned to help us bring NETILDEX to Canadian patients and physicians," said Mr. Fabrizio Chines, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SIFI. "The Knight team has a proven expertise in commercializing innovative pharmaceuticals in Canada and is assembling a nice portfolio of meaningful pharmaceuticals in ophthalmology." About NETILDEX NETILDEX is a fixed combination of netilmicin and dexamethasone indicated for the treatment of ocular inflammation of the anterior segment of the eye, in presence or at risk of bacterial infection. NETILDEX has been successfully launched in Italy, Romania, Turkey, Mexico and Lebanon. Filing for regulatory approval in additional countries is ongoing. NETILDEX is the first fixed combination product line available in single and multi-dose solution or single-dose hydrogel formulation. NETILDEX has been tested in over 600 patients in multiple Phase III studies and has been shown to be safe and effective in each clinical study. About SIFI S.p.A. SIFI is the leading Italian ophthalmic company, focused on eye care since 1935. SIFI designs, manufactures and markets innovative pharmaceutical specialty products, surgical and medical devices. Headquartered in Catania, Sicily, SIFI operates directly in Italy, Romania and Mexico with a staff of more than 350 people worldwide. Since June 2015, SIFI is backed by 21 Investimenti, a private equity firm founded by Alessandro Benetton, which supports the company's international expansion and portfolio development strategy. About Knight Therapeutics Inc. Knight Therapeutics Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring or in-licensing innovative pharmaceutical products for the Canadian and select international markets. Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s shares trade on TSX under the symbol GUD. For more information about Knight Therapeutics Inc., please visit the company's web site at www.gud-knight.com or www.sedar.com. Forward-Looking Statement This document contains forward-looking statements for Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries. These forward looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Knight Therapeutics Inc. considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared, but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries, may ultimately prove to be incorrect. Factors and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations are discussed in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Report and in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015. Knight Therapeutics Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law. Contacts: Knight Therapeutics Inc. Jeffrey Kadanoff, P.Eng., MBA Chief Financial Officer 514-484-GUD1 (4831) 514-481-4116 (FAX) info@gud-knight.com www.gud-knight.com SIFI S.p.A Press & Communication Office CITYnet - Rome press@sifigroup.com +39 3336999669 +39 0696708632 (FAX) TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: SRU.UN) and Mitchell Goldhar today announced plans for a new Class-A office tower in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre ("VMC") with professional services firm PwC Canada as the lead tenant. VMC is the new downtown of Vaughan at Highway 400 and Highway 7, a planning area envisioning 40 million square feet of density around new mass transit, including a subway station connected directly to downtown Toronto. The PwC tower will be adjacent to the 360,000 square foot KPMG office tower opening this October. The 220,000 square foot mixed use office tower will be located in the heart of the VMC with access to the new VMC subway station. A new VIVA rapidway and York Regional Transit main bus station will also be located next to the new subway station as critical pieces of transportation infrastructure in this budding downtown. The building will also be home to a new 100,000 square foot flagship YMCA with child care, fitness and aquatic facilities plus a 20,000 square foot City of Vaughan library and studio space, to complement the growing workforce and residents. "We are honoured to welcome PwC Canada to the largest urban mixed-use development in Canada," said Huw Thomas, CEO of SmartREIT. "Having office locations that are downtown, easily accessible and contribute to an overall better quality of life are very important to both employers and employees." SmartREIT owns 53 acres of developable land around the new subway station in a 50/50 joint venture with Mr. Goldhar, and together plan to develop approximately 8.0 million to 10.0 million square feet of commercial, residential and retail space. The joint venture is developing its lands as part of a 100-acre master planned development, with the remainder of the land owned by Mr. Goldhar in partnership with others. This 100-acre master plan around the new subway station is expected to comprise approximately 17 million square feet of mixed use space and a 9 acre park. The VMC subway stop, the most northerly in the GTA, is expected to open in late 2017. It is anticipated that the subway will be the transportation mode of choice by the significant population in the north, north-east and west end of the GTA including those currently commuting to downtown Toronto by car. "We are building a city downtown from scratch and are determined to do an exceptional job. PwC, YMCA and the City's library and community space will certainly contribute to this. The elements of a great city are all here - high speed modern transit with a large surrounding population base, easy access to highways, meticulous urban design and disproportionately large, beautiful open spaces connecting everything together," said Mitchell Goldhar, Chairman of SmartREIT. "There is a lot more in the works. This is our largest and most dynamic single project with many years of growth to come." "The City of Vaughan is pleased to work with the SmartCentres group to ensure a strong social fabric with the amenities to support the families who will live here," said Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor, City of Vaughan. "I am extremely proud to welcome PwC to Vaughan's new downtown, VMC. As a growing city we have a healthy job market, strong population growth and low tax rates which allow us to attract investment and companies like PwC." About SmartREIT SmartREIT is one of Canada's largest real estate investment trusts with total assets of approximately $8.6 billion. It owns and manages in excess of 31 million square feet in value-oriented, principally Walmart-anchored retail centres, having the strongest national and regional retailers as well as strong neighbourhood merchants. In addition, SmartREIT is a joint-venture partner in the Toronto and Montreal Premium Outlets with Simon Property Group. SmartREIT's core vision is to provide a value-oriented shopping experience in all forms to Canadian consumers and to create high quality mixed use developments in urban settings. With SmartREIT's 2015 acquisition of SmartCentres, SmartREIT has transformed into a fully integrated real estate provider. SmartREIT and SmartCentres have had a long and successful alliance, helping to provide Canadians with value-focused retail shopping centres across the country. The result is a fully integrated real estate provider with expertise in planning, development, leasing, operations, and construction - all under one roof. Our name is a reflection of our combined capabilities: SmartREIT. For more information on SmartREIT, visit www.smartreit.com. About Mitchell Goldhar Mitchell Goldhar is Chairman of the Board of SmartREIT and its largest unitholder. Mr. Goldhar, founder of SmartCentres has developed 56 million square feet in 265 shopping centres in all provinces across Canada, many anchored by a Walmart store. In 2015, Mr. Goldhar vended SmartCentres into SmartREIT, including 200 employees that formed the development platform, enabling the REIT to become fully integrated from site identification through development, construction, project management, site intensification, leasing and operations. In addition, PII, Mr. Goldhar's private company is at various stages of development of 78 properties across Canada, including his interest in the VMC 100-acre master planned development and as a partner with Walmart in 14 properties. Contacts: Huw Thomas Chief Executive Officer Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (905) 326-6400 ext. 7649 hthomas@smartreit.com Peter Sweeney Chief Financial Officer Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (905) 326-6400 ext. 7865 psweeney@smartreit.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Aqua America Inc. (WTR) reported a profit for its second quarter that rose from last year. The company said its bottom line climbed to $59.63 million, or $0.33 per share. This was up from $57.38 million, or $0.32 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.33 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company said revenue for the quarter fell 0.9% to $203.88 million. This was down from $205.76 million last year. Aqua America Inc. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q2): $59.63 Mln. vs. $57.38 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 3.9% -EPS (Q2): $0.33 vs. $0.32 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 3.1% -Analysts Estimate: $0.33 -Revenue (Q2): $203.88 Mln vs. $205.76 Mln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): -0.9% -Guidance : Full year EPS guidance: $1.30 - $1.35 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. CALGARY, AB--(Marketwired - August 02, 2016) - Husky Energy's (TSX: HSE) China subsidiary has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with CNOOC Limited and relevant companies for the price adjustment of natural gas from the Liwan 3-1 and Liuhua 34-2 fields that would see the price set at $12.50-15.00 Cdn per thousand cubic feet (mcf) at current exchange rates. "Long term fundamentals remain strong for natural gas demand in China. The price adjustment will allow Husky and CNOOC to maintain their market share in a competitive gas market," said CEO Asim Ghosh. "We reached this agreement in the spirit of the longstanding relationship between Husky and CNOOC that brought to life the first deepwater development offshore China." Gross take-or-pay volumes from the fields remain unchanged in the range of 300-330 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/day). Liquids production, net to Husky, is also expected to remain in the range of 5,000-6,000 barrels per day. The price adjustment under the HOA is effective as of November 20, 2015 and the settlement of outstanding payments is calculated from that date. "Husky and CNOOC plan to further deepen their cooperation and have undertaken to jointly create more value with the advancement of the Liuhua 29-1 gas field," said Ghosh. Plans will get underway to finalize the commercial and development approach to tie the Liuhua 29-1 field into the Liwan infrastructure. Liuhua 29-1 gross gas sales volumes are expected to add approximately 80 mmcf/day. Husky holds a 49 percent interest in the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the Liwan Gas Project and operates the deepwater infrastructure. CNOOC Limited holds a 51 percent interest in the PSC and operates the shallow water facilities and the onshore gas terminal. Husky and CNOOC continue to advance a rich portfolio of opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region, including several shallow water natural gas and liquids developments offshore Indonesia. Husky Energy is one of Canada's largest integrated energy companies. It is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and its common shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HSE. More information is available at www.huskyenergy.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are forward-looking and not historical facts. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "is targeting", "estimated", "intend", "plan", "projection", "remain", "could", "aim", "vision", "goals", "objective", "target", "schedules" and "outlook"). In particular, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, references to: long term fundamentals remaining strong for natural gas demand in China; take-or-pay volumes and liquids production from the Liwan fields; and anticipated gross gas sales volumes for Liuhua 29-1. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in projecting future sales volumes. The total amount of actual sales volumes may vary from initial estimates. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected by the forward-looking statements presented in this news release are reasonable, the Company's forward-looking statements have been based on assumptions and factors concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company about itself and the businesses in which it operates. Information used in developing forward-looking statements has been acquired from various sources including third-party consultants, suppliers, regulators and other sources. Because actual results or outcomes could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements, investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Some of these risks, uncertainties and other factors are similar to those faced by other oil and gas companies and some are unique to Husky. The Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015 and other documents filed with securities regulatory authorities (accessible through the SEDAR website www.sedar.com and the EDGAR website www.sec.gov) describe risks, material assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results and are incorporated herein by reference. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent upon other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend upon its assessment of the future considering all information then available. For further information, please contact: Investor Inquiries: Rob Knowles Manager, Investor Relations Husky Energy Inc. 587-747-2116 Media Inquiries: Mel Duvall Manager, Media & Issues Husky Energy Inc. 403-513-7602 HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- Era Group Inc. (NYSE: ERA) (the "Company") today reported net income attributable to the Company of $1.9 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for its second quarter ended June 30, 2016 ("current quarter") on operating revenues of $63.4 million compared to net income attributable to the Company of $11.3 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 ("prior year quarter") on operating revenues of $70.7 million. During the current quarter, the Company and its partner in its Brazilian joint venture, Aeroleo Taxi Aero S/A ("Aeroleo"), each contributed notes payable to them by Aeroleo as a contribution of additional capital into Aeroleo. As a result of this transaction, the Company reduced total debt by the $6.3 million of notes that were contributed by its partner in Aeroleo and recorded a $6.3 million loss attributable to noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary, which increased net income attributable to the Company by the same amount. Excluding the impact of this transaction, net loss attributable to the Company would have been $4.4 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, in the current quarter. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") was $10.7 million in the current quarter compared to $33.2 million in the prior year quarter. EBITDA adjusted to exclude gains on asset dispositions and special items was $8.8 million in the current quarter compared to $20.5 million in the prior year quarter. Gains on asset dispositions were $1.4 million in the current quarter compared to a loss of $0.2 million in the prior year quarter. Special items consisted of a pre-tax gain on debt extinguishment of $0.5 million in the current quarter and a pre-tax gain of $12.9 million on the sale of the Company's fixed base operations ("FBO") business in Alaska in the prior year quarter. "Industry conditions remain very challenging, and the second quarter represented our lowest level of Adjusted EBITDA in the last several years," said Chris Bradshaw, President and Chief Executive Officer of Era Group Inc. "Despite the difficult market environment, Era generated $14 million of cash flow from operating activities in the quarter, and with our strong balance sheet and ample liquidity position, we remain well positioned to withstand the pressures of a prolonged industry downturn." Second Quarter Results Operating revenues in the current quarter were $7.4 million lower than the prior year quarter primarily due to lower utilization and lower average rates in our U.S. oil and gas operations, the end of certain dry-leasing contracts and the sale of our FBO in Alaska in May 2015. These decreases were partially offset by the consolidation of Aeroleo and the start of a new contract in Suriname. Operating expenses were $7.6 million higher in the current quarter primarily due to the consolidation of Aeroleo and increased repairs and maintenance expenses, partially offset by decreased personnel expenses and non-income taxes in the U.S. Administrative and general expenses were $2.6 million lower in the current quarter primarily due to reduced headcount and compensation expense in the U.S., the collection of a previously reserved receivable and reduced professional services expenses, partially offset by the consolidation of Aeroleo. Depreciation and amortization expense was $1.3 million higher in the current quarter due to the addition of new helicopters, a base expansion project and investments in additional information technology infrastructure. Gains on asset dispositions were $1.6 million higher in the current quarter. We sold or otherwise disposed of two helicopters and related equipment in the current quarter for proceeds of $1.9 million resulting in gains of $1.4 million. In the prior year quarter, we sold five helicopters and related equipment for proceeds of $3.0 million resulting in book losses of $0.2 million. Interest expense was $1.2 million higher in the current quarter primarily due to the cessation of capitalized interest on helicopter deposits, partially offset by savings resulting from the cumulative repurchases of a portion of our 7.750% senior unsecured notes (the "7.750% Senior Notes"). Gain on debt extinguishment was $0.5 million in the current quarter due to the repurchase of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes. Equity earnings were $0.6 million in the current quarter compared to a loss of $0.2 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to improved earnings from our Dart Holding Company Ltd. ("Dart") joint venture. Sequential Quarter Results Operating revenues in the current quarter were $0.8 million higher compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2016 ("preceding quarter") primarily due to the start of seasonal activities in Alaska, a new contract in Suriname and increased revenues in Brazil and Colombia, partially offset by decreased revenues in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the bankruptcy of a dry-leasing customer. Operating expenses were $3.1 million higher in the current quarter primarily due to the start of seasonal activities in Alaska, increased fuel expenses in Brazil and reduced vendor credits. In addition, nonrecurring expenses in the current quarter included $0.4 million of severance costs related to headcount reductions in Brazil and the U.S. and $0.5 million of workers' compensation expense related to an accident in Alaska. Administrative and general expenses were $1.1 million lower in the current quarter primarily due to the collection of a previously reserved receivable and lower personnel costs. EBITDA was $1.6 million lower compared to the preceding quarter. EBITDA adjusted to exclude gains on asset dispositions and special items was $0.5 million lower. Gains on asset dispositions were $1.5 million lower compared to the preceding quarter. Special items in the current quarter consisted of the gain on debt extinguishment noted above, and there were no special items in the preceding quarter. Equity earnings were $0.6 million higher in the current quarter primarily due to improved earnings at our Dart joint venture. Six Months Results The Company reported a net loss of $1.9 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2016 ("current six months") on operating revenues of $125.9 million compared to net income of $11.3 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2015 ("prior year period") on operating revenues of $138.2 million. EBITDA was $22.9 million in the current six months compared to $47.8 million in the prior year period. EBITDA adjusted to exclude gains on asset dispositions and special items was $18.1 million in the current six months compared to $31.5 million in the prior year period. Gains on asset dispositions were $4.3 million in the current six months compared to $3.1 million in the prior year period. Special items in the current six months consisted of a gain on debt extinguishment of $0.5 million. Special items in the prior year period consisted of a gain on the sale of the FBO of $12.9 million and gains on debt extinguishment of $0.3 million. Operating revenues in the current six months were $12.2 million lower than the prior year period primarily due to lower utilization and lower average rates in our U.S. oil and gas operations, the end of certain dry-leasing contracts and the sale of the FBO, partially offset by the consolidation of Aeroleo and the start of a new contract in Suriname. Operating expenses were $8.3 million higher in the current six months primarily due to the consolidation of Aeroleo and increased repairs and maintenance expenses, partially offset by reductions in operating expenses in the U.S. due to reduced activity, lower headcount and other cost control measures. Administrative and general expenses were $3.2 million lower in the current six months primarily due to reduced headcount and compensation expenses in the U.S., the collection of a previously reserved receivable and the end of the Amended and Restated Transition Services Agreement with SEACOR Holdings Inc., partially offset by the consolidation of Aeroleo. Depreciation and amortization expense was $2.5 million higher in the current six months due to the addition of new helicopters, a base expansion project and investments in additional information technology infrastructure. Interest expense was $2.5 million higher in the current six months due to the cessation of capitalized interest on helicopter deposits, partially offset by savings resulting from the cumulative repurchases of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes. Foreign exchange gains were $0.6 million in the current six months primarily due to the strengthening of the Brazilian real resulting in gains on our real-denominated balances. Foreign exchange losses were $2.4 million in the prior year period primarily due to the settlement of forward currency contracts and the weakening of the euro resulting in losses on our euro-denominated balances. Equity earnings were $0.6 million in the current six months compared to a loss of $0.3 million in the prior year period primarily due to improved earnings from our Dart joint venture. Fleet Update We continue to experience excess capacity in our medium and heavy helicopters. Excess helicopters include our helicopters other than those under customer contracts, undergoing maintenance, dedicated for charter activity or models subject to operational suspension. We are focused on maximizing the utilization of our fleet and reducing the excess capacity in our medium and heavy helicopters through fleet management initiatives, participation in competitive bids and the pursuit of other opportunities. In addition, we may sell certain helicopters on an opportunistic basis consistent with our long-standing strategy. Due to an accident in April 2016 involving an Airbus Helicopters EC225LP (also known as a H225) model helicopter operated by another helicopter company, the civilian fleet of H225 and AS332 L2 model helicopters remains on operational suspension. We own nine H225 helicopters, including five that are currently located in the U.S., three that are currently located in Brazil and one that is currently located in Norway. As of June 30, 2016, the net book value of our H225 helicopters and related inventory of parts and equipment was $164.5 million. During this suspension of H225 operations, we expect to utilize other heavy and medium helicopters to service our operations. Although we do not expect the near-term impact of the suspension to be material to our financial condition or results of operations, it is too early to estimate the full extent or duration of the H225 suspension, the market receptivity of the H225 helicopter for future oil and gas operations and the potential impact on residual values of these helicopters. Capital Commitments We had unfunded capital commitments of $152.7 million as of June 30, 2016, of which $39.4 million is payable during the remainder of 2016 with the balance payable through 2018. We may terminate $125.8 million of our total commitments (inclusive of deposits paid on options not yet exercised) without further liability other than aggregate liquidated damages of $3.0 million. The noncancellable portion of our commitments payable during the remainder of 2016 is $13.4 million. Included in these capital commitments are agreements to purchase seven AW189 heavy helicopters, two S92 heavy helicopters and five AW169 light twin helicopters. The AW189 and S92 helicopters are scheduled to be delivered beginning in 2016 through 2018. Delivery dates for the AW169 helicopters have yet to be determined. In addition, we had outstanding options to purchase up to an additional ten AW189 helicopters and one S92 helicopter. If these options are exercised, the helicopters would be scheduled for delivery beginning in 2017 through 2018. Capital Allocation and Liquidity As of June 30, 2016, we had $39.2 million of cash and, based on operating results through June 30, 2016, $170.4 million of remaining availability under our senior secured revolving credit facility (the "Facility") for total liquidity of $209.6 million. As of June 30, 2016, our funded debt-to-EBITDA and interest coverage ratios, as defined in the Facility, were 3.0x and 5.7x, respectively. A description of these metrics is included in the financial tables in this release. Conference Call Management will conduct a conference call starting at 10:00 a.m. ET (9:00 a.m. CT) on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, to review the results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. The conference call can be accessed as follows: All callers will need to reference the access code 5689452. Within the U.S.: Operator Assisted Toll-Free Dial-In Number: (888) 397-5355 Outside the U.S.: Operator Assisted International Dial-In Number: (719) 325-2436 Replay A telephone replay will be available through August 17, 2016 and may be accessed by calling (888) 203-1112 for domestic callers or (719) 457-0820 for international callers. An audio replay will also be available on the Company's website at www.eragroupinc.com shortly after the call and will be accessible through August 17, 2016. For additional information concerning Era Group, contact Andrew Puhala at (713) 369-4646 or visit Era Group's website at www.eragroupinc.com. About Era Group Era Group is one of the largest helicopter operators in the world and the longest serving helicopter transport operator in the U.S. In addition to servicing its U.S. customers, Era Group provides helicopters and related services to customers and third-party helicopter operators in other countries, including Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Spain, Suriname and the United Kingdom. Era Group's helicopters are primarily used to transport personnel to, from and between offshore oil and gas production platforms, drilling rigs and other installations. Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure Certain statements discussed in this release as well as in other reports, materials and oral statements that the Company releases from time to time to the public include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements concerning management's expectations, strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated performance and financial condition and other similar matters involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements discussed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others, the Company's dependence on, and the cyclical and volatile nature of, offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production activity, and the impact of general economic conditions and fluctuations in worldwide prices of and demand for oil and natural gas on such activity levels; the Company's reliance on a small number of customers and the reduction of its customer base resulting from consolidation; cost-saving initiatives implemented by the Company's customers; risks inherent in operating helicopters; the Company's ability to maintain an acceptable safety record; the Company's ability to successfully expand into other geographic and helicopter service markets; the impact of increased U.S. and foreign government regulation and legislation, including potential government implemented moratoriums on drilling activities; risks of engaging in competitive processes or expending significant resources with no guaranty of recoupment; risks of a grounding of all or a portion of the Company's fleet for extended periods of time or indefinitely; risks that the Company's customers reduce or cancel contracted services or tender processes; the Company's reliance on a small number of helicopter manufacturers and suppliers; risks associated with political instability, governmental action, war, acts of terrorism and changes in the economic condition in any foreign country where the Company does business, which may result in expropriation, nationalization, confiscation or deprivation of the Company's assets or result in claims of a force majeure situation; the impact of declines in the global economy and financial markets; the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates on the Company's cost to purchase helicopters, spare parts and related services and on asset values; the Company's credit risk exposure; the Company's ongoing need to replace aging helicopters; the Company's reliance on the secondary helicopter market to dispose of older helicopters and related equipment; the Company's reliance on information technology; the impact of allocation of risk between the Company and its customers; the liability, legal fees and costs in connection with providing emergency response services; risks associated with the Company's debt structure; the impact of operational and financial difficulties of the Company's joint ventures and partners; conflict with the other owners of the Company's non-wholly owned subsidiaries and other equity investees; adverse results of legal proceedings; adverse weather conditions and seasonality; the Company's ability to obtain insurance coverage and the adequacy and availability of such coverage; the possibility of labor problems; the attraction and retention of qualified personnel; restrictions on the amount of foreign ownership of the Company's common stock; and various other matters and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, these statements constitute Era Group's cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, the foregoing should not be considered a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties. The words "estimate," "project," "intend," "believe," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made. Era Group disclaims any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in Era Group's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based. The forward-looking statements in this release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the Company's businesses, particularly those mentioned under "Risk Factors" in Era Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2015, in Era Group's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in Era Group's current reporting on Form 8-K (if any), which are incorporated by reference. ERA GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited, in thousands, except share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, ------------------------ ------------------------ 2016 2015 2016 2015 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating revenues $ 63,351 $ 70,738 $ 125,933 $ 138,153 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Costs and expenses: Operating 47,396 39,784 91,703 83,389 Administrative and general 8,140 10,779 17,367 20,522 Depreciation and amortization 12,691 11,398 25,457 23,000 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total costs and expenses 68,227 61,961 134,527 126,911 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Gains (losses) on asset dispositions, net 1,367 (242) 4,280 3,146 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating income (loss) (3,509) 8,535 (4,314) 14,388 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Other income (expense): Interest income 403 317 704 568 Interest expense (4,130) (2,881) (8,878) (6,426) Derivative losses, net -- (10) -- (22) Foreign currency gains (losses), net 329 543 610 (2,417) Gain on debt extinguishment 518 -- 518 264 Gain on sale of FBO -- 12,946 -- 12,946 Other, net 46 (9) 29 (9) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total other income (expense) (2,834) 10,906 (7,017) 4,904 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) before income taxes and equity earnings (6,343) 19,441 (11,331) 19,292 Income tax expense (benefit) (1,232) 8,138 (2,246) 8,083 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) before equity earnings (5,111) 11,303 (9,085) 11,209 Equity earnings (losses), net of tax 601 (198) 625 (343) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) (4,510) 11,105 (8,460) 10,866 Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in subsidiary 6,448 228 6,580 425 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) attributable to Era Group Inc. $ 1,938 $ 11,333 $ (1,880) $ 11,291 =========== =========== =========== =========== Income (loss) per common share, basic $ 0.09 $ 0.55 $ (0.09) $ 0.55 Income (loss) per common share, diluted $ 0.09 $ 0.55 $ (0.09) $ 0.55 Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic 20,361,533 20,273,780 20,290,735 20,235,082 Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted 20,364,382 20,332,657 20,290,735 20,295,498 EBITDA $ 10,676 $ 33,205 $ 22,925 $ 47,807 Adjusted EBITDA $ 10,158 $ 20,259 $ 22,407 $ 34,597 Adjusted EBITDA excluding gains $ 8,791 $ 20,501 $ 18,127 $ 31,451 ERA GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited, in thousands, except share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended ----------------------------------------------------------- Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating revenues $ 63,351 $ 62,582 $ 73,943 $ 69,741 $ 70,738 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Costs and expenses: Operating 47,396 44,307 45,085 43,007 39,784 Administrative and general 8,140 9,227 11,052 11,238 10,779 Depreciation and amortization 12,691 12,766 12,151 12,186 11,398 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total costs and expenses 68,227 66,300 68,288 66,431 61,961 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Gains (losses) on asset dispositions, net 1,367 2,913 994 1,813 (242) Goodwill impairment -- -- (1,866) -- -- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating income (loss) (3,509) (805) 4,783 5,123 8,535 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Other income (expense): Interest income 403 301 391 232 317 Interest expense (4,130) (4,748) (3,979) (3,121) (2,881) Derivative gains (losses), net -- -- (4) 8 (10) Foreign currency gains (losses), net 329 281 (319) 146 543 Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment 518 -- 1,369 (16) -- Gain on sale of FBO -- -- -- -- 12,946 Other, net 46 (17) 54 -- (9) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total other income (expense) (2,834) (4,183) (2,488) (2,751) 10,906 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) before income taxes and equity earnings (6,343) (4,988) 2,295 2,372 19,441 Income tax expense (benefit) (1,232) (1,014) 4,691 1,343 8,138 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Income (loss) before equity earnings (5,111) (3,974) (2,396) 1,029 11,303 Equity earnings (losses), net of tax 601 24 (1,224) (376) (198) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) (4,510) (3,950) (3,620) 653 11,105 Net loss attributable to non- controlling interest in subsidiary 6,448 132 173 208 228 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net income (loss) attributable to Era Group Inc. $ 1,938 $ (3,818)$ (3,447)$ 861 $ 11,333 =========== =========== =========== =========== =========== Earnings (loss) per common share, basic $ 0.09 $ (0.19)$ (0.17)$ 0.04 $ 0.55 Earnings (loss) per common share, diluted $ 0.09 $ (0.19)$ (0.17)$ 0.04 $ 0.55 Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic 20,361,533 20,219,937 20,183,027 20,260,514 20,273,780 Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted 20,364,382 20,219,937 20,183,027 20,287,069 20,332,657 EBITDA $ 10,676 $ 12,249 $ 16,810 $ 17,071 $ 33,205 Adjusted EBITDA $ 10,158 $ 12,249 $ 17,307 $ 17,087 $ 20,259 Adjusted EBITDA excluding gains $ 8,791 $ 9,336 $ 16,313 $ 15,274 $ 20,501 ERA GROUP INC. OPERATING REVENUES BY LINE OF SERVICE (unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended ------------------------------------------- Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- Oil and gas:(1) U.S. Gulf of Mexico $ 33,312 $ 36,812 $ 40,368 $ 42,132 $41,821 Alaska 1,273 932 3,309 5,429 6,009 International 16,848 14,054 18,865 60 47 -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- Total oil and gas 51,433 51,798 62,542 47,621 47,877 Dry-leasing 2,827 3,995 4,643 11,925 12,233 Search and rescue 4,590 4,891 4,955 4,418 4,989 Air medical services 2,007 1,898 1,803 1,854 1,914 Flightseeing 2,494 -- -- 3,923 3,118 Fixed base operations -- -- -- -- 614 Eliminations -- -- -- -- (7) -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- $ 63,351 $ 62,582 $ 73,943 $ 69,741 $70,738 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======= FLIGHT HOURS BY LINE OF SERVICE(2) (unaudited) Three Months Ended -------------------------------------------- Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Oil and gas:(1) U.S. Gulf of Mexico 7,153 7,290 8,255 9,435 8,717 Alaska 78 77 380 797 732 International 2,535 2,332 3,055 22 14 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Total oil and gas 9,766 9,699 11,690 10,254 9,463 Search and rescue 199 201 275 265 260 Air medical services 832 618 748 949 826 Flightseeing 679 -- -- 1,502 1,118 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 11,476 10,518 12,713 12,970 11,667 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== (1) Primarily oil and gas services, but also includes revenues from activities such as firefighting and utility support. (2) Does not include hours flown by helicopters in our dry-leasing line of service. ERA GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited, in thousands) Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 39,160 $ 30,803 $ 14,370 $ 13,808 $ 17,002 Receivables: Trade, net of allowance for doubtful accounts 36,830 36,980 48,639 39,498 39,866 Tax receivables 6,011 6,068 6,085 114 105 Other 3,641 3,707 3,305 2,399 2,005 Inventories, net 27,764 27,744 27,994 24,932 25,808 Prepaid expenses 2,563 3,274 1,963 3,055 3,847 Deferred income taxes -- -- -- 2,276 2,507 Other current assets 191 191 191 2,297 6,762 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total current assets 116,160 108,767 102,547 88,379 97,902 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Property and equipment 1,172,242 1,171,271 1,175,909 1,175,693 1,192,445 Accumulated depreciation (336,722) (325,363) (316,693) (311,070) (314,484) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Net property and equipment 835,520 845,908 859,216 864,623 877,961 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Equity investments and advances 29,299 28,795 28,898 30,256 30,945 Goodwill -- -- -- 1,589 1,823 Intangible assets 1,148 1,153 1,158 1,411 1,410 Other assets 12,719 12,850 12,532 9,164 10,890 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total assets $ 994,846 $ 997,473 $1,004,351 $ 995,422 $1,020,931 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTEREST AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 15,473 $ 10,119 $ 12,000 $ 12,037 $ 12,026 Accrued wages and benefits 9,565 6,244 9,012 7,861 7,293 Accrued interest 612 3,491 562 3,992 813 Accrued income taxes -- -- -- 7,415 7,613 Derivative instruments -- -- -- 71 192 Accrued other taxes 2,515 1,905 2,520 1,259 968 Accrued contingencies 1,280 2,851 2,410 -- -- Current portion of long-term debt 1,569 2,291 3,278 25,335 26,130 Other current liabilities 2,184 1,775 2,300 3,476 2,588 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total current liabilities 33,198 28,676 32,082 61,446 57,623 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Long-term debt 252,940 263,590 263,698 239,515 264,014 Deferred income taxes 227,933 229,083 229,848 213,998 218,802 Deferred gains and other liabilities 4,418 2,855 2,616 1,956 1,994 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total liabilities 518,489 524,204 528,244 516,915 542,433 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Redeemable noncontrolling interest 4,573 4,672 4,804 4,783 5,195 Equity: Era Group Inc. stockholders' equity: Common stock 211 211 207 207 206 Additional paid-in capital 435,714 434,460 433,175 432,774 431,233 Retained earnings 38,622 36,684 40,502 43,949 43,088 Treasury shares, at cost (2,855) (2,850) (2,673) (2,632) (563) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 92 92 92 92 (44) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total Era Group Inc. stockholders' equity 471,784 468,597 471,303 474,390 473,920 Non-controlling interest -- -- -- (666) (617) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total equity 471,784 468,597 471,303 473,724 473,303 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity $ 994,846 $ 997,473 $1,004,351 $ 995,422 $1,020,931 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== Our management uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to assess the performance and operating results of our business. EBITDA is defined as Earnings before Interest (includes interest income and interest expense), Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA further adjusted for certain items noted in the reconciliation below that occur during the reported period. We include EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to provide investors with a supplemental measure of our operating performance. Neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA is a recognized term under generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. ("GAAP"). Accordingly, they should not be used as an indicator of, or an alternative to, net income as a measure of operating performance. In addition, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not intended to be measures of free cash flow available for management's discretionary use, as they do not consider certain cash requirements, such as debt service requirements. Because the definitions of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (or similar measures) may vary among companies and industries, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. The following table provides a reconciliation of Net Income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands). Three Months Ended Six Months Ended -------------------------------------------- ----------------- Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2016 2015 ------- ------- ------- ------- -------- ------- -------- Net Income (loss) $(4,510) $(3,950) $(3,620) $ 653 $ 11,105 $(8,460) $ 10,866 Depreciat- ion and amortiza- tion 12,691 12,766 12,151 12,186 11,398 25,457 23,000 Interest income (403) (301) (391) (232) (317) (704) (568) Interest expense 4,130 4,748 3,979 3,121 2,881 8,878 6,426 Income tax expense (benefit) (1,232) (1,014) 4,691 1,343 8,138 (2,246) 8,083 ------- ------- ------- ------- -------- ------- -------- EBITDA $10,676 $12,249 $16,810 $17,071 $ 33,205 $22,925 $ 47,807 Special items (1) (518) -- 497 16 (12,946) (518) (13,210) ------- ------- ------- ------- -------- ------- -------- Adjusted EBITDA $10,158 $12,249 $17,307 $17,087 $ 20,259 $22,407 $ 34,597 Losses (gains) on asset dispositions, net (1,367) (2,913) (994) (1,813) 242 (4,280) (3,146) ------- ------- ------- ------- -------- ------- -------- Adjusted EBITDA excluding gains $ 8,791 $ 9,336 $16,313 $15,274 $ 20,501 $18,127 $ 31,451 ======= ======= ======= ======= ======== ======= ======== (1) Special items include the following: -- In the three months ended June 30, 2016, a gain of $0.5 million on the extinguishment of debt related to the repurchase of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes; -- In the three months ended December 31, 2015, a pre-tax gain of $1.4 million on the extinguishment of debt related to the repurchase of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes and a pre-tax charge of $1.9 million on the impairment of our goodwill; -- In the three months ended September 30, 2015, a pre-tax loss of less than $0.1 million on the extinguishment of debt related to the repurchase of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes; -- In the three months ended June 30, 2015, a pre-tax gain of $12.9 million on the sale of our FBO in Alaska; and -- In the six months ended June 30, 2015, a pre-tax gain of $12.9 million on the sale of the FBO and a gain of $0.3 million on the extinguishment of debt related to the repurchase of a portion of our 7.750% Senior Notes. The Facility requires that the Company maintain certain financial ratios on a rolling 12-month basis. The interest coverage ratio is a trailing 12-month quotient of (i) EBITDA (as defined in the Facility) less dividends and distributions divided by (ii) interest expense. The interest coverage ratio is not a measure of operating performance or liquidity defined by GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. The funded debt to EBITDA ratio is calculated by dividing (i) the sum of total debt for borrowed money, capital lease obligations and guaranties of obligations of non-consolidated entities by (ii) EBITDA (as defined in the Facility). The funded debt to EBITDA ratio is not a measure of operating performance or liquidity defined by GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. EBITDA is calculated under the Facility differently than as presented elsewhere in this release. ERA GROUP INC. FLEET COUNTS(1) (unaudited) Jun 30, Mar 31, Dec 31, Sep 30, Jun 30, 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Heavy: H225 9 9 9 9 9 S92 2 2 2 -- -- AW189 2 2 2 -- -- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 13 13 13 9 9 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== Medium: AW139 38 38 38 39 39 S76 C+/C++ 6 6 6 6 6 S76 A++ -- -- 2 2 2 B212 7 8 8 8 8 B412 1 1 1 2 3 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 52 53 55 57 58 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== Light--twin engine: A109 7 7 7 7 7 EC135 17 17 17 17 19 EC145 5 5 5 5 5 BK117 3 3 3 3 3 BO105 3 3 3 3 3 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 35 35 35 35 37 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== Light--single engine: A119 14 14 14 16 17 AS350 28 29 29 31 31 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 42 43 43 47 48 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== Total Helicopters 142 144 146 148 152 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== (1) Includes all owned, joint ventured, leased-in and managed helicopters and excludes helicopters fully paid for and delivered but not yet placed in service as of the applicable dates. For additional information concerning Era Group, contact Andrew Puhala (713) 369-4646 or visit Era Group's website at www.eragroupinc.com WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/02/16 -- FP Newspapers Inc. (TSX: FP) invites members of the investment community and media to participate in the second quarter results conference call. Ron Stern, Chairman, Bob Cox, Publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and Dan Koshowski, Chief Financial Officer will discuss the second quarter results. The review will be followed by a question and answer session. Please plan to connect five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. FP Newspapers Inc. Second Quarter Call, Friday, August 12, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern (11:00 a.m. Central). Conference call Participants may join the call by dialing 416-340-8530 or dial toll free at 800-766-6630 five minutes prior to 12:00 p.m. ET. The call will be available at any time for replay until September 12, 2016. To hear the replay dial 905-694-9451 or dial toll free at 800-408-3053. The replay code is 1890293. About FPI FPI owns securities entitling it to 49% of the distributable cash of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership ("FPLP"). FPLP owns the Winnipeg Free Press, the Brandon Sun, and their related businesses, as well as the Canstar Community News division, the publisher of six community newspapers in the Winnipeg region, The Carillon in Steinbach with its related commercial printing operations and the Carberry News Express weekly publication. The Winnipeg Free Press publishes six days a week for delivery to subscribers and single copy sales, and publishes a single copy edition on Sundays. Vividata, a third party research firm, which measures newspaper readership across Canadian markets, estimates that weekly 75% of all Winnipeg adults read the print or digital edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. The Brandon Sun publishes six days a week, serving the region with an average circulation of approximately 11,050 copies. Canstar Community News publishes weekly with an average circulation of approximately 200,000 copies. The businesses employ approximately 510 full-time equivalent people in Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach and Carberry, Manitoba. Further information can be found at www.fpnewspapers.com and in disclosure documents filed by FP Newspapers Inc. with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com. Contacts: Daniel Koshowski CFO FP Newspapers Inc. (204) 771-1897 RYE BROOK, New York, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NYPPEX, a technology-driven financial services company that provides secondary private equity market liquidity, just released its revised 2016 Midyear Secondary Private Equity Market Trends and Valuation Report that discusses secondary direct investments in venture-backed private companies. Its findings included the following: 1. Secondary transaction volume increased 12% for secondary direct investments in venture backed private companies in the 1H2016, driven by shareholders' concerns about declining valuations and fewer exits. We believe there was significant secondary direct supply offered in the 1H2016 that did not get executed. 2. Secondary bid prices were often significantly lower than offer prices for secondary shares in venture-backed Unicorn companies (i.e. valuations in excess of $1 billion) despite offer prices that reflected 20-40% write downs since December 31, 2015. 3. For the 2H2016, NYPPEX estimates that secondary bid prices will decline 4-6% in general and 10-18% for Common shares (which are widely held by employees) in many Unicorns compared to June 30, 2016, driven by investors' concerns about current valuations (vs. public stocks), exits and geopolitical risk. Mutual funds, hedge funds and family offices that aggressively invested in Unicorns may report large losses from secondary sales in 2017. To request a copy of the NYPPEX 2016 midyear report, please email data@nyppex.com with your name, title and organization. Note: All information as estimated by NYPPEX. About NYPPEX Holdings NYPPEX Holdings is a technology-driven financial services holding company that provides secondary private equity market transfer administration, trading, advisory and portfolio valuation services for alternative assets worldwide. NYPPEX has provided over $8 billion in secondary private equity liquidity to investors in 26 countries for (a) interests in private funds (e.g. buyout, venture, natural resources, real estate, hedge funds etc.), (b) unregistered securities in private (and listed) companies and (c) their respective derivative instruments. Its services are provided to alternative investment firms, private companies, governments, financial institutions, custodians, corporations, private wealth management groups and their advisors worldwide. www.nyppex.com For more information, please contact inquiries@nyppex.com or: Robin Starr Bond, SVP, NYPPEX +1.914.305.2808 rbond@nyppex.com This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com Glowforge, a Seattle, WA-based 3D laser printer company, raised $22m in Series B funding. The round was led by Foundry Group and True Ventures. Led by CEO Dan Shapiro, Glowforge is a desktop laser that uses subtractive technology to allow designers, artists, and makers to print such products as leather wallets, hardwood jewelry boxes, etc, from dozens of materials including leather, hardwoods, fabric, plastic, paper, and chocolate. Designs can come from any software that can produce a PDF or a picture, such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Onboard cameras can scan drawings and convert them directly to designs as well. The company also provides an app that runs on cloud software to enable users to print from any web browser, including a desktop, tablet, or phone. This round follows a large 30-day crowdfunding campaign last fall, during which Glowforge received $27.9m in pre-orders. In the nine months since the campaign, the company has grown the team from 14 to 33 full-time employees and currently lists more than 20 open positions at Glowforge.com/jobs. FinSMEs 02/08/2016 CS Disco Inc., a Houston, TX-based legal technology company, raised $18.575m in Series C funding. The round was led by The Stephens Group, a private equity firm, with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners and LiveOak Venture Partners. In conjunction with the funding, Aaron Clark, managing director at The Stephens Group LLC, will join Discos board of directors. The company, which has raised more than $35m in total funding, will use the funds to accelerate the release of new features, including the machine learning platform, grow its sales presence in major U.S. cities, including its new sales team focused on corporate legal departments, and expand its complementary professional services offerings. Led by CEO Kiwi Camara, Disco provides an ediscovery platform to automate and simplify complex and error-prone tasks that distract from practicing law. The company serves more than 400 litigation boutiques and the AmLaw 200. FinSMEs 02/08/2016 Pulsate, a Dublin, Ireland, and San Francisco, CA-based mobile marketing software provider, raised $1.5m in funding. Backers included PayPal, duhnhumby Ventures, Delta Partners Bank of Ireland Seed Fund, Enterprise Ireland and other private investors. The company intends to use the funds to further its US growth and expansion. Led by CEO Patrick Leddy and CMO John Walker, Pulsate provides a platform that understands customer behavior across location, app usage and CRM to allow mobile marketers to send personalized campaigns, increase user engagement and deliver experiences to build brand loyalty. FinSMEs 02/08/2016 After the stupendous success of Rajinikanths Kabali, all eyes in the Tamil film industry are now on Vikrams new action adventure thriller Iru Mugan (Two Faced). The bilingual in Tamil and Telugu directed by young Anand Shankar is produced by Shibu Thameens, and is slated for worldwide release on 2 September. Iru Mugan has Vikram, Nayanthara, Nithya Menen and Nassar in key roles with music by Harris Jayaraj and camera by RD Rajasekhar. The audio and trailer launch of the film took place today (Aug 2) morning at the prestigious Sathyam Cinemas. It was truly a grand affair, where the cast and crew of the film sans the female leads (Nayanthara and Nitya Menen) were present. Nayanthara, who is one of the top most female actors in south India, has not attended any of her own promotional functions in the last couple of years. Nitya Menen was busy shooting with Telugu actor NTR for his film Janata Garage. But Riythvika, who played an important role in Kabali and is doing a crucial role in Iru Mugan, stole the show as fans gave her a standing ovation. However the star attraction at the event was the two special guests, the fastest rising star in Tamil Sivakarthikeyan and Malayalam star Nivin Pauly. They came to the function as they grew up on Vikram films and were crazy fans of the actor. Another special invitee was the veteran writer Vijeyandra Prasad, the writer who gave two mega hits, Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijan. In this action packed sci-fi entertainer Vikram plays a bearded, violent RAW agent who is pitted against a transgender called Love (played by Vikram himself), who is out to destroy the villain. The racy and stunning trailer clearly indicates Vikram is playing a super hero and a Joker-like villain. The music of the film by Harris Jayaraj is peppy and is sure to be a chartbuster. Speaking at the event Vikram said, Doing a dual role has been my dream. We need new crop of directors like Anand Shankar, who has a fresh approach to commercial cinema. I enjoyed working with a youngster like him. Nayanthara has got an aura about her. When she's in the frame, it's sheer magic. I dont want to create unnecessary hype about the film which Im sure will do the talking. Anand Shankar, the director of this action extravaganza said: Iru Mugan is a sci-fi based action thriller on international espionage. Vikram sir has done an awesome dual role. The trailer is exciting without giving much away. Please watch the movie, it will be a complete entertainer. Iru Mugan has become the hottest film in the southern circuit. All areas have been sold out, and the film is expected to generate a huge opening. Vikram badly needs a super hit, as his last film 10 Endrathukulla, was a failure at the box-office. At the function, in a sudden surprise move, director Hari along with Vikram and producer Shibu Thameens announced that they will start the shoot of Saamy 2 by the end of the year. Saamy is a 2003 Vikram action cop drama in which he plays Aarusaamy, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Tirunelveli, and the film was a blockbuster. The ambitious Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill has been listed for discussion in Rajya Sabha (RS) for Wednesday, finally. It was crucial for the critical amendment to come in as early as possible with only ten days left for this session to end. Not just the big political parties, but also the smaller ones would want time to debate the crucial Bill that will bring about the biggest change in the countrys tax structure since independence from British colonial rule. Since there are key amendments in the original draft of the Bill that was passed in Lok Sabha last year, the GST Bill has to, once again, go back to Lok Sabha once the Upper House clears it, though it is largely a technicality. In the RS, two third of the members (163) will have to support the Bill. Last week, the Cabinet had cleared the major changes. The GST rollout will be a time-consuming, complex process. There are a few key amendments that are likely to come up for discussion on the GST Bill on Wednesday. These include changing the wording on the matter of five-year compensation to the states (the government has now promised full compensation to the states not partial as offered earlier, inclusion of a clause that serves as the "guiding principle" determining how the rate would be calculated, doing away with the one percent additional tax [which was a bad idea from day one and would have killed the whole purpose of a single tax regime], and work out a model to strengthen the built of the state dispute resolution mechanism, and, probably, working out a definition for the concept of revenue neutral rate (no loss, no profit tax rate for states). The good news is on almost all these issues -- the BJP now has an understanding with Congress and other regional parties, except, AIADMK, whose dissent doesnt really matter now since the Congress is on board. Once these amendments are passed in the RS and the revised Bill is sent back and cleared in the Lower House, then the long process to implement the final version will begin. The biggest exercise is that state governments, at least half of them, will have to ratify the GST Bill in their assemblies. At this stage, there is likely that several points of contentions and clarifications will be sought by the states as they look at the change in the transactional tax regime at the implementation level. Once implemented, the GST will replace all versions of indirect tax levies including VAT, octroi, excise duty, service tax and any other state-level taxes. This is a big exercise and putting in place the systems to implement this will take months. Though bigger states are on board, the GST Bill will have to go through several other smaller states where practical implementation issues will play a bigger role than politics. Till this time, there is no clarity on what will be the final rate structure will be. With the Congresss demand of inclusion of GST rate in the Constitution, outright rejected by BJP and bigger regional parties like RJD and TMC, the rate might find place in the supporting legislation that will come up after the constitutional amendment. The right to decide the GST rate, based on the larger guiding principles outlined in the constitution, is likely to be with the joint GST council that will have participation from both the Centre and states. This is a saner way than making the rate part of the Constitution, in which case making changes is difficult in the event of any exigency. But what will be the final rate is still a guess work at this stage. As Firstpost has highlighted earlier, too high a rate will hurt the service industries and consumer and the opposite will kill the revenues of producing, manufacturing states. All this while, there has been huge lobbying by manufacturing states to keep the rate at the higher end. What about the common man? He will see pain on the household kitty in the short term if the rate is kept too high, one reason why a section of experts have been cautioning on the over-hype attached to GST. But, the idea is to bring down the overall cost of goods and services since manufacturers will be freed from the burden of multi-level taxes and the tax will be levied only at the destination. The larger consensus on the standard GST rate is 18-19 per cent. A panel headed by chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian had recommended a revenue neutral rate of 15-15.5 percent and a standard-rate of 18 percent. It has also recommended a three-tier rate structure for GST under which essential goods (those impacts the common man most) can be taxed at a lower rate of 12 percent, demerit goods like luxury cars, aerated beverages, pan masala and tobacco products at a higher rate of 40 percent and the rest at a standard rate of 17-18 percent. The standard rate is the rate which majority of the goods and services will be taxed. As against this, the NIPFP had proposed a standard rate of 23-25 per cent. Once the key amendments, which will lay out the larger contours of the Bill is done, the next important question will be the final rate being arrived at. The point here is passage of GST Constitutional Amendment is only the beginning of a long journey to meet the implementation date of April, 2017. There is a long, complex process that will follow. Next year is crucial with a few states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab going for polls. One needs to wait and watch whether the NDA-government indeed manages to kick start the GST regime within the stipulated deadline (already delayed by a year). Chances are that the roll out will overshoot the April deadline. But, the good thing is that both the Congress and BJP have set aside political bargaining and have joined hands at the moment to create a history by ushering in a unified tax regime. This will bring in much needed transparency, trust in the economy and higher investments in the approaching years, hopefully adding a few percentage points to Indias GDP through higher tax revenue and investments. The next big challenge for the Narendra Modi-government is to get the states on board and get rest of the process going as quickly as possible. Passage of GST amendment is an important landmark but only the beginning of a long journey. New Delhi: Family of the 13-year-old girl and her mother, who were gang raped at gunpoint in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr area, has threatened to commit suicide if the accused were not punished within three months. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the minor's father, a cab driver whose family was attacked by a group of bandits. A gang of dacoits had brutally raped the woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur on Friday night. "There were seven-eight men. They tied our hands and feet and beat us. They kept beating us even when we begged for water or we made any movement," the 39-year-old man said alleging that they did not get any help on dialing police control room number 100. Uttar Pradesh Police had on Monday arrested three accused Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the crime. Facing flak from the Opposition, the state government had suspended five police officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. The matter had an echo in Lok Sabha yesterday when BJP members hit out at the UP government over the law and order situation and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned a doctor who conducted medical examination of the minor victim, for allegedly ill-treating her and asking "awkward" questions and also slammed the police for not including sections of POCSO Act in the FIR. After the brutal gang rape of a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter by dacoits, last Saturday near Dostpur in Bulandshahr, the residents have claimed that this was not a lone incident to have occurred in the area. According to the villagers, just 12 days ago, a few men had brought a woman in a tempo and gang raped her late in the night, reported The Times Of India. The report further says that according to the locals, cases of theft have become commonplace in this deserted area. A village elder alleged that reports in the area happen so often, but most of the cases go unreported. He also blamed the police's lackadaisical approach in handling crime, which has lead to an increase in these incidents of criminals targeting travellers. Police sources told TOI that "two similar incidents" had occurred in the district on 7 May and 12 May this year. Travellers were robbed and assaulted at gunpoint. However, the police had registered these as cases of normal theft and no arrests had been made. Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the gang-rape in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. "The (Uttar Pradesh) government has failed to take action in the shameful and painful incident. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should resign as he has failed to govern the state. Such incidents have also happened in the past," Keshav Maurya, BJP's Uttar Pradesh chief, told reporters. "The party and the central government stand by the family. We will meet Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) and demand a CBI probe into the incident," he added. Following the outrage that the incident generated, the India Today said that the UP government has also decided to raise a special police force, which will patrol the highways to ensure safety of travellers. The DGP of UP Javeed Ahmed has said that instructions have already been given and the process to identify highways that are prone to crime and where gangs are known to operate is already underway. Five people have been arrested in the case and four top cops have been suspended so far. As per the report, while special teams have been tasked to probe the incident on a fast-track mode, Javed Ahmed had told reporters on Sunday, at a press conference in Bulandshahr, that any other officers found guilty of inaction will face similar charges. BJP has also panned the UP government over the incident. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma demanded that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should step down after such a "shameful incident". "When will this end? It shows that the state government has collapsed on every front. They cannot save the honour of a daughter. It is shameful and they should step down," Sharma said. Meanwhile, the UP police have recovered a gold chain, an anklet and Rs 5,000 from the arrested culprits of the Bulandshahr rape case, all of which reportedly belonged to the rape survivors, as reported by IG (Law and Order) HR Sharma to The Daily Tribune. Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Mohammad Azam Khan on Tuesday worsened the matters further by alleging that a "political conspiracy" might be involved in the gang rape. Reacting sharply to the statement, state BJP General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was shameful that a senior minister could make such outrageous statements. As per the Firstpost report, the gangrape occurred on Saturday night, when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly waylaid by a group of dacoits. According to the police, the family's car was stopped on NH 91, the women dragged out of the vehicle, and the family robbed at gun point. The entire incident lasted over three hours. New Delhi: A special court on Tuesday granted bail to former deputy secretary in Delhi Chief Minister's Office, Tarun Sharma, in a graft case involving CM Arvind Kejriwal's former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar. Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar granted the relief to Sharma on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and one surety of like amount, saying no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody. The court also put several conditions on the accused and asking him not to influence any witness or tamper with evidence and not to leave the country without the court's prior permission. The accused had sought bail on the ground of parity with Kumar who was granted the relief by the court on July 26. CBI, however, had opposed his bail plea. The agency had earlier claimed that Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd (ESPL) was floated by Kumar for the award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore. CBI had registered a case against Kumar and others in December last year alleging that the officials had abused their official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders of Delhi government departments". It had arrested seven people in this case in which three are already out on bail. The accused have been charged under section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to criminal misconduct for allegedly favouring ESPL in bagging of five contracts. CBI has alleged that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused a loss of Rs 12 crore to the Delhi government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015, and claimed that the officials had taken "undue benefit" of over Rs three crore while awarding the contracts. This is the same case in which the agency had come under scathing criticism from the court which had directed it to return documents sought by the Delhi government seized during 15 December, 2015 search of Kejriwal's office. Arrest of the top state government official had triggered a political storm with the Delhi government accusing the Centre of indulging in "political vendetta" and "paralysing" governance. Mumbai: Under attack from Shiv Sena over the separate Vidarbha issue, Devendra Fadnavis on Monday told BJP's bickering ally that he was the Chief Minister of "Akhand (entire) Maharashtra". Fadnavis was speaking in the State Assembly as the contentious issue of separate Vidarbha dominated proceedings for the third day. Sena MLA and former Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu asked Fadnavis to clarify his stand on the issue. Prabhu also demanded that cases of treason be filed against those who gave slogans for a separate Vidarbha state in the House. "There is no proposal as of this moment for a separate Vidarbha before the State Government," Fadnavis said. It is not right to discuss an issue which is not pending before this House, he added. "I am the CM of an Akhand Maharashtra," Fadnavis said. "While BJP has been in favour of (creation of) smaller states, Sena has opposed it," the CM said. "Both the parties are in the government. This is not the government's stand," "Both the parties are in the government. This is not the government's stand," he added. Fadnavis appealed to the House members to put a stop to the discussion on separate Vidarbha issue. "NCP doesn't have any right to seek my resignation. People have that right," he said. "Ask NCP's Praful Patel who has backed separate Vidarbha. Should we discuss in the House what he has said," the CM said. "We have taken an oath to be true to the Constitution. The Constitution provides for a House member to put forth his views on the formation of a separate state. A criminal offence cannot be registered against him for this," Fadnavis said. Prabhu said there's no commitment for an Akhand Maharashtra in the statement by Fadnavis on the Vidarbha issue. Opposition Congress-NCP legislators shouted slogans in support of a united Maharashtra. Shiv Sena legislators also joined in. Opposition legislators staged a protest on the stairs at the entrance of Vidhan Bhawan, against the division of the western state. After the statement by Fadnavis in the Assembly, Sena ministers left for 'Matoshree', party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence in suburban Bandra. New Delhi: A day before Home Minister Rajnath Singh visits to Pakistan amidst threats of protest by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the BSF on Tuesday said it was sure the Pakistan Rangers and other authorities there will take adequate measures to foil the plans of the terror mastermind. Calling Saeed's plans of undertaking massive protests and march towards the Attari-Wagah border when Singh steps on Pakistani soil a "political" move, Border Security Force chief K K Sharma said the border guarding forces on both sides have been "sensitised" and they will ensure that the SAARC Home Ministers meeting to be held on Wednesday in Islamabad is not disrupted. "This (Saeed's protest call) is the internal matter of Pakistan and I am very sure that my counterparts Pak Rangers are more than competent to handle this issue. I am sure this (Saeed's threat) is not going to disrupt the SAARC meeting. Hafiz Saeed will not be successful," he said. Sharma, who only last week returned from Pakistan after holding the annual bilateral Director General-level talks with the Rangers, said both the forces have also discussed measures to mount effective vigil at the Attari-Wagah border which is thronged by large crowds that witness the daily retreat ceremony in the evening. A blast in 2014 at Wagah on the Pakistan side had killed over 50 people after the retreat ceremony got over. "Yes, this was one issue that was taken up with Pak Rangers...both of us are conscious of the fact that the threat is there and consequently we both have strengthened our security measures. We have done it on our side (of the border) and they have done it on their side. I am sure they (Rangers) will handle it (Saeed's threat to march towards Wagah) well," he said on the sidelines of an event. The BSF DG added at least four battalions of the force (about 4,000 personnel) have been recently deployed on the Punjab frontier and two in Jammu to further fortify security measures and the counter-infiltration grid along the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) running along the two states. "The LoC in Kashmir is under army and I would not like to comment on that," he said when asked about similar measures in this area. Normal life came to a standstill in Karnataka last week as farmers and pro-Kannada groups protested Wednesdays interim order of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. The tribunal rejected Karnatakas plea for 7.56 tmc-ft of water under the Kalasa Banduri drinking water project for the drought-hit Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi and Gadagdistricts in the state. The Mahadayi water-sharing dispute has the states of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka vying for water from the Mahadayi or Mandovi river, which flows through the three states. The tribunal rejected Karnatakas plea as Goa objected to the ecological damage the project would cause to the Western Ghats and affect its own drinking water and irrigation needs. For Karnataka, coming immediately after a three-day bus strike, these protests only made living intolerable for ordinary people last week. A statewide bandh on Saturday, also saw buses, autos, taxis off the roads. Even Bengalurus Metro service was off the rails. Protesters pelted stones, burnt tyres, buses, and effigies of politicians and vandalized government property. Some people were also injured in parts of the state and police had to resort to lathi charge. With Kannada pride in the forefront, the Mahadayi water dispute got the support of the Kannada film industry and all pro- Kannada groups, with many leaders demanding the Prime Minister's intervention in the dispute. According to The Times of India report, the Mahadayi flows 35 km in Karnataka and 52 km in Goa before flowing into the Arabian Sea. A few parts of Maharashtra also come under the Mahadayi catchment area. Of around 220 tmc-ft water available in the Mahadayi basin, some 200 tmc-ft goes into the Arabian Sea unutilized. Karnataka got an in-principle clearance for the project from the Water Resources Ministry as early as 2002, but Goa moved the Supreme Court in 2006 with a request to set up the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. This is not the first time there have been violent protests in Karnataka over the sharing of river water with its neighbours. Karnataka has a decades old dispute going on with Tamil Nadu over the sharing of Cauvery river water. Now, a new battle seems to be brewing over the building of a dam on the Mekadatu reservoir. India Today reported of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, asking the Prime Minister to intervene in Karnatakas plan as it would affect the flow of water into the Cauvery and the livelihood of its farmers. Karnataka proposed the dam to handle the severe drinking water shortage in Bengaluru. This project which started around 2003, along with the Shivanasamudram hydro power project was meant to utilize some 250 tmc-ft of water flowing into the sea. Tamil Nadu has been pressing for the formation of a Cauvery Management Board, which Karnataka is opposing. So emotive has the Cauvery dispute been for both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, that both states witnessed violence, rioting and loss of lives in 1991-1992. Regional jingoism in Karnataka degenerated into attacks on Tamil families and premier schools run by Tamil managements in Bengaluru. The violence was most severe around the Tamil populated parts of Bengaluru, but many schools and educational institutions remained closed in the city for nearly a month. Once again in 2002, the water dispute spilled into the streets, and film stars and a cross section of society from both states supported their own states. Karnataka even saw the blocking of all Tamil TV channels and the barring of all buses and vehicles from Tamil Nadu. The then Karnataka Chief Minister, SM Krishna took up a padayatra from Bengaluru to Mandya to soothe rising tempers. Well-known writer U R Ananthamurthy also joined him in the yatra. With the monsoon taking turns to fail in both states, the Cauvery water dispute is a perennial tinder box waiting to be lit by activists and political parties looking to appease their vote banks. So much so, that in the run-up to the recent Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, both the leading political parties, the DMK and the AIADMK, even added it in their election manifestos. Both parties stated that they would resolve both the Mullaperiyar dam issue with Kerala and the Cauvery river water dispute with Karnataka if their party was voted to power, according to The Hindu. Given the decades old Cauvery dispute, or the nearly decade old Mahadayi dispute, no regional party can really hope to resolve them, as in any inter-state water issue, there are courts and the Centre also trying to find a solution. But what better emotive issue to fuel regional jingoism and pander to the vote bank than water being denied to farmers? As there is no hope of either the Cauvery water dispute or the Mahadayi water dispute dying by 2018, both these will probably also figure in the Karnataka political parties manifestos in the 2018 Assembly elections. What we must understand is that India has 14 major rivers, all of which are inter-state rivers, and 44 medium rivers, nine of which are inter-state rivers. So, what would help the states concerned Karnataka and Goa here in the Mahadayi dispute to reach an amicable compromise is for political parties and activists to refrain from turning the dispute into a battle for state pride. For, these often turn into violent protests leading to precious loss of life and destruction of government property. Given that drinking water is an essential right that cannot be denied to people living in drought hit regions, inter-state river water disputes perforce cannot be resolved easily and have to be handled sensitively by all the parties involved. Srinagar: A petrol bomb was hurled at the house of Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar in Parraypora area of the city on Monday night, police said on Tuesday. No one was hurt in the attack that was carried out by unidentified persons. "A petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of the Education Minister at Parraypora late last night, causing damage to the main gate of the house," a police official said. Akhtar and his wife were not present in the premises as they have shifted to high security Gupkar Road after the PDP-BJP government was sworn in March last year. A petrol bomb was also hurled at the office of Road and Buildings department at SDA colony in Bemina area of the city last night, the official said. He said no one was hurt in the incident. There is a type of tourist who comes to India to steal our treasures. Not the same one who takes away old statues from temples, coins and antiques. This one takes our insects. We have not bothered to acknowledge this theft or plug it. Twenty five seizures have been made since 1995. This is probably less than 1 percent of the insects going out every day. Insect species are of great ecological value in the Indian ecosystem. Unfortunately, no one in the government or academia is studying the population trends of insects. Everyone is concentrating on pests and pest management. Insect stealing is not done by a few people. Large gangs from a few countries descend on us, go into the mountains or tribal areas and pay local people a pittance to collect live insects. These insects are then skewered or drugged and taken out in suitcases, checked into the airlines as private luggage or sent to themselves through parcels and international couriers. One insect in severe danger is the Stag beetle. India is home to the Giraffe Stag-Beetle (Prosopocoilus giraffa) the world's largest saw-tooth stag beetle with long and sharp jaws. Stag beetles are good for the environment. They eat rotting wood, returning important minerals to the soil, but don't eat living plants. Male Stag beetles have large jaws that look like the antlers of a deer, hence the name. These are used in courtship displays and to wrestle other male beetles. They spend most of their lives underground as larvae, only emerging for a few weeks to find a mate and reproduce. Stag beetles and their larvae are quite harmless. They are among the rarer beetles and now even rarer because of the Japanese. Till now, the Japanese have been known for their single-minded destruction of whales. Now they have emerged as the single source for the worlds destruction of beetles, especially Stag beetles. The beetle mania in Japan has led to a multi-million dollar industry that revolves around the import of exotic beetle species. This mania originated with a hit arcade game by Sega called Mushi (insect) King, in which players collect cards of virtual Stag beetles as ghters in tournaments. From card and virtual beetles, the passion led to collecting real insects as pets or for staging fights for gamblers or dead ones as collections. The Japanese started interbreeding their own beetles and producing different shapes. However, it didnt take long for the Japanese public to be bored with their own native species and by the 1990s, people were illegally importing over 700 species. Trade in Stag beetles has reached $100 million annually. And an entirely new mafia of insect traders was born that reached its hands all over Australasia to bring in millions of insects. Japan has 1200 species of beetles in its shops only 35 are Japanese. Japan has made beetle smuggling easy. Pandering to the craze for these insects, the Japanese government revised the law in 1999 and legalised the import of foreign beetle species. Thirty-four foreign species were legalised in 1999 and 505 species in 2003. Today, buying foreign Stag and Rhinoceros beetles is as easy as buying groceries, because beetle shops are common even being sold through vending machines. Stag beetles can be purchased at pet stores, department stores and shops that specialise in beetles. Credit card holders can order them through the Internet. Most pet shop beetles sell for five dollars. High-priced ones go of as much as $2,500. The bigger, the more valuable. The countries that are losing their beetles to Japan are Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, China, South America, France, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Australia. There are group tours organised to the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia whose sole purpose is to collect Stag beetles. The Japanese tourists that we make fun of because of their obsession with photography, may not be as harmless as we think. This could be simply a cover for picking up creatures that we are not selling. Big beetles cost more, with the most attractive being the larger Lucanidae species. The prices of these dead insects rival those of major artwork or antiques, so strenuous efforts are made to collect them, regardless of the ecological cost. In 2001, Japan imported 680,000 Stag and Rhinoceros beetles. This has now gone to over a million annually and the market sells more than $100 million worth. Export of beetles is formally banned in most countries. Dorcas antaeus beetles are absolutely prohibited in Bhutan, India and Nepal, but since Japan allows their import, smuggled specimens from these countries command much higher prices. In 2001, two Japanese were arrested at Nepals Tribhuvan International Airport for attempting to smuggle 542 Stag beetles out of the country. In 2000, forest rangers in southern Nepal caught a Japanese web designer and his two Nepalese guides bagging Stag beetles. This did not deter another set of 'wildlife entrepreneurs' from collecting over 200 specimens of six species in 2002, which were also confiscated. Violations involving stag beetles have also been reported in Taiwan. Bhutan has also apprehended Japanese tourists who had collected a large number of Stag beetles from Mongar dzongkhag. The insects were later released back in the forest. In September 2000 a complaint was filed, against a local tourism company who brought in insect collecting tourists, by the Ministry of Agriculture. Australian customs arrested two Japanese trying to smuggle 1,300 native beetles out of Australias Lord Howe Island. More and more large beetles from the jungles of Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal and India are being taken. More than 500 different species of Stag beetles, a third of the world's known species, have been imported to Japan from Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. A group trying to leave Turkey by car was apprehended with thousands of bugs hidden in boxes and tubes. Biology professors who examined the cache identified 6,014 bugs from 48 different species, including ladybugs, cockroaches, and various types of Stag beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and bees from the Black Sea region and the northern part of Central Anatolia. The haul was worth $300,000. The Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats of India are prime hunting grounds for smugglers of rare Rhinoceros, Longhorned and Jewel beetles. The trade has increased in recent years and Japanese have been caught in West Bengal with beetles. Hundreds more have escaped the lax and inefficient and illiterate- net of the wildlife department. Thanks to inadequate law enforcement, our insects, particularly beetles and butterflies, are being sold all over the internet. Two Czechs were caught recently bringing out rare beetles and butterflies from Singalila National Park. These were to go to Japanese collectors through their website. Many foreigners pose as scientists to get admission into the parks. According to ecologists, lack of awareness is at the heart of the problem why insect smuggling is allowed to continue unchecked. Insects are crucial to forests' survival: The population of frugivorous and insect-eating birds and bats dwindle when large insects begin to disappear, as do those of forest creatures like small carnivores and rodents, who depend on insect larvae for food. Beetle collectors do a great deal of damage to the environment tree barks are stripped, old logs are rolled over, moss is uprooted many other insects and birds lose their lives. Forests dwindle. Local populations of insects disappear as do all the life dependent on them. India is seen as an easy target. While rangers are ignorant and easily bribed, police do not see insect smuggling as an important crime. Smugglers know that customs and airline authorities, who scan baggage at ports of exit, ignore bags stuffed with insects and butterflies. Japanese beetles face extinction as they have been hunted down all over the islands and are cross bred with non-native Stag beetle species from Southeast Asia. So the craze for non-native species will only increase. Is it not time for India to start training its enforcement authorities on insect smuggling? BJP parliamentary board will meet at 9 am on Wednesday to deliberate upon who would be successor to Anandiben Patel as the Gujarat chief minister. Despite Gujarat being their home state, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah took their own sweet time to convene the meeting of the highest policy making body of the party. Too preoccupied with the landmark Goods and Service Taxes (GST) Bill that will be moved in Rajya Sabha for passage on Wednesday, the duo ensured that the an atmosphere of bonhomie is built among all parties first before they decided to shift their focus on Gujarat. Both are also aware that keeping the state in a state of limbo for long won't be wise politically. Following Anandiben's dramatic announcement on Facebook to quit as the Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday, the BJP parliamentary board was to meet on Tuesday but was postponed as clearing the bottlenecks to the GST Bill was far greater priority for the Centre. Modi has kept a packed schedule for himself on Wednesday as the parliamentary board meeting on Gujarat will be soon followed by one on GST Bill at 10 am before Parliament starts for the day. More so, four of 12 parliamentary board membersArun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Thavar Chand Gehlot and JP Naddaare Rajya Sabha MPs while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar is also a member of the board. Finance Minister and Leader of the House Jaitley, who represents Gujarat in Parliament, is the prime mover of the bill. He and all other members would have to be present in the House throughout the proceedings. The passage of the GST, a Constitutional Amendment Bill, is critical to establish Modi government's resolve on reforms on the ground. The bill has evoked great deal of curiosity world over and domestically it has too many implications both politically and economically. Anandiben did touch a raw chord when she opted for social media to announce her resignation at a time when the entire party top leadership was busy building consensus for the GST bill. There is no doubt that the party top brass was unhappy with the outgoing Chief Minister for her failure to contain the Patel agitation as the Patels are a key vote bank for the party in the poll-bound state. To make matter worse, her relationship with Shah is far from being amiable. A Union minister told Firstpost that Modi is particularly keen to see that GST Bill gets passed in the ongoing Monsoon session. On several occasions, during cabinet meetings, informal meetings of senior ministers, executive committee and general body of parliamentary party, the Prime Minister has reportedly cautioned leaders not to shoot their mouths off even when provoked. The Prime Minister wanted the leaders to be particularly careful while uttering something against the Congress so as to deny any opportunity to the Grand Old Party to toughen their stand even more. His message was clear that the BJP could take tough positions on the streets and in elections, as was done in the last biennial polls of Rajya Sabha. But inside the House, the prescribed decorum must be maintained. On critical issues, the ministers concerned were expected to reach out to the opposition leaders and seek to build a consensus, something on the pattern of what Modi had said on his first landing in Parliament in May 2014. The strategy seems to be working in the ongoing Monsoon session, at least for now. Take for instance, the measured response of the BJP leaders to Rahul Gandhi's recent jibe on the Prime MinisterArhar Modiduring a Lok Sabha debate on price rise. Though Jaitley responded to Rahul's barbs, his response was matured, restricted to facts, statistics and some smart one liners but sans any rhetoric. In the past, ministers and other party leaders have gone at length to retaliate against Rahul albeit politically. This time around nothing of that sort happened. A senior leader said that this was as per the party strategy. Another leader wondered why each time there should be a retort every time Rahul says something. Jaitley has been continuously engaging with senior Congress leadersMallikarjun Khadge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ananth Kumar and P Chidambaramas also with CPM chief Sitaram Yechuri and other key opposition leaders. He held meetings with state finance ministers twice, once in Kolkata and then in Delhi to get feedback on the proposed law and move towards a consensus accordingly. Another Union minister said the Congress actually had no reasons to oppose the bill. It was piloted by them and now the BJP is pushing for its passage. The minister made it clear that the issue is not the numbers but the lack of right atmosphere to get the Bill passed. He said that this time around the party has built the right mood and it is hopeful that the GST will be smoothly passed in the Upper House. That the Prime Minister is focusing on a creating a friendly environment to overcome political hurdles was evident in the cabinet reshuffle undertaken last month. An impulsive HRD Minister Smriti Irani was shifted to the relatively quiet textile ministry while an aggressive Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu had to give way to Anant Kumar with SS Ahluwalia as his deputy. Standing on the threshold of a watershed moment that the Indian economy might witness in the coming years if the GST Bill gets the Rajya Sabha nod on Wednesday, it comes as no surprise that Modi and Shah chose to pick GST ahead of resolving the political turmoils in their home state Gujarat. Anandiben Patel was everything her mentor Narendra Modi wasn't. It isn't a big surprise she wasn't able to hold on to the state and Modi's legacy. When Modi left Gujarat in 2014, it was an impregnable fortress of Hindutva, a model of development in popular perception and the pocketborough of the BJP. In just two years, rifts within the Hindutva Parivar turned into open rebellion. The mesmerising sheen disappeared from the famed development model because of social unrest. And the Congress made deep inroads into areas where it had not dared to venture in the past 15 years. Much of it transpired because Anandiben lacked the qualities her predecessor had. She lacked the charisma to impress the Gujaratis, administrative skills to manage a crisis and the stature to inspire fear, respect and admiration within the cadres, bureaucracy, voters and her own party. Before Modi's advent, Gujarat had always been a tricky state for the BJP. Such was the level of infighting, bickering and factionalism that no chief minister before Modi was able to complete his term. The Hajuria versus Khajuria farce of the late 1990s highlighted the mess and indiscipline in the party. But, with the force of his personality, Modi quelled all dissent, demolished factions and emerged as the party's face and leader. Anandiben's ascension marked the return of factionalism in Gujarat. Tales abound of how her rival Amit Shah interfered in the government's functioning, took key decisions, propped up his loyalists and marginalised the chief minister. That the chief minister was just a witness to many key decisions was apparent when the Gujarat government announced a 10 percent quota for economically backward sections earlier last year. Significantly, the decisions was announced by the state unit president Vijay Rupani. Anandiben sat by her junior colleague's side, making a sorry spectacle of the loss of her stature. When the Patidar movement for reservation broke out in Gujarat, many in cities in the state were put under curfew first time since the 2002 riots. Ten people died in violence and arson, according to the Times of India. Though much of the blame for inaction (or excessive force) was laid at the chief minister's doorstep, there were hushed rumours that the administrative response was remote-controlled from Delhi and discrediting Anandiben was part of the plan. As Shyam Parekh writes in Ahmedabad DNA, "One would not be wrong to consider that her departure phenomenon started from the day the Patidars held their first rally in Ahmedabad, last year. Patidars BJPs most loyal votebank was upset with Ben, who happened to be a Patidar herself. The image of corruption-free governance in Gujarat was brutally ripped apart in the last two years. On top of that, accusations against her daughter and son for corruption and undue benefits of power had reached Delhi." The script of Anandiben's failure was in a way foretold. When she was picked by Modi as his predecessor, it was pointed out by her critics that she got the job for just one quality: Loyalty. Her administrative acumen was always suspect and her lack of popular appeal was a known handicap. Anandiben contributed to the image. Gujarat watchers point out that Modi would always look for opportunities to mobilise party cadres and state machinery by organising public events, fairs and gatherings. This served two purposes. One, it helped him stay in touch with workers, voters and officers. And, two, it created the impression of a government perpetually in motion. Anandiben, to her misfortune, remained rooted to her Gandhinagar office, becoming an absentee leader, especially when revolts and agitations surfaced in the state. Her lack of clout and connect ultimately led to her resignation on Monday. To the BJP it became apparent after last year's Patidar stir and the ongoing Dalit unrest that Anandiben did not have the capability to reach out to the masses and quell their rebellion. With the Dalit agitation causing a lot of damage to the BJP's efforts to unite the Hindutva Parivar in Uttar Pradesh, it was time to go. "... lack of strategy in handling the fallout of the Dalit atrocity incident in Una might have been the last nail. Ben announced and reached Una much after Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi announced their visit. This was seen as a major political failure for the BJP. Even now, the party and the government have no strategy to re-connect with the Dalits," continues the DNA piece. Interestingly, Anandiben went out in a blaze of glory. Before her exit she showed signs of a classic dead-cat bounce with her firm and quick decision making, traits she was accused of lacking. Before reigning on Facebook, she abolished highway toll for small and private vehicles, withdrew nearly 90 percent of the cases filed against Patidar leaders, made higher education free for girls from lower-middle class families and appointed the next chief secretary of the state. Just when her critics were arguing how she had shut up those talking about her age with such frenzied activity, she went ahead and quit, citing, ironically, her age. The BJP now has exactly 18 months to reverse the damage that accrued during Anandiben's tenure. The challenge for the party will now be find someone who is her exact opposite in temperament, style and efficiency. To win back Gujarat, the BJP has no option but to find Modi 2.0. Its a pattern we are all familiar with by now. First, the political and administrative callousness that makes possible the execution of violence against women, and then, the clumsy manoeuvres on the part of the same lackadaisical authorities, at containing the political damage. The scenario is unravelling once again on the heels of the gangrape of a mother and daughter on the Delhi-Kanpur national highway last week. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav under concerted media pressure suddenly appears to have gone onto damage control overdrive, hurriedly putting together special teams to track down the rapists. But such knee-jerk actions fool no one. Election fever is already in the air. The Samajwadi Party leaders urgency appears to be nothing but a cynical electoral calculation at a time when his party is bracing for next years difficult assembly elections. Even if the Chief Minister is trying to put on a mask, his colleagues are being true to their misogynist selves. In a stock-in-trade comment, Azam Khan, Samajwadi party leader and cabinet minister in the UP government, has suggested that the Bulandshahr rape could be a political conspiracy to defame the Akhilesh Yadav government. Khans remark is symptomatic of his partys attitude to gender-based violence, and its depressing inability to think beyond shady conspiratorial plots. But such a shortcoming is not unique to the Samajwadi Party. Its a trait shared by the entire political fraternity. For instance, Mamata Banerjee too, invoked conspiracy theories after the Park Street rape case in Kolkata a few years ago. No amount of criticism has moved our political class. The same bitter truth resurfaces and renews itself after every incident of sexual violence one that is once again staring at us in the face in the aftermath of the Bulandshahr gangrape. It is impossible to ignore a general pattern in how politicians respond each time. Every incident especially of gender violence is invariably followed with politicians throwing mud at each other, raking up old histories of similar violence that in history of its political opponent. In this rising din of you did it too, the real concern for women is effectively drowned out. Given the ubiquity of this pattern across India, it is plainly clear that politicians just do not care about putting checks on violence against women. They do not, for instance, deal with gender violence the way they would an economic or electoral challenge. Gender-based violence is invariably pushed to the domain of activists and feminists, left to them to keep the focus on, and mount pressure on governments and police systems across board. The callousness of the police is of apiece with the attitude of political parties. Consider, for instance, the glaring omission made by the UP police in the latest case under scrutiny. One of the victims in the Bulandshahr rape was a minor. Yet, the police did not incorporate the crucial Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, in the FIR. Were the UP police not aware of the law? Or were they just not bothered enough to include the Act in the FIR? Either way, crucial omissions like these are the ones which water down such cases and eventually allow criminals to escape the legal dragnet. The National Commission for Women chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam has rightly observed that the polices attitude towards the incident reveals its apathy to the case. The whole case depends on the FIR. When a minor girl has been gangraped, there should have been POCSO. From NCW, we are clear that this is police apathy and callousness. One wonders whether the UP government and police would have made the effort they are now making in pursuing the case, had there not been an important election in the offing. Even the ultimatum issued by the victims father that they will take their own lives unless the criminals are tracked down may not have yielded any significant result without the prospect of electoral victory hanging in the balance. Now that my old buddy and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar has popped his head up again and given this stirring speech in Kozikhode, he comes across as the perfect example of what is happening in our country. We are all dedicated to living in the past instead of moving on. Every one of his accusations against the Narendra Modi government is old hat, just remixed without even changing the tune. I was going through his quotes and it's the same old caterwauling, a monotonous droning. It's like the way little kids do tu main, tu main after school. Till when is he going to keep lifting the scab off wounds that time has healed and parade them as fresh indictments? Can you believe that he even brought up that skewered comment about comparing Somalia and Kerala as if it was a criminal offence now? It is over and done with and Modi had his wrist slapped. How empty the bucket must be if Donald Trump has to be made the mental doppelganger for Modi? And this is supposed to be heavy duty saviour stuff! Writer Parinda Gandevekar, who styles herself as a pseudo intellectual, puts it succintly: Even (Arvind) Kejriwal got off to a rocky start. (Anna blamed him for misusing the Jan Lokpal Bill funds and derailed his anti-corruption movement.) Kejriwal blamed Congress for the corruption. Congress blamed BJP for the Godhra riots. BJP blamed SP for Muzzaffarnagar riots, and SP blamed BSP for the killing of two advocates. BSP blamed Congress for the poor (only a state of mind) turning into Naxalites. Now, Kejriwal blames Modi for everything and when he takes a break he goes for Lt Gov Nawab Jung. It never ends. On a good day we can go back to Bofors and the eighties. If the BJP does something wrong today, the defence is that the Congress under Sonia Gandhi did it in 2012. The Congress then takes it even further back in time with another slur from the old BJP tenure. Every politician and party is engaging in this absurd ping pong game. Even at the state level. If a flyover falls in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress blames the CPM because construction had begun during the Left party's tenure. The BJP now wants Akhilesh Yadav to resign because of the Bulandshahr rape. Why not just take the culprits and make them culpable? Tomorrow the BJP will be in the same dock over their MLA Harat Singh Rawat being accused of the same deed in Uttarakhand. If someone is murdered or raped, the defence is rooted in past rapes and murders. A young woman is murdered in Ernakulam in Kerala; no one says 'lets find the killer', instead political parties get into a blame game with gusto. If Dalits are beaten in Gujarat for skinning a dead cow, it is balanced out because remember in 1994, when the Congress was in command, the number of cases against Dalits stood at 1,916. Much higher than it is now. That is an answer. Agusta Westland choppers: Congress vs BJP. We returned the fleet, cancelled the deal, move on. Especially if you cannot take the investigation beyond the blame level. Corruption and the two main parties have made Parliament come to a halt more often than they have let it function. All we hear are slogans against each other. Every state has the same situation...pass the hot little potato to the other lot. When will it ever end? Ask yourselves what else do we hear. Does anyone talk of tomorrow and the goals set in every discipline? We are never told what the grand plan is or where we are going with this country. It does not matter what the issue is...from ill treatment of Dalits to alienation of Muslims, to scams, corruption, cops with indigestion and tired feet, the reaction is the same. Mommy, they did it first. Finger pointing ad nauseum. Who can we pass the buck to is all that matters. There is no call for political co-operation or adherence to developmental deadlines, just throwbacks predicated to one simple fact. If we erred today, you erred yesterday or even way back last week...or 30 years ago so now, by some current logic, we are quits. Will this stop or simply take us backwards forever and a day? New Delhi: The government has circulated official amendments to the GST bill to drop 1 percent additional tax and include a definite provision in the statute for compensating states for revenue loss for 5 years as it gears up to discuss the long-pending bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Under the modified provisions of GST Constitutional Amendment Bill circulated among the members on Tuesday, GST Council will be required to establish a mechanism for adjudication of disputes, which could arise between the Centre and states or among states themselves. The 2014 bill authorised GST Council to decide upon the modalities for resolution of disputes. With these official amendments, the government has partially met the demands of the Congress party which has been blocking the bill in the Rajya Sabha. One of the three demands of the Congress was to do away with the 1 percent additional manufacturing tax. On the demand for a Supreme Court judge-headed panel for resolving GST disputes, the official amendments say that the GST Council will establish a mechanism for solving disputes. With regard to the demand for putting a GST rate cap in the Constitution, the government has not mentioned anything in the official amendments. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, at a meeting with his state counterparts last week, promised to keep the incidence of tax low while safeguarding the revenue of the states. Jaitley has been meeting leaders of Congress and other parties, including SP, BJD, TMC and RJD, to build a consensus on the passage of the long-pending indirect tax reform bill in the Rajya Sabha. It was approved by the Lok Sabha in May 2015. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014, which lays the ground for roll out of Goods and Services Tax regime that will subsume all indirect taxes including central excise duty and state VAT/sales tax, is listed for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. The government today proposed six official amendments to the 2014 bill. The amendments also seek to clarify that state's share of Integrated GST (iGST) will not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India and the term iGST itself would be replaced by 'goods and services tax levied on supplies in the course of inter-state trade or commerce' in Clause 12 dealing with apportionment of the proceeds. It was also clarified that Central GST (CGST) and the centre's share of iGST will be distributed between the Centre and the states. Earlier, some members, including Naresh Agarwal of SP, raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha that they had not received copies of the GST Bill or the amendment. Jaitley told Rajya Sabha the amendments to the Bill, pending in the Upper House for last one year, were given to the Secretariat of the House two days ago and have been circulated to the members. The Bill, which was approved by the Lok Sabha in May, provided for 1 per cent additional tax on inter-state trade and commerce for two years or more as may be decided by the GST Council. Even the Rajya Sabha Select Committee had suggested removal of this provision as it would lead to cascading of taxes. A constitution amendment requires support of two-third members present and voting. The amendment will then have to be approved by 50 percent of all the state assemblies. Congress originally mooted GST in 2006 and a constitution amendment bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in March 2011 but it lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. First they said, Behind every successful man is a woman. Then they said, Behind every successful woman is a man. But now AIADMK MLA A Ramu has changed the quotation completely. According to the Coonoor MLA, it was his party leader Jayalalithaa who inspired Hillary Clinton to make history by becoming the first female presidential nominee from any major political party in the US. The Indian Express reports that Ramu told the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday that when Clinton met Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK leader impressed the former First Lady with her command over the English language. Clinton then returned to the US and became the Democratic Partys presidential candidate. I would like to record that the reason for this is Respected Amma, The Indian Express quoted Ramu as saying. How ludicrous is Ramus statement? Lets explain. First off, the meeting between Hillary Clinton and Jayalalithaa took place in July 2011, when Clinton was Secretary of State. That was five years ago! The way Ramu narrates it, its as if Clinton met Jayalalithaa one day and got so impressed that the next day, she turned around and became the Democratic Party nominee. Cmon! Secondly, Clinton met the Tamil Nadu chief minister three years after contesting and losing the 2008 Democratic Primaries. Which clearly shows that her interest in being the president of the United States predated her meeting with Jayalalithaa. Thirdly, when Clinton and Jayalalithaa met in Chennai, the two discussed the issue of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils and how many of them have taken refuge in Tamil Nadu. They also talked about bilateral trade, the number of H-1B visas issued being reduced and the automobile sector in the state, according to an NDTV report from 2011. Nothing about womens rights or gender equality. Ramu may or may not succeed in currying favour with his boss by making this statement. But what he has succeeded in is in pushing the recent ruling by the TN Assembly Speaker that no MLA can refer to Jayalalithaa by her name in the House to second place on the list of ludicrous statements made in Tamil Nadu Assembly. With the session yet to come to an end, we wonder which MLA will beat Ramu to make it to the top of the list. Auto refresh feeds "I will not accept that this problem is just one created by Pakistan or separatists," he said. "You cannot escape the issue by just blaming Pakistan for the problems in Kashmir," he said. "Just because of good tourism in one season in Kashmir, you cannot think you solved the problem. If you do not pay attention to this problem, it will turn into a law and order problem." "There must be a conspiracy being hatched by Pakistan. But you have to look at the measures you are taking to counter it," Yechury told the government in Rajya Sabha. In response, a beleaguered Arun Jaitley said that BJP will take strict action against Dayashankar Singh. "I should tell Mayawati ji that the party shares her grief over this issue, I will look into this matter, we stand with her...I am personally hurt that a BJP party person used such derogatory words against Mayawati," he said. "This is not only a woman's issue. This is a man's issue," said TMC MP Derek O'Brien. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury stressed on the fact that the man making such remarks was none other than the vice president of the UP unit of BJP and demanded that he be arrested. "A man speaks with such language on the day both houses are discussing issues on violence on Dalits?" she said. "The nation will not forgive BJP for this, especially with what is going in Gujarat," ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. "There are wars of thoughts and ideas in the House, but never have I used derogatory words against anyone ever," she said. "The insulting words used against me are against all of womankind," said Mayawati. "Dayashankar Singh should be arrested. Otherwise, if in response to this people get violent, it will not be on my conscience," she added. UP BJP vice president Dayashankar Singh's cheap remark against BSP chief Mayawati created uproar in the Parliament as Opposition leaders attacked the Modi government over the issue. In response, a beleaguered Arun Jaitley said that BJP will take strict action against Dayashankar Singh. "I should tell Mayawati ji that the party shares her grief over this issue, I will look into this matter, we stand with her...I am personally hurt that a BJP party person used such derogatory words against Mayawati," he said. "This is not only a woman's issue. This is a man's issue," said TMC MP Derek O'Brien. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury stressed on the fact that the man making such remarks was none other than the vice president of the UP unit of BJP and demanded that he be arrested. "A man speaks with such language on the day both houses are discussing issues on violence on Dalits?" she said. "The nation will not forgive BJP for this, especially with what is going in Gujarat," ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. "There are wars of thoughts and ideas in the House, but never have I used derogatory words against anyone ever," she said. "The insulting words used against me are against all of womankind," said Mayawati. "Dayashankar Singh should be arrested. Otherwise, if in response to this people get violent, it will not be on my conscience," she added. UP BJP vice president Dayashankar Singh's cheap remark against BSP chief Mayawati created uproar in the Parliament as Opposition leaders attacked the Modi government over the issue. "On one hand, BJP did a lot of things to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti and assured Dalits that they will do a lot to celebrate it. On the other hand, Dalits still do not have reservation rights in the private sector," she added. "The legal rights which Ambedkar created for the backward sections of the society will only reach the society when honest work is done for providing those rights to them," she said. "Even after the country got independence, whether it is Congress rule or BJP rule, the sad truth is that the Dalits are still suffering," Mayawati said in the Rajya Sabha. "There is an urgent need to change the mindset of the major political parties of the country towards Dalits," she said. "I have to tell the Union government that this is a serious matter. I ask the government to give justice to the Dalit victims in Gujarat. It is not enough to just send the Gujarat CM to meet them. Action needs to be taken against authorities which were negligent. They should be arrested," she said. "In the name of protection of cows, a lot of unfair things are being done. Injustice against Dalits is being done in the name of protection of cows," said Mayawati in the Rajya Sabha. Crimes against Dalits being done in the name of cow protection, says Mayawati "Instead of making Dalits a political weapon, Congress, BJP and other parties should be reminded that they should rise above petty politics and work for the development of backward sections," she said. "The victims often do not get justice in case of a CID probe," said Mayawati in the Rajya Sabha. "Gujarat government did not act quickly enough. It was only when the media picked up this issue that some action was taken." "This Una incident case should run in a fast track court. We also demand that one of the judges should be a Dalit," Mayawati said. "Forget about Dalits getting justice, even their FIR is not filed many times and the latest example is the Una (Gujrat) incident," she also said. Deputy Chariman PJ Kurien denies that the House is taking the subject lightly. Rajya Sabha is currently debating Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Bhagwant Mann's video of him entering Parliament by crossing several security layers. Mann then posted it on social media, inviting attack from MPs across party line, who termed his act as a security breach. In the video, which went viral, Mann was seen showing entry gate through which MPs enter Parliament House and saying how strong is the security. "The car is registered with the Lok Sabha. It has a censor, which has the vehicle details. As soon as so you come near the gate, the censor identifies the car and announces the name and number of the car," Mann says in the video with him crossing several layers of the security. On the fifth day of the Monsoon Session (Friday), Aam Aadmi Party MLA Bhagwant Mann's filmed a video entering Parliament by crossing several security layers, which eventually caused uproar in both the Houses. Mann, who posted it on social media, invited attack from MPs across party line, who termed his act as a security breach. As soon as the House assembled, she informed it about the action being taken on the issue which had led to the adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings on July 22. "The inquiry committee shall inquire into the serious security implications and related aspects.... (and) suggest suitable remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future and recommend appropriate action in the matter," the Speaker said. The member is "advised not to attend the sittings of the House" until a decision is taken in the matter, Mahajan said. Mann was not present in the House. The panel has also been asked to "suggest remedial measures" so that such episodes are not repeated. Mahajan has formed the nine member panel headed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya which includes Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), Meenakshi Lekhi, Satya Pal Singh (both BJP), B Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Ratna De Nag (Trinamool) and K. C. Venugopal (Congress) and other members. Therefore, the "act of the member" has put the security of the Parliament in peril, she said. Mahajan said she had consulted leaders of all political parties and everyone supported her actions on this issue. Describing Parliament as "sanctum sanctorum" of democracy, Mahajan recalled that on 13 December, 2001, security personnel had sacrificed their lives protecting the parliament and after that entire security system was reviewed and overhauled. It put "security of the parliament in peril", Mahajan added. Mann has been asked to appear before the panel by 10.30 am tomorrow and make his submission. Addressing the Lok Sabha as soon as it reassembled after the weekend break, Mahajan said taking audio video footage of security zones in the parliament by Punjab's Sangrur MP Mann on July 21 and putting them on social networking site was improper. "The act of the member of audio-visual recording of the Parliament and posting it on the social media puts the security of Parliament in peril," the Speaker said, adding that several members had expressed concern over the issue on Friday last. The panel, chaired by BJP member Kirit Somaiya, has been asked to submit its report by August 3, while Mann has time till tomorrow morning to submit his explanation to the committee. Acting tough, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today said AAP MP Bhagwant Mann's videography of the Parliament House complex had put its security "in peril" and asked him not to attend the House till a decision is taken on the matter while setting up a nine-member panel to probe the issue. The Lok Sabha is likely to discuss The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill today. Apart from this, the Lower House is also slated to discuss The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill. Sasikala Pushpa began crying in the House over the issue of attacks on women in the country. She has alleged that she was harassed and was being forced to quit her post. "So what if we disagreed with you? This is not the country we are used to living in," O'Brien said. "The Prime Minister needs to come in the House and say that we can live in the India we know, the India of unity and diversity." "For Rs 15, they (Dalits) are being killed because they are Dalits. I am a gau sevak. But in the name of gau sevaks, don't cross the line. This is a sitaution which has gone beyond the border of this country. Since they are taking these decisions, they must listen to what the UN had to say about this country," he said. "The curb on religious fundamentalism, this is a dangerous situation. If it happens and happens and happens, it is a decision. This is a decision of this government. Otherwise, the Defence Minister would not have said what he said yesterday," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said, referring to Parrikar's remarks that Aamir Khan needs to be taught a "lesson" because of his remarks on intolerance. An angry Parrikar responded by saying that he did not take the name of any person in the video. "Since the BJP government came to power, they targeted Muslims first. Now, they are committing atrocities against the Dalits. The Prime Minister should come to the Parliament and clarify on what is happening," Mayawati said. CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury responded to Parrikar and said, "What he said is objectionable. That cannot be acceptable. Tomorrow, are you going to threaten me? If he is raksha mantri, kiska raksha ho raha hai?" Defence Minister Parrikar responded to the uproar in the Rajya Sabha over his remarks against Aamir Khan and said, "Let them see the video themselves and make up their minds." "We should think about the respect for women. In Bareilly, a teacher was abducted during daytime. This is not right. The government should speak. Why is the government silent?" she said. "There are rapes taking place against Dalit women everywhere in the country. The government should take this matter seriously," Mayawati said. Naqvi agreed with her and said the government was ready for a discussion. "I am really embarrassed for standing here and talking about the same issue once again, even after the Nirbhaya gangrape...I want a discussion on women's protection. I do not care which place. I do not want politicising of this issue," Jaya Bachchan said in the Rajya Sabha. An emotional Jaya Bachchan got up in the Rajya Sabha and demanded a discussion on the issue of safety of women. "In view of seriousness of matter, Bhagwant Mann is further advised not to attend the sessions of Parliament for further two weeks," she said. "The chairperson (of the committee) has sought extension of time for further two weeks. I have accepted the request for extension," Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said. On the issue of AAP MP Bhagwant Mann being barred from the Parliament for making a video of the Parliament House complex, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that the committee probing this issue had asked for more time. "This legislation will only be passed after a serious discussion. I hope the Finance Minister passes the Bill not on the strength of his numbers, but on the basis of logic," Chidambaram said. "Government tried to pass the GST Bill without the support of the principal Opposition and I am happy they failed," he said. "Many issues are still outstanding issues and still need to be resolved. We had earlier tried to pass the GST Bill with the support of the Opposition and we failed," he said. "I welcome the friendly tone of the Finance Minister's speech. I think the tone and approach has changed over the last few weeks," Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said. "People of India expect low indirect taxes. There are many voices in the government which speak for the corporate, but someone must speak for the people. I am doing that," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. "When this Bill is passed today, we will prepare for the next stage of the debate, which is the Central GST Bill. I want an assurance from the Finance Minister....This is a very important legislation. I want an assurance that when that Bill is brought, that will be brought as a Financial Bill and not as a Money Bill," Chidambaram said. "Persuade all parties and sections of the people that a standard of 18 percent is the most appropriate," he added. "The worry that we have is creeping taxation. But that is what Parliament is for. Taxation is the exclusive power of the Parliament. It is ultimately Parliament which calls the shots in taxes," he said. "I, on behalf of my party, loudly and clearly demand that the GST rate should not exceed 18 percent," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. Bill in next stage of GST debate should be brought as a Financial Bill: Chidambaram Chidambaram warns that a rate too high, something like 23 percent, will be inflationary. He insists that the Bill needs to be passed as a finance Bill. The critical point we shouldnt be miss here is that the Congress is pitching for 18 percent standard GST rate and isnt ready to give up on this point in any case. This comment is crucial since the NDA government has not yet arrived on a single rate. Chidambaram attacks the Narendra Modi government, saying it does not care about the problems of the common people. Chidambaram stresses on the point that the rate should be changed only with the permission of Parliament, and thus makes Congress compromise formula that the GST rate should be included in the GST Bill, though his party is willing to compromise on the earlier demand that the rate should be included in the constitution. According to Firstpost Financial Editor Dinesh Unnikrishnan, P Chidambaram has hit the core point in his speech the final GST rate. Chidambaram positions Congress as the voice of poor and emphasises on the fact that standard GST rate should not exceed 18 percent on the lines of what governments chief economic advisor, Arvind Subrmanian, suggested. "It (GST) violates states' autonomy. It results in permanent revenue loss to the state of Tamil Nadu. We strongly oppose this Bill," AIADMK MP A Navaneethakrishnan said in the Rajya Sabha. "We have moved an amendment that the compensation should be for at least 5 years," he added. "Tamil Nadu will lose Rs 9270 crore because of GST. This is not a small amount," he said. "Till date, the revenue-neutral rate has not been fixed by the government," he said, adding that this was a problem in the GST Bill. "Petroleum and petroleum products must be kept outside GST permanently. We can save our people only then," he said. "It is a well-known fact that Tamil Nadu is a manufacturing state. It is also known that this method of taxation is destination-based. We strongly oppose that," he said. He then went on to elaborate on the changes which AIADMK wanted in the GST Bill. "The composition of the GST Council is not fair. The weightage of each state's vote should be in proportion to their representation in the country," said the AIADMK MP in the Rajya Sabha. "Now let me tell you about the ping pong match," O'Brien said "I'm feeling like a teenager in the presence of these senior lawyers," O'Brien said. "There is the politics of the Bill. GST can also be interpreted as the Girgit Samjhauta Tax," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said in the Rajya Sabha. TMC MP Derek O'Brien has always been dramatic in his speeches, and his speech during the GST Bill is a perfect example. The money has to first come from Centre to states and then from states to local bodies. If the availability of funds to local bodies gets delayed, that can seriously hamper functioning of local bodies, Patel cites. In a larger context, this problem is not for MCGB alone. It would apply to all big and small local bodies across the country in the GST regime. Patels remarks suggest the magnitude of challenge the Modi government has while implementing the revolutionary tax regime. Patel raises the challenge of GST implementation. Under the GST regime, when various indirect taxes including sales tax, VAT and Octroi get consolidated in one uniform tax rate, will large local bodies such as MCGB get funds on time for its daily functioning? Patel asks. Firstpost Financial Editor Dinesh Unnikrishnan says that NCP Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel raises an interesting case of states within the states, citing the example of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGB), which under Octroi alone garners about Rs 8000 crore to Rs 9000 crore per annum. "The Prime Minister should come to the House apologise to the nation. If he cannot come, we will be happy even if Finance Minister Jaitley apologises," Budania said. "It was Congress which forced you to follow the right path of this Bill." "At that time, the then Gujarat CM had said that this Bill is against the welfare of the nation. Today, the same man who is now PM, said that this Bill is benefitial for the nation," he said. "When the Congress had brought this Bill to the Parliament, then BJP had protested against it," said Narendra Budania, Congress MP from Rajasthan. PM Modi should apologise to the nation for his U-turn on GST Bill: Congress in Rajya Sabha "We have given this notice for discussion to wake up the government. It is unfortunate that the Taj of Hindustan is burning but the central government cannot feel the heat. Which kind of heat will wake up the Kashmir government?" Azad said. "Today, it has been 30 days since curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir. I do not think that any state in India has seen curfew for 30 days since Independence," Congress leader Azad said. "Please call for an all-party meeting and send a delegation to Kashmir," he said. "This cannot be solved through law and order machinery," he said. "The silence of the Prime Minister is more eloquent than words. He is sending the message that the government does not care about the situation in Kashmir." "This is one of the most grave situations I have risen in to speak. I have not seen continuous curfew for 30 days in my life. How can we remain silent? More than 1000 incidents of firing have been reported in a month. More than 8000 have been injured. 60 are dead. It is inhuman and criminal. Why are we using pellet guns? I am told that even Israel does not use pellet guns against Palestinians," CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury said. "If you (BJP) were not opposing this Bill at that time, this Bill would have been passed two years ago. So, you are actually responsible for delaying the Parliament passing this Bill, but we are taking the blame," he said. "Why was it that in 2011, some ministers who are sitting on that side were opposing this Bill?" Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Lok Sabha. "Today, the Parliament is going to take a big step for the freedom from tax terrorism," he said. "Some people will know the condition of taxation in our country," he added. "Today is 8 August. On this day many years ago, Mahatma Gandhi had moved the nation with 'Bharat choro' slogan," PM Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha. "Therefore, who won and who lost is not a matter of debate," the Prime Minister further said. "But the credit for this Bill does not belong to one party. It belongs to the culture of Indian democracy," Modi said. "It is true that someone created this Bill while someone else nurtured it," he said. "Just as someone gave birth to Krishna and someone else raised him," he said. "The most important requirement was the creation of trust between Centre and the states. The most important thing was to not decide this on the basis of sheer numbers. That is why I have earlier said that democracy is not just about numbers," he said. "We were successful in taking care of a lot of flaws with the GST Bill. 'Ek manch, ek manth, ek marg, ek manzil' is the mantra behind GST which all of us have experienced," the PM said. "Sometimes, there were doubts about the GST. When I was the CM, even I had doubts about GST. And today, because of seeing GST continuously as a CM, my viewpoint changed when I viewed it as Prime Minister," Modi said. "All Centre and states need to unite to create a mechanism for Ek Bharat," PM Modi said in the Lok Sabha. I had different view of GST because I looked at it earlier from the point of view of a CM: PM Modi in Lok Sabha "A message will go to the people through GST that the consumer is the king," Modi said. "GST gives a guarantee of security to small traders and businessmen. It will result in economic growth." "Despite our differences, we made efforts to take GST forward," he said. "A uniformity in the processing of taxation will come through GST." "In the entire discussion of GST, none of us used it as a platform for politics. We rose above politics for the welfare of the nation," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha. GST will send the message that the consumer is the king: PM Modi in LS "Even during the all-party meeting, I had said that the credit for the GST Bill goes to all political parties," the Prime Minister said. "It is a matter of great strength for Indian democracy that all of us are making efforts to take this forward together," he said. "It is also true that we need to have IT-preparedness and legal preparedness. In the world, even the countries which are praised for their democracy find it tough to deal with Bills," he said. "Because of GST, the taxpayer will realise that he will benefit from honesty. Therefore, we will succeed in bringing down the generation of black money," Modi said. "There will be data integration. Because of a strong cross-checking mechanism, a seamless method which will help in catching any wrongdoing will be created," the PM said. "GST will help in curbing corruption and black money," Modi said. "Corruption will move towards zero because of GST," he said. "When something happens in Africa, the Prime Minister tweets about it. But when the Taj of India is burning, the heat is not reaching the central government," he added. "We were told that he spoke on Kashmir issue in Madhya Pradesh because the CM told him to do so. This shows that the Parliament means nothing to the PM and he would not have spoken on the Kashmir issue if the Chief Minister had not asked him to do so," he said. "This is the fourth time we are asking the Prime Minister to provide a statement in the House," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha. PM spoke on Kashmir in Madhya Pradesh just because the CM told him to do so: Azad in RS "When you truly feel pain from the heart, it will reach Kashmir," he said. "When you say Kashmir is an integral part of India, it should not only be on paper. There should be integration of hearts and minds. What about the integration between federal and state government?" said Azad. "Law and order in Kashmir in not just in the hands of Jammu and Kashmir police, but also in the hands of paramilitary forces," Azad further said. "If someone says that Mehbooba Mufti should alone solve the problem in Kashmir, that is not possible for her," he added. "Kashmir is secular. The destruction of Kashmiriyat and insaniyat is not happening because of democracy but because of the pellet guns," he said. "There is a difference between communalism and separatism. Militants are also targeting Muslims. Militancy has no religion," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha. "You can only keep Kashmir in India when you treat Kashmiris as equals," he said. "Shoot the people but do not use pellet guns. Pellet Guns are worse than live bullets. It is worse than killing people," he further said. "The Prime Minister said that the people of the country love Kashmir. But the people of Kashmir should also love the country," JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav said. "Merely repeating what Atal Bihari Vajpayee said is not going to create that trust. Create that trust by stopping the communal polarisation that is taking place in the country," he said. "If everyday you talk about abrogating Article 370, you talk about love jihad, ghar wapsi, are you creating trust?" said Yechury. "Unless you address the central question of the promises made to the people of Kashmir at the time of independence, this problem will not be solved," he said. "The problem today can only be solved if you initiate a political dialogue. I have urging this government that this can only come through with an atmosphere of trust. "The trust deficit exists (in Kashmir) because of the string of betrayals of the promises made," said the CPI(M) leader. He also took a dig at the government's foreign policy and said, "When you want to wish Happy Birthday, you go to Pakistan." "If other governments have engaged in dialogue in the past, what is preventing this government from initiating the political dialogue?" Yechury said. "The threat we face today is not a mere question of autonomy. There is also an orchestrated terrorist threat in Kashmir," he said. "Today, there is an attempt to create dual power in Kashmir," Dasgupta further said. "Let us remember that dialogue cannot be done if we are going to tie the hands of the executive." "While I agree with Sitaram Yechury that we need a form of political approach, the form and time of that approach should be different," he said. "We have been talking about development and healing hearts and unfortunately, we have come across a rather big emotional divide. At an earlier time, it was thought that Article 370 would facilitate the process of integration. But we may have actually hardened the emotional divide," he said. "A lot of the people who have taken to the streets may be spontaneous. But there is also a large degree of pre-meditation in the protests," he said. "That was the death of Burhan Wani. The death of any Indian should be a source of anguish. But Burhan Wani never considered himself an Indian. And what do you say about a person who glamourises terrorism?" Dasgupta said. "The problem we face in Kashmir today is somewhat different from the problems we have faced earlier," he said. "Three months ago, Kashmir was peaceful. We had a unique political experiment. It was an alliance between the Valley and Jammu, something which was unique and encouraging. And then something broke loose," he added. "While we try to evolve a consensus on this issue, we should sometimes be brutally frank about what we are dealing with," Swapan Dasgupta, nominated MP, said in the Rajya Sabha. "I wish people in this Parliament talked about sending a delegation to AIIMS, where a girl injured by pellet guns is admitted," he said. "Why do we only remember Kashmir when it is burning? Guns will not solve any problem," he said. "The people of this country should understand what the problem in Jammu and Kashmir is." "Why wasn't there any problem in Kashmir until 1987?" said a dramatic PDP MP Nazir Ahmad Laway in the Rajya Sabha. Why do we remember Kashmir only when it is burning? asks PDP MP in Rajya Sabha Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia: When we are talking about Swachh Bharat, we should first clean our minds. Fringe elements have now turned into the Centre today. Why the Home Minister didn't visit Rohith Vemula? PM made a strong statement: Shoot me, not the Dalits. But why he didn't include Muslims? Muslims can never be part of Hindu nationalism but they are a part of Indian nationalism. Sexual violence against Dalit women has increased. About eight lakh Dalits are dependent on selling skins, bones of dead cows, what will they do now? AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi: No democracy in the world has prioritise animal life over human life. But the Indian democracy has. Why do gua rakshaks have come to power? The credit goes to the idealogy of ruling party. What right do so-called gau rakshaks have to look at what I eat? NK Premchandran, RSP MP from Kollam: The attrocities against the Dalits is politics. Educational, economical and social upliftment is the need of the poor. We all should work together and committ ourselves in taking action in order to stop the atrocities on Dalit. Also, I would appeal all the state governments to take strictest action against anti-social elements who try to disrupt the harmony of secular fabric of the country. It is pointless to blame the other government. Why did we celebrate Ambedkar's 125th anniversary with such genuinty? Respecting Ambedkar is like respecting India. Seva Bharati, an RSS organisation, is one of the organisations which has been majorly active at the grassroots for the upliftment of Dalits. Dalit community has contributed a lot towards Indian heritage. When India was under the British Rule, no matter how atrocities were inflicted on them, still they stood by India. They never demanded a separate country. We in the government emphathise with the Dalits. On PM Modi's silence, Singh said, "Has any PM spoken during all discussions in Parliament? When PM spoke on the atrocities, and gau rakshaks, I issued an advisory that strict action should be taken against such gau rakshaks. Our biggest challenge is to counter the twisted mentality of the perpetrators. What happened in Una was extremely condemnable. "This is rumour that after BJP came to power that the atrocities on Dalit have increased. Just ask yourselves if this is true. Show me the data records. I don't want to point fingers at any political party. But following figures would explain: In 2013, 39,346 cases were registered against atrocities, 40,300 and 35,564 were registered respectively," Singh said. "We can make India world's best country if we consider humanity above all. There are many articles in our Indian constitution for Dalits. But there is a need for effective laws to act on these articles. Our government is working at socio-economic development of the Dalits." "It is painful that even after 70 years of independence we are still discussing atrocities on Dalits. We cannot deny that there are people from several castes and religion. We should not politicise the atrocities on Dalits," Singh said. On Friday, 12 August, 2016 the bills for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha are Mental Health care Bill,2016 and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. Congress leader Anand Sharma said that the government should not be hypocritical. He said, "When administrators have high salary, MLAs have a good rise, why don't we get the same treatment?" Ram Gopal Yadav, SP, Uttar Pradesh raised the issue of the low wages of the members of Parliament. He said, "The pay of the MP's is only a fraction of ministers in Telangana Assembly or Delhi Legislative Assembly. We are asked to reduce our expenditure but we cannot do that when we have to entertain people of our constituency. The rising inflation also makes it difficult for us to sustain ourselves." In the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha Congress leader Shashi Tharoor raised the issue of failing start-ups in India. He said, "The government has given tax incentives to the start-ups but everyone knows that they don't make any money in the first few years. Hence the tax incentives should be given to the angel investors." After GST this is the second resolution which has been adopted unanimously. She added, "This house earnestly appeals to all sections of society in India to work for the early restoration of normalcy and harmony. This is to restore confidence in people and youth in general. The resolution is adopted unanimously." Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that the resolutions proposed on the Kashmir issue has been passed. She said,"This house expresses serious concern over the violence in Kashmir Valley. Everyone here conveys loss of life caused by the deteriorating situation. The house is of the firm view that there cannot be a compromise on security." Dubbing passage of the GST Constitution Amendment Bill as historic, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that manufacturing taxes and VAT will come down with the new national sales tax but the same for services tax will be decided by states and Centre. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will subsume over a dozen central and state levies including excise duty, service tax and VAT, is "perhaps the most important" tax reform, he said soon after Rajya Sabha overwhelmingly voted for the legislation. "Today is a historic day for the reason that Rajya Sabha has passed the GST bill which have been held up for a very long time. All members present at the time of voting, voted in favour of the bill," Jaitley told reporters in Parliament House. Thanking Congress and other opposition parties for supporting the legislation, he said proceedings in the Upper House demonstrated to the world that this is a great day for Indian democracy and Indian federalism. "In fact Indian democracy and Indian federalism are at there very best in as much as all national political parties and regional parties, state governments have come together to usher a major taxation reform.. The government wanted to build a larger consensus, which we succeeded in doing," he said. Asked if the implementation of the GST would mean rise in cost of air travel, mobile bills and eating out because of incidence of service tax going up in the new regime, he said that tax rate would be decided by the GST Council, comprising of the Centre and the states. "Manufacturing taxes will certainly will come down, VAT will come down. What level services taxes are to be kept is a discretion of GST Council. It will depend on what states along with Centre will decide," he later told Times Now. On Congress demand for not converting the supporting GST legislation as Money Bill, Finance Minister said he has not pre-decided on bringing the Bills as Money or Finance Bills. "Once the GST is implemented, it will bring basic changes as far as the Indian tax structure is concerned, it will converge India into one unified market, with one unified tax in the country, it will improve the base of taxation, it will make evasion extremely difficult. "The central and state governments have to work together to make this a great success. Overall, I think we had an excellent debate," he told reporters. He said although every state government is on board in order to implement one of the most important taxation reform in India, the fact is that it has been passed unanimously all regional and national parties have actively supported it. Congress hoped that subsequent legislations for its implementation like CGST and IGST bills would be brought in the Winter Session as financial and not money bills. Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was only half satisfied with the Finance Minister's promise made in the Upper House in this regard. "It's a half promise. Therefore, I am half satisfied," he told reporters after the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill. Chidambaram said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has assured that he will hold discussions with the Congress party before bringing the bills. Senior Congress leader and former Law Minister Kapil Sibal cited the example of Aadhaar Bill to claim the new legislations could be converted into Money Bills to block voting. "We have seen the Aadhar Bill was converted into a money bill and we were not given the right to vote on it. We have doubt that this GST bill will also be turned into a money bill whereby a discussion on it will take place in Rajya Sabha but members will not be allowed to vote on it. We are concerned over it," he said. "We hope that it will be a financial bill and there will be a discussion on it and we will be given the right to vote on it," he said. Another Congress member Renuka Chowdhury said, "They have considered many of our aspects. Have to wait and see what happens in the winter session." NCP leader Praful Patel said it is very good that the Constitution amendment bill to bring GST was passed with general consensus. "It is good for the country and states will also benefit, especially those which considered themselves as backward as they will get more revenue. "We hope that the Bill to be brought by government in November will also be passed with general consensus. Finance Minister has given an assurance that whatever bill will be brought, it will be honoured," he said. Earlier in the day, Congress had made it clear to the government that firm assurances for keeping the GST rate capped at 18 per cent and bringing subsequent legislations needed for its rollout as financial bills alone could ensure its support to the long-pending Constitution Amendment bill. "We also demanded an assurance that the CGST and IGST should not be moved as money bill. The Central GST and Integrated GST are bills which will apply on taxpayers, on common man. They must be debated and voted upon by both Houses of Parliament. We hope to get assurance from the Finance Minister. If these assurances are forthcoming, we will be able to support," Chidambaram told reporters. The GST Bill will finally be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha. India Inc had said it is looking forward to introduction of the much-awaited Goods & Services Tax (GST), saying it would be a very significant step in the field of indirect tax reforms in India. The government has circulated official amendments to the GST bill to drop 1 percent additional tax and include a definite provision in the statute for compensating states for revenue loss for 5 years as it gears up to discuss the long-pending bill in Rajya Sabha. The eleventh day of Parliament's Monsoon Session on Monday began with AIADMK Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa's statement where she said that she was facing a "life threat" and was being "compelled to resign". Sasikala, who hit the headlines for slapping DMK leader Tiruchi Siva at the airport on Saturday, said: "I am receiving an unconditional apology from Tiruchi Siva. Something was spoken against my party leader and I behaved like that." The parliamentary proceedings over the day saw the passage of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that provide for putting the NEET in place for admission to medical and dental courses across the country from next year; and National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Rajya Sabha. The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Amendment Bill 2016 was moved in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Lok Sabha: Supplementary demands over additional spending The government sought parliament's nod for additional spending of Rs 1.03 lakh crore, though the cash outgo will only be Rs 20,948.26 crore. Presenting the Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought parliament's approval for a transfer of Rs 5,000 crore towards National Employment Guarantee Fund and Rs 1,000 crore for providing funds to Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves for Sovereign Strategic Crude Oil Reserve at Vizag, Mangalore, and Pudur. Bill for speedier recovery of bad loans passed The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Amendment Bill 2016 was moved in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing. Piloted by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the bill seeks to amend four laws the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002; the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993; the Indian Stamp Act, 1899; and the Depositories Act, 1996. Special status: TDP MPs protest in Parliament Unhappy over the Centre's stand on special status to Andhra Pradesh, TDP, a partner in NDA government, staged protests both inside and outside Parliament. Seeking immediate announcement for special status, the MPs of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) tried to disrupt the proceedings in the Lower House. Holding placards and raising slogans in support of their demands, the TDP members in the Lok Sabha began the protest as soon as the house met for the day. They rushed to the speaker's podium, demanding that the government fulfill its commitments under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly appealed to members to return to their seats but they continued the protest. The Speaker conducted the proceedings amid the uproar before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm. Attack on Dalits and Muslims Opposition members expressed concern over growing attacks on Dalits and minorities and called for stern action against cow vigilante groups which have been targeting them. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay underlined the need for action against those targeting the Dalits and Muslims to uphold secularism and communal harmony. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Rajya Sabha: GST Bill listed for Wednesday The government has listed the GST bill for discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, hoping it will be passed through consensus, but the opposition Congress said that consultation is still on over the issue and an agreement is not yet finalised. In view of the development, the BJP has issued whip for all its Rajya Sabha members to be present in the house for the next three days. "The GST bill is listed for Wednesday. We hope it will be passed through consensus," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said. Bills to put in place NEET passed The Rajya Sabha passed by voice vote the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that provide for putting the NEET in place for admission to medical and dental courses across the country from next year. The bills provide for a Constitutional status to the 'National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and seek to amend the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, and the Dentists Act, 1948. Responding to a debate on the bills in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda said the whole exercise was aimed to stop multiplicity of examinations, to bring transparency to curb corruption and to stop exploitation of students. Uproar over Manohar Parrikar's comments on Aamir Khan Rajya Sabha witnessed a brief uproar by opposition members over alleged remarks by Manohar Parrikar against actor Aamir Khan even as the Defence Minister denied having said what was been quoted to him. During the Zero Hour, Derek O'Brien (TMC) raised the issue of "dangerous" rise in religious fundamentalism in the country, saying the government, ministers and people associated with the ruling party were "shooting their mouths off every day". "The Prime Minister needs to come and say these are in fact mistakes, this is not thinking of the government. Prime Minister come here and assure us that we can live in the India we know Unity in Diversity". As soon as he finished his Zero Hour mention, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted a report which said 'Parrikar takes a swipe at actor Aamir; those who speak like this must be taught a lesson'. "So may I ask him (Parrikar who was sitting in the House) what lesson he is going to teach us...The entire nation should be told what type of action and lesson he is going to teach the minorities of this conuntry," Azad said. To this, Parrikar said: "I would only say one thing. Let the members see the video...and make up their mind". However, this did not pacify the agitated opposition. The proceedings on the 12th day of Parliament's Monsoon Session began with brief adjournments as members of NDA partner Telugu Desam Party and the Opposition YSR Congress created an uproar and demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. However, Tuesday's proceedings were not deeply disturbed and the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha managed to pass The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill with the new legislation having provisions for confiscating 'benami' (proxy) assets, and The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which will allow new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to be set up at Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwar, Bhilai and Jammu. On Wednesday, the much-delayed bill to amend the constitution and introduce a Goods and Services Tax is scheduled to be moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha, with the government hoping it will sail through after the additional levy of 1 percent proposed earlier was scrapped. The government on Tuesday appeared confident of getting the bill through the Upper House, where it is in minority, saying it was sure that all parties will support the bill. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Lok Sabha: - Bulandshahr gangrape, atrocities on Dalits: Congress member Sushmita Dev said despite strengthening several laws to protect women and children, law enforcement agencies have failed to protect children and incidents like the one in Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh, where a woman and her daughter were brutally raped, continued to occur. "Situation has reached such a stage that the family has now threatened to commit suicide if the culprits are not arrested. Uttar Pradesh government has failed to provide security to women and children," she said during Zero Hour. BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal said the Bulandshahar incident reflected the "dismal law and order" situation in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that the state government has failed to provide security in highways. He urged the Centre to frame a cohesive policy to enable every state raise a security force, equipped with latest technology and vehicles, to handle any crime on highways. TMC member Saugata Roy raised the issue of alleged atrocities on Dalits in different parts of the country and asked the Prime Minister to take steps to stop such attacks. - Special status to Andhra Pradesh: Jaitley assured Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh that the government was looking into their demand for pecial category status for the state. Lok Sabha witnessed two brief adjournments over the issue earlier in the day by members of TDP and YSR Congress. "Some members have concerns over particular issues. Government stands by its commitment. We are trying to find a solution to these issues," Jaitley intervened. But after this assurance, the MPs sought a timeline for resolving the matter and continued raising slogans like "We want justice" and "We demand special status". - Bill introduced to provide transgenders separate identity: A bill seeking to empower the transgender community by providing them a separate identity and putting in place a mechanism to punish those who exploit them was introduced in the Lower House. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, seeks to define a transgender person and prohibits discrimination against them. It also confers the right upon transgender persons to be recognised as such and also grants them right to "self-perceived" gender identity. - Problems of Indians in Gulf countries: The problems being faced by Indians in Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf countries were raised in the Lok Sabha, with demands that the government of India should act fast to help them. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Rajya Sabha: - Circulation of GST amendments: Ahead of the long-delayed GST Bill being taken up by Rajya Sabha, the government has circulated to MPs the amendments it has proposed in the Constitution Amendment Bill to enable implementation of the tax. Jaitley told Rajya Sabha that the amendments to the Bill, pending in the Upper House for the past one year, were given to the Secretariat of the House two days ago and have been circulated to the members. - Black money transactions: Committing to deal strongly with black money, Jaitley warned those having undisclosed income against missing the chance to make the declaration by 30 September and assured that rapid progress has been made with regards to the probe into the revelations made by the Panama Papers leak. Jaitley was replying to a debate on The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amednment Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha. The House later passed the legislation by voice vote. A law alone will not solve the problem of black money but efforts will have to be made to create fear of law and stop the generation of black money, he said. "Since it's the Benami law like the black money law, there has to be a deterrent provision which we have put it in this partciular law and I hope people get the clear signal and don't give the State an opportunity as far as using this law is concerned," he said. - Resolving Siachen dispute: The government said the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan's support to terrorism in India. Thirteen rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between India and Pakistan, led by the respective defence secretaries, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. - Tea Board HQ being shifted out of Kolkata: The alleged shifting of Tea Board headquarters from Kolkata to Guwahati was among the issues raised by members. Vivek Gupta (TMC) raised the issue of the alleged move taking place after the BJP came to power in Assam and likened it to "chopping off the hands" of Kolkata. The Centre, he alleged, has not been consulting the state government on the appointment of the chairman of Kolkata Port Trust and Damodar Valley Corporation and was now shifting the Tea Board headquarters. - Steel Minister Birender Singh takes oath as member: Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh took oath as member of the Rajya Sabha. Singh, who was re-elected to the Upper House recently, took the oath in English. She works silently. Away from the limelight. Prefers to interact more with the plebeians than the media. But in just over two years into the job Sushma Swaraj has completely changed the way her portfolio, the Union External Affairs Ministry, is perceived. She has prised open the stiff upper lip of Indian Foreign Service, simplified the knotty, bureaucratic layers of Indian embassies and has added speed, sincerity, and humbleness to operations. And Swaraj has done all this in a breathtakingly quick time, with an unparalleled human touch. The immediacy of her response and personal attention to detail have ushered in a refreshing change in South Block and Indian diplomacy. Her accessibility stands in stark contrast to the lal-batti approach that Indians have come to expect from netas. Most importantly, Indians stranded or in genuine distress in any part of the world now know that the minister's intervention is just a tweet away. They truly believe that she will try her best to address their concerns. The strength of this belief was tested again most recently when a message from a starving Indian worker pointed to the deep humanitarian crisis that has broken out in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom's economy has been hit hard by persistently low oil prices. Struggling with financial difficulties many companies, who employ millions of blue collar workers from the Indian sub-continent, have shut shop. Over 10,000 Indian migrant workers, or maybe more, in the kingdom have been for months left without a job, hungry and waiting in misery to return home. They have no money to even buy food, let alone exit visas. As soon as she received the message through Twitter, Swaraj jumped into the fray, battle-ready and with a clear plan in place to launch the latest relief and rescue operation. The minister, in a series of tweets starting 30 July, gave regular updates on the scale of the operation, the steps being taken and how the immediate crisis was averted. Large number of Indians have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The employers have not paid wages closed down their factories. /1 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 The number of Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia is over Ten Thousand. It is not 800 as is being reported. @JagranNews Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 We have asked @IndianEmbRiyadh to provide free ration to the unemployed Indian workers in Saudi Arabia. /4 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 We have asked the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to serve you food in Jeddah. /1 @Imran_khokhar84 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 I assure you that no Indian worker rendered unemployed in Saudi Arabia will go without food. I am monitoring this on hourly basis. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 Indian Consulate n Indian Community Jeddah food stuff distribution mission accomplished at 245 AM today morning. Kudos to all. @123nrs India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) July 31, 2016 Swaraj sent two ministers of state, Gen (Retd) VK Singh and MJ Akbar to negotiate the dues of Indian workers with the Saudi and Kuwait authorities and rescue them from camps where they have been kept in quasi-detention with unpaid salaries. On Monday, she assured the Rajya Sabha that no Indian worker will sleep hungry. "If any Indian worker abroad is unemployed, he will not sleep hungry... The government takes full responsibility to feed them. If they get another job, that is fine, but if they want to return home, then I assure you, we will bring them home." Singh's brief will also be to make an "on-the-spot assessment" for a possible evacuation of thousands, officials said. According to a report in The Hindu, efforts are already underway to arrange for exit visas for jobless citizens and that the airlift operation is likely to take place in the "next few days." A rescue operation on this scale, though tricky, won't certainly be unprecedented. The minister, along with her colleague VK Singh, had in 2014 used commercial flights to evacuate hundreds of Indians from Iraq. A year later, the government pressed into service the Air Force, Air India flights, naval and merchant ships to rescue more than 5000 Indians and some foreigners out of war-ravaged Yemen. A report in Washington Post points out how more than 550 foreigners from 32 countries, including a dozen Americans and three Pakistanis, were evacuated. India's coordination and presence were such that the US Embassy advised American nationals to seek Indian assistance to leave Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. Last month, the government sent 2 IAF C-17 Globemaster planes to fly about 150 Indians out of South Sudan. This is par for the course for Swaraj. When not rescuing Indians stranded abroad, the affable minister addresses concerns of even those within the country, sometimes walking an extra mile. As a newly-wed Haryana couple found out, help is just a tweet away. The Haryanvi youth, Tinu, who married Kazakhstan girl Jahna, was in trouble because her wife's tourist visa was expiring on 1 August. The two ran from pillar to post to extend her visa but to no avail. Hearing about the couple's plight in Dainik Bhaskar, Swaraj tweeted in Haryanvi: "If you've filed a request to extend 'bahu's' visa, send me a copy of the request." Swaraj called Jahna 'bahu'. No wonder that in 2015 Sushma Swaraj was voted the 'best performing minister' in Narendra Modi cabinet by a nationwide India TV-C Voter opinion poll. Swaraj has shown herself to be an extremely hands-on, proactive minister always ready to address genuine grievances. Just don't tweet her about your malfunctioning refrigerator. Prime Minister Narendra Modis home constituency Varanasi, for a change or at least for a day, is shining with Congress colours. Congress external poll strategist Prashant Kishor has ensured that Sonia Gandhis posters, banners, welcome arches and gates are seen everywhere in the city and her road show on Tuesday becomes a talking point, on whatever merit. Congress poll campaign in the politically crucial Hindi heartland state goes with the punch line 27 saal, UP Behal (No progress in UP for 27 years). Most posters and banners has this catchphrase. Interestingly, Prashant Kishor has borrowed this pre-poll catchphrase from BJPs 2005 Bihar election campaign: 15 saal, bura haal, hitting at the Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi regime, when the state had irreparably suffered. That had yielded good dividend to the BJP-JD(U) combine. The Congress and Kishor would be hoping that this tried and tested catchphrase in Bihar works for them in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Beyond borrowing that punch line with slight modification, there is an obvious problem with their strategy. Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday will lead a road show in Varanasi to push chief ministerial candidature of her 78-year old party nominee Sheila Dikshit. The timing of it could not be worse for the Congress. It comes a day after BJPs Gujarat Chief Minister (also a woman) resigned on high moralistic pretext, at least thats what is for public consumption, that she is turning 75 in November and should thus retire from active politics and high pressure post. Contrast Anandibens position with Sheila Dikshit. Anandiben retires ahead of turning 75, Sheila is forced to return from retirement at the age of 78 to lead the Congress campaign in a state as big and complex as UP with the biggest Assembly of 404 members. The BJP is sure to use this as a handle to hit at Congress. Sheilas advance age and diminished performance in the last Delhi Assembly election when she lost in her own constituency and ultimately reduced party to a zero in Assembly is troubling many Congress men and women. A party leader had raised Sheilas age question before Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow and the Congress vice-president took a long a walk, up and down to explain how he thought Sheila was Congress personified and would do same in UP what she did in Delhi. He even picked up a chair from the podium and put that few yards ahead of the rest saying that was her chair, symbolic rulers throne for UP. Its a different matter though that soon after Sheila and a host of other senior leaders concerned with UP campaign were packed in a bus to Kanpur, a yatra flagged off by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit had fallen sick and had to return to her posh Delhi home for rest and medical check-up. Same question could trouble Sonia when she lands in Varanasi. But Congress leadership has decided to take that in stride. Kishor and Congress strategy is to make news, for now. A continued publicity, media and word of mouth would make them relevant in some areas at a time when it is facing an existential crisis in the state. That is precisely the reason why she chose to land in Varanasi for the road show. Remember this is UP Assembly election and the Congress party should ideally have been fighting against incumbent Samajwadi Party. She should thus have considered going to Mulayam Singh Yadavs home turf, Saifai or Etawah or any of its neighbouring areas. But that couldnt have given the kind of publicity Congress and Kishor would want. More so, Congress would have faced difficult times mobilizing people in Mulayam's home turf. In any case, it would perhaps have been beneath Congresss president aura to take on a regional satrap. The Congress' first family cant be seen to be confronting anyone less than a prime minister. Also, local MLA Ajay Rai has a strong presence in the region. Rai has been told to show pull all his gears and his strength for Sonia from airport itself. During parliamentary election, he had mobilized good crowd for Rahul Gandhis road show in Varanasi, though none of that turned into votes. Former MP Rajesh Mishra too has influence in some pockets and was a contender for state Congress president. He too could add some numbers to crowd in the lanes of this holy city. That way Congress can boast that Sonia had a successful road show in Modis turf and also claim total dissatisfaction against Modi. If Congress is hoping that Sheila Dikshits Brahmin surname which she got after her marriage with noted Brahmin Congress leader Uma Shankar Dikshit would work magic on this influential community, then Sonia is going a step forward to woo the community conclude her road show with garlanding of Kamlapati Tripathis statue. At a time when Dalits are flavour of political discourse, Sonia would begin her road show after rest at circuit house from paying a tribute to BR Ambedkar. She will go to Kachhari to garland his statue and begin her yatra. The Congress would hope that by garlanding statues of Ambedkar and Kamlapati Tripathi, Dalit and Brahmin social constituency has been taken care off. There is a soft Hindutva tinge also in Sonia road show. She will also head to Dasaswamedh to do puja at Baba Vishwanath temple. The city after all runs in Baba Vishwanaths name and Sonia too would need his blessing to halt Congresss downward slide, or reverse of fortune. The legal team for U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl on Monday asked to have the charges against the former prisoner of war dismissed, arguing comments made by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain violated his due process rights. Bergdahl, 30, is facing a court-martial with a potential life sentence on charges of desertion and endangerment of U.S. troops after he walked away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and became a Taliban prisoner for five years. Defence attorneys argued in a motion filed on Monday that comments made by McCain and the committee's general counsel, Steve Barney, have unduly influenced his case. The filing quotes McCain as saying last October: "If it comes out that (Bergdahl has no punishment, we're going to have a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee." "I am not prejudging, OK, but it is well known that in the searches for Bergdahl, after - we know now - he deserted, there are allegations that some American soldiers were killed or wounded, or at the very least put their lives in danger, searching for what is clearly a deserter," McCain added. The statements, among others, defence attorneys argued, undermine the independence of the military proceeding and violate Bergdahl's rights to due process. The motion said if the charges are not dropped and Bergdahl is convicted, he should at least face no punishment. "It is not rocket science to see what was wrong with Sen. McCain's comment," the motion says. "His comments - as the Army certainly knows - constituted impermissible meddling in a pending criminal case and an abuse of his authority as chairman of a powerful Senate committee." Representatives for McCain's office could not be immediately reached for comment, nor could a spokesman for the Senate Armed Services Committee. U.S. military prosecutors have said Bergdahl sneaked off his post, resulting in a 45-day search that put soldiers' lives at risk and diverted attention from the fight against the Taliban. Bergdahl was freed in a prisoner swap in May 2014 involving the release of five Taliban leaders held by the United States. The deal drew heavy criticism from Republicans. The court-martial is scheduled to begin on Feb. 6, 2017. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Beijing: In a bid to nullify the international tribunal's verdict that struck down its claims over the disputed South China Sea, China's Supreme Court on Monday issued a regulation reaffirming the country's jurisdiction over its territorial seas warning foreigners of criminal liability for violations of its sovereignty. The Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The explanation provides a clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, it quoted an SPC statement as saying. The regulation, taking effect from Monday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued with criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. The SPC statement said "judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty. People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests". The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction. According to the regulation by the SPC, jurisdictional seas not only include inland waters and territorial seas, but also cover regions including contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The SPC move is seen as an attempt to provide legal cover to China's maritime claims over almost all of the South China Sea in the backdrop of the 12 July judgement of the tribunal appointed by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) quashing China's nine-dash-line claim over the SCS. It also upheld the Philippines' rights over the area claimed by Manila. China has rejected the verdict delivered in response to the petition which the PCA said is binding. While Beijing said the tribunal's verdict was null and void as it is illegally constituted, Monday's regulation by the top court was expected to provide a legal cover for Chinese military and coast guard to effectively implement China's claims over nearly 90 per cent of the SCS and back the rights of its fishermen to continue fishing in the region. Besides Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contests Chinas claims over the area with counter claims. The court regulation followed assertions by the Chinese military to protect the country's maritime rights and interests in the backdrop of increasing tensions over the SCS after the PCA tribunal struck down Beijing's clams. Washington: Donald Trump has claimed that the US presidential election could be "rigged" as the Republican presidential nominee tried to divert attention away from a disastrous week for his campaign by labeling his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as "the devil". "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," Trump said on Monday during a town hall in Columbus, Ohio. The 70-year-old White House hopeful who emerged as the winner of a tough Republican presidential primary of 17 candidates claimed his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton had to fight only against Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. "I had 17 people. I wasn't running against two people. I had 17 people. I got a similar number to Hillary Clinton, and she had Bernie and she had a hard time putting Bernie away, and Bernie, poor Bernie. He looked so upset. You know what, he made a mistake. He shouldn't have made a deal. He lost, he lost," Trump said. "First of all, it was rigged, and I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest. Because I think my side was rigged, if I didn't win by massive landslides, I mean, think of what we won in New York and Indiana, California, 78 per cent. That's with other people in the race," he said. At another rally, Trump branded the 68-year-old former secretary of state as a "devil". Trump used this extreme characterisation of Clinton when speaking about the decision of Senator Sanders to support her in the election. "He (Sanders) made a deal with the devil. She's the devil," Trump alleged. In his rallies, Trump for the past several weeks has been using the word "crooked" against her. "His people are angry at him, and they should be. If he would have not just done anything, gone home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. She's the devil," Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. The controversial Republican nominee has in the past few days faced a barrage of criticism following his comments about the Gold Star parents of a Pakistani-American Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. In response to an emotional attack on him by the parents of 27-year-old army captain Humayun Khan, who died in a suicide bombing, Trump had claimed to have made sacrifices equal to their son. A range of figures and organisations from across the political spectrum from President Barack Obama to Senator John McCain have criticised Trump for his comments. PURBALINGGA, Indonesia Rizki Mulyadi sits half-submerged in a steaming herbal bath, hands folded in his lap and head down. Mulyadi hopes the concoction he is bathing in and the Islamic teacher who makes it will help him overcome a six-year addiction to the drug of choice for many in Indonesia: crystal methamphetamine, or "meth". The traditional rehabilitation centre in Purbalingga village on Java island says it has treated hundreds of addicts like Mulyadi, 26, with herbal teas and baths, prayer and counselling. President Joko Widodo says drugs pose a bigger danger than Islamist militancy and he has ordered an intensification of a drugs war that has included the execution of drug traffickers, the latest last week when three Nigerians and an Indonesian faced a firing squad. But while raids, arrests and punishments pick up, state funding for rehabilitation, that weans people off drugs and cuts demand, is dwindling. That leaves thousands of people like Mulyadi with few affordable options in a country that within years has gone from being a drug transit point to one of Southeast Asia's biggest markets for narcotics. "We need support in terms of budget to be able to rehabilitate all drug users in need," Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indra Parawansa told Reuters. "Our budget alone is not enough for that, it is experiencing a decline." The government estimates there are six million drug users in the country of 250 million people. Of those, more than 1 million are addicted to meth, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2013 report. But less that one percent of dependent users got treatment in 2014 compared with a global average of 16 percent, it said. Indonesian law mandates rehabilitation for people caught with small quantities of drugs. But many end up in crowded jails. "Many of those who are in prison should not be sentenced to prison at all, they should be sent to rehab," Parawansa said. Parawansa's ministry aims to rehabilitate 15,000 drug users this year on a budget of 87 billion rupiah ($6.6 million). Next year, it will only get funds to help 9,000, she said. While rehabilitation funding has been cut, the president has tripled the budget of the national counter-narcotics agency, known as the BNN, to 2.1 billion rupiah ($160,000). It also draws on the police budget. A spokesman for Widodo, asked about the cut to rehabilitation spending, said many areas were seeing tighter budgets, and it did not mean the president did not value rehabilitation. "The president is concerned about how to prevent the spread in drug use and rehab programmes are part of that," said the spokesman, Johan Budi. "We need to be hard on smugglers and traffickers, and that explains why the president is taking a hard approach, but that doesn't mean the war on drugs is at the expense of rehabilitation. Both law enforcement and rehabilitation are happening at the same time." HERBS AND FAITH Indonesia is not the only country to take a hard line. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has also declared a drug war and about 300 suspected dealers were shot dead in July, most in vigilante killings, police say. Thailand has also for years been tough on drugs but its soaring prison population has recently prompted a re-think and the downgrading of meth from a Category 1 drug to reduce numbers in jail. Critics say Widodo's stand on drugs criminalizes victims and makes the path to recovery that much harder. "They want to build more prisons but they should be building more rehab centres and making more treatment options available," said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch in Jakarta. The centre in Purbalingga is one of 160 such facilities across Indonesia that use traditional methods. There are 18 government rehab centres and almost 400 private ones and public clinics using more conventional means. Ahmad Ischsan Maulana, head of the Purbalingga centre, said his clients must stop all drugs when they arrive. "I get them to quit immediately and replace their intake with herbs," he said. "That relieves withdrawal symptoms without side effects," said Maulana, known as "the boiling teacher" because of the hot baths. His small complex of dormitories houses about 30 people. "What's important is our faith in Allah who is the only one that can heal us. No doctor can heal us of drug addiction." He says none of this clients has come back but he does not monitor people after they leave. Mulyadi said he was determined to stop drugs. "I've come here to rebuild my relationship with my family," he said, showing off a tattoo on his chest of his five-year old son. (Editing by Robert Birsel) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BAGHDAD Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption in weapons deals that risks re-igniting a political crisis ahead of planned military moves to retake Mosul from Islamic State. Infighting over anti-corruption measures, which stalled government activity for several months and sparked clashes between protesters and security forces in Baghdad earlier this year, threatens to slow momentum to recapture Mosul and capitalise on battlefield gains against the ultra-hardline militants. Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri denied charges of corruption made at a closed parliament session by Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi that was broadcast late Monday on state television. Obeidi told the session that Jabouri and other MPs he identified had lobbied on different occasions on behalf of companies or businessmen seeking contracts to sell planes, Hummer all-terrain vehicles, civilian cars or foodstuff to the army, or to appoint soldiers, officers and personnel at the ministry. Abadi said in a statement that he had directed the Integrity Commission, a government body tasked with fighting corruption, to investigate the accusations. Obeidi had been summoned to parliament to respond to allegations of graft in the Ministry of Defence, which has been accused of wasting billions of dollars in public funds and weakening the armed forces to the point where they collapsed in 2014 in the face of the Islamic State threat. "What happened today was a charade in order for the questioning not to be held", Jabouri said in a televised news conference following the session. He also said he would refrain from chairing parliament until he can clear his name. Islamic State seized a third of Iraqi territory two years ago, but has since been pushed out of many of those areas by Shi'ite Muslim militias and a military that is slowly being rebuilt with the support of a U.S.-led coalition. Former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was forced to resign following the Islamic State surge, was acting defence minister at the time. Abadi has been trying for more than two years to tackle corruption in Iraq, which ranks 161 out of 168 on Transparency International's Corruption Index, but has faced resistance from much of the country's political elite. Obeidi told state television in an interview on Saturday that the summons to appear in parliament was "a conspiracy by the corrupt, a political targeting because of tackling corruption". He said that since taking over the ministry, he had cut down significantly on graft in weapons deals and "ghost soldiers" - members of the military who do not exist but whose salaries are collected. (Reporting by Stephen Kalin, Saif Hameed and Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Richard Balmforth, G Crosse) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. LONDON A man who stabbed a passenger at a London underground train station in December while shouting that he was acting for Syria was jailed for life at a London court on Monday. Muhaydin Mire, 30, of east London, beat his victim, forced him to the ground and kicked his head before attempting to cut his neck, leaving the man with a 12-cm (5-inch) gash that required five hours of surgery. He will serve a minimum of 8-1/2 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder at London's Old Bailey criminal court on June 8. Initially described by police as a "terrorist incident", the attack at Leytonstone station in east London was investigated by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. "Whilst Mire was not accused of terrorist offences, it would appear from comments he made at the time of the attack and the content he had downloaded on his phone that he may have been inspired by terrorist propaganda," said Commander Dean Haydon in a statement. Mire, who tried to attack several other people during the incident, had pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted wounding but denied trying to kill his victim. Several people filmed the incident on their phones. Some of the videos were posted on the Internet shortly after the attack, including footage of a bystander shouting "You ain't no Muslim, bruv (brother)," a phrase which circulated widely and was praised by then Prime Minister David Cameron. The Leytonstone incident took place on Dec. 5, a time of heightened tension over Islamist militancy in Europe following the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A quaint central Maryland town known for its antique shops and haunted mansions was beginning to clean up debris on Monday after weekend flooding killed at least two people and badly damaged dozens of buildings, government officials said. Torrential rain caused a tributary of the Patapsco River to overflow and send floodwaters through Ellicott City, an unincorporated community in Howard County, about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Washington, D.C. "We've been through blizzards, we've been through hurricanes, we've been through terrible train accidents, but we have never seen devastation like this," U.S. Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, told reporters at a news conference. Mikulski praised the work of emergency officials and citizens who helped save lives of those threatened by the surging waters. Search and rescue workers came to the aid of about 120 people stranded in the flooding, while residents formed a human chain to free a woman trapped inside her car when raging waters enveloped the vehicle on a downtown street. "For the people who did things like form the human chain -- I tell you, it really shows that the people here have such grit," she said. A video posted online by local media of the so-called human chain shows an unidentified woman in a compact convertible car as muddy, waist-deep waters gush down a roadway that looks like a raging river. At first one man attempts to reach the woman but is swept off his feet. Soon after, the video shows a group of men link arms and stretch out towards the vehicle, eventually pulling the woman from her car to safety. Overnight, more than 180 vehicles were towed from streets, parking lots and the riverbed to a local high school, county officials said. An additional 20 cars were stuck in an area of the river. "With the cars removed, Monday's focus is on debris removal," county officials said in a statement. Meanwhile, scattered thunderstorms were expected throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service. Elliott City received almost 6 inches (15 cm) of rain in two hours late on Saturday, causing the tributary, Tiber Creek, to break its banks. Vehicles were swept down city streets and dozens of buildings were badly damaged in addition to those destroyed, county officials said. Every business near the river on the town's historic Main Street had suffered major damage, including building fronts torn off and doors stripped away, county officials said. The bodies of two people, a man and a woman, were found in the aftermath, one in the river, officials said. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency, as did Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman. The declarations allow aid to be released more quickly for Ellicott City, which has a population of about 65,000. Kittleman said the money would help pay for infrastructure improvements to make the town more resilient to flooding. "We are going to make sure Ellicott City rises up to be an even stronger more vibrant place than it is right now," he said. Officials were still assessing the number of people displaced by the flooding and the cost of damage to the community, a county spokeswoman said. (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Frances Kerry and Diane Craft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: The mother of a British man accused of seizing a gun to "kill" White House hopeful Donald Trump launched a campaign Tuesday to bring her autistic son home from the United States. Michael Sandford, 20, will face trial next month after trying to grab a police officer's gun at a Las Vegas campaign rally in June, before being overpowered. He later told police he wanted to "to shoot and kill" Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. Lynn Sandford, 42, is trying to raise the money to fund a legal battle so her son can serve any sentence in Britain. "Michael is extremely vulnerable and I don't think he will survive being incarcerated in a US prison," she told a London press conference, explaining he was now on suicide watch in a Nevada jail. "We want to try to bring him home to the UK to a secure place that will help him." Sandford has pleaded not guilty to charges of disrupting government business and being an illegal alien in possession of a gun, and his trial is due to begin on 22 August. But his British lawyer has said he is mentally unfit to plead. Lynn Sandford said her son had "tried to do a bad thing", but that he was mentally ill "and not a bad or dangerous person". "Michael is an autistic man who would not have foreseen the consequences of his actions," she said. "He has attempted suicide when he was 14 and has suffered from depression throughout his life." Sandford had overstayed his US visa by several months and had been reported missing by his mother at the time of the incident. The family has launched an online crowd-funding campaign to raise 25,000 ($33,200, 29,600 euros) to help repatriate Sandford, which has already hit over 20,000. "Please, please help us to raise funds: to try to influence the legal process in the States, to try and get a good lawyer for him there," said the CrowdJustice funding page. "I am not asking for my son to escape punishment. We want him to serve his sentence in a safe institution for vulnerable people." Family lawyer Saimo Chahal told reporters that the top priority was "to try and secure Michael's repatriation to the UK so that he could be assisted in a medical facility". Sandford faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fines for each of the charges. SAO PAULO No ransom was paid and no shots were fired to free the kidnapped mother-in-law of Formula One empresario Bernie Ecclestone, the governor of Sao Paulo state said on Monday, a day after the 67-year old was freed in a police raid. Aparecida Schunk was rescued on Sunday evening nine days after being seized at her home. Three men have been arrested, police said. Two were seized as Schunk was liberated and a third man who masterminded the crime was detained on Monday morning. The leader of the kidnap gang, who local newspapers said wanted 120 million reais ($36.5 million) in ransom, was a pilot who had worked for Ecclestone's family, according to news magazine Veja. Reports said police were led to the hideout by fingerprints left by her captors and CCTV footage showing them exchanging cars as they made their getaway. Police also examined phone records that helped them identify the gang leader, according to local news reports. "This is exemplary work," said state governor Geraldo Alckmin. "The victim was unharmed, no ransom was paid, two criminals were arrested, as was the mastermind of the crime." Schunk is the mother of Fabiana Flosi, a 38-year old marketing executive who met Ecclestone, 85, at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix. Ecclestone, whom Forbes magazine estimates is worth $3.1 billion - along with his family - is one of the most powerful men in sport and married Flosi in 2012. (Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. 2016 Vision Awards - Apr 2016 Home News 2016 Vision Awards - Apr 2016 The seventh annual Vision Design Awards attracted a record number of entries, up 14% from last year. The competition accepts submissions of noteworthy projects from architecture and design firms all across the country. Winners are chosen based on design innovation and excellence with an emphasis on unique and beautiful applications of flooring materials. Education and hospitality submissions were each up 50% from last year, and the number of corporate entries, which is by far the largest category, rose 27%. However both healthcare and retail entries fell considerably. Due to the balance of submissions this year, the retail entries were judged along with the hospitality category, and a grand prize was awarded in addition to a winner in each of the categories. All product and firm names are stripped from the entries, so the judges vote strictly based on the merit of the design. Any project may be entered, regardless of the brand or type of flooring installed. Our forward-thinking sponsors, Bentley Mills, Crossville Tile and Tarketts Johnsonite, have supported this unique blind jury concept since the competitions inception in 2010. This years independent jury panel included Shashi Caan of the Shashi Caan Collective, who has participated every year, as well as Cameron Wilson, director of interior architecture at LS3P Associates, and Margo Jones, professor of interior design at SCAD. The winners and jury members, along with representatives of the sponsors and Floor Focus, will celebrate the winning designs at an event in Charleston, South Carolina this September. Congratulations to all the winners! Floor Focus will begin accepting entries for next years awards in January 2017. To see more on our Grand Prize winner and the other Vision Award winners, see the 2016 Vision Awards in the April issue of Floor Focus Magazine. Copyright 2016 Floor Focus Related Topics:Tarkett, Crossville Masland Celebrates 150 Years - Apr 2016 Home News Masland Celebrates 150 Years - Apr 2016 By Calista Sprague Few manufacturers survive to celebrate their centennial anniversary, fewer still reach their sesquicentennial, but this year Masland will celebrate 150 years of continuous business. To navigate world wars, economic recessions and depressions, industry shifts and fluctuating consumer preferences, Masland has relied on a legacy of integrity, innovation and calculated entrepreneurial risk.z Today Masland Carpet and Rugs is one of five brands manufacturing higher end products for the Dixie Group, but for the majority of its lengthy history, it was a family business. Founder Charles Henry Masland hailed from a family of hosiery weavers in England. When mass production began to replace the cottage industry that sustained his parents and siblings, young Charles set sail for opportunities in North America, serving for several years in the armed forces, first for England in Canada and then for the United States. After fighting for the Union during the Civil War, he took a job dying yarn. Charles possessed an entrepreneurial spirit, and just two years later, in 1866, he combined resources with his brother James and friend Joseph Scargle to purchase the dye business and convert an abandoned vinegar plant into a yarn dye house in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Scargle withdrew from the enterprise early on, and the company became known as C.H. Masland & Brother. Although it was common practice among competitors to return less yarn to customers based on the heavier weight once dyed, the Masland brothers conscientiously returned every ounce of yarn they received, and soon built a strong reputation for integrity. In 1875, Charles bought his brother out of the business, which then became C.H. Masland. After another decade of success in the dye business, Charles was ready to launch into his next challenge, shifting to carpet and rug production. He sold the dye works and purchased Amber Carpet Mills in Kensington, Pennsylvania. New buildings were erected and 30 ingrain looms began turning out product. By this point Charles wanted to retire. In 1888, he formed a partnership with two of his six sons. Frank Elmer Masland, known as F.E., and his brother Maurice Henry Masland, known as M.H., ran C.H. Masland & Sons, but Charles retained title to the real estate and the sons rented from him. Consumer tastes were changing, so in 1898 Masland purchased tapestry and velvet looms to manufacture Wilton and Brussels carpets. Just ten months later, the new equipment burned in a fire at the mill, a huge loss for the company. Masland leased a Wilton mill in order to offer the popular new styles of carpets, but would not return to in-house Wilton production for nearly four decades. At several points in Maslands history, short-term sacrifices were made to ensure long-term success of the company. In 1907, for example, Maslands officers made the difficult decision to draw no salary for a year, a stop-gap measure that kept the mill operating during a national financial crisis and economic recession. Once the crisis passed, Maslands leadership set about growing the business for several years, but during WWI, carpet weaving came to a halt. In order to support the war effort, looms were converted to produce heavy, white canvas duck, which was then dyed and flame proofed for use as tenting material. Many of the old ingrain looms produced blankets for soldiers as well. Masland was poised to expand at the end of the war, and in 1919 purchased land for a new facility on former fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The expansion allowed the company to manufacture woven carpet for the Ford Motor Company in 1922 and eventually for much of the U.S. auto industry. Masland was known for innovation early on, introducing the first manufactured carpet fiber before WWI and installing its first 9-foot velvet power broadloom in 1917. In the early 1920s, in addition to innovations in the auto industry, the company garnered national attention for its Argonne rugs, developing what became known as the Masland Method of printing colorful patterns on woven rugs. Although they had no way of knowing it in the roaring 20s, the decision to diversify into the automotive market would eventually save Masland from ruin, providing an additional revenue stream to help weather the Great Depression. At the lowest point in the depression, even the auto industrys contract terms left little margin for profit, and once again short-term sacrifices were made for long-term gain. This time, Masland associates agreed to a reduction of wages to ensure income for the coming months, another example of the cooperative spirit between management and associates that helped keep the company solvent during lean times. The Great Depression had not yet ended, but in 1936 Masland took a calculated risk that would later prove vital, investing in Wilton production through the purchase of the Barrymore Seamless Wilton brand. In retrospect, the acquisition strengthened the company, which otherwise could not have competed in a market shifting away from woven goods. In 1939, Masland began a pilot program to again convert looms for the production of cotton duck. Two years later, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Masland converted fully to war production, temporarily becoming the largest producer of canvas duck in the world. The company also manufactured parachutes as well as clothing for the Navy, which became a Sportswear Division after the war. For its efforts, Masland was the first in the textile industry to be awarded the Army-Navy E award for excellence, which it accepted a total of five times. Following WWII, the fourth generation of Maslands took the helm. Frank E. Masland III, known as Mike after an uncle joked that there were too many Franks in the family, attended Princetons ROTC program and fought valiantly in the war, earning a Bronze Star. When he returned home, he assumed leadership of Masland & Sons, a position he held for several decades. Among his many accomplishments, Mike is credited with transforming the organization from a predominantly family held company to a publicly held, multi-national corporation. In the early 1950s, the advent of the tufting machine allowed carpet makers to increase production. The average price of carpet dropped, making it affordable for a wider segment of the population, and wall to wall carpeting came into vogue. Masland took a risk to invest early on, improving both quality and productivity in the process. Masland continued to innovate in the automotive industry as well, creating a non-woven needlepunch carpet for cars, trucks and airplane interiors that became one of the companys best sellers. Later, the Masland automotive division helped develop the first molded carpets used in vehicles today. By the 1960s, carpet had become Americas favored floorcovering, and both Maslands floorcovering and automotive divisions flourished. It had become the largest employer in town, growing from 900 to 3,500 workers at the Carlisle facilitys peak, and practically everyone in Carlisle had a connection to Masland. The companys sustained growth soon spurred the need for expansion. In 1965, Masland & Sons stock went public to raise capital, and in 1968, the burgeoning floorcovering division moved to a larger facility in Atmore, Alabama, leaving the automotive division in Carlisle, in close proximity to the automotive industry. Masland reinvented its image in the early 1980s, developing a new marketing strategy with plans to become a leader of style and fashion. More sophisticated colors and textures were introduced in the product lines as well, to appeal to the residential design trade. Masland also introduced a line of area rugs, which it had stopped producing mid century. Eight designs quickly multiplied, and the company expanded the category to meet demand from designers for custom rugs. Finally, in 1986after 120 yearsthe Masland family gave up control of the business, selling Masland & Sons to Burlington Industries. But only two years later, a group of investors from the Masland family, Dixie Yarns and Prudential Insurance bought back the floorcovering division. And in 1993, Masland became a wholly owned brand of the Dixie Group, as it remains today. The Masland brand still thrives, operating its own headquarters in Mobile, Alabama. More than 700 Dixie Group associates support the Masland brand, producing millions of square yards of carpet each year in Alabama and Georgia. To kick off Maslands sesquicentennial, all 50 Masland residential salespeople joined the management team for a celebration during the national sales meeting in Mobile this past January. The salespeople accounted for more than 750 years of combined service for Masland, including individuals with two days of service up to 53 years. In addition, the anniversary will be marked with commemorative coins presented to selected dealers, and an anniversary promotion to run with selected dealers through the end of the year. The founding family may no longer run Masland, but C.H. Maslands legacy of integrity and innovation persists 150 years later, and its associates still endeavor to deliver the highest quality and provide the best service in the floorcovering industry. Copyright 2016 Floor Focus Related Topics:The Dixie Group, Masland Carpets & Rugs In exchange for the Uber China assets, Uber will receive 5.89% of the combined company with preferred equity interest which is equal to a 17.7% economic interest in Didi Chuxing. Baidu and other Chinese shareholders will receive a 2.3% economic interest in Didi Chuxing. Under the agreement, Didi Chuxing will also obtain a minority equity interest in Uber. Cheng Wei, founder and chairman of Didi Chuxing, will join the board of Uber. Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber, will join the board of Didi Chuxing. As a result of this deal, Didi Chuxing becomes the only company with common investment from Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu. Under the agreement, Uber China will maintain independent branding and business operations. Didi Chuxing will integrate the managerial and technological experience and expertise of the two teams, to meet Chinasever richer transportation demands with more value-added solutions. It will continue to work with global partners in connecting local resources to create the best possible cross-border ridesharing experience for their users. Cheng Wei, founder and CEO of Didi Chuxing, said, Didi Chuxing and Uber have learned a great deal from each other over the past two years in burgeoning new economy. As a technology leader deeply rooted in China, Didi Chuxing is constantly pushing the frontier of innovation to redefine the future of human mobility. This agreement with Uber will set the mobile transportation industry on a healthier, more sustainable path of growth at a higher level. Didi Chuxing commits all our energy to work with regulators, users and partners to meet the transportation, environmental and employment challenges of our cities. Travis Kalanick, CEO and Co-Founder, Uber said in a blog post, Microsoft India has announced that Anant Maheshwari will join the company from September 1, 2016. He will replace current president Bhaskar Pramanik who will be leaving the company in March 2017. Anant Maheshwari who joins Microsoft from Honeywell will take over as president from January 1, 2017, and will be responsible for all of Microsofts product, service, and support offerings across India. Before leaving, Pramanik will work side by side with Anant, to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. He has held various business leadership roles in Honeywell for over 12 years. Prior to Honeywell, Anant was with McKinsey & Company for six years. Commenting on Maheshwaris appointment, Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations said: I am delighted to announce that Anant is joining Microsoft India. As we continue to transform as an organization and to support our customers digital transformation, Anants leadership will be pivotal to our continued growth. Our mission at Microsoft which we all care deeply about is to enable every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. I know that in India, Anant will help us to continue to deliver against this, in one of the most vibrant, diverse and exciting markets anywhere in the world. On joining Microsoft, Anant Maheshwari said: Microsofts mission empowering people and organizations across the planet to do more is deeply energizing, especially at Indias current growth inflection point. The ambition of a mobile-first, cloud-first world complements Indias growth themes of Smart Cities and Digital India. The global mission and the ambition of the company are fully aligned with Indias needs and priorities, and enable a wide range of creative growth opportunities. I am excited to join the company at this transformational point and support the growth objectives globally and in India. Bhaskar Pramanik commented: I am privileged to have participated in the growth of the Indian IT industry over the last four decades from the days of the mainframe computing to the mobile first cloud first world of today where computing is all pervasive. I have seen the Indian IT industry grow from a few million dollars to the $200 B global behemoth that it is today. Samsung India just sent out invites for an event in New Delhi on August 11th. Even though the invite just says to block the date, it also says that Samsungs next flagship will be unveiled at the event. This will likely be the Samsung Galaxy Note7 that will be introduced at an event in New York later today at 8:30 PM IST. It will also be streamed live in 360-degrees. It is a good thing that Samsung is bringing a flagship product to India in a week after it is announced. It is expected to go on sale in India soon after the launch. Samsung Galaxy Note7 specifications 5.7-inch Quad HD (25601440 pixels) (518ppi) Super AMOLED curved dual edge display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection Octa-Core Exynos 8890 (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm processor / Quad Core Snapdragon 820 processor 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB (UFS 2.0) internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) Hybrid Dual SIM (nano+nano/microSD) / Single SIM 12MP rear camera with LED Flash, dual-pixel PDAF, Smart OIS, f/1.7 aperture 5MP front-facing camera, f/1.7 aperture IP68 ratings water and dust resistance S Pen stylus Dimensions: 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm; Weight: 169g Heart rate sensor, Fingerprint sensor, Iris scanner, Barometer 4G LTE Cat.12, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2X2 MIMO), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, USB Type-C 3500mAh battery with fast charging (wired and wireless) The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is expected to come in Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, Gold Platinum and Blue Coral colors. We should know all the details about the phone when it launches later today and the price of the phone in India at the launch next Thursday. [Update August 9: Samsung has sent out press invites for the launch of the Note7 on August 11th.] 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. Vodafone already promised to roll out its 4G services in Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (East) and West Bengal in the second phase. It recently started offering 4G ready SIMs at 250 Branded Stores and over 5,000 multi brand outlets across Haryana. Today the company has announced that it will offer 1GB of free 4G data for those who pre-book Vodafone 4G SIM between 1st and 23rd August in Haryana. Vodafone customers can avail this benefit simply by sending the SMS Go 4G to 199. To enjoy this offer, Vodafone customers in Haryana, should have a 4G-enabled handset and active Vodafone 3G Pack/Plan as on 24th August. Vodafone 4G customers from Haryana can enjoy 4G connectivity while roaming across all existing Vodafone 4G circles in India- Mumbai, Delhi & NCR, Kerala, Karnataka and Kolkata. Commenting on the new offer, Mohit Narru, Business Head Haryana, Vodafone India, said: Vodafone, one of the worlds largest 4G network, is now all set to bring the international 4G experience to our 5.4 million customers in Haryana. While we announce our formal 4G launch soon, we want our customers to be future ready. We are offering 1GB Free 4G data as a way of thanking our valued customers who upgrade their sim now. Also Vodafone 4G customers in Haryana can now experience 4G connectivity while roaming across all Vodafone 4G circles in India. ConocoPhillips (COP 0.06%) recently reported mixed second-quarter results. Financially, the quarter was awful after weak oil and gas prices caused the company to report a whopping $1.1 billion loss. That said, CEO Ryan Lance wanted investors to know that despite the harsh operating conditions the company was making progress. He led off the company's second-quarter conference call saying that the key messages from the quarter were that: "we delivered strong operational performance, our financial performance is improving, and we're making progress strategically to position ourselves for a world of lower and more volatile prices." He then spent some time on the call drilling down a bit deeper into each item. 1. Strong operational performance Lance went through the company's operations by noting: Production grew year over year by 3%. Our second-quarter performance exceeded guidance, despite a busy season of turnarounds and over a month of downtime at Surmont due to the wildfires. Based on our strong year-to-date performance, we're raising the midpoint of our 2016 production guidance by 2%. We're also lowering our 2016 capex from $5.7 billion to $5.5 billion based on efficiency improvements, really across all business lines. Our major projects across our portfolio are on track for start-up as planned. ConocoPhillips' production was surprisingly strong during the quarter at 1.546 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/D), which was well above its guidance range of 1.5 million to 1.54 million BOE/D. This outperformance came despite the fact that its Surmont facility in Canada, which is a 50-50 joint venture with French oil giant Total SA (TTE 0.91%), was shut down for more than a month. That is worth noting because Surmont was producing 60,000 barrels per day before the wildfires, with that production split evenly between ConocoPhillips and Total. The company was able to overcome the lost production and beat guidance due to stronger production from its North American shale plays. Because of that strong result, the company is raising its full-year guidance while at the same time reducing its capital expenditures budget. In other words, the company expects to deliver more production for less money, which is what investors want to see in the current environment. 2. Improving financial performance Lance continued by saying that: Our financial performance was challenged, like the rest of [the] industry, but did improve sequentially in line with prices. Three of five of our producing segments were profitable this quarter, and I think this highlights the benefits of having high-quality legacy assets in our portfolio. Cash flows were in line with expectations, and we ended the quarter with over $4 billion of cash and short-term investments on hand. We're continuing to make progress on our asset sale program and expect to achieve our goal of about $1 billion of proceeds this year. We reduced debt by $800 million in the second quarter, so we're making progress on improving our balance sheet. While the company reported a steep operating loss, Lance wanted to hammer home the point that the company's underlying financials are improving. During the quarter the company generated $1.26 billion in cash flow, which it used to fund capex and improve its balance sheet by paying down $800 million in debt. That brings debt down to $28.7 billion, which is still ahead of the company's $25 billion target, though the company is sitting on well over $4 billion in cash. 3. Making progress strategically Lance concluded by explaining that the company's primary strategic focus is the phased exit of its deepwater exploration business. It made progress on that plan during the quarter by finding a buyer for its assets in Senegal. Further, it finished up drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which included a successful appraisal well at Shenandoah and dry holes at Gibson and Tiber. With this drilling complete, the company now has enough data for prospective buyers to evaluate so that it can move forward with the next phase of its exit strategy. Investor takeaway ConocoPhillips' CEO wants investors to know that the company is making progress strategically, financially, and operationally. Its operations have been exceptionally strong, evidenced by its above guidance production and continued reduction in capex costs. That said, the company has more work to do, both strategically and financially, to put it in an even stronger position to meet the challenges of the current oil market. Image Source: Getty Images. Dividend stocks are the heart and soul of any well-constructed portfolio. Having said that, there are so many dividend-paying stocks populating the landscape these days that it can be rather difficult to decide which ones best suit your long-term investing goals. With this in mind, our Foolish team of dividend experts offer their five top picks below that may be worth adding to your portfolio in the month of August. Tyler Crowe:In cyclical industries like oil and gas, the best way to maximize your profits is to find steady dividend-payers and buy them when they're out of favor. So far in 2016, the market really isn't a fan of oil refiners, as rising oil prices have led to smaller refining margins. That makes now a great time to buy beaten-down refiners, and that is why HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC) looks like a great dividend stock to buy in August. This company's stock is way down, but far from out What really sets HollyFrontier apart from independent oil refiners is the geographic advantages it enjoys. With major refineries in the Midwest and Rocky Mountains, its facilities are close to hard-to-access crudes that sell for a discount to national benchmark prices. Similarly, these refineries are also in places where it's difficult to deliver refined petroleum products, so HollyFrontier enjoys slightly larger refining margins than others in more competitive refining markets. Just as importantly, the company runs a tight operation, having kept its operational costs in check and thereby allowing it to profit from these geographic advantages. Gasoline and diesel consumption won't evaporate any time soon, and the refining industry waxes and wanes just like any other cyclical industry. So with shares of HollyFrontier down nearly 50% this year and the dividend yield at 5.5%, now seems like an opportune time to buy shares. A top-notch dividend stock Andres Cardenal: PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) is a giant in nonalcoholic drinks and snacks. The company owns 22 brands that make over $1 billion each in global revenue, and it enjoys rock-solid competitive advantages in scale, global distribution network, and financial resources to invest in marketing and advertising. Demand in the industry is changing, as many consumers around the world are increasingly conscious about the importance of nutrition. Fortunately for investors, PepsiCo has been betting on this trend for several years now, and innovation is delivering results. According to management, nearly 9% of the company's revenue comes from new products, while "guilt-free" drinks and snacks represent 45% of revenue. It's not easy for such a big company operating in a mature industry to find new growth opportunities, especially in times when foreign currency headwinds are hurting performance in international markets. However, PepsiCo is still expecting a healthy 9% increase in core constant-currency earnings per share during 2016. PepsiCo has a pristine trajectory of dividend payments over the long term. The company has paid uninterrupted dividends in every year since 1965, and it has 44 consecutive years of consistent dividend growth under its belt. After raising dividends by 7% this year, PepsiCo stock is trading at a dividend yield of 2.8%. Best of both worlds Matt DiLallo: Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) pays its investors pretty well. In fact, at 4.3% the Canadian energy infrastructure giant's current yield is more than double the market's average as measured by the yield of the S&P 500. And that's a rock-solid income stream, given that long-term fee-based contracts secure 95% of Enbridge's cash flow, and it only pays out 40% to 50% of its available cash flow. As lucrative as Enbridge's current yield might be, it's poised to go much higher in the future. The company has an enormousbacklog of commercially secured projects consisting primarily of fee-based assets. Because of that, Enbridge expects to grow its available cash flow from operations by 12% to 14% through 2019, which is projected to fuel 10% to 12% dividend growth over that same time frame. The company expects to deliver that growth while maintaining a conservative coverage ratio of two, along with an investment-grade credit rating. The bottom line is that investors who are looking for a reliable income stream that will rise over the next few years should strongly consider Enbridge. A rebound in the making? George Budwell:British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) has had a tough go of it in recent years due to declining sales of its flagship respiratory product, Advair, combined with a slew of high-profile clinical failures and its bribery scandal in China. The net result is that Glaxo's trailing 12-month payout ratio has ballooned to an astronomical 681%, and its debt-to-equity ratio isn't much better at 259%.So, when the pound sterling crashed following the Brexit vote, Glaxo seemed destined for a dividend cut and perhaps further restructuring to lower costs going forward. However, the drugmaker pulled off a small miracle in the second quarter, beating analysts estimates due to the strong performance of newer pharma products like the HIV medicine Tivicay and its growing footprint in the vaccine space. Based on its strong second-quarter results, Glaxo decided to raise its annual guidance for the remainder of the year, forecasting an impressive core EPS growth of 11% to 12% for 2016. Even with this double-digit growth trajectory, though, the sustainability of Glaxo's dividend isn't guaranteed. But management did note in its second-quarter earnings release that the company plans to keep the quarterly payout at around $0.57 per share (based on current exchange rates) through 2017. So, if management remains true to their word, Glaxo should be able to start attracting income investors in large numbers once again, especially in light of its hefty yield of 5.18% and improving growth prospects. Detroit's best? Daniel Miller: While Ford has been a clear fan favorite since the Great Recession, given that it funded its own turnaround without the help of a unique bankruptcy, the second quarter showed thatGeneral Motors (NYSE: GM) may have finally started to pull away as Detroit's best automaker. During Q2, GM's revenue rose by $4.2 billion year over year to $42.4 billion. That strong performance filtered down to the automaker's bottom line, too: GM's EBIT-adjusted income reached $3.9 billion, a staggering 37% increase over the prior year -- and a company record. Throughout the first half of 2016, GM's return on invested capital has reached an impressive 30.5%, a 710-basis-point improvement over the same time period a year earlier, proving that GM is running its business as efficiently and intelligently as ever. GM recently bagged more segment awards in J.D. Power's 2016 Vehicle Dependability Study than any other automaker and received seven awards in J.D. Power's 2016 Initial Quality Study, showing that GM's offerings are greatly improving. The kicker here is that GM -- and most other automakers -- are not sizzling growth opportunities, as their primary profit-generator, the U.S. market, is likely plateauing. That doesn't mean GM's top or bottom line is done growing, but it does mean it will increasingly be seen as an income play. At a share price of $30, GM's forward price-to-earnings sits just above five, according to Morningstar's estimates, and its yield is a robust 4.6%. General Motors is cheap -- too cheap for a company that may now be Detroit's best automaker -- and a 4.6% yield looks very tempting for investors looking to buy a dividend stock in August. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Andrs Cardenal has no position in any stocks mentioned. George Budwell has no position in any stocks mentioned. Matt DiLallo has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tyler Crowe has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends PepsiCo. 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. Raytheon's stock rockets to new highs. Image source: Getty Images. In a week of strong earnings reports, Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) stood out for its exceptional strength. Last week, Raytheon released its fiscal Q2 2016 numbers, and there was very little for investors to complain about. And in fact, they didn't complain at all. Raytheon stock closed the week up 3.5%. For Q2, Raytheon reported: Quarterly sales of $6 billion, up 3% year over year. 480 basis points' worth of improvement in operating margin, which came in at 15.9%. Profit per share of $2.38, 44% better than in last year's Q2 and well ahead of analyst estimates. $834 million in cumulative free cash flow for the first six months of the year, up from $289 million in H1 2015. CEO Thomas A. Kennedy characterized the quarter as "strong ... with bookings, sales, operating margin, earnings per share, and cash flow all ahead of our expectations." Based largely on these results, Kennedy decided to raise guidance for the rest of this year as well. As of this date, Raytheon now expects to earn somewhere between $7.13 and $7.33 per share in profit, and to produce positive cash from operations of anywhere from $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion -- about $100 million more than previously anticipated. Valuing Raytheon Assuming capital spending continues to track where it's been heading in recent quarters -- roughly $500 million per annum -- that implies that by year end, Raytheon's operations could have churned out as much as $2.6 billion in real cash profit -- as much as a third better than what it produced last year. Weighed against the stock's $41.6 billion market capitalization, that works out to only a price-to-free cash flow ratio of 16, which doesn't seem unreasonable at the rate the stock is growing earnings right now. At the same time, however, it's worth pointing out that few analysts expect Raytheon to be able to maintain this pace. According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, the consensus on Wall Street is that Raytheon's earnings growth is due for an abrupt slowdown and will average less than 6% annually over the next five years. Even factoring in the stock's respectable 2.1% dividend yield, that adds up to less than 8% total return on investment -- and suggests that at 16 times free cash flow, the stock remains very richly valued indeed. So what are the chances Raytheon can grow faster than 6%? All systems go for growth Well, judging from what management told us last week, those chances don't look too bad. In addition to raising guidance for this year, Raytheon noted that it scored a book-to-bill ratio of 1.18 in Q2, taking in 18% more orders for new goods and services, than it billed as revenues collected in the quarter. The influx of new business added $816 million worth of future revenue(relative to Q2 2015's tally) to Raytheon's backlog of work to be done. And the vast majority of that work is already fully funded by Congress. The company's funded backlog number grew by $803 million. On the other hand, Raytheon's backlog was pretty big already -- $34.5 billion at this time last year. All the new business added in Q2 still adds up to only 2% growth in total backlog. And whether that will be enough to push Raytheon's growth rate past 6% remains an open question. At the very worst, though, even if analysts' growth fears do prove to be well-founded, Raytheon's got plenty of work piled up already to keep itself busy for the next 18 months or so. This company may not grow as fast as we'd like, but Raytheon's business is not going away anytime soon. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Fool contributorRich Smithdoes not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 309 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. Last week, Boeing (NYSE: BA) reported a quarterly loss for the first time since 2009. The company incurred $3 billion of pre-tax charges last quarter, giving it no hope of breaking even. That said, Boeing's underlying operating performance was much better than the company's bottom line would suggest. Here are five key details about Boeing's Q2 results and outlook for the future that management highlighted on the earnings call last week. Strong underlying margin performance Boeing has faced some margin pressure in its commercial airplanes division this year, largely due to an increase in R&D spending and product transitions. However, the commercial airplanes division posted a strong 10.3% operating margin in Q2, excluding the impact of the one-time charges Boeing incurred. This indicates that Boeing is successfully reducing its costs in order to eke out more profit per airplane delivered. Boeing still has a lot of work to do to reach its goal of a mid-teens commercial airplanes segment margin by the end of the decade -- but it's on the right track. Mixed demand trends Demand for Boeing's 737 narrowbody jet has remained red-hot this year. During Q2, Boeing received an important order for 100 high-density 737 MAX 200 jets from VietJet. As a result, Boeing continues to have a massive backlog of nearly 4,400 737s. There's no shortage of demand for Boeing's upcoming 737 MAX jet. Image source: Boeing. This supports Boeing's plans to ramp up 737 output by more than 35% over the next three years. Even at the increased production rate of 57 per month, Boeing's 737 backlog would stretch for more than six years. On the other hand, demand for Boeing's widebody families -- and especially the 777 -- is weaker. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg noted that there is a clear widebody replacement cycle on the horizon for the 2020s, but airlines are being cautious about ordering widebodies right now. This is problematic, because Boeing's backlog of current-generation 777s is fairly small. Hefty charges While Boeing reported a loss last quarter, the massive charges it recorded should set it up for better performance going forward. For example, it wrote off the value of two of the first 787 Dreamliners it built after deciding not to try to sell them. This means Boeing doesn't have to find any more homes for early production models that don't meet the official specifications. Similarly, Boeing wrote off the deferred production balance of its 747 jumbo-jet, acknowledging that it won't recover the money it lost on early production models. This should reduce the pressure that it feels to keep the 747 program going if demand doesn't bounce back soon. Finally, Boeing took yet another charge on its troubled KC-46 tanker development program. But at least this time, its extra investment has paid off: the test models have now completed all of the refueling tasks necessary to get an official go-ahead for initial production from the Air Force. 787 profitability is improving Leaving aside Boeing's decision to write off the cost of two early build Dreamliners as an R&D expense, profitability for the long-troubled 787 program is steadily improving. Deferred production costs increased by just $33 million, meaning that the profitability of 787s built in Q2 almost equaled the average profit margin Boeing expects over the 787 accounting block of 1,300 airplanes. By contrast, deferred production costs increased by $790 million in Q2 2015. This shows just how far Boeing has come in terms of reducing 787 production costs. The company has clear plans to maintain this momentum, allowing it to recoup its $27.7 billion in deferred production costs during the next six years or so. 777 remains a risk While the 787 program is finally running smoothly, Boeing is starting to have trouble with its 777 widebody jet. The company has more than a dozen available 777 delivery slots next year and has sold less than 60% of the 2018 delivery slots. Meanwhile, sales have slowed to a crawl, as Boeing has only brought in eight net firm orders thus far in 2016. Boeing has struggled to sell 777s lately. Image source: Boeing. Boeing still hopes to secure about 40 net firm orders this year, but management recognizes that this will be hard to pull off. As a result, for the first time ever, Boeing hinted at the possibility of cutting production beyond the effective rate of 5.5 per month scheduled for 2018 and 2019. On the bright side, deliveries of the next-gen 777X are on track to begin in early 2020. And the introduction of that new model -- which has already garnered more than 300 firm orders -- will allow Boeing to ramp up its production rate again in the early 2020s. So while there may be some pain for investors from slowing 777 production, it won't last forever. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Boeing. 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. Image source: Getty Images. The offshore drilling market continues to go from bad to worse. For evidence, we just need to look at Atwood Oceanics' (NYSE: ATW) deepwater fleet, which has been completely idled, with the result that the company has recorded no revenue from those vessels during its fiscal third quarter. The company did, however, partially overcome the problem by driving down costs and buying back a huge slug of its debt at a discount. And that debt buyback resulted in a hefty gain on the extinguishment of debt, which kept its earnings from sinking as deeply as they would have otherwise. Atwood Oceanics results: The raw numbers Metric FQ3 2016 Actuals FQ3 2015 Actuals Growth (YOY) Revenue $227.8 million $330.6 million (31.1%) Net income $99.5 million $113 million (11.9%) EPS $1.53 $1.73 (11.6%) Data source: Atwood Oceanics, Inc. What happened with Atwood Oceanics this quarter? Atwood Oceanics earnings are holding up thanks to falling costs: Atwood's revenue sank primarily because it had to idle its entire deepwater fleet. As a result, deepwater revenue plunged from $77 million last year, and $59 million last quarter, to zero during the company's fiscal third quarter. Meanwhile, revenue from jackups was basically cut in half because of idled vessels. On a slightly more positive note, revenue from ultra-deepwater drillships rose 4.6%. Falling costs helped keep earnings afloat, with drilling costs plunging nearly 40%. But the company still recorded $10 million in deepwater drilling costs despite the lack of revenue, because it has to pay to idle these vessels. The other thing that kept earnings from taking a deep dive was the huge gain Atwood Oceanics recorded after repurchasing $145.8 million of its senior notes on the open market at an average discount of 34.8%. That move resulted in a gain of $50.5 million, or $0.55 per share, on the retirement of debt. After the quarter's end, the company completed a tender offer and acquired an additional $42 million in debt at a 25% average discount. The company will record another gain on the extinguishment of debt next quarter as a result. So far, the company's debt repurchases have reduced long-term debt from $1.7 billion to $1.4 billion. What management had to say CFO Mark Smith commented on the company's results on its quarterly conference call: As Smith made clear, the roll-off and adjustments of rig contracts drove the revenue decline during the quarter. However, these rigs aren't likely to be going back to work anytime soon, and their idleness is expected to weigh on the company's results for the foreseeable future. Looking forward Right now, Atwood is focusing its attention on marketing just three of its rigs, because these vessels have the best opportunities to be awarded work during the current environment. CEO RobertSaltiel provided the following update on the company's marketing progress: Filling the schedules of these rigs will provide valuable revenue at a time when offshore work is hard to find. Saltiel, meanwhile, ended his prepared remarks on the call reminding investors that the company remains "bullish on the longer-term prospects for offshore drilling, as we know that this downturn will eventually give way to recovery." He continued: "We plan to be there on the other side with our modern, technically advanced rig fleet and our reputation for operation and safety excellence intact. In the meantime, we will take all steps to ensure that our company is positioned to get through this difficult period." A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Matt DiLallo has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Atwood Oceanics. 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. As the Brexit dust settled on Wall Street, U.S. equities used the usually quiet mid-summer season to mark fresh record highs. With new capital put to work, though, former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich told FOX Business Netowrk's Charles Payne the market feels fully valued. Some asset classes are overvalued, like bonds, and the stock market is fully valued, and I dont think you should be adding to any asset classes at the moment, Kovacevich said on Cavuto Coast-to-Coast. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond, which moves inversely to price, rose 0.038 percentage points on Tuesday to 1.537%. While the yield remains low in the U.S., for fixed-income investors it has been among the best options for government debt as bonds around the world including Germany and Japan yield a negative return, meaning those investors who hold the paper until maturity will receive less money than they paid for it. While hes not putting new money to work, Kovacevich said hes also not getting out of the market. Over the last two months, he said his strategy has been to sell stocks that appear to be overvalued, turning them to cash on the sidelines, ready to deploy when various asset classes post declines and become more attractive. With the jobs report on tap for Friday, Kovacevich said anything close to 200,000 net new jobs will give the Federal Reserve reason to move forward with rate hikes as early as the September meeting. Wall Street expects the economy to have added 175,000 new jobs in July, down from the 287,000 created in June. They may not [raise at that point] because they tend to be overly cautious. They should move in September and then they have the opportunity after that to see what happens and decide whether to do something in December, he said. The following statement wont come as news: The pace and breadth of disruption in business today is breathtaking. Were consumers of an array of technologies that have been introduced over the past decade that have improved our daily lives. Think of the computing power in our hands with the arrival of smartphones, mobile apps, streaming video, social media and e-commerce. Disruption But whats less obvious is the impact of technology on conventional, mainstream businesses that comprise core economic activity. The impact on incumbent businesses isnt always positive. By competitive necessity, businesses today are leaner and more efficient than ever before. Technology has boosted employee productivity and driven waste out of the system. Shock Therapy This is good for the owners of the businesses (often public market investors), but not always so for employees who represent a smaller percentage of corporate expenses today than ever before. On the flip side, technological advancements have sharply increased business start-up activity as it is less capital-intensive to be a successful entrepreneur today than at anytime in the past. And capital allocation today is more efficient and capable such that even a capital-hungry business like Uber is satisfied. New Breed Further, young companies previously unwilling or unable to take on entrenched incumbents are now doing so with gusto. Need to borrow money for a new car or business idea? Peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding sites now compete with conventional consumer finance companies. Should I use mobile pay from Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and others? Maybe I dont need so many credit cards issued by banks. Amazon Prime (AMZN) at $99 per year that provides unlimited free overnight shipping and a video subscription? Value Proposition Thats remarkable value for a service to avoid the expense and hassle of driving to the mall and it may even provide a tolerable substitute for that $1,200 per year that you pay to for cable TV. Ride-hailing apps like Uber are disrupting the taxi and limo industry, Airbnb is taking market share from hotels, and free calling via wi-fi are usurping costly mobile voice packages. The news that Dollar Shave Club has sold itself to European consumer products giant Unilever for $1 billion has generated lavish media coverage. Change Agent Why? DSC is a four-year old business that quickly grabbed nearly 10% of the male shaving market despite having no in-house product design, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution capabilities. They were all outsourced. Instead, it has thrived with clever marketing, value pricing, convenience and customer service. Entrepreneurs spotted an industry ripe for disruption overpriced, often overbuilt products that had lost relevance with customers. Gillette (PG), the shaving giant acquired by P&G in 2005 for $54 billion, was complacent and unprepared for an intrusion into its lucrative business. Giant Killer DSC pulled that off by adhering to an asset-light business model that emphasized product quality, low prices, free delivery and savvy use of social media. DSCs business reportedly took off immediately following a provocative (and free) marketing video that its founder uploaded to YouTube in 2012. DSC also reportedly ran on AWS, Amazons ten-year old web infrastructure platform that has enabled young companies across the digital spectrum to outsource all aspects of online and mobile presence on an a la carte basis. Cost-effectively buying virtually all key operations functions while generating free awareness via social media helped make DSC a threat to Gillette. And how did Gillette respond? It launched its own mail-based shave club in 2014 and sued DSC for patent infringement in 2015. DSC counter-sued earlier this year. Takeaway The paradox here, in my view, is that, while technology is improving lives, saving consumers money and enhancing business productivity, its also accelerating an economy of winners and losersand, by extension, income inequality. The winners are the likes of DSC, Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN) and computer programmers. The losers are P&G, bank tellers, taxi drivers, ad salespeople, stock traders, retail clerks, and even brick-and-mortar commercial landlords. Technological upheaval is making it possible for start-ups to challenge the giants of business. The implications of this revolution are only now beginning to reverberate among investors. Make no mistake, theres no such thing as an entrenched incumbent anymore. Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr Creative Commons The post The great disruption appeared first on Smarter InvestingCovestor Ltd. is a registered investment advisor. Covestor licenses investment strategies from its Model Managers to establish investment models. The commentary here is provided as general and impersonal information and should not be construed as recommendations or advice. Information from Model Managers and third-party sources deemed to be reliable but not guaranteed. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Transaction histories for Covestor models available upon request. Additional important disclosures available at http://site.covestor.com/help/disclosures. Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. The following are some questions and answers about the virus and current outbreak: How do people become infected? Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. How do you treat Zika? There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization (WHO) had said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. How dangerous is it? 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. According to the World Health Organization, there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. In addition, the agency said it could cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis. Conclusive proof of the damage caused by Zika may take months or years. Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at more than 1,700 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation declined to 3,257. Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February until April 2. Current research in Brazil indicates the greatest microcephaly risk is associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy, but health officials have warned an impact could be seen in later weeks. Recent studies have shown evidence of Zika in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue. What are the symptoms of Zika infection? People infected with Zika may have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. How can Zika be contained? Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they may be exposed to Zika. How widespread is the outbreak? Active Zika outbreaks have been reported in at least 51 countries or territories, most of them in the Americas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Brazil has been the country most affected. (http://1.usa.gov/1ovAJyh) Africa (1): Cape Verde Americas (42): Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saba, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. Oceania/Pacific Islands (8): American Samoa, Fiji, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga. What is the history of the Zika virus? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO. Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact? The World Health Organization (WHO) said sexual transmission is "relatively common" and has advised pregnant women not to travel to areas with ongoing outbreaks of Zika virus. It also advised women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant. The U.S. CDC is investigating about a dozen cases of possible sexual transmission. Those cases involved possible transmission of the virus from men to their sex partners. But the CDC issued updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection on July 25, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner. A reported case of female-to-male sexual transmission in New York City, and limited human and non-human primate data indicating that Zika virus RNA can be detected in vaginal secretions, led to the new warning, the agency said. CDC's expanded warnings on sexual exposure to Zika now caution against sex without a condom or other barrier method of protection with any person, male or female, who has traveled to or lives in an area with Zika, including female to female transmission with a pregnant partner. British health officials reported Zika was found in a man's semen two months after he was infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. The PAHO said Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. There is no evidence Zika can be transmitted to babies through breast milk. The WHO has identified Zika cases in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy and New Zealand as likely caused by sexual transmission. What other complications are associated with Zika? Zika has also been associated with other neurological disorders, including serious brain and spinal cord infections. The long-term health consequences of Zika infection are unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue. The role of the female orgasm has been a head-scratcher for centuries. Case-in-point: Aristotle himself noted that the fact that human females don't need it to conceive clouded the quest for explanation. The statistics that show it's an "uncommon" occurrence during heterosexual intercourse and the lack of correlation between orgasm and number of offspring deepen the mysterywhich scientists at Yale and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital may have "solved," reports the Guardian. Science reports there are about a dozen theories out there (read a few here); here's the upshot of this one, published in the Journal of Experimental Zoology: The human female orgasm is rooted in an ancestral kind of ovulation present in some mammals (cats, rabbits) today, in which sex triggers a surge of hormones which then triggers the egg's release. Gunter Wagner and Mihaela Pavlicev explain that with male-induced ovulation, the surge of oxytocin and prolactin triggers eggs to be released. Human females obviously don't ovulate that way: Our spontaneous ovulation has no dependence on sexual activity. But the human female orgasm is still accompanied by that surge of oxytocin and prolactin, explains a press release. That suggests it's a remnant of that ancestral kind of ovulation, which the Guardian reports was replaced with spontaneous ovulation in the ancestor of primates 75 million years ago. As Science puts it, "because those hormonal surges no longer confer a biological advantage, orgasms during intercourse may be lost in some women." Wagner tells STAT the female orgasm isn't going anywhere though, because one body of tissue becomes either the penis or clitoris in the human fetus. "If the clitoris went away through evolution, so may the penis." (Sweden is trying to find out just how good sex is in Sweden.) This article originally appeared on Newser: Researchers Get to the Bottom of Female Orgasm More From Newser 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 1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa 1960s-80s: 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 2013-14: 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. 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 $1.9 billion to fight Zika Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32 Feb. 23: CDC 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, with an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common" March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38 March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39 March 31: The World Health Organization says 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 13: The CDC concludes that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42 April 18: CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43 April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The island territory also confirms 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika May 6: Spain has 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 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 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48 June 9: WHO updates 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 30: CDC adds Anguilla to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 49 July 8: CDC confirms a Utah resident's death from the previous month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States July 14: CDC adds Saint Eustatius to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 50 July 15: New York City's health department reports the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus. July 18: CDC reports the caregiver of Utah man who died of Zika tested positive for virus, raising questions about its spread July 19: Florida health officials investigate a case of Zika virus infection that may have been caused by local mosquito bite July 22: New York City health officials reports first baby born with Zika-related birth defect July 25: Spain reports first case in Europe of baby born with Zika-related defect; CDC issues updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner July 26: Honduras detects 8 cases of babies with Zika-related defect; CDC adds Saba to countries and territories with active outbreaks with total at 51 July 27: Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly linked to Zika July 29: Florida authorities report what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States Aug. 2: CDC adds Antigua, Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 54 Aug. 3: U.S. researchers said they launched Zika vaccine clinical trial Aug. 11: CDC adds Cayman Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 55 Aug. 12: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares a public health emergency in Puerto Rico over Zika with 10,690 laboratory-confirmed cases Aug. 13: Brazil reports 1,835 confirmed cases of microcephaly Aug. 16: Haiti reports first case of microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 17: Guatemala confirms first case of newborn with microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 19: Florida governor says five cases of Zika are believed to have been contracted in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the virus is spreading. Aug. 25: CDC adds The Bahamas and the United States to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 57 Aug. 26: FDA recommends that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, starting with 11 states in the first phase; Nicaragua confirms first microcephaly birth linked to Zika Aug. 27-29: Singapore confirms first case of locally transmitted Zika virus, which rise to 56 cases two days later Aug. 30: Confirmed cases in Singapore rise to 82, with some of the latest infections detected beyond the area of initial outbreak. Several countries advise pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid traveling to the city-state. Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States issue travel warnings Aug. 31: CDC adds Singapore and the British Virgin Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 58 (The CDC groups together Antigua and Barbuda in its updated official count) Sept. 3: Malaysia detects first case of locally transmitted Zika Sept. 5: Philippines confirms first case of Zika virus likely to have been transmitted locally Sept. 6: Florida confirms 56 locally transmitted cases, 577 travel-related infections, and 80 infections involving pregnant women Sept. 8: Singapore reports 283 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus Sept. 10: Singapore locally transmitted Zika cases rise to 329 SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Compiled and edited by the Americas Desk) The mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving harder to eradicate than expected, the nation's top disease-fighter said Tuesday as authorities sprayed clouds of insecticide in the ground-zero neighborhood, emptied kiddie pools and handed out cans of insect repellent to the homeless. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the mosquito-control efforts in the bustling urban neighborhood aren't achieving the hoped-for results, suggesting the pests are resistant to the insecticides or are still finding standing water in which to breed. "We're not seeing the number of mosquitoes come down as rapidly as we would have liked," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Mosquito control experts said that's no surprise to them, describing the Aedes aegypti mosquito as a "little ninja" capable of hiding in tiny crevices, sneaking up on people's ankles, and breeding in just a bottle cap of standing water. Fifteen people have become infected with Zika in Miami's Wynwood arts district, officials said Tuesday. These are believed to be the first mosquito-transmitted cases in the mainland U.S., which has been girding for months against the epidemic coursing through Latin America and the Caribbean. On Monday, the CDC instructed pregnant women to avoid the neighborhood, marking what is believed to be the first time in the agency's 70-year history that it warned people not to travel somewhere in the U.S. The Zika virus can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads. At the same time, U.S. health authorities have said they don't expect major outbreaks in this country, in part because of better sanitation and the use of air conditioners and window screens. On Tuesday, Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspectors toting backpack blowers released white clouds of bug spray in Wynwood. They also went door to door, handing out information, checking tires and other objects for standing water, and dipping cups to take water samples from vacant lots, building sites and backyards. In one lush yard, an inspector tipped over a kiddie pool and a cooler full of water. Daily aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes and larvae has been approved for the next four weeks over a 10-square-mile area around Wynwood, county officials said. The city of Miami said it is running more street sweepers in Wynwood to remove the litter and stagnant water that can serve as breeding grounds, and police officers handed out 50 cans of bug spray to homeless people in the neighborhood. "Be sure that you use it," Officer James Bernat said as he gave repellent to several people who had been sleeping on the street. Dozens of pregnant women streamed into Borinquen Medical Center, a clinic just outside Wynwood where doctors said they were getting more and more nervous requests for Zika testing. On the sidewalk outside, eight-months-pregnant Gabriella Acevedo said she would rush back to her Wynwood home. "I'm going to put the AC on blast and try not to go outside. I've been bitten by mosquitoes probably two weeks ago, but I don't feel sick," she said. "It's just really stressful to me." Because of environmental regulations governing which chemicals can be used as insecticides, mosquito control authorities cannot easily switch to another compound if bugs prove resistant to it. Nothing has worked to stop this mosquito elsewhere in the world except for the introduction of mosquitoes modified to pass on genes that kill their offspring, said Michael Doyle, executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. And the Food and Drug Administration has not given approval to that approach in the U.S. "We have to totally rethink mosquito control for Aedes aegypti," Doyle said. "It's like a little ninja. It's always hiding." Frieden complained that in the U.S., "we really dismantled the mosquito monitoring and control infrastructure over the past few decades." The result: "We have blind spots where we don't know where the mosquito populations are and what the susceptibility is to different insecticides," the CDC director said. The U.S. government might have underestimated how difficult it would be to control Zika's spread, said University of Florida public health researcher Ira Longini. But he also said there aren't enough of the disease-transmitting mosquitoes living in and around houses to cause long-term or widespread outbreaks in this country. "In defense of the CDC and the government, it's a difficult problem to solve," he said. Accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for president, Hillary Clinton declared the country is at a moment of reckoning. Here's the truth: Americas economy is a mess and our social fabric is fraying. That's why Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton, offers a better way forward. Powerful computers, the Internet, handheld devices, robots and artificial intelligence are making our lives easier but they are also destroying jobs at an alarming pace. And the new opportunities those technologies create require better skills than most Americans have. Politicians have pumped billions into public schools and universities led by faculty obsessed with political correctness and the alleged ills of American capitalism, financed vast entitlements instead of adequate investments in R&D and the infrastructure, and sowed divisions and suspicion among ethnic groups, and between men and women and the prosperous and those genuinely deserving a hand up. Our High schools churn out students unprepared for college or vocational programs, and many university graduates lack the skills needed to function in a technology-intensive workplace. Businesses constantly complain about the shortage of adequately skilled job applicants. All this is exacerbated by competition from Japan, Germany and other northern European countries where job training is better and from China and elsewhere in Asia where labor is much cheaper. Those pressures are multiplied by Washingtons failure to negotiate good international trade agreements and adequately defend Americans against foreign cheating on those agreements. Since 2000, a much smaller percentage of adults are working or looking for work, economic growth is half the pace of the prior 20 years, and average family incomes are down nearly $4,000. Suicides and drug abuse are up, fertility has dropped precipitously, millions of recent college graduates are employed at places like Starbucks and living with parents, and home ownership is at a 50 year low. American society is increasingly polarized between the top 25 percent who manage to obtain a good education, land a high paying job and pay most of the taxes, and those who are stuck in dead end situations and clamor for more government benefits to shore up their diminished circumstances. President Obama has pandered to the latter by expanding entitlements such as the earned income tax credit and food stamps, middle class subsidies for health insurance and student loans forgiveness, and social security disability pensions for 1 in 20 working age Americans. He tells the inadequately trained, minorities and women they are victims of forces beyond their control and entrenched discrimination, and pressures universities and businesses to implement racial and gender quotas in admissions and hiring. Those tactics win votes but discourage self-improvement and individual accountability, widen the skills gap between the haves and have-nots and further exacerbate inequality. Now Hillary Clinton wants to generalize to the national level the California Fair Pay Act, which would require businesses of all sizes to justify virtually every hiring and salary decision to the Labor Department, extend Medicare to Americans over 50, establish broad federal funding for child care, and offer most Americans free tuition at state universities. Already, the federal debt is on track to double over next 12 years, and Clintons prescriptions would only slow growth further and hasten the ultimate collapse of the nations finances. Donald Trump indicts the tyranny and destructive consequences of political correctness and identity politics. But no politician can run and win the presidency by promising to cut social programs. He does promise to do something about bad trade agreements and the high taxes smothering new business startups and investment. To lower taxes, he would be compelled by Congress to curtail the worst abuses of government benefits programs and thereby restore some individual responsibility to citizens for their successes and failures. Trumps language may be crude -- but after nearly 50 years in the trenches of academia, managing in government, advising corporate leaders and toiling in policy battles of Washington -- I can attest he is absolutely right. The problem he or any Republican faces running for president is that too many Americans have become dependent on government largess and preferences for employment opportunities. None can speak honestly without being branded a racist, sexist, homophobe or simply insensitive, and ridiculed to their demise in the New York Times, Washington Post and major network newscasts. With each new president, more Americans go on the dole or benefit from some kind of government mandated sinecure and fewer are engaged in productive activities. Growth slows further, the debt increases and opportunities for young people become less adequate. This can only end by Americans rejecting Clinton and voting for Trump to take back their dignity, or the country falling into complete dysfunction, decay and ultimate collapse. For the second time in a week, Donald Trump has made an enemy of the fire marshal at his campaign rally. "They said in this massive building, you're not allowed to have any more than 1,000 people, and that's nonsense," the Republican presidential nominee told reporters on Monday minutes before his mid-afternoon rally in Columbus, Ohio. "We could have had four, five, six thousand people. They've all been turned away. You saw them." Trump had invited reporters to grill him before he took the stage but those present said he ignored several questions about recent controversies before proceeding to rant against the local fire marshal. "So you have 1,000 people in there. They won't allow any more," he told members of the press. "The fire marshal said he's not allowed to allow any more even though the building holds many thousands of people. So I just wanted to tell you that." Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com The Democratic National Committees CEO and two other top officials have resigned in the wake of the leaked email controversy that marred the start of the partys convention last week in the latest shake-up at party headquarters. According to a DNC statement, CEO Amy Dacey; chief finance officer Brad Marshall; and communications director Luis Miranda left their jobs on Tuesday. The resignations mark the latest fallout from the email scandal that forced Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down on the eve of the Philadelphia convention. Those hacked emails exposed what appeared to be a pro-Hillary Clinton bias among top officials who at times disparaged primary rival Bernie Sanders. Marshall had written the most explosive email, questioning Sanders' Jewish faith and suggesting he could be portrayed as an atheist. He had written: He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist. He has since apologized for the missive. Longtime Democratic operative Donna Brazile is now serving as the party's interim chair. Brazile said Tuesday that she has created a "transition team" to help prepare the party for its post-election mission. She said Tom McMahon, a former DNC executive director under then-Chair Howard Dean, will lead that group. In a statement, she thanked the departing officials for their work on fundraising and the party platform. She said: This election is the most important of my lifetime, and the DNC will continue to recruit top talent to help lead the fight to elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats across the country. I am committed to adding to our team of skilled professionals who will make sure that Donald Trump is held accountable for his reckless rhetoric and harmful policies. Clinton operatives who moved over to party headquarters after she had effectively secured the nomination in June will continue in their roles; that group includes DNC chief of staff Brandon Davis. Additionally, veteran Democratic strategist Doug Thornell will serve as an interim senior adviser to the party. Dacey already has a new job. She has been hired by Squared Communications, a Democratic consulting firm based in Washington. "As one of the top campaign strategists in our party, and with our experiences together on presidential, Senate and congressional campaigns, Amy will help our firm's clients navigate this and future election cycles," Michael Meehan, founder and CEO Squared Communications, said in a statement. Before joining the DNC, Dacey was executive director of EMILY's List, which works to elect female Democrats. The cache of more than 19,000 messages was made public by the group WikiLeaks just before the convention. Democratic Party officials learned in late April that their systems had been attacked after they discovered malicious software on their computers. A cybersecurity firm they employed found traces of at least two sophisticated hacking groups on the Democrats' network -- both of which have ties to the Russian government. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In the course of the campaign, Donald Trump has taken his whacks at Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Lindsey Graham, Carly Fiorina, Paul Ryan, Reince Priebus, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and, yes, Bill Clinton. But this time feels different. The Republican nominee is, of course, entitled to defend himself against Khizr Khan, who took the stage at the Democratic convention and denounced him as an anti-Muslim bigot. But the way in which he has done it has fueled the story. There is no question that Khan, whose soldier son was killed in Iraq, provided a heartbreaking moment in Philadelphia. Trump had nothing to do with his sons wartime death, of course, but Khan took his proposed temporary ban on Muslim immigrants and used it to question whether the candidate has even read the Constitution (which Trump says he has). The media have given this man and his wife an enormous platformin a way they conspicuously declined to do when Patricia Smith blamed Hillary Clinton at the Republican convention for the death of her son in Benghazi. Khans speech got a writeup on the front page of the New York Times. On Sunday he was on NBCs Meet the Press and CNNs State of the Union, calling Trump, among other things, a black soul. Yesterday it was the Today show, Morning Joe and New Day. Trump, in a sitdown with ABCs George Stephanopoulos, questioned, among other things, why Khans wife did not speak at the convention. (She responded in a Washington Post op-ed that she gets emotionally overcome even looking at pictures of her late son.) The problem for Trump is that hes in a fight with a Gold Star mother and her husband, who naturally have enormous public sympathy. (Trump later issued a statement calling Khans son a hero but saying Khan had no right to attack him, but the damage was done.) The New York Times is calling it one of the biggest crises of his campaign, saying its too soon to say how severe the damage to Mr. Trump might be, but the clash has already entangled him in a self-destructive, dayslong argument with sympathetic accusers who are portraying him as a person of unredeemable callousness. The paper did add that he has proved remarkably resilient, getting past controversies that might have sunk other candidates. The Washington Post says Trump drew new criticism from his party for taking on Khan. But the Republican presidential nominee refused to back down from his attacks, and a former aide argued that the soldier would still be alive if Trump were president at the time of his service. Politico says Trump had a horrible weekend, with disputed comments about Russia and the timing of the fall debates, that seemed to demonstrate all of the flaws trouble with the truth, an inability to let criticism go unanswered and a lack of knowledge of world affairs that Republicans fear Trump will be unable to put behind him and that Democrats hope will be the billionaires undoing come November. The media narrative is clear. And some of Trumps allies arent helping. Roger Stone, the informal Trump adviser, tweeted that Khan is more than an aggrieved father of a Muslim son- he's Muslim Brotherhood agent helping Hillary. New Hampshire state Rep. Al Baldasaro, who has called for Clinton to be killed, said this: Follow the money trail on Mr Khan. Shame on him for using his Warrior son, who made the Ultimate sacrifice as a pawn. Every day that Trump is talking about Khizr Khan is a day hes not talking about jobs or taxes. It means that Clinton insisting again, with Chris Wallace, that she did not send or receive classified information, against all available evidence, was totally overshadowed in the media. Patricia Smith drew little coverage for her speech attacking Clinton in Cleveland. That may be in part because she had repeatedly made the same allegations in television interviews. But Smith also drew criticism for bringing up Benghazi. GQ writer Bethlehem Shoals tweeted: I dont care how many children Pat Smith lost, I would like to beat her to death. He later apologized. In her Fox News Sunday interview, Clinton was asked about Smiths allegations that she misled her and another Benghazi family after the 2012 attack. She took a soft approach. Chris, my heart goes out to both of them. Losing a child under any circumstances, especially in this case, two State Department employees, extraordinary men both of them, two CIA contractors gave their lives protecting our country, our values I dont hold any ill feeling for someone who in that moment may not fully recall everything that was or wasnt said. Its hard to avoid the conclusion that most of the mainstream media sympathize with Khans harsh portrait of Trump, but believe that Smiths harsh rendition of Clinton is unfair. I leave you with this: MSNBC blogger Steve Benen, during the Democratic convention: "Khizr Khan's Words Won't Soon Be Forgotten." He said no speaker topped Khan for "sheer emotional weight and resonance." Ten days earlier, during the Republican convention, Benen's headline was this: "RNC Manipulates the Pain of a Grieving Mother for Partisan Gain." He called it "probably the lowest point a party has reached in my lifetime." President Obama on Tuesday denounced Donald Trump in his strongest terms yet, calling him unfit to serve and woefully unprepared to do this job while the Republican nominee responded by hammering the presidents record and saying November rival Hillary Clinton is the one who has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. In a written statement released Tuesday afternoon, Trump countered that Obama and Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East while putting the country at risk with Clintons use of a private email server. She is reckless with her emails, reckless with regime change, and reckless with American lives, Trump said. Earlier, Obama lit into the GOP nominee while fielding a question on Trump at the top of a White House press conference with the visiting prime minister of Singapore. Obama diverted from the central topic of that visit moving along the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Trump opposes to fundamentally question whether the federal government could function properly if Trump wins. I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president, Obama said, adding, He keeps on proving it. The president questioned whether Trump has basic knowledge on key issues. He went on to say that with past Republican nominees including his former rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney he never had doubts about their ability to do the job of president even though they disagreed on policy. Had they won I would have been disappointed, but I would have said to all Americans, this is our president, Obama said, noting he was confident they would abide by certain rules and observe basic decency. Obama added: But thats not the situation here. The statements mark yet another escalation in the war of words between leading Democrats namely, party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Obama and Trump on the heels of both parties conventions. The president used his remarks Tuesday in part to pressure top elected Republicans to abandon Trump entirely. For the most part, leading Republicans have repeatedly criticized Trumps more controversial statements including his criticism of the Muslim parents of a U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq but have not disavowed the nominee himself. There has to come a point at which you say enough, Obama said. Meanwhile, Trump ratcheted up the rhetoric on his end, while aiming his criticism more at Clinton than Obama. At a rally in Democratic VP nominee Tim Kaines home turf of Virginia, Trump on Tuesday mocked Clinton for her talk on Russia. She wants to play the tough one shes not tough, he said. He asked the crowd, Does she look presidential? The crowd yelled back, No! He also cited her widely challenged claim to Fox News Sunday that the FBI director determined her statements on her personal email use were truthful. She lied, pure and simple, Trump said. The comments came after Trump, on Monday, called Clinton the devil and warned that the November presidential election could be rigged. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Speaking at a stop Monday night in Pennsylvania, Trump did not mince words as he also blasted Sen. Bernie Sanders for backing Clinton. If he would have just not done anything, go home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. She's the devil. He made a deal with the devil. It's true, Trump said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Rep. Richard Hanna on Tuesday became the first GOP member of Congress to say he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president instead of Republican candidate Donald Trump, castigating the business mogul as unfit to serve our party. Hanna, a three-term congressman who represents the 22nd District in upstate New York, wrote in an op-ed for Syracuse.com that he disagreed with Clinton, but could not vote for a man who was unrepentant in all things. I do not expect perfection, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins, Hanna wrote. The written rebuke of Trump comes amid the newest controversy swirling around the GOP nominee, as Trump continues a war of words with the father of a Muslim U.S. Army captain who was killed in Iraq in 2004. In his piece, Hanna also referenced Trumps year-old attack against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who Trump seemed to dispute was a war hero because he was captured. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium, Hanna wrote. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country. Hanna, who is retiring at the end of his term, has often broken with the Republican party line. A member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, Hanna has supported same-sex marriage since 2013. Hes voted against cuts to Planned Parenthood, and told a crowd of mostly women in 2012 to contribute your money to Democrats because they speak out on your behalf. But his reasons for supporting Clinton go beyond simply refusing to cast a ballot for Trump. Hanna wrote that Clinton has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters. He wrote that while he disagrees with the former secretary of state on a multitude of matters, he trusts that she can lead the country. All Republicans may not like the direction, Hanna wrote, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Donald Trump stepped up security on Tuesday when he called for the removal of a crying baby from his speech in Ashburn, Virginia. Trump originally praised the baby and told the mother that he loved babies. Dont worry about it. I love babies. I hear that baby crying, I like it, Trump said. What a baby. What a beautiful baby. Dont worry, dont worry. The moms running around likedont worry about it, you know. Its young and beautiful and healthy and thats what we want. Trump then continued his speech, talking about how China has ripped us absolutely to shreds. About a minute later, Trump heard the baby crying again and told the mother he was just kidding and that she needed to get the baby out of there. Click for more at The Washington Free Beacon. Donald Trump is rapidly ratcheting up the rhetoric as the 2016 candidates charge out of their respective party conventions, warning Monday the November presidential election could be rigged and repeatedly calling Democratic rival Hillary Clinton the devil while his campaign tried to draw financial links between the Clinton Foundation and ISIS. Speaking Tuesday morning to Fox Business Network, the Republican nominee also called Clinton a disaster and a liar. She lied over the weekend, Trump said, citing her widely challenged claim to Fox News Sunday that the FBI director determined her statements on her personal email use were truthful. The onslaught of accusations signaling a new and tougher phase in a campaign already characterized by sharp elbows and name-calling picked up late Monday, as Trump railed against his general election rival during stops in Ohio and later Pennsylvania, and in media interviews. He went so far as to suggest November could be fixed. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Clinton could defeat Sen. Bernie Sanders. He repeated the charge Monday night on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," saying: "November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." Speaking at a stop Monday night in Pennsylvania, Trump did not mince words as he also blasted Sanders for backing Clinton. If he would have just not done anything, go home, go to sleep, relax, he would have been a hero. But he made a deal with the devil. She's the devil. He made a deal with the devil. It's true, Trump said. So far, Clinton has not responded directly to Trumps latest jabs. Shes focusing her fire on Trumps controversial comments about Khizr and Ghazala Khan -- Muslims whose U.S. Army captain son was killed in Iraq in 2004 -- and Trumps business record. "For the life of me I don't know why someone runs to be president of the United States who thinks and says we don't win anymore, our country is full of losers, Clinton said Monday in Nebraska. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. Trump has since faced bipartisan criticism for his comments. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign put out a statement late Monday alleging Clinton Foundation ties to a corporation funding ISIS. The campaign detailed financial contributions the Clinton Foundation received from a cement-making company called Lafarge. The same statement cited reporting in French media outlets that the company had entered deals with the Islamic State and other armed groups in Syria to protect its interests there. More than any major presidential nominee in modern history, Hillary Clinton is tied to brutal theocratic and Islamist regimes. Now we learn she has accepted money from a company linked to ISIS, Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said in a statement. Fox News Kristin Fisher and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Joan of Arc's claim to fame the mysterious voices she heard and visions she saw during the Hundred Years' War may actually have been due to a form of epilepsy, Italian researchers suggest. Dr. Guiseppe d'Orsi, a neurologist at the University of Foggia in Italy, and Paola Tinuper, an associate professor of biomedical and neuromotor sciences at the University of Bologna, also in Italy, described their hypothesis in a letter to the editor, published in May in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior. Joan of Arc may have had a type of epilepsy that affects the part of the brain responsible for hearing, or "idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features (IPEAF)," d'Orsi and Tinuper wrote. ("Idiopathic" means that the epilepsy likely has a genetic cause, and "partial" means that the epilepsy affects only one area of the brain.) [Senses and Non-Sense: 7 Odd Hallucinations] When a person has epilepsy, they experience chronic, unprovoked seizures. A seizure occurs when electrical signals in the brain misfire. Where these misfired signals occur in the brain determines how a person acts during a seizure. For example, a seizure may cause a person's muscles to jerk, or cause them to become dazed and confused, or hear voices. D'Orsi and Tinuper said they first came up with their hypothesis 10 years ago, when examining documentation of Joan during her Trial of Condemnation, during which she was accused of being a heretic and a witch, and was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Historical clues Several aspects of Joan's symptoms, which have been detailed in historical accounts, help support this diagnosis, d'Orsi and Tinuper wrote. For example, Joan reported hearing voices and sometimes reported seeing different saints, such as St. Catherine and St. Margaret. These auditory hallucinations and occasional visual hallucinations are symptoms of this type of epilepsy, according to the researchers. Joan is reported to have said that the "sound of bells" sometimes triggered the voices. Hearing certain sounds can be a trigger for seizures, d'Orsi and Tinuper said. During a public examination on Feb. 22, 1431, Joan said, "It said to me two or three times a week," referring to how often she heard the voices. Several days later, on March 1, 1431, she is reported to have said, "There is never a day that I do not hear them [the voices]," according to the researchers. But the frequency with which Joan reported hearing voices is not entirely consistent with the researchers' diagnosis. Other researchers have pointed out that patients with this type of epilepsy have a low frequency of seizures, they wrote. Patients may have seizures infrequently at the beginning, and may also have seizures if they are withdrawing from certain drugs, they wrote. It's unclear if Joan of Arc had taken any substances that may have affected whether she had seizures, they added. Joan of Arc also sometimes experienced seizures during sleep. "I was asleep: the Voice woke me It awoke me without touching me," Joan was reported to have said during a private examination on March 12, 1431, the researchers wrote. According to d'Orsi and Tinuper, 40 percent of people with this type of epilepsy have seizures during sleep. [Top 10 Spooky Sleep Disorders] Of course, diagnosing a medical condition in a woman who lived in the 1400s is not exactly easy. Indeed, the researchers noted that "after six hundred years from Joan's death, we reaffirm the impossibility to arrive at a final conclusion." However, there may be one remaining opportunity to find an answer, and it lies in a missing strand of Joan's hair. History suggests that Joan of Arc sealed letters with red wax that had "the imprint of a finger and a hair" in order to prove her identity, the researchers wrote. If historians can locate these letters, scientists may have the opportunity to test the DNA of the hair. Indeed, in recent studies, scientists have discovered genes that are linked to the specific type of epilepsy that d'Orsi and Tinuper suspect Joan of Arc may have had. But efforts to find the letters and the hair have come up short so far. "After ten years from our first hypothesis, we are still looking for this hair" d'Orsi and Tinuper wrote. Originally published on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. You never know whats around the corner, but you also know never to say never because in four years or so, you just might know exactly whats hiding there. The U.S. Defense Departments Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently awarded a $4.4 million grant to researchers at the Morgridge Institute for Research and University of Wisconsin-Madison to design a camera that can see whats literally out of sight. Seven other universities also received grants to study non-line-of-sight imaging and its potential applications. The technology, developed by MIT scientist Andreas Velten and demonstrated for the first time in 2012, works by shining a pulse of laser light into a room that scatters when it hits a wall or ceiling. Digital Trends reports that the pulses bounce off of objects in the room, and then many of them bounce their way back to the camera, which can digitally reconstruct an image of what the photons have hit. Velten is now collaborating with Mohit Gupta, assistant professor of computer sciences at UW-Madison, to see how far they can take the technology. They are creating models where the light bounces six or more times to spot things that are outside the field of view. The more times you can bounce this light within a scene, the more possible data you can collect, Velten says. Since the first light is the strongest, and each proceeding bounce gets weaker and weaker, the sensor has to be sensitive enough to capture even a few photons of light. Gupta, meanwhile, is developing algorithms that can better read the data and help recreate what the photons have hit. The information we will get is going to be noisy and the shapes will be blob-like, not much to the naked eye, so the visualization part of this will be huge, Gupta says. Because this problem is so new, we dont even know whats possible. But the scientists hope the skys the limit. They believe it could be used to test the safety of jet engines while they are running, to see hidden spaces in shipwrecks, even to probe the dimensions of caves on the moon. It could also lead to breakthroughs in medical imaging, search-and-rescue missions, navigation and national security. DARPAs grant will support research for four years two for investigating the technologys full potential and two more for developing a viable non-line-of-sight imaging camera. Two major unions at Southwest Airlines are demanding that the carrier replace its CEO because of the technology outage that caused the airline to cancel or delay thousands of flights in July. Technology experts are questioning whether Southwest fell short in designing and testing its computer systems. A top Southwest executive told The Associated Press on Monday that the July 20 outage will cost the airline "into the tens of millions" of dollars a huge increase in the original estimate of between $5 million and $10 million. The company will recover many bookings that were lost while its website was down, said Robert Jordan, Southwest's executive vice president and chief commercial officer. But it will lose money from a "couple hundred thousand people" whose flights were canceled and from refunds to stranded passengers, he said. Jordan said the outage was the worst he could recall in his 28 years at Southwest, the nation's fourth-biggest airline. It has become a rallying point for unions who believe they deserve raises while Southwest Airlines Co. earns record profits. The pilots' union said that its board voted 20-0 to ask that Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly and Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven be removed. Union President Jon Weaks said the company had focused too much on controlling costs and buying back its own shares and not enough to upgrade "critically outdated IT infrastructure and flight operations." The leader of the mechanics' union, Louie Key, said the outage was the "final straw" on top of unsettled contract negotiations and other disappointments. Southwest's senior vice president of labor relations, Randy Babbitt, said union demands were just part of the contract-bargaining process. "Their maneuvering is not about our leaders. It's not about 'IT infrastructure,'" Randy Babbitt said in a statement released by the company. "This is about the union's approach to contract discussions and its attempt to gain leverage in negotiations." Southwest officials blamed a faulty router for a July 20 outage that briefly grounded all flights. Southwest struggled for several more days with unusually high cancelations and delays. The outage briefly caused Southwest to delay all departures and hold planes at their gates. Passengers couldn't check in for flights electronically, and customers couldn't book new flights. The outage lasted about 12 hours, but Southwest said that it canceled 2,300 flights 12 percent of its schedule over five days as it struggled to recover. Southwest did not say how many flights were delayed during that period, but tracking service FlightStats put the number at more than 8,000. Independent experts in information technology said the outage was probably more complex than a single failed router. Routers connect networks and help sections communicate with each other, and networks are designed to avoid so-called single points of failure. "You can't blame the router. The router triggered a chain reaction that should not have happened," said Doron Pinhas, chief technology officer of Continuity Software Inc. He said it was likely that Southwest didn't test its system adequately to see what would happen when that part failed. Lev Lesokhin, executive vice president of Cast, a software-analysis company, said Southwest's explanation "doesn't add up." "When you have an outage like this that lasts as long as this one did and takes as long to put back on track, that's typically a software issue," which is much more complex, he said. Jordan, the Southwest executive vice president, said that a Cisco router, one of about 2,000 in the airline's network, failed "in a very abnormal way." The router did not send messages to other parts of the network or connect with backup systems, he said. Jordan said Southwest's routers are designed to last seven years but are replaced more frequently. He said the airline's network had plenty of redundancies built in, but that the company was still studying the outage. Oversight of computer systems "is primarily done by Southwest Airlines now," Jordan said, "and as we transition to a new data center over the next year, that will change" and mostly be handled by contractors. The decision to contract out much of the data center work was made long before last month's outage, he said. U.S. prosecutors have indicted two former Venezuelan officials on drug charges. Nestor Reverol and Edilberto Molina are named in an indictment unsealed on Monday in federal court in New York City. American authorities have accused the pair of taking bribes in exchange for tipping off cocaine traffickers to raids and hindering drug investigations in other ways. Neither man is in custody. Reverol is the former head of Venezuela's anti-drug agency and ally of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez (OO'-goh CHAH'-vez). Molina also once worked for the agency. Reverol has denied the U.S. accusations, which were first made late last year. Molina hasn't spoken out. The Venezuelan government has regularly accused the U.S. of using drug indictments against top military officials to destabilize President Nicolas Maduro's (nee-koh-LAHS' mah-DOO'-rohz) rule. Like many seasoned entrepreneurs, Oprah Winfrey views failure as a stepping stone to greatness. For her, it has been, and then some. In 1977, decades before she became a billionaire media mogul, she was fired from her job as a reporter at Baltimores WJZ-TV. Her boss said she was unfit for television news. She was devastated, but she didnt quit. The queen of all media quickly rose from rejection and found her calling in daytime TV. Then came her eponymous talk show and 25 internationally syndicated seasons of success. The Mississippi native later launched her book club, magazine and TV network. Today, she sits at the helm of a multi-billion-dollar media empire. Lady O is best known as an outspoken TV host, actress and philanthropist, but shes also an incredibly accomplished founder. The chairman and CEO of Harpo, Inc., Winfrey made history when she became the first first woman to own and produce her own talk show. Shes now one of the wealthiest and most successful business leaders in the world. More From Entrepreneur.com Related: There are many inspiring lessons entrepreneurs can learn from her remarkable journey from a poor, deprived ghetto girl to self-made billionaire. Here are three: 1. Trust your instincts. Winfrey is a known to be a big believer in listening to your instincts and honoring them, often unsung life skills she credits much of her success to. Trusting her gut has also kept her out of trouble, she claims. I know for sure whenever your gut is out of kilter, trouble awaits, she wrote in O Magazine. Your gut is your inner compass. Whenever you have to consult with other people for an answer, youre headed in the wrong direction. During a 2011 OWN Network Lifeclass session, she shared why she feels its important to listen to your inner voice: Listening to your life as it whispers to you first so that it does not have to knock you upside the head with a brick or come crashing down on you as a brick wall is one of the greatest principles of life. Lesson: Pay close attention to your instinctual reactions whenever youre faced with a considerable business decision. Hearing -- and heeding -- even the slightest bit of hesitancy from within could potentially stop you from making poor choices that could impact your bottom line, and your life, now and for the years to come. In other words, as Winfrey says, "Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself." Related tips: How Listening to Your Gut Can Make You a Better Founder The Scientific Reason You Should Trust Your Gut 5 Ways to Learn to Trust Your Instincts 2. Fiercely protect your brand. From her namesake talk show to O Magazine, from Oprah.com to OWN Network, Winfrey has worked tirelessly to transform her unique name from a stumper -- which once prompted viewers to ask What is an Oprah? -- into a household name. To legally protect her brand, shes trademarked every one of her companies and their subsidiaries, and her legal team actively pursues those who infringe upon her trademarks. Most recently, on May 19, she filed a federal application to trademark a suite of foods and other goods branded under the name Oprahs Kitchen. Lesson: Strengthen your brand and safeguard it from misuse and dilution by trademarking your business name and logo. Doing so gives you the ability to control how they are publicly used and displayed. Related tips: 3 Routes to Register Your Business Name A Business Name vs. a Trademark: Do You Know The Difference? Whats in a Name? In Branding, Pretty Much Everything. 3. Value your fans. One of Winfreys favorite things about her show was her famous Oprahs Favorite Things, a sometimes hilariously high-energy segment (check this SNL parody) during which audience members found free goodies of all kinds tucked beneath their seats on set. The popular segments purpose was twofold: First, it was product placement promotional gold and, second, it enabled Winfrey to connect with her brand fans in a memorable and public way. The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make your intention to do good for somebody else, Winfrey, who gives away millions to charity every year, once said. The concept is simple: What goes around comes around. Do good and good shall be done unto you. Lesson: Surprise your customers and brand advocates with extra value from time to time, perhaps in the form of coupons, discounts and giveaways. Giving a little extra can go a long way when it comes to locking in their loyalty and repeat business. For related tips: Want to Build Loyalty? Remember, Everyone Loves Free Stuff. 3 Sales-Boosting Freebies Customers Can't Resist 3 Ways to Increase Customer Loyalty Sometimes it is difficult (if not impossible) for us to meet with our clients and colleagues in real life. Fortunately, technology has introduced a workable solution to this issue that is quite convenient for everyone involved. Several months ago, I had a virtual meeting with a couple of my international colleagues via Skype. We talked extensively about my business etiquette topics and shared ideas on how I could contribute to their conference. Im certain that because we met each other in advance, we established a rapport and friendship. As a result, I was invited me to speak at their conference in Hong Kong a few weeks ago. Virtual meetings used to be the wave of the future. Now they are practically an essential part of a businesss operations. Here is a list of some simple dos and donts to help you get the most out of your next virtual meeting. 1. Make introductions. Introduce the people at the meeting to each other, especially if new people join the group and if time permits, give a brief background on each person. This helps create team cohesion. If your group meets regularly, ask for updates since the last meeting. Remember to conduct all meetings with civility and respect. Be respectful of others time, and be present. That means no multi-tasking. Related: How to Run a Virtual Meeting That Gets Results 2. Engage everyone. Because you are not in a room together, it is far easier for someone to slip through the radar. Some people may not contribute and you may not notice. If you are leading the meeting, maintain control at all times, but try not to be too dominating. Encourage each participant to share their ideas and contribute to the group. Its important to make participants feel important by soliciting their feedback. Otherwise, they might get bored and zone out. 3. Choose video over audio. To get the most from your virtual meetings, use video conferencing where participants can see each other and you can see them. You will be more likely to get the undivided attention of your attendees and can pick up on nonverbal cues and facial expressions as well as what is being said. Video makes people feel more engaged because it allows team members to see each others emotions and reactions, which immediately humanizes the room. Related: This App Will Make Your Next Virtual Meeting Awesome 4. Use high-quality technology. In the middle of an important conversation, you surely dont want your meeting to be disrupted due to a poor-quality connection or equipment failures. Some of the more popular technologies used for virtual conferences are offered through Skype for Business, WebEx and GoToMeeting platforms that also permit all participants to share documents while they actively participate in the meeting. Choose a medium that is easy for everyone to access. 5. Plan your work and work your plan. Send a meeting reminder with the agenda, needed materials and information about the technology to be used at least three days before the meeting. Ask key people to prepare items for the meeting ahead of time. Tackle critical topics at the start of the meeting while the participants are fresh. Before you conclude the meeting, document decisions and next steps. Related: 5 Reasons In-Person Meetings Still Matter Although virtual meetings are not always as effective as face-to-face meetings, they are convenient and cost effective. And when it comes to customer and client relationships, that ability to build trust across borders and countries is critical. If you want to succeed, you need to be able to meet in person no matter where you are in the world. Immigrants who want to enter the U.S. illegally can learn how and where to avoid the Border Patrol from an advisory on the agency's own website, which critics say is evidence of the Obama administration's "schizophrenic" approach to enforcement. Safety and sanctuary can generally be found at schools, churches, hospitals and protests, where Customs and Border Protection agents are barred under a "sensitive locations policy" from carrying out their duty of enforcing border security. In fact, the agencys website states that actions at such locations can only be undertaken in an emergency or with a supervisors approval. The policies are meant to ensure that ICE and CBP officers and agents exercise sound judgment when enforcing federal law at or focused on sensitive locations, to enhance the public understanding and trust, and to ensure that people seeking to participate in activities or utilize services provided at any sensitive location are free to do so, without fear or hesitation, the government website states in both English and Spanish. While the explanation is apparently meant to show the deference Customs and Border Protection agents show to sensitive societal institutions, critics, including the Media Research Center, say it also tells illegal border crossers where to go if they are being pursued. Agents are barred from interviewing, searching or arresting suspected illegal immigrants in such locations. So, almost any illegal alien can escape arrest by either walking with a second person (a march), attending some type of class, or finding a nearby church, medical facility or school bus stop, the Center wrote in a post bringing the advisory to light. A Frequently Asked Questions section explains in detail what the Customs and Border Patrols parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, considers safe zones for illegal immigrants. Schools, such as known and licensed day cares, pre-schools and other early learning programs; primary schools; secondary schools; post-secondary schools up to and including colleges and universities; as well as scholastic or education-related activities or events, and school bus stops that are marked and/or known to the officer, during periods when school children are present at the stop; Medical treatment and health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities; Places of worship, such as churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples; Religious or civil ceremonies or observances, such as funerals and weddings; During public demonstration, such as a march, rally, or parade. Critics of the Obama administrations immigration policies have long complained that it undermines the mission of border enforcement by imposing rules on agents that they say leave them unable to do their jobs. This administration has systematically and maliciously attacked and deconstructed all phases of border enforcement, said Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform. Its to the point now where virtually nobody has to go home. ICE is no longer carrying out its core mission, of finding, identifying and removing illegal aliens from the country. Agents are in a state of despair, Stein added. They are being turned into nursemaids, chaperones and bus drivers. Telling people suspected of breaking the law where they can seek refuge makes no sense, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies. It's schizophrenic," Vaughan said. "What the Obama administration has done is to create sanctuaries for illegal aliens and to publicize them. That is fine for a social welfare agency, but not for a law enforcement agency. No law enforcement agency would ever want to broadcast where lawbreakers can go to be shielded from the consequences of their actions. The site does say the sensitive locations policy does not apply to places directly along the border, but warns its own agents that if they plan to move on a suspect in such a location near the border they are expected to exercise sound judgment and common sense while taking appropriate action, consistent with the goals of this policy. The CBP website also provides a toll-free number and email address to allow illegal immigrants to report possible violations of the sensitive locations policy. Concealed handgun license holders in Texas can carry their weapons into public university buildings, classrooms and dorms starting Monday, a day that also marks 50 years after the mass shooting at the University of Texas' landmark clock tower. The campus-carry law pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican legislative majority makes Texas one of a handful of states guaranteeing the right to carry concealed handguns on campus. Texas has allowed concealed handguns in public for 20 years. Gun rights advocates consider it an important protection, given the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as a key self-defense measure in cases of campus violence, such as the 1966 UT shootings and the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. Opponents of the law fear it will chill free speech on campus and lead to more campus suicide. The former dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture left for a position at the University of Pennsylvania because of his opposition to allowing guns on campus. Officials told the Austin American-Statesman it was a coincidence that the law took effect 50 years to the day after the UT shooting. Marine-trained sniper Charles Whitman climbed to the observation deck of the 27-story clock tower in the heart of UT's flagship Austin campus, armed with rifles, pistols and a sawed-off shotgun on Aug. 1, 1966, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others before officers gunned him down. Whitman had killed his wife and mother before he headed to the tower, investigators said. One victim died in the hospital a week later and medical examiners eventually attributed a 17th death to Whitman in 2001 -- a man who had been shot and wounded in his one functioning kidney and elected to stop dialysis treatment. Texas has more than 1 million concealed handgun license holders. People who wish to get a license must be at least 21 (18 if in the military) and pass both classroom and gun range training courses. There are also restrictions on convicted felons, people charged with felonies and high-level misdemeanors or people with a history of mental illness. The open carry law in Texas specifically does not apply to college campuses. Any handguns on campus must be holstered and kept out of sight. Officials at UT were set Monday to rededicate a new memorial to the 1966 shooting: a chunk of granite more than six feet tall, replacing a much smaller plaque. Crews sand-blasted the names of the victims onto the boulder, The Daily Texan reported. Generally, the new Texas law allows guns in buildings, classrooms and dorms, but rules may differ from campus to campus, as each school is required to map that out. For example, at the University of Texas at Austin, teachers will be allowed to declare their offices as gun-free zones, but most will post signs announcing it. Dorm residents can have guns in common areas, such as dining areas and lounges, but not sleeping rooms, where no storage of weapons is allowed. Exceptions to the room restrictions will be made for visiting family members who are licensed to carry handguns. At Texas A&M University in College Station, guns are allowed in dorm rooms and teachers must get permission from the administration to ban guns from their office. State law still bans weapons from some campus areas, such as hospitals and sporting events. Private schools like Baylor, Rice, Texas Christian and others can ban guns under the state law. Currently, Amberton University, which doesn't allow students under 21 and has a total enrollment under 2,000, is the only private school that has opted to allow guns. As for community colleges, they have until August 2017 to allow weapons, giving them more time to adjust for security and other measures. The killing spree in Texas helped introduce the nation to the concept of a "mass shooting" outside the context of a military battlefield. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A charter bus veered off a central California highway before dawn Tuesday and struck a pole that sliced the vehicle nearly in half, killing five people and sending five more to hospitals, some with lost limbs, authorities said. Rescuers pulled out "bags of body parts" from the survivors of the crash on State Route 99, where the speeding bus hit the pole of a highway exit sign head-on, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. It sheared straight through bus, stopping at the first rear axle "with a great impact," he said. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows to pull out trapped passengers. Others were ejected and were lying in a ditch, Warnke said. Five people were killed and at least five others were airlifted to hospitals, California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez said. He did not have information about any additional injuries or the cause of the single-vehicle crash. "The pole went through the center of the bus, and that's where the injuries were sustained," Onsurez said. The still-intact sign stuck out from the roof of the crumpled bus. Wreckage and debris including seat cushions, drink containers, pillows and a blanket were scattered in lanes and on the shoulder of the highway a few miles south of the town of Livingston. Onsurez identified the driver as Mario David Vasquez of the Los Angeles area, the Merced Sun-Star reported. The 57-year-old was among those with major injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, the newspaper said. The bus operated by Autobuses Coordinados USA was heading to Washington state and was due in Livingston at 1:30 a.m. to change drivers, Warnke said. The crash occurred shortly before 3:30 a.m. between the community of Atwater and Livingston, just a few miles down the highway. Calls to various telephone listings for the company went unanswered. Its counter was open at a Los Angeles depot, but nobody was present when an Associated Press reporter arrived midmorning. A sign in Spanish advertised daily 7:30 p.m. departures to destinations up the West Coast to Washington. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration listed the carrier as having a "satisfactory" rating as of May 17. The bus was inspected in April and had three violations, including a lack of or a defective brake warning device. That violation was not further described, and there was no indication whether each of the items had been fixed. The highway runs through farm fields and almond orchards in the San Joaquin Valley northwest of Fresno. Its northbound lanes were closed during the investigation, backing up traffic for miles. Click for more from Fox 26. Conservative writer Ben Shapiro lashed out after DePaul University canceled a proposed speaking appearance, telling Fox News on Monday the school seemed to suggest it couldn't control its own angry students. DePaul was the latest university to try nixing one of his speaking gigs. In December, officials at Cal State LA moved to cancel an event featuring Shapiro after some students reportedly compared it to an "underground KKK meeting." Shapiro wound up appearing anyway, sparking protests. In a post that appeared on Shapiro's blog Monday, DePaul's Young Americans for Freedom chapter explained it invited the pundit to speak when the university stepped in. DePaul Vice President of Facilities Operations Bob Janis wrote to the chapter in an email, "Given the experiences and security concerns that some other schools have had with Ben Shapiro speaking on their campuses, DePaul cannot agree to allow him to speak on our campus at this time." Shapiro told Fox News' "The Kelly File," "What I love most about this situation is that they don't even say that what I'm saying is so terrible. Instead, what they say is that because I've been met with violence at other campuses, this raises security concerns. So in other words, they can't keep their own students from assaulting people... basically, we now have the rioters' veto." Activists protesting his February appearance at Cal State LA reportedly blocked exits and pulled the fire alarm to cause disruptions. Shapiro has frequently taken on movements such as Black Lives Matter, as well as schools that accommodate "micro-aggressions." The title of his Cal State LA speech: "When Diversity Becomes a Problem." The pundit had some advice for DePaul, the nation's largest Catholic university. "What they should tell the students is, 'guys, you seem a little bit excitable.' Hand out some free pot, everybody will just calm down a little bit." There was no further response from the Chicago university. A man accused of killing an Indiana University student is the victim of a botched police investigation, his attorney told jurors on Tuesday, but prosecutors noted that the victim's blood and hair were found in his vehicle. Daniel Messel, 50, is on trial for the April 2015 slaying of 22-year-old Hannah Wilson, who was last seen alive getting into a taxi after a night drinking with friends. Her body was found hours later in a vacant lot about 10 miles from the Bloomington campus. If convicted of murder, he could face up to 65 years in prison. Defense attorney Dorie Maryan said during her opening statement that police didn't fully investigate the case. She said Messel was the first suspect identified by police and quickly arrested, and that investigators ignored other possible suspects. She conceded that Messel and Wilson encountered one another on the morning of the slaying, but suggested someone else was present as well. "Her friends will tell you that intoxicated or sober, Ms. Wilson would not have gotten into a car with a stranger, but maybe if she was with someone she knew she might have," Maryan said. Brown County Prosecutor Ted Adams said evidence points toward Messel's guilt: His cellphone was found near Wilson's body, her blood and hair was found in his SUV, and Messel was carrying a bag of his clothes spotted with Wilson's blood when he was arrested. "She was two weeks from graduation. She was a psych major, bubbly, fun," Adams said. "She was a fun person with fun friends." Authorities haven't said how or when they believe Messel and Wilson came into contact. When police first went to Messel's home, his father told them his son had not returned from playing trivia at a local bar the night before. Maryan suggested Wilson's boyfriend should have been a suspect, saying the only DNA tested was Messel's. She said the boyfriend spoke to Wilson on her phone 20 minutes before she disappeared. She also accused police of not testing a cigarette butt found near Wilson's body. Messel's trial is expected to last two weeks. Maryan unsuccessfully sought a change of venue because of pretrial news coverage about the case. ___ Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com A veteran FBI electronics technician who had top secret clearance pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of acting as an agent of China, and faces up to 10 years in prison. Kun Shan Chun, who also went by the name Joey Chun, was born in China and began working for the FBI in 1997. Chun's duties with the FBI included "accessing sensitive and, in some instance, classified information." He's set to be sentenced in December. Chun, 47, was originally charged with four counts of working to "falsify, conceal, and cover up by trick, scheme, and device a material fact." He allegedly did not disclose his ties to foreign organizations and individuals in a written questionnaire submitted to the FBI for his security clearance, and did not disclose to the FBI that he made contact with "foreign nationals during a trip to Europe." The criminal complaint against Chun was unsealed Monday, but dated March 2016. The documents contend that Chun and some of his relatives "maintained relationships" with individuals who worked for a Chinese technology company and at least "one individual whom Chun understood to be affiliated with the Chinese government." Chun was allegedly tasked with consulting work in the U.S. for that Chinese company, for which he was given financial and travel "benefits." He allegedly met with a Chinese associate in Europe in July 2015 and, around the same time, told an undercover FBI Special Agent that he wanted to introduce the agent to some of his Chinese associates. "Chun also expressed a willingness to facilitate the passage of sensitive United States government information from the [undercover agent] to one or more of his Chinese associates, including individuals associated with the Chinese government," the document states. During one meeting, Chun is alleged to have told the undercover agent that he "expected a 'cut' of any payment that the [agent] received for providing information to the Chinese government." Chun and the undercover agent also met in New York in August 2015 during a meeting that was recorded, the charging documents said. "I could get you connected and then I'm going to stay off," Chun is alleged to have said. "You know, you do your thing, you make your money, I don't really care, but...if you make any money, just give me a little bit..." During the same conversation, Chun is alleged to have acknowledged that he knew he was supposed to have disclosed his meetings and relationships with foreign nationals. In this digital era, all aspects of your companys digital footprint -- earned, owned, placed or otherwise -- can be accessed by anyone at any time. From an exposure standpoint, its hard to not feel excited by this fact. But before you get too carried away thinking about people across the globe visiting your website and learning about your company, its worth noting that your online presence comes across quite differently in Bangalore than it does in Bangor, Maine. People in Rio view your branding much differently than those in Riyadh. Related: Become a Better Leader With These 5 Cultural-Awareness Tips And that's where culture and politics come in: If you arent careful, even your own next-door neighbors may take offense to your branding. Just recently, a restaurant in Australia made headlines for naming itself Uncle Ho. The local Vietnamese community considered this a direct reference to communist dictator Ho Chi Minh -- a highly polarizing figure in their culture. Nearly 100 people gathered outside the restaurant in protest, threatening to burn the building down and inflict harm on the owners of the establishment. That incident illustrates the importance of approaching your business from a global perspective. The broader your cultural horizons are, the more markets you will effectively reach -- and the less likely you are to commit embarrassing faux pas, costly mistakes and outright showstoppers. The awkward crossing of cultures It doesnt matter if youve created a stunning website that features eye-grabbing visuals and incredibly persuasive copy; the name of your company or product alone could stop international consumers dead in their tracks before they even click on your URL. Dublins C&C Group, for example, couldnt get Germans on board with its Irish Mist whiskey because the sound of the word mist means manure in their native tongue. Similarly, Tripping.com wasnt getting much love from Germans because its nickname for its users was eerily similar to the German word for gonorrhea. Related: The 5 Worst Marketing Fails of 2015 Enhancing your companys cultural sensitivity and knowledge doesnt just lower your odds of likening your product to an unpleasant infection; it helps you craft a brand presence that properly and effectively communicates your message to a wider audience. Raise your global awareness. Today, you dont just need to comprehend your clients business needs; you need to know where theyre coming from, culturally. Too many companies drum up their product and mission without considering how (or whether) those things apply to people outside their immediate surroundings. As the founder of a PR firm in the tech world, I found it to be in our best interest to become a globally minded company. A good portion of our clients are located overseas, and we help these companies pitch their products and services to their local markets. To meet this challenge, we prioritized hiring global citizens. As a result, my team speaks a combined 10 languages, and our staff is comprised of folks who grew up all over: Europe, the Middle East, the American Midwest and South -- and all five boroughs of New York (each its own cultural melting pot). Because of the expanded worldviews we now have in-house, we see an influx of creative ideas, opinions and solutions that resonate on a global stage. Boost your cultural IQ. Assembling a staff full of cultural wizards is no easy task, but following these three tips will send you in the right direction: 1. Cast the right net. Start at the source. Identify colleges and universities that are known for having great study abroad offerings, high-quality international studies programs and high numbers of foreign students. You could also look at American schools located abroad, such as my alma mater, Franklin University, in Switzerland. Once you amass your list of schools, reach out directly to their job placement departments to introduce yourself. Let them know that you have job openings (whether theyre entry-level or internships) that you hope to fill with their top soon-to-be graduates. Specify the international impact your company strives to make, and you'll likely find they are glad to send you the names of several relevant candidates. This is the best and easiest way to find employees who will boost your companys global acumen from the ground up. 2. Look for the right cues. Look at your applicants track records. If they studied abroad during college, they likely have an interest in other cultures. If they say theyre fluent in multiple languages, chances are strong that they grew up in a multicultural household or spent time in a foreign country. Also, be sure to ask pointed questions about your industrys global climate during the interview process. If the applicant is in tune with current events and can speak confidently and thoughtfully about them, youve got yourself a keeper. Related: What Immigrants Can Teach Entrepreneurs About Hustling to Succeed 3. Walk the walk. Having even a base level of cultural awareness and sensitivity will help you win over the best and brightest applicants. Rather than line your desk with mini Eiffel Towers in the hopes of wooing a French candidate, have a meaningful conversation about his or her upbringing and values. I know youre busy running a business, but try your best to visit your target markets and experience their cultures yourself. If thats out of the question, make a point to read about them. Start by asking Google to alert you every time something noteworthy happens in a country you currently (or someday plan to) operate within. Also, if youre serious about operating in non-English-speaking cultures, consider learning a new language or two in your free time. You dont have to become fluent, but being able to at least understand a foreign language is an important part of becoming a global entity. Download an app that allows you to practice while making your lunch in the morning or commuting to work. Hiring with cultural diversity in mind will liberate your companys creativity, branding and product development processes from the narrow confines of its leaderships limited experience. Most importantly, it will provide a comprehensive understanding of target audiences, allowing you to stand out from the pack as a culturally aware company with an expansive global reach. Some trends are here to stay, while others - like bell bottom jeans and shell suites -- are destined to die out. Fashion isnt the only industry that works this way. The customer service industry has seen just as many fads come and go. Remember when companies thought it was a good idea to inundate customers with lengthy surveys? That said, there are some recent trends in customer service that are here to stay because theyre delighting customers while simultaneously generating revenue. There are also some recent trends that need to die out as soon as possible and other trends that could doom companies if they arent shaken quickly. Heres a look at the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to customer service. Related: Customer Service Lessons Learned on the Road Here's the good trends. Customer experience is a high priority. Customer experience has become a strategic priority for companies. And its not just the customer service team thats hard at work. Now, customer experience is a priority for the CMO, the COO and the CEO. Some companies have even added a new position - Chief Customer Officer -- to the c-suite to ensure customers' needs are well-represented in all areas of business. Thats because the cat is out of the bag. Customer experience initiatives dramatically impact revenue. According to a recent Forrester study, customer experience leaders outperformed the portfolios of customer experience laggards by 80 percent. And, according to the London School of Economics, a seven-point increase in net promoter scores (NPS) can have a one percent impact on revenue. Reducing detractors by just two percent can unlock an additional one percent of growth. For companies with $1 billion in yearly revenue, thats an additional $10 million in revenue for every seven-point increase and $20 million if you can convert two percent of your detractors to be neutral or promoters. Companies that prioritize customer experience, identify and fix problems faster and are able to tailor products and services to meet expectations. The end result is a reduction in haters and an ever growing pool of promoters. Customer experience is a company-wide initiative. As c-suites around the world start to embrace customer experience as a strategic priority, customer experience becomes a company-wide initiative. More and more, were seeing organizations make it easier and more efficient for internal stakeholders and employees to access customer insights. Now, every department has a hand in shaping the customer experience and driving change. Take United Airlines, for example. The companys new CEO, Oscar Munoz, holds every employee accountable for doing better when it comes to customer service. He empowers employees to meet customer expectations. And its paying off. Fortune magazine recently recognized United Airlines as the fourth most respected airline in its 2016 Worlds Most Admired Companies list. When a company takes on a top-down approach to customer experience, empowering the entire organization to serve customers better, the results speak for itself. Customer experience is customer driven. Companies are starting to put customers in the drivers seat when it comes to customer experience. Thats because customers want to choose how they interact with businesses. And when customers are able to drive their own experiences, they feel empowered and have higher overall satisfaction and brand affinity. Empowering customers to drive their own experiences is more important than ever before given the growing generational divide in preferences. According to a 2015 study by the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), millennials prefer to interact with brands via social channels while generation X looks to brands or the community for support. Meanwhile, baby boomers still cling to direct human interaction. As each generation comes with its own set of needs, companies must be flexible when it comes to customer experience. Related: What Buffer Can Teach Us About Customer Service Here's the bad trends. Social service is lacking. Although many companies are prioritizing customer experience, just as many continue to fall flat on social customer service. For the first time ever, millennials are the largest segment of the population in the U.S. This group prefers to communicate with brands via social media. However, according to research by Satmetrix, 55 percent of customer requests for service on social media are not acknowledged. When brands ignore social customer service requests, they miss the opportunity to create a positive experience, and they lose out on valuable, candid customer insights. Customer journey maps are falling short. Customer journey maps - diagrams that illustrate the steps customers go through when engaging with a company -- are hugely important to providing a quality customer experience. In fact, they are the foundation on which customer experience strategies should be built. Unfortunately, the majority of companies are incorrectly mapping the customer journey. According to Esteban Kolsky, a well-recognized expert in journey mapping, 34 percent of companies have undertaken customer journey mapping, but only two percent of those companies reported success with the process. Whats more, when customers are shown a customer journey map, 72 percent say it doesnt describe their needs or their relationship with the brand. So where are companies going wrong? Often its a misunderstanding of the methodology. Journey mapping must be data driven. Brands must capture customer feedback and data as consumers are on their journey. The full journey is only captured when a company can weave interactions together into a complete experience. Related: This Surprising Customer Service Exchange Has Gone Viral And here's the ugly trends. Some companies continue to take an inside-out approach. As customer experience becomes central to business success, companies must embrace an outside-in mentality. The term - coined by Forrester analysts, Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine -- is a reminder that companies must think about customers first and their business second. While many companies have started to think this way, there are just as many that have not. Brands are falling into the social care chasm. Most brands are still falling into the social customer care chasm, with only 33 percent of social media users saying the service they received does not meet their expectations. Social use is climbing, and customers are clued into social as a channel for resolving issues, but brands still arent meeting the customers where they are. The ugly truth is that customer experience is still a new concept for some companies. For others, customer experience is just a minor blip on their radar. Weve come a long way, as companies like Amazon, Apple and Kroger lead the charge. But theres still work to be done. Customer expectations are changing, and businesses must evolve, or theyll be left behind. A high school teacher in Connecticut is facing charges after police say he let the air out of a student's tire after the student parked in his space. State police say 52-year-old Edward Kimble IV, of Newtown, turned himself in Monday on a charge of second-degree reckless endangerment. City police responded to Pomperaug High School in Southbury on June 2 for a report that Kimble had let the air out of the student's front tire. Police say security personnel allowed the student to park in Kimble's parking space because student parking was unavailable. Kimble was released on a $500 cash bond. He's due in court Aug. 10. It's unclear whether Kimble has a lawyer. A woman who answered the phone at Pomperaug High said there was nobody available to comment. Click for more from Fox 61. Did you know that more than 1.3 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty? Or that more than 2.6 billion people have been affected by natural disasters in the past decade? Although these numbers wont change soon, scientists and engineers are getting closer to solutions that can help us build a more adaptable world. The answer lies in 3-D printing. From disaster-proof homes to structures printed from natural resources, were one step closer to combatting a number of global issues. Who would have guessed that 3-D printing could be a solution to some of the worlds most pressing problems? Check out what these 3-D printing companies have planned that will positively impact the future. Environmental improvements More From Entrepreneur.com 5 Innovations In 3D Printing WASP Although people always talk about green efforts, WASP is taking action. The company, a 3-D printing project launched by Italian research innovation company Centro Sviluppo Progetti, aspires to create 3-D printed homes for developing countries using natural resources found in local communities, such as wood, aluminum and even mud. Its goal is to advance 3-D printing and promote sustainable development, using the PowerWASP and DeltaWASP 3-D printers. The aim of WASP is to build zero-mile homes, using materials found on the surrounding area, the company explains on its website. Most recently, the company is building the first house entirely printed with eco-friendly, locally found materials, it said in a blog post. Safety HuaShang Tengda Three-D printing will also improve our ability to respond to emergency disasters. Beijing architecture firm HuaShang Tengda recently constructed a 3-D printed "indestructible" mansion that can withstand an 8.0 earthquake. Built from concrete and other raw materials, the two-story villa measures about 4,305 square feet and took only 45 days to construct. Reduce poverty WinSun Decoration Design Co. The Chinese engineering company WinSun Decoration Design Engineering constructed a set of 10 single-story homes in under 24 hours through its 3-D printer (a device that took the company 12 years to create). Reusing materials from construction waste and glass fiber to create a cement base, the company printed prefabricated panels that were then transported and put together on-site. With each house costing roughly $5,000 to construct, 3-D printing is a viable solution to provide housing to those in need. Disaster relief University of Nantes When disasters strike, vasts amounts of people are left without housing. Three-D printing may have a solution. Researchers at the University of Nantes (IRCCyN) in France and engineers from the company Capacites came together to create INNOPrint 3D -- a 3-D printer that can construct 9-foot-by-9-foot houses in 20 to 30 minutes. Life on Mars Contour Crafting Living on Mars isnt so far-fetched after all. Contour Crafting, a 3-D printing technique created by University of Southern California researchers, has the potential to build safe and reliable structures on extraterrestrial habitats such as the moon and Mars, primarily using materials that already exist on both bodies. With funding from NASA, the process allows computer-controlled machines to build houses and structures using concrete and even lunar soil, reports the Daily Mail. The buildings would also include radiation shielding, plumbing and electrical networks. The researchers' ultimate goal is to construct livable habitats for future human exploration of space, so explorers can safely spend long periods of time on the moon and Mars. Can a church survive without young people? On the face of it the answer seems to be "no," according to the Leadership Network, a Christian nonprofit ministry headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that says engaging millennials is the most important decision a church can make regarding its future. Millennials make up 20 percent of the entire U.S. population with 83 million people even more than Baby Boomers and by 2020 will make up 30 percent. This group is a progressive bunch who are the most racially diverse generation with 60 percent anglo and 15 percent immigrants; the most educated with more college degrees than any generation in history, and the most single. The following are some of Leadership Network's Eric Swanson's discoveries to help churches reach, retain and grow millennials. 1. Only 4 percent of millennials have a relationship with Christ Of 1,300 people interviewed in 2000, Thom Rainer, then a dean of the Billy Graham School of Ministries, Evangelism and Church Growth at Kentucky's Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (now president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention), noted an alarmingly low percentage of people who considered themselves to be Christians based on having accepted Christ. He categorized these people into four groups: Builders (born before 1946), Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Busters (born from 1965 to 1976) and Bridgers, or millennials, (1977-1994). Sixty-five percent of Builders were Christian, 35 percent of Boomers were Christian, 15 percent of Busters were Christian and 4 percent of Bridgers were Christian, demonstrating a significant drop in the percentage of people who are Christian, from one generation to the next. Rainer said, "Of these people, 75 percent of them became Christians before the age of 14. ... If we really look at the data and are objective, we will look at our preschoolers and children and become intentionally evangelistic. If you don't have a plan to reach these children, you've blown it," he concluded. 2. Millennials don't want to work for you, they want to work with you Linda Hill, a Harvard professor and co-author of the book Collective Genius, said in a recent TED Talk, "Talented people don't want to follow me anywhere. They want to co-create, with me, the future." Leadership Network's Eric Swanson said millennials don't want a "guided discussion" where the conclusions are already predetermined, and since they don't subscribe to the concept of lifetime employment with a company they want to be able to contribute from day one, which is a very positive thing when developing a leadership pipeline, he explained. 3. Millennials are different than portrayed Swanson said millennials are often mischaracterized as entitled and self-centered, and are often said to represent what's wrong with America. "Considering the fact that they graduated in which some say was the worst economy since the Great Depression," and have more college degrees than any generation in history, Swanson said they are a resilient bunch. Here are a few stats about millennials that dispel some negative stereotypes: 63 percent donate to charity 43 percent actively volunteer 70 percent of millennials said their career is central to their identity 54 percent want to start their own business or already have done so Millennials comprise one-third of all entrepreneurs in the U.S. 64 percent said they would rather make $40K a year at a job they love than $100K a year at a job they think is boring. 50 percent would rather have no job than one that they hate Click Here to Read the Full Story at ChristianPost.com A Tennessee newspaper that banned an ad from a Christian bookstore because it included the controversial word "Christian," has reversed its decision. Curtis McGinnis of Cedar Springs Christian Stores told The Christian Post on Monday that "When my wife, Lois, called to find out why our ad did not run, she was told that the ad did not go through because it had an offensive word in it." "She asked what was the offensive word and the lady told her 'Christian,' and the word was on the offensive word list," McGinnis added. News of the ad rejection over the word Christian being labeled offensive garnered much outrage from supporters of Cedar Springs Christian Stores, who sent several complaints to the Knoxville News Sentinel. In a statement posted to their Facebook page last Friday, the bookstore thanked those who offered support to the Christian company. The Knoxville News Sentinel is now running an ad from Cedar Springs Christian Stores about their sale, and McGinnis reports that the newspaper also "gave us an extra two days free." Click Here to Read the Full Story at ChristianPost.com New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton will step down in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a Tuesday news conference. Bratton will take a job in the private sector, but he did not name the company. Ongoing turmoil between police and some members of the community "110 percent had nothing to do with this," de Blasio said on Tuesday. The resignation announcement comes a day after 200 anti-police protesters gathered in City Hall Park to demand the NYPD be defunded and Bratton be fired. NYPD Chief of Department James ONeill is set to replace Bratton, 68, who has been in his current post since December 2013. Bratton also served as New Yorks top cop from 1994 to 1996 and was Chief of the LAPD from 2002 to 2009. ONeill has been Chief of Department since 2014. Jimmy is one of the best prepared incoming police commissioners this city has ever seen, de Blasio said, noting that ONeill was the architect of the citys community policing program. Bratton told de Blasio about his decision to step down in a July 8 conversation. Bratton described the theme of the conversation as "There's never a good time, but there's a right time." Bratton said in an interview with The New York Times on July 25 that he would not stay in his post as commissioner if de Blasio were re-elected to another term as mayor; however, he gave no hint he would step down so soon. During his first tenure as commissioner, under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the early 1990s, Bratton was credited with driving down crime with a widely copied, data-driven, crime-fighting strategy before his brash style made him an annoyance to the mayor, who forced him out. Though de Blasio was elected as a sharp critic of a police strategy known as stop-and-frisk -- which raised concerns over racial profiling and privacy rights -- he picked Bratton as a sign that he would balance reform and further drive down crime. "When you see a policeman, remember that he is your friend," Bratton said Tuesday. "Thats the vision and thats the passion that I've had for 45 years." "I would like to introduce you to the next police commissioner of the NYPD, James O'Neill."- @BilldeBlasio pic.twitter.com/yj3LYk5TLf NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 2, 2016 On Bratton's watch, the NYPD has drastically scaled back its "stop-and-frisk" strategy, but stepped up enforcement against so-called "quality of life" offenses. Critics said that approach still unfairly targeted minorities and came into play in the chokehold death of Eric Garner during his arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on a Staten Island block. Then Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were ambushed and shot dead by a gunman who had announced online he planned to kill police in retaliation for Garner's death. In an extraordinary display of scorn, officers turned their back on the mayor at a hospital on the night of the December 2012 killings and again at the officers' funerals. Bratton found himself in the middle, calling the officers' gesture inappropriate but at the same time noting that it reflected officers' feelings about "many issues." The tensions between the mayor and police eased, but officers have been under scrutiny this summer as concern about police-minority relations has welled anew in New York City and elsewhere. On Monday, Bronx state Assemblyman Michael Blake, who is black, filed an excessive-force complaint against the NYPD, saying an officer handled him roughly as Blake tried to defuse an argument between officers and residents. The department said that the officer perceived a possible threat to a sergeant when Blake placed a hand on his shoulder and that the officer had apologized. Bratton, however, on Monday refused to apologize, telling reporters, There will be no apology forthcoming from me." The Associated Press contributed to this report. A man caught climbing a fence at a Southern California jail on Sunday was trying to get in, not out, authorities said. Sheriff's officials said 28-year-old Shane James McDonald wasn't a prisoner at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino when he was spotted scaling the perimeter fence early Sunday. But he did have a warrant out for his arrest. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported that McDonald was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and on the warrant. It's not clear on what charge he was wanted. Officials aren't sure why McDonald wanted to get into the jail, but that's where he ended up. He's being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. U.S. prosecutors on Monday formally charged the former head of Venezuela's National Guard and a former anti-drug official there with colluding with cocaine traffickers. An indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn accuses Nestor Reverol and Edilberto Molina of taking bribes in exchange for helping the traffickers by tipping them off about future raids. It also alleges that from January 2008 to December 2010, they deliberately allowed cocaine shipments to leave Venezuela and returned seized drug money to them. Reverol, 51, once ran the National Guard, which is charged with securing the country's borders, and had been a spokesman for Venezuela's anti-drug efforts. He also is the former head of Venezuela's anti-drug agency and ally of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez. Reverol has denied the U.S. accusations, which were first reported late last year. Molina, 53, who once worked for the anti-drug agency, hasn't spoken out. Neither is in custody. The indictment comes as the U.S has been stepping up pressure on high-ranking members of Venezuela's socialist government for their role in making the country an important transit zone for narcotics. Several Venezuelan officials, including a former defense minister and head of military intelligence, have been indicted or sanctioned. The Venezuelan government has regularly accused the U.S. of using drug cases to destabilize President Nicolas Maduro's rule. A car bombing targeting security forces in Benghazi, Libya Tuesday killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens more, a hospital official there told The Associated Press. The news came one day after the U.S. launched a bombing campaign targeting Islamic State fighters in their Libyan hub of Sirte, hundreds of miles west of Benghazi, on the Mediterranean coast. The official said bodies were still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing Tuesday evening in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the Al Qaeda affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account. The U.S. airstrikes on Monday followed a request made by the internationally-recognized government and presidency council in the capital, Tripoli. The two executive bodies were formed after the United Nations brokered a deal among Libya's rival factions. Libya has descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and the killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since 2014, the country has been divided between two governments and parliaments, and a loose set of militias and tribes. The U.N.-brokered government led by Fayez Serraj aimed at healing the rift, but a crucial vote of confidence has yet to be obtained from the parliament. The parliament in eastern Libya does not recognize the U.N. government, and many in the east are angry that Serraj's administration invited foreign military intervention without the eastern parliament's consent. The U.S. airstrikes, which were authorized by President Obama, are supporting the militias of Misrata, a city next to Sirte that is leading the anti ISIS-operation. Misrata forces have been battling ISIS since May in fierce fighting that has killed and injured hundreds of militiamen. A 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Five violent terror-related attacks in a two-week span are prompting Germans to turn on longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has continued to embrace a liberal refugee policy some say has compromised safety. Although Germany has so far been spared the kind of atrocities that shook Brussels, Paris and Nice in the last year, there have been 15 deaths and dozens injured in attacks in Germany since July 18. Two of the attacks have been linked to ISIS, and many suspect the others bore hallmarks of terrorism. Politicians from both the left and the right have assailed the once-enormously popular chancellors plan to integrate more than a million refugees from war zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The sharpest criticism comes from Bavaria, which has been the entry point for most of the refugees. Leaders of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavaria-based sister party of Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are demanding tighter border controls and an annual upper limit on the number of migrants. The left-wing opposition party, Die Linke, has also voiced criticism. Its co-leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, as quoted by Germanys international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, said the violence shows that the task of integrating the huge number of refugees is harder than Merkel with her frivolous we can do it slogan of last autumn would have us believe. Merkels government denies that the terrorist attacks reveal flaws in the immigration program that began a year ago, in August 2015. But most Germans do not share Merkels optimism. A recent survey conducted July 26-29 by the pollster You Gov finds that only a little more than a quarter of the 1,017 persons polled have confidence in Merkels promise. The number of people who share Merkels optimism is the lowest it has been since the influx began. Another poll, conducted in April and May, finds that 73 percent of Germans fear terrorism. On July 28 Merkel again asserted that the migrants would be integrated and democracy defended. She also announced that the Bundeswehr, for the first time ever, is preparing joint exercises with the police to address potential terrorist scenarios. And Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere reportedly will soon announce new security measures following the attacks. Officials have long been warning that terrorists may have slipped into Germany with the refugees. At the peak of the influx, there were some 10,000 arriving each day. Authorities are investigating 59 cases with possible terrorist links. Approximately 100,000 of the refugees are unaccompanied minors. These children and young people are especially vulnerable to recruitment by Islamic extremists, including ISIS. There are also hundreds of thousands of traumatized and disaffected refugees, largely young men. They lack the language and work skills to get jobs, said Deidre Berger, Director of the American Jewish Committees Berlin office. These young people have been uprooted and have been cast adrift, she said. They are traumatized, and they have no structure in their daily lives. According to Berger, some of these young men are sent to shelters in small towns, which only accentuates their sense of isolation. Some flee to Germanys big cities, thereby avoiding any official scrutiny. Most of these boys experienced horrible human rights violations in the Middle East and during their escape to Europe, said Karl Kopp, Director of Pro Asyl, a refugee advocacy non-profit organization, in a telephone interview. According to Kopp, some of these minors have journeyed for as long as three years before reaching Germany, where they now face long waits before receiving asylum status. They often end up in places where there is no tradition of caring for young people, he said. Keep in mind that many of these teenagers dont share Western democratic values and face identity problems in a new land, said Duzen Tekkal, a freelance journalist and a candidate for Parliament in next years national elections. Then the Salafists provide them with easy answers to recruit them, said Tekkal who is a Yazidi, one of Iraqs oldest ethnic and religious minorities. The populist far-right party, Alternative for Germany, which achieved stunning success in state elections last spring, citing the recent terrorist attacks, charges that Merkels policy poses an increasing threat to Germanys internal order and security. The party calls Merkels policy the greatest threat to Germany and Europe since the end of the Cold War. When the refugees started coming to Germany last year, Merkel was hailed as a humanitarian. Germans greeted the refugees at train stations with cake and warm welcomes. Now many are having second thoughts. Rescuers in Syria said Tuesday a helicopter dropped barrels filled with toxic gas, seriously injuring dozens of people, not far from where a Russian transport helicopter was shot down the day before, Reuters reported. A spokesman for rebel fighters reportedly said 33 people, most of them women and children, were hurt. They believed chlorine gas was used, but could not confirm it. A video posted to YouTube apparently showed several men struggling to breathe in the aftermath. Russia and Syria did not immediately comment. The Syrian National Coalition issued a statement that read: After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gasses." The Russian transport helicopter was shot down in opposition rebel territory on Monday and all five crew and officers onboard were killed, the Kremlin said. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province, where Russian warplanes frequently targeted rebels. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the chopper was returning to the Russian air base on Syria's coast after delivering humanitarian goods to the city of Aleppo. But video uploaded by opposition activists showed a rocket pod next to the wreckage. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the Russians "died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimize losses on the ground." Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists show the burning wreckage of a Russian helicopter in footage seemingly taken in the first few moments after the helicopter crashed. In one video, a rocket pod can be seen next to the wreckage. People standing nearby are seen taking cellphone photos and shouting "Allahu Akbar." The helicopter appears to have broken up as it crashed, its tail can be seen lying separately from the aircraft's body in flames. In other videos, the body of one purported Russian soldier is seen being dragged by the legs while an unidentified person stands on the body of another soldier, also purportedly Russian. The Associated Press contributed to this report. President Obama has authorized a 30-day mission for the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes against the Islamic State terror group in Libya as new strikes were unleashed Tuesday, Fox News has learned. Marine Corps Harrier jets launched from the Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp conducted at least two airstrikes against ISIS targets in the coastal city of Sirte Tuesday. USS Wasp is set to remain off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea for the next month along with an escort ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney. The U.S. has launched at least seven airstrikes in total since the campaign began Monday. Speaking at the White House Tuesday, Obama explained, At the request of [the Libyan] government, after they had already made significant progress against ISIL and had essentially pushed ISIL into a very confined area in and around Sirte, it is in America's national security interests in our fight against ISIL to make sure that they're able to finish the job. This is a finite period of time and a very finite mission, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters. We dont envision this as being something thats going to be too long in duration, he added. Tuesday's strikes destroyed an ISIS rocket launcher and a heavy equipment excavator, Davis said. He added that three Harrier jets and two unmanned Reaper drones conducted yesterday's strikes, destroying two Soviet-era ISIS T-72 tanks, two other vehicles and an ISIS fighting position. While President Obamas authorization to strike ISIS in Libya was limited to Sirte, Capt. Davis said the U.S. military reserved the right to conduct counterterrorism strikes elsewhere in the country as the U.S. military did in November and February. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said Monday the number of ISIS fighters in Sirte was under 1,000. When asked by Fox News how the number of ISIS fighters had decreased so rapidly in Libya, Davis said it was a combination of factors. Some had been killed and others had changed allegiances he said. They have decided ISIS was not all that it was cracked up to be and have moved on to something else. In February, the U.S. military began flying armed drones over Libya from Sigonella, Italy, on the island of Sicily. Fox News is told the drones used in Monday's ISIS strikes did not originate from Sicily, but likely from a drone base in Africa. USS Wasp is the flagship of a flotilla of Navy ships carrying thousands of U.S. Marines, part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They are expected to move from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf eventually. Aboard USS Wasp are Marine Cobra attack helicopters, Harrier jets and CH-53 transport helicopters to take Marines ashore should they be needed. Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday his government would evaluate any U.S. request to allow use of the Sigonella base in the airstrike campaign. I believe that it's a very positive fact that the Americans have decided to intervene, Paolo Gentiloni said. He noted that the extremists were concentrated in four or five compounds, but said it won't be easy to eradicate them. In February, Italy agreed to let armed U.S. drones take off from Sigonella but only to defend U.S. forces targeting ISIS extremists. Italy has stressed that it won't let Sigonella be used for offensive purposes. Italy has insisted Libya must request any anti-ISIS airstrikes, which Libya's U.N.-brokered unity government did in the case of Sirte. The strikes send a very strong message not only against terrorism, but also for the stabilization of Libya, Gentiloni said. He added that "90 percent of migrants in Italy come from Libya, and this is the reason why we are so keen on its stabilization." Libya slid into chaos after the ouster and killing of longtime strongman Col. Moammar Qaddafi in 2011. Its long coastline on the Mediterranean's southern shore serves as a base for smuggling operations that have launched boats with hundreds of thousands of refugees toward Italy over the last few years. The Libyan coast is more than 300 miles from southern Italy. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Chicken Salad Chick To Open First Port Orange Location Fast-Casual Restaurant Concept Expands Presence in Florida August 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // Auburn, AL Chicken Salad Chick, the nations only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it will be expanding in Florida with its first location in Port Orange. The new restaurant will open on Tuesday, Aug. 9 and is located at 1760 Dunlawton Ave in the Dunlawton Commons. This location is owned and operated by existing husband-and-wife franchisee team Buck and Brooklyn Harris, who also own the Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Ormond Beach and plan on opening a third location in Florida in the near future. Their Port Orange restaurant marks the 13th Chicken Salad Chick location in Florida. During grand opening week, guests will enjoy southern hospitality through giveaways and specials at the new Chicken Salad Chick restaurant: Tuesday, Aug. 9 The first guest will win a free pound of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free pound of chicken salad per month.* The Vibe radio station will also be broadcasting live from the restaurant. The first guest will win a free pound of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free pound of chicken salad per month.* The Vibe radio station will also be broadcasting live from the restaurant. Wednesday, Aug. 10 The first 100 guests will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick cell phone armband. The first 100 guests will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick cell phone armband. Thursday, Aug. 11 The first 100 guests to order will receive a Meet the Chicks punch card. For sixteen weeks, guests can try one free scoop of the chicken salad 'flavor of the week', allowing guests a tour of every Chicken Salad Chick flavor. The first 100 guests to order will receive a Meet the Chicks punch card. For sixteen weeks, guests can try one free scoop of the chicken salad 'flavor of the week', allowing guests a tour of every Chicken Salad Chick flavor. Friday, Aug. 12 The first 50 guests to buy two pounds of chicken salad will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick mini cooler. The first 50 guests to buy two pounds of chicken salad will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick mini cooler. Saturday, Aug. 13 The first 100 guests will receive a complimentary Chicken Salad Chick Selfie Stick. All guests who make a purchase within the first week of business can also enter themselves into a drawing to win a free Louis Vuitton bag, valued at $950. The drawing will take place on August 13, and the winner will be notified the same day.** With more than 15 years of experience in foodservice, I truly believe that Chicken Salad Chicks culture and menu offerings are unmatched in the fast casual industry, said Buck Harris, Port Orange Chicken Salad Chick franchisee. Once my wife and I saw the success of our Ormond Beach location, we knew it was time to open a second restaurant. Im confident the local community in Port Orange will fall in love with the brands chicken salad and enjoy the genuine hospitality that is offered at all Chicken Salad Chick restaurants. The husband-and-wife duo opened their first Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Ormond Beach in October 2015. Prior to Chicken Salad Chick, Buck owned and operated a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Ormond Beach for 15 years. He ultimately made the switch and became a Chicken Salad Chick franchisee after experiencing the brands culture and product offerings firsthand. Buck and his wife have agreed to develop multiple Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in Central Florida over the next several years. The Chicken Salad Chick concept, born in Auburn, Ala., was established in 2008 in the kitchen of founder, Stacy Brown. When Stacy discovered that the local county health department would not allow her to continue making and selling her delicious recipes out of her home kitchen, she overcame that obstacle by launching her first restaurant with the business expertise of her future husband and fellow founder, Kevin Brown. Together, they opened a small takeout restaurant, which quickly grew; the company now has 58 restaurants across the Southeast. Chicken Salad Chick in Port Orange will be open Monday Saturday from 10:30 a.m. 8 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.chickensaladchick.com, or call 386-265-5250. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends. *Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age and are required to download the CravingCredits app. **Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age. About Chicken Salad Chick Chicken Salad Chick puts an edgy twist on a Southern classic, offering guests a custom fit chicken salad experience, with 15 original flavors to choose from, as well as gourmet soups, flavorful side salads and freshly-baked desserts. Chicken Salad Chick serves southern style chicken salad with heart and strives to spread joy, enrich lives and serve others every day. Today, the brand has 58 locations across the Southeast, and has currently sold 146 franchises to be developed across the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana and Texas. The brand was recently named as the top chicken salad in the country to try in the 2015 March/April issue of Cooking with Paula Deen, as well as one of FastCasual.coms top Movers and Shakers and one of NRNs 2015 Breakout Brands. Corporate offices are located at 724 North Dean Road in Auburn, Alabama. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information. SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick Media Contact: Ellie Mannix Account Manager Fish Consulting, LLC O: (954) 893-9150 C: (954) 604-4583 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Coyote Ugly Inks Largest Franchise Deal to Date, Set to Debut in Japan with 15 Bars August 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // NEW YORK Coyote Ugly the rowdy, western-themed bar that celebrates the wild side of American culture has signed a franchise agreement that will bring 15 bars to Japan. The agreement Coyote Uglys first in East Asia and largest to date was awarded to Banc Inc., which currently has various business holdings in the real estate, insurance, restaurant, bar and night club industries. All 15 bars are expected to open within the next five years, with the first slated to open in Roppongi, Tokyo's busiest nightlife district. Were thrilled with the opportunity and are eager to develop Coyote Uglys ultra-successful franchise system throughout Japan, said Banc Inc. owner Mayu Tachibana. The nightlife culture in Japan offers an endless amount of adventures and activities through which both locals and travelers can experience the almost surreal night time settings of this country. Coyote Ugly will be a perfect addition to the already iconic and energetic reputation of the Japanese nightlife. With 21 locations already open and operating in four countries United States, Russia, Ukraine and Germany Coyote Ugly thrives on booze, bar dancing and girl power. Each night sexy, sassy, tough-talking Coyotes go well beyond serving drinks; they ascend the bar to entertain the crowd with choreographed dance routines, songs games, body shots and much more that celebrate the wild side of American culture. As for the drinks, the rule is hard-nosed: no frou frou shaken or stirred concoctions, and nothing that requires a blender or more than two ingredients to make. We couldnt be more excited about exporting our version of honky-tonk to Japan and could not have found a better team with whom to partner as we enter the market, said Coyote Ugly founder Liliana Lil Lovell. Already widely recognized as the most famous bar in the world, we expect a strong and positive reception in Japan. Coyote Uglys expansion into Japan comes on the heels of the companys recent announcement to focus on aggressive franchise expansion in non-U.S. territories, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom, among others. Other franchise deals have already been signed in the United Kingdom and Kyrgyzstan. For more information about the Coyote Ugly franchise opportunity, visit www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/franchising or call (720) 442-7777. About Coyote Ugly Saloon Founded in 1993 in New York Citys East Village, Coyote Ugly has become widely recognized as the most famous bar on the planet. The music is loud, the liquor is hard, and the female bartenders, known for their dance routines on top of the bar, serve a little bit of attitude with the drinks. The company currently has 21 locations operating in four countries the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Germany and is looking to strengthen its growing presence by attracting qualified single and multi-unit franchise owners. For more information on the Coyote Ugly franchise opportunity, visit http://www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/franchising/. SOURCE Coyote Ugly Saloon Media Contact: Michael Misetic Managing Partner (O) 847.239.8171 (M) 773.680.9023 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Rita's Italian Ice Announces 15 Available Opportunities in Nevada Ritas Italian Ice Continues to Expand Brand Out West LAS VEGAS, NEV. (PRWEB) August 02, 2016 - Ritas Italian Ice continues to expand across the western U.S. by selling 15 new retail locations across Nevada. Amiracle Empire, LLC., has been named as the area developer for Churchill, Clark, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, and White Pine counties, while being previously named this year as the area developers for Ventura County in California. Amiracle Empire is run by husband and wife team, Humza Chowdhry and Qurat (Annie) Naqvi. Chowdhry and Naqvi reside in San Jose, California with their young daughter Amira, who inspired the naming of Amiracle Empire. In 2015, while visiting their local Ritas, the couple noticed a flyer on the door encouraging anyone interested in franchising to inquire within. Chowdhry and Naqvi were immediately intrigued. Chowdhry and Naqvi each genuinely loved the product and, upon learning more about the business model, the couple was ready to commit. Despite having purchased their home 10 months earlier, the two decided to turn their direction of investment into being part of the #1 Italian Ice concept in the world, Ritas. Today, Chowdhry and Naqvi have opened their first Ritas location and obtained the exclusive rights to open 11 additional locations throughout San Jose. They were eager to take the next step and so have taken on the role of area developers for Nevada. Working with Ritas has been a treat, says Naqvi. Ritas is such a fun and dynamic brand. Corporate is not afraid to try new things, try new flavors and they really listen to our ideas. Theres a culture and following of the brand and we cannot wait to bring that out west. Ritas Italian Ice was started in Pennsylvania in 1984 and has since spread across the U.S., delighting customers with delicious frozen treats. The Ritas brand has a mass following and Chowdhry and Naqvi are eager to bring the joy of Ritas to Nevada. For those interested in franchising opportunities in Las Vegas, please go to ownaritas.com. About Rita's Italian Ice The popular chain offers many delicious frozen treats that combine their famous Italian Ice and award-winning Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, including layered Gelati, blended Misto Shake and a personalized Blendini which mixes Italian Ice, Frozen Custard and a delicious topping. Other menu items include Milkshakes, Frozen Drinks, Sundaes, Frozen Custard Cakes and Custard Cookie Sandwiches. Since 1984, Rita's has been dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with its freshly made, delicious treats in a fun-filled atmosphere, and over thirty years later, it is still spreading "Ice, Custard, Happiness!" For more information about Rita's Italian Ice visit http://www.ritasice.com. About Ritas Franchise Company Ranked #1 in Nations Restaurant News Consumer Picks 2014 for Service and Value in the Frozen Treat category and 14th overall in the Limited-Service category, Ritas Franchise Company is the largest Italian Ice concept in the world with more than 600 stores in the U.S. The company is aggressively expanding internationally with operating locations in the Philippines, Canada and the Middle East. Ritas, headquartered in Trevose, Pa., was also named one of the Top 25 Franchise High Performers by the Wall Street Journals Startup Journal and ranks #81 on Entrepreneur Magazines 2014 Franchise 500 list. For more information about Ritas franchise opportunities, please call 1-800- 677-7482 or visit: http://www.ownaritas.com. SOURCE Ritas Italian Ice Contact: Scott Curkin Rita's Italian Ice +1 (919) 459-8165 ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Takeru Kobayshi Wins 6th Annual Gringo Banditos Chronic Tacos Challenge The Reigning Champion Ate 137 Tacos in Ten Minutes August 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // ALISO VIEJO, Calif. The 6th Annual Gringo Bandito Chronic Tacos Challenge winner is once again the legendary eater Takeru Kobayashi. The event went down at Ditch Fridays at the Palm Hotel in Las Vegas where Kobayashi ate 137 tacos in ten minutes and was awarded a cash prize of $5,000. Gringo Bandito, the hot sauce created by Dexter Holland, and Chronic Tacos, the California-inspired Mexican Grill, hosted the annual event. Up and coming competitive eater Molly Schuyler came in a close second with 132 tacos eaten, winning a prize of $1,500. The competition was a close call as it looked like Molly Schuyler was going to beat Kobayashi but once we weighed the scraps it was clear that Kobayashi had devoured more, said Chronic Tacos CEO Michael Mohammed. We always look forward to hosting this event with Gringo Bandito and this year did not disappoint! The event brought a mix of music, lively patrons, and, yes, lots of taco eating. Additional awards went to Molly Schuyler for Messiest Eater and Kobayashi for Best Style. About Chronic Tacos Chronic Tacos is a California-inspired Mexican grill that celebrates authenticity and the individuality of its customers. The fast-casual franchise is known for its fresh Mexican cuisine that is customized for each guests distinctive taste. Founded in 2002, the Aliso Viejo, California-based company has more than 30 locations operating across North America and is committed to serving only the highest quality ingredients and all-natural meats. Chronic Tacos offers traditional Mexican items such as tortas, taquitos, flautas and tacos as well as burritos, tostada bowls and salads, including a breakfast menu all day. Customers can choose from vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as carne asada (steak), pollo asado (chicken), carnitas (slow-cooked pork) and al pastor (spicy marinated pork). Seafood lovers can also order grilled, beer-battered or baja-style fish and shrimp. Each restaurant incorporates original art designs inspired by traditional Day of The Dead art, creating a unique experience at each location. For more information or to find the nearest Chronic Tacos, visit www.eatchronictacos.com. About Gringo Bandito Gringo Bandito hot sauce is the not-so-famous pepper sauce created by Dexter Holland of punk band The Offspring. Gringo Bandito is sold in Australia, Japan, Canada, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Hungary and coast to coast in the US and can be found in the top 10 on Amazon.coms highest customer rated hot sauces amongst 5000+ other products. SOURCE Chronic Tacos Media Contact: Matt Kovacs Blaze Public Relations (310) 395-5050 mkovacs@blazepr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Tropical Smoothie Cafe Propels Brand Refresh With Nationwide Rollout Of New Restaurant Design August 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the leading fast casual cafe concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, recently kicked off a prominent brand refresh in an effort to reflect the companys evolution since its founding in 1997. The rebranding is propelled by the rollout of a new restaurant design at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations nationwide, which exudes a relaxed coastal atmosphere and was designed to enhance the consumer experience and better align the dining environment with the brands culture. As Tropical Smoothie Cafe continued growing and evolving over the past several years, it became obvious to us that our brands image needed to follow suit. We launched this rebranding in an effort to ensure every location nationwide reflects our companys vibrant and engaging personality while communicating the right message to consumers, and were thrilled that our new restaurant design has accomplished that goal, said Mike Rotondo, chief executive officer of Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Unveiling the new design successfully invigorated the face of our brand and helped us create a dining experience that truly conveys the essence of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and we look forward to introducing the concept to more and more fans as we continue bringing the new look to communities throughout the country. The new restaurant design has a coastal theme with muted, warm colors and worn wood and metals to provide guests with a relaxed atmosphere. Design elements reinforce transparency in regards to food preparation, with an open concept kitchen as well as a smoothie bar where customers can watch the creation of their smoothies. According to company research, the new design brings in 10 percent more first time visitors, as well as increased existing guests visit frequency by 28 percent, reflecting how the redesign has positively impacted sales and customer retention. We know that for our guests comfort is key, which is why all of the new restaurant design elements were put in place to ensure that we provide the perfect environment for enjoying our signature better-for-you options in a comfortable and warm atmosphere, said Tom Plauche, director of construction for Tropical Smoothie Cafe. From the community-style seating to the brand-new smoothie bar, no detail was overlooked during the design process, and we are thrilled to unveil a new look that embodies everything Tropical Smoothie Cafe believes in. In addition to a restaurant redesign, the rebranding also included a more modern and sophisticated logo. The new logo reinforces the continued evolution and accelerated growth of the Topical Smoothie Cafe brand, and reminds guests that the cafes offerings extend beyond smoothies. According to a company research, the rebranding has built confidence among consumers that Tropical Smoothie Cafes is not only a destination for smoothies, but better-for-you, high quality food. Since unveiling the new look, the reception from customers who have visited our remodeled cafes has been overwhelming positive and were thrilled with the results, said Nick Crouch, Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee. The coastal theme and new design elements have created an enjoyable atmosphere that keeps guests coming back for more, and the redesign has had a huge impact on our business. Tropical Smoothie Cafe reported its strongest year of growth in 2015 with same-stores sales of 11.25 percent and signed franchise agreements to develop 199 new cafes across the U.S. The brand recently reported its seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit positive comp sales. This year, the food and smoothie franchise plans to exceed 550 restaurants nationwide. The brand currently has franchise opportunities across the U.S. in markets such as Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Columbus, among others. By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to have 800 locations open across the U.S. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Candidates should have business experience; $125,000 in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $350,000; and an initial investment of between $198,050 and $478,550. The healthier fast food franchise currently boasts an average unit volume (AUV) of more than $634,000 the highest in the company's 19-year history with the top 50 percent reporting an AUV of more than $806,000. Tropical Smoothie Cafes aggressive franchise growth is backed by the entrepreneurs at the BIP Franchise Accelerator, a division of venture capital firm BIP Capital, which invested in the brand in 2010. BIP Capital has invested more than $250 million in emerging, high-growth brands across the franchising, software, and technology and consumer products industries. BIP Capital created the BIP Franchise Accelerator to leverage its leadership team's deep franchise experience to help emerging brands accelerate their growth. In addition to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the BIP Franchise Accelerators portfolio includes Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, which has grown to 13 locations in Georgia and Florida. For more information about opening your own Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise, please visit www.tropicalsmoothiefranchise.com. About Tropical Smoothie Cafe Founded in 1997, Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant concept inspiring healthier lifestyles across the country, with over 500 locations nationwide. With snack and meal options for any time of day, Tropical Smoothie Cafe serves smoothies, salads, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including being ranked on Entrepreneurs 2016 Franchise 500, 2016 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers, Franchise Times Top 200+ and Nations Restaurant News 2015 Top 200. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is seeking qualified franchisees to expand throughout the United States in markets such as Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Columbus, among others. About the BIP Franchise Accelerator The BIP Franchise Accelerator is a division of BIP Capital, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm with over $250 million invested in over 26 companies in emerging, high-growth brands across the franchising, software, technology and consumer products industries. BIP Capital created the BIP Franchise Accelerator to leverage its leadership teams deep franchise experience to help emerging brands accelerate their growth. The BIP Franchise Accelerator not only provides investment capital, but also uses proven strategies to help companies evolve into mature, thriving brands. From fast casual and QSR concepts to service brands and healthcare and education concepts, the BIP Franchise Accelerator has invested in emerging brands driven by people with an entrepreneurial spirit that have a great growth potential. Its current portfolio includes Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Tin Drum Asian Kitchen and BIP Franchise Finance. For more information on BIP Franchise Accelerator, visit www.bipfranchiseaccelerator.com. SOURCE Tropical Smoothie Cafe Media Contact: Samantha Russo Account Manager Fish Consulting, LLC O:(954) 893-9150 C:(954) 980-5128 srusso@fish-consulting.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The Seattle-born Brown was diagnosed with HIV in 1995 and kept it under control with antiretroviral therapy. Then in 2007 and again in 2008 he underwent bone marrow transplants as last-ditch efforts to cure acute myeloid leukemia after chemotherapy failed. His doctor in Berlin, where Brown was then living, decided to try to cure both diseases at once by finding a bone-marrow donor who carried a rare gene mutation that confers natural resistance to HIV. The hope was that this transplanted immune system would wipe out any hidden pockets of virus in Brown. He required a second transplant after the cancer returned, but he has not taken antiretroviral medicine since the first, and today he still has shown no signs of either leukemia or HIV. No one considers stem cell transplants appropriate for the vast majority of people with HIV. They are expensive, risky, last-resort treatments even for cancer patients. (Brown himself barely survived his second transplant.) Still, researchers have been interested in seeing if his cure could be repeated in other patients with HIV and cancer who need a transplant anyway. Because people with two copies of the HIV-resistant gene are rare and finding one who would also be a good bone-marrow match would be harder still scientists at Fred Hutch and elsewhere are investigating using genetically modified stem cells to achieve a long-term HIV remission. But researchers also are looking at what role the transplant process itself might have played in Browns cure, and whether he really needed that HIV-resistant donor. Could the pre-transplant conditioning he underwent the intense chemotherapy and radiation regimen that destroys the immune system to make room for transplanted immune cells to grow have affected his HIV reservoir? What about the graft vs. host disease he developed afterward, which is known to play a role in curing leukemia: could it have helped destroy the HIV reservoir? Thats why Henrich, then at Brigham and Womens Hospital, now at the University of California San Francisco, was interested in finding people like Steinkohl who had undergone a bone marrow transplant, even if their donors didnt have the HIV-resistant gene. What could researchers learn from them about the HIV reservoir? How much would the reservoir need to be reduced to achieve a long-term remission or cure? The Boston study Steinkohl learned he had HIV in 1985, a decade before treatment turned it from a death sentence to a chronic disease. He was 27 and already launched in a corporate banking career. So much for feeling invincible. Instead he spent those awful early years burying friends and wondering why he stayed healthy. Then in 2003, he developed a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma found in unusually high rates in people with HIV. Chemotherapy bought him two years, but when the cancer returned in a more aggressive form, he endured a bone marrow transplant in 2006. In 2010, he had a second, less grueling transplant using his own blood stem cells to treat myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder that can progress to leukemia. Facing death four times over would be enough of a roller coaster for most people. But in 2013, with his cancer at bay and his HIV under control, Steinkohl volunteered to get back on what would turn out to be emotionally the wildest ride of all. He first heard about Henrichs study from his oncologist on a checkup visit two years after his second transplant. He was immediately taken by the Boston researchers gregarious personality and infectious humor. He was impressed by how seriously Henrich took the risks of going off the anti-HIV drugs. But Steinkohl understood that he would do so under careful supervision and would immediately go back on treatment at the first sign that the virus was rebounding. So talking it over with his sister and only sibling, who had been the bone-marrow donor for his first transplant and who had cared for him afterward, he willingly signed up. I dont think it was so much for my own personal advancement as for our community and a larger sense the world, he said. Id survived all my experiences. I felt I could live a good life and a long life, having been through what Ive been through, without participating. But due to the uniqueness of my scenario, this is what I wanted to do. Was he cured? Every week after he stopped taking his meds, Steinkohl went in for a blood test to check for the virus. I have been stuck more than a pin cushion, and I still dont like it, he said. They would say, We need another 16 vials, and I would be like, Are you kidding me? But its what you do. He confessed to feeling tremendously hopeful, even as he tried to contain his expectations. He only told his immediate family and closest friends what he was doing. Steinkohl knew there was another patient in the Boston study Patient A but because of confidentiality rules, he knew nothing about this person. (Patient A has remained anonymous.) Still, he felt a bond. So when he learned that the virus had returned in Patient A after three months, he felt emotionally deflated. But Henrich explained that their circumstances differed somewhat Steinkohls sister, for example, had been a better match than Patient As donor. Steinkohl had heard about other people with HIV who had taken unsupervised drug holidays. In most, the virus had returned within a few weeks and in all by the fourth month. Once he passed that mark, he began to feel different. No one told him he was cured. Henrich remained cautious. But Steinkohl began to conceive of himself as HIV-negative. It felt shockingly good. Over the subsequent couple of months, there was an awe in me that is indescribable, he said. I was born HIV-negative, became HIV-positive, and now Im HIV negative again. It was overwhelmingly wonderful, and in some sense scary. I would be walking on the street and Id be looking at hundreds of people and thinking, Im different from every one of them. It was emotionally intense in a way I could never tell anyone. Weeks passed. The team of clinicians held their breaths every time the test results came back. So did Steinkohl. Then, in late October 2013, he felt like he was coming down with the flu. He told himself it was the flu or maybe Lyme disease. He took himself to an emergency room in the middle of the night and asked for Lyme and HIV tests. A nurse from the hospital called the next day: Almost eight months after going off treatment and just a week after he had last been tested at the research site, he now tested positive for HIV. The aftermath Under Henrichs supervision, he went back on medication. It took months for the virus to be brought under control. But Steinkohl approached the challenge with his usual determination. It was, like, OK! We go back on meds and it runs its course, he said. Far harder to heal was the psychological trauma the dashed hopes at finding out he wasnt cured after all of either the disease or the stigma that accompanies it. Until then, he hadnt completely realized the weight he was still carrying. The weight of the memories of those dark days in one of the epicenters of the AIDS epidemic, caring for friends dying of AIDS when support systems were scarce and some hospital orderlies refused to even deliver food to patients rooms. The weight of rejection and abandonment from the men who refused to date him because he was HIV positive. The weight of the illusion that HIV is a manageable disease when it had given him life-threatening cancer. The weight of three decades of worries. He even felt that he had disappointed Henrich and the research team, with whom hed developed a deep bond. I remember meeting with Tim and the team afterwards, Steinkohl said, and he essentially talked me down, saying Dont go down that path. What you and others have done has helped change the course of cure research. There is a tremendous amount we can learn from you. Henrichs reassurances were reinforced last week at the biennial meeting of the International AIDS Society in Durban, South Africa, the largest global health conference in the world. Previous efforts to duplicate Browns results had been unsuccessful, largely because the patients died from either the cancer or the transplant. But last week, Dr. Annemaire Wensing of Ultrecht University in the Netherlands reported on a study of 15 patients with HIV who underwent transplants for cancer. Of the 15, six survived. Of the six, three are now a year or more post-transplant and show no or just a trace of HIV using the most sensitive tests. Only one had an HIV-resistant donor. But while their HIV may be cured or in remission, the only test is to take them off their medication something that has not yet been done precisely because of lessons learned from the two Boston patients. Moreover, research in preclinical models has shown that maintaining antiretroviral therapy well beyond transplantation may allow the immune system more time to recover, said Fred Hutchs Dr. Chris Peterson, part of the Fred Hutch-based defeatHIV group. 'Deeply grateful' Steinkohl now divides his time between New York City and Northwest Connecticut and looks forward to being married in the fall to a man who has known since Day One his HIV status and all he has been through. He remains part of the study, though he no longer gives blood specimens regularly something he loathed but would do again in a heartbeat if needed. In fact, despite the emotional turmoil he has endured, he said he would do it all again. I deeply appreciate, respect, and admire the cure research world, their dedication, and continuance, he said. It is such a long, slow slog. I am deeply grateful to them for continuing to keep at it. My deep disappointment is on a personal level. It is significantly outweighed by my satisfaction at helping advance research. The public is invited to attend the free talk "Cured/Not Cured: A Tale of Two Diagnoses" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fred Hutch's Pelton Auditorium. See details here. The Conference on Cell and Gene Therapy for HIV Cure takes place Thursday and Friday, with keynote speaker Dr. Larry Corey and plenary speakers Drs. Warner C. Greene, Timothy Henrich, and Mark Kay. See details here. A long time ago, your ancestors did something bizarre. Deep in the primordial ooze, your ancient ancestors, being just single cells (this was a really, really long time ago), slurped up some of their neighboring bacteria. More than a billion years later, we still have those bacterial remnants known as mitochondria dozens to thousands of them in nearly every cell in our body. Researchers think of the story of their ancient origins as one of the most classic examples of symbiosis, or mutually beneficial co-existence, ever to be studied. But theres a strange flipside to mitochondrias near-total assimilation into our cells (and the cells of every other animal, plant and fungus on the planet). Theyre inherited completely maternally. Now, a new study published Tuesday in the journal eLife identifies an unusual mutation in the mitochondrial DNA of fruit flies that renders males sterile but leaves the female insects completely unharmed. The mutation is proof of an evolutionary theory known as the Mothers Curse, which posits the existence of genetic changes that are harmful to the males of a species but neutral or helpful to the females. Such mutations had previously been found in plants and some mutations harmful to males had been seen in fruit flies, but a true Mother's Curse mutation had never before been seen outside of the plant kingdom. Empire Legal Announces New Saint Lucia Citizenship Program Empire Legal professionals are ready to help those investors who are interested in the new Citizenship by Investment Program. The St. Lucia Program was established in 2015 and offers a shortcut to a second passport. -- Empire Legal is pleased to announce the release of a new explanatory post describing the benefits and process for acquiring citizenship in St. Lucia through the investment program. The Caribbean island nation is one of the most recent countries in the world to offer citizenship by investment. The benefits of St. Lucia citizenship are among the best in the world and the process has been dramatically simplified. In the past, obtaining a visa could limit travel plans. The new citizenship program carries with it a Saint Lucia passport. The benefits of the St. Lucia Citizenship by Investment Program include visa free access to more than 120 countries around the globe, including the Schengen Zone. This passport is recognized as one of the best passports to have, particularly for high net worth Globe trotters. There is an annual cap of 500 applicants which ensures that the exclusive passport status is retained. The entire process can be completed within three months. The team at Empire Legal handles the entire process and there is no need to travel to St. Lucia or to reside in the nation. The application process is one of the simplest in the world, thanks to the skills and experience of Empire Legal and the team of professionals. There are four investment options, according to the needs of the applicants. These include investment in real estate, bonds, pre-approved enterprise projects, or a single one-time contribution to the country. The initial application includes documentation consisting of processing fees, health certificate and police certificate. A banker's reference letter and a detailed proposal of the qualifying investment, as well as an affidavit of support for each qualifying dependent will be included. The financial resources require a minimum of three million USD. The full list of requirements can be found at the website which follows at http://empire.legal/the-new-saint-lucia-citizenship-by-investment-program-is-one-of-the-best-in-the-world/. For more information, please visit http://www.empire.legal Contact Info: Name: Lionel Iruk, Managing Partner Organization: Empire Legal PLLC Address: 2211 Norfolk St Ste 600, Houston, TX 77098-4055 Phone: +12817695377 (Direct USA); +60350331665 (International) Source: http://marketersmedia.com/empire-legal-announces-new-saint-lucia-citizenship-program/125941 Release ID: 125941 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) Children's Nursery Accessory Launches 1st / August / 2016 HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU announced the availability of their new Children accessory "Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames" beginning 1st / August / 2016. -- Customers looking for the latest Children accessory will soon be able to purchase Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames by HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU. Today Ganka Wolbers, CEO at HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU releases details of Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames's development. Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames is designed to appeal specifically to Parents and includes: Sturdy durable MDF - This feature was included because it is resistant to damage, but is light weight. This is great news for the consumer as it will save them a great deal of money.. Photo slots - This was made part of the product to capture the change in features too. In the slot is a card to write the measurements of the growth. Customers who buy Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames should enjoy this feature because they can keep both information together.. Foldable - HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU made sure to make this part of the Children accessory's development as it makes it easy to store when it's not in use. Customers will likely appreciate this because it's easy to remove and transport to another place if necessary.. Ganka Wolbers, when asked about Kids Wall Wooden Height Chart for Nursery - Movable, Foldable with Picture Frames said: "The chart is a unique gift that parents would not think of buying everyday. It can be used for 2 children simultaneously, can be pass to the next generation and create priceless memory." This is HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU's one release of a new product and Ganka Wolbers is particularly excited about this release because its unique and the market hasn't seen anything like it before.. Those interested in learning more about the business can do so on the business website at http://www.happybaby-happyyou.com Those interested in purchasing can go directly to the product listing, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanging-Children-Fold-ab... For more information, please visit https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanging-Children--Fold-able-Nursery-HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU/dp/B015NE40QC/ref=lp_10566370031_1_1_a_it?srs=10566370031&ie=UTF8&qid=1469457636&sr=8-1 Contact Info: Name: Ganka Wolbers Email: Ganka@happybaby-happyyou.com Organization: HAPPYBABY-HAPPYYOU Release ID: 125430 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) Your Calvert Releases 10th Neighborhood Guide For Real Estate Developments The website is well on its way to covering every neighborhood in the county, reports https://www.yourcalvert.com. -- Your Calvert, the go-to online resource for updates on what's new and happening in Calvert County, Maryland, has recently announced the release of its 10th neighborhood guide for real estate developments. The Your Calvert writers have a goal of being able to cover every neighborhood in the county, and the release of this new guide puts them much further down the path to achieving that goal. Those who would like to read the new guide can find it at https://www.yourcalvert.com/real-estate. "We are beyond excited to have finally released our 10th neighborhood guide covering some great places to live in Calvert County," said Clif Bridegum, a representative of Your Calvert. "With a plan to make sure that we've reviewed every single neighborhood here, our goal in releasing these guides is to give prospective home buyers a useful tool that will help them locate the neighborhood in which they want to live. We're helping people all over Calvert County find a place to belong that suits their needs and caters to their desires." Each neighborhood guide at https://www.yourcalvert.com reviews the following aspects of a neighborhood: location, homes (including information on home types and builders), amenities, standout features and quirks, and schools. The team at Your Calvert has striven to build a full profile on each neighborhood so that those making real estate decisions can truly understand what their lives will be like in that particular location. As Bridegum goes on to say, "Calvert County is considered 'the jewel of the Chesapeake' for a reason. It's the great neighborhoods and the wonderful people who populate them that make our small county so notable. We are more than happy to be able to cover these Calvert County neighborhoods and show people who are currently searching for the perfect place to live the benefits associated with calling one of them 'home'." Residents and visitors who would like to learn more about Your Calvert or stay informed about their updates are encouraged to visit and like their Facebook page. About Your Calvert: Your Calvert is the online guide to what's going on in Calvert County Maryland. The site provides up-to-date information on real estate, events, recreation, food and drink reviews, and business happenings in Calvert County, "the jewel of the Chesapeake". Whether a reader lives there or is just visiting for the day, YourCalvert.com is the starting point for all things Calvert County, MD. For more information, please visit https://www.yourcalvert.com Contact Info: Name: Clif Bridegum Organization: Your Calvert Phone: (443) 684-2184 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/your-calvert-releases-10th-neighborhood-guide-for-real-estate-developments/126057 Release ID: 126057 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) NYC Personal Injury Lawyers Announce Two Substantial Settlements Frekhtman & Associates is a New York City personal injury law firm with several multi-million dollar verdicts. The firm specializes in serious and catastrophic injury litigation and many other types of accident and injury matters. -- Frekhtman & Associates, Attorneys at Law and attorney Arkady Frekhtman are pleased to announce that they successfully negotiated and resolved two complex litigation matters recently. The first matter settled at a private mediation for $525,000.00 It involved a paraplegic patient who alleged she was seriously injured when her home attendant improperly moved her into a wheelchair. When the home attendant's hand slipped from the patient's hip up to her armpit, the plaintiff claimed she sustained a permanent brachial plexus injury. The defendant's insurance carrier and attorneys refused to offer any compensation arguing the slight transfer mishap could not have caused such a permanent injury. However, due to expert testimony from a doctor and nurse, Frekhtman & Associates were able to recover over half a million for this client in a difficult litigation venue, Suffolk County. In a car accident case, Frekhtman & Associates represented a passenger who was seriously injured when two cars collided at an intersection. A taxi failed to stop at a stop sign and a private sedan T boned the taxi. The difficulty presented by the case was that the taxi had relatively little insurance coverage while the private vehicle's insurance argued they had no liability. With the help of accident reconstruction experts and relying on violations of Vehicle & Traffic Law statutes, the firm was able to show that the private sedan was speeding based on the severity of the impact as well as how far each vehicle was pushed after impact. This resulted in a settlement of $500,000.00 with the insurance company that previously refused to pay anything tendering the majority of this global settlement. Frekhtman & Associates offer a free case evaluation to potential clients. The accident lawyers handle car, truck, bus, train, bicycle, and motorcycle accident cases, representing the plaintiff or injured party. Successful case prosecution in several cases has resulted in multi-million dollar verdicts for clients. In addition to vehicular accidents, the firm handles trip and fall accidents, construction accidents, brain injuries and burn injuries, as well as spinal cord injuries. According to a spokesperson for the practice, "Frekhtman & Associates, are New York injury lawyers dedicated to vigorously representing the best interests of our clients. Our attorneys strive to win the maximum possible recovery for each client in his or her individual accident case. We represent individuals who have been injured due to the negligence of someone else. We have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients over the years." The legal representatives understand that a personal injury is a life-changing event. In the aftermath of a catastrophic injury, it can be difficult to pay living expenses because the injured person is unable to work for a long time period. Insurance payment may not cover living expenses, doctor bills and various other expenses. It is critical to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle the case. Car accidents, tractor trailer accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle and bus accidents, construction site accidents, ceiling collapses, burn injury and brain injury are areas of specialization for the practice. The professionals at the law practice also handle cases involving airplane accidents. Injury cases are handled on a contingency bases. Clients are not required to pay anything unless the case is won. For more information, please visit http://www.866attylaw.com Contact Info: Name: Arkady Frekhtman Organization: Frekhtman & Associates, Attorneys at Law Address: 30 Broad Street New York, New York 10004 Phone: (866) 288-9529 or (212) 222-1111 Video URL: http://www.866attylaw.com/Video/mp4/New-York-Personal-Injury-Lawyer.mp4?_=1 Source: http://www.866attylaw.com/personal-injury Release ID: 126115 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) New Photo Booth Rentals Firm Launched in Santa Barbara Rumor Photo Media offers photo booth rentals in Santa Barbara. The company provides quality branded booths for corporate events. -- Rumor Photo Media and Barnaby Drape are pleased to announce the launch of their new company offering photo booth rentals in Santa Barbara. The brand new photo booth rental firm serves Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and New York City, New York. The branded booths are available for corporate events, parties, receptions, and quinceaneras. The premium photo booth experience ensures a unique and fun opportunity for guests to take photos, look amazing and share the results. The branded booths for corporate events provide a light-hearted and uninhibited fun of a photo booth coupled with a professional fashion portrait photo shoot. Rumor Photo Media has the ability to share branded images by way of social media, emails or text messages. The custom built booths are produced from walnut or mahogany in order to compliment luxury events, social events, and marketing events. The built-in facial recognition and editing software makes everyone look amazing. The soft beauty lighting makes pictures even more attractive. According to a spokesperson for the firm, "Your branded images are available on two iPad Sharing Stations permitting guests to select their favorite images and share them on Facebook, Twitter, email or text with a custom message. There is an optional automatic upload to your Facebook page during the event. After the event, an automatic branded event gallery upload allows guest to view and share images away from the iPad Viewing Stations." An event gallery link is provided to link the gallery to a business website. An email list can be generated when the user shares images. There are analytics of shares and guest email list provided after the event, as an option. A zip file of all images is delivered after the event. A photographer to operate the booth and an assistant to help guests at the iPad Sharing Stations/Printer is available. If needed, there is a Wifi Hot Spot for the booth. On-site printing makes it possible to print branded images on the spot and placed in envelopes for the guests to keep. For more information, please visit http://rumorphotomedia.com/ Contact Info: Name: Barnaby Drape Organization: Rumor Photo Media Address: 3965 B Foothill Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93110 Phone: (805) 324-7775 Source: http://rumorphotomedia.com/services/ Release ID: 126108 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) Gill to receive 2016 Boston University Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award Nationally recognized author, Joel Christian Gill, will be accepting the Boston University Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award on September 30, 2016. Recognized for his outstanding professional accomplishments, his storytelling is a powerful tool for changing narratives; black history is American history. -- Stoughton, MA - FUN Enterprises Speakers, a leadership and motivational speakers bureau, would like to congratulate Joel Christian Gill on his selection to receive the 2016 Boston University College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is in celebration and recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments. Joel graduated from Boston University with a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) in 2004 and joined FUN Enterprises Speakers in 2015. "You are an exceptional role model for today's students and have made your alma mater enormously proud. You have a unique voice and talent that is propelling your medium and your storytelling is a powerful tool for changing narratives", wrote Lynne Allen, Dean ad Interim. Joel is a speaker, author, illustrator and professor at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. He is the nationally recognized author of Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History and Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth. Joel believes black history is American history - "Stories of black people in America have been marginalized. Black history has been confined to one 28-day period. The stories of black people ARE the stories of America. Black people in America are the true rugged individualists, and if we don't share our stories, the stories of everyday people, then we will never get past that place where we are the exotic other." #28daysisnotenough Boston University's Bostonia recently highlighted Joel's accomplishments in the article "Drawing Black History". Boston University's College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Awards is the most prestigious honor conferred by the College. The award will be given to Joel in Boston at the CFA Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, held during BU's Alumni Weekend, on the evening of Friday, September 30, 2016. About FUN Enterprises Speakers: Fun Enterprises Speakers is a leadership and motivational speakers bureau established in 2010. Speaker presentations inform, educate and entertain students, employees, clients and customers. Programs and trainings can be on designated topics or can be crafted presentations that match the organization's goals, objectives and needs. For more information, please visit http://www.funent.com Contact Info: Name: Ken Abrahams Organization: Fun Enterprises, Inc. Address: 63 Tosca Dr. Stoughton, MA 02072 Phone: 781-436-3187 Release ID: 125746 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) Encontre Dedetizadora Launches Pest Control Directory Website Encontre Dedetizadora has launched a new website for listings of dedetizacao em casas e empresas (pest control in houses and businesses).Hiring a professional for pest control reduces the likelihood of disease and pain. -- Encontre Dedetizadora and Randerson Freire are please to announce the launch of their comprehensive website and directory. The directory allows clients to contact a serious dedetizadora firm what takes their work seriously. The website speeds up the process of initiating contact and gets control over the infestation of insects. Using the directory to identify the nearby firm which can do the job right, assures home and business owners that the insect pests will be eliminated in a way that is safe for humans and pets in the structure. There are top quality firms in many areas of Brazil. Dedetizadoras em Fortaleza can be located by using the specific search tools found on the website. The type of pest control procedures which are utilized will depend upon the species of any pests which are located on the premises. The technician will do an assessment of the property in order to determine which insect pests are most likely to be causing health or other problems. Dedetizadoras em Salvador may require focus on different pests than those found in other areas of the country. Home and business owners can always depend on the nearby empresas de dedetizacao to determine which insects are present and how to get rid of them in a way that doesn't cause harm to the humans or pets in the home or business. The most up-to-date methods and equipment are utilized in the eradication process. Sao Paulo area pest control firms are marked, as are all listings in the directory, by their expertise. The dedetizadoras em Sao Paulo have the experience and equipment to perform the necessary procedures which free the structure of insect pests. Pests can be the cause of illness, even fatal illnesses. They may also cause structural damage to the buildings. The technicians then clean up any mess so that the premises are left in pristine condition. For more information, please visit http://www.encontrededetizadora.com/ Contact Info: Name: Randerson Freire Organization: Encontre Dedetizadora Address: Juazeiro, Brazil Phone: 557436127233 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/encontre-dedetizadora-launches-pest-control-directory-website/126134 Release ID: 126134 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. Kames Capital has launched a closed-ended property fund in a bid to exploit Brexit-induced opportunities in the sector. The seven-year closed-ended Active Value Property Fund II, launched using institutional seed money, will target the secondary commercial property market, with a particular focus on assets in the 5m to 15m price bracket. The fund, managed by Philip Bach, follows the investment strategy of Kames UK Active Value Property unit trust, which launched in 2013 and raised 275m. The fund aims to capitalise on the current opportunities we believe are newly available from the fallout of the Brexit vote, available outside of the prime London hotspots, Mr Bach said. We think there remains a lack of supply for good quality properties outside of London after the last property cycle. The medium-term outlook for commercial property has dimmed following the UKs vote to leave the EU, according to the likes of M&G. The fund manager has cut its forecasts for the asset class and is among those to have suspended its open-ended property fund due to major redemptions. Aiming to raise 250m, the fund will have a target distribution yield of 6.5 per cent, gross of annual management charges. Ongoing charges for the product were not disclosed. UK retail investors withdrew a huge 3.5bn from funds during June as concerns over the EU referendum confirmed 2016 as one of the toughest environments on record for asset managers. Retail investors withdrew some 2.8bn from equity funds during a month which was dominated by the vote on June 23, according to the Investment Association (IA). The Property sector, mass withdrawals from which saw a number of funds suspend trading at the start of July , saw 1.4bn of net outflows. The headline net outflow is the worst figure recorded under the IAs new sales calculation system, which extends back to 2012. It is also significantly worse than the 490m in redemptions recorded in October 2008 under the old sales formula. It means net outflows for the first half of 2016 stand at 2.9bn, a figure which implies this year is likely to buck a long-running trend. Even the worst year of the past decade, 2008, still saw 4.8bn of net sales. Only 11 IA sectors saw positive flows in June, with the most popular being Global Bond funds bringing in 250m and Targeted Absolute Return strategies taking 220m. Overall, fixed income vehicles remained relatively popular with Sterling Corporate Bond, UK Gilts and Sterling Strategic Bond funds seeing an additional 212m of combined net sales. The Sterling High Yield sector, however, saw 142m of net outflows. The only equity sector to see positive flows was Japanese Smaller Companies, with a minute 17m. Despite the spectre of the referendum looming large, the single worst-performing equity sector was not UK-based. Europe ex-UK funds were also hit hard by investor sentiment, seeing 754m of net outflows. The 2.8bn of net outflows from equity funds in June takes the total to 4.9bn in the first six months of 2016. Bearish sentiment on equity strategies filtered into the multi-asset sectors, with the IA Mixed Asset grouping seeing net outflows of 191m in June, adding to Mays 75m. Despite the significant flows, investment performance meant assets under management held by UK retail investors rose slightly year-on-year, to 947bn. IA interim chief executive Guy Sears said: The retail outflow in June represented just 0.37 per cent of total assets during a period of intense market volatility. Clearly, Brexit has been unsettling, with property and equity funds particularly affected following earlier outflows during 2016. It has been a long time since March 2009 when the bank base rate was cut to 0.5 per cent. Since then, each time the Bank of Englands monetary policy committee (MPC) has met, we have been inundated with a barrage of press releases. No change press releases have predominated over the past seven years, although it seems peculiar to me so much time should be wasted in writing a Nothing has Happened Today Shock Horror piece of marketing material. Yes, newspapers covered this non-news anyway. What does that say about us? Answers on a postcard... But last month, ah, that was a different kettle of fish. Mark Carneys comments on 30 June post-vote to Brexit suggested a rate cut was not just on the cards, but in the very next hand he would deal. Cue much anticipation in July, with analysts, commentators and journalists alike waiting to see whether it would be a 0.25 percentage point cut or a full 0.5 percentage point cut. Consensus opinion was wrong in May 2015 during the General Election and it was wrong on 23 June this year Would we go to zero? No, was the answer. Again, the vast majority of decision-makers on the MPC chose not to push for a rate cut. The fundamentals, governor Carney told markets, just did not make it necessary. But now we have another MPC decision, coming after consecutive sets of weaker than expected PMI data. According to Steven Bell, chief economist at BMO, he thinks the UK is in a recession - cue a rate cut. He comments: The latest observation for the Composite Markit PMI showed the biggest decline since the global financial crisis of 2008-09 and, based on a regression and some assumptions, points to a 0.4 per cent contraction in GDP in the third quarter of 2016 compared with the previous quarter. Ana Thaker, market economist at PhillipCapital UK, believes a rate cut will indeed be on the cards - especially if tomorrow (Wednesday 3) produces poor service data for the UK. She says this indicates: Markets are 100 per cent certain there will be a rate cut by the BoE on Thursday and this view will only be reinforced by poor PMI figures. It remains to be seen how much looser monetary policy can stimulate the real economy as business expectations diminish in the wake of Brexit. A whole 100 per cent. The markets were 99 per cent certain of this in July. Had 40 per cent of the MPC voted to cut last month, Id be more convinced. But Ive not yet seen Mr Carney make any rash decisions. Plus consensus opinion was wrong in May 2015 during the General Election and it was wrong on 23 June this year. Ive learned to be sceptical of consensus opinions, and to leave important decisions firmly in the hands of people who are wiser and more experienced than I am. Investors are put off lobbying fund managers over corporate culture issues over concerns it would destroy the value of their investment, according to an organisation representing shareholders. The comments follow a report from the Financial Reporting Council calling on investors to put pressure on fund managers to address culture problems in the companies they own shares in, rather than just selling out of the fund. It noted some shareholders are not convinced they have the power or the ability to change culture. Catherine Howarth, chief executive at ShareAction, agreed investors often choose to mitigate the risk of value destruction by selling shares in a company, rather than engaging with management to improve long-term performance. She suggested investors give asset managers clear guidance on how they would like their votes cast where there are concerns over governance. Too often executives are incentivised to chase short-term profits over building the long-term wealth-creating potential of their companies. They already have plenty of tools, and may soon have even more if Theresa Mays proposal for an annual binding vote on executive pay becomes law, she said. The field of responsible investment is growing and were cautiously optimistic that more investors are using their rights as shareholders to actively steward investee companies. Investors ignore culture problems at their peril. Leon Kamhi Hermes Investment Management, which has a 26-person strong specialist equity ownership team called EOS focused on engaging with companies on a daily basis, acknowledged culture helps drive the value in a business. Leon Kamhi, head of responsibility at Hermes, said investors should ignore culture problems at their peril. Hermes annual EOS report revealed that in 2015, the team engaged with 466 individual companies on 1,150 environmental, social and ethical, governance, strategy and risk issues. According to Mr Kamhi, these engagements usually take place over a sustained period of years, sometime even a decade, as it takes time to see real positive change. We recognise culture does not change overnight, he said, adding tick-box training and executive pronouncements are far from sufficient. A recent example is Alliance Trust responding to pressure to change its board members after one of its largest shareholders raised concerns about the trusts underperformance and the cost of its internal management. Jessica Ground, global head of stewardship at Schroders, said fund managers need to do more than just buy and sell stocks. Her firms managers regularly meet with executive and non-executive board members to discuss long-term performance issues, addressing 86 governance issues with UK holdings alone in the first half of 2016. Baillie Giffords head of corporate governance Andrew Cave said he has seen increased interest in corporate governance and stewardship in recent years. These issues are now routinely discussed in our regular meetings with clients, he stated, adding: Stewardship isnt a cost of doing business, its an investment in its own right. John Stirling, chartered financial planner at Walden Capital, said investor responsibility is a difficult topic. Companies handling investments have had the most skilled persons reports commissioned into their activities by the Financial Conduct Authority in the most recent quarter. Between April and June the regulator commissioned 17 reviews, which it orders a third party to carry out when it has concerns about a regulated firms activities. Of these 17, five were commissioned into stockbroking firms, four into investment management firms and three into personal investment firms. The remaining five were carried out into banks, general insurance brokers and other firms. Most of the FCAs concerns during the past quarter related to conduct of business, with 12 reviews looking into this. In December the FCA published a thematic review into the UKs 600bn wealth management industry. It revealed that investors at some companies were being offered unsuitable investment portfolios and the FCA said it was considering investigating five firms, including using skilled person reviews to do so. The FCA said many wealth managers still have to make substantial improvements in gathering, recording and regularly updating customer information to support the investment portfolios they manage for customers. The regulator was been asked whether the reviews it commissioned in the last quarter related to its thematic review but it declined to comment. During the previous quarter - between January and March - the largest number of the reviews commissioned by the FCA were into banks, with four ordered by the regulator out of a total of 10. Only two were commissioned into investment-related firms - one into a stockbroker and another into an investment management firm. The reviews during this period were mainly conducted into client assets. A farm business has won a legal test case after challenging a ruling by the Rural Payments Agency that it was unable to activate Single Payment Scheme entitlements against land which was only available for a short period. T & S King, a husband and wife farming partnership, took the case to the High Court after a protracted fight with the RPA and Defra. The problem arose after the Kings sold their farm in Lincolnshire with the intention of buying a farm in Scotland to be closer to ageing parents. See also: 1.3m payout in Cowshed Cinderella case slashed on appeal The farm was sold in 2007 and the Kings retained the Single Farm Payment entitlements. However, it took three years for them to find another farm which left them with 135.99 SPS entitlements and no land on which to activate them. While the Kings carried on farming during 2007-2010, renting land under a series of short-term arrangements, none of the agreements were suitable for activating their entitlements. Concerned that they would lose them if they were not claimed against, the family was advised by a land agent that they could enter into a short-term agreement with a farm in Somerset which had eligible land, but no entitlements to claim against it. Farm Business Tenancy In 2009, the Kings entered a Farm Business Tenancy with the Wakely family for a block of land for a 10-day period from 10-20 May 2009. This gave them control of the land for the crucial 15 May date thus enabling an SPS claim. A similar approach was taken in 2010 and 2011. In return, the Wakelys were contracted to maintain the land in good agricultural and environmental condition throughout the whole of the year. In late 2011, once the Kings had moved to Scotland they applied to the RPA to transfer their entitlements in order to sell them. However, the RPA refused their request ruling that the arrangement with the farm in Somerset was artificial and had no commercial purpose other than obtaining entitlement payments. It argued this fell foul of Article 30 of the EU Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 and was contrary to the objectives of the scheme. The Kings were told they would have to repay all subsidy paid to them in 2009 and 2010 and the entitlements would be returned to the national reserve under use it or lose it rules. But a High Court ruling published in July has reversed this decision. Justice Cranston acknowledged that the arrangement was artificial, but said it was not against the objectives of the scheme. He pointed out that the Kings sold their farm for quite legitimate reasons, made genuine efforts to locate a new one, but faced difficulties in doing so. During the search the Kings were also still engaged in full-time farming, but not on land which enabled them to activate their entitlements under the scheme. Agreement The contract farming agreement between the Kings and the Wakelys also meant the Wakelys were bound to maintain the land in good agricultural and environmental condition throughout the whole of the year. Jonathan Carroll, partner with solicitors Cartmell Shepherd, said: In the context of a proper farmer, and with the land being kept as the scheme would require, the judge found that the scheme objectives had not been breached and therefore the level of artificiality in the arrangement did not matter. One can only speculate, but it is a fair bet that a non-farmer might have got a different result, and might still. The case gives a reminder to those advising potential BPS claimants not to get too clever, but gives genuine farmers some comfort that the courts will not make their lives harder than, in many cases, they already are. Bluetongue is a viral disease of both sheep and cattle, with sheep being the most severely affected. The virus is spread by biting midges, so the risk rises when it is warm, particularly in the summer and autumn in Europe. The disease has a significant effect on production as there is a high mortality rate among infected animals, and those that survive the virus, will lose condition with a reduction in meat and wool production. Symptoms include: Mouth ulcers Mucus discharge Swelling of the head and neck Red skin Lameness See the NADIS website for detailed information on bluetongue in cattle and sheep. Vets stress that vaccination should be seriously considered by UK farmers to protect their animals from the virus. With vaccinations now available, we spoke to independent vet Andy Adler, director of Synergy Farm Health, to find out which farm and stock is most at risk and when vaccinations should be carried out. See also: Bluetongue vaccines available for cattle and sheep 1. How should farmers assess the risk level on their farm? Assessing risk is difficult. It really is up to farmers to decide what level of risk they are prepared to accept. What we do know is that sheep are more at risk of clinical signs than cattle and the government has estimated an 80% risk of bluetongue coming to the UK from France at the end of the summer. The vaccine is the only way to prevent the illness. Additionally, if the disease comes to the UK there will be a significant no-movement zone created and only vaccinated animals will be able to be moved from the zone. Southern counties in the UK, particularly Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Hampshire, are at high risk geographically as they are the closest to northern France, where the disease is expected to spread from. There is no official vaccine programme, so farmers need to speak with their vets to make an informed decision based on their own situation. 2. How should vaccination be carried out effectively and when does immunity kick in? The vaccine is straightforward and consists of two injections given four weeks apart. Immunity is provided 25 days after the second injection. 3. Which animals should be vaccinated against the virus? Animals thought to be most at risk of the disease should be vaccinated this would naturally be sheep and those that are pregnant. However, all animals are at some risk, although the clinical signs and economic loss might not be as severe in other situations. Farmers need to be aware of the economic cost of not being able to move infected cattle out of the no-movement zone and this may also be an indication for vaccination. 4. When should animals be vaccinated? Obviously animals should be vaccinated before the onset of clinical signs of the disease. Farmers concerned about the risk of an outbreak in their livestock should begin vaccinating as soon as possible. Those who are prepared to wait and see if the disease reaches the UK need to bear in mind that the vaccine takes nearly two months to become effective. Farmers should also consider that there will only be a limited number of doses of the vaccine available in the UK. If bluetongue does spread from France to the UK, that supply will be taken up very quickly. 5. How long will the vaccination last and should it be done more than once? The vaccination gives protection for one year. Once we know the spread of the disease this year, vets will be able to advise on animals that have been vaccinated this year and whether they will need to have a booster next year. 6. Are there any dangers associated with vaccination, such as increased abortion risk or other side effects? There are no reported contra-indications for this vaccine and it is safe to use in pregnancy. As with all vaccines, it should only be used on healthy animals and handling stress should be kept to a minimum. 7. What does the vaccine cost? The cost of the vaccine will vary throughout the country and farmers should speak to their local vets. The vaccine is only available in batches of 50 doses, so buying for small numbers of livestock will be more expensive. 8. Should farmers speak to their vet about the vaccination? And must vets administer the vaccine or can farmers do it themselves? The vaccine is a prescription-only medication and therefore farmers must always speak to their vets first. However, farmers are able to administer the vaccine themselves. Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Release Date, News & Update: New Casts Revealed; Captain Sparrows Last Sail? End to Depps Iconic Character? "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" is said to be released on May 26, 2017. Several fans are now to know more about the plot details of the upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" movie. 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' latest news and updates Orlando Bloom, the actor who plays the character of Will Turner, has revealed interesting updates on the "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" story line. There are rumors that Keira Knightly will also make a return in "Pirates of the Caribbean 5." The 39-year-old actor Orlando Bloom mentioned that "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" could twist around Will Turner and his son. There is a possibility that the producers are thinking about a reboot of the entire franchise. According to Headlines & Global News, Disney is not interested in doing the "Pirates of the Caribbean 6" and this also means that this might be the final appearance of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. The filming of the sixth part is simultaneous with the "Pirates of the Caribbean 5," but the production didn't turn out the way it was planned. 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' cast and roles Regarding the other casts of the "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" movie, Geoffrey Rush is rumoured to be returning back as Captain Barbosa and Javier Bardem will play the role of Captain Brand, who is the new villain of the movie. According to the movies IMBD page, Maze Runner's Kaya Scodelario will play the role of Carina Smyth, an academician and astronomer who fights for the rights of women to pursue a university degree. However, Brenton Thwaites will also be playing the role of Henry Turner, who turns out to be Will Turners son, in "Pirates of the Caribbean 5". This young actor also starred at the movies "The Giver" and, recently, "Gods of Egypt." Meanwhile, Javier Bardem will be playing the role of Captain Salazar, the one who has a beef to settle with Captain Jack Sparrow for his brother's death. Bardem's role is to destroy all pirates that are alive. "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" is expected to be released in May 26, 2017. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for more "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales" news and updates! Marco Polo Season 3 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: More Deaths, Bed Scenes & Rivalries Are Coming? Netflix Finally Renewed Series? Millions of fans are now excited for the upcoming airing of "Marco Polo" Season 3. Now, new reports are claiming that the imminent season will follow a sexier and darker storyline, making the show a must-watch. 'Marco Polo' Season 3 to feature more bed scenes, deaths and rivalries Recent reports are claiming that "Marco Polo" Season 3 is going to feature more deaths, bed scenes and rivalries. Sources have claimed that this is the only way viewers will remain hooked to the Netflix series. As a matter of fact, John Prester is said to become the focus on the "Marco Polo" Season 3, which fans consider as a threat to Kublai Khan. Most viewers think that the background story of John Prester is an interesting topic to talk about in the popular series. For starters, the story of John Prester has led countless treasure hunters to discover the abundance of his kingdom. Should this story be included in the upcoming installment, "Marco Polo" Season 3 is totally going to become more interesting and informative. Netflix cancels 'Marco Polo' Season 3 due to poor ratings & low budget Meanwhile, GamenGuide has previously reported that "Marco Polo" Season 3 might not be pushed through after the ratings of Season 2 significantly dropped. Reports are saying that the second installment of the show failed to surpass the expectations of the fans, making it far less successful that Season 1. Another factor that made the management scrap the idea of having "Marco Polo" Season 3 is the very low budget allotted for the Netflix series. It can never be denied that the show has the most expensive production cost in the history of television. To recall, STARZ has sold the series to Netflix for some million dollars. However, it seems like no "Marco Polo" Season 3 is happening with the show's plummeting ratings and low budget. Though these reports could be true, no official word for the management and production team has been made public as of yet. "Marco Polo" Season 3 is expected to be released in 2017. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for more "Marco Polo" Season 3 spoilers, news and updates! After promise of protection, land needs to be restored to be used. The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives at Oregon State Universitys Valley Library is celebrating its third anniversary with expanded collecting areas. The collection is broadening its reach to include the history of home brewing, cider, mead, barley farming and research, and the pre-Prohibition eras. In August 2013, the librarys Special Collections and Archives Research Center established the first archives in the country dedicated to collecting materials related to the history of hops and craft brewing. "We are so proud of the support we've gotten over the past three years and are excited to broaden our collecting areas to cover more topics, more time periods, and more territories," said Tiah Edmunson-Morton, an archivist at Oregon States Valley Library and the curator for the librarys Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives. The archives includes the papers of world-renowned beer historian Fred Eckhardt; oral histories with growers, brewers and scientists; the records of the Oregon Hop Growers Association; extensive industry periodicals and book collections; homebrew club newsletters; photographs; memorabilia and advertising materials from Oregon breweries; and OSU research on plant disease, breeding and processing that dates to the 1890s. To celebrate the expansion of the collecting areas and the three-year anniversary, the archives is releasing a photo per day for three months beginning on Aug. 1. The photos will be on The Brewstorian blog (http://thebrewstorian.tumblr.com/and OHBA's Twitter and Facebook pages. For more information http://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/brewingarchives. Simple logic, without using any math, suggests that if a park has area greater than 2 square miles (2 5/54 square miles or 113/54 square miles) and it is just over a half-mile in length (5/9 miles), then the only way to get an area greater than 2 square miles is if the width is greater than a mile. Choice B was only 5/6 mile. Think of a rectangle that is 1 mile by 2 miles (2 square miles). If it were only a half-mile long, it would need to be 4 miles wide in order to have the same area of 2 square miles. Hawaiis new gun law, as described in Gary Richards July 7 letter, concerned me, so I decided to research Hawaiis laws. This is what I learned: Felons and the mentally ill cannot own or possess firearms. All guns must be registered when purchased. When purchasing a firearm a federal background check is performed, including sending a fingerprint to the FBI Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. When the background check is completed the fingerprint is destroyed. In June 2016 the governor signed three new laws: 1. Harassment by stalking or sexual assault prevents a person from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. 2. Police can seize firearms and ammunition from a person who has been disqualified from ownership due to mental problems. 3. Gun owners were added to the FBIs Rap Back program. In the Rap Back program fingerprints are not destroyed after a background check but retained in the Fingerprint Identification System. If a Hawaiian gun owner is arrested in another state for a felony, the state of Hawaii will be notified. The Rap Back database is usually for positions of trust," such as school teachers and bus drivers. Hawaii is the first state to use it for gun owners. The Rap Back law appears to fill a knowledge gap for Hawaii law enforcement about potential felons and the guns they own. Michael Bomar Corvallis (July 15) In the 1990s the Oregon State University administration declared it would be its goal to make the OSU School of Engineering one of the top five in the nation! Yay! Twenty years later, OSU is tied at No. 77 with Syracuse and Stephens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. Of the three, Stephens has about twice as many graduate students as OSU. The only Pac-12 school that ranks below OSU is Washington State University, tied at No. 80. Since the University of Oregon is not ranked in the top 100, OSU can boast about having the best school of engineering in Oregon. However, since the University of Washington is tied with Harvard at No. 24, OSU can only boast about being one of the two top engineering schools in the Northwest. Recently, I heard that the administration has proposed a goal of making a program in music production at OSU the best on the West Coast. It is clear these folks are high on high-per-bole and low on I.Q. (Information Quota) The dean and subdeans and lower than subdeans and vice deans all start with the same problem that surfaced in the engineering fiasco. They don't know what theyre talking about. They dont recognize the competition (e.g. Clackamas Community College is years ahead). I wonder what the next grand proposal will be. Corvallis as the new Ashland? MIT? Stanford? One thing they have accomplished, though. Thousands of new students. Noticed how much busier Corvallis is now during the summer with all those extra students and cars? Aint it wunnerful? Michael Coolen Corvallis (July 24) Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Telecommunications : Investigation of espionage which was aimed at Telekom BONN An employee is accused of taking 150,000 euro to pass on information to a Chinese firm. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Legal authorities in Bonn are investigating allegations of espionage which was aimed at Deutsche Telekom. Rheinische Post reported that a manager of the Chinese telecommunications corporation ZTE bribed a Telekom employee to gain classified information. It is alleged that the employee was paid 150,000 euros. Telekom confirmed a compliance violation by an employee from the purchasing company BuyIn. Because of investigations, Telekom would not comment on what kind of information was breached. Deutsche Telekom said they expected a full explanation from ZTE, one of Chinas largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. BuyIn has filed a complaint and the employee is no longer with the company. Also being investigated on suspicion of bribery are two ZTE managers. Deutsche Telekom has filed criminal charges against both of them, who apparently have gone into hiding. At a raid in February, they both disappeared and it was said that their offices had been unusually well cleaned up. At the ZTE head office in China, the corporation said it would fully cooperate with Telekom to provide an explanation for what happened. The telecommunications manufacturer said it first learned of the charges in the report from the Rheinische Post. clarajancita at 2-08-2016 10:29 AM (6 years ago) (f) Speaker, Yakubu Dogara might be in serious trouble as members of the House of Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin. Speaker, Yakubu Dogara might be in serious trouble as members of the House of Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin. According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown. Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor. It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence. According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown.Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence. Quote This group circulated a text message among members, giving the impression that there would be a leadership change in the House. They attempted to re-open the old Dogara-Gbajabiamila rivalry and create mayhem, a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday. It read, a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday.It read, Quote Plot to destabilise the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the Transparency Group, who recently met with Tinubus wife, will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as the Deputy. This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House wont be anybodys rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them, the message read. It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal. Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members. It read in part, This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House wont be anybodys rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them, the message read.It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal.Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members.It read in part, Quote Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution that I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it. I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us. Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange text making the rounds among members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of for the good of the House. The speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious, but I have worked hard to heal the wounds, some of which still fester among members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring together all tendencies in the House and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other principal officers in the interest of the institution and the country. The text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilise the House, is a throwback and echoes our dark post-speakership election history. The resurfacing of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House, and let me quickly add that it will fail. My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole. I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock or lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government. On Jibrins budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations. He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty. On Jibrins budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations.He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty. Quote It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform. Allegations have been made, but I strongly believe that judgment should not be passed based on allegations. We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. This should be our guide. I plead with all members; the mudslinging must stop, Gbajabiamila added. As the crisis continues, Jibrin on Monday submitted copies of his petition against Dogara to the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS. Gbajabiamila added.As the crisis continues, Jibrin on Monday submitted copies of his petition against Dogara to the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS. Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 2-08-2016 10:29 AM (6 years ago) | Hero The content you are looking for has either been removed or requires you to login to view Please login below or register for an account With Naijapals.com FBI Employee Pleads Guilty to Acting in the United States as an Agent of the Chinese Government Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, August 1, 2016 Defendant Collected and Caused Sensitive FBI Information to be Provided to the Chinese Government Kun Shan Chun, a native of the People's Republic of China and a naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty today to a criminal information charging him with acting in the United States as an agent of China without providing prior notice to the Attorney General. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director in Charge Diego P. Rodriguez of the FBI's New York Field Office made the announcement. Chun, aka Joey Chun, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV of the Southern District of New York. He was an employee of the FBI until his arrest on March 16, 2016. "Kun Shan Chun violated our nation's trust by exploiting his official U.S. Government position to provide restricted and sensitive FBI information to the Chinese Government," said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. "Holding accountable those who work as illegal foreign agents to the detriment of the United States is among the highest priorities of the National Security Division." "Americans who act as unauthorized foreign agents commit a federal offense that betrays our nation and threatens our security," said U.S. Attorney Bharara. "And when the perpetrator is an FBI employee, like Kun Shan Chun, the threat is all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous. Thanks to the excellent investigative work of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, the FBI succeeded in identifying and rooting out this criminal misconduct from within its own ranks." "No one is above the law, to include employees of the FBI," said Assistant Director in Charge Rodriguez. "We understand as an agency we are trusted by the public to protect our nation's most sensitive information, and we have to do everything in our power to uphold that trust." According to the complaint, the information and statements made during today's court proceeding: In approximately 1997, Chun began working at the FBI's New York Field Office as an electronics technician assigned to the Computerized Central Monitoring Facility of the FBI's Technical Branch. In approximately 1998, and in connection with his employment, the FBI granted Chun a Top Secret security clearance and his duties included accessing sensitive, and in some instances classified, information. In connection with a progressive recruitment process, Chun received and responded to taskings from Chinese nationals and at least one Chinese government official (Chinese Official-1), some, if not all, of whom were aware that Chun worked at the FBI. On multiple occasions prior to his arrest in March 2016, at the direction of Chinese government officials, Chun collected sensitive FBI information and caused it to be transmitted to Chinese Official-1 and others, while at the same time engaging in a prolonged and concerted effort to conceal from the FBI his illicit relationships with these individuals. Beginning in 2006, Chun and some of his relatives maintained relationships with Chinese nationals purporting to be affiliated with a company in China named Zhuhai Kolion Technology Company Ltd. (Kolion). Chun maintained an indirect financial interest in Kolion, including through a previous investment by one of his parents. In connection with these relationships, Chinese nationals asked Chun to perform research and consulting tasks in the United States, purportedly for the benefit of Kolion, in exchange for financial benefits, including partial compensation for international trips. Between 2006 and 2010, Chun's communications and other evidence reflect inquiries from purported employees of Kolion to Chun while he was in the United States, as well as efforts by the defendant to collect, among other things, information regarding solid-state hard drives. In approximately 2011, during a trip to Italy and France partially paid for by the Chinese nationals, Chun was introduced to Chinese Official-1, who indicated that he worked for the Chinese government and that he knew Chun worked for the FBI. During subsequent private meetings conducted abroad between the two, Chinese Official-1 asked questions regarding sensitive, non-public FBI information. During those meetings, Chun disclosed, among other things, the identity and potential travel patterns of an FBI Special Agent. In approximately 2012, the FBI conducted a routine investigation relating to Chun's Top Secret security clearance. In an effort to conceal his relationships with Chinese Official-1 and the other Chinese nationals purporting to be affiliated with Kolion, Chun made a series of false statements on a standardized FBI form related to the investigation. Between 2000 and March 16, 2016, Chun was required by FBI policy to disclose anticipated and actual contact with foreign nationals during his international travel, but he lied on numerous pre- and post-trip FBI debriefing forms by omitting his contacts with Chinese Official-1, other Chinese nationals and Kolion. On multiple occasions, Chinese Official-1 asked Chun for information regarding the FBI's internal structure. In approximately March 2013, Chun downloaded an FBI organizational chart from his FBI computer in Manhattan. Chun later admitted to the FBI that, after editing the chart to remove the names of FBI personnel, he saved the document on a piece of digital media and caused it to be transported to Chinese Official-1 in China. Chinese Official-1 also asked Chun for information regarding technology used by the FBI. In approximately January 2015, Chun took photos of documents displayed in a restricted area of the FBI's New York Field Office, which summarized sensitive details regarding multiple surveillance technologies used by the FBI. Chun sent the photographs to his personal cell phone and later admitted to the FBI that he caused the photographs to be transported to Chinese Official-1 in China. In approximately February 2015, the FBI caused an undercover employee (UCE) to be introduced to Chun. The UCE purported to be a U.S. citizen who was born in China and working as a consultant to several firms, including an independent contractor for the Department of Defense, among other entities. During a recorded meeting in March 2015, Chun told the UCE about his relationship with Kolion and Chinese nationals and later explained to the UCE that Kolion had "government backing," and that approximately five years prior a relative met a "section chief" whom Chun believed was associated with the Chinese government. In another recorded meeting in June 2015, Chun told the UCE that he had informed his Chinese associates that the UCE was a consultant who might be in a position to assist them. Chun said that he wished to act as a "sub-consultant" to the UCE and wanted the UCE to "pay" him "a little bit." In July 2015, after coordinating travel to meet Chun's Chinese associates, Chun met with the UCE in Hungary twice. During one of the meetings, Chun stated that he knew "firsthand" that the Chinese government was actively recruiting individuals who could provide assistance and that the Chinese government was willing to provide immigration benefits and other compensation in exchange for such assistance. The UCE told Chun that he had access to sensitive information from the U.S. government. Chun responded that his Chinese associates would be interested in that type of information and that Chun expected a "cut" of any payment that the UCE received for providing information to the Chinese government. The count of acting in the United States as an agent of China without providing notice to the Attorney General carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. The FBI's Counterintelligence Division investigated the case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III and Andrea L. Surratt of the Southern District of New York's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, with assistance provided by Trial Attorneys Thea D. R. Kendler and David C. Recker of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 16-884 National Security Division (NSD) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Coalition Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Iraq, Syria From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 1, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria: -- Near Manbij, eight strikes struck eight separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle and ISIL-used engineering equipment. -- Near Mara, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions. Additionally, due to an administrative error, one strike was misreported near Raqqah on the July 31 release. The correct assessment reads: -- Near Raqqah, three strikes destroyed six ISIL excavators. Strikes in Iraq Attack, bomber, fighter, remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Haditha, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position. -- Near Hit, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fueling station. -- Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and suppressed an ISIL mortar system. -- Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles, two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL-used road and two ISIL assembly areas. -- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL heavy machine gun. -- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL vehicle. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address RIMPAC 16: U.S. Marines, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force team up for beach landing US Marine Corps News By Staff Sgt. Jesse Stence | August 1, 2016 U.S. Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members teamed up for an amphibious beach landing exercise at Pyramid Rock today during the final phase Rim of Pacific 2016. The beach landing included close air support from FA-18 Hornets, followed by three waves of assault amphibious vehicles landing alongside Japanese combat rubber raiding craft. As the AAVs launched from USS San Diego, Hornets with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 soared over Pyramid Rock. The fighters simulated an air strike to soften the enemy defenses on the beach for a landing force of JGSDF members and Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. The Marines rolled ashore aboard AAVs from Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment as JGSDF members debarked their raiding craft. The allied forces then consolidated on the beach to establish a lodgment and prepare for follow-on offensive operations. AH-1W Cobras circled overhead providing close air support for machine-gun teams, mortarmen, and riflemen assaulting through the objective, toward the enemy-held airfield. According to U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Ray Descheneaux, the commanding general for Fleet Marine Forces during RIMPAC 16, the exercise was executed successfully due to careful planning and progressive training. Service members from nations throughout the Pacific began RIMPAC 16 by building fundamental amphibious skills together on the shores of Oahu. U.S. Marines taught their partnered and allied forces from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Tonga how to safely board and de-board helicopters. Special civilian-contracted instructors taught them water survival techniques to help them escape from aircraft downed over water. After familiarizing themselves with the fundamentals, the multinational force left Oahu for ranges on the Island of Hawaii and open ocean off the coast. There they conducted a variety of platoon and company-level tactics to hone skills that would apply to a larger amphibious combat scenario. Descheneaux explained that all of this preparation is coming together now, during events like the amphibious landing. The general called the amphibious assault a success and attributed it to a collective effort to overcome communication barriers and variation in tactics among participating forces. "Collectively, that communication piece was the foundation," said Descheneaux. "Building on that communication piece with common tactics, techniques and proficiencies was absolutely pivotal, and it really set the success here in Hawaii " The Marines and JGSDF members involved in the beach landing are currently supporting Provisional Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Hawaii, a Marine Air Ground Task Force commanded by 3rd Marines. The brigade has been a multinational force since July 16, 2016 and will dissolve upon the conclusion of the exercise. The operation was commanded by PMEB-HI, which is headquartered on USS America, along with U.S. Navy Amphibious Squadron 3. PMEB-HI executed command and control from this amphibious platform, just off the coast. Overall, approximately 25,000 personnel from 26 nations are participating in RIMPAC 16, the world's largest international maritime exercise. The purpose of the exercise is to build strategic partnership between participating nations and increase safety across the world's sea lanes and oceans. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pacific Partnership Arrives in Malaysia Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160801-04 Release Date: 8/1/2016 10:19:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsey E. Skelton, Commander, Task Force 73 Public Affairs KUANTAN, Malaysia (NNS) -- Pacific Partnership arrived in Kuantan Aug. 1, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), marking the first time Pacific Partnership has visited Malaysia, although Malaysia has provided teams to support the mission since 2006. Malaysian civilian and military leadership led planning for Pacific Partnership 2016 activities, where personnel from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the United States will work side-by-side with the their Malaysian counterparts, conducting subject-matter expert exchanges to improve regional disaster preparedness and resiliency, focusing on multilateral cooperation. As the fourth mission stop of Pacific Partnership 2016, specific activities include a search and rescue (SAR) seminar followed by a live SAR exercise, medical seminars, civil engineering projects and community relations events. The Pacific Partnership engineering team consisting of U.S. Navy Seabee and Malaysian Armed Forces engineers is scheduled to renovate two schools while in Kuantan. "We have two major job sites in Malaysia," said Construction Electrician 2nd Class Ernest Cherwin, assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 of San Diego and crew leader for an elementary school restoration project in Kuantan. "Most of our work is meant to improve the quality of the sites we visit and learn from our partners." Pacific Partnership's first visit to Malaysia highlights the evolving nature of the mission from past Pacific Partnership missions. "The unique nature of [the mission] is how this really is an exchange of professionals, of partners," said Cmdr. Miguel A. Gutierrez, director of medical operations and planning, Pacific Partnership 2016. "In every country we've been to there have been different levels of medical capabilities. Malaysia, by all accounts, has world class medical capabilities, so our big thing here is a focus on high-end medical exchange." Kuantan will not only be host to Pacific Partnership 2016, but will simultaneously host the Asia Pacific Military Health Exchange (APMHE) symposium. Mission medical personnel from Medical Treatment Facility Mercy will participate in the symposium, attending lectures both ashore and hosted aboard Mercy. "We are [hosting] a maritime conference that APMHE is putting together," said Gutierrez. "We are offering our facilities here on board Mercy for them to utilize." Most medical exchanges will take place in facilities in Kuantan with a few procedures happening aboard Mercy, according to Gutierrez. There will also be an opportunity for Pacific Partnership personnel to work alongside Malaysian medical teams in the field. Pacific Partnership 2016 completed missions in Timor Leste, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with an additional mission operating simultaneously in Palau until Aug. 15, led by Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002). Upon departure from Kuantan Pacific Partnership 2016 will make its final stop in Indonesia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Blackhawks Forge Ties during Operation Steele Root Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160801-08 Release Date: 8/1/2016 11:38:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Barry Riley, Navy Public Affairs Support Element FORT DRUM, N.Y. (NNS) -- Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron 15 (HM-15) "Blackhawks" pilots and aircrewmen visited Fort Drum, New York, July 27, to participate in Operation Steele Root alongside the U.S. Army 1/108th Field Artillery Regiment. During the three-day training exercise, the pilots took shifts flying over the regiment in an MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopter to perform sling-load external lifting operations. Each pilot practiced individually lifting and moving five M777 Howitzers, a 155mm 39-caliber towed gun, testing the power and maneuvering capabilities of the aircraft. According to HM-15 Weapons and Tactics Training Officer Lt. Jeff Spencer, the purpose of the exercise was to work with the Soldiers to provide training for rotary-wing movement of their M777 Howitzers while simultaneously providing HM-15 pilots with real-world joint heavy-lift experience and proficiency. "For our community and our airframe, it's rare that we get operational tasking that requires this amount of coordination which pushes the limits of the aircraft and our aircrew," he said. "This real-world training provides us experience and proficiency to mitigate the risks associated with these types of missions." This is the third year the squadron has participated in the training evolution, which is held annually in different locations around the U.S., and according to Spencer, this is a unique training opportunity that doesn't come often for the squadron. "Our primary mission doesn't provide us much time to get out and test the full capabilities and limitations of the MH-53 like this," he said. Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 1st Class Nick Borah said the training provided a unique opportunity for the aircrewmen to get hands-on experience with unusual single-point load lifting. "We expected the Howitzer to move a bit because we're picking up something that has different snag points," said Borah. "We're used to doing this in a nice grass field with a concrete block where it's pretty much a controlled environment, so this was a good gauge to see how we need to operate under these conditions." Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 1st Class Nathan Moore said he felt the joint environment and working with the Army's ground sling load crew helped build the aircrew's situational awareness. "We train to the block and that's a base-level skill," said Moore. "Here we're adding different layers and going for a higher skill level. There were more people on the ground, different rigs and unfamiliar terrain. The field we were at had a lot more dust for the helicopter to kick up into the air, so it made us focus more, which was tricky because we also had to look out for the Army sling load team's safety as well as our own." The pilots faced their own set of obstacles including power availability and maneuvering the aircraft with a massive amount of extra weight, explained Spencer. "Most of the challenges we faced this year were with pushing the power limits of the aircraft, which we rarely do," said Spencer. "In these lifts, especially early on, we were operating at about 13 percent below the maximum capability of the engines, which provides us a good safety margin for training. It's something we're not used to seeing. It forces the pilots to closely monitor and manage the power output and usage of the engines." In a real-world environment, the skills learned during Operation Steele Root could be applied during defense support of civil authorities and humanitarian aid and disaster relief, where the squadron could be tasked with taking on massive amounts of cargo and passengers, or performing external lifts similar to the training, Spencer explained. "This airframe provides capabilities that others just can't, so it's important that we get this training, and to be ready and able to properly execute that," he said. "I think the interoperability with the Army gives us an outside perspective on how other people do things, and lets people evaluate us and see how we can better operate." One of the most important facets was communication, explained Spencer. The high-paced training environment allowed the aircrewmen to see how they would manage the flight, and how communication flows. "We have one intercom system and everyone is on it, and there is information about the load and what's happening on the ground that the pilot needs, that he can't physically put eyes on," he said. "In this situation, the aircrew essentially becomes the eyes for the pilot. Practicing that at this high of a level broadens capability to work together as a team, and increases the safety margin in everything we can do." Moore said he felt the skills he and his counterparts will return home with will help broaden the capabilities of the squadron as a whole, and are essential to raising the bar in the aircrewman field. "In the end, this type of training helps us develop better crew chiefs and a better skill level throughout the squadron and the community," said Moore. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Proposed US military buildup in Guam outrages locals Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 6:33PM The US is proposing to bring an additional 5,000 marines to the Western Pacific island of Guam, which is already 28 percent occupied by the US military. The move will add to the increasing tensions between the US personnel and the residents. Human rights attorney, Julian Aguon, likened the US presence on the island to that of colonization. "The story of militarization on Guam is inseparable from the story of colonization," Aguon said from Guam's capital, Hagatna. He went on to explain the tense impact US personnel have on the ground, saying, "Honestly, it's hard to respond to the question of how the military impacts people on Guam because it's way too big. The military-industrial complex is in full swing here." The new plans are thought to commence in 2022. Six thousand US military personnel are currently stationed on the island, and the new proposed 5,000 marines (two-thirds on a rotational basis) and another 1,300 dependents would nearly double their presence. The planned US marine redeployment in Guam is thought to help reduce tensions on the Japanese island of Okinawa, where more than half of the 47,000 US military forces in Japan are stationed. In June, some 65,000 protesters called for the closure of US bases on the Japanese island. The US territory of Guam in the northwestern Pacific Ocean also holds strategic geo-political importance. The US Navy has been operating in the disputed South China Sea, despite rising tensions with China. The United States, too, has moved to step up its military cooperation with other allies in the region. The presence of the US in the region has upset regional powers such as China and Russia, which say such extra-regional presence serves to inflame tensions among regional countries. In the disputes revolving around the South China Sea, the US has sided with China's rival claimants. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The contested waters are rich in oil and gas. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni hold mass rally to support new ruling coalition Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 5:34PM Yemeni people have staged a mass rally in the capital, Sana'a, to voice their support for a new coalition government including the ruling Houthi Ansarullah movement and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's General People's Congress party. People gathered in the streets of Sana'a on Monday to express their support for the new alliance which they said could better counter the ongoing Saudi invasion and help Yemenis restore peace and order to their country. The demonstrators said, however, that the armed resistance against the Saudi invasion should continue. They also chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia, saying the regime in Riyadh is not committed to its promises to halt air strikes against Yemen to help facilitate the ongoing political negotiations in Kuwait aimed at putting an end to the conflict in the Arab country. They also said plots to undermine the peace talks in Kuwait would go nowhere, adding that the Yemenis would never agree to a peace plan that would bring the resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, back to power. On Sunday, the Ansarullah movement and its allies rejected as unacceptable a United Nations peace plan proposed to the delegations in Kuwait, saying the plan lacked any initiative for establishing a unity government in the war-torn country. Hadi delegation quits talks The Saudi-backed opposing side, which represents Hadi and had initially agreed to the UN peace plan, said on Monday that it will pull out of the talks after it heard of the Houthis' opposition to the plan. "We are leaving today after having completed our part in the talks," their spokesman Mohammed al-Emrani said, claiming that the ball is now in the court of the Houthis and their allies. The UN plan stipulated that Houthis and their allies withdraw from three major cities they control in Yemen, including the capital, and hand over their heavy arms. That plan said political dialogue on a final solution could start if Houthis met those conditions. Houthis and their allies said any peace plan must first forge an accord on a new consensual executive authority, including a new president and government. Yemen peace talks began on April 21 in Kuwait City. The warring sides had agreed on a ceasefire before the negotiations began although the Houthis have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia, which backs Hadi through air strikes and ground operation in Yemen, of violating the truce agreement. About 10,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Yemen began in late 2014. Yemenis say most of those dead have been civilians killed in Saudi air strikes. The attacks by Riyadh are meant to reinstate Hadi. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US military begins airstrikes against Daesh-stronghold Sirte Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 4:3PM The US military conducted airstrikes in Libya on Monday to target the Daesh stronghold of Sirte, marking the first time the US has carried out such operations in the country. Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya's unity government, announced the strikes in a televised speech. The Pentagon press secretary, Peter Cook, also said in a statement, "At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, the United States military conducted precision airstrikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya." Cook added that the US strikes in Sirte "will continue," without elaborating. Foreign forces, including from France, the US and Britain, are in Libya in a purported fight against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. In May, the US and the UK had both confirmed the presence of their troops in Libya. However, Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) has denounced the presence of foreign troops as a "violation" of the country's sovereignty. Sirte, the major stronghold of Daesh outside Iraq and Syria, fell to the Takfiri terrorists in February 2015. The full recapture of the city would be a major boost to the unity government, which has come to office through support from the United Nations. Daesh has been taking advantage of the chaos embroiling Libya since the NATO-backed overthrow and death of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The oil-rich North African country has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital, Tripoli, with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the remote eastern city of Tobruk. The two governments reached a consensus on forming the GNA last December after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order to the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 4 dead as attack on Kabul hotel used by foreigners ends Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 7:4AM A massive Taliban attack on a hotel housing foreign contractors in the Afghan capital has ended seven hours after the assault began, officials say. One policeman lost his life and three others were wounded but none of the hotel staff or guests were hurt in the early morning attack. The incident ended with one attacker killed when his vehicle detonated. Two other assailants were shot dead by security forces. By Afghanistan's own standards, the casualties were limited despite the unusually loud explosion. A truck packed with explosives struck the outer wall of the Northgate Hotel on the outskirts of Kabul at about 1.30 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Sunday) on Monday, triggering hours of clashes. The hotel is a heavily-guarded compound favored by foreign contractors and is equipped with blast walls, watchtowers and sniffer dogs. The compound was previously attacked in July 2013. This is the latest in a series of assaults against foreign targets in Kabul, underlining precarious security in Afghanistan, even in the capital. Back in June, a bus carrying Nepalese security contractors who worked for the Canadian Embassy was targeted. Also in January, an attack was conducted against Camp Baron, a residential compound for foreign contractors. Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity 15 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The war removed the Taliban from power but insecurity is still rampant despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops. The Taliban have intensified their attacks following the appointment of their new leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Truck Bomber, Gunmen Attack Foreigners' Hotel In Kabul August 01, 2016 by RFE/RL A battle between Taliban gunmen and Afghan security forces raged through the night at a guesthouse and logistics facility used by foreign contractors in Kabul. Police said a powerful truck bomb exploded at the gates of the Northgate Hotel at about 1:30 a.m. on August 1, after which militants stormed into the compound. Roads in the neighborhood were blocked off by Afghan security forces and columns of vehicles with Afghan troops and police were deployed in the area. Afghan media reported that forces from NATO's Resolute Force mission also were involved in what correspondents described as a "clearing operation." Correspondents also reported hearing the sound of rocket-propelled grenades being launched and exploding within the heavily guarded compound to the east of Kabul's international airport. Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said one attacker died when his vehicle detonated and two other militants were killed by police in the gunbattle, which is now over. One police officer was also killed and four others were wounded. The guests and staff at the Northgate Hotel were unharmed. Power in parts of Kabul was briefly cut off shortly after the blast. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the truck bomb cleared the way for Taliban fighters to enter the compound with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles. Afghan officials did not immediately release complete casualty figures. But the BBC reports that Kabul police confirmed at least one policeman was killed and another injured by gunfire. The Taliban, which is known to exaggerate casualties caused by its attacks, claimed that more than 100 foreigners had been killed and wounded -- calling them "American invaders." In addition to housing foreign guests, the Northgate Hotel is a logistics facility that provides support services to foreign military and civilian contractors in Afghanistan. In 2013, the facility was granted diplomatic status, allowing it to continue using private foreign security companies rather than the Afghan Interior Ministry's Afghan Public Protection Force. A similar Taliban attack against the Northgate Hotel in July 2013 -- a truck bomb followed by a gun battle -- killed nine people, including four Nepalese and one Briton. The latest attack comes about a week after the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a demonstration by members of the mainly Shi'ite Hazara minority, killing at least 80 people. It also follows an attack in June on a convoy of Nepalese security contractors who worked for the Canadian Embassy and other attacks against foreigners in Kabul -- including a suicide attack in January at Camp Baron, a camp used by foreign contractors. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Tolo TV, and BBC Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kabul-attack- northgate-hotel-taliban/27892055.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 Trump Criticized For Remarks About Muslim Parents Of Slain U.S. Soldier August 01, 2016 by RFE/RL Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for U.S. president, is facing harsh criticism from both Democrats and Republicans over comments he made about the grieving Muslim parents of a U.S. Army captain who was killed in Iraq. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for the presidency, accused Trump of making "degrading comments about Muslims" after the soldier's Pakistani-born father and naturalized U.S. citizen, Khizr Khan, spoke out at last week's Democratic National Convention against Trump and his proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from the United States. On July 31, Khan called Trump a "black soul" and said Republican Party leaders should distance themselves from the Republican candidate. Khan, whose son Humayun was killed in Iraq in 2004, said at the Democratic convention that Trump had "sacrificed nothing and no one" for the United States. During the speech, Khan's wife, Ghazala, stood quietly by his side. Trump, who avoided being drafted during the Vietnam war with four student deferments and a medical disqualification, responded to Khan's speech by saying: "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." Trump also said: "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." Ghazala Khan spoke out against Trump in a July 31 Washington Post opinion piece, saying that she declined an offer to speak at the Democratic convention because talking about her son's death is still difficult for her. She also said Trump does not know what it means to make a sacrifice and that "when Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant." Clinton on July 31 said Trump has a "total misunderstanding" of American values and has inflamed divisions in American society. She said Trump's character is questionable because he repaid a family that made the "ultimate sacrifice" with "nothing but insults" and "degrading comments about Muslims." John Weaver, a Republican strategist for Ohio Governor John Kasich said: "Trump's slur against Captain Khan's mother is, even for him, beyond the pale. He has no redeeming qualities." Matt Mackowiak, another Republican strategist, said there was "only one response for Trump to the criticism: 'As an American, I deeply appreciate the patriotic sacrifice of the Khan family'." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan -- both Republicans -- have praised the sacrifices of the Khan family and Muslim Americans in the U.S. armed forces. They both also issued fresh statements rejecting Trump's proposal to impose religious tests for entry into the United States, saying the idea is against American values. They also called for Americans to honor the Khan family. But both McConnell and Ryan stopped short of criticizing Trump by name for his remarks. The Senate's Democratic leader, Harry Reid, said in a statement on July 31 that the top Republicans in Congress should revoke their endorsements of Trump. He said saying anything less would be "cowardice." Reid says "this shouldn't be hard" and called Trump "a sexist and racist man who insults Gold Star parents, stokes fear of Muslims, and sows hatred of Latinos." Reid also said Republican leaders have "a moral responsibility" to say that Trump shouldn't be president. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/trump-khizr- khan-soldier-criticism/27892234.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 NATO Policing Jets Train With US Bombers in Baltic Sea Sputnik News 20:30 01.08.2016 The exercise took place in European international airspace over the Baltic Sea and English Channel, according to NATO. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) NATO air policing jets practiced intercept procedures with US bomber crews over the Baltic Sea during the Polar Roar air exercises, NATO Allied Air Command said in a statement on Monday. "Allied and Partner jets scrambled to train intercept procedures at designated points in the exercise, and the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force aircraft ensured command and control during operations," the statement noted. The exercise took place in European international airspace over the Baltic Sea and English Channel, according to NATO. Danish F-16s fighter jets and Swedish JAS-39 Gripens participated in the training. Additionally, UK Typhoons, one of the Baltic Air Policing detachments, were airborne in western Estonia while the bomber transited the Baltic Sea. Earlier on Monday, US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) announced that three US B-52 bombers and two B-2 stealth bombers are conducting simultaneous, long-range flights to the North and Baltic Seas during the exercise. The Polar Roar exercise is intended to demonstrate the global-strike capability of the US bomber force in integrated exercises with US allies. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Riyadh: Houthi-Formed Council Not to Change Military Situation in Yemen Sputnik News 19:37 01.08.2016(updated 19:38 01.08.2016) The military situation in Yemen has not changed, and the formation of a supreme political council by Houthis together with the General People's Congress (GPC) will have no effect on it, Saudi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told Sputnik Monday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On July 28, Yemen's Shia Houthi rebel movement Ansar Allah and General People's Congress party supporting the country's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed an agreement on creating the supreme political council for ruling the country. "Concerning the military situation in Yemen, nothing has changed. Houthis' violations continue And no matter whether the council is formed or not, it won't change anything," Asiri said, commenting on Houthi influence in Yemen. Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, which is the country's main opposition force. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Saleh. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries have been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request despite a ceasefire agreed in April. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser UNICEF working at 'full strength' in north-east Nigeria, despite attack on aid convoy 1 August 2016 Despite an attack on a humanitarian convoy in which one of its staff members was injured, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is scaling up its response to provide assistance to thousands of conflict-affected children in Nigeria's Borno state, which has borne the brunt of violence by Boko Haram insurgents. The agency estimates that 244,000 will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year in Borno state alone and if they are not reached with treatment, one in five of them will die. "We cannot let this heartless attack divert any of us from reaching the more than two million people who are in dire need of immediate humanitarian assistance," said UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Jean Gough, in a news release issued by the agency. "The violence has disrupted farming and markets, destroyed food stocks, and damaged or destroyed health and water facilities. We absolutely have to reach more of these communities," she stressed. Last week, unknown assailants attacked a humanitarian convoy returning from Bama in Borno state to the state capital Maiduguri after delivering desperately needed humanitarian assistance. The convoy included staff from UNICEF, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). An IOM contractor was also injured. UNICEF said that is already working at full strength in Maiduguri and has called on donors and humanitarian organizations to scale-up the response to the emerging disaster in the state. "Our teams were finding people living on the brink of disaster," said Jean Gough, "The violence has disrupted farming and markets, destroyed food stocks, and damaged or destroyed health and water facilities." Before the attack, security conditions had been improving in several areas but as a result of the attack, travel by UN staff to high risk areas has been temporarily suspended. However, despite the temporary suspension, UNICEF plans to scale-up its response in Borno state. At the beginning of the year, the agency had appealed for $55 million for its emergency work, of which $23 million has so far been received. The agency has provided two million people with health services and treated 56,000 children for malnutrition in the three conflict-affected states of northeast Nigeria. A quarter of a million people have improved access to clean water, and over 200,000 children have been able to go back to school. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Conducts Strikes Against IS in Libya by Carla Babb August 01, 2016 The U.S. military has conducted air strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya, the Pentagon said Monday. The strikes were conducted in the Islamic State stronghold of Sirte at the request of the U.N.-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), according to U.S. and Libyan officials. The Pentagon says the president authorized the strikes in support of GNA-affiliated forces after they were recommended by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters Monday one strike hit an IS tank that had directly challenged GNA-aligned forces and indiscriminately targeted civilians in the area. Another strike hit two IS vehicles. Goal to deny IS safe haven U.S. strikes will continue to target Islamic State forces in Sirte in order to enable the GNA to "make a decisive, strategic advance" and to help deny IS a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the U.S. and its allies, the Pentagon announced in a statement Monday. "We want to strike at ISIL anywhere it rears its head," Cook said, using an acronym for Islamic State. The militant group has been trying to expand in Sirte for more than a year. U.S. Africa Command's Deputy for Military Operations, Vice Admiral Michael Franken, told VOA in an interview at Africom headquarters in Stuttgart last December that "if Raqqa [Syria] is the nucleus, the nearest thing to the divided nucleus is probably Sirte." Fighter numbers reduced Pentagon press secretary Cook praised the progress made by the GNA-affiliated forces in Sirte, saying that IS fighter numbers have been reduced from thousands in the city to less than 1,000. "We hope these air strikes can be conducted over a short amount of time and that their forces forces will be able to move even faster in terms of removing ISIL from that area," Cook said. Monday's strikes mark the third American attack on IS in Libya since November, but the previous two had targeted high-value IS targets and were not requested by the GNA. In February, U.S. warplanes attacked an IS training camp in western Libya that was near the border with Tunisia, killing dozens of terrorist recruits. Defense officials in Washington said the airstrike most likely killed senior Islamic State figure Noureddine Chouchane. A U.S. air strike last November in the city of Derna killed Abul Nabil, the head of the Islamic State militant group in Libya, according to the Pentagon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Forces Declare Eastern District Free of IS by Ayaz Gul August 01, 2016 Authorities in Afghanistan have declared a far eastern border district free of Islamic State militants, saying security forces killed nearly 300 IS militants during a month-long offensive. Provincial governor Salim Khan Kundozi made the announcement Monday during a visit to the Kot district in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. Top military commanders accompanied him. Afghan security forces are now moving into neighboring districts "to flush out Daesh terrorists from there," Kundozi said, using the Arabic acronym for the Syrian-based terrorist organization. Authorities removed all IS-related symbols from the district and raised Afghanistan's national flag. But despite official assurances, residents say they fear IS militants may return to the area, and want the government to deploy effective security measures to prevent them. Kabul attack Afghan authorities, meanwhile, say that at least one police officer was killed and four others wounded when a group of Taliban militants staged a coordinated assault early Monday on a Kabul hotel frequented by foreigners. An Interior Ministry statement says that, first, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed truck to breach the perimeter wall of the Northgate Hotel at around 1:30 a.m. Three gunmen then stormed the facility and started shooting. Residents in the Afghan capital say the blast shook the city. The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the attack left a large number of people dead. But the Islamist insurgency often exaggerates casualty numbers in such attacks. Afghan security forces waited until dawn before engaging the attackers and killing them in a gunfight that last several hours. Separately, fighting raged Monday between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents in northern and southern parts of Afghanistan. The Taliban assaulted the Nad Ali district in restive Helmand province a day earlier. Local officials say at least 20 policemen and soldiers have died in the fighting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigerian Army Killed 348 Shiites in December Raid, Inquiry Says by VOA News August 01, 2016 A Nigerian commission has found that the army killed 348 people from a minority Shiite Muslim sect last December and has called for the prosecution of those involved. "The Nigerian army used excessive force," said the judicial inquiry in its report, published Monday. It said troops that took part in the three-day military raid on the northern city of Zaria should be identified "with a view to prosecuting them." The Nigerian army raided the headquarters of Shiite Muslim leader Ibraheem Zakzaky in December, sparking three days of clashes in the area. One soldier was also killed in the violence. Zakzaky was injured in the raid and has been in detention since then. The army accused Zakzaky's movement of attempting to kill Nigeria's army chief. Zakzaky's group was inspired by the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. The commission report expressed concern that Zakzaky's group may receive support from Iran, as well as Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah. The inquiry said it received thousands of documents and more than 80 witness testimonies during the course of the investigation. The majority of Nigeria's Muslims are Sunni and live in the north. The southern part of the country is largely Christian. Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler, has promised to root out human rights violations by soldiers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Security Laws Launched in Malaysia by VOA News August 01, 2016 New security laws went into effect Monday in Malaysia. Critics say the new measures give Prime Minister Najib Razak sweeping emergency powers which could be used to trample on human rights. The new law enables Najib to suspend civil liberties whenever he believes there is a security threat. Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's deputy director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said "the government now has spurned checks and assumed potentially abusive power." The United Nations human rights regional office said it was "gravely concerned" that the laws may encourage human rights violations and lead to "unjust restrictions" on free speech and assembly. The new legislation was passed as the prime minister is embroiled in a corruption scandal. Critics see the new laws as a way for Najib to hold on to power. The prime minister has been under fire since revelations surfaced that he received about $700 million in his private bank accounts that appeared to have come from the state-owned investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB. Najib has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, insisting the money was a political donation from someone in the Middle East whom he has refused to identify. In the largest initiative of its kind by the U.S. Justice Department's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, authorities in the United Sates have initiated measures to seize more than $1 billion worth of luxury real estate, artworks, jewelry and even rights to a Hollywood movie that authorities allege were obtained with assets stolen from the 1MDB fund, which Najib founded in 2009 and now is owned by the finance ministry that the prime minister controls. A spokesman for the prime minister has said the government will cooperate with any international probes. "As the prime minister has always maintained, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception." The court filing alleges funds were laundered through bank accounts in the United States, as well as Luxembourg, Singapore and Switzerland. The suits claims the stolen funds were used to buy penthouses, mansions, artworks and a private jet, as well as for hiring musicians and celebrities to attend parties. Besides Malaysia and the United States other governments have been investigating 1MDB, including Singapore and Switzerland. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thai Charter Outcome Uncertain Ahead of Sunday Vote by Ron Corben August 01, 2016 Up to 50 million eligible Thai voters are set to decide the future of the country's latest draft constitution, seen as crucial to the military government's 'roadmap' to fresh general elections. But the outcome remains shrouded in uncertainty as surveys while indicating support also find 60 percent of voters 'undecided' ahead of the August 7 ballot. The military, in power since 2014, has kept a tight hold over debate on the draft, arresting dozens of 'no' campaigners, often students, together with raids on some media offices. Allegations have arisen that the new charter would see cuts in public health services all denied by the government. In recent weeks, the military cleared the way for discussion of the charter on a state funded television station, Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS). The military government has urged people to go to the polls, but analysts say few voters are likely to have read the 279 clause charter before saying 'yes' or 'no.' Gothom Arya, a former election commission member and university lecturer, says people have insufficient information about the charter given the limited debate and the arrests of those campaigning for a 'no' vote. "You can say that they threaten the people who try to campaign. What kind of freedom of expression when you cannot say 'No' and you cannot campaign for your opinion," Arya told VOA. The arrests of at least 86 'no' campaigners has led the United Nations' expert on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, to condemn the moves, saying the government should allow "rigorous debate" on the constitution. The military has used laws supporting the referendum to criminalize the 'no' campaigners with fines and imprisonment of up to 10 years. The draft charter, if passed, would strengthen the influence by the military in the next parliament. Proposed tighter controls over the election of politicians in a 500 member House of Representatives and a 250 member appointed senate including key military leaders over a five year transition period have all raised criticisms. A joint sitting of both houses would elect the new prime minister and not the largest party in the House. Kraisak Choonhavan, a member of the Democrat Party and former senator, says the tough stance taken by the military may trigger a public backlash. "Increasingly, this method of repressing freedom of debate from the beginning and only allowing limited debate on television limited to three to four people only to talk about the draft constitution at all, will bring about a backlash against the regime and that people will eventually be turned off ever from participating at all in fact," Kraisak told VOA. "How can you vote 'yes' or 'no' when you don't know what you're voting for in a sense that nobody knows the content of this draft constitution?" he said. The Democrat Party, Thailand's oldest party, rejected supporting the draft charter. Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the new constitution would not end to the political conflicts that have affected the country during the past decade as the people would have little role to play in the country's administration. The Pheu Thai Party, backed by deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family, also has called on voters to reject the draft. Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, stepped down as prime minister shortly before the military's 2014 coup. Samarn Lertwongrath, a senior figure in the Pheu Thai Party, says party surveys point to a close outcome on August 7, and he says he is suspicious of the military. "The referendum according to our polls is very close. So I think to predict the result with our very cunning military men like this, they can cheat everything. So we wait and see, what can we do? [But] it's very close," Samarn told VOA. Thailand has faced years of political conflict and protests largely between the rural and working class supporters of Thaksin, and the urban middle class and other elites, including the Democrat Party. Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist and adviser to the government, believes the public is supportive of the constitution, and cautious after years of political turbulence. "The mood of the general public, excluding some keen political activists and other observers, has shifted from the very important document to something like stability, continuity, progress and certainly elections, most people are expecting next year, there should be a general election and return of parliamentary democracy," Panitan said. Analysts say the military desires to remain influential in guiding the country through an anticipated royal succession, as revered Thai King Bhumipol Adulyadej is in poor health. Economist Supavud Saichaeu said this transition is reflected in the military's aim to maintain influence in the next parliament. "There is a sense, if you really think about it, that the government is doing a lockdown of Thailand. That nothing is allowed to move, to change, to wiggle because of this twilight years," Supavud said. Meechai Ruchupan, a veteran lawyer who chaired the constitution drafting committee, has called on voters to support the charter, warning of political turbulence if it is rejected. The military says if voters say 'no', they may press for elections using the existing interim constitution. Over 10,000 police officers will be deployed on the day of the referendum. The election commission has printed more than 54 million cards for registered voters to cast their ballot. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'America's Squadron' defend themselves during Exercise Eagle Wrath 2016 US Marine Corps News By Lance Cpl. Aaron Henson | August 2, 2016 U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, completed the culminating event during exercise Eagle Wrath 2016 at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, July 29, 2016. The purpose of the culminating event is to test the training and readiness events or Marine Corps tasks assigned to MWSS171, which pertain to air base ground defense. During the culminating event, Marines established a mock air base that included a landing zone and refueling point, constructed defensive and machine-gun positions, and conducted convoys and patrols over the course of four days. Marines were tasked with securing a landing zone and establishing security. "The Marine came in three waves," said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Robert Rivera, engineer company commander with MWSS-171. "The first wave was initial security where they secured the air field so the rest of the Marines can come into a protected environment and employ the rest of their forces. Once the air field was secured, the follow-on air field services could establish services such as fuel, airfield operations and expeditionary fire rescue." Throughout the next few days, Marines conducted patrols to build reconnaissance of the surrounding area, practiced mishap drills to maintain readiness and engaged simulated enemy contacts. "We sent out patrols, established a listening post, and observation post and had a quick reaction force at the ready while patrols observed the areas where the enemy may be trafficking," said Rivera. "When we began our tactical retrograde, we ramped it up to troop patrols and one quick reaction force to ensure the enemy doesn't have any idea that we are in a tactical retrograde. If we up our defensive posture, the enemy will think that we are still going to be here and allow us to leave safely." MWSS-171 conducts this exercise once a year in order to train all the Marines within the squadron, enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability. Cpl. Christian Marin, heavy equipment mechanic with MWSS-171 said by learning from his mistakes last year he was able to prepare and make this year more successful. "Last year I was a young non-commissioned officer coming out here and learned a lot of hard lessons," said Marin. "The culminating even is where squad leaders should employ their squads, set up defensive positions and security, and send them on patrols on their own and react to the drills we have been training for. There are so many different scenarios and you can't prepare for all of them, but you can challenge yourself and let your Marines know who is in charge and what tasks need accomplished. Some of the challenges we could be tasked with are having multiple casualties, a large area to defend without enough personnel, where you want to place your landing zone and a lot of these scenarios are not in my day-to-day job. It opened my eyes to where I trained myself and my Marines prior to coming out here. This year we had platoon commanders and platoon sergeants involved, different platoons and squads, more Marines and equipment." Known as 'America's Squadron,' MWSS-171 received assistance throughout the exercise from Combat Logistics Company 36 from MCAS Iwakuni, the Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion and Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. "The Marines were outstanding throughout the culminating event," said Cpl. Raymond Berarducci, first platoon, platoon sergeant with MWSS-171. "For many of them, this was their first time behind some of the weapon systems such as the MK19 grenade launchers and M2 .50-caliber heavy-machine guns. We held classes building up to this event, came out here, the squad leaders directed their squads where they needed to be, and were able to accomplish the platoons mission." To wrap up exercise Eagle Wrath 2016, 'America's squadron' will conquer Mount Fuji before packing up gear and washing down equipment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief concerned about Saudi killing of Yemeni children Iran Press TV Tue Aug 2, 2016 5:4PM United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about the number of fatalities among Yemeni children as a result of Saudi Arabia's deadly military aggression against the impoverished country. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children. They must always come first," Ban told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Back in June, the UN blacklisted Saudi Arabia after concluding in a report that Riyadh was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen last year. A few days later, however, the world body announced that Saudi Arabia would be scratched off the list, pending a joint review with the kingdom. At the time, Ban acknowledged that he was forced to remove Riyadh from the blacklist after the regime and its allies threatened to cut off funding to many UN programs. The move triggered an outcry from human rights groups. Last week, Saudi Arabia sent a 13-page confidential letter to the UN chief, outlining measures it claims to be taking in order to prevent civilian deaths in its war on Yemen. However, Ban told the 15-member UN council that the Saudi measures had fallen short of safeguarding the lives of Yemeni children, adding, "We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented." He further emphasized that the content of the report that saw the kingdom being added to the UN blacklist still "stands." Meanwhile, Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, called Tuesday for Saudi Arabia to be returned to the "list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemen's civilians." Yemen has seen almost daily military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March 2015, with internal sources putting the death toll from the bloody aggression at about 10,000. The offensive was launched to crush the Houthis and allies and restore power to the resigned Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh. The Houthi Ansarullah fighters took state matters into their own hands after the resignation and escape of Hadi, which threw Yemen into a state of uncertainty and threatened a total security breakdown in the country, where an al-Qaeda affiliate is present. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some 60,000 flee recent South Sudan violence, bringing exodus to 900,000 since 2013 - UN 2 August 2016 Some 60,000 people have fled South Sudan's recent violence in the capital city of Juba, bringing the overall number of South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries since December 2013 to nearly 900,000, the United Nations refugee agency said today. Refugee flows from South Sudan into Uganda have doubled in the past ten days, bringing the total to more than 52,000 since violence escalated three weeks ago. Kenya has reported the arrival of 1,000 refugees in the same period, while 7,000 have fled to Sudan, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "The refugees bring disturbing reports that armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing South Sudan," Melissa Fleming, UNHCR chief spokesperson, told reporters in Geneva. The recent fighting between rival forces the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) loyal to President Salva Kiir and the SPLA in Opposition backing First Vice-President Riek Machar erupted in and around Juba, on 7 July. New arrivals from Yei say they received letters warning them to evacuate the town in anticipation of conflict between rebel and government forces, the spokesperson said. Refugees have also reported that armed groups operating across different parts of South Sudan are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys in to their ranks. More than 85 per cent of the refugees arriving in Uganda are women and children under the age of 18, she added. Many children have lost one, or both of their parents. Most are from Eastern Equatoria, with smaller numbers from Juba and Upper Nile state. Many took advantage of the opportunity to flee alongside Ugandan military convoys evacuating Ugandan nationals. "Improving conditions and capacities at existing reception facilities in Uganda is a key priority," Ms. Fleming said. Collection points in border areas have now been significantly decongested, although transit centres and reception centres remain severely stretched. Efforts are underway to rapidly open a new 100,000 capacity refugee settlement area in Yumbe district. Both Kenya and Uganda are reporting rising cases of severe malnutrition, particularly among very young children, she said. Those found to be suffering are being placed on food nourishment programmes to bring them back to health. The spokesperson said that UNHCR is reminding all parties to the conflict in South Sudan of a fundamental human right to seek asylum and urging them to ensure that civilians are provided with unhindered access to safety as the number of refugees crosses a worrying milestone. With over 2.6 million of its citizens forcibly displaced, the world's youngest nation currently ranks among the countries with the highest levels of conflict-induced population displacement globally, she said, warning that half the population relies on humanitarian aid. South Sudan was founded in July 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan. The country descended into conflict in December 2013 due to internal struggles between rival factions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Korean Prosecutors Say North Korea Continues Cyber Attacks Against Country Sputnik News 07:49 01.08.2016 North Korea is continuing to carry out cyber attacks against South Korean officials and experts, the South Korean Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Monday. TOKYO (Sputnik) Some 90 South Korean government officials and experts have been targeted by cyber attacks emanating from the North, with at least 56 passwords hacked and emails stolen by North Korean hackers, South Korean prosecutors said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency. North Korean hackers have gained access to officials' emails, including those working for the foreign, defense and unification ministers, as well as creating 27 phishing sites on free South Korean hosts, according to the news outlet. Last month, South Korean police said that North Korean hackers have targeted computer systems belonging to 160 large South Korean companies, government agencies and non-government organizations, infecting some 140,000 computers with malware. North Korea is also suspected of targeting South Korea's military in two separate cyberattacks in 2014 and 2015, but no decisive evidence has been uncovered. South Korea believes that Pyongyang operates a 6,000-strong special hacker unit. In March, South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, reportedly said that North Korea had stolen information from dozens of Seoul top government officials' smartphones. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Khizr Khan Challenges Donald Trump To Take A Naturalization Test I challenge Trump to take the naturalization test with me any day. His is demagoguery and pandering for vote. A divider like Trump can never be the steward of this country, he said. Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American war hero who gave Donald Trump a lesson on citizenship at the Democratic convention last month, wants the GOP nominee to take the U.S. naturalization test.Khan, who became a United States citizen after emigrating from Pakistan in 1980, issued the challenge on Monday in reaction to a Trump foreign policy address in Youngstown, Ohio, in which the businessman proposed instituting an ideological test to visa applicants before allowing them to enter the country. Under the test, Trump said, applicants would be subjected to extreme, extreme vetting in order to screen out any who have hostile attitudes toward our country or its principles.But Khan, who lives in Virginia with his wife Ghazala, rejected such rhetoric.This is my country too, Khan told The Huffington Post in an email. We must make it safe as Muslim Americans it is our obligation to keep our country safe. We reject all violence. We support better immigration policies. We stand as a testament to assimilation and being part of patriotic America as anyone else.He then challenged Trump to take the U.S. naturalization test along with him. Islamic State Tries to Trigger 'War of Religions' in West by Jamie Dettmer August 01, 2016 The Islamic State (IS) is inciting supporters to mount more attacks on Christians just days after two of the terror group's sympathizers slit the throat of an 85-year-old French priest as he was celebrating Mass a killing French officials fear was a deliberate tactic to provoke a Christian backlash in France against Muslims. The latest issue of IS's online magazine Dabiq, widely read by supporters and sympathizers, focuses on the theme of "Break the Cross." In a series of interviews, foreign fighters who have converted from Christianity are used as mouthpieces to urge supporters in the West to destroy "arrogant Christian disbelievers." They exhort Muslims to "pray for Allah's curse to be upon the liars." Pope singled out as target Pope Francis, as well as Orthodox and Coptic church leaders, is among those singled as targets in the 15th issue of Dabiq, released Sunday. IS propagandists mock the Pope, saying the Pontiff only condemned the mass shooting at a LGBT nightclub in Orlando "because he comes from long line of boy rapists." The Catholic Church condemned forthrightly the Orlando terror attack in June, in which gunman Omar Mateen who had pledged allegiance to IS, killed 49 people and wounded another 53. After the slaughter the Church issued a statement, saying: "The terrible massacre that has taken place in Orlando, with its dreadfully high number of innocent victims, has caused in Pope Francis, and in all of us, the deepest feelings of horror and condemnation, of pain and turmoil before this new manifestation of homicidal folly and senseless hatred." Fighter Abu Sa'd al-Trinidadi, a former Christian from Trinidad and Tobago, references recent terror attacks in the West and urges supporters in a Dabiq interview to "follow the example of the lions in France and Belgium, the example of the blessed couple in California, and the examples of the knights in Orlando and Nice." He tells IS supporters in the West that they have the "ability to terrify the disbelievers in their own homes and make their streets run with their blood." He adds Christians are legitimate targets "due to their mere disbelief," adding, "for this reason, amongst others, the Islamic State leadership emphasized the importance not to differentiate between disbelieving soldiers and their so-called 'civilians.'" Twilight zone This is not the first time IS has exhorted followers to target Christians in the West or threaten to destroy Christianity. In February 2015, the terror group released a shocking five-minute video documenting the barbaric mass execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on the shoreline of Libya. In the video a militant spokesman points northward after the killings, saying: "We will conquer Rome by Allah's permission." And the terror group has targeted and terrorized Christians in territory it controls in Syria and Iraq with rapes, abductions, forced conversions, desecration of churches and forced evictions. In 2014 Pope Francis warned, "In Syria, another war is thriving in the shadow of the civil warthe war against the church." But the redoubled focus on Western Christianity now, analysts say, is powered by a highly dangerous, macabre logic. They warn that IS strategists are aiming to provoke an overreaction by Western governments and enraged citizens, hoping to drive young Muslims into their arms and away from what the jihadists call the "gray zone." The "gray zone" was defined in a January 2015 issue of Dabiq as a "twilight area occupied by most Muslims between good and evil, the Caliphate and the Infidel." Last November, in the wake of the Paris attacks anthropologist Scott Atran told VOA that IS is "seeking to provoke deeper divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe, forcing the latter to overreact as the terror becomes ever wilder and more extreme, thereby leaving the former with no choice but to join the jihadist camp." And to exacerbate antagonism toward Muslims in Europe, the more outrageous the targets, the more likely the terror will provoke Western governments to overreact or fuel the rise of populist nationalist parties or prompt revenge attacks. Church attack The murder last week of Fr. Jacques Hamel in the Norman village of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen differed from previous IS attacks in France. They targeted people and places that symbolized freedom of speech, Western liberalism, the ideals of the French Revolution, and Jews. Some analysts see the killing of Fr. Hamel as as the first act of war on European soil against Christianity by IS. French officials were already alarmed before the release of Dabiq at the prospect of IS attacks causing a "war against communities." Last week, a French official told VOA that one of the highest priorities of the Elysee Palace is to prevent a clash between Muslims and Christians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address THAAD will destroy regional balance People's Daily Online (China Daily) 08:51, August 01, 2016 Despite the strong opposition of China, the United States and the Republic of Korea have agreed to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the ROK. Although the US claims THAAD is aimed at countering the "nuclear threat" posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", it is actually targeted at China. Why is THAAD's deployment in the ROK strongly opposed by China? THAAD will undermine the regional strategic balance in East Asia and create more obstacles to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. When the strategic balance of a region is broken, an arms race follows and regional disputes and conflicts intensify. The Korean Peninsula is one of the few places in the world where the fear of war is still real. The peninsula nuclear issue has been threatening security in the region for over a decade, and negotiations, including "the Six-Party Talks", to settle the issue have been stalled. In such a sensitive region, THAAD's deployment could open the door to a military confrontation. One way of rectifying the strategic imbalance is for the US and the ROK to rescind their agreement to deploy THAAD. The second way is for Beijing to strengthen its nuclear capability, for once THAAD is deployed in the ROK, major parts of China will be under its anti-missile system umbrella. The deployment of THAAD in the ROK is part and parcel of the US missile defense system in East Asia, a region of strategic importance to the US where it sees China challenging its "DLP" (dominance, leadership and primacy). The US has singled out China as the target for its "rebalancing to Asia" strategy. And THAAD is an indispensable component of that "rebalance". John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University recently published an article in Foreign Affairs outlining "rebalancing to Asia" strategy as a superior "grand strategy" to be applied seriously by the US in East Asia and Europe. These two neoconservative theorists have identified China as "likely to seek hegemony in Asia" and call on the US to undertake major efforts "to prevent it from succeeding". "Rebalancing to Asia" first calls for the US to "rely on local powers to contain China". Should that fail, the US may "have to throw its considerable weight behind them". THAAD is a case in point. The US' involvement in the South China Sea issuesupporting the Philippines in its political farce of seeking "international arbitration" and the exhibition of force by the US Navy and Air Forceis another example of its "rebalancing to Asia" strategy. The US is used to thinking and acting as a hegemonic power. But we live in an era of globalization where countries are more interdependent than ever. No country can be "balanced" or "rebalanced" away as the US wishes. As such, the deployment of missile defense systems in Eastern Europe and East Asia will hurt global stability. THAAD's deployment will worsen the divide in East Asia, where regional arrangements for economic growth are shaped with China at its core while regional security is assumed to be based on the US-centered military alliances. Should this contradictory situation develop further, neither regional economic growth nor security can be sustained. In short, THAAD is detrimental to the regional security of East Asia. No country can expect to achieve absolute security at the expense of other countries' insecurity. East Asia should enjoy peace and stability based on common and cooperative security. Therefore, the countries involved in the power game should reconsider their ill-conceived decisions in order to restore the regional strategic balance. The author is former vice-minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and former vice-minister at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese peacekeepers face up to challenges to safeguard world peace, stability People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 18:32, August 01, 2016 BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Deep into a primeval forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the weather is harsh -- you just sweat all over when it is sunny, get covered with mud when it rains, and could have a layer of your skin "removed" by the scorching sun that comes out again. This is where the Chinese peacekeepers in the Central African country carry out most of their missions. On the eve of the Chinese Spring Festival that fell on Feb. 7 this year, a section of the Baraka-Lusenda road in South Kivu Province in eastern D. R. Congo was severely damaged by a landslide caused by torrential rains. The road is the only way for the South Kivu brigade of the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) to reach the Lusenda refugee camp sheltering about 7,500 people, which was set up in June 2015 on the forested border between Burundi and the D.R.Congo. The Chinese engineers were dab hands at rebuilding the damaged road. However, MONUSCO's South Kivu brigade was hesitating about whether to request the Chinese blue helmets to carry out the job, as they were celebrating their traditional Spring Festival -- the most important annual holiday season for the Chinese. However, Liu Wei, commander of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping engineer detachment to the D. R. Congo, said: "Although it was on the occasion of the Spring Festival, Chinese blue helmets put implementation of tasks on top of their agenda and will successfully accomplish their mission." In fact, the extent of damage of the road was much more than what the soldiers could imagine. On one side of the road, there were 20 meter-plus heaps of debris; on the other side, there was a trench as deep as more than 30 meters. The road was very narrow and some parts of it only could allow one machine to pass. Nevertheless, no one complained or wanted to quit. After three days and two nights of arduous work, the lifeline passageway was reopened. U.N. staff, local government officials and peacekeepers from other countries were deeply moved by the spirit of the Chinese engineers. Guided by such a spirit of facing up to challenges, more than 30,000 Chinese peacekeepers have served overseas since China sent in April 1990 five military observers to the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization, which monitors and reports violations of cease-fire agreements in the Middle East. Now nearly 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers are serving in nine U.N. peacekeeping operations. Chinese peacekeepers have built or repaired more than 11,000 km of roads and more than 300 bridges. They have removed 9,400 mines or unexploded devices, and treated 149,000 patients. But behind such accomplishments, the soldiers have sacrificed a lot. Two years ago, when a vice commander of a medical detachment was carrying out a overseas mission, his father fell seriously ill. The doctor knew the seriousness of the disease, but he could do nothing about it. He had to pretend to be happy to call his unknowing father and quietly wept in a corner after he hung up. One year ago, a member of a engineer detachment always held a cellphone displaying with no signal when he was having a rest. Staring at the photos of his son who was born shortly after he arrived overseas, he could not help touching the face, hands and feet of his baby on the cellphone's screen. And the most painful experience for the soldiers is seeing the bodies of their comrades-in-arms put into coffins covered with a Chinese national flag -- They came for peace but passed away due to war. Since 1990, a total of 13 Chinese peacekeepers have lost their lives on duty. On July 8, Corporal Li Lei, 22, and Master Sergeant Yang Shupeng, 33, were killed in fighting between government troops of President Salva Kiir and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar in South Sudan's capital of Juba. On May 31, Shen Liangliang, a 29-year-old sergeant first class, was killed in a terrorist attack in the northern Malian town of Gao, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated at a U.N. camp. Wiping off tears after seeing off their dead comrades, the Chinese blue helmets, with their high professionalism, fearlessness and compassion, keep advancing in continued display of the bravery and loyalty of contemporary Chinese servicemen. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing's Navy Launches Large-Scale Military Drills in East China Sea Sputnik News 16:03 01.08.2016 Beijing's navy started large-scale drills including a cruiser, a submarine, more than 100 vessels, several dozens of combat aircraft and several coastal radar stations in the East China Sea. BEIJING (Sputnik) The Chinese navy kicked off on Monday large-scale military exercises in the East China Sea, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement. "Currently, large-scale military exercises of the active military forces are held in the East China Sea in the area of 16,000 square kilometers [6,177 square miles]," the statement said. The exercise, including a cruiser, a submarine, more than 100 vessels, several dozens of combat aircraft and several coastal radar stations, are aimed at practicing reconnaissance tasks, long-distance attacks, as well as the overall missile defense in the conditions of electromagnetic interference. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korean Defector Waits for Freedom by Joyce Huang August 01, 2016 The fate of an 18-year-old North Korean defector who sought asylum inside South Korea's consulate in Hong Kong last month is still up in the air, although human rights groups hope that China's recent non-cooperative stance with Pyongyang may eventually facilitate his freedom. It is also in their hope that China can find ways to address the plight of hundreds of thousands of North Korean migrants living illegally in China, who have become easy targets of exploitation. The teenage defector is believed to be Jong-yol Ri a three-time silver medalist of the International Mathematical Olympiad, the South China Morning Post reported. Math whiz Ri was one of six students from North Korea, accompanied by two teachers, who went to Hong Kong to attend this year's international math competition. He was allegedly last seen at the event's closing ceremony on July 15 and believed to have successfully made it into the city's South Korean consulate to take refuge. The math whiz's personal safety is temporarily guaranteed as consulates, considered foreign territories, are off-limit to authorities in Hong Kong or Beijing. But given China's past track record of cooperating with the authoritarian regime in North Korea, human rights groups are concerned Ri is still at risk of being sent back home. Amnesty International is "quite concerned because just like what we know about North Koreans, who arrive in China. They always stand the risk of being forcefully repatriated," its East Asia researcher Arnold Fang said. "So, it's important for us to state that everyone, including North Koreans, have the right to seek asylum," Fang added. As a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, China should never repatriate the teenage defector or anyone else seeking refugee status, especially those who, once repatriated, may suffer torture, death penalties or other forms of human rights violations, the Hong Kong-based activist argued. But the reality is that, in lieu of a legal system to determine refugee status, China has often helped North Korea bring home financially-disadvantaged migrant workers unless they take refuge at foreign consulates or have valid passports or travel documents. Silver lining In Ri's case, even if he has valid travel documents to exit Hong Kong, diplomatic negotiations are still required between the Chinese and South Korea governments to finalize if he will next be allowed to travel to Seoul via a third country as several past precedents have established. As recently as this April, Beijing seemed to have adopted a neutral stance in the escape of 13 North Korean workers from a state-run restaurant in the Chinese coastal city of Ningbo. "We believe that he will be safe. But the Chinese government has had experience in stalling the handling of such cases, where North Korean defectors sought asylum at foreign consulates in China," said Owen Lau, co-founder of Hong Kong-based North Korean Defectors Concern. Such negotiations may take up to two to three years, during which time, the teenage defector will be forced to stay inside the South Korean consulate, he said. And even if Ri is eventually set free, Lau is concerned that his family may either be put behind bars or forced to work with Pyongyang authorities by making TV appearance to accuse the South of abducting their son so as not to embarrass the Kim Jong-un regime. Bargaining chip? China, nevertheless, is once again caught in between the two Korean governments. It has recently lashed out Seoul's cooperation with the U.S. to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea. That has worried some as they suspect if China may now use Ri's release as a bargaining chip in its talks with Seoul. But others rejected the possibility of political consideration in defection cases. "There have established past examples, which were resolved on a case-by-case basis. So, I don't think any diplomatic confrontation will be triggered," said Lu Chao, a professor with Liaoning Social Science Academy. Official statistics show that nearly 30,000 defectors now live freely in South Korea although most have a difficult time making a living there with the number of defectors picking up since early this year. But what is equally concerning is the plight of North Korea migrant workers living illegally in China, who are estimated to have a population of 100,000 to 200,000 people and often forced into slavery, prostitution or exploitation, both Lau and Fang said. Migrant workers' plight In most cases, China is considered both a land of opportunities and a transit country where North Koreans make their escape into a third country or South Korea. "Some North Koreans actually make use of the human trafficking system in order to leave their country. So, I think there must be some element of exploitation even though it may not happen to everyone," Fang said. Fang urged China to either recognize the refugee status of some migrant workers, or legalize their working status, in order to end rampant human trafficking and to minimize the exploitation on socially- and financially-disadvantage North Koreans. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Most North Korean Defectors Avoid Asylum Seeking in China by Brian Padden August 02, 2016 The South Korean Foreign Ministry, during its weekly press briefing on Tuesday, did not address the reported defection of a North Korean national who is reportedly seeking asylum in Seoul's diplomatic mission in Hong Kong. Beijing has also still not commented on reports that Jong Yol Ri, an 18-year-old North Korean student who was attending an international mathematics competition in Hong Kong, last week sought refuge in the South Korean Consulate, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper. Hong Kong police have since increased their presence around the Far East Finance Centre where the consulate is located. China's hard line South Korea is not expected to make a public plea to China to allow the North Korean student to leave for Seoul or a third country on humanitarian grounds. "If you pressure Beijing too much they could do it just for the sake of really going the other way, instead of responding to public pressure," said Arnold Fang with the human rights organization Amnesty International in Hong Kong. Instead the two sides will likely engage in quiet negotiations. To discourage asylum seekers, Beijing is known to wait months and even years before expelling defectors to a third county. "During a period of one to two years, which is not short, [the South Korean government] negotiates with the Chinese government and the defectors are expelled, by about that time people tend to forget," said Kim Yong-hwa, with the North Korean Refugees' Human Rights Association in Korea. In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was almost a constant influx of North Korean asylum seekers climbing the walls of foreign diplomatic missions in China. On one day alone in 2004, 44 North Korean men, women, and children entered the Canadian Embassy in Beijing seeking asylum. Forcing asylum seekers in China to remain basically as captives inside foreign diplomatic missions, and increasing security on both sides of the Sino/North Korean border has greatly reduced North Korean asylum seekers in China in recent years. Harsh penalties for the families that defectors leave behind has also greatly decreased overall defections from the North, especially among the elites. Underground railroad North Koreans still cross into China to escape the extreme poverty conditions at home. But most organizations that aid North Korean defectors today avoid seeking asylum in China or expecting any assistance from the South Korean government. "We do not seek governmental help and they have not offered it. And we're fine with that arrangement," said Tim Peters, the director of Helping Hands Korea, a Christian aid organization for North Korean defectors in Seoul. There are an estimated 100,000 undocumented North Koreans currently living in China, most near the border area. Christian organizations, human rights groups, as well as private guides who charge thousands of dollars, help defectors in China arrange for transportation and documents to secure passage to a bordering country. Some, like Vietnam and Mongolia, have imposed stricter border security. Many now head to Laos or even try to continue on to Thailand, where the government has allowed North Koreans safe transit to South Korea. The journey for defectors is fraught with danger and physically demanding, usually requiring several long bus trips. "The fear of forced repatriation is a nightmare that they face 24 [hours], seven [days a week], 365 days a year," said Peters. Beijing considers defectors economic migrants rather than refugees, and will forcefully repatriate undocumented North Koreans, even though the United Nations Committee Against Torture warns that returning defectors face systematic torture and harassment in the North. Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India-France Rafale Jets Deal Needs Cabinet's Security Committee Approval Sputnik News 14:07 01.08.2016 Long-awaited deal on Rafale fighter jets between Paris and New Delhi is waiting for the clearance by the India's Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs, a source in the Indian Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Monday. NEW DELHI (Sputnik) The two countries have been in talks on Rafales since 2012 but disagreements on the pricing and India's demands for additional guarantees have hindered the signing. "Rafale deal will put for another clearance from India's highest decision making body Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs (CCS)," the source said. "Rafale deal is still in a state of uncertainty as negotiations are not fully completed," the source added. In January 2016, India and France signed an intergovernmental agreement on the purchase of the 36 Rafale fighter jets. The French Dassault aviation manufacturer first asked almost $12 billion for the aircraft, while New Delhi demanded a 30-percent cut to the price. In May, Paris has agreed to decrease the pricing by some 7-8 percent, thus the France's current offer stands at some $8.6 billion. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Leader rebukes US for failure to respect JCPOA - (UPDATES) IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Aug 1, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday rebuked the US for failure to honor commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying they had promised to lift sanctions all at once on the Implementation Day. The Supreme Leader made the remarks in a meeting with several thousand people coming from different provinces. People of Sistan- Baluchestan, Kerman, Lorestan, Kermanshah, Ardebil and West Azarbaijan provinces from all walks of life called on the Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader encouraged the people to focus on the domestic capabilities to stimulate national economy and work for the welfare of the nation. The Supreme Leader renewed Iranian complaint about procrastination of the US Department of Treasury to authorize the European banks to do business with Iran, saying that the way Washington dealt with the nuclear accord served as another example for the United States failure to keep promise in international relations. Ayatollah Khamenei said that the US procrastination to implement the nuclear deal must be taken as an experience that Iranians must rely on their own domestic capacities and resources to achieve economic development and improve life standards of people. The Supreme Leader made clear that the enemies of Iranian nation are used to creating difficulties for Iran in the region and the entire world and that the people must contemplate on utilization of their own capacities. Presence of people from all walks of life from different provinces proved that the Iranian people irrespective to their languages, ethnicity and religions are united to introduce the Islamic Republic of Iran as an exemplary model in terms of spirituality and material life to world nations to invite other Muslim nations to stand against colonialist policies of the global arrogance, the Supreme Leader said. Lauding the breakthrough Iranians have made in scientific, political and social fields after triumph of the Islamic revolution, the Supreme Leader said Iranians who were dependent on US and Britain and treated as backwarded and humiliated, have turned into a mighty nation regarded as a rival for global powers in regional developments. There is no doubt that that turning to an exemplary model will be very time consuming approach requiring collective and restless efforts of the government as well as nation, the Supreme Leader said. Sometimes, the enemies create obstacles on our path which should be removed through rationality and wisdom but under no circumstances Iran will rely on them, the Supreme Leader said. Iranian diplomats and all who were involved in nuclear talks with G5+1 admitted that the US broke its pledges and despite of the illusive wordings try to create obstacles and ruin economic ties between Iran and other countries, the Supreme Leader said. 'It is for several years that I repeat that the Americans are not trustable but some resisted to accept this reality.' The Supreme Leader said that Iranian negotiators have communicated Iran's protest to the European states parties to JCPOA about the US failure to honor its commitments to JCPOA and Washington still continues to create difficulties with Iranian trade ties with the outside world. It was over six months after implementation of the JCPOA, the Supreme Leader said it was agreed that all unfair economic sanctions to be lifted at once in a way that the people feel its positive impacts. 'About two years ago, we said the Iranian people would observe nuclear talks with the western countries as an experience to check whether the Americans will remain committed to their pledges but now it became clear that they still continue with masterminding plots and conspiracies despite of their pledges,' the Supreme Leader said. They invite us to negotiate with them in resolving regional developments but the experience gained during JCPOA indicated that it will be a grave mistake and look like a poisonous task and under no circumstances one can trust on US promises, the Supreme Leader said. The US minds to achieve everything and give nothing in return and negotiations with such government will be tantamount to deviation from right path, giving consecutive incentives and see in return the bullying and reneging on pledges and commitments, the Supreme Leader said. The Supreme Leader advised the Iranian youth and intellectuals to mull policies to deal with the US plots. Revealing direct contact between Saudi Arabia and Zionist regime was a dagger stabbed in the back of Islamic Ummah, the Supreme Leader said. The crimes and atrocities of the Saudi government aggression and bombardment on Yemen should be regarded as part of their crimes, the Supreme Leader said. Regretfully, even the United Nations failed to condemn these crimes under bribery, threats and pressure, Ayatollah Khamenei said. The UN secretary general should confess to these pressures but instead of confession, he should be sacked, but, he still remains in the office and continues with treason against humanity, the Supreme Leader said. The Supreme Leader expressed deep concern about military intervention of Saudi government in Bahrain under the US support as another example, saying that the Saudi government is currently run by unwise people but true analysis indicates that the US is meddling in all Saudi affairs. The Americans claim that they have formed coalition to fight with Takfiri terrorist groups but they do nothing in practice and according to some reports even supports them, the Supreme Leader said. These Takfiri groups have targeted their own supporters, the Supreme leaders said adding that we have a say in Persian 'every one who blows wind, will harvest storm'. Countries in the region are able to resolve the issue and we underline that the US is not trustworthy and regards Arab states as an instrument to serve the interest of the Zionist regime and materialize the sinister goals of global arrogance. These goals should be indentified to be dealt with and the Iranian nation pursue the same path, the Supreme leader said. Since US plots have been revealed in the region, their policies are weakening day by day, said the Supreme Leader. In Turkey military coup, there is a very strong accusation that it has been masterminded by the US and if to be proved, it will be another fiasco, the Supreme Leader said. The US is opponent to Islamic lifestyle and that is why they have orchestrated a coup to stop the Islamic government in Turkey, the Supreme Leader said. The military coup was suppressed and the American are nefarious in the eyes of Turkish people and Americans are weakening in Iraq, Syria and other states, Aytaollah Khamenei said. 1430**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US must accept responsibility for violating JCPOA: Iran MP Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 3:39PM A senior Iranian lawmaker says the United States must accept responsibility for lack of commitment to its obligations under last year's nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries. "We hold the US responsible for all violations [of the nuclear agreement]. The US must accept responsibility for reneging on its promises on the international level," Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters in Beirut on Monday after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. He added that the US' lack of commitment has been proven to Iran and all countries in the world more than ever. The Iranian lawmaker stated that the Islamic Republic does not hold other European countries, which signed the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Iran, responsible for such failure to honor the P5+1's commitments. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei also said on Monday that Iran's experience in striking a nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States, was a clear example of the enemies' untrustworthiness. "Today, even the diplomatic officials and those who were present in the [nuclear] negotiations reiterate the fact that the US is breaching its promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly [to Iran], is busy obstructing and damaging Iran's economic relations with other countries," Ayatollah Khamenei said. On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany started implementing the JCPOA that they had clinched on July 14, 2015. Under the agreement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No Iran-US negotiations other than on nuclear issue: Qasemi Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 2:39PM Iran has rejected recent claims by CIA Director John Brennan about ongoing talks between Iran and the United States on various subjects, saying Tehran and Washington are holding negotiations on the nuclear issue only. "Except nuclear topics, no other negotiations have been and will be held between Iran and the US," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, said on Monday. Speaking in a presentation Friday at the Aspen Security Forum, Brennan responded to a question about the trend of relations between Tehran and Washington and said, "In the tenor of relationship, there is still a lot of discussion going on between the US government and Iranian government on a number of outstanding issues to include how the international financial system is going to be able to now react to an Iran that is less encumbered by sanctions. So, there is dialogue." Qasemi also said the CIA director is in no place to make baseless comments about Iran's internal issues. Brennan had also claimed that there are "tensions" within the Iranian government, adding, "There is tension between hardliners and moderates within the Iranian government." "Such remarks by US officials are aimed at [starting] psychological operations in order to create discord and bipolarization in the Iranian society which we regard as rejected and condemnable," Qasemi added. He said integrity, unity and solidarity among the Iranian nation and government are exemplary in the region and the world. The spokesperson emphasized that the Iranian people are vigilant and have repeatedly reacted to such irrelevant remarks which are made with "calculated and suspect" objectives. Qasemi said the Iranian nation will support national goals, ideas and safeguard its interests regardless of Western intelligence services' fabricated categorizations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hollywood said: Originally Posted by johnwk Attacked or responded to an insult made by the Pope? Please explain. As I recall the Pope questioned Trump being a Christian for wanting to build a wall and protect our homeland. And Trump responded to that insult. JWK Click to expand... Why is what the Pope said an insult??? Why is what the Pope said an insult??? Click to expand... American citizens are sick and tired of being made into tax slaves and forced to finance the personal economic needs of millions of foreigners who have invaded Americas borders. You apparently need to take a remedial reading class. The answer to your question is found in what you quoted.JWK JCPOA proved necessity of distrust in US promises: Leader Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 12:15PM Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran's experience in striking a nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States, was a clear example of the enemies' untrustworthiness. "Today, even the diplomatic officials and those who were present in the [nuclear] negotiations reiterate the fact that the US is breaching its promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly [to Iran], is busy obstructing and damaging Iran's economic relations with other countries," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with thousands of Iranians from several provinces in Tehran on Monday. On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany started implementing the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that they had clinched on July 14, 2015. Under the agreement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities. "The JCPOA, as an experience, once again proved the futility of negotiations with the Americans, their lack of commitment to their promises and the necessity of distrust of US pledges," the Leader said. Ayatollah Khamenei added that the JCPOA experience also showed that the solution "for the progress of the country and the improvement of the nation's living standards is [focusing] attention to existing potentialities in the country, not the enemies who are constantly creating obstacles for Iran in the region and the world." The Leader further stressed that the Iranian nation must learn from the experience of the US conduct regarding the JCPOA, adding, "They [the US officials] say come and negotiate [with us] on regional issues as well, but the JCPOA experience tells us that taking this step would be a deadly poison and that the Americans' remarks cannot be trusted on any issue." Saudi-Israel relations stab in Muslims' back Elsewhere, Ayatollah Khamenei said the disclosure of relations between the Saudi government and the Zionist regime is akin to stabbing the Muslim Ummah in the back. "This move by the Saudis is a big sin and treachery but the Americans are also complicit in this massive wrong measure because the Saudi government is follower, possessed by and subservient to the American government," the Leader added. Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the Saudi aggression against Yemen, mentioning the relentless bombardment of houses, hospitals and schools and the continuous killing of children as another major crimes committed by the Saudi government. "These crimes are also committed with Americans' weaponry and through their green light," the Leader pointed out. The Leader further pointed to the backtracking of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on condemning the Saudi atrocities against the Yemeni children and said, "Unfortunately, even when the United Nations seeks to condemn these crimes after a long time, they shut its mouth with money, threats and pressure." The UN chief on June 9 strongly criticized Saudi Arabia and its allies for putting "undue pressure" on the world body in order to seek their removal from a blacklist for overwhelmingly violating children's rights in Yemen. In his first public remarks about the uproar, Ban said he decided to temporarily take Saudi and some Arab monarchies off the blacklist of children rights violators in Yemen after they threatened to cut off funding UN humanitarian programs. Ayatollah Khamenei said, "The disgraced UN secretary general confessed to these pressures, but instead of confession, he should have stepped down, not continue to stay [in his post] and betray humanity." Takfiris, US plot to sow discord among Muslims The Leader also said the US played a role in creating and reinforcing Takfiri groups with the aim of sowing discord among Muslim nations and tarnishing the image of Islam. "The Americans claim that they have set up a coalition against Takfiri groups. This is while they are carrying out no effective measure against them and according to some reports, they are even providing these groups with assistance," Ayatollah Khamenei stated. The Leader added that Washington is either creating problems in the region or intensifying them. "Regional nations are capable of resolving these issues and while calling on regional governments [to help fix these issues], we also reaffirm that the US is not trustworthy and sees the Arab governments as a tool to protect the Zionist regime [of Israel] and meet its own hegemonic interests in the region," Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader emphasized that unity among Muslim nations and states as well as standing up against the hegemonic goals of the US and some European governments are main solutions to resolve regional issues. "These objectives must be recognized and be resisted and our nation is also standing firm on this path," Ayatollah Khamenei stated. The Leader added that despite all US efforts, its plots and agendas have been exposed and Washington is growing weaker by the day in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces free al-Anbar region from ISIL ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Mon / 1 August 2016 / 13:17 TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iraqi security forces have liberated a strategic region in the western al-Anbar Province from the ISIL terrorist group. Major General Ismail al-Mahlawi, in charge of al-Anbar Operations Command, told al-Sumaria on Sunday that security personnel had fully regained control over the Khalidiya Island river peninsula, which lies nearly 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad. He said dozens of terrorists were killed in the operation. He added that bomb disposal experts were now busy defusing improvised explosive devices and clearing booby-trapped houses in the area. Commander of Federal Police Forces, Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, separately said that Iraqi security forces had killed nearly 200 ISIL terrorists and disarmed 250 bombs in the operation to free the Khalidiya Island. Meanwhile, a high-ranking ISIL figure in Iraq, who was the self-proclaimed governor of northern Baghdad, has been killed alongside a large number of his aides in a US-led coalition airstrike. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said the terrorists were meeting on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital when US-led forces, acting on information provided by Iraqi counter-terrorism and intelligence units, carried out a precision strike against them. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since the Takfiri militants launched a campaign of terror in June 2014. Iraqi government forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units, have been fighting the militants. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi PM orders probe into corruption allegations over weapons deals Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 6:6PM Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has issued an order for an investigation into alleged corruption in weapons contracts to avoid fomenting a political crisis in the country as the military plans to retake Mosul from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. The move was prompted on Monday after Iraq's Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri dismissed corruption allegations made by the country's Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi during a closed parliament session earlier in the day. "If Obeidi can provide evidence for his charges against me, I am ready for any kind of investigations," he said, adding, "For the charges Obeidi claimed against me I will turn to the court since his claims are baseless." The Iraqi parliament had summoned Obeidi to respond to allegations of blackmail in the Defense Ministry, which has been accused of wasting billions of dollars in public funds and weakening the country's armed forces in their fight against Takfiri groups in the oil-rich country. "What happened today was a charade in order for the questioning not to be held," Jabouri said in a televised news conference after the session. The Iraqi defense minister later wrote on his Facebook page that he had details of graft related to weapons deals, but did not provide evidence. Back in February, Abadi pledged to stamp out corruption in 2016, following a criticism by Iraq's senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who said his government has done little to combat graft. "2016 is the year of eliminating corruption, there is no such things as acceptable corruption and non-acceptable corruption," Abadi said. In a sermon in August 2015, Ayatollah Sistani called on Abadi to resolve internal issues in the government. Abadi assumed power in 2014, pledging tough action against corruption. In response to Ayatollah Sistani's call, he promised to combat graft and prepare a comprehensive reform plan. Findings of an ad hoc parliamentary committee have shown that corruption within the officers' corps was one of the reasons the Iraqi military failed to counter the quick advance of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the summer of 2014. Abadi's move comes at a time when Iraq is preparing for an offensive into Mosul, the country's second largest city which fell into the hands of Daesh in the summer of 2014. The city is the last remaining bastion of Daesh in Iraq as the military and allies have managed to retake key towns and villages from the militants over the past months. Violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched its offensive in June 2014. Iraq's army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are currently battling to win back militant-held regions in joint operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces liberate Khaldiyah Island in Anbar province Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 2:42PM The Iraqi Army, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Forces, has fully liberated the strategic Khaldiyah Island in western Anbar province from Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. Hadi al-Ameri, the commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), known as Hashd al-Shaabi, told the Arabic-language al-Sumaria news on Monday that Iraqi government forces successfully established full control over Khaldiyah, a river peninsula and populated area in Anbar province, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chief Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, commander of Iraqi Federal Police Forces, also confirmed that the area is fully cleared from Daesh terrorists. "Today we declare the liberation of Jazirat al-Khaldiyah. This area was occupied by the enemy for a long time. After pleas from the Iraqi people and Anbar province officials, the Federal Police, Hashd al-Shaabi, the Islamic Resistance groups, Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Air force liberated the area which is vital for the Iraqi economy because it connects the Japanese bridge and the international border crossing with Jordan," he said. This came after a two-week long battle between Iraqi armed forces and Daesh terrorists along the Euphrates River. A footage filmed by the Associated Press shows Iraqi troops and pro-government forces firing at Daesh's targets from both the air and the ground. Daesh terrorists have taken shelter in the area since being expelled from the city of Fallujah more than a month ago. Sources say the capture of al-Khaldiyah has opened the highway between the two strategic cities of Fallujah and al-Ramadi. The developments come as Iraq is preparing for an offensive into Mosul, the country's second largest city which fell into the hands of Daesh in the summer of 2014. The city is the last remaining bastion of Daesh in Iraq as the military and allies have managed to retake key towns and villages from the militants over the past months. Iraqis managed to recapture the city of Fallujah, west of the capital Baghdad, in late June. The city was a main hub of Daesh militancy in Iraq and its liberation boosted hope for Iraq's final push toward Mosul. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists began a campaign of terror in the country in June 2014, when they overran Mosul and declared it their so-called headquarters in Iraq. The Daesh terrorists have gained notoriety for their barbarity, heinous atrocities and sacrilegious acts. The militants have been accused of committing gross human rights violations and war crimes in the areas they control in Iraq and neighboring Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Military Demonstrates New Skills in Mosul Campaign By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity INCIRLIK, Turkey, Aug. 2, 2016 Military personnel unfortunately are all too familiar with the IED improvised explosive device and the VBIED vehicle-borne IED. But not too many service members are familiar with the TreeBIED or the FridgeBIED. Iraqi army forces had to deal with tree-borne and refrigerator-borne IEDs during recent operations to build and defend a bridge over the Tigris River. It is a sign of the growing capabilities of Iraqi security forces that they took it in stride. Iraqi military engineers installed a bridge over the Tigris near Qayyarah. The span -- called an improved river bridge connects the 9th Iraqi Army Division on the west side of the river and the 15th Iraqi Army Division on the east. "It is a sophisticated operation for even well-established militaries," Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said to reporters traveling with him. On his current overseas trip, Dunford spent two days in Iraq receiving briefings in Baghdad and Irbil, and two days in Turkey speaking with Turkish leaders in Ankara and meeting American service members at Incirlik Air Base. Bridge Provides Mobility for Iraqi Troops The Qayyarah bridge is the only span across the Tigris between Mosul and Baghdad. A civilian bridge once spanned the river, but the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant had been using it, so coalition aircraft had to destroy it. The military bridge gives Iraqi troops mobility, allowing reinforcements and materials to cross easily. It also helps to isolate ISIL fighters. Building it is a key accomplishment in the campaign to retake Mosul from ISIL control, officials in Baghdad said. While American combat engineers observed the operation, they had no role in building the span, officials noted. The bridge across the Tigris is about 200 meters long, and Iraqi military engineers built approaches on either side. The engineers were under fire when they started, but Iraqi soldiers forced ISIL fighters away and construction proceeded, officials in Irbil said. "There was a bit of a bend in it at first, because they anchored it a bit loosely against the current, but they tightened it up and it is working very well now," one official said. The engineers also built the defenses for the bridge, and that is important, the official added, as ISIL fighters recognize the strategic importance of the span and have tried to destroy it. Tree and Refrigerator Bombs Hence, the TreeBIED and FridgeBIED. ISIL bomb makers hollowed out trees, packed them with explosives, and put them in the river upstream from the bridge. The idea was that the trees would float down the river and explode next to the span. It didn't work. The Iraqi defenses caught the ploy, and the span was never in danger. Next, ISIL bomb makers packed a refrigerator with explosives and put that in the river. Again, the defenses caught the bomb and engineers disposed of the threat. Iraqi engineers also have placed defenses on the downstream side of the bridge. ISIL fighters now are reduced to lobbing mortars at the bridge. "They fire two or three shells at a time," the official said. "They can't do any more, because coalition air would kill them if they stayed any longer." The terror group has not come close to hitting the bridge yet. Iraqi combat engineers may get a chance to practice their bridge-building skills closer to Mosul as the campaign to retake the city continues. Until then, they are keeping their eyes open for more TreeBIEDs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Su-34 Bomber Gets Unique New Recon Gear Sputnik News 14:17 01.08.2016(updated 16:20 01.08.2016) Russia's latest Sukhoi Su-34 frontline bomber will soon be sporting advanced radio surveillance gear that will allow the crew to spot and destroy enemy headquarters, communications and drone control centers, the newspaper Izvestiya wrote citing a source at the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The new system, dubbed the UKR-RT, is placed inside a container attached to the underside of the Su-34 (NATO reporting name Full Back). "Right now the UKR-RT system is undergoing field trials and will soon be supplied to the Air Force," the an unnamed source told the newspaper. The UKR-RT is primarily designed to locate and "read" the technical signatures of communications systems, radar installations and UAV ground control stations. Independent military expert Anton Lavrov said that the new system would turn the frontline bomber into a multirole machine able to fight and reconnoiter all at the same time. "With this specialized container on board, the Su-34 will save us the money that would otherwise be needed to develop a new AWACS-type aircraft." During peacetime it can conduct reconnaissance without the use of dedicated spy planes, while in wartime it is less vulnerable compared to reconnaissance planes converted from transport and passenger aircraft," Lavrov said. According to another in dependent defense expert, Dmitry Boltenkov, the UKR-RT has at its heart the M-410 radio reconnaissance system. "The M0410 is a downsized version of the more sophisticated Fraktsiya system carried by Russia's latest Ty-214R reconnaissance plane," Boltenkov said. Many foreign military specialists regard the Tu-2014R as a unique information gathering platform able to spot targets hundreds of kilometers away. Several such planes conducted a series of reconnaissance missions late in 2012 near Japanese airspace and are frequent guests in Syria. According to an article, titled "Russia Has Deployed its Latest Spy Plane to Syria," which recently appeared in the authoritative Internet journal Aviationist, the Fraktsiya system allows the Tu-214R not only to intercept radar, electronic communications and even cellphone massagers, but also to use the obtained information to create an "electronic picture of the battlefield" in real time. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 800 militants killed in joint Syria-Russia operation in Aleppo Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 5:46PM The Russian military says it has assisted the Syrian army in an operation that has killed around 800 militants who were trying to break the siege of the northern city of Aleppo. Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, head of the main operational department of the Russian military's General Staff, said Monday that the Syrian army, backed by Russian air cover, managed to fend off a massive offensive by militants in Aleppo to rupture the government's blockade of the militant-held part of the city. Rudskoy said the militants, which numbered around 5,000, also lost some 14 tanks, 10 other armored vehicles and over 60 gun trucks during the operation. The Russian general described as effective Syria's siege on the militants in Aleppo, saying that more than 300 civilians have managed to escape the grip of militants through corridors set up by the government. He said 82 militants have also surrendered to the Syrian army. Rudskoy noted that Russian planes were supporting the Damascus government by delivering "selective" air strikes at militant positions near Aleppo. The massive Russian-Syrian operation came hours after Moscow announced that one of its helicopters delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo was shot down in Idlib province. It said five people on board the copter were killed. Since late September 2015, Russia has been assisting Syria, based on an official request from Damascus, in attacks the government is launching against the terrorists across the country. Syria says the air campaign has highly boosted the morale of the army in recapturing areas from the militants. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militant mortar attack kills four, injures 20 in Aleppo Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 3:32PM Foreign-sponsored militants have carried out a mortar attack on the eastern area of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, leaving at least four people dead and 20 others injured, Press TV reports. The casualties occurred in Ramouseh and Hamdaniyah neighborhoods in Aleppo on Monday, after the terrorists fired mortar shells and opened gunfire at civilians, Press TV correspondent in Syria said. Local sources have noted that the injured were transferred to hospitals to receive treatment, adding that the deadly assault caused material damage to public and private properties. The development comes as fierce clashes are going on between Syrian government forces and militants trying to break the siege around the city of Aleppo. Reports by Syria's official news agency, SANA, said that dozens of Syrian families have left the besieged militant-controlled eastern parts of Aleppo through humanitarian passages set up by the Syrian army. Between 200,000 and 300,000 people are believed to still reside in eastern Aleppo, with the UN warning that food supplies will run out in the militant-held region in mid-August. Aleppo has been divided between the government forces and militants since 2012, a year after conflict broke out in the Arab country. Army forces are in the middle of a large military operation to liberate the militant-held parts of the province. The Syrian government, backed by Russia, launched a large-scale humanitarian relief operation in Aleppo on Friday and created corridors providing civilians and the militants, who chose to surrender, the opportunity to leave the city. Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. The Takfiri terrorists operating in the Arab country have suffered major setbacks over the past few months as the Syrian army has managed to liberate several areas from the grip of the extremists. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia helicopter shot down over Syria's Idlib, five on board believed dead Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 12:8PM A Russian helicopter delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo has been shot down in Idlib province, with reports suggesting the five people on board are killed. Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down while returning to Russia's air base on the Mediterranean coast from a mission for delivering humanitarian goods to the war-wracked city of Aleppo in north. The statement added that three crew members and two officers were on board the chopper, saying their exact fate is still unknown. A later statement by the Kremlin said the five are believed to have died. "As far as we know from the information we've had from the Defense Ministry, those in the helicopter died, they died heroically, because they were trying to move the aircraft away to minimize victims on the ground," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, expressing condolences over the deaths of the five Russians. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the downing of the helicopter. Militants from various terrorist groups are present in Idlib. This is not the first case in which Russian forces have lost aircraft in Syria. According to a report by The Associated Press, two Russian pilots were killed in the central Homs province in July when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were Daesh terrorists. An Mi-28N helicopter gunship also crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members. A Russian bomber plane was shot down by a Turkish jet along the Syrian border in November 2015, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting. The attack on the Russian copter comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russia and other allies on the ground, has managed to tighten its grip on militants in various parts of Aleppo. Earlier on Monday, Syria said the militants had started massive attacks to repel government forces from their positions around the terrorist-held areas. The downing of the copter marked the deadliest incident on a single mission for the Russian servicemen since Moscow began its air campaign against terrorists in Syria in September 2015. According to official data, 18 Russians have been killed since the air campaign started at the official request of the Damascus government. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The government blames the militancy on some foreign governments, including its northern neighbor Turkey and Arab governments of the Persian Gulf region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Mi-8 Transport Helicopter Downed in Syria, Five People Confirmed Dead Sputnik News 21:45 01.08.2016 The Russian Aerospace Forces' Mil Mi-8 Hip transport helicopter was downed in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Monday with three crew members and two reconciliation center officers aboard. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy told reporters that the helicopter was shot down from the ground over the area under the control of the Jabhat Fatah al Sham, previously known as al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group outlawed in Russia. Rudskoy confirmed the deaths of all five people on board the helicopter, classifying its downing as a terrorist attack. Attack on Humanitarian Aid Providers The helicopter was returning to the Hmeimim air base after delivering humanitarian aid in Aleppo. "On August 1 in the province of Idlib, the Russian military-transport Mi-8 helicopter, returning to the Hmeimim air base after delivering humanitarian assistance in the city of Aleppo, was hit by gunfire from the ground. Three crew members and two officers of the Russian center for reconciliation of the opposing sides in Syria were on board," the Russian Defense ministry's press service said. It underscored that the fate of the Russian servicemen is being investigated through all available channels. Heroic Death The crew members on board Russia's transport helicopter downed in Syria died heroically in an attempt to minimize civilian casualties on the ground, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Those who were aboard the helicopter, according to information from the Defense Ministry, have died heroically because they were attempting to steer the machine to minimize the casualties on the ground," Peskov told reporters. He expressed deep condolences to the friends and relatives of the fallen servicemen. White House Regrets 'Any Loss of Life' The US administration regrets any death caused by the ongoing Syrian conflict, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reports following the downing of the helicopter. "[We] regret for any loss of life in association with this [Syrian] conflict," Schultz said. In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the pullout of the bulk of the Russian contingent in Syria as the anti-terrorist campaign's objectives had broadly been completed. Following Putin's announcement of the withdrawal, Moscow said that some Russian military personnel would remain at the Hmeimim air base as well as the naval base at Tartus to observe the implementation of the US-Russia-brokered ceasefire, which came into force across Syria on February 27. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Irans top leader distanced himself on Monday from the nuclear agreement reached with major powers a year ago, accusing the United States of failing to honor pledges in the accord and citing the futility of negotiations with the Americans. In blunt remarks prominently featured in Irans state news media, the senior leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the talks that led to the nuclear agreement in July 2015 should be regarded as an instructive lesson on the dangers posed by interactions with governments he regards as enemies. Sign Up For NYT Now's Morning Briefing Newsletter Ayatollah Khamenei, who has the final word on Irans national security and other vital issues, did not suggest that he wanted to abandon the agreement, which took effect in January and sharply limited Irans nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of many Western economic sanctions. But his remarks indicated that he was hedging against any unraveling of the agreement. He had endorsed the accord despite many of his own public warnings of interactions with the United States. Today, even the diplomatic officials and those who were present in the negotiations reiterate the fact that the U.S. is breaching its promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly, is busy obstructing and damaging Irans economic relations with other countries, Ayatollah Khamenei said in a translation reported by Press TV, an official Iranian English-language news site. He said the agreement, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, once again proved the futility of negotiations with the Americans, their lack of commitment to their promises and the necessity of distrust of U.S. pledges. He cautioned against talks with the United States on other regional crises, presumably including the wars in Syria and Yemen and the Islamic State extremist group. The experience of the nuclear deal, he said, tells us that taking this step would be a deadly poison and that the Americans remarks cannot be trusted on any issue. Ayatollah Khameneis remarks may strengthen the hard-line conservative factions in the Iranian hierarchy and their hostility toward President Hassan Rouhani, who made achieving a nuclear agreement a central objective in his 2013 election campaign. While oil sales have increased, Mr. Rouhanis optimism about other expected dividends of the agreement an end to Irans isolation and a rush of foreign investment and economic growth have yet to occur, imperiling his prospects for re-election next year. Despite the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions, Iran is still barred from using the United States financial system because of many other prohibitions imposed after the break in relations more than three decades ago. Big European banks, wary of violating those prohibitions and already leery about doing business in Iran, have largely stayed away, frustrating Iranian officials. The banking problems have played a significant role in delaying Irans purchases of new jetliners from Boeing and Airbus, which the nuclear agreement specifically permitted. Congress has further angered Iranian officials by threatening new sanctions that could scuttle those purchases. Secretary of State John Kerry, who played a critical role in reaching the nuclear agreement, has said the United States is working to ensure that all of the accords provisions, including the relaxation of the sanctions, are enforced. But worries about the durability of the agreement have increased because of two other developments since it took effect: Britains vote in June to leave the European Union, and the possibility that Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, could win the November election. The British vote has sent economic chills through the European Union, which may divert or delay European business ambitions in Iran. Mr. Trump has called the nuclear agreement a disaster, suggesting that he would seek to renegotiate it or withdraw American participation. Political analysts outside Iran called Ayatollah Khameneis remarks his strongest criticism of the agreement to date. Some said they saw practical goals behind his bellicose words. He is pressing the West to move more quickly on investing in Iran, so that Iranians feel the deal helping their economy, said Cliff Kupchan, the chairman of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm in Washington. But Khamenei is also buying a political insurance policy on the off chance that his elites turn against the agreement, and thats a problem. Russian Aerospace Forces Actively Support Syrian Army in Repelling Attacks Sputnik News 18:08 01.08.2016(updated 18:12 01.08.2016) The Russian Aerospace Forces are actively supporting the Syrian government armed forces in repelling enemy attacks by delivering selective strikes on militants and avoiding populated areas, the Russian General staff said Monday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Rudskoy noted that, unlike the US-led anti-Daesh coalition active near Manbij, Russian aircraft do their utmost to avoid collateral civilian damage by not targeting populated areas within city limits. "The Russian Aerospace Forces aviation actively supports government troops in repelling enemy attacks, carrying out selective strikes on militant positions," Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy told reporters. The Syrian armed forces with the support of Russian combat planes repelled a terrorist offensive near the city of Aleppo, killing over 800 militants and destroying 14 tanks, Rudskoy added. "Together with the Syrian army troops and the national militia, with the support of Russian aviation, a militant attack was repelled at 4 a.m. today. More than 800 militants were killed, and 14 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, and more than 60 vehicles with mounted weapons destroyed," Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy. Rudskoy noted that militant continued to pull reserves from other areas, intimidate government troops, prevent the local population's escape form the combat zone, as well as its use as a so-called human shield. "Thus, the terrorists executed four people attempting to exit through the humanitarian corridors yesterday in the eastern part of Aleppo," he said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some 25,000 people displaced by military attacks in western Aleppo - UNICEF 1 August 2016 About 25,000 people, including more than 12,000 children, have been displaced last night from a neighbourhood in western Aleppo City by intense military attacks initiated by armed opposition groups, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official in Syria said today, calling on the warring parties to do their utmost to protect all civilians. "Twenty-five thousand people have fled instantly last night from this area, with whatever they could leave the door with," said Kieran Dwyer, Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Syria, in an interview with the UN News Service via Skype from Damascus. He said that armed opposition groups launched a major military offensive late yesterday afternoon and evening, attacking through the densely populated western part of Aleppo City. Intense fighting, involving airstrikes and the use of heavy weapons, artillery and mortars, has continued through the night, and throughout the day today, he added. Mr. Dwyer said that in the affected neighbourhood, people already displaced multiple times had put up temporary shelters in uncompleted high-rise apartment buildings. UNICEF and its partners had been helping them to get water, food, health services, and education so that they could settle for the time being. Then, the fighting erupted, forcing many of them flee to parks, mosques, and wherever "they can feel a bit safe," he said, adding that emergency kitchens have been set up, and for its part, UNICEF is running emergency water trucks. Asked if more people would be displaced, he said that "we don't know what the dynamics in fighting is going to result in. We are watching and responding at every turn." Meanwhile, the eastern part of Aleppo city has been completely cut off from humanitarian aid since early July, he said, noting that UNICEF and all partners are calling for immediate access to the area, where 300,000 people, including over 120,000 children, are in need of nutrition, food, clean water, and health services. The health system in Aleppo has been devastated, with four military attacks on hospitals last week alone, noted Mr. Dwyer, warning that with only 30 doctors left to serve 300,000, the situation in eastern Aleppo is "dire." Regarding the idea of setting up 'humanitarian corridors' that would allow aid to be delivered without hindrance, and civilians to flee the besieged areas safely, Mr. Dwyer said that such arrangements must be run by the UN humanitarian team and partners. If civilians decide to leave, they must be protected at every step, and if they decided to stay, they should be protected from attacks and violence, he added. In New York today, Farhan Haq, the Secretary-General's Deputy Spokesperson, reiterated that the UN calls on all parties to the conflict to allow safe, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. The UN remains deeply concerned over the plight of people trapped in Aleppo, as reports indicate that intense fighting has continued in the last days, and that many stores have closed as food runs low, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, he added, an inter-agency convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, hygiene and other emergency items for 71,000 people in need to the hard-to-reach area of Al Houla, in Homs governorate yesterday. Surgical items were removed from health kits during the loading. Mr. Haq also said that the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura visited Teheran on Sunday, and held discussions with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari on the means of pushing forward the political settlement to the crisis in Syria. Also, on Sunday, Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the spokesperson said, explaining that the meeting was part of regular, ongoing consultations between the Special Envoy's Office and the Syrian Government. Mr. Ramzy informed Syria's Foreign Minister of the Special Envoy's intention to reconvene the intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August, with a focus on the political transition, according to the UN spokesperson. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President apologizes to indigenous people on government's behalf ROC Central News Agency 2016/08/01 14:40:25 Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () on Monday issued a formal apology on behalf of the government to Taiwan's indigenous people for the discrimination and neglect they suffered over the past 400 years. The apology was made after a ceremony in front of the Presidential Office where representatives of Taiwan's 16 recognized aboriginal tribes gathered on Indigenous People's Day. In the tradition of the Paiwan tribe, the representatives announced their arrival by singing songs and burning stalks of foxtail millet. Tsai then greeted them at the entrance of the Presidential Office and invited them into the the building, where a Bunun tribe blessing ceremony was held and prayers were offered by six Christian priests of aboriginal heritage. In her apology on behalf of the government, Tsai said it was a further step toward protecting the social status of the indigenous peoples and promoting their development in education, culture, social welfare and economic development, as laid out in an article of the Constitution that was added on Aug. 1, 1994. The article also abolished the widely used term "shan-bao" (mountain fellow) to refer to Taiwan's indigenous peoples, after they agitated against it for decades because of the racist connotation, Tsai said. "For the pain and unfair treatment suffered by all of you in the past 400 years, I apologize on behalf of the government," Tsai said. "I believe that even now there are still some people who think there is no need for such an apology, but that is the main reason why I need to make this apology on behalf of the government today." Tsai also announced the establishment of a Presidential Office "commission for historical and transitional justice", which she will head. The commission will hold discussions with representatives of the aboriginal tribes on issues such as national policies toward the indigenous people so that their voices can be heard, the president said. In addition, Tsai said, the Cabinet will seek to introduce a basic law for the indigenous people, revive the historic memories of the tribes and give attention to their education, health and economic development. She said a legal service center will be created to deal with the increasing number of conflicts between the existing laws and indigenous people's traditional practices such as the hunting of non-protected animals. Tsai also said that before the publication of a final report, she will reexamine a government decision to store nuclear waste on Orchid Island and will offer compensation to members of the Yami tribe who live there . She called for efforts to ensure better public understanding of the history and culture of Taiwan's various ethnic groups to help achieve reconciliation and prosperity for all and promote justice, diversity and equality. The apology to the indigenous people was one of Tsai's campaign promises, which she said would signal respect for the early inhabitants of the country and a move toward solving related issues. An 80-year-old elder of the Yami tribe from Orchid Island responded on behalf of the aboriginal tribes, saying that he hoped the government's apology on Indigenous People's Day would mark the beginning of peace and reconciliation. He also said he hoped to see the people of Orchid Island and Taiwan proper become one big family. On behalf of the 16 aboriginal tribes, he accepted a printed copy of Tsai's apology and offered her foxtail millet in a traditional gesture. Other events scheduled for Indigenous People's Day included a national conference in the afternoon, at which the government was expected to detail its policies on indigenous people's affairs. (By Tai Ya-chen, Lu Hsin-hui and Kay Liu) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey arrests 11 commandos for attempt to capture Erdogan during failed coup Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 6:48AM Turkey's special forces have arrested 11 fugitive commandos wanted for involvement in an alleged attempt to capture President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the July 15 failed coup in the country. Gendarmerie special forces, backed by helicopters and drones, raided the hideout of the commandos in the Ula district in the province of Mugla, state-run Anadolu Agency said Monday. The raid was launched on a tip-off from a local. The detainees were part of a group of 37 soldiers who were reportedly involved in an attempt to capture Erdogan while he was holidaying in the resort town of Marmaris on the night of July 15. Anadolu further said 25 of the troops had been detained earlier. Erdogan had managed to flee the hotel by the time the soldiers arrived as he had been notified of potential danger. The development came a day after Turkey sacked nearly 1,400 military personnel suspected of having links with US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the botched coup. The dismissals were the latest in a series of purges related to the coup attempt. So far, over 60,000 people in the Turkish military, judiciary, civil services and schools have been detained, dismissed or suspended over suspected Gulen links. At least 246 people were killed and more than 2,100 others sustained injuries when an army faction, using hijacked helicopters and tanks, clashed with government troops and people on the streets of the capital, Ankara, and the city of Istanbul during the July 15 coup. Shortly after the coup bid was declared over on July 16, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Gulen of being behind the coup attempt. The US-based cleric, however, has denied any role in the foiled putsch. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey to scrap EU deal if visa waivers not forthcoming: FM Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 5:9AM Turkey says it will "back away" from a refugee deal it has struck with the European Union (EU) if the bloc does not grant Turkish nationals visa-free travel to Europe. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the refugee deal had worked due to "very serious measures" taken by Turkey, without specifying which measures. He further said in the interview which is to be fully published in the daily's Monday edition that the success of the agreement now depends on the European side. "All that is dependent on the cancellation of the visa requirement for our citizens, which is also an item in the agreement of March 18," Cavusoglu said. The agreement, which the two sides signed in March, has been meant to stem the flow of irregular refugees into Europe. Under the deal, Turkey has committed to taking back all the asylum seekers and refugees who have used the Aegean Sea to illegally reach Greece. In return, Ankara has been promised financial aid, the acceleration of visa liberalization talks and progress in its EU membership negotiations. The two sides have been negotiating a sub-deal under which Turkish nationals would be allowed visa-free travel to Europe. Efforts to reach that deal, however, have been hampered by Turkey's refusal to revise its anti-terrorism laws, which the EU says are too broad, as well as a Turkish government crackdown following a failed coup. "If visa liberalization does not follow, we will be forced to back away from the deal on taking back (refugees) and the agreement of March 18," Cavusoglu said in his interview. He also urged the EU to determine a precise date for granting visa waivers. "It could be the beginning or middle of October, but we are waiting for a firm date." European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has recently ruled out granting visa-free travel for Turks this year because of Ankara's crackdown on coup suspects. So far, over 60,000 people in the Turkish military, judiciary, civil services and schools have been detained, dismissed or suspended over suspected links with US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the botched coup. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Defense Ministry Appoints 167 New Generals After Thwarted Coup Attempt Sputnik News 21:01 01.08.2016(updated 21:02 01.08.2016) The decree of the Turkish Defense Ministry on the appointment of 167 new generals was published in the official government's newspaper on Monday. ANKARA (Sputnik) New appointments follow the failed coup attempt in Turkey, after which 163 generals and admirals were detained, what constitutes 40 percent of the total number. Eighty-seven out of 198 generals in the Army were dismissed, 30 of 72 in the Air Force, seven out of 32 in the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command, and in the Navy 32 of 55 admirals. There are 94 new appointments in the Army Command, the Air Force has 44 new appointments and in the Navy there are 22 admirals' appointments. On July 15, an attempted coup took place in Turkey, and was suppressed by the following day. Over 240 people were killed during the coup attempt and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused US-based dissident Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers of having played a key role in the coup. Gulen has denied the accusations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ankara Threatens to Pull Out of EU-Turkey Migrant Deal Over Visa-Free Travel Sputnik News 14:37 01.08.2016(updated 15:40 01.08.2016) Relations between the EU and Turkey have become increasingly strained since the attempted coup in July, with Turkish foreign minister threatening to break off the EU-Turkey migrant deal if Turkish citizens do not have visa-free access to the EU by October. Diplomats in the EU are hastily attempting to steady relations between Turkey and its member states after Ankara warned that it was ready to pull the plug on the migrant deal as the political roadmap in Turkey changed course following the attempted coup. Sources in the EU have told Sputnik that the deal giving Turks visa-free access to the EU is looking increasingly shaky. There were already many issues over which Turkey and the EU were divided, even before the attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, to which he reacted by arresting or dismissing thousands of the military, judiciary and teachers. The EU-Turkey migrant deal originally agreed in March 2016, was brokered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an attempt to stop the flow of migrants reaching Europe via Turkey and the Aegean Sea. Under the deal, the EU was due to pay Turkey, initially, US$3.95 billion to bolster its refugees camps and accept "irregular" migrants denied asylum in Greece in return on a one-for-one basis for Syrian refugees in Turkey being relocated in the EU. Suppression However, as part of the deal, the EU was supposed to grant Turkish citizens visa-free access to the EU by the end of July and accelerate its accession to becoming a full member of the EU. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has now told Germany's newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that: "If visa liberalization does not follow, we will be forced to back away from the deal on taking back (refugees) and the agreement of 18 March. It could be the beginning or middle of October but we are waiting for a firm date." The deal had already hit the skids over Erdogan's increasing grip on power, crackdown on opposition parties and the media, as well as criticism of Turkey's human rights record. Since the attempted coup, however, his massive suppression of those associated with the coup the judiciary, the military and the police has been the cause of deep skepticism within the EU. If Turkey fails to meet the basic benchmarks on democracy and human rights required by the EU, the visa-free travel deal will be abandoned and with it the whole migrant deal, once again leading to another flood of migrants crossing into Europe. Relations between Brussels and Ankara were already under strain ahead of the attempted coup, but sources within the EU have told Sputnik that Erdogan's continuing reprisal against his enemies are making the whole migrant and visa-free agreement increasingly unlikely to come to fruition, plunging the EU into yet another crisis. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Captures Soldiers Allegedly Linked to Coup as Crackdown Intensifies by Chris Hannas August 01, 2016 Turkish forces detained 11 soldiers Monday who are suspected of attacking a hotel where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was staying during an attempted coup in mid-July. The captures were made near the resort town of Marmaris, and followed the detention last week of several other soldiers accused of targeting Erdogan. The president had been vacationing in Marmaris on July 15 when the attempt to overthrow his government began and has said he left his hotel shortly before a group of soldiers attacked. Monday's captures are the latest in a crackdown against those who allegedly played a role in the attempted coup. Sunday, the government dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel, including Erdogan's top military adviser, as the president also brought the country's armed forces under civilian rule. More than 50,000 people have now lost their jobs across the country and more than 18,000 have been detained in connection with the coup attempt, which the government has blamed on Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is an Erdogan opponent who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades and has denied any connection in the uprising. Turkey has demanded the U.S. extradite the 75-year-old Gulen and sent documents on his alleged involvement in the failed coup to U.S. officials. The top U.S. military officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, is visiting Turkey Monday as part of a trip to assess the battle against the Islamic State group. The U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the militants has been using Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey for about a year after getting approval from Erdogan. The Turkish government Monday also summoned Germany's charge d'affaires after a German court ruling prevented Erdogan from addressing by video a rally in the city of Cologne Sunday that drew tens of thousands of his supporters. An Erdogan spokesman called the ruling a violation of free expression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Concerns Over Turkish Media Freedom in Aftermath of Failed Coup by Dorian Jones August 01, 2016 With nearly 20,000 people detained and arrests continuing, there is rising concern the crackdown in Turkey after the July 15 failed coup is expanding to government critics and opponents, especially in the media. Twenty-nine journalists have been imprisoned since the coup, and arrest warrants have been issued for dozens more. Journalist Cafer Solgun, who worked for one of the more than 100 media outlets closed in the crackdown, struggles to understand why people like him are targeted. "It was the coup plotters who were blinded with madness to bomb the Turkish parliament and attempt to seize power. But what relation can me, Cafer Solgun, and dozens of other journalists like me have to do with it?" Gulen denies charges President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists all those being targeted are connected to the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he accuses of using a secretive network of followers to carry out the coup attempt. Turkish authorities argue Gulen used his large network of national and local media outlets to support the military take over bid. Gulen denies all charges of involvement. And the motives of the crackdown are being increasingly questioned. Nina Ornianova of New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the scale and scope of arrests, in particular in the media, leads to worrying conclusions. "It goes far beyond what is necessary to preserve the security of the state. It seems like Mr. Erdogan and the AKP government, have being using this failed putsch to cleanse the media, state, and cleanse the country of dissenting voices." Ruling by decree Such accusations are strongly denied by Ankara who say only media establishments and journalists are linked to Gulen have been targeted. Observers say that claim is broadly true with prominent mainstream media critical of the president being so far unaffected. But Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas on Sunday criticized the detentions of pro-Kurdish and left-wing journalists. Turkey's Western allies, too, are voicing concern. These concerns have been angrily dismissed by President Erdogan, who said those critical of the crackdown are siding with the coup plotters. Ayse Sozen Usluer, Erdogan's foreign relations chief, defends the arrests and detentions, comparing the situation to that in the United States after the September 11th, 2001 terrorists attacks. "After 9/11, I ask you, in Guantanamo were the people suspects or were they in prison in Guantanamo after the judiciary processes? They were suspects,' he said. "That's why these are the precautions being taken in Turkey at the moment." President Erdogan has granted himself emergency powers allowing him to rule by decree. Analysts say fears continue to grow that the crackdown could turn into a witch hunt against all critics. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Troubled UK Royal Navy destroyers return home Iran Press TV Mon Aug 1, 2016 10:15AM All six of the UK navy's advanced Type 45 destroyers have been docked in Portsmouth Harbor and are about to undergo heavy maintenance operations after facing constant breakdowns in the Persian Gulf. The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed the 1 billion fleet's return to home over the weekend and added that it might take a whole month before the warships are ready to be deployed again. This is the first time over the past years that all of the Type 45 destroyers are called back home, a move that has drawn mixed reactions from experts. A senior military figure told SkyNews that the ships' pullback was "almost unprecedented" and "either showed a gross lack of planning or was indicative of something more serious." However, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, told the British outlet that the stop is nothing special and would include "maintenance [and] software upgrades" while the crew will get a chance to meet their families. The air defense warships mainly operate in the Persian Gulf region, protecting American assets in the US-led military effort against purported Daesh positions inside Syria and Iraq. But it was revealed last month that the warships could not cope with Persian Gulf's warm waters and constantly experienced power failures, leaving hundreds of sailors in darkness. The persistent issue prompted MPs to grill top navy officials and weapons manufacturers as part of an inquiry by the British parliament's Defense Committee. It's a billion-pound asset that you're putting into perhaps a war zone and we don't know if these people who are making up the complement on that ship will go in there and come back out alive, because there might be a problem with the power system on the ship," committee member MP Douglas Chapman said. Weighing around 8,000 tons each, the ships run on Rolls-Royce engines and have a crew of 190 people. Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former head of Britain's Maritime Warfare Center, said Saturday that the decision, taken in 2,000, to fit the warships with domestically-build engines had political motives. "The Government made a decision that they would go for British shoddy engines and everyone said at the time 'don't go for them, they're rubbish'," he said. "It was a political decision because of electoral politics, and now of course the engines are useless," Parry added. UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has also blamed the engines for the issue, saying the Royal Navy has learned lessons regarding choosing simpler and more robust engineering. According to the defense ministry, all of the six ships will be refitted with new engines come 2019. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The F-35A Lightning II fifth generation fighter aircraft was declared combat ready today by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command. The 34th Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing, based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the services first operational F-35A squadron, having met all the established criteria for Initial Operational Capability including a successful June deployment to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and a series of eight-aircraft sorties held in mid-July. Currently equipped with 15 combat-ready aircraft, the unit will eventually operate 24 F-35As. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, Commander, Air Combat Command lauded the efforts of the Airmen and the Joint Program Office in bringing this powerful new weapons system to operational capability. He noted that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability: Airmen trained, manned and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction, and limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment. All that is achieved with an operational squadron of 12-24 aircraft; the ability to deploy and conduct operational missions using program of record weapons and missions systems; and having all necessary logistics and operational elements in place. An official ceremony is scheduled at Hill AFB on Friday August 5. I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability, Carlisle said. The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield. The Marine Corps inducted their first F-35B squadron at Yuma Air Station in Arizona in June last year and are currently fielding the VMFA-211, the second unit at the base. The first operational F-35B squadron, Marine Fighter Attack 121 (VMFA-121) currently has 10 F-35Bs and is scheduled to deploy to Iwakuni air station in Japan next year. By the next summer, the unit will get six additional jets and, by the summer of 2018, deploy to its first mission at sea, on board the Wasp Class amphibious landing dock USS Bonhomme Richard. While the F-35A is declared combat ready it is not likely to deploy overseas in the near future, but the aircraft and crews will take part in combat training, to assess and demonstrate the jets capabilities and demonstrate its combat readiness. The F-35A is the latest addition to ACCs fleet of deployable and fifth generation aircraft. It provides air superiority, interdiction, suppression of enemy air defenses and close air support as well as excellent command and control functions through fused sensors, and will provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness of the battlespace that will be more extensive than any single-seat platform in existence. The combat ready F-35A is the latest fifth generation fighter aircraft in the Air Forces inventory and provides our nation air dominance in any environment. Gen. David Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force said. The F-35A brings an unprecedented combination of lethality, survivability, and adaptability to joint and combined operations, and is ready to deploy and strike well-defended targets anywhere on Earth, Goldfein added. 34 FS Airmen will fly and maintain the F-35A alongside Air Force Reservists from Hills 419th Fighter Wing. Its an honor to fly and maintain the F-35 with our active duty counterparts here at Hill, 419 FW commander Col. David Smith, said. Our units were the first to fly combat-ready F-16s nearly 40 years ago, and were very proud to have made history once again in bringing the Air Forces newest fighter jet. OSCE Official Says Monitors Need 'Unfettered' Access In Ukraine August 01, 2016 by Tony Wesolowsky The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is demanding unfettered access across eastern Ukraine after one of its monitoring missions there was threatened at gunpoint by Russia-backed separatists. Alexander Hug, the deputy chief monitor for the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, told RFE/RL that failure to prosecute those responsible for such attacks would only invite more. "As long as there is no follow-up, no one identified as responsible, and as long as impunity prevails, there will be more of these incidents," Hug said. "If there is no follow-up, it is an open invitation for more of the same." He said that if the monitors were prevented from carrying out their work, there was little chance of resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 9,400 people have been killed since April 2014. "If we can't do our job as monitors, it will be very difficult to assist the sides in finding the path to swift normalization in the eastern part of the country," Hug stressed. The OSCE said a team from its Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) was stopped by two armed separatists near the separatist-controlled village of Lukove in the afternoon on July 29. This occurred, the OSCE said, while the monitors were following what the mission said were fresh tracks, likely left by an infantry fighting vehicle. The separatists blocked the road with their camouflaged jeep, pointed their guns at the monitors, and ordered them to leave the area, according to the OSCE. As the group of monitors was leaving the area, another separatist jeep appeared, traveling at top speed. It almost hit the lead vehicle in the SMM convoy before coming to a stop in front of the patrol, blocking its path. The OSCE said one separatist made a "cut throat" sign to the monitors and took photographs of both SMM vehicles and the drivers. The OSCE monitors were led to a separatist checkpoint in Prymorske, some 5 kilometers south of Lukove. There, according to the OSCE, nine armed separatists surrounded the first SMM vehicle, swearing and making threatening gestures. One of the monitor's vehicles was dented after a separatist hit it several times with his rifle butt. The monitors were eventually released and returned safely to their base in Mariupol. Hug said there had been "no concrete feedback" from the separatists regarding the latest violation, which the OSCE official stressed was not an isolated incident. "We've had, of course, our patrols shot at previously. We had patrols be under crossfire, including involving artillery," Hug explained. "We had our colleagues being kidnapped earlier on, in 2014, when eight of our colleagues were taken and held for over a month. So, there are, of course, different scales of incidents." On December 5, 2015, the OSCE said, armed individuals guarding heavy weapons in the separatist-controlled town of Yurivka in the Luhansk region fired into the air as SMM monitors tried to approach. On April 7, 2016, the OSCE said an SMM vehicle was hit by a bullet not far from Snizhne in a separatist-controlled area of the Donetsk region. The same day, the OSCE said a SMM vehicle was stopped on a highway checkpoint north of Smile in a separatist-controlled area of Luhansk. In this incident, a monitor had a gun pointed at him from a distance of about 7 meters. Just two days later, on April 9, an SMM patrol including five monitors and travelling in two armored vehicles was in Zhovanka, a government-controlled part of Zaytseve (50 kilometers northeast of Donetsk). The SMM was accompanied by Ukrainian military personnel. According to the OSCE, a mortar was fired in the direction of the SMM, followed by small-arms fire. According to the monitors, at least three or four bullets flew 1 or 2 meters above their heads. No one was hurt in the incident. The latest incident in July came at the end of what has been the deadliest month for the Ukrainian military in nearly a year after a sharp spike in violence. This despite an 18-month-old Minsk cease-fire deal that was meant to halt the fighting. But many of its key points -- including the complete withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line -- have not been implemented. On July 19, Ukraine reported seven soldiers had been killed and 14 wounded over the past 24 hours in fighting against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Days later, on July 24, Ukraine's military said six more soldiers were killed. "It is indeed true that we see a correlation between an increase in cease-fire violations and in violence in general, and an increase in violations that affect our own monitors. And that is once again a reason why it is important that the security of our patrols are being looked after properly by the sides, Hug said. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-russia-osce-monitors- demand-unfettered-access/27893202.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 Trump Says He Would Consider Recognizing Crimea As Part Of Russia August 01, 2016 The Republican candidate for U.S. president, Donald Trump, has said that, if elected, he would consider recognizing Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. "I'm going to take a look at it," Trump said in an interview broadcast on July 31 on the U.S. television program This Week. "But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also." The move would be a reversal of the Obama administration's policy of refusing to recognize Russia's occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea in March 2014. He also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin had no designs on Ukraine. "Just so you understand. [Putin is] not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down and you can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want," before admitting, after prodding by the program's host, that, "OK, well, he's there in a certain way, but I'm not there yet," an apparent reference to the U.S. presidency. Writing on Facebook, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called Trump's remarks "shameful," adding that "a marginal who support Putin's dictatorship cannot be a guarantor of democratic freedoms in the U.S. and the world." Former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called Trump's comments "a challenge to the values of the free world." "It can hardly be called ignorance," Yatsenyuk said. "This is a breach of moral and civilized principles." Trump also blamed U.S. President Barack Obama for the "mess" in "that whole part of the world" and said he had not been involved in a move that decreased support for Ukraine in the Republican Party platform. His supporters at the Republican National Convention in July prevented a reference being added to the party's foreign policy agenda on providing offensive weapons to Kyiv for its fight against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Trump also denied having any kind of relationship with Putin, saying he'd neither met Putin nor spoken on the phone with him. Trump's campaign manager, political strategist Paul Manafort, previously had been a lobbyist for Ukraine's ousted pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, USA Today, ABC-TV, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/trump-ukraine- russia-putin-crimea-annexation/27892208.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 Russia to Deploy Airborne Forces Battalion in North Crimea in 2017 Sputnik News 16:11 01.08.2016 Russia will deploy a battalion and a regiment of its airborne forces in Crimea. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Airborne Forces will deploy a battalion next year and a regiment by 2018 in the northern Crimean city of Dzhankoi, Airborne Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Nikolai Ignatov said Monday. "We plan a regiment in Dzhankoi, one battalion in 2017, then a full-fledged unit to be deployed by 2018," Ignatov told reporters. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week a self-sufficient force grouping has been formed in Crimea with more than 4,000 weapons and hardware, including coastal missile complexes, missile systems and submarines. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Interior Minister Slams Trump as 'Dangerous Outcast' Sputnik News 06:46 01.08.2016 Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has called US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump a "dangerous outcast" over the billionaire's promise to look into recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Wednesday, Trump said he would look into recognizing Crimea as the territory of the Russian Federation as well as into lifting sanctions against Moscow. On Sunday, Trump told ABC News that the people of Crimea prefer to be with Russia instead of Ukraine. "The shameless statement by the US presidential candidate Trump about the possible recognition of Crimea as Russian is a diagnosis of a dangerous outcast. And he is dangerous for Ukraine as well as for the United States," Avakov wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Trump's statement on Crimea is a challenge to the values of the "free world" and international law. Russia's historical southern region of Crimea rejoined Russia after a 2014 referendum. Almost 97 percent of the region's population voted for reunification in a referendum. Sevastopol, which has a federal city status, supported the move by 95.6 percent of votes. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months. Just a few short years ago, Pittsylvania County Christian school Heritage Academy was nothing more than a dream of about eight educators hoping to bring religious values back into the classroom. Now, the Dry Fork-based school is poised to begin its fifth year in operation. From the first round-table planning sessions to today, we have seen Gods hand at work, Heritage Academy Head of School Ann Haymes said in a news release. We are now close to outgrowing our second campus. Haymes said the first year for the school was challenging, but the group of invested teachers, parents and students were able to overcome financial challenges and continue to grow the school. Two years ago, the school was able to move out of its old location in the former Climax Elementary School building and into the current building the former home of the White Oak Grove Outreach Center. Its a great location, Haymes said. Haymes said the school continues to provide both a Christian worldview and educational excellence. Heritage supports a traditional American primary educational model designed to encourage students to reason and solve problems, to view the world through the lens of Christianity and to express their opinions clearly both orally and written, Haymes said. Heritage currently employs 16 full-time and three part-time teachers. Haymes said the school invites a number of guest speakers to present every year, and has board members who all work and live in the community. I was aware of the reputation that Heritage had in the community, but was truly impressed after attending a graduation, board member Rita Dupont said in the release. These children were not only impressive in the subject matter they had learned, but they also demonstrated a poise and respect that cannot be achieved in the public school environment today. Haymes said she was excited about the potential for more growth in the future. Heritage Academy appreciates all who have contributed to our first five years, Haymes said. We anticipate continued growth and expansion in this community in the coming years. The school serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Aug. 16 is the first day back for students. Two months after construction started, the Albany Historic Carousel & Museums new $5.6 million building downtown is progressing on schedule, and seemingly on track to open on June 1, 2017. The concrete stem walls for the 12-sided centerpiece of the structure, which will house the carousel and its 50 steeds, was poured over the weekend. There have been some unexpected curves as the Historic Carousel & Museum reaches for the brass ring, however. Dr. Gary Goby, who is helping the organizations board oversee construction, said that during excavation for the basement area of the building, workers discovered, and then had to chip out, an ancient lava rock bed. Most people dont realize that when you go down a ways in Albany, there are lava flows. Its nice that we have some very hard rocks to set the building on, but it took a bit of extra work to get there, he added. During excavation, a natural gas line also had to be moved and a wall was re-engineered as a fiber optic cable for Southern Oregon was right next to it. We couldnt excavate around that, Goby said. Otherwise, its been a piece of cake, he added. The carousel, at 503 First Ave. W., attracted 2,000 to 2,500 visitors a month to see woodcarving and check out progress on the project before its building was demolished. Now, the site gets visitors eager to view the construction progress on the new building, said Wendy Kirbey. Theres always somebody down there looking through the fence, added Kirbey, who came up with the idea of the local carousel to draw visitors after seeing Missoula, Montanas carousel in 2002. Goby said that a Pokemon hotspot by the U.S. Post Office means that curious kids and their parents will wander over to check out the construction work as well. Were getting a lot of kids nearby hunting Pokemon, and all that is a bit interesting. Its nice to see them out and getting some exercise, Goby said. The Historic Carousel & Museums new building will be 22,000 square feet. The first floor of the building will be 14,000 square feet and the 8,000-square-foot basement will include a workshop, storage area and volunteer break room. Until the new buildings completion, the carousel animals are on display at various locations around downtown Albany, including at Two Rivers Market, 250 Broadalbin St. S.W., where woodcarving and other work on the animals also is continuing. Kirbey said additional funding from donors still is needed. For more information, call the Albany Historic Carousel & Museum office in Two Rivers Market, 541-791-3340, or check out construction updates on the organizations Facebook page. CAROVA, N.C. A 5-year-old boy on vacation with his family died after being struck by lightning on an Outer Banks beach, authorities said. According to The Virginian-Pilot, the boy and his family were trying to to get into a vehicle for shelter as a storm approached Carova Beach shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday. The Outer Banks Voice reported that the boy is from the Philadelphia area. The father and boy had not yet made it to the vehicle when the boy was struck by lightning, Currituck fire Chief Ralph Melton told the newspaper. Authorities did not identify the family. EMS crews from Carova took the boy across the state line into Virginia Beach, where he was transferred to a Virginia Beach Rescue Squad vehicle and taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks Voice reported. We attempted to resuscitate him at the scene and en route to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach, and he ultimately did not survive, Melton told The Virginian-Pilot. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwired - Aug 1, 2016) - Gold Resource Corp. (NYSE MKT: GORO) (the "Company") today announced the timing of its first quarter earnings conference call scheduled for August 3, 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 into physical gold and silver and take delivery. Conference Call Gold Resource Corp.'s CEO Mr. Jason Reid will host the conference call Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. Topics of discussion will include second quarter results and an update on current operations. The conference call will be recorded and posted to the Company's website in three to five business days from recording. Q&A Following Mr. Reid's opening remarks, the Company will answer questions during a live Q&A period. Date: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 Time: 11:00 AM Eastern (9:00 AM Mountain) Attendee Access Information: - Title: Gold Resource Corp. Second Quarter Conference Call - Host Name: Jason Reid - Company Name: Gold Resource Corp. US/CAN Toll Free: 800-967-7149 International Toll: 719-325-4932 Passcode: 986725 Please dial-in to the meeting at least 5 minutes prior to the start time using the attendee phone number and passcode. About GRC: Gold Resource Corp. 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 Corp. 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. DENVER, Aug. 1, 2016 /CNW/ -- Vista Gold Corp. (the "Company," "we" or "our") (NYSE MKT: VGZ) (TSX: VGZ) today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. Management's quarterly conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. MDT on August 10, 2016. The Company's unaudited financial statements, Management's Discussion and Analysis together with other important disclosures can be found in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 1, 2016 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Summary of Second Quarter 2016 Financial Results We reported net income of $1.6 million or $0.02 per share for the three months ended June 30, 2016. This includes an unrealized $3.3 million mark-to-market gain on our investment in Midas Gold Corp. ("Midas"); offset by $1.7 million of operating expenses and other expenses. During the three months ended June 30, 2015, we reported net income of $3.6 million or $0.04 per share. This included a $5.9 million payment received from the Australian Government under a research and development incentive program; an unrealized $0.3 million mark-to-market loss on our investment in Midas; and $2.0 million in operating expenses. Our working capital at June 30, 2016 totaled approximately $16.0 million, including cash and short-term investments (comprised of government securities) of approximately $10.3 million. The Company has no debt. To review the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, including the related Management's Discussion and Analysis, visit any of the following websites: www.sedar.com, www.sec.gov or www.vistagold.com. Management Conference Call A conference call with management to review our financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and to discuss corporate and project activities is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. MDT. Toll-free in North America: 1-866-233-5249 International: 416-642-3300 This call will also be web-cast and can be accessed at the following web location: http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=1234673&s=1&k=5184360283907E75CCB91632F5469D43 This call will be archived and available at www.vistagold.com after August 10, 2016. Audio replay will be available for 21 days by calling toll-free in North America: 1-888-203-1112, passcode 5515432. If you are unable to access the audio or phone-in on the day of the conference call, please email questions to Connie Martinez, Manager Investor Relations (email: connie@vistagold.com), and we will try to address these questions prior to or during the conference call. All dollar amounts in the press release are U.S. dollars. About Vista Gold Corp. The Company is a well-funded gold project developer. Our principal asset is our flagship Mt Todd gold project in Northern Territory, Australia where we continue to work to identify opportunities to improve project economics with the goal of advancing the project toward development. We also hold approximately 4.4% of the outstanding common shares of Midas, non-core projects in Mexico and the United States and royalty interests in Indonesia. For more information about our projects, including technical studies and resource estimates, please visit our website at www.vistagold.com. For further information, please contact Connie Martinez at (720) 981-1185. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vista-gold-corp-announces-second-quarter-2016-results-300307311.html SOURCE Vista Gold Corp. TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - August 02, 2016) - Excellon Resources Inc. (TSX: EXN) (OTC: EXLLF) ("Excellon" or the "Company"),Mexico's highest grade silver producer, is pleased to announce second quarter 2016 production results from the La Platosa Mine in Durango, Mexico. Q2 2016 Production Highlights (Compared to Q2 2015) Silver equivalent ("AgEq") production of 368,568 ounces (Q2 2015 -- 341,975 AgEq oz), an 8% increase Silver production of 227,826 ounces (Q2 2015 -- 182,709 ounces), a 25% increase Lead production of 1.3 million lb (Q2 2015 -- 1.0 million lb), a 28% increase Zinc production of 1.6 million lb (Q2 2015 -- 1.7 million lb), a 10% decrease Phases II and III of optimization program underway with increasingly dry mining conditions at Platosa and drawdown rates exceeding projections at current pumping rates "Production during the second quarter remained steady and slightly improved from Q1," stated Brendan Cahill, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As a result of drier underground conditions, we accessed the second level of the Rodilla Manto where further high grade mineralization was mined. With operations on firmer track as a result of our continued efforts to improve operational efficiencies, we expect these improvements to reflect well in our operating costs during the quarter, further benefitted by higher commodity prices. As we move into the third quarter of 2016, we intend to remain focused on improving our operations through the ongoing optimization program, while carrying out exploration drilling near existing infrastructure and following up on high priority, drill-ready targets." Q2 2016 Production Results Q2 2016 Q2 2015 6-Mos 2016 6-Mos 2015 Tonnes Mined 13,929 13,709 26,706 27,629 Tonnes Milled 14,453 14,629 29,173 28,457 Grades Silver (g/t) 536 475 509 499 Lead (%) 5.09 4.40 4.94 4.87 Zinc (%) 6.31 6.87 6.23 7.82 Recoveries Silver (%) 90.0 84.7 90.9 88.6 Lead (%) 81.2 73.6 82.5 75.9 Zinc (%) 78.7 80.1 79.0 81.9 Metal Production* Silver (oz) 227,826 182,709 439,382 399,788 Lead (lb) 1,313,197 1,024,813 2,632,113 2,277,608 Zinc (lb) 1,575,231 1,744,678 3,164,009 3,983,991 AgEq (oz)** 368,568 341,975 732,120 750,070 * Subject to adjustment following settlement with concentrate purchaser. ** Silver equivalent ounces established using average metal prices during the period indicated applied to the recovered metal content of concentrates. Ore production during the second quarter was primarily from the Rodilla, 6A and Guadalupe North and South mantos. A total of 14,453 tonnes of ore was processed during the quarter, a 5% increase from the previous quarter. As the Company continued to access the Rodilla Manto ahead of schedule due to drier mining conditions, approximately 10,795 tonnes of ore were mined from the Rodilla Manto alone, with grades from Rodilla averaging approximately 662 g/t Ag, 5.94% Pb and 7.75% Zn. During Q3, the Company aims to continue production from the Rodilla Manto on the 975 level while continuing development and accessing ore from the 970 level, with development preparing the 960 level for Q4. Additionally, development is focused on further accessing the Guadalupe South Manto and driving development into the 623 Manto, hosting mineral resources of 83,000 tonnes at 1,231 g/t Ag (1,766 g/t AgEq). As delineated in the Platosa resource block model, the upper levels of the Rodilla Manto host mineralization grading approximately 800 g/t Ag, 7% Pb and 10% Zn on an undiluted basis. During the second quarter, the Company continued to encounter materially higher grades than forecast from Rodilla, with approximately 1,700 tonnes of ore produced from Rodilla grading in excess of 1,000 g/t Ag, 10% Pb and 10% Zn on a diluted basis. Though the deposit is tightly drilled at 15 metre centres, manto boundaries are generally erratic and additional mineralization is often encountered outside of the resource block model. Additionally, the Company has noted historically that in areas with very high argentiferous-galena content silver and lead grades are underestimated as such mineralization may be washed out and lost during the diamond drilling process. Approximately 1,850 tonnes of ore milled during the quarter were extracted from historic stockpiles and settling ponds at Platosa at minimal cost with grades of approximately 150 g/t Ag and 1-2% Pb and Zn. High-grade ore produced during the quarter was blended with this lower grade material to improve recoveries and concentrate payability. The Company expects to continue accessing and blending this low cost ore in coming quarters. Update on Optimization Plan As announced on June 2nd and November 2nd, 2015, the Company has developed an optimization plan to comprehensively manage water at Platosa through an enhanced pumping system. The Company is currently implementing the second and third phases of the program, with the drilling of primary dewatering wells and installation of submersible pumps. Additionally, the Company has further optimized its existing pump infrastructure, which demonstrated exceptional results during the second quarter. Effectively all areas of the mine are currently dry, with operations only being limited by potential water inflows and pressure in the deepest areas of the mine (the production headings in Guadalupe South and development headings into the 623 Manto), and conditions in those areas are expected to improve as drawdown continues. Pumping rates (primarily from existing infrastructure) during June 2016 averaged approximately 15,900 gallons per minute, resulting in a drawdown of approximately 1.5metres during the month, approximately 30% higher than predicted in the conservative drawdown model on which the optimization plan is based. More generally, the drawdown rate throughout 2016 has exceeded the expected drawdown at various pumping rates. Drawdown rates are expected to fluctuate from period to period, but the higher than expected drawdown at consistently higher pumping rates is a promising indicator of the project's upside efficacy. All equipment required to equip the first eight dewatering wells is expected to be on site by the end of August. Three dewatering wells have been drilled to date. The initial drilling contractor was replaced in the second quarter to improve drilling performance and drilling has now resumed. Temporary, high head pumps have been installed to draw water from the initial wells prior to installation of the permanent pumping system, with further opportunities to optimize this interim system under implementation. Further updates on the progress of this program will be provided regularly during the implementation period. The Company expects to release second quarter financial results prior to market open on August 8, 2016. Qualified Person Michael Verreault, Ing., has acted as a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 for disclosure in respect of the drawdown rates referenced in this release. Mr. Verreault has a Masters in Applied Science (Hydrogeology) and 15 years of relevant experience focused on hydrogeology. He is a certified professional engineer (OIQ 125243) by the Ordre des ingAnieurs du QuAbec and is President of Hydro-Ressources Inc. Mr. Verreault is independent of the Company and visited Platosa several times during the preparation and ongoing implementation of the optimization plan referenced herein. About Excellon Excellon's 100%-owned La Platosa Mine in Durango is Mexico's highest grade silver mine, with lead and zinc by-products making it historically one of the lowest cash cost silver mines in the country. The Company is positioning itself to capitalize on undervalued projects by focusing on increasing La Platosa's profitable silver production and near-term mineable resources. Additional details on the La Platosa Mine and the rest of Excellon's exploration properties are available at www.excellonresources.com. Forward-Looking Statements The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this Press Release, which has been prepared by management. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 27E of the Exchange Act. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, including potential property acquisitions, the timing, content, cost and results of proposed work programs, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, geological interpretations, proposed production rates, potential mineral recovery processes and rates, business and financing plans, business trends and future operating revenues. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, significant downward variations in the market price of any minerals produced [particularly silver], the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. 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 technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties, and particularly the July 9, 2015 NI 43-101-compliant technical report prepared by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. with respect to the Platosa Property. 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. Toronto, Ontario / TheNewswire / August 2, 2016 - Latin American Minerals ("LAT" or the "Company") (TSX-V: LAT) today announced that it has initiated a plan to increase throughput and improve recoveries at the Independencia Gold Mine in Paraguay. The technical study for the reconfiguration of the gold processing plant was developed with John T. Boyd Company ("Boyd"), after the Boyd engineering and metallurgy team visited the mine in December 2015 to assess the most cost effective way to increase gold production at the mine. The initial goal is to double the throughput of raw material and increase production to 300 ounces of gold per month. Basil Botha, Chairman and CEO said: "For the initial resumption of operations, the company intends to reprocess 85,000 tonnes of existing tailings grading 0.84 g Au per tonne, followed by processing of low grade stockpiles grading 0.48 g Au per tonne. The reconfiguration of the plant will allow for the efficient processing of low grade ore otherwise considered uneconomic. The entire operation has been designed to move the raw feed hydraulically through pumps and pipes, which contributes to reduced production costs." The Company's Chief Operating Officer, Cameron Tymstra, is now resident in Paso Yobai, Paraguay and is directly involved in the daily operations and the rebuilding of the gold processing plant under the guidance of John T. Boyd Company. Cameron holds a degree in Mineral Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has worked on a number of exploration and development projects across Canada, United States and Colombia. These projects include gold, silver, iron and uranium. Cameron served as the Operations Manager for Northern Iron Corp. where he oversaw the feasibility investigations at their Ontario projects. He spent the last two years as the Mining Engineer at Magnetation Inc.'s iron tailings mining and reprocessing operations in the United States. The Boyd recommendations include de-sliming, reconfiguration of the gravity circuit, conversion of the heap leach pads to a vat leach system, along with various upgrades to the carbon loading and stripping circuits. Based on Boyd's professional experience and LAT's empirical data, these changes are expected to significantly improve recoveries. The company also plans to initiate a 10,000 metre drill program in early September. About the Company Latin American Minerals Inc. is a mineral exploration and gold mining company which holds its core gold and diamond projects in Paraguay. The Company is currently expanding its Independencia Mine gold processing plant to encompass vat-leach gold recovery from mineralization extracted in open pit bulk mining activities at its fully permitted mining concession. Management has identified six gold zones for drill testing on the Company's adjacent exploration claims, which is part of the Company's 15,020 hectare Paso Yobai gold project. Qualified person Gregory B. Sparks, BSc, PEng,, Managing Director - Metals for the John T. Boyd Company, consultant for the LAT process plant reconfiguration, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this press release with respect to matters relating to reconfiguration of the process plant located at the Independencia Mine. For more information, please contact: Basil Botha, CEO & Chairman Toronto: (1-416) 363-0841 or Vancouver: (1-604) 418-3856 E-mail: information@latinamericanminerals.com Website: www.latinamericanminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA / TheNewswire / August 2nd, 2016 - Northern Iron Corp. ("Northern Iron" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NFE) (FRANKFURT: N8I) announces the acquisition of three prospective lithium projects in Nevada and Arizona. Details of the properties follow below. Basil Botha, president, said: "When determining the prospectivity of lithium projects, it's important that the following criteria is met: road accessibility, electricity, rail, labour and the ability to conduct work programs throughout the year. I am delighted to say that all the projects the Company has acquired have meet the logistical conditions that the Company looks at in assessing projects". Mr. Botha started his career in the mining industry in the 70's and has extensive knowledge of the minerals and metals markets in Europe, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea where he supplied lithium and spodumene to the ceramics and glass industry from Bikita Minerals, Zimbabwe. Bikita Minerals together with the Greenbushes mine in Australia are the largest hard rock lithium mines in production. Mr. Botha was the chairman of Lithium Americas when the company went public in 2010. The properties held by Lithium Americas were lithium and potash brines in Jujuy Province of Argentina. Mr. Botha continued, "Our goals over the next few months will be to complete the necessary geophysics and analytical aspects of delineating and quantifying the brine reservoirs". NEVADA Northern Iron Corp. has acquired 140 mineral claims comprising 2,800 acres in Clark County, Nevada. The contiguous 'Jackpot Lake' claim group is located 39 miles NE of Las Vegas. Highlights/Geology - Jackpot Lake The USGS conducted a survey in 1976 taking 129 core samples, all of which encountered lithium with values up to 550 ppm and an average of 175 ppm. Click Image To View Full Size Albermarle has been in continuous production of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide products from Clayton Valley brines since 1967. The property is ideally situated to take advantage of amongst other things the solar energy zone in Nevada, and right off of the highway with associated logistical and infrastructural advantages. Jackpot Lake claims cover the entire dry lake bed. ARIZONA The company has also acquired two land packages in Arizona, consisting of 1,434 acres in the Wilcox Playa Basin; a large dry lakebed in southeastern Arizona, and 289 acres in the the Little Rock Target in Yavapai County, Arizona. Click Image To View Full Size Highlights/Geology - Wilcox Playa The Willcox Playa lithium brine target, as per the USGS 1976 report, consists of one of the most prospective locations for undiscovered lithium brines and most nearly like the currently exploited brine field in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Airborne electromagnetic prospecting by the USGS identified a 22-square-mile anomaly characterized by high electrical conductivity. The USGS interpreted this anomaly to be caused by a subsurface brine field hosted in sediments beneath the dry playa surface. Arizona Department of Water Resources records show that wells in the vicinity of this anomaly generally report water tables within 60 feet of the playa surface. The combination of a gravity survey showing a closed gravity low coincident with the zone of high electrical conductivity reinforces the concept that an accumulation of brine is present beneath Willcox Playa and that no hydrological outlet allows the accumulated brine to escape. High evaporation rates relative to precipitation in this desert environment allows any brine to become increasingly concentrated over time. A likely source area for lithium is located to the south, up the hydrological gradient from Willcox Playa in the felsic volcanic rocks at Three Sisters Buttes. Hot spring activity at Sulphur Springs, three miles up the hydrological gradient from the Arizona land permits, provides an ongoing mechanism for alteration and leaching of lithium-bearing felsic volcanic rocks. Subsurface drainage of this hydrothermal discharge will report directly to Willcox Playa in the vicinity of the Arizona land permits. Highlights/Geology - Little Rock The Little Rock target was first identified serendipitously during a helicopter-borne VTEM electromagnetic survey conducted by Bell Copper Corporation in 2007 while searching for massive copper sulfide deposits. A large, highly electrically conductive body at the south end of the survey area was checked on the ground and found to be a strongly clay-altered rhyolite tuff mostly concealed by a basalt flow. Geological mapping to the west shows a similar bimodal rhyolite-basalt volcanic association that has been dated between 12 Ma and 8.8 Ma (Late Miocene, Moyer, 1990). Recognizing that the clay body had potential to be a lithium clay deposit, a reconnaissance sampling campaign was done to understand the extent of the target and the presence, if any, of lithium. Clear evidence was found of a closed, lacustrine paleoenvironment, including thinly bedded rhyolitic claystone and ripple-marked rhyolitic sandstone. Prior to emplacement of the capping basalt flow, hydrothermal fluid controlled by the basin bounding fault altered the rhyolitic glass to lithium-enriched clay, and then probably discharged into a shallow lakebed. In order to capture the projected basin-bounding fault and the potential volume of hot spring discharge into a closed basin beneath the capping basalt flow, 14 unpatented lode mining claims were staked. The conceptual dimensions of the target are about 2500 meters along the strike of the basin-bounding fault, about 300 meters perpendicular to the fault, by about 20 meters thick. Hectorite clay (LR-6) from an active bentonite mine located in the same late Miocene lacustrine and volcanic strata 40 kilometers to the east carries over 2700 ppm lithium. Timothy Marsh PHD, P. Eng QP prepared the disclosures reports related to these projects. NI-43-101 reports have not been prepared on these properties. About Northern Iron Corp. Northern Iron is the owner of five iron (magnetite) properties in the Red Lake District in the Province of Ontario. The Red Lake District is an established mining area in Ontario where Northern Iron has two near term development projects, the past producing Griffith mine and the Karas property. Northern Iron is currently working towards the production of Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI), a transportable form of direct reduced iron. HBI is complementary and a viable metallic supplement to scrap steel. Quality scrap is a critical raw material in the steel making process. With the diminishing supply of quality scrap steel and ever increasing market demand, steel producers around the world will be looking to secure alternative supplies of metallic products. As part of the business plan, Northern Iron has acquired the past producing Griffith mine, which produced pellets and sponge iron (Direct Reduced Iron/DRI) from 1968 to 1986. The mine was owned and operated by STELCO and supplied pellets and sponge iron to the Hamilton and Nanticoke steel mills in Ontario. Transportation infrastructure is currently in place to ship produced HBI into the North American market via rail and lake barges and into Asian markets via rail through the port of Prince Rupert. Existing infrastructure includes all weather roads, 115kV power line, natural gas line, rail bed and port facilities. To date, Northern Iron has focused on de-risking the project by seeking out potential joint venture partners, off-take agreements or a combination thereof. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. For further information, please contact: Basil Botha President & CEO Northern Iron Corp. Tel: 604-566-8570 Fax: 604-602-9868 Email: bbotha@northernironcorp.com Website: www.northernironcorp.com For up to the minute news, industry analysis and feedback follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus and YouTube. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. August 2nd, 2016 / TheNewswire / Redstar Gold Corp. (TSX.V: RGC, US: RGCTF, FRA: RGG) ("Redstar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a Letter of Intent (the "LOI") with NV Gold Corp. (TSX.V:NVX) ("NVX") setting forth the terms under which NVX intends to acquire 100% of Redstar's exploration assets in Nevada, subject to completion of due diligence, the finalization of a definitive agreement governing the acquisition and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). These assets consist of a 100% interest (less existing NSRs) in 11 exploration projects (the "Projects") in Nevada, as well as the AngloGold-Ashanti database (the "Database") purchased by Redstar in 2008. Redstar recognises the Nevada portfolio's attractiveness, but is currently 100% focused on its highly prospective district scale Unga Gold Project in Alaska. Under the terms of the LOI, Redstar and NVX propose to enter into a definitive acquisition agreement under which NVX will acquire the Database and the Projects in consideration of NVX issuing to Redstar 6,000,000 common shares of NVX and Redstar having the right to name two of a proposed 6 member board of NVX. Under the definitive agreement, NVX will also be required to raise CDN$350,000 within 90 days of the completion of the definitive agreement or else NVX must return the Projects and the Database to Redstar in exchange for Redstar returning 95% of the shares of NVX it receives under the acquisition. If, after NVX raises the CDN$350,000, Redstar owns less than 29.9% of the outstanding shares of NVX, NVX would be required to issue Redstar additional shares of NVX to increase Redstar's share ownership of NVX shares to 29.9%. John Watson, CEO of NVX has confirmed he will subscribe to a lead order of the placement for up to CDN$100,000 after signing of the definitive agreement. The LOI is not binding on the parties, except that Redstar has agreed to a 30-day exclusive right for NVX to complete its due diligence and negotiate a definitive agreement and NVX has agreed to fund the annual claims maintenance costs due in August, 2016 for the 11 Nevada properties it proposes to acquire. "Redstar's goal is create near term value for our shareholders, while ensuring that in the long term additional upside is realized for assets we control. To ensure our Nevada portfolio receives the attention and focus it requires for a potential discovery and/or joint venture partnership, we searched for a group with a solid management team that brings the technical and district expertise to unlock the value in our assets where the market currently gives no credit to Redstar and its shareholders," commented Peter A. Ball, CEO of Redstar, "NVX's highly regarded technical team, with their extensive knowledge of Nevada, now will control a solid portfolio of projects and an extensive database that will create the opportunity of exploration success for NVX, and subsequently Redstar's shareholders. Redstar looks forward to working closely with Mr. Watson and the NVX team and being a significant shareholder to participate in the upside." John E. Watson, President of NVX, states: "The proposed acquisition of this exceptional exploration property package consisting of 11 projects in the main mineralized trends of Nevada, and the geological Database, would mark a significant milestone for NVX and its return to an exploration focus in Nevada and the Great Basin. The Database is extensive and represents the results of decades of reconnaissance and exploration by a respected major company, estimated at a historical cost close to US$20 million. NVX looks forward to welcoming Redstar as a significant shareholder, and working closely with its new director appointees, with a focus of creating value, the development of key partnerships and exploration to make the next Nevada discovery." Review of Nevada Assets to be Acquired by NVX The Database The Database, which covers Nevada, portions of Utah, Idaho and California, includes extensive proprietary exploration files created by AngloGold-Ashanti and its predecessors, as well as significant regional geological, geochemical and geophysical data, much of it also proprietary, as well as significant amounts of exploration information performed by Redstar from 2005 to 2014. The exploration programs which generated this data encompassed nearly 30 years of effort at a cost of an estimated US$20 million. The Projects The eleven (11) Nevada projects NVX proposes to acquire include both sediment-hosted and volcanic-hosted gold systems on important mineralized trends, including the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend and the Walker Lane. Each of the projects has significant results to date: -Cooks Creek is a sediment-hosted gold system located eight miles west of the world-class Pipeline deposits being mined by Barrick Gold. Historic drilling intersected 21.3m (70 feet) grading 2.3 gpt gold (0.068 opt). The undrilled "Dinner" Zone has yielded surface rock-chip values to 2.45 gpt Au. A drill permit is currently in place, providing the opportunity for immediate advancement of this promising project. -Seven Devils is a volcanic-hosted epithermal gold prospect located along the "Western Nevada Rift" trend that includes Kinross' Goldbanks, Newmont's Sandman and Paramount's Sleeper deposits. The identified gold system at Seven Devils is in excess of 6,000 feet long and contains surface rock-chip gold values up to 3.47 gpt. Targets include both high-grade epithermal veins and disseminated gold. -Oasis is near the Goldfield district in western Nevada and contains a porphyry-style copper-gold system with extensive low-grade gold mineralization (2010-11 drilling yielded 96.1m grading 0.26 gpt Au, 30.5m grading 0.4 gpt Au and 196m of 0.22 gpt Au). Drilling results also suggested increasing copper at depth with the gold. The gold mineralization is currently exposed over an area of approximately 1,000m X 1,250m and is potentially open at depth and to the south. -Gold Cloud is along the southeastern portion of the Cortez Trend and contains a 2-km-long zone of carbonate veins and silicification (jasperoid) with gold values at surface up to 2.8 gpt. The mineralization occurs along a range-front structure and could represent the upper-most or lateral edges of a larger gold system yet to be explored at depth or under shallow pediment alluvial cover in the adjacent valley. -Painted Hills is a low-sulfidation, mid-Miocene bonanza-style vein target located 50 miles NW of the Sleeper deposit, which is geologically similar. An initial program, conducted in 2007 yielded extensive low-grade gold mineralization beneath a barren opalite cap. Surface indications suggest the exposed mineralization is above the "boiling zone" pointing to a high-grade gold target at shallow depth. Drilling results point to a high-grade "boiling-zone" target below the levels tested in the drilling, and potential also exists under the adjacent alluvial cover outboard of a range-front fault. -Richmond Summit is approximately 7 miles NNW of Newmont's Gold Quarry mine. This Carlin-style, sediment-hosted target has yielded surface samples as high as 7.75 gpt, with lower plate rocks exposed within 300 m of the property and intersected in drilling. -Baker is approximately 12 miles north of Newmont's new Long Canyon mine. The project is focused on anomalous mercury and arsenic, along with local hydrothermal barite within fault-controlled jasperoids at a range front. Peripheral stratiform jasperoid is widespread. -Larus is a Carlin-style gold system along the Cortez Trend, 2 miles NW of the Mt. Hope Molybdenum project. Rock-chip samples have yielded up to 3.2 gpt of gold. Carbonates occur as a block above a low-angle detachment fault, with upper-plate siliciclastic rocks and volcanics lying below the fault. Gold locally occurs in the underlying siliciclastic rocks (to 2 gpt), and N-NW trending faults with gold cut (post-date) the detachment, suggesting a rooted gold system. Mineralization is known over a strike length of at least 1,200 m and a vertical range of at least 160 m. -Root Spring is an epithermal gold-silver vein system in northwestern Nevada that is geologically similar to the world-class Rochester silver-gold mine operated by Coeur Mining 26 km to the NW. The gently-dipping vein system within Triassic Koipato Group volcanic rocks lies along a range front and can be traced for 1.2 km with a width of 150 m, although alluvial cover obscures extensions. Rock-chip values in veins reach 9.36 gpt gold (0.273 opt) and 1500 gpt silver (44 opt). First-phase drilling in 2012 intersected vein and disseminated Ag-Au mineralization down-dip of exposed veins (e.g., 12.1 m grading 14 gpt Ag and 0.16 gpt Au), but drilling was very shallow (68 m average length) and the system remains poorly explored. -Queens and Long Island are 5-7 miles SE of Kinross's Round Mountain Mine and are volcanic-hosted epithermal systems similar in age to Round Mountain. Historic shallow (<150m) drilling at Queens in the early 1990's yielded 0.70 gpt over 23 m, 0.46 gpt over 17 m and 0.53 gpt over 14 m. Rock chip sampling has been encouraging. If it completes the acquisition and raises the required funds, NVX intends to advance certain of the existing targets through surface geologic work, geophysical surveys and possible drilling at some or all of the 11 Nevada projects and NVX will immediately begin analysis of the Database to select priority target areas for acquisition of new projects. NVX plans to become a project generator, with the goal of providing high-quality mineral exploration projects for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region. The immediate goal is to prepare these projects for lease or joint venture. NVX also continues to advance its Surselva property, in Graubunden, Switzerland. Dr. Jake Margolis, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific or technical information in this news release. It is intended that Dr. Margolis, formerly Redstar's U.S. Exploration Manager, will be a consultant to NVX on the existing projects and the generation of new projects. Dr. Margolis previously worked for AngloGold-Ashanti and was instrumental in developing and advancing these Nevada projects and assisting in building the extensive Database. About NV Gold Corporation NV Gold is junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is planning to focus on delivering value through mineral discoveries utilizing the prospector generator model. Leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, NV Gold's geological team intends to use the Database, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with the eleven (11) gold projects, to uncover opportunities for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region that have been overlooked. About RedStar Gold Corp. Redstar is a junior exploration company focused on high-grade gold exploration in North America. In Alaska, the Company is exploring the 100% controlled high-grade Unga Gold Project. In Nevada, Redstar is currently seeking suitable partners to advance its portfolio of eleven (11) 100% owned properties located along and within many of the major gold producing trends. Redstar also owns 30% of the Newman Todd Gold Project, in Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. Newman Todd is a high-grade gold discovery along a 1.8 km corridor within the Newman Todd Structure (NTS). On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Peter A. Ball, President and CEO For additional information please contact: T: +1.604.245.5861 Toll Free: 877.310.3330 E: pball@redstargold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed acquisition of the Properties and the Database and the terms of such acquisition by NVX, the proposed raising of CDN$350,000 by NVX, the geological potential of or the potential to lease or joint venture any of the Properties, the generative value of the Database, the expectation of creating shareholder value from NVX's efforts as owner of the Properties and the Database and other future plans and objectives of the Company, including exploration plans, 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include regulatory issues, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company 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 otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. . Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Vancouver, Canada (FSCwire) - Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V: BAY) (Aston Bay or the Company) is pleased to announce that all conditions precedent have been completed in the Option Agreement (the Option Agreement), signed by the Company with a Canadian Subsidiary of BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP Billiton) on May 27, 2016, to cooperatively advance the Storm Copper Project (Storm) in Nunavut. BHP Billiton has made a cash payment of CAD$325,000 to Aston Bay in accordance with its terms and the Option Agreement is closed. We are very pleased with our progress on the Storm Copper Project and with the completion of our Option Agreement with BHP Billiton, commented Benjamin Cox, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aston Bay. The Summer 2016 exploration program including drilling is currently underway. See the Companys news releases of June 28, 2016 and May 31, 2016 for additional information about the exploration program and the Option Agreement. Qualified Person The content of this news release and the technical information that forms the basis for this disclosure has been prepared under the supervision of Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and a Director of and Consultant to Aston Bay. About Aston Bay Holdings Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V: BAY) is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the 976,066-acre (395,000 hectares) Aston Bay Property located on northwest Somerset Island, Nunavut. The Aston Bay Property hosts the Storm Copper project and has been optioned by BHP Billiton. Historical drilling has confirmed the presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization on the property. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Benjamin Cox, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (360) 262-6969 For further information about Aston Bay Holdings Ltd or this news release, please visit our website at www.astonbayholdings.com. About BHP Billiton Ltd. Further information on BHP Billiton can be found at: bhpbilliton.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed 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 and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company 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. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Companys management on the date the statements are made. In the event that managements beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. We seek Safe Harbor. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/AstonBay02022016.pdfSource: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX Venture:BAY) To follow Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below. Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc. VANCOUVER, Aug. 2, 2016 - Blue Sky Uranium Corp. (TSX VENTURE:BSK)(FRANKFURT:MAL) (WKN: A0MKXP) ("Blue Sky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 6,500,000 units at a price of $0.38 per unit for gross proceeds of $2,470,000. "Our Company has maintained its large property portfolio with the belief that Argentina continues to be one of the best destinations for discovering uranium as an alternate energy provider," stated Nikolaos Cacos, President and C.E.O. "Argentina currently relies on the import of uranium at very high cost in order to satisfy its nuclear power requirement. The Company has several discoveries which, if developed, have the potential to become a domestic source for the country's uranium need." Each unit will consist of one common share and one transferrable common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company at $0.50 per share for two years from the date of issue. If the volume weighted average price for the Company's shares is $0.80 or greater for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, then the Company may deliver a notice (the "Notice") to the warrantholder that the Warrants must be exercised within twenty (20) days from the date of delivery of such Notice, otherwise the Warrants will expire at 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the twenty-first (21st) day after the date of delivery of the Notice. The accelerated exercise shall not apply until the expiration of the four-month hold period required under TSX Venture Exchange policies and rules, and securities laws that are applicable to the Company. This financing is subject to regulatory approval and all securities to be issued pursuant to the financing are subject to a four-month hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. Directors, officers and employees of the Company may participate in a portion of the financing. A commission may be paid on a portion of the financing. The proceeds of the financing will be used for exploration programs on the Company's projects in Argentina and for general working capital. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Nikolaos Cacos, President, CEO and Director 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. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's public disclosure documents for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO OR THROUGH US NEWSWIRE SERVICES Contact Blue Sky Uranium Corp. Corporate Communications 1-604-687-1828 Toll-Free: 1-800-901-0058 info@blueskyuranium.com www.blueskyuranium.com TSX-V: SIL VANCOUVER, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - SilverCrest Metals Inc. ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the first drill hole results at its Las Chispas Project ("Las Chispas") located in Sonora State, Mexico. Las Chispas is in a historic silver-gold mining district which presently hosts two nearby precious metal producers. Historic information indicates that only three veins, the Las Chispas, William Tell and Babicanora, of the fourteen historically reported veins at Las Chispas had documented production, between 1880 and 1930. SilverCrest's initial focus is on these three veins. To the Company's knowledge, none of the known veins have been drilled prior to the Company's current campaign. For more information, please refer to our website at www.silvercrestmetals.com. N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, President & CEO remarked, "The initial Las Chispas drill hole results received to date are impressive. Not only do they indicate bonanza grades of up to*** 18.55 gpt Au and 2,460 gpt Ag or 3,851.3 gpt AgEq*, but also show mineralized widths up to 7.2 metres in estimated true thickness. These first results have exceeded our expectations and appear to confirm that historic mining completed in the early 1900's has left behind substantial unexplored, unmined and easily accessible high grade mineralization. Until now, we have only been guided by what we could access from the estimated 11.5 kilometres of historic underground workings with approximate mined widths of 1 to 3 metres. Our drilling adjacent to historic workings now suggests that 1 to 3 metres may be the minimum widths of the Las Chispas vein. By combining our recent underground sampling and new drill results for the first of several veins to be explored, we have begun to discover the hidden potential of this district-wide play. This news release is the first of a series of releases on Phase I drill results and other activities to be announced over the next several weeks." The most significant core drilling results for this release are 4.6 metres wide grading 4.56 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold ("Au") and 621.5 gpt silver ("Ag"), or 963.2 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq"* uncut, undiluted, see attached Figure) including 0.8 metres grading 3,851.3 gpt AgEq (see attached Photo) in hole LC16-05. Also noteworthy is 7.2 metres wide grading 2.41 gpt Au and 311.5 gpt Ag, or 492.5 gpt AgEq* in hole LC16-08. The following table summarizes the most significant drill assay results (uncut, undiluted) for the Las Chispas vein only; Hole No. From (m) To (m) Drilled Thickness (m) Est. True Thickness (m)** Au gpt Ag gpt AgEq* gpt LC16-05 149.0 150.0 1.0 0.9 2.10 226.0 383.5 167.0 172.0 5.0 4.6 4.56 621.5 963.2 includes 171.0 172.0 1.0 0.8 18.55 2,460.0 3,851.3 LC16-06 66.0 67.0 1.0 0.7 14.90 1,815.0 2,932.5 LC16-07 144.0 145.0 1.0 0.7 1.73 164.0 293.8 LC16-08 143.0 145.0 2.0 1.4 1.58 163.5 282.5 171.0 182.0 11.0 7.2 2.41 311.5 492.5 includes 171.0 176.0 5.0 3.3 2.25 276.3 444.8 includes 181.0 182.0 1.0 0.7 14.40 1,900.0 2,980.0 LC16-11 95.0 96.0 1.0 0.9 1.32 198.0 297.0 108.0 110.0 2.0 1.6 1.30 152.6 251.8 Note: all numbers are rounded. *AgEq based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) and 100% metallurgical recovery. ** All holes were driled at apparent angles to mineralization and adjusted for true thickness. Las Chispas Main Vein in bold. *** Drill hole grade intercepts range from 1.3 gpt Au and 152.6 gpt Ag to 18.55 gpt Au and 2,460 gpt Ag with a weighted average grade of 3.52 gpt Au and 454.8 gpt Ag. All assays were completed by ALS Chemex in Hermosillo, Mexico, and North Vancouver, BC. All drill holes have intercepted quartz stockwork veinlets, veining and/or breccia. No underground workings have been intercepted while drilling the Las Chispas vein. Drill hole LC16-01 intersected the Las Chispas Vein (outside the potentially identified high grade corridor) with grades less than the initially established cutoff of greater than 150 gpt AgEq*. Holes 2, 3 and 4 were drilled exclusively into the adjacent parallel William Tell Vein and will be reported separately. Holes 9 and 10 intercepted quartz stockwork including anomalous but low gold and silver values. Holes LC16-12 to 19 are pending final results, some of which are William Tell intercepts only, and will be reported once all assays are received and compiled. For comparison purposes, hole LC16-05 intercepted 4.6 metres wide at 4.56 gpt gold and 621.5 gpt silver, or 963.2 gpt AgEq of breccia near the previously announced underground channel sampling result (see new release dated July 19, 2016) of 8 metres in vein strike length, 1 metre wide, and grading 1163.0 gpt AgEq, also in breccia. By comparison, the mineralized drill intercept is 2.5 metres wider than the accessible historic workings and the Company's average underground sample widths. Drill holes LC16-05, 08, and 11 intercepted a new continuous vein (unnamed) which appears to be parallel to the nearby Las Chispas Main Vein. This new discovery suggests additional potential for further exploration work with a three hole drill-intercept, weighted average of 1.3 metres grading 1.32 gpt Au, 152.6 gpt Ag or 251.8 gpt AgEq. The Company is completing its expanded Phase I surface drill program having drilled 22 core holes totalling approximately 6,300 metres to date. Nineteen holes have been drilled in the Las Chispas and William Tell veins, and three holes in the adjacent Babicanora (La Victoria) area. Based on positive Phase I surface drilling results, the Company is planning a Phase II surface drill program for the fall of 2016. With permitting near completion, the planned 2,000 metre underground drill program should commence in late Q3 or early Q4 2016. The underground drill program will focus on delineation of a potential bulk sample, infill and expansion drilling, and drilling to depth in preparation for the initial Las Chispas resource estimation. The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, and President and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents. ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC. SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including the pioneering of a responsible "phased approach" business model taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production with subsequent increased value to shareholders. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration, rehabilitation and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Project, including initial extraction program for bulk sample testing and preparation of an initial resource estimate; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the accessibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Project. Such forward?looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng President & CEO SilverCrest Metals Inc. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE SilverCrest Metals Inc. Why chefs persist with sweet potato fries, I'll never know. Just as a chia seed pudding will never sub in for a tiramisu, batons of sweet potato will never replace crispy, fluffy potato chips. But at the newly opened Salmon & Bear in Newtown, the second outpost for the successful Zetland restaurant, they come as close as they ever will. Using a crinkle cutter for maximum crunchy potential, these sweet potato fries are basically perfect. Apart from not being potato, of course. But we're not here to talk about chips - at Salmon & Bear, it's all about the fish. And the fish is very, very good. The restaurant, run by Red Lantern head chef Mark Jensen, along with Joel Katz and Joe Ward, has reinvented the fish and chip shop. There's not a battered sav in sight, but there are fresh bowls of poke, crispy fish tacos with a tangy mayo and "Grizzly Plates" piled with Ora King salmon, plus your choice of sauces and sides. The fish, all cooked in the Mibrasa oven (imported from Spain), is really damn delicious. It's simple cooking done very well - a beautiful piece of barramundi, cooked just so, with a zingy salsa verde or a creamy lemon herb butter, with a side of crunchy slaw on the side. Comforting food that also happens to be comfort food. The log-cabin-style interiors. Photo: Jacqueline Casimir Little ones are well looked-after - the Cubs' Menu offers fish fingers or grilled salmon. Both servings are massive, and come with a side of chips, sweet potato fries or salad. And the place is suited to kids, too, so feel free to take them. For afters, there's a short - but sweet - dessert menu: Salmon or Bear. Both made by Gelato Messina (soon to be a neighbour), the Salmon ice cream is a strawberry popsicle covered in white chocolate (coloured pink, of course) and the Bear is a chocolate ice cream cookie sandwich. Don't fight; order both. Open Mon-Thurs 5:30-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-4pm, 5:30pm-late; Sunday 12-4pm; 5:30-10pm 226 King Street, Newtown, 02 9517 3200, salmonandbear.com.au We're drinking HOT CHOCOLATE This month there are 31 good reasons to visit Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and all of them are hot chocolates. Every week in August the chocolatiers will introduce eight new flavours. We're excited for The Wagon Wheel and Hot Gaytime, while kids are likely to go for hot chocolates inspired by freckles and frogs in a pond. The sweetest drink around: hot chocolates from Yarra Valley Chocolaterie Photo: Supplied We're eating THE BOURBON BURGEL In this week's edition of freak food, we bring you Chicken & Sons' Bourbon Burgel, an American cheeseburger with a shot of glazed bacon-topped bourbon pushed through its centre. It launched at the Surry Hills store at the end of last month, just arrived at Leichhardt and is available on Friday and Saturday nights for $22 with a limit of two a customer. Eat and drink responsibly. Australian sea urchin from Port Phillip Bay. Photo: Supplied We're cooking with AUSSIE SEA URCHIN Although Sydney's urchin or ''uni" season has just ended, diving has commenced in Melbourne around Port Phillip Bay (the Sydney season runs from December through June). Supernormal head chef Perry Shagen recommends serving them as simply as possible to "showcase the delicate flavour". Available via southcoastseaurchins.com.au or try it on seaweed crackers at Supernormal. Crazy cones from Gelato Fiasco Photo: Supplied We're buying GELATO FIASCO A new gelato has hit shelves, and with flavours like the Log Cabin (chocolate with whiskey syrup and Sriracha flake coated almonds), we now have an excuse to eat gelato in the middle of winter. Hailing from Portland, Gelato Fiasco is available at 7-Eleven stores nationally or from the Gelato Fiasco Log Cabin pop-up at 82 Johnston Street, Fitzroy in Melbourne, which runs for six weeks from August 5. A peanut butter and chocolate chip skillet cookie made by Shadi Hasanzade from Unicorns in the Kitchen Photo: Supplied We're baking SKILLET COOKIES Why use your skillet to cook heavy meat dishes and stir-fries when you can bake a giant cookie? Here's a peanut butter and chocolate chip version made by Shadi from Unicorns in the Kitchen and Rachel from Bakeria. If you're into soft centres, crispy edges and over-indulgence, this one's for you: unicornsinthekitchen.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-skillet-cookie. Advertisement We're loving LASER-ENGRAVED ROLLING PINS Baking is one skill, but decorating is another, says Zuzia Kozerska. She first engraved a wooden rolling pin with cats for her niece's birthday it was such a hit with children and adults alike it turned into a business. The high-quality pins are a great gift and come with cooking tips in beautiful packaging. Shop existing patterns online or place a custom order: valekrollingpins.com. Pimple Cupcakes are here to haunt your dream (or nightmares?). Photo: Supplied We can't believe THESE PIMPLE CUPCAKES These vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing look like giant, pus-filled zits and even "pop" vanilla pudding mix when squeezed. Invented by Rachael Sanchez, who works for Dr Sandra Lee (aka Dr Pimple Popper), her business @BlessedByBaking received a giant boost after Dr Lee Instagrammed the cupcakes during a pimple-popper potluck. "Naturally I signed up for dessert, never thinking these little cupcakes would go viral!" says Sanchez. Address 375 Brunswick St Fitzroy, VIC 3065 View map Opening hours Wed-Fri 8am-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-7pm Features Bar, Wheelchair access, Family friendly, Breakfast-brunch, Lunch specials, Licensed Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Drinks Good mid-tier French wines, European and local beers, sakes and whiskies, all paired Phone 0423 694 763 Friends, in hard, dark times it's important to remember the good in the world. The Halal snack pack has become a hate-fighting symbol of solidarity, and now it's time for cheese to do the same. Arguably, no one needs extra propulsion when raclette and fondue is being tabled as it is nightly at this cheese shop, bar and kitchen on Brunswick Street but it's never felt a more vital time to go to Shifty Chevre. A magnet for French expats, the night we arrive follows that when a truck full of explosives ploughed into a crowd in Nice. It's hard to think of a better place to unpack that horror. Everything about the place the work of Tom Petty, an architect, his partner Noemie Lacoste, and best friend Alex Whyte, who opened in 2014 after one of those "let's open a bar" nights that actually went right seems to wind the clock back to the '90s when nights hanging out with single friends didn't involve helping them swipe through Tinder. The tall timber tables lining one wall (covered in political cartoons and books) each have in-built coat hooks for winter jackets. The top corner of the room is dedicated to couches and frilly lamps where you roll post-fondue to play Guess Who and Battleship in French. Couples lounge. Friends talk. Everyone is eating too much cheese. Everything is going to be OK. Shifty Chevre Interior Photo: Joe Armao Dairy in general is having a moment Big Poppa's is Sydney's new cheese and hip-hop specialist and here, Maker and Monger's grilled cheese sandwiches and raclette are cheesing up every paper and blog in the city. Here the concept is simple three square meals of cheese a day. From the front cabinet you buy wedges of d'Affinois basically cultured silk local heroes such as Holy Goat and plenty in the stink-up-your-home Epoisse range. In the morning you come for reubens leaking Swiss cheese all over your plate and every version of eggs benedict/florentine turned into a fat croque monsieur/madame (aka put in a cheesy toastie and topped with an egg). Past 4pm, it's the stuff of future cheesemares. This is definitely a strength-in-numbers scenario. Fondue, the smart Swiss farmers' solution to using ageing cheeses over winter and the '70s keys-in-a-bowl party highlight, serves four with ease. And it's good semi-hard Abondance from the French alps and maasdam gruyere from Holland arrives already melted, a winey, garlicky mass you take in turns to keep moving between dipping cubes of stale baguette. Cheese please: a cheeseboard at the Shifty Chevre. Photo: Sunny Nyssen A raw egg is provided for the traditional pot cleaning finale where you make the world's cheesiest scramble. Order extra cubes of saucisson, vegetables or more bread if you need, although for our money it's better just to get the raclette too which comes with the lot. Sure, the mushroom-shaped table lamp doesn't have the romance of scraping the foot-ripe cheese from the giant wheel (instead you place slices under the lamp in little dishes) but the effect once easing the bubbling cargo onto cool waxy potatoes, and forking up some jambon and a pickle is much the same. There's no kirsch the cherry brandy the Swiss swear by to help you push through but mid-tier French wines starting at $40 and maxing out at $60 (the Immich-Batterieberg Mosel riesling is your friend; as is the crisp Loire Valley chenin blanc) will get you there. Life is bad, here it's good. Come raise a tiny fork in support of France, and all that's still good in the world. Fondue at Shifty Chevre Photo: Joe Armao Spring Street grocer does evenings on request, as does Milk the Cow with similar whisky, sake and beer pairings. Pro Tip: You need strength in numbers, bring friends Go-to Dish: Cheese fondue, winter destroyer ($27/head, minimum serve 2) http://www.shiftychevre.com/#shiftychevre Standard-Times file Henry C. Ragsdale (left) is seen with son Milton Ragsdale (right) and grandson John, 7, in 1954. SHARE Ragsdale entertained thousands of West Texans on his houseboat, the SS Goodyear. Henry Ragsdale worked in photography first By Rick Smith He was the son of the late photographer M.C. Ragsdale, a well-known frontier photographer in West Texas. From 1897 until 1909 the son worked with his father in the photography business in San Angelo and helped establish the firm as one of the country's more widely famed photo studios, noted especially for early-day photographs of cowboys and Western scenes. In 1914 Henry C. Ragsdale went into the automobile business, owning, operating and serving as president of Ragsdale Auto Co. For years he operated his businesses on the same corner of Chadbourne Street and Concho Avenue in downtown San Angelo. He was born there Oct. 17, 1883. Henry started learning about machines early. In 1897, at age 14, he rode a bicycle its tires filled with molasses to prevent punctures all the way to Ozona, a trip of 81 miles. He made the return ride in one day. Henry graduated from San Angelo High School and attended Col. R. Bingham's School for Boys in Asheville, North Carolina. Henry foresaw the popularity of automobiles and other machines and in 1909 purchased a motorcycle that he rode 2,850 miles to Syracuse, New York, where he studied automobiles at the Franklin Automobile Plant for a year. Henry then returned to San Angelo and opened a machine repair shop with $150 worth of tools. A few months later he got a helper, George Bailey, and Ragsdale Auto Co. was established at 16 W. Concho Ave. He married Hermione Mays on Dec. 30, 1915. In August 1929 he opened Bailey Auto Co. But Ragsdale didn't stop there. He got the Willard Battery dealership and the Goodyear franchise. He also became a dealer for Atwater Kent radios. The Angelo Auto Electric Co. was formed under the same management. He fathered radio station KGFL, which became KGKL, in 1928. As president of the Merchants' Board of Trade he helped organize a San Angelo bank that closed Oct. 3, 1931. The bank reopened Jan. 4, 1932. He was appointed to the board of the Upper Colorado River Authority by Coke Stevenson, then governor of Texas. He received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor in Scouting, presented to him for "outstanding service to boyhood." During those busy years he always found time to help young people and to enjoy his hobbies of photography, swimming, square-dancing and tinkering. He also enjoyed boats and built a houseboat known as the SS Goodyear. On it he entertained thousands of West Texans during the years it was afloat. When World War II came he could not get enough manpower to keep it afloat, so it had to be dismantled. Sadly, at age 80, Henry C. Ragsdale died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact him at 325-659-8248 or rick.smith@gosanangelo.com. Champagne is joyous, giddy-inducing pleasure born in chalky white soil drenched in blood. By law, Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of northern France, northeast of Paris, framed by town/cities of Epernay, Ay and Reims. It is the northernmost wine producing region in continental Europe. It also is the heart of Europe. The Marne, the river running through Champagne, is the stuff of war legend. The French-British "Miracle on the Marne" in 1914 stopped the German thrust into France and changed history. The "War to End All Wars" would be a slaughterhouse, much of it in Champagne, and its denouement set the stage for more horrors to come three decades later. In the middle of Champagne, a pyramid ossuary contains bones of more than ten thousand unknown solders dedicated to the "Armies of Champagne." Hauntingly, vines of Champagne reflect military order. There are strict rules on every aspect of how vines can grow: cordons no less than 24 inches off the ground, strict limits on foliage, and much more. Champagne vineyards resemble marching soldiers. The aim is to ensure quality of Champagne, but you cannot ignore the irony. The rules begot another hallmark of Champagne place takes a back seat to brand. You buy Champagne for the name on the label: Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger, Cristal, Krug, Taittinger, Charles Hiedsieck, Perrier-Jouet and others. And you pay top dollar because they are good, but even more importantly they impress you and your guests. Bottle label identifies you as an apex predator on the sparkling wine savanna. You can purchase affordable, superb sparkling wines from around the world Italian Prosecco and sparkling, Spanish cava, California and New Mexico sparkling leap to mind. But Champagne is different. It, literally, is to die for. Tasting notes Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne NV: Fresh, light, crisp, fizzy aplenty. Easily available, entry-level Champagne entry level in Champagne world. $43 Champagne Charles Heidsieck Rose Reserve NV: Heidsieck is Dom Perignon without inflated price. $78-80 Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Champagne Brut NV: Lovely color evolves from raspberry into salmon-pink in glass; iconic, instantly recognizable dumpy bottle. $77-100 Last round: Wine wisdom: Never trust people who refuse to drink Champagne. Email Gus at wine@cwadv.com. Follow tasting notes on Twitter @gusclemens. Website: gusclemens.com. Facebook: Gus Clemens on Wine. istock A federal task force says there are not enough well-conducted studies to establish whether skin cancer checks saves lives without undue risks for patients. SHARE But experts say visual test is important tool By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times (TNS) A federal task force that assesses the value of medical screening tests says it can't judge whether skin cancer checks by dermatologists are worth the trouble for healthy Americans because good research on the practice is lacking. The finding of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is not a repudiation of the practice recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology, in which a medical professional inspects a patient's skin for moles, thickening, discoloration or tags that might be cancerous. But the task force does say there are not enough well-conducted studies to establish the practice saves lives without incurring undue risks for patients. And it could influence health insurers not to cover skin cancer screenings for people who have no history of the disease. Each year, 5.4 million new cases of basal and squamous cell carcinomas are diagnosed, and while they are seldom fatal, they can cause disfiguration and metastasize to other parts of the body if left untreated. The most deadly form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is diagnosed in more than 76,000 new patients yearly, and claims the lives of 10,000 Americans a year. Its incidence is growing faster than that of any other preventable cancer. So the task force's "ehh" finding prompted a chorus of concern. In a statement released Tuesday, the American Academy of Dermatologists said it was disappointed by the finding. "Dermatologists know that skin cancer screenings can save lives," the academy said. Since the Academy launched a skin cancer screening initiative called "SPOTme" 30 years ago, the Academy said, dermatologists have performed more than 2.5 million screenings during which they have found more than 255,000 suspected nonmalignant skin cancers and 28,500 melanomas. "We know that screenings, which are noninvasive, quick and painless, are the best tool possible to detect skin cancer early when it is most treatable," the academy said. At the same time, the dermatologists' professional society wrote, "we acknowledge the need for additional research on the benefits and harms of skin cancer screening in the primary care setting." Writing in JAMA Oncology on the Preventive Services Task Force's recommendation, a trio of dermatologists pressed the case for continued screening. Most patients even those who have already been treated for melanoma, according to research don't check their skin thoroughly for problematic growths, wrote a team of dermatologists led by University of Mississippi dermatologist Vinayak K. Nahar. They overlook places where skin cancers can hide, or don't use a mirror to get a closer look, or don't enlist a loved one to help. And let's face it: Patients don't really know what to look for, suggested dermatologists Hensin Tsao and Martin A. Weinstock, who wrote a JAMA editorial on the task force's finding. The American Cancer Society recommends that primary care physicians should check for skin cancer in all patients 20 or older during regular checkups. These doctors are armed with the helpful mnemonic "ABCDE" (with which they're taught to look at moles for Asymmetry, Border irregularity, nonuniform Color, Diameter greater than 6 mm, and Evolution over time). But even these physicians, wrote Tsao and Weinstock, may overlook melanomas that look benign or masquerade as something else. In deciding that it had insufficient evidence on which to base a recommendation, the federal task force said it had found only one study of skin cancer screening, conducted in northern Germany. The study found modest evidence that lives were saved. But the study's design was not the gold standard for weighing the risks and benefits of a biomedical intervention. And follow-up suggested the benefits were more modest still. Nahar and her colleagues said the short duration of that research people were screened for skin cancer only for a year in the study probably resulted in an undercount of the lives it had saved. And, they argued, the task force's "insufficient" finding may send a message of complacency about skin cancer at just the wrong time. "With melanoma's decadeslong increase in incidence and slow-to stabilize mortality, decisions must be made now," the group wrote. "A recommendation stronger than (insufficient) is needed to emphasize screening as part of regular physical examinations," the dermatologists wrote. This is not the first time the federal task force of independent experts has waded into controversy with its findings. In 2009, the group drew the ire of breast cancer activists and many physicians by suggesting that yearly mammograms aren't necessary for most women and that with some exceptions, women under 50 don't need mammograms at all. In 2012, it recommended that men not get screened for prostate cancer using a prostate-specific antigen test. SHARE By Staff Report The West Texas Boys Ranch will Host the 24th annual Wing Fling Dove Hunt at 3 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. Ambrose Church in Wall, 8602 Texas Loop 570. The event, presented by 1st Community Federal Union, features a hunt and live auction, concluding with a steak and shrimp dinner. The registration fee is $150 per hunter. Sponsors are needed, and there are several sponsorship levels available. Call 325-374-7304 for more information.

Cynthia Esparza/Standard-Times

Father Martin Mary is congratulated by Edward Hernandez after his ordination May 25, 2012, at the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart.

SHARE Jennifer Rios/Standard-Times San Angelo musician Diane Deatherage plays the organ at the beginning of Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in 2013. She plays several church services, including other denominations, each week. Jennifer Rios/Standard-Times At right: Four men became priests during a three hour Mass held June 8, 2013, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Catholic faithful gather for the dedication Mass in the new Sacred Heart Catholic Church in San Angelo in August 1961. The cornerstone of the of the old Sacred Heart Church was removed and placed in the new church which held a dedication Mass in August 1961. By Andrew Atterbury The Most Rev. Thomas Drury rapped three times at the door of Sacred Heart Church fifty years ago Monday, intoning "Open" in Latin between knocks. He blessed the outside of Sacred Heart, and on the third knock was admitted inside. Drury, then bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, led a procession toward the altar for the consecration ceremony, down the center aisle where Greek and Latin alphabets traced in ash ran at both sides symbolizing the church's antiquity. The purpose behind the consecration, according to one local priest there in 1964, was to indicate permanence. On that day, the church became Sacred Heart Cathedral, the spiritual center of the diocese and the bishop's home church in West Texas. As Catholics commemorate the 50th anniversary of the church's consecration, so they are also celebrating the path leading to Sacred Heart. The block where Sacred Heart Cathedral stands was given to the church in the late 1870s by Bart DeWitt, a developer in the city of Santa Angela. Shortly after acquiring the block, the Catholic community led by Father Mathurin Pairier, the first permanent leader of the diocese, in 1884 erected a small adobe worship center on Chadbourne Street named Immaculate Conception Church, the first completed house of worship in San Angelo. The first Catholic school, Immaculate Conception Academy, followed in 1888. The congregation in those days consisted of early Santa Angela settlers, ranchers, merchants and Hispanic families. Room soon stretched thin in that adobe perish and a collection was taken for a new building. Under Father Joseph Hoban, a red brick church, 45 feet wide and 100 feet long at a cost of about $15,000, was built in 1906 at South Oakes and East Beauregard. The church, baptized as Sacred Heart, remained until 1960 when it too was outgrown by the congregation and was razed to make way for the cathedral sitting downtown today. Henry Stienbomer of San Antonio and Chakos and Zenner of San Angelo were called upon to design the new church, constructed for around $342,000 by local Templeton-Cannon contractors. The new Sacred Heart was meant to be a blend of traditional church architecture with a modern mission style, a far cry from the red brick facility that preceded. The main sanctuary seated 690 worshippers with room for 48 more people in the choir loft. Everything was new in the church except for the cornerstone borrowed from the old building and the three bells hanging 70 feet above the downtown streets. The bells remain shrouded in mystery. They were shipped to San Angelo by way of Mallory Line Steamship Co. in the late 1800s from an unknown location with no documentation upon arrival. Their provenance is still unknown. The archbishop of San Antonio in 1896 dedicated the ringing trio, christened Mary, Joseph and Angelo and weighing a combined 1,800 pounds, to the San Angelo perish. "The bells were rung by hand with ropes in those early days," Father Benedict Zientek said in the 70s. "Now, hanging in the cathedral belfry, they are electrically controlled." Sacred Heart's construction lasted about a year and a half. Publio Cavallini, a native of Italy and the youngest brother of the Cavallini Brothers Tile Importers of San Antonio, tiled the church, spending five days alone piecing together 350,000 intricate tiles for the outside mosaic. Blue tile interwoven with brown and dark red stars, representing the stars of firmament, stretches 32 feet up and 14 wide at the church entrance. A Tree of Life design reaches 20 feet above the doorway, its roots sunk around a ceramic Greek monogram symbolizing Christ. At the top of the tree, a ceramic dove spreads it wings, representing the Holy Ghost, divine protector of the church. "I think it's a good job," Cavallini said in 1961, taking in the finished mosaic. San Angelo was designated the headquarters of a new 34-county Catholic diocese in 1961, the same year construction finished. The newly completed Sacred Heart was named as the diocese cathedral, with Rev. Drury assuming bishop duties. Neither Drury nor the 30 priests who participated in the 1964 consecration had witnessed, much less participated, in a ceremony. Bronze crosses and 13 pieces of marble were placed in the walls Sacred Heart's interior as part of the consecration. Relics of martyrs and saints were permanently sealed in three altars which too were consecrated on that Dec. 22. Coincidentally, the man who would later lead the diocese for nearly 30 years as its fifth bishop was ordained a priest as Sacred Heart's consecration was taking place. Bishop Emeritus Michael Pfeifer, who served San Angelo and West Texas for 29 years, was in his 20s when he was ordained, then served as a missionary in Mexico for 16 years before moving from San Antonio to become bishop in 1985. "What a beautiful act of God," Pfeifer said. "I never dreamed I would be the bishop to the diocese. That's how it happens in God's plan." The diocese has since grown to 29 counties encompassing 39,000 square miles and thousands of people, Catholic and non-Catholic. The Most Rev. Michael Sis was ordained the sixth bishop of San Angelo, the first new leader for the diocese in nearly three decades, in January. Sis will officiate a special mass marking Pfeifer's ordination and the consecration of Sacred Heart on Monday evening. Monsignor Bernard Gully, who served as a master of ceremonies at the consecration and is the current pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Big Spring, will offer the homily. Visiting bishops from Oklahoma and Texas will visit as Catholics celebrate the anniversaries. "Our prayer is that the cathedral continues to have a very successful presence in the city and diocese of San Angelo, and that it continues to be a service to the church and community for many years to come," said Monsignor Larry Droll, pastor of St. Ann's in Midland. SHARE The following editorial appeared in Thursday's Los Angeles Times: Thirty-five years after shooting President Ronald Reagan, John W. Hinckley Jr. is a free man, having been released from a mental institution by a federal judge who concluded that Hinckley no longer suffers from the mental disorder that led him to attempt the assassination in 1981. In recent years Hinckley has been able to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington to visit his family. Now he will be able to live full time with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. But while this may mark the end of Hinckley's legal case, American law continues to be influenced by public outrage over his acquittal by reason of insanity and not for the good. The outcry over that verdict, stoked by opportunistic politicians, led to a weakening of the insanity defense and undermined the principle that a defendant shouldn't be held criminally responsible when his crime is the result of mental illness. Hinckley was 25 when he shot Reagan with the deranged expectation that attacking the president would impress film star Jodie Foster. Reagan recovered, but another of Hinckley's four victims, White House press secretary James Brady, suffered lasting brain damage and partial paralysis. (Brady died in 2014.) A jury acquitted Hinckley after concluding that he satisfied the definition of legal insanity in use in Washington at the time: that, because of a mental disease or defect, the defendant "either lacked substantial capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law or lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct." Even though Hinckley faced many years in a mental institution, his insanity acquittal caused an uproar, one that politicians were eager to inflame. Jurors in the trial were called before a Senate subcommittee and interrogated about whether they understood the judge's instructions. Congress passed a law narrowing the federal definition of legal insanity and shifting the burden of proof on the question of mental disease to the defendant. State legislatures did likewise, and some adopted a verdict of "guilty but mentally ill" a concept that is hard to square with the principle that an insane person can't be criminally responsible for his act. In the outcry over the Hinckley acquittal, two realities were obscured. One was that the insanity defense was seldom asserted and rarely successful. The other was that defendants acquitted by reason of insanity, far from being set free, were often confined (albeit in a mental institution where they could receive treatment) for longer than they would have been imprisoned if they had been convicted. In Hinckley's case, it's possible that, had he been convicted, he would have been released on parole years ago. Hinckley's attack on Reagan was a shocking act of violence. But the reaction to it weakened an important legal principle without increasing public safety. To OUR Gourmet Retailer Readers While Gourmet Retailer no longer exists as a separate print publication and website, Progressive Grocer will continue to feature new content about boutique retailing in our ongoing coverage of Independent Grocers. Please update your Gourmet Retailer bookmark and check our Independent Grocers topic page regularly for updates and fresh content. -- The Progressive Grocer Team Unwilling to hit property owners for the third time in one year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to raise the citys utility taxes to save the largest of Chicagos four city employee pension funds, City Hall sources said Monday.Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown acknowledged that the city needs in the ballpark of $250 million to $300 million in new annual revenue to shore up a Municipal Employees Pension fund with 71,000 members and $18.6 billion in unfunded liabilities.Yet another property tax increase would be the easiest and most reliable route to go, but top mayoral aides disclosed Monday that Emanuel has ruled out going back to that same well for fear of piling on.Last fall, Emanuel persuaded a reluctant City Council to raise property taxes by $588 million for police and fire pensions and school construction. He has agreed to raise property taxes by $250 million more for teacher pensions. Dealing with any mental health or substance abuse issue is tough. It can often feel like no one really understands what youre going through. But theres a growing movement to change that by employing people who can better empathize with patients.Peer specialists are people who have personally struggled with mental health or substance abuse problems but are now in recovery and helping others. They work for community behavioral health centers, psychiatric inpatient facilities and other health-care providers.These programs are proliferating everywhere you look. Theres a lot of evidence to show that peers can support and acclimate someone to a new life of recovery, said Kim Nelson, the regional administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. She worked as a peer specialist for a decade before landing her current job.In Nebraska, peer specialists are saving providers' money and reducing readmission rates.Thirty day readmissions for mental health patients is usually around 30 percent nationally. We had been hovering around 20 percent before implementing the program. Now were down to about 13 percent, said Linda Knudsen, education coordinator of the Bryan Medical Center, a nonprofit health center in Lincoln, Neb.At least 38 states have developed some sort of certification for a peer specialist program. Training and programming vary from state-to-state, but Medicaid requires employers to supervise peer specialists' first 2,000 hours of work. They also must complete at least 30 hours of continuing education training in mental health every two years.Peer specialists are a supplement -- not a replacement -- for licensed mental health professionals.Its totally voluntary -- patients dont have to meet with one if they dont feel comfortable. Its just a way for peers to sit down and minimize anxiety. They arent asking about their medical history. Theyre just chatting with them to say Ive been there, and its going to be OK,' said Knudsen.But even after people get all the training, they aren't guaranteed a job as a peer specialist. In fact, they often struggle to find one, said Sue Abderholden, executive director for the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Since its a relatively new field, providers can be reluctant to hire peer specialists. Plus, she said, some of them have a criminal background because they were picked up by the police while having a mental health episode."Right now, 36 states' Medicaid programs reimburse peer specialists. In 2007, the Minnesota Legislature was one of the first to not only require peer specialists to be reimbursed but also to create a state program model. In 2013, the state set up separate program requirements for family peer specialists to better serve children.Peer specialists don't just affect their patients. They ultimately help themselves in their own recovery and help alleviate the shortage of mental health-care providers."It benefits everybody because we are already woefully short on people in a behavioral health setting," said Nelson.According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were 96.5 million Americans living in areas with insufficient mental health care in 2014. For every 790 people in the U.S., there's just a single mental health provider, according to Mental Health America.For mental health care experts, peer specialists are also a smart investment for the field's new approach.For so long, we saw addiction and mental health issues as episodic illnesses," said Nelson. "Now were starting to look at is as a recovery process. The peer specialists system is one that focuses on wellness instead of sickness." Serving time in prison is, obviously, unpleasant. But being pregnant behind bars is immeasurably more traumatic. While physical stress can take a toll, the emotional impact can be even worse. Many facilities use restraints during delivery, and in most cases female inmates are forced to say goodbye to their newborns shortly after giving birth.But a couple of states are working to ease that trauma through an unconventional new approach: bringing in doulas to assist pregnant inmates. Unlike a midwife, who typically helps only during childbirth, a doula assists a woman throughout her entire pregnancy, attending to her physical and emotional well-being before, during and after giving birth.Alabama this spring launched the Prison Birth Project, with the goal of assigning doulas to support about 30 female inmates in the first year. The effort was launched thanks to the help of Wendy D. Williams, the states first deputy commissioner for womens services in the Department of Corrections. Williams position was created in response to a scathing report from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2014, which detailed deplorable conditions for inmates at Alabamas Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. That report highlighted a number of troubling prison practices, including systemic sexual abuse of inmates by guards as well as other prisoners. While Williams has been working to address that and other issues at the facility, the report also got her thinking about childbirth in prison, and the role that plays in determining a womans future once she leaves incarceration.Williams turned to the Minnesota Prison Doula Project, which launched in 2011. That program currently serves women in 81 county jails and has supported around 100 incarcerated women over the past five years. Its entirely voluntary. Women will hear about another woman who got a doula during her pregnancy and will be interested and come to one of our support meetings, says Erica Gerrity, the projects program director. This is one opportunity for women in these situations to feel empowered.The Minnesota project has seen impressive results, including a much higher rate of healthy pregnancies and healthy babies than average prison births. But for Gerrity, the most encouraging signs arent measurable. She points to one inmate who was terrified of speaking to child protective services but grew more confident after working with a doula. A doula helps advocate on behalf of the woman, but we also give her language to advocate for herself, Gerrity says.Thanks in part to the success of the project, Minnesota passed a law in 2014 that bans shackling pregnant women in most instances and requires that pregnant inmates have mental health assessments. We are starting a growing conversation on issues surrounding health care for pregnant women who are incarcerated, says Rebecca Shlafer, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and the projects research director.Its easy to villainize a pregnant woman who ends up in jail, says Ashley Lovell, the Alabama projects executive director. But motherhood can help shape an inmates success in the future. If, despite her incarceration, you can convince her shes capable of being a good mother, youre giving her tools to change the course of her life, Lovell says.In addition to Alabama, Minnesota has been contacted by 10 other states interested in implementing something similar. This is promising, Gerrity says, because there is currently a real dearth of research around the health of incarcerated women. For women in this system, she says, this is beyond just crime. Its about mental health, trauma and gender inequality. There has been so much progress around womens issues, but none of it really touches on incarceration. Federal health authorities on Monday urged pregnant women not to visit a South Florida neighborhood where new cases of the Zika virus have emerged, the first time officials have warned against travel to part of the continental United States due to the outbreak of an infectious disease.Officials issued the unprecedented warning following the identification of 10 new infections in a dense urban pocket north of downtown Miami, and after aggressive efforts to combat Zikas mosquito-borne spread had proved insufficient.It is truly a scary situation, said Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a really tough mosquito to control.The travel warnings and growing outbreak mark a troubling but not unexpected turn for efforts to stem the viruss spread through the United States, and they could have profound impacts on Floridas tourism-heavy economy. It also demonstrates how even the best prepared communities may struggle to deal with a virus that spreads so readily. several stories into the sky, spraying enough wood chips to form a small mountain. Its part of the Georgia-Pacific paper mill in the small Oregon town of Toledo, a hundred miles southwest of Portland. The plant processes wood chips and recycled materials into 2,500 tons of cardboard every day. About 400 people work there, most of them unionized, pumping $42 million annually into the local economy through wages.The only thing unusual about the mill is that it exists at all. Its the last paper mill on the Oregon coast, a vestige of a timber industry that was a dominant force in the state just a couple of decades ago. Earlier this year, a paper mill was closed for good in Newberg, which is not far outside of Portland. About 200 workers were eligible for retraining under a federal program that helps people whose jobs were lost due to foreign competition (although the decline in Oregons timber industry has as much to do with federal land management policies as overseas competition).Some residents have grown cynical about efforts to retrofit workers to fit the shifting economy. The big joke along the coast used to be that the loggers ran into trouble, so they trained them to be fishermen, says Harry Roby, who owns a radiator shop in Newport, a few miles from the Georgia-Pacific mill. Then fishing got into trouble and they trained them to be loggers.Job training is all well and good, in other words, but it doesnt serve much purpose if there arent any jobs to be had. Last year, Oregon was tied with California as having the fastest-growing economy of any state, but almost all the action was in Portland. Half of the jobs in the state are now in a three-county metropolitan area. In four out of 10 rural counties in the state, employment remains substantially below where it was prior to the recession.Theres a similar problem throughout rural America. While some metro areas are thriving, two out of three rural counties have experienced a net loss in their total number of businesses since 2010, after the recession had technically ended. According to a recent report by the Economic Innovation Group, half the new businesses started throughout the nation since 2010 were created in just 20 counties, out of more than 3,000 nationwide.Urban America recovers from recessions, but rural America no longer seems able to. You look all across this country and some of these places are dying, says Seth McKee, an expert on rural politics at Texas Tech University. Theyre either going to be wiped off the map, or theyre getting smaller and smaller and theres nothing to sustain them.That may be overstating the case, but its no longer far-fetched to talk about permanent, Appalachian-style poverty spreading across rural America. There just arent enough jobs. By now, its a familiar story that many manufacturing plants have shut down or moved and taken their jobs with them. The prevailing fear of the moment -- that robots are going to take over all the work -- has already happened in agriculture. A machine knows more about the exact fat and protein content of the milk from every cow it touches than a human hand ever would. Farmers are becoming almost as likely to plant sensors as seeds, helping them map out where their drones should apply fertilizer. Already, farms account for less than 1 percent of employment, but the number of agriculture jobs is projected to decline another 6 percent by 2024.The old notion that jobs in timber, farming and small-town manufacturing are secure and will last for life is not just outdated but antique. Appalachia itself has been hit hard by the recent steep decline in coal jobs, with production down nationwide by 40 percent since 2008. As working-class jobs have dried up, rural communities have emptied out. Lots of rural towns around the country have come to resemble villages in wartime. Practically the only people left are those too young or too old to feel the magnetic pull of the city. Even an area like Oregons Lincoln County, which includes Toledo and Newport and can boast of a mix of surviving old and burgeoning new industries, struggles with an aging population, drug abuse and homelessness.Already, a majority of the country lives in metropolitan areas of more than 1 million people. If current trends continue, rural America will lose population between now and 2060, even as the country gains another 100 million residents, says Rolf Pendall, who directs economic development and housing studies at the Urban Institute. The people who grow up in these communities who are most capable of having a strong income trajectory, they leave, they go somewhere else, Pendall says. Its true in struggling neighborhoods in cities and its true in rural America as well.This is putting a strain on rural governments. Along the Oregon Coast, counties that once shared in rich revenues from timber royalties and federal subsidies have seen those funds dry up. Douglas County, roughly 150 miles south of Lincoln County and traditionally the heart of the states timber industry, once shared an average of $134 million each year in timber royalties. Last year, the figure was down to $11 million. The county itself has lost a third of its workforce over the past decade, but its still in better shape than a lot of its neighbors. Counties cant just cease operations, but some in Oregon have just about given up on programs such as running jails and juvenile services or enforcing building codes. Those kinds of services that are shared services, you just declare you cant do them and literally hand them back to the state, says Tim Freeman, a Douglas County commissioner.The anxiety caused by diminished prospects is starting to play out politically. People wondering what happened to their good-paying jobs have been drawn to Donald Trumps message that bad trade deals are to blame for their struggles, or to Bernie Sanders complaint that the economic system is rigged. Abroad, the resentment of rural residents who feel passed over by the global economy was a primary driver of the recent vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.Democrats used to be the party of working people, but its now the party of educated professionals who are part of technology or finance or other expanding industries, along with racial and ethnic minorities (who do make up a substantial share of the working class). Republicans have long been the party of business, but Trumps anti-trade stance has him drawing swords with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. The Republicans are more and more the party of the unsuccessful, says Eric Schnurer, president of Public Works, which consults with state and local governments. Youre either in this international, networked economy, or youre not. The nonurban centers are largely being left out of the global economy. Its not surprising that they feel an extreme antipathy toward it.The decline in rural prospects is not only feeding political resentment, but causing serious social problems. Nationwide, the number of deaths among working-class whites at most age levels has been increasing, the sad result of a combination of preventable causes such as suicide and abuse of illegal or prescription drugs. Oregon has the second-highest rate of opioid abuse of any state, an epidemic so bad that the Oregon Medical Association devoted its entire annual meeting to the topic this spring. Oregonians also die from alcoholic liver disease at twice the national average. The economic strain can play out in other ways, too: The rate of child abuse in Lincoln County is double the rest of the state.has a lot of things going for it. Local officials have been able to leverage the presence of the coast not only to promote tourism and maintain a sizable fishing fleet, but also to develop marine science as an economic driver. What was at one time home to a single oceanographers lab has become the nexus for a range of enterprises that constitute a growing share of the local economy. Oregon State University (OSU) runs the Hatfield Marine Science Center, which houses an alphabet soup of state and federal agencies. Theres an aquarium next door that pairs well with the towns beaches as a tourist magnet. A few years ago, Newports harbor became the headquarters for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Pacific fleet, nabbing the ships from Puget Sound.All of these projects, along with many others, came about because the Newport area has managed to build a collaborative culture, with city, county, port and state officials pulling together with private-sector actors to make things happen. This cluster didnt happen by accident, says Gil Sylvia, an economist at the Hatfield center. You start with something small and you build out the components.All the players in town seem to belong to one anothers boards -- which is not unusual -- but everyone, from Georgia-Pacific executives to county commissioners, also meets routinely through the Yaquina Foundation and the Lincoln County Economic Development Alliance. In many struggling communities, various jurisdictions will jealously fight over every scrap. In Lincoln County, a couple of calls is enough to start people working on ways of lining up financing to get a project going. The different local entities have learned that scratching each others backs and putting up money for projects of shared interest can end up benefiting everyone.The latest example of their collaborative effort paying off is an expansion of the boatyard at the port of Toledo, across Sturgeon Bend from the Georgia-Pacific mill. Thanks to help from a variety of county and state funds, the port just brought in the first of a series of lifts that will allow boatmen to repaint and repair large, ocean-going ships. Its 63 feet wide and six stories tall and came in pieces from Italy, arriving in seventeen 40-foot containers. Its a huge step up from the type of lifts that have been in place at the boatyard, and its projected to increase the number of jobs involved repairing and painting boats from 20 to 160.Experts in the rural economy say what separates the winners from the many losers is inspired leadership on the ground, whether thats a plant owner who figures out a way to modernize and stay profitable, or economic development officials able to find a niche by building on successful enterprises or attractions that are already in place.Other towns on the Oregon Coast have ports, but they dont have anything like the burgeoning marine science sector that Newport has managed to create. Areas with other natural assets that might easily attract rich retirees or remote workers need to figure out how to sell themselves. Plenty of places have snowy mountains, but they arent all successful ski resorts. There are rural areas that are doing quite well, particularly those with natural amenities, says Brian Depew, director of the Center for Rural Affairs in Nebraska. They have aggressive leaders that have figured out how to make their places winners, despite having to swim upstream.Theres no magic formula, nothing you can bottle, when it comes to turning around a rural area. Rural economies once ran on commodities -- timber, corn, cattle, coal -- that by their nature were essentially the same regardless of where they came from. In todays economy, though, places have to find a way to offer something that other similar places cant.In Newport, local officials hope marine science will continue to grow into something that puts more than a few researchers to work. The Hatfield center links local fishermen who know the waters with telecommunications companies looking for the best spots to lay Trans-Pacific cables. Its also partnering with the community college and local businesses to put more people to work making specialized nets that avoid catching protected species -- a product that grew out of research at the center.The initiative thats drawn the most attention, however, has to do with seaweed. Researchers at the center developed a new strain of red seaweed called dulse. It tastes a bit like bacon, enough so that its become popular enough to be worth patenting. A for-profit company is being spun off to grow dulse in Newport and process it into things like flavor powders and salad dressing -- a total of 15 value-added products in all. This city always had a more solid mix of industries than other coastal communities that relied on a single industry, namely timber, says Sylvia, the Hatfield economist.research center with an annual budget of $55 million is quite a coup for a town of 10,000, but its no panacea. Marine research remains a small share of the overall Lincoln County economy, which is still led by tourism and fishing -- industries that provide work that is seasonal or part-time in nature, meaning jobs that dont pay all that well. The average age of minimum-wage workers in the county is 31. Half the income there comes from Social Security and other transfer payments. The poverty rate remains higher than the state average, which in turn is higher than the national average. It does look like were in an upturn, says Dee Teem of the Community Services Consortium in Newport, but were still seeing a huge number of people in poverty.Relying on jobs that require high levels of education presents two problems for rural communities. The first is that most such jobs wont go to locals. Although there are efforts in and around Lincoln County to get students engaged in marine science fromat least the eighth grade on up, most of the academic hires will come from outside the county. And attracting educated professionals to rural areas remains a challenge. People with MBAs, Ph.D.s or actual medical degrees often dont want to relocate to smaller communities, for fear there will be nowhere else for them to go if they ever want to change jobs. There also might not be available work for their spouses. A job for a spouse is a big, big problem, says Caroline Bauman, executive director of the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County. It comes up all the time.But theres also the problem of what might be called rural gentrification. As professionals move in, that raises prices and puts a squeeze on all the people making a living pumping gas or selling hand-dipped candles to tourists across the bay from the Hatfield center. Lincoln County has a particularly acute problem because so much of its property is now tied up as vacation or rental housing. As a result, even decent-paying jobs might not be enough to cover a familys needs. Many residents work two or three jobs to make ends meet, sometimes driving long distances to get there. Ive never had trouble finding work, says Terry Ayres, a construction worker who is raising three daughters in Newport, but the living expenses are just outrageous.You wouldnt expect this to be the case in big rural counties that can run the size of the state of Connecticut, but there are housing shortages all over the West and, indeed, much of rural America. For decades leading up to the recession, housing starts averaged nearly 1.6 million units per year. Over the past seven years, that number has been cut in half. Even last year, after things picked up, housing starts were still a half-million short of the historical average. Starter and trade-up home inventory has dropped by more than 40 percent since 2012, according to Trulia, the online real estate listing service. Thats a big barrier of entry against homeownership. The percentage of households that are renting is now at its highest level since the 1960s. One out of six families spends more than half its income on housing.Housing markets are squeezed tight in thriving metros, but a different convergence of forces is at work in rural areas. Lenders often dont like to do business outside the metro markets theyre already familiar with. Builders are so busy putting up apartment buildings in places like Portland that they cant be bothered making long drives out to places like Lincoln County unless a dozen or more units are involved. The federal government owns half the land in Oregon, while a good share of the rest is tied up by land preservation programs and zoning restrictions.For all these reasons, some Lincoln County residents are nervous about a planned expansion at the Hatfield center. What has been primarily a research facility is becoming a campus, with 500 undergraduates expected to arrive from OSU in the coming years. Most people welcome the development, but wonder where theyre going to put all those students, even though the university is building housing for half of them. Theres already more demand than there is supply. Given the cliffs that line the Pacific Ocean and the mountains that separate Lincoln County from the Willamette Valley to the east, theres not a lot of land left thats flat. Its difficult to insure much of the land that is available, due to growing concerns about tsunamis. As a result, the value of residential retail sales in the county shot up by 22 percent in May over last years numbers.About 10 percent of the schoolkids in Lincoln County are now homeless. But the issue of rural gentrification doesnt affect only the poor, it affects the middle class, too: Every year, a few teachers cancel their contracts in Lincoln County over the summer because they cant find housing. Anecdotally, lack of available housing has also been a recruiting problem for the countys two hospitals.The problems that plague Lincoln County -- and most of Americas rural working class -- are daily facts of life for a guy like Mike Walters.For the past two years, hes been living in a trailer park outside of Depoe Bay, a few miles north of Newport, but he recently received an eviction notice. At 52, hes followed a career path thats become common in rural America, stitching together a living by working a few hours here and there painting houses or providing home assistance to the elderly. Working for people with money, hes able to scrape together his monthly rent, but he usually pays in dribs and drabs throughout the month rather than paying in full on the first of the month. His landlord got tired of that and told Walters hed have to clear out.Walters has been barely getting by as it is. He could find more work if he had a car, but he has to rely on his bike and buses to get around. Transportation and access to services and jobs are huge issues in rural America. Walters admits hes freaking out, but his situation doesnt seem to keep him down for long. Riding his bike on the shoulder of Highway 101, he flashes two fingers to passing cars, wishing them either victory or peace. All these people on the highway got to be going to work to make money, he says. I gotta catch up. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by two high-ranking GOP lawmakers to intervene in a legal battle over the retirement age of judges.With no explanation, the court denied the motion by Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre).The ruling put the Republican leaders on the sideline of a closely watched battle that has erupted into a forefront issue for some of the state's top officials.At stake is a question to voters on the November ballot that would raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75 - a decision that could alter the partisan makeup of the Keystone State's highest court within the next year. A grand jury found that a white Tupelo police officer acted within the law when he shot an unarmed black man.Tupelo police officer Tyler Cook was not indicted by a grand jury and will not be charged with a crime in the June 18 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Antwun "Ronnie" Shumpert, Lee County District Attorney John Weddle said Monday.In a timeline previously provided to The Clarion-Ledger by the city of Tupelo, Cook said he shot Shumpert four times in "self-defense."The grand jury stated they "found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of Officer Tyler Cook." Footage from police dashboard cameras and body cameras helped lead to the swift sidelining of three officers involved in the latest fatal shooting by Chicago police, but officials acknowledged Monday that the shooting itself was not captured on video.Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the department is investigating why the body camera worn by the officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Paul O'Neal failed to show those critical moments.The Thursday night shooting came as the embattled Police Department accelerates its use of body cameras in a bid to improve transparency. Police have expanded a pilot project that started in 2015 in just one district to an additional six districts just last month with the addition of hundreds of cameras. The three officers had begun using the cameras just recently, Guglielmi said.Whatever the reason, the failure to capture O'Neal's shooting shows the technology won't be the panacea that some had hoped."People's hopes and expectations have gotten a little exaggerated," said Samuel Walker, a professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and an expert on police accountability. "There is a problem with officers not turning them on. ... They are refusing to (or) not thinking about it as part of their regular work habit. It is going to take a while for us to get full compliance."O'Neal, who was unarmed, was shot about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the South Shore neighborhood after he crashed a reportedly stolen Jaguar into two Chicago police vehicles and took off running near 74th Street and Merrill Avenue.Two officers had opened fire at O'Neal while he was still in the Jaguar, according to police sources. A police dashboard camera captured one of the officers firing his weapon, a source said.A third officer who had been in one of the police vehicles struck by the Jaguar gave chase after O'Neal fled on foot and fatally shot him.Based on a preliminary review, police don't believe that officer intentionally disabled the body camera, a source said. Rather, investigators suspect the crash or the officer's lack of experience operating the camera played a role in the failure.O'Neal was shot in the back, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.On Monday, O'Neal's mother filed a federal lawsuit against the undisclosed officers, alleging they opened fire "without legal justification."The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting, but police Superintendent Eddie Johnson moved quickly over the weekend to strip the three officers of their police powers, putting them on paid administrative duties. He didn't disclose the specific reasons for his actions other than that they had violated department policies.But in 2015, the department revised its use-of-force policy to prohibit officers from firing on a moving vehicle if it was the only threat against the officers or others. The policy, however, states that officers should not "unreasonably endanger" themselves or others to adhere to the policy.The swift action by Johnson won praise from critics who have long accused the Police Department of a code of silence when it comes to dealing with wayward officers.Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who has studied police misconduct for years, said it was noteworthy that Johnson acted against the officers for decisions that led up to the shooting."There are often shootings that if you were just analyzing what was happening in the last second you might say the shooting is consistent with policy and justified," he said. "But if you take two or three steps backward, there may have been no reason for the situation to have escalated to this point."That is another piece of the welcome change ... looking at the decisions and actions that led up to the shooting to see if we can do something better in the future. What do we need to train our officers better?"Still, Futterman said he remained cautious."A circle the wagons (mentality) doesn't change overnight," he said.In a telephone interview Monday night, Dean Angelo Sr., head of the Fraternal Order of Police union that represents rank-and-file officers, said he has talked to two of the officers. They are "concerned about their livelihood" and know they'll undergo intense scrutiny for their split-second decisions, he said.Angelo said there's "a learning curve" to properly using the body cameras and that it can be difficult for officers to remember to activate them "in a heavy-stress situation."Chicago's increased use of body and dashboard cameras comes as the department faces one of worst crises in its history. The court-ordered release of a video in November of a white officer shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times led to widespread protests, the firing of then-Superintendent Garry McCarthy and the launching of a U.S. Justice Department probe of policing practices.According to department policy, the cameras should be activated by officers when they are making stops or responding to calls, including foot and vehicle pursuits.Walker, the policing expert, said most departments allow for some latitude for officers who fail to turn their cameras on under certain pressing circumstances."We have to say that it is possible in the heat of the moment the officer did not think to turn on his camera," he said.But evidence that cameras were intentionally disabled should result in discipline, Walker said.At a news conference at the scene of O'Neal's shooting, a lawyer for his mother, Tanisha Gibson, announced the lawsuit had been filed Monday in federal court.Attorney Michael Oppenheimer accused the officers of exacting "street justice" and expressed frustration at the Police Department's disclosure that no body cameras captured O'Neal's shooting."Supposedly, it is a new era where we get body cams to make things transparent," he said. "Many, many times police officers get blamed for something they may not have done. ... The body cams are supposed to correct that to show the truth. All we have asked is for the truth to come out."Asked if his case was hurt by O'Neal being in a reportedly stolen Jaguar, Oppenheimer said the teen didn't deserve to be killed."The penalties for ... those crimes do not include death," he said.O'Neal's mother did not attend the news conference, but activist Ja'Mal Green, acting as a spokesman for the family, said Gibson wanted the public to know that her son "wanted to be someone in life."Still, Green said, O'Neal had his struggles."He lacked a father in his life, he lacked mentors and the resources he needed," said Green, who is free on bail after his own arrest last month on charges he attacked a police commander during demonstrations over fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. "And so he got caught up in a few things with his friends, but he was not a bad kid."The IPRA investigation into O'Neal's shooting will likely take months to complete.But the McDonald scandal, which included allegations that city officials tried to hide the troubling video of the shooting from the public, led to a new city policy that calls for the release of videos of police shootings within 60 days.But the release of the video in this case could come even sooner than that."The superintendent said today he is pushing for the video to be released as soon as the investigation comes to a point where it will not hamper the case," police spokesman Guglielmi said Monday. "... We would defer to IPRA. Ever since this incident happened ... (Johnson) wanted it to be extremely fact-based, and he wants it to be open. ... The department has nothing to hide or conceal."Futterman, the U of C law professor, said critical video such as this should be released within two weeks. How soon the department moves on the video will be another strong indication of its commitment to reform, he said. Description GIS - 02 August, 2016: The 2016-2017 budget makes provision for the introduction of a new mass transit system with its network of Urban Terminals, to be known as the Metro Express, which will be the main thrust of the strategy geared towards building the infrastructure that fits the future. The 2016-2017 budget makes provision for the introduction of a new mass transit system with its network of Urban Terminals, to be known as the Metro Express, which will be the main thrust of the strategy geared towards building the infrastructure that fits the future. As part of Governments plan for urban and rural regeneration, the Metro Express will totally redesign towns, create new growth poles around the terminals, drastically reduce the commuting time for citizens, raise productivity, eliminate the inconvenience of traffic congestion, save on petroleum import bills and significantly cut down pollution. The construction of the Victoria Terminal will kick-start the project which will be based under the Buildoperatetransfer (BOT) model. A space will be reserved to accommodate 1000 hawkers. What Mauritius needs is an affordable new mass transit system along with a network of modern integrated urban terminals comprising parking facilities, food courts, commercial spaces, dedicated hawker areas and green spaces, stressed Mr Jugnauth in his budget speech. The development of a new National Transport Network under the Road Decongestion Programme was also highlighted in the speech. The Phoenix-Jumbo-Dowlut roundabouts and the A1M1 Bridge linking Coromandel to Soreze will be constructed, with the assistance of the Korean Expressway Corporation. In line with the strategy to engineer the infrastructure that fits the future, the Finance Minister underscored the necessity for investments from both the public and private sectors that would strengthen growth and raise productivity. Government will significantly raise its capital expenditure to Rs 19 billion in the 2016-2017 Budget. 169. Public sector investment totalling some Rs 34.5 billion in 2016/17 will jump to Rs 97.6 billion over the next three years, he said. The new era of development, as outlined by Mr Jugnauth, calls for a holistic and coherent urban planning and development strategy. On that account, Port Louis will undergo a major transformation with the implementation of several development projects to rejuvenate its skyline and will include world class arts, recreation and culture zones for the residents of Port-Louis and for other Mauritians as well as tourists. Concerning the smart cities the construction of three such projects will start this year. The Heritage City that will create a new urban space for present and future generations to accommodate the new Parliament, offices and other infrastructure. Boosting air and sea connectivity According to Mr Jugnauth, the next strategy in infrastructure development is focused on sea and air connectivity. Around Rs 770 million will be invested in a new Integrated Government Clearance Centre in the Cargo Village and a modern Control Tower at the airport, and Rs 425 million will be invested by the CEB in a sub-station to cater for Cargo and Freeport power requirements. Government is working with the Chinese authorities on the setting up of a Regional Aviation Training Academy that will serve the African and Indian Ocean Rim region. A sum of Rs 6 billion will be invested over the next five years to enhance port infrastructure. The Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd will acquire two additional Ship-to-Shore cranes and other equipment to service container vessels more efficiently. The budget provides for strategic investments to boost the development of the petroleum hub which holds the potential of becoming a major economic pillar. To that endeavour, some 35 hectares of reclaimed land are being earmarked for petroleum storage, logistics and fishing activities. A new petroleum port will be developed at Albion. Description GIS 03 August, 2016: Budget 2016-2017 paves the way for the adoption of a new economic cycle focused on innovation, boosting exports and private investments. Productive sectors are expected to make a significant leap in embracing new activities and modern ways of doing business. The manufacturing sector which is the largest contributor to GDP will take the lead in this new economic cycle. Budget 2016-2017 outlines actions geared towards advancing the manufacturing sector to new frontiers; diversifying its base; and, modernising the sector. Advancing the sector Three new niches will be launched: Setting up of a modular near shore mobile oil refinery and onshore storage facilities at Albion by an international private consortium. With this project, Mauritius is likely to become a leading source of low Sulphur bunker fuel (LS380) in the Indian Ocean region. Opening up the country to a wide spectrum of gold business such as refinery of gold, producing gold bars, setting up of top-end jewellery processing units, vault facilities, and enabling the trading of gold and bullions on Mauritius new Commodity Exchange. The Exchange will also facilitate trade in diamond and other precious metals. Setting up of several manufacturing projects, one of which is the production of bicycles and motorcycles for exports to the African market. Diversifying the base Other measures to further diversify the manufacturing sector comprise: Setting up of a Pharmaceutical Village at Rose Belle to cater for the local market as well as African markets. Introduction of the application of 3D printing technology, by equipping the two technopoles at Riviere du Rempart and Rose Belle with 3D printers and removal of VAT on 3D printers. Provision is being made for customs duty exemptions on materials used in the manufacture of medical devices. Modernising the sector With regard to modernisation of the manufacturing sector, the following measures are announced: Overhauling of the investment tax credit whereby a specified manufacturing company is able to offset against its tax liability 5% of the investment in new plants and machinery over 3 years. The minimum eligibility requirement of Rs 100 million investment in a year is being removed. This will allow more businesses to benefit, and the tax credit can be recouped over a longer time period. Increasing the tax credit from 5 to 15% for manufacturers of textiles, wearing apparels, ships and boats, computers, pharmaceuticals and for film production. This represents 45% of capital expenditure incurred on new plants and machinery over three years. Repositioning the textile and apparel sector in a bid to improve competitiveness and bring Mauritius nearer to the European markets as the country faces the challenges of Brexit. A major Air Freight Rebate Scheme will be introduced bringing a 40% reduction by Air Mauritius of the air freight cost to Europe. Increasing the Bid Price-Preference from 10% to 20% for locally manufactured goods in respect of the procurement exercise by public sector bodies. This measure will apply to such goods as shoes, uniforms, school books, printing materials and furniture which will be listed in a Schedule. The aim is to support the Made in Moris initiative of the manufacturing industry. Description GIS - 02 August, 2016: Our challenge is to make the procurement system strong, transparent and corruption-free. Strong procurement systems, meeting international standards, can help ensure that money is well spent. Transparent systems allow us to see what is going on. These hold Governments, bidders and contractors accountable for their actions. Effective complaints mechanisms are imperatively required to report bribery, collusion or other corrupt practices. Our challenge is to make the procurement system strong, transparent and corruption-free. Strong procurement systems, meeting international standards, can help ensure that money is well spent. Transparent systems allow us to see what is going on. These hold Governments, bidders and contractors accountable for their actions. Effective complaints mechanisms are imperatively required to report bribery, collusion or other corrupt practices. This statement was made this morning by the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Global SIDS Conference on Anti-Corruption Reform which is currently being held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Balaclava. practices. The Prime Minister underlined that it is befitting that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has chosen this theme, as public procurement has always been one of the most conducive vehicle for corrupt activities. He added that public procurement plays a very strategic role in any visionary Governments economic agenda. Sir Anerood Jugnauth stated that corruption is a true enemy of development and one of the challenge of the Government is leading our nation into a new era of prosperity where social justice and equality prevail and to redefine our ambition and become a role model for transparency in this part of the world. The Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance, and Institutional Reforms, Mr S. Bhadhain recalled the various measures that have been put into place to promote transparency and accountability and enhance good governance. The three day Conference organised by the Ministry of Financial Services, Good Governance, and Institutional Reforms in collaboration with the Independent Commission Against Corruption and UNODC is being attended by some 48 participants from 13 countries. Farmland a Cheaper Option Farmers' Rights (TNS) HARTFORD As Connecticut continues to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to preserve dwindling farmlands, the state is indirectly subsidizing major solar projects that are gobbling up prime agricultural acreage."It doesn't make sense to me," said Paul Miller, a Woodstock dairy farmer who recently lost access to about 100 acres of prime farmland in nearby Pomfret that is being leased or sold for a proposed solar project. The land in the Woods Hill project would be taken out of corn and hay production and used to install nearly 70,000 solar panels for electricity generation."In my view, it's the greatest threat to agriculture and the land available for farming today," state Agricultural Commissioner Steven Reviczky said last week of Connecticut's solar-vs.-farmland controversy.The issue is complicated not only by the competing goals of increasing renewable energy and preserving farmland, but also by concerns about the property rights of farmers. Some farmers see solar as a potentially key source of revenue that might allow them to continue raising crops on the rest of their land.Concern about this policy conflict among state energy and agricultural officials, farmers and outside experts is rapidly increasing as the pace of solar development accelerates.Reviczky said just five of the solar array projects now under consideration in Connecticut would use up more than 680 acres of valuable and productive agricultural land. He said there may be as many as 100 such solar developments being planned.Those projects are part of a surge in solar proposals that have come in response to the system the state set up to provide incentives for renewable energy. The program's goal is to reduce Connecticut's reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation by promoting sustainable, non-polluting energy sources like solar.Under the program, state-approved projects can get long-term contracts to sell energy at above-market prices to utilities. That enables the developers to get financing for a solar project effectively providing an indirect state subsidy.While the state is encouraging solar energy, it also spent $9.7 million in 2015-16 buying development rights to protect 1,631 acres of farmland. Reviczky fears that Connecticut's rapid push for more solar power will swallow up thousands of acres of productive farmland before the state can protect it.Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration is now struggling to reconcile these two often conflicting state policies. "This is an issue we see becoming more critical for us to address every passing day," said Katie Dykes, head of the state's energy office.Reviczky said this trend of solar projects taking over important farmland isn't "just here in Connecticut." He said this type of "competition for the best of the best farmland" is happening all over the northeastern region.State solar policy should discourage the development of key farmland and push to have these large solar arrays placed on brownfields, closed landfills and other industrialized areas, according to Reviczky. The difficulty is that those kinds of properties would cost more for solar companies to develop."The solar companies have figured out that large, open farmland is the easiest to convert," said Henry Talmage, executive director of the nonprofit Connecticut Farm Bureau. The least costly option for big solar arrays is to find generally flat, open land that doesn't need to be cleared of trees.Talmage describes the problem as "a kind of collision of two good ideas and unintended consequences" and as "one of those things that's complicated." The farm bureau two years ago opposed one General Assembly bill designed to provide added protections for key farmlands because Talmage's group feared it threatened farmers' property rights.The company behind the Pomfret project is RES Americas Inc. Company officials failed to respond to requests for comment.Miller believes that state support for solar development is the reason the company behind the project can afford to pay such high land costs.According to Miller, the property owner can lease that land to the solar developer for six or seven times the $200 per acre per year that Miller can afford to pay. "I guess I don't blame him," Miller said."I can see these two things being at loggerheads," Rep. Lonnie Reed, D-Branford, said of the contradictory state policies on solar energy and preserving farmland. Reed, who is co-chair of the legislature's Energy and Technology Committee, thinks the legislature needs to weigh in: "I do think we need to look at this."Another complicating factor is that many Connecticut farmers don't want the state to place more restrictions on what they can do with their land. "It's not a simply answered question," said Catherine Osten, who is both first selectwoman of Sprague and a state senator representing 10 communities in eastern Connecticut.Talmage said the farm bureau, which represents about 2,000 active Connecticut farmers, said his group is conflicted about exactly how to find a solution. "We're in a box," Talmage said, citing the dual desire to save farmland from development while preserving the rights of farmers to use their property as they see fit.The Pomfret project brought this issue into sharp focus in the past few months. The Woods Hill plan has the backing of Pomfret officials, and the siting council found there would be no environmental problems from the proposed solar array.Reviczky made an impassioned but unsuccessful protest to the Connecticut Siting Council in May, urging rejection of the Pomfret project. In a letter to the council, Reviczky said loss of that farmland "is largely incompatible with the goals of the State of Connecticut to keep agriculture viable and growing.""The loss of 102 acres of highly productive farmland will have an adverse impact on one or more farms in the Woodstock-Pomfret area as they struggle to find similar quality and quantity of land to farm," Reviczky warned. He argued that state and federal law require that the potential loss of important agricultural property needs to be considered if a proposed facility is getting public support.The siting council rejected Reviczky's protest, saying the commissioner "is under the erroneous impression that the project entails an expenditure of state funds, which requires agricultural evaluation."Another argument raised by Reviczky was that the solar project, with its thousands of support posts and miles of underground cables and service roads, was likely to have long-term "negative consequences for agricultural productivity on that property."In a written response to the siting council, a lawyer for RES Americas said there is no evidence that solar arrays have long-term negative impacts on farmland.Dykes also said that it's possible the land could be returned to agricultural uses in 20 or 30 years when the solar panels reach the end of their operational effectiveness. She said it's also possible those panels might simply be replaced when they start to lose their generating capacity."I don't think it's realistic to assume that the land would go back to agricultural production," Reviczky said. (TNS) -- New Mexicos solar energy developers say their industry is finally hitting its stride as thousands of new residential and commercial customers opt to go solar, and more utilities nationwide turn to the sun for electric generation.Plunging prices are driving the market for solar systems, with waves of homeowners and commercial establishments tapping into sun power to offset rising electric utility bills. And, with many more financing options available today, plus a lot more solar companies competing, solar generation is beginning to penetrate the consumer mainstream.We continue to see about 20 percent more growth per year as more people become aware of the opportunities, said Regina Wheeler, CEO of Sunpower by Positive Energy Solar, which installs residential and commercial systems throughout the state. Theres solid knowledge today that solar is a viable, attractive way to fix a customers long-term energy costs at an affordable price. It can help control unlimited utility costs and people understand that now.Jerry Mosher, managing member of Consolidated Solar Technologies LLC in Albuquerque, said his business is signing up a lot more residential and commercial customers.Were doing a lot more solar installations than we used to, Mosher said. Business is very steady, whereas before it was up and down. The solar market has matured now to the point where its a pretty steady deal and theres still a lot more room to grow.By all counts, 2015 was a banner year for the industry in New Mexico and nationwide, and 2016 is so far shaping up to be even better.As of early this year, the U.S. market had reached 1 million solar installations a milestone representing 27.5 gigawatts of installed generating capacity, or enough electricity to power 5.4 million homes, according to the national Solar Energy Industry Association.The SEIA expects another 14.5 GW to be installed this year, or nearly twice the 7.3 GW developers built across the country last year.As of year-end 2015, New Mexico had about 400 megawatts of installed capacity. That includes 85 MW of residential and commercial systems, and 316 MW of utility-scale generation scattered throughout the service territories of New Mexicos public utilities and electric cooperatives.The generating power of solar systems can vary widely. Some utility-scale plants provide enough power per MW only for a few hundred average homes. Some offer a lot more, depending on location, type of technology used, and strength and availability of sunlight.Public Service Company of New Mexico accounts for about 41 percent of all installed solar capacity in the state. That includes 15 utility-scale projects with 107 MW of capacity, which PNM says is enough to power about 140,000 average New Mexico homes.All told, New Mexico ranks 8th in the nation today in terms of installed solar capacity per capita, according to the Environment America Research and Policy Center.New Mexicos utility-scale solar has increased as public utilities strive to meet the states renewable portfolio standard, which requires them to derive 15 percent of their electric generation today from renewable sources and 20 percent by 2020. Although PNM has no immediate plans to procure more solar now, other utilities and cooperatives are building new installations and the renewable portfolio standard will drive more procurements in coming years.Residential and commercial installations are booming in part because of state-mandated utility incentives to encourage consumer adoption, plus a 10 percent state tax credit for solar installations in effect since 2008.Until recently, PNM and El Paso Electric Co. in southern New Mexico offered payments to customers for each kilowatt-hour of solar electricity they produced, which helped consumers and businesses offset the costs of installing systems.Those utilities also offer net metering, which allows customers with solar systems to sell all the excess electricity they produce back to the grid at a price equal to what PNM pays for its own electricity. That net metering is separate from the renewable payments, which PNM pays to consumers for helping it meet its RPS mandates.To date, 7,100 customers have signed up for PNM credits, said Kumiko Styes, the utilitys customer solar program manager. Thats up from 4,400 in 2014.It really has exploded, Styes said. 2015 was a big year, but 2016 has been even bigger.This year, many PNM customers rushed to get their applications in because the payment program is winding down. Payments fell from 13 cents per kwh in 2009 to just 2.5 cents by year-end 2015. And, as of mid-2016, PNM stopped processing new applicants because the number of customers seeking credits surpassed the money available in the program.Were fully subscribed now, so were not paying renewable energy credits for the rest of this year, Styes said. We received like 2,200 applications and we have hundreds on the waiting list.PNM is seeking approval from the state Public Regulation Commission to restart the program in 2017, but at just one-quarter cent per kwh. El Paso Electrics payment program ended entirely in 2015.The 10 percent state tax credit also came to an end this year. That credit was formally scheduled to sunset in December, but available funding ran out in July and no more credit applications are being accepted.Nevertheless, solar installation companies expect residential and commercial markets to keep growing. For one thing, PNM and El Paso Electric still offer net metering, which solar companies say is far more critical for consumers to offset system costs than the renewable energy payments.In addition, the federal government still offers a 30 percent tax credit for solar systems and, in December, the U.S. Congress extended that through the end of 2019 before it begins to slowly ramp down.Most important, solar prices have spiraled downward. Prices for both residential systems and utility-scale power plants declined by more than 50 percent from 2008-14, according to a recent study by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2015, prices overall fell another 17 percent, according to the SEIA.Today, for example, an average 4.4 kilowatt residential system in New Mexico costs about $17,000 before tax credits or other incentives are factored in. Thats down from about $30,000 in 2009, according to some local installers. And, with credits and incentives, the actual cost to consumers ends up much lower.That same system, for example, would be reduced to just $11,900 after federal tax credits are factored in. And, with financing, the average New Mexico homeowner would in the end pay about $99 a month, or less than the average monthly bill for many utility customers today.Constant technology improvements for solar panels and components, plus increased operating efficiencies by installation firms, have cut costs. More solar companies are also operating here and elsewhere, offering better deals and broader options for consumers. That includes leasing, rather than buying solar systems, although there are costs and benefits to those new alternatives, such as ongoing responsibility for a lease contract when selling a house.There are also many more lending institutions providing financing.All that is generating fierce competition, creating economies of scale that help lower prices. New Mexico now has about 60 contracting and installation companies, including national firms like Solar City and ZingSolar that entered the market last year.As a result, most solar firms are poised to absorb the loss of New Mexicos state tax credit, as well as the decline in renewable energy payments from utilities, said Ryan Centerwall, CEO of Albuquerque-based Affordable Solar, which installs systems here and sells them nationally.It shows the development and maturity of the industry, Centerwall said. Even without state incentives, were still able to save customers money from day one and with no money down for a financed system, because it typically costs less now than for utility retail service.The industry in New Mexico and elsewhere could face more hurdles in coming years because many electric utilities want to roll back incentives like net metering, while imposing new charges on customers with solar systems. Power companies say they still maintain generating plants, transmission and distribution lines to serve customers with solar installations when their panels dont provide enough electricity, and those fixed costs remain unchanged, even though utility revenue has declined with more consumers going solar.When PNM filed for a new rate increase with the PRC in 2014, it asked for changes to its net metering program, plus a new interconnection fee on solar customers. It withdrew those things from the rate case in 2015, but they could come back in future rate cases.For now, however, with net metering unchanged and the federal tax credit firmly in place through at least 2020, installers have more time to drive prices down before solar is forced to fully stand on its own.The idea was never to have tax breaks and incentives forever, but rather use them to enter the market and begin to deliver until volume ramps up, and price reductions and economies of scale kick in, said Mellow Honek, co-founder of the Las Cruces-based installation firm Sunspot Solar Energy LLC.And, in the meantime, theres still plenty of room to grow in New Mexico and nationally.We have less than 10 percent market penetration overall today, Honek said. Theres still a long way to go to hit our peak. (TNS) -- The Solar Impulse 2 has landed. More than a year after beginning its 25,000-mile trek around the world using only the sun as a fuel source, Solar Impulse 2 has returned to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the country where its historic flight began.This is a big deal. For the first time ever, a two-pilot team was able to circle the globe without using a drop of fossil fuel. The 5,070-pound solar-powered aircraft with a 236-foot wingspan was piloted by Solar Impulse 2 chairman Bertrand Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg taking turns for long solo stretches. Though it is a monumental technological breakthrough, it didnt come easy for the pilotsThe trip, which achieved average flight speeds of 28 to 56 mph, was delayed for nine months after the aircrafts 17,248 solar cells were damaged during a flight from Japan to Hawaii.Still, Solar Impulse racked up 500 flight hours and glided across four continents, three seas and two oceans. Some of its stops included China, India, Japan, Myanmar, Egypt, southern Europe and the United States. During its trek across America, Solar Impulse stopped in Pittsburgh where Paige Kassalen, a 23-year-old electrical engineering graduate of Virginia Tech, is part of the planes pit crew. (Covestro, where Kassalen works, is the lead corporate sponsor of Solar Impulse.)The strategic breakthrough that this technology represents is undeniable. Clean, renewable energy in the form of sunshine that cant be metered has provided fuel for a flight around the world for the first time in human history. This is an innovation in energy that has implications going forward for every sector of modern industrial society. It isnt too much of an exaggeration to say that Solar Impulse has ushered in a new era.As solar and other non-renewable technology matures, so will the speed and capacity of planes and other modes of transportation to travel the globe without polluting. The days of fossil fuel as a staple of transportation are numbered thanks to the year long flight of Solar Impulse. Why merge? What will happen to my power rates? How will it save money? Energy getting cleaner or dirtier? Whats the rush? (TNS) -- In three years, Californias largest utilities could be slashing their use of fossil fuels by swapping homegrown solar energy for Rocky Mountain wind power in a sprawling Western electricity grid.Or a newly expanded grid could provide a profitable market to revive out-of-state coal plants that would otherwise face a harder time complying with Californias aggressive greenhouse-gas-reduction efforts.Those contrasting scenarios are driving debate as the states energy and air-quality regulators finish studies on a proposal to merge the grid for Californias biggest power companies Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Diego Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison with another privately run entity that serves 1.8 million customers across the West. The combined grid would serve about 32 million customers.California lawmakers set the stage for the merger last year when they passed SB 350, the law that calls for utilities to generate half of their power from renewable sources by 2030 This month, lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown could decide whether to commit to linking Californias main grid, known as the Independent System Operator , with one managed in six states by PacifiCorp Heres a look at whats motivating the proposal and some of the questions that are leading smaller utilities to ask the Brown administration to slow down the merger.Connecting Californias grid with other Western states will give power managers more leeway to move renewable energy around the country at the moment its created. Thats the part of the proposal that just about everyone likes.It means that a sudden surge of solar energy in California could power homes in Wyoming instead of going to waste. After dark, California customers could rely on wind power from Wyoming rather than draw from local natural gas plants.Supporters of the proposal contend that flexibility will help all the states use more renewable energy, leading them to move away from fossil fuels faster at a lower cost than they might be able to accomplish on their own. thick stack of consultant reports suggests state ratepayers stand to save more than $1 billion a year by 2030 if the ISO and PacifiCorp link their grids. The savings could grow if more states join the super grid, according to consultants.Some large agencies argue that those estimates may be too rosy. The State Water Contractors, an organization made up of utilities that draw from the State Water Project, in a July letter worried that grid expansion could be costly if the new grid raises fees it charges when utilities move electricity on its transmission lines. Those utilities say higher fees could swell the cost of delivering water to Southern California.The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is not part of the ISO, and the merger may not impact local customers. However, SMUD joined a number of other public power operators in writing letters asking the state to move cautiously in considering the proposal.Theyre worried that a multistate, regional grid will overwhelm the market. Like the water project, the agencies are concerned a merger would raise transmission fees. They also want to make sure that publicly owned utilities have a seat on the board that would govern the combined gird.At this juncture, there are more questions than answers on a host of significant market-related issues, wrote SMUD attorney Andrew Meditz in a July letter to the ISO.Utilities believe a larger, Western grid will save them money because they wont have to build as many renewable-energy production facilities to comply with Californias climate change law.For instance, California would need to use about 365,200 acres of land for renewable production to hit the laws 2030 goals. Without the grid plan, a little less than half of those sources would be located in the state.The total acreage required drops to 290,700 acres if the ISO combines its grid with PacifiCorp because the two organizations would be able to trade clean power. That means fewer new solar farms eating up acreage in California.What this does is it shifts the environmental impacts from California to the broader region, said Susan Lee, a consultant from the Aspen Environmental Group, at a California Energy Commission workshop last week.Also, utilities wont have to keep as much power in storage if they spread out their renewable-energy sources across a broader geographic footprint. That land would allow them to better account for sudden changes in weather that would affect energy production.In the long run, the ISO contends the combined market would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions across the entire West at a faster rate than if the utilities continue operating as they are now. The difference would be about 12 million tons of carbon emissions in 2030, according to a study released by the ISO in July.But in the near term, the utilities anticipate a 0.2 percent rise in carbon emissions as they draw from coal-fired plants managed by PacifiCorp in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.That short-term bump caught the attention of the Sierra Club , whose members fear that any boost in profitability for the PacifiCorp coal plants will lead them to stay in operation.What were worried about is if you open up Californias market, youre actually opening an outlet for those coal plants, said Travis Ritchie, a Sierra Club attorney.Supporters of the combined grid argue that the opposite will occur, with coal-fired plants losing their share of the market to renewable sources.If anything, this will expose the coal plants in the rest of the West to competition, which is what we need to do, said Robert Weisenmiller, the chairman of the California Energy Commission.By law, Californias energy regulators have until the end of 2017 to study how theyd manage a multistate power grid and to evaluate whether doing so would meet the states environmental goals.Weisenmiller said those studies are almost finished and likely will be available for lawmakers before the end of their legislative session this month. Itll be up to Gov. Brown and the Legislature to decide whether to move fast or to take more time.If lawmakers choose to expand the grid, a PacifiCorp partnership could be in place by 2020.Weisenmiller would prefer to commit to the PacifiCorp expansion soon. Passing on it, he said, could encourage utilities to join competitors in other regional grids. An Arkansas-based grid called Southwest Power Pool, for instance, added six states to its footprint last year The reality is theres a unique opportunity with PacifiCorp in terms of timing, he said. At some point you have to make the decision. If you keep saying, Were going to do more and more studying, that would be one way to obstruct the deal.A wide variety of utilities has written letters suggesting they like the idea of an expanded grid in theory. But, like SMUD, theyre generally not ready to endorse the proposal.When youre talking about a market this big, its going to have a lot of influence, said Michael Bell, the interim executive director of the California Municipal Utilities Association . His organization wrote a letter to the ISO in July asking it to take more time because of the enormity of the issues the merger presented. (TNS) CHERRY VALLEY Competition for high-speed internet is so close that Adam Wykes can literally stand atop a fiber optic cable running through the village near the Butler Park water tower.It's getting it out of the ground that's the problem.The issue: Money.Three years after the $68.5 million iFiber broadband network was completed, Wykes is among the impatient. The nearly 900-mile fiber optic pipeline through nine northwest Illinois counties brought the promise of high speed connections to rural towns and more competition among providers in larger markets like Cherry Valley, where Comcast and AT&T are major players.But so far, the main users of iFiber are 500 schools, governments, police and fire departments, libraries, community colleges, health care providers and other community anchor institutions.Wykes wants iFiber for the people. Hes lobbied Cherry Valley Village Hall, started a petition to garner public support and reached out to service providers to see what it would take to tap into iFiber."Personally, it's not that I need a faster connection," said Wykes, 31, who lives in the village with his wife and two children. "I need cheaper internet."Ironically, getting cheaper internet takes cash. It requires an investment in "last mile technology," a telecom term for getting service from fiber optic pipelines to living rooms and offices.Cherry Valley, which has a franchise agreement with Comcast but can allow competitors to provide services, too, has other financial priorities."We need to spend money on keeping up sidewalks, roads, and drainage issues," said Cherry Valley Village President Jim Claeyssen.Claeyssen said last year that Cherry Valley had spent about $29,000 to run just 800 feet of fiber optic cable to connect the village's new public works building. He said the village doesn't have money in its budget for last mile connections.Such connections to iFiber, built from 2010 to 2013 by the Illinois Fiber Resources Group, will likely rely on a fledgling commercialization plan.Five partner companies have started selling connections to the iFiber network, which was funded with a $46.1 million federal stimulus spending grant, $14 million from the state of Illinois and $8.4 million from local governments.Matt Parks, interim director of iFiber, estimates that "a couple dozen" commercial connections have been sold so far.In Rockford, City Hall mulled a plan to snake fiber optic cables through its water pipes, and then sell internet services to residents.But Glenn Trommels, the city's IT director and iFiber board chairman, said the internet services business is "super competitive." And for a utility funded by taxpayers, going up against big corporate internet providers would be risky.Trommels hopes a private company puts transmitters on streetlight poles and other existing infrastructure, and rolls out service to homes and offices in the city."Our path forward is not to build it," Trommels said. "We want to induce outside investment to come in and leverage that (iFiber) backbone."Urban Communications Inc. in Oak Forest is one of iFiber's five business-residential service partners. CEO Ed Urban said Illinois's fiscal crisis has stymied discussion in many smaller, rural communities about tapping into the network. There's interest, he said, but without state seed money they can't afford such a venture."The problem I see often is that you have a handful of people who are very enthusiastic, and that doesn't translate to decision makers in the community," Urban said.Wykes briefly collected signatures in Cherry Valley this spring to build support. He said a Wi-Fi transmitter atop the water tower in Bugler Park could serve village business and homes like his, where he once wanted to set up compiling servers for a business venture but decided he couldn't afford internet bills."Everyone said yes, this is something I'd like to see," said Wykes, a self-described computer nerd.He dropped the petition drive after collecting a dozen or so signatures when he realized it was support from the Village Hall, not from citizens, that the effort needed.Claeyssen, an engineer, said he's fascinated by the technology behind fiber optics and the prospect of competition for internet services in the village. But Claeyssen, the public official, said there's no money in the budget to open and operate a municipal broadband internet spigot."It's not that we're not still looking at it, but right now the cost is just extremely high," he said. (TNS) -- The last time state lawmakers tried to place limits on drones in the skies above California, they were met with the veto of Gov. Jerry Brown , who said he did not want to create new crimes to enforce bans on the use of such devices.This year, the pushback to new rules is coming not from the governor but through the lobbying efforts of a budding industry that hopes to influence policy at the state Capitol and nationwide.As drones multiply in number and category, cities and states want to set boundaries. But drone manufacturers and associations this legislative session boosted their politicking, successfully beating back several bills they said would create a patchwork of laws that vary by state and hinder innovation.We want to solve problems and address concerns, but to do it in a way that is constantly clear across the country, said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs for DJI Technology Co., the worlds largest drone maker. Otherwise, it will be too confusing for commercial users and consumers to understand what the rules are when they travel from place to place.The Consumer Technology Assn. expects 2.4 million drones to be sold nationwide this year, up from 1.1 million in 2015.California has been home to some of the most innovative uses of the technology and is now also a central battleground over industry policy as it has become more commercialized.Farmers are employing unmanned machines to spray pesticides over vineyards, first responders are using them to train for chemical spills, and Realtors are sending them into the air to capture aerial photos of homes and businesses.But cities are seeking to pass their own rules and ordinances to prevent hobbyists from wreaking havoc. Just this month, a Placer County man was arrested on suspicion of flying a drone into a firefighting effort northeast of Sacramento.Brown last year signed a bill prohibiting the use of drones to record audio or video on private property. But he stopped short of signing bills that would have made it illegal to use drones over wildfires, schools, prisons and jails.Industry opposition this year has helped block two sweeping pieces of California legislation: One would have outlined drone regulations for law enforcement and another sought to drastically reduce the space in which the devices can be flown near power lines and critical infrastructure, private property and parklands and wildlife refuges.Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat who authored the latter bill, said she had spent months working on an approach that would balance the need to protect privacy, public safety and parkland with promoting the benefits of the technology.But she said tech industry leaders had not been willing to come to the table.The rules should be clear, she said. The rules should be fair. The rules should be a coordinated effort by all the stakeholders, but until we get the tech industry to sit down and participate, we are going to have to go at it alone.Opponents of the bill contended it would have required drone operators to obtain insurance, though there is no data that accurately reflects the danger the drones pose. And they said it created inconsistencies and contradictions that undermined federal law regarding aircraft operations.Debate has raged in recent years over just where federal authority begins and ends. Lawyers with the Federal Aviation Administration have said their agency has jurisdiction over any airspace above a blade of grass, though it has typically only regulated spaces at least 500 feet above the ground . The agency has also been slow to release regulations, revealing its latest set of rules for commercial users only late last month.In Washington, major firms with an eye toward drone delivery services, among the most aggressive of which has been Amazon, have poured millions of dollars into lobbying Congress as a way of pushing the FAA along. Major drone manufacturers have even created their own industry advocacy group, the Drone Manufacturers Alliance , focused on the consumer market.But industry experts say the battles with the highest stakes could play out at the state level, where lawmakers are trying to balance the needs of cities with those of drone operators.In California, DJI Technology Co. and GoPro, a body-wearable camera maker working on its own drone, doled out more than $125,000 for the first time this session to hire lobbying firms. And even Google and Amazon have added the unmanned machines to their lobbying priorities in Sacramento.The opposition helped stall another bill by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) that would have required law enforcement to issue policies and obtain a search warrant before using drones. It has remained on the Senate floor since last year but is expected to be withdrawn.Of the five remaining proposals in the Legislature, criticized by some as piecemeal solutions, two of the most significant bills would ban the use of drones in state parks without permission and would hold that emergency responders and volunteers who damage a drone are not subject to liability.Another would mandate that the devices must be sold with a copy of FAA rules and that those with GPS technology must turn off near airports, sensitive infrastructure or fires.Jackson, whose drone legislation was vetoed by the governor last year, said she will try to pass statewide regulations for the third time next session. Cities are already moving forward, she said with or without the state. A cloud continues to hang over the future of the German grand prix. The Nurburgring's woes meant there was no race in Germany last year, and it appears unlikely the track will be able to resume its alternation deal with the Hockenheim for 2017. "2017 is the Norburgring's turn," track chief Georg Seiler told DPA news agency after Hockenheim staged Germany's F1 return last weekend. Seiler had targeted a crowd of at least 60,000 on Sunday to ensure Hockenheim breaks even, but the final figure was just short of that, at 57,000. "On the positive side we sold more tickets than in 2014 so the trend is right," he told Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper. "We already have a contract for 2018 and will comply with it. Then we'll see," Seiler added. "A lot of water will flow down the Rhine before 2019," he said. But what about 2017? Seiler said "anything is possible", but only if there is no "risk" that Hockenheim will left with a bill to pay. And he said that goes for 2019 and beyond, as well. "Formula one should stay at Hockenheim, but the contract in the future must be that there is no risk," Seiler told the German website motorsport-magazin.com. "There are many people within the F1 supply train that make money," he said. "It cannot be that we provide the playground only for others to make money." He said Mercedes has already supported the circuit by way of advertising and marketing. "I would be happy if Mercedes wants to continue with us as a formula one partner. I am also thinking of all the suppliers and other companies that are also part of the overall business," added Seiler. (GMM) The roadmap outlines the long-term technology needs to support future automotive material selection decisions with advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) including, optimized design, fuel economy, strength and durability, environmental performance and value. Over the past 10 years, new steel innovations have reduced automotive component and sub-system mass by nearly 25%; some studies have shown mass savings up to 29% versus traditional mild steel benchmarks. The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI)a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)has now released its 2016 Steel Industry Technology Roadmap for Automotive . It also outlines and responds to automakers needs by identifying AHSS solutions and recommended areas for future research. The roadmap also identifies technical gaps in the application of these advanced products and on a high level identifies potential projects. It also provides information on materials, joining and forming related to advanced steels. Looking toward the 2025 CAFE fuel economy targets, a projected 20% reduction in BIW (body in white) weight is required to close the gap. Steels opportunity to contribute to fuel economy improvements is through vehicle mass reduction mainly in the body, closures and chassis / suspension systemsrepresenting more than 50% of the mass of the vehicle. Source: ArcelorMittal. Click to enlarge. As the auto industry focuses even more on mass reduction, the steel industry continues to develop new steel grades. More specifically, the roadmap notes, automakers have requested development of AHSS with improved ductility for better formability. This classification of steel has been named third generation (3rd Gen AHSS) and is expected to provide a cold-stamped alternative for some hot-stamped applications through traditional stamping processes. Hot-stamped grades will still be needed for advantages in high strength, complex formability and part consolidation. Progression of 3rd Gen AHSS development. The currently available 3rd Gen AHSS products are shown adjacent to the range of 3rd Gen steels under development. A new group of continuously heat-treated 3rd Gen AHSS alloys continue application and development adding to those 3rd Gen AHSS steels already available. Click to enlarge. There are seven primary strategic areas for innovation in steel, the roadmap notes: materials; computer aided engineering (CAE) modeling and simulation; forming technologies; tooling technologies; joining technologies; and other. Materials. Key initiatives within this particular area are: Grade consistency across steel manufacturers and global availability. Plasticity fundamentals. Successful modeling of polycrystalline behavior would benefit the understanding and application of new steel grade plasticity properties. Models should also provide grade-based forming information. Models ideally incorporating features of damaged / strengthened constituents could provide information for preformed and intermediate stages of material forming. Elastic modulus. A higher elastic modulus would be highly desirable to compensate for gage reduction and avoid loss of part or panel stiffness. Standardized testing methods are required to accurately measure this property and model the effects of texture and anisotropy directionally on its measurement. Modeling change in elastic modulus for an AHSS material in a typical tension-compression-tension cycle is a difficult challenge for a material exhibiting component phase structure changes. However it would be very beneficial in part forming and performance characterization. Standardized testing methods are required to accurately measure this property and model the effects of texture and anisotropy directionally on its measurement. Material Fracture. Better understanding of the effects of deformation mode on shear fracture including the influence of microstructure to aid in designing / refining AHSS products and processing. Local formability. Standardize material test methods providing the appropriate material data required to support modeling and prediction of local flow stresses incorporating anisotropy. Delayed fracture and hydrogen embrittlement. Standardize reproducible test methods to reflect real world conditions. CAE. There are three major initiatives within this area: Advancements in finite element formulations, enhanced modeling, analyses and post-processing techniques will significantly improve the fidelity and speed of the simulations and allow rapid iterations of the design to achieve an optimum balance of performance, mass and cost without compromising safety as the primary objective; Accuracy and robustness of the material data generated and provided as input to the models to better predict formability (local and global); and Modeling techniques in the future are anticipated to go beyond current simulation of vehicle performance and manufacturing. Additional requirements such as total GHG emissions to reduce the environmental impact as a function of all phases of vehicle life (production, use and end-of-life recycling) may be needed along with other inputs to support technologies such as autonomous vehicles. Forming Technologies. Newer steel grades present additional technical challenges in forming that need to be addressed to ensure seamless applications of these grades with relatively reduced risks. Conventional Stamping. As the most versatile and predominant production process for all steels, stamping and stamping process improvements are critical to expanding the future application of AHSS / UHSS. Arrival of higher-strength, more ductile, thinner-gage steel grades opens up a number of technical gaps. Hot Stamping Process. Perhaps one of the most prominent processes under review for forming 1 st Gen AHSS is hot stamping. This technology can be direct or indirect and be further refined for softening, hardening and hybrid processing. As the technology continues to mature, there will be a continuing need to address gaps primarily aimed at cycle time improvements and production rate increase. Hydroforming and Roll Forming. Hydroforming and roll forming processes are mature steel forming technologies widely used within the automotive industry to produce open and closed structural sections. As in the case of stamping, the development of higher-strength, more ductile, thinner-gage AHSS grades opens up technical gaps specific to hydroforming and roll forming needed to be addressed to ensure successful automotive applications. Other Innovative Forming Technologies. Less common forming processes such as brake forming; spinning; electro-magnetic forming; electro-hydraulic forming; and explosive forming may be further developed in the future for use in conjunction with stronger, more ductile, thinner gage AHSS grades; especially if some of these technologies can offer tooling and part fabrication cost advantages. Tooling. Regardless of the forming process, there is a continuous need to address the capability and adequacy of the existing tooling and equipment technologies. Technical focus areas include, but are not limited to: Enhanced die modeling, design and optimization methods; Die materials for improved tool life, longer production runs, less maintenance and reduced tooling costs; Die heat treatment to prevent die surface damage and improve impact and wear resistance; Die surface treatment to reduce friction, tool wear and permit operating at higher-surface temperatures for conventional cold forming and potentially improve die heat transfer characteristics in the case of hot stamping; Die lubricant technologies to improve their performance at higher operating pressures and temperatures with stability, improve the cleaning ability with no residue, and corrosion protection; and Press equipment technologies to address higher-tonnage capacity and potentially permit design of AHSS components with fewer hits. Joining. The continuing evolution of AHSS grades demands significant updates to existing joining methods and creative simulation techniques. In addition, joining steel grades to other automotive grade materials has increased and presented a rising number of applications requiring mixed material joints in the BIW, closures and chassis applications. Joining processes can be categorized as: Welding processes which generally require some form of heat application (with or without filler materials). Examples include: resistance spot welding (RSW); laser welding; gas metal arc welding (GMAW); metal inert gas (MIG); tungsten inert gas (TIG); hot wire welding (HWW); and friction stir welding (FSW). Mechanical Joining processes not requiring heat application (at least during joining), include: riveting (both self-piercing and blind); threaded fasteners; flow drill screws (FDS); clinching; hemming; impact riveting (Rivtac); and adhesive bonding. Other. Other technical areas driving significant interaction with other automotive related industries and requiring attention as an integral part of the overall technical roadmap include (but are not limited to):corrosion; paint; repairability; recyclability; and LCA. The city's top official is determined to eliminate under-the-table payments and allay investor concerns. Ho Chi Minh City has recorded a 68.4 percent decline in foreign investments to $638 million in the first seven months of the year, statistics show. The citys authorities are obviously worried that the southern city might be losing its attractiveness in the eyes of foreign investors as a dynamic business hub in Southeast Asia. Top city leaders, including Chairman of the Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong, are aware of the realities of doing business in the city. The citys chairman frankly pointed out that unofficial payments to public officials are part of the picture that gives foreign investors an unfavorable opinion of the citys business environment. Officials from each industry need to make the time to hold public meeting with businesses to hear directly from them, not from a go-between, Phong said at a meeting on Monday. The chairman said that businesses should not have to go through a middleman to set up a meeting with the citys authorities. He also pledged to cut through red tape and remove other cumbersome administrative hurdles to create a more favorable business environment in Ho Chi Minh City. The citys economy has expanded an estimated 7.47 percent in the first half of 2016, and is set to grow by 8 percent this year, said Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong. Photo by Ngoc Hau. Ho Chi Minh City is striving to become a smart and dynamic part of Asia and a talent hub where investors and start-ups flock together to thrive on a sustainable market-based economy. The southern city is strategically connected to seaports and home to an international airport, giving it the opportunity to grow into a regional commercial hub. Municipal authorities have tried to boost transport infrastructure to keep track with the rapidly expanding economy. Worsening congestion at Cat Lai Seaport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport are costing businesses time and money, said Phong. With Ho Chi Minh City aiming for growth of 8 percent to increase the average per-capita income to $8,500 by 2020, we must improve infrastructure, the citys top leader continued. Experts said the city will need some VND500 trillion ($22 billion) in the next five years and an additional $45 billion from 2020 to 2030 for infrastructure projects. Statistics show that Ho Chi Minh Citys sales of goods and services grew 11.4 percent to VND407 trillion ($18.5 billion) in the first seven months of this year against the same period last year. The citys import and export turnover from January to July was estimated at $18 billion, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Ho Chi Minh City currently has 250,000 household businesses. The city plans to double the figure by turning family businesses into small and medium-sized enterprise, said secretary of the citys Party Committee, Dinh La Thang. Figures show small and medium-sized businesses have managed to secure VND93.4 trillion in loans so far this year, accounting for 60.6 percent of the total outstanding debts in the citys banking system. Related news: > Ho Chi Minh City to have more financial and administrative independence: PM > Ho Chi Minh City eyes public gold stashes to develop infrastructure > Traffic drives Ho Chi Minh City to invest nearly $400mln on second monorail line STAMFORD A former White House attorney who nearly bludgeoned his wife to death with a flashlight wants to delay paying her a $30 million settlement. The attorney for J. Michael Farren asked Superior Court Judge Robert Genuario in Stamford on Monday to stop Mary Margaret Farren from collecting on a $28.6 million civil settlement until her clients U.S. Supreme Court appeal is heard. Farren, 63, who served as an attorney for both Bush administrations, is serving a 15-year prison term at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, for the attempted murder of his wife during a violent, prolonged and vicious domestic assault in their New Canaan mansion in 2010. The state Appelate Court upheld the civil jurys December 2013 decision. Farren, who is not due for release until March 2029, now hopes the highest court overturns the ruling. What he is trying to do is block further attempts to execute judgment, Mary Margaret Farrens attorney, Paul Slager said following the hearing on Monday. He has money in a variety of places and to stop any further efforts in that regard. Genuario said he needed a few days to reach a decision. Michael Farren did not attend the 15-minute hearing and was not present during the civil or criminal trials. Part of Farrens appeal focuses on him not being present for the civil trial. However, Slager has said Farrens legal shenanigans involved putting himself in Hartford Hospital for having suicidal ideations on the eve of the trial to avoid having to defend himself. The Appellate Court ruled the Stamford trial court did not know he had been committed to the hospital. His attorney, Emily Gianquinto, told the judge on Monday he had the authority to make a stay in the case until the U.S. Supreme court makes a ruling. But Slager, told Genuario he did not have the authority to delay his client from collecting the settlement. He said the Appellate Court already denied Farrens appeal and now his attorney is going behind the higher courts back. But Gianquinto told Genuario, Mr. Farren has exercised his right to take his appeal further. They lost that, Slager said. And they are essentially seeking to appeal the decision of the Appellate Court with your honor, which is wholly improper. Slager said Farren has been withholding the money from his client since the settlement was awarded more than two years ago. Based on the justice that happened here, this is one after the next, after the next, after the next, in a series of delays, Slager said. This is only the latest in a long string of attempted delays. Gianquinto said after the hearing Mary Margaret Farren has collected some of the settlement money, but she was not sure how much. jnickerson@scni.com; This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 / Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Helen Neafsey Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Will Strain has been a volunteer firefighter for the past 10 years, and he is now joining the ranks of the paid firefighting staff. Strain was sworn in Monday, following in a family tradition. Both his parents, Linda and Rick, are longtime volunteers affiliated with the Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company. Rick Strain is the current chief. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Though many may assume they already know the answer to the question, a pair of evolutionary scientists released a study Monday explaining the point of the female orgasm. Scientists at Yale and the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital have provided fresh insights on the subject by examining the evolving trait across different species. Their study appears Monday in the journal JEZ-Molecular and Developmental Evolution. The female orgasm, unlike the male orgasm, is not necessary for conceiving, so why is it still there? said Dr. Mihaela Pavlicev, an assistant professor at the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, and one of two authors of the the study, The Evolutionary Origin of Female Orgasm. Dr. Pavlicev and Gunter Wagner, an Alison Richard professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University, started last fall and took three to four months to complete the study. We wanted to try to understand the ovarian cycle and spontaneous evolution, because this concept is relatively new, Pavlicev said. While doing other things, we stumbled across this observation that the ancestral trait that evolved into the human female orgasm had an ancestral function during ovulation. Pavlicev has been on the job for the last three years, but has focused on reproductive biology for the past 13, while Wagner has spent 35 years studying evolutionary biology, a quarter of a century teaching at Yale, and a decade researching biological reproduction. Since there is no apparent association between orgasm and number of offspring or successful reproduction in humans, the scientists singled out one physiological trait that goes together with the human female orgasm, the neuro-endocrine discharge of prolactin and oxytocin, and searched for this activity in other placental mammals. Although the effects of the female orgasm in humans may not be clear, however if present, the extant effects of the trait are not necessarily the functions for which the traits originated in the first place, wrote Pavlicev and Wagner in their publication. Instead, they can be new functions, for example, as is well established for feathers, hair, or swim bladder, etc. Pavlicev and Wagner saw this reflex plays a part in ovulation for a large number of mammals. For animals other than the human, the female orgasm can be seen as a mechanism to cause ovulation in response to copulation, as the egg and sperm must simultaneously be in the right place, Pavlicev said. We must ask the question: Is there still a function for the female orgasm, and how will ovulation be affected? Many aspects of reproductive biology are still yet to be answered, Wagner said. While the study affects the science community in a positive manner, the general implications for the average individual should not be overlooked. People want to understand themselves and why things are the way that they are, Wagner said. The scientists suggest that female orgasm may have evolved as an adaptation for a direct reproductive role the reflex that, ancestrally, induced ovulation. This reflex became superfluous for reproduction later in evolution, freeing female orgasm for secondary roles. GREENWICH - Vineyard Vines will donate 10 percent of each purchase to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk from 2 to 6 p.m. on August 5. The company will also donate a dollar for every printable whale that is colored and posted to social media with #WhalesForACause until September 16. The Greenwich location of Vineyard Vines is participating, along with New Canaan, Westport, Grand Central, Third Ave. and Short Hills. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The news is gloomy for Connecticuts head-in-the-sand conservatives who scoffed at the 2012 legalization of marijuana for the treatment of debilitating ailments. That conjured image of a stoner paradise, with nodding-and-winking proprietors of state medical-cannabis dispensaries happily handing out bags of weed to anyone, has not panned out, to say the least. And the presumed proliferation of people qualifying under the catch-all Post Traumatic Stress Disorder claim has also failed to materialize. Yep, if you were a member of the General Assembly back in 2012 who voted against medical cannabis, well, lets say you werent a visionary. But that was the year that people who didnt know anything about the medical benefits could no longer meddle with peoples lives. That is not entirely true, since last spring, a bipartisan group of conservatives on the legislative Regulation Review Committee, without a medical degree among them and in apparent violation of their own rules, decided to ax a new ailment from the list only because they couldnt kill the whole program. At this point, nearly two years into its availability, 70 percent of the states medical cannabis isnt even being sold in the traditional dried-flower form. The chemicals are being extracted and sold for edibles, vaporizers and other non-smokables. Oh yeah, and even the PTSD patients are getting forms of the medicine with lower amounts of the psycho-active THC and higher percentages of other compounds. With PTSD you want a mood stabilizer, said Jonathan Harris, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection, which runs the medical cannabis program. And despite the Connecticut Medical Societys opposition, more and more doctors are signing on for participation. When the first medical marijuana came on the market in September 2014, there were 81 doctors registered to recommend the treatment. Now, there are 502 physicians. There are 11,832 patients, up from the original 1,681. And maybe the really good news is that, come Oct. 1, a new state law takes effect that will promote research into the properties of the weed. And research means jobs in science, at a time when that single syllable is the default mantra of all political types. Its really going to repudiate the head-in-the-sand types when hundreds of new employment opportunities spring up, nearly 80 years after the federal clamp down on the ubiquitous weed, including its laughably lingering status as a federal Schedule I drug, defined as dangerously addictive with no medical uses. The current ailments for eligibility include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn's disease, PTSD, sickle cell disease, muscle spasticity, severe psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ulcerative colitis and complex regional pain syndrome. On Oct. 1, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, terminal illness and uncontrolled seizures will be added. Less than two years in, and the stigmas are getting lowered, Harris said in a Friday interview. We continue to make progress in providing for more patients suffering from serious conditions. We are getting more physicians on board. Harris said he welcomes the so-called double-blind studies typical of scientific research. I think its going to play out incredibly and research will allow Connecticut to be a national leader. In 2015 the General Assembly failed to approve the legislation that finally passed this year, allowing children to use oral medication, allowing for research and letting medical cannabis be administered in hospitals and hospices. Harris said the pharmaceutical model in which the dispensaries, including two new ones in Milford has allowed a uniform product to be sold. The standardization of strains of marijuana and its combinations of THC and the other, associated chemicals, should make it easier to study the drugs benefits, taking information beyond the anecdotal that scientists demean. Were going to be the place to do this kind of research, Harris said. Its going to create some good jobs, medium- to-higher-paying jobs that we lost in the Great Recession. I really think it is going to be a good win. The state regulates how the plant is grown by the four producers. The Department of Consumer Protections food division licenses three of them that produce edibles. Come Oct. 1, Harris anticipates the initial research forays to begin, by the growers, those labs now testing cannabis profiles, or totally new entities such as universities or existing bio-tech companies. More people understand this is about good health care, Harris said. Its medicine to help those suffering from various diseases, who are your parents, grandparents, your next-door neighbors, friends. Its not a not a special class of people out there trying to get high. This is real. It is one of the three largest foreign industrial park developers in Vietnam. The Vietnamese subsidiary of Thailands industrial estate developer Amata Corporation is ready to invest $200 million in the first phase of its second industrial park in Vietnam. The park will be located in Long Thanh District in Dong Nai Province, a strategic location near Ho Chi Minh City, according to Vietnam's National Assembly website. Amata Vietnam Pcl will follow in the steps of other Thai retail giants including Berli Jucker Corporation and Central Group, underlining the potential international investors see in Vietnam. The total overall budget for the project, known as Amata City Long Thanh, is expected to hit $800 million. The complex will be divided into two sections: 40 percent will be used for industrial purposes and 60 percent for housing and commercial buildings. Amata Vietnam Pcl Chief Executive Officer Somhatai Pnichewa told DealStreetAsia that: We will start developing the industrial part first. For accommodation, we will start it once the government constructs the expressway, scheduled to start by 2019. By then the value of this project and the land will have risen sharply. Amata is investing in another strategic location in the south of Vietnam. Photo from industrialzone.vn One of the three largest foreign industrial park developers in Vietnam, Amata said that the 1,300 hectare industrial park will be available for investors in 2017 before the park is completed in 2019. The Long Thanh project is Amata's second in Vietnam following Bien Hoa City that opened in 1994. Both investments are located in Dong Nai Province, a satellite city of Ho Chi Minh City and the gateway to the most developed economy in the country. Bien Hoa City was a joint venture between Amata Corporation and Sonadezi Bien Hoa, a state owned industrial estate developer. This was the Thai corporation's first overseas industrial park investment. Amata Vietnam is also applying for an investment license in another large industrial park complex in the north of Vietnam that would include industrial estates and residential buildings near a strategic deep sea port location. Amata Corporation Public Company Limited is a Thai industrial estate developer established in 1989 with headquarters in Bangkok. It operates in Thailand and Vietnam and hosts global clients from industries such as the automotive, healthcare and food and beverage sectors. Related news > Industrial waste from Formosa steel plant found buried in public park > Vietnam impatient as Thai supermarket giant dawdles over tax payment > Vietnam province pulls plug on Thai-proposed $20-billion refinery While women make up more than half of the U.S. population and nearly 52 percent of these women hold professional-level jobs, only 14.6 percent end up as executive officers, according to the latest statistics from the Center for American Progress. This figure tells us what many women already know: In spite of gains in the workplace, plenty of todays career-oriented woman are still struggling to break the glass ceiling. To understand why, it helps to take a closer look at how female leadership roles develop and evolve in both the private and public sector. Are women better off exploring leadership positions with the government or working for private firms and corporations? With Hillary Clinton gunning for the most executive position in the country, the outlook is not all that bad. Even so, its clear that challenges remain - both in the government and the private sector. Elle Magazines list of the 10 most powerful women in Washington featured women, who have overcome many challenges in the White House and beyond, providing us with inspiration on what it takes to succeed in an otherwise male-dominated sector. Author Rachel Combe emphasizes how many of these women are key players, leading their teams and colleagues to great levels of success. Its not news that women have the skills needed to excel, though opportunity is a different story. According to the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, women tend to have the chops to become transformational leaders. These leaders inspire people to follow them by working on gaining their trust and respect before attempting to persuade or change their views. They encourage a mutual relationship among everyone they work with, regardless of role or status. The experts at Business Professional Women's (BPW) International point out that women have a tendency to encourage participation and collaboration when running an organization. Unlike men, they rarely use threats to change behavior, instead focusing on improving performance. They also have the ability to work with a clear vision, and earn peoples trust because of that. All of these traits and characteristics allow them to play a pivotal role in both private and public sector jobs. But to what extent? Women in top management positions and on corporate boards are stalling, according to the Center for American Progress, with only nine percent of women remaining in top management positions. Overall, it appears women have excelled more in the public sector than in the private. Related: How Women Leaders Win and Help Others Do the Same Women make up 34.4 percent of senior executive services (SES) in the federal government compared with 14.6 percent of senior leadership roles in the private sector. The study highlights the fact that women have filled more leadership roles within the public sector than in the private sector - a trend we see more of at the federal level. There are few skills unique to men or women, but the argument that men are better leaders innately has been definitively debunked. In fact, the same skills that are rewarded in men can hinder women, and traditionally feminine leadership traits are downplayed in spite of their importance in a professional workplace. For example, a recent study shows that female executives outshine their male counterparts when it comes to fostering a collaborative environment. Collaboration, along with other traits, such as compassion and honesty, are cornerstones of good leadership. Unfortunately, popular opinion still regards men and stereotypically male traits as superior. Due to this discrepancy, some organizations are taking a stand to level the playing field. Related: Why Women Are the Best Opportunity for Businesses Anne Abraham, founder and CEO of LeadWomen, says, The Commonwealth has successfully achieved significant levels of women in political leadership in some regions. The same emphasis must now be placed on women in senior leadership roles in public and private offices. More women are taking the lead on representing their female colleagues and counterparts in board meetings; leading critical planning and development discussions; and serving as key decision makers for an organization. However, women are still underrepresented, regardless of industry and fail to meet anywhere near the employment level of their male counterparts in executive and leadership positions. So whats it going to take for more women to fill positions of power in the private and public sector? While it appears that more leadership job opportunities within the federal government are available - or accessible -- to women, women who are pursuing career growth in the private sector, may have a more difficult time. As Ive written about before, it is up to leadership to recognize female talent and to provide the opportunities to excel. Related: Why Millennial Women Crave Authenticity Women can also consider working with a mentor, or furthering their education, to explore high-level management positions. Some companies offer formal mentorship programs for internal employees so they can partner with an experienced executive and learn the ropes to get ahead in the organization. Another option is to develop stronger interpersonal and team-building skills to serve as a leader at every opportunity within the organization. This can encourage managers to take notice and increase the chances of a promotion. Women are still struggling to break through the glass ceiling in many organizations, but many do find rewarding leadership opportunities both in the private and in the public sector. While many firms and corporations in the private sector encourage women to join the organization and grow their careers, others are finding opportunities to excel working for the federal government. At the end of the day, I believe we are amidst a cultural shift toward better inclusivity. It took much more effort for the women before us, and it will take extra effort for women today. But someday our hard work will pay off for the women of tomorrow. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Massively oversize portions are one of the most storied and competitive categories within the stunt-foods universe. The Italians in particular excel in this arena, casually creating mile-long pizzas and 10,000-pound bowls of spaghetti while sipping on spritzes. But Maine restaurant Dirigo Public House has put the whole world on notice with a 100-pound hamburger created with the noble cause of making fun of its customers. This is what a 100+ lb cheeseburger looks like. And not too shabby on temping it to Medium! (It's a hair over but if you're going to complain about it, keep walking.) Posted by Dirigo Public House on Monday, August 1, 2016 Served this past Saturday at the restaurants first anniversary, the burger consists of a 70-pound patty, plus 30 pounds of lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and one giant bun. One of the restaurants co-owners, Ben Grant, says they were inspired by customers requests to go bigger, which he says he felt was inappropriate due to things like people not having enough money for normal food. Which makes sense, because these record-breaking foods are mostly notable for being a huge waste of resources. So, in response, Grants staff went way over the top, and will now donate some of the proceeds from the burger to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. Which, if anything, makes this monster burger seem like something of a noble cause. Vinamilk plans to earn half its revenue in foreign markets in the next five years. Vinamilk, or Vietnam Dairy Product JSC, has set a target of building its overseas business so it accounts for half of its total revenue in the next five years. The dairy firm, currently valued at nearly $8 billion, said that net revenue from overseas markets rose 14 percent to VND4.4 trillion ($197 million) in the first six months of 2016 from a year ago. Vinamilk has unveiled plans to gain a strong foothold in Asia through mergers and acquisitions after 40 years of focusing on the domestic market. The dairy firm has formed strategic partnerships with Topmost Enterprise in Thailand and Synchro World in Myanmar. Vinamilk has also launched a dairy plant in Cambodia via a joint venture with local company BPC Trading that produces fresh milk, yogurt and condensed milk for the Cambodian market. Vinamilk spent $3 million to become the sole owner of the California-based Driftwood Dairy, which contributed 6.5 percent to the firms total revenue of $1.7 billion last year. Vinamilk reported revenues in the first half of 2016 over $1 billion, and profits rose 33 percent to VND4.97 trillion ($222.6 million) from the same period last year. Vinamilk said changes to strategic product lines and lower corporate income tax had spurred growth. Vinamilk products are displayed for sale at a Vinamilk shop in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters. The Vietnamese government on July 20 scrapped a long standing foreign-ownership cap on Vinamilk in a move to boost foreign interest in the countrys stock market. The State Securities Commission said in a statement that the decision now allows foreign investors to own a 100 percent stake in a company, up from 49 percent. The SCIC, the state's investment arm, holds a 45 percent stake worth $3.5 billion in Vinamilk, and has confirmed it will divest from the company without giving a specific time frame. Related news: > Vinamilk extends global reach with U.S. dairy firm acquisition > Vietnam's leading state owned giant Vinamilk says scrapping foreign ownership cap > Dairy giant Vinamilk opens $23 million plant in Cambodia These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. Introduction Last year, Samsung focused on its Galaxy S6 cash cow and the Note5 got slightly overlooked (especially in Europe, where it wasn't even present and the S6 edge+ was left to carry the flagship phablet flag alone). This year, the Note is back and stronger than ever. The Samsung Galaxy Note7 stands at the heart of a multifaceted ecosystem that is supported by three pillars - business, games and multimedia. Samsung Galaxy Note7 (left) next to the S7 edge (right) On the business side, the improved S Pen collaborates with the Always-on screen for even easier note taking. The iris scanner works with KNOX and Samsung Pay to secure your data (both work and personal) and your money even tighter than before. The Galaxy Note7 wants to rule mobile gaming. VR especially, with a redesigned Gear VR. The phone supports the new Vulkan API, which is just starting to gain ground with PC games. As a nice bonus, you get $25 worth of "console-quality" games at launch. The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is a media creation and a consumption nexus too. It's one of few mobiles that can display HDR video (an up and coming tech for 4K TVs). With the Gear 360, it can also snap VR-ready panoramas too. Other accessories come into play too. The phablet's 3,500mAh battery is paired with two new power saving modes and can use an optional wireless quick charger for quick cable-free top-ups. Active users have the Gear IconX wireless headphones and the Gear Fit 2 smart band to look forward to (and you can score the Fit 2 for free!). Also, the S Pen works underwater, so activities are not limited to dry land. Yes, the Galaxy Note7 is the first Note to get waterproofed - it holds an IP68 certification. Samsung Galaxy Note7 at a glance: Form factor : metal frame, dual-tone paint job with the Blue Coral option : metal frame, dual-tone paint job with the Blue Coral option Durability: IP68 rating (dustproof, water resistant beyond 1m of water); S Pen works underwater (!) IP68 rating (dustproof, water resistant beyond 1m of water); S Pen works underwater (!) Display: Dual-curved 5.7" Super AMOLED of QHD resolution; Edge features are back; Gorilla Glass 5 Dual-curved 5.7" Super AMOLED of QHD resolution; Edge features are back; Gorilla Glass 5 S Pen : can leave notes on Always-on screen; 4096 pressure levels; doesn't break if you put it the wrong way in : can leave notes on Always-on screen; 4096 pressure levels; doesn't break if you put it the wrong way in Platform: Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 (region dependent); 4GB of RAM; Base model has 64GB of storage (expandable via microSD) Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 (region dependent); 4GB of RAM; Base model has 64GB of storage (expandable via microSD) Software: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Security : iris scanner; fingerprint scanner : iris scanner; fingerprint scanner Camera: 12MP dual-pixel camera; 2160p video capture 12MP dual-pixel camera; 2160p video capture Connectivity: USB Type-C (a first for Samsung) with On-The-Go support; NFC for Samsung Pay USB Type-C (a first for Samsung) with On-The-Go support; NFC for Samsung Pay Battery: 3,500mAh; new power-saving modes; quick charging (wired and wireless) 3,500mAh; new power-saving modes; quick charging (wired and wireless) Launch: Pre-orders start August 3, sales officially begin August 19 Samsung's own research shows that Note owners use 50% more productivity and business apps than Galaxy S7 owners. And they consume 30% more multimedia. Let's see if the new Galaxy Note7 can live up to the magic created by its predecessors. The roughly 25-cm long crocodiles were about 15 days old and were likely trafficked from Vietnam, said state-owned Xinhua news agency. Border police seized 399 baby Siamese crocodiles, a protected endangered species, in southern China. Police in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said they saw three nervous-looking men moving goods in front of the house where the crocodiles were found and approached them for questioning. One man was caught, while the two others escaped. Siamese crocodile skin is used to produce handbags and other luxury leather goods, but the reptiles can only be raised in China with a licence and trafficking in them is illegal, according to Xinhua. China is a major destination market for many products made using exotic, and often endangered, species. The government has held high-profile events to destroy large caches of illicit animal products in attempt to discourage trafficking in them. Related news: > Alleged rhino horn smuggler busted at Vietnam airport > Dead tigers found in Thai temple amid trafficking fears > Endangered pangolins rescued as police bust smugglers in northern Vietnam Haiti - FLASH : Results of examinations of the 9th AF (10 departments) The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) has just made available the results of examinations of the 9th fundamental year 2015-2016, for the 10 academic departments. According to data provided by the National Bureau of State Examinations (BUNEXE) 145,712 candidates are admitted over 205.940 participants, representing a success rate of 70.75% nationwide, a slight down compared to the previous year (72.21%) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14683-haiti-flash-exams-of-the-9th-fundamental-year-success-rate-by-department.html The Department of Nippes is ranked higher in terms of performance with a 81% success rate (4,544 admitted out of 5,610 participants), followed by the North Department with 79% (17,.539 admitted out of 22.335 participants). The Artibonite Department accuses the lowest success rate with 67% of admitted Success rate of the 9th Year Fundamental 2015-2016 : For the department of South, out of 10,983 registered, there have been 10,702 participants. In total there have been 8,395 admitted, representing a success rate of 78.44% ; For the department of the Artibonite, out of 26,856 registered, there have been 25,342 participants. In total there have been 15,793 admitted, representing a success rate of 62.32% ; For the department of the Grand'Anse, out of 6,345 registered, there have been 6,171 participants. In total there have been 4,111 admitted, representing a success rate of 66.62% ; For the department of Nippes, out of 5,900 registered, there have been 5,610 participants. In total there have been 4,544 admitted, representing a success rate of 81% ; For the department of Centre, out of 12,919 registered, there have been 12,294 participants. In total there have been 9,328 admitted, representing a success rate of 75.87% ; For the department of Northwest, out of 11,789 registered, there have been 11,313 participants. In total there have been 7,924 admitted, representing a success rate of 70.04% ; For the department of West, out of 104,948 registered, there have been 95,864 participants. In total there have been 67,117 admitted, representing a success rate of 70.01% ; For the department of Southeast, out of 8,349 registered, there have been 8,007 participants. In total there have been 5,363 admitted, representing a success rate of 66.98% ; For the department of Northeast, out of 8,941 registered, there have been 8,302 participants. In total there have been 5,598 admitted, representing a success rate of 67.43% ; For the department of North, out of 23,398 registered, there have been 22,335 participants. In total there have been 17,539 admitted, representing a success rate of 78.53% ; At the National level, out of 220,428 registered, there have been 205,940 participants. In total there have been 145,712 admitted, representing a success rate of 70.75%. Note that palmares per school (by department) and per student have not yet been published by the Ministry of National Education. Will advise you as soon as these data are available. Be patient.... and follow the information on HL SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Elections : The Government and its partners in consultation Monday, Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, accompanied by his chief of staff Andre Lemercier Georges, the Ministers : Yves Romain Bastien (Economy), Camille Edouard Jr. (Justice), Aviol Fleurant (Planning) and Leopold Belanger, President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), met with representatives of its partners: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for project services (UNOPS) and the United Nations stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Exchanges technical as well as political around the electoral process were the subject of this high level meeting. During the meeting, the Head of Government welcomed that the 2016-2017 electoral process is fully supported by public finances to the tune of $ 55 million. In addition, he called on all stakeholders to play their role effectively, so that the forthcoming elections take place in accordance with the timetable. He also stressed the need for the partners related to the electoral process, to make every effort to get involved in the success of the current process. HL/ HaitiLibre The Rescue Paw Foundation will have an adoption event at Herrick Park on Sunday, October 23rd. The event is sponsored by London Jewelers and will be an all out dog lover's dream, but it is also going to be fun... 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 Company execs who thought they were off the hook will now be forced to stand trial. The Da River water pipeline project was expected to bring water to about 200,000 households across Hanoi. The project was launched in 2004 and divided into two phases. The first phase of the project went into operation seven years ago. Since the first phase was completed in 2009, the water pipes have broken 18 times, with an estimated loss of more than 1.5 million cubic meters of waters. Due to these problems, around 177,000 residential households living in six of the city's inner districts have suffered a total of 343 hours without clean water. The numerous ruptures along the pipeline have not only disrupted water supplies to hundreds of thousands of residents, but also cost suppliers more than VND13.4 billion ($600,000) in expenses to maintain water supplies to the city and in repair costs. An investigation concluded that the reason behind the problem was the substandard quality of fiber composite that Vinaconex, the projects developer, used for the pipeline. A pipe from the first phase of the Da River water project has burst 18 times. Photo by Ba Do. Based on an initial investigation, Hanoi officially brought charges against nine Vinaconex executives for violating construction regulations. As the investigation continued, investigators said five more Vinaconex executives, including Phi Thai Binh, former vice chairman of Hanois Peoples Committee, had also violated regulations on construction investment and management. More specifically, Phi Thai Binh, Vinaconex chairman, Nguyen Van Tuan, chief executive officer, and board members To Ngoc Thanh, Hoang Hop Thuong and Vu Dinh Cham were allegedly responsible for selecting substandard pipes and an incompetent subcontractor for the construction of the Da River project. Despite the conclusion of the investigation, police decided to dismiss criminal charges against the five, saying they were first time offenders with good personal records, and that they had not intended to violate regulations for their own benefit. The police also said the executives had cooperated with the investigation. However, the People's Supreme Procuracy has overturned that decision and said that all those responsible should be held accountable. Vinaconex invested VND1.5 trillion ($67 million) in the Da River water project. Its affiliate company, the Vinaconex Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyester Pipe Company, supplied the pipes for the project. The second phase of the project, costing VND5 trillion ($224 million), is expected to double the total water supply to 600,000 cubic meters per day. Related news: > Hanoi water pipeline project cancels contract with Chinese company over quality dispute > Questions raised over quality of pipeline supplied by Chinese contractor Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 11:01, 28 OCT 2022 Arts and Sciences dean Jeremy R. Knowles starts his annual letter to faculty colleagues, issued in January, with a literary hat trick. The first two pages quote John Adams, A.B. 1755, LL.D. 1781 (charging the Commonwealths legislature to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them: especially the university at Cambridge); the vice-chancellor of Oxford (on the danger of entrenched success); and, as a counter-indicator of FASs present condition, Fiorello La Guardia (There are three reasons why I cant do this. The first is that we have no money. And the other two dont matter.). Literary flourishes aside, Knowles discusses many substantive matters reported on elsewhere in this section: planning for the libraries, the graduate school, a possible new natural-science and anthropology museum, and the condition of the College. His overall theme might be deemed focused expansiveness. With FAS entering an era of endowment-funded prosperity (running annual surpluses in the tens of millions of dollars, and retaining resources to pay for future initiatives), its dean considers the time ripe to transform the educational experience of our undergraduates and graduate students and to improve the scholarly lives of the faculty. But rather than entertain innumerable proposals toward these worthy ends, his agenda emphasizes a single priority: increasing the number of professors. To do so, he directs attention to our largest challengespace. A striking chart (adapted here) demonstrates that FAS ranks expanded dramatically in the halcyon postwar 1950s and 1960s. In that era, largely during Nathan M. Puseys presidency, federal research dollars were at flood tide and buildings proliferated, particularly for the sciences. Since then, the number of professors has grown imperceptibly. To accommodate his goal of adding 60 faculty positions10 percent growthin this decade, Knowles unveils a sweeping construction agenda for the North Precinct. This area, bounded by Kirkland, Oxford, and Hammond Streets and Kirkland Place, encompasses the chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, and biology and biochemistry facilities; the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Peabody Museum; the cyclotron and parking areas near the Divinity School; and, on its eastern edge, the Yenching Library and William James Hall, where several social-sciences departments are housed. A planning exercise now under way, Knowles writes, aims at avoiding higgledy-piggledy construction in order to achieve an efficient, coherent multi-building complex encompassing underground parking and some 500,000 square feet of new academic space. Although specific proposals are well off in the future, one can imagine attempts to site there a consolidated research library for the sciences (see page 63), andalongside the relocation of the public museums and reuse of the present space for research facilities (see page 55)several new laboratory buildings. Combined with other FAS priorities (graduate-student housing, student performance space, other planned renovations, and the slowly advancing center for government and international studies), Knowles writes, The cost of all these projects, when they are added up, amounts to a very large number. Preliminary estimates of at least several hundred million dollars are heard. Facing such expenditures, plus the costs of recruiting new professors, paying the existing ones, and sustaining financial aid (Princeton recently announced it would be replacing loans with larger grants for undergraduate financial-aid packages), Knowles sketches things FAS ought not to do. He is skeptical, for example, of the sirensof conceivably profitable distance-learning collaborations not tightly tied to educational purposes. He does not favor increasing the size of the student body. And he wants the growth of the faculty to reflect the opportunities presented by a changing intellectual landscape, rather than mere proportional expansion of departments. With proper planning, with carefully targeted fund-raising, and with a cautious eye on our priorities, we can make this a redefining moment for the Faculty, Knowles concludes. Part of that redefinition clearly will be worked in steel, brick, and stone, as new facilities house new faculty members pursuing new fields of knowledge. Online posts and a young man's desire to show off have brought the killer to justice. Police in the central province of Thanh Hoa have arrested a serial monkey killer after three pictures of the brutal slaughtering process went viral on the internet. Cao Tuan Anh, whose Facebook account is Kubin Remix, posted the pictures on July 27 with the caption: "A successful week of hunting". He then got an unexpected visit by police, but they were unable to find any evidence in his house. Tuan Anh admitted that the appalling scenes in his photos were real but he was not the killer. He claimed to have taken the pictures at his neighbors' house and posted them on Facebook to show off to his friends. The Facebook post by Cao Tuan Anh reads: "A successful hunting week - feeling wonderful". Photo by Kubin Remix/Facebook "He said he took the pictures while the neighbors were killing the monkeys for producing a drug," a police officer said. Police raided his neighbor Le Van Sau's house and caught him making traditional medicine from the monkeys' body parts. Sau said he had bought the three adult monkeys from the south some days before. This species of monkey is listed as endangered and any commercial trading and exploitation of the animal are illegal, carrying fines of up to VND500 million ($22,000), according to police. Related news: > Endangered sea turtle rescued after street auction > Police rescues endangered loris thanks to Facebook advert > Police open fire on animal trafficking truck Georgia grain facility cited and fined by OSHA over fatal dust explosion The US Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ruled that JCG Farms of Rockmart in Georgia violated safety standards that could have prevented a fatal grain dust explosion in February. OSHA inspectors determined excessive accumulation of grain dust in the hammer mill area ignited and the subsequent explosion killed one worker and injured five others. The blast caused serious damage to the building and closed the feed mill of the chicken feed manufacturer. On July 22, OSHA issued 23 citations to JCG Farms, whose parent company is Koch Foods Inc. "It is tragic that despite wide industry awareness of these hazards, that some employers remain unaware of the common hazards of combustible dust," said Christi Griffin, OSHA's area director in the Atlanta-West Office said in a statement. "This incident and this man's death were preventable. JCG Farms needs to take a proactive approach in their safety and health program to assess the workplace for hazards and correct them to ensure worker safety." According to a statement on OSHA's website, the agency found JCG Farms: Exposed employees to fire and explosion hazards due to the build-up of combustible dust Failed to post warning signs to inform workers of fire and explosion hazards Exposed workers to being caught-in machinery Failed to develop or implement an emergency action plan Failed to train employees to recognize hazards such as fire, explosion associated with combustible dust Did not implement a written housekeeping program to reduce the accumulation of grain dust Exposed workers to electric shock hazards Other violations involve not certifying forklift operator training, not issuing hot work permit for welding and grinding, failing to develop or maintain safety data sheets for feed mill products, failing to carry out noise monitoring and failing to provide respirator use information to employees. Altogether, OSHA cited JCG Farms for 15 serious and five other-than-serious safety and health violations. JCG Farms had contracted the Atlanta-based A to J Electrical Services to perform electrical, mechanical and maintenance work at the facility. OSHA also issued that company with one serious violation for not informing workers of the fire and explosion hazards associated with their work. The agency also issued citations to D. Sims Inc. of Cohutta, Georgia, for one serious and one other-than-serious violation for not training workers on common ignition sources for dust and failing to provide employees using disposable dust masks with information in Appendix D of the respirator standard. The contractor provides housekeeping services at the facility. Proposed penalties for the three companies total $112,600. Koch Foods is a leading poultry producer headquartered in Chicago which employs approximately 14,000 workers across the USA. A major production company owned by Disney has pleaded guilty to a number of health and safety breaches that saw Hollywood star Harrison Ford suffer a broken leg. The 71-year-old Star Wars actor was partially crushed during shooting when he was pinned to the floor by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon spaceship. Director JJ Abrams was also injured in the incident, breaking a bone in his back while attempting to lift the heavy door. Now, Foodles Production (UK) has admitted two breaches under health and safety law over the incident a further two charges were dropped by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Prosecutor Andrew Marshall claimed there has been a risk of death to the actor. It could have killed somebody, he stressed. The fact that it didn't was because an emergency stop was activated. While Foodles accepted the charges, the company rejected claims that the incident fell into the most serious of risk categories. We don't accept the category that the Health and Safety Executive has placed it in but accept that by the virtue of the size of the company that the matter should be heard by a crown court judge, said lawyer Angus Withington. The charges say Foodles erred in the design and manufacture of the hydraulic equipment and failed to carry out a risk assessment for actors using the equipment. By law, employers must take reasonable steps to protect workers this is as true on a film set as a factory floor, said a representative for the HSE. The company will be sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on August 22. Related stories: Cotton On pays employee $250,000 for traumatic brain injury Employer pays $165k for tragic fall Employer in breach of duty of care avoids hefty damages claim While the ability to focus without interruptions is a top priority for employees, this need is being disrupted by todays open plan offices. The latest report from Oxford Economics, entitled When the Walls Come Down, surveyed over 1,200 senior executives and non-executive employees from businesses worldwide and found that modern workplace design was affecting overall productivity levels. Noise and distractions presented challenges particularly in open plan offices, the report found. Ambient noise and lack of personal space can make it hard for employees to concentrate and get things done, Jeff Lowe, vice president of marketing at Smart Technologies, told Oxford Economics. This is compounded by some businesses seemingly forgetting about noise considerations when designing their offices. In fact, the report found that 36% of firms overlooked how to minimise distractions in their workplace designs. Designing for todays workplace means building spaces that help employees be as productive as possible and do their best work, said Lowe. This means offering private spaces where individuals can get peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the office. Offering employees the tools to deal with distractions in the office is another area where modern day workplaces are failing, the report found. Only 32% of employees surveyed felt they had the necessary tools to cope with this issue. The technology offered has to be user friendly and functional, ultimately conducive to getting the job done. This goes much further than just communications and IT devices though, the Oxford report advises and can even include workplace aspects such as acoustics to minimise distractions. Ultimately, it is up to employers to talk with employees and seek out any issues in the workplace. In a noisy office environment, giving workers the ability to manage their distractions and get some quiet time will go much further towards boosting engagement and productivity than beanbags and free food. Unscrupulous sellers can make a killing on these counterfeit products. Despite threats to consumer health, many producers and traders are still supplying packs of fake sanitary napkins, Vietnam's national television broadcaster reported. Although production is relatively simple and uses mainly waste cotton, counterfeit sanitary napkins still sell well in the country's rural regions. People living in the countryside have a high resistance [to diseases], so its common for them to use them [fake napkins], said a producer from Thuan Thanh District in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Couterfeit sanitary napkins (L) and real ones (R). The factory price for each pack is VND1,000 ($0.05) but sales agents often offer them for VND2,000-3,000. When they reach consumers, the charge has jumped more than tenfold to about VND12,000. These products are highly profitable, even higher than Dianas products (a popular brand of sanitary napkins in Vietnam), said a saleswoman in the northern province of Phu Tho. Doctor Le Thi Kim Dung, head of the Nursing and Midwifery Health Office in Hanoi, said that using fake napkins can lead to numerous diseases and even cancer if the products are not carefully packaged, causing mold to grow. (HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged two California men and their investment firm with operating a Ponzi scheme as they purported to specialize in serving middle-class investors and securing exorbitant returns by investing in hot pre-IPO stocks. The agency also obtained a court-ordered asset freeze against them. The SEC alleges that instead of using the firms purported proprietary trading models and investing in pre-IPO shares of well-known tech companies like Uber, Alibaba, and Airbnb as promised to investors, Jaswant Jason Gill and Javier Rios personally pocketed at least $2.8 million in investor funds, using some of that money to pay for excursions to high-end restaurants and luxury retail stores as well as jaunts to Las Vegas casinos, gentlemens clubs, and professional sporting events. They never actually invested in any pre-IPO shares, and have been using money from new investors to pay supposed returns to earlier investors. They have raised approximately $10 million through their firm, JSG Capital Investments, and related entities, by catering to average retail investors and promising them exclusive investment opportunities previously only available to the one-percenters, with guaranteed annual returns of up to 60 percent. According to the SECs complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco, Gill in particular has brandished phony credentials, telling investors he founded his firm after serving as a managing director at Morgan Stanley. He also boasted partnerships with several Silicon Valley venture capital firms. Gill, Rios, and JSG Capital Investments are not registered with the SEC or any state regulator. Rioss background is in food service. Investors can quickly and easily check the credentials of people selling investments and determine whether they are registered by using the SECs investor.gov website. We allege that Gill and Rios enticed middle-class investors by promising access to highly coveted investment opportunities they claimed were typically reserved for the rich, said Jina L. Choi, Director of the SECs San Francisco Regional Office. Exclusivity, exorbitant returns, and exaggerated credentials are all classic hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme, and investors can protect themselves by heeding these red flags and checking whether the person pitching the investments is properly registered to sell them. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California today announced criminal charges against Gill and Rios. The SECs complaint seeks permanent injunctions plus disgorgement and monetary penalties from Gill, Rios, JSG Capital Investments and related entities. The SEC has obtained a court order to freeze the assets of Gill, Rios, and the JSG entities and preliminarily enjoin them from violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and raising money from investors. The mountain peak, Halditsohkka, is situated 1,331 metres above sea level and would become the highest geographical point in Finland. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has confirmed that Norway is considering a proposal to commemorate the centenary of Finnish independence from Russia by moving its northern border westward in order to gift its eastern neighbour a mountain peak. The proposal is, however, associated with some formal difficulties, Solberg reminds in an interview with NRK, the public broadcasting company of Norway. But we're looking into it, she added. The proposal to gift the lower of the two peaks of Halti, a fell located on the border between Finland and Norway, originated in GaivuotnaKafjord, a municipality in Northern Norway, and has recently gained notable media attention around the world, especially in the United Kingdom. What do you give a country that has 188,000 lakes for a birthday present? asks the Guardian. Its highest mountain back, obviously. Finland's current highest point is situated on the mountainside 1,324 metres above sea level, no more than 40 metres east of the summit of Halditsohkka. The proposal would thereby raise the highest geographical point of the country by 7 metres and only reduce the national territory of Norway by 0.015 square kilometres, according to the father of the idea, a retired geophysicist by the name of Bjrn Geirr Harsson. Harsson came up with the idea after being puzzled by the location of the border while flying over the mountainous region in the 1970s, according to the Guardian. He has later estimated in interviews with local media outlets that the border, a straight line drawn in the 1750s, was geophysically illogical and that it was unfair and unfortunate for Finland that its highest point was not even a proper peak. Finland will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its independence in 2017. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Mikko Stig Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi County orders emergency plans for festivals Valley Hill Fire & Rescue Chief Tim Garren speaks to county commissioners. Organizers of special events that attract more than 500 people will be subject to a new requirement to plan for emergency services, traffic management and other services thanks to the action of a divided Board of Commissioners. Related Stories The board on Monday adopted the land development code amendment for the special events over the objections of Commissioner Michael Edney, an attorney who described the ordinance as an unconstitutional infringement on the right to assemble. He mentioned a political rally and other events planned in a quick time frame that would be unable to comply with the requirement for a detailed advanced plan. Edney submitted an alternative draft that made the applications optional. Four commissioners voted in favor of the ordinance after first responders expressed support for it. The emergency services and law enforcement leaders were still smarting from the experience of two big festivals on the same weekend last year that brought traffic and safety concerns and triggered complaints from neighbors and left one attendee dead. Sheriff Charlie McDonald, Emergency Management Director Rocky Hyder, Rescue Squad Chief Jimmy Brissie and two rural fire chiefs all urged the board to support the land-use code addition. Rick Livingston, chief of Mills River Fire & Rescue, said cars from a festival at Deerfields, a retreat off South Mills River Road, had blocked access to an emergency first responders were trying to reach beyond the festival area. Henderson County is having more and more large scale events, primarily in the Mills River and Crab Creek areas, he said. We look to see these large scale events present problems for emergency services that we need to be addressing proactively rather than reactively. We could not reach the site of that emergency because both lanes were blocked. Thats just one example that could have been prevented through proactive planning at this level. The ordinance requires festival organizers to meet with planners and law enforcement, health, fire and rescue agencies to draw up plans to respond to emergencies. Livingston, a member of the Planning Board, said he had met with Deerfields owners, brothers Greg and John J. Redden, and explained the planning process in a dry run. They accepted the proposal, he said. We spent a year researching and developing a proposal we felt was suitable and agreeable to everyone, he said of the Planning Board's work. The property owners, the attorneys for the property owners, everyone we spoke to felt like it was fair and there was no problem with it. We felt like it was reasonable and thats where we stand today. Emergency Management Director Rocky Hyder said planning is the key. If 500 (attendees) is a reasonable standard then I dont think we have an objection to that, he said. Lets go ahead and establish some standard, work with it and we can let you know what works and what doesnt. Edney said the ordinance lacked enforcement measures, was applied unequally and raised too many questions. Ive got concerns about the constitutionality, he said. Thats what led me to come up with my version, which mandates a notice requirement so law enforcement and emergency services can be prepared. The remainder I make discretionary where they can go through the hoops but they dont have to. Livingston said that doesnt go far enough. Im all about the Constitution. Im with you on that, he said. But why cant we put some common sense constraints in to this planning process? If were going to do this, leave enough teeth in it where its going to benefit us as emergency services. If you water it down where it says you can do it but you dont have to that doesnt accomplish anything. There are signs of previous hacking attempts on the computer systems at two airports. A Vietnamese cyber security organization said that computer systems at Vietnam's two biggest airports had been targeted by Chinese hackers before the attack took place on July 29, going back as far as 2014. The Vietnam Information Security Association (VNISA) made the statement on Monday as the government continues to investigate cyber attacks carried out by a hacking group known as 1937cn on Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports last week. VNISA said that there were signs of previous hacking attempts on the two airports in the mid-2014, but the an entirely new dedicated set of malware was used in the attacks last Friday. The group allegedly took control of the speaker and display systems to broadcast information distorting Vietnams claims in the South China Sea (known in Vietnam as East Sea). A day after the attack, 1937cn dismissed the accusations that it launched a cyber-attack at the two airports , saying they were unfounded, according to a statement on the group's website. However, the group did not refer to the attack on the website of Vietnams national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines that happened the same day. Network security teams from multiple agencies have identified the malicious malware that was used to sabotage the systems. They also discovered how the hackers exploited and bypassed the security system long before initiating the attacks last week. Independent security expert Nguyen Hong Phuc said the hackers had shared three internet links leading to files that contain personal data of over 400,000 members of Vietnam Airlines' frequent fliers club, Golden Lotus. According to Phuc, this information may have fallen into the hands of the hackers four days before the attack, as the accounts used to share them were created on July 25, 2016. Nguyen Hai Tung, head of Vietnam Airlines' IT department, said it had detected hacking attempts on the night of July 28 and issued a warning. Tung added that shortly after, the airline had taken measures to prevent the virus from spreading. At around 4 p.m. on July 29, display screens at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat were taken over with messages insulting Vietnam and the Philippines regarding the South China Sea dispute, causing confusion and panic among passengers. The speaker system at Noi Bai airport was also hijacked for a few minutes, during which time the speakers broadcast a male voice claiming the East Sea belongs to China in English. Airport security forces soon regained control of the screens and speaker system. The official website of Vietnam Airlines, was apparently hacked into by the same group at about 4 p.m. the same day. The website page was replaced by the picture that appeared on the airports screens. It returned to normal at 5:10 p.m., but the airlines customer database was stolen and made public on the internet, according to a press release from Vietnam Airlines. Vietnam Airlines advised customers to change their account passwords, but later announced it will temporarily suspend online services. The incident led to the delays of more than 100 flights; 64 from Tan Son Nhat and 30 from Noi Bai. Dozens of flights were delayed on Friday by 15 minutes to more than an hour, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. As of May 2015, over 200 Vietnamese websites had been attacked by hacking groups from China, mostly 1937cn. According to security experts, 1937cn.net was established to provoke and attack Vietnamese websites. 1937cn is known as the most notorious hacking groups in China with over 40,000 attacks launched recently, according to Chinese hacker ranking site hack-cn.com. On July 12, an international arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, rejecting China's sweeping claim to large swaths of the South China Sea. China has dismissed the ruling as a "farce". In June of last year, amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, 1937cn attacked the website of the University of Santo Tomas' Museum of Arts and Sciences in the Philippines, leaving similar provocative messages. Related news: > Cyber-terrorists attack flight info screens at Vietnam's 2 major airports > Chinese hacker group denies involvement in Vietnam airport cyber-attack > Vietnamese banks freeze online payments after cyber attacks at 2 major airports > Passengers stuck at Vietnam's major airports after cyber-attack A new company hopes to bring an end to rent deposit disputes, as thousands of students scramble to find accommodation. Third-level students are continuing the daunting task of house-hunting with just five weeks remaining before third-level lectures resume. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is to partner with Irish start-up Deposify - a deposit management service for landlords and tenants - after 60pc of people say they found difficulties getting their deposits returned. Students are battling against limited accommodation and soaring rents, with just 1,318 properties available in Dublin on property website Daft.ie last night. In Cork, just 182 properties were available to rent, while Galway had 128 vacant properties. Gabby Luksaite, a Trinity College Student, spent six months searching for a room in Dublin. The Galway woman (20) told the Herald that many landlords are now reluctant to rent to students. "The main thing we found is that because we are students, landlords aren't willing to rent to us because they know there are so many people looking to rent," Gabby said. Party "Most of them are looking for professionals, even though some professionals may party more than students. "Many landlords wanted to ring our parents, meet them or get them to sign an agreement to confirm the rent would be paid." Gabby will pay 550 a month for a room in a shared house - she counts herself lucky. "A lot of my friends still have no houses, it's awful," she said. "It's so difficult to find anywhere and there are so many houses which are horrible. "We visited one house in Dublin and it was a horror story ... the landlord wouldn't go in, he just stayed outside when we viewed it." The USI today relaunched its website homes.usi.ie in a bid to help students find somewhere to live, while start-up company Deposify hopes to make the handling of deposits easier. "Rental deposits cause problems for landlords and tenants," Deposify founder Jon Bayle said. "We give landlords and tenants a joint account for rental deposits that lets them manage and control how and when deposits are paid and resolve deposit-related disputes." USI President Annie Hoey is encouraging homeowners to rent their rooms out to students and is also urging students to register with Deposify. Homeowners are being reminded they can rent their spare room to students and earn up to 12,000 tax free. It is hoped the tax incentive will help alleviate the shortage of affordable rental accommodation in Dublin, Galway and Cork. Michael Noonan says the tax would be worth 100m Plans to tax sugary soft drinks are set to face a legal challenge from drinks giants, the Herald has learned. The Government plans to introduce a controversial "sugar tax" in the upcoming Budget. But the drinks industry is already looking at a legal challenge, following the example set by the tobacco industry - which has initiated court action against the Government's legislation on plain tobacco packaging. Any legal challenge could delay the introduction of a sugar tax, which proponents say will go a long way to tackling the obesity epidemic. According to documents published by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, a 10c levy on a can of soft drink would potentially yield 100m for the Exchequer. Profits A senior Government source last night said the move was "very much on the table" ahead of October's Budget. The source added that the threat of legal action by figures within the drinks industry was motivated by concern over profits. The looming row comes as the body representing companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi has seized on Brexit in a bid to stave off a sugar tax. The Irish Beverage Council (IBC) has claimed that the Revenue Commissioner's capacity to collect the new tax would be "stretched" as a result of Britain's decision to leave the EU. IBC's pre-budget submission, seen by the Herald, warns that the introduction of a sugar tax would result in an increase in illegal trade activity. "We believe that the impact of the UK's decision to leave the European Union [Brexit] must be assessed before rushing into imposing an additional tax which could cause issues for UK-Ireland Trade," the document stated. "The ability of revenue systems to manage the projected increase in customs declarations would be further stretched by the inclusion of a requirement to report on sugar in soft drinks. "There are significant difficulties posed in controlling illegitimate trade imports from the UK unless any proposed Irish tax is aligned with the UK," it adds. IBC said because there was no sugar tax in the North, any move to introduce one here would cause difficulties. There are also concerns about cross-border smuggling, consumer health and businesses and "health risks in the case of the development of unregulated counterfeit products". Two close associates of gangland criminal 'Fat' Freddie Thompson are set for release - sparking fears that a local feud could re-ignite. The two criminals, who are both aged in their early 20s and from the Crumlin area, are currently serving lengthy prison terms for separate firearms offences. Both men were previously seen as being on the lower rung of Thompson's gang, but have now built reputations as ruthless criminals. One of the men is due for release in the coming days, while the other thug is expected to be released in November. They are also suspected of being involved in a number of punishment shootings and beatings as part of a personal dispute with a local man. The dispute began when the two thugs damaged the man's car, and has since led to the innocent family's house being shot up. They were also behind a botched attempt on the man's life. Sources have stated that the local man is now living "in fear of his life" with the impending release of the two young criminals. "This man is absolutely terrified, they have shot up his sister's Crumlin home before and also attempted to shoot him. "They wore masks on that occasion but the target was certain these two criminals were behind it. Luckily the gun jammed. Fearful "They are extremely volatile criminals who have access to firearms, so the local community are fearful of them being released," the source added. They are also closely linked to Gavin Quinn (22), a young Drimnagh criminal who is currently serving a prison term for firearms offences. Quinn, who sources describe as a "dangerous and reckless" thug, is serving a six-year jail term with 18 months suspended after being caught by gardai with a sawn-off rifle and a knife on separate occasions during April and May 2012. He was wearing a stab-proof vest and had a knife hidden in his boxer shorts when gardai arrested him in April 2012. Quinn has 10 previous convictions including assault, criminal damage and unlawful possession of knives, and despite his young age is seen as a "major player" in the local Crumlin/Drimnagh feud. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a sentence of six years in prison for the offences, with the final 18 months suspended. "In all likelihood from his age and his record, he wasn't going to use the rifle for himself, but he should have known it was going to be used for certain purposes," the judge said. "He was transporting it and it was to be used in either maiming or killing a person or robbery." An Irish teacher is in a serious condition following an accident in China. Lydia Daly Shorten (26), from Celbridge, Co Kildare, has been working as an English teacher in Guangdong for six months. It is believed that she had a serious fall on Saturday and is in an induced coma and her condition is serious, but stable. Her friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help her distressed family. "As some of you may already know, in the early hours of July 30 our friend Lydia suffered a serious accident that has left her hospitalised in Guangdong," the GoFundMe page reads. Worried "We are thankful that she is currently stable and recovering, but are of course desperately worried for her. "This fund donates its proceedings to Lydia and her family. Separated by such a vast distance, we feel helpless when the unimaginable happens to someone we dearly value and love. "We kindly ask that you please consider donating whatever you can to help Lydia and her family in this moment of great distress," it adds. The distraught family declined to comment further on the accident when contacted by the Herald. However, in an update on the fundraising page, her dad Paul thanked supporters for donating. "We cannot express fully how amazing the support you all are showing for Lydia is. Thank you all from our hearts," he wrote. The fundraising appeal has raised more than 10,500 in just one day. Donations Donations of up to 400 have been flooding in from people keen to help out the young teacher and the family. It is hoped that 20,000 can be raised to help the family cover the expense of travelling to China to be with the young woman. Well-wishes have been flooding in on social media from friends, relatives and people who know Ms Daly Shorten, urging people to donate what they can. She left Ireland on February 9 to begin teaching in China. An Irish woman is recovering after she was viciously assaulted with a motor- cycle lock-up chain by three men in France. The 25-year-old suffered facial injuries in the early morning attack in the south-eastern town of Avignon. It is understood she was pushed to her knees and beaten up by the men on Saturday morning. Initial reports suggested it was a random attack. Police said the victim suff-ered several injuries, including wounds to her head, cheeks and nose but was not sexually assaulted. Shaken She was reportedly discharged from hospital yesterday. The attack happened at around 6.30 on Saturday morning as the woman was returning to her accommodation on Rue des Infirmieres, in the city centre. Authorities were alerted to the incident, and found the heavy chain had been left behind. The woman was taken to the Henri-Duffaut Hospital in Avignon. Police said she had been left badly shaken by the experience. "She is in a state of shock," a police spokesman told French media. "Her injuries are not believed to be too serious," the spokesman said. It is believed she has told police she did not know the attackers. Investigators will interview her further when she has re- covered from her injuries. CCTV footage from business es in the area is being examined. It is not known if the woman lives in Avignon, or if she was visiting the popular tourist city. A spokeswoman for the Dep- artment of Foreign Affairs said: "We aware of the case and are ready to provide consular assistance if it is required or requested." Captain Zaharie Shah is suspected of flying the airliner into the ocean One of the world's leading air crash investigators believes Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was "deliberately" crashed into the sea by a rogue pilot in a poss-ible murder-suicide bid. Canadian expert Larry Vance said erosion on the edges of recovered wing parts suggested the plane was lowered to its doom in a controlled fashion. The erosion was caused by a part of the plane's wing, called a flaperon, being exposed to the elements when it was extended. Control The flaperon can only be extended by a pilot in full control of a plane. Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board. It had been heading to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it disappeared from radar. Investigators have searched more than 120,000 square metres of seabed using underwater drones, but are yet to establish what caused the disaster. Mr Vance, who led the investigation into the downing of Swissair Flight 111 in 1998, said: "Somebody was flying the aeroplane at the end of its flight. There is no other theory that fits." Previous theories suggested the plane crashed after malfunctioning or was shot down, with Australian investigators working under the assumption that no one was in control of the Boeing 777 when it disappeared. However, there is growing evidence, investigators say, that points to a rogue pilot scenario in which Captain Zaharie Shah flew the plane into the ocean. The most recent pilot suicide was last year, when the co-pilot of a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed his plane into the French Alps en route to Dusseldorf, killing 130 people. A brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch is under 24-hour surveillance after gardai foiled a second assassination attempt on him in the space of three weeks. Patrick 'Paddy' Hutch Snr (55) is under active threat from the Kinahan cartel, and gardai fear he is the prime target of the organised crime gang. The cartel is responsible for the murder of his son, Gary Hutch (33), his nephew Gareth Hutch (35) and his brother Eddie Hutch (58). In the most recent incident - which occurred last Thursday - detectives were made aware of a hit "at an advanced stage" on Patrick Hutch Snr. Officers from the Garda Crime and Security branch, which includes the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) and the Special Detective Unit (SDU) received intelligence of the threat. Safety The information was passed on to armed and uniformed gardai in the DMR North Central Division, with all available units racing to Mr Hutch's north inner-city home shortly after 4pm. However, no hit was carried out and the quick response of gardai is believed to have prevented a planned shooting. It has now emerged that as a result of two serious threats on Patrick Hutch Snr's life last month, gardai have put him under 24-hour surveillance for his own safety. Checkpoints have also been placed near his Champions Avenue home, but it is not believed that the Kinahan target is living there due to safety concerns. "There are checkpoints near and in the estates where members of the Hutch family live, but in recent weeks the only active threats have been made against Paddy Snr. "Gerry has not been sighted in Dublin for the last number of weeks, so it seems his brother has effectively taken his place as the Kinahan's number one target," a source said. Despite armed checkpoints being set up near 'The Monk's' Clontarf home on a regular basis, he has not been spotted by gardai, who want to question him in relation to the Regency Hotel attack. The Herald previously revealed how a gunman on a bicycle pulled out of a planned hit on Patrick Hutch Snr last month. Members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) rushed to his north-inner city home after receiving reports of a gunman on a bike. However, no hit was carried out and no arrests have yet been made in relation to the incident. The incident occurred on July 9, just days after gardai informed him that there was a threat on his life. The ongoing feud between members of the Hutch organised crime gang and the Kinahan cartel has so far claimed seven lives. However, the murders of Darren Kearns (33) last December and David 'Daithi' Douglas (54) last month have been linked to the dispute. Members of the Kinahan cartel believed that the two men were involved in a botched assassination attempt last November. A lone gunman approached gang members Liam Roe (38) and Liam Byrne (35) and tried to fire a number of shots, but his gun jammed. Despite being linked to the failed hit, gardai are satisfied that neither man was directly involved in the incident at the Red Cow hotel on November 6. A Dublin pub has decorated its urinal with a portrait of Donald Trump. Staff at the newly-opened Adelphi on Abbey Street said they received no complaints, but would remove it if the Republican candidate was elected president in November. "We've only received positive feedback from the public," said a staff member. It is not the first time Donald Trump's image has made its way into bathrooms. Chinese manufacturers are cashing in on toilet paper featuring the billionaire businessman's face. A new development in the race for the White House has seen Trump facing a powerful foe - The Simpsons. In a new standalone short, the cartoon family have declared themselves Team Hillary, with some not-so-subtle digs at Trump. Homer made the decision for the family in the clip called 3am, which is a parody of Hillary's political campaign ad featuring a ringing phone at 3am, asking Americans who they wanted to lead their country in a crisis. "It's 3am and the phone is ringing in the White House," intones the narrator. "Who do you want to answer that call - Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?" Viewers see the Clintons in bed and Bill answers the phone. "The Situation Room? I'll be right there! Oh, it's for you," he says. "Yes, from now on, it's always for me," says Hillary. Then Trump is seen, tweeting, and reading Great Speeches by A Hitler. Wall At first he ignores the call while his team of beautifiers work on him while the situation deteriorates. It's 11.30 before he answers the call. "We're too late," Trump says incredulously as he answers another call. "The Chinese fleet is advancing? Just build another wall. Yes, in the ocean, loser." After viewing the ad, which is "paid for by Americans who are really starting to miss Obama", Marge says: "Fine, my mind is made up." Gardai at the scene of the brutal attack A shoe is removed from the area by forensic gardai Gardai at the scene of the brutal attack The chief suspects in a horrific rape in west Dublin all come from the same family, the Herald can reveal. The violent attack occurred last Thursday as the victim was making her way home from a local garage and three men attacked her. One of the men raped the young mum during the ordeal. Gardai have so far arrested two people in relation to the incident and it is believed the third suspect is now in hiding. The men, who live in the west Dublin area, are known to gardai but are not considered major criminals. Despite investigating gardai following a definite line of inquiry, they have not been able to locate one of the suspects and fear that he is on the run. It is believed he is still in the country. "Detectives called to his home on Friday but he wasn't there. He wasn't spotted over the weekend and it appears that he has fled the area," a source said. Threats "A number of online threats have also been issued, with local criminals threatening to kill the men involved. "This - as well as being afraid of being arrested - may be the reason why he has gone on the run," the source added. Online threats have been directed at the perpetrators since the morning of the attack, and it is understood that the names of individuals suspected of involvement were shared. Two men, aged in their late teens and early 20s, were arrested by gardai and questioned at Lucan Garda Station over the weekend, before being released without charge. Previously, the Herald revealed the two men had racked up 30 convictions between them and were out on bail for unrelated offences at the time of the attack. Gardai have received a massive response from the public since issuing their appeal for information on the brutal attack. It is understood the victim of the attack, who is in her 30s, was returning home after stopping at a Clondalkin petrol station to buy groceries. She was pushing her bicycle along the footpath away from the direction of Clondalkin village after leaving the garage when she was grabbed by the three men. Though the woman was threatened at knifepoint during her ordeal, there is no indication that the weapon was used on her. The victim did not know her attackers. After raising the alarm, the woman was taken to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in the Rotunda Hospital. Last Friday morning, gardai from the technical bureau recovered the victim's bicycle from the scene. A running shoe and other items were also collected for forensic examination. Interview Specialist gardai from the Clondalkin district will interview the victim further about the attack. It is expected that gardai will establish more details about the incident during this interview. Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin previously described how people were outraged following the attack. "My thoughts are with the victim. The local community are very shocked but also very angered," Mr O Broin said. "A crime like this will create a significant amount of fear in the area. I would urge anyone with information to contact the investigating detectives. "It is the third such attack in the area in recent times, and we must do all we can to make sure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and that it doesn't happen again." Gardai are continuing to appeal for information. Front door of the store in Ha Long City (Quang Ninh Province) that is suspected of having policy to serve only Chinese customers. Photo by VnExpress The store reportedly discriminated against Vietnamese locals and tourists. A store suspected of serving only Chinese customers in the northern province of Quang Ninh has been fined VND500 million (US$22,000) for listing prices of goods in foreign currencies, local authorities reported. In Vietnam, all transactions, payments, listings and advertisements by residents and non-residents must be in Vietnamese dong, except in certain specified cases, according to Decree 95 issued in 2011 by the Vietnamese government. The company that owns the store located in Ha Long City (Quang Ninh) was fined by Vietnam State Bank inspectors on July 23 after it was caught listing commodities in Chinese Yuan and U.S. dollars. The owner of the company, Bui Thi Muoi, admitted the violation. According to local media, the store stocks Chinese furniture and other household products. It is one of about ten stores in Quang Ninh that are suspected of only serving Chinese customers, and reportedly discriminate against Vietnamese locals and tourists. Quang Ninh authorities said these stores have caused serious financial losses and affected the image of Vietnams tourism industry, but there has not been enough evidence to charge them until now. Chinese individuals and companies manipulating Vietnam's tourism market have become an increasingly hot topic, even more so after a number of illegal Chinese tour guides were recently exposed for spreading lies about Vietnamese history. On May 30, Ha Long authorities conducted an inspection of the store and found items listed in foreign currency and staff trading in Chinese Yuan. A penalty of VND800 million ($35,800) was proposed but the report did not reach the State Bank on time and was therefore deemed invalid. In the end, only RMB18,000 ($2,700) was confisticated. For the second violation in July, Ha Long authorities sent the report via courier to the State Bank inspector in Hanoi. Related news: > Travel agency fined after Chinese tourist burns Vietnamese money > Vietnam to punish obnoxious Chinese tourists and guides > Chinese tourists with bad behavior will be deported: Vietnamese minister It looks like Vietnamese workers will have to tighten their belts with a tough year ahead. In a move that apparently bows to growing pressure from the corporate sector, Vietnam is looking to raise its minimum monthly salary by 7.3 percent next year, the lowest level since 2007, when the decree on minimum wage increases took effect. The upcoming raise would also be way below what the only recognized trade union for Vietnamese workers has asked for. At a policy dialogue earlier this month, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor proposed an increase of 10-11 percent to raise minimum wages by VND250,000 - VND400,000 (US$11-$18) per month. Currently, minimum wages range between VND2.4-VND3.5 million ($108-$157) a month, depending on location. The confederation maintains that this amount only covers only around 90 percent of a Vietnamese person's basic living costs. At a meeting on Tuesday in the popular resort town of Tam Dao, 50 miles to the north of Hanoi, the National Wage Council, which advises the government on compensation policies, agreed that it would ask the government to raise the wage floor by 7.3 percent in 2017, meaning the minimum wage would increase by VND180,000-VND250,000, depending on locations. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will have the final say on the proposal. The government approved a minimum wage hike of 12.4 percent in 2016. The National Wage Council comprises of the Labor Ministry, the confederation and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The VCCI had even called for a raise of only 6.5 percent. The corporate sector has been lobbying against any wage hikes next year. Both foreign and local companies often lament that minimum-wage increases hit their operations. They warned that any further wage hikes will have grave consequences on Vietnams competitiveness in the short-term, adding it needs to be considered very carefully. Vietnam's annual average income was $2,111 last year, according to the World Bank. Experts say the minimum-wage hike is a step in the right direction, but even the annual adjustments are not sufficient enough for workers to make ends meet. A total of 245 wildcat strikes took place across Vietnam last year with disgruntled workers demanding better pay and working conditions and protesting against overtime. Minimum wages rose steeply in many Southeast Asian nations in 2015, the Nikkei Asia Review reported last month, citing figures from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Wages rose the most in countries where pay is the lowest, jumping 13.6 percent from the prior fiscal year in Cambodia, according to JETRO. Wages soared more than 10 percent in Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar. Related news: > Vietnamese workers have lunch with maggots at Taiwanese-invested factory > 1,000 Vietnamese workers strike after South Korean factory docks wages > Vietnam's migrant workers denied basic services by red tape The project has been dismissed as unfeasible and economically unsound. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has asked the Ministry of Transport to approve a proposal to install an advanced automated Foreign Object Debris detection system (FODetect) at the country's two main airports. The system, costing about VND1.16 trillion ($52 million), would be funded by the Progressive Corporation International (AIC), a joint stock company previously under the Ministry of Transport. The system will be able to quickly detect foreign objects and wildlife hazards, including birds, to improve safety for aircraft at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. At the moment, foreign objects and wildlife hazards in Vietnams airports are identified and handled by airport staff. Airlines in Vietnam have experienced several incidents where birds have crashed into planes and caused damage. ACV has applied various measures to chase away birds from the countrys airports, but none of them have worked. The investors investment capital would be returned within six and a half years by charging a fee of $35 for international flights and $17 for domestic flights to and from the airports. But the proposal has raised eyebrows. In a letter sent to the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said that ACV should study the feasibility of the proposal, clarifying the total investment, fee for each flight and capacity of the FODetect system. The CAAV pointed fingers at the proposal to levy fees on each flight, dismissing it as economically unsound. An aviation expert said on condition of anonymity that the proposal to install the FODetect system at Noi Bai and Ton Son Nhat is irrational as there are not many birds living near the two airports. Most of the incidents where birds crash airplanes in Vietnam occur at airports in mountainous areas, including some in the Central Highlands and one in the southern province of Ca Mau, the expert said. Related news: >Laser beams threaten Vietnam Airlines planes again > Circus group responsible for targeting plane with laser: Vietnam police Vietnamese medical staff strike after eight months with no pay A hospital in central Vietnam has been empty for the last two days, but not for the right reasons. Thanh An-SaiGon General Hospital in the central province of Nghe An was deserted on the morning of August 2. Patients had been transferred to other hospitals, and at the entrance, patients were informed that the hospital was closed. Thanh An-SaiGon General Hospital on August 2. Photo by VnExpress/Hai Binh This situation began on July 31 when nearly 200 doctors and medical employees walked out. Ive been working here for more than three years with a monthly salary of nearly VND3 million ($135), but Ive not received my salary for the last eight months. Ive mentioned this to the hospital's directors, but nothing has been done, a nursing staff told VnExpress. Some staff added that they were faced with a dilemma having paid deposits of VND50-100 million ($2,250-4,500) to secure jobs at the hospital. If they quit their jobs, it would be impossible for them to get their money back. In response, the hospital claimed that they are unable to pay workers due to financial difficulties. Hoang Van Hao, deputy head of Nghe Ans Department of Health, said that they are working with the hospital to find a solution. Thanh An-SaiGon General Hospital was founded in 2009 and has 11 departments and 150 beds. The hospital has about 180 medical staff. Related news: > 1,000 Vietnamese workers strike after South Korean factory docks wages Nancy Pelosi's husband 'violently assaulted' after attacker broke into their home House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband was violently assaulted early Friday morning in their San Francisco home when an assailant broke into the residence, according to a statement from her office. This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Broadway opening of Lin-Manuel Mirandas hit musical Hamilton. Since then, the show has become a cultural phenomenon that has inspired millions to learn the history of its protagonist, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who turned the world upside down with his economic plan for the new United States. Advocates of limited government have rightly criticized the real-world Hamilton for his interventionist inclinations. Hamilton, after all, championed bailouts, sin taxes, and aggressive central banking in the young nation. But Hamilton is not given enough credit for a piece of his economic agenda much more compatible with free markets: his early and successful push for free trade among the states of the early Union. Under the Articles of Confederation, states were free to lay their own duties on imports from abroad, and even from other states. There was no requirement for consistency. This resulted in a patchwork of separate markets with tax barriers between them, which inhibited the development of national commerce. Additionally, the weak national Congress had no power to sign trade agreements with foreign countries. State governments, which could never be satisfied, pursued heavy taxes and trade barriers with a populist zeal that brought about a weak economy and violent public resistance. Hamilton recognized early on the need for a central government to set trade policy at the national level, lest the economic separation of the various states create political separation as well. As biographer Ron Chernow writes, Hamilton believed that unless a new federal government with a monopoly on customs revenues was established, disunion would surely ensue. Thanks in no small part to Hamiltons influence, the new Constitution granted the federal government the sole power to levy duties on imports. Free market advocates might want to say no to this policy, but it was a necessary step to unify the several state economies into one single market without internal barriers. Hamilton himself best laid out the case for such unification in Federalist No. 11: An unrestrained intercourse between the States themselves will advance the trade of each by an interchange of their respective productions, not only for the supply of reciprocal wants at home, but for exportation to foreign markets. The veins of commerce in every part will be replenished, and will acquire additional motion and vigor from a free circulation of the commodities of every part. Commercial enterprise will have much greater scope, from the diversity in the productions of different States. In summary, the single market could (and did) lower the cost of imported goods, promote healthy competition across states, and encourage the development of industries that powered Americas economy in the next century. It also put the United States on stronger footing to negotiate international trade deals, since thirteen states have more bargaining power than one. Enforcing trade laws is also much easier when the only barriers are external. Internal trade barriers would require checkpoints at every state border, with an army of bureaucrats to collect duties and police contraband. As Hamilton wrote in Federalist No. 12, the arbitrary and vexatious powers, with which [enforcement agencies] are necessarily armed, would be intolerable in a free country. Civil libertarians owe much to Hamilton, who foresaw and prevented the development of interstate trade enforcement agencies that would have put the TSA to shame. Imagine going through a customs checkpoint every time you cross a state border. With a single market, protecting only one border was necessary: the Atlantic Ocean. Hamilton did so as Treasury Secretary with a fleet of customs ships that would eventually become the Coast Guard. Americans take for granted that we can buy corn from Iowa, oranges from Florida, gasoline from Texas, and salmon from Alaska without having to worry about tariffs or other trade barriers. Other countries are not so lucky. Canada never pursued its dream of a national single market with Hamiltonian fervor. As a result, there are still substantial barriers between provinces, and it is often easier for a consumer in Alberta to import from China than Ontario. This all costs Canada up to US $99 billion annually, equivalent to 7 percent of the nations GDP. India is another country without a single market. Its Byzantine system of provincial taxes and tariffs, combined with a national-level tax on trade between provinces, has kept many of its people mired in poverty. Narendra Modi, the growth-oriented prime minister, wants to replace the current mess with a single national goods and services tax, but he appears helpless in the face of fierce political resistance. That is a loss for Indiaestimates suggest that such a reform could boost growth by up to 1.7 percentage points, adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the economy over a decade. Hamilton would no doubt approve of Modis efforts. Americas current economic dominance is thanks in no small part to the early and rapid unification of its regional markets. Alexander Hamilton foresaw what unrestricted commerce could do, and he campaigned for it diligently and forcefully. Free trade between the states is perhaps Hamiltons most underappreciated legacywithout it, 18th-century America might have become the India of its time. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, who have both criticized trade over the course of the presidential campaign, might want to read up on the ten-dollar founding father without a father. History has its eyes on them. Preston Cooper is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. You can follow him 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. Bloomington's Indian Cultural Center opens on west of city Bloomington's Indian population, most notably its young adult demographic, has been on the rise. The Indian Cultural Center is trying to reach them. 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/ Read about this woman. But think about all the rest. After the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton became the candidate for President of the United States. She is the first woman to win the nomination of a major party, a milestone for America nearly a century after women won the right to vote there. Today, many American states have women governors. The number of women in Congress is increasing. In Canada, when Justin Trudeau was asked why his Cabinet was 50% women, he answered because it is 2015. All these rights had been won through the efforts of an independent and courageous movement of women, both American and global. American feminists have often taken support and inspiration from their foreign counterparts. Read: Conversation with Hillary: Leonardo DiCaprio to host Clinton fundraiser The first female head of state in the 20th century was in Little Khural (now Mongolia). In India, women participated actively in the freedom struggle and got the right to vote in 1947. Activists such as Kamladevi Chattopadhaya jumped on to the train to demand of Gandhi the right to make salt and break the British salt tax along with male colleagues at the end of the historic Dandi march in 1930. England, which had once persecuted independent or knowledgeable women and midwives who performed abortions and taught contraception, now has Theresa May as prime minister, who has told her Conservative Party colleagues: My pitch is very simple: Im Theresa May and Im the best person to be prime minister. A simple, unambiguous statement went not only unchallenged but was accepted as a truism by many. It is that May would be the best person to negotiate Brexit with her tough female counterpart German chancellor Angela Merkel. The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union to stop the influx of refugees, whereas Merkel took the decision to allow more than one million refugees into her country last year. Read: Theresa May told to set cut-off date for EU migrants Merkels success as someone who stabilised the German economy, while not necessarily being a feminist, is well known. But she is certainly not Deutschlands equivalent of Margaret Thatcher, who elected a cabinet of all men and cancelled milk subsidies in schools, acquiring the label Thatcher, the Milk Snatcher. Germanys chancellor, as holder of the G-7 presidency, set out her priority for the G-7 summit: Improving gender inequality at the workplace. We need to talk about the possibilities open to women around the world to establish their independence and ensure their advancement through safe and skilled labour. All the statistics show a reduction in poverty and inequality when more women play an active part in economic life. However, only about 50 per cent of all women are currently in gainful employment. Merkel has paved the way for women leaders. They are no longer accused of being tougher or more cruel than men. All the 22 women presidents, prime ministers and other heads of state today have carved out a corner to promote girls and women. Elizabeth Sirleaf Jones in Liberia has made education compulsory and free for girls. Swedens Margo Wallstrom has promised a feminist foreign policy when her Social Democrats formed the coalition government in October 2014. She has criticised the lack of womens rights in Saudi Arabia, with which, she has announced, Sweden will revoke a weapons export agreement in place since 2005. President Michele Bachelet of Chile has galvanised unlikely allies such as Bangladeshs Sheikh Hasina Wajed, along with former Irish president Mary Robinson and former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, in the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. They have pushed the UN for Resolution 1325, asking for more women to be at the peace table. Women leaders have come a long way from the time when Indira Gandhi was attacked for her commitment to reproductive rights and making family planning (contraception) a centrepiece of her national policy. Indian women leaders still face hostility and misogynistic attacks far worse than their counterparts in the West do. Recently, former UP chief minister Mayawati was described as a prostitute by a BJP functionary. Read: Presstitutes and prostitutes: The language our netas use Clinton has been learning from her women counterparts both within the US and outside. She has consistently assured people that she would leverage her power to help women. She had attended and supported the Beijing Womens Conference in 1995 as First Lady of the US and made popular the slogan Women Hold Up Half the Sky. As secretary of state, she mentored womens civil society groups and political leaders. Her team had asked Indonesian human trafficking survivor Ima Matul to speak at the Democratic National Convention and Matul fittingly said before there were laws to identify and protect victims, even before I escaped my trafficker, Hillary Clinton was fighting to end modern slavery. Ruchira Gupta is visiting professor at New York University and founder of the anti-sex trafficking organisation Apne Aap Women Worldwide The views expressed are personal On Monday the United States began air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Sirte, Libya. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook in a statement said US President Barack Obama sanctioned the strikes after requests from the United Nations-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). With this Washington has taken the war against IS to Libya, far away from Iraq and Syria. Under Obamas presidency, and after pulling out its troops from Iraq, the US has adopted the policy of supporting conflict against jihadists by providing air power. Read | US conducts anti-IS strikes in Libya after official request: Pentagon The last time the US carried out an air strike in Libya was in February. At that time, the White House declared an attack on a farmhouse in the coastal city of Sabratha, west of the capital Tripoli, successful. However, Serbia claimed that two of its diplomats, who were kidnapped in November 2015, were also killed in the US strike. The sustained attack on jihadists, including IS and al-Qaeda, has paid off, but it will be a long time before there is any semblance of peace in Libya. The main reason for this is that the factors that led to the present chaos are yet to be addressed. Read | Salvaging the war on terror The GNA-led forces are making substantial progress in Sirte, unless there is a governance system IS, or other militias, will continue to exploit the administrative vacuum existing in Libya since 2011. Until April, Libya had three governments, all staking a claim as a legitimate force to run the country and at loggerheads with the other: The National Salvation government in Tripoli, a government in Tobruk backed by Libyas House of Representatives, and the United Nations-backed GNA. It is worth noting that the GNA, when it took office in March, reached Tripoli in boats as the airspace was closed by the government in Tripoli. While the National Salvation government stepped down in April, the Tobruk government still opposes the GNA. Read | Siege of Aleppo: The Islamic State will benefit from this mayhem Libya today is a warzone where various nations, including the US, Britain and France, are fighting, and the GNA has little knowledge about the presence of these groups. On July 20, the GNA was taken by surprise when three French soldiers were killed by the Benghazi Defence Brigade, a rebel group, in Libya. The French forces were working with General Khalifa Haftar, who acknowledges the Tobruk government and rejects the GNA. The resumed air strikes in Libya come days after Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic Partys presidential nomination. Clinton was US secretary of state when the US consulate in Benghazi was attacked killing four US personnel, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, on September 11, 2012. Many critics blame Clinton for the present chaos in Libya and accuse her of supporting and arming anti-Gaddafi forces, many of them extremists. If Clinton wins in November, one hopes that where she failed as secretary of state she wins as president and does justice to the people of Libya. Read | What does Kremlin think of Hillary? Russian TV coverage of DNC said it all Defeating IS in Libya is one part of the battle, forming a credible and secular government is another. For this, nations must be on the same side of this war. At the moment different nations are backing different groups in Libya, and thats not helping. US intervention in Libya is a reminder of how decisions taken in haste will come back in one troubling form or the other. Twitter: @vijucherian SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to highlight the lack of development in Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency Varanasi during her road show in the heritage city on Tuesday. Modi may be in her line of fire, but thats only part of the agenda. In a two-pronged strategy, she is also out to woo Brahmins as the Congress tries to regain Uttar Pradesh after 27 years. Flanked by the partys Brahmin face in Uttar Pradesh, Sheila Dikshit, Gandhi will offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and participate in the aarti the evening prayer on the banks of the Ganga. Modi ousted the 10-year-long Congress-led UPA government at the Centre with his development narrative in 2014. By highlighting the lack of development in his constituency, Gandhi will try to turn the Congresss campaign into an aggressive one, something that the party has sorely missed in UP over the years. The BJP came to power in 2014 riding on its new found ability to attract different castes, more so in Uttar Pradesh where with its ally Apna Dal, it bagged 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP, even when its political fortunes had plunged, won the Varanasi seat six times since 1991. The Congress won the seat just once, in 2004. All MPs from Varanasi in the last quarter of a century, with the exception of Modi, have been Brahmins and the BJP counts on its support among the caste. The Congress is now trying to cut into that BJP base. This is not Gandhis first visit to Varanasi but it will be her first to the famous temple. The road show starts at BR Ambedkars statue in front of the citys circuit house and will culminate with the Congress chief garlanding the statue of former chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi. The Congresss message is that the city was last developed under Tripathi who also represented it in the Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1984. Experts say by wooing the Brahmins, who have significant presence in eastern Uttar Pradesh and are also seen as influencers in elections and stressing the lack of development in Varanasi, the Congress is trying to wean them away from the BJP. The BJP is better placed to get the support of Brahmins but the Congress might do better than it earlier had, says political scientist and author Prof Sudha Pai. Even Brahmins want a change and development, she adds. During his visit to Varanasi in September last year, Modi had promised he would do for the constituency in five years, what hadnt been done in 50. The Congress wants to send the message that the PM is not keeping his promise. The wooing of Brahmins in UP will also send a message to the community in other states. They have felt abandoned by the Congress for a long time, says Prof Pai. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones and Iraqs Minister of Trade Salman al-Jumayli signed a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, in mid-July on the purchase and supply of U.S. rice for the Iraqi public distribution system. Millions of Iraqis will benefit from the high-quality and competitively-priced rice from the United States. In signing the MOU, the Ambassador affirmed the U.S. Embassys intention to promote awareness of the Ministrys rice tenders with U.S. rice suppliers that can best meet the needs of the Iraqi market. This agreement is a positive outcome of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Iraq Concerning the Development of Trade and Investment Relations. The MOU will be operative for six months with the possibility of renewal. Ambassador Jones said, This MOU represents a win-win for Iraq and the United States and is a sign of how our two countries can strengthen commercial ties to the ultimate economic benefit of both our peoples. The Ambassador added, The U.S. Embassy is committed to providing technical assistance to enhance Ministry of Trade officials expertise with respect to purchasing agricultural products on the international market. After shocking his fans with his emaciated look in Sarbjit, Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda is all set for yet another transformation. Rajkumar Santoshi has roped in Hooda for his upcoming period drama on the battle of Saragarhi in which the actor will play Havlidar Ishar Singh, the military commander of the 36th Sikhs, today known as the fourth Battalion of the Sikh Regiment. Read: When Randeep lost 18kgs in 28 days As part of his preparation, Randeep will study Sikh history, learn sword-fighting and vintage-rifle shooting in the next 45 days. Randeep Hooda (left) during the shooting of Sarbjit with director Oomung Kumar. For the next month-and-a-half, Randeep will be studying Sikh history under a guru. He will also be learning sword fighting and shooting with vintage rifles. He is already a master of horse riding and has been visiting the stables more often in the last few weeks. He has the body language of a warrior and he will be beefing up to resemble Ishar Singh. He has already started growing his hair and beard, said filmmaker and CEO, Wave Cinemas, Rahul Mittra, adding that Group Chairman, Raju Chadha has signed Randeep on board for a three-film deal with the focus on the big budget first production, Saragarhi. Read: Salman Khan is a different breed altogether, says Randeep Taking care of the sentiments of the Sikh community is of utmost importance and Randeep is extremely serious about the prep. Being a Sikh soldier means embracing calmness and pure forms of warfare. There can be no frivolous behaviour and Randeep has completely submerged himself into the part, Mittra added. During the battle, Ishar Singh suffered severe wounds but refused to surrender and fought to his death. Saragarhi follows the events of September 12, 1897, when 10,000 Afghans of the Orakzai tribe attacked a British Indian contingent of 21 Sikhs, stationed at an army post in the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). During the battle, Ishar Singh suffered severe wounds but refused to surrender and fought to his death. Read: Id like to swipe Randeep right, says Pernia In recognition of his sacrifice, the British Parliament had awarded him the Indian Order of Merit posthumously. Two Saragarhi Gurudwaras were built to commemorate the soldiers. The mahurat shot will take place at the Saragarhi Gurudwara in Amritsar on September 12, the day when the historic battle began in 1897. Follow @htshowbiz for more Its a known fact that Tabu, who has two National Film Awards in her kitty, is a powerhouse actress. Her last few films Fitoor, Haider and Drishyam have proved that still is one of Bollywoods finest. But what most dont know is that she is a travel buff. The actress loves solo travelling. I love to travel alone. I have been all over the world. I have family in the US so I go there every. Travel is a passion for me. Read: Chase rainbows on our waterfall trail this weekend The 44-year-old says that she loves being close to nature. I love travelling to places that are surrounded by nature. Of course, I also like seeing monuments and historical places, but I prefer going to places that are rich in nature. I dont mind if its a secluded place or a tourist hub, as long as I can see some spot of nature. It can be anything, a snow peak or a beach, a jungle, a river, a lake or the ocean. I think we are deeply connected with nature. We dont often get a chance to reconnect with nature as we live busy lives in the city. Nature has a calming effect on me. Fitoor review: It offers beautiful frames and great disappointments The actor, who has shot in Kashmir, says that her best memories of outdoor shoots are from places that are close to nature. Some of my best memories are from my outdoor shoots in places like Kullu Manali, Kashmir, Seychelles and even north Bengal where we shot for Abar Aranye, says Tabu, who will soon travel to Bhutan to attend a literary festival, Mountain Echoes. Needless to say that she is excited about the visit. She is, however, not planning to undertake any long treks. I dont think a trek is for me. But I am planning to go on an easy one-day trek, says the Namesake actress. Actor Ranbir Kapoor, who has been staying at his grandmother, Krishna Raj Kapoors house in Mumbais Chembur since he left the pad he shared with ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif, will be moving to a new house this October. Ranbir, who turns 34 on September 28, plans to throw a joint birthday and house warming party at the pad that cost him Rs 15 crore. Read: Not training Ranbir Kapoor for my biopic, says Sanjay Dutt Ranbirs new house is very close to his parents, Rishi and Neetu Kapoors house. According to reports, the couple, too, might shift to the house soon. After completing his prison term, Sanjay Dutt walked free from Punes Yerwada Central Jail in February this year. Now, the actor is concentrating on his upcoming films. In a candid chat at his Juhu office, Sanjay talks about his career plans, why he still cant believe that he is a free man, his contemporaries Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff, and more. Its been over five months since you got out. Has the feeling of being free sunk in? Sometimes, I have to pinch myself. When I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself in my room, I have to tell myself, Yes, Im home. Its a great feeling to be home. Who would want to go back to jail? You celebrated your birthday recently I requested everyone not to throw a big party. Those days are in the past. I cant listen to loud music now. I used to in my earlier days, but things change with time and age. These days, I listen to classic rock, jazz and blues, not heavy metal. You have teamed up with film-maker Mahesh Manjrekar after a gap of 11 years for a film that is being produced by Omung Kumar and Sandeep Singh. How does it feel? I have done so much work with him that now what we share is beyond a directoractor relationship. We are friends. I am glad that we are getting together again to do some great work. Its the remake of a Marathi movie. I have watched the film, and Im happy about the movie. Read:Sanjay Dutts comeback film Marco to go on floors in November Do you ever compare yourself to your contemporaries Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol or Jackie Shroff? I dont, and I think even they dont do that. Everyone is doing well. Though I entered the industry a little earlier than them, we have always been like brothers. I would like to do a project like The Expendables (American film series) with them. I hope I can get the rights for that. Sanjay Dutt says he would like to do a project like The Expendables (American film series) with Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol and Jackie Shroff. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo) A lot has been written about your film with director Siddharth Anand. Whats the current status of the project? Siddharth is a good director and a dear friend. We have just delayed the film as it needs more work. We didnt want to rush into things. I will definitely do the movie. Read: Salman Khan is my younger brother, theres no fight: Sanjay Dutt You have done films such as Mission Kashmir (2000), Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) with film-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Your first movie after your hiatus will also be produced by him. What is your relationship with him like? Vinod sir is like family to me. I couldnt perform the last rites of my father (late actor Sunil Dutt). He did. That shows how important he is to me. Before I went to jail, he told me, Make sure that when you come out, you dont have a paunch (laughs). I will announce my first film with you. We kept our promise. He is someone who tells me, Sanju, yeh karna hai (we need to do this), and I do it. What kinds of roles do you want to do now? Im not looking at doing anything in particular. I just want to do films that have good scripts. I cant say that every movie should have a message, as at the end of the day, Im an entertainer. I want to entertain the audience. Most Bollywood actors aspire to work in Hollywood but Varun Dhawan has said Hollywood should not be a benchmark for success in the Indian film industry, adding that our industry should not ape them, but retain our culture. At the launch of the Filmfare cover featuring him, Varun said, I dont think it should be a benchmark; its wrong. We are Indians, we have our own culture, we have our own standard. Obviously, there are so many things they do better than us, there are lot of things that we do better than them as well. Read: Dishoom review via GIPHY We have our own style. Technology-wise and VFX-wise, they are quite ahead and we should get inspired. But I dont think we need to ape them. We have our own storytelling styles and methods and where song and dance is concerned, that is a part of Indian culture, part of Indian movies and I believe that should stay, the actor added. Read: John, Varun plan Dishoom 2? About Indian stars doing blink-and-miss roles in Hollywood, Varun said, I think if an actor is really big over here, somewhere we have a responsibility to our fans, so we should do films where we could impact that film more, and the role has more meat as a performer and I think Priyanka and Deepika are really big, actresses, brilliant actors and they are really making us proud. Actresses Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have ventured into Hollywood and their films are scheduled to release soon while actors like Irrfan Khan and Om Puri among others have featured in substantial parts in numerous films. Watch: HTs live Facebook discussion on Dishoom Oscars are another important part of Hollywood, which are widely-discussed every year. Is Varun also obsessed with it? I am not really obsessed with Oscars. I watched it because they do the shows really well, they make it entertaining to watch. Actually I dont like it when people say that Filmfare is the Indian Oscars; I dont think it is needed. Filmfare doesnt have any affiliation to the Oscars, Filmfare is the Filmfare of India. Thats the standard we should lay, Varun expressed. Read: Dishoom earns Rs 37 crore on opening weekend Varuns recent film Dishoom had a good opening weekend at the box-office. Follow @htshowbiz for more Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry, drug major Lupins Japanese subsidiary, has inked a pact to acquire 21 products from Shionogi & Co for 15.4 billion yen (around Rs 1,000 crore), paving the way for the homegrown firm to enter Japans branded formulations market. Kyowa has entered into a strategic asset purchase agreement with Japans Shionogi & Co to acquire 21 long-listed products, effective December 1, 2016, subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals including the transfer of marketing authorisation of the products to Kyowa, Lupin Ltd said in a statement. Under the terms of the agreement, Kyowa will book the sales of the 21 products after December 1, 2016, and Shionogi will receive 15.4 billion yen from Kyowa, it added. The 21 products cover therapy areas such as Central Nervous System (CNS), Oncology, Cardiovascular and Anti- infectives. The products had sales of JPY 9,400 million ($90 million) collectively on NHI (National Health Insurance) price basis. This acquisition marks Lupins foray into the Japanese branded market in-line with our aspirations to build and strengthen our speciality business globally, Lupin Ltd managing director Nilesh Gupta said. The new branded product portfolio has a strong fit with Lupins Kyowa business, as it adds depth and reach to its current CNS portfolio and other therapy areas, he added. Im very pleased that this agreement with Kyowa could make both aspects of our mission a reality, allowing us to pursue innovative drug discovery with an even more intense focus, while ensuring that our high quality long-listed drugs continue to be delivered to patients to meet their unmet needs, Shionogi president & CEO Isao Teshirogi said. Kyowa is amongst the top ten generic companies in Japan and a market leader in CNS space. With 21 new brands, Kyowa will rank sixth amongst generic companies in Japan. Lupin stock was trading at Rs 1,704.45 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange, down 1.10%, from previous close. Aviation secretary RN Choubey has directed that chief executives and not mid-level officials should represent airlines and airport operators for important stakeholder meetings with government after finding top honchos missing from a meeting convened recently. Sources said Choubey made the observation after finding only a couple of airline CEOs in a meeting convened to address issues related to their dealing with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Secretary highlighted the importance of such stakeholders consultation at the ministry level. He also directed that in future for both airlines and airport operators, participation in such meetings should be at the CEO level only and, if required, one participant may accompany each CEO, said the minutes of a May 24 meeting, accessed by Hindustan Times. While Choubey and other senior officials were present from the ministry, AAI, DGCA and BCAS were represented by their respective heads. Among airlines, only the CEOs of Vistara and IndiGo were present while among the airport operators the chief executives of Delhi and Mumbai airports attended the meeting. When a meeting is being specifically convened by the ministry and, that too, to address the problems being faced by airline and airport operators like issues relating to security clearance, wet leasing of planes, licensing, you would obviously expect top executives to be present to brief government officials about the problems they are facing. You cant have junior or mid-level officials for such high-level meetings, said an aviation ministry official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After merging its China business with rival taxi-aggregator Didi Chuxing, US cab-hailing firm Uber will put is India expansion plans in top gear. If that happens, Uber will be the third American technology behemoth after Amazon and Apple, to double down on India, after having failed to make a breakthrough in China. The Didi-Uber combined entity will be valued at $35 billion. If Uber is not going to work actively in China, it will put all its energy in India, said Anil Sharma, analyst at IHS Automotive Worldwide. Reasons are many. India houses a sixth of the worlds population, but has one of lowest penetration of owned cars 30 vehicles per 1,000 people. Add to that low-income households, an aspiring middle-class and the fastest-growing internet economy, Uber has its perfect customer base in India. But for now, it is pumping in millions to acquire customers and incentivise drivers, very similar to what it did in China. On Monday, Travis Kalanick, Ubers founder and CEO wrote in his blog post that Uber and Didi are investing billions of dollars in China, but have not become profitable, which is not a sustainable business model. In India, too, the situation is not different. Kalanick announced plans to invest $1 billion in the country during his visit earlier in the year. Ola, its $5-billion Indian rival, has raised $1.18 billion in seven rounds from 19 investors, Didi being of them. SoftBank is an investor in both Uber and Ola. Cab aggregators spend 200250 to earn a revenue of 100. Once the deal is done in China, Didi and SoftBank might strike an agreement in India. It might not happen in the next few months, but cant be ruled out in the long run, said an executive at a Netherlands-based consultancy firm. Both firms have started offering incentives on every ride. At present, both Ola and Uber offer incentives if a driver completes a certain number of rides every day. More the number of rides, higher is the incentive. Both of them lease cars, and offer discounts to riders. If Uber and Ola come together, they can monopolise the taxi market. There is a high probability that a similar arrangement will lead to a clear monopoly, said Siddhartha Pahwa, chief executive officer of Meru Cabs. Kalanick mentioned in a Facebook post that Uber China will hold 20% in the merged entity, and indicated an Uber-Didi global partnership, which India may be a part of. I have no doubt that Uber China and Didi Chuxing will be stronger together Im so excited about our future, both in China and the rest of the world, he wrote. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: Members of Parliament from BJP demanded on Monday the resignation of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav over the gang rape of a woman and her daughter in Bulandshahr, alleging that such incidents were happening as criminals enjoyed protection from the state government. Raising the issue during zero hour, BJP MP from Bulandshahr Bhola Singh said the Samajwadi Party (SP) government has failed to tackle the law and order situation in the state. The incident that took place just 65 km from Delhi has given a political handle to the BSP, BJP and the Congress to attack the ruling SP ahead of the next years assembly polls in the state. After winning 71 of the total 80 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has emerged as a serious contender for power in UP. Police is not able to work. The situation is very serious. The chief minister should resign, Bhola Singh said, drawing support from other party members, including state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. Uttar Pradesh is burning, said Sant Kabir Nagar MP Sharad Tripathi. SP members were soon on their feet, asking the treasury benches to get Prime Minister Narendra Modis resignation first on the alleged atrocities on dalits in the country. Alleging that the incident clearly indicated that jungle raj prevailed in the state, BSP chief Mayawati too asked the UP CM to step down on moral grounds if he cant handle the law and order situation. Congress leader Sheila Di ks hit, who is the partys chief ministerial candidate for UP polls, said the lawlessness has increased to such an extent that nobody is safe in the state. Criminals are so emboldened that they think they can get away with anything, she said. If no action is taken, there is a possibility of a mass exodus from the state. BULANDSHAHR: The government should allow the men who gangraped a 13-year-old girl and her mother in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr to be shot in public by the victims, the family demanded on Monday. The 13-year-olds uncle said the family will never come out of the trauma of the rape but an example must be set to avoid such incidents. The familys car was waylaid early on Saturday morning on the Delhi-Kanpur highway by a gang, who tied the male members and raped the mother-daughter duo for three hours, before fleeing with cash and valuables. The uncle alleged a police van drove past the crime scene without intervening, hours before the family was finally rescued. Only we can understand how it feels when a woman and her daughter get beaten and raped in front of your eyes. I would request the government and judiciary to allow our women to shoot the culprit in public, said the uncle. This was a gruesome human rights violation. But people raise cries of human rights violation when rapists are hanged. One of them even told his group not to abuse women, but some of them did not listen, he said. The uncle said when they called the police helpline 100, the number was busy at first and then no one picked up for a long time. They then contacted a relative in Noida and after some time, the local police station called on their phone. But then, the officer on the other side of the line repeatedly asked questions instead of rescuing the family. Senior officials were sensitive to our plight and they were quite helpful. Some have even promised strict and exemplary action against the accused. The uncle alleged that one of the suspended police officers senior superintendent of police Vaibhav Krishna had immediately arrived at the spot but had to be sacrificed. We are partially satisfied with UP police action till now, he said. The family said the girl has high fever and her mother is in a state of shock. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At the recent ASEAN Regional Forum in Laos, U.S. Secretary of John Kerry said there more areas for cooperation among ASEAN members. Secretary Kerry spoke on the urgency of doing more together to fight trafficking of all kinds - trafficking in persons, wildlife and timber. As ASEAN nears the one-year anniversary of signing the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, the United States is increasing its funding to stop human trafficking in Asia with specific support to victim protection services. Secretary Kerry also spoke on how a lesser-known problem like timber trafficking can cause enormous threats to a nation's security through a nexus of corruption and environmental destruction. At the forum, ASEAN members discussed steps to further integrate their economies, the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the challenge posed by illegal fishing. Terrorism, climate change and sustainable development were also on the agenda. With regard to the South China Sea, Secretary Kerry said The peaceful settlement of these disputes is absolutely critical. We encouraged all of the claimants to behave responsibly and to exercise restraint. Finally, North Korea remains a serious concern for ASEAN member states. North Koreas destabilizing actions threaten international peace and security as it continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. In March, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2270, which imposed the toughest set of sanctions to date against North Korea. It is critical for the world and for all countries to fully enforce the sanctions that have been imposed, said Secretary Kerry, and we intend to do that. ASEAN will continue to play an important role for the countries of Southeast Asia and the United States. As President Barak Obama has said, ASEAN is central to the regions peace and prosperity, and to our shared goal of building a regional order where all nations play by the same rules. AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel offered to resign on Monday, a decision seen prompted by mounting pressure over her governments handling of a string of political protests. Patel said in a Facebook post that she told the BJP leadership about her plan to step down two months ago. She said the party needed a fresh face before next years state elections. For the past some time there has been a tradition in the party that those who attain the age of 75 voluntarily retire from the post. I will attain the age of 75 in November, said Patel. It (the age rule) is a good thing and it will give a chance to young leaders to come up. Patel, the first chief minister to quit over social media, is likely to be succeeded by transport minister and party state chief Vijay Rupani. The chief minister has been under pressure since last years protests by the Patidars seeking quotas in colleges and jobs, and more recently, over the public beating of four Dalit men by self-styled cow protection groups. Many accused her government of being out of touch with peoples aspirations, and blamed her leadership for the partys dwindling support in both rural and urban Gujarat. The BJPs vote share in panchayat polls dropped from 50.26% in 2010 to 43.97% last year. Its hold over semi-urban and urban civic bodies also weakened during the period, helping to revive a politically moribund Congress party in the state. Patels downfall is also partly blamed on her frosty ties with BJP president Amit Shah, who is known to be close to Rupani, an old RSS hand. Patel, Gujarats first woman chief minister, succeeded Narendra Modi in May 2014. But her governments handling of last years protests by Patidars, or Patels, drove a wedge between the BJP and one of its staunchest supporters. At least 11 people were killed in those demonstrations. The fallout reflected in the BJPs poor performance in panchayat and municipal elections, as Patels, who account for 14% of the states population, distanced themselves from the party. Political analysts say Patels exit could help the BJP rebuild bridges with its core supporters, including the Patidars. In New Delhi, Amit Shah said :Anandi ben Patel has offered to resign. I will place her letter before Parliamentary Board which will take the final decision. The rise of Rupani, 60, has coincided with a series of setbacks for Patel, who is also accused of favouring the business partners of her daughter. She denies the charges. In what was seen as Shahs open support for Rupani, the latter was thrust forward to make an announcement for the states economically backward class (EBC) at a press conference in April, where Patel was also present. A fortnight later, Rupani announced a government decision to accord minority status to Jains. On both occasions, Patel chose to announce those decisions on social media. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: The Delhi governments Chunauti 2018 was introduced to improve the learning levels of students of classes 6-9. While it is in the process of being implemented, teachers across different schools said there is no clarity on how students will be assessed under the new system. In particular, teachers have been trying to figure out which examination, especially the class 9 students, will appear for. Four out of six days in a week, students study NCERT books and on the remaining two days they study Pragatithe book prepared especially for the scheme. On the examination part, we are yet to get guidelines from the government. We are told we will now be given a new set of Pragati books, said the principal of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in south Delhi. As per the scheme, class 9 students have been divided into three groups. The ones who can read and write are called Pratibha, the non-readers are called Nishtha and those who have failed twice in class 9 and dropped out of school are called Vishwas. This group will now attend regular school. The Nishtha group has to study both the Pragati textbooks, as well as the NCERT books. We have given flexibility to the school heads and teachers on how they would teach the children. These class 9 students who are non-readers we have told teachers to encourage them to go to Vishwas. The decision is totally on the students. We will have another second round of training with mentor teachers and everything will be clarified, said a senior official of the Directorate of Education. Vishwas is the group that will be put through a focussed syllabus and will not have to go through regular SA-1 (Summative Assessment) and SA-2 . As the Patrachar scheme of examination has been modified, these students will appear in the patrachar exam of class 10 in 2017. Also, the directorate will transition to the CBSE board as against the school board, for standard X during the 2017-18 academic year. For this group there is a focused syllabus for SA-1. Summative Assessment -1 will begin in September and we are stuck with this division of students. Syllabus will not be covered at all. This division also is having psychological effect on the students as there is clear cut division very pertinent in the class, said Ajay Vir Yadav, general secretary, Government School Teachers Association (GSTA). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: The government will table the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with the Congress indicating its support for the legislation that will roll out the landmark goods and services tax (GST) across the country. A five-member Congress panel led by former finance minister P Chidambaram met this afternoon to discuss the governments proposals that address the opposition partys concerns over the radical tax structure. Once adopted, GST will replace a string of central and local levies such as excise, value added tax and octroi into a single unified tax and stitch together a common national market. The bill, already passed by the Lok Sabha, is stuck in the upper House due to opposition from the Congress. The ruling BJP-led NDA does not have the required numbers in the upper House for passage of the bill without Congress support. All the issues we have raised are therein the G ST constitutional amendment , said Congress leader and deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, who briefed the committee on the governments response to the partys demands. In clear signs of the growing bonhomie over the bill, the government deferred plans top ass the bill by 24 hours after the Congress said its chief Sonia Gandhi and leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad will be unavailable on Tuesday. Both are scheduled to attend a party programme in Uttar Pradesh. The Centre, sources said, assured the Congress it will change the language of the bill to give more power to states in dispute resolution and that GST rates will not hurt the common people. The Union cabinet earlier scrapped a provision in the bill for 1% additional tax to manufacturing states while approving a 100% compensation for any revenue loss for five years under the new tax regime. After speaking to all political parties, the government has listed the 122nd Constitution Amendment bill in Rajya Sabha for discussion and passing on Wednesday. The amendments will be circulated to the MPs, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said. The first bill on the GST, brought by the first UP A government lapsed at the end of the last Lok Sabha as two BJP-ruled states, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh expressed reservations over the bill. The NDA government introduced a fresh bill last year and sent it to a select committee even after the Lok Sabha approved it. On Monday, finance minister Arun Jaitley again consulted senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and leaders from Samajwadi Party. While J Jay alalit ha a s AIADMK is yet to come on board, the party may stage a walk out during the voting on the GST bill, sources said. NEW DELHI: For a city believed to be unsafe for women, a study of the rape cases in Delhi shows that most of the rapists are known to the victims. Out of the 2,199 rape cases reported from across the city last year, in 96.61% cases the accused were neighbours, relatives or friends of the victims. In 74 cases, the arrested men in rape cases were strangers. Police said neighbours such as the one involved in the Gandhi Nagar rape case were involved in 21% cases, while a majority of the arrested men (71%) were relatives, family or friends. Police said this has always been the trend in Delhi rape cases over the years. Sources said that this year, the police have planned to tie up with NGOs and conduct a sociological study on the rape cases in Delhi. Senior officers said the study would focus on the reason for the high number of rapes by relatives and the social profile of both the accused and the family. The man who raped and murdered the minor girl in Gandhi Nagar was known to her and one of them was stalking her for one month. Sociologists say that the problem with our society today is that it teaches us to ignore sexual harassment, which happens across the city. Kavita Krishnan, secretary, All India Progressive Womens Association, Our system and society teaches us to ignore sexual harassment but then it happens again and gets worse. We are expected to make light of these things. We dont see acts like stalking as serious crime. The process of reporting a sexual crime, according to experts, discourages women from going to the police. The very act of getting an FIR registered is full of harassment. The police will ask you a thousand questions and will ask them repeatedly so that you live through the trauma over and over again. On top of that, the process of getting justice is slow and uncertain, said a counsellor who works with Delhi Police. Another woman counsellor said that some cases, they come across are startling. In many cases, the family members tend to cover up the crimes within families. We get cases where sexual assault by a father went unreported despite the mother knowing as he was the only earning member in the family, said another counsellor who refused to be named as she is not authorised to speak to media. NOIDA/BULANDSHAHR: ANoida-based man whose wife and minor daughter were gang-raped by highway robbers in Uttar Pradesh said on Monday that the family of three will commit suicide if police fail to give them justice in three months. My daughter and my wife are not in a position to speak. For 18 years we have lived in Noida and now we are not able to return to our homes because of the shame. I appeal to the Noida Police to deliver me justice. I give them an ultimatum of three months. Post that, we will commit suicide, he told newsmen. The ultimatum by the family comes amid allegations of police laxity that allowed the gang to waylay five members of the family on the Ghaziabad-Aligarh highway on Friday night when they were headed to their native place in Shahjahanpur in a car. The gang looted cash and other valuables before dragging the 13-year-old girl and her mother to a roadside field and raped them, the family said in its complaint. Two people raped my wife and daughter. My elder brothers wife was spared because the rapists thought she was too old. We even appealed to them to kill us before they rape themthen they started beating us...They also took Rs 21,000 and jewellery from us, he said. The crime in Bulandshahr has shocked the country and raised questions about law and order and the role of police in the state. The UP government has suspended seven policemen and set up a 300-member task force that arrested three suspects on Monday. They were remanded in police custody for two weeks. The family said the initial response of police on Saturday morning was pathetic and that a police van had driven past the spot during the assault. The uncle of the minor said when they called the police helpline 100, the emergency helpline was busy at first and then no one picked up for a long time. They then contacted a relative in Noida and after some time, the local police station called on their phone. But then, the officer on the other side of the line repeatedly asked questions instead of rescuing the family. Earlier in the day, the family even demanded that the two survivors be allowed to shoot dead the rapists in public. The minors uncle said the family will never come out of the trauma of the rape but an example needed to be set to avoid such incidents, reigniting the debate around stricter punishment for crimes against women. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also summoned a doctor for allegedly abusing the minor and asking her awkward questions during the medical examination. NCW chairperson Kumarmangalam also criticised Uttar Pradesh police for not invoking sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Posco) against the accused. DIG Meerut Range Laxmi Singh said the Posco Act was yet to be added in the FIR. Kumarmangalam said the NCW members were counselling the victims, as they were traumatised and had not been offered any such assistance by the UP Police. ISLAMABAD: Leaders of religious and extremist groups, including Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed, have warned of protests against Indian home minister Rajnath Singhs visit to Pakistan on August 3, putting the Nawaz Sharif government in an embarrassing position. India on Monday said Singh would go ahead with the visit to attend a meeting of interior ministers of SAARC nations in Islamabad though officials ruled out the possibility of bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart. Saeed on Monday threatened the JuD will organise demonstrations and rallies across Pakistan if Singh went ahead with the visit, alleging the minister was behind the killings of innocent Kashmiris. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which too is protesting against the visit, said it will organise processions and block roads in Islamabad so that the Indian minister gets the message over the violence against innocent people in Kashmir. Sources in Islamabad said the government was in a bind as there is considerable public support for the stand adopted by groups such as the JuD in view of the unrest in Kashmir which has claimed nearly 50 lives. The state has witnessed widespread violence since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces last month. MoS for home Kiren Rijiju played down the threats by Saeed and told reporters Singh would attend the SAARC meet as scheduled. The SAARC meeting is a multilateral meeting. There are some commitments. He is not going to give some message or having a separate meeting with (the) Pakistani home minister, he said. The external affairs ministry had last week ruled out bilateral meetings during the visit by Singh, who will be the first Indian leader to visit Pakistan since a sharp downturn in ties following the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January. The assault was blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. In a statement issued in Lahore on Monday, Hafiz Saeed accused Singh of being responsible for the killings in Jammu and Kashmir. I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris? he said. It will be ironic, as on the one hand, the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and on the other hand, the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh, he added. He said the Pakistan governmentmight have compulsions to receive the Kashmiris killers but the people are siding with oppressed Kashmiris. Saeed, accused by India of master minding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, said protests and rallies will be organised in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Muzaffarabad and other cities on August 3. The people of Kashmir had refused to meet Singh during his Srinagar visit. The PML-N government must also refuse to receive the BJP leader on the excuse that it may hurt and incite feelings of Kashmiris and Pakistanis, he said. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to immediately recall Pakistans envoy from New Delhi and suspend trade and diplomatic ties with India because of the unrest in the Kashmir Valley. Ailing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should at least recall Pakistans high commissioner from New Delhi and suspend trade and diplomatic ties with India. The rulers should give up hypocrisy and the Pakistan government should either plead the case of Kashmiris or make friends with India, Salahuddin said while addressing the Azadi Kashmir March in Lahore on Sunday. The organisers of the march originally intended to go up to the Wagah border with India but security forces stopped the protesters on the outskirts of Lahore. (With inputs from HTC in New Delhi) DHARAMSALA: Taking a break from his hectic lifestyle, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday arrived in Dharamsala to attend a 10-day meditation course. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader landed at Gaggal airport at 1.10pm and was received by Kangra deputy commissioner Ritesh Chauhan, Dharamshala sub-divisional magistrate Shrawan Manta and AAP leaders. He will stay at the Vipassana Centre in Dharamkot. Otherwise known to rake up controversies through his media statements, Kejriwal on Monday chose not make any remark. I am here just for meditation, he said. Meanwhile, Pawan Sharma, in charge of the centre, said the course would begin on Tuesday and end on August 11. Participants wont be allowed to use electronic gadgets, read the newspaper or watch TV. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BULANDSHAHR: The National Commission for Women (NCW) team members have summoned the lady doctor who conducted the medical examination of the two robbery and rape survivors on July 30 at Bulandshahr hospital. It was told to us by the woman and her daughter that the doctor did not want to examine them and had allegedly said that such fake cases come often. We have summoned the doctor within three days and also asked her to file her reply into the allegation, said Rekha Sharma, member NCW. She added that the three-member team sent by NCW to meet the victim family and women found that the provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) were not mentioned in the FIR. The FIR should have mentioned POCSO provisions and even the gang rape charges. But only section 376 of IPC was imposed and not the normal 376D section for gangrape. We will raise the issue in our report which will be submitted to the NCW chairperson in a couple of days, Sharma said. NEW DELHI: A 16-year-old girl was found murdered and her body including her private parts partially burnt, inside her house in east Delhis Gandhi Nagar area on Thursday afternoon. A 25-year-old tailor, Danish, who was arrested for the murder, reportedly told the police that he tortured and raped the girl, before smothering her to death and then burnt her private parts to cover up the act. The police, however, have not added sections of rape to the FIR and are awaiting the autopsy report. Sources said Danish had been stalking the girl for the last one month, seeking sexual favours, but she had refused to comply. According to the police, the girl returned home from school at 1 pm on Thursday afternoon and was alone as her brother and mother were at work. As she was going to change her school uniform, Danish barged inside the house and locked the door from inside. He allegedly gagged the girl and raped her. When the girl resisted, he allegedly slapped her and then smothered her to death. To cover up the sexual assault, Danish then fetched kerosene oil from the house and poured it on her private parts, before setting her afire. The incident came to fore after locals saw smoke emanating from the house and informed the police, DCP, East, Rishi Pal said. The girls mother, who works at a jeans factory, told the police that she knew about Danish stalking other women in the locality, but never thought that her daughter may be a victim. She said she had no idea that he was harassing her daughter. She also said that she had heard about Danish stalking women and misbehaving with them, but was completely unaware about her daughter being a victim, a senior police officer said. During investigation, it was revealed that accused Danish was asking for sexual favours from the girl. Evidence was collected and sufficient proof came on record to suggest that Danish had committed the murder. He was arrested. Danish is a physically well-built person with intimidating appearance having an old long cut mark on his face and several self-inflicted old cut marks on inner side of his arms. He is of quarrelsome nature and used to bully others in the locality to maintain his dominance, Pal said. Investigation into the case also revealed that Danish and his brother Ashu, had allegedly raped another 16-year-old friend of the deceased. Another girl, who was a friend to the deceased, came forward to register a complaint after this case came to light. She alleged that Danish used to stalk her and his brother raped her a few months ago. She said she was scared of complaining about him as the duo had threatened her of dire consequences, Pal said. NEW DELHI: The parents of Danish and Ashu who were arrested on charges of rape and murder in two separate cases, claimed their sons were being framed by the police as they had the pressure to arrest someone. Danish gave a shoulder to her bier. He was there till she was cremated. Had he killed her, he would have gone underground and not helped the family with her last rites, Mohammad Ahzaz Ahmad, Danishs father said. Danish is accused of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl. Speaking to HT, Danishs mother Parveen said, My son was with his father at our workshop when the rape happened. How could he be at two places at the same time? The police came to our house around 4 pm and asked for Danish and Ashu. They then went to Usmanpur, at our workshop and arrested Ashu. They called Danish on his phone and asked him to meet them. When Danish went to see them, they arrested him. If Danish was at fault, would he go to the police himself ?.. They dragged him to the police station and beat him up. They forced him to confess something he was not even involved in, she said. Parveen said that Danish even participated in the protest held in the area demanding arrest of the accused in the case. The family also alleged that the police detained the two brothers, beat them up and forced them to sign the confessions. Why did the girl who alleged that Ashu raped her come forward now, Parveen said. The police, however, said Danish participated in the last rites of the girl to fool the cop. By moving around with the family, he wanted to assure that he was not zeroed down as a suspect. However the neighbours and friends of the deceased had told the police that Danish had been harassing the girl for sexual favours, following which he was detained. A case against Danish and Ashu was registered under sections of rape, stalking, causing hurt, criminal intimidation and POCSO Act, after another victim surfaced claiming Ashu had stalked and raped her too. Danish and Ashu, police said had earlier been involved in cases of petty thefts and fights. Sources said that sections of rape will be added to the FIR once the autopsy report is out. More than 2 billion dollars in new money was raised for the people of Iraq at a recent donors' conference jointly hosted by Canada, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, and the United States. The funds will go towards alleviating the suffering, deprivation, and devastation inflicted on the Iraqi people by ISIL. In order to address the grave conditions faced by those displaced in Iraq, the international community has committed to providing desperately needed humanitarian aid including food, water, and shelter, as well as stabilization programming to help create the conditions that permit displaced families to return home to liberated areas in safety and in dignity. The conference garnered more than $590 million for humanitarian assistance in support of Iraq, through bilateral and multilateral channels. This humanitarian assistance will support the needs identified in the 2016 UN Humanitarian Response Plan, in addition to other organizations providing aid in Iraq. Through these organizations, the international community has provided resources for assistance to every governorate in Iraq, helping people who need it most. Donors also pledged more than $350 million to support stabilization efforts. Pledges for United Nations Development Plans Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization totaled $125 million, a significant advance towards meeting the $180 million the UN requires in 2017 to support rapid restoration of power, water, and other essential services in areas liberated from ISIL control. Over $80 million in new pledges for demining efforts in Iraq were secured. This will provide approximately three-quarters of the total amount of funding the United Nations estimates is required for one year of demining activities in Iraq. The United States was the first major donor at 50 million dollars, to pledge funding to the new United Nations Development Program Funding Facility for Expanded Stabilization. This facility will support activities that will restore critical public services and create jobs in Ninewah, Salah al-Din, Diyala, and Anbar provinces. The United Nations estimates that teaching colleges, hospitals, and universities eligible for these funds will be able to employ an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 people in each of the areas previously devastated by ISIL. The United States believes long-term stability in Iraq can only be achieved by ensuring that its people are able to return to their homes safely, with access to basic services, healthcare, and education, and hope for economic prosperity. NEW DELHI: Chinese manja, the kite-flying thread made of nylon, is set to be banned in Delhi given the high number of fatal injuries it has caused across the country, the AAP government told the Delhi high court on Monday. The government in an affidavit informed a bench headed by chief justice G Rohini of its plans to issue a notification banning the Chinese manja and threads with metallic or glass components. Only threads made of natural fibres like cotton will be allowed, the government said. The affidavit was filed in response to a city residents plea that sought a ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase and use of Chinese manja called so because of its widespread use in flying huge dragon kites in China. In his petition, Zulfiquar Hussain said the synthetic thread was earlier killing only birds but of late humans are also under threat and referred to the recent death of a 28-year-old man in east Delhi who died when a string of synthetic thread slit his throat while he was riding his motorbike. The governments decision comes days before Independence Day when tens of thousands of kites dot the citys skyline. Several localities organise kite-flying tournaments on August 15 and revellers resort to the use of sharp, synthetic threads to bag competitors kites for lucrative prizes. In his plea, the petitioner pointed out that the synthetics threads were already banned in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan and the Allahabad high court had issued directions for necessary steps to prohibit the manufacture and sale of such manjas. The court was told that a similar plea was placed before the Supreme Court which held that the petition should be adjudicated upon by the National Green Tribunal since the issue was related to the protection of environment and wildlife. The court then asked counsel of both parties to produce the top courts order on the issue by Tuesday. It also asked the governments counsel to inform the court whether the notification will be issued before August 15. (With PTI inputs) BULANDSHAHR: A day after principal secretary (home) suspended the top police officials of Bulandshahr district following the highway robbery and gang-rape, an inspector and two other police officials posted at the dial 100 control room were suspended for laxity in duties. The control room staff reportedly did not take repeated calls from the victim family in the early hours of July 30. The state officials on Sunday suspended Bulandshahr SSP, Vibhav Krishna, SP (city) Ram Mohan Singh, circle officer (city) Himanshu Gaurav, in-charge (Kotwali Dehat) Ram Sen Singh, police outpost (highway) incharge Pramod Kumar, highway patrolling in-charge Rustam and beat constable Anurag Yadav. Deputy inspector general ( Meerut) Laxmi Singh on Monday ordered the three suspensions and said some technical glitches were also found with the police emergency number. We have found technical glitches as some telephone lines in the control room were out or order and even the present lines were less in numbers. We have asked the service provider BNSL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) to immediately rectify the issues, she said. Police sources said there were six PCR vans posted at Sikanderabad, Kotwali Nagar Bulandshahr, Kotwali Dehat Bulandshahr, Khurja city, Khurja dehat on the night of the incident but they failed to spot the criminals from around 1.15am on the intervening night of July 29/30 when the car was waylaid to 4.15am when the criminals allowed the family to go. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For 22-year-old Sana, life has come a full circle after 10 painful years. Abducted when she was 12, Sana was trafficked, sold twice, raped, married forcefully, made to bear two kids and worked in a dance bar before she could find her way home in northeast Delhi. Her family had accepted it as their fate when efforts over three years failed to trace Sana. The police had also declared the case shut. On July 25, it was an awkward homecoming for Sana whose mother could not recognise her. A police officer privy to the details of the case told HT that Sana had to introduce herself to her mother who had lost all hope of getting back her daughter. In the safety of her home, Sana shared her ordeal over ten years. She told her family that a couple had abducted her from near her house in Janta Colony, Seelampur. Her family now lives in Kabir Nagar in the same area. Sana had gone to visit a relative nearby. She said a couple dragged her into a car and drugged her. When she regained consciousness after several hours, Sana found herself in a locked in a room in Ambala with 10 more girls of her age. The couple kept her there for 15-20 days and then took her to a village in Gujarat where she was sold to a farmer, Rubiya, Sanas mother, said. The farmer kept Sana confined to a water pump room in an agricultural field for two years. She was forced to work in the fields during the day and was locked in the room during the night. During this period, the farmers son, who she idenfied as one Balwant, kept raping her. Balwant used to beat me up and burn me with cigarettes, Rubiya said. Read | Masked men gang rape schoolteacher in UPs Bareilly, take photos After two years, the same couple who had abduced her, returned. They took her along to different locations in Ambala, Chandigarh, and some places in Punjab. In a village in Punjab, she was sold to one Jarnail. Sana doesnt recall the name of the village. Jarnails relatives forced me to get married to an elderly driver, Bhagera Singh. I gave birth to two of his sons, Mamveer and Ranjit. After three years, he died and his family took away my sons and threw me out, Sana said. She returned to Ambala as it was the only place she knew. She had a faded memory of her address in Delhi. Delhi and Jamnapaar (trans-Yamuna) were my only memory of the city I was born in, she said. In Ambala, she met a woman who took her to Siliguri in West Bengal, promising her to get a job there. In Siliguri she worked in a dance bar. Moved by her story, the woman promised her help to return home. She used to frequently visit Delhi and knew about the city. Based on the description of the area, she brought me to Janta Colony. They learnt about the new address from neighbours. Sanas parents run a grocery shop in the area. DCP (northeast) AK Singla said the case will be reopened. A case of kidnapping registered in 2006 was declared unsolved. Now that the victim is back, we will reopen the case and bust the human trafficking racket, said Singla. (The name of the victim and her mother have been changed to protect their identity) Read | Bulandshahr gang rape: Please leave us alone, pleads the family Having an adult in a class of adolescents will lead to teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and other sexual and social problems, the Delhi government has said in its defence of fixing an upper age limit for school admissions. Under the new rules for Delhi government-run schools, which came into effect this year, a child older than four years will not be given admission in nursery. Similarly, a seven-year-old old will have to be in Class 2 and a 17-year-old in Class 12. The parents of 10 students denied seats have challenged the decision in the Delhi high court, which last year struck down a government circular fixing an age cap for nursery admission in private schools. In an affidavit to the court filed on July 29, the Aam Aadmi Party government said, If an adult is in the same class as an adolescent, it will create complex behavioural problems, which may lead to teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, aggressive bullying and violent outburst. The document was prepared by a committee comprising Directorate of Education officials and principals of government, private and aided schools. It said the problems stated were from the members personal experience. Educationist Janaki Rajan called the governments decision a violation of the right to education law, which mandates the right to free and compulsory education for children between six and 14 years. We are not talking about a 30-year-old but about an 18-year-old who is already enrolled in school. He/she has the right to a school education. This is equality of opportunity and everyone has the right to get a degree. Such reasons show the governments intent to not work for poor children. Teenage pregnancy does not necessarily require the presence of an adult, she said. But the affidavit said, A child above the age of 18 is an adult and in a regular school, it is not feasible to have an adult studying with students younger than him. If a complaint arises, the adult can be prosecuted but a child cannot. If any incident occurs, it causes trauma to the younger ones. The government also feels having diverse age groups in the same class will impact studies. Denying the rules went against the RTE, an education department official said, Under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the government launches admission drives from time to time to help children get into age-appropriate class. We do not want children to be bullied and harassed in school. The affidavit cited provisions from the 2009 law that say there should not be a wide age gap between children in the same class. The section is being misread, said Khagesh Jha, the parents lawyer. The court has explained that age limit is not only chronological order of age but includes other factors. Government counsel Anuj Aggarwal countered: There are provisions where students who are older can be sent for specialised training, after which, as per their age, they are sent to appropriate classes. This is a rational order, practised in several places, so that education can be imparted in a proper manner to all students. Psychologists also suggest children of varying age groups should not be in the same class. Calls to education minister Manish Sisodia and the higher education secretary went unanswered. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Armed robbers struck at posh Green Park area in south Delhi looting cash and valuables around Rs 50 lakh, police said on Monday. Police said four armed robbers entered the residence of a retired engineer Vimal Nagpal at G Block in Green Park area and held hostage a 12-year-old boy and his mother at gun point after which they started looting cash and other valuables. The robbers broke cupboards and drawers in the house in search of valuables, forcing the woman to cooperate in locating it as they roamed in the house for half an hour, said a senior police officer. The robbery was reported to police on July 30 evening. Police said that the robbers gained entry to the house after a servant in the house opened the door for them. The servant Ranjan was absconding since the robbery. A case has been registered at Safdarjung police station and teams have been formed to arrest the accused, said the officer. The family employed servant and domestic help Kavita who were present when the robbers came. Kavita was tied down while Ranjan fled before the robbers. Role of both of them is being probed, the officer said. The green tribunal on Tuesday deferred till August 9 the hearing on the NGTs order to phase out more than 15 years old diesel vehicles in Delhi. The Centre was expected to oppose the green courts order to phase out more than 15 years old diesel vehicles in Delhi. The Union government had on July 29 challenged the national green tribunals order to phase out diesel vehicles, saying there was no legal provision for the move described by a carmaker as a corporate death penalty. The NGT has come out with several orders to bring down air pollution in Delhi, rated among the dirtiest capitals in the world. But its recent orders against diesel vehicles have caused concern in the industry as well as the government. In an affidavit filed on July 29, the ministry of heavy industries ministry told the NGT that its orders were in contravention of the motor vehicle act. At present no legal provisions exist under which diesel vehicles that are more than 15 years old and are BS-I or BS-II compliant could be scrapped, it said. The forcible scrapping of vehicles could give rise to litigation and such an order would amount to penalising vehicle owners who complied with the law of the land, the ministry said. The NGT, the countrys only exclusive court for hearing environmental matters, had on July 18 asked Delhis transport authorities to cancel registration of diesel-fuelled vehicles that were older than 10 years. Two days later, it asked the Delhi government to first focus on vehicles order than 15 years. These orders came on a petition by lawyer Vardhaman Kaushik against poor air quality in the city. The uncertainty has seen carmakers such as General Motors and Ford say that they are rethinking their investments plans in India. Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota, has challenged the ban, saying the NGT order on diesel vehicles across the country was like a corporate death penalty as it had an impact on the existence of the company. Diesel vehicles older than 15 years are already banned in the national capital region. The Supreme Court has also stopped registration of new diesel vehicles with engine capacity of 2000CC and above and ordered all diesel taxis to convert to compressed natural gas. Vehicular emissions are among the main causes of air pollution and diesel one of the biggest contributors. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A court has rejected a plea for a second investigation into the lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq in Bisada village on September 29 last year. The district court also refused to allow a plea of Ikhlaqs family to seek details of the recovered meat recovered. Ikhlaq was killed and his son critically injured after a mob attacked them over rumours that they slaughtered a calf. The court said the pieces of meat recovered from Ikhlaqs house (as those accused of lynching him claim) and near the village power transformer are part of the evidence in the cow slaughter case lodged against Ikhlaq and six of his kin. Read more: Dadri lynching: Accused seek details of meat, remains of carcass found in Bisada The court refused to entertain the application as the demands were illegitimate. Also, there was no signature of the applicant on the letter, said Ram Sharan Nagar, counsel for the accused. Last month, Ikhlaqs family had sought re-investigation in the case and addition of three new names in the FIR. They had also sought details of the meat which belonged to a cow or its progeny on forensic examination. The applicants plea has nothing new It appears that the application is not fit for further hearing. Hence the court rejects the plea of the applicant, the court said in its order. Read more: Greater Noida: Hearing in Dadri lynching case deferred to August 1 On the night of September 29, Bisada resident Mohammad Ikhlaq and his son Danish were attacked by a local mob over allegations of slaughtering a cow and storing its meat. Ikhlaq had succumbed to his injuries while Danish survived with a fractured skull. Eighteen people, including three juveniles, were arrested on charges of murder and assault. The accused demanded that a case of cow slaughter be registered against Ikhlaqs family, citing the forensic report of the meat recovered from Ikhlaqs refrigerator. An FIR of cow slaughter was registered against Ikhlaq and six of his family members on June 15. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi Polices Special Cell has seized Rs 20 crore worth of party drug Mephedrone, also known as meow-meow and arrested eight people in this regard. The police first recovered the drug at a location in Greater Kailash, which led them to the arrest of one Surinder Singh from Chitaranjan Park. The police have also come across a nexus of peddlers operating in Delhi and Mumbai, where they supply drugs to the youth. Meow-meow or M-Cat has emerged as a popular party drug among revelers in recent times. Last month, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) seized a consignment of Mephedrone valued at around Rs 90 lakh from three persons linked to a Mumbai-based Nigerian drug racket. Lack of coordination between the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and Public Works Department (PWD) has left New Friends Colony (NFC) lanes waterlogged. According to residents, though the SDMC has completed work to construct drains in the internal lanes, no outfall has been provided to the main drain by PWD. Given the poor condition of the drainage system here, SDMC approved a project two and half years ago to reconstruct drains, internal roads and pavement. It allocated a budget of Rs 7.5 crores for the project. However, the work could be started only 18 months back, said Rohit Kumar, member New Friends Colony RWA. The residents claim that while the work was in progress, they approached SDMC requesting that it must ensure proper outfall to drainage system. We were told that the internal drains are connected to the main drain at Ashoka Park Road which belongs to PWD. And PWD has to ensure that the main drain is connected to nullah near Khizarbad for proper outfall so that the rain water is not accumulated on the surface, said Hema Badhwar Mehra, vice president, New Friends Colony RWA. SDMC officials said the persistent water logging is PWDs fault and the agency is aware of the situation. Following this, the PWD was also apprised about the concern of residents and the area MLA was requested to resolve the matter at the earliest. SDMC also wrote to PWD but the department put blame back on SDMC for constructing new drains without proper planning. Finally, PWD started the digging work on main drain about one month back and assured to provide outfall by July 15. But the work is still going on, said Mehra. On the other hand a senior PWD official said that they were informed about the outfall problem only at the last minute and that they swung into action as soon as they were approached by the RWA. Residents said it is apparent that there was no inter departmental meeting to coordinate the work between SDMC, PWD and Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Residents are also not happy with the quality of work done by SDMC. It was stated that with the heavy rainfall on Tuesday, the freshly paved sidewalks sank leaving deep pits. Newly constructed roads have been washed away and deep craters are visible at several places. Vinod Sondhi, secretary, NFC RWA said, We spent hours with the project engineers, cajoling the contractor to comply with the deadline while no senior official visited the site. The RWA has written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner, SDMC Mona Sreenivas to investigate the matter. A senior SDMC official said, We have done our job and we cant carry the construction work on PWDs road thats why the agency was asked to provide the outfall. As far as the damage to road and pavements is concerned, we will arrange a visit and verify the situation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Are you looking for the girl who was raped? Take a right, says a local standing with a group of people. They all know her house and are gladly guiding reporters, camera persons and even politicians, as they discuss how the incident ruined the girls life. Near the girls house, there is hardly any space to stand. Everybody in the colony wants a glimpse of the girl and the mother who were raped in Bulandshahr on June 29 night. The camera persons some of them perched on terraces jostle to get the right shot, while reporters are fighting for a space to do their piece-to-camera. Amid the circus, the girls father stands with a blank face, clueless. Muffle your face with a handkerchief and tell us who raped your daughter. We do not have time to blur the face, we need to send the visuals as soon as possible, shouts a reporter. His camera person zooms the video camera into the face of the girls father. He does as directed. After a detailed byte, the father removes the handkerchief. Just as he is about to go in, another set of reporters stop him and asks him to repeat himself. How many times should I repeat what happened with my daughter and my wife? They have been raped. What else do you want to know? My daughter was better till last night. With all the people visiting, she is now being asked to recall everything again. She has fallen sick again. She cannot stop crying. Please leave us alone. I wish we had never returned, the father says with folded hands and breaks down. The reporters record that too. Send this byte in the ticker, shouts one. Read | Azam Khans conspiracy comment has agonised us: Bulandshahr rape victims kin The reporters have set up a camp of sorts in the girls house, having laid charpoys and placing their gadgets, tripods, cameras, mikes and laptops on it. When they get tired, they lie down to stretch their back, munching on chips. Some politicians also visited the family in the day. Just a day ago, the victims family had said it was impossible for them to stay at their house after the incident as everybody now knows what happened to them. The hordes of people were doing them no good. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders address the media after meeting the family in Ghaziabad. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo) Explaining how the media and politicians defeat the purpose of the law meant to conceal the identity of the rape victims, advocate Shilpi Jain says, The law was made to protect the victim from the mental agony and torture of recalling the episode repeatedly. The moment media and politicians land at their residence, the purpose is defeated. Everyone knows who was raped and all locals talk about it. Legally, if the family wants, they can move court against such politicians and media but they are not aware of their rights. Ideally the court should take suo motto cognisance in such matters, restricting the entry of media and politicians, but in our country they are not sensitive enough, she adds. Downstairs it is no better. Hundreds of locals, including women and children, gathered to catch a glimpse of politicians visiting the girl. As cavalcades of politicians enter the narrow lane, a group of kids run behind the SUVs. She used to say hello whenever she went to school, says a neighbour, referring to the survivor in past tense. Now everyone is going to look at her differently. After all, what happened is very shameful. They should have quietly gone to their village . Why return here, says the woman, discussing the case with others. My daughter asked me what happened to her friend. I had nothing to say. She wanted to go visit her but I did not allow. I have full sympathies but I cannot expose my daughter to what rape is at this age, another woman says. The rest nod in agreement. The men share the same view. Badnami toh hui hai. Ab pehle jaisi zindagi kahan rahegi, one man says. Gender expert Kalpana Vishwanath says, There is already so much stigma attached to rape that the girl will never be able to forget what happened with her. The people wont let her. On top of it the insensitive media and politicians, make the situation worse. We should work to make the law on concealing the identity of the victim more effective. Till now, it has been made a joke each time such a case is reported. Read | Azam Khan sees political conspiracy in Bulandshahr rape, draws flak SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In late July, Secretary of State John Kerry and the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam met in Vientiane, Laos, for the 9th Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial Meeting. The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) was launched in 2009 to narrow the development gap between the five Lower Mekong Countries. The Initiative focuses on six areas: agriculture and food security, connectivity, education, energy security, environment and water, and health, as well as issues related to improving gender equality. As Secretary Kerry has said, At the heart of the Lower Mekong Initiative is one concept: sustainability. This is particularly important today, as the entire region suffers through the worst drought in nearly a century. According to the U.S. Geologic Surveys chief scientist for climate and land use change, the Mekong region is among the most seriously imperiled regions on the planet. It will almost certainly see more intense dry seasons, wetter monsoons, floods, storms and rising sea levels. We need to heed these warnings and act accordingly, Secretary Kerry said. Since we began this project, we have explored ways to cooperate, to share information, and address the full range of water, energy, and food security challenges that we face. Responding to these continued challenges, this year the LMI Ministers meeting in Vientiane formally launched a Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership to improve regional infrastructure planning and performance while mitigating environmental impacts. The Mekong River is the economic lifeblood of the entire region, and it helps to enrich lives, it pays the bills, fills the stomachs of some 70 million people. Its also a priceless center of biodiversity, Secretary Kerry said. We have learned that, wherever we have a fragile ecosystem supporting a regional economy, you need a strategy that nurtures the health of both, and you require all of the regional components of that ecosystem to share in responsibility. Prime Minister Narendra Modis surprise goodwill visit to Lahore last Christmas seems so far back in time as we witness India-Pakistan ties slide into yet another unfathomable chill. The public recriminations have, not surprisingly, followed violence and unrest in Kashmir with Pakistan-based terrorist groups now taking centre stage in anti-Indian protests. The Lashkar-e-Taibas Hafiz Saeed has warned the Pakistan government of countrywide protests including in major cities like Lahore, Islamabad Karachi, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Muzaffarabad if home minister Rajnath Singh is allowed to attend the Saarc home ministers conference in Islamabad. Hizbul Mujahideens Syed Salahuddin, who has warned of more attacks in India, has asked Nawaz Sharifs government to recall its high commissioner and suspend trade and diplomatic ties. Read: Reading between the lines: What Hafizs threats against Rajnath visit mean The activities and activism of anti-Indian terrorist groups are to a significant extent regulated by the Pakistan State. Salahuddin, for instance, kept a low profile when India and Pakistan were discussing a non-territorial solution to Jammu and Kashmir between 2004 and 2007. The LeT orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks with the active support of elements in the ISI but Saeeds public posturing has been relatively scaled back in recent years owing to Indian and international pressure. That he is now openly attacking India and brazenly challenging the Sharif government points to the support Saeed and the others are getting from sections of the political and military establishment in this round of posturing. And given the dynamics between the army and the civilian government, these kinds of activities serve to further undermine the standing of the latter. The Sharif government may privately argue with Indian interlocutors that this is no more than a letting off of steam about civilian casualties in Kashmir. There are two problems with this line of thinking. For one, it is a bit rich for terrorist groups who unscrupulously maim and kill to be concerned about the loss of civilian lives. And second, what does it say of the power of the Pakistani State that it has to use non-state actors to lobby on a particular issue? More critically this underlines that Islamabad is yet again failing to recognise the cost of enhancing the authority and stature of terrorist, extremist organisations within its polity. The deep state in Pakistan clearly thinks that a few weeks of anti-Indian posturing by extremist groups is worth undermining its own society and further sullying its international image abroad. Read: Hafiz Saeed warns of protests across Pakistan over Rajnaths visit Mr Singh is rightly pressing on with his visit. Both sides must keep lines of communication intact and they need to frankly exchange perspectives on the current impasse. He arrives in a fraught climate made worse by non-State actors and is exactly the kind of situation both sides should be preparing for. It is a setting tailor-made to discuss our crisis management processes. If you thought dressing like your favourite celebrity or buying clothes endorsed by them is a measure of your craziness for fashion, heres something that will blow your mind: How about wearing jackets or bags made of leather grown from the DNA extracted from their hair samples? This is exactly what 26-year-old Slovenian Tina Gorjanc, a student at the Central Saint Martins in London, is attempting to do with her project Pure Human. Read: Mumbai is Abu Jani and Sandeep Khoslas muse-in-chief Though she is working with stylish biker jackets and totes made out of pigskin for now, Gorjanc has made pieces made out of the DNA of legendary British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The human skin contains far less natural protection against UV light than other living organisms. This would enable the cultivated leather which was not fully tanned to get sunburnt. A graduate in fashion and textile from Slovenia, Gorjanc worked in London for two years before enrolling herself in Central Saint Martins. Her fascination for biotechnology pushed her towards Material Futures at the institute. In an exclusive interview to HT, Gorjanc explains her concept and the controversies surrounding it. She says her project is more than just a creepy fashion collection made of human skin from a known personality. Tina, tell us about your project and how you developed the skin. I based the procedure on a process called de-extinction, where you extract the genetic information from a source (usually preserved hair, skin or bone) and use it to biologically programme an already existing skin draft (Human beings are pretty similar in their biological characteristics so the draft is easier to find, compared to other extinct species). Body modification techniques can be applied to the material surface before and after the tanning process. After that, the skin grows, using the mentioned genetic information, which means that the growing tissue mimics the tissue of the original source. Its accuracy is dependent on how much genetic info you can extract. Once the growth process of the skin is stopped, it is preserved and processed into leather using common tanning techniques. The tests in the laboratory were intended to understand the technology and the extent to which we could exploit them. These tests were not made with McQueens genetic information. This technology is still in development. MullenLowe Nova Awards Winner - Tina Gorjanc from MullenLowe Group on Vimeo. How close is this to real skin? I believe bigger laboratories could have more success in developing the process I am proposing. However, their intentions are purely different from my anticipation of future exploitations of genetic material. The skin itself, when grown in the laboratory, doesnt look anything like skin on a body as it does not have all the layers underneath the first two. The TYR gene is responsible for the production of the pigment melanin. The stimulation of the genes performance can be achieved with biological agents. Depending on the amount of the applied agent the accumulated melanin can appear on a smaller (freckles) or larger (moles) scale. It is also really interesting that a skin grown in the laboratory can be altered, which could result in interesting developments of material characteristics in the futures (elastic leather etc.). However, when the morphology of the skin is achieved, and it is tanned, it could look exactly like leather. Was your choice, the idea of Alexander McQueens Rebirth, conditioned by the exploitation of genetic material around the world? When I was researching old medical cases, I realised it was indeed the case. That kind of exploitation first happened in the medical field in the 1950 (Henrietta Lacks case) and later in the case of John Moore, where doctors extracted biological material from patients and ended up copyrighting and use the material for product developments (cures). The final degree show display of the Pure Human project at Central Saint Martins. Sadly, the patients never gave their consent for it, and neither did any of them receive any benefits from it. Today, the luxury industry is investing in biotechnology and it is fascinating to be at the intersection of the two fields. The trouble is, some of these products are developed from leftovers from surgical patients. As the patient is not expected to keep those kinds of materials, they belong to the institution executing the procedure on the patients. Read: Designer Masaba Gupta on why shorts are your best friend this monsoon Those materials are then sold to bioengineering companies as a source of stem cells. And if those companies are collaborating with a luxury brand, the cells are produced into products and copyrighted by the manufacturing company. I wanted to expose the issue and test how far I can exploit the legislation to patent someone elses genetic information. Youve made samples using with pig skin. Do you plan to make a collection using skin developed from Alexander McQueens DNA? Details from the final display explaining the process of extracting genetic information and harvesting it into a tissue culture. Yes, I have made samples out of pig skin as it best mimics the human skin. It took several layers of paint and silicon details to make it closer looking to the human epidermis. The intention of the prototypes was to speculate a possible application of the technology and I believe making them look more like the real thing was essential, as the public was able to better relate to the objects. I never planned to develop the prototypes in human leather, as my intention was never a commercial application. Do you foresee a future when the world of luxury will actually use the kind of skin youve developed? I am not sure if the use of human skin will happen per se, but I believe there will be a time when genetic information regarded as an initial source of luxury will be a reality. Assuming that we develop such skins using DNA/tissue sometime soon, would it then mean an end to animal exploitation by the fashion/luxury industry? Tattooed detail of the modifiable product from the Pure Human Collection. This is one of the issues I am really passionate about. I found laboratory-produced leather far more ethical than the process of producing leather we currently use. I believe it would be a viable alternative as it does not require animal slaughtering. Besides that, it also does not have unwanted by-products and can represent a reliable source for when we run out of resources. Why did you choose Alexander McQueen for your project? This is not just an Alexander McQueen project. My goal was to speculate how big corporations could exploit genetic information as a new source of luxury in the future. I chose McQueen for two reasons. First of all, in the absence of any legislation surrounding protection of genetic materials, I wanted to showcase how one could access biological material from sources youd otherwise think are extremely protected. Read: 17 hot trends from India Couture Week you will want to try (like right now) McQueens genetic information was interesting from the perspective that he is dead, has an enormous brand empire that is protected with numerous copyrights and still has relatives who have inherited his possessions. However, his genetic info is still not well protected. Secondly, the more practical reason was the possibility to authenticate and access his genetic info through his hair labels. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar came down heavily on the district administration and civic agencies following the chaos across the city during the rain on Thursday. The chief minister has sought a report from the district administration within a week about waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk and the Badshahpur drain. Khattar was addressing a meeting of district officials at the Huda gymkhana club in Sector 29 after conducting an aerial survey of the worst-hit Hero Honda Chowk and areas around Badshahpur and Najafgarh drains. The CM took off from the Tau Devi Lal stadium at 4 pm. He was accompanied by state PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh and Gurgaon deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash, who briefed him about the situation. The survey started from Ghata village. The CM was briefed about the Ghata lake and the drainage of the low-lying area. Subsequently, the helicopter flew along the Badshahpur drain up to Hero Honda Chowk where the CM was briefed about the problem caused by the difference in the sizes of the main drain and the Khandsa drain downstream. Thereafter, the choppers flew towards the Najafgarh drain that takes water from Gurgaon to Delhi. Here, the CM observed that there was a need to build a major bund along the drain to prevent waterlogging of hundreds of acres on the Gurgaon side. TL Satyaprakash said he briefed the CM on various chokepoints and bottlenecks along the network. The chopper returned to the Tau Devi Lal stadium after 45 minutes. Subsequently, during a meeting with the district administration, Khattar asked officials to prepare a detailed report on the waterlogging situation at Hero Honda Chowk so that such a problem does not arise in the future. The CM wants to know the reasons behind the failure of drainage system that caused waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk on Thursday, said an official. Khattar also directed officials to finish major infrastructure projects by the end of this year as lack of an alternative to NH8 leads to congestion on roads across the city. To decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, the CM asked the civic agencies to ensure that the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) or the Dwarka Expressway is completed by the end of December. It was directed that the work on NPR should be completed by December 16. He also directed expedition of the work on Greater Southern Peripheral Road, which will connect Manesar and Delhi, said a source in the administration. PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh said the CM asked the district administration to prepare a plan for water harvesting and building bunds in the Aravallis so that waterlogging does not take place in future. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The disadvantages of a sedentary lifestyle have been discussed in the past. But the findings of a new study are urging people to explore the subject with renewed vigour. A new Texas A&M University (USA) study claims that employees who use sit-stand desks are 46% more productive than those at traditional desks. The concept of standing workstations is slowly gaining popularity in India. Experts, too, believe that some amount of movement during office hours can go a long way in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Standing requires the entire body to stabilise and coordinate itself in order to attain an erect posture. Standing is the position of alertness. This, associated with a feeling of efficiency, plays an important role in increasing an individuals work capacity, says Disha Shetty, physiotherapist. Read: Standing desks at workplace good for health, productivity She says the benefits of standing are wide-ranging. It helps you psychologically, as it keeps the mind alert, fresh and, to a certain extent, it also relieves stress and anxiety. It is good for your metabolism and also for your blood sugar levels. The heart rate increases by 10-20 beats per minute as compared to when you are sitting. Standing also reduces lower back pain caused due to prolonged sitting. It relaxes contracted muscles, she adds. A large body of research has shown that frequent micro breaks improve levels of comfort. (Shivam Saxena/HT Photo) Orthopedic surgeon Dr Tejas Upasani recommends taking regular breaks at work. He says sitting should be broken up by periodic standing or moving breaks during the day, preferably for one-two minutes every 20 to 30 minutes. A large body of research has shown that frequent micro breaks improve levels of comfort, and reduce the risks of musculoskeletal injuries, thus improving work performance, he says. Movement is important to get the blood circulating through the muscles. While experts say there are no specific parameters for how long an individual should stand or move during a day, spending around 1/4th of the day standing or walking is ideal, says Shetty. Read: Its time to deskercise: Tips for a quick workout in your office However, one also needs to be careful. Standing for too long can be harmful too. It predisposes the person to varicose veins (veins that have become enlarged and twisted). Standing for long also puts a lot of strain on the circulatory system and on the legs and feet, says Upasani. Prolonged siting can cause the development of awkward postures. (Shutterstock) Problems associated with prolonged sitting 1. Developing awkward postures, which indirectly affect an individuals musculoskeletal health. 2. Conditions such as occupational lower back pain, neck pain, chest pain, and shoulder pain, and also metabolic conditions like diabetes, obesity, etc. 3. In some cases, it can also lead to anxiety and depression. The eldest son of actor Michael Douglas has been released from prison after serving seven years for drug trafficking, and is now in a halfway house in New York, US media reported on Monday. Cameron Douglas, 37, was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison for possession and sale of methamphetamine. His sentence was extended by two years in solitary confinement after he admitted smuggling drugs into the prison. Cameron, Michael Douglass son with his first wife Diandra Luker, was originally set to be released in 2018 but is currently living at a rehabilitation centre in New York, EOnline and ABC News reported. Read: Michael Douglas writes about son experiencing anti-Semitism Cameron Douglas now plans to write a tell-all book describing his life as heir to one of the most respected Hollywood dynasties and how drugs led him to prison, according to the New York Posts gossip section Page Six. Read: Tom Hanks son wanted by British police for smashing up hotel room The Oscar-winning actor visited his son in prison regularly. He criticized the US penal system when accepting an Emmy Award for playing the role of the pianist Liberace in the TV movie Behind the Candelabra in 2013. At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but Ive reached a point now where Im disappointed with the system, he said. If you happen to have a slip, they punish you. In my sons case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement. The actors representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. Follow @htshowbiz for more Loved equally by the Sangh (RSS) and the sangathan (party), transport and water supply minister Vijay Rupani is the front-runner for the Gujarat chief ministers spot, as Anandiben Patel on Monday offered to step down. For this MLA from Rajkot, the heartland of Patidar-dominated Saurashtra region, even his caste Jain may work in his favour. Facing the heat of the Patidar agitation and Dalit outrage, the BJP also wants a face that can pacify all communities, said a senior BJP leader. Rupani, an aide of BJP president Amit Shah, has been seen within the party as someone who enjoys the trust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was evident when in a press conference, Shah put Rupani ahead to make an announcement for 10% quota for the economically backward among upper castes while Anandiben Patel remained a mute spectator. Read | Anandiben Patel offers to resign as Gujarat CM, BJP to decide on successor Its no surprise that the 60-year-old has been allowed to retain his cabinet portfolio despite his appointment as state chief in February. From RSS volunteer to Rajkot mayor and the partys general secretary, the soft-but-outspoken Rupani has emerged as a leader who can keep the cadre intact. Read | Politically incorrect Anandiben had bumpy two years at the helm in Gujarat Similar to the selection of ML Khattar in Haryana, RSS leader Bhiku Dalsania, a Leuva Patel, can prove to be a dark horse. Dalsania, Rupanis senior and an organisational secretary, has been a vital figure for the party for decades. But unlike Rupani, who can claim clout over the Saurashtra region, Dalsania is not a peoples leader. Unconfirmed reports of minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare Parshottam Rupalas meeting with PM triggered speculation of him being in the race. A Kadva by caste, Rupalas prospects were seen to be increasing when the party sent him to Una to visit the families of the Dalits who were flogged on suspicion of cow slaughter. But Rupalas elevation to the Rajya Sabha was seen within the party as a move to distance him from the CM race. Read | Social media like Anandibens FB resignation, call it Digital India initiative SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A complaint was filed with the police in Lucknow after two members of the Dalit community were thrashed by gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) on suspicion of cow slaughter last week. Scared of being beaten up, some members of the community approached their contractors to take up their case with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation or other authorities after some of them were assaulted in Takrohi area in Indira Nagar on July 28. We are aware of the matter and have lodged a complaint with the police against unidentified persons, additional municipal commissioner Avaneesh Saxena told PTI. He said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has also requested police and the district administration to provide security to them so that they can lift carcasses and skin them. He said as an immediate precautionary measure, photo identity cards would be issued to contractual workers engaged in such task. The community members have decided not to lift carcasses till they were issued such identity cards to ensure their security. There have been complaints of increased attacks on the Dalit community members in the city in the past six months. They have been attacked while transporting a dead cow on the civic bodys call to lift dead animals so that these do not rot in front of peoples houses. They have often complained that when they go to dispose of the carcasses after skinning them, they are attacked by cow vigilantes who charge them with slaughtering the animal. The resignation offer of Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has brought the spotlight back on other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states where the leadership is dealing with controversies. The Monday resignation of Patel shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent two years consolidating his gains at the Centre, but he might be now ready to give a hard look at the performance of BJP chief ministers with the aim to win back the states. Patel said in a Facebook post that she told the BJP leadership about her plan to step down two months ago. She said the party needed a fresh face before next years state elections. Read: Modi responsible for Gujarats woes, Anandiben a scapegoat: Rahul Gandhi Her possible removal is significant given that she was Modis choice as his replacement as the Gujarat chief minister. Many other BJP chief ministers have courted controversies, but Patel is the first one to step down. The Monday development should give jitters to those about whom the party and Modi seem to have some concerns. The first of them could be Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, who recently broke Modis record of being the longest-serving chief minister of the party. Singh took over as chief minister in December 2003. He has won three elections, but his tenure has not been without controversies, the latest being Congress allegation about the overseas investment of his son. The opposition party has attacked Singh over a number of irregularities including that in the supply of rice in the Rs 36,000 crore Public Distribution System (PDS) or the Nagrik Apurti scam in the state. In May this year, Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav claimed irregularities in the purchase of an A-109 chopper in 2007 by the Chhattisgarh government and demanded a probe against Singh. Singh has denied all charges. The party has stood behind Singh through troubled times, but there have been concerns about signs of Congress revival in the tribal state. The difference between the vote share of the BJP and the Congress party in Chhattisgarh in the 2013 poll was less than 1% and Singh will fight and anti-incumbency of 15 years when the state goes to poll in 2018. Read: Politically incorrect Anandiben had bumpy two years at the helm in Gujarat Haryana, where the BJP came to power for the first time, is another state that has seen CM Manohar Lal Khattar grappling with controversies ever since he assumed power in 2014. Khattar managed to survive an agitation of Jats for reservation, but the party remains concerned about the state of the affair in Haryana. The massive traffic jam triggered by waterlogging after heavy rains in Gurgaon last week added to Khattars problem with residents, commuters and opposition leaders blaming his government for the chock-a-block situation. Haryanas main opposition party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), accused the BJP of only believing in hollow slogans without taking any concrete steps to tackle basic things. The Congress party too attacked Khattar, saying things cannot be improved just by changing the name of a city but by improving its infrastructure. A leadership change in both the state may be ruled out immediately, but the chief ministers will have to make strides to keep pace with Modis expectations, a BJP leader said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The family of a woman and her minor daughter gang-raped by highway bandits accused Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Tuesday of heaping more agony on them by terming the incident a possible opposition conspiracy to defame the state government. Would he have made a similar statement had his own family faced such an ordeal? questioned the Noida-based man whose wife and daughter were sexually assaulted near Bulandshahr on Friday night. The statement made by Azam Khan has further agonised us, said the husband-father of the survivors who he said were in shock and were not speaking to anybody. The family also vented their anger on ruling Samajwadi Party leader Rakesh Yadav who visited their Ghaziabad residence. The incident took place late on Friday night when five members of the family were travelling to Shahjahanpur in a car. The gang of dacoits waylaid the vehicle, looted cash and other valuables before dragging the 13-year-old girl and her mother to a field and raping them. Three accused have been arrested though four others are still absconding. The family of three has threatened to commit suicide if police fail to deliver justice within three months. The incident has sparked outrage across the country which introduced stringent laws to prevent sexual assault of women after the December 2012 gang rape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi. Read | Azam Khan sees political conspiracy in Bulandshahr rape, draws flak Khan, known for his controversial comments, came under attack from political parties including the BJP which said that the minister has crossed all limits of decency by indulging in politics over a sensitive issue. Khan added to the anger by saying: It must be investigated whether people, with the opposite ideology or those who want to come to power, are behind this incident in order to malign the government. On Tuesday Khan said his remarks were misconstrued since UP was headed for elections. We understand their pain. We cannot change the truthThis is an insult to the government. Which government will want such an incident? However, his comments left his own party squirming in embarrassment. What can I say about it? I would not like to comment on what our senior leader has said, SP leader CP Rai said. Senior ministers and party spokepersons Shivpal Yadav and Rajendra Chowdhary were not available for comments. The BJP and Congress took potshots at Khan for trivialising the issue. His comments either reflect loss of mental balance or an attempt to further agonise the victims. I request Mulayam Singh ji to discard love for his friendship and remove such people from the party, said UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya who visited the family with Union minister Mahesh Sharma. In Delhi, BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma gave out statistics to highlight alleged lawlessness in the state. UP tops the list in crime against women, he said, adding that 2,920 rape cases were reported between March, 2012 and March, 2016, besides 12,198 murders and 6,015 robberies. What can you expect from a party whose top leaders have earlier been caught on camera defending rape as bacchon ki galti (mistakes of childhood)? This kind of approach is what has encouraged leaders like Khan to make such comments, said Congress leader Satyadeo Tripathi. Faced with mounting political pressure, the government said chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will meet the family on August 4 in Ghaziabad. (With agency inputs) A 29-year-old woman from Bihar suspected to have links with the alleged recruitment of youths from Kerala to the Islamic State (IS) was questioned here by the state police after being taken into custody in New Delhi. The woman, identified as Yasmin Ahmed, was arrested by a special team of Kerala police from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi when she was about to leave the country for Kabul on Sunday, police said. She allegedly had close connections with Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasaragod, who is the prime suspect in the case of 21 missing youths from the state. She was brought here on Monday evening and produced before a local court after interrogation, a senior police official said. She was charged under various sessions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A court here later remanded her to judicial custody, Kanhangad deputy superintendent of police Sunil Babu told PTI. The woman is suspected to be the second wife of Rashid and believed to have played a key role in the alleged recruitment of state youths to the IS, the official added. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to reports that some Keralites had joined the terrorist group, informed the assembly on July 11 that 21 people were missing from the state. Among them were 17 from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad, according to available information, he had said. Media reports said these people had gone to Syria and Afghanistan and were in IS camps, he said. In response to continuing violence by the Assad regime against its citizens, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, designated on July 21 eight individuals and seven entities for providing support or services to the Government of Syria, aiding Syrias weapons of mass destruction program, and/or supporting designated individuals and entities. Any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or within the United States must be blocked. Additionally, transactions by U.S. persons involving the designated persons are generally prohibited. OFAC designated Yusuf Arbash and Nabil Tizini for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material or technological support for, or goods in services in support of, and acting for or on behalf of, Hesco Engineering and Construction Ltd (Hesco), a designated Syrian engineering and construction company. OFAC also designated Yona Star International which has long acted as a shipping agent for the Syrian Air Force, as well as other designated Government of Syria entities. Salah Habib, who was also sanctioned, manages Yona Star and serves as the companys owner and CEO, is a key figure in a network of intermediary and logistics firms based in the UAE that have shipped sensitive merchandise and war materials to Syria. OFAC sanctioned T-Rubber, an entity which supplied aircraft tires to the Syrian Ministry of Defense and Syrian Air Force and its sales manager Jonha Lang; Atiya Khuri and Moneta Transfer & Exchange for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of the Government of Syria. Aous Ali, a Syrian businessman who has supported the Government of Syria through his international business contacts, was also designated along with Imad Khuri; E.K.-Ultra Financial Group Limited. The Mahrous Group, Iyad Mahrous, and Mahrous Trading FZE were designated for, among other crimes, acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of SSRC, which is the Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the missiles needed to deliver them. From expanding its weapons of mass destruction program to inflicting horrific violence upon the Syrian people, the Assad regime relentlessly engages in destabilizing behavior, said Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Treasury will continue to act against those responsible for fueling the Assad regimes repressive actions and dangerous weapons proliferation. The BJP parliamentary board will meet in Delhi on Wednesday to formally accept Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patels resignation and start the process of appointing her successor. Gujarat BJP chief Vijay Rupani, 59, and health minister Nitin Patel, 60, are said to be the front-runners to succeed the states first woman chief minister. But sources did not rule out the possibility of the party leadership springing a surprise. Assembly speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader, is also said to be in the reckoning. The BJPs state in-charge Dr Dinesh Sharma and general secretary V Satish will be in Gujarat on Wednesday to consult state leaders. BJP president Amit Shah is likely to arrive in Ahmedabad the following day to oversee the transition. The BJP legislature party may meet on August 4 or 5 to choose a new leader. We have learnt that Shah will likely be in Gujarat for three days from August 4 and a series of meetings, including with MLAs, is being scheduled, said a party leader. Read | The rise and fall of Anandiben Patel Sources said the BJP chief had postponed his Kolkata visit to be in Gujarat. They dismissed speculation of Shah returning to Gujarat, where he was a minister under former chief minister Narendra Modi. They said he had a big task on his hands, keeping in mind assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh early next year and others before general elections in 2019. The BJP has had several setbacks in Prime Minister Modis home state which goes to polls in December 2017 during Patels two years at the helm. Read | Anandiben Patels exit may force other BJP chief ministers to step up Its vote share declined sharply in civic body polls last December. The Hardik Patel-led reservation stir by the seemingly well-off Patidars who make up 14% of the states population and allegations of irregularities involving her family members put the CM on a sticky wicket. The nationwide outrage last month over the assault on four Dalits by cow vigilantes may have been the final straw for Patel though she requested she be relieved of her post as she would be turning 75 in November. While choosing her successor, the BJP leadership is likely to factor in the unrest among the Patidars. Nitin Patel, who served in Modis cabinet in the state, enjoys the backing of the community. Rupani, on the other hand, belongs to the Jain community, numerically insignificant in Gujarat, but is a confidante of Shah, who handed over the reins of the state BJP to him. It is not necessary that she be replaced with a leader from her caste. We will take a call on merit, a Union minister from Gujarat said on condition of anonymity. Her face covered with a scarf, the 16-year-old arrived at the Bulandshahr police headquarters on Tuesday, accompanied by her father. A victim of alleged rape, she had come to seek proper investigation into her complaint. There were others, too. Women from different parts of the district, all alleged rape survivors and seeking justice. The gang rape of a 35-year-old woman and her minor daughter near this Uttar Pradesh town has turned into a rallying point for other victims of sexual assault, all of them hoping that the spotlight on the latest incident will also help them highlight their grievance against alleged police laxity. Bulandshahr, a district headquarter town around 70 km from Delhi, has seen a steady stream of top police officials, political leaders and media personnel since Saturday, a day after five members of a Noida-based family traveling to Shahjahanpur in a car were waylaid, their cash and other valuables looted before the two women were gang-raped. The incident has sparked outrage across the country which introduced stringent laws to prevent sexual assault of women after the December 2012 gang rape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi. But for those present at the police headquarters on Tuesday, the laws mean very little without help from police. My daughter was lured and abducted by one of our neighbours. She was taken to Himachal Pradesh where she was raped in a hotel. The police have not added sections of rape to the FIR and not even conducted her medical examination, the minors father said. The FIR was lodged at Pahasu on July 10. He alleged that police scared his daughter by saying that medical examination entails surgery. When other cases can be taken up on a priority and with such huge resources roped in, our case should also be taken up in a similar manner, the father said. Another rape survivor said she had come to seek a different investigating officer in her case of abduction and rape at Khurja in January. The accused is pressurising us to take back the case. We are getting threats from the accused persons and the police have not done anything in the case to protect us. The present IO says that my case has no weight to take action against the accused, she said. I came here as I heard that lot of senior officials are camping in Bulandshahr after the recent gang rape incident and thought they will hear our woes. Superintendent of police (rural) Pankaj Kumar Pandey said he has ordered changing the IO. In case of the minor girl, the accused will be arrested today. I have directed the police station officers for immediate arrest. Sections of rape are also added to her FIR, he said. Apart from the victims of crime against women, some victims of other cases such as murder also visited police headquarters and requested the media to highlight their cases. I have come here in anticipation that those accused murdering my son will be arrested soon. Since media has highlighted the gang rape case, our case should also be heard at some level. However, there has been no arrest till date, the father said. Newly-appointed senior superintendent of police, Anees Ahmad Ansari, said that there will be no laxity in dealing with cases, especially in cases of crime against women. I have directed all officers to hear the complaints and to ensure that all victims get fair treatment and proper investigation. The FIRs must be properly registered and investigation carried out as per provisions. Other cases will also be monitored carefully, he said. In Delhi, BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma gave out statistics to highlight alleged lawlessness in the state. UP tops the list in crime against women, he said, adding that 2,920 rape cases were reported between March, 2012 and March, 2016, besides 12,198 murders and 6,015 robberies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The probe in Bulandshahr gangrape case has revealed that one of the three main accused in the horrific highway crime was a quarrelsome man who was thrown out of his home and disinherited. Bablu, 22, who was sent to a 14-day judicial custody along with two others, hails from Aterna village in the Faridabad district of Haryana, said Bhupendra Singh, DCP, Ballabgarh. Acknowledging his violent nature since childhood, father Roopchand said the family was shocked by the news and wanted him punished. He must be punished for this grievous crime. No one from the family or village will go to defend him, he said. Roopchand added that Bablu was banished from the family home two years ago and since then he was working as taxi driver in Bulandshahr. Eight years back, he was disinherited from the property after he engaged in physical violence with family members. But he didnt reform and brutally thrashed his grandfather two years back after which he was shown the door, said Bablus father. He used to visit the village sometimes but was never allowed to enter our home, he added. Bablu has no criminal record in Faridabad and no links with any local gang, DCP Bhupinder Singh said. Last Friday night, alleged Bawariya gang members had brutally gangraped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with the family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh police had on July 31 arrested the three accused Naresh, 25, Bablu, 22, and Rais, 28 and detained a dozen others after a massive hunt for a gang of dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. Facing flak from the Opposition, the state government suspended five police officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. The matter had an echo in Lok Sabha yesterday when BJP members hit out at the UP government over the law and order situation and demanded the resignation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Supreme Court has agreed to examine if a married woman can be given a government job on compassionate grounds if her father dies before retirement. The issue was raised by the Uttar Pradesh government, which has challenged an Allahabad high court order directing it to appoint a married daughter of a constable in the fire department after his death. The HC had declared unconstitutional a state rule that excludes a married daughter from the definition of family. The rule provides for appointment to a government job on compassionate grounds of the only spouse, unmarried daughter and son. It is against the principles of equality enshrined in the constitution, the HC ruled. The UP state counsel, RP Mehrotra, assailed the verdict before a bench headed by Justice SA Bobde which stayed the implementation of the HC order. The top court has issued a notice to Neha Srivastava, who got relief from the HC in the case. In its December 2015 order, the HC termed the rule as discriminatory, calling it regressive and an executive decision that amounted to gender injustice. The HC noted that Srivastava was the only adult amongst her five sisters, and the rest were ineligible for the post. Mehrotra, however, said the HC had overstepped its jurisdiction as rule-making is the legislatives prerogative. Compassionate appointment is not a regular source of appointment but an exception. The HC order enlarges the eligibility criterion for such appointments, which the SC has held cannot be made a parallel source of appointment, Mehrotra told the bench. Compassionate appointment under service rules was started with the objective to provide immediate succour to a family in grief. But if the HC order is followed, the objective of the law will not be achieved, Mehrotra said. He also referred to a similar verdict of the Madras high court, which took an undertaking from the married daughter and her husband that she would look after her mother with the salary she received. Mehrotra contended that the top court should also judge the validity of this order so that there is uniformity in the rules governing compassionate appointment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For years, Saudi Arabia has been the dream destination for Indian migrant workers but that may be changing. Minister of state for external affairs Gen VK Singh is headed for the Gulf country where around 10,000 Indian workers are facing a food crisis after being laid off. The minister is expected to make arrangements to bring back those who want to return. Home to the largest migrant population in the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia hosts three million Indians, who come from all over the country Punjab in the north to Kerala in the south. When the country launched an employment nationalisation programme in 2011, the Indian government, like other, hoped the ambitious plan that aimed to give priority to local youth wouldnt hit migrant workers. Read| How oil crash, failing job market are ruining Indias Gulf stream of cash The reason: The local population would not take up jobs favoured by a large section of Indians, employed as construction workers, taxi drivers and even vegetable vendors. And, construction workers accounted for almost 45% of Indian blue-collar migrants. There were other arguments as well. The Saudisation, as the plan has come to be known, wouldnt hit small enterprises that employed 25% of the foreign workers. Around 55% of the migrants worked in the industries that complied with the employment quota prescribed in the job plan. But, that is not how it played out. The slide in crude prices and Saudi Arabias attempt to expand the economy beyond the oil sector didnt work and failed to create the much needed jobs. Construction projects, mostly funded by the government, are worst hit as the government battles fund crunch brought in by low oil prices. A number of firms have shut down, leaving thousands of workers jobless who dont have the money to buy food or a ticket home. Cheap oil combined with nationalisation programme have dealt a blow to the country, where 70% of the population is under 30 and unemployment rate in the 16-25 age group is 29%. These realities have created a situation that policy-makers didnt anticipate: Saudis working as salesmen and women for mobile firms, serving Starbucks outlets and driving taxis. Saudis are taking up these menial jobs as the government freezes hiring, leaving fewer jobs for migrants including thousands of Indians. Read| Is India prepared for the returning NRIs? Read| Money or dignity: The dilemma of Indians in the Gulf SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is on a 10-day break from work and will spend the time meditating in a village near Dharamsala. The Aam Aadmi Party leader started an introductory course in Vipassana an ancient Indian form of meditation at the Himachal Vipassana Centre in Dharamkot on Tuesday. He will not take up any official work during his time there and will not have access to mobile phones, pagers, television or newspapers, according to the rules of the centre. Kejriwal will follow a strict regime. His day will begin at 4am and end at 9.30pm, said the centres in-charge Pawan Sharma. He will eat simple meals and will not be allowed any food after mid-day. He will sleep on a concrete bed and will be given a blanket, bedsheet and a pillow. He may have to wash his clothes if the need arises, Sharma said. Participants arent allowed to interact with each other. They can only speak with their trainers at specific intervals. The 47-year-old CM who has been busy with AAPs campaign in Punjab for next years assembly elections had taken 10 days off in January, too, to treat his chronic cough and diabetes at a naturopathy clinic in Bengaluru. This was his second stint at the clinic where he had spent 12 days in March 2015. Located at an altitude of 2,000 metres amid deodar (cedar) forests with the Dhauladhar range in the backdrop, Dharamkot is called the Tel Aviv of the hills for being a favourite destination among Israeli tourists. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The governments plan to invest in the stock market 15% of the EPF corpus instead of the earlier 5% ran into rough weather in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with lawmakers cutting across party lines to oppose the proposed move. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the government was playing with the hard-earned money of employees and labourers. Is the government willing to give a guarantee on the returns to be earned from the stock market? Patel asked, adding that investing in the stock market has proved to be a loss-making exercise as the return was 7.45% compared to 8.8% offered under the EPF scheme. At present, the government invests 5% from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), the retirement fund body, in the Exchange Trade Funds (ETF), which holds several assets such as stocks, commodities and bonds. Terming the criticism totally incorrect, labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya said: These (EPF) are social security amounts. That too workers amount. As head of the Central Board of Trustees, the apex decision making body of the EPFO, my paramount interest will be to safeguard the workers interest. Patel, however, was not satisfied with the ministers response and said he will move a resolution to disapprove the government policy to invest up to 15% EPFO money in stock market. Earlier in the day, MPs from CPI(M), BJD, Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party argued strongly against the move. The government is interested in doing this to favour the speculator to speculate further and keep the stock market hot, said CPI(M) leader Tapan Sen. He said trade unions, including RSS-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, had opposed the move when it was discussed at a meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) on July 21. CBT has said they do not want any extra returns. The move to invest 5% in ETF has resulted in a loss of `400 crore in the first ten months. Trinamool Congress Derek OBrien said the government was aping the American model. The root of the problem is that I suspect that you are trying to use the American model. The American model has an independent retirement fund and social security account which we dont have. In his reply, Dattatreya said the workers money in EPFO had not been diverted to stock markets but was invested in funds which are safe and profitable. Of the total amount, 75% is being invested in Nifty and the remaining 25% in BSE. The funds are not invested in individual shares, he said. The minister said the total EPF amount invested so far in ETF is `7,468 crore and its current market value is `8,024 crore, which is an interest of 7.45%. He assured the House that the government was maintaining a cautious approach. A day ahead of the discussion on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on Tuesday the long-pending legislation will be passed if there is no obstacle. The government on Tuesday circulated among the members of the house amendments to the draft legislation. The amendments proposed in the bill -- scheduled to be moved by finance minister Arun Jaitley -- are expected to sail through as the government has scrapped the levy of additional 1% tax proposed earlier. Jaitley briefed the Bharatiya Janata Party members on the bill at a BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday morning. Sources said Jaitley asked the members to read and understand the bill before it is taken up. Both the BJP and the Congress have already issued whips to their members, making it compulsory for them to be present in the Upper House on Wednesday when the debate and vote on the GST Bill are expected. Read | Rahul Gandhi meets Congress leaders to discuss party strategy on GST The government wants the Supreme Court to reconsider a verdict that says being a member of a banned organisation doesnt make a person criminal, saying the order poses a risk as the country faces growing threat from ISIS and Pakistan-based terror outfits. Following the judgment -- issued five year ago -- high courts were releasing members of banned outfits, making it tough for security agencies to deal with emerging challenges, the countrys second-highest law officer solicitor general Ranjit Kumar told the court on Monday. The plea comes at a time when reports have come of youngsters heading to Syria and Afghanistan to join the so-called Islamic State or the al Qaeda. The government is also concerned about overt support enjoyed by the Maoists rebels, who often target security forces. A three-judge bench headed by justice JS Khehar agreed to hear the Centres plea in the open court, which is rare for a review petition that is decided through a procedure called hearing by circulation in which arguments are not allowed. The outcome of the case will have a bearing on free speech as statements or processions in favour of members of banned outfits may become a crime if the court accepts the governments view. A refusal will make security agencies job difficult as they will not be able to act against potential terrorists and their supporters. This can prove tricky as the agencies are trying to prevent youngsters from leaving the country to join terror outfits or stop their radicalisation, especially through the internet. The court is expected to strike a balance between the conflicting claims -- of security needs and civil liberties -- within the Constitution that offers ample scope for imaginative interpretation of legal provisions. A bench headed by justice Markandey Katju had on February 2, 2011 held: Mere membership of a banned organisation cannot incriminate a person unless he is proved to have resorted to acts of violence of incited people to imminent violence, or does an act intended to create disorder or disturbance... The verdict came in the case of Arup Bhuyan versus State of Assam. The terrorist and disruptive activities act, or TADA, declared membership of a banned organisation a crime. But on February 10, 2011, the SC read down TADA provisions to acquit Sri Indra Das, an alleged member of banned Ulfa. In another case, the court upheld the bail granted to a doctor who treated one of the men accused of chopping off the hand of a Kerala teacher for alleged blasphemy against Islam. The doctor was arrested for his association with the accused, members of the Popular Front of India. Earlier this year, a Delhi court acquitted Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy of terror charges. Quoting a 1966 US supreme court decision, the Indian top court had said: A law that applies to membership without the specific intent to further the illegal aims of the organisation infringes unnecessarily on protected freedoms. It rests on the doctrine of guilt by association, which has no place here. A study by Delhi-based Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association had in 2013 said 200 Muslim youth in Madhya Pradesh were arrested or prosecuted in 12 years for their alleged association with terrorist organisations. Many were thrown into jail for either possessing incriminating literature or shouting slogans and pasting posters in favour of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India. The Gujarat high court directed the medical officer of the civil hospital in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to examine a rape survivor, who has sought its permission for termination of her 22-week pregnancy. Under the law, pregnancy cannot be terminated after 20 weeks. The 32-year-old victim, who is speech and hearing impaired, was allegedly raped by a clerk at the shelter home in the city where she lives. The crime came to light when she became pregnant. The accused, Amrut Patel, was subsequently arrested. Justice Sonia Gokani ordered the medical officer of the VS Hospital to examine the woman and submit a report by Wednesday or the day after. The court will pass an order based on the medical report on Thursday, the judge said. The victims lawyer argued that as she is disabled, she will find it difficult to take care of the baby. On July 25, the Supreme Court allowed a rape survivor to abort her 24-week-old abnormal foetus, on the ground that continuance of pregnancy would gravely endanger her physical and mental health. The apex court gave her benefit of the exception under section 5 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, which allows abortion after 20 weeks only if there is a grave danger to the life of the mother. Since the Counter ISIL coalition came together less than two years ago, the terror groups fortunes have taken turn for the worse. At the time, the terrorists were rampaging through broad parts of both Syria and Iraq, said Secretary of State John Kerry at the recently-held Counter-ISIL Ministerial Meeting. They were overrunning and plundering key cities, murdering or enslaving thousands of people, and they were destroying ancient cultural sites and declaring themselves the leaders of all of Islam. That tide has turned. Since then, ISIL, also known as Daesh, has been driven out of nearly 50 percent of the territory that it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent of the territory in Syria. Its leadership has been degraded, its ability to attack militarily disrupted. Over the past year, they have recruited fewer foreign fighters, defections have increased, and the number of their fighters has diminished by at least one third. The coalition is now firmly committed to helping the government and the people of Iraq as they prepare to finish the hard job of driving Daesh completely out of their territory so that they can go then forward and rebuild their cities and rebuild their lives and build Iraq into the inclusive and cohesive society that the people of Iraq want to see, said Secretary of State Kerry. Daesh remains dangerous and they continue to inspire followers to perpetrate horrific violence and fan terror against innocent civilians in various places across the world. Nothing that they do is going to lead us to abandon our principles, our beliefs, because they dont offer any alternative, said Secretary of State Kerry. When the story of our era is written, the world is going to look back and say that Daesh made zero difference beyond the cruel suffering that it caused and that every single person who committed murder or suicide at its direction did so shamefully and in vain. Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed has warned of protests across Pakistan if Indias home minister Rajnath Singh goes ahead with his visit to Islamabad on Wednesday to attend a SAARC meeting. Other religious parties and terror groups too have threatened to organise demonstrations and rallies. What does this mean for India-Pakistan relations? 1. If ever proof was needed that Pakistans military establishment is in the driving seat as far as foreign policy is concerned, this is it. It is widely believed that Hafiz Saeeds Jamaat-ud-Dawah, declared a front for the LeT by the US and UN, has deep ties with the military and intelligence agencies. It is highly unlikely that a groups such as the JuD and Hizbul Mujahideen can threaten to hold protests during an Indian ministers visit unless they have the go-ahead from the powerful military establishment. Extremist leaders have said the protests will be held under the umbrella of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a grouping of nearly 40 radical and terror groups that has close links with the military and was last trotted for anti-US protests in 2012 following the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers in US air strikes along the Afghan border. 2. The JuD/LeTs capability to recruit and train terrorists and raise funds remain largely intact despite a symbolic crackdown on the organisation following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan has never banned the JuD and it was only placed on a watch list by the interior ministry. It has also been raising funds through another front organisation, the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and making inroads in southern Sindh province, where it did not have a very large presence earlier. 3. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs much touted efforts to improve relations with India are unlikely to be priority as he enters the final two years of his term. The efforts never really took off as Sharif was stymied time and again by the army. With the next elections in mind, Sharif might no longer look at better diplomatic and trade ties as an area of focus and he might even be content to simply complete his term and key an eye on winning the next polls. 4. The stand taken by Sharifs government on the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has garnered considerable support from the people in Punjab, Pakistans most populous and politically crucial province. It is also unlikely that groups such as the JuD and Hizbul Mujahideen could have gone ahead with large demonstrations and rallies in Punjab in recent weeks without the provincial administration headed by chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, the premiers younger brother, turning a blind eye to such protests. The most powerful anti-India terror groups LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed are based in Punjab. 5. India-Pakistan ties, which received a fillip when Sharif attended Prime Minister Narendra Modis swearing-in ceremony two years ago, are likely to remain in a deep freeze for the foreseeable future. As it is, there has been no substantial dialogue or contacts since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by the LeT with the backing of elements in the Inter-Services Intelligence agency. The comprehensive dialogue that was announced after foreign minister Sushma Swarajs visit to Islamabad last December never got off the ground and contacts between the National Security Advisers too have been snapped. Read: Rajnath visiting Pakistan strictly for SAARC, no bilateral talks: MEA The recent suicide attacks on Shia mosques in Dhaka and Saudi Arabia have forced law-enforcers across the country to tighten security at installations significant to the sect, but the supposedly pro-Muslim Uttar Pradesh government seems to have done the least in this regard. In a short but gruelling drill conducted on July 10, an HT team accompanied by a security expert visited Lucknows Bara Imambara to assess the security arrangements at the Asafi Masjid one of Indias most popular Shia mosques as well as its adjoining structures. The findings were disturbing, to say the least. Built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1784, Bara Imambara is the grandest monument of the nawabi era in the state capital. As many as 10,000 people gather at the site on Fridays, and the number grows to 50,000 on special occasions like Alvida, Muharram and Eid. The expert, former director general of police Sri Ram Arun, found that nobody was being frisked at the main entry point. Its surprising. Instead of frisking people, the guards are busy chatting with each other, he said, stepping into the Bara Imambara premises. Venturing further into the historic site, Arun came across another grave flaw. It was a small 2x2 cloak room that was being stuffed with bags by an official in-charge who scarcely seemed to care that any of them could be stuffed with explosives. Whats more, many of the visitors could be seen moving around the complex with backpacks. A guard should be deployed to ensure that all visitors deposit their luggage at the cloak room. This is another security misstep that could lead to grave consequences, Arun said. During the course of the 55-minute security drill, the expert cited the main entry point as the most vulnerable area of the Bara Imambara. Besides ensuring compulsory frisking of visitors and the construction of a bigger cloak room, he suggested that a private agency be roped in to enhance security at the monument. The Hussainabad and Allied Trust (HAT) custodian of the Bara Imambara had sought door frame metal detectors and more security personnel from the state government in 2005. While they received two such metal detectors, the equipment couldnt be put to use for want of qualified operators. We did not get the security personnel we sought either, said Nasir Naqvi, officer on special duty with HAT. District magistrate Raj Shekhar a member of HAT said frisking wouldnt be possible because the Bara Imambara was a religious monument. But we have deployed security guards and trust staffers to assist visitors, he said. NK Pathak, superintending archaeologist, Lucknow circle, Archaeological Survey of India, said ensuring the security of the monument was the responsibility of the trust. We only take care of its maintenance and repair, he said. Read | Red alert: Why alarm bells should be ringing at Mumbai airport Lucknow has around 1,200 Shia mosques, most of which avail of security only on important occasions. However, senior superintendent of police Manzil Saini said they are well-prepared for the eventuality of an attack. The city has quick reaction teams deployed at strategic points. They comprise trained commandos, she added. Saini said the response time of these personnel are reviewed repeatedly through mock drills. We ensure that the reaction time is less than 10 minutes. Besides this, Uttar Pradesh also has a crisis management committee to handle emergencies. The chairperson of the committee is the states chief secretary. It covers all the negotiations and other strategic decisions to be taken at a time of crisis, said Asim Arun, inspector general of the Anti-Terror Squad. Read | Sunni radicals blow up 16th century Sufi mosque in Yemen A glorious chapter in the Indian Navys history will come to an end later this year when the worlds oldest operational aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, retires after serving the country for nearly three decades. The UKs Royal Navy operated the carrier for 27 years - it was then known as HMS Hermes. International navies marvel at how India was able to keep the 57-year-old warship seaworthy for such a long period of time. Completed and commissioned in 1959, it served as the flagship of the Royal Navy during the Falklands war in 1982 and was decommissioned three years later. Read | Hotel, museum or just scrap: What will happen to INS Viraat? It is currently docked at the state-owned Cochin Shipyard where final repairs will be carried out over the next three months and the warship will be stripped of its weapons, radars, propulsion systems, auxiliary machinery and communication equipment. Heres all you need to need to know about the navys Grand Old Lady, inducted into service in May 1987: Final voyage Viraat set sail for Kochi from Mumbai on July 23, the last journey on its own propulsion before the warship is decommissioned by the year-end. It will be towed back to Mumbai in October for the retirement ceremony. Future of crew The navy requires trained crews to man the under-construction indigenous aircraft carrier-1 (IAC-1). The new carrier, Vikrant, is expected to be ready for sea trials by 2018. Viraat carried a crew of 1,500 men when it was fully operational. It will now have a skeletal crew of less than 300 till it is finally retired. Final repairs The navy wants to ensure that the warship is habitable for possible conversion into a museum, hotel or preserving it as a relic of maritime history. The repairs will involve strengthening of the war shipss hull and refurbishing underwater compartments. It will retain air-conditioning units and some generators on board. Main air element Viraats embarked air units operated Sea Harrier fighters, Seaking 42B anti-submarine helicopters, Seaking 42C commando carrier choppers and Chetaks for search and rescue. Viraats retirement marks the end of Sea Harriers, capable of vertical take off and landing. The fleet had become increasingly unserviceable and was decommissioned in May 2016 in Goa. Retirement delayed A string of refits and upgrades were carried out to keep Viraat seaworthy for so long. There were plans to retire the 28,000-tonne warship by 2010 but the delay in induction of INS Vikramaditya forced the navy to keep the carrier going for a few more years. Incredible numbers Viraat has spent more than 2,250 days at sea, clocking 10.94 lakh km (or covered the globe 27 times, as a navy spokesperson pointed out). Embarked planes have flown more than 22,034 hours. Battle-ready platform The carrier was mobilised during Operation Parakram when hostilities between India and Pakistan peaked following the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. It also played a crucial role when Indian peacekeepers were deployed in Sri Lanka in 1989. It was on stand-by when the Kargil war was fought in 1999. Swan song The International Fleet Review staged by the navy off the Vizag coast in February 2016 marked the final operational deployment of the warship. It holds the Guinness Record for being the oldest serving warship. What next The navy plans to deploy two carrier strike groups over the next four to five years. When complete and ready for sea trials in 2018, the Vikrant will weigh 37,500 tonnes. It will guarantee India a slot in history as the fifth country to have designed and built a carrier of this size - others being the US, the UK, Russia and France. Indias existing carrier INS Vikramaditya, bought from Russia and inducted in 2013, is currently undergoing a maintenance refit. The future of INS Viraat appears to be uncertain after its decommissioning by year-end. It is still not clear if the 57-year-old warship will be reborn as a museum, turned into a tourist attraction or preserved as a war memorial. The possibility of its ending up at a ship-breaking yard and later being sold as scrap cannot be ruled out, too. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it doesnt meet the fate of INS Vikrant. Viraat needs to be preserved as a relic of naval history, said a senior navy officer. In 2014, Vikrant, Indias first aircraft carrier, was auctioned and sold to a ship-breaker for Rs 60 crore. It moved many navy veterans to tears. The navy operated the carrier from 1961 to 1997, and the countrys first home-grown carrier is named after it. After being dismantled, some of Vikrants scrap found its way into a motorcycle manufacturing facility. Bajaj Autos new motorcycle range V uses metal from the carrier, which took part in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The Pune-based auto maker proudly claims that its latest offering is made with the invincible metal of INS Vikrant. Part motorbike. Part war hero, is how Bajaj describes its product. Some may argue the government could have done more to preserve the legacy of that war hero. With Viraats decommissioning round the corner, many in the navy are asking if the country will squander another chance to preserve naval history. The Andhra Pradesh government talked about converting Viraat into a tourist draw but it has not backed its proposal with action. The Centre has written letters to nine coastal state governments to find out if they are interested in associating themselves with Viraat. So far, none have responded. Maintaining Viraat in its new avatar - whatever it may be - will be a costly affair. Some estimates suggest the initial cost of refurbishing the warship could be around Rs 300 crore if it were to be turned into a hotel or a tourist attraction. The recurring costs will be steep, too. The Centre is willing to transfer the decommissioned ships ownership to any coastal state that shows interest for a token amount of Re 1. However, it remains to be seen if any of the maritime states will step forward to be a part of a rich national legacy. And if not, does the defence ministry have a back-up plan to prevent Viraat from being sold to be scrapped. Amid raging unrest among Dalits over atrocities in parts of the country, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said it was wrong to kill a human being in the pretext of protecting the cow. If you respect cows it is great, but other human beings also have the right to live, right to do their work. If you want to respect a cow, respect it. Nothing wrong in this, but that doesnt mean that you can kill anybody on that pretext. That is totally wrong, information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on the sidelines of an event to felicitate IAS topper Tina Dabi, a Dalit. He asserted that Hinduism does not sanction discrimination and said, No person who discriminates against another human being could ever be called a Hindu. He said some people have suggested that conversion can end this problem, but that has not happened. There have been cases where people came back saying they witnessed the same situation in other religions also, he said. Naidus comments came days after the statement by Athawale, a Dalit leader from Maharashtra, that people from the community should embrace Buddhism to avoid pressure or violence against them. There have also been reports of some Dalit families who have been protesting after being denied permission to attend a temple festival in Tamil Nadus Karur region last week, threatening to convert to Islam. Emphasising on equality, Naidu said, Bharat Mata ki jai means glory of all those who live in this country, adding that those who live in this country are Indians and they are equal in all aspects. Authorities continued curfew and restrictions on Tuesday as Kashmir remained shut for the 25th consecutive day. Police said the curfew would continue in some areas of south Kashmir while restrictions under section 144 of the CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) will remain in force in Srinagar city and other districts. Overnight protests occurred in Shopian district. Despite clashes at some places on Monday, some semblance of normal activities of life was noticed in parts of Srinagar city as private vehicles and pedestrian movement was seen almost after three weeks. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who interacted with members of the civil society in north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Monday, appealed for a collective effort to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Traffic on both the Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar Jammu national highways resumed during the night. Train services, educational institutions, banks, post offices and government offices except essential services like health, water supply, electricity, food supplies, police and fire services are shut here for the last 24 days. Officially imposed curfew and protest shutdown called by the separatists through weekly protest calendars have crippled life in Kashmir since July 9, a day after Hizbul commander, Burhan Wanis death in a gunfight. Indias biggest tax reform, the Goods and Services Tax bill, is set to cross the Rajya Sabha hurdle to become a reality nine years after it was mooted in Parliament. The NDA government has secured all-round support for the constitution amendment bill that will be taken up by the Upper House for passage on Wednesday and potentially pave the way for rolling out a single tax to replace a string of local levies. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last year but remained stuck in the Upper House where the ruling NDA does not have the numbers. The government circulated nine amendments on Tuesday that aimed to address concerns of the Congress and other opposition parties: more teeth to the grievance redressal mechanism, scrapping a proposed 1% additional tax, and mandatory compensation for revenue loss of states under the new tax regime. The government said that the GST council will establish a mechanism to adjudicate disputes involving the Centre and the states in three possible scenarios: Centre versus one or more states, the Centre and states versus one or more states and state versus state. A standing mechanism to resolve disputes was a key demand of the Congress. Although the Centre rejected the Congress demand to cap the GST rate at 18% in the amendment bill, it has verbally assured the party to ring-fence the tax rate in the GST bill that will come up after the constitution amendment is passed in Parliament and approved by majority of the states. It also accepted a demand of regional parties that tax collected by state governments will not be parked in the consolidated fund of India, to allow quick disbursements. Read | Can govt pass GST in Parliament? Five things you need to know The concept for a nationwide uniform tax was first announced by then finance minister P Chidambaram in his 2007 budget speech. The UPA government introduced the constitution amendment bill on GST in the 2011 budget session but failed to build a consensus. The bill lapsed at the end of the last Lok Sabha. The NDA government worked for the past two years to reach out to the Opposition parties, especially the Congress, for the GST which will dramatically change the countrys indirect tax regime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa to secure support. Everyone has the feeling it will be a win-win situation for all. The bill is coming after much deliberation and we are positive about the outcome. We are confident all parties will come together to pass the bill, said parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi discussed the GST issue with senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Chidambaram and Anand Sharma. Read | To ensure GST passage, BJP asks members to be present in Rajya Sabha In the original bill, the compensation for losses was kept as an option. In the amendment, the Centre has stated that Parliament shall provide for compensation to states for any loss of revenues, for a period which may extend to five years. Trinamool Congress questioned why the government is keeping the option open for giving compensation for a lesser period. The government may bring a fresh amendment on Wednesday to make the compensation mandatory for five years. Read |After big breakthrough, GST nitty-gritties might take time Kolkata West Bengal may soon become Bengal in English and Bangla or Banga in Bengali. After decades of deliberation, the first concrete step of renaming the eastern state was taken on Tuesday, with the cabinet adopting a resolution. It has to be ratified in a special meeting of the assembly, which may take place on August 29-30. The resolution will then be sent to the Centre for approval of Parliament. But before that, the proposal will be discussed at an all-party meeting where the assembly speaker will be present. The assembly will meet for a special session ...to discuss the matter and adopt a resolution, said education minister Partha Chatterjee after the cabinet meeting. The name of the state capital --- and the national capital till 1911 -- was changed to Kolkata in January 2001 by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government. It was previously known as Calcutta. Senior bureaucrats and politicians from West Bengal often complained that they were attended to at the end of high-level meetings in Delhi where representatives were called in accordance with the alphabetical order of their states. If the eastern state gets the new name, it will leapfrog from bottom of the list to the top of the pecking order. The change in name will be to protect the interests of the state, minister Chatterjee said. Union minister Babul Supriyo, an MP from the state, posted on Twitter: Bengal in English is fantastic & makes a great pair with Bangla the State & its language Bangla Bhasha - but not BONGO. Bangla is Good, but definitely not BONGOBongo is an instrument that is played (Bajano hoe)!Do not want people 2 crack dirty pun about it Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) August 2, 2016 Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, a renowned Bengali author, said: This is actually no change in name. We are merely going back to the old name. He was referring to the pre-Independence era when a united West Bengal, Bangladesh and some parts of Indias northeast were together known as Bengal. Lyricist and film director Anindya Chatterjee suggested that there should be a referendum to consider the change of name. After ending the Left rule in 2011, chief minister Mamata Banerjee changed the names of a number of roads and metro stations (Tollygunge station became Mahanayak Uttam Kuma etc.). The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has indicted the Odisha police for firing without provocation that killed six tribals in Kandhamal district when they returning home after collecting their rural employment scheme wages last month. The commissions finding casts a doubt on the police version that the six were caught in a gunfight between the Special Operations Group (SOG) the anti-Maoist state police force and Naxals on July 8. In its report to the state government, the commission stated that the victims and their family members were returning in an autorickshaw which got bogged down at a culvert near Gumudumaha forest area and they had to stop to extricate the vehicle. Read | Odisha police under fire over killing of tribals in encounter Survivors denied there was any gunfight at the spot before the police opened fire at them, the report said, which negates claims of the police that the civilians were caught in a crossfire. Citing its interaction with the injured persons and family members of the deceased, the report said, The commission specifically asked them about the movement of Maoists in their village but they denied having seen them ever. They also denied that there was any sound like that of bullet firing at the place of incident before the police started firing at them. In view of the inputs received from family members of the victims and witnesses, it prima facie appears that firing by the police was resorted to without sufficient cause/provocation though exact sequence and cause of event would be known only after SIT investigation and judicial inquiry have been completed. The NCST report also stressed on the need to sensitize police forces involved in such operations to ensure such incidents do not recur. It said the victims were poor MNREGA workers who had to travel for about 35 kilometres to collect their wages from a SBI branch at Balliguda. The commission has recommended that adequate banking facilities be made available in every panchayat or that the banks make arrangements for payment of wages in the villages concerned. The commission also suggested appointing business correspondents as it is being done in states like Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It also highlighted inadequacy of infrastructure including road connectivity and electricity and said that the compensation declared was inadequate. The commission has also sought an action taken report from the Odisha government over its findings. Andhra Pradesh shut down on Tuesday in response to a day-long bandh called by opposition parties to protest the denial of special category status to the state by the central government. According to reports from various districts of AP, the bandh has evoked a huge response. All private educational institutions voluntarily declared a holiday while there was nearly no attendance in government schools and colleges due to lack of public transport. The state-run road transport corporation buses remained confined to the depots as activists of various opposition parties locked up the gates and staged dharnas in front of the depots. Commercial and business establishments in major cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Nellore and Tirupati, also downed their shutters in support of the bandh. Police arrested hundreds of activists of YSR Congress party, Congress and the Left parties early in the morning as they were taking out rallies and staging protests in front of bus stations in different parts of the state. In Guntur, YSR Congress MLA from Mangalagiri Alla Ramakrishna Reddy was arrested as he and his party activists obstructed the movement of buses operating from Guntur to new secretariat complex at Velagapudi in Amaravati. Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a standstill for over two hours with the YSRC and Congress workers blocking the road. In the temple town of Tirupati, former MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy was arrested for blocking the roads leading to famed Tirumala temple. The bus services to the hills were restored later. Police also arrested YSR Congress MLA from Chandragiri, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy when he was taking out a rally in Tirupati. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Anne Richard, recently announced nearly $27 million in new humanitarian assistance to support those affected by Boko Haram violence across the Lake Chad Basin region. Assistant Secretary Richard travelled in Cameroon and Chad recently, to highlight the devastating impact of Boko Haram and strengthen international cooperation to ease the desperate plight of refugees and internally displaced persons in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. Approximately 9.2 million people are suffering forced displacement, deprivation, and disease across the Lake Chad Basin region, including 155,000 refugees and 2.6 million internally displaced persons.Nearly five million are classified as food insecure. According to the UN, the number of displaced people has tripled over the last two years. Recent humanitarian assessments have found possible famine conditions in parts of Nigeria, requiring immediate aid to prevent further deterioration and death. The additional funding announced on July 13 by Assistant Secretary Richard bolsters efforts by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR, to provide Nigerian refugees with essential assistance, such as access to clean water and sanitation facilities, health care, essential household items, and shelter.It also supports UNHCRs protection efforts for internally displaced persons and refugees in the region, maintaining access to asylum and preventing forced returns, addressing issues of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, and providing programs that protect children. U.S. funding also backs the expansion of urgently needed food assistance to reach hundreds of thousands more in northeastern Nigeria and in Niger. Contributions to the UN Humanitarian Air Service in Chad and Cameroon ensure the safe and reliable transport of aid workers and humanitarian cargo. This new funding brings the total U.S. government humanitarian assistance for the Lake Chad Basin humanitarian response in Fiscal Year 2015 and Fiscal Year 2016 to nearly $281 million. Recently coined the most under reported, the most underfunded and the least addressed of the big crises we face by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen OBrien, the Lake Chad Basin crisis urgently needs a more robust response. The United States urges all nations to join in doing more to address the extraordinary level of need and to contribute generously to UN and other Lake Chad Basin humanitarian appeals. Jammu and Kashmir education minister Naeem Akhtar said on Tuesday petrol bombs were hurled at his house in the Parray Pora area of Srinagar The house is unguarded and no one was present there when the attack took place, Akhtar told HT. The minister lives in his official bungalow at Gupkar Road. The attack reportedly took place late on Monday night. Kashmir has been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in southern Kashmir on July 8. His death sparked violent protests in the Valley that killed close to 50 people and wounded thousands. Kashmiris have alleged atrocities by Indian armed forces during street protests, and the use of pellet guns has been under the scanner. Separatist have asked for a social boycott of ruling Peoples Democratic Party leaders. Read| If forces knew it was Burhan, they would have given him a chance: Mehbooba Akhtar said two petrol bombs were thrown at the house. No one was injured in the incident, but minor damages were reported. One bomb fell inside the compound...The fire was doused by neighbours, Akhtar said. Last month, protesters burnt a PDP leaders house in southern Kashmir. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti too faced protests last week. She was surrounded by girl students at Srinagars oldest womens college on Sunday, and the protesters shouted slogans demanding azadi (freedom). Read| Kashmir crisis: Mehboobas bid to strike a chord may be too little, too late As the government circulated copies of the draft Constitution Amendment Bill to bring Goods and Services Tax (GST) among MPs, top Congress leaders got into a huddle to chalk out the partys strategy on Tuesday, ahead of its consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former finance minister P Chidambaram and deputy leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, among others, in Parliament House and discussed various points regarding the key tax reform legislation. Congress sources said Gandhi will hold another round of discussion on the issue after which Sharma will meet finance minister Arun Jaitley to put across the partys point of view. Rahul ji held discussions with top party leaders on the GST Bill and discussed the partys strategy, Kharge told PTI after the meeting. Another top Congress leader said the draft bill has just been circulated and party leaders will react only after studying it in detail. The draft of the bill has just come and let us study it first, the Congress leader said. There were strong indications that the most far-reaching taxation reform in independent India would be supported by Congress and all other major political parties. The government has said talks are on with major political parties to build a consensus on the measure before it is taken up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. We would list the bill for consideration tomorrow in Rajya Sabha. We have talked to all parties and the Prime Minister had said at the beginning of this session that GST is in the interest of all. We hope the GST Bill will be passed with consensus, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. At the BJP meet, Jaitley also briefed the MPs about the bill. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a single indirect tax regime across the country. According to top government sources, a fresh round of talks will be held on Tuesday with the main opposition Congress. Jaitley had on Monday held consultations with leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. He had also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, besides some other leaders. Later, along with Anant Kumar, he met Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The government, the sources say, is keen to bring about four key amendments in the Constitution Amendment Bill which will include the scrapping of 1% additional tax provision and grant of more powers to states for providing them full compensation for a period of five years. The key Congress demand for rephrasing of the language for setting up of dispute resolution mechanism in the GST Council has also been agreed to by the government. In view of a severe fuel crisis in Tripura due to disruption of vehicular movement on the damaged NH-8, the state government demanded fuel by rail after being was brought on the broad gauge map. A broad gauge train was flagged off between Agartala and Delhi on Sunday. We have submitted a memorandum to the railway minister on Sunday, charting out eight demands including dispatch of fuel, transport minister Manik Dey said on Tuesday. It seems he is taking a very proactive role to meet our demands. He immediately directed the rail officers to discuss the matter with IOC (Indian Oil Corporation Ltd). Later the officials of the rail and IOC met in the state guest house. Vehicular movement on the National Highway 8 has been seriously affected for the last three months due to damage at Karimganj in Assam following incessant rain and waterlogging. Dey said the other demands include introduction of four trains within Tripura to connect Agartala with Dharmanagar, the northernmost town in the state, and direct trains from here to Chennai and other big cities of the country. The rail minister on Sunday announced that a direct train between Agartala and Kolkata would be introduced this month. Dey also demanded inclusion of Tripura in the Trans-Asian rail network. After the Trans-Asian railway network is established, Tripura could be included in the network if a 257-km rail track is laid from Tripuras Jawharnagar in Dhalai district with Kalay of Myanmar through neighbouring Mizorams Darlon, Dey said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed a nine-year-old attempt to suicide case filed against a Punjabbased woman who slashed her wrist to express infinite love for her female partner to protect her from agony and harassment. A bench found merit in the submissions made on behalf of Ms X who said she has now undergone a sex change surgery and is keen to live a normal life. Ms X, now 28, claimed the case was filed at the behest of her partners family to torture her because the couple had run away and got married. Keeping the facts and circumstances in mind we quash the case, the bench ordered, giving a quite burial to the FIR registered against Ms X on July 5, 2007 in Gurdaspurs Batala police station. Punjab governments plea to let the petitioner face the trial was rejected. The offence leveled against Ms X is punishable with two years of rigorous imprisonment or fine or both. If the criminal trial starts in Batala, it would cause extreme prejudice and stigma to the petitioner, who would have to attend the trial in his male identity and would face immense scrutiny of his gender identity. This would cause great stress and anxiety to the petitioner, which would interfere with his medical treatments, the petition stated seeking quashing of the FIR. Ms X had moved SC after the Punjab and Haryana refused to quash the case in August 2012. Presently living in an undisclosed location under an NGOs care, the petitioner submitted she was in a close relationship with Ms Y and despite being adults their parents opposed it. The two got married in Vaishno Devi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress president Sonia Gandhi called off her much-publicised road show in Varanasi after she developed high fever, six hours into the campaign in Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency on Tuesday. Gandhi reportedly felt uneasy at Lahurabir and stopped there to rest. Later, she abandoned the campaign and was advised to return to Delhi. But her flight to Delhi was delayed as she was treated at the Varanasi airport and officials were waiting for an air ambulance or a chartered plane, airport director D S Gariya said. Gandhis health has been fragile for some time and the 69-year-old leader has made multiple trips to the United States for treatment. Read | As it happened: Sonia Gandhi visits Varanasi, returns to Delhi after falling ill Earlier in the day, Gandhi travelled an open sports vehicle amid cheering crowds to launch the Congress campaign for next years elections in Uttar Pradesh. Her 50-car cavalcade snaked through an 8-km stretch decorated with festoons and buntings, as thousands lined the streets while many peered from their homes and rooftops. Party supporters stopped the cavalcade at prominent intersections to felicitate Gandhi, who wore a gold-and-white sari and had a party flag wrapped round her wrist. The impressive turnout comes as a shot in the arm of the Congress, which is hoping to dent the support of the BJP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi party (SP). The choice of Varanasi for a high-decibel campaign was seen as a strategic move by the Congress, which had hoped to highlight the alleged lack of development in Modis constituency as well as woo upper caste voters. But the fallout of the aborted campaign remains to be seen. Gandhi was supposed to end her road show with an aarti at Kashi Vishwanath temple. Underscoring the partys efforts to balance the caste equations in the state, Gandhi began her day by paying tributes to Dalit icon B R Ambedkar and was expected to end it by garlanding a statue of former Congress chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi, an upper caste leader. Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched her partys poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh with an impressive roadshow in Varanasi, prime minister Narendra Modis parliamentary constituency, on Tuesday. However, she fell ill after spending five hours under hot and humid conditions forcing her to cut the roadshow short barely a kilometre ahead of the last stop. She rested at the Varanasi airport for around two hours before flying back to Delhi late in the evening. Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Congress chief was already indisposed when she left for Varanasi on Tuesday morning. She was very keen to go, but had a bit of strain I guess, Priyanka told mediapersons outside the Delhi airport on Tuesday night. She was there with her brother, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to receive Gandhi upon her return. According to party sources, the event which was initially expected to last for around two hours stretched for five hours, causing Gandhi to fall ill due to heat and dehydration. Gandhi later released a statement expressing regret at being deprived of the saubhagya (good fortune) to do a darshan of Kashi Vishwanathji during the auspicious month of Sawan. She promised to return very soon. Modi had reportedly called up Sheila Dikshit, the Congress UP chief ministerial candidate, to enquire about Gandhis health while she was still at the Varanasi airport. He offered to help out by sending a doctor and a plane to take her back to Delhi. Soniaji came and has gone to the hospital. She is stable now. Dehydration caused her fever, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad later told mediapersons at the Delhi airport. She was taken to the Army Research and Referral hospital for a check-up. Earlier in the day, 69-year-old Gandhi showed no signs of illness as she stood in an SUV amid cheering crowds enthusiastically greeting and shaking hands with people. Her 50-car cavalcade snaked through an eight-km stretch decorated with festoons and buntings as thousands lined the streets and many peered from their homes and rooftops. Party supporters stopped the cavalcade at prominent intersections to felicitate Gandhi, who wore a gold-and-white sari with the party flag wrapped round her wrist. Read | As it happened: Sonia Gandhi visits Varanasi, returns to Delhi after falling ill In her statement, the Congress president accused the Modi government of paying special attention to the needs of a handful of people and industrialists. The palace built on false promises cannot last long, people will soon call it to account and give a befitting response, she said. Attacking BJP leaders who talk of a Congress-mukt Bharat, she said that her party is not just an institution or a group of people. It is rooted in every particle of India... One cannot imagine the idea of modern India without the Congress, she added. The impressive turnout at Gandhis roadshow comes as a shot in the arm for the Congress, which is hoping to make a big impact in the upcoming assembly elections. Underscoring the partys efforts to balance the caste equations in the state, Gandhi began her day by paying tributes to Dalit icon BR Ambedkar and was expected to end it by garlanding a statue of former Congress chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi, a Brahmin leader and address party workers. Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night to assess difficulties of thousands of Indians who lost their jobs, and finalise modalities of bringing back those wanting to return. Ahead of Singhs visit, his ministerial colleague MJ Akbar, who looks after issues relating to Gulf region, met Saudi ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati and discussed the issue of the jobless Indians. Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers, Akbar said in a series of tweets. Foreign affairs ministry officials said Singh will arrive in Jeddah early on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to return on the evening of Friday. Thousands of Indians in Saudi Arabia were facing severe food crisis due to financial hardships after they lost their jobs due to slowdown of the economy in the Gulf. The Indian mission has provided food to those struggling to even buy food. Making a statement in the Parliament on Monday, Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the workers will be brought back home, asserting that not one of them will go hungry. Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India, Swaraj said. Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singhs visit. Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was fluid and dynamic as the situation varied from company to company. Around 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations, sources said. Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 8-10 days, they said. The government, Swaraj said, was in touch with the foreign and labour offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure early evacuation of affected Indians. The Centre has requested Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned. Thirteen rounds of talks have been held between India and Pakistan on the issue of withdrawing troops from Siachen and New Delhi has made it clear that it is part of the larger issue of Islamabad supporting terrorism in India, defence minister Manohar Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The minister said that on December 9, 2015, external affairs minister Sushma Swraj met the Pakistani leadership in Islamabad on the side-lines of the Heart of Asia process for regional cooperation on Afghanistan. These discussions directed the foreign secretaries of both countries to work out the modalities and schedule of the meetings under the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue on various issues including Siachen, Parrikar said. The minister said soldiers are deployed in extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions but are fully equipped and properly trained to undertake the operational challenges and carry out their mandated tasks. The soldiers deployed at Siachen Glacier are provided with quality winter clothing including Extreme Cold Climate clothing. Besides, they are provided with prefabricated insulated shelters and wherever it is not possible to construct such shelters due to technical difficulties, insulated tents are provided which can withstand low temperatures, said the minister. Parrikar said the units are self-sufficient for a period of 240 days of supplies. A Rajasthan ministers son is among six persons named in an FIR lodged in a murder case of a 45-year-old man in Hanumangarh court. Harish Sindhi was shot dead on Monday by two accused Sukhbeer and Dharmendra in the court premises where he had gone for hearing of a murder case in which he was a witness. While the duo was arrested on Monday, police named water resources minister Ramprataps son Amit Sahu and three others, including Som Muni, Soma and Shrawan, in the FIR under various sections of IPC, including murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and 27 of Arms Act, police said. The FIR was lodged by Monu Singh who was present with Sindhi in the court. Sahu, however, denied any link with the murder and alleged he was being dragged in the case for political reasons. I have no link with the matter. I am being falsely implicated. The allegations against me are baseless, Sahu said, adding he has not been approached by the police. I was present in the court premises. I had gone to the office of the collector which is located near the court. My presence there had nothing to do with the case, he said. Rampratap could not be contacted as he was in the cabinet meeting. Remember your last argument with the cabbie when you took a ride from the airport to your home, where you suspected that the meter was rigged or that he was overcharging you? Times have changed now as the same cabbies are now willing to offer you a discounta flat 20%. Pushed away to the corner by the app-based cab services like Uber and Ola, the conventional black and yellow taxis have started their fight back. Realising that the transport authorities may not be able to put too many restrictions on the fare structure of the app-based cabs, conventional taxi unions too have started exploring ways to attract commuters. The 9211 Cabs, an IT company that runs an app-based taxi service for black and yellow cabs on behalf of various taxi unions, has announced flat 20% discount on the fare if it is higher than Rs 200. The company will launch a new initiative called Heros of Mumbai on the eve of Independence day, under which passengers will be able to avail the discount throughout this month. According to company release, the discount will be available in a limited area initially. Kaali Peeli or Cool cabs booked via 9211 CABS at the number 022-4002 9211, will be given a flat discount of 20% for pickups from Bandra East, Bandra West and BKC on meters reading more than Rs 200,said Malay Kothari, one of the partners at the company. Cool Cabs service is an air-conditioned taxi service provided by conventional taxi owners with sky blue and grey coloured vehicles. To avail the discount, commuters will have to book the cab at least two hours in advance between 8am to 8pm on the above number and 9211 will confirm you a taxi. We have specially arranged around 250 taxis from these areas that will serve on a first-come-first-serve basis, said Kothari. Its simple, if the meter reading is more than Rs 200, pay 80% of the fare to the driver and use the rest for a good cause. Fleet taxi operators such as Meru cabs and Tab Cab have already announced discounts on their fares. On July 25, 2016, heaven needed a hero, so the gates were opened and Lloyd Omar Waters passed through. He left us knowing that cancer is limited (Poem by Dr. Robert Lynn) and didnt win. Lloyd was born to Lloyd and Betty Waters in Gothenburg, Nebraska on May 14, 1952. Lloyd was a proud Wyoming native. He grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming with six sisters and one brother. He spent his youth hunting and fishing with his family and felt at home in the Medicine Bow National Forest. Lloyd graduated from Rawlins High School in 1970. Cancer didnt destroy his confidence. Lloyd started working in his teens. His love of helping others began when he was an EMT, working on an ambulance crew, and also worked at Rawlins Memorial Hospital. He began his career in mining in Hannah, Wyoming. Lloyd believed you earned your way and his dedication to providing for his family took him from Wyoming to Colorado, Utah, and back to Wyoming. In 1987, Lloyd and his family moved to Elko, Nevada, where he worked for Newmont Mining for 28 years. Lloyd could run any piece of heavy equipment, but spent many of his mining years as a driller. Lloyds mining career ended as a Tech IV in the warehouse at Emigrant. Cancer didnt kill his friendships. Lloyd enjoyed working in the warehouse. He loved talking to his fellow employees, the buyers, and the vendors whether in person or on the phone. Any one of them will tell you, Lloyd was guaranteed to go out of his way to help you, play practical jokes and dish out 100% pure b.s. to them all. Date nights for Lloyd and Yvette included karaoke and they soon became part of a singing family of friends. Saturday nights were filled with music, laughter, and fun. Lloyd loved to dance with his wife and his favorite songs to sing were by Johnny Cash. Lloyd believed everyone, especially children, had a right to be safe and know they were special. He spent countless hours at Harbor House helping his wife ensure this was true, especially at Christmas. Cancer didnt shatter his hope. As an avid Broncos fan since the 60s, Lloyd was in front of the television for every game. Win or lose he wore his orange and blue proudly. He never gave up believing the Broncos would win another Super Bowl and so they did last February. Lloyds smile and laugh were contagious and he always saw the best in people and believed everyone deserved a chance to be his friend. If Lloyd was your friend, he was your friend for life and would spend hours in a store visiting. Cancer didnt cripple his love. Lloyd began his life with his best friend and soulmate Yvette in Wamsutter, Wyoming in 1984. They were married on August 17, 1985 in Ely, Nevada. As partners, they supported each other through 32 years and were holding hands when the time came for Lloyd to move on. Together they raised their five children and his pride as a father filled the room when he talked about them. Lloyds love for life and his love and commitment to his family was and is an example to all. Cancer didnt shut out his memories. Lloyd spent as much time as his mining shifts allowed creating memories with his family, including annual camping trips at Cave Lake with their grandparents. Lloyd had just begun to plan his retirement and ways to make memories with his grandchildren. He looked forward to his time with them, whether it was in person, on the phone or Skype. Lloyd spent hours sharing stories with his children and grandchildren and would surprise them with stories of his youth and his escapades while he grew up. Cancer didnt corrode his faith. Lloyd loved the outdoors and felt closest to God when in the mountains and trees. He and Yvette spent a lot of time camping, four-wheeling and appreciating the beauty of our Lords earth. Lloyd had a deep faith in our Lord and joined the Catholic Church in 1986. He became a member of the Knights of Columbus and dedicated himself to their mission. He was a Deputy Grand Knight, a Grand Knight and a District Deputy. Lloyd was a Faithful Navigator for the Fourth Degree and felt it was a privilege to be a member of the Honor Guard and wore his regalia proudly. Cancer didnt eat away his peace. Lloyd had a special way of letting the past be the past and accepting Gods plan for the future. He accepted the fact he would not win the battle against cancer just months after his diagnosis, but refused to allow it to control who he was. He often said he was at peace with Gods plan and felt blessed that he had the love of family and friends and riches beyond what anyone could imagine. Lloyd was happy with the life he had and knew he had lived it to the best of his ability and the way God wanted him to. Cancer didnt silence his courage. Throughout the past year, Lloyd kept a positive attitude and showed courage at times when others would have given up. He spent his last days loving his family and passing on his courage so they could go on without him. Lloyd promised to watch over them and made them promise to be strong. With an example like his, it was an easy promise to make. Lloyd leaves behind his wife, Yvette Joy Waters; daughters Holly (Tim) Trexler, Fallbrook, California; Brenda Wilkie, (Elko); Marlene (Kevin ) Haub, Hayward, California; and Serena (Steven) Collier, (Reedsport, Oregon); sisters, Deana (Bob) Huber, Thornton, Colorado; Susie (Harry ) Morris, Wright, Wyoming; Katie (Bob) Nulle, Rawlins, Wyoming; brother Johnny Waters, Tooele, Utah; uncle and friend, Gus (Norma) Mandros, Green River, Wyoming; mother-in-law Ma, Vivian Joy, Ely, NV; sisters-in-law Trudie (Jim) Hollinger, Ely, Nevada; Robbie (Lennie) Boteilho, Riverton, Utah; and numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. Lloyd was also proud to be a grandpa and his memory will live on his through grandchildren, Jacob, Sarah, and Makayla Trexler, Brittany and Connor Wilkie and Isabelle Haub. Cancer didnt invade his soul, reduce eternal life nor lessen the power of the Resurrection. As Lloyd left this earth, he took the hand of our Lord and joined his son, Cody Lloyd Waters, his parents Lloyd and Betty Waters, his sisters Ellen Nulle, Becky Jo Lucas, and Tammy Moyer, his cousin and friend Nick Sanchez and father-in-law, A.Z. Joy. Cancer didnt quench his spirit. From the moment Lloyd was diagnosed he began spreading a message and asked that it be passed on now to every man, young or old. Have your annual prostate exam, both a blood test and physical. Dont let your embarrassment, a doctor or insurance stop you from getting it. Dont walk the road my family and I have had to. In lieu of flowers, please honor Lloyd with donations in his memory to, Knights of Columbus, Council 2511, PO Box 1247, Elko, Nevada 89303 or Harbor House, P.O. Box 2531, Elko, Nevada 89803. Services for Lloyd will include a Rosary, led by Deacon Franklin Martinez on August 7, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Burns Mortuary and a funeral Mass at St. Josephs Catholic Church, 990 Highland Drive, Elko, Nevada on August 8, 2016 at 10:00 AM officiated by Father Daniel Hussey. Interment will follow at the City of Elko Cemetery, followed by a reception at Mater Dei Hall located behind the church. The incessant rain since Sunday led to a flood-like situation in Nashik city and district, with two major rivers Godavari and Kadwa touching the danger line for the first time. All eight dams in the district have been opened and an alert has been sounded for villages along the banks of the river. The district administration is geared up to shift people in case of an eventuality. According to the data compiled by the rainfall recording and analysis wing of the state agriculture department, Palghar district received maximum rainfall (700% more than the average) in the state since Monday, followed by Raigad (486% more than the average) and Nashik (433% more). Washim received 336% more than the average, while Akola got 246% more, states the data. All roads in Nashik district have been flooded, forcing the district administration to announce a two-day holiday for all educational institutions. Citizens have been urged not to step out. At Holkar bridge in Nashik city, the water flow was 23,000 cusec in the evening. Most of the temples and stalls along Godavari are submerged. Kadwa river was seen overflowing last in 2005, citizens said. Relief and rehabilitation minister Chandrakant Patil confirmed Nashik was facing a flood-like situation. We have started moving people from low lying areas, Patil told HT. The road and rail connectivity, too, were hit. Minor landslides were reported at Kasara Ghat, which is the main connecting route between Mumbai and Nashik. Manmad, a major railway junction in Nashik district, too, was out of bounds. According to the Nashik control room, eight dams in the district were filled to 80% of their capacity, forcing irrigation officials to open all the doors. An NDRF team, comprising 40 jawans and five boats, left for Nashik from Pune, as part of the precautionary measures. The level of Koyna dam in Satara district has increased by four feet in the past 24 hours. Koyna officials said the dam has added almost four TMC water in a single day. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar had a run in with the BJP-led state government on Wednesday after he was denied entry inside the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Kumar, who had a visitors entry pass and a council gallery pass said he had come to Vidhan Bhavan to see the live proceedings of the council but was denied entry by security officials. Kanhaiya was here with eight of his colleagues in the early afternoon but was confined to the police beat inside the Vidhan Bhavan premises. Talking to reporters on the Vidhan Bhavan premises, Kumar said, As per the rules, I have a gallery pass that is needed to enter the upper House. I was denied the permission despite this. Shashikant Borate, deputy commissioner of police and chief security officer of Vidhan Bhavan clarified that visitors gallery pass is issued but it normally lapses after an hour of issuance. Kanhaiyas gallery pass was valid between 12 noon to 1pm. When he entered the premises at around 12.30pm, Council proceedings were already adjourned for half an hour. The adjournment was later extended for another half-an-hour and he was not allowed to attend the proceedings, Borate told HT. The opposition termed this move undemocratic with NCP leader Jitendra Awhad saying that if the student leader had a valid pass, there was no reason to detain him. Kanhaiya was in Mumbai to attend an anniversary program of the Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP). After Vidhan Bhavan, he left for Khalapur to attend an event. This is Kanhaiyas third visit to the state this year. He has been hosted in the past by the PWP party and had even addressed a students rally in Chembur. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After protesting against its ally on the Vidarbha statehood issue for three days, the Shiv Sena finally backed down on Tuesday, but not without drama and speculation of joining hands with the Opposition. The Sena said it would no longer protest within the legislature as it was satisfied with the response chief minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a day earlier -- that there was no proposal to grant statehood to the Vidarbha region. Fadnavis had also said he was chief minister of a united Maharashtra. The Senas statement, however, came after its share of political drama - a phone conversation between Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and former CM Prithviraj Chavan, two rounds of meetings between the Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the possibility of a tie-up to corner the BJP. Read: Vidarbha rocks Assembly again as Sena corners CM Worried about such an eventuality, Fadnavis and the BJP moved quickly and spoke to Thackeray to diffuse the situation. At the end of the day, a subdued Sena came out and dismissed all these events as speculation. We will not move any proposal with the Congress and the NCP. The CM has clarified what his stand is and we are satisfied. We dont need lessons on Akhand Maharashtra from the Opposition, said Eknath Shinde, Sena leader and public works minister in the government. But what happened between these events and what led the Sena to swing like a pendulum - from threatening to hold meetings with the Congress and NCP to going out against them? Sources in the Sena said the party initially wanted to put the BJP on the mat on the Vidarbha issue. We have felt the BJP is deliberately raking up the issue through different leaders at different points. With our opposition to Vidarbha so clear, them raising the issue is like challenging us, said a Sena leader. Sources also said the Senas attempt was two-fold. One was to drive home our stand, that until the Sena is a part of the government, we will not allow discussions on a separate Vidarbha. The second was to get the BJP to commit that it wont press for statehood anytime soon, explained another Sena MLA from the city. This, Sena leaders said, was why Thackeray asked his partys ministers to meet the Congress and NCP and try and work out a consensus. A part of the reason was also the Senas desire, especially after the recent fracas over the control of the Shirdi Sansthan Trust, to ensure the BJP doesnt take its support for granted. The flirtation with the Opposition paid off. Fadnavis is learnt to have called Thackeray and told him that support to the Congress-NCP would needlessly embarrass the government. Fadnavis said, Our views on the issue were clear and did not contradict with our allys stance. Being two different parties with separate ideologies, there may be different point of views on any issue. Uddhavji was convinced on our stand and assured me not to support the opposition in their attempt of moving the resolutions supporting unified Maharashtra. In none of the four provisions in the parliamentary rules, does the resolution proposed by the opposition fit. I have studied the provision and have learnt no such resolution can be admitted for the lack of being substantive, the CM said. A source from the Sena said the CM explained as there was no proposal before the government, there was no question of the government supporting the demand. Minutes later, Shinde came out of Vidhan Bhavan and told waiting mediapersons the Sena never had any plans to go with the Opposition. The Congress-NCP invited us for a meeting, where we simply heard their views out and told them to clarify their stand. We will not support any proposal by them, he said. But the Congress slammed the Sena for its flip-flops. We held two rounds of meetings with Sena ministers and leaders on the Vidarbha issue as we wanted to move the resolution in the Assembly. But they backed out, probably after the call from the CMO, said former CM and senior Congress leader Chavan. He said he had two conversations with Thackeray in two days, and despite this, the Sena had backtracked. Chavan said the Sena stood exposed as it diluted its stance on the united Maharashtra that the party swears by, and made a great show of in the past two days. The Congress, he said, is firm about such a resolution being passed with or without the support of the NCP. The Congress and NCP have now planned to move a resolution in favour of united Maharashtra. The motion was submitted by the opposition parties on Tuesday. They will demand a discussion on the motion in the assembly on Wednesday. The intention of the opposition parties is to make Sena break ranks with its ally BJP on the floor of the House. If Sena refuses to, it will get exposed on the issue, Congress leaders said. Earlier in the day, parties led by the Sena protested in the legislative Assembly, demanding the CM come out clean on his stance on the issue of granting statehood to Vidarbha. Sena MLA Sunil Prabhu had also demanded the suspension of MLAs who supported the creation of Vidarbha state. The CM dismissed the demand and termed it unconstitutional and added the issue of creating the state was not within the States purview. Clarifying the NCPs stand, its chief Sharad Pawar reportedly told party leaders to support the demand for a unified Maharashtra. After the high drama in both houses through the day, Pawar convened a meeting of his legislators in the evening. The party, which was in favour of smaller states, has now said a referendum needs to be taken to understand the mind of the people from Vidarbha. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday alleged that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerays wife Rashmi and party minister Ravindra Waikars wife Manisha had jointly purchased 18.50 lakh sq ft of land or about 42.5 acres worth Rs125 crore at Korlai in Raigad and more than 450 acres valued at Rs900crore elsewhere in the Konkan. Waikar rubbished Nirupams allegations but admitted that they had bought 9.5 acres at Korlai for Rs4.5 crore. While there was no response from the Thackerays, the Shiv Senas spokespersons slammed Nirupam and said his allegations did not merit a response. At a press conference on Tuesday, Nirupam brandished copies of what he claimed was the land title for the Korlai plot and said the land was in the name of Rashmi Thackeray and Manisha Waikar since 2002-03. Nirupam said the land was purchased in the name of Rashmi Thackeray and Manisha Waikar since 2002-03 and during the three terms of Waikar as standing committee chairman in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ruled by the Sena. Civic standing committee has financial rights in the civic bodys decision making process. He claimed that it was due to the joint ventures between the two families, the decision of extending clean chit to Waikar was taken during the meeting between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over dinner on the eve of commencement of the Monsoon Session. Nirupam said the government should probe the source of income of those who purchased land in such a large quantity. Further, claiming that Rashmis uncle was a partner in one of the real estate firms once headed by Waikar, he demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the Bombay High Court into various allegations levelled against Waikar, who is minister of state for housing. The CM has misled the people of Maharashtra by saying on the floor of the assembly that Waikars name exists in none of the slum rehabilitation authority projects cited by us. In fact, the links with the front companies floated by the minister clearly shows that Waikar is still on the board of the real estate firm Vijayalaxmi Infracon, floated as a front company of Vijaylaxmi Developers. One of the four partners in the firm is Dilip Shrungarpure, who happens to be the maternal uncle of Rashmi Thackeray. Though anybody is free to do business or purchase land with any partner, it is matter of conflict of interest. Nirupam said. Waikar rubbished all allegations. As far as the ownership in the real estate company is concerned, I quit my position in March this year after I realised that a minister cannot hold an office of profit. It may not have been updated on the website of the union ministry of corporate affairs. On the land deal, Waikar said, It is just 9.5 acres purchased for Rs 4.5 crore. I am ready to give up the entire amount if the land fetches Rs125 crore as claimed by Nirupam. Secondly, no law stops any two persons from entering into any legitimate land deal. On the allegations, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis refused to comment. He however said, Anybody can buy land in partnership with whoever he/she wishes. Two teenagers died and 31 fell ill following suspected food poisoning at Sukhjit Ashram, a home for mentally challenged persons run by the district administration, in Kapurthala on Tuesday. Fourteen-year-old Chotu died on Monday afternoon while Jyoti Rani (16) died during treatment at the civil hospital on Tuesday morning. The condition of four inmates Pooja (11), Jyoti (22), Nirmal Kaur (23) and Jaspreet Kaur (23) is stated to be critical. The ashram staff said the food was donated by five unidentified people on Sunday evening which was served to inmates in dinner. The inmates complained of vomiting and stomach ache in the wee hours of Monday. However, the management took time in informing health officials about their condition due to which medical attention was delayed. Chotu was rushed to the civil hospital in a critical condition on Monday afternoon where doctors declared him brought dead. The ashram authorities didnt inform the district administration about the incident on Monday. Deputy commissioner Jaskiran Singh said he came to know about it after the death of the second child on Tuesday. The DC has ordered an inquiry and directed sub-divisional magistrate Mandeep Kaur to submit the report within three days. No case has been registered yet, but we will take strict action against those responsible for the incident, the DC added. NO RECORDS OF DONORS Despite the district administrations direction prohibiting serving of donated food, it was served to the inmates on Sunday night. The ashram authorities even failed to maintain the record of visitors who donated the food. District social security officer (DSSO) who manages the ashram, evaded media queries saying he was not in the ashram on Sunday when the food was served to the inmates. Contradicting his statement, ashram attendant Veena said the food was accepted after the DSSOs approval. Kapurthala civil surgeon HS Kahlon said preliminary reports suggest the children fell ill due to food poisoning. Samples of food prepared on Tuesday morning and afternoon have been sent to a Chandigarh lab and the report is expected in a week, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The latest notice of Ludhianas Christian Medical College (CMC) to fill its seats based on the joint merit of NEET and its own soon-to-be-held aptitude test has created a stir among candidates. The candidates parents say the test will be illegal, when the Supreme Court has ordered all private colleges and the Centre, too, has directed them to fill the MBBS (bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery) and BDS (bachelor of dental science) seats based on score in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). Conducting a separate test and counting its merit for admission will violate the Supreme Court orders of May and defeat the very purpose of NEET. The state authorities should step in, said a candidates parent, Rajinder Sangha of SAS Nagar. Of the colleges 75 MBBS seats, 50% are reserved for Christian minority, and it follows a similar quota system to fills the 40 BDS seats. On July 27, the college told both general-category and minority candidates to appear for a mandatory aptitude test after signing up from August 5. Chandigarh-based PMT (PreMedical Test) trainer Arvind Goyal said the college planned to tweak the merit list. A separate Bible test to fill minority students is understandable. Sikh candidates take a similar test at Amritsars Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College, he said, But where is NEETs sanctity, if students have to prove their eligibility again. College registrar Dr George Koshy said the test was necessary. The college mandate requires students to serve in rural areas after graduating. NEET is subject-based assessment, while our aptitude test will judge the candidates joint merit and overall personality for the doctors job, he said. It is not a violation of the Supreme Court orders, as we have introduced the test on the advice of our legal team. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to abolish the posts of district transport officer (DTO), which has become synonym of corruption, once he comes to power, said Congress vice-president and party chief spokesperson, Sunil Jakhar, during a Jan Sampark rally of the party. The rally was organised by Fatehgarh Churian Congress MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. The post has become a den of corruption, Jakhar said, adding, We will make necessary arrangements to ensure that the work does not suffer. The state government has not even paid compensation to the farmers for last years crop loss, he said, adding, The sugarcane dues are also yet to be paid. Cotton crop on more than 12-lakh acres land in Malwa belt was destroyed due to whitefly attack, he said. The Congress leader compared the SAD-BJP government with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He said people in the state are fed up with atrocities of Badal and his family members. The SAD leadership left no stone unturned to make the rally a flop show, but thousands gathered to make it a success, said Congress MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. JAKHAR DARES BADAL TO TAKE UP SYL ISSUE WITH PM AMRITSAR: After his visit to Fatehgarh Churian assembly segment, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president and chief spokesperson, Sunil Jakhar, addressed a press conference here on Monday. Jakhar dared Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to take up the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As SYL issue is important for the state, then why does he (Badal) hesitate in talking to Modi about it, he said. Taking a jibe on Badal over Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Prem Singh Chandumajras statement that his (Badal) move of clearing SYL files was an innocent mistake, Jakhar said the CM takes every decision innocently. Badal is not protecting the states interest. Tension will erupt here due to water dispute. Why Badal is not taking steps to protect the waters, Jakhar asked, adding, We have asked him a number of times that a delegation of members of all parties should be formed to meet the Prime Minister on the SYL issue, but he did not pay heed to it even once. Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Jakhar said, If tribunals are being formed for settling down the water disputes in other states, then why is it not being done in Punjab. Commenting on SADs decision to contest assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Jakhar said as the SAD leaders had learnt that they would lose the polls in Punjab so he decided to move to UP. He also targeted Punjab BJP president Vijay Sampla for failing to bring scholarship amount of Rs 506 crore, allocated for Dalit students for 2014, 15 and 16, in the state. Raising the issue of compensation for damage to wheat crop due to rainfall, he said Badal had written a letter to Modi to allocate compensation of Rs 717 crore, but not even a single penny has been received so far. The Progressive Dairy Farmers Association (PDFA) has accused the Punjab Police of shielding the activists of Hindu right wing, who, they alleged, were harassing them in the name of cow protection. The association members said dairy farmers transporting livestock were being assaulted by the cow-vigilante groups. At a press conference in Chandigarh on Monday, the association members feared that the livestock trade in Punjab will collapse if the state government did not take measures to rein in these elements. They cited incidents wherein gau rakshaks assaulted the drivers transporting the livestock. The government has created a cow security board, which comprises shady people, who, along with cow-protection groups, beat up traders and dairy farmers and extort money from them, PDFA managing director Daljit Singh said. At the behest of the RSS, the state government wants to promote indigenous cows, which is not a commercially-viable option for dairy farmers, he said, adding milk-producers across the state do a business of Rs 2,500 crore annually. Also read | RSS, VHP role in sacrilege of Quran, Guru Granth Sahib be probed: AISSF He said the government recent directive to the dairy farmers to procure the no objection certificate for ferrying animals was not being fairly implemented. Hundreds of applications for such NOCs remain pending for days in the offices of deputy commissioners, he said. NOC SCAM IN DABWALI CATTLE MARKET The PDFA said a big scam was going on at Dabwali cattle market in Haryana along the Punjab border in Muktsar in the name of NOCs. As DCs take their own time in issuing NOCs, dairy farmers from across the state go to Dabwali cattle market for the NOCs and have to pay Rs 2,000 as market fee, said Amarjit Singh, a livestock trader from Jagraon. The cattle transport cost has gone up from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000, he said. He cited a recent incident where drivers were first thrashed by gau rakshaks and trucks impounded by Bathinda Cantonment police. Complaints lodged with the police boomeranged on us in the form of harassment by the Shiv Sena activists and the cops only watched mutely, he said. Bathinda SSP Swapan Sharma acknowledged impounding of the said vehicles, saying the drivers did not carry a permit needed for transporting the cows. On Shiv Senas harassing the dairy farmers, he said there was no such thing. Patiala deputy commissioner Ravi Bhagat said NOCs to dairy farmers were being issued in a day. The audit report of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has nailed the organisation for not recovering power dues running into Rs 2.2 crore of four city-based companies. Though the corporation has won cases against defaulters, they were not able to recover dues so far. Corporation officials are also under the scanner. The four companies named in the audit report are located in the Focal Point division. These include Nagpal Alloys Ltd, Shivalikwala Steel Mill Ltd, Harsh Processors and Aar Key Concost Ltd. Being a commercial organisation, the corporation cannot afford to allow the accumulation of dues. It is essential that its officials make concerted efforts to recover these dues as soon as possible, states the audit report. According to the report, the execution was filed in case PSPCL versus Nagpal Alloys Ltd in November 2009 and PSPCL versus Shivalikwala Steel Mill Ltd in 2010, but PSPCL did not make these recoveries in which Rs 49.05 lakh and Rs 31.76 lakh were due. In case of Harsh Processors, the sum due is Rs 59.77 lakh. Aar Key Concost Ltd has to pay a due of Rs 42.17 lakh to PSPCL. The division office is also under the scanner because they had to locate properties of consumer units that had not deposited dues to the corporation. In case of Aar Key Concost, the execution was not been filed even after 10 months elapsed since the date of decree. In this case, the division had made the consumer company as well as its directors as defendants and filed the suit against them. Though the defendants had taken the plea that they could not be made liable as company has a corporate veil which is separate from its members and their personal liability would not arise. However the court has decided that the directors of the company cannot shirk their responsibilities and decided the recovery against the defendants, stated the audit report. The report has lambasted PSPCL and stated that not exploring a proper legal option at the time of filing suit, not taking up the matter with official liquidator if applicable and lack of proper pursuance had made the of recovery remote. This has resulted in loss in form of non-realisation of dues of Rs 1.41 crore and further interest of Rs 33.63 lakh in three cases. Also recovery of Rs 45.54 lakh was awaited in case number 4 (Aar Key Concost), the report stated. NK Sharma, engineer-inchief of PSPCL, said executive engineer of the division Ravinder Singh could be contacted. However Ravinder said he will not be able to provide information on the matter. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Monday appointed senior advocate Rupinder Khosla to assist it in a public interest litigation (PIL), seeking measures to check uranium contamination in Punjabs groundwater. The order came from the high court bench of justice SS Saron and justice Lisa Gill as petitioners counsel BS Loomba insisted that thorough tests were not conducted to check presence of uranium in Punjabs water. On the other hand, Punjab advocate general Ashok Aggarwal maintained that various studies, including one by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre had been done but uranium presence was not found to be abnormal. Khosla, who in 2013 had appeared on behalf of the Punjab government in this case, stood up and questioned as to how thousands of cancer deaths were being reported in the Malwa region of state if that was not the case and insisted that government should be asked to find out the reasons behind it. Later, the division bench appointed Khosla to assist court in this matter, and examine the whole issue by the next date of hearing on August 26. In May last year, Punjab had told the court that it would take Rs 4,700 crore to supply surface water through canals to 4,005 habitations in six districts where groundwater is contaminated with metallic and other general pollutants. The districts included Moga, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Barnala, and Hoshiarpur districts. The government had also told court that Rs 100 crore were earmarked in the budget of 2015-16 for installing water-purification systems in the affected villages. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has in principle agreed for civil aircraft operations from Adampur in Punjab, the Union defence ministry said on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said it was subject to conditions that the Airports Authority of India will create all required infrastructure outside the existing IAF boundary to facilitate civil aircraft operations. If the move goes through, it will provide relief to lakhs of passengers who now have to take the circuitous route via Amristar to Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Also read | Airport authority board has okayed Adampur airport, says Sampla HT SPOTLIGHT Punjabs unused airports: Winged dreams, grounded reality An Interpol Red Corner notice has been issued against Baldev Singh Deol (62), the UK national accused in the May 2015 murder of NRI hotelier Ranjit Singh Power. Powers fellow non-resident Indian (NRI) Deol -- born in Kohar Kalan village and belonging to Shekhewal in Jalandhar district -- was already declared a proclaimed offender and is in England. Issued on the request of the police here, this Interpol notice is to seek the location and arrest of the accused with a view to extradition. Baldev Deol, 62. (Photo: Interpol website) This comes as a step ahead for the red-faced police after a body sent from here as that of Power was discovered to not be his, after DNA samples of his mother did not match that of the body in the UK. As for the co-accused, Deols nephew Sukhdev of Manakpur village, he is in jail and murder charges have been framed against him on May 31. Also read | DNA report confirms body sent to UK not of hotelier Ranjit Singh Power Inspector Navdeep Singh said, We have seen that the notice is up on the Interpol website. HT checked and found the notice too on the site. Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-II) Amrik Singh Powar said, We are yet to receive any official communication but Ranjit Powers family has informed us. Navdeep, who is carrying out the investigation, said that with this all other 195 countries that come under the Interpol stand informed. He said that despite the negative DNA report of the body sent to the UK, there is sufficient evidence against the accused to prove the murder charges. The police have submitted a statement of Narinder Singh, a taxi driver hired by Power when he landed at the Amritsar airport and travelled in his vehicle with Deol. Police have also procured immigration records of Power, besides his arrival and return tickets booked by the accused. They have records from the serai (inn) at Golden Temple where Power and Baldev stayed, and also security camera footage. Also read | NRI hotelier murder: Court frames charges against one accused It was on May 8 last year that Deol and Sukhdev picked Power from the airport in a Toyota Innova SUV and took him to the Golden Temple. Police say they made him get drunk and strangled him on the way. Later, they stripped the body and threw it into the Bhakra canal, says the case. On June 1 last year, police fished out a partially decomposed body from a canal in Ambala, which it claimed was that of Power. The DNA of the body, however, didnt match with that of victims mother in tests conducted by the UK authorities. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The 22-year-old woman who drove her Maruti Alto into several people and vehicles in Sectors 45 and 46 on Monday evening, on Tuesday denied that she had been raped, and also said she had drinks before the incident with a friend. She told the police that she was drunk at the time (Monday night) and thus not in the condition to give a statement. What happened | 22-yr-old woman goes berserk, rams car into people, vehicles in Chandigarh The Sector-34 police station now has registered a case under the Motor Vehicle Act and under Indian Penal Code for drunken, rash driving against her. Police said she told them she had drinks with a woman friend in Sector 9 before heading home in Sector 46. She lost control around 8.45pm. Her medical examination confirmed that she was drunk though the exact level would be known in further blood tests, police said. Though initially the matter seemed that of drunken driving alone, the rape aspect came in at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16 when a relative said her drink had been spiked and she was raped. DSP (central) Ram Gopal and station house officer (SHO), Sector 11, Narinder Patial and a woman sub-Inspector reached the hospital to verify the allegations from her, but she retracted these on Tuesday. The DSP said, She confirmed that she had given a statement under the influence of liquor and nothing had happened with her. Also read | What the relatives said on Monday night In the incident, she had hit an elderly woman Kamla Devi, a resident of Sector 46, and a motorcyclist Pawan Thakur, a resident of Ram Darbar, who suffered multiple fractures, and were admitted to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. Rajinikanth has been bashing goons for decades in his films, but his latest release Kabali, cant seem to evade them. Online bootleggers have threatened Kabali since before its release. Now, an HD version of the film has been leaked online, as per a report in The News Minute. Pirates, possibly in Malaysia, have leaked Kabali on a website and have issued a warning to the films Malaysian distributor, Malik Streams Corporation. Read: Will Kabali be actor Rajinikanths new touchstone? In a note addressed to the distributor, the pirates say: Special note : Malik streams corporation SDN BHD. If you send gangsters to CD shops to collect money then this will be the gift for all the movies u distribute. (sic) Read: Kabali | Two-minute scene from the film leaked From this message it is to be understood that distributors extort shops that sell pirated CDs. However, this remains an unconfirmed theory. A day before its worldwide release on July 22, there was news that a two-minute introductory clip of the film had been leaked online. According to an IANS source, the leak might have happened from the Gulf. The leaked clip features Arabic subtitles too. Hence, it must have originated from the Gulf. The team is trying to find the source of the leak, said a source. The film was later released on Vimeo and other Tamil web sites. However, most of the earlier prints seem to have been recorded in the theatres as the cheers and whistles of audience could be heard. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Seeing the world no lo longer requires you to leave the comforts of your home and take an arduous journey. You take on the adventure of a lifetime while sitting comfortably on your sofa. This time round, we take you to the glorious and historic British capital as explored through these five international movies you cant not watch. Recent flick: London Has Fallen After saving Washington, the US President, played by Aaron Eckhart, and Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) must foil an international terrorist plot to wipe out the worlds most powerful leaders, gathered to attend a funeral in the British capital. Read: Want to travel on a shoestring budget? Look no further than Hanoi Famous London monuments like Big Ben, St Pauls Cathedral and Westminster can all be seen onscreen, as well as Somerset House and the famous neighborhoods of Soho and Mayfair. The movie was released earlier this year and is now out on DVD and Blu-ray. Classic must-see: Notting Hill The London neighbourhood of Notting Hill found fame the world over in 1999 thanks to this romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Its main thoroughfare, Portobello Road, takes center stage with its antiques market and famous coloured doors, including one particular blue door (since repainted white) thats home to the films main character, a travel bookstore owner. A different view: 28 Days Later Danny Boyle 2002 post-apocalyptic thriller, 28 Days Later, captures an impressive London landscape, showing the city entirely deserted. Its a great chance to catch a glimpse of usually busy tourist hotspots like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street and Westminster Bridge, totally devoid of traffic and people. Read: Worlds cheapest beaches are in Vietnam and India The director filmed the desolate scenes very early on Sunday mornings, closing off sections of street for a few minutes at a time. One for the kids: Mary Poppins Thanks to this nanny with magical powers, millions of children have discovered the city of London as it was in the early 20th century. Soaring over the city with her magical flying umbrella, Mary Poppins takes kids on an original guided tour, with a birds eye view of the British capital. However, the Disney movie was entirely filmed in 1964 in The Burbank Studios, California, USA. Historical setting: An Education Danish director Lone Scherfig chose 1960s London as the setting for her 2009 romantic drama starring Carrey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard. The movie follows a 16-year-old schoolgirl who discovers a city beyond Ealing, a residential suburb of Victorian houses, when she meets a man twice her age and steps into the prestigious homes and luxury boutiques of Mayfair. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. The Busan International Film Festival, which is to run from October 6 to 15, is still not out of the storm that it ran into a couple of years ago. The South Korean movie industry is not willing to lift its boycott of the festival, which -- despite being a new entrant in the field, having held its first edition in 1996 -- has become Asias premiere event, miles and miles ahead of even the almost ancient International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which opened in 1956. The Korean Film Groups Emergency Committee for Defending Busan International Film Festivals Independence -- a union of nine major movie industry organisations in the country -- announced on August 1 that it would not lift the ban. Read: Venice Film Festival unveils titles A bone of contention has been the reluctance of the Busan Mayor, Suh Byung-soo, to apologise for creating a sticky situation in 2014, when he tried to block the screening of a controversial documentary, The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol, helmed by Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong. A Variety review during the 2014 festival had this to say: Emerging barely six months after the South Korean ferry disaster that claimed the lives of more than 300 passengers in April, this raw, ragged, controversy-stirring item never pretends to take a comprehensive view of its complex subject, instead using a narrow account of one mans stonewalled rescue efforts to pry open a small, infuriating window on the staggering levels of government incompetence and media collusion at work. Read: Mira Nairs The Queen Of Katwe to premiere at Toronto film fest Despite a strong attempt by Korean officials to stop the screening of the documentary, the then festival director, Lee Yong-Kwan, refused to buckle under political pressure. The film was screened. Lee was dismissed soon after, and another demand of the Committee is that his honour must be restored. Watch the trailer of The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol here: Lee is still under a cloud after he was charged with misappropriation of funds. Many say that this is a politically motivated accusation. Such incidents are nothing new in India, given to banning especially documentaries that have been critical of the administration. Read: Taiwanese actor dropped from Chinese film on independence issue Even a celebrated auteur like Satyajit Ray had to face Government flak when his Sikkim made in 1971 -- the only documentary to his credit -- was proscribed. Made four years before Sikkim became part of India, the work traces the states concern about its sovereignty. It was only in 2010, long after Ray was gone, that Sikkim got screening rights. There are only two copies of this now -- with the British Film Institute and in the US. Rakesh Sharmas 2003 The Final Solution -- on the 2002 Gujarat riots -- was not allowed to be shown for a while, till in 2004 the ban was lifted. These are merely two of the innumerable works that made the administration uneasy. But of course, better sense prevailed in the end. The Busan festival now stands at the perilous crossroads of doom and shine. No festival can really succeed without the participation of the cinema industry. Even one like Cannes woos not just the French movie fraternity but also Hollywood. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop A young woman who returned home to The Netherlands with her two children after fleeing Syria has been arrested on suspicion of links to the jihadist Islamic State group, officials said on Tuesday. Identified in Dutch media reports as 20-year-old Laura Hansen, the woman was detained late Monday at Schiphol airport as she arrived back in the country almost a year after leaving with her husband. She had allegedly fled the conflict zone in Syria and arrived back in Schiphol airport, where she was arrested immediately on arrival, the Dutch prosecution service said. She is suspected of participating in a terrorist organisation in Syria and/or Iraq between September 1, 2015 and July 12, 2016, it added in a statement. Her two children were taken into care, and prosecutors are now investigating whether to bring any formal charges. A woman identified by the same name appeared on Kurdish television early last month saying she had fled from the grips of the jihadist group. She said her 27-year-old husband had told her they were going on holiday in September, and instead had taken her against her will to the IS stronghold in Raqqa, northern Syria. After several months, she was transferred to Mosul, in northern Iraq. Hansen told Kurdistan24 television she had escaped IS with the help of her father, and surrendered to the Kurdish peshmerga after her two young children were injured in a bombing in Mosul. I didnt want to come to Syria... He pushed me, she said of her husband, speaking in halting English to the Arbil-based TV channel. They put me in a house. It was all (guarded by) men. Men with beards and guns, she said. I was trying all the time to flee from the hell in which I was living. The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP that diplomats had been in touch with Hansen and her family when she was in Iraq. Our consulate-general in Arbil was in touch with the local authorities all the time and assisted with Lauras return to The Netherlands, a foreign ministry spokesman said. At least 250 Dutch people have left the Netherlands for Syria and Iraq to join fighters there, according to the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). About 40 have since come home, while another 42 are believed to have died in the fighting. Britains maritime authorities said on Tuesday an Indian ship named Malaviya Twenty was detained in July after surveyors found five deficiences when it docked in Great Yarmouth. This was the second ship belonging to Mumbai-headquartered GOL Offshore Limited to be detained after Malaviya Seven was detained at Aberdeen in June. The deficiencies listed for Malaviya Twenty, detained at the port in east England on July 4, were related to minimum safe manning (missing), medical certificate (expired), wages (missing), calculation and payment of wages (no records) and seafarers employment (invalid), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said. It said when a foreign ship at a British port is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of the deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained. The vessel was among three new detentions in July and was still detained as of July 31, the agency said. GOL Offshore describes itself as India's prominent integrated offshore oilfield services provider offering a broad spectrum of services to upstream oil and gas producers to carry out offshore exploration and production (E&P) activities. Britain is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU). Information on all ships inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS, which allows ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Bangladeshi-Canadian suspected of heading the local Islamic State faction and a sacked army official were named on Tuesday as the masterminds of the brutal attack on a Dhaka cafe that left 20 hostages dead. Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the Bangladeshi-origin Canadian citizen, and former army major Zia Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque were behind the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in the elite Gulshan area, inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque told a news conference in Dhaka. Though Chowdhury has been named by Bangladeshi officials as a leader of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), leading counter-terror experts have identified him as the head of the IS chapter in Bangladesh. He is believed to have fled from Canada to Bangladesh in 2013. The major was sacked from military service for his alleged attempts to organise coups in recent years. The police chief announced a reward of 2 million takas each for information leading to their arrests. Haque said nine suspected militants, who were gunned down in a police raid in Dhakas Kalyanpur area on July 26, were also connected with these two men. In an overnight drive, security officials killed the nine militants and arrested one more as he tried to escape. The militant who was shot and captured is now being treated for bullet injuries. Intelligence sources had said earlier Chowdhury held several meetings with the militants at Kalyanpur and went into hiding after the police raid. The Islamic State claimed the responsibility for the July 1 attack on Holey Artisan Bakery but the government rejected it, saying the Sunni extremist group does not have a presence in Bangladesh. Authorities said the attackers belong to the JMB. Indian national Tarishi Jain was among the 20 hostages killed. Chinas navy has fired dozens of missiles and torpedoes during exercises in the East China Sea that come amid heightened maritime tensions in the region, underscoring Beijings determination to back up its sovereignty claims with force if needed. The live-fire drills that began on Monday follow Chinas strident rejection of an international arbitration panels ruling last month that invalidated Beijings claims to a vast swath of the South China Sea. That led to days of angry statements from Beijing, followed by live-firing naval exercises in the South China Sea and the launch of regular aerial patrols in the area. On Tuesday, the defence ministry said the East China Sea exercises were aimed at improving the intensity, precision, stability and speed of its military. An information technology-based war at sea is sudden, cruel and short, which requires fast transition to combat status, quick preparation and high assault efficiency, the ministry said. The drills include ships, submarines, aircraft and coast guard forces, illustrating Chinas growing emphasis on integrated training under realistic conditions. Chinas navy has been closing the gap with its US rival in both ship numbers and technology, including the deployment of advanced anti-ship missiles, nuclear submarines and the countrys first aircraft carrier. While global attention has been drawn to the South China Sea, where five governments exercise territorial claims overlapping with Chinas, Beijing also operates extensively in the East China Sea, where it claims a string of uninhabited islands controlled by Japan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans war of words with the West got personal on Tuesday when he told Italian judges investigating his son they should be pursuing the mafia instead. That prompted a withering putdown from Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi who tweeted: In this country the judges follow the law and the Italian constitution, not the Turkish president. Thats called the rule of law. Erdogans eldest son Bilal, who was studying in Bologna, has been under investigation since February by judges who suspect him of involvement in money laundering. An exiled Turkish businessman opposed to the Erdogan government has accused Bilal of having arrived in Italy with large stashes of cash and a heavily-armed bodyguard unit that had travelled on diplomatic passports. My son is meant to return to Bologna to finish his doctorate but is in danger of being arrested, Erdogan said in an interview with Italian news channel Rai News24. In this city they call me a dictator and demonstrate for the PKK (Kurdish militants). Why does no one intervene? Is that the rule of law? This affair could compromise our relations with Italy. Erdogan added: Let Italys judges deal with the mafia, not my son. The spat with Italy came as Erdogan launched a bitter attack on all of Turkeys Western allies over his reaction to a July 15 attempt to overthrow him, which has led to a crackdown that has raised fears for the survival of democracy in the country. For Nabin Lama, leaving Nepal after his annual home leave to return to his construction job in Saudi Arabia is not easy. What makes the journey bearable -- even enjoyable -- is the can of beer he can drink on the flight from Kathmandu. As soon as the seat belt sign dinged off on a flight to Mumbai -- from where he and a couple of hundred other Nepalis would take a connecting flight to Jeddah -- Lama rose to look for the stewardess. Beer, he bellowed, waving to her as she made her way down the aisle with a tray of fruit juice and water. Its a tough life there. But at least we can earn something and help our family, said Lama, 24, one hand on his passport, a white sticker across its green cover identifying a Nepali recruitment agency and his job. But we cant drink there. So we have a beer on the flight. It feels good, he said with a grin. Lama comes from one of the worlds poorest countries. On-going political instability since a decade-long civil conflict ended in 2006 has discouraged investment, hampered growth and curbed job creation in Nepal, forcing hundreds of thousands to migrate overseas for work. Most go to the Middle East, Malaysia and India, from where they send remittances which make up almost 30% of Nepals annual gross domestic product, according to the labour ministry. Most migrants are in low-paid, unskilled jobs in construction, or work as security guards and domestic helpers. Many face labour abuses including long hours, unsafe conditions and withholding of their wages and passports, say activists. Many are trafficked, tricked into doing jobs that they did not sign up for, or under conditions and wages far worse than they were promised. Their families are not that much better off. Elderly parents, as well as young women and children left behind in remote villages are themselves vulnerable to traffickers and racketeers, and struggle with everyday hardship. There are hardly any young men left behind in some districts, said Nandita Baruah, deputy country representative at Asia Foundation, an international development organisation, in Kathmandu. Families left behind may be duped into sending their children with traffickers posing as aid workers, or even selling their kidneys in India for money, she said. Migration is increasing the economic and social vulnerability of the country: People left behind are exposed to the harsh economic realities, and it makes them take greater risks, like trusting a trafficker or a kidney tout, she said. Zero Cost More than 3.8 million permits to work abroad were issued in the decade to 2015, representing about 14% of the current population, according to Nepals labour ministry. This does not include the hundreds of thousands crossing the border into India, where they do not require a permit. Nepal is forecast by the World Bank to have received about $6.6 billion in remittances in 2015. But the journey to an overseas job is fraught with challenges and usually leaves workers deep in debt. Recruitment agencies that facilitate procuring a job and a work permit often charge 2,00,000 to 5,00,000 rupees ($1,860 to$4,660) per worker. That is several times the average income of about $730. A Nepalese woman spins prayer wheels as she walks home. Hardly any young men are left in the country as they seek better paying jobs abroad, mostly in the Middle East. (AFP Photo) Fear of losing their job and not being able to pay back the money -- usually borrowed from moneylenders, often underwritten by the family home, or from selling land -- forces workers to tolerate harsh working conditions and low wages. Migration is important -- most workers do well, earn a living, support their families, Baruah told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. But the very first journey of migration leads to indebtedness. And they are bonded to their employers because of the huge burden of debt, she said. The Nepali government introduced a zero-cost migration policy last year, which makes the employer and recruiter responsible for costs. But the law is applied unevenly. After female domestic workers in the Gulf countries complained of abuse, Nepal in 2012 banned women below the age of 30 from going there as domestic helps. But many women produced fake papers to say they were older than 30, or were hired for other jobs. Nepal has since lowered the age limit to 26 years. In June, Nepal banned its nationals from working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria after 13 Nepali security guards were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul. These measures to protect workers have had limited success. We know that when labour-sending countries try to protect their citizens through such bans, unscrupulous recruiters just use unregulated channels, said Meenakshi Ganguly, head of Human Rights Watch for South Asia. Instead, Nepal should monitor recruitment agencies, engage with host countries to enforce worker rights and ensure embassies provide emergency shelters and assistance, she said. A spokesman for the labour ministry said Nepal aims to sign labour agreements with Saudi Arabia and Malaysia to improve workers rights, similar to those already agreed with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and South Korea. Quake Effect The absence of working-age men was felt deeply in the days and weeks following twin earthquakes in Nepal last year which killed about 9,000 people, and damaged or destroyed more than 9,00,000 houses. Women tending to children and elderly relatives were often not in a position to go to relief camps, claim compensation, or rebuild their homes quickly, said Lily Thapa, founder of Women for Human Rights in Kathmandu. Women whose husbands are working overseas are vulnerable and helpless, particularly during disasters, Thapa said. There were many instances of sexual violence after the quakes directed at such women, she said. Teaching skills and creating jobs at home will be key to keeping emigration in check, Baruah said. The government also needs to prepare for the return of these workers in the event of an economic downturn or anti-migrant laws in the host countries. There is already a slow trickle from the Middle East and Malaysia as jobs dry up because of lower oil prices. More than 10,000 Indians in Saudi Arabia who have been laid off are facing a food crisis, Indian officials have said. Imagine if the 1,500-1,700 men who leave each day from the Kathmandu airport start coming back, Baruah said. Imagine what will happen when they come back to a country where there are no jobs. For Lama and his friends, drinking beer on the flight, that is a distant prospect for now. I have a contract for one year, he said. After that, I will have to find another job somewhere. Deep in the heart of a medieval monastery in Nepals remote Upper Mustang region, the battle to restore sacred murals and preserve traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture is in full swing. Tsewang Jigme is among the artists toiling to safeguard the unique cultural heritage of this former Buddhist kingdom high on the Tibetan plateau, which escaped the ravages of the Cultural Revolution in neighbouring China. These murals are irreplaceable... I feel nervous every time I touch them, I know I need to work very carefully so as not to do any harm to them, the 32-year-old painter told AFP. A Nepalese monk walks past a stupa (chorten) at Ghemi village in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. (AFP) Upper Mustang only opened to outsiders in 1992 and its murals, scriptures and cave paintings provide a rare window into early Buddhism. The regions Lo Gekar monastery was established by the founder of Tibetan Buddhism and predates the oldest temple complex built in Tibet, which was severely damaged in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution. But wind and rain eroded the mud walls of monuments and rotted wooden ceiling beams, while smoke from ceremonial butter lamps turned luminous frescos black. A view of the walled city monastery and stupa of Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. Deep in the heart of the medieval monastery, the battle to restore sacred murals and preserve traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture is in full swing. (AFP) Irreplaceable A decade ago, two chortens -- Buddhist shrines believed to protect communities from misfortune -- in the village of Ghemi were close to collapse. One was in such a poor state that children were using it as a playground and had broken interior painted slate panels. Nepalese artists restore sacred murals in a monastery in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. (AFP) The shrine was already in such bad shape, the children had no idea that it was special and deserved respect, said Raju Bista, treasurer of the local non-profit Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation. In 2008, the foundation, which is headed by the former king of Upper Mustang, received nearly $23,000 in US government funding to restore monuments, including Ghemis chortens. The rich cultural heritage here is irreplaceable and the monuments are made of mud, of paint, of wood and can easily fade away and frankly be gone forever, said US ambassador to Nepal, Alaina B. Teplitz. US ambassador to Nepal, Alaina B Teplitz speaks during an interview with AFP in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. (AFP) I think that would be a loss for the people of Nepal but (also) for the world at large, she told AFP. The two-year-long restoration involved more than 100 workers and craftsmen, who cleaned the monuments, rebuilt the walls, replaced rotting timber beams and repaired the carvings. When a massive earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 nationwide and destroying around half a million homes, Ghemi was unscathed, prompting devout villagers to say that the restored shrines had protected them. In 2008, the foundation, which is headed by the former king of Upper Mustang, received nearly $23,000 in US government funding to restore monuments, including Ghemis chortens. (AFP) Other monuments fared less well. Jampa Lhakhang, a 15th-century monastery famous for having the worlds largest collection of mandalas (Buddhist cosmic designs) painted on its walls, was severely damaged. The earthquake weakened many medieval structures in Upper Mustangs walled capital of Lo Manthang, including the monastery and the former kings five-storey palace. It also ruptured the main drainage system, allowing water to penetrate monastery walls and raising the risk of mould. Damaged by quake The quake caused layers of plaster to separate and crack into pieces at the Jampa Lhakhang, where shards of 500-year-old frescos still litter the floors. The proposed restoration work will shore up the structure by injecting plaster and glue into the walls and will be overseen by the American Himalayan Foundation, which has worked in the region since 1998. The murals will then be cleaned and retouched, a practice frowned on by some western conservationists. Gyalpo Jigme Foundation treasurer Raju Bista in Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. (AFP) The local Loba community, however, believe it is better to pray to undamaged images of the Buddha, and see it as their duty to keep them in good repair. That means artists like Jigme, who has spent years working to preserve Upper Mustangs murals, play a critical role. It is a painstaking process that involves grinding gemstones like lapis lazuli and malachite into a fine powder that is mixed with water and animal glue to create pigments. Compared to Tibet, where so much was destroyed, we have been very lucky, Jigme said, recalling his visits to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Chinas Sichuan province a decade ago. Jigme was part of a team working to restore murals covered by thick layers of mud, put there by villagers to keep the paintings safe during a failed 1959 uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. (AFP) It took a long time to remove the mud but slowly the face of god revealed itself... and all the old villagers watching us began to cry, he said. They did whatever they could to save those paintings... now we have to do whatever we can to protect our heritage. A Virgin America passenger has been criminally charged with sexually touching a sleeping female passenger on an overnight flight to Newark, New Jersey from Los Angeles last week, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, of Visakhapatnam, India, was charged with one count of abusive sexual conduct aboard Flight 170 which departed on July 29, US Attorney Paul Fishman in New Jersey said. Fishman said the defendant was arrested on July 30 when his flight arrived, and was released on $50,000 bond following a Monday court appearance in Newark federal court. Alexander Spiro, a lawyer at Brafman & Associates representing Kunam, declined to comment. According to the complaint, Kunam was seated in an aisle seat when the victim, who was sleeping next to him in a middle seat, awoke to find his hands massaging her private parts, and the defendant rubbing his bare feet against hers. The woman then traded seats with her male travel companion, and Kunam offered to buy him a drink and told him he wanted everyone to forget about the incident, prosecutors said. A member of the flight crew then moved Kunam to another seat, and the defendant said he would not touch the victim again, the complaint said. Virgin America spokesperson Dave Arnold said in a statement that the crew had been alerted to reports of a disruptive individual accused of inappropriate touching, moved the person, and told law enforcement, who were waiting for Flight 170 when it arrived. The charge against Kunam carries a maximum two-year prison term and $250,000 fine. A convoy of relief material mobilised by the Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) in Pakistan for distribution in the Kashmir Valley was halted on Tuesday near the Line of Control (LoC), triggering protests, officials said. The convoy of dozens of trucks and ambulances left Muzzafarabad in Pakistani Kashmir early on Tuesday for Srinagar and was stopped by police in Chakothi village near the LoC. The vehicles are loaded with essential supplies such as rice, oil, fresh and dry vegetables, clarified butter, baby food and medicines. There were also ambulances with doctors and paramedics. The relief materials and ambulances were put together by the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), the charity wing of the proscribed JuD Islamist group. The group is headed by Hafeez Sayeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, for whose capture the US has announced a bounty of $10 million. Although the JuD is outlawed in Pakistan, it is known to operate more or less freely through its various fronts, and Sayeed frequently addresses public rallies. People in the convoy staged a demonstration in Chakothi, insisting that they be allowed to proceed to the Kashmir Valley in India, the FIF said. The caravan will not leave this place till the material is sent to the Kashmiri people who are suffering from over three weeks due to the Indian atrocities, it said. Hafiz Abdul Rouf of FIF said markets in the Valley were shut due to curfew and restrictions, and that Kashmiris were suffering badly. If the two countries can use this route for trade, why cant it be used for humanitarian relief? he asked. The widespread protests in the Kashmir Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. Efforts by political parties from Nepals Madhes region to amend the countrys new Constitution could receive a boost after they finalised an agreement on Tuesday on backing Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda in the elections for the next prime minister. The Sanghiya Loktantantrik Madeshi Morcha (SLMM) sealed the agreement with the Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center ahead of the elections on Wednesday. However, the cautious SLMM will not join the Maoist-led government even though Prachanda and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba requested them to become part of the coalition. Prachanda is perceived as being relatively soft on the demands of the SLMM and observers said the Madhesi leaders are now expected to play a constructive role in national politics and calm the situation in the southern Terai plains, which were hit by a prolonged agitation over amending the Constitution adopted last year. The SLMM held 36 rounds with outgoing prime minister KP Sharma Oli since last September but without any results. They blamed Olis high-handedness for the lack of success. The three-point agreement finalised by the SLMM states that Prachandas new government will implement several conditions set by the Madhesi alliance, including declaring those killed during last years protests as martyrs, providing relief and compensation to the injured and forging political consensus on the SLMMs demands for constitutional amendments. We recognise and respect the agitations that helped Nepal to move towards the republic and also recognize the demands and aspirations of Tharus, Madhesis and Janajatis/Adivasis. We have to find a way out so that all sections of Nepali society can own up the new Constitution as common property, said a statement jointly issued by the Nepali Congress, Maoist and Madeshi leaders. The parties also committed themselves to implementing the core values of the new Constitution, including inclusiveness, equality and proportional representation of different groups in state entities, the statement said. Texas on Monday became the eighth US state to allow guns on campuses -- a controversial decision that comes on the 50th anniversary of a deadly sniper rampage at a university. The law, which was passed last year, requires public universities in Texas to permit concealed weapons in campus buildings, although schools can impose limits on where guns are allowed. At the University of Texas at Austin, where a mass shooting in 1966 claimed 14 lives, the institutions president Gregory Fenves said the emotionally charged issue would likely be little noticed on campus. We have a very safe campus, Fenves said, And I think that will continue. Texas joins seven other states which also allow concealed guns on university campuses, including Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Eighteen states specifically ban the practice. Critics of the law include three UT Austin professors who have sued, claiming their free speech rights would be violated, because students with guns would create a fearful atmosphere and stifle the open expression of ideas. In an opinion piece published last week in The Dallas Morning News, Seema Yasmin, who teaches at a public university in Dallas, echoed that theme. Im not scared of guns. Im scared of this combination: term exam stress, undiagnosed mental illness and the ability to carry guns in university buildings, Yasmin wrote. Proponents argue that allowing concealed weapons on campuses makes students and teachers safer, because any potential shooting attacks can be halted more quickly by armed citizens. Read | One dead, three injured after shooting in Texas capital Austin The clock on the University of Texas at Austin tower is stopped at 11:48am to mark the time Charles Whitman began shooting from the site 50 years ago. The architectural engineering student and Marine-trained sniper climbed to the observation deck of the 27-story structure in the heart of UT's flagship Austin campus, armed with rifles, pistols and a sawed-off shotgun. He killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others before authorities gunned him down. (AP) Remembering a mass shooting As the new law went into effect, UT Austin dedicated a new sculpture on its campus grounds for the victims of the 1966 massacre. The stone block sculpture is etched with the names of all 17 people killed by gunman Charles Whitman: the 14 killed on campus, his mother and wife whom he killed earlier in the day, and one more campus victim who would die of his wounds years later. Whitman, a former military sharpshooter, climbed the universitys clock tower building and shot for more than 90 minutes before being killed. In this Aug. 1, 1966 file photo, one of the victims of Charles Joseph Whitman, the sniper who gunned down victims from a perch in the University of Texas tower, is carried across the campus to a waiting ambulance in Austin. The unidentified victim was gunned down inside the tower, according to police on the scene. (AP file photo) Read | US Senate rejects gun-control measures after Orlando shooting This massacre... occurred before terms like mass shooting, said Lloyd Doggett, a Texas congressman who 50 years ago was a student at UT Austin. Now, such gun violence has become all too commonplace. Some of the shootings survivors attended the ceremony, including Claire Wilson James, who lost her unborn child when she was wounded. Let this memorial remain here on campus and in our minds, as a reminder of the power we have each moment to become a community of love and reverence for life, James said during the ceremony. Limits of new law It is unclear what the impact of the Texas law will be. For one, concealed guns have been allowed on Texas university campuses since 1995. The new law now allows them inside buildings as well. A person has to be 21 or older to be licensed to carry a gun in the state. That limits the number of college students who would qualify. And despite fears, university officials say there is little evidence of increased violence. Read | Orlando aftermath: A dharna by Democrats in US House over gun control law Guns sit for sale at a gun show where thousands of different weapons are displayed for sale on July 10, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (AFP file photo) After the law was passed a year ago, the University of Texas examined 17 other universities where students are allowed to carry guns. Most respondents reported that campus carry had not had much direct impact on student life or academic affairs, said UTs subsequent report. We have found little evidence of campus violence that can be directly linked to campus carry, and none that involves an intentional shooting. Still, the law could have damaging public relations effects. Already, two UT Austin professors have parted from the school. A candidate to lead the universitys communications school reportedly withdrew citing the concealed carry law. Asked whether the school was concerned that students might stay away, Fenves said the institution is monitoring any potential impact. At this point, I cant say its had an undue effect on our ability to recruit, he said. Read | Do strict gun laws keep Indians safer? Pakistans parliament has unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and demanding the UN Human Rights Commission to send a fact-finding mission to the Valley. The 34th session of the National Assembly (the parliament) on Monday with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair extended its support to Kashmiris. The National Assembly of Pakistan strongly condemns the recent atrocities perpetrated on innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces, said the resolution passed late last night. It said the use of pellet guns is deplorable and is against the canons of international humanitarian laws. This House denounces these reprehensible acts...It is confident that these blatant violations of international law cannot deter the valiant, oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir from continuing to press their demand for realisation of their right to self-determination, which is enshrined in numerous UN Security Council Resolutions, it added. It reiterated Pakistans continuing political, moral and diplomatic support for the struggle in Kashmir. The resolution pressed the government to urge the international community, inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organisations, international nongovernmental organisations and civil society and media to ask India to immediately stop alleged violations of the human rights. It also demanded that the Human Rights Commission in Geneva should be requested to immediately send a fact-finding mission to Kashmir to investigate alleged Human Rights violations by Indian security forces. Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, was the sole candidate to file his nomination on Tuesday for the election to the post of prime minister. Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed Prachandas name while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded it. His bid was also backed by Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal chairman Upendra Yadav. Earlier, the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, the second largest party in Parliament, had said it would field a candidate for the post but it decided on Tuesday not to file any nominations. It also decided to vote against Prachanda and to sit in the opposition. Prachanda is now set to with majority votes in the House on Wednesday. He needs 298 votes in the 595-member Parliament to win. The CPN-Maoist Centre, the third largest party in Parliament with 82 seats, has the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party with 207 seats. The agitating Sanghiya Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha has also thrown its weight behind Prachandas candidacy after finalising a three-point agreement with the Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre. But it wont join the government, the alliance with 39 lawmakers said. According to the timetable for electing the new premier published by the Parliament secretariat, Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations and the polls will start at 11 am on Wednesday. Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, was the sole candidate to file his nomination on Tuesday for the election to the post of prime minister. Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed Prachandas name while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded it. His bid was also backed by Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal chairman Upendra Yadav. Earlier, the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, the second largest party in Parliament, had said it would field a candidate for the post but it decided on Tuesday not to file any nominations. It also decided to vote against Prachanda and to sit in the opposition. Prachanda is now set to with majority votes in the House on Wednesday. He needs 298 votes in the 595-member Parliament to win. His CPN-Maoist Centre, the third largest party in Parliament with 82 seats, has the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party with 207 seats. The agitating Sanghiya Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha also threw its weight behind Prachandas candidacy after finalising a three-point agreement with the Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre. The efforts by Madhesi parties to amend the countrys new Constitution could receive a boost after they finalised the agreement on backing Prachanda. However, the cautious SLMM will not join the Maoist-led government even though Prachanda and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba requested it to become part of the coalition. Prachanda is perceived as being relatively soft on the demands of the SLMM and observers said the Madhesi leaders are now expected to play a constructive role in national politics and calm the situation in the southern Terai plains, which were hit by a prolonged agitation over amending the Constitution adopted last year. The three-point agreement finalised by the SLMM states that Prachandas new government will implement several conditions set by the Madhesi alliance, including declaring those killed during last years protests as martyrs, providing relief and compensation to the injured and forging political consensus on the SLMMs demands for constitutional amendments First they banned Russias version of Father Christmas, then they forbade foreign names for babies. And now Tajikistan, one of Central Asias most reclusive states, is going to start fining journalists caught using incomprehensible words, a government official said on Monday. There are cases when journalists use as many as 10 words in one day that the simple reader, viewer or listener cannot comprehend, said Gavhar Sharifzoda, the head of Tajikistans state language committee, in comments carried by Russias Interfax news service. This grossly violates the norms of state language. Authorities in the country of eight million have recently complained about the growing influence on Tajik, the official state language, of Farsi and Dari, which is spoken in Afghanistan. Sharifzoda said fines for individuals will range from $75 to $100 (67 to 90 euros), while state officials and organisations will have to pay up to $200. It remains unclear when the new regulations will come into force. Tajik is the sole state language in Tajikistan although Russian is constitutionally recognised as a language of inter-ethnic communication and is widely spoken in the ex-Soviet republic. In a bid to boost patriotism, the long-serving president of the impoverished country, Emomali Rakhmon, ended the use of Russian as an official language in 2009. The Tajik language is still written in an adapted form of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, however. The landlocked country has in the past adopted restrictive legislation, including bans on Russias version of Father Christmas, large public celebrations and non-Tajik names for newborn babies. Similar regulations exist in other post-Soviet states, as they aim to curb the influence of Russian. Reports of bans on the sale of Islamic clothing in certain cities and forced beard shavings by police in the secular country are also widespread. An influential committee of the British Parliament has called for an immediate announcement about the future of nearly 3 million EU citizens in the country following the Brexit vote, and suggested three possible cut-off dates. The idea is to reassure migrants who arrive in Britain before the cut-off date of their indefinite future in the country. Setting the cut-off date will avoid a surge in immigration, the Home Affairs Committee of Parliament said in its latest report. Keith Vaz, chair of the committee, said: "The biggest issue relating to Brexit is migration. There is a clear lack of certainty in the governments approach to the position of EU migrants resident in the UK and British citizens living in the EU. Neither should be used as pawns in a complicated chess game which has not even begun. Britons voted in a June 23 referendum to exit the European Union, triggering a political storm that resulted in the resignation of former premier David Cameron. Britain is yet to begin formal negotiations on the exit. Prime Minister Theresa May has reassured EU migrants in Britain but has not confirmed their indefinite stay, linking it to the fate of nearly 1.5 million Britons living in EU countries. The arrangements are expected to be finalised in negotiations due to start in early 2017. EU citizens in Britain include more than 20,000 Portuguese citizens of Goa origin. We have offered three suggested cut-off dates, and unless the government makes a decision, the prospect of a 'surge' in immigration will increase. Multiple voices and opinions from government ministers causes uncertainty, and must stop, Vaz said. The report said the most obvious cut-off dates include the date of the EU referendum, June 23, or the date Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty is triggered for beginning the process of Britains exit, or the date when Britain actually leaves the EU after a process expected to last two years. Calling for certainty on the future of EU migrants in Britain and British citizens in EU countries, the committee said they must not be used as "bargaining chips" in Brexit negotiations. It asked the government to move quickly to establish certainty over their status. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down hours earlier. A spokesperson for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas in Saraqeb. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. Syria Civil Defence workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify that. Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas, said the spokesperson. The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment. Both government and opposition forces have denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war. Western powers say the government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks. The Syrian government and Russia have accused rebel forces of using poison gas. Monitors at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, injuring a large number of citizens. Russias defence ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. The helicopter came down in Idlib province, roughly mid way between Aleppo and the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, near the Mediterranean coast. The Russian defence ministry said the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russias main air base in the western province of Latakia. No group has claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. As Donald Trump insults and attacks Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of a fallen Muslim-American soldier, his multiple deferments from military service are facing fresh scrutiny. Between 1964 and 1968, Trump, son of a wealthy New York realtor, received four deferments for ongoing education, and one, after he had finished studies, for bone-spurs on his heels. Saved by the spurs, protrusions caused by a pile-up of calcium that can be treated, Trump stayed home as men his age were shipped to Vietnam to fight a war that America would lose. But in earlier accounts, Trump has claimed he was saved by getting lucky in the draft lottery he drew a number that took him way back of the queue of those to deploy before him. The New York Times said in a front-page article on Tuesday Trumps public statements about his draft experience sometimes conflict with his Selective Service records, and he is often hazy in recalling details. Evading conscription has not derailed presidential campaigns before for Bill Clinton and George W Bush but Trump faces extra scrutiny because of his attacks on the Khans. Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son Captain Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004, had criticised Trump at the Democratic convention for his anti-Muslim rhetoric. Trump retaliated, by insulting them. Even people in his own Republican party were outraged Senator John McCain issued a very public rebuke in a statement on Monday. But thats not going to be enough. Calling Trump unfit to serve as president, President Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged Republican leaders to repudiate their nominee. So far, only Richard Hanna, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, has done so. He said Tuesday he would be voting for Clinton, becoming the first congressman to cross party line. Other leaders and advisers are reported to be urging Trump, who is easily riled, to stay on the message and not be distracted by such rows that have tended to play badly for him, most times. My advice to Donald Trump has been and will continue to be to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism, Roy Blunt, Republican senator, said in a statement. Polls show Americans do indeed believe Trump will do better than Clinton in fixing the economy, which is also polling as the most important election issue, more than national security. Coming out of the convention, Clinton, whose poll numbers are up by between 3 and 9 points, tried to address it right away by undertaking a bus tour of areas hit hard by unemployment. Her campaign is also trying to undercut Trumps appeal as a businessman who has created thousands of jobs, by rolling out endorsements by billionaires who have done more. Warren Buffet, the man often called the richest in the world, appeared with Clinton at a campaign event Monday and challenged Trump to release his tax records. The Republican nominee has refused to so far upending what has become standard practice in elections offering one reason or the other, triggering speculation he was hiding something. Clinton is leading Trump in all major polls and holds a 4.4-point lead over him in the RealClearPolitics average, but has failed to widen the gap despite Trumps growing list of blunders. His spat with the Khans, being the latest, which, apart from the outrage, has now brought back into light his deferments from military service, showing him up as an entitled elite. Turkey on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of the investigation into last months failed coup, local media reported. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. A Ukrainian pilot released from a Russian jail in May launched a fresh hunger strike on Tuesday in protest over Kievs failure to secure the return of other prisoners of war in the separatist east. A Russian court sentenced the 35-year-old army helicopter navigator Nadiya Savchenko to 22 years in prison in March over the 2014 killing of two Russian journalists in the Ukrainian war zone. Her detention was based on flimsy and often contradictory evidence that turned her into a national hero and brought international attention to her cause. She was swapped for two Russian soldiers and has since assumed a seat in Ukraines parliament and made a number of highly-charged statements protesting the Western-backed authorities failure to settle a 27-month war that has claimed nearly 9,500 lives. One of Savchenkos biggest causes has been ensuring the release of more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers captured by pro-Russian insurgents who control swathes of the former Soviet republics industrial southeast. As of today, I again announce a hunger strike in response to the inability of all those in power the world over to release Ukrainians from captivity, she told reporters. The strike will continue until a positive result is achieved. Savchenko added that she also wanted dozens of political prisoners returned from Russia and Crimea through talks between Moscow and Kiev -- two foes whose relations have been frozen since the Black Sea peninsulas annexation in March 2014. Ukraines historic February 2014 pro-EU revolution was followed by its loss of Crimea to Russia and the onset of a conflict that Moscow denies plotting or backing in reprisal for the geopolitical loss of its western neighbour. Savchenko staged repeated hunger strikes during her detention in Russia that at times stretched on for weeks. Some opinion polls show her now ranking as one of Ukraines most trusted politicians. But she has made enemies among some powerful fellow lawmakers for calling for talks with pro-Russian insurgents that could offer them broader autonomy and end the war. Mediator role Savchenko said she was ready to travel east and speak to the revolts leaders in order to get the stalled prisoner swap process moving again. Prisoner exchanges have been delayed on repeated occasions due to the strong mutual mistrust between the rebels and Kiev. I have said a thousand times: I am ready to go there -- undercover or not -- in order to achieve results, Savchenko said. She added that mothers of captured soldiers intended to stage a protest outside Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenkos office next Monday to demonstrate their frustration with his inability to keep his promise and return the captives home. A full prisoner swap was one of the clauses of a February 2015 peace deal that neither side has respected and thus failed to resolve one of Europes bloodiest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested that he fears the general election is going to be rigged -- an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. Trumps claim -- one he did not back up with any immediate evidence -- would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. Im afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest, the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio on Monday. He added that he has been hearing more and more that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. Trump has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former secretary of state received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. Read | Hillary Clinton has more cash; Trump forgives loans The celebrity businessman -- who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories, including claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and, more recently, that senator Ted Cruzs father was an associate of former president John F Kennedys assassin -- also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He then asserted that Novembers general election may not be on the up-and-up. He repeated the charge on Monday night on Fox News Channels Hannity, saying: November 8th, wed better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or its going to be taken away from us. Requests to Trumps campaign for additional explanation were not returned. Read | America first: Trump thunders, accepts Republican presidential nomination The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been rigged. It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trumps expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats process was also rigged. Monday night, Trump said Sanders made a deal with the devil, and said of Clinton, Shes the devil. The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trumps remarks. The event in Ohio was Trumps first campaign appearance since the onset of his tussle with the parents of a slain Army veteran, but he did not address the flap. He spoke for nearly an hour Monday in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. Read | #CanYouHearUsNow screams at Trump for comment on slain soldiers mother Trump criticized the family in an interview on Sunday and again in a pair of tweets on Monday morning. Asked on MSNBC Monday whether Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said, I dont want to hear anything from him and I dont want to say anything to him. But his running mate, Mike Pence, quieted a campaign rally crowd on Monday that booed a woman who said she had a son who serves in the US Air Force and asked how he can tolerate what she called Trumps disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the Nevada crowd to quiet down, then said about the questioner: Thats what freedom looks like. Thats what freedom sounds like. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday campaigned alongside US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a rowdy rally in his home state of Nebraska, where he challenged Republican Donald Trump to release his tax returns and questioned Trumps business acumen. Trump, a New York real estate developer making his first run at public office, has said he cannot release his tax returns, a ritual of US presidential campaigns, until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit. Now Ive got news for him, said Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is based in Omaha. Im under audit, too, and I would be delighted to meet him anyplace, anytime, before the election. Ill bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return ... and let people ask us questions about the items that are on there, Buffett added, saying Trump was afraid not of the tax-collecting IRS but of voters. In response, Trumps spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: As you know, Mr Trump is undergoing a routine audit. She had no immediate comment when asked to respond to Buffett saying that he too was under audit but would release his tax returns. Trump asserted that his success as a businessman qualifies him to lead the country, but Buffett, who backs Clinton in the November 8 election, said Trump lost money the only time he went to the American people and asked them to invest. He said it was in 1995 when Trump listed his Trump hotels and casino resorts on the New York Stock Exchange. He said the company lost money every year for the next decade. A monkey would have outperformed Trumps company, Buffett said. In 1995, if a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock page, the monkey on average would have made 150 percent, he said. Buffett spoke for nearly 30 minutes to a raucous capacity crowd of roughly 3,100 people in a suburban Omaha high school with Clinton sitting at his side. He said Trumps final straw was an ABC interview broadcast on Sunday in which he criticised the Muslim parents of a decorated US soldier killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. The father Khizr Khan spoke at last weeks Democratic National Convention about their son and attacked Trump for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump said he was viciously attacked by Khan, a naturalised US citizen, when the father publicly doubted Trump had read the US Constitution. Khan said that Trump had sacrificed nothing, prompting Trump in his ABC interview to say, I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices. Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Trump. No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan, Buffett said. Weve both done extremely well during this period and our families havent sacrificed anything. In his remarks, Buffett announced the launch of a get-out-the vote effort, pledging to take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there. Buffett said he was backing a website, Drive2Vote, that would coordinate transportation to cast votes and that he had reserved a trolley that seats 32 people for the same purpose. Im going to be on it all day. Im going to do selfies, whatever it takes, Buffett said. Buffett said his goal is to generate the highest voter turnout in the congressional district that includes Omaha of any in the country. Nebraska is one of two US states that award electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Clinton responded to Buffetts pledge with a promise of her own, if his turnout goal is met. Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together! Maybe if were really lucky hell wear his Elvis costume again! she said. WASHINGTON: Donald Trump reignited his very public feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of a fallen American Muslim soldier, saying in a tweet on Monday he was viciously attacked. He continued to be criticised for it, with Republican senator John McCain telling him that party nomination did not give him unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. And the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading advocacy group, demanded an apology from him for disparaging the Khans. Trump tweeted: Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and is now all over TV doing the same - Nice! Trump has both courted and weathered controversies before in the campaign and emerged surprisingly unscathed, specially among his supporters and a Republican party mostly too weary to resist. But remarks against the Khans, whose son Captain Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004, have appalled many in his own party. McCain said in a statement, While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. The senator added it was time for Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. McCain is a war hero himself, jailed for years during the Vietnam war. Earlier in the race, Trump had insulted him too, questioning his status as a war hero. It was a race-ending move, but he survived. Trump will survive this one too, but it wont be easy, with the American-Muslim community, for long at the receiving end of his divisive diatribe, fighting back. KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday called on Nepals political parties to form a new government based on majority votes. Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who is supported by the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House, is poised to become the new premier. The election was necessitated by the resignation of KP Sharma Oli after opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion. The presidents office urged the Parliament to begin the process for electing a new premier on the basis of majority as the seven-day deadline given to political parties for forming a consensus government expired on Sunday. Babin Sharma, press adviser to the speaker, told journalists the speaker had received a letter from the presidents office regarding the election in line with Articles 305 and 299(3) of the Constitution. The Parliament is preparing to begin the election procedure on Wednesday. A panel headed by the secretary general of Parliament will conduct the polls. The Samuktya Loktantrik Madeshi Morcha (SLMM) said it will vote for Prachanda, even as it sought a credible political commitment from Nepali Congress and CPN (M-C) regarding its demands. A nine-member panel of the three parties are hammering out a political roadmap to accommodate the Madeshis demands . A political deal is likely to be sealed on Tuesday, which will pave the way for Madeshis to vote for Prachanda but will not give them room to join the government, leaders involved in the negotiations told HT. We will vote for Prachanda but will not join the government, said Raj Kishor Yadav, chairman of the Forum Ganatantrik. SYDNEY: Australian MH370 search authorities are hopeful a wing part found in Tanzania will shed light on how the flight crashed. As the underwater hunt far off Australias coast draws to a close without any sign of the plane, there has been speculation the flights final resting place may be outside the search zone. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WASHINGTON: A New York tabloid has published nude pictures of Melania Trump from her modelling days and her husband, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, is not complaining. Melania was one of the most successful models, and she did many photoshoots, including for covers and major magazines, Trump told the tabloid, New York Post. This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very common, he added. His campaign spokesman Jason Miller told CNN: Theyre a celebration of the human body as art, and (theres) nothing to be embarrassed about with the photos. Shes a beautiful woman . There was speculation that Trump may have provided those pictures himself to divert attention from his ongoing row with the Khans, parents of a fallen American Muslim soldier. The Post ran the pictures in two lots. The first debuted in its Sunday edition with a front-page picture of Melania Trump in the nude, with The Ogle Office as the headline. A pitch-line added, You have never seen a potential First Lady like this! Melania Trump is indeed in the nude, completely, with stars covering some body parts. The second lot ran in the late edition of the Sunday paper under the headline: Melange A Trump, with Melania in the nude held from behind by another woman who is also naked. These pictures were shot in Manhattan in 1995 and first ran in a French mens magazine. Melania was super-great and a fantastic personality and she was very kind with me, Ale de Basseville, French photographer who shot those pictures, told the Post. The publication doesnt give details of how it acquired these pictures, but the fact that it has endorsed Trump s campaign gave some people reasons to speculate about the circumstances. Also note worthy was Trump s understated response almost approving of it compared to the storm he raised over nudes of Melania that had surfaced during the primaries and caucuses. LAHORE: The Anti-Narcotics Force arrested 12 employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Monday for allegedly trying to smuggle 6 kg of heroin worth over 60 mn rupees. PIA flight PK-203 was ready to leave for Dubai on Sunday from the Lahore airport when the ANF staff got it vacated on information that a huge quantity of heroin had been concealed in the aircraft, officials said. After a thorough search of a couple of hours, the ANF team seized 6 kg of heroin which is worth over 60 million Pakistani rupees from the toilet of the aircraft, they said. ANF arrested at least 12 PIA employees and launched a thorough probe into the matter, officials said. PIA spokesperson Daniyal Gilani confirmed the arrests saying some PIA employees have been taken into custody in connection with a failed bid to smuggle heroin to Dubai from Lahore. After investigation if these employees are found guilty, strict action will be taken against them, he said. In the last few years, there has been a rapid rise in the number of cases in which the PIA employees were caught while smuggling different items like drugs, cigarettes, mobile phones, illegal passports and laundered money abroad. In some cases, the PIA employees were caught at Pakistani airports and in others they were intercepted and arrested in other countries, mostly in the European destinations. KABUL: A Taliban truck bomb blasted through a hotel for foreigners in Kabul Monday, triggering a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in a city still reeling from its deadliest attack for 15 years. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed. But one policeman was killed after the truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. The powerful bombing rocked much of the Afghan capital, leaving a huge muddy crater and piles of scorched debris strewn at the compound, which was previously attacked in July 2013. A truck bomb packed with explosives struck the outer wall of the hotel, said Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi. One policeman lost his life and three others were wounded but none of the hotel staff or guests were hurt. Three Taliban fighters including the truck bomber were killed. The attack comes days after the Islamic State group claimed twin bombings that left 80 people dead in Kabul, the deadliest attack in the city since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. Afghan commandos set up a tight security cordon around Northgate as sporadic grenade explosions and gunfire shook the area after the attack began around 1:30am (2100 GMT Sunday). Local TV station Tolo cited a source inside the facility as saying that all the staff and guests -including 11 foreigners -- hunkered down in safe rooms throughout the night. It added that NATO special forces had overseen the clearance operation at the Northgate, a luxury enclave which had been fortified with blast walls, watchtowers and sniffer dogs. Tremors from the bombing rattled windows across the city. It also cut a power line that supplies electricity to half of Kabul, according to the citys main utility. The blast was so strong that it startled everybody out of their beds, Abdul Mohib, a resident of the neighbourhood, told AFP. The children were shocked. We all left the house screaming and shouting as our windows were shattered. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons blasted their way into the compound after the truck bomb went off. The militants are intensifying their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramzan, which ended in early July. WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is suggesting the US accept Russias annexation of Crimea if it would lead to better ties with Moscow and stronger cooperation in fighting Islamic State. That view runs counter to the Obama administration, which imposed economic sanctions against Russia for annexing the territory in Ukraine two years ago. The UN also doesnt want countries to recognise Crimea as part of Russia. In an interview broadcast on Sunday on ABCs This Week, Trump suggested that the people of Crimea would rather be part of Russia. However, the US hasnt recognised the legitimacy of Russian referendums in Crimea and believes they were not conducted fairly. Trump also said he wasnt involved in the effort that softened support in the Republican Party platform on assisting Ukraine. Although the platform is not pro-Russia, Trump supporters succeeded in preventing a reference to arming Ukraine from being added. In the past, Trumps campaign manager, political strategist Paul Manafort, lobbied on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, a Ukrainian president and supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. ISTANBUL: Turkey has arrested 11 fugitive soldiers suspected of involvement in an attack on President Recep Tayyip Erdogans hotel during the night of the failed coup, the deputy prime minister said on Monday. Erdogan was staying in the western seaside resort of Marmaris on July 15 but dashed to Istanbul just before the hotel came under attack from rebel soldiers determined to oust him from power. Eleven of them were captured in Ula, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told a press conference. He said one soldier was still at large. Erdogan earlier said his swift escape had saved him from being killed or taken hostage. An interior ministry official, who declined to be named, described the arrested men as members of a death squad and said the overnight operation to catch them followed a tip-off from local villagers. The soldiers had been hiding in the wild landscape above Marmaris since the military action, and the villagers spotted them while they were out hunting. There was an exchange of fire during the operation, the official added. Drones and helicopters were used to pinpoint the location. Since the coup, Erdogan has launched a massive purge. LONDON: There is anxiety among European Union citizens about their future in Britain after the June 23 Brexit vote, but not much of it was evident as more than 12,000 Portuguese citizens of Goan-origin revelled at a festival here on Sunday. The UK Goan Festival London was celebrated in characteristic susegad (contented) style with a colourful carnival parade, music, alcohol and traditional cuisine, with Britains exit from the EU rarely in the air. The day at Cranford Community College ground in west London began with mass by Bishop Gracias of Mumbai and hymns in Konkani. Savio Menezes, a young Wembley-based worker who arrived from Goa last year, said as he jived to live music by a Brazilian group: Polou-ya kide zata (Lets see what happens), nothing will happen for two to three years. If I have to leave, I can always go to France or Germany. The British government has so far refused to confirm that nearly 3 million EU citizens in Britain will be allowed to stay after Brexit, a process that is yet to commence. The festival saw senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is of Goa origin, promoting his diabetes charity Silver Star, which is supported by Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty. Prominent individuals at the festival included Valerie Vaz, Labour MP, and noted writer Selma Carvalho. Organised by the Goan Association UK (which was set up in 1966), the festival saw one of the largest gatherings in recent years. Ravi Vaz, president of the Goan Association, told Hindustan Times: Nobody knows what will happen after Brexit but I think those already here will be fine. My advice to Goans thinking of taking Portuguese citizenship is to think twice. Job prospects are not exactly bright here, and Portugal itself has tightened rules for acquiring citizenship. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BY E.E. BILLINGS A group of San Franciscans wrote John A. Andrew, the governor of Massachusetts, in 1862 offering to provide a company of 100 cavalrymen to be credited to that states quota under the draft. The only stipulation was that Massachusetts pay the cost of organizing the company and transporting it to Boston. Governor Andrew agreed to the terms and the company reached Boston early in January, 1863. It became Company A of the 2d Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment. News of this companys success in the field led De Witt C. Thompson and a group of San Franciscans to offer Governor Andrew four additional companies on the same terms. The battalion of 387 men and 13 officers was recruited in less than a week and embarked for New York on the steamer Constitution, March 23, 1863. Thompson was given a majors commission and placed in command. Arriving in New York, the unit proceeded to Readville, Massachusetts, where it became Companies E, F, L, and M of the 2d Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment. George W. Buhrer, 28, a farmer from Germany, enlisted in Company A, California Cavalry Battalion (later Company E, 2d Massachusetts Cavalry), commanded by Capt. Charles S. Eigenbrodt, on Feb. 10, 1863 and served until July 20, 1865, when he was mustered out as a sergeant. Extracts from his diary during 1864 provide and interesting picture of service against John S. Mosbys famous Confederate partisans and in defense of Washington. Sergeant Buhrers diary has been made available by a granddaughter, Mrs. Julie Colyer of Seattle, Wash. The opening of 1864 found Buhrers outfit camped at Vienna, Va. Extracts from his diary for that year follow. ThursdayJanuary 21General inspection of quarters and equipment. In the afternoon detailed for dismounted camp guard. Last night some of Mosebys men made their way into camp and took three horses of Company B. The guerillas has cut the line in several places, intended to run off all the horses. The stable guard surprised them and gave the alarm. Company A and Company L had to turn out; the guerillas got away with the stolen horses but left their own tied in the woods near our camp, where they were found by some of our men. SundayJanuary 31Inspection of quartersone of our best men, Robert Campbell, was tied on hand and feet to a post for not obeying a petty order given by one of our Sergeants, which created great indignation among men in our Company. If he had not been released in time, we would have cut him loose. On February 22 a scouting party of 125 men from the regiment under Capt. J. Sewell Reed was surprised at Dranesville and lost 10 killed, seven wounded, and 57 prisoners. Among the slain was Captain Reed. Buhrer describes this action: We left Belmount at 9 a.m.took the pike towards Drainsville; soon after we started we saw some rebel soldiers but too far away to give chase. We did not think of danger, but when two miles from Drainsville in a very favorable place for an ambush, we were attacked by from three to four hundred rebels. The advance guard of 16 took desperate chances and charged through the guerillas; one of my comrades, Byron Grover, was mortally wounded. Mosiman, Wilcox, Wooster, Paris Crawford, Sergeant Turner and Fisher were taken prisoners. Corp. Wyatt had his leg broken below the knee. Smith, Griffin, Davis, Rodgers and Howe of Company L got safely through the rebel column but were chased by them. I lost my horse, had a narrow escape. I started for Vienna on foot; found Griffin and Smith in the pines, and then Howe. We went most of the way through the woods and arrived at Vienna bout 8 p.m. they had the news of the disaster before we arrived. It was a heavy loss for our regimentof men and horses. ThursdayMarch 10Went to Washington to see my old pardner and friend, W. L. McEwan, who had his discharge from the Army due to being deaf. We went to the theatre together. L.G. [Lieutenant General] Grant was to be there, but we were disappointed. President Lincoln and some of his Cabinet were there. In April portions of the regiment took part in an expedition to Fauquier and Loudoun counties. At Leesburg on April 28 there was action against Mosby. During May the regiment did patrol duty in the areas near Washington. Buhrer continues: WednesdayMay 4Most all the men went out on a scout, dismounted. Major Thompson, Lt. Baldwin, Lt. Stone and Lt. Wilson in command. We went on a canal boat near Edwards Ferrycrossed the river to Youngs Island. Searched the Island then the Virginia shore; then crossed over to two more islands; no sign of any rebels. We returned to camp at night. The country looks goodbeginning to get green. May 24 the regiment moved to Falls Church, Virginia. Buhrer writes: WednesdayJune 1We crossed the Potomac at day break; 50 men of the 34d Maryland Infantry joined us; we took two different roads to the town [apparently Leesburg]. A small party of us searched a Mr. Jacksons house. He is a noted blockade runnerwe did not find him. We arrived in Leesburg 7 a.m., searched a number of houses, had a skirmishone of our Company, Edward Straub, was taken prisoner but made his escape. A sergeant had his horse shot from under him, a few of our men were slightly wounded. We took prisoners, one Lieut. and a number of citizens, to be held as hostages fro any depredations commited. We left Leesburg 2 p.m.arrived in camp after sundown. On the Fourth of July Buhrer commented: The 88th Anniversary of this great day. Most of the men out in the country to spend the Fourth. I was in camp all day writing some letters. There is excitement about camp. There is a rebel force about Harpers Ferry. We sent some forage and rations to Monocacy Bridge about 11 oclock last night. Two men and I were loading up some boatsit took us nearly two hours. Rumors about camp of the rebel General Early and his army. We heard sharp Cannonading near Harpers Ferry. Corporal Cook of Co. B and three men were captured near Harpers Ferry, also the store was robbed of all the goods and $400 cash. This happened about daylight. On July 6 the regiment suffered another disaster near Aldie, Virginia, when a detachment of 100 men, under Maj. William H. Forbes, was attacked by Mosbys forces and badly routed. Eight men were killed, nine wounded, and 38 captured. Earlys famous raid on Washington called the regiment into more active service. Buhrer writes: WednesdayJuly 13Part of our regiment and some of the 2nd Michigan and Illinois Cavalry, in all 400 strong, started to reconnoiter. Capt. Eigenbrodt with Co. E had the advance, we commenced skirmishing with the enemy at Rockville. Most of us dismounted and took positions behind trees and logs and held the rebels back for some time, but we were driven back; we rallied three times. The rebels at last held Rockville. We had a number of men killed and wounded and about 40 taken prisoners. I had a narrow escape from the rebels, received scratch on my right arm. We went into camp a short distance from Rockville. All quiet during the night. Weather was very warm. As Early fled from Washington he was pursued as far as Snickers Gap, after which the regiment remained at Rockville from July 26 to August 8. ON that date Buhrer renews his account: Reveille before daylightin fifteen minutes we were in our saddles, crossed the Potomac on a Pontoon Bridge at Harpers Ferry, passed through the City, went 4 miles farther into Camp at Halltown. A good many troops about here; we are now attached to Sheridans Cavalry, are the First Brigade in the First Division, commander is General [Wesley] Merritt. A small party went out to reconnoiter and found the enemy in large force about 5 miles from here. For the remainder of 1864 the regiment took part in Sheridans Shenandoah Valley Campaign. There was almost constant maneuvering in August and September. MondayAugust 22Skirmishing commenced early in the morningwe are falling back, had a stubborn and sharp fight in and about Charlestown; held the town as long as possible to give our Infantry time to take a good position near Halltown. About noon we went into position of the left flank of our army. My Company and Co. H were ordered out on the skirmish line, dismountedwe had lively skirmishing, drove the rebels back; took a few prisonersout all night, but quieting down during the night. ThursdayAugust25 Made another dash on the enemys line. Lost our Captain; he fell like a hero in a charge we mad eon the enemys breastworks. Capt. Charles S. Eigenbrodt was truly one of the bravest of the brae. We all lamented the loss; a ball went through his heart and several through his body; we were in a hot place. Robert Campbell, R. Mayers, and I were with our Captain when he fell. On September 9 the 2d Massachusetts was transferred to the reserve brigade of the 1st Division, largely composed of Regulars and commanded by Col. Charles Russell Lowell. The regiment served with distinction at the Battle of Winchester, September 19. On the 23d, Buhrer resumes his story: Returned to Front Royal, had a skirmish with Mosebys Rangers; they attacked our Ambulance Train, shot some of the wounded. We pursued them hotly, took 17 prisoners, their fat was tough, they had to suffer death. Marched all night. At Waynesboro the regiment was heavily engaged. Buhrer describes the action: WednesdaySeptember 28Early in the morning we were attacked by the enemy; we routed them and drove them some distance back into the mountains. P.M., the enemy heavily reinforced, fighting very desperate. Our General Lowell and a few of us were nearly captured. We took desperate chances but were forced back. We fell back in good order, the enemy intended to cut us off; we marched all night, halted near Springhill for a few hours. Sgt. Butcher of our Company was killed. General Lowell had his horse shot, also Lt. Col. Crowenshield had his favorite horse shot down. One of Company M lost his arm. Sheridans famous Battle of Cedar Creek is described by Buhrer: WednesdayOctober 17 [19]Reveille at 4 a.m. The enemy flanked our left, surprised the 8th Corps in their camp, took 1500 prisoners and 20 cannons and a number of wagons. We were on the extreme right, had a sharp skirmish with the rebel Cavalry. For over two miles we rode in front of the enemys line. They poured shell and shot into us. In front of Middletown we held our position on the right and left of the pike200 of the Brigade dismounted, took position behind a stone wall and fence, stubbornly we held our position against the attacks of the rebel infantry. Everything looked favorable for the enemy till 4 p.m. our glorious General Sheridan arrived, he had been away. He gathered the fleeing infantry and soon our whole line made a desperate and furious attack; twice we were repulsed but the third time we broke their line and routed the enemy; we pursued the rebels until about 10 oclock at night. We captured 63 pieces of artillery, a number of wagons, ambulances, horses and men. We gained a great victory but it was a bloody onemany of our brave comrades fell. Our brace Col. Lowell was mortally wounded, also Capt. [Rufus W.] Smith. In our Company, Corp. Davis was killed, Sgt. Russell lost his leg, died in the hospital the next day. My comrade, H. Wyatt, had his horse shot. We all lament the loss of our commanders and comrades. The 2d Massachusetts was engaged in guard and scouting duty for the remainder of 1864. E.E. Billingss compilation of Sergeant Buhrers letters appeared in the April 1962 issue of Civil War Times Illustrated. Account of the Battle Of Resaca, a western theater Civil War Battle during the American Civil War Battle Of Resaca Summary Location Gordon County and Whitfield County, Georgia Dates May 13 May 15, 1864 Generals / Commanders Union: William T. Sherman Confederate: Joseph E. Johnston Soldiers Engaged Union Army: 98,000 Confederate Army: 60,000 Outcome Inconclusive Casualties Union: 4,500 Confederate: 2,800 The front desk clerk at the Burnet House in Cincinnati, Ohio, must have done a double take when he looked up to see the two most famous generals in the Union Army standing before him one day in March 1864. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, newly installed as commander of all Northern forces in the field, and Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, his most trusted subordinate, needed a room for the night-forthwith, they got one. With sentries installed at the door to prevent unwanted intrusions, the two old friends, Midwesterners both, spread their battle maps across the room and sketched out the plan that would, within a year, bring the Confederate Army to the brink of doom. Twenty-five years later, Sherman revisited the Burnet House with a friend and pointed out the room he and Grant had shared. Yonder began the campaign he said. He was to go for Lee and I was to go for Joe Johnston. That was his plan.It was the beginning of the end. Grants plan, like most of his wartime formulations, had the surprisingly uncommon virtue of simplicity. While he directed the Army of the Potomac in Virginia, Sherman was to advance on the Confederate General Joseph Johnstons Army of Tennessee, which was wintering at Dalton, Ga., 30 miles south of Chattanooga. The Rebel armys defeat at Chattanooga the previous November had won Grant his third generals star and given him the power to direct the Northern war effort as he saw fit. Grants final written instructions to Sherman were flatteringly vague; he left the details to his friends discretion. Sherman was to move against Johnstons army, to break it up, and go into the interior of the enemys country as far as he could, inflicting all the damage he could upon their war resources. Sherman, typically, was more direct: I am to know Jos. Johnston, and to do as much damage to the resources of the enemy as possible. In early May, Sherman began his assault on Johnstons army and his ultimate objective, Atlanta, Ga. The Union drive would be made by three separate armies. In the center, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas and his solid Army of the Cumberland stood 60,000 strong. Shermans favorite soldier, his young friend Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, with his Army of the Tennessee, was moving out of northern Alabama with 24,000 men on the Federal right. The 14,000-man Army of the Ohio, under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield, came swinging down from the east Tennessee mountains. At Dalton, Johnston faced Shermans weathered and battlescarred veterans with 45,000 of his own. Johnstons position was anchored by Rocky Face Ridge, which crested 800 feet above the valley floor. Behind it, the ridgeline coursed for 20 miles through boulder-strewn, heavily wooded countryside. Schooled well in the digging of entrenchments, the Southerners could throw up adequate breastworks in an hour. Given the weeks they had at their disposal before Shermans advance, Johnstons Rebels worked martial wonders with their spades. While Johnston was entrenching, Sherman was calculating his needs for the coming campaign. An erratic strategist, Sherman was nevertheless a master of military detail. The necessity of maintaining his army by rail dictated the tactics of the coming campaign. The rickety north Georgia rail system would not only become the Union armys lifeline, but also the target of all its moves. On May 7, Thomas attacked Rebel cavalry pickets at Tunnel Hill, two miles northwest of Rocky Face Ridge. After resisting stoutly for a time, the pickets fell back to their main line on Rocky Face. Schofield moved up and extended the pressure through Crow Valley until the entire Federal left was involved. Union Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley, whose men had spearheaded the assault at Tunnel Hill, stood atop a rock and shouted out, The ball is open! It would be a ball danced to the rattle of muskets and the slam of artillery. Protected by the rugged terrain to the west, McPhersons army moved toward Ships Gap with orders to proceed the next day through Snake Creek Gap, an undefended opening in the ridge 15 miles south of Dalton and directly across from the railroad crossing at Resaca. McPhersons orders were to secure Snake Creek Gap and from it make a bold attack on the enemys flank or his railroad . Do not fail to make the most of the opportunity by the most vigorous attack possible. Thomas had devised the plan to attack through Snake Creek Gap nearly four months earlier. He wanted to send his own Army of the Cumberland striking through the gap at the Confederate rear. Thomas reputation for slowness, however, convinced Sherman to send McPherson-his whiplash-instead. Thomas, with his equally well-earned reputation for defensive fighting, was to hold the Union center and prevent Johnston from punching through Shermans own weakened lines to the railroad. In retrospect, the Federal lines across the valley from Rocky Face Ridge were nearly as impregnable as Rocky Face itself, and probably could have been held by a much smaller force. True, the strike for the Confederate rear required speed and initiative-it also required (at least in the mind of its commander) more men than Sherman sent. Schofield later wrote, Thomas position in front of Rocky Face Ridge was virtually as unassailable as that of Johnstons behind it! He felt that half of Shermans infantry would have been ample for the demonstration in front of Dalton. The other half could have been sent through Snake Creek Gap to strike the enemy rear. Of the 100,000 troops he commanded, Sherman sent 24,000. McPherson moved through Snake Creek Gap and approached Resaca from the west. He brushed aside Confederate cavalry in the area and moved into the more-open country near the Oostanaula River and the roads into Resaca, which lay on the north bank of the Oostanaula at its junction with the Connasauga River. Johnstons vital rail link at Resaca supplied his army at Dalton and Rocky Face. When he got word on the night of May 9 that McPherson had cleared the gap and was moving on Resaca, Sherman slammed his fist on a table at his headquarters and exclaimed, Ive got Joe Johnston dead! He was premature by nearly a year. Johnston now had some 4,000 men at Resaca, including portions of Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polks 15,000-man corps, which was on its way to reinforce Johnston from the west. McPherson climbed atop a tree stump beside the Resaca road and viewed the Rebel defenses. Despite specific orders from Sherman and the urging of some of his own junior officers, McPherson decided against attacking the town. He was worried that Johnston would fall back so quickly from Rocky Face Ridge that he, McPherson, would be cut off from the rest of the Union army as you cut off the end of a piece of tape with a pair of shears. Instead, he pulled his troops back to the mouth of Snake Creek Gap and dug in. Sherman, who personally liked McPherson (as did Grant), later commented, At the critical moment McPherson seems to have been a little cautious. That criticism could perhaps be directed against Sherman, as well, for sending too few men to do the job. Sherman conceded that McPherson had acted, technically, within his discretion as an Army commander. Still, when he saw his young subordinate, Sherman could not resist the pointed barb, Well, Mac, you have missed the opportunity of your life. Johnston, at Dalton, apparently believed there were too few Yankees in the gap to threaten Resaca. He held on at Rocky Face for three more days, still expecting the main thrust to come from Thomas and Schofields Federals to the north. The men of these armies had been ordered to keep the Rebels attention riveted to their front-they did so gallantly and with great effect. One division from the Army of the Cumberland scrambled up the less precipitous northern end of the ridge and fought its way along the lower crest for nearly a mile. (The crest was so narrow that only four men abreast could pass along it.) After struggling along the broken ground of the ridge, the Federals ran up against the main Confederate works and could go no farther. The Rebel defenses ran along a line that followed a natural palisade of rocks that was 20 feet high in places and nearly straight up. Not only were the defenders able to punish their blue- clad attackers with musketry, the steepness of the ridge allowed them to roll boulders down on the Federal ranks, as well. The Union demonstration against the northern end of the ridge went perfectly. Sherman then began shifting Thomas and Schofields troops to the right, south behind the ridgeline. When Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheelers Confederate cavalry finally penetrated the heavy skirmish lines used to screen this move, they found most of Shermans infantry gone-hurrying on their way to Snake Creek Gap. Johnston, who had been ill-served by Wheelers undisciplined cavalry, finally saw through Shermans ruse and began a masterful withdrawal to Resaca. Taking advantage of his interior lines, Johnston easily won the race to the crossroads town. By the morning of May 13, he was in position to receive the Union attack. In their new position, the Rebels defended a four-mile front that protected Resaca from the west. Their left was anchored on the Oostanaula River, their right on the Connasauga. The Confederate line ran north along the high ground behind Camp Creek for two and a half miles, then followed the ridge away from Camp Creek and coursed east. Though the rivers securely anchored the Rebel flanks, they also forced Johnston to fight with a river to his rear, complicating any retreat. Sherman determined to press Johnston head-on, while also trying to effect a crossing of the Oostanaula and get across the enemys line of retreat. That night, the Federal troops slept in their positions. On Schofields front, artillerymen, exhausted from dragging their guns across country, slept by their guns. Infantrymen rolled into their blankets. Pre-battle tensions brought troubled dreams to the sleepers. One man near the 19th Ohio Battery cried out in his sleep and fired his rifle. Men all along the line reached for their weapons and fumbled with their equipment. Nervously, they waited for dawn. With the sunrise, the musket fire of the opposing skirmishers increased and the wounded began stumbling back from the front. Units moved forward and deployed for the attack. Sherman had decided to hit Johnston at a bend in the Confederate works. Here, Camp Creek forked and coursed northwest from the Rebel trenches. The valley floor was nearly flat and several hundred yards wide. The creek bed was deep in spring runoff and in many places unfordable. The muddy banks were tangled with brush; jagged limestone rocks made the footing treacherous. To make matters worse, the Southern defenders had an unhindered field of fire. Thomas XIV Corps and two divisions of the Army of the Ohio would hit the angle on the Confederate right. Major General Oliver Howards IV Corps would go in on the left after trailing the rest of the army from Dalton Schofields left division, under Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox, had slightly easier ground to cover than the right, but the prospect of charging across the valley, through the creek and up the ridge into the Rebel trenches, was a fearsome undertaking. Lieutenant John A. Joyce of the 24th Kentucky (Union) Regiment, wrote, We charged across an open field interspersed with dead trees that flung out their ghostly arms to welcome us to the shadows of death. Brigadier General Henry P. Judahs division formed Schofields right. He had not performed well recently, and Schofield had considered removing him from command. His performance during this attack would result in his forced resignation-unfortunately for his division, it came a couple of days too late. Judahs men charged down the western slope of the valley into the boggy ground around the creek. Their front had not been properly reconnoitered and the swampy ground proved nearly impassable for infantry. Taking heavy fire from their front, as well as enfilading fire from their right, Judahs men struggled through the mud. Their right had become disorganized early in the assault, and Judah had refused to delay his attack long enough to allow units from Maj. Gen. John Palmers XIV Corps to complete their deployment. As a consequence, Brig. Gen. Milo S. Hascalls brigade of Judahs division charged across the left of the XIV Corps, destroying both units formations and carrying many of Palmers men forward with them. With all hope of a cohesive attack shattered, Judah still refused to halt and re-form. He drove his division on into that deadly valley. They, made it to the creek bed, but could go no farther. Those who reached the creek tried to hold out as best they could. In waist-deep water and mud, they kept up what fire they could manage, but the mud and water rapidly disabled many of their rifles. Not only were they being slaughtered in appalling numbers, they were even losing the ability to fight back. Compounding the divisions problems, Judah had failed to bring his artillery into action. Division gunners on the high ground in the rear stood frustrated beside their guns, looking to their officers for word to fire. They had to stand idle and watch as the regiments in the valley below were crisply decimated by sharpshooting Rebels. For many of the men in Judahs ill-fated division, the headlong charge at Resaca would be etched forever in their memories. Resaca would always be their battle! Forty-seven years later, Ebenezer Davis of the 118th Ohio Volunteers, when asked about the most important event in his service, would respond, The terrible charge at Resaca, insane, useless charge, ordered by an intoxicated officer. Palmers corps attacking to Judahs right also suffered from his incompetence. A high percentage of Palmers casualties were in the brigades carried forward into battle by Judahs disorganized men. On the left, with competent leadership, Coxs division fared better, managing to take the first line of Confederate works. Theodore Tracie of the 19th Ohio Artillery watched this attack develop. He later wrote: There was something horrible in being compelled to look upon this thrilling scene without being able to participate in it.We saw our gallant fellows charge the enemy rifle pits only to fall back under a withering fire, marking their pathway with dead and dying. Cox took the first Rebel entrenchments, but once there he was not certain he could hold them. Attempting to force the second line, he was bloodily repulsed. Coxs men sheltered on the reverse of the captured Rebel trench, grimly holding on to what they had paid for so dearly. Five hundred and sixty-two men of their division lay dead or wounded around them while, on their right, Judahs division had lost 600 men. (In a mere 10 minutes, the 118th Ohio lost 116 of 300 attackers in its number.) The Confederates continued to pour a heavy fire into Coxs defenses. The fighting had pulled the Union left toward the center and rendered that flank unprotected. Thomas recognized the danger and pulled Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers corps out of the center and sent it hastening to support Howard on the Union left. Meanwhile, Johnston, a master counterpuncher, had also seen the flaw in the Federal lines. He sent Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood marching with two full divisions and four additional brigades to the vulnerable spot. Hoods men struck Stanleys division a crushing blow on the Union flank. Stanleys men, stunned by the unexpected, savage assault, threw down their weapons and fled from the scene. Stanley later reported that his men did the best they could.they got out of the way with such order as troops can hurrying through a thick brush. The infantrys precipitous retreat left the 5th Indiana Battery alone to try and stem the Confederate attack. The Hoosier gunners stood their ground, doubleshotting canister at a killing range of 50 yards. Rebel momentum stalled. The stand of the battery was still in jeopardy. Rebel soldiers began lapping around them on both flanks. Though in danger of being surrounded, the Indianians managed to gouge huge holes in the Rebel lines. Meanwhile, Hookers veterans, spurred by the sound of battle, came pounding to the batterys aid, their massed musketry helping to stop the Confederate onslaught. Under the concentrated Federal fire, the Southern troops began to recoil. Their officers scrambled to re-form them for a second attack, but darkness stopped their hopes. The heavy fighting of the day had slowed now to desultory picket fire. Still, Johnston thought he controlled the field, and determined to send Hood against the Federal left the next morning. Though most of the Federal casualties had fallen on the Union left, most of the Yankees success had come on their right. Heavy skirmishing by infantry and dueling by the artillery had continued all along the line. Rebel skirmishers who covered the Resaca road where it bridged Camp Creek showed a momentary weakness, and the Union 12th Missouri and other XV Corps units forced their way across the bridge and dug in on a hill overlooking the railroad, within the reach of Union guns. Their position now threatened Polks advance corps on the Confederate left. McPherson, recognizing the Union gains, hurried several more brigades of Maj. Gen. John Logans XV Corps across the creek to establish a bridgehead against Polk. General Cox later observed, The Confederates under Polk, in their advanced position on our extreme right, were a good deal weakened in morale by the knowledge that the national troops had thus made a good foothold in their flank. The combination of shaken morale and determined Union attacks drove Polk back and, though he was able to re-establish his line, McPherson still held the high ground. When Union artillery arrived, it would be in position to shell Johnstons pontoon bridges in his rear. Recognizing the danger, Polk sent his men forward to try to regain the lost ground. He succeeded in adding to the casualty lists, nothing more. That night, Johnston had a new military road cut through and moved his bridges out of the range of the Yankee guns. At the same time, Sherman had sent Brig. Gen. Thomas Sweenys division on a march to force a crossing of the Oostanaula River south of Resaca and cut off the Rebel line of retreat. At Lays Ferry, Sweeny managed to drive off the Confederate cavalry and push across the river in pontoon boats. But shortly after getting into position, Sweeny abruptly ordered his men to fall back across the river- reports had reached him that a large Confederate force had crossed the river between him and Shermans main force. Fearing entrapment-one of his men called their new position an invitation to Andersonville-he pulled back and informed Sherman of the move. The report turned out to be false, but Sweenys incursion had alarmed Johnston enough for him to send a full division to block any further Federal moves. Johnston also cancelled his proposed attack on the Federal left and turned his attention to the threat at Lays Ferry. On the morning of May 15, the blue-clad infantry on the Union left rolled forward in another of the wasteful charges that typified the fighting at Resaca. A four-gun Georgia battery was positioned on a spur of land about 80 yards in front of the main Confederate works. As the Union infantry advanced, they could see Southern soldiers busily throwing up earthworks around the battery. The battery was in position to enfilade the attacking line; Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfields division of Hookers corps was ordered to take it. Under heavy firing from the battery and the main Rebel line, Butterfields men impetuously rushed forward and took shelter on the reverse side of the forts earthen parapet. Future President Benjamin Harrison, then a colonel in the 70th Indiana, noticed the batterys infantry support breaking. With a wild yell, he led an attack over the walls into the battery. In the hand-to-hand brawl that followed, all but five of the batterys gunners were killed, wounded or captured. It was the only success of the attack. Fire from the main Rebel line soon forced the Yankees out of the fort, leaving the guns under fire in no mans land. That night, under cover of total darkness, the Hoosiers tore down the forts walls and dragged the guns back into their own lines with ropes. While the heavy fighting on the Union left was getting under way, Sherman sent the skittish Sweeny back across the Oostanaula. This time, he stayed put. Sherman reinforced him with a division of cavalry, and together the Union force was able to drive off counterattacking Rebels under Maj. Gen. W.H.T. Walker, who had arrived too late to prevent the Yankees from consolidating their beachhead. Realizing that the Federal position on his left flank again threatened the railroad, Johnston that night began retreating from Resaca. Covering the three pontoon bridges in his rear with cornstalks to muffle the sound of his artillery wheels, he pulled his army out of line and began retreating southward toward Atlanta. Rebel pickets kept up a distracting fire to cover the retreat. Dawn of May 16 found the Federals facing abandoned works. Casualty figures for Resaca are hard to estimate because Sherman had begun turning in monthly figures instead of daily ones, but it is probable that the Federals lost at least 3,500 men (some figures range as high as 6,800). Confederate losses were at 2,600, and possibly as high as 5,200. Much has been written about Shermans later frontal attack on Kennesaw Mountain outside Atlanta, with various historians commenting that Sherman was finally convinced at Kennesaw that frontal attacks could not carry well-entrenched, well-manned positions. Had Sherman walked over the battlefield at Resaca and viewed the crumpled blue forms that lay in dark contrast to the bright green grass of spring, he might not have had to learn that costly lesson twice. This article was written by Michael J. Klinger and originally appeared in the September 2001 issue of Americas Civil War. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Americas Civil War magazine today! Civil War: The Untold Story is a five-hour documentary from Great Divide Pictures, which has produced award-winning historical documentaries such as How the West Was Lost and visitor center films for several Civil War National Parks. Currently scheduled to air in the first quarter of 2014, Civil War: The Untold Story is produced and directed by Chris Wheeler. HistoryNet talked with him recently about the project. HistoryNet: Your documentary is titled Civil War: The Untold Story. With all that has been written about the war, and all the documentaries that have been done, what is your Untold Story? Chris Wheeler: Its really on multiple levels. Instead of focusing on the Virginia-Maryland-Pennsylvania campaign, were telling the story of the Civil War through the lens of the Western Theater, the area between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River: Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta Campaign. While it is not entirely an untold story, the story of that part of the war is not told very often. Many historians believe the Western Campaign is where the war was won and lost. Were not going to ignore the East; well briefly mention events there and put them in perspective within whats happening in the West. HN: There is a widespread belief that the seat of war was in the Virginia-Maryland-Pennsylvania region, and that everything that happened in the Western Theater was simply a sideshow. Why do you think it is that the Western Theater gets less respect? CW: I think theres no denying the Eastern Theater was very importantthe catastrophic loss of life makes it tragic, and that alone brings attention to the East, and deservedly so. It would be wrong for us to ignore the Eastern Theater, but we are focusing on the West. The war in the East was fought in a highly populated area around the capitals of Washington and Richmond. The medianewspapers and magazineshad very easy access to the Eastern Theater, and so logically it was covered more extensively at the time. The lands between the Appalachians and Mississippi River were not the frontier by that time, but it was rougher country. Journalists had to cover hundreds of miles, from Fort Donelson to Shiloh to Vicksburg, eastward to Tennessee and onward to Atlanta. So the Western Campaign didnt get nearly the media coverage at the time the war was happening. I think that is part of the reason the West has gotten short shrift when it comes to interpreting the Civil War. HN: Most of the photographers studios were in the East as well. Its not as easy to find photos taken in the Western Theater. CW: The reality is that there are very few photographs that cover the West. We use battle recreations in the documentary to tell the story. If we had to depend on period photos we wouldnt have much to tell. I believe Ken Burns has been criticized for not doing more to cover the Western Theater in his series on the Civil War, but I think such criticism is unfair. You have to have images to make compelling television. HN: Weve seen a media release about your documentary series that says, Its not just about who we were then. Its about who we are now . Would you like to expand on that thought? CW: This film is not just a historical retelling of arguably the most important event in our countrys history. Hopefully our series will resonate with viewers and help Americans realize that many of the issues we fought over in the Civil War are still being discussed today: states rights versus a strong centralized government; civil rights; the Constitution; issues of race. A lot of these things still remain unresolved. Hopefully, after watching, viewers will have a better understanding of these issues and understand how the history of the Civil War remains relevant to all Americans today. HN: The series will be narrated by someone very familiar to viewers of the PBS series Downton Abbey actress Elizabeth McGovern. What led you to approach her about being the narrator? CW: Ive worked with Peter Coyote in the past; his agent also represents Elizabeth McGovern. I heard a demo of her doing some voice work, and I thought Elizabeth struck the perfect tone for what were trying to get across. She has a strong delivery but also a natural empathy. Elizabeth brings a sense of calm to this story while taking viewers through the horror, the carnage of the Civil War. One hundred fifty years later, its still hard to get your head around how truly horrible this war was. Elizabeth is a calming presence who in essence, takes viewers on a journey through hell. Our series includes female historians who are very good on camera, but most of the voices in our documentary, whether historians or the voices from diaries and letters of the time, are male. A female narrator such as Elizabeth McGovern, brings much needed balance to the narrative. Civil War: The Untold Story is being distributed to public television stations by American Public Television, but stations are not required to air the series. So from a distribution perspective, having Elizabeth involved in the show will hopefully encourage PBS stations to broadcast it. HN: Tell us a bit about your own background if you will. CW: I started off in the television business in 1981 as a news photographer. I loved history but wasnt sure I wanted to be a teacher. My first big project came when I was given the opportunity to create How the West Was Lost for the Discovery Channel. Since then Ive produced films on the Korean War (Our Time in Hell: the Korean War) and a documentary narrated by Walter Cronkite on John Glenn (Godspeed, John Glenn). Ive continued to produce documentaries on Native Americans. In recent years weve had the opportunity to produce visitor center films for National Park Civil War battlefields, and that has given me the chance to tell some of these stories that are so dramatic and so important to America today. To return to your question about What is the untold story? we also want to bring a strong presence to the African American story in the Western Theater. At Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia, for example, I asked staff members if they receive a lot of African American visitors, since the park is just outside Atlanta. They replied No. Unfortunately, African Americans do not feel like they are part of the story of the Civil War. To me, that is tragedy. And it has been a motivating factor for us to tell a produce a series that conveys to modern day African Americans that their ancestors were an important and inspirational part of the Civil War story. HN: It is often claimed that Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation didnt free a single slave, but in fact it freed Army officers from having to return runaway slaves to their owners as the armies penetrated deeper into the South, and allowed many, many thousands of slaves to find freedom by getting behind Union linescontrabands, they were called. That was particularly true with the Western armies, which conquered the largest portion of Dixie. CW: I really liked the story of the contrabands, which we go into in our second episode. Early in the war, slaves began escaping to Union lines. Thousands of them! No one in the North had anticipated escaping slaves seeking refuge in these kinds of numbers. It led to a Constitutional question central to the war: Lincoln never recognized the Confederacy, so Federal law still applied to rebelling states. The Fugitive Slave Act was still the law of the land, so by law, runaway slaves had to be returned to their owners. But as a Union army officer, do you want to return the escaping slaves back over to the very people with whom you are engaged with in battle? Lincoln is credited as the Great Emancipator, and certainly he was, but the slaves themselves put Lincoln in the position where he had to do something, and that was the Emancipation Proclamation. Most people dont realize the Emancipation Proclamation also gave African Americans the right to join the army and fight for the Union and defend their new-found freedom. In our series, we also want to tell little-known stories about Lincoln himself. He was a man of the West, so he had a pretty good understanding of why the Western Campaign was so importantperhaps more so than most others in Washington did. Steven Spielbergs movie Lincoln begins in January 1865; our documentary ends about where Spielbergs movie begins, so The Untold Story could be considered a prequel to Spielbergs film, showing Lincolns ups and downssecession, the military campaigns, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the crucial 1864 presidential campaign. I dont think Americans today realize how close Lincoln came to not being reelected. His opponent was George McClellan, the popular former commander of the Army of the Potomac. McClellan represented a Democratic party that wanted to end the war, to let the Southern states keep their slaves and come back into the Union. By 1864, Northerners were tired of the war that had no end in sight, tired of seeing their sons die. One of the biggest events that turned things around was in September 1864, when Union General William T. Sherman captured Atlanta, which was the next-best thing to capturing Richmond. For the first time, people in the North now had hope this war could be won. The Battle of Atlanta plays very much into the political campaign story we tell in Civil War: the Untold Story. Lincoln wins in a landslide. Just a few weeks earlier he had told his cabinet, We must prepare for McClellan to be president. HN: How will civilians stories figure into the documentary? CW: The story of Southern civilians is a big part of the untold story. I dont think a lot of people in our nation today realize that the war was fought almost entirely in the South. Civilians in places like Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and Atlanta found themselves in the path of the war. Vicksburg is perhaps the most dramatic example, with the civilian population trapped there for six weeks under bombardment during the siege in 1863 by Ulysses S. Grants army. The experience for Southern civilians was very different than for Northern civilians. Northern civilians could read about what was happening in the war, but it was fought on Southern doorsteps, and it devastated the South for years afterward. So in Civil War: The Untold Story, youll see the military story, the social story of the civilians and African Americans, and the political story of Abraham Lincoln. HN: Is there anything youd like to add in closing? CW: I hope this series brings our countrys people together at a time when we are arguably as divided as we were in 1860. I hope it will bring a better understanding of the Civil War and help people to see what happens when we disagree, when we stop trying to solve our problems together. I think it is time for Americans to hear this story again, not just because it is the 150th anniversary of the war, but because of the state of our nation today. Ken Burns did a fantastic job of telling the story of the war in 1990, but it has been a generation since our nation heard the story of the Civil War. I sincerely hope a sense of healing and unity can come out of viewing this. Over 600,00 young men died from North and South. It is an American tragedy, one Americans should never forget. Click here to watch a trailer of Civil War: The Untold Story. [nggallery id=143] Read more about Jamestown in the June 2007 issue of America History magazine! Pick up your copy in newstands or subscribe to American History magazine today! You probably know about John Smith and Pocahontas, but not much more. Jamestown in 1607 was English Americas first permanent settlement and, since then, perhaps its most unjustly maligned. According to many histories, Jamestown was a false start in the New World: a colony founded on greed that ultimately failed due to poor location, infighting and highborn colonists resistant to hard work. The colonys very physical legacy, its original fort, was believed to have long ago washed away into the James River. Enter Dr. William Kelso, chief archaeologist for the Jamestown Rediscovery Project sponsored by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Using computer technology, centuries-old accounts written by the colonists themselves and the eye of a historical detective, Kelso has rediscovered James Fort and with it a trove of priceless artifacts that illuminate the lives, struggles and surprising accomplishments of those first English Americans. The pioneering settlement Kelso describes in his book Jamestown: The Buried Truth is an astonishing place. Still, you may find it strangely familiar. This is the real story of the birth of a nation America before the Pilgrims. Dr. Kelso, most people probably think that an archaeologist would be more likely to dig for King Tut than John Smith. So did I! Until I discovered that there was an American history that archaeologists could make a contribution to. What led you to believe James Fort was still there, when previous experts agreed that the fort was gone? When I first came to James Island, I realized that story didnt have any particular backing to it no real evidence it was just agreed upon. When I looked at one of the earlier trenches, I could see that there was a dark layer underneath everything. I questioned it, but I didnt get an answer. I came to realize how little was known about the area. Your project is called Jamestown Rediscovery. Why would we need to rediscover where English America began? Why dont we know it? Because it keeps getting swept under the rug. I think this all goes back to the American Civil War. You know, the victors write the history. Thats the North. Thats the Pilgrims in 1620. Its not a Southern colony in 1607. In the standard history books, Jamestown comes off as a bunch of greedy men, coming here to make money. Ive read they were lazy, too. Thats been the story. But thats not at all what were finding. The artifacts weve unearthed indicate people very hard at work, performing long, strenuous labor. Sure, they were trying to make a profit for the corporation. Now, how un-American is that? Its very American. But not like the Jamestown I learned about in social studies class. For example, in your book you talk about knights in shining armor. There were at least three sirs knighted men at Jamestown. Weve found armor all over the place. They brought more helmets than heads to put them on. American history does go back to knights in armor. Shakespeare himself drew on the Jamestown experiences [for his play The Tempest]. To me, this means that to really understand the beginnings of America, we need to look back to a much older European tradition. You say that almost immediately on arriving, the colonists began felling trees and splitting them into planks, not just to build homes but to ship the lumber back to England. That first summer, they loaded three ships for exporting. That was the idea: Find items of value and send them back. Weve also found evidence that the colonists were attempting to manufacture glass, bronze and other valuables for export, using the resources here. Even searching for gold? Weve recovered state-of-the-art crucibles, the kind used to assay gold deposits. Its also documented that the colonists even sent back an entire shipload of dirt. They thought it was gilded. Which is ironic. Why? Because the dirt was the gold, the actual land what the settlers couldnt have back home. So this was starting a nation and starting a business? Oh, absolutely. After all, it was called the Virginia Company. Were not digging up columns and tombs here. Were finding a legacy that isnt made of bricks its the remains of a system of commerce. For example, right now, Im looking out on the James River, and theres a barge thats loaded with gravel and its headed, I think, for Japan. So the whole thing is still in operation. And from this same place. Thats a really different take on how America began. Every schoolchild learns that the Pilgrims came here for religious freedom. These entrepreneurial Jamestown pioneers sound much different. Yes, but also more like modern Americans. How difficult would it have been for the original colonists to construct James Fort? Building this palisade in just 19 days is probably the main reason that half the original colonists died. The colonists erected, say, 600 logs, weighing up to 800 pounds each, in the hot Virginia summer, after being raised in England. And working under fire, literally, from the natives. It must have been a panicking thing. Was this the wrong place to land? No. The perceived threat to the colony was Spain. Against a Spanish sea attack, the colonists chose the right strategic position: an island. Theres no other place along the James River as defensible as this one. So this one triangular fort, about 100 yards on a side, was how big America was in 1607? English America, yes, you could say that. The dwellings, warehouses and other buildings that made up the colony were inside the fort. The building remains were excavating now are the buildings that John Smith and the other colonists lived and worked in. Since the precise location of the fort had been lost, you used the colonists own writings to find it. Were the Jamestowners accurate record keepers? Can we believe what they wrote? Yes. Theres no doubt. Especially William Strachey, one of the colony scribes. His location for the fort was very exact. Poring through these archaically written documents, Jamestown takes on an almost mythological quality. You know about John Smith and Pocahontas. But it becomes real historical science when we retrace the steps. The stories become true. I have a friend who teaches colonial history, and after seeing the digs he said, Now I believe what Ive always taught. You mentioned William Strachey. I understand you may have actually unearthed something of his. Very likely his signet ring. It was recovered in the corner of the fort. Is that the closest anyone has ever come to connecting an artifact with a specific colonist? Its one of three. Weve also found a pewter flagon drinking mug in a well outside the fort, which bears the initials of settlers Richard and Elizabeth Pierce. And the captains staff? Unearthed in one of the burials. We believe the remains are those of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold. You think people dont know much about Jamestown, but boy, they have never heard of this guy! According to John Smith, Gosnold was the main reason the colony survived that first year. That would make this a very important find an unsung hero in American history. Your work has even put a face on the Jamestowners. Yes, using modern forensics. Thats another reason I think were revealing a forgotten century in American history. Its what archaeology does. In a document, you can have someones point of view. But what you find in the ground, no ones putting a spin on that. Were getting a fairer picture of the settlement. There were mistakes made. A lot of people died needlessly. It was paradise, and it wasnt. People want to know: Did Jamestown succeed or fail? Well, it did both. These remains, their number, location and condition, point up how terribly hard life was in early Jamestown. Especially during the Starving Time in 1609-10. After 400 years, how can you dig down and say definitively that these colonists very nearly starved to death? Its clear from what they butchered. Weve found the remains of rats, dogs, horses I mean, youre chopping up your transportation. They were eating poisonous snakes, stuff thats really taboo unless youre absolutely desperate. Then theres a question: Why didnt they leave the fort for food? They couldnt. Documentary evidence says if they ventured out of the fort, they were picked off. By the natives? Yes, but weve also found evidence of natives working inside the compound. We have evidence that someone was actually making stone tools in the fort. They were flaking points and making beads. What weve found represents the greatest evidence of contact between the Powhatan Indians and the English: Powhatan artifacts like pottery, beads and native pipes. Again, this brings another sense of reality that you wouldnt think of before. There were Indians in the fort, as well as outside. Not like a Western the settlers on one side of the fort, and the Indians on the other. Youve recovered more than a million artifacts. Some look remarkably modern, like they were lost last year. Is there one artifact that stands out in your mind? So many are astonishing. But Id have to say, the fort itself. Individual artifacts can also present several interpretations. The one absolute that weve found is James Fort. It exists on dry land; it didnt wash away. Thats undeniable. And in archaeology, its very seldom that you can come up with something undeniable. The Jamestown youre discovering is nothing like what most of us have seen in pictures. You know, the little stick huts. That was one of the biggest surprises to me. I thought of little Hansel & Gretel cottages. In fact, Jamestown never had those. The little huts didnt last long. We can see in the ground when they were torn down. Jamestown started as poles in the ground, with tents over the tops. Then it went to something that would look at home in Ireland, one-story structures. Later, Jamestown becomes more of a city facade; they put up buildings which would have looked perfectly logical in London. Half-timber buildings. Finally it goes to brick, by statute, to make things permanent. And while building that city, you say that Jamestown also built American independence, long before it happened at Independence Hall. Absolutely. The basis of the American Revolution started at Jamestown. Jefferson knew that. In his book A History of Virginia, theres a section on how, by the mid-17th century, the Jamestowners insisted on the same rights as Englishmen. So when Jefferson writes about justifications for the Revolution, he says we want to maintain our rights that we established here 160 years ago. Jeffersons sentiment was Keep your promise that started in Jamestown. Yes, exactly. Did Jamestown eventually decline because the colonial capital moved to Williamsburg? Yes, the area reverted to farmland. Jamestown is not really a good deep-water port; there are better ports at Yorktown. So Jamestown didnt disappear because it failed, but because the American experiment it started grew so successful. Thats my point. The Virginia Company, the colonys sponsors, failed, so everyone concludes that Jamestown failed. But it didnt. By the time the Pilgrims step on Plymouth Rock in 1620, there were over a thousand people living up and down the James River on various prosperous plantations. And the ideas of Jamestown, that legacy, moved to Williamsburg, and then to Richmond. And the site of James Fort even has a second history after that. As a Confederate fort. Again, this was the most defensible position in the area. In fact, the Confederates used Jamestowns surviving church steeple as an observation tower. Their fort was earthen walls. Today, those walls are full of Jamestown artifacts. Did the Confederates know that? Oh, yes. Their journals record finding logs from the fort, and burials. The Confederates found a piece of armor that is still in our collection. Another new nation, trying to start on this same spot? In a way. And Union forces saw Jamestown as important to take. It was the beginnings of their country. So this really is about becoming American. In your book, youve said that the Jamestown colonists arrived here as quintessential Englishmen. Yes they did. Weve found their teacups and porcelain. Weve found hundreds of sewing pins for fine garments. They were bringing their lives here. As far as I can determine, Jamestown was the first permanent English colony anywhere on earth. When did these Englishmen become American? We can see it happening in the archaeological record. The Englishmen become Americans when they figure out how to use this new environment. They came to this place where the forests were endless, where you could have land. The Virginia Company sent them for gold, but they found valuables that you couldnt get back home. Thats what drove them to endure the risks of this place. Then they adapted to it. They learned to make native pottery. Weve found Powhatan-type bowls with feet on them, made to sit on English tables. They adapted their European armor for guerrilla fighting, by chopping it up and making smaller pieces like flak jackets. Weve found the pieces. They even recast some of their armor into kettles and other implements when the fighting was over. Like swords into ploughshares. In many ways, its sounds like the America we know today started in this one tiny settlement. What can Jamestown teach us now, 400 years later? The most important lesson for Americans today? Probably how precariously this whole thing started. This interview was conducted by Nick DAlto and originally published in the June 2007 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today! Growing Up If theres one iconic figure in American history whose legend approaches sainthood, its George Washington. From the I cannot tell a lie legend to his label as the father of our country, just about all that storytelling on the man is deserved. We can thank Washington for a lot. He persisted against absolutely overwhelming odds with completely inadequate funding to win the Revolutionary War. Our commander in chief won only three decisive battles in eight years, but he so ground down the British with a war that seemed as if it might never end that the king and Parliament said the hell with it after Yorktown. We also can thank Washington for agreeing to take on the first presidency when he would rather have been farming at Mount Vernon. And we can especially thank him for stepping down from that presidency after two terms when he could easily have become the new monarch. So it isnt easy to write about Washingtons most remarkable talentthat he matured from being a flawed, ambitious and somewhat unethical young man into the honorable leader we all try to model today. When historian Woody Holton first proposed to show us how a young Washington cheated some of his men out of western land, a couple of editors on staff started seeing red, and it wasnt Washingtons militia uniform. You want to write a story that says the father of our country was a crook? asked one editor. Another said, Let me get this straightyou want to bash Americas image of its greatest leader at a time when the nation is feeling a bit queasy about the course of events? Ah, history. That sort of disagreement is what makes it so interestingthe constant debate about how known facts should be interpreted. In the end, this is what the editors here perceived to be true: George Washington may be even greater than we thought, because he so transformed himself from an overly ambitious, unethical young man into a wise and virtuous older man. Now, thats a model for your children. What Washington taught us is that people can change. They can rise up and improve themselvesdramatically so. They can become what they admire. They can become the president. The Search Continues Here we go again. The search is on once more for Amelia Earhart. The most famous womanhunt in recent history has been revived several times since the July 2, 1937, disappearance of Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, during a round-the-world attempt while flying a Lockheed Electra from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island in the north Pacific Ocean. Since the initial search effort was called off and the aviators were declared lost at sea, several theories about their fatefrom running out of gas and crashing into the ocean to landing on another island and being captured by the Japanesehave surfaced and a number of expeditions have been mounted to find evidence regarding their fate. Ric Gillespie, head of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), has spent more than $2 million over an 18-year period looking for Earhart evidence, coming up with inconclusive pieces of aircraft aluminum and part of a shoe at Gardner Island (presently named Nikumaroro), south of Howland Island, where he believes the Electra ended up. As of this writing, he was mounting another attempt, his eighth. Another searcher, David Jourdan of Nauticos, spent $4.5 million on two deep-sea sonar searches around Howland Island, also to no avail. His theory is that the Electra ran out of fuel approximately 50 miles from Howland and is sitting on the ocean floor 17,000 feet down. An exhibit recently opened at the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots in Oklahoma City to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the 1937 disappearance and the 75th anniversary of Earharts solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The 99s, the International Organization of Women Pilots, was organized byyou guessed it99 women pilots in 1929, and Earhart was not only one of the founders but was elected as the groups first president. The museum exhibit features several Earhart artifacts, including a scarf she wore on some of her long-distance flights, her pilots license, navigation charts and other items. Stay tuned; this obsession aint over yet. and on a more personal note. The founding editor of Aviation History is taking a few days off and handing the reins over to Carl von Wodtke, who has been the World History Groups managing editor for 12 years. It is a transition rare in the annals of publishing in that it is a pleasant changeover for both publisher and editor. I have been with Aviation History through more than 100 issues, since the first one appeared in September 1990. It has been a rewarding experience working over the years with the many contributors, publishing staff and the readers whose correspondence has kept us all on our toes. And where do retired editors go? I couldnt help ending with a takeoff another editor friend gave me on General Douglas MacArthurs farewell speech, which I listened to live in grammar school: Old editors never die, they just delete themselves. BY PATRICIA CONDON JOHNSTON A SERIES OF WATERCOLORS BY SETH EASTMAN, THE FOREMOST NINETEENTH-CENTURY PICTORIAL HISTORIAN OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, IS NOW ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. In late 1994, the James Jerome Hill Reference Library in St. Paul, Minnesota, sold its collection of 56 Seth Eastman watercolors depicting Native American life on the Western frontier to W. Duncan MacMillan, a director of Cargill, Inc. of nearby Wayzata. The largest extant collection of Eastman watercolors, the paintings had been in the library since its completion in 1920, and before that, in Hills personal library at his Summit Avenue home in St. Paul. This stunning collection comprises paintings prepared mainly for Henry Rowe Schoolcrafts gigantic six-volume work, Information Regarding the History, Conditions, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States, which was published between 1851 and 57. Monumentally important as American art, the paintings are also paramount to an understanding of Dakota and Ojibwa life in Minnesota in the 1840s. In addition to the Minnesota paintings, the collection includes works based on Eastmans experiences in Texas and his visits to other parts of the country; landscapes drawn from nature; maps relating to Native American ethnography and history; and depictions of Indian artifacts. Widely regarded as the foremost pictorial historian of the American Indian in the nineteenth century, Eastman was a career army officer and talented artist with a keen eye for cultural detail. Assigned to frontier duty, including a seven-year stint at Fort Snelling in Minnesota, Captain Eastman recorded such things as winter villages, temporary summer encampments, and Indian burial grounds; courtship and marriage customs; and medicine men concocting potions and ministering to the sick, as he set out to preserve a visual record of even the most commonplace activities of everyday Indian life, which was then undergoing rapid change. For many years, the paintings were kept largely under wraps, locked in a safe at the Hill Library, which more recently was moving away from its original mission as a general reference library toward becoming a more specialized facility that focused on business. The decision to sell the artworks, which was severely criticized in the local press, was predicated on the librarys changing needs and budgetary concerns. Proceeds from the sale were added to the librarys endowment to support general operations. With the Eastman paintings now in private hands, however, they will be more accessible to a wider public than was previously the case. MacMillan, also president of the Afton Historical Society Press in Afton, Minnesota, has already published a lavish, coffee-table bookSeth Eastman: A Portfolio of North American Indiansshowcasing the collection. Publication of the book was celebrated with an exhibition of the paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the artworks will also travel to other museums throughout the country. Not everything you touch has to make money, said MacMillan. I didnt want to see the collection broken up and scattered. . . . It seemed to me that if it was possible to acquire them, we could keep them together on behalf of the people of Minnesota. The Eastmans are an extraordinary resource and legacy. Born in Brunswick, Maine, on January 24, 1808, Seth was the eldest of 13 children of Robert and Sarah Lee Eastman. A gentleman devoted to scientific pursuits and a talented inventor, Robert hoped to send his firstborn son to Maines Bowdoin College, where he had friends among the faculty, but young Seth had a dream of his own. Enamored with soldieringa great-great-grandfather, Captain Ebenezer Eastman, had taken part in the reduction of the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in 1745the lad at length persuaded his father to allow him to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Sixteen years old when he entered the Academy in July 1824, he spent five fruitful years there, preparing to be both a military man and an artist. A two-year course taught by Thomas Gimbrede, a French-born miniaturist and engraver, at the schools Drawing Academy, gave Eastman training in sketching the human form, landscape studies, and topographical drawing. The purpose of the course was to turn out practical draftsmen with engineering skills who could provide civil services for the developing nation, but drawing was also deemed valuable for processing information and honing perception. Although otherwise an undistinguished scholar, Eastman graduated in 1829 at the top of his drawing class. The new second lieutenants first assignment took him halfway across the continent to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. There Colonel Zachary Taylor was rebuilding Fort Crawfordoriginally of log constructionwith native rock. An exacting pencil sketch that Eastman made of the soon-to-be-demolished post and fledgling Prairie du Chien is the earliest extant example of his meticulously drawn military landscapes. Early in 1830, Eastman was transferred 150 miles up the Mississippi River to Fort Snelling, then the countrys northernmost frontier post. Built in the wake of the War of 1812 to block British infiltration of the American Northwest and to protect the newly organized fur trade by maintaining peace among the Native Americans in the region, Fort Snelling was a stone behemoth situated on high limestone bluffs above the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Peters rivers in Minnesota. While at Fort Snelling, Eastman used some of his free time to sketch the untamed beauty of the surrounding, pristine northland. His drawings from this period have been lost, but he is known to have always carried a sketchbook and pencils in his saddlebags. Landscape sketches of Fort Snelling and the Upper Mississippi Valley made in 1830 and 31 served as studies for oil paintings that Eastman completed when he later returned to the East. Records indicate that Lieutenant Eastman satisfactorily carried out his duties at Fort Snelling. The Minnesota frontier was relatively quiet; only rarely were soldiers dispatched to put down Indian trouble. In fact, many of the officers, including Eastman, were cohabiting with Indian women. In 1831, when Eastman was transferred to topographical duty in Louisiana, he left behind a Native-American wife, Stands Like a Spirit, third daughter of Chief Cloudman of the Lake Calhoun village, and an infant daughter, Nancy Eastman. After assisting with a railroad survey in Louisiana, Eastman served briefly with the Topographical Engineers at New London, Connecticut. Then in January 1833, he was recalled to West Point. His former drawing teacher, Thomas Gimbrede, had died, and, while the Academy sought a permanent replacement, Eastman assumed the hastily-created, temporary position of assistant teacher of drawing. The temporary assignment lasted for seven years. Gimbredes job finally went to Robert Weir, a landscapist of rising reputation with whom Eastman studied privately. Preferring the outdoors to classroom duty, Eastman twicein 1835 and 38applied for a transfer to the Topographical Engineers, but to no avail. In the meantime, always giving his best to whatever occupied him, he proved to be a conscientious and productive instructor. In 1837, he prepared A Treatise on Topographical Drawing, a small book with folding plates that became the official text for classes at West Point. These years at the Academy were happy ones for Eastman. In June 1835, when he was 27, he married 17-year-old Mary Henderson, the daughter of West Points assistant surgeon. An able young woman, who expressed herself well in prose and poetry, Mary would capture the fancy of the literary world with several books about Indians, which were illustrated by her husband. In 1838, the National Academy of Design in New York City exhibited eight Eastman canvases; five were Eastern scenes, the remaining three relied on sketches he had made years earlier on the Upper Mississippi. A promotion to captain that year relieved Eastman of his classroom duties and led to his participation in the Second Seminole War in Florida. After a brief assignment at Sarasota, he took command of Fort Fanning, a temporary garrison on the Suwannee River. At both places, Eastman found time to paint not only his usual landscapes, but also, for the first time, the local Indians. By late spring 1841, half of Eastmans regiment was suffering from dysentery and fever brought on by maneuvers in the steamy Florida Everglades. Unwell himself, Eastman was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, to recover his health. In the fall, he was reassigned to Fort Snelling, where he remained for the next seven years. No longer the inexperienced officer he had been ten years earlier, he served on four occasions as commandant of the post. Eastman and his wife Mary raised five childrenfour sons and a daughterat Fort Snelling, and from all accounts, he was a first-rate frontier officer. He had no fear of the Indians, seeing them as wards of the government to be treated fairly but firmly. Besides keeping peace on the frontier, Captain Eastman engaged in a personal crusade to preserve for posterity the customs of a race he thought to be dying, by assembling a pictorial history of the Dakota who inhabited the region. Landscape artist Charles Lanman, who came upriver from St. Louis to Fort Snelling in the summer of 1846, was spellbound by Eastmans collection, which by then already amounted to some four hundred drawings and paintings. It was, he said, the most valuable in the country, not even excepting that of George Catlin. By the next year, Eastman was sending oil paintings to St. Louis, where they were exhibited in artist Henry Lewiss studio. Ranking him out of sight the best painter of Indian life the country has produced, the Missouri Republican judged Eastmans work quite unlike the vast mass of Indian pictures it has been our bad luck to see. Unlike most of his contemporaries, said the reviewer, Eastman stuck to the plain truth, producing masterful paintings that one less conversant with Indian character . . . could never have painted. At the same time that Eastmans Indian paintings were gaining national attention, he was angling for a new assignment. Congress had authorized the publication of a major study of the American Indian to be written by explorer and former Indian agent Henry Schoolcraft, and the post of illustrator for the book was still open. Eastman wrote to the Office of Indian Affairs requesting that he be appointed to the position. He also petitioned the secretary of war for a transfer to the Office of Indian Affairs. While waiting for a reply, Eastman was transferred to Texas. On October 1, 1848, he and his family reluctantly boarded the steamboat Dr. Franklin at Fort Snelling for the trip downriver to St. Louis, en route to a new posting in Texas. From St. Louis, Mary Eastman and the children went east to her fathers home in Connecticut, while the captain followed his company into Comanche territory. When the War Departments long-awaited decision finally reached Eastman in November, the answer was disappointing; he would not be assigned to the Schoolcraft project. Baffled and angered, Eastman pleaded his case with friends in government, and his wife did the same. He declared his willingness to accept a leave of absence to work on the pictures, if a transfer could not be arranged. Writing to Minnesota territorial delegate Henry Sibley, Mary Eastman pointed out that during the twenty three or four years Capt. E. has been in Service he [has] never had a leave (except for a few days) but the one which occurred during the Florida War, when he was very sick . . . . If Captain E. is not here in the Spring, it may be a great loss to him . . . one which he could not repair. Possibly as a result of Sibleys support, Eastman eventually won a five-month furlough. By Christmas 1849, he had settled in Washington with his family and was working on the Indian pictures. As yet, there were no funds for an illustrator, and Eastmans work was entirely speculative. Nonetheless, he plunged into the project, determined to win the long-term appointment that would be needed to complete the task. Finally, in February 1850, he received orders from the War Department that would allow him to complete the illustrations at his ordinary military pay. The monumental work, which comprised 275 pages of illustrations, consumed Eastman for five years. Although he would have preferred to remain in Washington after finishing the Schoolcraft paintings, Eastman returned to his regiment in Texas in June 1855. Past his prime at age 48 and in failing health, he was soon back East on sick leave. In October, he was promoted to major and transferred to the Fifth Infantry. He served a short stint with the Quartermaster Generals Office in Washington, but for the most part, Eastman spent the final years of his military career on the move. With the onset of the Civil War in 1861, Eastman was promoted to lieutenant colonel and named mustering and disbursing officer for Maine and New Hampshire. After suffering a sunstroke that left him permanently impaired and prone to apoplexy, he served for one year, beginning in January 1863, as military governor at Cincinnati. He then served as commandant of the military prisons at Elmira, New York, and Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Appointed brevet brigadier general in 1866, he took charge of the Harrodsburg Military Asylum in Kentucky, remaining there until 1867. Although frail in body, General Eastman returned to painting with renewed enthusiasm after the war. During his last years, he received a commission from the War Department to paint nine scenes of Indian life, based on his Minnesota sketches, for the House Office Building in the nations capital. His final commission, also for the government, specified 17 paintings of American forts for the House Committee on Military Affairs. On August 31, 1875, Eastman was completing a painting of West Point when he slumped over at his easel and died. In the annals of American history, no war has produced as many famous horses as the Civil War: Traveller, Little Sorrel and Rienzi are among the best known, but there are others. Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, for example, rode several great mounts, including his loyal horse Roderick. At the March 1863 Battle of Thompsons Station, Tenn., Roderick had been shot three times and removed froEE the front, but he jumped three fences to return to his masters side, where he suffered a fourth and fatal wound. As the legend goes, Forrest knelt and wept beside his dying steed. Today, a new statue of Roderick marks the chestnut geldings final resting place. The memorial was dedicated this spring as part of the towns commemoration of the 145th anniversary of the Thompsons Station battle. In addition, the towns mayor, Leon Heron, announced the creation of the Roderick Award of Courage, which will be presented each March, starting in 2009, to an individual who exhibits bravery in the face of adversity. Outside the world of horse racingwhich has erected statues for such famous chargers as Seabiscuit and Secretariatit is uncommon for a horse to be so honored without his famous rider depicted as well. The Roderick statue, therefore, is a unique and fitting way to celebrate Civil War history. As historian Eric Jacobson said at the monuments unveiling. We may all live for the future, he noted, but all of us are products of our past. Read The Generals Mount, a poem tribute to Nathan Bedford Forrests horse. September/October 2008 thePROVINGground The Mexican War gave future civil war generals their first taste of combat JOHN C. WAUGH Chatham Roberdeau Wheat would one day lead a famous Louisiana battalion called Wheats Tigers into battle for the Confederacy. He would fight and die in the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia, in 1862. But that was still some 15 years in the future; right now, the young law students attention was directed toward adventure in another conflict, the Mexican War of the 1840s. There, whether he lived or died, he would be a winner, a hero. In his own florid fashion, he wrote: I would ask for no greater glorywhile our spirits should wing their flight to a brighter & a better world where we should enlist under the captaincy of Great Michael and mingle with the hosts of Heavenandwith Washington & the heroes that have gone before, hang out our banners from the battlements of Heaven & let the shout of our exulting voices ring from arch to arch of heavens bright canopy. In the best case, of course, Wheat and his comrades would live, be victorious, enter the city of Mexico, and stand in the halls of the Montezumas covered with glory & with bright stars upon our breasts. In either case, he concluded, we are victorious, victorious even in deathhow sublime! How pleasing the thought! George Brinton McClellan, who would command the Union armies early in the Civil War, was a fire-new graduate of West Point when the Mexican War began. He couldnt wait to get to the front and fight the crowdmusquitoes & Mexicans &c. Hip! Hip! Hurrah! he wrote home. War at last sure enough! Aint it glorious! For young army officers of the time, the Mexican War was not only the road to glory, it was the road to promotion. Advancement in the peacetime army was maddeningly slow. An officer could stagnate in the same low grade year after year until those above him were promoted, resigned, or died, making room for his own advancement. When war came, everything speeded up. Armies expanded and fought, the unfortunate were killed, and the fortunate were promoted. Most young subalterns welcomed the war for that reason. What they didnt know was that the war would be their rite of passage, their crucible, their proving ground. They would learn how to endure hardship, how to inspire the loyalty of troops, how to fight and win battles. In that reasonably tidy little foreign war of 1846-1848, they would be tempered for command in an incomprehensibly larger and messier domestic war to come: the American Civil War. Compared to the Civil War, the Mexican War was small. Of the 17,000 or so Americans who became casualties during the conflict, only about 1,700 were killed in battle. The Union Army suffered a larger number of casualties in just three days of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. Despite this difference in scale, the Mexican War was by no means insignificant. It would add half a million square miles of territory to the United States, territory that would become the modern states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and part of Colorado. Indeed, it was the desire for westward expansion that sparked the war. When the United States admitted the Republic of Texas as a state in December 1846, the Mexican government still considered Texas a rebellious Mexican province. Tension between the two countries prompted U.S. President James K. Polk to dispatch Brigadier General Zachary Taylor to Texas with a force of 3,000 men to defend the Rio Grande. Anti-American Mexicans viewed this as an act of war. Many Americans felt the same, seeing the move as a case of blatant aggression against a weaker nation, designed to satisfy the United States lust for territory. Congressman Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was one of the most vocal critics of the war. Army Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant, who would eventually command all Union armies in the Civil War, called the conflict in Mexico one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. Despite his reservations, Grant accompanied Taylor on his march across Texas in March 1846. On arriving at the Rio Grande, Taylors troops built an earthen fort in a provocative position across the river from the Mexican city of Matamoros. The Mexican War could be said to have begun when Mexican artillery finally opened fire on the fort in May. When Grant heard the bombardment from his camp miles away, he later wrote, I felt sorry that I had enlisted. Others, like McClellan, were not yet in Mexico and were just as sorry to be missing the action. The Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, both American victories against larger Mexican forces, came within a week of the first bombardment. Taylor entered Matamoros on May 18 and in July pushed west on a campaign toward the city of Monterey. There, again, the Americans would be outnumbered by their Mexican foes. Monterey was extraordinarily well fortified and surrounded by rugged terrain. The battle for the city would last three days and cost hundreds of American casualties. On the third day of the battle, the Americans had taken control of Montereys outskirts and began pressing in from all sides toward the grand plaza at its center, held by Mexican troops. An American head poked into one of the streets radiating out from the plaza would instantly summon a hail of artillery and musket fire, and snipers seemed to lurk on every roof. Lieutenant Grant, although officially acting as a regimental quartermaster, had managed to find his way to the firing line. When the unit he accompanied began to run out of ammunition, he volunteered to ride to Taylors headquarters to plead for more. One of the finest horseman ever to pass through West Point, Grant found a creative solution to the hazard of moving through Montereys open streets. He swung to the side of his horse farthest from the enemy, leaving only one foot holding to the cantle of the saddle and one arm over the neck of the horseIndian style. Shielded from stray bullets by his mounts body, Grant sped through the streets at such a furious clip that few of the citys defenders got off clean shots at him; both man and horse arrived at headquarters unharmed. Thanks to that and similar instances of audacity, creative tactics, and good luck, the Americans were able to overcome Monterey. It was a resounding triumph for Taylor; news of the victory spread quickly north to the United States. To some eager young officers who had yet to reach the front, missing that battle seemed the ultimate tragedy of their military lives. McClellan was among those who arrived too late for the fight. It was a piece of bad luck, he moaned, which I shall regret as long as I live. McClellan would soon see his share of action. Taylors victories were producing no overtures of surrender from the Mexican government. Convinced that nothing less than a campaign against the national capital, Mexico City, would bring the wars end, President Polk sent Major General Winfield Scott, the armys senior commander, to organize a coastal invasion of central Mexico. For that operation, Scott requisitioned the cream of Taylors force: most of his U.S. Army regulars and his cadre of West Point-trained officers. Taylor reluctantly acceded to Scotts order and remained at Monterey with a force consisting primarily of volunteers. Taylors volunteers would be tested in one last fight: the Battle of Buena Vista. There, Taylor was nearly routed by a larger Mexican army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The swift and resolute action of troops from Indiana and Mississippi saved the day. The commander of the Mississippi volunteers was Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederacy. Buena Vista was the end of the campaign in northern Mexico, but far from the end of the war. Taylor stayed in Monterey and later returned home, but Scott spent the winter preparing a sea-borne invasion of Mexicos greatest port, Vera Cruz. McClellan, meanwhile, was having the time of his young life. Around the campfires at night, he wrote his mother, you never saw such a merry set as we areno care, no troublewe criticize the Generalslaugh & swear at the mustangs & volunteers. Waking before dawn was common: When on a march, we get up at 2 or 3, when we halt, we snooze it, till 8 or 9when we have cigars we smoke them, when we have none, we go withoutwhen we have brandy, we drink it, when we have not, we make it up by laughing at our predicamentthat is the way we live. The novelty of campaign life did little to ease the desire for battle, especially for one of McClellans West Point classmates, a young artillery lieutenant named Thomas Jonathan Jackson. Jackson would become one of Americas most famous generals, earning the nickname Stonewall during his service to the Confederacy. But in 1847 he had yet to hear a shot fired in anger. Walking on a beach in February with another future Confederate general, Lieutenant Daniel Harvey Hill, he said: I really envy you men who have been in action. We who have just arrived look upon you as veterans. Then he added wistfully, I should like to be in one battle. Jackson would not have long to wait. Early in March, Scott landed his army of around 10,000 men on the beaches near Vera Cruz, along with a host of cannon. The walled city was nearly impervious to infantry attack, so Scott decided to shell it into submission. Jackson manned one of the batteries that began bombarding the city later that month. A cannonball came within five steps of sweeping him into oblivion, but he paid it no mind; he was doing what he most wantedcommanding guns in battle and attracting glittering acclaim for his coolness and judgment. One of his West Point classmates, Lieutenant William Montgomery Gardner, a future Confederate brigadier, saw him under fire for the first time and said Old Jack was as calm in the midst of a hurricane of bullets as though he were on dress parade at West Point. The success of the bombardment of Vera Cruz would depend not only on the skill of the artillerists, but also on the efforts of the engineers who oversaw the landing and placement of the guns. One of them was a 40-year-old captain named Robert E. Lee. Lees only previous field service had been a brief stint with Taylor, but from the moment he joined Scotts staff in January 1847, he began to shoulder ever greater responsibility. His role in positioning guns for the siege of Vera Cruz could be seen as his first step up the ladder toward military fame and immortality. The bombardment brought the citys surrender in less than a week. Scott consolidated his force at Vera Cruz and then began a march inland up the National Road toward Mexico City. This movement met its first resistance in mid-April near the town of Cerro Gordo. There, Santa Anna had entrenched his troops in strong positions along the only passable road through the mountains for miles. Scott saw that any frontal assault on Santa Annas positions would be suicidal. He asked his engineers to find a route to the flank or rear of the Mexican position. A young lieutenant with the lyrical name of Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard thought he had spied such a route: he suspected the dense jungle and ravine-scarred landscape on the Mexicans left could be penetrated. Like McClellan and Lee, Beauregard was an engineer, an officer who specialized in reconnaissance and in moving men and equipment through hostile terrain. And like Lee, he would later become one of the Confederacys top generals. Beauregards speculation prompted Scott to send Lee, fast becoming the generals trusted right hand, to investigate. Gifted with a singular sense of direction and an unparalleled feeling for topography, Lee determined that Scotts army could indeed cut a path where Beauregard suspected and surprise Santa Annas forces. Scott did exactly that. While part of his force feinted against the Mexican front to draw Santa Annas attention, the bulk of the American army crept through the dense underbrush and passed through deep ravines to reach the Mexican rear. There, in a classic surprise attack, they swept Mexican troops from poorly defended positions. Santa Annas army broke and retreated toward Mexico City. Scott settled into camp at the cities of Jalapa and Puebla to await reinforcements and, perhaps, peace overtures from the Mexican government. But he quickly ran into problems supplying his army from its base at Vera Cruz. The route between his inland bases and the coast was long and filled with Mexican guerrillas, and he could not spare enough troops to make sure his supply trains arrived safely. In the face of this quandary, Scott made a bold decision: he abandoned the lengthy supply line and consolidated his force at Puebla. His army would survive on whatever it could wrest from the Mexican countryside and its inhabitants. To everyones surprise, it worked. Mexico City made no request for peace negotiations, but Scott was able to maintain his army as an effective fighting force through the summer. And when reinforcements arrived, swelling his army to about 13,000 men, he decided to push farther inland. South of Mexico City, the Americans again encountered defenders in overwhelmingly strong positions. Again Scott turned to his engineers, particularly Lee, to find an option other than a pointless frontal attack. Again Lee served him well. The rugged terrain in the area included the Pedregal, as pure an impassable piece of desolation as any army would ever see, a barren no-mans-land that looked as if a tumbling sea of molten lava had instantly congealed. It was fissured, pocked with caves, bristling with jagged outcroppings, and devoid of life. Santa Anna felt secure enough to leave the area only lightly guarded; there seemed no way to push a goat, let alone an army, through such a dead desert. But Lee found a way and led a team of workmen on an expedition to cut a path for Scotts army. The resulting Battle of Contreras, on August 20, was another American victory, and the Mexican army retreated north to nearby Churubusco. There, another battle came on the same day as Contreras. Again, Santa Annas troops held strong defensive positions. This time, though, there was no alternative to a frontal assault. Scott attacked from several directions at once. He did not pause to reconnoiter, instead relying on the momentum of his troops, who were pursuing fleeing Mexicans from Contreras. The Battle of Churubusco lasted all afternoon and cost Scott more than 1,000 casualties, but again he triumphed, thanks to the bravery and skill of his soldiers. A number of young men distinguished themselves on the field at Churubusco, including Philip Kearny, a captain of dragoons who suffered wounds that cost him his left arm. He owed his survival to a lieutenant who bravely ensured his safe return to American lines. Kearny would later become a major general in the Union army during the Civil War. His rescuer, Richard Ewell, would achieve the rank of lieutenant generaland lose a legfighting for the Confederacy. Scott had at last forced Santa Anna into Mexico City itself. Now, the citys defenses were all that stood between the Americans and victory. Early in September, Scott made his move. The linchpin of the citys defenses was Chapultepec, a towering hill surmounted by a fortified castle bearing the same name. After a costly preliminary fight at Molino Del Rey on September 8, Scott launched an attack on Chapultepec on the 13th. If he could carry the castle, he would control the ground in front of the final Mexican defenses at the citys gates. One of the battalions attacking Chapultepec was led by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph E. Johnston. Beauregard, who witnessed the assault, later wrote that the gallant Colonel Johnston urged his men on against as terrible a fire as I had yet seen! The battalion was Johnstons first independent command; he would be brevetted to full colonel for his part in the battle and would eventually join Beauregard as one of the highest-ranking generals in the Confederacy. Chapultepec would not fall without a fight. Lieutenant Jackson could attest to the passion of the castles defenders; he was on the armys left when the assault began and soon found himself in a mess of trouble. In plain view of most of the army, Jackson was stuck in a ditch with his guns, under heavy cannon fire. Nearly all the horses in his battery had been killed or wounded, and his men had scattered for cover. His infantry support, except for a small escort that continued to try to hold its ground, had also disappeared. Not only could Jackson himself not disappear under the circumstances, he didnt want to. He intended to return fire, if he could just get his guns over the ditch and aimed at the enemy. But he was working alone. He had lifted one gun over, but needed help to take it any farther. He strode up and down the shot-torn road, prodding and exhorting his cowering command. There is no danger! he lied, as a cannonball caromed between his legs. See! I am not hit! His men stared back at him with justified skepticism. The rest of the army could hardly bear to watch. His commander sent an order to retire, but Jackson replied that it would be more dangerous now to withdraw than to stay. If the general would give him 50 veterans, he would attempt to capture the Mexican breastwork instead. Help finally did come, and Jackson got his gun into position and engaged the Mexican battery in a virtual muzzle-to-muzzle shootout. In time, thanks mainly to Jacksons sheer will, the enemy gun was overpowered and the breastwork stormed. Jackson was not the only one to distinguish himself that day. Among the first men in the ditch guarding the castle was Lieutenant Lewis A. Armistead. A step behind him, bearing the colors, was Lieutenant James Longstreet. And beside him was the man who had finished dead last in Jackson and McClellans West Point class, Lieutenant George E. Pickett. A musket ball struck Longstreet, but as he fell Pickett caught the colors and carried them heroically over the wall and into the castle. Last at West Point, Pickett was first at Chapultepec. Little did these three young men suspect that 16 years later, on a hot July 3, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, their destinies would again intertwine. On that day Longstreet would command the Confederate corps that would make the most famous charge in American history. Directly under him, in command of the main division making the chargeand for whom the charge would be namedwould be George Pickett. One of Picketts brigadiers, destined to die there, would be Lewis Armistead. Unlike Picketts Charge at Gettysburg, the charge at Chapultepec was a success. The Americans overran the castle in just over an hour, but Mexico City was not yet theirs. They had only made it possible to attack the last line of defense at the citys gates. As Jackson raced down the causeway toward the city with his artillery caisson, dying to administer the coup de grace, he was accompanied by Lieutenants D.H. Hill and Barnard Bee. All were urging Captain John Magruder, a hothead himself, to let them continue the assault. All four of these officers would one day be Confederate generals. Two others in that category, Beauregard and Lieutenant Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, were at that moment in deep trouble at the Belen Gate, at the southwest corner of the city. Both were finding it an emphatically hot placeso hot that nearly everyone there was wounded, including Beauregard. Wilcox, however, led a charmed life. A Mexican musket ball hammered into the side of the Colt revolver hanging on his left hip, spinning him around and dazing him. But he was unhurt, and when he picked up the musket ball that had struck his revolver, he found it flattened to the thickness of a silver dollar by the force of the impact. Clearly stamped on one side of this lead wafer was the name of the pistols maker and the place where it was made. The same luck would follow Wilcox through the Civil War. At the Battle of White Oak Swamp, Virginia, in 1862, he would take half a dozen bullet holes through his clothing but emerge untouched. Indeed, he would pass through his four years of service to the Confederacy without a single serious injury. North of the Belen Gate into Mexico City was the San Cosme Gate, where resistance to the invaders was equally spirited. Ulysses S. Grant, still nominally a regimental quartermaster, had again made his way to the front lines. As his comrades dodged Mexican bullets, Grant spied a church belfry that seemed to command the area behind the gate. He commandeered a mountain howitzer, ordered it hauled up into the belfry, and from there, less than 300 yards from the gate, dropped fire on a startled and confounded enemy with striking effect. The Americans controlled both gates before evening and prepared for a final push through the city on the following day. But Santa Anna evacuated overnight, and the next day city authorities surrendered. The war was all but over. The Mexican War gave Americas young crop of army officers a taste of glory and opportunity for advancement, but it also gave them a look at what war was really like. They didnt always like what they saw. After Mexico City fell, Jackson wrote his sister in Virginia that he had seen sights that would melt the heart of the most inhuman of beings: my friends dying around me and my brave soldiers breathing their last on the bloody fields of battle, deprived of every human comfort, and even now I can hardly open my eyes after entering a hospital, the atmosphere of which is generally so vitiated as to make the healthy sick. Jackson was finding that while battle elated him, war did not. Even as hawkish an officer as George McClellan lost some of his enthusiasm during the war. At Contreras he had two horses killed under him and was knocked flat when canister fire struck the hilt of his sword. By the wars end, when he was in Mexico City and still alive, he would say: Here we arethe deed is doneI am glad no one can say poor Mac over me. When the deed was done and the participants looked back on the war, they all agreed it was an unparalleled military experience. Grant, who would one day have a few successes of his own on other fields, praised Scott and summed up the accomplishment this way: He invaded a populous country, penetrating two hundred and sixty miles into the interior, with a force at no time equal to one-half of that opposed to him; he was without a base; the enemy was always intrenched, always on the defensive; yet he won every battle, he captured the capital, and conquered the government. Although from the beginning of the war to the end of it some 100,000 men, regulars and volunteers, entered the American army, at no time did more than 14,000 fight in any one battle. Scott entered the valley of Mexico with only 9,000 troops and was not reinforced until after Mexico City had fallen. In every battle fought, the Mexicans were superioroften overwhelmingly soin numbers of troops and small arms and in numbers and weight of artillery. They had a superior cavalry and fought gallantly. Yet, the Americans consistently defeated them. Why? What the American army had that the Mexicans didnt was overwhelming superiority in military skill. The Mexicans were outgeneraled and outmaneuvered at the top. But even more important, they were outmanned in the middle by the solid core of young officers, West Pointers mostly, who formed the backbone of the armys officer corps. The group of officers who earned the most voluminous praise were West Point engineers. Lieutenants McClellan and Beauregard and Captain Lee were among the bright engineering talent that shone like burnished steel throughout the war. Their ability literally shaped victories for General Winfield Scott along the National Road from Vera Cruz to Mexico City in the spring and summer of 1847. All would go on to command huge armies in the coming Civil War. Even in that group of luminaries, though, one officer shone more brightly than most: Robert E. Lee. There was not a general in the American army in Mexico who didnt, between Vera Cruz and Mexico City, praise the work of this brilliant engineer at least once. Scott called Lees two trips across the Pedregal near Contreras on the night of August 19 the greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any individual, in my knowledge, pending the campaign. Lieutenant Ewell, who would one day command a corps in Lees Army of Northern Virginia, wrote in his account of that battle: I really think one of the most talented men connected with this army is Capt. Lee, of the Engs. By his daring reconnaissances pushed up to the cannons mouth, he has enabled Genl. Scott to fight his battles almost without leaving his tent. A decade after the war, Scott was still aglow over Lee, describing him in an official letter as the very best soldier that I ever saw in the field. When the Civil War was just beginning in April 1861, Scott was the aged, overweight, and immobile general-in-chief of the U.S. Army. He still thought enough of Lees abilities that he suggested the colonel for command of the entire Federal force then being assembled to put down the rebellion. Lee refusedhe could not take up arms against his people in seceding Virginiabut the offer was a signal honor. Lee may have been the star of Scotts campaign, but he was by no means alone in earning the commanding generals praise. Scott gave credit generally to his young West Point-trained officers. At Contreras, he exclaimed to Beauregard, If West Point had only produced the Corps of Engineers, the Country ought to be proud of that institution. Later, at a dinner in Mexico City, he said that but for the science of the military academy this army, multiplied by four, could not have entered the capital of Mexico. After the war Scott said flatly: I give it as my fixed opinion that but for our graduated cadets the war between the United States and Mexico might, and probably would, have lasted some four or five years, with, in its first half, more defeats than victories falling to our share; whereas in less than two campaigns we conquered a great country and a peace without the loss of a single battle or skirmish. The same officer corps that earned such overwhelming praise in the Mexican War would rise to the highest commands of the Civil War. Of course, not every great Civil War general learned to lead armies from the experience in Mexico. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the unschooled military genius who rose from private to lieutenant general of cavalry in the Confederacy, was never in Mexico. William T. Sherman spent the Mexican War on garrison duty in California, a thousand miles from the heart of the action. Philip Sheridan was part of an entire generation of great Civil War commanders who were too young for the Mexican War. But for many of the generals who rose to highest command in the Union and Confederate armies, the Mexican War was their war college, their main preparation for command in the Civil War. Lee, Grant, Jackson, McClellan, Beauregard, Longstreet, Albert Sidney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, George Gordon Meade, Edmund Kirby Smith, George H. Thomas, Braxton Bragg, Joseph Hooker, and dozens of others all learned to make war in Mexico. Not all of them would apply what they learned equally well, and some would forget the lessons altogether in the heat of combat, but Mexico would influence the way they fought nearly every battle in the Civil War. So it is a fair question: what exactly did the Mexican War teach them that they then fell back on in the 1860s, when suddenly they found themselves fighting one another? To begin with, they had good teachers in Generals Taylor and Scott. The two men were cut from entirely different cloth, but both offered important role models for their young subordinates. Taylor was the soldiers general. He often came up short on tactics and he lacked skill in the logistics of war, but when his men called him Old Rough and Ready, they meant it as a compliment. He was somebody to have confidence in. He shared every hardship in the field with his troops and demonstrated an astonishing personal courage. A reporter with Taylors army wrote in the Cincinnati Chronicle in early 1847, Gen. Taylor has gained more influence over his army than any other general, save Napoleon, that ever lived. There is not a man of them, I suppose, who ever thinks of any thing else than success, when Taylor leads them in battle. A certain conviction rests upon the mind of the soldier that old Rough and Ready cannot be whipped, and it nerves his arms and strengthens his heart to do and dare more than he could with any less feeling of confidence. It was the same sort of confidence Civil War soldiers were to feel in Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and U. S. Grant. Probably no commander in the Civil War patterned himself on Taylor as closely as Grant did. In describing Taylor in his memoirs, Grant might have been describing himself. No soldier could face either danger or responsibility more calmly than he, Grant wrote. These are qualities more rarely found than genius or physical courage. General Taylor never made any great show or parade, either of uniform or retinue. In dress he was possibly too plain, rarely wearing anything in the field to indicate his rank, or even that he was an officer; but he was known to every soldier in his army and was respected by all. That was Grants style as well. It might have been his style had he never seen Taylor, but from Taylor he learned it was a style that invoked trust, respect, and confidence in troops and officers. Taylor also offered some practical, useful lessons of war. Lee, in his short service with Taylor, learned at least one such lesson that would influence his Civil War service. Lee was at Taylors quarters one day when an excited young officer rode up and announced he had seen 20,000 Mexican troops moving up with 250 guns. Taylor, familiar with the resources available to his opponent, was naturally skeptical. Captain, he asked, do you say that you saw that force? Yes, General, the captain said. Captain, Taylor said, if you say you saw it, of course I must believe you; but I would not have believed it if I had seen it myself. Sixteen years later, on the field at Chancellorsville, Virginia, Lee was to greet wild reports of the Federal strength and movements by recounting Taylors skepticism. The incident had left a deep impression. But it was Scott, the thinking mans general, who emerges as the true mentor of the great Civil War commanders. Scott was perhaps the finest military mind of his century, and one of the best of any century. In personality he was the polar opposite of Taylor: conceited in his way, devoted to pomp and circumstance, quick to take offense, jealous of his prerogatives, often undiplomatic. He came to be known as Old Fuss and Feathers. But he, too, was courageous in the face of enemy fire, and he added to that trait a precise and original military intellect. Lee was 20 months in Mexico, most of it with Scott. In those months, he learned lessons he would apply with striking effect in the Civil War a decade and a half later. One of his biographers, Douglas Southall Freeman, listed several military traits Lee learned under the brilliant Scott. Others learned the same lessons, but few would apply them with such success. The first of these traits was audacity. Everything in Mexico called for audacity. The disproportionate size of the two armies, the professionalism of the American officers as opposed to the Mexican, the highly trained nature of Scotts army, all favored audacity, and Scotts campaign reflected it at every turn. Lee later carried that quality into battle after battle in the Civil War, and Jackson displayed it in abundance in his classic Shenandoah Valley campaign and at Second Manassas and Chancellorsville under Lee. On the Union side, Grant never lacked it. Another lesson Scott taught was the need to delegate responsibility. He believed a commanding generals job was to plan an operation, acquaint his commanders with the plan, see that his troops were brought to the seat of action at the right time and the right placeand then leave the fighting of the battle in detail to his subordinates. A number of Civil War commanders borrowed that style from Scott, but Lee emulated him most closely. Scott also knew the importance of a trained staff. He leaned heavily on his talented West Pointers; he knew winning was impossible without them. In the Civil War, Lee, Grant, and Jackson all put a high priority on building and maintaining smart, efficient, well-trained staffs. Reconnaissance was a Scott byword. He relied on it at every turn along the National Road to Mexico City, and Lee had been his reconnaissance star. It was this all-important reconnaissance that made possible Scotts victories at Cerro Gordo and Contreras, and the importance of reconnaissance became firmly embedded in the minds of Scotts most successful pupils. Cerro Gordo, one of the great flanking movements in all of military history, was in itself a critical lesson of the Mexican War. The flank attack was a staple of Napoleonic tactics; every West Point cadet would have been familiar with it in theory, but Cerro Gordo vividly demonstrated the impact of an attack where an attack was least expected. It would become the tactic virtually every Civil War general yearned most to emulate and recreate in his own campaigns. Lee fashioned Cerro Gordos with stunning success at Second Manassas and Chancellorsville. In both cases his instrument was Stonewall Jackson, a man who also thought in terms of Cerro Gordos and whom an admiring Union officer would one day call the supremest flanker and rearer the world had ever seen. Grant, too, knew the value of the flanking movement. He repeatedly tried to get around Lees right flank in the battles from the Wilderness to Petersburg in 1864, failing only because Lee always anticipated him. Even George McClellan looked for Cerro Gordos, beginning at Rich Mountain in western Virginia in early 1861. He won that little battle with a flanking strategy, but unlike his peers, McClellan possessed little of the audacity that successful flanking movements require. He was never able to successfully repeat the maneuver. One lesson Scott taught ran counter to accepted military practice. During the march toward Mexico City, he boldly abandoned his lines of supply and communication. Many who werent on the scene predicted disaster, but his army lived successfully off the countryside and was able to win battles even while it was isolated. Lee emulated this strategy later in both of his invasions of the Northinto Maryland in 1862 and Pennsylvania in 1863. Grant also boldly abandoned his lines of supply and communication, Scott-style, at Vicksburg in 1863. And Sherman, Grants protege, took the tactic to its zenith in his march through Georgia and the Carolinas in late 1864 and early 1865. Scott also taught a healthy respect for fortification. Under Scotts command, Lee placed the batteries at Vera Cruz and at Chapultepec. He had also seen well-laid-out Mexican fortifications at Cerro Gordo and Contreras that had failed to work only because the Mexican generals didnt know how to use them properly. Scott did know how to use them, and so did Lee. Not everyone who marched with Scott learned the same lessons, or learned them so well. McClellan, perhaps more than any of his peers, loved the siege. He, like Lee, Jackson, Grant, and so many others, had seen a classic siege at Vera Cruz. He saw yet another as an observer of the Crimean War in the 1850s. He was sold on them. Lacking the audacity of his contemporaries, who used it only as a last resort, siege was one of the first tactical tools McClellan thought of. It was, for instance, a Vera Cruz and not a Cerro Gordo that he thought of when he laid siege to Yorktown on the Virginia Peninsula in 1862. Given the choice, Lee, Grant, and certainly Jackson, would have tried a number of other approaches before resorting to a siege. But of all the things the commanders in the Civil War learned in Mexico under the brilliant Scott and the dogged and confident Taylor, the most valuable may have been what they learned about one another. Grant later put it this way: The Mexican War made the officers of the old regular armies more or less acquainted, and when we knew the name of the general opposing we knew enough about him to make our plans accordingly. What determined my attack on Donelson [Fort Donelson, Tennessee] was as much the knowledge I had gained of its commanders in Mexico as anything else. But as the war progressed, and each side kept improving its army, these experiments were not possible. Then it became a hard, earnest war, and neither side could depend upon any chance with the other. Neither side dared to make a mistake. One of the men Lee came to know best in Mexico was McClellan, who had served with him as an engineer. They had labored side-by-side in reconnoitering, constructing batteries, building roads, and serving artillery. Lee was acquainted with McClellans strengths and weaknesses. When they met as opposing generals on the Virginia Peninsula and later at Antietam, Maryland, in the Civil War, Lee knew his man well and was able to base his strategy and tactics on that knowledge. McClellan had had as much opportunity in Mexico to observe and learn about Lee, but if he learned anything, he used it far less effectively. Had he been able to exploit his friend Lee as well as Lee exploited him in those important early campaigns of the Civil War, that conflict might have turned out far differently than it did. Whether or not the generals of the Civil War absorbed their lessons well in Mexico, there is no denying that the lessons had been offered. Those who did absorb them and then used them, generally went on to greatness. Many of them stand today in the pantheon of great American generals, in large part because of what they learned in that little foreign war that took them so triumphantly together to the halls of the Montezumas. John C. Waugh is a former newspaper journalist who now considers himself a historical reporter. He is the author of The Class of 1846: From West Point to AppomattoxStonewall Jackson, George McClellan and Their Brothers. Australian scientists discovered some spherules in May. These give evidence that the earth was hit by an asteroid. Although chances of another asteroid hitting the earth are remote, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is exploring the possibility of a clash with asteroid Bennu. Bennu was an asteroid that was spotted by researchers in 1999. As it crosses the earth's orbit once in six years, it has inched closer to us, with a sporadic shift of 100 miles. The asteroid is expected to travel between the earth and the moon in 2135. Due to its nearness, it is expected that the earth's gravity will impact its orbit, according to Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science at Arizona University. NASA concludes that the possibility of being hit by Bennu may be just 1 in 2,500. However, experts estimate that Bennu's attack would be about 200 times as strong as the Hiroshima atomic attack, or even about as high as 3 billion tonnes of high explosives. Bennu is certainly within the threshold of causing a "global catastrophe" due to its massive size, according to Professor Mark Bailey of Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland. NASA's Osiris-Rex probe mission will be launched in September. It will first revolve around the sun for a year and then "slingshot" around the earth again, and align the earth's orbit with Bennu by August 2018. Hence, it used the Yarkovsky effect or the force that can send asteroids orbiting the solar system and then the earth. NASA would be able to get parts of a carbonaceous asteroid. As Bennu is an ancient relic filled with organic molecules, scientists have measured Bennu's density and speculate that space inside the asteroid can make the body a "rubble pile", or a loose conglomeration of "dust, rock, and boulders," according to Edward Beshore, deputy principal investigator for Osiris-Rex. "We need to know everything about Bennu - its size, mass, and composition," said Lauretta. "This could be vital data for future generations." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dining room of the restaurant Kung Fu. Jaime Villanueva Although weve known for a while now that Chinese food extends far beyond spring rolls, sweet-and-sour pork and fried rice, few restaurants have brought the authentic flavors of the Asian country to Spain. Since China has one of the most diverse and delicious cuisines in the world, specialization is key when it comes to understanding and enjoying each different areas delicacies. Here weve assembled a tasty tour through Chinas varied regions without having to leave Madrid. Sichuan Both within and outside of China, Sichuan food is notorious for its scorching hot spices dishes containing the famous Sichuan pepper can leave the tongue numb. Some of the most notable Sichuan dishes include mapo tofu, Sichuan eggplant, and kung pao chicken. Sabor Sichuan (Ventura Rodriguez, 5) Just a five-minute walk from Plaza de Espana, Sabor Sichuan specializes in one of the fundamental Sichuan dishes: huo guo, or hot pot, which is a kind of Chinese fondue. Customers can choose between a variety of broths (from very spicy to a simple tomato or meat base) and every kind of ingredient (tofu, spinach, dumplings, shrimp, lotus root and more) to mix together. The process itself is easy: add the ingredients to the pot and wait for one to five minutes, depending on the desired result. Ni Hao (Silva, 20) Spicy Sichuan chicken from Ni Hao. J. V. Ni Hao is close to Plaza de la Luna and caters mostly to a Chinese clientele, with a spacious dining area resembling a tavern. It offers dishes from all around the country, but its menu is focused on Sichuan food; in addition to the hot pot, they have yu xiang eggplant, kubak ("three-delights rice") and fried chicken feet. For vegetarians, the mapo tofu is one of the best in Madrid. Yue Lai Hotpot (Hermosilla, 109) Whether it be duck, seafood, pork, blood, or dim sum, this restaurant in the upscale neighborhood of Salamanca offers an incredible variety of dishes. Use the peanut and sesame sauces liberally to counteract the searing Sichuan spices. Guizhou The cuisine from this southern Chinese region is only for the bravest of diners and stomachs. The fish, one of their specialties, is often served with soup and a plethora of peppers and chilies. A shelf inside the restaurant Kung Fu J. V. Kung Fu (Luna, 12) Located on a side street just off of San Bernardo, this little restaurant boasts modern and elegant decoration and is frequented by young Chinese customers, especially on weekends. The sea bass and the spicy chicken are two of their specialties, which can be followed by a bit of rice and a coconut beverage to soothe the palate. The menu includes dishes that are difficult to find in Madrid, like century egg with tofu. Shanghai Called the Pearl of the Orient, Shanghai and the regions around it (like Zhejiang, where a large percentage of Chinese residents in Spain come from) provide some of the sweetest flavors that China has to offer. Hu cai gastronomy is characterized by the addition of sugar and liqueurs to its dishes, and, of course, one of the kings of Chinese cuisine: baozi, which are little steamed buns stuffed with meat, shrimp and vegetables. Javier Belloso Casa Lafu (Flor Baja, 1) Located just off Gran Via, Casa Lafu opened its doors a few months ago and already comes highly recommended by Chinese food aficionados in the city. With two floors and views looking out onto the centuries-old thoroughfare, its the perfect place to enjoy the mix between the sweet dishes of Shanghai (rices, meat or seafood dim sum, eggplant) and the hot pots and spicy desserts of Sichuan. Toy Panda (Espiritu Santo, 7) Specializing in dim sum, Toy Panda is one of the few places in Madrid with a menu that offers xiaolongbao, which are broth-filled dumplings very typical of the financial capital of Shanghai. Located in Malasana, it also serves excellent baos, which are Taiwanese steamed pork belly buns. Restaurant El Bund J. V. El Bund (Arturo Baldasano, 22) Named after the neighborhood that borders the Huangpu river in Shanghai, El Bund is one of the most luxurious Chinese restaurants in Madrid. The interior has recreated a 1930s villa in a house within the neighborhood of Arturo Soria. The menu includes handmade dim sum and a wide range of seafood and fish dishes, but most of the food is sweet. Canton From the region of Canton, in the south, Cantonese food is widely known outside of China, and in many places thought of as real Chinese food. It has mild, simple flavors, favoring fish, seafood and shellfish, with an abundance of ginger, soy sauce, garlic and onion. Canton gave us wonton soup, as well as some of the most popular dim sum offerings in the world. Royal Cantones (Olvido, 92) Located in the most Chinese neighborhood in Madrid, Usera, the restaurant Royal Cantones has gained popularity in the past few years thanks to an extensive and delicious menu. Favorites include fish, stews, scallopsprepared in numerous different waysand of course, the mild, delicate shrimp and pork dim sum, some of the best in the city. 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. English version by Allison Light. In every area of business, being proactive beats being reactive. For example, if investors can follow the ebbs and flows of the stock market, they can predict when to invest and when to hold back garnering a profit. The same is true in hospitality. However, this notion of beingproactive rather than reactive when it comes to providing positive guest feedback is still a foreign concept to many. It doesn't just mean offering your guests a pleasant stay in the hopes of a positive review. Rather, it's about actually understanding the needs of each individual guest to provide them with the best experience. How? Self-Service Model Guests like good service but it doesn't mean they want to talk to your staff every time they want a new bottle of hair conditioner. e3's Travel Trends whitepaper noted that airports are moving to self-service models (self-bag drop and self-boarding) in an effort to gain a competitive advantage. Helsinki was the first airport in the world to use beacons to monitor WiFi-enabled phones of its passengers. This provides them with real-time data on how many passengers are moving through the airport. Up next: they want to provide push message notifications to passengers based on where they are in the airport. The hotel industry has slowly started to jump on the self-service industry (think of SPG's keyless entry and Japan's robot hotel. However, we can take it a step further with real-time interactions and messaging. Real-Time Messaging Right now, hotel-to-guest interactions happen in primarily three stages: online pre-stay (for research), in-person during their stay (interactions with staff) and online again post-stay (for reviews and feedback). What hotels aren't leveraging are online interactions with guests during their stay. That's where real-time messaging comes in. Using services like Checkmate, hotels can engage guests before they arrive and during their stay in real time with SMS, email and Facebook messaging. Instead of waiting to hear on an online review that your guest wished they had an extra blanket, you could instead use real-time messaging. Hotels are able to solve this issue during the guest's stay, preventing negative reviews before they occur. Hyatt was the first hotel to experiment with using Facebook's Messenger application. This allows guests to communicate with them exactly like they communicate with their friends. Marriott Rewards members can use their Mobile Requests feature on their app to instantaneously make requests during their stay. Predictive vs. Proactive So what does this have to do with predicting guests experiences? Being proactive is the first step of the puzzle. If we want to compete against rising threats to the industry, hoteliers have to engage with guests in real-time. The next step of the puzzle, which I believe we will get to one day, is predicting what guests want. Some hotels already have this data from their loyalty programs, enabling you to know your guest prefers lower floors and two extra pillows during their stay. I think the future of guest feedback is to be able to mine this data to prepare for guests' arrival. Using their personal profile info allows hotels to be more than just being proactive, but actually be predictive. Until we move fully predictive, let's focus on getting better at being proactive when it comes to guest satisfaction. For real-time messaging, here are three aspects you should look for: Instantaneous communication: Your real-time messaging app should provide you with the ability to send messages to guests instantaneously Multiple channels: It should allow you to communicate with guests on multiple channels text, email, social media etc. Simple and easy to use: It should be easy for not only guests to use but your hotel staff as well. The only way to prevent negative reviews, and to satisfy today's mobile-savvy, instant-gratification guest, is to provide a simple way for them to connect with you, when they want to, where they want to. Welcome to the world of real-time hotel-guest communications. About TrustYou TrustYou is on a mission to make communication and feedback simpler and more productive. All communication channels, together in one place, is the new way of doing business. Today, customers expect instant responses on their preferred communications channels. As a subset of communication, feedback is the foundation to build better products, services and companies. TrustYou helps companies win through the power of listening and provides a Guest Experience (GX) Platform that makes listening to customers easy, powerful, and actionable. The platform unlocks the potential of guest feedback and helps to: Create unlimited opportunities to listen and respond to guests' needs. Understand all reviews across the web and make better business decisions. Publish hotel reviews on the website and on Google and allow positive feedback to influence bookings. TrustYou empowers companies to earn trust, make better decisions, and ultimately, win. View source 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 Home2 Suites by Hilton announced yesterday its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford. Offering 91 suites, the hotel is designed for travelers looking for a fresh, new stay experience, as the Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford complements the growing interest of travelers looking to visit America's fourth largest city. "Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford is a great example of how 'everything is bigger in Texas' as each standard suite includes spacious living, cooking and sleeping areas which are perfect for both extended stay and leisure travelers," said Heather Cullen, general manager. "With our new extended stay offering in the Houston area, we are excited to give travelers yet another reason to visit one of the best cities in the country." Located at 11121 Fountain Lake Drive, Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford offers guests convenient access to downtown Houston, Sugar Land Town Square, Fountains Shopping Center and First Colony Mall. Owned and managed by Everwood Stafford, LLC, Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford offers guests all-suite accommodations featuring fully-equipped kitchens and modular furniture allowing for guests to personalize their room. The hotel also features easy access to technology with complimentary Internet, inviting community spaces, and trademark Home2 Suites amenities such as Spin2 Cycle, a combined laundry and fitness area, Home2 MKT for grab-and-go items, and the Inspired Table, a complimentary breakfast that includes more than 400 potential combinations. Guests can also enjoy the outdoor saline pool and patio with grill area. Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston Stafford is also pet-friendly. On the other hand the 4 airports of Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Aktio serving the Ionian islands recorded an increase of 10% in international arrivals up to June 2016 compared to the same period last year, while Crete received 11% more international arrivals, Rhodes 8% and Santorini & Mykonos together 16% during H1 2016 compared to last year. Cairo was on a track of recovery, even though the tourism industry in Egypt as a whole is severely affected by the attack on a Russian plane leaving the town of Sharm el Sheikh in October last year. However, the crash of an Egypt Air flight from Paris to Cairo in May 2016 and the hijacking of another Egypt Air flight from Alexandria were another major blow to the country's tourism sector including Cairo, which recorded a drop in occupancy of 28% yoy this June. Baltimore County Police officers executing a warrant in Randallstown, Maryland yesterday found themselves in a stand off with a 23-year old black woman, Korryn Gaines, who was inside the apartment holding a shotgun in one hand and her 5-year old son in the other. A police spokesperson said three officers had gone to the apartment to serve an arrest warrant on Gaines, who had failed to appear in court over several traffic charges, and another man, wanted for assault, at the same address. According to reports, after hearing the two talking inside the apartment, officers obtained a key from the landlord but when they opened the door they found themselves in a stand-off with Gaines. The officers retreated to the hallway outside the apartment and called for additional support, the spokesperson said. The male suspect ran from the apartment with a one-year-old boy one of two children in in the apartment with the couple and was apprehended by police. The armed woman remained inside with the five-year-old boy, and a barricade situation began at about 9.40am and continued throughout the afternoon. The standoff continued for hours, the entire building was evacuated, but Gaines refused to surrender and officers ultimately opened fire when she declared, If you dont leave, Im going to kill you. Gaines returned fire on the officers but was reportedly struck multiple times and died at the scene. Her 5-year old son was also shot in a limb during the mayhem but was treated at a nearby hospital for non life-threatening injuries. Some Facebook videos posted by Gaines during the stand-off and other social media posts were reportedly deleted, although one such video from an earlier encounter with police can be found below. Despite all of this information and details about the danger she put her son in, the death of Korryn Gaines is being condemned by the Black Lives Matter movement. A vigil is planned for Friday night at Baltimore City College. [Via] Item #1 Baz Luhrmann's '70s hip hop romp debuts on August 12 Netflix have released a behind the scenes featurette for The Get Down, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martins keenly anticipated last days of disco/birth of hip hop drama, which premieres on August 12. With Nas among the producers and a cast featuring Shameik Moore (Shaolin Fantastic), Justice Smith (Ezekiel Books Figuero), Herizen Guardiola (Mylene Cruz), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cadillac), Jaden Smith (Dizzee Kipling), Skylan Brooks (Ra-Ra Kipling), Tremaine Brown Jr. (Boo Boo Kiping), Mamoudou Athie (Grandmaster Flash), Jimmy Smits (Francisco Papa Fuerte Cruz) and Giancarlo Esposito (Ramon Cruz), Team Hot Press is seriously looking forward to copping an eyeful. The accompanying soundtrack receives its same day release through Apple Music, with music from both the cast and Grandmaster Flash and Nile Rodgers who were there as the 70s NYC action was going down. This album is an introduction to the many musical genres and styles that can be heard in The Get Down, which is really a story of New York in the late 70s, an incredibly fertile time of creativity amid chaos, says Luhrmann. While our production is a musical that embodies many classic hits, we also use contemporary sounds and techniques connecting the dots between then and now. My great privilege is to have associated with such a diverse musical community. What are they trying to keep out? Many seem to think it's Asian actors out of Hollywood The trailer for China's largest ever film production The Great Wall has been released online, though not all are happy about it. The $150 million blockbuster is set 1,000 years ago in ancient China and "tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the worlds most iconic structure.", as the publicity material tease says. The film features Chinese superstars Andy Lau, Wang Junkai, and Jing Tian and is directed by Chinese heavyweight Zhang Yimou. However, it's Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe in starring roles that seems to be ruffling feathers online. Claims of 'whitewashing' flooded onto Twitter when the trailer was released. Although the role of Damon's character is not yet clear, it doesn't look like he's been made to look Chinese. Regardless, the trailer has been well received in China where not many seemed fussed about Damon's role in the film. Advertisement The Great Wall will be released in February 2017 and is set to be the first big-budget, English-language Chinese blockbuster. You can watch the full trailer below. Naguisa's SOC espadrille, and to the right, a design from Castaner. Back in the 1970s, Isabel and Lorenzo Castaner, a Spanish couple with a small artisanal business making espadrilles, or alpargatas as they are known in Spain, bumped into Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. When the fashion designer discovered what they did for a living, he asked if they would be able to make a wedge version of the traditional rope-soled sandal. My father, who was always looking for new challenges, accepted. It was also a decision taken out of necessity. Within 10 days he had a sample, and that was how the espadrille took on a new lease of life, says Antonio Castaner, now CEO of the family firm that dates back six generations. The offer to work with Yves Saint Laurent came at a time when Castaner was facing a downturn: its traditional market, made up of farmers and villagers, was dwindling as rural Spaniards left the countryside for the cities in search of work and better opportunities, leaving their espadrilles behind. Now, four decades on from that propitious meeting in the French capital, tastes have changed and the time-honored simplicity of the original espadrille is in fashion. Around a third of Castaners output are designs for luxury brands. Espadrille rope soles. The espadrilles rustic look has always had its admirers, albeit relegated to the beach or as a replacement slipper, but an increasingly varied range of soles and insteps are now available, making it an haute couture option. In 2011, Karl Lagerfeld took Chanels famous two-tone dress shoe and adapted it to the traditional flat-soled espadrille, sowing the firms logotype on to the instep: the model is still available today in a multitude of colors and versions. A year later, Valentino created a sensation when it put its own spin on the espadrille by using delicate lacing instead of the usual sturdy canvas for the uppers. Since then, both pret-a-porter luxury brands and high street retailers have helped put the espadrille in the spotlight. There is something special and timelessly appealing about it, says Antonio Castaner. Its a return to something natural, to something hand made, Mediterranean. This year has seen lace up espadrilles from Oscar de la Renta stud them with baubles, Atuzarra added a heel, and Delpozo has produced platform and winkle-picker versions. Barcelona-based company Naguisa, a newish firm that has made a name for itself by reviving traditional, hand-sown espadrilles, brought out its SOC model in 2012, which copied the traditional six-lace model using unusual colors. Eight years ago we began to see a trend developing for home-grown, sustainable shoes using natural materials, says Claudia Perez Polo, the firms co-founder. Naguisa exports more than 70% of its output to more than 25 countries. Its designs, many of which have been copied and recopied, are sold in US upscale womens fashion chain Anthropologie. Chanel espadrilles in grey tweed and black velvet. When we started out, the truth is that I would never have worn espadrilles, says Perez. But aware it needed to attract a younger clientele, Naguisa was able to combine tradition with local know-how to build a business that could establish an international presence. Since then, other Spanish fashion designers like Paloma Barcelo, Like Mimika, and Prism have begun making luxury espadrilles now found in the best-known stores around the world by combining Spanish tradition with cutting-edge design. 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 English version by Nick Lyne. It appears the Pokemon GO phenomenon is now taking over the heavy metal world Metallica are the latest stars to catch the Pokemon Go fever. A lot of people have jumped on the Pokemon train recently, most notably, Hillary Clinton's lame and awkward attempt to sound hip by crowbarring the phrase, "I'm trying to figure out how we get them [voters] to have Pokemon Go to the polls," at a campaign rally speech was the lamest one yet. Alright, confession time, the mash-up video of Metallica "singing" the theme isn't totally legitimate, but it's still very entertaining none the less. The video was created by Brazilian mash-up creator Gabreil Salles. "When I saw the Pokemon Go success, I thought, 'Well, why not the Pokemon song?'" he told Billboard. Advertisement Check the his Metallica masterpiece below and his other viral video of Slipknot singing Ricky Martin's 'Livin' La Video Loca'. The Strypes and Barq are also among the star turns in North Cork as homegrown heroes lead the party at Deer Farm This article can only be read with a Premium Account Please Log In or Subscribe to continue reading "My grandmother would have smacked my teeth out of my head if I had referred to a woman as a fat pig" While promoting his upcoming Suicide Squad film, Will Smith took the time to damn Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "For a man to be able to publicly refer to a woman as a fat pig, that makes me teary. And for people to applaud, that is absolutely fucking insanity to me", the actor stated. He added: "If one of my sons, I am getting furious just thinking about it, if one of my sons said that in a public place, they couldnt even live in my house anymore". Still, Smith believes that America "won't and...can't" elect Trump. In terms of Suicide Squad, Smith talked about portraying Deadshot, one of the few villains the actor has portrayed. Noting that he normally plays heroes, Smith stated that the role made him realise "nobody thinks of themselves as bad. People do the things they do because they think theyre right, no matter how evil". Smith has yet to endorse Hillary Clinton, but he would join a growing list of 90s/early 00s hip-hop titans if he did so. RZA, Ghostface Killah, Pusha T, and Snoop Dogg have all publicly expressed their support for her, with Snoop citing his excitement at the prospect of a female president. Speaking of legendary 90s hip-hop... This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sara Moulton didn't really want to write another cookbook. With three well-regarded titles under her belt, the longtime television food host and culinary educator wasn't sure she had another one in her. But she acquiesced because the new book would be her first technique-driven effort - the result is "Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101: How to Make Everything Taste Better" (Oxmoor House, $35). "Every book is like giving birth, and this one was triplets," she says. "If I didn't cook for another six months, I'd be happy." Fat chance. At 64, she has the energy of a chef half her age. On the day the Chronicle spoke with her, she was busy testing a recipe for blueberry panna cotta with maple syrup. She's still on a book tour, sponsored by Houston-based Chantal Cookware. She also is gearing up for taping Season 6 of "Sara's Weeknight Meals" on public television, which will begin airing in January. And she's prepping for a tour of Texas with appearances at five Central Market locations throughout the state, including a cooking class Friday at the Houston store. The Central Market Cooking School class is sold out - a testament to the popularity of a chef who has been in the public eye since her first cooking shows on Food Network in the 1990s. For more than 30 years, she's contributed to America's food knowledge with her work as food editor of ABC's "Good Morning America" and as executive chef of Gourmet magazine. Fans know her to be an honest, straightforward, encouraging teacher who wants nothing more than to help home cooks get a good meal on the table without a fuss - much in the vein of her mentor, Julia Child. More Information 'Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101' By Sara Moulton Oxmoor House, 368 pp., $35 See More Collapse Moulton's new cookbook is, like its author, full of practical reassurance: You can do it, and this is how. It features new material and 150 recipes augmented with tips and techniques to make home cooks more intuitive in the kitchen and more imaginative when it comes to meal planning. The recipes are almost all entrees. "I don't think most people entertain with courses anymore," she says. And the recipes embrace a variety of flavors and inspirations that suggest a more multi-cultural way of eating: Southwestern Gazpacho, Korean Chicken Noodle Soup, Thai-Style Chicken Salad, Grilled Jerk Pork, Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia, Cubano Burgers, Spiced Lamb and Hummus Pita Pizza, Indian Cauliflower Stew, Greek Shrimp with Farro and Feta, Saag Paneer, Moroccan Chicken in a Pot, Peruvian-Style Chicken and Crispy Pork Fried Rice. "I know I like certain flavors," Moulton says. "I'm not the most original recipe developer in the world, but I take flavors and ideas I like and then do a spin or twist on them." Now's the time to embrace flavors, especially ethnic ones, she suggests. "We have become an international world. When I first started at Gourmet - and I worked there for 25 years - we had to put an asterisk by sesame oil (to indicate) it's available in specialty food shops. But now it's so mainstream," she says. "When I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, we used one salt, table salt. Can you imagine? When Julia (Child) first started cooking, you couldn't find leeks and shallots in the market. We have so many toys to play with, so why not?" It's that can-do spirit and sense of adventure that have endeared Moulton to so many. In the new cookbook, Moulton offers what she calls "The 10 Basics of Great Home Cooking." They are: 1Shake hands with your stove. Whether you cook with gas or electric, get to know your stove as a tool. 2Buy a good knife. Think of it as an investment for life and put your money on one good knife; keep it sharp. 3Plan ahead for shopping. Have a game plan for the grocery store and try to plan for the week ahead in meals. 4Follow the recipe exactly the first time you make it. Read it from start to finish and follow it, even if you think you know how to do it better. The person who wrote it had a good reason for writing it that way. You might learn something. 5Dispense with mise en place. Though it is essential in something like Asian stir-fry, prepping everything for every cooking task isn't really necessary. 6Reach for the salt. No ingredient is more crucial to making food taste good than salt. And knowing when to add it and in what amounts will successfully amplify flavor. 7Balance flavors. Striking the harmonious balance of flavors (salty, sweet, sour, bitter, umami) is key to making delicious food. 8Build umami. Use soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, miso, Worcestershire sauce and other ingredients to build meaty, savory flavor. 9Use all your senses. Touching, smelling, seeing and even hearing food will make you better in the kitchen. 10Don't waste food. A more thoughtful home cook knows how to reduce waste in the kitchen - economically and environmentally, it's the smart thing to do. Zucchini Patties with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce From "Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101" Makes 4 servings 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or low-fat) 3 teaspoons minced garlic, divided teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium-size zucchini) 1 cup cooked chickpeas or drained, rinsed, canned chickpeas cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided cup minced onion teaspoons ground cumin teaspoon ground coriander cup dry bread crumbs cup toasted pine nuts, chopped cup packed fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped cup packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 4 6-inch pitas with pockets, halved Shredded lettuce Grated Carrot Salad (recipe follows) Instructions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Combine yogurt, 1 teaspoons of garlic, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl and set aside. Coarsely grate zucchini in food processor fitted with medium shredding disk. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and let stand 15 minutes to drain. Wipe out food processor, fit it with cutting blade, and add chickpeas and 1 tablespoon water. Process until fairly smooth. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, cumin, coriander and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and set skillet aside. One small handful at a time, squeeze out zucchini to remove excess moisture; add it to bowl with the onion. Add chickpeas, bread crumbs, pine nuts, parsley, mint and salt and pepper to taste; combine well, using your hands if necessary. Roll 2-tablespoon portions into balls (you should get about 16) and flatten them into patties -inch thick and 2 inches wide. Heat 2 tablespoons of remaining oil in skillet over medium heat, add half the patties and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and patties. To serve, arrange several patties in each pita half, top with the yogurt sauce, lettuce and Grated Carrot Salad. To make the Grated Carrot Salad: Whisk together 2 tablespoons white vinegar, teaspoon sugar and teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups coarsely grated carrots and toss well. Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia with Pickled Red Onions and Crema Makes 4 servings 2 (-pound) tilapia fillets 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed 2 cups store-bought tortilla chips and 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 medium red onion, sliced -inch thick (about 1 cup) cup distilled white vinegar cup fresh orange juice 1 tablespoons sugar teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon cumin seeds teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno, optional 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted Crema and sliced pickled jalapenos for garnish Instructions: Cut each fish fillet down the seam to separate the thin half from the thick half. Cut each of the pieces in half crosswise, making a total of 8 pieces. Sprinkle the fish evenly all over with salt, transfer to a resealable bag, and add the lime juice and oil. Chill for 30 minutes. While the fish is marinating, finely crush (not to a powder) the tortilla chips and toss with chili powder. Combine the red onion, vinegar, orange juice, sugar, salt, cumin and oregano in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool, drain the mixture and chop the onions. Combine them with the jalapenos, if using, in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the fish in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, keeping the thin pieces on one side and the thick pieces on the other. Pack the tortilla crumbs on top of the fillets, drizzle with the melted butter and bake on the middle rack of oven until fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes for the thinner pieces and 8 minutes for the thicker pieces. Transfer a thick and a thin fillet piece to each of 4 plates. Serve each portion topped with crema, pickled onions and pickled jalapenos. Note: A kind of Mexican sour cream, crema is increasingly available at American supermarkets. If you can't find it, sour cream or creme fraiche, diluted with a bit of milk, cream or water will do. Crispy Pork Fried Rice with Pickled Radishes Makes 4 servings cup vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed, divided 2 large eggs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper pound Canadian bacon, cut into medium dice 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons grated ginger 1 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, cut crosswise into -inch pieces 3 cups cooked rice or grains 2 cups coarsely shredded radishes (about 10 large radishes) 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 cup blanched fresh or thawed frozen peas Instructions: Heat tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water, a pinch of salt and some pepper in a small bowl. Add the eggs to the pan and tilt to spread the eggs all around and make a flat pancake. Cook until almost set. Turn over the egg and cook another 10 seconds. Transfer to a cutting board. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the bacon to the pan and cook until the bacon is browned at the edges, about 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tablespoon of oil and the onion to the pan and cook until the onion is golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and sugar snap peas, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the bacon. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skilled, then add the rice, pressing it flat with the back of a spatula. Cook until the rice is slightly crispy, turning it over with the spatula, 12 to 15 minutes. Combine the radishes, vinegar and salt to taste in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sake and sesame oil. Chop the egg and add it along with the peas to the bowl with the bacon. When the rice is nicely crisped, add the contents of the bacon bowl, the peas and the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the mixture is heated through. Transfer the fried rice to 4 bowls and top each portion with some of the radishes. Five years after President Obama ended the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the Navy will name a ship after a gay rights pioneer and San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has decided to name a future fleet oiler ship after Harvey Milk. The USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206) will be part of the John Lewis-class of oilers that replenish ships while underway. Like Lewis, the ships in the class will be named for civil rights figures. Others in the class will include former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and abolitionist Sojurner Truth. The director general of Spains National Police on Monday asked for improved anti-terrorist cooperation among European Union member states. All countries need to cooperate, and there is still leeway for improvement, said Ignacio Cosido at Menendez Pelayo University in Santander. The police chief rejected the notion of nationalized immigration policies and border controls, and instead supported greater sharing of information. Immigration in our country is mostly first and second-generation. The risk cases are in the third and fourth generations, due to their frustrated expectations or lack of self-identity Ignacio Cosido, chief of Spanish Police Cosido noted that having access to recent information is key in the fight against international terrorism. There are many databases from different countries that are not shared yet, he said, adding that the new type of terrorism requires early detection efforts. Occasionally, its just one person acting alone with any type of material. In Nice, for instance, it was a truck. We need to stress intelligence in order to prevent these attacks, he said. Immigration experience 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 Because of its geographical position on the map, Spain has always faced the challenge of immigration. The Spanish government has cooperation agreements with the countries that illegal migrants come from or use as transit areas, in an effort to stem human trafficking at its origin. Our collaboration with Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal or Niger is essential to success, and an example of how important intelligence is, said Cosido. He said that Spains successful border management model and the work of its intelligence services have ensured that there is less radicalization here than elsewhere in the region. We have 178 identified Islamic State combatants, compared with over 4,000 in the EU, he said. Immigration in our country is mostly first and second-generation. The risk cases are in the third and fourth generations, due to their frustrated expectations or lack of self-identity, he explained. He also underscored that Spain lacks far-right political parties with a xenophobe rhetoric and that immigrants do not live in ghettoes like they do in other countries, forming conflict zones within their territories. English version by Susana Urra. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN -- University of Texas at Austin President Gregory Fenves on Monday said he expected the school to be as safe as it ever has been following the implementation of the state's campus carry law. The law, which makes the carrying of concealed handguns legal on public university campuses in Texas, went into effect Monday. Almost all of the state's private universities and colleges have opted out of campus carry, as allowed under the law. At the UT flagship campus in Austin, concealed guns will be allowed in classrooms and most public spaces; dormitories will be gun-free and faculty will be allowed to bar guns in their offices. Passage of the campus carry law sparked numerous meetings on the UT campus and is opposed by a group of faculty and students calling themselves Gun Free UT. Three UT professors have sued to block implementation of the law. Fenves at a press conference said the school is still working to make sure the community and licensed holders, in particular, have access to and understand the rules of campus carry. Fenves said he expects the university to still be as safe a campus as it has been in the past. With the law officially going into effect, he said the university would monitor how this impacts faculty and student recruitment going forward. Andrea Gore, chair of the faculty council, said she appreciates the work Fenves and others have done to address the law but she still does not think this is the best thing for UT. "It is a sad day for this campus," Gore said. "Walking over here today . . . everything looked the same but it felt different." Also Monday, UT was slated to hold a memorial ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Charles Whitman tower shooting that left 16 people dead and 32 wounded on campus. A 25-year-old mechanic and loner from a small Czech town, who tried to travel to Syria in January, was charged Tuesday with attempted terrorism, in what the authorities said was the first known case of a Czech citizen trying to join the Islamic State. "This is the first time a Czech citizen has been charged with this crime," said David Unger, a spokesman for the regional court in Plzen, in the western Czech Republic, which will rule on the next steps of the man's detention Thursday. The case has stirred anxieties that homegrown Islamic radicalism may have migrated to Eastern and Central Europe. The regional prosecutor's office in Plzen declined to provide further details. But Respekt, an influential Czech weekly that reported on the arrest this week, said that the man - identified by the Czech media as Jan S. - had been arrested at an international airport in Turkey after authorities there found him carrying a plane ticket to a Turkish town near the Syrian border. The magazine reported that the man had told the police that he planned to enter Syria and join the Islamic State. After Turkish authorities sent him back to the Czech Republic, he was repeatedly questioned by police officers before being arrested two weeks ago. He was initially charged with participation in an armed criminal group. Marian Brzybohaty, a terrorism expert from the Czech Police Academy, said it was not yet clear how the arrested man had become radicalized. Nevertheless, he said the case had punctured the notion that the Czech Republic was immune from homegrown radicalism. "We don't know whether he had psychological issues rather than having been radicalized," Brzybohaty said. "But as we have seen in Germany and France, people like this can carry out terrorist attacks and are no less dangerous." The case has raised alarm in the Czech Republic, where the populist leftist president, Milos Zeman, has been warning for months about the threat of Islamic radicalism. Last year, he cautioned that Islamic State jihadis must be crushed to prevent a "super Holocaust." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The odds seem long for the Green Party of the United States. In a presidential election, it never has won more than 2.7 percent of the popular vote. Right now, its presumptive candidate is slated to be on the ballot in only two dozen states. Still, members say the November election could provide a unique opportunity for the progressive party, now in its fourth decade, to capture voters who will not vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump. That will be one of the central themes as the Green Party kicks off its three-day national convention Thursday at the University of Houston, where delegates are expected for the second straight election cycle to nominate Jill Stein, a Lexington, Mass., physician, author and environmental advocate, for president. "I think we're trying to take advantage of something this year," said party spokesman Scott McLarty. "That is the widespread realization by a lot of people, among non-voters, among independents, and, interestingly this year, among a lot of Democrats and Republicans, that the two-party status quo is failing us." Political experts, however, say that despite dissatisfaction with both major parties this year, voters can expect little, if any, electoral success from Greens. "In general, the Green Party is not likely to be a significant factor in this year's election," said Jennifer Victor, a political science professor from George Mason University. "Some disaffected liberals who are dissatisfied with Clinton's nomination may trend to the Green Party, but it's not likely to be a large enough number of voters to impact the electoral college." Green Party leaders emphasize that the convention, and this year's election, are more about continuing to build the party's base, even without electoral victories. The party was founded in 1984 to promote environmentally friendly policies, non-violence and grass-roots politics, among other values. Those remain core tenets of the party, considered more left-leaning than the Democratic party. Peaked with Nader The party's electoral peak occurred in 2000, when Ralph Nader ran as its presidential candidate, garnering 2.7 percent of the popular vote, equating to more than 2.8 million votes. No Green Party candidate before or since has received as many votes. In 2012, Stein got .36 percent of the popular vote - fewer than 500,000. McLarty said Greens also have won a half-dozen state legislative seats over the years. The mayor of Richmond, Calif., for eight years ending in 2015 was from the Green Party. The party advocates for alternative energy sources, making Houston, a major hub for petrochemical and energy industries, an ironic choice for the party's national convention. Tamar Yager, co-chair of the Green Party's annual national meeting committee and co-chair of the steering committee, said Houston was chosen last year at the party delegates' annual meeting, largely for practical purposes, such as convenient connections for transportation and the fact that the convention had been held in the Midwest for several previous cycles. This, she said, will be the party's first convention in Texas. "We try to move around to different regions and areas of the country," Yager said. The party will nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates on Saturday. Several candidates seeking state and local offices, including state representatives, also will speak at the convention. Saturday will feature speeches by writer and activist Cornel West and activist YahNe Ndgo, both former Sanders supporters. Possible impact The political impact of the convention itself likely will depend on media coverage, said Casey Dominguez, a political science professor at the University of San Diego who studies political parties. When parties do get political "bumps" from conventions, it usually is because of heavy and favorable media coverage, she said. So far, most polls have about 3 percent of voters supporting Stein. Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson, in comparison, is at 7 percent. Still, Green Party voters could play a "spoiler" role in November by drawing the votes of people who otherwise would vote Democrat, Dominguez said. Any such impact, she added, likely would occur only in competitive, battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. "(Texan H. Ross) Perot had an impact by siphoning away votes from George Bush and led to the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, and Nader took votes away from Gore, in particular in Florida, which one could argue among other things that this led to the election of George W. Bush in 2000," said Texas Southern University political scientist Michael Adams. "It's possible that this year third parties could impact the outcome in particular states because of high negatives of Trump and Clinton." 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. An employment office in Madrid. EFE This July has been a good month for the Spanish labor market, with unemployment falling and an increase in Social Security contributors. The drop in unemployment of 83,993 people registered at state employment offices is the biggest since 1997 for a July, says the Employment Ministry, which now puts Spains official unemployment figure at 3,683,061. At the same time, there are now a further 84,721 people contributing to the Social Security compared with June figures. Non-seasonal employment figures have also improved, suggesting a sustained and gradual recovery of the labor market. Over the last year, Social Security affiliation has grown by 3%, with 17,844,992 people contributing to the state body that pays out pensions and unemployment benefit. The increase in jobs, measured in terms of affiliation, is principally being driven by the hotel and catering sectors, which contributed 51,412 new Social Security contributors. The health sector and retail contributed 48,192 and 47,337 new contributors. The end of the school year has seen some 93,062 people leave the Social Security. In July, 1,816,271 employment contracts were signed, a 1.14% increase on the same month last year. Again, most of these were in the tourism sector or covering holiday periods. Of the total number of contracts, just 7.6% were open-ended. 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 English version by Nick Lyne. Whether you are a benefits expert keeping up with industry trends, a recruiter on the hunt for talent, an executive growing your company, or anyone in between, by now you have heard about the hottest emerging trend in employee benefits: Student loan assistance. Like countless other essential employee benefits youve heard of over the years, student loan assistance sounds like a good idea. However, youre probably wondering: Is this one going to last? All signs point to yes, based on the results of a recent survey conducted by IonTuition. According to the results, about 85 percent of respondents believe that employees would take advantage of student loan assistance. Respondents also believe that student loan assistance would have positive effects on recruitment, retention, morale, and productivity. Though not surprising, survey data also reveals that millennials, the generation with the most student loan debt, value a higher education degree and student loan benefits more than previous generations. Millennials already comprise the majority of todays workforce. As even more millennials make their way into management, their values will begin to shape organizational benefits and culture, increasing the likelihood that student loan benefits will become an expected part of benefits packages. Selected survey results: Stress Test: More than 90 percent of respondents recognize that student loan debt creates st... A Workplace Demographic Shift Will Change the Way HR Needs to Attract and Develop Leaders The bad news: The talent acquisition world is about to get much more competitive and complicated. The good news: Those who are prepared will be able to stay ahead of the curve when attracting and retaining the best and the brightest. The biggest shift that HR and talent acquisition experts should prepare for is a talent shortage. According to McKinsey's 2015 Global Growth Model study, from 2005-2015 there were three times as many workers as retirees. By 2025, the ratio of workers to retirees will be 1:1, making the candidate pool much smaller. Couple that with a need for specialized employees, especially in the technology and life sciences fields, and it is clear candidates are in the drivers seat. This raises the question of how to win when recruiting. The answer in part depends on the generation of the employee. For example, a February 2016 Korn Ferry Futurestep executive survey found that nearly 50 percent of respondents said the ability to make an impact on the business was the top reason a Gen X candidate (born 1965-1980) would choose one job over another. Interestingly, a February 2015 Futurestep survey asked the same questions about Millennial candidates (born 1981-1995). That survey found that visibility and buy-in to the mission/vision of the organization is the top reason people of this generation wou... ivists released cockroaches and locusts at two London branches of a UK restaurant-chain after the company was involved in a UK Border Agency immigration sting against its own staff.Byron Hamburgers, which has over 60 branches across the UK, is facing a growing backlash after it entrapped its own staff by calling them to a fake meeting which was in fact part of an operation to detain and deport illegal migrant workers.Activists, who have since started a campaign against the company, using the hashtag #boycottbyron, said that they released many thousands of the insects into two of the burger-chains London branches on Friday evening in response to Byrons dehumanised behaviour, Mail Online reported.A London branch was also forced to close on Sunday night after hundreds of protestors gathered outside.The raids, which took place across London on 4 July, saw immigration officers round up 35 people from Albania, Brazil, Egypt and Nepal, the Home Office has confirmed.Byron employees were allegedly told to attend a health and safety meeting at 9.30am, according to a report from The Guardian.In a statement published on its website, Byron said that it was unaware that any of its workers were in possession of counterfeit documentation until the Home Office brought it to its attention.Companies that employ illegal workers can be fined a maximum penalty of 20,000 per employee, which meant that Byron was facing a fine of up to 700,000 - but it evaded the penalty by colluding in the sting, Mail Online reported.The company said in its statement: The Home Office recognises that Byron as an employer has always been fully compliant with immigration and asylum law in its employment practices.We have cooperated fully and acted upon the Home Offices requests and processes throughout the course of their investigations: it is our legal obligation to do so. The prime minister wasn't the only person making history at Vancouver's Pride parade on Sunday. Alex Sangha was one of the annual procession's grand marshals this year and it was a big deal for several reasons. Sangha, who is the founder of an LGBTQ support group for South Asians called Sher Vancouver, was the first-ever Sikh grand marshal of the parade, now in its 38th year. Advertisement Alex Sangha dressed in a traditional Indian outfit for the event. "I used to feel like an outsider, as a person of colour, as a minority in the mainstream gay-lesbian community," Sangha told Global News. "And now as a Pride marshal, they're recognizing me and acknowledging me. I feel like, wow, I'm being embraced." Along with Sangha, this year's parade had two other grand marshals trans activist Morgane Oger and Syrian gay-rights activist Danny Ramadan. Advertisement They marched in the same parade where Justin Trudeau became the first sitting prime minister to take part in the Vancouver event. The PM's wife and three kids, as well as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and several other members of the Liberal caucus. Justin Trudeau takes part in the Pride parade in downtown Vancouver on Sunday. (Photo: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press) Sangha wore traditional Indian attire a bright red kurta, or tunic, and a multi-coloured scarf in the parade, but embracing his heritage while being gay hasn't always been easy for the Surrey resident. Growing up, Sangha wished he was straight and even contemplated suicide. "It was very hard for me to come out of the closet," he told radio station CKNW. Sangha, a social worker who also blogs for The Huffington Post Canada, says more South Asians are now coming out as LGBTQ and finding acceptance within the community. But there still is a long way to go. Advertisement Alex Sangha drove down the parade in a customized car. (Alex Sangha/Facebook) Many South Asians are reluctant to accept their queer family members, and often force them into marriages, Sangha told the Vancouver Courier. But having such a prominent place in the Vancouver Pride parade is great progress in Sangha's struggle for acceptance, he said. "It's like I'm coming full-circle." Follow The Huffington Post B.C. on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also on HuffPost Mariano Rajoy is an anti-demagogue. ULY MARTIN If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs... Rudyard Kipling, English poet Just who do the Spanish think they are? Look at them, so vain, boasting about how terrible their politicians are, feeling like they own a title deed on mediocrity. Dont they realize that in the sport of cheap populism, irresponsibility and sheer stupidity, they simply cannot compete on the international stage? Cant they see that their old inferiority complex with regard to the United States, England and indeed all of Europe makes no sense anymore? The head of the caretaker government and of the Popular Party can be accused of many things, but being a populist is not one of them The time has come for them to do a reboot. Ever since the British plebiscide, as the referendum on EU permanence is also known, I have made the London-Spain trip three times. And every time, I have had the same conversation. How sad, the result of the referendum, such madness. But of course, we are worse here in Spain, because our politicians...well, you know, the locals always tell me. What? is my reply. Dont you realize that compared with what we are seeing today in the US election campaign, compared with what we saw in the Brexit campaign, compared with the demagoguery that is sinking so deep in the populations of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, the political climate in Spain is a shining model of tolerance, respect, civilized manners and temperance? Please! I will admit that Spanish politics are boring its like Groundhog Day, just not as funny. But boredom is a virtue when you witness the collective hysterics displayed by followers of the potential next president of the United States, Donald Trump, or by supporters of his political cousin from England, the europhobe Nigel Farage (although, to be fair, Farage traveled to Trumps coronation at the Republican Convention in Cleveland and confessed that, for the first time in his life, he felt left-wing). 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. It is also true that the winner of the two general elections held in Spain in the last few months (and almost certainly the winner of a third election, if it comes to pass) is a notoriously corrupt party. But Spaniards should not feel too special in this department, either, or consider that their own system favors impunity as much as many people like to think. In Spain, the kings sister has had to answer to charges of tax crimes inside a court of law. In England, Prince Andrew, the queens son, has been involved in all kinds of instances of power abuse and shady dealings with dictatorial regimes such as Kazakhstans, yet it never crossed anybodys mind to make him give explanations to a judge. Yes, its true that there is matter for debate here, but the most relevant point of all is this: campaigns in Spain have shown a degree of maturity and sobriety that most countries in the world, but most especially the US, should be envious of. Debates between the candidates, for instance, did not stand out for their use of personal insults and lies, but were based instead on the dissection of each nominees different policies, almost always relying on data that was not too far off from reality. In the US, most particularly, hard data is losing traction in the political debate. Barack Obama proved that he is living in the past when he complained that Trumps acceptance speech at the Republican convention was not based on facts. It is true that Trumps portrayal of a nation sunk in criminal violence does not fit reality; it is true that crime rates have dropped ever since Obama became president; it is true that the number of homicides in New York was 352 in 2015, compared with 2,245 in 1990, a proportional drop that reflects national trends throughout this period. But none of it matters. Trump appeals solely to feelings and prejudices. The voters who see Trump as a redeemer are immune to lies, just like the English majority that voted for Brexit. Trump says: lets build a wall, lets deny Muslims access to the United States, lets turn our backs on NATO, lets trust Vladimir Putin more than we trust Hillary Clinton, believe in me and the US will be a healthy and prosperous nation once again. These are not workable policies, these are childish impulses. The Trump phenomenon is a personality cult. The people who see a hero in Trump are immune to reason, just like when one falls madly in love, he or she becomes blind to the loved ones faults. Pablo Iglesias is often written off as a populist, but he is the epitome of good sense, temperance, pragmatism and rational thought compared with the man who could be in charge of the the most fearsome nuclear arsenal on earth, just six months from now It is sometimes said that there is a personality cult around Pablo Iglesias. But first of all, the leader of Podemos has come nowhere even close to capturing the imagination of half of the countrys voters, the way Trump has; and second, it would be absurd to compare him with a hyper-narcissistic tycoon who defines himself as a champion of outsiders. Iglesias is intelligent and cultivated, he proposes debatable policies that are not based on some hallucinogenic vision of the world, and he speaks like an adult, using complete sentences, generally not in the first person. Iglesias is often written off as a populist, but he is the epitome of good sense, temperance, pragmatism and rational thought compared with the man who could be in charge of the the most fearsome nuclear arsenal on earth, just six months from now. Next to Trump, so is Mariano Rajoy. The head of the caretaker government and of the Popular Party can be accused of many things, but being a populist is not one of them. He is the anti-demagogue to end all anti-demagogues. He does little and says nothing. The Spanish left detests him, but he is no Trump, no Farage, no Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National party in France. Even Podemos voters would vote for Rajoy before voting for any one of those three. All of which leads us to the most irrefutable argument of all against the idea held by Spaniards that their political class is exceptionally mediocre: none of the four main parties in Spain has appealed to racism or xenophobia to win votes. Yet the conditions were there for such a party to emerge. There has been a lot of indignation, a lot of immigration and a lot of unemployment. But unlike what we are seeing elsewhere in the wealthy Western world, there is none of that in Spain, which is a veritable island of decency surrounded by a sea of meanness. One cannot say too often how admirable this is, or what it says about the singularity of Spains politicians, and above all about the generosity of the citizens they represent no matter how much they insist on being hard on themselves. English version by Susana Urra. Louis Nastro/Reuters One passenger on an Air Canada flight unexpectedly found a knife after sitting on it. Glenn Deir told CBC News he was astonished after his wife Debbie Youden discovered the four-inch blade which was luckily folded on their St. John's to Toronto flight. "There was a serrated edge to it, and we said 'What in the name of God is this?'" said Deir, a former CBC News reporter. Advertisement Passengers find knife on Air Canada flight leaving St. John's, Newfoundland https://t.co/U5yhIgEhdjpic.twitter.com/ulmZVBMbjF CBC News (@CBCNews) August 2, 2016 CTV News reports Deir took the knife to a crew member after everyone had boarded the plane and was told an incident report had been filed. [The crew member's] eyes popped and he opened up the blade and showed the pilots and their eyes popped and then he showed the ground crew and their eyes popped," Deir said. Employee was still on flight It turns out the knife belonged to a maintenance worker who was using it to fix a seat. Angela Mah, an Air Canada spokesperson, told The Huffington Post Canada in an email the employee was still on the flight talking to the captain when Deir reported the knife. Advertisement "All tools were removed before the flight departed," Mah said. She added that the airline is reminding employees to make sure they collect all equipment before leaving an aircraft. Deir said the ordeal shows airport workers need to be better screened. "Imagine ... if you were up to no good and somebody was on the inside of an airport and could leave you a gun, a knife, in the seat. I mean, the mind reels with possibilities," he told the CBC. Also On HuffPost: Todd Korol / Reuters Farmers drive combines harvesting canola while harvesting on Barry Lang's farm near Beiseker, Alberta, September 27, 2013. Record crops are being produced all across the Canadian prairies this season. REUTERS/Todd Korol (CANADA - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS) Workers Compensation Board (WCB) claims by Alberta farm workers have doubled since the government's controversial farm safety bill was enacted last year. In the first six months of 2016, there were 395 claims from the agricultural sector compared to 158 filed last year, the Calgary Herald reported. Advertisement Bill 6, or the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, sparked massive protests after a series of miscommunications aggravated relations between Alberta's NDP government and the province's farmers and ranchers. Farmers hold signs protesting Bill 6 on Dec. 2, 2015. (Photo: Mike Sturk/Reuters) The bill, which went into effect on January 1, requires all paid farm employees to be covered by the WCB. In 2014, 25 Albertans died in farm-related accidents. An average of 18 Albertans die on a farm every year. For every death in the province, an average of 25 people are hospitalized for a farm-related injury, according to the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research. Advertisement It's too early to say if the increased claims are related to the bill's passage, but the numbers might signal a big change for the province. Alberta was the last province to implement work safety legislation for the agriculture industry. Theres never been any rules applied to occupational health on farms in Alberta. So everybody is starting from zero here," Don Voaklander, director of the Injury Prevention Centre at the University of Alberta, told Alberta Farmer Express. Also on HuffPost: The animation company behind the most recent seasons of Thomas and Friends is filing for bankruptcy and has locked out its employees in Toronto, according to news reports. Those who arrived at Arc Productions on Tuesday morning found a notice on the door from CEO Tom Murray notifying them that the company is experiencing significant financial difficulties and a liquidity crisis. Advertisement The announcement was first reported by the Toronto VFX Jobs blog. According to CBC News, the move affects approximately 500 people working at the company. Arc has received tens of millions of dollar in public funding from the Canadian government, according to animation news site Cartoon Brew. (Photo: Arc Productions via thomasandfriends.com) Arc Productions, which was known as Starz Animation until 2011, produced three seasons of the long-running Thomas and Friends childrens show from 2013 to 2016. It also produced a number of direct-to-video movies of the franchise. Arc also made the childrens movie Gnomeo & Juliet, as well as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled! and was working on an upcoming Netflix childrens show, Tarzan and Jane. Advertisement "They just announced a lot of other films and projects. ... I hope that this might just be a hiccup." Arc Productions employee Peter Holland Murrays note to employees appeared to acknowledge that the company has had difficulty making payroll. We are still working diligently to find a solution that will allow us to pay outstanding wages due to you, Murrays letter to employees stated. But it referred employees to the federal governments Wage Earner Protection Program in the event wages are not paid. Still, some employees are hopeful this isnt the end of the road for Arc Productions. If there's one thing that holds true about most four-year-old's, it's that they're probably the most honest tiny humans around. And Blue Ivy Carter is no exception. On Sunday, Blue's grandma Tina Knowles posted a series of Instagram videos that showcased her wild side as she took what she called a "leap of faith" off the second story of a yacht into the deep blue waters of Monaco, Woman's Day Australia reported. Advertisement A video posted by Tina Knowles (@mstinalawson) on Jul 31, 2016 at 9:46am PDT But while it may have been all fun and games for the mother-of-two, Knowles' granddaughter seemed to be a little worried about the 62-year-old taking the plunge. "Do you know how to sw...do you really know how to swim?" the mini Carter innocently asked. After a quick laugh, Knowles' replied, "Don't scare me, Blue! Don't scare me." The businesswoman then jumped into the water. A video posted by Tina Knowles (@mstinalawson) on Jul 31, 2016 at 12:06pm PDT And it seemed as if the tot's question influenced grandma to take her "leap of faith" to new heights literally. Advertisement A brave mama Knowles decided to jump off the third story of the luxury boat into the bay shortly after, which even she described as "a little scary" in the video caption. A video posted by Tina Knowles (@mstinalawson) on Jul 31, 2016 at 9:54am PDT But this isn't the first time Blue has proved that despite being the daughter of two mega musicians, she's still just an ordinary four-year-old. In late July, Queen Bey and her mini me took some cutesy mommy-and-me photos in Paris. And while mom may be the superstar on stage, Blue definitely stole the show this time, as she blew kisses, posed and danced for the camera. Advertisement Don't ever change, Blue. Also on HuffPost Most people on whale-watching tours expect to see a sea creature or two, but few have an experience like this one. A tour group in Quebec got their money's worth when a huge finback whale came up close to their Zodiac inflatable boat and slipped right underneath. Advertisement French tourist Eric Mouellic posted two videos to YouTube over the weekend showing the epic encounter, which occurred near Tadoussac, Que. where the Saguenay and St. Lawrence Rivers meet. The whale watchers can be heard getting excited as the giant mammal approaches their boat, and then screaming with excitement (and likely a bit of fear) as it slides under the boat, leaving them unscathed. Mouellic described it as an "unforgettable memory" on YouTube. Story continues below slideshow Humpback Whale Visits Mill Bay, B.C. See Gallery The endangered whales commonly weigh about 70,000 kilograms and are about 20 metres long, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They're common to the area where the video was shot, the SaguenaySt. Lawrence Marine Park, one of the world's best places to see whales, according to CBC News. Advertisement And while the run-in was likely scary for some passengers, Patrice Corbeil, the education director of a non-profit marine mammal centre in Tadoussac, told the outlet that there was nothing to worry about. Canadas unemployment rate will tick up to seven per cent next year, from 6.8 per cent today, as more people enter the workforce in search of a job, the research arm of TD Bank predicted in a new report Tuesday. But while the countrys job market will be sluggish, it wont be entirely hopeless over the coming year-and-a-half, TD Economics' Brian DePratto wrote. Advertisement How tough a job search you face will depend largely on the industry youre in and where youre located. The majority of employment gains are expected to accrue to B.C., Ontario, and Quebec, DePratto wrote. In contrast, little hiring growth is expected in the Atlantic Provinces, while Alberta is expected to continue to lose jobs through the remainder of this year and into next. Advertisement Thats little different than the situation weve seen in the first half of this year, when Ontario and B.C. accounted for all the net job growth in Canada. What line of work youre in will also make a major difference. DePratto sees health care leading the way, adding an average of 22,000 jobs at annual pace over the next year-and-a-half. While somewhat slower than the gains notched over the past six quarters, the projected pace is nevertheless enough to make health care the fastest growing industry, he wrote. Advertisement Construction will also be a leader in job growth, no surprise given the continued housing booms in Toronto and Vancouver. That sector will add jobs at an annual rate of 13,600. Manufacturing which according to Statistics Canada has lost more than 30,000 jobs in the past year is expected to bounce back somewhat and start adding jobs, at an average annual rate of 12,000 jobs. The resource industries, including oil extraction, wont add much in the way of new jobs, but at least the job losses should stop, DePratto predicted. TD Bank sees the jobless rate edging up next year because job growth which it says will be a tepid 7,000 to 10,000 per month wont keep up with population growth and new entrants into the job market. Advertisement DePratto notes that so far this year, the leading industries for jobs have been accommodation and food services, as well as information, culture and recreation. Those two industries both rely in part on tourism, which has boomed in Canada in recent months, thanks to a low loonie. The number of overnight visitors to Canada jumped by 13 per cent in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year, the Globe and Mail reported. The strong Canadian housing market also appears to have fed through to the finance, insurance and real estate service sectors, DePratto noted. Those industries added 13,300 jobs in the first half of 2016, he noted. Also on HuffPost Highest-Paying Jobs For People Who Hate Math See Gallery An opposition supporter calls for the recall referendum. Bloomberg More information El organo electoral venezolano valida el primer paso para el revocatorio contra Maduro Venezuelas National Electoral Commission (CNE) said on Monday that the first two phases of the process to call a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro are now complete. Tibisay Lucena, president of the CNE, said the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) had garnered the initial 1% of signatories registered to vote in each of the countrys 24 provinces. She said the opposition now had two working days to petition the CNE to begin collecting the 20% of signatories required to convene the recall process. Lucena did not say when the opposition would be able to begin collecting signatures, although MUD sources said this would mostly likely take place during the first two weeks of September. To revoke President Maduros election, the opposition will have to garner more than the 7.5 million votes by which he was elected in 2013 Lucenas appearance before the media was delayed for three and a half hours, during which time former CNE president Jorge Rodriguez, currently mayor of Caracas and a rising star in the ruling PSUV, called for the announcement to be delayed, citing irregularities committed during the first phase of collecting signatures. He described the recall referendum as a fraud. Rodriguez has lodged an appeal with Venezuelas Supreme Court to annul the petition for a recall referendum. The court is seen as the judicial wing of the PSUV and has rarely ruled against it. Furthermore, Lucena said that the CNE would be calling on the public prosecutors office to look into the 1,300 cases of duplicate signatures. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski, governor of the state of Miranda and a two-times presidential candidate, immediately tweeted: With more than 1%, lets go for the 2nd, and mobilize the country to do so. Jesus Torrealba, MUDs executive coordinator, criticized the CNE on the social networks for taking so long to approve the collection of 1% of voters signatures, pointing out that they had been handed in on May 2. But he added that he was confident that the recall referendum would take place this year, under international pressure and from within Venezuela. 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 To revoke President Maduros election, the opposition will have to garner more than the 7.5 million votes by which he was elected in 2013. According to a recent poll, 73.4% of Venezuelans disapprove of his administration, while 64% of taxpayers would vote him out of office. English version by Nick Lyne. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau is proving she looks good in any colour. On Sunday, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the Vancouver Pride celebrations, donning a bright, aqua blue jumpsuit by Canadian womenswear designer, Aleks Susak. The vibrant, silk one-piece featured a one-shoulder top, flared bottoms and hand-painted florals on the right shoulder and on the pant legs. Advertisement Prime Minister Justin Trudeau along with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and kids Hadrien, Ella Grace and Xavier take part in the Pride Parade in downtown Vancouver, B.C. on July, 31, 2016. The 41-year-old mother of three paired her colourful look with stacks of beaded bracelets by Montreal-based label, Anzie and a cool pair of sunnies made in collaboration by Claudia Alan and Susie Wall, former reporter for etalk. A pair of wedges from Browns finished off her look. Advertisement Justin, on the other hand, went for a more laid-back look, opting for a teal dress shirt (with the sleeves rolled up, of course) and a pair of white jeans. And walking in the parade was a family affair, with the Trudeau children, Hadrien, Ella Grace and Xavier, also joining in the festivities. But that doesn't mean mom and dad couldn't share a kiss (though it looks like the kids were not at all interested). Advertisement Check out more photos of Sophie Gregoire Trudeau's style below: Sophie Gregoire Trudeau See Gallery The so-called "red tide" that swept across Atlantic Canada in the last federal election has not convinced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the next Supreme Court justice must hail from that region. Liberals unveiled a new, independent advisory board Tuesday that will change how top court justices are appointed. Advertisement The seven-member group, chaired by former prime minister Kim Campbell, will recommend three to five names to fill the seat of retiring Justice Thomas Cromwell of Nova Scotia. Cromwell is the only Atlantic Canadian on the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas Cromwell laughs as he listens to speakers during a ceremony officially welcoming him to the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa in February 2009. (Photo: The Canadian Press) Traditionally, the court has had three members from Ontario, three from Quebec, one from British Columbia, one from the West, and one from the Maritimes. There has yet to be a justice from Newfoundland and Labrador. Advertisement Liberals have made it clear they are accepting applications from across Canada, despite the convention Cromwell's replacement should come from Atlantic Canada. On a "frequently asked questions" backgrounder released by the justice department, the federal government acknowledges a "regional custom" exists, but says only qualified candidates including those from Atlantic Canada will be included on the list that will ultimately land on Trudeau's desk. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and MP Dominic LeBlanc bring a cooler of lobster onto the campaign media bus just outside Neguac, N.B., Sept. 8, 2015. (Photo: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press) "Applications are being accepted from across Canada in order to allow for a selection process that ensures outstanding individuals are considered for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada," it reads. Advertisement Federal Conservatives, still smarting after they were shut out of Atlantic Canada in the 2015 election, aren't pleased. Tory critic Rob Nicholson, a former justice minister, released a statement Tuesday pointing out that Trudeau's new process does not "guarantee" Atlantic Canadian representation on the top court. Nicholson suggested the development reflects poorly on the Liberals elected in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island as well as the Liberal premiers of those four provinces. "Every single federal Member of Parliament from Atlantic Canada, and every single premier, is a Liberal, and collectively they have failed to guarantee their region's representation on the top court in the country." Tory justice critic Rob Nicholson "Every single federal Member of Parliament from Atlantic Canada, and every single Premier, is a Liberal, and collectively they have failed to guarantee their region's representation on the top court in the country," Nicholson said. Advertisement "Regardless of the process he chooses, Conservatives urge the Prime Minister to adhere to the longstanding convention that at least one justice of the Supreme Court come from Atlantic Canada as he seeks to replace Justice Cromwell." All 32 MPs in Atlantic Canada are Liberal. All four Liberal premiers received campaign help from Trudeau en route to majority governments in the region. Tory pick was deemed unconstitutional Trudeau pledged on the campaign trail to reform top court appointments. Former prime minister Stephen Harper saw his appointment of Quebec judge Marc Nadon overturned in 2014 after it was deemed unconstitutional, setting off a public spat with Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. "Under Stephen Harper, the all-party Supreme Court appointment process has been disrespected and degraded, culminating in the Prime Minister's unprecedented attacks on the Chief Justice," the Liberal platform reads. "We will restore dignity and respect to the relationship between government and the Supreme Court." With files from The Canadian Press ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Andrew Toth via Getty Images NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 12: Comedian Tom Green visits SiriusXM Studios on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images) Tom Green thinks American interest in heading north if Donald Trump wins the U.S. election may be strong enough for Canada to consider building a wall. The Canadian comedian was joking, of course, during a recent interview with The Washington Examiner. Advertisement "It's nice living in a society where you go outside and are walking around at night, you aren't scared. But Green got more serious when he talked about how the U.S. can learn from its neighbour when it comes to issues such as health care and public safety. The former "Tom Green Show" host said fear has been "pounded" into the heads of Americans opposed to gun control and universal health care. He advised skeptics to pay a visit to Montreal and Vancouver. Green: Media gave Trump a pass "It's nice living in a society where you go outside and are walking around at night, you aren't scared," he told the Examiner about living in Canada. Advertisement Green partly blamed the rise of Trump on the media. He said he was shocked at how news outlets did not criticize the Republican nominee after he said "absurd" things. "If you say something bigoted, and you're a presidential candidate ... everybody has to talk about it," Green told CBC Radio in July. "The outrage is actually what's been promoting his candidacy." Tom Green (centre) stands in front of Donald Trump during an episode of the eighth season of "Celebrity Apprentice." (Photo: Ali Goldstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) Trump and Green have a history together. In 2009, the comedian appeared in the eighth season of "Celebrity Apprentice" with Trump, who fired him. Advertisement I know Donald Trump. He fired me on Celebrity Apprentice because I went out drinking with Dennis Rodman on the night I was project manager. Tom Green (@tomgreenlive) April 11, 2016 The experience on the show was weird, Green told the Montreal Gazette in March. He compared the negativity among the host and contestants to the Republican primaries. "In fact, its almost identical to my experience on Celebrity Apprentice," he said. In July, Green appeared in a music video called "Do the Donald" poking fun at the Republican nominee. You can watch that video here. Also On HuffPost: While giving a speech at a rally in Virginia on Tuesday, presidential candidate Donald Trump took issue with a crying baby. In the middle of his talk, the father (and grandfather) stops and speaks directly to the baby's mom. "You can get the baby out of here," he said while gesturing with his thumb. Advertisement But just prior to booting the baby, Trump claimed he was just fine with a healthy child being vocal. Check out the whole interaction in the video above. Trump tweeted a thank you to Virginia after the rally with the hashtag #ImWithYou... unless you're a baby, I guess. Also on HuffPost Donald Trump Baby Poop Faces See Gallery Imagine you're Justin Trudeau's speechwriter and you're on the phone with his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeu, who will soon give a speech in support of her husband. She says that one of the people she has always liked is Laureen Harper, Stephen Harper's wife. Over the phone, she reads some passages from Ms. Harper's speeches as examples. You write them down and later include some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately becomes her final speech. All hell breaks loose when your plagiarism is discovered. But the Liberal Party chairman denies everything: "There was no cribbing of Laureen Harper's speech. To think that Sophie would be cribbing Laureen Harper's words is crazy." Advertisement Then a Liberal Premier wades in with: "Ninety-three percent of the speech is completely different." When this Wall of Denial starts to crumble, you offer to resign. But Mr. Trudeau refuses to accept your resignation. He says that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences. So you write an online apology saying: "I did not check Mrs. Harper's speeches. This was my mistake and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Sophie and the Trudeaus, as well as Mrs. Harper. No harm was meant." The scenario of one political leader's spouse claiming she admires the spouse of her partner's sworn enemy and would like that person's ideas incorporated into the most important speech she will ever give. Well, it practically quantum-shifts from fiction to fantasy to impossibility in this one sentence. It's a bit like saying Mohammed Ali would quote from Sonny Listen. Or Mick Jagger would sing a Beatles tune -- without admitting it. Or Barack Obama, short on ideas, decides to steal some from Vladimir Putin for his next attack on... Vladimir Putin. Advertisement I write speeches for executives and politicians, and the idea that my client would ever say they so admire their arch-rival that they would like me to incorporate some of their most memorable ideas into their next speech where the stakes are so high that the future of the world is up for grabs. It beggars belief. And yet, the apology that Trump speechwriter Meredith McIver offered at the Republican Convention feels vaguely sincere and truthful. I asked myself how that could possibly be, when we all know both the tweet and her speechwriter's confession are as false as a chocolate-covered four-year-old saying to Daddy with innocent eyes: "What chocolate?" Then this week it happened again. Well, not exactly "it." But Melania Trump's second adventure in public dishonesty came on Wednesday when the media reported that she'd lied about earning her degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in her native Slovenia. This time, the Trump campaign didn't deny it. They didn't even bother excusing it, or making a young staffer walk the plank for doing it. They simply took it down, following a tweet from America's possibly future First Lady: "The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests." Advertisement This double-header of cocky dishonesty reminded me of the last time a demagogue came close to tearing America apart. It was in the early 1950s when Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy launched his witch-hunt for communists and homosexuals in the American government and Hollywood. He sparked the age of McCarthyism, for which Wikepedia offers up this handy definition: "Today, the term is used by critics of McCarthy in reference to what they consider demagogic, reckless and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents." McCarthy was eventually censured in 1954 by the U.S. Senate. But what really brought him down was a counter-attack by Joseph Nye Welch, the U.S. Army's chief legal representative on McCarthy's investigation into alleged communists in the Army. When McCarthy wildly accused one of Welch's Boston law partners of being a mouthpiece of the Communist Party, Welch replied: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness ..." Advertisement McCarthy carried on. Welch interrupted him again: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" With this, the Senate gallery broke into applause and the hearing was recessed. America's real question now should be: "Joseph Nye Welch, where are you now that we need you -- again?" Dave Shafer via Getty Images Capped beer bottles in the filling room In a flourish of self-congratulatory bravado, Finance Minister Joe Ceci announced yet another major overhaul to Alberta's brewing industry on July 28, 2016. Prior to the NDP taking power in 2015, Alberta enjoyed the best market for beer in all of Canada. Although, it was by no means perfect, Albertans were able to enjoy a far greater selection of products from around the world at a much more competitive price than any other consumers in any other province. Advertisement Then the tinkering started. No province is permitted to erect a "tariff barrier" -- a tax assessed by weight, volume, or a percentage of value -- that impedes interprovincial trade. Behind the scenes, for years, members of the Alberta Small Brewers Association had been lobbying the government in Edmonton to protect them from outside competition and provide financial supports. These efforts fell on deaf ears until the current political regime took office. As a result, the first major overhaul took place October 28, 2015 when the government imposed a tax on craft beers brewed outside of the New West Partnership (British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan). This tax violated both our constitution's so-called "free trade" clause and long established case law from the Supreme Court of Canada. No province is permitted to erect a "tariff barrier" -- a tax assessed by weight, volume, or a percentage of value -- that impedes interprovincial trade. As intended, the tax drove up prices on beer from outside the New West Partnership. But the increase in price failed to further the government's goals of supporting local jobs and diversifying the economy -- the mantra constantly intoned in Edmonton these days. Advertisement Muskoka Brewery was forced to pull out of Alberta entirely and lay off their Alberta employees. Steam Whistle Brewery languished under a 525 per cent tax increase and was forced to ask the courts to provide relief. Some of the small Albertan import agencies saw their sales drop by nearly 60 per cent. And since B.C. beers were exempt, producers from across the Rockies began shipping more than ever into the Alberta market. Far from protecting local jobs and diversifying the economy, the October 2015 tax cost Albertans' jobs, made businesses less-profitable, and flooded our market with products from outside the province. Back to the drawing board. The second major overhaul was announced July 28, 2016. As of August 5, 2016, all beers in Alberta will be taxed at the highest rate regardless of their place of origin and Alberta brewers will be subsidized by taxpayers based upon the volume of their sales. But this does precious little to remedy constitutional problem created by this government last fall. Section 121 of the Constitution Act, 1867 says that products from each province must be "admitted free" into every other province. When reading the many drafts and revisions of this provision in the years leading up to 1867, it is clear--the Fathers of Confederation wanted to tear down all government imposed impediments to internal trade. Advertisement For example, George Brown said, "[the] Union of all Provinces would break down all trade barriers between us, and throw open at once... a combined market of four million people." And Alexander Galt said one of "the chief benefits expected to flow from confederation [is] the free interchange of the products of the labor of each province." Historical record aside, the judge in the Canadian Constitution Foundation's recent R. v. Comeau case also recognized that section 121 was "clearly intended" to uphold free trade between the provinces. And this is why latest announcement rings so hollow. Alberta brewers will receive taxpayer money on a volume sold basis to offset their costs, which is merely an indirect means of imposing a tariff barrier on beer from elsewhere in Canada. Ignoring the political hullabaloo, Alberta's new plan is to do covertly what it is not permitted to do openly. No court will have difficulty seeing through this sleight of hand. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Warren Buffett, this Tuesday in Omaha with Hillary Clinton. Andrew Harnik (AP) Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world and arguably Wall Streets most respected investor, gave Republican candidate Donald Trump a piece of his mind on Monday while speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. He challenged the real estate mogul to release his income tax returns and chastised him for offending the family of a US soldier who died in combat. Have you no sense of decency, sir?, Buffett asked rhetorically, quoting Senator Joe Welchs words to Joseph McCarthy during one of the many Communist witch hunt hearings in Congress in 1954. Buffetts remarks came just after another millionaire power player, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, spoke out against Trump at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, accusing him of being a dangerous demagogue and a con. 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 As the 85-year-old president of Berkshire Hathaway introduced Clinton at a rally at Omaha North High Magnet School, he stuck his finger in one of Trumps sorest wounds: his refusal to release his income tax returns, citing an ongoing audit. I'm under audit too, Buffett said. And I would be delighted to meet him any place, any time, between now and the election...I'll bring my return, he'll bring his return and just let people ask us questions about the items that are on there, he said to wild applause. The Oracle of Omaha, who owns stocks in Goldman Sachs and Coca-Cola, endorsed Hillary Clinton in December 2015 at an event where he said he was in favor of raising taxes on the rich. His remarks in Omaha on Monday mark his first campaign event since both parties held their conventions and ratified the presidential nominees. Buffett and Bloombergs attacks are especially hurtful to Trump because the Republican candidate has made his status as a businessman one of the pillars of his campaign. He has presented himself as a self-made man who will lead the nation the same way he has led his businesses, promising that the United States will therefore prosper. Yet other, more powerful, moguls like Bloomberg and Buffett have questioned his abilities and warned Americans against a Trump presidency. More of the countrys great fortunes are backing Clinton instead of Trump, even though she presented the most left-leaning platform the Democratic Party has seen in decades. Mike Cuban, the millionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also made a surprise appearance at a Clinton event on Saturday. English version by Dyane Jean-Francois. I was born in Afghanistan, forced to leave at a young age, I did not return until I was 16 years old. I met with women, who had lost their husbands, their sons and/or their fathers during the wars. Despite their losses, these women were filled with love, but one thing that was notable was how dependent they were. Their situation required them to work and provide for their families, but their lack of skills pushed them into cheap and sometimes even illegal labour. The encounters with these women have inspired me to advocate for the creation of platforms to give girls and women in Afghanistan the knowledge and skills to participate in the labour force and be independent. I think we should empower more women in Afghanistan through entrepreneurship training. Advertisement Since 2001, there have been significant improvements and achievements with regard to the role of women in Afghan society. Many more girls, who were once banned from attending school under the Taliban, are now enrolled in schools and universities; and the Ministry of Labour and newly created Ministry of Women's Affairs are drafting a National Action Plan for Women's Economic Empowerment, "to create an enabling environment for women to participate in economic activities to benefit their families, communities, and the country." One of the main barriers that prevents Afghan women from entering the labour force are traditional beliefs and biased views that women should be housewives and mothers rather than breadwinners. There is a stigma around families where the mother or daughter earns money and women's potential and abilities are severely suppressed. Women have come to believe that attending school is merely to find a husband. When girls get engaged, their educational life stops and they become dependent on their husbands. Advertisement The mindset has to change. For one, we have to convince women that getting an education is not a means to find a husband but an important way to be both independent and contribute to the economy and society. I believe that entrepreneurship training for Afghan women will help to change this mindset. Entrepreneurial skills, whether they are interpersonal skills, critical and creative thinking skills, or practical skills, will not just empower women to run their own businesses and give them more financial security, but will also give them more self-esteem and bargaining power in the household. The government can play a role in this by launching, promoting, and improving access to training and initiatives that foster women's entrepreneurial mindsets and competences. This in turn, I trust, will bring about many more strong and independent mothers who will inspire their daughters to finish their education and find a job. The female labour force participation rate of Afghanistan needs a big boost. I am committed to reducing the dependency levels of girls and women in Afghanistan by promoting education and entrepreneurship training and bringing more women into the workforce. Female participation in the labour force is key to economic growth, reducing poverty and improving living conditions, and it will bring back the peace and prosperity that Afghanistan deserves. By Simin Shokrullah, G(irls)20 delegate, Afghanistan Visit my G(irls)20 profile here or follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Afolabi Sotunde / Reuters Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigners look on during a protest procession marking the 500th day since the abduction of girls in Chibok, along a road in Abuja August 27, 2015. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram kidnapped some 270 girls and women from a school in Chibok a year ago. More than 50 eventually escaped, but at least 200 remain in captivity, along with scores of other girls kidnapped before the Chibok girls. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde In a world continually flirting with chaos, challenges emerge that could provide the average citizen with a sense of involvement to at least make their own mark on a troubled age. Causes exist everywhere that call us to action, prompt us to give, force us to consider our own responsibility to the larger world. The problem we face with these kinds of responses isn't awareness -- we get our news from everywhere these days -- but our retention. Every day, the news through all its venues reaches us with increasing calls to humanity to rise to the occasion and effect change. Our great danger is the temptation to move from one issue to another, like a stone skipping over a quiet pond, instead of sticking to our original commitments, seeing them through to the end. Advertisement Just such a cause occurred 842 days ago, when the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram captured 276 Nigerian schoolgirls, dragging them off into captivity and the kinds of horror that are too easy to imagine. The world responded in outrage. The hashtag #bringbackourgirls was used hundreds of thousands of times within the first week. Celebrities, including Michelle Obama, were pictured holding up posters that simply said: "Bring Back Our Girls." It was a powerful movement of humanity that leaped across borders, religions, ideologies, and numerous distractions. Increasingly, our collective conscience seems ever expanding but only skin deep. But that was 842 days ago -- well over two years -- and despite some of the girls escaping, nothing of the present whereabouts of the remainder has emerged. The outrage that is Boko Haram is far greater than what happened to these schoolgirls. Altogether, the terrorist group has kidnapped 2,000 girls overall and have been responsible for the dislocation of 800,000 children, according to UNICEF. Zoom out and we discover that the ripple effect of Boko Haram is even more tragic. NBC News, as reported in the Atlantic, cited a UNESCO study that concluded 10.5 million children in Nigeria have been denied access to education through the disruption of the terrorist vigilantes -- the highest in the world. All this tragedy and ongoing misery, but two years later "bringbackourgirls" is all too rarely seen in social media -- millions of concerned citizens have moved on to other pressing matters. It's not the complexity of the problem that is the real issue here, but the tenacity of citizens once energized to press for action and collaboration. Increasingly, our collective conscience seems ever expanding but only skin deep. Or as Mark Twain put it: "A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory." Alas, have we forgotten the Nigerian girls so quickly? Advertisement And now we discover that all of Nigeria is either in massive insecurity or in starvation. UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, and numerous other non-governmental organizations are calling on the world to send aid to hundreds of thousands of people dying for lack of access to food. A great human tragedy is unfolding in Nigeria and the chances of the kidnapped girls will recede even further into the shadows. In a world that seems ever more unpredictable, citizens everywhere are demanding to become an increasing part of the solutions of the future. But what if they are becoming more sensationalized than serious? It's an important question to consider and one Susan Sontag speaks up about in her book On Photography: "To suffer is one thing; another thing is living with the photographed images of suffering, which does not necessarily strengthen conscience and the ability to be compassionate. It can also corrupt them. Once one has seen such images, one has started down the road of seeing more -- and more. Images transfix. Images anesthetize." The problem for the modern citizen isn't that she doesn't care, or that he isn't generous, it's the temptation of always moving on instead of remaining in those places of humanity's pain until a resolution is achieved. We must be careful against the danger of, "Mistaking dramatics for a conscience," as author Louise Penny put it. The real strength of modern citizenship will never be achieved unless we discover the collective capacity to be tenacious together. Over two years ago we made a commitment to some Nigerian girls experiencing a living hell. We will only discover hope when we go back and build on our collective promise to recover them. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Jeng_Niamwhan via Getty Images The concept of building houses on sky It wasn't even a year ago when a small idea popped into the head of Steve Zaleschuk. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the thought would snowball into something big, and fast. Zaleschuk, a resident of Sturgeon County, Alberta, decided to get into the big business of building tiny homes. With 30 plus years of construction experience on his side, Zaleschuk started his business, Finished Right Contracting (FRC) last fall. He educated himself on the tiny home movement, researched materials, and tiny home building plans, developed a website, and simply got to work. He hasn't looked back since. Advertisement Zaleschuk builds the homes on an 80-acre farm not far from Morinville, Alberta (close to the City of Edmonton). His latest labour of love is a micro-cabin for Parks Canada. The cabin is a small square building with large tinted windows and a beautiful wood exterior. It's part of a pilot project that may see many more tiny cabins erected in national parks across the country. According to Zaleschuck, FRC was one of only two tiny home builders asked to build a prototype. Pretty good for someone who just went full-time with his dream less than a year ago. Currently, tiny homes are not permitted within the boundaries of many urban Alberta municipalities. According to Zaleschuk, the City of Edmonton, for example, says no to tiny homes, though it does appear to be a grey area whether they are actually legal there or not. Other communities, like the Town of Stony Plain, says Zaleschuk, do allow them in certain designated zones, such as mobile home parks. Establishing space friendly to the micro-structures does appear to be moving quicker in some parts of Canada over others. In Northern BC, for example, tiny home communities, or micro-villages, have started to pop up. In Victoria and Vancouver, "micro-housing" is being considered as a way to address affordable housing and homelessness. Back here in Alberta, Zaleschuk's is confident our province will follow suit. He says he's been bombarded with emails from people interested in learning about the ins and outs of tiny home living. Advertisement Luckily for Zaleschuk he's got a great resource and champion for FRC on his side, helping him spread the word about his business. His very first customer shared her tiny home story online on her blog and emailed media she thought might be interested. She even allows people to rent out her miniature home on the weekends so they can try out tiny living for themselves. It was this that led the well-known Canadian home renovation channel, HGTV, to catch wind of Zaleschuk and his tiny houses. "They came out and filmed me making [a tiny house], it's crazy. The episode -- it's season 3 of 'Tiny House, Big Living,' episode eight or nine I think -- has already aired in the States...it should be running in Canada this fall." And HGTV is not the only one to take note; Zaleschuck says both the CBC and Maclean's Magazine have also interviewed him regarding the tiny home movement. So what's the big deal about tiny homes? The allure of tiny homes has a lot to do with simplicity and attainability. "People are really interested in tiny homes because it's about freedom -- financial freedom and freedom with your time. It takes way less time to clean a 250-square foot home versus a 2,000-square foot home." Zaleschuck also adds, when purchasing a micro-home people can afford to include indulgent touches because it ends up costing way less than it would in a regular sized house, for obvious reasons. These mini-mansions give people the ability to live in luxury, even if it's in a small way. And if you're wondering, the price of an average tiny home is, for the most part, also pretty tiny (think of it as a mini-mortgage). "We can realistically build a home starting at $39,900 -- that's on the very low end -- up to infinity, depending on the finishes and what's needed in the home." Zaleschuk estimates a typical tiny house will cost about $60,000. "It seems like tiny home owners have a different mindset. They want to live in a house that is eco-friendly, with a smaller carbon footprint..." The entrepreneur says residing in a tiny home also gives people perspective, it forces them to ask, 'what do I have versus what do I need?' FRC builds tiny homes (either as a main residence or as a guest house), micro-cabins, speciality sheds, ice fishing shacks, and any other related project clients may want or need. It's no doubt, says the carpenter, however, tiny homes are the bread and butter of FRC. Those buildings range in size from about 150-square feet to 410-square feet and can be built to accommodate any requirements. For example, Zaleschuk recently completed a tiny home for a family of four that needed three separate bedrooms. Advertisement The builder estimates his homes will last 50 to 60 years, or longer. Another aspect contributing to his success is the fact Zaleschuk will deliver to locations found throughout the country -- his micro-cabin for Parks Canada is heading east, destined for a national park in Quebec. Two of his upcoming projects are headed to the Northwest Territories, and one has even had to take a ferry ride to its permanent home located on Keats Island (off the south B.C. coast). When asked how he thinks his buildings -- which have an average weight of about 11,000 to 12,000 pounds for a 24-foot home -- manage over their long journeys to their final destinations, Zaleschuk simply laughs, saying, "they could roll them there if they wanted to. I'm not worried; [these houses] are built to withstand the trip." Zaleschuck says he's obviously very delighted with his early success and will keep running with it, remarking things don't appear to be slowing down. "I have close to 400 emails in my inbox right now, [it's surreal]...I joined a 'Tiny Homes Enthusiasts of Edmonton' group; we started off with a handful of people, now there are hundreds and it's growing each day." FRC shares stories of its projects online, including building plans, photos for inspiration, and information on how you can get started with your dream of owning your own tiny home with big heart. Advertisement This blog first appeared on the Morinville News website here. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: marctranvn via Getty Images little toes in mom's hands Dr. Seuss said it best: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." My brother and his wife were trying to have a baby for the last seven years. With their hard earned savings, they set their sights on pursuing countless fertility treatments. Hanging on to a promise from one clinic that results were "guaranteed," they drove many long hours with remarkable sangfroid to receive treatments. But both physical and emotional pain was served up in abundance for my sister-in-law as she endured multiple miscarriages. I was amazed at her fortitude and determination to have a family. With each setback, she would wait for the scars to heal and begin treatments anew with a resolve I had never seen in her before. Advertisement Dr. Bill Cavers, past President of Doctors of B.C., believes that: "Medicine is no longer a one-way conversation. Patients want to get involved, they need to get involved, they deserve to get involved. Today patients are far more educated about their own conditions, they are far more empowered, and they have access to far more information. They're demanding to be full partners in their care, and they should be." When it was confirmed that my sister-in-law could not carry to full term, they pursued a remedy to achieve their baby dreams. With the help of a gestational surrogate, they signed a contract that gave them new hope and a renewed purpose. Source: Lisa Abram According to Statistics Canada, in 2006 the gap widened a bit between households comprised of couples without children (29%) and couples with children (28.5%). Ever since 1978 when Louise Brown was born in the U.K., the world's first test tube baby, the possibilities for conception are now abundant. While some couples desire to have no children by choice, others are getting creative in their approach to having a family. Advertisement Take Frank Nelson and BJ Barone for example -- a same-sex couple in Toronto whose emotional embrace of their new baby via surrogate went viral. However, with sisterly love, I assured my sibling there too is joy in being childless, should the Fertility Gods not shine down upon them with the same warm embrace. In a Huffington Post blog about the childless life, the CDC reports that of the 19% of women who remain childless between the ages of 40 and 44, half are childfree by choice. The remaining population are unable to have children by biology and by circumstance (i.e. some late-age biological infertility is a result of not finding a partner until one's fertility is compromised by age). And much has been written by women about being childless by choice. But that is not the backdrop for this story. My brother and his wife moved full steam ahead with their baby plans, and a close bond formed with the gestational surrogate after many visits to the doctor and ultrasound technician. I have read about celebrities choosing this path for a multitude of reasons. Actresses Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker both carried children of their own; however for subsequent births they invited a stranger into their lives in order to expand their family. But I never knew anyone personally pursuing this path. After hearing my brother talk about his long journey to hoped-for fatherhood, he reminded me of the letter he wrote from camp. He told our family he missed us all very much, that he was having a great time and then signed his short note with "love and inaffection." These childhood moments are priceless, and we thank our mothers for reminding us about our years of innocence. But I've rarely seen the emotional side of my brother. Perhaps we ridiculed him too much about the letter, I think. But my little brother does have a sense of humour with his six rules for the unofficial fertility club: Advertisement #1. There is no blame Never blame yourself or your partner for the situation. Instead, learn to accept it and move forward. #2. Leave your dignity at the door You'll have to do things you never imagined, so it's best to have a sense of humour. #3. Whatever you have budgeted for treatment, it's not enough! Better to have a list of expenses so, years later, you can laugh at how much money you spent. #4. Be your own advocate If the clinic isn't pursuing the kind of treatment you prefer, push for what you want, or go somewhere else for help. #5. Know when to stop One's focused determination can sometimes overtake the harsh reality set before you. #6. Find a support group They will help save your sanity and your life. When the due date approached, we waited with breathless anticipation. Then the text message came: "The baby is doing fine and weighs 7 lbs 13 ozs." I imagined the delivery room and this union of three all fused together in their collective efforts to bring life into this world. Shortly after the birth, while sitting in a car and looking at my emails, I unexpectedly let out a cry. My startled husband asked if I was okay. "Yes," I blurted through tears. "My brother just wrote the most beautiful birth announcement." The floodgates opened and I was awash in a torrent of emotion. His silence was over; the longing for fatherhood finally fulfilled. As if a meteorite hit the ground after entering Earth's atmosphere, we all let out a collective sigh of relief from the sudden impact; showered praise on the gestational surrogate for her selflessness; and expressed unbridled joy at the happiness we all shared. Advertisement I knew the years of waiting were worth it when I received a succinct text from the proud dad. "How are you doing?" I asked. "I'm crying more than the baby," he replied. Once the paperwork proclaimed the infant as their son, my brother was no longer crying tears of joy, but smiling from ear to ear. Dr. Seuss definitely knew of what he spoke of. My little nephew, Oh, the Places You'll Go! Oh, the love and affection you will know. (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) "Would you like your picture taken next to Bilbo Baggins' house?" It's not a stress dream. I'm standing in the emerald green fields of Hobbiton, the original film set for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Just outside Matamata, the Kiwi director transformed a 1250 acre sheep and beef farm into The Shire, digging 44 hobbit holes into the undulating hills. After filming concluded, the set was converted into what's arguably the most popular tourist attraction in New Zealand, drawing over 1.5 million visitors since first opening. Advertisement (Photo: Ian Brodie/Tourism New Zealand) Believe it or not, Hobbiton is just the beginning. Jackson used more than 150 locations across New Zealand for filming, many of which you can now visit. There are even "Middle Earth" itineraries that Tolkien buffs can follow across the North and South Islands, with one spanning 21 days for mega fans. Of course, you can't just freely roam Hobbiton like a villager. The only way to get that prized selfie by Bilbo's home is to take a two-hour guided tour departing from the Alexander farm. Wandering the 12 acres, you hear mesmerizing stories about the set's creation, learn obscure facts about the production, and see real sights that appeared in the films. Even non-fans (like myself) are captivated. (Photo: Ian Brodie/Tourism New Zealand) "Anyone here for Harry Potter?" jokes our guide. "Wrong country!" Strolling along the Shire's pathway, it feel surreal to wander a mythical village filled with Munchkin-sized houses. Each has mossy roof and a round door painted with a lively colour, as well as windowsills filled with flowers, foods, and impish ornaments. One tourist tries to open a door. Advertisement (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) "You can't go in," says the tour guide. "There's actually nothing inside." The hobbit holes were designed for exterior filming, and a separate set was constructed for the interior shots (which now permanently resides at Jackson's home in Wellington). Even if there was something to see, good luck fitting inside: at 3 feet by 6 inches, the houses are sized to fit hobbits. "The houses were dug out just a little inside," says our guide. "They had to keep the roof stable for actors running on top." (One of the few hobbit holes that you can step inside for a photo. Credit: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) Advertisement Nearby is the Party Tree, where Bilbo celebrates his "one hundred and eleventieth birthday." Here, our guide explains that this tree is a crucial reason Jackson chose to film on this property. "The Alexander farm had everything they needed," says our guide. "Even the 'nice rounded tree' described in Tolkien's book." (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) Of course, it took some finagling to get. Back in 1998, Mr. Alexander was watching rugby when he heard a knock at his front door. On the doorstep was a film location scout, asking to inspect his property. Peering through binoculars at the tree and the gently sloping hills, the original plan to film across several locations was quickly tossed out. "Peter Jackson did an aerial tour of the farm," says our guide. "And then he came back to Mr. Alexander with a proposal to build the Hobbiton set on the farm." Advertisement "Lord of the what?" Mr. Alexander purportedly responded to Jackson's request. (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) Despite the farm's suitability, it took some serious magic to transform the fields - normally used for sheep grazing - into the Hobbiton from the films. With endless rolling hills and emerald green fields, it functioned as a working farm even during production. In fact, Jackson often had to call Alexander when sheep strayed into shots, asking him to move the flock. Overall, the set took nine months to build, digging hobbit holes into the hills, removing marshland, and creating elaborate props to match Tolkien's tales. "See that oak tree above Bag End?" says our guide. "Is it a real or fake?" I wager a guess, but I'm wrong. Turns out, the tree is a replica, painstakingly bolted together and with artificial leaves wired onto the branches. But it sure looks real. (The replica oak tree above Bag End (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) Faux trees aside, Jackson also faced the enormous feat of accommodating 400 people onsite every day on a limited budget. He requested a loan from the New Zealand government to build the roads and infrastructure, but it was rejected. Instead, he got the New Zealand Army. Advertisement "The Prime Minister loaned him soldiers to help build the road into the site," says our guide. "In return, Jackson cast the soldiers as extras in the Orc army." Apparently, the soldiers were completely immersed in their roles: the director actually had to tell them to settle down because they were injuring the actors during the battle scenes. Around the pond and past the Watermill, our guide leads us to our final stop at the Green Dragon Inn. Sitting by crackling fireplace, I marvel at the enchanting decor (the pub is an exact reproduction of the one in the films) and sip my foamy pint of Hobbiton ale. To be honest, I can't think of a better way to end this unexpected journey. (The Green Dragon Inn (Photo: Sara Orme/Tourism New Zealand) KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Hobbiton Movie Set is a 2.5 hour drive from Auckland, and there are bus operators that offer transfers to/from various Kiwi cities across the North Island. Advertisement To really holiday like a hobbit, sleep in the Shire under a grassy roof at Woodlyn Park, a hobbit-themed inn near the Waitomo Glowworm Caves(another essential stop on the Middle Earth journey). A member of the Star Alliance, Air New Zealandfeatures non-stop, overnight flights from Vancouver to Auckland, and connects to most major Canadian cities. For more travel inspiration and advice, mosey on over to Eat Drink Travel Magazine. Get more ideas for planning your Middle Earth Adventure at Tourism New Zealand. Yagi Studio via Getty Images Senior men are in pain a stiff neck Ontario just announced that it is starting its war against addiction and deaths from opioid overdoses by targeting the elderly and disabled. Beginning in January 2017, Ontario will no longer cover the cost of higher doses of certain pain medications on its drug benefit formulary. The formulary covers the cost of drugs for senior citizens and the disabled. Those on higher doses will have to pay for these prescriptions themselves or have their doctors prescribe lower doses in sufficient quantity to make up for the single pill or long-acting patches they get now. Advertisement In an explanation to pharmacists, the government stated that part of the rationale is that they want to stop the diversion of legitimately prescribed medications which they call a "public health and safety issue in Canada." That assumes that a considerable amount of the drugs on the street are diverted from legitimate prescriptions, which is not the case. British Columbia, which has considerable fentanyl overdoses, points out that some of the source is from diverted prescriptions, but the main source of fentanyl overdoses is in fake oxycontin pills and other club drugs sold as heroin in powder form or mixed in with cocaine, crack and other agents. The Drug Enforcement Agency in the U.S. also points out that the increase in fentanyl deaths is largely the result of clandestinely produced supplies rather than legal prescriptions having been diverted. The illegal fentanyl is mostly manufactured in China and Mexico. Ontario, however, is targeting seniors and the disabled which some doctors feel will have very negative effects. Writing in the Medical Post newspaper, (registration required) Dr. Darren Cargill of Windsor and a palliative care specialist pointed out that these changes will have serious unintended consequences. He states that "These medications are not just needed for the dying; we need them for the living as well." There are people with severe chronic, non-life-threatening pain whose lives are enhanced by pain medication. Advertisement He and his colleague, Dr. Thomas Burgess, also of Windsor, listed these problems that will likely arise from this strategy: Decreased access to appropriate medications for patients in need, resulting in poor pain control, leading to unnecessary ER visits and hospital admissions Increased pill/patch burden, resulting in potential for decreased absorption/medication adherence and poorer pain control Increased use of PCA/CADD pumps (for infusion of pain meds intravenously), limiting function and independence, requiring more intensive care Increased number of pills/patches prescribed and increased potential for diversion Inappropriate referral to palliative care specialists, already in short supply The comments to this article from other doctors, for the most part, support what Dr. Cargill has to say. Dr Chris Giorshev of Barrie wrote that "There is no evidence that the recent measures will do anything meaningful other than torture legitimate pain/palliative patients" and "most of the problems arise from the illegal fentanyl coming from China -- not from the patches prescribed by us. And the smaller strength pills are actually easier to move on the streets -- so reducing the pill size will have no effect." Dr Geoffrey Purdell-Lewis of Burlington, Ontario said that "Not every patient prescribed opioids gets addicted" and that "Some patients appear to need more than a morphine equivalent dosage of 200mg per day and these patients can do well on somewhat bigger doses, especially with careful and strict monitoring and support. Much more thought is needed before the '200mg portcullis' is brought down." Federal Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott has just announced a summit for this fall comprised of experts in the field from across Canada to develop sensible strategies to deal with the problem. While acknowledging opioid risks, Dr. Philpott said that "People need to have access to these effective medications where used appropriately." Advertisement It would make sense for Ontario to hold off on its plans until after the federal summit has drawn up its plans. Targeting seniors and the disabled is not a sensible solution to this problem and is downright discriminatory. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: In developing countries, kangaroo mother care can make all the difference in the world for premature babies. (Photo: Save the Children, a collaborator in the Born on Time initiative) Labour hit me hard. The hospital was a blur. All I can remember is the intense labour pain and the nurses rushing in and out of my room, making split-second decisions that would determine whether or not I delivered a healthy baby. Advertisement Inside me, the baby I had longed for was also struggling. A severe drop in my baby's heart rate left the doctors with only one choice - an emergency C-section. Before I knew it, I was being whisked down the hall to the operating room. Despite the chaos and pain, I'll never forget the look of panic on one nurse's face. When the ordeal was over, I was the proud mother of a beautiful, healthy, baby girl who just happened to have the umbilical cord wrapped around her whole body at birth. Despite my overwhelming sense of relief and joy, my body was still reeling from her dramatic entry. For whatever reason, shock or surgery itself, my entire body was shivering and shaking. I couldn't calm down. Warm blankets, my husband's loving touch, or even deep breathing didn't help. I was beyond frustrated. At the very moment I was to begin the job of being a capable, strong mother, I had lost control of my own body. Skin-to-skin contact But then something incredible happened. The nurses handed my new baby girl over to me for the first time, and in that moment, it was like someone had flicked a switch. Eliana was placed on me, her skin right next to mine, and it felt like everything in the world went instantly still -- including my once-shaking body. Advertisement I looked down, and just like her mommy, Ellie was amazingly calm. Before I knew it, she began to breastfeed for the first time, without any help or guidance from myself or the nurses. Both of us were automatically in sync. It was the most amazing experience, especially because I was a first-time mom. I kept Ellie close to my skin for days afterward, as she became increasingly comfortable with breastfeeding. (Photo: Jonathan Schrader) It didn't take me long to realize that what we were doing was called kangaroo mother care. I had read about it in parenting books, and learned about it in pre-natal class. It is often a perfect scenario for pre-term babies who have left the comfort of a mother's womb too soon. For me and Ellie, who was born at term, kangaroo mother care worked to calm us both down and kick-start our breastfeeding journey. But for moms who don't have access to a hospital, it can take the place of a life-saving incubator. Kangaroo mother care can literally be the difference between life and death for a baby. Advertisement It is especially critical for premature babies. Nowhere is it more important than in rural regions of developing countries where hospitals aren't readily close by, and life-saving equipment like an incubator is almost certainly not available. Lacking health care In some of the world's poorest places, families go without even the most basic health care. The result for premature babies is tragic: half of those born two months early will die. "More than 90 per cent of extremely pre-term babies born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life", says Dr. Amanuel Gidebo, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health expert at World Vision Canada. "That's compared to less than 10 per cent who die in high-income settings." Here in Canada, our newborn mortality rate is less than five per 1,000 live births. Working at World Vision Canada, I have come to learn that pre-term birth is now the leading cause of death in children under five. More than 75 per cent of those deaths can be prevented with approaches that aren't costly or complicated -- like kangaroo mother care. Dr. Gidebo describes it as "continuous skin-to-skin contact between the mother and her baby, both in hospital and after early discharge." "It offers support for positioning, feeding, as well as prevention and management of infections and breathing difficulties", says Dr. Gidebo. It also simulates an incubator, and provides a warm and comforting environment for babies. One of the most important aspects of kangaroo mother care is the convenience of being able to breastfeed at any time, something that can make all the difference to a baby's survival. Advertisement A mother caring for her newborn baby learns to wrap her little one close to her skin. (Photo: Save the Children) This World Breastfeeding Week, I think back to my experience with my newborn daughter, who is now a thriving three-year-old. Her birth didn't exactly go as planned. I wouldn't wish that kind of stress on any mom in the delivery room. But I do wish every new mom could have that same sense of peace and serenity that comes from that amazing skin-to-skin contact as well as the ease of breastfeeding. I especially want this for those mothers in developing countries who have to deliver their babies in less-than-ideal circumstances. For some of them, kangaroo mother care could make all the difference in the world. "Kangaroo Mother Care has the potential to save the lives of millions of pre-term babies in low-resource settings," says Dr. Gidebo. Advertisement To learn more about an exciting new initiative that aims to help mothers in Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Mali achieve healthy full-term pregnancies and care for pre-term babies, please visit www.BornOnTime.org. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Thanks to the craft beer uprising, people are beginning to understand and appreciate the process involved in creating a crisp and refreshing pint; and moreover, that it involves equal amounts of science and creativity. Although beer will always be considered the more laid-back relative of wine, don't interpret it as code for lacklustre taste. Beer can offer as much complexity as your favourite bottle of wine. And what better way to learn about flavour combinations than with two brewmasters to guide you. I spoke with Gavin LaForce and Wanis Benzazzouz from Les 3 Brasseurs aka 3 Brewers, to learn about creating delicious suds. The former is in charge of creating brews at the Toronto (Adelaide) location, while the latter oversees all restaurant-breweries in Canada. Advertisement One of the unique features at 3 Brewers is Custom Casking. You get to choose your own ingredients to create your very own brew, about 20 litres worth. The entire process takes a about an hour. Then you return in two weeks to taste your creation. Why choose cask beer/ale? LaForce explains that the brew is unpasteurized and unfiltered -- which results in fuller, fruitier flavours. You pour in the liquid (along with desired ingredients you want to 'infuse') and sprinkle in the yeast (aka top-fermenting yeast). The carbon dioxide dissolves into the solution (because it has nowhere to escape) -- and creates fizz. Unlike beer from a bottle or keg, LaForce says that cask carbonation results in light, effervescent champagne bubbles that are fine and soft. The brewmasters give us a brief rundown of what happens next: The brew goes through 48 to 72 hours fermentation. Then the cask is placed in the fridge where it sits and ages. During the aging process, the beer clarifies -- this is when the yeast goes to "sleep" and starts sinking out of suspension in the liquid, similar to champagne. When it is ready to drink, the beer gets poured off the yeast and picks up its flavour -- an important characteristic of cask brews. The entire process takes about 2 weeks. Advertisement From Hungarian oak to raspberry puree, the variations and combinations of ingredients in cask beer are endless. But before creating our custom ale, the brewmasters offer us a primer on beer basics and teach us how to pair each type with food. Traditional Beers at 3 Brewers These are considered the 'mainstays' of the beer world. Each type offers variations in bitterness (IBU - International Bittering Unit), alcohol content (ABV - Alcohol By Volume), aromas, and flavours. LaForce and Benzazzouz guide us through the range of beers and although it is perceived that nachos, chicken wings, pizza, fries and other deep fried salty eats reign supreme with these thirst quenching suds, the brewmasters suggest approachable food pairings that can elevate your eating and drinking game. Advertisement White IBU 18, ABV 4.7% Although it's considered a 'beginner's beer' because it is the mildest of the bunch, don't confuse that for a lack of flavour. On the Palate: Mild bitterness, citrus, wheat. Light and refreshing. Food Pairings: The beer is delicate; pair it with lobster rolls (go light on dressing), bruschetta crostini with balsamic drizzle. Blonde IBU 24, ABV 5.2% It's malty and dry and slightly more intense than White. On the Palate: Crisp, clean. Does not linger on the palate. There's a subtle bitterness that's pleasing. Food Pairings: Cheese platter (goat cheese and Asiago work really well), grilled chicken skewers with spicy cream sauce. Advertisement IPA (India Pale Ale) IBU 60, ABV 6% Aggressive bitterness. You either love IPAs or hate them. In fact, the brewmasters note that compared with other IPAs on the market, this one is decidedly more 'tame' than other ones you can find. On the Palate: Bold bitterness that lingers, back notes of citrus. Aftertaste of biscuit and burnt caramel. Food Pairings: Panko sausage fritters with sriracha mayo (yes, these are deep fried, but the pork is seasoned with fennel and coated in panko-- which gives the meat loads of flavour and texture), spicy breaded pickles. Amber IBU 26, ABV 6.2% It's a deep bronzed colour and considered more of a dessert beer. Bigger and bolder flavours offered with a touch of bitterness to cut through the sweetness. On the Palate: Luscious, mellow caramel with a slight bitter edge. Biscuit, light coffee and toffee notes. Advertisement Food Pairings: Bacon wrapped steak skewers, grilled button mushrooms. Brown IBU 27, ABV 4.8% Creamy, very malty and rich. Intensely aromatic. Silky on the tongue. On the Palate: Roundness of dark chocolate, espresso, burnt caramel, finished with bittersweet edge. Food Pairings: Chocolate brownies, braised beef and stews, creme brulee. In light of our tasting, we opted for a blonde beer with seasonal ingredients to celebrate the summer. We chose a blonde beer 'base' and 'steeped' in the following items: Belgian 'candi' syrup, fresh grapefruit peel, pink peppercorn, and raw coconut. Spaces Images via Getty Images Chateau Frontecac illuminated at night, Quebec, Canada The safety of an area is always top of mind when searching for a new home. Statistics Canada recently released their study on police-reported crimes in 2015. The 2015 report examines the Crime Severity Index (CSI), which measures the volume as well as the seriousness of each crime in comparison to others. This year marked the first time in 12 years that Canada experienced an increase in CSI -- up five per cent year over year. The overall volume and severity of violent crime was up six per cent, while non-violent crime was up four per cent from 2014 to 2015. The significant increase in Alberta's police-reported crime contributed to the national increase. On a positive note, however, the CSI is still 31 per cent lower when compared to ten years ago in 2005. Advertisement This rise in the CSI is largely attributed to more incidences of fraud, breaking and entering, robbery, and homicide. More than half -- eight out of 13 provinces and territories -- reported an increase in the CSI by the end of last year.Alberta experienced the largest increase (+18 per cent), which was largely attributed to more reported incidents of breaking and entering, theft of $5,000 or under, and motor vehicle theft. This was followed by New Brunswick (+12 per cent), the Northwest Territories (+10 per cent) and Saskatchewan (+10 per cent). Ontario's increased two per cent, due to a rise in police-reported fraud. However, there were a number of provinces and territories that witnessed a decrease in CSI including, Prince Edward Island (-10 per cent), Nova Scotia (-7 per cent), Nunavut (-4 per cent), Quebec (-3 per cent) and Yukon (-2twe per cent). Out of the 33 census metropolitan areas (CMAs), 20 reported an increase in CSI. Moncton had a 20-per-cent increase in CSI, Victoria and Edmonton both experienced a 16-per-cent increase, and Abbotsford-Mission had a 14-per-cent increase. Calgary was up 29 per cent -- the largest year-over-year increase. This jump was largely due to an increase of breaking and entering, theft under $5,000 and motor vehicle theft. These types of crime were also responsible for the uptick in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Saskatoon and Regina had the highest increase in CSIs, a trend that has sustained itself since 2010, with a 112.5 and 107.6 CSI respectively. Other cities with high CSIs were Edmonton, Kelowna, Abbotsford-Mission and Vancouver. Advertisement These cities also experienced an increase in traditional crime rate, which looks at the volume of police-reported crime relative to the population size, and led to a national increase of three per cent. The highest increases were found in Calgary, with a 25-per-cent increase, and Moncton, experiencing a 21-per-cent increase. However, similar to the CSI, crime rates have also been on a downward trend since the early 90s. Naturally, notable increases in both CSI and crime rate raise questions about safety in cities across Canada. That said, we've rounded the top 10 safest cities, based on data from Statistics Canada. So which ones came out on top? Hint: the safest cities all reside in two provinces, Ontario and Quebec. Here is the full list of each CMA's CSI and crimes rates from western to eastern Canada: Read more on YPNextHome. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Peter Nicholls / Reuters At the start of last year's leadership election, before Jeremy Corbyn had announced his candidacy, I ran a survey via the Local Government Association Labour Group asking Councillors for feedback on the General Election campaign and lessons we could learn for the future. The majority of Councillors responded saying they did not believe Labour could win a General Election in 2020. This view was also widely held by Labour Party many members. As the Leadership debate progressed, there was a danger of this view becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without the belief in our ability to win General elections, there was the risk we would stop behaving like a serious party of government. Advertisement Discussions within the Labour Party rapidly turned to debates about whether winning elections is actually important. Things became increasingly polarised, ideological purity became increasingly important. People questioned whether we even wanted to be attractive to Tory voters. A year later, we are set to spend another summer talking to ourselves and the debate doesn't seem to have moved on. In the 2015 General Election Labour lost over a million voters directly to the Conservatives. There is no route to Downing Street that does not include winning over (and indeed winning back) voters from the Conservatives. The thing I am finding most frustrating is that discussions about the future of the Labour Party seem to be incredibly Westminster-centric. The Labour Party is about much more than what goes on in parliament. Labour runs over 150 councils in cities and towns across the country. Everyday our Labour councils demonstrate the difference voting Labour makes. Despite massive Tory cuts to our budgets, Labour Councils are delivering for our communities, finding creative solutions to the different challenges we face. Our Council Leaders and Mayors are arguable more influential than our MPs. Our Councillors in opposition are flying the flag for Labour values in areas where we may never elect a Labour MP. Advertisement Whoever is elected leader, the current tensions in the PLP will be hard to reconcile. This has led to speculation and rumours about Labour splitting. Splitting would be a short-term, Westminster-centric solution to the problems we face. The Conservatives are delighted by the prospect, particularly as a split in local government could hand control of numerous Councils over to them. Splitting will not solve Labours many problems, which have been decades in the making and could take decades to address. In the midst of our chaos, Theresa May will continue to try to directly appeal to our voters. Along with others, I argued for policies like workers on boards to be included in our 2015 manifesto. Expect to see more of our populist policies adopted by May's Conservatives. Labour faces an existential crisis. Now is not the time to repeat the mistakes of the past on steroids. Instead of just retreating to our comfort zones and talking to ourselves, Labour must demonstrate we are a serious, credible political party worthy of public support. Outside Westminster, Labour in local government does this every day. Our 7,000 Labour Councillors hold views across the political spectrum within the board church of Labour values. We understand the importance of compromise and have become adept at delivering for our different communities when resources are scare. As Labour seeks to win back public trust, the common sense voices of local government need to be heard more than ever. Advertisement It is also worth remembering that Councillors are now the biggest single funders of the Labour Party. Our contributions to campaigning are enormous. If anyone owns the Labour brand, it is us in local government. Women's Health Magazine ditches the body-shaming headlines. Image via Instagram @womenshealthmag A revolutionary step has been taken by Women's Health Magazine in the fight against body-shaming. They have promised to ditch body-shaming language in their magazine. No-longer will they brandish headlines such as 'Are you beach-body ready?' 'How to drop two dress sizes', instead they will focus on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Contrary to society's belief, a healthy lifestyle is not denoted by size, being healthy will mean something different for each and every one of us. Women's Health's ban on body-shaming headlines has come at a time when we are beginning to see a shift in our society. Advertisement Focus on improving your lifestyle, not your dress size. Being healthy is far more empowering than reaching a specific size. Image via Instagram @ukwomenshealth Shift from focus on weight-loss to fitness Though we have all been brainwashed by the media into thinking that one size equals beauty, we are beginning to see a cultural shift in how society celebrates physical appearance. For years, we have focused on our weight and size, but now the realisation that you can be fit and toned at so many different sizes is starting to gain traction. Advertisement Each and every one of us is different. Embrace your differences and aim for health. Image via Instagram @ukwomenshealth This movement is recognised and promoted by significant figures in our society. Sadiq Khan, London's Mayor, took a stance against this negative body talk by banning body-shaming adverts from London's Public Transport network. Jennifer Anniston has also spoken out, via the Huffington Post, about the scrutiny we put women through calling it, 'absurd and distrubring.' She also described the stereotypical standard of beauty as 'warped' and urged us all to make our own decisions about what makes us happy and beautiful. It is reassuring to see that slowly but surely, the media are taking some responsibility for and action against body-shaming. Women's Health Magazine is leading the charge with their ban on body-shaming headlines, closely followed by Sport's Illustrated Magazine who featured Ashley Graham, a 'plus-size' model, on their latest swimwear edition. Together, we are making small steps in celebrating the female physical power, focusing on strength and fitness, not size. Being fit and healthy is becoming easier with the introduction of apps such as FitBit, which are there to support us in maintaining our health and fitness. We are becoming a health conscious society, which coupled with a shift in mindset, will empower us to become more body confident. Advertisement We should all aim to be our optimum strength and fitness, not a specific dress size. Image via Instagram @ukwomenshealth It seems that as a nation we no longer associate skinny with being healthy or beautiful. We are valuing the strength and power of our own bodies and the benefit of having a strong and fit body over reaching a certain size. Working with our bodies to achieve our optimum fitness is far more empowering than striving for unrealistic weight-loss goals. Promoting change If we are to truly revolutionise the way we see our bodies and develop a nation of body confident people, judgement of people's choices to change their bodies, to improve their lifestyle, should be eradicated. Body-shaming whether it is for those gaining or loosing weight is unacceptable and creates massive pressure on society to conform. In order to feel confident about how we look, we all need to stop commenting on the choices others make to improve their health and fitness. Body confidence should not come at the price of being judged, we should be free to make the changes we desire to maintain our fitness. Do you think focusing on our fitness instead of our size is the way to improve our body confidence? It's the fourteenth consecutive hottest month on record. The Louvre Museum of Art in Paris was recently forced to defend its collection from abnormal flooding. And in that same city, at the end of last year, world leaders agreed a deal on climate change with the hope of protecting people, ecosystems and cities at risk of sinking in the future. Campaigners hold a "protest festival" inside the British Museum. Photo by Anna Branthwaite. It is against this backdrop that, in May, the British Museum launched its new 'Sunken Cities' exhibition, sponsored by BP. Now, not content with the irony of a fossil fuel company sponsoring sunken cities, the museum has doubled down. Last week, alongside the Royal Opera House, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Shakespeare Company, it was announced that the British Museum would be renewing its sponsorship deal with BP for a further five years. Many were taken aback by a decision so out of step with the growing mood across the cultural sector that oil companies - like arms and tobacco companies - do not make ethical sponsors. Advertisement In today's Times, over 200 artists, authors, actors, musicians, scientists, researchers and campaigners have demanded that the new deal 'must be dropped', and that museums and galleries 'must play a positive role in taking urgent climate action and defending human rights.' Alongside renowned figures in the arts world, such as Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance and respected composer Matthew Herbert, the 200 signatories include those from frontline and Indigenous peoples' struggles against BP around the world, from Canada to Australia, the Gulf Coast to Colombia. One of the signatories, Benny Wenda, is the exiled West Papuan independence leader and part of a campaign running a global boycott of BP over its collusion with the repressive Indonesian regime. BP's corporate crimes and rights abuses have been raised time and time again inside these sponsored institutions through creative protest, by groups such as Liberate Tate, Platform and BP or not BP? But the British Museum has once again turned a blind eye and decided to take BP's cash regardless. And by claiming that BP's money is too important to turn down, the British Museum has made a bold statement: that the museum's version of culture is more important to defend than those defending their cultures against its sponsor. We should not allow these cultural institutions to just 'take the money and run'. The widely held view that BP is not an appropriate sponsor is not just a matter of opinion. The British Museum's own Sustainable Development policy states that the museum will 'endeavour to incorporate sustainable development issues into future policy decision making at all levels'. But BP's business plans are wildly out of step with the consensus on climate change. Most of the oil and gas on BP's books cannot be burned, but the company continues to explore, drill and act counter to the UN Paris Climate deal, being the most effective lobbyist against climate action in the whole of Europe. In reality, the British Museum has incorporated unsustainable fossil fuel use into its policy decisions for well into the 2020s. Advertisement BP's sponsorship has only ever made up a small proportion of museum and gallery budgets - less than 1%. And - in direct contradiction to BP's claims - despite arts funding cuts, free entry to our biggest national museums and galleries is protected by the government. BP and other corporate sponsors are nevertheless keen to claim the credit and link themselves to this commitment to accessibility. In reality, BP has just slashed the size of its payments to cultural institutions by a quarter. The company blames this cut - and its decision to pull out of sponsoring the Tate and Edinburgh International Festival earlier this year - on the low oil price and a 'challenging business environment'. To trot out this lie again, when it still made 550m in profit last quarter, and just months ago gave its CEO a pay rise much higher than all of its arts sponsorship put together, is a reflection of a failed PR strategy. There is no question that this is cheap advertising for BP, and that publicly funded cultural institutions are sustained not by corporate sponsors but by taxpayers. By renewing its arts sponsorship, BP is attempting to renew its 'social license to operate' - its appearance as a socially responsible company in the eyes of the public and policy-makers. But fundamentally, the debate around oil sponsorship is about asking who our publicly funded museums and galleries are for. It also forces us to ask questions about cuts to the arts. Unsurprisingly, last week's sponsorship announcement was celebrated as 'excellent news' on Twitter by the new culture minister Matthew Hancock. But he is part of a government that has made excessive cuts to the arts budget while failing to clamp down on the tax avoidance of companies like BP. Instead, the government have offered up billions of public funds in subsidies and tax breaks to oil companies. Advertisement We should not accept corporate sponsorship or privatisation in the arts as a given, and be short-changed on the values that should be at the heart of our art-making. Starting today, it's time we made these museums and galleries properly accountable to the public, and not to BP. In the weeks after the Paris attacks in November over 150 concerned children called the NSPCC's ChildLine in the UK. Young people clearly want to talk about extremism. Unfortunately, extremists are increasingly eager to talk to young people, and they have been proving more successful than ever before. An estimated 760 UK citizens have travelled to Syria or Iraq, with up to 50 thought to be under 18. This has included both high profile cases of teenage boys and girls, but also whole families of parents, children, and even infants. According to figures released last month, in 2015 over 1,300 referrals to the government's Channel intervention programme were from the education sector. Under-18s accounted for 54% of all referrals to the programme. Only around one in five were considered vulnerable to radicalisation and received specialist support, yet this is still far too many. Advertisement Intolerance, hatred and extremism can have a devastating impact on not only children, but also families, communities and society as a whole. It is a complex problem, with a quarter of referrals requiring Channel support related to far-right extremism and racism. The terrible murder of Jo Cox and the rise in hate crimes in the weeks surrounding the EU referendum are testament to the threat. The dangers of a resurgence in dissident republican youth should also not be ignored (nor overplayed), with the threat level in Northern Ireland raised to "substantial" only in May. Depressingly the situation is mirrored in our schools, with an increase in the number of racist incidents reported in recent years accompanying widespread misconceptions around Muslims and immigration among pupils. Amidst this context the government introduced the new statutory Prevent duty last July, legally obliging schools to safeguard children from "being drawn into terrorism". Too often in the past year this has meant well-meaning but ill-equipped teachers referring potential concerns that later turn out to be misplaced. There must be a mechanism in place for support where there are significant concerns for a child's safety, but only as a last resort. High-profile but unnecessary referrals obscure the positive, proactive role schools can play in helping young people openly discuss and debate these issues in the classroom and creating an institutional culture of respect, belonging and purpose. We should educate all young people about the true nature of extremism, but more importantly equip them with the skills they need to think critically, for themselves. Teachers must be provided with the training, tools and confidence to do this effectively. Advertisement That's why we've launched Extreme Dialogue in the UK, a series of freely available short films and educational resources to get young people, teachers, and parents talking to one another about extremism. The short films tell the stories of two people profoundly impacted by extremism, a former member of Al-Muhajiroun, and a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) whose father was killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The films are about real people, raw and unscripted. They do not lecture, they simply tell their own stories in their own words. We recognise that addressing extremism can be daunting for teachers, so we have produced educational resources around the two stories that help spark conversations and create a safe environment for pupils and staff to feel heard. The resources contain exercises and activities that encourage pupils to engage critically with complex, emotive and controversial issues, and consider the causes, consequences and effects of extremist violence. Advertisement Technology has revolutionised the way we communicate and seek information. Unfortunately these tools are also available to extremists, and present an attractive avenue for spreading propaganda and grooming potential recruits. We must equip young people with the digital literacy skills to become more discerning consumers of information. The educational resources therefore challenge commonly-held myths and consider the impact of the media and social media on public discourse. Extremists exploit the inherent idealism of young people by offering simplistic solutions to complex problems. Consistently poor turnout among young voters is a symptom of our current inability to ignite enough of this passion in a positive way. The Extreme Dialogue resources therefore also explore how young people can help shape the world they want to live in, and challenge the extreme ideas that threaten it. Extreme Dialogue will not turn people already involved in extremist movements away. Our aim with this project is not just to keep young people safe from harm in the first place, but also provide them with invaluable life skills to prepare them for the future. We also want to ensure teachers have the tools they need to feel confident covering sensitive topics. We therefore hope young people watch, share and think about the Extreme Dialogue films, and urge teachers to get in touch if they would like to find out more about the resources. Tackling extremism of all kinds is a challenge we must face together. Unfortunately, extremists do not underestimate the importance of education. They use it to indoctrinate and exploit children. They attack schools and universities, and kidnap and murder pupils, teachers and academics because they fear genuine education. If we do not actively confront their abhorrent views they will take advantage of our silence. Young people will make up their own minds. We need to make sure they get the facts. According to the Electoral Commission in the UK, all voters should have the right to cast their vote independently and privately. However, for those with disabilities, blindness or partial sight, this is not always the case. There are still significant barriers for particular groups of voters when it comes to claiming their right to an independent, private and secure vote, leaving many feeling ignored and excluded from the democratic process. It's clear that for many with disabilities and visual impairment, modernising the electoral process is not just a matter of convenience, it's a necessity. Disabled and visually impaired voters currently have a number of options when it comes to casting their vote, with Electoral Commission guidance stating that polling stations must take proactive steps to ensure these groups are not at a disadvantage. For example, voters may request assistance from the Presiding Officer at the polling station to help mark the ballot paper on their behalf or bring a family member to help them vote, both of which clearly eliminate their right to secrecy. Proxy and postal voting are other options and rely on individuals having a trusted friend or family member who can cast their vote - again, voters must forfeit their right to privacy and secrecy with either of these options. Tactile voting devices enabling visually impaired voters to mark their ballot paper in secret are a step forward, as well as the provision of large-print versions of ballot papers for reference before casting a vote. But let's not forget that most of these options rely on voters having access to polling stations, which we know is not always the case. Indeed, just last year there was a well publicised example of a wheelchair user being unable to access his local polling station. In this instance, the Presiding Officer proceeded to offer the voter the option of completing his ballot paper in a public street - his voting rights were almost completely eradicated on the basis of his disability. Advertisement Technology holds the key to enabling those with disabilities and visual impairment to vote privately, securely and independently - in other words, to participate in the electoral process on equal terms. Indeed, the option of casting a secure and private vote using either online or telephone voting technology has been available for some time and utilised by governments around the world. So perhaps rather than asking 'when' the UK is going to provide citizens with disabilities the option of alternative voting channels, the question should be why these groups, and indeed all voters, dont have access to secure and private voting already? Voting technology can play a key role in ensuring everyone can cast a secure and unassisted vote, as well addressing typical problems such as votes being invalidated by unintended marks on the ballot paper and voters not having access, for whatever reason, to a polling station. Online voting, for example, uses encryption so voters can transmit their ballot papers over the internet, and from the privacy of their own home if they wish, privately and securely. Similarly, for those who can and want to attend a polling station on Election Day, online voting using PCs, tablets or smart devices can be utilised on location and adapted for the specific needs of disabled or visually impaired voters, from screen readers to sip and puff devices. The options go very far beyond rudimentary tactile voting devices and large-print ballot papers. Similarly, telephone voting utilising both voice and telephone keypad options offer voters with limited mobility the choice of a private vote in their home or at a polling station. This technology makes voting extremely easy but more importantly is an excellent alternative for absentee voters, improving their voting experience without having to give up their right to a private and secure vote. It also ensures there are options available for voters who might have minimal internet coverage, if they live in a remote area, for example, or perhaps no computer access at all. Advertisement Downing Street is used to political battles, but yesterday a more 'Paw-litical' one was taking place between Larry and Palmerston, the Downing Street cats. Larry is no. 10's resident chief mouser and has been living, happily, at the Westminster residence for more than 6 years. Although, his reign of top cat has recently been threatened by the Foreign Office adopted Palmerston, another cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats home. Cat behaviour can be extremely complex and some cats do not cope well with change in their environment, and like Larry, many cats are happier living without other cats, however, this cannot always be the case unfortunately. Advertisement So I thought I'd provide the Downing Street residents and anyone else in the same situation some top tips for introducing cats to one another. Before you introduce your new cat You can integrate a new cat into your home by ensuring that the new pet smells of "home" before being introduced to the resident cat, as scent is an important communication method for them. Gather scents from the new cat's head by gently stroking with a soft cloth and dabbing this around your home and furniture to mix and spread the scents. You may also wish to swap the bedding of your animals to enable them to smell each other prior to meeting. Create a calm environment When you initially introduce a new cat to your pet make sure the house is as calm as it can be. Avoid introducing cats when there are a lot of people around or when there is loud music playing. Introduce new animals gradually It is important to introduce animals to your cat gradually, make sure that the cats have some time on their own away from each other. Problems can arise if initial meetings are allowed to deteriorate into a fight or chase. The best way to avoid this is to use a kittening pen or cat carrier for initial introductions. Advertisement If cats just don't like each other Cats who aren't friendly to one another, don't like to share, or even start fights like Larry and Palmerston, must be kept apart. If your cats just don't get along, make sure to provide space to avoid each other at all times and accessibility to everything they need without having to pass one another. Remember that most cats will only be friendly with cats they grew up with and may not accept new cats into the home, especially new adult cats. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Better out than in. Owen Jones's Questions all Jeremy Corbyn supporters need to answer is the public climax to a private campaign of criticism of the Labour leader which Owen initiated within 24 hours of Corbyn's election last September. Barely had the votes been counted to give Jeremy his unprecedented mandate than Owen was embarking on his "it's all going wrong" shtick to anyone who would listen. Some may now see this as the act of one whose prescience borders on genius, others as a campaign of petulant resentment by a celeb no longer quite as centre-stage as he was accustomed to being. Advertisement Whatever, his assertion that "I cannot even begin to put into words how much I've agonised over Labour's terrible plight" is the one flat untruth in his blog, as can be attested to by anyone who has suffered his foaming hour-long reviews of the disasters that have attended Team Corbyn's failure to follow his advice to the letter. That said, Owen's nine questions are mostly important ones and do deserve consideration. His blog would have been better had he stuck to them, rather than prefacing the interrogation with more than 2,000 words of pre-emptive self-justification which I am afraid make Simon Cowell look like a paragon of understated modesty. Nevertheless, there is an illumination in the prolonged preface too, in terms of where Owen is actually coming from. Owen lists various charges he anticipates being made against him for his apostasy. Some are ridiculous - no-one thinks he is a Blairite, or really expects that he has been gagged by the Guardian, or that he has never been left-wing etc. As to whether he is a careerist, really only Owen himself can answer that, and it is not terribly important either way - there are many different routes to career advancement, as he doubtless had in mind when he turned down the offer to work for Jeremy as leader when it was made last August. The more interesting charge which he himself raises is the allegation that "I support the coup against Corbyn." His plea of "not guilty" is no better than a half-truth. I am sure Owen had nothing to do with instigating the shameful moves in the PLP but he has certainly been no advocate of resisting them. On the contrary, from the first tremors he has defaulted to his accustomed panic mode and argued for the left dumping Jeremy and replacing him with Clive Lewis (without Clive's endorsement, be it said). So, not exactly supporting the coup, but not exactly resisting it either. Advertisement It appears plain that the crisis Owen sees looming over the left is in part rooted in no more than his strongly-held belief that his advice has not been given the weight it deserves over the last ten months. Perhaps on some points he is right, although I wish he would not assert that "the most important advice I could give was that first impressions were critical" as if this was a unique insight which he alone had been mandated to bring to the unenlightened. A commonplace is a commonplace, even if presented as the last word in columnar wisdom. But Owen is right that mistakes have been made. Some are down to inexperience and a lack of preparation, some are due to the difficulties in getting the right people in the right posts (shame you sat this out, Owen) and, yes, some are more culpably down to a rather passive attitude towards grappling with the real challenges of leadership: building a strong team, extending alliances, getting a grip on difficult issues and people etc. Far more are down to the unremitting attack the Corbyn leadership has been under from day one, mainly from a symbiotic alliance of the right-wing of the PLP and the mass media, for all of whom a left leadership of the Labour Party is a standing affront to the natural order of things which must be rectified without delay. Even a leader with the rhetorical skills of a Bevan, the policy chops of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, the party management guile of Harold Wilson and the strength of will of Lenin, would have been taxed. Owen would do better to give greater weight to these factors. Without addressing them, all the words in the world about wanting a left government are for the wind, since these are the real obstacles and opponents which need to be overcome. In that sense, yes, the analogy with the miners' strike which Owen airily dismisses is apposite - these are different fronts in one struggle, and a prerequisite for victory in any or all is unity, loyalty, self-discipline and self-effacement in the common cause. These virtues I commend to Owen. Now, to the questions which Corbyn supporters must answer (but which Owen doesn't answer himself, despite his capacity to do so, perhaps because he has now excused himself from the category). Advertisement 1) The opinion polling Owen is not alone in preferring opinion polling to the votes cast by actual people in real elections - it is the general setting of the mainstream media in reporting politics. In this case, it is helpful in supporting his argument because, as he acknowledges somewhat sotto voce, Labour's election results under the Corbyn leadership have not been that bad. Not good enough, as Jeremy has publicly acknowledged, but by no means bad enough to justify panic. Corbyn Labour polls as well as Miliband Labour, and rather better than Brown Labour in fact. So Owen rests his catastrophism on recent, admittedly very bad, opinion polling. The figures he cites reflect two things above all - the novelty of Theresa May's premiership, which will obviously boost Tory ratings for a honeymoon period, and the chaos into which the coup plotters plunged the Labour Party after 24 June. It is a truism that divided parties do not win public support or elections, and this is now being proved in spades. If Owen wished to examine polling over a somewhat longer period he would find that, before these two developments, Labour was near-level or even occasionally ahead of the Conservatives in some surveys. Not good enough, to repeat, and certainly not sufficient for victory in a real election, but indicative of a more nuanced story. So how do we turn those figures around? First of all, we need unity. A willingness on all sides to respect Jeremy's mandate if he is re-elected will help. Second, a clearer and simpler policy prospectus addressing people's core concerns for security at work, in the communities and in society. Third, build a strong team in the shadow cabinet and beyond which people can trust to deliver on that agenda. Fourth, harass the Tories and their weaknesses at every turn, rather than fighting each other. And fifth, frame all this politics in a vision of what Britain could become under a progressive Labour government beholden to working people, rather than the bankers and the super-rich. Challenging, of course, impossible, no. And a better approach than wallowing in despair. 2) The vision thing Owen criticises Ed Miliband's grasshopper approach to a political vision and contrasts it with the ruthless clarity of Tory messaging. He is right about that, and also right that Labour's vision needs to be expressed in a clearer and sharper fashion. Many of the elements of such a vision are there already - investment over cuts, public intervention over leave-it-to-the-market, peace and international law over aggression, closing the wealth gap over the unequal society. Advertisement Yes, this needs to be the subject of a sharper focus and a more direct transition into practical policies. But it is wrong to ignore the systematic obstruction that has been placed in our way over the last year, where every policy announcement (and there have been at least twenty new policies launched in the last ten months) has been accompanied by gratuitous backbench sniping, turning every Labour policy story into an internal row story. I think there are few Labour members or voters who will not respond positively to a vision of the sort set out here when it is placed front-and-centre by a united Party. 3) 2015 revisited? In a related criticism, Owen finds Labour policy insufficiently different from where Ed Miliband had left it. I will not repeat points made in answer to previous questions. The issue here is a different one - Miliband had indeed moved Labour policy on from "New Labour" dogmas in some significant respects, including on austerity, the NHS, inequality and state intervention. There is no point in positioning ourselves to the left of Miliband just for the sake of it. However, there was a widespread public belief that Ed did not have the courage of his convictions, that he would actually overcome the doubters and dissidents in his own Shadow Cabinet and chart a different course. He seemed hesitant, as if hoping no-one would notice that he had tiptoed away from the Blair nostrums. No-one could say that of Jeremy Corbyn. Take the Iraq/Syria issue, which Owen raises. Ed's approach to Iraq was a mealy-mouthed regret, anxious not to offend those of his colleagues who had voted for the war; while he seemed positively embarrassed to have won the vote in the Commons against bombing Syria. By contrast, Jeremy has led unashamedly and from the front on these questions - his record cannot be gainsaid. People do not just want policies, they want conviction politicians who stick up for what they believe in, come what may. That is the Corbyn difference. 4) Media strategy Given his trade, and his skill at practising it, it is surprising that Owen's comments are shallowest on the matter of media strategy. Indeed, much of his approach seems to involve bombarding us with statistics on his own personal immense social media reach. When he is not busy burnishing Brand Jones, Owen offers poor advice - no, no public figure should "appear on TV at every opportunity", whatever the agenda; and getting press releases out on time is hardly a strategy. He is also wildly unrealistic. Advertisement Owen writes: "Corbyn often seems entirely missing in action, particularly at critical moments: Theresa May becoming the new Prime Minister, the appointment of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary, the collapse of the Government's economic strategy, the abolition of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, soaring hate crimes after Brexit, and so on. Where have been the key media interventions here?" All these events took place in the days and weeks after the launching of the coup against Corbyn. Most of the Shadow Cabinet had resigned, and around sixty frontbenchers in total. A vote of no-confidence had been tabled and passed in the PLP. Does anyone really think Jeremy could have credibly popped up on TV talking about Theresa May, or climate change, or BoJo under those circumstances? Would he not have been skewered by any half-competent interviewer with questions regarding his own position? Again, I do not accuse Owen of support for the coup against Jeremy. But he seems bent on ignoring its consequences (or even its very occurrence) at every turn. And he should also understand one fact as well as anyone: there is absolutely no possibility, none whatsoever, of Jeremy getting a fair hearing from any of the corporate-controlled media, nor from the BBC as detailed independent research has confirmed, no more than capitalists will hand over all their worldly goods to the poor. They exist to defeat the left, not enable it. So a media strategy must start from that point. It is not a matter of exaggerating the reach of the various social media platforms, as much as of recognising their potential as a vehicle for getting around the mass media roadblock. Their role seems only likely to grow. Of course, this must be supplemented by other ways of reaching people, from local broadcasters to mass-market magazines to developing Labour's own media. But if Owen is suggesting a reprise of flying half-way round the world to pay court to Rupert Murdoch, forget it. It may have worked for Blair personally, but it did nothing for Labour. 5) The older vote On this point - building Labour support in the over-44 demographic - Owen acknowledges that Jeremy has some attractive policies that need more consistent presentation. We are all on the same page there. Personally, I am not sure this is exactly the right approach, however. Older people (particularly if so expansively defined) do not dwell in a separate box wherein they are motivate solely by policies appealing to their direct self-interest or their anxieties about their own future. They too can respond to a broad vision as to how society could be, and can be won to vote in what they perceive as their children or grand-children's interests as much as their own. Advertisement 6) Scotland A year ago, Owen wrote this about Labour's position in Scotland: "Scotland cannot be won back straight away, even if this is a test Jeremy's opponents will set. As things stand, Labour face being wiped out in next May's Holyrood elections. The SNP won 6 Westminster seats in 2010; in 2015 they won 56. Huge Labour majorities became huge SNP majorities. The SNP's lead in Scottish opinion polls is astronomical. Scottish Labour as a party currently remains a husk. The idea such a profound political shift simply be suddenly turned around -- even though Jeremy is by far the best candidate to do so -- in a matter of months is fantasy land stuff." This was a sensible and realistic approach to a very tough question. So far, events in Scotland's politics have come to pass as Owen predicted. So it is hard to understand why this test Jeremy's opponents have indeed set is now being pressed in aid by Owen. Nevertheless, Owen is right that it is a serious challenge. One thing I think we should all have learned by now is that it is not a challenge that can be addressed from London. Scottish Labour deserve all the support we can give them in trying to find a way to counter the SNP juggernaut and regain Labour's lost positions - it is our comrades north of the border who must take the lead. It would be idle to pretend that the position is going to be turned around rapidly. But if anyone English can help Scottish Labour address the concerns of Scottish voters turned off by a legacy of bureaucratic managerialism, it is Corbyn. 7) Winning Tories Jeremy has outlined several attractive policies which could help win some Tory converts. Conservative voters too are concerned about the chronic shortage of affordable housing, about their children leaving university mired in debt and about widening inequality (although I would not place too many hopes on solar panels as a vote-switcher, it is true). Owen dismisses all this too casually, without really suggesting any alternative strategies. The challenge Labour faces of course is projecting policies which at one and the same time convert Tory voters, stop defections to Ukip, win votes from Liberals and Greens and mobilise working-class abstainers. There is no point in targeting just one of these constituencies in isolation from the others, as Owen does. That way lies a fragmented and contradictory prospectus which will easily fall apart under scrutiny. The issue of winning Tories to vote Labour depends ultimately on the broader vision question already addressed. Advertisement 8) Immigration Owen is right that immigration is a nettle that has to be grasped, particularly in the context of arresting any drift of core Labour support towards Ukip. There is little doubt that it played a significant part in the outcome of the EU referendum. Addressing the issues means, among other things, separating the question of support for refugees from that of the free movement of labour across Europe. The latter has undoubtedly contributed to a lowering of wages at the less skilled end of the labour market because 30 years of labour market deregulation by Westminster had left people without protection. But Jeremy Corbyn has been bang on the money in highlighting how concerns about immigration are more often than not concerns about poor housing, lack of jobs, cuts in social provision and pressure on public services. Brexit, unwelcome as it may be, at least provides an opportunity to argue for greater regulation of our labour market through the implementation of sectoral collective bargaining so wages can't be undercut, while absolutely upholding the right of all migrants living in Britain to remain here. 9) Mobilising the members The near-trebling of Labour's membership over the last year or so is a tremendous breakthrough, refuting the entrenched assumption that political parties are doomed to wither on the vine and cannot attract the young. It is right that Owen hails it as an achievement, and asks how we can make more of it. It is a potent campaigning force for progressive politics. First of all, we need to move past this period of internal conflict and bitter rows (although nowhere near as bitter at the grassroots as they are in Parliament) and turn outwards to the rest of the population. And, yes, we must be welcoming and tolerant of difference as Owen suggests. But really Owen's problem here seems to be that he has been criticised by some Party members (indeed, too many of these issues appear to turn on Owen's own personal experiences, a solipsistic approach he would do well to discard). It is unavoidable that those who thrust themselves forward in public debate and take controversial positions are going to have to take it in some measure as long as they keep dishing it out. This should not distract from a united campaign to take the new agenda Labour is developing out to the millions. Advertisement I have addressed the questions Owen himself raised. There are others, at least as important for Labour's future, which he has not asked of Corbyn's supporters. One of course is how we handle Brexit and its aftermath, an issue about which Labour members are deeply and rightly concerned. Our job is to help Jeremy put together a progressive agenda which brings our country together in the face of Brexit, thus healing the deep wounds that the referendum created. At least Owen has not joined in the chorus of unjustified attacks on Jeremy concerning the referendum campaign, possibly because he has been a bit of a flip-flopper on the matter itself. Another critical issue is rebuilding unity in the Parliamentary Labour Party and establishing a strong fighting Opposition to the government in the Commons once the leadership election is behind us. Rumours of splits and continuing obstruction from the right of the Party need to be addressed, as well as the need for the Leadership to work in a way that is at once more dynamic and more inclusive. Since Owen has not highlighted these issues, I merely note them for further debate in the near future. "Call me a Blairite, Tory establishment stooge careerist, sell-out whatever makes you feel better," Owen concludes. I will do none of these things. I will not go further than saying I would not like to be in a trench alongside Owen under heavy shelling. The events of the last month, which he mainly ignores, have represented an unprecedented attack on an elected Leader of the Party. They are part of a move to break the power and influence of the Left that Owen claims to represent. It is a moment for solidarity, not back-stabbing. Owen's concerns, many of them quite legitimate, could have been expressed privately. Raising them in the way he has, certain to give comfort to the Left's opponents, speaks for itself. I have tried to address all his questions. Let me ask just one of Owen in return, since he left the answer obscure in his blog: Who are you supporting for the Labour leadership? The answer will tell us if the shark has been truly jumped. But either way most of the left will recognise that we are in the fight of our lives - not just for our policies and vision, but for democratic decency and for the hope of a Labour government that will do more than just manage the affairs of the elite for a period. Owen, with his great talents as a writer and speaker, would be a most welcome ally to have in that effort. But our efforts will continue regardless. As the Arabic saying goes, the dogs may bark but the caravan moves on. Advertisement Boris Johnson's new job as British Foreign Secretary came as a shock surprise to many, but Theresa May's new premiership mark the beginning of the end of the UK's whiplash political crisis, and the UK's entry into the long, drawn out political crisis that is leaving the European Union. But what does that all mean for the UK's Middle East policy? A clue lies in Boris Johnson's Telegraph column, in which he wrote in 2013: "Tony Blair never visited Qatar once, even though it was a British protectorate until 1971. Well, we are making up for that now." The UK government is undergoing unprecedented scrutiny into its policies in the Middle East: the Chilcot report exposed just how misguided and wrong the decision to invade Iraq was, casting a shadow on Cameron's own intervention in Libya. Meanwhile, June 2016 saw the first High Court hearing on a case against the government for selling arms to Saudi Arabia - arms which have been used in its war in Yemen, where the kingdom is credibly accused of war crimes. Advertisement The era of intervention is coming to a close at a critical juncture for Britain. The decision to leave the EU will affect the UK's capability to act a global power at a time when the UK is pivoting to expand its influence in the Persian Gulf region and fill the gap that the United States' slow retreat is leaving. An immediate repercussion to Brexit is the weak negotiating position it places on Britain when it comes to trade deals with other countries, with the two-year negotiations time limit putting the UK up against the clock. Among big investors who the new Foreign and International Trade Secretaries will be eyeing are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar - countries which the UK could become indebted to. In June, Saudi Arabia strong-armed the UN with threats to pull funding worth $100m unless their names were removed from a blacklist of countries violating children's rights, having been placed there for their aggressive, untargeted bombing in Yemen. Threatened with a funding black hole, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acquiesced. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia also warned they would sell off hundreds of billions in American assets if the US Congress passed a bill on 9/11 allowing public investigation into the kingdom's role in the terror attack. Theresa May's government will face the same issue. Saudi Arabia can come down hard on the UK for any controversies - such as the High Court case on arms sales - which displease them. Advertisement Under David Cameron, the UK was complicit in empowering authoritarianism. The government's response to the execution of Shia cleric and dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was muddled. Government responses to torture in the Gulf is regularly weak, even when the victims are British. Philip Hammond - then Foreign Secretary - praised political reforms in Bahrain in May 2016, on the same day that a politician's prison sentence on charges related to his speech were increased from four years to nine. This was no mistake - see for instance how a UK-funded Bahrain police ombudsman failed utterly to protect a torture victim from receiving the death penalty; the UK hails the same watchdog as a success. Two months ago, my organisation the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy revealed that Bahrain has "gifted" the construction of a new Royal Navy base, Britain's first in the Persian Gulf since 1971. Such deals reveal the risks of the UK becoming indebted to, and even reliant on, authoritarian kingdoms. These countries' main role in the region has been to contribute to the same instabilities which the UK has helped cause and has been unable - or unwilling - to resolve. Until now, the UK has been shielded by the failures of its interventions, but Brexit has left the UK exposed. Thousands of refugees continue to stream out of Iraq, destabilised both by the 2003 invasion and the total absence of a post-war reconstruction programme. Thousands more come through Libya, David Cameron's failure. The refugee crisis has been exacerbated by thirteen years of British interventionism. It would be right for the UK to take greater responsibility for the effects of its interventions - where President Obama has called the aftermath of Libya was the "worst mistake" of his presidency and criticised the UK's and France's contribution to that "shit show", David Cameron avoided admitting responsibility for the anarchy which came after his bombing campaigns. Theresa May must take a more honest approach. But the greater risk for the UK now is that the uncertainty faced will see negative trends in its foreign policy entrench and dominate during the first post-Brexit years. It may seem economically desirable to accept further "gifts", like the Royal Navy base, and investments from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Emirates, despite all the strings that come attached, and continue to be complicit in dictatorship. These are countries as repressive as the Saddam regime the UK helped remove. Advertisement With summer in full swing, increasing concerns about the spread of the Zika virus in the United States are raining on our long-awaited parade. The Zika virus infection is a relatively new disease in the western Hemisphere and, to date, there are only a limited number of cases reported in the United States. The hysteria regarding this virus surrounds its potential impact on developing fetuses. After evaluating evidence gathered from many studies over several months, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization announced that Zika definitely causes microcephaly (unusually small heads and damaged brains) in infants born to infected mothers. The Zika virus currently poses a significant public health threat to residents of South America countries, most significantly Brazil, and to Puerto Rico, while the impact here in the United States to date is still unclear even with 10 individuals contracting the virus in Miami just last week. One of the most concerning elements is that the virus has been found in bodily fluids including saliva, blood, urine, amniotic fluids and semen, and has been found to spread through sexual contact (and as mentioned above, from a mother to her unborn child) in addition to mosquito bites. Even more concerning, only 20% of infected people are symptomatic, meaning the rest of those infected with Zika don't know they have it and may not be taking precautions to keep it from spreading, which is especially problematic in cities and high traffic areas like airports. With all of this media attention, physicians overall might be noticing more patients inquiring about how prevent transmission, more specifically how to safely keep mosquitos and their disease-associated bites away. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stressing that people need to take steps to prevent mosquito bites with such protectants as ample clothing and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents. Established repellants include ingredients such as: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, paramenthanediol, oil of eucalyptus. Of these listed, DEET has the longest (over 50 years) proven efficacy against the Aedes mosquito (which is known to spread the virus) and safety data above all others. Between 20% to 50% concentration, it is both effective and safe, even in the setting of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Picardin comes in at a close second. I'm sure we've all encountered schmoozing in the workplace, with potent brown-nosers seeming to flatter their way to the top. Back in 2010 a study from Kellogg Business School examined the various types of schmooze. It identified seven core methods used to schmooze our way to the top: The Flattery as Advice Schmooze : Occurs when a person poses a question seeking advice as a way to flatter the subject (i.e. "How were you able to close that deal so successfully?"). : Occurs when a person poses a question seeking advice as a way to flatter the subject (i.e. "How were you able to close that deal so successfully?"). The False Argument Schmooze : Instead of agreeing immediately, a person will yield before accepting his/her manager's opinion (i.e. "At first, I didn't see your point but it makes total sense now. You've convinced me."). : Instead of agreeing immediately, a person will yield before accepting his/her manager's opinion (i.e. "At first, I didn't see your point but it makes total sense now. You've convinced me."). The Social Schmooze : Praising manager to his/her friends or social network with hopes that word gets back to manager. : Praising manager to his/her friends or social network with hopes that word gets back to manager. The Bashful Schmooze : Positioning a remark as likely to be embarrassing (i.e. "I don't want to embarrass you but your presentation was really top-notch. Better than most I've seen."). : Positioning a remark as likely to be embarrassing (i.e. "I don't want to embarrass you but your presentation was really top-notch. Better than most I've seen."). The Conformity Schmooze : Expressing values or morals which are held by one's manager (i.e. "I'm the same way. I believe we should increase minimum wage."). : Expressing values or morals which are held by one's manager (i.e. "I'm the same way. I believe we should increase minimum wage."). The Social Conformity Schmooze : Covertly learning of manager's opinion(s) from his/her contacts, and then conforming with opinion(s) in conversations with manager. : Covertly learning of manager's opinion(s) from his/her contacts, and then conforming with opinion(s) in conversations with manager. The Similarity Schmooze: Mentioning an affiliation, such as a religious organization or political party, shared by both individuals. (i.e. "I watched the Republican National Convention last night. The keynote presented some great points."). For those of us who aren't keen on sucking up the whole affair can appear massively fake and disingenuous, but a recent study in the Academy of Management Journal suggests that schmoozers may actually kid themselves in order to go about their work. Authenticity is key The study suggests that the best schoomzers aren't actually faking it at all, because they put an awful lot of effort into actually believing the things they're about to say, hence they come across more convincingly. The researchers tracked directors in a number of large American companies. Each of the participants had a meeting scheduled with another director who had something they needed. What's more, each of the meetings took place before an impending board nomination process so there was also the prospect of a promotion to the board. On the basis that acting is kinda hard (and easier to spot), the researchers hypothesized that people would try to make things as natural as possible. Advertisement One way of doing this, for instance, might be for participants to emphasize just how much in common them and their 'target' have. The belief here is that when we see things in common, we're more likely to ascribe their successes to internal rather than external factors. Schmoozing in practice To test their hypothesis, the researchers surveyed directors several times prior to the crucial meeting. They were looking for things such as the perceived similarities and differences between the two people. They also quizzed the directors on their ingratiation tactics in the meeting itself, whether that was explicit behaviors such as paying compliments, or implicit such as laughing and smiling. The analysis revealed that when people employed the tactic of looking for similarities between themselves and their fellow director, their ingratiation efforts paid off as the number of board invites increased. What's more, this tactic of looking for similarities was most commonly deployed when their counterpart was most unlike them. In other words, when using such a tactic was most likely to yield a positive outcome. The benefits of doing this were quite evident, with those fully deploying the strategy found to be three times as likely to be recommended for a board position than their peers. Advertisement Was it conscious or unconscious? Whilst the tactic was undoubtedly effective, the researchers were less sure on whether people deliberately engaged in the tactic or it was more of an subconscious behavior. Regardless of the intent of the expert schmoozers, the results are strong enough to highlight the value inherent in shifting our perspectives on those we are trying to impress. It may well be something to consider in your own workplace. 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 Gulf of Tonkin attack on August 2, 1964 and another many believed to take place on August 4 led to an escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The USS Maddox was patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin, situated between North Vietnam and China, collecting intelligence in international waters when it engaged three North Vietnamese naval boats. The Maddox initially believed it had been fired upon by three torpedoes, which all missed; it retaliated with over 280 3-inch and 5-inch shells, while jet fighter bombers strafed the torpedo boats. One U.S. aircraft was damaged and though one round hit the destroyer, there were no U.S. casualties. A second incident reportedly took place two days later but this appears to have involved false radar images and not actual torpedo boat attacks. As a result of these incidents, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to assist any Southeast Asian country whose government was considered to be jeopardized by "communist aggression." Advertisement The resolution served as Johnson's legal justification for deploying U.S. conventional forces and starting open warfare against North Vietnam. There has long been speculation that the Tonkin incidents were merely a pretext for LBJ and the military to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In 2005, an internal National Security Agency historical study was declassified, which concluded that "the Maddox fired three rounds to warn off the communist boats. This initial action was never reported by the Johnson administration, which insisted that the Vietnamese boats fired first." This account was compiled from interviews by ADST with General Maxwell D. Taylor (interviewed beginning September 1981), Ambassador to South Vietnam from July 1964 until July 1965, Elbridge Durbrow (June 1981), Ambassador to South Vietnam from 1957-61, Secretary of State Dean Rusk (July 1969), James F. Leonard (March 1993), State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), and Thomas L. Hughes (July 1999), Director of Intelligence and Research (INR) in the State Department. You can read the entire Moment on ADST.org. TAYLOR: I would say that in Saigon we did not get an immediate interpretation from Washington as to what had happened. However, we intercepted the same information that Washington got and none of us questioned the fact that our ships had been attacked by North Vietnamese boats on both days. I can't say we made an analytical study of the evidence, but it seemed an obvious fact that attacks had taken place. True, it had done no real damage to our ships, but nonetheless it was an act of defiance of the U.S. Navy to rush out into international waters and attack our ships, even if they didn't do a good job of it. I was surprised and disappointed we didn't retaliate for the first attack and waited till the second. But I was happy that some retaliation took place, bearing in mind that it was really a symbolic kind of thing that didn't do any great damage to the enemy and wasn't expected to. Advertisement DURBROW: They started blowing up our barracks down there in the South and things of that kind. They'd done some of that when I was there, you know, they did two bombings when I was there. Fortunately, nobody was really badly hurt, but they could have been. They tried to do it subtly. I'm talking about the communists...Every once in a while they'd want to get a provocative thing going and they'd do it. It's not done by some battery commander that got drunk that day and pulled the lanyard and shelled the land just as far as whatever it is. I don't know exactly what the motivation was, but they were up there in their territory, of course, in the Gulf of Tonkin, and they were getting pretty in close, I suppose, and they said, "Well, we've got to try to scare these guys off." I don't know. They're not afraid of doing a thing like that and when they feel they're not doing too well otherwise, why not try to shoot the works a bit? By the way, I took my oldest son out to see the Verdun war battlefields out there, and we'd gone out for the weekend in Paris and were driving and I had the radio on and by golly, I heard about the Gulf of Tonkin. I cheered, "We're finally going to clean that place up." RUSK: They were on an independent intelligence-gathering mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. Of course, since it was high seas we expected to maintain our capability of being present in the Gulf of Tonkin, and we weren't going to be driven off the high seas in the Gulf of Tonkin just because of a scrap going on in South Vietnam. But it is not true -- and Secretary McNamara testified to this -- that these vessels of ours were there covering or, in a sense, associated with some South Vietnamese coastal operation. You see there had been a little guerilla war going along on the coast back and forth across the DMZ [de-militarized zone] between the North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese were using coastal waters for infiltrating men and arms into the South, and the South Vietnamese were retaliating. But the destroyers that were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin were not there to give cover to operations of that sort. When the Gulf of Tonkin came along and the President consulted with the leadership of the Congress, he discussed with them whether this was not the time now to go for a resolution putting the Congress behind the United States policy on Vietnam and making it clear to North Vietnam that we were serious about it. The Congressional leadership encouraged him to do so. There was practical unanimity among Congressional leaders on the desirability of a Congressional resolution, and so we had our hearings, and promptly the Congress passed the so-called Gulf of Tonkin Resolution with only two dissenting votes in the Senate. Advertisement Paragraph II of that resolution, which the historian will be able to see, of course, was not about the Gulf of Tonkin, but was about Southeast Asia, and it simply affirmed that the United States is prepared as the President determines to use whatever means are necessary including the use of armed force to assist the states covered by the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in the defense of their liberty. Now, there was no question at all at the time about the meaning of that resolution. LEONARD: When I arrived I was curious about [the incident], because it to me had seemed like such an extraordinarily inexplicable and stupid action on the part of the North Vietnamese to have attacked our ships and brought down this escalation on themselves. So I went back and looked at the classified material, and my conclusion from that was that you couldn't say that it hadn't happened, but also you sure could not and should not have said that it really did happen. Maybe there was other information that I never saw, but in fact I don't think there was, and it's all been researched and written up very thoroughly. HUGHES: Sunday, August 2, occurred on another of those summer weekends when people were out of town. [Secretary of Defense, Robert] McNamara was climbing mountains in Wyoming. The Bundys [National Security Advisor McGeorge and his brother William, CIA officer and later Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department] were up in Massachusetts. I happened to be here [Washington DC], was awakened early in the morning, and summoned to [Secretary of State Dean] Rusk's house for breakfast. There I found myself in the company of Rusk, [Under Secretary of State George] Ball, Cy Vance (McNamara's deputy), General Wheeler, the newly appointed Chairman of the JCS [Joint Chiefs of Staff], and a couple of men from the CIA and the Navy. We were briefed about an attack on the USS Maddox. The evidence pointed clearly to North Vietnamese PT [patrol torpedo] boats as the culprits. The Navy had sent the Maddox into the Gulf of Tonkin to show the flag and perhaps to be on the scene in case there was any intelligence to be gleaned from radar activity along the shore. While Virginia Rusk cooked pancakes and served us breakfast, we sat on the floor looking at maps of the Gulf of Tonkin, noting the proximity of islands, speculating about 3-mile versus 10-mile off-shore claims, and guessing where our destroyer might have been. We were also aware that certain covert activities had been approved for this area, the so-called 34A operations. No one knew whether the captain of the Maddox knew about them, or whether the South Vietnamese involved in the 34A ops knew about the Maddox. The Pentagon seemed doubtful about both issues. The scene was reminiscent of the Versailles Peace Conference with Lloyd George and Clemenceau struggling to locate Trieste on their map of the Adriatic. Anyway after we brainstormed this for a couple of hours our small group first went off to our respective offices and then to the White House to brief Johnson. The missing leadership was back in town by August 4 in time to handle the so-called second attack at the Gulf of Tonkin. McNamara with his usual decisiveness took charge of verifying the authenticity of the whole event, after doubts had been raised and LBJ briefed about them. Johnson demanded certainty before acting, and the Pentagon rose to the occasion by resolving doubts in favor of certainty. Johnson arranged for McNamara to brief Capital Hill and without further ado, McNamara testified with assuredness about the second attack, misleading the Congress, and propelling more or less everybody into supporting the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. Not that Johnson didn't rather welcome the opportunity. Assistant Secretary Bill Bundy had drafted the resolution and had it on the shelf for just such an occasion. At the time, the resolution's supporters, including [Senator William] Fulbright the floor manager, were chiefly worried about [Senator Barry] Goldwater who was now the Republican nominee for president and eager to denounce Johnson for inaction. Myles Lord, Managing Director Creative, DDB Berlin In advertising, we are often expected by clients and media to conform to certain restrictions regarding content, length, layout, corporate design and editorial guidelines. We are always expected to shape our idea to fit the rules but sometimes breaking the rules is the idea in itself. Its a fact that one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis at some point in their life. An early detection can help save their lives. That is why all women from the age of 20 and above should regularly self-check their breasts. We knew, it would be the smartest thing to creatively use social media to get peoples attention. On Womens Day, March 3, 2016, 17 brave women bared a naked breast on Facebook and Instagram for Pink Ribbon, spreading the message CHECK IT BEFORE ITS REMOVED. Each post asked other users to quickly re-share the posts before they were censored by moderators. Even Pink Ribbon themselves had their post removed for contravening community guidelines. But while the breasts were being removed from social media, the story started to be picked up by many other media outlets helping to spread the message to almost 30 million people on Womens Day. All this coverage and social buzz drew people to a special Pink Ribbon page where one could receive more information and a demo video instructing you on how to check your breasts regularly. Advertisement When our team came up with this idea, I knew we had something strong in our hands because it was so bold and controversial, but for the right reasons. Germany is a very liberal place when it comes to nudity thats why #freethenipple was such a big topic over here. And especially seeing as though Facebook and Instagram happily tolerate topless pictures of men, whilst the slightest hint of a female nipple gets censored or even banned. The great thing about this idea is that it took this inequality and made something positive out of it. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized we were dealing with a self-destructing message like in the Mission Impossible series. We knew our message wouldnt last long and wouldnt travel very far so we needed to broaden our reach and have it uploaded multiple times from multiple sources. This broke another rule of social media of having one central element that collects all the views and shares and snowballs over time. There is this old adage that if youre not nervous, then youre not doing anything new. Well, we were pretty nervous to be honest (and kept telling ourselves this was a good thing). But, the more people came aboard and made it their idea, the more confident we became. First, the idea was taken up by a very brave client that spearheaded the social action and even put their entire social presence at risk to make this statement. Brave, too, were the 17 women who got behind the action by posing for the camera and exposing a breast on Facebook and Instagram. (Fun-fact: Initially we asked for 15 women, and the casting agent gave us 17 options. We chose 15, but somehow 17 ladies arrived on the set. Thats two too many, said our Art Director, to which the casting agent replied: They dont care. They want to be part of this.) Advertisement Alain Sylvain, CEO, Sylvain Labs Business evolves. Just like music or fashion or any other industry, it grows and adapts with time to meet the demands of the economy, marketplace and consumer tastes. And if business is evolving, so too should the methods we use. The traditional, bottom-line, efficiency-focused strategies the business elite espoused just arent making the cut in 2016. The demands of modern business call for new points of view and more carefully considered thinking. While tangible, measurable attributes like accountability or rationality obviously still have a place, what really counts in todays economy are soft skills like creativity, emotional intelligence and attentive listening. These are the building blocks of Strategy 2.0 and theyre laying the foundation upon which business will stand in order to thrive in the future. Before you can fully grasp what Strategy 2.0 is, you have to understand what came before. That means acknowledging efficiency as the core value of business in the 20th Century. If we follow the timeline, it all traces back to the rise of industrialization, when Strategy emerged as a reaction to shifts in the greater economy. With an influx of new industrial capability, companies were able to make more stuff for more people at a higher rate and a lower cost. In this storied age of business luminaries and Six Sigma processes, it was declared that playing it safe would become the approved standard for getting things done. When traveling in uncharted waters, why would anyone rock the boat? It just made sense to say, What iceberg? and steer the whole titanic of industry toward a cozy, efficiency crazed status quo. Advertisement Heres the thing about the status quo: its set to be challenged. Rational decision making through a strict adherence to process took us all pretty far, but people always want to go farther. What worked for past generations of business simply doesnt stand up to the way todays world works. Technology gives us instant access to information and opportunity, and that puts the power to change the world for the better right at our fingertips. Dont be confused; the end goal will always be the bottom line, but theres a better way to get there. And thats where Strategy 2.0 can change everything. Strategy 2.0 is a more thoughtful vision for all aspects of business. Its not just about getting things done on-time and under budget to quell shareholder backlash after the next earnings report. It places a premium on imaginative problem solving, ingenuity and innovation. It welcomes new ideas and differing opinions from every color of the corporate org chart. It changes the question from, Where can we find wiggle room? to Where can we go from here? Want to know how companies like AirBNB or Uber could disrupt boring industries like hospitality or transportation to become truly disruptive players? They went rogue and stretched traditional business dogma in a direction heretofore never seen in the boardrooms of corporate America: they just listened. All they had to do was put just one of Strategy 2.0s soft skills to use in order to step out from behind the two-way mirror in the focus group and hear people asking for a better way to do something mundane. Then they found a creative solution, they made it easy and they made it fun. Finding the right answers to a business problem really isnt as difficult as previous generations of executives would have you believe. All you have to do is take the time to realize when and how the questions have changed. This stuff is much less rocket science and much more social science. Advertisement Unfortunately, listening isnt something youre likely to be taught in business school, even if it is as vital a skill as risk management. Sure, there are creative degree programs available to todays students that emphasize a softer skill set like imaginative thinking and design thinking over negotiation and risk management, but you cant get an MBA with a concentration in paying attention. Virtually all of the soft skills that define Strategy 2.0 begin with being a better listener. When you take the time to listen, it means youre giving others your attention and the time they need to speak. And if they trust you to listen more intently, theyre likely to respect your ideas and do the same. Then others will be heard, and more ideas will be shared, and a better, more empathetic understanding of everyone involved wont seem so out of reach. Before you know it, that innovative breakthrough and undeniable success that past generations were so efficiently striving for will be yours. And all you had to do was quit yammering on about processes and workflows for, like, a second. There are more than 5,000 Muslims serving in various branches of the military according to the Pentagon, a fact that alone should serve as a foil to those hoping to perpetuate this idea that the War on Terror is somehow a war against Islam, a clash of civilizations, an example that Islam is incompatible with Western values, or as Trump told Anderson Cooper on CNN, " I think Islam hates us". Yet, there I was at 5:45 a.m. on CNN having yet another debate spurred by Trump's bigoted, arrogant, and belligerent attacks on Muslims, except this time, on a mother and father who immigrated to America with their son, a captain in the Army who was awarded the Purple Heart along with he Bronze Star, in recognition for his bravery when he was killed in the line of duty in Iraq in 2004. Advertisement (As if we needed one more reason to prove why Trump is neither temperamentally, intellectually or psychologically fit to serve as our nation's commander in chief.) The feud speaks volumes about Trump's character. He accuses Khan of "viciously attacking" him for challenging him on his proposal to ban all Muslims from America. Never mind the racist, hateful, vitriol that has been spewing out of Trump's own mouth, since he launched his presidential campaign. But Khan's mothers silence and his father's questioning of whether Trump has read the constitution, while he speaking about his son's love of country, and his family's sacrifice -- and in doing so he exposed the anti-Muslim bigotry fueling Trump's campaign -- that somehow constitutes a "vicious attack". Then there is the glaring hypocrisy. Trump had no problem inviting Patricia Smith (another American mother who lost her son in the line of duty) to speak at the RNC and attack Hillary Clinton, blaming her for her son's death and demanding that she be put "in stripes." But when a Muslim American mother, also grieving her son who died fighting for the country he loved, stood by her husband as he spoke at the DNC, Trump ridiculed her, implying that she wasn't allowed to speak because her faith wouldn't allow her too. His bigotry, basked in cowardice as it may be, is still proving to be effective at dividing the country, providing ammunition to extremist elements and serving as a recruitment tool for ISIS, which like Trump, have discredited the Khans, calling their son an Apostate. Advertisement Trump may not be particularly bright, but he is at least smart enough to realize that his only chance of ascending to power, to fulfill his only goal -- winning -- is to divide the country, and conquer it. What is worse, as the story continued to snowball, Trump tweeted: "This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart!" He is asking fans on Twitter to get smart, and yet yesterday, in an interview with an Ohio television station, Trump lied through his teeth when he made the ridiculous claim that: "When you have radical Islamic terrorists probably all over the place ... we're allowing them to come in by the thousands and thousands ... And I think that's what bothered Mr. Khan more than anything else. And, you know, I'm not going to change my views on that." Trump doesn't care about facts. He doesn't care about grieving mothers. He doesn't care about America. He only cares about himself, and winning at all costs. But he can only win if his surrogates and him are given the platforms to continue to distract from his lack of consistent or constructive policies to "make America great again", and instead instill fear in the heart of an already agitated electorate. I had the unfortunate experience of debating Sajid Tarar, the founder of Muslims for Trump, on CNN. He parades across cable networks saying things like "not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim" or that the reason Mrs. Khan didn't speak was because she was Muslim, pointing to Saudi Arabia, "where Muslim women can't speak" to make his point. Never mind that Saudi Arabia and the severe restrictions it puts on women's freedoms, does not represent the other hundreds of millions of Muslim women around the world. Never mind that for as much as America is celebrating the possibility of electing a woman as President in 2016, the Muslim world has celebrated 9 Muslim women who have ruled their countries. Advertisement It is hardly surprising that Republican leaders are increasingly struggling to criticize Trump and separate themselves from him, without discrediting him altogether as their party's nominee. But it is surprising to see the Democratic party emerge as the party that is espousing patriotism and embracing militarism, while the Republican party is led by a man who calls the military "a disaster" and insults millions of Muslims the world over, including a mother of an American war hero. Fox News, chose not to air the speech, instead airing a video about Khan's death, an anti-Clinton attack ad about Benghazi, commercials, and broke in with fake Breaking news about the FBI Director saying if we make gains against ISIS overseas it increases the likeliness of an attack at home. So long as the media continues to give airtime to the Trump campaign's fear-mongering and race-baiting, he stands a real chance to win this election. Because as powerful as Mr. Khan's impassioned speech was (which even brought Rich Galen, a former press secretary for Newt Gingrich to tears), fear is is all the more powerful, and has helped many a demagogue win many an election across the world. Unfortunately in politics in general, and increasingly in this election, perceptions matter more than facts, which is precisely why Trump has been so successful. Still, even former Vice President Dick Cheney denounced Trump's plan to ban Muslims from immigrating to the U.S. saying "it goes against everything we stand for and believe in", and that should tell us all something. In today's business world, everyone is racing to be seen as an industry leader. Companies want to be the next big thing but without shelling out the money that may be needed to run certain business processes. And corporations are offering cheaper, boxed solutions to meet the basic needs of these rapidly iterating companies. What used to happen was you would buy a mass-produced, all-in-one solution where what was in it was what you got. You might have shopped around for various options before selecting one that was at your ideal price point and still meet your basic needs. But what many companies find themselves left with is trying to fit their business into a piece of software they bought and not always getting the results they expected. It's like forcing a triangular block to fit into a square puzzle piece; sure, with enough force you can get the piece to fit but it's not a perfect fit. EMS Barcode Solutions is doing the exact opposite of typical industry practices with Flowtrac Software. An inventory and asset tracking management software company founded by Eric Sutter based in Texas, EMS Barcode Solutions is the business expert you need to help you efficiently run your company. They believe "service is standard" - in other words, excellent customer service and going above and beyond the client expectation should be the industry standard. Instead of simply handing your clients a boxed solution, EMS Barcode Solutions, in conjunction with sister company Barcode Trading Post works with your business to identify the ideal solution to address your needs. Advertisement Increased software customization can lead to increased work productivity, and EMS Barcode wants to be held responsible for all of your problems. Consider this: you run your business' day-to-day activities but aren't sure how to effectively manage your inventory. Rather than figure it out on your own, EMS Barcode alleviates this problem by managing your inventory for you and using a custom-tailored solution to assist your activity. The difference between mass produced and customized solutions is the extra mile that some companies will go. Suppose you were choosing between a department store shoe and a custom, hand-crafted shoe. If you purchase a regular shoe from the mall, it might not fit your foot exactly. The shoe could be a little wide or too narrow, and you have to spend the first couple of weeks breaking it in and getting used to that shoe. On the other hand, if you went with a custom pair, the shoemaker would take the time to ensure that shoe fits perfectly to your foot. EMS Barcode is like the experienced shoemaker - they create a custom fitting solution that fits your business. And every enterprise is going to have varying challenges and expectations; no two solution should look the same and EMS Barcode prides themselves on their ability to mold software to fit your business, not the other way around. This notion of customization is fairly new in the software solutions industry. Previously, companies would offer a solution and ask how it would fit within your company. Today, EMS Barcode is asking the client about their needs and problems first, then finding the ideal solution to address those pain points. Not only is this method much more effective, it also saves companies money down the road. Instead of having to replace a mass-produced boxed solution every few years, a customizable solution grows with your business and adapts to the changing problems as they appear. Advertisement The Merchandise Mart has been a landmark hub of workplace design for many years. And if one thing was obvious at NeoCon 2016, it's that Chicago's Merchandise Mart is positioning itself to be a building at the forefront of workplace design for years to come. With the show Vornado Realty Trust, owner of the theMART, unveiled transformative architectural renovations. The creative force behind these changes is New York-based architecture, design and strategy firm A+I, cofounded by Brad Zizmor and Dag Folger. Founded in 1996, A+I has grown to be an internationally renowned practice of architecture, strategy and design, but perhaps what is most unique is a prominent focus on design research. Peter Knutson, Director of Strategy says, "We don't believe in 'build it and they will come.' We think about building it, talk about building it, design it, think some more, build it, and THEN they will come - because we got it right." Ownership of theMART has supported this iterative, well-researched approach. Through grassroots initiatives, A+I solicited (and continues to solicit) great feedback from tenants and visitors that shapes designs before they are built. The enhancements and changes are prototyped in full before they are built in an effort to gain insight from users of the space. Last year at NeoCon 2015, what is now known as 'The Grand Stair' was created in a 1-1 mock up with 790 silver Christmas ornaments. This gave visitors a clear impression of the scale of the space that eventually would be there. The park out front is another good example. A small park was originally built. As feedback has come back, it already has been expanded, and there are many more inspirational ideas on future expansion. Advertisement Brad Zizmor, Co-Founder of A+I, describes the firm's unique approach: "We have been spending 20 years innovating in the workplace. What has been happening inside office lease holds has been transformative with teleworking, a move to openoffice, and other innovations, however the buildings that house these forward-thinking tenants have been woefully left behind. We have an increasing number of building owners coming to us to create public spaces that, for lack of a better word, 'catch up.' We are at the forefront of this 'catch up' as our interest is in improving the office space beyond the walls of the office." Dag Folger, Co-Founder of A+I, adds "Because of the sheer size, the relative cost of the recent upgrades in relationship to the total number of leaseholds is reasonable. We saw this project as a huge opportunity for proof of concept for our focus on these public spaces. With 4.2 million-square-feet of space, theMART could afford to try it... and they weren't wrong!" What's Changing? Highlights of the $40M project (to date) include a new park along River Drive, theMART's entry drive overlooking the Chicago River, interior renovation of 27 elevators, new wayfinding, and the full renovation of the Food Hall (formerly known as the food court), and the pinnacle: The Grand Stair, theMART's new portal, featuring The Lounge at the Top of the Stairs, and new Reception below. The Grand Stair spans 5,600 square feet, covered with 300 slabs of classic Roman Travertine stone. While beautiful, it's also interesting to know that it's not just the first impression, but the behavior that A+I in partnership with Vornado is looking to change. Zizmor says, "From the beginning, the original research phase, we sat and watched the building work. It has been an intense exercise in listening and responding back to the tenants. Tenants would walk into a marble or travertine hallway and realize immediately it wasn't speaking to them or their company's brand. A spicket of commuters who come off the L into that building would leave as quickly as possible through a fire stair. The building was not communicating with them, either." This project is an adventure in designing public space that is functional for commuters, tenants and show spaces alike. theMART is already a huge tech hub and the contract furniture epicenter, but could it be more? Zizmor continues, "The ownership of theMART has challenged us to reinvent the future without forgetting the past. It is up to us to figure out how to continually reinvent another extremely successful community." Advertisement What's Driving the Changes? Anyone who has spent multiple years in the contract interiors industry can attest that theMART is a key component to the contract interiors industry; creating a uniquely tight-knit culture for designers, dealers and manufacturers in Chicago. But far beyond the Midwest, many tour groups fly clients in to Chicago because of this one central location. Folger says, "A whole generation of furniture companies have been built at theMART. Chicago became the single most important place to do one-stop shopping for strategic launch practices with a breadth of furniture companies within the workplace interiors industry. That's incredibly powerful." While theMART was 60 percent showrooms and 40 percent tenants just three short years ago, now these statistics have flipped, but rest assured that theMART is not looking to unseat showroom tenants. Aaron Whitney, Senior Associate at A+I, says, "Events like NeoCon and others that create reoccurring community connections are really important in a showroom building. They create more buzz and connectivity. This is healthy for a community. Just like any city with music/art festivals. Showroom business is a natural generator." Zizmor adds, "One of the major drivers of these changes is that buildings now, by necessity, need to design in 'third places.' As we lose privacy in open-office settings, many people find themselves in stairways to make phone calls. We see the spaces we create as a way to find privacy in public spaces. It's like hiding in plain sight." Zizmor continues, "As this personal, private office within the leasehold is disappearing, attention needs to be paid to the lobbies and public spaces of the office building. These are being challenged by providing anonymity and room for free thinking." What is to Come for the Mart? Vornado already has said this is just the beginning. Upcoming renovations include more changes around the food hall, enhancements to the lounge at the top of the stairs, and more new programming put into place this summer. Peter Knutson, Director of Strategy, says, "We will be creating even more spaces for workplace lifestyle amenities and programming including activities such as: yoga, watching the view in lobby, meeting space outside of the office, or even playing shuffleboard and bags. This is just the beginning of what could be." Advertisement Zizmor closes us with this thought: "As far as the future goes, there is a huge opportunity. It already has been an incredible experiment on how forward-thinking office buildings can function in the future. All indications indicate that Vornado is more energized than ever to continue this research and reimagine these public spaces to see what's possible for the knowledge worker economy." It will be fun to watch - and possibly shape with our feedback - just how profoundly architectural changes can instigate changes in human behavior. A special congrats to the team involved in this project: Brad Zizmor, Founding Principal Dag Folger, Founding Principal Aaron Whitney, Senior AssociateStrategy: Peter Knutson & Ashley Bryan Project Managers: Paul Privitera & Tom Zook Design Team: Alexis Coir, Debbie Chen, Bernard Peng, Marielle Vargas, Matt Deluca, Kyle Digby Architect of Record: Valerio Dewalt Train Associates This article originally published in the Business of Furniture July 27, 2016. It is republished here with permission. Line of Solders In 2001, when U.S. troops entered Afghanistan en masse, pedophilia had been largely suppressed by the Taliban. However, since then, numerous Pashtun men have been abusing the new freedoms they gained by molesting young boys, a practice casually referred to as bacha bazi - literally "boy play." This widespread, vile practice has been documented by an Afghan journalist in a report he prepared for a public television program, "Frontline." The program states flatly: "In an Afghanistan ravaged by war and poverty, an ancient tradition has been secretly revived: Young boys sold by their families to wealthy merchants and warlords, taught to dance and entertain, and used for sex." A U.N. representative refers to this outrageous conduct as "a form of slavery [...] sexual slavery." The Frontline documentary shows that some of the boys are as young as 11. When they do not satisfy, they are beaten and in some cases murdered. A State Department report puts it starkly: "Child abuse was endemic throughout the country, based on cultural beliefs about child-rearing, and included general neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment, and confined forced labor to pay off family debts." A US Defense Department report, "Pashtun Sexuality," quotes an Afghan saying: "Women are for children, boys are for pleasure." The "Frontline" investigation found Afghan police officers attending parties with their "dancing boys." Advertisement My review of numerous dispatches from Afghanistan found no sign that U.S. diplomats and generals are doing anything to get the Afghan government to protect these children, in sharp contrast to the strong promotion of women's rights to attend school and to leave home unsupervised and of voting rights for the general population. The president should inform our representatives in Afghanistan that although we shall continue to put up with much that we do not condone, there are limits to our accommodations. We shall neither finance nor protect a regime that refuses to act against large-scale sexual abuse of children. When asked about American military policy, the spokesman for the American command in Afghanistan, Col. Brian Tribus, stated, according to the New York Times: "Generally, allegations of child sexual abuse by Afghan military or police personnel would be a matter of domestic Afghan criminal law." The NYT adds: "The American policy of nonintervention is intended to maintain good relations with the Afghan police and militia units the United States has trained to fight the Taliban. It also reflects a reluctance to impose cultural values in a country where pederasty is rife, particularly among powerful men, for whom being surrounded by young teenagers can be a mark of social status." There was one American soldier who acted differently. Congress has asked the Pentagon to fully reinstate a decorated United States Army sergeant whose career status came under review after he hit an American-backed Afghan militia officer. The sergeant saw the officer abducting a boy and keeping him chained to his bed as a sex slave. Advertisement I understand that the U.S. has to work with whatever allies it can find and must be sensitive to cultural differences. However, as I see it, every decent human being and nation must observe a line, one that separates the world of accommodations and compromise from non-negotiable core values to which one adheres, whatever the costs and consequences. If letting the rich and powerful subject defenseless children to sexual slavery does not cross that line, what does? Cameron Douglas is free! Well, almost free. It is reported that he was released to a federal half-way house in Brooklyn after serving 7 years. So in reality he has one foot in prison and the other foot out of prison. I recently have been in contact with him and he seems to be doing well. He is out in the free world for over a month now. Cameron is working and adjusting to life and I know he wants to write about his prison experience just as he did when he wrote an op-ed here in the Huffington Post. As someone who spent 12 years behind bars on a nonviolent drug offense, I know returning to society after serving a long time in prison is not easy. I just wrote about this subject in my new book "This Side of Freedom: Life after Clemency. I wrote the book because I wanted to offer insight and encouragement to those coming home, like Cameron. Carrying the stigma of being an ex-offender is often debilitating, from being denied employment and housing, to not knowing how to establish healthy relationships, life becomes exceedingly difficult. In addition, maintaining that freedom is no easy task while wrestling with the haunting memories of past imprisonment. Below is an excerpt from Chapter 14 titled "Cameron Douglas" of my new memoir "This Side of Freedom:Life after Clemency: Advertisement One of the biggest celebrity drug bust stories of all time came about when Cameron Douglas the son of academy award winning actor Michael Douglas got arrested by a multi-task force law enforcement team headed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The DEA had existed for more than 40 years but Congress has rarely scrutinized the agency, its actions, or its $2 billion budget. Little attention has been given to its role in fueling mass incarceration, racial disparities, the surveillance state, and other drug war problems. The failure to exercise oversight has led to questionable enforcement practices, numerous scandals and human rights abuses, and open defiance of laws requiring decisions be based on scientific evidence. The DEA had been watching Cameron for 3 years and had built a watertight case against him for drug dealing, which included large amounts of meth and cocaine through the mail via Fed-ex. This compelled Douglas to seek a plea agreement for his cooperation against his suppliers. What really got my interest in his case was why did the watch him for three years? I figured that they waited a long time in order to build a very solid case against him because he was the son of a rich and famous movie star. The impact of arresting him for selling drugs would be a media goldmine for the government in their ability to send their message of zero tolerance drug policy to the population of America. After researching the facts of the case I found that Cameron Douglas was not the drug kingpin the DEA painted him to be. Instead I found out that he was just a troubled 32-year-old hooked on drugs since he was 13 years old. It was at this point I decided to defend Cameron and show that he was a prime example of the abuse DEA has been involved in. Douglas was facing a stiff 10-year mandatory sentence under federal guidelines. I thought it was absolutely absurd to lock him up for that much time when it was plain to see he was a drug addict who needed treatment not incarceration.I began to write a series of articles supporting him on my Huffington Post blog. The first piece was titled "Michael Douglas' Son Should Not Go to Prison." Life imitating art always intrigues me I declared. Michael Douglas who starred in Traffic, the Academy-Award-winning film about the drug war in America, now faced a real life situation similar to the role he played. In the film Michael Douglas played the United States Drug Czar whose daughter becomes addicted to heroin. Throughout the film, he struggles dealing with his daughter's drug addiction and the futility of the drug war. Advertisement In real life Cameron Douglas, got arrested by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) in a sting operation for possession of methamphetamines with the intent distribute in New York City. It was not the first brush with the law for Cameron who had several arrests for cocaine possession and a 1996 bust for drunk driving. Reports also pointed out the good possibility that he had a severe drug problem. The role of drugs and drug addiction loom large in our society. The question I pose is should Cameron Douglas be put in prison or should he be able to seek drug treatment instead? Treatment is a valid vehicle for fighting the demons of addiction, and an effective alternative to the government's use of incarceration and punitive measures in response to low-level, nonviolent drug law offenses stemming from addiction. According to Justice Department statistics, the U.S. holds a firm lead in maintaining the most prisoners of any country in the world -- now at 2.3 million and rising. There are an estimated 500,000 drug offenders in prison. Additionally, hundreds of thousands are incarcerated for drug-related violations of parole and probation, as well as for other crimes related to drug addiction. Criminal justice experts attribute the exploding U.S. prison population to harsh sentencing laws and record numbers of drug law offenders entering the system, many of whom have substance abuse problems. Again, I asked the question, should we treat drug addiction as a criminal matter or a medical problem?For most people, treatment is much more effective way to overcome addiction, yet our prisons are full of drug-addicted individuals. Nonviolent drug offenders should be given an opportunity to receive treatment, not jail time, for their drug use. This would be a more effective and much more affordable solution for the individual and the community. Addiction affects tens of millions of people around the world. For most, it fills a void in their lives and becomes a crippling crutch. How best to treat addiction is a serious question we need to explore. Rich or poor, young or old, addiction has no boundaries - but the drug war does. Our 40-plus-year war on drugs has actually stifled the open debate society should be having about addiction and how best to deal with it. I have always advocated the fact that we should give Cameron Douglas the drug treatment he needs instead of imprisonment. Why do I say this? I too faced a similar situation. Instead of treatment, I received a 15 year to life sentence under the Rockefeller Drug Laws of New York State. I was granted clemency by Governor George Pataki in 1997 after serving 12 years in prison for a first time non-violent drug sale. It was a waste of valuable tax dollars and human life to send me to prison for all those years. Instead of demonizing addicted individuals and sending them to prison, we need an alternative approach. Let's shift the focus from criminalization in drug policy and support a public health model. Not sending Cameron to prison would be a good example of taking a step in that direction. It's time to treat addiction for what it is, a medical problem, not a criminal one. Soon after the piece was published, I was contacted by email from a girl who described herself as Cameron Douglas's friend. She told me she had read my article on Cameron and sent it to his mother Diandra, who was divorced from Michael Douglas. At that point I got Cameron's contact information from her and sent a letter to Cameron along with a copy of my book "15 to Life." In my letter, I told Cameron to hang in there and to keep his faith. Several weeks later, I got a response from him. Imagine this: You're rushing down the subway stairs to catch an "A" train and are late. Your phone starts ringing; it's a client with a crucially important call that you must take. As you descend the treacherous stairs at breakneck speed, you simultaneously grapple in your cluttered pocket for your earbuds to take the call with some semblance of serenity. You're risking everything at this point ... your life, your business, your livelihood and your health. When you finally retrieve the jumbled, spaghetti-like mess from your pocket, it's too damn late. You've missed your call. You've missed your train. And seemingly, your life is over. While this scenario may be over-dramatized, it is certainly not hard for any of us to imagine. Ropes, a new product from ROAM, have your back on this and many more such situations. Wearing these sharp, futuristic-looking Bluetooth earbuds as you would a necklace, your hearing is only eight inches from your head at all times. The patent-pending design form factor keeps the earbuds at hand, untangled and ready to get that important call within seconds. Founded by Beats' co-creator, Steve Lamar, ROAM was built from the ground floor up by Lamar with the music foremost in his mind and that of his consumers. Hailing from the music industry, Lamar has a most interesting personal and entrepreneurial story which I won't cover here. Advertisement "I got into the music industry by accident," Lamar told me, "I was running a hedge fund out of San Francisco, and we invested in an audio company. I left the hedge fund and became the CEO of the audio company. They had a great audio technology for audio speakers at big venues and I wanted to make that available to consumers. I thought the only way to market this was celebrity endorsement and we got Quincy Jones." Then it was off-to-the-races for Lamar, and we can see this celebrity endorsement marketing strategy and the undeniable role it played in Beats by Dre. "I think over-the-ear (headphone) is done," Lamar told Mashable. "I think the next round of evolution needs to be an earbud because over-the-ear headphones are not practical for everyday use." "I've grown tired of listening to my headphones the way the sound engineer, or Jimmy [Iovine] and [Dr.] Dre have tuned them," Lamar said. In the scenario above, in order to relax after such a disastrous, subway calamity, we might turn on some of our calming music to recuperate. When we do, common white earbuds just play the music. Advertisement According to Lamar, his Ropes are the first Bluetooth earbuds with a built-in EQ and EQ smartphone app which allows for the customization of your music, the way you want to hear it. The EQ hardware hangs around the neck unobtrusively and provides the opportunity for the end-consumer of any musical content--those who really matter, not the artists--to control not only what they listen to but also how they listen to it. The app is sleek and easily navigated and to the non-audiophile, magical. Easily controlling five frequencies (Bass-60Hz; Warmth-230Hz; Body-910Hz; Clarity-3KHz; Brilliance-14KHz), Preamp Gain and DSP (Digital signal processing) that covers Dynamic Bass Boost and Spectral Effect, the EQ and app bring new listening capabilities to the consumer. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, waves to delegates as he walks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Thursday, July 28, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) For a glimpse of what New York's just-announced clean energy standard could mean to the state's economy, look West. New York's plan to get 50 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030, announced Monday by Gov. Cuomo, matches the renewable standard set by California in 2015. It will make New York a major leader for clean energy (only tiny Vermont and Hawaii have higher standards than New York and California), setting an example for other states. Advertisement Look to the other side of the continent at California, and the positive impacts of a 50 percent renewable standard are undeniable. Solar panels are now ubiquitous from San Francisco to San Diego. Deserts are dotted with wind farms and solar arrays. Consumers and companies are saving billions of dollars by getting energy from the sun and by reducing energy waste through efficiency. Thousands of small businesses have been started to construct, install maintain and invest in renewable energy equipment, and today more than 500,000 Californians now work in advanced energy businesses. For perspective, that's three times as many people who work in the movie and television business. It's more people than work in agriculture in the state. Smart clean energy policies, we know from California and other states, create jobs and drive economic growth. Clean energy, quite simply, is a tremendous economic catalyst. Smart clean energy policies, we know from California and other states, create jobs and drive economic growth. New York already has had a taste of what clean energy can mean to the state's economy. More than 85,000 New Yorkers work in clean energy in every county of the state, according to the Clean Jobs New York report from E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and partners. That's a lot. That's more than the number of New Yorkers who work in investment banking, and it's almost as many as work in the state's building construction industry. All those workers and their families should be cheering the job security and opportunities that just got a big boost by New York's new Clean Energy Standard. But remember that 85,000 workers is less than one-fifth of the 500,000 advanced energy workers in California right now. California and New York are the No. 1 and No. 3 most populous states, respectively. That leaves some serious room for growth for working folks and businesses in the Empire State. Under the Clean Energy Standard announced by Gov. Cuomo and the New York Public Service Commission: Utilities must get about 31 percent of their energy from renewables by 2021, before moving to 50 percent in 2030. That's similar to California's planned phase-in, giving utilities and clean energy companies alike the time needed to develop their business models. NYSERDA, the state's energy research and development agency, will create a blueprint to advance offshore wind. That could create a major new job-generator for the state and help the United State catch up to other countries. The state PSC will promote and support energy efficiency programs wherever possible. That's important in a state of 7 million households and some of the biggest office markets in the world. It's also important because 69,000 New Yorkers today work in energy efficiency -- representing about 80 percent of all clean energy workers. Of course there are other good reasons to move to clean energy. New York's 50 percent renewable plan is a critical part of the state's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 (from 1990 levels). It will boost efforts to get us off of dirty fossil fuels that are contributing to climate change and nuclear energy that comes with myriad expensive environmental problems. To be sure, New York's Clean Energy Standard could've been even better. To be sure, New York's Clean Energy Standard could've been even better. It is still too dependent on expensive nuclear energy, and it could use more teeth when it comes to energy efficiency and offshore wind. And besides, there's no reason New York should ever want to simply tie California -- just ask any Dodgers-hating Mets fan. E2 and other groups will keep pushing to make a good plan even better. That said, businesses, investors and everyday New Yorkers alike ought to be cheering the state's new Clean Energy Standard. Advertisement In serving as Commander in Chief, the President's character, actions, and words are pivotal to military morale and victory. Napoleon advised, "An army's effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale, and morale is worth more than all of the other factors combined." President Abraham Lincoln's profound respect for the sacrifices of Union soldiers and families boosted morale and helped defeat the Confederacy. In his Gettysburg Address, Mr. Lincoln diminished his immortal words and elevated what soldiers had done on the battlefield: Advertisement "... we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." "I'd lose another leg for a man like that." President Lincoln held a public reception at the White House after his second inauguration. Two of the visitors were Army nurse Adelaide W. Smith, and Army Lieutenant Gosper, who was using a crutch because his leg had been shot away in a skirmish before Petersburg. As recounted in Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years, Mr. Lincoln stepped out before the two of them, took the hand of the Lieutenant, and in an unforgettable voice said, "God bless you, my boy." The visitors moved on with the Lieutenant beaming and saying to Ada Smith, "I'd lose another leg for a man like that." Advertisement In little more than a month, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. In a recent ABC interview, Mr. Trump insinuated that sacrifices that he had made were comparable to the ultimate sacrifice of Capt. Kahn. Let us consider Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively, as Commanders in Chief, and assess their probable impact on military morale--the cornerstone of military victory according to Napoleon. Mr. Trump mildly supported sending men and women to Iraq to risk that last full measure of devotion prior to the March 2003 invasion. On September 11, 2002, during a Howard Stern radio interview, he was asked whether he supported the impending war. Mr. Trump responded: "Yeah, I guess so." One of the men Mr. Trump approved dispatching to Iraq was Army Capt. Humayun Khan. He had enrolled in the ROTC at the University of Virginia before the 9/11 abominations. From Iraq, Army Capt. Khan spoke to his mother on Mother's Day 2004. He gently rebuked her plea to eschew risks with words which should live for the ages, "Mom, these are my soldiers, these are my people. I have to take care of them." Capt. Khan was later killed by a car bomber outside the gates of his base attempting to save his soldiers and innocent civilians--perhaps his finest hour. He was the type of soldier President Lincoln had immortalized at Gettysburg, and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Advertisement In a recent ABC interview, Mr. Trump insinuated that sacrifices that he had made were comparable to the ultimate sacrifice of Capt. Kahn: "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs." If there are better ways to deflate the morale of the armed forces, they do not readily come to mind. Mr. Brian Duffy, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, commented: "There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed." Compare President Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby who had sacrificed five sons in the Civil War: Dear Madam,-- I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Donald Trump would be no Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief. (Clinton) sent American soldiers into harm's way with the irresponsibility of Marie Antoinette. As for Hillary Clinton, Capt. Kahn would never have died in Iraq if it were not for the gratuitous, multi-trillion dollar ongoing war that she jump-started with her 2002 vote in the United States Senate. She sent American soldiers into harm's way with the irresponsibility of Marie Antoinette. She neglected to read the 92-page National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that had helped to persuade Senators Bob Graham (D-FL) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to oppose the Authorization to Use Military Force Against Iraq. She errantly insisted that Saddam Hussein's possession of WMD and harboring Al Qaeda were undisputed, when the NIE she had neglected to read challenged those conclusions. Ms. Clinton argued: In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. Thirteen years later in 2015, Ms. Clinton grudgingly conceded that her Iraq vote was a "mistake." In her earlier intellectually benumbing Memoir, Hard Choices, she defensively asserts: "I thought I had acted in good faith and made the best decision I could with the information she had." Her recollection was faulty. She chose not to read the 92-page NIE in her possession, which might have persuaded her to oppose the Iraqi war. After learning that her twin factual premises for the Iraqi war were false, and that the prospect of making Iraq a bellwether democracy in the Arab Middle East was delusional, Ms. Clinton refused to advocate an end to our military engagement there to avoid new Capt. Khans. As of this writing, there are approximately 5,000 United States military personnel in Iraq, and Ms. Clinton is clamoring for more. Last March, Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin was killed defending an autocratic, Shiite Iraqi government that is closely allied with Iran and at war with Israel. Ms. Clinton can't even define what victory in Iraq would look like beyond the obscene blather of "I'll know it when I see it." If she were genuinely concerned with military morale, Ms. Clinton would be emulating Congressman Walter Jones (R-N.C.), who similarly regrets his vote to support the multi-trillion dollar Iraq war caper. The Congressman has written more than 2,000 letters to the families of U.S. soldiers, sailors, and Marines killed in the ongoing conflict, which he vocally opposes. He writes additional letters every Saturday, alone in his office in Greenville. He related to Mother Jones magazine: "I can do four or five letters, and then I have to stop and do something else. And then I come back and do another five." Outside his office on the third floor of the House Rayburn Office Building, Congressman Jones pays additional homage to American soldiers killed in Iraq by displaying their photographs. I am certain that American military officers and enlistees would, to borrow from Lt. Gosper, lose another leg for a man like Walter Jones as Commander in Chief. Do you think they would do the same for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? By Arlene Holt-Baker There is no escaping or writing off the division in our country that Donald Trump's candidacy for President of the United States has unleashed. I have known the signs of racism all of my life. I was born in Texas in 1951 when the signs of Jim Crow surrounded me at every turn. Like many African-Americans I too chose to migrate from Texas to join other members of my family in places that were seen as more welcoming and progressive to blacks, not unlike those families written about in Isabel Wilkerson's "The Warmth of Other Suns," a sweeping historical account of the black migration from the South to the North after the 1940's. I settled in California, where my children were born and where they grew up in a suburban community filled with rich diversity. They were taught to love and respect all people. My son-in-law grew up in a similar environment, surrounded by the Hills of Los Angeles and a diversity of friends that looked like the United Nations. My son-in-law and daughter, who now live in Maryland, are making every effort to instill in their children the values that were instilled in them. Advertisement My son-in-law is one of the kindest men you would ever want to meet. He is smart, intelligent, and handsome, a fitting role model for my only grandchildren; he has my greatest love and respect. However, a few weeks ago as my 6'3, 36-year-old, 240-pound muscled African-American son-in-law was working out at the gym in Virginia that he frequents when a white patron of the gym, who my son-in-law does not know, approached him to tell him that "Black Lives Matter was a terrorist group." My son-in-law reacted to this stranger in the manner of a psychologist trying to get to the root of this man's motivation and asked this gentleman why. My son-in-law explained the significance of Black Lives Matter and the disproportionate number of Black males who are stopped by police while walking or driving, only to be shot by police using excessive force. He explained the economic conditions and structural racism that leads to hopelessness among so many black Americans. He broke it down like the mathematician that he is. None of this changed this fellow's mind, but it frightened me beyond words when my son-in-law told me what happened because I wanted to know what was really on this stranger's mind. Why would he approach a 6'3 African-American male that he didn't know to make such a provocative statement about "Black Lives Matter"? This question can be answered in one word "Trumpism," the ideology that has risen under Trump that is rooted in white populist nationalism. Advertisement A few days after my son-in-law told me of his experience, I would not have believed in a million years that I too would have experienced the most uncomfortable and overt racist act that I had felt since I was a young girl growing up in Texas. My twin granddaughters, who are 4-years-old, love the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's Butterfly Exhibit in Washington, D.C., where my husband and I live. I'm a typical grandmother. I grant their wishes, even if it means visit the same exhibit three times in two months. As they moved with lightning speed through the museum, their energy and laughter are infectious and captured the admiring glances of some of the museum patrons. But I was struck by the look on the face of a white man wearing a camouflaged hat and whose arms and neck were heavily tattooed and who stared at the girls and me with a look of such disdain and hatred. My guard went up immediately, as I looked at him for a moment before I moved on. I was emotionally shaken, but found some solace that it was not likely that he had anything dangerous on him because he and all museum goers are subject to going through security. But still, I hesitated for a moment. I thought about my precious grandchildren and wondered what kind of person could look at children with such disdain, and then I quickly thought back to my son-in law's experience two days earlier and the answer was clear, once again, it's connected to "Trumpism." Racism existed before Trump, and it will continue after him, but his unabashed audacity to unleash hateful rhetoric aimed at people of color, immigrants, women and the disabled has given some in our country comfort to openly act on their hate with words, hostile looks and tweets. All is not perfect in America, but for those of us who truly believe in the ideal of America (and I believe most Americans do), it is critical that we choose leaders who believe in the promise of America, the goodness of Americans and the ever improving greatness of America. Advertisement Donald Trump has no decency, and he has emboldened those who hate and fear the "other." "Trumpism" is too dangerous for America's future. He must be stopped. It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said in 1847 that "[c]onsistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." While the phrase might be a cliche these days, in today's highly partisan, gridlocked Washington, DC, consistency characterizes both political parties: heels deeply dug in; minds apparently quite small. Democrats favor abortion; Republicans oppose abortion. Democrats want tax increases; Republicans want tax decreases. Democrats want to confirm a ninth Supreme Court Justice now; Republicans want to wait until after November. And on, and on, and on... Rarely do the two major political parties change their views, not to mention reverse course and swap positions. But there is an interesting exception to this policy rigidity, and it has largely gone unnoticed by the media and by the political-science profession. Indeed, the professoriate stands to benefit from examining and explaining the origins of this policy reversal. There are future doctoral dissertations waiting to be written about how and why Democrats and Republicans reversed positions on the merits of the for-profit trade-school sector. Advertisement Here are some facts. Approximately 30 years ago, U.S. Department of Education Secretary William J. Bennett launched a crackdown on the growing number of student loan defaults at America's postsecondary-education institutions -- both for-profit and not-for-profit. Default rates were reaching an alarming rate and were costing the government (and taxpayers) tens of millions of dollars annually. Assuming that lending banks and loan servicers followed certain "due diligence" rules in trying to collect delinquent student-loan payments, the federal government would guarantee these loans for the issuing banks (or for those institutions holding secondary-market paper) should a default occur. Major network television programs like CBS's 60 Minutes and ABC's 20/20 ran exposes about how some for-profit trade schools recruited students from welfare lines. These students were promised the world about what a degree from some of these schools would mean for their future. In many documented cases, students were misled into believing that they were signing up for grants when, in fact, they were assuming loans -- loans that had to be repaid, much to their surprise. Several proprietary schools simply took the money and ran: they failed to provide the promised education. Too many students then found themselves without an education, deeply in debt, and, shortly thereafter, in default on their student loans. As most people know today, student loan debts are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. I worked for Secretary Bennett and remember listening to Bennett testifying on student-loan defaults before the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), then the chair of the Senate Education and Labor Committee. Kennedy asked Bennett whether he thought that a high student-loan default rate at an educational institution was a proxy for a lousy education at that school. Bennett shot back that this was precisely his point: if a school had a default rate of 90 percent or more -- and some schools even had 100 percent default rates -- it was pretty obvious that there were major problems with the quality of that school's education. Advertisement Kennedy and then-Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) disagreed with Bennett. They contended that there were undoubtedly many reasons why students defaulted and that the federal government could not hold schools accountable for what their students did -- or did not do -- once they graduated. Bennett nonetheless persisted, and the Education Department promulgated regulations that, in a relatively short time, began to reduce the number of student-loan defaults. Several trade schools went out of business or were shut down. I was deeply involved in this effort and repeatedly made it clear in testimony and other public statements that the Reagan administration was not against proprietary, for-profit schools. There were then -- and are now -- plenty of excellent for-profit institutions. The goal was to eliminate the bad actors -- the high-default-rate institutions -- whether they were for-profit or not-for-profit. To its credit, the Clinton administration essentially continued the policy that Bennett had initiated. But at some point during the last 20-plus years, the parties switched positions on this issue. Today, as default rates have started to rise once again, it is Republicans who often side with the for-profit sector and Democrats who want to reduce defaults by clamping down on the rapid growth of that sector. Moreover, in the eyes of some, the Obama administration has been waging a relentless war against the for-profit sector, first, by promulgating an "ability to benefit" regulation that made it harder for trade schools to enroll students who could not demonstrate an ability to benefit from their training. More recently, the Obama Education Department has threatened action against the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools ("ACICS"). ACICS was the accrediting body that gave consistent thumbs up to the large for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain of schools that collapsed in 2015. Former Corinthian College students were left without degrees, without an education, and had unpaid loans that the Obama administration (with good cause) wants to forgive, even though the U.S. taxpayers would be on the hook for what could be hundreds of millions of dollars. With some $1.3 trillion in outstanding student-loan debt today, a high default rate means big money, as evidenced by the Corinthian collapse. It looks like we got into this situation, in part, because accrediting bodies looked the other way -- much like the lax oversight by those financial accrediting bodies that gave AAA ratings to securities and other esoteric investment instruments in 2008 based on subprime mortgages that should never have been issued. Another explanation is that the responsible Congressional committees may have looked the other way and failed in their oversight responsibilities. They could easily have continued what was once a bipartisan crackdown on defaults and poor-quality educational offerings at all educational institutions. Since 2004, student-loan debt has quadrupled and defaults have doubled. Clearly there is big money associated with this part of our education enterprise: big money for the schools and, I suspect, big money in campaign contributions to members of Congress. American postsecondary education -- both for-profit and not-for-profit, and at public and private institutions -- must be focused on increasing completion and providing affordable excellence for all of our students. It is important to examine how we got into this situation by looking at the accreditors, the schools, and the Members of Congress who might have been spending too much time chasing campaign dollars and not enough time demanding affordable excellence. Follow the money, as we learned from Watergate. Charles Kolb served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy from 1990-1992 in the George H.W. Bush White House. He was president of the French-American Foundation -- United States from 2012-2014 and president of the Committee for Economic Development from 1997-2012. With the Obama presidency in its remaining months and with the 2016 primary season over, the political focus naturally turns to the November general election. The political gridlock that Barack Obama pledged in 2008 to fix not only remains but has clearly worsened. Remarkably, the primaries produced two leading party candidates with the highest unfavorable ratings ever. One is a serial narcissist; the other can't seem to find the truth. Actually, both major-party candidates have problems with the truth. On November 8, 2016, voters will choose the 45th president of the United States, and like virtually all second marriages, there is the ever-present belief that hope will, somehow, triumph over experience. It is unfortunate that our Constitution does not allow for a presidential pre-nuptial agreement, because these are the times when such an innovation might prove useful. As Americans, we are known for our optimism. No American chooses a president and wants that new leader to fail - and yet presidents do fail. Sometimes, the seeds of that failure are apparent (yet unrecognized) well in advance of the individual reaching the Oval Office: Richard Nixon's insecurities and paranoia; Lyndon Johnson's bluster; Jimmy Carter's micromanagement; George W. Bush's overconfidence. The failures seem to flow directly from some personality quirk or character trait that, in retrospect, was known before the candidate became president. Advertisement Harvard scholar and Brookings Institution Fellow Elaine Kamarck has just published an important book: Why Presidents Fail: And How They Can Succeed Again. This trim, well-written volume reads almost like a novel and walks us through the experiences of three presidents who saw significant failures in office. Jimmy Carter ran a botched hostage-rescue mission in the Iranian desert. George W. Bush ignored early warning signs about Al Quaeda, endured the irony of a bungled response to Hurricane Katrina (his administration was prepared for surviving a nuclear attack but not a Category 4 hurricane), and was caught unprepared for the 2008 financial crisis. Barack Obama - a former Harvard Law Review editor-in-chief and constitutional-law professor - inexplicably presided over a seriously flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act's health care exchanges and a wide-ranging scandal at the Veterans Affairs Department. Kamarck has developed a simple, straightforward methodology for assessing presidential failure. She examines the relationship between government policy, the related communications strategy, and the subsequent policy execution and implementation. She concludes that too many presidential failures result from an over-emphasis on communications and not enough focus on policy execution: "[t]he fact is that modern presidents find the federal government that they are supposed to run distant and unmanageable." As a result, they tend to fall back on what they can control, namely, communications. This tendency leads to failure: "Once presidents stopped assuming responsibility for the government they ran, they started to fail." While ideology may be important in winning the presidency, Kamarck makes clear that it is operational effectiveness - policy implementation - that can make or break a presidency. Kamarck cites political scientist Shirley Warshaw, who observed that 58 percent of the Obama adminstration's first-term senior staff came either from his presidential campaign or from his congressional relationships, what Warshaw calls "loyalist/ideologues and loyalist/pragmatists." Only 42 percent were "campaign outsiders," and "[a]ll of the senior political and management jobs went to campaign-related staff rather than to outsiders." Campaign staff typically "spin"; they are not known for managing or executing well. Advertisement Another problem for presidential policy implementation is the fact that in the modern presidency, "as the White House offices have grown and proliferated, they have created distance between the president and their cabinet secretaries - and even more distance between those who make policy and those who will have to implement it." Barack Obama let it be known after he was elected that he was reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's magisterial study of Abraham Lincoln's cabinet government, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," and yet, as Kamarck explains, in his first term, Barack Obama met with his cabinet a mere 19 times - for mostly ceremonial gatherings or photo-ops. She also reports that during Obama's first year in office, there were only 21 days when he did not have a public or press appearance. And when it comes to distance between the Oval Office and on-the-ground implementation, nothing was more revealing of this disconnect than George W. Bush's now infamous remark to Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, shortly after Hurricane Katrina leveled New Orleans: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." A few days later, Brownie lost his job. I would have liked to see Kamarck include in her analysis of failed presidential actions the administration of George H.W. Bush, who went from 90 percent popularity after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to losing the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1992 with 38 percent of the vote. Interestingly, the first Bush presidency failed (if you do not win re-election, you clearly have a failed presidency) for reasons other than policy implementation. After all, Bush executed flawlessly the military actions that reversed Kuwait's invasion of Libya, and his implementation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Clean Air Act, and the 1991 Civil Rights Act went smoothly. His problems stemmed from the fact that the Reagan base that elected him in 1988 cared little about those accomplishments. Additionally, his reversal of his 1988 "Read my lips" pledge not to raise taxes, plus overall poor communications, made him a one-term president. Presidents can become fixated on communications to the detriment of substance. I was 21 years old when I met Richard Nixon in the Oval Office, just a few days after he installed the notorious taping system. Joining me were two other college friends. Nixon asked each of us what we wanted to do after graduation. He listened and then said, "Gentlemen, I'd like to suggest that each of you consider a career in communications." That advice, offered to three strangers, struck me as odd, but it became clear when I later read T.H. White's superb book on Watergate, "Breach of Faith," where White devotes a chapter to Nixon's lifelong obsession with communications. Ms. Kamarck begins her new book with a humorous truism: "Most people think the government can't organize a two-car funeral." Today's resurgent populism (both left and right) reflects frustration that our government really isn't working for many Americans. She says that presidents should find a better balance between politicking and governing. Additionally, they should never assume "that the permanent government knows what it is doing." They must also focus on how to organize the White House staff, how best to use their Cabinet, and how to prioritize their time. The book's last chapter is called "The Voter's Guide to Picking Presidents," and Kamarck emphasizes the importance of finding a president with the right combination of temperament, experience, and judgment. The candidates and the voters should read Kamarck's book. There is too much at stake in 2016 for us to get it wrong, and we owe Ms. Kamarck thanks for helping explain what we should look for in order to get it right. Thousands of Bernie Sanders supporters and delegates from across the nation converged last week inside and outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia for 5 days, at times marching under 90-100 degree temperatures. Refusing to fall in line behind Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, they aimed to show the nation and the world their dissatisfaction with the outcome of this year's Democratic primary. Some supporters, convention demonstrators, and one national delegate for Bernie Sanders from Ohio I interviewed say they see Clinton's nomination as not merely a victory for an opposing candidate, but a larger statement of gross injustice to American voters. Advertisement Many I spoke to say the backlash against the existing two-party system of politics in the U.S. is a very strong movement with mass appeal to varied interest groups from Black Lives Matter, to the environmental movement, workers rights, single payer health care, and many others, and is a movement which will continue for quite some time. Several denied the prevailing sentiment that they are willingly leaving the Democratic Party, even as some have joined the mass #DemExit action or by outright refusal to vote for Clinton in November. When in fact, they say they have been essentially forced out through the actions of the Democratic party leadership, including Clinton herself. Until then, party unity, it seems, will remain just a figment of anyone's imagination. Meg Mass, 44, is assistant director at The University of Chicago Writing Program and an environmental educator. She believes the Clinton nomination undermines the ideals of feminism because it sets the example that a woman would not be able to attain Clinton's level of political success in a legitimate manner, free of cheating, media collusion, party manipulation, and deception, as evidenced by the recent DNC email leaks. Advertisement By trotting out her victory in this year's primary while refusing to condemn the now public dealings of the Democratic party staff, and bringing the denounced former party chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz into her campaign as "honorary chair", Clinton effectively places her stamp of approval on a highly manipulative and underhanded primary election. "I came from a strongly Democrat family, " Mass explains. She said she has always voted Democrat, with the exception of local races when there are Green Party candidates on the ballot. Mass said she votes not so much by following the endorsements of organizations, but more so on the individual candidate's positions. Mass says it is precisely Clinton's intelligence and political connections that make her "even more dangerous" because she operates "without a moral compass", and certain political actions under a Hillary Clinton presidency could have longer range consequences far more difficult to identify and prevent. "I really don't see how I could vote for her," Mass explains. "Clearly trying to keep Trump out of the presidency is a goal...on the other hand who am I to support so many things that are unconscionable? There's a very good chance that I'll vote for Jill Stein. With Trump we will know the damage right away, there will be people to stop him before he gets very far. So it can be undone. With her, we may never know the damage that she does to our country, to other countries,...that is even more terrifying." The issues facing the political climate in the U.S. are larger than Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and all-encompassing, according to Mass. Advertisement "We can't go back and we can't continue on this path, because it's just gotten us more and more off-kilter. Now we're being patted on the head...'now you need to smile and play nice.' We don't have to get along. "[Clinton] is a neoliberal and that trumps gender. I don't think that any window dressing can change what you think if you support neoliberal policies. This is a referendum on neoliberalism. The people said 'no.' Neoliberalism said: 'sorry you don't have a choice.'" Puja Dutta, 28, from Columbus, Ohio works in the financial industry and has been a lifelong registered Democrat. She attended the convention as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders from Ohio. This primary was the first time Dutta canvassed and phone banked for a political candidate. "I canvassed in 4 different states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky" she says. "I've probably made over a 1,000 phone calls. It's been exhausting, but also very rewarding." She describes the scene from within the convention center and the strained interactions between the Sanders delegates and the Clinton delegates: "All of us Bernie delegates arrived. We have a close-knit organization here in Ohio, it's sort of grown from the Bernie delegates in Columbus. We went into it having our community, but wanting to expand it. We were very excited to build relationships, network, but it was like we all had a light in us that was extinguished by the Clinton campaign. Most of the people that we spoke to (the Clinton delegates and their guests}, didn't want to interact with us. They would look at me, roll their eyes and walk away. They wouldn't even speak to us. They were curt. The level of condescension...it was very clear that this was their thing, their party, and we were the intruders. It was very exhausting and very demoralizing. If [the Sanders delegates] hadn't had each other, we wouldn't have had anyone. The reality is this is the governing of our country. We want to see our country prosper. For us, we're activists, most of us are activists, there doesn't seem to be a place in the Democratic Party for us. Most of us want to unite with [the Clinton supporters and delegates]. We want the Democratic Party to go back to the FDR roots. "For [the Democratic Party] to turn on us and basically attack us like this, especially with the DNC and the WikiLeaks emails, ....it's hard to understand why the Democratic Party is treating us like we're the enemy. We did make up something like 46 percent of the vote." Dutta thinks the misconception that there is a typical "Bernie voter" is based on controlling and suppressing the progressive movement. "It really bothers me that the whole Bernie Bro (myth) exists, ...I'm a millennial, I'm Indian, I'm a female, and I'm educated. They are terrified of us. We have awakened a movement. That's why you're seeing supporters get attacked this way: ignoring the fact that older men and women and people of color even exist in this movement. There's a class division, more than anything else. For someone who's comfortable in the system, that's terrifying. For a lot of people the system is broke, it's very broke. When you're afraid to go to the doctor, because you can't afford it. That is broke." Some voters appear to see feminism as "a construct of the gender that you are born with," Dutta believes. She says this is an oversimplification of feminism and could explain the distaste many women voters, including herself, have regarding Clinton's nomination. "How am I supposed to be proud of this situation..as a feminist? Being a feminist is not about getting one over on anyone, on being in charge of anyone, it seems to me that a lot of the Clinton-era feminists believe that. I don't think they've evolved beyond that. Is this what we wanted? We wanted a woman with active FBI investigations? That's not what feminism is to me. Tulsi Gabbard, Elizabeth Warren, Nina Turner, those are the kind of women who have integrity." If we're so reliant on identity politics, that we ignore policy,..then we are never going to get where we want in this country." Dutta went to the convention with an open mind about supporting the eventual nominee, but her experiences there changed her mind. She said she is now leaning toward the Green Party choice. "[Clinton supporters] are hoping that if they can shame us and demoralize us enough, that we will just vote for her and fall in line. I think they are hoping that the same thing that happened in the Obama presidency will happen to the progressive movement. I'm not angry at anybody. There's a lot of anger in our movement as well. The most important thing is that we don't allow ourselves to be splintered. They [Democratic Party] don't want us. The Democratic Party has shown us that they don't have room, we're not leaving..they're kicking us out. They don't even want to hear what we have to say. We're not a cult. Democracy is not about being a cult." Brian Riley, 49, works in economic development in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a volunteer for the Bernie Sanders campaign and canvassed and phone banked for Sanders during the Democratic Primary. "I did not know about Bernie before the campaign. I found out about him in 2015. The more I found out, the more I was inspired. I had never done any political work before. I'm generally a Democrat voter, but I'm starting to question what that means," Riley says. Riley admits he is not optimistic about a Stein 3rd party victory in the general election. This view colors his focus on actions beyond November. He is working on plans to organize brainstorming sessions with other similarly engaged voters in various cities. He said he has a goal to have talks occur in a dozen cities over Labor Day weekend. Advertisement His objective is to "create space for that conversation" on how voters can identify issues closest to them and be moved to take action on these issues locally. Riley is interested in growing the circle of the existing 13 million or so voters who backed Bernie Sanders. "People need a little time to process what it means to them. Figure out what they really care about. How to be active, how to plug in...it's not even about the next election," he explains. I think people need the space to become more aware of how to make this part of your civic life. The problems aren't going to go away because of who we elect in one election. There's a sustained effort by the right-wing think tanks...they've gotten us to know what the right stands for. We all know: smaller government, less taxes, this rolls off the tip of our tongues. It's even more complicated on the left. We have to do the business of democracy...This is much more complicated than election tactics. We're not going to beat them....this is long game. I think of democracy as a verb. I worked in 9 cities in my last job, I've seen Bernie signs in every city. I have seen 4 Hillary signs to date. There are a lot of people who are energized, more so than ever in my lifetime." Riley attended the convention demonstrations for 3 days last week. He said the protest marches, were in a way, disempowering, but there will always be a role for public demonstrations. "Everybody else knows what to expect from these types of activism. The photographer knows that they can show a certain [photo]. All of this is saying to me, yeah there's some stuff we've got to do, but yeah, we've gotta have new tactics. We've got to continually evolve to be the most effective. We've got to keep getting more people. I think there's a role for protests, but it's a diminishing one. In the end, it's a meme. Meg Welch, from Evanston, Illinois, works for the federal government. She says she did not have preconceived ideas about what to expect in Philly. Welch was hoping the convention would be contested. She believes Sanders' endorsement of Clinton prior to the convention took the life out of the movement, at least temporarily. "I think there would have been many, many more people [at the convention protests] had he not endorsed her. It wasn't massive as it could have been," she says. "I had sort of hoped that [Bernie] might walk out and start his own party. I knew it was probably unlikely." Welch says she has followed the Sanders campaign since July 2015. She phone banked and later canvassed for Bernie Sanders in Indiana before that state's primary. In previous elections, she voted for Barack Obama twice, and for Bill Clinton twice. "I'm not doing that anymore." she says, in reference to her Clinton vote. She credits the Sanders' campaign with galvanizing various activist groups to convene: single payer healthcare, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, Fight for $15. But, she says most were in Philadelphia to "protest the election." Welch stayed in Philadelphia for 3 days during the convention. "Sunday I was disappointed by the turnout, ...but then Monday, it was a much bigger crowd as it wore on. [The firefighters] opened the fire hydrants for us. There were musicians playing, it made it more of a .. it did something for the morale. We saw no tensions or interactions with police. Tuesday night, I was on a plane coming home late, that's when people stormed the wall and there were a few arrests. I was a little apprehensive, to tell you the truth, because of all that had been happening with the police. The Philly police, for the most part, stayed calm." She continues to have ambivalent feelings toward Bernie Sanders and wonders why he did not fight for California, when votes were still being counted. She has decided to vote for Stein in November. "I do not believe [Sanders] lost California," Welch says. "I know it's perfectly routine for a candidate to endorse the nominee, but this was different. It was a strong endorsement..I didn't believe he believed a word he was saying. I thought he would never even use the 'e-word'. You're just doing a 180. When [Bernie] started out, he didn't know Donald Trump was going to be the Republican candidate. I really do think that he is apoplectic at the thought of Donald Trump being president." Welch, like many Sanders supporters, has taken verbal abuse from some Clinton supporters with opposing viewpoints online. But, now she feels it has gotten out of control. "I think about this, and I feel bad about this. I've unfriended 2 people [online]. What I'm finding..and I don't want to say this, but is it's one sided. I'm finding that people are being very aggressive. I have never online or in person, given them my reasons why they should be voting how I'm voting. It's not reciprocated. They feel very entitled. They just dismiss it, that you're being irrational. But, look I have reasons. But they're not even interested in hearing reasons. When you start responding...I get this vitriol. I'm pretty restrained..but if someone makes a claim, I'll make a counter claim. I just find it not based on issues." Welch says many supporters of Clinton and the mainstream media continue to gloss over the DNC emails. Advertisement "The kind of message that this sends is that you can do all of this and no one even bats an eyelash. It's not even incumbent on [Clinton] to at least disavow this kind of behavior. Win however you can, if you have to cheat do whatever you can." Jessica Reed, 33, is a former tax accountant from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She traveled to the convention on her own and stayed with two Ohio delegates for Sanders from Sunday until Wednesday evening. Reed says she was "crazy involved" in following the Sanders campaign online. She donated early on, often in response to a major event or call to action from the campaign. When it got closer to Pennsylvania's primary, she canvassed in her state and phone banked. While canvassing, she befriended two delegates. "I always voted Democrat, Reed says. "My parents always told me, they're the party of the working people." Most recently, however, Reed switched her party registration along with the many other Sanders' voters during the planned "#DemExit" action last week. But she does not intend to sit out the general election and "abhors" Donald Trump. Advertisement "I will absolutely be voting. I am 98 percent sure at this point that I will be voting for Jill Stein. I have put it out there (for my Hillary supporter friends) if you can convince me otherwise.." I was excited to find out that [Stein] will be on the Pennsylvania ballot. I do think Jill Stein made a concerted effort to be a part of groups, and coordinate, she did a good job of tapping into the different groups." Reed says she saw Stein speak at a rally toward the end of a march during the convention, and on Tuesday, she saw Stein out in the streets marching with the protesters, in "activist mode." "I liked it because she was tapping into my feelings..I like activism. But, I worry about the broader appeal..I think the narrative could easily be written that she doesn't have much substance...I just worry about what the media narrative could be. I felt like she was showing that she is with us." Reed reserves her greater admiration however, for the Sanders delegates at the convention who refused to give up their protests while facing condemnation and intimidation from Clinton supporters and convention staff. "The delegates, to me, are the new American heroes. They showed immense integrity. I kept telling the delegates: I know it feels bad inside, but it feels really good to know that you guys are not folding. It was heartening to see that those people were standing their ground. I did meet a lot of like-minded people who weren't going to take no for an answer for a long time. We know we have big numbers. I think there's a lot of hope. We're not feeling defeated. They want us to feel defeated, but we're not." Black humanity and dignity requires Black political will and power. Despite constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, Black people have bravely and brilliantly been the driving force pushing the U.S. towards the ideals it articulates but has never achieved. In recent years we have taken to the streets, launched massive campaigns, and impacted elections, but our elected leaders have failed to address the legitimate demands of our Movement. We can no longer wait. In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country have come together with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers and is rooted in Black communities, but we recognize we have a shared struggle with all oppressed people; collective liberation will be a product of all of our work. We believe in elevating the experiences and leadership of the most marginalized Black people, including but not limited to those who are women, queer, trans, femmes, gender nonconforming, Muslim, formerly and currently incarcerated, cash poor and working class, differently-abled, undocumented, and immigrant. We are intentional about amplifying the particular experience of state and gendered violence that Black queer, trans, gender nonconforming, women and intersex people face. There can be no liberation for all Black people if we do not center and fight for those who have been marginalized. It is our hope that by working together to create and amplify a shared agenda, we can continue to move towards a world in which the full humanity and dignity of all people is recognized. While this platform is focused on domestic policies, we know that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and white supremacy know no borders. We stand in solidarity with our international family against the ravages of global capitalism and anti-Black racism, human-made climate change, war, and exploitation. We also stand with descendants of African people all over the world in an ongoing call and struggle for reparations for the historic and continuing harms of colonialism and slavery. We also recognize and honor the rights and struggle of our Indigenous family for land and self-determination. We have created this platform to articulate and support the ambitions and work of Black people. We also seek to intervene in the current political climate and assert a clear vision, particularly for those who claim to be our allies, of the world we want them to help us create. We reject false solutions and believe we can achieve a complete transformation of the current systems, which place profit over people and make it impossible for many of us to breathe. Together, we demand an end to the wars against Black people. We demand that the government repair the harms that have been done to Black communities in the form of reparations and targeted long-term investments. We also demand a defunding of the systems and institutions that criminalize and cage us. This document articulates our vision of a fundamentally different world. However, we recognize the need to include policies that address the immediate suffering of Black people. These policies, while less transformational, are necessary to address the current material conditions of our people and will better equip us to win the world we demand and deserve. We recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy, but we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision. We have come together now because we believe it is time to forge a new covenant. We are dreamers and doers and this platform is meant to articulate some of our vision. The links throughout the document provide the stepping-stones and roadmaps of how to get there. The policy briefs also elevate the brave and transformative work our people are already engaged in, and build on some of the best thinking in our history of struggle. This agenda continues the legacy of our ancestors who pushed for reparations, Black self-determination and community control; and also propels new iterations of movements such as efforts for reproductive justice, holistic healing and reconciliation, and ending violence against Black cis, queer, and trans people. If you don't vote for Hillary on November 8th, you may never vote again. As I recover from sleep deprivation from the week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, thoughts have been swirling through my mind, and I feel the need to put them to paper. Some are priorities for us all over the next 100 days; others would be important under normal conditions, but these aren't normal conditions. I'll put them out there while they're still fresh, for later referral when the future becomes clearer. November 8th is a potential Extinction-Level Event. Applying the Precautionary Principle, to preserve a constitutional republic, Americans must vote for Hillary Clinton. It matters not what one thinks of Hillary - love her or hate her, respect or disrespect her. Fundamentally it is not about Hillary. However much status quo the next four years might bring, the potential for change would remain. It is up to us to fight for the change in which we believe, and not just every four years from outside the party. Advertisement In one of the more ironic twists of this election season, the Democrats have become the party of American exceptionalism. The Kahn family, which gave the most powerful presentation, in my mind, during the Convention, amidst the powerful speeches of the Clintons, Bloomberg, POTUS, FLOTUS and VPOTUS, represents the exceptional possibilities America represents to the world. In another ironic twist the Democrats now are the party of the American military, the arena resounding with chants of USA! USA! In support of our troops and military campaigns (to the consternation of many Sanders delegates). The Clinton campaign got a typical post-convention bounce; the Republicans got the first negative bounce in the history of such Gallup polling, and it was a huuuuge -15. All of these points need to be emphasized as we move forward, with clips from the speeches of former NY mayor Bloomberg, the Khan family, the First Lady referencing that slaves built the White House, etc. These need to be promoted as the party continues to reach out to disaffected Sanders supporters, many of whom have never voted before, some too young to have voted before. Advertisement Bernie paid back the Democratic party with respect for allowing him to participate as a Democratic candidate. It may have taken too long, but he came around, spoke forcefully about the need for his supporters to vote for Hillary (there is no other alternative), and then exhorted them to get involved in state and local politics next year to make the remarkably progressive party platform a reality. For all of Bernie's talk of "our revolution," (at least he spoke in the plural), America is a non-revolutionary, non-ideological nation. The Clintons represent the best of that non-ideological, pragmatic bent towards public policy. As we approach the centenary of the Russian Revolution and Bolshevik coup, it behooves us to keep that in mind. We may be plodding, but much less blood gets spilled. We take to the streets when unarmed black men are gunned down, or four students at Kent State University are killed; in revolutionary states like Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany hundreds of millions are ultimately killed in the pursuit of unattainable utopian ideals. I was simultaneously impressed with the passion and commitment of the Sanders delegates, and the appalling way some acted to disrupt the Convention. I had many interesting discussions with younger delegates, whose progressive principles give me hope for my children's future. I was disgusted that some groups of delegates deliberately refused to shower and change their clothes all week, and another group urinated in the public bathrooms of the Marriott in Center City as a protest within the California delegation. Cheri Honkala, the Green Party 2012 VP candidate, tried to organize a "fart-in" in the arena. In a year when childish tantrums are the tactics of the Republican nominee, we don't need the same on our side. While I'm told the Convention was a success from the perspective of its role as a major television production (which is the main point), the view from inside the arena and the city wasn't always as sanguine. Control over access to seats and to the arena in general was problematic, as usual, and needs to be improved. Security, understandably intense, was too much so, particularly given the sun and heat which made getting there are real struggle for many older guests. The subway was diverted on Monday without warning, making access even more difficult, and cabs often dropped people off two miles away and left them without any help in finding their way. The food ran out too early; the bathrooms were, remarkably, more than adequate (although conservative media seemed confused about how to evacuate in a gender-neutral bathroom). What was this fast food doing at a Democratic convention? The fear of left-wing disruption led to a limitation of information, with lists of events and parties being held close and disseminated late, if at all. This created an aura of elitism around the event, which impacted hotel accessibility as well as access inside the arena. Not the impression one wants to give to a younger, highly frustrated generation of activists already turned off by the corporate nature of the upper echelons of the party. Given that the cost of attending was way too high for many Democrats in general, greater effort needs to be made to become more welcoming. Being in the arena for four nights I saw that this party had truly become a mosaic. One didn't need to compare it to the Republicans' convention the week before. It was real; it felt natural and normal. As I mentioned last week, unlike 2012 when there were more rainbow flags in the hall than American flags, this year the LGBT events seemed no different than those of the other communities. The trans caucus event was an afterthought, unfortunately, and the Equality Forum events throughout the week were almost completely trans-free, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. There was even a Human Rights Campaign-promoted trans speaker, a first for any party (while Caitlyn got to hang outside in Cleveland). Local politics continued as usual, with only a few attendees noting that there may not be state and local elections in 2018 should Hillary lose. In the Maryland delegation, there were multiple events put on by 2018 gubernatorial candidates, including the bussing up of a contingent of activists for "Maryland Day." Walking the streets of Center City (I had attended med school in Philly so I was comfortable navigating) I noticed a host of other such events from around the country. There were multiple opportunities to meet, in very informal settings, Congresspersons and Senators I had lobbied over the years, governors and former elected who needed to eat and hydrate like the rest of us. I even had the opportunity to thank Dan Rather for fifty years of investigative journalism. To me the takeaway remains - for the first time during my life, and arguably since 1860, the future of this nation built on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is at risk. Khizr Khan has been making that point since Thursday night, not only on behalf of his son, Captain Khan, but of all those who have for generations come to America in the hope of living in freedom. In spite of the convention bounce in the polls, and the odds of 65-70% in favor of a Democratic victory in November, we cannot let down our guard. We must work down ballot as well, "Don't boo - Vote," and while we need to laugh at the other side in order to stay sane, we need to remain committed to getting the job done. Captain Humayun Khan died to protect his men; we have to campaign to protect our Republic. When a relentless sun parches the landscape and dries water sources to a dangerous and unhealthy trickle, who's supposed to pay the repair bill? It's not so much the water bill itself that's the trouble - most people will pay a fair price for good quality water if they can afford it - it's the cost of fixing a broken watershed. Drinkable water was once an inalienable right on planet earth; now there's talk of "payments for environmental services" (PES) through which ordinary citizens may have to pay to get rivers flowing and aquifers gurgling. That sounds awfully expensive for the average household. Only a small fraction of Mexico City's 21 million residents, and indeed the country's 120 million, receive uninterrupted water from the tap that they can confidently drink. Working for the National Forest Commission of Mexico, CONAFOR, Joaquin Saldana spends his days (and many nights) figuring out how to finance the rehabilitation of Mexico's failing watersheds which diminish the quality and quantity of water to households across the nation. He tries to keep his piercing green eyes focused beyond the droughts, floods and politics to a far horizon where healthy ecosystems and healthy rural economies can deliver healthy water. Joaquin has persisted at his job over many election cycles, observing that environmental conservation programs are, not surprisingly, sensitive to political whims and decisions. Having seen weak reforestation programs, he knows it's not just a matter of throwing money at the problem. His forestry team drives cautiously down steep mountain roads during field monitoring missions - brushing up with more than a few narco-traffickers - to identify projects and investigate whether funded strategies are actually nursing ecosystems back to health. The team is trained in forestry, but equally fluent in anthropology, hydrology and community organizing. Advertisement Joaquin's Matching Funds program borrows a page from Economics Nobel Prize Winner, Elinor Ostrom by enlisting local users and providers of environmental services in co-managing shared water and land resources. Communal property owners (ejidos) and private landowners who steward ecosystems are considered ecosystem services providers - in this case, providing clean and abundant water - while a beer company, a municipality or a water utility operator - those who can compensate the providers - are users. Rural communities in ecologically-sensitive zones can receive a federal grant when they match it with local funds. Joaquin's program has a redistributive bent, with federal monies flowing to poor rural areas. Funds can be to used to restore watersheds and care for natural resources - for example through soil conservation, sustainable forestry and water source protection - which have the added benefit of shoring up a bleeding countryside that in recent decades has sent millions of displaced farmers to the U.S. The urban areas, wealthier than their rural counterparts, pay a greater share into this payment for environmental service program and benefit by safeguarding their distant water supplies. The program strengthens a critical link between cities and rural communities. The water crisis is making headlines - long overdue from Saldana's perspective - from Mexico City to Flint, Michigan. The idea of payment for environmental services dates back at least as far as the Dust Bowl, when the United States Department of Agriculture offered soil conservation incentives to farmers to restore blown-away croplands. The wonkish term captures two big ideas: 1) Regulations and enforcement are only part of the solution; property owners and businesses need carrots - the sweeter the better - to motivate their watershed-friendly land and water use; and, 2) The human communities that steward ecosystems, for example, ensuring that forests recharge groundwater, ought to be incentivized and recognized as providing a public service. Also known as compensation for ecosystem services, payment for environmental service programs are gaining traction, occasionally written into public policies. Advertisement One program model that caught Joaquin's eye is that of New York City. When Joaquin met Albert Appleton at a learning exchange among U.S. and Latin American fresh water advocates, Joaquin was keen to learn how the public water utility of that giant city made payments upstream. Appleton, the architect of New York City's program, described to him how, over 20 years, the water authority transferred over a billion and a half dollars of urban customers' money to the Watershed Agricultural Council and the Catskill Development Corporation. Those funds were invested in farm improvements and town sewage facilities that kept effluents out of New York City's water supply, helped the rural economy, and enabled the city to avoid having to build a $6 billion treatment plant. The upstream spending is written into the water utility's operating budget, a stable resource base Joaquin yearns for. The New York City case works, however, because of Environmental Protection Agency regulations and legislation like the Safe Water Drinking Act - public policy tools and enforcement capacity that Joaquin doesn't have to work with. Big stick regulation loomed large for upstate NY farmers, providing a strong incentive to clean up their act - literally. Application of those sanctions is spotty and fraught in Mexico - and has deteriorated in the U.S. as well. In the 1970s, Richard Nixon reluctantly signed into law the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, setting in motion the heyday of environmental enforcement, paid for by polluters and taxpayers alike. Those regulations hurt - as was intended - leading the companies that spoiled the commons to fight back. From Reagan on, many regulatory agencies were dismantled or weakened. Even under Obama, enforcement remains under-resourced, evident in water disasters in Toledo, Charleston, and most tragically, in Flint. With thousands of cities around the world receiving lousy water quality ratings, payments for environmental services have grown in popularity as a possible way to improve quality without necessarily strengthening regulations. One PES strategy garnering considerable attention is water funds. Monies are collected to invest in upstream watershed rehabilitation, whether it be to purchase conservation land or compensate landowners to preserve ecosystems. Joaquin collaborates with some of these funds in Saltillo, Coatepec and Monterey, among other places. These funds ask everyday water consumers to voluntarily pitch in to protect watersheds or in some cases, to pay a nominal environmental tax added to a water bill. Corona or Coca Cola might also be willing to make a tax deductible contribution for watershed recovery to safeguard its business' primary material and demonstrate social responsibility. Advertisement The idea is for stakeholders, public and private, to mobilize money and in some cases seek agreement on water extraction and land use rules. Many funds are led by non-governmental organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and have contributed significantly to public education on water conservation and watershed restoration. But Joaquin has also seen their limitations. Funds raised can't achieve the scale of necessarily gigantic watershed recovery efforts. The environmental tax can be regressive for poor households that have a hard time paying even basic water bills. Water concessions - which may privilege water to mines and export crops over people - are not consistently challenged. How to buttress regulations and enforcement is rarely addressed. Without this advocacy, the U.N. ratified human right to water may be vulnerable. Climate change and ongoing water mismanagement spell big trouble for the health of our planet's water sources. The more they deteriorate, the higher the price tag to get those natural systems once again pumping out healthy water. With the unfolding water crisis causing an increasing number of public health and human rights catastrophes, conflicting proposals - sometimes visionary, sometimes false - will be floated about where the money should come from to fix the problem. For the average person, and even the so-called expert, it won't always be easy to distinguish which is which. Wiesel's Significance It is not too much to say that Elie Wiesel, among his other important contributions, is the father of modern Jewish Studies. At a time when discussion of the Holocaust was often avoided if not suppressed and when The Diary of Anne Frank was read as a growing up story, Wiesel's Night (1960) spoke eloquently and succinctly about what happened in the concentration camps, especially Auschwitz. Notwithstanding the Nuremberg trials and Margaret Bourke-White's gruesome pictures in Life magazine of the liberation of Buchenwald in April 1945, the US tended to forget that as onlookers to Hitler's effort to eliminate Jews from Europe, the US was tacitly complicit in what happened. It took a while for Wiesel's book (selling only a few thousand copies in its first few years) to make an impact because it appeared when 1) Europe wanted to forget the Nazi epidemic and Hitler's effort to obliterate the Jewish people and 2) the US wanted to put aside the question of whether it could have done more to prevent the murder of 6 millions Jews. Neither politicians who knew more than they acknowledged nor the media--notably the New York Times--did what needed to be done, and it was long after Night that some of what could and should have been done to save Jews was acknowledged. It might be noted that the 1978 miniseries Holocaust also accentuated interest in the Holocaust and later, Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993) greatly increased awareness of what happened to Jews in Europe in the late 1930s and first half of the 1940s. Advertisement Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 was a belated way for the Western intellectual and political community to pay homage to those millions who died in the camps as well as to those who survived. Night While Wiesel wrote many books, it is Night by which he is best known. What is special about Wiesel's memoir? Its brevity heightens moments of significance without the careful linking of events we find in realistic novels. Steeped as a boy in the Jewish Bible, it is not surprising that Wiesel uses the Bible as a model in choosing to focus on crucial representative incidents that teach a lesson while giving little attention to transitions or the intricacies of the human psyche. His voice, too, takes something from the Bible's books of the prophets. As a retrospective teller recalling what happened after a ten year hiatus, Wiesel takes as his role that of a passionate witness who takes on the ethical responsibility to describe what he has seen and to share his unimaginable experience with his audience. In part, he wants to call attention to the moral darkness that descended on Europe so that it will not happen again. Wiesel's spare, laconic telling--this is what you need to know, no more, no less--conflicts with the elaborate, sometimes long-winded yet evasive explanations for the Holocaust that were in vogue in the 1950s and early 1960s. Stark imagery, such as that with which he describes as a work detail--"we were so many dried up trees in the heart of the desert"-- is all the more effective for its rough-hewn efficiency (35; page numbers refer to the original 1960 Hill and Wang edition). Or when he recalls that after seeing the hanging of a young boy: "That night the soup tasted of corpses" (62). Advertisement Wiesel uses the concept of night as a nullification of light and reason, as a historical disruption, and as an obliteration of his personal religious faith: "The days were like nights, and the nights left the dregs of their darkness in our souls" (60). Antithetical to light and its association with understanding--think of the European Enlightenment--as well as with his faith in God and his belief in community wisdom, night is the dominant image around which Wiesel organizes his narrative. The narrator associates fire (we think of the crematoriums) and death with night. Night is not only the loss of faith for the fifteen year old Elie, educated in the Hasidic tradition in the small city of Sighet, but also moral night where traditional ideas about human behavior no longer exist.. The recurring words "night." "never," and "empty" address the unspeakable that has undermined everything Elie has known in terms of material comfort, family and community bonds, and simple faith. As if to represent the teller's struggle to stay alive--indeed, to survive in the face of hunger and terror--the unnumbered and untitled chapters become shorter and shorter. That the narrator sometimes jumps forward to the time of writing or the period after he leaves the camps implies that he is momentarily suppressing the horrors of his narrative. My Reminiscence I was fortunate to know Elie--which he let people who knew him call him-- reasonably well. He was not only a charismatic lecturer, but he was also a gifted teacher who excelled in the give-and-take discussion that followed his lectures. Whether answering questions after his powerful and passionate lectures, which combined his memory of the Holocaust with moral fervor about humanity's responsibilities, or more informal dialogue when meeting with students, he always made the people he met, and especially students feel that they were important. He had infinite patience and a gracious, welcoming manner which made those in his presence feel comfortable. Despite his commanding public presence he was rather shy. I first wrote about Wiesel, mostly focusing on Night, in an academic journal in 1998 and revised that for my chapter on Wiesel in my book, Imagining the Holocaust (1999). We had met on his fall, 1999, visit to Cornell, not so long after he had read and liked my book. Advertisement From the podium during his 1999 appearance here, I was happily surprised to hear him mention "my special friend Daniel Schwarz." He also wanted to spend some time with me. He did the same thing during his final Cornell visit in 2010 when he was 82. Then he wanted me to accompany him the entire day, saying I was the only person he knew here and that he was comfortable with me. He also wanted to see my wife, Marcia, whom he remembered and whom invited to join us at the final dinner given by the lecture sponsors. He confided that, while he was well paid for the day's appearance, were it not for losing money in the Madoff scandal, he would not longer be doing college appearances. Some months passed after his 1999 visit when I received a letter from him. He objected to a few sentences of my discussion of Night in my book, notably those that spoke of his "transforming his nominalistic memoir into novelistic form" by his selection and arrangement of his material. He also objected to my pointing out that the young Elie, born in 1928, could not have been 15 throughout the 1944-45 period. I was not sure but I sensed that someone had convinced him that my using the word "novelistic' compromised his testimony. (Possibly someone had heard me talking about the book on Len Lopate's New York and Company or some other venue.) But what I was focusing on was the artistry in shaping more than 800 pages of the original manuscript into the spare, sparse 116 pages in the original English edition of Night. A correspondence ensued. Always courteous, collegial and restrained, Wiesel was most worried that any questioning of his witnessing--even use of the word "novelistic"--would give credence to Holocaust deniers. I patiently responded that my discussing how he gave artistic shape to his memory did not question Night's authenticity or his truthfulness. In a November 30, 1999, letter to him I wrote: The point of my book is to argue for the importance of imagination in transmuting fact into literature and to argue that acts of imagination are more powerful and compelling than simple statements of facts. We imagine through art. I argue, too, that there is always a difference between what happened and how we remember what happened, and a difference between how we remember and how we tell an event. But I did change a very few words in the paperback of Imagining the Holocaust that appeared a year or so later. In his next edition of Night (2006), Wiesel made clear that Elie was 16 by the time the narrative of Night ended. After this exchange, I was somewhat concerned that our friendship would lapse, but I heard from some sources that he still was mentioning me and my book in a positive way. A few years later I was interviewed at his suggestion for a PBS film on Wiesel, First Person Singular (2002), which has been rebroadcast a number of times. More importantly, as his 2010 visit to Cornell made clear, my friendship endured with this man whom I greatly admired. Daniel R.. Schwarz is author of Imagining the Holocaust (1999). He is Frederic J. Whiton Professor of English and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University where he has won Cornell's major teaching prizes. His book on the undergraduate experience entitled How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning. (2016) has been published by Wiley (Hardback: ISBN 9781118974841; Paperback: ISBN 9781118974858; ebook: ISBN 9781118974810). He is the author of Reading the European Novel to 1900 (2014) and the well-received 2012 book Endtimes? Crises and Turmoil at the New York Times (Excelsior Editions of SUNY Press), which appeared in an updated 2014 new paperback edition. He blogs on higher education and the media for the Huffington Post. He can be reached at drs6@cornell.edu and followed on twitter at www.twitter.com/danRSchwarz and https://www.facebook.com/SchwarzEndtimes. Advertisement Khizr Khan, father of fallen US Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan, holds up his copy the United States Constitution, while his wife Ghazala Khan looks on, as he speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Thursday, July 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Donald Trump clearly thought he could bully the Khan family. After all, they are Muslim immigrants and Trump has made demonizing Muslims and immigrants the cornerstone of his successful run to the GOP presidential nomination. And to be candid, deep down I thought he might get away with it, given that standing up for Muslims in today's political climate is risky, to say the least. But we were both wrong -- me happily, Trump not so much. What we both discovered was that the Khans were not viewed by our fellow Americans as Muslims, immigrants, or in any way as foreigners. Rather, they were viewed as Americans who had lost a son while fighting heroically for the United States of America. Advertisement What the Khan family did with their speech last Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention was make a point that I suspect many Americans were unaware of until then: Muslim Americans have not only served in our military, but they have also made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. An image of Capt. Humayun Khan is displayed on a screen as his father Khizr Khan delivers remarks at the Democratic National Convention July 28, 2016. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Khan family -- Khizr, Ghazala and their slain son U.S. Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan -- put a face to American Muslims who had fought for our nation. They brought forth a discussion that many Americans had not been aware of: the idea of Muslim soldiers, who contrary to popular knowledge, have fought for this country before its formation. In fact, Muslims fought alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War. One soldier, for instance, Peter Buckminster, is believed to have been Muslim and was the one who killed British Major Gen. John Pitcairn at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Indeed, Muslim Americans have served in our military ever since, including in the War of 1812, the Civil War on the side of the Union, World War II and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There are nearly 6,000 Muslim Americans -- if not more -- serving in the U.S. military today. And Captain Khan, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for heroic service, is not the only Muslim buried with honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Advertisement This story was largely unheard until the Khan's speech Thursday night. Now, even after the convention has concluded, it has received even more attention after Trump despicably mocked this Gold Star family. Trump first maligned Mrs. Khan for not speaking at the DNC -- as if that had any bearing on the sacrifice of the Khan family or the heroism of Captain Khan. Then, when she responded in an op-ed to explain why she hadn't said anything at the convention, he lashed out again. Trump tweeted this week, this time claiming Khan was out to attack him: Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same - Nice! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 The response to Trump's antics were truly heartening, especially given that Muslims have been demonized by Trump throughout his campaign with relatively minor pushback. In this case, though, it was different. Despite Trump's direct plea to Republican members of Congress to stand with him and issue statements in his defense, none were forthcoming. In fact, we saw just the opposite reaction. Republican members of Congress, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), praised Khan as, "an American hero." Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), a former prisoner of war during the Vietnam War who Trump ridiculed last year for getting "caught" by the enemy, went further stating, "In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. ... I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." Other Republicans voiced similar sentiments, such as Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who forcefully responded, "I am appalled that Donald Trump would disparage [the Khans] and that he had the gall to compare his own sacrifices to those of a Gold Star family." Soon nonpartisan groups began to stand up for the Khan family. On Monday, Brian Duffy, who serves as the head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization with nearly 1.7 million, stated bluntly, "the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression." He added powerfully, "There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed." Advertisement Khizr Khan offers to loan his copy of the Constitution to Donald Trump, as he speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 28, 2016. (Reuters/Mike Segar) This diverse group of Americans who defended the sacrifice of these immigrant parents were truly embracing the very ideals expressed on the Great Seal of the United States: "E Pluribus Unum," which means "Out of many, one." This motto, coined by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, sums up what the experiment of America was intended to be -- a country where people of diverse backgrounds can come together and become Americans. Despite the efforts of Trump to demean the Khan family, they have still accomplished something truly remarkable. They made it clear to all that you can be both a proud American and a proud Muslim, and there is absolutely no contradiction between the two. Captain Khan may have died on June 8, 2004 in Iraq while protecting the troops under his command, but he is still fighting for America against those who attack our values. And I'm happy to report that Captain Khan is winning that war. Also on WorldPost: (THOMAS LOHNES / GETTY IMAGES) The old model of a teacher delivering a one-way message through a lecture is no longer engaging 21st-century students. This post was co-written with Alex Tapscott. If there is one institution due for innovation, it's the university. It's time for a deep debate on how universities function in a networked society. The centuries-old model of learning still offered by many big universities doesn't work any more, especially for students who have grown up digital. To start with, big universities are still offering what I call the broadcast model of learning, where the teacher is the broadcaster and the student is the supposedly willing recipient of the one-way message. It goes like this: "I'm a professor and I have knowledge. Get ready; here it comes. Your goal is to take this data into your short-term memory so you can recall it to me when I test you." Advertisement The definition of a lecture has become the process in which the notes of the teacher go to the notes of the student without going through the brains of either. This is no longer appropriate for the digital age and for a new generation of students who represent the future of learning. Today's generation want to converse when they learn. They like to share. Immersed in digital technology, they are keen to try new things, often at high speed. To them, university should be fun and interesting, so they should enjoy the delight of discovering things for themselves. It's true that universities are trying to update this broadcast model. And of course many professors are working hard to move beyond this model. However, it remains dominant overall. If universities want to adapt the teaching techniques to their current audience, they should make significant changes, especially if they want to survive the arrival of free online courses, some from the world's top professors. Advertisement The professors who remain relevant will have to abandon the traditional lecture, and start listening and conversing with the students. To begin, the mastery of knowledge (anything where there is a right or wrong answer) should be achieved by students working with interactive, self-paced computer learning programs. This can be done outside the classroom, freeing students and faculty alike to spend class time on the things that matter: discussion, debate and collaboration around projects. This is now possible because of the wonders of modern technology. It is starting to happen at select campuses where professors have introduced a "just in time" approach to their teaching. Warm-up questions, written by the students, are typically due a few hours before class, giving the teacher an opportunity to adjust the lesson to focus on the parts of the assignments that students struggled with. Harvard professor Eric Mazur, who uses this approach in his physics class, puts it this way: "Education is so much more than the mere transfer of information. The information has to be assimilated. Students have to connect the information to what they already know, develop mental models, learn how to apply the new knowledge and how to adapt this knowledge to new and unfamiliar situations." He's right. What counts these days is your capacity to learn lifelong, to think, research, find information, analyze, synthesize, contextualize, critically evaluate it, to apply research to solving problems, to collaborate and communicate. This is, by the way, what you get out of a liberal arts undergraduate education, no matter what discipline you choose. Another fixture of old-style learning is the assumption that students should learn on their own. Sharing notes in an exam hall or collaborating on some of the essays and homework assignments was often forbidden. Yet the individual learning model is foreign territory for most young people, who have grown up collaborating, sharing and creating together online. Progressive educators are recognizing this. Students start internalizing what they've learned in class only once they start talking to each other. Advertisement Of course, universities play an important role in the sorting of individuals in society, through the admissions process and the awarding of degrees. They screen human capital for future employers and more broadly stratify society. Those who graduate have the credential to get the most desirable jobs or entrance to graduate programs. They have proven they have a degree of discipline and that they're prepared to play by the rules. But a credential and even the prestige of a university is rooted in its effectiveness as a learning institution. If campuses are seen as places where learning is inferior to other models, or worse, places where learning is restricted and stifled, the role of the campus experience will be undermined as well. The university is too costly to be simply an extended summer camp. Campuses that embrace the new models become more effective learning environments and more desirable places. Computer-based learning for instance, can free up intellectual capital -- on the part of both professors and students -- to spend their on-campus time thinking and inquiring and challenging each other, rather than just absorbing information. The current model of university education raises many other questions: Why should a university student be restricted to learning from the professors at the university he or she is attending? True, students can obviously learn from intellectuals around the world through books or the Internet. Yet in a digital world, why shouldn't a student be able to take a course from a professor at another university? Why are universities judged by the number of students they exclude or by how much they spend? Why aren't they judged by how well they teach and at what price? Advertisement The digital world is challenging the very notion of a walled-in institution that excludes large numbers of people. Yet the Industrial Age model of education is hard to change. Vested interests fight change. And leaders of old paradigms are often the last to embrace the new. Back in 1997, I presented my views to a group of about 100 university presidents at a dinner hosted by Ameritech in Chicago. After the talk I sat down at my table and asked the smaller group what they thought about my remarks. They responded positively. So I asked them, "why is this taking so long?" One president commented that we're still stuck in a "Gutenberg approach to learning." A very thoughtful man named Jeffery Bannister, then president of Butler College, was seated next to me. "We've got a bunch of professors reading from handwritten notes, writing on blackboards and the students are writing down what they say," he said. "This is a not a Gutenberg model. It's a pre-Gutenberg approach -- the printing press is not even an important part of the learning paradigm. Wait till these students who are 14 and have grown up learning on the Net hit the (college) classrooms -- sparks are going to fly." Bannister was right. A powerful force to change the university is the students. And sparks are flying today. There is a huge generational clash emerging in these institutions. Changing the model of pedagogy for this generation is crucial for the survival of the university. If students turn away from a traditional university education, this will erode the value of the credentials universities award, their position as centres of learning and research and as campuses where young people get a chance to grow up. Advertisement Don Tapscott and his son Alex Tapscott are authors of the Globe and Mail bestselling book Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business and the World. This piece originally appeared in The Toronto Star. According to a Japanese study, your dog is communicating with his canine friends (and foes) using his eyes alone. And in fact, some of his facial features may be designed specifically for that purpose, including the coloring around his eyes, the shape of the eyes, and the color and shape of the iris and pupil. These are all elements of the canine eye-based communication system. Gray Wolves Adapted Gaze Signals to Help Them Hunt in Packs Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology at Kyoto University in Japan compared 25 different types of canines and separated them into 3 groups based on their facial coloration and gaze: Group A... species with clearly visible pupils and eye position (example: gray wolf) Group B... species with clearly defined eye placement but camouflaged pupils (fennec fox) Group C... species with fully camouflaged eyes and pupils (bush dog) Advertisement The researchers observed that canines in Group A, those with clear pupil and eye positioning (which includes wolves and domestic dogs), tended to live in groups, while those in Groups B and C (for example, Group B foxes), tended to be more solitary or live in pairs. The researchers theorize that the species in Group A adapted "gaze signals" to help them hunt in packs and live cooperatively in groups. Group B canines, including foxes, only use eye communication some of the time. The all-dark eyes of animals in Group C, such as bush dogs, blend in with their facial coloring. According to the researchers, it is typical of various types of predators to obscure their eyes to improve their hunting prowess. (If a prey animal can't tell where his predator is looking, he can't predict what might happen next.) The Whites and Irises Are Important Features of Canine Eye Communication Systems The researchers speculate that the whites of the eyes (sclera) of the Group A canines evolved to amplify the appearance of the darker iris and pupil. This applies to wolves, dogs, and also humans. Advertisement The researchers were also interested in the reason for lighter iris coloring in some canine species. Since it is generally assumed that lighter irises are an adaptation to ultraviolet light, the researchers compared three wolf species from Group A - one native to the arctic, another to temperate climates, and the third to subtropical regions. Iris color didn't vary much between the three species, leading the researchers to conclude that iris coloring is used primarily to facilitate eye communication. The study authors also looked at social behaviors in the three groups and found a number of social species in Groups B and C -- animals that normally live in pairs or alone. As it turns out, the more social species within those groups are known to use auditory or other visual signals to communicate with each other, for example, a cry or howl, or a tail flash. This adaptation may help the Group B and C canines catch prey that can identify a gaze and escape before being caught. Oh, Those Puppy Dog Eyes According to the researchers, gaze communication may be a very useful tool for other canines as well, including the family dog. Prior studies have shown that domestic dogs are more likely to make direct eye contact with humans than wolves raised in the same environment. Jason Goldman, writing for Scientific American, offers a thought-provoking explanation for why a pet dog, but not a hand-raised wolf, studies human gaze signals: "It isn't only the source of their food that changed as wolves became dogs; their entire social ecology changed. Instead of sharing social space primarily with other wolves, dogs came to treat humans as social partners. This is one of the critical differences between a domesticated and a wild animal that is simply habituated to the presence of humans. Domestication is a genetic process; habituation is an experiential one. Domestication alters nature, habituation is nurture." So now you know (in case you didn't already) that when your dog looks directly at his "social partner" (you), he's communicating with you. He's receiving cues from your gaze, and he's also sending you messages with those puppy dog eyes. Advertisement Dr. Karen Becker is a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian. You can visit her site at: MercolaHealthyPets.com Her goal is to help you create wellness in order to prevent illness in the lives of your pets. This proactive approach seeks to save you and your pet from unnecessary stress and suffering by identifying and removing health obstacles even before disease occurs. Unfortunately, most veterinarians in the United States are trained to be reactive. They wait for symptoms to occur, and often treat those symptoms without addressing the root cause. By reading Dr. Becker's information, you'll learn how to make impactful, consistent lifestyle choices to improve your pet's quality of life. More often than not, a college president's summer "vacation" consists of a slightly slower work pace -- maybe the luxury of leaving the office at 6 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., for example. It affords a chance to catch up on reading about trends in higher education (not often for the faint of heart). Lunches with donors can extend into a second hour. If enrollment trends are positive for August, there are fewer sleepless nights in June and July. Then there's this summer -- which to me is exceptionally hot, volatile, uncertain. The atomic particles in and around higher education seem as super-charged as those up in the clouds over my home on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Ocean View. Advertisement It's an election year, which has some impact on us in the college arena and usually breeds uncertainty. We look hopefully to the candidates for pronouncements about their commitment to education. The reality is that Washington tends to keep us off balance when it comes to government grants, work-study funding, student loans, and other programs. Stability is fleeting. We're always feeling vulnerable about how the shifting moods in the Capitol will affect students in the quad. Meanwhile, the government churns on as an engine of increasing regulation. We're bracing for the Dec. 1 launch of the Fair Labor Standards Act rules on overtime, raising the salary threshold at which employees are considered exempt from overtime pay. At Virginia Wesleyan, we're still working through how those rules will affect us. I wish our fellow institutions, other not-for-profits, and area small businesses well in adjusting to this costly regulation. As the Hampton Roads region continues to build its economy, smaller businesses and organizations need incentives to invest in infrastructure, hire employees, and increase production. The new overtime regulations don't help. And be reminded that the rules will be open to revision in another three years. I am not optimistic that the process will be favorable to colleges or our area's small businesses that contribute so much to the economic vitality of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and surrounding communities. The violence in our country and around the world is making us feel insecure. On humid mornings much too often this summer, the flags outside my office have fluttered at half staff. For colleges, the challenge is multi-faceted. We must keep our campuses safe yet open to the social and intellectual commerce that contributes so much to our vibrancy. Advertisement Just as important is ensuring that our students are not desensitized, that they celebrate the diversity and freedom that the forces of hate or insanity seek to destroy, and that they embrace the perspective of history in learning from the tragedies of today. My long, hot summer also drives home the disruption in our natural environment. Whatever the cause, global climate change is upon us. The students and faculty who will occupy the new Greer Environmental Sciences Center on our campus will have plenty to do in analyzing the causes and evaluating the outcomes of global climate change and, locally, the threat of rising sea levels. As with so many of the urgent issues of the day, colleges and universities are expected increasingly to host discussions and propose solutions. I look forward to doing so in partnership with other institutions in our area. One year into my post at Virginia Wesleyan, I've discovered how many good ideas exist in our region, along with the energy and resources to convert conceptualizing into action. May it find lucrative expression in economic development, environmental stewardship, and public policy discussion to benefit all of us in Coastal Virginia. Perhaps the energy produced by this summer of anxiety will be converted into positive action, not a storm. (The college presidency, though, has taught me to be ready for anything.) In just a few weeks, it will be good to welcome the incoming and returning students, to help them unpack their mounds of belongings along with a renewed focus on learning. Advertisement It will be enjoyable as well to greet our faculty, many of whom keep in regular touch over the break. Come September, campus equilibrium will be restored; we will return to the business of teaching. My long, hot summer will join the ranks of others in my experience: reflective, restorative, and, with some relief, concluded. # # # Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Previously, Dr. Miller served as President at Bethany College in West Virginia (2007-15), Wesley College in Delaware (1997-2007) and Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee (1991-97). (US Capitol/US Government Work) Written by Howard Fox, Earthjustice Counsel Washington, D.C., isnt just the seat of our national government; its also my hometown. Its the place where I was born and have lived nearly my whole life. I attended the very first Earth Day rally here in 1970. Ive also spent over three decades working here, under six presidential administrations and on a wide variety of issues. During this time, Ive seen how things operate. Those who pollute our environment continue to send a swarm of hired lobbyists to this town. They blanket Capitol Hill in their quest for legislative favors and sue at the drop of a hat to overturn government policies they dont like. Their latest effort focuses on the Clean Power Plan, which sets the first-ever federal carbon pollution limits for our nations electric power plants. It is a vital, common-sense safeguard that will greatly reduce the U.S.s largest source of carbon emissions. Advertisement August 3 marks the one-year anniversary of the Clean Power Plans unveiling. The plan rests on a solid legal and factual foundation, but the coal industry and its allies have been attacking it relentlessly with misguided lawsuits. I have joined a team of attorneys working to defend the Clean Power Planand on Tuesday, September 27, the plan will finally have its day in court, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. For me, the Clean Power Plan isn't just an abstraction. At my apartment building, renewable energy is real. We have the largest residential solar energy installation in Washington, D.C. This isnt just a photo of a solar panel that might be built somewhere, someday: Instead, these panels are installed and operating, creating energy for myself and my neighbors. The clean energy genie is already out of the bottle, in the form of technologies that dramatically cut carbon pollution. With every passing year, the need for those pollution cuts grows more urgent, as unprecedented warming continues to threaten our health and environment. Like communities around the nation, Washington, D.C., is at risk from a warming climate. Our beloved National Mall and other downtown areas are located on the coastal plain, making them vulnerable to sea level rise. A storm several years ago damaged several important D.C. buildings, including the National Archives where we keep many of our nation's most precious historical documents. The Army Corps of Engineers has built a levee south of the White House in an effort to keep floods at bay. So there's no time to losethe Clean Power Plan and its common-sense cuts in carbon pollution must be allowed to take effect. We simply can't let fossil fuel interests turn back the clock and prevent progress on the biggest environmental challenge of our time. Advertisement As Ive seen through my time in the Nation's Capital, progress never happens if there arent people willing to take a stand. Fortunately, most of us recognize the need to move decisively away from carbon pollution and toward clean energy. Among those vigorously defending the Clean Power Plan are state, county and municipal governments; forward-thinking power companies; renewable energy producers; companies that specialize in helping businesses and consumers save energy; and public health and environmental groups. Disheartening trends of global violence continue with the latest attacks in Iraq, Germany, and France, including the direct taking of a Catholic priest's life. The lens we use to respond to these violent habits, especially as a Catholic Church is of utmost importance for both better effectiveness and faithfulness. As a grateful participant in the April conference in Rome on just peace and nonviolence, I previously wrote about being deeply moved by the encounter with fellow Catholic peacemakers who lived in violent conflict zones. Out of this experience, I want to respond to this interview in Our Sunday Visitor about the conference outcome document. The person interviewed was a respected colleague, Dr. Gerard Powers, professor of the Practice of Catholic Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame. I, and the Conference, appreciate and agree with Gerard on the following points: Catholic life needs to better integrate peacebuilding; there is value in a just peace theory; just war theory is unfortunately being used primarily in an unhealthy way; and the significant value of a new Papal document on this issue. So, hopefully there is a lot of common ground to work on together. Advertisement There are four other points of divergence, which I want to address with the hope of deepening the dialogue as we seek God's truth together. These points arise in large part out of an emphasis on the pastoral question about how we better form peacemakers as a Catholic Church. First, in the interview there is no clear articulation of how Jesus' way corresponds to the Catholic Church continuing to use and teach the just war theory. This is not a minor point. Yes, the Catholic Church uses both scripture and tradition, but as we Catholics all know it is an "and" not an "or" relationship. Jesus' way needs a clear role and any moral teaching needs to have consistency with that way. Scripture scholarship is basically unanimous that Jesus models a way of nonviolent love of friends and enemies. The call to love our neighbor must always be consistent with how Jesus loved (John 13:34), and our perceived enemies always remain our neighbors. Recent Popes have confirmed this reality about Jesus, and the conference builds its' appeal consistent with this realism about Jesus. Second, the claim is made that Catholic social doctrine already has a just peace theory. In general, this is a promising point and something we can build on together. The article says that "the vision, principles, criteria for moral action constitute the substance of a just peace theory." Yet, it's not clear which criteria are intended here. Is it the just war criteria or something broader? Either way, I agree that Catholic social doctrine certainly has elements of a just peace theory. But Catholic social doctrine has yet to explicitly identify, explain, and prioritize a just peace theory/approach. For instance, the conference alluded to seven specific just peace criteria to guide moral action across all stages of conflict, including during violent conflict. These criteria and this method of application have not yet been affirmed in Catholic social doctrine. There are also specific virtues, such as the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking, which were discussed as part of a virtue-based, just peace approach consistent with Gospel nonviolence. Examples of a similar just peace approach have been articulated by others on lethal drones, nuclear weapons, and ISIS. Advertisement Third, the interview claims that the "highly restrictive" version of just war theory, which the "Catholic Church uses," does not necessarily undermine the development of nonviolent capacities. It may be true that the "highly restrictive" version is better than the less restrictive version. However, either version which includes the suggestion that war may be justifiable, still cultivates social conditions (ex. heavy preparations for war) that also make it more likely our society will make choices that undermine the development of nonviolent capacities. Further, even an emphasis on the "highly restrictive" version has in the concrete undermined the formation of Christian peacemakers or "peacebuilders." For instance, we see how rarely we, including Catholics, speak about or promote nonviolent resistance (esp. boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, etc.) to injustice and violence. We see how minimal resistance is mounted by most leaders, including Catholics, to enormous military spending, primarily in countries with large militaries such as the U.S. We see how little we hear from leaders, including most Catholics, or key advocacy organizations on the proven practice of unarmed civilian protection (25+ years old). We see how little we hear from leaders, including Catholics, about the need to humanize or illuminate the dignity of our enemies, especially regarding people in groups like ISIS. When the Afghanistan war was on the horizon, most Catholic leaders had few constructive nonviolent suggestions before the war began. Instead, they primarily lifted up the "legitimate defense" language before the bombs dropped, which in large part simply emboldened the war effort. That war of course enhanced the conditions for the next Iraq war in 2003, led to the spreading of non-state violent groups, and to the development of ISIS in Iraq. It is of course not the "intent" of the "restrictive use" for such things to occur, but good intent is not sufficient for discipleship or moral living. It should not be a surprise that as Christ's teaching gets distorted with the concept of just war, the distortion will predictably grow beyond what we intend or may even imagine. The interview cites the Iraq war of 2003 as a good example of the "highly restrictive" use by the Catholic Church. Pope John Paull II was certainly strong on saying no to war as a practice itself, i.e. "always a defeat for humanity." The U.S. Catholic Bishops wisely raised questions of concern but did not clearly conclude the war was unjust; except for one Romanian Bishop in Ohio, who also called on all Catholics in his diocese to not participate in the war. And in the concrete reality, the war proceeded and the devastating impacts continue today. If the interviewee agrees that in the concrete reality the just war theory is primarily being used to endorse rather than prevent war for over 1600 years and even if it's not, for the sake of argument, how the "Church uses it," doesn't that strongly suggest it is not a workable moral frame in practice and the Catholic Church should at the very least develop an alternative moral approach to trying to prevent, limit and as Vatican II teaches (Pastoral Constitution, par. 82), to outlaw war? Let's imagine for a moment if the Catholic Church were to shift to an explicit just peace approach consistent with Gospel nonviolence. As Catholics, we would likely develop a better mindset for nonviolent alternatives -- with more urgent attention, creative imagination, and persistent will to commit to such practices. Although Catholics do some great peacebuilding, there would likely be an increased development of nonviolent and peacebuilding practices, as well as less Catholics giving their energy to preparing for war. When the Pope said not to "bomb or make war" on ISIS, Catholics would be further energized and organize around creative, effective nonviolent resistance practices. Instead, with a just war infused mentality, most U.S. Catholic press and leaders focused their discussion on the apparent openness to some military action and how much made sense. Therefore, the conference appeal was proposing a new moral framework, not the withdrawal of moral judgement about war, and addressing all versions of the just war concept not simply the more "permissive use." Advertisement Fourth, the interview refers to the vocation for peacebuilding and how this is broader than Gandhi and MLK's approach of "civil resistance." Just to clarify, Gandhi was clear that his approach to nonviolence or Satyagraha (truth/soul-force) consisted of both a constructive and obstructive program (civil resistance), which enabled each other. For Gandhi, the former is the more important, which includes social uplift and the constructive "creation of alternatives to armed conflict;" which is what the interviewee refers to as "peacebuilding." MLK was building off Gandhi's Satyagraha approach but oriented by his Christianity. This is important because it illuminates how turning to an explicit just peace theory consistent with Gospel nonviolence is central to incorporating both the constructive and obstructive programs, i.e. more fully becoming "peacebuilders" or as Pope Francis says "peacemakers." by Eric Reeves It is telling that a visit to Khartoum by the U.S. Special Envoy for the Sudans, Donald Booth, generated not a single bit of international news coverage, even as his schedule was known to include a "fact-finding" trip to Darfur. According to one highly reliable Sudanese news source, the Khartoum regime didn't have to bother with requests from journalists asking to accompany Booth during his visit to Darfur: there weren't any. Among other things, this encourages Khartoum in its already strongly held belief that the world has forgotten about Darfur, and that it can simply wait for the final stages of "genocide by attrition" to accomplish themselves. To be sure, the lack of non-Sudanese journalists is perhaps understandable, given the tight control by Military Intelligence and the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) over every moment Booth was in Darfur, every location to which he would travel--something that could easily have been foreseen on the basis of previous highly controlled "fact-finding" missions. But at least Booth went to the right places: North Darfur and what is now called "Central Darfur" (formerly part of West Darfur). The latter is where the Jebel Marra massif is located, site of the particularly savage military assault by Khartoum's regular and militia forces beginning in January of this year. We still have no fully reliable figures for how many were displaced during the campaign on the ground and from the air; 200,000 seems a reasonable estimate based on UN figures and reports from Radio Dabanga and Sudan Tribune, although it may well be higher. We certainly have no data that can establish mortality totals, but the reports from these two Sudanese news sources, as well as a range of other sources, makes clear that the death toll has been very high, as have the number of rapes, assaults on villages, and instances of large-scale looting and destruction. Advertisement North Darfur is the location of what is somewhat loosely referred to as "East Jebel Marra," the region east of the massif itself and heavily populated, primarily by people of the African Fur tribe. Over the past four years this region in North Darfur has seen the worst violence in all of Darfur, rivaling in intensity and brutality the early years of the genocide (see my January 2016 report on the mass rape of girls and women and "Changing the Demography": Violent Expropriation and Destruction of Farmlands in Darfur, November 2014 - November 2015" [November 2015]). Booth has become notorious for not making statements, according to a Sudanese journalist colleague, even when meeting with opposition groups in Paris or Addis Ababa. And true to form, Booth has so far made no statement during his current (and presumably now concluding) trip to Sudan. He did meet with some of those who have witnessed the horrors of recent years, and some apparently spoke honestly, acts of extraordinary courage. Booth was in Nierteti (Central Darfur) and Tawila ("East Jebel Marra" in North Darfur), scenes of some of the very worst human rights abuses and violent destruction. He reportedly also met with civil society representatives in el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur. For their honesty, outspoken displaced persons and civil society representatives will pay a heavy price, as Radio Dabanga reported On July 31, 2016: Agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) detained five men in Nierteti in Central Darfur today. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, multiple sources reported that Adam Siddig, of the Northern Nierteti camp for the displaced, and Abdelkarim Adam Abdelkarim, of the Southern Nierteti camp were held at the town's bus station this morning. Nasreldin Yousef and Adam Mohamed, the owner of a welding workshop, were detained in the market of Nierteti. Ahmed El Tijani Abdeljabar Yousef was taken from a house in the Dar El Naeem district. The sources said that the NISS officers seem to be still searching for others. Last week, the US special envoy for Sudan, Donald Booth, paid a visit to Darfur. In Nierteti, he reportedly spoke with a number of displaced. Reporting on August 1, 2016, Sudan Tribune offered a fuller account of events in Nierteti: Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Monday has arrested at least 21 leaders of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the locality of Nirtiti, Central Darfur state following a meeting with the United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, said IDPs official. On July 26, the American envoy started a visit to Darfur states to assess the security and humanitarian situation on the ground particularly in Jebel Marra area. Deputy Chairman of IDPs and Refugees Association Adam Abdalla Idris told Sudan Tribune that the NISS is now making intensive efforts to arrest dozens of IDPs leaders after it accused them of providing Booth with misleading information pertaining to the security and humanitarian situation in the region particularly in areas of east Jebel Marra. He added that several IDPs leaders have disappeared from sight for fear of being arrested by the NISS, pointing the latter has a list including names of all IDPs who met with the American envoy. According to Idris, a security source disguised as an IDP has attended the meeting with Booth and submitted a report including details of the meeting to the NISS. Idris pointed that the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), human rights groups operating in the area and the IDPs have provided identical reports to the American envoy including numbers of those killed in the recent clashes in Jebel Marra besides numbers of the newly displaced persons and the rape incidents. "The humanitarian situation is at its worst particularly after food and drug supply have stopped besides the lack of blankets and other basic necessities" he said. He added that the American envoy will likely delay his visit to South Darfur state in fear of subjecting dozens of IDPs to harassment and detention by the NISS. [These reports are partially confirmed by another Darfuri source on the ground near Nierteti--ER] Despite his reluctance to issues statements, it would seem incumbent upon Ambassador Booth to demand publicly that Khartoum provide assurances that his fact-finding mission did not result in the large-scale arrests of displaced persons, and that he be provided evidence of the safety of those with whom he spoke. Advertisement Not to speak out is to allow diplomatic tactical calculations to outweigh the clear risks to those who dared to speak with Booth, at his request, in order to provide what the U.S. surely already knows from the many reports that have appeared in the last year: from UN OCHA, from other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, from Human Rights Watch (two important reports in 2015, focusing on the mass rape of girls and women at Tabit, East Jebel Marra, by Khartoum's regular army forces, and the ghastly predations of recent years by Khartoum's current militia force of choice, the Rapid Support Forces). The Special Envoy's office is also in possession of a great deal of research--including first-hand interviews of victims--that reveals the scope of human devastation from this year's campaign against the people of Jebel Marra. Silence from Ambassador Booth at this critical moment in the lives of courageous Darfuris will be acquiescence in their fate, a fate his visit to their ravaged lands has worked to define. This week, the Legislature returns from its summer recess and begins the sprint to adjournment at the end of the month. For the bills that have survived multiple committee hearings, floor votes and amendments, this is the end of the line. That makes August a very interesting month in Sacramento. A number of good bills are pending in the Senate, and I look forward to working with the authors to help get these worthy laws enacted. Here are several great proposals that will hopefully soon become law. AB 1561: Repeal the tampon tax! This bill by Assemblymember Christina Garcia has gotten a lot of attention this past year -- and rightly so. We don't tax medicine. We don't tax food. We don't even tax candy. So why do we make every woman pay sales tax on a product she will need every month for decades of her life? It's not just unfair -- it's unjust. #Notaxontampons. Advertisement AB 1559: Disaster Relief for Businesses. Last year, after the horrific Valley Fire and other wildfires up and down the state affected thousands of businesses, I partnered with Assemblymember Bill Dodd to introduce this legislation to allow people whose businesses have been affected by a natural disaster to delay paying their taxes. This is just common sense. If your business has burned down alongside the rest of your community, the last thing any of us should worry about it whether we get your quarterly sales tax on time. AB 2678: Fair Funding. With summer in full swing, families across the state are taking the kids to the fair. It's a timeless tradition for nearly every community in America. But like so many places these days, local fairgrounds are struggling. Assemblymember Adam Gray has introduced this bill to dedicate a very modest revenue stream to these important local institutions. Fairgrounds serve such an important function, well beyond the few weeks each summer we typically think of. In emergencies or natural disasters they are routinely used as emergency shelters and first responder dispatch sites. Day to day, they can be used as anything from community centers to concert halls to commencement stages. Fairgrounds are essential to our communities, we need to keep them funded. (Besides, where else can we find deep fried twinkies?) AB 2888: Response to Stanford Rape Case. Assemblymember Evan Low, Assemblymember Bill Dodd and Senator Jerry Hill introduced this bill that simply states no person can be merely sentenced to probation if they are convicted of sexual assault. The bill stems from the overly-lenient sentence handed down to a member of the Stanford University swim team who was convicted of attempting to assault an unconscious young woman, whose case sparked national attention after the young woman's letter to the defendant was posted on Buzzfeed. Advertisement AB 797: Right to Rescue. Assemblymember Mark Steinorth and Assembly Majority Whip Miguel Santiago have jointly introduced this bill which would protect passers-by from liability if they break into a hot car to rescue an animal. Another bill that should have been in law a long time ago. Don't leave your pets in the car. Ever. And if you do, don't be surprised when a Good Samaritan breaks your window. AB 717: Exempting Diapers from Sales Tax. Another easy call, this bill by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez exempts diapers from sales tax. Any new parent can tell you how expensive diapers are, and this is another clear cut example of why we shouldn't be taxing a basic necessities of life. In fact, I believe that AB 717 and 1561 make a strong case for creating a fourth general exemption from sales tax in state law: basic necessities of life. Things like diapers and tampons are indispensable to our health, even if they aren't directly related to medical treatment or sustenance of life. Finally, there are a trio of bills related to our continuing efforts to better regulate and integrate the medicinal cannabis industry in California. AB 567 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson will establish an amnesty program for medicinal cannabis businesses so we can recoup back taxes. Advertisement AB 2149 by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla authorizes SBOE and counties to accept cash payments from medicinal cannabis related businesses -- a very important rule change, given the federal blackout on banking services forces medicinal cannabis businesses to operate on a strictly-cash basis. AB 821, also by Assemblymember Gipson, removes the fee imposed on cash transactions at SBOE. This is a simple change, but one that removes an unfair penalty on legal businesses that can't get banking services. Each of these bills are pending in the State Senate, and I hope our senators approve them. These are all common sense bills, and some of them -- like repealing the tampon tax and strengthening punishment for sexual assault perpetrators -- should have been passed years ago. More and more final candidates for senior roles are being asked to present their 100-day action plans as part of the interview process. The question is an obvious test that has a hidden trick in it. Shame on you if you walk into a late round interview without a plan for what you are going to do leading up to and through your first 100 days. And shame on you if your plan is all about you. In a world in which 40% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months, hiring organizations are realizing that it's no longer good enough to hire the right leader. They have to help with executive onboarding. This is all about helping new leaders prepare in advance, manage their message and build their teams. It all starts with a plan. Lincoln knew it wasn't enough to win the war. We had to "finish the work" and secure "a just, and a lasting peace." Advertisement Conversely, Barack Obama looked back on "failing to plan for the day after" the 2011 toppling of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi as his "worst mistake". It's not enough to win the war. It's not enough to bring down the dictator. It's not enough to get the job. You need a "plan for the day after" and after and after. You know this. The people interviewing you for your next senior leadership role know this. That's why more and more of them are asking final candidates for 100-day plans. It's a trap. No one cares about you. No one cares about how you're going to ease into your role the day after they do in the old dictator. All they care about what you're going to do for them. This is why you need to have a 100-day action plan ready to share and why going beyond the question asked to what matters most to the person asking the question is going to be the difference between your plan and the second place candidate's plan. Advertisement Enough people asked for help with this that we created a tool just for 100-day plans for interviews. Click here for a free copy of the tool. The key pieces of it include: 1) Clarify their objectives. This may be the most important idea. Framing your thinking within the context of their objectives changes it from what you're going to do to what you're going to do to help them achieve what they want to achieve. 2) Lay out what you and your new team must do to move towards those objectives. This is where your framing starts to pay off. You are suggesting your team is part of the greater whole and should play its part in moving the greater whole forward. Who's going to argue with that? The choice of where to focus is an important one. It's not critical that you get this exactly right. It is critical that the logic behind your choices makes sense to the people interviewing you. Thus, take the time to think this through. 3) Lay out what you must do over your first 100-days to get that started right. Now you're ready to answer the question asked. What you say here will not likely be all that different from the answer given by anyone that's read The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan, but the way it's positioned in the context of the first two points will be dramatically different and better. Advertisement Key components should include: It was a story with a bit of irony, as well as ominous health warnings. Crystal Hefner, the 30-year-old wife of Playboy magazine mogul Hugh Hefner, announced in a story in People magazine last month that she'd had her breast implants removed because they were making her sick. Hefner posted a photo of her post-surgery self on Instagram with the caption, "Using 2016 to reclaim my health and embrace and love myself for the real me." The former model, now a DJ, was diagnosed a few months back with Lyme disease. Her symptoms included intolerance to foods and beverages as well as back, neck, and shoulder pain. Advertisement Hefner also suffered from cognitive dysfunction (brain fog, memory loss), stunted hair growth, fatigue, burning bladder pain, low immunity, and recurring infections and problems with her thyroid and adrenals. People on social media pointed out that her symptoms matched those of something called breast implant illness. Is the illness real? Because of her celebrity, Hefner's procedure was well-publicized. There are also plenty of articles and blogs advising women to not get the implants or to have them removed. However, doctors in the plastic surgery field suggest the connection between her symptoms and Hefner's implants -- almost 10 years old -- may not be well-grounded. Advertisement "There are millions of women worldwide who have had breast implants for either reconstructive or cosmetic reasons, and the purported adverse health impacts are rarely reported," Dr. David Song, told Healthline. Song is the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and vice chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine. "There is no scientific evidence that breast implants and leakage of silicone has been the cause of any type of autoimmune disease," he added. His words were echoed by Dr. Daniel Mills, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and in private practice in Southern California. "The crux of the matter is that we had always done studies looking at breast cancer," he told Healthline. "But the rate of women who got cancer didn't change" if they had implants. Advertisement "The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] responded to claims from women who had scleroderma, lupus, fatigue, or other autoimmune diseases," Mills said. They looked for associations between the implants and the symptoms, and "they found no difference," he said. A short-term solution The potential symptoms and reasons for surgery vary among women. While many seek cosmetic changes, others have different needs. "Breast implants are used for not only cosmetic reasons, but a significant number for reconstructive reasons after a woman has a mastectomy for cancer or a genetic mutation predisposing them to cancer," Song said. "Rebuilding a woman's breasts after cancer is also helping them to restore a sense of normalcy not just in appearance, but a sense of well-being. There are several studies that support the benefits of reconstructive breast surgery." Over time, surgical procedures have changed. "The techniques have become more minimally invasive (shorter, smaller scars), and can often be done without general anesthesia," Song said. Women may choose between saline and silicone implants, depending on individual needs. From a safety perspective, in Mills' opinion, "there's not much difference between saline and silicone -- until it breaks." Advertisement That is one reason surgeons -- and the government -- remind patients that the same implants are not meant to stay implanted for a lifetime. On its website, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stresses that point. "The longer you have breast implants, the more likely it is that complications will occur and you will need to have them removed," it says. Mills urges women who have implants, whether silicone or saline, to get them checked on a consistent basis. He recommends changing one's implants about every 10 years. On average, implants last 10 to 15 years before the risk of possible rupture heightens considerably. Certain implant breakage or leakage, such as with silicone implants, can lead to a late capsular contracture, or a buildup of scar tissue, resulting in a more difficult implant exchange. A personal choice Both surgeons stressed that getting breast implants is a personal choice and that patients should do their homework before going ahead. Advertisement They should also consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to get the facts, and see if this is right for them. There are women who are happy about their decision to get implants. Sandy, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, got implants and a lift in 2005. Describing herself as into health and fitness, she said she'd been unhappy about her post-pregnancy breasts. That led her to the surgeon's office. "I'm super happy, have no issues," she told Healthline. She did acknowledge that recovering from surgery was harder than she had anticipated. "It's like any surgery. You don't pop right up," she said. And there are others who aren't as gleeful. Melissa Gilbert, the actress who gained fame on "Little House on the Prairie," had her breast implants removed in January 2015. In a detailed blog post before the surgery, Gilbert explained why. "I am concerned for my health," she wrote. "Frankly, I'd like to be able to take a Zumba class without the fear that I'll end up with two black eyes." By Roberta Alexander Started in 1994, Amazon has gone a very long time - over 20 years without making real money. Jeff Bezos, and his shareholders, have to be the most patient people in the world. Now it appears that the patience has paid off since Amazon just surpassed Berkshire Hathaway and Exxon Mobile as the 4th most valuable company in the world after Apple, Alphabet (Google), and Microsoft. How did Amazon do it? World's biggest retailer Most think of Amazon as an online retailer since the company branded itself that way and lots of us buy products from Amazon on their gigantic e-Commerce Web site. Amazon just passed Walmart a year ago as the world's biggest retailer. No surprise there. Unless you need to touch, feel, and try on the merchandise, Amazon is perhaps the most convenient place to find and buy products ever invented. Marketers know that Distribution's overall added-value function is convenience - making it convenient to find, buy and use products. That's not all. Buyers can use the site to read reviews, receive suggestions, and comparison shop for better prices. With increasing disincentives to go to physical stores - traffic, parking, wasted time, and opportunity costs, Amazon has gained the upper hand as more and more people feel comfortable buying online. However, since Amazon offers ultra competitive prices on small margins and most likely loses money on small orders, this is not how they have realized a boost in profits of late. Advertisement Amazon Prime Day Originally launched over a year ago, Amazon's second annual Prime Day on July 12th was the ever for the company. In addition to increasing the number of Prime subscribers at $99 per year, Prime Day accomplishes the following: Gives Prime subscribers deals and greater added-value, Creates a mid-year sales promotion opportunity (since retailers typically do not become profitable until the Holiday shopping season), Capitalizes on the need for buyers to purchase items for back-to-school, Reduces mid-year inventories. Cloud computing While continuing to grow its online retail business has been a great revenue generator, what seems to be contributing the most to its profits is Amazon Web Services, or AWS. Started in 2006, this part of Amazon has consistently grown to capture a dominant 31% share of the cloud computing infrastructure market. To put this in perspective, its nearest competitor - Microsoft - has 9% of the market followed by IBM (7%), Google (4%), and Salesforce (4%). Using a rule of thumb devised by the Boston Consulting Group (companies that have 20% market share are almost always profitable, it seems that Amazon's initiatives in cloud computing and its other B2B activities are likely to continue to pay off handsomely. Lessons for businesses Iraqi Shi'ite women stand by the holy Mosque of Abbas in the center ofKerbala April 22, 2003. Countless thousands of Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims,oppressed under Saddam Hussein, thronged the holy city of Kerbala onTuesday, free for the first time in decades to mark one the most sacredmoments of their year. REUTERS/Yannis BehrakisYB/WS Last New Year's Eve it was reported that 2000 men sexually assaulted 1200 women in Cologne, Germany. Immediately, politicians and pundits jumped to make the connection between the rash of violence against women and the influx of refugees. And each time another incident takes place, the battle between political positions is reignited. One liberal politician in Germany noted that the debate must be centered around "no means no" and not around "whether refugees should be deported" or allowed safe haven in Western countries, and I agree with this completely. This is not a refugee issue. It is a case of incongruent cultural practices. Men from societies that reject women's rights must reform their attitudes and practices if they wish to exist in Western societies in which women are treated as equals. But more broadly, this sort of antiquated thinking must change. Advertisement Just this month in Reutlingen, Germany, a man stabbed a pregnant woman to death after reportedly being rejected by her. His status as refugee has nothing to do with a tendency towards violence against women--his fundamentalist upbringing in which he was indoctrinated by perversions of Islamic teachings do. This is not meant to condone or excuse his behavior, but rather it points to a much bigger problem that will not be solved by demanding blanket bans on Muslims because it fails to consider the women who face this brutal ideology in Muslim majority countries every day. Two weeks ago in France, a Muslim man from Morocco stabbed a woman and her two daughters--ages 8 and 14--because the he believed they were too scantily clad. He didn't try to hide it nor did he commit his violence in secret. In fact, he was vacationing with his family when he served the punishment he felt was deserved. This was not a refugee, but a man who was raised under the similar fundamental ideology that holds that women exist as subservient beings meant to respect men and have no business as free-thinking individuals. Just consider a few of the current laws in Muslim-majority countries. Today in Saudi Arabia, in 2016, it is illegal for women to go anywhere without a male chaperone, drive a car, try on clothes in a clothing store, interact with men or play sports. In Pakistan, the Shariat Court sits parallel to the country's judicial system and openly calls for "swift and efficient punishments" for alleged Sharia violations that democratic court systems cannot carry out sufficiently. This court brazenly calls for violence against women when a man feels she has dishonored a Sharia principle or if she dares to deny him sex (an act considered to be a sin under certain teachings). Rather than crying out against refugees and Muslim immigrants, we should be demanding the entry of Muslim women and children so that we can teach them that women are equal and deserving of respect. We need to spread this message in the West and empower the Muslim reformist movement within Islamic culture -- throughout Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and other repressive societies - to bring Islam into the 21st century as leaders like Egyptian President Sisi have insisted upon. Obviously, this is a mammoth task given the pervasiveness of these beliefs, but the work of leaders like Sisi and others must be recognized, applauded and expanded. Advertisement Last year, I took courses from a Qatar-based fundamental Islamist online school to gain insight into their teachings. I was told that "there are many more women in hell than men" and that women are to blame for many sins in the world and, as such, they should be respectful towards their husband and provide sex when a man requires it. The course trained students to understand that a woman covering her body and most importantly her hair, entirely in black is crucial to keeping her feminine nature and sexuality hidden from the outside world. Of course, this restriction of freedom for women conflicts with everything we are taught in Western society. Garth Brooks may have been standing on stage in Yankee Stadium before tens of thousands of fans, but his words had such an intimacy about them. It was as if he was leaning in for a one-on-one chat. "When I come to New York I never feel secure enough that I can be myself," he told the wildly adoring crowd. "But it turns out that's exactly what you want me to be. And I realize, you love me just as I am!" As his "People Loving People," song goes, there was a lot of love for Brooks who rousingly performed that song and other favorites like "Two Pina Coladas," "The River," "Papa Loved Mama," "Friends In Low Places," "The Dance" and more. He also sang "In Another's Eyes" with Trisha Yearwood. And she passionately belted her classics including "How Do I Live" and "She's in Love With the Boy." Brooks' recent Yankee Stadium concerts marked the first time the country superstar has performed in New York since 1997 when he played to nearly a million people in Central Park. He and Yearwood are also the first country artists to have a concert at that legendary stadium. Just hours before taking the stage, Brooks and Yearwood talked to Parade. "The people out there have always taken care of me so I'll go out there, have fun and trust," said Brooks. "It's kind of like closing your eyes, falling backward and trusting they're going to catch you." Advertisement Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Thursday, July 28, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) I don't know where it ends with Donald Trump. He is somehow able to weather controversy after controversy, and dodge every criticism of his countless offensive statements. Yet, one would think that of all groups to insult, a Gold Star family would be off limits for the GOP nominee's fiery rhetoric. For years, support for our troops and respect for military families have unified both parties in an increasingly polarized climate. Surely, no presidential candidate would disrespect a Gold Star family. That is not the case with Donald Trump. The GOP nominee continued his war of words with the parents of Captain Humayun Khan, a Purple Heart recipient, who was killed defending his unit in Iraq in 2004. Advertisement By now, you all know the backstory: Capt. Khan's parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, took to the DNC stage last week and delivered arguably the most electrifying moment of both conventions, when Mr. Khan held up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and challenged Trump to read it, accusing him of "sacrificing no one and nothing." Trump responded promptly, lashing out at Mr. Khan, and accusing Mrs. Khan of having nothing to say. Trump heartlessly suggested she might have been silenced, playing on the chauvinist notion that Muslim women are somehow required to be subservient to their husbands. While it is true that Mrs. Khan stayed silent on stage, she did so because of the overwhelming emotion that overcomes her upon seeing pictures of her son. She said as much in a Washington Post op-ed, and declared on CNN's New Day, "I can say that my religion or my family or my culture never stopped me saying whatever I want to say." Yet, Trump didn't back down from those initial comments made to ABC's George Stephanopoulos over the weekend. Trump went so far as to compare the Khan family's sacrifice to the sacrifices he made in building his business. "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices," Trump insisted. "I work very, very, hard; I've created thousands and thousands of jobs -- tens of thousands of jobs; built great structures; I've had tremendous success..." Yes, Trump equated the loss of a child during wartime to his business successes. For someone who repeatedly states how much he "loves the vets," and touts his donations to veteran charities, why Trump wouldn't just apologize and move on to focus on his campaign is beyond reason. This is more than that, though. This doubling down on his criticism of the Khan family shows a basic lack of empathy and leadership required of a president. Advertisement Trump has received nearly universal condemnation for his comments. Gold Star families issued a repudiation of Trump , as did Arizona Senator and former POW John McCain. In his statement, McCain praised Khan and assured "the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation -- and he will never be forgotten." Of course, Trump supporters are firmly (and blindly) in his corner, diverting the conversation to one about radical Islamic terrorism, and engaging in the playground argument of "Well, they started it!" His supporters cling to the campaign's clarifying statement, which praised Capt. Khan as a war hero. Of course, that statement came after Trump's initial attacks. Surrogates like Corey Lewandowski and Jeffrey Lord conveniently leave out the fact that Trump continues to criticize Khan's father, and refuses to apologize to Khan's mother. I need to ask, where does it end with this man? Where is his moral compass? When does the bar get so low that he says, "You know what? I misspoke. I apologize." Why does he continue to double down? Even as children, we're taught that not every attack warrants a response. I'll always remember my mom telling me, "Jess, sometimes you need to walk away, and be the bigger man." But this situation isn't even about that. It should transcend politics. It's about human decency, empathy, and respect for those who have endured personal loss. Yes, Mr. Khan criticized Trump in a political forum, but running for the highest office in the land requires a higher moral standard and knowledge that criticism comes with the job. How can we expect Trump to react to criticism on his policies if he can't even handle criticism to his ego? How can we elect a man incapable of expressing sympathy to a family who has paid the ultimate sacrifice? Advertisement Mr. Khan and his wife continued their press tour on Monday, speaking on CNN's New Day and MSNBC's Morning Joe. Some Trump supporters believe this media blitz serves to further politicize the loss of Capt. Khan. To that I ask, where were you when Pat Smith, mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, spoke out at the RNC, personally blaming Hillary Clinton for her son's death? Was that not political? Besides, the Khans did not blame Trump for their son's death, or call for Trump to be imprisoned, as Smith did with Hillary Clinton at the RNC. But I digress. This is how absurd some Trump supporters' mindsets have become. They will cling to anything to defend what is essentially indefensible. I don't know how they do it. Last year, I wrote a blog post entitled, "How Long Can Donald Trump Remain the Teflon Don?" Well, one year later, it's about time something sticks. This latest offense cannot slide. It shows a blatant lack of character traits needed to become President of the United States: A moral compass, a sense of empathy, and an ability to admit fault. In last year's blog post, I brought up Trump's questioning of Senator McCain as a war hero. So, for my final point, I'll share another portion of McCain's statement issued Monday morning: "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates." If that is true, Senator, it is time for you and other Republican leaders to withdraw your endorsements of Trump. It is simply not enough to denounce the comments, and continue to support the man who made them. This family has paid the ultimate sacrifice, and for Trump to criticize that is a bridge too far. His disparaging attacks are not just unbecoming of a man worthy of the presidency; they are unbecoming of a man worthy of our respect. PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 28: Khizr Khan, father of deceased Muslim U.S. Soldier Humayun S. M. Khan, delivers remarks on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Like millions of Americans, I was enthralled by the presentation of Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention. It was not only a highlight of the convention, but also a moment particular to the changing America of the 21st century. Yet at the same time, Khan's story is classically American: an immigrant wanting to bring his family to this country, "not," in his words, "because of religion, but because of its values." Advertisement Generations of immigrants of different faiths and backgrounds have been attracted to this country exactly because of these values -- the freedom to choose one's life, to think as one likes, to observe one's religion as one chooses, or not to follow any religion. Immigration has indisputably been an engine of American economic success and inseparable from American ingenuity. Indeed, what is classic in Mr. Khan's story is how quickly this immigrant family integrated into American life. Khizr Khan attained an advanced law degree and became an attorney. Their middle child, Humayun, joined the army out of high school and, later, while preparing to enter the University of Virginia Law School, he was called up to serve in Iraq. Humayun's story, his service, and his heroic and tragic death on behalf of his country in Iraq in June 2004, resonates so powerfully because every American can identify with it -- because we are a nation of immigrants. It wasn't the fact that the Khan family is Muslim that is the core of this tale, though the Khans clearly are proud of their Islamic faith. It is the fact that they are Americans who believe in America and who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country they loved. Advertisement For us at ADL, this event had particular significance. First, it spoke to our long understanding of the value of immigration to this country. Back in the 1950s, ADL worked with the young senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, to publish his work A Nation of Immigrants. The values presented by Khizr and Ghazala Khan at the convention were the very values embodied in JFK's classic book -- that we are all immigrants in one way or another, all contributing to making America what it is. It is this feature of our society that makes us exceptional -- what makes us American. Second, back in 2010, we sought to convey the kind of message so powerfully delivered by Khizr Khan when we honored a different Muslim American who had given his life for his country. Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan was a New Jersey born American Muslim who volunteered to fight in Iraq. Laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, Kareem was killed by an improvised explosive device in 2007 and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His mother Elsheba accepted the honor on her son's behalf at our annual "In Concert Against Hate" at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. We recall this only to point out what should be self-evident -- that Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan is another of many stories that need to be told about American Muslims' sacrifice and contribution to our country. It has been heartening to see the response to his remarks from many politicians as they have stood up on behalf of the Khans. They and many others realize that scapegoating of Muslim Americans not only threatens the fabric of our society, but weakens us in our battle with Islamic extremism by playing into the tropes of ISIS recruiters that seek to portray the U.S. as an enemy of Islam. While the fight against stereotypes is a collective responsibility, it has been a significant part of ADL's mission since our founding. My hope is that in the wake of this episode, in this effort we have won many new allies who recognize that in order to be for ourselves, we must stand by one another. Advertisement History shows that one of the strongest generators of prejudice and stereotyping is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the other. In the case of Muslim Americans, that fear is often conjured by invoking anxiety about terrorism. Indeed, Khizr Khan's remarkable presentation reminds us that, when it comes to the overwhelming majority of American Muslims, that fear is not only misplaced; it is unfair, dangerous and un-American. Surely, the threat posed by Islamic extremism is real. Self-proclaimed Islamic extremists have employed terror and shaken communities around the world. We have recently seen unspeakable violence perpetrated in Brussels, Baghdad, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Paris, Nice, San Bernardino and Orlando. But, as the American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in the face of a much grander threat, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He explained that "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." What we need at this hour is to draw on that great American reserve -hope- that has sustained us through so many difficult moments in our past and is the surest guide to our future. Humayun Khan was an American hero, but his story is not an exception to a rule. His family's story is far more representative of Muslim American aspirations than the phantasmagorical stereotypes so often used to portray Muslims. More than anything else, we can only hope that the attention appropriately accorded to Khan's remarkable speech and the heroism of his son will deliver a powerful blow to those in this country who would seek to blame an entire people, religion or ethnicity for the terrible deeds of the few extremists. 'Apartment blocks of a public housing project in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA.' "The End of Black Harlem", as argued by Michael Henry Adams in The New York Times, is rapidly approaching. The trend is evident in the analysis of Census data from 2000 to 2010 by City University of New York's, Center for Urban Research. Data shows that the Black population in Harlem has fallen precipitously ("The largest loss of Blacks in Manhattan occurred in Central Harlem North (-5,453) and Central Harlem South (-4,091). The Black population also declined in Hamilton Heights (-5,366)."), and shows no signs of abating. The most historic black neighborhood in America is on the verge of becoming majority white. While Mayor Bill de Blasio rebutted Adams' argument, expressing that the work of preserving Harlem is just beginning. The reality is, the process of gentrification began decades ago in Harlem. And the same developers we are turning to -- to preserve Harlem's historic character -- began that gentrification in the first place. Advertisement The process of gentrification is usually associated with a fancy coffee shop popping up on the corner or maybe the shutdown of the neighborhood deli. But in reality, it is a process controlled by specific individuals -- usually wealthy white men -- seeking out new business ventures, with the community as a casualty in their push for inordinate profit. The change we are witnessing is not a natural process caused by the ebbs and flows of individuals moving in and out of neighborhoods. It is driven primarily by developers and financiers. Throughout the past 50 years, displacement has taken many names: redlining, white flight, subprime lending, gentrification, hipsterization, among many others. Each time neighborhoods of color are turned into commodities by speculators, bankers, for-profit developers and real estate brokers. Neighborhoods that were once forgotten and neglected are now lured into change with words like "revitalization", "job creation" and "affordable housing". Often, none of the changes are meant for the current residents. The current iteration of gentrification in Harlem, and frankly many urban neighborhoods across America, follows a familiar pattern. Rich, mostly white men, see opportunity in low-income communities -- that have traditionally had lower property values -- where they can gobble up property quickly, influence the neighborhood development, inhale public subsidies, market housing to outsiders and then walk away with millions after selling off to a private equity firm. Rinse, recycle, and repeat. In New York, the main driver of gentrification is the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). Aptly named, this group of developers does their business under the presumption of 'affordable housing.' Advertisement With the promise of desperately needed affordable housing, NYSAFAH developers are able to infiltrate neighborhoods of color across the city. But behind the promise of "affordable housing", lies a model that has perfected gentrifying communities of color. By buying land in low-income communities, taking advantage of city subsidies, using non-union, low paid construction workers, and last but not least building massive amounts of housing that is unaffordable to the neighborhoods. Case in point is Ron Moelis, co-founder of NYSAFAH and L+M Development. Soon after NYSAFAH was established, Moelis began to greatly expand his portfolio by using public subsidies to take on projects in Harlem. His developments such as the Aspen, the Kalahari and Madison Park were built at levels unaffordable to the residents with the median incomes of Harlem. The developments were marketed to well-to-do residents who wanted the proximity to the rest of Manhattan and paved the path for gentrification of the most historic black community in the country. Market-rate units at the Kalahari sold for more than $1 million. The "affordable" units in the building are sold for much more than the median income in Harlem, as they were for purchasers earning 80-175 percent of the area median income. The changing character of the neighborhood happened while Moelis built his empire in what was historically the African-American mecca of the United States. Advertisement As Harlem has shifted over the past 15 years, higher-income, mostly white families have become a much greater share of the population, and Moelis' L+M is now selling off its developments to private equity groups and making obscene profits, bolstered in part from favorable terms acquired from the City. The Aspen and Savoy Park -- an enormous rent-stabilized development that L+M purchased five years ago -- were both recently sold off to private equity firms for tens of millions in profit. The land and developments they first pursued are now worth tens of millions more than what they paid for it. They are now the immense beneficiaries of a gentrification process that they helped start. L+M took its model of gentrification to Williamsburg and the Lower East Side with massive developments. And it is now pushing outward to neighborhoods on the verge of flipping, like the South Bronx and East New York. It has helped fund Moelis' kingly lifestyle, with palatial homes in Greenwich, Connecticut, and on the Long Island Sound in Westchester, as well as an opulent 5th Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park. Moelis has managed to pay for stately apartments for his children, secure a position for his son in the governor's administration. In addition, Moelis has been able to create L+M's own investment vehicles worth hundreds of millions of dollars and partnerships that allow the developer to expand all over the country. Meanwhile, homeless mothers and their children ride the trains all night because they have been turned away from another shelter. NYSAFAH and Ron Moelis are displacing communities across New York City, following a pathology that we have seen many times before. Real estate interests have consistently used this model, preying on communities of color to drive up, or drive down, the price of land, to the developer's benefit, while black and Latino families lose their wealth, incomes and neighborhoods. With the help of the city, the destiny of our neighborhoods has been tipped heavily towards powerful private interests. And the people of New York City continue to lose control of their neighborhoods. Advertisement Disguised under the promise of "affordable housing", developer kings like Moelis and members of NYSAFAH have managed to transform neighborhoods historically inhabited by people of color, all while using city subsidies to build units that are not affordable to the people of these neighborhoods. For-profit developers like Ronald Moelis and members of NYSAFAH do not need government assistance at the cost of communities of color. Street vendors have always been in the crosshairs of the Broken Windows theory of policing. When the disorder-busting approach was first unleashed under former mayor Rudy Giuliani and an innovative new police commissioner named Bill Bratton, vendors were some of the first to go. Artists selling their creations on the street were an early target of these so-called 'quality-of-life' crackdowns until 2001 when a federal judge ruled the city couldn't stop art from being sold on the street. Still, other street vendors without proper permits remain at the mercy of both police, who can summons or arrest them, and city inspectors, who can levy fines as high as $1,000. That practice has continued under mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, one which includes an older, more decrepit Bill Bratton. In the first couple of months of the de Blasio and Bratton era, arrests of panhandlers and peddlers (i.e. vendors) more than tripled in the subway system. Those crackdowns included the arrest of a woman who was selling "Churros", a Mexican pastry, in the subway. Another woman was reportedly arrested seven times over a two and a half year span for selling Churros in the subway. In fact, it's not uncommon for subway vendors to be held in transit precinct holding cells overnight. In another incident in which video went viral, police in Sunset Park, Brooklyn were seen kicking a young member of a fruit vendor family in the back after an altercation. Street and subway vendors, many of whom are immigrants, are frequent targets of Broken Windows policing, along with subway performers and homeless people. Advertisement This past month has seen the city launch an aggressive crackdown on vendors above ground in my neighborhood of Spanish Harlem. A married couple who sell Tamales and Tacos told me that city inspectors showed up early last week and dumped a handful of tickets on them while threatening to confiscate their small tables and pushcarts. The husband and wife, who have been married for over forty years and have sold street food for over a decade, suspect that nearby building owners complained to the local precinct. An inspector sat down in the vendor's chair as he sorted through the tickets he was giving them. He had already pre-filled most of the paperwork and arrived with two NYPD officers alongside him. Another vendor a few blocks away says she has been hit with thousands of dollars in fines in the last month alone. Lola, 47, has been a resident of El Barrio, as Spanish Harlem is known, for 25 years. Originally from the Mexican town of Guerrero, she has three kids and sells Tacos, Tamales and all sorts of Mexican street food to make a living. Lola, like the vendor couple, has a licence to sell and pays taxes for her small business. However, she, like thousands of other vendors across the city, doesn't have a city-issued permit, which comes in the form of a coveted vendor sticker. Most vendors can't get that permit anymore since the city has capped the number available. The food vendor cap hasn't budged since 1983. There were other stories from vendors in El Barrio from the last couple of weeks: one woman, I was told, had her entire grill taken away and was left with multiple tickets. The cost of the grill plus the tickets, amounting to several thousand dollars, would effectively kill her business. A young man who sells Mexican yogurt drinks out of a cooler on third avenue was arrested later that week. To top that off, a well-liked 78-year old icy vendor who's pushed his cart in the neighborhood for decades was also caught in the crackdowns, losing his cart and, more than likely, his business. Advertisement Sean Basinski of the Street Vendor Project, an organization that advocates for vendors, says the city's cap on vendor permits is a major part the problem. Another is the role of business improvement districts (BIDs), public-private partnerships where property and business owners fund services and wield influence over a specific area. Basinski notes their role specifically with street vendors, who are often neighborhood staples: "The BIDS are incredibly powerful lobbying machines in support of broken windows policing. There are 82 BIDs across the city, and they have the ability to get to know local precinct commanders in neighborhoods all over. If the BIDs have a complaint about a street vendor, for example, they have a direct line to the NYPD, and can get them to come out much more quickly than a regular citizen ever could. In one case we knew about, the local precinct outpost and the BID security office literally shared the very same facility. Second, they have a lot of money. Just one BID in Lower Manhattan - the Downtown Alliance - has a yearly budget of $18 million. Of course, this is not raised by individual donations, like regular non-profits have to do, but rather mandatory property levies approved by the city. With all their money, the BIDs can afford to hire private lobbying firms." In this regard it's important to note how quality-of-life policing extends beyond police. These other levers of power and influence, represented by BIDs, merchant associations and chambers of commerce, fuel the broader Broken Windows ideology. "No police reform or community groups can match the BIDs collective reach," says Basinski. Advertisement Queens Neighborhood United (or Queens Barrios Unidos) is a grassroots coalition of resident groups and small business owners which fought the creation of a BID in Jackson Heights. They see BIDs as a spear of gentrification and say that heavy-handed quality-of-life enforcement efforts will only get worse with the expansion of BIDs. Spanish Harlem, which has a local chamber of commerce, has been on the brink of creating a BID in the neighborhood for some time. Crackdowns on vendors have also been happening in Jackson Heights and Corona, Queens as of late. Last week the city's health department, along with police officers, swept through neighborhoods in Queens harassing vendors, some who are even fined even though they had permits (enforcement can include all sorts other infractions, like being a few inches too close or too far from the curb). There, like in El Barrio, an icy vendor also had their cart confiscated. Even a vegetable vendor was targeted, the group says. Organizer Tania Mattos points to the Roosevelt Avenue Police Task Force and Jackson Heights Corona Business Improvement District, which she says "are tools used by government and the private sector to advance the interests of property owners." The Street Vendor Project says that crackdowns cost more than one might imagine. Apart from their slice of the police budget--the Manhattan South Peddler Task Force, for example, is reported to enjoy $4.5 Million budget--the policing of vendors can be measured in tens of thousands of tickets each year that vendors have to pay. In 2014, the Street Vendor Project estimates that 1,542 NYPD tickets and summonses were issued to vendors for lack of permits or licences. In 2015, 18,924 tickets issued to vendors went through the Environmental Control Board court (these being those that other city agencies can levy). Put together one can estimate upwards of 20,000-25,000 tickets are being issued to street vendors on any given year. While getting that cherished but capped vendor permit is nearly impossible, Basinski says that some can be bought on the black market for up to $20,000. More profitable food trucks and out-of-town vendors with wealthy investors (read: hipsters and white foodie-preneurs) may be able to afford those types of costs. However, most vendors, many of whom are immigrants and most of whom are people of color (Street Vendor Project estimates over 95% of vendors are non-white), cannot. July 22, 2016 -- the day that journalist Pavel Sheremet came home. Thousands lined up to see him in his hometown of Minsk, Belarus -- for the last time. Two days earlier, Sheremet was killed in a car bombing in Kiev. The New York Times reported: Another Russian journalist falls. On the surface, his story is not uncommon. Let's start the story from the beginning. 1994: A young bank worker steps foot into the world of Belarusian state television. He quickly proves his talent in his weekly program Prospekt. In no time, he is President Aleksander Lukashenko's right-hand reporter. Until he isn't. July 22, 1997 -- the day that Pavel Sheremet crossed the line. Literally, he crossed the line. Recording himself crossing the border between Belarus and Lithuania, he exposed the government for lying about border security. Lukashenko took it personally. Sheremet was thrown in the KGB jail for "exceeding his professional rights as a journalist," and deprived of his Belarusian citizenship. Advertisement That same year, in Kiev: an affair blossoms between two virtually unknown journalists -- Georgiy Gongadze and Olena Prytula. In 2000, they have the idea to create an oppositionist website together called Ukrayinska Pravda (The Ukranian Truth). Gongadze was the editor-in-chief. Prytula was not only his vice editor -- but also his mistress. A couple of months later, Georgiy Gongadze was found a headless corpse. The world erupted. The website sky-rocketed in popularity with Prytula left as its lone successor. The circumstances surrounding his death are now called the Cassette Scandal -- named for a collection of audiotapes released in which top level admin, Volodymyr Lytvyn, discusses a plan to silence Gongadze for his investigative reporting. The Former Interior Minister of Ukraine, Yuriy Kravchenko, bore witness to this. Two days before he could testify against Lytvyn, he was found dead with two gunshots in his head. What does any of this have to do with the death of Pavel Sheremet? To quote Alexandre Dumas: Cherchez la femme. Look for the woman. The last person to ever see Gongadze alive was his partner and lover, Olena Prytula. Sixteen years later, Pavel Sheremet dies in a car bombing after leaving his partner's house in her car. His partner's name? Advertisement Olena Prytula. It sounds like a bona fide crime noir -- but on that side of the world, it's a reality. This is the story of three journalists -- connected through strange circumstance, but at the end of the day, all victims of an oppressive regime of censorship. Where do I play into this? Well, it's more than just the fact that I was born in Minsk, myself. When I moved here fourteen years ago with my family, we were escaping the fate that Sheremet and countless before him faced themselves. In fact, when Sheremet was thrown in the KGB's jail, it was only a year after my own father had been there. And although Sheremet spent most of his career working for Russian television, his office was only down the hall from my father's own at Belarusian state television. When we moved to Cleveland fourteen years ago, everything my father had ever done was suddenly reset. When he started over, he created a newspaper and named it Prospekt in memory of the talent and vigor of his friend Pavel Sheremet. Just last month, we celebrated its 500th issue. As for Prytula, it's hard to know what to say. Whether she is a true black widow or a repeated victim of long-lasting tragedy -- even she is not safe. Some speculate that it was she that was meant to disappear a few days ago. Let's not forget that since 2000, an average of more than one investigative journalist a month is killed in Russia and Ukraine. Under intense government pressure, these deaths are left unsolved. Advertisement The FBI is currently investigating the assassination. The finale of this mysterious case remains open-ended. Editor's Note A HuffPost article that previously existed at this URL has been removed. MOSUL, IRAQ - AUGUST 9: Thousands of Yezidis trapped in the Sinjar mountains as they tried to escape from Islamic State (IS) forces, are rescued by Kurdish peshmerga forces and Peoples Protection Unit (YPG) in Mosul, Iraq on August 09, 2014. (Photo by Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Most were deeply moved by the compelling picture of the Yezidi people trapped by ISIS in early August 2014, yet for most that image has become but a memory. That picture provides a lens into a most tragic story. The Yezidis call August 3 the "turning point." Approximately 5,000 Yezidi people were slaughtered in early 2014. The picture of the Yezidis fleeing and stranded on Mt. Sinjar was horrifying, Over 50,000 people were in imminent danger. The United States did get involved with air strikes for a short while, allowing the people to leave the mountain. However, today 500,000 Yezidis remain without homes, and are victims of rape and murder as the world watches ISIS attempt to destroy this historic and peace loving people. In March of this year, in a rare act of unity, the House of Representative voted 393-0 to give the designation of genocide to the Yazidi. This is only the third time we have used that term in three decades. (The other two genocides are Rwanda and Darfur). Genocide is a legal term that has specific meaning all connected with the intent to systematically eradicate a religion, racial, ethnic group or national group from the face of the earth. The moral question that emerges is what is the responsibility of the world in responding to genocide? Regrettably, Darfur and Rwanda do not provide examples of intervention that are helpful. We need to grapple with both a humanitarian response as well as foreign policy that infuses the term genocide with a resolve to stop it. Advertisement I recently returned from my journey to Berlin and Amsterdam where I met with refugees from multiple countries including Yezidis. I went to "bear witness" to their plight and to listen to their voices. I had learned about these unique people and the danger they are living with in a comprehensive and articulate report published by the United Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015. During this season of political campaigning with some stereotyping all refugees and immigrants, it is especially important to be keenly aware and respond to the largest refugee crises that the world has seen since WW 11. I spent hours with Duezen Tekkal, a most personable and articulate Yezidi woman who is a German television journalist, author, and film maker. She wanted to know more about her roots, her people, and her history and joined her father on a perilous trip to Iraq in the summer of 2014. That trip resulted in her making a film and writing a book: "HAWAR-MY JOURNEY TO GENOCIDE." Most Americans know little about the Yeziids, and often we fear what we do not understand. They practice a 4,000 year-old tradition that combines Christian, Jewish and Muslim practices. There are about one million Yezidis in the world, half of them living in great peril in the Ninewa province of Iraq, and 100,000 living in Germany, most of whom are well integrated into German Culture. The Yezidis have a strong moral anchor which includes a prayer: "First save the other people on the earth, and then save us." Their spiritual center is in Lalish in Northern Iraq. They are inextricably linked with this land and have survived persecution throughout the ages. Most wish to remain there but many are seeking refuge. I met Deuzen's parents and some of her siblings. Her father Seyhmus who has lived in Germany for decades and has been an active leader in championing the cause of the Yezidis tells me: "We want justice, we want peace, and we want a future. We ask for the world to help us...Humanity is more important than whatever your religion is." Advertisement In 2015 Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 21 year old survivor of the genocide, told her horrifying story of enslavement and rape to the members of the United Nations Security Council. She shared in vivid detail her plight and that of her people: "Along the way, they humiliated us. They touched us and violated us. They took us to Mosul...where in a building there were thousands of Yezidi families and children and they exchanged us as gifts." On the Statute of Liberty, are the inspired words of Emma Lazarus: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" It often seems that this refers only to people who are already here and is no longer an active value. Does it only apply to those who share our backgrounds, our religions? We know little about the Yezidis, we fear the Syrian refugees. Immigrants have shaped America. There are many others waiting to come to our shores including the Yezidis. They too yearn for a new life. I say, it is not fair to support killers. Let's read an interesting critical essay by Nietzsche -- I mean "Nietzsche contra Wagner" written by Nietzsche himself. Nietzsche explaines in this essay why he parted ways with his friend, Richard Wagner. Nietzsche attacks Wagner's views, his conversion to Christianity, perceiving it as a sign of weakness. In particular, he calls Wagner's music degenerative and relates it to a bit by bit degenerating German culture and society. Nietzsche writes in the essay: 'Enough! Enough! I fear that, beneath all my merry jests, you are beginning to recognise the sinister truth only too clearly--the picture of the decline of art, of the decline of the artist'. The same thing I feel now when I read about Pavlensky and his support of Primorsky partisans. But when I expressed my critical opinion about cop killers in Pavlensky's Facebook, Pavlensky's partner Oksana immediately banned me, mocking my liberal views, despite the fact that I always supported Pavlensky. Havel Prize and Garry Kasparov Garry Kasparov, former World Chess Champion, awarded Pavlensky the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. Kasparov praised a lot his "artistic precision and courage". But a decision on awarding a prestigious prize was annulled because the artist had supported the Primorsky Partisans group. Who are the Primorsky partisans? They are not only cop killers. They are members of a band of far-right extremists. By the way, one of the first victims of the Primorsky Partisans group was Aleksey Karas, a police sergeant. He was killed with atrocity-- his body had more than 20 stab wounds. Advertisement July 20, the jury of the Primorsky regional court has recognized two Primorsky partisans not guilty on one of the episodes of the case. According to the Russian businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin who lives now in London, this court's decision is a sign of the impending catastrophe and a beginning of a civil war in Russia. I repeat, the Primorsky partisans are members of a band of far-right extremists, I can't understand why some Russians support far-right extremists, how they can do that is beyond my comprehension. Let me remind you, my readers, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris. This declaration is a milestone document in the history of human rights, it tells us that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. It tells us that a human being has the right to live. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person". "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people. Advertisement Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, ... Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. " Chimera of the Law Enforcement The painting's size is 39" x 47", it depicts a monster with the head of a man, with wings of a bat, a beak of bird, a snake-headed tail and four hands. The Chimera of the Law Enforcement wears a police cap, Chimera's hands hold an electric wire for torture, a tortured man, a gun and a police stick. The oil painting was created by me, Lena Hades, in Juny 2009. The Moscow Times published this painting 6 years ago. Eva Hartog Skorobogatova, a reporter of "The Moscow Times" wrote about Petr Pavlensky an interesting article entitled "Partisans or Cop Killers? The Fight for Justice in Russia's Far East". "Meanwhile, the Partizany's supporters are trying to correct what they see as a state-run misinformation campaign against the group". Dear Eva Hartog, I would like to pose a question to you, what does it mean -- "a state-run misinformation campaign against the group"? Where did these "innocent guerrillas" get their weapons? I know, this question is purely rhetorical -- in Russia, by the way, there is no free sale of weapons, arms sale to anyone. Advertisement Epilogue Recently in a newscast I heard the following: "If only white men could vote, Trump would win. If only people lacking a college degree could vote, Trump would win. Conversely, if only college graduates could vote, Clinton would win. If only women or minorities could vote, Clinton would win." Assuming the expert who was being interviewed had some evidence behind his proclamations, what does this tell us? For one thing it tells us either that white men, particularly the older and less educated among them, fail to understand something that more educated people do, or else this demographic feels less served by our society than others. This may come as a surprise, since most people would say that historically women and minorities were less well served in society than white men. There must be something these men are feeling that makes them want to revert to a former societal condition they somehow perceive as having been superior to the current one. So what is it that attracts so many older, less educated white men to Trump's message? What makes them respond favorably to the Trump persona, so utterly lacking in dignity, poise, compassion and respectability as it is? I am old enough to remember how things were in the 1950s. White males had decreed that blacks must sit at the back of the bus, that women must limit their concerns to the best brand of detergent to use, and that the handicapped must remain largely hidden from view so as not to disturb "normal" people. The handicapped were afforded none of the accommodations they enjoy today, and "foreigners" were viewed with suspicion, if not contempt. This was a time when many Americans blithely assumed our country was "better" than all the others, and American white men took for granted that they deserved greater privilege than everyone else. Advertisement Secluded (relatively speaking, anyway) as we were in those days from global influences, a triumphalist ethnocentrism was a natural and expected stance. Lacking much input from other cultures, we could freely assume that our country was the best, and our religious beliefs were the only correct ones; customs of other cultures were quaint, at best and "primitive" or barbaric at worst. In those days, we of the other gender, and those of nonwhite races willingly acceded all the power and privilege to the dominant demographic -- white males. This was a time when Trump was young, and our society had yet to even suspect the sweeping cultural changes that would force themselves into our consciousness, and that have colored our society ever since. Since the 1950s however other nationalities and races have flooded into our country, enriching our society with cultural variety and color, and exposing us to many belief systems and customs. The internet and global news connect us on a daily basis with all parts of the world. This multicultural exposure has broadened our minds and deepened our humanity. What is more, we have been able to compare and contrast all sorts of religions and belief systems, and have recognized a trajectory people tend to follow as they mature spiritually, no matter which religion they follow. We now understand that, regardless of what belief system a person may ascribe to, spiritual progress entails a continually expanding circle of concern. The least developed among us relate only to themselves; they are egocentric. Slightly more advanced people identify primarily with the groups of which they are a part, Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Americans, etc. These people can be said to be ethnocentric and they tend to fear or outcast anyone who is perceived as "other." At levels more advanced than those two, people identify with the entire human race, or even all beings, or the entire universe. The broader one's worldview, the more a person will include in their circle of concern, the more spiritually mature they are.* The same trajectory applies in social development and cultural development. We can perceive a definite forward direction in spiritual development, societal or any other type of development. And a Trump mentality represents a definite step backwards on that trajectory. At best his worldview might be ethnocentric. Or at worst -- and more likely -- egocentric. Advertisement Surely Trump's idea of what would make America "great" again harks back to a time of maximum ethnocentricity. The "great" America Trump would like to return to represents the less developed ethnocentric level. It was really only ever great for the very demographic to which Trump himself belongs -- white males, and NOT the minimally educated masses, but rather the elite, the RICH white males born into privilege and opportunity. Trump is first and foremost a largely ruthless businessman whose success has come at least in part by stepping on the backs of those with whom he did business. Everything he has said to date shows that he has clearly not reached a level that would cause him to empathize with anyone outside his own class. The uneducated, the poor and the oppressed do NOT belong to the group Donald Trump sees himself a part of. Trump may talk like he shares their concerns, but rest assured he is not one of them. They are "the other" that a Donald Trump would not relate to, no matter how much he is trying to pander to them in his embarrassingly undignified campaign. Typical minimally educated older white males, whose hard labors have built this country into what it is, are kidding themselves if they think a Donald Trump would ever lift a finger to extend the material, social or cultural bounty he has enjoyed to them. My warning to America's older, less educated white males: The "Great Again" America Trump promises is NOT the same one you are hoping for. Thursday, July 28, when Hillary Rodham Clinton took to the stage to accept the Democratic nomination to be the first female candidate of a major political party for president, was also the 101st anniversary of the U.S. military occupation of Haiti that lasted nineteen years. Hundreds of people took to the streets and filled a gym named after president Stenio Vincent, who negotiated the departure of the U.S. Marines in 1934, to launch the People's Tribunal on U.S. Occupation/Domination. The march began at Fort National, of historic significance. Equally significant was the rapprochement of various segments of Haiti's progressive movements, often fragmented along political lines. As the U.S. is gearing towards what will almost certainly be an expensive, combative, and highly charged general election, Haitian authorities have rescheduled elections for October 9. While some praised interim President Jocelerme Privert for declaring financial independence from the U.S., vowing to hold the elections without U.S. funding, this assertion of sovereignty was eroded as much of the $55 million budgeted for the elections will go to foreign firms to print the ballots. Privert's tightening of the state's belts has asphyxiated the already fragile public sector, notably education and health care. The State University of Haiti is in a prolonged crisis deepened Friday by the arrests of protestors occupying the administrative building, and doctors at the State Hospital have been on strike for months. Advertisement These contemporary struggles underscore the stakes in the efforts to re-unify the Haitian left. And they also underscore the need for a historical analysis and reparations. Without naming them all, here are six contemporary legacies of the first 1915-1934 U.S. Occupation: 1.Creating a new constitution that gave foreigners the rights to land in Haiti. Today, land rights - intimately linked with food sovereignty - remains one of the biggest struggles. International projects - free trade zones, export-oriented agriculture like Agritrans, high-end tourist development such as that at Ile-a-Vache, or mining - threatens this right. 2.Creating an army - which had devastating consequences of human rights violations and massacres, not to mention setting the stage for the Duvalier dictatorship. 3.Appropriating wealth - the U.S. stole $500,000 in gold reserves on December 17, 1914, right before the Occupation. During the occupation, National City Bank took control of Haiti's central bank. Since this time, Haiti's financial management remains under international agencies' rule. 4.Centralizing political and economic power in Port-au-Prince. Regional economies were undermined as nearly all wealth and all industries were developed in the capital. Political power was also centralized. These factors contributed to the hyperurbanization, and certainly after the killing of the Haitian pig population in the early 1980s. The 2010 earthquake exposed the consequences of this centralization in the "Republic of Port-au-Prince." 5.Fanning the conflict with other neighboring countries, certainly the Dominican Republic - it is not coincidence that the Dominican state chose the date of 1929, wherein if someone was born after this date their citizenship status was revoked in 2013. The U.S. occupied both sides of the island for several years, triggering a migration of Haitian laborers to cut Dominican sugar cane. Since June 18 of last year - where tens of thousands were either expelled or left 'voluntary' fearing mob violence - this situation has become a crisis and massive human rights violation. 6.Submitting the country under international agencies' tutelage - many in Haiti argue that the Occupation that began 101 years ago has never stopped. The 1915 military occupation prepared the ground for foreign control of development and fiscal policies. Haitian sovereignty has been eroded ever since. The debt claimed by international agencies was the opening for what used to be called "Structural Adjustment" programs, where international agencies forced the country to be open to foreign products, especially U.S. rice. In effect, Haiti was turned into a dumping ground for the U.S. and neighboring countries. In addition to this direct control, the 1915 Occupation prepared the country for what Sauveur Pierre Etienne called an "invasion of NGOs." After the earthquake Haiti was often called a "republic of NGOs" undermining state capacity and authority. This "humanitarian occupation" is accompanied by a U.N. invasion. These troops, who have brought cholera to the country with several documented cases of rape and sexual assault, have immunity. Advertisement The march, several hundred people strong, gained strength as it wound its way through low-income neighborhoods where several onlookers, handed a cartoon depicting an emaciated Haitian man feeding an already bloated Uncle Sam, joined. David Oxygene, of MOLEGHAF, spoke to the press across from the site of the demolished National Palace and barracks. In the gym, at least six hundred attended the formal launch of the People's Tribunal. An initiative of the People's Democratic Patriotic Movement, MPDP in the original Haitian Creole, and other agencies, the People's Tribunal's principal objective is "To reinforce the people's foundations of consciousness-raising and mobilization to accomplish a political de-occupation, economic de-occupation, and a cultural and ideological de-occupation of the country." These may seem like lofty goals, raising questions of why now? And why would this be a priority given so many other urgent realities in the country, and indeed the region and world. In his presentation at the launch of the People's Tribunal, Camille Chalmers pointed out the historical amnesia, as a result of the lack of investment in education. "When people hear about this process, they are thirsty for more information." Chalmers recounted the impact of the 1967-1968 International War Crimes Tribunal, organized in by philosophers Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre, which turned the tide of public opinion, mobilizing support for the eventual U.S. withdrawal. Specifically answering why now, history professor Jean Eddy Lucien pointed out the continuities and historical roots of many contemporary social problems in Haiti. In addition to several noted above, Lucien pointed out the roots of poverty and Haiti's role as provider of cheap labor that began with the U.S. Marines occupation. Lucien noted how 82% of Haitian college educated professionals live outside the country, a result of these processes of migration and underdevelopment. Advertisement Longtime refugee rights activist Collette Lespinasse emceed the event, which began with women's rights activist Danielle Magloire's presentation honoring Haitian resistance to the occupation, specifically noting Haitian women's participation in the struggle. Mirebalais high school teacher Fegues Germain testified about the U.S. Marines' massacre of peasants in the Central Plateau. French solidarity activist Claude Quemar of CATDM outlined the calls for reparations from France, especially the 1825 debt. Engineer-agronomist David Nicolas offered testimony of the destruction of the Haitian pig. Mario Joseph of Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) spoke of the impact of cholera and BAI's lawsuit against MINUSTAH, also detailed in a recently published book, Deadly River, by epidemiologist Ralph Frerichs. MPDP coordinator Ernst Mathurin unveiled the list of the committee to investigate and bring forth the lawsuit, as well as the jury, available on the People's Tribunal Facebook page. Both teams include leaders of public opinion, seasoned NGO professionals, social movement participants, and university professors. Music of many styles and poetry also spoke to the importance of this encounter with history. The People's Tribunal is moving ahead: the investigative committee is gathering facts to prepare its case. And it's already begun building bridges. Especially in this volatile electoral season - in Haiti as in the U.S. - it is easy to lose sight of history and structural causes of today's social ills. The People's Tribunal allows for an imagination and articulation of solutions. Advertisement Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president, right, and U.S. President Barack Obama depart following a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, June 30, 2015. The U.S. and Brazil issued new commitments Tuesday to promote renewable energy and prevent deforestation, continuing momentum to address climate change leading into global talks later this year in Paris. Photographer: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images In an interview with journalist Abby Martin, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador said that Latin America would be better off if Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November. He was relatively gracious and diplomatic about it, praising Hillary Clinton for her positive attributes, and ended by saying that for the sake of the U.S. and the world, he hoped that she would win. But Correa, who has done a great job in improving the lives of his compatriots and carrying out progressive reforms during his presidency, is highly educated and intelligent. He has learned much from the region's experience with the Bush and Obama administrations. So it is worth taking his claim seriously, because it says some important things about U.S. policy in Latin America. The basic idea is that the U.S. is going to play a terrible role in Latin America no matter who is president, so it is better for Latin Americans to have a U.S. president who is widely disliked, like George W. Bush was, than someone who is charming and mediagenic like President Obama. In the short run, it is hard to counter this claim. In fact, it is quite possible that the region would have been better off if John McCain (2008) or Mitt Romney (2012) had defeated Barack Obama, and Obama is in general less hawkish than Hillary on foreign policy. The Obama administration's policies in Latin America were no better than those of George W. Bush. The administration helped consolidate the military coup in Honduras, and did the same for the parliamentary coup in Paraguay. Advertisement In March 2016 President Obama traveled to Argentina to heap praise on the recently elected right-wing president there, and the administration reversed its policy of blocking international loans to the country under the prior, left President Cristina Kirchner. Many more examples of real or attempted harm of left governments could be cited. On the positive side of the ledger, there is one item: Obama's opening to Cuba. This is a historically significant policy change that would likely not have been done by a Republican president, but it is still part of a continued strategy of regime change by other means. There are historical and structural reasons for the ugly continuity of U.S. policy in Latin America, and the shameful lack of debate over it either within the government or in the media. Perhaps most importantly, it has few electoral consequences, even when Washington alienates almost all of the region's governments, as it did with the military coups in Honduras and Venezuela. So Correa is probably right, at least in the short run. But I would argue that in the long run, even Latin America would be worse off with a Trump presidency. That is because the two parties here do not have the same political constituencies, and the base of the Democratic Party is sufficiently different that it will continue to push overall U.S. foreign policy in a better direction. This was more evident for Latin America in the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan's sponsorship of mass killings and atrocities in Central America caused so much opposition here that Congress cut off funding for the war in Nicaragua. (The Reagan administration then resorted to illegal funding; hence the Iran-Contra scandal). On this fight, Congress was divided along partisan lines, with Democrats against U.S. funding for illegal wars and assassinations. Advertisement A recent example of these potential differences can be seen in the letter sent last week to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by 43 Congressional Democrats, including some of the party's leadership in the House and members close to President Obama. The letter states: We write to express our deep concern regarding recent developments in Brazil that we believe threaten that country's democratic institutions. We urge you to exercise the utmost caution in your dealings with Brazil's interim authorities and to refrain from statements or actions that might be interpreted as supportive of the impeachment campaign launched against President Dilma Rousseff. Our government should express strong concern regarding the circumstances surrounding the impeachment process and call for the protection of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Brazil. The Obama administration is officially neutral on the impeachment, or "coup" as many Brazilians call it, but there is evidence that they are supporting it. A member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told me recently that it was "pretty clear" that the Administration was in favor of Dilma's impeachment. It is very unusual, perhaps unprecedented, for dozens of Democratic members of Congress to push back against a Democratic administration on policy towards a country as large and important as Brazil. But the only major U.S. news outlet that reported on the letter was the Los Angeles Times. Advertisement The major media is another structural reason for the appalling continuity and lack of debate over U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. Pope Francis waves during a press conference on the plane after his visit to Krakow for the World Youth Days, on July 31, 2016.Pope Francis celebrated mass on July 31, 2016 with over 1.5 million pilgrims in a vast sun-drenched field in Poland, wrapping up an emotionally charged trip with some choice technological metaphors. In a nod to today's internet-dominated world, Francis urged the faithful, who had travelled to Poland from all over the world, to 'download the best link of all, that of a heart which sees and transmits goodness without growing weary'. / AFP / POOL / Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) According to German, Nazi-era thinker Carl Schmitt, the function of the Catholic church and the papacy is to slow down the arrival of the Antichrist and the end of days. On his visit to Poland from July 27 to 31, Pope Francis made it clear that he is trying to keep a third World War from emerging -- in the shape of a war between religions. Among his remarks, he said that the characterization of Islam as violent is misguided. Despite repeated attempts to get the pope to create an armed church -- by those who do not dare to demand a response to the terrorist phenomenon from politicians -- Francis is not alone in rejecting the military-theology option. Advertisement Paradoxically, the few churchmen and the even fewer columnists who attempt to blackmail the church with the idea of an armed papacy are the same ones who chastise Francis for not following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II. But it's clear that Francis's refusal to enter the church and the gospel in a "clash of civilizations 2.0" follows in the path set by John Paul II. (The current cultural and religious war is considerably different from the clash of civilizations predicted roughly 20 years ago by the Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington.) It's also clear that he's carrying out the church's commitment to peace. It was almost a century ago, on August 1, 1917, when Pope Benedict XV described war as "useless massacre." Anyone who asks Pope Francis to issue a theological sanction on Islam, in the form of a declaration of a war of religions, is making a desperate attempt to simplify the landscape we're all facing. Francis is a profoundly anti-ideological pope who has learned a great deal from the clash between the church and political ideologies. He has experienced the full complexity and paradoxes inherent to life as a Catholic in a democratic, pluralistic society. In 1989, John Paul II was celebrated as the undisputed victor of the battle between ideologies; for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, it was far more difficult to extricate himself from the historical and theological conflict between church and state in Argentina. The battle is even harder for Francis as the bishop of Rome. He faces neo-liberal secularists who are enamored by the idea of a war between religions, narcissists who see in the assassins of Rouen what they believe to be the true version of Islam, and whom they want the church to fight in their stead. But the pope is also dealing with those who are expecting him to condemn Islam at large. They expect him to make a theological judgment on the basis of such crazy factions who do not comply with any of the doctrinal, spiritual, social or political expressions of global Islam. There are currently many issues and questions surrounding the geopolitical and cultural stance of Catholicism, including: The return of nationalism and the risks facing democracy in the West; the issue of the domination of a technocratic paradigm that brings about social inequality, the biopolitical question (which certainly hasn't disappeared from the horizon -- just ask any Western countries in which euthanasia has become an increasingly common practice); and the issue of global terrorism, which has marked our lives over the past 15, and for which no short term solutions can be seen. Advertisement With his words, Francis keeps the church, and the entire Western world, safe from the abyss that would open up in the event of a theological retaliation on global Islam. Overall, redefinition of ideological and religious alignments can be seen clearly in the United States, where the white nationalism of Donald Trump's Republican party has momentarily overshadowed -- but has not entirely eliminated -- the pro-life and pro-choice issues surrounding abortion, marking a major shift compared to the last 40 years of U.S. politics. Anyone who asks Pope Francis to issue a theological sanction on Islam, in the form of a declaration of a war of religions, is making a desperate attempt to simplify the landscape we're all facing. They are under the mistaken impression that the issue is purely theological, or better yet, heresy-ological. It is as if a theological condemnation of Islam would be enough to resolve the massive, complex puzzle of issues that the whole world is grappling with today. The genius of Catholicism, and the Roman papacy in particular, is the ability to scrutinize the "signs of the time," to avoid the temptation to take shortcuts. The papal magisterium witnessed this with the 1963 Pacem in Terris encyclical, the spiritual testament of John XXIII, and with the inter-religious encounters in Assisi organized by John Paul II (as a way to combat skepticism and opposition coming in from almost all sides) in 1986, 15 years before the events of September 11, 2001. On his way back from Poland, Pope Francis said that it is wrong to equate violence and terrorism with Islam. With his words, Francis keeps the church, and the entire Western world, safe from the abyss that would open up in the event of a theological retaliation on global Islam -- which remains to be the primary victim of terrorism worldwide. Advertisement It was 1973 when my dad jumped onto that moving train in Prijedor, Bosnia and broke his arm in the process. He was 10 years old, and his school was trying to force him to go to communist dictator Josip Broz Tito's birthday parade, again. This wasn't the first time he felt the brunt of communism or felt the urge to flee from it, and it was only one of many suppressing incidents in his youth that would lead to his running away from Bosnia at 16. Among them were being forced to stop writing with his left hand (courtesy of a switch and a harsh teacher), being forced into the army, into a pro-Tito mindset, and into an education that was biased and propagandist. He was tired of his people being denied loans and jobs for rejecting communism, and tired of things like bananas being an expensive luxury. My dad ran away from home for freedom of speech, for freedom of thought, really. In what has been a tumultuous and unrelenting year of tragedy and vicious discord among parties in the United States, a year where a brash presidential hopeful rose to power on the shirking of human dignity, it feels like we've stopped focusing on the free speech that families like mine always dreamed of having -- that we've left it alone. This is dangerous, because freedoms do not exist on their own. Advertisement The legal granting of free speech doesn't mean it's present or prevalent or accepted; it's not just a statement on a historic piece of paper, but an environment conducive to logical and respectful debate. It's an environment without hate toward difference, without anger toward change, without silencing of opposition. My parents, for example, are still afraid to voice their opinions against government actions, even here in the U.S., because they know exactly how quickly and how unexpectedly governments fall apart and entire countries literally go up in flames (See Ex-Yugoslavia 1989-present). Government protections can be arbitrary and transient, but is an environment that makes freedom of speech come alive, and a population of citizens that create that environment. This year, our First Amendment-granted duty is more important than ever. It is our duty to push back against empty and fear-inducing rhetoric. It is our job to look past lofty, vague promises and think logically about what steps must be taken for something to "get better" or "be great." It is our job to fight for those who do not have our privileges, for those who are human and therefore our equals. It is our job to fight back, even when injustice will not directly affect us, because injustice for one is injustice for all. When we choose to remain silent about these injustices, or we don't vote, a duty countless people would kill for, we are not performing our central functions as citizens within a democracy. Apathy is not a valid response to an election season you're not looking forward to: That's not rebellion. Rebellion means writing, voting, canvassing, speaking out, and fighting for what you want to change. Rejecting it, ignoring it, and waiting for it to pass are not ways to share your voice: That's not democracy. We are a privileged and free-spoken people, and it's simply not an option to remain ignorant or silent about the things that are wrong in the world. It is in fact dangerous to ignore the stories that need to be told, to stifle the conversations that need to be had. When innocent people are persecuted anywhere or discriminated against for their appearances or religions or beliefs, when powerful people threaten to silence press and discourse and freedom, then it is our duty to push for conversation, for action, and for justice. Advertisement Within that Bill of Rights lies our right to push back. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on July 29, 2016, struck down a group of election "reforms" rushed though in 2013 by Republicans in the North Carolina Legislature. The decision is crucially important. Still, the problem it addresses is part of a larger issue -- rejection by the majority party in North Carolina's Legislature of democratic principles -- all in an effort to establish one-party rule resistant to electoral change. The attack on democracy has been multi-faceted, including, but not limited to, racial-political gerrymanders in the state Legislature, new extreme "partisan" gerrymanders for Congress and election law changes aimed to hobble voting by blacks, minorities and the young. Sadly some of the changes are eerily reminiscent of the attack on democracy during and after Reconstruction when the old-time, and ultimately defeated, bi-racial Republican Party had championed expanded democracy, voting rights, public education and democracy for local governments. The Fourth Circuit dealt with changes passed in 2013 to North Carolina's election law -- "reforms" that increased barriers to voting. The question before the Court was whether intentional racial discrimination motivated the enactment of five election law "reforms" and, if so, whether they would have been enacted even without the racial motivation. In order to answer these questions, the Fourth Circuit panel looked at the full picture. It looked at the "reforms" collectively and in context. Advertisement Part of that context was the growth of African-American political influence in North Carolina elections. In North Carolina, most whites vote Republican, blacks overwhelmingly vote Democratic. This fact, as the Fourth Circuit panel noted, "does provide an incentive for intentional discrimination in the regulation of elections." It may, as the Fourth Circuit stated, "motivate politicians to entrench themselves through discriminatory elections laws." Because of history and socio-economic factors, many blacks are particularly vulnerable members of the Democratic Party's multi-racial coalition. "After years of [required] pre-clearance [under the Voting Rights Act] and expansion of access [under the laws the reforms repealed]," the appeals court noted, "by 2013 registration and turnout of African Americans' was in near parity with that of whites. ... African Americans were poised to act as major political force." At this crucial time, and freed from Justice Department pre-clearance after the U.S. Supreme Court's Shelby County decision, the Legislature acted with great speed. The Fourth Circuit panel also noted: For each reform, the General Assembly requested and got data on the racial effect of the "reform" -- so they knew the racial and political effect of each change. "Upon the receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionally affected African Americans." The so-called "reforms" included adding a restrictive voter ID law, ending same-day registration, cutting back on early voting days and eliminating one of the two "souls-to-the-polls" Sundays African-American churches had used to transport voters to the polls. The law also prohibited county election officials from counting votes by voters who mistakenly voted in the wrong precinct. The prior law required counting votes for those races for which the voter was clearly qualified to vote. The "reform" law eliminated pre-registration that allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to indicate their intent to vote when obtaining drivers licenses or attending mandatory registration drives. They were then checked for eligibility and, if eligible, automatically registered when they turned 18. Pre-registration increased turnout among young adults. Advertisement Though not immediately obvious to most who simply read the law, the appeals court's decision explained the importance and effect of each of these changes for African-American voters. When the Fourth Circuit looked at independent (non-racial) justifications for the laws, it found them to be weak. For example, the state failed to provide a single case of in-person voter fraud. But the Board of Elections had found some fraud in connection with absentee ballots. The statistics the Legislature had requested showed that whites, not blacks, predominantly used absentee ballots. No legislation was aimed at absentee-ballot problems. A crucial part of the appeals court's decision focused on the intersection of politics and race. An argument against the decision is, even if, as it seems in light of the full context, the Legislature targeted black voters. It did not target blacks because they were black, but because they voted Democratic, and they were a convenient target. The appeals court's answer was direct: "Using race as a proxy for party may be an effective way to win an election. But intentionally targeting a particular race's access to the franchise because its members vote for a particular party, in a predictable manner, constitutes discriminatory purpose. This is so even absent any evidence of race-based hatred and despite the obvious political dynamics. A state legislature acting on such a motivation engages in intentional racial discrimination in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act." History is full of ironies. After the Civil War the old-time Southern Republicans were the bi-racial party. In the era of Reconstruction, North Carolina tried democracy, public education and locally elected political power for cities and counties. Advertisement When the old-time North Carolina Republicans were in power, they expanded democracy with election laws that facilitated voting. The "Democrats" regained power and enacted restrictive election laws that disproportionally disadvantaged blacks (and, of course, Republicans). In a coalition with the Populists, the Republicans regained power and again democratized election laws. When North Carolina "Democrats" regained power, they again passed laws that contracted democracy and disadvantaged black voters. Some, but not all, of these later law were more overtly racial. The old-time North Carolina Republicans benefited from expansions of the right to vote. And the "Democrats" benefited from facially neutral barriers they placed in the way of black voters. To treat this back and forth as just politics is a false equivalency. Expanding the ability to vote should not be legally or morally equivalent to impeding or contracting it. The Fourth Circuit noted that "one of the legislature's stated purposes in enacting SL 2013-381 [the election "reform" act] was to "mov[e] the law back to the way it was." The District Court "apparently regarded this as entirely appropriate. ... [T]he voting mechanisms that SL 2013-381 restricts or eliminates were ratified 'relatively recently,' ' almost entirely along party lines,' when 'Democrats controlled the legislature'..." SL 2013-381 was similar, except this time the partisan change came from the Republicans. The Fourth Circuit panel responded: "When a legislature dominated by one party has dismantled barriers to African-American access to the franchise, even if done to gain votes, 'politics as usual' does not allow a legislature dominated by the other party to re-erect those barriers." Advertisement Earlier in Dickson v. Rucho, the North Carolina Legislature, using two racial quotas, had packed more black voters into selected state legislative districts where the candidates preferred by black voters were already winning by landside margins. The packing, which wasted black votes and reduced black political power, was allegedly to protect against a Voting Rights lawsuit, supposedly based on the inability of blacks to elect the candidate of their choice in the reconstituted districts. In addition to a 50 percent-plus quota for black voters in those districts, a quota the Legislature failed to show was needed or justified, a second racial quota sought blacks in the Legislature in proportion to the black population of the state. In support of that quota, white Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth), who had been preferred by black voters in her district, was removed from her district. For the proportionality quota, she was a senator of the wrong color. The North Carolina Supreme Court approved the two racial quotas, its decision was vacated by the United States Supreme Court, and the North Carolina high court again approved both of the racial quotas. Meanwhile in Harris v. McCrory, a three-judge federal court panel, finding racial districting that violated the Fourteenth Amendment, struck down congressional districts that the North Carolina Court had approved. In response to the Harris decision, the Legislature ordered its line drawer to ignore race and to gerrymander congressional districts to favor Republicans. Essentially, regardless of the overall congressional vote or basic democratic principles, the line drawer was to give as many districts to Republicans and as few to Democrats as possible under existing law. Advertisement As Rep. David Lewis (R-Dunn), who was leading the gerrymander effort, explained "we are going to use partisan data in drawing the map...to gain partisan advantage" by electing 10 Republicans and three Democrats. Why not an even more dramatically anti-democratic map? "I do not believe it is possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats," he explained. Is there some hope? Yes, some. In still another case, Covington v. North Carolina, a three-judge federal court has before it a challenge to 28 state legislative districts as a racial gerrymander in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The powerful claim is that those districts were gerrymandered using two racial quotas for which no narrowly tailored compelling state interest was present. If that suit succeeds, the facade of Voting Rights Act justification for the gerrymander should fall. The result should be to revive the Whole County (anti-gerrymander) provision of our State Constitution, which bans dividing whole counties in state legislative districting except as needed to comply with supreme federal law (such as one person, one vote). Without the facade of the Voting Rights Act justification for these districts, the state constitution should limit the state legislative gerrymander. Another hope is an outraged citizenry -- Republicans as well as Democrats and Independents -- in short, those who place democracy above partisan interests. Citizens could demand a non-partisan citizen districting commission. It would take a broad, deep and strong political effort to move entrenched partisan legislators, but if the public were squarely presented with the issue and outraged, that might happen. One demand could be for a referendum on the issue. In any case, partisan gerrymandering and its corrosive effect on America's and North Carolina's democracy needs to be put front and center in our political discussions. Michael Kent Curtis teaches Constitutional Law and Legal and Constitutional History at Wake Forest University School of Law. The views expressed are his own, not those of the University. Advertisement The Huntington Theatre Company has been a tenant of Boston University for the first thirty-four years of its existence, occupying a landmark-style theater up the street from Boston's Symphony Hall. So what happens if you're the Huntington and the landlord informs you that your lease is up? Boston is in the midst of an epochal building boom, and even a landmark-style theater dating back to the 1920s can become an inviting target for a wrecking ball. The operative word in that sentence is landmark-style. Although the theater where the Huntington performs much of its works has existed since the 1920s, somehow it never received landmark status. Advertisement So if you're Michael Maso, managing director of the Huntington since its inception, who you gonna call? How about Mayor Marty Walsh? The Huntington serves 200,000 patrons a year, has educated more than a million Boston students in the mysteries of the theater, and partially subsidizes the rental costs for smaller Boston theatre companies at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End to the tune of $400,000 a year. Maso says that Mayor Walsh recognized from the start the unique value that the Huntington played in the life of the city. The city itself let its feelings be known to the mayor as well. Mayor Walsh and his team did what mayors do--they cut a deal. Boston University will move its theater operations closer to its campus, a developer will create a new commercial building on the part of the property where the backstage construction areas are located, but the theater will remain intact. Advertisement The theater will end up better than intact, as Huntington plans to raise $60 million to $70 million for a renovation and modernization over the next few years, preserving the gold leaf chandeliers and other period grace notes that no one could ever afford to build into a theater today. As the crow flies, it's actually not that far from the theater to the B.U. campus, but crows don't have to deal with Boston traffic. So it made sense for BU to consolidate its theater facilities in a location closer to campus. The remarkable thing is that a big city mayor stood up to developers to preserve a vital part of the city's heritage. "We simply cannot say enough good things about Mayor Walsh and his team," Maso says. "They recognized that the city of Boston would be poorer culturally if this gem of a theater were torn down and the Huntington was displaced. "We're a nonprofit. There are no big salaries here. People do what they do for the love of theatre. To have a mayor who 'gets it' is a wonderful thing." Advertisement Neither Maso nor the Huntington's Artistic Director, Peter DuBois, even made contingency plans in the unfortunate event that the company lost its home, always believing that a way would be found. "We were so busy working on plan A that we never had time to formulate a plan B," Maso says. The Huntington, which in the past has championed the works of playwrights such as August Wilson and Tom Stoppard, is embarking on a long-term exploration of the entire oeuvre of Stephen Sondheim, the American musical comedy equivalent of William Shakespeare. Not the kind of thing you do if you're afraid you're going to lose your lease. PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Over 1,000 people gather outside of a LGBT center in downtown Philadelphia to protect it from Westboro Baptist Church members during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The church members, known for their hatred of the gay community and others, abandoned their plan to demonstrate.The convention officially began on Monday and is expected to attract thousands of protesters, members of the media and Democratic delegates to the City of Brotherly Love. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) There's been much said about the sea of American flags, the chants of "USA!" and the overt references to God and family values at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Spending four days inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia I agree with those who viewed the inspiration for all of this as far different from the nationalist, jingoistic, religiously bigoted fervor that has inspired the typical Republican National Convention (RNC) of the past, much of which was often pandering and staged -- even as Republicans were apparently jealous while watching the DNC this year. For all the production that goes into conventions, the patriotism at the DNC was real and it was inspired by mortal fear. It was truly about love of country -- the country we've transformed in the past eight years in powerful ways -- and the trepidation at the possibility a madman who'd already taken control of the Republican Party could snatch it away from us. Advertisement A major part of that transformation over the past eight years has been the rise of LGBT rights, a struggle that now occupies a place within the mainstream of American life, brought to that place during the Obama years. It was hard to fathom, listening to the speakers on the stage this year standing up for LGBT equality, and walking the floor of the convention and seeing so many out and proud delegates -- a record 600 delegates of the 4765 at convention were LGBT, with 28 transgender delegates alone -- that only eight years ago, the presidential candidate at the DNC, like that at the RNC, was opposed to marriage equality. Barack Obama, like most Democrats -- and just about every prominent Republican -- had defined marriage as between a man and woman in 2008. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender soldiers could not serve openly in the military then, booted out unless they lived closeted and in terror. Gay and transgender people were often dismissed and disregarded in politics and popular culture. The LGBT civil rights movement was, to Democrats at that time, a pain in the ass -- another constituency that made noise but which had to be paid attention to because it energized voters and contributed money. That was certainly how LGBT people were treated at past Democratic conventions, as one or two gay people would be given a speaking slot in the afternoon, and maybe there was a visit by a minor political figure to the LGBT (Gay and Lesbian) Caucus. In 2012, the year President Obama backed marriage equality -- after the enormous achievement of getting "don't ask, don't tell" repealed and becoming a leader on LGBT rights like no other president -- we saw the beginning of a true embrace, but it was still a cautious one, with speakers on the stage talking about the right to "to love" who one wants, keepings things a bit in code. Advertisement Not in 2016. Queerness was flaunted, and very in-your-face, omnipresent at a convention that had the most pro-LGBT platform in history (contrasting with the RNC's most anti-LGBT platform in history, which includes promotion of so-called transgender "bathroom bills" and "ex-gay" therapy.) LGBT rights, like women's rights, racial justice, immigration reform and a slew of other issues, were integrated smoothly into the program rather than seeming forced and stilted, as it was at RNC, where billionaire Peter Thiel popped up on stage as the only openly gay speaker (and only the second one in RNC history), aware that it was jarring in the room to just state that he was "proudly gay," and asking "Who cares?" with regard to bathroom bills rather than simply saying the GOP platform was vile and repulsive. He received a rather silent response from the audience to that question -- and an "I do!" from the first delegate I asked on the floor, Judy Nichols of Nederland, Texas. At the DNC this year, prominent governors, attorneys general, members of Congress and Democratic officials visited the LGBT Caucus, and the first transgender speaker ever to speak on the stage at a DNC, Sarah McBride, was broadly welcomed by the delegates. The same was true of speaker after speaker, many but not all of them gay, lesbian or bisexual -- or, in the case of Christine Leinonen, a mother of one of the Pulse nightclub victims in Orlando, the families of LGBT people -- who touted LGBT equality as an American value, a family value and an issue of faith. When Rev. William Barber of North Carolina delivered his powerful sermon of a speech on the final night of the convention, he spoke out for "LGBTQ" rights, having himself been a force against North Carolina's anti-LGBT HB2, organizing sit-ins to protest the heinous law. And he lambasted those clearly aligned with the GOP who use religion to condemn people: "I am worried by the way that faith is cynically used by some to serve hate, fear, racism and greed." Advertisement The faith on display at the DNC, as Jamelle Bouie noted at Slate, reflecting the social justice movement of the black church, was indeed that of inclusion, unity and equality, and one reason why it didn't creep many of us out the way bromides to God and faith do at GOP conventions. The same was true of the shows of patriotism, as Khazr Kahn displayed in his now legendary speech about his son, a fallen soldier, that has sent Donald Trump into a tailspin. Lifting up his copy of the Constitution -- something, again, we'd expect to see at a GOP convention -- he stole the issue of religious liberty from the GOP as well, defining it as issue that respects full equality and inclusion. At the DNC this year LGBT people were an integral part of the new American majority on display -- a majority that includes many minorities banding together to fight off an angry, often bigoted minority in the GOP who'd found a messiah in Donald Trump. He's promised to take them back to a time when diversity wasn't revered, when African-Americans were second class citizens, when immigration wasn't the threat they now perceive it to be (because most of the immigrants now are brown) and when women, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people weren't afforded the place in society they now have -- a time before "political correctness," as Trump often says derogatorily. Though LGBT rights and the march toward full equality helped form this majority, we're right to be fearful that the angry, aggrieved minority that Trump encourages can bring along other Republicans who know better but who are loyal to the party and will vote for Trump. We also must be aware that Trump's message plays to those who are rightly aggrieved -- some of them Democrats -- because they've been left behind in the slow economic recovery, something Bernie Sanders tapped into and which Hillary Clinton must speak to, as the American Prospect's Robert Kuttner strongly urges, rather than run away from. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaks about gun violence prevention at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 24, 2016. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan As we all know, the American Revolution began when a group of colonials exchanged fire with British troops in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1776. You can visit the battlefield today, it's a national monument beautifully kept by the U.S. Park Service, located a half-hour's drive from the office of Maura Healey, who happens to be the current Massachusetts Attorney General, a.k.a., the AG. Maura started her own little revolution last week by issuing a regulation that basically banned the purchase of AR-15 assault rifles throughout the Bay State. Current AR-15 owners (like me) can keep their guns, they can also transfer them to anyone else who can own firearms in Massachusetts, but in terms of the civilian arsenal being increased through the addition of more AR rifles, to all intents and purposes Massachusetts is now AR-rein. Advertisement Two things happened within 24 hours after the ban was announced: (1). Every, single AR in the inventory of every single gun shop in Massachusetts was sold; and, (2). The Gun-mob Nation noise machine started going full blast. The NRA got right into the act by calling the AR order "obviously incorrect;" the National Review said that her action meant that Healey could make the state gun law "mean what she wanted it to mean;" and a Republican state legislator in Massachusetts, who is known for his outspoken reverence for anything having to do with the 2nd Amendment, filed a bill to strip the AG from having any ability to alter rules and regulations over gun sales. Now the fact that gun sales are legal commerce, the fact that someone who purchases a gun in a gun shop is, ipso facto, a consumer, the fact that the AG's office runs a very active operation known as the Department of Consumer Protection, the fact that this means the AG has the authority to promulgate and enforce rules on items that are sold to consumers in Massachusetts, none of these facts mean anything to State Senator Don Humason or his Gun-mob Nation supporters at all. Because the truth is that Gun-mob Nation doesn't want gun sales or gun ownership to be regulated because any type of gun regulations are, you know the rest of this sentence, a violation of 2nd-Amendment 'rights.' Now it just so happens that such rules are not a violation of anything within the Constitution or without. But just tell that to Senator Humason and his Gun-mob Nation friends. In particular his Gun-mob Nation friends, who began peppering various media venues like Facebook with some of the worst, most offensive comments about Maura that have ever been seen. Calling her a 'fascist,' a ''bitch,' a 'c**t,' the language made a Donald Trump speech sound like something out of Mary Poppins. According to the Boston Globe newspaper, one big-mouth tweeted that he wanted to hire a homeless person to rape and disembowel the AG. Advertisement Now don't get me wrong. Gun issues provoke strong emotions on both sides of the fence. And while I thought that the AG was absolutely correct in calling attention to the fact that removing a few, cosmetic doo-dads from an AR-15 doesn't in any way diminish the lethality of the gun. Nevertheless, gun owners have every right to voice their anger, and even State Senator Humason has the right to do a little grandstanding by filing his stupid bill. Trade is not racially neutral "economic populism." When Sanders talked about trade, it was to talk about how corporations use trade to harm workers and democracy at home and abroad. When Trump talks about trade, he talks about other countries "stealing" jobs from "the United States"-- a zero sum image that implicitly argues for Trump taking back jobs from brown people and giving them back to his white constituency. The liberal support for free trade in the immediate post-World War II period was that it was replacing "managed trade" of Europe with its global partners, better known as colonialism, where those with military and economic power would negotiate individual deals with weaker clients and extract their wealth to the advantage of the main European power's citizens and workers. Even as workers might be fighting capitalists at home, they might be sharing in the exploitation of poor Asian or African or Latin American workers -- essentially a global Jim Crow of white privilege for workers in the Anglo-American world. Creating multi-lateral rules where every nation would follow the same rules with no nation getting special privileges or benefits in any trading relationship would ideally limit that colonial extraction of surplus. Given global imbalances of wealth and power, that was always more an ideal than complete reality but for decades it seemed better than colonial system it replaced. Advertisement But Trump is de facto calling for a return to the colonial era of individual negotiations with countries like China or Japan, or inevitably whatever non-white nation he rails against, where the U.S. can use its military and economic power in the hands of master negotiator to extract a "better deal" from each individual nation to benefit its own citizens at the expense of the poorer, less white people of those other countries. This is quite different from the progressive critique of modern trade. Where progressives argue things went wrong with trade deals of recent decades was that they began focusing less on lowering tariffs and making trade equal and more on protecting individual corporate interests, whether expanding intellectual property rules or restricting local consumer and environmental protection rules or trying to give corporations a legal right to strike down laws they don't like in unelected arbitration panels. They failed to strengthen labor laws at home and abroad to ensure that lower priced goods in a country didn't just reflect more exploitation. Trump never rails against trade deals being used by our companies to hurt U.S. workers, just as his overall policy doesn't argue for strengthening labor laws or taking any other action at the expense of the corporate elite on behalf of his white working class constituency. No, the only groups he argues should lose economically to enhance the wealth of that constituency are poor immigrants at home and poor non-white workers abroad. Trump's trade "populism" is as much a racist appeal to his voters as his attacks on immigrants or his denunciations of muslims. It's all part of othering non-white people to justify policy to advantage that white constituency over other groups. That those white workers in the U.S. have legitimate gripes with how the global economy may be treating them doesn't make Trump's appeals any less racist. When AFRICOM Evaluates Itself, the News Is Grim Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com Its rare to hear one top military commander publicly badmouth another, call attention to his faults, or simply point out his shortcomings. Despite a seemingly endless supply of debacles from strategic setbacks to quagmire conflicts since 9/11, the top brass rarely criticize each other or, even in retirement, utter a word about the failings of their predecessors or successors. Think of it as the camouflage wall of silence. You may loathe him. You may badmouth him behind closed doors. You may have secretly hoped for his career to implode. But publicly point out failures? Thats left to those further down the chain of command. And yet thats effectively exactly what newly installed U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) chief, General Thomas Waldhauser, did earlier this year in a statement to the Senate Arms Services Committee (SASC). Its just that no one, almost certainly including Waldhauser himself, seemed to notice or recognize it for the criticism it was, including the people tasked with oversight of military operations and those in the media. Over these last years, the number of personnel, missions, dollars spent, and special ops training efforts as well as drone bases and other outposts on the continent have all multiplied. At the same time, incoming AFRICOM commanders have been publicly warning about the escalating perils and challenges from terror groups that menace the commands area of operations. Almost no one, however -- neither those senators nor the media -- has raised pointed questions, no less demanded frank answers, about why such crises on the continent have so perfectly mirrored American military expansion. Advertisement Asked earlier this year about the difficulties hed face if confirmed, Waldhauser was blunt: A major challenge is effectively countering violent extremist organizations, especially the growth of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and ISIL in Libya. That should have been a deja vu moment for some of those senators. Three years earlier, the man previously nominated to lead AFRICOM, General David Rodriguez, was asked the same question. His reply was suspiciously similar: A major challenge is effectively countering violent extremist organizations, especially the growth of Mali as an al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb safe haven, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and al-Shabaab in Somalia. All that had changed between 2013 and 2016, it seemed, was the addition of one more significant threat. In the midst of Rodriguezs 2016 victory lap (as he was concluding 40 years of military service), Waldhauser publicly drew attention to just how ineffective his run as AFRICOM chief had been. Some might call it unkind -- a slap in the face for a decorated old soldier -- but perhaps turnabout is fair play. After all, in 2013, Rodriguez did much the same to his predecessor, General Carter Ham, when he offered his warning about the challenges on the continent. Advertisement Three years before that, in 2010, Ham appeared before the same committee and said, I believe that the extremist threat that's emerging from East Africa is probably the greatest concern that Africa Command will face in the near future. Ham expressed no worry about threats posed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or Boko Haram. ISIL in Libya didnt even exist. And even that greatest concern, al-Shabaab, was, Ham noted, primarily focused on internal matters in Somalia. In other words, over these last years, each incoming AFRICOM commander has offered a more dismal and dire assessment of the situation facing the U.S. military than his predecessor. Ham drew attention to only one major terror threat, Rodriguez to three, and Waldhauser to four. His Own Worst Critic That said, Waldhauser isnt the only AFRICOM chief to point a finger at Rodriguezs checkered record. Another American general cast an even darker shadow on the outgoing commanders three-year run overseeing Washingtons shadow war in Africa: AFRICOMs priorities on the continent for the next several years will be... in East Africa to improve stability there. Most of that is built around the threat of al-Shabaab. And then, in the North and West Africa is really built around the challenges from Libya down to northern Mali and that region and that instability there creates many challenges... And then after that is the West Africa, really about the Boko Haram and the problem in Nigeria that is, unfortunately, crossing the boundary into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. So those are the big challenges and then just the normal ones that continue to be a challenge are the Gulf of Guinea... as well as countering the Lords Resistance Army... That critic was, in fact, General David Rodriguez himself in an AFRICOM promotional video released on multiple social media platforms last month. It was posted on the very day that his command also touted its more than 30 major exercises and more than 1,000 military to military engagements between 2013 and 2015. It was hardly a surprise, however, that these two posts and the obvious conclusion to be drawn from them -- just how little AFRICOMS growing set of ambitious continent-wide activities mattered when it came to the spread of terror movements -- went unattended and uncommented upon. Advertisement Waldhauser and Rodriguez have not, however, been alone in pointing out increased insecurity on the continent. Terrorism and violent extremism are major sources of instability in Africa, Assistant Secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the State Departments Bureau of African Affairs told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May. Terrorist organizations such as al-Shabaab, Boko Haram (which now calls itself the Islamic State in West Africa), al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and al-Murabitoun are conducting asymmetric campaigns that cause significant loss of innocent life and create potentially long-term humanitarian crises. National intelligence director James Clapper, who called the continent a hothouse for the emergence of extremist and rebel groups in 2014, spoke of the dangers posed by the Lord's Resistance Army and al-Shabaab, as well as terror threats in Egypt, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, and Tunisia, and instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year. And then theres Brigadier General Donald Bolduc who heads Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA), the most elite U.S. troops on the continent. He painted a picture that was grimmer still. Last November, during a closed door presentation at the annual Special Operations Command Africa Commanders Conference in Garmisch, Germany, the SOCAFRICA chief drew attention not just to the threats of al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, ISIL, and the Lords Resistance Army, but also another 43 malign groups operating in Africa, according to another set of documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. The growth of terror groups from the one named by Ham in 2010 to the 48 mentioned by Bolduc in 2015 is as remarkable as it has been unremarked upon, a record so bleak that it demands a congressional investigation that will, of course, never take place. Questions Unasked, Questions Unanswered Advertisement While these statistics may be damning, they are no more so than the words of AFRICOMs own chiefs. Yet the senators who are supposed to provide oversight havent seemed to bat an eye, let alone ask the obvious questions about why terror groups and terror attacks are proliferating as U.S. operations, bases, manpower, and engagement across the continent grow. (Note that this is, of course, the same Senate committee that Rodriguez misled, whether purposefully or inadvertently, earlier this year when it came to the number of U.S. military missions in Africa without -- again -- either apparent notice or any repercussions.) In an era of too-big-to fail generals, an age in which top commanders from winless wars retire to take prominent posts at influential institutions and cash in with cushy jobs on corporate boards, AFRICOM chiefs have faced neither hard questions nor repercussions for the deteriorating situation. (Similar records -- heavy on setbacks, short on victories -- have been produced by Washingtons war chiefs in Afghanistan and Iraq for the past 15 years and they, too, have never led to official calls for any sort of accountability.) Rodriguez is now planning on resting at his northern Virginia home for a few months and, as he told Stars and Stripes, seeing what comes next. U.S. Africa Command failed to respond to multiple requests for an interview with Rodriguez, but if he follows in the footsteps of the marquee names among fellow retired four-stars of his generation, like David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal, hell supplement his six-figure pension with one or more lucrative private sector posts. Advertisement What comes next for AFRICOM will play out on the continent and in briefings before the Senate Armed Services Committee for years to come. If history is any guide, the number of terror groups on the continent will not decrease, the senators will fail to ask why this is so, and the media will follow their lead. During his final days in command, AFRICOM released several more short videos of Rodriguez holding forth on varioius issues. In one of the last of these, the old soldier praised the whole team for accomplishing a tremendous amount over the last several years. What exactly that was went unsaid, though it certainly wasnt achieving AFRICOMs mandate to neutraliz[e] transnational threats. But what Rodriguez said next made a lot of sense. He noted that AFRICOM wasnt alone in it -- whatever it was. Washington, D.C., he said, had played a key role, too. In that, he couldnt have been more on target. The increasingly bleak outlook in Africa cant simply be laid at the feet of AFRICOMs commanders. Again and again, theyve been upfront about the deteriorating situation. Washington has just preferred to look the other way. The violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the Vietnam War has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction. The powerful words in these seven books help us understand a complicated time in our recent history, and the political and personal legacy that it still carries. The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff Three young paratroopers waiting to be shipped out are brought together one sweltering afternoon to stand guard over an ammunition dump threatened by a forest fire. They emerge from their common danger full of confidence in their manhood and in the friendship they have formed. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this profound, startling, and beautifully crafted spy novel is the story of a man whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. An astute exploration of extreme politics, as well as a moving love story, The Sympathizer examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today. Advertisement Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes A visceral and spellbinding novel by a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, Matterhorn tells the story of one young man at war, but transforms the tragedy of Vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and sacrifice. They Marched Into Sunlight by David Maraniss They Marched Into Sunlight is the epic history of the Vietnam era told through the events of a few gripping, passionate days of war and peace in October 1967. It explores questions about the meaning of dissent and the official manipulation of truth--issues as relevant today as they were decades ago. Read the review here The Given World by Marian Palaia From a quiet family farm in Montana in the '60s, to the grit and haze of San Francisco in the '70s, to a gypsy-populated post-war Saigon, The Given World spins around its unconventional heroine, whose brother has gone missing in Vietnam. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Published just months before President Nixon's resignation, All the President's Men revealed the full scope of the Watergate scandal and introduced for the first time the mysterious "Deep Throat." Woodward and Bernstein's explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post, toppled the president, and have since inspired generations of reporters. Advertisement The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene in 1990, The Things They Carried is a groundbreaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling as written by a Vietnam veteran. Read the review here See the full list at Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great readers with great books. Against a wall proclaiming "Make America Great Again" in blood red, an electric chair did not seem out of place. Not for nothing was the Watermill Center's annual gala called "Fada: House of Madness." Created by Pussy Riot, the work augured the ironies of installations throughout Robert Wilson's foundation's ample grounds. Even though rain threatened the evening's anarchy, bronze angels spouted eerie wisdom and monitors flickered in the woods. For auction, Annie Leibowitz' playful portrait of Robert Wilson was on display among many paintings and photos, and art-world guests like Hunt Slonem, Bob Colacello, Jay McInerney, Lana Jokel, Fern Mallis, and Katharina Otto-Bernstein could mingle among them. Celebrating his own 75th birthday, Wilson greeted everyone. Earlier on, we stopped at The Drawing Room for a look at Adrian Nivola's new show. Working in wood, he sculpted whimsical musical instruments, accented with wire, and other delicate materials including button sized clock faces for the keys on a clarinet. Looking close, you could see some were missing hands. The artist's brother Alessandro Nivola and wife Emily Mortimer hosted the celebration before going off to Ireland and Spain for work on their new movies. Blythe Danner stopped by on her way to a birthday party. Dominic West, sported a full beard, suggesting a new twist for his Showtime series, The Affair. And, Billionaire's Damian Lewis assured a mourner for his Homeland character, yes, "Brody is dead!" Justin Wooley, a member of the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition, said of the Interfaith Vigil for Peace at Grace Cathedral that he attended with his daughter, "No one professed their race, religion, age or sexuality; we just walked into a room full of peace." When I was a little boy, I didn't know the difference between white people and black people. I didn't know the difference between gay people and straight people. I didn't know the difference between citizens and immigrants, Republicans and Democrats, Muslims, Christians, Jews and atheists. When I was a little boy, I just felt open to the world as it was and as it felt. We recently discovered family films from the days when I was a child that I had never seen before. I can't tell you how powerful it felt to see those images of people who I love and who have died. My grandparents and great aunts and uncles and others came alive on the screen. Advertisement What struck me most profoundly is how uninhibited I was. I would walk around with my tongue out because I liked the feel of the wind. I saw images of me as a two-year-old, walking in water up to my shins. The whole way I moved stirred a deep memory in me of the pleasure of feeling the resistance of that water in such a wonderful new way. Do you know what activity recurred most often in the films? It was dancing. It seems as if, as a child, every time I heard music I could not stop myself from moving. It was almost as if I became part of the music. Jean Piaget and other experts in child development say that when young children draw they are not trying to form a representative of some outside thing. They are not trying to draw something that looks like something else. They become part of the art themselves. These days, I never dance. Sometimes, I hardly notice what it feels like to be alive. Somewhere, I learned to hide and suppress what my body really wants to do. Robert Bellah taught at UC Berkeley for decades. He asks what it means to be human. Anthropologists distinguish between what they call online and offline behaviors. Online is what we do to get food and survive and pass on our genes. Offline is what we do during all the other times, as we make music and draw pictures and tell jokes. Bellah suggests that play may be the most important thing we do. Advertisement The purpose of a symphony or a rock ballad or an old school hip-hop song is not to reach the end. It is to play -- to lose yourself in something that is a symbol of itself. The recent violence in Istanbul, Baghdad, Baton Rouge, St. Paul, the murder of police officers in Dallas is taking its toll on all of us. Last night, I talked with a beautiful, strong young African-American father of a very young baby. He told me he has been having nightmares about being murdered. His wife has started leaving their bedroom door open and the light on in the hall. You may think, "All this hasn't bothered me that much." But we experience ourselves only as a thin film of rationality over a deep sea of unconscious feeling. We are so much more than what we experience consciously. Last night, we had an interfaith peace vigil here in the cathedral. As we sang, our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, began using hand motions for the song in the most utterly unselfconscious way. In that instant, I felt both a deep longing from my childhood to join him along with all the embarrassment reinforced over so many years that someone would see me doing it. Wanika Stephens, a minister and pastor at Saint John Coltrane Church, gave a short talk about how we need to look carefully at ourselves in the mirror and then to begin polishing that mirror until it is so perfect that we can see each other's image reflected in it. At the very end, we sang "We Shall Overcome." The person next to me reached out her hand, and I took it. Advertisement When I was a little boy, I did not know the difference between white people and black people -- and neither did you. Can we grow closer to that child of God we once were? Can we begin again to experience the world as it is? Can we draw nearer to seeing the beauty in every soul? Will you dance with me? The original article appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. Republican U.S. Presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Thayer Before the conventions, the esteemed pollster Peter Hart boiled 2016 down to this: "The Republicans have a party problem, the Democrats have a candidate problem." A few weeks later one can argue with this: the Democrats' success in Philadelphia bolstered Hillary Clinton, and it is surely true that Republicans have a Trump problem.The latest embarrassments -- inviting Russian espionage; encouraging Putin's aggressions; and demeaning the immigrant Muslim parents of a dead American soldier -- are mere symptoms of his appalling unfitness to lead us. But on a deeper level Hart is right about the GOP -- Trump is the expression, not the cause, of a fractiousness and incoherence too deep for one election to resolve. Advertisement True, the friction between the Clinton and Sanders forces in Philadelphia was more apparent than anything we saw in Cleveland -- if for no other reason than Republicans are better behaved than Democrats. But the Democrats' shared DNA is clear enough: diversity, social justice, tolerance, environmental stewardship, opportunity for all, and government as a means of ensuring that Americans don't fall through the cracks of a free-market economy. As a party they remain viable, and even vital. Not true for the GOP. The fissures within, divisive in themselves, hamstring their outreach to a broader electorate. On economics, the party is embracing a populist protectionism which offends its establishment and contravenes reality. And on racial and social issues, the GOP is fighting the tide of demographics, ever more dependent on a shrinking -- and very white -- slice of the electorate. Its principle hope of viability is to drive social wedges which galvanize the base, pushing away a growing share of the populace while widening the schisms in the country as a whole. Trump invented none of this. He has simply turbocharged these forces by exploiting the divide between the official Republican Party -- donors, officeholders, business interests and free-market ideologues -- and a working-class base whose real problems it ignored. How? First, he intensified the racial scapegoating through which the party exploited blue-collar anguish without addressing its causes. Advertisement Second, he trashed the GOP's free-market nostrums by promising to turn back time -- launching trade wars; materializing jobs lost to globalization and automation years ago; and reviving industries, like coal, sidelined by new energy sources. Third, he compensated for these apostasies by acquiescing to the desperate dead-end fundamentalism of the party's angry evangelicals. And so the GOP faces an identity crisis. Its spineless establishment is hoping that Trump is a transient malady, like the flu -- or, if not, that they can find a place in his brave new party. But their problems, ultimately, are not about Trump, but about what the party chooses to be. The starkest choice is whether the GOP will become the party of white identity, defying demographics while explicitly embracing racial animus. For years, the party found ways of propitiating white Americans resentful of minorities and fearful of displacement. But Trump's heated rhetoric about immigration and Muslims, and his disdain for Black Lives Matter, made him the Republican nominee. And so the party faces a fateful reckoning. Advertisement It has been coming for a while. Mitt Romney won nearly 60 percent of the white vote, while widening the deficit with minority voters. Trump is turning this demographic crack into a chasm -- a startling 90 percent of his supporters are white. The ultimate question he poses, for the party and for the country, is whether the GOP can outrun the growing minority vote by increasing the number of whites driven by racial anger. The Trump model is based on fear -- of terrorism, crime, and social and economic marginalization, all fueled by the sense among insecure whites that race in America is a zero-sum game. And so it looks backward, conjuring an American of the mind in which white men had their proper place, and everyone else knew theirs. For non-white Americans, there is no mistaking what this means -- Republicans are their enemy. And Republicans of prescience know that this way lies oblivion. All that [salvation] requires is for the party do what it has not done in years -- address real problems with actual solutions. But much binds the GOP to the politics of race and paranoia. Its base of restive whites may be shrinking, but they respond to racial incentives. In contrast, by reaching out to minorities who view the GOP with understandable suspicion, the party may lose its most reliable voters. And so less honorable Republicans look not to expanding the party's appeal, but to passing laws which suppress minority voting. Advertisement The wrenching question is whether the party can exit its racial cul-de-sac. And what happens to the country if it does not. The second decision Trump forces on the party is intimately related to the first: how to address the economic insecurity suffered by middle-class and blue-collar whites in an honest and sensible way. Right now the choice is between false choices. Reinforced by tea party nihilists who have declared war on government and rational governance, the GOP establishment has preached an economic philosophy tilted toward its donor base -- tax cuts for the wealthy; free trade; de-regulation; and cutting back entitlement programs, which do nothing for its voting base. In stark contrast, Trump offers a meretricious compound of populism and protectionism which will never work in the world which actually exists. But there is a third way: shunning tax cuts for the wealthy which only explode the deficit; extending tax relief to the middle class; protecting entitlement programs through measured reforms; recognizing the positive aspects of Obamacare for struggling families; and embracing re- education and job retraining to help those who have been displaced. That way lies salvation -- from the poison of racial politics; the grip of selfish donors; the fallacy of Trumpian economics. All that this requires is for the party do what it has not done in years -- address real problems with actual solutions. Advertisement But to do this, the GOP must face down its donors. To be sure, in the era of Citizens United this problem is not exclusive to the GOP. But as our wealthiest citizens have departed economically from the rest of us, indulging themselves ever more ostentatiously, they have become ever more assertive about using the party to protect their narrow interests. Americans notice -- and they don't like what this says about America. If there is anything salutary about Trump it is that, however briefly, he has separated the party from its donor class. This is the GOP's chance to reach a renewed appreciation of what America should be, and what the party should be -- and that is not the party of plutocracy. But there is a third reckoning at hand -- whether the GOP will continue to embrace a theocratic social agenda which has been rejected by the country as a whole and which young people, in particular, see as narrow and outright nasty. Here one need only look at Trump's running mate Mike Pence. This is a man of strikingly limited intellect and vision, encapsulated by his statement in 2001 that "despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill." Trump raises a foundational question fateful to any party -- for all its protestations of piety, does the GOP have a soul? But it does, and so does stupidity. As Pence exemplified when he decided that banning needle exchanges would curb drug use, provoking a wave of HIV in Indiana. But then Pence epitomizes faith-based ignorance -- hence his disbelief in evolution and global warming, the latter a denial so dangerous that it threatens our future. Despite all this, the GOP establishment greeted him as a mainstream conservative choice, well-suited to become president should the need arise. Really? In his last year in Congress, Pence was rated the third most right-wing Congressman out of 435 members. But while he ably represents what might be called the low-wattage wing of the party, the rigidly evangelical Pence personifies a more distinctive problem: the GOP's institutional opposition to gay rights and reproductive freedom, rooted in the theocratic notion that, the Constitution notwithstanding, America is a "Christian nation." Start with abortion. As a congressman, he repeatedly tried to shut down the government over funding to Planned Parenthood. As a governor, he promoted a law banning women from aborting a fetus with disabilities which, in bizarre touch, also required that fetuses miscarried or stillborn be buried or cremated. That the law was struck down as blatantly unconstitutional seemed to bother Pence not at all. Which may explain why he was losing for reelection when Trump threw him a lifeline. Advertisement But another reason was his vehement opposition to same-sex marriage and gay rights in general. Indeed, he is best known for pushing an Indiana law which made it easier for religious conservatives to deny service to gay couples -- for which he gave an excruciatingly incoherent explanation on national TV before being forced to back down by the forces of common sense. It is these enthusiasms which commended Pence to Republican evangelicals. But the fact that Trump felt compelled to choose him illustrates the party's larger dilemma -- the evangelicals are loyal, and they are at odds with a changing society, another chink in the wall of the GOP's electoral Alamo. It is striking, therefore, that the 2016 Republican platform makes all these problems worse. On social issues, it opposes abortion in cases of rape or incest; bristles with hostility to gay-rights; advocates teaching the Bible in public schools; attacks transgender bathroom use; and bars women from serving in combat. All in all, it carries the sulfurous aroma of the Scopes monkey trial. Beyond that, it adopts the worst of Trump -- protectionism; the wall; and anti-Muslim xenophobia. In every way -- morally, intellectually, demographically, and socially -- it makes the GOP a smaller party. But Trump raises a foundational question fateful to any party -- for all its protestations of piety, does the GOP have a soul? Advertisement Do they stand for local control, or support Trump's authoritarian assertions that he alone is the solution to -- as but one example -- crime in America? Do they stand for free trade or, as they did in Cleveland, protectionism? Do they stand up for our allies or -- as Trump suggested about the Baltic states and the Ukraine -- are our allies on their own? Do they believe that America still has moral stature or that, as Trump suggested about the crackdown in Turkey, "How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policeman in cold blood?" Do they aspire to conservatism, or phony populism? Do they retain any spirit of civility, or is the coarseness, hatred, ignorance, mendacity, bigotry, shrillness, vengefulness, demagoguery and hunger for power exemplified by Donald Trump now the essence of the Republican Party? Do they care about the country above all else, or are they so obsessed with hating Hillary Clinton that they are willing to place our future in the hands of a uniquely unqualified, dishonest and demented nominee? Advertisement All these questions await them on the far side of 2016, and for years to come. Unless they can resolve them -- all of them -- honorably and well, fragmentation and extinction loom, a richly-deserved place in history's trash bin. Hillary Clinton will trounce the self-destructive Donald J. Trump, but the neo-liberals secure total victory if the Sanders movement falls away. Don't mourn, organize. That testament by labor troubadour, organizer, agitator Joe Hill, from his Utah jail cell to Industrial Workers of the World leader Bill Haywood can inspire us again today. The phenomenal Bernie Sanders campaign for President has ended. But the legacy of the stunning achievements lives on. Advertisement Try as they might, Wall Street, K Street, the corporate CEOs, and all their servants in Washington, state capitols, and the rest of the political establishment, cannot put this political revolution back in the bottle. The imprint of the issues Bernie, and all of us, raised, income and wealth inequality, guaranteed healthcare/Medicare for all, comprehensive criminal justice and immigration reform, real action on the climate crisis, a living wage, free public college tuition, holding Wall Street accountable, opposition to regime change wars, are now firmly embedded in the political discourse. We won't let that go. Taking the long view, the campaign was always a powerful moment in our movement, a shining spotlight of populist upsurge that has been organizing at the grassroots for years. So, while we grow our movement, let's also rededicate our support for his ongoing work. Here's 10 reasons to continue donations to Bernie's work: Advertisement 1.The movement is about more than an election. As Bernie himself tweeted, moments after his convention speech in Philadelphia, "elections come and go. But political revolutions that attempt to transform our society never end." 2.He has been the most successful, genuine progressive major candidate for President since, well maybe, ever. That's 13 million votes, winner in 22 states, demonstrating how to generate broad financial support without relying on corporate donors and billionaires, setting a new standard for integrity and authenticity, and drawing millions of new voters, especially young people, into the political revolution. 3.His heart is in the fight and he will remain with us. Bernie hardly needs to prove his credentials. All those reporters digging into his past during the primaries for dirt could only find him getting arrested for opposing housing segregation in Chicago, speaking out against U.S. intervention in Central America in the 1980s, and being a consistent voice for three decades against political corruption, poverty, bad trade deals, and for real reform, such as Medicare for all. 4.He is an invaluable advocate for the movement. No matter who wins in November, as the most prominent national voice promoting that political revolution, Bernie has an enormous bully pulpit from which to reach a wider audience on our most critical issues that are typically ignored by the major media. 5.His e-mail list is an instant mobilizer for progressive actions and causes. Worth noting that Bernie's campaign is committed to protecting his email list to ensure that it is used for progressive causes and candidates, not status quo electoral campaigns. Advertisement 6.He is inspiring other progressive candidates to run for office, and win. That includes Congressional candidates Tim Canova challenging the disgraced Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida, Pramila Jayapal in Seattle, and Zephyr Teachout in New York, and California State Senate candidate Jane Kim in San Francisco. 8.He is building an infrastructure that will help encourage the growth of the political revolution. Bernie is setting up three new educational and political organizations to "keep his progressive movement alive." It will include a Sanders Institute to elevate issues and ideas, and two organization to recruit 100 candidates running for offices from Congress to school boards, as well as to help them campaign. 9.He has embraced and encouraged the next generation to become the progressive leaders in our country. Bernie's message had particular resonance for voters under 30 - he won more votes with them, by a lot, than Clinton and Trump combined - who were inspired by his faith and trust in them and their right to define their future. Bernie will continue to lead, mentor and invest in young people to ensure a sustainable progressive social movement for years to come. 10.For once, someone in the Beltway will be happy to see the people's movement. As Bernie always said, movement pressure from below is the way to achieve genuine social progress and change, and always has been. Most politicians fear it, Bernie welcomes it. One black cutout paper person holding hands with group of white people. As a child, I was taught to respect those who were called to serve. It didn't matter if it was the person who delivered the mail, someone who was in the military, a doctor, a firefighter, or a police officer. These individuals deserved my positive considerations and appreciation for the work they do. I can't imagine having a job that could potentially have me engage in a life threatening situation for myself or others. For those who answer the call to serve, this duty requires strength, courage, and mental fortitude. Whenever... shots are fired; they rush in; a house is on fire; they rush in; whenever there's a health crisis; they rush in; there's a bad accident; they rush in! From the most simplistic to the gravest of emergencies... they rush in! These brave individuals willingly risk their lives to serve, protect, and eliminate threats to safeguard others' well-being and to protect this nation. Advertisement Notwithstanding, recent negative encounters with law enforcement have led to the murders of too many black men. As a result, there is growing outrage, is backlash, are unjustified attacks, and also unprovoked killings of numerous police officers. These events deserve condemnation and protests; however, taking vengeful actions to 'get even' will not make things any better. The outcome of these horrific acts can cause increased tension, fears, and escalations of sometimes volatile race relations. As a black man, I strongly understand these frustrations, anger, and desire to bring an end to something that at times seems to be a systematic elimination of black men without any justifiable cause. Moreover, it's infuriating to watch - time and time again - the increasing video evidence of repeated, unjustifiable murders with no one being held accountable. Nevertheless, this doesn't justify the assaults or killing of innocent individuals (whether black men or police officers). I don't understand the anger or projection of guilt upon all police officers because a few of them did something reprehensible and at times criminal. Moreover, there isn't value in creating a mob mentality or environment that individuals are determined to be guilty by association. If association is a criterion, then consider the hundreds of thousands or more police officers who serve willingly, honorably, and respectably. Conversely, it also must be recognized that black men aren't a greater threat just because of skin color. Black men as a group are honorable, respectable, and beneficial to society, too. Personally, I don't want to serve my community in this way. Furthermore, I don't know if I would be willing to risk my life daily to protect others. For those who do, I offer the upmost respect and heartfelt thanks for your service! These brave men and women - without hesitation - leave the comfort and security of their homes not knowing the uncertain dangers that might be encountered that day. This is just one reason that these warriors should be celebrated every day. Advertisement The negativity and disrespect against officers isn't limited to physical attacks. Recently, a police officer in Alexandria, VA was denied service after a cook refused to prepare her order, along with a cashier laughing with the cook about their actions. This incident led to community outrage and calls for a boycott of a well-known restaurant chain. Fortunately, company representatives took swift and decisive action to fire those who were involved with this deplorable behavior. In response to the mistreatment of this officer, another local establishment - Atlantis Pizzeria and Family Restaurant (Alexandria, VA) - offered a free meal for a week to police officers in this city and the neighboring county of Arlington, VA to demonstrate appreciation for their work. I'm very proud that some of my high school friends actively chose to risk themselves to protect others. One of them --- Sergeant C. Downs, became a police officer because he always wanted to help others. This desire to serve the community was something he felt compelled to do. Another example is Technician V. Johnson who was inspired to service because of a neighbor who was a firefighter and a paramedic. Mr. Johnson was fascinated by these on-the-job- stories, which drove him to pursue this career. Yet another is Deputy Dennis Compton who tragically lost his life in the line-of-duty on August 6, 2008. Deputy Compton was a gentle soul who wanted to make a positive difference by protecting his community. These gentlemen are exemplary examples of my heroes who dare to put on uniforms to make a difference in the world. Officer Downs added, "People should understand that we're human, too. We have families and loved ones. We have emotions and bleed just like everyone else. To this day, every time I do a traffic stop or get dispatched to a call, I have a heightened sense of awareness. I think to myself: Am I going to get killed this time; am I going to have to fight for my life; will I be able to help this person or resolve the issue? I never stop getting scared. I believe that if an officer stops being scared, that's a problem. We are only human and it's just instinctive to be scared. Being scared helps to save your life on the street. The majority of police officers aren't bad people; we just want to help". Serving as a community protector and defender has both physical and mental challenges. The physical side is usually understood, but there aren't always considerations about the impacts of the mental side. Sergeant Downs said that it's important to learn to separate work and family life. However, this isn't always possible; therefore, his wife is an essential part of the restoration process to deal with his emotions. As for Mr. Johnson, he uses humor and discusses gruesome cases with other first responders, along with using exercise to combat stress. He also said that it's important to learn to not bring the work home with you. Advertisement Admittedly there are unresolved societal issues related to the alarming number of deaths of unarmed black men. Even with this truth, engaging in violence against innocent individuals who serve and protect isn't the answer either. The solution to these critical dilemmas begin with "uncomfortable conversations" to address the source(s) of these issues, intolerances, and prejudices. Another step toward the resolution of these challenges requires reviews of policies, changes to organizational/societal culture, meaningful punishment for those who commit wrongful acts, involvement within local communities to drive substantive changes, votes to ensure officials who want to make a difference are elected, and other purposeful acts to create positive progress/changes. I think my sister-in-law is a borderline personality, and after years now of deteriorating functioning, unpredictable and at times aggressive behaviour, my husband and I have sadly reached the point where we cannot see a way to include her in our lives or the lives of our two little girls, aged 3.5 and 8 months. In the near decade that I've known my SIL (now aged 25), she's always been dysfunctional and anti-social, had only one friend, been unable to hold down a job, suffers from mood swings and randomly picks fights with the people that she does converse with (usually online). She is usually unwilling to make eye contact, mumbles to the point of being hard to converse with, and at times is obviously lacking in self care -- although if she decides that she likes you she can be a smothering presence that does not leave you alone. In more recent times, many of these behaviours have become more pronounced, and although she is also often kind, empathetic and caring, and always loves spending time with our children, she is very unpredictable and can go from loving to hating my husband and her family at the flick of a switch. Worse, she has recently taken to threatening suicide if she doesn't get what she wants or feels that people are pulling away from her. Her parents' general response to these threats has been to simply ignore them. Unfortunately, my SIL also has an extremely codependent relationship with her mother, who to a large extent enables her by refusing to enforce adult boundaries. Basically it seems like my husband's family would prefer that we all just ignore her behaviour, no matter how dysfunctional she becomes or how it affects us or our children. Although my MIL, a psychiatrist, has mentioned that my SIL 'probably has a personality disorder' and is prescribing her various mood stabilisers, I really think she needs independent treatment and diagnosis, especially given the nature of the relationship between them, however realistically I do not think anything will change. Recently, after a series of incidents where my eldest daughter, my husband, and I have been upset by my SIL's behaviour, we have formally cut off contact with her by telling her that she needs to seek independent help urgently, and that unless and until she does, we are not prepared to have her around us or our children. My husband's parents are very unhappy with this decision, and do not seem to understand that we are trying to protect ourselves and our children, just as they are trying to protect their daughter. Have we done the right thing -- for her, and most importantly for our family? I feel we have, but at the same time I feel sorry for my SIL and want to help her to get better. I am also sad that our children are losing contact with their only aunt, but cannot see a way around this given her condition. "While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," McCain said. "Lastly, I'd like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We're a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation--and he will never be forgotten." Donald Trump is a bully. Faced with a grieving father and mother whose Muslim soldier son died defending the US, Trump went after the mother, absurdly claiming her religion had not allowed her to speak. "If you look at his wife, she was standing there, she had nothing to say, she probably -- maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say, you tell me." As a Muslim woman who came to the United States on a full college scholarship due to foreign currency restrictions in India, I have lived, loved and raised my children in the United States. What I loved about the US right from the start was the generosity and kindness of Americans who did not know me at all and yet they stretched to invite me to their homes with a warmth and casualness that was really precious to an 18-year-old college student in Denver, Colorado. That's the America I came to and have loved ever since. I look back on that era is a period of civility and kindness, never dreaming that we would end up with Donald Trump as a front-runner presidential candidate defying civility to its core. Advertisement Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of Captain Humayan Khan who died at the age of 27 on June 8, 2004 after he told his men to stop a suicide bomber outside the gates in Baquba in Iraq, were invited to speak at the Democratic Convention and tell their story. Mr. Khan, the father of the deceased son "electrified the Democratic Convention" and said to Mr. Trump, while waving a pocket Constitution "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." Khan pointed out that in December, Mr. Trump called for "a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." With these rules in place, Khan would not have been able to serve the US. After Trump in response went after his wife, Khizr fired back. He explained that his wife had not spoken at the convention because it was too painful. Mr. Trump, he said, "is devoid of feeling the pain of a mother who has sacrificed her son." Ghazala Khan did speak on Friday to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, saying she "cannot even come in the room where his pictures are." When she saw her son's photograph on the screen behind her on the stage in Philadelphia, she said, "I couldn't take it." Khan also said that his wife had helped him draft his remarks, and that he could not have done it without her support. "Her being there was the strength that I could hold my composure. I am much weaker than she is in such matters." Advertisement Ghazala Khan, a retired professor at the University of Punjab, had a much tougher life than Donald Trump. I bet she's made of tougher stuff. I wonder if Trump thought he could attack her because she was wearing a head scarf out of respect for the Convention. Fortunately, even Republican politicians condemned Trump for his insensitivity. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio blasted Trump, "There's only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect," he wrote, referring to the parents of veterans who die in service." Tim Miller, a former communications director for Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, called Mr. Trump's comments "inhuman." "Memo to Trump supporters," Peter Wehner, a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote on Twitter. "He's a man of sadistic cruelty. With him, there's no bottom. Now go ahead & defend him." And finally John McCain speaks out. "While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," McCain said. "Lastly, I'd like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We're a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation--and he will never be forgotten." Mr. Khan has also urged Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Paul D. Ryan, the House speaker, denounce Mr. Trump. He called it "a moral imperative" that both leaders tell Trump "enough"; "You are about to sink the ship of the patriot Republicans"; he warned. "There is so much at stake, and I appeal to both of these leaders: this is the time. There comes a time in the history of a nation where an ethical, moral stand has to be taken regardless of the political costs"; he continued. "The only reason they're not repudiating his behavior, his threat to our democracy, our decency, our foundation, is just because of political consequences". The Democratic Convention with Hillary Clinton at the helm was decidedly different in that we are well on the way to electing America's first woman president: Hallelujah! It is definitely a feel-good moment for American women who have long waited in the wings and supported Hillary for president. But for me, one of the highlights of this election was the fact that Hillary's team reached out to a Muslim couple whose son, a soldier had died fighting for America. It was especially poignant, given the animosity often directed at Muslim citizens. This includes soldiers who don't always get the glory and respect they deserve even on the battle fields -- where they fight the good fight for America, their new country of residence. As a Muslim woman who has loved and lived in this country since my college years, I have admired how the United States welcomes new immigrants and makes us feel included and -- not excluded for the most part -- which is a tall challenge. The immigrant's journey from distant lands is often fraught with fear and anxiety as we land on American soil. I will not deny that this is a difficult time in America. Donald Trump has polarized and exacerbated the push/pull of immigration for a great many immigrants who have patiently waited their turn to become United States citizens. When asked by Stephanapoulous what he would say to the grieving father, Mr. Trump replied, "I'd say, 'We've had a lot of problems with radical Islamic terrorism.'" How callous can Trump be? Is he for real? Have you ever gone into a store or even taken a quick trip somewhere and knew exactly what you wanted? You have a list both mentally and on paper and yet somehow you still end up coming back home with more than you had initially planned to buy. Well, you my friend have been the victim of hidden marketing strategies. Don't be alarmed or in dismay each year companies spend millions of dollars on marketing and advertising. These companies are spending money in hopes of you spending more money on their brand or product. So how exactly how do companies target unknowing customers. You'll be surprised at some of the ways you become easily lured into spending more money: Advertisement Candy at the Checkout Counter There is a popular marketing strategy that many use called decision fatigue. This idea of decision fatigue comes from asking the brain to make several decisions at one time. Every time your brain is forced to make several decisions at one time your will power becomes fatigued. Popcorn Smells at the Movie Theater What's the first thing you smell when stepping into a movie theater? Popcorn right? It's not by accident. Many movie theaters employees may not tell you but the popcorn they sell has a chemical that causes it's aroma to be filled throughout the theater. The stronger the smell the more tempting it becomes for you to buy it. Company Cars I am a big pizza fan. I could probably eat pizza every day. Because of this company cars have been a big weakness for me. If I pass by a Pizza Hut or Dominos car I almost instantly feel inclined to go buy pizza. The same is true in California where companies are obsessed with San Francisco car wraps a company that specializes in marketing companies by using your car as a moving billboard. The Number 9 We have all been shopping at big sales events and noticed that some of the "cheapest" items often end in 9. In fact MIT and Chicago University conducted a study of women's clothing that was priced at $34, $39, and $44. At the end of the experiment more people had purchased the $39 item. Advertisement Online shaming is a trend that has not only gone viral, it's became so normal that many are immune to digital cruelty and attacks. What's not normal is that the cyber-attacks are being made by adults. We aren't talking about youth anymore. These are adults that should know better and need to grow up. Advertisement In a 2014 survey by PEW Research Center, 73% of American adults have witnessed online abuse while 40% have been victims of it. We're used to reading about cyberbullying with teens and kids, but it's time to start talking to the adults. If parents and adults are acting like children online, it's hard to expect different behavior from their kids. Starting at the top. Celebrities have a platform, but they also have feelings. Just because they have the ability to address the trolls and their trash-talk, it doesn't mean they deserve it. I applaud public figures who step up and use their voices (keypads) to empower social justice online. They have the ability to do this, whereas the average person doesn't. I'm sure the average "Joe" wouldn't have @Jack (Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter) reaching out to them personally, as we saw with Leslie Jones after her cyber-war on Twitter. We witnessed Leslie Jones, actress and comedian, combat the troll-trash on Twitter. She said she felt like she was in a personal hell and begged for help. Advertisement Jennifer Aniston had enough, after social media leeches' cyber-gossip spiraled out of control. She finally wrote, "For The Record," to set it straight. "I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism,' the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news.'" Ariel Winter, actress on Modern Family, has been fighting the constant online hate and body-shaming. When she graduated this year, she celebrated in a beautiful dress she posted a picture of online. Immediately, critics posted negative comments. Ariel quickly jumped in and addressed her troll-trashers: "Dear sorry body-shamers, I looked HOT in that dress, And if you hate it, don't buy it. But please get a hobby. XOXO Ariel #EmbraceYourBody." Amy Schumer is another actress and comedian that has learned to address trolls head-on. As the trolls typically take aim at Amy with body-shaming, she hits back by getting ahead of them, as she did on her vacation in Hawaii: I meant to write 'good morning trolls!' I hope you find some joy in your lives today in a human interaction and not just in writing unkind things to a stranger you've never met who triggers something in you that makes you feel powerless and alone. These celebrities all have been targets of cyber-bullets and have been able to empower others with their words of wisdom and encouragement. The average person can't engage with trolls like famous people can. As we saw with the Leslie Jones incident on Twitter, it inflamed a cyber-war that took a long time to burn out. The fact that people were finally removed from Twitter after this incident was a positive ending. Advertisement Average adults acting badly. Christopher Wimmer (33) and Kayla Renee Dubois (24) in Florida were two paramedics having a competition: who could take the most disturbing shots of unconscious patients being transported to the hospital. These are grown adults, whose jobs were to care for others, playing this sick game. These paramedics invaded the privacy of patients going to the hospital by taking 'selfies' with them. According to NBC station WJHG, the paramedics purportedly shared some of the photos and videos with other EMS and non-EMS personnel. Investigators initially identified 41 victims. Their biggest fear was of these images being leaked on social media, which can happen very quickly. Dani Mathers, a Playboy model, felt compelled to take a photo of a naked woman in her gym locker room she deemed unflattering and sent it to a friend with a message via Snapchat, "If I can't unsee this, then you can't either." Unfortunately for Mathers, this message wasn't only sent to her friend, it's now global and Dani Mathers is not only out of a job and a gym -- she is being investigated by the LAPD because photographing someone naked, without their consent, in a private place, and posting their image online for everyone to see is illegal. She later issued an apology online, saying the photo was supposed to be a personal conversation with a girlfriend. I'm assuming she doesn't realize that no matter whether this conversation was personal (private) or global, it was cruel. Make no mistake about it, the rise of shame nation is spreading across the Internet on a daily basis, and sadly the leaders are grown-ups. Advertisement Steps to turn this around (at all ages): 1) Use your keyboard responsibly, never share in haste. There is no rewind online, what goes online, stays online. You're temporary emotional will live a lifetime in cyberspace. Especially if you are sending a sensitive email (or any email at all), be prepared for it to go viral at anytime. Remember what happened to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, as her emails were leaked and she was no longer able to speak at the convention. 2) Text with care. Many times, communication not only gets lost in translation online, people of different generations don't always understand what is being said in text lingo or emoji meanings and words can be misconstrued. Hurt feelings can quickly arise and friendships lost. 3) If you see someone being harassed online, reach out to them with support, publicly or in a private message. Report the trolls and the abusive content. The worst part about being harmed online is the thought you are alone. 4) Learn to leave constructive comments, not combative. A few years ago, major sites like Huffington Post decided to put an end to people who wanted to post anonymously, and Popular Science and Motherboard did away with comments all together. Why? Because adults couldn't behave themselves online. Your words reflect on your character. 5) As cliche as it may sound, the best advice is what you've been taught years ago, but now you must implement it through your digital lives. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." In today's world, simply click out. You won't have to worry about hacked emails or WikiLeaks exposing something months or years later. Advertisement Takeaway tips: Nuclear Bomb Explosion, Baker Day Test, Bikini, 25th July 1946 This weekend is the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it's a good time to give a few thoughts to nuclear weapons. Most people don't think about them much, and the majority of countries have fully rejected them. In fact, there are only a small handful of countries that like nuclear weapons -- the nine that have them (China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States) and another couple dozen that either have bilateral agreements with the U.S. (Australia, Japan, South Korea) for American nuclear bombs to be dropped on their behalf, or the countries that are part of NATO. Almost everyone else thinks they are catastrophic, inhumane weapons and should be illegal for everyone. Now, a series of UN meetings this year is showing that the majority of the world agrees a new treaty is needed to make nuclear weapons illegal. The minority that kept the world thinking nuclear weapons are still needed is just that -- a minority -- and their story is falling apart. Advertisement For decades, countries without nuclear weapons have called on countries with nuclear weapons to do things -- from reducing numbers to sharing information. These nuclear free countries have done things themselves -- to verify that they are not trying to build nuclear weapons. There are only a very few exceptions -- Iran, Syria, North Korea -- but otherwise this non-proliferation regime has held up. Excuses have been made for why disarmament isn't happening (or is happening really slowly), but never before has the very legitimacy of the weapons themselves been challenged as it is now. Last year, this UN working group (Open Ended Working Group on taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations) was set up and it has met in Geneva a few times this year. The final meeting will take place over the next few weeks with the goal to adopt a report and recommendations for the UN General Assembly. The first draft of this report and recommendations from the group was released last week and recognizes that "a majority of States supported the convening by the General Assembly of a conference in 2017, open to all States, international organizations and civil society, to negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination." Most countries in the world want to start negotiations in 2017 on a treaty to ban the bomb. Of course, not all countries want to ban nuclear weapons -- a few of them want to keep using nuclear weapons in their security strategies. They claim to support nuclear disarmament, but at the same time reiterate that they will keep relying on nuclear weapons as long as they exist. Their actions and their polices provide the enabling environment necessary for the nuclear armed to not only keep, but also modernize their nuclear arsenals. Most UN meeting documents make only two distinctions -- the nuclear have and the nuclear have-nots. The new category -- the nuclear enablers -- are getting more distinct attention as a result of these meetings. The draft report puts this small group of states into their own category. In describing possible actions that countries can take to attain and maintain a nuclear weapons free world, it says these different approaches will "vary in their salience to nuclear-armed States, non nuclear-armed States and other States that continue to maintain a role for nuclear weapons in their security doctrines." Advertisement There are five countries that host U.S. nuclear weapons (Belgium, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey). Since the 1950s these countries have hosted U.S. nuclear bombs. Military personnel from all but Turkey train to use the bombs, and many NATO countries take part in annual exercises preparing for nuclear war. The recent coup attempt in Turkey (which forced the power to be shut down to the base holding the U.S. bombs -- see here) has brought some attention to the security and safety of the weapons, but they remain. The countries that host the weapons do so as a public secret -- everyone knows where they are, no one officially confirms it. At the same time, these same countries repeatedly call on other nuclear armed countries to be more transparent. To provide more information on locations and types of weapons. This hypocritical behavior did not go unnoticed in Geneva. It was discussed repeatedly, and the draft outcome document recognizes this information gap. It says: Other States that maintain a role for nuclear weapons in their military and security concepts, doctrines and policies should also provide standardized information at regular intervals on, inter alia, the following:(i) The number, type (strategic or non-strategic) and status (deployed or non deployed, and the alert status) of nuclear warheads within their territories;(ii) The number and the type of delivery vehicles within their territories; (iii) The measures taken to reduce the role and significance of nuclear weapons in military and security concepts, doctrines and policies. The parliaments in many of these countries have been calling for this type of information for decades. Resolutions get passed, and demands for information are met with silence. That silence is part of the problem, part of what enables nuclear armed countries to maintain their arsenals, their policies, their threats of massive nuclear violence. BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS It's summer. You are looking for something breezy to read. You want to be entertained yet still educated. It's too hot for a sizzling mystery that requires investigative energy on the part of the reader. Non-fiction on the beach is a bit geeky. So how about a few books about reading books? Here is a list of some old books about reading--books that are well worth dusting off and re-reading especially if you love getting lost between the covers of a good read, and if you love books that tell you what books you should be reading: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett is a gem. 120 pages of pure joy. It takes place in England near Buckingham Palace. The Queen discovers the joy of reading when she strolls into a mobile library and through the portal into the land of book lovers. Written in 2007, it is timeless. You will laugh all the way through. The End of Your Life Book Club is not funny. It is bittersweet but truly informative. It ask you: what books have meaning? That's the question Will Schwalbe asks his mother, Mary Anne, as they sit in the waiting room of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 2007, Mary Anne returned from a humanitarian trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan suffering from what her doctors believed was a rare type of hepatitis. Months later she was diagnosed with a terminal illness but she and her son are going to take a trip down memory lane through books. The back of this book is a guide to every book we all should read. Advertisement The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a lovely novel by Katarina Bivald. It came out three years ago and is really a love story between a woman called Sara, and her books. Sara changes a broken town by bringing books and stories to life. Heartwarming and full of summer charm, it will keep you dreaming about the magic of reading. Lastly, my favorite: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. This book is a gift to book lovers. It is the story of a man whose wife has died and whose bookstore, Island Books, is in trouble. Funny, tender, and inspiring, the bookstore and its owner get a second chance when a young sales rep shows up to dust off a few covers. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fists during a rally in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, July 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) Given that Donald Trump has been routinely compared to Hitler and Mussolini, contrasting him to Napoleon might seem a compliment. Unfortunately for The Donald, he tends to match up with Bonaparte in all the wrong ways while falling short in the right ones. Advertisement Accordingly, while the superficial similarities between the French dictator and the American developer might encourage Trump's followers to believe he's the strongman they're looking for, they likely will wind up frustrated. Having studied Napoleon in some depth for my Ethan Gage adventure novels and my collection of his aphorisms, "Napoleon's Rules," I think it's instructive to look at ways the two men are alike and - more importantly - how they differ. Bonaparte did "make France great again" - for a while. He ruled for roughly fifteen years and was extraordinarily successful the first half of his reign. But then came disastrous embroilment in Spain and Russia. By the time Napoleon was finally exiled in 1815, millions were dead and French boundaries were back to their 1791 pre-revolutionary origins. Europe was so exhausted that it didn't quarrel as catastrophically again for 99 years, until World War I broke out. Now Trump wants to "make America great again" without any detailed policy prescriptions of exactly how. French politicians backed Napoleon in a coup d'etat because they thought they could control him, while Americans have glued any qualities they wish into the vague and blustering businessman in hopes he can work a reactionary miracle. But how much does the New Yorker truly match up to the Corsican conqueror? Well, both were pugnacious as children and combative as adults. Both prided or pride themselves on negotiation skills. Both went to military school, Trump as a teenage disciplinary problem and Bonaparte as a Corsican immigrant who graduated as a French second lieutenant. Advertisement Napoleon fought about sixty major battles, winning most of them and suffering wounds. Trump got an educational deferment and then a medical one during the Vietnam-era draft, his "bone spurs" magically disappearing once he had secured a high draft lottery number exempting him from military service. Trump does mimic Napoleon's ornate Empire style. His gilded Manhattan penthouse is very much as over-the-top as were some of Bonaparte's palaces. But the general spent a lot of time on an iron campaign bed, dressed modestly, and led armies from horseback in bad weather. He shared his soldiers' hardships. It's difficult to picture The Donald (or most modern leaders) camping. Both expressed, or express, boundless self-confidence. Trump's convention speech assertion that "I alone can fix it," not only echoes Napoleon's own certainty and vanity but also that of almost every strongman in history, from Julius Caesar to Vladimir Putin, and on down to the tin-pot dictators of banana republics. But Napoleon came to power after two extraordinary military campaigns in Italy and Egypt that gave him not just military but administrative experience ruling conquered territories. Trump has never served in government at any level. Both were outsiders pledging to reform a political system they perceived as broken. Napoleon was the general who would restore order to a France in chaos after the French Revolution, and Trump is the businessman promising to bring entrepreneur acumen to the federal bureaucracy. Advertisement Napoleon militarized France. Will Trump business-fy America, and if so what would that mean for employees, unions, public servants, and investors? Both were opportunists, Napoleon seizing chance in the military realm and Trump in the business world. By the same token, their strategic planning was fluid, seeking power and success more than any philosophic plan. Neither has claimed much of a moral compass. Both were or are vague about religion and morality while not hesitating to appear before religious audiences in hopes of using faith to their advantage. Napoleon was a deist who could act ruthlessly without concern for the afterlife, and Trump does not seem affiliated with any particular denomination or creed. Both enthusiastically pursued women romantically and sexually but had a clumsy tendency to insult. Both expressed misogynistic disdain for female ability or achievement. Both have boasted of their womanizing. Both have divorced. Both were, or are, narcissistic, obsessed about themselves to the point of limited empathy for other people - be they battlefield dead on Napoleon's part or immigrants and refugees on Trump's part. Advertisement Both were obsessed with "building their brand." In Trump's case the use of his name has been a lifelong business strategy. Napoleon stamped his initial 'N' and his symbol of the industrious bee across his empire, because he was acutely aware he was not of royal blood and needed acceptance of his family as a new dynasty. Both had a curious combination of charisma and blunt offence. Reactions to Napoleon's personality were as divided as opinions on Trump. Both were masters of media attention. Napoleon wrote bulletins giving a positive spin to his actions, censored newspapers and plays, and relied on elaborate pageantry to excite the French about military culture and imperial rule. He invented modern propaganda, and renamed the Louvre the Musee Napoleon. Both had or have a dizzying number of enemies. Napoleon dodged assassination and murder attempts. Trump is embroiled is 3,500 state and federal lawsuits and court cases, by the count of USA Today, many from unpaid contractors or employees. Napoleon admitted to few if any friends, and Trump appears to have no close friends either, outside his family. Both could not resist a fight. Napoleon's fatal flaw was his obsession with endless foreign enemies and his inability to know when to quit. Trump doesn't know when to stop tweeting. For all their similarities, their differences are even more striking. Napoleon was a voracious reader and persuasive writer, while Trump admits he's not. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of "The Art of the Deal," told The New Yorker that the businessman contributed almost nothing to the book, while Bonaparte wrote a great deal (including his memoirs) and scrutinized any writing he commissioned. Advertisement The Frenchman was enthralled by science and got himself elected to the French National Institute of Sciences (the Academy) at a time of revolutionary discoveries. Trump dismisses science that he finds inconvenient. While Trump embraces conspiracy theories, Napoleon wrote, "We must take things as we find them, not as we wish them to be." Bonaparte excelled at math, and had a chess-like mind that was brilliant at anticipating opponents and calculating likely outcomes, particularly on the battlefield. His ability to mass the most troops at the critical moment was the result of months of prodigious preparatory work, calculation, logistics, and self-discipline. He wanted ministers who could count. He wouldn't have tolerated Trump's vagueness because he despised wishful or magical thinking by his officers. He would have demanded, "What kind of wall, at what length, height, and width, of which materials, at what cost, built by whom, maintained at what expense, manned by how many troops, for how long, to what measurable goal?" Trump has a celebrity's instincts, Napoleon those of the artilleryman. Trump knows how to dominate a news cycle; Napoleon dominated Europe. Trump certainly has energy, but many colleagues have questioned his ability to concentrate long on complex subjects. Napoleon was the opposite, prying into every corner of his empire's affairs and working closely on complex legal documents such as the Napoleonic Code. Like Hillary Clinton he was a wonk for detail: and like Clinton, sometimes too much so. Advertisement While Bonaparte was a curious mishmash of progressive and reactionary, he did claim he was exporting French revolutionary ideals with the bayonet, replacing heredity with merit. He envisioned a unified Europe under his command. He opened Jewish ghettos. He brought printing presses to Egypt to print the Koran. He courted intellectuals. He brought back the Catholic Church to France after the Revolution, while trimming its powers. He was a builder of public works and a fiscal reformer. Trump is a developer with large buildings to his credit. But so far, he has been more defined by the anger of his followers than a clear vision of an alternate America. Of the two, Napoleon had by far the more extraordinary rise. Bonaparte's father died when he fourteen, and his only help to his son was securing him a place in French boarding schools. Napoleon was a truly self-made man, a Corsican rustic who was a second lieutenant at sixteen, a brigadier general at twenty-four, dictator of France at thirty and self-crowned emperor at thirty-five. Trump, 70, reportedly got a million dollars from his developer father to start his business and ultimately inherited another $40 million. Not only has his indebtedness led to repeated bankruptcies in his web of holdings, but the National Journal has calculated that Trump would have earned more by investing his inheritances in a simple stock index fund than he has as a real estate developer. Superficially, Trump takes on some of the trappings of Napoleon. Substantially, his achievements and victories do not remotely approach Bonaparte's. Advertisement Yes, the same could be said of Hillary Clinton. But she doesn't make the strongman promise of being a sole savior, emphasizing instead the strength of unity. Dogged, earnest, and less charismatic than either man, she is deliberately and consciously the opposite of a Napoleon - except that, like Bonaparte, she perseveres. What Trump would really do as president remains a mystery, given the impracticality and vagueness of his glib promises. But in terms of genius, work ethic, tenacity, experience, or achievement, he's no Napoleon either. By Michelle DeFreese The building of a union of countries with varied interests, political structures, and cultural characteristics is a challenging endeavor. As seen in recent developments with the United Kingdom's Brexit campaign from the European Union and similar movements in Europe, maintaining cohesion and adherence to supra-national entities is a messy affair. The African Union has similarly undergone continuously evolving processes of layered diplomacy to develop the union into a body that aims to speak for the shared interests and values of its member-states. In the newest layer to come to light since the founding of the AU, a so-called Sixth Region was constructed to increase the participation of actors located outside of the continent. The 2003 Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act sought to "invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union." This has taken the form of participation as either observers or delegates at AU summits and stakeholder meetings. At the 2012 Global African Diaspora Summit, organizers released a declaration reiterating the relevance of the Sixth Region. The document placed an emphasis on the Diaspora, calling on its representatives to "organize themselves in regional networks and establish appropriate mechanisms that will enable their increasing participation in the affairs of the African Union as observers and eventually, in the future, as a sixth region of the continent that would contribute substantially to the implementation of policies and programs." Advertisement Despite declarations of inclusion, the Sixth Region has yet to gain traction and relevance. The practicalities of involving the diaspora in the affairs of the AU have proven more problematic than originally envisioned. Efforts to include the Diaspora have taken the forms of the AU Department of Citizens and Diaspora Organization, seats in the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), and the creation of regional entities in North America, Europe, and Latin America. Yet, significant barriers to participation persist. For example, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) reserves seats for 20 members from the Sixth Region - and it is the only permanent AU organ with Diaspora representation. However, "in spite of the enthusiasm of the African Diaspora as reflected in the establishment of various Diaspora networks, the actualisation of their representation in ECOSOCC has remained evasive," according to Francis N. Ikome, Director of the Multilateral Programme at the Institute for Global Dialogue. In another shortfall noted by Kassim M. Khamis, a Political Analyst specializing in the African Union, "the five geographical regions under which the AU is operating are only practical during the AU organs sessions, in which the African Diaspora is not represented." The current modus operandi of the Sixth Region represents a quandary in the operationalization of the involvement of actors outside of the continent. The incorporation of special status and permanent member-states is one area where the AU has consistently drawn the line in terms of the participation of the Diaspora. This is due primarily to Article 29, paragraph 1 of the 2000 Constitutive Act of the AU, which limits membership to African countries. No other country challenges the current framework of the AU's relationship with the Diaspora more than Haiti. Advertisement Despite Haiti's expressed desire to become a permanent member-state of the AU, its proposal has been summarily declined, with the Union opting to classify the island nation as an observer and one of the many actors in the ambiguous Sixth Region. The inclusion of Haiti - either as an associate or full member-state - offers an opportunity to engage the Diaspora in a more substantial and practical basis than what has ever been seen previously in the existing organs of the AU. Haiti's contested member-state status represents a missed opportunity to operationalize aspects of the AU decision-making processes intent on engaging the Diaspora. The Sixth Region remains comprised of actors in multiple regions with competing agendas and disparate priorities; further challenging its ability to realistically participate in decision-making mechanisms of the AU. For the Diaspora to substantially contribute to the policy-making processes of the AU, more practical modalities on representation are needed to move beyond the largely symbolic role of the diaspora in stakeholders' summits and consultative meetings. As the Africa Union continues to evolve as a major force in shaping geopolitics, its ability to engage with extra-continental interests will be challenged by the current structures, policies, and mechanisms that limit the representation of actors outside of the continent. The number of people hooked on prescription drugs and heroin saw a sharp increase while overdoses hit a record high in the years from 2007 to 2014.Analysis by non-profit Fair Health found that there was a more than 3000 per cent rise in claims on private health insurance during the 7-year period and the report warns that the US in in the midst of an epidemic of opioid dependence, abuse and overdose.The research reveals that the current crisis differs from previous abuse epidemics as it is disproportionately affecting white, middle-class people in non-urban settings, including those with private health insurance.The situation has prompted the federal government to enact new legislation to strengthen opioid addiction prevention, treatment and recovery and expand access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone. The full report is on the Fair Health website Canadas largest law firm says that driverless cars will not mean that their drivers avoid liability in the result of a collision.A report from Borden Ladner Gervais notes that the technology will disrupt a number of industries including insurance and that the legal and regulatory framework for their use is yet to be finalized.The firms report Autonomous Vehicles Revolutionizing Our World also notes that manufacturers of driverless vehicles will require enhanced product liability insurance but opines that it will not mean auto insurance will cease to be required, except where vehicles do not involve human control at all.As long as a driver with some ability to assume or resume control of the vehicle is present, there would seem to be a continuing basis for driver negligence and liability as they presently exist. It is not much different than operating a vehicle with cruise control, it says.Global insurer Munich Re has acquired the insurance division of Greeces largest lender Piraeus Bank. The deal, completed Monday, transfers ATE Insurance to Munich Re subsidiary Ergo International for 90 million euros (U$100.5 million).A year ago the deal was almost cancelled as Greece was in the midst of its financial meltdown and political uncertainty ahead of an election. However subsequent deals with creditors and some stability has enabled the takeover to go ahead. 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: RESPONDING to the growing transportation requirements of Northern Luzon, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) has started initiatives meant to expand its reach in the region through the future opening of a new facility. Set to stand on Iguig, Cagayan is the new Isuzu Tuguegarao satellite office, which is forecast to supplement the operations of Isuzu dealerships in Bulacan, Isabela, Cabanatuan and Meycauayan. To mark the site of the future facility, IPC executives led by President Hajime Koso, Isuzu Tuguegarao principal Dra. Zinnia Domingo - Perez, and Iguig Mayor Ferdinand Trinidad held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 20, 2016. The thriving commercial activities in northern Philippines, most especially in the Cagayan region, equate to heightened demand for logistics and transportation solutions. We in Isuzu Philippines realize the potential for growth that partnerships with local business will bring to the communities in the area, and the opening of a new facility here seeks to ensure this progress, Koso said. The new Isuzu Tuguegarao satellite office will be built on a 5,000-square-meter property. Its highly trained personnel can accommodate sales inquiries while its workshop can perform select services for several vehicles including trucks. When completed, this new Isuzu Tuguegarao satellite will be bigger than the current office. We are extremely optimistic at the prospects of Isuzu Tuguegarao as the Isuzu brand commands a following among many Cagayanos. Isuzu vehicles durability, reliability and fuel efficiency should ably serve the needs of consumers in the region, Domingo said. Back to top Premium Apple reseller Power Mac Center recently inked a partnership with the University of Visayas New School of Art & Design (UVNS) to strengthen the position of its Apple Authorized Training Center (AATC) in Cebu within the creative market. UVNS Customized Education was recently named an Apple Distinguished Program. Offering certificate courses in Visual Communication Design, 2D/3D Animation, Graphic Design, Photography, and Filmmaking, UVNS provides creatives an avenue to hone their talent and passion within a dynamic program tailored for artists. This output-based education model is the first of its kind in Cebu and even the entire Philippines. For the partnership, Power Mac Centers Apple certified trainers will teach Final Cut Pro X initially to UVNS students. This is in line with the schools goal of producing creative professionals with skills marketable in the real world. Power Mac Center AATC Head Maleng Raysag said, We look forward to having more Apple certified professionals on Final Cut Pro X in Cebu and nearby areas. As you know, an Apple certification is a globally recognized level of accreditation. This way, we can ensure that UVNS graduates will be able to compete even in the world stage. While elated about having been given an Apple distinction after starting operations a mere three years ago, UVNS School Director Genesis Rana is looking to accomplish a lot more with Power Mac Center. In particular, he is planning to implement a One to One iPad Program for his students and possibly pioneer lifestyle enhancement programs using Apple technology. Im a Steve Jobs fanatic and a follower of his vision and the way he does things. At one point, I told some of my students in class that I want to be the Steve Jobs of education. What he did to technology, I want to do it to education, Rana said. I believe that education should not be limited to the classroom. It should be for everyone. Rana expressed that he is both humbled and challenged by the Apple recognition for it meant that the spotlight is on UVNS. He acknowledged the fact that the school has to innovate further since the award expires in 2017. The University of Visayas New School of Art & Design is recognized as an Apple Distinguished Program for 2016-2017. Im confident that we can do it now that it opened up to partnerships with Power Mac Center and other entities. But what I want from my partners, to be candid about it, is to really push it. Ideas are easy but execution is a different story, Rana said. My personality is very driven. It would be good to have partners like that. UVNS currently has a student population of about 25-35 at a time, with some coming from as far as Davao. Graduates attest to the effectiveness of the schools instruction model, which is a mixture of technical training and real-life exposure for a holistic learning experience. The school administration is planning to expand to cater to its growing stature as a premier design school. Meanwhile, Power Mac Center has expressed support for institutions in the VisMin region that also want to produce Apple certified professionals. We recognize Filipino talents especially in the VisMin region. We know that Filipinos are world class. Having strong partnerships will hopefully open up opportunities to hone young talents and produce the best generation of creatives, Raysag said. Power Mac Centers AATC is the first to offer Professional Track Certification Training and Prometric Exams for IT and creative professionals in Mac OS X in the Philippines. More information about products and services may be obtained from the website www.powermaccenter.com or via email to aatc@powermaccenter.com. Back to top Flu shot rates among California adults vary by race and ethnicity Los Angeles, California - More than 60 percent of all adults in California fail to get an annual flu shot, according to a new journal article by UCLA researchers that also found wide disparity in flu immunization rates among Asian subgroups. Using California Health Interview Survey data for 2011-12, the article, which was published in the American Journal of Infection Control, reports immunization rates for two adult Asian ethnicities in the state Koreans and Vietnamese were the highest at 48.9 percent and 46.7 percent, respectively, compared to a 40.2 percent rate for whites. Rates for other ethnic groups studied Latino, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, South Asian, Asian other, and other were not significantly different from whites. African-Americans had the lowest rate of the groups studied, 28.5 percent. Statewide, the immunization picture improved, with 1 in 3 adults participating in 2011-2012 compared to 1 in 4 in 2005, according to the article. An advisory committee of public health and medical experts, which makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines and disease control, advocates an annual flu shot starting at the age of 6 months to reduce the chances of contracting a potentially debilitating flu virus. Its important to get the word out, said Ninez Ponce, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and one of the articles co-authors. Some public health groups and ethnic media are better at communicating the importance of getting a flu shot. For instance, Ponce said studies report more flu shots among Vietnamese in Santa Clara County, which has a strong public health infrastructure and community-based organizations that promote the importance of being immunized, and some Korean media regularly feature consumer stories on flu shot immunization. According to previous studies, low household income and concern that getting a flu shot could result in a severe case of flu are factors in low immunization rates among African-Americans and other racial and ethnic groups. That means African-Americans are at high risk of being infected with the flu, said Dr. Christopher Almario, assistant professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and lead author of the study. Knowing who isnt participating can help us target those groups, encourage them to get flu shots, and keep them healthy during flu season. Secretary of State John Kerry to Host C5+1 Foreign Ministerial Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of State Kerry will host the foreign ministers from the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan on August 3, 2016, at the Department of State, for the second ministerial meeting of the C5+1 diplomatic platform. All six Foreign Ministers will deliver opening remarks in the Benjamin Franklin Room at 9:35 a.m. The group will then discuss regional security, economic connectivity, environment and climate change, and humanitarian issues. Secretary Kerry and the ministers will also discuss five proposed projects developed by C5+1 working groups following the first ministerial in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in November 2015. Following the ministerial meeting, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host a lunch with the five ministers and leaders from prominent U.S. think tanks to share ideas about Central Asias development in the 21st century. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will then host a business forum with the Central Asian ministers and senior executives from major U.S. companies to discuss the opportunities and challenges of a connected and prosperous Central Asia. The Chamber will also host a cultural reception to celebrate the Central Asian states 25th anniversaries of independence, the regions unique cultural heritage, and partnerships between the Central Asian states and U.S. government, business, academic and cultural institutions. This will be the second time this group has met in the C5+1 platform to commit to a joint approach to addressing regional issues of shared interest. The United States looks forward to continuing the C5+1 format to broaden and deepen its relationship with the Central Asian states. Antique Bottle Convention & Expo auction Sacramento, California - Collectors of vintage bottles, mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire rare and desirable Nevada bottles at the annual auction of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, on Saturday, August 6th, at the Lions Gate Hotel in Sacramento and hosted by Holabird Western Americana of Reno, Nevada. The auction event will be part of 49er Bottle Jamboree and will coincide with the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors 2016 National Antique Bottle & Expo being held at the same venue. Nevada bottles in general are not only gorgeous and colorful collectibles, they are slices of state history, said Fred Holabird, President of Holabird Western Americana and the author of a two-volume series: Nevada History Through Glass (2012) and Ghost Towns & Medicines (Sierra Nevada Press, 2016). The stories of the Nevada pioneers who became druggists or apothecaries cross the lines of science. Many of them were miners, and their stories reflect Nevada mining history. Ghost Towns & Medicines will be available for purchase at the Sacramento show and auction (480 pages in color, $39.95). Mr. Holabird said he approached the writing of the two books like he would a science project. We used comparative analogy of glass bottle construction and style, coupled with data from the historical record to date the bottles and their specific variants, Holabird said. The people and businesses that made up the drug store industry in Nevada since 1859 were dissected in scientific fashion to bring them to life in story form. These very stories will be offered at the auction. Western bottles from Nevada give collectors a peek into the journey that medicines took as they made their way to the Wild West, said Bernd Schwalbe, whos been a practicing pharmacist in Nevada for 36 years. Many problems were encountered, both with supply and manufacturing, as pharmacies and the medicine bottles sold there came to the rough and tough mining towns in Nevada and the other Western states. As a result, many of these beautiful bottles are quite rare. Eugene Hattori, a historical archaeologist for the Nevada State Museum, echoed Mr. Schwalbes words. Bottles are a gateway into Nevada history, Hattori said. Ive enlisted Fred Holabird on numerous occasions to help in identifying many embossed bottle fragments recovered from our excavations. Together, weve been able to place specific bottles within the who, what, where and when of Nevadas past. Now, collectors will be able to bid on and own these historic treasures. Bob Ferraro, a past Chairman of the Federation of Historic Bottle Collectors and author of two books (The Past in Glass and A Bottle Collectors Book) said he got started in bottle collecting more than 50 years ago, when my mother gave me her purple bottles and began my passion for collecting. He added, I was particularly fascinated by Nevada pharmacy or drug store bottles, from the time of statehood until around 1920.Examples from this period will be in the auction. In all, more than 250 items comprising 193 lots will come up for bid at the auction, most of them from the Western United States. These will include 60 whiskeys (featuring the two expected top lots in the sale and six from Nevada), 50 sodas (to include many rarities, 20 of them from Nevada), 45 medicines (featuring rare colored examples and some fantastic Owl bottles), five bitters (one from Nevada), beers (17 from Nevada) and ten miscellaneous bottles (to include a cobalt blue grenade and inks). From eastern California will come rare bottles from Truckee, Bodie and Castalian Springs in Inyo County. Hours of the auction will be 7:00 to 10:30 pm Pacific Coast time, with previews Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5-6, from10 am to 5 pm. For those unable to attend in person, internet bidding will be available through the platforms iCollector.com, Invaluable.com (with AuctionZip.com and eBayLive.com) and AuctionMobility.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be taken. Holabird Western Americana is always seeking quality bottle, advertising, Americana and coin consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can e-mail him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To learn more about Holabird Western Americana's August 6th auction, visit www.fhwac.com . USDA Begins Second Year of National Project to Quantify Effects of Agricultural Conservation Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service is contacting 25,000 farmers and ranchers through August to take part in a national survey that will more accurately measure the environmental benefits associated with implementation and installation of conservation practices on agricultural land. The results of the National Resources Inventory Conservation Effects Assessment Project (NRI-CEAP) survey will help further develop the science-based solutions for managing the agricultural landscape to improve environmental quality. The survey gives farmers and ranchers the power to provide a more complete and accurate picture of the conservation practices on their operations, said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. If contacted, I encourage farmers and ranchers to participate. Their collective responses can directly benefit themselves and all producers by helping leaders focus on what producers need to install conservation practices that are best for their operations environmentally and financially. The results of the survey will demonstrate the work of Americas farmers to conserve natural resources while producing the food, fuel and fiber the world requires, participating farmers and ranchers support our cause for continued science-based conservation programs that protect natural resources while supporting farm-related jobs. Survey results will guide USDA conservation policy and program development and help conservationists, farmers and ranchers more efficiently and effectively conserve natural resources. In addition to helping determine the effectiveness of existing conservation practices, NRI-CEAP analysis provides estimates of resources farmers may need to further protect the soil, water and related resources. Additional information about CEAP is available at the Conservation Effects Assessment Project survey web page. NASS conducts the NRI-CEAP survey under a cooperative agreement with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRI-CEAP results help determine not only the effectiveness of existing conservation practices but also what resources farmers may need to further protect the soil, water and related resources in selected watersheds and to document on-farm conservation accomplishments. For example, a recent CEAP report for the Western Lake Erie Basin shows voluntary conservation is making significant headway in reducing nutrient and sediment loss from farms and that there is opportunity to improve conservation management across the basin with no single conservation solution meeting the needs of every field and farm. That report informed the development of the new Western Lake Erie Basin Initiative, which helps support farmers efforts to improve water quality in the region. The NRI-CEAP survey will be conducted in two parts. In the first survey, which is shorter, NASS will determine eligibility for the more in-depth survey that will take place between October 2016 and February 2017. The privacy of all respondents is safeguarded, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by Federal law. WATCH: This Restaurant in Pune Are Run by Speech and Hearing Impaired People 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 first look at WWII drama Dunkirk - the upcoming film from director Christopher Nolan - is imminent following the confirmation that a teaser will arrive with the release of DC film Suicide Squad. The news was first reported by TrailerTrack who made an announcement via its social media pages. Suicide Squad, which is released across the globe this Friday (5 August), is one of the summer's most anticipated films so it's no surprise that this is the film the teaser's been attached to. David Ayer's new film, focused on a ragtag bunch of supervillains, is rumoured to feature a cameo from Ben Affleck's Batman - ironic considering Nolan is the man behind the popular Dark Knight trilogy he kickstarted with Batman Begins in 2005. Which recent movies will become classics? Show all 21 1 /21 Which recent movies will become classics? Which recent movies will become classics? Birdman - Undoubtedly Alejandro G. Inarritus masterpiece will surely be remembered for years to come - fiercely original in its concept, brave in its single take(esque) format and the perfect satire of a very specific and bizarre era of cinema we find ourselves in. What perhaps was so astonishing about this Best Picture Oscar winner was that in spite of its experimental format and lofty intentions, it still also managed to be hugely entertaining, and is eminently rewatchable. - Christopher Hooton Fox Searchlight Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? There Will Be Blood - Potentially Inherent Vice feels like its been forgotten already, The Master was great but too weighty for some, but There Will Be Blood is the Paul Thomas Anderson film that comes up time and time again in pub film conversations, whether theyre between cinephiles or more casual fans. A blank yet brutal indictment of lucre, Daniel Day Lewis gave one of his best ever performances as oil man Daniel Plainview, and Jonny Greenwoods fearsome score is still being performed live several years after its release. But mainly, I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP! - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Avatar - Probably not Its undeniable that James Camerons gargantuan blockbuster Avatar will find its place in the cinematic history books. With a worldwide gross of over 2.7 billion, its currently the highest earning film of all time - even Star Wars' The Force Awakens return couldn't topple it. But will it actually be remembered fondly? Its ground-breaking special effects already betray the first signs of aging, and though its use of 3D was revolutionary at the time, its now so pedestrian as to be found in a Glee concert movie. What is there to revere then? The patronising narrative re-hash of the plot to Dances With Wolves? Or the bit where two cat-aliens had sex by plugging their hair braids into each other? - Clarisse Loughrey Which recent movies will become classics? Whiplash - Within its own genre at least Whiplash was perhaps the most buzzy, "have you seen it yet?" film of 2014, and winning major Oscars off a budget of $3.3 million was no mean feat. Damien Chazelle managed to make a film about drumming absolutely edge-of-your-seat stuff, and succeeded by not patronising his audience - trusting that even if they didnt understand the music theory detail, they would still be able to revel in it. Unfortunately, it might just be too small a film to be remembered as a classic, but will certainly be circling the top of best movies about music lists for some years to come. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Skyfall Depends whos Bond next Best Bond of all time? Skyfalls slick, true, but its status as an icon seems heavily premature. Were still clinging onto the Craig era, and its hard to argue that Skyfall doesnt do the same; trading its entire dramatic tension on the premise that weve long been deeply attached to this grizzled Bond and equally grizzled M. In Silvas personal vendetta, or in the neat metaphors of Skyfall Lodges crumbling exteriors and Bonds crumbling interiors of a post-Vesper Lynd world; its only once the franchise has moved on to new pastures that well truly start to see whether Skyfall can go the distance. Doesnt help that Spectre was a bit of a disappointment, though. -CL Which recent movies will become classics? Mad Max: Fury Road - A gutsy yes Yes, its a madly confident move to already claim Fury Roads going to a bonafide classic within its first year of release, but Fury Road is a mad movie. 36 years after its original incarnation, George Miller returned to the wasteland to conjure the greatest adrenaline hit of the cinematic decade. Breathlessly edited, hued with the colours of dust and dirt and rage; packed to the brim with practical stunt work unseen in the digital age. Plus, its a film that actively dismantles the patriarchy through a gun-slinging, metal-armed Charlize Theron. If its not remembered as one of the greatest blockbusters of its time, itll certainly be remembered as one of the gutsiest. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Great Beauty - No, but it damn well should be It won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2014, but this Paolo Sorrentino masterpiece is still unknown to most. It centres on a group of aging intellectuals partying on rooftops across Rome to Eurodance, and within this frame of superficiality it manages staggering profundity. The dialogue is rich, the cinematography sumptuous, and if Fellini is considered classic, this fellow Italians work certainly should be too. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Little Miss Sunshine - Within its own genre, yes The Sundance Effect has unfortunately developed a near plague of insufferable, self-conscious mawkishness over the years. Misfit boys finding new meaning to their existence in the arms of pink-haired manic pixie dream girls; sun-dappled bike rides as the latest band to feature a ukulele solo play softly in the distance. Some have indeed come off this false and cloying (Zach Braffs Garden State), others smarter and keener (last years Me and Earl and the Dying Girl); but as the fires of kook devour all in sight, there will always remain one film left standing in the ashes: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine. One scene that guarantees its elevation above the rabble sees teenager Dwayne (Paul Dano) realise hes colour-blind, and thus will never be able to achieve his dream of becoming a jet fighter. Danos meltdown here is so raw, and so positively tragic, that itll be a hard job to ever forget that epic f-bomb as the years pass. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? Lost in Translation - I'll still be watching it in my 80s at least Really a perfect movie. The casting couldn't have been better and Sofia Coppola conveys the choking feeling of an overly air-conditioned hotel room like no-one else. So many of the shots were beautiful in their simplicity. Bill Murray making a nice crisp, clean golf shot before walking off down the course. The flower arranging scene. Bill lightly grabbing Scarlett Johansson's foot and this subtly serving as the film's 'kiss'. It's the unconventional romance at the heart of the film that makes it so great, though, which is as much about companionship as physical and emotional love. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Crash - Hahahahahahahahaha Seriously, how did it win that Oscar? Even the director doesn't know. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Pans Labyrinth - Absolutely Guillermo del Toro dreams on celluloid; hes a weaver of fairy tales in an age where innocence is presumed dead. Its through innocence, through innocent eyes, that we witness the darkest excesses of human nature in a way that so exposes the incomprehensibility of evil committed in the pursuit of power. Through young Ophelias perspective we watch the horrors of Francos Spanish regime play out, the barbaric cruelty of her stepfather Captain Vidal; she fears not the horned faun who lives in the labyrinth when its so clear her own patriarchal figurehead is the true monster. And though its finale may be heart-breaking, del Toro still allows innocence a certain victory. Victory through Ophelias eyes, those pure and hungry enough to see beyond the borders of her bleak reality to find an escape from the seemingly unstoppable monstrosities of adulthood. - CL Warner Bros. Which recent movies will become classics? Im Still Here - When everyone realises its genius Initially admonished for being exploitative of Joaquin Phoenixs condition, it was astonishing that, when this Casey Affleck-directed mockumentary was revealed to be a hoax, most critics didnt give it a second review, and those who did still disliked it. In hindsight this was so much more than a prank. Phoenix stayed in character as a failed actor turned hip-hop artist for months on end. This dedication wasnt for nothing either (unlikely say, DiCaprio in The Revenant), Im Still Here is actually a very funny, moving and subtly satirical film, and definitely original. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Boyhood - I doubt it While it too was an unprecedented piece of cinema, Boyhood for me faded from the memory very quickly. Dismissing this film as essentially a puberty timelapse might be a little harsh, but the set-up did ultimately come off gimmicky and as a coming of age story it failed to resonate. Admirable, but not a classic - CH Universal Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? The Social Network - Yes I was less than thrilled at the prospect of a movie about Facebook, but then pleasantly surprised upon watching it. A holy production trinity of David Fincher (director), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter) and Trent Reznor (score) told a story that changed all of our lives with such panache. Texting, the internet, social media etc are so prosaic that many authors and filmmakers disingenuously leave them out of their stories, but here they were central and yet still the film was engrossing, stylish and human. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Django Unchained - Hell yeah/hell maybe Swiping its titular characters name from a 1966 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci, Tarantino utilised his trademark flair for ultra-violence and nihilistic humour to create the perfect meeting point between revisionism and classicism. Django channeled brutality in the name of righteous fury, allowing the freedom fighting slaves of a pre-Civil War Deep South their own legendary cowboy of the John Wayne or Clint Eastwood type. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Tree of Life - A few people will kid themselves its classic Terrence Malicks experimental drama couldnt really have been more ambitious or tried to chip away at a bigger chunk of existence. As such, it was automatically lauded by many who didnt really know what to make of it, but looking back, was it worthy of the praise? The Brad-Pitt-is-a-family-man-in-the-50s plot strand was actually pretty unremarkable, and were it not for the brazenness of the extended shots of the universe being formed I doubt it would have made top ten lists the way it did. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Her - Yes, as a historical document Films depicting the future remain fascinating decades later because they show, in retrospect, how we wanted the world to progress and what developments we simply couldnt have conceived. As such Her will definitely still be getting talked about in years to come, whether or not we do indeed end up falling in love with our computers. (Also see: Ex Machina) - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Any of the space movies? Maybe Interstellar We seem to get a big budget space movie annually these days, and while none of them really have the creativity of Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar stands a chance of staying atop VOD libraries. Gravity and The Martian, while technically brilliant, were pretty forgettable, and dont get me started on Sunshine. Interstellar was very impressive though, and if a Christopher Nolan films going to stand out Id rather it be this one than - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Inception - Please no Yes, its insanely watchable and the plot zips along nicely, but seriously, can we stop pretending people falling backwards off chairs and out of camp, alpine sub-dream worlds amounts to anything more than an overly convoluted, albeit pretty, action movie? - CH Which recent movies will become classics? The Wolf of Wall Street - Not compared to Scorseses earlier work If theres a burden of the artistic revolutionary, its that revolution is only ever momentary in its form; Martin Scorsese made his mark back in 1973 with Mean Streets, and its one thats been difficult to paint over in the 43 years which have since passed. The Wolf of Wall Street faults itself only in being pure Scorsese; its a film which trades purely in the breathless, macho style already so entrenched in cinematic culture. Essentially, Scorseses own genre-defining genius has doomed to obscurity any latter work which dares to fold into the directors own natural form of expression; its made derivative any work which doesnt actively rebel against what hes been most celebrated for. A tough reality, but a reality nonetheless. - CL Paramount Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? Nymphomaniac - Maybe if Part II hadnt happened Even the truest of arthouse directors are culpable for the whims of Hollywood franchises. Yes, with his dual Nymphomaniac films, Lars von Trier managed to ruin the potential classic of his career by needlessly stretching his narrative across two films; churning out the NC-17 answer to Peter Jacksons Hobbit trilogy in the process. Strip Nymphomaniac of the controversy and media hysteria surrounding its use of pornographic actors in its sex scenes; and theres a torn, throbbing soul at its centre. For all its salaciousness, von Triers exploration of the crippling effects of shame society burdens those, especially its women, who dare seek sexual pleasure is genuinely haunting. Thats in Part I, however; by the time Joes life story sees her grow from Stacy Martin into Charlotte Gainsbourg, von Triers epic dissolves into the bang of a drum in continuous, endless cycles. Shes horny and sad; we got it, Lars. - CL Dunkirk will focus on Operation Dynamo, a British military operation that saw 330,000 Allied soldiers rescued from detainment. The film stars Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance alongside a string of young actors led by Fionn Whitehead. Cillian Murphy and One Direction singer Harry Styles will also appear. Since Memento launched Nolan onto the scene in 2000, he has directed numerous acclaimed films including The Prestige (2006) and Inception (2010). Dunkirk will be the British-American filmmaker's first since sci-fi Interstellar (2014) which starred Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. Dunkirk will be released on 21 July 2017. 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 }} In the most Matthew McConaughey move ever, Matthew McConaughey has become creative director at Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey. His jobs will include writing, directing and starring in commercials, recording music for the brands campaign and even coming up with new Wild Turkey products himself, with a McConaughey edition bourbon very much on the cards. While creative director positions are often created just for the big name (like when Martin Scorsese executive produces a film hes probably had little to no involvement with), in typical McConaughey fashion, the actor is throwing himself into the role. I did get more than I bargained for, but in a great way, Melanie Batchelor, vice president for global spirits, told the New York Times. Personally, I have been completely overwhelmed with his level of commitment. If this news werent already great enough, heres some more choice quotes from the NYT piece, in which McConaughey is astute about both millennials and whiskey: They can smell it, he said in an ominous tone. Millennials, and I know this for a fact, can smell solicitation. And its a turnoff. The best ads are not solicitous. The great news is that Wild Turkey hasnt changed in all these years its totally authentic. And that appeals to millennials. Because they can smell fake. Some manicured, bearded hipster soliciting them? No, thanks. And millennials dont want bourbon lite. These people want bourbon, brother! You heard the man. These people want bourbon, brother! It feels appropriate to round off this story with the video of McConaughey spotting Brad Pitt on the balcony opposite in New Orleans and tossing him a beer. 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 few years after directing Braveheart to Oscar-winning glory in 1995, Mel Gibson acquired the film rights to novel Professor and the Madman. Only now - two decades later - is the Australian actor-director ready to move ahead with the project. The bestseller from author Simon Winchester - originally published in England as The Surgeon of Crowthorne in 1998 - tells the story of Professor James Murray, the talented linguist who compiled the Oxford English Dictionary in 1857. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson - originally attached to direct - will star as Murray while Sean Penn will play Dr. W.C. Minor, a mental asylum inmate who submitted over 10,000 entries. On directing duties is Gibson's Apocalypto writer Farhad Safinia who also created the political Kelsey Grammar-starring series, Boss (2011-12). Somewhat surprisingly, this will be the first time Gibson and Penn have worked with one another despite gaining Hollywood recognition around similar times - the former in 1979's Mad Max and the latter in Taps (1981). The first trailer for Hacksaw Ridge - Gibson's first directorial effort in ten years - was recently released showing Andrew Garfield in action as conscientious Desmond T. Doss. Penn's most recent film as director is The Last Face which premiered to negative reviews at Cannes Film Festival in May. 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 }} Already known to have surpassed 2014 as Earths hottest documented year, 2015 also smashed records for sea levels, greenhouse gas concentration and extreme weather events, according to a new international report seen as the planets annual physical exam. The wide-ranging State of the Climate report, led by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) with 450 scientists from more than 60 countries, provides a chilling image of what a hotter future might entail. As the world warmed at a dramatic rate last year, it brought worrying real-world effects across the globe, including drought, deadly heatwaves and devastating wildfires. Not long after the end of 2015, it was declared the hottest year since records began in the 19th Century. The new report, published on Tuesday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, found that the world had also passed several symbolic milestones in that 12 months. At Mauna Loa in Hawaii, site of the longest-standing measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide, for example, the annual average atmospheric CO2 concentration surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time. Thanks in large part to the continuing increase in greenhouse gas production, the world is now 1C warmer than in pre-industrial times, with temperatures rising apace. The UN has said it hopes to hold global temperatures to a rise of no more than 1.5C, the point at which scientists envisage a major tipping point for life on Earth. While the worlds groundwater storage levels were at their lowest ever, the global sea level was at its highest: 70mm above the 1993 average, when satellite measurements of sea levels began. The Greenland ice sheet, which would boost sea levels by some 7mm if it collapsed entirely, saw melting of 50 per cent of its surface in the warmer months of last year. Twelve countries including Russia and China experienced their own individual hottest years. Last June, more than 1,000 people died in a heatwave in Pakistan, while drought left millions hungry in Ethiopia and much of Indonesia was blanketed by smoke from vast forest fires. More than 90 per cent of greenhouse gas heat energy is absorbed by the oceans, where temperatures spiked at the surface and in the depths. In the Arctic, where August temperatures were a staggering 8C higher than the long-term average, walrus, polar cod and gelatinous snailfish populations were all dented, scientists found. Meanwhile, a harmful algal bloom afflicted the northeast Pacific, which was also 2C warmer than average. The total of 101 tropical cyclones in 2015 far outmatched the 1981-2010 average of 82. Some of the extreme weather came as a result of El Nino, the cyclical Pacific warming that coincided with man-made climate change to powerful effect. 2015s climate was shaped both by long-term change and an El Nino event, said Noaa director Thomas Karl. His colleague and co-author, oceanographer Gregory Johnson, described the twin effects of man-made climate change and El Nino in a haiku, published as part of the report: El Nino waxes, warm waters shoal, flow eastward, Earths fever rises. Madagascar drought: El Nino leaves 80 percent of people hungry The State of the Climate report, which takes into account 50 different aspects of the global climate, is now in its 26th year. The UN has already warned that it expects 2016 to break through many of the records set by 2015. The time to call the doctor was years ago, Noaas climate monitoring chief, Deke Arndt, told the Associated Press. We are awash in multiple symptoms. 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 survival of some of the worlds most iconic species such as elephants, rhinos and lions is hanging in the balance amid a campaign to legalise the international trade in rhino horn and other animal parts, it has been warned. Speaking ahead of a debate about the issue at Londons Royal Institution on Wednesday, Will Travers, the president of the Born Free Foundation, said some countries were now seeking to make this nightmare a reality. However the worlds largest rhino farmer, John Hume, questioned why, if a ban on trading rhino horn was such a positive conservation strategy, thousands of rhinos were being killed by poachers in South Africa. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is due to hold a major international meeting in Johannesburg later this year. Mr Travers told The Independent that people could be forgiven for believing that at least some wildlife issues are not going to take up delegates time. Planning for a future ivory trade in the face of poaching levels estimated to be running at around 30,000 elephants a year, would surely be one of them, he said. And yet, despite the efforts of the majority of countries with wild elephants to create a unified global position by placing all elephant populations on CITES appendix one, thereby banning international commercial trade, the European Union has so far declined to offer its support. Furthermore two African countries, Namibia and Zimbabwe, have tabled motions which would positively open up the possibility of further ivory trade. Mr Travers said the trophy hunting of lions cannot be judged sustainable with estimated that there may be as few as 20,000 wild lions left in Africa. This, he said, must surely mean that measures to more tightly control and, where necessary, prohibit lion trophy hunting, including placing Africa's wild lions on appendix one of CITES, would be widely welcomed. Recommended Read more South Africa lifts ban on domestic trading of rhino horn Again, the EU is remarkable for its lack of enthusiasm and commitment on the issue (although France and Italy, amongst others, are reportedly supportive of the measure.) The UK has yet to make its position clear. On rhinos, he said South Africa had lost nearly 2,400 out of perhaps 18,000 animals in just two years to a poaching epidemic. Given this background, he said: It seems almost inconceivable that any country or individual would actively support opening up legal international trade in rhino horn. South Africa recently balked at such a step, after three years of consideration. However, Swaziland, a country with less than 100 rhino and a chequered conservation record, having sold half its wild elephant population into lifetime captivity in zoos since the turn of the century, has done just that and is seeking the support of two-thirds or more of the 182 parties to CITES to make this nightmare a reality. Similarly, the world's biggest private rhino owner, John Hume, an outspoken advocate for legalising trade in horns 'harvested' from the anaesthetised faces of his 1,000 or more rhino, has raised the temperature of this increasingly acrimonious and highly controversial debate by claiming that those against legal trade are, therefore, in favour of illegal trade and 'worse than the poachers'. The future survival of some of the world's most iconic species, and some of its most celebrated individual wild animals, hangs in the balance. Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace Show all 3 1 /3 Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11832.bin IFAW/The News Market Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11766.bin Alamy Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11833.bin IFAW/The News Market However Mr Hume, who will argue for legalising the trade in rhino horn at the Royal Institution debate, said: If the international ban on trade in rhino horn is seen by the worlds conservation body called CITES to be a positive strategy for all rhinos species, why has South Africa lost 6,000 rhinos to poaching in the last few years? I would like to point out that Africa as a continent is unique in its wealth of wildlife resources, resources that the rest of the world has predominantly lost for various reasons including development. These resources are the birth-right of the African people and a major avenue to uplift its people, the rural community who are the poorest of the poor and an easy target for criminals who recruit them for becoming poachers. I believe that through CITES the opportunity to make African people a proud custodian of their natural heritage has been legislated away even politicised where European countries and America dictate to Africa how to manage its wildlife resources. Rare Sumatran rhino born Mr Hume, who has cut the horns of his rhinos since one was killed by poachers and now has a considerable stockpile, said the developed world should concentrate on shutting down black markets in their own countries rather than legislating the banning of legal sustainable supply of wildlife products by Africa. Where is the political will of those governments in shutting down those markets and why are they supporting the ban on legal trade thereby putting the responsibility onto the African people and their governments? he said. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest 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 IndyBest email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Much as it would be lovely to dine in wonderful restaurants night after night, the brutal truth is that most of us cant afford it and dont have the time. So enter Option B the restaurant cookbook. In the last few years some truly excellent ones have hit the shelves, making it possible to enjoy an approximation of professional plates for your tea, or wow some dinner party guests with your sudden upsurge in culinary creativity. Here are ten of the best recently published options. 1. Honey & Co: Food from the Middle East by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich: 25, Saltyard Books Once schooled under the tutelage of the great Yotam Ottolenghi, its no wonder that Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, the brains behind this small restaurant in Warren Street in London, are so inventive and masterful in their cookery. This reads like a love story set to food, with Middle Eastern recipes that you can actually make yourself without too much bother. Have a go at their notorious feta and honey cheesecake. Buy now 2. Pitt Cue Co. by Tom Admas, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard H. Turner: 25, Mitchell Beazley Once notorious for housing legions of hipsters in a tiny space just off Carnaby Street in London all salivating into their beards at the thought of ribs and pulled pork now you can do it all at home. Youll find secret recipes for rubs, pickles, sauces, and how to perfectly cook Flintstone-sized lumps of meat, but as with the restaurant the real surprise winner is the bone marrow mash. Buy now 3. Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes by Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns: 25, Chronicle Books Bar Tartine is a popular San Francisco hangout, the sister restaurant to the legendary Tartine Bakery. This book is foodie-focused, with great details on what you should have in your larder, pinpoint instructions on relatively complex techniques, and scientific descriptions of performing near-alchemy on vegetables to turn them into powder. For keen cooks its a wonderful addition. Buy now 4. Mildreds: The Vegetarian Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman: 25, Mitchell Beazley The popular Soho restaurant has been churning out shriekingly good vegetarian food for 25 years, repeatedly proving that eating veggie can be a near-religious experience. This book is a real treat, crammed with soups and dips and sauces, and simple salads that will have your taste buds standing back and applauding. Proof that you dont always need meat to have a good time. Buy now 5. Spuntino: Comfort Food (New York Style) by Russell Norman: 25, Bloomsbury Publishing Russell Norman (of POLPO fame) seems to have spent a lifetime wandering the planet identifying the next wave of food trends, and his Spuntino restaurant in Soho serves the best of the Big Apple: two-bite burgers called sliders, prohibition-era cocktails, pizzettas and more. There are 120 recipes accompanied by notes on his travels around different eateries in New York. Feeling like youre brunching in Brooklyn is a particular treat. Buy now 6. Morito by Samantha Clark: 26, Ebury Press The good people of Morito have been bringing fine tapas and mezze to Londons Exmouth Market for the last few years, and their small plates would make a wonderful addition to any sophisticated dinner party. There are more than 150 recipes to choose from, with a detailed supplier list to help you find the more unusual ingredients. If you really want to push the boat out, have a go at slow cooking a rabbit, or one of their more curious specialties such as fish heads with dates and sherry vinegar. Buy now 7. Rosas Thai Cafe by Saiphin Moore: 20, Mitchell Beazley For decades gap year students have been returning from South East Asia raving about the food, but now they can skip the bit where they tell you about it and just cook it for you instead. Starting in London with a modest stall on Brick Lane, Saiphin Moore now has cafes across London, as well as this cookbook, full of excellent Thai recipes for popular favourites like beef massaman curry, or the unrivalled amazingness that is the papaya salad. Buy now 8. Nopi by Yottam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully: 28, Ebury Press Unless youre the kind of person who regularly throws together a wild rocket and parsley vichyssoise for lunch, some of the recipes in this exquisite cookbook might fly a little bit above your station. But dont let that put you off, as these 120 recipes from Yotam Ottolenghis excellent Soho restaurant are fantastic, and all of them are designed so that you can recreate them yourself at home, with relative ease. Try the roasted aubergine and black garlic to get you going. Buy now 9. Gjelina Cooks: California Cooking from Venice Beach by Travis Lett: 21.99, Chronicle Books If you ever find yourself on Highway One in America, take a pit stop at Venice Beach and pay Gjelina a visit, its a great restaurant. Alternatively, you could always bring some Cal-Med to the kitchen via this eclectic selection of fine recipes, accompanied by over 150 mouth-watering photographs. Featured within are instructions for condiments and pickles, all the way to mind-blowing fish stews and even making your own sausages. Buy now 10. Zahav: 25, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Zahav is a popular Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia, specialising in traditional recipes, with a nudge towards the Middle East, North Africa and parts of the Mediterranean. You can learn to make your own award-winning hummus, or any number of rice and couscous dishes. Plus, best of all, theres the chance to finally master your very own take on matzo ball soup. Buy now Verdict Theres something for everyones palate, from the excellent barbecue of Pitt Cue Co. to the delicate sophistication of Nopi or Gjelina, but for a top-quality cookbook that you can return to night after night, try Honey & Co: Food from the Middle East. All prices listed are RRP 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 }} It seemed too good to be true, and it was. Hewlitt Packard have been forced to apologise after advertising one of its latest laptop models for the bargain price of 1.58. The HP ZBook 17 was listed on the tech manufacturers website for a mere fraction of it 2,376 price tag. The mistake was put down to a processing error and HP have apologised to customers who purchased the product after admitting they would not honour the deal. HP said in a statement: "We can confirm that due to a processing error, select products were wrongly priced on our UK website over the weekend. "This has now been corrected with related orders cancelled. We apologise sincerely to impacted customers for any inconvenience caused." The computer giant was forced to take its website offline at the weekend because of the mishap. Recommended Read more Microsoft and Hewlett Packard push for UK to stay part of Europe According to consumer rights organisation Citizens Advice, companies dont have to send customers goods which have been bought at a price people should have known were accidental. The website says they can cancel "if it if it was a genuine and honest mistake on their part that you shouldve noticed". Airlines occasionally honour error fares scouted out by savvy passenger fares online. Despite being calculated by complex software everything behind all the air fares is still driven by a human, according to travel deals website Flynous. The Flynous website, which gives error fare tips, reads: The whole travel industry is one of the busiest sectors and so mistakes in air fares may appear time by time." 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 }} At events in New York, Rio and London, Samsung today revealed its latest flagship phone. Thats the third major handset this year from the manufacturer, after the success of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge released in the spring. This time its the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the latest in the big-screen phone range which Samsung has pioneered. There was no Note 6, by the way, because the Note series has been re-numbered to reflect the fact that this handset builds on the features in the S7 range. And why not, the S7 and S7 edge have been extremely successful. The first Note, released in 2011, had a screen measuring 5.3 inches on the diagonal. Preposterous, we said, itll never catch on, what were Samsung thinking? It turned out that Samsung had correctly anticipated the rising demand for what was then called a phablet. Now every manufacturer, including Apple, has a phone with a screen larger than the original Note in its arsenal. 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 The latest model has a 5.7in display, though it has managed in successive models to increase screen size without adding to the overall size of the handset. The Note 7 is 7mm taller than the first Note but not as wide and thinner. Phones may be getting bigger, but our hands arent. The first thing you notice about the Galaxy Note 7 is its smoothness. The edges are so perfectly aligned that the phone can be rolled in your hand as satisfyingly as a worry stone. And because the screen slopes down on both sides and the back scoops up, its an especially comfy phone to hold. Samsung is the real challenger to Apple for the top end of the smartphone market and with a handset like this its easy to see why. It feels classy in every detail (which wasnt always the case with Samsung). This is the most secure phone Samsung, or perhaps any company, has made. Partly because it includes Samsungs own Knox platform and mostly because it supplements the fingerprint sensor that is increasingly standard on smartphones with a new development: iris recognition. Our irises are as unique as our fingerprints, Samsung says, and the sensor works even if youre wearing contact lenses or glasses. To use it, you press the home button and look at yourself in the two slightly spooky grey circles that appear on screen. In less than a second the sensor decides if its you and unlocks the phone. Samsung says that banks and other organisations are already looking to build iris recognition into their phone apps. Like fingerprint recognition, something like this creates an intimate and personal relationship between phone and user. Note handsets have always had another unusual feature, a built in stylus. The S Pen, as its called, is there so you can scribble notes on screen, highlight text and more. With the Note 7 you can even jot stuff on the screen when its in standby and the phone will store it anyway. Thats thanks to the always-on display technology which arrived with the S7 and which displays the clock at all times so you dont need to wake the screen to see how late you are. And now it has a memo feature added for those sudden, mustnt-be-forgotten thoughts. This version of the S Pen, a slim stylus that slips into the corner of the phone for storage, has been improved with a subtler pressure sensor (4096 levels recognised) which means among other things that you can draw in more varied ways. It has a smaller tip, measuring 0.7mm so that it feels more like writing with a real pen. It now works when its wet. So if youre writing on the screen when its raining then the pen and screen will recognise each other. Though also, why arent you indoors? It may not sound much, but getting a stylus and a capacitive touchscreen to work together with water in the equation is a pretty impressive thing. Oh, and in case youre wondering if the rain will damage the phone, the Note 7 has the same IP68 ingress rating, meaning its water-resistant in 1.5 metres of water for up to half an hour. Its also dust-proof. Recommended Read more Samsung smart TVs to start getting more ads Samsungs display technologies have always been cutting-edge and the companys use of AMOLED (Advanced Matric OLED) screens has become a signature for the company. This one adds a new feature, HDR (High Dynamic Range) which as a display technology is almost exclusively found in the most advanced TVs. It relies on a screen capable of extreme brightness levels in order to generate images which show detail in bright skies and shadowy areas simultaneously, to dramatic effect. Samsung says it will revolutionise what video playback on mobile devices is like, though I didnt see enough content yet to form a definite opinion. It will also be able to upscale non-HDR content, apparently. The display is very high-resolution (518 pixels per inch) which means that its more detailed than the eye can routinely see. But in case you think thats overkill, it means that when you plonk it into the optional Virtual Reality headset accessory, it gives you great VR capabilities up close. Samsung also announced that the Galaxy Note 7 will have an updated user interface with fewer colours and simpler shapes all part of the design which aims to offer a calming and balanced-colour concept. The new phone has a big battery (3500mAh, compared to a 3000mAh cell in the last Note) so it shouldnt leave you high and dry. It has a 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing one. Theres a fast Octacore processor and it weighs 169g certainly it feels light in the hand. It comes in three opulent (and opulently named) colours: black onyx, silver titanium and blue coral, the last of which is especially good-looking. You can order the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 from 16 August and it goes on sale on 2 September. Im already looking forward to testing this phone in detail. It combines Samsungs established Note highlights (stylus, high-resolution screen, apps that work on the screens edge) with deluxe, attractive styling and clever new features. 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 }} The NHS is able to fund a game-changing preventative HIV drug, the High Court has ruled after a charity launched a legal challenge. The National Aids Trust (NAT) won its battle on Tuesday after NHS England claimed it did not have the power to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The highly-effective anti-retroviral drug is used to stop HIV from becoming established in the event of transmission. When taken consistently, it has been shown to reduce the risk of infection in people who are at high risk by more than 90 per cent. HIV in numbers NHS England said it was not responsible for HIV prevention earlier this year, claiming that funding PrEP would pave the way for legal challenges from proponents of other treatments and interventions that could be displaced by PrEP. But Mr Justice Green, sitting in London, ruled that NHS England has erred in deciding that it has no power or duty to commission the preventative drugs in issue. He pointed out that while NHS England denied it had responsibility, local authorities do not have funds available, adding: "The potential victims of this disagreement are those who will contract HIV/AIDs but who would not were the preventative policy to be fully implemented." But NHS England announced it would be appealing his findings, saying his interpretation of legislation was "inconsistent with Parliaments intention". Tuesday's ruling was a victory for the NAT, which said the drug was urgently needed and is now calling for the NHS to make it available immediately. Deborah Gold, the charitys chief executive said the ruling was a "vindication for the many people who were let down when NHS England absolved itself of responsibility for PrEP". "The judgment has confirmed our view that it is perfectly lawful for NHS England to commission PrEP now NHS England must do just that," she added, stressing that the delay to commissioning PrEP is both "unethical and expensive". "Over 4,000 people are getting HIV every year in the UK we desperately need further prevention options to add to condom use. PrEP works. It saves money and it will make an enormous difference to the lives of men and women across the country who are at risk of acquiring HIV." The British Medical Association also welcomed the ruling, saying PrEP could "help save many lives". Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the association's public health medicine committee, said: Cuts to public health budgets are forcing local authorities to make cost savings and since the government took the axe to public health budgets, funding for many preventative services across England, including sexual health and HIV treatment, have been, and will continue to be, under pressure. More widely, this is an inevitable symptom of a fragmented and increasingly underfunded public health system. World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indian NGO volunteers light candles in the shape of a ribbon during an awareness rally on the eve of World Aids Day in Agartala, the capital of northeastern state of Tripura, India World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Government health workers wear masks as they display a streamer during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila, Philippines REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Filipino women wear colourful costumes during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indonesian students hold a rally to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS at a university in Surabaya JUNI KRISWANTOJUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures An Indian college student poses alongside placards during an event at a local hospital to raise awareness about AIDS on the occasion of World Aids Day AFP PHOTO STR/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures People Living with HIV AIDS (PLHA) lie on the street during a protest demanding the revival of focus on India's AIDS programme which has been on the decline in the past few years, in New Delhi AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAINSAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures A red ribbon placed at the Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, Spain, by the Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Madrid (COGAM) EPA/J.P. GANDUL World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures South Korean middle school students hold umbrellas as they form a giant red ribbon during a ceremony to mark World AIDS Day in Seoul AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JEJUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Pakistani people hold placards as they attend a rally to create awareness in Peshawar Arshad Arbab/EPA The World Health Organisation also recommends that people deemed to be at substantial risk of HIV infection are offered PrEP. NHS England said the ruling meant it could not confirm funding for some other treatments and services to safeguard funding possibly needed for PrEP in the future. "NHS England will publish a draft policy proposition for the potential commissioning of PrEP for public consultation as soon as possible," a spokesperson said. "This does not imply that PrEP at what could be a cost of 10-20 million a year would actually succeed as a candidate for funding when ranked against other candidate interventions in this year's annual specialised commissioning prioritisation round." Dr Jonathan Fielden, NHS Englands Director of Specialised Commissioning and Deputy National Medical Director, said Gilead the pharmaceutical company marketing PrEP under the name Truvada "will be asked to submit better prices, which would clearly affect the likelihood that their drug could be commissioned. Previously started clinical trials researching how PrEP can be commissioned "in the most cost-effective way" will continue running. The NHS in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not yet made a decision on the treatment. 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 }} It's the leading disability worldwide and it can kill. Yet for decades, scientists have known surprisingly little about what genes are linked with the development of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A new study aims to change that. In their paper, published Monday in the journal Nature Genetics, a team of scientists pinpointed 17 genetic tweaks, or SNPs (pronounced snips), that appear to be tied to MDD. The researchers combed through a trove of genetic data from thousands of people who submitted their information to the personal genomics company 23andMe. Scientists have been looking for such genetic hallmarks of depression for years. And while some, including a 2013 study in the journal The Lancet and a 2015 paper in the journal Nature, have yielded some promising clues, none have been able to spot any precise, reliable genetic hallmarks of the disease. And least not until now. My group has been chasing depression genes for more than a decade without success, so as you can imagine we were really thrilled with the outcome, Harvard psychiatry professor Roy Perlis, one of the leading authors of the paper and the Associate Director of the Psychiatric Genetics Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Business Insider. The hope is that identifying these watermarks in our DNA tiny areas on genes where high amounts of variation tend to occur among individuals will help usher in a series of new, more precise treatments for people suffering from the disease. But this is really just the beginning. Now the hard work is understanding what these findings tell us about how we might better treat depression, said Perlis. Using 23andMe data to uncover clues about depression 23andMe is a personal genomics company that lets you spit in a tube and get your DNA analyzed for $199. Most of the attention they've attracted recently has been focused on its tiffs with federal regulatory agencies like the FDA, who threatened to pull its tests because they were giving unauthorized medical advice. But other research that the company is involved with has attracted less fanfare. In a recent StarTalk interview with host Neil de Grasse Tyson, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki said, We are about individuals accessing, understanding, and benefiting from the human genome. The genome has a massive potential to transform healthcare. And we got a million people genotyped, so now we have a million people running around going to their doctors and talking about genetics, and that has the potential to be disruptive. This study which drew from 23andMe data could be one example of this disruptive potential. Psychiatric diseases, since they are the result of a complex mix of genetics, environment, and behavioral factors, require large numbers of people, or what's known as a large sample size. In the past, recruiting these large numbers of people, not to mention screening and interviewing each potential participant, has been extremely expensive and labor-intensive. In contrast, the current study drew from research that had already been done. We thought, what can we do with this huge set of data thats already been collected by 23andMe? said Perlis. Quite a lot, it turns out. Using data from more than 75,600 people who said they'd been clinically diagnosed with depression and from more than 231,700 people who reported no history of depression, Perlis and his team were able to identify 15 areas on our DNA that appear to be linked with Major Depressive Disorder. They also found some ties between these areas and those which have been previously identified as possibly playing a role in other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Still, the data has some limitations. For one thing, its based on self-reports, meaning that only people who were experiencing problematic symptoms and went to a doctor to seek help were included. As a result, the data could exclude the many people who experience major depressive disorders, but have not yet been diagnosed. On the other hand, it could also include people who have been wrongfully diagnosed. What we might be identifying here is something much more to do with help-seeking behavior than anything to do with a psychiatric illness, University of California, Los Angeles professor of psychiatry Jonathan Flint told The Guardian. Regardless of its limitations, however, the research hits home the message that diseases of the brain, such as depression or Alzheimer's are no less real and no less serious than diseases of the body, like cancer. Beyond giving us this so much data to explore, said Perlis, being able to show that depression is a brain disease, that there is biology associated with it, I think that's really critical for people to understand that these are brain diseases. They're not someone's fault. They are diseases, like any other. Read more: This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed How Uber became the world's most valuable startup These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter. 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 }} As many as three quarters of women dislike their bodies, according to a new survey coinciding with the release of Weight Watchers magazine's first "Naked Issue". Some 60 per cent of women and a third of adult men in the UK revealed that they avoid looking in the mirror when they undress, while a fifth said they did not look at their naked body at all, the poll showed. The research also revealed how shame is impacting relationships, as some 27 per cent of women said they had sex with the lights off or avoided the act entirely because they lacked body confidence. In addition, 38 per cent of those surveyed said they believed that their partner would not find them as attractive if they saw them in the nude. The survey of 2,000 men and women was conducted as part of the launch of Weight Watchers magazines September issue, which will feature six of the firm's members of varying ages and sizes proudly baring their bodies in a stand against fat shaming. Hitting back at Photoshopped images that pervade mainstream magazines, the six women who appear in the issue lost a total of 22st 3lbs and hope to encourage others to value strong and healthy bodies. Three male members will appear in the October issue, after losing 29st 13lbs in total. Helen Renshaw, Editor of Weight Watchers magazine, said the findings of the survey were worrying. She explained that the Naked Issue was inspired by the September editions of fashion magazines, including Vogue, that traditionally set trends for the year. We love fashion as much as the next person, but what is more interesting than clothes is what is going on in our heads and how we feel about our bodies," she said. Inspiring body positivity quotes Show all 12 1 /12 Inspiring body positivity quotes Inspiring body positivity quotes Ashley Graham "And cellulite, I have not forgotten about you. I'm going to choose to love you even though you want to take over my whole bottom half. You're a part of me and I love you." Inspiring body positivity quotes Danielle Brooks "Sometimes I don't like what I see, but I have the power to change the way in which I relate to my body both physically and mentally." Inspiring body positivity quotes Iskra Lawrence "Stop comparing yourself to anybody else. The [pictures of] movie stars, even the Disney characters, thats not real. Thats not attainable. You cant be anybody else. You are you. You cant be them. So you really just have to start embracing yourself and accepting so-called flaws that society has given the name flaws. Its just our body, our patchwork quilt. Inspiring body positivity quotes Beyonce "The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence." Getty Images Inspiring body positivity quotes Kate Winslet "Nobody is perfect. I just don't believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, 'This is who I am and look at me not being perfect.' I'm proud of that." Getty Images Inspiring body positivity quotes Rihanna "You just want something that someone else has, but that doesn't mean what you have isn't beautiful, because people always want what you have and you always want what they have - no one is ever 100 per cent like, 'Yes, I'm the bomb-dot-com - from head-to-toe!" REUTERS Inspiring body positivity quotes Tess Holliday "Never compare yourself with others and celebrate what makes you, you." Inspiring body positivity quotes Demi Lovato "Instead of looking in the mirror and focusing on your flaws, look in the mirror and appreciate your best features... everyone has them." Inspiring body positivity quotes Kim Kardashian-West "See this little dimple of cellulite here? It was so worth it for that cookies 'n' cream ice cream!" Inspiring body positivity quotes Jennifer Lawrence "It should be illegal to call someone fat." Inspiring body positivity quotes Mindy Kaling "Insults about the way I look cant be the thing that harms me and my heart the most. It has to harm me the least. If I have a daughter, Im going to tell her that. Far too many women are much more hurt by being called fat or ugly than they are by being called not smart, or not a leader." Rex Features Inspiring body positivity quotes Selena Gomez "Im learning that you can be comfortable and still look beautiful. AFP/Getty Images The Naked Issue comes amid public pressure aimed at mainstream media and advertising to feature and celebrate a diverse range of bodies. Earlier this year, Womens Health magazine announced it would ban the phrase bikini body on its covers. Since our goal is always to pump you up, and never to make you feel bad, heres our pledge: Theyre gone,' she wrote of the phrases. 'Theyll no longer appear on Womens Health covers, explained Editor-in-chief, Amy Keller Laird in an essay revealing the new policyu. Meanwhile, lingerie brand Aerie was last year hailed for releasing untouched images of models in its adverts - a move the firm revealed led to a 18 per cent increase in sales in the second quarter of 2015. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Bank of Englands annual stress tests of the UKs banks, designed to ensure Britains lenders will not be at the heart of another destructive financial crisis, have been branded worse than useless, by a new report. Kevin Dowd, professor of finance and economics at Durham University, argues in a paper published today by the Adam Smith Institute that the Banks tests, which model various adverse economic scenarios each year such as a major fall in UK house prices or a Chinese property crash, have a series of fatal flaws and that the central bank is asleep at the wheel. The purpose of the stress-testing programme should be to highlight the vulnerability of our banking system and the need to rebuild it. Instead, it has achieved the exact opposite, portraying a weak banking system as strong". Recommended Read more Banking reform is more confusing than it needs to be Professor Dowd warns that the eurozone banking system is on the precipice of another crisis, which will also engulf the UKs major lenders. Once contagion spreads from Italy to Germany and then to the UK, we will have a new banking crisis but on a much grander scale than 2007-08 he said. The Bank of England is asleep at the wheel again, and we will be back to beleaguered banksters begging for bailouts and the taxpayer will be ripped off yet again, but bigger this time. Recession warning Among the flaws in the Banks testing exercise identified by Professor Dowd are the fact that the stress tests rely on analytical risk weights for banks assets, which have been much criticised for potentially underplaying the true riskiness of various assets such as mortgages and sovereign debt. Professor Dowd also cites the use of questionable estimates of the scale of banks' true exposures and the fact that the Bank of England, unrealistically, only models a single stress scenario at a time. In addition, he says the Banks tests are less rigorous than those of the US central bank, and that if UK lenders were tested by the Federal Reserve all of them would fail. Other former regulators have raised questions about the Banks reliance on stress tests to gauge the resilience of UK banks. In a speech last year Robert Jenkins, a former member of the Banks Financial Policy Committee and now a senior fellow at Better Markets, said: For stress testing to be effective regulators must know which risks to stress and by what degree to do so. However hardworking and intelligent they may be they are also human. They, like the bankers they regulate will at some point get it wrong. Mr Jenkins, along with Professor Dowd, argues that regulators efforts should be focused on requiring banks to raise considerably larger equity cushions to protect them against future risks that are simply unforeseeable to regulators today. In relation to their total assets regulators such as the Bank of England are only requiring private banks to have equity cushions of up to 5 per cent. This would imply that if their assets fell by just 5 per cent they would be insolvent and, potentially, need a public bailout. Recommended Read more Oldest bank in world would go bust in crisis according to EBA The European Banking Authority a separate regulator published the results of its own latest stress test exercise for 51 or the continents largest banks last Friday, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds. This found that in an adverse scenario HSBCs capital cushion falls to 8.7 per cent, RBS to 8 per cent and Barclays to 7.3 per cent all well above the level at which they would have been pressured to raise more equity. Two previous EBA stress tests in 2011 and 2014 have been roundly criticised for giving a host of eurozone lenders, which subsequently needed to be rescued, a clean bill of health. European bank stocks have fallen sharply this week, suggesting that investors are unconvinced by the latest EBA results too. In its own latest stress test scenario for 2016 the Bank of England is modelling a fall in the price of oil to $20 a barrel, a 33 per cent slide in global property prices and a 4.3 per cent fall in UK GDP. The results are due to be published in the final quarter of this year. 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 pilot working for Bernie Ecclestone has been arrested on suspicion of involvement of the kidnapping of his mother-in-law. Aparecida Schunck, 67, the mother of Ecclestone's wife Fabiana Flosi, 38, was taken from her home in Sao Paulo, in Brazil, over a week ago. Kidnappers demanded a ransom of $36.5million (28m), believed to be the largest sum demanded in Brazilian history. The 67-year-old was rescued from a flat on the outskirts of the city on Saturday without any money being paid to those holding her. She was reportedly freed after investigators monitored calls between the kidnappers and members of her family. Helicopter pilot Jorge Eurico da Silva Faria was one of three men arrested in connection with the kidnapping. A spokesman for Sao Paulo police said da Silva Faria was arrested with two other men, Vitor Oliveira Amorim and David Vicente Azevedo. The investigation continues and the police did not rule out the involvement of other suspects, he added. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. Mr Ecclestone, 85, said he was very happy with the police operation to rescue his mother. The last few days haven't been very good. This isn't a good thing to happen to you and your family, he told the Mail Online. The police officers we dealt with were fantastic, they did an unbelievable job, it was absolutely first class. We are very, very, very happy with them. Additional reporting by the Press Association 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 renowned Melbourne street artist has covered his provocative mural of Hillary Clinton with a niqab after he was threatened with a council fine for not keeping with their stance on "gender equity". In the original scantily-clad image, the Democrat presidential candidate is depicted in a revealing swimsuit with $100 notes pushed into the costume. The council responded by threatening the owner of the building with prosecution and a fine if the mural, which was painted onto the side wall of a wheelchair and mobility scooter shop in Footscray, 5km west of Melbourne, was not removed. Despite the councils request for the image to be removed, the street artist Lushsux responded by covering Ms Clintons body with a niqab, leaving only her eyes showing, on Monday. The freshly painted mural included the caption: If this muslim offends you, you are a bigot, racist, sexist, islamophobe. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. He also posted the new image on Instagram, writing: This is no longer a wall of a supposed offensive and near naked Hillary Clinton, it is now a depiction of a beautiful Muslim woman. No reasonable person would consider this offensive. But Lushsux told The Independent the mural had already been cleaned off by the council. It's been cleaned off by a thick layer of black paint courtesy of the council. They bullied the real estate agents that run the property into it, he said. They used intimidation to get their way. He argued it was pathetic the council were attempting to censor his work. Lushsux said the business were being asked to pay the costs of removal rather than him. Recommended Read more Naked selfies by street artist Lushsux to be left alone by council The artist also claimed his Instagram account was taken down for two days after posting the initial mural of Ms Clinton. However, he said he managed to get it back after informing the media what had happened. Lushsux said his inspiration for the original image of Ms Clinton in a risque swimsuit had been "to take the piss, nothing more". While he had received a positive reception for the image, he explained feminists were less keen. "Other than that I've heard and seen via the internet that a lot of people have enjoyed it. Feminists hate it, go figure," he said. The artist did not say who he would be supporting in the forthcoming US elections but that he enjoyed poking fun at the system regardless. Stephen Wall, the chief executive for Maribyrnong Council previously said that the council would consider further action if the mural wasnt removed within the stipulated time frame. If the matter proceeds to prosecution, it would be through the Magistrates Court, which will determine any fine and damages to be paid, he told local paper Herald Sun. Wall said the original mural was offensive because it was not in keeping with the councils stance on gender equity. Lushsux is known for his provocative naked murals. He has also painted a mural of Donald Trump and his wife in Melania in Melbourne and a two-story nude of Kim Kardashian which the City of Sydney ordered to be removed. Representatives for the council and Instagram did not immediately respond to request for comment. 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 editor of Channel 4 News has hit back at Kelvin Mackenzies criticism of him as a c**k by poking fun at MacKenzie's journalism. The former Sun editor attacked Ben de Pear, who runs Channel 4s daily current affairs programme, in his column on Sunday. If the new C4 dating show [Naked Attraction], in which contestants have their faces hidden but display their penises and vaginas, is ever short of a large c**k they could always ask the current editor of C4 News to appear, MacKenzie wrote. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. De Pear responded by describing MacKenzies rant as one of his rare examples of decent, logical [and] non-discriminatory journalism which he can endorse. The pair has been engaged in an ongoing row which recently escalated after MacKenzie complained Fatima Manji, a Muslim reporter who wears a hijab, had been selected to report on the Nice terror attacks for Channel 4 News in his column. MacKenzie then threatened to complain to Ofcom about the issue. MacKenzie was widely criticised for his column which asked: Why did Channel 4 have a presenter in a hijab fronting coverage of the Muslim terror in Nice? In the article, MacKenzie said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Manji reporting on the terror attack. He said she wasn't one of the regular presenters even though she has been at the station for four years. Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there has been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim? MacKenzie wrote. Was it done to stick one in the eye of the ordinary viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of slavery of Muslim women by a male-dominated and clearly violent religion? Channel 4 condemned MacKenzies comments, saying they were offensive, completely unacceptable and comparable to inciting racial hatred. In a statement, De Pear said: ITN accepts and understands that our reporters and presenters are in the public eye and can expect criticism and comment from many quarters, including newspaper columnists. What it cannot accept is an employee being singled out on the basis of her religion. We are not going to simply stand by when an employee is subject to an act of religious discrimination. In the aftermath of the article, Manji accused MacKenzie of smearing Muslims and rejected his comments as one wild screed in a long-running and widespread campaign to intimidate Muslims out of public life. Ipso has received over 1800 complaints in connection to the article. 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 }} Cameron Dallas has defended his comment about not wanting to use Jessica Albas toothbrush as a joke. The 21-year-old Vine star stirred controversy after he said he did not know where Alba had been during his acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday. When asked whether he would prefer to use Alba or Justin Timberlakes toothbrush in a game of 'would you rather', Dallas said: Oh man, I would choose, I would honestly choose Justin Timberlake just because I don't know where Jessica's been. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. Dallas was criticised for his remarks on social media and some users accused him of slut-shaming the actress. Did Cameron Dallas just slut shame Jessica Alba two seconds into winning something for teen choice awards, wrote one user. Another said: It's so sad to watch a kid slut-shame Jessica Alba. Who do you think you are Cameron Dallas. But Dallas insisted it was a joke and argued attention should be directed towards Albas speech on gun violence at the award ceremony. He tweeted: Yo it was literally a joke, I love @jessicaalba and would share a toothbrush with her till I die lol. Really thankful for the message @jessicaalba spoke tonight, that's what we should focus on. Dallas has amassed a large social media following and has 14.5 million followers on Instagram, 9.5 million on Vine and 8.24 million on Twitter. He was recently signed by IMG Models and unveiled as the new face of Calvin Kleins jeans campaign. Representatives for Alba and Dallas did not immediately respond to request for comment. 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 }} Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has pledged allegiance to the Hillary Clinton club by demanding Donald Trump releases his tax returns and by offering to drive voters to the polls so they can vote against the Republican. Standing alongside Ms Clinton at a rally in Omaha, Nebraska, the 85-year-old founder of investment company Berkshire Hathaway said he hoped to extend an offer to Mr Trump that he could not refuse. "You will learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he produces his income tax return," said Mr Buffett. "I would be delighted to meet him any place, any time, between now and the election. Ill bring my tax return and he will bring his tax return," said Mr Buffett. Ms Clinton told the crowd in the crucial Cornhusker state that Mr Buffett, the third richest man in the world, "supports a fairer tax code" whereas Mr Trump wants to cut tax for the rich. Mr Trump has been the first presidential candidate since 1980 not to release his returns, and has claimed several times that he cannot release them while they are being audited, although Mr Buffett said there were no such rules. "We are both under audit and believe me, nobodys going to stop us from talking on whats on those returns," warned Mr Buffett. "Youre only afraid if youve got something to be afraid about," he added. "Hes not afraid because of the IRS [Internal Revenue Service], hes afraid because of you." Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Show all 10 1 /10 Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Bill Gates - $75 bn The creator of Microsoft is worth $78 billion. He has topped the list for 17 out of the past 22 years - though his net worth shrank by $4.2bn (3bn) to $75bn (53.7bn). Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Amancio Ortega - $67 bn The Spanish business who set up the Zara chain of high-street shops is worth $67 billion. REUTERS/ AP Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Warren Buffet - $60.8 bn Warren buffet is the world's most successful investor. Forbes rates him as being worth $60.8 billion. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Carlos Slim Helu - $50 bn Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecom magnate, is this years biggest loser with a fortune of $50 billion, down from $77.1 billion last year. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Jeff Bezos - $45.2 bn Amazons Jeff Bezos moved up to the fifth from the fifteenth spot last year; his net worth increased to $45.2 billion. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Mark Zuckerberg - $44.6 bn The biggest gainer on the 2016 list is Mark Zuckerberg , whose fortune is up $11.2 billion for a total net worth of $44.6 billion. He is the sixth richest in the world. Getty Images Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Larry Ellison - $43.6 bn The American entrepreneur has a fortune of $43.6 billion Bloomberg Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Michael Bloomberg - $40 bn Michael Bloomberg, whose media and financial empire has created a personal fortune of $40 bn, is said to be willing to spend up to $1bn on a presidential campaign AP Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Charles Koch and David Koch - $39.6 bn Charles Koch, along with brother David Koch of Koch Industries are joint sixth and are valued at $39.6 billion. Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Liliane Bettencourt - $36.1 bn Liliane Bettencourt is the heir to the LOreal empire Getty Images The billionaire also promised to take at least 10 people to the voting polls who otherwise would have difficulty come 8 November. Mr Buffett also asked how could Mr Trump stand up to parents who have lost their son in the Iraq war and compare their sacrifices to his "building a bunch of buildings". He was referring to Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son Humayun Khan died in 2004. At the Democratic National Convention, they demanded that Mr Trump stop smearing Muslims character. "I ask Donald Trump: have you no sense of decency, sir?" Mr Buffett asked, mirroring Joseph Welchs question during the anti-communist McCarthy hearings in 1954. Mr Buffett joins other known business people to endorse Ms Clinton over the last week, including former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and investor Mark Cuban. 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 owner of what was thought to be Britain's oldest dog has been left devastated after it was savaged to death on its morning walk. Jack the Yorkshire terrier, who was 25, making him 117 in human years, was attacked just after owner Ray Bunn parked by Hartlepool Marina. Mr Bunn, 70, said he would meet a friend to walk Jack every day but,as he returned to his car to get the lead, a black Lakeland terrier ran up, tore the dog from his friend's arms and began to attack him. "It started to sink its teeth into the dog and I began punching it in the face but it wouldn't let go," he said. "When it eventually stopped, Jack was left in a pool of blood on the floor. So I put him in the back of the car and took him to a vet but he came out and examined him and said he had gone." Mr Bunn said Jack had been in the family for 16 years after being rescued from his previous owners who had tied him to a tree. He said he loved to eat sirloin steak and suffered from epileptic fits, causing him to urinate on Mr Bunn's head one evening after falling asleep in the bed with him and his wife. He said of Jack's death: "We're devastated. My wife had a panic attack and couldn't breathe. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA 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 "He was brilliant, very intelligent. If he wanted his tea he would tell you, if he wanted taking out he would tell you. He was a marvellous dog. He was a character, everybody loved him." A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "Police received a report from a male that his dog had been attacked yesterday morning in Hartlepool and sadly it passed away. "Cleveland Police will make inquiries into whether any offences have taken place." PA 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 }} Police in Portugal have arrested the man accused of murdering Rikki Neave after he fled the UK. James Watson was arrested in April on suspicion of murdering the six-year-old in 1994 but escaped from the UK in a mobile home after being released on police bail. The 35-year-old was arrested in Lisbon around lunchtime on Tuesday and will remain in custody while extradition proceedings begin. The schoolboy was found naked and strangled in a patch of woodland in Peterborough in 1994. His mother was originally charged with his murder, but after a jury found her not guilty in 1996 the case has remained unsolved. The arrest came days after it emerged Watson was posting pictures of himself on social media showing him drinking beer and enjoying the sunshine. In a string of Facebook messages he said: "The best thing is I don't even have a passport. I just walked out of our country. "Me and a mate left the UK in a mobile home. "Booked it on the ferry, drove on and that was that. No checks, nothing." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA He said he was creating some fun memories for the dark days to come and said the charges were all b*******. His arrest followed a collaboration between the Major Crime Unit, national authorities and authorities in Portugal. Watson has been arrested under a European Arrest Warrant on suspicion of breaching his licence. Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit are expected to travel out to Portugal in the coming days. Additional reporting by PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 13-year-old boy has completed a challenge to visit all 270 London Underground stations in one day in memory of his older brother. Alasdair Clift, from Wirral, Merseyside, took on the "Tube Challenge" to raise money for charity Bloodwise after his brother Adam, 17, died from lymphoma in March. The teenager began his journey at Chesham station at 5.15am on Monday and finished at Heathrow airport in the early hours of Tuesday morning, having navigated the entire Underground network. Alasdair, who is "fascinated" by transport, has so far raised more than 11,000 in donations - far exceeding his original target of 100. After spending nearly 20 hours on the tube with his father, Richard Clift, 50, the schoolboy arrived at Terminal 5 to applause from a welcome party of relatives, Tube staff and police officers shortly before 1am. Addressing the crowd, as the achievement sank in, Alasdair said he felt "tired, but proud and happy" for the huge support he had been shown. He said: "This has been an ambition of mine for a while. In 2013 my brother was diagnosed with lymphoma and unfortunately after many rounds of treatment he passed away in March. I've done this challenge to hopefully give other people a better chance." Mr Clift said the kindness shown by fellow travellers and tube workers had been "phenomenal". "We have had a very warm day on the tube and in terms of feeling shown to us. We have had terrific support, with people sticking their heads into the carriages saying how wonderful we are and the Transport for London staff have been right behind us. Alasdair felt like a star." Mr Clift said they had been touched by the "random gestures of complete strangers" who donated along the way. Heartwarming news stories from around the world Show all 30 1 /30 Heartwarming news stories from around the world Heartwarming news stories from around the world A boy who saved the life of a suicidal man by simply asking him "Are you okay? has said he did it because he likes to help people who need help. Jamie Harrington, from Ballymun, Dublin, told the Humans of Dublin project about a meeting with a man in his 30s sitting on the edge of a bridge and about to jump off it. After sitting down and speaking to the stranger for 45 minutes, 16-year-old Jamie persuaded the man to go to hospital and seek treatment Heartwarming news stories from around the world This little boy loves books so much that he cries when his mother stops reading to him A good book can keep a child entertained for hours, but there aren't many that can actually make babies cry when they end. That's exactly what happened to one little boy, who looks completely engrossed while his mother reads him the book 'I Am a Bunny', a classic children's book about the pattern of the seasons. However, when the story ends and his mother closes the book, he immediately begins crying. The only thing that seems to placate him is opening the book at the beginning and reading the story again. It's heartening to see such a little child so completely in love with a book, but it must get a little wearing for his parents after a while Leesedanielle/YouTube Heartwarming news stories from around the world Tattoo with a hidden message highlights the invisible battle faced by people with depression A young woman has brought attention to the invisibility of depression - by getting a tattoo which sends out two opposing messages depending on how you look at it. The tattoo on her leg appears to say "I'm fine" when read by someone looking at her, but reveals its true secret to its wearer when she looks down at it, reading "Save me" instead. Bekah Miles, a 21-year-old US student who has struggled with depression for some years, got the inking on her leg to start a conversation about mental health and give voice to her experience Facebook/Bekah Miles Heartwarming news stories from around the world Teen goes to extraordinary lengths to give autistic twin the high school graduation to remember A teenager has earned herself an army of fans after she finally reached her goal to help her severely autistic twin brother across the stage at their high school graduation. Anders Bonville, 18, from Birmingham, Alabama, was diagnosed with autism when he was two, which left him non-verbal but along with his sister, Aly the pair developed their own unique language and set out to alter perceptions of the condition. Aly was called first on-stage to receive her diploma. With her brother being walked quietly behind a curtained area in his wheelchair to keep him calm, she quickly exited to get him before his name was called out. Aly zoomed down the hallway with her brother in his wheelchair so that he would be happy when the big moment came. Although the principal had ordered the audience to hold all applause until the end the moment Aly took her brothers hand and led him across the stage the entire hall rose to its feet and erupted into applause including the principal herself Benida Pillitary Bonville via Facebook Heartwarming news stories from around the world 'Forrest Gump' completes 42 back-to-back marathons A man has completed 42 back-to-back marathons while dressed as Forrest Gump. Ewan Gordon, 42, from Oxfordshire, copied the popular film character by growing out his hair and beard to complete the 1,050-mile challenge in memory of nine-year-old Thomas Laurie who died last year. Thomas suffered from Cockayne Syndrome a rare premature ageing disease which is known to affect just 100 youngsters in the UK. Mr Gordon, a civil servant, ran about 26 miles each day (42km) the equivalent of a marathon a day for 42 days, from John OGroats to Lands End. He said he was inspired to adopt the quirky persona following a bet when a friend said he would sponsor Mr Gordon more money for his charity run if he did @OxLightBlues/Twitter Heartwarming news stories from around the world Charity shop thanks 'true gent' who donated late wife's wedding dress with heartfelt message A charity shop in Leeds has tracked down the elderly man who donated his late wifes stunning 1950s wedding dress with a heartfelt note. St Gemmas Hospice, which runs a speciality bridal shop in Garforth, described the man as a true gent while appealing for help finding him on social media. The stunning vintage gown has a lace bodice and sleeves and full embroidered skirt. A note attached to it read: I wish any lady who takes this dress to have a life with her loved one 56 years like I did. Happy years. I was a lucky man to marry a lady like mine" St Gemma's Hospice Heartwarming news stories from around the world Blood donors in Sweden get a text message whenever their blood saves someone's life With blood donation rates in decline all over the developed world, Swedens blood service is enlisting new technology to help push back against shortages. One new initiative, where donors are sent automatic text messages telling them when their blood has actually been used, has caught the public eye. People who donate initially receive a 'thank you' text when they give blood, but they get another message when their blood makes it into somebody elses veins Getty Heartwarming news stories from around the world Guide dog jumps in front of oncoming bus to save blind owner When Figo the service dog saw an oncoming mini school bus heading for Audrey Stone, the blind woman he was trained to guide, the golden retriever's protective instincts kicked in: He threw himself at the closest part of the vehicle he could. Police photos show the result: fur stuck to the front driver's side wheel and in the middle of Michael Neuner Avenue in New York, where the bus came to a stop after striking the pair. The driver of the Brewster school bus, carrying two kindergartners to St. Lawrence O'Toole Childhood Learning Center, told police he didn't see the pair crossing the road as they made their way home at about 8:15 Monday morning. But Figo saw the bus coming and leapt into action AP Heartwarming news stories from around the world Florida boy grew his hair for two years and endured bullying to donate it to charity After more than two years growing his hair, a boy from Florida has donated his locks to charity, despite being bullied along the way. Christian McPhilamy, an eight-year-old from Florida, began growing his hair after seeing an advert about paediatric cancer and has now donated four locks, each measuring over 10 inches, to charity Facebook Heartwarming news stories from around the world A police officer who told a student his parents were killed surprised him at his graduation ceremony Kazzie Porties parents, Riley and Emily, were killed by a drunk driver. Eric Ellison, an officer at the Orange Police Department in Texas, broke the news to the couples five children and told the youngest hed be by his side during graduation Heartwarming news stories from around the world Cafe asks customer to leave after he tells breastfeeding mother to cover up An Australian cafe has been praised for sticking up for a breastfeeding mother after a customer told her to cover up. Jessica-Anne Allen, owner of Cheese and Biscuits Cafe in Queensland, Australia, has described how she was approached by a male customer in the cafe on Thursday to complain that he was upset by a woman in the coffee shop breastfeeding her child nearby. The customer asked the cafe owner, 29, to tell the mother to cover up. When Mrs Allen refused to do so, he took matters into his own hands and challenged the woman himself. Staff at the cafe then asked the man to leave Heartwarming news stories from around the world Dog with cancer completes bucket list When their dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Cocos owners put together a bucket list and made sure their hound experienced an exciting few weeks before she died. Before she was put down on 5 May, Coco: visited a beach; took a ride in a helicopter; went in a fire engine; ate a steak at the pub; and also had a Big Mac from a McDonalds Drive Thru, amongst other activities https://www.facebook.com/symon.spencer.9 Heartwarming news stories from around the world Elderly cancer patient who rang 911 because he had no food is inundated with donations from well-wishers An elderly cancer patient who called 911 because he was hungry and had no food is receiving donations from hundreds of people across America who were moved by his story. Clarence Blackmon was discharged from a private hospital in Fayetteville, in North Carolina, on Tuesday after spending months there for cancer treatment. The 81-year-old returned to his house without any supplies and anyone close by to call for help, leading him to call 911 in desperation and ask for food. An hour-and-a-half later, Marilyn Hinson, the operator who answered that call, arrived at his front door with police carrying bags full of food and made him some ham sandwiches Heartwarming news stories from around the world Son receives touching 30th birthday card from father who died in 1999 A son has revealed how he only just received a birthday card from his dad who died from cancer over a decade ago, with the father having the foresight to mark his children's milestone birthdays before passing away. It was inscribed with a simple 'Love ya - Dad', and was written such a long time ago that even the corny joke on the inside feels quite charmingly dated ChrisBenRoy Heartwarming news stories from around the world Chinese student carries disabled friend to school every day for three years so he doesn't miss class A teenager has been hailed as the most beautiful student in China after spending three years giving piggy-backs to his disabled friend so that he doesnt have to miss a class. The story of 18-year-old Xie Xu, who volunteered to look after his 19-year-old classmate Zhang Chi, has been shared widely on Chinese social media and received widespread local media coverage Heartwarming news stories from around the world Teenage Aldi worker Christian Trouesdale walkes an old man home A young man from Horwich in Greater Manchester has become an unexpected internet sensation after he was photographed walking a frail old man home from the supermarket. Aldi worker Christian Trouesdale, 18, said he had received a crazy reaction with messages of support flooding in from as far afield as Dubai, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. The image of Mr Trouesdale hand-in-hand with a 96-year-old customer on the street outside the shop was first shared by nearby worker and Horwich resident Samantha-Jayne Brady, 23, who said it was a lovely thing to witness Samantha-Jayne Brady Heartwarming news stories from around the world 8-year-old survivor of abuse writes inspirational 'thank you' letter to social workers An eight-year-old girl who was abused as an infant has written a thank-you letter to social workers and detectives who helped to rescue her from a home where she had been left paralysed as a result of beatings. Marie Suprenant is not able to walk as a result of the injuries that she sustained before she was taken under the care of a foster parent. I want to thank you for making me happy by giving me a new warm and safe environment, she writes. Now I have a home that is nice and I have three nice meals a day Heartwarming news stories from around the world Woman praised for defending Muslim woman 'harassed on train for wearing a hijab' An Australian woman has been described as a hero for challenging a train passenger who was allegedly being abusive towards a Muslim woman sat in the same carriage. Stacey Eden claimed an older woman was accusing the unidentified Muslim woman and the man sat next to her of being an Isis supporter because she was wearing a hijab. Ms Eden, from Sydney, said the alleged tirade began "a good ten minutes" before she started filming the woman, later uploading the video on to her Facebook page. Footage from the alleged incident began as the unnamed passenger asked the woman, who was also sat with a pram on the opposite side of the train, "why do you wear it [a hijab] for a man that marries a six year-old girl?" The woman and the man remained silent, but Ms Eden responded: "She wears it for herself, OK? She wears it because she wants to be modest with her body, not because of people like you who are going to sit there and disrespect her" Heartwarming news stories from around the world Loving parents have got matching tattoos of their daughters huge red birthmark Honey-Rae Phillips was born with the large strawberry mark covering half her body. The Daily Mirror reports that Mum Tanya Phillips and dad Adam Philips, who are both from Grimsby, got the tattoos after people starting making comments about it in public. We wanted Honey-Rae to feel special, that her birthmark was something to feel proud of and not embarrassed by, Ms Phillips told the newspaper Heartwarming news stories from around the world James Robertson who walked 20 miles to work every day for nine years is gifted new car James Robertson who was unable to afford a new car after his last one broke down nine years ago was recently awarded more than $310,000 in donations by kind strangers who learned of his daily difficulties. Even though the money raised was meant for a new vehicle, a car dealership decided to give him a new one worth around $37,000 (around 24,000) for free in his preferred colour, red Reuters Heartwarming news stories from around the world Stranger gives Kindle to homeless man An anonymous do-gooder has shunned praise after he gave a homeless man his Kindle. The man from San Diego, California, was visiting Las Vegas last month, when he met a homeless man named Paul, who had read the same, worn book, each time he passed. The man said he had also been down on his luck in the past, and decided to give Paul his Kindle e-reader. A moving photo showing Paul with his Kindle has been viewed over 2 million times on Imgur Mjuad/Reddit Heartwarming news stories from around the world Attacked pensioner Alan Barnes crowdfund passes 200,000 in donations Pensioner Alan Barnes was mugged outside his home in Gateshead last week in an attack that left him with a broken collarbone and too scared to return to his own house. Katie Cutler, who lives nearby to Barnes, set up a crowdfunding page intending to raise 500 to help the disabled pensioner find a new home. Her efforts have led to more than 200,000 in donations being made Heartwarming news stories from around the world Man reunited with stolen dog during search for new pet Richard Brower was heartbroken after his dog, a German shepherd called Dozer, was stolen from the Yard of his Alberta home, and his endless searching proved fruitless. But he had no idea that when he started searching for a new German shepherd, he would experience the closest thing to a miracle in his life the Claresholm Animal Rescue Society, unbeknownst to its organisers, had Dozer safe and well, and now hes back at home Global News Heartwarming news stories from around the world Bart the 'zombie cat' set to make full recovery following his unlikely return from the grave Bart, the Florida cat who was buried after his owner found him lifeless in a pool of blood after being hit by a car, is set to make a full recovery when he returned from the grave five days later. Upon his return owner Ellis Hutson took the cat for surgery to remove his eye and have his jaw re-wired, and Bart is expected to return home soon Reuters/Humane Society of Tampa Bay Heartwarming news stories from around the world Friendship Nine's civil rights-era convictions overturned by South Carolina court It is 54 years since the Friendship Nine walked into McCrorys in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and sat down at the whites-only lunch counter in a sit-in that inspired non-violent protests across the South that were an integral part to the civil rights movement. The nine were arrested and convicted of ignoring a segregation order and sent to jail for 30 days, but this week their convictions were finally overturned Reuters Heartwarming news stories from around the world 'Humans of New York' blog raises over $1 million for Brooklyn school Humans of New York, the photo blog that aims to capture daily glimpses into the lives of New York inhabitants, has raised over $1 million dollars for a school in one of the most-crime ridden parts of the city this week, all because of the story of 13-year-old Vidal. The money is for Vidals school to be able to make contributions towards its pupils college tuition and to fund trips for sixth-graders to tour Harvard University IndiGoGo/Humans of New York Heartwarming news stories from around the world Mystery man who gave heart-warming note to young mum on train to 'put a smile on her face' has been identified The stranger who handed a small piece of paper and a 5 note to a 23-year-old mother just to tell her what a great mum she is has been identified, after recipient Sammie Welch was so overwhelmed by his kindness she started a Facebook search just to be able to thank him. Ken Saunders, 50, said he just wanted to put a smile on Welchs face PA Heartwarming news stories from around the world Father calls out his daughters racist bullies in emotional video A father has taken to YouTube to shame bullies who bombarded his daughter with racist abuse on social media. Mr Knudsons daughter, from Prior Lake in the US state of Minnesota, was adopted and is of African American descent. He recounted how he approached the parents of the twin bullies only to be told that there was nothing wrong with the abuse. I have a beautiful African American daughter who I love more than life itself and would do anything for, he said in the video Heartwarming news stories from around the world This kid thought the postman should get post too It must be kind of lonely being a mailman, all this correspondence running through your hands every day but none of it addressed to you. It must be kind of lonely being a mailman, all this correspondence running through your hands every day but none of it addressed to you absofaluminium Heartwarming news stories from around the world Student raises thousands of pounds for homeless man who offered her 3 for a taxi Christmas is a traditionally a time for giving, particularly to the less fortunate members of society, but one homeless man was prepared to hand over everything he had. The man, named Robbie, offered a 22-year-old student 3 to help her get home safely after a night out - and now she is hoping to raise enough money to help him off the streets Rex Alasdair was allowed to ride in the front cab for the first two journeys of his challenge and was given a certificate recognising his achievement from Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground, at Southwark station. Mr Clift earlier said he and his wife Caroline, 51, had been "overawed" by Alasdair, who single-handedly arranged the challenge. "We're very proud - and very proud of his organisation skills because Caroline and I have had absolutely nothing to do with it," he said. Donations for Alasdair's Tube Challenge can be made through JustGiving. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Rail passengers travelling between London and the East Midlands are experiencing major disruptions after a bridge partially collapsed onto the tracks in Leicestershire. Network Rail said the incident at Barrow upon Soar, near Loughborough in Leicestershire, meant no direct trains are operating between St Pancras and stations north of Leicester, including Sheffield and Nottingham. Pictures of the incident shows nearly half wall and a large section of the brickwork from one side of the bridge has collapsed onto the tracks, leaving the edge of the road above gaping over the exposed area. Recommended Read more Watch the moment Tadcaster bridge collapsed It collapsed and fell at around 2am and Network Rail teams have been working through the night to remove the debris from the railway, according to East Midlands Trains. The operator said the line is not expected to reopen fully on Tuesday, warning that there will be severe disruption and a significantly reduced service running between Leicester and London St Pancras. A Network Rail spokeswoman said train services between Leicester and Loughborough will be disrupted and while the operator is working to clear the track and reopen the line as quickly as possible, passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. "This will affect journeys on the London St Pancras / Nottingham / Leicester and the Leicester / Lincoln / Grimsby routes, they added. Local people said part of a footpath in Grove Lane, which passes over the bridge, had recently started to subside. Residents told the BBC that works had been due to be carried out on the bridge this week. One person told the broadcaster: "The path on the left hand side has decided to sink gradually over time. They scheduled for the road to be closed for the next three nights and then this." A spokesman for Severn Trent confirmed that the collapse damaged one of its water mains but no customers had been affected and the pipe had already been repaired. Additional reporting by 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 }} Donald Trump has never been known for his command of the English language, but when he said that the Republican party were going to win bigly, he was resoundingly mocked on social media. His detractors were quick to point out that bigly isnt a real word (actually it is), while his supporters were quick to point out that he was actually saying big league (which isnt an adverb and so makes even less sense). Then there was the time he said that Hillary Clinton was going to get schlongeda word presumably of his own invention and apparently based on the Yiddish word for penis Trump by no means alone in his misuse of language, of course, although the words our politicians tend to misuse arent always as glaring as his. 10 words you might hear misused in political speakand how you should be using themare explained here. ENORMITY When UKIP won Rochester from the Conservatives in 2014, Nigel Farage took the opportunity to point out the enormity of what UKIP is beginning to achieve. The problem with that, however, is that strictly speaking enormity means extreme severity or seriousness, not vastness or significance. But then again maybe thats the meaning he was going for? (Getty Images Europe (Getty Images Europe) DISINTERESTED Talk of voters being disinterested in politics and the outcome of the referendum thrived in the aftermath of Brexitbut voters were actually anything but. Disinterested means neutral, impartial or unprejudiced. If youre just not that interested in things, then youre uninterested. The use of one to mean the other here is a contentious style issue, but is now so widespread that many dictionaries allow both words to be used with both meanings, despite the views of the traditionalists. Not everyone is quite so accommodating, howeverin the words of the Guardian Style Guide, this distinction is one we should strive to maintain because it is not helpful to readers if we use disinterested and uninterested to mean the same thing. REFUTE (Getty Images) I completely refute the suggestion that the Government are saying it is the customers fault, said Andrea Leadsom earlier this month. When challenged on their political record or impact, politicians often claim to refute their oppositions allegationsexcept what they really mean is reject. Recommended Read more Andrea Leadsom says male childcare workers may be paedophiles Strictly speaking, refute means to prove to be false or factually incorrect. The weaker sense of refute to mean just deny or reject is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, a more recent development that many traditionalists object to. Then again, you could always follow Sarah Palins lead, and just refudiate things PRACTICABLE If something is practicablea long term economic plan, for instancethen its merely capable of being put into practice. Put another way, practicable just means doable or feasible. Using it mean useful, attainable or advantageous encroaches on the meaning of practical, which might be related etymologically but has different very implications. Although the two words are frequently used interchangeably, there is a subtle distinction here that it is easy to fall foul of. FORTUITOUS Tony Blair has conducted his first one-on-one interview since the findings of the Chilcot inquiry were revealed (PA) Was the timing of Chilcot so soon after the referendum result fortuitous or just fortunate? It all depends on how you saw it. Strictly speaking, fortuitous just means coincidental, or occurring by chance or luck, regardless of whether thats good or bad. So if you thought that the Brexit outcome was a welcome distraction from the Chilcot outcome, then the word you really want is fortunate, not fortuitous. RETICENT It is no use accusing anyone in politics of reticence in pursuing Article 50, because reticence and reluctance are not the same thing. If someone is reticent, then theyre shy or restrained. If theyre reluctant, then theyre unwilling or hesitant in doing something. BARTER Boris Johnson addresses staff inside the Foreign Office (Reuters) Did the UK, as Boris Johnson claimed, risk bartering away our freedom and our democracy by remaining in the EU? That really depends what you mean by bartering. To barter is strictly to exchange things quid pro quo, rather than through a commercial transaction. It is not, despite how many people use it, a synonym of negotiateinstead, its really rather a consequence of it. EXPEDIENT Would an expedient or an expeditious Brexit be best? Brussels might want an expedient onenamely, one that is swift and immediately for the best, perhaps regardless of the implications. We, however, might prefer an expeditious onenamely, one that is quick, but efficient. HONE President George Bush and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1989 at Camp David. She encouraged Bush to speak to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (Getty Images) George Bush Sr. might one have committed himself to honing in on the issues, but honing really means sharpening or refining, not focusing or concentrating on. The word that President Bush (and countless others) actually wanted was the words soundalikebecause honing in and homing in arent the same thing. INVARIABLY Because of confusion with words like variously and varyingly, invariably is often mistakenly used to mean every so often or on occasion. Instead it actually means always or habituallythink of it as just another way of saying unvaryingly and its true meaning comes through. As a result, invariably should really only be used to describe something that is all be assured to happen. 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 }} People held at Britains immigration removal centres can be thrown into solitary confinement against medical advice and held for hours without any explanation, according to new guidance set to be issued to guards by the Home Office. A draft detention services order, spelling out guidance to staff at the immigration prisons on the use of solitary confinement, says the sanction can be applied even if medical advice explicitly warns that it would be life-threatening. The practice, described by campaigners as cruel, can also be handed out by guards to anyone who is judged to be stubborn or disobedient despite concerns by official watchdogs that vulnerable people with mental health problems are being being seriously affected. Tens of thousands of would-be migrants to Britain are locked up in prison-style immigration removal centres every year. Not all people in the centres are destined for deportation: while some are waiting to be removed, large numbers are simply waiting for their asylum application to be processed or to have their rights to remain in the UK determined. These detainees are not being held in the centres as part of any sentence but are made to live in them for the administrative convenience of the authorities. The new draft document, Removal from Association (DC Rule 40) and Temporary Confinement (DC Rule 42) advises staff that anyone who is being stubborn, unmanageable or disobedient may be thrown into solitary confinement, described euphemistically in the rules as rule 40 or rule 42 accommodation. It further advises staff that they can wait up to two hours before telling a person why they have been detained in such a way. Staff on location can authorise solitary confinement for up to two weeks; area managers only have to be consulted for longer detainments. The new draft document advises staff that anyone who is being stubborn, unmanageable or disobedient may be thrown into solitary confinement (Rex) Staff at the centres are also effectively given the go-ahead to disregard medical advice that solitary confinement could kill a particular detainee if they think they have a good reason for doing so. When medical advice is given that locating the detainee in [solitary confinement] would be seriously detrimental to a detainees health or is life threatening, the multidisciplinary team should urgently consider this advice, it says. The document however continues, stating that the medical advice may then be ignored as long as a note in made in a booklet clearly stating the rationale. There is no prohibition in the draft guidelines on detaining people with mental health problems in such a way. The document is the first time a detention services order has issued advice about solitary confinement. Sara Ogilvie, policy officer at the campaign group Liberty, told The Independent that the Government was putting the health of detainees in danger and failing to afford them basic dignity. Limitless immigration detention is a dark stain on our countrys human rights record. Adding the cruel practice of solitary confinement to the mix is a grave injustice which risks causing serious harm to innocent and vulnerable individuals, she said. But instead of abolishing this inhumane system, the Home Offices latest order would compound the problem by authorising the segregation of those who are deemed stubborn or suffer mental health problems, even where confinement may be life-threatening. Ms Ogilvie admonished the Government, saying it should be ashamed at its failure to afford even the most basic dignity and security to those within its care. Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration Show all 3 1 /3 Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405361.bin GETTY IMAGES Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405362.bin GETTY IMAGES Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405363.bin GETTY IMAGES Earlier this year the independent monitoring board of Heathrow Immigration Removal Centres formerly Harmondsworth and Colnbrook centres criticised practices regarding solitary confinement there. Case studies provided in the boards report from 2015 include a person with schizophrenic and bi-polar conditions who was detained for a 54-day stint in solitary confinement, as well as a detainee with serious mental health issues who was confined for 39 days before being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. The board said solitary confinement was used against detainees unable to integrate onto the normal regime, including individuals with serious mental health issues. They are vulnerable and confinement is not a humane way to address the problems they experience, it concluded. Ministers caused controversy last month after The Independent reported that families with children would be moved back into such prison-style immigration detention centres, albeit in a discrete unit from other detainees. The move was decried by campaigners as effectively reversing the 2010 Coalition governments pledge to end child detention in the immigration system. A spokesperson for the Home Office told the Independent that it would take criticism into account when finalising the draft order. It is important that maintaining safety and security of the detention facility is balanced against showing due regard for the dignity and welfare of the detainees," she said. Detainees are only separated from others in exceptional circumstances. This is done for reasons of safety, either their own or for others, for security reasons or when an individual is being violent. Temporary confinement is never used as a punishment. 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 }} I dont see this leadership election as a distraction. I see it as a massive opportunity, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told a cheering crowd of over 5,000 people at a rain-sodden rally in Liverpool. The turnout meant police were forced to close roads around St Georges Plateau in the centre of the city, despite the event having only been organised two days previously. Supporters descended on the square carrying banners reading unity is strength, Scousers for Corbyn and Our party Our leader Jeremy Corbyn, in a huge show of support for the leader who faces a leadership election at the hands of disgruntled MPs. But Mr Corbyn dismissed the idea that he lived in a remote bubble of adulation, saying he spends three days a week travelling across the UK campaigning and meeting people and said the crowd was the biggest he had yet addressed at one of his rallies. To be effective in politics youve got to listen to people, some of whom may not agree with you, some of whom may have criticisms, some of whom may have constructive suggestions for you, he told the audience. In a broad-ranging speech, he criticised the governments record on housing, mental health and also referenced the Hillsborough disaster, paying tribute to Liverpudlians who had braved the abuse, the nastiness, the horror of what the Murdoch press can do. You wont have read this in most of the papers, Mr Corbyn said, but this Tory government has been defeated 22 times in the past year alone. He also hailed social media, saying it is so important as a means of bypassing the monopoly of the Murdoch media, and called for people to reach out to each other within communities. Those that say this has been unpopular and had no effect, if thats the case, how come there are 540,000 people in Britain who are members of the Labour party? The rally comes as Mr Corbyns campaign to keep his leadership of the party won support from the Communication Workers Union. It is his third union endorsement ahead of the vote in September. Aslef, the train drivers union and Ucatt, the union for workers in the construction sector have both already pledged their support. Meanwhile, Mr Corbyns rival, Owen Smith, launched his manifesto promising workplace rights in Britain would be the envy of the world under his leadership. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA 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 The Labour party has announced dates for five leadership hustings over the coming month, which will be held in Cardiff on 4 August, Nottinghamshire on 17 August, Birmingham on 18 August, Glasgow on 25 August and London on 1 September. 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 }} The Department of Health has been accused of "airbrushing" concerns over a study into hospital mortality rates at weekends, in order to justify plans for a seven-day week NHS. Plans for a seven-day week NHS, which have been championed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, have been controversial as the data used to cite that hospital deaths increase over weekends has been fiercely disputed. An email seen by the Mirror, which was supposedly copied to the Department of Health's head of news and the Prime Minster's private office, allegedly reveals the department used the study despite being aware of concerns surrounding its findings. In the email, the Department of Health's press office suggests telling journalists the study provides further evidence of a weekend effect in hospitals, despite also listing concerns including a warning from experts that it is not clear how or to what extent investment in seven-day services will reduce weekend deaths". In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London Other concerns reportedly included that the "weekend" was in fact over four days - from Friday to Monday - and that it would be "rash and misleading" to say deaths could be prevented. The email was reportedly sent on 4 September when the British Medical Journal released its study, which included several warnings, to journalists. It was released by the government after doctor Ben Dean, 37, won an appeal with the Information Commissioner watchdog. Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh told the Mirror, the email shows "how the Government have tried to airbrush the junior doctors crisis and spin it in their favour". A Department of Health spokesman said: Over the past six years eight independent studies have set out the evidence for a 'weekend effect' unacceptable variation in care across the week. We make no apology for working to create a safer seven day NHS. A report in May by the Public Accounts Committee suggested that the plans for a seven-day NHS contain serious flaws and are completely uncosted. It accused the Department for Health of making no coherent attempt" to understand how staffing levels would be needed for the scheme. However, the Department for Health has insisted a structure has been planned to support the proposals, saying there are clear plans to increase capacity in the future in order to deliver a safer, seven-day NHS. Professor Julian Bion, from the University of Birmingham who is leading a review into seven-day working, has said Mr Hunts pledge to create a seven-day-week NHS will not be achievable for another twenty years. Im convinced seven-day services cannot be achieved within current funding. There are huge gaps," he said. 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 }} Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson will today attempt to encourage Northern Ireland to legislate for same-sex marriage as part of Belfasts Pride celebrations. Giving the positive message about gay marriage at a major speech in Belfast, Ms Davidson, who recently became engaged to her partner Jen Wilson, will insist people living in Northern Ireland should be afforded the same rights as everybody else. The country remains the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage illegal. Ms Davidson, also an MSP, said she was honoured to have been invited to discuss the issue at a lecture as part of Belfasts Pride celebrations. As a practising Christian, a protestant and a unionist who is engaged to a Catholic Irishwoman, for me, equal marriage isn't about one religion, country or community, she will say. Recommended Read more Ruth Davidson mocks her political allies and rivals alike over lunch It is about people in Northern Ireland being afforded the same rights as everybody else. Scotland is a better place today because of equal marriage and I want to take that positive message from our experiences here to Belfast and beyond. Last year Ms Davidson, who impressed many with her media performances throughout the European Union referendum campaign and her success in elections in Scotland, was involved in the successful campaign for equal marriage in the Republic of Ireland. However, Northern Ireland's devolved Stormont Assembly has repeatedly refused to legislate on the contentious issue. Although a slim majority of MLAs voted in favour of lifting the ban when it was debated for a fifth time last November, the proposal fell when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deployed a controversial voting mechanism to effectively veto it. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A day after the United States began a formal campaign of air strikes against an Isis stronghold in Libya, anti-Isis fighters welcomed Washington's involvement but remained wary of advancing for fear of mines and snipers. The initial US strikes on Monday targeted a tank and two vehicles in Sirte, where the jihadists are encircled in the heart of what has become an important base for the group beyond its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Fighters from a range of anti-Isis brigades are dug in behind sand banks and concrete walls in the coastal city after suffering high casualties in months of street-by-street fighting. If the United States is serious about these air strikes we are very pleased, and it will help us on the ground, said Husam Bakoush, a fighter with the Marsa brigade. The battle highlights the challenges of driving the Isis from Libya, where it has struggled to win local support but exploited the chaos that followed the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The country is still deeply divided and a UN-backed government had hesitated to call for US support until now for fear of a backlash. For the fighters on the ground, this was a source of frustration. Most of my friends are happy, but they asked why it did not happen sooner, Mr Bakoush said. Abdalla Ali Ibrahim Ismail, another fighter with Marsa brigade, said the strikes could be a game-changer. I think the US strikes will help the ground troops a lot ... I hope that when we start to push again against Islamic State [Isis] positions the US planes will give us cover. Morale is much higher, our men were celebrating last night. US warplanes target ISIL in Libya for first time The presence of Isis in Sirte has been reduced to a few hundred fighters who once controlled what was Gaddafi's hometown. The air strikes in Libya are open ended, but each one will be coordinated with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), US officials said. We requested support from the United States so that the operation could move quickly and we would not lose more fighters, said Mokhtar Fakron, an air force spokesman in nearby Misrata, from where the Sirte campaign is being run. US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it is in the US national security interest to support the fight against Isis in Libya. The air strikes were undertaken to make sure that Libyan forces were able to finish the job of fighting the radical militant group and to increase stability there, Mr Obama said. The absence of stability in Iraq and Syria has helped to fuel some of the challenges that we've seen in terms of the migration crisis in Europe, Mr Obama said. US warplanes have conducted strikes on seven targets in and around the Libyan coastal city of Sirte over the past two days, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said at a news briefing on Tuesday. The targets were said to include two tanks, an Isise fighting position, construction vehicles, military vehicles, a rocket launcher and an excavator. Also on Tuesday, Italy said it would consider allowing the United States to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for strikes against Isis in Libya if asked. The two Nato allies had agreed in February that Italy would only allow the US to conduct defensive strikes from there. When asked on RAI state television whether the US would be allowed to use the air base during the air campaign, foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said: Should there be requests, we will consider them. The battle for Sirte is now focussed around the Ouagadougou convention centre, a white structure where Islamic State hung its black banner, and in the streets around a hospital and the university. Isis took over Sirte a year ago, but forces from the western city of Misrata allied to the UN-backed government began a campaign to liberate it in May. Small teams of Western special forces have been providing intelligence and logistical support in Libya for months, and the United States has previously conducted isolated strikes against militants. But Western powers said they would take more sustained action only at the invitation of the GNA, which arrived in Tripoli in March. The new government had held back, struggling to assert its authority over a fractured country and sensitive to criticism that it had been imposed from the outside. Battle for Libyas Sirte intensifies Since Isis embedded itself in Sirte, almost all the city's 80,000 residents have fled. Downtown residential neighbourhoods are now a battleground, with handwritten signs warning of snipers at junctions and blankets strung across roads to give brigade fighters cover. The fighters talk of finding sophisticated booby traps, and explosives hidden among food or furniture, in buildings abandoned by Islamic State. They say they have been left alone to fight a dirty war against an enemy that represents a trans-national threat. Maybe some of the men would not have come to fight if they'd known it would be like this, said Ahmed Grayma, a commander positioned near Sirte's port on Saturday who said his brigade lacked armoured vehicles, protective clothing and mine detectors. We feel tricked because they said the international community was behind us but our colleagues are dying and we don't know when it will end. Reuters 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 Africa's ruling party could lose control of major cities areas it has held virtually unchallenged for two decades in municipal elections on Wednesday, thanks to a strong challenge from opposition groups seeking to capitalise on scandals linked to President Jacob Zuma. The ruling African National Congress (ANC), formerly the main anti-apartheid movement, has dominated South African politics since the first all-race elections in 1994. However, it has seen some erosion of support from South Africans who say their hopes for jobs and other opportunities have not been fulfilled since the end of white minority rule. The South African economy has stagnated since the global financial crisis in 2008. If the ANC loses major cities in the elections, it could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 general election, and may also embolden President Zuma's rivals within the party to challenge him. The ANC is in danger of losing big cities and has increasingly been falling back on rural support, said Daryl Glaser, an associate professor of politics at Wits University in Johannesburg. He anticipated, however, that opposition parties might not win majorities even if they do well, forcing them to decide whether to form ruling coalitions despite differences that are extreme in some cases. Even leaving aside any potential political upheaval, the municipal election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday's vote. President Zuma's office has urged that the municipal elections remain peaceful, and campaigning in many parts of the country has been calm. Corruption claims cloud South Africas local election Many of the political killings this year have not been in such contested areas, instead occurring in the traditional ANC stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal, which has a history of political violence, though national police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths. The killings have forced some candidates into hiding, said Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, co-chair of the National Coordinating Forum of community groups that partner with the Electoral Commission on observing and other activities. One candidate from KwaZulu-Natal told South African media he was shot in the chest last month outside his home and said he had taken refuge about 200 miles away in Johannesburg, where he planned to remain until the elections. David Mazibuko has said he remains a candidate, even in hiding. He told The Associated Press late last week that he didn't get anything from detectives yet on resolving his case. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party, whose roots lie in white liberal opposition to apartheid decades ago, hopes to make gains in key metropolitan areas controlled by the ruling party, including Johannesburg, Tshwane, which is the greater metropolitan area of the capital, Pretoria, and Nelson Mandela Bay, a municipality on South Africa's east coast. The Democratic Alliance already runs the city of Cape Town. President Jacob Zuma, centre, waves to his supporters as he arrives for the ANC traditional Siyanqoba rally ahead of the elections (Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters) In past elections the DA wouldn't dare to come here, IT graduate Zodwa Twani told Reuters from a rundown township in Port Elizabeth where DA placards line the streets alongside images of President Zuma. I loved the ANC but now they only focus on themselves, not the people.[Nelson] Mandela would have been ashamed, the 25-year old added, standing in a pot-holed street in a ward where the ANC won 80 per cent of the vote five years ago and the DA barely registered. A more radical opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), advocates the nationalisation of industry and other measures that it says would help the poor. It is contesting the local elections for the first time. On Sunday, a convoy of vehicles carrying noisy EFF supporters drove past restaurants serving affluent, mostly white clients in the Johannesburg suburb of Parkhurst, reinforcing the party's message that South Africa's white minority should relinquish its hold on economic power. MPs of the Economic Freedom Fighters have disrupted parliamentary sessions several times to protest a scandal over state upgrades to Mr Zuma's private home. The case went to the Constitutional Court, which said Mr Zuma had violated the constitution and instructed the president to reimburse the state for $507,000 (380,000). The president has denied any wrongdoing. A large crowd of ruling party supporters gathered Sunday at a stadium rally in Johannesburg, where Mr Zuma touted his party's record in leading the country for more than two decades. He cited data showing that 95 per cent of South Africans have access to clean, piped water, compared to just over 50 per cent of households in 1994. In the past, our people lived in dirty, dusty townships and villages, and many still do, Mr Zuma said. The future entails the creation of viable small towns and vibrant metro cities where our people can earn a living. Associated Press 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 13-year-old rape victim has been denied access to an abortion after a judge ruled that the alleged assault was coercion. The ruling has come despite the abortion being the girls legal right and medical evidence that she was subjected to sexual violence. In May, the teenager was at home during a school holiday when she was sexually assaulted by a work colleague of her fathers. The teenager reported her attacker to the police and a medical report corroborated her version of the alleged crime. Recommended Read more Jill Harth still alleges Donald Trump sexually assaulted her The public prosecutor accused the abuser of rape, according to The Guardian. A judge in the state of Sonora instead accused the alleged attacker of having illegal sex with a minor. Rape-related abortions are legal in the region and local health officials are blocking the girls access to the procedure. When Mexico City legalised abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in 2007, other Mexican states tightened up their restrictions on terminating a foetus. By downgrading the nature of the crime from rape to coercion, the abortion in Sonora would not be legal for the victim. The move is being protested by human rights campaigners, who argue that the judges interpretation of the crime does not alter the fact that the girl was assaulted and became pregnant as a result of rape. "This is important in terms of the criminal investigation, but should not affect access to legal termination," said Regina Tames, president of GIRE, a womens rights organization, told El Pais. "She was the victim of a sexual assault, and, as such, it is irrelevant what the judge considers to be a crime or not. There is no legal impediment preventing the authorities from supporting her," she added. In Mexico, 25 per cent of girls are sexually assaulted before reaching 18 years old, according to a survey by the Executive Commission of Attention to Victims. 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 longtime FBI employee with top-secret clearances pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of China and providing officials in that country with sensitive information, prosecutors have announced. Kun Shan Chun was secretly arrested in March and held on charges of lying repeatedly about his contacts in China, who lavished him with prostitutes, cash and expensive hotel rooms, according to the criminal complaint. Chun, 46, who was born in China and is also known as Joey, faces up to 10 years in prison. His lawyer, Jonathan Marvinny, said in an email: "Today Joey Chun accepted responsibility for some mistakes in judgment that he deeply regrets. "The truth is that Mr. Chun loves the United States and never intended to cause it any harm. He hopes to put this matter behind him and move forward with his life." Kun Shan Chun, an FBI employee who pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government, is pictured outside court in New York City. Nate Raymond (REUTERS) Prosecutors accused Chun, who joined the FBI in 1997, of failing to disclose that he had contact with a Chinese national during an overseas trip, among other violations. "Kun Shan Chun violated our nations trust by exploiting his official . . . position to provide restricted and sensitive FBI information to the Chinese Government," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, who heads the Justice Departments national security division, said in a statement. Authorities said Chun also did not tell the FBI about a business venture with a Chinese technology company called Kolion, according to the complaint. Since at least 2006, the FBI said, Chun performed research and consulted on behalf of the company in exchange for benefits that included foreign travel. According to Kolions website, the company makes toner cartridges for copiers and printers. During that period, the FBI said, Chun was also in contact with an individual affiliated with the Chinese government. Its not clear why the FBI started to investigate Chun, who was required to answer questions in 2012 as part of a routine review to determine if he should maintain his security clearances. He had access to sensitive and classified material in his job as an electronic technician in the FBIs Manhattan field office. As part of a deal with prosecutors, Marvinny said, they agreed to drop the charges of lying on his FBI questionnaire if Chun pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government. The FBI, which is in charge of domestic counterintelligence, has taken aggressive steps to thwart Chinese espionage. The bureau has also seen a sharp spike in the number of economic espionage cases, most stemming from China and Russia. According to prosecutors, Chun downloaded an FBI organizational chart from his work computer in 2013 and provided the document, without names, to the Chinese. In January 2015, he took photographs of documents in a restricted area at the field office that summarized details about multiple surveillance technologies used by the FBI. He later gave that information to a Chinese official, authorities say. The FBI apparently became suspicious enough of Chun to mount an undercover operation in February 2015. The FBIs undercover agent told Chun that he worked as an independent contractor for the Pentagon. During a meeting in New York later that year, Chun told the agent that his associates in China provided paid prostitutes and had given his parents money. His parents apparently had stock in Kolion, too, and owned property in China. Chun told the undercover agent that Kolion was backed by the Chinese government. The criminal complaint says Chuns parents had urged him to work for these Chinese associates because of their investment in Kolion. According to the complaint, Chun believed that his parents had told people in China that he worked for the U.S. government. He said that when he visited China, the associates gave him a place to live and . . . a hotel. On one occasion, during a trip to Europe, Chun offered to introduce the undercover agents to his contacts in China, prosecutors said. In July 2015, the agent traveled to Hungary, where he met with Chun twice. During one meeting, authorities say, Chun told the agent that he knew firsthand that the Chinese government was involved in recruiting people who could assist it. In exchange, the government was willing to provide immigration benefits and other compensation, the complaint said. The undercover agent said he had access to sensitive government information. Chun responded that his Chinese associates would be interested if that was the case. In another meeting that was recorded in New York in October 2015, Chun said he had tried to make contact with a Chinese government official to facilitate the passage of sensitive information from the undercover agent. Chun said he didnt care if the FBI fired him but was concerned about whether the bureau had evidence of him associating with a foreign contact and failing to report it. I lied, I reported certain people [but] not everybody, he said, according to the complaint. Copyright: Washington Post Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A mother who allegedly threatened police with a shotgun has been shot dead in the US during a raid over driving offences. Korryn Gainess five-year-old son was also shot in a limb during a stand-off with police at their home in Randallstown, Maryland. Baltimore County Police said the boy was taken to hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and would not confirm whether the child was struck by a bullet fired by his 23-year-old mother or police. Police outside the apartment where Korryn Gaines was shot dead in Randallstown on 1 August (AP) Tributes were being paid to Ms Gaines from across the US on Tuesday, with her death being condemned by friends, relatives and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. The race of the officers who shot the mother, who was black, have not been released, but campaigners characterised the incident as a continuation of a series of controversial police shootings involving people of colour. There was also suspicion over the reported deletion of Facebook videos posted by Ms Gaines during the stand-off and other social media posts. A police spokesperson said three officers were executing an arrest warrant on Ms Gaines and a man at the same address on Monday morning. He was wanted for assault, while Ms Gaines had had failed to appear in court over several traffic charges, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after being stopped by police last March. Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Show all 19 1 /19 Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty After hearing a man and woman talking inside and the sound of a child crying, police obtained a key to the apartment from the landlord and opened the door to find Ms Gaines pointing a shotgun with one arm and holding her son in the other. The officers retreated to the hallway outside the apartment and called for additional support, the spokesperson said. The male suspect ran from the apartment with a one-year-old boy - one of two children in in the apartment with the couple - and was apprehended by police. The armed woman remained inside with the five-year-old boy, and a barricade situation began at about 9.40am and continued throughout the afternoon. Police said the apartment building was evacuated as the stand-off continued for several hours with negotiators as Ms Gaines refused to surrender. Baltimore County Police said an officer opened fire at around 3pm (8pm BST) local time after she pointed her shotgun at an officer saying: If you don't leave, I'm going to kill you. Ms Gaines allegedly returned fire with two shots, missing officers, and was struck multiple times by bullets, dying at the scene. A spokesperson said a body camera programme was being rolled out in the Baltimore County Police service and that she could not say whether the incident had been filmed. All officers involved in this incident were placed on administrative leave, with their names expected to be released on Wednesday. A vigil was planned on Friday from 7pm at Baltimore City College. 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 }} Police have said they are unsure whether the shooting of an armed woman and her five-year-old son was caught on officers body cameras. There were growing calls for any footage of Korryn Gainess death to be released after it emerged that videos posted on her social media accounts during a stand-off with police had been deleted. The 23-year-old was shot dead at her home on Monday after allegedly threatening police with a shotgun while holding her son, who was hospitalised with bullet wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening. Police outside the apartment where Korryn Gaines was shot dead in Randallstown on 1 August (AP) The Baltimore County Police Department said it was not yet clear whether any of the officers involved were equipped with body cameras, which are currently being rolled out in the force. Elise Armacost, the departments director of public affairs, told a press conference: Its not clear whether we have any body camera footage of this incident. Our body camera programme is just a few weeks old. We are looking to see whether any officers involved in this case were wearing cameras but only a few officers are wearing them at this point. Tributes were being paid to Ms Gaines from across the US on Tuesday, with her death being condemned by friends, relatives and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. The race of the officers who shot the mother, who was black, have not been released but campaigners characterised the incident as a continuation of a series of police shootings involving people of colour. Korryn Gaines was shot dead by police after allegedly threatening officers with a shotgun on 1 August (Facebook) There was also suspicion over the reported deletion of Facebook videos posted by Ms Gaines during the stand-off and other social media posts. One of the videos from Ms Gaines account, which has since been shared on Twitter, appears to show her talking to her son as police officers can be heard outside. What are they trying to do? she asks. Theyre trying to kill us, the little boy replies as he sits on the floor. Ms Gainess death was the third shooting incident involving Baltimore County Police officers this year and the first killing by one of its officers in 2016. A spokesperson said three officers were executing an arrest warrant on Ms Gaines and a man at the same address on Monday morning. He was wanted for assault, while Ms Gaines had had failed to appear in court over several traffic charges, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after being stopped by police last March. After hearing a man and woman talking inside and the sound of a child crying, police obtained a key to the apartment from the landlord and opened the door to find Ms Gaines pointing a shotgun with one arm and holding her son in the other. The officers retreated to the hallway outside the apartment and called for additional support, the spokesperson said. The male suspect ran from the apartment with a one-year-old boy - one of two children in in the apartment with the couple - and was apprehended by police. Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Show all 19 1 /19 Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty The armed woman remained inside with the five-year-old boy, and a barricade situation began at about 9.40am and continued throughout the afternoon. Police said the apartment building was evacuated as the stand-off continued for several hours with negotiators as Ms Gaines refused to surrender. Baltimore County Police said an officer opened fire at around 3pm (8pm BST) local time after she pointed her shotgun at an officer saying: If you don't leave, I'm going to kill you. Ms Gaines allegedly returned fire with two shots, missing officers, and was struck multiple times by bullets, dying at the scene. All officers involved in this incident were placed on administrative leave, with their names expected to be released on Wednesday. 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 producers of Sesame Street have had second thoughts on dropping three much-loved characters and announced that Bob, Luis and Gordon may all return in future episodes. The longstanding characters in the puppet show for children, played by actors Bob Mcgrath, 84, Emilio Delgado, 76, and Roscoe Orman, 72, said they had been axed from the show in late July, provoking an outpouring of dismay and anger on social media. Sesame Workshop chief executive Jeffrey Dunn said in a statement that he was sorry for the misunderstandings around the changing cast, and that he could have communicated better with the actors around their lack of storylines in the upcoming season. Recommended Read more Sesame Street gets first character with autism "However, our production team also intentionally left the door open for all actors to continue to appear, based on the story lines that were written in any future season," he said. A recent Facebook post from Mr Delgado, quoting a joint statement from Mr Orman, hinted that an upcoming meeting with producers might lead to their comeback. "Due to your overwhelming reaction regarding the status of myself and others on the show, the new producers of Sesame Street have reached out to us with an expressed desire to continue our longstanding relationship, to be initiated with a meeting in September," he wrote. "Hopefully, this will result in the inclusion of veteran cast members in upcoming productions." The cast change came as the show was moved from an hour-long slot to just half an hour. The show was also moved from PBS to HBO in 2015. After the beloved trio was let go, Sesame Street said in a statement that the characters would continue to represent the brand at public events. "Since the show began, we are constantly evolving our content and curriculum, and hence, our characters, to meet the educational needs of children," the statement read. "As a result of this, our cast has changed over the years, though you can still expect to see many of them in upcoming productions." 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 accepted a Purple Heart from a military veteran during a rally on Tuesday, saying it was "much easier" to receive the medal as a gift than by serving in combat. "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart," Mr Trump said. "This was much easier" Mr Trump said Lt Col Louis Dorfman gave him his actual Purple Heart, but an NBC reporter was told the one given to the candidate was a replica. The Republican candidate has been locked in a bitter public dispute with the family of a Muslim soldier who was killed in Iraq and immediately attracted fresh criticism for his off-hand response accepting an honour bestowed upon soldiers wounded in combat and joking about how easily he received his. I fought in Iraq, was injured, and was awarded a Purple Heart, Sean Barney, a Delaware congressional candidate wounded in Iraq, tweeted. No one should ever want a Purple Heart. The mother of US Army National Guard Sgt Patrick McCaffrey accused Mr Trump of making light of the honour. Well, people have the freedom of speech and the freedom of action, so whoever gave that Purple Heart to Mr Trump is, you know, its his decision not mine, Nadia McCaffrey told CNN. To me, a Purple Heart is sacred for what it represents and should not be given to anyone who didnt deserve one. Although Mr Trump never served in the US military, he had previously said I felt that I was in the military because of time he spent at the New York Military Academy when he was in the eighth grade. Mr Trump avoided the Vietnam War through multiple deferments due to college and bad feet. Donald Trump speaks about Vietnam Mr Trumps acceptance of the veterans Purple Heart comes amid his feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Gold Star parents whose son Humayun Khan was killed in action in 2004 while serving in Iraq. Mr Khan rebuked the Republican nominee during a speech at the Democratic National Convention last Thursday. You have sacrificed nothing and no one, he said, addressing Mr Trump while holding pocket-sized version of the US Constitution. In response, Mr Trump said he made a lot of sacrifices, citing the numerous great structures he built. Mr Trump based his appeal on rebuilding the US military and the treatment of veterans at home and abroad. However, his hostile response to the Khan family drew sharp criticism from fellow Republicans and military organisations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars. 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 }} Although the general election is more than three months away, Donald Trump is already declaring shenanigans and assuring his supporters that if he loses, it is because a fix is in. Recommended Read more Donald Trump ridiculed for confused explanation of Ukranian conflict Im afraid the elections gonna be rigged, the Republican nominee said at a Columbus, Ohio, rally on Monday. I have to be honest. Mr Trump echoed his earlier claims that the primaries were rigged after his loss in Iowa to Texas senator Ted Cruz. He continued claims that the primaries were slanted against him in spite of the fact that he dominated in most states. Nonetheless, he attributed overcoming of the insurmountable fixed system to his landslide victories. I think my side was rigged. If I didnt win by massive landslides, he said, adding that he hears more and more that the 8 November election will rigged. The New York business tycoon appears to be setting the tone in the event he loses to rival Hillary Clinton in November which would make him the first presidential candidate to contest the results of a national election. Father of Muslim-American soldier killed in action tells Donald Trump: You have sacrificed nothing After Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney in 2012, Mr Trump lashed out on Twitter with a similar message that the outcome of the election was illegitimate. The electoral college is a disaster for democracy, he said in a series of tweets in 2012. This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! Mr Trumps declaration comes after he has received days of negative press after his very public feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan Muslim parents of the fallen soldier Humayun Khan, who was killed fighting in the Iraq war in 2004. 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 Trumps success in avoiding the Vietnam War draft nearly fifty years ago is emerging as a new trouble spot for his see-saw campaign as he battles to contain the fall-out from his feud with the parents of a Muslim-American soldier slain in Iraq. He has never denied that he benefited from five draft deferments that saved him from the conflagration in Southeast Asia, four to allow him to continue his studies and one thanks to a doctors note saying he had a spur on a heel bone. But new questions and possible inconsistencies have surfaced, particularly with regard to the one medical deferment. In a 2011 interview with a Fox News channel in New York, Mr Trump spoke of the amazing moment as a college student when he was given a a very, very high number in the Vietnam draft lottery, which, he said, effectively ruled out his being sent to serve. But, as a New York Times article now highlights, that lottery actually happened long after Mr Trump had finished his final round of studies at the Wharton School of Finance. Moreover, the medical classification he had received because of the bone spur, known as a 1-Y, meant he was disqualified anyway, rendering the number he received in the lottery draw - high or low - irrelevant. For all practical purposes, once you got the 1-Y, you were free and clear of vulnerability for the draft, even in the case of the lottery, Richard Flahavan, a spokesman for the Selective Service System, the US military conscription agency, told the paper. Mr Trump is likely meanwhile to come under renewed pressure to explain how it was that a successful athlete at college - and as a 70-year-old today with an apparently unblemished health record - he found himself diagnosed with a heel spur serious enough to stop him serving. I had a doctor that gave me a letter - a very strong letter on the heels, Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Times last month. He added that over a period of time, it healed up. When questioned to say which heel was affected by the spur, Mr Trump avers that he cant recall. Donald Trump speaks about Vietnam Past presidential candidates have faced awkward moments when asked to explain how they avoided service in Vietnam. They included George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, both of whom nonetheless went on to win election to the White House. On Tuesday, one of the nominee's sons, Eric Trump, attempted to suggest that the entanglement with the Khan family was somehow steam in a tea cup. "I think this is something that was honestly blown hugely out of proportion, he told CBS News. But the timing for Mr Trump is especially bad because of his feud with Khizr Khan, the father of the fallen soldier, who provoked his fury by taking the stage last week at the Democratic convention and asserting that the nominee "had sacrificed nothing and no one, in his life. It surely also doesnt help that in a 1997 radio interview with shock-jock Howard Stern, somehow Mr Trump managed to suggest that avoiding getting sexually transmitted diseases had been his personal Vietnam. Ive been so lucky in terms of that whole world. It is a dangerous world out there. Its scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam-era, Mr Trump is seen to say a video that was recently found by the Buzzed website. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier. The attacks launched by Mr Trump against Mr Khan and his wife, including the assertion that Ms Khan was silent on the convention stage because she had not been given permission by her husband to speak, have prompted widespread outrage, including from within the Republican Party. On Monday, Senator John McCain vigorously repudiated Mr Trumps remarks. A Vietnam prisoner of war, Mr McCain himself suffered ridicule from Mr Trump during the primaries when the latter suggested it was wrong to call him a hero, because he shouldnt have allowed himself to be captured in the first place. I like people who werent captured," Mr Trump offered at the time. On Tuesday, a Republican member of Congress from New York, Richard Hanna, declared in a column for his local newspaper, The Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse, that he would be voting for Hillary Clinton in November, saying all Republicans surely should answer the question about where do we draw the line, with Mr Trump, their presidential nominee. 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 }} President Barack Obama has issued a powerful repudiation of the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, suggesting in the clearest terms yet that he does not consider him fit to be president. He had been asked to comment on Mr Trump in the light of attacks he had launched since last weeks Democratic convention on the family of a Muslim-American soldier slain in Iraq, and foreign policy remarks at the weekend which betrayed a lack of knowledge about the circumstances of Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Recommended Read more Trump refuses to back Ryan and McCain threatening GOP civil war The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president, I said it last week and he keeps on proving it, Mr Obama said. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family, that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues, in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he is woefully unprepared to do this job." This is different from just having policy disagreements, with the candidate of the other party, Mr Obama said, addressing reporters alongside the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who was on an official visit to the White House on Tuesday. There have been Republican presidents with whom I have disagreed, but I didnt have a doubt they could function as president, Mr Obama went on. I think that I was right that Mitt Romney and John McCain were wrong on certain policy issues, but I never thought that they couldnt have done the job. I would have saidI know they are going to abide by certain norms and rules and common sense, they will observe basic decency, will have enough knowledge about economic policy and foreign policythat our government will work, Mr Obama said. "But that's not the situation here. Mr and Ms Khan address the Democratic convention in Philadelphia (Getty) Mr Obama said that each time Mr Trump triggered fresh outrage on another topic, senior Republicans found themselves forced to distance themselves from their own partys nominee. But he said the time surely should come when they also withdraw their endorsement of him, which has not happened yet. Yet for the first time on Tuesday, a Republican member of the US Congress, Representative Richard Hanna from New York, said in an article in his local newspaper in Syracuse, that he would be voting for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, in November. Mr Obama was meanwhile relentless in putting pressure on Republicans essentially to disavow the nominee en masse. The question I think they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer? I dont doubt their sincerity, I don't doubt they're outraged, the President went on. But there has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kind of statements does not have the judgement, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world, because a lot of people depend on the White House getting stuff right. 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 }} Joe Biden has been enjoying himself recently. As well as filming an episode of Law & Order last week, the vice president also took on the honourable duty of marrying two White House officials. On their request, he officiated for Brian Mosteller, the director of Oval Office operations, and Joe Mashie, a trip coordinator for Michelle Obama, at his Washington home. Recommended Read more Joe Biden just delivered the Donald Trump takedown nobody else could The ceremony took place one year after his government legalised gay marriage. "Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house," he wrote on twitter. "Couldn't be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys." He obtained a temporary licence from the District of Columbia to officiate their wedding, as reported by BuzzFeed. The ceremony topped off a busy few weeks for the man whose favourite put-down is malarkey, according to the Washington Post. Last week he spoke at the Democratic National Convention to advocate for Hillary Clinton, saying Donald Trump had "no clue". "He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class. Give me a break! That's a bunch of malarkey," he said. He then filmed his first cameo on NBC show Law & Order, where he joined star Mariska Hargitay to praise the Special Victims Unit for working on the backlog of rape kits. The presidents faithful sidekick first met Ms Hargitay in May at a gala for the Joyful Heart Foundation which works to empower the survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse. The episode will air on 28 September as part of the 18th season. Mr Biden has been a champion of womens rights, and has spent months touring college and university campuses to speak about the epidemic of sexual assault. The VP told ABC news that when president Obama leaves the White House in January, Mr Biden has "no plan on saying goodbye". "I still care deeply about so many things so Im going to be engaged," he said. "Im going to be out there with a platform to talk about the things I care about. Foreign policy, violence against women and the inequity in the tax structure." 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 mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving more difficult to eradicate than expected, the nation's top disease-fighter said as authorities sprayed the ground-zero neighbourhood, emptied paddling pools and handed out cans of insect repellent to the homeless. Tom Frieden, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the mosquito-control efforts were not achieving the hoped-for results, suggesting the pests were resistant to insecticides and were still finding standing water in which to breed in the bustling urban neighborhood. "We're not seeing the number of mosquitoes come down as rapidly as we would have liked," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Mosquito control experts said that was no surprise to them, describing the Aedes aegypti mosquito as a "little ninja" capable of hiding in tiny crevices, sneaking up on people's ankles, and breeding in just a bottle cap of standing water. Fourteen people are believed to have become infected with Zika from bites in Miami's Wynwood arts district the first mosquito-transmitted cases on record in the mainland US, which has been girding for months against the epidemic coursing through Latin America and the Caribbean. On Monday, the CDC instructed pregnant women to avoid the neighbourhood, marking what is believed to be the first time in the agency's 70-year history that it warned people not to travel somewhere in the US. The Zika virus can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads. 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 At the same time, American health authorities have said they don't expect major outbreaks in this country, in part because of better sanitation and the use of air conditioners and window screens. However, it has been a major source of concern for athletes arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the start of the Olympic Games at the weekend. Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspectors went door to door in Wynwood on Tuesday, handing out information, checking tyres and other objects for standing water, and dipping cups to take water samples from vacant lots, building sites and backyards. In one lush yard, an inspector tipped over a paddling pool and a cooler full of water. Team GB talk Zika Daily aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes and larvae has been approved for the next four weeks over a 10-square-mile area around Wynwood, county officials said. Also, the city of Miami is running extra street-sweeping routes to remove the litter and stagnant water that can serve as breeding grounds. Because of environmental regulations governing which chemicals can be used as insecticides, mosquito control authorities cannot easily switch to another compound if bugs prove resistant to it. Nothing has worked to stop this mosquito elsewhere in the world except for the introduction of mosquitoes modified to pass on genes that kill their offspring, said Michael Doyle, executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. And the Food and Drug Administration has not given approval to that approach in the US. "We have to totally rethink mosquito control for Aedes aegypti," he added. "It's like a little ninja. It's always hiding." 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 Dutch man who flew to China to meet a woman he met online has had to be treated in hospital with exhaustion after waiting at the airport for 10 days. Alexander Peter Cirk, 41, refused to leave Changsha Huanghua International airport in Hunan after his online girlfriend, known as Zhang, failed to turn up. Mr Cirk was eventually taken to the hospital suffering from physical exhaustion, according to Hunan TV. He told the channel he had met Ms Zhang through a messaging app two months before and that they had planned for him to visit her. Ms Zhang, 26, reportedly got in touch with the TV channel the day after to report her side of the story, explaining she "thought it was a joke". She told Hunan TV: We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me. One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later. Would like to meet: The truth about internet dating Show all 3 1 /3 Would like to meet: The truth about internet dating Would like to meet: The truth about internet dating 488366.bin Would like to meet: The truth about internet dating 487886.bin Would like to meet: The truth about internet dating 487887.bin Ms Zhang added that she had been away having plastic surgery with her phone turned off while Mr Cirk was waiting at the airport. Mr Cirk reportedly flew back to the Netherlands shortly after being treated in hospital. Despite the failed first meeting Ms Zhang is said to be hoping to continue their online relationship. 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 }} Video has emerged of the moment a tornado tore through an area of Vietnam, taking buildings and trees with it. The dashcam footage, taken in Yen Trung, in the northern Bac Ninh province, shows a street going from calm to ruins in just 30 seconds. Passengers in the back of the car watched on in fear and amazement, as everything disintegrated in its path. Recommended Read more China tornado kills 51 after extreme weather in eastern province A number of people run for hiding and scooters race through the street, luckily escaping the scene despite metal sheets and roof beams flying inches overhead at high speeds. The car reverses away slowly throughout the short event, seemingly untouched by any debris. No injuries were reported after the twister, which occurred on July 28. 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 Quang Tung, an engineer working near the area, said the tornado could be seen from 4km away. It "broke many trees and utility poles and blew off many iron sheet roofs," he told Thanh Nien News. The entire area in Yen Trung was left "a mess" after the event, he said. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains representative to Brussels has been nominated to be the EUs new counter-terrorism security commissioner despite the UK voting to leave the European Union. Sir Julian King has been given the key role by Jean-Claude Juncker, even though the European Commission President previously warned that British deserters from the EU would have to face the consequences of being regarded as a third country, which won't be handled with kid gloves. The surprise move means that as the UK prepares to leave, a Briton will be the new Commissioner for the Security Union, tasked with helping to fight terrorism and cybercrime while assisting in the creation of a new Security Union of EU member states. Mr Juncker has also told Sir Julian, who was sent to Brussels after the former commissioner Lord Hill of Oareford resigned following the Brexit vote, that he will have to help the Commissioner for Migration develop solutions to forthcoming security challenges. In a mission letter sent on Tuesday outlining Sir Julians new role, Mr Juncker struck a markedly different tone to the one he adopted ahead of the EU referendum in May, when he told Le Monde: Deserters will not be welcomed with open arms. The United Kingdom will have to accept being regarded as a third country, which won't be handled with kid gloves. If the British should say no, then life in the EU will not go on as before. Instead Mr Junckers letter to Sir Julian seems to imply an expectation of Britain and the EU sharing a united and clear purpose for years to come. The Commission president told Sir Julian: You are becoming a member of the European Commission at a particularly challenging time for the European Union. We will have a lot to do in the years to come and we will have to show a united and clear sense of purpose at all times. The Union only succeeds, Mr Juncker added, with no apparent sense of irony, When everyone is pulling in the same direction. Telling Sir Julian he would play a key role in ensuring an effective EU response to security threats over the period 2015-2020, even though Britain may have left the EU by 2020, Mr Juncker wrote: Security is one of the pressing challenges I have highlighted In particular, three priorities were identified as needing to be addressed: tackling terrorism and preventing radicalisation, disrupting organised crime, and fighting cybercrime. Repeated subsequent terrorist attacks have underlined the importance and urgency of making swift progress towards an operational and effective Security Union. The appointment of a Briton to help implement Mr Junckers goal of creating a new EU security union is a particularly unexpected twist, given the fierce opposition the concept aroused among Eurosceptics in Britain. When Mr Juncker first called for the Security Union in April, insisting fragmentation is what makes us vulnerable, he was bitterly attacked by supporters of Brexit. Ukips defence spokesman, the MEP Mike Hookem claimed: Juncker must be literally mad if he thinks British people will sign up to a security union with the EU. Does he really believe that inexperienced bureaucrats at the European Commission are better placed to deal with British security than British security services? Sir Julian, a career diplomat and the outgoing UK ambassador to France, will report to a series of vice-presidents who form Mr Juncker's top team. In a recognition of the realities of Brexit, it is expected that unlike other commissioners he will not attend ministerial meetings. Sir Julians appointment may signal a desire within the EU to retain strong links with the British security services, which are regarded as having a relatively impressive record in countering terrorism. The security specialist Will Geddes told The Independent the UKs security services were regarded as among the best in the world, and were often asked to advise intelligence agencies in other countries. Mr Geddes said: The UK and the US are probably the go-to countries in terms of depth and length of experience. We have world beating relationships in terms of how MI5 and MI6 co-ordinate. We are much more advanced in that respect than they are in Germany and particularly in France. There are about seven French intelligence agencies and a lot less of a consolidated effort, which is half the reason they have been having as many problems [with terrorist attacks] as they have. Mr Geddes, the founder and managing director of International Corporate Protection, speculated that Mr Juncker might be hoping that as a career diplomat Sir Julian might prove a useful, neutral and uncontroversial conduit into British Government circles. He said: The boiler room practices [and co-operation] of the national security agencies will carry on regardless of Brexit, but this could provide a join-up on higher, more political and judicial levels for counter-terrorism issues. However upset the EU may be about Brexit, they appreciate they have got to be able to have a civil conversation about these issues. Theresa May says she has an 'open mind' over Brexit negotiations Before Sir Julian can start work, however, his appointment to the newly created role of Commissioner for the Security Union must be approved by MEPs. A European Commission press release announcing Mr Junckers intention to give Sir Julian the security brief states: President Juncker is sending today a letter to Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament informing the latter of his intention to allocate to Sir Julian King the responsibility for the Security Union portfolio. An exchange of views between Sir Julian and the relevant Committee of the European Parliament is expected to take place in early autumn. There is no guarantee, however, that this exchange of views will be a rubber stamping exercise. In October 2014, Sir Julians predecessor Lord Hill, nominated by Mr Juncker to be Commissioner for Financial Stability, reportedly failed to impress MEPs and was summoned before them for a second hearing. The eventual confirmation of his appointment, it was claimed, required some diplomatic smoothing of the way by Mr Juncker. After Mr Juncker telephoned Theresa May on Monday evening to tell her he was nominating Sir Julian for the security role, a Downing Street spokesman said: "We welcome this decision. The UK will continue to fulfil our rights and obligations as a member state until we leave the EU and the Prime Minister has been clear that we will be an active player. "Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face. We now look forward to Sir Julian being confirmed in the role." Explaining how the appointment could be made despite the Brexit vote, the European Commission press release states: In spite of the referendum where a majority voted for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom is still a member of the European Union and thus entitled, under Article 17(4) [of the] Treaty on European Union to send a Commissioner to the European Commission. 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 }} Turkey's president has accused the West of supporting terrorism and said the coup in his country was organised by foreign powers. Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Turkey would be unable to continue its strategic allegiance with the US if it continues to harbour the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by the Turkish government of instigating the coup attempt. And he also took aim specifically at Germany, after a German court ruled against allowing him to appear on a video link to address a crowd of about 30,000 supporters and anti-coup demonstrators in Cologne over the weekend. In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters In an address for foreign investors in Ankara which was broadcast by the TRT network, Mr Erdogan said: I have to say that this was done by foreign powers. This was not done only domesticallythe scenario was written outside of Turkey. He repeated a complaint that no foreign leader had visited Turkey since the failed coup on 15 July, which left more than 270 people dead. He also said Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on what he said were wanted terrorists, but the country did nothing. The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups, he said. Those we considered friends are siding with coup-plotters and terrorists. Turkey's President Erdogan defends government action Turkey has demanded the extradition of Mr Gulen, who the government says instigated the coup, but Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course. Mr Erdogan complained about the request for evidence, saying: We did not request documents for terrorists that you wanted returned. Justice minister Bekir Bozdag has sent a second document to the United States seeking Mr Gulen's arrest, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest. They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it urgent, Anadolu quoted Mr Bozdag telling reporters in parliament, adding Turkey had intelligence indicating Mr Gulen might leave for a third country. I hope that the United States decides in Turkey's favour, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns this leader of a terror organisation to Turkey, he said. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} Nearly 2,000 mourners have gathered for the funeral of the Roman Catholic priest knifed to death at his church altar - with his sister decribing him as "our brother, your brother". Father Jacques Hamel was leading morning mass in the industrial town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray last Tuesday when the attackers stormed in, forced the 85-year-old to his knees and slit his throat. Amid tight security at the gothic Rouen cathedral in Normandy, a procession of senior clergy followed pallbearers who carried Father Hamel's coffin through the Door of Mercy and placed it on an ornate rug before the altar. The priest's sister, Roselyne Hamel, told the congregation how during his military service in Algeria her brother had refused an officer's rank so as not give the order to kill, and how he once emerged the sole survivor in a desert shootout. He would often ask himself: 'Why me?' Today, Jacques, our brother, your brother, you have your answer: Our God of love and mercy chose you to be at the service of others, she said. Let's learn to live together, let's be workers for peace, Ms Hamel told the estimated 1,700 mourners. Hundreds of others watched the ceremony on a big screen outside the cathedral, under constant rain. The service - attended by French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve - was to be followed by a private burial. France boosts regional security after ISIL-claimed church attack Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, celebrating the Mass, extended thanks to Catholics attending the service but also to believers of other religious faiths, in particular the Jewish community and the Muslim community, very affected and already decided to unite for: Never again. Archbishop Lebrun invited people to return to churches on August 15, the day celebrating the Assumption of Mary, to express that violence will not take over in their hearts. On Sunday, dozens of Muslims in France and Italy attended Catholic Masses as a gesture of interfaith solidarity following the attack on the priest. Father Hamel's murder by French citizens was the first Islamist attack on a church in western Europe and came just 12 days after a Tunisian who had pledged allegiance to Isis drove his truck through a crowd of Bastille Day revellers in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84. Islamist militants have killed more than 200 people in France since January 2015. Facing strong criticism from right-wing opponents over its security record, the Socialist government has warned of a long war against militant Islam at home and abroad in places such as Iraq, Syria and Libya. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said the state must reinvent its relationship with the Islam of France. France's Muslim minority, the European Union's largest, makes up about eight per cent of the population. Mr Valls wants to ban foreign funding for mosques and says all French imams should be trained in France. His interior minister, Mr Cazeneuve, said that a foundation that would enable the secular state to finance cultural centres linked to places of worship would be established by the end of the year. We must guard against being paternalistic but we must have the lucidity to recognise that there is an urgency to helping 'Islam of France' get rid of those that undermine it from within, Mr Valls told the weekly Journal du Dimanche. Some Islamic leaders have expressed doubts over the government's plans. It's on the internet that radicalisation takes place, not in the mosques, Moroccan-born Tareq Oubrou, a leading moderate imam from Bordeaux, told BFM TV. We mustn't kid ourselves. Mr Cazeneuve, whose portfolio includes religious affairs, said on Monday that the Socialist government had shut down about 20 mosques and prayer halls in recent months and that more closures would follow based on intelligence in hand. 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 }} Europe will not be blackmailed into granting Turkey visa-free travel by the threat to back out of a deal on refugees, Germanys Vice Chancellor has said. Talks on the issue and Turkeys possible accession to the EU have been strained amid a continuing crackdown following the failed attempt to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said Ankara would back out of its agreement with the EU to reduce the flow of migrants if it does not receive visa-free travel for Turks in return. Under the deal agreed in March, any asylum seekers arriving clandestinely in Greece are detained and returned to Turkey if their applications fail a move that has seen crossings over the Aegean Sea drop dramatically. Mr Cavusoglus threat came after Germany joined other countries urging the Turkish government to show proportionality and restraint in response to last months coup, which has seen more than 16,000 people arrested, media outlets shut down and thousands of public sector workers dismissed from their posts. Germany: Thousands rally to denounce Turkish coup attempt Sigmar Gabriel, the German Vice Chancellor, said: It is up to Turkey if there is or there isn't visa liberalisation. Germany and Europe should under no circumstances be blackmailed. He applauded a controversial decision to prevent Mr Erdogan from addressing a rally in Cologne via video link Sunday, after the ban prompted the Turkish foreign ministry to summon the German ambassador. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, said it remained up to Turkey to fulfil the conditions required for visa liberalisation. Turkey still has work to finish off here. Whether they do this under the current conditions we will have to wait and see, he told the Rheinische Post. The EU demands that Turkey fulfil a list of criteria including amending its anti-terrorism laws so they cannot be used to target academics, journalists and political dissenters. But Mr Erdogan has accused the EU of reneging on promises made during the refugee deal. Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Show all 11 1 /11 Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Turkey's two million Syrian refugees There are already over 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, but their current camps can only hold 200,000 people ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Turkish citizens protest a new deal, also criticised by human rights activists, which will see refugees who arrived in Greece after March 20 be sent back to Turkey AP Photo/Emre Tazegu Turkey's two million Syrian refugees An estimated 80% of Syrian refugee children already in Turkey are unable to attend school BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Refugee children beg for water near the Turkey-Syria border. Turkey has been accused of illegally deporting asylum-seekers back to Syria BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees In Turkey, no-one from outside Europe is legally recognised as a refugee, meaning the 2016 deportations may not meet international legal standards for protecting vulnerable people BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees A refugee child cries as she is searched by police at the Syria-Turkey border, where 16 refugees (including three children) have been shot dead in the last four months BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Many refugees are living rough on the streets of cities such as Istanbul or Ankara (pictured) ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Turkish soldiers use water cannon on Syrian refugees BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Syrian refugees shelter from rain in the streets of Istanbul BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees A derelict building housing Syrian refugees in Istanbul Carl Court/Getty Images Turkey's two million Syrian refugees Turkey houses around half of all the refugees who have currently fled Syria Carl Court/Getty Images "We are the ones who are protecting the European Union by sheltering 3 million Syrians and Iraqis, he said on Tuesday. "They still haven't brought about their promises. They promised 3 billion euros (2.5 billion) this money still hasn't arrived. "The visa issue still hasn't been brought about. But they expect us to meet (our) obligations. I am sorry but these steps will be taken simultaneously. "You cannot demand the refugee return agreement without fulfilling your obligations. Sorry, but we are not a country that you can boss about." Mr Erdogan has accused countries raising concern over the response to the coup of supporting the plotters and on Tuesday targeted Amnesty International for a report alleging that some people detained in connection with the attempt had been tortured. He insisted that Turkey had a policy of zero tolerance toward torture and accused the human rights organisation of ignoring violence committed by plotters during the attempt on 15 July. The President said injuries may have occurred during fights and battles as the operation was crushed, adding: If they hadn't, they would have killed our police. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A British man believed to be fighting with Kurdish forces against Isis has been killed in northern Syria. Dean Carl Evans from Reading was killed while fighting with the YPG on 21 July during an offensive to take back the city of Manbij from the terror group. His death was confirmed by his father John Evans who told the Daily Telegraph he would be missed by family and friends. In a tribute video on YouTube, the YPG called Mr Evans as a martyr who had always fought without hesitation to protect the people of this region. They said his blood would "irrigate the flowers of freedom and peace" in Syria. The YPG, or Peoples Defence Units, is a Kurdish military force operating in Syria. A Slovenian man, Martin Gruden, was also killed in the assault. Mr Evans, 22, is one of several young men and women from Britain to join in the fight against the extremists after they seize control of vast swathes of Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate in 2014. In March 2015, Konstandinos Erik Scurfield was the first British person to be killed fighting the jihadists. The coalition of anti-Isis forces, which have received help from US backed air strikes, have made rapid progress in recapturing Manbij from Isis - who have used the city in the past as a meeting point for foreign fighters travelling over the border from Turkey to join the group. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday they have now wrested back control of 70 per cent of the city after pushing the militants back into the old quarter of the city. Inside Isis secret tunnels Show all 7 1 /7 Inside Isis secret tunnels Inside Isis secret tunnels Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters Inside Isis secret tunnels An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground Inside Isis secret tunnels The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Inside Isis secret tunnels Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Inside Isis secret tunnels Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives Manbij is in the northern Aleppo province which is currently the subject of a fierce battle for control by the other actors in Syrias five year civil war. Rebels are still struggling to hold onto their corner of Aleppo city as the army continues to lay siege and recently cut off a major road supplying areas still under their control. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 }} Isis has published a photo showing one of its fighters cradling a kitten and images of honeybees in an apparent attempt to soften its image and attract new recruits. Alongside the terrorist groups routine threats of new attacks on the West and its enemies in Syria and Iraq, the latest issue of Dabiq magazine seems to take a more nuanced approach in its efforts to entice followers. A piece entitled Contemplate the Creation, credited to a fighter named Abul-Harith ath-Thaghri, contained his supposed musings while on guard duty in Syria. The article claims a cat approached the militant and, after considering whether or not I was an aggressive or compassionate soul, jumped in his lap. The release of the propaganda magazine was delayed amid a series of terror attacks by supporters (EPA) Illustrated with a photo of an unnamed fighter cuddling a kitten at sunset against the backdrop of a sun-drenched wheat field, the piece went on to offer honey bees as supposed proof of creation. The online magazine released periodically by the group also known as 'Islamic State' also includes photos of laughing children, hugging militants and rolling countryside amid its usual chronicle of atrocities and bloody executions. Shiraz Maher, Deputy Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, told The Independent that the use of softer imagery is common in Isis propaganda aimed at Muslims. Although we've grown accustomed to the ultra-violence of Islamic State, videos and images of that nature are only well known because their shock value makes them viral, he said. Islamic State has actually been messaging to Muslims, and particularly Arabs, for years with softer images; showing children in playgrounds, bustling market places, functioning hospitals and schools. Images like this account for the majority of their propaganda. What they want to suggest is that they're an ordinary and typical state where the physics of everyday life ticks over like it would anywhere else in the world. They do this not only to project an image of success for their state building project, but also to show they have a humanitarian side. Recent video releases by Isis media arms have also concentrated on less gory aspects of life under the so-called caliphate as the group seeks to paint an impression of comfort and plenty despite severe military losses and relentless air strikes. Continuing the theme, Dabiq contained advice and rose-tinted accounts from a Finnish jihadi bride and Muslim converts from Canada, the US and Trinidad. Normandy church attack in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 Normandy church attack in pictures Normandy church attack in pictures The victim was the 84-year-old priest at the church, Jacques Hamel. AFP/Getty Normandy church attack in pictures French police at the scene of the attack on a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, northern France, on July 26 AFP/Getty Images Normandy church attack in pictures More police at the scene BFM TV Normandy church attack in pictures French President Francois Hollande shaking hands with security personnel at the scene AP Normandy church attack in pictures French soldiers standing guard outside the scene of the attack AP Normandy church attack in pictures A policeman secures a position in front of the city hall after two assailants had taken five people hostage in the church at Saint-Etienne-du -Rouvray near Rouen in Normandy Pascal Rossignol/Reuters Normandy church attack in pictures A policeman holds a HKG36 assault rifle as he secures the position in front of the local town hall following the attack REUTERS Normandy church attack in pictures French judicial inverstigating police apprehends a man during a raid after a hostage-taking in the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in Normandy, France REUTERS Normandy church attack in pictures AFP/Getty Images Normandy church attack in pictures REUTERS Normandy church attack in pictures REUTERS Normandy church attack in pictures AFP/Getty Images Normandy church attack in pictures AP Normandy church attack in pictures AP Normandy church attack in pictures French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve visits the church REUTERS Normandy church attack in pictures AFP/Getty Images In line with Isis characterisation of its terror as a holy war against crusaders, the latest issue of Dabiq was entitled Break the Cross and contained several articles dismissing Christian theology and leaders including Pope Francis. It praised the Normandy church attack and the murder of a police officer and his wife by a French Isis follower in June, as well as the Wurzburg train attack and Ansbach bombing in Germany, and the Orlando shooting that left 49 dead at a Florida nightclub. Tellingly, Isis accounts of the atrocities gave no additional information on the attackers, supporting indications by police that those responsible had no significant backing or organisational input from the group, which only claimed responsibility for the murders after media reported pledges to Isis. Isis also used Dabiq to celebrate the Bangladesh attack and other operations in Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Philippines, Somalia, Egypt, Yemen, Niger and Afghanistan. Michael Smith, president of the Kronos Advisory group, told The Independent Dabiq was aimed at recruiting fighters and inciting more terror attacks, while competing with al-Qaeda to achieve dominance in the global jihad movement. The group might prefer to orient forces (intended for) mobilising attacks in the West toward defending territorial holdings in Syria and Iraq in the near term, he said. However, it is important to consider that recent arrests in Germany demonstrate the Islamic State began building sleeper cells in Europe in 2014. Mohammad Daleel, a Syrian asylum-seeker who detonated a bomb near a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, was praised by Isis (AFP/Getty Images) So while it may not be deploying as many people to attack in the West during the near term, it is almost certainly the case that there are more Islamic State members already here in the West who are awaiting signals it is time to strike. Mr Smith added that the inclusion of an Isis member from Trinidad and Tobago would fuel concerns that extremists could travel from the Caribbean to commit attacks in the US and South America. In an article called Why we hate you and why we fight you, the group said it would not stop terror attacks until its targets embrace Islam. Contrary to previous propaganda that has seen the group seeking to legitimise its atrocities as a response to military action and air strikes, the latest Dabiq says: Even if you were to stop fighting us, your best-case scenario in a state of war would be that we would suspend our attacks against youbefore eventually resuming our campaigns against you. So in the end, you cannot bring an indefinite halt to our war against you. At most, you could only delay it temporarily. 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 }} Containers of toxic gas have been dropped on a Syrian town overnight close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down, a rescue service within the country ahs claimed. Up to 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the suspected gas attack in Saraqeb, a spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe after being given an oxygen mask by people in civil defence uniforms. Recommended Read more Russian military helicopter shot down in Syria Syria Civil Defence workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify the type of gas used. Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas, the spokesman said. The suspected attack comes almost a year after the UN security council adopted a resolution that set a 12 month-deadline to identify the perpetrators of chlorine attacks in Syria. The deadline expires next week. Western powers have said the Syrian government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks, while the government and Russia have accused rebel forces of using poison gas. Both government and opposition forces have denied using chemical weapons during the five-year civil war. But that did not stop the accusations from flying on Tuesday with the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accusing President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Later, state news agency SANA said rebels had fired rockets armed with toxic gas on the government-held old quarter of Aleppo city, killing five people and causing eight breathing difficulties. It gave no further details. The SNC said of the reported use of poison gas in Saraqeb: After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases. The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous security council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless for the Assad regime. Monitors at the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, injuring a large number of civilians. Syrian rebels gather around the wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that was shot down on Monday (MOHAMED AL-BAKOUR/AFP/Getty) Syrian rebels gather around the wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter after it was shot down along the administrative border between Idlib province, northwestern Syria and neighbouring Aleppo (MOHAMED AL-BAKOUR/AFP/Getty Images) Russia's defence ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb, killing all five people on board in the largest loss of life for the Russian military since it started operations in Syria's civil war 10 months ago. The Mi-8 transport helicopter was brought down by ground fire in Idlib province while returning to Hemeimeem air base after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, the ministry said. It said all three crew members and two military officers on board died. Images uploaded to social media purportedly show the flaming wreckage of the helicopter along with a dead body and what are alleged to be Russian identity documents taken from the wreckage. The helicopter appeared to have broken up as it crashed: its tail could be seen lying separately from the aircraft's body in flames. Syria's civil war: Russian chopper shot down in Idlib A rocket pod was visible amid the wreckage, standard equipment for the Mi-8, which can be used for carrying troops and cargo and attacking ground targets. People standing nearby are seen taking photos on their phones and shouting Allahu Akbar, or God is great in Arabic. The body of one Russian soldier was seen being dragged by the legs while a man jumped on the half-naked body of another soldier. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters from both Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Rebels fighting for Jaysh al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) claimed to have recovered the body of the pilot on social media. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 }} Students and staff members in higher and further education are facing the most serious challenge to the future of our sector in a generation. Unlimited fees, private businesses entering and exiting the sector, job losses, and the closing down of institutions are all real threats we will need to face together as a movement in the year ahead. It is difficult to overstate the gravity of the situation, and the urgency for all of us to take action, both at a local and a national level. Recommended Read more University grants for poorest students axed and replaced with loans Students have faced relentless attacks over the past six years - from the trebling of tuition fees to the scrapping of the education maintenance allowance, from the scrapping of tier 4 post-study work visas that enabled international students to work in the UK for a short period following their studies to the introduction of fees and loans for students aged 24 and over who want to return to take their GCSEs and A-levels. And, of course, the scrapping of maintenance grants for the poorest students, only this year. And not content with that track record, the Government is continuing at a pace with a raft of ideologically driven experiments, crow-barring the market ever more deeply into an education system that doesnt want it, and for which it can never work. Recommended Read more Mass demonstration against Tory cuts to education confirmed in London The Government is pushing ahead with the Higher Education and Research Bill which appears under the guise of furthering the student interest. Instead, though, it would open up the higher education system to a wide range of profit-making providers, in the spirit of the notorious Trump University experiment in the US, opening the door for universities to raise their fees even higher above an already eye-watering 9,000 a year. In further education, which has seen years of cut backs to the point where colleges are very much on their knees, the Government is now leading an area review process - Orwellian doublespeak for an agenda that will see the closure of local colleges, and the subsequent loss of local education opportunities and local jobs. No thought of what this means for local communities, or for students, who, despite the lack of financial support available, will have to find a way to cover the costs to travel to the remaining regional colleges, or, otherwise, give up on the prospect of further study or training, and instead try to enter the far-from-attractive youth job market. Its not a good time to be a student in the UK. And with deeply worrying, ferociously growing racism and xenophobia - particularly following the noxious Brexit campaign and referendum reaction - it can be a particularly inhospitable time for black and minority ethnic communities and international students in the UK. Recommended Read more Westminster could actually learn something from student politics Students and lecturers are clear that enough is enough. We cant accept the degradation of our education system, as the door gets closed to ever more people, and our campuses and communities risk becoming less open and less welcoming. That is why, on Saturday 19 November, NUS and the lecturers union UCU will be coordinating what is anticipated to be the biggest education demonstration in over five years, as we stand united for education. We will also see coordinated international demonstrations taking place that month as we, in the UK, stand together with others internationally to demand a better, more positive future. With so many challenges facing us, there has never been a more important time for us to come together and make the positive case for our futures. We cant allow others to dictate the terms of our lives, and we cant allow negativity and fear to win out. This is a time for students and staff members to come together, across trade unions and across institutions, across FE and HE, across regions and nations, to build a large, united, and formidable movement which puts forward our vision for a free and liberated society, and has the confidence to say that students and staff members should come before profits and markets. I hope you will be able to join us in November as we come together and stand up for the future we all need and deserve. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two girls sunbathe on the deck; one holds a carefully-positioned book, the other nonchalantly drapes her foot over the swimming pool. An inflatable gold swan drifts past, while over at the pools glass edge, a beefed-up bro spends several minutes composing the perfect selfie overlooking the river. Moored on the Left Bank, at Quai dAusterlitz, Off Paris Seine is clearly attempting to become the French capitals hottest new address and so far it seems to be working. Opened in late June, its Pariss first floating hotel; though more boxy than a boat, it has a touch of the catamaran about it, with two rows of rooms stacked over two levels, connected by a narrow, sky-lit communal space. As well as being a hotel, Off is a bar, open to the public, with two glass-walled rooms (ideal for checking out the view over a sundowner), separated by the lap pool and deck; downstairs theres a separate smoking area with more tables. On the Saturday night we were there, the bar was packed with a sophisticated crowd sipping cocktails. Theres no restaurant, but the bar serves surprisingly good (and generously-portioned) tapas, including little gem lettuce with a cheese sauce, and cod croquettes. The bar serves up cocktails and tapas in generous portions Location The area around the hotel the 13th and 5th arrondissements is on the up. Gare dAusterlitz, one of Pariss major stations, is having a serious revamp, while next to the hotel is La Cite de la Mode et du Design (the City of Fashion and Design). Also called Les Docks, this eye-catching former storehouse, with its serpentine green frontage, has been converted into gallery space (including a comic and cartoon museum), with several rooftop bars and restaurants. On the other side of Off youll find LAsile, a makeshift bar and grill set within a few trailers, with waterfront seating. Youre also short stroll away from Jardin des Plantes, with its manicured flower beds and zoo, while a half-hour walk along the Seine will bring you to tourist sights such as Notre Dame Cathedral. Further afield, in the 2nd arrondissement, director David Lynchs club Silencio (silencio-club.com) serves wines and cocktails in surreal surroundings. Members only before midnight. For low-key evenings, LAsile is a makeshift bar with waterfront seating (Nicola Trup) Comfort There are 54 rooms, ranging from entry-level Left and Right Bank Rooms (the difference being views of the concrete quayside or across the river respectively) to the larger Horizon Suites and top level Designer Suites. The decor across the lower categories is chic, minimalist and mostly monochrome, with touches of dark wood here and there. Fancy something a little brighter? Check into the Designer Sunset Suite, where orange is the only colour youll find. The Designer Silver Suite, meanwhile, is decked out in mirrors and muted tones, with the exception of the bright yellow bath. The Designer Sunset Suite is sure to brighten up your stay My boyfriend and I were on the lower floor in one of the Right Bank Rooms, which is, in estate agent speak (or, you might say, French), bijou. It felt more like a cruise ship cabin than a hotel, and the lack of space made rummaging through two suitcases a bit of a challenge. However, there are a few clever storage solutions, including an over-head shelf, which I might have used if Id been staying longer than one night. A little more information wouldnt have gone amiss there was no printed material or tablet with details on the hotel, and no minibar menu, which left us wondering whether its contents were free (we asked, and theyre not). The Right Bank Room is an entry-level option for those looking for a more affordable escape Despite its size, the room is light and bright, with a generous window from which to admire the river and the pleasure boats drifting past. A glass-fronted shower room lets you make the most of the view. Essentials Off Paris Seine, 20-22 Port dAusterlitz, Paris, France (00 33 1 44 06 62 65; offparisseine.com). Doubles from 160, room only. Wi-fi: free Access: three wheelchair-accessible rooms Rooms: *** Service: **** Value: **** Nicola Trup travelled by Eurostar (eurostar.com), which offers tickets from London St Pancras to Paris from 29 one way. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Q I am going on a photo tour to Brittany in September, flying with Ryanair. My cabin luggage will be my camera backpack full of expensive equipment. I read that Ryanair will guarantee only 90 bags in the cabin. Is there a way in which I can make sure mine is one of them? I shudder to think of mine in the hold! John D A Since budget airlines started charging for checked baggage a decade ago, many passengers have chosen to carry cabin luggage only; Ryanair insisted that was its plan all along. But so successful has the airline been in modifying behaviour (and filling its planes) that there is usually not enough room for all the hand baggage. The airline says: Due to cabin space limitations only 90 large cabin bags can be carried in the cabin. Any remainder will be carried free of charge in the aircraft hold. Not only is this tedious (because you have to wait at baggage reclaim for your bag), it also means your luggage may be less gently handled than you would like. Thankfully there is a way to be almost 100 per cent certain that you can ensure only you handle this valuable cargo - but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it comes at a price. You need to pay in advance for Priority Boarding. Ryanair says: Passengers who have purchased Priority Boarding will not be asked to place their cabin bag in the aircraft hold, unless necessary due to operational reasons. You may be alarmed by that caveat - but it would be extremely unlikely. The only circumstances I can imagine in which it might come into play would be if Ryanair chartered in a different aircraft type to operate your flight, and for some reason the overhead bins could not handle 90 large pieces of cabin baggage. But even in this rare event, Im sure in explaining your concerns to the ground staff a solution will be found. So how do you get Priority Boarding? Well, its available only when you also pay to pre-book a seat. If you buy a Premium Seat - in the first five rows, or the extra legroom offered by emergency exit rows 16 and 17 - then Priority Boarding is included. These seats typically cost 12-20. The cheaper way to do it is to pre-book a seat at the back of the plane (row 18 and higher) for as little as 4. You can then add Priority Boarding for 2.99. Note that if other people are on the same booking as you, then they must also pay for Priority Boarding. Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder 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 }} Lets be honest, Remainers badly needed a reason to smile after the Brexit referendum result. And the people of Cornwall provided one. Despite voting overwhelmingly to quit the EU, Cornwall a significant beneficiary of European Union funds over the past couple of decades immediately demanded a Westminster guarantee of their European money. The day after the vote, Cornwall county council called for urgent confirmation of this cash from ministers, citing promises from the official Leave campaign that they would be no worse off if Britain voted to leave. Surprisingly, no such confirmation has yet been issued by Theresa May. Perhaps the Cornish should take it up with the Leave campaign leaders such as Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Gisela Stuart. Or maybe they seek an urgent meeting with their local MPs, five out of six of whom recommended a Leave vote. Surely theyll be good for the money? Or maybe not. For Cornwall council has also now insisted it will keep its lobbying office in Brussels even after Britain leaves the EU. Brexit means Brexit? Not for Cornwall, apparently. Remainers, let it be stressed, cannot be accused of schadenfreude since, of course, they share the schaden of leaving the EU. Call it a wry sense of satisfaction that those who helped saw off the European branch are now also feeling the sudden jerk of gravity. Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell What more is there to be said about Cornwalls newfound Brexit anxieties? Be wary of aggregate statistics is one obvious lesson. Its quite true that Britain, in aggregate, is a net contributor to the EU Budget. And its a card that Leave played relentlessly with their (inflated) 350m a week contribution figure money that we would supposedly get back if we voted to leave. But research shows lower income regions of the UK such as Cornwall, Wales and the North East (which also delivered a majority vote for Brexit) get more out of Europe than they put in. These regions also get more out of London and the South East of England in public spending and welfare transfers than they pay in taxes into the national exchequer. It will be interesting to see how receptive more prosperous parts of the UK are to their demands for these transfers to be increased still further to compensate for the loss of EU funds, especially if the overall economy suffers in the next few years because of the vote. Second, be wary of simplistic slogans about sovereign control. Its pretty clear Cornwall Council does not feel any greater level of control over its economic destiny in the wake of the Brexit vote. Nor, for that matter, do large swathes of British industry from car manufacturers, to steel plants, to farmers who are waiting to see whether they will retain access to the EU single market. Many jobs depend on the prosperity of these industries. In a world of significant global trade and large-scale capital flows, national borders are not an irrelevance, as some claim. But the power of these national divisions to protect jobs and living standards in any given country is often grossly exaggerated. Sometimes, the best way for national governments to maximise that power to deliver positive economic outcomes for their populations is to pool a degree of sovereignty in (imperfect) transnational institutions such as the EU. A final lesson is to be wary of those populist politicians who tell you that the source of all your economic frustrations is some malign external force, whether immigrants or a distant Brussels bureaucracy. Theresa May says she has an 'open mind' over Brexit negotiations The irony of the Cornish majority anti-EU is that the county was a very good example of the direct economic benefits of EU membership. EU investments in the Eden Project, built on the site of an old China clay pit, boosted the countys appeal as a tourist destination. Theres been much talk of the Brexit vote representing a cry of distress from the left behind of Britain. But the EU was in fact helping those left-behind regions stay in touch with the rest of Britain. And why? The answer, not that you would know it from the right-wing presss absurd caricature of the EU, is the free market. The EUs Commissions regional development investments, such as those that have benefited Cornwall, are designed to support economic activity and productivity growth all around the bloc with a view to making the single market bigger. Many of those investments in recent years have benefited communities in the Eastern European recession states such as Latvia, Bulgaria and Poland, just as they previously aided new member states such as Ireland, Spain and Greece. Yet those investments have also, indirectly, benefited UK exporters and their employees by expanding the single market just as big American loans for European reconstruction in the wake of the Second World War restored the USs conflict-ravaged customers to health and enabled them to afford more US exports. It would be silly to suggest all this economic progress will instantly unravel because of Brexit. But the best evidence we have suggests such gains will be harder to achieve in future. And for places such as Cornwall, possibly considerably harder. 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 }} A few years ago, I was driving through central London with a TV production crew from Japan. We were on our way back to the IBC after a very successful afternoon's filming, to send the footage by satellite on to head office. It must have been about 5pm, with bars already overflowing with office workers celebrating the end of another working week, and the beginning of their weekend. My camera guy, marvelling at the crowds, turned to me and said "Shouldn't they all be at work? It's barely 5 o'clock!" I explained as best I could how here it is quite common for offices to shut slightly earlier on Fridays during the summer. "Life here seems like one big holiday," he mused, somewhat wistfully. "I think in Japan we work a lot harder." I left it at that, neither agreeing with him nor disagreeing with him. I think if you asked most English people what they knew about Japanese working culture, they'd say something along the lines of "I hear they work really hard", but in reality it's rather more complex than that. In a recent article by The Washington Post, attention was drawn to the word "Karoshi" (, literally overworking death) which can be registered as an official cause of death on a death certificate in Japan. To many of us in the UK, it would seem pretty ridiculous that a person might die from overwork. Sure, there are a few top-level high pressure jobs where people might suffer physically as a result of the various pressures they are under, but I would submit that this is very much the exception. We are very prone to think of Japan as a very "advanced" society, with gadgets we could only dream of and home to cities like Tokyo with her horizon-spanning skyscrapers. Under this veneer of superficial shine and fluorescent glory, however, lingers an ancient culture that still drives many of the decisions made by people in all aspects of their life, including work. It is of course hard to generalise about why overwork could be such a particular problem for Japan, but there are a few reasons why it is perhaps less surprising a social phenomenon than some might think. Consider the fact that this is a culture where many men will leave their home by the first train, and arrive home by the last train, leading lives almost completely independent of their wives. This leads to a social phenomenon identified by Nobuo Kurokawa and referred to as Retired Husband Syndrome, whereby women begin to display signs of physical illness and depression as their husband reaches, or approaches, retirement. The most expensive holiday destinations in the world Show all 19 1 /19 The most expensive holiday destinations in the world The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 19. Shanghai 131.90 ($186.18) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 18. Moscow 133.45 ($188.37) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 17. Paphos, Cyprus 135.73 ($191.59) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 16. Malta 138.25 ($197.19) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 15. Los Angeles 138.91 ($198.13) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 14. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 139.78 ($199.38) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 13. Rome 152.14 ($217) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 12. Paris 153.38 ($218.77) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 11. Dublin 156.15 ($222.72) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 10. Lima, Peru 158.90 ($226.65) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 9. Cancun, Mexico 172.79 ($246.46) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 8. Caracas, Venezuela 172.79 ($246.46) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 7. Singapore 183.87 ($262.26) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 6. London 191.50 ($273.15) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 5. Sydney 203.06 ($289.63) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 4. Marrakesh, Morocco 223.44 ($318.70) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 3. Botswana, Africa 225.07 ($321.03) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 2. New York City 256.80 ($366.29) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 278.92 ($397.84) Lots of people would say that culture dictates language, but I would say that this relationship is far more symbiotic than that. Japanese is a language that relies on the people speaking it being constantly aware of where they figure in the current hierarchy, and in which you assert that position by the words you choose you in fact cannot use a verb without asserting your position (and implying that of the person you are talking to). Hierarchy, and your position within it, is very important across society, and this is particularly the case in a work environment. If someone considered above you in a work environment asks you to do something, you are obliged to do it so if your boss invites you for drinks after work, whatever your plans might have been, you have to go. If he implies you should probably do some more overtime, the subtext is that you should definitely do more overtime. The culture of long working hours becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy too. Standing out from the crowd is one of the riskiest things you can do in the context of Japanese society (just ask a gay person, or a non-Japanese person, for instance), so if you are in an office and everyone is working overtime, then you are very likely to do it too whether or not you actually have work that you need to do. Japan asks Pokemon Go to remove Hiroshima as a gym as people keep battling there Over the past decade in particular, there have been various initiatives both by the government and corporations to improve the situation when it comes to working hours in general in Japan, and work-life balance (a word conspicuously absent in that particular lexicon). The problem with these, I think, is that they have very much been presented as optional, and so people are reluctant to opt in, for fear of being thought of as lazy, and not pulling their weight. In the gold-watch culture that still exists, the people you work with are quite possibly the people you will be working with for the rest of your professional life, so of course you want to foster good relationships with them, with a view hopefully to moving gradually up the hierarchy. Unless decisions are taken that tackle the overtime martyr culture head on not with superficial measures but with solid attempts to effect a real cultural shift, from within then results will continue to be disappointing and culture will not change. Karoshi will only cease to be a problem when the word itself has been deemed irrelevant. Recruitment has already started for graduate sales and customer support positions One hundred jobs are to be created with the expansion of a technology company. SiteMinder, an Australian firm which provides online services for hotels, said the roles will be based at its new Galway office. Recruitment has already started for graduate sales and customer support positions. Galway staff will work with SiteMinder's European headquarters in London to service hotels around the world. It will be the company's fifth office alongside Bangkok, Dallas and Sydney. Dai Williams, managing director of SiteMinder's London office, said he was looking for staff passionate about technology. "We are delighted to join the thriving technology hub of Galway, which we have identified to be greatly aligned with our company's culture and mission of providing terrific career opportunities for local talent who are passionate about technology and can benefit from an attractive lifestyle and work-life balance," he said. "It will also allow us to further fuel the success of our multilingual sales and customer support teams servicing hotels located in Europe and all corners of the globe." Oil exploration firm Aminex has announced the completion of a deal to sell 29.9pc of the business to ARA Petroleum, a subsidiary of the Zubair Corporation at an extraordinary general meeting. The news comes a day after the company was granted a years extension to its Mtwana exploration field in Tanzania. The deal means that ARA, an unnamed financial institution and Aminex management will now control 45pc of shareholders voting rights. The company also confirmed that its facility in Kiliwani North is now in production, while the firms Ruvuma site is financed and is ready to proceed. Aminexs share price has recovered to 1.29(1.52) having fallen to 1.26 1.49) on the announcement. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said any new body could be set up without the support of the DUP. Photo: Tom Burke Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has said his party will look for the establishment of a north-south 'national dialogue' in the autumn as the economic fallout from 'Brexit' begins to take shape. The leader of the Opposition has called for the speedy establishment of such a forum, which he says should include stakeholders such as farmers, business organisations and civil society groups. Mr Martin said the new body, which would be all-island in nature, was essential for containing the aftershocks of Britain's decision to exit the EU. Experts say the decision is now beginning to have a negative impact on many sectors across both Britain and Ireland.Opting to use the terms 'civil dialogue' or 'national dialogue', Mr Martin said he saw no reason why the body should not be up and running in the autumn. "This is about reaching out and establishing how Brexit is affecting people and businesses. It should be up and running in the autumn, absolutely," Mr Martin told the Irish Independent. But his call for an almost immediate establishment of such a body will heap pressure on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to act. Read more: Guess what? It's a month after the UK's EU referendum and the sky hasn't fallen in Mr Kenny has been less vocal about the issue since the Government's original proposal for an all-island forum was shot down by Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster. It later emerged that Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan had not been consulted about the move. Tensions between Dublin and Belfast were stoked further after Mr Kenny placed the issue of a border poll firmly on the political agenda. But Mr Martin has said any new body could be set up without the support of the DUP. Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail leader has responded to the suggestion that the border between the North and South could be a virtual one. Mr Martin said clarity was urgently required in relation to the proposal, which was floated by Mr Kenny following his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Downing Street last week. Border Mr Kenny said there would be no return to a 'hard border' and that the use of technology could be the solution to maintaining an open flow of people between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The Fine Gael leader said that he was open to exploring models, such as the screening of vehicle registration plates, which are in place in places like Canada. "I would not agree to a hard border with a whole range of customs posts and neither does the prime minister," Mr Kenny said. "There are other ways of dealing with modern technology in terms of checking trade." But Mr Martin said such a border run by technology could prove "equally as problematic" and that the issue "needs to be teased out". Read more: There is absolutely 'no upside to Brexit' for Ireland, warns agriculture minister "The most important point, and it depends ultimately on the deal negotiated between the EU and Britain, is that Britain still has access to a single market along the lines of the deal extended to Norway," the Cork South Central TD said. "A borderless island of Ireland depends on that first and foremost. If you don't have a single market, well then you have serious problems. "And Fianna Fail does welcome the soundings that suggest people are doing a bit more preparatory work on both sides." A farming insider has been exposed as a key informant for criminal gangs operating in rural Ireland. The major breakthrough in the battle against thugs targeting farmyards and isolated premises stemmed from a recent gardai operation that saw three men captured following a cross-country chase involving the garda Armed Response Unit and helicopters. Phone records retrieved from the mens phones identified the gangs informant as a dairy farmer in the midlands who also provided a number of technical services to farmers in the region. He is also believed to have established partnerships with landowners in the area. Locals were shocked by the revelation, given the unprecedented access the gangs source had to farmers yards his access included security codes along with locations of keys and locks for gates. Gardai are hopeful that the bust is the beginning of the end of the crime spree in the region. The gang targeted in the recent operation are believed to be linked with over 100 robberies in recent years. The operation began with over 20 gardai spending five nights staking out a pick-up that had been discovered in a remote bog location. It had been stolen from a farmer in the previous weeks. In addition to squad cars hidden in local farmyards, a number of helicopters were on stand-by in the area before the gang blew their cover. The men were apprehended after they attempted to evade a manned garda checkpoint on a laneway leading out of the bog. During the failed getaway, the men drove the stolen jeep across an unmarked garda cars bonnet and crashed into an Armed Response Unit, before attempting to escape on foot. However, a garda helicopter was able to track the fleeing men with a powerful night light. Four gardai were hospitalised during the course of the chase, with one suffering a broken leg and another a back injury. The squad car was written off. The three men and their informer have been formally charged. Bolt cutters were recovered inside the jeep, which had been sprayed with sun-screen cream in an effort to destroy any DNA evidence. Garda sources have warned that other compromised farmers are likely to be uncovered over the coming months as investigations progress. Photographed with the 'Best Performance Internationally' award at the annual Freddy Clothing conference event held this year in Lake Maggiore, Italy are from left to right: sisters Elena Demery and Malindi Demery, co-founders of Freddy, the Irish based distributor for Freddy Clothing Two Irish sisters responsible for bringing Freddy Jeans to Ireland 18 months ago have seen sales of the popular brand soar to over 1m last year. Malindi (25) and Elena (21) Demery co-founded Freddy in Ireland and were awarded 'Best Performance Internationally' at the Freddy Clothing GTM event. The pair have also secured a five-year exclusive distribution deal in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Demery sisters were also granted exclusivity for wholesale sales in the UK market too. Freddy Clothing is now in 50 stockists across the country, including eight in the North. It's estimated 15,000 in the 16 to 30 year old bracket wear the jeans here. Freddy in Ireland co-founder Malindi Demery said they have been "overwhelmed" by the interest and demand experienced so far. "We are very excited about our future plans and what is possible over the next 12 months in terms of growing the business and building the Freddy Clothing brand. "Our next big venture is to invest in the opening of our first high street retail store in Dublin and to follow this with a number of stores across the UK. We hope to be in a position to formally announce this opening very shortly. Freddy Clothing is the brainchild of Italian designer Carlo Freddy. The brand has been well known in Italy for almost 30 years and is mainly known for its active lifestyle clothing. Government plans to introduce a controversial 'sugar tax' in the upcoming Budget look set to be met by a high-profile legal challenge from the drinks industry, the Irish Independent has learned. Drinks giants are preparing to follow the example set by the tobacco industry - which has already initiated court action against the Government's plan for plain cigarette packaging. Any such legal challenge could delay the introduction of a sugar tax, which proponents say will go a long way to tackling the obesity epidemic. According to documents published by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, a 10c levy on a can of soft drink would potentially yield 100m for the Exchequer. A senior Government source said the move was "very much on the table" ahead of October's Budget. The source claimed the threat of legal action by figures within the drinks industry was motivated solely by concern over profits. The looming row comes as the body representing companies such as Coca Cola and Pepsi has seized on 'Brexit' in a bid to stave off the introduction of a sugar tax. Brexit The Irish Beverage Council (IBC) has claimed that the Revenue Commissioners' capacity to collect the new tax would be "stretched" as a result of the decision by Britain to leave the EU. The IBC's pre-budget submission, seen by the Irish Independent, also warns that the introduction of a sugar tax would result in an increase in illegal trade. "We believe that the impact of the UK's decision to leave the European Union (Brexit) must be assessed before rushing into imposing an additional tax which could cause issues for UK-Ireland Trade," the document states. "The ability of Revenue systems to manage the projected increase in customs declarations would be further stretched by the inclusion of a requirement to report on sugar in soft drinks. "There are significant difficulties posed in controlling illegitimate trade imports from the UK unless any proposed Irish tax is aligned with the UK." The IBC says because there is no sugar tax in the North, any such move to introduce one in the Republic would cause major difficulties. The document also calls on the Government "to consider the consumer health risks in the case of the development of unregulated counterfeit products." Gaelectric's Monnaboy wind farm in Co Derry in Northern Ireland, a 21.28m investment capable of powering more than 7,400 homes. Photo: Keith Arkins/Gaelectric/PA Wire Irish energy firm Gaelectric is to receive 8.28m in funding from the European Union to develop a storage project in Northern Ireland. Project CAES Larne, NI - a 330 MW energy storage project using compressed air energy storage technology ('CAES') - is being developed by Gaelectric on the Islandmagee peninsula near the port town of Larne, Co Antrim. The Connecting Europe Facility ('CEF') of the EU has awarded an additional 8.28m to the project. The Larne CAES Project was designated as a European Project of Common Interest in 2013, and in July of last year was awarded EU grant support of 6.5m for front-end engineering and design studies. Keith McGrane, Gaelectric's head of energy storage, said the extra EU financing was a major boost for the project. He said it was "a further validation of the importance and need for the project, both for Northern Ireland and for wider UK and European energy markets". "The project will provide critical generation capacity of 330 MW for periods of up to six to eight hours' duration which is enough to meet the electricity needs of over 200,000 homes, and create demand on the system of 250 MW. It will also be the first in a pipeline of CAES projects which Gaelectric is developing across the rest of the United Kingdom and into Europe, each designed to help system operators meet generation needs and the challenges of increasing renewable generation being connected to Europe's power systems. "Northern Ireland and Larne will be the vanguards for safe, flexible and technologically advanced energy storage." Food exporters to the UK could be hit with losses of around 700m if sterling weakens towards the 90p mark against the euro, the country's biggest business body has warned. Ibec has said Irish exporters are now in the midst of a currency crisis, arguing the speed of sterling's decline is on a par with the Exchange Rate Mechanism crisis of 1992. The body also said just one in ten businesses have contingency plans for a Brexit, and one in four have currency hedging in place, but for many these arrangements are soon due to expire, it added. A survey by the business lobby group found that the negative exchange implications of the UK vote is by far the biggest concern of business. Some 45pc of those surveyed saw this as the main threat from the decision by UK voters to pull out of the EU. Sterling declined versus all of its 16 major peers yesterday as a separate report showed UK manufacturing shrank more than initially forecast in July. Against the euro, which is the important gauge for Irish exporters into the UK market, the pound has been hovering around 85 pence. Ibec director of policy Fergal O'Brien said the Brexit impact is "manifest and intense". "Without urgent action to address competitive pressures, hundreds of millions of euro worth of exports and thousands of Irish jobs will be lost," he said. "Individual businesses have been slow to talk publicly, but the feedback from members is clear and unambiguous. Businesses and jobs are already under threat. "This is now a full blown currency crisis. For exporters, the speed of sterling's decline is on a par with the 1992 currency crisis." He added that Irish exporters to the UK were already 15pc less competitive as a result of the Brexit vote. A separate analysis found that the impact on UK focused export sectors, such as agri-food, will be particularly severe. Ibec said a 1pc weakness in sterling results in a 0.7pc drop in Irish exports to the UK. "If sterling was to weaken further towards the 0.90 mark, this would translate to losses of over 700 million in food exports and about 7,500 Irish jobs in that sector alone," Ibec said. Lenders dragged down European equities amid investor scepticism even as stress-test results showed most of the firms would keep an adequate level of capital in a crisis. By the close in Dublin, the ISEQ Overall Index was down 1.14pc, or 66.69 points, to end the Bank Holiday Monday trading at 5,800.95. The laggards were led by Bank of Ireland, which tumbled 6.5pc in the wake of the stress tests. It was ranked fourth worst in the European-wide stress tests, which were released on Friday night. Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa was down 1.7pc, while Irish Continental slipped 1.7pc to 4.64. On the other side of the board, the leaders included drinks group C&C, which rose 1.8pc to 3.67, while insurance group FBD increased 1.1pc to 6.25. Elsewhere, the Stoxx Europe 600 Index slipped 0.6pc, reversing an increase of as much as 0.6pc. Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which jumped as much as 11pc as it said it's working on a plan involving private investors to help bolster its finances, erased almost all its gains by the end of the day. UniCredit, the second-worst performer in the exam, sank 9.4pc. Britain's Barclays and Deutsche Bank, slid more than 1.8pc. Energy producers also weighed on the market amid losses in oil, with Royal Dutch Shell down 3.2pc. "Investors are sceptical about everything these days," said Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank in Hellerup, Denmark. "The problem with the stress tests is that they were too soft, only assuming a mild to moderate recession. This means that the data doesn't tell us much, and it's not too surprising that most banks passed." Graeme McQueen: Managers say staff are complaining about the price of housing. Photo: Frank McGrath Close to 100 businesses in Dublin employ staff that face serious problems in finding suitable and affordable housing, a survey has found. Dublin Chamber of Commerce said it polled 292 business owners or managers in Dublin about the issue most raised by employees, and just over a third ranked the cost or availability of housing as among the biggest issues. House affordability is more about cobbling a deposit together than meeting mortgage repayments, the chamber said. And it argued that the Dirt relief for first-time buyers has "clearly failed". The chamber also warned that too few resources have been put into Dublin's public transport, with London spending four times more per head of population on its transport system than Dublin. Every three months, the chamber asks its members by way of an online survey what the biggest problems facing them are. In the most recent survey, more than a third of those who responded said the biggest issue was affordable housing for their staff. "When we've polled them over the past 18 months, it's been a growing trend and has been increasing all the time as a big issue in terms of the housing," Graeme McQueen, public affairs manager at Dublin Chamber of Commerce, told the Irish Independent. "Business owners and business managers are telling us a lot of the time that staff are coming to them complaining about the price of housing and trying to find housing, and people of a certain age trying to get mortgages and find a place to buy - the calls are just getting stronger and stronger." The chamber said 292 of its members responded to the online survey, which asked what issue is most raised by their employees. Read more: Housing supply at worst level for 50 years as prices exceed boomtime levels Read more: Middle class 'Generation Y' feels pinch About 34pc - just shy of 100 - said the cost or availability of housing was the biggest issue, while 33pc said traffic congestion and 10pc said the cost of childcare. In its pre-Budget submission, the chamber argues that the housing shortage in the capital is getting worse. "There were 26,800 units advertised for sale nationally in January 2016, representing 1.4pc of the private housing stock - a decrease of 13pc on the previous year," the submission stated. "In Dublin, only 0.8pc of the housing stock was available for sale." The chamber also said that the Government should consider the establishment of a savings scheme focused on first-time buyers that would incentivise and help them to build up a house deposit. It suggested that the Government could contribute a 25pc bonus towards a first-time buyer's savings, when those savings are used exclusively to purchase a home. It said a maximum of 400 could be saved into the account per month for a maximum of five years, with the Government topping it up by a maximum of 3,400. The chamber also said that there was underinvestment in public transport in Dublin. "At present, the transport capital envelope for Dublin stands at approximately 150m per annum," the chamber noted. "Adjusted for population, London invests some 462m [per annum] and Manchester invests 367m per annum. "Dublin Chamber recommends that the funding of bottleneck and congestion projects already identified not be delayed and that the investment timeline for the new Metro North be brought forward, with planning and design by late 2017. "This would have a significant impact on the capital investment plan." Ronan Dunne, the outgoing Irish chief executive of O2 UK, has been named group president of America's biggest mobile operator, Verizon Wireless. Mr Dunne will take charge of "all aspects" of Verizon Wireless operations in the US, including network, digital and marketing processes, from September. The move places him as a contender for the role of chief executive at the telecoms giant when it next becomes available. Mr Dunne makes the move after eight years as chief executive of O2 UK, Britain's second biggest mobile operator. Before being appointed to his new US role, he was linked with a 10bn leveraged buyout of O2 UK following a failed takeover bid from rival mobile operator, Three UK. Ronan brings a wealth of expertise, as well as global wireless perspective and experience to Verizon Wireless, said John Stratton, executive vice president and president of operations at Verizon Wireless. He has a proven record of performance in highly competitive environments. We look forward to his leadership as Verizon continues to invest in and evolve our wireless business to provide the best experience for our customers. Having been schooled at Blackrock College in Dublin, Mr Dunne qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte and moved to London in the 1980s where he worked for a number of companies before joining O2 in 2001. In 2005, he became chief financial officer of the UK operator before being appointed chief executive in 2008. O2's parent company, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, has been trying to sell O2 to write down its own debts. But despite the successful sale of O2 Ireland to Three in 2014, the European Commission blocked the sale of O2 UK to Three UK, citing concerns over competition and pricing for UK consumers. The operator Mr Dunne joins is currently on an acquisition spree, announcing a 2.15bn takeover of Dublin-based telematics firm Fleetmatics earlier this week. Last month, Verizon inked a 4.4bn deal for Yahoo, the once-powerful online portal that employs over 200 people in Dublin. Headquartered in New York, Verizon logged revenues of $132bn in 2015 from 113m retail customers. As well as a mobile phone service, it also has its own fibre broadband network, which generates $10bn annually. The company is currently trying to diversify into advertising and content distribution with the mobile industry currently undergoing structural pressure due to a price war and limited returns from mobile connections. The number of foreigners visiting Turkey plummeted more than 40pc in June, new official data shows, marking the biggest drop in at least 22 years as tensions with Russia and a series of deadly bombings kept tourists away. The decline is the latest in a string of bad news for the economy as political and security concerns erode foreign investor confidence. An attempted military coup last month has further bruised the outlook for Turkey's economy, once seen as a stand-out among emerging markets. Some economists have forecast that tourism revenue - a pillar of the economy - could drop by a quarter this year, costing around 7.1bn, or the equivalent of 1pc of gross domestic product. In late June, 45 people were killed in bomb and gun attacks at Istanbul's main airport, an attack authorities have blamed on Islamic State militants. Last month, a faction of the military tried to overthrow the government, leaving hundreds dead. Last Thursday, British travel company Thomas Cook cut its full-year profit target, after the failed coup forced its customers to change holiday plans. Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean resorts and beaches are traditionally popular with European holidaymakers. Tourist arrivals fell by just under 41pc year-on-year in June, with 2.44 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 previous record was set in May, when tourist arrivals fell 34.7pc. Tourism has been hit hard by tensions with Moscow after Turkey shot down a Russian jet over Syria last year. While Ankara and Moscow have recently started to rebuild ties, tourist arrivals from Russia dropped 87pc in the first six months of the year, the data showed. The trend in the statistics issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is for the decline to increase by a further 6pc monthly. This points to a fall of 47pc last month and 53pc for this month. Thomas Cook, which is the market leader from the UK and Germany to Turkey, revealed that it had cut capacity to Turkey by 40pc, leading to a 118m fall in revenue between April and June this year. Peter Fankhauser, the chief executive, blamed the terrorist attacks earlier the year for a drop in demand. The June figure for UK visitors to Turkey shows a fall of slightly more than one-third. In 2015, British holidaymakers arrived at a rate of 12,000 a day; this year, it's below 8,000. Britain's Foreign Office has warned travellers that the security environment "remains potentially volatile" and is urging them to carry passports and printed copies of e-visas at all times. One hope for the Turkish tourism industry is that the slump in sterling since the EU referendum could trigger more demand from British visitors. Costs are far lower than in Spain - which is gaining millions more holidaymakers this year as a result of the downturn in travel to Turkey and other destinations. Greece may win over last-minute visitors scared away from tourist rival Turkey but overall growth in the sector remains fragile. Tourism accounts for about 17pc of Greece's 185bn economic output and employs one in five people in work. "Turkey's share of last-minute arrivals will shrink and it will probably suffer cancellations," Andreas Andreadis, head of Greek tourism businesses association SETE, told Reuters. "Greece will gain a share, even if it is a small one." But Mr Andreadis said he could not exclude a spillover effect from Turkey which could impact overall arrivals. "We don't like the fact that Turkey is destabilised, it could also affect Greece. We are not happy about this," he said. (Reuters) Here's another solemn reminder in a year of commemorations: this Wednesday, 100 years ago, Roger Casement was hanged. A group of artists are staging A Wake for Roger Casement in a nightclub as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival. Kooky as the event may sound, it's easy to see Casement as an icon fit for a nightclub. Of all the 1916 deaths, Casement's feels particularly unfair today. Casement had tried to stop the Rising. But the judge convicted him of treason anyway. When he appealed his sentence of death, they built a flimsy case against him, using certain 'black diaries' to besmirch his name and destroy him. The 'black diaries' were the leaked private books in which Casement recorded his sexual encounters with men. Some said they were fabricated by political enemies. Most agree on the proof that they were real. Whether they were Casement's fantasies is a different question. Whether they are really "black" and degenerate - some of the men were actually adolescents - is a can of worms. Whichever way, it wasn't Casement's part in the Rising that got him hanged, it was that he was gay. Which is a great shame. Of all the martyrs, Casement was a superhero. Never mind the submarine he set off in for the coast of Kerry, arriving shivering wet and malarial on Banna Strand in April 1916 before his untimely capture. He was a human-rights activist before human rights existed - as a British consul, he exposed the slavery, murder and abuse of indigenous people in the Congo and Amazon. Roger Casement lived his life an outsider, made up of contradictions. English and Irish, Protestant and Catholic, knight and nationalist, humanitarian and poet. And a closet homosexual. Artists will always be intoxicated with curiosity for such a fascinating person. In 1916, WB Yeats and George Bernard Shaw were among the men of letters who wrote pleas for his clemency. The appeal failed: handsome Casement, aged 51, was noosed and hanged. Another stab to the heart: he was buried in an unmarked grave inside Pentonville prison, his naked body thrown in quicklime. Yeats wrote a poem that would give you the cold sweats, with the line, "The ghost of Roger Casement/ Is beating at the door." It wasn't until 1965 that the martyr's bones were brought back and buried in Glasnevin. And so to Kilkenny, where that ghost is still beating at the door. A Wake for Roger Casement is part of this year's Arts Council-funded 'Casement Project' packed with Casementite events - a dance piece, Butterflies and Bones, is still to open in Ireland. At this wake/club night, dance artist Fearghus O Conchuir and drag queen Mangina Jones (aka Cian O'Brien, director the Project Arts Centre) are giving Casement the burial rites they feel he deserves, as a martyr not just for Irish freedom but for gay people. "I see him as a hero," says O'Brien. There will be a eulogy written by journalist Una Mullally, while actress Olwen Fouere will read from the aforementioned 'black diaries'. The sought-after Fouere, of the long pearly white hair and magisterial voice, jumped at doing this project even though she had no time. (She was about to play 'death' in Death at Intervals in Galway when we met). She believes Casement is a "true revolutionary", because his revolution began "within the person". Video of the Day Fouere has something of the revolutionary in her, too. Her father, Yann Fouere, was a Breton activist who came to Ireland in the 1950s escaping a prison sentence, though his work had been peaceful. "He was on the run, just like Casement, for treason," says Fouere. As an artist, she says: "I can never accept the formulaic world-view. The various systems we live within. I have a natural tendency to dismantle anything that becomes a system to which you must conform. ''Whether it has to do with growing up a foreigner in Ireland, I don't know. I spent a lot of time trying to become assimilated." The Fouere family lived by the sea in Connemara, where Yann Fouere assumed a false name and farmed lobster. They spoke French and drank cider. "In the fifties, there were really no foreigners in Ireland. You become very aware of not being of Irish descent. And you realise the fact that you don't fit in is a gift of sorts. "I think that displacement or cultural alienation of any kind works two ways, it makes or breaks you. What it usually makes is a mind that has had to really negotiate a very" - she pauses - "true path." Upon channelling Roger Casement, Fouere says she believes "true art" is not about self expression. "True art" is "something that you happen to be in the space to see. It's giving space to that 'other' thing, the elephant in the room, or the ghosts in the room." Casement's ghost might never find rest but at least he gets a fabulous wake. A Wake for Roger Casement, Set Theatre, Kilkenny, Friday, August 5 at 11.30pm. Kilkenny Arts Festival. kilkennyarts.ie stagestrong@gmail.com The Blizzards have announced their highly anticipated return to the Olympia Theatre on Saturday November 19. The band are going from strength to strength since their comeback, with their headline show at Whelans selling out in just two hours. The group also headlined at Indiependence last weekend. The current single Drop Down The Achor has been taking over Irish radio since its release and it is just about to hit the UK. The bands new single Perfect on Paper is released in Ireland on 16 September. Tickets priced from 23.00 including booking and restoration fee are on sale this Friday, 5th August at 9am from Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.ie. A DUBLIN teenager has pleaded guilty to breaking a garda's jaw after he was stopped for driving illegally. One garda suffered a broken jaw and his colleague was also seriously assaulted during the incident in Ballyfermot on Sept. 1 last year. Judge John O'Connor adjourned the case until a date in September to allow time for a pre-sentence probation report on the boy (17) to be prepared. The teen appeared at the Dublin Children's Court where he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm. However, he denies charges for driving without a licence or insurance and a separate hearing date has been set for those allegations. The boy, who was accompanied to court by his parents, made no reply to the charges, the court has been told. The court heard that when he was initially stopped driving a scrambler motorbike he punched Garda Daniel Matthewson, who suffered a fractured jaw. It was alleged the teen fled and Garda Trevor Mallon called to his home where he was head-butted in the face by the youth, who cannot be named because he is a minor. The youth has no prior criminal convictions, Judge John O'Connor head. Defence counsel Ann Sheridan told the court that a couple of weeks before the incident, the teen's home had been raided by mistake by armed gardai and this had an effect on the youth. GardaI in the midlands have smashed a major rural crime ring involved in stealing farm machinery and equipment across the country. A professional who provided services to farmers had been supplying 'insider information' to the gang, which also includes a number of rogue farmers. The crime gang has been operating from a base in Co Laois for a number of years, gardai believe. They had been conducting surveillance operations on farms to identify specific items of property which were then stolen to order. Gardai believe that the gang was behind more than 100 burglaries since the beginning of this year. In the past fortnight, detectives recovered stolen vehicles, trailers and other farm equipment in Co Laois as part of a series of searches involving gardai from three divisions backed up by Regional Support units and the Air Support Unit. Expand Close Geraldine Sullivan at her shop in Ardcorney, Nenagh Pic:Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Geraldine Sullivan at her shop in Ardcorney, Nenagh Pic:Mark Condren It is understood that some of the property was recovered from a number of farmyards, including one owned by a man who works in the agricultural sector. His legitimate work involves visiting farms throughout the midlands. The ongoing garda operation, under the command of Chief Superintendent John Scanlan in Portlaoise, has uncovered a complex underground network of people involved in stealing to order and selling stolen goods. The investigation has been hailed by farmers' representatives as a major breakthrough in the investigation of rural crime. Three men have also been charged as part of the same operation. The Irish Independent understands that a large quantity of plastic bale wrap was included in the large amount of property so far recovered. In recent months, gangs have stolen several tons of the expensive bale wrap, which is used to wrap silage and hay, from farms and co-operatives. Sources say that the wrap was being specifically targeted by gangs, who steal to order. Gardai and the farmers being targeted say that unscrupulous farming contractors and fellow farmers are creating a crimewave by agreeing to buy stolen goods and machinery. In the early hours of June 30, five farms were targeted in the Athnid area, near Thurles in Co Tipperary, where the gang stole only bale wrap and ignored other valuable equipment. Dairy farmer Michael Hackett senior had over 2,000 worth of wrap stolen. "They knew exactly which farms in the area were using bale wrap and it was clear that they had us under surveillance before they came," he told the Irish Independent. "Other farms that were targeted in the past were left alone because they don't use the wraps. "They knew exactly what they were looking for and left everything else. It was clearly being stolen to order." The thieves had intimate knowledge of the layout of the Hackett farm and entered the property through a gateway which is unused and overgrown, situated over 50 metres from the family home. A vehicle was then driven through an adjoining field, bringing the gang in behind the farmyard. They stole 26 boxes of the plastic wrapping, with each box weighing over 30kg. Bale wrap "The gang used either a big jeep or a large van because the total weight of the boxes would be around a ton and they took around the same amount at the other four neighbouring farms," said Mr Hackett, who runs the family farm and a dairy equipment supply company along with his son, Michael Jr. "Because the boxes are so heavy, they had to carry them individually up to 40 yards to the van or jeep and that meant there could have been three or four men involved." The Hacketts and their neighbours have no doubts about why they were targeted. "These things are being robbed to order because the gangs are not going around the country asking people do they want to buy bale wrap," said Michael Jr. "That means that there are rogue farming contractors and individual farmers willing to buy stolen goods, which they are ordering. "It is terrible to think that unscrupulous members of the farming community are betraying their fellow farmers by creating this crimewave." The Hacketts and their neighbours in this close-knit community are no strangers to the scourge of rural crime. Last year, theirs was one of six farms targeted in a series of robberies between June 8 and August 13. On that occasion, the Hacketts lost over 6,000 worth of farm equipment, with similar quantities of expensive tools, diesel and equipment stolen at the other farms. Barry O'Gorman, who lives a short distance from the Hackett farm, had welding equipment, power tools, saws and diesel worth over 1,000 taken. The thieves returned on a second night and took a trailer, which was then used to take away a ride-on lawnmower and tools which had been stolen from John Quinn, a neighbouring farmer. In an earlier robbery at Mr Quinn's yard, the gang stole a chain saw, strimmer, battery pack drills, hand tools, oils and lubricants worth 5,000. After the Irish Independent began highlighting the extent of the problem, a group of farmers and local businessmen in the area organised the Save Our Local Communities campaign in a bid to highlight the scourge of rural crime and lack of garda resources. The campaign culminated in a public meeting in Thurles, attended by an estimated 2,500 people. This forced the Government to take action to fund Operation Thor, which specifically targeted rural crime gangs. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald also introduced new legislation, tightening up on the granting of bail to repeat burglars. However, despite the recent breakthrough, the Hacketts and their neighbours believe that the force is still under resourced and depleted in numbers. "The guard who came to investigate the theft arrived in a 06 hatchback Fiesta, which was the only squad car available in the nearest station, Templemore. How is he expected to pursue criminal gangs in that?" asked Michael Snr. "Our local station has to cover 1,400km with that car, so how can we blame our local gardai when these robberies happen? "It was recently announced that the county is to get 16 new garda recruits, while 20 gardai are retiring and there are plans to shut the local garda station at 9pm. What chance have we got then?" The ongoing crimewave has left farming families fearful for their safety if they disturb burglars on their property. Michael said that he worries for his son, who lives with his young family on the farm. "If he goes down the yard on his own, anything could happen to him. Our Alsatian dog was seriously injured by the robbers last year and is too afraid to go into the yard at night although he does bark," he said. Michael's wife Margaret said that the robberies had destroyed her sense of security. "The country is so unsafe now and these robberies leave you feeling pure deflated," she said. A new company hopes to bring an end to rent deposit disputes, as thousands of students scramble to find accommodation. Third-level students are in the middle of house-hunting, with just five weeks remaining before lectures resume. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is to partner with start-up Deposify - a deposit management service for landlords and tenants. The move comes after 60pc of people said they had experienced difficulties getting their deposits returned, according to a Red C poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 people over the age of 18. Students are battling against limited accommodation and soaring rents, with just 1,318 properties available in Dublin on property website Daft.ie last night. In Cork, just 182 properties were available to rent, while Galway had 128 vacant properties. Gabby Luksaite, a Trinity College student, spent six months searching for a room in Dublin. The Galway woman (20) said many landlords are reluctant to rent to students. "The main thing we found is that because we are students, landlords aren't willing to rent to us because they know there are so many people looking to rent," Ms Luksaite said. "Most of them are looking for professionals, even though some professionals may party more than students. "Many landlords wanted to ring our parents, meet them or get them to sign an agreement to confirm the rent would be paid." Ms Luksaite will pay 550 a month for a room in a shared house - she counts herself lucky. "A lot of my friends still have no houses, it's awful," she said. The USI today relaunched its website homes.usi.ie in a bid to help students find somewhere to live, while start-up company Deposify hopes to make the handling of deposits easier. "Rental deposits cause problems for landlords and tenants," Deposify founder Jon Bayle said. "We give landlords and tenants a joint account for rental deposits that lets them manage and control how and when deposits are paid and resolve deposit-related disputes." USI President Annie Hoey is encouraging homeowners to rent their rooms out to students and is also urging students to register with Deposify. Homeowners are being reminded that they can rent their spare room to students and earn up to 12,000 tax free. It is hoped the tax incentive will help alleviate the shortage of affordable rental accommodation in cities. A former trainee priest who alleges he was harassed by a member of staff while studying at the national seminary in Maynooth is to meet members of the Garda sexual assault unit over the coming days to file a formal complaint against the priest. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, told the Irish Independent that the priest concerned was meant to be his "spiritual father" who would help him to "discern if God was calling" him to serve in the priesthood, and also to "act as a support and guide in living a chaste and celibate life". Instead, he alleges that the priest placed his hand on him inappropriately on a number of occasions, and that he asked him very intimate questions concerning his sexuality during meetings. This, he said, was not part of the priest's remit. He also told salacious jokes during the meetings. "I am now, thank God, a happily married man. My faith was severely shaken after my experience in Maynooth, and I suffered from severe depression for a long time," he recounted. He said he would "definitely not suggest Maynooth to any young man currently considering a vocation". "I am not homophobic - my main issue with the priest is that he grievously abused his position of power and influence," he said, adding that he believes the Church has lost many vocations because some members of staff in Maynooth have behaved inappropriately and because seminarians' grievances are not listened to. Investigation The man, who joined the seminary at 26, reported his experience at the hands of the priest to the college president and vice president in Maynooth, and though he was invited to return to his studies, he declined, saying the priest concerned needed to be "investigated and disciplined". However, an internal complaints panel which investigated his claims did not find any grounds on which to discipline the priest. "I was highly disillusioned and depressed with the Irish Church at the time," he said. "When I was in Maynooth there was an atmosphere of neurotic fear among seminarians who loved the Church and wanted to be holy priests. Seminarians felt they had no support from their bishops in relation to voicing their concerns about problems with priests or formation programmes in the seminary. "This type of atmosphere protects and enables abusers." Separately, another former seminarian who studied in Maynooth for three years has told the Irish Independent that he believes part of the problem which prevents abusive behaviour by staff and senior seminarians being tackled in Maynooth is the culture of secrecy that pervades the seminary and the Church. "Within nine weeks of commencing formation, each seminarian is summoned by order by the president to enforce the signing of confidentiality agreements forbidding the disclosure of any activities - heard, seen or experienced - within the seminary, including disclosure to our families," he said. He likened the practice to confidentiality agreements signed by victims of child sexual abuse, and said it contributed to the "culture of secrecy within the Church". "The hierarchy of the college still enforces this same type of emotional abuse and control over its own seminarians, stripping them of their liberty and human rights to speak freely," the disappointed former trainee priest said. He claimed the compulsory agreements are "deceitfully presented to the fledgling and naive seminarian without prior warning, explanation or consultation". They are told they must be signed when presented, and the seminarian is given no choice or any opportunity for understanding or seeking advice on the agreement. He said the experience had left him "feeling disgusted, intimidated and ambushed". Meanwhile, the editor of the 'Catholic Voice' newspaper has warned that seminarians who report inappropriate behaviour are being expelled from Maynooth, as happened last May. Read more: Martin removes priests from Maynooth amid allegations some seminarians were using gay dating app Grindr Read more: Unholy row as Martin removes priests from Maynooth seminary Anthony Murphy said: "It is unfathomable - the one who speaks up is punished, while those engaging in behaviour which the Church regards as objectively sinful remain in formation for the Catholic priesthood. "The only thing that can save Maynooth is a complete overhaul - a new leadership team needs to be appointed." He also called on the bishops to publish the full report of the Apostolic Visitation and appoint a senior bishop to ensure the recommendations made within it are implemented in full. Separately, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin (pictured inset) has explained that his decision not to send trainee priests to St Patrick's College, Maynooth was due to a worrying "atmosphere" at the national seminary. Following on from the Irish Independent's story yesterday, Dr Martin said that he "wasn't happy with Maynooth". "There seems to be an atmosphere of strange goings-on there, it seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around," he told the 'Irish Times'. "I don't think this is a good place for students. However, when I informed the president of Maynooth of my decision, I did add 'at least for the moment'." The 25-year-old was hospitalised after being brutally attacked with a motorcycle chain lock in the French city of Avignon. GETTY An Irish woman was recovering yesterday after a savage attack in France. The 25-year-old was hospitalised after being brutally attacked with a motorcycle chain lock in the southern city of Avignon. It is understood the young woman was pushed to her knees and then beaten up by a gang of three men early on Saturday morning. Initial reports suggest the attack was a random assault. Local police in the French city said the woman's injuries included wounds to her head, cheeks and nose. Local media in Avignon reported that the woman was not robbed during the incident. And French police have also stated the woman was not sexually assaulted. The violent incident occurred at around 6.30am on Saturday as the woman was walking back to her accommodation on Rue des Infirmieres, in Avignon's city centre. The gang fled the scene after the attack, but left the chain lock they used to beat the woman at the scene. The woman was taken to the Henri-Duffaut Hospital in Avignon where she was treated for her injuries. She was reportedly discharged yesterday. Local police sources say she has been left shaken by the attack. It is believed the woman later told police that she did not know the three men who attacked her. Motive Authorities in Avignon are trying to establish a motive for the attack and are examining CCTV from the quiet area. Detectives are expected to examine the motorcycle chain lock used in the attack in the hopes that there are any fingerprints which may lead them to the attackers. It is also not yet clear whether the Irish woman lives in Avignon, or if she was visiting the city, which is popular among tourists. The area where the young woman was staying - the Rue des Infirmieres - is in the centre of the Provencal city. The area sees a spike in the number of people visiting during the month of July when the Avignon theatre festival is held. The festival ended last week. More than 600 teachers and gardai have suffered a freeze in increments worth between 1,000 and 3,600 because they have not signed up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement. The Department of Education revealed that 519 secondary teachers have been affected by the halt on the payments, which are normally made each year. A further 97 trainee gardai who were due to move from a salary of 23,750 to 25,727 have also been hit since the freeze began at the start of last month. The pay freeze came into force under emergency legislation on members of unions who have not backed the Lansdowne Road deal. Although the agreement restores pay cuts worth in the region of 2,000 each to public servants, it also requires them to work extra hours. Members of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) object to working an extra 33 hours a year, while members of the Garda Representative Association do not want to work an additional 30 hours. Gardai also want a review of their pay and conditions promised under the previous Haddington Road deal to be completed before they will consider reballoting members. Read more: 38,000 health service support staff to ballot for strike action Read more: Gardai call for postponement of 'punishing' pay freeze as over 100 face losing 2,000 The Department of Education said the ASTI could have avoided the pay freeze if it had agreed to suspend a directive to members asking them to stop working the extra hours. It said it would have then in turn put the pay freeze on hold until October to avoid industrial action that would shut schools and to allow talks to take place on the issue. "A suspension to the end of October was suggested in order to provide a realistic time frame for agreement," said a spokesperson. "ASTI members would be asked to continue to fulfil the requirements of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, including the 33 hours requirement, during that period." It said the measure was intended to create a more "constructive context" for talks. "It was also intended to ensure any disruption to schools from September, arising from ASTI actions, could be avoided during the talks period," said the spokesperson. "The ASTI Standing Committee decided to reject this suggestion. As a result, the immediate implications of the Lansdowne Road Agreement withdrawal arise. These would have been avoided for ASTI members during the talks period if a suspension was agreed." The department spokesperson said Education Minister Richard Bruton had expressed his disappointment at the ASTI Standing Committee's decision. She said the ASTI appeared intent on proceeding with its action, which would lead to disruption in the new school year. Mr Bruton said continuing dialogue between his department and the union was in the best interests of schools, parents, students and teachers. He said his department would be "seeking arrangements" for talks to continue. John Smith, Meath farmer and final year agricultural engineering student at Tralee IT, adheres to cultural tradition by driving a tractor in slippers while on placement on a farm in Hidaka, Hokkaido, Japan Demand for ag college places has plummeted as the economy picks up, while concerns mount over the suitability of the education on offer. The latest CAO data reveals that total preferences for traditional university honours degrees in agriculture or horticulture-based courses has dropped by almost 30pc from 3,163 applications in 2015 to 2,328 this year, while first preferences dropped from 657 last year to 483 in 2016. Total preferences for level 6 and 7 ordinary qualifications in agriculture or horticulture has declined from 2,259 in 2015 to just 1,677 this year. First preferences for these courses have also fallen significantly from 735 last year to 528. Tony Pettit, head of education at Teagasc, said the downturn in full-time courses has been expected and that previous demand was "unsustainably high". However, he says demand for part-time and distance education courses is consistently strong. "Demand in recent years has been extraordinarily high, against the grain in ways, but it is moving down and we expect it to move down again this year," he said. "For full-time courses, whether it's in higher education or further education, we have peaked and you're back to a more normal kind of scenario. We won't know until September exactly how it'll pan out, but it should have happened maybe a year or two earlier," he said. Reasons cited for the downward spiral include: improvements in the economy, opportunities in engineering and construction and a surge in apprenticeship demand. Mr Pettit said the deepening farm income crisis has also been a contributing factor. "It was a fairly difficult climate for farming this year and that's probably having a small affect as well," he said. Teagasc are very involved in young farmer education and have set up a special advisory group to assess the state of the country's agricultural academic sector. The national body providing integrated research, advisory and training services to agriculture and the food industry are questioning whether programmes are "fit for purpose" for the next 30 years. "We're looking really at what is in our control on the education programmes, and the future as the farming sector is changing. We're flagging where we need to go," said Mr Pettit. Teagasc's recently published the Technology Foresight 2035 report, highlighted the surge in new technologies and challenges coming on stream for farmers across many different fronts."We're trying to examine the skills and knowledge that people will need to be equipped in if they are entering the farming sector and associated sectors down the road," he said. The review will also consider the duration of courses, appropriate qualifications, classroom balance versus practical instruction, and work-based learning. The Teagasc education strategic vision project will run for a number of months, inviting submissions from organisations, stakeholders and individuals on what business skills, typical knowledge and soft expertise will be needed to manage farms of the future. "What is right for now, and may be very well developed and very suitable for today, but will it be adequate in the future?" asked Mr Pettit. Edmond Harty, CEO and technical director of Dairymaster, a milking equipment manufacturer, is also a member of the steering group reviewing the agri-education sector. With herd numbers destined to rise, Mr Harty said farmers need to be prepared to manage a bigger business. "You mightn't necessarily recognise the need to change but you have to start looking at things differently as farm business expands. "My view of the future of education is that you're going to have your typical agricultural courses like today, but at a broader level, you're also going to have a lot more online input, technology, software development, sales, marketing, engineering, nutrition and all those areas," he said. Mr Harty said future farmers will reap huge financial benefits from having a third-level qualification. "For a farmer producing milk from 100 cows, if he can get his somatic cell count down from 300,000 to under 100,000, there is a gain of about 18,000 per year to be had. That's serious money, the knowledge is all there, some are adapting, but we need to get all farmers to take action on it," he said. He says fertility technology must be maximised, pointing to the success of Dairymaster's MooMonitor, a device that goes around a cow's neck to measure fertility and health. "Every time you miss a cow in heat, it means that cow is going to calve three weeks later, the pattern gets spread out and economically there is a cost of 250. People may think it's okay to miss a cow in heat when herd size is very small but if herd sizes grow, that's where the technology will come in. Adapting adds to the bottom line," he said Brendan O'Donnell, registrar at IT Tralee, said demand for ag engineering remains "consistently high". Current trends also suggest that growing numbers of students are more interested in pursuing careers within agri business rather than farming. "The reality is the number of farmers is dropping and we must have enough for what we require down the track," he said. Experience of a lifetime in Japan Driving a tractor in slippers has been a strange new challenge for John Smith, a young farmer from Meath on placement in Japan, but overall it has been "the experience of a lifetime". The 21-year-old, who is a final-year agricultural engineering student at the Institute of Technology, Tralee, has been based on a stud farm, in Hidaka, Hokkaido, for six months. The Oldcastle native is mainly doing mechanical maintenance, fixing machinery and tractors and helping his Filipino co-workers to top meadows and look after horses. However, his computer-aided design skills have come in handy. John recently drew up the designs for a show arena on the grounds. "They had a rough sketch just on paper but they didn't really know where to go next so it was nice to have something official to offer and they built the arena based on my CAD design," he said. As the stud farm is owned by an Irish man, John says "the set up is quite western". However, getting used to the climate has been a challenge. "From December to April, the place was covered in two feet of snow. But, unlike Ireland, everything keeps going here. They put the snow tyres on their vehicles, everyone has four-wheel drive and everybody just gets on with it," he said. Managing grass growth has also been difficult. "The grass here grows much quicker than at home so you're constantly topping and sharpening your blades. There are rice farms everywhere and they are all based beside rivers because they have to flood them," he said. He added that all local farms in the vicinity are family run and very small at around 20-30 acres. "It's all old people working on them. At home you'd see boys going down the road drawing silage but over here it's quite poor, they use different machines like side mowers and cut the grass down to the butt. They have no other choice so that is strange to see. Obviously the bigger farms have equipment that is way ahead of Ireland," he said. Another big change has been driving a tractor in slippers. "The Japanese tradition is you take off your shoes when entering a house. In the tractor you have a little box to leave your boots. You put on your slippers and work away," he said. "Everything has a value here, no matter how old or battered. That's what I will bring home with me, a greater appreciation that anything can be recycled. It's been the experience of a lifetime, it's opened my eyes and will make me a better farmer and be more economical about how to use machinery," said John who will continue his diverse agricultural studies in the UK in September. The Archbishop of Dublin will no longer send trainee priests to the National Seminary in Maynooth because of anonymous allegations of "homosexuality and misconduct." Speaking on RTE One's News at One, the Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin said that he is "somewhat unhappy about an atmosphere which was growing in Maynooth." These comments follow the Archbishop's decision to transfer three seminary students to the Irish Pontifical College in Rome next autumn, rather than keeping them in St Patrick's College in Maynooth. He added that "you'd learn about it through anonymous accusations made through anonymous letters and blogs, accusing people of misconduct or accusing the faculty of Maynooth of not treating allegations correctly." When asked for details regarding these allegations, the Archbishop explained that gay dating app Grindr plays a central role. He said: "One (of the allegations) is that there is a homosexual, a gay, culture and that students have been using an app called Grindr which is a gay dating app which would be inappropriate for seminarians. "Not just because they're training to be celibate priests, but (because) an app like that would be something that would be fostering promiscuous sexuality." The Archbishop added that he would continue to send Dublin seminarians to the Irish College in Rome and suggested that Maynooth put a system in place to listen to such complaints. He said: "I felt that a quarrelsome attitude of that kind was not the healthiest place to be so I sent them to the Irish College. A culture of anonymous letters is poisonous and until that's cleared up I'd be happier sending my students elsewhere. "I offered to provide a totally independent person, who is an expert with dealing with people who come forward like this and that (people with complaints) could go to and provide the evidence they had. "The answer was simply more anonymous letters. That's not a healthy culture. We have to find a way where people will come forward with solid hard evidence which can be used to follow up allegations." Maynooth currently has approximately 60 seminarians in residence and has been educating men for the catholic priesthood since 1795. A mature student who lost 3,000 to a Dubliner posing as a legitimate businessman has told of how the trickster duped him and his friend of their hard-earned cash. Eamon Shield (45) was found guilty of 25 counts of theft and deception following a two-week trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July. He stole 178,000 from 12 people as part of his scheme and has been jailed for four years. Today one of his victims has told how Shield conned "investors", starting in 2011. "A friend of mine saw the ad in which this man said he could double your investment. He wanted to meet him but brought along another friend who was interested, as well as me as an observer. "My friend rang him and we met in a hotel lounge, and my first impression of Shield was that he was clean cut, well spoken, confident, business-like and very relaxed. "He explained how he bought repossessed cars from banks who were off-loading them at a discount to clear them, and then he was selling them on at market rate for a profit. "He said the more investors he had the cheaper he could get the cars for, and the more money he could make, and promised a 100pc return on an investment. Pressure "There was no pressure at that first meeting, and no demand for money, but an arrangement was made to have a second meeting if we wished. He answered all questions without any hesitation," he said. "After the first meeting the other lad with us decided he didn't want to proceed but my friend said he would meet Shield again. "I was a mature student in college and had around 3,000 to get me through. Although it seemed too good to be true I must say the lure of turning 3,000 into 6,000 was too tempting to turn down, so I opted to invest with my friend," he added. The two men then met again with Shield. "I was a bit suspicious, but at the end of the second meeting we exchanged photographs of our passports with Shield, and at a third meeting my friend gave him 6,000 of which 3,000 was mine," he explained. "A friend of mine was sick in Australia at the time and I went over to him while he was on chemotherapy. But I did that on a credit card on the expectation that my money would be there for me when I came home. Of course, the money wasn't there. Excuses "We phoned Shield but there were excuses and more excuses. There was one small lodgement back to us to buy him time, but in the end we reported him to gardai," he said. "I had to pay back that credit card and pay my way through college. I'm still paying for it," he added. In a three-page letter read out in court, Shield said: "I have deep regret at how things worked out for the people I've left out of pocket." He went on to say the incident had left him "stressed and anxious" and that he was the victim of a "smear campaign" on social media. "I have also had people follow me and who have placed me under watch on this issue," he wrote. Sentencing Shield - of Weston Meadows, Weston Park, Lucan, Co Dublin - Judge Patricia Ryan accepted he was remorseful but noted a large amount of money was involved. She handed down a four-year sentence and said 20,000 that was left in Shield's account would be divided among his victims. "I was happy enough with the sentence, and while I was angry with Shield at the time now I just look upon him as a sort of fool. The message I have learned though is that if something seems too good to be true it more than likely is exactly that," said the investor. An English woman has issued an appeal for her missing son who she believes may be in Ireland. Curtis Higgins (29) was last seen in his home in Manchester at around 11am on Sunday morning. Mr Higgins, who lives with his mother Denise, is 6'4, has greenish blue eyes and short brown hair. He was last seen wearing navy slacks, a pale green top with a 'Manchester Royal Infirmary' logo on it, black trainers and a black backpack. Mr Higgins sent a message to his mother shortly after leaving their home stating that he wasn't coming back. His phone has since been turned off and his passport cannot be found. Police are currently following up reports that Curtis' bank card has been used to purchase a ferry ticket from Holyhead to Ireland. His mother, Denise, said that Curtis was in good humour in the days leading up to his disappearance. She said: "He was in good spirits with me in the few days before he went and I've talked to all of his friends and they said he was happy with them too." The family have connections in both Westport and Longford and on a previous trip Curtis expressed an interest in visiting the home of his late grandmother in Westport. Mrs Higgins said that this is not the sort of thing that he'd normally do. She said: "This is totally out of character. He is not thinking like the Curtis I know. He has a responsible job and is a member of the Labour party. He is not normally the sort of person who leaves responsibilities." Mr Higgins, who is a trainee shop steward with Trade Union Unite, also has connections in Northern Ireland. DUBLIN Bus drivers will consider a no fares day, an all out strike and 24 or 48 hour work stoppages, a union leader has warned. The General Secretary of the National Bus and Railworkers Union, Dermot O'Leary, said a range of options will be presented to his members as they are almost certainly set to ballot for industrial action this week. The union and SIPTU are balloting members after they rejected a Labour Court recommendation for an 8pc pay rise over three years. "It is clear that a mandate for industrial action will be received from Dublin Bus staff over the coming days," said Mr O'Leary. "We will ballot our members this Thursday and Friday in order to send a clear message to Dublin Bus and its paymasters that staff are deserving of a flat no strings attached pay award at least in line with the public transport sector norm set by the Labour Court in the Luas dispute." He urged the Transport Minister Shane Ross to encourage Dubin Bus to reexamine the pay award on offer after staff went through two cost-cutting plans. "We will as a matter of course consult with trade union colleagues in advance of initiating any mandated action," he added. "We also remain available to discuss the concerns of our members with the Company in advance of any proposed industrial action." SiPTU Organiser John Murphy said the union sought a pay increase in the region of 15pc but the court's proposal was just over half of this. He said the company is making profits again but drivers had suffered cost reductions and given more productivity over the last eight years. Mr Murphy said members decided to hold a ballot next week as they had "exhausted" the state industrial relations machinery to resolve the dispute. SIPTU members in Dublin Bus have expressed anger at the pay increases proposed in the Labour Court recommendation which they overwhelmingly voted to reject last week," he said. "Dublin Bus has made significant profits for the last two years and is on target to be profitable, again, this year. The workers have not had a pay increase since 2008. They deferred a pay increase of 6pc due in 2009 and since then have also implemented several measures that have increased productivity and reduced costs for the company. He said the agreement of the workers to introduce cost reduction and productivity measures was crucial to the stabilisation of the company's finances and its return to profitability. Mr Murphy said the Labour Court recommendation did not in any way recognise or attempt to redress the sacrifices made by the workers. "SIPTU representatives are available to meet with the management of Dublin Bus to try to resolve the current dispute," he said. "However, the possibility of industrial action, which will unfortunately inconvenience Dublin Bus users, is increasingly likely. The ballot of SIPTU members in the Dublin Bus Traffic Grade will be conducted next week. An 8-year-old girl has died after a farming accident in Co Mayo on Tuesday evening. Gardai have confirmed that the young girl was fatally injured in an incident involving a tractor on a farm near Islandeady, Co Mayo at around 5pm. The victim was named today as Jessica Needham (8) from Lismolin, Islandeady, County Mayo. A garda spokesman said the accident happened at 5pm yesterday involving a tractor on the farm. She was taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. She was pronounced dead at 5.40pm. Local people said today the whole community was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy and their hearts go out to her parents Patrick and Michelle. A close family said: "The young girl was always out and about and was very active. "Her family are very well respected in the community and have lived here all their lives." So far this year seven people have lost their lives on Irish farms, while the figures show that 18 deaths occurred last year. Read More A spokesman for the HSA confirmed that they have been informed by gardai of the tragic accident: "We have been notified about that. We will be sending inspectors tomorrow. "This is obviously a very sensitive issue and it will be treated accordingly." Vice Chairman of Mayo County Council Christy Hyland said he was shocked to learn of the death: "As a councillor my sympathies go out to the family and the relatives of this child. It is a terrible tragedy." Cllr Hyland (Ind) explained that it was the second tragedy to hit the area after sheep farmer Christy Gallagher (51) fell to his death from Mweelrea mountain on Sunday. The local politician explained that he was at Mr Gallagher's funeral on Tuesday evening when news filtered through of the child's death. "This is our second tragedy in a few days and the whole community is grief stricken. We were at Christy Gallagher's funeral when we learned about this. "Christy was out herding sheep on Mweelrea Mountain on Sunday when he slipped and fell 200ft to his death." Councillor Frank Durcan (Ind) said this evening's tragedy took place "only a few miles from the Taoiseachs home". Its very tragic for any family to have an accident like that. There have been a lot of farm deaths involving children and the Government has learned nothing from it. Councillor Cyril Burke (FG) said: Its a very sad situation for the family to lose their eight-year-old while working on the family farm. For the rest of their lives it will be very difficult for them. You can never be too careful with children on a farm. An Irish man who is being held in a detention centre in Australia will return to Ireland within the coming days Bernard Lee (26), originally from Greystones, Co Wicklow, has said he is very happy to be returning to Ireland on Friday. Mr Lee, who says he could be back in Ireland by next Saturday night, was arrested by Australian police and immigration officers at his Perth home early last week. Speaking to RTEs Liveline on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Lee said he will be escorted to the airport in handcuffs and back to Ireland by security guards, despite being free to walk freely around Australia for the past seven years. He also said if he returns to Australia at any stage in the future he believes he will be presented with the bill for the cost of transporting him back to Ireland. He said he will now have to explore all avenues after he returns home as his girlfriend and her family are Australian. Mr Lee had, up to the point of his detention, been working seven-day weeks as a tiler in Australia. Speaking from Yongah Hill Detention Centre near Perth, Mr Lee said there were another five Irish people in the facility and one he was sharing a room with another Irish man, Padraig, who had been there for 11 weeks. Today, his mother Una confirmed to Independent.ie the family was working with a number of Irish bodies and was hopeful Bernard would be back in Ireland by the end of this week, beginning of next week. Weve been working away on it and were hopeful that were going to get a release fairly soon, thanks to the efforts through both the diplomatic channels and the media, she explained. However, she added: [Its] still a bit up in the air but were hoping that sort of in the next week or so, so its looking a lot more positive than it was. Until hes actually on the flight one can never be sure in these situations. She said the family has been working with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Irish Consulate in Perth and the Irish ambassador in Canberra to secure her sons release. Mr Lee had been living and working in Australia for the past seven years and had recently applied for an employer-sponsored residents visa. However, the Australian authorities detained him when they claimed he had been issued with a letter refusing his application and cancelling the business visa he had been using. Both Mr Lee and his lawyer have denied receiving such a letter. Mr Lee said he believed his previous criminal convictions in Australia, including an obstruction of police and two drink-driving offences, had led to the rejection of his application of a residents visa. The mans family had previously said an appeal process could take a number of weeks or months. Although Bernard is happy with the possibility of returning to Ireland soon, he is concerned for some of the other Irish people being held at the Australian detention centre, his mum revealed. Well obviously hes delighted but in all these situations you can sometimes get false hopes, so you try to modify your reaction to take it on board and keep calm. I know that hes really concerned also about a number of other Irish guys who are in the detention centre. They have been there for a long time and maybe arent fortunate enough to have the same sort of support network he has. Hes very conscious that although we may have achieved something for him, there are other guys in there as well who have been there for a long time. She added: While we wanted to really highlight it and let people know whats going on we also appreciate that there are other guys in there as well. Ms Lee said she was surprised such an incident could have occurred in Australia. Its very positive that weve been able to highlight that this sort of thing happens in what one would consider to be a very civilised country with a justice system based on the English justice system, as ours is. Its not the sort of thing you expect to happen. You think of it happening maybe in other countries but not in a country like Australia. Maybe its opened a few eyes to what can go on and that when you wave goodbye to your son on his adventure out to Australia there can be repercussions, things can happen. She also said the family would be pursuing the issue following Bernards return and would be working with his lawyer to figure out the how the detention occurred. The main issue we are concerned about is the way the situation was handled, that he did not receive a notification and that he was detained before he had received any notification that his visas had been cancelled. We will be continuing to work with Bernards lawyer to clarify the situation. When contacted, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland said it could not comment on individual cases. The politician, who is not from Cork, is a keen music fan and is understood to have attended the festival with friends. A politician was arrested twice by gardai in the space of 24 hours after attending a popular Cork music festival. The man was arrested by gardai after he had apparently attended the Indiependence music festival in Mitchelstown. The politician, who is not from Cork, is a keen music fan and is understood to have attended the festival with friends. He has served at both local and national levels of government. However, officers became concerned about the man's apparently erratic behaviour in the vicinity of the popular three-day music event. After approaching him, one officer was verbally abused by the man. He then refused to calm down or leave the area as directed by other officers. After several warnings, he was finally detained and taken to a nearby garda station. It is understood the man vehemently protested about being detained and was argumentative with officers. During one angry confrontation, it is alleged that one garda was assaulted. The officer was not injured. The man was released without charge several hours later. However, just over 90 minutes later he was detained by other officers outside Mitchelstown for suspected drink driving. He was brought back to a garda station for a second time. It remains unclear what action, if any, will result from the two detentions. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to give the all-clear to Fine Gael's report into party structures - which calls for more limelight to be given to backbenchers and an overhaul of the party's "stage managed" conferences, writes Niall O'Connor. The report also calls for the appointment of a new liaison officer to counter leaks to the media from the parliamentary party meetings. The issue has been the subject of much disquiet in recent weeks - with some deputies even proposing moving such meetings to a room that has no mobile phone coverage. The review itself was finalised by a team of TDs who carried out surveys of up to 400 Fine Gael party members. But the report does not "name or shame" or single out any individual over Fine Gael's disastrous election result, which saw the party lose 20 seats. A large portion of the report focuses on giving backbench TDs a greater input into party and Government policy. One of the key recommendations relates to ministerial announcements - a proposal to involve TDs in launches that relate to their areas of expertise. Once again, the national seminary in Maynooth, which has been educating men for the catholic priesthood since 1795, finds itself mired in scandal. There are currently approximately 80 men studying for the priesthood at Maynooth. For most of its recent history, Maynooth comprised three colleges in one: the national seminary; St Patrick's College, a pontifical university; and NUI Maynooth, a secular college. Under the 1997 Universities Act, the seminary and pontifical college formally split from NUIM, giving it greater autonomy as a secular university. It was Monsignor Micheal Ledwith, who, in his final year as president of Maynooth, oversaw that separation. A priest of the diocese of Ferns, Ledwith was first appointed a lecturer in theology at St Patrick's College in 1977. At just 44, he was made college president. Seen as a future bishop, he was even tipped for the archdiocese of Dublin, before a number of abuse allegations brought his star tumbling to earth. Ledwith has always denied the allegations. In a setback for Maynooth, allegations that Ledwith had abused a child exploded just as it was about to launch its bicentenary celebrations and resulted in the president resigning six months early. It later emerged that as early as 1983-84, Fr Gerard McGinnity, then a senior dean in Maynooth, had made complaints about Ledwith to seven bishops. The Ferns Report in 2005 noted that the complaints related to alleged homosexual "orientation and propensity" but did not specify any improper conduct. The then Bishop of Galway, Dr Eamon Casey, conducted a private investigation but as no seminarian came forward to make a complaint, the matter was dropped. Fr McGinnity was pressured into stepping down from his position while Mgr Ledwith's appointment as president went ahead. Maynooth again came under scrutiny in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI ordered an Apostolic Visitation of the Irish Church including an investigation of all Irish seminaries, and St Patrick's College, Maynooth in particular. As recently as 2011, reports circulated in the Catholic press in Ireland that plans were afoot to close Maynooth as a seminary and move all of the country's trainee priests to the other seminary, which the Irish church operates in Rome. The decision by one trustee, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, to move his seminarians out of Maynooth this autumn to the Irish College in Rome is causing many to speculate once again about Maynooth's future. The scene of the attack on the Ninth Lock road, Clondalkin. Picture; Gerry Mooney The chief suspects in a horrific rape case in west Dublin may all be from the same family, it has emerged. The violent attack occurred last Thursday as the victim was making her way home from a local garage. Gardai have so far arrested two people in relation to the incident, but fear one of the suspects is in hiding. It has now emerged that the three chief suspects in the brutal attack may all be closely related to one another. Read more: Rapist behind shocking Clondalkin park attack 'might be hard to trace' after fears he's fled The men, who live in the west Dublin area, are known to gardai but are not considered to be major criminals. Despite investigating gardai following a definite line of inquiry, they have not been able to locate one of the suspects and fear that he is in hiding. "Detectives called to his home on Friday but he wasn't there. He wasn't spotted over the weekend and it appears that he has fled the area," a local source said. "A number of online threats have also been issued, with local criminals threatening to kill the men involved," the source added. The threats have been directed at the perpetrators since the morning of the attack, and it is understood the names of individuals suspected of involvement were shared on social media. Attack Gardai have received a massive response from the public since issuing their appeal for information on the brutal attack. That, combined with the gardai's own detective work, led to the two arrests. Two men aged in their late teens and early 20s were arrested by gardai and questioned at Lucan Garda Station over the weekend, before being released without charge. It is understood the victim of the attack, who is in her 30s, was returning home after stopping at a local petrol station to buy groceries. She was pushing her bicycle along the footpath away from the direction of Clondalkin village when she was allegedly grabbed by three men. It's now known that one of the men raped her. Though the woman was threatened at knifepoint during her ordeal, there is no indication the weapon was used on her. Read more: Men questioned over horror rape attack of woman in park were out on bail The victim did not know her attackers. After raising the alarm herself, the woman was taken to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in the Rotunda Hospital. On Friday morning gardai from the technical bureau recovered the victim's bicycle from the scene. A running shoe and other items were also collected for forensic examination. Specialist gardai from the Clondalkin district will interview her further about the attack. It is expected that gardai will establish more details about the incident during this interview. Gardai are continuing to appeal for witnesses to contact them at Ronanstown Garda Station on (01) 666 7700. Advice from our GP on looking after your medical conditions while abroad and on what may be causing recurrent eye infections in a child. Q. My husband has booked a trip away for my 70th birthday. I have a number of medical conditions requiring prescription medication. Have you any tips to make travel easier? Dr Nina replies: Travelling away from familiar access to medicine and healthcare can be daunting for those with a chronic disease. When preparing for any foreign holiday, considering your health is as important as considering your wardrobe or travel choices. Health insurance is vital, especially if travelling outside of the EU. If you have private health insurance, this may provide some cover for travel abroad, but always check your policy before you travel. You may need to top up your policy, or if you have pre-existing medical conditions, some insurance companies will require a medical report from your doctor documenting your fitness to travel. Within the EU ensure that you have a European health card, which will provide access to local public health care. Planning your trip through the airport is important. Those with arthritis or limited ability to walk far can arrange for transport or mobility assistance through security and to your gate. This must be arranged at least 48 hours in advance of your flight. Travelling with medication is stressful, especially with all the restrictions that are now in place for carry-on baggage. Ensure that you have enough medication with you for your entire trip and bring some extra to cover any unplanned delays. Bring a copy of your prescription with you with details of the generic names and doses clearly detailed. You may need to provide this at airport security to confirm the need to carry these drugs and it will help if you need to seek an emergency prescription abroad. You should also bring your doctor and pharmacist's name, address and phone numbers with you. Carry a letter from your doctor that clarifies your medical history along with a list of medication, and any allergies. This can also verify if you need to carry items such as syringes or needles. Transport all your medication in your carry-on bag. Securing emergency prescriptions abroad can be very difficult to do. Some medication is temperature sensitive and the temperature of the cargo hold of an airplane can vary from very cold in the air to very hot on the ground. Carry your medication in its original packaging and not in dosing boxes. This will make it easier for airport personnel to verify its authenticity. Also talk to your doctor before you travel to arrange a dosing schedule when travelling across time zones. Some medication is best taken at the local hour, but the interval between doses remains the most important for certain medication, and you may need to adjust the times at which you take it. If you find yourself abroad and needing medical assistance or prescription medicine, talk to your tour provider or hotel staff. They can usually direct you to medical services that are used to dealing with tourists or who speak English. Your travel insurance should also have an emergency contact line and this can be a helpful source of advice on local care. Some medication that is only available on prescription in Ireland can be purchased over the counter abroad. Talk to a local pharmacist for advice. Q. My son seems to have recurring eye infections. His lids are sticky every other week. He seems to be able to see OK and the eye itself looks alright. We clean his eyes regularly and he isnt in a creche. Whats causing this? Dr Nina replies: Tears produced in a tear gland in the upper eye drain from the eye through the tear duct which runs from the inner corner of the eye to the back of the nose. 5% of newborn babies will have an immature tear duct. This causes an effective blockage in the drainage system. Watering or tearing of the eye may starts days or weeks after birth. Sticky discharge occurs at times, as the normal process for clearing bacteria from the surface of the eye is impaired. Thankfully the tear duct issue resolves itself in ninety per cent of cases by the time the child is twelve months and so specialist review or any kind of procedure is not necessary unless infections are severe or symptoms persist beyond the first year of life. If discharge is thick of the conjunctivae is becoming red or inflamed, infection may be present and antibiotic ointment or drops may be required. Antibiotics dont clear the duct and discharge can reoccur. Taking a medical swab of the eye will help to identify the cause of infection. Massaging from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner of the nose and from the side of the nose to the inner corner of the eye will help clear any debris from the blocked duct. This may need to be done many times a day. If symptoms persist more than a year you may be referred to see an eye specialist who can perform a procedure to clear or open the duct. Recurrent sticky eye in new-borns is rarely due to other bacterial infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea or viral infections. In these cases the conjunctivae is usually red and infected and the baby may be unwell in itself. These causes are rare. We all know that Irish women are drinking more - and more frequently - than previous generations. We only have to look at the empirical research presented in the media and anecdotal experiences of Friday nights. What many of us don't know, however, is that a specific demographic of women are drinking the most - and it's not alcopop-drinking teenagers, footloose and fancy-free 20-somethings or disillusioned 30-somethings. Perhaps surprisingly, women in their 40s and 50s are drinking more than any other age group, and the pattern has been observed by both researchers and healthcare professionals. The Rutland Centre, a private addiction rehabilitation facility in Dublin, has noted a rise in the number of admittances of middle-aged women, especially those in their 40s. Addiction counsellor Gerry Cooney says the pattern began to emerge seven or eight years ago, but has become more prevalent in the last half decade. Consultant gastroenterologist Dr Orla Crosbie, who spoke at the recent conference Girls, Women and Alcohol, has also noticed excessive drinking within this age bracket. She attributes it to the increased consumption of wine. There are certain social stereotypes about women that drink to excess, but it's important to remember that the women most affected aren't necessarily bored housewifes. According to the research, they are ambitious working mothers who are struggling to keep all the balls in the air. As psychologist Allison Keating of the bWell Clinic notes: "The more educated and well-off a woman is, the more likely she is to have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol." Recovering alcoholic and author Ann Dowsett Johnston writes about the complicated love affair between women and wine in her book Drink: The Deadly Relationship Between Women and Alcohol. She describes wine as the "modern woman's steroid". "It enables her to do the heavy lifting of a complex life," she explains. "We see wine as a way to decompress after a busy day. By that I mean you rush home with the groceries after a hard day at the office. You then have more emails and work ahead of you that evening. "You're probably overseeing some homework and you have a meal to prepare. The easiest thing to do - far easier than going to a yoga class or a walk around the block - is to pour yourself a glass of wine after which you start to feel your shoulders come down from your earlobes." "You can just crash for a while, switch off and forget your worries," adds Gerry. "The nothingness is better than something, I suppose." In many ways, wine is a form of self-medication for busy women, but the trouble with self-medication is that we often dose incorrectly - especially when you consider the goblet-sized glassware we're using. One unit of alcohol is 76ml of standard 13pc wine. However, as Dr Crosbie pointed out in her talk: "I rarely recall being served such a mean glass of wine at receptions and parties". "What you're pouring at home is dramatically different," adds Allison. "You think you're just having the one whereas you're actually having two or even three." "Wine is cheap and very accessible," agrees Gerry. "It's very easy to get a bottle on the way home from work." He adds that women undergoing treatment at the Rutland Centre were usually drinking alone in their homes. "Women tend to isolate, especially if their problem escalates," explains Ann. "They tend to have rituals: I drink at this time and out of this glass and I don't even tell my best friend. "Women know that it is shameful and they may do what I did, which was to drink at my book club the same as other people but then, when I got home, I would open a bottle of wine and drink alone." Drinking in isolation can be one of the early warning signs of a problem, says Gerry. "They may also pull back from friends, stop going out as much and make poor excuses. "In other cases, there is a loss of control or a change of behaviour. Things are not happening so easily. Maybe the kids aren't being collected from school or kids aren't bringing friends home because they are concerned about how mum will be. "Sometimes you're out and everyone is having a few drinks but one member of the party is a having a little more than most. They want the party to keep going, they are always the last to leave and their friends have to keep an eye to make sure they get home safely. "The extreme form of it would be a sense of oblivion," he continues. "When it gets too extreme they would have to be helped to bed." Gerry says that women have usually "crossed the line" by the time he meets them. "Very few people come before they get to that point." Interestingly, he notes that female admittances often have a much more pronounced problem than men in a similar situation. "When husbands are drinking, women tend to be more proactive and supportive and willing to make sacrifices," he says. "With women, the problem tends to be more chronic when they seek help because an intervention hasn't happened when it should have. "In my experience, women are more supportive to their drinking husbands. When women have a problem, their husbands are either not able to cope, too busy or not sure what to do about it. Meanwhile, somebody who needs help doesn't get the help they need." So where exactly is this line that Gerry talks about when Irish women drink more than our female counterparts in any other European country? The low-risk guideline for alcohol consumption is 11 units, spread out over the course of a week, with at least two to three alcohol-free days. We should also remember that women's bodies process alcohol differently to men's. We have lower body weights, less body water and higher percentages of body fat, hence we don't metabolise alcohol as efficiently. "The female body cannot deal with alcohol in the same way as men," says Allison Keating. "Yet sometimes there is a keeping-up-with-the-boys mentality. Also, women are integrating into higher levels of work and there may be a culture where there are harder levels of drinking and stress." Women should also know the health risks - and myths - surrounding alcohol consumption. Ann points out that the advice about the health-promoting effects of a glass of red wine has since been debunked. "It was disproven in the journal Addiction three years ago. Yes, a glass of red wine is good for a 40-year-old couch potato male - but it's no good to women." Alcohol also poses far greater health risks to women than it does to men. A man who drinks six or more standard drinks a day is 13 times more likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver compared to a non-drinker. Four standard drinks a day increase a woman's risk to the same degree. Elsewhere, a study by Harvard University found that having one drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer in women by 15pc. It should also be noted that 12pc of all breast cancers in Ireland are associated with alcohol. This is all in vast contrast to the way wine is marketed to women. "We glamorise wine," says Ann. "If you're sophisticated, you're supposed to know your wine. And I would go further for women: we see wine as a food group. We don't really see it as a drug." "We know our downward dog and our gluten-free recipes. So it's really simple: you measure and count your drinks just like you count your calories," says Ann. The advice for everyone else is to find a stress-reduction tool that isn't served in a glass. "Fundamentally, women are hardwired to look after and nurture those around them so they can often be the last person being minded," says Allison. "The alcohol becomes that ally for them - and they don't even need to leave the house for it. "We need to give women the tools to realise that they are wired and tired all the time, and we need to help them find other mechanisms to release that stress, whether it's through exercise or engaging in self-care. "It's about carving out some time for yourself that is nourishing rather than depleting." 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. St Patricks College, Maynooth: If there is a problem, the countrys Catholics need to be told about it; it is, after all, the national seminary Photo: Arthur Carron Following one official report after another into the disastrous handling of clerical child abuse scandals by the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, at the end of 2010, announced an 'Apostolic Visitation' to Irish dioceses, religious orders and seminaries. To put it more simply, he sent an inspection team to investigate the church's child-protection systems. In the case of the seminaries, in particular St Patrick's College, Maynooth, the national seminary, the purpose was to see how well they were being run. The man who headed up the inspection of the seminaries was the Archbishop of New York, the ebullient Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was himself rector for a time of the National American College in Rome - that is the North American seminary in Rome, the American equivalent of our Irish College there. The details of his subsequent investigation into the seminaries were never published. All we got was an outline of his recommendations. One recommendation was that the 'episcopal governance' of the seminaries be improved; that is, the bishops should exercise more oversight. In the case of Maynooth, that means those who are its trustees. What must Cardinal Dolan be thinking now, several years on from his inspection, assuming he has heard that Dublin will not be sending any of its trainee priests to Maynooth this autumn? Instead, the three new entrants for this year from the Dublin archdiocese will be sent to the Irish College, which is headed by a Dublin priest, Mgr Ciaran O'Carroll. Unfortunately, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has not given his reasons for doing this. He told this newspaper merely: "I have my own reasons for doing this" and that he had made the decision "some months ago". Elsewhere, he referred to "strange goings-on there" and a "quarrelsome" atmosphere. However, Dublin's Catholics - and indeed Ireland's Catholics generally - need and deserve to be told more than this. It is less than transparent to give that answer and no more. If there is a problem at Maynooth, then the country's Catholics need to be told about it in some detail because it is, after all, the national seminary. It trains the great majority of the country's priests. Perhaps the answer is as innocent as Archbishop Martin merely wanting to support the Irish College because it is being run by a friend and because it, like Maynooth, has low student numbers. If there is more to it than that, however, then ordinary Catholics doubly deserve to know. Otherwise, the gossip-mongering will go on and on and it will be very hard to sift fact from fiction. I was editor of 'The Irish Catholic' from 1996 until 2003. Right from the start, past and present seminaries would contact me from time to time to make complaints about St Patrick's. The complaints sometimes concerned the quality of the teaching and, in particular, the extent to which some lecturers departed from church teaching on certain key doctrines. Some of the time, the complaints were about "inappropriate sexual behaviour" among the seminarians themselves. I was never sure what to do about the complaints from a news point of view because even the past seminarians were extremely reluctant to go on the record. If they were now ordained priests and went on the record, there could be a backlash from their bishop. I know of one priest to whom this did happen. Despite concerns such as the above, I did run stories about Maynooth from time to time. When I did, there were inevitable and immediate complaints that I was listening to 'gossip' and as editor of the country's main Catholic paper I should be above that. However, complaints about various facets of life at Maynooth are incredibly persistent and this is why the trustees, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin included, owe it to the country's Catholics to give some idea of what is going on there. Otherwise, all we are left with are the whispers and this will further reduce vocations to the priesthood. As it is, Ireland is one of the world's vocations blackspots. Vocations here are low, even by the standards of other Western countries. The Irish church is doing well if it attracts 20 vocations in a year. The Catholic Church in England and Wales, which is comparable in size to the Irish Church, had 35 vocations last year. The figures there have bounced around from the mid-thirties to the mid-forties over the course of the last few years. Maynooth currently has about 55 students training for the priesthood. If we had proportionately the same number of seminarians as the Catholic Church in the US, it would have about 180 students. Maynooth wouldn't know itself. Those sorts of numbers improve morale and generate confidence and both of these things in themselves attract vocations. The very low morale that seems to be evident at St Patrick's College has the opposite effect and this will only be made worse following Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's decision. This is why the bishops need to be transparent about what is happening and then they need to tell Ireland's Catholics what they intend doing to improve the situation there. We might hear a lot about the lay church these days, and we ought to. But the church needs to have priests and a vibrant seminary can help provide them. Whatever else might be said about Maynooth, it is certainly not vibrant. Hillary Clinton is on a mission to prove that any little girl can grow up to be president. Just so long as she marries one first. Last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia displayed American liberalism in all its hyper-wealthy, incestuous glory. Chelsea Clinton was showcased as an heir apparent; Bill Clinton - the future First Gentleman - played with the balloons that fell from the ceiling. "And didn't Michelle Obama give a good speech?" the Democrats asked themselves. Well, perhaps she'd like to be president someday too? Everybody gets a turn in liberal land. Everybody except rebel socialist Bernie Sanders. Thanks to Bernie, the convention turned out to be a lot more interesting than anticipated. Hillary's original plan - hatched in about 1993 - was to cruise to the nomination on the back of her experience and with a little help from her friends in the party establishment. An email leak has revealed that members of the Democratic elite were even willing to spread a rumour that her opponent was an atheist to defeat him in the primaries (the European equivalent would be spreading a filthy rumour that he believed in God). Televised debates were limited to reduce Bernie's airtime, and the convention was stuffed with unelected 'super delegates' pledged to Clinton, just in case she should fail to win the nomination democratically. In the end that proved unnecessary. Hillary did get more votes than Bernie. But the Sanders brigade arrived in Philadelphia in a mutinous mood. They booed some of the first night speeches; the self-styled DNC Action Committee even threatened to "arrest" Hillary on the charge of election fraud. Time that should've been spent reaching out to voters watching at home was wasted on either begging the Sanders folks to calm down or telling them to shut up. "To the 'Bernie or Bust' people," said comedian Sarah Silverman at the podium, "You're being ridiculous!" In the end, a lot of them chose to walk out. Much as supporters of conservative Ted Cruz had done at the Republican convention in Cleveland. In fact, the similarities between the Democrat and Republican conventions were striking. Trump's nomination might have been a rebellion against the Republican elite, but once he got the nomination he had to deal with a revolt against his revolt - indicating that both of the main parties are fracturing. The Democrats are torn, culturally and strategically. Hillary's people think that the best way to win is to offer an orderly contrast to Trump. She promises, in effect, to be Obama's third term. Sanders represents those who don't see much to gain from keeping the status quo: students indebted for life by college fees; blue-collar Americans who have watched their jobs go to China; the poor languishing on handouts. As these two sides of the American left duked it out, the Democrats visibly fossilised into the party of the dotcom millionaire and the professional activist - as far flung to the left of the US political spectrum as the Republicans are to the right. One speaker talked the convention through an abortion she'd had when she was younger - as casually and enthusiastically as one might extol the virtues of Botox. These past two weeks have proven that the Republicans and Democrats are as bad as each other. But there is one crucial difference which, increasingly, gives the electoral edge to the Republicans. Donald Trump is relevant. He is setting the political agenda and he is speaking to it. Hillary Clinton is not. On the first night of the Philadelphia convention, one day before the murder of a priest in France, not a single speech referenced Isil. Trump, by contrast, speaks of little else but terrorism and urban disorder. The irony is that many voters regard Trump himself as a catalyst for anarchy - and so millions of independents and soft Republicans who normally lean to the right will probably be voting for Hillary in November. But millions of independents and soft Democrats who normally lean to the left find nothing at all appealing about Clinton's personal mission to be president and will be taking a second look at Trump. Do not underestimate the power of Trump's gutsy pledge to lock people out and lock people up. The Church has been under sustained attack for more than a decade. Abject failure to deal head on with a series of scandals has done irreparable damage. There has been a clamour amongst its enemies to tear down its structures; but by far the greatest reputational threat to its standing has come from within. Confirmation by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin that he would no longer be sending priests of the Dublin Diocese to St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and would instead be sending them to the Irish College in Rome, begs many questions. Dr Martin has refused to elaborate, obliquely referring to "strange goings on," and "a quarrelsome atmosphere." Neither, one would imagine, would be conducive for preparation for a life of service. All the same, the difficulty is that refusal to clarify what precisely is the problem will not do much for either the standing of the college or, indeed, the church. For centuries, Maynooth College has been one of the most respected institutions in the country. Founded back in 1795, by 1850 it had become the largest seminary in the world. So it is simply not good enough for Archbishop Martin to decide to no longer send seminarians there without offering a proper explanation. The church has endured a firestorm of anger for its failure to learn from the past. The main charge levelled against it was that it continually elevated its own interests ahead of those of its members. Avowed atheist Richard Dawkins chided that: "religion is about turning untested belief into unshakable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time." The passage of time will not be kind to the enduring reputation of the church unless it can show that it meets its responsibility to be transparent and accountable. Wagner Moura, the star of hit Netflix series Narcos, has called for drugs to be legalised. The Brazilian actor said he had learnt a lot from playing notorious Colombian drugs kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, in the show. Moura told the Press Association: "The drug trade - the Narcos craze - is a very, very big deal. It's a big problem for all of us, especially for Latin people. I think it's very important. "I have learnt so much about it by doing Narcos and it was so important for me politically. For example, I always thought that drugs should be legalised." The 40-year-old added: "I see the policy towards drugs, especially in America, North America and South America, is completely wrong. It's proved to be a flop. "I think that addiction is a very, very important thing that has to be treated, but has to be treated as a health problem and not as a police problem. "The amount of people who are dying in the war, especially people in poor countries, countries that produce and export drugs like Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil - I would say that is much more than people who are dying of overdoses. There is something fundamentally wrong with that policy." Escobar himself died in 1993 at the age of 44, which means Moura will be making his exit in season two. Having read "everything that was written about Pablo and modern Colombian history", moved to Colombia with his family for two years, learnt Spanish and put on 40lbs to play the role, it will be an intense experience for Moura to leave behind. He said: " During this time I was dealing with a lot of bad energy of course, he was a very mean person. Video of the Day "But at the same time he was a human being. He was a dad, you know. He was a family man, he was someone who at some point was concerned about the situation of poor people in his home town. "My goal was to display him, to show him as somebody that was between the black and the white. My goal was to find the grey area, that's what makes us all human beings, you know what I mean? "It was a very intense experience. But at the same time I feel relieved, not having to carry that character with me any more." TV3 star Elaine Crowley has opened up about her struggle with body confidence and her decision to put herself through her paces on Operation Transformation. The Midday host (38) will join a host of famous faces on the upcoming celebrity version of the RTE weight loss show, but Crowley says it isn't shedding the pounds that's motivating her but rather the next step on her journey of body confidence. "I don't know what I weigh now and I don't care. It's not the driving force behind this at all. I have battled with body image demons my whole life. For once that is not what this is about," she told the RTE Guide. "If I thought I was fat and horrible, I wouldn't be doing this, because, psychologically I wouldn't be able to. What I really need is support in getting a bit of healthy routine into my life. Expand Close TV3 star Elaine Crowley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp TV3 star Elaine Crowley "I want to be able to do exercise and enjoy it consistently." Read More The Cork native, who has been at the helm of the afternoon panel show for the last five years, has been vocal about her battle with depression, which she describes as a "chronic illness". "It is a disorder. It is a disease. There is an epidemic of mental illness in this country and it's not being treated the way it should be," she added. "If you look at the resources we have, it's scandalous. Unless you have money, you can't see a psyhaitrst. We have made massive inroads where awareness is concerned, but we don't have the services to back up the awareness. It's all arseways." Expand Close Elaine Crowley on a fitness bootcamp / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Elaine Crowley on a fitness bootcamp Crowley previously said she takes her role in the public eye seriously and hopes to break down body barriers on television. "I'm delighted I'm not a size 8-10, the size I wanted to be,as out there, somewhere, maybe a schoolgirl who is size 14 or 16 and feeling shit about herself and looking at me and thinking, 'She's on the telly and you don't have to be skinny to be successful,'" she said. Video of the Day "We've a huge responsibility in the media now to be so aware, especially with social media, there's 20 times more pressure with the likes of Instagram." The tiger is one of five land predators with the greatest proportions of threatened prey whose plight was highlighted by researchers Large carnivores around the world are increasingly at risk of going hungry as the prey species they depend on for survival decline, research has shown. The tiger is one of five land predators with the greatest proportions of threatened prey whose plight was highlighted by researchers. Half of the animals it hunts in the wild are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. The other most at-risk carnivores were the clouded leopard, with 60% of its prey threatened, the Sunda clouded leopard (50%), an Asian wild dog, the dhole (42%) and the Ethiopian wolf (40%). The scientists compiled a list of 494 prey species that provided food for 17 large carnivores - including the lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, grey wolf, Eurasian lynx and spotted hyena. Of the prey species, a quarter were on the IUCN Red List. Of these, 14% were classified as vulnerable, 9% endangered and 2% critically endangered. Large carnivores that were themselves on the Red List were more likely to have threatened prey. On average, 27% of their prey was threatened compared with 19% for non-Red List carnivores. The researchers, led by Christopher Wolf from Oregon State University College of Forestry, wrote in the journal Royal Society Open Science: "Abundant terrestrial mammalian prey are required for the survival of large carnivores. "In fact, there is a strong relationship between prey and carnivore abundance - approximately 10,000 kg of prey supports about 90 kg of large carnivore biomass, regardless of species. "When sufficient prey is unavailable, large carnivore populations will decline, possibly becoming locally extinct." Carnivores deprived of prey may come into conflict with humans as they raid farms for livestock or stray into highly populated areas, said the scientists. Large predators were said to be "ecologically important" as a group of species. As well as keeping crop-damaging herbivores in check, they played a vital role in attracting tourists to developing countries. The scientists concluded: " These results show the importance of a holistic approach to conservation that involves protecting both large carnivores directly and the prey upon which they depend." It has all the trappings of a Cold War thriller. A Russian-speaking femme fatale is tracked down to a tropical paradise resort by American spies, accused of being at the heart of an international multi-million dollar criminal syndicate. But that is the reality for Olga Komova, a glamorous 25-year-old from Uzbekistan, who was arrested by police at Thailands four-star Emerald Cove Koh Chang Hotel last month, where she worked as a receptionist and guest liaison. She is accused by the FBI of helping a Russia-based hacking network to steal and launder 26m from British and American bank accounts. Described by guests at her hotel as pleasant and professional and very efficient, she allegedly led a double life, using multiple bank accounts, credit and debit cards in Thailand to receive the stolen funds. Expand Close Olga Komova documented her glamorous lifestyle on social media CREDIT: FLICKR / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Olga Komova documented her glamorous lifestyle on social media CREDIT: FLICKR Ms Komova was arrested by Thai police and presented to local media on July 21 along with Dmitry Ukrainskiy, a 44-year-old Russian who runs multiple tourist yacht charter businesses in Pattaya, and is reportedly a friend and former business partner of Ms Komovas father. FBI agents investigating the cyber thefts from American bank accounts over the course of two years traced the transactions to at least 40 accounts in Thailand owned by the pair, and requested the arrests, Thai police officials said. More than 50 people from Britain, the US, Australia, Italy, Germany and Japan had fallen prey to the network, which sent emails containing malware to gain usernames and passwords of victims' online bank accounts, officials said. The pair, believed to have operated at the heart of the purported hacking network, have both been indicted and face money laundering charges in the US, MailOnline reported. Born in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, Ms Komova moved to Thailand immediately after studying languages at university to work in tourism. According to her LinkedIn profile, she started out as a tour guide in the seedy resort city of Pattya, before progressing to a job as guest relations officer at a luxury Seychelles resort. She returned to Thailand last October. She remains in custody and has not yet commented on the allegations against her. Mr Ukrainskiy, her co-accused, flatly denies the claims made against him, according to a spokesman for the Russian prosecutor-generals office. Surachet Hakpal, Thailands tourist police commander, told journalists that the suspects will be extradited to the US for trial. Expand Close Olga Komova documented her glamorous lifestyle on social media CREDIT: FLICKR / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Olga Komova documented her glamorous lifestyle on social media CREDIT: FLICKR However, Russia has launched a diplomatic campaign to block Mr Ukrainskiys deportation. Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, accused the US of extrajudicial and illegal abductions of other countries nationals, describing the latest extradition request as categorically inadmissible. Thailand is considered a major money laundering country by the US State Department, which warns that proceeds of illegal gaming, official corruption, underground lotteries, and prostitution are laundered through the countrys financial system. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] One Dutch man has recently proved how far he would go for love by spending 10 days in an airport waiting for his online girlfriend. Alexander Pieter Cirk (41) had to be hospitalised for exhaustion following the incident at Chinas Changsha airport when the woman failed to turn up. Speaking to local Chinese media, Mr Cirk said he had flown to Hunan, China to see the woman but she had not turned up to meet him there. He had been in contact with her for a number of months after the pair connected on an online app. The 26-year-old womans name was only given as Zhang and she later got in contact with the media to give her side of the story. Zhang told local Hunan TV: We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous towards me. One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later. She also revealed another problem with Mr Cirks plan to meet her, saying that when Mr Cirk arrived at the airport, she was undergoing cosmetic surgery in Zhengzhou, in Chinas Henan province. She also said that before Mr Cirk had gone to China to see her, they had previously agreed to wait a year before meeting. Mr Cirk eventually returned home to the Netherlands on his return ticket. Despite this Zhang reportedly told the media she would still be interested in continuing the pairs relationship. Yuan Shanshan, left, the wife of detained Chinese lawyer Xie Yanyi, is questioned by a police officer near the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court (AP) A court in China has imposed a suspended three-year prison sentence on a human rights activist charged with subversion of state power, following a brief trial. It was the first publicly acknowledged hearing in a year-long case shrouded in secrecy and involving hundreds of Chinese human rights activists. The official Xinhua News Agency said a court in the northern city of Tianjin sentenced Zhai Yanmin, who was arrested in July last year as part of a countrywide government campaign which paralysed China's activist legal circles. Roughly 300 lawyers and activists were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Zhai's is the first of four cases expected to be heard this week after prosecutors announced in July that they would try a lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, of Beijing law firm Fengrui - which worked extensively on human rights cases - and three activists who worked with the firm, including Zhai. More than a dozen others remain jailed, their legal status uncertain. According to Xinhua, Zhai said in a court confession that the group of lawyers, citizens and petitioners who believed in "pushing the wall" - a Chinese expression for overthrowing the government - methodically hyped politically sensitive cases. They organised popular rallies during controversial human rights cases to draw international attention and undermine the Chinese state, Xinhua quoted him as saying in remarks which echoed previous government accusations towards the group. Xinhua said the court was told that Zhai and the three others had "conspired and plotted to subvert state power", and had "established a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve it". Lawyer Zhou's sentence was suspended for four years, meaning that although he will not go to prison, he will have to live under considerable restrictions and supervision. He also lost all political rights for the same period, making him ineligible to run for local councils or other offices. The punishment was the most lenient allowed for those convicted of subversion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. That may be a reflection of concern at the harm to China's international reputation among officials, as well as a relentless campaign by family members and human rights groups to draw attention to the cases. Police cordoned off the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday, one day after protesters flanked by foreign diplomats demanded more information about the cases. The trial was attended by five foreign media outlets invited by the court and other observers, according to Xinhua, in an apparent attempt to address vocal criticism from the activists' supporters about a near-total lack of transparency surrounding the cases. Many wives have said they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the jailed activists for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth, while some family members seeking information have been briefly detained themselves. Zhai's wife, Liu Ermin, was taken into custody on Sunday night and returned late on Monday to her Beijing home, where she is kept effectively under house arrest, friends said. It was not clear whether Zhai would immediately be allowed to return home. A lawyer and legal assistant released recently have been filmed apparently recanting their actions, but their whereabouts remain unknown. AP President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington (AP) US president Barack Obama has declared Donald Trump is "unfit" and "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House. In a searing denouncement, Mr Obama challenged top Republicans to drop their support for their party's nominee, declaring: "There has to come a point at which you say, 'enough'." The outgoing president's blistering critique of his potential successor followed Mr Trump's criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a captain in the US Army, was killed in Iraq. A growing number of Republicans have disavowed Mr Trump's comments, but most of those who have endorsed him are sticking by that stance. At a White House news conference, Mr Obama said: "If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" The US president said his opposition to Donald Trump is about more than policy differences. He said that while he disagreed with his Republican opponents in the 2008 and 2012 elections, he never thought they were unfit to do the job. Mr Obama - who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office - has made clear he plans to be an active player in the White House race, campaigning around the country for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The president and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia, where Khizr and Ghazala Khan also made an appearance. Mr Trump responded with a statement that summarised the points he makes in his stump speeches: "Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilised the Middle East ... released criminal aliens into our country who killed one innocent American after another ... produced the worst recovery since the Great Depression (and) shipped millions of our best jobs overseas." Last week, Khizr Khan criticised Mr Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims coming to the United States and challenged whether he had read the American Constitution. Mr Trump has questioned why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and has said he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan. Mr Trump spent the days after winning the Republican nomination criticising a US district court judge's Mexican heritage. The morning after accepting the Republican nomination at the party's convention, he re-opened months-old grievances with primary rival Ted Cruz. Those who have worked with Mr Trump say that in private meetings, he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he has already answered the question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television. Khizr Khan delivered an emotional address at last week's Democratic convention, with his wife standing by his side. The Pakistan-born Khan told the story of his son, US army Capt Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Mr Trump's unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage from several Republicans. Arizona Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have "unfettered licence to defame those who are the best among us". # Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was "deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honour the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war". Missouri Senator Roy Blunt said the Khans "deserve to be heard and respected". Mr Blunt added: "My advice to Donald Trump has been and will continue to be to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether it's from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton." But when asked about Khizr Khan on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," Trump responded, "His son died 12 years ago ... If I were president, his son wouldn't have died, because I wouldn't have been in the war, if I was president back then." AP The records include the highest amount of heat energy absorbed by the oceans and the lowest groundwater storage levels globally Dozens of climate records were broken last year, according to a report nicknamed the annual physical for the planet. Soon after 2015 ended, it was proclaimed the hottest on record - and the new report shows the broad extent of other records and near-records set last year. Those include record heat energy absorbed by the oceans and the lowest groundwater storage levels globally, according to the research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US. "I think the time to call the doctor was years ago," NOAA climate monitoring chief Deke Arndt, co-editor of the report, said in an email. "We are awash in multiple symptoms." The 2015 State Of The Climate report examined 50 different aspects of climate, including dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers worldwide. A dozen different nations set hottest year records, including Russia and China. South Africa had the hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of October, at 48.4C (119.1F). "There is really only one word for this parade of shattered climate records: grim," said Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb. Ms Cobb was not part of the report, but called it "exhaustive and thorough". Scientists also said the turbo-charged climate affected walrus and penguin populations and played a role in dangerous algae blooms, such as one off the Pacific Northwest coast. They added that there were brutal heat waves all over the world, with ones in India and Pakistan killing thousands of people. Much of the intense record-breaking and record-flirting weather was because of a combination of a natural El Nino - the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather globally - and ever increasing man-made global warming. "This impacts people. This is real life," said NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, co-editor of the report published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society on Tuesday. Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado said in an email that the report, which he was not part of, illustrates the combined power of nature and humans on Earth's climate: "It was like injecting an already amped-up climate system with a dose of (natural) steroids." Around 450 scientists from around the world helped write the report and in it, the NOAA highlighted one of the lesser-known measurements, ocean heat content. Around 93% of the heat energy trapped by greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas - goes directly into the ocean, the report said. And ocean heat content hit record levels both near the surface and deep. NOAA oceanographer Gregory C Johnson, a study co-author, said the oceans are storing more heat energy because of man-made climate change with an extra El Nino spike. AP Former British prime minister David Cameron has sparked a furious row within the Conservative Party and has been accused of "devaluing the honours system" by rewarding his No 10 colleagues and his wife Samantha's stylist in his resignation honours list. Senior Tory MPs reacted with anger at Mr Cameron's decision to put his staff forward for the privileges as he was accused of "cronyism". A list published by the 'Sunday Times' detailed Mr Cameron's request for honours to be bestowed on 48 advisers and Remain campaigners, including two major donors who helped fund the case to stay in the European Union to the tune of more than 650,000 (770,000). Donors Isabel Spearman, who served as stylist to Mrs Cameron during her time in No 10, and two of Mr Cameron's former drivers will be handed awards, as will Will Straw, the son of Labour heavyweight Jack Straw and leader of the unsuccessful Remain campaign. A senior minister who asked not to be named said on Sunday night that Mr Cameron's list would provoke anger among backbench MPs and Leave-supporting Conservative members. Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, said that if the list was accepted it "will destroy any remaining shred of respect for the honours system". Staff and advisers for both Mr Cameron and the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne have been included on the list, leading to claims that the former prime minister has sought to reward personal friends in an abuse of the honours system. Mr Cameron previously gave his hairdresser an MBE for "services to hairdressing" in the 2014 New Year's honours list. One Tory MP said Mr Cameron appeared to be sprinkling the highest awards in the land around "like confetti". Andrew Rosindell said staff were being rewarded simply for doing "the jobs they were paid for". Mr Cameron has also secured additional severance pay for his closest aides following his decision to resign as prime minister earlier this year after the Brexit vote. However, Mr Cameron found some support among former Cabinet colleagues. Anna Soubry and Sir Eric Pickles said he was entitled to reward those staff who had helped him in Downing Street. A male Virgin America passenger has been criminally charged with sexually touching a sleeping female passenger on an overnight flight to Newark, New Jersey from Los Angeles last week, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, of Visakhapatnam, India, was charged with one count of abusive sexual conduct aboard Flight 170 which departed on July 29, US Attorney Paul Fishman in New Jersey said. Fishman said the defendant was arrested on July 30 when his flight arrived, and was released on $50,000 (44,530) bond following a Monday court appearance in Newark federal court. Alexander Spiro, a lawyer at Brafman & Associates representing Kunam, declined to comment. According to the complaint, Kunam was seated in an aisle seat when the victim, who was sleeping next to him in a middle seat, awoke to find his hands massaging her vagina and buttocks areas, and the defendant rubbing his bare feet against hers. The woman then traded seats with her male travel companion, and Kunam offered to buy him a drink and told him he wanted everyone to forget about the incident, prosecutors said. A member of the flight crew then moved Kunam to another seat, and the defendant said he would not touch the victim again, the complaint said. Virgin America spokesman Dave Arnold said in a statement that the crew had been alerted to "reports of a disruptive individual" accused of inappropriate touching, moved the person, and told law enforcement, who were waiting for Flight 170 when it arrived. The charge against Kunam carries a maximum two-year prison term and $250,000 (222,652) fine. Donald Trump has said he fears the presidential election "is going to be rigged" - an unprecedented assertion by a modern White House candidate. The Republican nominee's extraordinary claim - one he did not back up with any immediate evidence - would seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He added that he has been hearing "more and more" that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further. Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. The billionaire tycoon has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former secretary of state received 3.7 million more votes than Mr Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He repeated the charge on Monday night on Fox News, saying: "November 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us." The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump has not been shy about asserting that the electoral process has been "rigged". It became a frequent catchphrase of during his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Republican rival Ted Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favour a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at his expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats' process was also rigged. Read More On Monday night, Trump said Sanders "made a deal with the devil" and said of Clinton: "She's the devil." The event in Ohio was Trump's first campaign appearance since the start of his row with the parents of a killed Army veteran, but he did not address the controversy. He spoke for nearly an hour in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Mrs Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death. The candidate criticised the family in an interview on Sunday and again in two tweets on Monday morning. SHARE By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail CLEMSON The Clemson City Council unanimously approved a plan Monday to manage the city's remaining sewer treatment capacity until the Cochran Road wastewater plant is expanded. The council voted 5-0 in favor of the proposed Development Project Review and Approval Policy for Allocation of Wastewater Treatment Capacity. It will allow developers to reserve some of the 50,000 gallons per day of treatment capacity still available at Cochran Road when their plans are approved by the city. Developers would pay each year to hold the reserved space, up to three years. The Cochran Road expansion work would nearly double to the plant's current 1.15 million per day treatment capacity, according to city officials. Even with the reservation system, the short-term treatment squeeze could slow down, or temporarily halt, construction of anything bigger than single-family homes at some point in the next few years, because the sewer plant expansion may not be done until 2019. The council also voted 5-0 to pursue the purchase of a wooded lot in the 400 block of Berkeley Drive for a stormwater retention pond. City Administrator Rick Cotton said homeowners in the area have sought relief for years from flooding problems, and a pond in that spot would alleviate much of the problem. Stormwater Manager Nathan Hinkle told council members that the acre would be leveled and the pond would be lined with grass to prevent erosion. He said they would save as many of the trees on the lot as would be possible. The price would be $52,000, and Hinkle will come back to the council with final plans for constructing the pond. In other business, Cotton briefed council members on the just-announced federal grant for the purchase of electric buses to add to the Clemson Area Transit fleet. The city will put up $4.2 million to go with the $3.9 million grant to buy 10 buses. The city and Clemson University originally applied for $6 million to combine with a local match to buy a dozen electric buses and replace old diesels to be taken out of service. Cotton said falling prices for electrics could allow them to buy 10 new buses for $8.1 million, despite not getting all of the federal money they had sought. Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM. SHARE By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail An Anderson-based engineer from the South Carolina Department of Transportation says the outcry to keep Rhody Farm Road open in Starr will likely affect how the state agency makes future street decisions. "I've been with the department for 16 years and this is the first time I've had a thing like this happen, where we agree to transfer a road to a private citizen and then residents make this tremendous effort to ask the state to reverse the decision," said Fritz Wewers, a resident maintenance engineer for the state Department of Transportation. "I have just never seen anything like this." Rhody Farm Road is a connector between Agnew Road and S.C. 81 South. Former Anderson County Councilman Eddie Moore, who owns land on both sides of Rhody Farm Road, petitioned the state to have the road transferred to him and got that permission in June. But after "ROAD CLOSED" signs were erected, drivers started a petition to ask the state to reverse course. "We as taxpayers have invested tax money for the upkeep of this road, I, myself over 40 years," Ricky Burdette said in a Facebook post about Rhody Farm Road. "We taxpayers should demand that we be refunded if this goes through and the road closed." The road remains drivable and Moore cannot legally close it without going to court, Department of Transportation officials said. Ray Graham, who started the petition, said in a recent interview that residents who back it plan to forward all the signatures to the state later this week. "We want to make sure we have everything in order," Graham said. "We think maybe the Department of Transportation did not have the complete information when this decision was made, and if it had been given to them, there might have been a different outcome." Moore did not respond to a request for comment Monday. "There is nothing wrong with what he did to get the road transferred to him and there is nothing DOT did wrong in responding to him," Wewers said. "It's not a requirement of the process for us to run a study to see how much the road is used. But based on what has happened here, I expect there will be changes in policy, maybe a requirement for public input, before any road is transferred to a private citizen again." In previous interviews, Moore said he wanted to close the road because he was concerned about his family's security and the amount of trash thrown out along the highway. But he has not responded to most questions about the road since a petition about it was taken from Redi-Mart in Starr last month and returned by him a few days later. Wewers said the state Department of Transportation is negotiating with Moore "trying to mediate a solution" regarding the future of the road. Nihar Info Global applies for trademark registration for 'ONVO' Nihar Info Global Limited informed to the exchanges that it has successfully applied for Trademark registration of its private label "ONVO" under the 'Trademark Classes 18 and 21. ... October 28, 2022 | 2:37 pm Rupee rises 4 paisa to 82.29/$ Early on Friday, the rupee strengthened against the US dollar by 4 paise to 82.29, helped by a weak US dollar in the international market and strong local equities. The influx of new fore... October 28, 2022 | 2:30 pm PNB Housing Finance's net profit increases by 12% PNB Housing Finance announced on Thursday that its September 20222023 quarter net profit increased by 11.7% to Rs 262.63 crore, thanks to a little increase in core income. In the same period... October 28, 2022 | 2:25 pm Dhanuka Agritech soars ~8% as board to consider buyback Dhanuka Agritechs stock surged as much as 8% in Fridays intraday session and touched a high of Rs742. The company stated in its filing with the exchanges that at its ensuing ge... October 28, 2022 | 2:18 pm Markets trade flat amid volatility; Nifty below 17,800 dragged by metals Domestic benchmark indices in a volatile session and trading flat after a gap-up opening on Friday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are in the green during the afternoon market session ami... October 28, 2022 | 2:00 pm President Tran Dai Quang meets with voters in Ho Chi Minh city (Photo: VNA) The President cited the Governments report that public debt made up 62.2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2015, putting big pressure on the country to pay off debt. The management and use of public debt in Vietnam has yet proved efficient, he said, adding that it is necessary to curb the debt at a safe level to mitigate risks in the coming time. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), Vietnam was excluded from the countries having high debt burdens, he noted. The President agreed with a majority of voters that the prevention of corruption and wastefulness has reaped significant achievements but it should be further promoted. In the context of regional and global complicated developments, the country proactively and resolutely safeguards its independence, sea and island sovereignty, and territorial integrity as well as ensures peace and stability for national development, he stressed. After the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued its final ruling for the Philippines lawsuit against China on disputes in the East Sea on July 12th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam had prompt reaction, and Vietnams standpoints on the East Sea received international support, he said. He noted that many countries and international organisations have called on the involved parties to attach importance to navigation and aviation safety and security in addition to abiding by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) , and reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible. The President also shared voters concerns over the massive fish death in central provinces. He said the Politburo along with Party and State senior officials convened a number of meetings to promptly enact measures to support fishermen in the affected areas while clarifying reasons of the maritime environmental incident. The Government announced the conclusion of the incident, he said, adding that the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company was responsible for the incident and pledged to compensate over VND11.5 trillion (USD500 million), and address shortcomings in the waste treatment system and build synchronous measures to control marine environment in the central region. He stressed the State will examine all environment-related projects nationwide. He affirmed that Vietnam rolls out red carpet for foreign investors for national socio-economic development, however, it is crucial to ensure national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity as well as benefits and security of the country. The President also clarified voters concerns over other matters such as food safety and hygiene, water resources security and protection of consumers rights./. Protecting Mato from trophy hunters By Ari AmehaeGOAL Tribal CoalitionSpecial to the Native Sun News CODY, Wyo. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Dan Ashe and Wyomings Governor Matt Mead have so far resisted calls to publicly denounce comments extolling Manifest Destiny made to the media by a financier of an organization that promotes the feds and states grizzly delisting and trophy-hunting message that is opposed by tribes. Native Sun News obtained a copy of the email sent July 5 by GOAL Tribal Coalition to USFWS Director Ashe that is titled Stop the Racism and catalogs a litany of verified incidents that GOAL categorizes as a shameful display of racism. The latest was sparked when the tribal alliance recently raised a billboard in Cody, Wyoming, that questions delisting the grizzly from the Endangered Species Act, condemns proposed trophy hunts, and urges all to protect the sacred. It is the first billboard in the region to feature Native languages. However, a billboard advocating USFWSs delisting agenda and Wyomings plan to trophy hunt grizzlies has been displayed in the Yellowstone National Park gateway town since April. Emblazoned with a dead grizzly bear at the feet of a hunter, the slogan reads, Wolf. Griz. Delist. Hunt, and is attributed to Wyoming Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife, a group that actively supports Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). The GOAL Tribal Coalition billboard in Wyoming asks "Why?" in Native languages. A rival billboard advocates delisting of the grizzly bear and hunting of the sacred animal. Photo from Facebook Responding to the tribes billboard, Scott Weber, who funded the pro-trophy hunting sign, submitted comments that were published by the Cody Enterprise in which he denounced tribal leaders as delusional and denigrated tribal ceremonies as ramblings before concluding: For Manifest Destiny to reach its goals, four entities had to be taken off the very land where your home sits: 1. Indians 2. Grizzly 3. Buffalo 4. Wolves. Never can any regain their ground. Never, ever. In GOALs email to Ashe, the coalitions co-founder, R. Bear Stands Last, writes, If you do not denounce this statement, I wonder what it will take for you to denounce anything? In online forums Weber, a gun storeowner who vehemently opposes gun control, has previously called reservations cesspools, vilified the LGBT community, and disparaged African-Americans. He is presently a school board trustee in Cody. Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: Protecting Mato from trophy hunters (Contact Ari Amehae at goaltribalcoalition@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News Join the Conversation The addiction of Pokemon Go is plaguing everyone and no way can we see it fizzling out anytime soon. We have told you enough crazy stories about Pokemon Go and to what extent addicts are stooping to 'catch 'em all. The world is busy finding Pokemon without knowing how much damage it can cause. Gameinformer However, to teach everyone a good enough lesson, a religious group in UK actually arranged a Satsang for Pokemon Go addicts! (Read: Bandra Dude Makes Indian Gaming History, Rams Mercedes Into Auto Playing Pokemon Go On The Road) On July 30, the Nirvair Khalsa Jatha organised a Satsang (sacred gathering) in Wolverhampton in order to preach to people about the cons of this game. Video Screengrab Another unbelievable fact? It was a full house! Video screengrab Don't believe us? Well, watch this video right NOW! Those who were fascinated with the movie '300' would be even more impressed by what a group of 21 young Sikh men did in the Battle of Saragarhi. wikipedia.com The Battle of Saragarhi is considered to be one of the greatest last stands in history. 21 soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment fought an army of over 10,000 Afghans and killed more than 600 of them before perishing to enemy bullets. The battle took place 12th September 1897 in Tirah region of North-West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan. Saragarhi was a post that connected British India forts of Lockhart and Gulistan on the border areas of Afghanistan. youtube The post was prone to attacks as Afghans were always hostile on Indian borders. But when the Afghans attacked, they marched down with 10,000 soldiers. Unbelievably, the Sikh soldiers who were guarding the post chose to face them instead of retreating! The detachment at Saragarhi had 1 NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) and 20 ORs (Other Ranks) and commander Havildar Ishar Singh was the leader of this unit. The Sikh knew that the mud walls of the post wouldn't stand for long and soon they will be exposed to the brutal might of Afghans. By the time the mud walls fell, the 21 brave hearts had repulsed two attacks from the Afghans. They faced odds of 1:476 The odds were striking. It would have taken more than just courage to face such a challenge where death was certain. Even in Thermopylae, the Greeks had an outside chance because they were fighting in hilly terrain. But at Saragarhi, it was face off in the open. The ratio of Sikh-Afghan soldiers was 1:476 and even Alexander the Great would have had second thoughts about this challenge. But the Sikhs thought only once and that was enough. How the battle unfolded The morning of 12 September 1897 brought with it an army of 10,000 Afghans. Around 9 am, Sardar Gurmukh Singh signalled to Col. Haughton in Fort Lockhart, that they were under attack. But the Colonel pleaded helplessness in sending reinforcement at such a short notice. The soldiers decided to fight. Surrender would have probably saved their lives, but it would have made the fall of Fort Lockhart certain. Soon the battle began and Sepoy Bhagwan Singh became the first casualty followed by a brutal assault on Sepoy Lal Singh. The injured Lal Singh and Jiwa Singh dragged the dead Bhagwan Singh back to inner layers of the post. Far from the post, Col. Haughton could see the Afghans attacking Saragarhi. He knew that it was a matter of time before the Afghans would rout the post and kill all soldiers. Afghans too were aware of a certain victory and tried to entice the Indians to surrender. But the Indians kept firing at Afghans. The Sikh successfully repulsed two Afghans attacks to rush open the gates of the post. As a result, Afghans broke the wall and got in. Panthic.org Soon the battle, which was being fought with guns, turned into hand to hand combat. Ishar Singh, ordered his soldier to remain in the inner lines and decided to take on the Afghans himself. The battle was intense as the menacing Afghans were too strong in numbers. At last Gurmukh Singh, the soldier who communicated and narrated the battle to Col. Haughton said that since their number where shrinking quickly, he will have have to leave the communication set and play his role of a soldier. He went out to fight in the battle along with his fellow soldiers. Col. Haughton could only hear the Sikhs shouting their battle cry, "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal". But slowly the sounds died along with the 21 bravehearts who kept 10,000 Afghans a bay for almost three hours. As a result Col. Haughton got time to get reinforcements and Fort Lockhart was defended. The entire unit was awarded Linkedin.com Post the battle, Col. Haughton narrated the heart wrenching story of the battle to the top brass of British Indian Army. As a result all 21 soldiers were awarded the prestigious Indian Order of Merit Class III award. It was also for the first time in history, that each and every member of unit won the gallantry awards for a single battle. Saragarhi day wikipedia Even today, 12th September is celebrated as the Saragarhi Day in honour of the sacrifices made by those 21 brave soldiers and it's observed as the Sikh military commemoration day. Three gurdwaras - Saragarhi, Ferozpur and Amritsar have been made to commemorate their sacrifice. Even as the police continue their hunt for the main accused in the gangrape of a 35-year-old Noida woman and her teenage daughter after waylaying their car on Friday, more chilling details are emerging. According to the villagers, just 12 days ago a few men had "brought a woman in a tempo and gang-raped her late into the night". The first incident too, happened at the same spot where the woman and her daughter were robbed and gangraped. msecnd/representative image What is even more shocking is the police inaction. According to locals, the police did not act, even after they approached the authorities. "We got the news and immediately reached the spot after which the men fled. The woman was distraught, dishevelled. We stopped a police vehicle passing by and handed over to them a mobile phone and some clothes that the men had left behind. The police pocketed the phone and left. They later told the woman to come to the police station. We don't know what happened to her after that. She was in a bad shape and needed help from the police," Devraj Thakur, former pradhan of the village told The Times of India. BCCL They are blaming the police for the rise in crime in their neighbourhood. "Police don't file cases even as the dangerous stretch has become a safe haven for criminals who often target travellers here. Had the police been vigilant in its patrol, the crime could have been averted," Govindpal Singh, another village elder, said. It had also been revealed that the victims kept on trying to get help from the police by dialing 100 when the criminals left. But the number was either busy or was not picked up. Ultimately, they called up a relative for help. ANI Police however continues to be in denial mode. DIG (Meerut range) Lakshmi Singh said these were just rumors. "This is at best the rumour mill at work. We do admit there have been a few lapses. We are doing everything in our means to bring the culprits to justice. More than half a dozen cops have already been suspended." However Police have admitted that "two similar incidents" had occurred in the district on May 7 and May 12 this year. The same modus operandi was used, something was thrown at the vehicle to stop it, the occupants led out at gunpoint and then robbed and assaulted. Police, though, on both occasions had registered cases of normal theft (under IPC's sections 379 and 356). The culprits in both the incidents were not arrested. ANI The gangrape and robber is believed to be the works of Bawariyas, a nomadic tribe. While three members of the gang have been nabbed, the hunt is still on for the remaining four. Police said, for the gang which is spread across the area, highway robbery is the primary source of earning. Like she fights her opponents in the ring, the brave-heart teenage victim of the Bulandshahr gangrape fought attackers for half an hour when they tried to catch her. She surrendered after her parents were taken on gun point. Indiatimes The 14-year-old was sexually assaulted along with her mother on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday near at Dostpur village along the Delhi-Kanpur highway near the western Uttar Pradesh district when they were on way to Shahjanpur to attend the terahnvi (rituals held 13 days after a death) of a relative. When two of the goons tried to drag her away to an isolated place, she fought like a champion of self-defence. But she had to surrender once they turned their firearms towards us. What could she have done when her father could not do anything? said her father adding that her teen daughter is trained in karate (martial arts). Sharing the horrific experience of that fateful night, the tearful father who is an Ola cab driver told Indiatimes, When the attackers first grabbed her, she cried out: Papa. I tried to save her but the assaulters hit me with a hammer and after I fell unconscious, my legs and hands were tied. She did her best what she could do in her self-defence. She fought like a tigress. She is not a coward. She never accepts defeat. What we want is justice. Indian Express/Necklace lying abandoned at crime scene My daughter unable to sleep, culprits faces continue to haunt her He said her daughter says whenever she tries to sleep, she sees their faces. She tells me, Papa, whenever I try to sleep, I see their faces. My wife has barely eaten since the incident. She is not in a state to talk to anyone. My daughter knows karate but what could she have done when her father could not do anything? They had told her that if she makes any noise, they will kill me, he said. He threatened to commit suicide if the accused are not punished. We were looted, brutally thrashed and we all know what my daughter had to suffer. These men need to be punished within three months. If it is not done, I, my wife and daughter will commit suicide, he said. The family left home at Noida for Shahjahanpur after mid night on Friday. At around 1.30-2.00 am, the criminals allegedly Bawariyas, a nomadic tribe in norther India, hiding in the bushes along the road threw a blunt metal object at the white Hyundai Xcent in which the victims were travelling. When the driver stopped the car to assess the damage, robbers emerged and overpowered the occupants of the vehicle at gunpoint. The car was taken inside, driven on the kuchcha road, to an isolated place. The hands and legs of the male members of the victims family were tied and they were kept in the jowar (millet) fields. The two of the females were taken further inside and sexually assaulted. Indiatimes This is what happened on the fateful night He said they (he, his wife and their daughter) left their residence at Noida at around 9 pm on Friday and picked up his brother, sister-in-law and their son on the way. At around 1.30 am, something was thrown at their car two km before Bulandshahr. I stopped the vehicle and got out to check the tyres. When I stood up after inspecting the tyres, someone pointed a firearm at me. They took us to a jowar (millet) field, tied up the hands and legs of the three men and started beating us. The women were kept in another side of the field, he said. The three men according to him were beaten for the next two hours every time they made a sound. It continued for around two hours. They tried to take away the car but could not do so because it was stuck in mud. Later, we realised they had left because no one responded when we called out. My nephew used his teeth to free us and we found the women, he said. They had taken our mobile phones but left in the car. We called 100 at least five times but got no response. Then we called a friend in Noida, who gave us a police control room number. We called on the number and 15 minutes later, the police reached the spot, he said. PTI/UP DGP Javed Ahmed visiting the spot Indifferent and brutal society He said they want to leave their locality because everyone in the area knows what happened. But the wife of his friend who gave them shelter after the incident has asked them to leave. The entire locality where we have been living for the past 18 years knows what happened to us. We are so embarrassed that we are unable to return to our home. How will we be able to live with respect there? We are left with no option but to leave the area, he added. He also wants to change the school of her daughter although she does not want it. What will she reply to her friends if they ask her about the incident? asked the father. Because of frequent visits of policemen and media persons, the people living in my friends locality have also come to know about the incident. And therefore, the wife of my friend who has given us shelter in this difficult time has asked us to leave, he added. Three suspects were arrested on Sunday as a massive manhunt was launched to nab those involved in the shocking crime. The main accused, according to cops, of the incident has also been identified and search is on the nab him. Under attack over sliding law and order situation in UP in the run-up to the assembly elections, the Akhilesh Yadav government on Sunday suspended Bulandshahr senior superintendent of police Vaibhav Krishan for dereliction of duty. Six others, including SP (city) Rammohan Singh, circle officer (Sadar) Himanshu Gaurav and SHO Ramsen Singh of Kotwali Dehat, too were suspended. Days after Delhi government ministers mocked the Haryana government for the massive gridlock in Gurgaon, the capital came to a halt on Monday due to rain. BCCL Waterlogging on almost all the major arterial roads lead to massive traffic snarls in south and central Delhi. Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, which carry the bulk of traffic, were the worst-affected. Traffic police said about 50% of the complaints received since morning pertained to waterlogging that caused jams in Jasola, Okhla, Apollo (towards Ashram), RTR towards IIT gate, Chelmsford Road towards Paharganj, Sarai Kale Khan towards DND, Sarita Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Defence Colony flyover and INA among others. Areas like Sarai Kale Khan, IP flyover, Ashram, Lajpat Nagar, Moti Bagh, AIIMS flyover, IIT flyover, Adchini, Nelson Mandela Marg, Dhaula Kuan, Greater Kailash, Chirag Dilli, Zakhira, Chandgi Ram Akhara, South Extension, Peeragarhi, Laxmi Nagar and Geeta Colony had ankle-deep water that slowed down traffic. BCCL Residents blamed the civic agencies for not carrying out desilting work before monsoon. "Due to the incompetence of civic agencies, the people are suffering. Potholes have appeared on most of the roads and even light showers result in massive waterlogging," said Chetan Sharma, president of Greater Kailash II RWA. Police officers said the emergency response teams that were created last week to deal with waterlogging were pressed into service to divert vehicles. Traffic around Dhaula Kuan was severely affected due to a breakdown near Sardar Patel Marg, which was only removed later in the evening. Police said a report regarding the choke points was sent to the civic bodies, but nothing happened as they kept on passing the buck. Also Read: Gurgaon Floods, PoK Protest Against Vote Rigging And Other Must Read News Stories From Friday BCCL Senior corporation officials, though, said they had desilted all the drains. "We have desilted our drains and waterlogging is reported in areas under PWD. Corporation drains are connected with PWD drains and if their drains are not cleared on time then it results in backflow of drain water," said a senior official from South Corporation. "I inspected the areas under our jurisdiction on Monday evening after the rain and none of our areas were affected. PWD roads were choked as desilting work was not finished. We have written numerous letters to PWD to ensure drains are desilted," said Satya Sharma, mayor of East Corporation. But the civic bodies don't have enough machines to desilt drains. For instance, the South Corporation has only two super suction machines to cater to its 265 drains in 104 wards. Likewise, North and East corporations have one super suction machine each to carry out desilting in their 104 and 64 wards respectively . Senior politicians said corporations claimed to have finished desilting work every year but flooding happens. BCCL "We have been raising this issue for a long time but no action has been taken. South Corporation has only two super suction machines.Most of the drains are covered and this machine can pull out silt from the entire stretch. But we have been rotating them between 104 wards and many drains are left out," said Virender Kasana, former central zone chairman and CR Park councillor. But house chief Subhash Arya claimed that due to high cost of super suction machine, South Corporation had floated a tender to procure eight jetting-cum-suction machines. "A super suction machine costs Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore," said Arya. PWD officials said they hadn't received reports of any major waterlogging anywhere. "Water did accumulate at various points during the rain but drained soon after. Our staff is on the ground, cleaning drains and draining water from whereever we are getting complaints," said a PWD official. Also Read:Normalcy Returns To Gurgaon After Traffic Mayhem When one thinks of Delhi, one thinks of our countrys legislative capital, home to the Parliament, the Supreme Court and our nations top leaders and policy makers. On the surface, it appears to be a relatively lawful city, far from the infamous gang violence of Mumbai. It may come as a surprise that the city has of late become a safe haven for a huge illegal gun trafficking industry. From .315 and 12 bore pistols to assault rifles and AK-47, all sophisticated firearms are first brought here from manufacturers in bulk and then distributed to local suppliers based in the national capital or its surrounding areas. The heavy crowd in the city helps arms supplier escape security agencies attention, thereby providing them a safe entry and exit. millenniumpost.in The recoveries of fire arms made by the Delhi Police in the past four years give a disturbing picture. A total of 388 firearms have been seized till June 15 this year. While in 2015 and 2014, this number was at 431 and 868 respectively, a total of 700 and 586 firearms were recovered in 2013 and 2012 respectively. So where do these guns come from? About 90% of illegal weapons being brought in Delhi are manufactured either at Munger in Bihar or the Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh. Both areas were historically home to government ordnance factories that were later shut down. Most residents had been working in these factories for generations and making guns was the only thing they knew how to do. The closures put hundreds of highly skilled workers out of jobs, and in towns with few available employment options, they needed to find a source of sustenance. Not knowing what else to do, many resorted to making firearms in their own homes and selling them to local criminals. Today, this has morphed into a full-fledged illegal gun-manufacturing racket. In Munger, almost every home in every village has a lathe machine, which is used to make sophisticated pistols, says Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Delhi Police. What about the quality of these weapons? Surely, if they are being made in homes, they must be prone to misfiring or breaking apart, right? On the contrary, weapons from both Munger and Khargone are of impeccable quality and nearly indistinguishable from originals. It is practically impossible for even a police officer to differentiate between the two, which is partly why they are so hard to catch. Manufacturers are not limited to Indian pistols, or katas, either; they make all kinds of sophisticated automatics and revolvers, and even some AK-47s. How are the weapons transported and sold? There are intermediaries based in various states who manage the distribution. Firearms are brought to Delhi and given to these intermediaries, who later sell them off to various criminals and gang-members. Delhi is very populated, so it has become a transaction point between buyers and sellers, says Yadav adding that rather than receiving consignments in the areas where they live in, which are mostly concentrated around Agra, Meerut, Mathura and Aligarh, intermediaries come to the capital region to pick them up because there is a smaller chance of being caught here. Picofiles.com They buy mostly bulk consignments (which may amount to more than a hundred guns) at a rate of Rs 10,000- 15,000 per gun. They then sell off two or three guns at a time to criminals based all over the country, again using Delhi as a transaction point. According to the top cop, intermediaries sell the weapons at rates ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1 lakh per piece, depending on who the criminal is. The actual moving of weapons to Delhi is done in different ways. Bulk consignments are mostly stuffed into ingeniously hidden cavities inside cars and driven to the city. These cavities can be anywhere inside the vehicle, from behind the headlights to inside a duplicate petrol tank. They are difficult to spot during cursory checks, and smugglers can easily get by, said Taj Hassan, Special Commissioner, Crime Branch. The Hindu If arms and ammunition are being trafficked to Delhi so easily, then what is the Delhi police doing? Speaking of the predicament the police face, Hassan said, It is not possible to check every car or person coming to Delhi. There is not one road; there are more than one thousand entry points. For smaller consignments, smugglers often hide guns amongst clothes in suitcases or bags and transport them to Delhi by train or bus. A common tactic is to use female transporters, since they are less likely to be frisked or checked by station security. Once in the city, the weapons are quickly sold to intermediary agents, and the cycle continues. It is practically impossible, he said to check each and every vehicles coming to the city from adjoining areas. We have to depend on intelligence input. Therefore, we keep on developing and building intelligence and it is a continuous process. We launch any crack down on the weapon smugglers only on the basis of a tip-off. There is no other way to do it. Weapons being brought into Delhi are not only sold to buyers based in Delhi and NCR, but also to interested parties all over North India. Gang members from Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan come here to purchase weaponry. Within the city, the police say that buyers are mostly concentrated in areas with heavy criminal activity such as Najafgarh, Badarpur, Sangam Vihar and certain portions of Northwest Delhi. The Delhi Police is working hard to dismantle this trafficking ring, but progress is slow. BCCL Clueless cops It all started when, in 2012, officers caught a couple of very large weapon consignments in the region. At that time, we were not aware that such large consignments were coming into Delhi, says Yadav. They then started looking for the source of these weapons and began working towards bringing them down. They conducted numerous raids in the Munger region, and the local police soon became actively involved. By now, claims Yadav, they have managed to destroy 80-90% of Mungers manufacturing industry. The quantity of weapons coming from Munger has vastly decreased, said Yadav with the cooperation of Bihar Police. One breath of relief in this entire story is the fact that none of these weapons are being used for terror-related activities or against civilians in any manner. They are mostly used for threats or violence within competing gangs. This containment is perhaps why the booming business has not been in the public spotlight. However, it is a real, growing problem. As the amount of illegal weapons in circulation increases, so does gun violence. Next time, the collateral damage may be an innocent civilian. Union home minister Rajnath Singh is likely to use this week's Saarc conference to highlight the irony of Burhan Wani, a top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was recently killed, being declared a 'martyr' in Pakistan. BCCL Pakistan, which paints itself as a "victim" of terror just like India, was quick to milk Wani's killing to raise the Kashmir bogey. Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif reportedly not only declared him a "martyr", but also announced that July 19 would be observed as a "black day to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir". BCCL Sources in the security establishment said Singh, in his address at the Saarc meet on August 4, may choose to underline how a person indulging in terror activities in one SAARC country was being hailed as a 'martyr' by another. Also Read: Burhan Wani May Be Projected A Martyr, But Kashmiri Youth Will Do Well To Stay Away From Militancy Incidentally, TOI has learnt that at least three home ministers of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal will skip the conference. BCCL "Despite this, India has taken a conscious decision to attend the event and showcase its commitment to regional cooperation," said an officer. Singh will arrive in Pakistan on the evening of August 3. Sources said he was likely to stick to multilateral SAARC engagements, with no bilateral interaction with Pakistani representatives scheduled so far. Singh will skip the dinner to be hosted by Pakistan on Thursday and fly back to India. India has recently made it harder to acquire firearms in India. To get a license, youll need to show that youre properly trained to use a firearm, carry in in holders, and secure them in a"knocked down" condition, in a gun locker. And youll even need a license for an air gun, a blank fire gun and even a paintball gun akrockefeller flickr A Ministry of Home Affairs officials said that the new laws aims "to bring in transparency in the arms control regime, prevent, combat and eradicate illicit trade in small arms and light weapons . . . and bring in the contemporary practices in international laws." What does the Indian gun lobby think? This Injection Can Even Seal A Gunshot Wound In 20 Seconds, And You Can Get One For Just Rs 7000 "Last few years we have discussed with the government steps to remove the harassment law abiding citizens face in getting firearm licenses. One shouldn't have to jump through 25 hoops to get a license, Rahoul Rai, president of the National Association for Gun Rights India said. The amendment may come as a surprise in May last year the government had proposed amending Arms Act rules to cut down the paperwork and ensure swift grant of the licence, after quick police verification. America's Gays & Lesbians Are Buying Guns In Record Numbers, And Gun Owners Are Teaching Them How To Shoot! Gun deaths in India: Unlicensed license to kill? Ibro Palic flickr India has about 26 lakh gun license holders and it looks like theyre less lethal than the unlicensed firearms owners. In contrast, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that gun-related deaths were 3,655 in 2014, and 86% of the victims in these deaths died from illegal weapons. How dangerous are unlicensed guns? According to a 2015 report, over 85% of all murders committed using firearms have unlicensed guns involved. UP and Bihar, prominent makers of these guns, also are home to67% of all murders by unlicensed guns. Surprisingly, unlicensed gun crime has fallen 2012: murders by unlicensed weapons stood at close to 3,500. This fell to about 3,300 the next year and declined further to just over 3,100 last year. Killer states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana lead India's body count of murders committed by unlicensed weapons, and apart from Arunchal Pradesh, every Indian state sees more unlicensed gun killings. Where do unlicensed guns come from? skyandsea876 flickr "The arms market is thriving in India and the law is ill-equipped to put curbs on it. Sophisticated small arms enter India through Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, regions bordering Nepal, Nagaland and Manipur; some are also made in places like Munger in Bihar. But the percentage of people owning such guns is lower as compared to those owning country-made firearms such as kattas or tamanchas," Major General (retd) Dipankar Banerjee of Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies told the Economic Times. Small, difficult to trace factories spread all over Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar manufacture kattas, 10 and 12 bore shotguns and even rifles. These weapons are favourites with local gangs that indulge in robberies, kidnappings and extortions. What's worseeven schoolchildren have access to such weapons. The Men Of Madhya Pradesh Are Guarding Their Water With Guns! The external affairs ministry has stepped up efforts to bring back its citizens in Saudi and Kuwaiti who have been without food after they lost their jobs. Reuters/ Representative Image Two minister, VK Singh and MJ Akbar, both MoS, External Affairs have been tasked with coordinating the efforts, in the two countries. While Singh is set to travel to Saudi, Akbar will head to Kuwait, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed. Had fruitful discussions with Saudi Ambassador to India Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati on all bilateral issues. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Gy25aht8a1 M.J. Akbar (@mjakbar) August 2, 2016 Glad to receive support and assurances from Saudi government to resolve all outstanding issues, including that of our Indian labourers 2/2 M.J. Akbar (@mjakbar) August 2, 2016 We will employ all resources 2ensure tht our countrymen in Saudi get adequate supplies. Our citizens anywhere in the world are our priority. Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) August 1, 2016 The ministers have been tasked with finding a way out for the workers who are in a deep financial mess. Essentially, their salary arrears have to be logged as a legitimate claim with the company. The workers could have probably returned earlier but stayed on in the hope of getting some of their salary arrears from the company that has gone belly-up. Officials leaving with direction to collect all necessary details of 2500+ Indians in different camps to speed up process of crisis mangmnt India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) July 31, 2016 The action comes after reports of over 10,000 Indian nationals who were working in Saudi were starving after they lost their jobs a couple of months ago. Acting up on the reports Indian mission in Saudi had arranged for free food rations for the affected people. Twitter The Indian Embassy and the Indian diaspora in Saudi had also came together to help those who were in a workers camp, without food. CGI Jeddah with help from Indian Community in Jeddah distributed 1700 pack of (khuboos-chapati),each pack having 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BUln6MhL0q India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) August 1, 2016 There is an estimated over 30 lakh Indians working in Saudi, making it the largest expat working community in the country. Even as the state is limping back to normalcy following the violence that erupted following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, some fringe elements are using it as an opportunity to assert their moral policing. AFP/ Representative Image A hitherto unheard organization, which calls itself 'Sangbaaz Association Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir' has issued a 'Taliban-style' diktat against women and shopkeepers in the valley. The chilling warning, issued through posters threatens the Kashmiri girls of death if they would be seen driving their two-wheelers on the streets. We request all girls, please do not use Scooty. If we see any girl who rides Scooty, we will burn the Scooty as well as the girl. AP/ Representative Image Issuing a 'last warning' against shops, banks and commercial establishments against opening them "till the end of this fight." This is for the first time, the fringe group otherwise only know for stone-pelting at Indian army during protests have come out with such a stern warning. EPA/ Representative Image According to some local media reports, posters of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) also have surfaced in south Kashmir. They ask people to continue agitation till freedom and urge women not to venture out of their homes, and government employees not to go to work. Earlier Hizbul Mujahideen had put out posters with photos of their gummen, which agencies believe was aimed at recruiting Kashmiri youths towards militancy. West Bengal will very likely now be called just 'Bengal' when it's being referred to in English and 'Bangla' or 'Banga' when its referred to in Bengali. Google Map The state government's cabinet on Tuesday okayed a proposal to this effect, and that proposal will be forwarded to the Centre after it's ratified by the West Bengal Assembly, in a special session that is expected to be held soon.The state Assembly is very likely to ratify this proposal because the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has a majority in the House. The long-standing demand for a change in the name of the state received the nod of the state Assembly on Tuesday. If the name change gets across the board approval, it would require a Constitutional amendment to effect the change. BCCL In the Bengali language, the state is currently referred to as 'Pashchim Bengal', which translates to 'West Bengal.' The proposal is looking to change it to either 'Bangla' or 'Banga', in Bengali. This would then gel with the already in effect change in the spelling of the state capital Kolkata, which was once officially called 'Calcutta.' That it is referred to as 'West' Bengal rather than just 'Bengal' is seen by some as the reflection of a colonial hangover. That's because the British partitioned the then 'Bengal province' to Hindu-dominated West Bengal and Muslim-dominated East Bengal. The latter isn't called 'East' Bengal anymore. It was called East Pakistan after Partition and then Bangladesh after it won independence from Pakistan in 1972. In fact, there was no need to call India's state 'West' Bengal after it won independence from the British. For example, Punjab - which the British had divided up as 'West'and 'East' Punjab - was called just that by both India and Pakistan after Partition. The Indian government has sent emergency aid to nearly 10,000 workers in Saudi Arabia who have been stranded without any money or food. Thousands of Indian workers, who work as construction labourers, haven't received their salary in seven months. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has set up emergency food centers to dispense essential items such as onions, rice, and cooking oil, all completely free of cost. Twitter Indian MEA Sushma Swaraj urged Indian citizens in Saudi Arabia to come forward and help the stranded in their time of need: I assure you that no Indian worker rendered unemployed in Saudi Arabia will go without food. I am monitoring this on hourly basis. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 I appeal to 30 lakhs Indians in Saudi Arabia. Please help your fellow brothers and sisters. /1 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 There is nothing mightier than the collective will of Indian nation. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 Companies like Saad and the BinLaden group laid off 50,000 workers in the past year alone. Many others are giving workers "permanent exit visas" to leave the country but without any promise of salaries. However, the Indian community in Saudi Arabia has come out full throttle in support of the workers and are doing their best to provide them comfort with free food. Happy 2 share more pics of Food distribution at Highway camp on July 30, 16.CG, Jeddah wid DCG/Consul(Haj) present 2 pic.twitter.com/WwkcJIsJJ4 India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) July 31, 2016 The Indian Consulate, along with the Indian community, has already distributed 15,000 kg of food over the past three days. Twitter While speaking to The Hindu, Ahmed Javed, the Indian Ambassador in Riyadh said "We are providing immediate humanitarian assistance in terms of food and medicine to stranded Indian workers here, and at the same time meeting with the Ministry of Labour in the Saudi government to take up their concerns." The Indian government is reportedly also considering the possibility of paying the workers' their due before they are brought back to India. A man from the Netherlands flew to China to meet his online love interest but instead ended up at the hospital after 10 days at the airport when his lady love was a no-show. CCTV News Alexander Pieter Cirk met his girlfriend Zhang online and flew to China to visit her. He landed at Changsha Huanghua International Airport and waited for his love interest to arrive. The two met online two months before he made the journey. A few passersby noticed the 41-year-old Dutchman and pictures of him emerged online. CCTV News China's Hunan TV contacted 26-year-old Zhang after Alexander was taken to the hospital due to exhaustion. CCTV She explained her absence and said she thought he was joking about coming to China. He showed her plane tickets to China on a video call but she didn't believe him about that either. When he arrived in Changsa, she was in another province - Zhenzhou - getting cosmetic surgery done. Since then Cirk has returned home but Zhang is hopeful they will still be able to work things out. CCTV News It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the Human Rights Watch Reports U.S. Government Tortured Children By Paul Craig Roberts August 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released its report, Extreme Measures: Abused Children Detained As National Security Threats . From my reading of the report, Israel and the US are the two worst abusers. Boko Haram is a distant third. Which country is the worst abuser, Israel or the US? Taking into account that the US is responsible for the violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria that has resulted in torture and detention, if we include these victims in the American total, then the US is the Number One torturer of children. As it is unlikely that Israel could get away with abuse of Palestinian children without Washingtons support, we can add Israels abuses to Washingtons total. Guantanamo Bay is a great distance away from Washingtons wars against Muslims in Afghanistan, North Africa and the Middle East. Yet even at Guantanamo, where the only violence is the violence that the US military inflicts on detainees, the US government tortured children, according to the Human Rights Watch report. What kind of military tortures children? The only answer that I can come up with is a military that has no self-respect. What kind of US government would pay two US psychologists $81 million to help the CIA devise torture techniques? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/cia-torture-contractors_n_6296758.html Only a lawless government with no respect for US law and international law. Think back to the torture memos written by US Department of Justice (sic) officials John C. Yoo and Jay S. Bybee. These memos justifying the US governments torture of detainees despite the prohibition of torture by both US statutory law and international law to which the US is a signatory have been denounced by civil libertarians as the work of legal incompetents or criminals or both. Yet, John Yoo is a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, and for his service to the White House torturers Jay Bybee was appointed a US federal judge to the second highest court. If Hitlery becomes president, Bybee and Yoo could end up on the Supreme Court. The positions held by Yoo and Bybee tell the world all that is needed to know that the United States is a lawless entity and that this lawlessness is accepted by Americas legal, political, and educational institutions and by the American people. What self-respecting parent would send a son or daughter to study law at a university that hosts a legal scholar who discounts law in behalf of torture? If you were a judge on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and a torturer was appointed to the court, would you welcome the criminal or resign in protest against a government that has no respect for its own laws? How many NSA officials have resigned over illegal spying on the American people? How many FBI officials have resigned over false flag frame-ups of terrorists? When the Democratic National Committee can hire Americans for $50 per night to fill up the empty seats at the Democratic convention, what does that tell you about the price of American integrity? http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-28/did-dnc-hire-actors-below-minimum-wage-work-convention Do you remember the 775 Guantanamo detainees described by the US Secretary of Defense and the Vice President of the US as the most dangerous, most violent men on earth? We will never know how many of these detainees were tortured in an effort to elicit a confession in support of the governments unfounded claims, but nine of them died in custody. We do know that despite torture and the assurances from the highest officials that the detainees were dangerous and violent, as of July 12, 2016, 90 percent of the detainees have been released without charges. Only 76 remain, and apparently there is no evidence that can be used to charge them. Apparently, they are being held only in order to save the US government from being 100 percent wrong. Being 90 percent wrong is close enough for government work. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guantanamo_Bay_detainees and http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees Do you remember those photos of the torture of the Abu Ghraib prisoners? As horrifying as the photos are, they are the mild part. Others photos were not released. The photos reveal more than torture. The photos reveal the extreme pleasure that the US soldiers got from torturing the prisoners. They were having the time of their life abusing other humans! Some feminists have excused the female soldier, one of the several grunts punished while the higher officials responsible went scot free, with the rationale that she was only getting back at the male gender for the abuses she, as a female, had suffered from men. The Abu Ghraib photos required silencing. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the senior American commander in Iraq, appointed Major General Antonio Taguba to compile a report based on an investigation of the torture. All Gen. Taguba had to do was to explain away the torture and be promoted from 2-star to 3-star general. If that is what Sanchez intended, he chose the wrong man. Gen. Taguba filed an honest report, finding: That between October and December 2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility (BCCF), numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees. This systemic and illegal abuse of detainees was intentionally perpetrated by several members of the military police guard force (372nd Military Police Company, 320th Military Police Battalion, 800th MP Brigade), in Tier (section) 1-A of the Abu Ghraib Prison (BCCF). The allegations of abuse were substantiated by detailed witness statements (ANNEX 26) and the discovery of extremely graphic photographic evidenceIn addition to the aforementioned crimes, there were also abuses committed by members of the 325th MI Battalion, 205th MI Brigade, and Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center (JIDC). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taguba_Report Instead of becoming a 3-star general with lucrative consulting opportunities and board memberships at the end of his military career, Taguba was sent into retirement. Seymour Hershs report on The Generals Report shows a US military whose leaders, both military and civilian, are devoid of integrity. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/06/25/the-generals-report If we contrast the fate of Gen. Taguba, who took the US Military Code seriously, with the mindlessness of Fox News and its incoherent insouciant Medal of Honor winner, Dakota Meyer, who is displayed on need, we can see how integrity was lost to ignorance and propaganda. Mischaracterizing Democratic convention delegates protests, no more war, as disrespect for the military, Dakota Meyer declares that America is the beacon of hope. https://www.yahoo.com/news/medal-honor-recipient-reacts-disrespect-140945017.html That is not the way the world sees it. In every world poll, the United States is ranked overwhelmingly as the greatest threat to peace, with Israel as the runner-up. The threats, such as North Korea and Iran, designated by the warmongers in Washington hardly register as threats in world polls. Long ago Americans were divided into liberals and conservatives and set against one another, while those who did the dividing took away our civil liberties and prosperity. Both the Fox News imbecile and the Medal of Honor winner, who think of themselves as conservatives, believe that it is liberals who are disrespectful of the military and that their hatred of the military is why liberals are opposed to war. Of course, informed Americans are aware that it was conservatives who did not want to get into wars. It was conservatives, not liberals who opposed US involvement in WWI and WWII. Liberals were hot to trot. It has escaped Fox News and the Medal of Honor winner that Democrat Hitlery is all in favor of war and wants more of it. The people who dont want war are the ones that understand that WWIII will be nuclear and bring an end to life on earth. The people denigrated by the Fox News imbecile and the insouciant Medal of Honor winner are the people who are trying to save not only the United States but all life on earth from the stupid, reckless, arrogant war crowd. To whom is America the beacon of hope? Is America the beacon of hope to the millions of peoples who have been killed, maimed, and displaced by Americas wars during the past 15 years? Is America the beacon of hope to the Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Ghetto that Israel uses for a shooting gallery? Is America the beacon of hope to the Latin American peoples whose representative governments Washington routinely overthrows? Is America the beacon of hope to the Russians and Chinese who are being encircled with military bases and demonized with hostile words and misrepresented with lies? Is America the beacon of hope for the middle class whose jobs and future were offshored? Is America the beacon of hope to the poor whose public assistance was wiped out by Clintons Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996? America is a beacon of hope only to the One Percent who loot and plunder both our economic future and our civil liberties. People can be intelligent without being brave, and they can be brave without being intelligent. Our soldiers fit in the later category. They do the work for the One Percent and are paid for their physical and emotional injuries with medals. In the past 15 years the beacon of hope has destroyed in whole or part seven countriesAfghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, and Syria. The beacon of hope has overthrown representative governments in Honduras, Ukraine, Egypt, Argentina, and Brazil, installing in their place right-wing crooks, and is working hard to overthrow the elected governments in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The extraordinary range of death and suffering for which the beacon of hope is responsible is unprecedented. As if this is not enough, the beacon of hope is now recklessly and irresponsibly threatening two nuclear powersRussia and Chinawith military encirclement justified with the most blatant and transparent lies. We hear the propaganda 24/7. Even the liberal NPR specializes in telling lies about Russia. Is it hopeful to convince two nuclear powers that the US is preparing to attack? It is Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, who says he doesnt want conflict with Russia and sees little point to NATO. Yet, the liberal media doesnt miss an opportunity to demonize Trump, just as the presstitutes demonize the peace-seeker, Vladimir Putin. The presstitutes are screaming: Give us Hitlery and more war! Feminists want Hitlery for war on the glass ceiling. The neoconservatives want Hitlery in order for them to achieve their ideology of world hegemony. The military/security complex and Wall Street want Hitlery for their profits. Why is it Donald Trump, the candidate who says he wants to avoid dangerous conflict with nuclear powers, who is being demonized? Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Frances Terror Spiral Ends When France Stops Being a Rogue State By Finian Cunningham August 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " SCF " - French shock at the murder of an elderly priest by two knife-wielding Islamist terrorists is understandable. The 85-year-old cleric, Father Jacques Hamel, was forced to his knees before the tiny mass-going congregation in a Normandy parish church, when his throat was slit. The killers then proceeded to film themselves proclaiming a macabre Arabic ritual on the churchs altar. Expressing the nations horror, Father Philippe Maheut, the vicar general for the Rouen district in northern France where the murder took place earlier this week, reportedly said: We ask ourselves: how have we arrived at this point? The shock of the barbaric slaying is all the more compounded coming less than two weeks after a Tunisian-born man smashed a 19-ton lorry into crowds of pedestrians watching a Bastille Day fireworks display in the Riviera resort city of Nice. French authorities say that attack in which 84 people were killed was also motivated by Islamist terrorism. Since January 2015, France has incurred over 10 terror attacks, which have taken the lives of more than 250 people. The country has been in a state of emergency for nine months and will continue to be so until at least the end of this year. Perhaps even beyond that. Yet there seems to be no respite from the violence. What is even more galling for citizens is that in the latest attack near Rouen, one of the two assailants who were subsequently shot dead by police officers, was known to the French authorities for having terror links. Adel Kermiche (19), a French-Arab, was tagged electronically and under surveillance as part of a sentence from a French court for attempting to go to Syria on two occasions during 2015 to join Islamist militias fighting there. The disclosure adds to the growing popular discontent with the government of President Francois Hollande. It follows claims made by local French police in Nice that they were not given adequate national security support at the time of the lorry massacre. Hollandes Socialist government is being assailed on the political right for being too soft on security. Nicolas Sarkozy, the leader of the Republicans, is calling for a merciless response in the aftermath of the priests slaying this week. Sarkozy, who is expected to make a second bid for the presidency in elections next year, appears to be trying to sideline the rightwing, anti-immigrant National Front of Marine Le Pen. Emergency measures being demanded by Sarkozy include detention without trial for anyone suspected of Islamist terror links, greater surveillance powers for police, and the deportation of French citizens to their country of heritage if convicted of terror offenses. That is a slippery slope towards mass internment of entire ethnic-religious populations, akin to a martial law state. With Hollandes government under increasing electoral pressure from both the Republicans and the National Front, and given its woeful performance so far on security issues, it seems inevitable that France will intensify its already draconian emergency powers. French military operations overseas can also be expected to escalate. Both Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls have declared war on Islamic State (IS or Daesh) and have vowed that the war will be long. Only days after the Nice atrocity on 14 July, French warplanes carried out several air strikes near the IS stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria. However, Syrian government sources claimed that the strikes resulted in over 100 civilians being killed. Damascus sent a letter to the UN Security Council condemning French violation of humanitarian law, as well as its sovereignty in carrying out the air raids. What we have then is a death-terror-spiral. Under prevailing circumstances this spiral will drill deeper and deeper into horrific oblivion. Lets go back to the question posed by the vicar general of Rouen following the priests murder: how did we arrive at this point? It cannot be understated that much of the so-called jihadist violence that has erupted across Europe, from France to Belgium to Germany, is a form of blowback from illegal wars that European states have waged in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. These wars have been conducted overtly along with the United States, under the auspices of NATO, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Mali. The legality of these interventions is highly questionable, if not criminal on the face of it. It was under the French presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2011 that NATO bombed Libya into a failed state, overthrowing the government of Muammar Gaddafi, and unleashing Islamist terrorism across the Maghreb, Sahara and Middle East regions. Under Hollandes presidency from 2012, France has been a key sponsor of the covert war in Syria over the past five years to topple the elected government of President Bashar al-Assad. Along with the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, France is responsible for one of the great crimes in modern history the wanton destruction of Syria, with a death toll of 400,000 people and the displacement of millions refugees, all stemming from the covert support of terrorist militia for regime change. As Syrias ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, admonished the Security Council this past week with sarcasm: Why are attacks in Europe condemned as terrorist acts, but when they are carried out in Syria, Western governments refer to them as the actions of moderate rebels? The slitting of a priests throat in a Normandy church by self-proclaimed Islamist terrorists is indeed shocking. But how much more shocking is the beheading of thousands of Christians and Muslims by the same terror groups in Syria? Syrian Christian patriarchs have for years been warning about the extermination of Christians in towns and villages that have fallen under siege from Islamic State and other al-Qaeda-linked terror groups. Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II told of just one horrific incident among many when 21 Christians were slaughtered inside a church in the town of Al Qaryatain. The reign of terror only came to an end in April this year when the Syrian Arab Army and Russian air force recaptured the town from the jihadists. The jihadist networks mercenaries from as many as 100 countries nearly toppled the Syrian state until Russias President Vladimir Putin ordered military intervention last October. Toppling the state was the objective of the French government and its allies. And the proxies were directed, financed and weaponized by the foreign powers. France, the US, Britain and others are guilty of huge war crimes. The political leaders of these countries need to be prosecuted. Because without accountability under the law then there is no law. We have succumbed to the jungle. Francois Hollande is on record publicly admitting that French weapons were being supplied to Syrian rebels as early as 2012, in contravention of a European Union embargo on Syria. Western media reports have also occasionally and coyly acknowledged that foreign weapons have ended up in the hands of officially proscribed terror networks. The notion of a distinction between moderates and extremists is a cynical charade to absolve Western governments from the legitimate charge that they are aiding and abetting terrorists. The videoed decapitation of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo last week by US-backed rebels from the Nour al-Din al-Zenki brigade is proof of that charade. The US State Department admitted its link to the group, saying that the gruesome slaying of the boy would give it pause to continue its support for the brigade. There seems no way out of Frances death spiral with terrorism. Not just France, but the whole of Europe. A spate of terror-linked attacks in Germany three in the last week is stoking fear and resentment among ordinary Germans towards asylum seekers who have fled violence in Arab and Muslim countries. The atrocity at the French church near Rouen is seen as a profanity against Frances Christian heritage. There are reports of fears that far-right French nationalist groups will seek revenge through attacks on Arab and Muslim communities. The mentality of fear, suspicion, retribution and xenophobia is in turn being reinforced by increasing emergency state powers and incendiary political rhetoric. There is, it seems, an abysmal, apocalyptic vista of never-ending violence. Understandably, European citizens seem to be at a loss as to how to break out of the cycle of violence. The truth is that Frances terror spiral, and that of wider Europe too, will only come to an end when states like France stop conducting themselves like rogue powers, trashing international law and violating other countries sovereignty with their support of terrorist proxies for illicit schemes of regime change. France is in mourning once again. The country needs to wake up to the reality of its own international lawlessness. And break the cycle of terrorism that its governments have in a big way instigated in the first place, along with their European and American NATO allies. Speaking after the slaughter of the priest near Rouen, President Hollande looked into the TV cameras and solemnly said: I owe you the truth. This war will be long. It is our democracy that is being targeted. We must unite. Hold it right there. This is the kind of lying deceit that Western governments have to be called out on. The first thing that people should unite for is the prosecution of war criminals and the systematic violation of international law that has largely induced the phenomenon of endless terror in our midst. Finian Cunningham is a former editor and writer for major news media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages By Finian Cunningham Indeed, far more media coverage is given to Hillary Clintons nomination as the Democrats presidential candidate. While Clinton was declaring to her partys convention how she would wipe out Islamist terrorists in the Middle East, the Syrian army and its Russian allies were actually getting on with that very job. Syrias northern city of Aleppo which was the countrys biggest city before the onset of the war in 2011 is about to be fully retaken by the Syrian army, supported by Russian air power. Humanitarian corridors have been created to allow civilians and surrendering fighters to escape before the final assault begins on anti-government militias holed up in the east of the city The militants are an amalgam of illegally armed groups, including the proscribed terrorist brigades affiliated to al-Qaeda. Western governments and media engage in cynical word games by referring to some of the fighters as moderates and rebels. For example, a CNN report states: Syrian and Russian forces are to open humanitarian corridors for people to flee the besieged city of Aleppo, officials in both countries said Thursday, the day after Syrias army announced it had encircled the city and cut off rebel [sic] supply routes. Note how the nice-sounding word rebel is invoked as a way of sanitizing the fact that the city has been besieged by extremists, who have seen fit to chop off the heads of their victims, including 10-year-old boys. What Syrian and Russian forces are about to achieve in the recapture of Aleppo is nothing short of a historic victory. It is not just the symbolism of regaining Syrias second city, which has the strategic significance of government-controlled Damascus. With its proximity to the Turkish border, Aleppo has been a bastion for illicit flow of weapons and mercenaries that has fueled the entire Syrian conflict. The United States and its NATO allies, Britain and France, have worked with their regional partners Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to use Aleppo as the staging post for their covert, dirty war of regime change against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The death-cult mercenaries for this foreign conspiracy of regime change in Syria have come from all over the world, from some 100 countries, including Western and Arab states, as well as from Russias Caucuses. In many ways, Aleppo represents the last stand for the regime-change forces. When Aleppo finally falls in the coming weeks, it will spell the end of Syrias torturous conflict which was imposed on the country by the US and its allies for the purpose of regime change under the guise of a pro-democracy uprising. What an indictment that is of Washingtons criminality and that of its rogue state cronies. Some 400,000 people killed over the past five years and nearly half the population of 23 million turned into refugees. The refugee crisis and blowback terrorism that Europe is confronted with are also repercussions from this foreign criminal conspiracy to subvert Syria. The victory against state-sponsored terrorism on Syria is a tribute to the tenacity and courage of the Syrian people, their government and their army. And in that victory Russia has played a formidable, heroic role. President Assad has acknowledged the vital role of Russias military intervention in saving his nation from the fate that other nations have succumbed to, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya all victims of US-led regime-change machinations. When Russian President Vladimir Putin resolved to send in his military forces to salvage Syria at the end of September 2015, the turnaround was immediate and crucial. The industrial-scale oil smuggling routes run by the jihadist networks in eastern Syria were smashed by Russian air power. That cut off major financial support to the jihadists which the Turkish state had facilitated. That, in turn, left the terrorist center at Raqqa to wither from isolation. The retaking of ancient Palmyra in the center of Syria with its world-class archaeological heritage was also another momentous victory for the Syrian army and its Russian ally. The holding of a classical music concert by Russian artists among the Romanesque ruins recaptured from terrorists was not merely smart public relations. It spoke eloquently of what the Syrian war was all about. A conflict between a sovereign nation supported by Russia against barbaric killers mobilized by lawless foreign powers. The battle now underway for Aleppo is one more perhaps the final historic stage in Syrias struggle against regime-change forces. Russia and President Putin can proudly take pride of place in this historic victory. No wonder then that Western media would rather ignore what is happening in Syria. For years, they have spun a torrent of lies and fabrications, claiming that rebels were fighting for democracy against a tyrannical regime. Now as Syrian and Russian forces bear down on these rebel remnants the truth is hardly deniable. They are being seen for what they are: a network of terrorist mercenaries deployed by the United States and its allies, who are facing ultimate defeat. And so in order to avoid the moment of ghastly truth, and their own complicity in state-sponsored terrorism, the Western media by necessity have to pan away from Syria and the battle of Aleppo. They turn to a new narrative for distraction the wonderful nomination of Hillary Clinton as the first woman to run for the US presidency. Typical of the inane subject-changing maneuver are glowing quotes from Clinton on how she will lead America and the world in defeating jihadist terrorism. This is the same Clinton who as US Secretary of State (2009-2013) orchestrated the covert war for regime change in Syria, with the despicable deployment of terrorist mercenaries guided by the American Central Intelligence Agency. That is, the very war that Russia is now helping to finally put an end to, along with extinguishing the US-sponsored moderate terror groups. Washington and Clinton in particular may start wars, but evidently it is Russia that finishes them. Yet, amazingly, listening to Clinton regale her supporters at the Democrat convention this week one cannot but be in awe of the astronomical cognitive dissonance. A warmonger posing as a champion for world peace and law and order? This breath-taking, absurd deception is only made possible because of the way Western media operate to change the narrative, distort perspectives and obliterate the facts. But the incontrovertible fact is that Russia and Syria are winning a historic war against Western-backed terrorist aggression. Aleppo is the clarion call for this victory. The Western media cant handle that. Instead, they are obliged to try to shift the focus. And to whom do they turn for light relief? Why, one of the culprit architects of the criminal war on Syria Hillary Clinton and her promises to defend America from Russia and terrorists. American politics and media deception what a freak show. Don't be Fooled by the News that al-Qaeda and Nusra Have Split By Robert Fisk August 02, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Independent " - Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is at it again. Qatars ruler has been trying to get Jabhat al-Nusra off Americas infamous terrorist list once more and calculating that the institutional memory of the worlds media is that of a street dog. Hes right. Last year, Tamims Al Jazeera satellite channel produced a tiresome two-part interview with Mohamed al-Julani, Nusras CEO, in which the poor man boasted that he had absolutely nothing against Christians, Alawites or Americans. Nusra just wanted to get rid of that pesky Assad chappy in Damascus, he told the world, along with Assads Russki friends. Syrian Christians to Lebanon and Syrian Alawites to the grave? Nonsense. That was the claptrap peddled by the rotten, horrid Isis of which the Saudis were so enamoured. Then in May this year, ol Doc Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Ladens luckless successor, told Mohamed al-Julani that he could dissociate himself from the original al-Qaeda. Bingo. The split cometh. Americas enemies were breaking apart. Nusra would be the new moderates, worthy of Americas backing, certainly of Britains whose then-Prime Minister, David Cameron, had invented 70,000 moderate Syrian rebels for the world to support against Assad. And now, wearingly, we are being served up the same old cocktail again. Claiming that he is giving his first ever recorded message a palpable nonsense since al-Julani had bored us all last year with the same stuff the BBC told its audience that Syria Nusra Front announces split with al-Qaeda. And yet again, we were treated to al-Julani distancing himself from al-Qaeda and telling us that Nusra is now changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front for the Liberation of the Levant). Al-Julani did though this was missed by the experts in the networks make passing reference to Bin Laden, giving the murdered al-Qaeda leaders blessing to the split because he had once said that the interests of the Muslim homeland take precedence over any state. So the break with al-Qaeda was mutual and all in the interests of the suffering Syrian people, and so on, and so on. Washington dismissed the story as a rebranding exercise without giving the slightest indication that the whole tale was a reboot. The Algerians have a good saying for this: boiling old stones in the saucepan. So lets take a look into the saucepan. Its all about the growing military power of Nusra or Fateh or Sham or whatever nonsensical nomenclature we are now supposed to dream up for this twaddle and the fact that its now far superior in fighting tactics, personnel and guns to the supposedly apocalyptic Isis. The latter may be able to massacre French and Syrian and Belgian and Iraqi citizens to their hearts content, but on the ground in Syria, where it matters they are turning into a pretty feeble bunch. Ask the ruthless soldiers of Assads army and theyll tell you that Nusra is becoming far more important than Isis. Even more to the point, however, is Sheikh Tamim, whose new rule in Qatar analysed in an earlier piece by me this week embraces a soft version of Nusra. His father, the former Emir Sheikh Hamad, poured weapons and cash and resources into Nusra. This got him into very hot water with the Saudis (who have a horrible liking for Isis), the other Gulf states, America, the EU, Nato and just about every entity in the world that thinks it is fighting a war on terror. So when the new Emir Sheikh Tamim took over from his dad with the help of his mother Sheikha Moza again, see my recent takeon the whole Qatar phenomenon he produced a new policy. While giving medicines and soft aid to Nusra, theyd be sending no more arms shipments to these folk. As detectives used to say in the 1950s, a likely story. But Tamim stuck to it, and his Al Jazeera channel clanked out the long interviews with the Christian-loving, America-adoring al-Julani last year and then gave the same al-Julani more airtime this week to claim that he was no longer associated with al-Qaeda. Its not so much a series as a serial: Cleaning Up Al-Nusra should be the title. Turn it into a respectable army of moderates, give it a spanking new name, and then the Americans and Russians will stop bombing the daylights out of it and Qatars loyal militia will destroy the Assad regime and well, if that happened, Qatar would control the future of Syria, a territorial empire far more influential than the increasingly decrepit Al Jazeera. Tamims father Hamad was much more forthright about these matters. He had no qualms about supporting Nusra, guns and all. The Qatari emirate is, after all, a Sunni Wahabi institution and the then Emir Sheikh Hamad had the help of his prime minister, Sheikh Hamad (yes, alas, the same first name but indeed a distant relative) bin Jassem. Once Tamim took over in what Lebanese economist Marwan Iskandar calls a white coup, Hamad bin Jassem lost his job. But as Tamim then tried to wash Nusra of its sins and al-Qaeda supposedly cleared the way for a split, Foreign Policy magazine (owner: Graham Holdings Company, The Washington Post) carried a tendentious story about how al-Qaeda was trying to integrate itself into Nusra and overshadow Isis by becoming part of the mainstream opposition. According to the author of the Foreign Policy article, Charles Lister, al-Qaeda was thus trying to take control of Nusra and the best way of thwarting al-Qaedas ambitions would be to dramatically scale up assistance to vetted [sic] military and civil components of the mainstream opposition inside Syria. These components, Lister made clear, were moderates the same old gofers, presumably, who used to be the Free Syria Army and are now called the Syria Democratic Front or the New Syria Army or whatever mythical warriors remain from David Camerons 70,000-strong legion. In other words, Lister was trashing the whole idea of the Nusra split with al-Qaeda. In fact, he told readers that four top al-Qaeda leaders had recently arrived in Syria to set up yet another emirate in Idlib province. The Syrian opposition the nice, moderate pro-American opposition, that is needed a substantial expansion of military, political and financial assistance, according to a Free Syrian Amy commander quoted approvingly by Lister. So much for Tamims efforts to clean up Nusra. But hold on a moment. Among Listers academic jobs, hes a senior consultant in the Sheikh Groups Track II Syria Initiative. The Sheikh in question is Salman Sheikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre in Qatar and fellow at the centre for Middle East Policy. And the Brookings Doha Centre belongs to the Brookings Institute and its co-chair is you guessed it none other than Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem, the former prime minister of Qatars ex-ruler Sheikh Hamad whose son the new Emir Sheikh Tamim is now trying to present Nusra as a shiny brushed-up guerrilla army fit for acceptance by the rest of the world as a real opposition to Assad. Retired Marine Gen Predicts 'Civil Military Crisis' If Trump Is Elected By Connor OBrien August 02, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Politico " - The election of Republican Donald Trump as president could mean a breakdown in the relationship between civilian and military leaders, a former top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned Sunday. In an interview on ABC's "This Week," retired Marine Gen. John Allen criticized Trump for his rhetoric on the wider use of military force and torture. And if Trump followed through with those pledges, Allen said, it would create "a civil military crisis, the like of which we've not seen in this country before." "It's an inherent responsibility in who we are," Allen said. "So what we need to do is ensure that we don't create an environment that puts us on a track conceivably where the United States military finds itself in a civil military crisis with a commander in chief who would have us do illegal things." "That's a major issue that we're facing here, the potential for a civil military crisis where the military could be ordered to conduct illegal activities," he added. But Allen, a supporter of Hillary Clinton who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, said he hoped it wouldn't come to a public feud between military leaders and a Trump administration. "My hope would be that the conversation would occur quietly in the Oval Office, or somewhere else, to advise him not to continue along this track," Allen said. Allen, who also served as President Barack Obama's special envoy to the counter-Islamic State coalition, slammed Trump's pledge to forge better relations with Russia and leverage its support for the campaign, adding that Russia's conduct in Syria isn't helping in the fight against the Islamic State. "They drop dumb bombs," Allen said of Russia. "So when we talk about carpet bombing ISIL, that's what it looks like, creating huge numbers of civilian casualties, which increases the numbers of refugees flowing out of the region, which increases the misery of the Syrian people. "Russians haven't helped us," he said. Allen also deflected criticism from Trump, who dismissed him as a "failed general" in response to his Democratic convention speech criticizing the Republican's national security stances. "He has no credibility to criticize me or my record or anything that I have done," the retired four-star general said. "If he had spent a minute in the deserts of Afghanistan or in the deserts of Iraq, I might listen to what he has to say." General John Allen Trump has 'No Credibility' Video ABC News American Horror Story How the Democrats Found a Boogeyman in Hillarys Emails By Paul Craig Roberts August 02, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Katehon " - Bernie Sanders won the presidential nomination, but he was cheated out of it by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which is the operating body for the Democratic Party. The DNC helped Hillary win the nomination by the combination of vote miscounts with appointment of super delegates, who no one elected, to vote for Hillary. So, she won this nomination illegitimately. All of Bernie Sanders supporters know that. They have turned against Hillary, and it is unlikely that many of them will vote for Clinton. When the email scandal hit, the Democratic National Committee, hoping to shift the blame elsewhere, asked: Who do Americans dislike more than Hillary and answered the Russians. Washington has been demonizing the Russians for last 3-4 years. So, the Americans are told to dislike the Russians. Thats why the DNC and the presstitute media blame Putin for the WikiLeaks release of the emails that showed that Democrats were cheating Sanders out of the presidential nomination. Putin was made the issue instead of Hillary. Hillary is a crook in many ways. But she has escaped from prosecution, because she is too useful to the oligarchs. So they shift all that blame to Putin, saying that this is a Russian plan to get Donald Trump elected. But I dont think it will fool many people. Only the stupid ones. It will play in the media, because the media is not honest, not independent. The American media is like the old Soviet Media it has to answer to the Master and cant say much independently. Its not going to fool the American people that all this e-mail scandal is the work of Putin. Democrats are looking for a boogeyman, for somebody to shift the blame away from them. They dont even realize that their allegations make Russia look like a cyber superpower. Well, Russia may be a cyber superpower, but we all know that Clintons e-mails did not reach WikiLeaks via Russia. Its just something Clinton operatives made up. The media simply went along with it, reporting it without investigating it. I dont think that many people will believe that Putin is behind the leak of Hillarys incriminating emails. It just makes the Democratic National Committee look even more ridiculous. The DNC steals an election from the candidate that people wanted and tries to blame Putin for doing that. Bernie Sanders, when he supported Clinton at the Democratic convention, discredited himself and demoralized all his supporters. Therefore, they turned from him too. That eliminates Sanders as a leader. He ruined it for himself. If he had gone to the convention and said: You stole the presidential nomination from me! I am the one who won, he would be the most popular American today. He could run as an independent candidate and win. But he didnt have the courage to do that. He gave up, surrendered. The oligarchs are accustomed to people surrendering to them. They think that Putin will surrender to them. And that China will surrender. And Iran. Bernie Sanders does not have the support of the oligarchs. The military security complex, Wall Street, and the Israel Lobby are not behind him. He is not their agent. His support came from the Democratic voters themselves. So he doesnt have the power to prevail, unless he really takes the fight to Hillary. But he wasnt willing to risk that. Bernie Sanders is considered as an outsider by oligarchs. They did not fund his campaign. His endorsement of Hillary has broken him as a political leader, and it is the end for him as a potential leader. Hillary has chosen a war-mongering general as her vice-president. The American media, which is bloodthirsty for war, will support Clinton and attack Trump. But the media has lied so much that the media has lost its credibility. Fewer people depend on the media, because it was lying so much and for so long. Much more important is how Trump handles himself. If he continues to say that he doesnt want a conflict with Russia, that NATO is a problem and not a solution, and continues to denounce the offshoring of American jobs that have destroyed the middle class, Trump will win the presidential election regardless of the opposition from oligarchs and the media. The fact that corporations moved the middle-class jobs offshore really hurts Americans and the American economy. Trump is against having tensions with Russia. He realizes that there is no real need for NATO. So, Americans are supporting him for these reasons. If Trump sticks to these issues he will win, if the election is not stolen, But the question is: what could he achieve, if he gets the office. It may turn out that he could do nothing, but hes the only hope we have. Does Trump know who to appoint in order to achieve his aims, or will his government be appointed by the establishment who will advise him and thereby control him? If a Trump victory seems in the cards, Democrats will try to steal the election by programing the electronic voting machines that leave no paper trail. So, whoever programs the voting machines can determine the vote outcome. And nobody will ever know that fraud has occurred. Unless Trump has experts, who can ensure that the voting machines are programmed correctly, I suspect that the machines will be programmed to vote for Hillary. Trump cannot trust the Republican political establishment, because it is opposed to him. If Trump relies on them, they will cooperate with Hillarys people and program the machines so that Hillary wins. There are no paper ballots to be recounted. This is the way a lot of elections have been stolen in recent years in the US. The American Establishment is evil incarnate and will not accept an outsider as President. If Hillary becomes president, American violence against other peoples will increase. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter The New York Times's Outrage at Trump's Refusal to Demonize Russia By Matt Peppe August 02, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - After baseless allegations from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that the Russian government was behind a hack of the DNC's emails, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sarcastically quipped that he hoped Russia would find and release the deleted emails from Hillary Clinton's private server from her time as secretary of state. The New York Times failed to note the sarcasm and treated the comments as evidence of high crimes against the state. It was an example of the modern day red-baiting against Trump, who is portrayed as being in league with Russian President Vladimir Putin to conspire against the United States itself. The Times said Trump was "essentially urging a foreign adversary to conduct cyberespionage against a former secretary of state." While Trump is such a narcissitic buffoon that it is often difficult to discern when he is being facetious, he was clearly making a joke. But treating the comment in the spirit it was intended would mean passing up a golden opportunity to bash Trump for what has become common knowledge in mainstream political analysis: Trump is anti-American for being diplomatic instead of vilifying Russia and Putin at every opportunity. They scrutinize and make a point of every statement Trump makes that fails to antagonize Russia for actions the US government doesn't antagonize other countries for. While they merely imply "urging" cyberespionage is treasonous rather than state it explicitly, the Times finds it so important that they place it in the lead paragraph. This is curiously prominent, much more prominent that when President Barack Obama literally joked about incinerating a family with a remotely guided missile. At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in 2010, Obama said: "The Jonas Brothers are here. (Applause.) They're out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans. But, boys, don't get any ideas. (Laughter.) I have two words for you - predator drones. (Laughter.) You will never see it coming. (Laughter.) You think I'm joking. (Laughter.)" Unlike Trump's joke, which warranted its own headline ("Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton's Missing Emails"), Obama's joke wasn't mentioned in the Times' headline about the event ("Obama and Leno Share a Time Slot") nor the lead. Their summary of the night's newsworthiness noted "jokes about Representative John Boehner's tan, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s lack of restraint and the Fox News-MSNBC divide." You had to go all the way down to the eighth paragraph to find the briefest possible mention of Obama's obscene drone murder joke/threat: "Mr. Obama noted the presence of the Jonas Brothers, who can count Sasha and Malia Obama among their fans. But the First Father warned the band: 'Two words: predator drones.' " If another world leader hypothetically ran a global assassination campaign under which he unilaterally assumed the power to kill anyone he wanted in the world, anywhere, any time, with the only criteria needed to order someone's death being internal deliberations within the executive branch, it would produce such a frenzy in corporate media they would devote themselves nearly exclusively to beating the drums for regime change, much as they did leading up to the Iraq War. If that hypothetical leader then joked about people he was killing, it would undoubtedly be a banner headline on the front page for days or weeks. There would certainly be apoplectic outrage, and you most definitely wouldn't have to scroll down to the eighth paragraph to learn about it. Mark Karlin wrote in Buzzflash at Truthout in 2014 that Obama's mock threat to the Jonas brothers "evoked the US indifference to those persons killed overseas by drone strikes. That is because the guffaws of the corporate media were based on the subconscious premise that Obama's boasting of his power to authorize kill strikes is limited to people of little note to DC insiders, Middle-Eastern civilians (collateral damage) and persons alleged to be terrorists or in areas where terrorists allegedly congregate." As Jeanne Mirer, president of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, writes in Drones and Targeted Killing: "If the person against whom lethal force is directed has not been convicted of a crime for which a death sentence is permissible in the state where the killing occurs, the targeted killing is also an 'extrajudicial' killing, outside of any legal process. Targeted extrajudicial killing is, by its very nature, illegal." [1] But corporate media like the New York Times could care less that Obama is violating international human rights law and the US Constitution itself by assassinating people. What produces the greatest moral outrage in the Times and the media elites is perceived attacks on the American state, or perceived threats to American supremacy. Thus the Times calls Trump's joke "another bizarre moment in the mystery of whether Vladimir Putin's government has been seeking to influence the United States' presidential race." What is supposedly bizarre is unclear. What is dubbed a "mystery" is really nothing more than a conspiracy theory. The Times cites the DNC's accusations that Russian intelligence agents hacked the committee's emails. The DNC's frantic finger pointing at Russia are a transparent tactic to distract from the damning content of the emails themselves, as Nadia Prupis has written at Common Dreams. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange noted in an interview with Democracy Now that any such claims are "simply speculation" and when Hillary's campaign manager Robby Mook was asked in a TV interview to name the experts he was citing as evidence, Mook refused flatly. The Times validates the DNC's objective evidence-free accusations by saying American intelligence agencies have confirmed with "high confidence" the Russian government was behind the attack. They have not publicly presented any evidence at all, but their word at face value is good enough for the Times to consider it damning proof. American intelligence agencies and the military have a motive to hype the Russian "threat" to justify their own budget requests and advance the US government's policy of global hegemony, presumably unaware that the Cold War ended 25 years ago. In case Russia's transgressions are not self-evident enough for Times readers, they call attention to Trump's refusal to condemn Russia's "seizure" of Crimea and willingness to consider whether to lift sanctions against the Russian government as a "remarkable departure from United States policy." It would be a departure from US policy against Russia. But it is not US policy to sanction countries for incorporating territory outside their recognized borders in general. Quite the opposite in fact. Unlike Crimea, which voted with roughly 97 percent support to join Russia in a peaceful transition to re-integrate itself into the country it had been part of for several centuries, Israel seized the Palestinian territories nearly 50 years ago through violent military aggression against the unanimous wishes of both the Palestinians themselves and nearly the entire Middle East and beyond. In the subsequent half century, the US has showered Israel with more than $150 billion in aid while fighting tooth and nail any attempt in the United Nations to hold Israel to account for its indisputable violations of international law. The US has also generously gifted millions of dollars in aid to countries like Indonesia after they had seized East Timor and carried a genocidal assault against nearly one third of the country's population and sponsored France's attempts to reconquer their former colony Vietnam after World War II (before stepping in directly and unleashing the most horrific military assault on a country's people and environment in modern times.) But policies of supporting other country's human rights and international violations are not of interest to the Times if those countries are seen as allied with US "interests" or "values." It is only when someone questions whether it is necessary to continue treating another government as an enemy that they are called on to take a hard-line in standing up for international law. The Times calls Russia "often hostile to the United Sates" while NATO continues to encircle the country from all sides and Obama has ordered what amounts to a permanent buildup of NATO personnel and weapons along Russia's borders and instigated a new nuclear arms race by spending $1 trillion to upgrade the US nuclear arsenal and make weapons more usable, i.e., more likely to be employed. In another article titled "As Democrats Gather, a Russian Subplot Raises Intrigue," the Times asks what they purport to be a widespread question: "Is Vladimir V. Putin trying to meddle in the American presidential election." While this is merely another conspiracy theory without any actual evidence supporting it, it is the case that countries often do meddle in the elections of other countries. But it is almost always the US government itself doing it to others, which explains why it is ignored by the Times and the rest of the media establishment. In Rogue State, William Blum lists twenty cases of US interference in the elections of sovereign countries (including Russia itself) [2]: Philippines, 1950s Italy, 1948-1970s Lebanon, 1950s Indonesia, 1955 Vietnam, 1955 British Guyana, 1953-64 Japan 1958-1970s Nepal, 1959 Laos, 1960 Brazil, 1962 Dominican Republic, 1962 Chile, 1964-1970 Portugal, 1974-75 Australia, 1974-75 Jamaica, 1976 Nicaragua, 1984, 1990 Haiti, 1987-1988 Russia, 1996 Mongolia, 1996 Bosnia, 1998 But the actions themselves are not the issue. Not all violations of international law or subversion of state sovereignty are created equal. If the US government is the perpetrator of such actions, they are glossed over or ignored entirely. But when the US itself is seen as the subject of such violation (even when it is purely in the imaginations of conspiracy theorists and others seeking to demonize official enemies, as appears to be the case in the current moment) any one who doesn't join forcefully in the demonization is vilified relentlessly, as Trump is experiencing in the pages of the Times and across the mainstream media. Matt Peppe blogs at http://mattpeppe.blogspot.com References [1] Cohn, Marjorie. Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues . Olive Branch Press, 2014. Kindle Edition. [2] Blum, William. Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower . 2016. Kindle Edition. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter US Airstrikes Hit Libya to Bolster UN-Created Government By Daniel McAdams August 02, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RPI " - The Pentagon has announced today that the US has begun conducting military airstrikes against Libya with the stated intent of defeating ISIS in that country. According to the Pentagon spokesman, the Libyan "Government of National Accord" requested that the US begin airstrikes against what they claim is an ISIS stronghold in the Libyan town of Sirte, the birthplace of murdered Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook has indicated that this is the beginning of a more sustained US air campaign against Libya and that each US airstrike is approved by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). Some observations: 1) No ISIS Before 2011 US "Liberation" It goes without saying that before the US "liberation" of Libya in 2011, there were no ISIS forces in Sirte, or anywhere else in Libya. ISIS in Libya is a problem created by the US intervention in Libya in 2011. 2) Libyan Government Created by UN The Pentagon cites the "Government of National Accord" as the legitimate Libyan government and its willingness to carry out airstrikes in favor of that government signifies US policy favors consolidation of power in the hands of this one of several factions competing for power in Libya. It should be noted that the "Government of National Accord" is a governing body that was not selected by the Libyan people, but rather created by the United Nations and sent into Libya on a ship from Tunisia. At the time this government was imposed on the Libyan people by the UN, that body's envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler told the Libyan people they should accept this new governing body even though they had not elected it He said: I call on the Libyan people to extend to the Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord their full support and cooperation. The international community stands firmly behind them and is ready to provide the required support and assistance. The US-led attack on Libya was supposed to give the Libyan people back their sovereign vote by deposing a leader not sufficiently democratic by US standards. The US is bombing Libya to consolidate the power of a non-elected government that the US installed because the previous government was not elected. 3) US Claims 2001 Force Authorization as Authority At the 28:04 minute mark of today's briefing on the airstrikes, one journalist finally asked the Pentagon spokesman under what legal authority these strikes were being conducted. The Pentagon spokesman replied that they were authorized by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force. This Administration claim is an incredible stretch -- beyond the breaking point. Libya was not involved in any way with the 9/11 attacks on the US and ISIS did not even exist at the time of the 9/11 attacks. None of the journalists followed up on the Administration's claim of authority to attack Libya based on legislation targeting those who attacked the US on 9/11. 4) Millions Spent on Strikes to Hit a Tank According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, this US airstrike resulted in the bombing of a tank and a few trucks. The cost of a round of airstrikes on Iraq or Syria is approximately $8.5 million. 5) No Media Interest in ISIS Appearance in Libya Through the entire 37 minute Pentagon briefing, no one in the press corps asked why ISIS is in Libya where it had not been before the 2011 US attack. No one challenged the Administration narrative. Copyright 2016 by RonPaul Institute. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for authorising the ongoing military operation against oil thieves and vandals terrorising Ibafo, Ogijo, and other neighbouring communities in the state. Amosun, who spoke yesterday while visiting the affected communities, called on the Federal government to ensure that the creeks, especially areas hosting petroleum pipelines, were cleared for proper visibility. The Nigerian military is currently carrying out an operation codenamed Operation Awatse, which involves series of air strikes on camps of oil thieves in the Arepo area of Ogun State. The governor, who was appalled by a large number of jerry cans the hoodlums use to siphon fuel from ruptured pipelines, noted that there was the need for the nations creek line to be cleared of shrubs and bushes that make it attractive for hoodlums to hide and rupture pipelines. He said: We have gone round this place they say is the camp of the vandals, and I must say I feel sad, sad because some of us can deliberately be engaging in this type of economic sabotage. But I will advise the Federal Government to embark on a deliberate policy to clear our creeks. All the shrubs and bushes 500 metres of our creeks should be cleared. As you can all see, this place is bushy and it is enough incentive to hoodlums to hide and operate. I want to believe this is how our creek is nationwide. We should be proactive and solve this problem. The governor, who was accompanied on the visit by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Adekunbi Suraj; Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa; Brigade Commander, 35th Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Ogun State; State Police Commissioner, Ahmed Illiyasu, and State Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), expressed appreciation to the service chiefs for their focus and determination to rid the country of all forms of criminality. Leader of the Sufficient Grace and Truth Ministry, SGTM, Okinni in Osun state, Seun Adeoye has cried out over the presence of heavily armed policemen in his residence on Sunday. Recall that the Bishop staged a-one-man protest in May in Osogbo against the federal governments removal of fuel subsidy and the resultant price hike of the premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol. Adeoye raised the alarm in a statement issued yesterday, where he noted that the police visit to his home may not be unconnected with his critical assessment of the policies of both the federal government and those of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration in Osun state. He stated that though the policemen did not harass him, their mission to his house was suspicious. Adeoye said, I belong to a class of people who will not close their eyes to injustice and maladministration. I cannot withstand governments anti-democratic ethos in a society expected to treat its people equally. I cannot choose to be mute and deaf when people are hungry and dying because of bad economic policies. If saying the truth is an offence, I am ready to die for it. As I mentioned during my protest, things are becoming more difficult for Nigerians and our government appeared not to have answers to myriads of problems facing the nation. I said Nigeria is in chain and I have not been proved wrong. I was surprised to see six stern looking and fully armed policemen storm my house on Sunday morning. They claimed to have come from Zone XI Command looking for some miscreants. Only one of the policemen wore uniform while others were on vests bearing police and they didnt come with any police vehicle but a private car. First of all, there was no report of any threat to peace or crime in my area at Hallehuyah Estate and till now we havent heard of any. Secondly, my house was not the only one in the neighbourhood, yet mine was the only one visited. Source: Dailypost The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday waded into the budget padding scandal rocking the House of Representatives by summoning the lawmaker in the eye of the storm, Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation and member of the party. Mr. Jibrin is to appear before a disciplinary committee at the partys national secretariat in Abuja not later than Tuesday (today) afternoon. The governing party, in a letter it dispatched to the Kano federal lawmaker, explained that it resorted to summoning him via a letter after all attempts to reach him by telephone calls and text messages were unsuccessful. In the letter, dated August 1, 2016, and signed by the partys Deputy National Chairman for the Northern Zone, Lawal Shuaibu, the APC cautioned Mr. Jibrin over his media campaign against the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other principal officers over an allegation of budget padding. To say the least, it is absolutely unacceptable to resort to media war as a means of settling scores without recourse to and/or exhausting the partys internal dispute resolution mechanism, the party said. The APC appears to have found its voice after its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, chastised the partys leadership for failing to call Jibrin to order and resolve the dispute between him and Speaker Dogara. Mr. Jibrin was removed as chairman of the Appropriation Committee in controversial circumstances on July 20 on allegations of betrayal of trust. He denied the allegation and launched a vicious campaign in the media against Mr. Dogara; his deputy, Yussuf Lasun; House Whip, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, calling for their removed from office. (Mr. Ogor is the only non-APC member of the quartet). On Monday, Mr. Jibrin formally visited the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission, ICPC, Department of State Services, DSS, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, where he submitted petitions against the aforementioned principal officers and some other lawmakers. However, the APC, in the letter to its member, said decried the steps he took, stressing that it underscored a blatant disregard for party supremacy and its existing internal dispute resolution mechanism, adding that it would work to ensure that it instilled discipline on all members. As a disciplined party, the constitution of our party has made adequate provisions on ways of resolving any issue among our members, Mr. Shuaibu said. It behoves on the party to take all necessary steps in order to ensure that no member of the Family brings dishonour to the party. The APC, therefore, reiterated its notice for Mr. Jibrin to appear before the party today, urging him to be guided accordingly as he digested the content of the letter. You are, therefore, by this invitation, expected to appear before the undersigned at the APC National Secretariat on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2016, at 2 p.m. Kindly note that failure to and/or refusal to honour this invitation will amount to a decision you have made not to submit to the party. President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday approved the appointment of 17 new chief executives of various parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Education. A statement by a deputy director in the ministry, Benjamim Goong, said the new chief executives had been invited to meet with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu today, Tuesday. The new appointees are Prof. Abubakar Rasheed (National Universities Commission); Prof. Lilian Salami (Nigerian Institute For Educational Planning and Administration); Dr. Hameed Boboyi (Universal Basic Education Board); Prof. Lanre Aina (National Library of Nigeria); Prof. Charles Uwakwe (National Examinations Council); Prof. Abba Haladu (National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult And Non-Formal Education); Prof. Bashir Usman (Nomadic Education Commission); and Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe (National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB). Others are Prof. Sunday Ajiboye (Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria); Afolabi Aderinto (Computer Registration Council of Nigeria); Prof. Bappah Aliyu (National Commission for Colleges of Education); Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa (Tertiary Education Tax Fund); Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare (National Teachers Institute); and Prof. Michael Afolabi (Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria). Also appointed are Prof. Steven Ejugwu Onah (National Mathematical Centre, Sheda); Prof. Ishaq Oloyede (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board); and Prof. Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche (National Institute of Nigerian Languages). Mr. Goong also said four heads of parastatals under the ministry were retained. They are Prof. Samaila Junaidu of Nigeria Educational Research & Development Council; Prof. Raaufu Adebisi of Nigerian French Language Village Badagry; Dr. Masud A. Kazaure of National Board For Technical Education; and Prof. Muhammad Muaz of National Arabic Language Village, Maiduguri, Borno State. The Ekiti State House of Assembly has berated human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, (SAN), for his double standards in the legality or otherwise of the Department of State Services, DSS meddling in the internal affairs of the legislative arm of government. The House of Assembly specifically frowned at Falanas condemnation of the DSS decision to investigate principal officers and others members of the House of Representatives over alleged involvement in the padding of the 2016 budget because it lacked the powers to do so, while looking the other way when the agency invaded the Ekiti Assembly and arrested a member over allegations of fraud. Chairman of the Assemblys Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan, on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said the Senior Advocate of Nigerias new position on the DSS role at the National Assembly and the arrest of members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly over attempt to impeach the state governor, was a show of hypocrisy. Mr. Falana had Sunday issued a statement questioning the legality of the DSS move to investigate alleged padding of 2016 budget, which he described as a straight forward case of economic crime, which ought to be handled by appropriate law enforcement agencies such as the police, EFCC and ICPC. He argued that by virtue of National Security Agencies Act, the DSS is strictly limited to the preservation and detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of Nigeria. The rights activist had also lampooned the DSS for clamping down on principal officers and administrative staff of Zamfara State House of Assembly for attempting to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Abdulazeez Yari on grounds of alleged corrupt practices. Falana should be ashamed that he gave tacit support to the DSS when the agency engaged in illegalities in Ekiti, his home state and now elects to complain when the same DSS extended its illegalities to the House of Representatives and Zamfara State House of Assembly, Mr. Aribisogan said. The question that Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) needs to answer is whether he just realised that the duty of the DSS according to the National Security Agencies Act, is strictly limited to the preservation and detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of Nigeria. Also, Falana needs to tell Nigerians whether the DSS invasion of the Ekiti State House of Assembly that he supported was in preservation of internal security of Nigeria. The Ekiti Assemblys spokesman accused Mr. Falana of always finding his voice only when his political allies in his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) were involved. The question is, is Falanas human rights activism only about defending the interests of his political allies in his party, the APC? queried Mr. Aribisogan. Could Falana have spoken against the DSS arrest of and detention of the principal officers and administrative staff of the Zamfara State House of Assembly if Zamfara was a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled State like Ekiti? It is our view that a credible rights activist will not blow hot and cold at the same time as being done by Falana, and Nigerians should stop taking self-centred political activists like him seriously, he added. The Federal Governments plan to revive the steel sector received a massive boost on Monday with the signing of a renegotiation concession agreement with Global Steel Holdings Limited for the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe. With the renegotiated agreement, the Ajaokuta Steel Complex has also been reverted to the Federal Government, effectively releasing the entity from all contractual bottlenecks that had left it uncompleted and non-functional for decades, while GSHL retains NIOMCO. The new agreement, which came after four years of mediation, was signed at a short ceremony presided by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), in his office at the Presidential villa on Monday. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, signed on behalf of the government, while Chairman of GSHL, Prammod Mittal signed on behalf of the company. The Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development, Hon. Abubakar Bwari; the International Mediator, Mr. Phillip Howell-Richardson, and top officials of the Ministries of Justice and Solid Minerals Development, also witnessed the signing ceremony. Speaking at the event, Prof. Osinbajo hailed the mediation process that led to the resolution of the problem that has made it impossible for the two national assets to be functional for years. He added that it was important the concession works so that Ajaokuta can take off too. Fayemi, who led the Federal Government side in the mediation process, said with the new agreement on NIOMCO, the next step is to commence the process of taking over Ajaokuta and ensuring that it is given out to a serious operator with proven technical and financial capacity. Fayemi said: It is our expectation that we would accomplish two things bring NIOMCO to full function and start the process of retaking Ajaokuta and then give it to a new operator. With this, we will move from being just a mineral nation to a mining nation. Once the first phase of the agreement is accomplished, it is the intention of the FGN to quickly move into accomplishing the objectives of concessioning the Ajaokuta Steel Plant to the most competent operator who meets the requirements of credible track record, technical capacity and financial competence. The minister described the settlement as a landmark development that would help the diversification plans of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. In his remarks, the GSHL Chairman, Mr Mittal, said the company waited for eight years to achieve this amicable settlement. Mittal pledged the commitment of his company to the objectives of the agreement and guaranteed supply to Ajaokuta plant and Delta Steel Company, after which it will sell what is left to other interested parties. He assured the government of its readiness to commence operation soon, adding that in the next two years Nigeria would begin to produce steel. The Federal Government have resumed the delayed payments to former militants in the oil-rich Niger River delta, addressing some grievances amid attacks that cut crude production close to a 30-year low. This is contained in a statement by the coordinator of the presidential amnesty program, Paul Boroh as he said about 30,000 ex-fighters, who were receiving a 65,000 naira monthly stipend, were told the government would resume paying stipends after a two-month hiccup. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has also said it is trying to engage militants to establish a cease-fire after oil output fell to 1.4 million barrels a day, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Emmanuel Kachikwu said on Monday. Following several years of relative calm, the attacks by the Delta Avengers started in February after president Buhari announced the suspension of security contracts and payments that had turned earlier militants into protectors. Boroh said he had given assurance to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta militants that their patience was appreciated by President Muhammadu Buhari, who backs the amnesty and plans to invest heavily in the region. The amnesty program is set to end in 2017 and the government earlier this year said it planned to cut financing by half to about $100 million. A couple identified as Mr and Mrs Francis Ekanem, has lost their two children and home, in Ikot Usen, Ibiono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, to fire caused by a lit candle in the house. The couple are bean cake (akara) traders. They were said to be outside grinding the beans needed to prepare their product later in the day while their children were asleep in a room where the lit candle was placed. The candle fell and started a fire but the busy couple were not aware at the initial stage. Eyewitness say the children cried for help and tried to escape from the house but could not because of the burglary proof. The parents then rushed to neighbours for help after they were alerted to the fire outbreak. Sadly, the children were burnt to death before they could be rescued. Police say it has opened an investigation into the incident. Source: Dailypost A governorship aspirant for the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo state, Chief Olusola Oke, said Monday that whether or not he emerges the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he will work for the success of the party in the November election. Speaking after obtaining his nomination form at the APC secretariat on Monday, the aspirant said every index on ground in the state suggests that the people of Ondo were eagerly waiting for the APC to redeem it from the clutches of oppression, which they have been subjected to in the last eight years by the Peoples Democratic Party. Mr. Oke also dismissed speculations that the high number of aspirants jostling for the APC ticket was dividing the party. Our party is very lucky to have so many aspirants in Ondo state, he said. As the last count, about 18 have so far collected the nomination form and I am aware that many others are coming. That is a lot of lesson for our party and it shows that those desiring change in Ondo state are very many and the voices are very loud. The aspirant stated further that Ondo state has no reason to be where it is today. We have the longest coastline, the richest forestry in Nigeria, the richest mineral resources, the bitumen is second to the largest in the world, we are oil producing and we have all mineral resources. The Human Resources is in abundance. Ondo state, therefore, has no reason to be poor. Unfortunately, in the last seven years, we have been misruled and misguided by a leadership without vision, direction or mission. The consequence of this is that the cherished value of unity, inter girth and pride, has been lost. My mission is to arrest the drift and turn around our economy which used to be a civil service economy. Even the civil service has no capacity anymore to service the economy with six months salaries unpaid. This translates to an economy that is totally castrated. I believe that the many projects in Ondo state which have been abandoned if turned around will transform the economy of the state. A tidal example is the Olokola project which has been abandoned, the cassava processing factory, and many others. My mission immediately revives these projects and completes them so that we can diversify our economy. Oke also accused the Governor Olusegun Mimiko government of abandoning the road map of development initiated by previous administrations in the state beginning from Chief Adekunle Ajasin to Adebayo Adefarati and Olusegun Agagu. He, however, promised to revive this road map to ensure that education, which used to be our pride, is revived. Today, Ondo state has lost its pride of place in education. He said further that In 2009, when Dr. Olusegun Agagu was leaving the saddle of power, he left N38 billion in the coffer of Ondo state which was unprecedented anywhere in Nigeria. Today, we are down with N108 billion indebtedness. It takes a man of vision, a man that has the grace of God and the fear of God to be able to pilot the affairs of Ondo state. I want to create the enabling environment that can attract private investors to Ondo state end you cannot do that without infrastructure. We will also engender a policy that will create wealth for our people so that we can regain those values we have lost. The people of Ondo state are looking up to APC because it is the only hope for the people because they cannot trust the leadership of a party that has held them hostage for eight years running. In 2012, about 120,000 illegal voters were in the voters register and this was proven at the Supreme Court. The election was characterized by a lot of unfairness and the people of Ondo state are wiser for it. I told them that this government will impoverish them and will not do anything during the second term and the testimonies are very clear for everybody. What us standing between me and the government house is the ticket of APC. Once I get the ticket, I am governor of Ondo state, the PDP candidate in the 2012 governorship election in Ondo. Asked if he will work join hands with any candidate who emerges winner of the APC primary if he failed to secure the ticket, Oke said I believe that I am the best candidate in the race. As a Christian, I have heard that power belongs to God and He gives it to whom He pleases. If at the end of the day the delegates take a decision and it is not me, I will work for the APC. On cases of inconclusive elections in recent times, he said I am aware of the provisions of the electoral act that states that where an election has been conducted and there remain units where votes did not take place and the number of registered voters in that unit are such that may affect the outcome of the election if they had voted, the election should be inconclusive and that what is guiding INEC in their decisions. I am not expecting such to happen in Ondo state, but if it happens, the law will prevail. But I am not praying for inconclusive election because it can be very frustrating and very challenging. But that is the law at the moment until it is amended; we have to play it according to the law. The Special Adviser on Legislative Matters to Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, Rabiu Idris, has called for total scrapping of security votes. Mr. Idris, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Funtua, Katsina State, Monday, said that such funds should be used to execute meaningful projects. According to him, the security votes are tagged in approved budgets as miscellaneous, without any specific projects attached to the provision, thereby giving the president, governors and local council chairmen the chance to do as they like with it. I vehemently condemn the security votes allocation and call for its scrapping, Mr. Idris said. The adviser, a former member of the State House of Assembly, said scrapping the security votes would enhance accountability and proper utilisation of public funds. Idris further urged federal lawmakers to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his effort to promote transparency in governance. He criticized ongoing attempt to provide immunity to some lawmakers, describing the move as self-centered and detrimental to democratic growth. He said Nigerians must oppose the moves through constructive debates, to make the legislators concentrate on their duties. Mr. Idris also said current happenings in the National Assembly should make the electorate to ensure that, henceforth, only those with genuine intentions are voted to represent them. He advised Nigerians to always scrutinize the records of candidates and their capacity to deliver quality leadership, rather than material gains, during elections. According to him, electing the right people will bring about desired changes at all levels and ensure positive transformation. (NAN) He is a rare Nigerian, at a time when the present economic hardship in this country could make an average Nigerian throw goodwill, kindness and benevolence to the dogs. This young man displayed an act that would erect a mansion for him in Paradise. His name is Mr Akpan Nsikak from Cross River State (calabar), he is a keke operatoroperator in Owerri. About a week ago, he found a purse containing recharge cards of all the network providers in Nigeria worth about N80,000 forgotten by a passenger in his keke. He brought it to zanders 105.7fm studio and we announced it (not mentioning the content of the purse). Few days later and elderly woman came, identified and claimed the purse and its content. Now here is the big deal about this whole story: Mr Akpan Nsikak owns a rickety keke that needs major repairs. Whit that amount of money, he would have fixed his keke, and had some extra money to flex around with. But he chose to return it to the owner. The C. E. O of zanders 105.7fm Owerri and zanders foundation decided to honour Mr. Akpan Nsikak today. Mr Akpan Nsikak got a cash gift of N10,000 a one year house (self contained) rent in Owerri town. (as he lives at akabo) at the moment. He also got an electronic Kettle from the Noble Women Association, his decapitated keke was fixed. He will also have a night (all expenses paid for) at the prestigious New Concorde Hotel Owerri). Do good and good will follow you. We celebrate Mr. Akpan Nsikak today and always. Source: Nairaland The Lagos State government has disclosed that it paid the sum of N891 million to 324 retirees from the mainstream Civil Service, Local Governments, State Universal Basic Education and other parastatals for the month of July, 2016. The State Director-General of Pension Commission, Mrs Folashade Onanuga, made this disclosure while speaking at the 29th Retirement Benefit Bond presentation ceremony. She claimed LASG had fulfilled her own part of paying the retirees entitlements and that it was now left for the Pension Fund Administrators/Annuity Service Providers to fulfill their part of the arrangement by ensuring that monthly payment to retirees were made. Mrs Onanuga however, appealed to the beneficiaries to use the money judiciously, urging them to seek professional advice when making an investment decision with their payment. It will be recalled that the sum of N16,336,552 billion had already been paid to 3,924 retirees by the Lagos State government as accrued pension rights through LASPEC from August 2015 to July, 2016. The Delta State Police Command has confirmed that a man chopped off the hand of a member of his extended family over land dispute. The suspect, Mr Jude Boroh, had allegedly attacked Morgan Ekure, a civil servant with the Delta State government, with a cutlass. The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Celestina Kalu confirmed the incident which happened in Emevor, Isoko North Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 5pm after a meeting of an extended family to demarcate and adjust a land boundary. The resolution of the meeting between Edivri and Othiro families did not please some members of the Othiro family. A member of the Edivri family, Mr Edward Akure, said the suspect had before the meeting threatened to eliminate members of his family over the land. According to him, the meeting had gone peacefully, before the suspect attacked the victim. Edward noted that previous threats by the suspects family to eliminate members of the Edivri family were not taking seriously by police at Otor-Owhe where they had earlier reported. Source: Punch On what could be termed as tragedy, residents of Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State woke up to the news of the death of a young man Timothy Akan who apparently committed suicide by hanging on a palm tree. What could have led the young man to take his life cant be ascertained immediately as no note was left by him to know the reason. As at filing this report, the lifeless body of the young man was still handing on the tree along Stadium road Ikot-Abasi. Calls to the DPO to draft his men to the site has not been returned nor the FRSC Sector commander. However, only the Fire Service were willing to take down the body only if the Police gives the go ahead. Source: Facebook A man from Montana, USA, was issued a $400 fine after posting a video on social media showing him using his pickup truck to chase a grizzly bear. Lawrence Kennedy was charged with a violation of the Endangered Species Act after a video he posted to Facebook showed him driving his pickup truck on March 19 and chasing a grizzly bear. Kennedy initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, arguing he was merely trying to keep the grizzly bear away from a nearby herd of cattle. He said the chase never exceeded 10 mph. Kennedy said he posted the video of the chase, which he said lasted for about 90 seconds, to warn other residents about a bear in the area. Kennedy struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors July 5 and was issued a $400 fine with a $25 processing fee for unlawfully harassing a threatened species. Binta Ali, the mother of Amina Ali, one of the Chibok schoolgirls rescued in May of 2016 after two years in Boko Haram captivity, has expressed fears that her daughter may never be the same again. Mrs. Ali fears her daughter is being pressured to follow Islam, the religion she was forced to convert to by her captors. Amina, her four-month-old baby and the father of her child, a Boko Haram fighter, who she claimed facilitated their escape from captivity, were rescued in May near Damboa, in the remote northeast, by soldiers working together with a Civilian JTF. After a widely publicized meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, in the hope she would shed light on the fate of the other kidnapped girls, Amina has since been held in a house in Abuja for what the Nigerian government has called a restoration process. While the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, insists that Aminas confinement in the house had nothing to do with religion, her mother, Binta, who has spent the last two months in the house, is concerned about her daughters welfare and future. The Thomson Reuters Foundation quotes Mrs. Ali as saying that before her daughter was kidnapped in April of 2014 alongside hundreds of other schoolgirls from their hostel in Chibok, she wanted to further her education. Binta, who returned briefly to Chibok to seek medical treatment, said But now she is afraid of schooling, and she wants to be close to me at home. According to her, Amina wants a sewing machine so that she can start a business making clothes. Binta said she was also worried that her daughter was being pressured into following Islam, having been forced to convert from Christianity during her captivity. Amina herself does not want to remain a Muslim, Binta said, explaining how an Islamic teacher had visited the house several times and told her daughter to maintain her new faith. She did not want to see him, her mother said, adding that the teacher had stopped visiting after Amina complained about him. Giving an insight of some of the tortuous experiences Amina and the other girls passed through, Mrs. Ali said starving and with nothing to cook with, the girls resorted to eating an entire bag of beans and maize raw. I cannot imagine how a human being can eat raw maize and beans like a goat, Binta said. Amina also told her mother how some of the abducted girls had died in captivity, while others suffered broken legs or went deaf after being too close to explosions. But she pleaded with her mother not to break the sad news to the families in Chibok. Other parents have been coming to visit me since I returned, Binta said. But I have not told them anything, even though I know some of those whose daughters have died. Despite her fears over her daughters religion and education, and uncertainty over when she will be allowed to return home, Binta said she still had reason to be positive about her. She used to be very afraid, Binta said, explaining how Amina would talk to herself during the night prior to her kidnap. But now she sleeps soundly. She is no longer afraid. The Nation He is believed to have sneaked out of the country since he could not be located in all his Nigerian addresses. Punch Some vandals allegedly responsible for attacks on communities in Lagos and Ogun states are escaping in large numbers to riverine communities in the Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas of Ondo State. New Telegraph President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday sacked 17 Chief Executives of Parastatals and Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education. Vanguard A group of ex-militants under the aegis of Former Forest Soldiers, FFS, aka Isaac Boro Last Born, yesterday, denied claims by security agencies that it belongs to Niger Delta Avengers, Thisday The presidency has denied a report that it used aid from the United Kingdom for the war against terrorism in the North-east to prosecute the oppositio The Sun Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson has called on members of All Progressives Congress (APC) to use their contacts and influence at the national level to bring federal appointments and projects to the state, rather than embarking on divisive tendencies that can polarise the people. Daily Times The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, has vowed to retain power and defeat the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election that would hold in November 26th in the state. Guardian Attempt by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, to defend President Muhammadu Buharis alleged lopsided appointments incurred the wrath of participants at a forum organised, yesterday, by the Federal Ministry of Information in Enugu. Daily Trust A former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared his intention to contest for the national chairmanship of the party. Leadership The newly elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmoud will be sworn in on August 26, 2016, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Senator Ben Bruce of the Peoples Democratic Party, took to his twitter handle to endorse the president Muhammadu Buharis fight against corruption. Many of his followers could not hide their displeasure as they came at him almost immediately saying his debt issues with AMCON has made him change his position on being on the side of the masses. He had written that the fight against corruption is not a witch-hunt but everyone who has been named should go and prove their innocence. The admins anticorruption war isnt a witch hunt. In my opinion, we need it. If youre innocent, prove your innocence. Dont say witch hunt! Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) August 1, 2016 And his followers seemingly displeased by the tweet didnt waste any time in letting him know it @benmurraybruce After reading this tweet Dareys song came to mind Ur not the Ben I used to know- Ur a shadow of ursef -Haba @ogeorge306 Charles otobo (@charles_otobo) August 2, 2016 @benmurraybruce they have succeeded in caging you last last. Bring back our common sense Stephen Emmanuel (@Emmysteve9) August 1, 2016 @ICON_ADENUSI see all these politicians have zero integrity. Sigh computer Village (@LaptopMechanic) August 2, 2016 @benmurraybruce Yes, youre right, its not a witch hunt. Youre more corrupt than Amaechi, Sylva, Fashola, Fayemi & other untouched APC OD_SIT (@I_amOD_SIT) August 2, 2016 @benmurraybruce , I totally disagree sir.Are you now saying that those that defected from PDP to APC even after elections are now saints? UFFIE EDISON (@UFFIEEDISON) August 1, 2016 @benmurraybruce l never knew #Debt make people think straight.. Na wa oh!! May God put all enemies of Nigeria into an uncommon Debt Dotcom (@onlydotcom) August 1, 2016 @benmurraybruce really and Amaechi and Fayemi and fashola are ministers even with mounting allegations and petitions with EFCC? u don fear. i-stev (@IsiakaSteven) August 2, 2016 @benmurraybruce The next thing we see is you Twitting Buhari is the best President ever. We need Dino in PDP tired of this complaisance Desmond Joyce (@DesmondNatu) August 2, 2016 @benmurraybruce I cant believe the voice is changing to another direction Olawale Adebayo (@B_yworld) August 1, 2016 @benmurraybruce Sir, Ever since your AMCON issues, you have been highly compromised. You are no longer on the side of the Masses. #Fact Jaiyeoba Oluwaseyi (@afrooomedia) August 1, 2016 @benmurraybruce see as small debt don dey make uncle white banana head get plenty sense pass Mr Bean! Good-head (@goodhead_hills) August 1, 2016 @benmurraybruce @APCNigeria I refused to belive this is a tweet from Senator Common Sense Orire Abdulfatah (@Oriiskyy) August 2, 2016 But he did win some over, as they praised him for his very first commonsense tweet @benmurraybruce now I can begin taking your common sense gist seriously. nsisong effiong okon (@nsikool_terror) August 2, 2016 Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has declared that the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, slated for August 17 in Port Harcourt, the state capital, will go ahead as there is no court order stopping it. Wike, who said this yesterday, explained that the court was yet to hear the suit filed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff challenging the national convention. The governor, who was addressing the South-South Executive Committee of the PDP at the Government House, Port Harcourt, said: the court could not have sacked the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee because it cannot sit on appeal from the judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction. Wike added that there was an application to allow Senator Makarfi join as a party in the suit, noting that the suit had been adjourned to August 15. The governor said the PDP leaders in the South-South geo-political zone would meet on Thursday to determine the zoning of positions. Wike also said the Edo State chapter of the PDP would be given the necessary support to win the September governorship election. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday assured that the ongoing military operation code-named Operation Crocodile Smile in the South-south region, was not an indication of its plan to commence action against recalcitrant militants in the region. The Acting Director of Defence Information, Rabe Abubakar, stated this yesterday in an interview with Daily Trust. According to him, troops deployed in the region on training, would ensure security of critical oil and gas infrastructure. The fact of the matter is that we are very much aware that negotiation is ongoing with our leaders, lets be hopeful that there could be an agreement. So, our presence there does not in any way translate to mean that its a signal to internal security actions against the militants, he said. Mr. Abubakar, a Brigadier-General, said there could be some level of military deployment to ensure that miscreants and militants were stopped or contained from destroying oil infrastructure. Its just a normal exercise; Crocodile Smile is an exercise just to refresh our memories on amphibious training. It does not mean that we are warming up for action, but if training is still deemed to be warming up for internal security action so be it. You know training must be continuous, security agents must always be training to keep abreast with current happenings, with the modern techniques, modern strategies and ways of doing things, the Defence spokesman added. Speculations that the military was planning to launch an offensive against militants in the Niger Delta heightened last Wednesday following a series of tactical drills in Enugu from weekend, days after the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, hinted that military action might be deployed if the federal governments negotiations with militants who are attacking oil and gas installations for months, failed. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said those mocking the change promised Nigerians by the All Progressives Congress, APC, would soon be disappointed as things begin to take shape. Mr Mohammed, who spoke in Enugu at a town hall meeting for the South East organised by the ministry on Monday, said the change was already manifesting in every facet of the nations life. He said contrary to the insinuations in certain quarters that the people were not feeling the impact of government, a lot had been done in moving the country forward. Many have said they are yet to see the change we promised. Much more have called the promise a ruse, Mr Mohammed said. In fact, they are now mocking us. But we remain undaunted because we know that the change we promised is real. In fact, the change we promised is already here, and it is manifesting all around us, he said. Buttressing his position, the minister said that the government had successfully stopped the looting of public funds which was responsible for underdevelopment. He said, Before now, public officials simply opened the public till took as much money as they wanted and walked away without consequences. That explains why funds allocated to the military to fight Boko Haram ended up in the piggy banks of many unscrupulous Nigerians. Today, all those who looted the public treasury are being made to answer for their actions, as impunity gives way to accountability. Many have offered to return their loots, and much more are facing charges. Mr Mohammed said with the introduction of the Treasury Single Account, funds meant for the federal government were directly paid in and used for development of infrastructure. He noted that before now, funds accruing to the government were paid into so many accounts and went to private purses. He said the government had successfully identified and stopped salaries hitherto paid to more than 30,000 ghost workers. According to him, We promised to diversify the economy away from oil, to ensure that other sectors are able to significantly contribute to sustainable development. In June 2016, for the very first time, about 70 percent of the more than N500 billion raised from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee came from the non-oil sector, while 30 per cent came from the oil sector. It was the first time in 2016 that the Federal Government shared more than N500 billion among the three tiers of government. In the area of security, Mr Mohammed said that the government had successfully crushed the Boko Haram terrorists and not a single territory was being administered by them. On infrastructure, the minister said that construction firms had been mobilised to sites on major roads in the country. He said, As they move to the site, they are creating thousands of new jobs. No part of the country is left out of this. Where the contractors have not been seen on the site, it is because of the rains, not because of lack of mobilisation. The minister said the complaints about perceived or real instances of lopsidedness in appointments were being addressed. There are hundreds of appointments yet to be made. It is an evolving scenario and any lopsidedness is being addressed as we progress, he said. The minister said the town hall meetings were held to bridge the communication gap between the government and the people and to carry the people along in the process of governance. (NAN) On this day in 1997: The African continents most creative Afrobeat superstar, anti-military dictatorship activist, social maverick and pan-Africanist Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, died of AIDS. He was a saxophone player who fused rock with African rhythms into a blend known as Afrobeat. His albums included: Zombie, Army Arrangement. And Vagabond in Power. He recorded more than 50 albums in the 1970s and 1980s and had 27 wives to mourn his death. Fela Kuti was born on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta. Musician and activist Fela pioneered Afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned Nigerian government. The Nigerian Army announced on Monday that troops accompanied by members of the Civilian JTF blocked an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists to attack a village in the North Eastern state of Borno. The Acting Army Public Relations Officer, Colonel Sani, made the announcement in a statement yesterday. He said: Today (yesterday), Monday 1st August 2016, at about 8.00pm, troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE accompanied by Civilian JTF successfully thwarted an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists on Yauri Community at the outskirts of Maiduguri city, Borno State. In the encounter, the troops killed five of the attackers and recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 1 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), one 60mm Mortar Tube, 1 Fabrique Nationale (FN) rifle, 2 Dane Guns, 2 AK-47 rifle magazines, 2 FN rifle magazines, 131 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 31 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunitions, a 60mm Bomb and the sum of N31,275.00 from the terrorists. We are glad to inform the public that the general area is calm, while troops have deployed to maintain security in the village and environs. In the latest round of the Hillary-Trump contest, the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton the devil, referring to her abuse of competitor Bernie Sanders in her race to the top. SEE ALSO: Hillary Takes Swipe At Trump In DNC Speech Trump, at a Pennsylvania rally made fun of former Democratic contestant Bernie Sanders for endorsing Clinton. He made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, he said. He also told a crowd in Ohio that he feared the US presidential election in November is going to be rigged. His comments come after a CNN poll released Monday showed Clinton with a 52% to 43% lead over Trump in an head-to-head match-up taken after the Republican and Democratic conventions. Trump is has also lost popularity after he made fun of a family who lost a son serving in the US Army. SEE ALSO: John McCain Knocks Trump Over Comments To Khan Family A group of ex-militants under the aegis of Former Forest Soldiers, FFS, aka Isaac Boro Last Born, yesterday, faulted claims by security agencies that it was affiliated to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, asking the Federal Government not to associate or treat it as Avengers. The Avengers are a new militant group, who have vowed to bring Nigeria to its knees by ensuring that crude oil production in the Niger Delta region is brought to zero level. The group has set out to achieve this by sustaining its campaign of destruction of oil and gas facilities across the region, in spite of calls by the federal government and stakeholders for negotiation. The FFS while absolving itself of culpability in any act of bombing or kidnapping in Arepo area, a community between Ogun and Lagos States notorious for pipeline vandalism, its leader, General O. Ibori, said: We are ex-militants and not part of Avengers. We are shocked that the Federal Government has reneged on its part to fulfil its obligation from the several peaceful dialogues we had with it after we laid down our weapons for years now. We have surrendered but rather than fulfil its obligation by enlisting us in the amnesty programme, the Federal Government just began linking us to some recent kidnappings in the Arepo area of Lagos and the destructive activities of the Avengers that we know nothing about. All we want is to be part of the amnesty programme as the final step of the various dialogues. Security forces have burnt down three houses of our leader in Lagos in connection with a purported recent kidnapping in Arepo area and security men have been hunting us down. This is why are crying out that we were not responsible for any act of kidnapping and we are not part of the Avengers, only that we are asking to be enlisted in the amnesty programme. The government has chosen force and fire instead of peace and freedom. It has reneged on its part after the various dialogue we had, but we have pledged to be law abiding and never return to arms any longer. We are now asking the Federal Government to stop harassing us and members of our families, including burning down our homes and stop treating us as if we are part the Avengers, because we have given peace a chance. President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured that Nigeria is working round the clock to resolve the epileptic power situation in the country. The president lamented that the problem is also affecting other neighboring countries that are dependent on Nigeria for their power supply. President Buhari spoke while receiving the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja earlier today. He said: They say seeing is believing, you can see the efforts private investors are making. We are also building pipelines but it is not as formidable as what Dangote is doing, we are improving on it. We also have the LNG that is helping us to liquidify the gas and then turn it into gas with modern technology and modern technology is making it flexible. And if you will recall, I made mention to President of Benin, We have power problem and Benin has power problem because they depend on us and we are working very hard to stabilize the situation. The resources are available, the technology is available we are trying to stabilize the situation. If we improve power which means our productivity can be competitive and Gods willing we are going to achieve our objectives. The Nigerian leader said he also discussed the unfortunate incidents in South Sudan and Burundi with the visiting Togolese President during the closed door meeting. It is an agonising situation, several citizens are living under primitive conditions, we hope at the AU meeting we will be able to stabilise the situation in South Sudan and Burundi with the efforts being made, he said. President Gnassingbe said that he was impressed by the Dangote investment, which brought him to Lagos State. He said: Because we have been talking of Socio-economic integration and promoting trade among African countries. If you want to promote trade you have investors that are very competitive and will contribute to reduce import from non-African countries. He also said was in Abuja to personally invite President Buhari for the maritime summit billed for Togo on the 15th of October, 2016. A woman in the US state of Florida tried to Snapchat a video of herself holding a gun but instead accidentally shot her cellphone, injuring her right hand, authorities said. Regina Powell, 22, said she was foolishly playing with the .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, trying to make a Snapchat video, when it went off, the Volusia county sheriffs office said. The bullet destroyed her cellphone and injured her thumb and index finger. The incident occurred Sunday in Deltona, Florida. Police were still looking for the gun, which the womans aunt tossed out of her car window as she drove Powell to the hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 586 people were killed last year in accidents involving firearms. The right to bear arms is protected under the second amendment of the US Constitution. Source: AFP Its been 20 years since Windows NT 4.0 server operating system was released to manufacturing. No one could be sure at the time, but this breakout version turned out to be the one that would finally establish Microsoft in the datacenter. I recently visited Microsofts Redmond headquarters to talk to Jeffrey Snover, Technical Fellow and creator of PowerShell -- and currently the architect of Microsoft's server operating systems. It was time to reminisce about Windows NTs past as well as muse about its present and its future. Engineers overestimate what can be done in two or three years, and underestimate what can be done in 10, Snover observes. With 20 years weve evolved incredibly. What started off running on a 44MHz 486 now runs our cloud. That ascendance has closely followed the evolution of the server in the enterprise, from departmental file server to client-server, to n-tier, to the web ... and now to the cloud, both on premises and in massive datacenters. An interesting career thread ties those early Windows Servers' architects together: They all had senior engineering roles at DEC. As Snover explains it: You could think about the evolution of Windows Server as the journey of three Digital consulting engineers. Dave Cutler was the first, he came in and gave us the great kernel that led us through the server for the masses era. Then Bill Laing took over as chief architect. He was a big enterprise guy, and he really took that enterprise approach to the server. I took over as chief architect and focused on the management aspects of it and the cloud aspects of it. Digital really was a fantastic engineering environment, but they didnt have that connection between how to take technology and really turn it into mass appeal and mass monetization that Microsoft has. That was the key to Microsofts server business: making it the server for the masses. The heart of it all, says Snover, was Cutler's "great kernel." Snover calls him "just one of the great minds of the industry, and he produced a way of bringing the systems together with the object-based kernel. This extends from the foundations of Windows Server to, today, the entire Windows family of operating systems: That's been the enduring thing: the heart and soul of Windows. So the things that were so successful 20 years ago, that made Windows Server so successful, wasn't Dave's kernel -- after all, Dave had done a variation of that kernel at Digital. The thing that made Windows so successful was matching that kernel with a great desktop experience and then running it on PC class hardware. That combo now meant that what used to be -- servers that were run by the high priests and princes of the industry -- now anybody could buy their own server and deploy and run it. That really was the magic. It certainly was. My own career in the industry followed that trend: using Windows NT first to run an office, then to link to minicomputers, before building large-scale web servers and services on that same OS. From boxes to the cloud That approach continues today. Snover sums up his philosophy of Windows Server simply: Architecture is the art of deciding when one thing should be two and when two should be one. In the early days of Windows NT, it was essential to have one thing: a combined kernel and desktop OS. But as time progressed permutations evolved. Snover likes to think in terms of four eras of servers: the server for the masses, the enterprise era, the datacenter era, and now the cloud era. That has required some changes. The server for the masses is now at heart the familiar Windows desktop client, with server features added -- what Snover calls fidelity to the client. But in the datacenter theres no need to go from server to desktop, hence a focus on the UI-less Server Core: Now we're confident that Server Core has everything people need so they can be successful. Our focus on Nano Server has driven the clean-up of the long tail of manageability; and that means if you can't do it remotely you can't do it all. Its a little bit like Cortez burning his ships. Not every business is ready for that. Snover points out that his four eras persist today, with different companies living in different eras. Thats going to affect what you do with Windows Server and how you do it. As Snover notes, Each of the eras has its own set of tools its own set of methodologies and its own ecosystem. We've seen partners, tools, and so on that are great in one era and then you never hear of them again. Snovers advice is simple: You have to decide where it is you want to go and then make sure you have the right people, tools, and partners that want to go there. One sure way you can fail is wanting to go somewhere and coupling that with tools, people, and partners that dont want to go there as well. Working with the cloud has meant thinking about servers in a different way. One way to get that it's 'not just somebody else's server' is serverless computing. Of course there's a server there, he says, But you give us your code and well run your code: You dont have to worry about the server and setting it up. When your code runs we fire up a server, put your code on, and it runs -- and when your code's done, then we throw that server away. Its one of the reasons Microsoft has developed Nano Server as part of Windows. In that environment having a very small, very lightweight, very fast server is very important. Theres a parallel with Windows NT 4.0, Snover suggests, noting the release of the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack, which added new features, including Microsoft Transaction Server. Before transaction monitors you had to write all this horrible code, and you needed big systems. Transaction monitors came in, and you just write this little code and dont need worry about all the rest of it. The heart of Microsoft This is what Snover calls the heart of Microsoft. How it works is easy to understand, he says. The company takes what was once available only to the elite few and makes it available to everyone by simplifying it and making it affordable. In a modern cloud context, this has also led to Windows Servers support for containers and its adoption of new hardware approaches. Another big change and huge benefit is the increased networking bandwidth, speed, and lower latency, says Snover. It means now I can do with protocols things I could only ever do in the past with DLL calls and because of that I can now separate things into their own environment where they have their own versioning and their own lifecycle. And that's the big thing of this era. Architects like Snover need to think about software as a science and the history of thinking about how we build code. Thats where he goes back to big-picture concepts like software factories and employing reusable components with well-defined interfaces. These approaches are key to delivering decoupled environments. Rebooting the software factory The software factory idea is one thats coming back with containers and services and in serverless computing. You get these decoupled systems that have their own lifecycle management of their environment and their own own versioning and use protocols as the interface. The shift from DLLs to protocols allows the idea of software factories to work. Snover thinks that, ultimately, we can shift from writing code to solving business problems. Using this interface, if I use it a lot, I dont really care if it is responsible for scaling itself up and down. I just use it as an issue and I'm freed up of that hard problem to go focus on my own business hard problem: How do I get you to give me money? This follows the structure of scientific revolutions, As we go from one model to another there's a period of chaos and confusion, while people try to adhere to the old model, even when the old model ceases to solve the problems people want to solve. Were somewhere in the middle of one of those transitions between eras, Snover suggests. Before the new model arrives is an era of great churn and creativity, and I think thats what we're seeing now. What is that new model? At the heart of it will be software factories with loosely coupled interfaces exposed as microservices. So much of what well do will be stitching together components that software development becomes software integration. Last night I was surprised -- no, shocked -- to see Microsoft release a last-minute patch for Windows 10 Anniversary Update, build 1607. Why? Any release of a patch, even a simple patch, on the night before a scheduled massive rollout is begging the Bug Gods to start rumbling. As of very early Tuesday morning, the Dung Beetles are rolling. Last night, Microsoft released KB 3176929, the third cumulative update for Windows 10 build 1607. (I call it Win 10.2.3.) As you no doubt know, build 1607 is scheduled to start a massive rollout today, Aug. 2. In the normal course of events, Microsoft would roll out the latest release -- the version with all outstanding cumulative updates applied. Given the problems Ive seen reported online, its likely that somebody in Redmond is reconsidering the decision to roll out 14393.10 this morning. What does KB 3176929 actually do? We havent a clue. Theres no KB article, no Insider Hub post, no Blogging Windows post. Windows Insider spokesperson Dona Sarkar tweeted last night: We have now released cumulative update 14393.10 to the Fast Ring via Windows Update ... and this is *just* for PC. Then, four hours later: 14393.10 is now live for Fast, Slow, RP rings. Rel notes coming in FB Hub shortly. That was around midnight, Aug. 1, the night before build 1607 is scheduled for full release. Since then, Ive seen reports of various kinds of anomalous behaviors. For one, the people who have version 14393 and didnt acquire it through the Windows Insider program (yes, pirates live among us) also received KB 3176929, and are now sitting at Version 1607 OS Build 14393.10. Clearly, Sarkars first tweet was wrong. More problematic are the reports appearing sporadically about problems with Cortana in this build. On WindowsCentral, poster AB Lambert says: On my laptop Cortana stopped working ... All I have is the search icon which replaced the Cortana icon. I uninstalled the update and got Cortana back and then I reinstalled the update and lost her again. John McIlhinney says: This update broke Cortana on my Surface 3. She's still there on the Task Bar and she still opens but she can't do anything. I hope they don't roll out this release as the Anniversary Update and break Cortana for everyone. UPDATE: She's working again. Over on Reddit, netherbound says: This update broke Cortana for me. She is not working at all now. Host machine is effected but VM on the host updated just fine and Cortana still works. And rpodric confirms: Uh oh, same here with Enterprise (yes, it had been working fine). This is the last thing they needed to happen on Day 0. That's precisely the point. It looks like some Win10 customers are experiencing a last-moment bug -- present in 14393.10, but absent from yesterdays 14393.5 -- that disables many of Cortanas features, including voice response and internet access. With only a few hours of experience under our belts, its much too early to pinpoint the exact symptoms or speculate about causes -- except its clearly linked to this last-minute patch. I have no idea what possessed The Powers That Be to change a final build only hours before it was due to roll out to 370 million-or-so customers. Are you having problems with Win 10.2.3? Hit me here in the comments, or over on AskWoody.com. t/h rpodric The U.S. Department of Commerce is not just rubber-stamping applications to join the new Privacy Shield data protection program: 24 hours after companies began certifying their compliance, the administration's website still listed no approvals. Microsoft was among the first businesses to certify that it complied with the new rules for transferring European Union citizens' personal information to the United States when the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration began accepting applications on Monday. [ Read 'em and weep: 5 ways your ISP is screwing you | Cut to the key news in technology trends and IT breakthroughs with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter, our summary of the top tech happenings. ] "We expect it to be approved in the coming days," Microsoft Vice President for EU Government Affairs John Frank wrote on a company blog. The company isn't waiting for official approval to begin applying the new rules, he said. "Going forward, any data which we will transfer from Europe to the U.S. will be protected by the Privacy Shields safeguards." Workday, a provider of cloud-based HR and finance services, also submitted its self-certification Monday, it said. The ITA will have its work cut out if all the organizations that self-certified under Privacy Shield's predecessor, the Safe Harbor Framework, choose to re-register. Some 5,534 organizations signed up to Safe Harbor during its 16-year lifespan, with the certification status still listed as "current" for 3,375 of them. Safe Harbor was ruled inadequate by the Court of Justice of the EU last October, forcing EU and U.S. officials to come up with replacement rules to allow the transatlantic flow of personal information to continue legally. Many multinational businesses are reliant on such transfers for internal functions, such as payroll processing, or for processing customer information. EU and U.S. officials agreed to the new rules on July 12, and the Commerce Department said it would begin accepting certifications from Aug. 1. It set out a five-point plan for organizations to ensure their self-certifications can be accepted. First, they must be sure they are eligible to participate: Banks and telecommunications operators, for example, aren't covered by the program. Next, they must develop a clear, concise privacy policy that meets all the Privacy Shield Principles. The policy must identify the independent recourse mechanism an organization will use in case of dispute, typically either a U.S.-based arbitration service or an agreement to work with European data protection authorities. Self-certifiers must also set out how they plan to verify they are in compliance. Finally, they must designate a Privacy Shield contact -- someone who will be able to respond to complaints within 45 days. Although businesses self-certify their compliance with the Privacy Shield rules, the process isn't free. The Commerce Department charges a fee for processing their annual applications and adding them to the register. The processing fee ranges from $250 for organizations with revenue under $5 million up to $3,250 for those with revenue over $5 billion. On top of that, organizations will have to pay to join an arbitration service or to cover the costs of data protection authorities dealing with complaints. Another Bought Dip Monica Kingsley - 9 minutes ago S&P 500 was pulled lower overnight on poor AAPL, AMZN guidance even though current earnings didnt disappoint much odds were any S&P 500 setback would be bought. The premarket downswing brought stocks... Japan Cabinet OKs $200B spending plan to counter inflation AP - 1 hour ago Japans Cabinet has approved a hefty economic package including 29 trillion yen ($200 billion) in government spending to counter the blow from inflation, signaling that the greater concern of its policymakers... $SPX : 3,835.52 (+0.74%) $DOWI : 32,428.24 (+1.23%) $IUXX : 11,288.98 (+0.87%) Cotton Dropping Another Triple Digits Barchart - 1 hour ago Cotton futures are trading lower with triple digit weakness through the Friday morning. Cotton futures closed off their lows by ~20 points, but were still down by 142 to 271 at the bell. The @USD dropped... CTZ22 : 73.28 (-2.44%) CTH23 : 73.10 (-2.29%) CTK23 : 73.24 (-1.73%) Friday Hog Futures to Respond to Sharp Drop Barchart - 1 hour ago Front month lean hog futures worked lower on Thursday with Dec futures getting within 20c of a limit drop on the days low. Dec hogs ultimately lost $3.37, with $0.87 to $2.85 losses in the other front... HEZ22 : 86.375 (+1.47%) HEJ23 : 92.925 (+0.87%) KMZ22 : 95.775s (-0.98%) Stronger Cash Cattle Trade Seen Yesterday Barchart - 1 hour ago Cattle futures spent Thursday in a tighter $0.95 range, but ultimately settled with 5 to 32 cent losses. Feeder cattle futures traded 45 to 80 cents lower on the day. USDA confirmed Southern cash trade... LEV22 : 150.950 (-0.30%) LEZ22 : 153.100 (-0.21%) LEG23 : 156.475 (-0.24%) GFX22 : 178.025 (-0.06%) GFF23 : 180.700 (+0.14%) Redness in Soy Market Barchart - 1 hour ago Front month soy futures are working lower into the day session of Friday. Morning bean quotes are 7 to 8 cents red, meal futures are down 30 cents, and BO is 60 points in the red. The soybean futures market... ZSX22 : 1377-4 (-0.34%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.3656 (-0.36%) ZSF23 : 1388-0 (-0.39%) ZSH23 : 1396-4 (-0.39%) Recently, we highlighted how a few funders were approaching the global refugee crisis differently. Among them are the Cisco, Vodafone, and Google foundations. What makes the charitable arms of these titans of tech unusual in this space is that they are focused on information connectivity in the face of disasters and crises. Say what, you might ask? Does this kind of giving really make sense given more acute more priorities that involve life and death? As someone who covers global crises and disasters closely, I have to admit that when I read (and wrote) about Google.orgs $5.3 million grant to help launch NetHopes Project Reconnect, I thought What the hell? Children are dying, families are starving, and Google is concerned with the Internet? Im sure I wasnt the only one who thought that. What's more, it's easy to be suspicious about the motives of companies who engage in charity that emphasizes their own worldviewe.g., better technology is the answer to most problemsas opposed to focusing on more urgent if pedestrian needs. All of this is why it's helpful to dig down further into what NetHope is about and what its funders are trying to accomplish. NetHopes tagline is Changing the world through the power of technology and collaboration. This consortium of over 40 international NGOs has been around since 2001 and has been working to tackle some of the worlds most pressing global health and development challenges like poverty, food security, the ever-growing refugee population, and gender equality. Google.org and Cisco aren't the only tech funders behind this outfit. NetHopes supporters and partners list is a veritable whos who in the tech world. With its recent $5.3 million grant, Google.org is among the funding leaders here. Prior to that, the foundation awarded NetHope a $600,000 grant in 2014. Next up is the Paul G. Allen Foundation, which has committed over $2 million to the organization to date. Heres a quick look at other tech supporters: Gates has invested nearly $400,000 Intel awarded NetHope $350,000 in grants Cisco has put in for $200,000 Tosa Foundation has awarded nearly $300,000 in grants Dell has given the outfit $300,000 Adobe contributed $$50,000 Hewlett put up $40,000 In terms of corporate giving, Microsoft has donated over $44 million in cash and software to NetHope and its partners since 2005. More recently, Microsoft Philanthropies is also getting in on the action by announcing a donation of $1 billion of Microsoft Cloud Services, including Microsoft Azure, Power Bi, and the Enterprise Mobility Suite, to serve a number of nonprofits and university researchers for the next three years. NetHope will be one of the many recipients of Microsofts donations. Foundations of the non-tech variety are big contributors, too. Since 2009, the Rockefeller Foundation has supported NetHope with over $1.8 million in grants and the Patterson and Seattle foundations have each contributed around $165,000 and $120,000, respectively. Related: Food, Water, Shelter, Wi-Fi: How Microsoft is Helping Refugees So whats got all of these funders so jazzed about NetHope? Because communication, information sharing, and connectivity are crucial elements to mounting effective campaigns in response to global humanitarian and health crises. Humanitarian aid tends to bottleneck, in part, because of a poor flow of information. When public officials, aid agencies, governments and the like, dont know the full depth or breadth of a crisis, its difficult to develop a response blueprint. And it's hard to get supplies from point A to point B, in the right quantities in a timely way, if communications systems are weak. A lack of connectivity often means desperately needed supplies and human resources are stalled until critical information is gathered and dispersed among key actors. That delay can mean the difference between life and death, as we saw in the Ebola crisis, where the world learned some hard lessons about the importance of connectivity. In January 2015, the San Francisco-based nonprofit Inveneo, with the help of Facebooks data science team, launched a three-month campaign to bring Internet access to some 100 locations in West Africa to help combat the spread of Ebola. Why? Because according to Chris Weasler, Facebooks director of global connectivity, it took three months after the first Ebola deaths in Guinea before anyone got word to health officials and people figured out this was Ebola and started reacting to it. Weasler went on to say that the time gap was a function of poor connectivity. NetHope collaborated with its partners in response to the Ebola outbreak as well, providing communications equipment, mobile satellite terminals, satellite phones, and solutions to connectivity problems that unified disparate sources of humanitarian care. More recently, NetHope has been tackling the global refugee crisis. In Dadaab, Kenya, NetHope, along with Cisco, Microsoft, Inveneo, and USAID, executed a large scale plan to implement a high-speed broadband network at the Dadaab refugee camp. The result: Over 20 local relief agencies were able to work together, share information, and deliver aid more efficiently and effectively. Five of Dadaabs community centers were able to offer online education at the high school and college level. People were able to access vocational and life skills training. As for that $5.3 million give from Google.org, it will allow NetHope to provide 25,000 Chromebooks to NGOs supporting refugees in Germany. The hope here is that with the connectivity offered by the Chromebooks will help refugee populations rebuild their lives by facilitating access to education and other important information resourceslike how to file for asylum and language lessons. Related: How Do Chromebooks Help Refugees? Google.org Has an Answer to That NetHope is also providing charging states along migration routes and refugee camps and providing refugee camps in Jordan connectivity kits. Finally, its developing a comprehensive information portal where refugees can learn about safe migration routes, specific locations offering aid, and information regarding the state of conflict in their home countries. So there are plenty of reasons why tech funders are heavily backing NetHope. But the bigger question here may be Is this what refugees want or even need? The answer, which may surprise some, is Yes. A Thompson Reuters Foundation article revealed that the first questions often asked by refugees arriving at camps in Greece was whether or not the camps had Internet access and a place to chare their phones. Isaac Kwamy, director of Global Programs, Disaster Preparedness and Response at NetHope who who visited the camps this summer said Very few of them (migrants) sad We are hungry, we need food. Or we are thirsty, can we have water. They are literally asking Do you have Wi-Fi access and where can we charge our phones. He went on to say It's as important as eating food, drinking water, being treated (medically), being given a tent. Founded in 1989 by charismatic Hollywood spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson, Project Angel Foods original mission was to supply food and counseling to patients left homebound by the AIDS crisis. Today the nonprofit cooks and delivers 10,000 meals each week to people living with cancer, kidney dialysis, heart disease and lung disease and HIV/AIDS. That's a sizeable operation, and finding the funding to keep such direct service work going year in and year out can be no easy thing. Here's a look at how Project Angel Food makes it happen. First some background. In this day of HIV drug therapies that allows patients like Magic Johnson to now handle HIV as a survivable, chronic disease, its hard for us to recall the treatment landscape in 1989. AIDS deaths were rapidly increasing year over year. It would soon become the number one cause of death for U.S. men ages 25 to 44. Instead of todays multi-pronged pharmaceutical attack, one antiretroviral drug had been approved, zidovudine (AZT). The disease often led to AIDS wasting syndrome where patients lost their appetites and entered a downward spiral of weight loss. Inspired by Hippocrates who said "Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food," Project Angel Food was launched in 1989 to supply diatetically appropriate meals and counseling to 15 patients left homebound by the AIDS crisis. It was founded as an outreach program of the Los Angeles Center for Living by charismatic Hollywood spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson, and 10 others. Louise Hay, Marianne Williamson and David Kessler held the first fundraiser, bringing in $11,000 but that was barely enough money to keep the charity functioning. It had to get more creative to survive. In 1990, it held an art auction, Angel Art, that raised more than $540,000, boosted by the contributions of David Geffen and Barry Diller. By 1992, Project Angel Food was supplying nearly 400 daily meals but money was still tight leading to infighting and a raft of problems. It shut down its counseling services. Eight employees were let go or quit, including the executive director. Williamson and other board members resigned. The charity stayed afloat due to a grant of $150,000 from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, donations in memory of actor Anthony Perkins, who had died recently of AIDS, and Williamsons pledge of personally underwriting the $50,000 cost of a celebrity flea market. Today the charity is run by an Emmy Award winning television producer, Richard Ayoub. Angel Foods new Executive Director oversees a $4 million annual budget for a charity that cooks and delivers 10,000 meals each week in Los Angeles to people living with cancer, kidney failure, heart disease and lung disease and HIV/AIDS. Ive always had a passion to make a difference in my small part of the world, Ayoub told Inside Philanthropy. Our clients are people who are sick, at home; 50 percent of them live alone. Many have become forgotten by their family and friends. According to Ayoub, Williamson to this day makes the point, Were not just delivering food, were delivering love. Related: Get Out There and Sell: How One Local Meals on Wheels Keeps Rolling Ayoub led us through the details of Project Angel Food's revenues. Our funding comes from corporations, foundations, individuals and events. We do get 10 percent of our funding from the government, he said. The events do very well for us as do the online donations." On this last point, Ayoub told us that early this year Project Angel Food did a text-a-thon around the time it delivered its 10 millionth meal. With the help of local media, the push raised $25,000 in a 19-hour period. Other sources of revenue included bequests, with Project Angel Food doing well on the planned giving front. Grants are important, too. We have multiple grants, in fact we get $1.2 million in grants per year, Ayoub said. Wells Fargo has been very generous to us for a long period of time. The Weingart Foundation, the M.A.C. AIDS Fund and the Annenberg Foundation have been six figure donors in the past few years. The Annenberg Foundation also helped with the $800,000 cost of building out the kitchen in Angle Foods headquarters. Events also bring in money. Our tent pole event is the Angel Awards, which is a gala in our parking lot under the stars, Ayoub said. Food is supplied by the Angel Food kitchen so that donors get to experience the quality of Angel Foods cuisine while costs are kept low. You get so close to the mission and there is no other charity in Los Angeles doing this. Meanwhile, Ayoub has been keen on raising local awareness about the organization. He has turned to small community newspapers as a way to promote Project Angel Foodand raise money. When the charitys delivery van started to wear out from high mileage, Ayoub got the Beverly Press, a local supplement of the Los Angeles Times, to write about the need to keep food deliveries going to Angel Foods 400 square mile service area. In an article printed Christmas Day, the paper quoted the driver saying, All I want for Christmas is a brand new van. At $40,000, the cost was substantial. Ayoub hoped that the publicity would generate some contributions. Between Christmas and New Years Day Ayoub got a call from jazz musician Corky Hale, married to songwriter Mike Stoller of the team Leiber & Stoller. Hale said, We read your story, we were very moved by it, were going to buy you the van. One donor gave us $40,000 to buy that van from one article, Ayoub said. Ayoub said that one of the challenges he faces in fundraising is that the general public assumes that the AIDS crisis is over, because deaths from HIV have fallen precipitously from their peak in 2004. Today, however, patients who have been on anti-viral medication for 20 years or more are showing the side effects of the drugs, and have resume relying on Angel Food. People who took crixiv an often now have brittle bones, Ayoub said. Related: How the Annenberg Foundation supports LAs Aging LGBT Population What advice would he give to other nonprofits? Make sure that you keep in touch with donors. Dont always ask them for money, but let them know what is happening with the organization. Call to thank them, dont call just to ask wheres your check? Ayoub loves his work, and sees what he does as making a difference. He does his best to implement Project Angel Foods motto, For life, for love, as long as it takes. Im sure some people could think of not-so-nice things to say about that full-page newspaper ad signed by 39 foundation presidents that appeared Sunday in the New York Times and other top newspapers. The ad, citing the recent killings of people and police officers in communities across the country offers a message of hope based on Americas past track record of steady progress toward dignity, equality, and justice, and it calls on readers to chime in with their optimistic thoughts at #reasonsforhope on Twitter. Sounds nice, right? But Im imagining that more than a few advocates working in the trenches on race, policing, and guns looked at the list of foundations on the ad, and then at their own list of funders, and noticed something amiss. Or maybe they Googled the cost of a full-page New York Times adwhich starts at around $100,000and mused about how far that money could go in their shoestring operations. Or perhaps they composed in their mind a much stronger ad, in which foundations took a stand for something more tangible and that actually mentioned the words race. Even Hillary Clinton spoke the once-radical phrase, structural racism in her acceptance speech the other night; couldnt foundations have mustered the same courage here? At the very least, couldnt that ad have mentioned the color of the people whove lately been killed, along with police officers? Today, though, lets resist the temptation to shoot fish in a barrel and instead move on to an interesting question raised by this effort, which is this: What role do foundations have as moral cheerleaders for America? The implicit premise behind the expensive ad is that foundations have an important role in publicly encouraging the better angels of the American psycheand are also uniquely qualified to do so because, as the ad said, they support organizations working for change all across the country, and which are working to promote dialogue neighbor to neighbor, community by community. Jim Canales, the president of the Barr Foundation, who signed the ad, suggests in a blog post yesterday that foundations have an unusual vantage point because the business theyre in is fundamentally a hopeful one. I think theres something to these points, especially about hope. If you think of all the other major institutions in U.S. society, its hard to name many others that so often express their missions as advancing the well-being of humanity writ large. Thats not governments role, exactly, with its practical focus on providing a collective way for citizens to solve problem. Its not the role of business (whatever techies may say), with its bottom-line imperative. Its not the medias role or that of the military. Political parties might say something similar, but as partisan entities, theyre not cheering on everyones better angels. Ditto for religious institutions, more or less. In any case, all the institutions I just mentioned have hemorrhaged public trust in recent decades (except the military), which makes them imperfect as society-wide cheerleaders. Some slice of Americans instantly tune out when the hope message comes from, say, Hillary Clinton, Rick Warren or Mark Zuckerberg, or even the president of the United States, a figure now viewed in more narrowly partisan terms than at any time in history. Foundations, in contrast, dont carry much baggageyetand most really are in the business of pushing some version of hope, regardless of party or creed or quarterly returns. So it does seem like there's a vital cheerleading opening here that, if anything, foundation leaders should play more often, when so many other would-be cheerleaders are distrusted. We can argue about the content of these uplifting messages (more details, please!) and we can argue about the venue (maybe not an expensive full-page ad to reach the mostly liberal upper-middle class professionals who still get the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times in hard copy). But fundamentally, the cheerleading role makes sense for foundations in an age of cynicism and polarization. Going forward, though, there are few clear challenges to effectively playing that role. One is that it may only be a matter of time before foundations join the ranks of distrusted institutions. After all, these elite-run entities are products of concentrated wealth at a time of rising anger against inequality and wealthy elites. That fact is likely to loom larger in the publics mind as an era of legacy foundations run by technocrats gives way to an era of mega-foundations run by living donors. Look no further than the field of K-12 funding to see how quickly the backlash can grow and how toxic it can be. With more funders pushing into controversial public policy issues, and often in non-transparent ways, the risk grows that these institutions will lose the publics trust as high-minded institutions with noble intentions. The ever-greater warehousing of tax-subsidized wealth at a time of fiscal austerity is also an invitation to popular ire. Which is one reason why the foundation sector would be well advised to embracenot reflexively fightgrowing calls for reform. The stakes are too high, here, for the sector to not get ahead of this curve. Second, and more obviously, foundation leaders need to be mindful of appearing hypocritical in their cheerleading role or hogging the spotlight, as people sitting on piles of money often do. Its the change makers in the field who should be out front, and the last thing those folks want to hear are foundation CEOs giving lip service to priorities that, in practice, theyve been underfunding for years. Enough said. Related: Philanthropys Leaders Need to GetAhead of theCurve on ReformWhile They Still Can Bob Dylan famously said "Don't look back," but it wasn't the greatest advice, with any number of other sages telling us why it's actually rather important to know one's past. After all, things tend to repeat themselves. Such is the underlying logic behind a historic gift from Alpert Lepage to his alma mater Villanova University. Lepage, the retired co-chairman of Lepage Bakeries Inc., pledged $10 million to the Pennsylvania school to establish the Center for History in the Public Interest. The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest will be a multifaceted resource that through academic programs, research, publications and events will engage the public, policymakers, scholars, teachers, and students from history and other fields. The commitment marks the largest-ever gift to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the universitys oldest and largest college. We've reported lately on some impressive gifts flow to the liberal arts space, but we've never seen a gift of this magnitude earmarked towards the field of history. Why is that? Well for starters, it isn't the sexiest field in the world. It isn't as immediately intriguingor quixotic?as recent gives to elevate public discourse. History also lacks the subtle artistry of literature or philosophy. (But that's just our bias talking.) Perhaps most tellingly, history, like these aforementioned fields, it isn't perceived as a ticket to a lucrative career, especially given all the STEM-related hoopla across the higher education space. None of this matters to Lepage. "My hope is that the good study of history will foster a greater understanding of today relative to yesterday," Mr. Lepage said. "History often repeats itself, and the center will bring historical perspective to current events." Amen, right? And here we should pause to note that this gift underscores the upside of the massive increase in the number of wealthy Americans over the few decadeswhich is that there is now a larger, more diverse pool of major donors than ever before, with a vast range of interests. That's good news for campuses looking to fund the kinds of overlooked areas that donors typically haven't been much interested in. And what about Lepage himself? Well, he joined the family business in 1971 and was co-owner from 1978 and chairman from 1983 to 2012, when the company was acquired by Flowers Foods, Inc. He also was chairman of the Quality Bakers of America Co-operative and treasurer of the American Bakers Association. As for his recent philanthropic endeavors, in 2015 the Albert Lepage Foundation gave New Orleans-based Tulane U. Freeman School of Business a $12.5-million donation to establish a center for entrepreneurship and innovation. Earlier this year, the foundation committed $10 million to Hebron Academy to complete renovations to the Albert Lepage Center for the Arts and to establish the Albert Lepage Center for Diversity. Lepage also established the Albert R. Lepage Endowed Professorship in History at Villanova. And so we'd like to sign off with a rather applicable quote from William Faulkner: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." When we picture the working class, we tend to fall back on that old image of factory workers and teamsters, plumbers and electricianssturdy masculine mainstays of blue-collar America. In truth, things look a lot different now, amid dramatic demographic changes in the working class that Tamara Draut documents in her excellent recent book, Sleeping Giant. Service workers of color loom large, especially women. Those with the proverbial lunch pail might be Latina or Filipina, and the factory gates in question might well stand over a tasteful welcome mat. Largely composed of women, many of them low-income immigrants, and working in isolated conditions, the home care workforce often faces exploitation and abuse. In 2014, the Fair Labor Standards Act was finally updated to include this class of workers, but thats only a start. As the field continues to grow, groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) are pushing for better labor protections. And as we've reported, some funders are rallying behind them. Early this year, we covered the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations partnership with NDWA on the Good Work Code, an effort to protect care workers from potential labor threats in the gig economy. Other givers in this area include the Ford Foundation, Kellogg, Atlantic Philanthropies, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Altman Foundation. The Good Work Code, as we pointed out, is a pretty innovative effort to partner with companies to raise labor standards for home health workers, and you can see why RWJF put into $400,000. Well, now comes news of a much smaller grant for NDWA, by a much smaller funder, one that's also for a smart project: Giving homecare workers better information. With a $25,000 grant from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), NDWA will pilot a National Homecare Workers Hotline in New Mexico and Georgia, two states with high numbers of workers in this field. The hotline will provide these vulnerable workers with information about their rights, connect them with legal assistance, and serve as a model for a national rollout. The money comes from UUSCs Human Rights Innovation Fellowship, a yearly program providing project funding around a specific theme (last years theme was the right to water; this year, its economic justice). An innovation focus is encouraging. UUSC, with its limited resources, isnt a prominent funding source. But it's not afraid to be on the cutting edge of social justice issues. A nonsectarian organization, UUSC works around the world to challenge human rights abuses. Its founders began their work helping refugees escape the Nazis in 1939. Since then, the organization has directed its efforts to a wide variety of human rights hotspots including Korea, Haiti, Central America, L.A. during the 1992 civil unrest, Rwanda and Darfur, among others. UUSC puts emphasis on grassroots partnerships and on activating networks of supporters and supporting organizations. Despite its international focus, UUSC backs a number of projects in the United States, many of them environmental. Notably, the charity also supports the settlement of Middle Eastern refugees in this country, hearkening back to its pre-World War II origins. On the work front, UUSC partners with groups like the Northwest Arkansas Workers Justice Center and NDWA. Well be watching to see how NDWAs hotline works out, and who jumps on board if it expands to cover the entire country. There are some good candidates to write bigger checks. Supporters of NDWA in recent years include Ford, Kellogg, OSF, Surdna, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Oak Foundation. Related: Firehouse Self Storage in Loveland, Colo., last month hosted a Christmas in July toy-collection drive to benefit underprivileged children in the community. The toys will be distributed to children on their birthday who might not otherwise receive a gift on that day, according to the Firehouse website. In addition, the storage operator will host its annual Hoodies for the Homeless drive in September, and collect toys during the winter holidays for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. Other annual charity events include an Easter egg hunt each spring and a garage sale in June. Our belief as a family-owned company is that we are here for our community first and foremost, said CEO Christopher Burton. A second Firehouse facility is under development in in Longmont, Colo. It will resemble a 1900s firehouse and carry the theme throughout. Burton and his wife, Barbi, decided on the firehouse theme several years ago after learning the Larimer County Search and Rescue (LCSAR) team was in need of cash. Barbi suggested rebranding their existing facility as well as donating money each month to LCSAR, a nonprofit search and rescue resource for Larimer County, Colo. The Burtons continue to offer a percentage of revenue from every storage rental to the organization. They also offer rental discounts to firefighters, military personnel, police officers and senior citizens. Through our floods and fires, our first responders are there to stand by those in need. We are here to remember the 145 Colorado firemen who have lost their lives in the line of duty along with the 343 lives lost in 9/11, Burton said. Firehouse Self Storage offers a variety of self-storage unit sizes as well as vehicle parking. A portion of the welcoming center at the Loveland facility includes a firefighter memorial exhibit. Real estate developer Moishe Mana, who owns Moishes Self Storage and other related businesses, has offered to donate $1 million to a charity of Donald Trumps choice if the Republican nominee for president will publicly release his tax returns. Trump has refused to release his returns, citing an ongoing audit, according to a source. Trump has said hes worth more than $10 billion, but Mana believes hes worth no more than $300 million. The self-storage owner said the returns will prove Trump isnt as wealthy as hes claimed. Many people voting for him think hes so rich and charitable, Mana told a source, but hes not as rich as he says, not charitable as much as he says. Not close to it. Born in Israel, Mana came to the United States as a dishwasher, he told a source. He started Moishes Moving Systems in 1983 with a single van before building the business into one of the largest in the New York area, a source reported. Hes also founder of GRM Document Management, Moishes Guarantee Asset Management, Moishes Guarantee Wine Storage and Moishes Mobile Storage. Hes reportedly invested $198 million in property acquisitions in downtown Miami and is involved in multiple developments in the area. Although Mana says hes supported Democrats and Republicans in the past, hes fully supporting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. He donated $33,400 earlier this year to the Democratic National Committee and has indicated hell write a check worth at least $100,000 to Clintons campaign within the next month. Mana told a source he doesnt expect Trump to take him up on his offer but is willing to increase his donation. America is worth more than a million dollars for me, he said. If he says $2 million, Ill go $2 million. Moishes Self Storage operates five facilities in New Jersey and New York. The Texas Self Storage Association (TSSA) has released details on its fall conference, Oct. 9-11, in The Woodlands, Texas. Designed for self-storage developers, managers and owners, the annual eventthemed Big Ideas in Storage for 2016will take place at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. The conference will offer four educational tracks of seminars: development and growth, management and operations, marketing and technology, and strategy and enterprise. This years keynote speaker is Steve Vrooman, a professor of communication studies at Texas Lutheran University. His presentation, By the Time They Need Us, They Already Know Us: A New Approach to Social Media for the Self-Storage Industry, will focus on how operators can build a productive social media strategy. The event will also include networking breaks to allow attendees to meet with peers, as well as a new-member and first-time attendee orientation. A Sunday Social will be held at The Gooses Acre, 3-5 p.m., on Oct. 9. Other activities include a membership luncheon, product and service exhibits, a cocktail reception, roundtable discussions, live and silent auctions, and a charity poker tournament to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston, Texas. Early-bird discounts are available until Aug. 31. Additional show details can be found on the TSSA website. Established in 1986, the TSSA is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to enhancing the quality of self-storage in Texas. It provides industry education, research and discussion. @PtboSpeedway @OSCAARracing Peterborough, ON (August 2, 2016)- Another month of Peterborough Speedways 2016 campaign came to an end on Saturday, July 30 as the OSCAAR Super Late Models, Modifieds, Midgets and Pro Midgets joined the home track Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun and Jiffy Lube Mini Stock divisions for a thrilling night of action at Canadas Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval. The first feature race to hit the track was a 20 lapper for the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, with Griffin Powell and Jeremy Kelly leading the pack. Kelly wanted the top spot and pushed Powell for the position, but the former Autumn Colours Classic champion was up for the challenge. A slow car in the second turn brought out the races only yellow flag with four laps on the scoreboard and within a few laps of the restart, defending track champion Ryan Oosterholt had joined the battle at the front of the pack, using the outside line to gain positions. With Powell and Kelly staging their own battle in front of him, Oosterholt moved into a lead he wouldnt give up. Jeremy Kelly was second, with Powell, Jake Kelly and Dave Feeney finishing out the top five. The OSCAAR Super Late Models were originally scheduled for a 50 lap main event, but track and series officials revised that plan to a pair of 20 lappers and both were run with quick, military precision. Former Peterborough Speedway regular Kelly Balson took the opener over Glenn Watson, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Tyler Hawn, Roy Passer, Gary Passer and Charlie Gallant. Roy Passer was victorious in round two, over his son in-law Fitzpatrick, Watson, Balson, Hawn, Gallant and Gary Passer. With 20 laps on the agenda, the Jiffy Lube Mini Stocks rolled from the staging area for their main event with Tiffany Vanderbelt and Kevin Strutt on the front row. On the drop of the green flag, Strutt took control, with defending track champion Tyler Junkin moving into second before there was a single circuit on the scoreboard. The leaders moved-in on lapped traffic with nine laps complete, allowing current point leader James Townsend to close ground. Strutt would lead the caution-free feature from start to finish. Junkin would thwart Townsends charge, with Vanderbelt and Donovan Price completing the top five. James Stanley and Wayne McKibbon brought the starting field to the stripe for the 25 lap OSCAAR Midget feature, but it was Owen Elliott who played the starring role, with an advantage of nearly half a track at different stages of the event. Shawn Stanley would close ranks as the leader struggled with lapped traffic, but the eventual outcome was never in doubt. Not even a late yellow flag with 23 laps complete would keep him from the win. Stanleys charge would come-up one position short, with Brian McDonald, McKibbon and Ryan Brown following the lead duo across the line. Brad Stevenson and Gary McLean would bring the OSCAAR Modified pack to the Great Canadian RV green flag to kick-off their 30 lap feature tilt. Stevenson led the early stages, before surrendering the top spot to McLean just before a yellow flag waved with 17 complete. A.J. Emms would wrestle second spot away from Stevenson on the restart that followed a mid-race red flag, but McLean the most dominant driver in series history would add another win to his resume. Cory Horner and John Harper would complete the top five. The nights action would conclude with a 15 lapper for the upstart Pro Midget division, as Kelly Summers would take the checkered flag. Earlier in the show, Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun heats were shared by Ryan Oosterholt with a pair and one each to Brandon and Dave Feeney. James Townsend, Brandon Hannah, Tyler Junkin and Kevin Strutt each took a Jiffy Lube Mini Stock preliminary round. OSCAAR Midget heats went to Owen Elliott with a pair, Shawn Stanley and Wally Wilson. A.J. Emms, Cory Horner, John Harper and Luc Gignac each won an OSCAAR Modified qualifier. Ted Greenwood scored a pair of Pro Midget opening rounds. Bullring Bullet Points: Several cars were plagued by loose wheels throughout the night. Ray Schroer lost a right rear during a qualifying heat, while fellow 4Fun pilot Mitch Cook suffered the same fate later in the night. In one of the scariest incidents of the evening, OSCAAR Modified rookie Rob DiVenanzo caught his right front on the base of the back stretch wall and flipped; sliding on the cars roof along the track. Action at the tight, tricky bullring on Mount Pleasant Road, west of the Liftlock City continues Saturday, August 6 with the return of the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series. The Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Jiffy Lube Mini Stock, Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car and Ontario Modifieds Racing Series classes will also be in competition; with kids rides at intermission. Pit gates open at 2:00, with the spectator areas unlocked at 5:00 and the first green flag of the night at 6:00. Full schedule details along with up to the minute news and results are always available at www.peterboroughspeedway.com, by liking the track on Facebook or following it on Twitter. You can also download the free Peterborough Speedway app on your Smartphone. Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports 613.968.6410 This content is from: Portfolio A new report by McKinsey examines the industry amid a volatile environment and offers a look at what investors can expect. A statutory body has reported that small businesses in regional Queensland are more likely to be under-insured or uninsured, reported ARM NewsDesk.In an audit conducted by WorkCover of 650 Queensland businesses, it was revealed that uninsured business accounted for approximately 260 claims last year, which cost the scheme about $6.5 million.The audit has also revealed that about 15 per cent of employers did not declare superannuation as part of their assessable wages, 8 per cent failed to declare wages paid to contractors, and 3 per cent were uninsured.A WorkCover spokesperson told ARM NewsDesk that more uninsured and underinsured businesses are found in regional and rural parts of the state.Tony Hawkins, WorkCover Queensland CEO, said that although most businesses have an accident insurance policy with the correct premium, non-compliance remains a concern."Any Queensland business who employs a worker is breaking the law if they don't have a WorkCover Accident Insurance policy," he told"It's never too late to start complying and doing so can reduce the costs should a worker be injured," Hawkins added.Hawkins has revealed that WorkCover planned on doing more employer compliance audits this year."Uninsured employers who lodge WorkCover claims will be held to account. These businesses will be subject to significant financial penalties, including the cost of the claim which can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for severe injuries," said Hawkins.Said the report, the statutory body has visited 2300 Queensland businesses last year to educate employers on worker insurance. The growing concern around the country about peeping drones may have come to a town in New Hampshire. Police in Hollis say theyve received more than 20 complaints about a drone flying outside peoples windows, usually late at night or early in the morning. Hollis Police Lt. Rick Bailey said residents are concerned about the invasion of privacy. Federal Aviation Administration rules require drones to be flown only during daylight, and police say anyone caught using a peeping drone could face state charges as well, including harassment, trespassing or invasion of privacy. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics New Hampshire New York City has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of a 14-year-old autistic boy who was found dead after leaving his school in Queens. The Daily News reported the settlement. The lawsuit accused school officials and the New York Police Departments safety division of negligence for failing to monitor the exit doors and not properly supervising the boy who had a history of being a flight risk. Avonte Oquendo ran off from his school in 2013 and was found dead in a river months later. A law passed after his death required schools to install audible door alarms. City Law Department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci said hopefully the settlement will bring some measure of solace to Avontes family. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics New York New York authorities charged a Long Island engineering firm and one of its former executives with forging damage reports for homes swamped by Hurricane Sandy, altering the documents in such a way that owners flood insurance claims were eventually denied. Matthew Pappalardo and his former employer GEB HiRise Engineering PC were named in a 50-count indictment accusing Pappalardo of directing his staff to remove descriptions of flood damage from least 25 reports that had been prepared by subcontractors who visited the properties. Its the first indictment over what some lawyers say was a widespread practice intended to benefit the Federal Emergency Management Agencys flood insurance program and the private insurers that administered its policies following a storm that caused more than $75 billion in damage. Todays charges reveal a flagrant disregard for the well-being and safety of New Yorkers and my office will not tolerate it, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Monday in a statement. Pappalardo, 38, and Uniondale, New York-based HiRise were arraigned on Monday in state court in Nassau County, according to the statement. Pappalardos lawyer, Avraham Moskowitz, said his client pleaded not guilty to the charges. Pappalardo adamantly denies all of the charges against him, Moskowitz said in an e-mail. He has done nothing wrong and looks forward to being vindicated at trial. Widespread Litigation Disputes over insurance claims stemming from the 2012 hurricane spawned widespread litigation. Insurers sued in a related case paid millions of dollars to homeowners in settlements over allegedly manipulated reports, with some companies accused of conspiring with engineers and lawyers to deny claims. Lawmakers including U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez and Cory Booker of New Jersey pushed FEMA to address potential manipulation in the handling of flood-insurance claims. FEMA Pressure As we have from the beginning, we steadfastly maintain that there was never any intent by HiRise or its principals to defraud any homeowner with respect to the preparation of these reports, the company said in an e-mail. Moskowitz said Pappalardos departure from HiRise was amicable and declined to give any more details. The attorney said Schneidermans failure to give any possible motivation for the former executive to alter the reports was one of the many weaknesses in the case. But Steve Mostyn, a Houston-based plaintiffs lawyer who represents several storm victims, has said engineering firms hired by insurers altered damage reports to them. And insurers want payouts to be lower because FEMA, $24 billion in debt after 2005s Hurricane Katrina and other storms, pressured them to hold the line on Sandy payments, he said. A message left with FEMAs press office on Monday seeking comment on Mostyns allegations wasnt immediately returned. Schneiderman also released a report identifying what his office called fundamental flaws in the National Flood Insurance Program, created by Congress in the 1960s to drive down the financial impact of disasters. The report recommends an increase in transparency and accountability for the program, including improving communication with buyers about what is and isnt covered by the insurance and providing homeowners with all documents related to the claims process. When the next major storm hits, its crucial that families know exactly what kind of damage is covered by insurance, and that their claims are being handled professionally and reliably, Schneiderman said. The case is The People of the State of New York v. Pappalardo, 1171N-16, New York Supreme Court, Nassau County (Mineola). Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Claims Flood New York Greenlight Capital Re Ltd., the reinsurer that counts on hedge fund manager David Einhorn to oversee investments, posted its fifth loss in six quarters as the portfolio slumped. The second-quarter net loss widened to $63 million, or $1.69 a share, from $39.6 million, or $1.06, a year earlier, the Cayman Islands-based company said Monday in a statement. Einhorn was hurt in the period by an oil-fracking short and a bet against Amazon.com Inc., the online retailer that surged 21 percent in the three months ended June 30, according to a letter to his hedge fund investors last week. Greenlight Re is seeking to recover from the 20 percent loss on Einhorns investments last year, when he was burned by the plunge of Micron Technology Inc., SunEdison Inc. and Consol Energy Inc., and the reinsurer was unprofitable all four quarters. The company has also struggled to find profitable underwriting opportunities amid increased competition from other Wall Street investors seeking to bet on insurance. Greenlight Re said Monday that it had obtained coverage from a third party to take on risks that Einhorns company had assumed from another insurer tied to flaws in building projects. Combined with the wind-down of a book of underperforming commercial auto policies, our exit from construction-defect business leaves us without significant exposure to poorly performing lines for the first time in several years, Chief Executive Officer Bart Hedges said in the statement. The net underwriting loss widened to $24.5 million from $13.3 million in last years second quarter. The result was driven by the risk transfer and claims tied to Canadian wildfires, the company said. Greenlight Res adjusted book value, a measure of assets minus liabilities, fell to $21.20 a share as of June 30 from $22.88 at the end of March. The net investment loss widened to $38.1 million from $20.3 million a year earlier. The reinsurer had gained 13 percent this year to $21.22 as of 4 p.m. in New York, buoyed recently by a 4.8 percent jump in Einhorns main fund in July. That stock price compares with $19 in the companys initial public offering in 2007. Results were released after the close of regular trading. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Profit Loss Wisconsin doctors should prescribe opioids sparingly, tell patients they could become addicted and avoid the drugs as the first option to treat pain, according to new guidelines the state Medical Examining Board recently adopted to combat heroin use. The board, which monitors Wisconsins doctors, came up with the guidelines after Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill in March giving the panel the authority to develop best prescribing practices. The state is among many in the U.S. grappling with an uptick in use of heroin, which opioid users often turn to when prescriptions run out. Many people believe that all medications prescribed by a doctor are 100 percent safe, bill sponsor Republican Rep. John Nygren, whose daughter has struggled with addiction, said in a news release. While a vast majority of medical professionals do a wonderful job educating their patients about the dangers of certain drugs, our state is still seeing an overprescribing problem specifically with opioids. The guidelines, based on standards from the federal Centers for Disease Control, call for treating pain without drugs through yoga, exercise or other alternative treatments before turning to opioids. Once drugs are introduced, they should be prescribed in the lowest dose possible and in the quantity needed for the expected duration of the pain. Doctors also should consider people who are unwilling to obtain other treatment for their pain questionable candidates for opioids and document the rationale for giving them such prescriptions. Doctors also should issue two prescriptions, each with specific refill dates, rather than one large prescription, which the guidelines believe with limit the potential for misuse. Patients on chronic opioid therapy should give their informed consent after being told that the drugs can lead to addiction, overdose and death and agree to a treatment plan documenting how to avoid those outcomes. If evidence emerges that a patient is in danger or that their opioids are going to someone else, the drugs should be discontinued and the patient treated for withdrawal. Doctors also should consider prescribing overdose antidote naloxone, best known by the brand name Narcan, for home use for patients at a higher risk of overdosing. Dr. Tim Westlake, the MEBs vice chairman, said Nygrens bill was needed because the panel exists mostly to ensure doctors are competent and lacked the authority to issue practice guidelines. But the board wanted to do something about overprescribing opioids and heroin use. According to the state Justice Department, the number of cases the state crime labs have handled that involve heroin has increased from 1,061 in 2013 to 1,141 last year. Nearly 200 people died of a heroin overdose last year, up 50 percent from 2014, according to statistics on the DOJs website. Its just not an effective medical treatment and theres so much harm that can come from it, Westlake said. How do we bend the prescriptive curve back? What we really want to do is have a cultural change. The MEB issued its guidelines in late July. The bill also gave the state podiatry credentialing and nursing boards as well as the dentistry and optometry examining boards the authority to issue opioid prescription guidelines, too, although they havent issued any yet. Walker has signed 15 of Nygrens bills aimed at combatting heroin use since 2014. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Wisconsin Drugs A Wisconsin shipyard faces nearly $1.4 million in penalties after it exposed workers to unsafe levels of lead, the U.S. Department of Labor announced. Officials said the exposure to lead and other heavy metals at Fraser Shipyards Inc. in Superior happened during the retrofitting of a ships engine room. Officials said tests by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that 14 workers had lead levels up to 20 times the exposure limit. Additional testing of more than 120 other employees showed that more than 75 percent of those tested had elevated blood lead levels. Messages left for Fraser Shipyards were not immediately returned. The company has 15 days to comply, contest the findings or request an informal conference with OSHA officials. OSHA began inspecting the shipyard earlier this year after receiving complaints of unsafe working conditions after Fraser contracted with Interlake Steamship Co. of Ohio to modernize the Herbert C. Jackson. Fraser Shipyards accepted a contract with a very low profit margin and penalties for delayed completion, but could not meet the schedule without endangering its workers. This employer was unwilling to pay the necessary costs to protect employees from lead exposure, David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement. The agency found that Fraser Shipyards management knew about the presence of lead and asbestos, but ignored regulations and worker concerns. OSHA cited 14 willful egregious health violations for the 14 workers who were overexposed. OSHA also issued other violations for failure to assess employee lead exposure and other issues, and it placed Fraser Shipyards in its program for severe violators. Lead overexposure can lead to brain damage, gastrointestinal problems, anemia and kidney disease. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Workers' Compensation Wisconsin Judy Bjerke Severson wants to be normal visit friends and family, go to the grocery store or even sleep in her own bed but she says the crippling pain from fibromyalgia and back surgery complications, as well as a painkiller-induced fog, have made her a shell of her former self. Aug 1. brought a sliver of hope to her and other Minnesota residents who have incurable pain: They can finally buy medical marijuana. Bjerke Severson will be the first to be seen at a Bloomington clinic, one of eight statewide that sell the medicine. I could just cry Im so excited, the 70-year-old Edina woman said. I dont enjoy this life I have right now. Expanding the list of qualifying conditions to include intractable pain marks a critical juncture in the year-old program, which is among the most restrictive in the country. Manufacturers and patients have big hopes that it will usher in thousands of new patients, eventually bringing down high costs which exceed $1,000 a month for some patients and easing dependence on addictive narcotic painkillers. Those hopes were buoyed by data from the state showing nearly 500 patients suffering intractable pain had registered in July, the first month of registration and a month before legal sales could begin. Thats more than five times the number of people who signed up in the month ahead of the programs launch. The Minnesota Legislature legalized medical marijuana in 2014. The law bans the plant form, but allows pills, oils and vapors to be used by patients with nine serious conditions who received their doctors permission. The Legislature directed Minnesotas health commissioner to determine if intractable pain should be added as a 10th condition within the programs first year. Commissioner Ed Ehlinger cited the programs successful first few months when announcing in December that intractable pain would qualify starting Aug. 1. Kyle Kinglsey at Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of the states two medical marijuana manufacturers, said hes confident a largely problem-free first year and his companys own outreach efforts to the medical community would make it easier in the second year. He also said he thinks doctors, many of whom patients have said are wary of the health benefits and possible drawbacks of marijuana, will be convinced its an attractive alternative to addictive and often deadly opiate painkillers. The reason why I left a comfortable job was to help fight the opioid scourge. Medical cannabis is one of the tools that will help fight the crisis, said Kingsley, the companys chief executive. The long-awaited expansion is welcome for patient advocacy organizations, though Maren Schroeder doubts whether it would have any impact on the programs costs. Her patient advocacy group, Sensible Minnesota, is pushing to allow patients to use the plant form and has petitioned Ehlinger to add post-traumatic stress disorder as a qualifying condition next year. For now, manufacturers and patients are focused on intractable pain, which the state defines as pain that cant be otherwise treated or cured. For Bjerke Severson, that means muscle spasms, tingling and fiery pain so severe she can barely walk. Having lived the last two decades with chronic pain, she struggles to describe it. Bjerke Severson knows medical marijuana wont be a magic cure. But she is hoping to kick the hydrocodone and get some relief. I would love to do an errand, she said. Things that people not just take for granted, but busywork theyre sick of. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Cannabis Minnesota The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard was arrested in Missouri in 2000 for driving while intoxicated, and the Better Business Bureau warned consumers about doing business with the balloon touring company he used to operate in that state. Authorities havent publicly named anyone killed in the crash, saying it could take a while to identify the bodies. But Alfred Skip Nichols, 49, was identified as the pilot by his friend and roommate Alan Lirette, who said that Nichols was a good pilot. Thats the only thing I want to talk about, is that hes a great pilot, Lirette said, speaking to The Associated Press from a house he shared with Nichols in Kyle, Texas. Theres going to be all kinds of reports out in the press and I want a positive image there too. Authorities say the balloon, which was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture Saturday morning near Lockhart, which is about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio. Margaret Wylie, who lives a quarter-mile from the site, said she heard popping sounds and saw what looked like a fireball going up. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine what caused the crash, said board member Robert Sumwalt. He said the pilot was licensed to fly the balloon, but that it was too soon to say whether he had a criminal history. A Missouri police officer, though, told The Associated Press that Nichols was arrested there in 2000 on a felony driving while intoxicated charge and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in 2002. The officer said that based on photographs, he is confident the man arrested in Missouri is the same man who piloted the Texas balloon. Nichols had lived in Missouri before moving to Texas. He was known as Skip in both places and owned a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County at the time, said the officer, who spoke to the AP on condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to comment publicly. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 2008 that the Better Business Bureau had warned consumers about doing business with Nichols, the third time since 2000 that Nichols had gotten an unsatisfactory record for not responding to complaints. The paper quoted the BBB as saying Nichols was on probation in Missouri for the distribution, delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance and that when asked to respond, Nichols said, I prefer to make no comment on that. There were reports of foggy weather in the area of the crash around the time of the flight. At least two of the passengers, Matt Rowan and his wife Sunday Rowan, posted photos on social media of the preparations, the early morning sunrise and themselves in the basket of the balloon a short time before the crash. Ground crew members told investigators that they launched about 20 minutes after the expected 6:45 a.m. time. The balloon traveled about 8 miles from takeoff to crash, and the basket was found about three-quarters of a mile from the balloon itself. NTSB investigators recovered 14 personal electronic devices, including cellphones, an iPad and three cameras from the crash site, which will be sent to a lab in Washington for analysis. Sumwalt, the NTSB member, said the immediate focus of the investigation would be gathering witness testimony, starting Monday with the ground crew. Theyve been busy trying to collect the maintenance records for us, Sumwalt said of the crew. Schmall reported from Fort Worth. Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno, Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Maria Fisher in Kansas City, Missouri, and Chad Day and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas Missouri Risk management firm Cobbs Allen has opened an office in New Orleans. The company is partnering with First Insurance in opening the office under the Cobbs Allen name. This will be the fourth office for the firm specializing in commercial insurance, employee benefits, personal insurance and alternative risk financing services. It recently opened an office in Houston, as well. The First Insurance and Cobbs Allen partnership will include a focus on marine and sea-based operations. With the transaction, Burnett Tappel, CEO of First Insurance, becomes a partner at Cobbs Allen. Cobbs Allen said it plans further expansion across the United States. Founded in 1887, the firm is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. Source: Cobbs Allen Federal safety officials on July 28 cited Oscar Renda Contracting Inc. for safety violations at a site in Houston and proposed penalties of $124,300. The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator witnessed workers performing trench and excavation work unsafely at a subdivision in Houston and initiated an inspection on Feb 11, 2016. As a result, the agency has cited Oscar Renda Contracting Inc. for allowing employees to work unprotected in excavations and permit required confined spaces. Without using a trench box or proper benching or sloping techniques, trench walls may collapse crushing and burying workers. A cubic yard of soil can weigh almost 3,000 pounds, the weight of a small automobile, which makes escape difficult or impossible for workers. Each year, dozens of workers die in trench collapses and hundreds more are injured often seriously. OSHA issued citations for one willful, 11 serious and two other violations. The willful violation was cited for exposing workers to cave-ins. The agency has investigated Oscar Renda Contracting six times in the past 10 years and cited the company each time for similar violations. Inspectors identified the following serious violations as the company: Allowed unnecessary material and unsupported equipment within 2 feet of the excavations edge. Failed to train employees in the safe performance of their duties. Did not verify that permit-required spaces were safe for entry. Failed to provide rescue and emergency equipment. Did not ensure that the required supervisor checked all appropriate entries on the permit before allowing employees to enter. Six times in 10 years, we have found Oscar Renda Contracting risking the lives of its employees in underground trenches. Imagine the fear of working below ground when thousands of pounds of soil begin to fall on you and the likelihood that you will be buried alive because your employer valued a contract more than your life, said Mark Briggs, OSHAs area director in the Houston South office. OSHA remains firm in its commitment to hold employers accountable for their actions when fundamental common sense and humanity are not enough to make them change. Headquartered in Roanoke, Texas, Oscar Renda Contracting is a national pipeline, well and wastewater construction company. The company also operates Renda Environmental and Renda Pacific. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Topics Texas Workers' Compensation Contractors Nine residents in Pitt County, North Carolina, were arrested in connection with an alleged staged auto accident ring, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI). Investigators allege the accused staged seven separate vehicle crashes between April 2015 and August 2015, in order to defraud approximately $25,000 from Farmers, Nationwide, GEICO, Allstate, National General, State Farm and MetLife. Jacinda Gethers Best, 42, Greenville, was charged with seven counts each of insurance fraud and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense, four counts of obtaining property by false pretense and three counts of attempting to obtain property by false pretense and of misdemeanor child abuse. Best is charged with misdemeanor child abuse for taking her daughter, a minor, to the hospital for medical care and testing when she had no need for medical treatment. Best was arrested on July 27 in Pitt County and placed under a $20,000 bond. Jaquanda Bradley, 19, of Greenville, was charged with two counts each of insurance fraud and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense and one count each of attempting to obtain property by false pretense and obtaining property by false pretense. Bradley was arrested on July 26 in Pitt County and placed under a $10,000 bond. Tonya Bradley, 43, of Greenville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Bradley was arrested on July 26 in Pitt County and placed under $5,000 bond. Carniqua Paige, 23, of Winterville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Paige was arrested on July 26 in Pitt County and placed under a $5,000 bond. Connie Carmon, 38, of Greenville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Carmon was arrested on July 27 in Pitt County and placed under a $2,500 bond. Redmond Wilks, 39, of Greenville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Wilks was arrested on July 27 in Pitt County and placed under a $2,500 bond. John Earl Best, 39, of Greenville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Best was arrested on July 27 in Pitt County and placed under a $2,500 bond. Shalonda Foreman, Greenville, was charged with one count each of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Foreman was arrested on July 27 in Pitt County and placed under a $2,500 bond. Cursha Phillips, 22, of Greenville, was charged with two counts each of insurance fraud, attempting to obtain property by false pretense and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. Phillips was arrested on July 28 in Pitt County and placed under a $2,500 bond. Investigators seek an additional suspect in association with this case. John Overton, 41, of Greenville, is wanted for two counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense and one count each of obtaining property by false pretense and attempting to obtain property by false pretense. NCDOI employs 20 sworn state law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating and prosecuting claims of insurance and bail bonding fraud. Source: North Carolina Department of Insurance Topics Auto Fraud Property North Carolina An eastern Kentucky man accused of stealing 10 vehicles in a crime spree spanning less than two weeks has been arrested. Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson tells the Lexington Herald-Leader that the series of crimes allegedly committed by Timothy Lawson sounds like a novel. Johnson says the Clay County man is accused of stealing the vehicles since July 21. The sheriff says it started when a shotgun-wielding Lawson allegedly robbed an Owsley County woman at her home and took her car. The sheriff says the 29-year-old Lawson wrecked that car, beginning the series of alleged car thefts. Officers arrested Lawson on Saturday when his stepfather detained him. Lawson was being held in the Clay County Detention Center. His charges include first-degree robbery, kidnapping an adult and first-degree wanton endangerment. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Kentucky The state of Florida has identified 10 more cases of Zika virus caused by local mosquitoes and has asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send in experts to help with its investigation of the outbreak. The state now has 14 cases of Zika caused by locally transmitted mosquitoes, according to a statement issued on Monday by Florida Governor Rick Scott. Scott said the state has called on the CDC to activate a CDC Emergency Response Team (CERT) to assist the Florida Department of Health and other partners in their investigation, sample collection and mosquito control efforts. The team will consist of public health experts who will augment Floridas response efforts, Scott said. Reuters was first to report that as of last Friday, Florida had not activated a CERT team to help with its investigation, raising concerns from infectious disease experts that the state was not taking every step it could to contain the spread of Zika in the continental United States. CERT teams are a key part of the CDCs national Zika plan and are intended to help local officials track and contain the virus. A similar team was sent to Utah earlier this month to investigate how a person may have become infected while caring for a Zika-infected patient, before local officials went public with the case. The state said it began investigating its first suspected case of locally transmitted Zika on July 7. According to CDC spokeswoman Kathy Harben, the CDC first became aware of the investigation on July 18, a day before the state announced its investigation into possible local transmission. Florida on Friday said the first four cases of Zika in the state likely were caused by mosquitoes, the first sign that the virus is circulating locally, although it has yet to identify mosquitoes carrying the disease. Scott said in a statement the 10 new cases of Zika also were likely caused by the bite of a local mosquito. The Florida Department of Health said six of the 10 new cases are asymptomatic and were identified through the door-to-door community survey and testing that it is conducting. The health department said it believes active transmission of Zika is restricted to 1 square-mile (2.6 square km) area in Miami-Dade County, just north of downtown Miami. The state health department has been testing individuals in three locations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties for possible local transmissions through mosquito bites. Based on its investigations, two locations have been ruled out for possible local transmission of Zika. The current Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to more than 1,700 cases of the birth defect microcephaly, and has since spread rapidly through the Americas. Scott said women who live within the impacted area and are either pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant should contact their doctor for guidance and to receive a Zika prevention kit. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Trott) Related: Topics Florida (Bloomberg) -- New York authorities charged a Long Island engineering firm and one of its former executives with forging damage reports for homes swamped by Hurricane Sandy, altering the documents in such a way that owners flood insurance claims were eventually denied. Matthew Pappalardo and his former employer GEB HiRise Engineering PC were named in a 50-count indictment accusing Pappalardo of directing his staff to remove descriptions of flood damage from least 25 reports that had been prepared by subcontractors who visited the properties. Its the first indictment over what some lawyers say was a widespread practice intended to benefit the Federal Emergency Management Agencys flood insurance program and the private insurers that administered its policies following a storm that caused more than $75 billion in damage. Todays charges reveal a flagrant disregard for the well-being and safety of New Yorkers and my office will not tolerate it, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Monday in a statement. Pappalardo, 38, and Uniondale, New York-based HiRise were arraigned on Monday in state court in Nassau County, according to the statement. Pappalardos lawyer, Avraham Moskowitz, said his client pleaded not guilty to the charges. Pappalardo "adamantly denies all of the charges against him," Moskowitz said in an e-mail. "He has done nothing wrong and looks forward to being vindicated at trial." Widespread Litigation Disputes over insurance claims stemming from the 2012 hurricane spawned widespread litigation. Insurers who were sued in a related case paid millions of dollars to homeowners in settlements over allegedly manipulated reports, with some companies accused of conspiring with engineers and lawyers to deny claims. Lawmakers including U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez and Cory Booker of New Jersey pushed FEMA to address potential manipulation in the handling of flood-insurance claims. "As we have from the beginning, we steadfastly maintain that there was never any intent by HiRise or its principals to defraud any homeowner with respect to the preparation of these reports," the company said in an e-mail. Moskowitz said Pappalardos departure from HiRise was "amicable" and declined to give any more details. The attorney said Schneidermans failure to give any possible motivation for the former executive to alter the reports was one of the "many weaknesses" in the case. FEMA Pressure But Steve Mostyn, a Houston-based plaintiffs lawyer who represents several storm victims, has said engineering firms hired by insurers altered damage reports to them. And insurers want payouts to be lower because FEMA, $24 billion in debt after 2005s Hurricane Katrina and other storms, pressured them to hold the line on Sandy payments, he said. A message left with FEMAs press office on Monday seeking comment on Mostyns allegations wasnt immediately returned. Schneiderman also released a report identifying what his office called fundamental flaws in the National Flood Insurance Program, created by Congress in the 1960s to drive down the financial impact of disasters. The report recommends an increase in transparency and accountability for the program, including improving communication with buyers about what is and isnt covered by the insurance and providing homeowners with all documents related to the claims process. "When the next major storm hits, its crucial that families know exactly what kind of damage is covered by insurance, and that their claims are being handled professionally and reliably," Schneiderman said. The case is The People of the State of New York v. Pappalardo, 1171N-16, New York Supreme Court, Nassau County (Mineola). Chiarella has 20 years' experience in business law. Before joining Garrigues, Chiarella was a partner at Rodrigo, Elias & Medrano Abogados in Peru where he advised clients on the tax aspect of international projects, particularly in the areas of planning, commercial transactions and M&As. Prior to this, Chiarella worked at the Luxembourg office EY as a consultant in the areas of tax planning and structuring of international transactions. Even six years after the Panama Papers leaked a confidential list of offshore accounts held by the global elite, tax morality is still very much on the table. Nel terzo trimestre del 2016 il tasso di disoccupazione rimane stabile all11,6%, mentre cresce di 0,4 punti rispetto allo stesso periodo del 2015. In linea con il periodo luglio-settembre anche il dato degli occupati (57,3%, +0,8 rispetto al terzo trimestre del 2015). Stabili anche gli inattivi (35,1%). Lo rileva lIstat spiegando che loccupazione e pari, al netto degli effetti stagionali a 22.775.000 unita. I disoccupati sono 2.987.000. Nel dettaglio, dopo 15 mesi consecutivi di crescita, nel terzo trimestre 2016 segnala lIstat gli occupati diminuiscono di 14 mila unita (-0,1%) sul secondo, mentre crescono di 239 mila unita sullo stesso periodo del 2015. Il calo congiunturale e trainato dal lavoro indipendente (-80.000, -1,5%) mentre i dipendenti continuano a crescere (+66.000, +0,4%). Laumento tendenziale riguarda in maggior misura le donne (+189.000 in un anno), ed e concentrata esclusivamente tra gli over 50enni. Il tasso di disoccupazione dei giovani tra i 15 e i 24 anni nel terzo trimestre 2016 risale al 37,5% dal 36,8% del secondo trimestre. Sul mercato del lavoro (offerta) si spiega che rispetto allo stesso periodo dellanno scorso il tasso di disoccupazione e diminuito di 1,8 punti (era al 39,3%). Se si guarda al tasso di occupazione la percentuale dei giovani occupati e cresciuta su base congiunturale dal 17,2% del secondo trimestre al 17,5% del terzo (era 17% nel terzo trimestre 2015). Gli occupati under 24 sono 976 mila (erano 997.000 nel secondo trimestre) mentre coloro che sono in cerca di lavoro sono 587 mila (erano 580.000 nel trimestre precedente). Rispetto al terzo trimestre 2014 i disoccupati giovani sono diminuiti di quasi 110 mila unita mentre gli occupati sono cresciuti di 43 mila unita 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 Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures Third Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA Worth Approximately $1.5M in Revenue for First two Fiscal Quarters of 2023 CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - October 27, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-derived, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured three key significant orders for its newly acquired, non-nicotine plant-based vape product, HYLA. 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 A 25-year-old Irish woman has been released from a French hospital following a savage attack by three men wielding a motorcycle chain lock. The woman was attacked in in the southern French town of Avignon. Walking to her accommodation near the center of the town at around 6.30am on Saturday morning, the woman was pushed and hit with a chain in an apparently random attack by three men. According to a local French newspaper, the woman sustained injuries to her mouth, nose and cheeks and was immediately brought to the hospital. RTE News reports that she has now been released. "She is in a state of shock," a police source told Le Dauphine Libere newspaper. The 25-year-old is not believed to have known her attackers, who abandoned the chain when they fled the scene of the incident on Rue des Infirmieres, where the young woman was staying. The police are currently investigating the identity of the attackers. The southern French city of Avignon is a popular tourist and holiday destination that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Another young Irish women has also been left seriously injured following an accident in China, where she was working as an English teacher. Lydia Daly, 26, from Celbridge in Co. Kildare, is thought to have been injured in a serious fall on Saturday. She is currently in an induced coma but is believed to be in a stable condition. Daly left for China on February 9 and has had been teaching in Guangdong for the past six months. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help her family. As some of you may already know, in the early hours of July 30 our friend Lydia suffered a serious accident that has left her hospitalized in Guangdong, China. We are thankful that she is currently stable and recovering, but are of course desperately worried for her, the page reads. This fund donates its proceedings to Lydia and her family. Separated by such a vast distance, we cannot help but feel helpless when the unimaginable happens to someone we dearly value and love. H/T: Irish Independent Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan has said a heavily fortified border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would be simply inoperable. Flanagan said that a border with tight security measures to prevent migrants entering Britain by the back door that being via the Republic into the North - "wont work." Speaking to the BBC, Flanagan said: It is absolutely essential that every effort be made to ensure the existence of what is an invisible border. The only visible sign is the change in the road signs from miles to kilometers as you cross from north to south. Any suggestion that there will be a heavily fortified EU frontier, or a heavily fortified border, be it for customs and trade on the one hand, or for security and immigration on the other, is simply inoperable. The issue of the border has been brought into focus once again following Britain's vote on June 23 to leave the European Union. The majority of people in Northern Ireland, however, voted to remain in the EU. The Irish government and all the political parties in Northern Ireland are determined that there will be no return to a hard border between north and south. Former Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, who campaigned for a Leave vote, has also said the border should remain as it currently is. There would be, perhaps, some risk that non-Irish EU citizens might enter the UK over that land border. But the way you tackle people who come and work in the UK without the appropriate permissions is through measures such as cracking down on employing illegal workers. She added: The idea of imposing, suddenly, a whole host of new border checks frankly isnt practical and its certainly not desirable. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has expressed his deep disappointment at what he called the failure of the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to respect and uphold the vote of the people of the North to remain within the EU during his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Downing Street last week. I agree with the taoiseachs objective of minimizing the likely damage arising from the Brexit vote and of coordinating our response to it, Adams said. However, there is no point in having that objective if, at his first meeting with the British Prime Minister, the taoiseach fails to defend the rights of citizens in the North to remain within the EU. There is also no point in the government spinning the line that there will be a soft landing when the reality is that any restrictions on the border will have serious economic consequences. A leading Irish politician was arrested three times by Ireland's police force (gardai) over the past weekend, a holiday weekend in Ireland. Under Irish law he cannot be named unless successfully prosecuted. The politician, who is in his 30s and, according to the Irish Times, has served at a national level, was drunk and disorderly at the Indiependence Festival in Mitchelstown, County Cork on Sunday night and spat at an officer trying to arrest him. He was taken to Fermoy police station where he allegedly assaulted an officer and was drunk and unruly. The unnamed politician was released early Monday morning. Later that morning he had, allegedly, started to drink again and was arrested by police for drunk driving after police stopped him when his car was being driven dangerously. He was charged with drunk driving and was again brought to Fermoy police station, where he was processed and released. Incredibly, he was arrested again later that day after acting drunk and disorderly and accosting members of the gardai. He was released once more on Tuesday morning and the police are expected to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the alleged assault. The politician has not been identified under Irish law, but speculation is rife as to who the person may be. The Irish Times has said that the politician is not from Cork. The Sunday World reported that he has served at both local and government level. The music festival the politician was attending, Indiependence, is now in its 11th year and saw 10,000 music fans in attendance over three days. It was headlined by bands such as the Editors, Bell X1, The Kooks, Ash, and Walking on Cars. The police said that the the well-attended event pass off without any other major incidents. Read more crime news from IrishCentral here Three gunmen, wearing masks, opened fire into a van, in Belleek, County Fermanagh. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are investigating whether there is any dissident republican links to the shooting. The three gunmen escaped into the Republic of Ireland. The PSNI are working closely with the Gardai Siochana (Irish police). The incident took place just outside the Carlton hotel, on the Main Street of a small border village, just before 9.30am (local time) on Tuesday. The armed men, wearing balaclavas, shot at least one shot into a van. It is believed the vehicle is owned by a local contractor, who is currently working on the hotel. Police were not able to release information on whether there was someone in the van at the time, what kind of contractor the man works as, and what kind of weapon was used in the attack. The PSNI report that no one was injured in the shooting, although people were left badly shaken by the violent attack. The police, on both sides of the border are appealing to the public for any information they may have on the incident. Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Tom Elliott condemned those responsible. He said Belleek is a quiet Fermanagh border village and this incident will have come as a complete shock to the local community. It is a reminder that we are still plagued by those who are intent on murder, attempted murder and disruption, and of dark days which we all want to put behind us. Belleek, in County Fermanagh, just on the border of County Donegal. The small town with a population of just 836 is no stranger to violence. During the Troubles the border town witnessed eight fatalities between 1972 and 1992. Chief Inspector Graham Dodds, of the PSNI, told the Guardian I would appeal to anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the area or anyone who has any information about this incident to contact police at Enniskillen on the non-emergency 101 number, quoting reference number 272 02/07/16. Alternatively, if you prefer to provide information without giving details, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800555111. Twenty-three people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bombing in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, according to a hospital official. The official said that bodies are still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday evening. Five people have been killed and several others have lost limbs after a bus veered off a central California highway and struck a pole that sliced the vehicle nearly in half, authorities said. Rescuers pulled out "bags of body parts" from the survivors of the crash on State Route 99, where the speeding bus hit the pole of a highway exit sign head-on, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. It sheared straight through bus, stopping at the first rear axle "with a great impact", he said. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows to pull out trapped passengers. Others were ejected and were lying in a ditch, Mr Warnke said. Five people were killed and at least five others were airlifted to hospitals, California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez said. He did not have information about any additional injuries or the cause of the single-vehicle crash. "The pole went through the centre of the bus, and that's where the injuries were sustained," Mr Onsurez said. The still-intact sign stuck out from the roof of the crumpled bus. Wreckage and debris including seat cushions, drink containers, pillows and a blanket were scattered in lanes and on the shoulder of the highway, a few miles south of the town of Livingston. Mr Onsurez identified the driver as Mario David Vasquez from the Los Angeles area, the Merced Sun-Star reported. The 57-year-old was among those with major injuries and was airlifted to hospital, the newspaper said. The bus operated by Autobuses Coordinados USA was heading to Washington state and was due in Livingston at 1.30am local time to change drivers, Mr Warnke said. The crash occurred shortly before 3.30am between the community of Atwater and Livingston, just a few miles down the highway. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration listed the carrier as having a "satisfactory" rating as of May 17. The bus was inspected in April and had three violations, including a lack of or a defective brake warning device. That violation was not further described, and there was no indication whether each of the items had been fixed. The highway runs through farm fields and almond orchards in the San Joaquin Valley northwest of Fresno. Its northbound lanes were closed during the investigation, backing up traffic for miles. A study by Oxford University and Deloitte found that UK jobs in customer service were one of the top 50 occupations at risk of becoming automated by robotics. But even as bots break into the mainstream, humans are still needed to deal with customers, according to Liam Keegan, a content marketing specialist at XSellco, an Irish company that offers help desk and repricing technology to online retailers. At the moment, bots are good at cutting out the really basic, low-hanging fruit in customer support Basically, bots are just a fancy version of automated responders on telephones, Mr Keegan says. They are good at dealing with mind-numbing, repetitive customer queries. Where they fail is in their ability to process empathy and the human stuff. If the customer is angry, an automated response is not going to appease them for long. Add any degree of complexity and automated responders wont work, Mr Keegan explains. There are a lot of semantic technologies being developed to make machine learning better, to make artificial intelligence better, to understand human language. But were nowhere near that being applied in a business situation, he says. Humans are still much better at dealing with complex queries. Its likely to stay that way for some time. Large companies are, however, investing heavily in the potential for chat bots. Facebook rolled out a bots service in its Messenger app earlier this year. And Mr Keegan believes that smaller companies will also dabble in bot life. These firms could be a testing ground because the bots could work for them in dealing with repetitive tasks such as maintaining a presence on social media. If bots work for firms at this level, they could start using them more widely across their business. The process is likely to be slow, however. Once we have a template that works across the board, I think youll see it become more prevalent across small and medium sized businesses, Mr Keegan says. Tom Richards, group product manager at Intercom, the Irish tech start-up that creates live chat and marketing services, says using bots will not necessarily replace human interaction. Bots could help humans to put their best foot forward and resolve issues more quickly. I think that interactions with customers can be a really complex workflow. Before you have any of theses interactions or while youre trying to juggle loads of them at once in a customer support context, you have to learn a lot about the things that are happening in that customers life that leads them to the question they have. Bots are going to be great at being able to set that context for humans, Mr Richards says. Theyre going to be able to give humans a real leg-up inside the support tools they use while talking to customers, so they can focus on the conversation rather than the administrative tasks, he adds. Professor Barry OSullivan the director of the insight centre for data analytics at University College Cork and the incoming vice-chair of the European Association for Artificial Intelligence says that though artificial intelligence is developing at a fast pace, the process is still slow. One of the very early innovators in artificial intelligence and winner of the Nobel Prize, Herbert Simon, once said that Machines will be capable of doing any work a man can do. I believe that Simon was right, but were several decades away from this, Prof OSullivan says. There are already a number of systems able to carry out many semi-professional and customer-facing jobs. But he warns to expect a fundamental change in the nature of work over the coming years. The social effects will need to be carefully assessed. Liver specialist, Professor Frank Murray, said the rise in the number of alcohol-related cases of liver disease in young women has become tragically high and people are unaware or reckless about risks of alcohol abuse. The President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said it is a silent disease which often shows little or no symptoms until the liver has gone into failure. He said: About three-quarters of people with liver failure have no symptoms attributable to their liver until their liver fails or the damage is irreversible. Sometimes people get a warning and get an abnormal liver test or go yellow. But once you go yellow you are in terrible trouble. Liver disease has approximately doubled in Ireland in the last 20 years for both men and women. Its a pattern of drinking which over years and decades leads to cirrhosis. Were seeing people in their early 30s dying from liver failure. Before it was 40s and 50s mainly. Mr Murray, who is a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Beaumont Hospital, said alcohol has become a much more equal opportunities destroyer. The pattern has changed from mainly men drinking in pubs to both men and women drinking at home, vast amounts of cheap alcohol. One patient told me she drank half a bottle of wine, Monday to Thursday every day and a bottle of wine every day of the weekend. She was a professional woman, lived a normal family life. She didnt think it was a problem because she never missed a days work, she had no symptoms, she was a very sociable person but she got liver failure. The effects are insidious and pernicious and under recognised. You see it on the wards every day. He said three deaths every day are related to alcohol in Ireland: It is shocking and horrifying. Three people are dying every day in Ireland from alcohol liver disease, brain damage, overdoses, accidents, incidence, falls. (Deaths) that wouldnt have happened without alcohol. Liver disease is about a third of that. He said the country needs to take steps to address the alcohol crisis claiming so many lives every day: There is no healthy way of doing the 12 pubs of Christmas. Alcohol is very enjoyable but its very dangerous. Prof Murray said part of the solution is to reduce that availability and increase the cost of all the cheap alcohol consumed by young people in Ireland. Everyone knows tobacco is harmful. Nobody is ambivalent about it. Its the same with drugs but with alcohol were ambivalent about because we all like a few drinks and because alcohol is part of everything we do in Ireland. But what we need to do in Ireland is learn how to drink in a sensible way. When President Kennedy came in the 1960s Irish people drank about five litres per person and now its about 11 litres. It peaked at around 13 or 14 litres in 2000. The reason for that is Ireland went from a nation of relatively low alcohol consumption of mainly in men to being a nation of very heavy alcohol consumers of both men and women in the last 40 years. The photo emerged on social media over the weekend with the youngster standing on the wrong side of a fence and a man holding his hand from the viewing side. A spokeswoman for the zoo said the incident was being reviewed internally. It is understood the health and safety measures around the African Savanna enclosure for the zoos southern white rhinos are being examined. One of the photos of the incident on Saturday afternoon was taken by architect Ciaran Ferrie, who posted it to Twitter and said: Just a child inside the rhino enclosure at @dublinzoo. Just a child inside the rhino enclosure at @dublinzoo pic.twitter.com/xxsn8Dm5Ag Ciaran Ferrie (@ccferrie) July 30, 2016 The youngster is less than a metre from the fence and can be seen standing on large boulders which act as an additional barricade about a metre above the ground. The adult can be seen taking photos of him while passers-by take pictures of the two of them. Dublin Zoo is expected to reveal a further response to the latest incident in the coming days. Viewers will see the pair, played by Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie, head to the tiny, fictional village in Ireland to search for Kats long lost son. The cast have now finished filming the six hour-long episodes of the BBC One drama but they wont be broadcast until next year. When John Paul , modern day chieftain of the McAuliffe Clan in north-west Cork, said in 2012 that he and his family would restore the former Church of Ireland building in Newmarket as a clan heritage centre locals were thrilled. However, some then expressed the fear that the project was too big a financial burden for the Sydney-based family to bear but now they can see that its coming to fruition. The project is about three-quarters finished and is costing the McAuliffe family serious money, although John Pauls declining to say how much. John Paul, who is in his late 70s but still works in the familys builders providers business, would only say: It is costing more than I expected, but then I expected it would. His daughter, Julie, added: Theres no price on the love of your homeland. To date, the McAuliffes have forked out to get the roof and top walls completely replaced. A new floor, with underfloor heating, has been created inside along with a dance floor, performance area and seating. All 19 windows have been replaced and the largest one now features the McAuliffe clan crest. When completed, the building will also boast a audio-visual interactive heritage project and an extension is being added which will feature toilets, kitchen area and foyer. This is amazing when one thinks that it is financed completely by John Paul McAuliffe who himself was born and raised in Greenfield, Kanturk, and emigrated to London as a young man and later on to Sydney in Australia. But he never forgot his roots and he always kept a great love for the Gaelic language, music and culture of his youth, said Eilis Hourigan, secretary of the project committee. The building which will be called Culturlann MacAmhlaoibh will not only be a resource centre for the McAuliffe clan worldwide but also as a heritage and event centre for the community of Duhallow. The potential and possibilities of what we can do in it are endless and it just depends on out own imagination and resourcefulness and we are all exited at the prospect, Ms Hourigan said. Its intended to run Irish language, music, dance and drama classes for young people and enthuse them with a love of the Irish culture in a fun and entertaining setting, John Paul McAuliffe said. The Culturlann will be suitable for concerts, drama, ceilis, lectures, banquets etc but also for small events. The committee is preparing a year-long programme of diverse events for the centre, which project co-ordinator Maurice Angland said he hopes will be open by next summer. It starts with a Hosting of the OSullivan Bearas and continues during the year with young scientist exhibitions, trad music weekend workshops, schools history projects, art exhibitions, Irish language weekends, a folklore festival, and McAuliffe clan gathering. She has told police she didnt get a clear view of her attackers. The assault occurred in the southern French town of Avignon at around 6.30am yesterday morning. It is understood that the woman, visiting the region as a tourist, was returning to her accommodation on the Rue des Infirmieres in the city centre when the assault occurred. According to a report on the Le Dauphine Libere newspaper, the woman was pushed and hit in the face with a motorcycle chain. She was taken for treatment to Henri-Duffaut hospital but was released yesterday afternoon. It is believed she suffered serious injuries to her mouth, head and eyes. The three men fled the area leaving the motorcyle chain used in the assault at the scene. She is particularly shocked, a police source told the French newspaper. The woman told the police she did not know any of the men and there appears to have been no clear motive for the attack. She will be fully interviewed after she recovers from her injuries. French police have not formally commented on the incident. The Department of Foreign Affairs says that it is aware of the case and is ready to give assistance. Avignon is a particularly popular summer tourist destination and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Even if the capacity of the Central Mental Hospital was greatly expanded it would not be able to cope with the numbers of people who need to access services, the minister of state for mental health has said. It comes after Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald brought a memo to cabinet this week on the first report of the interdepartmental group which is examining the issue of mental health in the criminal justice system. A second report is also being worked on by the group. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Ms McEntee said addressing the large numbers of people suffering with mental health problems who are sent to prison is one of the biggest problems that needs to be tackled. The biggest problem here is that if you built that [the Central Mental Hospital] five times the size, you would probably be able to still fill it because you have a lot of people who would be in prison who really shouldnt be in prison, they actually have psychiatric problems. But because there isnt enough space for them thats where they end up and its not maybe realised that thats where the actual problem is. While the Irish Prison Service has a number of in-reach mental health services which it runs in collaboration with the HSE in a number of jails, there is still a continuous waiting list of inmates who are awaiting a bed in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH). Responding to recent parliamentary question, Ms Fitzgerald said: The Irish Prison Service has access to a limited number of places in the CMH for prisoners who require residential mental health treatment. There is currently an average of 15 persons each week awaiting transfer to the CMH. Ms McEntee said that it is now time for the Government to address what she described as the biggest problems we are facing and she has started to look at options of removing these vulnerable people from jail: It costs a lot more to keep somebody in prison, let alone the fact that its not actually right that someone is in prison when they actually have a mental health problem. Sometimes its hard to identify that as well. It might not be identified, or there might not be space, so thats why its so important that our new Central Mental Hospital progresses as quickly as possible so that we have more space. I think its one of the biggest problems we are facing. Although planning permission was given to build a new Central Mental Hospital last year, it is expected that this new facility will not be completed until 2018. A 2014 report by the Mental Health Commission said the current Central Mental Hospital building in Dundrum is outdated and unsuitable as a mental health facility for the 21st century. The Meath East TD said: While the team in Dundrum do an absolutely amazing job, its a building that was built in the 1850s, it needs to be upgraded. So progressing that is a priority for me. Seamus McMahon, 60, thought of the idea for the novel website when he lost he lost his hugely successful security company in the crash of 2008. The father- of-one has spotted what he believes to be a gap in the market in the recruitment industry. Mr McMahon said: Those looking for work are logging to the site and Facebook page to gauge how the jobs market is, for all types of work including medical, construction, engineering, clerical, legal and accountancy professions. For too long its been the norm for employers to advertise jobs they need to fill rather than employees marketing their skills and qualifications, he said. A section of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015, which has still not been signed into law despite being published a year ago, criminalises the purchase of sex but decriminalises the person offering sexual services. The minister was asked by Green Party TD Catherine Martin for her views on the way sex workers will be decriminalised while still retaining sanctions for a person working together with another for safety. Ms Fitzgerald confirmed it is a provision of the law that it is an offence to keep or manage a brothel: While I understand that this provision can prevent persons offering sexual services from working together with others, I am particularly concerned that any decriminalisation of brothel-keeping would create a legal loophole ripe for exploitation by the organised crime gangs involved in the trafficking and exploitation of women in prostitution. Women would come under pressure to claim they were working independently when that is not the case and the Gardai would be limited in the actions they could take to close brothels and disrupt the activities of criminal gangs. For this reason I have no plans to amend provisions relating to brothel- keeping at this time. Ms Martin also asked Ms Fitzgerald about the Governments decision to criminalise solicitation under the Public Order Act. The minister explained that, on foot of government amendments, people offering sexual services were removed from the existing solicitation and loitering-related offences. This was in recognition of the exploitation associated with prostitution and the need to decriminalise the women and men involved in offering sexual services, she said. People who solicit the sexual services of others that is the buyers and pimps remain subject to prosecution for the solicitation and loitering offences under the 1993 Act. This did, however, give rise to concerns that the Gardai would be left with no means of combating any public nuisance if sexual services were to be offered, for example, in a residential area. There was also concern the provision could be exploited by criminal gangs. Ms Fitzgerald said that in order to address those concerns, an amendment was made to section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. That section addresses a number of behaviours, for instance intoxication in a public place, for which a member of An Garda Siochana can issue a direction to a person so behaving to leave the area, she said. Failing to comply with that direction can give rise to an offence. Loitering for the purpose of offering sexual services has now been added to the behaviours covered by Section 8. The effect of the proposed amendments will be that on-street prostitution will not be an offence, but the gardai will still have the power to move persons offering sexual services on from a public place, when necessary. In a blog on the Impact trade unions website, its head of communications, Bernard Harbor, said membership of the commission needs to be balanced. Its bound to involve academics, including economists, he wrote. But, please, not too many. And not with the predilection for parsimony now so common to the dismal science. Lets also hope that the Public Appointments Service which will make recommendations about who should be on the Commission understands that people with a union background have a contribution to make, and attracts some genuine experts who support quality public services and fair pay. Because a body packed with the usual suspects will quickly become debased in the eyes of public employees and others. Mr Harbor said assurances that pay will continue to be set through direct negotiations between unions and public service management meant that the commissions role will essentially be an advisory one. But he added that the ability of advisory bodies to determine public policy varies a lot, and the degree of PSPC influence over pay will rest largely on whether its perceived to be both expert and fair. He also said he could think of commentators who would rush to link the initiative to benchmarking, even though weve been through peak boom, deep bust, two changes of Government, and a massive downward adjustment of public service pay and pensions since that unloved process was put to the sword. Its believed that the minister wants the Commissions evidence to be published along with its findings, Mr Harbor told union members. This is the right approach, which should help avoid some of the criticism that benchmarking attracted, although the job of getting private sector employers and consultants to share their data with all comers including their competitors here and abroad should not be underestimated. In any case, the establishment of the Commission will likely mean that public service pay... will be at the centre of public and political debate for a good while yet. The creation of the commission will follow a public consultation and the finalisation of its terms of reference. It is expected it will start work later this year. According to Impact, the commission will likely compare pay rates for specific public service grades and occupations with private sector trends in the context of recruitment and retention difficulties. It will also be able to compare the pay of Irish public servants and their equivalent grades in other countries. However, such comparisons will have to have due regard to the cost of living in each jurisdiction, the union said. In 2003 when Finding Nemo became an instant Pixar hit, petshops around the world saw a huge boom in demand for clown fish, the species the characters Nemo and his father belong to. The massive popularity of the clownfish following the movie nearly drove the species to extinction due to overfishing. In Australia, the regulation of fishing on the coral reef is strict, but in other areas of the Pacific Ocean near to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines the fish suffered serious drops in local stock. There are 650 extra beds available at Maynooth University and University College Dublin for students this autumn. A further 3,000 spaces are planned at the five other universities and Dublin Institute of Technology by 2020, according to the Department of Education. However, there is already an under-supply of 25,000 purpose-built student accommodation spaces. The numbers in higher education are expected to rise by 20,000, or 15%, to 193,000 by 2024, and around half of them may require places to live. By 2019 alone, total demand is projected to increase by nearly 6,000 to 63,000 bed spaces. There may be between 8,000 and 10,000 spaces being planned or already under construction either by colleges themselves or by private developers nationally, which would bring supply to something over 40,000 beds. That would just reduce the shortfall slightly to nearer 20,000 and some of those projects may not be ready for occupation until at least 2020. There is also no guarantee of all those coming to fruition due to planning or finance issues. A number of private developers specialise in building and managing student accommodation, including some from overseas. Dublin City Council required the developers of a new scheme in Dublins south inner city to provide evidence of an under-supply of student accommodation when the planning application was lodged three years ago. Before the development was even complete, UK-based The Student Housing Company had filled all 471 spaces at the Binary Hub scheme in Bonham St within six weeks of opening bookings last March. Some rooms were booked direct by colleges and others went directly to students who had been on our waiting list for some time, a spokesperson told the Irish Examiner. It is already taking booking inquiries on another 450-space development at Dorset St one of two others it is planning more than a year before it will open doors to its first tenants. Many colleges have borrowed to acquire and refurbish existing residential developments in order to guarantee additional space for their students. Last years Higher Education Authority (HEA) report encouraged a greater role for Nama to assist in provision of sites suitable for student residences. A key recommendation was that any reviews of city and county council development plans take account of the growing student accommodation demand. The Cork City Council development plan, revised earlier last year, requires that any existing student residential facilities can not be changed to non-student use without planning permission. But criteria for new student accommodation developments include the need to consider potential impact on surrounding residents a big issue due to antisocial behaviour in some areas near both of Corks main third-level institutions. The HEA also recommended continued flexibility by local authorities on how guidelines are applied to student accommodation specifications. DUBLIN Trinity College Dublin: Denied. The city-centre university was notified last week that plans for 278 new bed spaces at the Pearse Street side of its campus have been rejected by An Bord Pleanala. Its proposed knocking of an existing five-storey office building and construction of the seven-storey accommodation facility had been approved by Dublin City Council in February. A planning inspector recommended scaling down the plan by one floor to take account of concerns about the overbearing impact on TCDs adjoining 18th-century Printing House. But An Bord Pleanala found this suggestion would not satisfactorily negate those concerns. Grangegorman: Permitted. More than 125 bed spaces are planned on a site near the new north inner-city Grangegorman campus of Dublin Institute of Technology. The centralisation of DITs various constituent colleges to the old mental health facility site is being staggered over a number of years, and this is one of a number of private schemes aimed at catering for the surge of students into the area. LHC Properties got permission in January from Dublin City Council to knock terraced houses, and some commercial property at Grangegorman Road Lower. But the seven-storey project only got the final go-ahead in May after An Bord Pleanalas consideration of a third-party appeal. Stoneybatter: Denied. Located near an entrance to the Grangegorman campus, plans to accommodate nearly 220 students on this site at Prussia Street were turned down by both Dublin City Council and An Bord Pleanala, either side of Christmas 2015. The one-acre site is in backland of existing older houses and businesses, and planning officials had concerns about the shadow and other impacts of the four-storey facility. Aungier St: Undecided. An appeal is now with An Bord Pleanala over the councils refusal of permission for a 282-bed student accommodation plan in the south inner city. Kesteven Ltd wants to build the complex in Dublin 2, but the council said the demolition of buildings on Stephen St Upper to facilitate the works was unjustified. It also had concerns about the density and its location in a conservation area. The outcome of the applicant companys appeal is likely to be known early next month. CORK Carrigrohane Rd: Permitted. Planning permission was granted in April for a 410-bedroom, seven-storey student accommodation development on the site of a former Coca-Cola bottling factory at Carrigrohane Rd. The project by Gainstar Limited Partnership is convenient to both Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork. Lancaster Quay: Undecided. Cork City Council should decide next week, or else request further information, on an application to provide more than 200 new student spaces on the former Muskerry Service Station site near the entrance to University College Cork. More than a dozen objections have been received in relation to the application by an Irish subsidiary of UK student accommodation specialists Ziggurats plans for 30 apartments at the riverside location. It is one of several site acquisitions the group has made to add to its existing portfolio of facilities for college-goers in Dublin and Cork. With Leaving Certificate results to be issued shortly, the hunt for student accommodation for the coming academic year will begin in earnest, but the USI said figures from website daft.ie show securing suitable housing is harder than ever. It has issued a plea for anyone with spare rooms in and around colleges and universities to rent them out to students. It cited daft.ie figures which indicated that there is 40% less rental space available than there was this time last year, while rents have increased by more than 8% nationally and more in cities. In a Red C poll of more than 1,000 people conducted two years ago almost 60% of tenants said they had experienced difficulty in getting their deposit money back. USI president Annie Hoey said the figure is unlikely to have improved and may have gotten worse. The USI will today launch its Homes for Study campaign, which will include a deposit management service, with some students, particularly those in urban areas, facing into a hunt for suitable accommodation in a crowded rental market. Ms Hoey said: We are trying to get people into houses near their institutions. The USI today relaunches its website, homes.usi.ie, a room rental registration website for students looking for accommodation and for landlords who can lease vacant rooms to students during the college term tax-free up to the value of 12,000 annually. Ms Hoey said there has been a mindset change in recent years regarding digs accommodation, with peoples attitudes changing from viewing it as an outmoded form of student accommodation to an affordable and often convenient way of attending college. Very often they can be quite near where you are studying, she said, adding that in some cases people with spare rooms can avail of the non-taxable earnings which would be of huge benefit to them. Todays launch will also feature USIs partnership with Deposify, an Irish start-up offering a deposit management service for landlords and tenants. It effectively places the deposit amount in a holding account and links in with a disputes service if its required. The USI said that student tenants can register at deposify.com for access to the service. More than 1.5m has been invested in the white-tailed sea eagle programme based in the Killarney National Park, and it was now at a very critical stage, the wildlife service also said. It urged that planning permission for a major upland windfarm by ESB Wind Development Ltd, along the Kerry-Cork border within range of the eagles be turned down. Eagles fly from their valley roosts upslope to upland windfarms and are at risk of collision as they soar, the NPWS said. However, the bord last week gave the go-ahead for the Grousemount windfarm which spans 32 townlands across Kerry and Cork. The ESB accepted that eagles are sensitive to wind farms but rejected the objections of the wildlife service, saying it found eagles rarely frequented the area. There have been 30 eagle deaths since the reintroduction and the majority of these were due to poisoning, it also said. A project ecologist will be employed to report annually and ensure there is no carrion, which is what eagles live on, it said. Some 100 sea eagle chicks were brought from Norway between 2007 and 2011 to the Killarney National Park; no more releases are planned, and breeding territories have been established from Kerry to Fermanagh and one male has set up home in Scotland. The NPWS said the sea eagle is particularly susceptible to collision with turbine blades, noting that 39 eagles died in Norway at one large wind farm between 2005 and 2010: Three deaths due to turbine collision were recorded in Ireland and all of these deaths occurred at adjacent windfarms in 2011 and 2012. Further deaths may have occurred as a result of collisions after 2012, the NPWS also said. It strongly recommended refusal given the risk of collision. The application, by ESB Wind Development Ltd, for the 38 turbine farm 17 km NE of Kenmare to 14km along the Cork border to the SW of Ballyvourney had been lodged directly with the bord last September as a strategic infrastructure development. It has granted permission for 25 years. The development is to start within 10 years. 1 WELLIES OPTIONAL The first thoughts on hitting Indie 16? Its dry, its dry, oh thank God its dry. The Irish summer has been positively cruel to this festival in recent years, and moving the main stage into a large marquee was a particularly shrewd move by the organisers last year, when an unrelenting rain assaulted Cork on the Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. This year? Dry as a bone. Wellies were still plentiful, but sported by the prepared who packed for the worst. The ground was solid and negotiable in trainers, and the only reason any marquee tents were packed this year was because punters were there to see a band not because it was a handy place to stay out of a downpour. 2 IDIOSYNCRASY IS VERY WELCOME Mainstream Irish rock is currently plagued with identikit middle of the road acts producing anthem-by-numbers, the sort of music with all the intensity of a Sunday morning trip to a farmers market. Be thankful then that there are hidden gems like Oh Boland, whose noisy garage pop is raw and unpolished and all the better for it. Playing to a small Friday afternoon crowd, the Galway three-piece have the kind of earworm hooks and stage presence that deserves a bigger audience. Local metallers Mindriot have been on the go since 1992, and that experience shows in a perfectly judged couple of sets that are unapologetic, unrelenting, and unmistakably fun affairs. Their rapport game is particularly strong from their short set in the Beer Hall, and a couple of stage invaders arent just tolerated but actually praised for their adherence to the spirit of rock n roll before security hauls them off. 3 IRISH BANDS PROVE TO BE THE BIG DRAW The Strypes Sixties-homage rock proves a sizable draw, but Bell X1 bring the first huge crowd of the weekend. Trying new material with a festival crowd is a gutsy move, but this is a band with credit in the bank, and the fans think nothing of indulging Paul Noonan and co as they preview their forthcoming LP Arms. Naturally, however, the set is littered with crowd-pleasers spanning over 16 years from albums right up to 2013s excellent Chop Chop and a Bowie tribute that has the main stage marquee dancing. On Saturday the Main Tent and second Big Top stage overflow with the crowds taking in Walking On Cars and the Blizzards if you didnt get there relatively early in either set you had to make do with listening from outside. Still can't over how good @Indie_pendence was! Hope you're all recovered pic.twitter.com/s2cLJ5OKBh Walking On Cars (@WalkingOnCars) August 1, 2016 4 DID YOU EVER THINK YOUD SEE THE LIKES IN MITCHELSTOWN? Idlewild suffer their set overlapping with Bell X1 on Friday but give it socks regardless, and the small gathering in the Big Top slowly but surely fills out as You Held The World In Your Arms and other favourites lure them in, and When I Argue I See Shapes and A Modern Way of Letting Go finish them off. A shout-out goes to the absolute die hard at centre stage, right at the front, for whom the set was more akin to a religious experience. Greeting each song by gripping the barrier and propelling himself into the air in appreciation, this was no doubt another fan who was amazed that his favourite band was actually here in a field in Mitchelstown playing to him. Mark Lanegan, Public Enemy, De La Soul, British Sea Power, Alabama 3 down through the years Indiependence has brought acts that would leave many of its target late teens/early twenties demographic scratching its collective head, yet brings local fans who thought a trip to Dublin would be necessary to take in sets from their favourite acts. 5 CHANGE CAN BE A GOOD THING A regular complaint leveled at Electric Picnic in recent years is that while its capacity has increased, it doesnt feel like the festival site has grown in proportion with it meaning some parts of the experience feel a little busier and crowded than before. There are no such arguments here, and the latest tinkering with Indiependences site have resulted in a farm which once hosted 5,000 music fans now comfortably catering for twice that size. The craft beer hall remains the festival sites greatest asset, but there are plenty of bar tents, comedy sets, and other attractions to ensure that theres no great congestion focused in one particular spot at any point, and the expanded site was done in such a way that Indiependence retained its intimate feel. WE have just returned from a three week tour around Europe which for the main part was an incredible experience travelling from Rome to Madrid by train and stopping in various places along the way, it all went off without a hitch apart from the very serious issue of a language barrier relating to a medical condition. My eldest son is anaphylactic to nuts and allergic to several types of seeds. Because of the current trend for being allergic to every foodstuff under the sun, many people do not seem to realise the danger of anaphylaxis. It is a very different condition to the extremely mild intolerance and even to the allergic reactions people get which usually manifests in an itchy rash, some mild swelling, nausea and a feeling of being unwell for several hours after the allergic reaction (even after anti-histamine has been given). Anaphylaxis on the other hand, is a potentially fatal condition which causes a closing of the airwaves and possible death within a very short period of time. We never go anywhere without a supply of Epipens and over the years while travelling, we have always learned how to explain to restauranteurs the nature of our sons condition. However, a lot is lost in translation as we learned to our cost having looked up the word for nuts in various languages, we used Spanish, Italian and French the most frequently and were informed that it was nueces in Spanish, noix in French and noce in Italian. We have been using these words with success over the years but on this trip we visited all three countries and on several occasions our warnings were greeted with confusion and in those cases my son opted for something which couldnt possibly contain nuts (like a steak and chips). But last month we discovered that the aforementioned words often only refer to one type of nut and therefore for years I had been informing waiters in Spain that my son was anaphylactic to walnuts when in fact his most serious reaction is from hazelnut and in France the situation was similar with restauranteurs in one part of the country saying the word meant one thing, while it meant something entirely different elsewhere. Noting this serious confusion, we found a wonderful French restaurant where one of the owners was English so, therefore, understood our predicament entirely and we were assured that she would alert the kitchen to the serious nature of the allergy. While waiting for the food to arrive, we were brought some nibbles which we all duly tucked into but less than a minute later, the owner rushed over to say that before she had time to inform the kitchen we had been given food containing hazelnut. My son had just swallowed a small amount of food and already I could see his lips beginning to turn blue and swell up. I can hardly begin to describe the terror I felt in that moment. With shaking hands I grabbed his Epipen and taking him away from the table, told him that I would have to administer a shot to him. I had never had cause to do this before and although I practised so many times with the dummy pen, I could hardly figure out what to do what seemed like about 20 minutes, but was probably only 20 seconds later, I jabbed the pen into the correct spot (at the top of the thigh) and held on to my son as the restaurant called for an ambulance. He was shaking all over and no doubt as terrified as the rest of us were, but did his best to reassure us that he was fine. By this point he was bright red and swollen from head to toe but the ambulance arrived quickly and thanks to the swift action of both the restaurant owner telling me immediately about the allergen and most importantly the fact that I had given him the shot of adrenalin straight away, he was pronounced out of immediate danger but would still need to be taken to hospital. While my husband went off with him and I looked after his brothers, I spent the next few hours in agony as I couldnt get through to anyone to find out what was going on (a lack of signal in the hospital rendered my husbands phone useless). But after spending four hours strapped up to a heart monitor and receiving specific medicine to further reduce the reaction, he was discharged. Arriving back to our hotel, my poor son was still several shades darker than he should be and was utterly exhausted from his ordeal. I was afraid to let him go to sleep but he could hardly keep his eyes open so I made do with a twice-hourly check-up throughout the night. The next day, he was totally drained from the experience and still needed a lot of sleep, but thankfully this was the only side-effect. Needless to say, this was a really shocking event for all of us and highlighted the need to be 100% sure of how to communicate a serious allergy in whatever country we happen to be in. It also made us realise the importance of making a nuisance of yourself if necessary to ensure that the food served up is totally free of allergens. A couple of years ago, there was talk of the need to introduce Epipens into public places in Ireland I thoroughly supported this at the time and really believe this is something which needs to be addressed immediately. A jab of an adrenalin pen will save someones life and if given in error, there are no problematic side-effects, so it makes no sense to me whatsoever that restaurants, bars and airplanes in particular, but also schools and public places have no access to these life-saving devices. Society and even the Government doesnt seem to be aware of how serious anaphylaxis can be. Allergy specialist, Dr Paul Carson, believes that because so many people are allergic nowadays, the distinction between feeling unwell and having a life-threatening condition has been blurred and that the public has no understanding how dangerous anaphylaxis actually is and dont realise it can kill in a very short space of time. I do believe the abuse of the word allergy reduces the impact of serious allergy issues like anaphylaxis which is an aggressive, life threatening total body allergic crisis. The sufferer has multiple organ involvement, including circulation collapse, swelling throughout the entire breathing tract obstructing the airway, skin swelling and the emotional sense of impending doom, he says. Then, even if the auto-injector (Epipen) has been used the patient must get proper medical attention ASAP. This is based on second wave anaphylaxis attacks in those who are extremely allergic mainly children with eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma. They and may need more than one injection or need more intense supportive measures such as I/V fluids. Dr Carson, who runs Slievemore Clinic in Dublin, says very few people know what to do in the event of an attack. There are no rules (regarding administering adrenalin to a person with anaphylaxis), he says. Schools have to come to their own arrangements and often refuse to be involved and when it comes to the general public or members of staff; its just pot luck whether anyone would know what was going on or feel confident about administering an injection. And I know of no airline which offers in-house expertise in injection administration. After our experience this month, I urge the Government to put in place some measures to ensure that adrenaline pens become available in public places (particularly where food is consumed) in the same way that businesses and local authority buildings are required to have a first aid kit sticking plasters and iodine will help to make someone comfortable in the case of a cut or a burn but an Epipen will save someones life its a no brainer. Difference between anaphylaxis and allergy allergies The most common food allergies in young children are milk, egg, and peanut. An allergy will manifest itself initially with a rash, lip swelling, cough and hives. Many childhood allergies improve as the child gets older. Allergies to peanuts, shellfish and tree nuts tend to persist and a portion of sufferers will continue to have a reaction to these foodstuffs throughout their adult life. Hay fever and asthma are the most common allergies in Ireland Anaphylaxis 2% of adults and 6% of young children have food allergies which have the potential to cause anaphylaxis. Symptoms of anaphylactic shock include swelling of the throat, wheezing, vomiting and loss of consciousness. In the event of anaphylaxis, medical help needs to be sought immediately. And even if given a shot of adrenalin, the patient must be taken straight to casualty. Young children need to be reassessed every six months, phasing out to yearly appointments as they get older. People who suffer from anaphylaxis should carry an Epipen with them at all times. They should also wear an SOS bracelet to alert people of their condition. For more information see www.anaphylaxisireland.ie If you aspire to enjoy your retirement you need to make a financial plan for that future. An aging population and increasing life expectancy means that the state pension is expected to come under growing pressure. The current maximum state pension is 233.30; payable to those over 66 but many expect to see the amount fall in real terms in the coming decades while the qualifying age rises. Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar admitted as much recently when calling for pension reform: The current situation where a majority of our citizens will rely solely on the State pension in retirement is unsustainable. So whatever plans you have for your golden years, accept that you will have to save for them yourself. Work-related expenses will disappear when you retire and hopefully mortgage and other major debts will be repaid. But other areas, such as healthcare, will cost more. Pension planners say to aim for between half and two thirds of your final salary in retirement. The state pension of 233.30 works out at a little over 12,000pa, so that gives you an idea of the gap you need to fill with your own retirement savings. When it comes to pensions, starting early reaps enormous benefits. All money saved is not equal for the simple reason that money you add to your pension in your 20s and 30s has decades longer to accumulate interest than funds you add to the pot later in your working life. Every year that you delay means more needed later, with costs roughly doubling every 10 years that you dont have a pension. The Pensions Authority has a calculator to help estimate the contributions you should be paying to provide your desired pension, based on your current age and salary level, at www.pensionsauthority.ie. Pension advisers recommend starting a pension early in your working life. Most employers provide pension plans; if they do join it. Many will pay a percentage of your income into the fund for you, while expecting you to match the contribution from your pay. This way, the money is deducted before it ever reaches your bank account. If you do not have access to a company plan you can set up your own once you are working. Go to a broker to discuss your options or your bank will can also give you advice. The Government are keen for people to save for their own retirement through tax breaks. These are higher later in life, but even in your 20s and 30s you should ensure you are saving up to the tax-free limit if at all possible. As you enter your peak earning years need to keep a close eye on your pension. If you are still contributing the same amount into your pension as you did when you started, it may be time for a review. Your pension should be checked and adjustments made on a regular basis to ensure you are taking full advantages of the pension tax breaks available. Between 40 and 49, you are entitled to tax relief up to 25% of gross pay. Increasing your payments in line with your salary also ensures the gap between your current lifestyle and that in old age doesnt widen. The tax relief available for pension contributions rise to 30% when aged between 50 and 54, and 35% from aged 55 to 59. In addition to the financial input, you should also review the security of your plan. When you are younger it makes sense to make slightly riskier investments, to maximise growth. But closer to your retirement sit down with your adviser and ensure your money is being placed in more secure funds. The value may increase at a lower rate as a result but it avoids a serious shock, such as the recent Brexit vote and the resulting market instability, seriously impacting your pension pot. DEAL OF THE WEEK Comparison site Bonkers.ie has launched an insurance comparison service to make it easy to compare and switch mortgage protection insurance. Largely because of fear of the hassle of switching, 48% of households have never shopped for this product. All 740,000 mortgage holders in Ireland need mortgage protection insurance, but most buy it directly from their lender without shopping around, putting them at risk of overpaying, Bonkers.ie managing director David Kerr said. He estimates the average non-smoking household can save 190 annually by switching, with savings up to 379 for households with smokers. There may be extra savings for men too. Under new EU rules, insurers can no longer quote based on gender, meaning men with older policies could make additional savings. John Bowe, Willie MacAteer, and Denis Casey, a trio found guilty for their part in a 7.2bn fraud that has shattered the lives of many of the little people are, after one night in Mountjoy, now ensconced in the low-security Training Unit that sits on the Mountjoy campus. After their appeal, no doubt, they will apply to be sent to Shelton Abbey, a Victorian pile in Wicklow, or Loughan House in Cavan. There is a pattern within the prison service for people like the Anglo Trio. After arriving in Shelton/Loughan and serving a few months, they will be given time out to further their careers and job prospects, and their time in jail will be minimal. At no stage am I blaming the Anglo Trio for the system in which they now find themselves. Instead, I point to the almost deferential way that white collar crime is treated in this country. John Bowe Almost apologetically, we sentence people convicted of same. The prison system then picks up that vibe and some misfortunate is kicked out of his precious and scarce single cell to allow a guy, who once owned a briefcase, wore a suit, carried a business card, and had a corporate seat in the Aviva or Croke Park into the jail equivalent of those external status symbols. To the newcomer, shocked that he was placed in jail when he is already seething that bigger fish are swimming freely, the securing of a single cell is small beans. To the ODC (Ordinary Decent Criminal), that cell was his kingdom. A man who had differences with a member of the gardai online recently copped a five-year jail term, possibly a correct sentence, I am not sure, but then the head-scratching comes into play. Three men found guilty of the most serious fraud, involving billions, fraud that wrecked a nation, are given almost red carpet treatment by the penal system. Indeed, to them, the trio themselves would be aware of other players in this game who were never hauled before the courts; those sentences must seem odious and unfair. However, the scales of justice that sit atop our courthouses in many towns wears a blindfold, carries a sword, and scales. But does Lady Justice dispense her punishment and sentences equally? Why should three men that lived in normal houses, drove nice cars, had big jobs, the ears of the powerful, and abused it all by engaging in virtual treason yes treason, this nation and its citizens are indebted for decades to come thanks to their book cooking be placed in the Training Unit whilst three other prisoners are either transferred out or back into the main jail? Willie McAteer I dont buy the low threat to security they pose. If that were, then they could have easily been fined an inordinate amount of money, and placed on licence in the community. What this sequence of events has done within the prison community is this: It has shown staff that voices from the exterior impinge once more on the running of our jails. Of course, that will be denied; and, of course, staff will believe that as they whistle away their days on duty. The inmates already within the system, those who also are of a low security threat and I confidently say that more than 90% of prisoners are a very low security threat what message this sends out? What does the guy serving six years for Vat avoidance on garlic think of the guys serving half of that for bursting a nation to the tune of 7bn upwards? That type of carry-on tears another strip away from staff and prisoner. Cynicism abounds, belief and faith in an already creaking system continues to be eroded. Despite what most people think, those three prisoners would be no more under a threat than anyone else within the walls of the main Mountjoy jail. Those under threat are sex offenders; those who are termed rats; and those in drug disputes or allied to the numerous gangs that are free to roam outside. Most prisoners would find those three an object of curiosity and fun but never a threat. Denis Casey The only ones that cannot handle prisoners such as the Anglo Three is the State itself. So a series of non-committal conversations, unfinished sentences and looks take place. Its as if the jail system is unable to perform its only and basic function lock up all convicted criminals equally and without favour. Someone decides those prisoners are to be seen as special and treated as such. That undermines the entire system and dismays both prisoners and staff. Even in the final acts of trying to clean up this mess that the crash of 2008 brought with it, its tsunami of long-term nation debt, job losses and sadly house loses, those convicted, the very few convicted of their part in it, are like Nama and the developers, they are also given special status within the lowest tier of respectability in this nation, our prisons. Continually we tend to doff the hat where and when possible, even to those we jail. John Cuffe is a criminologist and a former senior prison officer. Aparecida Schunck, 67, the mother of the Formula One bosss wife, Fabiana Flosi, 38, was abducted from her home in Sao Paulo more than a week ago. It is believed investigators monitored phone calls between the family of Ms Schunck and the captors, tracing them to the location where she was being held. Brazilian police said they rescued Ms Schunck from two men on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. She was was not harmed in the operation conducted by Sao Paulos anti-kidnapping division. Elisabete Sato of Sao Paulo police told the BBC that the ransom, thought to have been the largest in Brazilian history, had not been paid. She said there had been a major police operation to free the victim and two suspects were arrested. Mr Ecclestone, 85, married Ms Flosi in 2012, three years after meeting her at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Brazilian magazine Veja had reported that the ransom for Ms Flosis mother had been demanded in pounds sterling and divided into four bags of cash. Mr Ecclestone has so far declined to comment on the abduction. It is understood he wanted to fly to Brazil to assist police and also offered the use of a private security company to deal with the abductors. Brazil is hosting this years Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro which start on Friday. Security has emerged as the top concern, including violence possibly spilling over from Rios slums. Authorities have said they will be prepared. It was the deadliest single incident for the Russians since their entry into Syrias civil war. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province while returning to the Russian airbase on Syrias coast after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, said the Defence Ministry. The helicopter had three crew members and two officers deployed with the Russian centre at the Hemeimeem airbase on the Syrian coast. From what we know from information provided by the Defence Ministry, all those who were on the helicopter died, said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the Russians died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimise losses on the ground. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters for the al Qaeda branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front and other groups fighting against Syrian president Bashar al-Assads forces. Nusra Front announced last week that it was changing its name and relinquishing ties with al Qaeda in an attempt to undermine a potential US and Russian air campaign against its fighters. The group is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. Meanwhile, IS has called on its members to carry out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video. Listen Putin, we will come to Russia and will kill you at your homes... Oh brothers, carry out jihad and kill and fight them, a masked man driving a car in the desert yelled while wagging his finger. The subtitled video showed footage of armed men attacking armoured vehicles and tents and collecting arms in the desert. Breaking into a barrack of the Rejectionist military on the international road south Akashat, read one subtitle. It was not immediately clear why Russia would be a target, but Russia and the US are talking about boosting military and intelligence cooperation against IS and al Qaeda in Syria. IS has called on its supporters to take action with any available weapons targeting countries it has been fighting. There has been a string of attacks claimed by IS in Europe over the past weeks. Now, the Republican nominee has kicked off the first full week of the general election campaign having put his strategy of saying the politically unimaginable to its greatest test yet. Trump broke a major American political and societal taboo over the weekend when he engaged in an emotionally-charged feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the bereaved parents of a decorated Muslim Army captain killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. He further stoked outrage by implying Ghazala Khan did not speak while standing alongside her husband at last weeks Democratic convention because they are Muslim. The outcry was swift and bipartisan, leaving Trump largely isolated among his fellow Republicans and potentially putting at risk whatever progress the New Yorker had made during his convention at winning over the independent voters who will likely decide the election. I am appalled that Donald Trump would disparage them and that he had the gall to compare his own sacrifices to those of a Gold Star family, said New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, a Republican seeking re-election in one of the nations most competitive Senate contests. Both House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued statements praising Captain Humayun Khan, awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after the US soldier was killed in Iraq in 2004. Though neither explicitly mentioned Trump, the congressional leaders pointedly denounced his proposed ban on foreign Muslims entering the country, a policy he had altered in recent weeks but nevertheless one that returned to the centre of the campaign debate via his attacks on the Khan family. For the second time in a week, Trumps running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, issued a statement that appeared designed to put some space between the two men atop the Republican ticket. The father of a Marine, Pence said that he and Trump believe Capt Khan is a hero and his family should be cherished by every American. Last week, Pence said Russia would face serious consequences for meddling in US elections at roughly the same time Trump appeared to encourage it, telling reporters he would welcome Russia unearthing emails that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton deleted from the private servers she used while secretary of state. Pences late Sunday statement came after an afternoon of debate among his aides as to whether he should find a way to subtly distance himself from Trumps comments, according to a person familiar with the internal campaign conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss them publicly. At last weeks Democratic convention, the Pakistan-born Khizr Khan told his sons story, questioned whether Trump had ever read the Constitution and said you have sacrificed nothing. During the speech, Ghazala Khan stood quietly by his side. Trump responded in an interview with ABCs This Week, saying: If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. Ghazala Khan wrote in the Washington Post that she did not speak because talking about her sons death remains difficult. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry. The place that emptied will always be empty, she wrote. Trumps dispute with the Khans entangled his campaign in a days-long dispute at a moment when voters typically begin paying closer attention to the presidential race. Trump tried several times to deflect the criticism, though he refused to back down from his initial attack. Am I not allowed to respond? Trump tweeted. Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me! His tweet followed a late Saturday night statement where Trump described Humayun Khan as a hero, but said his father had no right to say many other inaccurate things. That doesnt matter, said Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump at the Republican convention. He said that as the parents of a fallen solider, the Khans are off limits. I dont care what they say. Youll never hear me question anything about a Gold Star family, Walker said. Ive gone to too many funerals, met too many families. What theyve sacrificed is just unbelievable. Trump was taken aback by the uproar, believing he was attacked first by Khan, according to a person familiar with the candidates thinking. The billionaire real estate mogul has also told people around him that when answering questions on This Week about sacrifice, he was simply pointing out his own and not equating them to those of the Khan family. Trump spokesman Jason Miller said a biased media was at work framing the issue as one of Trump vs Khan and suggested the real issue was a Trump vs Clinton battle over fighting terrorism. He added that Clinton camps was fanning the controversy to distract from her weaknesses on national security, highlighted by the probe into her email server. Clinton carefully leapt on Trumps comments, even as her aides admitted that they werent sure whether the dispute would spark a significant movement of Republicans to her campaign. Their immediate goal is to keep Trump enmeshed in a fight against the Khans. One doesnt know where the bottom is. Its hard to imagine anyone who has ever run to be president of the United States saying any of what hes said, Clinton said, at a campaign stop in Ashland, Ohio. She told Republicans: This is a time to pick country over party. The Royal Commission will now be conducted by two commissioners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda and retired Supreme Court judge Margaret White, Attorney-General George Brandis said. Aboriginal leaders had said they would not co-operate with the inquiry unless they were represented on the commission. They added that they were unhappy that the inquiry was not national. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered the probe last week, after prison CCTV footage showed guards teargassing six Aboriginal teenage inmates and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair at a Darwin youth prison in the Northern Territory. The footage sparked renewed criticism of Australias treatment of Aborigines and their high imprisonment rate. Aborigines comprise just 3% of Australias population. However, they make up 27% of those in prison and 94% of juvenile inmates in the Northern Territory. Im not the only person who can conduct this Commission effectively and competently and it is critical that whoever is appointed has the confidence of those who are vitally concerned with this matter, retired judge Brian Martin told journalists in Darwin, announcing his resignation as head of the inquiry. Since the broadcast of the prison video last week, the United Nations Human Rights High Commission has called on Australia to compensate the victims, and protests have been held in Australian capitals. Kweku Adoboli, 36, was released from prison last summer after serving half of his seven-year sentence for two counts of fraud. He told the BBC he was sorry for his mistakes but warned his former colleagues were still under the same pressure he was to make money. Somali-born Muhiddin Mire, 30, targeted strangers at random in the ticket hall at Leytonstone Underground station in east London on December 5 last year. He grabbed fellow passenger Lyle Zimmerman and attempted to murder the 56-year-old after they travelled on the same train from Stratford to Leytonstone, where Mire lived alone in Sansom Road. Mire will serve a minimum of eight-and-a-half years before being considered for parole, and will start his sentence at Broadmoor secure hospital. The whole incident was caught on CCTV and mobile phone footage taken by a passer-by who carried on filming even as Mire lunged at him with the rusty blade. One onlooker shouted at him: You aint no Muslim, bruv, after he declared he was going to spill blood for his Syrian brothers. Sentencing him at the Old Bailey, Judge Nicholas Hilliard said that while he accepted Mire was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence, he was also of the opinion he had been motivated by events in Syria. In other words, because Muslims were being bombed in Syria, he was going to attack civilians here. That was designed to intimidate a section of the public, and it was to advance an extreme cause, he said. Judge Hilliard said Mires brazen actions were carried out to advance a religious and extremist cause. This was an attempt to to kill an innocent member of the public for ideological reasons by cutting his throat in plain sight for maximum impact, he said. Flanked by several dock officers and wearing a blue tracksuit top, Mire stared ahead as he was sentenced. Judge Hilliard went on to publicly commend Mires four other victims, the doctor who helped Mr Zimmerman and the first police officer on the scene, for their courage and presence of mind. Mire had images of fusilier Lee Rigby and British IS executioner Jihadi John on his mobile phone, along with material linked to IS. He has a history of mental illness and psychosis, including the paranoid belief that he was being persecuted for his religion and stalked by MI5 and MI6. However, prosecutor Jonathan Rees said the stabbing was a revenge attack for the events in Syria. He told the court: We suggest that it can be no coincidence that the attack was carried out some three days after parliament had voted to extend the UK bombing campaign against Isis [IS] in Syria. Mr Zimmerman said that he was fortunate to have received prompt first-aid treatment at the scene from a passing doctor. One target paid out $15.4m, according to a statement from Interpol. The alleged ringleader of a global scamming network, identified only as a 40-year-old known as Mike, was arrested along with a 38-year-old accomplice in Nigerias oil capital, Port Harcourt, in June, said the statement. He is on administrative bail, which implies that officers do not yet have enough evidence to charge him in court. The man is accused of leading a criminal network that compromised email accounts of small and medium-sized businesses around the world including in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Romania, South Africa and Thailand. The statement didnt name any of the targets. The network involved about 40 people in Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa who provided malware and carried out the frauds, with money-laundering contacts in China, Europe and the United States providing bank account details. A suppliers email would be compromised and fake messages sent to a buyer with instructions for payment to a bank account under the networks control, the statement said. Or the email account of a high-level executive would be taken over and a request for a wire transfer sent to an employee responsible for handling such requests. Such crime poses a significant and growing threat, with tens of thousands of companies victimised in recent years, Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, said in a statement. The public, and especially businesses, need to be alert to this type of cyber-enabled fraud. Nigeria is notorious for internet fraud. The US Embassy says it receives inquiries every day from Americans who have been defrauded. Ashraf Amrani, 30, was on bail when his body was discovered on a first-floor roof in Westbourne Park Road, west London, on February 13 2015. When police went to inform his parents the following day, Hassan, 72, and Zohra, 59, they were found dead at their flat, which was on the same street. Francis was asked by reporters on the papal plane returning to Rome from Poland why he never used the word Islam when condemning killings by extremists like that of an elderly priest in France last week. The Pope said: Its not right to identify Islam with violence, adding that every religion had its little group of fundamentalists. He said that if he spoke of violent Islam, he would have to speak of violent Catholicism, since Catholics kill too. Referring to the Islamic State group, Francis, 79, said it presents itself with its violent identity card, but its not Islam. During his five-day pilgrimage in southern Poland he prayed privately in a church that God protect people from the devastating wave of terrorism in many parts of the world. Francis told young people who flocked by the hundreds of thousands that they needed to believe in a new humanity stronger than evil and warned against concluding that one religion was more violent than others. Organisers of the Catholic jamboree known as World Youth Day estimated 1.5 million youths attended his Mass at a meadow near Krakow, many having camped out in sleeping bags from a vigil service of prayer, singing and dance performances the previous evening. The jamboree, meant to infuse young Catholics with fresh passion for their religion, was the main reason Francis came to Poland on the trip, which also took him to the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp, where he prayed in silence and reflected on what he called so much cruelty. Extremist violence was on his mind when he set out last week, the day after terrorists rushed into a church in the French countryside and murdered the elderly priest there, slitting his throat, as he was celebrating Mass. The Pope used his several encounters with the young pilgrims from mega-gatherings to a private lunch with only a dozen people from five continents to encourage a new generation to work for peace, reconciliation and justice. God, said Francis in his final homily of the pilgrimage, demands of us real courage, the courage to be more powerful than evil, by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centred or small-minded, Francis said. Earlier in his pilgrimage, Francis expressed dismay that many people and places were not welcoming enough to refugees or those fleeing poverty in their homelands. This pilgrimage marked the first time the Argentinian Pope had set foot in eastern Europe. Flying back to Rome, he was asked by reporters what he thought about Poland and its welcome to him. Referring to the enormous crowds he drew, Francis joked that Poland was invaded, this time by young people apparently referring to Germanys 1939 invasion of Poland that triggered the Second World War. Not only are some 1,400 athletes at risk of getting violently ill in water competitions, but the Associated Press tests indicate that tourists also face potentially serious health risks on the golden beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. The survey of the aquatic Olympic and Paralympic venues has revealed consistent and dangerously high levels of viruses from the pollution, a major black eye on Rios Olympic project that has set off alarm bells among sailors, rowers, and open-water swimmers. The first results of the study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7m times what would be considered worrisome in the US or Europe. At those concentrations, swimmers and athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and more rarely heart and brain inflammation although whether they actually fall ill depends on a series of factors including the strength of the individuals immune system. Since the release of the initial results last July, athletes have been taking elaborate precautions to prevent illnesses that could potentially knock them out of the competition, including preventatively taking antibiotics, bleaching oars, and donning plastic suits and gloves in a bid to limit contact with the water. But antibiotics combat bacterial infections, not viruses. And the investigation found that infectious adenovirus readings tested with cell cultures and verified with molecular biology protocols turned up at nearly 90% of the test sites over 16 months of testing. Thats a very, very, very high percentage, said Dr Valerie Harwood, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. Seeing that level of human pathogenic virus is pretty much unheard of in surface waters in the US. You would never, ever see these levels because we treat our waste water. You just would not see this. While athletes take precautions, there are fears for the 500,000 foreigners expected to descend on Rio for the Olympics. Testing at several of the citys world-famous beaches has shown that in addition to persistently high viral loads, the beaches often have levels of bacterial markers for sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad and sometimes even exceed Rio states lax water safety standards. Harwood has one piece of advice for travellers to Rio: Dont put your head under water. Swimmers who cannot heed that advice stand to ingest water through their mouths and noses and therefore risk getting violently ill, she said. Danger is lurking even in the sand. Samples from the beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema revealed high levels of viruses, which recent studies have suggested can pose a health risk particularly to babies and small children. Both of them have pretty high levels of infectious adenovirus, said Harwood, adding that the virus could be particularly hazardous to babies and toddlers who play in the sand. You know how quickly an infant can get dehydrated and have to go to the hospital. Thats the scariest point to me. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The Interior Ministry said terrorists used a truck full of explosives to breach the perimetre wall of the Northgate Hotel around 1:30am. Three gunmen then entered the premises and started shooting. The ministrys deputy spokesman Najib Danish said the truck driver was killed when he detonated the explosives. The blast in the eastern part of the Afghan capital shook the city and was followed by widespread power outages. A Taliban statement said they had sent heavily armed operatives as part of the attack. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the Kabul chief of police, said all the attackers who were on foot had been killed and that none of the hotels residents were harmed. A man identifying himself as Steve Jones answered the phone at the hotel and said all the guests were safe. We have 100 percent accountability, he said. However, as daylight broke and Afghan policemen deployed at the site kept the roads leading to the hotel sealed off, questions remained as to how the insurgents were able to bring a truck loaded with explosives into the Afghan capital. Foreign guesthouses have long been a Taliban target. The Northgate Hotel was attacked in July, 2013, in a similar manner, with a truck bomb breaching the gate and gunmen storming the compound. Reports at the time said that four security guards were killed before the attackers were shot dead. The Northgate, which is east of Kabuls international airport and near the Bagram Air Base, is typical of many pre-fabricated compounds that offer accommodation to foreigners working in the Afghan capital. According to its website, it offers the same services as most hotels, along with high security, sniffer dogs, airport transfers and background checks, if necessary. The ministrys statement on the hotel attack said that police commandos arrived and surrounded the facility, but had to be careful because fuel tankers were stored in the area. They waited until dawn before trying to find the gunmen. The operation finished at 7:30 am when the terrorists were killed, the statement said. Yesterdays attack followed a massive suicide bombing of a peaceful rally by the Afghan minority ethnic Hazara community on July 23 that killed more than 80 people and wounded hundreds. The Hazaras were calling for a power project to be rerouted through their impoverished region in the central highlands when the suicide bomber hit. That attack was claimed by Islamic State, which emerged last year in Afghanistan as an affiliate of the militant group fighting in Iraq and Syria. It was the IS Afghan branchs first assault in Kabul and the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001. The Taliban statement on yesterdays attack noted that guesthouses occupied by foreigners, especially Americans invaders, are frequent targets. Following a leak of the list, opposition MPs demanded a complete overhaul of the system after it was claimed the former PM is rewarding personal aides, political donors and senior figures on the losing Remain campaign. Ms May was under pressure to intervene, but a spokeswoman said the new premier would not interfere in decisions of the honours committees, which are independent of No 10. It is standard for an outgoing prime minister to submit a resignation list, the spokeswoman said. The names on the list were at the former prime ministers discretion, and they will now go through all the proper processes and committees. It would set a very bad precedent for a new prime minister to interfere in the official processes. The row was sparked by reports that Mr Cameron recommended knighthoods for four pro-EU cabinet colleagues Philip Hammond, Michael Fallon, Patrick McLoughlin and David Lidington. He requested a Companion of Honour award for George Osborne, who was dismissed as chancellor by Ms May, according to The Sunday Times. Will Straw, head of the failed pro-Remain campaign, was proposed for a CBE, and more than 20 Downing Street staff were recommended for awards, according to the report. Among those reported to be recommended for OBEs is Isabel Spearman, who helped Samantha Cameron with her diary and outfits for various engagements. It was also claimed Mr Cameron recommended knighthoods for major Tory donors Ian Taylor and Andrew Cook. Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said Mr Camerons bid to reward his friends presented the worst of the old boys network, adding: That Mr Cameron proposes to reward his friends network on such a huge scale will not only bring the honours system into disrepute, it will undermine the reputation of Theresa May. But Conservative former minister Desmond Swayne, said an honours list was a relatively light way of paying off debts of honour. Nominations for honours are reviewed by honours committees, which include senior civil servants and people judged to be independent of government. Each committee has a majority of independent members, with one of them chairing discussions, and reviews nominations for specific activities such as sport or arts and media, according to the government. A No 10 representative is invited to attend all meetings. The individual committees feed into the main honours committee, which then produces a list and its decisions go to the prime minister and then the Queen who bestows the honour. Drones and helicopters pinpointed the location of the 11 fugitive commandos in hills around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris after a two-week manhunt, an official said. They were part of a group that attacked a hotel where Erdogan was holidaying on the night of the July 15 coup bid. The operation took place overnight, after the government tightened its control over the military by dismissing over 1,000 more soldiers, widening the post-coup purges of state institutions that have targeted tens of thousands of people. The coup attempt and resulting purges have shocked Turkey, which last saw a violent military power grab in 1980, and have shaken confidence in the stability of a NATO member key to the US-led fight against Islamic State and to stopping illegal migration to Europe. Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said coup plotters would bitterly regret trying to overthrow Turkeys democracy, in words reflecting the depth of anger among the thousands of Turks who have attended rallies to condemn the coup night after night. We will make them beg. We will stuff them into holes, they will suffer such punishment in those holes that they will never see Gods sun as long as they breathe, Zeybekci was quoted by the Dogan news agency as telling an anti-coup protest in the western town of Usak over the weekend. They will not hear a human voice again. Kill us they will beg, he said. Erdogan blames followers of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen for the coup bid and has vowed to rid state institutions of his influence. But the extent of the purges, and suggestions that the death penalty could be reintroduced, have sparked concern in Western capitals and among rights groups. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the US, has denied involvement. Erdogan and his government have been angered by the response of Western allies to the abortive coup and its aftermath, accusing them of being more concerned about the rights of the plotters than the gravity of the threat to Turkey. The USs top military official, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, met Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara after visiting the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, used by the US-led coalition for bombing raids in Syria. The first air strikes were carried out at specific locations in Sirte today causing severe losses to enemy ranks, Prime Minster Fayez Seraj said on state TV. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes did not have an end point at this particular moment in time. Burma Bagan Bids for UNESCO World Heritage Status Burma will nominate the Bagan Archaeological Zone as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, to be considered the following year. MANDALAYBurmas branch of the World Heritage Site Committee announced its plans to nominate the Bagan Archaeological Zone for UNESCOs list of culturally significant sites in 2017 for reconsideration the following year. The planning follows a meeting held in Mandalay in July between officials from the divisional government, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, Ministry of Home Affairs, engineering experts and representatives of the committee. A separate nomination committee was formed following the meeting with the aforementioned officials along with the Bagan Heritage Trust. Than Zaw Oo, director of Burmas branch of the World Heritage Site Committee, explained that if the draft report and the draft management plan needed for the nomination could be submitted by September 2017, committee representatives would visit the site in 2018. Bagans nomination would then be brought up for deliberation at UNESCOs 2019 World Heritage Site convention. UNESCO guidelines for selection include deciding whether the site exhibits outstanding universal value, international significance and the ability to transcend national boundaries and be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. Economic development and a growing tourism infrastructure in Bagans vicinity have been the biggest challenges facing the site in its bid to become a World Heritage Site, threatening preservation of the cultural areas. We will just have to wait and see what the experts decide at the convention, said Than Zaw Oo. Burmas initial application for recognition came in 1996, but it was rejected due to poor management plans and legal frameworks. After UNESCO inscribed the ancient Pyu cities as the first Burmese World Heritage Site in June 2014, the culture ministry decided to continue campaigning for the addition of Bagan. In 2015, the committee completed a comprehensive data collection project and implemented measures to survey and maintain historical records, including the impact of future development on the area. The survey also looked at how many structures remained in their original forms and to what extent preservation efforts would have to be undertaken. Bagan houses stupas, temples and other Buddhist religious buildings constructed from the 9th to 11th centuriesa period in which some 50 Buddhist kings ruled the Bagan Dynasty. There are more than 3,000 stupas and temples in the area. Of these, 120 temples have stucco paintings and 460 have mural paintings that are found to be in need of preservation. Burma Bill Committee Moves to Abolish Controversial Emergency Provisions Act A new bill that would repeal Burmas 1950 Emergency Provisions Act is submitted to the Lower House of Parliament. NAYPYIDAW A new bill that would repeal Burmas controversial 1950 Emergency Provisions Act was submitted to the Lower House of Parliament on Monday; the move was met with divergent opinions from lawmakers. The bill, which proposes the abolishment of the 66-year-old law, was drafted and submitted to the Parliament by the Lower House Bill Committee. Tun Tun Hein, committee chair, argued that the Emergency Provisions Act had been used by previous governments to stifle political dissent. It is not safe for citizens as long as this act exists. We therefore propose annulling the act for the sake of public security, Tun Tun Hein told the reporters after the parliamentary session. This act was [initially] applied for military purposes, but then it was also applied for political purposes, he said. All the governmentsfrom Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League to the Revolutionary Council to the previous governmenthave applied this act, allowing the government to arrest a person quite easily, he claimed, referencing independent Burmas first government, Ne Wins military regime, and the Union Solidarity and Development Partys (USDP) quasi-civilian administration. The NLD government is now [in office] and we want to change this, Tun Tun Hein added. The Emergency Provisions Act was originally enacted in 1950 by the government of Burmas first prime minister, U Nu, in response to the civil war that erupted in the wake of the countrys independence. The law grants sweeping authority to the government to prosecute individuals who disseminate false news or are otherwise determined to have jeopardized the state. Successive governments have abused it to suppress dissidents and people. The act carries the death penalty and sentences of up to life in prison for treason or sabotage against the military. It also dictates up to seven years in prison for a sweeping range of other offenses against the state. Opposing the abolishment of the act, military lawmakers suggested instead amending some provisions that are deemed no longer suitable. Brig-Gen Maung Maung, a Lower House military representative and a member of the bill committee, and Steven, a USDP lawmaker and the committees secretary, argued that a new law that fits the present time should be drafted and promulgated first if the Emergency Provisions Act is to be abolished. Lwin Ko Latt, a lawmaker representing Thanlyin Township and a member of the Lower Houses Public Administration Committee, told The Irrawaddy that the act was misused to perpetuate arbitrary arrests and to suppress the work of human rights and pro-democracy activists. He expressed his support for its abolishment. In the Parliament, the Lower House Bill Committee described the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act as a threat to fundamental rights of citizens at a time when a new democratic nation is being built. Representatives of the committee said they had held multiple discussions with the Public Administration Committee, the Office of the Attorney General of the Union, as well as the Home Affairs Ministry regarding the abolishment of the act. Committee chair Tun Tun Hein said that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government is committed to changing laws and regulations, procedures, orders, and instructions that do not meet democratic and human rights norms. Lawmakers who want to discuss on the new bill have until Wednesday to register their names to indicate support for further exploration of the proposal in Parliament. In 2015, during ex-president Thein Seins administration, the NLDthe then-leading opposition partyproposed scrapping the legislation at a Lower House legislative session. However, the move failed as the chamber was under the wider influence of the military-backed USDP majority at the time. Win Myint, then a Lower House lawmaker, and the current Speaker of the House, said in 2015 that the legislation was designed to instill fear and restrict political activity. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. Burma Embassy Warns Burmese in Thailand About Pre-Referendum Crackdown The embassy is alerting Burmese migrants in Thailand of a surge in police and army raids targeting migrants ahead of Thailands constitutional referendum. CHIANG MAI, Thailand The Burmese embassy in Bangkok has sent warning notices to Burmese migrants in Thailand alerting them of a surge in raids and surprise checks by Thai police and the army on migrants workplaces and living quarters. These interventions are part of a an extensive security clampdown by the Royal Thai Police and the Royal Thai Army ahead of an August 7 referendum on the new draft constitution drafted by the ruling military junta. The notice, issued by the embassy on Monday, warned Burmese nationals living or visiting Thailand for any reason to exercise extra caution while working and traveling, to carry the required immigration documents with them at all times, and to calmly submit to inspections from the Thai police. The notice also provided contact numbers for the embassy, and invited calls from any Burmese national in Thailand requiring assistance. Thai online news outlets have reported Thai police and army raids on the workplaces and living quarters of Burmese migrant workers, alongside crackdowns on small businesses run by migrantswhom Thai authorities accuse of stealing jobs from Thai nationals. According to Burmese migrant sources, Thai police have been conducting surprise inspections in the markets of the northern city of Chiang Mai, where many Burmese migrants make their livelihood. Ko Oo, a Burmese migrant worker living in Chiang Mai, said it had been worse than previous crackdowns, with Thai police intervening not only in migrants workplaces but also in the houses and makeshift structures where migrants live. He said small shops run by Burmese migrants in the city had been kept shut as a precaution. During workplace raids, Ko Oo said the police arrest all migrants whose papers state different employers and workplace addresses. In recent days, a crackdown by Thai police and soldiers has been taking place in Mae Sot, a town near the Burmese border with a large transient Burmese population. Reportedly many Burmese migrant workers in the town have been arrested and deported to Myawaddy, the Burmese town on the other side of the border. Royal Thai Army soldiers have also been deployed at illegal crossing points along the Burmese border. Migrant labor rights groups in Thailand estimate there to be between 3-4 million Burmese migrants in Thailand, only 1.7 million of whom are registered. On a trip to Thailand in June, Burmas State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi made a series of public addresses, including to Burmese migrant workers at the Talay Thai Seafood Market in the port town of Mahachai in Samut Sakhon Province. She cited agreements for increased cooperation with the Thai government on ensuring migrants labor rights, as well as plans to improve job opportunities in Burma in order to tempt migrants back. Burma Human Rights Group Presses Govt to Suspend Extraction Projects in Ethnic States A Shan human rights group presses the government to suspend resource extraction projects in ethnic states and to end military offenses against civilians. RANGOON A Shan human rights group has pressed the Burmese government to immediately suspend all resource extraction projects in ethnic states that have been ravaged by conflict and to end Burma Army offenses against civilians. The group stated that such projects should only be considered after a federal peace settlement has been reached, granting local communities ownership and usage rights of natural resources in their regions. The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) documented detailed accounts of Burma Army abuses against civilians during military action to secure the local coal mines in Shan States Hsipaw Township in May. The groups recent Killing for Coal report highlighted arbitrary arrest, looting, torture and killing. In operation since the 1990s, the Nam Ma coal mines in Hsipaw Township have contributed to environmental destruction and the loss of crops in nearby villages, according to a SHRF representative. Sai Kheun Mai, SHRF spokesperson, said, more than 30 acres of farmland have been destroyed because of the project and more than 100 acres are likely to be affected in Kho Lang Pha, about five kilometers south of Nam Ma. Villagers have experienced not only environmental degradation, Sai Kheun Mai added, but also human rights abuses, due to an increase of Burma Army troops in the region this year. In May, locals were forced to flee their homes due to conflict between the Burma Armywhich protects the Nam Ma project and maintains control of the surrounding areaand Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) troops based in the area. Although the fighting has decreased in recent months since the SSPP/SSA-N troops left the area, the presence of government military troops persists. Some internally displaced persons managed to return to their respective villages in May and June to attend to their farms during the growing season. Regarding suspension of the Nam Ma project, Shan State lawmaker Nang San San Aye told The Irrawaddy that when she raised the issue in divisional parliament two weeks ago, the state minister of natural resources said the decision would come from the Union-level government. I asked the state parliamentary speaker and my constituencys Union-level lawmakers to raise the issue in the Union Parliament. We are still waiting to hear, she said. Civilians and activists have voiced dissatisfaction with the new National League for Democracy (NLD) governments tackling of public safety issues, especially related to those concerning the military. SHRF, an outspoken voice for ethnic minority rights, continuously urges for an end to the war, military offenses, and the impunity granted to military personnel in regards to human rights violations. We cannot depend on the government to protect civilians safety. So, if my people want the project to stop because theyve faced many losses, I will stand with them, the state lawmaker added. Business Govt to Continue Tourism Policy of Maximum Growth The government is continuing its predecessors tourism policy of maximum growth, and will stick by its controversial method of enumerating visitors. RANGOON The government will continue the tourism policies set by its predecessoraiming for maximum growthand will continue to enumerate day-visitors crossing land borders as tourists, in contravention of international tourism standards. These intentions were laid out by Tint Thwin, director general of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, at the Myanmar Hospitality & Tourism Conference taking place in Rangoon on August 2-3. Tint Thwin also expressed confidence that Burma would meet its target of 5.5 million tourists for 2016, while noting that the tourism sector was sensitive and depended on the situation in the country. He also made plain that the government would not be changing its controversial method of enumerating visitors. Burmas Tourism Master Plan 2013-20, unveiled under the previous government in 2012, prioritizes high-growth, with a target of 7.48 million visitors in 2020drawing criticism from advocates of sustainable tourism that the target would promote rash policies with adverse long-term implications. As well as counting day-visitors, Burma counts all visitors as touristseven the substantial proportion that does not arrive on tourist visasin contrast to other countries in the region. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) only includes visitors who stay overnight in a country as tourists, while the World Tourism Organization requires that they stay for 24 hours. The wide mismatch between official government figures and what are considered to be the real tourist numbers has created uncertainty in Burmas tourism industry, and may have exacerbated current problems of oversupplynotably in hotel roomsin the major cities of Rangoon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw. At the conference, STR business development manager Fenady Uriarte noted that tourism arrivals in Burma for 2015 were enumerated at only 1.2 million by PATAa stark contrast to the governments own figure of 4.68 million for that year (a 52 percent increase from the amount claimed by the government for the previous year). Sabei Aung, managing director of Nature Dream tourism agency, expressed concern that the governments divergent statistics may confuse, mislead or put off investors. After 2010, international investors came to learn about the [Burmese tourism] market but they found that the data was wrong. Singaporean investors came in, but European investors backed out, she said. Hotels have mushroomed domestically but hoteliers have built hotels with their own money and through loans. These hotels have not received enough guests and have suffered huge losses. The incorrect data misled local businessmen as well, she said. According to figures from STR, an American company that provides supply and demand data for the global hotel industry, the current supply of hotel rooms in Rangoon exceeds supply by 8.5 percent. Sabei Aung said a similar picture held for Mandalay and Naypyidaw. Supply is good [in the industry] but demand has not been keeping up in the recent period, said Fenady Uriarte of STR. With a view to furthering investment opportunities in Burma, participants in the hospitality and tourism conference discussed expanding into the countrys many undeveloped areas and developing infrastructureincluding new international airportsas outlined in the Tourism Master Plan. One of the priorities outlined in the Ministry of Hotels and Tourisms initial 100 day policy, unveiled in early May, and discussed further at the conference, was the development of community-based tourisminvolving the establishment of village guest houses and package tour visits to rural communitiesin specially designated areas. These areas are to include Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State, Loikaw in Karenni State, Thandaunggyi in Karen State, the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in southern Shan State, Myaing in Magwe Division, and Kyauk Myaung Village in Mandalay Division. We hope that more tourists will come since were expanding international entry-points, including through new airports. Now, at least 24 airlines land in Rangoon International Airport and five airlines land in Mandalay International Airport, former Minister of Hotels and Tourism Htay Aung said at the Tuesday press conference. We need better infrastructure to welcome them, he said. He also maintained that the government would continue to count all visitors who come here, even day-return visitors. The ministry is still counting tourist arrivals for first six months of this year, he confirmed. According to the ministrys figures, Burmas tourism industry earned US$254 million in 2010, $319 million in 2011, $534 million in 2012, $926 million in 2013 and $1.8 billion in 2014. Lifestyle Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week A rock concert, a poetry slam, art exhibitions, international beer day, and moreall in Rangoon this week, as picked by The Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy picks 10 interesting events happening in Rangoon this week. Influence Rock 2016 Rangoon rock bands Big Bag and Idiots & Reason will perform. Tickets are available in City Mart and Ocean Supercenter. The admission fee is 8,000 kyats. Where: Myanmar Convention Centre (MCC), Min Dhamma Street, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 09-253739071 When: Sunday, August 7, 7pm International Beer Day Started in California in 2007, International Beer Day is an annual worldwide celebration held on the first Friday of August. Join the festivities in Burma at Mahlzeit where they will serve Carlsberg, Tuborg and Yoma beer. Where: Mahlzeit, 84 Pann Hlaing Street. Tel: 09-784151250 When: Friday, August 5, 12pm Myanmar Remix Rooftop bar Yangon Yangon hosts the Remix every Sunday night with DJs playing all Burmese songs after 8pm. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 pm, when all frozen cocktails are 50 percent off. Where: Yangon Yangon, Sakura Tower, 339 Bogyoke Road, Tel: 01-255131 When: Sunday, August 7, 8 pm to 10:30 pm IELTS Mock Exam Anyone planning on taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam can complete a mock exam free of charge at the Impact Skill Development Center. Seats are limited and registration is required at 09-258577778/9 or [email protected]. Where: Impact Skill Development Center, 270 Anawrahta Road, Third Floor, Pabedan Tsp. When: Sunday, August 7, 10 am Slam Express Slam Express is a slam poetry event organized by a group of young Burmese poets. Listen to poems performed in English and Burmese. Free admission. Where: Pansuriya Gallery, 100 Bogalay Zay Street, Botahtaung Tsp., Tel: 09-778 949170 When: Saturday, August 6, 6:30 to 8 pm 9Power Art Exhibition An exhibition showcasing more than 50 paintings from nine artists will be held at Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association. Prices for the artwork range from US$150 to $1,000. Where: Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association (Central), Bogyoke Market When: Wednesday, August 3 to Sunday, August 7 Minimal Art Exhibition Nawady Tharlar Gallery showcases a solo exhibition by the artist Maung Theid Dhi. Nine paintings will be sold for prices ranging from US$500 to $1,200. Where: Nawady Tharlar Gallery, Building 20B, Room 304, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 09-43097918 When: Saturday, July 30 to Sunday, August 7 East Village Light Bird Exhibition Maung Dis solo show featuring more than 30 paintings will be displayed at Ahla Thit Art Gallery. Where: Ahla Thit Art Gallery, 17 University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp. When: Sunday, August 7 to Monday, August 15 Lokanat Gallery Exhibition Artist Maung Maung Thein (Pathein) will hold his fourth solo show, which features more than 70 works, some of them dating back to the 1950s. Prices for the art will range from US$150 to $1,500. Where: Lokanat Gallery, 62 Pansodan Street, 1st Floor, Kyauktada Tsp., Tel. 095-1382-269 When: Tuesday, August 2 to Monday, August 8 Gongs and Skins II The second annual international percussion festival will be held at the National Theater. Percussionists from Myanmar, Malaysia and Germany will perform. Where: National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street When: Thursday, August 4, 7pm Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 (10:10 am) - Score 935 The 12m+ Central Bedfordshire Broadband project in England claims to have completed its first Phase 1 contract with Openreach (BT), which has so far expanded the availability of superfast broadband (24Mbps+) to around 90% of the region and benefited an additional 16,422 premises. The project, which is a partnership between Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, Milton Keynes Council (the Phase 1 coverage goal for MK alone was 97% fibre broadband), BT and the Governments Broadband Delivery UK programme, originally only intend to extend its coverage to 15,500 local homes and businesses but theyve clearly been able to beat that (news). Some of the most recent FTTC Street Cabinets to go live have been in Ampthill, Biggleswade, Blunham, Cranfield, Eaton Bray, Flitwick, Haynes, Heath and Reach, Hexton, Hockliffe, Leagrave, Leighton Buzzard, Lower Shelton, Luton, Potton, Sandy, Shefford, Shillington, Silsoe, Stotfold, Toddington, Whipsnade, Wilstead, Woburn Sands, Wrestlingworth and work is on-going to complete a further three in Dunstable (overall a total of 188 street cabinets have been installed). Meanwhile the 11.2m (4.09m from the local authorities) Phase 2 Superfast Extension Programme (SEP) contract has already begun, which aims to benefit another 8,000 premises and push superfast broadband coverage to 96.5% of the area by 2018/19. However its worth pointing out that the projects official website is a jumble of conflicting targets, terminology (fibre vs superfast etc.) and funding levels, which makes it difficult to know precisely what will be delivered. Kate Middleton and Prince William prove that the divorce rumors circulating in the social media are not true. In fact, the royal couple is happily together as evidenced by their recent foreign trip. According to Daily Mail, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to France a few days ago. The Duke of Westminster lent the couple an 8 million Cessna plane for the said trip. The couple brought with them their kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte to visit the Duchess relatives. A statement released by a Kensington Palace official expressed positivity and strength on the marriage of the royal couple. The royal couple also plans to travel to Canada, a country close to their hearts. The Duke and Duchess are delighted to be returning to Canada. They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way A couple of days ago, news spread out from various tabloids that Kate and William are having marital problems and that a divorce is on its way. Kate was reported to not fulfilling her royal duties. Her absence on the royal families special occasions such as Easter Sunday Church Services and St. Patricks Day celebration stirred speculations that she is unhappy with her relationship with William and that she wanted a separation. This drew criticisms from the followers of the royal family. Neither one of them issued any comments about the said gossips according to the Bit Bag. The rumors about their troubled marriage are no longer new as their relationship has often been doubted to last for certain reasons. Nevertheless, the royal couple is enjoying each others company and they are together as they always do. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been the talk of the smartphone town. While this is all for good reason, as the device is shaping up to be one of the best of 2016, mobile carriers need to get creative in order to sell their share of the same. With the threat of competition looming, mobile carriers have partnered up with the Korean-tech giant to a create very tempting bundles. According to 9 to 5 Google, both T-Mobile and Sprint are giving away a Samsung Gear Fit 2 smartwatch with every purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. However, for the customers who do not find this an enticing offer to make, the two mobile carriers have another option in mind. Buyers can instead opt for a 256 GB memory card, which would just enhance the Samsung handheld even more. It is likely to come in the form of the standard microSD card, but the publication argues it could be a 256 GB UFS card. That is, if the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will come with UFS storage. While T-Mobile and Sprint are confirmed to be making the deal, others are soon expected to follow. Especially because the launch is just a few hours away, it is highly likely that AT&T, Verizon and other carriers will pick up the same deal or strike their own with Samsung. While the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is already expected to make plenty of innovations for the smartphone market, there has been a recent confirmation on another breakthrough. According to Phone Arena, Samsung will give users the chance to alter the display resolution. Reportedly, users can opt for a Quad HD display in 1080p Full HD or push it down to a 720p HD panel. Supposedly, this is for saving the life of the unit's 3500mAh battery. The option is viewable at the display section in setting. A day before Samsung's launch of the Galaxy Note 7 and amidst hopeful rumors of the upcoming iPhone 7, LG made a game-changing announcement of their own. That is, that the LG V20 will be arriving in September and will be the first handheld to run on the Android Nougat 7.0. As Gotta Be Mobile reports, the successor to the LG V10 has been long awaited, especially since the V10 was very well received. It had its own set of unique features which included two displays and three cameras. In addition, it had an incredibly powerful and solid build, as well as a relatively large 5.7-inch screen. It is highly likely that LG will take all the best from the V10 and make further improvements for the LG V20. In fact, the company boasted that the unit would provide a great multimedia experience. This is pointing to another dual screen, improved audio and possibly an even sturdier build. Most notable, however, is that the LG V20 will run on the newest operating system from Android. That is, the Android Nougat 7.0, which will debut on LG's upcoming flagship. The timing is perfect, as Google will release the new OS mid-August, giving LG the right amount of time for a September launch. As Phone Arena adds, the tech manufacturer is calling the LG V20 the "new standard for premium phones." LG is also reportedly developing a fingerprint scanner that works on the display of the device, as opposed to one specific area. There is a lot of pressure from LG at this point, as its latest release, the LG G5 did not do so well in the market. In fact, the company needs the upcoming handset to do well, in order to keep up with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Hours before the unveiling of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, the Huawei Honor Note 8 was surprisingly revealed. The product of a partnership between Huawei and its sister company Honor, which has some killer specs packed into a relatively large screen. According to Tech Radar, there are a few features that the Huawei Honor 8 has over Samsung's upcoming flagship. First of all, the screen is larger at 6.6 inches, as compared to the 5.7-inch rumored screen of the Note 7. Furthermore, the battery will last longer at 4500mAh, as Samsung's is expected to come with a 4000mAh battery. The Huawei Honor 8 will have an eight-core Kirin 955 processor and 4 GB of RAM. While the Kirin 955 is said to be as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, it is slower than Samsung's Exynos processor. Alternately, the Snapdragon 820 is expected to power the Galaxy Note 7 units sold in the United States and China, while the Exynos processor will be found in all other locations. What truly sets the unit apart, however, is the price. For only $346, users can take home the 32 GB model and $421 for the 128 GB option. Digital Journal adds that the display of the Huawei Honor 8 will have a 2k resolution, or 2560 x 1440 pixels. The rear and front cameras are 13 megapixels and 8 megapixels respectively. The unit will have several connection options, particularly a USB Type-C port for power and data. It also includes Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS. It also has two SIM card slots, which of course are not required. All these features are neatly packed in an aluminum body with rounded corners. The unit will be available in ice silver, light gold and other shades of gray. What truly sets the unit apart, however, is the price. The iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool may let hackers gain access to user's personal and financial details. Pangu has issued a statement denying that it has anything to do with the reported data breach. Many Apple smartphone users were eagerly awaited the release of the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool. In late July, Pangu released the anticipated software. The first version was in Chinese but an English version was subsequently released according to an earlier iTech Post report. Unfortunately, some Apple users are regretting the day they have downloaded and used the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool. A number of them are posting their horrible experiences in online forums such as Reddit. One poster claimed that a person in China withdrew $50 from his Paypal account. He also claimed that the incident happened after recently installing the jailbreak app. Most of the attacks seemed to have originated in China. The hackers will usually take over the user's Paypal account, credit cards and any other accounts where they can siphon the money and send it elsewhere. The number of victims is relatively small based on the number of jailbreak users, according, to 9To5Mac. There is also the possibility that the iOS jailbreak app installation and the digital thefts are merely coincidence. But the news has already has caused some anxiety among jailbreak users. Some jailbreak tool experts pinpointing a certain tool called "PPHelper" as the possible cause of the digital intrusion, according to Forbes. However, this was refuted by Pangu and issued a Tweet post about it. To allay the fears of the iOS jailbreaking community, the group also set up an official Reddit account. The iOS 9.3.3 is the fourth jailbreak tools release by Pangu. Owners using the jailbreak tool are advised against downloading pirated software since many of them have hidden viruses and malwares. The iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool and its previous versions are considered illegal apps by Apple. Jeremy Renner expressed his disappointment in how his character Hawkeye in the first "Avengers" film was played out. There even came a point that he would rather have his character killed, rather than playing it out as it was. Reports claim that actor Jeremy Renner was not pleased of how his character as Hawkeye went around. His character practically became Loki's minion among the Avengers. During the London Film and Comic-Con, he said he was a little frustrated because he was excited to know more of his character. According to IGN, he was in dismay in how quickly his character became what he described as a zombie and left no room for Hawkeye to evolve. Thus, this prompted him to suggest that his character just be killed off while they were filming. "I'm giving you an option, if you just want to kick me out of this movie. Just you know, at any given moment, if you wanna kill me off, daddy's gonna be having a heart attack," Renner said during the Comic-Con Question and Answer portion. Renner said that during the first "Avengers" film, he was still at the stage of getting to know his character as Hawkeye and then he suddenly became a zombie. However, Collider reported that now Renner no longer wants his character to die. Since he had more chances to portray the role of Hawkeye in the succeeding Marvel films, he got to explore his character more now. In the recent Marvel movie, "Captain America: Civil War" was when Renner last made his appearance as Hawkeye. There were even reports claiming that Hawkeye's development on the film was more entertaining than that of the movie as a whole. Renner is set to appear again as Hawkeye in the upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War" and another Avengers movie that has not yet been titled to date. The upcoming Avengers film is set to start filming later this year. Comcast is currently facing a $100 million filed by the State of Washington in behalf of its constituents who were allegedly duped by the cable company. Bob Ferguson, the State Attorney filed the consumer protection complaint against Comcast, according to Ars Techinca. State justice officials accused the company of misleading its Washington subscribers about its Service Protection Plan. The full document of the lawsuit can be obtained here. Ferguson said that Comcast basically tricked its customers into paying $4.99 a month for a service that was supposed to be free in the first place. Subscribers who availed of the plan will no longer incur a service fee every time the company's cable technician comes to make repairs. However, Comcast failed to inform its service protection plan holders that the monthly payment does not cover "wall-fished wiring" repairs or those wires hidden inside the house's walls. The Washington State claimed that it was an intentional omission since most if not all repairs involved hidden wirings. A Comcast spokesperson said that the company has yet so see the complaint but mentioned that the issue has already been addressed. The spokesperson also said that the company was taken aback by the state government lawsuit. But the cable company will not take it lying down and will fight it out in court, according to the spokesperson. The state attorney did admit that there were indeed negotiations going on. However, he claimed that Comcast had been unable to adequately address the issue. The company reportedly balked at the state attorney's proposal to pay the aggrieved plan holders. Comcast is also accused of engaging in dubious credit checks on its customers. Normally, deposits are only required from subscribers with low credit scores. Company records reveal however, that it also collected deposits from several thousand high credit scores subscribers. This implies that Comcast did not conduct the credit score check once it obtained the deposit from the cable subscriber. The U.S. judge who tossed out one of the biggest court cases in Apple Inc's smartphone technology battle is questioning whether patents should cover software or most other industries at all. Richard Posner, a prolific jurist who sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, told Reuters this week that the technology industry's high profits and volatility made patent litigation attractive for companies looking to wound competitors. "It's a constant struggle for survival," he said in his courthouse chambers, which have a sparkling view of Monroe Harbor on Lake Michigan. "As in any jungle, the animals will use all the means at their disposal, all their teeth and claws that are permitted by the ecosystem." Posner, 73, was appointed as a federal appeals court judge by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and has written dozens of books, including one about economics and intellectual property law. Posner, who teaches at the University of Chicago, effectively ended Apple's lawsuit against Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit last month. He canceled a closely anticipated trial between the two and rejected the iPhone maker's request for an injunction barring the sale of Motorola products using Apple's patented technology. Apple is in a pitched battle with its competitors over patents, as technology companies joust globally for consumers in the fast-growing markets for smartphones and tablet computers. Posner said some industries, like pharmaceuticals, had a better claim to intellectual property protection because of the enormous investment it takes to create a successful drug. Advances in software and other industries cost much less, he said, and the companies benefit tremendously from being first in the market with gadgets - a benefit they would still get if there were no software patents. "It's not clear that we really need patents in most industries," he said. Also, devices like smartphones have thousands of component features, and they all receive legal protection. "You just have this proliferation of patents," Posner said. "It's a problem." GENERATION SMARTPHONE The Apple/Motorola case did not land in front of Posner by accident. He volunteered to oversee it. Federal appellate judges occasionally offer to preside over district court cases. Posner had alerted the district judges of his interest in patents, so after part of the smartphone battle landed in Wisconsin federal court, the judge there transferred the case to him. When Posner began working on the smartphone case, he told the litigants he was "really neutral" because he used a court-issued BlackBerry made by Research In Motion Ltd . He soon accepted an upgrade to an iPhone, but only uses it to check email and call his wife, he said. "I'm not actually that interested in becoming part of the smartphone generation," he said. Posner's corner office is filled with the requisite library of law tomes, and a row of books he wrote sits alongside his family photographs. He also has a signed photograph from the late Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr., for whom he clerked in the early 1960s. Judges rarely speak openly to the press, but Posner is outspoken on a range of topics. Last week in online magazine Slate, he penned a withering critique of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's recent dissent in the Arizona immigration case. "It wouldn't surprise me if Justice Scalia's opinion were quoted in campaign ads," Posner wrote. MOTOROLA V. APPLE Motorola sued Apple in October 2010, a move that was widely seen as a pre-emptive strike. Apple filed its own claims against Motorola the same month. In canceling the trial, Posner said an injunction barring the sale of Motorola phones would harm consumers. He also rejected the idea of trying to ban an entire phone based on patents that cover individual features like the smooth operation of streaming video. Apple's patent, Posner wrote in his June 22 order, "is not a claim to a monopoly of streaming video!" Not all judges in the patent wars share Posner's skepticism of injunctions. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, granted Apple two critical pretrial injunctions against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> last week: one against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the other against the Galaxy Nexus phone. In Friday's 101-page ruling barring the Galaxy Nexus, Koh cited the harms to Apple due to competition from phones that infringe its patent on the Siri search feature. Samsung is appealing both injunctions. Posner said he had not read Koh's orders. In his own ruling, Posner also barred Motorola from seeking an injunction against the iPhone because the company had pledged to license its patent on fair and reasonable terms to other companies - in exchange for having the technology adopted as an industry standard. Posner's idea of examining whether industries like software should receive patent protection is a mainstream one, especially in the computer industry, said John Allison, a professor at University of Texas at Austin who studies intellectual property rights. However, recent patent law reforms passed by the U.S. Congress did not directly address the issue, and Allison said classifying industries for the purposes of intellectual property protection - as Posner suggests - was "completely impractical" because talented lawyers could game the system. When it comes to the smartphone litigation wars, Posner said tech companies should not be blamed for jumping into court since they are merely taking the opportunities that the legal system offers. Given the large cash reserves in Silicon Valley, high legal fees are not a deterrent. Apple, for instance, had $110 billion in cash and securities as of March 31. "It's a small expense for them," Posner said. Posner said he had been looking forward to presiding over a trial between Motorola and Apple, but had no other choice than to toss the case. "I didn't think I could have a trial just for fun," he said. Today, 2 August 2016 marks the release of Windows 10 first anniversary update. It is being rolled out progressively W10 users dont need to do anything. iTWire has covered the Anniversary update for enterprise users and consumers these articles cover the new Windows Defender Advance Threat Protection, and Windows Information Protection to consumer features like Windows Ink, Windows Hello, Cortana, Xbox integration, Edge browser and more. Jaron Cohen, Windows commercial product manager at Microsoft Australia, invited iTWire for a briefing on what he now calls Windows as a service and it is time we all realised that Microsoft has been hugely successful in getting 350 million users onto this platform the remainder either have old metal that wont run it or are locked into corporate systems that take a little longer to investigate and cautiously deploy. Microsoft has also been hugely successful at moving from a very fragmented Windows ecosystem to just two versions Windows 7 and Windows 10. The latter is a universal Windows across all devices from phones to the huge 84 Surface Hub. Cohen said that Australia had been a leading adopter of W10. 90% of Australian enterprises have trials underway to ensure a seamless upgrade to W10 Pro or Enterprise. Well you cant have an airline delaying its planes while it rolls out Windows 10, can you now? He was referring to one of the few remaining bastions of Windows XP! One happy W10 adopter is Cash Converters that had gone from a mish-mash of decentralised legacy systems and software to a 100% Microsoft environment using Windows 10 on endpoints, Windows 10 Mobile for its phones, Windows Azure infrastructure and platform as a service, Office 365, SharePoint and Business Intelligence. Cash Converters is a second-hand goods dealer, a pawnbroker and lender. It has more than 700 stores in 21 countries including 140 in Australia and the remainder in international franchise operations in the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Canada, United States, and Malaysia. Cash Converters chief information officer Glen Fee said, When you are looking at an ecosystem where you have the same operating system on your desktop, tablet and phone, as well as running Office 365, it makes the management of IT smoother and more efficient. Weve had extremely positive feedback from staff. After preparatory work carried out by the Perth-based Microsoft partner Ignia, the actual migration to Windows 10 for all corporate stores throughout Australia took around five weeks (approx. 1000 devices). It was as easy as sending a pre-configured USB to each store to update any Windows device less than four years old. We deployed Windows 10 because it offers a standard user interface across PC, Notebook, Tablet and Phone devices. Moving forward Microsoft ensures that the platform is up to date, so we can focus on servicing our stores and customers, said Fee. Besides streamlining day-to-day activities for staff, the solution has delivered enterprise-wide benefits. Fee said, We originally commenced rolling out the POS on the individual store servers, but we calculated that at the rate we were going it was going to take many years. However, once we explored Azure we worked out that we were going to be able to deploy across all Australian corporate stores in a matter of months, with the UK corporate stores over a similar timeframe. Josh Boys, director at partner Ignia, said, "We worked with Cash Converters during their national rollout of Windows 10 to retail stores. Leveraging their investment in System Centre Configuration Manager, Cash Converters found the in-place upgrade simple and easy to implement and are now utilising the new security & functional features available within Windows 10 Cloud OS. Fee said Azure had opened up a raft of fresh possibilities as well as providing a very cost-effective and efficient solution. When we looked at the cost and the added efficiencies of software upgrades and patching, capability for backup and all the other capabilities of a data centre provided as a service, it was a no-brainer for us. Now that we have a solid IT foundation and the capability for consistent mobile access we can truly build for growth. Cohen finished the briefing, Windows 10 was built on the back of 12 million insiders who gave their time freely to make W10 what it is they spent the equivalent of more than 50,000 years on Windows 10 resulting in nearly 75 million pieces of feedback and 5000+ enhancements into the Windows 10 product. The ecosystem is driving the ecosystem. Windows 10 has the highest approval rating of any Windows ever; its take-up is the fastest ever; and more and more it has become the Windows people have fallen back in love with. If comparisons with car engines are anything to go by V4, V6, V8, V12 then LGs new V20 should be a screamer. The only issue is that Australia is not on the preliminary launch list South Korea, US, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan and Hong Kong will get to see it first. The V-series well, the initial V10 are intended to be the best of the best, like the Signature OLED series is to TV. It sits above the very well specified G series and the current G5 is one of the best flagships on the market and one of the very few with a removable battery and microSD storage. What we know is that the launch is in September, and it has dual everything selfie cameras and even screens. "We are excited to offer the first phone in the world to feature Nougat out of the box," Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications division, said in a statement. "The LG V20 upgrades and extends its predecessor's cutting-edge multimedia features a step further, providing distinct mobile experience and sets a new standard for premium phones for consumers." GSMArena posted preliminary specifications just a few hours ago and it is usually pretty spot-on. If the specs are right, his is an amazing phone. Primary Screen: 5.7, IPS, 2560 x 1440, 515ppi, Gorilla Glass 4. Second notification screen: 2.1 strip, 1040 x 160. Processor: not mentioned but probably a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Memory/storage: looks like options for 3/6GB RAM, and 32/64/128GB storage as well as microSD 256GB support and Android Adoptable Storage support (uses SD as system storage). Rear camera: 16MP, laser autofocus, Optical Image Stabilisation (probably the same as the G5). Front camera: 5MP dual lens. MilSpec ruggedized looks like carbon fibre is used. Wi-Fi AC, dual band, MU-MIMI 2 x 2, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, IR port, FM radio, USB-C, rear fingerprint reader, 32-bit DAC. Removable battery. Why this is important to LG LG make very good flagship phones. The G4 and G5 have a special place in my heart because they are just different enough from the mainstream to be interesting. The G5 is as good as it gets yet it struggles to sell in the volumes that Samsungs also excellent S7 series does. The V series sits above the G series, and it may allow the G to be repositioned as a better value flagship and increase volumes. It will also sit about any Nexus phones that LG is rumoured to be making. There are many similarities between the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics David Kalisch and federal Attorney-General George Brandis. Nobody who was in Australia during the time when the government was trying to push its metadata retention regime will ever forget the trainwreck of an interview that Brandis had with Sky anchor David Speers. It was clear that Brandis had no idea what he was talking about and even clearer that he was annoyed at being questioned. Similarly, Kalisch appears to have no idea about the concept of privacy even as he and others at the ABS try desperately to offer a figleaf of justification for the high-handed decision that was taken quietly in December, to retain names and addresses in this month's census. Kalisch was even willing to admit that the ABS had beenfor years, and double back on the period of retention, reducing it from an indefinite period to four years, in order to try and plead his case. But it has all fallen flat. To the public in an increasingly digital and connected world, Kalisch appears like some arrogant landlord of old, disconnected from reality, who is trying to raise the rent without telling the tenants about it. There was a time when data in one area of government would stay there and be used for that department alone. It was too difficult to be brought across to another department. Now, with the era of big data upon us, it is child's play to collate data across agencies to find out more and more about the citizens of a country. The US National Security Agency is a master at this; Google is not far behind. The treasurer, Scott Morrison, alluded to this during the federal election campaign when he said that there would be efforts to cut back on welfare payments based on information that the government had about those who were beneficiaries. Information that could be well derived by government-sanctioned collection of data. The census springs to mind. And if Kalisch thinks that people are naive enough to believe that separating names from the remainder of a person's data means that the two cannot be correlated, then he is living in a fool's paradise. As the online newsletter Crikey pointed out yesterday, (paywalled) it is child's play to tie so-called "anonymised data" to an individual. The publication has been a harsh critic of the name retention policy and has called on Australians to boycott the census altogether. It is remarkable that no politician has come out and criticised this high-handedness. iTWire has written to the Labor Party and the Greens and also contacted independent Andrew Wilkie. Neither party deigned to even reply, while an aide of Wilkie's responded and provided some inane government advice that had been sent to him when he asked the government about it after one of its constituents had approached him. One thing is sure: this time, the ABS hoped for better quality data than ever before. Given the bid to invade people's privacy, the data is likely to be much worse. And for that, Kalisch will have only himself to blame. A living room keyboard needs to look schmick, be part of the furniture and do what it does well. Logitechs K830 does all that with aplomb, and it is subtly backlit as well. Why do you need a keyboard in your lounge room? Well, many still use Windows computers as media servers and as a bonus, it will also control many smart TVs, Android, and Chrome devices all they need is a USB port or Bluetooth. Believe me, a touchpad works wonders on most TVs compared to an imprecise remote. It is even better for typing in passwords for Netflix et al. I had been using an $69 Logitech K400r dedicated Home Theatre PC (HTPC) keyboard/trackpad, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that in fact, it will now be used on a spare TV and media centre (read old PC) in the bedroom. The $149.95 K830 design reflects Logitechs new direction slimline, svelte, and suitable for the coffee table. It is not an everyday typist's keyboard but a portable, rechargeable, living room based keyboard/touchpad. Its island style keys are very similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 keyboard a close set, compact design. Its unique selling point is its backlit keyboard, and this is a boon in darkened viewing conditions. It adjusts light automatically to suit the room conditions. You can also manually override. It has a 10-metre range and lasts 20 hours on a micro USB charge (cable, and extender cable supplied but not a charger unit). It is plug and play plug the Unifying receiver into a Windows device. Or you can use Bluetooth which is a boon for Android and Chrome devices. You can download optional configuration software to add more functionality like defaulting to Function (Fn) keys or their alternate use. The touchpad supports point and scroll actions. Overall it is a good keyboard for media centre use and elegant enough for any lounge room. Specifications Size/Weight: 125.3 (H) x 367 (W) x 16.5 (D) x 495g Touchpad: (included in dimensions above) 52 x 80mm Wireless Unifying receiver: 2.4GHz (will not interfere with Router) or Bluetooth Smart LE (V.4 or higher) Life: 5 million keystrokes Range: 10m Backlight: smart illumination Cables: 130cm USB-A to micro-USB charger and 150cm USB-A male to USB-A female extender Special keys: Mute, Volume up/down Colour: Black Matte Warranty: 1 year Manual: Click here Conclusion A nice addition to the smart lounge with a great trackpad, subtle backlighting and Logitech quality. If the price is too high for you, the K400/r sans Bluetooth and backlights is a bargain. I was impressed with the devices preciseness on an Android TV and a tablet yes, using a trackpad beats a remote control. The best way to find vulnerabilities is via a bug bounty big enough to attract white and black hatters so Kaspersky is stumping up the cash. Kaspersky Lab has announced at the Black Hat USA Conference the launch of the Kaspersky Lab bug bounty programme with HackerOne, an industry leading bug bounty platform provider. With this programme, Kaspersky Lab will not only further bolster its mitigation strategy for addressing inherent software vulnerabilities but enhance its relationship with external security researchers. Todays cyber threat landscape is becoming increasingly complex. Security companies must continuously identify and implement effective tools to provide the most robust level of protection. Bug bounty programs are an effective and proven security measure that incentivises external researchers to safely find and disclose software vulnerabilities to companies. As a result, these organisations can fix the reported issues without placing customers at risk. Our bug bounty programme will help amplify the current internal and external mitigation measures we use to continuously improve the resiliency of our products, said Nikita Shvetsov, chief technology officer, Kaspersky Lab. We think its time for all security companies, large and small, to work more closely with external security researchers by embracing bug bounty programmes as an effective and necessary tool to help keep their products secure and their customers protected. The first phase of the Kaspersky Lab bug bounty programme will officially begin on 2 August and last for six months. Kaspersky will offer a total of $50,000 in bounty rewards to security researchers to examine Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Endpoint Security. After the preliminary phase is complete, the company will evaluate the results to determine what additional products and rewards should be included in the second phase. Vulnerabilities are inevitable, and bug bounty programmes are proven to supplement traditional security best practices with the help of the incredibly diverse global hacker community, said Alex Rice, chief technology officer and co-founder, HackerOne. We look forward to partnering with Kaspersky Lab to help them run the most competitive bug bounty programme and continue to protect customers. More information on the Kaspersky Lab bug bounty programme, including the scope, eligibility, rewards, exceptions and rules, is here. Networking hardware vendor TP-Link has agreed to allow customers to install open-source firmware on its routers as part of a settlement with the US Federal Communications Commission. TP-Link admitted it had broken US radio frequency rules by selling routers that could work at power levels higher than the approved limits. The company paid a fine of US$200,000 and agreed to abide by the rules from now on. Allowing the installation of open-source firmware was part of TP-Link's settlement with the FCC. According to FCC rules, manufacturers have to ensure their devices cannot be used in ways that interfere with other wireless signals. The FCC investigation found that TP-Link marketed wireless router models that could be manipulated to operate at a higher power than allowed on certain restricted Wi-Fi channels. Devices such as routers are certified by the FCC's office of engineering and technology for use on unlicensed wireless spectrum within certain output levels so as to prevent interference with other lawful wireless communications, including those on adjacent spectrum bands. "The Commission's equipment rules strike a careful balance of spurring innovation while protecting against harmful interference," said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the Enforcement Bureau, in a media release. "While manufacturers of Wi-Fi routers must ensure reasonable safeguards to protect radio parameters, users are otherwise free to customise their routers and we support TP-Link's commitment to work with the open-source community and Wi-Fi chipset manufacturers to enable third-party firmware on TP-Link routers." Google, in new federal court papers, is rebutting claims of age discrimination and its handling of two older job applicants who were rejected for positions. Google insisted in a court filing Friday that its policy "rigorously forbids discrimination of any kind," including age discrimination. It is fighting an age discrimination lawsuit brought last year by two plaintiffs who were rejected for jobs. Both are over the age of 40. One plaintiff, Cheryl Fillekes, a programmer, filed a motion in June to make this age discrimination lawsuit a "collective action" case for software engineers, site reliability engineers or systems engineers over the age of 40 who applied for a job at Google, but where rejected. That could broaden the case to include thousands of people. Specifically, Fillekes' motion asks the federal court in California to require Google to provide the names and contact information of engineering applicants who have applied for a job since Aug. 13, 2010, received an in-person interview and were refused employment. But Google said it has received "over one million applications" for those three positions since 2010. It didn't disclose how many people who applied for one of these jobs received an in-person interview. The job application figure for the three types of technical positions involved in Google's lawsuit is an estimate made without regard to age, said Google, "because there is no systematic or reliable way of identifying applicants who were 40 or more years of age when they submitted applications or interviewed in-person since Google does not collect data on the age or birthdate of its applicants." In her lawsuit, Fillekes said that she was recruited by Google four times, in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013, and in each instance was invited for an in-person interview and rejected each time. Fillekes earned a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Chicago and undertook postdoctoral work at Harvard. But Google questions why it would "waste Google employees' time" with "five or six onsite interviews only to reject the candidate on the basis of age." Fillekes' age was allegedly discerned at her first in-person interview with Google in 2007. Google argues in its motion that neither Fillekes nor the other plaintiff, Robert Heath, "offers a coherent theory" or "substantial evidence" to back up their claims. In an email response to a Computerworld query, Fillekes' attorney, Daniel Low, said that the "courts have recognized that a party seeking conditional certification of an opt-in class bears a very light burden in establishing that the legal requirements for certification are met, and we believe that plaintiffs have met that lenient standard here." Google said it conducts a "rigorous technical evaluation" of potential candidates for the three engineering jobs. The process works like this: Google identifies a "promising candidate" from among the applications. Recruiters conduct a phone interview to assess the candidate's interest in a job and their current roles and responsibilities. If the candidate passes the initial interview, the person is invited to a "Technical Phone Screen." The interviewers, who are engineers, present the candidates "with a series of technical challenges related to computer code or systems design, and the candidate responds -- for instance, by proposing an algorithm or a piece of computer code." Candidates who pass the technical interview may be invited to on-site interviews, which may consist of four or five separate in-person interviews. Google says it tries to match candidates with interviewers who have expertise in relevant areas. These interviewers also "test a candidate's proficiency with algorithms and system design." The recruiting team then evaluates the interview scores, notes and comments and decides whether the candidate should be reviewed by the hiring committee. Hiring committees "are usually comprised of at least four experienced Google employees who have the relevant skillset to assess a candidate," Google said. Google claims that Heath, a software engineer, did not pass the technical test, and wasn't invited to an in-person interview. But it is Fillekes, not Heath, who has filed the collective action. Google also disputed the contention that the average age of its workforce is 29. That number, included in the lawsuit, is based on a Payscale analysis, which is compared to a U.S. government report that puts the average age of computer programmers at 42.8. Google is dismissive of the Payscale age estimate, but didn't offer an alternative. Instead, it said that U.S. data shows "workers age 40 or older are not as available as younger workers" because job tenure increases with age. There are plenty of companies vying for a piece of the worldwide cloud infrastructure market, but the top four -- all in the U.S. -- currently dominate by such a wide margin as to effectively leave their competitors in the dust. That's the overriding conclusion of a study released Monday by Synergy Research Group, which provides quarterly market tracking and segmentation data, including vendor revenues by segment and region. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, and Google collectively control more than half of the worldwide cloud infrastructure service market, Synergy found, with an overwhelming lead by AWS, which held a 31 percent share in the second quarter. Microsoft came next with 11 percent, while IBM weighed in at 8 percent, and Google came in with 5 percent. Synergy included infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and hosted private cloud services in its figures. Amazon and the other big three players have distanced themselves from the competition in this market and continue to widen the gap, said John Dinsdale, chief analyst and research director with Synergy. What marks them out as different is their global presence, marketing muscle, ability to fund huge investments in hyperscale data centers and, in most cases, a determination to succeed in the market." The top four leaders are also growing more rapidly than their smaller competitors, Synergy found. In aggregate, the big four grew their cloud infrastructure service revenues by 68 percent in the second quarter, while the next 20 largest providers grew by 41 percent. All other smaller providers grew by just 27 percent. Overall, the market as a whole grew by 51 percent. AWS remains "in a league of its own," holding a clear lead in all major regions and most segments of the market, Synergy said, but Microsoft and Google are enjoying substantially higher growth rates. IBM, meanwhile, leads the hosted private cloud segment, it said. Global revenue for cloud infrastructure services is now close to US$28 billion, Synergy estimates. North America continues to account for more than half of the worldwide market. Though the Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia/Pacific regions are similar in size, Asia/Pacific is growing more quickly. U.S. companies are often at the head of the pack in technology markets, but the heavy dominance in this one is striking, and it's not for any lack of overseas competitors. Also included in Synergy's top 20 are Alibaba, Fujitsu, NTT, China Telecom, BT, and Orange. Cloud is also an area where privacy and other issues have sparked strong data-sovereignty concerns, particularly in Europe. Numerous cloud companies have built regional data centers in response, and Privacy Shield -- the replacement for the defunct U.S. and Europe Safe Harbor Agreement -- just recently took effect, promising to ease data transfers. Still, the U.S. dominance of cloud services could present opportunities for local cloud providers, Dinsdale said. "I expect to see vendors in other regions, particularly Asia, grow rapidly and become increasingly competitive," agreed Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT. "Political issues in some countries -- China is a good example -- will likely make it easier for homegrown companies to compete there, and curtail efforts by vendors from elsewhere." Looking ahead, the sheer size and variety of the cloud market make it unlikely that any one vendor will become fully dominant and threaten innovation or choice, King said. Instead, "we're seeing vendors build much of their efforts around specific areas of expertise," he said. "That's great for customers since many of the resulting services are well-attuned to their actual business needs." Japan began the world's first regular 8K television broadcasts on Monday, five days ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games. 8K refers to broadcasts with a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels. That's 16 times the resolution of today's full high-definition (FHD) broadcasts and four times that of the 4K standard, which is only just emerging in many other countries. (See chart below) The format used by NHK, which it calls "Super Hi-Vision," also features 22.2-channel surround sound. Wikipedia Video image resolutions Public broadcaster NHK launched a satellite channel that will broadcast a mix of 8K and 4K content as it prepares to launch full-scale 8K transmissions in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The channel will be on air daily from 10am until 5pm, with extended hours during the Rio Olympics. A look at Monday's schedule reveals programming focused on the arts, sports, music and documentaries -- not dissimilar to early HDTV channels. Highlights of this year's Rio Carnival, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and Japan's Aomori Nebuta festival were among the 8K programs. A J-pop concert and program on Japanese botanical drawings was also broadcast. Tim Hornyak A float from Japan's Nebuta festival is displayed in 8K at an open house May 26, 2015, at the NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo. Japan's early lead in 8K broadcasting is thanks to NHK and its Science and Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo. The broadcaster was instrumental in the development of high-definition TV, starting broadcasts in an early analog format in 1989, and has been working on 8K for two decades. It first demonstrated 8K in 2002, when many homes hadn't even transitioned to high-def TV. The engineering challenges associated with 8K are significant. Cameras, mixers, recording equipment, monitors and other studio gear must be built to handle uncompressed 8K video in real time, at data rates that can easily reach 100Gbps. Compression equipment then needs to take that signal and encode it into more efficient streams for broadcast, again in real time. The resulting satellite signal is several tens of megabits per second, and consumer receivers and televisions are required to decode it. Tim Hornyak At an open house at NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo on May 26, 2015. For now, consumer reception equipment isn't available, so NHK has set up several public viewing areas at broadcasting stations across the country. It hopes the test broadcasts will be replaced by regular directy-to-home transmissions in 2018, in time for full coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hard on the heels of its Demandware acquisition in June, Salesforce confirmed on Monday that it's acquiring cloud collaboration software maker Quip. The purchase price is $582 million, plus the value of Salesforce's previous investments in the company, according to a regulatory filing late last week. According to one estimate, the total value amounts to roughly $750 million. "We can confirm Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Quip," the company said via email, but declined to provide further details. Founded in 2012, Quip makes cloud-based software designed to make team collaboration easier through capabilities such as chat-enabled documents and spreadsheets. "As part of Salesforce, we will be able to expand our service more quickly and reach millions of people all over the world," Bret Taylor, Quip's cofounder and CEO, said in a blog post. "And, well be able to extend the Salesforce Customer Success Platform in powerful new ways with our next-generation productivity capabilities. The possibilities of mixing data, content and communication are amazing." As part of Salesforce, Quip will continue to serve its existing customers, he added. Taylor was a co-creator of Google Maps and also worked as CTO at Facebook, where he created the "Like" button. Cofounder Kevin Gibbs also hails from Google, where he created Google Suggest. He is now Quip's head of engineering. The move is "one more indication that Salesforce has 'yuge' plans" for its customer relationship management (CRM) software platform, said Denis Pombriant, managing principal at Beagle Research Group. "A platform has to be universal and all-encompassing, because its mission is to be a complete one-stop shop for customers," Pombriant said. Competitors Microsoft and Google both have similar products, so Salesforce "had to be able to check off that box." While Microsoft Word is "fine for shorter documents, it's tough to wrestle with when you want to do more," Pombriant said. "I am betting they think Word is long in the tooth and document creation needs to be reimagined." Salesforce also went head-to-head with Microsoft recently in bidding wars over LinkedIn. Microsoft ultimately won that contest, but now Salesforce is "dropping solidly into Office territory with a word processor," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group. "This would imply a much stronger Office competitor in Salesforces future," he said. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus. The enemy has launched 22 attacks against Ukrainian forces in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone in the east of the country on Monday, the ATO Headquarters said. In the Donetsk area, 82 millimeter mortar rounds and large-caliber machineguns pounded Avdiyivka and the outskirts of Horlivka, near Troyitske and Nevelske. The enemy also used machineguns, various grenade launchers and small arms near Luhanske. "Now, already after lunchtime, there has been active standoff between enemy and the Ukrainian defenders near Avdiyivka, Opytne and Luhanske," the headquarters' press center said in a statement on Monday evening. In the Mariupol area, even before dawn the enemy fired grenades against Ukrainian army strongholds in Novomykhailivka, according to the statement. Small arms and 82-millimeter mortars were fired in Hnutove and Krasnohorivka. As for the Luhansk area, a relative lull remained there throughout Monday afternoon, the Ukrainian military said. Poroshenko set for first official visit to Malaysia, followed by state visit to Indonesia Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will take his first official visit to Malaysia on August 3-5, 2016. "The agenda of the first visit in the history of bilateral relations of the two countries includes meetings with Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak and other Malaysian leaders," the presidential administration's press service said. On August 5-7, the Ukrainian president is scheduled to make a state visit to Indonesia, where he will meet with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Speaker of the People's Representative Council Ade Komarudin and the Head of Yogyakarta Sultanate. Business forums will be held as part of these two visits. The parties are scheduled to sign a series of bilateral documents aimed at the enhancement of cooperation, the press service said. Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) together with the Prosecutor General's Office have exposed the deputy head of one of the departments of the Kyiv City Customs Service for taking a bribe. As the press center of the SBU reported on Saturday, law enforcement officers learned the official systematically demanded money from businessmen for freight customs clearance. "SBU detained the customs officer after he received $5,700 from a businessman importing a shipment of goods. Agents documented the official taking almost $10,000 in bribes," the report says. The official has charged under Article 368, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. A pre-trial investigation is underway. COLUMBUS, Ohio Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested Monday that he fears the general election is going to be rigged an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. Trumps extraordinary claim one he did not back up with any immediate evidence would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. Im afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest, the Republican nominee told a town hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He added that he has been hearing more and more that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not elaborate further Trump made the claim after first suggesting that the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Hillary Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders. Trump has previously backed up that thought by pointing to hacked emails from the national party that appeared to indicate a preference for Clinton. Still, the former Secretary of State received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationwide and had established a clear lead in delegates by March 1. The celebrity businessman who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories, including claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and, more recently, that Sen. Ted Cruzs father was an associate of President John F. Kennedys assassin also claimed that the Republican nomination would have been stolen from him had he not won by significant margins. He then asserted that Novembers general election may not be on the up-and-up. Requests to Trumps campaign for additional explanation were not returned. The statement could be an effort by Trump to lay the groundwork of an excuse if he goes on to lose the general election. But if he were to be defeated in November and then publicly declare that the election results were bogus, his claim could yield unpredictable reactions from his supporters and fellow Republicans. Trump did not repeat his claim at an evening rally in Mechanicsburg, Pa. But he has not been shy of asserting that the electoral process has been rigged. It became a frequent catchphrase of his during a low-water mark of his primary campaign this spring, when forces allied with Republican rival Ted Cruz managed to pack state delegations with supporters of the Texas senator. Trump also asserted that the Republican Party had changed the delegate allocation in the Florida primary to favor a native candidate, like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, at Trumps expense. In recent weeks, in an effort to woo angry Sanders supporters to his campaign, Trump has made the claim that the Democrats process was also rigged. The Clinton campaign declined to comment about Trumps remarks. The event in Ohio was Trumps first campaign appearance since the onset of his tussle with the parents of a slain Army veteran, but he did not address the flap. He spoke for nearly an hour Monday in Columbus, but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her sons death. Trump criticized the family in an interview Sunday and again in a pair of tweets Monday morning. Asked on MSNBC Monday whether Trump should apologize, Ghazala Khan said, I dont want to hear anything from him and I dont want to say anything to him. But his running mate, Mike Pence, quieted a campaign rally crowd Monday that booed a woman who said she had a son who serves in the U.S. Air Force and asked how he can tolerate what she called Trumps disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the Nevada crowd to quiet down, then said about the questioner: Thats what freedom looks like. Thats what freedom sounds like. He continued: Capt. Kahn is an American hero. We honor him and his family ... we cherish his family. He added that Trump had great respect for veterans. The total volume of road destruction in Donetsk and Luhansk regions is almost 2,000 km, the restoration will require more than UAH 7 billion, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Kistion has said. "The amount of funds for road restoration is estimated at billions of hryvnias. This is about UAH 7 billion," he said in an interview with the Holos Ukrainy newspaper. According to him, the railway facilities were also significantly affected as a result of fighting. "More than 1,000 rail infrastructure objects in the ATO zone require recovery. In the current year we plan to begin rebuilding part of these objects in the territory controlled by Ukraine, which will require UAH 350 million," the official said. He added due to the closure of the airspace over the ATO zone the aviation industry of Ukraine saw a shortage of hundreds of millions of hryvnias. As reported, Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Kistion is responsible for the issues of transport, postal services, transport safety, traffic management, the Chornobyl NPP exclusion zone and decommissioning the station, state administration in the field of radioactive waste treatment, nuclear energy safety. 08/02/2016 Do you know what to do during the event of severe weather, a fire, or an active threat on campus? Join the University Police Department for emergency response training on August 10, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1-4 p.m., in the Wallace Hall auditorium (Lela Sarrell Learning Center). All faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to attend to gain valuable life-saving tips and learn how to better respond to an emergency on campus. Even if you have attended training in the past, you should refresh your knowledge annually and learn the newest best practices. Registration is not required. For more information, contact Melonie Carmichael , emergency management specialist. Reddit Email 10 Shares TeleSur | BLM argued that police violence and killings against Black people in the U.S. are connected to the decades-long Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Activists from the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. joined a protest in the Palestinian village of Bilin near Ramallah city in the West Bank in an effort to put an international spotlight on the Israeli oppression, occupation and genocide of Palestinians. Today, delegates from the Movement for Black Lives join organizers and activists in Bilin, a territory in occupied Palestine where resistors are engaged in nonviolent protest, the Black Lives Matter movement said in a statement through its official Facebook page Friday. In the fight for dignity, justice and freedom, the Movement for Black Lives is committed to the global shared struggle of oppressed people, namely the people of occupied Palestine and other indigenous communities who for decades have resisted the occupation of their land, the ethnic cleansing of their people, and the erasure of their history and experiences. At least two people were arrested during the peaceful protest by Israeli forces as they crack downed on the demonstration, which takes place every week. Palestinian news agency Maan said those arrested were taken to an unknown location and their citizenship remained unidentified. Bilin has become a well-known site for action against Israeli occupation and settlement activity in the region and its residents have been organizing a weekly Friday protest for the past 11 years. Protest at the village are often met with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades from Israeli forces. Meanwhile, the Black Lives Matter movement argued that police violence and killings against Black people in the U.S. are connected to the decades-long Israeli oppression of Palestinians. In this violent, political climate, it is urgent that we make clear the connection between violence inflicted on Black people globally that is encouraged and permitted by the state and the profiling, harm, and genocide funded by the United States and perpetrated by Zionists vigilantes and the Israeli Defense Forces on Palestinian people. The group further stressed its support for the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement and its work to fight for freedom, justice and equality for Palestinian people and to end international support of the occupation. In recent weeks BLM activists has been intensifying their international efforts against the killings of Black people and other non-white minorities around the world. Last week the group joined activists in Brazil to protest police killings as they joined a ceremony at Candelaria cathedral, the infamous site of a 1993 massacre in which a death squad, including off-duty policemen, killed eight children and adolescents who slept on the church steps. Also last week, BLM activists traveled to France to join more than 1,000 protesters against the the death of a young Black man in police custody July 19. Via TeleSur - Related video added by Juan Cole: IMEU: Progressives Speak: From Black Lives Matter to Palestinian Rights Vancouver, BC / TheNewswire / August 2, 2016 - Pursuant to the press release dated July 26, 2016, NORTEC MINERALS CORP. (the "Company" or "Nortec") (TSXV: NVT) is pleased to announce that the Company's Joint Venture earn-in partner, Avalon Minerals ("Avalon") of Milton, QLD, Australia, has completed data compilation on both the Riukka and Satulinmaki gold prospects. The historical drilling results for both projects were compiled and interpreted in Three Dimensions (3D). Riukka and Satulinmaki prospects are located only 1 kilometre north and 5 kilometres north-west respectively of the Kietyonmaki lithium prospect (Figure 1). Avalon's press release can be referred to on www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160801/pdf/439039yymqfmc2.pdf, avalonminerals.com.au/ Tammela Minerals Oy, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Nortec, controls 100% interest in the Somero 1 to 12 and Tammela 1 to 3 claims comprising the Tammela Project. The property hosts the Kietyonmaki Lithium prospect and the Riukka and Satulinmaki gold zones. Avalon has also submitted applications for two Exploration Reservations over an area of 117 km2 around the Somero and Tammela claims. These reservations form part of the Joint Venture with Avalon. The Highlights are as follows: -Data compilation has been completed on both Satulinmaki and Riukka gold prospects -The highest priority targets were identified on the Satulinmaki prospect. Drilling is planned after the completion of the drilling on the Kietyonmaki lithium zone. -Diamond drilling by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) at Satulinmaki during the years 2001 to 2005 returned significant results (Table 1). -Outcrop channel sampling returned values between 1.9 and 8.5 g/t gold. Both the Satulinmaki and Riukka prospects were drilled by GTK during the period 2001 to 2005. At Satulinmaki 60 shallow holes were completed for a total of 4727m, which only tested to a depth of 80m below surface. At Riukka, 40 shallow holes were completed for a total of 3350m and also only tested to a vertical depth of 60m. While Riukka has returned some very encouraging results (see Table 2) over narrow intervals, the Satulinmaki prospect exhibits more intense and complex quartz veining and alteration, and is considered a higher quality project for follow-up. At Satulinmaki, clear drill targets exist at depth (see figure 2 below). Targets also exist along strike where preliminary structural interpretations suggest historical drilling may not have tested all scenarios. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1: Locations of Satulinmaki and Riukka gold prospects, Kietyonmaki lithium prospect. The Riukka and Satulinmaki gold prospects are situated in the Hame Schist Belt in southern Finland, dominated by mafic and felsic to intermediate metavolcanic rocks. Gold mineralization at Riukka is hosted within the arsenopyrite-pyrrhotite bearing quartz veins and biotite-altered and silicified wall rock that is over 100m wide and can be traced for over 1km along an east-west strike. Gold mineralization at Satulinmaki is hosted within sulphide-tourmaline rich quartz veins within a 400m wide biotite-altered and silicified wallrock along a 700 metre northeast-southwest strike. Wide zones of mineralization at Satulinmaki are confirmed by the intersection in drill hole R330 (37.70 metres of 1.03 g/t gold). Click Image To View Full Size Figure 2: 3D modelling of gold mineralization at Satulinmaki showing multiple zones of gold mineralization that are open at depth. Drilling has only tested the mineralised horizon to approximately 80m below surface The first drill test by Avalon will be to follow the high grade zone at Satulinmaki to depth to extend the mineralization zone beyond the current shallow 70m of vertical extent. Intersections in this zone range for 3m to 10m wide, and contain grades of between 1.4 g/t and 10.3 g/t. The immediate target zone is interpreted to have a steep shoot geometry and has a strike extent of at least 100m. Additional target zones also occur along strike. Table 1: Significant results from GTK's drilling: Hole_ID From (m) Interval (m) Gold g/t Prospect Year of Drilling R328 40.3 1.0 17.8 Satulinmaki 2001 R330 59.5 1.00 5.6 Satulinmaki 2001 and 73.0 8.5 1.4 and 85.5 5.0 2.1 R334 30.2 4.0 1.5 Satulinmaki 2002 R344 72.5 1.0 15.0 Satulinmaki 2002 R389 73.0 8.0 1.4 Satulinmaki 2004 incl. 75.0 1.0 8.2 R391 50.0 25.0 3.2 Satulinmaki 2004 incl. 54.0 3.0 9.3 incl. 66.0 4.0 10.3 R413 51.3 25.0 1.7 Satulinmaki 2005 incl. 51.3 1.0 9.8 incl. 62.3 1.0 8.6 incl. 74.3 1.0 6.2 R414 33.9 3.0 5.9 Satulinmaki 2005 R416 15.0 10.0 2.7 Satulinmaki 2005 R418 78.0 2.0 8.8 Satulinmaki 2005 R419 101.3 4.0 5.2 Satulinmaki 2005 R422 64.0 3.0 4.0 Satulinmaki 2005 R428 63.0 7.0 1.6 Satulinmaki 2005 Re-sampling by Nortec geologists of the core drilled by GTK on both the nearby Satulinmaki and Riukka gold zones returned significant gold values. Some of the significant results are 37.7 metres @ 1.03 g/t Gold from 51 metres (Hole R330 - Satulinmaki Prospect), 10.0 metres @ 2.47 g/t Gold from 20 metres (Hole R356 - Riukka Prospect) and 2.50 metres @ 6.81 g/t Gold from 61.35 metres (Hole R357 - Riukka Prospect). Details with respect to the analytical methods and the assay lab can be referred to in Nortec's press release dated March 1, 2011. Table 2: Confirmation Sampling by Nortec. Hole_ID From (m) Interval (m) Gold g/t Prospect R329 13.40 7.10 1.67 Satulinmaki R330 51.00 37.70 1.03 Satulinmaki incl. 58.50 3.00 3.85 Satulinmaki incl. 84.20 4.50 3.37 Satulinmaki R332 19.60 1.00 1.16 Riukka R334 29.20 5.00 1.60 Satulinmaki R340 20.80 11.00 0.48 Satulinmaki R356 20.00 10.00 2.47 Riukka incl. 21.00 3.00 7.37 Riukka R357 61.35 2.50 6.81 Riukka R374 53.00 3.00 0.66 Riukka R385 13.00 2.00 1.57 Satulinmaki R386 40.00 3.00 0.56 Satulinmaki Avalon - Nortec Heads of Agreement: Details of the Heads of Agreement with regards to the formation of the Joint Venture Agreement between Nortec and Avalon can be referred to in the Company's press release dated May 19, 2016. Avalon previously announced a 3000 metre drilling program on the Kietyonmaki lithium prospect scheduled to commence in late August, 2016 (Nortec press release dated June 26, 2016). Historical drilling by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) identified a high grade lithium pegmatite deposit including diamond drill intersections of up to 18m @ 1.8% Li2O. Proposed work will deliver a mineral resource estimate and preliminary metallurgical studies by the end of 2016. About Nortec Minerals Corp. Nortec is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Information on the Company's projects can be referred to on www.nortecminerals.com. Mohan R. Vulimiri, M.Sc., P.Geo, CEO, Nortec Minerals, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Vulimiri has approved the corporate and technical content contained in this press release On behalf of the Board of Directors, NORTEC MINERALS CORP. "Mohan R. Vulimiri" Mohan R. Vulimiri, CEO and Chairman The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept the responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This press release contains certain forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays and uncertainties not under the Company's control which may cause actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the results, performances or expectations implied by these forward looking statements. 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. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. JURIST Guest Columnist Jonathan Bruno of the Harvard Law School discusses recent changes to and ongoing limitations of the Freedom of Information Act A few weeks ago, President Obama signed into law a major amendment of the US Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Ironically for a measure intended to make government more transparent, the event garnered little publicity. What coverage did appear was buried beneath a mountain of headlines about Brexit, Boris, and Trump. Nevertheless, backers say the new legislation will be hard to ignore. According to one prominent cosponsor, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, this latest FOIA reform ensures that sunshine, not secrecy, is the default setting of our government. To see just how far that overstates the conceivable impact of the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016indeed of any such disclosure mandateits best to return to FOIA itself. How did our nations premier transparency law (again Senator Leahy) come to be, and what exactly does it require of government agencies? To answer those questions is to develop a more sober view of the recent amendments. FOIA was enacted in the summer of 1966. For the better part of two decades following World War II, a coalition of newspaper editors, together with a few dedicated lawyers and legislators who took up their cause, had been pushing for better disclosure of documents held by the federal government. They dreamed of a general rule according to which all records should be open except as otherwise provided by law. What they eventually got, when a skeptical Lyndon Johnson signed FOIA fifty years ago this Fourth of July, was language apparently narrower in scope, but amounting to more or less the same thing. Here is the legislations punch line: [E]very agency shall, upon request for identifiable records made in accordance with published rules make such records promptly available to any person. (A litany of exceptions follows.) In plain English, FOIA instructed government bureaucrats to turn over documents when people ask for them. That was a big deal, even if the law contained no explicit presumption of openness (all records should be open except). The prior standard under the Administrative Procedure Act [PDF] gave federal agencies wide latitude to shield their records from public view. It said that disclosure was owed only to persons properly and directly concerned with the requested documentswhatever that meant. Under FOIA, by contrast, any person can demand the release of any identifiable records held by a covered agency, without so much as citing her affiliation or occupation or purpose in making the request. Whats more, FOIA gives requesters the right to sue in federal court if they believe records have been wrongly withheld. FOIA certainly warrants two cheers. It has been instrumental in exposing many problems of governance. It gives political and legal standing to people curious about agency conduct, for whatever public or private reasons. (The laws undiscriminating approach has been both a blessing and a curse, serving not only the relatively disempowered but also entrenched corporate interests that have inundated some agencies with profit-seeking disclosure requests.) Wholly apart from its consequences, FOIA expresses an important principle of democratic politics: that the exercise of power should be publicly knowable. Though we should give FOIA its due, its also crucial to recognize its limits. Too often this statute has been portrayed as a silver bullet. But it cannot possibly secure the freedom of information it promises, much less a government that is meaningfully transparent. For one thing, FOIA governs only recordsthings written and storednot information in general. Thats a crucial distinction. The law imposes no obligation on agencies to answer the questions we might pose; questions like, How did you decide to write this new regulation? or Why havent you taken a stronger stance against [this or that industry practice]? It requires only the release of existing documents that bear on such matters, and typically only upon request. Yet as anyone whos worked within a large organization will understand, agencies dont document every conversation that might shed light on their decision-making process, or on their relationships with regulated industries. For all sorts of reasons, some nefarious and some altogether mundane, much agency work is conducted informally, viva voce and out of view of the wider public. Moreover, not all existing records are subject to disclosure. FOIAs numerous exemptions frequently relieve agencies of the duty to honor document requests. The exemptions cover information that reasonable people would agree should enjoy confidentialitypersonnel records, for example, or the details of active law enforcement investigations. In addition, they sanction the withholding of documents containing even a whiff of commercial data, which business interests have been remarkably successful in lobbying to protect. More worryingly, FOIAs exemptions sweep in many records that are directly relevant to assessments of agency competence and integritymatters of core public concern. This includes a wide array of material that could shed light on the pathways of agency decision-making. Suppose wed like to gauge the degree to which a given agency has cozied up to the industries it is responsible for regulating. Under FOIAs Exemption 5which effectively asserts the governments deliberative process privilegemost conceivable evidence of such deference would be shielded as pre-decisional. Finally, even where no exemption applies, compliance can be lacking. Huge backlogs, evidence of strategic avoidance, and chronic underfunding make clear that FOIAs promise of openness sometimes goes unfulfilled. And while the laws framers sought to protect against this outcome by providing for de novo judicial review, in practice courts have often deferred to agency claims of secrecy. Which of these basic limitations was altered when the recent FOIA amendments took effect? The short answer is: almost none of them. At first glance, the new legislation achieves what FOIAs advocates sought those five-plus decades ago: it incorporates a presumption of openness, declaring that records may be withheld only when the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by an exemption (or is otherwise prohibited by law). In practice, though, its hard to imagine this provision will make much difference. In the rare cases in which a requester actually litigates an agencys decision to withhold, the presumptions only likely effect will be to compel the governments lawyers to describe some harm that might result from disclosure. Thats hardly an insurmountable hurdle. This summers amendments do make three important changes. First, they impose a 25-year limit on what may be withheld under the deliberative process privilege. Second, the new law calls for affirmative disclosure (on a public website) of any document requested three or more times. Though compliance will undoubtedly remain a problem, there are reasons to believe this measure will reduce the burden of requests by corporations. Finally, the amendments call for the establishment of a consolidated online portal for submitting and tracking document requests under FOIA. In principle that sounds like an attractive proposal, but it remains an unfunded mandate: the legislation authorizes no new expenditures. Even assuming the government could meet the demands of the FOIA Improvement Act without additional resources, the basic point remains. Post-amendment, FOIA still covers only existing records, still exempts a great deal that would build public understanding of administrative power, and still leaves effective control over agency information with officials themselves. Does FOIA make transparency the default setting of the federal government? I do not see how anyone could maintain that claim with a straight face. The truth is that, valuable as they are, disclosure laws like FOIA leave the opacity of the administrative state largely intact. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. After all, some (time-limited) secrecy in government is essential. Agencies could never hope to enforce their regulations without it. Still, we should be clear-eyed about what laws like FOIA can and cannot accomplish. Jonathan Bruno is a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer at Harvard Law School, and a doctoral candidate in political theory at Harvard University. Suggested citation:Jonathan Bruno, JURIST The Freedom of Information Act Was Just Amended. Heres What ChangedAnd Didnt., JURIST August, 2016, https://www.jurist.org/forum/jonathan-bruno-foia-changes.php. This article was prepared for publication by Dave Rodkey, an Assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary service. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org. The prime minister of Cambodia filed a lawsuit alleging defamation against an opposition leader and opposition party leader on Monday. Primer Minister Hun Sens lawyer filed [VOA report] suit against Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Sam Rainsy for posting on Facebook that the fatal shooting of Kem Ley today is another terrorist act organized by the authorities. A separate lawsuit was also filed against CNRP Senator Thak Lany for allegedly saying [Khmer Times report] during a public forum that she did not know what [the Prime Minister] is thinkingSuddenly he killed Kem Ley, a political analyst. The lawsuits seek a 100 riel fine, approximately 2 cents in US dollars, and argue that both statements were defamatory and negatively impacted Hun Sens reputation. Kem Ley was a popular political analyst, spoke critically of the government, and was shot and killed on July 10. The lawsuit is widely considered [RFA report] a maneuver by the ruling party to suppress the opposition ahead of the local elections scheduled next year. The lack of transparency in the Cambodian legislature and contention between political parties have caused international concern. In June the Cambodian parliament voted [JURIST report] to allow the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to open an investigation into opposition leader Kem Sohka regarding his alleged involvement with a prostitute. Last November the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith, warned [JURIST report] that the increasing polarization of the political parties in Cambodia is reaching a breaking point. Also in November Cambodia opposition leader Rainsy was removed [JURIST report] as a member of the countrys National Assembly. That month a Cambodian court indicted [JURIST report] three men in the beating of two opposition lawmakers. In October the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed [JURIST report] concern over the organized attack on opposition politicians in Cambodia. Chinese authorities released a prominent human rights lawyer from detention on Monday. Wang Yu was released [NYT report] on bail after confessing to subverting state power and rejecting awards from the American Bar Association and Ludovic Trarieux Prize for her work defending human rights, saying that they were intended to blacken the reputation of the Chinese government. The televised confession alleged that foreign forces trained her and her colleagues to attack and smear the government of China. Yus colleagues claim [WP report] that she would never say such things unless she were put under extreme pressure. Yu was detained over a year ago during Chinas crackdown on the legal and human rights activist community. Chinas human rights record has drawn international scrutiny. Last month China was set to prosecute [JURIST report] a prominent human rights lawyer on charges of subverting state power. Also last month Amnesty International urged [JURIST report] Chinese authorities to end their ruthless assault against human rights lawyers and activists. In June a report claimed that China continues to harvest organs [JURIST report] from prisoners and those opposed to the Chinese Communist Party. Also in June a UN expert presented [JURIST report] a report showing that fundamentalist intolerance is growing throughout the globe and is directly contributing to infringements of the rights to association and peaceful assembly. That same month a prominent Chinese civil rights lawyer was put on trial for fraud during a crackdown on political dissent, a month after China passed a law restricting [JURIST reports] non-governmental organization (NGOs). Crimea has completed a transition period following occupation by the Russian Federation, which is responsible for its administrative reassignment, MP from Bloc Poroshenko faction Vadym Denysenko has said. "Putin made a number of rearrangements. The abolition of the Crimean Federal District is one of the solutions. It is far from being the most important. According to Russia, Crimea finished its transitional stage and there are no reasons to retain it in a separate district and with separate status. The Kremlin believes Crimeans have no other choice," Denysenko wrote on his Facebook page. As reported on the official website of the Bloc Poroshenko Solidarity party on Thursday, the deputy thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will invest the necessary military resources in Crimea to turn it into a military base. "There are three unsolved global issues for the peninsula: communications, electricity and water supplies. Bridge construction is hampered by the lack of technology. The electricity issue is partially resolved due to circumvention of sanctions, but it is a temporary solution. As for water, it is enough only for local citizens. It is impossible to talk, even theoretically, about the development agriculture without water from the Dnipro River," Denysenko said. He said that Putin's construction of a bridge linking the Russian mainland to Crimea "is a matter of honor," and the project will be completed in five years. "No other major investments will be made in the peninsula. Crimea is not a priority for Putin. It is exclusively a military base, where the average standard of living for the Russian Federation will be maintained," the deputy said. As reported on July 28, Putin, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the federal authorities, abolished the Crimean Federal District by making Crimea and Sevastopol part of the Southern Federal District. Under the president's decree, the District now consists of Adygea, Kalmykia, Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, Astrakhan region, Volgograd region, Rostov region and Sevastopol. A judge for the US District Court for the District of North Dakota [official website] on Monday barred [opinion, PDF] the state from enforcing its voter identification law. Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction, finding that the strict law had made it difficult or impossible for many Native Americans to vote. Under previous voter ID legislation, voters could present many different documents or swear an oath affirming their identity. However, under the 2013 law, acceptable documentation was limited to a valid state drivers license, a nondriver state ID, a state-issued long-term care certificate or a tribal identification card, and swearing an oath was no longer an option. Hovland wrote: The public interest in protecting the most cherished right to vote for thousands of Native Americans who currently lack a qualifying ID and cannot obtain one, outweighs the purported interest and arguments of the State. It is critical the State of North Dakota provide Native Americans an equal and meaningful opportunity to vote in the 2016 election. No eligible voter, regardless of their station in life, should be denied the opportunity to vote. North Dakota Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger has said the state does not plan to appeal [NYT report] and that the November election will be conducted under the pre-2013 standards. North Dakotas law is the latest to be blocked by a court. Last week, voter restrictions were overturned in Kansas, Wisconsin and North Carolina [JURIST reports]. In June a federal judge ruled that Ohios elimination of the states early in-person voting [JURIST report] was unconstitutional and in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In May a federal judge ruled that Virginias voter ID law, which requires that voters have a valid form of ID either before voting or within three days after voting, is constitutional [JURIST report]. In February the Maryland Senate overrode a veto by Governor Larry Hogan to pass a bill that will allow felons to vote [JURIST report] before they complete parole or probation. 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 Member of the Verkhovna Rada from the Batkivschyna Party's parliamentary faction Nadiia Savchenko has announced she is ready to go to militant-controlled Donbas in eastern Ukraine to hold negotiations with militant leaders. "I've said a thousand times - I'm ready to go there - with cover or without it - but only to achieve results," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday. Answering an additional question from journalists whether she was ready to hold talks with the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), she answered: "I'm ready and I'll go." Savchenko said she had already been beyond the contact line, but had not encountered the militant leaders. "I was there. The self-proclaimed DPR and LPR representatives were just not aware of this. I crossed the contact line and talked to people, listened to their problems. I just did not get too close to the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk," she added. As was reported, Savchenko said on June 7, 2016, that the Ukrainian side should establish a direct dialogue with "DPR/LPR" representatives to address the return of Donbas. She also announced readiness to negotiate with "leaders of the republics" Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky. The second president of independent Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, who is Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group on the peaceful settlement of the Donbas crisis, says he has no objections against the establishment of the direct dialogue between Savchenko and "DPR/LPR" representatives if this could contribute to the resolution of the crisis in the region. Savchenko has said she is ready to negotiate the release of captive Ukrainian soldiers with "DPR/LPR" leaders, but not with people who introduce themselves as the politicians of the self-proclaimed "republics." She mentioned "DPR" and authorized representative Denis Pushilin, who, according to her, is a "Russian-controlled puppet." Mexican food company Grupo Lala has appointed Alberto Arellano Garcia as its new chief financial officer. Garcia has more than 20 years experience in consumer goods companies, and has held various positions in different countries such as, Russia, Belgium, France, Venezuela and the US. Most recently, he was CFO at Microsoft Corporation Mexico. Lala said his relevant experience includes SAP implementation projects, the acquisition and integration of new businesses, strategic planning and competitive intelligence. Garcia is an industrial engineer from Anahuac University in Mexico, and has a Masters in engineering management. Last month, Lala attributed higher sales and earnings to its drive to expand via M&A as well as geographical growth. Lala flagged progress on two initiatives: the conclusion of an agreement to acquire the branded business of Laguna Dairy Company in the US and expansion in Costa Rica via a tie up with Florida Bebidas for the production, distribution and sale of its products in the country. Dallas, TX, USA, 08/02/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/ Recently, a Baltimore police officer named Edward Nero was found not guilty of assault in connection with the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Mr. Gray died of injuries while in police custody during a ride in a Baltimore police van, points out Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms. The prosecutions legal theory was very unusual. They claimed that the police did not have probable cause to arrest Freddie Gray, that they were therefore not authorized by law to arrest Gray, and that the arrest of Gray was therefore an assault. One of the prosecutors told the judge that the State believed that a police officer commits assault by arresting someone without probable cause even if the officer reasonably believed he had probable cause for the arrest. Officer Neros criminal defense attorneys said that they couldnt find any Maryland case in which this theory has been used. Top criminal lawyer Helms poses this question: Could this legal theory work in Texas? That is, if a police officer arrests someone without probable cause in Texas, does that mean that the officer could be charged with assault? The answer is that Maryland and Texas have very different legal frameworks when it comes to the crime of assault. In Maryland, a statute passed by the state legislature, called the Maryland General Assembly, defines the crime of assault. However, there is no statute that defines defenses to assault, such as self-defense. Instead, a Maryland law says that Maryland allows any legal defense recognized by its courts. See, Maryland Code, Title 3, subtitle 2, section 3-209 This leaves it up to judges to define defenses to assault. As far as assaults by police officers during an arrest, there are few, if any, Maryland cases that deal with the standard of conduct involved in an arrest. This leaves the playing field open for an unusual theory like the one used in Officer Neros case. Texas does it differently. Our laws specifically define a law enforcement officers defense to an assault charge when making an arrest. Section 9.51 (a) of the Texas Penal Code provides that a peace officeris justified in using force against another when and to the degree [the officer] reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to make or assist in making an arrest or search, if(1) [the officer] reasonably believes the arrest or search is lawfuland (2) before using force, the [officer] manifests his purpose to arrest or search and identifies himself as a peace officerunless he reasonably believes his purpose and identity are already known by or cannot reasonably be made known to the person to be arrested. In other words, in Texas, even if an officer lacked probable cause to make an arrest, the officer does not commit an assault if the officer believed he had probable cause and his belief was reasonable. Maryland law simply does not have this kind of clarity, adds attorney Helms. I believe that the prosecution of Officer Nero would not have occurred if Maryland law was as clear as Texas law. Instead, an officer was put through the incredible stress of a criminal trial only to be found not guilty, and members of the community that wanted a guilty verdict to avenge the death of Freddie Gray were given unrealistic expectations and let down by a not guilty verdict. Prosecutions of police officers can be emotional and polarizing. I know. I successfully represented former Dallas Police Officer Mark De La Paz in the first Fake Drugs trial in Dallas. The not guilty verdict in that federal trial was met with both relief from some and anger from others. I will never forget, though, what it felt like to hug Mark and his wife when the jury found him not guilty on all counts. If you or a loved one has been charged with assault or other crime, such as drug possession, fraud or even DWI call Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms at 214-666-8010 or contact him through his website. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102874298661508534943/+JohnHelmsLawFirmDallas Press Contact John Helms 214-666-8010 source: http://johnhelms.attorney/dallas-criminal-lawyer-offers-insight-freddie-gray-prosecution/ Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Onyschenko, who is suspected of abuses during the sale of gas produced with the involvement PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia, has not appeared for interrogation by agents of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Bureau's press service said. "Onyschenko has not come to interrogation today," the NABU told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon. The NABU said that the next interview could be appointed as early as the current week. "If he fails to come again, we'll appeal forced delivery to court and selection of a restraint," the Bureau said. After that, if the court decides positively, Onyschenko will be wanted by the police. According to the procedure, he will be first wanted in Ukraine, and then he'll be placed on the international wanted list. As was earlier reported, on June 22 Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office made public the scheme of gas production and sales involving PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia. As a result of this gas scheme, the state suffered damage in the amount of UAH 3 billion. Ukraine's parliament on July 5 voted to allow law enforcers to hold Onyschenko's liable and to detain and arrest him. On July 27, Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine head Yuriy Lutsenko signed the indictment for Onyschenko. Meanwhile, using his immunity from prosecution, Onyschenko left Ukraine. Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine Nazar Kholodnytsky said that MP Onyschenko was currently in Russia. On July 29, Onyschenko Ukrainian said on the phone on TV Channel 112 Ukraina that he was in London acquiring a residence permit and seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom. Half of cyber crimes solved in Ukraine with 80-85% of damage repaid The cyber police department of the National Police of Ukraine has announced it solves half of all cyber crimes committed in Ukraine and 80-85% of damage repaid to the victims. "[It's] about 50%. And 80-85% of damage are repaid," Deputy Chief of the cyber police department's intellectual property and e-commerce crime unit Oleh Zavorotniy told the Vesti publication when answering a question about the level of cyber crimes resolved in Ukraine. In his words, fraud accounts for the bulk of the crimes committed on the web. It includes stealing money as advance payments for goods on sites with ads, creation of clone websites of popular online stores. Also, criminals steal credit card data from victims through phishing or skimming directly at ATMs. Zavorotniy said that users could verify websites and own credit card numbers by visiting the cyber police department's website. A total of 415 Ukrainian airborne troopers have been killed in Donbas war, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said. "Four hundred and fifteen airborne troopers haven't returned from their missions, having been killed in severe fights with the Russian aggressor," he said at the Training Center of the Ukrainian Airborne Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zhytomyr on the occasion of Ukrainian Airmobile Forces Day. In his words, 2,295 airborne troopers were granted state awards, and seven of them were designated as Heroes of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says that the combat capability and potential of Ukraine's Airmobile Forces grows daily. "The combat capability of our Airmobile Forces has considerably changed in the past two years. They are constantly on the radar screen of mine as Commander-in-Chief and that of the chiefs of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff," he said at the Training Center of the Ukrainian Airborne Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zhytomyr on Tuesday on the occasion of Ukrainian Airmobile Forces Day. The airmobile forces are the elite of the Ukrainian armed forces, the president stressed. "Every day, there is an intensive build-up of combat abilities, the capacity of air assault and airborne units," he added. He mentioned drills with practical tasks where the airborne troopers are engaged in. They are also trained to improve interoperability with NATO member countries' units. In addition, a training center was created for the first time to train paratroopers. Poroshenko stressed the importance of assistance provided by Western partners in strengthening the combat capability of the Ukrainian army. "I would also like to remind that paratroopers were among commanders of the Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade. This again highlights your military knowledge and high confidence in you of not only the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also our foreign partners," he said, addressing the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces. The Opposition Bloc party has demanded the Ukrainian authorities heed conclusions made by the international community about corruption, justice system and freedom of speech in Ukraine and stop political prosecution of the opposition. "Ukraine remains a non-free country dominated by corruption, censorship, and where there is no fair justice. High-profile murders of journalists and opposition figures still haven't been properly investigated and resolved. Attacks of political radicals on the offices of mass media have become usual practice," the party said in a statement published on Tuesday. The Opposition Bloc said that according to a report on the results of the annual survey of the development of democracy "Nations in Transit 2016" published by Freedom House, Ukraine has problems with corruption, justice and freedom of the media and is a state with a hybrid political system. In particular, the progress in the fight against corruption, media freedom and justice remained at the level of 2013 and has not changed for three years. "We urge the authorities to listen to the conclusions of the international community to stop political persecution of dissidents on trumped-up cases built on false testimony and hearsay. The current government is obliged to investigate all high-profile corruption scandals that have taken place over two and a half years of its governance," the party said. In particular, the statement says Ukrainian society demands an answer about what happened to the hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for the construction of the so-called "Wall" on the border with Russia, whether an inquiry is carried out into the allegations by former head of State Financial Inspection Mykola Hordiyenko, who testified that the government embezzled UAH 7.6 billion, what is the progress of the investigation of the case on the leadership of Oschadbank making private flights at the state account and the unprofessional actions of the Justice Ministry, which resulted in Ukraine's debt of UAH 6.3 million. Also, the party noted the release of the management of Odesa Port-Side Chemical Plant from custody. "The authorities will not be able to avoid answering these questions. All these high-profile cases will be investigated, if not by this government, then by the new one. The only way to stop the repressions, corruption and censorship is to hold the early elections. This is the only way Ukraine can get a new, professional government and really move along the path of democratic reforms," the Opposition Bloc said. Many years later, facing streets filled with self-driving cars, you might be reminded of the afternoon that the ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing merged with Uber China, read a post on 36Kr, a Beijing-based technology-oriented news website. Chinas leading ride-hailing app, Didi Chuxing, said on Monday that it will take over the Chinese operations of its U.S. rival, Uber, ending a ferocious battle over the Chinese market that cost both firms billions. Together, the ride-hailing venture is worth about $35 billion, estimated the financial channel of Peoples Daily Online. Uber will receive a 5.89 percent share of the combined entity, with preferred equity interest, which is equal to a 17.7 percent economic interest in Didi Chuxing, read the statement. Although the two companies have not announced any detailed plans relating to future cooperation, self-driving and artificial intelligence algorithms are expected to be key to future operations. On Monday, Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, posted on Facebook an email that he had send to his China team regarding the massive merger: This merger paves the way for our team and Didis to partner on an enormous mission, and it frees up substantial resources for bold initiatives focused on the future of cities--from self-driving technology to the future of food and logistics, wrote Kalanick. Uber has never hidden its ambitions and excitement about a driver-free world. In February 2015, Uber, together with Carnegie Mellon University, announced the creation of the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The center focuses on the development of key technologies in areas of mapping, vehicle safety and autonomous technology. On May 19, Uber tested its first prototype of a self-driving car on the streets of Pittsburgh. The car, a hybrid Ford Fusion, collected mapping data at the same time as it tested its self-driving capabilities. The car was equipped with radars, laser scanners and high-resolution cameras to map the details of its environment, according to a blog post written by Uber. Didi, too, reportedly started working on a design for a self-driving vehicle. On June 4, 2015, Didi Chuxing signed an agreement with Beijing-based BAIC Motor Corporation Co. Ltd., one of Chinas leading vehicle manufactures, to cooperate on self-driving cars. As recently as July 20, the CTO of Didi Chuxing, Zhang Bo, said at an awards ceremony in Beijing that, self-driving [cars are] an important strategic plan for the company." In May 2014, Apple Inc. invested $1 billion in Didi Chuxing. Didi Chuxing, in exchange, provided Apple with rich data for its own self-driving car experiments. The massive merger came after China announced the upcoming legal status of ride-hailing apps last week, allowing qualified private cars and drivers to get involved in the business. Under the terms of the merger, Didi Chuxing will acquire Uber Chinas brand, business operations and data. Didi and Uber will also become each other's minority stockholders, and each company head will join the other's board of directors. However, according to Bloomberg, the two companies will maintain distinct brands, apps and business operations. Since Uber launched its China operations a little more than two years ago, both companies have spent billions of dollars subsidizing their China operations, each one vying for dominance in the potentially lucrative market. Earlier this year, Uber announced that it was losing $1 billion annually in China, and Didi was thought to be dropping similar amounts of money. OMAHA -- Hillary Clinton and Warren Buffett doing the foxtrot on the streets of Omaha? Its not likely, but it became a distinct possibility Monday as the Democratic presidential candidate promised to dance in the streets if Buffett one of her key supporters succeeds in cranking out a record number of voters in Omaha. For his part, the Democratic billionaire said he had already rented Ollie the Trolley the citys familiar tour bus to drive voters to the polls on Election Day and to help Clinton defeat Republican Donald Trump. Im going to be on it all day. Im going to do selfies. Whatever it takes, Buffett said. The promises to dance and to drive voters to the polls came during a rambunctious rally for Clinton at Omaha North High School on Monday. Buffett introduced Clinton and, in a nearly 30-minute speech, unleashed a fusillade of criticism against Trump, questioning whether he is a successful businessman. Buffett also unveiled a voter turnout initiative to help Clinton win an electoral vote in the Omaha-based 2nd District. He pledged to drive 10 voters to the polls. He also urged others to help people get to their voting booths and touted a new website: drive2vote.org. Buffetts goal is to have the highest voter turnout out of any congressional district in the country. If Buffett succeeds, Clinton dances. I will shortly after I become president, sometime as soon as I can arrange it, come back here. And Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together, Clinton said to the delight of the crowd. Clintons trip to Omaha comes as part of the candidates whirlwind tour of battleground states since she accepted her partys nomination on Thursday. Over the past three days, shes traveled across Ohio and Pennsylvania. Her trip to Omaha underscores her campaigns belief that Clinton can duplicate President Barack Obamas success in 2008 and win an electoral vote in Omaha. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states in the union that allow electoral votes to be split by congressional districts. The Omaha district is a battleground for the campaign, said Amanda Renteria, Clintons national political director. Nebraska Republicans scoffed Monday at the notion that the Omaha-based district is in play. J.L. Spray, Nebraskas Republican national committeeman, also predicted that gimmicks such as Clintons promise to dance in the street would fall flat with voters. At this point, I dont think its at all realistic. And I dont think a gimmick will be successful, Spray said. People care enough about their vote here, not to vote based on public dancing in the streets. About 3,300 people attended the rally. It was an energetic crowd that frequently chanted Hillary, Hillary, and stomped the wooden bleachers. However, it was not a capacity crowd. There was still plenty of room left open on the gymnasium floor, despite earlier predictions from some state Democrats that it would be an overflow crowd. Many people said they came for a chance to hear and see the woman who is striving to become the nations first female president. A hundred years since we got the vote. Its a big deal, said Stephanie Brunt-Howard, 61, who attended the rally with her mother, Ardella Rodgers, 79. Clintons visit was not merely political. It was also about cash. Warren Buffett and his daughter, Susie Buffett, hosted a small but expensive fundraiser for Democrats later in the evening, with tickets going for $100,000 apiece. The Buffetts have long been active on the national front in Democratic politics. Buffett endorsed Clinton earlier this year. In her speech, Clinton outlined her economic agenda. A key part of that agenda is her infrastructure package. She has called for spending $275 billion over a five-year period to help rebuild the nations highways, bridges, ports and airports. She has said that she would pay for it with unspecified business tax reforms. She also said she would work to make college tuition free for the middle class, and to promote trades for people who dont want to go to college and get a four-year degree. My overriding mission as president will be to do everything I can to help our country create more jobs, with rising income, Clinton said. Clinton also took several verbal pokes at Trump. She criticized the businessman for having some of his retail products manufactured overseas. She noted that Trump-branded furniture is made in Turkey, while Trump-branded neckties are made in China. He says he wants to make America great again well, he can start by actually making things in America again, Clinton said. World-Herald staff writers Roseann Moring contributed to this report. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Historically China has an old relationship with African countries, and the trade factor is a sole means supporting the communication between the two sides. But recently the relations enter in a new phase full of mutual cooperation in all domains which promote the confidence between the Chinese government and African countries. However, the communication process has witnessed a great progress till it became a real partnership and a joint objective. The African countries have exerted an efforts due to develop the cooperation and make it as strategic goal. The ties between People's Republic of China and Africa were witnessing progress reflects the two sides determination and their serious work to carving out the mutual interests for their peoples who also contributed more and encourage the two sides to exert an efforts towards the historic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dec. 4, 2015. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) The Chinese-African Cooperation Forum which established in 2000 in Beijing became an effective organ for the collective multiparty cooperation between China and Africa and it represents framework and important forum for equal and stable partnership based on mutual interest on the long run. China is giving due concern to the positive role played by the forum with regard to boosting political dialogue as well as realistic cooperation between china and Africa. People's Republic of China government implemented seriously the statement of the Chinese-African Cooperation Forum, which considered the backbone of enhancing the communication process in upcoming future. The ChineseAfrican Cooperation is a basic part of South- South cooperation, explaining that the unshakeable policy of the Chinese government is based on supporting solidarity and Cooperation with the African and other developing countries. Over the past few decades, China's rapid economic growth and expanding middle class has fueled an unprecedented need for resources. The economic power house has focused on securing the long -term energy supplies needed to sustain its rapid industrialization, locking down sources of oil and other raw materials across the globe. As part of this efforts, China has turned to Africa. Through significant investment in a continent known for political and security risks, China has helped many African countries develop their nascent oil sectors in exchange for advantageous trade deals. At the same time, Beijing's complex relationship with the continent has challenged its noninterference policy in the affairs of African governments. China's rise and Africa's renaissance have gone hand in hand, creating a historic opportunity for the development of China-Africa relations. However, the international situation remains complex and competition among great powers in Africa has intensified. This brings many internal and external challenges to the China-Africa relationship. seizing opportunities, meeting challenges, and upgrading ties will continue to be major tasks, China's strategic to continue promoting South-South cooperation, and constantly enhance African governance capacities. SouthSouth Cooperation is an important means tackling global imbalances. It is also a vital support in advancing China-Africa relations. The promotion and further development of South-South Cooperation must be based on improving the governance capabilities of African nations. In fact, the current developmental plight African societies face is this, how to choose a development path suitable for regional realities, how to achieve political and social stability in Africa, how to concentrate the superior resources of the region to participate in international competition and cooperation, and how to properly use favorable international factors to enhance Africa's own development capabilities. The keys to enhancing governance capacities in Africa are achieving peace and stability, building strong and responsible governments, and exploring an effective development path, in this regard, there is tremendous scope for cooperation between China and Africa. In fact, African people have clearly expressed their ideas on exchanging experiences with China in state governance. China actively participate in Africa's peace building, effectively securing Africa's international rights. Peace and stability in Africa are currently some of the most critical problems in the region, and also affect Africa's sustainable development. China can use its platform as UN Security Council permanent member to play a constructive role in UN peacekeeping in Africa which famous for the civil wars and complicated conflicts. In fact, China has deployed the largest number of peacekeeping forces among the permanent UN Security Council ( UNSC) members, making it an indispensable part of the African peacekeeping process. On the other hand, China needs to provide more assistance in promoting peace-building capabilities in Africa, such as technical support, staff training, and equipment. In other words, China should be an all-dimensional participant in the process of peace building in Africa, engaging in specific peacekeeping operation and helping African countries increase their own peace-building and peace-keeping capabilities. Historically, the China-Africa friendship was built on the foundations of political equality and mutual support and respect. Today, China has the ability to safeguard the legitimate rights of African countries in international affairs. Beyond that, China should play an active role in enhancing the voice and representation rights of African countries in international organizations. For example China can clearly and persistently support Africa efforts to join as permanent members of the UN Security Council and increase their weight in the IMF, World Bank, and other institutions. This is not only an important means of balancing global power distribution, it is significant manifestation of China's African responsibility. Combining principles and innovation to ensure the sustainable, healthy and stable development of relations. To lay a solid foundation for the ongoing development of China-Africa relations, the Chinese -African relations, the Chinese government needs to establish confidence in its African diplomacy. In fact, compared to other countries, China has some advantages in this regard. First, China -Africa relations have a clear direction. At the 2006 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China -Africa Cooperation Chinese and African leaders jointly proposed the construction of a China-Africa New strategic partnership, the core of which is political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win Cooperation, and cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The partnership is based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, tolerance and mutual learning, which is in time with Africa's development interests and has a lasting vitality. Such as a clear strategic vision provides an important political assurance for the smooth and steady development of bilateral relations. Second, ChinaAfrica relations have a clear development road map - China's new administration has specific African policy initiative. For instance, China will continue to expand investment and financing cooperation with Africa and provide 30 billion dollars in loan credits to Africa in three years, and take part in cross-border and inter-regional African infrastructure construction. China will train 30,000 African professional in various sectors, after 18,000 government scholarships, and take steps to improve the content and quality of the training programs in three years. Beijing has promised to grant zero-tariff treatment to 97 percent of exports from least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. These specific policies provide important advantages for Africa's infrastructure construction, personnel training, capital accumulation, and trade with China, which also helps strengthen China-Africa relations. Third, the Chinese government has always positioned safeguarding the interests of developing countries, including African countries, as fundamental aspect of China's diplomacy something that has earned it moral superiority in Africa. On March 28, 2013 in Durban, South Africa, President Xi Jinping speech at a breakfast meeting with African leaders, clearly stating that china will always be steadfast defender of Africa's peace and stability a firm promoter of African prosperity and development, a staunch supporter of African Unity for self-development, and firm supporter for Africa's equal participation in international affairs. This clearly defined China's policy towards relations with Africa, while bolstering its image as a responsible power change is a constant, and China's African policy is no exception as Xi said : To maintain the vitality of China-Africa relations, we must advance with the times. while adhering to the principals of mutual respects, equality mutual benefits, and win-win cooperation , China's Africa policy needs innovation that keeps pace with international realities and African and Chinese capabilities. The vitality of China's Africa strategy depends on constantly updating its policies and the institutionally mechanisms of relations, while combining China's national interests and Africa's development interests. This will maintain vigor and ensure that the relationship continues to grow. (Sudan News Agency) South Korea will become a puppet of US policy in Northeast Asia if it finally deploys the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system on its soil, the Peoples Daily warned in an editorial published on Monday, urging Seoul to think twice. Seoul will be a frontline of the US missile defense system after it takes over the hot potato, the article emphasized, comparing such acts as drawing fire against itself. The editorial, published under the pen name Zhong Sheng, comes as Seoul, despite rising dissenting voices from within and the international community, insists on the THAAD deployments necessity at its recent national security council meetings. The THAAD system will bring nothing to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but will only further escalate tensions by creating new conflicts, the article pointed out, adding that South Korea will also face risks in politics, economy, security, environment and society. The paper pointed out that once a conflict breaks out, South Korea would be the direct victim and will turn its destiny around, and its people will pay the highest price for a missile defense system that is ultimately useless in their defense. Urging South Korea to keep a clear mind on the reality and the broader world arena, the editorial reminded the country that hollow weapons like the THAAD system and the US are by no means reliable approaches to protect itself. It further noted that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula calls for a systematic endeavor, and the deployment of the THAAD system is indeed unwise and irresponsible. South Korea should think over the reason for China's efforts to resume the Six-Party Talks, the article said. The article hailed the rapid development of China-South Korea ties, but stressed at the same time that a development of bilateral ties needs more joint efforts. With frequent high-level exchanges and a deepened strategic cooperative partnership, China has become South Korea's largest trading partner, export market and source of imports. The free trade agreement signed by both sides is reaping huge returns, and bilateral personnel exchanges have exceeded 10 million, the paper illustrated. Warning South Korea not to repeat the fate of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the paper said that it is not the first time the US has employed a puppet strategy. In order to expand its hegemony, the superpower usually throws other countries or regions into disarray and then escapes unscathed, the editorial said of the hidden agenda. For the South Korean government, deploying the THAAD system is like setting wolf to keep sheep. Such a self-destructive move will result in irreversible consequences, the article warned. It is hoped that South Korea could put long-term and people's interests first and bear the reality in mind, the article said. 374 Shares Share Recently, physicians in small private practices and rural areas breathed a collective sigh of relief. There is a possibility the implementation of changes to physician reimbursement (known as MACRA) could be delayed. Thank you, Mr. Slavitt, for listening. I am grateful to Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) for keeping our rural needs in mind. We have a window of opportunity for rural health care to survive, but we must communicate our needs as physicians and patients loud and clear. Whether in reference to health care or public education, trying to increase quality while simultaneously decrease costs is an unrealistic proposition. Physicians in rural areas simply have fewer resources at their disposal. Adding insult to injury, Medicare payments to rural physicians are dramatically less than those of their urban counterparts for equivalent services, a point driven home by the fact 470 rural hospitals have closed in the past 25 years. Does it cost less to stitch up a laceration in a remote Alaskan village than in New York City? I doubt it. The expenses incurred obtaining supplies may be even greater for remote locations. In order to set primary care physicians up for success, it is imperative those in charge understand our challenges. Rural physicians are alone, save for our spouses running our medical practices while we see patients. For physicians to be successful, additional revenue would be necessary to meet the expensive health IT burdens placed on us by this new payment model. Creating virtual groups to consolidate reporting will still require provision of a virtual assistant because it is more administrative burden than we can handle. Our profit margin is too narrow to accommodate additional employees. I am not convinced time and money spent implementing new technology does anything to improve patient care; I am fairly certain, however, conversations with my patients provide considerable value. Can you not extract the information from claims, like private insurance companies already do? If we have to hire an additional employee, who is going to pay them? The solution is relatively simple; shift the burden of data collection from small practices to elsewhere or increase reimbursement so meeting your demands becomes feasible. Preserve what we have in rural America until you have more clarity where we are heading in the future. According to a report on Rural Participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, rural providers already deliver value and quality within our existing infrastructure. Adjusted for lower volumes, Medicare spending per beneficiary is 3.5 percent less. Physician spending is 18.4 percent lower overall compared to our urban peers. We have strong personal relationships with our patients, operate at the top of our capabilities, and keep care local whenever possible. I fail to see the problem with our old-fashioned style of practice. In fact, maybe you should use us as models of efficiency or cost-containment for larger conglomerates. Being in a small or rural practice is extremely challenging. In rural America, 75 percent of exchange consumers had incomes less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Every family in my practice who obtained insurance through exchanges met criteria for Medicaid, known in Washington State as Apple Health. 24 percent of rural children live in poverty. We are surrounded by Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas because primary care physicians are spread entirely too thin. The elderly and poor in rural areas deserve access to quality health care. What happens to those people if small practices cannot keep their doors open as a result of overreaching government mandates? According to the National Rural Health Association, 10 percent of physicians practice in underserved areas despite the fact 25 percent of the population lives there. One-third of automobile accidents occur in rural areas, however, two-thirds of the deaths from these accidents occur on rural roads. Rural residents are more likely to die from injury due to delays in care. I have direct experience, recently providing road side care after an accident while awaiting EMS arrival for 15 minutes. Delays are related to increased travel distance and personnel limitations. Extrapolate for a moment what could happen if numerous small practices closed in rural areas. Can you imagine if one-third of strokes occurred in rural areas, but two-thirds of stroke deaths were rural due to significant delays in receiving timely treatment? It makes no sense to cripple our livelihood when we provide lifelines to underserved and disadvantaged populations. Rural residents have fewer resources, significant geographic obstacles, and the acuity level of their medical problems is far greater. These detrimental conditions drive tremendous health disparity. We need to spend our time healing, comforting, and having conversations with patients, instead of reporting their medical problems and immunization status to non-physician statisticians. For physicians in small or rural practices with scarce resources and deteriorating infrastructure, it will require significant investment for us to undergo meaningful transformation. Either learn more about the challenges small or rural practices face, provide waivers (like No Child Left Behind did) for exemptions, invest in our infrastructure, or leave solo physicians and our practices alone. Do not try to fix what I am not convinced is broken. Niran S. Al-Agba is a pediatrician who blogs at MommyDoc. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Han Chunyu, a Chinese scientist, published his DNA-guided genome editing technique, NgAgo, in the magazine Nature Biotechnology on May 2. However, since his results have not yet been replicated, Han is now encountering doubts and questions from his peers. On July 29, a blog post pushed the story to new levels of publicity. Gaetan Burgio, group leader and head of the transgenesis facility at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) within ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, published the results of his own experiment, which used mice to try to reproduce Hans results. On his blog, Burgio wrote that he holds serious doubt [about] NgAgo over its endonuclease activity. Meanwhile, he urged "Nature Biotechnology" to petition Han to release his raw data and experimental conditions to the public. On the afternoon of July 30, Lluis Montoliu, former chairman of the International Society of Transgenic Technology (ISTT), replied to an email from a Caixin reporter. In his email, Montoliu explained that every experiment trying to reproduce Hans results since Han's paper was published has so far failed. Facing mounting doubts, Han replied that his results can only be proven through science, and he will not respond to media speculation, which in his opinion is not scientific. Other Chinese scientists have remarked that doubts and second-guessing are very common in science. Qiu Zilong, a researcher with the Institute of Neuroscience under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, wrote in an online Q&A that, we have enough time to optimize our technology [to test Hans paper] since the paper was published only two months ago. As for the authenticity of Hans paper, its up to a third-party organization to decide. Typically, journals will launch an investigation into papers that are met with great skepticism. If the doubts are confirmed in this case, the journal will either make corrections or delete the paper. At the time of writing, no comments had been made by Nature Biotechnology. WARNING: The following story contains mature content. A sexually explicit photo of a woman in front a Laredo Fire Department fire truck is making the rounds on social media. The pictures show a nude woman posing by a Laredo Fire Department truck inside of a local fire station. We reached out to the department for a comment on the authenticity of these pictures. Fire Chief Steve Landin says the pictures are real. However, he goes on to say after an investigation, they are 100 percent certain that fire department staff were not involved with taking the pictures. They also believe this woman came into the fire station in the middle of the night while staff were asleep and took the pictures. Landin adds the woman has a history of taking these types of pictures in front of local landmarks. They are investigating the case, and may look into pressing criminal charges against the woman. 27 / 2022 . Jessica and Nathan Pugh's 5-year-old son, Lachlan, has a rare brain malformation that affects his motor skills, but that doesn't seem to slow him down much. Lachlan enjoys zipping around in his motorized wheelchair, and he is content to spend hours in the toy aisle at Target. "He's a very stable, happy and super fun kid," says Jessica. "He loves Spider-Man and Disney and is full of surprises." Lachlan also needs constant care. His condition impairs the development of the skeletal and muscular systems, and he also has difficulty with speech and swallowing. Lachlan gets around in a wheelchair or with a walker, and he has to use a feeding tube. He spent his first 104 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. "They thought it was likely he wouldnt make it," says Jessica. The cost of raising any child is steep, but for a child with special needs, it's astronomical. It can cost more than $250,000 to raise a child (not including college), but the cost can be more than twice that for a child with disabilitiesand much more if lifetime care is needed, says Adam Beck, director of the MassMutual Center for Special Needs at the American College, which teaches financial professionals about special-needs planning. Insurance doesn't come close to covering all of the expenses, but you are entitled to benefits and programs that can help. As the Pughs discovered, it often takes patience and persistence to find themespecially when youre managing your child's health care. Meanwhile, long-term financial planning is essential to make sure that your child continues to receive the best possible care, even when you can no longer provide the care yourself. Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up The Pughs, who live in Salt Lake City, have spent countless hours navigating the system to take advantage of benefits. They have researched special programs, scoured the internet for extra sources of financial assistance and in general advocated for as much help as they can get for Lachlan. Many families with a special-needs child are overwhelmed by the day-to-day care, let alone the struggle to pay for it. But after learning how to steer through the special-needs world with Lachlan, the Pughs decided to help another child with special needs. Last April, they adopted 2-year-old Conlan from China. Dealing With the Unexpected Even with good health insurance through Nathan's job as a cartographer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Pughs have had a lot of unreimbursed expenses, such as deductibles and co-payments as well as the costs of therapy and other care. They budget as if they're going to spend the out-of-pocket maximum for their insurance every year, and they put one-twelfth of that total into savings each month. That advance planning has helped them cover the cost of care for both of their sons. Conlan has microtia and aural atresia, which causes severe hearing loss. He also has limited use of his left arm as well as heart and gastrointestinal issues. Conlan's two hearing processors cost $18,000. The Pughs' insurance covered 70% of the bill, leaving them responsible for $5,400. Conlan will wear those hearing processors on a soft headband until hes at least 7 years old, when he'll be ready for surgery to anchor the processors to his skull. Caring for her sons is Jessicas full-time job. Her persistence, creativity, networking and perpetual research help the boys get what they need while staying within the familys means. "I'm constantly Googling 'special-needs grants,' " she says. "We've had to be advocates for both children and figure out all of the best resources." Recently, Lachlan's pulmonologist recommended a $16,000 vest that breaks up mucus (he isnt able to cough) and helps him breathe. But the Pughs' insurance covers the vest only for children with cystic fibrosis, and it denied the claim. Jessica asked the vest manufacturer if it offers financial assistance (it does), which reduced their cost to about $4,000. She then applied for a grant offered by the United Healthcare Children's Foundation (which isn't limited to United Healthcare customers) that picked up the remaining charges. The Pughs moved out of a three-level townhome to a ranch house with hardwood floors so that Lachlan has more space to maneuver his motorized chair. Such chairs can be expensive (and kids quickly outgrow them), so Lachlan is using a loaner from the local Shriner's Hospital. Families with special-needs children under age 18 generally aren't eligible for Medicaid unless they have very low assets and income (cutoffs vary by state), or their child qualifies for a special program in their state. The Pughs got a big financial boost when the Utah legislature approved a "medically complex child waiver" program last year, which provides Lachlan with Medicaid coverage to supplement the Pughs' private insurance. The program only covers up to 250 children. "That's been a life-changer for us," Jessica says. Not only does the program fill the gaps in their insurance coverage, but it also provides three hours of respite care every week. Lachlan needs nursing-level care at all times, and that gives Jessica a break. "Now I can go to appointments or on a date with my husband," she says. [page break] Benefits for School-Age Kids A big expense for families with special-needs kids is the cost of ongoing therapies, but federal and state benefits can offset some of the cost. Lachlan received speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy through Utah's early-intervention program. Such programs are available nationally for children until they turn 3 and may be free or have a sliding-scale fee based on the family's income (the Pughs paid about $30 per month for the services). Conlan receives speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and hearing therapy through the program, but he is turning 3 soon and will no longer be eligible. After that, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school systems to provide free and "appropriate" education for children with disabilities until they graduate from high school or to age 21, 22 or 26, depending on the state. The school system must pay for private services if it is unable to provide the special education a child requires. Many parents don't realize they can receive these benefits before their child starts attending school, says Shawn Ullman, director of TheArc@School, a program that helps families navigate school-based benefits programs. Lachlan, for example, receives about 20 minutes per week of physical therapy and speech therapy through the school system. Families often supplement government programs with private therapy, which may be covered by their own insurancebut often with limits. The Pughs hired a private speech therapist for Lachlan to supplement the early-intervention services; now that he's older, they've added more private services. Their insurance covers up to 50 visits per year for occupational, physical and speech therapy combined. The co-pay for each visit is $30, and Medicaid helps cover it. Once they reach the maximum number of therapies allowed under their insurance, they will have to pay out of pocket (some providers give an out-of-pocket discount) or search for grants. Denise Sikora, an insurance claims specialist in Monroe Township, N.J., says that families often have trouble getting insurance to cover therapy because they fail to request preauthorization or submit the required paperwork. The insurer usually asks for a detailed report from the pediatric developmental specialist who did the initial evaluation and an explanation for why the therapy is needed, she says. Many families also end up with large unreimbursed expenses from providers who aren't in their insurer's network. "When they get a diagnosis, parents often feel as if they have to do something fast, and they start going to providers with no idea what their insurance requirements are," says Sikora. Your insurer may have a care coordinator who can help find in-network providers. If an in-network provider cant furnish appropriate care, your insurer may cover an out-of-network provider at in-network prices. Advocacy groups can help you learn about the benefits available and laws governing coverage. The internet is a good place to start your search for resources. Ask your doctor and the staff at your doctor's office, as well as other families you meet there, about local organizations that focus on children with similar needs. Preparing for Adult Benefits After your child leaves the school system, the benefits landscape changes. At that point, benefits are no longer required under IDEA but may be available through a variety of other sources, such as nonprofit organizations and your state or county department of developmental disabilities (see www.nasddds.org/state-agencies (opens in new tab) for links to your state agency). Some programs, especially for housing, may have long waiting lists. IDEA provides a third level of benefits, which many families overlook, that can help prepare for the next step. Starting at age 14 or 16, depending on the state, the school system must offer transition benefits to help families learn about the options for their child after high school. Contact the school's resource coordinator to talk about your goals after your child leaves school, and ask about vocational, recreational and housing options, says Terry Smith, a resource coordinator in Portland, Maine. Those transition benefits are only available while your child is still in school. Mary Ellen Mayo's son, James, 27, received physical, occupational and speech therapy when he was in public school in Massachusetts, but Mayo needed to find new programs after he graduated. Whenever Mayo and her husband, Charles, relocated, her first call was to the local Arc chapter (www.thearc.org (opens in new tab)) to find out about resources and programs for James. "James loves being around other people, he likes music, and he likes being outdoors," says Mayo. Now living with his family in Michigan, he attends a full-day program that includes music therapy. Another program takes him out into the community and provides wheelchair transportation. Once your child turns 18, the government considers his or her assets separately from the family's when determining eligibility for programs such as Supplemental Security Income, which provides a monthly stipend, and Medicaid, which provides health insurance. To qualify, applicants cannot have more than $2,000 in assets in their own name. For more information, go to the "Supplemental Security Income" section on the Social Security website (opens in new tab). You'll need to apply in person at your local Social Security office. Before you sign up for SSI and Medicaid benefits, work with a lawyer who focuses on special-needs planning to set up a special-needs trust (you can find a lawyer at www.naela.org (opens in new tab) or www.specialneedsplanners.com (opens in new tab)). The trust can hold assets for the child without counting as the child's assets for Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid. The Pughs set up a special-needs trust for Lachlan when he was 2 years old. You'll also need to decide whether you'd like to petition the court to become your child's guardian at age 18. Otherwise, in most states, he or she will legally become an adult. "Consider whether they're competent to keep themselves safe and make decisions about their medical needs and education and where they're going to live," says Karen Mariscal, a special-needs attorney with Margolis & Bloom in Boston. Parents can petition the court to become the childs guardians and can also name a successor guardian. But you may not need to have full guardianship. If you're concerned primarily about medical decisions, you can designate yourself or another adult you trust to be a health care proxy instead. On Aug. 1, Dior launched its first boutique shop on WeChat and broadcast information about a limited edition Lady Dior handbag, to be sold only between Aug. 1 and Aug. 4 for 28,000 yuan. The advertisement was first published on Diors official WeChat public account, and then promoted through a sponsored advertisement platform on WeChat Moments. This makes Dior the first luxury brand to sell bags on WeChat Moments, according to thepaper.cn. The advertisement states that the limited edition Lady Dior Small China Valentine, a leather handbag in the color of rose poudre, is only available in Dior's online boutique, where customers can personally design certain details on the bag. The sale reportedly began at 12:13 a.m., and the bags were sold out as of press time. Dior said the same bag will be available in offline shops after Aug. 4 for the same price, thepaper.cn reported. Luxury brands like Dior are facing a sales slump in the Chinese market, with sales down 2 percent in 2015, and an ongoing reduction of customers at brick and mortar stores. On the other hand, a report from consultancy firm Ipsos Group showed that some 36 percent of Chinese respondents said they were willing to purchase luxury goods online in 2015, up 24 percent from 2014, according to the same report. Offline shops have indeed entered a bottleneck period that is in need of adjustment, said Josephine Liang Shangjiu, general manager of Longchamp China, in an interview with thepaper.cn. Liang added that there is so far no luxury e-commerce platform in China that can meet luxury brands sales requirements. Longchamp has also opened a boutique on its official WeChat account. Geoffrey Sanzenbacher is a research economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. States are starting to set up 401(k)-style retirement plans. Why? The majority of people save in a 401(k) or they dont save at all. But only one-third of employers offer a plan, and only half of workers are covered by one. The idea of these state-sponsored plans is to overcome that hurdle. How do the plans work? There are three broad alternatives. The first brings together private plans into a marketplace and allows small employers to pick a plan out of this portal without requiring that they do so. Thats in place in Washington State and New Jersey, and proposed in Utah and Indiana. In the second model, a state would set up an IRA managed by a private-sector provider but overseen by the state. Employers would be required to participate and to enroll employees automatically, although workers could opt out. As long as the role of employers is minimal, these plans are not covered by the federal law regulating retirement plans that employers establish voluntarily. California, Connecticut, Illinois and Oregon are all taking the auto-IRA approach. None of the plans is up and running yet. My guess is youll see money in them by year-end 2017. In the third approach, the state creates a prototype 401(k) in which employers can choose to enroll. Massachusetts did something like this for small nonprofits. Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up Isnt giving up federal protections in the auto-IRA a big shortcoming? Only if states dont do due diligence to make sure peoples money is protectedand I think states are doing that. We prefer the auto-IRA because its required and automatic. One of the biggest barriers to retirement saving is inaction. The auto-IRA overcomes that. Are there other objections, such as too few investment choices? Investments would be limited, but there are reasons for that. States want investments to be simple, such as low-fee index or target-date funds. Complexity can scare people off, and its expensive. Some people dont like that the auto-IRA doesnt allow an employer match. That would trigger federal regulation, and a fear of overwhelming employers. Are there alternatives? A federal auto-IRA has been proposed, but it isnt off the ground. People can save through federal myRa accounts, but you have to take the initiative to enroll, and the maximum balance is only $15,000. People who want a lot of investment options would most likely open their own IRA; state plans are for people who may not want to make those choices. For her doctoral thesis, Entwicklung eines mikrofluidischen Brailledisplays (development of a microfluidic Braille display), Dr. Elisabeth Wilhelm is honored with the one of the German Thesis Awards 2016 (Photo: Korber Foundation/David Ausserhofer) Many applications on digital devices use graphical elements such as widgets, icons, windows, menus, often improving their ease of use. For visually impaired people, however, they have exactly the adverse effect, as so-called Braille displays so far only convert alphanumerics into Braille. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Elisabeth Wilhelm designed a display on which not only alphanumerics, but also images and graphics become tactile. For her doctoral thesis, she is now honored with the German Thesis Award 2016 in Natural and Technical Sciences, worth EUR 25,000. The award ceremony will take place on 8th November in Berlin in the presence of Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag and patron of this award. The promotion of junior scientists plays an important role at KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka, President of KIT, states. It focuses on the PhD degree as the first step in their career. It is an overwhelming success that one of the highly sought-after German Thesis Awards goes to a female mechanical engineer congratulations to Elisabeth Wilhelm! At the Institute of Microstructure Technology, Elisabeth Wilhelm designed a large-scale, cost-effective Braille terminal that displays graphics as tactile elements. Her aim is to enable people with sight impairments to access important graphics contents and control elements, allowing for the fact that digital information increasingly consists of images and graphics. Traditional terminals for visually impaired people are not able to display these in Braille. The display developed by Elisabeth Wilhelm is based on a microfluidic chip with phase change valves that can be addressed individually. If some valves are open, a specifically designed pump then pumps fluid to the corresponding locations that bend up slightly. This way, an imprint of the digital information is created that reproduces not only alphanumerics, but also shapes as tactile image elements. Elisabeth Wilhelm built an exemplary prototype that is equipped with this technology. The annual German Thesis Award, established by the Korber Foundation, honors the achievements of the best German junior scientists in Humanities, in Social Sciences, and in Natural Sciences and Sciences of Technology. Coming with a total of more than EUR 100,000, it counts among the most valuable awards for junior scientists in Germany. Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. A plasmonic detector that is directly coupled to a silicon optical waveguide and smaller than one micrometer was developed by KIT. (Graphics: KIT) Data traffic is growing worldwide. Glass-fiber cables transmit information over long distances at the speed of light. Once they have reached their destination, however, these optical signals have to be converted into electrical signals for subsequent processing in the computer. KIT researchers have now developed a novel type of photodetector that needs far less space than conventional ones. The component has a base area of less than one millionth of a square millimeter without the data transmission rate being affected adversely. The corresponding article is published in the Optica journal. (DOI:10.1364/OPTICA.3.000741) The newly developed photodetectors, the smallest photodetectors worldwide for optical data transmission, can be used for integrated optical circuits that significantly enhance the performance of optical communication systems. Due to the small space needed, many detectors can be assembled on optical chips. In experiments, the researchers reached a data rate of up to 40 gigabits per second. This component can transmit the contents of a complete DVD within a fraction of a second, physicist Sascha Muhlbrandt of KIT explains. He conducted his studies at the Institute of Microstructure Technology and the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics of KIT. This rate can be even further increased. It is the so far smallest detector reaching this data rate. It is one hundred times smaller than a conventional photodetector, Muhlbrandt emphasizes. The high-speed photodetector, called PIPED (Plasmonic Internal Photoemission Detector), is now presented by Muhlbrandt as first author, together with colleagues of KIT and ETH Zurich, in the Optica journal under the heading Silicon-Plasmonic Internal-Photoemission Detector for 40 Gbit/s Data Reception. A special advantage of the reduced size is that the photodetector can be integrated with electronic components on the same CMOS chip. Introduction of novel plasmonic components for high-speed transmission of information between electronic chips in the computer combines the advantages of electronic and optical components, while the transmission rate is comparable or even improved, says project coordinator Professor Manfred Kohl of KITs Institute of Microstructure Technology. The photodetector was developed under the NAVOLCHI (Nano Scale Disruptive Silicon-Plasmonic Platform for Chip-to-Chip Interconnection) project. Under the 7th EU Research Framework Programme, the KIT project of three years duration in the area of information and communication technologies was funded with about EUR 500,000. The high-performance photodetector uses so-called surface plasmon polaritons, highly concentrated electromagnetic waves at metallic-dielectric interfaces, to combine optics and electronics on smallest space. This new class of plasmonic transceivers is based on the mechanism generating photocurrent, i.e. direct signal conversion at metallic interfaces with optical frequencies. This process is known as internal photoemission, Muhlbrandt says. For enhancing the efficiency of light absorption and light conversion into electrical signals, charge carriers are generated at a titanium-silicon transition and taken up at another gold-silicon transition. The high rate is due to the special detector geometry: Both metal-silicon transitions are located less than one hundred billionth of a meter apart. The researchers consider the PIPED concept to be essential not only for future optical data transmission systems, but also for wireless data transmission. This novel approach to detecting optical signals allows for the generation and detection of electromagnetic signals with bandwidths in the terahertz range, says Professor Christian Koos of KIT, Spokesperson of the Helmholtz International Research School for Teratronics (HIRST) that focuses on the combination of photonic and electronic processes for ultra-rapid signal processing. Plasmonic components might be used in wireless high-speed communication and allow for transmission rates of up to 1 terabit per second. Research related to PIPED was also supported by the EnTeraPIC Starting Grant of the European Research Council, the Helmholtz International Research School for Teratronics (HIRST) at KIT, at which the disciplines of physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering cooperate, as well as by KITs Karlsruhe Nano-Micro Facility (KNMF) platform. S. Muhlbrandt, A. Melikyan, T. Harter, K. Kohnle, A. Muslija, P. Vincze, S. Wolf, P. Jakobs, Y. Fedoryshyn, W. Freude, J. Leuthold, C. Koos, M. Kohl: Silicon-Plasmonic Internal-Photoemission Detector for 40 Gbit/s Data Reception. Optica. DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.3.000741, https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/abstract.cfm?uri=optica-3-7-741 Information on NAVOLCHI: http://www.imt.kit.edu/projects/navolchi/ Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. Science and research will be presented to pupils aged between 7 and 14 years by KITs childrens university. (Photo: Manuel Balzer, KIT) Summer holidays and childrens university belong together on August 2, 2016, it will happen again: The childrens university of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will start with an exciting kick-off fair. Until August 18, ten lectures, a closing ceremony, and a childrens university campus with freely accessible interactive workshops will be presented. The lectures will be organized in the Audimax of KIT (Strae am Forum 1, 76131 Karlsruhe) for pupils aged from 7 to 14. Entrance tickets for the lectures and the closing ceremony are now available for presale and will also be available at the venue. [] For a full program of KITs childrens university 2016 and more information please see: http://www.kinder-uni.kit.edu (in German only) [] Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. Lisa Garland of Bremerton drops off ballots at the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton on Tuesday. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN) SHARE By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD Barring a big last-minute influx of ballots, voter turnout for Tuesday's primary election is trending low. As of Monday, just shy of 20 percent of the 159,236 eligible voters in Kitsap County had turned in their ballots. Ballots must be postmarked Aug. 2, delivered by 8 p.m. Tuesday to the Kitsap County Auditor's Office, 619 Division St., or deposited by 8 p.m. Tuesday in one of the county's ballot drop boxes. The top two vote getters in each race will move on to the Nov. 8 general election. Voters have a packed ballot before them that includes contested legislative, state and federal races, including the U.S. Senate and Sixth Congressional District. There are four candidates in the race for the 23rd Legislative District, covering Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap, and four in the race for the 26th, covering South Kitsap and northern Pierce County. Voters in South Kitsap and a portion of Bremerton have a choice of four candidates for Kitsap County commissioner, district 2. Only voters in district 2 have a say in the primary. All of Kitsap County will vote in the district 2 race in the general election. So many choices ... such nice weather. Kitsap County Elections Manager Kyle Joyce thinks the low turnout might stem from voters being distracted by summer pursuits, full of good intentions to get their ballots in. "But they're running out of time to do that," Joyce said. "On Election Day, we recommend if possible use an election drop box." Drop boxes locations are: Bainbridge Island: the school district administrative campus, 8489 Madison Ave. NE. the school district administrative campus, 8489 Madison Ave. NE. Kingston: North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, 26642 Miller Bay Road NE. North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, 26642 Miller Bay Road NE. Poulsbo: Fire station, 911 NE Liberty Road. Fire station, 911 NE Liberty Road. Silverdale: Central Kitsap School District offices, 9210 Silverdale Way NW. Central Kitsap School District offices, 9210 Silverdale Way NW. East Bremerton: Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way West Bremerton: Norm Dicks Government Center, 345 Sixth St. Norm Dicks Government Center, 345 Sixth St. South Kitsap (East): South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 8, 1974 Fircrest Drive SE. South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 8, 1974 Fircrest Drive SE. South Kitsap (West): South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 17, 7990 McCormick Woods Drive SW South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 17, 7990 McCormick Woods Drive SW Port Orchard: Kitsap County Administrative Building, 619 Division St. The second best choice, Joyce said, is to walk your ballot into the post office to get it hand-stamped Aug. 2. If you do place your ballot in a blue mailbox on Election Day, check to make sure you haven't missed the last pickup of the day for that box. "Every box is different," Joyce said. There are options for people who have lost their ballot or who cannot get to a drop box by 8 p.m., Joyce said. "If you're having trouble, give us a call, and the Kitsap County Elections Office will work with you to help you vote." The Elections Office is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Call 360-337-7128 or click here. The Auditor's Office plans to have returns posted online by 8:15 p.m. here. By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD If convicted of murdering 6-year old Jenise Wright, a former Olympic High School student who was 17 at the time of her death could face life in prison without parole, a Kitsap Superior Court judge has ruled. In the lead up to his Oct. 10 trial, Gabriel Zebediah Gaeta's lawyers argued to Judge Jennifer Forbes that recent court decisions about sentencing juveniles meant, if convicted of aggravated first-degree murder, he should be eligible for early release after 25 years in prison. Forbes disagreed. Gaeta, who was charged as an adult, was 17 at the time of Jenise's death in August 2014 and would have started his senior year at Olympic High School that fall. He is now 19 and has been lodged first in Kitsap Juvenile Detention and then in the Kitsap County Jail since his arrest. Initially he was to be evaluated for competency to stand trial, but his lawyer advised him not to cooperate and stipulated that Gaeta understood the charges against him and was able to participate in his own defense. Sentences for juveniles convicted of aggravated murder became a national issue following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2012 ruling in Miller v. Alabama, finding that the automatic life without parole sentences for juveniles violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Lawmakers adjusted state law to fall in line with the decision, the so-called "Miller fix," allowing judges to impose the sentence on defendants whose crime fell between their 16th and 18th birthdays, but mandating judges first take into consideration a defendant's young age, such as the defendant's maturity, his or her ability to appreciate risk as well as his or her home life. "We are pleased with the ruling and the reasoning the court used," Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chad Enright said. Gaeta's lawyers can ask the Division II Court of Appeals to review Forbes' ruling, but the appeals court is not obligated to take the case. On Monday, one of Gaeta's lawyers, Roger Hunko, said he disagreed with Forbes' Friday ruling but said he would need to speak to Gaeta and co-counsel Jeniece LaCross before saying whether Gaeta would appeal. The case attracted widespread media attention along with an intense response from law enforcement when Jenise was reported missing Aug. 3, 2014. Described as a spirited and independent girl, she was well known to the residents of the Steele Creek Mobile Home park in East Bremerton. Gaeta was a neighbor and had been friends with Jenise's brother. Her body was found four days later submerged in mud between the neighborhood and Highway 303. Gaeta's DNA was found on Jenise's clothing and during an interview with detectives Aug. 9, 2014, an emotional Gaeta indicated no one else was involved in Jenise's disappearance and death, according to court documents. By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD The Kitsap County Department of Community Development has operated under an interim director since December, when former director Larry Keaton retired. Louisa Garbo, a former planning director in Manitoba, Canada, will fill the key county position starting Aug. 8, Kitsap's Board of Commissioners announced Monday. Garbo will oversee the department's 70 employees and a budget of $8.8 million for a salary of $119,000. She was selected by the board after a yearlong, nationwide search. "She is the right person at the right time to lead our Department of Community Development to the next level while engaging stakeholders and the community at large," said Ed Wolfe, chairman of the board. "I'll suggest to the public there's a culture change coming to DCD. That's not a negative about anyone in DCD. It's a leadership style." Wolfe, who represents Central Kitsap and the booming Silverdale area, said Garbo is a strong leader with the "can do" attitude he was looking for in a candidate. "I wanted someone to say, 'I think we can help you get there,'" Wolfe said. "She's going to make things pop." A director of planning and building safety for Brandon, Manitoba, Garbo oversaw development activities, building inspections, heritage preservation and implementation of long-range plans and policies. She has strong budgeting skills, Wolfe said. Garbo is a certified planner in both America and Canada and an accredited LEED Green associate, certified in familiarity with resource efficient, environmentally friendly construction. She has a master's degree in planning, a law degree and another master's in conflict resolution. Garbo began her planning career in Arizona, working for the cities of Scottsdale and Peoria, and for Cochise County. South Kitsap Commissioner Charlotte Garrido said she looks forward to seeing Garbo's ideas for public outreach and user-friendly information adapted to Kitsap County. North Kitsap Commissioner Rob Gelder expects she will build on Keaton's successes, including LEAN management practices for department efficiency. "More importantly, I think she'll help us engage stakeholders in unique ways," Gelder said. As to the lengthy search for a new DCD head, Wolfe said the board went through two pools of candidates before hiring a search firm in March, because they hadn't found just the right person for the job. Karras Consulting of Olympia screened 58 candidates. Garbo and another finalist met with stakeholders and department directors before the board unanimously selected her. Garbo's salary reflects an increased pay scale the board approved for all director positions, according to Karen Goon, county administrator. "I feel incredibly fortunate to be chosen for this challenging position," Garbo said. "It is certainly a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally, and I am excited to be part of the growth in Kitsap County." Garbo has a three-year visa to work in United States. The TN nonimmigrant classification, issued under the North American Free Trade Agreement, permits Canadian and Mexican citizens qualified in certain professions, including community planning, to seek temporary entry into the United States, according to the NAFTA website. Unlike visas for some other types of workers, including seasonal agricultural workers, the TN visa does not factor in the availability or lack of qualified candidates within the United States. There were other well qualified U.S. candidates, Wolfe said, but Garbo was simply the best. "She's a strong woman. She's a leader," Wolfe said. Jeff Rowe, deputy DCD director and interim director of the department, was among applicants for the position, according to Goon. "I think Jeff Rowe's done an admirable job with what we've asked him to do," Wolfe said. "I have nothing but respect for Jeff." DCD director meet and greet When: 3-5 p.m. Aug. 11 Where: Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division St., Port Orchard. Pied Piper's Emporium, a longtime Bremerton head shop on Callow Avenue, is closing in October. Outside the shop, the mural of a frog and the Beatles remain. SHARE Employees Vince Garrido (left) and Jen Schmidt handle counter duties Monday at Pied Piper's Emporium on Callow Avenue in Bremerton. The store is closing in October due to over-saturation of the local market, the owner said. Employee Jen Schmidt wraps a pipe for a customer Monday at Pied Piper's Emporium on Callow Avenue. The store will close in October. The store's owner said that a more open marijuana market has brought cheaper paraphernalia that is hurting business. By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun BREMERTON Within a case of colorful glassware at Pied Piper's Emporium, a sticker hearkens back to what now feels like ancient history in Washington state: "I (heart) My Tobacco Water Pipe." There was a time when the phrase "tobacco water pipe" provided the supposed legal cover for those purchasing them as marijuana bongs. No more. In 2012, voters in Washington legalized cannabis and subsequent bong rips for adults. The sticker, at this point, is merely for a laugh every now and then at the Callow Avenue store. But in a paradoxical twist, Pied Piper's, long a home base for cannabis culture in Bremerton, is closing down due to the vamped competition the legal marijuana market has created. "What always paid our bills were pipes," owner Alyssa Miller said. "Now, there's a million places to buy pipes all around us." Since 56 percent of Washington voters approved legalization in November 2012, three pot stores and a head shop have opened in the vicinity. That, combined with two recent burglaries in as many months, got Miller thinking it might be time for the store to end its 18-year run. "We used to be a little niche business," she said. "But now it's all been commercialized." Miller was only 17 when the store opened at Sixth Street and Pacific Avenue, now home to a large office building constructed by Poulsbo developer Tim Ryan. At 20, Miller got a job there, and just three years later she bought the business from its founder. In 2005, it moved to 816 Pacific; the store again moved, this time to Callow, and has been there almost seven more years. According to Miller, employees and some customers, legalization flooded the market with cheaper goods used to get high. The store prides itself on carrying American-made glassware that Miller, a glass artist herself, ensures is of high quality. But those getting stoned these days might not care about that. "It opened the market so wide that it allowed for the influx of all these cheap products," Angela Kartischko, a longtime Pied Piper's customer, said of legalization. Vince Garrido, an eight-year employee of the store, compared it to big-box stores that put smaller, locally owned places out of business. "It's like Walmart versus mom-and-pop stores," Garrido said. The store will close Oct. 18. Miller plans to liquidate inventory by slashing prices. She'll take anything left to a barter fair in Okanogan County in late October. SHARE I'm fixing to do Donald Trump a big favor, because he clearly does not grasp the axiomatic Law of Holes. That's the old scrap of cornpone wisdom that advises, "When you're in a hole, quit digging." This is generous on my part, because I'm not a fan. But here at no charge! is a superb piece of political advice, which he would be uncharacteristically wise to heed: Shut your trap about the Khan family. Stop talking about the Khans. Quit tweeting about them. Change the subject, move on, and take comfort in the likelihood that we in the media with our little grasshopper attention spans, will forget all about them by the end of the week. Because every single effort Trump has made since last week to denigrate the Muslim American family of a slain U.S. soldier has exploded in his face. Constitutionally unable to relinquish a topic without firing off the final salvo, the GOP candidate for president of the United States (Wait, let me check: Yep, still feels like an elaborate practical joke) keeps making things worse for himself. This started Thursday night, when Khizr and Ghazala Khan took the stage at the Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan spoke about his son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed by a car bomb while ordering other soldiers to keep back in 2004 while serving in Iraq. In speaking about his son's sacrifice, Khan rejected Trump's proposals to suspend Muslim immigration as unconstitutional, and said Trump "has sacrificed nothing and no one." Trump, in keeping with his predictable nature, fired back by recounting his own "sacrifice" of being a rich guy who employs a lot of people an awkward attempt to equate himself with a fallen hero. When criticized by well, pretty much everybody Trump compounded the insult by suggesting Ghazala Khan, who did not speak during the DNC appearance, was a victim of sexist oppression because the family is Muslim. "I'd like to hear his wife say something," Trump said in one interview. "She had nothing to say," he said in another. "Maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." As it turns out, she had plenty to say. In an op-ed piece published in Sunday's Washington Post, Ghazala Khan said she did not speak from the convention stage because she was afraid she would break down. "I could hardly control myself. What mother could?" she wrote. "Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?" Even for a reliable geyser of tasteless insults, this episode represents a spectacular trifecta. Since last Thursday, Trump has managed to offend U.S. service personnel and their families, American Muslims and women who would prefer not to have men telling them when they should or should not speak. If Trump is genuinely worried about whether Ms. Khan "was allowed" to speak, it represents enlightenment. The Donald has not always been so deeply concerned that wives and husbands share partnership status. Some of his quotes on the topic include: "My big mistake with (first wife) Ivana was taking her out of the role of wife and allowing her to run one of my casinos in Atlantic City, then the Plaza Hotel I soon began to realize I was married to a businessperson rather than a wife" and "When I come home and dinner's not ready, I'll go through the roof, OK?" Because Trump did not have enough sense to not insult a Gold Star family whose son died fighting for this country, the Khans on Monday were still being sought for media interviews. And Trump could not help himself: He tweeted out the insults, apparently in real time as he watched them on television. As Mr. Khan spoke in measured tones to CNN about "decency," "dignity" and "respect," Trump accused him of a "vicious attack" and tweeted that "this story is not about Mr. Khan who is all over the place doing interviews, but about RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM in the U.S. Get smart!" No charge, Mr. Trump. This is free advice. Stop talking. Or even better, wise up and shut up. Jacquielynn Floyd is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News. John Crisp's column will return next Monday. Former tourism official sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for graft HEFEI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A court in east China's Anhui Province on Tuesday convicted and sentenced the former head of the provincial tourism bureau to 12 years behind bars for bribe-taking. The ruling was handed down by Anqing City Intermediate People's Court Tuesday after it found Hu Xuefan, previously director of Anhui provincial bureau of tourism, was guilty of having taken bribes totaling more than 4.6 million yuan (about 691, 729 U.S. dollars). The court found that Hu or his family members accepted cash, shopping cards and gold bars while he held positions at Mount Huangshan Resort, the Huangshan City Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Tourism Bureau of Anhui Province from 1999 to 2014. He helped more than 20 companies or individuals with allocation of tourism funds, resort ratings, personnel promotion and other decisions in exchange for bribes. The court hearing started on Dec. 22, 2015. Hu confessed to the local procuratorate during the investigation but withdrew the confession later in court. He was stripped of the illicit proceeds of 4.6 million yuan and was also fined 4 million yuan, according to Tuesday's court ruling. Hu said he would file an appeal after the ruling. LINZ have released their latest quarterly data on house transfers. There are lots of caveats around the data, but what is absolutely clear is that Labours surname analysis about how up to 40% of Auckland homes are being sold to buyers from China is a failed racist smear. Just 3% of transfers were to foreign tax resident buyers and only one third of those to buyers from China so of the 57,678 transfers, only 0.96% were to tax residents of China. One can have a legitimate debate about whether restrictions on foreign buyers would impact house prices (it hasnt had much if any impact in Australia) but the dog whistling by Labour with their surname analysis was designed to stir up xenophobia. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr The Herald reports: Labour has selected music teacher Jamie Strange as its candidate in Hamilton East once considered one of the bellwether seats of New Zealand. The father of four young children will try to wrestle the seat back from National. David Bennett won the seat with a 10,000 vote majority in 2014. Strange missed out on selection in Hamilton East in 2014 and was instead selected as Labours candidate in Taupo despite his Hamilton base. That is a safe National seat and Strange worked full-time throughout the campaign. Candidates serious about willing will often leave their job six to nine months before the election to campaign full-time. The majority in Taupo last election was 15,046 and in Hamilton East 10,199. Both safe seats. Hamilton East and its sister electorate Hamilton West have traditionally been viewed as bellwether seats as the MP who wins them is usually from the party that goes on to form a government. It was from 1972 to 1993. The record since then is more mixed: 1993: Labour (opp) 1996: National (govt) 1999: National (opp) 2002: Labour (govt) 2005: National (opp) 2008: National (govt) 2011: National (govt) 2014: National (govt) So it has been held five times by the government and three times by the opposition. And six times by National and three times by Labour since 1993. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr (Photo/81.cn) Construction of a new martyr memorial park in the southernmost part of China has officially been completed. The park is located on Chenhang Island, which is part of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. The original memorial park was established in 1975 to pay tribute to 18 martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of the Xisha Islands in January 1974. Construction on the new park began in early March. There is now a 9.8-meter-tall memorial monument made of white marble, complete with carved battle scenes, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported. Over 200 PLA naval officers, veterans from the battle and family members of the martyrs participated in Mondays opening ceremony. All the participants pledged in front of the monument to carry out the martyrs wishes and resolutely defend national sovereignty, according to the report. (Photo/81.cn) There has been a tradition among PLA soldiers stationed on Chenhang Island to pay tribute to the memorial park during national holidays or when new troops are dispatched to the island. Every vessel harbored on the island also visits the memorial park, reported China News Service. The Battle of the Xisha Islands was a small-scale ocean battle between China and South Vietnam that broke out on Jan. 20, 1974. During the battle, the PLA navy fought back against South Vietnamese naval forces who were occupying some of Xisha Islands and attacking Chinese civil and military personnel. The PLA navy won the battle, sinking one South Vietnamese military vessel and damaging another three, according to the Xinhua News Agency. (Photo/81.cn) At 12:42 this afternoon rescue workers were called to a grain silo in Murtaugh where a teen boys leg was caught in an auger. The silo was at the corner of Archer and Third Street. According to Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office, the 16-year-old male was working in the silo and took a step backwards where his leg became caught in the auger. Rescue workers entered the silo to stabilize and treat the teen. To reach the teen, workers cut a hole into the silo. He was airlifted to a Boise hospital for treatment. His condition is not known. The silo is owned by Pure Grain Commodities. Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office, Rock Creek Fire and Magic Valley Paramedics responded to the incident. On the morning of Aug. 2, the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Procuratorate carried out a public trial, charging Zhai Yanmin with subversion of the state. Zhai was found guilty and sentenced to three years' imprisonment with a four-year probation period, and was deprived of political rights for four years. Twenty journalists from 12 domestic media outlets and five foreign media outlets, along with 28 representatives, attended the trial. Among the representatives were National Peoples Congress deputies, CPPCC members, scholars and lawyers. Zhai, 55, was accused of illegally organizing paid protests, exacerbating public unrest and fabricating rumors on the Internet to sway court decisions. Prosecutors hold that Zhai has been influenced by anti-China forces for many years, and that those forces gradually gave him the idea to subvert the state. Zhai has posted anti-China remarks online many times since 2012. More recently, he participated in a plot to subvert the state, complete with specific methods and procedures. At the trial, Zhai admitted, I was in charge of buiding the protest--getting the public worked up and inviting passersby to join. With more people on the street, conflicts between citizens and law enforcement were exacerbated. Our ultimate goal was to get international outsiders to intervene, overthrow the leadership of the CCP and carry out revolution in China. The group was arrested in July 2015. According to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security, published on July 11, 2015, the suspects consisted of lawyers, who had been the core organizers, and social media celebrities, who were in charge of implementation. The statement accused the group, led by Fengrui Law Firm, of disrupting public order and seeking profits by illegally hiring protesters and swaying court decisions in the name of "defending justice and public interests." Since July 2012, the group has organized more than 40 controversial incidents and severely disrupted public order, the statement added. Heather Tookey, a 23-year-old wildlife protection volunteer, takes photos with cheetahs she helped to rescue in South Africa. She has traveled to South Africa a total of seven times to help take care of rescued cheetahs, starting when she was 18. Two of the cheetahs, Dew and Eden, have grown especially close to Tookey. (Photo/People's Daily Online) SHARE This is a Home Federal Bank surveillance camera photo of a suspected serial bank robber taken on March 11, 2016, at 2940 S. Mall Road in Knoxville. (SUBMITTED BY FBI) This is a Home Federal Bank surveillance camera photo of a car driven by a suspected serial bank robber on March 11, 2016, at 2940 South Mall Road in Knoxville. (SUBMITTED BY FBI) This is a bank surveillance camera photo of a suspected serial bank robber taken on Aug. 8, 2015, in Raleigh, N.C. (SUBMITTED BY FBI) This is a bank surveillance camera photo of a suspected serial bank robber taken on Feb. 12, 2016, in Raleigh, N.C. (SUBMITTED BY FBI) Related Coverage Police search for man who robbed Home Federal Bank By News Sentinel Staff The FBI is seeking help in identifying and capturing a serial bank robber who has been linked to seven robberies in four states since August 2015, including one in Knoxville. Dubbed the "Flip-Flop Bandit" because he wore flip-flops in several of the robberies, the unidentified man robbed the Home Federal Bank, 2940 South Mall Road, in Knoxville on March 11, according to the FBI. The man handed a bank teller a note demanding money about 9:25 a.m. and left the bank after receiving an undisclosed amount of cash. He drove away in what was believed to be a dark blue or black 2015 Toyota Camry LE sedan, which might have been a rental car, according to the FBI. The robber was described as a heavyset white man, approximately 6 feet, 2 inches to 6 feet, 3 inches tall, thought to be in his mid-40s, with a large mole on his right cheek. During the Home Federal robbery, he wore a khaki-colored bucket-style hat, wire-rimmed glasses, a blue, zip-up hooded sweatshirt with white draw strings, a light-colored, button-down shirt, shorts and flip-flops. The man also is wanted in bank robberies in Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C., Bryant and Morrilton, Ark., and Yukon, Okla., according to the FBI. The first robbery linked to the man occurred on Aug. 11, 2015, in Raleigh, and the latest on July 1 in Yukon. The FBI said the man should be considered armed and dangerous. Authorities asked anyone with information to call the FBI's Knoxville office at 865-544-0751. Surveillance image of man who on Monday robbed a Weigel's store on Tazewell Pike. SHARE By Don Jacobs of the Knoxville News Sentinel KNOXVILLE Knox County authorities are seeking a man who claimed he had a firearm Monday morning when he robbed a convenience store and ordered employees into a cooler. The robbery occurred about 5 a.m. at the Weigel's, 7420 Tazewell Pike, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. The robber said he had a gun and demanded cash from the safe. After getting the money, the robber forced clerks into a cooler and fled out a back door, according to authorities. There were no physical injuries reported. Authorities described the robber as white, about 5 feet, 11 inches to 6 feet tall, weighing 200-220 pounds, with an average build. The Sheriff's Office did not say if the robber had any facial hair or any visible marks or tattoos. Authorities asked that anyone with information about the heist or the robber call the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit at 865-215-2243. More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel. Two Knoxville police officers crashed at the intersection of Chapman Highway and Moody Avenue while responding to assist other officers at the scene of a shooting in South Knoxville, authorities said. (KNOXVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT) SHARE Two Knoxville police officers were injured in a crash at the intersection of Chapman Highway and Moody Avenue while responding to assist other officers at the scene of a shooting in South Knoxville, authorities said. (KNOXVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT) Two Knoxville police officers were injured in a crash late Monday while responding to assist other officers at the scene of a shooting in South Knoxville, authorities said. (FACEBOOK) By News Sentinel Staff Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said Tuesday that two officers injured in a crash were rushing to a South Knoxville shooting call because of the possibility someone planned to ambush police. "In this environment today, they did not know if it was an ambush issue," Rausch said, so officers were urgently driving to the scene to provide backup for the officer already there. Rausch told Mayor Madeline Rogero and City Council on Tuesday evening Knoxville Police Department Officers Zach Wilson and Jordan Henderson suffered severe concussions in the 11:35 p.m. Monday crash. Wilson and Henderson were taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment. They were discharged Tuesday and are at home, the chief told the officials. "Officer Henderson has some surgery that he'll have to have done on a fracture to his left orbital (eye socket), but other than that they came out of that relatively unscathed," Rausch said. Rausch said Wilson and Henderson were rushing to the scene after a "shots fired" call about 11:20 p.m. Monday in the Montgomery Village housing development. The first officer on the scene located a victim on Daylily Drive and tended to the severely wounded Daniel Wells, 26. Wells, police later said, had been shot at least once by an acquaintance. He sustained a potentially fatal wound and was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. His condition was unavailable Tuesday because of medical confidentiality. Because of the ongoing investigation, Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk declined to say where Wells had been shot on his body, the type of firearm used or if the weapon was recovered. Police have not identified Wells' acquaintance and no arrest had been made as of Tuesday night. While officers were directing medical personnel and first responders from the Knoxville Fire Department to the scene, gunshots were fired from a couple of buildings away, police said. With the continued gunfire, officers requested more officers to secure the area to allow first responders to safely reach Wells. Wilson and Henderson were answering that call for help when they crashed at the intersection of Chapman Highway and Moody Avenue, police said. Henderson was traveling west on Moody while Wilson was headed south on Chapman when their cruisers collided. Both officers had activated their emergency lights and siren before impact. Rausch said after the council meeting the investigation of the crash is ongoing, but it appears both officers were using seat belts. The chief said department policy just as state law mandates using vehicle restraints. Rausch said the crash will be reviewed by supervisors, as opposed to an Internal Affairs Unit investigation. If supervisors find negligence was involved in the crash, they will "make a recommendation for punishment." Authorities have not said if both police cruisers are a total loss or can be repaired. China's e-commerce giant Alibaba responded on Aug. 1 to a recent rumor about its donation to the Clinton Foundation. A spokesperson acknowledged that Alibaba made a donation of $250,000 to the organization in 2005, but said that the money was for AIDS treatment and other medical care in developing countries, and that it carried no political agenda. As more details of the Hillary Clinton email controversy have come to light, a number of Chinese enterprises have been forced to comment on their donations to the foundation. In Alibaba's statement, the company claims that the records of the foundation have been open for inquiry since 2008. What's more, the donation was used exclusively for charity. The Clinton Foundation, established by the former U.S. President Bill Clinton, is a non-governmental organization working to fight climate change, support economic development and fight for women's rights, global health and and public hygiene. The foundation receives donations from diverse sources, including governments and multinational corporations. These include companies like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, HSBC and Citi Group, who have donated around $5 million. Chinese companies and organizations, including Alibaba, have altogether donated less than $1 million. The e-commerce giant also clarified that Clinton had left office by the time Alibaba made the donation, and the company had no idea at the time that Hillary Clinton might one day be a presidential candidate. Finally, the company expressed its resolution to keep contributing to charities despite the recent misunderstanding. SHARE Farmers markets across East Tennessee will begin hosting a variety of demonstrations, competitions, raffles and other activities on Sunday in celebration of National Farmers Market Week. "Farmers markets are a central part of many communities, where farmers, artisans, chefs and the public come together to enjoy and share some of their area's best produce, farm goods, foods and more," said Charlotte Tolley, executive director of Nourish Knoxville, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote local food options. "We're excited to celebrate our individual communities as a part of Farmers Market Week, while simultaneously showing off all that our region has to offer." The number of farmers markets in the U.S. has increased by more than 60 percent since 2009, according to the USDA. There are more than 160 farmers markets in Tennessee, according to Pick Tennessee Products. For National Farmers Market Week, which begins Sunday and lasts until Aug. 13, Nourish Knoxville will sponsor an Instagram competition. Participants can pick up "I heart farmers markets" temporary tattoos at participating markets, apply them to someone or something, and take a photograph. Participants are then encouraged to post the picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LoveMyETNmarket, tag @nourishknoxville and name their favorite farmers market. Prizes will be awarded to the judges' favorite post and to posts with the most likes. Knoxville farmers markets participating in the competition include the Dixie Lee, Market Square, New Harvest Park and the University of Tennessee farmers markets. The deadline is Aug. 14. More details can be found at nourishknoxville.org. With a new school year roughly two weeks away, students and administrators are both adjusting to changes at the University of Tennessee Pride Center and planning for its future. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel The funding and the faces of staff at the University of Tennessee's Pride Center will be different when students return for the fall semester, but administrators said they hope those changes won't prevent students from feeling supported. And students said it remains to be seen if the upcoming changes including administrative support to the center by the Office of the Dean of Students are a success. It will be an adjustment for students to learn to navigate being a student group that's running the physical space and planning programming, said Johnathan Clayton, who graduated this summer and was a member of the student group, UT Pride Ambassadors. In May, the controversies of the academic year ended with a new law that defunded the UT Office for Diversity and Inclusion, redirecting the funds for a year to engineering scholarships for minority students. The pulled funding included what was allocated to the Pride Center and its staff. After the law passed, students started fundraising and planning how the Pride Ambassadors would keep the center going. Many of the students didn't leave campus this summer and their work never stopped, said Danny Glassmann, associate dean of students and the new liaison to the Pride Center. With a new school year roughly two weeks away, students and administrators are both adjusting to changes at the center and planning for its future beyond the next year. "It would be a mistake as a university to think the emotion about what happened in the spring is gone just because everyone went away for the summer," said Vince Carilli, vice chancellor for student life. He said the new law "doesn't prevent the space, it prevents the funding for the space." Using student suggestions, UT administrators gave students at the Pride Center the option of the Office of the Dean of Students or the Office of Multicultural Student Life to provide administrative support since the diversity office no longer existed to fill that role. Clayton said the students, after weeks of discussion, picked the Dean of Students, in part because it seemed "less targetable." He added that the students knew Glassmann would be their liaison from that office, but didn't know who they would work with in Multicultural Student Life, which he said is understaffed. But he said some students believe there is a history of not feeling supported by that office, so the verdict is still out about how this choice will work out. Melissa Shivers, dean of students, said supporting students, as well as advocating for them and guiding student development, is exactly what her office does. She and other administrators added that many other universities also have a similar relationship between their pride centers and dean of students. To adjust funding, the center will run on directed donations as well as other dollars that aren't from the state, largely federal dollars, Carilli said. He estimated that the UT gift fund to the center was about $10,000 to $11,000 and more fundraisers are possible. Student workers will be paid through federal work study funds matched with nonstate dollars, Carilli said. About 10 percent of Glassmann's time will be devoted to the Pride Center, he added, and that portion of his salary, which is about $9,000 for a calendar year, will be paid without state money. The Pride Ambassadors also will be able to fundraise as a student group. Clayton said the students plan to use the money they raised over the summer for an ice cream social and for bracelets that represent the identities within the LGBTQIA community. Having student workers will allow the Pride Center to stay open 57 hours a week like it was last year, while Glassmann's role will be to help with things like unlocking and locking the center and making sure light bulbs are replaced as well as to act as a bridge between the Dean of Students office and the center, administrators said. He also will work with former center director Donna Braquet, the adviser of the Pride Ambassadors. Glassmann's role will be similar to the role that staff from the Dean of Students' office has had with other student groups and their advisers including sororities and fraternities, Shivers added. She said she knows that the new law caused students to worry about the center staff, but she hopes they still feel supported by the new faces and are reassured to have Braquet in her role as adviser. The administrators said they first worked to keep the center open after the new law; they have "no idea" what happens after this school year. Shivers said students feared that the money would be pulled forever even though the law was for a year. She said students and faculty have already been working on supporting the center for the long term. The university wants to support them through that plan and while they are working on it, she added. The future of diversity-related programs, including the Pride Center, is something that needs to be figured out because they are important to both student and employee recruitment, Carilli said. "We need to figure out the right way for Tennessee as the university and the state" to continue diversity programming, he said. U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, along with a host of state Democratic lawmakers, stressed the need for changes to Tennessee's voter ID laws on Tuesday. (Joel Ebert / The Tennessean) SHARE AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL Voters fill booths at the Downtown West building during early voting located at 1543 Downtwon West Blvd. Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Early voting continues at ten locations across Knox County through Feb. 23, 2016. Voters line up to check in during early voting at the Downtown West building located at 1543 Downtwon West Blvd. Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Early voting continues at ten locations across Knox County through Feb. 23, 2016. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) By Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee NASHVILLE Seizing on recent federal court decisions that have struck down voter identification laws in several southern states, Tennessee Democrats on Tuesday called for their Republican counterparts to make changes to state and federal laws. Citing decisions by federal judges in North Dakota, North Carolina and Texas, which have similar voter identification laws as Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, quoted Abraham Lincoln. "He said that government is of the people, by the people and for the people. The people cannot express their wishes unless they vote," Cooper said, explaining that, in the aftermath of a 2007 Supreme Court decision in Indiana, several state legislatures, including ones in the South, successfully passed laws to "not only ID voters but to suppress the vote." Despite the calls from Democrats, Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, and House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, stood behind Tennessee's voter ID law. Cooper pointed to circuit court decisions that have come from courts surrounding the 6th Circuit which includes Tennessee to suggest that the tide on voter ID laws is turning. On Friday, a federal appeals court in North Carolina struck down that state's ID law, saying it targeted blacks "with almost surgical precision." The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said Texas's voter ID law was "intentionally discriminatory." North Carolina's law, however, was not viewed as one of the strictest laws in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tennessee is one of nine states including Texas and Wisconsin, which also had their voter ID laws struck down in court that NCSL categorizes as having a strict photo ID law. There are several different forms of valid identification voters in Tennessee can use. They include: a state issued ID, a valid U.S. passport, a valid military ID and a handgun carry permit with a photo. Any voter who doesn't have an acceptable form of identification has to vote using a provisional ballot. That ballot would only be counted if the voter is able to provide an election administrator with proper evidence of an ID on the day after the election. For years, Democrats have balked at the state's voter ID laws, arguing they have led to a decrease in turnout, and have been unsuccessful in convincing Republicans to alter them. Cooper, along with several other lawmakers present Tuesday, said they hope the recent federal decisions will change things in Tennessee. "It's time for Tennessee to get it right," Cooper said, while encouraging people to get out and vote during Thursday's primary election. He said anyone who is not registered to vote in the November election should register before the Oct. 11 deadline. "And finally, most important of all, let's change some of these state laws." State Rep. Harold Love, D-Nashville, said he was particularly concerned about the fact that a number of students who come to Tennessee from other states are unable to use their state-issued IDs to participate in elections. "They pay tuition here, some of them pay rent here and surely they contribute to our society here," he said. "And yet we say that we don't acknowledge the fact that they are who they say they are based upon their other state's identification. To me, that's wrong." Last year, a federal judge in Nashville upheld the state's voter ID law that prohibits students from using their school identification cards to vote at the polls. Pointing to the impact that voter ID laws have on women, blacks and the elderly, Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, said the purpose of the laws is to prevent those groups from being able to vote. "Most of that happened after the election of our president President (Barack) Obama." Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said the General Assembly needs to pass new laws because the "deck is stacked against people" based voter ID laws and the way districts are drawn. Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini blamed Republicans in the General Assembly for passing laws that have put obstacles in front of young people, people of color and the elderly. "This has been by design," Mancini said, calling for an end to the state's voter ID law. "Republicans know that when Democrats vote and turnout is high that Democrats win." Mancini said voting rights should be a nonpartisan issue that Republicans have politicized. State Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, noted that Republicans often say voter ID laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. "Ladies and gentlemen, voter fraud in the state of Tennessee is like hunting zebras. They don't exist," he said. "It is not about voter fraud, it is about keeping people from the ballot box." Ramsey took issue with Beck's claim saying that the state's law has successfully suppressed voter fraud. "Not only have we protected the franchise from fraud and abuse, we have made getting a photo ID easier than ever before. People need a photo ID to cash a check, rent a car or board an airplane," he said. "It is not unreasonable to require them to show an ID to vote." State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said the state's law was modeled after one in Indiana, which has withstood the scrutiny of the U.S. Supreme Court, and was even tested in Tennessee's Supreme Court. "It should not be easier to board a plane, cash a check, or buy cigarettes than to vote in Tennessee," Ketron said. "Our right to vote is one of the most sacred symbols of our freedoms and we must protect the integrity of our elections." Ketron also took issue with Yarbro's claims about redistricting, saying every redistricting plan created by Democrats between 1970-2000 were struck down. "No plan has been overturned since Republicans took the majority; therefore, any statement of 'democracy being stacked against the people through redistricting' is factually wrong and hypocritical," he said. Cooper said, despite the recent federal court decisions, the group of lawmakers were not organizing litigation against the state's law but were simply trying to call attention to the issue in hopes of encouraging the state Legislature to change it. But such a change is unlikely given that Ramsey and Harwell support Tennessee's law. Harwell noted that the law includes provisions that allows Tennesseans to obtain an ID for free and vote using a provisional ballot if someone forgets their identification when they head to the polls. "I am comfortable with the law as it is written," she said. Cade Cothren, spokesman for the House GOP caucus, said Democrat attempts to undo Tennessee's voter ID laws would send the state in the wrong direction. "The right to vote is a bedrock principle of our state and nation and Republicans believe this right should be both encouraged and protected. It is a shame those on the other side of the aisle wish to return to a time when voter fraud was a commonplace occurrence," he said. President Barack Obama on Tuesday slammed Donald Trump as "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) By JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama slammed Donald Trump as "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House on Tuesday and challenged Republican lawmakers to drop their support for their party's nominee. "There has to come a point at which you say enough," Obama said. The president's blistering comments came on the heels of Trump's criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a captain in the U.S. Army, was killed in Iraq. A growing number of GOP lawmakers are voicing concern about Trump's comments, but none have so far revoked support for the businessman in the White House campaign. "If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said in unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Obama asked during a White House news conference. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president," Obama says of Trump. @knoxnews @informemphis Michael Collins (@mcollinsNEWS) August 2, 2016 The president said his opposition to Trump is about more than policy differences. He said that while he disagreed with his Republican opponents in the 2008 and 2012 elections, he never thought they were unfit to do the job. Obama has made clear he plans to be an active player in the White House race, campaigning around the country for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia, where Khizr and Ghazala Khan also made an appearance. Khizr Khan criticized Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims coming to the United States and challenged whether he had read the Constitution. Trump has questioned why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and has said he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan. For Donald Trump, it's become a familiar pattern. The Republican nominee can't let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation. Trump spent the days after winning the Republican nomination criticizing a U.S. district court judge's Mexican heritage. The morning after accepting the Republican nomination at the party's convention, Trump re-litigated months-old grievances with primary rival Ted Cruz. Now, he's sparring with an American Muslim family whose son was killed in Iraq. Republican leaders have urged Trump to drop his attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who appeared at last week's Democratic convention and harshly criticized the GOP nominee. It's not just the optics of picking a fight with a military family that has GOP officials eager for Trump to move on, but the timing of his attacks: Election Day is just three months away. Those who have worked with Trump say that in private meetings, he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he's already answered the question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television. "It's just who he is," said Stuart Jolly, a former campaign staffer and current political director for the pro-Trump Great America PAC. Others who have worked with Trump say the only way to ensure he moves on is to wait for him to tire of an issue or get drawn into another matter. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has advised Trump, said the candidate's inability to back away from a political land mine "makes him vulnerable." "His whole experience up until running for office was in a very combative New York media market," Gingrich said. "He's been doing it now for over 30 years. It's a very deeply held habit." Khizr Khan delivered an emotional address at last week's Democratic convention, with his wife standing by his side. The Pakistan-born Khan told the story of his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Khan said that if Trump were president and enacted his proposed temporary ban on foreign Muslims coming to the U.S., a position Trump has backed away from in recent weeks, his son would have never been allowed into the country. He also questioned whether Trump had ever read the Constitution. Trump responded by implying Ghazala Khan's religion preventing her from speaking at the convention, though she later said talking publicly about her late son was still too difficult. On Monday, Trump tweeted that he was being "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan. Trump's unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage Monday from a chorus of Republicans. Arizona Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was "deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war." Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said the Khans "deserve to be heard and respected." "My advice to Donald Trump has been and will continue to be to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether it's from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton," Blunt said in a statement. However, none of the Republican lawmakers pulled back their support of Trump's White House campaign. In his first rally after a weekend of controversy, Trump spoke at length and took several questions at an event Monday in Columbus, Ohio never once mentioning the Khans. But when asked about Khizr Khan on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," Trump responded, "I guess it's part of my life." "His son died 12 years ago," Trump added. "If I were president, his son wouldn't have died, because I wouldn't have been in the war, if I was president back then." Trump backers attending the Ohio rally dismissed the issue, underscoring how the businessman was able to survive numerous such firestorms in the GOP primaries. "I think the Democrats laid a trap for him," said Tom McClanahan, a 54-year-old from Johnston, Ohio. "I think they knew what they were doing when they asked that family to speak at the convention. They knew he'd respond." Dale Brown, a maintenance supervisor from Grove City, Ohio, whose son is in the Navy, said Democrats were blowing Trump's comments out of proportion and had "politicized this by asking that family to speak." But the real test for Trump isn't the opinion of the loyal supporters who attend his rallies. It's the broader general election audience, a far more diverse group still weighing Trump's readiness for the White House. ___ Associated Press writers Erica Werner in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. As I watched the stories of the killing of patrons at Pulse, the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, several reporters commented that it was the worst massacre in America in modern times. I wondered what bloodbath in the past was worse than the one in Orlando. A letter to the editor in the News Sentinel gave me a clue when the writer mentioned Wounded Knee. I suppose most of us have heard of that massacre but don't know what happened there on Dec. 29, 1890. American Indians who had been herded onto reservations and oppressed by the loss of their land, hungry because of the lack of buffalo and suffering from diseases of the white man looked for deliverance. They needed a Moses or Abraham Lincoln who had freed others before them. A Paiute Indian named Wovoka, also known as Jack Wilson (1858-1932) by whites, convinced his people that such a Messiah would come soon to deliver them if they participated in a ritual called the Ghost Dance. Believing that the ceremonies would lead to hostilities, the federal government tried to stop them. Led by Gen. Nelson A. Miles (1839-1925), 3,000 troops went to the reservations near Pine Ridge in present-day South Dakota to keep the peace. Fearing the intention of the troops, 2,000 Sioux fled their reservations for the Badlands, where they joined 1,000 others. The Army thought they were preparing for a fight and would be led by Chief Sitting Bull (1834-1890), who had defeated Gen. George A. Custer at the Little Big Horn River on June 25, 1876. On Dec. 15, 1890, Sioux Indian police employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs arrested Sitting Bull at his cabin. The protesting chief was led outside, where his men had gathered to support him. A hotheaded Indian shot the police lieutenant, who in turn shot Sitting Bull in the stomach. Another policeman shot him in the back of the head. After Sitting Bull's death, about 340 more Sioux led by Chief Big Foot fled to the Badlands. They were captured, however, on Dec. 28 by 200 soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry and taken to a trading post called Wounded Knee. When they tried to disarm Big Foot's followers, a young Sioux warrior fired a single shot into the troops then numbering about 470, who returned fire. With their repeating rifles they slaughtered as many as 300 Indians, including women and children. Sixty soldiers died or were wounded, many of them shot by their own men in the crossfire. The dead Indians were buried in a common trench on New Year's Day 1891. The wounded were left to die in the cold. After I read the notes in my history book, I went to the McClung Collection to read the unsanitized version in the Knoxville Daily Tribune of Dec. 30, 1890, which said: "Bloody fight Big Foot's band of Indians surrender to the troops, but later resist being deprived of their arms. A lively battle ensues in which a number of soldiers are killed and many redskins are hurried on to the happy hunting grounds. "The Indians, men, women, and children ran to the south, the battery firing rapidly as they ran. Soon the mounted troops were after them, shooting them down on every hand. The engagement lasted an hour and a half. The soldiers are shooting Indians down wherever found, no quarter being given by anyone." SHARE A recent opinion issued by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III has prompted the city of Knoxville to extend negotiations for a new contract to operate the city's traffic light cameras. Moving forward with the contract is the right move, especially in light of a recent study that shows jurisdictions that abandon traffic light cameras see increases in fatal crashes at intersections. City Council is set to vote tonight on a contract extension with LaserCraft Inc. while officials evaluate the effect of Slatery's opinion on a new agreement with LaserCraft subsidiary American Traffic Solutions. Slatery's opinion, issued on July 6, states that only law enforcement personnel can review traffic camera video to determine whether a violation has occurred. Under current arrangements, the contractor's employees screen the videos first before passing along those they determine show a violation. An attorney general's opinions are advisory and do not carry the force of law, but Slatery's interpretation of the state's traffic law camera statute is hard to dispute. The law states unambiguously that only "law enforcement officers shall be authorized to review video evidence from a traffic light signal monitoring system and make a determination as to whether a violation has occurred." State Rep. Andy Holt, the Legislature's most vocal critic of traffic light cameras, promptly issued a call for a class-action lawsuit against jurisdictions that use the cameras. The Dresden Republican has urged Tennesseans receiving traffic light camera tickets not to pay the $50 civil fine and garnered notoriety when he posted online a video of himself burning what appears to be a citation. Holt has said he wants to ban camera enforcement, but that would be a bad idea. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that traffic deaths attributed to running red lights soar by 30 percent in cities that eliminate video enforcement, The Associated Press reported. The rate of fatal red-light-running crashes is 21 percent lower in cities with cameras compared to cities that do not use video enforcement. The cameras have made Knoxville's most dangerous intersections safer. A 2009 report by University of Tennessee researchers for the Southeastern Transportation Center found that multiple studies showed red-light cameras reduce the number of crashes at intersections, particularly right-angle, or T-bone, collisions. In Knoxville, the number of angled crashes dropped an astounding 42 percent between 2006 and 2007, the first year of operation. Even rear-end collisions, which have gone up in other jurisdictions, went down. There are more camera locations today, but the numbers remain low. Some critics say money, not safety, is the primary reason cities turn to video enforcement, but the numbers do not add up. According to city documents, Knoxville receives about $22,500 a month, or $270,000 a year, in revenues from traffic light camera citations. That is a fraction of the city's $302.68 million total net budget. To comply with Slatery's opinion, city police will have to take over the initial review of the videos. That use of city resources will be well worth the cost, because traffic light cameras save lives. SHARE The assassination of police officers, Chicago-level black-on-black murder, terrorism at crowded venues. Everyone can debate the root cause of the above issues, but solving the root or any contributing cause will, most likely, take decades. For me the first step in reducing murders from the examples given above is unwavering enforcement of current laws. Tim Antonacci, Knoxville Local teachers and students become park rangers Teachers and students that completed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger program this summer. GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Great Smoky Mountains National Park offered two unique summer programs engaging selected high school students and teachers as park rangers. The Teachers in Parks and the High School Student Intern programs are six-week paid work experiences where participants learn about the resources of the Park through on-site training exercises that enable them to perform ranger duties. Participants completed the programs just in time for the new school year to begin, allowing them to return to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from a summer working with rangers in a National Park. These programs are mutually beneficial, said Susan Sachs, Education Coordinator for the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center located in the park. The students and teachers get an in-depth study of resource education techniques, scientific methods, and field research to enhance their skills and talents, and, in turn, the Park creates advocates through better understanding of and appreciation for the Smokies. Teachers will bring the knowledge into their classrooms and the interns will share their education and experience with the local community through their friends and family. During their time in the park, teachers worked alongside park rangers in the field assisting with resource management activities and education programs. When not in the field, teachers were working with resource educators to develop elementary, middle, and high school curriculum for the popular Parks as Classrooms program. In partnership with American Conservation Experience (ACE), student interns, from different local high schools within the surrounding counties and communities, assisted scientists and park staff with field research and education programs while exploring possible career opportunities. They were exposed to and gained knowledge about a variety of areas while working in the park, including wildlife biology, fisheries science, front and backcountry campground management, forest and stream ecology, preventative search and rescue, archaeology, appalachian history and park management. The two successful programs were expanded this summer, thanks to a variety of public and private funding sources. Grants were received from Alcoa, Friends of the Smokies license plate funds, Community Foundation of Haywood County, Great Smoky Mountains Association and the federally-funded Youth Partnership Program (YPP). These funds supported five teachers and 24 high school students from Tennessee and North Carolina school systems. The following high school students in Tennessee were selected for the program: Sterling Fisher and Paula Guenther, Gatlinburg-Pittman High School; Grace Keith, L&N Stem Academy; Abbot Drybread and Raven Askew, Cocke County High School; Rachel Long and Hunter Palmer, Central High School; Spencer Bailey, Seymour High School; Brandon Brombach, Cornerstone Academy; Ethan Carr, Sevier County High School Teachers in Tennessee were selected for the program were: Debbie Kipp and Lisa Stone, Sevier County High School; Ashley Brooks, Dogwood Elementary. Published August 1, 2016 KARM opens store in Sevier County AUGUST 1, 2016 at 6:37 p.m. KNOXVILLE Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is opening a new store at 1916 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Sevierville. The store is set to open in early August. The Donation Center for used clothing and household items at the location is now open. The new KARM Stores location anticipates the need for 20-30 employees. Employment opportunities are available for all work areas within the store. Potential applicants may apply online at www.karmstores.com/jobs or www.karm.org/careers. The Sevier County KARM Stores location will offer quality, gently used clothing, furniture, and other household items at affordable prices. As the one of the largest stores across the chain of 18 retail locations, it will provide unique opportunities for donors, shoppers, and volunteers. The stores location is convenient for those residing and working in Sevier County as well as the many visitors who travel there. The KARM Stores are a valuable resource for the entire community. They offer quality, affordable products, employment for many, and an avenue for giving back, said Burt Rosen, President and CEO of Knox Area Rescue Ministries. KARM serves a broader area than Knox County and frequently provides food, shelter and recovery services to those originating from Sevier County who come to our ministry. Were pleased to now offer this increase in goods and services for the Sevier County area. KARM Stores provide major financial support for the ministrys programs. Donations are accepted at all store locations and the stores will pick up selected quality large donations. Call 865-521-0770 or visit www.karm.org. All KARM Stores are open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (extended hours until 9 p.m. at the Knoxville Center Drive, Merchants Drive, Sherlake Drive, and Farragut locations). Knox Area Rescue Ministries, which is home to nearly 400 people each night and provides more than 1,000 meals daily, has served the East Tennessee area as a Christian ministry since 1960. KARM is devoted to rescue, recovery and restoration, providing food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and healing for hurting people in our community. To learn more visit www.karm.org. Published August 1, 2016 Three Miami residents sentenced in $40+ million Medicare fraud scheme AUGUST 1, 2016 at 6:37 p.m. MIAMI Three Miami residents were sentenced for their role in the largest Medicare fraud scheme loss prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida in 2015. Jorge Lorenzo, 36, Yahima Pardo, 33 and Roberto De Jesus Alonso, 48, all of Miami, Florida were sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 188 months, 41 months, and 37 months in prison, respectively. The defendants were also ordered to pay $40,388,943.00 in restitution to the Medicare program. In addition, forfeiture money judgments were entered against each defendant and the government has seized assets and cash in excess of $2 million. On May 10, 2016, Lorenzo and Pardo pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, and Alonso pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the court record the three men participated in massive health care fraud, money laundering and kickback schemes, that over the course of approximately four years, resulted in more than $40 million in losses to the Medicare program. During the course of the criminal conduct, Lorenzo owned and/or controlled eight home health agencies across Miami-Dade County that collectively received more than $40 million in fraudulent claim payments from Medicare. Lorenzo installed shell owners at his home health agencies whose primary role was to authorize millions of dollars in Medicare claim payments through corporate checks made out to fictitious companies staffed by other co-conspirators. The co-conspirators then laundered the fraudulently obtained money to Lorenzo. More than $40 million in Medicare payments were made in response to fraudulent claims for services that were not medically necessary, never rendered and in some instances were linked to prescriptions that Lorenzo counterfeited. Collectively, these eight home health agencies were operational for an average of only 8 months before being closed at Lorenzos direction at the first hint of a Medicare fraud investigation. Conspirators Pardo and Alonso, were shell owners of two of the eight home health agencies and laundered millions of dollars in Medicare claim payments to Lorenzo. Lorenzo also directed co-conspirators to incorporate more than fifteen fictitious shell companies. The shell companies were used to disguise the flow of more than $25 million in fraudulently-obtained Medicare proceeds for Lorenzos personal benefit, including the purchase of real estate, luxury vehicles, artwork and jewelry. Coconspirator Alonso incorporated at least two of the fictitious companies to launder proceeds which were intended to benefit elderly, blind and disabled patients. An additional co-conspirator, Sonmy Rodriguez, 45, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced on July 27, 2016 to 22 months in prison. Published August 1, 2016 Chinas Ministry of Commerce said on Aug. 2 that Didi Chuxing, the countrys leading car-hailing app, cannot proceed with its Uber China buyout deal without giving prior notification to the ministry. The Ministry of Commerce has yet to receive the notification of intent from Didi Chuxing and Uber China. In accordance with Chinas Anti-Monopoly Law and the provisions of the State Council on Notification Thresholds of Concentrations of Business Operators, the notification is required before the actual merger goes through, spokesperson Shen Danyang said at a press conference on Aug. 2. Shen pointed out that Didi Chuxing also failed to submit the notification before its 2015 merger with Kuaidi Dache, the Alibaba-backed service. If Didi Chuxing and Uber China intend to proceed with the buyout, they cannot do so without submitting formal notification, Shen emphasized. In response to the ministrys statement, Didi Chuxing issued its own statement, saying that both companies had so far failed to achieve profitability in China, and the revenue of Uber China in the last fiscal year did not meet the standard for mandatory notification. The floor in Wang's home is stained with blood. A man in Dongguan, Guangdong province has recently been condemned by netizens for abusing and killing over 50 dogs, and then posting videos of the abuse online, Shenzhen Evening News reported on Aug. 1. In November of last year, the man, surnamed Wang, contacted a local dog adoption organization, but then refused to go through with the adoption after learning that he would have to sign an official agreement promising to keep the adopted dogs safe. Instead, Wang bought a German shepherd from a seller on the Internet. Several days later, Wang began posting videos that depicted serious animal abuse. In one of the videos, an Alaskan malamute is huddled in the corner of a room whose walls are stained with blood. Wang shocks the dog with electricity and beats it with an iron stick. When asked about the reason for his abuse, Wang answered that it was just for fun. According to his own count, he has abused and killed more than 50 dogs. A volunteer saves the German shepherd in Wang'a home. Wang's behavior has angered many netizens, one of who later leaked Wang's personal information. Worried that there might be other dogs still vulnerable to Wang's abuse, volunteers from the local adoption organization went to Wang's home, where they found a German shepherd locked on the balcony, covered in feces. The dog was almost dead when the volunteers found it. Its legs were bleeding and some of its teeth had been knocked out. The volunteers quickly brought the dog to a vet for medical treatment. TheGerman shepherd gets treatment after being saved. Wang's actions have infuriated many netizens, who are demanding that he be severely punished. However, due to a lack of laws and regulations on animal abuse, Wang can only be morally condemned for his behavior. Chen Wei, a lawyer in Beijing, said that China is not making enough effort to protect animals. Chen believes that there is insufficient social awareness about the issue. Meanwhile, "animal abuse" is not even clearly defined by law, Chen added. Therefore, Wang cannot be legally punished for his cruelty. By Jhoo Dong-chan Hanjin Shipping's efforts to settle the rescheduling deadlines for financing ships and reducing charter fees before the end of July has not yet be resolved, raising concerns over the possibility that the nation's top shipping line may go into court receivership. The shipper's struggles to normalize management is in stark contrast to its smaller local rival, Hyundai Merchant Marine, which has reported "significant" progresses. According to financial circles, Tuesday, Hanjin Shipping has failed to conclude negotiations with foreign ship owners and creditors in a bid to lower charter fees and prolong looming deadlines for financing its shipping. Its remaining loans are reportedly worth up to 1.2 trillion won set to mature next year. Hanjin Shipping's creditors, led by state-run Korea Development Bank, however, is sticking to its position to support the debt-ridden shipper's restructuring plan only if it independently resolves its liquidity deficit for management. A Hanjin Shipping official said the shipper would cut its deficit down to 1 trillion won if it reduces charter costs by 27 percent and secures additional funds worth up to 500 billion won if it reschedules the deadlines for financing shipping. Last month, Hanjin Group requested financing the deficits with creditors while offering to supply the ailing shipper with 400 billion won through capital increases by issuing new stocks. Its creditors immediately refused the group's offer, conditioning "at least 700 billion won" for such a request. Fortunately, creditors said they will extend the Aug. 4 debt relief deadline by a month. But possibilities remain high for court receivership if the group does not come up with additional financing. "The situation for Hanjin Shipping seems even worse than for Hyundai Merchant Marine," said a creditor. "Unless the group helps the company with additional finance to give room for its liquidity, creditors should consider receivership." As a part of its efforts to secure liquidity to stay afloat, Hanjin shipping sold its 21 percent stake in Tan Cang Cai Mep International Terminal in Vietnam for 23 billion won to Hanjin Transportation, a parcel delivery company under Hanjin Group. It also sold a bulk carrier to H-Line Shipping for 14 billion won as well as its H-Line Shipping stake for 33 billion won. In June, it sold its trademark rights to Hanjin Kal for 74.2 billion won and operating rights on eight Southeast Asian routes for 62.1 billion won. The company also sold its London and Tokyo offices for 32.2 billion won and 8.2 billion won, respectively. Through the selling spree, the company has so far secured some 267.7 billion won. /Courtesy of Twitter By Lee Han-soo Police have arrested a criminal ring that held secret group-sex parties inside what was disguised as a restaurant in Seoul. According to police, the group leased a house in Gwanak district and registered it as a restaurant with the city, only to operate it as a den for their secret sex parties. The alleged ring leader, surnamed Ahn, is accused of recruiting random people who wanted to have group sex with strangers, by using mobile messaging apps. Police said he was paid 100,000 won ($90) to 250,000 won by those who attended the sex parties. Police raided the secret lair on July 16 and arrested over 27 men and women. But with the exception of eight people, including Ahn, those captured claimed that the sexual intercourse was consensual. "Ahn, who provided the venue and actively advertised the secret party, has been arrested on Saturday," police said. "The venue was registered as a restaurant but was actually a prostitution site decorated with stage settings." Police said they will investigate Ahn further for any other criminal charges. By Jun Ji-hye Park Won-soon Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon urged the National Assembly, Tuesday, to investigate allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) carried out a secret smear campaign against him using conservative civic groups. Park, a presidential hopeful, said in a radio interview that the Assembly should form a fact-finding panel and hold a hearing on the allegations before next year's presidential election. The demand came a day after some media outlets reported that the spy agency started activities in 2011 to suppress Park by mobilizing conservative groups, citing an NIS document. The document was drawn up right after Park was first elected in the by-election of October 2011, according to former NIS officials cited in the reports. After being elected, Park, a former human rights lawyer, gained popularity as a potential presidential candidate. In 2013, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) first made such a document public, which led to an investigation of the prosecution. But at the time, prosecutors concluded that it was not a genuine document written by the NIS. The latest testimony from former NIS officials reversed the prosecution's 2013 conclusion as they said it was the NIS that created the document. "It ruined the nation's democracy and constitutional order," Park said. "The Assembly should hold a hearing and work to reform the NIS. Otherwise, the same thing will happen to other politicians." According to Park, the document contained detailed "strategies to damage the reputation of Mayor Park," and the strategies have been implemented in reality. Park cited that the right-wing civic group Korea Parent Federation (KPF) staged rallies against him 19 times and that his planned appearances in the media were canceled for no particular reason. "There was a TV journalist who confessed the fact that it was difficult for him to follow a direction to deliberately damage my reputation," he said. Since April, the KPF has been embroiled in severe controversy over the suspicion that the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) provided funds to the civic group and that the FKI and Cheong Wa Dae used the KPF to orchestrate pro-government, pro-business rallies. "The most important thing is that content in the document has been taking place in reality," Park said. "I believe the NIS has been carrying out more underground activities that damage the nation's democracy, given that it did it to a person who is in a high position such as the mayor of Seoul." MPK floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho also said the Assembly should deal with the issue seriously and make efforts to prevent a recurrence. The NIS denied the allegation in a release, saying "The prosecution already concluded that the document was not identical to other NIS documents." Hong Dong-gon from the Ministry of Environment announces a sales ban on 83,000 Audi Volkswagen Korea vehicles in response to the company's fabricated test results in certification papers during a press conference at the Government Complex Sejong, Tuesday. / Yonhap Gov't halts sales of 80 models, slaps $16 million fine By Kim Se-jeong A Volkswagen logo / EPA-Yonhap The government has banned the sale and revoked certificates of 80 Volkswagen models for fabricating the results of emissions and noise level tests. The Ministry of Environment said Tuesday it will ban the sale of 32 types of vehicles, or a total of 80 models which include different size engines or trimmings of each type of vehicle. It revoked certification for 83,000 vehicles sold here between 2009 and July 25 this year. The ministry also slapped a 17.8 billion won ($16 million) fine against the German automaker for the breach of relevant laws. The sanctions, which came after the Korean government investigated the emissions cheating scandal since November, affect VW, Audi and Bentley models. "What Volkswagen did was grave, challenging the basis of the legal foundation of the vehicle certification process in Korea," Hong Dong-gon from the ministry said during a press briefing at the Government Complex Sejong. Twenty-four models out of the 32 had emissions test results faked in their certification papers, while others had fraudulent noise test results, according to the ministry. Besides the 83,000, the ministry had already revoked certificates of 126,000 vehicles in November for cheating devices. The total number will reach 209,000, 68 percent of the 307,000 cars which the automaker has sold here since 2007. The ministry said the 83,000 cars are not subject to a recall because no technical defects were found but stated that the certification papers were fabricated. "Document forgery is serious enough to justify revocation of licenses," Hong said. Volkswagen should reapply for certificates for each model to sell them again in the Korean market. The process will take three months on average, according to Hong. For the 24 types with fake emission test results, the ministry imposed 17.8 billion won fine. "The ceiling of the fine for each vehicle model was raised from 1 billion won to 10 billion won on July 28 following a law revision. But the company stopped sales voluntarily before that date, so we applied the 1 billion won ceiling," Hong said. In November, the ministry had slapped a 14.1 billion won fine for cheating emissions tests, so the total amount of fines imposed on the company by the government stood at 31.9 billion won. The ministry said it also found an additional model, A5 Sportback 35 TDI, having passed emissions tests with cheat software, and ordered Volkswagen to recall all 5,800 sold vehicles to replace the software. The new charge of fraudulent certificate papers was found while the prosecution investigated the company since January following the ministry's request for emissions testing. In response, Volkswagen expressed regret over the ministry's decision. "We will have a close look at the ministry's decisions before deciding what to do," Volkswagen said in a statement on its website. It said it will come up with countermeasures after closely looking into the government's sanctions. While reapplying for the certification of the affected models, the company said it is also considering filing an injunction to keep selling the vehicles and administrative suits to cancel the ministry's decision. Meanwhile, a local court rejected the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant for former Audi Volkswagen Korea CEO Park Dong-hoon. Park headed the company between 2005 and 2013 and is suspected of knowingly selling vehicles with the faked software and faking efficiency tests. Park, currently leading Renault Samsung, denied the allegations. By Kang Seung-woo President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday the decision to deploy a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea is "irreversible." She said she will meet lawmakers and officials in Seongju Country, North Gyeongsang Province, to seek their understanding about how the county was selected as the site for the battery. However, she did not say whether she will visit the county herself or meet residents there as opposition parties asked her to. "I am agonizing over the endless feud over the THAAD deployment although North Korea is modernizing its nuclear weaponry. Bringing THAAD is about ensuring the security of South Korea and its people from North Korea's evolving threats, so the decision is irreversible," said Park during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. "Should North Korea advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, no region in South Korea could be assured of safety. If we cannot take basic defensive steps such as the THAAD deployment, how can we protect the nation and its people?" South Korea and the United States announced on July 8 that they will bring a THAAD battery here by next year. Two weeks later, Seoul's defense ministry said the U.S. missile shield will be stationed in Seongju. However, the envisioned deployment is facing backlash from the residents, as well as lawmakers and activists, who are concerned that the electromagnetic waves from the THAAD radar could pose health risks and hurt their agricultural crops. The Uzbekistani suspect is captured by police in less than six hours after running away from a prosecutors' office in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. / Yonhap By Hong Dam-young An Uzbekistani man who escaped from a detention center at a prosecutors' office in Gimcheon on Monday was caught by police about six hours later. The man, 30, was being questioned over allegations of threatening another Uzbek with a weapon and assaulting his girlfriend in downtown Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in March. Before questioning, the man was in the Junior Correctional Institution at Gimcheon, a 10-minute drive from the prosecutors' office. The escape happened when the man was sent to a detention center behind the prosecutors' office building after questioning finished around 4 p.m. The man knocked down an officer who was attempting to handcuff him and escaped. The prosecutors' office immediately announced a 5 million won ($4,500) bounty on the man and deployed 250 police to find him. He was caught about six hours later at a nearby apartment. He was found wearing new clothes and had shaved his beard, officials said. Who should pay operating costs causing controversy By Kim Bo-eun Another controversy has erupted over the recently established foundation for former wartime sex slaves, after the Korean government decided to pay operational costs for the organization. The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, dedicated to compensating the Korean victims of Japan's sex slavery during World War II, was founded last week to carry out the agreement reached between the Korean and Japanese governments last December. The two governments agreed to put the issue to rest with Japan providing 1 billion yen (10.7 billion won) in compensation funds to Korea. The foundation was set up to decide how the funds will be spent, but the 1 billion yen has not yet been transferred. An official from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, in charge of the comfort women issue, confirmed Tuesday the government's stance that the entire 1 billion yen from the Japanese government will go to the victims and other operating expenses will be covered by the Korean government. This has brought criticism from activists over why the Korean government should bear any financial burden while Japan is responsible for the wartime atrocities. Until the opening ceremony on July 28, foundation officials had not announced who will cover the operating costs. The official said, "The foundation board suggested spending the 1 billion yen exclusively on the victims, as the nature of the fund is (for the Japanese government) to apologize and repent (for its atrocities), and the Korean government agreed." The foundation's operational costs will include a security deposit of 20 million won for renting office space, monthly rent of 3.3 million won and 3 million won in expenses for office furnishings and supplies. But the Korean government has yet to provide anything, as "budget details need to be discussed with the finance ministry." So, the foundation's office is being managed "on credit," with the rent and deposit not yet having been paid, according to the gender ministry. The organization also needed money to get approval for its foundation, and this was covered by a personal donation of 1 million won from the foundation head, Kim Tae-hyeon. On why the foundation was set up hastily without the necessary funds, the official said, "Setting up the foundation was a precondition for the Japanese government to provide the 1 billion yen in the December agreement." It is also unclear when the Japanese government will provide the 1 billion yen, as the December agreement did not specify when the provision would be made. There is discord over the issue of the comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as well as the nature of the fund. The Japanese government has been discontented with the symbolic bronze statue, and has been imploring the Korean government to remove it. The agreement does not explicitly require the statue to be removed, but states that "the Korean government will make an effort to resolve the issue." There are speculations that the 1 billion yen may not be provided until the statue is removed, but the foundation head denied this at a press conference last week. The ministry official said, "Because the agreement was made with the Japanese government, and this is an issue based on trust between the two governments, the payment is expected to be made soon." The nature of the fund, which was initially understood as official compensation from the Japanese government for its atrocities, later became murky after Japanese media reported that it was perceived differently in Japan. The point of contention is whether the fund is to be provided as compensation for wrongdoings or simply as a donation. Meanwhile, many of the 40 surviving victims have refused to accept the December agreement and the subsequent establishment of the foundation, stating that the Japanese government did not take legal culpability for its atrocities. Japan laid claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo again on Tuesday, raising worries that it could deepen diplomatic friction between the two neighboring countries. Earlier in the day, Japan's defense ministry released a white paper in which it referred to Dokdo along with Kuril Islands as its sovereign territory. This marked the 12th consecutive year that Tokyo claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper. "The territorial issue over our sovereign territory of the Northern Territories and Takeshima still remains unresolved," the paper said, using the Japanese names for the Kuril Islands and Dokdo. Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a source of tension between the neighbors. South Korea has kept a small police detachment on the islets since 1954 and has made clear that Tokyo's claims are groundless. South Korea immediately voiced its protest with Japan's renewed claim on Dokdo. Shortly after the release of the white paper, the defense ministry urged Japan "not to repeat such an act" and warned that it would take "stern" measures against any attempt to hurt the country's sovereignty of the islets. The ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to lodge a formal protest with Tokyo. The foreign ministry also issued a statement in which it made it clear that Dokdo is South Korean territory and expressed its strong protest with Japan's "unjust" claim on the islets. "The Japanese government should stop making such a useless claim on Dokdo immediately, see squarely historical facts and actively work in a way that South Korea-Japan ties can move toward the future based on mutual trust," it added. Japan's renewed claim on Dokdo is likely to adversely affect relations between South Korea and Japan which had been showing signs of improving after the two sides reached a deal last year to resolve the long-running rift over the sexual slavery of Korean women who were sent to Japanese military brothels during its colonial rule of the peninsula. In his bilateral talks with South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, which was held on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Laos last week, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed that he was pleased with the improving ties with South Korea, after the landmark deal was reached on Dec. 28. (Yonhap) Csoma Mozes, third from left, a professor in Eotvos Lorand University's Korean studies department, receives an award from Dankook University President Chang Ho-sung, third from right, for his contribution to academic exchanges between the two education institutions and to cooperation between Korea and Hungary. / Courtesy of the Embassy of Hungary By Rachel Lee The Embassy of Hungary held a special seminar to mark the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, at Dankook University's Jukjeon campus in Gyeonggi Province on on July 21. From 1945, Hungary was under the Soviet Union's oppressive control. The revolt in the Central European country began with a student demonstration and spread nationwide, and the government collapsed. The seminar, co-hosted by Dankook University and Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) in Budapest, discussed the significance of Hungary's transformation in the aftermath of the uprising. "When the revolution began in Budapest in search of freedom, Hungary had very close ties with North Korea," Csoma Mozes, a professor in ELTE's Korean studies department, said at the event. "About 1,000 North Korean students were in our country back then, and the North Korean government had them back home to protect them from any consequences of the Hungarian Revolution." The professor also mentioned special relations with the South, which supplied necessities to Budapest during the uprising. The two countries connected at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and established bilateral relations a year later when democracy replaced Hungary's communist system. Following his presentation, Dankook University President Chang Ho-sung presented the Hungarian professor with an award for his contribution to academic exchanges between the Korean university and the ELTE and to cooperation between the two nations. John Patrick Starling & Drownin' River perform at Cinder Bar in Songdo, Incheon, early this year. / Courtesy of Dave Bartlett By John Redmond Incheon-based band John Patrick Starling & Drownin' River, comprised of American and Korean musicians, released its debut CD "Tell My Boss I'm Dead" on local record label Ruby Records last week. Formed in early winter of 2014, the lineup of the band includes songwriter John Patrick Starling from Baltimore on rhythm guitar and harmonica, Sojin Kaya Park on vocals and ukulele, South Carolina native Vincent Schachner playing lead guitar, Tim Henkels from Colorado on mandolin, Patrick Cho playing lead mandolin, Andy Yi on double bass, Alex Lim on dobro and Youngran Lim on banjo. With a launch at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival and a warm-up show at Cinder Bar on Songdo, band leader Starling spoke to The Korea Times about the record deal and his inspiration to form a band in Korea. Q: What inspired you to form a band? A: I'm a songwriter and lucky for me the folks that joined the band like the songs. I guess my inspiration falls into two categories: good times and hard times and I've had my share of both. Q: Could you explain your sound? A: Well, genre-wise we play original roots music, cutting across blues, country, bluegrass, rockabilly and folk and a couple of our songs bring some of those genre together... heading towards Americana. Soundwise I'd say "roughhewn" is a good way to describe us. The musicianship is solid. We have one of the best double-bass players in the country and one of the best mandolin players anywhere. My voices are pretty raw and Sojin has that high mountain Appalachian sound, which is pretty awesome. We bring it all together though and Tim and I jokingly call it "Koreacana." Q: How did the record deal come about? A: The very first show I played in Korea was the summer of 2014 when I moved back here (I had lived here a long time ago). It was in front of a couple thousand people at the Incheon International Beer Festival's backstage and was (unknown to us until afterwards) broadcast on the radio to a lot of people. That night I met the owner of Ruby Records and we hit it off immediately. We talked about doing something together but we both knew we weren't ready. Heck... at that time it was just me and Sojin anyway, but over the last two years we built a good band and he had been tracking our progress and reached out to us when we completed the first album "Tell My Boss I'm Dead." Q: Do you find it difficult being in a band in Korea? (People leaving the country to work abroad, going home etc.) A: We've been very lucky in that we've had roughly the same core group for going on two years. We haven't lost anyone due to relocation. Half of the members are Korean and the foreigners (including me) all like it here and we plan to be here for a while. John Patrick Starling & Drownin' River will play at Cinder Bar Aug. 6 and at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival Aug. 13. Visit facebook.com/DrowninRiver for more information. At around 2 a.m. on the morning of July 31, several drivers on a highway in Chongqing spotted three young foreigners, all loaded down with heavy bags and looking exhausted, attempting to hitch a ride. Some of the drivers called the police, worried for the safety of the stranded group. The police came and picked them up, bringing them to a police station and checking their passports. The group, which consisted of two men and a woman, all in their 20s, turned out to be from Russia. They had entered China two weeks before, and recently departed from Xinjiang, wishing to travel throughout China in just over a month. They carried with them daily necessities, including tents and blankets. They took no money, and had so far traveled exclusively by hitching rides. They had been earning a bit of money by taking pictures with Chinese citizens. The three could speak only simple Chinese. They traveled with boards that conveyed in writing the gist of their situation: We have no money but want to continue our dream of traveling around China. We can take pictures together, and you can give us a little money. Local police provided the three travelers with free accommodations on Sunday night, a breakfast the next morning and 100 yuan. The police offered to drop them off at the train station, but the young people refused and again set out on their journey. They said they planned to go all the way to Guangzhou, and then north to Beijing. The new U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation said Monday he is interested in looking into Pyongyang's alleged exploitation and abuse of its people for overseas labor. Tomas Ojea Quintana, an Argentine lawyer who previously served as special rapporteur on Myanmar's human rights situation, made the remark in an interview with the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea as he began his term as rapporteur on the North. "It is clear that the situation of those workers from North Korea who leave the country to work overseas, according to some reports under the worst of conditions, including in countries in Europe and Asia then return to the DPRK, will be of interest," Quintana said, according to an interview transcript provided by the committee. "The agenda in this respect includes dialogue and engagement with countries that somehow have connections with the people from the DPRK. As to how, this is something that I need to work on. As a preliminary view, I would say it is in my interest as the Special Rapporteur on the DPRK to listen to those other governments and stakeholders who have this kind of connection with people from the DPRK," he said. About 50,000 North Koreans are believed to be toiling overseas, mainly in the mining, logging, textile and construction industries. Such workers earn on average $120-150 per month while employers pay significantly higher amounts to the North's government. They are also forced to work sometimes up to 20 hours per day, with only one or two rest days per month, and health and safety measures are often inadequate, the report said. Workers are given insufficient daily food rations. Quintana was appointed last month to succeed Marzuki Darusman, who had served in the job since 2010. His six-year term officially began on Monday. "The situation inside the country, according to their reports, is critical in many aspects. For me, working for many years to improve human rights around the world, this is a new challenge," the new rapporteur said. "I am happy to get involved in this, trying to contribute to the efforts of so many civil society organizations that have been working throughout the years trying to put onto the U.N. agenda the problems of the common people in the DPRK who are suffering," he said. "I am motivated by this. I hope to contribute to improving the lives of people in the DPRK." Quintana said he will try to enlist cooperation from the North's government in a way that does not compromise his No. 1 mandate: providing voice to those suffering from human rights abuses. "It's my main task to provide a voice to those who suffer human rights abuses on the ground. That's basically our main mandate as Special Rapporteurs: to report independently and impartially about the suffering, the human rights abuses, by those living in the country. A strategy of cooperation can never compromise that important mandate," he said. (Yonhap) North Korea must realize that it "cannot escalate its way to victory," the U.S. Strategic commander said, expressing concern about the communist nation's nuclear and missile programs. U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander of the Strategic Command (STRATCOM), made the remark during the 2016 Deterrence Symposium that the command hosted in Omaha, Nebraska, last week, the command said in a release Monday. "North Korea's coercive, irresponsible rhetoric and actions undermine regional stability. Kim Jong-un continues to defy international norms and resolutions. Their persistent, but failed, attempts to launch submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) underline this irresponsible behavior," Haney told the symposium. "They continue their quest for a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the United States and our allies and partners, launching satellites into space using ballistic missile technology, and continue threatening to conduct additional nuclear tests," he said. The commander also said the North's actions are not only "disturbing," but they represent flagrant violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and demonstrate a serious lack of regard for peace and security in the broader region. "As with Russia, North Korea must understand it cannot escalate its way to victory, and the United States will take actions to assure our allies in the region," the commander said. North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch the following month, drawing widespread international condemnation and leading the U.N. Security Council to impose the harshest sanctions ever imposed on the regime. Undeterred by the sanctions, Pyongyang kept on launching missiles, including the intermediate-range Musudan missile, believed to be capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, as well as a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The North Korea-monitoring website 38 North reported last month that satellite imagery shows high-level activity at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, raising concern the regime may be preparing for another nuclear test. (Yonhap) Canada has urged its citizens to avoid North Korea. / Courtesy of Twitter By Lee Jin-a Canada has warned residents not to go to North Korea, saying visits to the communist country can carry "extreme risks," a U.S.-based media outlet said Tuesday. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Canada's Foreign Ministry said its citizens should "avoid all travel" to North Korea. "Canada made the decision because the North's development of nuclear weapons and its repressive regime are causing safety concerns," RFA said. North Korea joins Afghanistan, Syria and Mali on the highest level of Canada's four-tier travel warning system. Late last year, the North sentenced a Korean-Canadian pastor to life in prison on subversion charges. The pastor reportedly entered the reclusive country as a missionary. Thirteen female North Korean defectors who worked at a North Korean restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province in China entered South Korea on April 7, 2016. / Yonhap By Hong Dam-young The number of North Korean defectors is rising sharply, the first time under leader Kim Jong-un's regime. Reportedly, 815 North Koreans defected to South Korea in the first seven months of this year, a 15.6 percent increase year-on-year, the Ministry of Unification said Tuesday. The increase comes after the number dropped from 2,914 in 2009 to 1,276 last year. When Kim Jong-un came to power on his father Kim Jong-il's sudden death in 2011, the yearly number was 2,706. Among recent defectors are those from the "upper-middle class." Experts said the notable increase, especially of those from that class, may indicate growing dissatisfaction with the regime due to social and political instability in North Korean society. Yoon Yeo-sang, director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), said: "The ratio of North Korean defectors who say they were upper-middle class back home has been increasing for several years, according to the think tank's interviews with defectors." The number of defectors among North Korean overseas workers has also increased. Heavy international economic sanctions against the state may be responsible, Yoon said. North Korea has been sending workers overseas to earn hard currency for the struggling country. Those workers are usually loyal to the regime and more affluent than ordinary citizens. But the economic sanctions are pressuring the workers to send more hard currency home, which probably triggered them to defect, Yoon said. "It's a sign that North Korea's dollar earnings are in bad shape," Yoon said. In April, 13 North Korean workers at a restaurant in the Chinese eastern port city of Ningbo defected to South Korea. In June, three North Korean restaurant employees in Weinan, in China's Shaanxi Province, also defected. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on July 29 that eight North Korean female workers at a marine product-processing factory in Donggang, in China's Liaoning Province, had escaped the workplace at the end of June. "More and more North Koreans are defecting in search of better lives and opportunities," a government official said. "Around 50 percent of the defectors still named the adverse economic situation as a reason for their escape, but to have a better life' as a reason increased up to 20 percent." The total number of North Koreans who have fled to South Korea is expected to exceed 30,000 by October or November this year. By Bernard Rowan South Koreans should accept the reality that using THAAD represents. It's a sign the nation is a fuller partner in her defense and in defense of the region and world. It's a small step toward greater autonomy and independence from over-reliance on the United States. Get over THAAD insecurity and internal wrangling! Let me tell you my opinion why. When I lived in South Korea, I witnessed some protests by students and others against the American military presence, against American military actions, and against related concerns. Koreans said they wanted more control over their land and their defense. I remember visiting sites that showed the American military presence. I went to the DMZ. I read about plans to return land to South Korea and to increase Korean control of security installations and defense. I don't remember much angst and opposition. On the contrary, I felt anguished that despite her best intents, the United States military creates unease among many in South Korea. Our alliance is a special friendship, and it'll continue. I don't think South Korea should or will jettison it. I think controversy over THAAD looks like growing pains. Does South Korea want to be a full power for her own self-defense? I think the answer from most South Koreans is "Yes!!" So, if that's the case, THAAD makes sense. Serious North Korean missile capacities threaten the South. THAAD can't stop everything, but it's a deterrent. It's not the best deterrent. Political science still says the best offense is an offensive weapon or deterrent. THAAD has a place in a fuller national defense. South Korea needs to build this capacity. As defensive weapons technology improves, not only will Ronald Reagan's spirit be happier but also the world may become safer. The best days of defensive weapons aren't in the past. Living in the real world means some places and spaces must serve the public good, the common interest, and collective defense. Locating THAAD imposes particular and unequal social costs. THAAD as a policy wants transparency and discussion. The government must compensate those impacted and include their needs. The Park government has failed in some respects. Don't expect a 21st century weapon to impact places like a children's bottle rocket! There is no security without sacrifice, and that sacrifice may cost people in particular spaces and places. Not a happy story, but I think a true story. "Let's not rouse China," say THAAD opponents. China doesn't over worry about THAAD. The Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Russians, Japanese, and even the North Koreans can detect missiles in other ways. China has many means we don't fully know, as do the Americans and Russians. The Chinese won't be stupid to punish South Korea for THAAD in some tit-for-tat. South Koreans have a right to erect defenses against North Koreans. It's an objective and important threat. China needs South Korea more than opponents of THAAD give credit. Some say THAAD lacks credibility beyond short-range defense. It's not much security against missile threats. More say it's a good bet for particular purposes and worth the risks and costs and doubts. Remember THAAD is part of a full defensive and offensive capacity needed in the face of an enemy. The urgent interest is to continue posing an effective deterrent to a first-strike by North Korea, conventional and nuclear. Sadly, Kim Jong-un's "rise to power" is accenting the military means of policy. South Koreans must brace for more offensive and defensive military investments. The miracle that is South Korea over decades' long development needs protection. South Koreans also should take bitter heart. Now, even after the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, other great nations continue to spend heavily on defense. It's the 21st disease and cancer, but great caution needs nothing less. The cure deserves separate treatment elsewhere. However, let's close with a few points. How do we avoid the need for more THAAD? Build greater soft power and a wave of Asian prosperity and development. Press the United States and China to aim for cooperation in the region. Work to lead greater Asian alignment for regional security and economic progress. Stop viewing Japan as the defamed enemy of old. Continue positive efforts with other rising and middle powers such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Don't discount strength in numbers with shared purpose. Shed THAAD insecurity! South Korea is a mighty nation and people that must take more steps to protect itself as a full partner in self-defense moving toward autonomy. Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University, where he has served for 23 years. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com. By Vladislav Inozemtsev MOSCOW Western policymakers in recent years have struggled to categorize the Russian political system, often resorting to vague phrases such as "illiberal democracy" or " authoritarianism ." If anything, the Russian system should be characterized as proto-fascist tamer than European fascist states during the 1920s and 1930s, but still featuring key elements of those regimes. These include the structure of Russia's political economy; the idealization of the state as a source of moral authority; and Russia's particular brand of international relations. "Fascism may be defined as a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal constraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." Judging by these definitions, it would be difficult today to find any trend in Russian political society that could not be labeled fascist. For starters, consider the state's encroachment into the economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hoarding national wealth in state-owned banks and now refers to Russian oil and gas companies as "national treasures." His goal is to establish new "state corporations," even as the state ownership in the economy already well exceeds 60%. Meanwhile, independent trade unions have been all but crushed, and oligarchs now declare themselves willing to render their property to the state as needed. Moreover, Putin now has near-absolute control over the use of violence, thanks to multiple "enforcement agencies" that report to him directly, including the Army, the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Security Service, a 30,000-member Federal Guard Service that was created in 2002, and a 400,000-member National Guard that was created earlier this year. And this doesn't include state corporations' own "private armies" or loyal warlords like Ramzan Kadyrov in Chechnya. Kadyrov commands an estimated 30,000 armed enforcers, and his followers have been accused of retaliating against dissidents. Completing the formula, Putin appeals to Russians' sense of historical loss and former glory, openly praising irredentism and militarization. Victory Day celebrations commemorating the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany now surpass the bombast of the Soviet period; and state propaganda constantly fuels anti-Western sentiment with claims that parts of "historical Russia" were illegally seized hence the need to "reclaim" Crimea by force in March 2014. In fact, Russia's propaganda machine is its most profound proto-fascist achievement. Putin can surround ordinary Russians with the uninterrupted message that theirs is a modern economy on par with leading global powers. And each year, populist rhetoric about a "national renaissance" and a "showdown with the enemies" grows stronger. But Russia's nod to fascism poses little long-term danger, for three reasons. First, fascist elements in Russia did not emerge organically as they did in Europe in the early twentieth century. Rather, they are being imposed on Russian society by the state, whose leader enjoys far-reaching power under the 1993 constitution. Without any deep national roots among the people, the fascist structures being built can be easily dismantled. Second, Russia is a multi-ethnic country that for centuries developed as an empire, not as a nation-state. Therefore, fascistic tendencies here are more imperialistic than nationalistic. And, notwithstanding Russia's aggression in its "near abroad," it lacks the economic wherewithal to sustain an empire. Third, and most important, Putin's Russia is a cult of personality . Short of a North Korean-style dynastic succession, these regimes never outlive the leader, whether in Italy, Germany, Spain, or Portugal. Or as Putin's deputy chief of staff, Vyacheslav Volodin, unwittingly put it: "Any attack on Putin is an attack on Russia.[T]here is no Russia today if there is no Putin." Russia's current geopolitical neighborhood is far less tolerant of totalitarian ideologies than it was 90 years ago. Western powers need not undermine or destroy Putin's Russia; they simply need to outlive it. Even with the diminished power of so many Western countries today, that should be achievable. Vladislav Inozemtsev is Professor of Economics at Moscow's Higher School of Economics and Director of the Center for Post-Industrial Studies. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate. Ewha Womans University President Choi Kyung-hee on Monday suspended a plan to establish a night school in 2017 after protests by students who claim it is nothing but a money-making scheme. Few can contest their right to have a say in all matters of the school since students are the core of any university. But the opinions should be delivered in a civilized and rational manner. Some of the protesters' behavior is unfit for young intellectuals attending the nation's top women's university. Since July 28, the protesters have occupied the main hall. Last week, some faculty members were besieged inside the building by the protesters and the police had to intervene to rescue the trapped professors and staff. It was wrong for the school to make a unilateral decision on the night school plan without proper consultation with the student body. If the faculty had been more communicative, the prolonged sit-ins could have been avoided. However, the decision to establish a night school for adults is sensible and one that does not infringe upon the students' school life in any way. The night school is part of the education ministry's plan to ease the financial burden of universities facing increasing difficulties in recruiting students amid the aging population. The ministry will provide 3 billion won ($2.7 million) for the selected schools. Under the plan, Ewha will provide a higher education opportunity to female workers with high school diplomas or those over 30 who quit work after marriage or childbirth. The open-minded view to take would be to perceive the adult night school as a useful avenue to expand learning opportunities for women from various backgrounds. From this perspective, it is incomprehensible that students attending a school that was founded to educate women should be opposed to such an inclusive plan. The university shoulders the responsibility to ensure financial viability and competitiveness of the university over an extended period. Therefore, it is simply conducting its duty by working with the education ministry to establish such special programs, which is good for the school and also for potential applicants who otherwise might not have had the chance for a post-secondary education. Because of the prolonged sit-ins, a statue of Dr. Helen Kim, a pioneering educator and the university's dean from 1939 to 1961, was damaged. The students should stop causing further disorder on campus by terminating their sit-ins and respond to Choi's call for a discussion to resolve their differences over the night school. Time to confront Pyongyang's cyber attacks If recent records serve as any indication, South Korea is losing the cyber war with North Korea. To turn this situation around, it is important to go on the offensive against the North's cyber misadventures. Typically in dealing with the North's misbehavior, Seoul has settled for the gesture of finger-pointing at the North without taking any effort to hold it responsible for its actions. The latest hacking by the North adds to the urgency of immediate and stringent action. Pyongyang tried to hack the emails of some 90 officials from the foreign and defense ministries and successfully gained access to 56 of them. Whether any confidential information was leaked is under investigation. According to prosecutors, these hackers employed the "spear phishing" method, by which they designed targets, warned them of possible personal information leaks and duped them into entering their passwords on duplicitous websites. This appears to be the same method used in a cyber attack against Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power in 2014, which the government concluded was the work of North Korea. It followed the North's theft of personal information belonging to 10 million customers at Interpark, the major online shopping mall, last month. In an interesting twist, the hackers threatened to reveal the leaks unless the site paid. Then, there was a heist of $101 million from a Bangladeshi bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. There also were attempts against other Asian banks, with the global money transfer coordinator of 11,000 financial institutions, Swift, looking vulnerable in the process. The hackers are believed to employ the methods used by "Lazarus" that is believed to be responsible for the 2014 crippling hacking of Sony Pictures. To string these attacks together, it would be plain to see which way the North is heading with its hacking misadventures. Immediately, it wants to make some cash to shore up the shortages following the United Nations' toughest-ever sanctions after its nuclear and missile tests. Seen in a broader stroke, it is possible that the North eventually wants to gain the ability to render ineffective the South's core systems _ government, defense, infrastructure, communication, etc. _ as part of a pre-invasion scenario. As a matter of fact, some experts would go to the extent of saying that, for instance, the anti-missile Patriot system could be vulnerable from an outside cyber attack. It is also plausible that the North may use personal information databases, such as the one it stole from Interpark, to create countless SNS accounts and spread rumors in an online disinformation tactic. The North is believed to train thousands of hackers, with about 6,000 working under the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is responsible for cyber warfare. In August 2014, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared that cyber warfare, together with nuclear weapons, is a "treasure sword to guarantee the ruthless striking force of the People's Army." Now, there appears to be little room for the South to step back on this real war. Perhaps it is time for Seoul to adopt cyber fighting rules as stringent as the current military rules of engagement that allow field commanders to attack the source of North Korean provocations at their discretion, when they take place, and inflict damage many times that sustained. This was adopted after the North's fatal torpedo attack on the frigate Cheonan and the deadly shelling on Yeongpyeong Island, and has been proved to work as a restraint on the North's wanton behavior. LSIS senior vice president Seo Jeong-min, left, with Luis Ruales Corrales, the head of the country's electricity generating board CELEC EP, after signing a contract for a power substation project, in Ecuador's capital Quito, Tuesday. / Courtesy of LSIS By Lee Min-hyung LSIS said Tuesday it has won a 10.3 billion won ($9.1 million) contract to establish an electricity substation in Ecuador. Under the contract, the company plans to build the facility for the nation's electricity generating board, CELEC EP, by November 2017. The 230-kilovolt (kV) substation project is expected to speed up its business expansion in South America. "Expectations are high that we will win more orders from other overseas markets, as we have recently been acknowledged in a series of contracts including one from Haiti in 2014," an LSIS official said. "The power substation project requires high levels of technological expertise, and we are acknowledged by growing numbers of overseas organizations on it." In particular, the electric infrastructure business is expected to grow faster in Central and South American countries, as global financial authorities including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have recently pushed for aggressive expansion in the areas, according to LSIS. "Our short-term goal is to win more orders from Ecuador's neighboring countries including Chile and Peru after successful completion of the recent project," the official said. The electricity market in Ecuador will be worth some $8.4 billion by 2020, as the country is expanding consumption in household and industrial use. Ecuador is reconstructing electricity infrastructure in the aftermath of a severe earthquake in April. Morgan Stanley, UBS say Note 7 to be profit booster By Kim Yoo-chul, Lee Min-hyung Samsung Electronics' latest phablet Galaxy Note 7 (Note 7) is expected to lift profits for Samsung's parts affiliates as the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer remained confident of solid sales of the new Note. "Initial response about the Note 7 from Samsung's local and overseas carrier partners was very favorable. The sale of the new Note will exceed that of previous models," a Samsung executive told The Korea Times, Tuesday. The executive declined to specify how many orders it has so far received from mobile carriers in markets in which the Note 7 will be available. But he said Samsung's handset facilities are "fully operational" to ship the Notes to carriers as scheduled. Samsung has chosen New York City in an attempt to directly confront Apple and take an early lead in the smarpthone competition ahead of Apple's new iPhone, which will be released in the latter half of this year. The point is that while LG Electronics is disappointed at sluggish mobile sales, Samsung Electronics has clearly staged a strong turnaround during the second quarter this year. There's no question that Samsung's performance in the June quarter was a testament to its earnings renaissance. Samsung's mobile business is making solid earnings for Samsung's component business and the group's parts-related affiliates as the company has "vertically-integrated" its supply chain system from parts to sets. "We maintain our 70,000-won per share target on Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Samsung Electro) because Samsung Electro is responsible for offering some improved new features on the Note 7 such as water-resistance and eye-scanning," said Samsung Securities analyst Lee Jong-wook in a report to clients. Lee said Samsung's shift to focus more on components such the size of displays, camera functions and storage capacity will also keep Samsung Electro's factories running. "Note 7 made little overhaul in its surface; however, it made some meaningful changes in components with Samsung Electro leading the way," according to the analyst. Hana Financial's Park Joon-hyung said the local brokerage revised up its target for Samsung Electro to 63,500 won per share from 61,000 won thanks to the better-than-expected forecast of Note 7 sales. "We expect Samsung Electro to report 55.4 billion won as its third quarter operating profit, up 263 percent from the previous quarter. This is due to increasing orders for the Note 7 from major carriers specifically those in China," said Park. With Samsung Electro, Samsung SDI, the battery affiliate of Samsung, is also expected to benefit from the Note 7 given Samsung SDI's greater exposure for the supplement of its batteries to the Note 7, they said. Brighter second half outlook More importantly, Samsung Electronics itself will benefit most from the release of the Note 7 at a time when the company's Galaxy S7 smartphone has already logged good early shipments, boosting Samsung Electronics stocks to an increase of 19 percent of its price since the release of the Galaxy S7 smarpthone. "Samsung Electronics' stock could climb higher," Morgan Stanley analyst Shawn Kim said. "While smartphone profits could dip in the September quarter as Galaxy S7 shipments settle down and marketing expenses rise, the launch of the Note 7 is expected to cushion the fall." Morgan Stanley expects Samsung Electronics' operating profit to rise as much as 18 percent in the second half from the first half. "We have an overweight rating on the stock with a 1,800,000 won per share target price," Kim said. Bernstein Research's senior analyst Mark C. Newman said the Note 7 will help increase its manufacturing efficiency and the company continues the margin improvement trend. UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois focused on Samsung's plan to aggressively promote curved OLED screens because the production yields defect rates of curved OLED screens by Samsung reached a "stable level." UBS has a buy rating on the stock with a 1,700,000 won a share target price. "Samsung's OLED prowess has given the company a head start in moving towards foldable handsets seen as the next disruptor product in the smartphone market with the flexible display of its edge models," said Gaudois. By Kim Yoo-chul Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is considering probing Microsoft Korea for allegedly violating antitrust regulations, sources said, Tuesday. The latest moves by the country's top antitrust watchdog came as the government agency is squeezing leading technology firms such as Qualcomm and Google, which have operations here. "FTC is looking into allegations that Microsoft Korea has been taking unfair advantage of its position by pushing its clients purchasing cloud computing-related products with unfair conditions," said one source, wishing not to be unidentified. The source said the agency is collecting information before probing the Korean affiliate of the U.S.-based licensing giant because the regulator is yet to find clear evidence. "Any moves to force clients to purchase products with bundled packages are against antitrust law," the source said. FTC fined Microsoft Korea 30 billion won in 2005 after the agency found that the company forced local companies to purchase the Windows operating system, media player and messenger programs in one package. The Microsoft Korea case will be different to Qualcomm, as the source said: "For Microsoft Korea, this issue isn't about a royalty-related one, at least." Microsoft Korea said it wasn't being probed by the FTC over patents abuse. Microsoft earlier struck a cross-licensing pact with Samsung. FTC may fine Qualcomm up to 1 trillion won because the agency believes that Qualcomm's moves to collect licensing fees based on equipment pricing rather than chip pricing is against fair trade. On a related note, FTC has begun probing Google over the search giant's alleged violation of antitrust regulations. Three years ago, Google was found not to have breached the regulations. FTC recently sent investigators to Google Korea's headquarters in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, to check documents to discover whether Google Korea forced handset makers to use the Google Android platform and not sell products that use non-Android software. Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business President Koh Dong-jin introduces the Galaxy Note 7 during the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, Tuesday (local time). / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Yoon Sung-won NEW YORK Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest big-screen smartphone Galaxy Note 7 to the world at a launch event in New York, Tuesday local time. Offering technological improvements such as iris recognition and advanced S-Pen stylus, the world's leading handset maker expected that the Note 7 will strengthen Samsung's leadership in the premium smartphone sector alongside the company's flagship model Galaxy S7. "Galaxy Note 7 will reconfirm our unrivaled position in the phablet' market, providing consumers with more innovative usability," said Koh Dong-jin, president of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. Phablet is a combination of "phone" and "tablet" and refers to smartphones with a front screen larger than 5 inches. "Alongside the Note 7, we will establish an ecosystem consisting of diverse wearable devices and services, aiming at offering a richer mobile experience." Following the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom, Tuesday, the Note 7 will be rolled out in the global market on Aug. 19. Though it is the sixth model in the Galaxy Note brand, the new handset has been dubbed the Note 7. Samsung Electronics said it aims at "unifying the numbering with its flagship model Galaxy S7 to better communicate with customers." By doing so, the company will solidify its two-pillar strategy of its flagship S series and the Note series with its larger screen for the premium smartphone segment. The Note 7 will be the first in the series to have IP68-grade waterproofing and dustproofing. Unlike the S7, which is also resistant to water and dust, users can control the Note 7 in wet conditions such as in the rain using its S-Pen stylus, developed in house at Samsung Electronics. The stylus tip became slimmer from 1.6mm to 0.7mm compared to the Note 5 and the pen itself is twice as sensitive to pressure as its predecessor. Samsung Electronics also stressed that the Note 7 provides automatic word translation through the stylus. Users can check the translation of a word on the smartphone by touching it with the S-Pen's tip, the company said. PHNOM PENH, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and China on Tuesday vowed to broaden bilateral trade relations for the benefits of the two countries and peoples, according to a statement released by the Cambodian side. The statement was made after a meeting between Cambodian Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak and visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng. "Talks mainly focused on strengthening bilateral trade, including duty free and quota free treatment, and the exports of Cambodian rice and other agricultural products to China," the statement said. "The two ministers underscored the 18 percent increase in Cambodia-China trade volume (to 4.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2015), and agreed that Cambodia and China should do more to attract investment to Cambodia," it said. Gao stressed that Cambodia is China's strategic trading partner under the "Belt and Road" initiative and ASEAN-China Framework. According to the statement, China would assist Cambodia to organize the 1st Cambodia-China trade and investment forum in Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in September 2016. It added that China would consult with relevant agencies to provide tariff preferences up to 97 percent of total tariff lines under the Duty-Free, Quota-Free Scheme as soon as possible. Besides, China would consider increasing export quotas for Cambodia's rice to 200,000 tons in 2017 and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia in the fields of food processing, light manufacturing, and agro-industry. Also, China would coordinate with relevant agencies to continue the negotiations of the protocol on the exportation of broken rice, banana, mango, longan, cashew nut, pepper, coffee bean and soybean from Cambodia to China, the statement said. Gao arrived here on Monday for a two-day visit to explore ways to broaden ties and cooperation between China and Cambodia. (Photo/IC) Two Chinese steel giants have said that there is no exact information regarding China's plan to consolidate the major producers, according to an Aug. 2 report by National Business Daily (NBD). Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp. and Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp. said in an interview with NBD that they have not received any information about the merger, and that they therefore have no official statement to release. Nevertheless, a report by Bloomberg, citing a source who asked to remain anonymous, said that Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp. and Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp. will merge to become Southern China Steel Group. Shares of the listed units of Hebei and Shougang rose in the wake of the news. Northern China is more developed in steel production than southern China, and the majority of large steel enterprises are located in Hebei, Liaoning and Shandong provinces. The report by NBD said that the proposed merger will help to reduce competition between the two companies in southern China. However, given that the merger involves the state-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission and the Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp., there is no specific information currently available, explained a spokesperson from the group. The spokesperson also told NBD that they will release the information on their official website as soon as they know more. In the mean time, the two groups already released a joint statement on June 26, announcing plans for a strategic merger. Before that, the companies had denied rumors of a merger many times. A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters inSirte, Libya, July 31, 2016. (Reuters photo) TRIPOLI, Aug. 1 -- The U.S. launched the first airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) targets in the Libyan city of Sirte, at the request of Libya's UN-brokered government, the prime minister said in a televised speech. "The first airstrikes were carried out on precise positions of the IS in Sirte, causing heavy losses," Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said. He said the airstrikes would be limited to Sirte and its surroundings. In Washington, Pentagon confirmed the operation in a statement, saying "additional U.S. strikes will continue to target IS in Sirte in order to enable the Government of National Accord (GNA) to make a decisive, strategic advance." "The U.S. stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya," the statement said. It said the strikes were authorized by U.S. President Barack Obama. Since May, Libya's UN-backed government have been striking the IS targets in Sirte, about 450 kilometers east of the capital city Tripoli. The IS has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide attacks in Libya. 4 July 2016, Geneva, Switzerland - A Framework of Cooperation between the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Group of Fifteen (G-15), a grouping of developing countries focused on South-South cooperation, was signed on 4th July, 2016 in Geneva. Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Chairman of the Personal Representatives of the Heads of State and Government of the G-15 and the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva signed the Agreement on behalf of the G-15 while Mr. Nikhil Seth, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director, signed on behalf of UNITAR. The Agreement intents to further enhance cooperation between the two organisations. Its targeted objectives include, the design and development of technical assistance and capacity building activities for government officials from G-15 member states, the development of a training portfolio that would support continuous learning through the implementation of activities that incorporate the principles of adult learning, the joint publication of knowledge resources such as training workbooks, thematic reports, policy papers, research papers and the provision of scholarships to individuals from G-15 members states to participate in face-to-face and e-learning courses offered by UNITAR in the priority areas determined by the G-15. Read more The price of LITRO gas cylinders would be further reduced in the first week of November in accordance with the Read more The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more BEIJING, Aug. 1 -- The People's Liberation Army(PLA) marked its 89th anniversary Monday, Army Day, with a call to action: A strong China needs a strong armed forces. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinpinghas said a strong armed forces can only be achieved through military reform. Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), called the reform drive "a comprehensive and revolutionary change," and said obstacles and policy issues that may hold back reform measures must be addressed to build a strong armed forces commensurate with China's international status. The latest reform drive marks a historic shift in the organization and structure of the PLA. It is expected that the PLA's command system and structure will be more efficient, powers and responsibilities will be better managed, and its troops better arranged. The fundamental criterion should be the test of war, especially modern combat. The military's role is to protect the country and it should be capable of winning battles, should the situation arise. China has been pushing to reform various fields and its measures in the military have been some of the most successful. After the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in2013, the CMC drafted a reform plan, and subsequently the general command of the PLA Army, the PLA Rocket Force, and the PLA Strategic Support Force were established. The previous seven military area commands were regrouped into five theater commands, and the four military departments -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- were reorganized into 15 agencies. With these measures, the PLA has established a system whereby the CMC manages the overall administration of the armed forces, while theater commands focus on combat preparedness, and the various armed services pursue development. The PLA is committed to being "a peacemaker," adhering to peaceful development, contributing to world peace and protecting international order, State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan said Sunday. China will pursue a defensive defense policy, safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and protect territorial integrity and maritime interests, he said. China is "confident" and "capable of" dealing with various security threats and provocative acts, Chang noted. A strong China needs a strong military to uphold peaceful development. While anticipating peace, China will not accept any infringements on its sovereignty, security and interests. The latest military reform drive is another Long March for the PLA. Today, this same spirit will drive forward this next stage of military development. Baca's lawyers. Photo: WitnessLA.com Disgraced former Los Angeles County sheriff Lee Baca on Monday withdrew his guilty plea for lying to the FBI in his jail scandal and said he would take chances with a federal trial. He pulled back the plea bargain after the judge indicated he would not accept the six-month prison sentence that prosecutors agreed to with Baca. The former sheriff needed to serve more time, the judge said. So Baca took some time to think about it and decided to gamble his future on a trial. If convicted he likely would get a multi-year sentence like his former underlings have after their convictions. Prosecutors now have to decide how many crimes they will charge Baca with, and then begins the dance by Baca and his lawyers to see how long they can delay a trial. A trial date of Sept. 20 was set, but the longer it goes, the more chance that witnesses could become unavailable or forgetful, and also Baca's health could deteriorate. He already has early signs of Alzheimer's, according to his doctors, and there was talk Monday that the disease could play a part in his defense. Baca, however, said he withdrew his plea so he could defend his reputation against "untruthful statements" by the judge. From the LA Times story after court: In deciding to walk away from the agreement he struck with federal prosecutors, Baca opened the door to the government bringing a broader and more serious case against him that could include charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy in addition to the lying allegation. Michael Zweiback, one of Bacas attorneys, said he expected prosecutors to level the more serious charges, which mirror those brought against Bacas former second-in-command, Paul Tanaka, who was convicted earlier this year in an obstruction-of-justice case stemming from the same FBI investigation. Bacas decision came after U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said last month that he would reject the plea deal, which had limited the former sheriffs prison time to a maximum of six months. Anderson had sentenced Tanaka to five years in prison. After withdrawing his plea, Baca told a horde of reporters on the steps of the downtown courthouse that he had done so because of untruthful statements made by the judge and prosecutors about his involvement in a scheme by sheriffs officials to thwart the FBIs jail probe. He did not specify what was untruthful. Instead, reading from a prepared statement, Baca referenced his recent diagnosis with Alzheimers disease and said the inevitable progression of the illness had injected an element of urgency into the case. Witness LA's Celeste Fremon reminds everyone how we got to this point: PRESS RELEASE Biggest Banks Jettison Customers, Become Investment Banks Aug. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)An in-depth study by Bloomberg News, published July 29, shows the effects of 20 years without Glass-Steagall and eight years of insane central bank policies, on two of the worlds biggest banksCitigroup and HSBC. "Citibank, HSBC Jettison Customers," is the title of Bloombergs article describing their findings, which are that the two mega-giant banking groups have essentially spent the Obama years trying to become immense investment banks, cutting their commercial banking activity by about 40% in each case. Citigroup, for example, brags that it has trading floors in more than 80 countries, for trading of securities, derivatives, structured products, etc. But is has retail banking operations in just 21 countries, having pulled out of 29 countriesmostly in Europe and South Americasince 2006. In the United States, two-thirds of Citis retail bank offices across the country have disappeared since 2006, and now exist in just seven metropolitan areas on the East and West Coasts. Where investment banking accounted for 33% of its profits in 2006, it now accounts for 56%. And its retail banking operations are now primarily in Asia. With HSBC, which once had the largest global retail banking operations in the world, all the same changes have occurred, but to an even more exaggerated degree. Investment banking now accounts for 75% of its profits. In other words, both these giants have come to function like Deutsche Bank. Interestingly, Citigroup "has used capital freed up from divestitures to boost its derivatives business," the nominal exposure to which has zoomed from $26.4 trillion in 2006 to $55.6 trillion now. Both megabanks have severe problems with deferred prosecution agreements stemming from Wall Street-London crimes, which have motivated them to abandon commercial banking in some countries; most obviously, Citibank has divested its Mexico subsidiary. Wells Fargo, by contrast, has more commercial banking customers than it did ten years ago, by virtue of buying the bankrupt Wachovia Bank. But with Wells Fargo, too, the share of its profits coming from investment banking casinos has grown, from 25% in 2006 to 34% now. PRESS RELEASE ISIS Video Threatens President Putins Life and Calls for Jihad in All of Russia Aug. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)A nine-minute YouTube video reportedly issued by ISIS yesterday, threatened the life of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and called for followers to wage jihad in Russia. The video went viral shortly after the shooting down of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter returning from a humanitarian mission delivering food and medicine to residents of Aleppo, Syria. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, told reporters that the helicopter was downed over ground under the control of the Jabhat al-Nusra group and allied members of the "moderate opposition," Russias Defense Ministry reported today. According to Sputnik, Reuters and multiple other media sources, the video showed a masked man driving a car in the desert, yelling, "Listen Putin, we will come to Russia and will kill you at your homes... O Brothers, carry out jihad, and kill and fight them." The video shows footage of armed men attacking armored vehicles and tents, and a subtitle reading "Breaking into a barracks of the rejectionist military on the international road south [of] Akashat." It was posted to the Telegram account which ISIS has previously used to transmit threats. RT reminds readers of the speech by President Putin last October, in which he reported that an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters from Russia and other CIS member states were fighting for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and warned of the danger of these radicalized jihadis returning to Russia. "We certainly cannot allow them to use the experience they are getting in Syria on home soil," Putin stated, and called for the creation of a broad international coalition to combat the spread of terrorism. PRESS RELEASE Russia Invites NATO Officials to Moscow for Constructive Dialogue on Avoiding Conflicts Aug. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)Speaking today, Russias Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov announced that military officials from NATO have been invited to a September meeting in Moscow to discuss the military-political situation in Europe, Sputnik reported. The issue of preventing any incidents in the air or on the sea is high on the agenda, he said, as is the fight against the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations. He emphasized Russias willingness to ensure that all military flights over the Baltic region take place with transponders on, a subject that was also discussed July 29, at a briefing for all foreign military attaches stationed in Moscow. At that same July 29 meeting, Antonov explained, attaches were briefed on the results of the July 13 meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC). Russia Beyond the Headlines reported today that at the NRC meeting, Russia proposed a "positive program" for improving relations with NATO, based on abating tensions and preventing "military incidents on the contact line between the sides armed forces." Within the NRC format, he said, the Russia-NATO Cooperative Airspace Initiative (CAI) can be an important means of "promoting the safety of aviation flights." Antonov underscored that Moscow is prepared to carry out joint incident-prevention work, based on existing bilateral agreements and consulting with the Defense Ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, and Finland "to address mutual concerns related to military activities in the near-border areas." The Deputy Defense Minister also reported that Russias Defense Ministry is carrying out a "meticulous" evaluation of decisions made at the last NATO summit in Warsaw. Dorothea Langes photographs of rural life, which she took for a U.S. government agency, are among the most famous images of Depression America: farmers, resettled ex-slaves, inhabitants of migrant camps, homesteaders and landscapes, they tell the story of a nation indomitably facing an uncertain future. As we reported last week, the photographs belong to the nation. Lange was on assignment for the Farm Security Administration, one of a cadre of photographers and writers dispatched by New Deal official Harry Hopkins, in a remarkable act of service to posterity, to chronicle the challenges of the worst economic crisis in Americas history. As long as Congress keeps shrinking the public domain by copyright extensions, tons of stuff that used to be public no longer is. Rick Prelinger, historical archivist Advertisement As a product of U.S. government employment, the images are in the public domain. Langes photographs of migrant mother Florence Owens Thompson and Washington farmer Chris Adolf, along with Walker Evans image of Alabama sharecropper Floyd Burroughs and thousands of other photos taken by other Depression-era photographers, can be downloaded by anyone as a digital file of pristine quality from the Library of Congress website, at no charge and without restriction. But they also can be purchased from the commercial licensing firm Getty Images, for fees that can run to thousands of dollars, depending on how theyre to be used, how large they will be displayed, and how many people might see them. Gettys library of public-domain images is vast, and its rates arent cheap. This raises obvious questions. Why would anyone pay so much for something they can have for free? And is Getty acting legally? These questions are at the heart of a lawsuit filed against Getty and others last week by Carol M. Highsmith, a photographer who donated her work to the Library of Congress, only to receive a nasty letter from a Getty subsidiary over her use of her pictures on a personal website. The letter warned Highsmith that she had infringed the license holders rights and demanded $120 in compensation. Her lawsuit asks for $1 billion in damages. The case isnt the first time that private exploitation of publicly available images has been an issue. Just last year, the veteran computer columnist John C. Dvorak wrote that he was stunned by the number of free public domain images being sold by Corbis, a photo agency then owned by Bill Gates. (Gates later sold Corbis to a Chinese consortium, which promptly licensed the collection to, yes, Getty Images.) According to her lawsuit, Highsmith retains the copyright to her work; she simply donated to the public the right to reproduce and display her work for free. She argues that that prevents anyone else from asserting the right to charge for the images, and that any such claim is fraudulent. The issues involved with Gettys charging a fee for images whose copyright belongs to the public are somewhat different. Copyright experts say theres no legal obstacle to charging money for that material, as long as the fee isnt charged as a copyright claim. If this stuff really is in the public domain, says Carl Malamud, a prominent warrior against copyright claims by government agencies, you can use it any way you want, and that means for commercial purposes. In other words, nothing stops Getty Images from acquiring the New Deal images from the Library of Congress on its own and charging others to download them from its own website. To charge you is immoral, but not illegal, Malamud says. So what is Getty selling when it charges a client for the use of a publicly owned photograph? In an emailed statement, the firm says its selling such services as image search tools and research support to assist clients in locating the right image for their needs. Getty also provides specialized delivery methods for certain clients, including direct feeds into software apps. Perhaps most important, Getty provides legal indemnification for the use of images taken from its inventory in other words, if a client faces a lawsuit for infringing an unsuspected license or copyright, Getty will cover the cost. Many people dont understand that ownership of copyright is distinct from ownership of the object, cautions Robert Jacobs, a copyright expert at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Los Angeles. That means they could still be liable for copyright infringement even if theyve paid for a specific image. Clearing copyrightable material for commercial use that is, identifying its rights owners and obtaining their permission is a complicated task that often challenges even professional publications. Gettys guarantee therefore is crucial for many clients, according to Richard Prelinger, whose archive of more than 60,000 historical advertising, educational, amateur and industrial films is accessible for free via the Internet Archive, and also for a fee via Getty Images. For users vulnerable to lawsuits, he says, Gettys commitment to protect the licensee from liability is especially important given that the details of copyright law are too complex and changeable for many to follow on their own. As long as Congress keeps shrinking the public domain by copyright extensions, tons of stuff that used to be public no longer is, he says. Getty is careful about the distinction between licensing rights and copyright, Prelinger says. Gettys usually quite precise about licenses, he said. They dont like to promise rights they dont possess. But a review of Gettys public domain offerings suggests that the firm doesnt always if ever inform buyers that the publicly owned images licenses are also available for free from public sources, though theyre not under any legal obligation to do so. But the absence of any such disclosure arguably could mislead customers into thinking that Getty is the only source. For example, one image of sharecropper Burroughs, a sepia-toned color image on file at the Library of Congress, bears the credit, Photo by VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images. Although a note on the image does state it was taken by Walker Evans, theres no mention that the identical image can be downloaded in high resolution from the Library of Congress website for free and for unrestricted use. An unwary customer might assume that paying Getty whose license fee can run to nearly $5,000 for a six-month term is the only way to obtain the photo legally. If youre looking for material created for the government, its probably in the public domain and available for free. If you find it on the website of Getty Images or another commercial archive, they can charge a fee to send it your way. For the average consumer, the applicable rule is buyer beware, and keep looking. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. MORE FROM HILTZIK Why is AARP cozying up to the right-wing group ALEC while big corporations flee? Californias cap-and-trade program has cut pollution. So why do critics keep calling it a failure? The truth about healthcare premiums: Theyd be a lot higher without Obamacare The big news takeaway from Donald Trumps rally Tuesday in Ashburn, Va., was that he got irritated by a crying baby and ordered the tot and its mother out of the hall. This was sadly typical of the tendency of the Trump campaign press and lets face it, the rest of us to be distracted by the more childish elements of Trumps behavior. But its a shame, because as a consequence nobody paid any attention to the policy discussion that Trump wrapped around his moments of preoccupation with the baby. That discussion dealt with China, and it was a good illustration of the Republican candidates once-over-lightly, soundbite-oriented approach to the real issues. They have ripped us to shreds. Ripped us absolutely to shreds. Donald Trump on China Advertisement So lets pick up Trump in the minute or so before he went on a tear about the baby. The exact topic was Chinas devaluation of its currency, the yuan. Well start just after his initial notice of the baby, when he seemed to give approval to having the infant in the hall. When China devalues its currency (he said), they make it impossible for our companies to compete. When China devalues its currency they take our guts out. And they do it so often, they do it so often. Theyre constantly devaluing their currency and they always wait till like its a bad time like, we have a problem with Iraq, we have a problem with Afghanistan, every time we have like a big problem, they always devalue. And a year and a half ago they devalued, the biggest devaluation theyve done in 20 years. The biggest in 20 years. And I said, man, how did they get away but we had a problem, we were doing other things. OK. So when China does that, we have to fight back. Now heres how you fight back. Because we cant fight back any other way. We have the piggy bank. They have ripped us to shreds. Ripped us absolutely to shreds Actually, I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here. And, scene. Much of this is right out of Trumps anti-China playbook. There are nuggets of truth and understanding sprinkled through, like fruit nuggets in a fruitcake. But the entire spiel adds up to unpalatable nonsense. Yes, its true a devalued currency makes a countrys exports cheaper abroad and its imports more expensive, tending to reduce trade surpluses. Yes, China had a major devaluation recently last August, not quite 18 months ago. But the idea that China has in recent years been targeting the United States with devaluations, especially by waiting until the U.S. is embroiled in some crisis, is fantasy, currency experts say. So is the implication that the Chinese economy is controlled by a cadre of sinister masterminds who can manipulate it to their own domestic and international ends. The truth is different and more mundane. Chinas currency valuation reflects more than ever before the condition of its economy, and thats not good. Devaluation is unwelcome to large sectors of the economy. Chinese policymakers, recognizing that devaluation is an issue of international politics, have been sensitive about accusations that theyre letting the yuan slide. That showed up in January, when the yuan tumbled, setting off stock market losses around the globe. Chinese economic policymakers struggled to assure international trading partners that they were committed to supporting the currencys price. As it happened, international markets were concerned both that they might not be telling the truth and that they werent actually capable of supporting the currency. (Chinese economic managers attempts to bring troublesome stock markets to heel border on slapstick, The Economist observed in January.) More generally, the feeling in the market is that, if anything, the Chinese yuan is overvalued, rather than artificially cheap that the weakness in the Chinese economy genuinely warrants a further devalued yuan. Yet some economists say a devaluation would cost the Chinese economy more than it gains. Much of Chinese manufacturings parts and other inputs are themselves imported, so a devaluation raises costs for Chinese importers, potentially more than it cuts the prices of their goods abroad. Moreover, China has been trying to encourage consumption by domestic consumers, a goal that would be undermined by higher prices for goods from abroad. See the most-read stories in Business this hour >> Devaluation, furthermore, encourages capital flight out of China. The government already limits the sums that Chinese citizens can invest overseas, but current outflows arent close to the limit devalue the currency, however, and the prospect is that the outflow in search of profitable investments elsewhere would become a torrent. Put it all together, and the notion that China is in a position to manipulate its currency just to harass American manufacturers seems even more fanciful. Trump didnt go into his remedies for Chinas supposed offense during the brief clip that emerged from his baby-hampered rally. But generally he has talked about imposing a tariff of 45% on Chinese imports if they dont behave. (He also has proposed a 35% tariff on Mexican imports.) Economists across the ideological spectrum have expressed horror at the trade war with China this would trigger. Peter Petri of Brandeis University has observed that low-wage manufacturing would shift from China to other countries, forcing the U.S. to extend its tariff wall globally. Rather than cut our trade deficit, tariffs retaliating against the U.S. goods would lead to a higher trade deficit, not a reduction. Petri estimated in March that the trade deficit of $736 billion in 2015 would grow by $67 billion. Other consequences would be reduced productivity and wages in U.S. industry, and possibly more than a million jobs. Bashing China is a popular political sport, among Republicans and Democrats alike. But theres a reflexive tone to it, like complaining about the DMV as a symbol of government bureaucracy. The China struggling to maintain growth today is something less than a rapacious economic winner, Jeffrey Rothfeder observed in the New Yorker in March. The value of its currency may be partially the result of centralized economic planning, but is responding more to market forces over which Beijing often seems powerless. Any policies aimed at addressing imaginary foes and forces are doomed to fail. More frighteningly, they risk unleashing unanticipated consequences, and not good ones. And thats if they make sense even in their own terms. Trumps trade policies dont. In order to qualify as a coherent set of policies, the policies have to not be cartoonish and the policies have to stand some chance of being actually enacted, Michael Strain, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told CNBC this spring. I just dont think Mr. Trumps trade policies meet either of those criteria. That hasnt stopped him. That squalling you heard at Tuesdays rally wasnt just a baby. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. MORE BUSINESS NEWS Why U.S. tech companies cant figure out China Tesla-SolarCity merger embodies Elon Musks audacious plan for clean energy Elon Musk tests Wall Streets appetite for unprofitable cash-burning ventures Some Irvine renters and businesses will soon be able to use Google Fiber, making the city the first in Southern California to receive the tech giants ultra-high-speed Internet. The Irvine Co. said Tuesday that the Internet service will be available in many of its properties within the city, with a roll-out starting in coming months. Orange Countys largest landlord did not provide a list of those properties or a specific timeline. In a Facebook post, Google said it would start with some apartment communities and small businesses in Irvine. Advertisement Such Internet access up to 40 times faster than typical broadband is increasingly sought after by both consumers and businesses. As a result, landlords and developers are looking at options for providing the service or similar systems, which can download a high-definition movie in minutes or even seconds. See the most-read stories in Business this hour Developers, for example, are hard wiring the Ontario Ranch community under construction in San Bernardino County for ultra-high-speed Internet, seeing it as an amenity that can help lure prospective home buyers to fill what will eventually be about 47,000 homes. Commercial landlords stand to benefit as well. Having ultra-high-speed Internet could serve as a key marketing tool and help fill buildings with tenants, said Jeff Ingham, a senior managing director in the Orange County office of commercial real estate brokerage JLL. Everybody wants high speed, he said. The Google Fiber roll-out in Irvine will be limited, at least at first. In its Facebook post, Google said the company would start with Irvine Co. properties near existing fiber infrastructure. And well continue to explore bringing Fiber to more of Irvine and Orange County. Irvine Co. said that it has been installing empty conduit to its properties since the mid-1980s, making it easier to quickly launch a high-speed service. Google has previously said it was looking to roll out Google Fiber in Los Angeles and San Diego, as well. A Google spokeswoman declined to provide an update on those plans. andrew.khouri@latimes.com Follow me @khouriandrew on Twitter MORE BUSINESS NEWS Why U.S. tech companies cant figure out China Tesla-SolarCity merger embodies Elon Musks audacious plan for clean energy Elon Musk tests Wall Streets appetite for unprofitable cash-burning ventures When the Democratic National Committee discovered in April that its computer networks had been hacked, leaders there did not just alert government intelligence. They called CrowdStrike, a 5-year-old cybersecurity firm that makes millions from mercenary work sold with a promise: We Stop Breaches. The Irvine-based contractor last month revealed what it had found: Two Russian intelligence groups, code-named Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, had spearheaded competing hacks over the last year using a barrage of malicious implants and backdoors. CrowdStrikes experts knew the hackers well: Theyd also recently infiltrated the White House, State Department and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Their weapon of choice: The cybersecurity equivalent of a neighborhood watch program on steroids, said CrowdStrike co-founder George Kurtz. That same offering has helped them turn their young business into a juggernaut, with sales of $100 million this year. Advertisement Our clients now include the creme de la creme of companies, said Kurtz, a former chief technology officer of antivirus giant McAfee. From a growth perspective, its just been explosive. CrowdStrike is one soldier in a very new kind of army: private cyber-defense contractors. Their skill in fending off and eradicating hacks has become increasingly prized at the top echelons of American business following the crippling attacks on Target, insurance-giant Anthem and Sony Pictures -- the first time a foreign government targeted a U.S. company. As payback for a movie poking fun at North Koreas supreme leader, state-sponsored hackers stole the studios employee records, trade secrets and unfinished movies; shared embarrassing internal emails; and wiped thousands of computers and servers. But the cyber-defense firms are also increasingly being called in to shield quasi-governmental agencies such as the DNC and American think tanks, which the company said are highly targeted by hackers aligned with nations such as Russia, China and Iran due to their stables of prominent experts and activists. For companies such as CrowdStrike, the new age of information warfare -- and the ensuing climate of fear -- has led to a flood of cash. Analysts at research firm Gartner says the security-software market climbed to $22 billion last year, with sales growing by $1 billion for three straight years. The growing business has also led to fierce competition in the cybersecurity industry, including with companies such as Cylance, ThreatConnect and Palantir. CrowdStrike said it would not share its client list or details of financial performance, but said it now works with three of the worlds 10 largest companies and five of the worlds 10 largest banks. Their battlefield was made center stage last week when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump encouraged the Russian government to infiltrate and distribute private emails from his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of State. Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press, Trump said during a press conference. Trumps comments came amid an FBI investigation into whether Russian state actors were responsible for stealing emails from DNC computers and distributing them ahead of the partys convention. This has gone from being a matter of curiosity, and a matter of politics, to being a national security issue, Jake Sullivan, Clintons senior policy advisor, said in a statement last week. The DNC first alerted CrowdStrike of their breach in April, and within 24 hours a threat-analyst team installed software on DNC computers to examine the attack. The firms report tying Russian intelligence to the hack has since been supported by other watchdogs, such as Fidelis Cybersecurity and Mandiant, and discussed as evidence in government officials intelligence briefings. CrowdStrike actively tracks 80 global threat-actor groups, including Cozy Bear, that specialize in three tiers of modern cyberattacks: cash-seeking e-crime; cause-centric hacktivism; and nation-state hacks, engineered for political warfare or espionage. CrowdStrikes main threat-tracking platform, Falcon Host, compares and maps 14 billion events a day into a global graph, using the same style of technology powering a social network like Facebook. The firms involvement in the DNC hack began as detective work, but teams there have claimed victory in repelling other attacks. CrowdStrike said last year that its expert hunters had successfully blocked a Chinese hacker group, called Hurricane Panda, attempting to blitz an unnamed American technology firm. But the firms have also attracted criticism over the secrecy of their work. Threat-intelligence companies have a particularly infuriating habit of being very public with their conclusions, but very secretive about their methods, data, and even malware samples, wrote Matt Tait, the founder of Capital Alpha Security, a U.K.-based consulting firm. That actively frustrates independent corroboration, and doesnt inspire an enormous amount of confidence in their conclusions. See the most-read stories in World News this hour >> CrowdStrikes rapid growth has attracted big bets from American tech. The firm last year raised $100 million from an investment led by one of Googles venture-capital arms in the search giants first cybersecurity deal. In an investment report, CrowdStrike said it had seen a 700% year-over-year increase in its deals of $1 million or more. Companies such as CrowdStrike are also finding themselves increasingly tapped to safeguard the political establishment. Administration officials told the Washington Post that the DNC email dump could warrant raising parts of the electoral process to the level of critical infrastructure, such as power grids, that receive special protection from cyber-attacks. America is digitally exposed, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), said in a statement. The United States must take serious offensive and defensive actions now. CyberStrike now employs 440 engineers, threat analysts and other employees across the globe, including in offices in Silicon Valley, London and in the Washington-defense-contractor hub of Crystal City, Va. Many, Kurtz said, joined the firm following careers in American or foreign military and intelligence. As a company, we do have a strong mission focus, which is really protecting our customers from the adversary, Kurtz said. When you have a purpose, which is to fight the bad guy, people take that very seriously. Drew Harwell writes for the Washington Post. MORE BUSINESS NEWS Why U.S. tech companies cant figure out China Tesla-SolarCity merger embodies Elon Musks audacious plan for clean energy Elon Musk tests Wall Streets appetite for unprofitable cash-burning ventures (Photo from Weibo) China opened a large fishing port, the closest one to the Nansha Islands, on Monday to handle fishing vessels working in the South China Sea. Local authorities and thousands of people held a traditional ceremony to celebrate the opening of the port at Ya- zhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province. Monday also marked the end of the annual fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea, which started on May 16. More than 300 fishing vessels flying red flags left the port at noon for nearby South China Sea fishing ground. Those intending to make long journeys delayed leaving because of Typhoon Nida's approach. Gui Junjiang, a fisherman from Sanya, sailed with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 km away, where four generations of his family have fished. "The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," he said. Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said the port can accommodate 800 fishing boats, but in the long term it will be able to handle 2,000. Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said, "We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap." The port will be the largest in Hainan. Apart from harboring fishing vessels, it can also shield ships from typhoons and serve as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products. Zhang said earlier that the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea". It is also designed to be a support base for exploiting fishery resources and will help with supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city, which administers an area of about 2 million square kilometers in the South China Sea. The city headquarters are located on Yongxing Island, which is the largest of the Xisha Islands. With his latest move, Elon Musk is challenging Wall Street to determine whether merging two of his high-flying but unprofitable companies will help bolster their performance or double their risk. How investors decide the issue is crucial to the future of a combined Tesla and SolarCity because theyll need to continue tapping the financial markets to satisfy their voracious appetite for funds. Electric automaker Tesla Motors Inc. agreed Monday to acquire solar-power provider SolarCity Corp. for $2.6 billion in Tesla stock. Musk is the largest shareholder and chairman of both firms. Advertisement The billionaire sees the companies marriage as a way to gain efficiencies for both operations, part of his master plan to combine solar power and its storage such as for Tesla car batteries into a single sustainable energy company. We expect to achieve cost synergies of $150 million in the first full year after closing the merger, Tesla said in a blog post Monday. We also expect to save customers money by lowering hardware costs, reducing installation costs, improving our manufacturing efficiency and reducing our customer-acquisition costs, Tesla said. But both Tesla and SolarCity have been losing money and burning through lots of cash as they attempt to expand their operations. Both rely on government subsidies, which wont last forever. Those factors have some analysts fretting that fusing the firms makes their financial situation more precarious. We see benefits from a combined solar/storage offering and manufacturing efficiencies, but remain concerned about cash flow and capital needs, analyst Efraim Levy of S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a note to clients Monday. Tesla lost $888.7 million on revenue of $4.05 billion in 2015, a year in which it delivered 50,580 vehicles, mostly its mainstay Model S sedan. Tesla, based in Palo Alto, also builds the Model X sport utility vehicle and is ramping up production for its $35,000 mass-market sedan, the Model 3, with deliveries set to start late next year. So far, Wall Street has been willing to keep supporting Musks companies with fresh capital, a need that is expected to grow as Tesla and SolarCity tackle bigger pieces of Musks master plan. Tesla had $1.44 billion of cash as of March 31, down from nearly $2 billion at the end of 2014. But in May, the company raised an additional $1.7 billion with a secondary stock offering; its a familiar pattern in which Tesla has issued stock or convertible debt every year since it went public in June 2010. SolarCity, meanwhile, lost $768.8 million last year on revenue of $399.6 million, and its cash on the balance sheet shrank to $361.7 million as of March 31 from $504.4 million at the end of 2014. It also had more than $1 billion of long-term debt. But SolarCity said in July that it raised an additional $345 million from four partners to fund the equipment and installation of new solar projects. In a separate statement updating its 2016 operations, SolarCity said Monday that residential bookings in the first half of the year were still lower than we anticipated despite fresh efforts to boost sales. The statement reaffirms weak market trends, analyst Patrick Jobin of Credit Suisse said in a research note. SolarCity also is facing regulatory pressure in certain states such as Nevada and Arizona, which is one reason that its stock price has plunged by more than half so far this year. In December, for instance, SolarCity announced that it would cease operations in Nevada after regulators drastically cut benefits to rooftop solar owners. Utility companies argue that rooftop solar owners do not pay their fair share of the cost for the poles, wires and substations that make up the electric grid. Utilities have pressed regulators in states nationwide to increase fees on rooftop solar owners and to cut the amount paid for electricity that those solar owners produce. That could curb demand for SolarCitys products. SolarCitys shares fell $1.98, or 7.4%, to $24.72 on Monday. Teslas stock fell $4.78, or 2%, to $230.01. Their proposed merger calls for SolarCity holders to receive 0.11 of a Tesla share for each SolarCity share, or $25.30 a share based on Teslas close Monday. When the companies first disclosed their deal in June, they indicated a price between $26.50 and $28.50 of Tesla stock per SolarCity share. Musk on Monday assured investors that the companies rapid cash consumption was more a sign of success than anything else. If we werent in such a kind of crazy rapid growth mode, he told analysts during a conference call, we would be producing significant free positive cash flow. james.peltz@latimes.com For more business news, follow James F. Peltz on Twitter: @PeltzLATimes MORE FROM BUSINESS Why U.S. tech companies cant figure out China Ionis shares leap 30% after a drug trial goes so well, it ends early Photographer sues Getty Images for $1 billion after shes billed for her own photo The parents of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin on Tuesday sued the makers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, an SUV that had been recalled when it crushed and killed the 27-year-old in a freak accident at his Studio City home. Victor and Irina Yelchin filed the wrongful-death and product-liability lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suit contends that the gear selector in the actors 2015 Jeep was defective and poorly designed and manufactured. Its against nature when parents bury their own child. Thats why we hope this lawsuit will make other families never go through the same hell we are going through right now, Victor Yelchin said at a news conference in Los Angeles. Advertisement The actors Jeep rolled backward down the driveway of his home, pinning him between a brick column and a security fence on June 19. Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death, the lawsuit states. The SUV was among 1.1 million vehicles recalled by the automaker in April because their electronic gearshifts confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly and leading to dozens of injuries. 1 / 3 Actor Anton Yelchin in 2015. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 3 Yelchin played the title role in Charlie Bartlett, which won Best Feauture Film at Boulder International Film Festival in 2008. Yelchin starred alongside Robert Downey Jr. as a wealthy yet troubled high-schooler. (Ken Woroner / Associated Press) 3 / 3 Yelchin is pictured with co-stars Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and John Cho in his best-known role playing Chekhov in the 2009 Star Trek reboot. (Industrial Light & Magic / Associated Press) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that operation of the gearshift was not intuitive and gave poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection. Unlike traditional gearshifts, the electronic shifter does not move to a different position after gears are shifted. In order to get from drive to park, a driver must push the lever forward three times. A light indicates which gear is selected. It doesnt give sufficient information to the user, said Gary Dordick, a Beverly Hills attorney representing the family. A few days after Yelchins death, a group of Jeep Grand Cherokee owners filed a class-action lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler over issues with the gearshift. In June, Fiat Chrysler said it began providing dealers with a software update that would automatically shift the car into park if a door opened while the engine was running. Dordick said the notice was received at the actors house seven days after his death, but it was unclear if he had received a May letter sent by the automaker indicating it was working on a fix. Dordick said the actor had started his vehicle and then apparently got out to retrieve something in his house, thinking it was in park, when the accident occurred. The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages but does not specify an exact amount. Dordick alleged Fiat Chrysler knew of problems with the gear selector as early as 2012 but still installed it into the 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees. The gearshift was changed for the 2016 model. Fiat Chrysler issued a statement extending its sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss but said it could not comment on the lawsuit because it had not yet been served with the legal action. The company urged customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices and set their parking brakes before exiting the vehicle. Fiat Chrysler has said it is speeding up its recall, which also covers the 2014 Grand Cherokee as well as the 2012 through 2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. A government investigation into the gearshift issue found it was associated with 266 crashes that had injured 68 people as of late June. In a separate action last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered Fiat Chrysler to pay a record $105-million fine and buy back as many as 193,000 cars after accusing the automaker of moving too slowly on past problems with its vehicles. The company pledged to improve its handling of recalls and hire an agency-approved monitor to track its recall performance over the next three years. The Yelchin lawsuit also names auto parts maker ZF North America, the North American arm of the German transmission, chassis and driveline manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG that made the shifter. ZF North America did not respond to a request for comment. Yelchin is perhaps best known for his role as Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. The third film in the series, Star Trek Beyond, has grossed more than $106 million in the U.S. in its first two weekends. The Yelchins filed another legal action Friday to take control of his estate, which is valued at nearly $1.4 million. Anton Yelchin left behind several unreleased projects, including the Netflix animated series Trollhunters and four films. The Associated Press contributed to this story. ALSO Anton Yelchin, actor in Star Trek films, dies in freak car accident at age 27 Appreciation: Yelchins talent went far beyond Star Trek Fiat Chrysler speeds up gear-shifter recall after Anton Yelchins death UPDATES: 2:15 p.m.: This article was updated throughout. The first version of this post was published at 12:05 p.m. Banning resident Jim Bailey and his wife went in recently for their annual physicals. They came away with hundreds of dollars in charges for co-pays and tests. Bailey, 78, told me that he feels duped. The Affordable Care Act dictates that all annual physicals be provided at no cost to the policyholders no deductibles or co-pays, he said. But that wasnt the case with us. Nor will it be the case with anyone else even though many Americans believe otherwise. Advertisement Theres nothing in the ACA that guarantees a free checkup, said Bradley Herring, an associate professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. Its surprising how many people think its part of the law. For consumers, this is perhaps one of the more confusing aspects of Obamacare, which does indeed cover certain free preventive services and so-called wellness visits but stops short of free annual physicals. Complicating things, patients might go in for free preventive care covered by the law, mention some unrelated ailment and find out later they were billed for a normal office visit. This illustrates the somewhat arbitrary division between preventive exams, which the ACA seeks to encourage, and diagnosis and treatment, which remains subject to normal payment rules, said Wendy Mariner, a professor of health law at Boston University School of Public Health. A visit to get a diagnosis for pain is not classified as preventive, she said. In Baileys case, what he expected to be a free visit to his doctor ended up requiring a $15 co-pay after the doctor decided to run an electrocardiogram test on Baileys heart. EKG tests are not a covered preventive service under Obamacare. The doctor referred Bailey to a heart specialist, who did more testing and, said Bailey, found nothing amiss. Nevertheless, this second opinion entailed a charge of about $300. Baileys wife, Peggy, 75, was billed $200 by her doctor for a mammogram. But when she pointed out that mammograms are a covered preventive service, the charge was removed. Nevertheless, she too had to cough up a $15 co-pay because her doctor went beyond the parameters of a free wellness visit for seniors by renewing a prescription. The couple are insured by the Federal Employee Health Benefits program because Bailey is a former government worker. Eligible preventive screenings and wellness visits are 100% covered by insurers under Obamacare, with no cost to the patient. Reimbursement rates can be higher for more comprehensive office visits, not to mention the added revenue from patients being responsible for co-pays. Tomas Philipson, a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago, said its no surprise that some doctors may order additional tests or bill for a full office visit when all theyve done is sign their name to a prescription form. This is how they get reimbursed by insurers, he said. Its the same reason a doctor makes you come back to the office in two weeks to get your test results rather than just letting you call. Its all about the reimbursement. Thats not to say this is what happened with Bailey. Its entirely possible that his doctor believed an EKG was warranted, as was a second opinion by a specialist. As Bailey put it, Better safe than sorry. Its also possible that a clerical error was to blame for Baileys wife being charged for what should have been a free test. A copay for a prescription renewal well, thats technically legit, although Philipson told me that not all doctors are so money-minded. Its hard to see why youd code that as an office visit, he said. Coding is how doctors and hospitals handle bills. Every interaction with the healthcare system has its own code. How a doctor records a patient visit will determine if it was entirely covered by the Affordable Care Act or if it qualified as billable treatment involving an insurance claim. Dr. Tanya Spirtos, a physician in Redwood City, Calif. said that theres no cookbook outlining steps for coding when patients raise issues beyond the scope of an Obamacare-covered visit. Its all on a case-by-case basis, she said. A spokesman for the American Medical Assn. said that if a doctor records additional treatment in a patients file, the coding must reflect that. The healthcare experts I spoke with described this aspect of the Affordable Care Act as a buyer-beware kind of thing: Know your rights and know where the pitfalls may lurk. The official Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, says that most health plans must cover a set of preventive services like shots and screening tests at no cost to you. For all adults, these include screening for high cholesterol, depression, Type 2 diabetes, hepatitis, HIV and lung cancer, plus counseling for obesity, sexually transmitted diseases and tobacco use. Additional screening is available to women for anemia, urinary tract infections and other conditions. A wide range of free preventive screenings are available for kids, including for autism, behavioral and developmental issues, hearing and vision. Most common vaccines are covered. Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to a free annual wellness visit that includes routine measurements such as height and weight, a review of current medications and a check for any cognitive impairment. Be careful during both preventive screenings and wellness visits about stepping outside the box, as it were. Even though it would seem perfectly natural to bring up all medical concerns during a trip to the doctors office, its clear that some doctors will recode your visit for the most trivial of reasons. My suggestion: Before raising an additional healthcare issue, ask your doctor if, hypothetically speaking, such a question would result in a co-pay or other charge. That at least puts the doctor on notice that youre wise to any billing shenanigans. David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com. MORE FROM DAVID LAZARUS Huntington Hospital accepts Californias end-of-life law Phone companies could stop robocalls. Theyre just not doing it As the VCR finally dies, a lament for once-great technologies For a time, the Santa Monica Museum of Art was an institution without a home. Last year it lost its building at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, and its future was uncertain. But now it is busy rebuilding. In May it announced a new location on East 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles and a new name: the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA). Now the museum moves forward with more news: It has announced the appointment of Hammer Museum assistant curator Jamillah James as its curator. James joins the ICA after two years at the Hammer, where she worked on project installations and major exhibitions, and helped oversee a range of programming at Art + Practice, the arts space the Hammer runs in collaboration with artist Mark Bradford in Leimert Park. Elsa Longhauser, the executive director of ICA LA says she has followed James work for the last couple of years from the project show she organized of the painted collages of Njideka Akunyili Crosby at the Hammer to the group exhibition A Shape That Stands Up at Art + Practice and has been impressed with whats she has seen. Advertisement Seeing the work that she was doing and talking to people with whom she had worked made me think she would be perfect for ICA LA, she says. Shes a speaker and a critic and a writer in addition to being a curator. I think Jamillah, with her sensibility and her experience and her knowledge of the global and local art world, will add a dimension that is new and exciting and expansive. Prior to her tenure at the Hammer, James was a curatorial fellow at the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York City, where she worked on a number of exhibitions, including a critically acclaimed survey of works by the California conceptualist Charles Gaines (a show that later traveled to the Hammer, with additional pieces shown at Art + Practice). Los Angeles conceptual artist Charles Gaines at his 2015 exhibition at Art + Practice, which was co-curated by Jamillah James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times ) James has likewise been an admirer of what the three-decade-old Santa Monica institution has achieved over its existence. They have this radical experimental history, she says. Theyve championed artists Ive been committed to in my own work, like William Pope.L and Mickalene Thomas. And the nimble quality of the kunsthalle model that is, the non-collecting institution is an environment she is looking forward to working in. This, she says, will provide her the ability to showcase a dynamic mix of Los Angeles and international artists in more reactive ways. [The museums] identity isnt tethered to a collection, she says. It gives us a lot more flexibility. This means there will be a lot of different artists we can engage with. It wont be the five- to seven-year timeline that most museums have. The ICA does face the task of having to distinguish itself from the myriad contemporary art organizations now operating in art-clogged downtown Los Angeles including the under-construction Main Museum, a non-collecting institution that will open its principal exhibition spaces in 2018. But Longhauser says she isnt worried about overlap. You have a lot of very large-scale organizations there with the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Broad and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, she explains. We are very human-scale. Were about new ideas. Were about community relationships and social action. So I think we are defined quite differently from other organizations. The ICA LA is scheduled to open in spring 2017. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. ALSO: Santa Monica Museum of Art changes its name and selects new location in downtown L.A. New Main Museum in downtown Los Angeles reveals Beta plans and focus on art in L.A. For the love of monsters: An insider tour of Guillermo del Toros Bleak House before his LACMA show The Austin, Texas-based film festival Fantastic Fest, the largest genre festival in the U.S., announced the first wave of programming for its 12thh annual get together. Tim Burton is scheduled to appear with his adaptation of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. This years festival will run Sept. 22-29 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin. Fans of genre filmmaking, a catch-all phrase that can include horror, fantasy, science fiction, crime pictures and just about anything, now have a strong international network of festivals that includes Spains Sitges Film Festival, Montreals Fantasia festival, Londons FrightFest, Los Angeles Beyond Fest and Screamfest and curated sections at festivals such as Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival. Fantastic Fest in particular has often pushed at the edges of its own definition, showing films that might not obviously fall within the boundaries of genre filmmaking. Among the unexpected selections over the years have been the world premiere of Paul Thomas Andersons There Will Be Blood. Last years festival included such films as Yorgos Lanthimos The Lobster, Ben Wheatleys High-Rise and Jeremy Saulniers Green Room. This year will feature the Texas premiere of Andrea Arnolds American Honey, a languidly intense drama that is the film debut for its lead actress, Sasha Lane, a Texas native. Advertisement We really wanted to challenge the edges of what genre means this year, said Tim League, Fantastic Fest founder and Alamo Drafthouse CEO in a statement. This world of cinema has evolved so dramatically since our first festival in 2005, and we want to be part of the change by exposing audiences to films, formats and filmmakers that they may never otherwise see. This years festival will feature a special spotlight on Indian cinema, with new and older titles. The program will include the U.S. premiere of Anurag Kashyaps 2016 cops and crime story Psycho Raman and repertory screenings of S.S. Rajamoulis 2009 epic Magadheera and Sughash Ghais 1993 gangster film Khalnayak. It is a dream come true to bring the glorious excess and pageantry of Indian cinema to Fantastic Fest, said Evrim Ersoy, the festivals head of programming, in a statement. We are celebrating not only Bollywood but also Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema, highlighting the kaleidoscope of textures and content that is as wide and varied as the subcontinent itself. As many other film festivals, including Sundance and Austins South by Southwest, have been featuring virtual reality presentations over the past few years, for the first time Fantastic Fest will get into the VR space as well. A virtual reality experience from Los Angeles studio Dark Corner will have its world premiere, with the program announcement declaring the experience known as Mule to be an emotional, fast-paced hell-ride that catapults the viewer through the final shocking moments of a mans life (and beyond.) There will also be a presentation of a two-part experience with Burlap, which includes a traditional 2-D short film and an immersive VR experience. Revered filmmaker Don Coscarelli will be celebrated for his long-running Phantasm series with the world premiere of Phantasm: Ravager, directed by David Hartman. There will be a special presentation of the recent remaster of Coscarellis influential 1979 Phantasm, which will stream to art house theaters across the country as part of Art House Theatre Day on Sept. 24. The initial programming release also spotlighted the world premiere of Jungle Trap, by Lady Street Fighter director James Bryan. Shot in 1990, Jungle Trap remained unedited and without a score at that time but has more recently been cut and given a musical soundtrack. In all 26 titles were included in the festivals initial announcement on Tuesday. Speaking to the international nature of Fantastic Fest, the program included films from Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Laos, Australia, Thailand, France, India, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Italy and Russia as well as the United States. For the full program announcement plus ticket information, go to www.fantasticfest.com. Mark.Olsen@latimes.com Follow on twitter: @IndieFocus ALSO Why Riz Ahmed is at the center of the biggest movie (Bourne) and TV show (The Night Of) of the week The pressures behind Suicide Squad, the DC Comics movie that Warner Bros. needs to work, and work big How the secret sequel of found-footage pioneer Blair Witch has unleashed misdirectional marketing age Slow jam this news: Jimmy Fallon will host the 2017 Golden Globe Awards. The announcement was made Tuesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills. Fallon took to Twitter shortly after the news broke: Im so excited to be hosting The Golden Globes in January. Followed by: Im really looking forward to spending time with the Hollywood Foreign Press before Donald Trump has them all deported. Advertisement The Tonight Show host follows Ricky Gervais, who emceed the ceremony earlier this year. Fallons former Saturday Night Live cast mates Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted in 2015. Fallon isnt a newbie to awards hosting, of course. He previously helmed the 2010 Emmy Awards, when the ceremony aired on NBC. The Golden Globes are set to air live on both coasts from the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 8, 2017. yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com Twitter: @villarrealy ALSO From superheroes to comedy: Across networks and platforms diversity is a hot topic at TCA press tour Turner chief Kevin Reilly says original TNT dramas will continue to have shorter commercial breaks Everything Emmy: The nominees, reactions, snubs and analysis as HBO leads, Beyonce scores and streaming makes inroads Kielbasa (Polish sausage), weisswurst (Bavarian veal and pork sausage), chorizo (Spanish, Mexican or Portuguese sausage), Linguica (smoked-cured Portuguese pork sausage), morcilla (Brazilian blood sausage) the list of traditional sausages goes on and on, spanning hundreds of cultures and originating back a few thousand years. Today, in a city such as Los Angeles, a convergence of a diverse set of communities and influences builds a case for a whole new world of links. Weve been seeing some unusual ingredients in sausages curry paste and leek ash to name a few that take us beyond whats available at our neighborhood deli. Read on for a sampling of unique sausages to be found around town: Chicken Parm sausage at the Cannibal Advertisement Chicken sausage isnt exactly new, but we cant say weve seen a breaded-and-fried variety before, as can be found at the Cannibal, the new Culver City restaurant that, like the name suggests, has a menu designed for meat-lovers. The sausage is topped with a slow-roasted tomato paste, or conserva, as well as burrata and basil for a hearty but fragrant rendition of chicken Parmesan. 8850 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 838-2783, www.thecanniballa.com. Mini Hokkaido Dog at Connie & Teds The fact that you can get the mini Hokkaido dog at Connie & Teds, Michael Cimarustis seafood-centric restaurant in West Hollywood, only during happy hour is as much a drawback as it is a plus. On Monday through Friday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., its available for a mere $5. Succulent scallops are the centerpiece of this juicy dog, and its topped with caramelized onion, house-smoked mustard and chives, nestled inside a buttery, classic hot dog bun. 8171 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-2722, www.connieandteds.com. Another Night in Bangkok at Dog Haus This franchise favorite with locations through Southern California and the U.S. is serving up imaginative dogs, including a hot dog aptly named Another Night in Bangkok. At the center of the sweet Kings Hawaiian bun is a fiery, snappy Thai Currywurst sausage made of pork, curry paste, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, Thai chiles and turmeric. Finished off with Thai peanut sauce and slaw, this dog is decidedly more Bangkok than Berlin. Multiple locations at www.doghaus.com. Leek ash and porcini salami at Gwen The new Hollywood restaurant and butcher shop by Curtis Stone and his brother, Luke, has an ambitious charcuterie program. Stone and his team of butchers, which includes Alex Jermasek and Daniel Roderfeld, are working on quite a few varieties at the moment, but the sausage currently on offer as part of the restaurants charcuterie first bites on the tasting menu is a leek ash and porcini salami. The leek ash lends a fantastic sweet char flavor to the cured pork. 6600 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 946-7500, www.gwenla.com. Kalbi sausage at Seoul Sausage Having first risen to fame as a food truck concept on Food Network, Seoul Sausage has long been a proponent of the fusion sausage concept in L.A. You can still count on its trademark beef Kalbi dog, made with beef, soy, sesame oil, sugar, garlic and onions (all of the flavors found in traditional Korean BBQ beef short ribs). The sausage is topped with fried shallots for crunch and a red garlic aioli with a sweet heat that may remind you of gojuchang (spicy fermented chile paste). 236 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, (213) 935-8677, www.seoulsausage.com. ALSO: How to make a quick and easy zucchini slaw Farmers market report: Grapes are in season, and some recipes A secret deli and more from the guy who brought you Nighthawk breakfast bar Aug. 25, 2016, 10:40 a.m. Reporting from imperial beach, Calif. We made it, Oregon to Mexico, along an 1,100-mile beach The drive began at the Oregon border. It ended five weeks later at the Mexican border. Where I almost got arrested. OK, thats an exaggeration. When photographer Allen Schaben and I got to the border of Tijuana and Imperial Beach, the party was much better on the Mexican side. Families were in the water and on the sand, a Mariachi band played, and the whole scene was rather festive compared with two people strolling quietly on the Imperial Beach side. I thought briefly about defecting. One man stood at the fence on the Tijuana side, so I walked up to say hello. I asked why he wasnt swimming and he said he didnt have a bathing suit, then he stuck his hand through the fence to shake my hand. A Border Patrol agent sped toward me in an SUV and yelled for me to stand back from the fence. I hesitated, because what was the big deal? But then I noticed a sign warning against contact or the passing of narcotics through the fence, etc. So I stepped back from the fence because I didnt know if Id be able to write my last road trip columns from a jail cell. Im going to wrap up the series on Sunday, but that wont be the end of my coverage of the California Coastal Commission on the 40th anniversary of the Coastal Act. Theres lots to keep an eye on. Legislation to ban private meetings between commissioners and developers could move forward later today. A vote has been delayed on the controversial proposal for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, a project that doesnt make a lot of sense in my opinion but has big money backing it. The ever-controversial Newport Banning Ranch project -- a massive hotel/housing development on the last undeveloped plot of privately owned coastal property in Southern California -- will be up for a vote in early September. And the City Council election in Pismo Beach has gotten very interesting because Erik Howell, a councilman and coastal commissioner who ticked off Pismo residents by supporting a development that will block ocean views, now has challengers in his reelection campaign. Howell, if youve forgotten, accepted a $1,000 campaign donation from the domestic partner and business colleague of the lobbyist who represents the Pismo development. If he loses his council seat, he loses his Coastal Commission seat too. So stay tuned. The Coastal Commission will have a new director soon, a new chair and at least two new commissioners, and we need to watch closely because whats at stake is the greatest 1,100-mile coast in the world. 10:25 A.M. reporting from san diego Lawmaker who led 72 coastal preservation bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego still has Schwinn that delivered win Former senator James Mills, 89, stands with the bike he rode from Sacramento to San Diego in 1972 to promote Prop 20, which created the Coastal Commission and led to the Coastal Act. The photo was taken overlooking the San Diego skyline from Mills Coronado apartment Wednesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The bike. I wanted to see the bike, and meet its owner. Arriving in San Diego meant our coastal trek from Oregon to Mexico was coming to an end, and it meant that it was finally time to pay a visit to Jim Mills. Mills, a state legislator from 1962 to 1981, was Senate president pro tempore in 1972 when he decided to support Proposition 20, the coastal preservation act. Without it, conservationists feared, coastal development would run amok, Highway 1 would be widened, and a string of nuclear power plants would spring up on some of the greatest beach fronts in the world. But there wasnt much money to fight Prop. 20s foes, said Mills, who had grown up wading in La Jolla Cove and has a deep appreciation of the states greatest natural resource. So in September 1972, he hopped aboard his canary yellow Schwinn Super Sport and led a bike rally from San Francisco to San Diego. The number of riders swelled at times, Mills said, and bikers were greeted each evening by locals serving plenty of carbs. We ate a lot of weenies and beans, and spaghetti too, he said. He recalled PG&E executives following the cyclists in a chauffeur-driven Cadillac, doing their own spin on Prop. 20. The bike rally drew lots of publicity, Mills said, and whether it made the difference is anyones guess. But Prop. 20 won 55% of the vote and led in 1976 to the Coastal Act that to this day protects the coast for the benefit of fragile marine and land habitats and the enjoyment of everyone. Mills was 45 when he rode down the coast, and 89 now. He greeted me and photographer Allen Schaben at his Coronado condo and said he hasnt done any riding lately, but hes doing a lot of writing. Mills has written several books and is working on another. He leads us down to the basement, and there it is. The dusty, canary yellow Schwinn that Mills rode in 1972, and for many years after the Prop. 20 campaign. He was an avid cyclist. Mills also kept the helmet he wore in 1972. We took the bike upstairs, where Mills put on his helmet and posed next to the bike that is a piece of California history. The Coastal Act has done a great deal of good over the years, Mills said, and the cause is no less important now than it was when he rode south from San Francisco. We need to preserve the coast for the benefit of future generations, he said, and I thank him for his contribution. Aug. 21, 2016, 10:50 p.m. Reporting from the Mexican border Steve Lopez reflects back on his 1,100 mile trek down the California coast 6:57 P.M. Sometimes the sausage is good enough to eat Two things will happen soon. The last column from my 1,100 mile road trip down the California coast will be done. And the reform bill banning private communications between California Coastal Commissioners and developers, as well as others, could finally emerge from the factory. As Ive been saying, Hannah-Beth Jacksons bill sailed through the Senate and should have done the same in the Assembly, but it got pushed off into a dark corner after a very fishy report claimed that reform costs money. The thing has come back to life, though, with amendments that arent as bad as the original amendments. I dont see why we need the amendments at all, or why the wrangling has to take place behind closed doors and out of public view. While I was thinking about that, a reader emailed me a clever idea about how to keep coastal commissioners honest -- make them strap on body cameras, like cops. I like it, and why not do the same with legislators, so we can all see whats going on? Having said all this, though, Im hearing from supporters of Jacksons bill that they think theres actually a chance the legislation is going to be OK, once all the cooks are done tweaking the recipe. Sausage is full of awful stuff, but just about all of it is good on the grill. So as much fun as Ive had telling you to ping Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, @Rendon63rd, and Appropriations Chair Lorena Gonzalez, @LorenaAD80, and ask what gives, maybe we should try another approach. Im told that Rendon, Gonzalez and other Assembly leaders have done some decent work rescuing this much-needed bill from the trash. So go ahead and tweet them again, and tell them youre encouraged, and still watching -- to the extent thats possible -- and counting on them to do whats necessary to get the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown, which is when the real fun will begin. 8:46 A.M. When it comes to coastal protection, why does state Assembly have such a problem with transparency? The need to clean up the way the California Coastal Commission operates was obvious. Commissioners meet privately with developers more than with any other group, by far. They have repeatedly failed to fully explain the nature of those meetings, and have even failed to report them on occasion. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) penned a bill to ban such meetings. It cleared the Senate and bounced over to the Assembly, which nearly killed it, but finally decided this week to merely beat it to a pulp. The toothless mess that emerged from the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week would allow private meetings to continue under certain circumstances, and now Sen. Jackson has the task of trying to put some punch back into her bill. And heres the irony: We dont know which Assembly members, or higher powers, conspired to water down Jacksons bill because there is no transparency in the process. You cant peer through a window into the sausage factory. These amendments were hammered out privately. One can guess that the development lobby and labor groups did not like Jacksons reform bill because it would get in the way of a process that gives an advantage to those who want to build on the coast. One can even guess that the Brown administration shares their view. But we dont know, because a bill to shine a light on important decision-making got pummeled in a dark room, and the perps left no fingerprints. See Dan Weikels story at latimes.com. Ive sent in a request for an explanation to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). He has appointing authority for four coastal commissioners and itd be nice to hear what he thinks about the handiwork by his Appropriations Committee. If youd like to ping him or Appropriations Chair Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to ask what happened, try @Rendon63rd and @LorenaAD80. Or you can drop a line to The Silent One @JerryBrownGov, but Ive tried, and despite months of turmoil and controversy on the 40th anniversary of the Coastal Act he signed into law, the governor doesnt want to be disturbed. 7:36 A.M. Summer is in the rear-view mirror, end of journey just down the road The tide splashes up on the beach at sunset on a warm summer evening at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Carlsbad. Leucadia. Encinitas. Cardiff. Solana. Del Mar. Summer is disappearing in my rear-view mirror. Week Five of my trip from Oregon to Mexico will be over in just a few days, 1,100 miles after it began. Photographer Allen Schaben is farther down the road, waiting for me in San Diego. Soon well stand at the Mexican border and reflect on a deeper love of the California coast, a greater appreciation of the Coastal Act on the 40-year anniversary of protections that became law. Ill wish Id had a week to spend in places where I only had an hour or two. Ill thank the people we met along the way, and tell others well take up their offer the next time through. Californians are passionate about their coast. Theyre closely watching those in public office whose job is to protect fisheries and dunes, to limit development and maximize access. Ive got one eye on Sacramento myself. On legislative reforms that would serve all Californians. On coastal commissioners, some of whom seem to have forgotten their purpose. Im pulling into San Diego, where the air is warm, the water blue, Mexico in the near distance. 4:14 P.M. La Jolla The palm fronds of a palapa reveal a surfer, a couple and children taking in a warm summer sunset at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 1:07 P.M. newport beach Watts in a name? Find Amp-le answers in Newport Beach On Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach. (Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times) Im driving south on the Pacific Coast Highway and spot the sign. The boat name of the week, it says, is Watt A Man. Thats not a mistake. This is the headquarters for Duffy, which makes the electric boats that are part of the culture in the Newport harbor. Many years ago, I wrote a column about a day of hobnobbing and bar-hopping, by boat, with local residents. I also wrote, at the time, about boat owners trying to out-do each other with clever names for the battery-powered boats. One of my favorites was Salt n Battery. So what are some of the newer ones? I walk into the office, and salesman Jim Drayton says one of the best ones this summer was Amp-ly Endowed. Not bad. Tyler Duffield, of the Duffy family, shows me a list with a few more recent winners. Your name here. (Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times) Its a Ohm Run. Watt the Hey. Watta Yacht. Going back through the years, some of the better names include: Current Affair. Carry Us Ohm Watts the Hurry. Shock Cousteau. Ohmer Simpson. Knots and Volts. I could go on, but why dont you, instead? Send me your best names. Its not as easy as it looks, Duffield said. Its usually the hardest part, he says. Someone comes in and orders a boat, and they get the colors and everything figured out, and the last thing to do is come up with a name before the boat leaves the factory. Yeah, Its a Duff Life out here, where people are Ohm on the Watter, but It Is Watt It Is. 9:13 A.M. Going under in Laguna Beach A snorkeler looks for fish at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Garibaldi swim and feed on rocks at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2:41 P.M. Catching waves in Huntington Beach 10:53 A.M. On our way toward Mexico A view of the beach through a telescope at Pacific City, a new 31-acre mixed-use development in Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City U.S.A. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The site of the proposed Banning Ranch development now before the California Coastal Commission. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The tide rolls in at twilight at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station located on the border of San Diego County and San Clemente. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 4:52 P.M. Laguna Beach 4:45 P.M. Laguna Beach 12:51 P.M. Dana Point A pod of dolphins leaps out of the water with a view of south Laguna Beach in the background on Aug. 12, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 10:37 P.M. sacramento Profiles in courage: Legislators soften Coastal Commission reform, leave no fingerprints A perfectly sensible bill to clean up the way California coastal commissioners do business has been getting the waterboard treatment. First, Santa Barbara Sen. Hannah-Beth Jacksons SB 1190 was submerged by a ludicrous report claiming it would cost too much money to prohibit private conversations between developers and commissioners. Then it was tossed overboard and dragged like chum. Then on Thursday, legislators pulled SB 1190 back into the boat so badly decomposed its barely recognizable. As my colleague Dan Weikel reports at latimes.com, five amendments gutted the good intentions. The most egregious one allows commissioners to meet privately with developers during on-site visits. This comes just weeks after reports that Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Kinsey met twice with developers of the massive Newport Banning Ranch development and failed to properly report those confabs. Environmental groups, however, would not be able to have such meetings in the bills current form. On my best day, I could not have come up with a more Alice in Wonderland outcome. Details were still emerging, and it wasnt clear which legislators were responsible for the hatchet job, or whether they caved in to political, development or union pressure, or all three. No fingerprints on the body, in other words. Three environmentalists I checked with were livid, and understandably so. Stay tuned for updates on the autopsy, and dont stop letting @JerryBrownGov know how you feel about whats happening to coastal preservation on his watch. #SaveYourCoast 7:46 A.M. Sunset at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages Children run along the beach at twilight near the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The sun sets over the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Isabella, 9, and Holden, 7, roast marshmallows over a beach fire with their parents, Steve and Amy Knuff, of Aliso Viejo at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Incoming tide rolls onto the beach at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 1:29 P.M. Column: Fighting for the California coast from a tiny office in her kitchen nook Susan Jordan, who created and runs the California Coastal Protection Network, is seen in her Santa Barbara office. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) If you were a coastal conservation activist in California, with 1,100 miles of shoreline to look after, how would you even decide where to begin? Theres always a battle somewhere, and let me give you just a couple of examples from one tiny section of the coast. Moss Landing is in the news again this week as the Surfrider Foundation and other activists try to stop Cemex, an international sand mining company, from trucking away the beach as it has done for decades, causing erosion that has begun to set off lots of alarms. Read more 8:49 A.M. Hermosa Beach Remember when you could spend a night at a California beach motel for less than a weeks pay? A third-generation motel owner in this seaside town tells me he gets an offer, about every other day, from someone who wants to buy his property, bulldoze it and rebuild. But hes hanging on because three generations of families have been staying at his low-budget, no-frills motel since the 1960s, and he doesnt want to end those summer vacation traditions. Elsewhere on the California coast, motels and hotels have been bought out by chains and developers, driving up the cost of affordable family vacations. Look for my column on the Hermosa Beach motel in the coming days. And if you know of good low-budget beach lodging, or if youve seen your motel go from cheap to chic, drop me a line at steve.lopez@latimes.com Over the next two days, photographer Allen Schaben and I will be in Hermosa and Huntington Beach, reporting on the proposed desalination plant there. And, by the way, we should find out in the next day or two whether legislation banning private meetings between coastal commissioners and developers is released from legislative prison and put up for a vote in the state Assembly. Theres still time to weigh in at #SaveYourCoast and be sure to give a poke to @JerryBrownGov and Assemblywoman, Lorena Gonzalez @LorenaAD80. Read more China is currently working toward building a mixed-power aircraft, which would greatly reduce the cost for ordinary people to visit space, according to a report by CCTV's Xinwen Lianbo. China hopes to grasp the key technologies required for such an aircraft, including orbiting and injection, by around 2030, according to Zhang Yong, deputy chief researcher from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Researchers believe that the future aircraft will be able to be recycled, allowing it to be used for more than one trip between Earth and space. Furthermore, the aircraft will be able to land at an ordinary airport, just like standard airplanes. Together, these characteristics will greatly reduce the costs passed along to potential passengers. Compared with space shuttles and some recycled carrier rockets, the proposed aircraft will be superior in terms of required maintenance and practicality, according to the report by CCTV. A report by Guancha said that the aircraft aims to challenge Space X from a technological perspective. According to a previous Guancha report, an agreement was signed on July 6 between an R&D center from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the Department of Aviation of Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology (a subsidiary of CASC). The agreement states that the institutions will work together to jointly develop the technology for a mixed-powered aircraft. Yang Yang, a designer at CALT, said that ordinary people will one day be able to visit space without professional training, all thanks to this aircraft. Astronauts on carrier rockets tend to be fighter pilots in excellent physical condition, as astronauts have to bear a great deal of weight due to the extreme speed of the rocket, Yang said. Different from carrier rockets, the new aircraft will use low-thrust rocket engines, turbine engines and scramjets so as to gain speed more gradually. This way, the extra force placed on passengers will not exceed what an ordinary person can stand. The aircraft will not only be capable of manned aerospace missions, but will also be able to launch satellites, according to Yang. However, Yang admitted that there is still a long way to go to realize these abilities. A federal court has found that the leader of a Southern California cement workers union and an attorney for the organizations trust funds retaliated against two employees who questioned the labor officials financial practices. Ruling in a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by the U.S. Labor Department, the court ordered Scott Brain, who heads the Cement Masons Union Local 600, and attorney Melissa Cook permanently barred from any position with the trust funds, which pay for retirement and other benefits for the labor groups members. The department alleged that Brain and Cook orchestrated the firing of the trusts audit director, Cheryle Robbins, because she complained about Brains handling of the funds and cooperated in a long-running criminal investigation of him. The agency accused Brain and Cook of having the second employee, Cory Rice, fired because he made similar complaints about Brain. Advertisement The courts order should send a clear message that the department will not tolerate retaliation against whistle-blowers, Assistant Labor Secretary Phyllis C. Borzi said in a statement Monday. Law enforcement depends upon witnesses feeling safe and protected to report violations to the government and to internal decision-makers. An attorney for Brain said his client, who remains business manager of Local 600, did nothing wrong and would appeal the courts decision. Were confident well win, lawyer Peter Morris said. The criminal inquiry into Brain is ongoing, a Labor Department official said. No charges have been filed. Cook, who was an outside attorney for the trusts, did not respond to requests for comment. The court ordered Cook and her firm to return to the trust funds about $61,000 in legal fees that were paid during the episodes involving Robbins and Rice. In his 71-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge John Kronstadt concluded that the actions of Brain and Cook violated the whistle-blower protections of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The ruling also said Cook had an apparent conflict of interest in representing the benefit funds while engaged in a personal relationship with Brain that she did not disclose to other trustees. Last year, as part of the same case, most of those trustees and an administrative firm for the funds agreed to pay Robbins, Rice and a third employee who was fired, Louise Bansmer, a combined $630,000 in lost wages and damages to settle with the government. Robbins earlier collected $200,000 in a separate, wrongful-termination suit she filed as an individual. Bansmer is Rices mother and worked alongside him. Kronstadt found there was insufficient evidence to show that Brain and Cook retaliated against her. The judge also determined that the government had failed to prove that another trustee, Jaime Briceno, retaliated against Robbins. On Monday, Robbins said she hoped the ruling would encourage others in the union to speak up. Justice prevailed, she said. Rice said he was ecstatic about the courts decision. Citing records that were turned over to investigators, The Times reported in 2013 allegations that Brain supported efforts to place Robbins on leave in 2011 after she complained about millions of dollars in uncollected employer contributions to the trusts. Later, Robbins was the only employee not retained by the trusts administrative firm when the benefits office was reorganized. Rice and Bansmer were fired after Robbins. Danielle L. Jaberg, a Labor Department attorney in the case, said the ruling makes clear that people must be able to speak to the government and complain about any concerns they have with trust funds without fear. ALSO Bill to ban private communications by Californias coastal commissioners gets sidetracked Ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca withdraws his guilty plea, clearing the way for a high-profile trial Midnight food deliveries, confused parents and no sleep: real talk from inside the Los Angeles Unified shutdown Detectives are trying to locate the missing granddaughter and four great-grandchildren of a woman who was found dead in her home in the city of Bell on July 21. Paula Montoya, 64,was found dead by police who went to her home after family members did not hear from her for several days. Local news outlets reported that Montoya was found wrapped in a blanket. Advertisement Her body was discovered in a way that was suspicious in nature, said Lt. Mike Rosson. We do not have a cause or mode of death from the Coroners office at this time. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Investigators said Montoya was last seen July 18 at the residence in the 6600 block of Pine Avenue with her granddaughter, Sarah Montoya, 24, and her four young children. But family members and police have not been able to locate Sarah Montoya. Detectives believe the granddaughter and her children were the last to see Paula Montoya alive, and have identified her as a person of interest in the case. We got information that Sarah crossed the border into Mexico on the 21st of July, the same morning, said Rosson. Sarah Montoya is described as Latina with long black hair and brown eyes. She is 411 and weighs 130 pounds. She is believed to be with her daughter, Abagail Rodriguez, and three sons, Joshua, Yosu and Elijah Rodriguez. The children range in age from one to nine. Sarah Montoyas mother, Julia Isham, made a public plea Tuesday, hoping it would reach her daughter. Sarah, first and foremost, we want you to know that your family is behind you 100%, she said. You need to do the right thing and just come home so we know that you and the babies are safe. The case will continue to be treated as a suspicious death investigation rather than a homicide, pending results from the coroners follow-up testing. We just want to make sure Sarah and her children are safe, Rosson said, and wed like to talk to them. ALSO Pilot killed in a plane crash near Van Nuys Airport Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured Speed may have been a factor: Families grieve as 3 bodies are pulled from wrecked truck A red-light camera fiasco has left some Culver City police officials with red faces as they admitted Monday they got the wrong man. The Police Department dismissed a $490 ticket issued to actor Steve Tom for allegedly running a red light and acknowledged it was a case of mistaken identity. Authorities now believe a man who resembles Tom and is the registered owner of the vehicle was the driver. We are dismissing the citation in the interest of justice, Culver City Police Capt. Ron Iizuka said. Advertisement See the most-read stories this hour >> The department decided to reexamine video from the red-light camera and speak to the vehicles registered owner after Tom questioned the ticket in a Times report. Iizuka said it determined Tom was not the driver. Mr. Tom is happy and we are happy to resolve this, he said. The mix-up may have resulted in part from an uncanny resemblance. The ticket had Toms name on it, but the address was in St. Louis, far from Toms North Hollywood home. And the registered owner of the white Land Rover Discovery that allegedly ran the red was someone named Barry L. Babcock. Attached to the ticket was a photo from the red-light camera video. Tom said he and Babcock looked an awful lot alike. Tom, 62, said he is glad the bizarre episode is over, but doesnt know why it took an article in The Times and his own sleuthing to figure things out. He said he received an apology Monday morning after the department reviewed video of who was behind the wheel during the incident on June 15 at 2:44 p.m. Im fine with the outcome, he said. According to the video, the vehicle made a right turn on a red at Sepulveda Boulevard and Green Valley Circle. After receiving the citation two weeks ago, Tom, who played a judge on the TV drama Major Crimes, scoured the Internet for information about Babcock. He quickly found images of the former cable television executive. Tom said he was taken aback by their resemblance. He hired a private investigator and found addresses in Florida and Missouri. All the while, Culver City police were insisting he was the culprit. The guy insisted to me the department got the right guy and it was me, Tom told The Times. The city was going to win. He said, When I saw the photograph, I knew it was you. You can bring as many attorneys, but it is you. Iizuka told The Times last week one of the officers knew Tom and identified him as the man in the video. Babcock, meanwhile, acknowledged that he didnt know Tom, but declined to comment at length about the red-light violation or ticket. Red-light cameras have been a financial boon for Culver City since 1999. Theyre installed at 11 intersections across town, according to city records. In 2014, the cameras generated more than $2 million in revenue, with about 40% going to a company that operates the system, according to the records. Jay Beeber of Safer Streets L.A., a group that successfully campaigned to eliminate Los Angeles red-light cameras in 2012, said the ticket Tom got raised questions. That is the craziest red-light cam ticket I have ever heard of and I have been doing this awhile, Beeber said. They have to have a reasonable suspicion. What other evidence do they have? According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the number of cities nationwide using red-light cameras has declined to about 400 from more than 700 in recent years as questions over whether they improve safety have arisen. More than 100 cities in California once used the cameras, but that number has dropped by about two-thirds, Beeber said. In Toms case, Iizuka said Culver City police were happy to correct the error. Thank you for keeping us on our toes, he told a reporter Monday. Twitter: @lacrimes ALSO At least 5 dead in Merced County bus crash Three bodies are found at crash site in Angeles National Forest during search for missing teens I tried to do CPR and nothing was working: 3 die after attending Hard Summer rave near Fontana Los Angeles police shot and injured a man inside an East Hollywood Walgreens shortly after midnight Tuesday during what was described by a sergeant as an significant struggle. Officers answering a report of a dispute inside the store near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue arrived about 12:50 a.m., said LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado. The officers found the man who was allegedly fighting with a store employee and attempted to take him into custody, Preciado said. Advertisement The man became extremely combative and started fighting the officers, taking them to the ground, Preciado said. At some point, he said, police shot the man, wounding him in the leg. A Taser may have also been used, Preciado said. The man, who police said was about 30 years old, was taken to a hospital, as was one of the officers, who had a gash on his forehead, Preciado said. The officers, assigned to the LAPDs Hollywood Division, were not wearing body cameras, but Preciado said investigators were reviewing store security video. The shooting, like all LAPD shootings, will be reviewed by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, the Los Angeles Police Commission and the Office of the Inspector General. kate.mather@latimes.com Twitter: @katemather ALSO Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured Three bodies are found at crash site in Angeles National Forest during search for missing teens Culver City police admit they got the wrong guy with red-light camera ticket and apologize to actor A homeless man was critically injured Tuesday after he was stabbed several times by at least a half-dozen transients near an Anaheim park, police said. The man was attacked by six to seven people, who were also homeless, at 1:46 a.m. in the 1100 block of La Palma Parkway near La Palma Park, according to Sgt. Daron Wyatt, spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department. A passerby spotted the victim bleeding in a nearby parking lot and immediately notified police, he said. The man was taken to a hospital. Advertisement Police arrived in the neighborhood shortly after and found one of the victims alleged attackers. Police arrested Joshua Shawn Ryan, 23, of Anaheim on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, Wyatt said. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. MORE LOCAL NEWS Man shot by LAPD after intense struggle at East Hollywood pharmacy, police say Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured William Brattons announcement that he will resign as LAPD chief takes leadership by surprise Civil rights lawyers filed suit Tuesday accusing the Los Angeles Superior Court of improperly suspending driving privileges for tens of thousands of poor people because they cant afford to pay their traffic fines. The suit said the court triggers license suspensions by the Department of Motor Vehicles without determining whether the motorists willfully ignored fines or were too broke to pay the often exorbitant penalties. The suspensions disproportionately hurt black and Latino people, the suit alleged. For the record: The original version of this article incorrectly included the law firm of Hadsell Stormer & Renick among the groups that filed the suit against the Los Angeles Superior Court. If they are poor and dont have the money to pay, by definition, they cannot be found to have willfully failed to pay, said Antionette Dozier of the Western Center on Law and Poverty, one of the lawyers on the case. They are just poor. Advertisement The impact of traffic tickets on poor people came under scrutiny after the Department of Justice, in the wake of the police shooting of Michael Brown, issued a searing report finding that Ferguson, Mo.s, license suspensions and other low-level enforcement fueled racial inequality. A later study by legal and civil rights advocates found that more than 4 million Californians had their licenses suspended for unpaid tickets since 2006.The highest suspension rates came in poor neighborhoods dominated by black and Latino residents, including Compton, Bell, Hawthorne and East Los Angeles, a follow-up report found. In Los Angeles County, black people make up 9.2% of the population but accounted for 33% of those arrested for driving with a suspended license from September 2013 to September 2015, the report said. Without a license, poor people often cannot find a job, drive to medical appointments or get public benefits, advocates said. A bill proposed by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) to stop automatic suspension of driving privileges for failure to pay minor traffic tickets is currently before the Assembly. The cost of traffic tickets soared during the states budget crisis because of fees added to pay for state programs. The suit said what was once a $100 ticket now costs $500, and $800 if the first payment deadline is missed. The lawsuit alleges that plaintiff Gloria Mata Alvarado lost her license after failing to pay a $712 fine for adjusting her seat belt while riding with her husband. Alvarado and her husband are disabled and living on fixed retirement and disability payments of $1,514 a month, the suit said. After she told the court she was disabled and unemployed, the judge would reduce the fine only to $600, the suit said. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, but may have to be transferred to another jurisdiction to avoid a conflict, lawyers said. It asks the court to conduct a racial-impact analysis of its ticketing and license suspension policies and to institute new notification and hearing procedures to ensure individuals do not lose their licenses for inability to pay. Also bringing the suit were the USC Gould School of Law; Rapkin & Associates; Schonbrun Seplow Harris & Hoffman; and a New Way of Life Reentry Project. The lawyers also sent the Department of Motor Vehicles a letter asking that license suspensions be halted unless due process for poor people is guaranteed. gholland@latimes.com Twitter: @geholland MORE LOCAL NEWS Above average wildfire activity is forecast through October Billion-dollar Beverly Hills development challenged because of ex-mayors lobbying Garcetti confirms DWP chief Marcie Edwards to step down this month Marcie Edwards, who is quitting her job as general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power slightly more than two years after she was appointed to reform the agency, will step down in two weeks, Mayor Eric Garcettis office announced Monday. Garcetti said in a statement that DWP Chief Operating Officer David Wright, who has been at the department for two years, would take over on an interim basis after Edwards leaves Aug. 16. Wright, who previously worked at other public utilities for 25 years, will be the departments eighth general manager in 10 years. For the record: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that David Wright, named interim general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, has worked at the agency for 27 years. He has been at the DWP for two years, and had previously worked at other public utilities for 25 years. Edwards, 59, will continue to serve as a special advisor to Garcetti and the DWP through the end of the year, according to the mayors statement. Advertisement The statement marks the first time Garcetti has directly acknowledged Edwards departure, which he declined to discuss with a reporter last week. One of his aides said Edwards was planning her retirement but that she would stay in her job at least through the end of August. When I took office, LADWP was facing difficult challenges we needed a visionary leader to put our utility back on track, and thats exactly what Marcie Edwards has done, Garcetti said in the statement. She has left an indelible mark on our city, and I am deeply grateful for her service. Garcetti, who campaigned on promises to improve the DWP, cast Edwards as a key figure in his administration when he appointed her in 2014. Yet Edwards leaves the department at a time of organizational flux and with lingering questions about how much of her reform mandate has been fulfilled. She steered the agency through crisis in the aftermath of its botched rollout of a new billing system and helped persuade the City Council to approve a rate increase that department officials said was necessary to repair the citys water and power infrastructure. Edwards has had less success in achieving what she has described as another primary goal: making the department more responsive to the needs of ratepayers. Last month, the consumer-research group J.D. Power & Associates ranked DWP last in customer satisfaction among large Western power providers for the fifth year in a row. Edwards had said improving the departments standing in the survey was one of her top priorities. This fall, city residents will vote on a ballot initiative supported by Edwards, the City Council and the mayor that is intended to reduce political interference in the agency by giving it greater autonomy in day-to-day operations such as hiring and contracting. peter.jamison@latimes.com Follow @petejamison on Twitter ALSO CHP arrest teen boy after 2-hour pursuit on Southern California freeways Man suffering from Alzheimers is released from L.A. County jail and found dead two days later Culver City police admit they got the wrong guy with red-light camera ticket and apologize to actor Los Angeles County voters will be asked in November to approve a half-cent sales tax increase that would continue indefinitely to fund a major expansion of Southern Californias transit network. The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to add the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys tax increase proposal to a ballot already crowded with other initiatives. The proposal, approved by Metros directors in June, would generate at least $860 million per year to expand the countys rail network through the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley and the Sepulveda Pass. Advertisement The so-called Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan would also fully or partially fund 10 new highway projects, including an extension of State Route 71 and a new carpool-lane interchange between the 405 and 110 freeways. The proposal would raise the countys base sales rate to 9.5% and push the rate to 10% in some cities, including Santa Monica and Commerce. The half-cent tax would double to one cent in 2039 to replace the revenue lost when Measure R, another half-cent sales tax, expires. The one-cent tax would then continue indefinitely. Our region has some of the worst traffic jams and smog in the country. We must act now. Glendora Mayor Gene Murabito Metro officials have requested that the initiative be called Measure M, but a name has not yet been formally assigned. During nearly an hour of public comment at the Board of Supervisors downtown meeting Tuesday, representatives for local municipalities, labor unions and advocacy groups voiced their support for the measure. Our region has some of the worst traffic jams and smog in the country, said Glendora Mayor Gene Murabito, the president of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. We must act now. Supervisor Don Knabe said he agreed that the measure should be put on the ballot, but voiced concerns about a sales tax that would continue indefinitely. The measure would be the third tax that funds Metro without an expiration date. This is an open check. This is a forever tax. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe This is an open check, Knabe said. This is a forever tax. If voters approve the increase, Metro will receive two cents for every dollar spent in the county. Some transit boosters fear that a ballot crowded with other tax initiatives could hurt Metros chances. The sales tax proposal requires a two-thirds vote to pass often a high hurdle. County voters will also be asked to approve a parcel tax for parks and a community college bond measure. City of Los Angeles voters will weigh a proposal to issue $1.2 billion in bonds to build housing for the homeless. laura.nelson@latimes.com For more transportation news, follow @laura_nelson on Twitter. MORE LOCAL NEWS Man shot by LAPD after intense struggle at East Hollywood pharmacy, police say Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured Former LAPD Chief William Bratton to resign as New York police commissioner A 71-year-old man with Alzheimers disease who was reported missing by his family has been found dead in downtown Los Angeles two days after he was arrested then released from jail on his own recognizance, authorities said Monday. Relatives in Pasadena reported Gerald Sakamoto missing Friday after he left home in the middle of the night. His family told KABC that he had pretended to take his medication before leaving. Los Angeles County jail records show that Sakamoto was arrested by the California Highway Patrol about 3 a.m. Friday on suspicion of driving drunk. But his daughter Mindy Brink said the problems he had driving resulted from him failing to take his medication. Advertisement I dont think that he was drunk, she told KABC. I believe that the reason that he had such impaired judgment is because he hadnt had his medication. Records show that Sakamoto was released from jail about 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Sheriffs Department said there was no indication he had Alzheimers disease before he was released on his own recognizance. All persons being released from our custody are offered the opportunity to stay in custody up to 16 hours, or until daylight hours, to arrange transportation or to contact service providers. Mr. Sakamoto declined the accommodation, the statement said. Any inmate who shows signs of needing medical attention or requests it will be treated at the booking center, department officials said. However, the agencys statement continued, records indicate that Mr. Sakamoto was not identified as requiring special needs or assistance during his time in custody. There is no foul play suspected in Sakamotos death and the coroners office is investigating, officials said. A family member who answered the phone at Sakamotos home declined to comment. joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. ALSO Man caught allegedly trying to break into Southern California jail CHP arrest teen boy after 2-hour pursuit on Southern California freeways 3 die after attending Hard Summer rave in Fontana The pilot of a light sport plane was killed Tuesday afternoon when the aircraft crashed against a building east of Van Nuys Airport, authorities said. Firefighters worked to rescue the pilot trapped inside the single-engine plane at 1:29 p.m., according to Margaret Stewart, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles city Fire Department. The plane was resting up against the building. There were no reports of significant structural damage to the building. Advertisement Authorities think the pilot was flying an Arion Lightning kit aircraft, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings at Van Nuys Airport, he said. The touch-and-go procedure requires a pilot to land on a runway and then immediately take off, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. On his last touch-and-go run, the pilot made a hard landing, said Diana Sanchez, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles World Airports. Airport officials have temporarily closed its 4,000-foot training runaway. Live TV footage showed a damaged power pole and the wreckage of the plane along the side of a building in the 16000 block of West Hart Street. The building appears to house Los Angeles Modern Auctions. Firefighters warned that wires were down and that drivers should stay clear of the area. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. MORE LOCAL NEWS Redondo Beach police officer injured and a suspect shot outside a hotel in Lawndale 3 die after attending Hard Summer rave near Fontana Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured UPDATES: 3:20 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from a Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman. 2:55 p.m.: This article was updated with fire officials confirming the pilot was killed. 2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m. By all accounts, Uber Chinas head of strategy and the president of Didi Chuxing have a lot in common. Both are young, highly successful women in positions of power, and both work in the same industry. But one more thing unites them: the two women are also cousins. Chinese car-hailing app Didi Chuxing announced on Aug. 1 that it will take over Uber's Chinas operations. The deal will form a single car-hailing operation in China valued at $35 billion. Uber will take a 5.9 percent stake in Didi; Didi did not disclose the stake it will take in Uber. Uber China's service will continue to operate independently. The takeover, which will end the fierce competition between the two rivals in the mainland market, has also been described by some as a "family struggle." Liu Qing, president of Didi Chuxing Liu Zhen, Uber Chinas head of strategy, is the niece of Liu Chuanzhi, founder of Lenovo, whose daughter, Liu Qing, is the president of Didi Chuxing. Liu Chuanzhi himself is the largest shareholder of China Auto Rental, another major car-hailing company in China. Liu Zhen, Uber Chinas head of strategy A former Palos Verdes resident found guilty of traveling to Cambodia to sexually exploit children was sentenced to 70 years in federal prison Monday. Ronald Gerard Boyajian was convicted in March on federal counts of international travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors, engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in foreign places, and commission of a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender. Boyajian, 55, had been convicted of 22 counts of illegal sex with a minor and oral sex with a minor stemming from a 1995 California case. Advertisement After he was released from parole, he traveled to Cambodia 35 times in a nine-year period to sexually abuse young, impoverished children there. After being convicted of sexually exploiting two children here in California, this defendant tried to evade justice by traveling to Cambodia to victimize even younger children, U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder said during Mondays hearing. The total number of people who were victimized by Boyajian is unknown, officials said. The conduct for which he was convicted is extremely serious, Snyder said. The reason the court has decided to impose the maximum sentence on each account is for the protection of the public. During sentencing, Boyajian was also ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution to a victim and $20,000 to Hagar International, a Cambodia-based organization that works against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children. Boyajian, who also previously resided in Menlo Park, was one of the first people to be charged under operation Twisted Traveler, an international law enforcement initiative to crack down on Americans traveling to Cambodia to engage in sex with minors. Investigators from the Cambodian human rights organization Action Pour Les Enfants witnessed Boyajian visiting a child brothel and launched an investigation. Boyajian was arrested in 2009. According to a 2009 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement report, a victim told investigators the names of nine girls between ages 10 and 17 who were paid to perform oral sex on Boyajian, whom they knew as John. The U.S. attorneys office said that Boyajian preferred his victims to weigh less than 70 pounds. Four of Boyajians victims, who were between ages 8 and 11 when they were abused, testified in court. I would like the court not to allow him to leave prison because there are possibly other children out there who could be harmed, just like it happened to me, one child pleaded. U.S. Dist. Atty. Eileen Decker said that pursuing child predators is a high priority. These victims were very young women and children who were clearly very deeply affected, Decker said. Hopefully the sentence gives them some sense of peace. Boyajians attacks took place in Svay Pak, a city where many poor Vietnamese immigrants live. Its about 11 kilometers, or seven miles, outside Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh. Svay Pak is infamously known as a popular place for foreigners to have sex with young girls. Acting as his own attorney, Boyajian delayed the case for several years, objecting to nearly every aspect of the proceedings. During that time, he remained in custody in Los Angeles. In his last attempt to delay sentencing, Boyajian filed a motion to have Snyder removed from the case. The sentence issued Monday is conditional pending a ruling on that motion. erica.evans@latimes.com ALSO Man caught allegedly trying to break into Southern California jail CHP arrest teen boy after 2-hour pursuit on Southern California freeways Man suffering from Alzheimers is released from L.A. County jail and found dead two days later Billionaire Democratic political activist and potential gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer toured skid row Tuesday with Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who said afterward that he is courting Steyers support for a potential March sales tax initiative for homeless services. County supervisors contemplated placing a homeless tax initiative on the November ballot and voted last month to go forward with a proposal to tax marijuana businesses for homeless services. But they quickly reversed course and voted not to place the initiative on the ballot after all, after a number of advocates pushed back against the idea. Ridley-Thomas had pushed for a quarter-cent sales tax initiative, projected to raise an estimated $355 million a year compared with a high-end estimate of $130 million for the marijuana tax but the sales tax fell short of the four-fifths vote on the board needed to place it on the ballot. Advertisement See the most-read stories this hour That could change after November, when voters will choose two new board members to replace retiring supervisors Don Knabe and Michael D. Antonovich, who both voted against the sales tax. Ridley-Thomas said he is very hopeful that the newly configured board would support a March sales tax measure. Steyer said he had planned the trip to Los Angeles to attend events at the branches of the non-profit community bank he founded with his wife, and took the skid row tour at Ridley-Thomas request. Steyer was the nations largest individual political donor in 2014, spending $74 million that year, and he spent $1 million to help an initiative to increase the states tobacco tax qualify for the ballot this year. County staffers and nonprofit homeless-service providers walked Steyer through the offices of Housing for Health, a county program that started as an effort to house homeless people who are frequent users of hospital emergency rooms and has since expanded into a broader housing initiative; the next-door Star Apartments, a 100-unit complex of prefabricated apartment units for formerly homeless tenants; and then through several blocks of sidewalk encampments to the nearby Downtown Womens Center. Steyer said afterward that he was impressed by both the scope of the problem and the systematic and coordinated efforts to address it he saw. To me this is a fantastic chance to meet the people who are trying to solve homelessness in Los Angeles, he said. Steyer said he was not sure yet what sort of help he would give to effort in Los Angeles, but added, I think what [Ridley-Thomas] was saying is, heres an issue thats central to our civic kind of sense of well-being and progress, and its a chance to participate in it, and thats the kind of thing that is interesting to me. Ridley-Thomas said afterward that he had intended the tour to give Steyer a firsthand view of the scope of the problem and the intensity of the problem and to give him an introduction to the innovation thats taking place in efforts to address it. He said he had discussed the potential ballot initiative with Steyer and that hes indicated that hes very interested in helping. A spokesman for Steyers political organization, NextGen Climate Action, said the group had not taken a position on the potential ballot measure. Apart from the potential March county measure, the city of Los Angeles is placing a $1.2-billion bond measure on the November ballot, with the proceeds to be used to build more housing for the homeless. But the money maybe used only for construction, not for services. The countywide homeless population has swelled in recent years and stood at nearly 47,000 as of this years count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. abby.sewell@latimes.com Twitter: @sewella MORE LOCAL NEWS L.A. Metros sales tax proposal will appear on the November ballot Anonymous mourner leaves Purple Heart at tribute to fallen San Diego police Court improperly suspends poor peoples driver licenses, suit alleges Police are hoping to find the person who placed a Purple Heart at a memorial to fallen officers, where candles have burned for days in honor of Jonathan JD De Guzman. The medal, which officials believe to be authentic, was left Saturday morning at the granite monument that bears the names of 32 officers who have died in the line of duty. Soon, De Guzmans name will be inscribed with them. The 16-year-veteran was killed and his partner, Wade Irwin, was wounded Thursday night during an incident that Chief Shelley Zimmerman said began as a traffic stop. Advertisement A watch commander on duty at the downtown memorial said he saw a man get out of a car Saturday and walk up to the memorial before placing something next to a folded flag, San Diego police said. The sergeant went over to see what had been left and found the medal. He brought it inside for safekeeping. See the most-read stories in Local News this hour >> The Purple Heart, one of the best known and most revered combat decorations, is awarded to U.S. service members who are wounded in war and given posthumously to family members of those killed in action or who died of wounds received in battle. It has an image of George Washington on the front and the words For Military Merit on the back. The medal in question has no identifiable markings; according to the American War Library, only in rare cases are the medals officially engraved with the recipients name. Officers believe the medal was placed at the memorial in a gesture of respect to De Guzman and the sacrifice he made. If the person who left it can be identified, officers will try to contact him to hear the story about the medal. Otherwise, he will just remain anonymous. Other offerings left at the memorial include a pendant of St. Michael the patron saint of police and a note from the Archie Buggs family. Buggs was a San Diego officer killed in the line of duty in 1978. The Buggs family feels your pain, the note read. Drawings from children are set among the dozens of bouquets, some of which are tied in blue ribbons. One note written by an 8-year-old read, I am sorry your dad died but he is still with you. He is in heaven looking over you. I think your dad was really brave and strong and protecting us all from the bad guys. Pam Grace stopped by Tuesday morning with an American flag that another mourner helped her carefully fold, military style. She said that she flew the flag at the procession for fallen Navy SEAL Charles Keating, who was killed in Iraq last spring. So now its going to another hero, Grace said. Police said the Purple Heart will be given to De Guzmans family, along with other items that have been left as a tribute to him. debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com Baker writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune MORE LOCAL NEWS Man shot by LAPD after intense struggle at East Hollywood pharmacy, police say Catastrophic charter bus crash leaves five dead, L.A. driver seriously injured Former LAPD Chief William Bratton to resign as New York police commissioner When William J. Bratton announced he was stepping down as L.A.s police chief, even the ACLU seemed saddened. Now, seven years later and three time zones away, Brattons resignation as New York Citys police commissioner is drawing a similar reaction from the U.S. attorney leading a corruption investigation that has already resulted in criminal charges against four ranking New York police officials. Over a long career, on both coasts, no one has done more for policing and public safety in Americas largest cities than Bill Bratton, federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said. Advertisement Bratton, one of the nations most prominent and well-known cops, has long had a knack for turning potential adversaries into admirers. Over a long career, on both coasts, no one has done more for policing and public safety in Americas largest cities than Bill Bratton. U.S. Atty. Preet Bharara His resignation, effective next month, ends a long career in law enforcement that included stints as the top police official in some of Americas largest cities. It also marks the second time he has stepped down from police work to take a private sector job. Im leaving with reluctance, Bratton, 68, said at a news conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio. I wish I had more time chronologically to stay around three, four years to work on the issues that are going to take that long to straighten out, but I dont have that kind of time. Bratton served as New York police commissioner in the 1990s under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, when he was credited with moving aggressively to bring down the citys high crime rate. He returned to the office in January 2014, after serving in Los Angeles from 2002 to 2009. During Brattons second tenure, the department has been dogged by the ongoing federal corruption investigation and a strained relationship with black residents. Josmar Trujillo, left, who lives in Spanish Harlem, and Nicholas Heyward Sr., whose son Nicholas Heyward Jr. was killed by police is 1994 in Brooklyn, rally during a protest against police brutality outside City Hall. (Drew Angerer / AFP-Getty Images ) One of the central events of that discord stemmed from the death of Eric Garner, who died in July 2014 after a police officer put him an apparent chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. The case became a rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement and drew national attention. Later that year, two New York police officers were fatally shot while sitting in their patrol car by a gunman who had said on social media that he was seeking retaliation for Garners death. Bratton said Tuesday that the department had made progress in healing relations by instituting neighborhood policing policies and adding more training for officers. Regarding the issue of race and community relations, were on a journey, but its not a journey thats unique to New York City, he said. Its a crisis in America at this moment; the national election is revolving around it. I would argue that we are farther along in New York City than most places to meet it. But the racial tensions remain. Brattons announcement came a day after Millions March NYC, a group linked to the Black Lives Matter movement, began a protest in a park near City Hall, demanding among other things -- the commissioners resignation. Bratton, however, said he was stepping down for personal reasons only. I received an offer that for me and my wife was extraordinarily exciting, he said. Bratton declined to say anything more about his new job except that it was at a private firm not involved in policing, and that he would be remaining in New York. In Los Angeles, his tenure was defined by data-driven policing, a significant drop in crime and ongoing efforts to mend the rifts in the community that he inherited. The LAPD he took over was still crawling out from under its reputation as a military-style operation that confronted urban problems with aggression and force. It was also still steadying itself following the Rampart scandal, in which members of an anti-gang unit were blamed for narcotics dealings, unprovoked shootings and planting false evidence. At the time, the department was operating under a consent decree a binding agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that spelled out dozens of major reforms the LAPD had to implement. Initially, Bratton seemed to embrace the decree as a blueprint for remaking the LAPD. But as the years passed, he and others chafed at the courts refusal to loosen its grip on the department. The oversight came to an end in 2013, years after Bratton had left. After he left the LAPD, Bratton became chairman of a New York-based security consulting firm, Kroll. But he was drawn back West. In 2011, he was asked to head a University of California investigation into the pepper spraying of student protesters at UC Davis. The university system had reached out to him in part because of his forceful handling of the 2007 May Day confrontation at MacArthur Park, where L.A. police officers were caught on video wielding batons and firing rubber bullet to disperse a crowd of largely peaceful protesters. The city eventually paid a $13-million settlement to protesters and bystanders. Bratton also was hired to develop a security blueprint for Dodger Stadium after the 2011 near-fatal beating of Giants fans Bryan Stow. After a near-fatal beating at Dodger Stadium in 2011, Bratton was hired to develop a security blueprint for the facility. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times ) Bratton said that under his leadership in New York, the department had brought down crime, become better prepared for a potential terrorist attack and had improved the safety of officers through the purchase of better equipment. Bratton will be replaced as commissioner by James ONeill, the chief of department and top uniformed officer. I wish I had words for what this man has accomplished, De Blasio said. Haller is a special correspondent. ALSO How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race For Baltimore officers cleared in Freddie Grays death, an uncertain future Black lives matter! chants erupt as Mothers of the Movement take the stage at the DNC UPDATES: 12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background information and comments from Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Atty. Preet Bharara. This article was originally published at 11:40 a.m. The Supreme Court has its first chance this week to weigh in on the legal controversy over transgender students, as a Virginia school board seeks an emergency order exempting it from the Obama administrations policy to allow students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. The 4th Circuit Court in a 2-1 decision upheld this policy in April and ruled for Gavin Grimm, a 17-year old transgender boy from Gloucester, Va. He had sued after the school board adopted a rule saying the use of restrooms shall be limited to the corresponding biological genders. The U.S. Department of Education cited this ruling in May it when said that according to its interpretation of the federal anti-discrimination law known as Title IX, schools and colleges must allow transgender students access to restrooms, locker rooms and dormitories that fit their gender identity. Advertisement See the most-read stories this hour The same week, the Justice Department sued the state of North Carolina over its law, known as House Bill 2 or HB2, which says schools and colleges must maintain restrooms and changing facilities that are segregated by sex, defined by the physical condition of being male or female which is stated on a persons birth certificate. Now with a new school year approaching, several courts are being asked to decide quickly on the issue. A federal judge in North Carolina heard arguments Monday from lawyers for the ACLU and Lambda Legal, who called HB2 discriminatory and unconstitutional. They said the states law should be put on hold. All I want is to use the appropriate restroom in peace, just like everyone else, said Joaquin Carcano, 28, the lead plaintiff. He is an employee of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a transgender man. Its humiliating that this law separates me from my peers and treats me like a second-class citizen. All I want is to use the appropriate restroom in peace, just like everyone else. Joaquin Carcano, lead plaintiff U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder said he would rule shortly on whether to temporarily suspend the state law, and then will hear further arguments in November on whether to strike it down entirely. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has been considering the appeal from the Gloucester County School Board asking it to put on hold the 4th Circuits decision upholding the gender identity rule. The school boards lawyers said the dispute goes far beyond a single students use of a particular bathroom. The case has assumed nationwide importance, they say, now that the administration seeks to impose its Title IX interpretation on every school district in the nation, and indeed, to extend that interpretation beyond restrooms to locker rooms, showers, single-sex classes, housing and overnight accommodations. ACLU lawyers representing Gavin Grimm said the appeal should be turned down. They said the case involves only the 17-year old who sued, and no irreparable harm will occur if [Grimm] is allowed to use the boys restroom this year while the school board seeks a full review of the 4th Circuits decision. The emergency appeal was filed with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who oversees the 4th Circuit. If he or the full court turns down the appeal, which is likely, it will be seen as an early signal that the administrations rule on transgender rights will be upheld. With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February, the courts conservatives can no longer muster a five-member majority needed to issue a ruling, including emergency orders in pending cases. The school boards lawyers would need at least one vote from the four liberal justices. The Gloucester case raises a procedural issue that might well draw the attention of the conservative justices. The Obama administration did not seek a new law to clarify the rights of transgender students, or even issue a new regulation. Instead, Education Department lawyers issued a new interpretation of a 1970s-era regulation that had permitted sex-segregated restrooms and locker rooms. The new guidance said transgender students must be treated consistent with their gender identity. The school boards lawyers characterized this as a sleight-of-hand gesture that resulted in a major change in the law. In recent years, the courts conservatives said they were increasingly skeptical of federal agencies that change the law by announcing new interpretations of old regulations. But without Scalia, they may not have the votes. So far, the 4th Circuit Court, based in Richmond, Va., is the only one to rule directly on transgender students and school bathrooms. Since May, lawyers for Texas, Nebraska and 20 other Republican-led states have joined suits challenging the Education Departments policy. On Twitter: DavidGSavage MORE NATIONAL NEWS How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race Black Lives Matter has signed onto a platform in time for the presidential election. Heres what it says Despite Donald Trump cementing the GOP nomination, the Koch network keeps its distance When President Obama declared Tuesday that Donald Trump was unfit to be commander in chief and suggested Republicans would be wise to break from their nominee, GOP leaders could be forgiven for discounting the advice of the leader of the opposition. What they might not have counted on was that within hours, Trump himself would threaten to abandon them first. The high-wire political tactics from both Obama and Trump backed Republican lawmakers into a predicament amid another day of controversial statements and erratic behavior from the GOP nominee. Advertisement Obama said Republicans repeated denunciations of Trumps actions most recently for a spat with the family of an Army captain killed in Iraq rang hollow if they continued to endorse him. There has to come a point at which you say, Somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesnt have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world, the president said at a White House news conference. Trump appeared to invite open warfare within his party by signaling he would not back House Speaker Paul D. Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain in their reelection bids. I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country, Trump told the Washington Post, one day after he tweeted support for Ryans GOP primary rival. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And Im just not quite there yet. Im not quite there yet. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter His utterance echoed Ryans own hesitation in May to endorse Trump before finally backing Trumps presidential run. On McCain, the partys 2008 presidential nominee, Trump took a harder line. Ive never been there with John McCain because Ive always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets, Trump said. The refusal to endorse fellow Republicans renewed attention on internal party squabbling at a time when the GOP is racing to mount a united front in the general election fight and make its case against Hillary Clinton. McCain had said that Trumps complaints about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan who denounced Trump last week, do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. McCain said that though he still supported Trump, his nomination was not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had also expressed support for the Khans but did not mention Trump by name. On Tuesday, spokespeople for each declined to comment on Obamas assertions. Zack Roday, a spokesman for Ryans reelection campaign, responded to Trump, however. Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trumps endorsement, he said. We are confident in a victory next week regardless. Ryan is widely expected to win his primary next week. His larger challenge, though, is maintaining party unity, at least for the benefit of his own House colleagues as they seek to hold on to their majority. McCain faces a clearer threat both within his own party the Arizona GOP recently censured him for his support of a comprehensive immigration reform measure and from a Democratic challenger. Another Trump target was first-term New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, locked in one of this years closest Senate contests, who had said she was appalled by Trumps criticism of the Khans. Trump, who won the states lead-off presidential primary, questioned why she was offering zero support for him. I call it like I see it and Im always going to stand up for our military families and whats best for the people of New Hampshire, Ayotte tweeted in response. Obama said that in standing by their nominee, GOP leaders risked blurring a distinction between conservative philosophies and what he has called Trumps demagogic views. He diagnosed Trumps liabilities coolly and with lawyer-like precision; among them, that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia. The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president, Obama said. I said so last week at the Democratic convention and he keeps on proving it. Obama noted that he had serious policy differences with the two Republican presidential nominees he defeated, McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. But I never thought that they couldnt do the job, Obama said. Had they won, I would have been disappointed, but I would have said to all Americans, This is our president, and I know theyre going to abide by certain norms and rules and common sense will observe basic decency, he said. But with Trump, Obama said, Republican leaders need to say, Enough. The alternative is that the entire party, the Republican Party, effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated by Mr. Trump, he said. Trump responded by blaming Obama and Clinton, the presidents former secretary of State, for policy missteps at home and abroad. Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office, he said in a statement. She is reckless with her emails, reckless with regime change, and reckless with American lives. Our nation has been humiliated abroad and compromised by radical Islam brought onto our shores. We need change now. Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way, saw Obama making a political argument but also one on principle. A major party either collapsing or experiencing crisis is not good for the other party, he said. When you are the president, particularly a president nearing the end of your term, his interest is not political. What he wants is for the United States to be secure, and for his legacy to be secure. And handing the country over to an unstable sociopath would endanger both things substantially. Third Way and the Truman National Security Project have been advising Democrats on what they call an Admit Hes Unfit campaign to pressure Republicans to acknowledge what they see as Trumps liabilities. Trumps posture toward Ryan in particular speaks to the necessity of doing so, Bennett said. He is not going to change. There will not be a pivot, he said. Trump is telling the world as loudly and as clearly as he can that this is me. So if you think this behavior will stop with the campaign you are crazy. One Republican did make a clean break with Trump. Retiring Rep. Richard Hanna of New York became the first GOP lawmaker to say he would vote for Clinton. I do not expect perfection, he wrote in an op-ed in the Syracuse Post-Standard, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins. And in yet another unusual campaign sight, Trump, during a rally in Virginia at nearly the same time Obama spoke, asked a mother to leave with her crying baby. You can get the baby out of here, he said, a few minutes after he said he liked hearing the childs cries. michael.memoli@latimes.com For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli on Twitter. Child yells profanity directed at Hillary Clinton during Donald Trump rally Trump mired in another day of controversy with family of soldier killed in Iraq Despite Donald Trump cementing the GOP nomination, the Koch network keeps its distance UPDATES: 5:50 p.m.: This story was updated with more comments from Trump. 2:40 p.m.: This story was updated with reaction from Donald Trump. This story was originally published at 9:40 a.m. Clinton makes a play for a single electoral vote, with help from Warren Buffett The crowd chants Hillary! as she and Warren Buffett enter the gym. #TeamFOX42 pic.twitter.com/5Yrcs3YcDL FOX 42 KPTM (@FOX42KPTM) August 1, 2016 In what could be a close election, every electoral vote matters. And so at an event in Omaha on Monday to encourage a huge voter turnout there on Nov. 8, billionaire Warren Buffett was offering free rides to the polls. Hillary Clinton did one better. Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together, she promised, saying shed return as president if voter turnout in the district is highest in the country. Nebraska, unlike every other state but Maine, does not simply award its electoral college votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote. Instead, just two of its five electoral votes go to the statewide winner, while one additional vote is awarded to the winner of each of its three congressional districts. In 2008, the Obama campaign contested Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District mainly the city of Omaha and managed to pick off its vote. Aides dubbed it Obamaha, but the presidents campaign failed to replicate it in 2012. Now, Hillary Clinton is making another run at it. Buffett noted that one political analyst had recently predicted a 269-269 electoral vote tie. I am looking at the people who can change that 269 to 270, he said. Buffett said he was committed to making voter turnout in the congressional district the highest of any in the country, and said hed personally arrange for transportation via trolley to the polls for anyone in the district who might need it. Im going to be on it all day, Buffett said of the trolley. Im going to do selfies, whatever it takes. Lets give America a civics lesson! How about it? Even if Clinton fails to carry the district, the stop could help boost her standing nearby. The Omaha media market reaches into western Iowa, a swing state in November. Meg Whitman joins chorus of Republicans supporting Hillary Clinton Meg Whitman, the Hewlett-Packard chief executive who ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 2010, will back Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, joining other prominent Republicans troubled by Donald Trumps candidacy. As a proud Republican, casting my vote for president has usually been a simple matter. This year is different, Whitman wrote on Facebook. Donald Trumps demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character. Whitman, a major GOP fundraiser whose net worth is about $2 billion, also told the New York Times that she planned to raise money for Clinton. Whitman has already donated more than $100,000 to anti-Trump efforts, but her decision to actively solicit donations for Clinton is a major blow to Trumps fundraising, which has deeply lagged behind Clinton. Last month, Clinton raised $90 million for her campaign and that of other Democrats, while Trump said he raised a bit more than one-third of that. Trumps unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security. His authoritarian character could threaten much more, wrote Whitman, urging fellow Republicans to reject his nomination. In recent days, Trump has drawn scorn from Democrats and Republicans alike for his criticism of an American Muslim family whose son died in combat in Iraq, and several leading Republican operatives have backed off from supporting Trump. Sally Bradshaw, an influential GOP strategist in Florida who advised former Gov. Jeb Bush during his primary campaign, announced Monday that she would leave the party. A day later, Maria Comella, a top former advisor to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, also called Trump a demagogue and signaled her support for Clinton. Trump, she said, has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on peoples anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the other. The move by several Republican women to back Clinton underscores the issues the GOP nominee has had with female voters. Trumps comments about women, including suggesting that a Fox News reporter was menstruating when she questioned him in a Republican debate, have been the subject of advertising by Clinton and super PACs supporting her campaign. While speaking to reporters Tuesday, President Obama declared Trump unfit to become president and said Republican denunciations of Trumps actions were hollow if they continued to endorse him. There has to come a point at which you say, Enough, he said. "... The alternative is that the entire party effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated. Whitman echoed some of the presidents themes in her Facebook post: Trumps reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues from immigration to our economy to foreign policy have made it abundantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as president. She added that in a tumultuous world, America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide. Updated at 9:16 p.m.: The post was updated with additional comments from Whitman. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops Aug. 3, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug. 2. It is planned to hold the monitoring under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative on the contact line near the Orta Gervend village of Azerbaijans Aghdam district, the ministry said. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk and his field assistant Hristo Hristov. On the opposite side, the monitoring will be carried out by the field assistants of OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Jiri Aberle and Peter Svedberg. 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. Good morning. It is Tuesday, Aug. 2. Theres a new drone video, and this one will take you high above Californias coastline. Heres what else is happening in the Golden State: TOP STORIES Legal decisions Advertisement Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca withdrew his guilty plea to a charge of lying to federal authorities during an FBI investigation into the jail system. The former sheriff had worked out a deal with prosecutors to serve six months in prison, but U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson rejected the deal. Now, it appears Baca will take his chances at trial. Los Angeles Times Concert concerns Three people died after the Hard Summer rave this weekend near Fontana. The festival was moved from the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona last year after two college students died of drug overdoses. An estimated 147,000 people attended the rave this year. The attendees who died were Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco; Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego; and Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills. Los Angeles Times Green energy The $2.6-billion merger of Tesla Motors Inc. and SolarCity Corp. will create a one-stop shop for green customers. But its success will depend on sales of the Model 3 car, the completion of the so-called Gigafactory 1 and high demand from customers. There are just a lot of real-world production and sales and volume challenges these companies have to meet. The merger doesnt solve these challenges, said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. Los Angeles Times Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad. L.A. AT LARGE Deadly fire: A couple in their 90s died Sunday after a fire engulfed their Sun Valley home. Theodore J. Kiapos, 91, and Aspasia M. Kiapos, 90, were asleep in bed when a fire broke out in the attic. The couple was married for 64 years. Los Angeles Times Lessons learned: What did LAUSD school police learn last year when they shut down the school district because of an emailed threat? A lot of what happened on Monday night Dec. 14 and Tuesday the 15th was because we did not have some of the intelligence and technology mechanisms that we have today in our district and our department, said Deputy Los Angeles School Police Chief Jose Santome. Los Angeles Times Getting paid: One in 10 Californians is employed in the restaurant industry and every year, about 4,000 of those workers file wage claims, whether its for overtime, stolen tips or the denial of meal and rest breaks. KCRW reviewed 2,683 wage claims filed between 2013 and 2016 and found Southern California restaurant workers had claimed $22 million in back wages and penalties. KCRW Out with the old: The Promenade in Woodland Hills is on the verge of closing. The upscale shopping mall that opened in 1973 next to gleaming Warner Center high-rises now could boast only the vestiges of former businesses, such as a torn away McDonalds sign. Daily News POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Back on TV: Proposition 64 to legalize recreational use of marijuana in California allows for the possibility that cannabis could one day be advertised on television. Its unlikely to happen, but the provision is fueling critics opposition to the initiative. We view marijuana advertising in the same light as cigarette and e-cigarette advertising we dont want to see smoking re-normalized, and exposure to marketing and advertising does that, said Dr. Ravi Dave with the American Heart Assn. of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times On leave: Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) lost his committee assignments after his ex-wife accused him of domestic violence and a judge issued a restraining order against him. Now, Hernandez is on medical leave. A date for his return has not yet been set. Los Angeles Times CRIME AND COURTS Dismissing the victim: Vallejo police thought a womans kidnapping was a hoax because she did not act like a kidnapping victim and rejected their help in being reunited with her family. Thats according to court papers filed by the officers attorneys in a case filed by Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn. I found it odd that a recently released kidnap victim would not want to go to her family, said Det. Mathew Mustard. Los Angeles Times Back to jail: A 28-year-old man was found trying to break into San Bernardino Countys Central Detention Center early Sunday morning, authorities said. Shane James McDonald was not an inmate, though he did have an outstanding warrant. After he was captured, McDonald was jailed with bail set at $25,000. Los Angeles Times DROUGHT AND CLIMATE Protecting nature: Sequoias, glaciers, the everglades officials with the National Park Service are wondering just what will be left of these parks in 100 years. Thats particularly true in Joshua Tree. Theyre well adapted to what we have now. But you turn up the temperature a couple of degrees and that would be the end of most of these plants, said Cameron Barrows, an ecologist with UC Riverside. KQED Smoke gets in your eyes: The Bay Area is expected to have clearer skies today. Monterey Bay spent most of Monday in a haze thanks to smoke from the wildfires near Big Sur. You can tell its not fog or smog. Its an orange-brown haze, said Kostas Chloros of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. Mercury News CALIFORNIA CULTURE Going down: The Millennium Tower in San Francisco is sinking. The 59-story tower has dropped 16 inches since it was completed in 2008. Thats significant ... and of concern, said Professor Greg Deierlein, director of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center at Stanford University. SFGate So L.A.: Should I Uber so I dont lose my parking spot? And 24 other tweets that are a little too real about Los Angeles. BuzzFeed Mergers and acquisitions: Didi Chuxing will acquire Uber in China. Taking the if you cant beat em, join em approach will allow Uber to stop spending cash in that country and focus its resources on other markets. Los Angeles Times Thats a lot of zeroes: Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom is now a billionaire. When he sold the photo sharing app to Facebook, Systrom was given Facebook stock. His $280 million from that deal has now grown to $1.1 billion. Forbes Mazel tov: San Pedro native Misty Copeland, who made history when she became the first African American female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, married her boyfriend of 10 years over the weekend. She and Olu Evans wed in front of 100 people at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach. People CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles will have low clouds and a high of 82 degrees. San Diego will have clouds as temperatures reach 79 degrees. Riverside will be mostly sunny and 93. It will be sunny and 97 in Sacramento. San Francisco will have low clouds and a high of 69. AND FINALLY Todays California Memory comes from Ty Tran: My family came to California from Vietnam in December 1985. My aunt sponsored us and we lived with her family in Bakersfield. Once a month, we drove to Little Saigon to placate our cravings for Vietnamese food and culture. On the drive back, my mother would wake me at the Grapevine. She would say: Look at the river of red and yellow lights. This is our home now. And every time I drive the 5, I recall how wonderful the sight of headlights and taillights stretching into the horizon must have been for her like lights guiding us home. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad. In Los Angeles battle for affordable housing, two philosophies are facing off. On one side are those pushing to build more units, who argue that a growing population and a static housing supply are a sure-fire recipe for rising rents. On the other side are those trying to save affordable units, especially rent-stabilized apartments. Progress on L.A.s affordability crisis depends on turning these warring factions into allies and you can see why at the intersection of Yucca Street and Argyle Avenue in Hollywood. There, next to the Hollywood Freeway, developer Champion Real Estate wants to build 200 new apartments, including 39 that will be reserved for low-income households. The rub? It means tearing down an older apartment complex with 40 rent-stabilized units first. The proposed multi-use development is a good one. Its just one block from a Metro station and will replace the rent-stabilized units with affordable ones nearly 1-for-1. If Los Angeles is going to have a more equitable, transit-oriented future, it needs lots more projects like this. Advertisement But for the tenants of the Yucca-Argyle apartments, thats cold comfort. When their building is torn down, theyll get a relocation payment, yes but also be pushed out into a cutthroat rental market where vacancies are at a historic low of 2.7% and rents are spiraling out of control. Some will have to pay considerably more for a similar apartment, or find a less desirable one that fits their budgetassuming any still exist. If that doesnt work, they can leave the city or live on the street. These grim alternatives are the explicit consequences of our affordability crisis. In response, the Yucca-Argyle renters have joined with the L.A. Tenants Union a year-old organization fighting against the loss of rent-stabilized housing to oppose the development and demand better. Can anyone blame them? Pro-growth, yes-in-my-backyard housing advocates like me usually respond to these stories by emphasizing the greater good, and the regional benefits of density and development. Were big picture. Sure, some rent-stabilized housing will be lost, but the net impact is positive. Los Angeles cant preserve its way out of a housing shortage, and we know from the experiences of other cities (San Francisco, Santa Monica) that stopping development only exacerbates an affordability crisis. The two sides on this debate share a common objective, though we rarely acknowledge it. Anti-displacement advocates, the other side, also worry about affordability but in the here and now. Theyre concerned about the disabled veteran being displaced and at risk of homelessness. Or the fixed-income retirees who will never find an affordable replacement if their rent-stabilized home is demolished. Those people cant wait for Mayor Garcettis promised 100,000 new units, or count on winning a lottery to occupy one of the Yucca-Argyles 39 affordable replacement homes. They need help today. Right now these two camps one focused on long-term regional need for development, the other on short-term individual harms rarely see eye to eye. But if were committed to affordability for the long haul, for everyone, those divisions wont do. We need to protect existing residents without downsizing or stopping new development. Both goals are too important to compromise on, so it behooves us to work together and find win-win solutions. Heres one idea: a nonprofit that acquires older apartment buildings across the city. The buildings would generally charge market-rate rents, but profits would be used to subsidize rents for people displaced by new development. The tenant gets to stay in or near their neighborhood, keep their low, stable rent, and enjoy the new amenities that arrive with mixed-use redevelopment. Tenants who moved into nonprofit housing would turn over most of their relocation payment to the organization, helping to fund its mission. See the most-read stories this hour While we work toward that, heres another, shorter-term way to protect existing residents: Give them a choice between their relocation payment and a rent-voucher program that would work like the federal Housing Choice voucher. Under Housing Choice, tenants pay 30% of their income toward rent and have a voucher that covers any difference. Someone earning $2,000 a month would pay just $600 for their unit, with the government covering the rest. More than 60% of L.A.-area residents already spend more than 30% of their income on rent each month, so a voucher would actually improve the lives of many rent-stabilized tenants. As with the nonprofit housing idea, if renters opted for a voucher, any relocation payment would be redirected to fund the voucher program. Allowing redevelopment to run roughshod over current renters isnt acceptable. At the same time, stopping the construction of new housing will just lead to greater displacement pressures in the future. For most of us, neither of these are controversial statements. The two sides on this debate share a common objective, though we rarely acknowledge it. By identifying our shared goals and unifying behind a pro-housing, pro-tenant platform, we can develop solutions that we can all get behind, and perhaps most importantly assemble the political power needed to turn them into reality. Shane Phillips is an urban planner in Los Angeles. He writes about housing and transportation policy at Better Institutions. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Motive is irrelevant when states make it harder for minorities to vote Should we care about Hillary Clintons historic candidacy? L.A. isnt a suburb. We need to stop planning it like one. Why are the rules of journalism being rewritten this election year? My local newspaper, the Sonoma County Press-Democrat, is so clearly in the tank for Hillary Clinton that I no longer take pleasure in my morning read. Trumps acceptance speech, for example, was covered on the front page with two stories: on the left a straight, albeit somewhat judgmental, account of the speech, and on the right a fact check that disputed every point made by the GOP nominee. Clintons speech was covered with three front page stories, with headlines describing her nomination as historic, inspiring and trailblazing. A relatively mild fact-checking piece was relegated to the back pages. This transparent bias is a national phenomenon, infecting both print and television media to such an extent that it has become almost impossible to separate coverage of the Trump campaign from attempts to tear it down. The media has long been accused of having a liberal slant, but in this cycle journalists seem to have cast themselves as defenders of the republic against what they see as a major threat, and in playing this role theyve lost the ability to assess events rationally. Advertisement To take a recent example: Trump said at a news conference that he hoped the Russians who are accused of hacking the Democratic National Committees computers would release the 30,000 emails previously erased by Clintons staff. The DNC went ballistic, claiming that Trump had asked the Russians to commit espionage against the United States. Aside from the fact that Trump was obviously joking, Clinton claims those emails, which were on her unauthorized server during her tenure as secretary of State, were about her yoga lessons and personal notes to her husband so how would revealing them endanger national security? Yet the media reported this accusation uncritically. A New York Times piece by Maggie Haberman and Ashley Parker, ostensibly reporting Trumps contention that he spoke in jest, nonetheless averred that the Republican nominee basically urged Russia, an adversary, to conduct cyber-espionage against a former secretary of state. Would it be a stretch to conclude from this description that the New York Times is a Trump adversary? The DNC emails, published by Wikileaks, reveal a stunning level of collaboration between important media outlets and the Democrats. Former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz sought to silence NBCs Mika Brzezinski, who had found fault with the DNCs role in the primaries. The emails have headings like This must stop. Incredibly, NBCs Chuck Todd agreed to act as a go-between, even arranging a call between Wasserman Schultz and Brzezinski. Which raises the question: Why was a major media figure taking his marching orders from the Democratic party chair and how did this affect his networks coverage of the Trump campaign? [News coverage tying Trump to Russia] smacks of the sort of McCarthyism that we havent seen in this country since the most frigid years of the Cold War. The DNC emails also show that Politico reporter Kenneth Vogel sent his copy for a story on Clintons fundraising operation to the DNCs national press secretary, Mark Paustenbach, prior to publication. Politico has since apologized, but Vogel has his defenders. The Washington Posts Erik Wemple said Vogels prepublication generosity was meant to give the people youre writing about the opportunity to rebut all relevant claims in a story. One wonders if the Washington Post does this for the Trump campaign. Somehow I doubt it. Since last summer, Politico has been vehemently anti-Trump, and its only getting more extreme. Its run several stories linking Trump to Vladimir Putin: Why Russia is Rejoicing Over Trump, GOP Gobsmacked by Trumps Warm Embrace of Putin, Donald Trump Heaps More Praise on Vladimir Putin and dozens of similar articles. The gist of these pieces is that Trumps stated desire to get along with Putin, and his comments on the costs imposed by our membership in NATO, mean that Trump is essentially an agent of a foreign power. A recent article by Katie Glueck on Trumps hacking joke said that Trump appeared to align himself with Russia over his Democratic opponent as if he were a kind of Manchurian candidate. Of course, Politico is not alone in what was once called red-baiting. The Atlantic also weighed in with Jeffrey Goldbergs Its Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin, and a Franklin Foer story in Slate was headlined The Real Winner of the RNC: Vladimir Putin. This coverage smacks of the sort of McCarthyism that we havent seen in this country since the most frigid years of the Cold War. Any objective observer of the news medias treatment of Trump can certainly conclude that reporters are taking a side in this election and they dont have to be wearing a button that says Im with her for this to be readily apparent. The irony is that the medias Trump bashing may wind up having the exact opposite of its intended effect. Polls shows that journalism is one of the least respected professions in the country, and with Trump calling out media organizations for their bias, widespread slanted reporting is bound to reinforce this point and to backfire. Trumps campaign is throwing down the gauntlet to the political class. If journalists are seen as the mouthpiece of that class, they may soon find themselves covering Trumps inauguration. Justin Raimondo is the editorial director of Antiwar.com and the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Trump gives GOP leaders another reason to repudiate him. Why dont they? Dont appreciate the significance of Hillary Clintons nomination? Too bad. This moment doesnt belong to you. Possible presidential spoiler Gary Johnson speaks to The Times editorial board about siphoning votes from Hillary Clinton Before GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump commenced his most recent public meltdown over comments made by the father of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in the Iraq war, he was riding a post-convention bounce high enough to raise concern that Americans might elect arguably a fascist as their president. Finally, it looks as if prominent Republicans are starting to bail, convinced that their nominees ramblings against the Gold Star parents who spoke at the Democratic National Convention will weigh down the Trump campaign ship enough to sink it. On Monday, The Times editorial board said it was time for GOP officials to stop condemning Trumps individual offenses as if they were gaffes and recognize that his entire campaign is based on his ego, his intolerance and his disreputable world view. The editorial board warned, Those who will not repudiate him are on the wrong side in this battle for the nations political soul. His problem isnt a lack of normal propriety but the absence of basic human decency. He is morally unfit for any office, high or low. Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal The repudiations began in earnest after we posted the editorial Monday afternoon (and yes, Im aware that correlation does not equal causation). The Wall Street Journals Brett Stephens, after warning that Trump risks bringing the Republican Party permanent dishonor, describes what he finds uniquely grotesque about the nominees callousness: What makes Mr. Trumps remarks so foul is their undisguised sadism. He took a woman too heartbroken and anxious to speak of her dead son before an audience of millions and painted a target on her. He treated her silence as evidence that she was either a dolt or a stooge. He degraded her. She was standing there. She had nothing to say, Mr. Trump told ABCs George Stephanopoulos. She probably, maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. You tell me. In this comment there was the full unmasking of Mr. Trump, in case he needed further unmasking. He has, as Humayuns father Khizr put it, a black soul. His problem isnt a lack of normal propriety but the absence of basic human decency. He is morally unfit for any office, high or low. On Tuesday morning, New York Rep. Richard Hanna became the first House Republican to pledge his vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton. He wrote in an op-ed article: In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country. Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small. But she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters. Mrs. Clinton has promoted many of the issues I have been committed to over the years including expanding education and supporting women's health care. While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. See the most-read stories this hour Finally, President Obama (who isnt a Republican but whose frank remarks, spoken by a sitting commander in chief about a possible successor, make them noteworthy) got straight to the point in a news conference Tuesday: I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. I said so last week, and he keeps on proving it. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesnt appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job. And this is not just my opinion. I think what's been interesting is the repeated denunciations of his statements by leading Republicans, including the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader, and prominent Republicans like John McCain. And the question I think that they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer? This isnt a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily, and weekly, where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point in which you say, this is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party. And the fact that that has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow. I dont doubt their sincerity. I dont doubt that they were outraged about some of the statements that Mr. Trump and his supporters made about the Khan family. But there has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesnt have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world. These denunciations are more pointed than anything weve read from members of Trumps own party, but heres the thing: They all sound familiar because similar charges have been leveled against Trump in the past and by Republicans. Remember Gonzalo P. Curiel, the U.S. district court judge presiding over the Trump University fraud case? Trump blithely dismissed Curiel as biased to the point of disqualification because it has to do with perhaps the fact that Im very, very strong on the border and Curiel, a natural-born U.S. citizen from Indiana, is Hispanic, I believe. Nothing about that statement is qualitatively different from Trumps insinuation that Ghazala Khan, who stood silently next to her husband at the Democratic convention, maybe wasnt allowed to have anything to say because shes a Muslim. Still and despite a rebuke from House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who said Trump's comments on Curiel are the textbook definition of racism the Republican candidate closed in on Clinton over June and July and briefly pulled ahead of her in the polls. Trumps previous obscenities would have killed any other presidential candidacy by now. He once called on the U.S. to kill the family members of terrorists. He declared Muslim immigrants categorically unwelcome in the United States. He speculated that journalist Megyn Kelly was menstruating when she asked him pointed questions about his treatment of women. He vouched for his, um, virility during a televised debate in a way that would have caused Teddy Roosevelt, the manliest man ever to reign from the White House, to blush. Each of these offenses deserve only to be noted, not rebutted. And this was all before Republicans were out of options, when they had time to spare the country from their own internal turmoil. But each crass utterance that caused rational observers to prepare Trumps political obituary only invigorated the campaign when it came to the polls. Members of the #NeverTrump movement appealed to fellow conservatives to save the Republican Party from the existential threat within; now, chances are you remember #NeverTrump because I just mentioned it. Today, Trump is the second-most likely person to succeed Obama as president, having ascended to his current position despite past denunciations and expressions of dismay and so on. If the recent past is any guide and what better guide do we have than that? our memories, especially Republicans, are short enough to give Trump a decent chance of being taken seriously again. Just ask Gonzalo Curiel. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Motive is irrelevant when states make it harder for minorities to vote Should we care about Hillary Clinton's 'historic' candidacy? L.A. isnt a suburb. We need to stop planning it like one. My first reaction to the news that the Satanic Temple hopes to establish after-school Satan Clubs at elementary schools was to crack a joke -- actually two. Joke 1: Most of the kids who sign up for the Satan Club will do it just to pad their yearbook mentions. Joke 2: Inspired by Donald Trumps description of Hillary Clinton as the devil, kids in the Satan Club will make campaign posters for the Democratic nominee. Advertisement But the prospect of Satan Clubs at public schools isnt only a laughing matter. As two Washington Post reporters discovered, several school administrators believe that such clubs would probably conform to their policies for after-school organizations. One school district in Prince Georges County, Md., is reviewing a request for the establishment of such a club. Congress seemingly has left high schools no choice. The Equal Access Act, passed by Congress in 1984, prohibits public secondary schools receiving federal funds -- that is, virtually all of them -- from discriminating against student clubs on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings. The Supreme Court upheld the law in 1990. A school doesnt have to establish what the court called a limited open forum, but once it does, it cant discriminate on the basis of viewpoint. That also tracks the Supreme Courts interpretation of the 1st Amendment, which applies to elementary as well as secondary schools. (In 2001 the Supreme Court ruled in a New York case that a school district violated the Constitution when it excluded a Good News Club from meeting after hours at a school.) So do schools really have to let little Satanists meet? That wait, what? question is probably on the lips of lots of Americans, and not just devout Christians or Donald Trump supporters who believe that his election will revive the practice of wishing Merry Christmas. The answer is basically yes, and would probably be yes even if kids in the Satan Clubs formed a circle and chanted, Hail, Satan! But human or even animal sacrifice would probably be prohibited under an exception in the Equal Access Act for meetings that materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities within the school. (In fact, the Satanic Temple isnt in the blood sacrifice business; heres a primer on the group by my colleague Robin Abcarian.) Meetings of the Satan Clubs would focus on teaching reason and science. That would be consistent with the Satanic Temples mission statement, which doesnt mention worshiping the Dark One (although hes pictured on its website). Instead, the group says its goal is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will. As for the Satan Clubs -- promoted on the website as Educatin with Satan -- they seem to be primarily a form of counter-programming for Good News Clubs. Its important, the Satanic Temple explains, that children be given an opportunity to realize that the evangelical materials now creeping into their schools are representative of but one religious opinion among many. Even a few years ago, the notion that an atheist or humanist club -- let alone one named after Satan -- would be allowed to meet at a public school would have caused a national outcry, and politicians would join in the chorus of condemnation. But times have changed. In his 2009 inaugural address, President Obama said: We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. Granted, Obama didnt mention Satanists of either the serious or the satirical sort. But the principles the same. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Motive is irrelevant when states make it harder for minorities to vote Should we care about Hillary Clintons historic candidacy? L.A. isnt a suburb. We need to stop planning it like one. For all the scripting and stage managing that goes into political conventions, the moments that can change a race are often unanticipated. Khizr Khans speech at the Democratic National Convention last week in Philadelphia was one such moment. For the record: An earlier version of this story said Humayun Khan was an enlisted soldier. He was an Army captain. Convention organizers knew Khan would be a powerful speaker, but they had not expected he would be a considerably more potent symbol for the campaign than the other everyday Americans invited to the stage and everyone else who appeared in Philadelphia. Advertisement Long after Americans have forgotten the nearly hourlong address Hillary Clinton delivered while accepting her partys nomination, what will linger is the haunting, emotionally charged plea to Donald Trump from a Muslim father whose son, an Army captain, was killed by a suicide bomber in Baghdad. Timeline: The Khan familys road to confrontation with Donald Trump The Clinton campaign is doing its best to just step aside and let the story play out, as Khan and his wife, Ghazala, are proving more effective at inflicting damage on Trump independently than the campaigns official surrogates ever could be. Clinton didnt mention the Khans during a rally in Omaha on Monday, though top Republicans and the families of other fallen soldiers have rushed to condemn Trumps condemnation of the Khans. The feud has grown into a full-blown political mess for the Republican nominee. During Khans speech Thursday night, he lacerated Trumps plan to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. by speaking of personal sacrifice that, he said, Trump could not possibly know. Then he pulled out a pocket copy of the Constitution and asked Trump if he had ever even read it. Since then, thanks in part to Trumps complaints about the Khans, the familys story has dominated the news cycle. The Clinton campaign became aware of Khan in December, when it came across an interview he did with Vocativ, a site that promotes itself as mining the deep Web chat rooms and databases outside the grasp of Google searches for original story angles. The article was titled The Father of a Muslim War Hero Has This to Say About Donald Trump. It told the story of Khans son, Humayun, one of the 14 American Muslims who died serving in the military in the decade that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. Trump had recently called for a ban on Muslims entering the country. Khan made a comment in the article that caught the attention of Clintons headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., about the 10 steps his son had taken toward the car of the suicide bombers as he warned all of the other men to hit the dirt and take cover. Those 10 steps told us we did not make a mistake in moving to this country, Khan told Vocativ. These were the values we wanted to adopt. Not religious values, human values. Days after the Vocativ article was published, Clinton would come to read Khans words about the 10 steps in a speech in Minneapolis in which she repudiated Trump. Khan describes himself as a political independent who votes for both Democrats and Republicans. The first time he had heard from the Clinton campaign was when it called to say the candidate wanted to quote him to pay tribute to his son. Which father is going to say, No, you cannot do this? Khan said in an interview on PBS on Monday. Clintons December speech, in which she quoted Khan extensively, was well-received. But voting in the primaries had not yet begun, and Trump was leading a field that still consisted of 14 Republicans running for their partys nomination. After Trump had sewn up the nomination, and Democrats began to consider convention speakers, Khans name was among the first on the list of everyday Americans they would like to invite. As the event neared, they called him. They asked if me and Mrs. Khan would come to say a word or two, Khizr Khan said. I dont know what was in their minds, but that is how it came into being. Trump has since accused the Khans of being shills for the Clinton campaign and of reading its scripted text. Not so, Khan said. He wrote the speech with his wife. Clintons staff eventually read it, but the edits were all done by the Khans. We were not tricked, Khan said during the PBS interview with him and his wife. That memorable moment when Khan brandished a pocket copy of the Constitution was his own idea, he said. I carry this in my pocket out of affection for this document, said Khan, who holds a Harvard Law degree and resides in Charlottesville, Va. At home we have a stack of it sitting. Any time a guest comes, we give them a copy of it. Its a good starting of conversation. We live under the shadow of Thomas Jefferson. And I point that out. Khan said he figured hed leave his copy at home when he headed to the convention, to avoid the hassle of going through security with it. Thats when the thought came: Why dont I pull it out during the speech? In Khans mind, the discussion the speech has spurred about Trumps proposed Muslim ban was just one reason it was a success. Khan is also delighted by how much interest it has generated in pocket copies of the Constitution, which have been selling like mad thanks to him. They have never sold that many copies of the Constitution ever, ever. evan.halper@latimes.com Follow me: @evanhalper Despite Donald Trump cementing the GOP nomination, the Koch network keeps its distance Black Lives Matter has signed onto a platform in time for the presidential election. Heres what it says Clintons mission on the road through battleground states: Lure working-class white voters away from Trumps camp One of the more emotional moments of the Democratic National Convention was the stirring speech by the father of fallen U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan. Khizr and his wife, Ghazala Khan, who lost their son to a suicide bomber in Iraq 12 years ago, made headlines when they stood on the convention stage and addressed Donald Trump. You have sacrificed nothing and no one, Khan said. If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America, he said, referring to his son. Khans remarks were given a standing ovation. They also prompted an unusual response from Trump, the Republican nominee: a repudiation of Khizr Khans comments and the suggestion that his wifes Muslim faith might be the reason she stayed silent during the couples appearance. The result was an instant and ongoing back-and-forth. Some background on the Khans: They came to the U.S. in 1980 Khizr and Ghazala Khan were born in Pakistan. In 1976, their second son, Humayun, was born in the United Arab Emirates. The family moved to the U.S. in 1980 and settled in Boston, where Khizr studied law at Harvard University. The family moved to Maryland, where Humayun went to high school and later attended the University of Virginia, where he joined the ROTC program. Humayun, who dreamed of becoming a military lawyer, graduated with a degree in psychology and joined the Army. He was deployed to Iraq in 2000, and quickly climbed the ranks to captain. Killed in action Capt. Humayun Khan is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. (Getty Images) (Test) In 2004, Humayun was deployed to Iraq for a second tour. On Mothers Day, he called home and talked to his mother for the last time. He was killed a month later guarding the gates of a U.S. military base. He spotted a car approaching and told his soldiers to get back. He walked 10 steps toward the car before more than 200 pounds of explosives went off, killing him and injuring others. Humayun, who was 27, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Trump calls for a ban on Muslims On Dec. 7, and in the midst of the Republican primary, Trump released a statement in response to the San Bernardino terrorist attack, calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S. The next day, Khizr Khan denounced Trumps statement on Vocativ, saying: Its the values [of this country] that brought us here, not our religion. Trumps position on these issues do not represent those values. We still wonder what made him take those 10 steps, he told Vocativ. Maybe thats the point where all the values, all the service to country, all the things he learned in this country kicked in. It was those values that made him take those 10 steps. Those 10 steps told us we did not make [a] mistake in moving to this country. Clinton features Humayun Khans story Hillary Clinton first mentioned Humayun Khan in a speech in Minneapolis on Dec. 15, when she quoted the elder Khans Vocativ comments. https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/678239724742422528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The Clinton campaign said it had not yet forged a relationship with the Khans at the time of her speech. If you want to see the best of America, you need look no further than Army Capt. Humayun Khan, Clinton said in the speech. Invited to speak at Democratic convention Before the convention speech, Khizr Khan told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was nervous and had practiced a lot. Nowhere but in the United States is it possible that an immigrant who came to the country empty-handed only a few years ago gets to stand in front of patriots and in front of a major political party, he told the Chronicle. Flanked by his wife, Khan spoke directly to Trump during his speech. "Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution?" he said, holding a pocket-sized Constitution. "I will gladly lend you my copy." Khizr Khan speaks at the DNC Trump responds Trump responded to Khizr Khans remarks in an interview on ABCs This Week, insisting that Khan was misguided. Trump said he had made sacrifices by creating jobs and building buildings. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures, Trump said in the interview. Ive had tremendous success. I think Ive done a lot. Trump also went on to suggest that Ghazala Khan did not speak at the convention because of her Muslim faith. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/760070280932982784 Watch the interview: Trump's ABC "This Week" interview Ghazala Khan answers Trump Ghazala Khan wrote in the Washington Post that her reason for remaining silent on the stage was simple: grief. Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Ghazala Khan Donald Trump has children whom he loves, she wrote. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak? Donald Trump said he has made a lot of sacrifices. He doesnt know what the word sacrifice means. More interviews Since her statement was published, the Khans have given interviews. Khizr Khan called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to speak out against their party's presidential nominee. Two things are absolutely necessary in any leader or any person that aspires, wishes to be a leader. That is a moral compass and, second, is empathy. This candidate is void of both traits that are necessary for the stewardship of this country," Khan said on CNN's "State of the Union." Watch Khizir Khans CNN interview: Republicans condemn Trumps remarks Sen. John McCain and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are among those who have condemned the remarks. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement, McCain said. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates. The Veterans of Foreign Wars also released a statement saying it will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression. Ryan and McConnell released separate statements Sunday. Neither denounced Trump directly, but said they disagreed with the idea of a Muslim ban and honored Capt. Humayun Khans sacrifice. Capt. Khan was an American hero, and like all Americans Im grateful for the sacrifices that selfless young men like Capt. Khan and their families have made in the war on terror, McConnells statement said. alexia.fernandez@latimes.com Twitter: @alexiafedz ALSO Despite Donald Trump cementing the GOP nomination, the Koch network keeps its distance Checking in on a die-hard Trump supporter after a tough week for the candidate Trump's remarks about the parents of a fallen Army captain become the latest trouble spot in his campaign The controversy over his jibes at the Muslim parents of a soldier killed in action continued to overshadow Donald Trumps campaign Monday as he struggled to prevent broader defections among nervous Republicans after days of self-induced trouble. Party leaders worried that Trumps verbal assault on two non-politicians would hurt his standing with voters more profoundly than did his earlier attacks on fellow candidates and rivals. Several upbraided their nominee as they worked to prevent Trumps latest imbroglio from consuming the partys candidates in other races. Arizona Sen. John McCain issued an emotional rebuke of Trump but stopped short of pulling his endorsement, following in the steps of House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Advertisement One high-profile Florida Republican, a mainstay in campaigns for more than two decades, announced that she had quit the party and that she would vote for Hillary Clinton if the race in her crucial state seemed close. Trump used an audience in Ohio, another must-win state for him, to try to symbolically turn the page. After a morning in which he had tweeted another accusation about the father of the Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq Khizr Khan had viciously attacked him, he said Trump did not mention the family of Humayun Khan or the four-day feud he had pursued. But he delved into another distracting issue, relitigating an argument over remarks he had made about Russia and its behavior toward Ukraine, comments that had unnerved GOP foreign policy experts. The threat to Trumps campaign comes largely in its timing. Fewer than 100 days remain before the general election, putting the campaigns in a period in which stumbles become more dangerous because there is less time to craft a recovery. As important, any time taken to try to clean up campaign messes pulls attention away from issues with greater political upside. Only when he got to Columbus, Ohio, for example, did Trump mention the meager economic growth figures released last week; any emphasis on them had been obliterated by the feud between Trump and the Khan family. Likewise, Trump did not mention a fresh Clinton controversy stemming from her remarks in a Sunday Fox News interview. She told interviewer Chris Wallace that FBI Director James Comey had said she had been truthful in discussing her use of a private email server while secretary of State, an overstatement of Comeys actual remarks. Trumps political power has come from a potential appeal beyond partisan lines. Now the reverse is happening, as criticism of him crosses party lines: The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a 1.7 million-member group generally allied with conservative causes and Republican candidates, denounced him Monday. The VFWs national commander, Brian Duffy, released a statement saying the group would not tolerate further insult to a Gold Star family the designation given to those who have lost a family member in service to the nation. There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of word-smithing can repair once crossed, he said. Giving ones life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard. For Trump, the danger is less that he will lose his committed backers than that he will narrow his ability to attract new ones. Many of Trumps supporters at the Columbus event said that they continued to back him regardless of the comments about the slain Army captain though they wished he would not have made his remarks precisely as he had. Is he gonna say something stupid? Hes human. Hes gonna say something stupid all the time, said David Haskins, a 58-year-old carpenter and one of roughly 1,000 Trump supporters at the event. None of that would dampen support for Trump, Haskins said, because Americans are aware and awake to the failings of the political system and veteran politicians like Clinton. But Trumps supporters have already weathered controversies over his treatment of women, minorities and the disabled, among others. More troubling to Trump and other Republicans are defections like those of Sally Bradshaw, a Republican power in Florida for a generation. She told CNN that she had abandoned her party registration and become an independent a decision that she said was reinforced by the way Trump belittled the mother of a fallen soldier for not speaking along with her husband at the Democratic convention. Ghazala Khan has since said she was still too upset by memory of her sons death to speak at the time. As much as I dont want another four years of Obamas policies, I cant look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump, Bradshaw said. For more on politics Her departure came as a symbolic slamming of the door on the image the Republican Party had wanted to put forth in this election. Bradshaw was one of the authors of an extensive report authorized by party Chairman Reince Priebus after the 2012 defeat of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The report implored Republicans to reach out in 2016 to women, Latinos and young people groups that if anything have distanced themselves further from the party during Trumps rise. McCain, in issuing his denunciation of Trumps comments about the Khan family, spoke to Republican fears that the presidential nominees problems would spread. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trumps statement, McCain wrote in a statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. Several polls released Monday showed that Clintons support has grown in recent days, although how much can be directly attributed to Khans convention speech and the subsequent controversy is unknown. Overall, in surveys from CNN and CBS, Clinton now has leads of 9 and 7 points, respectively, over Trump, erasing gains he had made after the Republican convention. In a Gallup survey, 45% of respondents said the Democratic convention had made them more likely to vote for Clinton, compared with 41% who said they were less likely. In the same survey, 51% of respondents said the Republican convention made them less likely to vote for Trump, while 36% said it made them more likely to vote for him. The 2016 race has been notable to this point by the sheer unpopularity of the candidates; neither Trump nor Clinton enjoys a positive favorability rating. That has left both with a pocket of support large enough to make them the nominee but too small to win the election. The fear among Republicans after Clintons well-produced convention was that she would take a lead and never give it up. Democrats worked Monday to create the imagery of momentum in three parts. President Obama, speaking in Atlanta to the Disabled American Veterans, smacked Trump for trash-talking Americas military and troops. He referred to his introduction at the Democratic convention by a Gold Star mother. Vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, speaking in his hometown of Richmond, Va., listed the groups Trump has maligned. And just remember, whoevers the victim this week, it could be you next week, the Virginia senator said. And Clinton appeared in Omaha, where billionaire Warren Buffett a well-known symbol of the business acumen Trump touts for himself introduced her and challenged the Republican to a joint release of their tax returns. Trump was by himself in Columbus, blaming the fire marshal for the relatively small crowd that greeted him, and trying to clean up messes hed made before heading to another state, Pennsylvania, where he faced an uphill struggle even before the events of the last few days. cathleen.decker@latimes.com Twitter: @cathleendecker ALSO Despite Donald Trump cementing the GOP nomination, the Koch network keeps its distance Clintons mission on the road through battleground states: Lure working-class white voters away from Trumps camp We know there are some things we do not know, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld once famously said. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we dont know we dont know. That sure sounds like the feeling you get trying to guess whats next in this latest flashpoint over words spoken by Donald Trump. Good morning from the the state capital. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and prepare yourself for another day of intense back-and-forth about Trumps critique of a fallen soldiers parents, a Muslim American couple that took him to task during the Democratic National Convention. Advertisement TRUMP, KHAN, MILITARY FAMILIES: THE FIGHT CONTINUES The Republican nominee was roundly criticized on Monday for his weekend comments about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of the late U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, killed in Iraq in 2004. Arizona Sen. John McCain said that Trumps comments do not represent the views of our Republican Party, an amazing statement from the 2008 nominee about the 2016 standard-bearer. Even so, McCain stopped short of actually withdrawing his support. Then, it was a leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars who admonished Trump for his criticism of the Gold Star parents, calling the comments out of bounds. President Obama joined in, too, during a speech in Atlanta. No one no one has given more for our freedom and security than our Gold Star families, said Obama. Trump tried to shake off the controversy on the campaign trail in Ohio on Monday. But as Cathleen Decker writes, the real danger for Trump may be the timing of all of this controversy less than 100 days from the election and in a period where voters may be now carefully tuning in. AND SPEAKING OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN The public feud with the Khan family is far from the only presidential campaign news as the post-convention period begins. On Monday, billionaire Warren Buffett endorsed Hillary Clinton and did what only a billionaire could do: He promised to disclose his own tax returns if Trump, who has refused to do so, did the same. He even offered to provide a trolley to transport voters to the polls in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., on election day. Im going to be on it all day, Buffett said of the trolley. Im going to do selfies, whatever it takes. Lets give America a civics lesson! How about it? SOME TRUMP SUPPORTERS HANG TOUGH Is the dustup swaying die-hard Trump supporters? Not Peggy Hayes of swing-state Virginia. Noah Bierman, who profiled Hayes a few months ago as part of our Trump Nation series, checked in with her. The personal fitness instructor remains in the Trump train, she tells him. And check out what one Trump supporter said to an NBC News reporter: I told the L.A. Times, if he murdered the right person, I still might vote for him. KOCH BROTHERS FACE THE TRUMP QUESTION, TOO The Koch brothers the nations best known and most controversial independent political actors had an unambiguous message to donors at their biannual retreat this weekend: Were staying out of the presidential race. Melanie Mason was on the scene at the swanky Colorado Springs resort, where conservative-leaning attendees mingled with elected officials like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. But Charles Koch strongly pushed back on the perception not backing Trump was a de facto endorsement of Clinton; in fact, he called such a notion blood libel. Get the latest from the campaign trail on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. And check our daily USC/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page. DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING More than two decades ago, human trafficking was a crime without a name. Now as prosecutors, law enforcement officials and advocates have brought the problem to the political forefront, California lawmakers are attempting to tackle a multibillion-dollar industry that sweeps hundreds of thousands of children and teens into the trade nationwide every year. But as Jazmine Ulloa reports, theres no coordinated approach in the two dozen or so legislative proposals that remain pending in Sacramento. And in some cases, they pit advocates against law enforcement. CAMPAIGN CASH STARTS ROLLING IN FOR NOVEMBER PROPOSITIONS Weve got an early look at the money being raised and spent on this falls 17 statewide ballot propositions, thanks to filings submitted on Monday. While Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsoms gun violence initiative, Proposition 63, is significantly outpacing its opponents in campaign cash, the biggest haul so far appears to be the effort to defeat the prescription drug pricing initiative, Proposition 61 almost $66 million, largely from drug companies. Meantime, efforts at two competing ballot measures on the fate of Californias death penalty reported only a total of about $6 million in contributions. And the states largest teachers union has opened up its wallet to the tune of some $13 million as part of the effort to pass Proposition 55, an extension of existing income tax rates on the most wealthy. Well be tracking all of the campaign cash, and more state political news, on our Essential Politics news feed. HERNANDEZ CALLS IN SICK AFTER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS Lawmakers returned to the state Capitol Monday for the beginning of their final four weeks of the 2016 session, but Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) wasnt one of them. The embattled Democrat, facing domestic violence allegations, requested medical leave for at least the first week and a half of August. His staff wouldnt disclose what was causing him to miss work or when he might return. Whenever he does return, Hernandez will find himself less busy: He was stripped of his committee assignments last month after a judge issued a domestic violence restraining order against him. TODAYS ESSENTIALS Californias campaign ethics watchdog agency said Monday that its looking into whether there was illegal coordination between the campaign of Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) and an independent expenditure committee supporting him. Meantime, the state agencys former chief enforcement officer says final approval of a $1.2-billion dollar condominium and hotel project in Beverly Hills should be denied because the citys former mayor lobbied on behalf of its Chinese developer. Gov. Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown have sold their Oakland home, and they took a small loss on the sale. Their official residence is now the historic governors mansion in Sacramento. Two prominent Democrats running for governor in 2018 were the first to report their campaign contributions in Mondays state filings. A man who once had enormous political influence, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, withdrew his guilty plea on Monday to charges of lying to federal investigators. Black Lives Matter has signed on to a political platform for the Nov. 8 election. The document suggests 40 policy proposals and calls for black liberation. Heres what Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson told The Times Editorial Board. The Simpsons have their say on the Clinton-Trump battle. Who will win the November election? Give our Electoral College map a spin. 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. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 Trend: The statement of the Armenian leadership, which has lost its influence both inside the country and at the international level, is of regular nature and addressed to the domestic audience, Hikmat Hajiyev, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys spokesman, told Trend Aug. 2. Hajiyev was commenting on the statement made Aug. 1 by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan regarding Azerbaijans occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region. Sarsgyans speech once again shows that being prisoner of the last century, the political leadership of Armenia doesnt understand todays reality and has warlord mentality of late 80s, Hajiyev said. He added that he would like to remind the Armenian authorities, who falsify the history, of the Maragha-150 monument erected in Maragha village of Azerbaijans Aghdere district in 1978 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the resettlement of Armenians to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Maragha-150 monument was deliberately destroyed by Armenians in 1988 when they started territorial claims against Azerbaijan, Hajiyev said. Thus, Armenians may put forward territorial claims against other countries as well, where they lived for several decades before the resettlement, having stated that it is their historical Armenian land. Nagorno-Karabakh, temporarily occupied by Armenian armed forces, is an inseparable historical and sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, he added. Sooner or later, Azerbaijan's sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh will be fully restored, Hajiyev said. No one should ever doubt it. Heres a look at some of the Legislatures most notable moments By John Myers (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) Lawmakers early Thursday morning wrapped up their work for the two-year session of the California Legislature, heaping praise on their many accomplishments. Even so, at least one major item on the to-do list was never resolved. And some of the battles during this session could leave political scars that last much longer. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Consumers could pay a new battery recycling fee under a bipartisan bill sent to the governors desk By John Myers Soil taken from a yard in Commerce near the now-shuttered Exide battery plant is tested in February by a team from the L.A. County Health Department. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Californians who purchase lead-acid batteries like those used to start cars and trucks would pay a new $1 fee under legislation sent to Gov. Jerry Brown early Thursday morning, with the funds earmarked for cleaning up contaminated sites such as the former Exide battery plant in Los Angeles County. The fee charged to battery buyers would rise to $2 in 2022. Lawmakers would direct the revenues estimated to be as much as $40 million a year to deal with contamination sites as needed. "For four decades, our community has been waiting for something, said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), the author of AB 2153. The bill was the final piece of legislation taken up before the Legislature adjourned, and it received a quick bipartisan vote in both houses within a span of only a few minutes. Garcia said there were late negotiations with the Brown administration on the final details. AB 2153, if signed into law, would not take effect until April 1, 2017. Battery manufacturers and consumers would each pay $1 fees on each new battery for the first five years of the proposal; after that, the full $2 fee would be shouldered by consumers. Some Republican legislators said that setup is a mistake. This tax is regressive, Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) said during the midnight debate. Its paid by the people who make the least amount of money. The Vernon site of the former Exide battery plant was closed under a deal with federal prosecutors last March. Lead contamination in the soil of homes around the plant was discovered two years ago. The battery fee would likely go first to Exide cleanup efforts, which are already underway. Brown estimated in February that the price tag could reach $176.6 million. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sorry, Internet poker fans. It wont be legal in California anytime soon By Patrick McGreevy After 10 bills over eight years failed to legalize Internet poker in California, the latest plan also died Wednesday in the Legislature amid continued squabbling by competing factions of the gambling industry. A bill that would have allowed Californians to legally play poker online lacked support from two-thirds of Assembly members and was not brought up for a vote on the last day of the legislative session. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The clock runs out on a major bid to overhaul the states energy regulator I've lost to a lot of forces in my time, but never to a clock. It's not a good feeling. PUC reform is officially dead. Mike Gatto (@mikegatto) September 1, 2016 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Lawmakers say goodbye to their termed-out colleagues on the final day in Sacramento By Sophia Bollag Outgoing Democratic state Sens. Isadore Hall III of Compton, left, and Mark Leno of San Francisco share a moment on the last day of the two-year legislative session. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Lawmakers cried, sang, recited limericks and confessed crushes on departing colleagues this week in their farewell speeches for California legislators whose terms are up. For 14 Assembly members and six state senators, Wednesday likely marked their last day arguing on the floors of their respective chambers. In an end-of-session tradition, lawmakers said goodbye to their termed-out colleagues between voting on bills. Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D-Encino) revealed he might have a legislative crush on outgoing Assemblywoman Nora Campos (D-San Jose). I will not miss anyone more than I will miss you, Dababneh told Campos, who is running for state Senate this fall. Often as a single guy, I get asked ... when are you going to find the perfect girl, and I say, If I find anyone half as amazing as Nora Campos, I would be married the next day. Campos, like the other members whose terms are up, served six years in the Assembly. Termed-out state senators have served eight years. Although new 12-year term limits were passed in 2012, lawmakers elected in 2010, including Campos, are still subject to the old term limits. Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) sang Katcho, Katcho Man to the tune of Macho Man by the Village People while saying goodbye to Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo). Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) recited a limerick he wrote for departing Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) that drew chuckles for the line, As a doctor, Im happy your blood pressure is lower. Hernandez was running for U.S. Congress before allegations of domestic violence involving his ex-wife crippled his ability to campaign, he told reporters earlier this month. After a judge issued a domestic violence restraining order against him, he took a nearly three-week leave of absence from the Legislature for high blood pressure. The speeches featured many bipartisan compliments for departing lawmakers. Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) described Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) as his liberal complement in the Senate. This is a sad day for me. You see, Mark completes me, Anderson said. Im sorry I have two more years and I wont be spending them here with you. Assemblyman Richard Gordon (D-Menlo Park) wiped away tears as fellow Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) thanked him. If I have been able to have any effect across the aisle, its because of your grace and your compassion, Jones said. If I had the opportunity to give back my six years so you could have six more, I would do it in a heartbeat. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California workers wont be getting double pay for Thanksgiving Day duty By Liam Dillon (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) State lawmakers defeated a measure late Wednesday that would have given retail and grocery store employees who work on Thanksgiving double pay. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), the bills author, said it was needed as more and more retailers were extending Black Friday sales into Thanksgiving Day. I narrowed and narrowed and narrowed this bill so it only affects the things that concern us the most: the larger retailers who continue to open up on Thanksgiving rather than allowing people to stay home with their families, Gonzalez said. No opponents to the measure spoke on the Assembly floor, but numerous business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, were against it. They argued the bill unfairly hurts big-box retailers that are competing with online outlets for sales. The measure fell 10 votes short of passage, with both Republicans and Democrats in opposition. A similar bill from Gonzalez failed last year. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Bill to advance Californias high-speed rail project is sent to Gov. Brown By Sophia Bollag In the last few hours before the end of session, lawmakers passed a measure to advance the California bullet train project. Voters approved nearly $10 billion in bonds for the high-speed rail project in 2008, but it has since stalled. The bill passed Wednesday would clarify wording in the 2008 measure and allow some of the money for the project to upgrade existing rail lines. Its a critical investment in our infrastructure, the bills author, Assemblyman Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco), said. But opponents say the bill passed Wednesday alters the voter-approved measure too much. This is a revision of what the voters intended, Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said. The bill, AB 1889, now heads to the governor for approval. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement An overhaul of Californias taxi regulations passes the Legislature By Liam Dillon In potentially a major change to Californias taxi business, state lawmakers passed legislation late Wednesday to centralize control over the industry, an effort supporters said would allow cabs to better compete with Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services. The bill, AB 650, would prohibit local governments from setting taxi rates or limit the number of taxis on the road as well as allowing cabs to pick up and drop off passengers outside specific local jurisdictions. Ride-hailing companies have looser regulations in those areas and have made significant inroads into the taxi business. The laws and regulations governing the provisions of transportation services are many decades old and have evolved slowly, said the bills author, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell). As with many new technologies, the rapid growth of [ride-hailing] companies has created a disruption in taxis archaic model of transportation. Under the bill, the taxi industry would be regulated by state departments that handle transportation. The measure exempts San Francisco, which backers of the measure described as having a unique taxi medallion system. AB 650 would take effect as soon as next year, once Gov. Jerry Brown finishes a reorganization of transportation departments. The bill has caused significant consternation among local governments and within the taxi industry. Last week, the city of Los Angeles voted to oppose the measure unless it was also exempted. Since that vote, Low changed the legislation to accommodate some of the largest objections. Cities will still be allowed to force taxis to pick up in every neighborhood to prevent discrimination and require taxis to accommodate people with disabilities. Some lawmakers opposed to the bill argued on the Assembly floor that it was rushed. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) also contended that the measure lowered worker protections for taxi drivers in an effort to increase competition with ride-hailing companies. Those are such terrible jobs with such few regulations that protect workers that to say the answer to the [ride-hailing] problem, and there is a problem in the sharing economy, is to say, Lets just forget regulations? Gonzalez said. That may be somebodys answer, but thats not mine. The bill now heads to Browns desk. Times staff writer Laura J. Nelson contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print After facing long odds, $3 billion low-income housing bond is done for the year By Liam Dillon A $3 billion low-income housing bond is done for the year. The measure, which would have put a ballot measure authorizing the bond before voters in 2018, was aimed at helping relieve the states huge housing supply deficit, especially for Californias poorest residents. The bill, authored by state Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), didnt come up for a vote in the Assembly. It faced long odds, needing a bipartisan vote there and then the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown, who had already expressed his opposition. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement After a rocky final few months, Roger Hernandez quietly finishes his legislative career By John Myers (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) A number of politicians wrapped their legislative careers on Wednesday as the Legislature adjourned for the year, but few face as much uncertainty in the months to come as Assemblyman Roger Hernandez. The West Covina Democrat spent much of the final day of the 2016 legislative session sitting quietly at his desk after returning to Sacramento last week in the wake of a domestic violence restraining order in July. Hernandez was then excused on medical leave for the first few days of the August proceedings. In a final farewell speech in the Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the lawmaker briefly reflected on some 17 years in local and state public service. I leave this floor with great joy and some sadness because I love this job, Hernandez said. This is my favorite job Ive ever had. In the final legislative hours, Hernandez also sought to explain his decision as a committee chairman this summer to kill a closely watched bill to expand the states parental leave law only to then vote for the proposal once it was resurrected by its author, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). In a post on his Facebook page, he said the earlier action was because of the original bills impact on small businesses. I believe the impact on small businesses has been taken into greater consideration in todays bill, he wrote on Tuesday. Hernandez recently said that he no longer feels he can mount a campaign for Congress against Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk). The lawmaker left his Assembly colleagues with some advice in his farewell speech. There are so many people that are depending on each and every one of us to fight ardently for them. he said. You are their champion. Dont forget that please. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Planned Parenthood-inspired bill to crack down on secret recordings clears Legislature By Melanie Mason Its already illegal to record someone without their permission in California; under a bill that got final legislative approval on Wednesday, distributing such a recording could lead to even more legal trouble. The bill by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park) would make it illegal to distribute secret recordings involving a healthcare provider. The measure was inspired by the high-profile videos taken by anti-abortion activists that purported to show Planned Parenthood doctors and employees engaged in illegal sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood was not charged with any wrongdoing, and the organization argued the videos were doctored. The bill, AB 1671, represents a compromise between Planned Parenthood and media organizations, which were wary that the proposed crime could ensnare journalists. But approval from Gov. Jerry Brown is not a sure thing; the bill creates a new crime and the governor has rebuffed other efforts to add to the penal code. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Lawmakers approve new climate plans to help Californias disadvantaged communities By Chris Megerian (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) Three more measures intended to address climate change in poor and polluted communities were passed by state lawmakers Wednesday night. They followed on the heels of major legislation approved last week to set a new target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to increase oversight of state regulators. One of the bills, AB 1550 from Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park), would refine guidelines for spending revenues from the states auction of greenhouse gas pollution credits and would require more money be used to help low-income households. Gomez said the bill would bring greater equity to the states programs. Our most polluted neighborhoods are disproportionately home to Latinos, African Americans and other communities of color, he said. AB 2722 from Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D-Marina del Rey) would ensure more state grants awarded through a housing program would go toward disadvantaged communities. A third measure, SB 1383 from state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), would direct state regulators to crack down on short-lived climate pollutants, which include emissions that contribute to global warming and create health hazards. Gov. Jerry Browns office has signaled that he supports all of the proposals. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Lawmakers and Capitol staff, tired as long and final day dragged on, vented on Twitter Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Technical difficulties in Californias Capitol On the last night of the legislative session, the state Senate is going old school, said the chief of staff for Senate leader Kevin de Leon. This is pure speculation, but I think Putin just hacked our computer system. Going old school now with paper analyses & bills. Never dull. Dan Reeves (@DanReevo) September 1, 2016 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Lets get the Olympics back to California: Lawmakers OK $250-million spending guarantee for 2024 Summer Games By Patrick McGreevy State lawmakers on Wednesday sent the governor a bill that would allow him to provide up to $250 million in financial guarantees in case the city of Los Angeles goes over budget in its proposal to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said the authorization is needed to allow the city of Los Angeles to compete to host the Games, which he said are not expected to show a deficit. Lets get the Olympics back to California, De Leon told his Senate colleagues before they voted to approve the bill. The guarantee is required by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee as a prerequisite before any city can be considered for hosting an Olympic Games. Hosting the Games in California is expected to generate billions of dollars for the states economy, stated De Leons bill giving authorization to the governor. The city of Los Angeles expects there will be net revenue exceeding expenses that can be devoted to legacy programs for youth and citizens of California. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement New processing standards for medical marijuana would be set under bill sent to governor By Patrick McGreevy Lawmakers proposed new standards for manufacturing medical marijuana products in a bill sent to the governor. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) The University of California would conduct a study of the effects of marijuana on motor skills, and new standards would be set for manufacturing medical cannabis products under legislation sent Wednesday by state lawmakers to the governor. The measure was approved as California prepares to begin issuing licenses to marijuana growers and sellers in 2018 and as voters consider a November ballot measure that would legalize recreational use of pot. The bill by Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) and others would exempt collectives and cooperatives that manufacture medical cannabis products from some criminal sanctions if they meet state requirements. The manufacturing must use processes without solvents or processes with nonflammable, nontoxic solvents. Recent raids and busts on the ground have highlighted the need for this bill, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), a co-author of the bill. Cooley said the new manufacturing standards can be enforced by the new Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. As the bureau ramps up licensure programs and puts regulations in place, it is important that local governments have clarification about what types of manufacturing and extraction are allowed, Cooley said. The measure, which also provides for reporting of license denials, is supported by the California Cannabis Industry Assn., which said it will protect the health and safety of medical cannabis patients. The study on pots effect on motor skills comes as groups opposing recreational use charge that legalization will lead to more automobile accidents in California. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Yes, in your backyard: Legislature OKs easing restrictions on building granny flats in California By Liam Dillon Construction on John Gregorchuks secondary dwelling unit has been stalled because of a legal ruling against the city of Los Angeles. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) It might soon be easier for California homeowners to convert garages into new residences or build additional freestanding structures in their backyards, after lawmakers approved a measure to streamline restrictions on the units statewide. This week, the Legislature approved two measures, SB 1069 from Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and AB 2299 from Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) aimed at forcing local governments to approve the secondary housing units, often known as granny flats. People are shocked and frustrated when they see the enormous fees and requirements that are preventing them from adding a small unit or converting a room in their house, Wieckowski said in a statement. SB 1069 will eliminate unnecessary fees and reduce requirements to give homeowners more control over their home. Under the two bills, local governments will no longer be able to require homeowners to add parking for new granny flats near transit stops or have a large uncovered pathway to the street, and will limit fees for connecting the additional unit to water and sewer lines. State lawmakers who have tried to encourage building such units for more than a decade as a way to address Californias soaring housing costs have expressed frustration with local government inaction. In Los Angeles, for example, all granny flat permitting is on hold after a Superior Court ruling earlier this year found a conflict between local rules and state law. City officials have tried to resolve the issue recently, but are facing opposition from homeowners who argue that the units would hurt the character of neighborhoods. Gov. Jerry Brown endorsed both measures earlier this year, and is expected to sign them. UPDATE Aug. 31, 4:22 p.m. This post was updated after AB 2299 passed the Legislature. This was originally posted on Aug. 30 at 7:04 p.m. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Wear your jean jacket proudly. Legislature makes denim Californias official fabric By Liam Dillon Its official. The California Legislature has declared denim the states official fabric. Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-Marin County) presented the wryly named AB 501, while his colleagues displayed jean jackets and joked whether Jordache jeans would be included. AB 501 tells both the story of California and global culture, Levine said. Levine easily overcame the opposition. Well, I tried to speak up for California sheep & the Wool Growers Association... But denim still won the day. I voted yes @nathanfletcher Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) August 31, 2016 The bill passed 59-3. Gov. Jerry Brown hasnt weighed in yet. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Uber and Lyft drivers could soon face tougher background checks, thanks to bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown By Liam Dillon Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services could soon face stricter background checks under a measure that passed the California Legislature on Wednesday. The bill would prohibit the companies from hiring drivers who are registered sex offenders, have been convicted of violent felonies or, within the last seven years, have a driving-under-the-influence conviction. The bills author, Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), said the measure will help ensure the safety of passengers utilizing [ride-hailing] services. He noted that prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco last year found 25 people with lengthy criminal histories driving for Uber. But Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) argued that the measure is too strict and hurts the ability of those with long-ago convictions to find jobs. The language in the bill doesnt take into consideration individuals who committed crimes 10, 15 or 20 years ago, have paid their debt to society and are now model citizens, Quirk said. The bill also mandates a maximum $5,000 fine each time a ride-hailing company violates the background-check rules. The measure now heads to Gov. Jerry Browns desk. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California lawmakers ask governor to criminalize possession of synthetic drug spice By Patrick McGreevy Safety officials assist a man on downtown L.A.'s skid row last week. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Alarmed that dozens in Los Angeles have been sickened after ingesting a synthetic drug called spice, state lawmakers on Wednesday sent the governor a bill outlawing possession of the substance. The urgency measure requested by the California Narcotics Officers Assn. would make a first offense of possession of specified synthetic cannabinoids or stimulants an infraction. A second or third offense could be a misdemeanor. It is already a crime to sell the drugs. Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) cited the situation on Los Angeles skid row in which more than 50 people have been hospitalized in the last few weeks, many suspected of using the drug. These synthetic drugs are a uniquely dangerous threat to public safety, Galgiani told her Senate colleagues before a unanimous vote to approve her bill, Senate Bill 139. The measures supporters also included the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the California Police Chiefs Assn. and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. The measure is opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Drug Policy Alliance. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California soon could expand the states family leave law to smaller businesses By Jazmine Ulloa Kim Turner holds her daughter, Adelaide, before a rally at San Francisco City Hall in support of paid family leave. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press) California soon could expand its family leave law to 2.7 million residents across the state, the latest of legislative efforts this session that have sought to assist working parents. SB 654, dubbed the New Parent Leave Act, is headed to the governors desk after it passed out of the state Senate on Wednesday with a 24-12 vote. The bill would allow parents at smaller companies with 20 to 49 employees to take six weeks leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, without fear of losing their jobs. Current state law extends only such job protection to those at businesses with 50 or more employees. The legislation also would allow parents to access the states Paid Family Leave Program, which provides up to six weeks of partial wages for some caregiving responsibilities. Supporters of the bill said it closes a loophole in the states family leave law for many employees who already pay for the leave program through payroll deductions and are not eligible for its benefits. But the legislation has faced major opposition from the business community, which has labeled it a job killer, saying it would overwhelm small companies. On the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Murrieta) said it would hurt small businesses already struggling to meet new minimum wage requirements signed into law this year. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) argued her bill would impact only 6.3% of California companies, while helping 16% of its workforce. She said she had done everything possible to address the concerns of small businesses through amendments that narrowed the scope of the legislation. But we live in a different world today, colleagues, she said. It is a world where both men and women are working. It is a world where both men and women want the opportunity to bond with their newborns, and frankly, no parent should be forced to choose between the well-being of their new child and their familys financial security. The vote Wednesday comes as momentum continues to grow for stronger family leave laws nationwide, and as some tech giants in California have rushed to amend their policies. The state became the first in the country to guarantee workers paid leave to care for a new child or ailing family member more than 15 years ago. But two main challenges have kept many parents from taking advantage of the law: Some could not afford to take time off because of the limited partial wages offered, while others feared they would lose their jobs if they did. Gov. Jerry Brown sought to address the first obstacle when he signed legislation earlier this year to help low-income families. That allows people earning close to minimum wage to be paid 70% of their salary while on leave, while workers with higher pay, up to $108,000 annually, will get 60% of their salary during leave. The change takes effect in 2018. Jacksons bill seeks to tackle the latter challenge and is a priority of the California Legislative Womens Caucus, which the senator co-chairs. It faced trouble earlier this year when it was surprisingly killed in an Assembly committee, following friction between Jackson and Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina). He was stripped of his committee chairmanship earlier this year after a judge granted his ex-wife a domestic violence restraining order against him Legislative leaders in both houses have supported the measures revival. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Scenes from the end of session The California state Capitol in Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) The California Legislature wraps up its two-year session Wednesday. As lawmakers debate and vote on hundreds of bills in the final few days, lobbyists and residents have swarmed the Capitol to advocate on issues ranging from energy policy to farmworker overtime pay. Here are some images showing what its like in Sacramento at the close of session. Click the link to see the full gallery. State Sen. Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) on the Senate floor at the Capitol in Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Assn., works in the rotunda at the Capitol. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Members of the United Farm Workers union hold a rally outside the Capitol in Sacramento after California lawmakers passed legislation that would expand overtime pay for more than 825,000 laborers. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias former budget director tapped to pitch in on Puerto Rico crisis By John Myers Ana Matosantos and Gov. Jerry Brown (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Ana Matosantos, who served two governors as budget director, was appointed Wednesday by President Obama as one of seven members of a financial oversight board to assist cash-strapped Puerto Rico. Matosantos role on the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, created through a new federal effort to help the U.S. territory through its fiscal crisis, will be to help create a new dialogue between the islands government and its creditors. Puerto Rico defaulted on a $422-million bond in May, and faces significant problems in providing basic government services. Matosantos, 40, left Gov. Jerry Browns administration in 2013 and has been in private consulting roles ever since. She also served in the Arnold Schwarzenegger administration. With a broad range of skills and experiences, these officials have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed to tackle this complex challenge and put the future of the Puerto Rican people first, Obama said in a written statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown, state lawmakers reach last-minute deal on spending cap-and-trade revenues By Melanie Mason Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon pictured in Sacramento in March. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In the closing hours of the legislative year, lawmakers approved a last-minute deal Wednesday to free up hundreds of millions of dollars from the states cap-and-trade program to fund green projects across the state. Under the agreement, which broke a two-year impasse, the state will spend $900 million on programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly two-thirds of $1.4 billion that has been raised but was tied up unspent in a political stalemate. The money will go toward subsidies for electric cars, new park space and pedestrian-friendly affordable housing. Californias 4-year old cap-and-trade program raises money from businesses that purchase permits to pollute. The deal was announced on the Legislatures final day, and was hailed by the governor and legislative leaders. It comes not long after they inked an ambitious plan to combat climate change by extending and expanding Californias targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Californias combating climate change on all fronts and this plan gets us the most bang for the buck, Brown said in a statement. It directs hundreds of millions where its needed most to help disadvantaged communities, curb dangerous super pollutants and cut petroleum use while saving some for the future. The deal is expected to land on Gov. Jerry Browns desk as early as Thursday morning. The spending proposal is tilted toward urban areas and low-income communities, marking a win for lawmakers who argued their poorer constituents were being left out of the largesse generated by the cap-and-trade program. The final deal included money for energy efficiency upgrades for aging buildings and urban parks, but no money for conservation projects such as wetlands restorations. Such spending priorities are typically haggled over during the budget process, but for two years, the funds were trapped in political limbo, being held as leverage while politically fraught climate bills were being debated in the Legislature. Another 60% of the auction revenues are not subject to the annual budget process; instead, they are automatically directed each year toward certain projects, including the bullet train and affordable housing. This new agreement would allocate $135 million for transit projects such as intercity and commuter rail systems. It would spend $133 million for the states main subsidy program for low- and zero-emission vehicles, and another $80 million for a second subsidy for low-income Californians living in poorer parts of Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. Thousands of consumers were pushed to wait lists while the cap-and-trade funds were held in limbo. Once the budget is finalized, rebates will go out to those already on the waiting list, with priority going to low-income buyers. It includes $80 million for urban parks and other green spaces. Such projects will be chosen by state and local agencies during a grant process over the next several years. The reality is we have many communitiesespecially in Los Angeles, that are urban asphalt and concrete wastelands, said Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). He said urban greenerywhich can be as small as an alleyway or pocket park help combat high temperatures caused by vast stretches of asphalt and concrete, leading to lower cooling costs. The plan allocates $140 million to assist disadvantaged communities to develop their own local efforts to combat climate change, such as city planning that includes affordable housing and pedestrian walkways. Multiple bills expected to pass in the Legislature late Wednesday add new restrictions on how the money is spent. About half of those who had received subsidies to purchase low- or zero-emission vehicles were earning more than $200,000 a year, according to a state survey. A new bill would limit the subsidy to those making less than $150,000. Similarly, the spending package includes $50 million to reduce methane emissions from dairy and livestock dependent on a separate bill that would require sharp cuts in these emissions by 2030. And a third bill creates a new program that encourages disadvantaged communities to develop their own local efforts to combat climate change, such as such as city planning that includes affordable housing and pedestrian walkways. The legislation includes $140 million to fund this effort statewide. The spending plan is not as expansive as the one proposed by De Leon earlier this month, which sought to spend $1.2 billion. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) had expressed reservations about using nearly all of the available cash in light of dwindling proceeds from recent cap-and-trade auctions. Facing legal uncertainty due to a pending lawsuit, cap-and-trade auction revenue has sharply declined. The most recent auction, held in August, generated around $8 million. Lawmakers said they hoped the recent extension of the states emissions targets which demonstrated a political will to shore up the program would restore faith from the markets. With this agreement, we take an aggressive approach to investing cap-and-trade funds that provides tangible results for cleaner air and helps lower income Californians benefit from emission reduction programs, Rendon said in a statement. At the same time, we are also maintaining a responsible reserve to provide for the future. Brown, who has championed setting aside money in the case of economic downturn, appeared even less inclined to dip into cap-and-trade dollars. Asked last week if he backed spending those funds, the governor said he was committed to spending a little of that money, placing emphasis on the word little. This post was updated at 12:25 p.m. to include comments from the governor and legislative leaders and again at 11 p.m. to provide more details and context. It was originally published at 11:45 a.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement White House promises more federal aid for Lake Tahoe region By Phil Willon The White House on Wednesday announced a series of new funding and environmental programs to address the deteriorating health of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding forests caused in part by the increasing temperatures brought about by climate change. The announcement came just hours before President Obama was scheduled to address the Lake Tahoe Summit, an annual environmental conference that California and Nevada leaders began two decades ago because of concerns about the declining water clarity in the once crystal-clear Sierra lake. Tahoes surface water temperature in 2015 was the highest ever recorded, while annual snowfall levels have been on the decline. The increasing air temperatures in the Lake Tahoe region also have stressed the surrounding forests, causing an alarming increase in tree mortality and fire danger, according to the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. In response, the Obama administration announced the following assistance: The Department of the Interior will provide $29.5 million to reduce dead trees and other hazardous fuels to improve forest health and decrease the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The Environmental Protection Agency will provide $230,000 to manage and reduce storm water runoff in the Tahoe region. The National Forest Foundation, working with the U.S. Forest Service and local communities, announced it has raised over $4 million for creek restoration projects, for sustainable recreation and to improve forest health throughout the nearby Truckee River watershed. Along with assistance for the Lake Tahoe region, the White House also announced a new partnership between California and the Department of the Interior to assess the future of the Salton Sea. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Bill allowing landlords to bar medical pot use is dropped By Patrick McGreevy A lawmaker has dropped a bill that would have allowed landlords to bar tenants from smoking medical marijuana in apartments. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) A state lawmaker has dropped a proposal that would have allowed landlords renting apartments in California to bar their tenants from smoking medical marijuana in their residences. Assemblyman Jim Wood (D- Healdsburg) could not work out an agreement with the chairwoman of a key committee on how to meet the needs of people relying on medical cannabis, an aide said. Wood had said AB 2300 is needed because secondhand smoke can easily travel through windows, doors and shared ventilation system in multiunit apartments and condos. This is about protecting families that live in close proximity to others, Wood said in a recent statement, adding that there are cannabis products that can be ingested without smoking them. However, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, thought the bill was too limiting on medical cannabis patients. They had a difference of opinion regarding the effectiveness of cannabis delivery mechanisms other than smoking, said Liz Snow, a spokeswoman for Wood, who said the assemblyman agreed to drop the bill in lieu of Jacksons continuing concerns. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print In the wake of allegations against Bill Cosby, California may end statute of limitations for prosecuting rape By Sophia Bollag Artist and actor Lili Bernard, who has accused comedian Bill Cosby of raping her in the 1990s, speaks at a rally at the site of Cosbys star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill to end the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and other felony sex crimes. If the governor signs the bill, crimes including rape and child sexual abuse could be prosecuted at any time. Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) introduced the bill in the wake of news that dozens of women have said comedian Bill Cosby raped them. Most of their cases cannot be prosecuted because the statutes of limitations for those crimes have expired. Its called the Justice for Victims Act for one clear and specific reason: Victims should always have the opportunity to seek justice in a court of law after such a violent act, Leyva said. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement New campaign donation disclosure rules rejected by the state Senate By John Myers Lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly rejected an effort to create new disclosure rules for California political mailers and money gathered from several donors into a single contribution. Assembly Bill 700 failed by a single vote in the state Senate, needing a supermajority of 27 senators to pass. The complex campaign finance bill became ensnared in a disagreement this month over whether it represented more or less donor disclosure. The states Fair Political Practices Commission voted to oppose late amendments to AB 700 regarding the disclosure rules for earmarked contributions. The bill sought to address instances in which a political contribution is cash collected from a series of donors who ask the identified donor to then earmark the money for a particular campaign. Jodi Remke, the FPPC chairwoman, wrote in a letter last week that the changes to AB 700 would create a loophole for some organizations to bypass the contribution limits. Supporter of the bill disagreed with the FPPCs interpretation, but the disagreement may have proved a distraction in the bills final days. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez tweets support for expanding overtime pay for California farmworkers By Jazmine Ulloa Fabric Fierros of Salinas and other United Farm Workers members cheer as Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) appears in a balcony during a rally after California lawmakers passed legislation that would expand overtime pay for farmworkers. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez on Tuesday took to Twitter to voice his support for a California bill that would expand overtime pay for thousands of farmworkers across the state. Assembly Bill 1066, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown after it was approved Monday in a historic vote on the state Assembly floor. Brown has made no indication as to whether he will sign the legislation, and his office said Tuesday he generally does not comment on pending proposals. A spokesman also said he would not comment on Perezs support for the bill. Farmworkers that put food on our table deserve same protections that other industries have had for years. CA bill would ensure fairness. Archive: Tom Perez (@SecTomPerez) August 30, 2016 The proposal would roll out new rules for farmworker overtime in 2019, lowering the current 10-hour-day threshold for overtime by half an hour each year until it reaches the standard eight-hour day by 2022. It also would phase in a 40-hour standard workweek for the first time. The governor would be able to suspend any part of the process for a year depending on economic conditions. The United Farm Workers association, which sponsored the bill, said it addressed an injustice inflicted on farmworkers nearly eight decades ago, when they were first exempted from federal minimum wage and overtime standards. The bill has drawn wide and diverse support, including from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. But prominent business groups, led by the California Farm Bureau Federation and a coalition of agricultural producers, have thrown their political weight against it, saying the legislation would devastate the agricultural community and backfire on the workers it seeks to help. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Kamala Harris calls for measures to end the crisis of confidence between police and the public By Phil Willon U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris on Tuesday called for new national policies to reduce recidivism by felons released from prison and to make data on crime and police actions more accessible to the public. Harris, Californias attorney general, made the comments during a roundtable discussion on criminal justice at Community Coalition in South Los Angeles. Harris said there is a crisis of confidence between law enforcement and communities that must be addressed. She spoke about how the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile in Minnesota in July and the ambush that killed five Dallas police officers shortly afterward broke our collective hearts. Harris also called for more diversity in law enforcement agencies and additional training to eliminate police bias. In 2015, Harris launched her agencys Open Justice website, which provides public access to data on arrest rates, in-custody and arrest-related deaths and law enforcement officers killed or assaulted breaking the numbers down by race and ethnicity, cause of death and other factors. That is a model of how criminal justice data should be made more transparent nationwide, she said. We need to have mandatory data collection. Publication of data, Harris said. Which means, those who have the information have to report it. ... And the place wheres its being reported should make it transparent. Harris added that transparency includes universal protocols around body cameras for law enforcement officers. Last year, Harris stopped short of supporting statewide requirements for officers to wear the body cameras, including legislation by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) to develop statewide standards on how the cameras would be operated and when the footage could be viewed. Harris, who launched a pilot program on body cameras at the state Department of Justice, had cautioned against using a one-size-fits-all approach to regulate their use. Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click said theres been no change in Harris position. He said her comment Tuesday was in reference to the findings from the pilot program at the Department of Justice. Harris is running to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer and is being challenged by a fellow Democrat, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Cal State students could get help graduating on time under bill sent to governor By Sophia Bollag Gov. Jerry Brown speaks with Steve Glazer, then mayor of Orinda, in 2011. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that could help students graduate in four years from California State University schools. Only 19% of students at Cal State campuses graduate in four years, state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) said, citing statistics from 2011. Glazers bill would create programs at Cal State campuses to help students graduate on time. Students in the programs would receive extra support from academic advisors and priority registration in classes. They would be required to take a minimum number of credits and maintain a qualifying GPA. Low-income and first-generation students, as well as community college graduates and students from communities with low college attendance rates, would be given priority to participate in the programs. They would also have to be eligible for in-state tuition. State Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) lauded the bill and said it would have helped him when he was in college. He said it took him six years to graduate with a bachelors degree from a California State University. If I had something like this when I was in college, it would have given me the tools to perhaps graduate in four years, he said. State Sens. Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar) and Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) both praised the legislation, but questioned whether it should be made available to more students. Huff said he wished the program were available to every Cal State student, not just a limited subset. Glazer defended the legislation, saying better graduation rates for a subset of students would save the state money and open spots for other students. Im convinced that everyone will benefit from a more efficient university system, Glazer said. This legislation will open up more pathways to student success and four-year degrees. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Smoking would be banned in California state parks and beaches in bill sent to governor By Patrick McGreevy Amid concerns over health impacts and wildfires, smoking and using electronic cigarettes would be outlawed at Californias 270 state parks and beaches under a bill sent by state lawmakers to the governor on Tuesday. The measure creates a fine of up to $250 for those caught vaping or smoking a cigar or cigarette, or disposing of the remains of a cigarette on a state beach or park. SB 1333 will make our state parks and beaches cleaner and safer by reducing cigarette and tobacco litter, curtailing exposure to second-hand smoke and limiting the threat of park fires, Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego) told his Senate colleagues Tuesday before they voted 26-10 to approve the bill. He also said cigarette trash can hurt wildlife and fish. The bill is backed by the California State Firefighters Assn., the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Sierra Club Sacramento and the Surfrider Foundation. It has been amended from Blocks original proposal to include a provision allowing the director of the state Department of Parks and Recreation to designate small areas in parks where smoking would be allowed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sentencing laws in California could be changed to add language about rehabilitation By Sophia Bollag Inmates at the state prison in Lancaster in 2010. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers voted Tuesday to add language to sentencing laws that would promote so-called restorative justice. State law says the purpose of imprisonment is punishment. The bill the California Assembly voted to send to the governor Tuesday, AB 2590, would amend the law to state that the purpose of sentencing is public safety achieved through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would have to update its policies to promote inmate rehabilitation under the bill. AB 2590 now goes to the governor. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California could see new rules on flying drones in state parks By Jazmine Ulloa A drone hovers over seals and sea lions at Childrens Pool Beach in La Jolla. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) California soon could have new rules on flying drones in state parks, where regulations on the use of unmanned aircrafts have been vague and vary widely. This bill, authored by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), makes it unlawful to launch, land or operate a drone without a permit on lands managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It also prohibits the use of drones in the taking of fish or animals. AB 2148 moved out of the state Assembly with a 45-15 vote. Under federal law, unmanned aircraft are prohibited in national parks without a permit, a ban that covers 59 locations and about 350 national monuments, seashores and other sites about 84 million acres in all. But there are no blanket rules for Californias state parks, and the state park system has no systemwide drone policy in place. With such few regulations for drones, Holden said, its like the wild, wild West out there. He said his bill would create a safer environment at state parks, while allowing some exemptions for drone use, such as for conservation or scientific research and for legitimate newsgathering purposes. The National Park Service reported at least 10 drone incidents in areas of Washington, D.C., in 2015, including a Dec. 16 citation of a man operating a drone near the Washington Monument. A drone also was said to be the cause of a big horn sheep stampede in Utahs Zion National Park, and studies suggest that such aircraft can distress bears, sea lions and gulls. But critics have called the bill one of several piecemeal solutions that remained after major drone lobbying efforts killed wider statewide drone regulations this legislative session. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California lawmakers approve bill to deny state contracts to companies that boycott Israel By John Myers Lawmakers took action Tuesday to prevent California state government agencies from awarding contracts to companies that participate in a boycott of Israel. AB 2844 requires any company that accepts a state government contract of $100,000 or more to certify that its not in violation of California civil rights law -- which, said the Assembly members who wrote the bill, would include companies involved in an international Israeli boycott. That global campaign -- the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement -- is intended to put pressure on Israel to change its policies until the country ends its occupation of all Arab lands and recognizes an independent Palestine. Other states have taken similar action, and the bill was the subject of eight separate amendments during the 2016 legislative session in Sacramento. The bottom line is that the state should not subsidize discrimination in any form, said the bills author, Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica). AB 2844 now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown for a signature or veto by the end of September. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Compromise struck on Planned Parenthood-backed bill on secret recordings By Melanie Mason A deal has been struck on a controversial bill sponsored by Planned Parenthood to create new penalties for distributing illegal recordings in the wake of high-profile secret videos circulated by anti-abortion activists. The bill, by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park), had sought to create a new crime for distributing video or audio recordings involving a healthcare professional that were taken without a persons consent. In California, it is already illegal to make such recordings without all parties authorization. Planned Parenthood argued that adding additional punishment for circulating those recordings was necessary following the controversial videos taped by David Daleiden and other anti-abortion activists that purported to show Planned Parenthood employees illegally trafficking in fetal tissue. The healthcare provider, which has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing, says the videos were manipulated. After the video smear campaign last summer, we experienced a ninefold increase in violence against our providers and our health centers, said Beth Parker, chief legal counsel of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. With the Internet and the tremendous wildfire nature in which news can be spread now through social media, we need to have a crime against distribution by those in particular who did the illegal recording, Parker said. A slap on the hand of a $2,500 fine isnt sufficient. But the proposal immediately raised alarm among civil liberties activists and press organizations, which argued such a penalty could ensnare journalists who are reporting on secret videos. After multiple rounds of amendments, the two sides appear to have reached a compromise: The bill will now make clear that members of the media cannot be held liable if they did not participate in the initial illegal recording. We took precautions to make sure the press could still do their jobs, Gomez said on Tuesday. Nikki Moore, legal counsel to the California Newspaper Publishers Assn., said with the anticipated changes set to be put into the bill Tuesday her group will move from opposed to neutral on the measure. While we find it troubling that this bill potentially criminalizes speech, we realize this bill had political momentum and our immediate concern is to protect newspapers and journalists, Moore said. Another opponent of the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the changes. Gomez said he wasnt surprised by the heated back-and-forth surrounding his bill, AB 1671. I always knew itd be difficult to balance the right of privacy and the right of free speech, Gomez said. I think that is a tension that weve seen in court case after court case and law after law. And we always strive to find that right balance. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Police agencies could soon charge more for concealed-weapon permits under bill headed to governor By Patrick McGreevy (Andrew Burton / Getty Images) The state Assembly on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would allow local police and sheriff agencies to increase the fee for issuing concealed weapon permits, removing the current $100 cap and allowing charges that fully recover costs for enforcement. Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) introduced the measure, saying the cap has resulted in Sacramento County facing a budget shortfall of about $250,000. Unfortunately, the current fee structure is rigid, leaving a strain on some local budgets, McCarty said. McCarty said the bill does not change the requirements for Californians to get a license to carry a concealed weapon. But Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore said the bill will not prevent gun violence but could result in pricing people out of their constitutional right to carry guns. It is not going to increase anybodys safety, she added. McCarty countered that the bill will provide cities and counties with ample resources to do proper vetting to keep [concealed-weapon permits] out of the hands of people who should not have them. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print If you cant vote in person, this bill would allow anyone you choose to turn in your ballot By John Myers (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Ballots cast by California voters could be turned in at elections offices by anyone, including campaign workers or political party officials, under a bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. Assembly Bill 1921 removes the language in existing state law that limits help in submitting a vote by mail ballot to close family members. The bills author, Assemblywoman Lorena S. Gonzalez (D-San Diego), has said those limitations are an obstacle to getting ballots back in a timely fashion for voters in need of help. In a legislative committee hearing in June, opponents noted that AB 1921 has no maximum number of ballots a single person can turn in and could therefore open the door to vote tampering during large-scale ballot gathering efforts. Most other states that allow someone to turn in multiple ballots generally limit it to as many as 10 ballots. AB 1921, however, places no maximum number on those that could be submitted to California elections officials by a single person. The bill passed with no floor debate on Tuesday in the Assembly. Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign it into law or veto it. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Smoking would be banned on California college campuses under bill sent to governor By Patrick McGreevy Incoming freshmen tour the dorms at California State University Fullerton last year. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Smoking and the use of electronic cigarettes would be banned on campuses of the California State University and California Community Colleges systems beginning in 2018 under legislation approved Tuesday by the state Assembly. We need to promote a safe and healthy environment for the campus staff, students and faculty, said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who introduced the measure. This bill helps address the harmful health effects that come with smoking and secondhand smoke on our college campuses. The bill is one of many anti-tobacco measures the governor is considering this year. It follows the model set by the semi-autonomous University of California system, which adopted a tobacco-free policy that took effect in 2014. The Cal State system is nearing completion of a smoking policy, but the practice is already banned at Cal State Fullerton. The community college chancellors office says 18 of the 72 community college districts, comprising 37 campuses, already have smoke-free policies. The bill calls for fining violators $25 for the first offense, up to $100 for the third and additional offenses, with the money going to anti-smoking education and cessation programs. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California soon could enhance penalties for sex buyers By Jazmine Ulloa A Los Angeles march against sex trafficking drew hundreds of people carrying signs and chanting Our children are not for sale. (Sandy Banks / Los Angeles Times) The state Assembly on Tuesday sent a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown that would enhance penalties for sex buyers, one of at least two dozen bills this legislative session that have sought to curb the trade of forced sex and labor. AB 1708, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), would enhance penalties for sex trafficking near schools and impose minimum fines and mandatory minimum county jail terms for people convicted of purchasing commercial sex. It also would recast the crime of prostitution so that the statute differentiates between people receiving compensation for sex from sellers and buyers of sex. By redefining the statute, Gonzalez said, law enforcement officials will be able to decriminalize prostitution for victims and increase the punishment for those who fuel the trade. But the bill might be a tough sale to Brown, who has tended to oppose tough-on-crime policies in the past. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California may start giving vouchers for diapers to families on welfare By Sophia Bollag A family passes by bulk packages of diapers at a Costco store in Tucson. (Chris Hondros / Getty Images) California families on welfare would receive a $50 monthly diaper voucher for young children under a bill sent to the governor Tuesday. The bill would provide a benefit to families in CalWORKs, the states welfare program, that could be used only to purchase diapers. Starting in 2020, families in the program would receive the diaper benefit each month for each child younger than 2. The California Assembly passed the bill 54-12. It requires the governors approval to become law. Diapers may soon become cheaper for all families under a separate bill sent to the governor this month. That bill would exempt diapers from California sales taxes. This post has been updated to reflect an updated vote total. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Assembly members say goodbye to those who are leaving in 2016 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement State senator introduces resolution to condemn EpiPen price hikes By Melanie Mason A pharmacist in Sacramento holds a package of EpiPens. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Sen. Ed Hernandezs attempt to push through a drug pricing transparency bill sputtered this year, but the West Covina Democrat still wants his colleagues to weigh in on the latest controversy in the cost of prescription drugs: the surging price of EpiPens. Hernandez is introducing a resolution that excoriates the anti-allergy devices manufacturer, Mylan, joining a chorus of federal lawmakers who have accused the company of price-gouging. The price of the emergency injection devices meant to treat severe allergic reactions climbed to more than $600 for a two-pack a more than 500% increase since the drug was acquired by Mylan. Following a firestorm about the price hike, the company has since announced will offer coupons to offset the high cost and that it will sell a cheaper, generic version of the drug. Hernandezs resolution would urge Congress to investigate Mylans near-monopoly on the EpiPen and would urge the federal Food and Drug Administration to reconsider denying approval of generic alternatives. The federal administration and Congress have the power to limit the unrestrained ability of Mylan to gouge our health care system, and they should use it, Hernandez said in a statement. The measure is the latest sign that Hernandez will continue to hammer pharmaceutical companies on prescription drug prices, even though he opted to pull his measure SB 1010 after it was significantly scaled back earlier this month. Hernandez, the chair of the state Senate health committee, intends to hold a series of informational hearings about drug prices in the fall, and he plans to invite Mylans chief executive to participate in one. My experience with Senate Bill 1010 has made me more resolved than ever to bring transparency to these arbitrary and harmful drug price increases, he said. In addition to the series of informational hearings on rising drug prices, I will reintroduce SB 1010 in December. However, something must be done now to correct the market for this particular drug. The joint resolution will come up for a vote on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon and will then head to the Assembly. It must clear both houses by the close of the legislative session on Wednesday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Bullhooks to control elephants banned in California By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation outlawing the use of bullhooks to handle and control elephants in California even as many animal handlers have stopped using the devices. The measure by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) got a boost after similar measures were adopted in the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland, and after Feld Entertainment announced an end to traveling elephants in the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circuses. More than 70 Hollywood celebrities including Woody Harrelson, Kim Basinger and Hilary Swank sent Brown a letter urging him to end what they called inhumane treatment of animals. Californias commitment to the humane treatment of elephants is strengthened today, Lara said. Banning bullhooks removes cruel and horrific treatment against these kind, gentle animals. Last year, Brown vetoed a similar measure saying he was concerned it was part of a flurry of bills that was creating more crimes without considering alternatives. Brown declined to comment Monday on why he signed the new bill. Ed Stewart, president and co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, which cares for eight elephants at its California sanctuary, said: By its very design, the bullhook is meant to inflict pain and instill fear. The use of this archaic and inhumane weapon on elephants -- a species that is self-aware, intelligent and emotional -- is abhorrent. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Was your ballot counted? Youll be able to find out if Gov. Jerry Brown signs this bill By John Myers (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Californians would have a new legal right to be told whether their ballot was counted under a bill that won final approval in the Legislature on Monday. AB 2089 won bipartisan support in the Assembly and now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown. The bills author, Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), tweeted the news just after the final vote. In every election, a small number of marked ballots arent counted for a variety of reasons -- from arriving too late to being damaged or illegible and beyond. AB 2089 would require county registrars of elections to set up a free system enabling voters to check what the ultimate outcome was of their own ballot and, if it wasnt counted, why. Many of our constituents whose votes arent counted at a registrars office never know, said Assemblywoman Catherine Baker (R-San Ramon). Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print An effort to impose campaign donation limits on local races is killed by the state Senate By John Myers State lawmakers rejected a plan on Monday to place limits on individual campaign donations for city and county offices, races where in some California communities there are no restrictions on the size of a legal donation. Assembly Bill 2523 was supported by a simple majority of senators, but had been recently amended to require a supermajority vote to actually pass. The bill would have set the maximum campaign donation in a local campaign at a level equal to those for Assembly and Senate races, currently $4,200. It would have allowed local communities to set lower limits if desired. Democrats and Republicans disagreed during the Senate floor debate as to whether setting contribution limits would effectively limit the influence of money on local politics. Floor debate over the bill had just begun when Senate Republicans halted the proceedings and asked for a private caucus meeting of their members. The bill would have required only a single GOP senators support to pass. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Ratepayers will remain on the hook for gas leaks after Assembly rejects new legislation By Chris Megerian Shown is the Aliso Canyon facility where an enormous natural gas leak was discovered last year. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Though it was approved by the state Senate earlier this year, legislation that would have prevented ratepayers from being charged for natural gas lost during leaks fell far short and stalled in the Assembly on Monday. The issue gained new attention in the wake of the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak, which lasted four months and forced thousands of people to relocate because of foul air. Although an executive order from Gov. Jerry Brown helped protect ratepayers from covering the cost, there are other, smaller leaks for which theyre still charged. If your gas bill is $50 a month, some small part of that is paying for gas you never got, said Timothy OConnor, an attorney at the Environmental Defense Fund. Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the bills author, said utilities would be more likely to fix problems with their equipment and prevent methane pollution if they couldnt charge ratepayers for gas that is lost due to leaks or venting. Why we should we be paying for the faults in their system? he said. Were paying to work against our own climate goals. Advocates said utilities ramped up their lobbying in their effort to kill the measure, which they view as unnecessarily punitive. The bill would penalize utilities for the value of natural gas lost due to factors outside of the utilities control, said Chris Gilbride, a Southern California Gas Co. spokesman. This includes venting for safety and reliability, and damage to pipelines caused by third parties. Other business organizations, including the California Chamber of Commerce, have also opposed the bill, calling it yet another burden put onto already heavily regulated industries. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gender pay equity could be expanded under this measure By Sophia Bollag Assemblywoman Nora Campos (D-San Jose), center. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A bill sent to the governor Monday would prevent California employers from paying women less than male colleagues based on prior salary. The state strengthened its protections against gender-based wage discrimination last year. The bill the state Assembly sent the governor Monday, AB 1676, would add prior salary to the list of reasons women cant be paid less than men. Nationally, a woman on average makes roughly 79 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2014. AB 1676, authored by Assemblywoman Nora Campos (D-San Jose), joins another pay equality bill sent to the governor last week that would strengthen protections against wage discrimination based on race or ethnicity. An earlier version of AB 1676 would have barred employers from asking job applicants about prior salary, but amendments cut that provision from the bill. The governor vetoed a similar bill last year and said in his explanation that the legislation was flawed because it hindered employers from seeking relevant information when determining a workers salary. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Major changes in California elections are on the way if Gov. Jerry Brown signs this bill By John Myers (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) A broad push for millions more California ballots to be cast somewhere other than polling places is now in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown, after lawmakers on Monday gave final approval to a plan that would allow thousands of neighborhood polling places to be closed. Senate Bill 450 would focus the work of local elections officials on newly created vote centers, one-stop election offices spread out in communities to allow early voting and late voter registration. Supporters have consistently pointed to low voter turnout in recent elections as the impetus for a substantial revamping of the system. Weve got to figure out a way to implement a new voting model, said state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), the bills author, during Mondays floor debate. SB 450 would allow a handful of counties, if they agree to use the new system, to open fewer vote centers than polling places in 2018. The rest of Californias counties could follow suit in 2020. And with the exception of Los Angeles County, those counties would have to mail each voter a ballot. Those ballots could be dropped off at new, secure drop boxes in various places around the county. (Los Angeles County would have an additional two years to comply with the mailed ballot mandate.) Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) voted against SB 450, and said he didnt believe the bill does enough to address the needs of the disabled when moving away from in-person voting. Anderson also took issue with suggestions that the system is based on a similarly conceived voting system in Colorado, arguing that Colorado has more strict voter fraud rules than does California. Were not doing the Colorado model, Anderson said. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print New mandatory prison sentence bill inspired by Stanford sexual assault heads to governors desk By Liam Dillon State lawmakers passed a bill Monday to add mandatory prison sentences for certain sexual assaults a measure inspired by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judges decision not to sentence a Stanford University student to prison in a high-profile case this year. The June decision by Judge Aaron Persky to sentence Stanford student Brock Turner to six months in jail after sexually assaulting an unconscious woman sparked significant criticism that the punishment was too lenient. Under current California law, those convicted of rape using additional physical force must serve time in prison. This measure would require the same punishment for sexual assaults of those unconscious or incapable of giving consent due to intoxication. If we let a rapist off with probation and little jail time, we re-victimize the victim, we dissuade other victims from coming forward and we send a message that sexual assault of an incapacitated victim is just no big deal, Assemblyman Bill Dodd (D-Napa), a coauthor of the measure, said during floor debate in the Assembly. The bill, AB 2888, passed unanimously in the Assembly and now heads to Gov. Jerry Browns desk. Opponents of the measure have argued the states history of mandatory sentencing has disproportionately affected people of color and led to the states large prison population. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California farmworkers could see overtime expanded in the next decade after historic Assembly vote By Jazmine Ulloa In a historic win for farmworkers, California lawmakers on Monday passed legislation that would expand overtime pay for more than 825,000 laborers who bring produce to stores and tables across the state. AB 1066, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), calls for a four year phase-in of new overtime rules beginning in 2019, ultimately resulting in overtime pay for more than eight hours of work in the fields in 2022. It is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown after it was approved 44-32. The decision followed another intense showdown on the floor of the state Assembly, where a similar proposal died in June four votes short of the majority it needed to pass. As the vote was tallied, applause broke out inside the Assembly chamber and in an overflow room, where more than 100 farmworkers watched the debate on a livestream feed. Outside the Assembly floor, Gonzalez exchanged warm embraces with workers and labor union leaders. These workers have been the face of this bill, she said. Theyre the ones who pushed it, not just today but for decades in California. Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers of America, which sponsored the measure, lauded the workers who came to the Capitol, losing a day of work, to, as he put it, be able to witness history. These are the men and women who every day ensure that we have fruit, vegetables and wine on our tables, he said. Supporters cheer and wave United Farm Workers flags on the steps of the Capitol after CA Assembly passes #AB1066. pic.twitter.com/Sx7DlR6qbx Sophia Bollag (@SophiaBollag) August 29, 2016 During what was an emotional debate, supporters of the bill framed the legislation as a matter of human rights and dignity of work, saying farm laborers deserved the same protections as the vast majority of workers. Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside) called the vote an opportunity to correct a wrong against a subset of workers that would do more to honor Cesar Chavez than any ceremony, walk or statue. Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) said it was about a simple equation: A fair days pay for a fair days work. This is not an attack on those who employ farmworkers, Thurmond said. But this is in fact what farmworkers have asked us to do. They have asked us to give them dignity, and we have the opportunity to make history todayhistory that has been 80 years in the making. Opponents said they were frustrated with rhetoric that implied farmers did not care about their workers, calling the bill purely symbolic. In a critique similar to those used by opponents of increasing the minimum wage, they argued it could backfire on farmworkers, as it saddled farmers and growers with higher costs and could force them to limit work hours and hire more employees. We are asking our farmers to compete in a global market with a higher cost than any other industry, said Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield). Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Nicolaus) argued the bill ignored the will of people with their hands in the dirt. This bill means they will get less hours, that they will have less money in their pockets, he said. .@AsmRocky: #AB1066 is going to passspeaker has said he wants it to pass. But workers are going to lose hours, growers will leave state. Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) August 29, 2016 The Western Growers Association called the Assembly decision a major disappointment, calling it short-sighted policy. The members who voted for this bill have placed California farms at an even further competitive disadvantage internationally and with other states, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif said in a statement. The issue of farmworker overtime festered in recent weeks into one of the most contentious at the end of a two-year session that has been marked by major internal Democratic strife, with rifts growing between those members aligned with business interests and those allied with labor. Gonzalez quietly revived her proposal against this backdrop, pushing past the normal procedures used to introduce legislation by replacing the language of an unrelated bill. United Farm Workers argued it corrected an injustice farmworkers have lived with since they were first exempted from federal minimum wage and overtime standards nearly eight decades ago. But prominent business groups, led by the California Farm Bureau Federation and a coalition of agricultural producers, countered its provisions further burdened farmworkers already dealing with increased regulations and an ongoing water crisis. Emotions flared Thursday when hundreds of farmworkers arrived at the Capitol as the state Assembly had been primed to take its final vote. For reasons that are in dispute, the lower house abruptly adjourned without ever taking up the issue, and although Gonzalez contended she had the 41 votes she needed to get the bill passed, the lack of action suggested she did not have the support. 250+ farmworkers in the Capitol today for vote on #AB1066. Many watching floor debate in overflow room. #CAleg pic.twitter.com/FevQzFG4MR Sophia Bollag (@SophiaBollag) August 29, 2016 California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), who rose to the floor in support of the bill and last week promised to do everything in his power to get it passed, said he spent the weekend having conversations and going over wage data with lawmakers who held concerns. Of the final vote, he said he felt a tremendous sense of history, a tremendous sense of us doing something right. Rendon said Gov. Jerry Brown has not given him an answer when asked if he will support but the legislation, but Rendon said he felt the governor would be thoughtful. When you look at farmworkers they are some of the most vulnerable employees in our state, he said. At the Capitol, Zulma Priego, 40, said she and her three children would benefit from the decision. Im very emotionally moved, she said. We have been struggling for this for many years... Today we took a step forward. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Inmates in county jails cant be denied visits from family, under bill now on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown By John Myers (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times) All of Californias county jails would be required to provide visits from inmate family members under legislation approved on Monday by the state Senate. Senate Bill 1157 would force a change in as many 11 counties that have either fully switched to video conferencing or are in the process of eliminating in-person visitation. Without this, it means we will have incarcerated people in our jails who are not able to bond with children or family members for years, said state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), the bills author. Critics have said that existing law has allowed counties to save money by shifting to video-only visitation for inmates. During debate on the Senate floor, Mitchell said that some counties are making money by charging family members to connect long distance via closed video systems. Republican opponents largely focused on the potential cost for counties that dont have any in-person visitation space. But some GOP senators lashed out that SB 1157 would allow more illegal items smuggled into jails, and that jail inmates must accept the consequences of their crimes. "That is the penalty for continuing to victimize their fellow citizens, said state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber). Counties that dont offer in-person visits and are instead moving toward video systems would have until 2022 to change their operations. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California on guard after cyber attacks on elections databases in two states By Phil Willon A voter arrives to cast her ballot in the Arizona primary in March. (Matt York / AP) Californias elections agency announced that there is no evidence that the states voter registration databases had been targeted by the foreign hackers who reportedly infiltrated elections systems in Arizona and Illinois. Yahoo News reported Monday that personal voter registration information for up to 200,000 people at the Illinois Board of Elections had been downloaded by foreign hackers. The FBI issued an alert early this month warning state elections officials about the data breach, according to the Yahoo report. A spokesman for California secretary of state said the agency, which oversees elections statewide, was aware of the cyber attack reports. We have no evidence of any breaches or hacks of our system, agency spokesman Sam Mahood said. Mahood declined to say whether any extra precautions are being taken, saying the agency does not disclose its security protocols. The secretary of states website has been down most of Monday but Mahood said that was not caused by a hack or breach. Unlike some other states, California counties have maintained their own databases of registered voters. However, the secretary of states office is in the process of centralizing voter registration information in a statewide VoteCal database, which is expected to be operational in September. Dean Logan, registrar of voters in Los Angeles County, said the county has a cyber-security unit and outside contractors that constantly monitor all potential threats to the agencys systems. I think that we just live in a time where we have to be really vigilant on this, Logan said. Logan emphasized the computer system that scans and counts votes is separate from the voter registration database and is not connected to the Internet or any other outside computers, insulating the system from hackers. That computer system also is housed in a secure facility, he said. However, Logan said Los Angeles Countys voter registration database is connected to the secretary of states computer system, which is why the reports in Illinois and Arizona are so concerning, he said. We have been looking at this in conjunction with the larger political dialog about the security of elections system and with the presidential election, Logan said. Federal authorities already are investigating cyber attacks in June against the Democratic National Committee and another on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Federal law enforcement officials have said the hack was likely carried out by Russian intelligence agents. The release of Democratic Party emails by WikiLeaks just ahead of Julys Democratic National Convention revealed comments suggesting the party was aiding Hillary Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, violating the partys commitment of neutrality. Democratic Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign her post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Do reforms to Californias energy regulator go far enough? By Liam Dillon John Gutierrez, 77, a member of the group Save Porter Ranch, joins a February protest calling for Southern California Gas Aliso Canyon storage facility to be shut down. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) A major overhaul of Californias utility regulator is working through the Legislature with the blessing of Gov. Jerry Brown. But some advocates and observers are worried that the efforts dont go far enough to combat the cozy relationships between industry leaders and the California Public Utilities Commission. Even if the new measures get implemented, energy executives will still be able to meet privately with regulators during discussions about setting electric and gas rates -- though there will be more transparency surrounding the communications. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Politics podcast: A climate-change deal plus a look at the Legislatures final three days By John Myers It was on, then off, then back on again. This week, the last chapters of the summers climate-change agreement were finally written at the state Capitol. On this episode of the California Politics Podcast, we examine how the deal came together and the lingering impact between factions of Democrats in the Legislature. We also look at some of the big items left for action in the Legislatures final few days. And we discuss the impact two longtime statehouse staffers had on decades of California public policy. Im joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York of the Grizzly Bear Project. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Smartphone cases that look like guns will be outlawed under bill signed by Gov. Brown By Patrick McGreevy Cellphone cases made to look like guns are a new fashion trend but they may also put owners at risk, so their manufacture and sale will be outlawed in California under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The legislation was introduced by Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) in response to concerns by law enforcement officials that the phone cases might be mistaken by police officers for a real firearm and lead to a violent confrontation. Some of the cases have a handgun grip and trigger system. These devices are fairly new, and this bill takes a proactive approach to stop a problem before it happens, said Cooper, a former captain with the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department. Brown previously has signed seven other gun-control bills, and he has others on his desk. The latest bill would make it a misdemeanor to import, manufacture or sell smartphone cases that look like guns starting Jan. 1. The bill is supported by groups including the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, the California Assn. of Highway Patrolmen, the California Police Chiefs Assn. and the California State Sheriffs Assn. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Brown signs bill to block state funding of coal terminals By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Friday that prohibits the California Transportation Commission from providing money for any new bulk-coal terminals in the state, and he urged cities with ports to take action to reduce such shipments. I believe action on multiple fronts will be necessary to transition away from coal, Brown wrote in a signing message. In California, were divesting from thermal coal in our state pensions, shifting to renewable energy, and last year coal exports from California ports declined by more than one-third, from 4.65 million to 2.96 million tons. Thats a positive trend we need to build on. State Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) authored the bill, which was signed even as Brown noted that the city of Oakland has documented the health, safety and climate effects of coal and banned its shipment through the city. Other localities should follow suit and the state should, too to reduce, and ultimately, eliminate the shipment of coal through all California ports, Brown wrote. Thats why Im signing SB 1279 and why I will continue to work with the Legislature on further actions to curb coal and combat climate change. The bill is opposed by groups including the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, the California Trade Coalition and the League of California Cities. Opponents said the measure might violate U.S. treaty obligations and commerce laws because it singles out one commodity. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Hollywood skyscrapers and other large L.A. developments could get fast-tracked under law signed Friday By Liam Dillon Four proposed mega-projects in Los Angeles could be fast-tracked under a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday. The measure aims to speed up any lawsuits under the states primary environmental law governing development against large projects that also pay high construction wages and meet certain greenhouse gas and renewable energy standards. The new law, authored by state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), applies across the state. And proponents of four projects in Los Angeles have already said they plan to apply for the benefit. The law says that environmental lawsuits against the projects shouldnt take longer than nine months to complete, something that the Los Angeles developers believe could get their projects off the ground three years faster than they would otherwise. Here are the four projects that plan to apply: A $1-billion redevelopment of the Crossroads of the World complex in Hollywood A $200-million hotel and residential development at the corner of Yucca Street and Argyle Avenue in Hollywood The redevelopment of Barlow Respiratory Hospital near Dodger Stadium that would add 400 single-family homes to the property A $1-billion park created by capping 38 acres of U.S. Highway 101 between Hollywood and Santa Monica boulevards Opponents of the law had questioned whether the environmental provisions were strong enough to allow for streamlined review in the courts. It also remains to be seen how much the law will help the projects. None of the six that qualified under a previous version of the law has so far successfully used its provisions to go through court faster. The new law takes effect immediately Before she became district attorney in Alameda County, Nancy OMalley prosecuted rape cases. She soon came to recognize a number of young women and girls who cycled through the courtroom. Their stories were always the same, she says. They loved their boyfriends, who coerced them into selling sex to other men. That is when we started seeing that there was money attached to sexual exploitation, she said. A lot of money. Advertisement Two decades later, the trade of forced sex and labor now has a name and its own criminal statute human trafficking. And in recent years, as advocates and prosecutors like OMalley have worked to push the issue to the political forefront, there has been no shortage of proposed solutions in the state Capitol. More than 30 bills this legislative session alone have attempted to combat a multibillion-dollar industry that now operates as much online, if not more, as it does on the streets. But much of the legislation, still pending as lawmakers return to Sacramento for their final month of deliberations, varies in its approach to the problem. Critics say the competing proposals present a difficult path forward. There is no easy solution to modern-day slavery if there was, we would have already been doing it. Stephanie Richard, policy and legal services director at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking There is no easy solution to modern-day slavery if there was, we would have already been doing it, said Stephanie Richard, policy and legal services director at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. California passed its first laws against human trafficking in 2005, five years after a federal law to crack down on the international trade of victims brought attention to the vulnerable children and teens swept into the industry. Federal lawmakers used to think it happened only in third world countries, and we noticed that it was a large criminal industry right here in our own counties, said Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Summer Stephan, who heads the Human Trafficking Advisory Council in San Diego County. In the decade since, coalitions and task forces have emerged across California to curb the business. They brought advocates, social services workers and law enforcement officials together to target traffickers and improve the safety net for victims. Although human trafficking encompasses the trade of people for labor, the attention this legislative session at the state Capitol has centered on curbing the sale of sex. As statewide efforts have grown, so has knowledge of the problem in certain legislative districts. State-run regional human trafficking task forces arrested nearly 1,800 people and identified 1,277 victims from mid-2010 to mid-2012, 72% of whom were American and 56% of whom had been trafficked for sex, according to the state attorney generals office. FBI statistics consider three California cities among the areas with the highest rate of child sex trafficking: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. Victims tend to be young. Boys are typically ages 11 to 13 when they are entered into the trade; girls are usually between 12 and 14. With such staggering numbers, local coalitions began focusing on diverting young victims away from the criminal justice system and dismantling the perception that children and teens willfully and knowingly enter prostitution. The most significant changes came in 2012 with the passage of Proposition 35, which increased sentences for all trafficking crimes and clearly articulated that trafficked people are victims, not criminals. Now agencies are continuing the move from an approach that criminalizes prostitution to one that protects trafficked victims from prosecution and provides them with social services. But as lawmakers join the cause, how the Legislature can help make the shift is up for debate. San Diego launches campaign to expose Ugly Truth about sex trafficking and child exploitation I dont think this is the end of the road, but we are in a precipice of sea change with how we deal with human trafficking and human trafficking victims, said Sean Hoffman, director of legislation for the California District Attorneys Assn. Lawmakers approved a $10-million effort in last years state budget to support grants for community groups that provide resources including housing to human trafficking victims. The Legislature added another $10 million for those services this year. Some two dozen pieces of legislation on the issue are awaiting action before the legislative year ends Aug. 31. The proposals run the gamut, from providing protections for human trafficking victims in court to enhancing penalties for sex buyers. Some have no opposition. A bill by former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and supported by state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris would create a state task force to coordinate human trafficking investigations across multiple agencies. Another bill by Atkins would establish pilot programs for intensive social services in three counties. Other proposals have struggled to find consensus, in some cases pitting advocates against law enforcement, and in others, stirring clashes between organizations and agencies that typically align on the same side of the cause. In Alameda County, OMalleys office, which has garnered national recognition for its work on human trafficking, has been embroiled in allegations that at least one of its investigators, officers with the Oakland Police Department and members of other Bay Area agencies engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor at the center of one of their cases. The scandal has brought attention to a bill that would allow the seizure and impoundment of a vehicle used in the solicitation of prostitution. It falls in line with at least three other bills that seek to tackle the demand for the sex trade and its profits through harsher repercussions for those who solicit sex and greater protections for young witnesses testifying against traffickers in court. But opponents are concerned some of the laws could lead to unconstitutional seizures and violations of defendants rights. Three of the human trafficking bills seem to have garnered most of the attention this year: One seeks to decriminalize prostitution for minors, and two others take differing approaches to help victims clear their convictions and have their police records sealed. For a large coalition of advocacy organizations, social services agencies and some district attorneys offices, the move is a step further in protecting young people caught in the trafficking web. But other prosecutors and law enforcement officials warn of unintended consequences. The true story of a former special agent rescuing young girls from human traffickers At the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, Jane Creighton, coordinator of its human trafficking unit, urged lawmakers to take a step back. Decriminalization and erasure of records could allow traffickers to build a Chinese wall between themselves and the victim, making it impossible for prosecutors to link them together in court, she said. Many sex trafficking victims also are young, vulnerable women, tied to their abusers through complicated psychological and emotional bonds, prosecutors and social workers said. Officers need the authority to arrest minors to hold them in secure facilities, where they can be provided with services they often do not want to accept, Creighton said. Right now, service groups are struggling with what they have in place there [are] just not enough resources, she said. I am not saying these bills should never pass. But we are not ready for them right now. In San Diego, where a University of San Diego analysis found sex trafficking generates an estimated $810 million in annual revenue, a new study found that gangs are increasingly using young women to recruit younger women to the business. Under some of the proposed laws, Stephan said, no one might be held accountable. Still, Stephan, whose division prosecuted the first human trafficking case in the state, said it was gratifying to see lawmakers pay so much attention to the issue. Of all the crimes she has prosecuted, she said, human trafficking has been the most complex. But it is the one we cannot afford to lose, she said. jazmine.ulloa@latimes.com Follow @jazmineulloa on Twitter Once lured to L.A. by human traffickers, human rights advocate Ima Matul tells her story at DNC Can Oakland police save trafficking victims in the wake of its own sex scandal? Crackdown on pimps fuels a rise in human trafficking charges in L.A. County Updates on California politics Senior citizens need more medical care than anyone else in the United States. And the Internet is chock full of health information. Yet seniors are far less likely than other adults to tap into it, new research shows. A report published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. found that only about 18% of participants in the National Health and Aging Trends Study got health information online in 2014. That pales in comparison with the approximately 60% of adults of all ages who have told the Pew Research Center that they consult Dr. Google at least once a year -- including the 35% who said they rely on the Web to diagnose their own ailments or the maladies of people they know. Advertisement See the most-read stories in Science this hour Since 2011, thousands of Medicare beneficiaries in the aging trends study have been completing annual surveys that gauge their use of technology. In the surveys first year, 64% of the survey takers had computers and 43% were hooked up to the Internet. Their average age was 75. Apparently, these seniors had better things to do than research ways to prevent heart disease, manage symptoms of diabetes or stave off dementia. Email was far more enticing. Electronic banking (but not online shopping) was also more popular. Among all 7,609 initial study participants, only 16% said they went online to learn something about health. In addition, 8% said they filled prescriptions online, 7% used the Internet to get in touch with their doctors and 5% dealt with their insurance claims on the Web. Altogether, 21% of seniors who were surveyed in 2011 used the Internet for at least one of these four health-related tasks, according to the JAMA report. By 2014, that figure rose to 25% a small yet statistically significant increase, the study authors wrote. Some senior citizens were more likely to go online for health-related reasons than others. For instance, the odds were twice as high for white seniors than for their black and Latino counterparts. College graduates were seven times more likely to handle health issues online than were seniors who didnt finish high school. Seniors who rated their own medical condition as excellent were twice as likely to boot up their computers for the sake of their health than were seniors who rated their medical condition as poor. These disparities -- along with the slow rate of uptake overall -- prompted the study authors to fret that seniors arent taking full advantage of the health resources available online. Digital health is not reaching most seniors, wrote the authors, all from Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. That means the Internet isnt living up to its potential as a tool to improve quality, cost, and safety of their health care. But perhaps seniors are right to eschew the health information available online. A 2014 study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Assn. found that Wikipedia entries for nine common health conditions -- coronary artery disease, lung cancer, major depressive disorder, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, back pain and high cholesterol -- contained a significant amount of information that was at odds with the latest medical research. karen.kaplan@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook MORE IN SCIENCE Will replacing thirsty lawns with drought-tolerant plants make L.A. hotter? Deep space travel might blow your mind, but it could be bad for your heart Scientists find microbiotic treasure hidden in the nose The cultivation, sale and distribution of marijuana for commercial purposes is not explicitly banned in Burbank, but the City Council plans to consider a proposal Tuesday that would formally prohibit all business-related activities involving the drug. The proposed regulations would bar medical marijuana delivery services and dispensaries from operating inside city limits. While not currently banned, medical marijuana-related land uses are not authorized in existing zoning codes. However, a recently approved state law aimed at regulating medical marijuana requires cities to make such restrictions explicit, if they want to keep them in place. Californias Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, which became law on New Years Day, contains a provision that gives cities until March 1 to enact ordinances banning or regulating marijuana cultivation or forfeit the authority to do so. The act will bring a multibillion-dollar industry that has grown up largely in the shadows into the light, Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), one of the legislations authors, wrote in an open letter to city and county governments. However, the acts March 1 deadline, which has left cities scrambling to enact new ordinances, was a drafting error, Wood said. He said he intends to introduce urgency legislation this month to remove the deadline and maintain a local jurisdictions ability to create their own regulations. The urgency legislation would become effective upon receiving the governors signature. A spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times last month that Gov. Jerry Brown supports the legislative fix, which an official with California NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also welcomed. In the meantime, the proposed Burbank ordinance would conform its definition of commercial cannabis activity to the new state laws definition, which lists cultivating, possessing, manufacturing, processing, storing, laboratory testing, labeling, transporting, distributing and selling medical marijuana. The local measure, which was recommended for approval last month by the Burbank Planning Board, would ban all marijuana activities under that definition and all noncommercial marijuana cultivation as well, according to a city staff report. The ordinance would amend three areas of the citys code that apply to businesses and licenses, police and public safety and land use, said Daniel Villa, assistant planner, during the Planning Board hearing on Dec. 14. This week, Villa clarified that a patient with a medical marijuana card or their primary caregiver who purchased pot at a dispensary outside the city would still be allowed to bring it back into Burbank for personal use, but not for cultivation or commercial activities. Among the reasons for supporting the ban, according to the city report, is the fact federal law still prohibits cultivation, possession, distribution and marijuana use, even though medical marijuana use was legalized in California in 1996. Other reasons included the strong odor marijuana plants produce when they flower, the potential for increased fire risk, due to high-wattage indoor grow lights, and the cash only nature of many medical marijuana dispensaries, making the businesses and patients the target of a disproportionate amount of violent crime. There was hardly any discussion among the four Planning Board members Diane Eaton, Apraham Atteukenian, Undine Petrulis and Christopher Rizzotti who all said they concurred with the city staffs recommendation in favor of the proposed ordinance before voting to recommend the City Council adopt the measure. No members of the public spoke at the hearing for or against the measure. Rizzotti said he received one email in support of the ban on the matter. The ordinance would not change the legal status of those activities in Burbank, according to a city staff report, but makes an affirmative ban of cannabis activity of all types ... to prevent ambiguity. -- Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com Twitter: @chadgarland The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control recently awarded the Laguna Beach Police Department a $15,530 grant for a yearlong effort to prevent alcohol-related crimes, according to a news release. The funds will be used to reduce the number of alcoholic beverage sales to minors and intoxicated patrons, the illegal solicitation of alcohol and other criminal activities such as the sale and possession of illegal drugs. Laguna was one of three Orange County law enforcement agencies to receive grants through the ABCs grant program. Advertisement The program improves the quality of life in neighborhoods, ABC Director Timothy Gorsuch said in the release. Weve seen a real difference in the communities where the grant program resources have been invested. A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged a mechanic who broke into her home and sexually assaulted her got her address from the Newport Beach Mercedes-Benz dealership where he worked. Karen Sommers, a nurse practitioner who lived in Newport Beach, filed a civil suit in 2013 against Fletcher Jones Motorcars, seeking unspecified damages. On Friday the 11th day of trial in the case in Orange County Superior Court lawyers representing Sommers and Fletcher Jones Motorcars said a settlement had been reached and asked the court to dismiss the case, court documents state. The terms of the settlement have not been released. Attorneys for Sommers and the dealership could not be reached for comment Monday. Travis Dewayne Batten, 34, is serving a 107-year prison sentence for two separate attacks on Orange County women in their homes, including the 2005 assault on Sommers. Sommers alleged that Fletcher Jones Motorcars, Battens employer, bore some responsibility for the assault. Sommers bought a car from Fletcher Jones in 2004 and regularly had it serviced there, according to the lawsuit, which claimed Batten used the dealerships computer system to look up her address so he could rape her. The Daily Pilot usually does not publish the names of victims of sexual crimes, but in Sommers case, she came forward with her allegations publicly. Sommers attorney Christopher Rudd told jurors during opening statements in the case that the dealerships measures for protecting customer information amounted to Swiss cheese. In 2005, Rudd said, Sommers returned home from a gym to find a masked man in her Back Bay apartment. Rudd said the man, later identified as Batten, used duct tape to restrain Sommers, dragged her to a bedroom and began tearing her clothes off. Sommers fought back, Rudd said, and after Batten punched her on the head hard enough to break his hand, he fled but not before warning Sommers that he would come back to kill her. Fletcher Jones Motorcars argued that evidence presented at trial did not prove the dealership to be liable, according to court documents. Fletcher Jones attorney Karl Lindegren told jurors that Batten never worked on Sommers car and that there was no evidence the two interacted at the dealership. Lindegren said Batten got into Sommers home through an unlocked door and may have been trying to steal from the apartment, not lie in wait for her. Staff writer Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @HannahFryTCN More than 700 retired city employees will soon no longer have their insurance policies subsidized, a move that will potentially save Glendale hundreds of millions of dollars. Retirees have historically paid the same rate for their healthcare as active employees, a practice known as blending. But with a 5-0 vote, City Council members voted to end the benefit by the end of 2016. A two-party PPO plan under Anthem, for example, costs $2,454 per month with the city covering $1,049. The decision means retirees would pay the full amount. Some former workers complained to the council that the move would cost them between $6,000 and $12,000 per year, costs that are difficult to bear on a fixed income. In addition, some said they were explicitly promised the benefit for life. Former Assistant City Manager Bob McFall said blending was around when he first starting working for the city back in the early 1970s. There was never a time that this benefit was expressed to say as long as we have money, as long as things continue to go right, McFall said, who received more than $154,000 in pension benefits last year. It was expressed as an obligation that the city has and will continue to make. But the blending of rates has never been stated in a labor contract, which would have to be adopted by the City Council, City Manager Scott Ochoa said. Council members said they dont know who made the promise. Mayor Ara Najarian said he had gone over labor agreements with McFall years ago, and blended rates were never mentioned. Its just not fair to put it on the council and for everyone out there to think the council knew about this, he said. I take issue with that. The change comes about during the impending arrival of a new standard established by the Governmental Accountant Standards Board. Beginning in 2017-18, cities will be required to start listing the unfunded liability of retiree insurance premiums on their balance sheets. For the city of Glendale, the estimate is $240 million because the amount must encompass the subsidies over all retirees lifetimes. City officials say having an unfunded liability that big would hurt the local bond rating and impair chances of receiving government grants. In order to pay it off, the city would have to shift about 20% of the annual payroll budget. Other services and departments such as parks could take a big hit to cover the cost, said Ochoa. There has to balance all of those interests; the retirees, the active employees and again, most importantly, the taxpayers as to how best safeguard community resources, he said. Halting the insurance subsidy would eliminate nearly all of the unfunded liability, Ochoa said. But in an effort to ease the transition for the retirees, the change wont be enacted until next June so they can either decide to stay with the same coverage with an unblended rate or find a plan elsewhere. Through end of 2016, the city will also pay $200 subsidy a month for retirees with household incomes of more than $100,000 and $300 a month for those earning less than $100,000, according to a staff report. The item was brought once to the council in 2009, where it was rejected. Councilwoman Laura Friedman voted against it at the time, but said since then, the arrival of Affordable Care Act has been a game changerits the only reason she said shes entertaining the discussion again. The one thing I will not do is to jeopardize the health of our employees, she said. I will never put an ex-employee in a situation where they have to jeopardize their health because of us trying to balance our budget. The citys health benefits broker, Keenan & Associates, has already started working with retirees to help find a plan and continue to do so over the next 14 months. This will give you more time to make your decision, said Councilwoman Paula Devine. She said while the choice was the difficult one, she had to take all residents into consideration and unblending would have a positive impact on long-term municipal sustainability. But for retired police captain Mark Distaso, the transition, he says, wont be very easy. According to the website Transparent California, Distaso received more than $160,000 in pension benefits from CalPERS in 2014. He said his wife suffers from non-life-threatening medical conditions and has doctors that know her and are familiar with treating her. Its not just a matter of changing plans, its a matter of reinitiating your whole course of treatment, he said. During her sermon at the 10:30 a.m. service this Sunday at La Canada United Methodist Church, Pastor Elaine Cho will address the topic of biblical heroes and heroines who survived challenges because of their faith. The title of the sermon is Living Strong. Sunday School is available for early elementary during the worship service. At noon, the church will hold its August friendship luncheon. La Canada United Methodist Church is located at 104 Berkshire Place. For more information phone the office at (818) 790-3605 or visit lcumc.com. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has received a delegation headed by minister of communications and information technology of Iran, co-chairman of the State Commission for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in economic, commercial and humanitarian spheres Mahmoud Vaezi, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend. The sides noted successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran based on the principles of good-neighborliness and friendship, mutual respect, expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas, engineering, pharmaceutical, transport, energy, agriculture, tourism and other spheres. The parties stressed importance of trilateral meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia to be held August 8 at the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Noting that the North-South transport corridor will be one of the main topics at the trilateral meeting of the presidents, the ministers expressed confidence that this project will make an important contribution to the development of interregional cooperation. The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest at the meeting. The Killers return to the bands Las Vegas roots with concerts and other activities to mark the 10th anniversary of their second album. The bands Sams Town album is named after the Las Vegas hotel-casino popular with locals. The pop culture website A.V. Club calls the album a love letter to Las Vegas on vinyl. The Killers will perform Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 two nights only at the original Sams Town. Advertisement Unlike the groups last Vegas show at the gala opening of T-Mobile Arena in April, this falls shows will take them to a much-smaller venue eight miles east of the Strip. Tickets cost $99.50 and go on sale 10 a.m. Friday. Members of the Killers fan club will get first dibs during a pre-sale starting 10 a.m. Wednesday. And theres more Killer things to do. Two music experts will take guests on bus tours of Las Vegas on the same dates as the concerts. The tours visit sites significant to band members during their early years, including Battle Born Studios and the Flamingo resort. Tickets cost $99. Sams Town will also be re-released on vinyl as part of the celebrations. The album was first released on Oct. 2, 2006. According to a news release, profits from the concerts will be donated to Las Vegas charities for addiction recovery and the homeless. MORE Hells Kitchen winner claims her prize: Head chef at Las Vegas BLT Steak Stuck on a plane? It never hurts to complain to the airline Flash floods gush every day at Las Vegas Springs Preserve Bring the kids and save some cash by shopping for available cruise deals China is putting three human rights activists and one lawyer on trial this week in the eastern city of Tianjin, and on Tuesday the court handed down the first verdict, finding one defendant guilty of subversion and imposing a three-year suspended prison sentence. Authorities have tried to give the proceedings an air of transparency by handpicking a few media outlets from Hong Kong and Taiwan to be present in the courtroom. But family members of the accused have complained that they have not been allowed to contact the defendants during their year-plus detention and that the defendants were not allowed to choose their attorneys. Zhai Yanmin, 55, was sentenced Tuesday after a three-hour trial. The state-run newspaper China Daily said he had posted comments on the Internet that harmed national security and social stability and organized protests to disturb the public order. Advertisement The three others who will stand trial this week are Zhou Shifeng, director of the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, and two other activists, Gou Hongguo and Hu Shigen. The four are among approximately 300 human rights activists and lawyers detained in a crackdown that began last summer. About 20 of those who were held remain in custody. Fan Lili, the wife of imprisoned lawyer Gou Hongguo, lies on the ground in tears following an interaction with a plainclothes police officer outside the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court in Tianjin, China, on Aug. 1. (Gerry Shih / Associated Press ) Last year, a number of state-run media outlets ran identical articles accusing Zhou and his lawyers of forming a major criminal gang that organized and planned the creation of an uproar in more than 40 sensitive cases and that seriously disturbed social order. The lawyers also sought to undermine the Communist Party and enrich themselves, the report claimed. On Tuesday, foreign reporters who tried to enter the courtroom at the Tianjin Municipal No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court found roads near it sealed off, and they were met by a large number of police. Some journalists were then taken by bus to a nearby hotel where they were allowed to watch a live transcript from the trial projected onto a screen. On Monday, the eve of the trials, a videotaped confession made by another detained attorney from the Fengrui firm, Wang Yu, aired on a website affiliated with the Hong Kong newspaper Oriental Daily. Wang was well known for taking up sensitive cases, representing feminists, members of the spiritual movement Falun Gong (which China has banned and declared an evil cult) and a professor from the Uighur ethnic minority who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 on charges of separatism. In the video, Wang renounced her legal work and blamed foreign groups for instilling dangerous notions in her. She pledged that she would no longer accept awards from foreign organizations. I am Chinese, and I only accept the Chinese governments leadership, she said robotically. A lone reporter monitors what is supposedly the live court transcript displayed at a media center near the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court in northern Chinas Tianjin Municipality on Aug. 2. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press ) Friends and associates of Wang have said they believed the confession was made under duress, like a number of other broadcast confessionals in the last two years. Wang was arrested in January and was accused of subverting state power. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing released a statement Monday saying the U.S. remains concerned by the Chinese governments continuing efforts to harass, intimidate and prosecute defense lawyers and human rights activists for their work. China Human Rights Defenders, an advocacy group, said in a statement on the eve of the trials that the use of national security-related charges to target human rights lawyers and activists has become a hallmark of [Chinese leader] Xi Jinpings reign. It accused authorities of grossly abusing their power in handling the detainees, disregarding Chinese laws and violating international human rights conventions. A consistent theme running through the recent trials and confessionals has been statements from the accused saying they were influenced by foreigners, and pledging to stay away from them in the future. The confessors have painted human rights lawyers as troublemakers who should be avoided perhaps to discourage ordinary citizens from seeking out their assistance. In his final statement to the court on Tuesday, Zhai said he wanted to remind the public to be aware of the true meaning behind the slogans about democracy and human rights, reported the South China Morning Post, which was allowed to send a reporter into the courtroom. He also pledged he would not talk to any foreign media or media hostile to Beijing. See the most-read stories in World News this hour >> Zhais wife, Lin Ermin, told the paper she had received no official notification of the verdict and never had access to the government-appointed lawyer nor was able to attend her husbands hearing. According to China Human Rights Defenders, Zhai had been detained several times since 2014 on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble by rallying for the release of detained human rights defenders. He was also held by police in 2014 for supporting the Hong Kong democracy protests. He participated in the 1989 pro-democracy protests as a student, the group said. A taped confession by Zhai was aired by Chinese state-run media in June 2015, in which he expressed remorse for working with people petitioning the government. He apologized for causing terrible, negative social influence and disturbing the social order. Zhai apparently is eligible to return home, given his suspended sentence, but will also have his political rights suspended for four years. Like other released activists, he will likely be subject to heavy surveillance by police. Lin told the Post that she wanted to appeal, calling the outcome totally unacceptable. If authorities silence him, she told the paper, how is that different from being dead? julie.makinen@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @JulieMakLAT MORE WORLD NEWS China puts activists, lawyer on trial for subversion Why some of Brazils growing homeless population would rather stay on the streets Taliban claims responsibility for bombing of compound for foreigners in Kabul Early on the first day of August, the peak of the summer season in Greece, the Greek coast guard spotted an inflatable motorized boat laden with refugees and migrants off the tourist island of Chios, near a fishing village called Waterfall. Coast guard vessels approached and saved the 54 people aboard, according to a statement released late on the same day. It was an operation that, over the past year or more, has become a standard task of the Greek coast guard patrolling the narrow strip of waters between Greeces islands and the Turkish coast. But Greek officials are nervously monitoring the area after the president of its bigger neighbor, Turkey, survived a coup on July 15, launching a purge of the military and suspending human rights treaties. Home to one of the largest refugee populations in the world, Turkey is key to a March agreement with the European Union that halted a million refugees and migrants streaming into Europe via Greeces islands, the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. Advertisement See the most-read stories in World News this hour While there has been no notable new surge in Syrian and Afghan refugees fleeing the Turkish coast for the islands since President Recep Tayyip Erdogans troubles, the numbers are being closely watched and the fate of the March 18 EU-Turkey pact openly discussed. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Austrias Kurier newspaper that the deal could collapse, the risk is great and that success so far has been fragile. If it does fall apart, then you can expect that again refugees are standing at the gates of Europe, he said. The Greek coast guard saved 310 refugees and migrants in the last week of July, according to a statement Monday before the Chios incident. Shipping Minister Theodoros Dritsas said there was no cause for concern yet, as the refugees fleeing to Greece will continue to find the borders to other European nations shut to them, a fate shared with some 57,000 refugees stranded still in Greece. The migrants and refugees who want to go to Europe dont want to stay in our country, Dritsas told the state-run Athens News Agency on Sunday. Greece was always a transit country. That continues to be the case now when all avenues and border crossings are shut. We are not concerned. We need to be vigilant. Under the March 18 agreement with Turkey, the EU will funnel more than $3 billion to the country to help police the coast. The agreement called for illegal arrivals to be detained on the Greek islands and subject to a fast-track asylum process and deported to Turkey if rejected, a procedure that has been criticized by human rights groups. In return, Turks get visa-free travel to the bloc and stepped-up talks on joining the EU. A composite image shows a key location during the height of the 2015 migrant crisis last year and the situation there now. (Milos Bicanski / AFP/Getty Images ) While controversial, the agreement does seem to have achieved its primary task of deterring arrivals. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Greek politician who is Europes commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, said the daily average of arrivals since May 1 was 47, compared with an average of 1,740 a day in the months up to the March agreement, according to a statement released Tuesday by Greeces ruling Syriza party. David Milliband, the former British foreign affairs secretary who now heads the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid group providing water and sanitation for about a third of the refugees and migrants encamped in Greece, said a resurgence of arrivals couldnt be ruled out and it was crucial that EU-Turkey cooperation hold. Its really important that Europe engages with Turkey in a wholehearted way, Milliband told reporters in Athens on Tuesday. Unless there is an organized route to come into Europe then you drive people into the hands of the smugglers. For Greece, the prospect of another surge in refugee arrivals is another headache in its relations with Turkey, which may be imperiled by how it handles eight Turkish military officers who flew to Greece to seek political asylum the day after the attempted coup. Turkey has demanded their extradition. But, Milliband said, the Turkish coup was one of a battery of issues that could affect the evolution of the European refugee crisis, which has not gone away. There is no suggestion that the situation in Syria is going to get any better soon, he said. The reasons for the exodus of people have not abated. The push factors are still there. Petrakis is a special correspondent. ALSO U.S. expands refugee program for Central American families Turkey discharges 1,700 military officers, shuts down dozens of media outlets Greece begins clearing thousands of refugees from border tent city in Idomeni On the first Thursday in November 2000, Irom Sharmila was observing a weekly religious fast. She did not know it would be 16 years before her next regular meal. That day, Indian security forces killed 10 civilians at a bus stop in Sharmilas restive northeastern state of Manipur, prompting her to begin what has become the worlds longest hunger strike, opposing a controversial law that grants impunity to the Indian armed forces in troubled regions. Since then she has been confined to a hospital ward and force-fed through tubes in her nose, emerging as a symbol of pacifist resistance to military atrocities in her isolated state. But last week she surprised even her closest associates by declaring that she would end her strike on Aug. 9. Advertisement This has been my life for the past 16 years, the thin, frizzy-haired Sharmila, 44, told a small group of associates who met her the next morning outside the hospital in Imphal, the capital of Manipur. I want my life back. In 2011, Sharmilas mother spoke of the heartbreak of her daughters path Sharmila said she plans to run for office in state elections next year, and that she would marry her fiance, an Indian-born Briton who began writing her letters after reading about her in 2009. Her announcement has sparked a debate in insular Manipur, a remote state of forests and rolling hills along the border with Myanmar. Many supporters worry that Sharmilas cause will be sullied by electoral politics, and they question the influence of her fiance, Desmond Coutinho, described by her fellow activists as a bit of an eccentric. But others believe the woman who has become known as the Iron Lady of Manipur simply calculated that her long, solitary struggle needed a new strategy. This has been my life for the past 16 years. I want my life back. Irom Sharmila The idea and the issue she is fighting for is bigger than the person, said Sanjoy Hazarika, director of the Center for North East Studies and Policy Research in New Delhi. I dont think shes withdrawing from the battlefield. Those who have supported her in the need to repeal this law need to give her the same dignity and respect she was given when she was on the hunger strike. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was established in Manipur in 1958, granting the Indian security forces widespread authority over a state where several local insurgent groups were agitating for independence. Sharmila, the youngest of nine siblings in a lower middle-class family, grew up amid curfews and a heavy presence of army soldiers and police commandos. After failing out of the 12th grade, she wrote a newspaper column and traveled through the state on her bicycle, documenting reports of abuses by security forces for a local human rights organization. On Nov. 2, 2000, a roadside bomb detonated near a paramilitary vehicle outside Imphal. Although there were no injuries, the commando unit retaliated by opening fire on residents, killing 10 people. The paramilitary force said its men had acted in self-defense, although a judicial inquiry found no evidence to support that claim. The special powers act meant that no member of the security forces could be held accountable for that incident or any other atrocity. Activists say there have been more than 1,500 extrajudicial killings in Manipur over the last two decades. Indian forces deny allegations that their members have committed abuses. Last month, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the armed forces cannot use excessive powers under the law, a key victory for rights groups, who still want the law overturned altogether. Supporters credit Sharmilas fast for bringing attention to the law, which is also in force in the volatile northern state of Kashmir, the subject of an intractable territorial dispute with Pakistan. Indian rights activist Irom Sharmila is greeted by her supporters in 2014 in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state. (AFP/Getty Images ) Babloo Loitongbam, a local human rights activist, said that when Sharmila began her fast it was seen as almost sacrilege to question the Indian security forces. Today, we see widespread debates on the special powers act, Loitongbam said. Sharmilas contribution in this transition is immeasurable. Indian authorities have kept Sharmila under near constant arrest, periodically releasing her briefly, only to detain her again on charges of attempted suicide. Her struggle has unfolded far from the media glare of New Delhi or Mumbai, and the three-times-daily force-feeding has ensured Sharmila stays alive an easy status quo that allows the government to do nothing about the controversial law, author Anubha Bhonsle wrote in a recent column. Maybe it was easier for the government to deal with a solitary hunger strike in a distant part of the country, Hazarika said. But that does not detract from her courage or the magnificence of the struggle. Sharmila, who passes her time writing poetry, reading literature and taking walks with visitors in the hospital compound, has said over the years that she does not seek personal glory. I dont want to be a goddess, she once told the Indian Express newspaper. I just want a normal life. That includes marriage although some allies privately express skepticism about Coutinho, 52, who proposed to her in a letter even before they first saw each other face-to-face, during a court appearance in Imphal in 2011. He has clashed with Sharmila supporters, some of whom worry he will detract from their advocacy campaign. Deepti Priya Mehrotra, author of a book about Sharmila, said it was not surprising that even the activists family members did not know about her decision until she announced it publicly. She responds to her inner voice, Mehrotra said. Mahatma Gandhi often said consistency is not always a virtue. One needs to keep evolving. Others say the movement to repeal the armed forces law relied too heavily on Sharmila, who had reportedly become frustrated by a lack of public support. One of the first things she asked Loitongbam, among those who met her the morning after her announcement, was how the world had reacted to her decision. If something has not worked for 16 years, it is not likely to work for another 16 either, Loitoingbam said. Right now, her decision to enter politics could go either way. But if she has managed to garner so much support over the years, there is no reason why she would not be able to do it as a politician. Parth M.N. is a special correspondent. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia BEIJING Malaysian officials investigating the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane Saturday said they were not ruling out terrorism or any other causes as reports emerged that two Europeans listed on the passenger manifest were not aboard and may have had their passports stolen. Vietnamese military aircraft participating in a search-and-rescue operation for the Boeing 777, which was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard, had spotted two oil slicks in the waters off southern Vietnam, the Associated Press reported. The government said the slicks were each six miles to nine miles long and were consistent with the type that would be left by fuel from a crashed jetliner, the AP said. Advertisement PHOTOS: Malaysia Airlines plane missing Malaysias director general of civil aviation told a news conference Saturday night that authorities had reviewed closed-circuit TV footage of passengers and their luggage and hadnt seen anything of concern. But Prime Minister Najib Razak cautioned that it was too early to come to any conclusions, and other officials said nothing was being ruled out of consideration at this point. The plane was carrying 227 passengers and a dozen Malaysian crew members, the airline said. The biggest contingent 154 was from China and Taiwan. An initial passenger list posted at the Beijing airport, apparently by Chinese authorities, listed three U.S. passport holders: an adult, Philip Tallmadge Wood, and two children, Nicole Meng and Leo Meng. However, a full manifest published online Saturday evening by the airline listed the American passengers as Wood, age 51, Nicole Meng, age 4, and Yan Zhang, age 2. Wood is believed to be an IBM employee who recently began working for the company in Kuala Lumpur after several years in its Beijing offices. According to the airline, other passengers on the flight included 38 Malaysians, five Indians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, four French, two Ukranians, two Canadians and two New Zealanders. There were also a Russian, an Italian, a Dutch and an Austrian aboard, the airline said. However, shortly after the list was published on the airlines website, Italys ANSA news agency reported that Luigi Maraldi, 37, who was listed on the manifest, was in fact not on the plane (link in Italian). The agency said he had phoned his family to say he was alive and well in Thailand. Austrias APA news agency made a similar report about an Austrian citizen listed on the passenger manifest, Christian Kozel, 30 (link in German). APA reported his passport was stolen about two years ago in Thailand. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it lost contact with air traffic controllers around 2:40 a.m. local time Saturday, two hours after takeoff, the airline said. The airlines chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur that there was no distress call or bad weather report from the pilots before the plane lost contact with air control 120 nautical miles (140 miles) off the east coast of Kota Bharu, Malaysia. As the search-and-rescue effort got underway, in addition to Vietnamese aircraft, China sent two ships to assist, state-run CCTV reported, while Singapore dispatched a C-130 aircraft. Malaysia sent three maritime enforcement ships, a navy vessel and three helicopters, a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency official told Reuters. Mikael Robertsson, cofounder of FlightRadar24, which tracks about 120,000 flights per day with 3,000 receivers around the world, said the last transmission it recorded from the flight was at 35,000 feet. While its possible the plane veered into an area too far away from receivers to track it, he said that was unlikely. In this case, we have quite good coverage, he said. We had a very good stable signal and it just disappeared . I dont want to speculate, but something very sudden happened. FlightRadar representatives also said they believed the plane had lost radar contact about 40 minutes into the flight, not two hours as the airline said. Relatives of some of the missing passengers were brought from the Beijing Capital International Airport to a nearby hotel and were sequestered in a conference room on the second floor of the complex Saturday morning. Periodically, wails could be heard coming from inside the room, and several people emerged in the midafternoon, complaining that airline officials were not providing sufficient information. We are being treated like dogs! one man yelled, pushing through a crowd of reporters. We are still trying to locate the current location of the flight based on the last known position of the aircraft, the airline said in a statement. We are working with the international search and rescue teams in trying to locate the aircraft. So far, we have not received any emergency signals or distress messages. The airline said it was dispatching a go team of caregivers and volunteers to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur late Saturday afternoon to assist family members of the passengers. State-run media in China said a delegation of 24 Chinese artists and calligraphers and their family members were aboard the flight. PHOTOS: Malaysia Airlines plane missing The airline identified the pilot as Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, who joined the airline in 1981 and had more than 18,000 hours of experience. The first officer was identified as Fariq Ab. Hamid, 27, who joined the airline in 2007 and had about 2,700 hours logged. The focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support, the airline said. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members. Boeing said it was assembling a team to provide technical assistance to investigating authorities. Those seeking information on passengers may contact Malaysia Airlines at +60-3-7884-1234. julie.makinen@latimes.com Tommy Yang and Nicole Liu of The Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report. jing bureau contributed to this report. All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. Monday August 1 ushered in a day of controversy in Texas as the state's 2015 "Campus Carry" law went into effect, allowing students at public colleges and universities to legally carry concealed firearms on campus. Upping the controversial ante of this legal landmark is that Monday also marked the 50th anniversary of what many declare the first widely recognized mass school shooting in the United States. On this day in 1966, Charles Whitman, armed with handguns, rifles and a sawed-off shotgun, climbed the clock tower on the University of Texas at Austin campus, opened fire and killed over a dozen people while injuring at least 30 others, according to a CBS News report. While there are certainly plenty of Texans in favor of this new gun-friendly legislature, it seems that segment of the Lone Star population is significantly dwarfed by individuals in both the scholastic and public spheres alike who vehemently oppose it. There are many who are up in arms over the potential for danger on campuses across the state, particularly given the increasingly violent climate in terms of mass shootings occurring throughout the country in recent years. "Guns do not have a place on campus," John Fox, a survivor of the 1966 University of Texas shooting told Reuters. "A university is a battleground of words and ideas, and not of weapons." University of Texas professor Joan Nueberger also opposes the new law, citing its potential impact in terms of stifling academic freedom of expression. "Guns are designed to hurt people...and if you don't know if someone has a gun in their pocket, you don't know if you're in danger," Nueberger said in a CBS News interview. "We want students to be passionate about what they have to say...without worrying if someone's going to pull out a gun and shoot you." Alternately, University of Texas at Dallas student Antonia Okafor told CBS News that these types of fears are absolutely unfounded from her perspective. "Once [students] get a license to carry, it's [not] a license to kill...obviously not...it means someone is wanting to protect themselves if something may happen," Okafor said. "The important thing is that me as an individual, I am able to protect myself. As a law-abiding citizen, I am able to protect myself against someone who is trying to harm me." The new law, which currently applies only to public universities in the state, does carry with it a number of safety-enhancing stipulations. Among these are that students who plan to take advantage of carrying on campus must be at least 21 years old (or 18, if enlisted in the military) and must pass official classroom and gun range training courses, according to the Associated Press. In addition to the aforementioned academic institutions, Texas community colleges will legally enforce the "Campus Carry" measure come 2017. This extra time is to allow for officials at these schools to adjust regulations concerning safety and other related measures. Fox News reports that private colleges and universities across Texas, including schools like Baylor, Rice and Texas Christian (amongst others) may legally opt to ban guns from being brought onto their campuses, thanks to state law. As of Monday, Texas became the eighth state in the U.S. to adopt mandatory campus carrying laws. The other states with such laws already in place include Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin. Each of these states, however, maintains its own specific regulations concerning possession of firearms on their university and college campuses. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug 2 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Minister of Information and Communications Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, co-chairman of Azerbaijan-Iran State Commission on Economic, Trade and Humanitarian Cooperation Mahmoud Vaezi. The head of state noted that the agenda of the bilateral relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran was very broad and covered almost all areas, adding that very good results were achieved. President Ilham Aliyev praised the activity of Mahmoud Vaezi and his role in expanding ties between the two countries. The head of state stressed the importance of the presidents' valuable recommendations in terms of strengthening relations between the two countries. President Ilham Aliyev noted with pleasure his recent official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani`s forthcoming official visit to Azerbaijan, and described this as a good sign of high-level and dynamic development of relations between the two countries. Mahmoud Vaezi extended sincere greetings of President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani to the head of state. The Iranian Minister hailed the role of President Ilham Aliyev in enhancing the bilateral relations and friendly ties between the two countries. At the meeting, the sides discussed political and economic ties between the two countries and cooperation in the Caspian Sea, as well as exchanged views over the prospects for relations in energy, oil-gas, transport, investment making, finance, banking, agricultural, tourism and healthcare fields. The head of state thanked for the greetings of President Hassan Rouhani, and asked the Minister to communicate his greetings to the Iranian President. Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) and British Council agreed upon expanding the bilateral partnership relations. Elmar Gasimov, Rector of BHOS had discussions about the potentials of widening the collaboration during the meeting with Elizabeth White, British Council Country Director for Azerbaijan. Underlying that the cooperation between the two institutions were being continued at the highest level Mr.Gasimov said that annually the BHOS students demonstrated high results during the IELTS examinations administered by British Council while this years results were even higher, especially with Chemical Engineering student Fidan Guliyevas 8.5 band score which was the top one among the students. Ms. White expressed her pleasure of the current relations with BHOS emphasizing the schools distinguishing role among the national higher education institutions in terms of the collaboration with UK Universities. She said that the partnership between BHOS and Herriot-Watt University had always been the focus of attention and British Council was committed to assist in establishing and developing further relations with UK institutions. The parties also agreed about jointly holding various social and cultural events reflecting the UKs history and culture. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Elena Kosolapova Trend: Georgia should settle energy issues in partnership with Azerbaijan, a country it has traditionally friendly relations with, Georgian expert, chairman of the Institute for the Study of Georgias Development Gia Khukhashvili told Trend. He was commenting on the information which appeared in the Iranian media outlets regarding signing of a contract for the supply of Iranian gas to Georgia via Armenia. Azerbaijan and Georgia need to act in tandem in such matters and not make steps which may be contrary to the two countries interests, he said. While Iran had an opportunity to supply its gas to Georgia through Azerbaijan, it chose Armenia. Iran signed a deal with the Georgian International Energy Corporation to export gas to the country within a four-month period, Alireza Kameli, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said earlier. Almost 40 million cubic meters of gas will be sold to the company under the test agreement, Kameli said, the Iranian oil ministrys SHANA news agency reported July 31. Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Mariam Valishvili earlier told Trend that Georgian government hasnt concluded an agreement with Iran on gas supply and has no information on the conclusion of such contracts with private companies operating in Georgia. If there is any activity regarding the supply from Iran, I would prefer to cooperate with Azerbaijan, said Khukhashvili. There have never been problems with Azerbaijan and the system of gas supply from Azerbaijan to Georgia has no political risks. As for gas supply from Iran to Georgia through Armenia, the expert said that there is no transit infrastructure from Iran to Georgia and there is only a local pipe running from Iran and Armenia with a diameter of 700 millimeters. He said that most likely, it is about swap contracts, thats to say, a contract is signed with Iran, but real gas will be delivered to Georgia from Russia in accordance with some Russian-Iranian mutual settlements. Khukhashvili noted that it is theoretically possible to lay a transit pipe from Iran to Georgia, but since Armenias gas pipelines system is controlled by to Russian Gazprom, Armenias participation in such projects is tantamount to Russian participation. The expert said that the transportation route of Iranian gas through Armenia wont also be interesting for the West, as this route includes Russias participation, while the West is trying to find ways gas supply that bypass Russia. Given the fact that gas is not only a product, but also a tool in politics, Europe as the final consumer will be more favorable towards those projects, which will bypass Russias interests, noted Khukhashvili. This route may be the transit of Iranian gas through Azerbaijan and Georgia. The expert added that the breach of SOCARs monopoly on the Georgian market that some commercial structures are trying to achieve, is likely to prejudice the Georgian government in the medium-term and long-term prospect. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: New ferries will be launched for freight traffic between Azerbaijans Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat and Kazakhstans Kuryk port, which is being built, said a message from the CJSC Baku International Sea Trade Port. The message said that the head of the Baku International Sea Trade Port Taleh Ziyadov held a meeting with a delegation visited the new Baku port and headed by the president of Kazakhstan Railways (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy) Askar Mamin. During the meeting, Ziyadov said that the cargo transshipment via the Baku International Sea Trade Port increased by more than a third due to the increase in freight traffic on the route Baku-Aktau-Baku. Askar Mamin, in turn, noted that the construction of the new Kuryk port in Kazakhstan will have a positive impact on the volume of cargo transportation between the two countries. Both new ferries and the available ones will operate between Baku and Kuryk port, said Mamin. Moreover, a free trade zone will be created at the Kuryk port following the example of the Baku port, he added. It is expected that up to five ferries will be served daily at the Kuryk port that will ensure the transshipment of four million tons of cargo per year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Aug 2, 2016, 1:15pm ET July sales: Honda, Hyundai, Kia gain as many brands slip After experiencing an upswing in June, the industry appears to be faltering in the second half of the year. The US auto industry is showing more signs of trouble entering the second half of the year. Sales began to falter in May before leveling out in June, raising hopes of an extended turnaround. The positive momentum has not been carried through into July, however, with just a few exceptions.Among the major players, Honda, Hyundai and Kia all managed to grow sales by at least five percent, while BMW posted a modest gain of less than two percent.Luxury brands achieved mixed results in July, with Audi up by 4.0 percent and Mercedes-Benz rising by 3.6 percent. BMW, Infiniti, Lexus and Acura were all in the red for the month. Volvo, meanwhile, soared by 52.3 percent.(Charts will be updated throughout the day as other automakers post their monthly results.) July year-over-year: - Acura down 8.3%, 13,674- Alfa down 12%, 43- Audi up 4.0%, 18,364- Bentley down 20.7%, 165- BMW down 4.4%, 25,777- Buick up 10.4%, 22,960- Cadillac up 1.3%, 14,341- Chevrolet down 5.3%, 178,820- Chrysler down 4%, 19,095- Dodge down 10%, 35,520- Fiat down 14%, 2,754- Ford down 3.0%, 206,170- GMC up 4.8%, 51,137- Honda up 5.9%, 139,125- Hyundai up 5.6%, 75,003- Infiniti down 4.7%, 9,945- Jaguar - Jeep up 5%, 79,246- Kia up 6.5%, 59,969- *Lamborghini up 2.4%, 86- Land Rover - Lexus down 6.5%, 27,890- Lincoln down 4.6%, 9,098- Maserati down 15.3%, 811- Mazda up 2.8%, 27,915- **Mercedes-Benz up 3.6%, 28,523- MINI down 8.0%, 4,774- Mitsubishi flat, 7,890- Nissan up 1.7%, 122,530- Porsche - Ram up 5%, 44,069- Scion up 66%, 6,423- smart up 11.8%, 493- Subaru up 3.1%, 50,517- *Tesla up 7.1%, 2,250- Toyota down 0.5%, 186,343- Volkswagen down 8.1%, 28,758- Volvo up 52.3%, 8,556 2016 year-to-date - Acura down 9.2%, 92,668- Alfa down 5%, 338- Audi up 3.6%, 115,298- Bentley down 45.6%, 793- BMW down 8.4%, 195,593- Buick flat 127,105- Cadillac down 7.9% 87,572- Chevrolet down 4.6%, 1,185,710- Chrysler down 22%, 148,398- Dodge up 3%, 311,658- Fiat down 16%, 19,346- Ford up 3.1%, 1,498,043- GMC down 2.5%, 305,724- Honda up 6.9%, 852,486- Hyundai up 1.5%, 449,063- Infiniti flat, 74,923- Jaguar - Jeep up 14%, 543,714- Kia up 5.7%, 388,296- *Lamborghini up 2.4%, 602- Land Rover - Lexus down 4.9%, 179,454- Lincoln up 10.1%, 62,395- Maserati down 4.0%, 6,013- Mazda down 6.9%, 173,269- **Mercedes-Benz down 0.6%, 191,300- MINI down 15.6%, 29.918- Mitsubishi up 4.2%, 59,824- Nissan up 8.0%, 855,666- Porsche - Ram up 10%, 302,082- Scion up 53%, 44,142- smart down 24.1%, 3,086- Subaru up 2.7%, 331,551- *Tesla up 5.3%, 15,475- Toyota down 2.2%, 1,232,579- Volkswagen down 13.6%, 177,772- Volvo up 29.2%, 45,210 *Based on estimates from Automotive News.** NOT including Sprinter Note that last month's highlights and lowlights listed below are merely a selection of some of the month's bigger movers. Highlights (sales up > 40%)Audi Q3, up 56%Jeep Renegade, up 57%Toyota Land Cruiser, up 58%Lexus LX, up 49%Hyundai Tucson, up 98% Lowlights (sales down > 30%)Audi A7, down 44%Audi A5, down 33%Chrysler 200, down 43%Chrysler 300, down 38%Dodge Dart, down 42%Fiat 500, down 43% Toyota Yaris, down 43%Scion FR-S, down 36%Lexus CT, down 38%Lexus LS, down 31%Toyota FJ Cruiser, down 33% Aug 2, 2016, 4:13pm ET VW lawyers fight to dismiss US lawsuit; Bavaria vows to sue Despite a $15 billion settlement agreement, VW\'s potential legal troubles are far from over. Volkswagen attorneys are reportedly working to keep a shareholder lawsuit from being heard in US courts, while the German state of Bavaria promises litigation to recover lost investment. The US class-action proceeding is said to list the Arkansas State Highway Employees' Retirement System and Miami police pension fund among its lead plaintiffs. Attorneys argue that the company illegally deceived investors when it decided to cheat US emissions regulations. "Volkswagen believes that the consolidated securities class action complaint is without merit," a company spokesman told Reuters. "The plaintiffs do not satisfy the basic elements of a U.S. securities claim and, in any event, this action challenging Volkswagen's investor disclosures, issued in Germany, does not belong in a U.S. court." A separate report by the German news outlet DPA suggests Bavaria plans to file a similar lawsuit in Germany, after the scandal allegedly erased 700,000 (~$786,000 USD) from the state's pension fund. The state owned approximately 58,000 shares when the news first emerged. Despite reaching a $15 billion settlement agreement with US regulators, the latest reports demonstrate that VW's potential legal troubles are far from over. The opening ceremony of new Shirvan branch of Azer Turk Bank took place on August 1st. The branch, located at Shirvan city, 33, M.A.Rasulzade str. has been established in accordance with the Banks development concept and is equipped with modern banking technologies. Citizens of Shirvan city, as well as residents of neighboring regions, are welcome to use high-quality banking services in Shirvan branch of Azer Turk Bank every weekday from 09.30 to 17.00. Here, individual and corporate clients are offered services on deposits, different loan products, cash and settlement operations, money transfers, plastic cards, utility payments, operations with cash and other transactions. It also should be noted that this is the eighth servicing office of Azer Turk Bank. Last year the bank established its Yasamal branch and sub-branch 1 in ASAN Service Center in Baku. At the same time, "Baku", "Merkez" and "Ganja" branches were re-opened in new offices meeting modern standards. Azer Turk Bank OJSC, which has identified financial support to the real sector of the economy as its main mission, by 75 percent is owned by the government of Azerbaijan. More information about the bank, its service network, products and services is available at www.azerturkbank.az the banks corporate pages at social networks or at (012) 945 Call Center. Kayla Bauman (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) A Bethlehem Township teenager who had been missing more than a week has returned home, township police report Tuesday morning on Facebook. Kayla Bauman, 17, was missing since last Tuesday, police said on Monday. Police on Monday said Bauman's parents reported she ran away. Bauman had been in the company of Aidan Sweeley, 16, and David Rivera, 19, police said. Police in Shamokin, in central Pennsylvania's Northumberland County, relayed to investigators that Bauman may have been driven to either the Shamokin or Allentown areas, according to township police. Tuesday's Facebook posting and a followup statement from police provided no information on where Bauman was. WolfPack Search and Recovery reported Monday evening "working with her family, we have been informed that Kayla Bauman has been located alive and is currently safe." Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The lone occupant of a Jeep Wrangler that struck a tree off a gravel road Monday in Bethlehem Township was taken by ambulance for treatment, according to a township fire official. The crash was reported about 3:40 p.m.. off Hope Road south of Freemansburg Avenue, on the unpaved road that leads to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's launch on the Lehigh River. Authorities did not immediately identify the driver, a male, and township police were continuing to investigate what had caused the crash. The driver left the gravel road on a righthand curve, while headed west from the boat launch to Hope Road, said Michael Lenner, assistant chief with the township's Nancy Run Volunteer Fire Co. Tracks could be seen through vegetation along the road, as could damage to a tree. Debris from the Jeep littered the base of a second tree. Township fire police closed Hope Road until the Jeep was towed away shortly after 6 p.m. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The 1920s mansion inherited by Bethlehem Township is in line for an exterior makeover aimed at arresting decay caused by years of neglect. Township commissioners on Monday approved seeking an architectural/engineering proposal for the exterior stabilization of the Archibald Johnston Mansion. Spanning some 6,000 square feet and boasting 22 rooms, the mansion stands in the Janet Johnston Housenick & William D. Housenick Memorial Park along Christian Spring Road. The exterior work comes without a firm grasp of what to do with the building, and amid fears from some township residents that the project could become a money pit. Renovating the interior could cost anywhere from $3 million to $5 million, depending on what the township wants to do with the mansion. That's a decision well into the future, with the exterior stabilization expected to take three years from the time construction bids are approved, officials said. The mansion could just end up as "eye candy" for park visitors, Commissioner Michael Hudak said in response to resident Don Wright Jr.'s concerns about the potentially deepening cost. Resident Andrew Azan also cautioned that as with any improvement, the unexpected can easily drive up the scope of work. "We're just trying to stabilize the outside so the building's not going to deteriorate," Hudak said. "We don't know what we're going to use the building for yet." The township is working on the stabilization with Spillman Farmer Architects, co-founded by the architect who designed the mansion, Curtis Lovelace. Commissioners on Monday asked Spillman Farmer and Boyle Construction to return with their proposal for the most involved of three options for the exterior work, an option estimated at $684,890 and described as historically preferable. The contractors will build off an extensive stabilization study completed in January for the project by Spillman Farmer, whowe team members Russ Pacala and Vanessa dela Torre presented their restoration plans Monday night. The mansion and land for the park were left to the township after Janet Johnston Housenick's death in an August 2005 fire in her nearby home on Santee Mill Road. Johnston Housenick was a granddaughter of Archibald Johnston, a vice president of the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. and the City of Bethlehem's first mayor. Completed in 1923, the home was built on land Johnston began acquiring in 1919. Archibald Johnston died at the estate in 1948, and Johnston Housenick and her husband later took ownership of the mansion and 91-acre surrounding property. In 1986 the couple donated 36 acres to Northampton County for creation of the Archibald Johnston Conservation Area, and the remainder of the 55 acres were donated along with the mansion upon her death. Money for the exterior work would come from a fund managed by the Janet Johnston Housenick and William D. Housenick Memorial Foundation. The fund is valued at about $1.7 million, down from close to $2 million at the time of Johnston Housenick's death, foundation trustee Tim Brady said. Previous park improvements and declining earnings on the principal have cut into the total, he said last week. Among those to praise the township's commitment to repairing the mansion's exterior on Monday were Victoria Bastidas, president of Friends of Johnston Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Johnston's Camel's Hump Farm on Santee Mill Road. She pledged the group's help "in any way possible." William Leeson also spoke during Monday night's meeting. He is one of three trustees of the Housenick foundation, along with Northampton County President Judge Stephen Baratta and Brady, who was a close friend of Johnston Housenick. Leeson described the foundation as encouraged by and appreciative of the township's efforts, as well as ready to partner on the stabilization work. The township's focus for the property so far has been the park, with the addition of trail markers in 2013 and a new paved parking area in 2015. Work to date has cost about $300,000, in grants from the Housenick foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said township Manager Melissa Shafer. The historically preferable option backed by commissioners calls for: Replacing the 6,100-square-foot slate roof to prevent water infiltration. Repairing the chimney. Re-stuccoing the entire facade, including replacing the underlying lath where necessary. Securing the porch. Miscellaneous woodwork repairs and repainting of the exterior wood. Restoring all 88 windows and doors. Adding missing storm-windows and -doors Restoring the shutters, emblazoned with a winged icon that the township recreated on signage throughout the Monocacy Creek-side park. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Kayak probe leads to possible meth lab in Wilson Borough, cops say Following an investigation into stolen kayaks, a garage and home in the 2300 block of Wilson Borough is placarded against inhabitation following the discovery Thursday, July 21, 2016, of materials used to make crystal methamphetamine and a possible meth lab, according to borough police. (Jim Deegan | For lehighvalleylive.com) The Wilson Borough man arrested on crystal methamphetamine charges during an investigation into stolen kayaks claims he had purchased the kayaks online, according to court records. Robert S. Badua, 29, of the 2300 block of Forest Street, was charged Tuesday in the theft of three kayaks valued at $1,500 total from a home in the 2600 block of North Delaware Drive in Forks Township. The investigation led authorities on July 21 to Badua's garage, where "evidence of the production of methamphetamines was recovered," borough police said at that time. Badua was arrested on two felonies and related charges and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. The kayaks' owner had reported them stolen to police on July 12, saying a trail camera captured images of the vehicle used to cart off the watercraft, records say. Trail cameras outside a home in the 2600 block of North Delaware Drive (Route 611) in Forks Township capture July 12, 2016, a Ford Expedition allegedly driven by 29-year-old Robert S. Badua, of Wilson Borough, on a mission to steal three kayaks from the property. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Township police shared the images on their Facebook page, and three sources linked the vehicle to Badua, records say. One source reported having heard Badua tell his children on July 13 "he had purchased kayaks for them" and that they were in Badua's garage behind his home as recently as July 21, according to police. Police responding to the home that day found the Ford Expedition seen on the trail camera and the three kayaks -- two red Mainstream and one yellow Spitfire -- inside the garage, police said. Badua told police he had purchased them on craigslist.com and a male told him to remove him from the North Delaware Drive (Route 611) property, records say. Badua was arraigned Tuesday on theft and receiving stolen property charges before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner, who ordered him held in lieu of an additional 10 percent of $15,000 bail. He faces a preliminary hearing in the kayak thefts, tentatively scheduled Aug. 16 before Taschner and another hearing, in the meth case, Aug. 17 before District Judge Richard Yetter III. Three children, under age 10, lived in the home on Badua's property where the meth materials were found, police had said. Authorities condemned the home, which was burglarized over the weekend, leading to the arrest of 28-year-old Wilson man Jordan B. Stackhouse, according to police. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Wayne County man already jailed for being an accomplice in a Northampton County ATV theft now is charged for participating in a pharmacy break-in that netted prescription drugs. Franklin Vincent Davis, 30, whose most recent address was listed in Gouldsboro, allegedly helped Clifford M. Foss, 40, of Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, as well as one other accomplice in the July 2014 burglary of the Southmoore Pharmacy. The pharmacy is located at 2453 Plaza Court outside Bath. Moore Township police responding to the pharmacy at 4:51 a.m. July 13 found pry marks on the back doors and pill bottles scattered on the floor. Video surveillance footage showed Foss -- with a bandanna on top of his head -- and Davis, with something covering a portion of his face, riding into the parking lot on ATVs. The pair then used a crow bar to pry open the back doors to gain access, according to police. A third male accomplice stood lookout and when he saw a Moore Township patrol vehicle traveling along Route 512 to another call, the accomplice banged on the door and all three fled the scene on the ATVs, police said. Stolen ATVs Lehigh Township police in October 2014 developed Foss as a suspect, court records say. Foss on July 11, 2014, had stolen two new ATVs from Backwoods Outdoor Recreation on Route 248 in Lehigh Township and used the ATVs during the pharmacy burglary, police said. Lehigh Township police were investigating the ATV theft case, which also included the attempted theft of a third new ATV. Investigators worked to find Foss based on the tread pattern on his shoe, which was left in the mud near ATV crates, records say. Meanwhile, Moore Township investigators were probing the pharmacy burglary when a detective received an email Sept. 24, 2014, from police in Berks County about a pharmacy break-in there involving two suspects and an ATV. Two tipsters responding to a Berks County Crime Stoppers alert, as well as Foss' mother in an interview with a detective, identified Foss as one of the suspects to Northern Berks Regional police, court records say. Pennsylvania state constables picked Foss up in October 2014 on several outstanding traffic warrants from Schuylkill County, locating him at the Ford Motel on Route 61 in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, court records say. Taken in the ATV thefts were two 2014 Polaris 550 Sportsman ATVs, one green and one gray, which together retail for about $18,000, the dealer said; a camouflage 570cc 2014 Polaris Sportsman was also taken from Backwoods Outdoor Recreation, but abandoned at a nearby wood line after a tire went flat, police said. The ATVs were stored in crates outside the business, which has since moved to a new location in Lehigh Township, court records said. Moore Township police recovered the green Polaris 550 by following ATV tire tracks from Southmoore Pharmacy into a wooded area. With it were the yellow crow bar, hand saw, bolt cutters, pry bar and utility knife, records say. Following cellphone records During the arrest of Foss, police seized a cellphone, which led authorities to Davis. Investigators found on Davis' Gouldsboro property a truck with one of the stolen ATVs in its bed, police said. Davis initially told officers in an interview at his home he helped Foss transport the Polaris ATV, but didn't know it was stolen, police said. Police obtained a search warrant and downloaded text messages, GPS maps and images off Foss' phone. The data showed exchanges between Foss and Davis about the crimes, including photos of the stolen ATV in Davis' truck bed, police said. Davis on June 10, 2015, was interviewed again by investigators at the Berks County Prison, where he was incarcerated, and he admitted knowing the ATV was stolen. Davis said he used the ATV on his property and knew it was stolen during the pharmacy burglary, records say. Davis also allegedly admitted to being with Foss during the pharmacy burglary and driving the stolen ATV from the Backwoods Outdoor Center. In the ATV theft crime, Davis was charged with theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and conspiracy receiving stolen property. In December 2015, he pleaded guilty in county court and was sentenced to a maximum of 18 months in prison. In the pharmacy break-in, Davis is charged with four counts burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property, possessing instrument of crime and criminal mischief. He was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Robert Hawke, who set bail at $100,000. In lieu of bail, Davis was taken to Northampton County Prison. Foss was charged in the break-in with burglary, trespass, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal mischief. In August, Foss was ordered to serve a minimum of eight years and 11 months in prison for the crimes. Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli imposed a maximum sentence of 28 years in state prison. The third accomplice in the crimes is yet to be charged. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Washington Borough sign generic An investigation into the Washington Borough clerk/manager is ongoing. (courtesy photo) A temporary replacement has been hired in place of a Warren County municipal official under investigation. Washington Borough Manager/Clerk Kristine Blanchard was indefinitely suspended without pay last month after authorities secured her office at the request of elected officials. The nature of the investigation into Blanchard, which Mayor Scott McDonald has said is still ongoing, has not been disclosed. No charges have been filed. McDonald on Tuesday said that an interim manager has been hired as a search for a full-time replacement continues. "She's going to keep the ship on the right path until we get that person in," McDonald said. The borough's part-time chief financial officer, Natasha Turchan, had temporarily assumed managerial duties after Blanchard's suspension. Jasmine Lim, a consultant with the Morristown-based Canning Group, started in the interim role Tuesday at a rate of $95 an hour, the mayor said. The Cannning Group provides services to municipalities including staffing studies and searches, according to its website. Lim said she has 35 years of experience in local government, most of that time spent in administrative roles. She has been working with Canning since retiring from full-time work, she said. "The situation itself is not a concern to me," Lim said of Washington. "I've been in messy situations before and had to deal with those." Blanchard, a Warren County native, started as borough clerk in June 2006 and was named the borough's interim manager in 2012, eventually appointing her to both positions full-time. She was making $97,680 this year, according to state pension records. McDonald previously said that Blanchard in June tendered her resignation as borough manager, effective later this month, but planned to stay on as clerk. An ad on the New Jersey League of Municipalities website says the borough is seeking someone with five years of experience, and that residency is preferred. The borough has a population 6,500, 30 employees and a $7 million budget, the ad says. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Anvar Mammadov Trend: The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $49.1 million to 29 banks through an auction held by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), SOFAZ said Aug. 2. SOFAZ offered $50 million at the auction, but the banks demand was $49.1 million. SOFAZ will continue selling foreign currency through auctions in 2016. The foreign currency is sold as part of SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged to stand at 7.615 billion Azerbaijani manats in 2016. SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million. As of July 1, 2016, SOFAZs assets increased by 4.6 percent and amounted to $35.1 billion as compared to $33.57 billion in early 2016. Two small schools which closed in 1973 are coming together to celebrate their reunion from August 4-6. Cartron and Eslin National Schools were closed in 1973 without any fanfare or farewell. This year the reunion committee have received some funding from Leitrim County Council to hold a reunion weekend. Past pupils from both schools will travel from all over the world, Ireland and Leitrim to meet up with old pals and reminisce about school days. The reunion kicks off on Thursday, August 4 with a concert in St Mary's Church, Eslin at 8pm. Top of the bill is Eleanor Shanley, with performances also by Fionnuala Maxwell, Leitrim Male Choir as well as an Irish Music Session. Fionnuala Maxwell will sing songs written by Tom Moran from Eslin. Tickets are 10 with proceeds going to the hospice. On Friday, August 5 past pupils will attend a reunion dinner dance in The Bush Hotel. Tickets are limited. Bishop Colm Reilly will launch the reunion book at the dinner dance which includes memories and photos from both schools. Everyone who was registered in the schools are named in the book. A huge amount of work went into the book, it was edited by past pupil Fr John Kilcrann. Fr Kilcrann has returned to Ireland after spending years in Brazil. The book costs 15 and proceeds from it will go back into the community to Eslin Ladies, Eslin GAA and Eslin Community Centre. On Saturday August 6 the roll books for the school will be on display in Eslin Community Centre, there will a shuttle bus between the schools and tours available. On Sunday Mass will be concelebrated by Fr John Kilcrann, Fr Ciaran O'Flynn and Parish Priest Patrick Murphy. Refreshments will be available in the community centre all weekend. A WEST Limerick success story is now set to be a game-changer for the environment in the US state of Maryland and possibly throughout North America. The agric-tech company firm, BHSL, which is based in Kantoher and which has pioneered the conversion of poultry manure into energy, will begin a $3m contract in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland later this year. The aim of the operation is to reduce the estimated 1.2m tonnes of chicken manure produced each year in the region. Over 1bn chickens, or 12% of total US production, are produced in the region annually but one result is an excess of phosphorous on the land which contributes to the flow-off of pollutants into Chesapeake Bay. This has given rise to environmental problems such as algal bloom and damage to fish and shellfish stocks. Converting the chicken manure to energy will release heat for future batches of chick or can be sold as energy into the national grid. But for BHSL, the Chesapeake Bay project may well just be the start of their big American adventure. The potential size of the US market opportunity for BHSL is conservatively estimated at over $500m, company chief executive Declan OConnor said this week. We are very excited about the potential to grow our sales in the US following the State of Maryland demonstration. There are some 11,000 commercial chicken producers in the US. Last year, the company made a big break-through into the global market when it signed a ground-breaking agreement with Cargill, a US-based company working in 67 countries and with over 150,000 employees. This 20-year agreement saw BHSL instal and operate one of its manure-to-energy units on one of Cargill's enormous poultry farms in the UK with the potential for extending the system to Cargills other 78 poultry farms. The monitoring of the system however is being done from Kantoher. But the key to this global success had modest beginnings on the OConnor family farm in Ballagh and as BHSL founder, Jack O'Connor explained to the Limerick Leader, it has taken over a decade to bring the revolutionary process to this stage. "It all started out on my own farm back in 2001. It was in response to a restriction on land spreading of poultry manure, he said. In conjunction with the University of Limerick and the EPA, Jack began the search for another, sustainable, use for poultry manure. The final solution is the fluidised bed combustion unit, where sand is heated to high temperatures, the manure is dropped in, combusts and heats water which is then piped to heat the chicken houses. The resulting ash can also be used as it is a pathogen-free and highly valuable fertiliser. "It is safe for the environment, safe for humans and safe for the chickens," said Jack O'Connor who is now the companys chief technology officer. However, to get to the final solution , the company, founded in 2004, had to overcome a number of obstacles including seeking a change in EU regulations which allowed poultry manure to be classified as a bio-mass fuel source. BHSL technology is currently the only approved system under the new European regulations that became law in July 2014. And even then, Jack O'Connor pointed out, poultry manure can only be processed on your own farm. But it was BHSLs ability to develop a made-to-measure unit for individual farms of different size that has been crucial to their success in the UK and now also in the USA. A VIOLENT criminal who held a knife to the throat of a man as he sat in his car is beginning a lengthy prison sentence. Damien Quinn, aged 34, who has an address at OMalley Park, Southill pleaded guilty to robbing a wifi dongle and 80 in cash from the man at Pery Square on March 17, last year. During a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court was told Quinn had received a suspended prison sentence less than four months earlier after he admitted assaulting a prison officer while trying to escape from custody. Judge Tom ODonnell was told the victim, who is from County Galway, was sitting in his car when two men got into the vehicle. Quinn, who got into the back seat, held a knife to his throat while his accomplice demanded he hand over his money. In a victim impact statement, the injured party, now aged 55, said he has lost confidence while driving late at night or while parking up as a result of what happened. I am always in fear of what might happen, he said. Detective Garda Paul Crowley said the defendant, who has a large number of previous convictions, was identified as a suspect from CCTV footage and made admissions following his arrest a number of weeks later. Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell commented the offence was premeditated and he said Quinns propensity for violence and his previous record were a concern. The judge noted the 34-year-old had an extremely difficult upbringing and was abused as a child. He commented that while the victim was not physically injured during the robbery, it was extremely frightening for him. He imposed a six year prison sentence, suspending the final year for six years. No order was made in relation to the suspended prison sentence. Previously another man 21-year-old Christopher Higgins was sentenced to six years imprisonment with the final two years suspended for his role in the same offence. A BRAND new political party focused on preventing animal cruelty wasformally established in Limerick City this Monday. The Irish Animal Welfare Party (IAWP) was founded following a special convention in the Pery Hotel at Glentworth Street. Among its number are Sheila Fogarty, its chairperson, who has family ties with Bruff, and Marion Fitzgibbon, Limerick Animal Welfare, who sits on the partys National Executive Committee. Ms Fogarty, a former Green Party local election candidate, said the IAWP would be seeking to run candidates in both local and national elections in Limerick City and Limerick County. Among the partys initial goals, she added, is to take on the practice of puppy farming. The IAWP estimates this rural, effectively black market economy is worth in the region of 1.5bn over the six year life cycle of 100 breeding bitches across the country. Ms Fogarty says following the move to vote down a motion calling for a ban on live hare coursing, the IAWP's confidence in government is at a low. We have lost all faith in this government to uphold animal welfare in this country and believe without a proper political structure to address the total disregard expressed by the present government to large scale endemic animal abuse, nothing will ever change, she said. Ms Fitzgibbon is delighted there is finally a party which focuses on what she has devoted her life to. I feel I have been talking to myself and that wall [about animal cruelty] for the past 25 years. What difference have we made? Everyone is telling me Limerick Animal Welfare has made a huge difference. But animal cruelty is a huge problem, and we are not changing it, she said. Ms Fogarty said more than 400 people nationwide have signed up to be a member of the IAWP. The last national mainstream party launched in Limerick was the Progressive Democrats, founded by Desmond OMalley in 1985, which went on to have a big impact on national politics. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Anvar Mammadov - Trend: Azerbaijan and Iran have discussed the projects for joint production of pharmaceutical products, cars and car spare parts, said the message from Azerbaijans Economy Ministry. The issues were discussed during the meeting of Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev with Irans Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi. Vaezi is on an official visit to Baku as part of the preparations for the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Azerbaijan. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the draft cooperation agreements between the two countries, the important projects being implemented by Azerbaijan and Iran, including the North-South international transportation corridor. The ministers discussed the cooperation in the oil and gas, energy, customs, agricultural spheres, as well as healthcare, tourism and investment making, said the message. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran stood at 89.75 million manats as of the first half of 2016, or 65.7 percent more than in the same period in 2015, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov Aug 2, 2016, 8 AM The National Court of Spain sentenced 11 former officials of Afinsa, a Spanish stamp dealer, to prison terms of up to 12 years July 27 for their involvement in a fraudulent stamp-investment pyramid scheme. By Charles Snee Eleven former directors of Afinsa Bienes Tangibles S.A., one of Spains biggest stamp companies, were sentenced to prison July 27 by Spains National Court, following conviction on charges that included criminal bankruptcy, fraud, and falsification of accounts. The prison terms, which range from two to 12 years, were handed down by the court in response to the officials roles in the sale of stamp investments in a pyramid scheme that siphoned the savings of hundreds of thousands of investor customers. Among the officials sentenced was former Afinsa president Juan Antonio Cano, who was sentenced to 12 years and 10 months. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter The Associated Press reported July 27 that the court ordered six of the former directors of Afinsa to pay a total of 2.6 billion euros [$2.9 billion] in compensation to the companys 190,000 investors. Investigations of Afinsas questionable philatelic investment practices date back to early 2005, when Barrons, the Financial Times and others published high-profile reports critical of the firms methods. In early May 2006, Spanish authorities began investigating whether Afinsa and Forum Filatelico, another large Spanish stamp dealer, sold questionable stamp investments to as many as several hundred thousand small investors. Linns reported May 29, 2006, that the Afinsa and Forum Filatelico stamp-investment programs were shut down. Spanish authorities raided both companies May 8, 2006, and ordered them to close. At that time, eight officials of Afinsa and Forum Filatelico were sent to jail. According to accounts in Spanish newspapers, Linns reported May 29, 2006, the Afinsa investors were being promised a return of 6 percent a year on investments as low as $400. But the investors, many of them said to be elderly, never saw the stamps in which they were investing, one Spanish news service said. Afinsa held the stamps in its vaults. In that same report, Linns said the Financial Times reported that the Spanish investigation might have been prompted by the refusal [in early 2006] of the Lloyds of London reinsurance syndicate to renew policies for the two Spanish collectibles firms. The Financial Times said stamp experts had advised Lloyds that the investment plans being offered by Afinsa and Forum Filatelico lacked a sufficient number of what the Financial Times called investment grade stamps. According to the July 27 Associated Press report, Spains National Court said Afinsa lured people with promises of high returns on investments in antique stamps that turned out to be overvalued or fake. The interest payments came from new customers and not from appreciation in stamp value, as promised. Another factor that likely contributed to the magnitude of investors losses is that investment plans in collectibles were not regulated in Spain at the time. Because of this, most such investments were not insured. 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The biggest US automakers, General Motors Co (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co (F.N), reported July US sales that disappointed Wall Street on Tuesday but results were strong overall for the industry despite fears its long growth spurt may soon be over, Reuters reported. GM reported that sales fell 2 percent to 267,258 vehicles, at the low end of expectations, while Ford posted sales of 216,479 vehicles, down 3 percent. Overall, July US auto sales on Tuesday rose 0.7 percent to 1.52 million vehicles, according to Autodata Corp, for a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 17.88 million vehicles. Autodata said the annualized rate for July was the highest since last November. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected, on average, 17.7 million vehicles on the annualized basis, and 21 economists polled by Reuters had expected 17.36 million vehicles. GM's chief economist, G. Mustafa Mohatarem, and Ford's sales chief, Mark LaNeve, both said sales are still at healthy levels. Sales for the year were 1 percent higher than they were at this time in 2015, which ended at a record high, Mohatarem said. "Let's calm down on the doomsday talk," he said at an industry conference in Traverse City, Michigan. GM thinks there is potential for a new record for US industry auto sales this year, Mohatarem said. Nonetheless, GM shares shed 4.4 percent, Ford slid 4.3 percent and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI)(FCAU.N) dropped nearly 4 percent. Each of Ford's four top-selling models lost ground, including the Explorer SUV, which dropped 22 percent. GM and Ford are the market leaders by sales volume. FCA, the No. 4 by US sales, said its sales rose 0.3 percent, missing estimates. Since 2009 when auto sales slipped to a modern-day low, the industry has posted annual growth. "The growth is over," Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks said in an interview with Reuters last week. Pent-up demand built during the last recession has been satisfied, and lower used car prices are drawing some buyers away from new vehicles. Wes Lutz, owner of Extreme Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Jackson, Michigan, said consumers "are maxed out and can barely afford the vehicles they are driving." Lutz said he is expanding his used car showroom, anticipating that new vehicle sales will decline. Japanese and South Korean automakers reported more robust monthly sales than had been expected, boosting total vehicle sales as consumers continued to spend on pickup trucks and SUVs. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), No. 3 in the US market, reported sales down 1.4 percent, but it surpassed expectations. Showing the largest gains were corporate stablemates Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS), sales up 5.6 percent, and Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS), sales up 6.5 percent, beating expectations. Incentive spending in July was 9.9 percent of average vehicle selling prices, up from 9.6 percent a year earlier, said auto sales website and industry analyst TrueCar Inc. (TRUE.O) While Wall Street took a dim view of American automakers on Tuesday, sales of SUVs and pickup trucks, which are responsible for record or near-record earnings this year for GM and Ford, are expected to continue to rise. Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research, said on Tuesday SUVs and other light trucks could account for 70 percent of the US market within two years because of low gas prices. They represent about 60 percent of the market now, up from 50 percent in 2010. Citi analyst Itay Michaeli said sales volume should fall in August in part because of fewer weekends than in July. But he emphasized that as sales plateau, they still remain historically strong. Japan's Honda Motor Co (7267.T) said sales were up 4.4 percent, and it joined Toyota in reporting higher-than-expected July US sales. Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) said sales rose 1 percent, including a 33 percent hike for its top-selling model, the Rogue compact SUV. FCA last week restated its monthly sales going back to 2011. It is under investigation by the US Justice Department for its sales reporting practices. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aug. 2 By Demir Azizov Trend: Moody's Investors Service has maintained its stable outlook on the Uzbek banking system, reflecting its expectation that operating conditions for Uzbekistan's banks will stay accommodative, said the report of Moodys posted on its website Aug. 2. The outlook expresses Moody's expectation of how bank creditworthiness will evolve in Uzbekistan over the next 12-18 months. Uzbekistan's banks continue to benefit from a growing economy with well-diversified export revenues, according to analysts of Moodys. As a result, banks in Uzbekistan are somewhat shielded from the volatility characteristic of some other countries in CIS. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts real GDP growth of 5 percent for Uzbekistan in 2016, with growth supported by increasing gas exports to China, strong domestic demand from continued public infrastructure spending, and wage increases. As a result of this benign operating environment, Moody's expects problem loans to remain stable over the outlook period at 4-5 percent of total loans. In addition, the rating agency does not expect sector-wide credit losses to exceed 1.5 percent of banks' average gross loans over the next 12-18 months, in annualized terms. Uzbek banks' problem loan ratio declined to 3.5 percent at late 2015 from 3.9 percent a year earlier, owing largely to nearly 25 percent loan growth over this period. Nevertheless, Uzbek banks' capital buffers and earnings are sufficient to absorb incremental credit losses over the outlook period. Banks in Uzbekistan have a high proportion of loss-absorbing capital, as evidenced by a system-wide tangible common equity ratio of 14.7 percent as of late 2015, according to Moodys. The reported system-wide Tier 1 leverage ratio also was high at 9.7 percent as of late 2015. In addition, funding and liquidity metrics for the country's banks will stay stable, underpinned by domestic customer deposits and long-term government funding. Rated Uzbek banks' corporate and retail deposits comprise only about 56 percent of their non-equity funding - two other major sources are stable and long-term financing from the Uzbek government (20 percent) and funding from international financial institutions (15 percent). Profits for Uzbek banks, too, will likely continue to be healthy over the outlook period, according to Moody's, as continued strong borrowing demand boosts net interest income, and fee and commission income also remains solid. The rating agency forecasts system-wide return on average assets and return on average equity to remain around 1.5 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Currently, 26 commercial banks operate in Uzbekistan's banking system. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Fatih Karimov Trend: A German company is negotiating with the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) to purchase gas from the country, Azizollah Ramazani, director of the International Affairs Department at the NIGC, said. The negotiations with the leading German company will pave path for export of Iranian gas to the West Europe, Ramazi said, SHANA news agency reported Aug. 2. He did not mention the German companys name. The Iranian official further said that contracts have been signed with leading international companies including Russias Gazprom, German Siemens, and South Korean SK Telecom and Kogas for cooperation in gas sector following the removal of international sanctions against Iran last January. The Islamic Republic holds 34 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, sharing 18.2 percent of total global gas reserves, which puts the country in the top of the world's gas holders list. Earlier, Iran stated that LNG export to Europe is its priority. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Fatih Karimov Trend: An Iranian private company is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan for gas swap, Azizollah Ramazani, director of the International Affairs Department at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said. Serious talks are underway for gas swap between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan through a private Iranian company, SHANA news agency reported Aug. 2. He did not unveil further details. Iran has already announced readiness for natural gas swap projects with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. It was earlier announced that Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to increase the volume of gas swap. The two countries have gas swap infrastructure via which Azerbaijan supplies its fuel to Iran's northern provinces. Iran, for its part, ensures the gas demand of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Elsewhere in his remarks Ramazani said that talks are underway with Oman, Kuwait and the UAE for gas export, in order to increase Tehrans share from global gas market. Studies are on the agenda to take share in the LNG markets in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India and China as well as eastern and western Europe and Southeast Asia, Ramazani added. The Islamic Republic holds 34 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, sharing 18.2 percent of total global gas reserves, which puts the country in the top of the world's gas holders list. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug 2 By Farhad Daneshvar Trend: President Hassan Rouhani has expressed hope that the country will register a five percent economic growth over the current Iranian calendar year (starting March 20). I hope that by the end of the current (Iranian) year we will reach 5% of economic growth as promised before, Rouhani said during a live interview on state TV August 2. Elaborating on the countrys economic situation, President Rouhani showed graphs explaining that Irans non-oil export increased over the first four months of the current Iranian year. The President explained that in the meantime the volume of Irans imports decreased. According to the graphs provided by the president, Iran exported $13.4 billion worth of goods while the country imported $12.9 billion worth of products in the aforementioned period. President Rouhani further touched upon a nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the world major powers last July and said that the implementation of the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) has paved the way for increasing Irans exports of oil and condensate. However, the president criticized the westerners for failing to fulfil their commitments regarding their commitments. He said that the P5+1 has had some shortcomings in honoring its side of the JCPOA. According to the president, Iran has increased its output of oil and condensate from 3.25 million barrels per day to 4.124 million barrels per day. Speaking about the impacts of the implementation of the JCPOA on Irans economy, president said that the country has exported 2.382 million barrels of oil and condensate per day over the first four months of the current year. Rouhani added that the JCPOA has also enabled Iran to establish ties with about 400 banks across the world. The country has also attracted more than $3 billion in investment following the implementation of the JCPOA in January, he noted. The president went on to comment on a recent scandal in Iran on the astronomic salaries paid to a group of senior managers in saying that the country needs to combat corruption. He called for unity among Iranians to tackle corruption and said this is not a partisan issue. Platinum, a highly valued and desired metal, has a wide range of uses, including jewelry, catalytic converters, electrical contacts, pacemakers, medication and magnets. Because it is rare there are only about 5 parts per billion by weight in Earth's crust, according to Chemicool platinum tends to be very pricey, as anyone looking to buy a platinum wedding ring might discover. Platinum is a silver-white metal it was once known as "white gold." It is extremely resistant to tarnishing and corrosion (which makes it known as a "noble metal") and is very soft and malleable, making it easy to shape; ductile, making it easy to stretch into wire; and unreactive, which means it doesn't oxidize and is unaffected by common acids. Platinum is one of the transition metals, a group that includes gold, silver, copper and titanium and most of the elements in the middle of the periodic table. The atomic structure of these metals means they can bond easily with other elements. It is also one of the densest elements at 12.4 ounces per cubic inch (21.45 grams per cubic centimeter), a little more than 21 times the density of water or 6 times the density of a diamond according to Chemicool. These properties lead to many uses for this very rare and precious metal. Just the facts Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 78 Atomic symbol (on the periodic table of elements): Pt Atomic weight (average mass of the atom): 195.1 Density: 12.4 ounces per cubic inch (21.45 grams per cubic cm) Phase at room temperature: solid Melting point: 3,215.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1,768.4 degrees Celsius) Boiling point: 6,917 F (3,825 C) Number of natural isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 6. There are also 37 artificial isotopes created in a lab. Most common isotopes: Pt-195 (33.83 percent of natural abundance), Pt-194 (32.97 percent of natural abundance), Pt-196 (25.24 percent of natural abundance), Pt-198 (7.16 percent of natural abundance), Pt-192 (0.78 percent of natural abundance), Pt-190 (0.01 percent of natural abundance) The 'unmeltable' metal In ancient times, people in Egypt and the Americas used platinum for jewelry and decorative pieces, often times mixed with gold. The first recorded reference to platinum was in 1557 when Julius Scaliger, an Italian physician, described a metal found in Central America that wouldn't melt and called it "platina," meaning "little silver." In 1741, British scientist Charles Wood published a study introducing platinum as a new metal and described some of its attributes and possible commercial applications, according to Peter van der Krogt a Dutch historian. Then, in 1748, Spanish scientist and naval officer Antonio de Ulloa published a description of a metal that was unworkable and unmeltable. (He originally wrote it in 1735, but his papers were confiscated by the British navy.) Back in the 18th century, platinum was the eighth known metal and was known as "white gold," according to van der Krogt. (Previously known metals included iron, copper, silver, tin, gold, mercury and lead.) In the early 1800s, friends and colleagues William Hyde Wollaston and Smithson Tennant, both British chemists, produced and sold purified platinum that they isolated using a technique developed by Wollaston, according to van der Krogt This technique involves dissolving platinum ore in a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids (known as aqua regia). After the platinum was separated from the rest of the solution, palladium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and later ruthenium were all discovered in the waste. Today, platinum is still extracted using a technique similar to that developed by Wollaston. Samples containing platinum are dissolved in aqua regia, are separated from the rest of the solution and byproducts, and are melted at very high temperatures to produce the metal. Who knew? A cylindrical hunk of platinum and platinum alloy is used as the international standard for measuring a kilogram. In the 1880s, about 40 of these cylinders, which weigh about 2.2 lbs. or 1 kilogram, were distributed around the world. Platinum, iridium, osmium, palladium, ruthenium, and rhodium are all members of the same group of metals (called the platinum metals) and share similar properties. These metals are often used together to create highly durable parts for various machines, tools and jewelry. Platinum is used in several anti-cancer drugs because of its very low reactivity levels. About 50 percent of cancer therapy patients currently use platinum-containing drugs, according to a 2014 study by Johnstone, Park, and Lippard Some of these drugs, such as cisplatin, are also used to treat tumors and cancer in animals, according to veterinarian Barbara Forney. Platinum is also used in pacemakers, dental crowns, and other equipment used within the human body because of its resistance to corrosion from bodily fluids and lack of reactivity to bodily functions, according to Encyclopedia.com. The majority (about 80 percent) of platinum is mined in South Africa. Approximately 10 percent is mined in Russia, and the rest is found in North and South America, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Because platinum and other platinum metals usually aren't found in large amounts, they are often byproducts from mining other metals. Nearly 14 times more gold than platinum is mined per year about 1,800 tons (1,633 metric tons) of gold compared to 130 tons (118 metric tons) of platinum, according to Science for Kids According to Total Materia, nearly half of the platinum that is mined is used in catalytic converters, the part of the automobile that reduces toxic gases into less-toxic emissions. Platinum and other platinum metals can withstand the high temperatures required for the oxidation reactions that reduce the emissions. Platinum combined with cobalt creates strong, permanent magnets, according to Chemicool. These magnets have many uses, including in medical instruments, motors, watches, and more. Platinum is often used as a catalyst in the production of several solutions and byproducts (that end up in substances such as fertilizers, plastics and gasoline and in fuel cells, increasing their efficiency according to Encyclopedia.com. Many investors buy and sell platinum, even though the price can fluctuate greatly during economic growth and decline even more than the prices of other precious metals (because of its many uses). Approximately 30 percent of mined platinum is used in jewelry, according to Total Materia. Most of the famous diamonds in the world, such as the Hope Diamond (according to Famous Diamonds) and many items in Elizabeth Taylor's collection (according to Bulgari), are set in platinum. The international prototype kilogram is a cylinder of platinum and platinum-iridium alloy, which is kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) near Paris. (Image credit: Image Courtesy BIPM) Current research Researchers are continuing to find new uses and applications for platinum. For example, platinum is used in the development of anti-cancer drugs. In 1844, Michele Peyrone, an Italian chemist, accidently discovered that platinum has anti-neoplastic properties (which means it prohibits the development of tumors, according to MedicineNet). Research continued, and in 1971 the first human cancer patient was treated with platinum-containing drugs. Today, about 50 percent of cancer patients receive treatments that include this rare metal, according to a 2016 article published in the journal Chemical Reviews. These drugs include cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin, and several others in trial stages. The article discussed some of the next-generation platinum-containing cancer drugs and delivery systems that they say will be more effective in fighting cancer cells. The authors call this a "dual threat" platinum-containing drugs within a platinum-delivery system. These so-called platinum "warheads" target cancer cells and can be programmed in a variety of ways to interact with the cancer cells that contain many receptors on their surfaces, which are responsible for many actions of the cell including growth, the authors explained. Because cancerous cells divide very rapidly, they need an excess of nourishment (such as glucose or folic acid), and these targeting systems can search the body for these various traits and deposit the medications directly within the cells, the authors said. Once the platinum is within the cells, it works with other chemotherapy drugs to prevent the cancer cells from continuously dividing, they explained. Another benefit of using these nanodelivery systems is that they can remain in the bloodstream for longer periods of time, thus leading to better distribution and delayed releases of the medications, the article said. Due to the large amount of platinum needed to study these anticancer drugs, refining companies were eager to become involved very early on, as described by the authors. And although the use of refined platinum in cancer drugs is beneficial to many, those who work on platinum mines do have to be careful because inhaling or coming into direct contact with platinum salts (created from the purifying process and prior to being melted into metal) can have the opposite effect by potentially causing adverse health affects such as allergic reactions, damage to internal organs, or even cancer, according to CancerTreatment.net. Several studies, including a 2006 study published in the journal Water, Air, and Soil Pollution (opens in new tab) and a 2009 study presented at the Canadian Metallurgical Societys annual conference have shown associations between platinum mining and adverse environmental and health effects, although more research is needed to prove the links. Additional resources Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 Trend: Head of the Turkish oppositional Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu has withdrawn all the lawsuits and complaints against Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Haberturk TV channel reported Aug.2. Earlier, Erdogan withdrew all the lawsuits filed against the leaders of the countrys oppositional political parties, the TRT Haber news channel reported July 27. The president made this decision after the meeting with head of the oppositional Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli and leader of the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan filed a lawsuit against MHP and CHP leaders in May for the personal insult. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Rembrandt made nearly 100 self-portraits from the 1620s until his death in 1669, including around 50 paintings as well as dozens of etchings and drawings. This Rembrandt self-portrait in oil on canvas from 1659 is nearly life-size. Rembrandt may have traced his celebrated self-portraits from optical projections created by assemblies of mirrors or lenses, a new analysis suggests. Two U.K.-based researchers Francis O'Neill, an artist and art teacher; and Sofia Palazzo Corner, an independent physicist have identified several arrangements of a flat and curved mirror, or a flat mirror and a lens, which they say can recreate the perspectives, proportions and lighting seen in the self-portraits of the famed 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. "The evidence suggests he used lenses and projections," O'Neill and Palazzo Corner wrote in a paper published online July 13 in the Journal of Optics. "The similarity of his images to projections, in their lighting and soft focus, along with the use of lens technology by his peers and fellow artists, and the contemporary literature on the subject, all support this." [See Photos of How Rembrandt May Have Created His Self-Portraits] O'Neill told Live Science that the new findings follow the work of British artist David Hockney and American physicist Charles Falco, who proposed in 2001 that Rembrandt and other artists had used optical instruments to capture details and proportions with almost photographic accuracy such as the camera obscura, which projects an upside-down image into a darkened room. "But I knew there was this hole in the theory, about self-portraits," O'Neill said, "because if they're using a camera obscura, where the subject is in the light and the artist is in the dark, how would they do self-portraits?" British artist and optics researcher Francis O'Neill with a projection of his face on a copper plate, created by using a flat mirror and a concave mirror. (Image credit: Francis O'Neill) In 2012, when O'Neill began painting his own self-portraits from his reflection in a flat mirror, he discovered how difficult it was to accurately paint his face while giving attention to both his reflection and his work on the canvas. "By this stage, I'd been drawing for 20 years, and I'm teaching drawing ... but my skills did not transfer as well to the self-portrait as they did if I was drawing someone else," he said. "And I was thinking, 'How has Rembrandt done his best work in his self-portraits, if it is such a demanding physical discipline?' And so I thought, 'It has to be done this way [with optics].'" Through the looking glass After discussing his ideas with other artists, O'Neill began experimenting with a pair of cosmetic mirrors bought at a pharmacy one flat and one concave. He arranged them to project his reflection onto a metal surface so that the projected image would be as bright as possible. At first, O'Neill used aluminum foil as the projection surface. "It wasn't the best surface, but you could achieve projections," he said. "And then I got myself some copper etching plate, and from there, I was able to make bigger and better projections and that convinced me that this was how it was done." The research paper by O'Neill and Palazzo Corner details several combinations of subjects, mirrors and a projection surface that result in projected images that almost exactly match the physical measurements taken from a sample of Rembrandt's self-portraits. A diagram of set-up for life-size self-portrait projections using a curved and a flat mirror. (Image credit: Journal of Optics) The researchers also analyzed other features of Rembrandt's self-portraits that they think indicate he was using projections to guide his initial drawings and final paintings, including the off-center eye line an effect that O'Neill said was impossible to achieve accurately without using a flat mirror with a concave mirror or a refracting lens. [Gallery: Hidden Gems in Renaissance Art] Even Rembrandt's famed use of contrasting light and dark regions, which art historians call "chiaroscuro," appears to be an artifact of the "soft focus" at the edges of a projected image. This results in very little detail where there is very little light, and a lot of detail in areas that are strongly lit, O'Neill said. Secrets of the Old Masters O'Neill said some art historians criticized his research; no historical record exists of Rembrandt ever using mirrors or other types of optics to help him create his paintings, they argued. But O'Neill pointed out that leading artists of the time were often secretive about their techniques, and said the historical evidence for his theory can be found by examining the paintings. Meanwhile, work by Hockney, Falco and other researchers has demonstrated that knowledge of optical techniques, such as the use of curved mirrors and camera obscuras, was known to artists in Europe from as early as the 1350s, O'Neill said. The new research supports the ideas proposed by Hockney and Falco that the development of optical instruments and techniques in Europe after the 14th century had a profound impact on Western art, as they did on scientific thought, O'Neill said. "This becomes really obvious having studied it, that the invention of the lens gives mankind the possibility of seeing their position in the world," he said. "So they see the stars, and astronomy begins in earnest; they start to look through microscopes, so they're seeing the minutiae of the world. They're seeing the enormity of space, and they're seeing their own position in the world, because they are using lenses to look at themselves." Original article on Live Science. Tough lessons (Image credit: Patricia Marroquin | Shutterstock.com) Things don't always work the way they were intended to work. Sometimes those failures are almost imperceptible as they build incrementally, and other times, they happen in a terrible, overwhelming instant. "You could argue, legitimately, that engineering is the study of failure, or at least consideration of ways to avoid it," said Benjamin Gross, the Associate Vice President for Collections at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri, which specializes in science, engineering and technology. These catastrophes are reminders that "engineering is a human activity," Gross told Live Science. "Disasters of this sort aren't just based around the technologies." And so, when calamity strikes, people often ask three questions: "What went wrong? Who's to blame? What could have been done differently?" Gross said. Given the complexity of modern engineering projects, answers can be hard to find, but they may influence and improve the next attempts to cross the great expanses. Here are 10 of the worst engineering disasters in U.S. history. Hyatt Regency walkway collapse (1981) On July 17, 1981, the suspended walkways collapsed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The accident killed 114 people and injured another 200 guests. (Image credit: Dr. Lee Lowery, Jr., P.E.) On July 1, 1980, the newly constructed Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, opened to the public. The hotel featured several suspended walkways crossing its multistory atrium. Preliminary plans called for the fourth-floor walkway to hang from the ceiling, connected by steel rods. In that design, the rods would barely hold the weight of the walkway itself, and would not have passed local building codes. Those supports were included in the final construction, and to make matters worse, the second-floor walkway was suspended from the fourth-floor walkway directly above it, doubling the load on those parts. On July 17, 1981, the hotel was crowded for a dance. The linked walkways crashed to the dancefloor, killing 114 people and injuring another 200 revelers. The structural engineer in charge of the walkways blamed the design flaw on a breakdown in communication, but the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse has become a popular case study in the ethics of engineering. Johnstown Flood (1889) On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam broke, unleashing 20 million tons of water from the artificial Lake Conemaugh. (Image credit: Andrews, E. Benjamin. History of the United States, volume V. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 1912.) On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam broke, unleashing 20 million tons of water from the artificial Lake Conemaugh. The city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania was 14 miles (23 kilometers) down the Conemaugh River, and the waters destroyed 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) of the city's downtown. In total, the flood killed 2,209 people, and bodies were later found as far away as Cincinnati. The dam was owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which counted many of Pittsburgh's financial elite among its members. In the aftermath, the tragedy was publicly blamed on the club's failure to properly maintain the dam, but courts maintained it was an "act of God." Space Shuttle Challenger (1986) The space shuttle Challenger STS-51L spaceflight ended in tragedy on Jan. 28, 1986 73 seconds after liftoff. (Image credit: NASA.) The 25th flight of the space shuttle Challenger, STS-51L lasted just 73 seconds on Jan. 28, 1986. Shortly after liftoff, smoke briefly appeared at a joint on the right rocket booster. After a minute, flames appeared near the same location and spread. Seventy-two seconds after launch, the shuttle was obscured by white smoke, followed by an explosive fireball. The seven crewmembers aboard Challenger were killed. An investigation into the accident, the Rogers Commission Report, determined that the O-rings used in a joint seal on the rockets were inappropriate for the ambient temperature at the time of launch: 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius). In the cold, the rings reacted differently to the compressive forces of liftoff. The commission found that some engineers were aware of the issue, and had advised against launches in ambient air temperatures below 53 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius). Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940) On Nov. 7, 1940, the newly built Tacoma Narrows Bridge swayed and collapsed in 42 mph winds. (Image credit: Public domain) Spanning a section of the Puget Sound in Washington, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge became the third-longest suspension bridge in the world upon its completion in 1940. But its ambitious design lighter, thinner and more flexible, with the deepest ever piers driven into the waters below overlooked the winds that would often buffet the bridge. Wind caused the bridge to move, creating an undulation that ran its length. When a cable snapped, that wave combined with a twisting motion, known as torsional flutter, that kept building upon itself. The bridge collapsed on Nov. 7, 1940, just four months after it opened to traffic. There were no human fatalities, but the accident spurred interest in modeling the effects of wind on large structures. New Orleans Levees (2005) (Image credit: Patricia Marroquin | Shutterstock.com) When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, it killed hundreds of people and displaced many thousands more. The levees surrounding the city became a point of scrutiny in the aftermath of the destruction. A report from a team that included engineers from the University of California, Berkeley and the American Society of Civil Engineers identified several types of flaws in the levees soon after the hurricane hit. As waters rose over the tops of levees, also known as overtopping, they eroded unprotected embankments on the other side, weakening the walls. Engineers also found weak points where different sections of flood protection met. Major breaches also occurred where it appears the levees may have been built on poor foundation soil that was vulnerable to storm surge. The rebuilding of the levees, and with them the city of New Orleans, have sparked debate over how infrastructure should account for natural disasters. St. Francis Dam (1928) Photo of the St. Francis Dam before it was destroyed. (Image credit: Public Domain) The St. Francis Dam was completed in 1926 to provide water for the booming population of Los Angeles. Overnight on March 12, 1928, the dam failed, washing out its contents 52 miles (84 km) to the ocean. The accident officially killed 432 people, but an unknown number of Mexican migrant laborers were also caught in the flood zone. The failure of the St. Francis Dam has been called the deadliest engineering disaster of the 20th century. Although there were aspects of the design and construction that would be questionable today, engineers didn't fully account for the geological features of the dam site. An ancient landslide created the chokepoint in the San Francisquito Canyon, which made it both an excellent location for a dam and a poor foundation for the structure. Space Shuttle Columbia (2003) Space shuttle Columbia launched into orbit on Jan. 16, 2003. The shuttle was scheduled to land on Feb. 1, 2003, but foam damage caused the orbiter to disintegrate over Texas as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA) The space shuttle Columbia launched on its 113th flight, STS-107, on Jan. 16, 2003. The day after launch, a scheduled review of takeoff footage revealed that foam debris from the external fuel tank had struck the left wing of the shuttle. Similar debris had been seen in previous takeoffs. Repeated requests to capture detailed images of the spacecraft in orbit to assess the extent of the damage were denied. On Flight Day 8, NASA's Mission Control informed the crew of the debris impact, and reported that there was absolutely no concern for entry" with regards to the heat-resistant tile paneling on the shuttle's wing. Columbia was scheduled to land on Feb. 1, 2003, after 16 days in orbit. As the shuttle re-entered Earth's atmosphere and passed over California, ground observers saw a bright trail of debris trailing the ship. By the time the space shuttle flew over Texas, communication with the crew was failing. Soon after, Columbia disintegrated midflight, killing its seven-person crew. The Columbia Accident Investigations Board, set up to investigate what went wrong, concluded that organizational issues contributed to the fatal incident. The panel, which released its report in August 2003, made specific recommendations (such as better pre-flight inspection routines) to improve the safety of future shuttle flights. Ford Pinto (1971-1976) (Image credit: Steve Lagreca | Shutterstock.com) When the Pinto made its debut, the Ford Motor Company knew their new car design wasn't perfect. The fuel tank was easily punctured by nearby bolts, which left the vehicle susceptible to bursting into flames in the event of a rear-end collision. But, the Ford Pinto, marketed for the model years 1971 to 1980, was conceived as an inexpensive, high-performance subcompact car, and that vision did not include safety as a selling point. And so, a decision was made, weighing the cost of $11 in parts per vehicle against the risk and expense of litigation over death and serious injury. The eventual adoption of new safety standards in the 1977 model year forced Ford to alter the design of the Pinto. Three Mile Island (1979) (Image credit: A. L. Spangler | Shutterstock.com) At 4:00 a.m. on March 28, 1979, a water pump in one of the nuclear power generators at Three Mile Island, in central Pennsylvania, malfunctioned. Some of the facility's safety procedures worked as intended for example, a failsafe stopped the fission process in the reactor in response to an overheating steam generator but workers forgot to open the valve for the emergency water pump after testing it just days earlier. As a result, there was no water flowing to the steam generator (water creates steam for a turbine and cools parts of the generator). Eventually, the entire system overheated, causing a partial meltdown. The accident exposed the public to some radiation, about 3- to 6-months worth of normal background radiation dose in the region, according to a report from Dickinson College. But during the tense 10 days until the situation was brought under control, public attention centered on fears of a more dramatic event, such as an explosion in the reactor. Love Canal (1978) A protest about the Love Canal contamination by a resident. (Image credit: EPA) From 1942 to 1952, a 2-mile-long (3.2 kilometers) ditch once planned as the beginnings of a canal was used as a hazardous waste landfill. In 1953, after dumping more than 21,000 tons of hazardous chemicals into the would-be canal, the Hooker Chemical Company covered the dump site in the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York. Houses and a public elementary school were subsequently built in the surrounding acreage. Over time, it became evident that the landfill had been managed improperly. In the 1960s, residents began noticing the effects of contamination. There were noxious odors and later, elevated rates of cancers and birth defects. In 1978, heavy rains unearthed leaking drums of chemicals, which pooled in foul, burning puddles throughout the neighborhood, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The response from the state and federal governments was unprecedented, and the site became influential in the acknowledgment of the public health threat posed by improperly stored industrial chemical waste. In 2004, the Love Canal site was removed from the EPA's Superfund List, which catalogues polluted locations that require long-term cleanup efforts. An outbreak of anthrax that has killed more than 2,000 reindeer and sickened 13 people in Siberia has been linked to 75-year-old anthrax spores released by melting permafrost. It's an event of the sort many scientists have warned about: Warming temperatures reviving dormant diseases, perhaps even pathogens long-thought extinct. There are, however, ways to protect both livestock and humans from an anthrax infection, and the current outbreak is likely to end quickly, said George Stewart, a medical bacteriologist at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. "This particular outbreak is going to fizzle out very quickly now that public health officials are in place," Stewart told Live Science. [Zombie Animals: 5 Real-Life Cases of Body-Snatching] Zombie diseases The anthrax currently infecting reindeer and people in western Siberia likely came from the carcass of a reindeer that died in an anthrax outbreak 75 years ago and has been frozen ever since until an unusually warm summer thawed permafrost across the region this year, according to local officials. Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that cause anthrax, are capable of surviving in the soil for centuries, so it's no surprise that melting permafrost could resurrect a long-dormant plague, Stewart said. Anthrax spreads through soil. Grazing animals pick up the bacteria, which quickly gain a toehold and start reproducing like mad in the animals' blood. Unlike many pathogens, which aim to keep the host alive long enough to reproduce, anthrax wants to kill, and it produces toxins to do so, Stewart said. That's because anthrax demands a dead and decomposing host to spread: Once oxygen enters the rotting animal, the bacteria transform into spores. "Spores are basically a bacterial cell in a really tough protein shell," Stewart said. They're in a state of suspended animation, and they stay that way in the soil until another grazer accidentally ingests them. In the United States, anthrax occasionally pops up along the cattle trails of the Old West, Stewart said, because cows stricken with anthrax were left to rot. Because anthrax is so hardy, it's no surprise that it could survive in permafrost. Researchers warned in 2011 in the journal Global Health Action that outbreaks such as this one could become common as the remains of livestock killed in earlier outbreaks thaw. There are also fears that other pathogens may lurk in the frozen soil of Siberia. In 2015, researchers discovered that a 30,000-year-old virus isolated from permafrost was still infectious (though, fortunately, not dangerous to humans). Human infection The humans infected with anthrax in the Siberia outbreak likely got it from butchering and eating infected animals, Stewart said. There are three forms of human anthrax, he said. About 80 percent of cases are cutaneous, or introduced through the skin. These cases are eminently treatable with antibiotics and have a mortality rate of 10 to 20 percent if left untreated. Pulmonary anthrax occurs when the spores are inhaled. Without treatment, pulmonary anthrax is almost always fatal, Stewart said. During the 2001 anthrax attacks, in which someone mailed anthrax spores to politicians and news media offices, 22 people were infected and five died. The rarest form of human anthrax, gastrointestinal anthrax, is the form that has sickened people in Siberia, killing one 12-year-old boy. It's hard to pinpoint the mortality rate of gastrointestinal anthrax, because it's rare and people usually aren't diagnosed until late in the disease, Stewart said. But if left untreated, this form probably causes between 50 and 75 percent of patients to die. According to local news reports, 90 nomadic people have been tested for the disease as a precaution so that anyone who is infected can start treatment quickly. In places where anthrax is a known threat, cattle get vaccinations, Stewart said. Outbreaks can also be quelled by burning livestock that died of the disease, or burying corpses very deep in the ground so that spores won't penetrate to the surface. Original article on Live Science. The only complete skeleton of the newfound whale species is on display at Unalaska High School, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. The whale was found in 2004, and students helped prepare the specimen. The discovery of a new species of rare and elusive whale in the North Pacific shows how little humans know about the deep and vast ocean, researchers say. The 24-foot-long (7 meters) beaked whale is full of mystery, said the study's lead researcher, Phillip Morin, a molecular geneticist at Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. "We've only ever seen it from dead animals that have washed up on the beach," Morin told Live Science. "We only get bits and pieces of evidence from each of these animals." [Whale Album: Giants of the Deep] A skull of the newly identified species that's been housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., since 1948. Back then, researchers thought it was another species of whale. (Image credit: Charles Potter U.S. National Museum of Natural History) The still-unnamed whale lives in the cold Pacific waters spanning from northern Japan to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, the researchers said. The whale came to the scientists' attention after they read a 2013 study describing three mysterious dead whales that had washed ashore in northern Japan. The specimens were genetically distinct from the common Baird beaked whale (Berardius bairdii), which lives in the North Pacific, but the study researchers weren't sure whether it was a completely new species. The whales certainly looked different. Baird whales have slate-gray-hued bodies and are fairly large, measuring up to 40 feet (12 m) long, Morin said. In contrast, the newfound whale was about two-thirds that size and black, prompting Japanese whalers to call it karasu, the Japanese word for raven. Genetic plunge To investigate, Morin and his colleagues scoured museum collections for specimens of beaked whales. A DNA analysis of 178 beaked whales from the Pacific Rim (a coastal region circling the Pacific) yielded eight of the mystery whales, he said. The whale carcass discovered in 2004 was measured by Reid Brewer, an associate professor of fisheries technology at the University of Alaska Southeast. (Image credit: Don Graves) The team also analyzed the tissue of two black whales that had washed ashore one in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, whose skeleton now hangs in Unalaska High School in Alaska, and another found on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. Interestingly, many scientists thought that these black whales were either juvenile or dwarf Baird whales, but the specimen from the Pribilof Islands had teeth that were worn and yellow in color, indicating that it was an adult, Morin said. Genetic tests of these two whales verified that the black whale was a previously unidentified species, Morin said. He added that the black whale has a "slightly different shape of head and placement of the dorsal fin" than the Baird whales do, but scientists will need to study a live animal, or at least find a well-preserved dead one, before commenting on its anatomy, he said. Those beached whales also had cookie-cutter-like bites on their bodies that looked like shark bites, suggesting that they migrate to tropical waters, Morin said. Whale cousins The DNA analysis revealed that the new species belongs to the same genus as the Baird whale but that it's actually more closely related to another whale within that genus, the Arnoux's beaked whale (Berardius arnuxii), which lives in the South Pacific. [High-Res Satellites Help Track Whale Populations] More research is needed, but Morin hypothesized that the whales had a common ancestor before they split into two species B. arnuxii in the South Pacific and the newly identified species in the north. B. bairdii likely evolved later, but more evidence is needed to say for sure, Morin said. An illustration of the newfound whale species, which measures about two-thirds of the length of the Baird beaked whale. (Image credit: Uko Gorter Natural History Illustration) Now that researchers are aware of the newfound species, they can work to protect it. "The implication of a new species of beaked whale is that we need to reconsider management of both species to be sure they're sufficiently protected, considering how rare the new one appears to be," study co-author Erich Hoyt, a research fellow with Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the United Kingdom, said in a statement. The study was published online July 26 in the journal Marine Mammal Science. Original article on Live Science. Skydiver Luke Aikins became the first person to jump from a plane without a parachute or wingsuit this past weekend, carrying out the daring stunt on live television. Aikins jumped from a height of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) and, after a two-minute fall, flipped onto his back to land in a 100-foot-by-100-foot (30 m by 30 m) net, according to news reports. How did the daredevil pull off such a heart-stopping stunt? To accomplish such a jump with a parachute, a skydiver would typically jump from the plane, free-fall at 120 mph (190 km/h) or faster and then, at higher than 2,500 feet (760 m) above the ground, deploy the parachute, according to Nancy Koreen, spokeswoman for the U.S. Parachute Association. The parachute works to slow the skydiver's descent enough for a safe landing, she told Live Science. Without a parachute, a skydiver would continue to fall at 120 mph, a speed at which it would be fatal if the person hit the ground, she said. However, instead of hitting the ground, Aikins fell into a net in Simi Valley, California, reported CBS News. "That was what he used to survive," Koreen said. [8 Craziest Skydives of All Time] But did Aikins' movements, such as flipping onto his back or tumbling in the air, slow his fall? Not by much, Koreen said. To slow down, a skydiver can spread his or her limbs to increase surface area, but "that will only slow you down maybe 10 miles an hour [16 km/h] not substantially. You're still falling above 100 miles an hour [160 km/h]," Koreen said. Yet, even in a jump without a parachute or wingsuit, locating a landing site (in this case, a large net) is not as difficult as people may think, said Jean Potvin, a professor of physics at the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology at Saint Louis University in Missouri. "And obviously he practiced that move a lot," Potvin told Live Science. Finding the net Aikins' helmet gave him GPS alerts throughout the dive, and lights on the net, visible from altitudes of more than 25,000 feet (7,600 m), turned red when he was off-track and white when he was on course, according to CBS News. Still, finding the net is not as simple as jumping out of a plane directly above the target and falling straight down, Potvin said. The plane is moving forward at the time of the jump, which means the skydiver leaves the plane on a forward trajectory, Potvin said, speculating that Aikins probably jumped from the plane before it flew over the net. So how does a falling skydiver steer his body toward a target on the ground? Aikins' maneuvers in the air were efforts to do just that, Potvin said. As Aikins falls from the plane, he does something called "tracking." "Instead of falling like an X he brought his arms back along his body, and so we call that tracking, so it means that what he did there is he started to glide forward and direct himself to the center of the net," Potvin said. Skydivers can also direct themselves backward, he added. [Photos: Skydiver Sean MacCormac 'Surfs' on Thunderstorm Clouds] Safe landing And just before hitting the net, Aikins flipped over onto his back so that his body would bend in the direction the back is flexible toward the front, Potvin said. "[Aikins] had to land on his back to not break his spine, basically," he said. A skydiver falling at high speed has a lot of kinetic energy, and that energy has to transfer somewhere upon landing, Potvin said. If you hit the ground, the kinetic energy is "dissipated into the ground, then reflected back into your body and breaks your body into a million pieces," he said. But the net, made of a polyethylene cord that is twice strong as steel, prevented that from happening, reported National Geographic (opens in new tab). "The net absorbed his fall, dissipated his energy, and allowed him to survive the jump and actually walk out of it," Potvin said. Potvin, who is a skydiver himself, said he was impressed by the feat. But not everyone was captivated by Aikins' jump. Michael Turoff, a skydiver and co-author of the book "Parachuting: The Skydiver's Handbook" (Para Publishing, 2007), called it "a ridiculously dangerous stunt that could have easily resulted in a fatality." Original article on Live Science. A new prototype display could enable people to watch 3D movies from any seat in the theater, without having to wear 3D glasses. Someday, moviegoers may be able to watch 3D films from any seat in a theater without having to wear 3D glasses, thanks to a new kind of movie screen. The new technology, named Cinema 3D, overcomes some of the barriers to implementing glasses-free 3D viewing on a larger scale, but it's not commercially viable yet, the researchers said when describing their findings. Although 3D movies can offer unique perspectives and experiences, one major drawback is the cumbersome eyewear that moviegoers typically have to wear. Although glasses-free 3D strategies already exist, these technologies currently cannot be scaled up to movie theaters. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life] For example, glasses-free 3D methods for TV sets often use a series of slits known as a parallax barrier that is placed in front of the screen. These slits allow each eye to see a different set of pixels, creating the illusion of depth. However, for parallax barriers to work, they must be placed at a set distance from viewers. This makes parallax barriers difficult to implement in larger spaces such as theaters, where people can sit at a variety of distances and angles from the screen. In addition, glasses-free 3D displays have to account for the different positions from which people are watching. This means that they have to divide up the limited number of pixels they project so that each viewer sees an image from wherever he or she is located, the researchers said. "Existing approaches to glasses-free 3D require screens whose resolution requirements are so enormous that they are completely impractical," study co-author Wojciech Matusik, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, said in a statement. But in the new method, the researchers used a series of mirrors and lenses to essentially give viewers a parallax barrier tailored to each of their positions. "By careful design of optical elements, we can achieve very-good-quality 3D content without using glasses," study co-author Piotr Didyk, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Saarland University, both in Germany, told Live Science. "This is the first technical approach that allows for glasses-free 3D on a large scale," Matusik said in a statement. In addition, the scientists reasoned that instead of displaying images to every position in a theater, they would need to display images only to a relatively tiny set of viewing positions at each theater seat. "In our solution, we exploit the layout of the audience in a cinema," Didyk said. The scientists developed a simple Cinema 3D prototype that could support a 200-pixel image. In experiments, volunteers could see 3D versions of pixelated figures from a number of different seats in a small theater. The scientists cautioned that Cinema 3D is currently impractical to implement commercially. For instance, their prototype requires 50 sets of mirrors and lenses, but the screen is just barely larger than a pad of paper. The researchers hope to build a larger version of their display and further boost the image resolution. "It remains to be seen whether the approach is financially feasible enough to scale up to a full-blown theater," Matusik said in a statement. "But we are optimistic that this is an important next step in developing glasses-free 3D for large spaces like movie theaters and auditoriums." The scientists detailed their findings July 26 at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference in Anaheim, California. Original article on Live Science. Government spokesman, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmush, told the press that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is being restructured in order to prevent power from being focused in a singular institution, Daily sabah reported. Asserting that the restructuring of the TSK has a well-prepared plan, Kurtulmush said on Monday after the Cabinet meeting that the aim is to empower civic authority. "The new regulations intends to prevent the [power over the] armed forces from being amassed by a single institution. In this regard, the Gendarmerie General Command and Coast Guard Command will become subordinate to the Interior Ministry and the [Land, Air and Naval] Forces Commands and General Staff will be subordinate to the National Defense Ministry and the president, respectively. The military schools have been closed. The preparations to transform the military into a professional one are underway," Kurtulmush said. Talking about the reasons for the reforms, Kurtulmush said: "We have to prevent the TSK from being abused as means for coups. The system is structured in a way that allows coups. We are working on a new system in which no one will ever think of launching a coup. The TSK will be modernized, rendering it more powerful in protecting our country." Kurtulmush added that Turkey will continue to fight terror and terrorist organizations with the "utmost determination." Responding to Pope Francis' statement that he does not know what exactly is going on in Turkey, Kurtulmush asserted that the pope should send an envoy to Turkey and ask the people about the July 15 coup attempt. "Ask any person walking on the streets," Kurtulmush said, "almost all of them will say that it was done by FETO. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Operations against the supporters of Fethullah Gulen are underway in Turkeys Petkim petrochemical holding, the Anadolu Agency reported Aug.2 Currently, searches are being held in the campus on the territory of Petkim. No other details of the operation have been reported. Earlier, Vagif Aliyev, head of the board of directors of Petkim said that 27 people have been dismissed from various departments at Petkim petrochemical holding (SOCARs Turkish asset) since July 27. Moreover, former director general of Petkim petrochemical holding Sadeddin Korkut was detained over the complaint of the companys high-ranking official who was dismissed earlier. Sadeddin Korkut was dismissed from his post and Anar Mammadov, who is also head of SOCAR Greece (SOCARs Greek subsidiary), replaced him. Earlier, some officials of SOCAR Turkey Energy (Turkish subsidiary of SOCAR) resigned. Among those resigned are Omer Adsiz, director of public relations department at SOCAR Turkey, Ilgar Mehmetoglu, director of the companys human resources department, Cetin Korkut, director of the companys IT department, as well as Fuat Ulagay, director of human resources department at Star refinery. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Longford doesn't need any more sprawling estates according to one local councillor who spoke in the wake of the announcement of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness last week. The document, among other things, sets out an objective to deliver 47,000 social housing units by 2021, with an investment of 5.35 billion. Speaking to the Leader, Cllr Gerry Warnock said that Longford doesn't need any more 'sprawling estates' but the focus should be on regenerating existing estates and think outside the box to create communities, not units. Responding to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny's claims at the launch of the plan that local authorities fell short in terms of building social housing, Cllr Warnock said that the Taoiseach's comments were disingenuous to a high degree. The Taoiseach failed to refer to the bureaucratic hoops local authorities have to jump through to in order to draw down capital funding, Cllr Warnock stated. If he is so confident that the money is there, let him direct the department to electronically transfer these funds to the 31 local authorities capital accounts as a matter of urgency. Cllr Warnock went on to add that councils are drip-fed funding and that he would respect the man more if he was upfront and admitted that part of the reason we find ourselves where we're at is because local authorities have been starved of capital investment in housing for decades, in favor of Approved Housing Bodies. Cllr Mae Sexton also rejected criticism of local authorities in relation to housing. I dont think we need to build any more houses, she said adding that she was calling for more funding for refurbish social housing that was currently boarded up. Cllr Sexton told the Leader that there are over 100 houses out of commission around the county, the majority in Longford town, and she felt that this was a better deployment of resources. We do not want to see new houses being built under the guise of regeneration because we already have too many houses in the wrong locations, she pointed out. On the issue of boarded-up houses, Longford/Westmeath Deputy Kevin 'Boxer' Moran is urging the local authority to avail of a 60m fund, as part of the plan, which would assist in the restoration of these vacant council houses. Longford County Council has a problem with vacant or what is termed void houses that they are having difficulty in refurbishing and are currently out of use, said Deputy Moran. According to Deputy Moran, some 5,000 social houses were returned to productive use between 2014 and 2015 where 60m from the Exchequer helped local authorities to tackle the problem . Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: August 02 2016 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled a new Watkins Glen International license plate, available for order beginning Thursday, August 4. Albany, NY - August 1, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled a new Watkins Glen International license plate, available for order beginning Thursday, August 4. The plate is the newest addition to DMVs NASCAR custom plate series and features the WGI and NASCAR logos with a checkered flag background. The announcement coincides with the 2016 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen New York States only NASCAR race and one of the highlights of Upstate tourism every summer. The Glen supports Governor Cuomos commitment to tourism, which recently reached a new record-high economic impact in New York State of $102 billion an increase of 25 percent since 2010. The new Watkins Glen license plate celebrates New Yorks strong partnership with this award-winning NASCAR racetrack, Governor Cuomo said. New York is proud to host this world-class event at the Glen, which attracts motorsport enthusiasts and drives tourism in the Southern Tier. I encourage racing fans to stop by the DMV exhibit on the Midway during this weekends events and take advantage of the services they have to offer. Personnel from DMV will also be on hand to personally sell the newly-issued plate to NASCAR fans for the first time. DMV staff will help visitors order additional custom plates, renew their registrations, assist with address changes, schedule road and vision tests, and complete web transactions. DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan said, DMV is excited to once again partner with Watkins Glen and make this plate available to racing fans all over the state who make the venue a destination each year. The Glen is a perfect venue for DMV staff to interact with its customers and promote tourism at the same time. I thank Governor Cuomo for providing DMV with this opportunity to connect with customers statewide, and I encourage New Yorkers to order this plate to show their support for the Glen. Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup said, We are thrilled to unveil this Watkins Glen International license plate. The timing couldnt be better with New York States largest sporting event, The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355, less than a week away. Wed like to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and his office for their unyielding support of Watkins Glen International and tourism in our region and state as a whole. In 2015, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and DMV partnered at WGIs Cheez-It 355 to launch a redesigned customer NASCAR license plate series. The redesigned custom NASCAR license plate series, which can be found and ordered here , reflects the changing the number of drivers and their racing colors, and has made Danica Patricks updated custom plate available for order August 4. There are now 11 NASCAR designs for fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, as well as the Dale Earnhardt NASCAR Hall of Fame, NASCAR fan, and Richard Petty Historical plates. All NASCAR plates are available in both passenger and commercial classes. The initial fee for these special plates is $60, with an annual renewal for $31.25. Personalized NASCAR plates carry an initial fee of $91.25 with an annual renewal fee of $62.50, in addition to the vehicle registration fee. Like NASCAR plate holders, WGI plate holders are billed for the plates every two years upon registration renewal. In addition to the Watkins Glen plate and the updated Danica Patrick plate, DMV will make several other redesigned license plates available for order , including: Airborne Association of Former NYS Troopers, Inc. Eighth Air Force Historical Society Land Surveyors Lions Club Marine Corps League passenger/commercial Marine Corps League motorcycle World War II Veterans Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: August 02 2016 Nassau County will host CBS Presents Saturday in the Park featuring Taylor Dayne and Eddie Money on Saturday, August 13th. East Meadow, NY - July 29, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced today that Nassau County will host CBS Presents Saturday in the Park featuring Taylor Dayne and Eddie Money on Saturday, August 13th at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in Eisenhower Park. The show will begin at 8:00 p.m.; admission is free. Taylor Dayne stands out as one of musics most dynamic artists of all time. Her unique vocal style has earned her numerous best-selling gold and platinum albums, which produced seventeen Top 20 singles, among them number one hits such as Tell It To My Heart, Love Will Lead You Back and Prove Your Love To Me. During the course of her career, Taylor has sold more than 75 million albums and singles worldwide, garnered three GRAMMY nominations and appeared in many film, television, and Broadway stage roles such as Elton Johns, Aida. After signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Eddie Money burst onto the scene with his eponymous debut album in 1977. Fans immediately fell in love with Moneys sound, and the album, which went double platinum, featured hits like Baby Hold On and Two Tickets to Paradise. Money followed the success of his debut album with a stream of Top 40 hits, as well as some of the eras most creative videos for songs like Think Im in Love and Shakin. In 1986, Money released Cant Hold Back, which featured the classic, Grammy-Nominated duet with Ronnie Spector, Take Me Home Tonight. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went platinum and also featured the hit I Wanna Go Back. Much of the Nassau County Parks Department programming for July, August and September is funded through the Nassau County Hotel/Motel Proceeds Grant. These funds are made available to us through proceeds from taxes on hotel and motel rooms in Nassau County. Since 2006, Nassau County has received over ten million dollars from this grant, and it has assisted in historic building restoration and other cultural enhancements. The concert is free of charge and will take place at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, near Parking Fields 6 and 6A. Special accommodations are available for persons with disabilities, including reserved parking, accessible restrooms, and a convenient reserved location on the hill. Assistive hearing devices will be available free of charge for the hearing impaired. There is no formal seating at Lakeside, so concertgoers are urged to bring folding chairs or blankets. If weather conditions are doubtful, call (516) 572-0200 after 6:30 p.m. for updated performance information. Eisenhower Park is located in East Meadow, with entrances on Hempstead Turnpike at East Meadow Avenue and at the intersection of Stewart and Merrick Avenues. For further information, please call the Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Museums Department at: (516) 572-0200, or visit the website. Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: August 02 2016 Report identifies several fundamental flaws in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Schneiderman: Today's charges reveal a flagrant disregard for the well-being and safety of New Yorkers, and my office will not tolerate it. New York, NY - August 1, 2016 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today the unsealing of a 50-count indictment charging Matthew Pappalardo and his former employer, HiRise Engineering, P.C., with allegedly altering engineering reports prepared in connection with the assessment of structural damage of residential properties resulting from Superstorm Sandy. Pappalardo and HiRise Engineering, P.C. (HiRise) are charged with 25 counts of Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D Felony; Pappalardo is also charged with 25 counts of Unauthorized Practice of Engineering, a class E Felony. In addition, Attorney General Schneiderman also announced today the release of a report identifying several fundamental flaws in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which includes recommendations to increase transparency and accountability. Fraudulently altering engineering reports undermines the integrity of the entire FEMA claims process, which homeowners and families rely upon in a time of crisis. Todays charges reveal a flagrant disregard for the well-being and safety of New Yorkers, and my office will not tolerate it, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Along with our criminal investigation, my office has also released a reported calling on federal regulators and industry participants to enact reforms to ensure that the insurance claims process is more transparent, which will help protect homeowners against the alleged fraud that we have uncovered. When the next major storm hits, its crucial that families know exactly what kind of damage is covered by insurance, and that their claims are being handled professionally and reliably. In June 2014, counsel for owners of residential properties in New York that had incurred damage as a result of Superstorm Sandy reported alleged fraudulent alterations in engineering reports to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). In December 2014, the OAGs Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau commenced a criminal investigation into the suspected unlicensed practice of professional engineering and forgery of engineering reports by engineering firms operating in Nassau County and elsewhere in New York. According to statements made by prosecutors at arraignment, after Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, HiRise, a Uniondale-based engineering firm, was contracted to perform structural engineering assessments for properties covered under the National Flood Insurance Program. HiRise, in turn, retained numerous licensed professional engineers to perform house inspections and prepare engineering reports. According to prosecutors, the original reports authored by the on-the-ground, subcontracted professional engineers were allegedly altered by employees of HiRise, under the direction of project manager Pappalardo. Pappalardo and the other HiRise employees who made the alterations to the original reports did not personally inspect the damaged buildings and were not licensed to practice engineering in New York State. The altered reports were then allegedly submitted by HiRise, and ultimately provided to the adjusting firms, without the consent or approval of the underlying professional engineers. Federal flood claim administrators and adjusting firms then relied on these reports as part of their evaluation of coverage under the NFIP. Pappalardo, 38, and Hi Rise were arraigned today in Nassau County Supreme Court before the Honorable Robert Vogle. Bail for Pappalardo was set at $20,000 cash over $40,000 bond. The charges against the defendants are allegations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In addition to the crimes charged in Nassau County, the Attorney Generals investigation into the damage assessment process after Superstorm Sandy has also uncovered evidence of other crimes which fall outside the scope of New York States jurisdiction. As a result, the Attorney General has referred these findings to the United States Department of Justice. The Attorney Generals Report, entitled Murky Waters: Increasing Transparency and Accountability in the National Flood Insurance Program, Findings and Recommendations in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy, identifies several fundamental flaws related to both the scope of coverage and the structural damage assessment process under the NFIP. The report also calls for the immediate implementation of specific reforms. Flaws in the NFIP identified by the OAG include: A lack of clarity in the scope of coverage under the Standard Flood Insurance Policy; Inadequate training and lack of certification requirements for structural engineers retained in connection with flood claims; and Poor administration and supervision of the flood claims process, including the failure to provide important documentation to policyholders. Reforms to the NFIP recommended by OAG include: Increase the transparency and clarify the scope of flood insurance coverage and any applicable exclusions, to provide consumers with a better understanding of what is and is not covered under their flood policy, through the creation of a plain language disclosure sheet; Provide policyholders with all documents created during the course of the flood claim administration process and ultimately relied upon in determining payment or denial of a flood claim, including all final adjuster and engineering reports, as a matter of course; Implement a national certification process for all engineers retained to provide structural damage assessments in the wake of a flood event; and Ensure the transparency of fees paid to engineering experts by implementing a standardized fee schedule for all engineering services. Attorney General Schneiderman thanks the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General for their valuable assistance on this investigation, including Special Agent in Charge Gregory K. Null, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Julio Santana, Special Agent in Charge of Headquarters Michael Dawson, Special Agent George Heitz and Special Agent Steven Tseng. Attorney General Schneiderman also thanks the New York State Education Department, Office of Professions for their valuable assistance on this investigation. The OAG investigation was conducted by Senior Investigator Michael Leahy and Investigator Anna Ospanova. The Supervising Investigator is Sylvia Rivera and the Deputy Bureau Chief is John McManus. The Investigations Division is led by Chief Investigator Dominick Zarrella. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Joseph DArrigo and Robert Miller of the Attorney Generals Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau. The Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Gary T. Fishman and Deputy Bureau Chief Stephanie Swenton. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan. The original Consumer Frauds investigation was handled Assistant Attorney General Melvin L. Goldberg of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau. The Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Jane Azia. The Division of Economic Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Manisha M. Sheth. Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: August 02 2016 The Homicide Squad reports the details of a Homicide that occurred on July 29, 2016 at 7:28 AM in Glen Cove. Detectives request anyone with information regarding this crime to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous. Glen Cove, NY - August 2, 2016 - The Homicide Squad reports the details of a Homicide that occurred on July 29, 2016 at 7:28 AM in Glen Cove. According to detectives, Glen Cove officers received a call for a male Hispanic, 25, with multiple stab wounds in the rear of Chama Restaurant located at 284 Glen Street. The victim, Pedro Orellana of Glen Cove was pronounced at scene at 0733 hours by Glen Cove EMS. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives request anyone with information regarding this crime to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous. Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases By Don Miller Published: August 02 2016 Celebrities David & Raquel Castro join Petro Home Services' executives & staff, Island Harvest Food Bank personnel, and anti-hunger advocates at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Island Harvest Food Bank and Petro Home Services officials were joined by local celebrities David Castro and his sister Raquel at a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling one of four Petro Home Services moving billboards helping Island Harvest Food Bank to spread the word about hunger on Long Island. Hauppauge, NY - August 2, 2016 - As part of its steadfast commitment to helping Island Harvest Food Bank end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island, Petro Home Services recently unveiled a customized tanker truck and a customized service van to help increase awareness of Island Harvest Food Bank and the issue of hunger on Long Island. The brightly colored vehicles, branded with Petros and Island Harvests logos, feature a photo of children along with the message: Hunger Lives Here. So Does Hope. The vehicles will be placed in-service in Nassau and Suffolk counties as part of the companys existing fleet while serving as a mobile billboard for Island Harvest. Two additional vehicles will be placed in-service in the future. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling the vehicles, local celebrities David Castro, who is starring in the ABC show Shadowhunters, and his sister Raquel, who appeared in the Fox hit Empire, were on-hand along with officials from Island Harvest Food Bank, Petro Home Services, and local hunger-relief advocates. Petro Home Services leadership understands the importance of being a good corporate citizen and supporting Island Harvest Food Bank in its mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. In addition to the moving billboards, the company provides Island Harvest Food Bank with financial support to help more than 316,000 Long Islanders who face the risk of hunger every day, including adults (often working two jobs), seniors, veterans, and children. Approximately 70,000 individuals seek food assistance in Nassau and Suffolk counties each week through soup kitchens, food pantries and other feeding programs served by Island Harvest. We feel it is an honor for our company to be able to support organizations such as Island Harvest. The services they provide to the communities of LI are important, and we are tremendously thankful for the work they do, said Jeff Hammond, Senior Vice President of Operations at Petro Home Services. So many of our employees and their families live here on Long Island and understand the importance of giving back to our local communities. Whether it is through food drives, monetary donations or being able to spread the word about Island Harvest by displaying their logo on our vehicles, we are glad to be a part of it mission to end hunger, and reduce food waste on Long Island. Petro Home Services has taken an important leadership position working with Island Harvest Food Bank to help us provide food, and other vital services to more than 316,000 Long Island men, women, and children who rely on us each and every day, said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. Petro Home Services management and employees are proof that working together, we can make a positive impact in the lives of those who struggle to find enough to eat each day, and we are extremely grateful for their generous support. About Hunger on Long Island Hunger is a state in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for active and healthy lives. It can result from the recurrent lack of access to food. More than 316,000 Long Islanders face the risk of hunger every day, according to Island Harvest Food Bank and Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. Those facing hunger include adults (often working two jobs), seniors and veterans. Unable to make ends meet, they (and their children) are often forced to go without food. Approximately 70,000 individuals seek food assistance in Nassau and Suffolk counties each week through soup kitchens, food pantries and other feeding programs served by Island Harvest Food Bank. About Island Harvest Food Bank Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization that provides food and other resources to people in need. Always treating those it helps with dignity and respect, its goal is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island through efficient food collection and distribution; enhanced hunger-awareness and nutrition-education programs; job training; and direct services targeted at children, senior citizens, veterans and others at risk. Approximately 96 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest Food Bank goes to programs that support more than 316,000 Long Islanders. Island Harvest Food Bank is a lead agency in the regions emergency-response preparedness for food and product distribution, and is a member of Feeding America, the nations leading domestic hunger-relief organization. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org. Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 09:59) Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Operations against the supporters of Fethullah Gulen are underway in Turkeys Petkim petrochemical holding, the Anadolu Agency reported Aug.2 Currently, searches are being held in the campus on the territory of Petkim. No other details of the operation have been reported. Earlier, Vagif Aliyev, head of the board of directors of Petkim said that 27 people have been dismissed from various departments at Petkim petrochemical holding (SOCARs Turkish asset) since July 27. Moreover, former director general of Petkim petrochemical holding Sadeddin Korkut was detained over the complaint of the companys high-ranking official who was dismissed earlier. Sadeddin Korkut was dismissed from his post and Anar Mammadov, who is also head of SOCAR Greece (SOCARs Greek subsidiary), replaced him. Earlier, some officials of SOCAR Turkey Energy (Turkish subsidiary of SOCAR) resigned. Among those resigned are Omer Adsiz, director of public relations department at SOCAR Turkey, Ilgar Mehmetoglu, director of the companys human resources department, Cetin Korkut, director of the companys IT department, as well as Fuat Ulagay, director of human resources department at Star refinery. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu 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 Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkish air missile defense commander, lieutenant general Mehmet Sanver has resigned, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Aug.2. The reason for resignation was not specified. A total of 110 generals have been dismissed from Turkeys armed forces after the military coup attempt in the country. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Commander of the US Central Command Joseph Votel, who earlier said that the plotter generals in Turkey are friends of the US, has changed his position on the military coup attempt in the country, the Anadolu Agency reported Aug.2. During the meeting with Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Aug.1, Votel said that he personally condemns the military coup attempt in Turkey. The US general said that his visit to Ankara and meeting with the countrys officials is the bright example of the US support to Turkish government. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: As many as 250 judges and prosecutors have been arrested in Turkeys Istanbul city as part of the fight against the terrorist organization of Fethullah Gulen who was involved in the military coup attempt in the country, the Milliyet newspaper reported Aug.2. Moreover, over 50 judges and prosecutors, who are accused of having ties to Gulen movement, have been put on the wanted list. Reportedly, the people in the wanted list, have left Turkey. It was earlier reported that the supporters of Fethullah Gulen have penetrated into several government bodies of Turkey. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The Taliban denied reports that both its shadow governor for Helmand province and his military commander were killed in a US airstrike in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. The Afghan government has a questionable track record when reporting on the deaths of Taliban commanders. The provincial governors office for Helmand announced today that Mullah Abdul Rahim and Commander Mustaqeem, the Talibans shadow governor for Helmand and his military commander, were killed in a US drone strike, Khaama Press reported. The airstrike purportedly targeted the two in the village of Zarghoon village in Nad Ali district. The US military has not yet commented on the airstrike, but it has stepped up attacks on the Taliban leadership and other key nodes after the jihadist group has gained ground against government forces over the past year. The Taliban, via one of its official spokesmen, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, quickly issued a denial that its top two leaders in Helmand were killed in an airstrike. Ahmadis statement was published on the Twitter account of Zabihullah Muhajid, another official spokesman for the Taliban. Ahmadi denied that the two Taliban leaders were killed and called the governments claims false rumors designed to detract from its military defeats in Helmand. We strongly reject this propaganda, Ahmadi said in the statement. The Talibans shadow governor for Helmand is Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, not Mullah Abdul Rahim, as the Afghan government claimed. The shadow governor for Helmand was identified by the Taliban as Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund in 2015 after announcing the death of its emir, Mullah Omar, and again in 2016 after the death of Omars successor, Mullah Mansour. And in the statement released by Ahmadi, the shadow governor was also identified as Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund. Additionally, Ahmadi released an audio clip purporting to be that of Helmands shadow governor, Mullah Manan. However it is unclear if the audio was recorded after the reports of Mullah Manans death. In the audio, the Taliban claimed that the districts of Nad Ali and Nawa-i-Sarraj in Helmand are under Mujahideen control after heavy fighting with Taliban forces. The Talibans claims cannot be independently confirmed, but it has accurately reported on the control of districts in the past while the Afghan government has downplayed or ignored districts lost to the Taliban. The Taliban currently control or contest more than 80 of Afghanistans 400 plus districts, according to a study by The Long War Journal. That number may be higher as reports from some districts known to be Taliban strongholds are unavailable. [See LWJ report, Taliban seizes district in northern Afghanistan.] Security in Helmand has deteriorated as the Taliban has pressed its offensive to regain the ground lost there between 2009-2011. Of Helmands 14 districts, five are known to be controlled by the Taliban (Now Zad, Musa Qala, Baghran, Dishu, and Khanashin), and another seven are heavily contested (Nahr-i-Sarraj, Kajaki, Nad Ali, Nawa-i-Barak, Marjah, Garmsir, and Sangin). Of the remaining two districts, The Long War Journal believes one (Washir) is contested, but the situation is unclear. Only Lashkar Gah, the district that hosts the provincial capital, has not seen significant Taliban activity, however the Taliban has reported activity there. But Taliban forces based in Nahr-i-Sarraj and Nad Ali are just miles from the city. While it is exceedingly difficult to assess the status of Taliban commanders based on the claims of the Afghan government and the Taliban, particularly after the Taliban was exposed for hiding Mullah Omars death for more than two years, the Taliban maintains a better track record. The Taliban frequently rebuts government claims by releasing audio of its commanders denying their deaths. For instance, last month, Afghanistans Ministry of the Interior claimed that the Talibans shadow governors for Ghazi and Logar province were killed in airstrikes. The Taliban quickly denied the reports. And in October 2015, the government claimed it killed the Talibans shadow governor for Kunduz. The Taliban responded by publishing an interview with Salam, whose forces took control of Kunduz City for two weeks in the fall of 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. The US military launched at least four airstrikes against al Qaedas network in Yemen during the month of July, according to statements released by US Central command (CENTCOM). Eleven members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were killed in the strikes, all which took place in the province of Shabwa. CENTCOM announced the four strikes in separate statements that were released on July 8 and Aug. 2. The US military has begun to release information about counterterrorism strikes outside areas of active hostilities since President Obama directed the military and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to increase transparency on operations against jihadist groups outside of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. [See LWJ report, US government releases data on counterterrorism strikes outside areas of active hostilities.] According to CENTCOM, the four US strikes took place on July 1 (two AQAP fighters killed), July 4 (two AQAP fighters killed), July 8 (one AQAP fighter killed), and July 16 (six AQAP fighters killed). Two of the four strikes (July 1 and 4) were identified by CENTCOM as taking place in Shabwa province. The other two strikes (July 8 and 16) took place near central Yemen, which CENTCOM has previously identified as Shabwa, a province that is in southern and central Yemen and is a known AQAP stronghold. AFP reported that the July 16 strike took place in Shabwa. No senior or mid-level AQAP leaders or operatives were reported to have been killed in the July counterterrorism operations in Yemen. According to CENTCOM, the US has launched 12 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen this year. However, The Long War Journal has recorded 22 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen in 2016. This discrepancy may be due to the fact that CENTCOM may not have released all of its data. It is also possible that the CIA instead executed some of the airstrikes, or that strikes attributed in the press to the US military were conducted by Saudi Arabia. The US has ramped up attacks in Yemen this year after reducing the number from its peak of 41 in 2012, when AQAP controlled significant territory in the south. The operations were halved (26 in 2013, 23 each in 2014 and 2015) until AQAP went back on the offensive and took control of large areas in southern Yemen at the end of 2015. [See LWJ report, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Yemen, 2002 2016.] AQAP a significant threat Like past military press releases announcing the strikes in Yemen, the US military justified the attacks by noting that AQAP remains a significant threat to the United States and its allies. AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond, CENTCOM noted in todays press releases. Al Qaedas presence has a destabilizing effect on Yemen; it is using the unrest in Yemen to provide a haven from which to plan future attacks against our allies as well as the US and its interests. The U.S. will not relent in its mission to degrade, disrupt and destroy al Qaeda and its remnants, the CENTCOM statements continued. We remain committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe haven regardless of its location. Strikes conducted by the US in Yemen continue to diminish AQAPs presence in the region. CENTCOMs statement is at odds with President Barack Obamas official policy of using drone and conventional airstrikes only as a last resort. In his 2014 speech at West Point, President Barack Obama said that the US would launch airstrikes only when we face a continuing, imminent threat from terrorist groups. However, CENTCOMs statement indicates the airstrikes are part of a broader effort to degrade, disrupt and destroy al Qaeda. AQAP is one of al Qaedas most prominent branches, and has hosted some of al Qaedas top leaders. The US killed Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaedas last general manager, in a drone strike in June 2015. In addition to serving as al Qaedas general manager, he was also the emir of AQAP. His death and the death of other senior al Qaeda leaders, such as deputy general manager Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, did not prevent AQAP from overrunning much of southern Yemen in 2015 up until early 2016. AQAP controls areas of central and southern Yemen despite both US drone and conventional strikes. AQAP is known to operate training camps in Yemen, and claims to do so to this day. In mid-July, AQAP touted its Hamza al Zinjibari Camp, which trains its special forces. Zinjibari was an AQAP military field commander who was killed in a US drone strike in February 2016. The US military targets AQAP with the approval of Yemens government in exile. The government was forced to flee the capital of Sanaa after Houthi rebels overran it and several provinces in north and central Yemen. 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. Business / Billionaires Aug 02, 2016 | By Vimi Haridasan It takes more than a fancy car or luxury property to get onto the list we are about to share. In fact so exclusive is this group that few would ever be able to climb to the top and stay there, as the number one billionaire has done all these years on the Forbes List. And yes, The Donald doesnt make the cut here so you know this is serious. Jokes aside, one thing is certain: these high net worth individuals have placed their investments in more than one industry, which would explain why they rake in the millions each year. Having said that, some like Jeff Bezos (who rises several spots) track along the lines of their companies (thats Amazon, in case youve been hanging on to your Blockbuster and Borders cards). We take a look at the individuals whose wealth and income will make you greener than the greenback. Bill Gates, $78.3 billion Really, it is no surprise that this tech mogul sits at the top of the food chain (but atop our Richest of All Time story). While he is best known for that little tech company called Microsoft (remember those guys?) he started after dropping out from Harvard University, it is not his direct source of income. In fact he only owns 2.5% of the company, which makes up a mere 15% of his fortune. His other investments happen to be in other industries such as the Canadian National Railway (believe it or not). Amancio Ortega, $73.1 billion Up two spots from last year is the Spaniard multi-billionaire behind fashion label Zara. From a family-owned textile manufacturer to the owner of brands such as Massimo Dutti and Pull & Bear, this is one success story that has defied even the financial crisis in Spain. He currently draws in an annual $400 million in dividends alone after stepping down as chairman of the company. His other source of income comes from property investments in countries such as Madrid, Barcelona, London, Chicago, Miami and even New York. Jeff Bezos, $65.8 billion He is the head of aerospace company Blue Origin and also the founder of Amazon he also happens to make running various companies look like a walk in the park. Bezos has also set the bar high as an employer. Rather than axing disgruntled employees who may or may not have had a part to play in The New York Times piece that reported unfavorable working conditions in Amazon, he wrote an open letter to say that it was not the kind of company he would have employees work in. Warren Buffet, $64,7 billion He may be an octogenarian but that has not stopped the fourth richest billionaire from expanding his portfolio to include aerospace and technology firms. His company Berkshire Hathaway also owns companies such as Dairy Queen while also investing in Coca-Cola, IBM and Geico. While he has billions to spend, Buffet is known as a frugal man who still lives in the Omaha home that he bought in 1958. He was recently in the news after his companys failed venture to buy Yahoo. Mark Zuckerberg, $53.5 billion Another Harvard dropout, Zuckerberg is one more tech billionaire in the list (is this a sign?). He currently holds the title as richest billionaire under 40 years of age something few of us will be able to say. In just one year, his fortune rose another $18 billion thanks to the rising Facebook stock price. His other venture that has seen gains is the Oculus Rift VR, which started shipping headsets in March of this year. Another major gain for the social media kingpin was the birth of his daughter and if those milestone pictures are anything to go by then it is safe to say that he cherishes her more than those billions in the bank. Larry Ellison, $51.6 billion A former employee for the CIA (he built their databases), this billionaire founded Oracle and turned it into a database-software giant. Since 1977, he headed Oracle as its CEO. However in 2014, he stepped down as CEO but remained as the chairman for the board of directors. While technology may be his cup of tea, his children are looking to explore Hollywood by financing films such as Zero Dark Thirty, American Hustle, The Terminator and Mission Impossible. Carlos Slim Helu & Family, $50 billion He may be the seventh on the list but Slim Helu happens to be the biggest loser since 2015. Thanks to the weakening economy and stricter regulations in the Mexican telecom Industry, the former second richest man slipped two places in 2016. Apart from being a leader in the telecom industry in Mexico, the billionaire also owns a 17% stake in The New York Times. Michael Bloomberg, $48.3 billion The former mayor of New York is back to helm his ship that is the media-and-data company we have come to know. At 74, the former Harvard Business School graduate has shaken up the company that bears his name by cutting jobs in the media sector to refocus resources in business and financial news. He was also recently in the news for his address at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where he tore into The Donald. Actually, Buffet did the same after the DNC and Mark Cuban went to town on Trumps ego on Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Charles and David Koch, $44.2 billion each The Koch brothers may be billionaires with the most awkward names to most but both Charles and David are heavyweights in the political world, supporting libertarian causes. Neither has joined others in the billionaire brigade in thrashing The Donald but that may yet change. Having led Koch Industries since 1967, Charles has seen it move from a $50 million business to a $100 billion empire. Together with David, the Koch brothers run Americas second largest private company. From oil pipelines to refineries and even paper towels, these brothers seem to have something to do with everything. Another reasons the name Koch might be familiar is because David has a building named for him at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Source: Forbes Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey will continue the fight against the Fethullah Gulen movement outside the country, the TRT Haber news channel quoted the countrys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying Aug.2. The foreign minister made the remarks during his visit to Pakistan. Cavusoglu noted that earlier, Turkey was supporting the Gulen movement, but that time, the government was not aware of its plans to seize the power through a military coup. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > A Tale of Two Vehicles: Sadhvis Motorcycle and Rubinas Car by Ram Puniyani Can there be two types of justice delivery system in the same country? This question came to ones mind with the U-turn taken by the NIA in the cases related to terror acts in which many Hindu names were involved. Now the NIA in a fresh charge-sheet (May 13, 2016) has dropped the charges against Pragya Singh Thakur, has lightened the ones against Colonel Purohit and others. Along with this new line of the NIA it is being stated that Hemant Karkares investigation in these cases was flawed and that it was the ATS which had got the RDX planted in Purohits residence to implicate him in this case. The implication is that all this was being done at the behest of the previous UPA Government. A brief recap is in order. Maharashtra in particular and many other places in the country were witness to acts of terror. The first major attention to this phenomenon took place when two Bajrang Dal activists were killed while making bombs in the house of one RSS worker, Rajkondawar (May 2006). There was a saffron flag flying atop the house and a board of the Bajrang Dal was put up in front of the house. At the site of the bomb explosion fake moustaches, beard and pyjama-kurta were also found. This was followed by many other blastsin Parbhani, Jalna, Thane, and Panvel etc. In most of these cases the police investigated on the lines in which the generally Muslims were blamed for such acts. After every act of blast a few Muslim young men were arrested and they were later, after long gruelling court cases, released as no evidence was found against them. The Malegaon blast, in which the Sadhvis role came to the surface, took place in 2008. In the blasts those returning from Namaz (prayers) were killed and many injured. Following this the usual suspects, Muslims, were arrested. Then while investigating the cases the Maharashtra ATS chief, Hemant Karkare, found that the motorcycle used for the blast belonged to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an ex-ABVP worker. The trail of investigation led to Swami Dayanad Pande, retd. Major Upadhyay, Ramji Klasnagra, Swami Aseemanand amongst others. They all belonged to the Hindu Right-wing politics. There were lots of evidence in the material recovered. One of the helpful evidence came in the form of the legally valid confession of Swami Aseemanand. This confession was made in judicial custody in the presence of a Magistrate. In the confession the Swami spilled the beans and said that after the Sankat Mochan blast of 2002, they had decided that bomb will be replied by bomb. He was then looking after the VHP work in Dangs. He gave a detailed narrative of the whole process in which all the people were investigated and became part of the charge-sheet of the NIA. When Karakare was investigating the case and many of the Hindu names started coming under the scanner Bal Thackeray wrote in Saamna that we spit on the face of Karakare. Narendra Modi, the then CM of Gujarat, called him deshdrohi (anti-national). Advani also reprimanded Karkare. Feeling the heat of this pressure from the Hindutva political outfits, Karkare went to meet his professional peer, Julio Rebeiro. Rebeiro has a record of high level of professional integrity. Rebeiro appreciated his painstaking work. Karkare asked what should be the stand of a person like him when facing such a heat from the politicians. The senior officer told him to honestly do the work and ignore these insinuations. Meanwhile the global terror phenomenon hit Mumbai. On 26/11 ten terrorists, armed to the teeth, attacked Mumbai. On this occasion Karakare got killed. There is a strong controversy about this killing also. The then Minority Affairs Minister, A.R. Antulay, said that there is terrorism plus something else which is behind the killing of Karakare. Narendra Modi, who had earlier called Karkare a deshdrohi, landed up in Mumbai and wanted to give a cheque of Rs one crore to the widow of Karkare; she refused to accept the amount. After Karkares death the investigations continued on the lines laid down by him. The charge-sheet was ready and all the involved were to be tried for acts of terror. Meanwhile the government changed at the Centre and the NIA adopted the line which has led to the present situation where the efforts to release the Sadhvi are gathering intimidating speed. The change in the line got reflected in the statement of the Public Prosecutor, Rohini Salian. She stated that she was told to go soft on these cases. As she refused to toe this line, she was sacked. One recalls that in the 1992-93 Mumbai violence, over one thousand people had died. This carnage was followed by the bomb blasts in which over two hundred people died. As far as the communal carnage is concerned, not many got severe punishmentsno death penalty, no life imprisonments. In the cases of bomb blasts many have been given death penalty and many more life imprisonment. One of the people undergoing life imprisonment is Rubina Memon. Her crime: she owned the car which was used to ferry the explosives. She never drove the car with the explosives. Sadhvi owned the motor cycle used for the Malegaon blasts; she will be out from the prison soon. Rubina owned the car; she will be in prison all her life. In the Mumbai carnage so many died. No severe punishment to anybody. So many severe punishments in the bomb blasts case! So where does our democracy stand at the end of all this? It seems two types of justice delivery systems are out there in the open. While shrill debates on TV will defend the Sadhvi and blame Karkare for faulty investigation, the people in Malegaon are protesting furiously and planning to go to the court against the change in the stance of the NIA. Two political parties seem to be preparing to save the honour of Karakare and press for sincere examination of the evidence collected by him. One hopes the guilty will be punished and innocents will be protected. But this seems a bit too much to expect in the current scenario! The author, a retired Professor at the IIT-Bombay, is currently associated with the Centre for the Study of Secularism and Society, Mumbai. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Lets Await Courts Ruling There is a vast difference between perception and evidence. When Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi says that the RSS is responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, he is conveying the general perception. In fact, the then Home Minister, Sardar Patel, imposed a ban on the RSS which he withdrew when the organisation gave in writing that it was only a cultural outfit. However, the perception has remained till today. The BJP, which is said to be a political wing of the RSS, has always denied the charge. But there is no clinching evidence either with the BJP elements or those opposed to it. The Congress, which is in the forefront of those who say that the Mahatma was assassinated by the RSS, has not placed before the public any evidence to buttress the charge; the RSS too has not given any evidence that it was a victim of a conspiracy either. When the Congress was in power at the Centrethey ruled for more than 50 yearsit could have published the intelligence reports or some other documents to suggest that the assassination was the doing of the RSS. Nor did the BJP, when it was in power, release anything which would remove the charge once and for all. What Rahul Gandhi has said was the perception prevailing throughout the country and abroad; it persists even today. At that time the RSS elements were on the defensive and generally preferred to keep quiet. This only confirmed the perception that the Mahatma was killed by Nathuram Godse, a fanatic Hindu, having an RSS connection. I was working with an Urdu newspaper, Anjaam, then. We were all sitting at the office when the PTI teleprinter machines bell alerted for a flash. We rushed to the machine and the cryptic message was: Gandhi shot at! I wasted no time and went straight to the Birla House on my scooter. My office was situated near Jama Masjid and I rode through the Darya Ganj area. The locality was calm and oblivious to the great tragedy. There was a wooden gate at Birla House and there was no security to stop any visitor. I went to the raised platform where Gandhis body, swathed in white khadi, was lying. Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy, came after I had reached the venue. He saluted the body; both Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Home Minister Patel, who followed him in the queue, were openly crying. The crowd had started swelling by then. The assassin, Godse, who did not escape, was still there and surprisingly without any remorse. The cartage was carried through Raj Path, with Nehru and Patel sitting on either side of it, to what is today called the Rajghat. Ironically, Gandhiwho had spread the new philosophy of non-violence to the worldwas taken for his last rites in a military vehicle which the Mahatma would not have liked. Rahul Gandhi was not even born then. But he had the privilege of being a scion of the family which gave its all to the national struggle. He has every right to find fault with the RSS and he is not a third party to the entire episode of courage and sacrifice. The entire conspiracy to kill the Mahatma has been placed before the public, though bit by bit. And there is no doubt that the RSS elements were behind it. In a letter addressed to jailor Arjun Das at Ambala, where he was detained, Godse confessed that he shot Gandhiji and argued that the Congress leaders at that time were weakening the country, making it an easy prey for Pakistan. This was a flimsy argument which did not go down well with the public when the letter was ultimately released. The dust of time has covered many a footstep and it is very difficult to find out today who else at the Nagpur headquarters of the RSS had blessed the heinous crime. This was probably the first crime committed in the name of ideology. Things have, however, changed now because the atmosphere has been politicised and there are very few voices left whose credibility is beyond reproach. The RSS is still riding the high horse and refusing to join issue. The fact that the matter has been given to the party spokesman to handle shows that the Congress is already making preparations for diluting its stand. If it does so, the party would lose face, more so Rahul Gandhi, who is being projected to lead the party in the next Lok Sabha elections. This is a tough case before the Supreme Court because it is going to be damned if its verdict goes either in favour of the Congress or the RSS. What saddens one is that the secular forces in the country are not marshalling their strength to face the biggest challenge to the idea of India, democratic and anti-communal. The struggle for independence was for the ethos of pluralism and egalitarianism. Once Gandhi was portrayed as a non-violent Communist and he did not take any offence to the comment, although the Communists had described him as a running dog of imperialism. The Communists should make amends for their mistakes and hang the picture of the Mahatma at their headquarters in Kolkata. My advice to the RSS and BJP is the same. Gandhi is an apostle of the marginalised and the backward. He represented the national struggle and Indias emancipation from the British. This is the point on which all the political parties meet and they should have no hesitation in collectively recognising the fact that Gandhi rolled up the 150 years of foreign rule. As for the allegations of Rahul Gandhi, the Supreme Court has taken note of them. In the wake of the Court hearing, many skeletons may tumble out of the closet. Now that the Congress Vice-President has refused to apologiseone can only hope that he will stick to his statementthe fat is on fire and the public may see an ideological warfare in the Court itself. Rahul Gandhi is either made or marred. The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > The Supreme Court Speaks: Ending impunity for the Armed Forces In a historic ruling, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice U.U. Lalit of the Honble Supreme Court have spoken out in favour of democracy. The judgment came on a plea by hundreds of families in the North-Eastern State of Manipur for a probe by a Special Investigation Team into 1528 cases of alleged fake encounters involving the Army and the police. In particular, by saying: It does not matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor does it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the state. The law is the same for both and is equally applicable to both...This is the requirement of a democracy and the requirement of preservation of the rule of law and the preservation of individual liberties, the Honble Supreme Court took a step in the direction of equality before the law, and reaffirmed Article 21 that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. The judgment has been welcomed especially among people in the disturbed areas of our North-Eastern States and Kashmir, and is surely in partial vindication of Irom Sharmilas principled, 12-year-long ongoing fast demanding repeal of AFSPA. This writer, with his Army background, is the first to point out that no soldier (the term refers to all ranks of the Armed ForcesArmy, Navy and Air Force) will defend wrong-doing of any sort, leave alone heinous crimes like murder and rape, by another soldier whether he is on-duty or off-duty. The reason is not merely that such should be the attitude of any good citizen, but because a known offender in the team is a threat to the coherence, man-to-man trust and fighting efficiency of the military team, and to the survival of the individual soldier in high-risk situations, at all levels from the section, platoon, company and battalion upto the highest formations. The Honble Supreme Courts ruling will not find dissonance within the Armed Forces (hereinafter Army, for short). However, without in any manner questioning the wholly welcome order of the Honble Supreme Court and with all due respect and humility, this writer would like to make some points on the larger issue of AFSPA and deployment of the Army on internal security (IS) duties. Disempowerment of the Soldier The plea by the families of Manipur concerns alleged fake encounters involving both the Army and the police. While a faked encounter is reprehensible, a murder is a murder and a rape is a rape, it is necessary to examine the differences between the Army soldier and the armed policeman, and see why the Army and the AFSPA take a beating. Under Article 246 of the Constitution, Parlia-ment makes laws concerning the deployment of the Armed Forces in aid of the civil power, prescribing the powers, jurisdiction, privileges and liabilities of soldiers during deployment. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is one such law. The others are, the Army Act 1950, the Navy Act 1957 and the Air Force Act 1950, and associated Rules and Regulations, to administer military law to all ranks of the three Armed Forces. These laws abrogate a soldiers constitutional rights under Article 19(1)(a), (b) and (c), of freedom of speech and expression to communi-cate with the media, freedom of assembly, or the right to form or be members of associations or unions for collective bargaining. Besides this, the Army Act (AA, for short) and the Acts for the Navy and Air Force are strict by any standards, and in fact their excessive strictness has been commented upon in legal circles. Thus, because of the nature of duties performed by them and the strict laws in force for maintenance of strict discipline among them, soldiers are by law, uniquely disempowered citizens. This is not the case with members of the bureaucracy, State policemen or armed policemen (CAPFs), on whom restrictions by law and administrative rules are far less stringent. This (necessary) disempowerment is a stumbling block for the Army when called in aid of the civil power. The reasons are discussed hereunder. The government can function in the interest of people when there is peace and order in society, functionaries in power use people-oriented politics, and the rule of law prevails among all sections of society. Providing security and public order by fair and just enforcement of extant laws, and maintenance of supplies and services essential to the public, is the primary task of governance by the civil administration, which is the combination of the powers, roles and functions of peoples elected representatives, bureaucrats and integral police forces. Disturbance of law and order usually happens because of conflict of interests within civil society, caused by inappropriate laws and/or unfair policies and/or poor or ill-motivated implementationin short, maladministration or misgovernance. When law and order, and peace in society is disturbed and is beyond political resolution, governance calls for using the force of the State and/or Central police (CAPFs). When law and order cannot be restored despite deploying State and Central police or because of their misuse, it can only be restored by deployment of the Armed Forces (Army) on IS duties in aid of the civil power as permitted by the Constitution. The government has no other option; the Army is its instrument of last resort. When the government calls the Army for IS duties as, for example, to quell rioting, the Army may confront a violent mob. The Army officer commanding the sub-unit is obliged to take the written permission of a Magistrate who accom-panies the sub-unit, before opening fire if the situation so warrants according to the discretion of the Magistrate, because the soldier cannot use firearms against civilians without permission from civil authority. But when law and order breaks down in a large area, the government cannot provide Magistrates to day-and-night accompany every Army sub-unit, and it therefore empowers the Army to handle such situations by means of AFSPA. The AFSPA The AFSPA is an enabling legislation. It legitimises deployment of the Army in large areas which the civil administration may notify as disturbed areas. AFSPA is applicable only to the Armed Forces (under the Ministry of Defence), and not to CAPFs or State police forces under Central or State Ministries of Home Affairs respectively. The Constitution of India makes a distinction between the members of the Armed Forces [Article 33(a)] meaning soldiers, and members of the Forces charged with the maintenance of public order [Article 33(b)] meaning police personnel. Thus the term Armed Forces (proper noun) should not be applied to just anybody of uniformed persons bearing firearms such as police or CAPFs who may be authorised and trained to use firearms, but only to the soldiers of Indias military. But, often unable to distinguish between the Army and civilian forces that bear arms, mediapersons use the catch-all term security forces or armed forces (common noun) to include the military, CAPFs and State police. The confusion is exacerbated because CAPFs and police forces wear camouflage uniforms that are virtually indistinguishable from Army uniforms. In tense situations where a journalist takes risks, it can be risky for him/her, and even more so for any member of the public, to ask an armed man to which force he belongs. Thus often enough, the media and the public straightaway blame the Army for incidents involving CAPFs or police, because of AFSPA being in force. Even if subsequent inquiry by civilian authority in a particular case finds that the Army was not involved, the negative Army-AFSPA image persists in public opinion. According to AA Section 69 Civil offences and AA Section 70 Civil offence not triable by court-martial read together, a soldier who commits rape, murder or culpable homicide not amounting to murder of a civilian, will not be tried by a court-martial unless he is on active service, or at any place outside India, or at a frontier post. In any case, AFSPA being in force is not the cause for his committing crime, and cannot be viewed as a facilitator for crime. But repealing AFSPA would cause AA Section 70 to become inapplicable, making the soldier liable for trial by criminal lawand this is really the cause for the public demand to repeal AFSPA. AFSPA Section 3 confers upon a State or Central Government, powers to declare the whole or some part of the State as a disturbed area ... in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of Armed Forces in aid of the civil power is necessary, by issuing a notification to that effect. The assessment of the condition of society and the discretion to notify it as disturbed is the sole prerogative of government. The Armed Forces have no role in this whatsoever. AFSPA Section 4 confers special powers upon members of the Armed Forces in the notified disturbed areas to arrest, enter and search, or open fire. Demand for Repeal of AFSPA Notwithstanding the constitutionally permissible last-resort necessity of using military force for internal security when the political-adminis-trative tools of governance fail, there is little justification for an elected govern-ment to use even police force for day-to-day governance continuously over decades. People in our North-Eastern States and Kashmir, for decades trapped in the crossfire between the government police and military forces on the one hand, and the bullets, grenades and IEDs of militants on the other, want nothing more than peace and democratic freedoms. Irom Sharmila, a national icon of courageous non-violence, who has been on fast for 12 long years demanding the repeal of AFSPA, stated it squarely and unequivocally in 2013: I am against a government that uses violence as a means to govern. [Jiby Kattakayam; I am against a government that uses violence to govern, The Hindu, March 5, 2013] She goes further to say that the government and the army are colluding to cheat the people. Her stating that the people are being cheated of peace, social order and meaningful development is understandable and correct. But her accusation of the Armys collusion with the government, suggesting that the Army has an institutional interest or stake in IS deployment, is unfounded. It bears repetition that the Army comes out of barracks at the specific call of the government and not of its own accord. Therefore, cheat the people refers to the government cheating the people through abject failure of the politics of development, and monumental political-bureau-cratic corruption of ideology and principles. Decades-long continuous violence through the instrumentality of police and military for governance is antithetical to peace and social order essential for development of the sort that people crave for and need. This legitimate craving of the people is reflected in their demand for the repeal of AFSPA. Continuous Use of AFSPA Hearing several petitions challenging the constitutional validity of AFSPA, the Supreme Court ruled in 1997 [Naga Peoples Movement of Human Rights v Union of India (1997) ICHRL 117 (27.11.1997)] that the powers given to the Army by AFSPA were not arbitrary or unrea-sonable and did not violate constitutional provisions. However, the Supreme Court went further to rule that (1) declaration of an area as disturbed should be reviewed every six months, (2) Central Government sanction or refusal to prosecute Army personnel should be accom-panied by reasons in writing, and (3) Army personnel operating under AFSPA would do so under legally binding safeguards or guidelines in the form of a comprehensive list of DOs and DONTs before, during and after operations, in dealing with civil courts, and when providing aid to civil authority. [Note below] The restriction that the government should review the declaration every six months is cosmetic, since it merely calls for bi-annual bureaucratic paperwork. It has not prevented governments from maintaining entire States as disturbed areas continuously for decades. To limit Army deployment on IS duties, the continuity of AFSPA needs to be broken. This writer suggests an amendment by inserting a final sentence in AFSPA Section 3 as follows: Provided that the Governor of the State or the Adminis-trator of the Union Territory or the Central Government shall not declare an area as disturbed for more than an aggregate of 90 days in any calendar year. The period (of 90 days or less or more) suggested can be finalised after wide public discussion and cross-party consultation. Endnote The use of the military in aid of the civil power is an option that no government, howsoever liberal, will discard especially since it has constitutional sanction. The military on IS duties is to civil society what an ICU is to a critically ill person. A patient cannot remain for years in a hospital ICU, because he/she would be effectively dead. The patient needs treatment for the disease and right nutrition to regain normal health. Likewise, the military remaining deployed on IS duties over decades makes civic life in society effectively dead, without assuring peace or security. Indias societies need the treatment of honest political effort by transparent dialogue and engagement with people, and nutrition of good governance for their growth. Society does not need the Army, except to guard the countrys borders against external aggression and protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. While no government may ever propose to Parliament to repeal AFSPA, it would certainly be open to amending it. An amendment to cap the applicability of AFSPA to a total of, say, 90 days in any calendar year, will allow governments to retain their (albeit undoubtedly coercive but unavoidable) option of military deployment when civil administration fails to maintain law and order. This will make governments accountable to the people, to rediscover ways of providing a deeply troubled society with honest politics and good governance. It will also enable the Army, one-third of which is engaged in IS duties, to focus more on securing Indias borders. Note List of DOs and DONTs as directed by the Supreme Court in NPMHR v. India in 1997, that are legally binding DOs: 1. Action before Operation: (a) Act only in the area declared Disturbed Area under Section 3 of the Act. (b) Power to open fire using force or arrest is to be exercised under this Act only by an officer/JCO/WO and NCO. (c) Before launching any raid/search, definite information about the activity to be obtained from the local civil authorities. (d) As far as possible coopt representative of local civil administration during the raid. 2. Action during Operation: (a) In case of necessity of opening fire and using any force against the suspect or any person acting in contravention of law and order, ascertain first that it is essential for maintenance of public order. Open fire only after due warning. (b) Arrest only those who have committed cognisable offence or who are about to commit cognisable offence or against whom a reasonable ground exists to prove that they have committed or are about to commit cognisable offence. (c) Ensure that troops under command do not harass innocent people, destroy property of the public or unnecessarily enter into the house/dwelling of people not connected with any unlawful activities. (d) Ensure that women are not searched/arrested without the presence of female police. In fact women should be searched by female police only. 3. Action after Operation: (a) After arrest prepare a list of the persons so arrested. (b) Hand over the arrested persons to the nearest police station with least possible delay. (c) While handing over to the police a report should accompany with detailed circumstances occasioning the arrest. (d) Every delay in handing over the suspects to the police must be justified and should be reasonable depending upon the place, time of arrest and the terrain in which such person has been arrested. Least possible delay may be two-to-three hours extendable to 24 hours or so depending upon a particular case. (e) After raid, make out a list of all arms, ammunition or any other incriminating material/document taken into possession. (f) All such arms, ammunition, stores etc. should be handed over to the police station along with the seizure memo. (g) Obtain receipt of persons and arms/ammunition, stores etc. so handed over to the police. (h) Make record of the area where operation is launched having the date and time and the persons participating in such raid. (i) Make a record of the commander and other officers/JCOs/NCOs forming part of such force. (k) Ensure medical relief to any person injured during the encounter, if any person dies in the encounter his dead body be handed over immediately to the police along with the details leading to such death. 4. Dealing with civil court: (a) Directions of the High Court/Supreme Court should be promptly attended to. (b) Whenever summoned by the courts, decorum of the court must be maintained and proper respect paid. (c) Answer questions of the court politely and with dignity. (d) Maintain detailed record of the entire operation correctly and explicitly. DONTs: 1. Do not keep a person under custody for any period longer than the bare necessity for handing over to the nearest police station. 2. Do not use any force after having arrested a person except when he is trying to escape. 3. Do not use third-degree methods to extract information or to a extract confession or other involvement in unlawful activities. 4. After arrest of a person by the member of the armed forces, he shall not be interrogated by the member of the armed force. 5. Do not release the person directly after apprehending on your own. If any person is to be released, he must be released through civil authorities. 6. Do not tamper with official records. 7. The armed forces shall not take back a person after he is handed over to civil police. List of DOs and DONTs while providing aid to civil authority DOs: 1. Act in closest possible communication with civil authorities throughout. 2. Maintain inter-communication if possible by telephone/radio. 3. Get the permission/requisition from the Magistrate when present. 4. Use little force and do as little injury to person and property as may be consistent with attainment of objective in view. 5. In case you decide to open fire: (a) Give warning in local language that fire will be effective; (b) Attract attention before firing by bugle or other means; (c) Distribute your men in fire units with specified Commanders; (d) Control fire by issuing personal orders; (e) Note number of rounds fired; (f) Aim at the front of crowd actually rioting or inciting to riot or at conspicuous ringleaders, i.e., do not fire into the thick of the crowd at the back; (g) Aim low and shoot for effect; (h) Keep Light Machine Gun and Medium Gun in reserve; (i) Cease firing immediately once the object has been attained; (j) Take immediate steps to secure wounded. 6. Maintain cordial relations with civilian authorities and paramilitary forces. 7. Ensure high standard of discipline. DONTs: 8. Do not use excessive force. 9. Do not get involved in hand-to-hand struggle with the mob. 10. Do not ill-treat anyone, in particular, women and children. 11. No harassment of civilians. 12. No torture. 13. No communal bias while dealing with civilians. 14. No meddling in civilian administration affairs. 15. No Military disgrace by loss/surrender of weapons. 16. Do not accept presents, donations and rewards. 17. Avoid indiscriminate firing. [Source: Naga Peoples Movement of Human Rights v Union of India [1997] ICHRL 117 (27.11.1997)] Major General S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, retired in 1996 as the Additional DG, Discipline and Vigilance in the Army HQ AGs Branch. He is a member of the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM) and Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). With over 490 published papers in national and international journals and seminars, his current area of interest is strategic and development-related issues. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Solution to the Kashmir Problem On July 8, 2016, the Supreme Court said that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, in force in parts of the North-East and J&K, cannot be an excuse for extrajudicial killingwhenever such allegations surface they have to be investigated regardless of whether the person is a dreaded criminal, terrorist or an insurgent. On the same day a young militant, Burhan Wani, was killed in an encounter with the security forces. We dont know whether it was a case of extrajudicial killing. Prashant Bhushan says it was a fake encounter. Extrajudicial killings have been going on quite freely. The case in which the above judgment has been delivered has a list of 1528 deaths in counter-insurgency operations in Manipur from which the Court has sought details on 62 which are suspected extrajudicial killings. And Manipur is a small State compared to J&K. Moreover, the turnout at Burhan Wanis funeral indicates two thingseither the killing was perceived to be extrajudicial or he is viewed by the Kashmiri youth as more than just a militant. He represents the aspirations of the Kashmiri youth because of which they like to associate themselves with him even taking the risk of facing fire from the Indian security forces. The experience of Burhan Wani at the hands of the Indian security forces when they beat him up and humiliated him is the same that every Kashmiri youth faces at some point or the other and even repeatedly. Most simply pocket the insult. Some, like Burhan Wani, revolt against it and in the process become a militant. There are a number of organisations from across the border which are ever willing to train such youth in the use of arms and explosives and guerilla warfare, even though Burhan is not believed to have received training in Pakistan. He was the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen at the young age of 22 years. The basic question is: who or what is responsible for the birth of militants? Pakistani terror organisations or the policy of the Indian state which alienates the youth of the Valley? Why is the demand of Omar Abdullah as the then Chief Minister of J&K and for which Irom Sharmila has been fasting in Imphal for the last 15 years the removal of AFSPAnot being met? Only a reduced presence of the security forces can lead towards a situation of normalcy. But the security forces scuttle this idea. A political problem cannot be treated like a law and order problem. The Indian state must accept that there is disaffection in Kashmir and the political views of the national political parties and the people of Kashmir probably differ greatly. The only way out is dialogue with not just the political parties but all sections of separatists and insurgents in Kashmir which the current BJP Government at the Centre seems to be disinclined towards. It is not that the government doesnt talk to such groups. In Nagaland they have had an agreement with the separatist groups. Moreover, if the government is not talking to the separatists in Kashmir, then it is sure recipe to push them towards Pakistan, for which then the govern-ment should not blame them. At a time of grief and crisis a refreshing approach has been offered by the former Home Minister, P. Chidambaram. He has differentiated between the land of Kashmir and the people of Kashmir. He argues that successive governments of India have worried about the territory of Kashmir in their zeal to maintain Kashmir as an integral part of India but have failed to take the people along. The people have become more and more alienated because of the governments policies. Considering that P. Chidamabram was the Home Minister, it is commendable that he has expressed his opinion so candidly and taken a position very radically different from the traditional official position of the government. Chidambaran advocates honouring the promises made by India to J&K at the time of its accession to India. He argues for more autonomy to J&K, allowing them to frame their own laws as much as possible as long as they dont conflict with the Constitution of India. He calls for Indians to respect the identity, history, culture and religion of the people there. Chidambaram has made a surprising revelation that he was in favour of withdrawal of the armed forces from the civilian areas and for them to be posted only in border areas but the defence establishment did not agree to it. In any case he thinned the security forces by 10,000. He also wanted the State Government to be responsible for the day-to-day law and order situation but again the security forces were not agreeable to this proposition. If Chidambaram and Omar Abdullah were allowed to work on their ideas, the situation would have been completely different today. People would have been spared the presence of the security forces among them which can be oppressive and humiliating. If people had felt more involved in running their own government they would have also felt the responsibility to maintain peace. It is possible that still some extremists would have continued to operate. But then it must have been left to the Kashmiris to deal with their fellow citizens to try to convince them to leave the path of violence. Right now the presence of the Indian security forces for such a prolonged period makes them look like an occupying force. P. Chidambaram says we cannot preach to Sri Lanka to respect the democratic rights of its Tamil minority when were not able to do it with the Kashmiris. If human rights violations take place because of the presence of the security forces, we cannot expect the Kashmiris to trust the government. The ultra-nationalist view of the present government in power in New Delhi makes things worse. They know only one way to deal with their opponentsthat is, to remain tough. It is beyond their imagination to talk to the people whom they consider as anti-nationals. They just cant perceive that whom they consider as anti-nationals may not be so in the eyes of the people of Kashmir. They could even be their heroes. Unless the government starts seeing things from the Kashmiri perspective, there would be no headway towards resolution of the Kashmir conflict. Noted social activist and Magsaysay awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey was recently sacked this year from the IIT-BHU where he was a Visiting Professor on the charge of being a Naxalite engaging in anti-national activities. He was elected along with Prof Keshav Jadhav the Vice-President of the Socialist Party (India) at its founding conference at Hyderabad on May 28-29, 2011. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Aygun Badalova, Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The military coup attempt that took place in Turkey on July 15, was very critical and defining moment in the countrys new history, Ismail Alper Coskun, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, said in an interview to Trend. What took place is not a terrorist attempt that we attribute to the military as a whole, but it was a fraction within the Turkish military, which instigated this coup attempt at the behest of the Fetullah Gul terrorist organization. Therefore it was very critical and defining moment in our new history in the sense that it was an attack not particularly against a political party but at the statehood and at the well-being of Turkey and its society at large, the ambassador said. What extremely worrying about what took place on the 15-th of July, according to the ambassador, is the fact that this was the first time when Turkish military units opened fire at the Turkish population. Amid this extremely worrying picture however, the ambassador underlined that with the strong reflex of Turkish population, very positive elements have been witnessed, in the sense that every person in the Turkish Republic irrespective of who they may have voted for, irrespective of what their ideological preferences may be, took to the streets, heard the call of the president, asking the population to stand up for their legitimate political leaders and for their legitimate constitutional order in the country. They went to the streets and they stood in the face of military power and they defended our democracy, the ambassador said. Azerbaijans support The ambassador expressed deepest gratitude to the Azerbaijani government, officials, as well as to each and every Azerbaijani citizen, saying that from the very first evening the Azerbaijani population shared, as they always do, in agony, in worries, in excitement, as to what was going on in Turkey. Some came here, in front of the embassy together with Turkish citizens living in Azerbaijan, they displayed solidarity with Turkish democracy, they expressed their support for maintaining constitutional order in Turkey, the ambassador said. So, the sensitivity that was displayed by the Azerbaijani government and population is deeply appreciated in Turkey. Azerbaijan stands on the side of what is right, in other words, it is standing on the side of our constitutional order, it is putting itself against a military coup attempt, the ambassador said, adding that it is an exemplary attitude, which Turkey would wish to see more, particularly from its western allies and friends. Solidarity of political parties Up until the 15-th of July, Turkish domestic political atmosphere was quite fragmented, it was an atmosphere in which there was a very heated debate, as should be in democracies, all issues are openly debated in Turkey, according to Coskun. It was in immediate aftermath of the 15-th of July that we saw a totally different picture of the Turkish political scene, particularly the display of solidarity by all of our population, irrespective of their political affiliation. It was a fantastic show of solidarity, putting aside political differences, and standing up for democratic order, for legitimate order in Turkey, the ambassador said. That night, the parliament, despite the fact that it was being bombed by F-16's and helicopters witnessed something else that was fantastic, according to the ambassador. All of the members of parliament from different political parties rushed to the parliament, despite the fact that it was being bombed and they also undertook their responsibility as the legitimate representatives of the people to come to parliament and to show that they would stand for the constitutional order in Turkey, the ambassador said. All these were very positive shows of solidarity, starting in the streets with the people, carried on to the political spectrum with the undertaking of our political parties and showed, I think, to everyone around the world that when push comes to shove Turkish society will not allow democracy to be undermined and that political parties though they may have very deep differences in various issues in politics and so on, that when it comes to our constitutional order they will also come together and defend it. I think in healthy democracy one cannot ask for a better display of solidarity from both the people on the street and its political leader, the ambassador added. Death penalty in Turkey Currently the issue of bringing back the death penalty is a debate, and this debate comes from people in the street that have been chanted for this, the ambassador said. He added that the president of Turkey and the countrys government have not committed to anything. With regard to the possibility that the EU may disapprove of Turkey possibly reinstating the death penalty, the ambassador said that the country respects this, and is ready to talk on the subject. But it is very important that when they express their disappointment on this case they do it at acceptable manner," the ambassador said. He added that Turkey is very open and sincere in its relationship with the EU. Over 50 years, the ambassador said, Turkey has been held at the door of the full membership to the EU because of numerous new obstacles that have been put up in front of Turkey, despite the fact that many other countries have been given much more softer approach to the membership. Turkey-NATO relations The ambassador said that Turkey is a very strong and longstanding member of the alliance. Coskun does not see any direct correlation with Turkey's relationship with NATO and what is going on in Turkey. We will continue to have very strong military. Obviously it is a big challenge because significant number of military personal have been withdrawn from the duties. Some have been retired, some have been implicated in the coup attempt, the ambassador said. But Turkey institutes with a number of new reforms and wants to make sure that what happened on 15th of July will never be repeated in Turkey, the ambassador said. He also added that all the institutions in Turkey will be reformed and both with the democracy and with systemic improvements the country will continue to play very important role not only in this region or as a member of the alliance, but on the global scale. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Kashmir: Nearing Zero Hour From N.C.s Writings Kashmir today has become the touchstone of Indian statesmanship. The crisis that has emerged there can no longer be managed by conventional methods of settling political acrimony. It has gone much beyond, and now it has assumed the magnitude of a definite threat to the integrity of the country. The militants who want Kashmir to secede from the Indian Union are today in control of life and politicsat least in the Valley itself. It is time the public in this country was informed about the actual state of affairs in Kashmir. It is a grim, very grim situation and the nation cannot afford to take an ostrich outlook That will be self-deceiving, because any delay in facing upto the reality may ultimately end up in the actual secession of a part of Indian territory. There need be no doubt on this score. How precarious the situation is can be gauged from the fact that the entire administration is now openly divided in its loyalty. Roughly, it can be stated that the most active and dominant in the Valley today are the militants who want Kashmir to secede from India. Next to them come the large masses who are discontented with the prevailing conditions for which they blame New Delhi. Lastly, there is a small number, mostly muted and passive, who still want Kashmir to stay within the Indian Union. In such a situation it is but natural that the militant secessionists dominate over the discontend masses today while the pro-Indian forces are hopelessly marginalised, and forced into inactivity. In other words, the balance of forces in the Kashmir Valley has qualitatively changed. In the past, roughly about the time the National Conference-Congress-I Ministry took office in 1987, the secessionists were a hard core minority group, and the discontended gathering round the Muslim United Front (MUF) having had a substantive following could have been forced to meet the challenge of the National Conference and the Congress-I, had the two parties worked actively as a unified force. Unfortunately, such an opportunity was squandered by both the parties in the coalition. The alliance turned out to be just a pact between the leaders of the two partiesFarooq Abdullah and Rajiv Gandhi. There was no rapport whatsoever between the ranks of the two parties, not to speak of their launching a united front movement. This was further compounded by the total malfunctioning of the coalition Ministry. From personal experience borne out by two visits to the Valley in that period, this correspondent gathered the very disturbing impression that behind all the high-visibility political impetuosity and exhibitionism on the part of Farooq Abdullah, his Ministry emerged as the symbol of utter corruption and maladministration. It was this very phase which saw the growing activity of the secessionist groups emerging out in the open. This account of the past in the Kashmir Valley has been necessitated by the patently distorted account given by Rajiv Gandhi in his letter to the Prime Minister on March 6. One would like to remind both Rajiv and Farooq as to what happened on the Independence Day, August 15 last when the secessionists, coming out in the open, had forced a black-out in Srinagar with Pakistani flags flying at many places. Was it an example of their maintenance of political contact with the people or that at no time was the administration alienated from the people as has been claimed in Rajivs letter? It is such a display of dishonest alibi on the part of Rajiv Gandhi that weakens his appeal for a national consensus for meeting the crisis in Kashmir today. Such a consensus, which is urgently called for to meet the fast deteriorating situation, demands that all the leaders of all partiesparticularly the Congress-I, the National Conference and the National Front Governmentmust desist from mutual recriminations. This is not the moment for washing each others dirty linen in public, but for making a determined endeavour to work out a united national approach to salvage Kashmir for the Indian Union. Such a united approach has become necessary because it will be imperative to boldly meet even the discontented militants and win them over by seriously meeting some of their genuine demands. While terrorism needs to be curbed, there has to be side by side a determined effort to prove to the people in the Valley that they stand to gain by remaining in the Indian Union, that this democracy can ensure for them a better life with more autonomy. Whether it is Article 370 of 1951 or the accord of 1975all these can be re-examined in all good faith and a degree of self-government can be assured in keeping with the spirit of the times. No rigid posture will help on this score. In fact, the present government by its very commitment will have to meet the claims of the States for more autonomy vis-a-vis the Centre, as dece-ntralisation is on the agenda of the day. Viewed in this context, the discontent in Kashmir can be met only by taking into consideration its special status born out of historical reasons. Only when such a line is taken, backed by a united national stand, can the challenge of Pakistani interference be met effectively. Not only that. Such an approach can very well be the stepping stone towards Indo-Pakistan understanding as well. Kashmir unreconciled shall be the Achilles heel for the Indian Republic; Kashmir contented can be the most important show-window for Indian democracy. Once again, let it be remembered: the crisis in Kashmir poses today the most formidable challenge for Indian statesmanship. (Editors Notebook, Mainstream, March 10, 1990) Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Kashmir Scenario Today MUSINGS Ban on newspapers in the Valley. No news, no reports, no views, no comments. Pumping pellets right into connectivity. A complete black out as mobile and internet connections are snapped. Reeking of dictatorship. Nothing short of an undeclared Emergency. Back to those dark ages in these developed times! Last weekend the police raided the newspaper offices of the three leading newspapers of the Kashmir regionThe Kashmir Times,Rising Kashmir,The Greater Kashmir, and its Urdu sister concern, Kashmir Uzma. They not just seized thousands of copies, they shut down the printing press, took away the printing plates, beat up and arrested the staff. Why should news be murdered by the political rulers? Why this crackdown on the media? What is the establishment trying to conceal? What is to be camouflaged? What more havoc is to be unleashed on the hapless masses of the Kashmir Valley? Why extend crackdowns from homes to newspaper offices? Together with these developments, photo-graphs are surfacing which more than relay the extent of brutality unleashed on human forms. Eyes, faces, ribs, chest, stomach, lungs, limbs grievously injured by pellets and bullets. Even children not spared, dragged by hardened cops.... In fact, several of these photographs carry some level of similarity to pictures of Palestinian children hounded and thrashed by Israeli cops. Dragging along apprehensions of what more could follow in the Kashmir Valleyin fact, whilst keying in I am reminded of some of the grave apprehensions that Kashmiris had been talking of when the news of Sainik colonies had first come up. Theyd told me that they consider Sainik colonies as a ploy to get RSS workers to reside in the Valleyin the coming years we Kashmiris could be pushed here and there and those RSS cadres will be given our prime locales.... Look what massive tragedy had taken place in Palestine... Palestinians driven out of their homes/lands and Israelis sitting in total control! Instead of making certain that these apprehen-sions and insecurities are done away with, the establishment seems determined to compound the mess. Instead of sending additional force to the Valley, there is an urgent need to send an army of healers, communicators, medical/health experts, counsellors, dialoguers to the Valley, to reach out to its bruised angry population. Instead of banning the publication of newspapers, efforts should have been on that they are published against all possible odds; after all, newspapers do play an extremely vital role in connecting the masses with ground realities and with that help curb spread of rumours and apprehensions. Today how does the Kashmiri get to know the basic facts when every possible means of communication is banned? And in this scenario not one per cent trust in government/police hand-outs or those briefings or those stale assurances from the rulers who dare not come out in the open and face the wrath of their own people. None seemingly around. Except, of course, within the confines of the television studios. Even the local MLAs not to be heard or seen. The only exception is Rashid Engineer but he is different; he carries the sheer conviction to raise his voice. Loud and clear. Also, none of the VVIPS flying from New Delhi to Srinagar with announcement of hefty packages of crores! Crores for whom when people are dying? Ongoing Mishandling of the Situation What a mess we have made of the paradise on earth! What brutality has been unleashed on a hapless lot! There has been a complete mishandling of the situation for the last so many years... In fact, right from the early nineties, when I had begun reporting on the situation in the Kashmir Valley, one aspect was writ largemishandling of the situation. In fact, I recall the words of the former Chief Justice of J&K, Justice Bahauddin Faruqi: The government is treating each person as a suspect. I would say there are no more than 100 militants, yet to locate them a whole citys population is hounded. The searches are done in the most brutal wayeven before dawn the whole area is cordoned off ... even women in labour are not allowed to move... Hed said this during the course of an interview given to me in Srinagar in the early 1990s. And now, over the years, gaps have been widening, alienation standing out stark, together with some bitter realities. Alienation and anger furthering over the years. Poor governance, failed promises by the politicians in power, together with vested interests of the political lobbies and a complete bypass of the local sentiments had helped heaped havoc in the Kashmir region. Decay is writ large. To put across this decay in the words of Mohamamd Ashraf, former Director General of J&K Tourism and author of several book on the ValleyWe used to live in paradise but it is lost now. For the locals the political turmoil has turned it into a hell. Especially the last two decades have been the worst in the recent history. Apart from losing thousands of lives and the cultural mosaic of centuries, the people have lost the sensitivity to various happenings around them. We abhorred violence but now it hardly affects us. Blood has become the cheapest commodity around. And if you were to read Ajit Bhattacharjeas volume, Tragic Hero of KashmirSheikh Mohammad Abdullah (Roli Books), you would realise how over the years the Kashmiris patience has got transformed into sheer anger. The stark contrast between 1947 and the years that followed ... As Ajit Bhattacharjea writes in the very preface to this bookUnforgettable recollections of Srinagar as an island of amity in a sea of religious bloodshed in the Indian subcontinent inspire the writing of this book. The contrast between the cordial atmosphere of Srinagar and the foetid communal fear still stalking Delhi in October 1947, from where I had flown, exceeded even the first enchanting impression of the beauty of the Valley. It provided a ray of hope that secularism could survive in India... In the capital of India, as in much of the north of India, Muslims were under attack in reprisal for the bloody eviction of Hindus and Sikhs from the newly born Islamic state of Pakistan. Yet in the capital of Kashmir there was no sign of religious tension: its Muslim inhabitants were helping newly arrived elements of the Indian Army, Hindus and Sikhs, to defend the city against advancing Pathan lashkars ... Pause and think and reflect and introspectwhy has the calm Kashmiri turned rebellious and angry? Is poor governance to be blamed for this present-day mess? Have political tactics failed? Can the hapless Kashmiri survive on speeches fitted with hollow words and layers of complete deceit? For this mess political tactics and strategies used by the government at the State level and also at the Centre are to be blamed. Human rights violations by the government machinery and its agencies have gone a long way in bringing about alienation. Holding elections is one formality-ridden aspect. Governance has to run deeper. Politicians have failed. Failed miserably. Governance is to connect with the masses. Yet, ironically, the political establishment seems hell-bent on bypassing the people and their local leaders. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > BJP and Cow Brigade EDITORIAL As we go to press, news has come that yesterday two Muslim women, suspected of carrying beef, were beaten up and abused at a railway station in Madhya Pradeshs Mandsaur district. The police had reportedly come to the railway station to arrest the women on receiving information that they were travelling with 30 kg of beef to sell. However, before the police could do anything a mob that had gathered there began to thrash the women. The mob allegedly comprised activists of the Hindu Dal, obviously one of the numerous fringe groups belonging to the Sangh Parivar. Now, look at the kind of division of labour in the BJP. Party MLA Yashpal Sisodia strongly defended the Hindu Dal activists, saying: Those (Muslim) women are criminals and it was women who beat them up, so its a reaction to an action. This was almost an echo of what Narendra Modi, our present PM who was the Gujarat CM in 2002, had said following the post-Godhra anti-Muslim pogrom in the State in February-March that year: According to Newtons Third Law of Motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Madhya Pradesh being a BJP-ruled State, its Home Minister had to adopt a different stance owing to his constitutionally held position. He promised to initiate action against those who have attempted to take law in their hands. He also disclosed that, according to the veterinary report, prima facie it (the meat the Muslim women carried) was found to be buffalo meat. The Hindustan Times report informed: Slaughter of buffalo and consumption of its meat are legal in the State, but sellers require a permit from the local civic body for the same. Since the two women did not have the necessary permit, they have been booked by the police. This was also what the Minister conveyed. This incident has come just a fortnight after four Dalit youth were flogged by cow protection vigilantes for having allegedly skinned a dead cow in Gujarats Una district. That sparked a massive outrage with Dalits taking to the streets to register their anguish and indignation against the persecution of members of their own community. Yesterdays incident at Mandsaur justifiably triggered resentment in the Rajya Sabha today on the lines of the Upper House members vociferous protests against the Una attack on Dalits as well as the derogatory and insultingly abusive words used by UP BJPs Vice-President Dayashankar Singh against Mayawati at a gathering in Mau. BSP supremo Mayawati led the charge today while Leader of the Opposition in the House, Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad, declared: Gau raksha honi chahiye, lekin uske naam par bahaana karke Dalit aur Mussalmanon ko target karo, uske khilaf hain hum. (Cow should be protected, but we are against the targeting of Dalits and Muslims in its name.) Mayawati referred to the BJP slogan mahilaon ke samman mein, BJP maidan mein, and averred: But actually women are thrashed over beef-rumours in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. But what did the BJP Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, say? We should rise above politics on such issues, and the welfare of society should be above personal motives. These were the only words that he could utter. His response itself exposed the ruling partys ulterior game: let the members of the cow brigade continue with their nefarious activities, we of the Treasury Benches shall turn a blind eye to all such acts on their part! July 28 S.C. Thrissur: Coming down heavily on Kerala's violent politics, actor Sreenivasan on last day said that martyrs are only born in the family of party workers, but not at any leader's house. While speaking at a book release function in Thrissur, the actor said that Keralites are fed up with such violent politics. Politicians believe that they can drum up support by splashing martyrs picture on flex. He reminded that these flexes contain the pictures of the workers who were left to die for their leaders. The workers are pushed to become martyrs by helplessness and by the leader's brain washing. he added. Mumbai : 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment today by a special MCOCA court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convicts--Mohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convicts--Mohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharif-- were handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three others--Mushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, today observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage "jihad". The judge had also accepted prosecution's case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. PTI Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey sent the US another request last week for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 2 referring to Turkish Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag. Gulen is considered to be involved in the military coup attempt in Turkey that took place in mid July. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu With 146 quiet, ocean-facing rooms, 3 restaurants and bars, swimming pools, a fully equipped gym and conferencing facilities for up to 300 delegates, the Hotel White Sands Beach Resort is a place where one can unwind in a beautiful landscaped environment set in a verdant scenery, situated on an idyllic stretch of 1km private sun-kissed beach front, just 25kms North of Dar es Salaam city center and airport, making it the preferred gateway to a uniquely East African experience. Whether your trip is for business or pleasure, at White Sands one can combine a little of the two with all rooms inclusive of complimentary Wi-Fi service, whilst the resort is equipped with 16 separate conference venues as well as a unique multimedia auditorium/cinema seating 60 guests, an electronic translation system, individually controlled air-conditioning in each venue, and a flexibility in offering tailor-made conferencing and special events, has earned the White Sands Resort the reputation of being one of the finest conferencing and events destinations on the East Coast of Africa. Whilst overall the atmosphere is a languorous one where one can relax and unwind in the evenings whilst enjoying a ice-cold Kilimanjaro beer on the impressive hardwood deck of the Pweza Jetty boasting panoramic views of the popsicle-blue Indian Ocean, or indulge yourself with a relaxing treatment from the White Sands Wellness Spa and Relaxation Centre. Or take a boat trip to one of the uninhabited nearby islands. For a sumptuous dining experience with panoramic ocean views, the Mchanga Restaurant & Bar open-air restaurant and adjoining bar and lounge seats 300 guests and offers an a-la-carte menu as well as buffet-style dining options. With the ocean lapping at the shore the restaurant serves light meals with a full bar service and is the ideal place to watch the picturesque African sunset, while sipping on a pre-prandial cocktail. Or be adventurous and explore Dar es Salaam. The largest and most influential city in Tanzania with many local activities and destinations for you to see and close to 6 million people calling it home, the city is filled with vibrant excitement and character. So whether you are looking for culture, beaches, shopping and adventure - Dar Es Salaam has it all with enthralling local attractions such as the Kariakoo Market on Swahili Street, or The National Museum with its cast of one familys footprint trail left in volcanic ash over 3.5 million years ago. Or take a weekend boat trip out to Zanzibar, the famous exotic Spice-Island offering some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. From the crystal clear warm waters of the Indian Ocean to the cultural diversity, slave trade history and spice plantations, Zanzibar is a destination not to be missed by anyone visiting the Swahili Coast. The White Sands Resorts rooms themselves were evidently created with the guest in mind, a tranquil setting and utilizing harmonious design elements. All rooms include individually controlled air-conditioner, mini-bar fridge, tea/coffee making facilities, satellite television, electronic safe, telephone, hair-dryer, en-suite bathroom with shower, wireless internet, work-desk, 24 hour room service and all rooms are serviced daily, with the staff even pulling back your mosquito net for you each night. Jangwani Beach giving you the pleasure of white sands and crystal waters right at your room's doorstep, are just one of the many reasons Hotel White Sands is the perfect location. For more information, please visit: www.hotelwhitesands.com Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The operation against supporters of Fethullah Gulen in Turkeys Petkim petrochemical holding wont affect its work, Petkim said in a statement released Aug. 2. At present, Petkim petrochemical holding continues its work in normal mode. It was reported on Aug. 2 morning that operation against supporters of Fethullah Gulen started in Turkeys Petkim petrochemical holding. Earlier, Vagif Aliyev, head of the board of directors of Petkim said that 27 people have been dismissed from various departments at Petkim petrochemical holding (SOCARs Turkish asset) since July 27. Moreover, former director general of Petkim petrochemical holding Sadeddin Korkut was detained over the complaint of the companys high-ranking official who was dismissed earlier. Sadeddin Korkut was dismissed from his post and Anar Mammadov, who is also head of SOCAR Greece (SOCARs Greek subsidiary), replaced him. Earlier, some officials of SOCAR Turkey Energy (Turkish subsidiary of SOCAR) resigned. Among those resigned are Omer Adsiz, director of public relations department at SOCAR Turkey, Ilgar Mehmetoglu, director of the companys human resources department, Cetin Korkut, director of the companys IT department, as well as Fuat Ulagay, director of human resources department at Star refinery. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Marie Claire newsletter Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over. Minimalists rejoice Calvin Klein have finally put us all out of our misery and announced the appointment of Raf Simons as Chief Creative Officer of the brand. Effective immediately, the ex-Dior and Jil Sander genius will debut his first collection for the brand this September, for the autumn/winter 2017 season, presumably on the New York Fashion Week schedule where the brand usually shows. Simons will be heading up the creative strategy of the Calvin Klein brand globally across Calvin Klein Collection, Calvin Klein Platinum, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear and Calvin Klein Home. In case you haven't noticed, the iconic American brand have been ramping up their advertising campaigns of late, harkening back to the uber-cool reputation it was built on in the 90s. Since reacquiring the Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear businesses in 2013, theyve teamed up with old faces including Kate Moss (who could ever forget her early ninties campaigns for the brand with Mark Wahlberg), and new, with everyone from Bella Hadid to Justin Bieber fronting the brand's recent campaigns. In keeping with this theme, the brand took a millennial's approach to announcing the news and used social media including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Its a move that the fashion industry have anticipated for a long time. And considering Raf left Dior back in October 2015, one weve been waiting almost a year for. Dior also took their time in announcing Simons successor, Valentinos co-creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. But with almost everything in place - the next steps for Calvin Kleins recently departed Creative Director Francisco Costa remain a mystery - we are literally bursting with excitement over what delicious minimalism the Belgian designer will bring to the brand that near-founded minimalism in the ninties. Its quite literally a match made in fashion heaven. (Image credit: Aurora Rose/WWD/REX/Shutterstock) The arrival of Raf Simons as Chief Creative Officer signifies a momentous new chapter for Calvin Klein, said Steve Shiffman, CEO of Calvin Klein, Inc. Not since Mr. Klein himself was at the company has it been led by one creative visionary, and I am confident that this decision will drive the Calvin Klein brand and have a significant impact on its future. Rafs exceptional contributions have shaped and modernized fashion as we see it today and, under his direction, Calvin Klein will further solidify its position as a leading global lifestyle brand. As part of this new creative strategy for the brand, Calvin Klein also announced the hire of Pieter Mulier, Simons' long-standing right hand man and studio director, who fans of the documentary Dior & I, will recognise as the unexpected star of the show. Under the esteemed title of Creative Director, Mulier will handle the creative and design vision for mens and womens ready-to-wear, as well as the bridge and accessories lines. The countdown to fashion month starts here. The U.S. Coast Guard and DNV GL have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) authorizing DNV GL to participate in the Alternate Compliance Program (ACP) and delegated certain survey and certification services for U.S. flagged vessels. This delegation and MOA, signed by Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy, and Captain Blaine Collins, DNV GL vice president of group government and public affairs for the U.S., supersedes the agreements previously executed by DNV and the Coast Guard on August 4, 2006, and GL and the Coast Guard on September 7, 2011. The ACP is an alternative to complying with vessel certification and inspection standards contained in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, and administered through inspections conducted by Coast Guard personnel. It provides an alternate process for an owner of a U.S. registered vessel to obtain a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection by complying with the standards of an authorized classification society, International Conventions and a U.S. supplement. With the signing of this memorandum, DNV GL is undertaking a significant level of responsibility and work on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard, said Thomas. We are confident in their abilities to support our efforts and look forward to having them on board. We greatly value the ongoing relationship we have with the Coast Guard, said Collins. We appreciate their trust and confidence in DNV GL to provide statutory services on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard. The classification society ACP authorization is intended to reduce the regulatory burden on the maritime industry while maintaining existing levels of safety and provide the maritime industry with flexibility in determining how to build and operate U.S. flagged vessels. Europes largest port is the latest to allow the GAC EnvironHulls eco-friendly hull cleaning system to operate in its waters. The launch of HullWiper at Rotterdam, widely acknowledged as a pioneer in innovation and shipping technology, was marked by a panel discussion, webinar and live demonstration. The Port of Rotterdams Senior Manager, Peter Mollema, said the ground-breaking technology exactly aligns with Rotterdams ambition to be the most sustainable port of its kind. In its 'The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016' the World Economic Forum has for the fourth consecutive time declared that the Netherlands has the best port infrastructure, he told more than 100 industry figures from the city and beyond who gathered at the Floating Pavilion or followed the event online. How did we get there? And how will we stay there? One very important aspect is innovation. There is a real and pressing need to decarbonise the shipping industry, and [HullWiper] is just one way that vision can be achieved. Co-hosted by GAC EnvironHull and the Port of Rotterdam, the Smart Ship Technologies and Measures for Greener Ports discussion addressed the technological and regulatory pressures on ports and operators. It also highlighted solutions to help vessel owners and operators save costs and remain compliant particularly with hull maintenance. Traditional hull cleaning operations using divers with brushes are prohibited within Rotterdams port waters due to concerns about marine pollution. No such problem exists for GAC EnvironHull, thanks to HullWipers adjustable water-jet cleaning and debris collection systems. Christer Sjodoff, GACs Group Vice President - Commercial, said: Ports around the world are under a lot of strain when it comes to the environment. GAC, as part of the maritime community, has realised that we must change and evolve, and part of that evolution is the creation of innovative products with world class partners. New technologies and initiatives are contributing to a cleaner, safer and healthier shipping world a world that GAC is an active part of. Sjodoff was joined on the panel of experts: John Willsher, Global Accounts Manager at AkzoNobels Marine Coatings Business, International; Gavin van Popering, former Performance Manager, Underwater Services for A.P. Mller-Maersk Shipping; and Ron van Gelder, Senior Advisor to the Port of Rotterdam, who stressed that the port has an eye for innovation, especially when it supports regulatory compliance. Van Popering said the presence of HullWiper at a significant port like Rotterdam would only be seen as a positive step: The advantages speak for themselves. The versatility and value is still there, despite the drop in fuel prices. HullWiper is a positive step forward for the shipping industry in general. The event ended with a live demonstration of HullWiper in the waters of the Nieuwe Maas. Its inventor and GAC EnvironHulls Technical Director, Robert Andersen, was at hand to answer questions and demonstrate the online fuel calculator which enables ship owners and operators to compare savings reaped using HullWiper with traditional diver-based cleaning methods. HullWiper is seeing growing interest and uptake at the ports where it operates in the Middle East, Far East and Europe. One of Northern Europes oldest ship owners ha ordered hull cleaning in Singapore and in Rotterdam, and is implementing a policy to use HullWiper to clean all its vessels from here on. A leading scientific marine consultancy has also expressed an interest in conducting a rigorous data analysis of HullWiper with a view to putting it to their customers as an efficiency solution. Hullwiper in operation Photo GAC APL announced today that its West Coast 5 (WC5) service will be serving the additional ports of Corinto, Acajutla and Puerto Quetzal in Central America, enhancing direct connectivity between the Port of Los Angeles and the Latin American markets. APL said that the WC5 service has been refined to better support trade activities between Central America and the United States (U.S). As the industries of Central America continue to be key exporters of agricultural produce and commodities; as well as manufactured products such as clothes and textiles to the U.S., APLs enhanced WC5 service will enable a more direct access between the two regions. Meanwhile, shippers can expect to benefit from shorter transit times, compared to trans-shipment options that involve land transportation via Mexico. From 14 September 2016, the enhanced WC5 service will call the ports of Los Angeles, Lazaro Cardenas, Corinto, Acajutla and Puerto Quetzal every week. The Korean Register (KR) an IACS member classification society has announced that it has significantly expanded its land-based test facilities for Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) by opening a brand new specialist facility. KR has been conducting type approval testing of BWMS since 2004, with a consortium of six different partners. KR and its partners segregate the duties, taking into account each organizations specialist expertise. This range of expert knowledge and high quality services was recognized when KR was accepted as the first Independent Laboratory in Asia to be accredited by the United States Coast Guard (USCG IL). Manufacturers who have already secured BWMS type approval from their administrations or have developed new equipment and want to secure USCG type approval testing are currently facing long delays because there are not enough test facilities. As a result, there is a significant bottle-neck of manufacturers awaiting USCG type approval testing, particularly land-based testing. To mitigate this situation, KR and one of its partners, Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute (KOMERI) agreed to work together to establish and to build additional test facilities to meet this demand. On 22 July, 2016, KR and KOMERI and the consortium partners celebrated the completion of the building works for the new land-based test facilities. The test facility, which already offered the largest capacity for BWMS testing of anywhere in the world, has been expanded through the addition of three further units, and it now offers a total testing capacity for Max. TRC 500 m3/h of BWMS together with four testing slots. KRs goal is to meet the growing demand for testing and certifying services from BWMS manufacturers around the world, and by providing high quality specialist services to support the development of improved, more reliable BWMS. The new facility will be approved by the USCG in September and at the same time will become fully operational for land-based testing for USCG type approval as well type approval testing for other Administrations under the IMOs G8 guidelines. Commenting on the completion of the building works, Dr. B. S. Park, Chairman and CEO of KR said, KR and its consortium partners already offer the most expert skills, specialist knowledge and the highest technical capabilities of any test facility anywhere in the world. With this new facility we will be able to offer significantly increased capacity and enhanced type approval services to BWMS manufacturers, ready for the Ballast Water Convention to enter into force. At the same time KR will continue to support its global customers with high quality expert services tailored to their business needs. James Fisher has acquired the entire share capital of Lexmar Engineering Pte Limited and Lexmar Sat Systems Pte Limited (together 'Lexmar'). Lexmar, which was founded in 1996 in Singapore and a specialist providing diving equipment, will become part of JFD and will enhance JFD's saturation diving capability and offering. Together JFD and Lexmar will improve the regional support and capability to defence markets within the Asia Pacific region. The business, complementary to JFDs specialist technical division, is currently completing three 18 man twin bell saturation diving systems. They are currently in the process of undertaking installation and commissioning in China and will commence the third system in Singapore early 2017. The inclusion of Lexmar as part of JFD improves the companys capability and offering of specialist diving equipment services to the Asia Pacific market, enhances the production capacity and customer support in this area, as well as strengthening our support to the Singaporean Navy for all activities related to submarine rescue. Giovanni Corbetta, JFDs MD, commented: We are delighted to welcome Lexmar to the JFD family and are excited at the opportunities this presents to us, particularly within the Asia Pacific region. The addition of Lexmar brings JFD to the forefront of diving equipment capability and saturation diving systems offering and support and will further strengthen our vision to support our clients core operations by offering market leading technology solutions and world class support. Marieke Barker, Lexmars CEO, added: We are very happy to become part of the JFD family as this acquisition provides unique opportunities to grow. Lexmar has come a long way and we are proud and thankful of what we have accomplished and ready to go to the next level with JFD. Together we are strong! JFD are currently completing two saturation diving systems and commissioning is underway in both Norway and Baku. With a track record spanning the last 35 years, the companys track record shows more than 100 systems built. Sixty-four young men and women started their careers at Hapag-Lloyd on yesterday (August 01). Chief Executive Office Rolf Habben Jansen warmly welcomed the new apprentices this morning during an event held at Hapag-Lloyds headquarters in Hamburg. In the land division, 21 young men and 17 young women began their training programs to become shipping agents, forwarding and logistics clerks, office management clerks and warehousing specialists. In addition, some of the on-shore apprentices are also starting dual-track courses of study in Logistics Management, Business Administration, Maritime Management, Information Systems and Applied Informatics. Four more grant holders will also join the IT department in October. In the marine division, 26 apprentices (21 men and five women) will complete training programs to become a ship mechanic or a course to become a nautical or technical officers assistant as a prerequisite for completing a three-year course of study in nautical science or shipping technology. Another 12 apprenticeships will begin their training to become ship mechanics in January 2017. At present, Hapag-Lloyd employs 239 apprentices and students in dual-track study programs. Of these, 127 are based on shore and 112 are in the marine division. Hapag-Lloyd has been investing in the next generation of maritime staff for many years so that Germany remains one of the leading shipping nations in Europe, says Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. Rolf added: Many of our managers and captains today are former Hapag-Lloyd apprentices. Thats just one of the reasons why we view hiring young apprentices as laying the foundation for the future success of our company. Hapag-Lloyd is Germanys largest provider of training in the shipping industry. Up to 90 percent of all graduates will be offered employment at Hapag-Lloyd after completing their training. Some of them also leave to start university-level studies immediately after graduating from the Hapag-Lloyd training programs. 1865 - CSS Shenandoah, commanded by James I. Waddell, encounters the British merchant bark, Barracouta, in the Pacific Ocean and receives the first firm report the Civil War ended in April with the defeat of the Confederacy. Shenandoah rounds Cape Horn in mid-September and arrives at Liverpool in early November, becoming the only Confederate Navy ship to circumnavigate the globe. There she hauls down the Confederate ensign and turns over to the Royal Navy. 1943 - (PT 109), commanded by Lt. j.g. John F. Kennedy, is rammed by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri, which cuts through the vessel at Blackett Strait near Kolombangara Island. Abandoning ship, Kennedy leads his men to swim to an island some miles away. With the aid of a Coastwatcher and local residents, they return to Rendova PT base on Aug. 8. 1944 - While in action with the German submarine (U 804), USS Fiske (DE 143) is torpedoed mid-ship, breaks in two and sinks. Thirty of her crew members are lost with her. 1944 - USS Tautog (SS 199) attacks Japanese (KO 8801) convoy, sinking army cargo ship Konei Maru off Miki saki, Honshu. 1964 - USS Maddox (DD 731) engages three North Vietnamese motor torpedo boats. In the resulting torpedo and gunfire, Maddox hit all the boats, while she was struck only by a single 14.5-millimeter machine gun bullet. Air support arrives from USS Ticonderoga (CVA 14) and her planes strafe the three boats. Both sides then disengage. (Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division) China's Supreme Court said on Tuesday people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year, issuing a judicial interpretation defining those waters as including China's exclusive economic zones. An arbitration court in The Hague ruled last month that China had no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions in the sea, infuriating Beijing which dismissed the case. None of China's reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the court decided. China's Supreme Court made no direct mention of the South China Sea or The Hague ruling, but said its judicial interpretation was made in accordance with both Chinese law and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the Philippines had brought its case. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," the Supreme Court said. "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties ... and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." Jurisdictional seas covered by the interpretation include contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, it said. People who illegally entered Chinese territorial waters and refused to leave after being driven out, or who re-entered after being driven away or being fined in the past year, would be considered to have committed "serious" criminal acts and could get up to a year in jail, the Supreme Court said. "The explanation offers legal guarantees for marine fishing law enforcement," it added. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. China periodically detains fishermen, especially from the Philippines and Vietnam, and Chinese fishermen also occasionally get detained by other claimants in the South China Sea. Separately, China's military has inaugurated a memorial to servicemen who died in clashes with South Vietnamese forces in 1974 which resulted in China cementing its rule over the Paracel Islands, the People's Liberation Army Daily said on Tuesday. The memorial, on Duncan Island, commemorates the 18 Chinese personnel who died, the paper said. Reporting by Ben Blanchard Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Anakhanum Idayatova Trend: The normalization of relations between Turkey and Russia will heal the wounds, which appeared not only in economic sphere, but also in various other fields between the two countries over the past nine months, Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu, vice chairman of the Turkish analytical center Strategic Outlook, told Trend Aug. 2. Henceforth, the sides will continue the implementation of many mutually beneficial projects, said Oztarsu. He noted that Turkeys relations with Russia also affect the relations with countries of the region. Turkey is not able to carry out its usual policy in the region over many months, while the economy, tourism, agriculture and industry need to be improved, said Oztarsu. It is expected that Russia will also cancel visa regime for Turkish citizens soon that will have positive impact on Turkeys cooperation with countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Turkey is a dialogue partner at the SCO. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia on Aug. 9 and will have a meeting with the countrys President Vladimir Putin. Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board. On June 27, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of condolences to Putin over the death of Russian Su-24 pilot and expressed regret over the incident. After that, the two countries relations began to improve. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum The American Waterways Operators (AWO) will hold Subchapter M information sessions open to both members and nonmembers at its summer regional meetings in Portland on August 10, in Pittsburgh on August 17 and in New York on August 24. Subchapter M is one of the most important rulemakings ever to affect the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and the AWO said it is committed to helping all members successfully navigate the transition to towing vessel inspection. AWOs Board of Directors has also asked the association to serve as an information resource for the entire industry, including tugboat and towboat companies that do not belong to AWO, so that the rules promise of improved marine safety and environmental stewardship industry-wide can be achieved. The information sessions will provide information regarding the Subchapter M rule and its implementation from AWO staff and members of the Coast Guards Subchapter M Implementation Team. Each session will include briefings and updates on: The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Tuesday issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China's jurisdiction over its territorial seas, reports Xinhua. "Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty," said the statement, adding, "People's courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China's territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests." The explanation provides clear legal basis for China to safeguard maritime order, marine safety and interests, and to exercise integrated management over the country's jurisdictional seas, said an SPC statement. The regulation, taking effect on Tuesday, stated that Chinese citizens or foreigners would be pursued criminal liability if they were engaged in illegal hunting or fishing, or killing endangered wildlife in China's jurisdictional seas. The judicial explanation, based on Chinese law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and judicial practices, further clarifies China's maritime jurisdiction, the statement said. Softening demand growth coupled with larger liner shipping alliances and bigger ships is moving the container ports industry towards a value sector from growth sector, albeit still highly profitable, according to the Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Report 2016 published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Global and international container terminal operators are faced with the dual challenges of weaker demand growth and rising operating and capital costs due to larger vessels and alliances. On the stock markets, ports are increasingly seen as a mature value sector rather than a growth sector. Global container port demand is forecast by Drewry to grow by less than 3% per annum over the next five years with projections softened in particular due to the sharp slowdown in Chinas exports. Positives are the resilience of the Middle East and South Asia and potential recovery of Russia (along with oil prices). In response, terminal operators and investors have been urgently reviewing capacity expansion plans. Many projects within the five-year forecast horizon are already too far advanced to change significantly, but those scheduled to appear later in the period are subject to reconsideration in terms of timing and scale. For terminal operators, the focus is switching from greenfield developments to M&A activity, with a number of major deals already in the pipeline and more likely to come. APM Terminals has acquired Grup TCB, CMA CGM bought APL and Yilport is taking over Tertir. Three Chinese companies China Merchants Port Holdings, Cosco and China Shipping (the latter two now merged) have a strong appetite and significant activity in terms of expansion through buying existing businesses. By 2020 the combined Cosco-China Shipping entity will be the largest of Drewrys global/international terminal operators (measured by capacity), albeit with a large proportion of this in one country (China). Neil Davidson, Drewrys senior analyst for ports and terminals said It is clear that global and international terminal operators are fundamentally reviewing their strategies, becoming cooler on greenfield projects and more interested in M&A opportunities. A natural response to the increasing size of liner alliances is for terminal operators to look to consolidate terminal ownership in parallel. However, a dichotomy in approaches is evident. On the one hand many of the established international players have become more cautious because they are concerned that returns may be less than what they are used to," he said. "But on the other hand there are several expansion minded players like the Chinese operators and Yilport Holdings (a new entrant this year in Drewrys league tables of global and international terminal operators) whose top strategic priority is to acquire more assets, added Davidson. Japan has accused China of being assertive over maritime issues, taking actions that effectively amount to a "fait accompli", reports Strait Times. In its 484-page annual defence white paper on Tuesday (Aug 2), the defence ministry said the aggressive actions by China could "cause unintended consequences", referring to past incidents including one where a China naval frigate entered Japan's contiguous zone this year, near a crop of islets in the East China Sea that has been claimed by both countries. The report called Chinas reclamation moves in the South China Sea a provocation, and urged Beijing to accept a recent international arbitration ruling. It said Chinas escalating activity in the East China Sea caused Japan to scramble against Chinese warplanes more than 570 times last year. The islets, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have been a constant flashpoint between both countries in recent years. "Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku islands such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands," said the defence paper. The report said China has stepped up activity around Japancontrolled islands that Beijing also claims, adding that a Chinese warship entered a strip of water just outside Japanese claimed waters in the area. Chinas actions over conflicting maritime claims are unilateral and high-handed, and some of them are dangerous actions that could trigger unanticipated situations, the report said. They raise strong concern about what may happen in the future. Beijing didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Greece has received only one bid to build and run a new rail freight terminal outside Athens, a project it has been trying to get underway for years, the country's transport ministry said on Tuesday. The bid is from ETBA, a unit of Greece's Piraeus Bank which develops and manages industrial parks, in collaboration with Goldair, a domestic firm offering cargo and logistics services, the ministry said. The selected investor will build and operate the terminal at Thriasio for 60 years under a 250 million-euro ($280 million) investment plan which will create a new rail freight transport hub linking up with Greece's largest port of Piraeus. Greece, which had to turn to its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund in 2010 to be rescued from its debt crisis, is still struggling to revive its economy after seven years of recession. The project will create some 3,000 jobs over 10 years, cut transport costs and turn the country into a gateway for imports to central Europe, the ministry said in a statement. The deadline for binding bids for the new terminal - which was pushed back twice this year to give investors more time to prepare - expired on Monday. The process is being managed by state-owned company GAIAOSE, real estate manager for national railways operator OSE. "There has been one bid by ETBA and Goldair and GAIAOSE's task now is to evaluate the bid," said an official at GAIAOSE who declined to be named. Once the investor has qualified, GAIAOSE will unseal technical and financial details of the proposal. The official said it would aim to have the details of the financial offer by the end of the month. Sources close to the process said on Monday that ETBA was interested in the project but another potential suitor, China's COSCO along with Greek real estate firms Grivalia and NBG Pangaea, a unit of National Bank, would not submit an offer. Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou THORNICO launched its newest player on the shipping market, the dry bulk carrier Thorco Bulk. THORNICO already owns the project oriented carrier Thorco and with this expansion it aims to offer a wider range of services to meet the needs and demands of their clients. Thorco Bulk will be an asset-light operator, primarily within the handy/supra segment. The team behind Thorco Bulk consists of the three Managing Directors Marc Slinger, Rene Mikkelsen and Uffe Hansen. They all have years of experience within shipping and according to THORNICO owners, Thor and Christian Stadil. Rene, Marc and Uffe have a great track record, great know-how and expertise within the field and furthermore, an eye for sound business practice. We thus believe that the business model is sound and puts us in a great position to capitalize on any synergies, they both elaborate. A Sound Expansion According to Thor Stadil, an expansion into the dry bulk segment, in the form of the new company Thorco Bulk, seems natural and complements the existing business very well. During the last years, the lines between the different shipping segments have been fading and especially bulk is a growing part of the business. We are very strong within project and as the segments overlap, it makes sense to expand the business to get closer to our clients and thus be able to serve them with a wider range of services, he explains. The two Thorco companies will be separate subsidiaries, each running their businesses independently within bulk and project. Still, they will as sister companies be run very closely. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Orkhan Guluzade Trend: In connection with the military coup attempt in Turkey, the countrys prosecutor's office and the bureau of investigation of the constitution violations are conducting investigation at the Akinci Air Base, which was the headquarters of the coup plotters, the Haber 7 newspaper reported Aug. 2. Head of Turkeys general staff and other high officials of the countrys armed forces were also held hostage on the day of the coup attempt at the Akinci Air Base located in Ankara. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced the closure of the Akinci military base. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade All the Trump men, and Consiglieri Twentieth-century Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment, Joseph Goebbels, stressed how best to psychologically control the masses. Abstracted by scholars Jowett and ODonnell, these principles are: 1. Avoid abstract ideas and appeal to the emotions. 2. Constantly repeat just a few ideas and use stereotyped phrases. 3. Give only one side of the argument. 4. Continuously criticize the opponents. 5. Pick out one special enemy for special vilification. The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous, wrote Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these slogans ..." Goebbels concurred. The rank and file are more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious ... keep forever repeating them in this simplified form despite the objections of intellectuals. For example, repeat: Make America Great Again! America First! USA! USA! USA! Build The Wall! After the Brexit victory in Britain that Donald Trump supported, a major donor said it was won on the basis of emotion, like the Trump campaign, rather than fact fact fact fact fact. Where will fact fact fact fact fact fit into Decision 2016: Clinton vs. Trump, if at all? Are anti-intellectualism, press suppression, character assassinations and McCarthyism on the rise along with Donald Trump? Anti-intellectualism is a component of the Trump movement, but has historical antecedents. In 1963, Richard Hofstadter analyzed anti-intellectualism in American life. He concluded it was historically embedded in the culture of America, an outcome of its European and evangelical Protestant heritage. In 1952, Adlai Stevenson was called an egghead by Richard Nixon during the 1952 U.S. presidential race. Egghead became a pejorative term that replaced the former epithet highbrow used to denigrate intellectuals. In 1969, Richard Nixons Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, swiped against Vietnam War protesters calling them an effete core of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals. That [Agnew phrase] perfectly sums up todays self-delegated protectors of American conservatism, wrote Roger Stone at pro-Trump Breitbart.com, as, in their desperation to stop Donald Trump at all cost. Roger Stone, who once allegedly jumped out of Trumps inner circle but now has magically returned as ally, is known as a GOP political provocateur and dirty trickster. He was Nixons dirty trickster before he was Reagans dirty trickster before he was George H.W. Bushs dirty trickster, wrote CNN. On November 22, 2000, Stone disrupted the Florida vote recount effort in Miami-Dade County. Later, the Supreme Court stopped all recounts; Al Gore conceded; and George W. Bush became the next president. Stones operation in Florida became known in the trade as the Brooks Brothers riot. Roger Stone had been a protege of Watergate felon Donald Segretti who wrote the Canuck Letter that destroyed Edmund Muskies presidential hopes in 1972. Segretti was an agent provocateur of Nixons infamous 1972 Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP), where Karl Rove, the election guru of George W. Bush, also worked. Stone recently chided his friend Trump with words that parallel those of Hitler and Goebbels. Campaigns cannot be a democracy, they must be a dictatorship, he told Politico.com. Also dominating the Trump campaign is Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort who, as one acerbic critic wrote, is an unsavory type who looks like he just stepped out of one of the less successful Godfather movies. Over the course of a long lobbying career in D.C., Manafort and his firm made a fortune fronting for a group of clients once referred to as the torturers lobby, wrote The Daily Beast. [Manafort and company] made millions by representing a rogues gallery of clients: dictators, guerilla groups, and despots with no regard for human rightsincluding one man responsible for mass amputations, and another who oversaw state-sanctioned rape. In 1970, Vice-President Agnew denounced journalists as nattering nabobs of negativism. In May, 2016, Donald J. Trump said, [t]he press should be ashamed of themselves ... they are not good people ... The political press is among the most dishonest people that Ive ever met. But it was what Donald Trump learned from Joe McCarthys Red-baiting consigliere, Roy Cohn, that will remain a fixture in the Trump campaign and possible future presidency. Mr. Trumps wrecking ball of a presidential bid ... has been a Roy Cohn number on a grand scale, wrote The New York Times. Mr. Trumps response to the Orlando massacre, with his ominous warnings of a terrorist attack that could wipe out the country and his conspiratorial suggestions of a Muslim fifth column in the United States, seemed to have been ripped straight out of the Cohn playbook. And just what were Donald Trumps ties to the Mob? Politico.com (May 22, 2016) will tell you. USA? USA? USA? 2016 Michael T. Bucci. (Michael T. Bucci is a retired public relations executive currently residing in New England.) Notes: Propaganda - Goebbels' Principles, http://www.physics.smu.edu/pseudo/Propaganda/goebbels.html Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda, Leonard W. Doob, Public Opinion Quarterly, Fall 1950 pp. 419-442 (PDF) https://istifhane.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/goebbels.pdf Hitler, Adolf, Mein Kampf Vol. 1 Ch. VI, The receptivity of the great masses is very limited ... http://www.physics.smu.edu/pseudo/Propaganda/ Propaganda http://www.physics.smu.edu/pseudo/Propaganda/ Anti-intellectualism in American Life, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-intellectualism_in_American_Life Egghead, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egghead Trumpism and Reaganism, Roger Stone and Paul Nagy, Breitbard.com, February 15, 2016. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/15/trump-ism-and-reagan-ism/ nattering nabobs of negativism, Taegan Goddard, Taegan Goddards Political Dictionary. http://politicaldictionary.com/words/nattering-nabobs-of-negativism/ Donald Trump declares war on the press, Paul Waldman, Washington Post, May 31, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/05/31/donald-trump-declares-war-on-the-press/ The return of Roger Stone, Dylan Byers, CNN, April 19, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/19/politics/roger-stone-donald-trump/ Trump Campaign Now Run by Manafort-Stone Torturers Lobby, with Many CIA-Backed Overseas Clients, Webster Tarpley. April 21, 2016. http://tarpley.net/trump-campaign-now-run-by-manafort-stone-torturers-lobby/ Presidential Key Events: George W. Bush, Miller Center-American President. http://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/key-events Context of 'February 24-25, 1972: Canuck Letter Destroys Muskies Presidential Hopes; Letter a Nixon Campaign Trick', History Commons.com. http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a022472canuckletter Trump ally Roger Stone says campaign must be a dictatorship, Politico, July 19, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/roger-stone-campaigns-dictatorships-225803 What Donald Trump Learned From Joseph McCarthys Right-Hand Man, Jonathan Mahler and Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, June 20, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/us/politics/donald-trump-roy-cohn.html?_r=0 Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob?, David Cay Johnston, Politico, May 22, 2016. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910#ixzz4F0NteTLk ### 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Economic Confidence Index Plunges while Stock Market Makes Record Highs The Gallup Poll has released an Economic Confidence Index which reflects the sentiment of Americans, as it pertains to the economy. As the stock market makes new record highs and the housing bubble market soars, one would expect that the average American would be smiling from ear to ear. However, the chart below appears to present nothing but gloom and doom. The Gallup Polls results are dumbfounding the American public as to why this divergence has occurred. I feel we have touched upon a few points as to why this is occurring. First off, half of all Americans do not even own one stock. Secondly, there are many U.S. companies making large profits overseas. That may be positive for the company but that does not necessarily translate into a better financial position for mainstream Americans. A survey was recently released showing that 62 percent of Americans do not even have $1000.00 in their savings accounts. Most Americans are only one small emergency expense away from being on the streets. What this means is that many will simply rely on credit cards, friends and/or family for their funding should a financial emergency arise. Is this meant to be our economic recovery? How much do Americans save? Housing values, which are being artificially inflated, only prevent Americans from purchasing their dream homes, as is reflected in low homeownership rates. The housing market is once again too expensive for most American families to afford. During the last housing bubble, many Americans were able to partake in the mania and enjoy equity gains although they were fleeting. This time around, most of the gains are going to investors and large institutional buyers that have crowded out mainstream America. This is a first in history to occur, at least on this large of a scale. The homeownership rate is the lowest in a generation as many young Americans are saddled with unsurmountable student loans and consequently forced to return to living at home. Inflated home prices coupled with decreasing incomes, provide a recipe for disaster! Total wealth, in the U.S., is at a record high level, once again. Consequently, most of the gains are in the hands of a very few. Americans are angry with the establishment and are frustrated with their economic uncertainty Americans no longer trust mainstream media. This is being reflected in the political climate: i.e., non-establishment candidates, Brexit, etc. and even new asset classes like digital currencies like bitcoin. The stock market is fully decoupled as to how good Americans are doing, overall. The SPX is up a stunning 220% since the lows that were reached in 2009 and US economic confidence index shows more people simply do not trust the economic numbers and media. Concluding Thoughts: In short, I continue to warn about a down turn in both the economy and stock market. The markets continue to mature and the leading indicators point to a sharp correction in the financial systems I the coming months. Safe haven investments have rocketed higher like bonds, gold, silver, mining stocks as smart money positioned its self in preparation for a crisis. As I have mentioned many times already, is just going to take one bad event or piece of data to cause the tipping point for the market. The question is when and what will it be? Just like the 2008 bear market in stocks and financial down turn, this will be no different in terms of what will happen, just like every previous bear market/financial down turn before that. Stock prices will fall, people will lose their jobs, companies go bankrupt, housing defaults increase, personal spending comes to a grinding halt. When it comes to our investment and trading capital, you can either ride the financial rollercoaster and do nothing, move to cash with some safe haven investments like bonds/precious metals, or bet against the US economy and watch your net worth reach new highs during a time when everyone you know is losing money, jobs and confidence. Follow my weekly articles, swing trades, and long-term ETF investing positions. Chris Vermeulen www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com Join my email list FREE and get my next article which I will show you about a major opportunity in bonds and a rate spike www.GoldAndOilGuy.com Chris Vermeulen is Founder of the popular trading site TheGoldAndOilGuy.com. There he shares his highly successful, low-risk trading method. For 7 years Chris has been a leader in teaching others to skillfully trade in gold, oil, and silver in both bull and bear markets. Subscribers to his service depend on Chris' uniquely consistent investment opportunities that carry exceptionally low risk and high return. Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. What You Need to Know If Youre Exposed to Muni Bonds The housing bust was awful, particularly in Florida and other sand states. As the economy slowed, consumers lost their jobs, and when they couldnt pay their mortgages, they then lost their homes. Even though that wrenching period happened almost a decade ago, it will live in our memories for years to come. I can recall much of the pain, but also other aspects of the moment. Some people were desperate for the relief that came their way; others were using it as cover to game the system. Were about to see the same thing happen again, but this time on a much larger scale. And the sucker on the other end of the line wont be a bank or faceless mortgage company, it will be individual investors, and once again theyll have government help to blame.During the housing disaster, the government took a series of steps to ease the pain, including mortgage modification and relief from taxes on forgiven debt. At the time, government officials were looking for any tool that would stop the financial bleeding, and almost forcing the banks to write down loans seemed like a good way to do it.Struggling homeowners able to modify their loans and stay in their homes were thrilled. Those that just wanted out of the trap went the short sale route and were also glad for a way forward. But another homeowner category rose to prominence, those looking to accrue ill-gotten gains.These people simply stopped paying their mortgages, daring their lenders to foreclose and become stuck with the property.At one point, foreclosure courts in Florida were running 600 days behind. Homeowners that chose not to pay knew that their lender couldnt move on the property for almost two years. I know of people who stayed in their homes without paying for over four years, pocketing the cash that would have gone to the lender.This wasnt what the government had in mind, of course. Officials had a nice, happy plan where everyone plays by the amended rules and things come out well in the end.It never happens that way, as were seeing today.Puerto Rico is out of money. The Commonwealth begged Washington for debt relief, since the territorial laws of the U.S. and the islands own constitution dont allow for paying creditors less than they are owed.The day before Puerto Rico owed $2 billion in principal and interest, Congress and the President approved a restructuring plan, called Promesa, that allows the Commonwealth to pay back less than it owes, as long as it agrees to a federal financial oversight board and follows certain rules.The move was hailed as a great step forward for the struggling territory, and showed that the federal government wasnt deaf to the fiscal woes of Puerto Ricans. Bondholders were furious. The Puerto Rican constitution demands bond principal and interest be paid first.First, as in before any other expenses.Instead, the federal government is allowing Puerto Rican officials to keep the lights on, paying civil salaries and meeting other essential obligations, even though they arent making good on their debts.But it didnt stop there.Before the ink was dry on Promesa, Puerto Rican Governor Padilla unveiled his budget for fiscal 2017, which runs from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The document is a vivid example of putting politics ahead of contracts.The governor approved the payment of half the debt service due in July, but not on the most senior, secured bonds. Instead, he authorized payment of junior bonds issued for the convention center and local roads that are more widely held by Puerto Ricans.Beyond that, he authorized almost no debt service whatsoever for the entire year. He also approved moving $800 million to the public employee pension fund, which is $170 million more than would have been required during the year. Beyond the big-ticket items, the budget allocates $2.5 million for the Office of the First Lady to spend on incidentals, and money for the development of professional Puerto Rican athletes.Investors went crazy when the governor presented the budget, and eventually filed a lawsuit to stop the Puerto Rican government from sucking all the money out of the system before any restructuring could happen.Puerto Rican supporters claim investor fears arent justified. If the oversight board deems the payments unnecessary, they can just claw them back. Really?How do you claw back money paid out as principal and interest on junior bonds? How do you unwind payments by the Office of the First Lady for daily expenses? What sort of legal fight would start if the Puerto Rican government tried to reclaim cash from its woefully underfunded pension system?Those dollars are gone forever, and the investors know it.Take this as an example of things to come. When states in dire financial straits, like Illinois, Kentucky, and Connecticut, start scraping the bottom of their financial barrels, they will look for someone to sacrifice.Theyll eventually identify bondholders, claiming they couldnt possibly cut expenses in their own state, even if thats what the law requires. Eventually, the federal government will devise a plan for restructuring debt, but like Puerto Rico, there wont be any good faith effort to send bondholders everything they are due.Instead, state politicians will gobble up any lingering grace period, and any leeway they can find, shoveling money to the most expediential political places like underfunded pensions.Municipal bond investors should view this as a wake-up call. No one wants to wake up owning bonds issued by the next Detroit or Puerto Rico.Now is the time to review your portfolio and identify the potential investment landmines, then dump them in an orderly fashion.If you dont, its possible the government will have a hand in deciding how much of your money you get back, and its a good bet you wont be happy. Rodney Follow me on Twitter ;@RJHSDent By Rodney Johnson, Senior Editor of Economy & Markets http://economyandmarkets.com Copyright 2016 Rodney Johnson - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Rodney Johnson Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 Trend: Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the anti-Turkey ticker at the Vienna airport, the TRT Haber news channel reported Aug.2. What kind of democracy is this? said Erdogan during the meeting with foreign investors. Earlier, a live ticker 'travelling to Turkey will only support Erdogan' appeared at the Vienna airport. Turkeys Minister for the EU Affairs Omer Celik said that the anti-Turkey ticker is a hostile action and violation of European values. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Turkey is a very strong and longstanding member of NATO, and historically made significant contributions to the well-being of all its allies, Ismail Alper Coskun, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Trend in an interview. "Currently if we are looking at the geography that Turkey is situated in, our continuous contributions are quite evident," the ambassador said. Coskun said he does not see any direct correlation between Turkey's relationship with NATO and what is going on in Turkey. Obviously it is a big challenge because significant number of military personal have been withdrawn from the duties. Some have been retired, some have been implicated in the coup attempt, the ambassador said. But Turkey institutes with a number of new reforms and wants to make sure that what happened on 15th of July will never be repeated in Turkey, the ambassador said. He also added that all the institutions in Turkey will be reformed and both with the democracy and with systemic improvements the country will continue to play very important role not only in this region or as a member of the alliance, but on the global scale. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. MARTINSVILLE Valeria Baires wants to donate blood. Thats good news for the Red Cross, which announced on Monday theyre facing critical blood shortages. The problem is the Henry County teenager cant contribute, because shes been out of the country recently. "I travel in and out of the country a lot because I have family overseas and south of the border," Baires said. "Thats the main reason Im not allowed to donate blood." Food and Drug Administration rules dont allow anyone who has been out of the United States or Canada in the last three years to give blood. In that case, Baires likely never will be eligible, as she visits her family as often as possible. Its a shame, because she has Type O blood, basically making her a universal donor. Its the same for many local Hispanic families. Due to those travel restrictions, theyre not able to contribute. As the blood supply in Virginia reaches critical levels, the rules appear to block off a portion of the population that could help. "Researchers have found that nearly 60 percent of the Hispanic population has Type O blood, which is most frequently requested by hospitals to treat a range of patients from trauma victims to premature babies," explains a release from the One Blood Organization. The group encourages people to donate and help others. Why is there a travel restriction in place? Its due to the threat of Malaria. Blood donations are not tested for malaria because there is no sensitive blood test available for the illness. Since its impossible to guarantee donations wont have a Malaria strain, the FDA puts the restrictions in place. But aside from travel, why do people refuse to donate? Theres no denying the need. Across the country, every two seconds a patient needs either blood or platelets, according to Red Cross statistics. "Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in," said Nick Gehrig, communications director for the Red Cross Blood Services Operation. Other donation centers around the U.S. are seeing the same problem. Miller-Keystone Blood Center is experiencing the same issue. Overall, the issue is the same. About 50 percent of the population is eligible to donate, but only 5 percent usually do, according to some of the Centers statistics. "The Red Cross continues to have an emergency need for blood and platelet donors to give now and help save patient lives," said Bernadette Jay of the Appalachian Blood Services Region. "We are grateful for those who have already stepped up this summer to give and want to remind those who are eligible that hospital patients are still counting on them to roll up a sleeve." Blood and platelets are used in multiple ways. Hospitals use them to treat accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. So what stops people from donating? The answer seems to be the restrictions. Thousands of gay men, for example, cant give blood because of a law set in place by the Federal Drug Administration. Any gay man who wants to donate must be celibate for a full year, under the rules. The issue came up for several locals who knew people killed in the Orlando shooting. Friends and family members of the deceased also found themselves unable to donate, because of the 12-month restriction. "Its ridiculous; there is no reason why they shouldnt be able to donate," said Cassandra Bragdon. The college junior feels some of the restrictions placed on donations, like the 12-month rule and travel ban, are outdated. Other people tend to steer clear of donations not because of restrictions, but rather due to how its collected. "The needles bruise my arm so bad that if I go to the doctor, they have to use a butterfly needle on me," said Bassett resident Brenda Stewart. "If I donate to the Red Cross, they use a rather large needle that bruises me for weeks." There are two blood drives going on this week in Henry County. The first is from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the RSMO Holiday Shopping Center in Collinsville, 1910 Virginia Avenue. The next is Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Blackberry Baptist Church, 3241 Stones Dairy Road in Bassett. HomePage-Panel-1.jpg Mass General. Massachusetts General Hospital has again been named one of the top hospitals in the nation for patient care. U.S. News & World Report, in its 27th annual Best Hospitals rankings released Tuesday, named the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota the top hospital in the nation, followed by the Cleveland Clinic. Massachusetts General Hospital came in third on this year's list. Mass. General was rated the best hospital in America last year and placed second in 2014. The 204-year-old hospital serves as the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and oversees the largest research program based in any hospital in the world. It employs over 23,000 workers making it the largest non-governmental employer in the city. Hospital reputation, patient survival rates and adequacy of medical staffing are a few of the factors U.S. News researchers consider in the rankings. Third in the nation, Mass. General was the highest ranked hospital in Massachusetts. Bringham and Women's Hospital, another top institution for care in Boston, was ranked at 13. Both hospitals were honored for speciality care. Massachusetts General was rated fourth best in the nation for cardiology, behind the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center was ranked fourth for cancer treatment. Baystate Medical Center was ranked the third best hospital in the state, 40th in the nation. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center was the fourth highest rated in the state and Tufts Medical Center came in fifth. When it comes to treating children, another Boston hospital took top billing overall and in seven of 10 specialities ranked. Boston Children's Hospital was ranked number one children's hospital for the second year in a row by U.S. News. It was ranked the top hospital for the following specialities: cardiology; gastroenterology; neonatology; nephrology; neurology; orthopedics; and urology. The hospital placed second for diabetes and pulmonology. Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center was named the best children's hospital in the country for cancer treatment. The hospitals were rated on a number of factors, from clinical outcomes to availability of programs tailored to particular illnesses and conditions. Additionally, the children's hospitals were ranked based on where doctors would take their own children. U.S. News asked 8,000 pediatric specialists across 10 fields to name the hospitals they consider the best for children with serious or difficult illnesses, regardless of price or location. Cheryl Boone Isaacs Springfield native Cheryl Boone Isaacs was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors on July 30, 2013. (AP file photo) Updated on Aug. 2: Cheryl Boone Isaacs was re-elected to a fourth one-year term on Tuesday night. The other officers elected were Jeffrey Kurland, first vice president and chair of the awards and events committee; John Baily, vice president and chair of the preservation and history committee; Kathleen Kennedy, vice president and chair of the museum committee; Nancy Utley, vice president and chair of the education and outreach committee; Jim Gianopulos, treasurer and chair of the finance committee; and David Rubin, secretary and chair of the membership and administration committee. __________ The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences' board of governors is expected to re-elect Springfield native Cheryl Boone Isaacs tonight to a fourth-term as the Academy's president, Deadline reported. Under the Academy's rules, officers may serve as up to four successive one-year terms. Boone Isaacs, 66, led the Academy during the #OscarsSoWhite controversy earlier this year and developed a plan to boost diversity among its mostly white, male membership. Of 683 prospective new members asked to join the Academy in late June, 46 percent were women, 41 percent were people of color, and 283 were from abroad. Boone Isaacs, who has been described as a soft-spoken, conservative Hollywood marketing executive, became the first African-American to lead the Academy and only the third woman to serve as its president when she was first elected in 2013. She has worked in Hollywood for 40 years and heads CBI Enterprises, Inc., where she advised on such Oscar winning films as "The Artist" and "The King's Speech." Boone Isaacs grew up on Alden Street, not far from Springfield College, with her three siblings and later moved to the Sixteen Acres section of the city. Her interest in filmmaking was shared by her brother, the late Ashley Boone Jr., a marketing and distribution executive associated with such hits as "Star Wars" and "Chariots of Fire." For much of his life, Boone was known as the industry's highest-ranking black executive. When he died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, at the age of 55, Variety called him "a Jackie Robinson of Hollywood." Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.2 By Orkhan Guluzade - Trend: Turkey has protected Europe from the refugee influx, the TRT Haber news channel quoted Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Aug.2. He made the remarks during the meeting with international investors in Ankara. Europe has never kept its word. They havent yet paid 3 billion euros to upkeep the refugees, he said. Earlier, Turkeys then Minister for the EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir said that by late February, Ankara will receive $3 billion euros allocated by the EU to upkeep the Syrian refugees in Turkey. At present, over 2 million Syrian refugees are in Turkey. Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread throughout the provinces and cities of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria. Chick-fil-A-Kitchen-Candid.jpg Chick-fil-A will open a restaurant this fall at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. (Chick-fil-A photo) Chick-fil-A will be bringing its hand-breaded boneless chicken breast sandwiches, Waffle Potato Fries and hand-spun milkshakes to the Mohegan Sun Casino this fall. The new restaurant will be located across from Carlo's Bakery in Casino of the Earth and near a future entrance to the Earth Tower hotel, which is also opening this fall. "We're very excited to be welcoming Chick-fil-A as a new restaurant offering for guests here at Mohegan Sun. They're an extremely popular restaurant, with some of the best tasting menu options you can find anywhere. Their commitment to their team members and top quality guest service is in alignment with our culture and values. We can't wait to open this fall," said Mohegan Sun's President and General Manager Ray Pineault in a statement. The Uncasville, Conn., restaurant will be one of more than 2,000 Chick-fil-A locations across 43 states and Washington, D.C. Locally, there are Chick-fil-A restaurants in Chicopee, Westborough, Peabody, Burlington and Framinham, as well as Enfield and Wallingford, Conn. Mohegan Sun, which will mark its 20th anniversary in October, will open its 400-room, $130 million Earth Tower in the fall. The casino is also undertaking a $50 million renovation of its 14-year-old Sky Tower hotel. AGAWAM The Agawam Police Department, Mayor Richard Cohen, and community partners will host the town's 33rd Annual Night Out Against Crime today, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at School Street Park, 511 School St. Before the event, there will be free cars eat checks at 3 p.m. A properly installed car seat can save a child's life, according to authorities. Mayor Cohen has invited the public to come out and "join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the crime and drug prevention event." Night Out, the equivalent of a public safety carnival for the whole family, will include free hotdogs and beverages, a dance presentation, face painting, balloon sculpting, a giant inflatable tunnel, and a number of other safety-oriented activities and presentations for children and adults alike, including: bike safety tips; ID kits for kids; free document shredding to prevent identity theft; information booths and giveaways; a police K-9 demonstration; Agawam firefighters using the Jaws of Life hydraulic extrication tool; and a photo opportunity for youngsters to have their picture taken in a giant car seat. Agawam police and firefighters will be joined by representatives of the Massachusetts State Police, MEMA, Agawam Emergency Management, Hampden County Sheriff's Department, U.S. Marshals Office, and private security businesses, all of whom will be available to discuss safety and security issues with the public. A Massachusetts State Police helicopter will be landing at 5:15 p.m., and live music by Corey & The Knightsmen begins at 7 at the band shell. Agawam Police Officer Robert Burke has more information at 413-726-9787. National Night Out organizers estimate more than 38.3 million people will participate in this year's anti-crime initiative, which is designed to: Ryan O'Donnell, a candidate for an at-large seat on the Northampton City Council, offers a brief biography and answers to questions relating to his experience and desire to serve. His opponent is Marlene Morin. The election is Thursday. 1.) Please provide some brief biographical information, to include: street address, highest education level, current occupation and any other personal information you would be comfortable sharing. Ryan is vice president of the Northampton City Council, and is in his second term as the councilor for Ward 3. He was born in 1980 and went to public schools in the Valley. After graduating from UMass in 2002, Ryan worked at the Fine Arts Center and then moved to the Washington, D.C., area, where he worked with nonprofit organizations such as Common Cause on issues of campaign finance reform and government transparency. After returning home to Western Massachusetts, he has continued to do that kind of work as a consultant. He lives on Day Avenue. More at www.ryanodonnell.org. 2.) What are some of the big-ticket items you see coming down the road for Northampton? Please state them and comment on how they can be paid for. Northampton has a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan, encompassing many different projects involving new construction and replacement of old and aging infrastructure. Specifically, this includes everything from pump stations and sewer lines to buildings and equipment, and much of it is related to necessary improvements to almost every aspect of our Wastewater Treatment Plant on Hockanum Road. The costs of this infrastructure work will be significant and ongoing. Generally speaking, most of the upgrades will be financed from the city's sewer enterprise fund. I believe that making these investments, while unpleasant, is fiscally responsible. Kicking the can down the road and neglecting urgent projects will only lead to higher costs later on. This is another example of the how City Council cannot play politics with our budget. We must make responsible and effective investments in our city, especially in those things people rely on every day. 3.) Please discuss why you are running for the office. I am running to represent all of Northampton. I will strive for equity in services and funding across all seven wards, and represent people whether they live in Leeds, Florence or Northampton, whether they are homeowners or renters, whether we agree or disagree. The City Council is a coequal branch of government with the mayor, and must not only scrutinize proposals that come our way, but originate our own. I have done this by strengthening affordability and energy requirements in our zoning code, by writing a first-in-the-state ordinance to reduce money in local politics and by prohibiting the privatization of our water system. I will work to make Northampton a place where people of all income levels can live, explore new ways to boost the local economy, stand up for our public schools and advocate for affordable housing. 4.) Please discuss what you would like to say about your opponent. I commend my opponent for stepping up to run for this office, and I do not doubt her love for or commitment to the City of Northampton. 5.) Please describe your ties to the city of Northampton. I grew up in the Valley and have spent most of my life here. I love Northampton and I want to help give people a city government that they are proud of. My mother's side of the family is originally from Holyoke, where my grandfather was a public school teacher for 25 years. My mother and father were married at St. Mary's Church and then lived for a number of years on Isabella Street in Northampton. My parents separated just before I was born, after which my mother moved us to an affordable unit in an apartment complex in Amherst. After working in the D.C. area, I returned to Western Massachusetts and became involved locally with the Ward Three Neighborhood Association and the Northampton Living Wage Coalition. Eventually I had the opportunity to represent my part of the city, Ward 3, on the City Council. Serving in this way has been one of the most meaningful things I have ever done because I got to directly help people in my community. 6.) Please discuss whether you perceive racial profiling as an issue with the Northampton Police Department. Recently, under the leadership of Chief Jody Kasper, Northampton became the first city in the commonwealth to participate in the White House's Police Data Initiative. As part of the initiative, our police department will regularly publish important up-to-date information about policing in a transparent and accessible way. Data sets on topics like traffic citations and use of force, along with demographic data on race and ethnicity, are or will be available online for anyone to review. The reality is that bias exists everywhere in America, within all of our institutions, manifested in ways both explicit and implicit. The real question is whether Northampton's police department and its leadership are resolved to listening, understanding and exploring ways to improve, and I am proud to say that I believe they are. Defense attorneys for Michelle Carter, the teenager charged with manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself, have asked the court to throw out all evidence police obtained from her. Carter appeared in court July 29, in her first hearing since the state's Supreme Judicial Court rejected her lawyers' petition to have her case thrown out. That day, the Boston Globe reports, her defense attorneys filed a motion to suppress the police evidence, arguing it was illegally obtained. The motion alleges that police officers who interviewed Carter at school following her boyfriend's death asked for her phone and laptop passwords without a warrant and before arresting her or telling her of her right to an attorney. That claim does not exactly square with the contents of a detective's arrest warrant, which says that the officers did have a search warrant for her phone when they approached her, according to the Globe. But the detective did not write that he physically produced the warrant before obtaining her passwords, the Globe reports. On her phone, police found a series of text messages which prosecutors say show a deliberate campaign to encourage her boyfriend, Mattapoisett native Conrad Roy, to kill himself. Carter stands accused of involuntary manslaughter for that series of text messages. Roy killed himself by ingestion carbon monoxide in a Kmart parking lot in 2014. And now, after the state's Supreme Judicial Court upheld the charges, the case is moving forward in Taunton Juvenile Court. The criminal case has stretched on for well over a year. Carter was charged with involuntary manslaughter in February of 2015. In September Taunton Juvenile Court Judge Bettina Borders rejected Cataldo's motion to dismiss the charge, allowing the case to move forward and for Carter to be charged as a "youthful offender." Free speech, Borders ruled, does not extend to encouraging suicide. Cataldo then filed an appeal to a single justice of the state Supreme Judicial Court and the district attorney's office filed a response in November. The full court announced it would hear the case in February, and earlier this month ruled that the charges were proper and the case can proceed. In the defense's appeal brief, Carter's attorneys wrote that prosecutors had overcharged Carter to compensate for a lack of applicable law against encouraging suicide in Massachusetts. "Charging her with manslaughter was a transparent effort calculated to circumvent the fact that the legislature has not criminalized words that encourage suicide," the brief argued. Prosecutors allege that Carter led a campaign of encouragement that directly led to the death of Roy, who had graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School that June. "Carter assisted Conrad's suicide by counseling him to overcome his doubts," the indictment reads. "Her counsel took the form of positive direction, where she told him he was 'strong' enough to execute the suicide plan and would be happy once he was dead." The text messages included in court filings show Carter, in between professions of love, advocating for suicide as Roy's best option after an extended period of depression. "It's painless and quick," she wrote in one text. "Everyone will be sad for a while but they will get over it and move on," she wrote in another. She urged him not to delay the act, and advised him to find alternative methods of producing carbon monoxide when it became clear his truck's diesel engine would not work. She also allegedly cajoled him back into the truck over the phone after he had second thoughts in the middle of the act, the prosecution said. The prosecution has portrayed Carter as an active participant in Roy's death -- one who, after the fact, pretended to have no knowledge of the plan. She texted with Roy's relatives, asking where he was in the hours before his body was found in the Kmart parking lot. SPRINGFIELD - Pope Francis High School on Monday announced two upcoming events including a long-awaited groundbreaking in September for its new building slated for construction at the former Cathedral High School property. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m., at 99 Wendover Road in East Forest Park, once home to Cathedral High School. The event will serve to kick off construction of the new Pope Francis High School facility, according to a news release from Pope Francis spokeswoman Jennifer Lopez. Prior to the groundbreaking, representatives of Pope Francis will participate in a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 23, to discuss the upcoming school construction project with area residents, Lopez said. The East Forest Park neighborhood meeting is at 5 p.m., at Holy Cross/St. Michael's School, 221 Plumtree Road. Pope Francis is being formed through a merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic High School. Cathedral High School was demolished after being struck by a tornado on June 1, 2011, with severe damage. Cathedral moved to a temporary location in Wilbraham after the tornado. Neighborhood residents and city officials have long awaited the plans and groundbreaking for the estimated $55 million school construction project at the Cathedral grounds, which followed a prolonged review by two Bishops, and the consideration of multiple sites. The new regional Pope Francis High School will be located this fall at the Holyoke Catholic school site in Chicopee Center, remaining there until the new school is built. The new school is slated to open for the 2018-2019 school year. Officials attending the neighborhood meeting are expected to include Paul C. Gagliarducci, executive director of the Pope Francis school construction project; David Owen, the owner's project manager; and representatives from Fontaine Bros. Those officials and Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski are expected to participate in the groundbreaking in September. PALMER -- A well-known defense attorney is wanted for arrest after an alleged domestic violence incident over the weekend during which, according to court records, his wife said she would have been killed had police not arrived. Palmer District Court Judge Michael Mulcahy on Monday afternoon issued an arrest warrant for John "Jack" St. Clair, 69, of East Longmeadow, for failing to show up to his arraignment on charges of assault on a family member. St. Clair allegedly beat his wife, 68, while in a drunken stupor Friday night. St. Clair, a former Hampden County prosecutor whose clients as a private criminal defense attorney have included high profile defendants such as State Rep. Thomas Petrolati and former Springfield city councilor and ex-homeless shelter director Frankie Keough, was arrested on Friday and released on bail the following day, court records show. East Longmeadow police who responded to a call of a domestic incident at St. Clair's Orchard Road home at about 9:15 p.m. on Friday arrived to a disturbing scene, according to police reports filed at Palmer District Court. "There was blood at the scene all over up and down the house," Assistant District Attorney Michael Wallace said in court Monday afternoon. Officers arrived at the home after receiving a call that a woman's husband was brandishing a knife and had stabbed himself, a police report written by Officer Daniel Manley filed in court states. St. Clair's wife answered the door, surprised to see the police because she had not called them, the report says. When questioned, St. Clair's wife told police that her husband, who was intoxicated, had gotten involved in an argument with her and grabbed a knife, a police report by East Longmeadow Officer Steven Moore says. St. Clair followed her around the house while trying to stab himself, she told police, causing minor cuts on his hands and chest. Afraid for her life, she tried to grab a phone, she told police, but St. Clair took both house phones into his bedroom. She locked herself in their guest bedroom and found his cell phone, Moore's report says. From there, she left a voicemail with her daughter in Florida, who called police about 15 minutes later. "I observed blood on her face and around her neck. Her lips and chin had a sustainable amount of dried blood on them," Moore wrote in his report. "(The victim) stated numerous times that if the police were not called, he probably would have killed her." She told police that he had slapped her in the face and choked her before picking up the knife, records show. The alleged victim's left eye was bloodshot, with bruising around it, according to Manley's report. Taking note of dried blood droplets on the floor of the dining room, kitchen and stairway, Manley and Officer Joseph Dalessio made their way to St. Clair's second-floor bedroom, in which his wife said he shut himself, Manley's report says. When Dalessio knocked on the door, St. Clair answered, bleeding, disoriented and clad only in a towel. When asked about his cuts, St. Clair told police he cut himself while slicing steak. After being treated for his cuts, St. Clair was placed under arrest for assault and battery on a family member. Police advised the victim to obtain an abuse prevention order, but she refused, fearing it would cause her husband problems, Moore's report says. "She stated numerous times that she did not want him arrested," Moore's report says. "'A jail cell is not the place for him right now, he doesn't deserve that,'" she told police. St. Clair's wife was similarly defensive of her husband last August, when she refused to testify against him after he was charged with assaulting her in their home at that time. In that case, a neighbor called police after St. Clair allegedly assaulted his wife, but the case stagnated when the alleged victim refused to cooperate. A day after his arrest last Friday, St. Clair received bail and was admitted to Mercy Medical Center's Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke on Sunday, and as of Monday, St. Clair remained at Providence, court records show. But during St. Clair's scheduled arraignment on Monday, Wallace insisted that St. Clair's admission to Providence is a ploy. "He was extremely arrogant, and I believe that he's using this ... to better his case," the assistant DA said in court. "He has the ability to sign out (check himself out of the hospital) at any point." The commonwealth intends to argue for St. Clair to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing, Wallace told the judge. WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Following early morning rainfall that partially flooded the roadway, Route 5 has been reopened. A portion of Route 5 in West Springfield was closed Tuesday morning due to flooding near the tunnels. Workers with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation partially closed the road to clear the roadway of water. Both south and northbound lanes are clear and free of water. SPRINGFIELD -- City Police Lt. Robert Tardiff on Tuesday sought to give a judge a sense of the situation that led to the arrest of Rodolfo Gomez last year. Tardiff, speaking to Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward J. McDonough as Gomez pleaded guilty to 13 counts, said officers had one option -- to move in and secure the armed Gomez as quickly as possible. That was because the Spring Street location where Gomez was found was crowded with children and parents waiting for children to get off the bus, he said. What followed was a violent struggle between four police officers and Gomez, who repeatedly reached for the gun in his waistband, Tardiff said. McDonough sentenced Gomez, 30, of Springfield and Norwalk, Connecticut, to 21/2 to 31/2 years in state prison followed by three years probation. Assistant District Attorney Nina A. Vivenzio had asked for a three- to five-year state prison sentence. Defense lawyer Joe Smith III asked for a 21/2-year sentence to the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow. Both Vivenzio and Smith recommended the three years probation after incarceration. Gomez, who has no criminal record, pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a large capacity feeding device, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, three counts of assault and battery on a police officer and one count each of resisting arrest, possession of heroin, larceny under $250 and threat to commit a crime. Vivenzio said that on April 2, 2015, a family member flagged down Officers William Catellier and Herman Little to say Gomez was armed and was threatening to kill his domestic partner. The officers found Gomez's car and saw him return to it and then proceed toward 116 Spring St., where the family member lived. When the two officers, who were in uniform, identified themselves, Gomez reached toward his waistband, where they saw a gun, Vivenzio said. The gun was a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol with a 15-round capacity magazine and 14 live cartridges, she said. Tardiff, who responded along with Officer Darrin Fitzpatrick, said when Little and Catellier approached Gomez, Gomez was "looking completely out of control" while putting his hand on his firearm. Tardiff said there was a violent struggle with himself and the three officers to get Gomez under control. Tardiff said 99 percent of the times when police move in on a person with a firearm, the person will try to get away. But he said Gomez's mindset and demeanor indicated that if he could get control of his firearm, he would use it. Smith said no one can determine what is in another person's mind or what their intentions are. He said Gomez, who pleaded guilty through an interpreter, came to Norwalk in 2006 and worked at a grocery store for eight years. Smith said a 2014 car accident left Gomez injured, and a Percocet prescription led to an addiction that became a heroin problem. Smith said there was also alcohol and cocaine use combined with untreated mental health issues. Gomez has 488 days credit toward his sentence for time spent in jail awaiting trial. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Orkhan Guluzade Trend: During the meeting of the presidents of Turkey and Russia, the two countries will reconsider their relations in the economic sphere, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting with international investors in Ankara, TRT Haber TV channel reported Aug. 2. Erdogan said that Turkey has always been attentive to economic issues, even in times of crisis in relations with Russia. He went on to add that during his visit to Russia on August 9 as part of the representative delegation the sides will discuss the whole range of issues without any restrictions. Earlier, Turkish presidential administration told Trend that Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will discuss a number of important economic and political issues during the meeting in St. Petersburg Aug.9. Fighting the terrorist organizations in Syria is among the issues planned to be discussed during that meeting, said the presidential administration. Moreover, the presidents are expected to discuss the joint energy projects of Russia and Turkey, such as the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant. The relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated after the Su-24 bomber incident in 2015. On June 27, Erdogan sent a letter of condolences to Putin over the death of Russian Su-24 pilot and expressed regret over the incident. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade You have to make your own self remarkable. Make them say, "Wow, this couldnt be any other child." Dont be like everybody else. Video: http://blog.ted.com/a-teenage-ted-speakers-mom-on-how-she-encourages-her-sons-to-innovate/ Baku, Azerbaijan, August 2 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The prospects for reviving the Turkish Stream pipeline project, which envisages Russian gas supplies to Turkey and further to Europe bypassing Ukraine, at least in a downscaled form, appear more promising given the recent dramatic improvement in Russian-Turkish relations, Gareth Winrow, independent analyst on Turkey, believes. It will not be surprising if Turkey and Russia return in practice to the situation as it was in the summer of 2015, when the prospects for building at least the first leg of Turkish Stream looked quite promising, thats if Moscow and Ankara could come to terms over gas pricing, Winrow told Trend by email on August 2. Initially, the Russian "Gazprom" planned to build 4 lines of the Turkish Stream with total capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The capacity of each line was expected to reach 15.75 billion cubic meters per year. Later, it was decided to build fewer lines. The Turkish Stream had to replace the South Stream project, which should pass in the Black Sea and through Bulgaria and deliver gas to the Balkan republics, as well as Hungary, Austria and Italy, but was abandoned in December 2014. Gazprom refused from the South Stream gas pipeline because the European Commission did not grant an exception from the rules of the Third Energy Package, which, in particular, says that one gas provider should use no more than 50 percent of the pipeline capacity, and the remaining capacity should be put up for auction. In late 2015 the Turkish Stream project was frozen due to sharp deterioration of relations between Moscow and Ankara when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board. On June 27, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of condolences to Putin over the death of Russian Su-24 pilot and expressed regret over the incident. After that, the two countries relations began to improve. Last week Russia and Turkey announced the resumption of negotiations on the Turkish Stream this week and the intention to create a working group on this project. On August 9 Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold the first meeting after the incident with the aircraft in St. Petersburg. Erdogans meeting with Putin could lead to an announcement for re-launching plans to build a 15.75 bcm/y pipeline to connect Russia and Turkey via the Black Sea, Winrow said. He noted that the laying of the first line of the pipeline across the Black Sea would enable Russia to bypass troublesome Ukraine to deliver significant gas volumes to Turkey. Moreover, the expert noted that Russian officials appear hopeful of building a second pipeline of similar capacity to carry Russian gas to south-eastern Europe via Turkey. However, such a pipeline could encounter the same problems as the earlier proposed South Stream project, he said. Winrow noted that citing the provisions of the EUs Third Energy Package, Brussels has opposed Gazproms control over the proposed pipeline which would cross EU territory, either running through Greece or Bulgaria. He said that one possible way around this would be for a second string of Turkish Stream to connect with interconnector lines in south-eastern Europe where gas flows could then be reversed. This may be seen as not running counter to the provisions of the Third Energy Package, he said. In return, though, talks could also re-commence between Moscow and Ankara over reducing the price of gas for deliveries to the Turkish State Pipeline Corporation, BOTAS, according to the expert. Winrow noted that there has also been some speculation over possibly linking a deal on Turkish Stream with reviving plans for a Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline to carry Russian oil across Turkey bypassing the Bosphorus. But, it seems that Russia is also re-considering plans to resurrect the moribund Burgas-Alexandroupolis Bosphorus-bypass oil pipeline option which will not cross Turkeys territory, he said. Sunil Bholah a pris la parole lors de la ceremonie douverture dune atelier de travail organise par lInternational Organization for Standardization en collaboration Mauritius Standards Bureau sur le Leadership and Management Programme le 26 novembre 2019. Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to address you this morning on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the ISO workshop on Leadership and Management Programme organized by the International Organization for Standardization in collaboration with the Mauritius Standards Bureau. On behalf of the Government of Mauritius and in my own name, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all the overseas delegates and resource persons who have travelled all the way to attend this workshop. I hope you will be able to spare some of your precious time to visit Mauritius. I also wish to thank the International Organization for Standardization for choosing Mauritius for this workshop. It is indeed a matter of pride and prestige to host this ISO flagship event. This gives Mauritius its rightful place in the fraternity of ISO Members and will evidently further consolidate our relationships as regards international standardization.Ladies and Gentlemen, On 1st January 1995, Mauritius Standards Bureau became a full Member of the International Organization for Standardization. It marked a new beginning for the Bureau as it opened the door for international standardization. This was in consonance with the Government policy to adhere to WTO-driven trade liberalization process and to eliminate and reduce technical barriers to trade through the use of international standards and harmonized standards. This event was a game-changer for the Mauritius Standards Bureau as it kick-started a long and fruitful journey for collaboration, cooperation and partnership between our two institutions. It is worth mentioning that the building at Moka which houses MSB purpose-built laboratories and offices was inaugurated in the presence of the late Secretary-General of ISO Dr Lawrence Eicher and the late President of ISO, Mr E. Mollmann. It would be appropriate here to briefly highlight the collaboration between ISO and MSB during the last two decades. In 2012, the Bureau hosted the ISO Regional Workshop on Stakeholder Engagement and Participation in Standardization which enlisted the participation of Standards Bodies from several African countries. The workshop provided an overview of the importance of international standardization as a key enabler for unlocking world markets, promoting technical progress and ensuring sustainable development. In the same year the Mauritius Standards Bureau conducted a study on the economic benefits of standardization in Mauritius in collaboration with ISO to determine the contribution of standards to the national economy and industrial productivity. The report of the study and similar reports from other countries have been published by ISO in a compendium. Similarly, MSB is in the process of developing the National Standardization Strategy of Mauritius based on a framework established by ISO. As a first step, an intensive consultation has been conducted to assess the needs and demands of our stakeholders. The strategy will map out the standardization activities of the country for the coming five years and will support the socio-economic development of Mauritius. The Mauritius Standards Bureau has also benefitted from an ISO Project Sponsorship Programme to be a Member of the CASCO Working Group 46 for the development of the International Standard ISO/IEC 17029 on General Principles and Requirements for validation and verification bodies. The Acting Director of the Mauritius Standards Bureau attended all the meetings of the Working Group for the full cycle development of that standard. The standard has been recently published. This was a first milestone for Mauritius and its National Standards Body. The Mauritius Standards Bureau was also invited by ISO at the 34th ISO CASCO Plenary Meeting and Workshop this year to share its experience as a Member of ISO Working Group 46 with other National Standards Bodies from developing countries. The Mauritius Standards Bureau has also the privilege to get the support and partnership of ISO within its Action Plan for Developing Countries to define the content of a CASCO toolkit which will provide the technical underpinnings to public policies to facilitate trade and enhance ease of doing business. Ladies and Gentlemen, Overcoming the steep curve of learning is one of the major challenges of National Standards Bodies in developing countries. Without a strong and synergistic partnership with world-class standards bodies and ISO, it would be impossible for standards bodies to scale up their capacities and capabilities. It is useful to recall that out of 164 Standards Bodies affiliated to ISO over 120 are from developing countries. These national standards bodies will not be able to derive benefits from international standardization unless they build their capacity and participate more actively in the development of international standards. Most of these national standards bodies like the Mauritius Standards Bureau are standards takers. They should make the shift and become standards setters. To this end, ISO should enlist the participation of its Members from developing countries in Technical Committees or Working Groups. It is comforting to note that ISO has renewed its commitments for capacity building and inclusive international standardization in its Strategic Plan 2030. The Workshop on Leadership and Management Programme is a step in the right direction as leadership and management are key elements which determine the success of a country and an organization. Ladies and Gentlemen It is often said that the standards and conformity assessment infrastructure of a country is anchored in the social, economic and cultural realities of that country. In this sense the Mauritius Standards Bureau has evolved in response to the economic, industrial and social needs of Mauritius. It has continuously provided the scientific and technical underpinnings to the economic and industrial operators to boost the economic growth, bolster regional and international trade, promote the welfare of the citizen and protect the environment. The Bureau has adopted a horizontal approach to standardization whereby Metrology, Standards Development and Conformity Assessment services are provided under a single roof. This model is adequate and suitable given the limited technical and financial resources available. It is widely acknowledged that Mauritius is today at the cross-road of its development path. The strategies and policies which propelled the nation from a low-income economy to a middle-economy have outlived their purposes and are inadequate for the next phase of its development. A new Economic Model including innovative strategies are required to fuel the economic growth and uplift the standard of living of the citizens. A new development plan has already been elaborated to transform Mauritius into a high-income economy while ensuring inclusive growth and sustainability. My Ministry is in the process of reviewing the National Export Strategy with the main objective of establishing the building blocks and engines of growth of the future. The strategy outlines the roadmap for the development of key sectors having high export potential. The next phase of development will no doubt pivot on the strengthening of the standards and conformity assessment infrastructure as a competitive tool to spur growth and create gateways for trade in the complex world of market access and market acceptance. Ladies and Gentlemen With these remarks, I have now the pleasure to declare the ISO Workshop on Leadership and Management open and wish all the participants fruitful deliberations. Le Board of Racing Stewards compose de S de Chalain (Chairman), B Daruty de Grandpre, G Kishtoo et Ms J Keevy a renu public le Racing Stewards Report de la journee hippique du 20 Juillet 2019. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 Trend: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sent a bill on creating a sovereign wealth fund to parliament after his cabinets approval, according to a copy of the draft obtained by Bloomberg on Aug. 2. This was done to stabilize markets and fund infrastructure projects in the wake of a coup attempt. The proposal allows the government to establish a wealth management company called Turkiye Varlik Yonetimi AS with a capital injection of 50 million liras ($17 million), to be financed from the state Privatization Fund. That company would create another entity, Turkiye Varlik Fonu, or Turkey Wealth Fund TVF, and other funds as it sees necessary, according to the draft. The finances for the fund will be provided from the governments asset sales program, cash surpluses from the state Privatization Fund and other state institutions, the draft said. Income from national and international capital markets and money markets can also be used to finance the fund, it said. Some assets from the governments privatization program will be transferred to the funds portfolio, according to the draft. The plans come as Turkey has been trying to reassure investors and calm markets after a military coup attempt in mid-July. Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said the economic damage from the attempt may be about 300 billion liras ($100 billion), according to Hurriyet newspaper. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. The new Xiaomi Redmi Pro smartphone with a metal body and dual-camera setup has high performance and nice features. (Photo : Facebook/Mdroid ) Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi just unveils the new Xiaomi Redmi Pro smartphone with a metal body and dual-camera setup on the back at the Beijing press conference. It is the latest model in its budget brand of Android phones and is the first smartphone from the company to sport the metal body and dual-camera setup. Advertisement Xiaomi had already released a few teasers online to confirm the Redmi Pro launch back on July 27. The company's Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun confirmed this unveiling event at its recent Weibo post on July 26 with a teaser photo of him holding the smartphone in his hand. In the photo, the upper half of the smartphone's back is seen, giving a good idea of the design and the dual-camera setup. According to BGR, Redmi Pro has a metal body and a 5.5-inch full high-definition OLED 1080p display. It is powered by a deca-core MediaTek Helio X25 chipset. It runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system with MIUI 8. It is packed with a 4050 mAh battery. Since its dual-camera setup is on the back, the fingerprint scanner is embedded in a physical home button below its screen display. When it comes to the dual-camera setup of Redmi Pro, a 13-megapixel Sony IMX258 sensor for a dynamic depth of field and a 5-megapixel Samsung sensor for the secondary depth sensing are at the back to produce DSLR-quality photos. Users can choose the focus point after a shot is taken because of its hardware-level depth of field processing, as the company claimed. Effects such as blurred backgrounds can also be used, as The Verge reported. Redmi Pro comes with three storage options: a 3 GB of RAM in a 32 GB of internal storage for a price tag of $224, a 3 GB of RAM in a 64 GB of internal storage for $254, and a 4 GB of RAM in a 128 GB of internal storage for $299. It also features a dual-SIM slot and USB-C port. Its connectivity options are 4G LTE, VoLTE voice calling, GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Redmi Pro is expected to come with three color options such as space gray, gold, and black on August 6 in China. Here is the video of the new Xiaomi Redmi Pro smartphone that is released at the Beijing press conference. President Xi wants a leaner and fiercer People's Liberation Army. (Photo : Getty Images) Troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are urged by President Xi Jinping to retire early and are given a hefty retirement package. The move to cut the PLA is part of the Communist Party's plan to cut 300,000 troops from the 2.3 million membership. This has been the biggest cut in the army since the Cold War. Advertisement The planned reduction will be to reach 2 million which will be split to the National Guard and a million spread out in the army, navy and air force. Much of the reduction are being burdened by the army. The army used to have 850,000 troops and at present only holds 490,000. The maritime force is slashed to 210,000. An officer from the PLA, who asked to remain unknown, said that the retirement package includes tens of thousands of dollars and 80 percent of the pre-retirement wage. The amount is not publicly revealed. The government has also released an order to state-owned enterprises to employ former soldiers, and to ensure "social harmony and stability". Yue Gang, a retired colonel who served in the PLA's General Staff Department, said, "Soldiers have a deterrent and destructive power once they unite to do something together, and they could cause some social stability issues easily.' He continued, "Soldiers are less adapted to society because they may not have the skills that the job market wants and not be familiar with workplace culture. And that's why they need more support from the government." The Chinese PLA was established as the armed forces of the Communist Party of China. Its four branches are Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force and the Strategic Support Force. A veteran from Guangzhou agrees with making the PLA a leaner fighting machine. He said that the CPC should focus on strengthening the Navy. He said, "China's national interests have expanded overseas year after year, with the PLA Navy needing to protect the country's offshore oil lines and overseas Chinese nationals, and boost its capability in international anti-piracy missions." A memorial service was held for two Chinese peacekeepers who died in South Sudan last month. (Photo : Getty Images) Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, asked the Sudanese government to identify and punish the rebels who were responsible for the death of two Chine U.N. peacekeepers. The two peacekeepers, Li Lei and Yao Daoxiang died during an attack by rebels on the U.N. compound in Juba, the capital of Sudan. Advertisement Opposing forces of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the former rebel leader who became vice president, are engaged in a civil war. According to the statement, Deng Alor Kuol, the Sudanese foreign minister, grieved over the deaths of the peacekeepers and committed to investigating the matter. Wang said that in order to attain development, peace should be attained first. The Chinese minister asked Sudan to take the public's interest as a first priority, which included safety of Chinese citizens. According to reports from the government controlled media, China has sent 30,000 troops to 24 U.N. peacekeeping missions, and 13 have already died. China had good relations with the North Sudanese government but failed because of the conflict. Relations with the new government in South Sudan has also been derailed. The China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) has evacuated workers because of the intensifying civil war. However, production has not been affected. Oil production is the main foreign investment in the country and accounts for 90 percent of the country's national economy. Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd. and India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp. produce oil with CNPC. According to U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon, the country is "on the brink of the abyss". The U.N. has extended operations until Aug. 12. A three day waiting period was issued by the Sudanese government to U.N. forces and diplomats who are applying for visas. More than 7,500 U.N. peacekeepers are deployed in Juba. Chinese military authorities have detained a Japanese man for alleged espionage. (Photo : Twitter) The Chinese government has reportedly detained a Japanese man for alleged espionage, raising concerns about potential tensions that might arise between the two countries. China's foreign ministry confirmed the detention of the man, who's identity was not disclosed but is said to be in his late 50s, after Japanese media reported that he has gone missing and did not return from his five-day trip to Beijing. Japanese government officials have earlier confirmed his detention, after being notified by the Chinese embassy. Advertisement According to records, the man, who hails from Ibaraki Prefecture, heads an organization that promotes friendly exchanges between the Japan and China. He was also received very well and considered a friendly figure prior to his detention, Reuters reported. When asked whether the man is indeed being detained on suspicions of espionage, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed that the country does not engage in such activities. The Japanese government has yet to release additional details about the case. Some analysts said that the detention could be intended to Keep Japan's criticisms of China in check. The former has been vocal in its opposition to the latter's actions in the South China Sea. The latest incident brings the number of Japanese citizens in China detained for alleged spying to five. Earlier, the Chinese government has reportedly indicted two of the five for the charges. Japanese authorities confirmed the first indictment in May of a 50-year-old native of Aichi Prefecture. The man has been in detention for a year after he was arrested near a military facility in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. The second detainee indicted was a woman who was an executive of a Tokyo-based Japanese language school. She was in detention since June 2015, but was only formally arrested in November, the Japan Times reported. China has reportedly been tightening control over foreign individuals and organization over concerns of undercover activities, with the government under Xi Jinping creating a new national security commission. by Gord Hotchkiss , Featured Contributor, August 2, 2016 Fellow Spinner Cory Treffiletti told you last week that data without context is noise. Absolutely right. I want to continue that conversation, because its an important one. Its all about context. So lets talk a little more about context -- specifically, how we decide what makes up that context. You might have seen or heard the hubbub that emerged around a tweet from Neil Degrasse Tyson a month ago: Earth needs a virtual country: #Rationalia, with a one-line Constitution: All policy shall be based on the weight of evidence. advertisement advertisement Nice thought, but it ignited a social media shit-storm. Which was entirely predictable, because we dont want to be rational. We want to be human. Did 79 episodes of "Star Trek" teach us nothing? The biggest beef against #Rationalia was that evidence is typically in the eyes of the beholder. Its all a matter of context. Im guessing that the policies that come from evidence in the hands of Republicans will not bear much resemblance to policies that come from the evidence of Democrats. The evidence could be the same but the context is different, because Democrats and Republicans think differently. As Cory said: Evidence without context is just noise. And our context is only marginally based on evidence. And thats why #Rationalia -- as intellectually attractive as it might be -- wont work. We as humans understand the world through something called sense-making. This is the process we use to build context. In 2006, psychologist Gary Klein shed new light on how we make sense of the world. We start with a frame that captures our current understanding of the situation and, depending on the evidence presented to us, we decide whether to elaborate our frame or discard it and create a new frame. So, sense-making is really an iterative loop that is constantly using our current frame as a reference point. But heres the thing. What we consider evidence depends on the frame we already have in place. Its the filter that determines what data we pay attention to. And much as Neil Degrasse Tyson would like the governments of the world to be totally unbiased in the filtering of evidence, that dog just wont hunt. It cant -- because we cant consider data without some context to put it in. Perhaps someday artificial intelligence will advance to the point where it can pull unbiased context out of random data. Maybe computers will be able to do what were unable to: make sense of the noise without assuming a preexisting frame. But were not there yet. And even if we were, we would simply look at the conclusions of the computer and decide whether we agree with them or not. As long as humans are in charge, there will always be a biased filter in place. So back to Corys column. If context is so important, think about where that context is coming from. Who is defining the context, and what frame are they operating from? That in turn will define what data you consider and how you consider it. Perhaps the most important decision before considering data is to be totally clear about what the goal is. Goals, together with experience, form the underpinning of beliefs. Frames are then built on those beliefs. Context comes from those frames. And context is the filter we apply to evidence. Air pollution is a severe problem in China. (Photo : Getty Images) The local government of Shangqiu in Hunan Province cracked down on local stalls and restaurants causing smog. Residents were upset over the move. After a meeting with local leaders and a mandate from the Ministry of Environmental Protection on April 8, the local government shut down food establishments which did not comply with environmental regulations. Advertisement The regulation imposed a ban on burning straw, controlling dust and removing smoke belching vehicles which did not meet the emission standards. Particles harmful to human health was found in the city's air concentration of PM2.5. After the crackdown, the concentration was down by 19.6 percent month-on-month. An official, who requested to be unnamed, said, There has been a significant improvement in the environmental quality" after a citywide campaign and "the blue skies with white clouds, unseen for a long time, are now back." In spite of the dramatic change in air quality in the area, residents are complaining that the city lost the bustling atmosphere it once had. Other residents are finding a hard time buying food. Zhang Han Xin, a local resident, said, "The street used to be busy and lively, but now it looks very quiet. The blot left by the barbecue stalls is still there. I don't know how long it will be like this." The city officials said that the stalls and restaurants can resume operation after complying with government rules. Some of the restaurants were permitted to operate but will have to be inspected again. There have been many attempts by the government to address the issue of air pollution in China. Most of the air contamination are caused by coal-powered industries and cars. Experts are alarmed by the toxicity levels in the air and expressed concern over the danger of air pollution. Dr. Jim Zhang, a professor of global environmental health at Duke University said, "It's very hard to get data to show whether the pollution is going to have a long-lasting effect, like cancer, but there is a reason to believe that because the pollution soup contains chemicals which can induce cancer." by Larissa Faw , August 2, 2016 Those looking for jobs in the ad industry may want to head to University of Colorado, Boulder. The school's College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI) is launching IXDMA, a graduate degree program that is a spinoff of BDW, its design-based graduate certificate program that had a 100% placement rate at companies including R/GA, Google, Pinterest and Uber. "We have an unique learning culture," says David Slayden, associate professor, CMCI, executive director, IXDMA. He says every project solves real-world problems through a partnership with BIGSHOP, an advance projects lab that works with companies, including Microsoft, R/GA, Allstate, and ESRI. advertisement advertisement Professors also hail from the business world, rather than work solely in academia. Sixteen students will inaugurate this "experimental, collaborative" program beginning August 22. The structure retains the core curriculum of BDW, which is designed to adapt to the ever-changing ad world by always being ahead of the industry. For instance, students aren't specifically taught Flash programming because it may be outdated by the time they graduate. Rather, students "learn how to learn," says Slayden. The major change between shifting from a certificate to degree program is evident in recruitment, says Slayden. It's a lot simpler to attract international students, since Visa requirements are easier to land with degree programs, adding that 90% of the 104 graduates applied only to this program. The student body is also more diverse since BDW first launched in 2009. The first class primarily "hit the ceiling in their careers," but now students seek skills that will enable them to jump from agencies to startups to brands. Graduates are "recruited from day one" and rise quickly in their careers often to leadership roles," says Slayden. There are already expansion plans, says Slayden. "We always designed it to be three verticals: design, technology, and strategy." Next year, the school will introduce the two other verticals -- brand design and design technology -- to eventually bump up its admitting class to around 60 students. by Jess Nelson , August 2, 2016 The past week has been one of extreme highs and lows for Hillary Clinton as she made history as the first female presidential candidate of a major political party while emails from the Democratic National Committee were hacked and released online. Although the United States has not officially accused Russia of the security breach, Clinton suggested that Russian intelligence was behind the email hack in an interview over the weekend with Fox News Sunday. Evidence points to spear phishing, or an email spoofing attempt targeting a specific organization, as one of the main purveyors of the attack. Email phishing has also significantly increased this year, and the first quarter of 2016 saw the biggest jump in fraudulent scams in more than a decade, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). The global regulatory group recorded a 250% increase in phishing sites between October 2015 and March 2016. Spear phishing and whale phishing, or email spoofing attempts impersonating leaders and CEOs, are also notoriously difficult to prevent because spam filters do not protect against social engineering attacks. advertisement advertisement There are no defenses against it, says Markus Jakobsson, CTO and founder of security firm ZapFraud. Its not outlandish like Nigerian scams. Its everyday behavior, such as acting like a colleague or requesting transfers to be made -- that makes it tough. It all comes down to mimicry. Jakobsson says cybercriminals leverage social media, corporate networks and data from past breaches to pose as individuals that email recipients have relationships with. He recommends that email users analyze the content of emails and look for known phishing story lines. For example, any wire transfer request with specific instructions should be re-evaluated because vendors' companies have previous relationships with should already have relayed financial instructions. Authenticating emails is another solution to deter phishing attempts, but Jakobsson says DMARC is not enough to protect brands from data breaches. DMARC is great, and its fantastic for what it does, says Jakobsson. But DMARC doesnt protect everyone because only about 25% of users have it deployed." DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance, is an email authentication tool that detects spoofing attempts, when headers are changed to make it appear like an email is being sent from a legitimate source, but it does not protect against lookalike domains. Dimitri Sirota, chief executive officer of security firm BigID, suggests that brands may want to prioritize preventative measures to limit exposure as opposed to detection services. There is a certain degree of inevitability now of getting breached, says Sirota. Its increasingly becoming almost predictable that you will get breached. That doesnt negate the need for defenses, but how do you take certain precautions in advance to be ready in the event of a breach? Sirota recommends email marketers practice preventative hygiene measures, such as deleting unnecessary data, and focus on response time to quickly notify who has been impacted by the security assault. Marketers are going to have to figure out what is worse losing their data or losing their jobs, says Sirota. If exposure can be avoided through simple data list hygiene, because of omission or laziness or just reaching one other customer, thats unacceptable. by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, August 2, 2016 Harley-Davidson has selected Interpublic Group to handle its global creative, media and digital marketing account after a review that began in December of 2015. The companys total ad costs last year were about $120 million and the firm has increased its ad budget by double digits the last several years in the face of stiffer competition from rivals such as Indian Motorcycle and Victory. Incumbents on the account included Victors & Spoils, Starcom MediaVest Group and sibling digital agency DigitasLBi. The holding company confirmed that it has assembled a Harley-dedicated unit called Team Ignite that is headquartered in Detroit, with regional hubs in New York, London and Singapore. Team Ignite is comprised of creative and strategic resources drawn from a range of IPG agencies. IPG CEO Michael Roth stated that "Team Ignite has the strength, experience and creativity to help Harley-Davidson grow demand and build on their substantial market leadership position. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Advertisement "The single most important way to prevent death in the case of heart attack is to rapidly open the blood vessel so that blood flow is restored. This is one of the most important things we can do in all of cardiovascular care," said Granger, who is also a professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine.The 18-month project, called Mission: Lifeline STEMI Systems Accelerator, involved nearly 24,000 patients, 484 hospitals, and 1,253 EMS agencies in 16 regions across the U.S., including large, populated cities such as New York City, Atlanta, and Houston.Current national guidelines for STEMI treatment have two key recommendations for how quickly the blood vessel should be opened.For patients who initially arrive at a hospital that is fully equipped to respond to STEMI, the unblocking should happen within 90 minutes of first contact with emergency responders. For patients who must be transferred to facilities that can fully handle their cases, the unblocking should happen within 120 minutes of first medical contact.Patients treated within the guidelines have higher survival rates. But according to the study, up to 50 percent of patients in the U.S. currently aren't treated within the recommended times, as coordination is often lacking among those who care for STEMI patients before and after arrival at the hospital."People are dying with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction because of gaps in the American healthcare system: gaps between competing hospitals, gaps between competing physician groups, and gaps in emergency medical services," said James Jollis, M.D., a study co-author, project leader, and adjunct faculty at Duke University School of Medicine,With coordinated efforts over the course of this study, however, researchers saw a modest yet statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients meeting the guideline goals:- In patients transported by EMS to hospitals fully-capable of treating them, the proportion increased to 55 percent from 50 percent.- In patients transferred from other facilities, the proportion increased to 48 percent from 44 percent.Additionally, five of the 16 regions that stood out as the most improved saw an increase to 57 percent from 45 percent in the proportion of their patients meeting the 90-minute guideline when transported by EMS. The most successful region treated 76 percent of its patients within guideline goals by the end of the project.The work highlights the crucial collaboration between paramedics, emergency physicians and nurses, interventional cardiologists, and hospital administrators. The results also confirm the importance of better training, feedback for hospitals and EMS agencies, and coordinated and standardized STEMI treatment protocols.For example, Granger said in many of the regions, emergency responders were given standardized protocols for diagnosing patients with STEMI symptoms and activating teams to be ready when patients arrived at the hospital, regardless of the hospital where the patient was being taken."For the first time in many of these regions, this project has provided a framework for bringing together groups that are critically important to providing the best emergency care," Granger said. "Even though the effect was modest overall, we proved that it is possible to significantly change care and if these results are leveraged and optimized over years of effort, there could be even more benefit.""Our results demonstrate a successful approach to bridging these gaps that appears to be translating into saving lives," Jollis added.Source: Newswise Advertisement The Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Amendment Regulation will allow doctors to apply to the NSW Health Board to prescribe cannabis-based products that are not currently on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.Among the potential uses for medical cannabis is the treatment of arthritis, epilepsy, glaucoma, schizophrenia, Crohn's disease and sleep disorders. Medicinal cannabis can be taken orally, smoked, used as an oil and in some cases injected.Medical cannabis is legal in 20 US states, while recreational cannabis can be sold legally in Colorado and Washington states.Medical Research Minister Pru Goward said that NSW was regulating cannabis-based medicines in the same manner as any other emerging medicine. "Patients wishing to investigate the use of cannabis-based medicines will need to talk with their doctor about suitability," Ms Goward said. "There is still a lot to learn about safety and efficacy for different patient conditions and groups, which is why we are investing $21 million to further world-leading ... research." Ms Goward added.Australian Medical Association NSW spokesman, Associate Professor Saxon Smith said that doctors will need approval from both the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Administration and NSW Health before they can prescribe an unregistered cannabis-based product. "It is an important step forward to look after patients in terminal situations or suffering side effects from chemotherapy, so it adds to our arsenal," he said.Anecdotal reports say that in the absence of legal cannabis-based medicine, many patients have been forced to break the law by sourcing cannabis oil and medicine on the black market.The NSW government gained approval to grow cannabis under license from the federal government as part of research into the best way to cultivate the plant. The drug will be grown at a high-security facility under strict protocols.Earlier this year, about 330 people in NSW took part in a clinical trial, testing medicinal cannabis for chemotherapy patients. Premier Mike Baird said the drug, a cannabis tablet manufactured by Canadian company Tilray, was only for people suffering nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. "I think all of us who know people who are in the battle for their lives, to have some form of relief to give them strength, to give them energy, to stare down cancer and to take it on - well, that's what this is all about." the Premier added.This trial, which was announced in February, was the third of its kind in NSW, the other two were for terminally ill patients and children suffering from severe epilepsy.Source: Medindia Advertisement "When you are sleep-deprived, you don't think as clearly. Staying up all night to study can backfire and affect performance on exams," Das said. "If you can't avoid an all-nighter, do it strategically by getting a good night's sleep before and after."Here are other sleep tips Das shares with college students:- Aim for a room that's cool, dark and quiet at night - like a cave.- Avoid trying to sleep with devices such as TVs, computers, tablets and phones on. They emit a blue light that disrupts sleep. If your roommate still needs to work, try using eyeshades.- Finish up work and allow yourself about 30 minutes to calm down before bed.- In the morning, get bright light as soon as you wake up. This will help you be alert for those 8 a.m. classes.- Exercise during the day can help the body wind down for sleep at night.- Don't rely on pills to get you to sleep or caffeine to keep you going. Both can mask a bigger sleep problem.- If you nap, do it before 4 p.m. and sleep no more than 30 minutes to avoid sleep inertia.Ashlee Chadwick is a sophomore at Ohio State, and one of about 20 million college students who are adjusting to living on their own or in a dorm. "It's hard getting used to all of those noises from people in the hall or next door, and I lived right next to the stairwell. Plus I wasn't used to my roommate shifting in the bed above me," Chadwick said.Das says chronic lack of sleep makes people more vulnerable to diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. So developing good sleep habits early can have a life-long impact.Source: Newswise Advertisement "When making decisions together, men take actions that are maximally different from feminine norms, which prioritize moderation, and maximally similar to masculine norms, which prioritize extremity," said Hristina Nikolova, Assistant Professor at Boston College, in the US.Womanhood is not precarious and does not need the same level of public defense as manhood. That is why the compromise works effectively in the joint decisions of two female partners.In addition, men criticized compromise among other men, but is embraced by women."Only men judge other men very harshly when they suggest the compromise option to a male partner," Nikolova pointed out.It doesn't happen when a man suggests the compromise option to a female partner or when women suggest the compromise option so it's really specific to men dealing with other men, the researchers explained.Conversely, individuals and mixed-gender and female-female pairs will likely go for the middle option since it seems reasonable and is easily justified, the researcher said."In contrast to men, women act the same together as they would alone because they don't need to prove anything in front of other women," Nikolova added.The study examines how joint decision-making contexts change consumer's preferences for the compromise option and suggests that retailers and marketers should be aware of the gender composition of the joint decision-making pairs they might be targeting.The findings are published in theFor the study, the team conducted four experiments with 1,204 students at two US universities, and a fifth experiment using 673 online participants.Source: IANS Itchy skin or pruritus is an uncomfortable and unpleasant skin sensation that urges the person to scratch. It may be due to a skin condition, or due to a systemic illness like liver or kidney disease. It may be localized or generalized, and can be acute or chronic (lasting more than 6 weeks). Your skin may appear normal or show an obvious pathology.(1 Trusted Source Itching Go to source) Causes of itchy skin include: I. Skin conditions result in obvious skin lesions. They may be localized to one part of the body or may be spread throughout the body. Skin conditions that cause itchy skin include: Dandruff Allergic conditions like urticaria and contact dermatitis Psoriasis Eczema Inflamed hair follicles Prickly heat Advertisement Conditions that can predispose to some of the above skin diseases include: Allergy to certain foods or medication Hot, humid weather conditions Direct contact with: Rubber, that contains latex Metals like cobalt or nickel in jewellery Cosmetics, hair dye, nail varnish hardeners Exposure to plants like sunflowers, tulips, daffodils Exposure to dyes and resins used in the textile industry II. Infections: Fungal infections like ringworm, athletes foot and yeast infection Viral infection like chickenpox and measles III. Insects & Parasites: Infection by trichomonas vaginalis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) Bites from insects like bees, mosquitoes, bedbugs and fleas Infestation by scabies mite or lice IV. Other Conditions: Piles (hemorrhoids) Hormonal conditions like thyroid disorders, pregnancy and menopause Iron deficiency anemia Liver disease or kidney failure Cancers of liver, pancreas, leukemia and Hodgkins Lymphoma Psychological conditions like depression or anxiety Nerve disorders such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, herpes zoster( Trusted Source 10 Reasons Your Skin Itches Uncontrollably And How To Get Relief Go to source Trusted Source Trusted Source Itchy Skin Go to source Trusted Source Itching may be localized to a particular part of the body, or may be generalized. A condition like a thyroid or liver or kidney disease produces more generalized itching, whereas a local lesion on the skin often produces localized itching. The skin may appear completely normal or may have the following features: Redness Scratch marks on the affected part Blisters or bumpiness in certain areas Scaly or leathery texture of the skin which indicates chronic itching Dry and cracked skin. A dry skin is usually itchy Diagnosis of itchy skin involves a detailed medical history and physical examination. Depending on the suspected cause, the following tests may be done: Blood Tests Blood Counts: A complete blood count will determine evidence of conditions that causes itching, like iron deficiency anemia Thyroid Function Test: Measurement of thyroid hormone levels can help diagnose itching caused by the thyroid disorders Liver or Kidney Profile: Blood tests to diagnose liver and kidney disease that may indicate the cause for itching Biopsy of the Skin lesions Advertisement Treatment for itchy skin depends on underlying cause. Treatment of the underlying cause usually stops the itching, but there are certain remedies that can be tried and offered by your healthcare practitioner. Medication Commonly recommended treatments include: For Cooling: Use topical products containing cooling menthol for cooling the skin and relieve itching due to prickly heat. A damp flannel can also help to reduce itching. To Control Allergic Reaction: Use anti-histamine medications. The older antihistamines cause drowsiness but are usually more effective in treating itchy skin. medications. The older antihistamines cause drowsiness but are usually more effective in treating itchy skin. On Inflamed Areas: Use mild steroid creams (only for few days). Other medications like anti-depressants can be recommended if the above treatments do not work or if the itching is particularly long lasting. Certain drugs like tacrolimus can be used instead of corticosteroid creams, if the area of itching isn't large. Phototherapy: Skin is exposed to certain wavelengths of UV light. This can be done multiple times until itching is under control. Anesthetics: Topical anesthetics like lidocaine or benzocaine are also helpful. But, benzocaine should not be used in children younger than 2 years unless recommended by the health provider. In adults, benzocaine should not be used more than recommended dose For Dry or Flaky Skin: Use an oily moisturizer or emollient. It is best to apply the moisturizer soon after a lukewarm or cold bath so that the moisturizer retains the moisture within the skin.( Trusted Source Itchy Skin after Burn Injury Go to source Trusted Source Bathing Use cool or lukewarm water instead of hot water. In the lukewarm water, baking soda, uncooked oatmeal or colloidal oatmeal (finely grounded) can be added. Avoid using perfumed soap, shower gel or deodorants. Reduce your bath time to less than 20 minutes. Use un-perfumed moisturizer lotions and emollients soon after the shower to prevent your skin from drying. Dont rub your skin dry, rather pat or dab it. Clothes Wear cotton and silk clothes whenever possible. Avoid irritant clothes or which are too synthetic or tight clothes. At night, wear cool, light and loose clothes. Since the detergent on your clothes can also cause itching, a mild laundry detergent should be used for washing clothes. While washing clothes, extra rinse cycle can be used to wash away any remaining soap. Towels and bedding should be soft; this is especially true for sensitive skin. Itching can be worsened by stress. To curb stress counseling, medication, yoga, behaviour modification therapy must be adopted. Health Tips To heal dry skin and prevent it from getting worse, below are some of the tips recommended by dermatologists. Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister, gives an opening remark at the first global philanthropy conference sponsored by Alibaba on July 9 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. (Photo : Getty Images) Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma, through Ant Financial, will start using blockchain technology used in Bitcoins to record donations and improve the accountability of Chinese organizations engaged in philanthropy, Bloomberg reported. Advertisement Cheng Li, Ant's chief technology officer said that they have started using the blockchain technology on a tamper-proof ledger to record the donations of more than 400 million users of Alipay, the company's online payment and investment service platform. He added that "Ant Love" charity donors can track their transaction histories, learn where their donations go and how the fund is spent. Chen said that with the use of this technology, records cannot be easily altered and it would help restore credibility to the organization. Xinhua News Agency said that philanthropy in China increased by about 10-fold, reaching $15 billion, in the decade through 2014, despite reports of scandals and mismanagement. The South China Morning Post has reported about a high-profile case involving Project Hope, which the country's anti-corruption watchdog has been investigating for irregularities. In 2011, the Red Cross Society of China was investigated after a woman who claimed to be associated with the organization posted pictures showing her extravagant lifestyle. But the organization later denied that she had been a member or staff of the agency. Chen said that Ant has partnered with the China Social Assistance Foundation and several larger charities to launch the initiative for Ant Love, connecting users with more than 1,000 charitable organizations. As of the end of last year, they were able to collect over 600 million yuan. "We hope to bring more transparency to charity and blockchain technology's decentralized nature fits that purpose well," Cheng said in a phone interview. "It means that all the information and transaction history of funds will be more reliable and can't be easily tampered with." According to the report, Ant Financial also joined Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. in putting the blockchain technology to test. Financial firms are also studying the use of smart contracts to monitor events as well as enhance security. The other applications of decentralized ledgers are also being studied by Ant. Blockchain technology has been hailed by the World Economic Forum as one of the six computing "mega-trends" that will shape the world in the next decade. By 2027, about 10 percent of global gross domestic product could be stored on blockchains. "Ant Financial is smart to start experimenting with blockchain technology with something like charity, which is less sensitive and risky," according to Ma Haobo, the Beijing-based founder of Hoopox, a startup using blockchain for intellectual property security. "If it's really ambitious, the company should start looking at how to apply the technology in other financial areas." Ant Financial used a private blockchain in its initial project, as Cheng said that the company plans to allow charity organizations and auditors to use the ledger in the future. "It's great that Ant Financial is using blockchain technology to bring transparency to a murky industry that has operated like a blackbox," Chandler Guo, an investor in digital currency startups, said. "The key challenge is whether they have the right talent and execution strategy." Russia-NATO Update is a new monthly review by the MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project, covering the latest news on Russia-NATO relations from the Russian and East European media. Cartoons Of the Month Vk.com/13studiya, July 21, 2016. Psychiatrist to NATO soldier: Stop, stop... Now tell me again: for an entire year you kept looking into a bear's den and screaming into its ear not to attack you? And what happened next? Twitter.com/sharzhipero, July 11, 2016 NATO military official: Citizens of Russia, do not worry; All this is for your own security! Quotes Of The Month Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that NATO has rejected Russia's proposal "to ensure indivisible security," since security cannot be ensured at the expense of others. Lavrov said: "They [NATO members] want [instead] to involve ever more countries in NATO and tear them away from Russia." (Tass.ru, July 22) Mikhail Alexandrov, military expert at the Moscow-based International Relations Institute, an academic institution run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia: "We need to quit the nuclear weapons testing moratorium, in order to demonstrate NATO that our nuclear arsenal is in an effective warfare condition." (Pravda.ru, July 14) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rozogin, who is in charge of the defense industry and served as Russia's ambassador to NATO until 2011, explained his views on NATO while visiting Tiraspol, Moldova's second largest city, and the capital of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria). Rozogin said: "One by one, they are normal guys, but when they gather together - they are devil incarnates. It is a relic of the Cold War. What they are doing now toward Russia, its allies, its partners - this is really going too far. They are openly building up not as much military capabilities as military rhetoric...There is in fact nothing behind this apart from the selfish interest to justify its own existence. NATO is not a useful organization. NATO should have been dissolved long ago, and the Russian president talked about it...When new difficulties appear in international relations now, they openly enjoy it, they are glad that they can show that someone needs them... In principle, this organization was set up exclusively for conflicts, for wars, for aggravating the situation." (Tass.ru, July 6) In the News: Russia-Slovenia Relations On July 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Slovenia, a EU and NATO member, at the invitation of Slovenian President Borut Pahor, amid tensions between Russia and the West. During his working visit to Slovenia, Putin held talks with Pahor on security issues and counter-terrorist efforts, as well as various bilateral issues, including trade and economic cooperation, despite EU sanctions. During the talks, Pahor said that Slovenia, as a member of the EU and NATO, and Russia "have become more estranged from each other." He then added: "I think now is the time to start using dialogue to overcome any disagreements because now of all times it is necessary for all of us to join forces to deal with the serious threats of our time... I am pleased that you have accepted our invitation to visit Slovenia...and that we are doing our best to preserve Russian-Slovenian friendship." In response, Putin stressed the common history that unites Slovenia and Russia. Putin said: "The reason behind our meeting is of a humanitarian and historical nature, but it has given us an opportunity to talk about... Russia's relations with the European Union and NATO, bearing in mind that Slovenia is a member of both. We can see how Slovenia respects our common history, and the memory of those who suffered in past global conflicts." (Kremlin.ru, July 30) The cordiality of the visit was also reflected in an article that appeared in Gazeta.ru titled "In Slovenia Putin Forgot about a war with NATO". Slavic studies experts Georgi Engelgardt and Nadezhda Pilko emphasized that Slovenia traditionally emphasized the common Slavic ties between itself and Russia and was working within the EU for the removal of sanctions against Russia, an issue that probably surfaced in discussions between Putin and Pahor. (Gazeta.ru, July 30, 2016) NATO-Russia Council On July 13, a NATO-Russia Council meeting took place in Brussels at the permanent representative level. For the first time since this format resumed, the meeting was attended by representatives from the Russian Defense Ministry and the alliance's military agencies. Commenting on the NATO-Russia Council meeting during her weekly briefing, Zakharova said: "Russia unequivocally and decisively rejected the alliance's attempts to gloss over the discussion on Ukraine with political slogans and declarations...We pointed to the destructive nature of NATO's efforts to strengthen Kiev's military capability and the military exercises conducted by alliance members on Ukrainian soil." (Mid.ru, July 14) (See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6525, Russian Government Reactions To Meeting Of NATO-Russia Council, July 14, 2016; See MEMRI No. 6522, Following The NATO Summit In Warsaw July 8-9 And Ahead Of The NATO-Russia Council Meeting On July 13 - An Interim Review, July 13, 2016; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6514, NATO July 8-9 Summit In Warsaw: Russian Envoy To NATO Grushko Calls NATO 'Military Methods' An Attempt To Create New Dividing Lines In Europe, Make European Countries Dependent On The U.S., July 8, 2016; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6510, One Day To The NATO Summit In Warsaw, Russian Reactions To UK Parliament's Report On British And NATO Relations With Russia, July 7, 2016; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6507, Two Days To NATO's Warsaw Summit, Pro-Kremlin Think Tank Valdai Club's Expert Warns: 'Western Support... To Anti-Russian Political Forces In Belarus, Armenia And Azerbaijan Would Lead To New Crises Like That In Ukraine', July 6, 2016; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6505, Three Days Before NATO's Warsaw Summit, Russian Envoy To NATO Grushko: NATO Transformed 'Central And Eastern Europe Into An Arena Of Military Confrontation', July 5, 2016; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6503, Four Days To NATO's Warsaw Summit, Putin Tells Meeting Of Russian Diplomats: 'Today, NATO Seems To Be Making A Show Of Its Anti-Russian Stance', July 4, 2016) Military Drills And Defense News Military tension is rising between Russia and NATO. The recent NATO-Russia Council meeting, held on July 13, did not bring produce any serious development in terms of political dialogue. The Head of the European Security Department RAS Institute of Europe, Dmitry Danilov, said that the meeting's goal was to reduce risks and mutual harm, since "practically no positive agenda" exists. NATO accuses Russia of conducting "provocative" military activities in the periphery of NATO territory, and of destabilizing European security through aggressive actions such as the annexation of Crimea, and large-scale snap exercises that violate the spirit of the 2011 Vienna Document for building confidence and transparency amongst member states. Russia in return accuses NATO of "confrontational" actions close to the Russian border, since it considers the deployment of NATO' battalions in Poland and in the Baltic countries, and a brigade in Romania a breach of the 1997 Russia-NATO Founding Act. Moscow is also concerned about the U.S./NATO missile defense system deployed in Eastern Europe. NATO claims that it is directed at Iran and not against Russia, but Moscow considers it a direct threat to its nuclear arsenal. According to MGIMO University Associate Professor, Mikhail Troitskiy, NATO could send a positive signal to Russia if it were to abandon its plans to make the European missile defense system capable of "intercepting intercontinental ballistic missile [i.e. nuclear-armed ballistic missile] by 2020, as neither Iran nor other Middle Eastern players seem capable of acquiring such arms." In May 2016, the pro-Kremlin Russian think tank Council for Foreign and Defense Policies published a memorandum, titled "Russia's Foreign Policy: From the Late 2010s - To the Early 2020s," that pointed to an increased risk of a nuclear war between Russian and the West. The memorandum stated: "In the world of traditional politics, such a rapid re-distribution of economic and political powers and of moral influence would almost inevitably trigger a series of large-scale wars or even a new world war. But so far, this has been prevented by the most important structural factor that has determined the world's development for the past seventy years - nuclear weapons, especially super-powerful arsenals in Russia and the US. They only prevented the Cold War from becoming a nuclear war. Had it not been for the sobering threat of a nuclear Armageddon, the 'old' world establishment would hardly have agreed to the explosive growth of influence of rising powers, primarily China and India. But the proliferation of nuclear weapons goes on, whereas the level of trust, dialogue, and positive cooperation in the military and strategic sphere is extremely low. Taken together, all this increases the probability of a nuclear war. Sustainable international strategic stability has decreased." (See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6526, Rise Of Military Tensions Between Russia And NATO, July 18, 2016) Vk.com/13studiya, May 19, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin standing in front an intercontinental ballistic missiles "Topol-M" On July 27, the Russian news agency Tass.ru reported that the Northwestern District troops have been reequipped and received new warplanes and air defense missile systems. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said: "The district troops have been reequipped and received new warplanes and the S-300V4, S-400, Buk-M2 air defense missile systems, the Pantsir-S1 combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system. As a result, the efficiency of the country's anti-aircraft defense in the northwestern strategic direction has improved 1.5 times." Shoigu also divulged that Russia formed 13 divisions and brigades and 22 regiments in Southern Military District over 3 years. Shoigu said: "Over 200 organizational structure measures have been carried out in the Southern Military District since 2013 to boost the troops' combat capabilities...Four divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments have been established, including two missile brigades armed with Iskander-M tactical missile systems that have helped build up the firepower capabilities for destroying a notional enemy." Shoigu added that the Southern Military District has received over 4,000 new and modernized pieces of the armor, including Bastion and Bal coastal defense missile systems, submarines and combat ships armed with Kalibr missiles. He also stressed that a self-sufficient grouping was established on the Crimean peninsula. Shoigu also informed that more than 2,000 items of new and modernized combat hardware will arrive for the Western Military District in 2016. (Tass.ru, July 27) On July 27, the Russian news agency Ria.ru reported that Central Military District launched massive drills of anti-aircraft units involving 3000 servicemen deployed to four various ranges, in Astrakhan, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, close to Caspian Sea and Kazhahstan borders and Tajikistan. The operational scenario is defending military and civil critical infrastructure. Equipment includes: S-300, Buk-M2, Tor-M2. During the drills the units will fire more than 4000 rounds of various weapons, including the firing of 120 missiles. (Ria.ru, July 27) On July 27, the Russian news agency Ria.ru reported that the Eastern Military district launched different set of drills, involving 8.000 servicemen, 100 aircrafts, 1.000 units of infantry equipment and the Navy ships of the Pacific Fleet (close to Mongolia, North Korea, China and Japan). The operational scenario involves joint actions by anti-aircraft units, military aviation, military air-defense and infantry in eight different regions of the Russian Far East. (Ria.ru, July 27) On July 26, the Russian news agency Tass.ru reported about other drills in the Eastern Military District, close to Mongolia, China and North Korea. The massive drills of anti-aircraft units involve 1.500 servicemen. The operational scenario implies deployment by rail and by road transport, locating enemy air targets, changing positions and reporting to command centers. (Tass.ru, July 26) On July 25, Russian news agency Ria.ru reported about drills in the Western Military District, more specifically in the Leningrad region, close to Finland, Estonia, Latvia. Iskander-M tactical missiles brigade started drills involving 50 units of launchers and special equipment. The operational scenario is to locate and destroy radiolocation stations and command facilities of a "hypothetical" adversary. The operational scenario implies concealed deployment to a remote operational area. (Ria.ru, July 25) On July 23, the Russian news agency Ria.ru reported on the Russian Northern fleet's drills in the Barents and White Seas, which involved over 100 vessels, including nuclear and conventional submarines. The vessels received shore support from at least two brigades and 1.000 pieces of heavy equipment. Russian jets and anti-aircraft units also participated in the drills. (Ria.ru, July 23) The Barents Sea and the White Sea. On July 19, Ria.ru reported that the First Armored Army of the Western Military District announced anti-aircraft/anti-missile drills. The anti-aircraft units will conduct a rapid relocation and deployment. The drills will take place at a distance of 1500 kilometers from the regular deployment district. More than 2.000 servicemen and 500 units of heavy and special equipment will participate in the drills aimed at repelling a hypothetical combined missile-aircraft strike. (Ria.ru, July 19) Vk.com/13studiya, May 24, 2016 On the wall U.S. President Barack Obama wrote "War," but Putin writes: "We are choosing peace" Russia To Respond If Finland Joins NATO On July 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Finland. In that occasion, Putin said that Russia would respond if Finland joins NATO. Putin said: "Do you think we will continue to act in the same manner [if Finland joins NATO]? We have withdrawn our troops 1,500 [km from the border]. Do you think they will stay there?" Commenting on Putin's statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned possible Russian reactions if Finland joins NATO: "Clearly, if the infrastructure of an organisation that refers to you as an enemy is getting closer to your borders, you have to respond. We have enough expertise in this area. I'm confident that the Defence Ministry and the General Staff know exactly what to do. Again, we believe that our relations with Finland are as good as ever. We hope that our Finnish neighbors will not succumb to the temptation to join anti-Russian actions." (Mid.ru, July 4) Confidence Building Measures In The Baltic Region During Putin's visit to Finland, the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto recommended enhancing confidence building measures in the Baltic region. Putin said: "The Finnish president [Sauli Niinisto] came up with the proposals today on the first steps aimed at enhancing confidence and preventing conflicts [in the Baltic airspace]. I have already said that I agree with this... We welcome the Finnish President's proposal [to ban flights over the Baltics with transponders off]. Upon my arrival back in Moscow I will order the Foreign and Defense Ministries to raise this matter at the upcoming Russia-NATO Council meeting, which is to take place after the Russia-NATO summit in Warsaw." On July 2, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu ordered the defense apparatus to present recommendations on building such confidence measures. In an official statement the Ministry of Defense stated: "According to the President's orders, the Minister of Defense orders the preparation of recommendations on building confidence [trust] measures, which will enhance the safety of aviation activity in the Baltic Sea region. Specifically, the work is being performed on organizational and technical measures, including the use of transponders by the military aviation". During Putin's visit to Finland, the Finnish president recommended to Putin to ban military aviation flights without transponders. (Ria.ru, July 2; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6502, Russia This Week - June 27 - July 4, July 4, 2016) Commenting on the confidence measures in the Baltic, (ret.) Colonel Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the Russian National Defense magazine, said: "This decision reiterates Moscow's intention to decrease the military tensions with NATO and to provide confidence and transparency in military activities so as to minimize possible incidents in the Baltic airspace." Korotchenko added that he would like to hope that NATO countries would act as responsibly as Moscow. (Ria.ru, July 2) The president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sivkov, mentioned that by using transponders, Russian military aircraft will increase security along Russia's borders but NATO would not reciprocate on the issue since it is interested in continued tensions. He added that the U.S. would seek to keep its aircraft along the Russian borders unidentified. Sivkov said: "[If we use transponders] no one is going to accuse us of violating foreign airspace; safety and security will increase and this in turn will decrease tensions in the airspace. Furthermore, if previously we had to scramble our aircraft in order to identify the air target, now we will know for sure that it is an American reconnaissance aircraft. It's very undesirable for the U.S." (Ria.ru, July 2) Commenting on the same issue, Mikhail Nenashev, captain first-rank and Chairman of the All-Russian Movement for Supporting the Fleet, said: "NATO's and America's conduct is about straightforward provocations, and thus all the technical deterrence, security and safety measures are not the first priority. The priority is NATO's policy to increase tensions." (Ria.ru, July 2) The Baltic Fleet - Vice Admiral Alexander Nosatov Appointed Acting Commander Of The Baltic Fleet In June, Russian Defense Minister and Army General Sergei Shoigu fired Baltic Fleet Commander Viktor Kravchuk, his chief of stuff Rear Admiral Sergey Popov and more than fifty high-ranking fleet officers, including other admirals and captains first class. According to the Russia media outlet, Fotanka.ru, this is the first time that a massive firing of officials has been publicized. According to the official statement Kravchuk and Popov were penalized for "serious shortcomings in organizing combat training, daily activities of their units, poor care of their subordinates as well as misrepresenting the real situation in their reports." On July 1, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that he had appointed Vice Admiral Alexander Nosatov to the post of Acting Commander of the Baltic Fleet. Until recently Nosatov commanded the Black Sea Fleet headquarters and also headed the Naval Academy. Viktor Litovkin, a military observer from the TASS news agency and a retired colonel, said: "All those involved in the Baltic Fleet will be replaced. They will all be demoted and sent to the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet and other places." (Rbth.com, July 4; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6502, Russia This Week - June 27 - July 4, July 4, 2016) Makeup of Baltic Fleet Command Forces (Source; Themoscowtimes.com, July 6, 2016) The Black Sea Ria's columnist Sergey Varshavchik writes that the Black Sea became strategically important for NATO, after Crimea was annexed by Russia. Varshavchik writes: "All sides understand quite well that no one is going engage in a nuclear Ping-Pong, while a military confrontation between fleets will end in the quick death of NATO's crews...The entire territory of the Black Sea is within the range of the Russian missile carriers and submarines". Varshavchik also writes that the Black Sea fleet conducted a series of drills, while NATO was holding its summit in Warsaw (July 8-9, 2016), in order to test combining missile strikes with heavy bombers during naval battle. (Ria.ru, July 20) Russia-Montenegro Relations In an interview with the media outlet EUobserver.com, Montenegro's prime minister, Milo Dukanovic, said that Russia is working with "strongholds" of anti-EU and anti-NATO sentiment in the Western Balkans in order to compete for influence. Dukanovic said: "They [the Russians] have their strongholds, the role of which is to oppose NATO and the EU, not only in our country, but in all the countries of the region." He then added: "It is clear Russia is very supportive and provides the logistics for certain political parties, NGOs, and media outlets which are trying to hamper Montenegro's path to Euro-Atlantic integration", he said. It should also be noted, that Montenegro, in an observer status, participated for the first time at a NATO summit. The Balkan country was invited to become NATO's 29th member in December 2015, and subsequently the Accession Protocol was signed in May 2016. Montenegro now enjoys invitee status and is integrating into NATO activities. During her weekly briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said: "We have taken note of Prime Minister Dukanovic's statements...It can be seen that even before Montenegro was dragged into the alliance, the prime minister of that country rolled over for the leaders of this organization one more time... We can see that Mr. Dukanovic is openly and unequivocally exercising a policy of intentional damage to the traditionally friendly relations between Montenegro and Russia...Responsibility for the consequences of Podgorica's anti-Russian line lies fully and completely with Montenegro's current officials." (Euobserver.com, July 12, 2016; Mid.ru, July 14; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6443, Russian Reactions To Negotiations On Montenegro's NATO Membership, May 20, 2016) Russia-Moldova Relations - Russian Deputy PM: Moldova May lose Transnistria Due To Rapprochement With Romania Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Kommersant daily after his visit to Moldova: "The fact remains, it is obvious even to the fiercest supporters of unification with Romania, that if Moldova takes a step towards Romania, the Transnistria region will fall off at this steep turn... [If Moldovans want to join Romania] then they had better let the Transnistrian region go amicably, and if they do not want to go to Romania, if they want to remain a sovereign state, a smart state that will protect all its citizens, then it will take years, but those years will not be in vain as they will be spent on restoring territorial integrity." (Tass.ru, July 8) Russia-Sweden Relations During Sweden's Almedalen Week, an annual political festival (July 3-10), Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said that Russia is using "various methods to try and weaken Europe". The head of Sweden's military intelligence and security service, Major General Gunnar Karlsson, also spoke at the event, saying that Russia would "benefit from and would like to see a split within the EU, and also NATO". Sweden's Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Micael Byden, also spoke of Sweden's relationship with Russia, voicing his concern about a number of near-collisions in the past years between Russian military jets and Swedish aircraft. Byden said: "There are examples when we flew close to each other. One mistake can mean an accident that can be used improperly or maybe I have information that could solve the issue but it does not reach [its destination]." Commenting the Swedish official's statement, Zakharova said: "We were perplexed by the statement made by Supreme Commander of Sweden's Armed Forces Gen. Micael Byden about Russia being the biggest military threat to Sweden at the annual Almedalen political week...One gets the impression that many Western countries are part of a well-orchestrated effort to accuse Russia almost daily of posing a threat to someone...As for Sweden, we hear such statements regularly and in different contexts...Ultimately, all the stories about Russian subs proved to be simply the inventions of Swedish military officers, like the universally known tale about the Loch Ness Monster but this time [set] in Sweden. Not a single story was confirmed. Needless to say, it is deplorable that Russophobic statements coming out of the Swedish military - all haunted by a phantom Russian threat - are becoming routine...Let me repeat that if our Swedish partners have concerns over the so-called 'Russian threat,' we are always ready to discuss them in a direct dialogue on all issues that arise. Regrettably, the Swedish side is deliberately avoiding a businesslike, substantive discussion, resorting instead to public diplomacy that is not being used for its designated purpose. This is not public diplomacy but using the media for propaganda." (Thelocal.se, July 7, Mid.ru, July 7) Interview Of The Month Sergey Karaganov (Source: Karaganov.ru) On July 13, the German weekly Der Spiegel published an interview with former Kremlin foreign policy advisor Sergey Karaganov on NATO and Russia-West relations. In the interview, Karaganov said that the world is in a pre-war situation. He stressed that Russi warned NATO against approaching the borders of Ukraine, because that would create a situation that Moscow cannot accept. Karaganov said: "Russia has stopped the Western advance in this direction and hopefully that means that the danger of a large war in Europe has been eliminated in the medium term. But the propaganda that is now circulating is reminiscent of the period preceding a new war." Concerning the Baltic States, Karaganov said: "This chatter that we intend to attack the Baltics is idiotic. Why is NATO stationing weapons and equipment there? Imagine what would happen to them in the case of a crisis. The help offered by NATO is not symbolic help for the Baltic States. It is a provocation. If NATO initiates an encroachment -- against a nuclear power like ourselves -- it will be punished." (Spiegel.de, July 13) Yes, beer lovers can cheer on now that there is an avant-garde pub in the confines of Connaught Placethe citys oldest hub. Smoke On Water, a new gastropub that opened about two weeks ago, has decided to let you pour your own beer. No, it doesnt mean you get behind the bar. All you need to do is sit at your table, choose your beer and pour it out! Sounds like magic? Well, its nothing less than that for beer chuggers. Smoke On Water Whats so great you ask? Read on Smoke On Water is Delhis first tap-your-beer gastropub. What that means? It offers a stylized experience of drinking by introducing a state-of-the-art beer dispensing system, the first of its kind. The tap-your-beer-on-table system allows guests to pay by the ounce rather than the conventional pint or glass. You get a rechargeable card which you can fill with a certain amount of money; then, sit at your table, place your card on an electromagnetic card slot at the side of your table. Once the card has been read, place your glass under the gigantic tap you see at one corner of your table and let it flow! Smoke On Water While you pour out your beer, you can keep a tab on the amount of beer and the money being deducted from your card, subsequently, in the little screen embedded in your wooden table. Its as crystal clear as it gets, really. And you get to choose between a Bira and a Hoegaarden tapsit on the first floor if youre a Bira guy; or on the ground floor, if youd go with the Hoe! Smoke On Water Oh and it gets better. 16 F*CKING KINDS OF CHICKEN WINGS TO TRY OUT WITH YOUR BEER! Need I say more, really? When you think of the finest method actors in Bollywood, your list will probably start with the effervescent and the forever perfectionist Randeep Hooda. The Sarabjit star, who lost an insane 18 kilos of weight in 28 days, has always gone overboard when it comes to preparing for his roles. Facebook This time, he is all set to impress his fans with his upcoming movie Battle Of Saragarhi, in which he is essaying the role of a Sikh Solder. The drama movie is going to be directed by the ace filmmaker Raj Kumar Santoshi and will see Randeep play the character of Ishar Singh, the commander of the fourth battalion of the Sikh Regiment. Randeep will be studying Sikh history in detail, take sword fighting lessons and vintage rifle shooting. He has the body language of a warrior and he will be beefing up to resemble Ishar Singh. He has already started growing his hair and beard, said Rahul Mitra, filmmaker and CEO, Wave Cinemas. Taking care of the sentiments of the Sikh community is of utmost importance and Randeep is extremely serious about the prep. Being a Sikh soldier means embracing calmness and pure forms of warfare. There can be no frivolous behaviour and Randeep has completely submerged himself into the part, he added. Battle of Saragarhi will tell the story that unfolded with the 12th September events of 1897, when a British Indian contingent of 21 Sikhs was attacked by around 10,000 Afghans of the Orakzai tribe. Ishar Singh was stationed in the North-West Frontier Province, refused to surrender and fought till the end. He was also awarded the Indian merit posthumously by the British parliament. The story is definitely a moving tale and there is no doubt about the fact that Randeep Hooda will do full justice to his role. A corporate business professional doesn't necessarily have to be all nerdy; instead, they can be super stylish too. A corporate business professional is generally a person working in a multi-national corporation, who attends a lot many meetings, deals with a lot of professional clients and, above all, lives in a suit from day to night. Because of the nature of work a corporate professional does, it is imperative for him to wear suits all the time. And while they are champs at the work they do, they can also afford (like literally) to wear suits and be all dapper. To make you more stylish, here are some suit combinations that will help you look sharp and suave. 1. White Shirt + Black Trousers + Black Blazer + Black Shoes iamgalla 2. Blue Shirt + Tie + Plaid Trousers + Plaid Blazer + Brown Shoes thescotteffect 3. White Shirt + Blue Trousers + Blue Blazer + Formal Shoes onedapperstreet 4. White Shirt + Tie + Brown Trousers + Brown Blazer + Blue Shoes themetroman 5. White Shirt + Striped Blue Trousers + Tie + Maroon Blazer + Formal Shoes themetroman 6. White Shirt + White Trousers + Blue Double-Breasted Blazer + Brown Shoes iamgalla 7. Checked Blue Shirt + Brown Chinos + Blue Blazer + Black Shoes thescotteffect 8. Plain Blue Shirt + Grey Trousers + Blue Blazer + Black Shoes onedapperstreet Uber Sign (Photo : Getty ) Uber has reportedly spent $500 million on a new mapping project so the ride-sharing company can free itself from Google Maps. The company announced that the new project involves mapping cars that collect street images to improve the experience of Uber customers. Its mapping system would especially help foreign customers because Uber drivers often have had to call people who ordered the taxi service, to get their exact location. Advertisement The news was reported by the Financial Times during the weekend. Google has also recently increased the cost of its Maps service, which has lowered Uber's profit margins. Uber has not confirmed that it has invested half a billion dollars in road maps. However, Uber's ex-Google Maps engineer Brian McClendon stated that his new company is "doubling down" on its spending on mapping. Its new street maps will improve issues such as the best pick-up/drop-off points and taxi routes. Uber is using mapping vehicles in the United States and Mexico. It also has plans to add similar vehicles to other countries in the near future. Uber has bought some mapping tech and hired Microsoft engineers to improve its maps, according to Tech Crunch. It has also teamed up with navigation system companies like Digital Globe and TomTom. The San Francisco-based company also has about $12 billion in funding it has received from private equity firm TPG, China's web services company Baidu, and Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Several other investors are ready to spend big money on the company. In May Uber posted the first photos of its road tests of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the city of Pittsburg. Its improved mapping system could expedite a fleet of self-driving cars. Uber's early success was based on hardware and software that already existed such as cars and smartphones. However, it is now spending more on research and development (R&D) to boost long-term sales growth. The American transportation company now operates in over 60 countries and provides customers with over two billion rides. In related news, Uber has announced it will sell its China business to rival Didi Chuxing after their expensive price wars, according to Bloomberg. Didi will reportedly invest $1 billion in the ride-sharing company's global company. Uber shared that big losses in China have slowed down world-wide growth. It has also reportedly delayed sales of its first public stocks. Here's Uber's self-driving car: People take photos of a Sony Playstation 4, not the PlayStation NEO, and its controllers on display (Photo : Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) Sony's PlayStation Neo is already expected to be launched in fall but a new simulation of the console's hardware shows that it could perform horribly at 4K resolution. Both Sony and Microsoft had claimed that their upcoming upgraded consoles will be able to handle 4K gaming. The latter has their Project Scorpio which is basically an Xbox One with upgraded hardware but it is expected in 2017 and not this year compared to the PlayStation Neo. Advertisement Now, researchers from Eurogamer have tried to simulate the claimed power of the PlayStation Neo which has been leaked to contain a new Polaris 10 GPU. The researchers have used the new AMD Radeon RX 480 GPU for the tests. In order to simulate the true power of the PlayStation Neo, the RX 480 was underclocked to 911MHz which is the card's "power state two" that uses less electricity in order not to generate a lot of heat which is bad for consoles due to their closed system. The processor used in the simulations was an Intel Core i7 6700K to put as much as the graphics load onto the video card. While the PlayStation Neo did perform well for the 1080p and 1440p tests, it did not hold well in 4K with framerates below 30 frames per second. Sony could use 4K upscaling for the PlayStation Neo which means it would still output 4K but not the true native version that everyone was expecting, 4K reported. The same could be said for the Xbox Project Scorpio but Microsoft could still do some more hardware tweaking and improving as there is still over a year before it can be released. Sony's PlayStation Neo could be disappointing for those who were expecting true native 4K resolution gaming for their 4K televisions and monitors. PC gamers have already anticipated that there will be some sort of quality cost cutting for the PlayStation Neo and the Project Scorpio which both claim true 4K gaming capabilities. Even the NVIDIA GTX 1080 cannot really provide a straight 60fps for all games on 4K. Sony could launch the PlayStation Neo this fall along with the PlayStation VR. Official specs and release date have not been confirmed yet. The Pirate Bay (TPB) is Best Alternative, Last Man Standing as KickassTorrents (KAT) Still Down and Unlikely to Come Back Heres Why The Pirate Bay (TPB), ExtraTorrent and YTS.ag Now Listed as Top Free Download Alternatives; Torrenting Still Hurting from KickassTorrents, Torrentz Shut Down (Photo : Facebook) Nearly two weeks after the KickassTorrents domains takedown and arrest of its alleged owner, the file-sharing site is still down and the chance of resuming operation is next to zero. Numerous mirrors, clones and alternatives have surfaced but only one is likely to remain as last man standing - The Pirate Bay. Advertisement But first, KAT picking up the pieces and going back online is just impossible. It appeared that the original KickassTorrents code is exclusive only to Artem Vaulin, tagged by the U.S. government as KAT owner and operator and is currently detained in Poland. Behind bars, Vaulin will not be able restore what was lost in the aftermath of the KAT crackdown and even in the event that he wins back his freedom, getting the site live again is not an easy task. TorrentFreak said in a report that the KickassTorrents operation has been deeply compromised. When given the chance, the report agreed that Vaulin can technically bring back KAT where it left off but it will prove to be a short-lived victory. It's no secret that rights holders and authorities are monitoring Vaulin and every effort to restore KickassTorrents will only be met by takedown moves. So torrent users are left with the so-called mirror, clones and proxies. Yet as quick as these KAT replicas came out following the KickassTorrents domains seizure, they went out in the same way. The most notable clones were KickassTorrents.website and KAT.am but both have been taken out, Venture Beat reported. More clones popped out but at best these players "are simply copycats piggybacking on the KAT brand," the report added. The last recourse would be the alternatives or the torrent sites that have been around longer than the KickassTorrents did. Reports pointed to the likes of ExtraTorrent and Torrentz but really the services delivered by these players only point to other sites where the contents are actually hosted and indexed. The compass points to The Pirate Bay. TPB has seen it all - site owners and operators have been jailed, domains or physical servers seized and downtimes that lasted for weeks and months - but it survived and resumed operation. "The Pirate Bay may not be as large as it once was, but it is definitely the most resilient torrent site. And with KAT all but out of the picture, The Pirate Bay will likely gain more users," Venture Beat said on its report. And that would mean that in the event of KickassTorrent's eventual demise and ExtraTorrent or Torrentz fizzling out, it is The Pirate Bay that will be left as the last man standing in the torrent scene. The OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer, or OVIRS, will look at the asteroid's spectral signature to detect organics and other minerals. (Photo : NASA) Next month, NASA will launch a space probe that will land on an asteroid that is heading to Earth. This new mission known as OSIRIS-REx or Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, will mark the first spaceflight mission that will collect asteroid samples then bring them back to Earth. The space probe is targeting an asteroid known as Bennu. Advertisement According to chief astronomer and planetarium director Derrick Pitts from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, scientists hope to not only investigate an alien asteroid but also to find new clues about the early evolution of the solar system, as asteroids are also considered as ancient remnants of the solar system when planets were only beginning to form billions of years ago. On September 8, the OSIRIS-REx mission will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida where it will complete an orbit around the sun for its first year in space. Using the Earth's gravitational forces as a slingshot, the probe will use this to propel itself towards Bennu. Two months before its rendezvous at the asteroid, the probe will survey and map out potential spots to obtain samples before landing on the surface briefly of the asteroid according to NASA. Briefly landing on the surface means a mere five seconds, as the OSIRIS-REx probe will not return to Earth until 2023, says Pitts. The mission may seem rather hasty, but this round trip to collect crucial samples of space dust is pivotal to gain a better understanding about the evolutionary of our planet and how the solar system formed. Bennu might be near the direction of Earth but Pitts explains that there is one chance in 2,700 of this asteroid crashing into our planet by the 22nd century, which can also make a significant impact. An unspecified number of Egyptian expatriate workers have been detained for running away from their employment sponsors Related Egypt secures release of 43 citizens in Saudi Arabia Egypt said it is working to facilitate the repatriation of Egyptian expatriate workers who have been detained -- among many of other nationalities -- by Saudi authorities for violating the countrys labour law. The Egyptian general-consul in Jeddah, Adel Al-Alfy, said the consulate team is following up on the conditions of those who have been detained in the capital Riyadh for "escaping" from their employment sponsors. Under restrictions introduced in March 2013 by the oil-rich kingdom, foreigners are only allowed to work for their legal sponsors and are not authorised to work independently, even if their employers approve. Many foreign workers enter Saudi Arabia under the sponsorship of a Saudi national but end up working for others, or set up their own businesses. "The Egyptian consulate in Jeddah has contacted Saudi authorities in an attempt to find a solution to the matter," Egypts foreign ministry said in a statement late on Monday. The consulate is following up on the conditions of those who have been detained on a daily basis and is working to facilitate the procedures so that they can be extradited to Egypt, the statement added. The ministry did not provide the exact number of Egyptian expatriates being detained. The violators will be fined 10,000 riyals, handed a final exit order and repatriated back home after official travel papers are issued for them. The ministry urged Egyptian workers in the Gulf country to conform to employment and stay regulations to avoid any legal sanctions. Foreigners made up 10.1 million of the total population of 30.8 million in 2014, according to the latest official data. Tens of thousands of Egyptians work in the kingdom. Search Keywords: Short link: A police vehicle carrying four conscripts on the ring road near Giza's Nahya district was attacked by unidentified armed assailants on Tuesday morning leaving two injured, Ahram Arabic news website reported. The two injured conscripts have been transported to hospital. Tens of security personnel have been killed in drive-by shootings believed to be carried out by Islamist militants in Cairo and other cities since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's army is also part of a Saudi-led military coalition that has been fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen since early 2015 Egypt's armed forces Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday on a multi-day visit aimed at bolstering military cooperation between the two Arab allies. Hegazy is heading a delegation of top Egyptian military officials to conduct talks of mutual interests between the armed forces of the two countries with Saudi counterparts during the seventh session of Saudi-Egyptian joint military committee, a statement by Egypt's military said. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key backer of Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The oil-rich kingdom has pumped billions of dollars in aid and investment into Egypt to help prop up its ailing economy. Earlier this year, Cairo participated in a 20-nation military drill in the Gulf, which was organised by Saudi Arabia and billed as the biggest-ever in the region. In July 2015, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed a pact aimed at boosting military and economic ties between the two countries. Egypt has also been taking part part of a Saudi-led military coalition -- that includes Bahrain and Qatar -- that has been battling Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015. Search Keywords: Short link: Pope Tawadros II, the head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church, called Tuesday on Egyptian Coptic expats in the US not to demonstrate in front of the White House hours before a planned protest over attacks against Christians in Egypt. "I oppose any demonstrations that might harm Egypt and cause conflict with higher authorities...Please, for Christ's sake, avoid this behaviour that is not acceptable in any of our churches in the USA," said the pope in statement published on Coptic World, the official website of the Coptic Orthodox Church. On July 22, Coptic Solidarity, a non-profit organisation, called the demonstration for today in the wake of recent sectarian attacks in Upper Egypt. The pope argued that such demonstrations do not help or change the situation, but instead "stain the image of Egypt locally and internationally," adding that Egyptians are now capable of dealing with their problems and its consequences. "These demonstrations disfigure our country and fuel evil. Our circumstances are completely different from those of five or 10 years ago, and we cannot afford to deal with new evolving events using old ways," he said. In recent months, a number of high profile sectarian attacks against Coptic Christians in Upper Egypt resulted in injuries to many individuals, some deaths, and damages to homes and businesses. Two weeks ago, Muslim assailants set ablaze Christian homes in the village of Abu Yacoub in Minya over a rumour that a Christian intended to turn a kindergarten into a church. Also last week, a Muslim mob stabbed a Christian to death in the village of Tahna also in Minya during a street argument. Various estimates suggest that there are anywhere between 300,000 and one million Egyptian Coptic Christians currently living in the US, making it one of the largest Coptic communities abroad. Last Thursday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed to Pope Tawadros in a private meeting that all Egyptians are equal in rights and duties in accordance with the country's constitution. The Egyptian president praised the "wise and patriotic" spirit that Egyptian Christians have displayed in dealing with challenges throughout the past few years, and warned of the danger posed by those who would use religion as a tool for division or to foster extremist ideas. The pope in return assured El-Sisi that all citizens should stand together to work for the country's interests and accomplish the aspirations and hopes of the Egyptian people. Earlier last week, Pope Tawadros told a parliamentary committee that the country's legacy of religious unity is currently being "defaced" in the wake of sectarian attacks. "The incidents we heard about are very painful. On my part, I'm patient and enduring, but there have been incidents that warn of danger," a Coptic Church statement quoted the pope as saying. The pope cited a report compiled by the church showing that in the past three years there have been 37 attacks on Christians; an average of one attack per month. In May, Muslim villagers torched seven homes of Christians and assaulted a Christian man's elderly mother in Minya's El-Karm village, stripping her and parading her naked in public. The assault was sparked by rumours that the man was having an illicit relationship with a Muslim woman. Following these incidents, El-Sisi warned of anyone attempting to drive a wedge between Egyptians and vowed to hold violators accountable. There are no official figures on the number of Christians in Egypt, but informal numbers suggest that Christians make up around 10 to 15 percent of Egypt's population of 91 million. Search Keywords: Short link: The agenda, titled "A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice" was released Monday by the Movement for Black Lives. The platform also comes after both the Republican and Democratic conventions, during which Black Lives Matter activists were noticeably absent from protest lines. "We seek radical transformation, not reactionary reform," Michaela Brown, a spokeswoman for Baltimore Bloc, one of the group's partner organizations, said in a statement. "As the 2016 election continues, this platform provides us with a way to intervene with an agenda that resists state and corporate power, an opportunity to implement policies that truly value the safety and humanity of Black lives, and an overall means to hold elected leaders accountable." The agenda outlines six demands and offers 40 recommendations on how to address them. To address criminal justice reform, for example, movement organizers are calling for an end to the type of militarized police presence seen at protests in cities like Ferguson, and the retroactive decriminalization and immediate release of all people convicted of drug offenses, sex work related offense and youth offenses. The group also is calling for the passage of a bill that would create a commission to study reparations for descendants of slaves. This is the first time Black Lives Matter has articulated its demands and has faced pressure to do so. The Black Lives Matter movement dates to 2012, but ignited two years later when 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, on August 9, 2014. The incident, followed by other killings of black men and boys by police in cities including Baltimore and Cleveland, sparked racial tensions and weeks of protests that evolved into a national conversation about disparities in policing. Fueled largely by social media, the movement has grabbed the attention of elected officials, including President Barack Obama who has invited activists to the White House to discuss their grievances and possible solutions. Their efforts also have forced the issues of criminal justice reform and policing disparities into the 2016 election cycle, and were credited, in part, with the ouster of district attorneys in Illinois and Ohio earlier this year. A Navy appellate judge is the subject of an ethics complaint months after an investigation in The Washington Post indicated he misrepresented his actions while acting as a prosecutor in the trial of an officer accused of inappropriate relationships with Naval Academy students. In an arraignment for Marine Maj. Mark Thompson at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Monday, military judge Lt. Col. Christopher Greer confirmed that Cmdr. Aaron Rugh was under investigation by Naval Legal Service Command. "There appeared to be an allegation that he misled, misspoke, any sort of prosecutorial misconduct," Greer told attorneys during the hearing. A spokesman for the Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Lt. Cmdr. Robert Carr, said the command "can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a complaint regarding Cmdr. Aaron Rugh." Rugh remains on the bench, officials confirmed. He declined to comment through the office. Now, a panel judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, Rugh is the latest officer to come under scrutiny following a March report by the Post that dived deep into the military's criminal and administrative proceedings regarding Thompson, a former Naval Academy instructor. Thompson was acquitted of sexual assault of two female midshipmen in 2013, but convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer, fraternization and indecent conduct, and sentenced to two months behind bars. At a later administrative board of inquiry hearing, a panel of officers would opt to allow him to continue serving in the Marine Corps. During this board of inquiry in 2014, Rugh was asked by one of the officers on the panel how the prosecution had proved in the earlier court-martial that Thompson and one of the midshipmen, publicly identified as Sarah Stadler, saw each other following her graduation -- a key contention in the case. According to the Post report, which cited a transcript of the hearing, Rugh said the prosecution team had interviewed Stadler's family. But both Stadler's mother and her brother denied to The Washington Post that Rugh and his team had ever spoken to them. "That's a complete and total lie," Stadler's mother told reporter John Woodrow Cox. The same report would reveal apparent inconsistencies in Thompson's own account of his innocence, resulting in new charges of false official statement and conduct unbecoming an officer. A court-martial is now expected early next year on these charges. The Post story would also lead to the removal of Maj. Mike Pretus, another instructor at the Naval Academy. Pretus would ultimately agree to testify against Thompson in exchange for immunity, telling investigators both men had been involved in a threesome with the same midshipman in 2011. In Monday's arraignment, Greer revealed he had had a conversation with another military judge shortly after reading The Washington Post story about whether they, on the judiciary side, would have to take any action if an ethics complaint should arise in light of the reporting. They ultimately determined they needed to take no action as Rugh had moved to an appellate post. "Anyone who looked at The Washington Post article might have said, 'Are there any charges that might potentially be forthcoming?'" Greer said. He was ultimately informed by Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary Chief Judge Capt. Moira Modzelewski of the existence of a complaint, he said, but did not know who filed it. According to Navy and Marine Corps rules governing the professional conduct of attorneys, ethics complaints that are verified and determined to be significant breaches of appropriate conduct may result in disciplinary action, including corrective counseling and suspension. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. 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. The Pentagon's biggest buyer of the fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter declared the aircraft ready for combat Tuesday with the achievement of initial operational capability. Air Force Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Air Force's F-35A was ready for combat, adding that he hoped to see the aircraft deployed to the European and Pacific theaters of operation for training and partnership within the next 18 months. "It is a fantastic airplane," Carlisle said. "It's something that the American military, given the national security strategy -- we need it. "If you look at the potential adversaries out there or the potential environments where we have to operate this airplane, the attributes that the F-35 brings -- the ability to penetrate contested airspace, the ability to deliver precision munitions with a sensor suite fusing multiple information sources -- is something our nation needs to be able to do what we're asked to do in support of national security strategy," he added. The Air Force expects to buy 1,763 of the jets, making the service the biggest purchaser of the aircraft. The F-35A is the conventional takeoff and landing variant and the cheapest of the three variants in production. The low-rate initial production cost of $98 million is expected to fall to $85 million by 2018, when the fighter enters full production. For the F-35A, the milestone means the Air Force has a squadron with between 12 and 24 operational aircraft and the training to conduct basic close-air support (CAS) missions, as well as interdiction and suppression and destruction of enemy air defense (SEAD/DEAD) in contested conditions, according to Pentagon documentation. Carlisle said Tuesday that the Air Force now had 15 aircraft, to be assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing, based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. They will be flown and maintained with the support of reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing, also based at Hill. The general said he couldn't divulge all the specifics of what constituted basic CAS but noted that some features would be absent until the aircraft upgrades from its basic 3i software to 3f and the follow-on 4 block. "It doesn't necessarily have all the attributes with respect to things like an IR [infrared] pointer that we use in A-10s, for example, that is not currently in this airplane," Carlisle said. "There are other things with respect to the [Link-16] architecture that we'll continue to improve on so it can hand off information to other airplanes." The F-35A will also lack advanced CAS potential until after the Small Diameter Bomb II, an advanced precision-guided weapons system, enters service in 2017. It's expected to be integrated with the F-35 in 2022. The aircraft had been expected to reach IOC between August and December of this year, so Tuesday's announcement represents a relatively early achievement of the milestone. The announcement was widely expected this week after multiple officials told the press the aircraft had completed the key tests needed to reach the capability. "We have achieved all our milestones," Lt. Col. Steven Anderson, deputy commander of the 388th Maintenance Group, told reporters last week, according to multiple media reports. On July 28, officials with the military's F-35 Joint Program Office announced the F-35A had achieved its first air-to-air kill in testing, taking out a drone in a designated training range off the coast of California with an externally mounted AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. Carlisle has also praised the aircraft in recent days, telling reporters earlier in July that he was ready to deploy the F-35A at the behest of geographic combatant commanders as soon as it achieved IOC. The declaration comes 13 months after the Marine Corps declared IOC for the F-35B short takeoff and vertical lift [STOVL] variant of the aircraft. The Corps expects to send its first squadron of F-35Bs forward to Japan in January 2017, where it will deploy aboard the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. But the deputy commandant for Marine Corps Aviation, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, told an audience in Washington, D.C., last week that the aircraft was ready to deploy earlier if called upon. "If we think we need to do that, we're ready to do that," he said. Officials with Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35, congratulated the Air Force on achieving the milestone in a statement Tuesday. "With the F-35A, the Air Force now has a fighter combining next-generation radar-evading stealth, supersonic speed, fighter agility and advanced logistical support with the most powerful and comprehensive integrated sensor package of any fighter aircraft in history," company officials said in a statement. "It will provide airmen unprecedented lethality and survivability, a capability they will use to defend America and our allies for decades to come." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. Related Video: The aim of the initiative is to draw up a programme to be adopted by potential candidates and implemented as state policies once they get into office Former presidential scientific advisor Essam Heggy announced on Tuesday that a number of figures from across the political spectrum will form a committee to prepare a presidential programme to be adopted by any potential candidate in the 2018 presidential elections. The aim of the initiative is to draw up a programme under the slogan "fight poverty, ignorance and disease," to be adopted by potential candidates and implemented as state policies once they get into office, Heggy said in a statement on his Facebook page. The team is open for anyone to join, according to Heggy. The programme will promote a "civil state with a strong economy," and its main goals will include developing educational institutions, fighting poverty and unemployment, empowering women, achieving religious equality and developing health institutions, the statement said. The team also aims to coordinate with "all civil society groups" in Egypt willing to work towards these stated goals. The proposed programme, the first major initiative addressing the 2018 presidential elections, has stirred social media debate among members of the opposition. Some have welcomed the initiative as the first to propose a viable alternative and others have slammed Heggy for having been part of interim president Adly Mansour's presidential team. Heggy's presidential initiative was first introduced last month when he announced that a "new vision adopted by the 25 January youth" should be presented in the 2018 elections. Heggy was the scientific advisor for interim president Mansour, who held power following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Heggy has a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Paris, and is currently a professor of geosciences at Western Michigan University. Heggy has become an outspoken critic of Egypt's current government and state institutions, and has come under heavy fire from pro-regime media outlets. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was elected president in May 2014 and can run one more term according to the Egyptian constitution. Heggy cannot run for president because he holds dual citizenship. Search Keywords: Short link: Michael Hoffman is a former managing editor of Military.com and an Air Force veteran. He is now executive editor and director of marketing for Tandem National Security Innovations in Arlington, Virginia. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Donald Trump expects you to forget about his attack on a Gold Star Family who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country when they lost their son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, in Iraq. Trumps expects Americans to tune into entertaining reality TV, like the Bachelorette finale that aired Monday night, and move on to the next news cycle. It's not a bad bet. He won the Republican nomination using this strategy. Trump has insulted U.S. Sen. John McCain for his sacrifices as a prisoner of war; he stood on a podium and mocked a reporter with a disability during a campaign event; and he questioned Judge Gonzalo Curiel's ability to do his job because of his Mexican heritage. Each action should have rendered him unfit him for the presidency, and yet here he stands. America's service members and veterans must ensure that America's memories sharpen. Because by attacking Ghazala Khan and questioning her strength, Trump attacked every mother or father who had to see their son or daughter return from Iraq or Afghanistan in a casket draped in the American flag. Trump had the indecency to compare his job to the sacrifices felt by a family who lost a loved one fighting for America. True sacrifice is found on the flight line of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, where heartbroken families wait for their loved ones to return from war in the bellies of U.S. cargo aircraft. True sacrifice is found at Arlington Cemetery or the hometown cemeteries where those families bury their loved ones. Families are the ones who often suffer the most. America's fighting men and women know this best. They know about all the birthdays, graduations, first steps and first kisses missed. They know about the hell families go through not knowing whether their soldier, Marine, airman or sailor will survive until the next email, Skype session, or phone call. Trump turned the spotlight on the most crucial 1 percent of this country with his attack on the Khan family. The 1 percent who volunteered and fought for this country in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 1 percent Trump called a "disaster" during his speech accepting the Republican nomination. His example has led to attacks on the families of other service members. On Monday evening, a concerned mother of an airman asked Trump's running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, about the attacks on Khan's family. She was booed by those in attendance at the Trump-Pence rally as she held up a photo of her son. Most reactions to Trump's attack on this Gold Star Family have included a caveat about his political opponent. This time, it's not about the Democratic nominee. It's about Trump attacking one of the most sacred parts of the military community in an election in which he is running for commander in chief. He attacked a Gold Star Family. Bonnie Carroll, the president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), told The Washington Post that Trump's comments forced her to "defend the honor" of a family who had lost a service member for the first time in the program's history. Brian Duffy, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), issued a statement defending the Khans, saying: "There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed. Giving one's life to the nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard." It is true. The Khans chose to put themselves and their son's sacrifice in the spotlight by speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Addressing their message for its content would have been a fair response. Instead, Trump tried to identify a weakness and attack Mrs. Khan for not speaking beside her husband. He then unleashed a tirade on Twitter trying to connect the Khan family with radical Islamic terrorists. He had the indecency to connect the Khan family to the enemy that their son sacrificed his life to defeat so other American families like the Trumps may sleep soundly. This despicable action must not be forgotten in November by America's service members, their families, or any American family. -- If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. A Navy ship supporting the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in the Mediterranean was called on to support the rescue of nearly 100 migrants whose small inflatable watercraft was adrift in the water. The rescue happened July 29, according to officials from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and U.S. 6th Fleet. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Carney arrived where the migrants were adrift in their vessel and provided aid to them until a rescue ship, the MS Aquarius, arrived. The Aquarius, owned by the European civil and humanitarian initiative SOS Mediterranee, took the migrants on board and carried them to safety. According to officials, physicians with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) routinely embark with this rescue ship and give care to rescued refugees until they can be released to the appropriate authorities. Officials with NAVEUR/6th Fleet did not identify the nationality of the migrants. But they said 96 men and one woman were aboard the small vessel and were rescued. "Today, Team Carney aided in the rescue of 97 migrants while operating in the Mediterranean Sea," Carney commanding officer Cmdr. Kenneth Pickard said in a statement released by the command. "Seeing the plight of these desperate migrants and the danger they were in was humbling. As Sailors we make our living on the high seas. We were honored to help these 97 people to safety. My crew acted with the utmost professionalism and compassion and I couldn't be more proud of them." The Carney forward deployed to Rota, Spain, last September as the fourth U.S. destroyer in a quartet of ships tasked with supporting European ballistic missile defense in concert with two Aegis ashore batteries located in Poland and Romania. It also conducts presence missions in the region in support of the U.S. and NATO. At the time of the rescue, the Carney was supporting the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which is transporting the North Carolina-based 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit on a deployment that will ultimately take the unit through the 6th Fleet and into the waters around the Middle East, where it will likely support the fight against Islamic State militants. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. U.S. warplanes, in a campaign now dubbed "Operation Odyssey Lightning," hit ISIS targets in the Libyan port city of Sirte again Tuesday, bringing the total number of airstrikes over the past two days to seven, the Pentagon said. A combination of U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft using precision-guided weapons carried out the strikes in support of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. At least two of the airstrikes were carried out by Marine Corps Harrier jump jets flying off the amphibious assault ship Wasp off the Libyan coast, Fox News reported. Five strikes on Monday hit a variety of targets, including an aging Soviet-era T-72 tank acquired under the regime of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Davis said. Two more strikes Tuesday hit a rocket launcher and a heavy equipment excavator, he said. Davis declined to say where the flights approved by Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the new commander of U.S. Africa Command, originated from, but Italy signaled a willingness to allow the use of its Sigonella air base in Sicily for additional strikes in support of the GNA. Davis said the U.S. was prepared to carry out additional strikes "with the objective of helping the GNA take Sirte. We don't envision this as something that's going to last too long. They need help getting across the finish line" to take the city, he said. At the White House, President Obama said the strikes were conducted "at the request of [the Libyan] government. "It is in America's national security interests in our fight against ISIL to make sure that they're able to finish the job," Obama said, using another acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. However, Davis confirmed that the strikes against ISIS in Sirte were part of a "new phase" of U.S. involvement in what could be considered yet another civil war in the Mideast. The U.S. conducted previous airstrikes in Libya in February and last November, but those strikes were described as "counter-terror" missions against "high-value" ISIS individuals, Davis said. The current airstrikes in Libya were in support of the GNA , which has been endorsed as the legitimate government by the United Nations and consists of multiple militia factions in its armed wing. The GNA is opposed by a separate, self-declared government in eastern Libya based in Tobruk near the Egyptian border, which also is backed by multiple militia factions. 'Nominating' Targets As described by Davis, the latest airstrikes were coordinated through a multi-layered target selection and forward air control system that the U.S. has employed in Iraq and Syria to support local forces on the ground. GNA forces besieging Sirte were "nominating" targets. "We have a close relationship with them where we have direct contact," Davis said, but he declined to describe the method of communication. The nominated targets were then evaluated by a Joint Terminal Attack Controller at an operations center in the region using live aerial surveillance. The JTAC would then give approval or disapproval for a strike to the manned or unmanned aircraft on station, Davis said. To illustrate how the system works, Davis singled out the strike that took out the T-72 tank on Monday. The tank was used by ISIS fighters to control a neighborhood in southwestern Sirte, Davis said, and "it remained a problem for GNA forces. It was used repeatedly to beat back advances." The tank was "nominated" for a strike that was carried out quickly, allowing the GNA forces to push back the ISIS fighters and gain control of the neighborhood, said Davis, who estimated that the ISIS forces remaining in the city now numbered in the "several hundreds." He said the airstrikes were limited to the retaking of Sirte, but the U.S. commitment to the GNA would continue. On Italian state television Tuesday, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said his government would approve the use of the Sigonella air base in Sicily for U.S. strikes in Libya if Washington made the request, the Associated Press reported. "I believe that it's a very positive fact" that the U.S has decided to intervene, Gentiloni said. He noted that the extremists were concentrated in four or five compounds in Sirte, but he expected that the GNA forces would have a difficult time ousting them More Strikes in Yemen At the same time that Davis was briefing on Syria, U.S. Central Command put out a statement on the latest U.S. counter-terror airstrikes in Yemen, where another civil war is raging involving tribal Houthi rebels and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia. The statement said that a strike on July 8 killed one member of the Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terror group, or AQAP, and a strike on July 16 killed six AQAP operatives and injured one. "AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond," the statement said, and AQAP was using the unrest in Yemen "to provide a haven from which to plan future attacks against our allies as well as the U.S. and its interests." Several weeks ago, the U.S. sent a small team of Special Forces troops into Yemen in support of local forces and United Arab Emirates troops to retake the port city of Mukalla from AQAP. Davis declined to say whether the U.S. team was still on the ground in Yemen but said that U.S. troops were periodically sent into Yemen. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related Video: This article originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. Instead of losing his sense of purpose and drive after the military, this vet channeled it into his civilian life. A few key decisions made all the difference for Justin McCarty, a former soldier now living in San Francisco. He grabbed opportunities as they were presented, accelerating the successful transition to a rewarding post-military career. McCarty, 30, now works in operations for a fast-growing startup. There he applies everything he learned in the military, college, and at previous jobs. Transitioning from the military can be daunting. Many veterans, particularly those who enlisted, have a hard time navigating the complexities of the civilian world. Is my hometown the best place for me or is it smarter to get a fresh start? Should I go for an education, then get a job? Or take a lower paying job while going to school? These are difficult questions to answer, and it can help hear from others who have walked the path and have some wisdom to share. McCarty did not wait on anyone else to tell him that he needed to excel. "I was able to hit the ground running and get after [school and work] quickly after getting home," he told Task & Purpose. This attitude helped him move up the ranks, then transfer to Cornell University, and then jump from finance into tech startups. McCarty joined the Army in 2005, leaving his home town of Rockford, a small city in Illinois, and spent 18 months on active duty and another four in the reserves as an infantryman, including a tour in Iraq. According to McCarty, this time overseas gave him perspective on his life. He spent a lot of time thinking about what he wanted to achieve after he got out of the military, he said. "I remember flying over Ireland on our way home after a twelve month deployment," McCarty recalled. "Something about the rich green of the grass really resonated with me after so much time in the desert. I think back to that moment a lot." After transitioning to the reserves, McCarty channeled his energy into academics. He attended Parkland College, a community college in Illinois. His sights were set much higher, though. "I didn't know where the bar was set to get to a top tier school, but I knew a 4.0 GPA would give me the best possible chance," said McCarty. Turns out, he was was right. McCarty earned a spot in the transfer class at Cornell University. Switching to finance after graduating in 2010, he took a job with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "I knew a stint on Wall Street would be a great place to build my analytic skills," said McCarty. "Plus I would get a chance to learn how the business world works." After three successful years at Bank of America, McCarty, moved on to Goldman Sachs to take on even more responsibilities. But despite the larger salary he wasn't happy. Something was missing. "I had this moment of clarity where I realized that I was repeating the same deal over and over," McCarty recalled. "I could do this for 20 years, then look back on my work and wouldn't see the impact on the world that I was hoping for." Driven by this need to find a deeper purpose, McCarty took a huge risk and switched to a new career in technology. Through some friends he was able to make contact with people who were hiring at Uber. There, he found a good job in their operations department where his banking skills could be used. The decision proved to be a good one. McCarty was able to enjoy his work more, learn new skills, and find the time to get married. He also helped start UberMILITARY, which is now responsible for helping over 25,000 military personnel and veterans make money as Uber drivers. The benefits are clear to McCarty. "Moving to tech let me be a part of companies that are changing the world for the better, and this is what I am looking for," he said. He didn't stay still, either. McCarty recently moved to another job after several years at Uber. He still works in operations, but now in a more senior position at Sprig, a food delivery startup. "Every day is a different challenge," he said. "You must be able to think differently, and pair that with a 'get shit done' mentality. Fortunately that is something that most veterans share. The ups and downs of college or the corporate world are nothing once you've sat on your rucksack for hours in the rain because some Humvee broke down. Nothing fazes you after that." This article originally appeared at Task & Purpose. Follow Task & Purpose on Twitter. More articles from Task & Purpose: Social Media You can follow us on different types of social media by clicking the links below: Egypt's religious endowments minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said that having pre-prepared Friday sermons is of "legitimate national interest," though he stressed that the "era of silencing people is over." During a workshop on an integrated vision on the renewal of religious discourse during the Presidential Leadership Programme's (PLP) forum, the minister said that exploiting religious discourse for political and partisan purposes causes severe damage to society, stressing on the necessity of curtailing the efforts of those who would exploit religion. Last Month, the endowments ministry announced that Muslim clerics will be required to read from a single script prepared by the ministry during the weekly sermon at Friday prayers, a move aimed at promoting moderate Islamic ideology and combating extremism. "There is no religious source that prohibits a pre-written sermon, and we are in exceptional circumstances," the minister stressed. He added that some in the country have been quick to reject the idea of a pre-written sermon without knowing the details. Gomaa highlighted that these sermons would allow for the tackling of various topics throughout the year, adding that there are different programmes for the rehabilitation and preparation of preachers. However, Egypt's top Islamic body Al-Azhar rejected last Wednesday the decision requiring preachers to read out a standardised, pre-written sermon during Friday services. The Council of Senior Scholars, headed by Al-Azhar's Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, said the move amounts to "freezing religious discourse." The Al-Azhar Mosque did not follow the ministry's standardised sermon last Friday, entitled "Cleanliness is a Civilised Behaviour," and instead gave a sermon on national unity and the rights of Christians in Islam, as announced on Al-Azhar's official website. The ministry's decision sparked outcry among many clerics earlier this month, who said that scripted sermons would waste an imam's talents and fail to cater to different communities. The ministry has been setting topics for weekly sermons at Friday prayers across the country since 2014. Under the Egyptian constitution, the 1,000-year-old seat of Islamic learning Al-Azhar is in charge of regulating Islamic preaching and proselytising, while the endowments ministry is responsible for administering mosques and Islamic centres. Search Keywords: Short link: UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: I-94 has reopened to traffic. ANN ARBOR, MI - A rollover crash closed all lanes of eastbound I-94 at Jackson Road for nearly two hours Tuesday, Aug. 2. The Michigan Department of Transportation reported the closure at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday. Cameras show a rollover at the entrance ramp from Jackson Road onto the expressway. Traffic is backed up to at least Zeeb Road, the cameras show. A 1999 Ford F350 was hauling cars on a trailer was merging onto I-94 when the load on the trailer shifted and caused the trailer to rollover just before 10:45 a.m., said Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Thompson. Huron Valley Ambulance did not transport anyone from the incident to the hospital, said spokeswoman Joyce Williams. Ann Arbor Fire responded to the scene. PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI - Firefighters aren't positive yet what caused grass fires along more than 30 miles of U.S. 23 on Friday, July 29. Milan Fire Chief Bob Stevens said the fires started near the Ohio border and continued to the area of Pittsfield Township, just south of Ann Arbor, before stopping. His department was called about 2:45 p.m. Friday to about eight grass fires along the east side of U.S. 23. Pittsfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gleason said his department was initially called to a fire on northbound U.S. 23 north of Bemis Road, but was called to assist the Milan department as well. The Pittsfield Township department ended up responding to at least six fires during the busy afternoon, Gleason said. Two of the fires were threatening structures, and crews also came upon one crash and witnessed a rollover, as well. "We have had situations like this in the past where a vehicle is dragging something that is throwing sparks and due to the dry conditions, fires start," Gleason said. Stevens said that is likely the case with the miles of multiple fires from Friday. He believes the fire may have started from sparks from a truck dragging a chain along the road or a fragmented tire. Either way, officials may not be able to identify a specific cause, he said. According to the fire chiefs, fire departments from Milan, Dundee, Deerfield, Ottawa Lake, Summerfield Township and Pittsfield Township all assisted with the fires. Darcie Moran covers cops and courts for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Email her at dmoran@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran. Photo gallery: Ann Arbor residents vote A voter fills out a ballot at Slauson Middle School on Tuesday, August 4, 2015. (Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News) ANN ARBOR, MI - Polls open for voting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, for the 2016 primary election in Michigan. In Washtenaw County, voters have a number of local primary races to decide, as well as some important ballot proposals to vote up or down. Will taxes for Ann Arbor's streets and sidewalks and Washtenaw Community College be reauthorized? Who might be Washtenaw County's next representatives in the state House or serve on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city councils? Those questions and more remain to be decided. To find out where to vote and view what's on your ballot, go to the Michigan Voter Information Center website. The Ann Arbor clerk's office is reminding voters to bring a photo ID to vote. If you don't have an ID, you will be required to sign an affidavit. Polls are open until 8 p.m. Registered voters standing in line by 8 p.m. will be eligible to vote. Check back after polls close for live results on MLive. A quick guide to what's on the ballot in Washtenaw County For background on candidates, check out the MLive Voter Guide. Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com. ANN ARBOR, MI - Health officials have confirmed the person believed to have contracted Lyme disease in Washtenaw County lives in a rural area in the western part of the county. Washtenaw County Public Health reported last week that evidence suggested a resident was infected with the tick-borne disease without leaving the county, though it wasn't immediately clear last week where the resident lives. Jessie Kimbrough Marshall, WCPH medical director, confirmed on Monday, Aug. 1, the resident lives in western Washtenaw County. Tick information courtesy of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. More specific information was not available. Marshall said she was not aware of any nature areas the resident might have visited. While there have been cases of Lyme disease among Washtenaw County residents in the past, until now local cases have been related to travel to west Michigan or other states with infested tick populations, according to WCPH. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is spread by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, aching muscles or joints and a skin rash at the site of the tick bite that may look like a bull's eye or target. Untreated infections can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics. WCPH and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plan to work together to identify areas of the county where the blacklegged tick may be present. During the peak tick activity season, ticks from wooded and natural areas will be collected, identified and tested. No ticks from Washtenaw County have tested positive for Lyme disease, WCPH officials note. Amanda Ng, WCPH health educator, said since there has been little testing done up until this point, it's hard to say which areas pose more of a risk. She said residents are encouraged to avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter, to walk in the center of trails, and to wear long sleeves, pants and shoes that cover feet, and follow other prevention tips. WCPH is stressing prevention practices to reduce chances of getting a tick-borne disease by using repellents, checking for ticks and showering after being outdoors. Also, if you have a tick bite followed by a fever or rash, seek medical attention. WCPH also encourages residents to submit ticks for identification. Michigan has a program to identify ticks, and if it is a live blacklegged tick, test for Lyme disease. There is no fee charged if the tick was found on a person. Ticks can be submitted with or without a tick submission kit. Testing information is available at www.michigan.gov/lymedisease. WCPH also has a limited number of kits available. For more information, read the WCPH fact sheet on Lyme disease or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com. After more than a year of statewide debate over Detroit's debt-ridden public schools, this fall's school board elections are being touted as a return to local control for the district. Scores of candidates will fill the ballot for seven seats that will, unlike the previous board, legally have a role in running the city's troubled schools. But the hard reality behind this November's crowded election is that Detroit's new school board will only have as much authority as a state-controlled oversight commission is willing to give it. And so far, the state treasurer's office, which is responsible for administering the state commission, won't reveal how much authority or direction it will give the elected board. "It makes me feel powerless," said parent Marquita Ashe of the restraints placed on the new board. She said she worries a board with little authority will fail to attract top-quality candidates. "Why would anybody run for this board?" she asked. "I don't know. I don't know anything about most of them. It's like they came out of the blue." Under the deal reached in Lansing, the state is providing hundreds of millions of dollars to help pay off district debt. The arrangement calls for the existing, powerless board to be dismissed with the new board to replace it beginning in January. But under the terms of the deal, the new board won't be able to hire and fire key officials, or make any significant decisions, without approval from the Detroit Financial Review Commission, which is comprised mostly of state appointees. State lawmakers who approved the deal say that maintaining oversight over the school district, which has faced a cascade of financial scandals for years, is the most prudent way to ensure that its investment in the city's schools is spent wisely. Gov. Rick Snyder tried to assuage Detroiters' fears about the state's continued role in the city's schools when he signed legislation to create the new school district. He vowed that the "control will be returned to a locally elected school board," while acknowledging that the state commission will "monitor the district's finances to protect taxpayers and students." House Majority Leader Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant) also spoke optimistically of the new arrangement, calling it "the right plan to save Detroit's school system from itself and give the children of Detroit a chance at a brighter future." But critics counter that the state is replacing Detroit's failed school system with a new one that does nothing to address declining enrollment, the source of most financial catastrophe, while creating a school board that lacks the power to operate like one. Give and take The state passed legislation in June that gives Detroit's public schools a $617 million aid package. The Detroit Public Schools Community District, as the district will now be known, replaces the former Detroit Public Schools. The new district will have a seven-member board that has more responsibilities than the former board (which was powerless while the district was under a state-appointed emergency manager), but less ultimate authority than typical local boards across the state. For example, the board elected in November has authority to approve a budget and contracts and hire employees. But key decisions have to be approved by the Detroit Financial Review Commission. Any closings of the city's lowest-performing schools must be approved by the state. The board can hire a superintendent, but needs approval to fire that person. Contracts that run more than two years or include payments of more than $750,000 must go through the state-controlled commission. So too with union contracts or anything related to the hiring or firing the district's chief financial officer. The state Legislature originally created the FRC to oversee the City of Detroit's finances as part of the "Grand Bargain" -- a 2014 deal that gave the city $816 million in funds from the state, area foundations and others to help resolve pension issues related to Detroit's municipal bankruptcy. In extending the FRC's reach to oversee schools, the district's board, which has had no role in governing Detroit schools since 2009, was dismissed and a new board election scheduled for Nov. 8. Detroit voters will encounter a ballot with 68 candidates. Until they take office in January, Detroit's traditional public schools will continue to be run by the state-appointed emergency manager, Steven Rhodes, the retired federal bankruptcy judge who oversaw the city of Detroit's exit from bankruptcy in 2014. Breaking down the law The Detroit Financial Review Commission is overseeing Rhodes' decisions and so far has held two public monthly meetings on the schools after its city-related public meetings. Its next meeting is set for Aug. 29. The new board will be elected at-large, not by district, with staggered terms of two to six years depending on the number of votes each board member receives, with top vote getters receiving longer terms. Board members' authority will be more limited than typical local school boards in Michigan in the following ways: The new board will make academic policy and financial decisions but most financial decisions The state commission must approve the board's decisions on collective bargaining agreements, the budget, budget amendments, loans and contracts over $750,000 or that have a term of more than two years. If the board wants to fire the superintendent, the FRC must approve If the board wants to hire or fire a chief financial officer, the FRC must approve The FRC must approve all reimbursement to school board members, officials, and employees for travel outside the state. The State School Reform/Redesign Officer (SRRO) will create an accountability system for all schools in Detroit, including charter schools, by 2018. As a result, the SRRO can, starting in 2021, order the closure of schools that perform in the bottom 5 percent of state schools for three straight years, or received an "F" rating for three straight years. The school board will have no say in the process. The board would need SRRO approval to open a new school within three years in the same building where the state SRRO had closed a school The board must evaluate and annually notify administrators of whether their employment will be renewed The board cannot consider length of service when determining compensation for teachers or administrators The new board can, but is not required to, hire uncertified teachers. That provision does not apply to any other district in Michigan The state can dissolve the oversight commission if the new district meets certain conditions for balanced budgets. Bridge Magazine asked Treasury to describe how hands-on the oversight commission will be in monitoring the new Detroit school board. An office spokesperson would only refer Bridge to the parameters of state law. Ivy Bailey, interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union, which has pushed for the return to an elected school board in Detroit, said she attended the July meeting of the FRC and was impressed with commission members. Bailey recalled that they asked questions that indicated they were on the lookout for wasteful spending. But she said she doesn't know how involved the FRC plans to be with the new school board. She said her union expects to negotiate a six-month contract with the the district before school starts this fall, but is unclear what will happen with the contract once the new board takes office in January. "If the school board says the contract is OK and is willing to extend it for whatever period, my question is, what if the FRC disagrees?" Bailey said. "I need clarification on the hierarchy." Lesser standards for Detroit teachers One of the controversial parts of the new law was the provision that allows the new school board to hire uncertified teachers. That does not apply to any other public school districts in the state. That provision was successfully pushed by charter school and school choice proponents in the package approved in June. A provision to create a separate commission that control openings and closings for traditional schools as well as charter schools in Detroit was gutted, again after strong lobbying efforts by the state's powerful charter school industry. Alycia Meriweather, interim superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools Community District, is on the financial review commission that oversees the district. Alycia Meriweather, the new district's interim superintendent, who also has a seat on the state-controlled commission, said the district does not intend to hire uncertified teachers. Don Wotruba, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards, which opposed the limitations placed on Detroit's new board, said the restrictions are similar to those the state now places on 41 deficit-ridden school districts in other parts of Michigan. The fact that Detroit's new board members will not take office until January, the middle of the school year, also makes Detroit unique. The board will enter their posts with yearly budgets and contracts already in place, making it difficult to immediately gauge its effectiveness. "For the first, year, I would caution against comparisons to other general powers school districts because no other school board starts from scratch in the middle of the year," Wotruba said. But Craig Thiel, senior research associate for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a not-for-profit public affairs research organization, said new board members shouldn't expect to gently settle into their jobs in January. In fact, he said, board members could be thrown into a financial fire if student enrollment drops in the fall. DPS enrollment has declined steeply beyond projections following a series of changes in the way the system has been structured over the years as the state, as well as local board members took turns trying to reverse years of academic decline. When unexpected enrollment drops take place, mid-year budget cuts and layoffs were used to balance the budget, Thiel said. The turmoil over the past year -- including the public debate about paying off the DPS deficit, the oversight over the new school board and the former school board filing a lawsuit to halt the reform -- likely means that more Detroit families will send their students elsewhere, Thiel said. "How realistic is that budget now?" he asked. Elena Herada, former Detroit school board member, said the power the new board will have will depend on whether the state oversight commission trusts the people who get elected. Who's running? Statewide, local school boards have found it difficult to convince people to run for board openings, so the large crop of Detroit candidates could indicate that many of the candidates want to use the board as a platform to oppose further state intervention in the district. "Clearly (limited authority) didn't have a chilling effect," Wotruba said. "The bigger question is, what will happen two years from now when board members are up for election? That will depend on how the FRC and the (new) board interact." The list of 68 people on the Detroit elections department's list of school board candidates as of July 26 shows several retired teachers and principals, at least one current teacher, a former Flint-area superintendent and ten of the 11 former board members who were on the DPS school board when it had no authority. Candidate Deborah Hunter-Harvill has perhaps had more education-related roles than the other candidates. The former president of the Washington-based National Alliance of Black School Educators, she was a principal in DPS for eight years, a superintendent in Westwood Heights school district in Flint for two years, superintendent in the now-dissolved Buena Vista schools and was president of a DPS charter school board. The FRC oversight for the school board is an extra layer of checks and balances that can't hurt as long as the board makes good decisions, she said. "You have to follow the rules until you prove yourself, until the district is stable, I don't have a problem with that," she said. Lamar Lemmons, a former school board member running for a seat on the new board, said the new law is unclear and leaves the state-controlled commission's authority open to interpretation. He called it unfair because the oversight will limit the board's ability to run the district but will leave the board accountable for the results. "We are being penalized by the state's actions over the last 17 years when the state ran the district," he said. "They're tying our hands then holding us accountable for academic and financial outcomes. We're being set up to fail." Former board members filed a lawsuit to try to block the new law from taking effect. They argue the law creates a local act applicable only to Detroit and therefore under state law required a two-thirds vote of the legislature. They also argue that the law violates Detroit children's Constitutional right to equal protection of the law because the new reform law allows only Detroit students to be taught by uncertified teachers. The next court hearing in the suit is scheduled for Aug. 4, said former board member Elena Herrada. Herrada, who opposes state intervention, said if the FRC does not like the people who are elected to the board, the FRC could use its oversight to keep the board as powerless as the prior school board. She said she is running to inject institutional knowledge about how the district was run in the past, to monitor the state intervention and to continue to push for an audit. "A lot of people think the board caused the deficit in DPS. We didn't have the authority to do that. We can't lose track of what has been taken, what has been misspent, to keep up with the malfeasance." Concerned about the limits Lamar Lemmons, former Detroit school board member, is running for school board again though the former board is suing to stop the new district from moving forward. Vertongie Bailey, an employee of the new Detroit school district with two children in its schools, said her biggest concern about the new board's authority is whether the FRC oversight prevents the board's decisions from taking immediate effect. "What if there is an emergency situation?" she said. "The children won't get what they need because the board can't make decisions." Tonya Allen, president and CEO for the Skillman Foundation, was a co-chair for a community group called the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren that in 2015 created a proposal for reforming DPS, including proposing that the state allow Detroit to have an empowered, elected school board. She said the Coalition opposed the idea of FRC oversight, but said that if the new school board hired the right administrators who make competent decisions then the state commission will not impede progress. And, Allen added, if the state commission overreaches and neuters the board's ability to make decisions, the board has the "bully pulpit" to publicly lash out. "I don't see this as a toothless board," Allen said. The new school board is responsible not only for financial decisions but the primary operation of the district: making educational policy and hiring the superintendent. That gives the board responsibility for addressing attendance, social promotion, discipline, and academic rigor, she said. "There's great opportunity and promise," she said of the next board. "There's also opportunity of peril if (they) don't focus on the right things." School Board Candidates RITA MCFADDEN CARPENTER ANNIE CARTER KEITH LINNAEUS WHITNEY TONYA RENAY WELLS REVEREND D. MURRAY STEPHEN CZAPSKI RENAE A. MICOU ANGELIQUE NICOLE PETERSON-MAYBERRY ANDREW JACKSON, JR. GWENDOLYN BRITT KEVIN TURMAN ELENA HERRADA TAWANNA SIMPSON DEBORAH HUNTER-HARVILL JOHN TELFORD RONALD DIEBEL MARKITA MEEKS CHRISTOPHER POMPEY VICTOR B. GIBSON NICOLE LATRICE VAUGHN MARY KOVARI JOANN JACKSON RYAN CHARLES MACK WANDA REDMOND TAMARA PERRIN CHARLES M. HALE ANTHONY ZANDER BEN WASHBURN MISHA STALLWORTH INGRID WALTON NORMA GALVAN DEJOYCE COURTNEY KATHY MONTGOMERY IRIS A. TAYLOR YOLANDA Y. PEOPLES MIRIAM KEYES VALERIE ELAINE MASSEY SONYA MAYS LAMAR LEMMONS BETTY J. ALEXANDER KAREN WHITE KIMBERLY R. JONES JUVETTE HAWKINS-WILLIAMS IDA CAROL SHORT AARON RENALDO SMITH PATRICIA SINGLETON HERMAN L. DAVIS RYAN TOWNSEND THERESA MATTISON CHARMAINE D. JOHNSON TAMARA PERRIN TAMMY L. YOUNG CAROL PRATT FARVER PHILLIP CALDWELL, II VALENCIA ROBIN GRIER LESLIE ANDREWS VICTOR D. ROBINSON VONETTA D. CLARK RYAN CLAYTON WILLIAMS GEORGIA LEMMONS PENNY BAILER PHYLLIS BERRY ROBERT EARL THOMAS KWAME SIMMONS MARY BRENDA T. SMITH WILLETTA ANN RAMEY BRANDON BRICE STEVEN MILLER DETROIT -- In the past, the most-heated public debate surrounding Terrance Guido Gerin has been whether to spell his pro-wrestling moniker with a "y" or an "i." Gerin, known within pro-wrestling circles as Rhyno/Rhino, is not only running for Michigan 15th House District seat, but just returned to WWE's active roster as a member of "SmackDown Live." The Dearborn Heights native, 40, is running as a Republican against two other candidates, Paul Sophiea and Richard Johnson, in Tuesday's primary election for a spot on the November ballot. Gerin earned his chops as a wrestler at the Can-Am Wrestling School across the bridge in Windsor, Ontario in the early 1990s. Sophiea and Gerin did not fill out questionnaires for MLive's Voter Guide, but Johnson did. Johnson, a 58-year-old chiropractor, said he hopes to bring a "sensible" approach as a small business man to the House of Representatives. The candidates are looking to fill the seat held by term-limited Democratic state Rep. George Darany. The position pays $71,685 annually. To read Johnson's stances on several issues or to compare him to other candidates, click here. Gerin has sporadically appeared on WWE programming over the past year, and cemented his return on the USA Network's first edition of "SmackDown Live" on July 26. Video from the Michigander's return to the squared circle is attached at the top of this post. Gerin told MLive in March that his run is no stunt. "I understand some people might be hesitant thinking it's a gimmick," he said, "but my friends and family know my love for this country, my passion for politics and my love for helping people out. If elected, that becomes my number one priority." His campaign slogan is "I'll Fight for You" and he's highlighted as a key issue the potential closing of Dearborn's public pools. He points to his experience working with corporate sponsors in his wrestling career as a valuable attribute. "One thing I learned early on in wrestling is that you get sponsors. That way your bills are paid before you even sell one ticket," Gerin writes on his website. "Let's get local businesses to sponsor these pools. Businesses like Ford Motor Co. and Little Caesar's that have ties to the community. "And, let's face it, If you're kids are swimming at a Little Caesar's sponsored pool and you stop on the way home to get a Hot-n-Ready pizza for dinner, you're going to be the coolest parents ever!" On the other side of the 15th District's race, six Democrats are fighting for the opposite spot on November's ballot. They are Norman Alsahoury, Abdullah Hammoud, Roxanne McDonald, Alex Shami, Brian Stone and Jacklin Zeidan Stone went on the attack in March after "Rhyno's" campaign launch, with a sharp-tongued thank you to Donald Trump for making American Democracy "a pay-per-view joke." The 29-year-old is an openly gay U.S. Navy veteran who writes for the Huffington Post. Stone said in the MLive Voter Guide questionnaire that he hopes to continue his "tradition of service" by representing his hometown in the State House. "My campaign has no official position on whether the public should laugh or cry," Stone said in the March press release. "All we know is that house district 15's general election will be the biggest defeat of any wrestler since Hogan and Andre." FLINT, MI - A special meeting to discuss a legal battle regarding the city's controversial trash contract lead to the arrest of Flint City Councilman Eric Mays. In less than an hour, Mays, the sole supporter of a recommendation by Mayor Karen Weaver's office to hire Rizzo Environmental Services to haul the city's trash, was handcuffed and escorted from Flint City Council Chambers during the Aug. 1 meeting. "This was an attempt to keep the council from talking about an agenda item that we must talk about before we can move forward," said Mays. "We can only vote and do something as a council. (Councilman Scott Kincaid) cannot file a lawsuit on the behalf of the council. You cannot represent the council unless you are an attorney." The trash contract dispute has been ongoing since June when the council voted against Weaver's recommendation to hire Rizzo to haul the city's trash for $17-million contract spread over five years. Rizzo submitted a bid $2 million lower than the city's current trash provider, Republic Services. Mays said the council needs to review the city's charter - An issue he put on tonight's agenda. "This was an attempt to stop me from discussing the agenda item I had about the purchase order and the rules," Mays said. "You can't represent the council unless you are an attorney." Council members said they questioned Rizzo's integrity, their ties to Canada and connections to former Mayor Woodrow Stanley. The issue was taken to court on July 29 after Kincaid filed an injunction against Weaver and her office. Flint's trash contract expired that same day leaving no one to pick up trash on Monday, Aug. 1. "The reason I filed this lawsuit is because the administration is ignoring the will of the people and wants to line the pockets of certain individuals by giving a contract to a company out of Detroit who has never serviced the city of Flint," said Kincaid. "The mayor should have never stopped picking up garbage." Since then, Weaver's office and Republic have announced that the company will serve as interim trash collector until an Aug. 12. City Administrator Sylvester Jones Jr., said the lawsuit is a move to undermine the Mayor's administration. "Over the past few years he has filed several lawsuits against the City of Flint, in spite of his role as a sitting City councilperson," Jones said. "On Thursday, July 28, he inappropriately filed a lawsuit, on behalf of the Flint City Council, before the Flint City Council even considered or discussed by the Flint City Council. He consistently works to circumvent the City of Flint Ordinances and Charter to send funds from the City to the courts and other bodies." The council voted during the special meeting to join Kincaid in his efforts against Weaver and her administration. They also voted in favor of the city hiring attorneys to represent the council in court. The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11 in Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah's chambers. Mays was the sole 'no' vote. Kincaid said suing is his only recourse. "Over the past years I have sued because there was no other way to address how residents were being treated while we had an emergency manager and the court has ruled in my favor all the way up to the Supreme Court on behalf of the residents of the city of Flint," Kincaid said. The contract dispute has now been moved to a Aug. 10 Receivership Transition Authority Board meeting. Flint officials are hoping the RTAB makes a decision as to who will hold the city's trash contract. Seven people, including four children, were killed in the collapse of a three-story building in Upper Egypt's Sohag governorate, state-owned MENA agency reported. According to a preliminary reports by governorate officials, the house in Nage El-Naggar village collapsed due to digging by a neighbour who was constructing a house adjacent to the building. Rescue workers are currently attempting to recover the bodies of the dead from the debris. Building collapses are commonplace in Egypt as buildings are often constructed without meeting safety standards. In January, nine members of a family died following the collapse of a six-story residential building in Egypt's northern Sharqiya governorate. Several officials in the governorate were sentenced last March to 10 years in prison for "murder and gross negligence" over the deaths. The sentences were reduced following appeals by the defendants. Search Keywords: Short link: FLINT, MI - A former Michigan Department of Environmental Quality worker was arraigned Tuesday, Aug. 2, on multiple charges in connection to the Flint water crisis. Patrick Cook, 52, turned himself in and was arraigned before Genesee District Judge M. Cathy Dowd on charges of felony misconduct in office, felony conspiracy to commit misconduct in office and a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty by a public officer. Cook, a resident of Dewitt, is in charge of compliance for lead and copper monitoring with the MDEQ. In 2014, Cook signed a permit that was the last approval needed for use of the Flint Water Treatment Plant, investigators allege. Cook was subsequently aware of the problems with Flint's water, investigators claim, but took no corrective action. He also is accused of misleading the EPA in connection to the necessity of using corrosion control in Flint after the switch to Flint River Water. He was released by Dowd on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond. Cook was suspended by the state without pay after the charges were announced. He is the third MDEQ employee to be arraigned on charges connected to the water crisis. Mike Prysby and his boss at the DEQ -- Stephen Busch -- were each charged earlier this year with misconduct in office, conspiracy to tamper with evidence, tampering with evidence, a treatment violation of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, and a monitoring violation of the Safe Drinking Water. Three Michigan Department of Health and Human Services workers were arraigned Monday, Aug. 1, on felony charges connected to the crisis. Robert Scott and Nancy Peeler were each arraigned the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 1, by Genesee District Judge Nathaniel Perry III after being charged by Attorney General Bill Schuette. Perry arraigned Corinne Miller earlier in the day. Charges against the four were announced July 29 by Schuette. He also announced charges against three Department of Environmental Quality employees the same day. Miller, previous director of the state's Bureau of Epidemiology and state epidemiologist with the MDHHS, was charged with felony misconduct in office and conspiracy and misdemeanor neglect of duty by a public officer. She retired in April. Miller, Peeler and Scott knew children in Flint were being poisoned by lead and suppressed the information, special investigators with the Attorney General's Office allege. Peeler, 54, of Midland, was the director of the MDHHS Program for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting in July 2015 when she requested an internal report on blood lead levels in Flint children. The report was created on July 28 and showed a significant spike in blood lead tests for kids in Flint for the summer of 2014, Schuette said. That report was never passed on to the proper health officials, investigators allege. Peeler and Scott, the data manager for the Healthy Homes and Lead Prevention program, created a second report two days later that falsely indicated there was no significate rise blood lead levels of Flint children for the summer 2014. Peeler was charged with felony misconduct in office and conspiracy, along with misdemeanor willful neglect of duty by a public officer. Scott, 58, of Haslett, was charged with felony misconduct in office and conspiracy and misdemeanor willful neglect of duty. Peeler and Scott are currently on unpaid suspension. Miller, 65, of Dewitt, received the report first, but told others not to take action and snubbed other employees who asked about what to do next, Schuette said. She later told another MDHHS employee to delete emails concerning the original blood lead data report from July 28, 2015. No arraignments are scheduled in the criminal cases filed against DEQ employees Liane Shekter Smith and Adam Rosenthal. Lapeer motorcycle crash.jpg Two people were seriously injured on Monday, Aug. 1 after a motorcycle crashed into the back of a Tahoe in Attica Township. Photo courtesy of the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office. (Courtesy Photo) ATTICA TOWNSHIP, MI - Two motorcyclists were seriously injured on Monday in Lapeer County after crashing into the back of a vehicle. Lapeer County Sheriff's deputies were called to Imlay City Road east of Lake George Road in Attica Township at 6:19 p.m. Aug. 1 for a traffic injury crash, according to a statement. Cheryl Hazel, 53, of Yale was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe east on Imlay City Road and began slowing down because of a vehicle in front of her turning left into a driveway, according to police. James Church, 52, of Imlay City was driving a 2015 Harley Davidson east on Imlay City Road when he hit the back of Hazel's vehicle, the statement said. The motorcycle slid on the road after the crash. Church and his passenger, Angela Church, were both wearing helmets. The Churchs were taken to McLaren-Lapeer Region with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said. Angela Church was then transferred by helicopter to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. An updated condition report was not released by police. James Church remains hospitalized at McLaren in serious condition. Police said he did not have his motorcycle endorsement. Hazel was not injured. The crash remains under investigation by the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information is requested to contact Detective Sgt. Jason Parks at 810-245-1381 or email jparks@lapeercounty.org. GLEN ARBOR, MI - When Merrith Baughman thinks back to the Aug. 2, 2015 windstorm that devastated a swath of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and damaged parts of neighboring Glen Arbor, it's the amazing near-misses that she can't get over. Park rangers had been through the popular D.H. Day Campground earlier that day, warning campers about the rounds of severe storms that could be rolling in across Lake Michigan. By the time the third and strongest line of storms approached, people could sense something big was coming, they told Baughman later. "They could feel something different in the air," said Baughman, a ranger and the park's chief of interpretation. "They were sitting at a picnic table playing cards outside and their ears started popping. They got in a car or something solid, and (when the storm came through), a tree came down on the picnic table where they had been playing." It's been a year since 100 mph winds raced through Michigan's popular Up North tourist destination, downing and twisting thousands of trees. While the trails were cleared and the camping and other facilities were quickly reopened, the lingering forest wreckage in spots like Alligator Hill is a daily reminder to the park staff. The fact that no one was killed or seriously injured was hard to grasp in the storm's aftermath. "We had power lines down, roads blocked," Baughman remembers in the hours following the late-afternoon devastation. Falling trees crushed tents at the campground. "If that had happened when people were sleeping in their tents ... Luckily, we had been warning people all day (about the incoming storms). People were on high alert." The next few hours were dedicated to triage. There were park visitors stuck on Sleeping Bear's landmark Dune Climb. Others had sheltered in place along the park's scenic Pierce-Stocking Drive. A kayaker reportedly out in Lake Michigan needed to be found. Baughman handled the phones during that chaotic time. She helped campers who found themselves blocked from accessing their sites and belongings, and fielded myriad other questions. "It was a crazy night," she said. But the park staff and a team of volunteers got to work. After a brief closure, the campground and other sites reopened. The Friends of Sleeping Bear group, using chainsaws and elbow grease, cleared the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail - including a heavily forested section between the historic town of Glen Haven and adjacent Glen Arbor that had been rendered impassable. In about two weeks, it was open again to bicyclists and hikers. While the park staff racked up plenty of overtime, Baughman said the National Park Service is used to dealing with natural disasters. Sleeping Bear was able to draw from special funding to help cover the costs of the extra staff time and the cleanup. And as for the park's decision to leave much of the forest destruction as it fell? It's letting the violence of nature take its course, Baughman said. "This is a natural process," she said. "(Windstorms) are one of the natural forces of disruptions in the Upper Great Lakes, and a major change agent in the forests." As it recovers, a damaged forest can bring in new animal species. "So while it's hard to look at, I think it's rather interesting to see what changes will occur." After the park's trails were cleared to address the human safety aspect, the park began working with local land owners in Glen Arbor to provide buffer zones so they would not be as affected by the forest destruction. Baughman knows there are some who look at the twisted-off trees and wonder why the park didn't bring in loggers to clear the mess. She said using that heavy equipment would cause erosion concerns in some of the dune areas. Beyond that, the park staff believes it's better for the plants and trees to decompose back into Sleeping Bear's soil. "We're just going to let nature take its course," she said. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Grand Rapids School Board voted unanimously to accept purchase offers for two former school buildings totaling $615,000 on Monday, Aug. 1. The vacant Pine Elementary and Park School are pieces of larger development projects planned for the West and Southeast sides. Related: GRPS poised to sell two former school buildings for $605K "It appears that this should be a big win for all parties," said school board president Tony Baker, who said his inquiries were mostly about community support and engagement for the planned developments. "I mainly think GRPS should be a good neighbor and be sure the community supports the impact of our decisions." The board accepted the $295,000 offer for Pine Elementary, located at 1138 Pine Ave. NW, from the Kent County Land Bank Authority. The authority is partnering with the Dwelling Place, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, who plans to demolish the building to develop approximately 30 affordable housing units. The school is one of three sites being developed as part of a $10 million initiative. Related: $10M project would bring affordable family housing to the West Side The board also approved a $320,000 purchase agreement with 1150 Adams, L.L.C. Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal informed board members earlier that for this project Rockford Construction is partnered with the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, the Cheri DeVos Foundation, and the Mike and Gayle VanGessel (Mike VanGessel is CEO of Rockford Construction) to develop portions of the Boston Square and Cottage Grove areas. Grand Rapids Public Schools is selling the vacant Park School, 1150 Adams St. SE, for $320,000. The 2.85-acre site, last used for a Head Start, has been vacant for a year. The nearly 3-acre property initially was listed by the district as selling for $310,000 but was corrected before the Finance Committee recommended the full board approve both deals on July 25. "It is a great opportunity for GRPS to sell vacant buildings and positively impact the local communities with strong emphasis on affordable housing and increasing (Pine) and maintaining (Park) green space in the city," said board member Monica Randles, chair of the Finance Committee, after the recommendation. Board member John Matias said Monday it was exciting to see the properties be included in larger developments that will help the residents in those communities, especially the affordable housing. "As a district, we are helping communities by finding responsible investors," he said. The Southeast Side initiative seeks to makeover the industrial area along Madison Avenue SE and add new housing along a stretch of Eastern Avenue SE. It could involve as many as 75 properties and investment upwards of $60 million, according to 2015 proposal. Baker said previous concerns about gentrification and community engagement regarding the Adams development have been been addressed. "Their team (Rockford/DMD/CDV) is committed to partner with the community to expand the mix of home ownership and affordable housing options, create jobs through employment and entrepreneurship, and support education and community health for the benefit of all who live and work in the area," said Neal on July 21, when the property offers were announced. She reiterated Monday that the plan is for developers to be very intentional about including all stakeholders and engage in extensive community engagement.The developers will also be partnering with Dickinson Elementary and Southeast Career Pathways. Both the vacant schools are being purchased at the appraised value. Park School has been vacant for a year and was last used as a Head Start. The 2-acre Pine site was last used as an alternative high school and has been vacant three years. In order to address a deficit, the district did include $600,000 from selling buildings in its 2016-17 budget. The remaining vacant buildings are: West Leonard, Kensington, Straight, Ridgemoor (reopening as a Montessori school) and Alexander. In other board business: Approved executive exempt contracts for 13 members of Neal's leadership. As with the previously approved contracts for its seven unions, there were no raises. GRPS is increasing health insurance payments ranging from $642 to $1,854, depending on whether it is a single coverage, two-person coverage or coverage for three or more people.The executive team remains insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Approved a 99 year sub-lease (city owns building) and professional services agreement with the Public Museum for housin its theme school, the Grand Rapids Public Museum School, use of premises and museum support staff services. Rent for the dedicated fourth floor classroom space for middle schoolers is $67,500 per year beginning this fall. Rent includes free parking for school staff and any special guests, janitorial and security services. The use of museum spaces will cost $5,000 per grade per year. The professional support staff services will cost $9,000 per grade per year. There will be sixth and seventh graders at the school this year, with eighth grade added for 2017-18. High school students will be housed in the old museum at 54 Jefferson St. beginning in 2018. Egypt denounced the cremation of an Egyptian citizen's body in Germany following his death in a hospital in Essen after an alleged suicide attempt. Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement that it condemns the cremation of the body of Mohamed Abdel-Fattah El-Naggar, who passed away on 22 June, without coordinating with the Egyptian envoy, adding that cremation conflicted with the deceased's religious background, which mandates burial. The statement said the Egyptian side should have been given the opportunity to examine the body to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. According to the statement, German authorities said that El-Naggar had signed a request stating that the Egyptian consulate in Frankfurt should not be notified that he was arrested last February following a theft attempt at a store. The German authorities added that El-Naggar asked in his "farewell letter" that he wrote before his alleged attempted suicide on 16 June that his body not be returned to Egypt, and that he did not want any emergency contacts to be notified of his death. The requests by El-Naggar led German authorities to finalise the cremation process after no one stepped forward to claim the body. The remains were buried in the city's graveyard. Egypt's foreign ministry added that it has decided to dispatch its Egyptian consul to Essen on Thursday to meet representatives from the office of the German prosecutor-general to review all papers and documents related to the situation, as well as investigate the authenticity of the papers and the will that the Egyptian man signed prior to his death. The statement comes only days after Egypt's envoy in Berlin received an official letter from the German foreign ministry stating that El-Naggar had attempted suicide. Cairo had earlier demanded a swift probe be carried out by German authorities into the incident, saying that its envoy in Berlin requested "official clarification" on the incident following reports by local media that El-Naggar was tortured to death in police custody. Germany's foreign ministry has said that initial investigations showed that the death of the Egyptian national did not result from "any criminal wrongdoing." El-Naggar's family claims that their son was tortured to death by German police, and that Egyptian authorities were not informed of his arrest. Egypt's foreign ministry said its consular sector was in ongoing contact with El-Naggar's family for updates regarding his death to ensure that the procedures were conducted properly. Search Keywords: Short link: The World Bank is discussing the possibility of extending new loans to support Myanmar in areas such as financial sector development, budget support and disaster risk management. This fiscal year, Myanmar has access to around US$480 million in International Development Association resources, said senior economist Habib Rab. Of this, $100 million plus another $100 million from a separate IDA crisis response window is already committed for a flood and landslide emergency recovery project, he said. The World Bank also plans to loan $100 million to the Ministry of Planning and Finance for a financial sector development project planned for this fiscal year. For the remaining $280 million, we are still in discussions with the government on possible areas of support, which could include health, disaster risk management and development policy financing, Mr Rab said. The World Banks existing loan program extends across the power, health, education, agriculture, energy and communication sectors. Translation by San Layy Fifty members of the sales staff at a VIVO smartphone service centre in Bago Region will now have set work hours, a minimum daily wage and paid public holidays, after management and the employees reached an agreement on July 28, a protest leader and a township labour official told The Myanmar Times yesterday. The employer accepted all the demands of his employees, said deputy director of the Pyay township Labour Administration Daw Su Su Hlaing. So, their dispute has been resolved. Now we are planning to have them both sign contracts. On July 25, the manager asked the sales staff to sign a contract that workers said would have subjected them to unfair penalties. They were given almost no time to think about the offer, the workers said, and when they asked for more time they were driven out of the service centre. In response, 26 members of the sales team protested in front of the store until mediation meetings were arranged. Ko Myo Swe Oo, who has worked at the store for more than a year, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that all the workers were satisfied because they will now receive the rights they were entitled to under the labour laws. Now, we dont have to work for 12 hours without additional pay, he said. We have to work for eight hours per day. We also get public holidays, which we will take in turns because there is not enough staff for everyone to take time off. There will be changes made to their appraisal system, which held employees to very high sales standards that mandated that they be fired if they did not hit their targeted sales numbers, workers said. Ko Myo Swe Oo said his salary, which was K150,000, will drop to K108,000, but he will receive a sales bonus for every phone sold and fines have been removed from the contract. The Myanmar Times called the VIVO sales centre in Pyay township yesterday, but there was no spokesperson available to comment. The Kachin contingent showed uniform unity in their matching military-green T-shirts, the Shan shone out in a blaze of orange, and the Kayin maintained a disciplined and tight-lipped presence in their loose-fitting thin dine shirts. But if the larger minority groups dominated the Ethnic Youth Conference in Panglong, Shan State, over the last week in terms of numbers, it was often representatives of the smaller ethnicities who stole the show in terms of traditional costume - and who expressed the most enthusiasm about being involved. From Nagaland in the northwest to Dawei in the deep south, delegates made their way to join the week-long conference aimed at strengthening links between young people from different ethnic backgrounds, achieving peace and generating consensus on how a federal Myanmar should look. And while political and ethnic activism is well-established among Myanmars better-known minorities, for a number of those present, the topics being discussed took them into new territory. J Yaw Daw, of the Lisu Network, described some of the challenges facing his ethnic group, which he said struggles to maintain its identity as a Kachin people apart from the majority Jinghpaw group. Some people dont know Kachin has many groups. They think Kachin language is Jinghpaw, and ask if I dont speak Jinghpaw, how can I be Kachin? he said. He added that in many peoples eyes, Kachin and Jinghpaw are interchangeable. But he said he believes that is changing. Now were getting a little more chance to get a place. Before, if there was any meeting such as this, the Lisu wouldnt get any information. Now things are getting a little better. He said in the past, Lisu people would be punished or even killed if they rose to too high a position in the Kachin army. But he hopes moves toward federalism will lead to greater equality for his people. According to federalism, we will also get the same opportunities and that will be better. J Yaw Daw said one thing that had contributed to disparity between the Lisu and Jinghpaw was that the Jinghpaw generally had better access to education. One of his principal reasons for attending the Ethnic Youth Conference was to go back and share the information he gained there with young people in his own community, most of whom, he said, were not particularly interested in politics or activism. Before we didnt know anything about democracy. But after the election, we Lisu got a little bit of light and we opened our eyes. We Kachin tribes should say something about what we need, he said. For the Lisu that is especially about education. We still dont have big professors. Also some people go to other countries to work and stay there. If we get education, hopefully villagers will get more democracy. Myint Naing from Nagaland said people in his region also need education, along with basic amenities including electricity, transport and water. He said the conference had provided an opportunity to develop his awareness of ethnic rights activism. For a long time Ive been interested in this kind of program for Naga people, but theres no place to discuss such things. It feels a privilege to be here. It makes me feel comfortable raising our issues for Naga people, he said. The government has cheated our local people. We want to research things many things, like the constitution. He said he would bring the issues raised at the youth conference back with him to discuss with senior Naga leaders. Our leaders dont want discussions on federalism, they say only independence, he said, adding that after attending the conference he would be keen to encourage them to think about the prospect of becoming involved in discussions about federalism. From the opposite end of the country, members of the Dawei delegation, who made the long journey to Panglong from southern Tanintharyi Region, also expressed their happiness at being involved in the event. Ko Kyaw Min Htaik said, I want to introduce the Dawei to the other ethnic people because our area is so far away [from the better known ethnic minority heartlands] that even our neighbours dont recognise us. If we use the English name Tavoyan, that is more familiar, but when people hear Dawei they just think thats a city. He said one major concern for Dawei activists was that most younger people of Dawei background are identified as Bamar on their ID cards. It is rare for anyone born since the Ne Win era to have [a Tavoyan/Dawei ID], he said. Ko Kyaw Min Htaik said he had been working as an activist for Dawei rights for more than 10 years. This is the first time I have left my group to come to something like this, so its really fantastic. Before I worked with a small alliance, and we shared our problems, but here there are so many people we feel united. The Syrian regime's key ally Russia launched heavy air strikes overnight on the outskirts of divided Aleppo city, slowing a "last-chance" assault by rebels seeking to break a government siege. The assault began on Sunday and is intended to ease the encirclement of the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, where an estimated 250,000 residents have been under a regime siege since July 17. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described it as the largest rebel attack in Aleppo since 2012, when fighting reached the city and left it roughly divided between the opposition control in the east and regime forces in the west. But government troops backed by Russia's air force have put up a fierce defence, the monitor said. "The Russian raids didn't stop all night on the front lines" there, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "This has slowed the offensive and allowed regime troops to retake five of the eight positions that rebels had taken since Sunday," he added. The strikes came despite an appeal by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday for Russia to "restrain" itself and its ally in Damascus. "It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations," he told journalists. Kerry said regime attacks had prevented the warring parties from meeting for negotiations on Monday, the target date set for the regime and opposition forces to agree on the framework of a political transition. The offensive groups fighters from Fateh al-Sham Front, formerly Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, as well as the powerful Islamist Ahrar al-Sham and other factions. The Observatory said 50 rebels and allied militants had been killed since the operation began on Sunday, as well as dozens of regime troops. Its main target is the government-held district of Ramussa, on the southwest outskirts of Aleppo. The route used by regime forces and civilians living in government-controlled parts of Aleppo runs through Ramussa. Its capture would both cut off government forces and open a new route into the city for rebels. The Observatory said at least 30 civilians had also been killed since Sunday in opposition bombardment of government-held southwestern districts of Aleppo. According to a Syrian military source, around 5,000 pro-regime fighters, including Iranian forces and the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, are taking part in the battle for the city, including fighting north of Aleppo. Facing off against them are thousands of fighters from the Fateh al-Sham Front and allied groups, according to the Observatory. "This battle is the last chance for rebels. If they lose, it will be difficult for them to launch a new assault to break the siege," Abdel Rahman said. "For the regime also, it's a question of life or death. They've been preparing for this battle for months and it'll be a tough blow for its troops if they lose," he added. Residents in east Aleppo have reported food shortages and rising prices since government troops seized the last remaining road into opposition-held districts on July 17. Last week Russia announced the opening of "humanitarian corridors" to allow residents and surrendering fighters to flee the east for government-held territory. The announcement was met with scepticism by both residents and some in the international community, but Damascus and Moscow say some residents and fighters have begun using the passages. On Tuesday, Syrian state media said "dozens of families" had crossed from the east, after reporting similar crossings over the weekend. Residents and rebels on the ground had dismissed the reported weekend crossings as "lies." Syria's conflict has killed more than 280,000 people and drawn in world powers on both sides since it erupted in March 2011. Russia began an aerial campaign in support of Damascus last September, and has lost 18 forces since its intervention began. The latest deaths came Monday, when Moscow announced five people on board a military helicopter were killed when it was shot down over Idlib province. It was the single deadliest incident for Russia since its intervention began. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, which occurred in an area controlled by a rebel alliance dominated by the Fateh al-Sham Front. Search Keywords: Short link: Singapore Red Cross has donated US$360,000 to support building two additional first aid stations along the Yangon-Mandalay death highway. The two new stations will be established at the 40 mile post and the 320 mile post of the main artery linking the two cities, according to the Myanmar Red Cross Society. Each emergency outpost will operate 24-hours every day and will provide pre-hospital triage and ambulances to transport crash victims to the nearest hospital. The construction of the two aid posts should be completed by the end of 2017, said Dr Tha Hla Shwe, president of the MRCS. The funding from Singapore will also be used to train additional volunteers in firest aid so they can help staff the emergency outposts. The MRCS has been providing ambulance services on the highway since November 2011, and launched the aid post scheme in 2013 with an initial station at the 115 mile rest stop. A second aid station was built at milepost 285. According to a World Health Organization survey, Myanmar is second-worst for road deaths per capita in the Southeast Asian region. The fatalities climb annually. In the first six months of this year, an average of 13.9 people were killed every day in road accidents, up from the 2015 average of 11.6. Dr Maw Oo, head of the Yangon General Hospitals emergency room, said at the beginning of this year that ambulance services along the roadway could be critical to saving lives. In any given week, of the 2500-3000 emergency patients coming to the hospital, more than 10 die en route, he said. Over $273,000 from the donated funds will be used to build the two new stations, while $93,626 is earmarked for trainings and equipment to support safety volunteers from 150 townships across the country, according to the memorandum of understanding inked on July 29. Singapore Red Cross has donated over $273,000 to help its Myanmar counterpart build two first aid posts, complete with one ambulance for each post. We will continue to support this important work, said Benjamin Jeyaraj William, secretary general of the Singapore Red Cross. Most accidents along the Yangon-Mandalay highway are attributed to driver error, but engineers have also admitted that the road is badly designed and was rushed in construction, leaving it devoid of many international safety features. A total of 4313 deaths occurred along the road in 2014. The waters of the Ayeyarwady River in Mandalay have surpassed the danger mark, with floodwaters yesterday inundating more than half the villages in Amarapura township and forcing closure of a major university outside Myanmars second-largest city. The Ayeyarwady Rivers warning level in Mandalay is set at 1260 centimetres (41.3 feet), and waters reached 1325cm yesterday, according to U Win Than Hlaing, an official from the citys No 1 water sentry post. The [Mandalay] City Development Committee is now placing sand bags, he said. Authorities from the fire services and ward administrations are watching over it day and night. Potential places where water can enter have been piled with sand bags. Although the river has not yet burst its banks in Mandalays riverside wards, villages in Amarapura as well as settlements near the bridge connecting Mandalay and Sagaing are grappling with floodwaters. Of a total 24 villages in Amarapura township, water has entered 16 villages at the moment, U Than Aung, a member of the local administration for the Shwe Kyat Yat group of villages, said yesterday. More than 1200 households and over 5000 people are already suffering from the floods. Medicine, food and aid are needed for their health. The river level yesterday clocked in just 57cm below a record-setting 2004 measurement of 1382cm, which was the highest recorded since the 1970s, U Than Aung added. The Ayeyarwady River at Mandalay has been rising since last month, and the water level stood at 1248cm on July 28. In addition to the closure of Yadanapon University in Amarapura township yesterday, motorists struggled to navigate the road that leads to the bridge linking Mandalay and Sagaing. Some families displaced by the high waters have taken shelter in makeshift roadside huts. Yadanapon University officials said they have not decided when the campus will reopen. The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) has warned residents of low-lying areas in Mandalay to be on alert for potential flooding. Further downstream on the Ayeyarwady River, water levels were also recorded above their warning marks at Myinmu township in Sagaing Region; Minbu and Pakokku townships in Magwe Region; and Hinthada and Zalun townships in Ayeyarwady Region. The DMH has issued an identical warning for similarly situated low-lying populations living along the Chindwin and Nga Won rivers, both of which have also seen waters rise past their danger marks at points. More than 700 households were evacuated last week due to flooding along the swollen Chindwin River in Sagaing Region. At least seven townships in the region Homalin, Paungbyin, Mawlaik, Kani, Mingin, Kalaywa and Monywa recorded water levels above their warning marks yesterday, according to the DMH. The Nga Won River, an offshoot of the Ayeyarwady River in Ayeyarwady Region, surpassed its danger mark by 1.5 feet at Ngathaingchaung in Yegyi township, with waters expected to rise an additional foot over the next four days, the DMH said yesterday. The department said heavy monsoon rains are expected across much of the country in the coming days due to the persistence of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. Coastal regions could see strong waves brought on by wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometres per hour). Additional reporting by Myint Kay Thi, translation by Kyawt Darly Lin Peace is coming and all Mandalay is coming out to greet it. Over the next week, political activists, civil society groups and ordinary residents throughout the region will be holding rallies in support of the 21st-century Panglong Conference. Until August 8, processions, the distribution of pamphlets, musical concerts, public speeches and painting and cartoon exhibitions will be held in every township to mark what everybody hopes will be a giant step toward peace and national reconciliation. The 21st-century Panglong Conference, scheduled for the end of August, is the cornerstone of the governments peace process. Demonstrations in support of the event are also being held in the United States, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan and Thailand. The first Panglong Conference took place in February 1947 in Shan States Panglong between the Shan, Kachin and Chin ethnic minority leaders and Bogyoke Aung San, who was head of the interim government and is also the late father of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. All ethnic groups in our country have suffered from civil conflict for more than 60 years. Only if the fighting ends can our country pursue national reconciliation. We have to establish a federal union through national reconciliation and we hope the 21st Century Panglong Conference will bring solutions. To support the event, we will hold processions for nine consecutive days while other organisations put on concerts and people make speeches, said organiser Ko Thein Aung Myint. The run-up to the event began on July 31, when more than 50 people held a procession in Chan Mya Tharzi township in favour of a federal union, national reconciliation, an end to civil conflict and the successful conclusion of the conference. Political activist Ko Aye Thein said the success of the conference was essential for the countrys development and the right of children in ethnic minority regions to continue their studies in peace, with the cooperation of all the peoples of the Union. Im so glad to see public involvement in support of the second Panglong Conference under our new government. Weve received applications for permits to hold bigger events and weve decided to permit all of them. Some ethnic armed groups have yet to sign a nationwide ceasefire agreement, which is essential. We need peace to pursue national reconciliation, and the search for peace requires respect for ethnic rights. I believe this second Panglong Conference will mark a turn for the better in our country, said Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr Zaw Myint Maung. Translation by Zar Zar Soe Elections for Mandalay City Development Committee members, representing six townships, will be held by the end of September, a spokesperson for the election commission said yesterday. Anyone wishing to be considered for a seat on the committee must submit an application by August 5, the spokesperson said. The 13-member committee includes the Mandalay mayor and the joint secretary. Five members will be appointed to the committee by the regional government and six will be elected, from Aung Myay Tharzan, Chan Aye Tharzan, Maha Aung Myay, Chan Mya Tharsi, Pyigyitagun, and Amarapura townships. After the application deadline, the applications will be analysed, the spokesperson said. If they are qualified in accordance with the rules of competition, they are allowed to take part. After that, there will be campaign period. I do not know yet when we will hold the campaign period. On July 7, the previous 11 committee members were relieved of their posts by the Mandalay mayor in accordance with a decision from the regional government. The recently sacked 11 committee members were elected or appointed in July 2015 under the rule of the Union Solidarity and Development Party-backed government. The local administrative body, as with Yangon City Development Committee, was disbanded in order to reappoint new members that will serve a term that coincides with the five-year Union governments time in office. Last years MCDC election was marred by a lack of eligible candidates, and a poor voter turnout. Two of the six townships Aung Myay Tharzan and Chan Mya Tharsi had to re-stage the vote, one for lack of a candidate and the other because voter turnout fell below 50 percent. Translation by Emoon Growth of the local economy is key to attracting more residents to Nay Pyi Taws Pobbathiri township, where plans to create a retirement community for former civil servants have fallen flat, according to Nay Pyi Taw Council member U Tin Tun. Its true that this township has a sparse resident population so far. It is important to develop the local economy to attract more residents, he told The Myanmar Times yesterday. Houses in Pobbathiri township were built under Myanmars former military regime, aiming to provide accommodation for civil servants and military personnel after they retired. The scheme has failed to live up to its billing, however, and many houses sit empty. Most of the vacant residences are owned by serving civil servants and just a few are owned by retirees. Most of the civil servants in Nay Pyi Taw are originally from Yangon and Mandalay. So they usually return to their homes after retirement. Thats why there is a low number of residents, said U Tin Tun, who also acts as officer in-charge of the township. He said that might change if cottage industries or larger-scale operations such as export industries were to set up shop in Pobbathiri, part of the eight-township Nay Pyi Taw Council area. People will come to live here when the town has opportunities to make money, U Tin Tun said. Under the previous government, there were rumours that an industrial zone would be created in Pobbathiri township, but no plan was ever implemented. Such a zone would still be welcome, U Tin Tun said. We are working for development of the township. If an industrial zone project comes to fruition, there will be industries as well as construction companies so people will come here to work, he said. Perhaps sensing that the townships many empty dwellings were increasingly giving Pobbathiri a ghost-town vibe, the Nay Pyi Taw City Development Committee in February sent letters to house owners instructing them to return to their properties regularly for housekeeping and maintenance. The idea of an enclave for retired civil servants and military personnel was proposed in 2008, when a retired captain submitted a letter directly to then-senior general Than Shwe suggesting that accommodation be provided to them after retirement in Nay Pyi Taw. That retired captain said the plan, put forward in the letter three years after the military government moved the capital to Nay Pyi Taw, was botched. This town was to be a place mostly inhabited by retirees, but there are few retirees living here because a majority of the houses were slated for current civil servants. But they arent living in their houses and in public housing instead. So the houses became empty, said the retired captain, who lives in Pobbathiri townships Wanadipa ward. From the beginning, it [land and houses] should have been allocated for retirees who would really live in them and at least it [buyers intentions] should have been scrutinised in advance. The 2014 census put the population of Pobbathiri township at 116,491, out of about 1.16 million people in the greater Nay Pyi Taw Council area. Translation by Zar Zar Soe Two Pakistani nationals were given a choice yesterday: imprisonment for a year or deportation. The Muslim visitors were charged with an immigration violation after they came to Yangon to allegedly deliver sermons, but were on a tourist visa, according to police. Ahmed Zulfiqar, 63, and his son, Ahmed Saifullah, 29, arrived in Yangon on July 26 and toured three townships Pabeden, Kyauktada and Mingalar Taung Nyunt where they discussed the practice of Sufi Islam. The father and son were detained over the weekend and yesterday morning the Tarmwe Township Court found them guilty of an immigration violation under sections 4(2) and 13(1) of the 1947 Immigration Act. They were sentenced with a K100,000 fine each, and told they could be deported or face a year in prison. Tarmwe township immigration officer U Maung Maung told The Myanmar Times yesterday afternoon that the father and son had opted for deportation, and the office was waiting only for a green light from the Union government. They will leave immediately when we receive instructions back, he said. The Sufi lectures drew large crowds at all three mosques, including around 900 people at the Pabedan site, 500 at the Sule Mosque in Kyauktada, and over 1000 at the Mingalar Taung Nyunt mosque, according to police. But a local Muslim leader said the father and son visitors had no intention of breaking the law. Really it was a misunderstanding, said U Aye Lwin, a Muslim leader and member of the Muslim Interfaith Association. They were not delivering sermons, but only teaching about Sufism, similar to the Dhamma sessions They came only to share the lessons of Sufism after praying. We are so sad for the misunderstanding as they are very respectable religious people. Official Chinese media are having a field day touting the dysfunction of Western democracies. Between the British vote to Brexit the European Union and the nomination of Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for the US presidency, not to mention increasingly frequent terrorist attacks, they have plenty of evidence. But the truth is that the Wests loss is not Chinas gain. The hope, of course, is that the current travails of democracies around the world could boost the credibility of the Chinese Communist Party. And indeed, a commentary in Peoples Daily, the CCPs official newspaper, portrayed the Brexit vote as a reflection of the fundamental flaws of Western democracies. The same paper used Trumps rise to show that, in the American system, political leaders are helpless to address complex social conflicts like racial tensions and other sources of popular discontent. The Global Times, an ultra-nationalist tabloid affiliated with the Peoples Daily, seemed to suggest that recent terrorist attacks in the West were a harbinger of some kind of democratic apocalypse. The West may be facing some mysterious and unthinkable change, intoned the tabloid. Given the CCPs ideological hostility to the West, and its zero-sum geopolitical mindset, such gloating should come as no surprise. Indeed, the CCP has long used challenges that arise in democratic countries as part of its never-ending effort to enhance its own legitimacy. Claiming that democracy barely works in the West, the party argues that it would be disastrous for China. Moreover, so long as Chinas government is delivering consistently rising standards of living, as it has been over the last few decades, there is no need, according to the authorities, even to consider alternative systems. But there is little evidence that democratic tumult translates into autocratic legitimacy. On the contrary, dictatorships have historically fallen, regardless of the fortune of Western democracies. When the so-called third wave of democratisation began in the mid-1970s, Western democracies were mired in stagflation and the political trauma of the Vietnam War. The fall of communism in the former Soviet bloc coincided with the reinvigoration of Western democracies in the 1980s. When the Arab Spring erupted in 2011, Western democracies were struggling with the consequences of the global financial crisis of 2008. All of this suggests that autocrats in China should not be holding their breath for some Brexit-induced surge in support. Though stories of democratic dysfunction can give people living under autocratic rule a negative impression of democracy, the effect is most likely short-lived. As long as dictatorships mistreat their own people and fail to improve their lives, their legitimacy will be challenged. Of course, China is no ordinary autocracy. But what makes it unique the link between the CCPs authority and its ability to sustain economic growth does not make its gloating any more rational. After all, one of the keys to Chinas economic success is its integration into a global economy dominated by the Western democracies, which buy roughly 60 percent of Chinese exports. In other words, the CCP derives more legitimacy from Western democracies success than it would from their failure. No good businessperson would hope their best customers go bankrupt. It makes little sense that the CCP is so pleased about the struggles of Chinas most valuable trading partners. The factors driving the challenges facing Western democracies today hold even worse implications for China. Support for Brexit and Trump is rooted largely in voters rejection of globalisation. Regardless of how Brexit or the US election plays out, it is very likely that governments in Western democracies will respond to voter angst and take measures that imply a return to some degree of protectionism. As the worlds largest exporter, China will not escape the damaging economic consequences of such efforts. In that context, the legitimacy of the CCP, already challenged by Chinas economic slowdown, could erode further. Instead of gloating, Chinas leaders should be watching developments in the Western democracies with concern and start planning for their own difficult times ahead. Project Syndicate Minxin Pei is a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and a non-resident senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Thousands of jobless Tens of thousands of people have fled a fresh outbreak of violence in South Sudan, reporting mass killings, looting and forced recruitment of child soldiers, U.N. agencies said on Tuesday. Many of the refugees pouring into neighbouring Uganda, Kenya and Sudan have been carrying malnourished children, the refugee agency the UNHCR added, the victims of a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by food shortages and a cholera outbreak. The world's newest nation has been caught up in more than two years of ethnically charged fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar that has raised fears of wider instability across east Africa. Machar's supporters said at least nine people had died in the latest clashes on a road in Central Equatoria state, the region that includes the capital Juba, over the weekend. Government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth played down those reports, insisting that a frequently broken peace deal signed last year was still on track. "People must understand that the peace agreement doesn't belong to Riek Machar," he told reporters in the capital on Tuesday. The personal rivalry between Kiir, from the Dinka group, and Machar, a Nuer, has worsened ethnic splits in a country awash with weapons since the long civil war that led to its separation from Sudan in 2011. Machar, who returned to the capital in April under the terms of the troubled peace deal, left again last month as new clashes broke out between his men and Kiir's. GUNS, OIL, CHOLERA Government military helicopters flew over the capital over the weekend, but the streets were quiet on Tuesday. Residents reported sharp rises in the prices of fuel, vegetables, flour and other basic foodstuffs, with traders blaming shortages on blockages on the main trade route to Uganda. Banks closed their branches and many families stayed in shelters outside U.N. compounds across the city. Further afield, local militias, who often fight over control of land, grazing and oil-producing areas, have been taking advantage of the chaos to step up their operations. U.N. agencies said refugees had reported gunmen trying to block their flight and harassing them on the way. "Armed groups operating across different parts of South Sudan are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing in Geneva. Around 60,000 people have fled as violence mounted over the past three weeks, she said, the bulk of them to Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days. "We are very concerned about quickly having the capacity to treat the increasing numbers of malnourished children who are coming across," Fleming said. A further 1.6 million South Sudanese are displaced people within their country, said Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "These are really very vast numbers, it's a massive crisis," Laerke added, noting that in all 900,000 refugees have fled South Sudan since December 2013. A cholera outbreak is spreading in South Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, with 35 new admissions being recorded in Juba county daily, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. There have been signs of a split within Machar's movement since he left the capital, and analysts have questioned whether both men have full authority over their followers. Asians stranded in Saudi Wires-AFP English Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said Tuesday. Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide. "Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez. India said Monday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages. In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo -- who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there -- said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this aid could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added. "It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP. The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate. Pakistan confirmed its nationals were also stranded in Saudi Arabia but gave no number. It said it had set up a special centre and fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter. "The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said. "We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement. The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations. Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country. In Manila the Migrante officials also said Filipinos could not leave because they lacked proper permits or were still awaiting months of back pay. Nearly three million Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia, according to the foreign ministry, one of the largest populations outside of India. Search Keywords: Short link: 02.08.2016 LISTEN Africas leading Airline Ethiopian Airlines was on Friday honored as the best Airline in Africa at the Ghana Aviation awards held in Accra. The event was held to recognize distinctions in the Aviation industry and attracted various dignitaries including the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Area Manager of IATA for West Africa, Samson Fatokun. At another event held on Saturday, Ethiopian Airlines honored the top selling agents in Ghana. The event was held at Accra city Hotel . At the well attended event the Area Manager for ET in Ghana Mrs. Genet Michael thanked the agents who have contributed to making ET the number one Airline in Africa. She promised them more rewards as they continue to give their passengers great benefit. She informed them that Ethiopian Airlines has started flights to New York from Lome and have just introduced the newest Aircraft in the world A350 into its already modern fleet. By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana Monday, August 1, 2016 Folks, I am still piqued by the impact of Rawlings revelation and confirmation of rumours that the late Nigerian strongman, Gen. Sani Abacha, did give him some millions of Dollars. The controversy surrounding the exact quantum remains, even if Rawlings feels nothing wrong about the deal. Is he clean in his conscience that he deserved the money given him by Abacha, especially when it wasnt taken from Abachas own earnings but from the Nigerian chest? What did he do to warrant being given that money? And how did he spend it? Is Rawlings prepared to return that money to Nigeria? Too many worrying questions. Now that Rawlings has conceded, he seems to have put very high hurdles in front of his wife (Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings) to jump. Can she? Will she tell us that she knew nothing about the Abacha largesse or that her husband has kept her in the dark all this while? A heavy conscience weighing her down? Too many troubling questions for Nana Konadu too. Pushing everything further, we have noticed that before Rawlings concession, Nana Konadu had dominated the media scene, making all kinds of noise to castigate the Mahama-led administration about corruption, incompetence, and many others. In launching her political missile at the incumbent, she sought to push her own agenda as well. But immediately after her husband caved in to expose the deal between him and Abacha, she has virtually gone underground. Is she feeling the pinch already? We know how Rawlings has supported her in her bid to lead the NDP to Elect6ion 2016. The unexpected revelation by Rawlings and the ripples it provoked are really tough. They seem to be undercutting Nana Konadu (the implications for Rawlings himself are already clear). Can the Rawlingses still go about professing to be apostles of probity and accountability? By confirming the long-held rumours about the Abacha deal, Rawlings doesnt come across to me as honest (as his NPP friends have portrayed him). He came out strongly to refute and condemn the allegation when the rumours first emerged more than 10 years ago. Turning round now to admit it doesnt make him honest or sincere. It makes him a bad person instead. The political fallouts are heavy. Rawlings has virtually shot down his wife. As if that headache isnt acute enough to detract from Nana Konadus standing, the chiefs and people of Adoagyiri are fuming and mobilizing for action against Nana Konadu in respect of the 600-acre land acquired compulsorily for Carridem Development Company Limited. The land, which was acquired through an executive order in 2013 for 50 years, was sold for GHC5 per acre. Who sold the land? Certainly not the chiefs but the Agbodo-led Divestiture Implementation Committee!! Making a case for the chiefs and people, the MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annor Dompreh, has petitioned President John Mahama to return the land to the original owners. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/President-Mahama-petitioned-to-return-50-acre-Carriedem-land-459297). I support the move to divest Nana Konadu of that property. The original owners are embittered at the manner in which the land was taken from them; and I agree with everything they intend to do to reclaim their property. This is where I urge President Mahama to accept the petition and act on it with little ceremony. He should grant the chiefs and people their right to their land. After all, beyond anything politically interested, the matter is too serious to gloss over. This is a good opportunity to add more woes to Nana Konadus lot so she cannot continue throwing dust into anybodys eyes about probity and accountability. I am strongly persuaded by the arguments raised by the chiefs and people and the fallouts for President Mahama if he listens to their plea. I dont want to say that granting their wish will automatically translate into votes for President Mahama at Election 2016; but it will definitely prove that he understands what the issues are and can act in the best interest of the chiefs and people of Nsawam-Adoagyiri. This is the opportune moment to ditch Nana Konadu all the more, now that her own husband has shot her down. What belongs to the people must not be trampled upon. Mr. President, over to you!! I shall return The Gender Minister has underscored the relevance of the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) towards the development of the country. Nana Oye Lithur says the registry, when collated, will guide government in the dispensing of many government supports to the needy and vulnerable households in the country. The Registry will ensure that the social economic characteristics of each and every household in Ghana that should benefit from social protection programmes are prioritized, he said. Mrs Lithur disclosed this at the launch of the programme in the Upper West Regional capital of Wa. Initiated by the Gender Ministry, the GNHR entails the registration of households and collection of basic information on their socio-economic status in order to aid planning of social protection programmes. Government is hopeful the full implement of the programme will help it address the hurdle of mass poverty in the country. Touching on other benefits, Mrs Lithur says the project will ensure that we have a face, a name, a physical address, and a location to target households that will require government support. Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, used the opportunity to call on all head of District Assemblies to help make the project a success. According to him, the only way the project will make its impact is when the District Assemblies put on board their exceptional knowledge. He charged religious bodies and other groups in the society to mobilize their members for the project. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected] 02.08.2016 LISTEN Historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford will travel to Ghana in October to mark the centenary of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) . The institution, based in central London, is staging a series of talks in Britain and further afield, to celebrate the 100-year academic reputation it has cultivated across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Gus is a London-born writer and broadcaster, who is best known for fronting BBC Four programme 'Lost Kingdoms of Africa'. He told MisBeee he was one of a number of SOAS alumni chosen to participate in talks across different African countries as part of the anniversary. Gus will be visiting Accra and will talk about Ghanas heritage during the visit. Gus comes from a prominent family line hailing from Ghana and Sierra Leone. The list includes lawyer, politician, pan-Africanist and journalist Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford his grandfather, and brother British fashion designer Joe Casely-Hayford OBE. Childhood stories Gus has spent much of his career charting and exploring African history - a passion that was nurtured from stories his Ghanaian relatives told him as a child. "they would sit me down and tell me stories and it just fired something in me, he said. I wanted to travel and I wanted to learn more about the history, so as soon as I got the opportunity, I travelled, wrote a PhD and began to investigate ways in which I could further my knowledge. The thing that really drove me was that I wanted to give other people the chance to learn about their history without them having to travel thousands of miles or to put in hundreds of hours of work. So thats why I tried to write and make TV programmes to try and bring them into peoples homes. Ensuring that a more balanced representation of African history is available in the UKs national curriculum is something Gus advocates. "There is an attempt to do that, he said, but the teachers have to have the resources, they have to have the knowledge, they have to have the right books and they have to have the motivation. Not many of them have all of those things together, so we need to find ways of making it easier for them to do that." Authenticity in films Of course, the body of work that comes from the Lost Kingdoms of Africa series is one that schools can naturally take advantage of and Gus welcomes this - as long as it is connected to education. I think it is fantastic particularly for a young generation many of whom feel very dislocated from the history of their own ancestry, he said. Re-telling African stories through film is another route that Gus applauds. While he agrees that there is a need for Black directors and producers to be authentic when telling these stories, Gus also believes these storytellers should be afforded some artistic licence and have the space to share more uplifting African narratives. .. whilst accuracy is absolutely important, it is important that we dont terrify people into thinking that our history was nothing but appalling, he said. There are some fantastic chapters of African history that are deeply uplifting and those are the ones that Id love to see young people given access to because if we want them to feel inspired by the past, we cant just overload them with what are, of course, important but the terrible things. It is good that they know those but I think alongside them we have to give them access to some of the really inspiring and positive stories. Positive feedback The positive feedback Gus received following the airing of the Lost Kingdoms of Africa series is testament to this idea of sharing positive images of Africans and their history. The programme, which was first aired in January 2010 and ran for two years, generated positive feedback from Africans both home and abroad. The programme was shown in English-speaking African countries and was translated into French for the francophone market, as well as being available on the BBC World Service, Gus said. Gus continues to champion learning and is currently working on a series for TV company Sky that will tell the story of British landscape art. He is also curating an exhibition for the National Portrait Gallery that opens in 2022. The exhibition is going to bring all of the great portraits of Black figures from the 18th century, painted by some of the most important artists, and bringing them together for the very first time into one space, he said. Kirsty Osei-Bempong is a journalist and blogger at MisBeee Writes. Rome and Ankara traded barbs on Tuesday over an Italian investigation into accusations that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's son Bilal laundered money. Erdogan told RAI television that the probe by prosecutors in the northern city of Bologna, where Bilal had been studying, might affect bilateral links. "If my son came back to Italy at this moment, he could be arrested," Erdogan said in an interview with the state broadcaster. "This could even cause problems for our relationship with Italy." Bilal, 35, went to Italy in 2015 to finish a doctorate. It was not clear when he left, but a legal source said he had been back in Turkey for some time. He denies wrongdoing. Erdogan, criticised in the West for the scale of a post-coup crackdown, told RAI: "Italy should be attending to the mafia, not my son." In response, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Italy had an independent legal system and "judges answer to the Italian constitution and not the Turkish president." Turkish authorities have detained, suspended or placed under investigation more than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education system since the failed July 15 bid to overthrow Erdogan, in which more than 230 people were killed. The money-laundering investigation followed accusations by Murat Hakan Uzan, an exiled member of one of Turkey's richest families and an opponent of the president, a legal source said. Italian press reported prosecutors were looking into sums of money allegedly brought to Italy from Turkey. In July, a Bologna court allowed them to extend their investigation by six months. Bilal's lawyer Giovanni Trombini said his client declared that "all his economic and financial activity is totally transparent and legal, and the accusations are completely unfounded". Bilal, one of the Turkish president's four children, has shipping and maritime assets and controls several oil tankers through his company and partnerships in other firms Search Keywords: Short link: The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, is said in the media to have been lamenting over the huge wage bills expended on the state civil service. He sees it as a waste of public funds. He says he doesn't need more than 200 workers to run the state civil service. He is concerned that these huge wage bills are expended on a non-productive sector of the economy. He prefers employing people in productive sectors of the economy like agriculture to maintaining an unproductive civil service. The Governor is quoted as saying: I dont need more than 200 workers in the state civil service but I need more than 100,000 in the agricultural sector of the state. Its like if this nation makes $1 trillion every day and ends up paying salaries with it, there still will be no progress. Unless we address those basic issues and get people to work in the productive sector of the economy, we cannot make any headway. If I have 70 percent of the money that comes to the state for capital expenditure, Imo State would look like London in the next five years. Public service is not welfarism. We dont have a welfare state where people can sit down and expect money from government. We have what is called governance by investment and not people sitting down and collecting money. That money they collect does not aid production." Unbelievable as it may seem, I think Governor Okorocha has a point here. In my article published in Tell Magazine and in the 27 October 2013 edition of Sahara Reporters titled: Nigerias Siamese Twins of Corruption, I pointed out certain facts which the current position of the Imo State Governor seems to echo. And for that reason I would like to visit the story once again, for the records. The indispensability of civil servants in the evolution of democracy in developing countries like Nigeria was never in dispute. Government depended on the civil service for the success of its business of governance inside the country and out of it. As a result of this dependence of government, civil servants found themselves saddled with the dispensation of very sensitive national policies some of which were economic. For that reason, the civil service in Nigeria continued to remain one of the most formidable organisations which directly impacted not only on the activities of the countrys political class and business community, but on the nation at large. Stringent rules and regulations had been put in place to ensure that civil servants were politically neutral and that they did not engage in activities likely to call their political impartiality to question. They were expected to refrain from doing anything that might create the impression that, as people paid from public funds, they could be compromised for the attainment of political or party goals. As career public officers, they were expected to perform their duties with a sense of impeccable political neutrality. But that was not the case with the civil service over the years. The general behaviour of civil servants in Nigeria called their level of professionalism to question. Those of us who are old enough still remember when the civil service in Nigeria metamorphosed from the colonial civil service which Britain established to administer Nigeria as its colony. It inherited many good qualities. At that time, civil servants were employed purely on the basis of their skill and competence. There was nothing like quota system. Recruitment into the civil service meant that the applicant had to pass several tests conducted without prejudice to state of origin, social status or religious affiliation. Those early civil servants were known to be very hard-working and self-disciplined. They were always ready to make self-sacrifices, just to ensure that the nation moved forward through the efficient functioning of their ministries. They were sensitive to the interests of the local people, and to the feelings of the ordinary citizens of the nation. It was at this time that the foundation of the civil service in Nigeria was laid. The civil service was meant to represent the broader interests of the nation in a fair, unbiased manner by being totally unaffiliated to any political or party interests. On the other hand, politicians and political parties were regarded as representing the more narrow interests of the nation because their commitment was self-serving and predicated on their party affiliations and the mandate of their constituents. The implication was that while governments came and went, the civil service remained to work with the government of the day. This fact, more than any other, deeply contributed in making the civil service in Nigeria extraordinarily powerful. The civil servants came to have what could be seen as legitimacy over the political class a legitimacy they continued to wield tenaciously over the years. The long years of military interregnum also enabled the civil service in Nigeria to consolidate its grip on government. The side-effect was that once a new government came into power, the newly elected public office holders, like the proverbial new broom, begin to sweep clean. They commit their time and skills to making good their campaign promises. They know full well that the people who voted them into office will always take them to ransom on account of their campaign promises. They wont want to be seen as a disappointment to those who elected them into public office. But no sooner have the politicians been sworn into office than the civil servants [who have been in the system for so long] begin to educate them on how stupid they would look if they failed to seize their opportunity to make some quick money while in office. They begin to indoctrinate them into the attitude of grabbing as much money as comes their way, to prove to all and sundry that they are the ones actually running things, as Nigerians would say. They begin to remind them that political appointments have expiry dates and that opportunities dont last forever. They begin to convince them that this is their opportunity to make as much money as they possibly can. And they begin to give them daily doses of tutorials on the way forward. Gradually, but steadily, politicians who initially came into government with clean hands and open minds, and a willingness to genuinely serve their people, begin to get corrupt. The government of the day begins to soil its hands with corruption and as a result, all the loud noise about tackling bribery and corruption in the country ends up only on the pages of the national newspapers and the screens of television sets. Sadly, this had been the trend for more than five decades since Nigeria had self rule. But Nigerians cannot be fooled forever. The truth must be told someday. That truth is that over the years in Nigeria, the civil service and the political class had become like Siamese twins of corruption. They are joined in their hearts, feeling each others heart-beat as they continuously collude to milk the national coffers dry. To prune the civil service to a manageable and less unproductive workforce certainly makes sense. But to dump the whole lot of civil servants in the state is a recipe for disaster. At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of government to create jobs for its citizens. Government must not shy away from its responsibility. For that reason, if Governor Okorocha implements what he has said, it would definitely become an infectious trend that will catch up with other states of the Federation sooner than later. Nigerians do not need an over-bloated civil service whose staff do nothing but loaf around or sit in office busy gossiping and expect to be paid at the end of the day. They will be needed in more productive areas like agriculture, as Governor Okorocha points out. The governor must not forget though, that this decision will throw up its own challenges. The government will have to itemise the sort of agriculture it wants to divert this workforce to. Is it animal husbandry, rearing goats, sheep and cattle? Is it cultivating staple foodstuff like potatoes, yams, cassava and vegetables like tomato and pepper? Is it fisheries? Is it poultry farming, rearing chickens and hatching eggs? All these would need serious feasibility studies. And then of course where is the land? Would it be possible to acquire about half a mile of arable land from each of the 27 local government areas of the state and assign each locality with the production of a specific food item? And would it also be possible to build factories within the farms which would be associated with the farms final products. For instance, build a factory that will turn fresh tomatoes in ketchups, tomato soup etc in the tomato farm; or cashew into cashew nuts, cashew oil etc in the cashew farm; or cassava into garri in the cassava farm and so on. In this way, jobs can be created along the lines I suggested some time ago in my article titled Coping with hard times in Eastern Nigeria and published in the 16 July 2013 edition ofModern Ghana and The Nigerian Voice newspapers. These are challenges that the Okorocha Administration must set in position if he sincerely wants to prune the workforce in Imo State civil service and re-channel it to more productive use. It wont be easy. But it can be done. And the pressure is mounting. 1 Embedded Image : Slide show | Download all | Show as attachments Good afternoon. Thank you, Jennifer, for the warm introduction, and to Richard, Ben, and the terrific teams at CSIS and the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom for bringing us together. As you probably know, we at State rely on CSISs world-class research and analysis to help us look around the corner and make sense of emerging challenges. So Im pleased that youve taken on the topic of religious extremism in Africa. As your project implies, policymakers need to better understand both how religion affects issues of security and stability, and equally important, how to encourage and reinforce non-violent, tolerant expressions of faith. And while much global attention to violent extremism focuses on Syria and Iraq, religiously motivated violent extremism is on the rise in Africa in East Africa, West Africa, the Sahel and the Maghreb. You have picked an understudied yet vitally important issue to examine. Now let me state the obvious at the outset: freedom of religion and conscience are bedrock principles of U.S. foreign policy. The United States favors no particular faith. Within our own borders we embrace all religions. The United States abhors the use of any ideology to justify violence or to violate universal rights. It simultaneously rejects claims that specific religions are the cause of terrorism. As President Obama has said repeatedly, we are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam. In Africa and around the world, religion propels many people to do inspiring good. In my work as Under Secretary, one of my greatest privileges has been meeting countless faithful who give all they have to their communities. Last March I traveled to Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania. As I so often do, I met with representatives from different local faith communities. This meeting had particular impact because its where I learned what acid does to a persons face. Sheikh Zaraga is more than a local imam; hes an institution. He won peoples respect not through fiery sermons, but through tireless, thankless work for people in the community. Connecting the unemployed to jobs. Mentoring aimless youth. Preaching tolerance and respect. His face was the face of Islam positive, hopeful, peaceful. When attackers hurled acid at it, they shook the community to its core. Extremist violence had come to Zanzibar in the last couple of years, seeking to terrorize in the name of the same religion the community had practiced for centuries. Sheik Zaragas faith was being perverted and rebranded. Elsewhere in Africa, violent extremism is linked to purported religious tenets. Boko Haram abducts young girls who have the audacity to learn. The Lords Resistance Army enslaves children to carry out horrors. Rogue followers of traditional religions attack people with albinism to traffic their body parts. Homophobic vitriol spouted in some churches and mosques has inspired mobs to murder gay people in the streets of Abuja, Kampala, and elsewhere. Many violent extremists harness religious claims to cloak their depravity and inspire followers. Sadly, acts of violence in the name of religion are as old as religion itself, and they persist in communities around the world, from so-called honor killings to wife burnings. But today we see trends that appear novel and dangerous: the rise of organized, heavily armed, non-state actors that justify violence and territorial ambitions with religious ideologies. Groups like al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, al-Qaida in the Maghreb, and the LRA. These groups threaten Africas every achievement and aspiration: from economic growth, to womens rights, health care, and education. For Africas future and for global security they must be defeated. That begins with understanding what allowed these groups to take root and spread. We cannot ignore the influence of violent religious ideologies that inflame passions and dehumanize the other. Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram, for example, justify their brutality in twisted interpretations of Salafism. Many al-Shabaab leaders were indoctrinated in ultra-conservative religious schools in the Middle East. The LRAs purported faith entails a warped version of the Ten Commandments it seeks to impose on others. When these groups repeatedly invoke religion to spill blood and inspire followers, we cannot pretend religion has no role. But our analysis cannot stop there, because the story is far more complex. Many other factors play a role in spurring people to violence or making them susceptible to violent ideologies, including religious ideologies. These factors will be unique to local circumstances, but they will likely also reflect broad themes such as marginalization, poor or abusive governance, limited opportunity, and feelings of discontent and dislocation. AQIM exploited feelings of marginalization across northern Mali to establish new outposts of terror. Most of Boko Harams followers hail from historically neglected regions of northern Nigeria. Political and economic exclusion among the ethnic Acholi helped spark the LRA in northern Uganda. In many parts of Africa, vast ungoverned territories provide violent extremists areas to train, recruit, or tax. Deep in the forests of Central Africa, the LRA and Boko Haram are free to sustain their evil. They have safe havens from which to strike and wreak havoc on communities before melting away to recover and strike again. Government incompetence and abuse also fan extremist violence. In East and West Africa, corruption allows extremists to cast themselves as pious alternatives. In Somalia, years of anarchy in the 1990s led some to welcome al-Shabaabs promise of security and the rule of law. Unlawful and excessive force by government often in the name of security can empower factions arguing that violence is the only option. After the former Nigerian governments spate of police brutality and extra-judicial killings, Boko Haram escalated its campaign of terror. Similarly, alleged abuses by the Ethiopian military in Somalia elevated al-Shabaab by allowing the group to tout itself as defender of the faithful. Violent extremists are also abetted by more recent trends linked to globalization, like the proliferation of information and communications technology, which gives them new platforms to cultivate followers, connect otherwise distant sympathizers, and recruit beyond areas of their physical control. Violent extremists similarly exploit rapid population growth and industrialization across Africa. Countless people, especially young people, have left villages to find work in teeming cities and make sense of their place in a new economic and social order. Adrift in these rapid changes, violent ideologies promising purpose, community, and identity find appeal. Compounding the problem, extreme weather events made worse by climate change add to experiences of dislocation and discontent. All these factors help explain the emergence of violent extremist groups, and they raise serious alarm about the vulnerability of communities across Africa struggling with similar issues especially as Daesh seek new footholds for expansion on the continent. The United States stands with all Africans to prevent the spread of extremist violence. Across the continent, but especially in East Africa and the Sahel, we train and equip foreign militaries, share intelligence, and support police to enhance border security. These are well-known elements of our counterterrorism approach in Africa. However, today Id like to focus on a newer but equally vital dimension of our approach what we call Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE. While counterterrorism focuses on existing extremist threats, CVE seeks to prevent the next generation of threat from emerging. CVE emphasizes governance, elevating issues of rights in the counterterrorism partnership. It calls on governments to embrace a do no harm approach. This means working with security and police forces to end impunity for abuses, embedding public institutions with mechanisms for transparency, and reforming prisons to separate petty criminals from violent ideologues. Engagement around CVE can work. After months of outreach by U.S. diplomats, the police chief of Mombasa began to openly question whether the practice of widespread, indiscriminate round-ups was compounding the problem. The County Commissioner of Mombasa confided, We are trying to stop being firefighters. Encouraging that shift can be hard. In the wake of extremist violence, governments and citizens often want quick results and tough shows of force, making it easier to fall into harmful patterns of overreaction that can compound the problem. Countries must also push back against the propaganda violent extremists use to twist vulnerable minds and pull communities to their orbit. Part of that work is partnering with the tech community to disrupt extremist incitements to violence on the Internet by flagging content or accounts tied to known terrorists. Another part is amplifying the voices of mainstream religious leaders to denounce violence as an insult to the deepest tenets of true faith. Up to 90 percent of Africans say religion is very important in their lives; giving African religious leaders enormous influence. We help religious leaders make use of that influence, for example by training imams to use Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging to reach a wider audience. We lead efforts to promote inter-faith dialogue to soothe sectarian tensions that can inflame calls for violence. And we encourage the efforts of other governments, like Moroccos regional initiative to train imams from Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria on refuting violent perversions of Islam. These steps are important but insufficient. Violent ideologies and propaganda resonate with some because they offer something to those desperate for purpose, identity, community, and even adventure. So we cant just refute what theyre offering; we have to offer something better, something more empowering and affirming and connected to their needs. We must also unleash the power of communities, including local officials and civil society. The voids violent extremists try and fill are often best tackled on the ground, in town halls, schools, and families. Governments that stifle civil society and sideline communities sap their own power against violent extremism. Instead, governments need to lift burdensome restrictions on civil society and give them a meaningful role in identifying and addressing the forces behind violent extremism. Here again, the engagement of religious actors is vital. In Africa especially, where weak states struggle to perform core functions, religious institutions often fill the void providing education, employment, and even financing. These roles can be just as important, if not more so, for curbing radicalization. CVE recognizes this and calls for active engagement with religious communities, and not just religious leaders, who are overwhelmingly male and are not especially young. Often the best messenger is not a crusty authority figure, but a classmate, a sister, a peer. So engaging with younger members of faith communities is vital. The same is true of women. Although African women hold few formal leadership roles in faith communities, they are often the most active members. When womens rights and status come under attack, it often foreshadows a broader shift toward radicalization and violence. I remember hearing the anguish of Muslim women in Tanzania, who lamented that they could barely recognize their faith in the weekly sermon because the tone had grown so hardline and exclusionary. Finally, CVE emphasizes strengthening ties between African governments and the communities they serve. Things we may take for granted constituency outreach by local officials, town halls between police departments and the neighborhoods they protect these are not common in many parts of Africa. In their absence, it becomes harder to build trust and cooperation between citizens and government. By contrast, when communities come together in common purpose, violent groups struggle to infiltrate. When dozens of young Kenyans were arrested last year for links to violent extremism, parents, police, and imams came together to develop a solution. The children were released, but on the condition that their parents vouched for their behavior and that they attended weekly religious instruction. Cooperation, trust, and little creativity by the community put these kids on a better path and saved dozens of young lives from languishing in jail. Thats what communities of common purpose can do. Over the last two years, the U.S. government has helped lead a shift toward this more localized and preventive approach to violent extremism in Africa and around the world. Secretary Kerry empowered the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism to embed this broader approach in all our work. This May, State and USAID released their first-ever joint CVE strategy outlining how to unite our diplomatic and development tools. Weve also stood up a new Global Engagement Center to spearhead our messaging effort and seize the initiative in the battle for vulnerable hearts and minds. In East Africa, weve launched pilot CVE programs to serve as a model going forward. Instead of having a variety of short-term, disparate efforts a youth outreach program in one area, a counter-messaging initiative in another heres what we did. Experts from across our government came together to pool funds, conduct extensive research, develop a common diagnosis, and design a truly integrated program to address the specific forces enabling radicalization to violence in the specific places identified as most vulnerable. This sort of targeted, holistic, and research-driven effort is how we can help communities remain on a path of stability instead of succumbing to extremist violence. At the global level, State is helping foreign governments, international NGOs, and multilateral bodies establish counter-messaging centers, develop CVE strategies, and share best practices. The United Nations has taken up the cause. The U.N. Secretary General released a Plan of Action for Preventing Violent Extremism, and just last month, the General Assembly endorsed its recommendations calling on member states to emphasize good governance, human rights, community engagement, and development in their approach for violent extremism. UNESCO has mobilized to help teachers prevent radicalization to violence, and the UNDP will assist African governments undertake CVE programs. These steps represent a positive evolution, a maturing of sorts, in how the world tackles violent extremism. These steps are more holistic and realistic in recognizing a multiplicity of sources of violent extremism and seek to address underlying factors that make people susceptible to messages of extremist violence. They are proactive in that they seek to prevent radicalization. They recognize the limits of governments to shape faith itself, and the necessity of relying upon the mainstream faith community to reassert the tolerant and peaceful tenets of a given religious practice. As CVE efforts expand, however, governments must be clear-eyed about the challenges. It takes time to change harmful government practices, strengthen public institutions, and repair trust between communities long neglected by the state. And while there is no guarantee that research can fully disentangle the complex drivers of extremist violence to guide CVE efforts, it is certainly critical for helping governments and civil society better address the causes that render individuals and whole communities vulnerable to violent ideologies. Some international actors seem reluctant to adapt their programs and priorities to address CVE, even as violent extremists threaten everything they work for from womens health and empowerment, to economic development, to human rights. Resources remain limited. Last year, the U.S. spent less than $200 million on CVE programs worldwide. Thats less than the cost of just one F-22 fighter jet. Despite the attention terrorism garners and the devastation it inflicts globally, there is an unfathomable gap between what the world spends to combat existing threats instead of preventing new ones from emerging. Foreign assistance lacks a constituency, and prevention work is the most difficult to fund because its hard to measure dangers that never materialize. Thats why strengthening monitoring and evaluation will be crucial to building support for a more preventive approach, and we are encouraged that bodies like the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and African Development Bank are starting to lend their expertise in this area. There are also challenges in identifying and funding the right local partners on the ground. Local groups and leaders with the greatest influence over those most vulnerable to violent extremism often look very different from the partners the international community has grown accustomed to working with. In addition, current law prohibiting material support for known terrorists can inadvertently prevent us from assisting those best positioned to help. For example, the group Kenya Supkem de-radicalizes and rehabilitates al-Shabaab fighters. This work is essential for peeling off faltering supporters and creating powerful voices to refute al-Shabaabs lies. But under existing law, Kenya Supkem would have to exhaustively itemize every single expense to confirm that U.S. funds provided no direct assistance to former al-Shabaab fighters. Moreover, those best positioned on the ground rarely have the means for reporting, budgeting, administration to apply for and maintain international funding. So we have to look closely at this issue and consider how to better make use of third parties to empower those on the ground, like the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, which has pilot CVE programs in Nigeria, Mali, and soon in Kenya. But we are making progress on this front as well. We helped establish the RESOLVE Network (Researching Solutions to Violent Extremism) to connect local researchers studying the drivers of violent extremism in their communities. And we helped launch the Strong Cities Network to link municipal leaders including from cities in Kenya, Senegal, and Mauritania struggling on the front lines against violent extremism. Let me be clear: this is a struggle for the future of countless communities across Africa. The damage wrought by violent extremists measures not only in the blood they spill, but the investments they deter, the textbooks they burn, the women and girls they enslave, the vast human potential they squander. But despite the grim headlines, I remain hopeful. Im hopeful because I saw how, even after acid mutilated his face and terrorized his community, Sheikh Zaraga insisted on tolerance, on respect, on peace. Im hopeful because I remember how hungry he was for answers, how resolved he was to answer the sting of violence with the strength of community. And we must stand with him and leaders across Africa struggling for the future of their communities and the soul of their religious beliefs. At the same time, we must reject framing the problem solely around religious ideology not only because this pits religions against each other, but because it misses the broader picture. It needlessly limits what we can do. We know individuals are not born hating and violent. They become so for a series of complex reasons personal, communal and structural. Where violent religious movements operate, we are not powerless to prevent their spread, even if there are limits to what we can achieve. Moreover, much of what we can do to help avert violence is also worth pursuing on its own giving people a greater stake in their community and greater confidence in their future; ending government abuses; improving basic education and health services. These are steps we can take, practices we can change, debates we can and must win on behalf of the most vulnerable communities. So the complexity of this threat is not a call for complacency, but a call to all of us who care about Africas future to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Thank you. The U.S. Department of States Energy Resource Bureau welcomed a delegation from Angola for the third installment of the U.S.-Angola Strategic Energy Dialogue. The Minister of Petroleum of the Republic of Angola, Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, and the Minister of Energy and Water of the Republic of Angola, Joao Baptista Borges, participated in the discussion co-hosted by the U.S. Department of States Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, Amos J Hochstein, and the U.S. Department of Energys Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Christopher Smith. The dialogue focused on Angolas petroleum and power sectors. During the dialogue, the U.S. and Angolan delegations reviewed progress made in the bilateral relationship in the energy sector since the previous strategic energy dialogue in August 2011. Participants discussed the need for regulatory changes in the energy sector as well as the importance of creating a favorable business climate to attract more private investment to Angola. Other topics included oil and gas sector operational security and the environmental impacts of oil and gas installations. The U.S. and Angolan delegations concluded the dialogue by reaffirming their joint commitment to this important area of cooperation and mutual interest. A few weeks ago, I rang my mother to find out how she was getting on with life in Ghana. However, our conversation inadvertently stretched into Ghanas political landscape. This piece is a retrospective commentary of the conversation I had with my mother which I would like to share with my dearest readers. Our telephone conversation went like this: Kwaku: Hello Mum, how are you doing? Mum: Hmmm, I am not feeling good at all this morning. My body is really aching. Kwaku: Have my sympathy Mum; I think you are feeling the intrinsic effects of aging. Mum: Many thanks for sympathising with me my son. Kwaku: What about life in general then Mum? Mum: Eiiiiii, Kwaku, it has become extremely hard ooooo! The dumsor is not going away, prices of goods are on the high and your brothers and sisters businesses arent flourishing at all. Kwaku: I know Mum; I noticed all the hardships when I visited Ghana in March 2016; have my sympathy once again. Mum: Many thanks for showing concern, Kwaku; are you also experiencing dumsor over there in London? Kwaku: Dumsor? No Mum. I have not witnessed a single dumsor since I have been in the United Kingdom. Mum: Really? Do you mean for the last three decades youve been in the United Kingdom there has not been a single dumsor? Kwaku: Yes Mum; we do not have dumsor time table here. Mum: Your President is doing well then; do you normally vote for him? Kwaku: Yes Mum, our Prime Minister is performing alright. And to answer your follow up question, I do not normally vote for the Conservatives because I do not subscribe to their campaign messages. Mum: But your Prime Minister is doing fantastically well, so what all the farce about campaign messages? Kwaku: Mum, you dont vote for the sake of voting; you weigh all the campaign promises before giving away your mandate. Let me tell you Mum, I did not even vote for my MP (Kwesi Kwarteng) who belongs to the Conservative Party and has Ghanaian parents. Let me tell you once again Mum, although I am one of the king makers in the Labour Partys leadership contest by virtue of my Trade Union membership, I will probably vote for the incumbent Conservative Prime Minister, Theresa May in the next general election because of her unparalleled credibility. Mum: Really? As for me four years ago I chose that tall and handsome guy. Kwaku: Do you mean President Mahama? Mum: Yes, I voted for him because of his handsome looks. Kwaku: Hmm, Mum, why are you then moaning now over all the hardships? Didnt you choose handsome looks over competence? Mum: But I also chose handsome President Kuffour over Atta Mills. Kwaku: Well, Mum, competence does not reside in ones stature. Mum: But President Kuffour was tall, handsome and extremely competent. Kwaku: You are right Mum. But you are also aware that we have useless tall and handsome individuals around. For example, the biblical Goliath was also tall and handsome but was useless, for it took the midget, competent and intelligent David to floor him. Mum: Well, Kwaku, so what is your point now? Kwaku: Mum, my point is we dont vote for handsome looks, we rather vote for competence, integrity and realistic campaign messages, for handsome looks wont solve the existential dumsor and the ever sinking economy. Mum: Well, Kwaku, Ive got your message. Kwaku: Mum, am glad youve embraced the message. Please dont keep it to your chest; pass it on. Mum: Kwaku, Ill do. Kwaku: Mum, remember you all have another opportunity to choose between handsome looks and competence. Mum: Many thanks Kwaku for your illumination. Kwaku: Thats alright Mum. Good bye and I will speak to you again next week. How glad I was when I put the telephone handset down, for I managed to get the real message to my Mum, who will in turn, pass on the message to her dependents and other associates. Compatriots bear in mind that you all have a second chance to put it right. Dont vote for the voting sake, vote for competence, realistic campaign messages and integrity. K. Badu, UK. 02.08.2016 LISTEN Dedication - To my revered motivator and senior friend, Frank Kyei-Baffour. This was how my friend, Sheila A. Dontoh, complimented me on my personality in a certain group chat, "He has a tiny body but he has got big brains." Well, I know it was a funny-cum-realistic description of who I really am today as a very young person. As an ambitious guy from a financially constrained home, I always cherish my mind as my greatest asset. Yes, it is the resource which will ultimately catapult me to global prominence as a rare genius. For I do not enjoy riches like rich kids, but my brainpower is more than priceless and attracts all wealth I can ever imagine. Life has been tougher for me since childhood, yet I really do not crave money as the average hustling boy will; I am fond of developing my mind beyond people's imagination. In fact, I have the exceptional ability to train my mind at a world-class level in the pursuit of success. Moreover, the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, is famed for declaring that, "Mind is ever the ruler of the universe." Biologically, the brain controls the sensory organs in the form of vision, hearing, taste, smell and balance. If the human mind gets damaged, the whole human system will malfunction to a large extent. I once told my elder brother, Alvin Buah, that, "If you put your hand in fire and completely believe with all your mind that it won't hurt you, I bet you'll feel no pain at all. However, no normal human being can do that because we have all been used to that involuntary action or reflex from infancy." That is a seemingly impossible thing the human mind is capable of. Also, "Thought [the mind] is the original source of all wealth, all success, all material gain, all great discoveries and inventions, and of all achievement," according to Claude M. Bristol, an erstwhile American author. Nothing fundamentally produces wealth except the mind, which creates it in the unseen world before physical actions can work towards it. Forget silver and gold, the mind is the primary source of riches, mainly because "The human mind is our fundamental resource," as John. F. Kennedy stated. And nobody can accomplish anything great unless he first conceives it deep in his subconscious mind and facilitates it with pragmatic deeds. Why? What you constantly think will eventually translate into what you become. Hey, these are not unusual philosophies but pure facts. Besides, I find the story of how Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah spearheaded Ghana's struggle for independence in the mid-20th Century, a big testimony to the title of this article. The remaining five of the Big Six regarded Nkrumah's "self-government now" plan of action as a near impossibility. Other people were also sceptical of Osagyefo's pro-independence movement, because Kwame, his cohorts and the masses were perceived as the underdogs in the eyes of the Great Britain. But the Show Boy proved Robert Collier's famous quote in action. Collier said, "There is nothing on earth that you cannot have once you have mentally accepted the fact that you can have it." Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com The ministers of state and Ghanaians criticizing the Supreme Court over the jailing of the Montie 3 are nation wreckers who must be condemned, the moderator of the Presbyterian church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, has said. According to him, a nation is ruled by laws and therefore cannot allow the misconduct of citizens to prevail. Host of Montie FMs political talk show Pampaso Salifu Maase, popularly known as Mugabe, and two panelists, Alistair Nelson, and Godwin Ako Gunn both of the National Democratic Congress were jailed four months by the Supreme Court on Wednesday for contempt. Since their jailing, members of the NDC who have described the four-month jail term as harsh, have mounted pressure on President John Mahama to pardon them or risk losing votes in the upcoming election. Several ministers including education minister Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang and gender minister Nana Oye Lithur have signed the petition calling the president to activate article 72 and pardon. But commenting on the development, the presby boss told his congregation that such calls are inimical to the state. A nation is an entity, a people ruled by law; so if there are any people who are a lawless society then they are doomed. A country like America, when you break the law even if you are the President or a Presidential candidate and they get you, youll go to jail. I hear some people are saying what the Judges did was not right. Look, threatening to kill a Judge, it has happened before in Ghana, whoever has issues with the sentence of these three people are nation wreckers who must be condemned and not entertained. The Writer 02.08.2016 LISTEN "The LORD is a warrior; yes, the LORD is his name!" Exodus 15: 3 War can be defined as conflict, fighting or hostilities between two countries or interest groups. You fight wars to protect your interests or sovereignty. When you are putting together a nation or any entity for that matter, it is taken for granted that you should also put in place the machinery to protect it, otherwise you will wake up to see that your enemies have overran the whole place. I believe this is the reason why it is wisely said that if you want peace, you must have to prepare for war. True. And I think that was what helped the wisest man ever-lived - Solomon. He was so wealthy, powerful, connected (humanly and divinely), wise, blessed and also militarily prepared that no enemy dared to attack him. The result - he had a very peaceful and prosperous reign. It was not that everybody loved him, but his strength and capability were enormous. He was well prepared for any eventuality. You are in a war! Our God is a man of war, a warrior and we must see things the way He sees them. We must go closer to Him and see the way He fights His battles, and also learn how to allow Him lead us through the war called life. We must not take anything for granted. Yes, life is war, and as in every war there are always many battles to fight. When you win one, then you prepare or go over to the next, until you win the entire war. Have you noticed that even the bible is a book of war? It is a record of so many overt and covert battles between the kingdom of God and that of Satan. Between righteousness and unrighteousness. It started with a battle and ended with another. And in-between, almost every book shows this battle of two kingdoms. In Genesis chapter one, there was a battle that threw the whole earth into a chaos. The earth was left empty, formless and in darkness, before God started working again. It was a battle between the angels loyal to God and the angelic rebels led by Satan himself. The book of Revelation (the last book of the bible), is just full of the last battles that will culminate to the battle of Gog and Magog. After this, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, and shall be tormented day and night forever. He knows this and it makes him afraid and very sick everyday. This is why he is desperate in everything he does. He is desperate to take as many people as posible with him to hell. Now, you must wake up everyday with the consciousness that you are in a war. The battle fields are your life, your health, your position, family, faith, your mind, your marriage, your job, your people survival and freedom, your calling, your business, etc. All these are the battle fronts, but the war is between the kingdom of light and that of darkness for your destiny and the destiny of your people. Are you prepared this war? You just have to because it is a fact of life. Life is warfare. Now, let's go back to King Solomon and see how he prepared himself and Israel for this war. Solomon Immediately Solomon took over after the death of his father as the king of Israel, he summoned all the generals, military commanders, judges, political and clan leaders and led them to the presence of the LORD. They went to the hill at Gibeon where God's Tabernacle was located. As they gathered in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the LORD's presence and sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on it. And this singular action sparked off a new phase of divine relationship. God visited Solomon that same night and asked him, "What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you. Wonderful! Solomon asked Him for wisdom and knowledge to rule Israel properly. This further pleased God and He decided to embarrass Solomon with all His blessings. God gave him wisdom and knowledge as he asked, and also added riches, wealth and honour. Gold and silver became like stones in Jerusalem. His empire extended to the nations around Euphrates River to the land of the philistines and the border of Egypt. All these kings (and others from all parts of the world) regularly brought gifts of gold, silver, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, cattle, etc, to him. Solomon became the wisest, richest, most influential and most famous king on earth. With this kind of resources, he went ahead to build a very strong military force. He had 1,400 chariots (tanks) and 12,000 horses. These troops were strategically stationed in the cities and some brought into Jerusalem to provide personal security to the king. Wow! So King Solomon was also a military strategist? Now, why won't this king enjoy a whopping 40 years of peaceful and prosperous reign?? Attempting to attack him or his kingdom would have been a suicidal mission for anybody or nation. How did this man achieve this level of security and success? First, in humility, he acknowledged God; the maker and controller of all things. He was honest in his dealing with God, and also provoked Him with his massive sacrifice and sincere love for the people. He also rightly and timely applied the wisdom God gave to him. Beginning from the first, immediately he got on the throne, he gathered his lieutenants and headed for the presence of God. He handed over himself and his kingdom to God. Sure, he had seen how his father related to the God of Israel and the blessing and security that followed him. His father died of ripe old age, enjoyed long life, wealth and honour. So, he decided to go the same proven way. Security, victory and good success are all in the hands of God. When you acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will direct you paths, and give you security in all areas of your life. And nobody, no power or situation shall be able to defeat or destroy you. Not just Solomon, other war veterans in the bible knew this principle. Ask Abraham, David, Joshua, Jehoshaphat, etc. When you give God His place, He will give you a place. To be ready to win the current war, you must give Him the first place in your life, and in that situation. If you fail, then, you have only prepared to be defeated and disgraced. Then, Solomon rightly and timely applied the wisdom, knowledge and the resources God gave to him. This manifested in the way he quickly established and strategically deployed well-trained and equipped soldiers to protect the country and also his throne. The spiritual and the physical were properly taken care of. And he had the desired result - secured and prosperous reign for 40 years! Are you prepared for war? Till next week, God bless you! Rev Agbo is the author of the book Power of Midnight Prayer. Website www.authorsden.com/pastorgabrielnagbo E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 08037113283 Once upon a time when only few people were interested in education and even fewer found themselves in universities, luxury was synonymous to university education where each student had a room to him or herself, pay less fees and were being fed. Upon completion each graduate was given a well paid job with accommodation and means of transport, bonuses and other motivation packages. Then, it was every high school students dream to go to the university for there were abundant job opportunities. However the same cannot be said about this era, I mean our present situation. We are in a period where universities admits thousands of students and run more than thirty programs. Every year more than 2500 students graduate from nine(9) public universities and more than fourty(40) private institutions. There are the ten(10) polytechnics too that also produce graduates, thousands of them. Yet jobs are very very limited. Most government institutions are choked and can only do replacement every year (death and retirement) and few recruitment which constitute less than 8 percent of the graduate population. Employment at the private sector too is limited. The questions I have in mind are: How many people can the public sector replace and recruit as compare to the number of graduates every year? How many people can the private sector employ? And how many surplus graduates will remain unemployed every year? What happens to the dream of these graduates and their families? Is this current situation a motivation or deterrent to university education? I am sure the statisticians will put one and one together and come out with the statistics/facts/answers to the first three(3) questions above but the figures change everyday and I hate the idea of quoting figures dated eight years ago when all I am referring to is in the present and desire only todays updates. Another challenge Ghana has to revisit soon. I am not in a position to encourage or discourage university education but I can confidently say it is now time to revise Ghana`s university education to reflect our present high rate of unemployment. We need programs which upon completion, the student can do something for him/her self without searching for a job. We need our universities to start thinking about training employers and not employees. Entrepreneurship, vocational and technical training at the various institutions are what we need now. Practical programs are now necessary and the resources to ensure their delivery should be made available too. If no one is making an attempt to change the current university education situation in Ghana, then students have to decide on what they want to do with their lives. Whether it is worth to risk joining the unemployment association or to choose a career path with better job prospects. Hope everyone makes a better choice. 02.08.2016 LISTEN The real character of our Commander In Chief and his associates has been demonstrated in the militarys secretarys publication of 1st July 2016 and the statement issued by the leader of our community in the sacking of Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei and the immediate appointment of Major General Obed Boamah Akwa (GH/1671) in his place. The withdrawal of the routine guards on duty at No 2 Roman Ridge (the official residence of the Chief of Army Staff) with those believed to be loyal to the UNTOUCHABLE Chief of Staff, Major General Sampson Kudjo Adeti in a very bizarre manner leaves much to be desired. As if that was not enough, the quickly arranged and humiliating manner in which the handing/taking over between Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei and Obed Boamah Akwa took place vividly demonstrate the ingratitude of the umbrella and its entire fraternity. As long as one is found useful to the umbrella, one would be hailed and praised but as soon as one is seen or believed to have outlived ones usefulness (from the spectacles of the umbrella) one is disgracefully dumped in the dust bin as has happened to Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei. In other to achieve an undeserved third term, very strategic and tactical promotions have been made. Relatively younger men in service, poorer in military knowledge, maturity and experience have been promoted Generals and Colonels within a very short period of time during the combined Presidency of Mills and Mahama. Within a matter of four to six years, questionable characters have been promoted to and from the rank of Colonel and Generals. It is no longer a question of merit, morality, maturity and standards but a question of animal loyalty pregnant with wicked infections, atrocities, barbarism, callousness and vindictiveness. It is the likes of the Adetis, Adokpas, Fiawoos, Degbes, Mustaphas, Alhassans, Ntems, Oforis, Abus, Santrofis and Dzisis. It is now the reign of politically corrupt, militarily wicked and ethnocentrically correct members of our community. The postings and appointments show the wicked intentions and biases of shade that the politically and ethnocentrically correct ones can have under the umbrella while the perceived politically and tribally incorrect ones are chased out of our community, victimized, humiliated and left to the vagaries of the volatile political and economic mess created and deepened by the P/NDC. How come that all these fine officers have been found unsuitable for positions as Director Generals, Formation Commanders, Commandants but their juniors have been elevated to the status of Generals (one and two stars)? The fine officers include Brigadier Generals Samuel Yanyi Akofur (GH/1834), Alfred Issah Wuni (GH/1835), Emmanuel Tetteh Akunor (GH/1859), Joseph Kwankye (GH/1838), Commodores Seth Vincent Aidoo Coomson (GH/1969), Mark Ransford Nanabayin Yawson (GH/1974) and Group Captain John Emmanuel Kojo Ankah? These fine officers have been shown the exit. Meanwhile a certain pattern has been established by the ethnocentric guys in our community. After the death of our former Commander In Chief, the current leader appointed his kinsmen, Brigadier General Seidu Mumuni Adams (GH/1782), as the Defence, Military, Navy, Air attache (DMNAA) on 14th October 2013. On 1st July, 2016 the current leader has again appointed another kinsmen Brigadier General Alhassan Abu (GH/2023) as the DMNAA to the office of the DMNAA, Washington DC, USA. Similarly in March 2009, the former leader appointed then Commodore Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro (GH/1668) as the Chief of Staff to see to the 2012 elections while the current leader has appointed Major General Sampson Kudjo Adeti as the Chief of Staff. The common denominator is that they are all Ewes willing and able to cause a lot of havoc to non Ewes especially those from the ABE Zone of Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. What was done to then Colonel Kofi Asare under Commodore Biekro has been done to Naval Captain Emmanuel Kofi Ankamah. Under the same bizarre circumstances that then Acting GOC of the Northern Command of the Ghana Army, Colonel Kofi Asare was made to go on compulsory retirement when he could been promoted Brigadier General commensurate with his appointment, Naval Captain Emmanuel Kofi Ankamah has been retired while his closet friends and mates Naval and Air Commodores Seth Amoama (GH/2157) and Griffiths Santrofi Evans (GH/2027) have been promoted to the ranks of Rear Admiral and Air Vice Marshal respectively. Is it not strange that while Captain (GN) EK Ankamah does not deserved even the rank of Commodore, his colleagues have passed that rank and are today two star Generals (Rear Admiral and Air Vice Marshal)? What was the crime of Captain (GN) Ankamah? He had risen with his close friend Amoama from A/SLT to Lt Cdr without any hitch. But the first hitch happened in 2007 when Amaoma and Evans got their ranks to Commander and Wing Commander respectively. Then came 2012 and 2013 under the umbrella and again Amaoma and Evans got promoted to the ranks of Commodore leaving behind Ankamah who got his Naval Captain rank in 2008. In the cases of Kofi Asare and Kofi Ankamah they were supposed to be politically correct as the all fly under the umbrella but unfortunately they were found to be ethnocentrically incorrect. The two Kofis are all from the ABE Zone, specifically the Brong Ahafo Region. Our leader pretends to love the people of Brong Ahafo presumably because his wife, Madam Lordina Mahama is from the region. However, it seems he hates military personnel from that region. I can cite many examples but I wont because many members of this community are aware already. Those who remember Kofi Ankamah and Seth Amoama very well know that both of them attended courses together especially in India and Pakistan where they move together as real brothers. They brought the same type of salon cars with diesel engines and bluish color (Navy biased) to match. Today Kofi Ankamah has been retired as a Naval Captain while Seth Amoama is flying high as a Rear Admiral and the Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. With 18 March 1959 as his birth date, Rear Admiral Seth Amoama can be in the Ghana Armed Forces until March 2022 even if he does not get promoted beyond Rear Admiral. What a demonstration of injustice and unfairness!!! Eh, Ghana Airforce too so it is all a question of rewarding only those who are politically and ethnocentrically correct? I cannot think far about the appointment of Air Vice Marshal Griffiths Santrofi Evans as Commandant of KAIPTC. This combines beautifully with the appointments of Air Commodore Joseph Yaotse Morgan Nyadodui (GH/2181) and Group Captain Elvis King Arneson (GH/2606) as Defence Adviser for New Delhi, India and Cario, Egypt respectively!! The common denominator is that both are Ewes and members of the cabal that exercises control over both the current Chief of Air Staff, AVM Maxwell Mantserbi Nagai and Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo. Again, the situation in the Airforce is close to that in the Navy. While there are very senior Naval Captains, the cabal was at Kofi Faidoos throat to send a member to London as a Deputy Defence Adviser. That explains the appointment of Naval Captain Francis AYITEVI NYARKO (GH/2618). PLEASE DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE NAME NYARKO. And AVM Maxwell Mantserbi Nagai rewarded Colonel John Felix Nana Kwame Freeman (GH/2345). Colonel JFNK Freeman has been rewarded with the position of Deputy Military Adviser (MILAD) at the office of MILAD United Nations Headquarters New York. I know that the former Army Commander wanted him to stay at the Airforce Headquarters as the accountant or sort so I am shocked he is travelling outside. AVM Maxwell Mantserbi Nagai, can you tell us (members) something about this reward? Or are you afraid? Acting National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has added his voice to the party's '1 District, 1 Factory' policy being propagated by the party's flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Mr Freddie Blay believes strongly that the policy is achievable. It takes creative minds to think big and make them work; and the NPP is capable of doing that. We are noted for creating jobs and implementing social intervention programmes that lessen the household burdens and poverty. 'One District, One Factory' is very achievable and Nana Addo is bent on ensuring that this is done under his reign, he said with great emphasis. The acting National Chairman was speaking at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region after meeting with NPP regional and constituency executives as part of his agenda to monitor party activities towards the December 7 elections. He has been to the Northern Region, where he did same, and was very sure that with the level of work done so far and the advances made by the NPP to areas that hitherto were strongholds of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), there are indications that the party (NDC) is losing the support of many Ghanaians owing to its retrogressive policies for the past eight years. Nana Addo and Dr. Bawumia have been going round the country and telling Ghanaians what plans the NPP has to transform the country's economy, improve on health care delivery and education, even at the rural level. In all their tours across the country, job creation has been at the heart of their message; and an NPP government will work hard to create more jobs and business opportunities across the country, he articulated. Chairman Blay noted that the NPP parliamentary candidates in the Upper East Region are all capable persons who can represent their respective constituencies well and lobby for development projects for their people. He kicked against the IGP's intention to tamper with the use of social media on this year's Election Day, describing it as a joke. According to him, the IGP, John Kudalor, and the Ghana Police Service need to be creative in mapping up strategies to maintain the peace and stability of the country before, during and after the polls. Mr Blay noted that with the help of social media, the public can follow the process and malpractices on the Election Day and even before the day and expose them (malpractices) to the security agencies and stakeholders to address. The acting NPP National Chairman said once the Electoral Commission (EC) consults all parties in its dealings and makes its electronic mode of transmitting the election results highly transparent, devoid of hidden tricks, the IGP wouldn't see the need to temper with the social media. He believes that people will use the social media judiciously and not for mischief, once the process is transparent, and goes as has been agreed by all parties and the EC. From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga Apparently unaware she could face a death sentence, a British porn actress says she flew to Iran to undergo a nose job and later wrote online about it, immediately sparking a social media outcry in the largely conservative Islamic Republic. The buxom performer, known by the stage name Candy Charms, posted a photograph on Instagram several days ago showing her in the back of a car, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses with a scarf partially covering her blonde hair. "Hey guys I have been on holiday in Tehran," she wrote online. She later added: "My nose was not straight and they are the best in the world in nose surgery. I had my nose done." Iran is one of the top countries in the world for undergoing rhinoplasty, with more than 20,000 surgeries carried out each year. The actress deleted the Instagram post and her account following a torrent of comments from Iranians, some friendly and others hostile. On Tuesday, the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Hasan Qashqavi, a deputy foreign minister in charge of consular affairs, as saying a British-American actress visited Iran after she "applied for a visa through a travel agency" under a different name. While not naming the actress, the story implied it was the adult film performer. An ISNA report Monday suggested she listed her occupation as a "hair stylist" on her visa application form. Qashqavi was quoted by ISNA as telling tourism companies and officials to carefully examine the documents of those trying to visit Iran. "We have clerics and lawmakers who have cultural sensitivities and these sorts of events may cause problems later," Qashqavi said. That may be a bit of an understatement in the Shia power. Under Iranian law, spreading corruption via broadcast carries a possible death sentence. Pornography likely would fall under the law's purview. It's unclear whether the actress knew the risk before she made the trip. She did not respond to a request for comment made via Twitter by The Associated Press and an email address listed on her website bounced back as undeliverable. Search Keywords: Short link: Charles Kofi Lavie in police custody 02.08.2016 LISTEN TWO SUSPECTS, including a junior high school (JHS) student, have been arrested by the Highway Patrol Unit of the Tema Regional Police Command for allegedly engaging in robbery on the Accra-Tema motorway. The suspects are: Charles Kofi Lavie, a 28-year-old labourer and Isaac Awotwum, a 16-year-old JHS student all residing at Ashaiman, near Tema. Police are hunting for a third suspect who managed to escape arrest. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Command, told DAILY GUIDE that the suspects were caught in the act at about 7:30 am on Thursday, July 30, 2016, and were nabbed. According to her, The team spotted a vehicle parked at a place notoriously known for attacks along the motorway, and approached the occupant of the car to offer help if he needed any assistance. As they approached the vehicle, the police driver saw three men wielding machetes approaching the team from the bush and the attention of the other police personnel was drawn to the act. She further stated that the suspects surrendered their weapons upon orders by the policemen; but two of them, who sensed danger, took to their heels. This, the PRO said, prompted the police to give them a hot chase amidst firing of warning shots. Two of the suspects were arrested whiles the third, who was suspected to be wielding a gun, managed to escape, she added. ASP Obeng disclosed that they were brought to the Command to assist with investigations so that they could be processed for court to face the full rigors of the law. From Vincent Kubi, Tema By Dag Heward-Mills A leader may use his creativity or he may not. But a good leader will use his creativity. This will be seen in the innovations, inventions and ideas that men come up with. Remember, God created man in His image and therefore man is innately creative! History Shows the Impact of Creativity How Venice and Holland Became Rich through Creative Activities Spain was one of the great seafaring nations of Europe. You will realize that most of South America and Latin America speak Spanish. This is because they were invaded by the Spaniards who came there in search of gold. But it became clear to observers in the mid-1500s that the enormous wealth, made up of gold and silver flowing into Spain, through their ships returning from South America, just flowed out again and ended up in two places Venice and Holland. Why did this flow of gold and silver finally end up in these two places? What distinguished Venice and Holland where so much of the Spanish gold ended up? The answer was simple. Venice and Holland had hardly any arable land for agriculture. Both of these places are well known for their swamps and water locked lands. But they had an extensive and diversified industry. The realization spread through Europe that the real gold mines of the world were not the physical gold mines in South America but in the manufacturing industry. Anders Berch (1747), the first economics professor in Sweden, also stated, The real gold mines are the manufacturing industries. Italy is a country in which there is no important gold or silver mine and so is France: yet both countries are rich in money and treasure; thanks to industry. In various forms, the statement that manufacturing is the real gold mine is proven all over Europe. 4. How King Henry VII Made England Wealthy by Ensuring Creativity through Industrialization King Henry VII of England, who came to power in 1485 had spent his childhood and youth with an aunt in Burgundy in Europe. There he observed great affluence in an area with woolen textile production. Both the wool and the material used to clean it were imported from England. When Henry later took over his destitute realm of England, he remembered his adolescence on the continent. In Burgundy not only the textile producers, but also the bakers and the other craftsmen were well off. England was in the wrong business of farming. The king decided on a policy to turn England into a textile-producing nation, and not an exporter of raw materials. Henry VII created extensive policies to ensure that England would shift from diminishing returns activities to industrial activities. He introduced export duties to discourage the export of raw materials from England to force the people of England to manufacture wool instead of exporting raw materials. He gave tax exemptions to anyone who would manufacture wool from the raw materials. He attracted craftsmen from Holland and Italy who would take up manufacturing in England. In the eighteenth century Daniel Defoe and other historians saw the wisdom in this strategy which they labelled the 'Tudor Plan' after the kings and queens from that family. Like Venice and Holland, and by the same methods, England prospered from the triple incomes of their industries, raw materials and overseas trade. How Creativity, Industrialization and Increasing Returns Activities Drove Malaria out of Europe Malaria was endemic in Europe for centuries, and the fight against this disease is already documented from the times of the Roman Empire. Historically, malaria was present in areas no one today would associate with: Swiss Alpine valleys as high as 1400 metres above sea level were infested with malaria in the Middle Ages, and the disease had been found as far north as the Kola Peninsula in north-western Russia, beyond the Polar Circle. Europe got rid of its malaria through industrialization and development. More advanced and intensive agriculture caused swamps to be drained, and irrigation canals even hydro-electric power plants meant that the type of stagnat water where malaria thrived was incompatible with economic development. Huge public health works and eradication systems also freed Europe from malaria. In the place of this economic development that made Europe rich and malaria-free, Africa continues to keep a colonial economic structure that mainly exports raw materials. Remember you can be creative because God, your creator, is creative: And God said, LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27 [email protected] The minority in parliament the New Patriotic Party is leading a crusade to get the house to reject the nomination of National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkwanta North in the Volta Region, John Oti Bless, as deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development. It is being spearheaded by the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP for Suame in the Ashanti Region, and his colleague Joe Osei-Wusu, MP for Bekwai, also in the region, following what is turning out to be 'reckless comments' amid threats made against Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, by the nominee. He is also reported to have implicated the CJ in a kidnapping bid. Total Rejection Oti Bless was expected to be given the nod by the house yesterday but as at press time, there was what looked like lobbying to get more MPs to block the Nkwanta North MP's clearance. There is already a petition before the Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho by Richard Asante Yeboah, asking parliament to defer the approval of Oti Bless. DAILY GUIDE learnt that Oti Bless' confirmation had subsequently been stood down pending a meeting by the leadership of the house on the petition. The Nkwanta North MP is said to have made the scandalous comments, including kidnapping allegation, against the Chief Justice on Montie FM an Accra-based radio station which has become notorious for broadcasting hate speeches and remarks as the December 7 general election approaches. Parliamentary Proceedings On the floor of the house yesterday, when Oti Bless' issue was brought up, the Minority Leader said the comments made by his colleague MP were un-parliamentary. The language was disparaging to the justices, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said, adding that the words used were unprintable especially coming from a Member of Parliament, taking the justices of the Supreme Court to the cleaners without any iota of evidence. The Minority Leader even said on radio yesterday that Oti Bless had confirmed he indeed made those comments about the Chief Justice and said the under-pressure MP had expressed regret. Joe Osei Wusu, who is the Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, had said on Friday that the nominee formed part of the panel that made the contemptuous statements against justices of the Supreme Court on Montie FM. Kidnapping Allegation The deputy minister-designate suggested on the show of June 24 which landed the Montie 3 in prison that the Chief Justice was part of a plot to kidnap a child of Tony Lithur who was President Mahama's lawyer during the Presidential Election Petition case heard by the Supreme Court. Let me give you a last filla (information). Do you know that during the Election Petition case, these people made a plot to kidnap a child of Tony Lithur who was lawyer for our Excellency John Mahama so he would not concentrate on the case? We have to watch this Chief Justice. My brother Mugabe (referring to the host), I am telling you, when you go to the Supreme Court today, the Chief Justice is fighting one worker all because of politics, Oti Bless was reported as saying. A few days after making the scandalous comment on Montie Fm, he was 'rewarded' with a ministerial appointment by President John Mahama, which is now facing resistance in parliament. The host of the afternoon political talk-show called 'Pampaso' on Montie FM, Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, together with two NDC activists Godwin Ako Gunn, 39 and Alistair Tairo Nelson, 41 are currently serving four months each in jail for scandalizing the court. In addition, they have been fined GH10,000 each or in default, serve a month each in jail. Vetting Process Oti Bless, apart from what many see as going on radio to scandalize the Supreme Court, performed poorly at the vetting, in the estimation of the minority. In a vetting that was shown live on state broadcaster, GTV, the young MP, who said he is not married but has two children, appeared to fumble in answering many pertinent questions asked. The minority said even the least of questions seeking clarity on his own CV presented to the committee, could not be answered satisfactorily. Unsavory Comments Oti Bless reportedly said specifically on 'Pampaso' on June 24, 2016 that the Chief Justice had to be monitored closely because she was actively engaged in partisan politics and was working against the Mahama NDC administration and also added that the Chief Justice had been 'scheming' for the NPP to win cases. Today we have a CJ who because of a political favour done her will do anything to help the NPP. It is an agenda. The Electoral Commission should stop working and give it to Georgina Wood. Why meddling in the affairs of the Electoral Commission? He fired. By William Yaw Owusu The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region recorded 2,829 suspected cases of hepatitis B in 2015, out of which 268 were confirmed. Out of the number, one person died. Statistics on the disease from January to June 2016 also revealed that 1,071 cases of hepatitis B were recorded, out of which 121 were confirmed, while one person has died of the disease within the period, bringing the number of dead persons of the disease to two. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and has five main types commonly seen globally, including hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Yaa Pokua Baiden, Chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Western Region, who disclosed to DAILY GUIDE in an interview, advised all Ghanaians to get tested and vaccinated against hepatitis B. This was during a free screening and counselling on the disease held at Kwesimintsim in the metropolis on Friday to mark this year's World Hepatitis Day, which is celebrated on July 28 every year. It was organised by the Western regional branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH). The event was on the theme: 'Know Hepatitis, Act Now', and was aimed at creating awareness about the disease. According to her, most people are not aware of the disease, adding, Even if people are aware, they have not been vaccinated for protection. Mrs Baiden, therefore, called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to educate and vaccinate the citizenry against the disease. As pharmacists, we have the obligation to educate the public on the relevance of testing and early recognition of symptoms, she stressed. Explaining the mode of transmission, the chairperson of the regional PSGH pointed out that a person can be infected with hepatitis A and E through contaminated food and water, while hepatitis B and C is commonly spread through direct contact with blood of a person who had the disease. If the virus is not detected early, it becomes a chronic hepatitis which affects the liver and results in cancer and inflammation of the liver, she indicated. From Emmanuel Opoku, Kwesimitsim Ali Zorkot (3rd left) being supported by executives of APE Ceramica to hand over the items to Rev. Fr. Joseph Rabbiosi Leading distributor of building supplies, Batimat Ghana and APE Ceramica have presented educational materials to In My Father's House (IMFH) charity organization. The donation was made as part of their corporate social responsibility to support the less privileged in society. The items included reading books, calculators, math sets, pens, pencils, text books, novels, toys and clothes. Managing Director of Batimat Ghana, Ali Zorkot and Chief Executive Officer of APE Ceramica presented the items to the institution at a short but impressive ceremony at the premises of Batimat Ghana. Presenting the items on behalf of the two bodies, Mr Zorkot said they were touched by the plight of inmates of the organization. As a way of giving back to the society, we decided to target these individual we consider very vulnerable in society. We are happy to safeguard their future well being through support in the area of education and make them useful to themselves and the society, he said. Mr Zorkot commended leaders of the organization for giving hope to inmates and tasked them to wholeheartedly guide the kids positively to reinforce their objective of training them to be useful individuals. Founder and Executive Director of the Organization, Rev. Fr. Joseph Rabbiosi, an Italian Comboni Missionary, who received the items on behalf of the organization, expressed appreciation to Batimat Ghana and APE Ceramica for the support. We are all blessed to become a blessing to somebody, as such I am excited about this gesture and hope society can come together and help the less privileged to believe in themselves and get the dignity to grow to become useful to themselves and society, he said. In My Father's House Orphanage In My Father's House is a foreign-owned but locally managed Catholic Mission humanitarian organization operating in seven administrative districts and municipalities in the southern sector of the Volta Region. It undertakes 'children-centered' programmes in remote villages to ensure that the African child, especially the neglected and socially vulnerable, are catered for and protected. There is nothing to talk about this week except Montie and the supplementary budget presented to parliament on Monday 25th July. So unfortunately, I cannot write again about the economic Ananse Sem we have been fed these past seven years, except if I concoct something more weird. When the NDC leaves government in December, we will have turned a major leaf of poverty, which we home grew systematically, while consistently pushing lies through the IMF's cardinal mistake of acquiescing to the home grown designer label attached to their many Ananse reports provided to them by a government bent on staying in power by any means possible. We wait to see if the people of Ghana will recount the votes or accept a change in leadership on first ballot and save us the insanity of another eight years of Tom Thievery. For eight years this government has managed a planned and consistent spiral of decreasing wealth, making us poorer in the today while promising that swallowing a bitter austerity pill today will create a future gain and mirage income status for tomorrow as we spiral into an uncontrollable future poor. This year's supplementary budget for additional spending of GH1.88billion was presented in its usual aplomb and pageantry as befits a country that thinks it is heading someplace, except ours is in a tailspin to future nothing. The finance minister, with the opposition at its heckling best, spun the web of opening statements, seemingly more conscious of the grandiose protocol than with the content of what he would say for the rest of the two hours. Read his opening salvo and ask yourself if this jives with what you know about the Ghana you live in today. Mr. Speaker, I beg to move that this Honorable House approves the sum of one billion, eight hundred and eighty-eight million, two hundred and three thousand, and three hundred and eighty-seven Ghana Cedis (GH1,888,203,387) as Supplementary Estimates for the 2016 Financial Year. Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I would proceed by first presenting to this August House, a review of the performance of the economy of Ghana for the 2015 and 2016 Financial Year. Right Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members of Parliament, on the authority of the President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the positive review and, in particular, the need for Supplementary Estimates are necessitated by both domestic and global developments. Mr. Speaker, again on behalf of the President, I wish to express our profound appreciation to this August House for your cooperation in the management of the economy. In particular, we wish to show appreciation for the House's pursuit of a very active legislative agenda in the areas of fiscal, financial and monetary management. No doubt, this has contributed to a very clear turnaround story that now shines the nation's path to a well-planned bright positive prospects for the economy. Despite a few lingering problems, we will demonstrate in this Statement that the context today is clearly different from the challenges that made H.E. President Mahama call on fellow citizens to change course from an unsustainable path when I presented my first Budget on His Excellency's authority to you in March 2013. The specific aims of this review and Supplementary Estimates are to: brief Honourable Members on the performance of the economy during the first five months of 2016; update the House on the macroeconomic performance as well as the Budget Estimates for the 2016 Fiscal Year; request the House to approve Supplementary Estimates for 2016 Fiscal Year; and report on progress of major Initiatives and programs being implemented in various sectors of the economy. Mr. Speaker, the update will highlight the overall positive impact of the President's policies. It will show that several daunting domestic and international challenges did not hinder our determination to change course. More importantly, the strategic focus enabled us to pursue the very active infrastructure and development programs that the President himself has been presenting in his Accounting to the People visits. This is also the basis for the turnaround and the course for pursuing a very robust growth agenda for the near-to-medium term. The launch of our Home Grown policies, which are now part of the IMF Program, were designed to achieve fiscal consolidation; address short-term vulnerabilities; reduce a high budget deficit that had become harmful to the private sector; as well as stabilize and reverse the rise in the post-HIPC public debt. Mr. Speaker, we are on course to achieving these goals through management of prudent fiscal, financial, sectoral, and monetary policies. Provisional fiscal data up to end-December 2015 show that total revenue and grants were higher than the Budget targets by 5 percent. The overrun in total expenditures, including arrears, narrowed to 2.1 percent above target. These performances resulted in a cash budget deficit of 6.3 percent of GDP, much better than the Budget target of 7.3 percent and 10.2 percent in 2014. Indeed, at 0.2 percent of GDP at the end of 2015, the primary budget balancethat shows our ability to service loans for developmentwas a surplus for the first time in over a decade. GDP also grew by 3.9 percent at end-2015, better than the projected 3.5 percent. It is getting better, with the economy growing by 4.9 percent in the first quarter of 2016, compared to 4.5 percent for the same period in 2015. In spite of unanticipated shortfalls in price and production of crude oil, GDP growth is projected to end the year at 4.1 percent or better. The nation's public debt level rose rapidly from a very low 26 percent in 2006with the steepest post-HIPC increase of 31 percent in 2007to approximately 72 percent by end-2015. We note that HIPC reduced the public debt from over 150 percent of GDP to 26 percent and created significant borrowing space. That era ended with the increase in public debt above sustainable levels. We are proud to note that, for the first time since the declaration of HIPC in 2001 we were able to first, slow down the rate of growth of debt accumulation between 2014 and 2015; and, second, now reverse course, with the debt-to-GDP ratio falling from 72 percent of GDP at end-2015 to 63 percent at end-May 2016. Certainly, this is not the trajectory that will take the nation back to HIPC, as some had predicted only recently. We will persevere in bringing down the level of our public debt. Mr. Speaker, the budget deficit is also narrowing, as we raise more domestic revenues and curtail expenditure overruns. Though the debt level is declining, we are able to continue the rapid expansion of infrastructure through prudent project management. The currency has been fairly stable; and private sector confidence is bouncing back. All these point to a turnaround and very bright prospects for the economy. As promised when we launched the Home Grown policies, the trend provides us with the opportunity to remove the temporary taxesthe Fiscal Stabilization Levy and the Temporary Import Dutythat helped reverse course, in the near term. Etc., etc. And after all the stories, Ananse looked up at the crowd and with a self-congratulatory smile, asked the House, am I not smart? So what about the montie3? How does the NDC justify its home grown policy to threaten Justices of the Peace and does the party really expect President Mahama to grant a pardon? It can only mean one thing if he does. Our President will be telling us that any threat to assassinate him will be met with a Presidential pardon for the very same criminals who he will free to come attempt to, this time, really kill him. Doesn't make any sense to me. Ghana, Aha a y din papa. Alius atrox week advenio. Another terrible week to come! Sydney Casely-Hayford, [email protected] The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has observed that the recent Supreme Court order for the Attorney General (AG) to release the agreement signed between the governments of Ghana and the United States of America in respect of the transfer of two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees (Gitmo 2) to Ghana, is an indication that the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration is not running a transparent government. The 1992 Constitution is anchored on probity, transparency and accountability in the governance of the country. The NDC constitution also gives pride of place to the tenets of probity, transparency and accountability. President Mahama in the early days of his presidency, declared: 'As President, l am committed to running a transparent and accountable government, devoid of corruption.' It is therefore, with great shock that the NPP and many Ghanaians have observed the total lack of transparency and accountability in President Mahama s government, NPP Communications Director Nana Akomea, said in a statement yesterday. Court Order According to the NPP, it took a court to order the release of the agreement President Mahama had with the US government over the relocation of the former Gitmo detainees to Ghana and said, That was a clear example of President Mahamas non-transparency and non-accountability. The statement underscored, In this Gitmo saga, with national security implications, Parliament of Ghana was kept in the dark. It is apparent that even Cabinet and the National Security Council were not fully briefed nor consulted as two cabinet ministers of state, also members of the National Security Council, have stated publicly they did not have full details of the Gitmo agreement. The NPP noted, In the wake of the arrival in Ghana of the detainees, there was so much concern from Ghanaians on the implications for national and personal security, and possibly violation of the law. There were also so many conflicting statements on the conditions of the stay of the Gitmo 2 in Ghana. Despite the resultant widespread calls for full disclosure, President Mahama remained adamant. Smarttys Linkage The NPP said the Gitmo 2 saga could be likened to the Smarttys controversial bus branding contract that sent tongues wagging due to the huge amount involved. The Smarttys bus branding saga is another sad story in the governance of non-transparency and non-accountability. Public funds had been spent on the dubious decision to put colour images of President Mahama and NDC campaign slogan on public buses. When this activity and expenditure were exposed, there was great public indignation and protest. In response, government directed the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to investigate. Despite the huge public interest and agitation, the government refused to publish the findings of the Attorney General but rather issued a terse White Paper. It had to take a court order obtained by a group of patriotic citizens to order government to publish this report, the party bemoaned. GNPC Loans According to the NPP, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), a public body, procures loans that are secured by the Ghanaian taxpayer, but the corporation, with 'tacit' support from the government, had refused to disclose the terms and conditions of the loans. GNPC rather decided to fight a court action that sought to compel them to full disclosure before parliament. Even though the court upheld GNPCs case, the strong and costly resistance they put up against disclosing loan agreements to parliament, has further dented the aims of transparency and accountability in governance, the party claimed. ADB Shares The party also said that Agriculture Development Bank (ADB), a public financial institution, recently embarked on shares floatation and despite calls and expectations that the terms and conditions should be disclosed before parliament, ADB refused and instead resorted to all kinds of manoeuvres, giving rise to allegations of bribery, just to avoid disclosure. The statement said the bank's actions had the tacit support of a government that had proclaimed transparency and accountability to the people of Ghana. By William Yaw Owusu The embattled Youth Organiser of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Ernesto Yeboah, is insisting his suspension has been lifted despite the partys Central Committee stating otherwise. I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Youth League of the Convention People's Party and we are carrying on without tasks, he stated on Eyewitness News. Mr. Yeboah, alongside the CPP General Secretary, Nii Armah Akomfrah, were suspended after publicly contradicting their flagbearer's position on President Mahamas Ford gift saga. The two were subsequently referred to the Disciplinary Committee following which their reinstatement was recommended. The party's Central Committee however rejected the recommendations from the Disciplinary Committee arguing that certain basic tenants of natural justice were not observed before the determination of the matter. But Mr. Yeboah asserted that the recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee empanelled it with respectable members of the party should stand A competent quasi-judicial body established by Article 113 of the CPP constitutional body has acquitted and discharged me. They found no wrong doing or anything as may have been the case. It goes for Nii Armah Akomfrah, General Secretary of the Convention People's Party. I didn't tell the Central Committee to send me to the disciplinary committee of the party or Nii Armah Akomfrah. They did. We submitted ourselves to the process in spite of the glaring breaches of our fundamental human rights. Disciplinary Committee overstepped its boundaries The Vice Chair of the CPP, Susan Adu Amankwaa, also gave her take on the Ernesto Yeboah's response to the Disciplinary Committee's recommendation. According to her, the recommendation did come and the CC [Central Committee] did say that no; because you did not receive charges and sit on the case with the charges. We are referring the matter to you again presenting charges then you can then come up with the recommendations. Mrs. Amankwa maintained that It is not for the Disciplinary Committee to write to the people to reinstate them. That is not what is in constitution. If Ernesto and the General Secretary were being disciplined, they would have waited for the body that indicted them and the recommendation that were given to that body for that body to reinstate them. Mrs. Amankwa also condemned the actions of the party thugs who caused a fracas at the party office on Monday saying we will definitely scold them but she believes the suspended duo brought it on themselves. In her view, Ernesto Yeboah and Nii Armah Akomfrah should not have come to the office without official letters coming from the CC saying that, we have reinstated you per the recommendations of the DC. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana President John Dramani Mahama has asked the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to dismiss allegations of conflict of interest against him. This is in response to three separate petitions against him over his decision to accept a Ford car gift form a Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe. Many including the Minority in Parliament have said his acceptance of the gift amounts to conflict of interest. The Youth league of the CPP, among others officially petitioned CHRAG to investigate the President. But in a letter signed by his lawyer, Tony Lithur, and addressed to the acting Chairperson of CHRAJ, President Mahama indicated that he was innocent of all the allegations leveled against him. Background President John Dramani Mahama has come under intense public bashing for accepting the car gift worth about US$100,000 from a Burkinabe contractor, allegedly to influence him. The Burkinabe has admitted giving President Mahama a Ford Expedition vehicle, for which the President called to thank him. The gift, according to reports, was prior to an attempt by the contractor, to win a bid to execute the Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road construction project. The same contractor had also been contracted to build a wall, at a cost of over half a million dollars, for the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou. -Citifmonline 02.08.2016 LISTEN A 20year-old man, Charles Ayitey, is being held by the Tema Regional Police Command for allegedly attempting to behead one Daniel Norteye, a 19- year old Junior High School student at Tema Newtown. The suspect, Charles Ayitey, who is a dancer was said to have attempted to behead Daniel Norteye, also a dancer at about 4:00am on Sunday, July 31, when the two were both sleeping in the suspect's room. The victim, Daniel Norteye, had his throat slit and has since been undergoing treatment. Narrating his ordeal to Citi News, the visibly distraught Daniel Norteye, said the two went for dancing rehearsals at Adjetey Ansah, a suburb of Tema Newtown on Saturday, July 30, where it was agreed he passed the night at his friends place since his house was far. According to him, the rehearsals ended at 1:30am on Sunday and since my house was a bit far from the rehearsal grounds, my friend asked me to spend the night in his house and go home the next day which I agreed. Daniel explained that, he got up in the middle of the night and saw the suspect standing by him. According to him, when he asked the suspect why he was not sleeping, he gave a flimsy excuse. Daniel continued that, at about 4:00am, he felt a sharp pain around his neck and suddenly woke up, only to see the suspect (his friend) holding a knife and trying to slit his throat. He said he struggled with him and eventually escaped from his room. At about 4:00am whiles sleeping, i felt a sharp cut in my throat so I woke up only to see my friend with a knife in hand trying to slit my throat to death. I had to try and struggle with him until I overpowered him and run out of the room to my aunts house which was not too far from the place. He said his aunt upon seeing him, called his father who organised some guys in the area, who caused the arrest of the suspect and handed him over to the police. Asked whether he had previously had any grudge with the suspect, Daniel responded in the negative. I dont remember having any problem with my friend and so I am very much surprised about his attempt to take my life The Public Relations Officer for Tema Regional Police Command, ASP Juliana Obeng, has confirmed the incident and says investigations have commenced. She said initial search in the suspect's room revealed a stinking beheaded snake, egg shells and powder, which was sprinkled around the room. The police, according to her, also retrieved a doll from the suspect's room. She said when the suspect was interrogated, he indicated to the police that he took the beheaded snake from a friend, but could did not say what he was going to use the items for. She said the suspect would be arraigned before court as soon as investigations are concluded. By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana A car bomb targeting security forces on Tuesday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed 22 people and wounded 20, a spokesman for the forces and medical officials said. The blast occurred in a residential area in the Guwarsha district, the scene of fighting between security forces loyal to Libya's eastern government and an alliance of Islamists and other opponents Search Keywords: Short link: Pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group called the NPP Network in Gonjaland, has admonished Gonjas to reject President John Dramani Mahama (their kinsman) at the December 7 polls. According to the groups Spokesman, Fredrick Tahidu, it will be politically suicidal to attach tribal considerations to the upcoming 2016 polls as they did at the 2012 polls. He was addressing the media at the partys Northern Regional secretariat where he chastised President Mahama for neglecting the Gonjaland during his two-day accounting to the people tour of the Northern Region. Fredrick Tahiru insinuated that, President Mahama has failed the chiefs and people of Gonjaland who delivered all eight Parliamentary seats in the area to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the 2012 polls. He thereby urged all well meaning citizens of Gonjaland, to massively vote for Nana Addo Dankwh Akufo-Addo and the NPP to build on the foundation laid by the erstwhile Kufuor-led NPP administration. Below is the statement: MAHAMA SNUBBED GONJAS AGAIN A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NPP NETWORK IN GONJA LAND Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we are hugely grateful to you personally and your various media houses for responding to our call. We have called you here this morning to come and partner us to convey our grievances to H.E the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Mahama, on his recent visit to the Northern Region and on a wide range of pressing concerns militating against us, his own people. On Wednesday 13th July, 2016, the wrecked train of Accounting to The People Tour, carrying the incompetent president, H.E John Dramani Mahama brought the re-election campaign message of the NDC to the Northern Region. The streets of Tamale were empty because only few people came out to catch a glimpse at the president. The President was seen shamefully waving at the story buildings and some other strange objects on the streets. Heads of basic schools in the Tamale metropolis were compelled to chase school kids with horse canes onto the streets but still, the streets were empty. The NPP Network in Gonja Land wishes to state emphatically that, the president's failure to include any of the administrative districts in Gonja Land in his so-called tour of the Northern Region was not only arbitrary waste of state resources aimed at deceiving the people but also a senseless ploy, calculated at bathing the chiefs and people of Gonja Land with disrespect and naked propaganda. The presence of the President again, was yet another opportunity for him to rubble rouse and engage in unclothed rhetoric rather than accounting to the people. He was instead engaged in what can at best be described as accounting to himself and party cronies. The Northern Region has thirty one (31) political constituencies and twenty six (26) administrative districts, but the president visited about fifteen (15) districts in his much publicized but abysmally patronized tour of the region. For the records, the president's two day's tour of the region was more or less whistle stops at some districts rather than elaborate tours. The following urgent questions are worth asking: Why did the president not visit any of the eight (8) political constituencies in Gonja Land to account to us his stewardship? Can his failure to visit any of the political constituencies in Gonja Land be translated to mean, he did not do anything for us and therefore had nothing to account for? Could it also be said that the president does not respect us, the electorates in Gonja Land and therefore did not deem it fit or prudent to visit and account to us? Indeed, we are not knocked down at all by the president's deliberate disrespectful decision to embarrass the chiefs and people of his native land. This is not the first time that Gonjalanders have been disrespected and politically pushed around by H.E John Mahama. During the annual Gonja Land Youth Association Meeting which was held in Kpembe, Mr Mahama shunned the function and was accosted somewhere in the Volta Region attending church service. He did so consciously because there is nothing to show on the slate of performance: The president snubbed the people of Daboya/Mankarigu because; the Community Day School which is under construction is just about 20% complete. The polyclinic in Daboya built by the previous NPP government can only boast of just five (5) beds in one ward serving both men and women at the same time. The president snubbed the people of Yapei/Kusawgu because; there is nothing to account for in a district where animals and human beings are in a competition for drinking water. The president couldn't go to Damango because he has failed his mother's clan. The president snubbed the people of Kpembe because; work on the sixty (60) bed capacity ultra-modern hospital started by the previous Kuffour led NPP government has come to a standstill and the project is sinking at site. Contractors have chosen the court as the appropriate site. Work is speedily progressing at the court because of some corrupt hands. In Bole, his own backyard, there is nothing concrete to be pinpointed as a would-be legacy when H.E John Dramani Mahama joins the club or league of ex-presidents on 7th January, 2017. Our sources from Bole, the homeland of H.E the President hinted that, the final funeral rites of Hajia Abibata Nneba Sluwu, biological mother of H.E President Mahama which was supposed to take place in Bole on Sunday July 31st has been rescheduled. The venue has been moved from her family house in Bole to the forecourt of the state house in Accra. We can confidently state without any fear of contradiction that, H.E President John Mahama was advised to shift the venue from Bole to Accra to avoid the whole exercise serving as an incubator of disgrace and embarrassment because some African Presidents were billed to attend. President Mahama shifted the final funeral rites of his mother to Accra because he doesn't want his collogues Heads of state to find out how he has neglected his own people in Bole\Bamboi. It has always been the wish of every Gonja, rich or poor, old or young, man or woman that after passing on, his or her body be laid to rest in Gonjaland and his or her funeral rites performed in Gonjaland and not on a strange land. John Mahama have denied his own mother her wish. How can he fulfil the many wishes of Ghanaians when he has failed to seek for perfect peace for the soul of his mother Hajia Abibata Nneba Sluwu? My dear friends in the media, the president visited some constituencies through the use of state helicopter. Indeed, the signs were clear from top to bottom that he has failed his exams when it comes to development and the provision of infrastructures. It is because of that the President sent the infantile Parliamentary Candidate of the NDC in the Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Suhuyini to play the final tribal card. The president's ineptitude views have left him with no legacy and convincing political message and for that matter; he is appealing to northerners to vote for him because he is one of us in the midst of poverty and deprivation. We don't want to dwell so much on the obvious use of state resources for NDC activities but there are some fundamental questions we wish to raise our hands and ask; Why didn't he travel by road? Did he travel by air to avoid the terrible bad roads in the region? There are several questions to ask of the failed visit of the President to the Northern Region. One thing that is obviously clear is that, the visit of John Mahama was more of a jolly ride than a visit to account to the people. The stand of the NPP Network in Gonja Land is that, if the President had indeed done something in Gonja Land worth accounting for, he would have made time to thoroughly tour all the eight (8) political constituencies in his own backyard. At this juncture, we wish to appeal to all Gonjalanders especially stakeholders on the land, to as a matter of urgency, join us in this voice count protest to send a signal of our displeasure to the doorsteps of H.E John Dramani Mahama on the way and manner our land has been neglected for far too long by one of our own. The man who made promises to us when he wanted to be elected president is now running away from his own people. Ladies and gentlemen, may we also use this opportunity to thank the people of the region for the low reception they accorded the president in protest to his low development of the area. The NPP NETWORK IN GONJA LAND is very grateful to all Northerners, most especially the chiefs and people of Tamale for refusing to be partners in crime. It is always said that ''when leaders tell lies and followers clap for them, then they are all partners in crime. To the people of Tamale again, we say to you, ''Ansan ne kushun'' (thanks a lot) Furthermore, the NPP NETWORK IN GONJA LAND wish to condemn the culture of forcing students to stand by the road side to wave at the President anytime he is in the region. This act of lining up school pupils to dance to sirens from the Presidential motorcade amidst waving is not only insulting but also reminds us of the colonial era when students were lined up on the streets to sing praise songs for the colonial masters. This relic of colonialism must stop. In conclusion, we want to call on all the people of Gonja Land and the entire people of Northern Region to come out and vote massively for Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and the New Patriotic Party so that we will see the real difference between a non-performing President who strives on Machiavellian propaganda and the one who truly and genuinely cares for the people. It is our hope that, as voters we will set our minds on the collective interest of the larger society rather than the parochial agenda of a few covetous individuals. THANK YOU. Fredrick Tahiru National Communications Director (NPP Network in Gonja Land) 0209251742 or 0244691177 By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana When Ghanas Ambassador to Cuba, Amo Gottfried, once approached Commandante Fidel Castro to thank him for helping resolve a problem which he described as critical because of the threat it posed to a scholarship programme instituted by Cuba for Ghanaian students, Fidel responded: No you do not have to thank me. We did it as a part of our internationalist duty. We are not Latin Americans, we are Latin African because we have African blood in our bodies. Mr Amo Gottfried, recollected these special events in the history of Ghana-Cuba relations at an event held at the Cuban Embassy in Accra to mark the 63rdanniversary of the Moncada Attacks- a world shattering mission that ushered in the Cuban revolution and brought an end to the regime of the US backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. He called on all people who are fighting on the side of the oppressed and marginalized in society to always remember the valour and heroic deeds of Fidel and his compatriots because Cuba has set the blueprint for us and all revolutionaries must look up to that country and whilst we do that, we must also remember the incidents that took place around the Moncada Attacks by the 26th of July Movement and the Cuban revolution which must serve as an example to all of us. On the 26th of July 1953, 160 Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro launched an assault on the Moncada Army barracks in Santiago de Cuba, as a first step in the resistance of the Batista dictatorship. Sixty one of Fidels men were slain, and others were taken into custody. Though the attack itself was a disaster, Castro used it as inspiration for the Revolution later. During his trial in September 1953, Fidel, a lawyer, defended himself and offered a disturbing critique of the poverty, class repression, and injustice caused by the American-backed Batista dictatorship. His two-hour defense statement later called "History Will Absolve Me" became a sacred text after the successful 1959 revolution. In his defense, Fidel said that if his revolt had succeeded, he would have caused a complete change in the social and economic conditions of all Cubans. According to him, he would have given squatters full tenure of small farms, brought an end to the expropriation of profit by Batistas cronies and added that the people of Cuba had the right to fight against the tyrants ruining their country. The revolution which began in July 1953 with the Moncada Attack continued until Fidel and his men finally ousted Batista on 1st January 1959, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state. The 26thof July movement later reformed along communist lines becoming a communist party in October 1965. Mr Alex Segbefia, the honorable Minister of Health called for an end to the blockade on Cuba and for closer ties between the two countries. According to him, concrete solidarity and friendship between Ghana and Cuba was formed as a result of the revolution that took place in the two countries, adding that the principles that have bound the two countries together will always remain. Mr Segbefia said We continue to send our students to Cuba and Cuba continues to send their doctors and educationists to Ghana, so it is clear that for many years to come we hope that this strong friendship which actually seeks to bring meaningful development is a good thing for both countries and especially for Ghana. He made special mention of Ambassador Amo Gottfried and Kwesi Pratt Jnr for their dedication towards the Cuban people and government for keeping the torch of solidarity with Cuba alive against all odds and in the most difficult moments. President of the Association of Ghanaians trained in Cuba, Kofi Asafo Agyei said that as part of Cubas foreign and educational policies, the revolutionary government extended scholarship programmes to needy children as a humanitarian programme to revolutionary countries in the world, including the MPLA of Angola, Swapo of Namibia and SPLA of Sudan, now South Sudan in Africa. The scholarships were also extended to many countries in the Americas, Caribbean and Asia and added that he and his colleagues were part of the over 2000 Ghanaian students who were sent to Cuba from 1983 to take academic courses in the various fields of endeavours under the PNDC government. The Charge dAffairs of the Cuban Embassy, Julio Cesar Sanchez noted that in recent years there have been momentous events in the foreign relations of Cuba, the United States and Europe, but stressed that as has been repeatedly stated by President Raul Castro, Cuba will never renounce the principles of sovereignty and national independence nor renounce internationalism, because over the past 63 years, the Cuban people have worked very hard in the construction of a socialism that is invulnerable and irreversible. He said that Cuba has been able to confront serious dangers because of the solidarity of fraternal countries, such as Ghana and reaffirmed the friendship and brotherhood with the Ghanaian people, who he claimed have always stood beside Cuba. Following the dismissal of two male employees of the so-called Independent Electoral Commission (EC) in the Walewale district of the Northern Region, it has come to light that the two men were fired by EC Chair Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei for reasons that appear to be purely partisan and may have absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with the alleged misdeed of these EC employees (See I Was Never Verified in My Family House Dr. Bawumia Ultimatefmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 7/30/16). The target of the EC-NDC collaborative shenanigans, to wit, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the three-time presidential candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been speaking to reporters about what actually transpired vis-a-vis the widely reported incident that resulted in the summary dismissal of Messrs. Jobey Ambrose and Mumuni Latiffah from their EC jobs. Dr. Bawumia has confirmed that, indeed, the two men had visited his Kperiga family house to get him to verify his voters register particulars, in a routine show of common courtesy, only to be met with the absence of the former Deputy-Governor of the Bank of Ghana. In plain language, Dr. Bawumia never got to verify his electoral registers particulars in his family house because Nana Akufo-Addos running-mate had traveled out of town to attend the funeral of the late Nasia Chief of Nalerigu. He would shortly return and be told by members of his household that Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa had come looking for him and had just left the house; and also that their mission had been to get him to verify his voters register particulars. Needless to say, the foregoing account does not in any way exculpate the two men from being guilty of breaching EC regulations or standing orders, whatever be the case. Nevertheless, even as I pointed out in a previous article, if this happens to be a routine practice by way of extending common courtesy to prominent local figures in the form of saving them the trouble of queuing up on long lines to have their voters register particulars verified, then it clearly stands to reason that Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa were merely following established precedence when they visited the Bawumia family house to have the 2016 NPPs vice-presidential candidate verify his electoral particulars. Consequently, making an obviously partisan exception of Dr. Bawumia does not stand to reason. Indeed, the EC Chair would be better off walking back her patently criminal deception of the Wood Supreme Court than stabbing at crepuscular shadows. Indeed, even as I write, reliable testimonies are coming to light indicating that Mrs. Osei may have perjured herself before the Supreme Court, when she submitted a niggardly list of some 56,000 names and claimed the same to be the total number of people who had registered to vote by the use of their National Health Insurance Scheme-issued cards in the lead-up to the 2012 general election. In his personal account of this issue, Alhaji Bawumia noted that the Kperiga Polling Center is a stones throw from his family house and therefore he would not have had to walk very far to have his voting particulars verified. He also adds that he had actually met Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa halfway on their way back to the Kpreiga Polling Center, where the two dismissed men decided to help him verify his voting particulars as part of the ongoing voters register exhibition exercise being undertaken by the EC. In other words, the location of Dr. Bawumias electoral verification was within the threshold of the Kperiga Polling Center. The 2016 New Patriotic Partys presidential candidate has also dismissed claims that he had offered Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa the whopping payola sum of GH 5,000 apiece to have the two men carry the Biometric Voting Machine into his family house. In a press statement signed by Mr. Simon Ali, the Walewale New Patriotic Partys constituency secretary, the Simon Fraser University doctoral degree holder riposted thusly: This is hallucination of the highest order. He went on to observe that it did not gibe with common sense for him to have paid GH 10,000 for a verification process that was totally free of charge. Indeed, as noted by this writer in a previous article, this incident needs to be promptly and thoroughly investigated and justice done to Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa. If I really believed that she possessed any remarkable modicum of moral and professional integrity, I would have personally called on the EC Chair to issue a public apology and to promptly reinstate Messrs. Ambrose and Latiffa to their EC jobs. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Pro-opposition group, NPP Network in Gonjaland, has taken President John Dramani Mahama to the cleaners, describing him as a divisive leader whose actions are clearly dividing the people of the three Northern regions. They do not understand why the President deliberately neglected the people of Gonjaland in his recent wrecked train of Accounting to The People Tour to the Northern region which embarrassingly saw only students who were coerced to come out and cheer him. The group at a press conference addressed by Fredrick Tahiru, National Communications Director, expressed their utter disappointment at how their own blood could resort to divide and rule antics, an unfortunate development they said has the potential to pitch one tribe against the other in the northern part of the country. According to the group, the Northern Region has 31 political constituencies and 26 administrative districts, but sadly the President visited about 15 districts, wondering why the he refused visit any of the 8 political constituencies in Gonjaland to account for his stewardship. The NPP group said the President's failure to visit any of the political constituencies in Gonjaland can only be translated to mean he did not do anything for the people in that area and, therefore, had nothing to account for. They enquired: Could it also be said that the president does not respect us, the electorates in Gonjaland and therefore did not deem it fit or prudent to visit and account to us?' "The presidents ineptitude views have left him with no legacy and convincing political message and for that matter, he is appealing to northerners to vote for him because he is one of us in the midst of poverty and deprivation," the group added. According to the group, the presidents failure to include any of the administrative districts in Gonjaland in his so-called tour of the Northern Region was not only arbitrary waste of state resources aimed at deceiving the people but also a senseless ploy, calculated at bathing the chiefs and people of Gonjaland with disrespect and naked propaganda. They added, the presence of the President again, was yet another opportunity for him to rubble rouse and engage in unclothed rhetoric rather than accounting to the people. He was instead engaged in what can at best be described as accounting to himself and party cronies. "Indeed, we are not knocked down at all by the presidents deliberate disrespectful decision to embarrass the chiefs and people of his native land. This is not the first time that Gonjalanders have been disrespected and politically pushed around by H.E John Mahama," they group noted. They pointed out that during the annual Gonjaland Youth Association Meeting which was held in Kpembe, President Mahama shunned the function and was accosted somewhere in the Volta Region attending church service, adding that the President snubbed the people of Yapei/Kusawgu because there is nothing to account for in a district where animals and human beings are in a competition for drinking water. They said the President had done nothing even his own his own backyard, Bole, which would have pushed him to the area. There is nothing concrete to be pinpointed as a would-be legacy when John Dramani Mahama joins the club or league of ex-presidents on 7th January, 2017. We can confidently state without any fear of contradiction that, H.E President John Mahama was advised to shift the venue for his mother's funeral from Bole to Accra to avoid the whole exercise serving as an incubator of disgrace and embarrassment because some African Presidents were billed to attend, the group pointed out. The group further claimed that President Mahama shifted the final funeral rites of his mother to Accra just because he did not want his colleague heads of states to find out how he had neglected his own people in Bole\Bamboi. A former District Chief Executive in the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government says all those claiming that the proposal by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure that each district in the country gets one factory is not feasible are doing so either for political expediency or they are not telling the truth. The NPP presidential candidate first made the commitment while on a campaign tour to some constituencies of the Central Region last month. Doubts have since been expressed by some persons, mainly within the camp of the governing National Democratic Congress, about the feasibility of the proposal. But, Dr Martin Luther Obeng, a former NDC DCE for Agona East in the Central Region, has told the Daily Statesman that there is nothing whatsoever on the ground to suggest that the proposal is not feasible. The project is doable; it is practicable, stressed the Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai based international consulting firm, Touchstone Consulting Limited. The fact of the matter is that there are already structures at the local level to ensure the success of the project, provided the political will is there. We have the Rural Enterprise Programme in the districts which seeks to promote the establishment of cottage industries. That is the machinery that can be utilized to effectively ensure the success of such a project, which the country badly needs to create jobs for the teeming jobless youth, he explained. Dr Obengs position coincides with what has been expressed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Gratis Foundation, Emmanuel Asiedu, who also insists the proposal for the construction of a factory in each of the 216 districts of the country is practicable. According to the former DCE, ensuring the success of the project means creating the enabling business environment to attract private investors to enter into partnership with the government. He told the paper: In the Gulf State only, with my survey as a consultant in that region, I can tell you people are ready to come, provided the state can provide effective guarantees for them to do business. In the Agona East district, for instance, most of the coconuts that we consume in Accra come from there. We can therefore easily set up a factory to process them into oil and juice while thinking outside the box to see what can be done with the sheds. We need to move out of our comfort zones and see what can be done to help the nation and the people, he stated. According to Dr Obeng, in implementing such a proposal, what needs to be done is to look at what will help the most at the initial stages. He explained: For example, we import a lot of rice and sugar. So we can look at those areas first. Once we produce to end or reduce importation of these commodities, we will be getting more money to look into other areas. Lets put in place good policies that will ensure the successful implementation of the proposal. We have the capacity to do it. I am all for it. This is not about politics; it is about business. 02.08.2016 LISTEN ACCRA The economy of Ghana is losing some GHC4.6 billion (US$2.6 billion, or 6.4 percent of GDP) a year to the effects of child undernutrition, according to a new study launched today in the capital. The Cost of Hunger in Africa: the Social and Economic Impact of Child Undernutrition on Ghanas Long-Term Development (COHA) shows vast amounts being lost through increased healthcare costs, additional burdens on the education system and lower productivity by its workforce. The consequences of stunting (low height for age) are of particular concern. Stunting occurs when children miss out on critical nutrients -- including proteins, vitamins and minerals -- while in the womb and in the first two years of life. This is compounded by diseases and poor hygiene practices. People affected by stunting face lifelong consequences starting in childhood such as frequent illness, poor school performance, having to repeat classes or dropping out altogether, and low workplace productivity. Among other findings, the COHA report reveals that: 37 percent of the adult population in Ghana suffered from stunting as children; 24 percent of all child mortality cases in Ghana are associated with undernutrition; child mortality associated with undernutrition has reduced Ghanas workforce by 7.3 percent. Ghana has made some progress in improving child nutrition over the past two decades, reducing chronic malnutrition or stunting from 23 to 19 percent. However, this study highlights the critical need for further progress. Dr. Margaret Agama Nyetei, the African Union Commissions Head of Health, Nutrition and Population Division, said the issue was vital to the AUs vision and action plan for the next 50 years, known as Agenda 2063. At the African Union, we believe that the realisation of Agenda 2063 and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be possible without fully harnessing the potential of all sectors of the population and this includes our children, she said. The goal of eliminating stunting is key to achieving Zero Hunger, Sustainable Development Goal 2, said Thomas Yanga, Director of the World Food Programme Africa Office. The losses to the economy can be averted through strategic interventions which ensure adequate nutrition for mothers and young children. Stunting is not just a health issue, it needs to be addressed through a multi-sectoral approach and prioritised in all development programmes from community to national level. Ensuring a generation free from malnutrition requires significant investments in nutrition strategies and interventions. There is therefore a need for Ghana to forge strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, particularly the private sector and non-state actors, to combat undernutrition holistically, said Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh, Director of the Social Development Policy Division at the Economic Commission for Africa. In the Northern Region of Ghana, thirty percent of children under five are stunted or chronically malnourished. This not only affects their growth but also their educational development and economic potential, and consequently the future of the country, said Margot van der Velden, WFP Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa. The COHA report is led by the African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with African governments, the New Partnership for Africas Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA); the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Studies have so far taken place in Egypt, Ethiopia, Swaziland, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Malawi and Rwanda, and are due to be carried out in Chad, Lesotho, Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritania. The COHA National Implementation Team which, was responsible for collecting, processing and presenting results from Ghana was composed of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, UN Agencies, Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, international organisations concerned with the elimination of child stunting. The launch of the study was under the auspices of the National Development Planning Commission. The Government of Ghana, the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the Office of the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Rockefeller Foundation, and WFP contributed financially to the realisation of this study in Ghana. 02.08.2016 LISTEN The NPP 2012 Parliamentary Candidate for the Tamale North constituency, Mr Akilu Sayibu, has called on the rank and file of the NPP in the Northern Region to rally behind Chairman Bugiri Naabu to enable the party to prosecute effective and winnable campaign towards Victory in December. He made this call during an interaction with the media in Tamale. Hon. Akilu Sayibu who has generally been seen as an avowed critic of Chairman Bugiri Naabu told the media that his strong views about happenings in the NPP in the Northern Region some of the time provided the platform in the past for him to be misrepresented by some persons. Hon. Akilu added that he was responsible for his views on topical political issues in Northern Region and in the country but not responsible for how his views are interpreted. President Mahama and his NDC government were underperforming and it is only ideal for there to be a change of government through the thumb on December 7, Mr Sayibu opined. The former Parliamentary Candidate also criticized President Mahama for mounting billboards in the Tamale Metropolis highlighting how compassionate he was. To this, Hon. Akilu Sayibu remarked: " show practical compassion to the suffering people not on billboards. Big photos and writings on billboards do not put food on table". Hon. Akilu Sayibu used the occasion to call on the electorates in Northern Region to vote massively for people who have the experience and track record to represent them in Parliament but not to vote for people on ethnic, Religious and Chieftaincy grounds. Hon. Akilu hinted that Ghanaians have seen what an NDC government under President Mahama can offer. The next thing to do is to give Nana/Bawumia the chance to make life better for Ghanaians come December 7. 02.08.2016 LISTEN By Pascal Kafu Abotsi The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed worry over the Electoral Commissions unjustified disenfranchisement of thousands of Ghanaians in its 10-day National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card voters' re-registration exercise, which ended on the 28th day of July, 2016. The exercise, which was a Supreme Court order, directing the Electoral Commission (EC) to delete the names of registrants of NHIS cards on the countrys electoral roll, after a former General Secretary of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako had sued the EC and convinced the apex court that the use of NHIS cards paved the way for names of foreign nationals to be captured on the register. Even though the Electoral Commission (EC) announced at close of work on Thursday, July 27 that, only 24,287 persons representing 42.2 per cent out of the 56,772 NHIS cards holders, whose names were deleted from the voters register, had been re-registered, the EC has refused to heed to calls to extend the time. The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) also joined the prayer for the EC to extend the window for the NHIS re-registration exercise. Its National Coordinator, Kofi Arhin, argued that it would only be fair for the EC to extend the period for such persons. But speaking to the media last week, Communications Director of the EC, Mr. Eric Dzakpasu, posited that there was no indication that an extension would ensure the re-registration of more people. There is no evidence that when an extension is granted, the remaining people will come out of their houses or communities to get their name re-registered, he added. In an interview with The Chronicle, the Director of Communications of the NPP, Nana Akomea, who acknowledged that reports reaching his outfit indicated that the inability of thousands of Ghanaians to re register was through no fault of theirs, emphasised that many were present but could not re register, due to the short comings of the process put in place by the Electoral Commission. Before the NPP even dropped the hint of petitioning the EC over the issue, the Member of Parliament for the Efutu Constituency in the Central Region, Alex Afenyo Markin, has taken the lead in his individual capacity. He appealed to the Commission to extend the re-registration period by 10 days. The private legal practitioner explained that the exercise in his constituency had been fraught with power and logistical challenges which prevented the EC from capturing as many names as possible. 02.08.2016 LISTEN By Kofi Attenkah Issues of water are likely to take center stage of the upcoming 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, scheduled to take place in the Marrakech city of Morocco from November 7 to 18, 2016. This follows a call by African leaders on the international community to integrate water into climate discussions to help build elastic societies and protect ecosystems, in order to meet the needs of adaptation to climate change, as well as achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the just ended International Conference on Water and Climate at Rabat. The African leaders also called on the international community to consider water as a priority in all adaptation discussions, set up Adaptation Committee and put adaptation policies at the same level as those of mitigation at the COP 22 conference. Other calls made by the African leaders at the water and climate conference dubbed Water Security for Climate Justice include the following; Create a political momentum; launch a call for action for water and adopt a priority action plan particularly in Africa put in place mechanisms to monitor the commitments made in the field of water and climate change. Open up more climate funds (Adaptation Fund, Green Fund) to projects targeting better water management and support both infrastructure projects and the improvement of knowledge related to resource and climate change impact, capacity building, governance, monitoring and policies assessment. Create an Intergovernmental Group of Experts to assess the interactions and impacts of climate change on the water cycle and follow their evolution. Link the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals to resilience actions to climate change and adopt a priority action plan for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. Invite international donors and the green fund to help Africa to provide effective contributions in terms of adaptation, particularly in water field, and to implement the related intended actions, the African leaders noted. Over 600 participants including 20 African ministerial delegations participated in the Water Security for Climate Justice conference, which was co-organized by the governments of Morocco and France as well as the World Water Council. In a three page document christened; The Rabat Call Water for Africa, a call for action was launched to unite African voices around specific needs of the continent with regards to water and climate change. The Continental leaders were of the opinion that globally Africa is below the world's average when it comes to majority of indicators related to access to water and sanitation services, as well as food security. It was on this note that they were pushing that Africa, which is confronted with enormous climate change related problems, should be given the needed financial support and know how, in order to offer efficient contributions for adaptation. Consequently, they pointed out that there is the urgent need to undertake adaptation actions in the water sector, particular for Africa, in order to minimize climate change impacts in accessing water, health and food security, as well as to protect the aquatic ecosystems and ensure sustainable development. The conference, which broke into four thematic sessions to thoroughly discuss the different departments of the inter-linkages between water and climate, spent two days on its deliberations. Issues discussed include; water vulnerability to climate change and the place of water in the implementation of global agreements (namely the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals). Others issues are the interactions between water, energy, food security, health and education, as well as the role of civil society in the water and climate alliance, and climate finance. Furthermore, a workshop on the role of dams and reservoirs in mitigating climate change effects such as droughts was also organized. Concluding, Ms Charafat Afilal, Morocco's Minister Delegate for Water who brought the curtains of the conference to a close said We have sensitized the COP 22 Presidency about mainstreaming water in the climate discussions. Water deserves correct positioning, and we need to guarantee that investment will follow. Ms Charafat called on the World Water Council to sustain the programme by organizing similar interim meetings on water and climate in the years to come. 02.08.2016 LISTEN By Naabenyin Joojo Amissah,Cape Coast The parliamentary candidate for the Progressive Peoples Party in the Cape Coast North constituency, Mr Bright Edem Droefenu has officially launched his campaign for the 2016 elections. The colourful occasion took place at the London Bridge, in Cape Coast. Before the official launch, scores of party faithful converged at Siwdu in the morning, amidst drumming and dancing. The supporters later moved from Siwdu through Kotokuraba to the venue where they were addressed. Addressing the gathering, Mr Droefenu said he would make the issue of job creation for the youth a priority, if voted for. He alleged that past and successful governments have done very little to create jobs for the people of the central region in general and Cape Coast in particular. According to him, the time has come for Ghanaians to own their destinies by changing their usual NDC and NPP voting patterns and vote for the PPP for a real change. He said, even though Cape Coast can boost of several educational institutions, there are no jobs in the town where students who complete these schools could work. He said a vote for him and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, the presidential candidate, is a vote for job creation and employment where a lot of employment avenues would be created to alleviate the plight of many suffering Ghanaians. The national chairman of the party, Nii Allotey Hammond, National Secretary, Murtala Mohammed and the Central Regional Chairman, Mr Andrews Sefa, all took turns to address the gathering. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he had decided to allocate the Security Union portfolio to the British nominee for the EU executive. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron nominated Julian King as Britain's representative at the European Commission to replace Jonathan Hill who resigned after Britons voted to leave the bloc on June 23. King's portfolio will include setting up a European response to the fight against terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime, the Commission said. King's appointment will now need to be endorsed by the European Parliament. Search Keywords: Short link: 02.08.2016 LISTEN By Maxwell Ofori, Parliament House ([email protected]) A group calling itself 'The Coalition on the Right To Information (RTI)- Ghana, has noted the failure by the Mahama government to ensure the passage of the Right To Information Bill will mean it was not ready to ensure that citizens have the freedom to probe for any information they need. The Coalition would like His Excellency to note that the failure to pass the RTI Bill this year, 2016, will mean firstly; the NDC Government has again lied not only to Ghanaians but to the International Community about its commitment to the passage of the RTI Bill. Secondly, it would mean that Ghana has failed for the second time to fulfil her obligations under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative, as well as the country's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Thirdly, the failure to pass the RTI Bill this year will mean that the NDC government cannot be trusted and that government's proclaimed commitments to the fight against corruption are mere words, without action, it said. Addressing the media in Accra last Thursday, the co-Chair to the Coalition, Mr Vitus Azeem, sought to prompt the Executive and Legislative arms of government that the RTI Bill had delayed for a longer time and needed authorization. The Coalition, through its statement, also sought to draw the attention of the public to the fact that the passage of the Bill had delayed enough and that it would be proper if the legislators continued to work on the Bill and possibly pass it into law this year. It said: As at 28th July 2016, Parliament has only considered 29 clauses out of 157 clauses of the amendments proposed. The Bill was last considered on June 23rd and till date it is not clear why Parliament has decided not to proceed with the consideration process. According to the group, the Executive is doing nothing to ensure the Legislature worked on the Bill. They described as worrying, the silence of the Deputy Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine on the Bill, after he came from the 117th Session of the United Nations' Human Rights Committee in Geneva in June, this year, where he proclaimed that the RTI Bill will be passed this year. There is nothing to show that the Executive is lobbying or working with Parliament to ensure that the Bill is passed before the elections. In fact, we have heard some Parliamentarians say that the RTI Bill is an orphan because nobody from the executive is lobbying for its passage. This provides grounds for the public to wonder whether Parliament and the powers that be are afraid of the light that a robust RTI law will throw on all aspects of public life and ensure that, those in whom the public trust is reposed carry out their function in a climate if transparency and are accountable to the sovereign people of Ghana. Most importantly and indeed more worrying is the outright proclamation made by government through the Deputy Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, at the 117th Session of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva that the RTI Bill will be passed in July 2016. Interestingly the Bill has not been discussed even once since his return from Geneva. Yet another failed promise, the group noted. They further indicated how the NDC's 2012 manifesto captured the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, citing that President Mahama even promised Ghanaians that the next NDC Administration will implement the Freedom of Information Act once it is passed by Parliament and will work with the legislature to prioritise the passage of the Freedom of Information Act. His Excellency, President Mahama, has indicated on many occasions that when the Bill gets to his table he would sign it into law without delay and that if the Bill is passed, his government would be reckoned as having passed the oldest Bill in Parliament. We will like our Parliamentarians to tell us whose interest they are actually serving. When loans are brought to Parliament, we see Parliamentarians turn out en-mass to endorse those loans so that government can borrow more money and put the country in more debt, however, the law that will give them the right information to enable them as well as the citizenry effectively scrutinize these loans and ensure that they are properly utilized has the support of only a handful of MPs. What excuse will our MPs give for not passing the RTI Bill in this sitting? They queried. It, however, called on the Executive to engage Parliament to, as a matter of urgency, pass the RTI with the amendments before the current Parliament (6th Parliament) lapses in January 2017. 02.08.2016 LISTEN It looks all the way like an innovative means of solving the graduate unemployment problem. When President John Dramani Mahama urged newly-inducted graduates in the country to think of setting up their own businesses, he was directing those who have benefitted from higher education to make themselves useful, and help to get their less fortunate ones off the scrap-heap of unemployment. At the graduation of 2,575 students from the University of Professional Studies Accra, President Mahama said by becoming independent and productive through their own initiatives, the youth, particularly graduates, would become less dependent on government. You have the ability to create jobs yourself, the Head of State told the students who are taking their first steps into the real world. In a society, where a very large percentage of the youth are classified unemployed, the President's speech is understood to urge the students to direct their passion and education acquired into setting up their own businesses and employing others, instead of depending on the state to offer them employment. The occupant of Government House is reported to have said that the government he heads has provided the framework for youth entrepreneurship to thrive, citing the Youth Enterprise Support programme as one of those schemes conceived by the government to aid the youth to stand on their own two feet. Ordinarily, every human being would like to set up his or her own business. But the mechanism to aid such a venture should be available. It is unfortunate, but this administration especially, has built more castles in the air than actual structures on the ground. The Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency especially, was conceived as a mechanism to aid the youth gain entrepreneurial skills as a means of establishing their own business. In the end, it became a conduit pipe for state officials and party apparatchiks to connive with service providers to fleece this country of funds and other scarce resources. Apart from the huge risk involved in seeking to establish one's own as a business concern, lack of resources is a major disincentive for the youth to branch into setting up their own businesses. It is becoming crystal clear that under the Mahama administration especially, politics has become the shortest route to fame and riches. The pay structure and the patronising nature of public office holding aside, politics has long departed from providing public service. It is now the main route to join the creme de la creme of this society. Four years ago, with the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections engaging the attention of hard-pressed Ghanaians, news broke out that Deputy Minister of Information (now at the Education Ministry), Mr. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, visited his constituency, and on his return to Accra, sent his driver to the car wash. It emerged that the Deputy Minister, who prior to his ministerial appointment had never held any paid job before, had apparently left a whopping GH25,000 in hard cash in the car, after a rendezvous in his constituency. Ordinarily, the state should have led in an enquiry into how the Deputy Minister came by that largesse, to the extent of leaving it in a car meant for the car wash. Like many things involving party big-wigs, the State of Ghana was not interested. In other words, party members could play with as much cash as they liked, no one was going to ask them to account. It is this attitude of the state and its governance system that has dampened the spirit of the average Ghanaian youth, The Chronicle would like to submit. We are unable to gauge the mood of the President and his advisors. But this patronising attitude towards party apparatchiks, who are clearly milking this country dry, has lowered the can-do spirit among Ghanaian youth especially. It is not for nothing that this country has an association holding unemployed graduates together. It is a sign of hopelessness that a group of young men and women, who have successfully undergone the stress of educating themselves at the university level, would consign themselves to the scrap-heap of unemployment. We believe it is good to urge those who have trained at huge costs to the nation, to make use of their training to become useful to themselves and society. But, as they say literally, soldiers do not move on empty stomachs. The President's admonition would have to be backed by the concrete provision of the necessary structures and tools to get the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana, for instance, to be dissolved. That would not happen when state resources necessary to equip the youth are squandered by party apparatchiks, with government officials looking the other way. Over 150 youth besieged the Tafo Chiefs palace in Kumasi on Tuesday demanding protection over a fears of a possible attacks from Muslim youth in the area. According to them, some youth from the Zongo community have been threatening to attack them and are making attempts rekindle tensions in the area. The Ministry of Interior placed a curfew on the Tafo Township in February 2016 following clashes between some Muslim youth and non-Muslim youth the area backed by the Tafo Traditional Council over a piece of cemetery land. Citi News' Hawa Iddrissu was on the ground when the irate youth of Tafo petitioned their chief over fears of the reprisal attacks on them. One of the youth spoke to Citi News saying, we need peace but residents of the Zongo community have made up their minds not to let peace prevail because of the death of one of their own. According to him, a Muslim from the Zongo community was killed at a rural bank during an alleged robbery but a section of the Muslim youth are blaming them for the demise of their compatriot. He noted his contingent's concerns saying the Muslim youth were armed and cautioned that the protesting youth may be forced to do same. They have guns and clubs on them. Because they have weapons on them, we cannot defend ourselves. These developments are very worrying so we are calling on authorities to come to our aid else we will defend ourselves. They made specific mention of the Asantehene and the Ashanti Regional Minister in their calls warning the situation could escalate to something that will not be good for Asanteman. Armed police have since been deployed to the area to ensure calm. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonlune.com/Ghana Pressure group Occupy Ghana has described the position of Ministers of State and officials of the government who signed a petition seeking a presidential pardon for the convicted Montie FM trio as untenable. According to a statement from the group, the support from the top government officials for the jailed Montie FM host and panelists could be said to be endorsement for their criminals actions, which was inexusable for persons in their position. Their comments come in response to a statement from the deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, which chided Occupy Ghana for their earlier criticism of the petition. Your position and those of your fellow ministers who were falling over each other to sign this petition, is untenable. Let us remind you again that it is not everything that is lawful (even arguably) that is also needful. Do take some time to do some deep introspection, and ask yourself whether this is the stance you would have taken if you were still in opposition, and the convicts were government spokespersons, or vice versa, Occupy Ghana said. This is the state of affairs that informed our criticism of all ministers and members of the Executive who have effectively stabbed the President in the back, by signing this petition. Okudzeto Ablakwa had earlier chided the group for criticising the efforts to secure the release of the incarcerated men. Occupy Ghana even touts its mission to be Occupying Hearts & Minds for God and Country!!! Claims we have all accommodated though there are those who may consider a self-imposed status of Gods special envoys more blasphemous than flattering. Nonetheless, the Occupiers have been granted the benefit of the doubt and yet they choose to label the conduct of others simply exercising their rights as incongruous and bizarre. Ablakwa had noted. It is troubling that to the Occupiers we cannot exercise rights under the constitution as citizens of Ghana simply because we belong to the executive arm of Government? In their statement, issued on Tuesday, August 2, Occupy Ghana responded: We have never said that you do not have the legal right to organize and sign a petition. But the uniqueness of your position should have made you take a step back to ascertain whether this was the right and proper thing to do, and then passed up on it, like several of your colleague ministers have done. First, as a minister of state, you are an integral part of the Executive of this nation. You are part of the Presidents eyes and ears with respect to education. Presumably, several young students in the land look up to you, and the position you hold has imposed a mentorship role on you, whether you asked for it or not. How can you, a member of the Executive that is to consider the petition, be an organizer and signer of the same petition? In other words, you are essentially presenting a petition to yourself. You have made it impossible for the President to rely on you for any disinterested advice on this matter, if it relates to your sector. Dept. Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa signing the petitition Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, were sentenced to serve four months in jail , after being found guilty of contempt by the Supreme Court, for threatening the lives of the judges who were presiding over a case on the credibility of the voters' register. They are currently being held at the Nsawam prison. A book, opened by a group calling itself the Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP), garnered several signatures including those of high-profile government officials including Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare and the Education Minister, Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang. Other notable people who signed the petition include the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, founder of the Ghana Freedom Party, Akua Donkor and an official at the presidency, Valerie Sawyerr. The petition has since been presented to President Mahama . Find below, Occupy Ghanas full statement: OCCUPYGHANA PRESS STATEMENT OPEN LETTER TO SAMUEL OKUDZETO-ABLAKWA (HON. MP) The story is told of The Lord Christ heeding the plea of 10 lepers who asked him to have pity on us. He gave them a simple task: go and show yourselves to the priest. They were healed before they had made the full journey. One, only one of them, and a foreigner, returned to thank the Lord Christ. The Lord is said to have asked what happened to the other nine. Our attention has been drawn to a rather long and self-serving missive from your Facebook wall, in which you take issue with us for criticising ministers who are organising and signing the Petition for Pardon to the President with respect to the jailed Montie 3. We respect your right to reply and to disagree with us, obviously, because you are one of those ministers whose conduct in this matter, we find reprehensible. Although originally, we were not minded to respond, we find the need to write this short note to you, in the hope that it might help you notice the error of your ways, like the 9 lepers and, hopefully, repent. There are two key lessons from that story. The first is that although the 9 lepers were not lawfully bound to return to The Lord Christ with thanks when their mission succeeded, He still expected them to do the needful. The second is that people are likely to forget where they have come from when they attain success before they have walked the whole 9 yards required of them. You were part of the team of valiant persons who took the late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey on at the Supreme Court. Although you lost, which meant that the law was not on your side, the judges praised you for standing up to be counted. Your action had no basis in law, but you did the needful, like the one leper. We have never said that you do not have the legal right to organize and sign a petition. But the uniqueness of your position should have made you take a step back to ascertain whether this was the right and proper thing to do, and then passed up on it, like several of your colleague ministers have done. First, as a minister of state, you are an integral part of the Executive of this nation. You are part of the Presidents eyes and ears with respect to education. Presumably, several young students in the land look up to you, and the position you hold has imposed a mentorship role on you, whether you asked for it or not. How can you, a member of the Executive that is to consider the petition, be an organizer and signer of the same petition? In other words, you are essentially presenting a petition to yourself. You have made it impossible for the President to rely on you for any disinterested advice on this matter, if it relates to your sector. The incestuous nature of this should be clear, or at least apparent, to you. Would prudence not mean that you wait and counsel the President on the matter, if your opinion was to be sought, instead of signing the petition and trying to put pressure on your boss, the President? The least you deserve is a slap on your wrist. Second, your acts and omissions in the face and teeth of this brouhaha speaks volumes about who you are and what you stand for. You stoop to call this a fight for Free Speech. Wrong! The acts of the convicts were despicable and illegal. Clear crime was committed, which the Executive-controlled Attorney-General would not prosecute. In fact, the Executive-controlled Attorney-General would not even commence quasi-criminal contempt proceedings. To add insult to injury, the Executive-controlled BNI issued a pathetic white-washing statement about the matter. Clearly, the Executive, which you are a part of, had no interest in seeing to it that these convicts faced justice. Had the judiciary not stood up to be counted, these gentlemen would be walking free, they and several others waiting in the wings from all sides of the political divide, emboldened by deliberate Executive inaction, to perpetrate even more dastardly acts on air. Then within hours, literally, after they were sentenced, you lead a charge to have them freed, as if they dont even deserve a day in jail for acts to which they pleaded guilty. This is the state of affairs that informed our criticism of all ministers and members of the Executive who have effectively stabbed the President in the back, by signing this petition. We shudder to think that your position on this would mean you would not have taken Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey on if he belonged to your party. When you have had that introspection, also take a long look at yourself in the mirror and, hopefully, you will see that you probably have become that which you detested and fought against. You can argue that your current position is lawful. We think it is unwise and we will not mince any words in telling you so. No amount of verbiage will take down the fact that you are wrong, and gravely so. The other parts of your bluster, spin and spiel do not merit detailed responses, save one. We are mildly tickled by your reference to doyens like Yaa Asantewaa, Nkrumah, Lincoln, Luther King, Biko and Mandela and their stand in history. Mr. Okudzeto-Ablakwa, do not mention your name within 100 yards of these. You are nowhere near what they did and stood for. Yours in the service of occupying hearts and minds for God and Country OccupyGhana By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana 02.08.2016 LISTEN By Hafsa Obeng, GNA Accra, Aug. 2, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday remanded one Ebenezer Acheampong for threatening to kill his wife, Madam Ivy Nyarko. Ebenezer pleaded not guilty to the charges was remanded by the court to reappear on August 8. The court also ordered the complainant to find an alternative accommodation. Prosecuting, Police Detective Inspector, Kofi Atimbire told the court that the complainant and the accused person are married couples, blessed with four children. He said for some time now the two have been having series of misunderstandings, and Ebenezer assaulted the complainant on several occasions, but she kept her ordeal to herself. He told the court that on July 26, the accused person heard a news item on radio announcing that a policeman had murdered his mother in law and two children and committed suicide in Tema, and drew his wife attention to the news item. The prosecution said Ebenezer repeated the news item to his wife and threatened her that, her behaviour in the house would soon lead to such an act. Police Detective Inspector, Atimbire said this put the complainant in fear and so she reported the threats to the Kwabenya Police Station. He said when Ebenezer was arrested, he again threatened the complainant at the Police Station, saying, 'When I come home to meet you, you should count yourself dead. GNA By Samuel Akapule, GNA Sandema (U/E), Aug. 2, GNA - The Builsa Community Bank limited (BUCO-Bank) has been declared a model bank for all rural community banks in the three northern regions. The bank, which is based in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region, has for the past twenty years performed creditably and was rated as 'strong 'in 2015 by the Efficiency Monitoring Unit of Apex Bank. More so it is the only rural bank in the Upper East Region that met the mandatory minimum stated capital of GH 500,000.00 for 2016. The bank's achievement was made known at its 20th Anniversary and 16th Annual General Meeting held at Sandema. The Regional Manager of the Apex Bank, Mr Zinzendorf Pascal Nkulenu and the President of the Upper East Chapter of the Association of Rural Banks, Alhaji Abdul-Sharif Adams, both lauded the bank for its remarkable achievement. Whilst calling upon the management and staff of the bank to ensure that they continued to focus on customer care to attract more customers, Mr Nkulenu said there is the need for the shareholders of the bank to buy more shares to help increase its capital base to meet the mandatory requirement of the GH 1,000,000.00 set by the Bank of Ghana (BOG) for the year 2017. He said all banks which cannot meet the BOG mandatory requirement for the year 2017 should consider a merger. Naab Akanab Apoom-Weem, the Board Chairman of the bank, said in spite of the general economic challenges in the year 2015, the bank recorded a profit of GH 708,621.00 before tax which represents a decrease of 86,432.00 (10.9) from the previous year's performance. He said during the year under review, the bank grew its balance sheet size by 30.5 per cent to close the year with an asset base of a little over GH 18.62 million adding that the growth in the asset of the bank was propelled by a 75.8 per cent growth in short time investments as well as 54.1 per cent growth in property, plant and equipment investment. He said cash on hand, plus balances with other banks also increased by 23.7 per cent to GH 1.73 million at the close of the year under review. The Board Chairman said the increase in the bank's assets was funded mainly from an increase in the customer base and borrowings adding that customer deposits for 2015 increased by 29.7 per cent to GH 13.57 million. Mr Awudu Hayatudeen, the General Manager of the Bank, who presented citations and some rewards to the founders and past board members of the bank, said the bank which has branches in Sandema, Bolgatanga, Fumbisi and Yagaba, currently has about fifty thousand clients. Mr Bonaventure Adangabey, District Chief Executive for the area, who read the speech for the Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, commended the Bank for complementing government's efforts in the areas of job creation, health, education, agriculture, and small scale businesses 'All these support from the BUCO-Bank have translated to the growth and development of the Builsa North District and I urge you to continue', the Regional Minister, said. GNA you are here: Cyprus' support for Britain's air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq has been essential in sustaining almost 3,000 combat missions so far this year, Britain's defense secretary said Tuesday. Michael Fallon said the Royal Air Force hasn't kept such an operational tempo in a single theatre of conflict in more than 25 years. Britain maintains two military bases on Cyprus including Akrotiri, from where anti-IS group missions are being flown. Fallon said it would be "much harder to sustain" so many missions, which included 948 air strikes in Syria and Iraq, without the help of Cyprus. The country's eastern shores are 100 miles (160 kilometres) from the Syrian coastline. "Only the U.S. is doing more," Fallon said after talks with Cypriot counterpart Christoforos Fokaides, adding that IS group "is losing land, losing money, losing the fight." Fallon said the air campaign has helped push the Islamic State group out of 40 percent of the territory it had taken since 2014. "Britain is determined to keep pulling out all the stops in this fight against evil," he said. Fallon also offered assurances that British voters' decision to leave the European Union in a June referendum doesn't mean that the country will "abandon European security." He said Britain would accelerate the fight against IS, step up efforts to counter illegal migration and build stronger security ties with Cyprus, an EU member. Britain will take part in the coming months in joint search and rescue exercises. Search Keywords: Short link: If youve ever wondered what the future might be like, just stop and look around. We already have futuristic tech that would blow your socks off. Did you know that our smart phones can instantly translate any text using their cameras? If youre struggling to learn a language, or just tired of using Google Maps in a foreign country, dont fret. Just whip out your phone to understand whats written in front of you. Did you also know that scientists can make a video out of human memories? Imagine how useful and valuable this technology is to others. Our memories and experiences are a determining factor in shaping who we are. So why not let science create a video of exactly who you are? No more sliding through pictures saying remember that time Instead, you just extract the memories straight from your brain. But, perhaps even more exhilarating is the fact that we finally have jet packs. That is, of course, if you have the money to pay for it. Martin Aircraft Company Ltd [ASX:MJP] is a New Zealand company bringing jet packs to the mainstream. The company has developed the Martin Jetpack, which can be used for multiple applications, including search and rescue, military and, of course, recreational uses. Yet, this morning, Martin Aircraft traded down as much as 23.6%, to 42 cents per share. Shares have since bounced off this low. But how could jet pack shares go down? Source: Google Finance The Martin Jetpack This morning the company released a business update. Martin Aircraft said their principle focus is on completing the Series 1 Martin Jetpack assembly by the end of 2016 with the aim of flight testing, demonstrating and delivering the Series 1 aircraft in early 2017. On face value, this is good news. Customers will only have to wait until early next year to receive their jet packs. However, this revised timeline is in fact a delay. Original deliveries have been delayed by complexities with system integration requiring further design analysis, the company said. The jet packs also had to be adjusted to meet certain targets. The Series 1 jet packs will now be modified to the following: A range of 1520 kilometres; A flight time of 28 minutes; An airspeed of 40km/h and; An altitude with 100 kilograms of 2,500 feet above sea level. Early Series 1 aircrafts will be used to demonstrate their capabilities to customers. This would also likely create market interest, if there wasnt enough already for a jet pack! Based on prior customer feedback the company is optimistic about revenue generation. A number of commercial opportunities have already popped up. The company is now exploring potential distributors. And this will hopefully generate future sales. The costs for Series 2 will be higher than anticipated. But these costs should be reduced by scaling up production, reducing the cost per jet pack. So if youre a futurist looking to invest, look no further than what we currently have today. Harje Ronngard, Junior Analyst, Money Morning PS: Investing in the stock market can be easy. Some may tell you that its hard, throwing complicated examples at you. But thats because theyre interested in your money sitting in their back pocket! Money Mornings Publisher Kris Sayce has written a report all about how to make investing simple and easy. Instead of taking your money, Kris wants to help you invest for yourself. In Kris report, The Ultimate Starters Guide for Buying and Selling Shares, hell show you all the ins and outs of investing. Whats more, Kris will reveal the one type of stockbroker you should never use. And theres also a secret you need to know about investing correctly. To find out what that secret is, and more, pick up your free copy of Kris report by clicking here. A Republican lawmaker in Congress became the first to break with the party and support Democrat Hillary Clinton for the White House on Tuesday amid signs of growing Republican unease with volatile presidential nominee Donald Trump. The break by Representative Richard Hanna of New York followed days of uproar over Trump's criticism of the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army officer killed in the Iraq war, which has fueled a fresh round of Republican rebukes of the New York businessman. Illustrating the escalating tension between the candidate and the party, Trump pointedly thanked the primary opponent of Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Monday for his "kind words" after Ryan had issued a statement saying the sacrifice of the parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, should be honored. Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen, who is challenging Ryan in next week's primary in Wisconsin, had posted material on his campaign website accusing Ryan of misrepresenting Trump's proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the country and defending him in the dispute with the Khans. Several congressional Republicans have said they will not support Trump in the Nov. 8 election against Clinton, but Hanna was the first to take the extra step of endorsing the Democrat. Citing Trump's attacks on the Khans, Hanna called him "deeply flawed in endless ways," "unrepentant" and "self-involved." "For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in a letter posted on syracuse.com, the website of the Post-Standard newspaper in New York. Trump has had a running feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic convention to cite their son's sacrifice and criticize Trump's proposed ban on Muslims. Many Republicans have expressed support for the parents, and some have sharply rebuked Trump, most notably Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman John McCain, a military veteran and former prisoner of war. President Barack Obama questioned on Tuesday why Republican leaders were repeatedly criticizing Trump but still endorsing him, saying Trump's attacks on the Kahns showed he was "woefully unprepared" to serve in the White House. "There has to come a point at which you say 'enough,'" Obama, a Democrat, told reporters. Ryan and Republican Senate Majority Leader McConnell have offered support to the Khans, but no Republican leaders have withdrawn their support for Trump as the party's presidential pick. Ryan's office declined to comment on Hanna's announcement. Hanna is retiring from the House and is not seeking re-election, leaving him more leeway to risk upsetting colleagues and voters over his break with Trump. "While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing," he wrote. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, one of the most outspoken critics of Trump in Congress, said he would never join Hanna in voting for Clinton. "Conservatives should reform the party of Lincoln, not surrender to the Clinton's machine's dishonesty and identity politics," Sasse said in a statement emailed to Reuters. 'INCENDIARY COMMENTS' Trump, a former reality TV star, has troubled many in the Republican establishment with his off-the-cuff, often insulting style, and controversial policies including the proposed ban on Muslims and his plan to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants. His presidential campaign has appealed to Capitol Hill for support amid the controversy over the Khans, including circulating talking points for lawmakers to use, but has found little support. Trump's son, Eric Trump, told CBS News on Tuesday his father's comments toward the Khans have been "blown hugely out of proportion." U.S. Republican Representative Charlie Dent, who has not endorsed Trump, criticized the candidate's tone on Tuesday and called for more measured responses, telling MSNBC his "incendiary comments ... are causing real problems." Dent added that he was not shocked by Hanna's break with the party, although he said he himself has no plans to support Clinton. "Like me, I think he's also been very concerned about the incendiary statements plus the lack of solid policy," coming from Trump, Dent said. Trump has fallen slightly behind Clinton in recent polls since each party held their nominating conventions last month. He also has trailed Clinton in fundraising. The Democrat reported raising nearly $90 million in July for her campaign and the Democratic Party, with more than half the donations coming from new donors. Search Keywords: Short link: Its a bloodbath Just as Ive been warning you for some time, and initially near the high of US$52 per barrel, the good days are over for crude. Its started to nosedive. Brent crude, the international benchmark, has pulled back to US$42.21 per barrel. It remains 51.6% higher than the low of US$27.83 per barrel on 20 January. Brent prices ended July with a monthly loss of 12.7%. Its down almost 18% since peaking above US$50 in early June. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), also known as US crude, is trading down at US$40.09 per barrel. Its up 53.8% from the low of US$26.05 per barrel on 2 February. The US oil price dropped 14% last month its worst monthly performance since last July. With crude trading lower, is it time for a big dump, or another short term pump? Ill explain Investment bank forecasts the good and the bad Its clear that the sentiment has changed, and it happened quickly. When I warned you that crude would break out higher at around US$33 per barrel on 1 March, the majority of investment banks said it would crash to US$20 per barrel. A fortnight ago, when crude oil was trading higher when I warned again that it would crash CNBC reported: Bank of America Merrill Lynchs energy research team maintained its outlook for 2017 oil demand, saying it will grow by 1.2 million barrels per day to bring supply into a deficit. Brent will hit $55 a barrel by end-2016, it forecast. To be fair, Bank of America Merrill Lynch wasnt alone with its bullish forecast. With crude starting to trend lower, it probably wont be long until more investment banks downgrade their crude oil forecast. As Ive explained at length, the supply and demand dynamics are shocking. Goldman Sachs, on the other hand, seems to understand whats going on. Its forecast has been more consistent of late. This is what Goldman said during the week of 6 June the week of the high, and when I initially warned you to sell your crude stocks. Bloomberg reported: A decline in production driven by unexpected supply disruptions, as well as sustained demand, have resulted in a sudden halt to the output surplus, Goldman analysts Damien Courvalin and Jeffrey Currie wrote in a report. Other banks such as Morgan Stanley, Barclays Plc and Bank of America Corp. also noted that supply losses are leading markets to rebalance. The physical rebalancing of the oil market has finally started, Goldman said. The bank raised its U.S. crude price forecast for the second half of 2016 to $50 a barrel from $45 estimated in March. It cut its forecast for the first quarter of 2017 to $45 from $55, but sees oil at $60 by the end of that year. The bank expects global demand to grow by 1.4 million barrels a day in 2016, versus 1.2 million predicted previously. While Goldmans forecast is on the safe side of the fence, the crude oil price has crashed to the bottom end of its 2016 target. Regardless, hats off to the investment bank for sticking with its forecastat least for now. According to CNBC on 28 July, Crude oil prices will remain in the $45-$50-a-barrel range till mid-2017, with little to change the global supply and demand situation, Goldman Sachs said in a note Thursday. The investment banks analysts ran through the many scenarios that would keep the oil market in stasis. The improvement in oil fundamentals remains fragile and continues to feature large offsetting forces: wildfires have helped offset surprisingly strong Iran production, slowing demand growth in India and China in 2H16 will help offset production issues in Nigeria and Venezuela and finally product builds have offset crude draws, they said. Look, I cant argue with the Goldmans forecast. The demand story remains anaemic in a deflationary-driven world economy, and the supply outlook doesnt look great. The trend is your friend, until it changes High gasoline inventories at New York, Europe and Singapore have raised concerns. According to investing.com yesterday, Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes said late Friday that the number of rigs drilling for oil in the U.S. last week increased by three to 374, the fifth straight weekly rise and the eighth increase in nine weeks. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline inventories increased by 452,000 barrels last week. Despite being in the midst of the peak summer-driving season in the U.S., gasoline stocks are well above the upper limit of the average range, according to the EIA. The report also showed that total crude oil inventories rose by a surprising 1.7 million barrels to 521.1 million barrels, which the EIA considered to be historically high levels for this time of year. According to market experts, elevated stocks of fuel products amid slowing global demand growth is expected to keep prices under pressure in the near-term. Whatever way you want to look at it, crude stinks! Resource Speculator readers who followed my buy and sell signals on the oilers have made a lot of money. But, unless a stock has near-term exploration upside that can offer potential short term share price rewards, Im not recommending any crude stocks to my readers. I believe there will be plenty of bargains in the months ahead especially if crude crashes to a new low, as I expect. Of course, crude could easily bounce higher in the ultra-short term. Remember, no market moves straight up or down. Financial markets have a habit of surprising, and playing with your mind. Thats why its important to appreciate the trend, despite your fundamental analysis. Take a look at the weekly Brent crude oil chart below: Source: Resource Speculator; Tradingview.com Click to enlarge Brent peaked on the major green resistance at roughly US$52 per barrel, which lines up with the blue resistance dating back to mid-2015 breakthrough range. The pink trend line, which acted as major support and dates back to the 2015 low, has broken down. Crucially, crude has now cracked the black support level. On all measures, the crude oil trend has turned down, and that screams sell. However, its never that simple. While crude could hit a new in the months ahead, we could see a bounce first. Keep in mind, crude tends to rally during August to September on a seasonal basis. The northern hemisphere summer, often results in a rise in gasoline demand. If gasoline drawdowns start to rise, and the rig count starts to fall, crude could rally to about US$47.60 per barrel this month thats the green resistance on the chart above. Of course, a rally isnt guaranteed. After all, the trend is your friend As it stands, the chart doesnt look good for crude. After posting a five-month rally, crude peaked in June. It then nosedived, closing below support last month. Thanks to higher taxes and excessive global regulation, crude demand could easily remain depressed into September. If the Baker Hughes rig count and inventories keep rising, oil could return to the US$37 per barrel range before bouncing higher. I recommend being cautious for now. Regardless of what happens next, crude should hit a fresh low in the months ahead. In the meantime, while the future remains uncertain, I suggest checking out three stocks that you can find in my free report, Three Bounce-Back Mining Belters to Buy NOW. In my view, there are no better three stocks to own this year. To get your FREE report today, click here. Regards, Jason Stevenson, Resources Analyst, Money Morning U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shot back at President Barack Obama's criticism of him as unfit for office, saying Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has embraced policies that have hurt national security and America's workers. "Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office," Trump said in a statement shortly after Obama issued a scathing attack and challenged Republican leaders to withdraw support for their "woefully unprepared" nominee. Search Keywords: Short link: A man who survived a pre-dawn bus wreck on a California highway says he was awakened from his sleep when he was thrown into the seat in front of him and then to the floor. Leonardo Sanchez spoke to The Associated Press in Spanish outside a hospital near where the bus hit a sign post on State Route 99 in the San Joaquin Valley early Tuesday. Authorities say five people were killed and at least five others were flown to hospitals in unknown condition. Sanchez says he found himself in a chaotic scene: passengers were screaming and crying, some called for help and some were unable to move. The 55-year-old says the impact left him with pain in his stomach and a bruised jaw and mouth. Search Keywords: Short link: The CF Woodford Equity Income fund has reached 9.2 billion under management despite outflows of 157 million over the last two months. Investors worried about the impact of Brexit on UK equities sold off the sector in June, marking the first outflows for Woodford Equity Income since launch in June 2014. According to from Morningstar Direct, June outflows totalled 143 million, with considerably more modest outflows last month of just 14 million. Before June the fund had seen constant inflows ever since its launch. In 2015 the fund enjoyed 3.2 billion of inflows, making it the most popular fund of the UK equity income sector within the year. Even during the stock market selloff in August 2015 thanks to the Chinas stock market crash, the fund still recorded inflows of 290 million. The news comes as the Investment Association reveals that assets under management reached a 12-month high across all fund sectors in June, totalling 948 billion despite outflows of 3.5 billion. CF Woodford Equity Income is a Bronze Rated fund managed by Neil Woodford, who has 34 years investment experience and he is one of the UKs most experienced equity income managers, said a Morningstar senior fund analyst. Analysts said that the long term track record of Woodford at his previous employer Invesco Perpetual proved his ability to stick to his strategy even during periods of poor performance. The strategy of this fund is clear, set with the objective of generating a positive capital return over the long term and growing the income whilst offering capital preservation. They added. The fund posted a positive return of 16.2% in 2015 and has gained 2.1% year to date. Despite the confidence shock of Brexit leading to fund withdrawals in June and July, the fund has taken 694 million inflows year to date. The Morningstar Category UK Equity Income sector as a whole has recorded 1.4 billion outflows year to date amid growing market uncertainty. The UK flex-cap equity sector has also suffered from 1 billion withdrawals. However within the sector, the Gold Rated CF Lindsell Train UK Equity fund still enjoyed 450 million inflows year to date. This fund gained 10.5% year to date and it has 16% five years annualised return. Investors Eye Gold and Biotech Funds Gold often becomes the safe haven go-to among investors in times of severe economic uncertainty, and this has been reflected in the popularity of gold funds. Chris Mellor, executive director of equities product management at Source, the ETF provider, said the recent amount of money flowing into gold products have been incredible. I guess it's a hedge against weaker growth, worse of economic outcome than people are expecting and the Brexit vote back at the end of June, the surprise there has induced to get more inflows into gold as people realized that this isn't a smooth process of economic recovery, Mellow said. The Gold Rated BlackRock Gold and General fund was on the top three most popular fund lists among Morningstar.co.uk readers in July, behind Woodford Equity Income and AXA Framlington Biotech. The fund saw 2 million inflows in June 2016 and has delivered a positive return of 129% year to date. Morningstar analyst Fatima Khizou believes this fund remains a strong offering for investors seeking mainstream gold and precious metals equity exposure in a risk-controlled manner. AXA Framlington Biotech also caught Morningstar.co.uk readers attention in July, coming second on the most popular fund list. The fund is managed by Linden Thomson since 2012, and it has proved a strong track record since then. It has 27.6% five years annualised returns and 17.6% three years annualised return. Investors Seek Global Equity Exposure The Bronze Rated Fundsmith Equity fund continues to see record inflows in 2016 amid market uncertainty. It came forth on the most popular fund list in July among Morningstar.co.uk readers. In April 2016 the fund recorded 404 million inflows, the highest inflows of the fund in five years and in June 2016 the fund recorded 396 million inflows. Morningstar analyst Muna Abu-Habsa said from a performance perspective since launch the fund has been in a sweet spot. Since launch in Nov 2010 to the end of Nov 2015, it is up 16.7% on an annualised basis; by comparison, the MSCI World Index is up 10.3%. The fund is further ahead of its average global large-cap equity Morningstar Category peer, which has returned 6.7% annualised, said Abu-Habsa,We believe Smiths long-term, distinctive approach and focus on delivering consistent, positive risk-adjusted returns make this a strong choice. Another global equity fund, the Lindsell Train Global Equity fund came after Fundsmith Equity on the most popular fund list in July. The fund gains 21.1% year to date and it has a 18.4% five years annualised return. Legg Mason IF Japan Equity fund was also on the most popular fund list in July. European shares hit a two-week low on Tuesday following poor results from some firms, including Metro and chipmaker Infineon, and another day of weak performance for the banking sector. The STOXX 600 fell 0.8 percent, its lowest level since July 19. Commerzbank fell 7 percent, the worst performer on the index, after warning that its earnings would fall this year. Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank fell 4.7 percent and 2.9 percent respectively after STOXX said they will be dropped from the STOXX Europe 50 index from Aug. 8. Europe's banking index fell 2.3 percent to its lowest in three weeks. German retailer Metro fell 5.4 percent after reported an unexpected loss in its fiscal third quarter largely due to restructuring costs at its core wholesale business in Germany, Belgium and Italy. Infineon, whose chips activate car airbags and enable cruise control, were down more than 4 percent after its profit and sales missed predictions due to a drop in demand at its power management and card payments businesses. Search Keywords: Short link: As opposed to new taxes, housing policies with greater scope and powers are actually the most effective solutions for the long-running affordability crisis in Canadas red-hot real estate markets, according to a major real estate firm.In a July 28 press release, Royal Pacific Realty Group stated that the government should focus on ensuring that ownership is possible even for first-time buyers by instituting comprehensive housing policies which will increase the supply of more affordable homes.The government needs to increase the supply of medium-density, ground-oriented family housing, Royal Pacific vice president and general manager Andrew Peck said in the news release.One effective way that governments can go about this is promoting the development of high-density, low-cost family homes via financial incentives.Our realtors have clients desperately looking for townhomes. If the government gave municipalities a financial incentive for each townhouse built, municipalities would increase their efforts to rezone property, Peck stated. Builders would build more townhomes and find eager buyers.The executive added that while it does exist on some level, the oft-talked about competition between domestic and foreign buyers is not the fundamental problem in Canadas red-hot real estate markets.The first hurdle is saving a down payment in a region where incomes continue to lag far behind home prices. The second hurdle is finding an affordable home in a market where demand for lower priced units far exceeds supply, Peck explained. As we enter the final week of the National Theatre Festival, Ahram Online highlights five plays worth attending before the festival ends Egypt's 9th National Theatre Festival opened on 19 July and runs until 8 August, offering a large assortment of plays on 14 stages. Check our recommendations for the festival's final week (2-8 August). Ya Sem Four dancers wearing red belly dance costumes, stepping slowly, they appear on stage while the tabla player gives the rhythm. Three other characters take their places around them as if listening to stories of old times. With each rhythm of the tabla, the dancers bodies convulse. They put on the anklets and get up to indulge in motion. However, this is not a belly dance show. Written, directed and choreographed by Sherine Hegazy, the performance makes us hear the cries of the female body and its revolt against all kinds of aggression, harassment and stress. The dance envelopes the concept of refusal or even rebellion as women stand up to the violence and oppression they experience in society. Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 August , 7pm Falaki theatre, Downtown, Cairo Nehayt El-Laaba (Endgame) Based on the text by Samuel Beckett and adapted and directed by Youssef Mostafa, the play showcases the absurdity of the world. The director based the performance on two characters (instead of four), underscoring the interdependent relationship between the blind and unable to stand Hamm and his servant Clov, who is unable to sit. Staying at home all the time, both Hamm and Clov are isolated from the world, torn between feelings of resentment and pity towards one another. The performance brings to the fore well balanced acting skills while the lighting helps emphasise the scenography and props. Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 August , 7pm Salah Abdel Sabour Hall, Taliaa Theatre, Attaba, Cairo Zay Al-Nass (Like People) In this performance, director Hani Afifi offers a lively and rather touching approach to the short play written by Bertolt Brecht in 1930, The Exception and the Rule. A humorous apology to injustice is about the rich merchant Karl Longmann, who crosses the desert with a guide and a coolie who carries his luggage. Desperate to reach his destination for the oil concession, he deprives the impoverished employees of rest. As he starts fearing that the two companions whom he mistreats would turn against him, the merchant decides to let the guide go. He also shoots the coolie when the latter one offers him a flask of water, which the merchant thought was a stone the coolie wanted to throw at him. In court, the merchant is acquitted. Not without a dosage of irony, Afifi captures the characters complexity in a sequence of skits that tell each scene. The scenography creates an additional emphasis on the sarcasm hidden in each of the situations. Friday 5 and Saturday 6 August at 7pm Creativity Center, Cairo Opera grounds, Zamalek, Cairo We enter the world of theatre director Abir Ali, who gives her take on George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, adapted by Amal El-Marghani and staged by the independent troupe El-Messaharati. The famed novel presents the world of Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party in Oceania, one of Orwells fictional super-states, believed to reference the Americas, the British Isles, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand. Freedom of expression does not exist, all thoughts are monitored, and large banners on the streets remind everyone that "Big Brother is watching you." On the visual level, Ali paid attention to many details that aim at transposing us to the meticulously monitored universe. She used the screens and cameras that duplicate scenes from life: video projections show war scenes, landscapes, etc. All serves to emphasise the idea of a mechanical life. There is neither a place for thinking nor for questioning the regime in power. Ali deprives the actors of colours, dressing them in gray uniforms and short black wigs. Black humour betrays painful and paradoxical messages long propagated by Islamists and male society. To ease the tension and resume with everyday images, Ali opts for a simple, everyday dialect. The songs written and performed by Mohamad Ali, who plays the protagonist (Smith), summarised some ideas and scenes from the novel. Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August, at 7pm Hanager Theatre, Cairo Opera grounds, Zamalek, Cairo Kolena Caligula (We Are All Caligula) Based on a play by Albert Camus, Kolena Caligula is directed and choreographed Mahmoud Moustaf and staged by the Egyptian Modern Dance Theatre Company. The performance stresses on a depiction of a struggle within Caligula (played by Ahmed Yehia), one that shifts between the human and the monstrous, power and weakness, good and evil. Through the dance that portrays the dramaturgy, the internal conflict of the legendary Roman tyrant is revealed. Caligula evokes desires, dreams and ideas about absolute power. Each idea is embodied by a dancer who captures Caligulas contrasting personality traits. Friday 5 and Saturday 6 August, at 9pm El-Gomhouria Theatre, 12 Al-Gomhouria Street, Abdeen, across from Abdin Palace, Downtown, Cairo Complete programme of the 9th National Theatre Festival: For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Home Price Gains Continue Cooling The pace of home price appreciation does finally appear to be slowing. CoreLogic has released its Home Price Index (HPI) for June and both monthly and year-over-year price gains are slightly lower than they were in May. Nationwide home prices, including distressed sales, rose 1.1 percent from May. The month-over-month gain from April to May was 1.3 percent and the index has seen monthly increases that have averaged 1.45 percent over the first half of 2016. On an annual basis the national HPI posted a 5.7 percent gain in June. The year began with a 6.9 percent gain over the previous January. It has slipped every month since. Prices increased way above the national average in the same three states that have led for months. Oregon posted a 10.9 percent gain and Washington was second at 10.3 percent with Colorado following at 9.2 percent. Nevada and Florida rounded out the top five with significantly lower gains, 7.7 percent and 7.0 percent respectively. Two states in the Northeast were the only ones with price declines over the year. Connecticut posted a 1.7 percent loss and New Jersey was down by 0.8 percent. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast indicates that home prices will increase by 5.3 percent on a year-over-year basis from June 2016 to June 2017, and on a month-over-month basis home prices are expected to increase 0.6 percent from June 2016 to July 2016. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast is a projection of home prices using the CoreLogic HPI and other economic variables. Values are derived from state-level forecasts by weighting indices according to the number of owner-occupied households for each state. "Mortgage rates dipped in June to their lowest level in more than three years, supporting home purchases," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. "Local markets with strong economic growth have generally had stronger home-price growth. Among large metropolitan areas, Denver had the lowest unemployment rate and the strongest home-price appreciation." Denver's annual gain was 10.2 percent. "Home prices continue to increase across the country, especially in the lower price ranges and in a number of metro areas," said Anand Nallathambi, President and CEO of CoreLogic. "We see prices continuing to increase at a healthy rate over the next year by as much as 5 percent." On Monday, August 1, 2016, California bill AB 51, the lane splitting bill, passed the full California State Senate in a 38-0 vote. AB 51 recently passed the Senate Transportation Committee in an 11-0 vote. The bill now returns to the California State Assembly for approval. All California motorcyclists who are interested in seeing AB 51 passed should contact their state senator and ask them to support the bill. You can find out who your representative is here. California AB 51 Lane Splitting Bill Passes State Senate Transportation Committee California Bill AB 51 Codifying Lane Splitting To Be Introduced To Committee AB 51 To Formally Legalize Lane-Splitting Hallelujah! The AMA Endorses Lane Splitting The Truth About Lane-Splitting Skidmarks Splitting Headache Anyone interested in watching a video of the vote can view it on Lanesplittingislegal.com (Caution: very boring!). Orbital Outfitters business is good to go. Thats the message that CEO Jeff Feige gave to Midland Development Corp. during the organizations monthly meeting Monday at City Hall. Building stuff always takes longer than it should, Feige told the Reporter-Telegram after the meeting, but Orbital is ready to kick off more than the spacesuit side of its business at Midland International Air & Space Port. The Midland Altitude Chamber Complex (MACC), which Orbital will operate, is fully operational and ready for customers. Feige said he is negotiating with four or five customers that want to conduct altitude chamber testing at the MACC, a critical step before sending anything or anyone out into space. The chamber could see its first commercial use next month, but scheduling is the toughest part. Some of these are multiyear projects, Feige said. A big satellite project is $50 million, and youre trying to do $500,000 of that project. Trying to work into their master multiyear schedule can be a hassle. Customers are just starting to turn up, but weve only been operational for a little while. Feige said space companies have a lot of interest in the MACC because their only other option is to have their testing performed by NASA. He said one spacesuit company he had talked with has made spacesuits for NASA for the past 40 years. While NASA offers them altitude chamber testing for free, the government space agency has an 18-month wait time to use its facilities. When is the MACC available? Stop by next week, he said. Orbital Outfitters and MDC inform space companies about the MACC by attending various industry conferences around the nation. The buzz is growing. Weve been telling people for three years that were going to do this, and when (Orbital Outfitters) presented this paper, people in the audience said, Oh my gosh! They actually built the thing! Were just so used to companies presenting the PowerPoints and not doing the projects, Feige said. Its almost like until you show pictures of the finished facilities and the stuff in it, people in the industry almost dont treat it like its real. Its only within the last four to five months that people realize the project is real and now need to jump on using it. Thats just a hangover of how the industry works, he said. Feige said that as more space companies work altitude chamber testing at the MACC, the chamber should be continuously busy. With seven full-time employees and counting, Orbital Outfitters welcomes the business, as does the MDC. The MACC is a significant asset for the city of Midland, MDC board Chairman Brent Hilliard told the Reporter-Telegram. Based on my own personal experiences having attended space conferences this year and feedback from our staff, I believe that investment is going to be a good draw for the city of Midland and Orbital Outfitters. Other MDC business Budget gets OK The board approved its budget for fiscal year 2016-17. MDC is projecting about $8.5 million in income from the Type A sales tax, the quarter-cent sales tax that funds the development corporation. Even though MDC expects more, Hilliard said that the board would rather lower its income projection to prevent being over-budget. Total operations are expected to cost about $9.7 million; $7.2 million of that is for previously made contractual obligations and investments. In total, the MDC has about $22.7 million in cash or cash equivalent and about $1.7 million in sales tax receivables for a total of $24.3 million in assets. Fairgrounds funding Board members approved entering into an economic development agreement with the city of Midland for right-of-way acquisition. MDC agreed to give the city up to $600,000 to acquire right-of-way for the possible extension of Fairgrounds Road north of Loop 250. MPO update Permian Basin Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Cameron Walker presented an update on its activities. An Interstate 20 corridor study funded by the Texas Department of Transportation is underway to gauge what improvements should be made to the highway. Its the interstates first study since 1999. The MPO is also working on an overpass at Loop 250 and Fairgrounds Road and will next eye a curvilinear overpass at Loop 250 and county roads 1150 and 60. Also in the works is a traffic demand model, which takes a scientific look at all things traffic in Midland. Downtown report Downtown Development Coordinator Cristina Odenborg gave a presentation about the city agencys role in revitalizing downtown. She said the city looks to attract new businesses downtown through a variety of incentives, perhaps the most critical being assistance in covering the cost of asbestos abatement. Odenborg also said she is working on ideas for monthly downtown events, such as farmers markets and art walks. Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes. Few things are as universally beloved as getting something for nothing. Everyone supports free samples at the grocery store, soda refills, and, perhaps one day soon, college tuition. Once an idealistic pipe dream of the far left, free higher education is now largely supported by a majority of Americans. Sixty-two percent say they support debt-free university tuition, according to a July survey of 1,000 American adults conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for consumer financial company Bankrate. Among those who are opposed to the initiative, 26 percent said they would support making college debt free for students coming from families that earn less than $50,000 annually. Another 5 percent are willing allow it for those whose families earn less than $85,000 a year. But when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, Americans are more reluctant. Among those surveyed, 48 percent they would not be willing to pay more in federal taxes to fund free college. Making college tuition free is most heavily supported by those in the millennial generation, the survey found. This is unsurprising, given that millennials face a staggering amount of student loan debt. Undergraduate borrowers who finished college in 2014 are burdened with an average $28,950 in loans, and the delinquency rate on such loans is increasing. A July survey by the Federal Reserve found 29.2 percent of those polled did not attend college because it was too expensive. Among those who started their degree, 28 percent said they could not complete it because of the cost. While 79 percent of millennials support free college, only 64 percent of Gen Xers and 49 percent of boomers feel similarly. Support is also split along political lines. Democrats overwhelmingly support the idea, while just 33 percent of Republicans are in favor. Debt forgiveness is not as attractive as free college, the survey found. About a third of those surveyed said student loans should be forgiven after the debtor makes payments for 10 years, but 40 percent said the loan should never be forgiven. So while the future might be student loan-free, Americans dont expect to cut a break for those who are already laden with debt. Quinton Gonzalez was a sophomore last school year at Roosevelt High Schools Design and Technology Academy, where an Advanced Placement Computer Science teacher told his class about a drone-building summer camp. Gonzalez, 16, didnt need further persuasion to sign up. Being able to fly stuff and crash them into things just sounds like fun, Gonzalez said. Its the dream. Gonzalezs dream became reality Thursday, when classrooms at the San Antonio school filled with flying and crashing drones. He and 19 other students from North East Independent School District middle and high schools finished the two-week drone camp by steering their creations through an obstacle course. Resembling quadrupeds with propeller feet and narrow, glowing eyes, the drones were supposed to hum their way under and over PVC pipes propped on chairs and through two hula hoops before landing on a trash can. Youth Code Jam, an organization that promotes computer programming to students, sponsored the camp. The students built the drones and remote controls themselves, said Debi Pfitzenmaier, the organizations founding executive director. They also used the Java computer language to program the remote controls. The students worked together, but each student got individual drones. This was Youth Code Jams first drone camp, but Pfitzenmaier hopes it will become an annual summer program. The camp was designed to boost students interest and confidence in science, technology, engineering and math and show them related career pathways, she said. The San Antonio tech ecosystem begins here, with these kids, she said. Some had experience coding, but few had used computer code to program something they could touch, Pfitzenmaier said. They begin to see what the code really can accomplish, she said. Many of the students came from White Middle School and Roosevelt Highs DATA program. The full cost of the camp was $550, but Pfitzenmaier said about 60 percent of the students received partial or full scholarships provided by Conceptual MindWorks, Rackspace and Accenture. Jenny Jett, 16, was the only girl in her AP Computer Science class last school year, as a sophomore at Roosevelt High. She said the drone camps director recruited her to join because Youth Code Jam wanted to enroll more girls. Jetts drone made it through the obstacle course. Afterward, she programmed the lights in its eyes to blink purple. Im the girl, she said. I cant mess up. I have to show I can do it. Some drones still needed work Thursday before their operators attempted the final challenge. Why is it doing that? an anguished Ramiro Rocha, 13, asked as his drone drifted to the ground. In an upstairs computer lab, Mahagani Lasciers, 12, was repeatedly trying to upload her code to the drone. She will be a seventh-grader next school year at Bush Middle School. She said she wanted to use her newfound skills to program other things, like remote-controlled cars. I really learned how I could put work from a computer into an object and see how it works, Mahagani said. Moments after District 4 Councilman J.Ross Lacy started off the citys budget process with a no vote on a top-end tax rate, he dropped the hammer on a proposed budget and tax rate he called unacceptable. Lacy called for city leaders to tighten their belts, even trimming staff if necessary, to keep the same tax rate as last year. He said the community is suffering this year because of the economic conditions and that the city should not follow the tax-raising trend he expects to be set by the other government entities inside Midland County. We should be setting the example and showing how we can lower our budget and keep our tax rate the same because we are not seeing a large decrease in property valuations, Lacy said. In fact, our property valuations increased by $450 million this year and yet we are still increasing the tax rate. It is unacceptable. The four members of the council who appeared at Tuesdays meeting considered a property tax rate for the upcoming year. The proposed tax rate previously reported is the effective rate (38.8038 cents per $100 valuation) plus 3 percent, or 39.9679 cents. The current fiscal year tax rate is 38.048. That means a Midlander with a property appraised at $200,000 will pay around $800 in property taxes (assuming no change in valuation). That is an increase of nearly $40. The city expects the average home price to increase 2.08 percent to $211,202. That extra 3 percent is expected to bring in an addition $1.372 million to the general fund. City leaders actually approved a rate Tuesday that is the effective rate, plus 4 percent. It is higher than the proposed rate, but the expectation is still to lower that rate when the final rate is approved. City staff told the council members present that once the rate is set they can still lower it but they cant raise it. Lacys was the lone vote against the rate and he anticipates more no votes through the process. He wants last years tax rate, is calling for the council to bypass certificates of obligation (council-approved bond debt) for street maintenance and is proposing a $150 million street maintenance bond (over a five-year period) to go before the voters in November 2017. He said he expects it is the obligation of the voters to make such a commitment, not the council sitting on its dais. He said Midlanders will follow the lead set by Texas voters who overwhelming approved propositions for infrastructure needs in a 2014 statewide election. If it is such a great idea, the voters will let us know, he said. Note: Council members present Tuesday were Lacy, Spencer Robnett, Sharla Hotchkiss and John Love III. The following is the City Council budget schedule: Aug. 16: The first of two public hearings will be held for discussion about the tax rate increase. Aug. 23: The second of two public hearings will be held for discussion about the tax rate increase. Aug. 30: A public hearing will be held about the 2017 budget. Sept. 13: Council will adopt a budget and tax rate increase ordinances. San Antonio Express-News SHERMAN, Texas (AP) An ex-principal at a North Texas elementary school has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being arrested at a mall for trying to solicit sex from someone he thought was a 16-year-old boy. Federal prosecutors say 47-year-old Oscar Figueroa of Carrollton was sentenced Monday in Sherman for child exploitation. He was convicted by a federal jury in April for attempting to coerce and enticement of minors. We were not bribed to drop ... Sonora Police, Serving Up Ice Cream During National Night Out 2015 View Photos Sonora, CA Across the country and the Mother Lode law enforcement officials and other first responders invite the public to National Night Out events. According to Sonora Police Chief Mark Stinson, tonight marks the 33rd anniversary of this community outreach effort. As he puts it, It is held in all 50 statesfor all citizens to come together with law enforcement and talk about ways they can better prepare themselves and fight crime and also how to protect against some of the criminal elements that are out there these days. While other jurisdictions may favor cookouts, Chief Stinson says his department prefers to dish out ice cream with their resource tips as they hobnob with local residents and also hear them share their perspectives. Discussing the latest and common-sense ways to secure ones residence remains a popular topic. He also emphasizes that, these days, another hot button subject how to become more alert about personal finances will help avoid citizens from inadvertently being tapped by some criminal element, either online or in person. The chief points to a series of Sonora Police Facebook posts recently created, alerting folks to the dangers of a whole new array of evolving scams being perpetrated through various means. Local National Night Out Event Details This evenings Sonora Police-hosted event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sonora Opera Hall (250 S. Washington St.). Come on downafter our presentation, myself and other individuals from the police department will be serving up ice cream. We can serve up a sundae, a banana split no matter what we will be happy to serve you, Chief Stinson says cheerily, confiding a preference for the frozen flavor concoction, Rocky Road. Tuolumne County Sheriffs Department is holding a somewhat similar event from 5 to 8 p.m. at Indigeny Reserve (14679 Summers Lane) in Sonora. Sheriffs officials are promoting it as a way to promote and reinforce law enforcement-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make local neighborhoods safer, better places to live as well as to increase awareness about law enforcement programs in the community, such as town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime efforts. Too, in Calaveras County, the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Support Team will stage an interagency program where Calaveras Sheriff Rick DiBasilio and other officials from the countys first responder groups will be available for the public to meet and talk with at the Terrace Plaza (1906 Vista Del Lago Drive) in Valley Springs from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Along with speakers the event will also feature games for the kids and free hotdogs. It was a close call for several homeowners in Seminole County Monday night when a brush fire in Geneva got out of control. And lightning is being blamed for sparking the fire. In the nearly 30 years hes lived in rural Seminole County, Tim Lee says hes never had flames come so close to his home from a brush fire. Brush fire burns close to homes in Geneva Lightning from over the weekend blamed for the fire Fire contained by late Monday night Never this close, said Lee. This was a close call for us. On Monday afternoon, the brush fire spread through the woods right behind Tim Lees home off Bee Lane in Geneva. Firefighters with the Florida Forestry Service and the Seminole County Fire Department had their hands full. The fire threatened several peoples homes, including Lees. Flames came within a few feet of Lees neighbors home. Its just what you deal with when you live out in the rural area you know, said Lee. Lee says this is why he keeps brush and trees cleared out and far away from his house. This used to be palmettos and pine trees and I cleared them all out to get rid of the pine trees, which are lightning rods, said Lee. Lightning over the weekend is being blamed for the fire. Lee believes it smoldered for a couple days until wind got it going on Monday. The forestry service said they found the tree with the lightning strike on it, thats how it started, said Lee. Lee says while there have been storms and rain all around here, his area has missed out any actual rain. Its been two months since weve had a good soaking rain, just a sprinkle here or there, said Lee. If we dont see some rain we will. Its a tinderbox out here, its dry. Luckily firefighters were able to stop the flames from reaching any of the homes. They had the fire contained by late Monday night. Firefighters are expected to keep a close eye on the area in the coming days. A North Texas woman who had plans this summer to meet her half-sister face-to-face for the first time never got the chance. Instead, Huong Tao's sibling traveled from California to Texas this week to attend her funeral. Tao, 32, was killed last week by her ex-husband, who bludgeoned her to death with a hammer just weeks after their 16-year marriage ended. The couple had three children. Khoa Dang Tao, 43, is being held without bail in the Dallas County Jail, charged with her murder. Huong Tao, a Vietnamese immigrant, and her half-sister Gina Rose had the same father, but they grew up in different countries. The two half-sisters recently became acquainted and talked over the phone. They had planned to meet in June, Rose said. "At least we did find each other in our hearts before he took her away," Rose said Tuesday. "And it's a comfort that he won't be getting out soon." Police said Khoa Tao called 911 on April 22 and admitted to police that he killed his ex-wife. Garland Police Lt. Keith Thompson said he told them her body was at his rented Garland house. Police found her body in a bedroom. Police confirmed that Huong Tao was bludgeoned to death with hammer but declined to give further details. According to her family, police told them that Khoa Tao ambushed his wife as she was leaving her Murphy home to go to work early that morning. They said police told them he hid behind the front seat. After the divorce, Huong Tao began a new life with her children and her fiance, said her mother, Suu Tsingo of San Francisco. "I don't know why he wanted to kill my daughter," Tsingo said in Wednesday's editions of The Dallas Morning News. "My daughter didn't make any trouble. He wanted to marry another woman in Hanoi, then we wanted Huong back." But trouble was brewing, said some neighbors and friends. They said Huong Tao had told them that her ex-husband had been stalking for the last few weeks. Huong Tao's supervisor at Dallas Semiconductor, Lance Davis, said she was afraid of her ex-husband. "She said that her ex-husband was threatening her," Davis said. "She was crying and didn't know what to do. "I didn't take it as seriously as I should have," he said. "Apparently, he followed through with his threats." Tsingo said her daughter tracked down her biological father to let him know he had grandchildren. She and Huong came to the United States in 1985. Her father worked at the U.S. Embassy in 1970 and was reassigned to the United States a month before she was born, family members said. Rose said her father first acknowledged Huong Tao as his daughter after she contacted him three years ago. He attended the funeral, but family members said he declined to be interviewed. Rose said a strong bond developed between the sisters within a few phone calls. They traded pictures and talked about their family resemblances. "It breaks my heart I wasn't able to meet her, or push to see her sooner than this," Rose said. "I can only pray the Lord will put her kids where they need to be, and if there's anything I can do about it, I'll be there for them. "Huong was my blood," she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO With more than two years to go, the race for Californias next governor is already attracting millions of dollars in campaign contributions. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has been raising money for more than a year and has $8.6 million in cash between two campaign accounts including $1.6 million raised between Jan. 1 and June 30 but a competing candidate is proving to be a strong fundraiser as well. Campaign finance reports released Monday show that state Treasurer John Chiang raised $2.3 million in the seven weeks of his campaign that were covered by the filing. Chiang, who entered the race in May, has an additional $3.2 million in his campaign account from his successful run for treasurer that can be used in his race for governor. More candidates are expected to join the race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, with those potentially including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Steve Westly, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. Money doesnt always win, but in a race like this when there are potentially half a dozen or more candidates, someone would like to jump ahead to give others a reason to say, Well, maybe I will consider something else, said Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. In Bay Area legislative races, former Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, raised $102,000 in the reporting period of May 22 to June 30 and has $936,000 in cash for her effort to replace termed-out Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley. Skinners opponent, former Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, D-Alameda, raised $113,000 during the reporting period, but has $76,000 in cash. In the contentious San Jose state Senate race, incumbent Jim Beall has been spending big against his rival, Assemblywoman Nora Campos. Beall has spent $883,000 since January, with half of those expenditures coming right before the June 7 primary, which he won by a large margin. Beall has $125,000 in cash remaining heading into the runoff against Campos in November. Campos reported Monday that she has $36,000 among four campaign accounts. She spent $184,000 ahead of the June primary on campaign mailers. The Bay Areas only Republican in the state Legislature, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker of San Ramon, has a significant fundraising lead over Democratic challenger Cheryl Cook-Kallio in the East Bays 16th Assembly District. Baker raised $237,000 between May 22 and June 30 and ended with $991,000 in cash. She has spent $452,000 since January. Cook-Kallio raised $169,000 during the most recent reporting period. In the mad dash to qualify Gov. Jerry Browns ballot measure on prison sentencing reform for the fall ballot, the campaign supporting Prop. 57 spent nearly $5 million on signature gathering this year, according to Mondays filings. Browns own ballot measure committee contributed $4.1 million to the Yes on Prop. 57 campaign, which now has just $120,000 in cash on hand. Wealthy Palo Alto physicist and Republican donor Charles Munger Jr. gave $7 million to the Yes on Prop. 54 campaign. The ballot measure would require the state Legislature to wait 72 hours after a bill is made public before voting on it and mandate that videos of public hearings be put on the Internet within 24 hours. A ballot measure to extend taxes on the wealthy to fund education has raised $18 million so far this year. The Yes on Prop. 55 campaign has spent $4 million this year in its efforts to extend income taxes being paid under Prop. 30. Its biggest contributor is the California Teachers Association, which gave $3.5 million this year. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez Virgin Galactic says it has received an operating license for its space tourism rocket from the Federal Aviation Administration. Virgin Galactic says the operating license awarded by the FAAs Office of Commercial Space Transportation will ultimately permit commercial operations. The company said Monday the licensing process involved a review of the systems design, safety analysis and flight trajectory analysis. Virgin Galatics first spaceship broke apart in 2014 during its fourth rocket-powered test flight when the co-pilot prematurely unlocked a key system. The second version of the companys SpaceShipTwo was unveiled in February. The first taxi test of the new spacecraft took place Monday morning at the Mojave (Kern County) airport. The taxi test evaluated and calibrated navigation and communications telemetry systems as it was pulled by a sport utility vehicle. Cybercrime Charges in Nigeria scams A Nigerian accused of scamming $60 million from companies around the world through fraudulent emails has been arrested after months of investigation, Interpol and Nigerias anti-fraud agency said Monday. One company paid out $15.4 million, according to an Interpol statement. The ringleader of a global scamming network, identified only as 40-year-old Mike, was arrested along with a 38-year-old accomplice in Nigerias oil capital, Port Harcourt, in June, the statement said. He is on administrative bail, which implies that officers do not yet have enough evidence to charge him. The man is accused of leading a network that compromised email accounts of small and medium-sized businesses around the world including in the United States, Australia, India, South Africa and Thailand. The statement didnt name any targets. The network involved about 40 people in Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa who provided malware and carried out the frauds, with money-laundering contacts in China, Europe and the United States providing bank account details. A suppliers email would be compromised and fake messages sent to a buyer with instructions for payment to a bank account under the networks control, the statement said. Or an executives email account would be taken over and a request for a wire transfer sent to an employee. Acquisitions Verizon to buy Fleetmatics Verizon says it plans to pay about $2.4 billion to buy Fleetmatics, which makes software used by cable companies, energy providers and others to manage their fleets of vehicles. Verizon will pay $60 for each share of Fleetmatics, a nearly 40 percent premium of the stocks closing price of $42.96 Friday. Fleetmatics, from Ireland, has more than 37,000 customers that use its software to track the location of vehicles driven by workers. New York Superstorm fraud alleged An engineering firm that was hired by insurance companies to evaluate damage caused by Superstorm Sandy was charged Monday with illegally altering reports prepared by inspectors in the field. HiRise Engineering and one of the companys project managers, Matthew Pappalardo, were charged with felony fraud. Pappalardo also faces charges of practicing engineering without a license. He and the company have denied wrongdoing. They pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Nassau County. The charges are the result of an investigation opened in 2014 by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after lawyers for scores of New York and New Jersey homeowners filed civil lawsuits claiming that altered engineering reports had led to them getting less insurance money than they deserved. In at least 25 cases, prosecutors allege that Pappalardo who was not an engineer had employees heavily edit field reports, sometimes in ways that substantially changed conclusions about the extent or cause of damage. The altered reports were submitted by HiRise without the approval of the engineers who actually inspected the homes, the attorney generals office said. Courts Workers comp claim denied A woman who found her 77-year-old husband crushed to death under an all-terrain vehicle when she brought him lunch at his job cannot sue his employer for severe emotional injuries she suffered, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday. Justices issued a unanimous decision in an appeal filed by Jenny Velecela. Her husband, Austin Irwin, was under the ATV doing repairs at All Habitat Services in Branford on July 16, 2011, when it slipped off a lift and killed him. Velecela found him a short time later. In an agreement with All Habitat Services, Velecela received $300,000 in workers compensation benefits for her husbands death, but she also filed a lawsuit against the company alleging it was responsible for the emotional injuries she suffered. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that Connecticuts workers compensation law bars people from suing for negligent infliction of emotional distress if they receive workers compensation. Chronicle News Services This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 SKIP DICKSTEIN Show More Show Less 3 of 3 RENSSELAER Monolith Solar hopes to break ground within the next three weeks on its long-delayed, $4.6 million headquarters project in Slingerlands using a U.S. Small Business Administration loan program. The company needs to close the loan and start construction by Aug. 25 to still qualify for $680,000 in tax breaks through the Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency. The New York Business Development Corp. in Albany is originating the loan, with participation by KeyBank, Monolith executive Steve Erby told the Times Union. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY Customers will find 63,000 square feet of bright, airy space to do their grocery shopping when the ShopRite at 1 Padanaram Road opens for business on Wednesday morning. Formerly an A&P, the store is the 11th ShopRite in Connecticut owned by the Cingari family. The store will open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at which the Cingari family will announce a donation to a charity at the ceremony. Regular store hours will be 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The transformation is amazing. Its one of the most beautiful stores we have. The people of Danbury will love it, Tom Cingari Jr., the familys produce and dairy supervisor, said. Cingari said the Danbury location will be unique with its expanded prepared food section and full-service meat department. They always have the best meats, seafood and produce, Stephen Bull, president of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, said Monday evening during a special reception for employees and invited guests. The new store will have about 230 employees. The Cingaris employ about 2,200 people in their supermarkets. You dont get a lot of family-owned supermarkets these days, Cingari said. When people work for us they feel like family. ShopRite is a cooperative under the parent company Wakefern/ShopRite. There are more than 250 ShopRites throughout Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Cingari family, one of 50 cooperative members, owns ShopRites in Brookfield, Southbury, Derby, Shelton, Fairfield, Stamford and Norwalk. They know what they are doing. These guys take it personal and have a formula that really works, Bull said. I think theyll be extremely well-received. They are very good businessmen and they know where to put their stores. Im happy this location will remain a grocery store. This side of town needed it to remain a grocery store. Rocky Cingari, president of the family business, said the Danbury store was the only A&P location that his family took over. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2015 and closed the Danbury store last fall. ShopRite worked throughout the winter and spring to get the store ready for Wednesdays opening. Weve become our own contractors and designers, he said. We had to be mindful of the new trends and had to incorporate them. Bruce Robinson, a consultant for the Cingari family, added: Every ShopRite is different. They reflect the area they are built in and the ethnicities of the people in the area. We also build every store with efficiency and sustainability in mind. The Danbury store features a series of photographs and paintings near the check-out area that reflect the citys history. The Cingari family has an interesting history of its own in the grocery store business. Tom Cingari Jr. and his cousin, Dominick Cingari, are part of the fourth generation of the family to work at ShopRite. The business started during the Depression when Salvatore Cingari loaded a bus with fresh produce and called his business Grade A Market. He opened a traditional location in 1943 and brought his sons into the business. They joined the Wakefern/ShopRite cooperative in 1991. The Cingaris have a strong tradition of giving back to the community in various ways. Sam Cingari is chairman of the board of the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. We started out in Stamford and started growing our roots. Its a big priority for us to become part of the community, Tom Cingari Jr. said. We bring that community-centered aspect into all of the communities where we expand. Rocky Cingari said Danbury customers can expect another ShopRite staple. Super service, super quality, he said. Thats our basis. cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Antonio medical technology company Acelity LP Inc., which sells advanced wound care and regenerative medicine products, saw its net loss widen by 14.2 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, but marked its seventh consecutive quarter of revenue growth. The company which is not publicly traded, but is owned by a private equity consortium achieved its biggest gains in regenerative medicine, such as products used to build soft tissue for breast reconstruction patients. Acelity reported a net loss of $20.1 million for the three months ending June 30, up from a $17.6 million net loss posted during the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to the loss on debt extinguishment of $10.1 million and professional fees of $6.9 million associated with debt transactions in the second quarter, the company said in a statement. But the companys revenue rose 2.3 percent in the latest quarter to $472.4 million, up from $461.6 million during the same period last year, buoyed partly by strong growth in sales of its expansion products and higher volumes associated with breast reconstruction procedures. Those expansion products include the Prevena Incision Management System, a battery-powered portable device used to prevent infections in surgical incisions, and the Abthera Therapy System, used to heal open abdominal wounds. Acelitys adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization declined 1 percent in the second quarter to $171.1 million, a slight drop from the $172.9 million recorded during the same period last year, primarily because of the companys push to release new products and investments made in its franchise structure and sales force to drive growth. Credit analysts focus more on EBITDA than net income to evaluate the financial health of private-equity-owned companies such as Acelity. The company also believes EBITDA is a better measure of its performance. EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Acelity demonstrated solid financial performance in the second quarter, CEO and President Joe Woody said. I am pleased with our performance during the quarter and continue to be impressed with our outstanding team of employees, Woody told investors and analysts during a conference call today. They are restoring peoples lives and finding new ways to deliver value to our customers and to the patients who use our products every day. For the company as a whole, the investment and focus on our strategy, innovation and commercial execution strengthens our position for future growth, he said. Acelity announced last August that it is planning an initial public offering of stock. How soon that happens still hasnt been determined. The company is continuing to evaluate the market, said Laurel Harper, Acelitys senior manager of corporate reputation. Acelity could pay down roughly $900 million to $1 billion in debt with the net proceeds of that public offering, Fitch Ratings predicted in a report released in May. Acelity was founded in San Antonio in 1976 as Kinetic Concepts Inc. KCI was a public company several times over the years, but went private in a leveraged buyout in 2011 when investors led by private equity firm Apax Partners, based in London paid more than $6 billion for the company. KCI and two medical technology companies it acquired, LifeCell and Systagenix, were rebranded as Acelity in 2014. Today, Acelity employs 1,500 people at its San Antonio headquarters. The company has more than 5,800 employees worldwide and sells products in more than 80 countries. Acelity is the worlds market leader in the advanced wound care industry, followed by Smith & Nephew, according to a BMI Research report released in June. During the second quarter, revenue for Acelitys advanced wound therapy products rose slightly by 0.2 percent to $355 million. Those products accelerate healing and prevent complications in patients with surgical wounds or chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, company filings show. Revenue for the companys regenerative medicine products grew 11 percent to $114.9 million, the biggest growth recorded since 2012, which Woody described as outstanding execution. Those products are used in general and reconstructive surgical procedures for soft tissue repairs, such as breast reconstruction and hernia repairs. This exceptional performance was led by double-digit growth in revenue from breast reconstruction procedures in the U.S., higher sales of our fat-grafting technology and solid performance in our international markets, Woody told investors and analysts today. The adoption of improved surgical techniques and solid execution by our sales force continues to positively impact our revenue. One analyst predicted Acelity will continue to expand its portfolio. We expect them to look outside the firm and acquire products that perhaps cant be developed in-house very easily or quickly or in a cost-effective way, said Bob Kirby, a Fitch Ratings analyst who monitors health care companies. In December, for instance, Acelity acquired the SNAP Therapy System from Spiracur Inc. for $42.5 million a portable device that patients can wear discreetly to keep wounds clean. One other way we expect them to enhance their growth is through expanding outside of the U.S., Kirby added. There are opportunities for them in emerging markets. Acelity generates about three-quarters of its sales in the U.S., according to the Fitch Ratings report released in May. The companys sales force already markets its products in Canada, Western Europe and other emerging markets, corporate filings show. Overall, the advanced wound care market is still growing, but not as rapidly as some other segments of health care because payers such as hospital chains and health insurance companies are pushing back and questioning prices they would have readily paid in the past, another analyst said. Its still a positive market. But it is challenging because of that fundamental issue, said Jamie Davies, BMI Researchs head of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and health care. pohare@express-news.net Humana The health insurance company Humana is hosting a series of mobile health screenings free of charge this month at specified locations in San Antonio, Boerne and New Braunfels. The events also will feature health education resources and live customer service agents to assist both Humana members and nonmembers. Courtesy photo San Antonio stem cell technology company StemBioSys Inc. has reached an agreement that will allow its products to be distributed in Europe. The agreement allows Cellaviva AB to be the exclusive distributor of StemBioSys products in Sweden and Denmark. The agreement also gives Cellaviva nonexclusive rights to distribute and market those goods throughout the rest of Europe. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The family of a man shot dead by four Oakland police officers as he carried a toy gun filed a federal lawsuit against the city Monday, saying the killing violated his constitutional rights and was the result of poor police training. Police said Richard Perkins Jr., 39, pointed a realistic-looking pellet gun at the officers the evening of Nov. 15 in East Oakland. Officers fired about a dozen rounds, killing him. His relatives, however, after watching surveillance-camera footage of the incident, said Perkins had complied with police commands and had warned the officers he was carrying the toy pistol but never raised it. Perkins was a motorcycle enthusiast and father of two who was working on a neighbors house remodeling before his death. He was shot after stopping to admire motorcycles that police had impounded while breaking up an illegal sideshow on 90th Avenue near Bancroft Avenue, the family said. Police referred questions about the case to the city attorneys office. A representative there declined to comment, saying lawyers hadnt yet been served with the lawsuit. The confrontation with the four officers three rookies and one sergeant who had been on the force for seven years happened after Perkins brandished the Desert Eagle replica gun, police said. Perkins was struck by several bullets, some of them in the head and back, according to an Alameda County coroners autopsy report. Perkins mother and siblings said the police account didnt match what they saw when they sat down with homicide investigators and watched footage taken from a gas station surveillance camera. The family said that when Officers Jonathan Cairo, Joshua Barnard and Allahno Hughes and Sgt. Joseph Turner approached Perkins, he held one arm in the air and the other arm lifted up his shirt to show the toy gun tucked into his waistband to forewarn them it was fake. Regina Perkins Bradley, 46, said it would have made no sense for her brother to point a toy gun at officers. Thats just like saying you would want to commit suicide, she said. That wasnt my brother. He loved life. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland on behalf Perkins mother, Ada Perkins-Henderson, 66, and 20-year-old son, Richard Perkins III. It claims the officers were inadequately trained, were negligent and used excessive force, and asks for unspecified compensation. Outside the Oakland federal courthouse Monday, Perkins family said police had been slow to tell them what happened the night he was killed. His mother recalled standing alongside the crime scene tape, not far from her house, and praying as investigators collected evidence, not knowing it was her son who had been shot. She found out two days later, she said. I know they have to go home at night, she said about police concerns for their safety. But they need to be careful when they pull the trigger. The incident was one of seven officer-involved shootings in Oakland last year, five of them fatal. Police and district attorney investigations into the Perkins shooting continue. The Police Department said all four officers involved in the incident have returned to work. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Kimberly Veklerov A teenager killed after an argument with another boy was identified Tuesday as a 16-year-old Fairfield resident. Dominic Gilliam was shot Sunday night in a parking lot on the 2700 block of North Texas Street, police said. Paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he died. Not every television show has a huge marketing budget, but that doesn't mean it isn't as good as its competitors. When it comes to what's popular on Netflix, it's not just the shows you know. Some of these programs that you've probably never heard score major points with viewers, including "The Last Kingdom." Akin to "Game of Thrones," this show follows an outcast who is out to claim the throne - and his birthright. On Monday Fox News announced the addition of Taya Kyle, widow of Navy SEAL and best-selling author Chris Kyle, to its list of contributors. Taya Kyle, 41, made her first appearance as a contributor on FOX & Friends just hours after Fox News made the announcement, discussing whether military officials should weigh in on politics. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NBC's hotly anticipated time-travel drama, "Timeless," will zip to San Antonio's Alamo a few days before the 1836 fall, for one episode of the gripping thriller, which bows on Oct. 3. First, the set-up: The series, from Eric Kripke ("Revolution," "Supernatural") and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield"), has a mysterious criminal stealing a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Hope arrives in the form of a trio: scientist Rufus (Malcolm Barrett), soldier Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and history professor Lucy (Abigail Spencer), all of whom must use the machine's prototype to travel back in time to critical events. While they must make every effort not to affect the past themselves, they must also stay one step ahead of Flynn (Goran Visnjic), a dangerous fugitive. The pilot has the team traveling back to 1937 and the Hindenburg disaster; another takes them to the Ford Theater in 1865, when President Lincoln was shot. A future installment will put the three at the Alamo, Ryan said at a press session today, "with heroes Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie and some non-famous people." "They'll be there (in vintage attire) three or four days before the siege began," Kripke added, "when there were women and children at the Alamo." As for where the filming will take place, don't expect Hollywood to travel to the actual Alamo in San Antonio. "We're in the process of building something -- not the entire Alamo, but part," Ryan said. "We're building these worlds each week. It's a high-wire act. We're doing something that most shows don't try and we'll succeed in a spectacular fashion -- or not." Kripke said a historian has been hired to make sure facts and details are as accurate as possible. The goal, however, is to present history to the audience that they've never seen before. "It's not dusty and school lesson-y," Kripke added, "but fascinating and visceral." No date has been set yet for the Alamo episode. jjakle@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Colin Bonnington has been looking for a way to shake things up for himself as an actor. Ive gotten tired of being stuck with someone elses idea, he said. It seems like a great way to stagnate. So he decided to pursue his own muse. Thats how he ended up standing under an overpass near Trinity University on Monday morning, waiting for sunrise. He was preparing for the first performance in his Under the Overpass: 31 Days at Dawn project. He stood stock-still for several minutes, eyes closed. As weak sunlight started to break through the clouds, he spoke the first words of Tennysons poem Tithonus: The woods decay, the woods decay and fall. The poem, written in 1833, is the plea of a man given eternal life to be released from it. Bonnington plans to perform the piece every morning this month in the same spot, just a few yards from the intersection of Mulberry Street and Stadium Drive. The whole idea is, I almost dont care if anybody is there, said Bonnington, 32. Im trying to get some answers out of it. If nobody sees a piece, is it theater? Does it count? What is a performance space? To Bonnington, whose local credits include playing a volatile ranch hand in Of Mice and Men at the Cellar Theater of The Playhouse San Antonio last fall, the spot where hes performing has all that he needs in that regard. Its an open area, he said. Thats a stage to me. And he finds the notion of revisiting a piece every day appealing. I like the idea of doing it for a month, he said. The poem is about someone who is stuck being eternal, and I think its easier for that to resonate if it feels like someone has got a period of time in their head. The performance takes less than 10 minutes. On Monday, the words were sometimes drowned out by the rumbling of traffic, but he held his focus, delivering a well-calibrated rendering of Tennysons words. Its a challenging piece, Bonnington said. Shakespeare wants you to succeed, he said. Tennyson wants to mystify you forever. Nanette Guadiano, Bonningtons girlfriend, stopped by for the performance, standing quietly on the sidewalk. Her encouragement motivated him to do the piece, he said. And shes glad that hes doing it. I love the idea, she said. If all goes according to plan, the project wont be a one-off. Bonnington has ideas for other non-traditional stagings and hopes to pursue them, as well. To me, this seems like an active step into my career, he said. dlmartin@express-news.net Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The secret to Chez Vatel Bistros enduring success? We are untrendy, chef Damien Watel said simply, after being informed that the restaurant has been awarded both readers and our critics top choice for French Restaurant. Then he clarified: We serve classic French cuisine in a friendly and unpretentious atmosphere. And that keeps our customers coming back. Indeed, Watel said he has many regulars whove patronized the restaurant for years. We know their favorite tables and what theyll order. Its almost like the Cheers bar here. Open since 1999 just a croissants throw away from the Olmos Park traffic circle, the restaurant, more commonly known by its former name Bistro Vatel, has watched as any number of other French dining spots have come and gone in San Antonio. Customers who rush to every new restaurant to try every new dish are not my clientele, he said. This is not an easy business, and Im proud to see that weve outlasted so many others. His menu includes dishes that have been there almost from Day One, including such classics as Dover sole, mussels, steak frites, salade nicoise and any number of duck-centric entrees. Being untrendy doesnt mean never changing, however. But even when he does tweak the menu, his regulars still will order dishes no longer listed. If we have the ingredients, well make it, Watel said. Its all about making the customers happy. Chez Vatel Bistro, 218 E. Olmos Dr., 210-828-3141, chezvatelbistro.com rmarini@express-news.net Twitter: @RichardMarini This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: PHILADLPHIA -- The day after the trade deadline is always filled with hellos and goodbyes. On Tuesday, the Giants said hello to new starter Matt Moore and reliever Will Smith. They had to bid Matt Duffy farewell by phone and text, and one starter had to say farewell to his rotation spot. Jake Peavy, a starter for all but one of his 378 career regular-season games, is moving to the bullpen to open a rotation spot for Moore, who will make his Giants debut at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday. Jeff Samardzija will be pushed back a day and start Friday night's series opener in Washington, slotted between Moore and Matt Cain. The Giants made a slew of additional moves. The activated infielder Ehire Adrianza from the disabled list. They also optioned relievers Albert Suarez and Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Sacramento to clear roster space for Moore and new reliever Will Smith. Peavy and Cain were the obvious choices to move to the bullpen. Manager Bruce Bochy said Peavy was "better equipped" to be a reliever because he can get loose more quickly, and that Cain looks like he is returning to the same good form he showed before injuring his hamstring. "Ive already spoken to Jake, Bochy said. Hes all in. He said hell do whatever it takes to help us win. He has a great attitude about it." Indeed, Peavy bounced around the clubhouse smiling as usual after getting the news and said, "What do you want me to do, sit around and pout about it? That's certainly not who I am or what I would ever do." Peavy had a 5.47 ERA in 21 starts this season but does not believe this move signals the end of his days as a starter. "Of course I want to start," he said. "I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that, and I believe I can start. That being said, I'm 100 percent committed to this organization and the contract I signed. "I love the guys in that room too much. I've put too much time and effort with those guys to let them down in any way of me not being happy with my personal situation or my role. Asked what kind of reliever he expects to be, Peavy said, "I think I'm going to be a good one." To get Moore, Giants had to part with a popular clubhouse guy in Duffy. Bochy spoke with his former third baseman by phone. "That's the crummy part of this time of year," Bochy said. "It's a bad-news, good-news thing. It's good news getting guys you're excited about, but to call Matt and thank him for his contributions. . . He was very popular here. I love Matt. He's such a good kid. "It's always tough to tell one of your players, especially one as popular as he is, 'Bye.'" Moore settled into the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park and got uniform No. 45, giving up the 55 he wore in Tampa Bay. The Giants are not giving that number away. It belonged to Tim Lincecum. Moore said he had no emotional attachment to 55, the number he was handed when the Rays first promoted him. Obviously Tim meant a lot when he was here, Moore said. By no means did I give it a second thought. As for joining the Giants, Moore said, Its hard to keep a smile off my face when I think about the things to come and being part of this group. Moore spent the afternoon getting acquainted with new teammates, casting one eye warily toward Joe Panik's locker. Moore was the Ray who beaned Panik with the bases loaded June 18 leading to his concussion. "It was a very scary moment, I'm sure, for him a little more than me," Moore said. "I was pretty upset with myself. I don't think I looked at him for five minutes because I didn't want to know what happened to him, where it hit him. I'm sure we'll catch up sooner or later." They caught up when Instigator in Chief Madison Bumgarner saw Panik, pointed toward Moore and yelled, "There he is. There's the one you've been looking for." Panik grabbed a bat and smacked the barrel into his open palm, as if he were ready to pound Moore, but Panik had a smile on his face and they had a nice chat. "Nobody wants to hit somebody in the head, at least I hope not," Panik said. "At the time I thought he was doing me a favor. I thought, 'Sweet! RBI.' When things start spinning on you after a while, you'd rather have taken a (strikeout) than the RBI." ORIGINAL POST: Folks, there is going to be a lot of roster news Tuesday with reliever Will Smith, infielder Ehire Adrianza and (perhaps) starter Matt Moore added to the 25-man roster. They could hold off with Moore until the day he pitches. Youll want to return here for the latest news. Or, as always, follow me on Twitter @hankschulman for instant news. For now, the lineup against the Phillies. The Giants finally have everyone healthy. Bochy is going with an interesting lineup that has Eduardo Nunez ninth. The lineup: Span CF Pagan LF Pence RF Posey C Crawford SS Belt 1B Panik 2B Bumgarner P Nunez 3B Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @hankschulman This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany The state's Public Service Commission on Monday passed a new set of standards that by 2030 aims to ensure that half of New York's energy comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind, as well as hydro plants. Also being used: geothermal power and off-shore wind energy in the state's coastal areas. "The commission's primary interest is to see that renewables get built in New York,'' PSC Chairwoman Audrey Zibelman said prior to the 3-0 vote. "I think this is a pragmatic approach.'' The move, which fulfills a goal earlier set out by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was lauded by environmental groups that say it puts the state in the forefront nationally of the clean energy movement. Environmental Advocates, for example, offered particularly strong praise for the mandate that power generators move toward a more renewable, green standard. "New York state has set visionary climate and clean energy goals what was missing until today was the requirement to turn those goals for the electricity sector into action,'' said Peter Iwanowicz, EA's executive director. "The Clean Energy Standard moves us down the path toward clean, renewable energy by taking the promise of getting half of our electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2030, and requiring power companies to get there.'' "Mandating that clean energy goals be achieved by 2030 cements New York's role as a leader in addressing climate change,'' Stuart Gruskin, chief conservation and external affairs officer for the Nature Conservancy in New York, said. The plan isn't without controversy, however, since it includes subsidies to ensure the state's existing upstate nuclear plants remain open. The thinking was that, without nuclear plants, natural gas would likely fill the gap. But unlike gas, nuclear plants emit no carbon, therefore they aren't viewed as contributing to global warming. Due to the current low price of gas, nuclear plant operators say they need a subsidy to compete on price or they will go out of business. With that in mind, the state agreed to subsidize the upstate plants. And it left the door open for possible subsidies to the Indian Point nuclear plant in Westchester. Critics, such as Westchester Democratic Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, have complained that the subsidies mean New Yorkers across the state will be paying more for their power as much as $7.6 billion over the next 12 years. Anti-nuclear activists such as Manna Jo Greene, who works with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, said that money would be better spent to develop more renewables. "That's where the subsidies should be going,'' she said. But supporters, such as Rob DiFrancesco, of New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance, a nuclear industry group, said the state's nuclear plants avoid what could otherwise be another 15.5 million tons of carbon going into the atmosphere each year. "New Yorkers win because they keep abundant, clean sources of power that generate billions of dollars in annual economic activity in the state, while preserving emission-free nuclear power plants that help the state meet its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent," he said. State officials also noted that the subsidies shouldn't be more than $2 per month for most residential consumers. The subsidies will come through carbon reduction credits that are built into the plan. One of the main beneficiaries will be the Chicago-based Exelon Corp., which owns the R.E. Ginna and Nine Mile Point nuclear plants in Wayne County and north of Syracuse. The firm, according to reports, also is looking at purchasing the James A. FitzPatrick plant near Oswego from the Entergy Co. Timing was a consideration in passing the plan, Zibelman said. FitzPatrick's operators need to plan now to refuel or restock the plant with new fuel rods. They had initially said they would shut it down next winter when refueling time came. But shutdowns in nuclear plants tend to be permanent due to the cost of getting them started again. "When it shuts down, it's gone,'' Zibelman said. The plan does more than subsidize nuclear plants. It also calls for a ''Made in New York'' element that allows consumers who don't mind paying a bit more to specify that they want to purchase energy from renewable sources developed in New York. Zibelman compared that to the desire by some consumers for locally grown as well as organic foods. They envision a "New York certified'' renewable energy designation for such providers. At the same time, the plan also allows credits for new hydroelectric sources, as long as they don't require new impoundments, or dams. Those sources could come from Canada, which has a wealth of hydroelectric resources, especially in northern Quebec. The nuclear and renewable component of Monday's vote drew onlookers and demonstrators. Pro- and anti-nuclear supporters packed what is usually a largely empty Public Service Commission hearing room, prompting the agency to open up two additional conference rooms where people could watch the meeting on a webcast. While the rules are now in place, Zibelman stressed that the plan includes a triennial review when they can reassess how the plan is progressing and make adjustments as needed. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT Housatonic Community College will holds a Super Saturday registration blitz on Saturday, August 6. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will give individuals the chance to get their questions answered and register for classes. Students will be able to learn about programs, decide on courses and move through the registration process. All other community colleges in the state will be hosting similar events on their campuses that day. Classes start August 29. The campus is located bounded by Lafayette Blvd, State Street and Broad Street in downtown Bridgeport, right off Exit 27 of I-95. For more information, contact Earl Graham, HCC Director of Admissions, at 203-332-5290. BRIDGEPORT A 23-year-old man was in serious condition Monday night in Bridgeport after being shot six times. Police said the man, who was not immediately identified, was shot while standing on Butler Avenue near Fairfield Avenue. Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said the victim was shot in the arms and the buttocks. The shooting victim was taken to St. Vincents Medical Center where Fitzgerald said he was expected to survive. He is talking but is being uncooperative, Fitzgerald said. Police Chief Armando Perez said it appears that the shooting was the result of an earlier dispute. But the chief said the incident was still under investigation. Its just terrible, the number of illegal guns that are on the streets, but we are taking efforts to get them, Perez said. Another report of a shooting Monday night on Wood Avenue turned out to be fireworks, police said. Anyone with any information on the Butler Avenue shooting is asked to call Bridgeport Police at 203-576-TIPS. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD The former White House attorney who nearly killed his wife with a metal flashlight has been dealt another legal setback. The attorney for J. Michael Farren argued Monday before Judge Robert Genuario that her clients ex-wife should not be allowed to collect the $28.6 million civil judgment until the U.S. Supreme Court decides on his latest appeal. Genuario, however, denied Farrens petition on Tuesday, saying only t he state Appellate Court could provide a stay of execution for a pending U.S. Supreme Court case. Genuario noted Farrens motion to the Appellate Court to stop his former wife, Mary Margaret Farren, from collecting the judgment had already been denied. Genuario said the state law is clear and mandatory. The defendant is not entitled to seek a stay from the Superior Court having been denied one by the Appellate Court, Genuario said in his ruling. Farren, 63, who served as an attorney for both Bush administrations, is serving a 15-year prison term at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, for the attempted murder of his wife during a violent, prolonged and vicious domestic assault in their New Canaan mansion in January 2010. More for you Former White House attorney convicted of attempted murder... Farren, who has already lost his state appeal on the case, is hoping the highest court will review the case on the grounds that he was committed in a Hartford hospital during the time of the civil trial in late 2013. But his ex-wifes attorney, Paul Slager, said Farren has been holding his clients money since the settlement was awarded more than two years ago and he should not be allowed to continue to cause delays. jnickerson@scni.com; BRIDGEPORT A suspect briefly eluded capture Tuesday morning by jumping from the East Washington Avenue bridge into the Pequonnock River. The problem was, he didnt know how to swim, police said. The man, who was not immediately identified, had four outstanding warrants. When an officer approached, at 11:30 a.m. he jumped into the river but quickly began to flounder. He cant swim and he looks like hes drowning, an officer radioed. Hurry up. A dispatcher got the police departments Marine 1 rescue boat started, but the suspect was able to climb out of the water and was taken into custody. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Museum of the Gulf Coast and The Jefferson County of Historical Commission will host a "Jefferson County Scavenger Hunt" from Aug. 22 to Sept. 30 to promote historical sites in the county. Participants must check in at the Museum of the Gulf Coast to sign up, see the scavenger hunt list and be considered for prizes. The hunt is free and open to all ages, but participants 18 and under must have a parent or guardian sign for them. Acknowledgment of the rules are required in order to avoid trespassing. "If the recent Pokemon Go craze has taught us anything, it's that common sense isn't so common," Sarah Bellin, a curator with the Museum of the Gulf Coast, said. The way to play is to document visits with photographs. They way to win is to be the first person to deliver your answers and photographs to the Museum of the Gulf Coast. There will be three additional prize categories for: best photography, additional historical material provided and most likes or shares on social media. The hunt will begin on Aug. 22 at 9 a.m., but registration will stay open through Sept. 30. The deadline to submit scavenger hunt materials is by noon on Oct. 1. One free admission to the Museum will be given to hunt participants. Other sites are not obligated to give participants free admission; however, entrance to a marker site which has a fee is not required to win. The clues to the hunt are in the form of riddles and photographs displayed in the Museum's Dunn Gallery, and the majority of sites have Texas Historic Markers placed by the Jefferson County Historical Commission. Members of the Jefferson County Historical Commission are not eligible to win, but may assist contestants in finding the answers. NEW CANAAN Police arrested a Miami, Fla. woman who drunkenly drove off the road and into a ditch on Monday afternoon. On July 26 around 5:20 p.m., police were summoned to the area of Indian Rock and Country Club roads on a report of a vehicle in a ditch. When officers arrived at the scene, they smelled alcohol on the drivers breath. The 30-year-old Floridian consequently failed a field sobriety test and was taken into police custody. She refused a breathalyzer test. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Orange County jail Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Jake Daniels Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Almost a year after a federal judge upheld a trial court ruling to award $1.5 million to family of an Orange man who died in county custody in 2011, attorneys for the county will try this month to sway a higher court to toss the verdict. Judges with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in an Oxford, Mississippi, courtroom on Aug. 30 in the death of Robert Montano, a diagnosed schizophrenic who a federal jury found died as a result of neglect inside an Orange County jail cell on Oct. 12, 2011. After more than 24 hours here I havent seen or heard a mosquito, which many think is the most frightening thing this city has to offer. So on my first full day in the Olympic city, I ventured to see another scary thing: the waters of Guanabara Bay. The huge bay is on the other side of Sugarloaf from Copacabana beach. It is where the sailing events will take place and is the subject of horror stories about the high level of pollution. Raw sewage dumps directly into the bay. The Associated Press reported Monday that the levels of viruses in the water remain at dangerous levels, putting athletes and visitors at risk. My colleague David Barron and I took a trip bus, then Uber from the Olympic Park to Marina da Gloria, site of the sailing venue. This is roughly like going from Santa Rosa to San Francisco: The main Olympic Park is basically a distant suburb from the heart of Rio. The sailing site is spectacular, but flawed, like so much else here. Construction workers were busy repairing the main ramp at the venue, which collapsed Saturday in the midst of high winds and rain. In the distance, the mountaintop Cristo statue watches over all. The breezy bay was full of athletes training for competition. Though one American sailor told us the garbage scows were out, collecting debris, we didnt see them. But its what you cant see that will harm you. The microbes are undetectable by the naked eye. So though body parts and dead animals have been reported washing up, and I saw plenty of garbage, thats not the primary concern. The worry is that athletes could get violently ill during training and competition. It turns out sailors are used to such things. They deal with all kinds of waters around the globe. Caleb Paine, an Olympian from San Diego, said he hasnt gotten sick despite putting in more than 200 days over three years on the Guanabara waters. On Monday, Paine was hosing down his Finn dinghy, but not because of bacteria. It was because he didnt want the salt to damage the chrome fittings. He said he takes no more precautions than he would anywhere else. Washes the boat. Washes himself. Doesnt worry. Brazilians have been sailing here forever, and there are a lot of really good Brazilian sailors, Paine said. Paine sails with a sticker that says No Paine, no gain. Thats pretty much the athletes mantra: Keep your eye on the prize, not on the microbes. Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion Tropical Storm Earl is heading west at 22 mph with sustained wind of 50 mph, that National Weather Service reported. The storm - the Atlantic season's fifth named storm - is moving south of Jamaica heading for Central America. At its current, Earl is expected to vault over the land mass in the south of the Yucatan peninsula and across the southern Bay of Campeche. By Thursday night, Earl make a second landfall in Mexico. "There might be some extra moisture in deep South Texas," said Andy Tingler of the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. "It doesn't have time to gather strength because even though the water is warm enough," Tingler said. He said a ridge of high pressure along the Upper Gulf Coast is steering the weather system to the west. A second wave that formed south of the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa that at first had seemed as if it had a better chance of strengthening. Tingler said it fell apart. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WILTON The Wilton Womans Club (WWC) awarded four scholarships last month to Wilton High School seniors Jessica Kobsa, Tori Baggio, Lauren Wyman and Sarah Moore. Each year, the Club awards two types of scholarships to deserving young women in Wilton. One is the Julia Robb Memorial Art Scholarship; the other is the Elizabeth Sternad Scholarship. The Julia Robb Memorial Art Scholarship honors a former very active member of the Womans Club. Robb was passionate about the arts, and ran the Wilton Autumn Art and Craft Festival a two-day, juried event at the Wilton High School Fieldhouse that featured over 150 exhibitors and ran for over twelve years. The WWC used funds raised from the festival to help support over 40 non-profit organizations in Wilton and Fairfield County. Local artist and WWC member Maya Boreen and Doris Noonan judged the work of the Julia Robb Memorial Art Scholarship applicants. First place went to Lauren Wyman for her technically superior pencil drawings. Wyman will be attending the University of British Columbia this fall. Second place went to Sarah Moore for the wonderful sense of composition in her photographs. Moore will be attending the University of Connecticut. The Elizabeth Sternad Scholarship honors the founder of the Wilton Womans Club, Betty Sternad, who established the club in 1966. Along with her daughter Shelley Sternad Dempsey, she remains an active member of the club. Sternad is celebrating her 90th birthday this year. This scholarship is awarded for outstanding community service, strong character and leadership. Dempsey and Stacey Savas evaluated the applicants, and awarded the scholarships to Tori Baggio and Jessica Kobsa. As president of C.O.D.E.S., Baggio facilitated a community-wide leadership conference, in addition to coordinating and leading a drive to help homeless people. As a leader of Circle of Cares Art From the Heart team, she spearheaded fundraising efforts to makeover the room of a child cancer patient into the room of his dreams. This fall, Baggio will start at Providence College where she intends to major in social work. As president of the Open Art Club, Kobsa initiated a planned annual project, donating student-created art to Yale-New Haven Childrens Hospital and the Greens at Cannondale senior living facility. As president of the Habitat for Humanity Club, Jessica not only worked each month on houses under construction, but also led fundraisers for the organization. Kobsa will be attending Dartmouth College, where she plans to take pre-med classes and major in Spanish so that she can become a doctor and offer medical services in both languages. The Wilton Womans Club celebrates its 50th anniversary in Wilton this year, and remains committed to community service, philanthropy, education, and creating social bonds between women. As Kobsa put it, The club is one of the parts of town that make Wilton not just a town, but a community. For more information, please visit www.wiltonwomansclub.org. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The vice president of the Student Government Association at the University of Houston has been punished by her student senate after she posted on Facebook: "Forget #BlackLivesMatter; more like #AllLivesMatter." Student body vice president Rohini Sethi has been suspended by the SGA and is temporarily barred from participating in group activities. She is also due to attend a diversity workshop per the ruling. She must also attend three cultural events per month, write a reflection letter, and make a public presentation to a senate meeting on Sept. 28, according to KTRK-TV. Sethi could lose her position in student government if she doesnt meet these demands. RELATED: Hashtag demands UH student leader leave office after 'All Lives Matter' post On Monday, the University of Houston released a statement reiterating that the actions taken by the association are those of the student-run group and did not come from the university itself. Actions by SGA, a registered student organization subject to its own governance, are not University actions and do not affect the academic standing of a student at the University of Houston. The University of Houston continues to stand firm in support of free speech and does not discipline students for exercising their Constitutional rights, the school stated in a release on Monday afternoon. In early July, the association vice president came under fire for her comment, which she quickly apologized for and deleted. RELATED: Black Lives Matter Houston: We don't condone violence This all began the night of the deadly shootings at Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas that left five officers dead and nine others wounded. #RemoveRohini was trending in Houston in the days after the posting, with the vitriol towards Sethi palpable. Soon after this, UH Student Government Association President Shane Smith told the Daily Cougar, the UH newspaper, that Sethi's opinion was not SGA's official position. "SGA believes that the diversity of our student body is what has led to our success as a university. While we value each other's differences, there are racial injustices throughout our country that prevent true equality. We all need to work together to be part of the solution." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate IRVING, Texas - The news crew is here, but the famous boy is still asleep. He had just flown 22 hours, back to this squat stone house where he used to live when he was just a regular 14-year-old. His bright green go-kart is still out back. A year ago, he could have woken up and spent hours tinkering with its engine. He could have spent the day on his trampoline, or just watching funny YouTube videos on his phone. Instead, he's waking up to the sound of more reporters in the living room. Because he's not Ahmed Mohamed, a regular 14-year-old. He's Clock Boy, a viral sensation, the accidental embodiment of a national debate about Muslims being dangerous - or not. A black youth mistreated by overzealous cops - or an example of vigilance against potential terrorism. So Ahmed gets out of bed, opens the bedroom door and steps into the hall. He lifts his arm in a half wave. "There he is!" The cameraman shouts, like he's seeing an old friend. Ahmed got taller, they all point out. New glasses and a growth spurt have subtly transformed him from boyish to teenage. "He is still sleepy," his father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, apologizes. The reporters are from Fox 4, a local TV channel. Mohamed invited them here, on Ahmed's first day back in Texas after nine months in Qatar. They moved a month after Ahmed was arrested for possessing a homemade clock that his school deemed suspicious-looking.The move, it seemed, was an attempt to escape the spotlight, or at least the hate mail and death threats that came with it. And yet, Ahmed's summer homecoming was heralded to reporters with a news release sent out by the family and its supporters: Clock Boy is back, and ready to be interviewed. "You just wake up?" Ahmed's uncle, Aldean, says. "Go prepare yourself." Ahmed changes into a T-shirt with the number 23 - for LeBron James - across the chest. They hand him a microphone. He doesn't need to be told how to put it on. They seat him on a velvet-tufted chair. "All right, Ahmed, it's just you and me talking, the rest of the world listening," the reporter says. "So don't be nervous." His father interrupts. "Do you want to talk to me? Or just him?" "Oh. Yeah, we'll talk to Dad, too. We'll just do it separate." --- The living room is packed: cousins, aunts, grandmother. Ahmed's Uncle Aldean, who in the early 1980s was the first Mohamed to move from Sudan - where their family owned a successful cotton farm and attended prestigious schools - to New York, where he sold balloons and hot dogs in front of Rockefeller Center. Ahmed's father, an imam, who followed his brother to America and ever since has been explaining to anyone who will listen that real Muslims are peaceful. Their family friend Anthony Bond, the founder of the Irving NAACP, who has been calling the Mohameds in Qatar to tell them how, since they left, things are getting worse. Clashes between black communities and the police are in the news every day. Donald Trump, the man who wants to ban Muslim immigrants like the Mohameds from the United States, may become president. Everyone's eyes are on Ahmed. The reporter leans forward. "How empowered do you feel to help make a difference in the world today, given what you've been through?" he asks. "Wait," Ahmed says. "Did the interview start?" Yes. The reporter moves on to another question. Bond gives Ahmed a reassuring smile. He was the first person the family called when they brought Ahmed home from the police station. They wondered: Would this have happened if his name wasn't Ahmed Mohamed? Bond said: Let's call the media. He said: This city has transformed from whitewashed to incredibly diverse, and we're still being mistreated. He said: With all the discrimination going on in the world, this little boy can make a positive difference. "Upon coming back, what went through your mind?" the reporter is asking. "Did you have thoughts in your head like, 'Oh, God, there may be protesters?' " "Why would people protest me?" Ahmed says. "Well, I'm just asking. So you came in and you're like, 'I'm a rock star!' " "I came in - I was just - heading home, because I was tired." --- Ahmed walks in the house later that evening to find his uncle, dad and Bond in front of the TV, searching for his name again. "We want to watch you on the Dallas Morning News," his dad says. Ahmed had a "Facebook Live" interview with the newspaper after talking to Fox 4, and they're trying to find it on YouTube. "It's on Facebook," Ahmed says, raising his voice over the clang of dishes being washed by his aunts in the kitchen. His mom and four of his siblings haven't yet come from Qatar, so Ahmed, his brother and his father are staying with the cousins who now live in their old house. They push the remote into Ahmed's hand. Searching for his name is a daily ritual. The family is its own public relations firm, founded Sept. 14, 2015, as they brought Ahmed home from the police station. Mohamed was ranting about how only God will judge his son. Ahmed was still hearing the "Ooooooh" sound the other students made as he was led out of class. The police were going to charge him with possession of a hoax bomb. His parents had a choice: deal with this quietly, or tell someone. Their son had been placed in handcuffs and interrogated, in a town known for its resentment of Muslims. So they called the media, and soon Ahmed was trending on Twitter, and everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to President Barack Obama was sharing messages of support. Two days after he was arrested, the charges were dropped. "This is what happens when we (IPD) screw something up," one Irving Police Department detective wrote in an email later uncovered as part of a public records request from Vice. "That thing didn't even look like a bomb." And so came the next choice: Let this all die down, or seize the platform they'd been given and use it. So they put Ahmed on "Good Morning America," MSNBC and "The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore." He told reporters how kids in school called him ISIS Boy. Sympathetic crowdfunders raised $18,000 for his education. He visited the White House, the Google Science Fair and the president of his home country of Sudan (a wanted war criminal, but Mohamed said it would be rude not to accept the invitation). --- "It's not on here," Ahmed is saying, trying to find the video for his dad. "It's on Facebook. It's not on YouTube." His 8-year-old cousin Dooly is hanging on his legs. "Ahmed, hold me!" Dooly whines. "Ahmed, go to the Dallas Morning News," Bond says. Soon an argument has broken out: They've learned that Fox 4, the channel that interviewed Ahmed that morning, had conservative commentator Ben Ferguson on the 10 p.m. news to say that the Mohameds plotted Ahmed's arrest and is obsessed with being famous. "They've never been fair about Ahmed," Bond growls at Mohamed. "If I had known you were going to invite them, I would have told you! I would have told you to work with Channel 8!" "They're going to talk no matter what we do!" Mohamed snaps back. In his eyes, the more Ahmed is seen, the better. It's good for the family, he says. Twice in his life he has run for president of Sudan. He plans to run again in 2020. The more people who know him, the better his chances. Ahmed slinks away to the corner of the room and gets on his phone. Does he want to do all these interviews? "For the most part, yes, and sometimes no. If I wouldn't get tired, I would do more interviews so I would have more influence." His dad tells him that this is God opening doors for him. Something bad happened, but God turned it to make it good. God chose him for this, so he can make the world a better place. Only now, he feels safer on the other side of the world. As trolls tried to pick apart his story, someone posted the Mohameds' home address on Twitter. Many American schools contacted them, but Mohamed says they would only take Ahmed and not his siblings. Qatar Foundation, the government-sponsored school in what is known as the country's elite "Education City," offered to take them all and pay for his older sisters' college. In Qatar, his parents don't work. Ahmed goes to school at 7 a.m., comes home to the four-bedroom townhouse where their family of eight lives, and gets on his laptop. "Not many kids play outside. I never really do anything," he says. "I just watch stuff online and I get bored. Sometimes I just go outside and stare at the sun, and then go back inside." The Internet is his refuge - and his attacker. He reads every story and long, rambling conspiracy theory about him. Countless blogs and videos have been dedicated to proving Ahmed's clock was just a Radio Shack clock he put in a new box. (It was partially made of Radio Shack parts, but the design was all his own, he says.) Others insist that this was all a stunt masterminded by Mohamed to get attention. ("He can't plan the reaction. And why would he want me to get arrested?" Ahmed says.) Still more have proclaimed that the Mohameds are terrorist sympathizers because they once owned a company called Twin Towers Transportation. (They did own a company by that name, because their offices were housed in a Dallas office building called the Twin Towers.) Ahmed would like to respond, but he never does because then he will have allowed himself to be angry. In Islam, Ahmed says, you are most vulnerable to the devil when you are angry. Instead he tweets only positive messages to his 97,000 followers. Like when he announced "Just Arrived in Dallas!" with a heart emoji and "It feels good to be back!" "plz go back to Qatar. You're not welcome here." "Go back with your terrorist dad" "They think that all Muslims are terrorist people who kill for their religion," Ahmed says. A mosquito lands on the floor in front of him and he sets down his phone. "I can catch a mosquito," he tells his cousin Dooly. He lunges. It flies away. He sits back down, waiting until it zooms around again. "#BinLaden Reincarnated ANYONE?" The mosquito lands, and he nabs it. Instead of killing it, he picks off its wings. "Ohhhhh," his cousin says in awe. "Mosquitoes are bad. They kill a lot of people." Ahmed pauses, smirking. "That's wrong. I shouldn't generalize mosquitoes." --- Some days, Ahmed lets himself imagine what life would be like if none of this had happened. Amy Schumer wouldn't follow him on Twitter. He wouldn't know what it feels like to shake Obama's hand. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology wouldn't have accepted him to college. But he wouldn't be scared when he sees police cars. Maybe he would have made new friends in high school. By now he could have invented something new - not just a clock that only took him a few minutes to put together from parts in his family's garage, which was full of '90s-era electronics from when his uncle ran a chain called Beeper Warehouse. His middle school tutors say shy Ahmed would always perk up when talking about his latest creation: a DVD player, a remote, things that lit and beeped and buzzed. Ahmed would charge his older sisters' friends $10 to fix their cracked phone screens, then use the money to buy the parts he was missing for his next gadget. The family moved back and forth between Texas and Sudan, where Ahmed was born. In Irving, Mohamed owned a taxi company and served as religious leader for a small group of Sufi Muslims. Sufism is a mystical interpretation of Islam centered in rituals such as the prayer chants Mohamed writes himself. Whenever there's a reporter around, he insists on explaining passages of the Koran: "When you kill one person, it is as if you are killing all mankind." When Ahmed was 9, Mohamed decided to run for president of Sudan. The current president, Omar al-Bashir - whom they would later visit after Ahmed became famous - had just been indicted by the International Criminal Court for directing genocide in Darfur. Without him in power, Mohamed argued, the United States might lift its sanctions on Sudan, and the country could prosper. He never made the ballot. But the next year, in 2011, he made international headlines. Florida pastor Terry Jones held a "trial of the Koran." Mohamed, who saw the trial as a chance to spread his message - and take his kids to Disney World - showed up to defend the Koran. International outrage over the event, which ended in the burning of the holy book, led to rioting in Afghanistan. At least 20 people were reportedly killed, including seven U.N. employees. "I did what I think is right," Mohamed says. While he was trying to make a name for himself, his American home town was rapidly changing. Irving was once a white-flight suburb best known for housing the Dallas Cowboys' Texas Stadium. By the time Ahmed entered middle school, the Cowboys had moved to Arlington and the Mohameds' Zip code was deemed the most diverse area in the country. Only 9 percent of the students in Ahmed's school district are white. (There remains only one nonwhite person on the Irving City Council.) --- The neighborhood surrounding the Islamic Center of Irving, which serves around 10,000 area Muslims, began to flourish with condos and mansions built by those who wanted to live close to the mosque. Rumors spread that the neighborhood was a "no-go zone," an area only Muslims could enter, and that the mosque was imposing sharia law in the city. The rumors were false. Meanwhile, Ahmed was preparing to start high school. He kept the same Adidas backpack he'd had since 6th grade. He planned out his outfits, one for each day of the week. He would wear his NASA T-shirt every Monday. On Friday of his third week of school, the architecture teacher was about to throw away some dead batteries. Ahmed, always the hoarder of scrap materials, asked whether he could have them. Later in his English class, he taped the batteries together to make a sword. He slid the creation up his long-sleeved shirt, walked up to his teacher's desk and slid the sword out of his arm, "like Iron Man," he says. She laughed. "That's not the only thing I can make," he told her. He promised to bring her something else on Monday. Sunday night, he made his clock. It had a motherboard, an LCD screen, a 9-volt battery, an alarm. All the pieces fit into a pencil case from Target adorned with a tiger hologram. In English class, he plugged it in to show a girl in the corner of the classroom. When the alarm on it vibrated loudly, he stuffed it back in his backpack. He always thinks: What if he had just left it in the bag? And left class without showing the teacher anything? But he took it up to her desk, eager to show his creation as he had promised. "That looks like a bomb," she said. --- Here is what Ahmed's school now has to say about what happened: "At no point did we think it was actually an explosive device. It looked suspicious and was presented in a way that the teacher took the appropriate actions, and we support the teacher." Although the Irving police dropped the charges against Ahmed, stating that "the student apparently did not intend to cause alarm bringing the device to school," Ahmed was suspended for three days. The Justice Department is now investigating the incident. Rather than release the letter of inquiry from the agency, which states the reason for the investigation to the public, the district is suing the Texas attorney general's office. "Irving ISD has argued that the information is confidential because it reasonably anticipates litigation regarding this matter," the district's spokeswoman said. Ahmed's father is expected to file suit against the school district this week. In November, the family asked for formal apologies - from the district, the police chief and the mayor - and $15 million in damages for alleged violations of federal and state law, arguing that the teenager's arrest violated his civil rights. Citing a potential lawsuit, city officials declined to comment on Ahmed's arrest. Ahmed's family is adamant that their children have been discriminated against even before Ahmed was arrested. When their daughter Eyman was in eighth grade, another student reported that Eyman said she wanted to blow up the school. Eyman says she never said anything like that, but she was suspended for three days anyway. In middle school, Ahmed was suspended multiple times for getting in fights. His tutors remember the conflicts stemming from Ahmed's small size; Ahmed and his family claim he was only defending himself against students who picked on him because of his religion and race. "Our employees work with students from different cultural backgrounds," the district said in response to these claims. "Our policies and training stress making sure that all students enrolled at Irving ISD feel respected and safe." --- Ahmed's face is expressionless as he stares at his father's phone. Mohamed is showing him another news video he found online. They're at a gas station on their way home from Dallas, where they spent the afternoon of Ahmed's second day home in the office of their lawyer. "Since he was arrested, he has been in high demand and he's got some events with tech companies lined up," the news announcer says. "Sounds like life isn't so bad for Ahmed." Later, they'll stop at a sculpture of galloping horses where Ahmed used to play as a child. Tourists will recognize him from a distance, yelling "Clockmed! Clockmed!" "Next year," the video says, "he'll be 15, and planning to sue the Irving school district and the city, all over a clock that gave him 15 minutes of fame." The screen goes black. "Fifteen minutes of fame?" Mohamed repeats. "That's all you heard?" Ahmed retorts. "Maybe 15 million, that's what I'm looking for." Ahmed looks at his father. "I'm just joking with you," Mohamed says. "Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame who gets covered," Ahmed says. "But it's always your choice to extend it." "You know, I am a Sufi. I don't worry about the money," Mohamed replies. "I'm not worried about the money," Ahmed says. "But it will help, yeah?" "Yeah," Ahmed says, "Money will help you, temporarily." His dad's phone rings, and Ahmed gets back on Twitter, thumbing through the messages in his notifications: "should have never let those terrorists back in the US". "That Little Bastard Needs to Leave American Soil." "Go back!" There's one with a picture of a plastic bag. "since you left there's a new invention for breathing under water put this on your head & jump in" The Hays County Sheriffs Department identified the body of a 26-year-old woman, who was reported missing on June 15. Brittany Parker, 26, was found in the same cornfield where her abandoned Toyota Camry was located in June, a press release from the Hays County Sheriffs Department stated. Parker was last seen July 12 at 6 p.m. in the South Austin Area. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate John and Stacee Gore were waiting for the perfect summer day to celebrate their third wedding anniversary. The couple tried multiple times over the past few months to hitch a hot air balloon ride, but the weather was never just right as storms swept across central Texas in the spring, the Mineral Wells Index reported. The couple, from Mineral Wells, Texas, about 50 miles west of Fort Worth, were among 16 killed in a hot air balloon crash in Lockhart July 30. The Gores were in the hot air balloon as it struck a power line, caught fire and plummeted to the ground killing everyone on board, including the pilot Alfred "Skip" Nichols. RELATED: Heartbreaking selfies emerge of San Antonians killed in worst hot air balloon crash in U.S. history The Gores had four children. A memorial service will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Mineral Wells, Stephanie White wrote on Facebook. White said she was "feeling heartbroken." Another Facebook friend, Danielle Jones, wrote she was also feeling heartbroken upon hearing the news of the crash. RELATED: Pilot of balloon that crashed in Texas had driver's license suspended twice for DWI "Stacee has been a friend since her high school days working at Walmart and Walgreens with me. To me moving on to open a studio and her being a client to my studio. Please pray for their children and family left behind," Jones said. Bianca Silva-Lowe posted a photo of the last text she received from Stacee Gore. It was an image of a highlighted passage in a Bible that read: "I prayed to the Lord and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all of my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him." Silva-Lowe said she would miss receiving such messages from Stacee Gore. RELATED: Local mother, daughter among 6 dead from San Antonio in hot air balloon crash that killed 16 On May 19, 2013 Stacee Gore wrote on Facebook: "I'm married I'm married I'm married!!!!! Lol to the best guy in the whole world couldn't be more blessed him and his family is the best thing that's ever happen to me." Saturday's crash is the deadliest of its kind in U.S. history. Before, 60 hot air balloon accidents occurred since 2011, with five resulting in seven deaths, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, the operator of the balloon, has canceled all flights for the "foreseeable future." Previously, the company received a D+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Nichols' driver's license was suspended in 2010 for 10 years and he had multiple intoxicated driving offenses in Missouri. Federal Aviation Administration records show that Nichols' commercial pilot's license for hot air balloons was current at the time of Saturday's crash. He first received his pilot's license in 1996 and it was updated in 2014 when he changed his address. It wasn't immediately clear whether his pilot's license had ever been suspended. It did not appear that Nichols was ever arrested in Texas, where he moved in 2014. The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident, and will look at weather conditions, the balloon's maintenance records, the pilot, and the company. Staff writer Jason Buch contributed to this report. Correction: This story initially reported Nichols had a Texas driver's license. He has a state-issued identification card. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MAXWELL Federal authorities investigating the worst hot air balloon crash in U.S. history were meticulously combing through the last of the wreckage and securing evidence Monday as they wrapped up the initial phase of their inquiry. This is the very beginning of what will be a very long and comprehensive investigation, Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board told a raft of reporters and photographers Monday in the agencys final press briefing near the crash site in farmland off Jolley Road. Its still not clear why the balloon apparently hit high-voltage power lines that set it on fire and caused it to plummet to the ground Saturday, killing all 16 people aboard. Sumwalt said it didnt appear the basket was overloaded and the balloon, known as the envelope, didnt show any signs of failures or malfunction. He said the vehicle owned by Heart of Texas Air Balloon Rides had a passenger weight limit of 4,400 lbs. Sumwalt also said weather conditions didnt appear to be a factor when the balloon lifted off from Fentress Air Park at about 7 a.m. Saturday for the airborne sight-seeing trip that ended in a fiery heap of tangled rubble less than an hour later. He said the vent was found in the open position atop of the envelope which landed about a half mile away from the gondola - which is consistent with the position used during landings. Several spots on the electrical lines roughly 120 feet overhead showed evidence of arcing, Sumwalt reported, and a 30-foot stretch with abrasions. Later Monday evening, several dozen family members were taken to the crash site in four school buses. Sheriff Daniel Law said the community has rallied around the families and theres appreciation for the work the law officers have been doing. Its a very tough and difficult situation to handle all the way around, Law said. Official identification has been slow; only two of the victims had been formally named by authorities as of Monday. Dental records are being used to make positive identifications, said Caldwell County Justice of the Peace Matt Kiely. He identified the latest victim as Scott Douglas, but provided no age, home town or other identifying information. The other person confirmed deceased is Skip Nichols, the owner and pilot of the balloon. Keep the families in your prayers. Its tough, Kiely said. While Kiely has declined to name anyone else, family and friends have identified other crash victims as couples Matt and Sunday Rowan and Brian and Tressa Neill, both of San Antonio; Paige Brabson and her mother, Lorilee Brabson, of San Antonio; and Joe and Tressa Owens, a Houston-area husband and wife. Michele Jech, executive pastor of CityChurch, said the Neills and their two daughters regularly attended the churchs Bandera campus. To know them was to love them, Jech said, choking up. They were the family that was all in. We have a cafe in our church and for several years they volunteered as a family and all four of them taught themselves to be baristas. They saw a need in the church and did it. They gave back. Tressa Neill had worked at CPS Energy for nearly 25 years and her co-workers are deeply saddened, officials said. Grief counselors were on site (Monday) morning to support and comfort those who worked closely with her as we know how difficult this time is for everyone who worked alongside her, said Paul Flaningan, spokesman for the utility. Our focus is on Tressies daughters and her family and we have reached out to offer and provide support in any way we can. Back in Lockhart, the sheriff said this was one of the toughest tragedies Caldwell County has had to face. The community is reaching out to the family members, and giving them time to visit the crash site privately can help the grieving process. Hopefully, the healing part can start for the families, Law said. Our prayers from this community and thoughts for the family members are whats in our hearts right now. Staff writers Eleanor Dearman, Ed Ornelas and Bruce Selcraig contributed to this report. Ongoing Million Summer Meals for Kids raises funds through Aug. 19 to feed kids during the summer. The goal is to provide 6 million meals; the drive was at 3.9 million meals as of early July. Take donations of money or nonperishable food items to any Air Force Federal Credit Union branch, Country Home learning center, Prestige ER or Express Lube location. Every $1 pays for seven meals. Contact: 337-3663 SA Reads summer book drive continues through Aug. 19. Donate books for infants to teens at any San Antonio Public Library branch and any Firstmark Credit Union (theres one at Alamo Ranch at 10911 Culebra Road), among other locations. Contact: 957-8790 or literacysanantonio.com Wednesday, August 3 Astronomy in the Park celebrates the celestial sky at night with help from the San Antonio Astronomical Association 8 p.m.-10:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Raymond Rimkus Park, 6440 Evers Road. The public is invited. Association members say its the longest running free public star party in the San Antonio metro area. Contact: 262-8384 Thursday, August 4 Elderberries Ice Cream Social is 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway. Seniors celebrate Older Americans Month with mind games online, crossword puzzles and learning basic computer skills as well as enjoying cool refreshments. Contact: 207-9080 Friday, August 5 Beginner Hatha Yoga class is 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway. Learn proper breathing, basic poses and sequencing. Bring you own yoga mat. Contact: 207-9080 Lions Club Bingo is at 7 p.m. at the Helotes Lions Club, 14690 Bandera Road, on the east side of the highway between Floores Country Store and El Chaparral. Contact: 695-2356 Saturday, August 6 MarketPlace at Old Helotes is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 14391 Riggs Road. The family friendly event features all kinds of artisans selling their unique jewelery, crafts, artwork, clothing, food items and more. And theres plenty of good food and drink, too. For a booth map, go tohttp://www.helotesmarketplace Pet adoptions will be conducted by the Helotes Humane Society at Petco at Bandera and Loop 410 from noon to 3:30 p.m. Contact: 422-6242. Sunday, August 7 Lions Club Bingo is at 2 p.m. at the Helotes Lions Club, 14690 Bandera Road, on the east side of the highway between Floores Country Store and El Chaparral. Contact: 695-2356 Coming up Historical Society of Helotes 9th biannual history exhibit opens with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11 in the gallery at the Helotes City Hall, 12951 Bandera Road. The focus is the Schott Heritage Farm. Free. Light refreshments will be served. Contact: info@historicalsocietyofhelotes.org Great Northwest Book & Movie Club meets at 1 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Great Northwest Library, 9050 Wellwood. The book to be discussed is Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake. After the discussion, stay to watch the movie. You may bring your own refreshments. Contact: 207-9210. Helotes City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 11 at the council chambers, 12951 Bandera Road. For details, go to www.helotes-tx.gov and click on agendas. Third Annual Bull Blow Out & Salute to the Military is Aug. 12-13 at the Helotes Festival Grounds, 12210 Leslie Road. Gates open at 6 p.m.; bull riding starts at 7:30 p.m. There will be a dance Friday night with the Meyer Anderson Band, 9:30 p.m. to midnight. General admission is $10. Six box seats are $250 for both nights. Contact: 373-0012 Third Annual Bull Blow Out & Salute to the Military continues Aug. 13. Gates open at 6 p.m.; bull riding starts at 7:30 p.m. Tonights dance, from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, features the music of Felix Truvere. General admission is $10. Contact: 373-0012 Hike the Government Canyon State Natural Area, 8 a.m.-noon. Aug. 13 Friends of Government Canyon and the Sierra Club jointly lead the group on one of the many trails in the area. Hike ranges from 4 to 7 miles, depending on the group; wear sturdy footwear for hiking over rough terrain. Open to ages 13 and older; minors must be accompanied by an adult. No pets.. Bring two liters of water per person and a snack. Be at the Visitor Center, 12861 Galm Road, by the rainwater harvesting tower (after paying at the entrance) no later than 7:45 a.m. Contact: 688-9055, ext. 2009 Meet the Mayor 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Park. San Antonio Mayor Ivy Tyler will be talking with community members . All ages. Contact: 207-9060 All numbers have a 210 area code unless otherwise noted. To have your event listed, send the details, including date, time, place and contact phone number, to dfuentes@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Authorities last month discovered a 50-year-old naked man at a historic home in a Texas coastal town drinking a pina colada he found in the refrigerator. The naked man, James Vanwright, was found inside the White Haven house a two-story home and official Texas Historical Marker built in 1915 in the 2400 block of Lakeshore Drive in Port Arthur on July 12 (a Tuesday) after an officer was dispatched to the house to investigate a residential alarm, police said. RELATED: Naked dancing woman on top of big rig ties up 290 traffic in Houston A security guard arrived at the New England-Colonial-style house, located in the city's historic district, before police and told dispatchers he could see a naked man in the house, an affidavit obtained by KFDM said. Police said Vanwright got into the home by breaking a window pane to the kitchen door and opening the door from the inside, an affidavit said. RELATED: Texas State student sits nearly nude outside library for art project on objectification of women Vanwright grabbed the pina colada mix from a refrigerator in the home after removing all of his clothes in a bedroom, the affidavit said. The White Haven house, open to the public by appointment for tours, is owned the Daughters of the American Revolution and maintained by Lamar State CollegePort Arthur, according to Rediscovering SE Texas. RELATED: Video: Police chase smiling naked man near downtown San Antonio Vanwright was found in the home around 11 p.m. It's unclear why he was naked, however, he is facing a burglary of a habitation charge, a second-degree felony. According to online records, Vanwright was also charged with indecent exposure in 2013. KFDM reported Vanwright was also previously charged with sexual assault of a child and attempted arson. More from about the home's background from the historical website: "(The home was) built in 1915 for Dr. H. D. Morris, an early physician and British Consul... Through the years, the house had changed owners only a few times. In 1919, the Morris family sold it to Clarence Booz and his kin, who lived there until 1942. The house was sold that same year to the last owners, Carl and Stella White. Stella White was a world traveler and an antique dealer. She acquired many antiques throughout her journeys. Many of the artifacts you see in the house were bought and donated by her. Some noteworthy pieces are a French-made screen previously owned by Empress Carlotta of Mexico (from the 1700s), a candelabra from the Shah of Persia, and all of the fine furniture comes from as far afield as England, China, and France.Stella lived in the house until her death in 1985, and left the home and all the furnishings to the DAR. Charter member, Ella Young Atwell, subsequently endowed the restoration of the home." MMedina@mySA.com Twitter: @Mariahmedinaaa This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO A 23-year-old mother allegedly scalded her 3-year-old son with hot water after he soiled his pants, and the boys 33-year-old father did not take him to the hospital for at least a week after, according to court documents. Mother Kris Smith was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury with intent, while the father, Calvin Williams was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission. Both are still in custody on a $75,000 bond. RELATED: 3 indicted in 'horrific' San Antonio child abuse case involving tied up children A booking photo was not immediately available for Smith. The incident occurred on or around July 23, at the Delta Inn located in the 9500 block of Interstate 35 North. Smith stays at the Inn and takes care of four children while Williams works odd jobs during the day. According to a witness statement in an arrest affidavit obtained by mySA.com, the child defecated in his pants and Smith became upset. She took the child into the bathroom and immersed him in hot water by using the shower head and using it to wash the childs buttocks and thighs. Smith allegedly told the witness to cover the childs mouth to muffle his screams so that the other tenants couldnt hear him. RELATED: Arson that almost killed 7-year-old draws lengthy sentence Smith then allegedly hit the child on the buttocks with a wooden back scratcher before putting the childs buttocks against the hot water, the affidavit said. The witness said the water was so hot that the bathroom filled with steam and fogged up the mirror. The witness also said for the next week Smith and Williams did not take the child to the hospital. The boys burns were so severe the child would often cry, the witness said, especially when the child had to have his diaper changed, according to the affidavit. Williams later told police he did not take the child to the hospital for fear that he would lose custody of his children. He also said Smith threatened him, the affidavit said. RELATED: Police: Undocumented immigrant sexually assaulted 7-year-old girl in San Antonio The child suffered third-degree burns and was transported in critical condition to University Hospital. If convicted, the two suspects face five to 99 years in prison. twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite SAN ANTONIO A 29-year-old man was arrested Monday for allegedly stealing more than $2,500 worth of clothing from an Old Navy store, according to court documents. Eddie Sanchez was being held on a $10,000 bond for a state jail felony charge of theft between $2,500 and $30,000. He has since bonded out of jail, according to the Bexar County Central Magistrates Office. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO A sex offender who pleaded for state jail officials to castrate him following two child sex assault convictions in the '90s was released from the Bexar County Detention Center on Sunday, the Sheriffs Office confirmed. Larry Don McQuay, 52, finished serving more than 11 years of a 20-year sentence in a work-release program at the Bexar County Jail on Sunday, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark. Clark said McQuay was being monitored as part of the TDCJs Super Intensive Supervision Program, highest level of security for offenders in a work-release program, according to the Houston Chronicle. RELATED: Freed sex offender ordered back into state program He had been in the work-release program in San Antonio since May 3, 2005, and was at a facility in Huntsville before, but "McQuay is no longer on parole supervision with TDJC," Clark said in an email. He was convicted around 1990 for indecency with a child for sexually abusing a 6-year-old boy. He was then later convicted around 1997 on the same charge for sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl, who was related to the boy he molested years before, according to the Texas DPS Sex Offender Registry website. RELATED: Police increase reward for 'Most Wanted' sex offender McQuay worked as a school bus driver and at SeaWorld while living in Bexar County before his convictions, according to the Houston Chronicle. His second conviction occurred after he was paroled in 1996, at which time McQuay also asked to be castrated, the Houston Chronicle reported. He made claims that he had molested children more than 240 times and would do so again, going as far as killing his victims, in order to keep them from identifying him to police. He said he later regretted those statements because he was trying to add weight to his castration plea, according to the Houston Chronicle. McQuays lawyer told the Houston Chronicle in 2005 that his defendant had underwent surgical castration within a year of that interview. McQuay pleaded to have the operation done, believing the surgery would reduce his urges and likelihood to commit crimes against children again in the future, the Houston Chronicle reported. Clark said he could not release information regarding the apparent surgery on Tuesday because of "privacy laws." His desire to be castrated led the Texas Legislature to pass a law in 1997 that allowed the state to offer surgical castration to pedophiles in prison, but only on a volunteer basis, according to previous Houston Chronicle reports. The procedure, called a an orchiectomy, involves surgically removing a person's testicles, according to WebMD. An orchiectomy is approved under Texas Government Code 501.061, which states the procedure must come under a volunteer basis for inmates who admit to the crimes they have been accused of involving sexual assault. Repeat offenders are considered candidates for this surgery, according to the Government Code. Texas became the first state to allow this kind of voluntary surgical activity for inmates, according to the New York Daily News. RELATED: San Antonio masseur accused of sexually assaulting woman during birthday massage Those involved in the SISP must be monitored by GPS technology and are required to comply with a strictly regulated, 24/7 schedule that is approved by a parole officer. Clark said McQuay was able to go to job interviews, work, medical appointments and other approved activities. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office would not comment further on their involvement with McQuay's case. Renee C. Lee, Robert Crowe and the Associated Press contributed to this report. twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite State Sen. Bob Duff has become a politician with many opinions on the key issues affecting the families he claims to represent in Hartford. Nowhere is that more evident than with a new proposal that would slam all Connecticut drivers with a mileage tax. Anyone who follows Connecticut politics has heard a lot about this new tax from their elected officials. Without the doublespeak from career politicians, the mileage tax is exactly what it sounds like the state of Connecticut taxing you for every mile that you drive in your car, using your odometer and other information to track you. When I learned about this special Orwellian kind of desperate money-grub, I bet my reaction was similar to yours and other people who drive on Connecticuts highways daily with initial bewilderment, then shock, and outrage. We already have the highest gas tax per gallon in the country. More people leave Connecticut than any other state in the union and this is how the Democrats in Hartford respond?! To be fair, many of our local representatives have condemned this tax. Good ol boy, Sen. Bob Duff, Dan Malloys best friend in the senate for tax hikes, did say he does not support the mileage tax. In a statement, Leader Duff said the senate would never advance the proposal and then accused concerned Republicans of fear-mongering. Case closed, Duff said, smugly. OK, Bob, but theres a problem with that: Why did you set aside $300,000 in the budget that you greased through the state house for studying a mileage tax? Theres no hiding this from your constituents. Connecticut is in the midst of a fiscal catastrophe and Norwalk and Darien just saw crucial state tax dollars carved out of its education budget. You and Dan Malloy chose to use $300,000 to study a mileage tax that supposedly no one wants instead of relieving Norwalk and Darien schools. This is a fact. Lets be serious: Bob Duff is no backbencher in Hartford who keeps his head down and spends all of his time high-fiving fifth-graders who visit the Capitol hes the senate majority leader. Dont tell me and other terrified parents in this district to pay no attention to the tax money that is being spent on studying how the state can charge us for dropping our kids off at school and then driving to work! Its deceptive, its manipulative, and its exactly what people are fed up with in politicians. Bob Duff has made his political career telling his constituents hes doing one thing, while doing the opposite in the service of Gov. Malloy. He claims he supports health care while cutting millions to our hospitals, shifts the tax burden to local towns by cutting aid and now saying the mileage tax is a pipe dream while allowing Gov. Malloy to study it. We can do better this fall. We do not have to live this way. At the very least, we need someone in Hartford who will be candid about what governments role in our lives should be. Im not a politician. If youve met me, you know that Im not afraid to speak my mind for what I think is right and ask questions when I do not know the answer. You can bet I will never ask motorists to pay more for the privilege of driving to work so they can pay taxes. If Im elected to replace Bob Duff in the state Senate, you will always know where I stand on every issue and what I plan on doing. I will NEVER doublespeak, hedge, equivocate, or dodge. If I did, then I would be a career politician who moonlights as a failed real estate agent. Greg Ehlers of Darien is the Republican candidate for the state Senate 25th district. Hillary Clinton must have another private server to hide her emails to Satan according to the 18 percent of voters in a recent poll who believe the Democratic nominee for president has "ties to Lucifer." The Public Policy Polling poll of 1,276 likely voters nationwide found that 18 percent of them believed that Clinton is friendly with the Lord of the Flies. Another 21 percent were "not sure," probably pending clouds of locusts emerging from her mouth. By Paul Buchheit, whose essays, videos and poems can be found at YouDeserveFacts.org. Originally published at Alternet Corporations are viewed as untouchable by big business media giants like the Wall Street Journal, which blurts out inanities like Income inequality is simply not a significant problem and Middle-class Americans have more buying power than ever before. In the real world, inequality is destroying the middle class. The following four issues, all part of the cancer of corporatocracy, have grown in intensity and destructiveness in just the last few years. They should be campaign issues, given more than just lip service from candidate Hillary Clinton, and given more than just passing reference in the news reports of the mainstream media. 1. Monopolies: Increasing prices, cutting jobs. The Busch/Miller merger is the latest attack on competition, joining the recent surge toward oligopolies in the banking industry, pharmaceuticals and hospitals, wireless companies, and airlines. Contrary to any condescending claims that mergers contribute to price-lowering efficiencies, they have actually led to price increases in 75 percent of examined cases, according to a Northeastern University study. The resulting corporate profits are often used for investor-enriching stock buybacks. And jobs are cut. When Merck took over Cubist Pharmaceuticals, the latters research and development staff was eliminated, ending their studies of other promising medicines. 2. Finance: Now costing us more than the military. A Roosevelt Institute study estimates that the financial system will impose an excess cost of as much as $22.7 trillion between 1990 and 2023. That comes to about $660 billion per year, more than the discretionary military budget. Thats over $5,000 per U.S. household in excess financial costs. Banks once spent the majority of their money on business investments; now its just 15 percent. Rana Foroohar summarizes: U.S. companies today make more than ever before by simply moving money around. 3. Medicine: Pampering the rich more than ever before. A new Health Affairs study concluded that since 2004, our medical dollars have been increasingly concentrated on the wealthy. The cost of treatment for life-threatening or debilitating diseases is out of reach for most Americans: Cancer: up to $183,000 per year Hepatitis C: up to $95,000 per year Multiple sclerosis: up to $74,000 per year Rheumatoid arthritis: up to $42,000 per year The pharmaceutical industry gouges us twice: 1) Our tax dollars go to Medicare and Medicaid, which have to pay up to 600 times the manufacturing cost of drugs, as with the notorious hepatitis drug Sovaldi, which costs $10 in Egypt and $1,000 in the U.S.; and 2) most Medicare patients still face out-of-pocket costs of $7,000 or more a year. 4. Corporate Taxes: Little change with Clinton, disastrous tax cuts with Trump. Corporations constantly gripe about their taxes, even though the corporate tax rate has dropped precipitously in recent decades, and even though they are reaping almost all the benefits of one of the most prosperous times in history. Pfizer CEO Ian Read moaned that U.S. taxes had his company fighting with one hand tied behind our back. Pfizer paid almost zero taxes in the U.S. last year, despite $9 billion in profits. The complaints arent new, but a brand new president will soon be catering to the complainers. Hillary Clinton proposes cosmetic changes to the business tax code, while Donald Trump would let corporate taxes plunge to 15 percent. Corporations vs. America Progressives have long been fighting injustices like the corporate takeaways in free trade deals, and the declining corporate tax rate, and the massive amounts of corporate subsidies. But the battles are getting fiercer and more numerous. Corporations keep finding new ways to race unfettered toward the takeover of our democracy, and they have staunch allies in Congress and the business media. The New York Times Dealbook has managed to outdo itself, and not in a good way. On Monday, the Grey Lady published This is Your Life, Brought to You by Private Equity, a slide show apparently intended to stand in place of a bona fide reported story to close off a recent series on the industry. The disgrace isnt just that it took so many writers (four) and such a clearly costly presentation to convey so little substance. The style of presentation, the at best mildly concerned tone, the inaccuracies and understatements, and the thinness of information were worse than a whitewash or conventional agnotology. The story came off as an arch promotional piece for private equity, with a few necessary ugly disclosures worked in, as if the reporters had been pwned. As a lawyer who has written extensively on private equity said, Did David Rubenstein [of Carlyle Group] write this? Overarching Story Line Faithfully Echoes, and Therefore Evokes, Classic Corporate Do Gooder Pitch: Our Company Touches Your Lives in So Many Ways A long standing staple of corporate advertising, going back to before World War II, is the seeminlgy faceless major corporation such as Better Living Through Chemistry DuPont, showing citizens how its products, unbeknown to viewers, supposedly improved their daily lives. This trope is so widely recognized as a classic that its even incorporated casually in movies. For instance, Michael Clayton, about evil Monsanto-like company U North, shows this commercial, in which U North depicts itself as playing a far-reaching, positive role: U-North, for the film Michael Clayton from Victor Melton on Vimeo. In other words, corporate influence is pervasivebut consumers are told again and again and again all and only for the good. Thus in the absence of concrete information otherwise, the fact that private equity firms now have their fingers in lots of pies the way, say a conglomerate like GE does, wont sound any alarms.* From the standpoint of the overwhelming majority of readers, its at worst dog bites man. For instance (each mini-paragraph is a separate slide, with a fitting cute image with the text: Lets say that, like most Americans, you drive to work. These roads, bridges and highways are increasingly maintained by Wall Street investors. They either own the road, or manage it on the governments behalf. Isnt this just swell? Nowhere does it describe, as we have, that toll road projects are almost always construction projects, and the process is so flawed that they have, without exception, resulted in bankruptcies? And worse, that when these roads are built as essential infrastructure (replacing existing roads or to serve rapidly growing suburbs or exurbs), the communities served by them are left with a mess, since the roads are typically maintenance-starved before they go belly up? A key slide: So should consumers be worried that Revlon is owned by raider Ron Perlman of MacAndrews & Forbes? The slick image doesnt even show which private equity owned company is associated with each of the products it shows, so the reader has no idea whether they are dominant or minor players. Indeed, the message looks an awful lot like, You need private equity to get you through your day. Childrens Story Book Visual Style Makes Private Equity Look Kind and Talks Down to Readers. Was this weird format used to hide the lack of newsworthy information or to soft-pedal what little the Times team had to convey? The result is childish and anesthetizing, as if the intent was to tell a comforting bedtime story. True to the form, the slides go from someone waking up in the morning to get their first glass of water, and closes with: Notice the palette: calming, institutional, with a lot of blue undertones, the sort of thing you might see in a dentists office or an upscale retirement facility. And the presentation adheres closely to the tried and true presentation style of first grade teachers: no more than one sentence per slide, the shorter and simpler, the better. The Story Omits and Minimizes Negative Information. Whitewash is too kind a word. Lets start with the opening text: You wake up thirsty. [Mind you, that is a single slide] A few years ago, that glass of water might have come from your local government. Today, it could be courtesy of a private equity firm. It may taste the same, but theres a good chance your bill has gone up. This leaves readers with close to nothing. How many local municipal water works have been bought by infrastructure funds (which are treated by investors not as private equity but as infrastructure funds, with risk and expected returns that are distinct from private equity, revealing lazy, sloppy reporting)? Are there any estimates of what proportion of water supply nationwide is now under corporate control? Is this trend growing or has it fallen off with the bad press infrastructure plays have gotten recent years? And how much have prices gone up? With only a vague threat mentioned and no supporting details, this winds up being the reverse of an alarm. It numbs the reader to accept the incursion of investors as a given, and probably benign, since he never knew about it before and the Times gives him no reason to be particularly bothered. Heres the next slide: First, by carrying over the water discussion through the water glass image, the text promotes the privatization messaging that government services should be regarded and run with an eye to efficiency, as opposed to supporting communities on an affordable basis. And it therefore blandly treats turning critical public services over to profiteers as perfectly reasonable. In fact, as we wrote in 2013: As weve discussed at length earlier, these schemes are simply exercises in extraction. Investors in mature infrastructure deals expect 15% to 20% returns on their investment. And that also includes the payment of all the (considerable) fees and costs of putting these transactions together. The result is tantamount to selling the family china and then renting it back in order to eat. There is no way that adding unnecessary middlemen with high return expectations improves the results to the public. In fact, the evidence is overwhelmingly the reverse: investors jack up usage fees and skimp on maintenance. And their deals are full of sneaky features to guarantee their returns. The Flint water supply disaster is a stark reminder of the danger of a focus on costs n providing critical services. It also pushes the private equity line that they are smart and by implication, that their historical outsized returns were the result of their investment acumen. In fact, the profits of the general partners come overwhelmingly from fees that have nothing to do with investment success, and the returns they do earn depend heavily on tax avoidance. As tax expert Lee Sheppard wrote, Private equity often resembles a tax reduction scheme with an acquisition attached. The next slide is inaccurate: These investors have lots of money at their disposal, mainly from rich individuals and pension funds. They also face fewer regulations than banks. Since the 2008 financial crisis, theyve expanded their horizons and begun shopping for bargains in new places. This perpetuates the canard that most of the money in private equity comes from high end retail investors, who are assumed to be big boys and able to walk on the wild side, when thats demonstrably false and again shows obviously deficient reporting. The biggest single investor group in private equity is government investors, meaning public pension funds like CalPERS. Historically, the next biggest group has been private pension funds, but recent news stories suggest that sovereign wealth funds may have surpassed private pension funds. Other big investors in private equity are life insurers, endowments, foundations and fund of funds (which take money from smaller public and private pension funds, endowments, foundations, and individuals; fund of funds are large investors in private equity in aggregate). The idea that private equity buys on the cheap is not a given, despite the Times hammering that claim; the industry at the end of cycles (late 1980s, 2006 to 2007) does a huge volume of deals at peak prices at the end of stock market cycles. And as weve pointed out over the last year, private equity has been buying companies at multiples that are richer than at the peak of the last cycle, leading experts to fall back on the cliche that the deals are priced to perfection, meaning everything needs to work out for them to turn a profit. The authors even tone down their tame findings from earlier stories in the series. For instance: You call 911 and Wall Street answers. You might think that you paid for your fire department with your taxes. But yours happens to be run by a private-equity-owned company, and youll likely receive a bill for their services even if they show up late. The paramedics who treat you for smoke inhalation might show up late, too. Response times for some ambulance companies under private-equity control have worsened. This is a synopsis of sorts of the first flabby article in their series, which we deigned to shred. The cheery images, with the cartoonish grey smoke balloon and a mere Oops signaling an emergency, presumably a fire (with no people, and therefore no reminder of harm, not even a prostrate figure and an obligatory X over each eye to show hes passed out) and a cute teeny red fire engine running across the screen, trivialize the issue. And again, the warnings are so general as to again deaden any personal reaction. Why should anyone think this warning might apply to them? You might be in a town where private equity has take over these services. If so, youll likely be charged. But is the tab likely to be serious? Youve got no idea. As we wrote: Another factor impeding dealing with these articles crisply isnt that they are wrongheaded, but that they are flabby and inconclusive. They are reminiscent of a McKinsey progress review where the team got a ton of data but didnt figure out the so whats so they instead dumped a ton of slides in a semi-organized manner on the client to show they had done a lot of digging and initial analysis. You might call this the Here is a lot of shit, I am sure you can find a pony school of journalism. The worst of this is that the fact that the Times appears to regard these pieces as impressive (among other things, they created custom graphics for each, as well as giving them lots of real estate) when the basic issues are all old news. Yes, private equity regularly crapifies their offerings through via overly-aggressive cost-cutting and installing know-nothing managers. Yes, alternative investors have been providing public services via infrastructure deals and other types of outsourcing, and their business model virtually requires that they provide a lower level of service at a higher cost to citizens. And yes, they regularly bankrupt companies. Did any of those old hat facts get into the super dumbed-down childrens tale? You tell me. Agnotology, New York Times Style: A Google Search (or One of Our Archives) Tells You More About Private Equity Than a Big Series Did. Agnotology is defined as the study of culturally induced ignorance or doubt. This series is a classic example. The Times made it clear that it regarded these stories as a major journalistic exercise by investing lots of reporter resources and flagging their importance by their length and the use of large, original graphics at the beginning of each one. Yet the series averted its eyes from most of the bad aspects of private equity by taking only the neoliberal frame of impact on consumers. That meant the writers would be dealing only with anecdotes, since private equity targets narrow niches. Putting on my consulting hat, its a major exercise to make even a crude assessment of basic trends across a sector since there are almost never any third party sources of data. So a large swathe of private equitys bad conduct stripping and bankrupting companies, tax avoidance, lowered employment, and abusing investors completely out of the storys frame. Thus the reporting team chose to cover results would never be able to investigate well. To illustrate, the second story in their series, on the role of private equity in real estate, was such an embarrassment that I didnt dare go near it, since addressing all of the errors and misleading simplifications would easily have run to over 10,000 words and readers would not have patience for it. But a few examples: it failed to make any kind of clear distinction for a lay reader of the role played by lenders versus mortgage servicers. It acted as if private equity firms buying foreclosed properties ought to have bought in low income neighborhoods or older properties, when that was never the expectation of experts and insiders (I attended industry conferences when the trend was just getting started). This gives a high-level sense of how wrong-headed the series is: Private equity can follow you back home when you pay your monthly mortgage. After the 2008 housing crisis, private equity firms expanded dramatically into the mortgage business, as the nations banks struggled. They helped stabilize Americas housing market. But at the same time, some private-equity-controlled mortgage firms have repeated the kinds of mistakes that got big banks into trouble in the first place. Private equity did not get into servicing and rental purchases in a big way until well after 2009, when the banks had been bailed out and after Obama and Geithner had given them what amounted to a second bailout, the National Mortgage Settlement of 2012. Yes, Bank of America was still saddled with a lot of legacy mortgage costs, but that was more a big drag on profits than a threat to survival. But the Big Lie is repeated the same mistakes which the original article features prominently on its first page, with its jazzy image. Again, no reasonable observer expected better results. The one exception was small, independent combat or default servicers, which were high-touch operations that had the expertise and manpower to modify mortgages, since that is much more work than foreclosing. But those economics worked only because regulators for a while had their boots on the necks of the major servicers, in particular Bank of America, which it forced to use third-party servicers for many delinquent mortgages. This salutary development had nothing to do with private equity and there was no reason to expect private equity to emulate it, save for a few bottom-fishers who might buy a portfolio of defaulted mortgages and might work some of them out. Youve never expect a servicer, whether owed by private equity or a bank, to do that because servicing contracts pay servicers to foreclose, and not to modify mortgages. The underlying problem has yet to be addressed. A simple example of how big a fail this big ticket series is: you will learn more about private equity, including how it hurts consumers as well as lots of other innocent bystanders, from one article by a lone writer, David Stockman, in 2012 than this entire series with a whole team on it. A representative section: Except Mitt Romney was not a businessman; he was a master financial speculator who bought, sold, flipped, and stripped businesses. He did not build enterprises the old-fashioned wayout of inspiration, perspiration, and a long slog in the free market fostering a new product, service, or process of production. Instead, he spent his 15 years raising debt in prodigious amounts on Wall Street so that Bain could purchase the pots and pans and castoffs of corporate America, leverage them to the hilt, gussy them up as reborn roll-ups, and then deliver them back to Wall Street for resalethe faster the better. That is the modus operandi of the leveraged-buyout business, and in an honest free-market economy, there wouldnt be much scope for it because it creates little of economic value. But we have a rigged systema regime of crony capitalismwhere the tax code heavily favors debt and capital gains, and the central bank purposefully enables rampant speculation by propping up the price of financial assets and battering down the cost of leveraged finance. So the vast outpouring of LBOs in recent decades has been the consequence of bad policy, not the product of capitalist enterprise. I know this from 17 years of experience doing leveraged buyouts at one of the pioneering private-equity houses, Blackstone, and then my own firm. I know the pitfalls of private equity. The whole business was about maximizing debt, extracting cash, cutting head counts, skimping on capital spending, outsourcing production, and dressing up the deal for the earliest, highest-profit exit possible. Occasionally, we did invest in genuine growth companies, but without cheap debt and deep tax subsidies, most deals would not make economic sense. Yes, Stockman has the considerable advantage of being an ex-practioner, but there is now a large literature on the damage done by private equity, as well as accessible insiders and other experts, like Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt, whom weve regularly cited. Resorting to Google would have produced better results at far less cost. Yet rather than build on existing knowledge, these reporters delivered a mediocre piece that they seem to believe was a bona fide journalistic exercise. As one maven put it, At every juncture, the reporters went to some length to reach the most favorable conclusion to private equity possible. The result is that these articles leave you thinking, If thats all the Times can get on private equity, its really not that bad.' This series is also a big warning about the state of journalism. It appears that younger reporters so regularly take dictation from sources that have honed access journalism to a fine art that they have lost most if not all of the sense that reporting is often a blood sport, and that the proper relationship between a writer and the object of his investigation is inevitably adversarial if the reporter has found real dirt. Contrast this series with the Wall Street Journals intrepid work on Theranos, where the company sent a team of big-ticket lawyers to intimidate the paper into dropping its investigation. The Journal nevertheless dug in and went toe-to-toe with a company with the blue-chippiest of boards and a peak valuation of $9 billion. By contrast, what passes for business reporting at the New York Times, like this feeble series, is largely out of Dealbook, which will never do more than nip the hand that feeds it. ____ * That before you get to the fact that the possible concern, of monopoly or oligopoly power, isnt even alluded to here. Private equity is not a monolith with a single powerful actor at the top, like JP Morgans trusts, where he achieved concentrated economic power in steel, railroads and electricity, as well as owning other important industrial concerns, often related to these core industries. Private equity firms regularly seek to obtain dominant positions in niche businesses, which gives them similar pricing power, but that concern was absent from this series. New consortium to explore use of magnetic skyrmions in data storage (w/video) (Nanowerk News) The use of nanoscale magnetic whirlpools, known as magnetic skyrmions, to create novel and efficient ways to store data will be explored in a new 7M research programme led by Durham University. Skyrmions, which are a new quantum mechanical state of matter, could be used to make our day-to-day gadgets, such as mobile phones and laptops, much smaller and cheaper whilst using less energy and generating less heat. It is hoped that better and more in-depth knowledge of skyrmions could address society's ever-increasing demands for processing and storing large amounts of data and improve current hard drive technology. Scientists first predicted the existence of skyrmions in 1962 but they were only discovered experimentally in magnetic materials in 2009. The UK team, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), now aims to make a step change in our understanding of skyrmions with the goal of producing a new type of demonstrator device in partnership with industry. The use of nanoscale magnetic whirlpools, known as magnetic skyrmions, to create novel and efficient ways to store data is being explored in a new research project led by Durham University and funded by the EPSRC. Skyrmions, tiny swirling patterns in magnetic fields, can be created, manipulated and controlled in certain magnetic materials. Inside a skyrmion, magnetic moments point in different directions in a self-organised vortex. Skyrmions are only very weakly coupled to the underlying atoms in the material, and to each other, and their small size means they can be tightly packed together. Together with the strong forces that lock magnetic fields into the skyrmion pattern, the result is that the magnetic information encoded by skyrmions is very robust. Scientists can potentially move a skyrmion with 100,000 times less energy than is needed to move a ferromagnetic domain, the objects currently used in the memory of our computers and smartphones. Currently when we access information through the web, we remotely use hard disk drives that generate lots of heat and waste lots of energy. Skyrmionic technology could allow this to be done on smaller scale devices which would use much less energy. Professor Peter Hatton from the Department of Physics at Durham University, who heads the research team, said: "Skyrmions hold so much promise for advancing our basic understanding of matter and, crucially, also for using them as highly efficient memory elements. "Within the new consortium, we will bring together experts in materials synthesis and theoretical and experimental techniques so we can answer questions about the status of magnetic skyrmions and develop technological applications based on this new realm of science, known as topological physics. "We will work very closely with industry partners and align our scientific programme with the engineering and commercial realities of modern-day information technologies." The national research group includes experts from the universities of Durham, Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge and Southampton. The first prediction of a new type of stable configuration came from British physicist Tony Skyrme and has since opened up a whole variety of different sized and shaped skyrmion objects with different properties to conventional matter. However, numerous questions remain unanswered which focus on how best to exploit the unique magnetic properties of these magnetic excitations in devices. The three generic themes the team will look at are: The development, discovery and growth of magnetic materials that host skyrmion spin textures; A greater understanding of the physics of these objects; Engineering of the materials to application. WASHINGTON Pop Quiz. Complete the following sentence, taken from the Democratic National Committee's platform: "At a time when many of the largest banks have shunned communities across America, Democrats believe that we need to give Americans affordable banking options, including by _________." If you answered "reforming and modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act," you would be wrong. (The correct answer is "empowering the United States Postal Service to facilitate the delivery of basic banking services.") In a campaign season when income inequality and the banking industry are topics with an unusually high profile for both major political parties, notably absent is any mention of CRA. While most observers said the law has been a success in ending racial and socioeconomic redlining, many are scratching their heads about what is keeping the issue on the sidelines. "This is a no-brainer, softball pitch to a hardball batter asking or demanding that the banks do more safe and sound lending to blue collar workers," said John Taylor, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and longstanding advocate for CRA reform. "This should be in the Democratic mainstream let the Republicans defend their banker friends. You would think that, if they're trying to appeal to [blue collar and minority voters], they'd be all over this." Nikitra Bailey, who oversees coalition building and constituent services at the Center for Responsible Lending, said that if bringing unbanked or underbanked Americans into the financial mainstream is a part of addressing income inequality, building off the CRA would be a logical place to start. "It's clear that if CRA got some teeth, it could be a useful instrument for driving people into the mainstream financial services sector," Bailey said. "What we see is a lot of people who should be in the mainstream financial services sector aren't, and that is problematic because it's a strain for families when they have to pay more for basic financial services." The CRA, passed in 1977, was designed to compel banks to extend services and loans to qualified low- and moderate-income communities in the areas they serve. The law facilitates this by periodically requiring each bank's regulator to assess a bank's performance in those communities in its assessment area, based on three categories: services, investment and lending. Banks' performance is graded within a handful of categories Outstanding, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement and Substantially Noncompliant. Banks with a less than satisfactory grade may be barred from future mergers or acquisitions. But there is widespread agreement that major aspects of the law are outdated. Assessment areas are tied to census districts in which a bank has physical branches, meaning that banks that do most or all of their banking online without physical branches are not considered. The law also only applies to chartered banks, ignoring other financial services sectors like fintech, shadow banks and credit unions. Community groups have also complained that the grading scale doesn't provide any incentive for banks to do more than the bare minimum necessary to get a satisfactory grade, while banks have said the grading system doesn't always give them CRA credit when they go beyond the minimum requirements or get creative. The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. began a series of listening sessions in 2010 with the intent of finding ways to improve the CRA by updating the law's implementing guidance, known as "Questions and Answers," or Q&As. Those final changes were published July 15, but critics said they were at best incremental improvements to the existing guidance. "The regulators have made some modest changes and improvements in this Q&A, but they will have limited benefit," Taylor said in a July 18 statement. "The clear expectation was that the agencies would update the regulation. That did not happen." The question remains as to why. Eugene Ludwig, former Comptroller of the Currency under President Clinton and co-founder of Promontory Financial Group, said bank regulators didn't go further with regulatory reforms because there are limits to how far they could go without running afoul of their statutory mandate. "You couldn't have a group of regulators who are more supportive, well intentioned in terms of making the CRA effective," Ludwig said. "The fact of the matter is, CRA, though not perfect, has worked pretty well, and changing it given the realities of the statute takes a lot of doing." If that's right, it means that any broader changes to the law would have to come through Congress, where partisan differences will likely keep any substantive legislation on the sidelines. "The community advocates are afraid of losing ground in any revision, and the banks are terrified of a new structure requiring new costs at the time when they are just emerging from years of hideously expensive regulatory change management," said Todd Baker, managing principal of Broadmoor Consulting. "Thus, no change, even though everyone knows it should happen as a technical matter." Taylor and Bailey both agreed that the CRA was widely portrayed in the years after the housing bubble as having incentivized banks to take on risky or nonproductive loans to poor people who could not pay them back. While they said that portrayal was inaccurate, it may have created a lingering stigma that has sapped any political courage on the part of the law's champions to open it up for revision. "What's happened is, there's such a push to the center, and moderate Democrats have fallen victim to this vilification of the CRA by conservatives," Taylor said. "Just like with Fannie and Freddie, CRA was blamed for the housing crisis, and it doesn't matter how much data or studies refute that idea it was just put out there. It would have been a perfect working class issue [but] they didn't fight back." Though bankers see flaws in CRA and would like to see the law cover other financial firms, they mostly appear to be willing to leave it alone. Unlike more recent regulatory changes that emerged after the financial crisis, CRA has been baked into the way banks do business. "If you asked a banker to make a list of the 10 regulations that bug them the most, chances are the CRA would not make it onto that top 10," said Wayne Abernathy, executive vice president of financial institutions policy and regulatory affairs at the American Bankers Association. "[It's] not that it doesn't bug you, and not that it isn't a pain in the neck, but it's a pain in the neck you can tolerate whereas some of this other stuff may really affect their ability to serve customers." The problem, Abernathy said, isn't extending credit to low and middle income communities, but having to document it. The CRA is set up in such a way as there is no benefit to being graded "outstanding" versus "satisfactory," he said. There are no incentives for a bank to outperform or innovate in its engagement of LMI communities if anything, it acts as a disincentive. "If they get an outstanding, it can become an albatross around your neck, because there's only one way you can go," Abernathy said. "And if you should slip from outstanding down to satisfactory, that can be seen as a fall from grace. So a lot of them will say, 'Just get the satisfactory, and life will be easier.' " Ludwig said that probably CRA's biggest blind spot and one on which both CRA advocates and the banking industry can agree is that it only applies to banks. As a result, as more financial services are performed by nonbanks or other entities, fewer and fewer financial services are being performed by entities with CRA obligations. "The shadow banking sector, which represents a substantial percentage of the financial sector of the United States, has no obligations, no interest in this at all," Ludwig said. "So if you really want to move the needle, you need to expand the obligation to others. That's where the pop is." Abernathy agreed, saying it may be the growth of nonbank firms into traditional banking services that ultimately changes the industry's mind about whether or not CRA is a top-flight issue. "CRA is a law that was based on a model that's becoming more and more behind the times," Abernathy said. "I think there could come a point where things have changed enough with the industry, both with the customers and with the banks themselves, where adjustments in CRA are timely and around which maybe a consensus can be established." Nonbanks have so far not been receptive to the idea. Fintech firms have repeatedly argued that since they do not reap the benefits of deposit insurance, they should not be bound by laws like the CRA that come as conditions of that insurance. Brad Thaler, vice president of regulatory affairs at the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, said the CRA was passed to bar redlining activities that by and large have not been associated with member-owned credit unions, so expanding the act to cover them would be counterproductive. "Credit unions were not included under CRA because there has never been any evidence that credit unions have engaged in these illegal and abhorrent activities," Thaler said. "Credit unions, as member-owned, not-for-profit cooperatives, must and do invest in their fields of membership so calls for including them under CRA are baseless." Bailey said that regardless of when a fight to modernize the CRA ever gets off the ground or what a specific proposal may look like, community advocates intend to continue to push the issue into the public eye as much as possible because the national dialog on income inequality is far from finished. "The conversation isn't over," Bailey said. "The CRA is an important law particularly at a time when our nation is talking about making sure families aren't left behind. [CRA] modernization needs to be a part of that." Allison Slomowitz Mid America Mortgage in Addison, Texas, has executed its first electronic closing and e-note through its retail origination channel. The closing builds on the company's plan to expand e-closings and e-notes across all of its origination channels, Mid America founder and chief executive Jeff Bode said in a news release Tuesday. "This strategy aligns Mid America with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's initiatives, as the CFPB has signaled its position that e-closing should be an option for all borrowers," Bode said. The company also announced plans to launch e-closing for its correspondent business later this summer. Loans eligible for that program include conventional products, FHA loans, VA loans and Section 184 (Native American) loans. "Historically, warehouse lenders have been the less than enthusiastic about e-warehousing, but the tide seems to be turning," Bode said. "Several banks have expressed their desire to participate in e-warehousing. Once we get the program up and running, our goal is to purchase loans closed electronically from participating lenders warehouse lines within two business days of funding." Mid America has worked with its warehouse partners, MERSCORP Holdings and Fannie Mae in developing its e-note strategy. Last September, the company unveiled plans to use technology from DocMagic and eSignSystems along with its own Mortgage Machine loan origination system as the foundation for its e-mortgage platform. Celebrate National Aviation Day with free educational activities from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Aug. 20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. National Aviation Day is a celebration of all things related to aviation and is held on the anniversary of Orville Wrights birthday (145 years ago on Aug. 19). During the event, museum visitors will learn about achievements in aviation and aerospace from the time of the Wright brothers' first flight to modern Air Force technology. These aviation and space demonstrations are appropriate for all ages and take place throughout the day. Activities will include a flying race between a Wright Flyer and an F-22, as well as flying a Wright Flyer in a wind tunnel while learning about the stability and control of aircraft. Visitors also will witness some modern-day technologies with a look at fuel cells, nanotechnology and robotics. In addition, visitors will be able to build and fly their own foam gliders from 1:30-3 p.m. while supplies last. This activity is free and open to all ages. Younger visitors will enjoy a Storytime program at 11:30 a.m. and again at 1:15 p.m. in Carney Auditorium. This activity will feature stories of flight as well as a hands-on craft project. A limited number of books will be available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis during each storytime, through the generosity of the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. and PNC Foundation. (No federal endorsement implied.) While youre at the museum, be sure to check out MathAlive!, a highly entertaining, interactive traveling exhibit that allows visitors to experience math in action. The 5,000-square-foot exhibit is located in the Cold War Gallery and includes more than 40 immersive experiences. All activities are free, and no advanced reservations are necessary. Call the Education Division at (937) 255-4646 for additional information. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the worlds largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Education Division at (937) 255-4646. NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Rob Bardua at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1386. GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a novel field of medicine called bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences, known as Google's life sciences unit until last year, and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million pounds ($715 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. The new company, owned 55 percent by GSK and 45 percent by Verily, will be based at GSK's Stevenage research center north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. It is GSK's second notable investment in Britain since the country voted to leave the European Union in June. Last week it announced plans to spend 275 million pounds on drug manufacturing. Galvani will develop miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be treated using these tiny devices, which consist of a electronic collar that wraps around nerves. Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines using these implants to stimulate nerves could be submitted for regulatory approval by around 2023. "We have had really promising results in animal tests, where we've shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism, and now we are bringing that work into the clinic," he told Reuters. "Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years." GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. The tie-up shows the growing convergence of healthcare and technology. Verily already has several other medical projects in the works, including the development of a smart contact lens in partnership with the Swiss drugmaker Novartis that has an embedded glucose sensor to help monitor diabetes. Gain of Rice Famm said the first generation of implants coming to market would be around the size of a medical pill but the aim eventually was to make them as small or smaller than a grain of rice, using the latest advances in nanotechnology. Patients will be treated with keyhole surgery and the hope is that bioelectronic medicine could provide a one-off treatment, potentially lasting decades. Major challenges including making the devices ultra low-power so that they function reliably deep inside the body. The idea of treating serious disease with electrical impulses is not completely new. Large-scale electrical devices have been used for years as heart pacemakers and, more recently, deep brain stimulation has been applied to treat Parkinson's disease and severe depression, while EnteroMedics last year won U.S. approval for a device to help obese people control their appetite. Galvani, however, is taking electrical interventions to the micro level, using tiny implants to coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. Galvani will initially employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. The company will be chaired by Moncef Slaoui, GSK's vaccines head, who pioneered the drugmaker's drive into the bioelectronics field. Slaoui is retiring from GSK next March but will continue to steer Galvani after that date, a spokesman said. Galvani will be fully consolidated in GSK's financial statements, following the model of the group's majority-owned ViiV Healthcare business, which sells HIV medicines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control warned pregnant women Monday not to travel to an area in the southeastern state of Florida where new cases of Zika virus infections have been identified. Florida officials have discovered ten more cases of the Zika virus, increasing the total there to 14 and prompting Governor Rick Scott to ask for federal help to fight the spread of the virus. A team is being deployed by the CDC in short order so that we will be able to work with Governor Scotts team on the ground in South Florida, White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Monday. Scott said all known cases of Zika in Florida were caused locally by mosquitos. State health officials believe the spread of the Zika virus is limited to a square mile area in Miami-Dade County, just north of downtown Miami. The area is rapidly gentrifying and has numerous construction sites where standing water can collect and serve as a breeding area for mosquitos. In addition to the travel warning aimed at pregnant women, the CDC said pregnant women in the Miami area should make every effort to avoid mosquito bites. Officials identified six of the new cases by conducting door-to-door community surveys. On Friday, officials announced four cases of the Zika virus, believed to be the first cases contracted from mosquitos within the 50 U.S. states. More than 1,650 people in the mainland U.S. have contracted the virus in recent months, nearly all while traveling in other countries. U.S. officials have said they do not expect broad outbreaks like those in Brazil and in some other Latin American countries. Aggressive mosquito control efforts in Florida were announced on Friday but the CDC said mosquito control efforts are not working as well as expected. Health officials have reminded the public that most people with Zika don't know they are sick and that infection during pregnancy can cause babies to develop birth defects. (NaturalNews) Ferocious vaccine manufacturers are constantly on the move, looking for new "demographics" to shoot with vaccines. If they could stick a needle into a rock and get paid for it, they would find a reason to do it.(Article by Jon Rappoport, republished from www.thedailysheeple.com But in this case, we're talking about pregnant women.Protection, protection, protectionthat's the cover the government keeps pushing.Meanwhile, the vaccines they're foisting on pregnant women have a track record of damage.Barbara Loe Fisher, head of the National Vaccine Information Center, has the story, so I'll let her tell it. These are excerpts from her testimony before the Nov. 13, 2015 "meeting of the FDA Vaccines & Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on proposed changes to FDA requirements for licensure of vaccines intended for use during pregnancy":Fisher ("FDA Prepares to Fast Track New Vaccines Targeting Pregnant Women," 11/17/2016):"In 2006, CDC officials directed doctors to give all pregnant women a flu shot and, in 2011, a Tdap shot during every pregnancy, no matter how little time has elapsed between pregnancies. Prior to FDA licensure, influenza, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines [Tdap and flu shots] were not tested in or proven safe and effective for pregnant women in large clinical trials when given during every pregnancy either singly or simultaneously.""Categorized by FDA as Pregnancy Category B and C biologicals because it is not known whether the vaccines are genotoxic and can cause fetal harm or can affect maternal fertility and reproduction, administering influenza and Tdap vaccines to pregnant women is an off-label use of these vaccines. It is a policy that assumes maternal vaccination is necessary, safe and effective without proving it.""...pertussis containing vaccine [Tdap] injuries and deaths are the most compensated claim in the federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) for infants and children, while influenza vaccine-related injuries and deaths are the most compensated claim for adults. And yet, in the absence of credible biological mechanism and epidemiologic evidence pre-licensure proving these vaccines are safe for all pregnant women , their fetuses and newborns, female health care workers are being fired for refusing to be injected with them while they are pregnant.""The National Vaccine Information Center is opposed to FDA retroactively licensing influenza and Tdap vaccines for use in pregnant women and fast tracking RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] and group strep B vaccines to licensure..."No evidence of safety, but so what? Reports of injuries and deaths, but so what?Pregnant women are a "lucrative market," and that's all that counts.Need a terrific target for further disabling the population? Pregnant women are ideal.The FDA and its army of allies will assure you that these untested and off-label uses for vaccines are perfectly safe, because all vaccines are safe.The FDA speaks for the pharmaceutical industry. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.It might be tempting to say the FDA is careless, is overlooking important factorsbut it's much, much worse than that.Here are excerpts from a 2012 piece of mine about an FDA drug reviewer, and what happened to him when he went against the grain, and opposed his bosses on judgments about what was safe medicine and what was dangerous medicine:In a stunning interview with Truthout's Martha Rosenberg, former FDA drug reviewer, Ronald Kavanagh, exposes the FDA as a relentless criminal mafia protecting its client, Big Pharma, with a host of mob strategies ("Former FDA Reviewer Speaks Out About Intimidation, Retaliation and Marginalizing of Safety," 7/29/2012).Kavanagh: "...widespread [FDA] racketeering, including witness tampering and witness retaliation.""I was threatened with prison.""One [FDA] manager threatened my children...I was afraid that I could be killed for talking to Congress and criminal investigators."Kavanagh reviewed new drug applications made to the FDA by pharmaceutical companies. He was one of the holdouts at the Agency who insisted that the drugs had to be safe and effective before being released to the public.But honest appraisal wasn't part of the FDA culture, and Kavanagh swam against the tide, until he realized his life and the lives of his children were on the line.What was his secret task at the FDA? "Drug reviewers were clearly told not to question drug companies and that our job was to approve drugs." In other words, rubber stamp them. Say the drugs were safe and effective when they were not.Kavanagh's revelations are stunning. He recalls a meeting where a drug-company representative flat-out stated that his company had paid the FDA for a new-drug approval. Paid for it. As in bribe.***Kavanagh remarks that the drug pyridostigmine, given to US troops to prevent the later effects of nerve gas, "actually increased the lethality" of certain nerve agents.Kavanagh recalls being given records of safety data on a drugand then his bosses told him which sections not to read. Obviously, they knew the drug was dangerous and they knew exactly where, in the reports, that fact would be revealed.end of excerptWomen have to know what is waiting for them, in vials of vaccines, when they become pregnant. Waiting for them and their unborn children.Huxley's Brave New World portrayed a nation of docile citizens. But there, at least, the drug of choice was Soma, a compound that stimulated pleasure centers.Here, we're talking about docility and obedience in the face of suffering, pain, neurological damage, and death.Doctors don't want to know about this. They don't want to know the true story about vaccines. If they did, they'd suddenly remember the body count they've been responsible for.So instead, they polish their act, designed to invoke credibility and, above all, authority.Invent a mountaintop, stand on it, and sell, sell, sell.That's their vaccine motto.What's yours?Read more at: www.thedailysheeple.com Sources: Man loses everything after officers claim his soap bars are cocaine Police field drug tests often give false positives (NaturalNews) When Pennsylvania state police officers pulled Alexander J. Bernstein over to the side of Interstate 78 it appeared to be just another traffic stop. Bernstein was going 5 mph over the speed limit, traveling 60 in a 55 mph zone.Bernstein and his friend Anadel Cruz were on their way to visit a relative when the red and blue lights appeared in their rear-view mirror. Bernstein pulled his Mercedes Benz to the side of the road and waited for the officers to issue their citation. The officers, suspicious of the luxury vehicle and its out of state license plates, were quick to probe Bernstein. With nothing to hide, Bernstein allowed the suspicious and interrogating officers to have a look inside the vehicle.When the officers popped the trunk, they found two bars of soap wrapped in plastic. It didn't look like soap, according to the officers, whose motives were unclear. According to, they decided the soap looked like cocaine. Bernstein and Cruz pleaded that the contraband in question was just soap bars wrapped in plastic.The troopers didn't listen and moved quickly to arrest Bernstein. He was detained and placed in police barracks as the officers waited for drug test results on the "cocaine" bricks they had confiscated.When the drug test came back, the results affirmed the officer's suspicions; the homemade soap bars were determined to be cocaine. Bernstein was immediately charged with drug trafficking. He was transported to the Leigh County Prison, where he spent 29 excruciating days behind bars on a $500,000 bail.As Alexander J. Bernstein awaited the results of laboratory tests, he lost his job, reputation, apartment and possessions. He missed having Thanksgiving with his 17-month old son. When the laboratory results were in, they confirmed that the officers were wrong and that their field test had been faulty . The soap was indeed, soap. The state released Bernstein. Even so, Bernstein was left with $32,000 in court costs, a month of his life had been taken away from him, and everything he had was gone.Attorney Joshua Karoly is now leading a suit against the state. The lawsuit claims that Bernstein was left homeless and destitute after being falsely accused and imprisoned for cocaine. "[Bernstein] did not so much as receive an apology from the defendants," wrote Joshua Karoly."And even then, the FBI, the internet and other media sources will still contain a permanent record of his arrest and the criminal charges upon which he was maliciously prosecuted," the lawsuit states.This is yet another horrifying case where police drug tests have given false positives. According toBernstein is not alone; police field tests have been proven faulty for potentially thousands of innocent people. Even worse, these faulty police field tests are relied on and used as evidence to put people in prison.Aspoints out, in Las Vegas, 33 percent of field tests were proven false by authorities after arrests had been made and after jail time had been issued. What's horrifying is that these faulty field tests could be used intentionally to target certain people or to affirm an officer's arrogant search and seizure of an innocent person's property. They could also inadvertently give a false positive, putting naive travelers in handcuffs.When the Florida Department of Law Enforcement did a laboratory review of several samples of methamphetamine confiscated by police, they found that 21 percent of the substances weren't meth at all. It should be noted that police field tests are used to force a guilty plea from over 100,000 people each year. Between 20 and 40 percent of these drug arrests could theoretically be unfounded and illegal, as false positives are used as false evidence to put innocent travelers in handcuffs and behind bars.It's never been more important to learn how to stand up to authorities, to stop them from going through with illegal searches and seizures, breaches of privacy and destruction of civil liberties 'A solid return on investment' 'Science's worst enemy' (NaturalNews) Tens of millions of American voters just learned during the current presidential election cycle that the Democratic National Committee's rules for nominating the party's White House candidate aren't fair. And what's more, they learned that the party clearly favored one competitor Hillary Clinton over another, Sen. Bernie Sanders.The way that Democrats ensured a Clinton victory was a lot like the way Monsanto ensures that the health and safety of its genetically modified seeds and crops are never seriously challenged or questioned in the scientific realm. I'll explain.Take the case of Clinton winning her party's nomination. From the outset, the Sanders campaign was doomed. The Democratic Party, like the Republican Party, holds a series of nominating primaries and caucuses ostensibly to select their respective presidential candidates.It's important to note that the difference between primaries and caucuses is that in the former, voters statewide cast ballots to elect their preferred candidate; the latter is a system of local gatherings where voters decide which candidate to support and select delegates for nominating conventions.Republicans select delegates; Democrats select delegates and so-called "superdelegates." And these superdelegates are free to support any candidatechoose, irrespective of the wishes of voters in their districts.Starting out, Clinton had around 600 pledged superdelegates to Sanders' 40-something. So, even though Sanders began closing in on Clinton in the regular delegate count as the primary/caucus season moved forward, he had a formidable mountain of superdelegates to overcome.Plus, we now find out, thanks to hacked then leaked emails, that the DNC conspired to ensure a Clinton victory over Sanders from the outset , just as the Sanders campaign charged in May So, while the DNC's mouthpieces claimed the party was not favoring one candidate over another, that clearly wasn't the case.Monsanto operates in much the same way. While claiming that its disease-causing GMOs are safe, it stacks the deck by hiring pseudo-scientists and turning them into paid hacks and shills for the company, to give it an air of legitimacy.One such hack was exposed byand others last fall. His name is Kevin Folta, a University of Florida professor who promised the agri-business giant "a solid return on investment" just a few days before receiving $25,000 in Monsanto money.As Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and author of the top-selling bookwrote in September, despite the fact that Folta emphatically stated he never took any money from Monsanto, unearthed correspondence between the two says otherwise. This from a guy who also regularly blogged in defense of GMOs.A letter from Monsanto, dated August 8, 2014, confirms that Kevin Folta received an "unrestricted grant" in the amount of $25,000 money which "may be used at your discretion ... in support of outreach projects." That means he could spend the money on anything he wanted travel, food, hotels, etc.Folta confirmed the grant in an email response to a Carolyn Daly from Monsanto , asking if Folta was going to send the company an invoice, or if Monsanto should "do a check request for" his payment.Folta certainly isn't the only paid hack for Monsanto. In fact, as Adams pointed out in a column last week , the scientific community is rife with fraud, chicanery and untrustworthiness filled with propagandists pushing corporate or globalist agendas of control (like "climate change"), all in an effort to enact a certain political agenda It's the new "reefer madness:"Indeed, corporate funding has been called 'science's worst enemy.' With nearly 20,000 people detained and arrests continuing, there is rising concern the crackdown in Turkey after the July 15 failed coup is expanding to government critics and opponents, especially in the media. Twenty-nine journalists have been imprisoned since the coup, and arrest warrants have been issued for dozens more. Journalist Cafer Solgun, who worked for one of the more than 100 media outlets closed in the crackdown, struggles to understand why people like him are targeted. "It was the coup plotters who were blinded with madness to bomb the Turkish parliament and attempt to seize power. But what relation can me, Cafer Solgun, and dozens of other journalists like me have to do with it?" Gulen Denies Charges President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists all those being targeted are connected to the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he accuses of using a secretive network of followers to carry out the coup attempt. Turkish authorities argue Gulen used his large network of national and local media outlets to support the military take over bid. Gulen denies all charges of involvement. And the motives of the crackdown are being increasingly questioned. Nina Ornianova of New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the scale and scope of arrests, in particular in the media, leads to worrying conclusions. "It goes far beyond what is necessary to preserve the security of the state. It seems like Mr. Erdogan and the AKP government, have being using this failed putsch to cleanse the media, state, and cleanse the country of dissenting voices." A tiny "origami" robot may just save your child's life from stomach bleeding and imminent death. Infants and young children love to explore. So whether it is a juicy strawberry or a shiny battery, they will put it in their mouths out of curiosity. The Problem: Death by Battery Ingestion Lithium batteries, also known as button batteries usually found in toys and watches, may look harmless, but according to Cleveland Clinic, the batteries are loaded with dangerous chemicals. When ingested, these chemicals form reactions that can be very harmful to a child's digestive system. It can even burn a hole through the throat and lead to serious internal bleeding and death. The Solution: Ingestible Origami Robot In an attempt to stop the growing cases of death by battery ingestion, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an ingestible robot as the latest microsurgery tool named the origami robot because the accordion-shaped gadget gets folded up and frozen into an ice capsule. "You swallow the robot, and when it gets to your stomach the ice melts and the robot unfolds," Daniela Rus, a professor who directs MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, told the Associated Press in an interview. "Then, we can direct it to a very precise location." The tiny object can be used to remove foreign objects in the stomach, deliver medicine and patch up wounds to halt the bleeding via the "stick-slip" motion. According to MIT's press release, the 'stic-slip' motion is a process "in which its appendages stick to a surface through friction when it executes a move, but slip free again when its body flexes to change its weight distribution". Robot Made From Pig Gut? The robot is a successor of the initial robot the MIT invented last year, but the material used to form the structure of the new robot is quite different. To ensure the stiffness and malleability of the robot as it enters the fluid-filled stomach, dried pig intestine used in sausage casings was used to form the robot's biodegradable frame. "They tried rice paper and sugar paper and hydrogel paper, all sorts of different materials," Rus said. "We found that sausage casing has the best properties when it comes to folding and unfolding and controllability." The robot is still at the experimental stage and is being tested in an artificial stomach made of silicone. Records at National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C., show that between 2005 and 2014, 11,940 children under the age of 6 swallowed batteries, 15 of those died while 101 suffered major medical problems. Daenerys Targaryen's dragons in "Game of Thrones" can now be a reality -- only smaller. Scientists have found two new species of spiky ants in New Guinea that resembles Khaleesi's famous dragons, Drogon and Viserion. According to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, the two new ants species, named Pheidole drogon and Pheidole viserion, are extremely rare and classified as major workers. These ants are significantly different in appearance due to their spiky, wing-like spine portruding out of their dorsal plates. Eli Sarnat, author of the study, explained to CS Monitor that usually, spines are used as defense against predation. However, for these new dragon ants, the spikes could be another way to support their large heads and jaws, which are used for chomping and gathering resources. To examine their theory, the group scanned the new ant species through micro CT tomography. In this process, they were able to do a 3D X-ray image of the dragon ants even without cutting them. "This is one of the first studies in ant taxonomy to use micro-CT," said Evan Economo, the researcher who came up with the "Game of Thrones" names, via Phys.org. "While this method is gaining popularity in different scientific fields, it is rare to use it in this way." The scientists discovered that unlike minor worker ants, the new species of major ants have muscles supporting their spikes. However, Sarnat did not scrape off the idea that these spines could have been used for predators but said that their function was initially for head support. Of the 1,100 species of ants under the Pheidole genus, Sarnat reveals that the two newly discovered species are the only ones with an elaborate and complex spine structure. James Water from Providence College says that there are still more ant species waiting to be discovered in the future. "It's estimated that we've only discovered a small fraction of the different kinds of life on Earth, so every new species we identify and describe is a huge benefit to humanity," he said. In search for other celestial objects, NASA was able to capture an intriguing star they dubbed as the "loneliest" among all the creations in space. This young star, which is called CX330, is believed to be the most isolated star in the universe with a neighbor that is about a thousand light-years away. Through the study conducted by the Royal Astronomical Society, astronauts were able to find the star "as a source of X-ray light in 2009," as posted in AOL News. The star is considered as "the most isolated young star that has been discovered" in the history. Though it is still uncertain whether how long it has already been that far, experts are sure that it has been "outbursting for several years." Based on the information gathered, the loneliest star CX330 probably has an age of one million years about as young as that of a teenager here on Earth. Because of its young body, it has the tendency to go "through a tremendous growth spurt by sending out jets of materials that slam into the gas and dust around it," as noted by RT. 'The most isolated young star': Unique and loneliest star revealed in center of Milky Wayhttps://t.co/7vE9B4lcDj pic.twitter.com/W8T0vV2E2C - RT (@RT_com) July 27, 2016 As of yet, NASA have already identified about 10 outbursting young stars, but according to the experts, the CX330 is the hottest, most compact and massive among them all. Joel Green, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said if that's the case, then there would not be any possibility that the CS330 has revolving planets around it because nothing can withstand the heat. "If it's truly a massive star, its lifetime is short and violent," Researcher Joel Green said. "I wouldn't recommend being a planet around it." Based on the study, there would be this great possibility that the loneliest star will only last for a couple of centuries experiencing great heat and instability. After that phase, it will then create a huge blast with its rocks disappearing through the Milky Way. Private pilots who dream of working for NASA now have a shot at becoming part of the agency. In hopes of tracking the cause and exterminating toxic algae blooms, NASA along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking the help of private pilots. Toxic algae bloom has plagued Florida and Georgia waters for long. Despite constant research and study, finding out when and where algal blooms could start is the problem. Even with the help of satellites, the data takes long to analyze. In addition, satellites have difficulties seeing through clouds. Plus, satellites can't move around to specifically track the algal blooms. Moving the satellites around is also quite expensive. This is where aviation comes in. "There are about 600,000 private pilots in the U.S. and over 200,000 GA aircraft," states Rafat Ansari, scientist at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland . "A fraction of this untapped resource can be used to study scientific issues in the nation's waterways....GA pilots are more knowledgeable of the communities they live in, and are therefore aware of the water-quality issues near them. As citizens, they love to help their communities." However, there's a catch - private pilots have to do this on a volunteer basis. NASA won't be paying for the fuel, and not even for time spent up in the air. In fact, the agency has a preference for private pilots hoping to help out in the research of algal blooms. Particularly, NASA is asking help from private pilots who follow a routine flight path at an altitude between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above water. Yet, private pilots who are willing can choose their own flight path all for basic algal bloom tracking and forecasting. If you're a private pilot with much time on your hands, sign up for the program by visiting the project website. Scientists found aggressive cancer tumors in a 1.7 million-year-old foot bone. According to the researchers from the University of Witwatersrand's Evolutionary Studies Institute and the South African Center for Excellence in Paleosciences, the benign tumor was found in a fossilized foot bone suspected to belong to a bipedal hominin - early ancestor of modern-day humans, which was discovered in the Swartkrans cave outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. In the first study, which was published in the South African Journal of Science, the researchers identified the cancer in the foot bone as an osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer that commonly affects younger individuals in modern humans and results to early death if untreated. "Due to its preservation, we don't know whether the single cancerous foot bone belongs to an adult or child, nor whether the cancer caused the death of this individual, but we can tell this would have affected the individuals' ability to walk or run," Dr. Bernhard Zipfel, Witswatersrand scientist and co-author of the study, said in a press release. "In short, it would have been painful." In an accompanying study by the research team, which was published in the same journal, the scientists also discovered the oldest known tumor in human fossil record in Malapa cave near Johannesburg. The tumor, which was non-cancerous, was found in the vertebrae of an Australopithecus sediba child - about eight or nine years old upon death - and dated almost two million years back. Prior to the discovery, the oldest hominin tumor was found in the rib of a Neanderthal, which dated back to about 120,000 years old. The researchers used a new method known as micro-CT imaging in discovering the tumor. The technique allowed researchers to examine the insides of the fossil in detailed 2D and 3D images, DigitalTrends reports. "Modern medicine tends to assume that cancers and tumors in humans are diseases caused by modern lifestyles and environments," Edward Odes, Witswatersrand scientist and co-author of both studies, said in the same statement. "Our studies show the origins of these diseases occurred in our ancient relatives millions of years before modern industrial societies existed." Authorities are now blaming climate change for the recent outbreak of Anthrax in the Far North of Russia, sickening 72 nomadic herders and killing over 2,300 reindeers. According to the report from The Guardian, the thawing of the permafrost due to the increasing temperature releases a certain strain of Anthrax from a carcass of an infected reindeer that was frozen for 75 years. Officials are now taking extreme precautionary measures to prevent further outbreak of the killer bacteria. "It's not the first situation when anthrax returns to Russia," said Anna Popova, director of state health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, in a report from Siberian Times. "We need to be ready for any manifestations and return of infection. The (Yamalo-Nenets) territory, which has had no anthrax in animals or people since 1941, and which has been considered free from infection since 1968, demonstrates that this infection is subtle." Authorities have evacuated 63 nomads belonging to a dozen of families away from the site of the outbreak. Reindeers were also getting vaccinated for the virus. Yamal authorities have stopped vaccinating reindeers ten years ago because there have been no reported case of Anthrax infection for more than half a century. NBC News reported that the temperature in the Yamal tundra above the Arctic Circle have been abnormally high for the past month, reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is way above the average of 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The rest of Russia have also experience an 0.43 degree Celsius increase in temperature in the past ten years. The warming climate is causing the permafrost soil to thaw. These permafrost cover much of Russia, including animal burial grounds and cemeteries. Anthrax spores are capable of surviving in frozen animal and human remains for hundred years and can be released when thawed. People infected with Anthrax have 25 to 80 percent mortality rate. Local officials are now thinking of a way to dispose the corpse of the dead reindeers. Burning is the most usual way to dispose infected carcasses. However, burning poses a severe risk in the tundra. NASA recommends summertime stargazing because mesmerizing celestial bodies can be seen from the sky this August. The month of August is filled with celestial extravaganzas starting with overlapping meteor showers, the Delta Aquarid and the Perseid. But aside from that, five planets will also be visible from Earth namely Mars, Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter. This month's summertime sky watching offers a lot to show for both astronomers and the public. The five-planet line-up can be seen as soon as the Sun sets starting Aug. 4. On Aug. 11, the three planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus will be seen in a group while on the other side of the sky, Saturn, Mars and the moon will also be visible. But if that's not enough, there are more planets, dwarf planets and asteroids that can be seen in the sky this month. "Uranus, Neptune and dwarf planet Ceres are visible before dawn in the southern sky," Jane Houston Jones, from NASA's jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a video released by the agency. "Asteroid Pallas is visible in the Southern sky at the same time," Jones added. Pluto and the rest of the dwarf planets can be viewed using telescopes. While NASA elaborated the days to spot the planets, meteor experts said that the Perseid meteor shower is best viewed from Aug. 9 to Aug. 15, according to Telegraph. This year, spectators are expecting to see more of the Perseid annual meteor shower since the outburst is reportedly bigger this year and may potentially create about 200 meteors per hour. According to NASA the clear summer weather will enable sky watchers to see the meteor shower and the planets easily with warm nights and clear skies, a haven for stargazers. For meteor shower stargazing, NASA recommends the use of binoculars. For a closer look, a telescope is necessary. North Korean officials posted overseas secretly use smartphones made in South Korea, the Daily NK reported Monday quoting a source in China. The news outlet said North Korean officials and security agents who act as minders of overseas workers use Samsung or LG smartphones although they ban their charges from using any smartphones. Some of them are keenly trawl the web without permission from their superiors. "They want to find out on the Internet what the outside world thinks about the Pyongyang regime," the source said. "They latch onto news about the North no matter how small." But most agents use Chinese-made smartphones because they fear that their own information could be leaked to South Korea if they use South Korean phones, according to another source. Workers also often clandestinely use smartphones and are susceptible to propaganda targeting them. In a surprise move while the jury is still deliberating, federal prosecutors on Tuesday walked away from seeking a half billion dollars in enhanced fines against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on pipeline safety counts. The government had sought as much as $562 million under the federal Alternative Fines Act, a proceeding that would have necessitated a second trial should the jury have found the company guilty. The decision by prosecutors midday came without explanation. PG&E accepted the move in a separate filing. The decision left San Bruno officials stunned. Were surprised at this, we believe that the prosecution has put on a compelling case, said City Manager Connie Jackson. We look forward to guilty verdicts and that the appropriate penalties will be imposed by the judge. The city wants the judge to order that the company be overseen by a federal monitor, something that Jackson says is still possible based on the charges. The original $562 million sum had been calculated as roughly twice the profit the company reputedly reaped by not properly testing and maintaining its gas pipelines, as alleged in 11 counts. The company also faces a lone count of obstructing the federal National Transportation Safety Administrations probe of the San Bruno blast in 2010. The explosion killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. Under the original charges, the company would now face about $6 million in fines -- $500,000 per allegation -- stemming from the 11 pipeline safety violations in the case as well as the lone obstruction count. Under criticism, federal prosecutors originally amended the indictment to seek more fines under the alternative act in 2014. The jury has been deliberating since last week. On Friday, the panel asked to see a presentation made by prosecutors during closing argument, access to a PG&E spreadsheet of pipeline data, as well as certain records of federally mandated pipeline pressure tests. Earlier on Tuesday, Judge Thelton Henderson ruled that the prosecutors presentation was not evidence in the case and denied the jurys request to see it. He allowed the panel to see the database spreadsheet and the individual stretches of pipeline and pressure test records at issue in the case. PG&E issued a statement following the decision by the government. Regardless of this action or the next legal steps, we want our customers and their families to know that we are committed to re-earning their trust by acting with integrity and working around the clock to provide them with energy that is safe, reliable, affordable and clean. A Redwood City high school teacher's aide is facing multiple felony charges for having a relationship with a 15-year-old student, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office. Gustabo Rodriguez, 22, was exposed when an anonymous tipster forwarded a video of him shaving the student's pubic hair to the school's vice principal, prosecutors said Tuesday. Rodriguez has been charged with four counts of felony oral copulation with a minor. He made an initial appearance in court on Monday, the DA's Office said. Rodriguez was a part-time teacher's aide at Sequoia High School in Redwood City and while working there allegedly had oral sex with the victim four times at his Redwood City home earlier this year. At one point, he allegedly made a video of himself shaving the student's pubic hair without the teen's knowledge, according to the DA's Office. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe admits the way the relationship was exposed is unusual. "There was an email sent to the vice principal over at the school, and in the email, there was a video showing the conduct that was being engaged in," Wagstaffe said. The DA added that the relationship was consensual. "They started out as a friendly relationship, and it turned into a sexual relationship," Wagstaffe said. "The victim wasn't forced into it. There's no allegations of force or coercion, but it is a crime to engage in oral copulation with a minor." Rodriguez was arrested and charged last week. Sequoia Union High School District Superintendent James Lianides released a statement saying district officials were "shocked and concerned" when they received the "disturbing video. Our staff effectively executed the district's student safety protocols in this situation and have been working closely with law enforcement." Parents were equally shocked. "What happened isn't right," said Bob Hayes. "Think about if it's your child. Rage goes through you first, especially if it's your child. Then you have to deal with your family. Words can't describe what goes through you." The identity of the anonymous tipster is a mystery, according to prosecutors. Rodriguez remains in jail on $300,000 bail and is set to return to court on Aug. 10. Attorneys for an accused criminal who was beaten by Alameda County sheriff's deputies in San Francisco last November filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday against the deputies, Sheriff Gregory Ahern and the county. The suit on behalf of 29-year-old Stanlislav Petrov seeks unspecified compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages as well as an order barring the sheriff's office from engaging in unconstitutional practices and prohibiting it from engaging in a "code of silence" about deputies who engage in misconduct. Deputies were caught on camera beating Petrov after a high-speed chase that began in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 in unincorporated San Leandro, where Petrov had allegedly used a stolen car to ram two marked sheriff's patrol cars, causing minor injuries to one deputy, before fleeing in a stolen car. The pursuit ended at Stevenson and 14th streets in San Francisco's Mission District, where Petrov ran out of gas and crashed the car. The alleged beating occurred a short distance away on Clinton Park. Two of the deputies named in the suit are Deputy Luis Santamaria, a 14-year veteran of the department, and Deputy Paul Wieber, a three-year veteran, both of whom were charged by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office in May with assault under color of authority, battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors allege Santamaria and Wieber struck Petrov at least 30 times over the course of 40 seconds in the head and hands with their batons. Petrov suffered injuries including a concussion, broken bones in both hands, a mild traumatic brain injury and deep cuts to his head. The suit also names deputies Shawn Osborne, Malizia Miller, Shelton Griffith and Sgt. Taylor, whose first name was not disclosed. Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said Monday that Osborne no longer works for the department as the result of an internal affairs investigation into the matter, and it's possible that additional deputies may be disciplined when the investigation is completed. Petrov's suit, which was filed by Oakland attorney Michael Haddad, alleges that Osborne stole a valuable gold chain and money from Petrov after he was beaten. The suit says the sheriff's office recommended that Petrov be charged with 12 separate crimes for allegedly stealing the car and ramming the patrol cars, but the Alameda County District Attorney's Office declined to charge him with any crime. However, Petrov faces gun and drug charges in a federal case that followed a March 8 search of his apartment by the FBI. The assault against Petrov came to light after the San Francisco Public Defender's Office obtained surveillance camera video footage. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said investigators also made use of a second video taken from a body-worn camera that one of the deputies appears to have activated accidentally. The suit, which was filed electronically and has been assigned to U.S. District Court Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in Oakland, says that Petrov raised his hands in surrender when Santamaria and Wieber caught up to him in San Francisco, but Wieber tackled him to the cement and repeatedly punched him in his head and neck areas. President Barack Obama called Donald Trump "unfit" to be president and challenged leading Republicans to repudiate their party's nominee. "The question they have to ask themselves is, if you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable: Why do you continue to endorse him. What does is say about your party? Obama said. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday after meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House, Obama said Trump's criticism of a fallen Muslim-American soldier's family is the latest evidence that the billionaire businessman isn't ready to lead the country. "There has to be a point where you have to say, I can't support this for president of the United States," Obama said, adding that otherwise, the denunciations are "hollow." Trump responded with a statement that summarized talking points he makes in his stump speech: "Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East ... released criminal aliens into our country who killed one innocent American after another ... produced the worst recovery since the Great Depression (and) shipped millions of our best jobs overseas." Obama also reaffirmed his commitment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, saying that if U.S. were to "pull up the drawbridge" on trade it would hurt American workers. He said people have legitimate fears about the impact of globalization and being "left behind," but the answer cannot be to back away from trade and the global economy. "I'm a stanch supporter of TPP because it will reduce tariff's on American goods and make it easier for Americans to export to emerging economies across the the world," Obama said. Singapore, a close U.S. partner, is one of the 12 nations in the TPP, an agreement key to Obama's effort to boost U.S. exports and build strategic ties in Asia. But Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Washington visit starting Tuesday comes as opposition to the TPP intensifies in the United States. Both Republican contender Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who are competing to succeed Obama as president, are against it. Asked how the president plans on passing TPP under strong opposition by the presidential candidates, Obama said, "Well right now Im president and Im for it. And I think Ive got the better argument." Lee is urging Congress to ratify the deal as soon as possible, calling TPP "vital for a strategic point of view" and an integral commitment of America's rebalance to Asia. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the leader of Singapore to the White House for a state visit marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between their countries. Prime Minister Loong was greeted by an elaborate welcome ceremony as his limousine pulled in to the South Lawn of the White House. Hundreds of U.S. military members in blue and white uniforms formed an honor guard, some carrying bayoneted rifles. Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce late Monday, Lee urged its ratification, saying the pact would give the U.S. better access to the markets that account for 40 percent of global economic output. He said it would also add heft add heft to Washington's so-called "rebalance" to the Asia-Pacific. "For America's friends and partners, ratifying the TPP is a litmus test of your credibility and seriousness of purpose," he said. His sentiments are shared by Obama, who told Singapore's The Straits Times in an interview published Monday that the U.S. can't "turn inward" and embrace protectionism because of economic anxieties that have been drawn out by the presidential election. The Obama administration says it remains determined to try and win congressional approval for TPP, but the chances of achieving that in the "lame duck" session after the Nov. 8 election and before the new president takes office Jan. 20 appear slim because of the depth of political opposition, not least from Obama's fellow Democrats. The deal would eliminate trade barriers and tariffs, streamline standards and encourage investment between the 12 countries that include Mexico, Japan, Vietnam and Australia. But critics say the pact undercuts American workers by introducing lower-wage competition and gives huge corporations too much leeway. Singapore, a city state of 5.7 million people, is heavily dependent on international trade for its prosperity. In 2004, it became the first Asian nation to strike a bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S. Last year, the bilateral trade in goods totaled $47 billion, with the U.S. enjoying a $10 billion surplus. Singapore is also a strong advocate of the U.S. security role in Asia although it retains cordial ties with China too. Under Obama, the U.S. has deployed littoral combat ships in Singapore, and last December, deployed a P-8 Poseidon spy plane there for the first time, amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea. Lee's meeting with Obama on Tuesday will be watched for reaction to an international tribunal ruling July 12 that invalidated China's historical claims to most of the disputed South China Sea. The U.S. says the ruling is binding but China has rejected it. Southeast Asian nations have been reluctant to speak out against Beijing. Lee will be honored with a state dinner Tuesday evening the first held for a Singaporean leader since October 1985, when Ronald Reagan hosted Lee's late father, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The U.S. and Singapore opened diplomatic relations in 1966, a year after the U.S. recognized Singapore's independence from Malaysia. Donald Trump said Monday on the campaign trail he worries the general election in November will be "rigged," and later called rival Hillary Clinton "the devil." "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," the Republican nominee for president said at a rally in Ohio. Trump's remarks did not mention the controversy generated by his criticism of the parents of a slain Muslim U.S. soldier. He didn't elaborate on the comment. Trump said he felt the Democrats had fixed their primary system so Clinton could defeat Bernie Sanders and claimed the Republican nomination would have also been stolen from him had he not won "by such tremendous margins." If the remark was more than just an offhand comment, it would seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. He repeated the charge Monday night on Fox News Channel's "Hannity," asserting that the election "is going to be rigged" and that Republicans should watch closely. Associated Press requests to Trump's campaign for additional explanation were not returned. Speaking in Pennsylvania later on Monday, Trump said Sanders had "made a deal with the devil" in supporting Clinton. "She's the devil," Trump said. Trump's Ohio rally was held after President Barack Obama spoke at the annual convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, implicitly admonishing Trump by saying no one has given more for American freedom and security than the families of those who have died for their country. Obama's statement was the latest rebuke from a politician, following comments critical of Trump from both parties over the weekend. Trump had taken issue with the Muslim parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq over a decade ago. They spoke out against Trump at the Democratic National Convention, sparking a back-and-forth between Trump and the parents in the press. Trump spoke to reporters before the Ohio rally, but did not address the Khan family controversy, NBC News' Hallie Jackson reported. He also made no mention of the issue in Pennsylvania, though he said there that if he doesn't win on Nov. 8, he will consider running for president "a tremendous waste of time, energy and money." "I would have rather lost a year ago, it would have been easier," he told the crowd in a Harrisburg-area high school, urging them to bring their friends to vote. Trump said "it takes guts" to run for president and he could "have a very nice life right now." "I don't have to be with you people, ranting and raving," Trump said. While Trump may suspect some wrongdoing in the election, he sounded a more optimistic note about his own campaign at the Ohio rally, saying over 500,000 small donors had contributed $35.8 million in the last month, with an average donation of $69. If true he said that his campaign would be announcing the figures soon it would nearly equal the $39.4 million he received in total contributions he received from April 2, 2015 to June 30, 2016, according to FEC filings. Trump compared himself to Sanders, who funded his presidential bid through small donors. Trump said the money both of them have collected is evidence of "a movement." Trump and Clinton both must report their July fundraising information to federal regulators by Aug. 20. The Associated Press contributed to this report. When billionaire investor Warren Buffett introduced Hillary Clinton at a Nebraska campaign event Monday, he made an announcement that he said would be news even to the Democratic nominee for president. Buffett pledged to "take at least 10 people to the polls who otherwise would have had difficulty getting there" on November 8, challenging his congressional district to "give America a civics lesson." He launched a website, Drive2vote, where people can sign up for a ride or to give a ride on Election Day, as well as to register to vote. "My goal is to have the turnout here be the highest percentage of potential voters of any district in the country," Buffett told the crowd in Omaha. Buffet, a famed investor and one of the wealthiest people in America, endorsed Clinton last year. The "Oracle of Omaha," as Buffett is sometimes called, said he even reserved a trolley called "Ollie" Monday. "It seats 32, Im gonna be on it all day, Im gonna be doing selfies, whatever it takes," Buffett said. Clinton thanked Buffett for the introduction before transitioning into her rally. As it finished, she said that if she wins the election, she will "come back here and Warren and I will dance of the streets of Omaha together!" Her campaign is seeking to highlight support from the business community. Buffett is the latest business leader to back Clinton over Republican Donald Trump. She appeared with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in Pittsburgh over the weekend and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke on her behalf at the Democratic National Convention. Buffett also discussed Clinton's rival for the White House, saying "La-di-da" of Trump's Republican National Convention assertion that he's the only one who can fix the country's ills. "It takes some kind of nerve, or something else, to really have the notion that out of 335 million people you're the only one who can fix it," Buffett continued. Clinton said she wants to be "the small business president," and took issue with the way Trump has allegedly not paid contractors for their work, referring apparently to the bankruptcy of his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic city in the 1990s. "That is just not the way we do business in America. We make good on our promises," she said, noting the issue was important to her because her father was a small businessman. Authorities found a 4-month-old Ohio girl dead along a riverbank on Monday and her father, who reported her missing, was charged in her death. The remains, believed to be those of Kaylynn Crawford, were discovered less than 24 hours after her father told police someone snatched her from his parked car in a northern Cincinnati suburb and fled. The girl's father, Charles Crawford, has been arrested on a charge of murder, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. He's being held at the Clermont County Jail. Crawford reported Sunday night that Kaylynn was taken from his vehicle while it was parked at a dollar store in Loveland, but investigators said they believe that story was fabricated. Authorities found the remains and the girl's car seat near the Little Miami River, a few miles from the store. An autopsy has yet to be completed. Loveland police, the FBI and special agents with the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation had helped in the search for the girl. A statewide alert issued earlier for the missing girl had said she was wearing a sleeveless, white onesie decorated with a pink giraffe, with pink sandals and a gold band with a bow on her head. Information on an attorney for Crawford was not immediately available. North Korean hackers stole the e-mail passwords of 56 officials in the South Korean foreign, unification and defense ministries as well as staffers of defense companies, prosecutors here said Monday. Most of the officials handle intelligence on the North, many of them in senior positions. Yang Seok-jo at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said further investigation is needed since the officials exchanged work-related messages via the hacked e-mail accounts. The hackers sent phishing e-mails to 90-plus South Korean officials claiming their passwords had been hacked. If they opened the e-mail and changed their passwords, the new passwords were then known to the hackers. Further phishing attacks using this leak as a pretext are likely, he added. The prosecutors believe the North Korean regime is behind the latest scam given that the hackers used the same IP address in Shenyang, China that they used when they hacked Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in 2014. The North's hacking operations are controlled by the General Bureau of Reconnaissance, the agency that masterminded the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in 2010. Illinois politicians reacted to incendiary comments Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made about the parents of late U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to criticize the candidate's proposed ban on Muslim immigration. Capt. Khan was awarded both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously after he was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004. Khans father, Khizr Khan, spoke at the convention, condemning Trumps proposed policies. His wife, Ghazala Khan, joined him on stage but chose not to speak, saying she was nervous. In an interview that aired Sunday, Trump said maybe Ghazala wasnt allowed to speak. Politicians came to the defense of the Gold Star family after Trumps comments. Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, a former Navy reservist, issued a statement Monday invoking Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address and slamming Trump. In his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln honored the fallen Union soldiers who gave their last full measure for freedom, Kirk said. There is no doubt Cpt. Khan also gave his last full measure for this country and our freedom and security. The Khan family should be honored not attacked." To Mr. Trump, I would simply say hands off Gold Star families, Kirk added. Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, also issued a statement praising military members and their sacrifices without mentioning Trump by name. No one can truly understand the sacrifice a family makes when their loved one serves their country or the heartbreak of losing a loved one, Kinzinger said Monday. Theres no greater love than a man who lays down his life for his friends. As a military man myself, I have deep respect for the sacrifices made by anyone who is willing to defend the Constitution. Comments disparaging our service men and women, and their families, are deeply disturbing and wholly unpatriotic, Kinzinger said. Democrats also rebuked Trumps comments. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost her legs piloting a helicopter over Iraq, called Trump intolerant and unfit to be commander in chief. With his despicable attacks on a Gold Star family, we now know he is a cruel and cowardly man, as well, Duckworth said Monday. My heart breaks for the Khan family. Their service and sacrifice are more than most Americans will know, and for that, they should receive nothing but our gratitude. They certainly have mine. Additionally, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin wrote a letter to supporters Monday criticizing Trumps statements and claiming the candidate has sunk to an unimaginable depth with his vile words." Sadly, it came as no surprise that Trump attacked the Khan family, Durbin wrote. This American Gold Star family joined a litany of Trump targets: John McCain, Americas military, the disabled, women, a Hispanic judge, Mexican immigrants, Muslims, and many, many more. Yet despite his loathsome words and bottom-feeder politics, Republican leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell condemn Trump and in the next breath tell us they still believe he should be our president." "It is more important to them to have a Republican president even if he is clearly unqualified, unstable and hateful, Durbin added. A man who claims he was attacked by a guard at Cook County Jail more than two years ago has filed a lawsuit against the sheriffs office and the officer he says initiated the attack. Litroy Bolton said the incident, which was all caught on video, began when he was being transferred from one cell to another. Bolton said the guard told him the new cell had been quaratined and thats when Bolton claims he asked to see a sergeant. He said, You are going to get in that cell or I am going to put you in that cell anyway, Bolton said. Thats when the 29-year-old North Lawndale man says he was attacked. All of a sudden he just started punching me up in my face and my head, Bolton said. I just cant believe he was punching me like he was. Bolton said he never fought back in the attack, and assumed there was nothing he could do. I just felt helpless, he said. Defenseless, like I couldnt do nothing. I knew nothing was going to happen about this, nothing ever happens. They just want to beat me up and they are going to get away with it. Its whats going to happen. The Cook County Sheriffs office moved to fire the officer, identified as Miguel Ortiz, in March. Last week, the Cook County States Attorneys office approved charges of official misconduct. According to Boltons attorney, 10 others have claimed they were assaulted by Ortiz before he was removed from active duty. Im actually proud [of coming forward], Bolton said. I am happy because who is to say if anyone else got beat up and it never got reported, maybe nobody would even know about it. Earlier this year, the sheriffs office released six videos showing correctional officers using what officials said is excessive force on inmates. Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart called it the first step in his "long-term campaign to restore accountability" to Cook County jail after decades of violence and overcrowding. The sheriffs office later released videos showing inmates assaulting correctional officers at the jail in an effort to display the difficult job correctional officer face each day. Ortiz remains on leave as of Monday, but if convicted of official misconduct, he faces up to five years in prison. The 20-year veteran of the department could also lose his pension, officials said. NBC Chicagos requests for comment from Ortiz were not immediately returned. In an interview with NPR during last weeks Democratic National Convention, House Speaker Mike Madigan tied his primary political opponent, Gov. Bruce Rauner, to divisive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Bruce Rauner is of record that he will fully support the Trump candidacy, Madigan told Illinois Public Radio Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Finicky and WBBM radios Craig Dellimore in the interview that aired Monday. Its documented, its available. Hes trying to backpedal by not attending the Republican convention in Cleveland, but he is of record that he fully supports Trump, Madigan added. Rauner made it clear that he wouldnt endorse Trump or attend the convention in May. However, the governor previously said he would support Trump if he became the Republican presidential nominee in March. "If you study the statements and the actions of both men, youll see a great similarity in their methods and how they castigate people and how theyre always criticizing people without ever talking about their own programs, Madigan said. "And so I think I'm fully justified in linking Trump and Rauner together in extremism Nevertheless, Madigan predicted that Trump's methods would be rejected by most voters in November and that Americans would ultimately support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "Trump has his methods, he has his ways of doing things and I think at the end of the day, the majority of Americans are going to say, 'that really doesn't have a place in America,'" Madigan said. "America is a country that recognizes decency and tolerance and respect for others." Madigan, who has served as Illinois house speaker since 1983 with the exception of only two years, claimed that Americans want spirited debate and compromise, not extremism. He related that method to Illinois current deficit problem, claiming that the problem should have been dealt with a year and a half ago using a balanced approach including spending reductions and new revenue. The speaker, who also serves as the Democratic Party of Illinois chair, said Rauners Turnaround Agenda, which deals with things like workers compensation and collective bargaining, has gotten in the way of dealing with the states deficit. Madigan also faulted the governor for stifling the state's Monetary Award Program, which provides grants for low-income college students. What we need is for the governor to become reasonable, to recognize that Illinois is not some extreme right state in the right part of America," Madigan said. "Its a moderate state, its in the middle of the country. Its a mainstream state, and the people of Illinois expect the public officials in the state not to be extreme, but to be reasonable. A spokesperson from the governor's office said Rauner is "100 percent focused on Illinois, growing our economy and getting good government reform like term limits." Middletown police arrested two couples while investigating gang activity and said they found drugs, weapons and an illegal tattoo parlor. The investigating suspected Bloods street gang activity raided 159 Liberty St. and 188 Pearl St. on Monday. Ryan Parks, 30, and his 36-year-old wife, Tammy, live in the Liberty Street home with their three children, according to police, and police officers and SWAT raided the home. Police said Ryan Parks has a criminal history in New York for robbery, bail jumping and additional charges, and has been recruiting Middletown residents and indoctrinating them into the Mills set of the Bloods gang. Inside the house, police found guns; information on the Bloods street gang, including on the Mills; ammunition; a letter from a person in prison on a New Britain murder charge; and marijuana residue. Police said the Parks 8- 10- and 15-year-old children could access the gun, so the Department of Children and Families was notified and a relative took custody of the children. Ryan Parks told police that he bought the revolver from a stranger and his wife didnt know it was there, according to police. He was charged with criminal possession of a pistol or revolver and three counts of risk of injury to a child and held on $300,000 bond. Tammy Parks didnt make a statement and was charged with three counts of risk of injury to a minor, according to police. Bond was set at $50,000. Police arrested 46-year-old Ricardo Nieves and his 48-year-old wife, Suzette, when they raided the Pearl Street residence and said they found an illegal tattoo parlor. When police searched the home, they found a digital scale, a red bandana police said signified affiliation with the Bloods gang, a sheet of paper with the Bloods history on it, counterfeit cash, two guns and more. Ricardo Nieves admitted to giving tattoos and charging customers for money, according to the arraignment report, and police said tattoo parlors are not allowed in Middletown. Police also found 11 people in the three-bedroom apartment and the couple admitted to charging people to stay in their apartment, according to police. Ricardo Nieves was charged with marijuana and drug possession and possession with intent to sell. Suzette Nieves was charged with delivery of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to sell. Bond was set at $100,000 for both. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal's Republican challenger, Dan Carter, is reviving a 6-year-old controversy about whether the Democrat intentionally distorted his Vietnam-era military service, but it's questionable whether it still strongly resonates with many veterans. Leaders of veterans' organizations contend Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has been a strong political ally during his first term in the U.S. Senate, pushing for bills addressing everything from reducing suicide among veterans to helping vets re-enter the workforce. "As far as my personal feeling, yeah, he lied about it. But since then, he's done more for veterans than anybody in the Senate," said John Schmidt, state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Connecticut. Blumenthal's first U.S. Senate campaign erupted in crisis after The New York Times reported in May 2010 that he inaccurately portrayed his military service in several instances. The story included quotes and a video of Blumenthal saying at a 2008 event that he had "served in Vietnam" when he actually served stateside for six years in the Marine Reserve, after completing six months in Marine boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. The state's popular attorney general at the time, Blumenthal acknowledged he had "misspoken" and meant to say he served "during Vietnam" instead of "in Vietnam." He said the statements were "totally unintentional" errors that occurred only a few times out of hundreds of public appearances. Months later, he went on to defeat Republican Linda McMahon in the November election. Carter, a Republican state representative from Bethel and Blumenthal's challenger, said many people he speaks to on the campaign trail haven't forgotten about the misstatements. Some, he said, are still angry about it. "He misspoke multiple times. When I'm talking to people, it comes up pretty frequently," he said. "There's no statute of limitations on that. It comes up all the time. As an Air Force veteran myself, I don't think you should embellish your service." This week, Carter issued a news release criticizing Blumenthal's first television ad in the 2016 campaign as "political opportunism at its worst." It features the widow of a Connecticut serviceman who was suffering from PTSD and took his own life. In that same public statement, Carter said Blumenthal "lied about serving in Vietnam to score political points," posting a link to news coverage on MSNBC about the issue. When asked about the criticisms, Marla Romash, a campaign adviser, said Blumenthal "works his heart out for veterans" and that he's a "tireless advocate helping our veterans get the care and services they need." Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs at the Vietnam Veterans of America, said his national organization was well-aware of the controversy in 2010. But he credits Blumenthal with becoming one of the four or five people his organization goes to for help on significant issues. "Among the Democrats, he is the guy," he said. "He's the most responsive." Ronald "Rusko" Rusakiewicz, the adjutant/quartermaster at the Connecticut VFW, said there are still some veterans, especially from the Vietnam era, who remain angry with Blumenthal. Some vets from around the country turned in their VFW membership cards after Blumenthal used a VFW hall in West Hartford in 2010 to explain his misstatements. "I think most of that has gone away," he said. "I personally just think maybe it's time to just see that he's working hard for veterans and we can possibly get over this." A state sergeant has been fired from the Connecticut State Police Department, police confirm. Sgt. Michael Hassett's termination will be effective Monday, Aug. 8., state police said. While it's unclear the exact reasons why Hassett is being let go, a public information officer sent NBC Connecticut a list of disciplinary offenses and rules of conduct that appear to have been violated. The alleged violations include failing to display the proper attitude of someone in his position, committing an intentional act of deception and failing to discreetly carry a firearm when not in uniform. The president of the state police union Andy Matthews told NBC Connecticut he cannot comment on any disciplinary actions against a current member. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is proposing a 5 percent fare hike for Metro-North and Shoreline East trains as a way to make up for lost state funding. The DOT is in need of more revenue after state lawmakers slashed transportation funding by $37 million when they refused to raise taxes in their latest budget. A 5 percent increase only adds about $1.60 to an off-peak, round trip from New Haven to Grand Central on Metro-Norths New Haven line. Daily riders who rely on the train service to get to work might need to dig deeper into their wallets. The monthly fare from New Havens Union Station to Grand Central in New York City would go up $28, costing passengers an extra $336 for a year. "Commuters understand that there was a cut to transportation however how that cut was to be achieved could have been handled much better," Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, said in an email. The DOT should have reached out to the council before announcing the proposed fare increase, Gildea added. In addition to the DOT proposal, which would kick in on Dec. 1, the sixth of seven consecutive 1 percent fare raises to pay for new train cars is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1. "So much, too much, too much, can't afford it," said Annmarie Hewitt, who takes the train every week from Union Station to Grand Central. In a letter to leaders of the General Assembly on July 22, Gov. Dannel Mallloy wrote, "These are not decisions anyone takes lightly, but are nevertheless necessary to avoid significant reductions in service." Ray Ortiz, of Long Island, rides the train in Connecticut a couple times a week to visit family and opposed the proposed fare increase. "It appears trains are late, theyre not always clean, and cost of living just keeps going higher and higher," Ortiz said. "Difficult to even get to your job with these increases." Gowan Dishman, en engineer who has worked across the country since the mid-1980s, said more revenue is needed for the DOT to fix failing roads and bridges. "While it is an onus on many people, without that, we will be facing a lot more critical infrastructure problems in the future," Dishman said. Dishman is living in Milford while working on the new bridge replacing the Tappan Zee in New York. "Mass transportation is going to be the way of the future, we cant keep increasing lane widths on our highways," he said. The CT Commuter Rail Council is encouraging riders to attend several public hearings with DOT officials in September. OLD SAYBROOK Old Saybrook Town Hall 302 Main St. Old Saybrook, CT Tuesday, Sept. 6 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. HARTFORD Hartford Public Library 500 Main St. Hartford, CT Wednesday, Sept. 7 - 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. MERIDEN Meriden Town Hall Room 218 142 East Main St. Meriden, CT. Tuesday Sept. 13 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. WATERBURY Silas Bronson Library 267 Grand St. Waterbury, CT Tuesday, Sept. 13 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. STAMFORD UCONN Stamford Campus Auditorium One University Place Stamford, CT Wednesday, Sept. 14 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. NEW HAVEN New Haven Hall of Records, Room G-2 200 Orange St. New Haven, CT Thursday, Sept. 15 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. In an effort to help reduce spending, eight state park campgrounds will close one month early. That leaves campers like Wolcotts Tracy Comeau wondering how it affects fall reservations. She booked her campsite at American Legion State Park last November, only to realize in June the site she paid for is no longer valid. "When you do something year in and year out, you really look forward to that," said Comeu. "And to know it wasnt happening we had to make other decisions." Comeau wanted to transfer to another park, but representatives from the popular reservation website, Reserve America, told her that wasnt an option. A Reserve America agent said she could only cancel her site, paying an 18 dollar forfeiture fee. She would then have to separately reserve a site at her new desired campground with a nine dollar processing fee. "I did not feel that that was fair," said Comeau. "I was on the phone (for) an hourhalf of an hour with the representative, then another half hour with the supervisor." The supervisor told her they needed permission from the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in order to waive the fees. Comeau then reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds, who contacted DEEP. Tom Tyler, Director of State Parks, said the decision to close certain campsites came early, causing a glitch in the Reserve America system. "That was a miscommunication on our part," said Tyler. "Information got out and people began making their calls to Reserve America before all those changes got embedded into Reserve Americas system. And we do apologize for thatthat inconvenience to her." Tyler said the system should now work properly, and anyone who booked a site months in advance, including Comeau, will receive a full refund. Campgrounds closing early: Black Rock State Park Thomaston Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Hopeville Pond State Park Jewett City - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Kettletown State Park Southbury - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Mashamoquet Brook State Park Pomfret - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Macedonia Brook State Park Kent - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Lake Waramaug State Park New Preston - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of the end of September. Housatonic Meadows State Park Sharon - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of Columbus Day American Legion State Forest Barkhamsted - Closing after Labor Day weekend instead of Columbus Day Subpoenas from the U.S. attorney's office for Connecticut were issued starting more than ten days ago for documents related to the 2014 reelection campaign of Governor Dannel Malloy. Multiple sources confirmed to NBC Connecticut that federal authorities are searching similar ground that led to a settlement between the Connecticut Democratic Party and the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Gov. Dannel Malloy was asked about the investigation during an appearance on Fox News by Maria Bartiromo. Malloy described the probe as an "election examination of fundraising an expenditures." He later said, "Whatever was done was done legally and whatever was raised was raised legally and I'm sure that that's the outcome of the investigation." Republicans called for Malloy to authorize the party and his former campaign staff to release any and all emails related to his 2014 campaign, Monday. Senator Len Fasano said it's a way to show ultimate transparency. The way you get rid of the suspicion and the cloud is you open up the emails and say, here they are, have a look, if theres a problem, lets face it, if theres not, so be it" Fasano said. "But when you hide them, and you pay money to hide them, people can only come to the conclusion that there is something you want to hide, Fasano said. The issues being examined by the U.S. attorney's office were investigated by the State Elections Enforcement Commission starting shortly after the 2014 campaign. They posed questions relating to the use of a a campaign account set up for the receipt of donations for federal races. The account received donations from contractors with state business, and those funds were later used for mailers and "Get out the vote" efforts. After more than a year of legal fighting, the Connecticut Democratic Party agreed to pay $325,000 in penalties, a record amount. The Executive Director of the SEEC, said the settlement likely, "saved the Clean Elections Program," the public funding option for eligible candidates. The settlement, he said, helped to close a loophole that would have allowed future campaigns to use money meant for federal campaigns to be used in state races. Both the SEEC and the State Democratic Party are cooperating the federal investigation. Leigh Appleby, a spokesman for CT Democrats, wrote, "We have advised authorities of our intent to cooperate and will continue to do so in order to bring this to a close and continue to do the work of our party to elect Democrats on all levels." Appleby also wrote that the party has complied with the SEEC probe, saying it provided a "sound framework" for how to navigate both state and federal campaign finance laws. East Hampton town officials are urging drivers to be alert after receiving reports of children jumping in front of cars on Main Street. Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said he was first notified of the incidents about two weeks ago and he was concerned for the safety of the children, as well as the drivers. It is a bit of a disappointment that kids would make the decisions like this. We always hope that we are going to be working with and raising youth in our community that are going to be making wise and smart decisions and obviously this is far from one of those, Maniscalco said. He said police have stepped up their patrols in the area. East Hampton Police Chief Sean Cox said the department has not received any additional reports over the last few days. However, Maniscalco encourages residents to call 911 immediately if it happens again. It is important that they make that report immediately after something like this has happened with a very clear and good description. If people dont call it in at the time of, it is very hard for us to try and address it appropriately, he said. The biggest reason behind the declining birthrate in Korea is a drop in the number of women of childbearing age to the tune of 94,000 a year over the past decade. The decline gets worse the younger the women are as the declining birthrate bites in the age group between 25 and 34, the prime childbearing years. That population shrank by 100,000 in 2015 and this year, because the birthrate started dropping fast in the late 1980s when the number of babies born annually dropped from around 800,000 to 600,000. Women are also marrying later in their lives these days, which means the average age when women have their first child is now 31, the highest in the world. Men too are postponing marriage as jobs have become scarce, while soaring home prices have made it extremely difficult for couples to set up a home. Only 119,700 couples got married in the first five months of this year, the fewest since 1990. Demographers project that the number of childbirths could hover at around 400,000 annually over the next 10 years. Changing attitudes and perceptions of marriage and childbirth are also reducing the birthrate. Lee Sang-rim at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said, "Koreans who have now grown into the prime marrying age are those who witnessed their parents' divorce or suffer other marital problems in the 1997 Asian financial crisis. It will be difficult to turn the tide unless there is a major shift in attitudes." Last year 60.4 percent of single women between the ages of 30 to 34 said it is OK not to marry. The proportion of single women who said it is fine not to have children stood at 30.8 percent. The government has vowed to boost the birthrate to 1.5 by 2020, which would delay the population decline by four years from 2031 to 2035. But if the number of childbirths falls to 400,000 a year, the population could shrink much faster than projected. Already, a shortage of new students has forced many kindergartens to close down, and now the effect is spreading to schools. Statistics Korea had forecast that childbirths would dwindle to around 430,000 a year in 2026, but this already started happening in 2013. Stratford police said they have identified a person of interest in thefts from town hall, including an employee's wallet and money from the snack bar in the employee lounge. A woman who works in the Chief Administrative Office at town hall reported her wallet stolen on Tuesday, July 26 and police said the man in the photos spent around 20 minutes in town hall, walking around the building, and cased several offices. The same man is also suspected of stealing money from the snack bar in the employee lounge on Friday, police said. Investigators are following up. One of the top elected Republicans in Connecticut politics attempted to distance himself and party nominees running for office from the recent comments made by presidential nominee Donald Trump. "Trump is an outlier. Hes doing his own thing. Everyone knows hes doing his own thing. Everybody knows whatever he says, that comes out of his lips, is not a reflection on this state or the Republicans on this state," Senator Len Fasano said Monday. Trump has been sparring in the press with Khizr and Ghazala Khan since they appeared at the Democratic National Committee in Philadelphia last week. Their son, Humayun, was killed in an explosion in Iraq where he was serving with the US Army in 2004. Khan held up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and challenged whether Trump has read it or whether he's made similar sacrifice. Trump responded by questioning whether Ghazala Khan was even allowed to speak at the DNC at all. Fasano has never endorsed Trump for president. The closest he came to such a move was on April 27, the day after Trump won the Connecticut Republican primary in a runaway. Fasano, who endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich and was a part of his Connecticut leadership team, described Trump as a, "cathartic voice," for many voters who feel left behind. Fasano denounced Trump on Monday. If you are going to go after a Gold Star mom, someone who lost their son, someone who gave their life to our country, that is just off limits. You dont do that. I dont care what party thats from, I dont care what the issue is, you just dont do that so I find his comments to be way out of line, Fasano said. Two Army soldiers who served with Micah Xavier Johnson, the gunman who attacked police officers in downtown Dallas, believe the Army should investigate the handling of a bizarre incident that resulted in Johnson's removal from Afghanistan in 2014. The Army has said it is reviewing Johnson's records but has stopped short of saying it is investigating how the incident itself was handled. In an exclusive interview with NBC 5 Investigates, Sgt. Mark Wallace, an Army reservist who was in Afghanistan with Johnson, described how Johnson was caught stealing underwear from a female soldier in his close-knit Army platoon. The female soldier had reported underwear disappearing from her laundry, prompting unit leaders to conduct a barracks search. "We discovered that there was a stash of women's underwear in his room. And as we discovered it he, of course, jumped into the room, swooped them up and put them in his hoodie in his front pouch, which added to the bulk that was already there," Wallace said. Wallace said Johnson took off running after he was confronted prompting a search for him in the darkness on the remote Army base known as FOB Shank. Commanders ultimately caught up with Johnson and recovered more evidence. "We start looking in the dumpsters, we start looking in all the latrines and the showers, and we found one pair one or two pairs that he had attempted to kind of flush down the toilet," Wallace said. On Friday the Army released an investigator's report that confirms Wallace's account of the incident. It says an Army investigation determined Johnson "took underwear" from a laundry bag belonging to a female soldier who was a friend of his and tried to "dispose of the evidence" after unit leaders found some of the underwear in Johnson's room. The report says that Johnson also sent messages to the same female soldier that "constitute sexual harassment." The woman had been a friend of Johnson's but both he and the woman told investigators their friendship had splintered before the incident. During the search, the report says investigators also found Johnson was "storing an explosive article" in the barracks where he lived and did not have any reason to possess that explosive device. Concerned about Johnson's behavior, commanders put him under watch after the underwear incident, posting an officer outside his room at all times and taking away his weapons. "At least one NCO (non-commissioned officer) was either right outside of his room or had visual on him at all times until he left the location that we were at," Wallace told NBC 5 Investigates. Two days later the Army sent Johnson away to Bagram Airfield and eventually back home. But Johnson showed no remorse before leaving, Wallace says. "He blatantly, like even the next day, was like, 'No, they're lying. They're lying about all of it. They're making all of it up.' And it's like, 'Dude, like we caught you doing this. We caught you red-handed doing this,'" Wallace said. Despite the investigator's finding that Johnson sexually harassed the female soldier and concealed a grenade, Army records suggest Johnson received an honorable discharge from his active-duty assignment in Afghanistan. Wallace, and another former member of the unit, retired Sgt. Gil Fischbach, want to know how that could happen. "I want them to thoroughly investigate. I want them to figure out and I would like to see someone held accountable," Fischbach said. The Army has not responded to questions from NBC 5 Investigates about the handling of the incident. In a statement last week an Army spokeswoman noted that a review of Johnson's records, "has not identified any documented acts of violence." The recommendations of the Army investigator who initially looked into the 2014 incident have been redacted from the copy of the report released to the media Friday. Fischbach said there is no question the incident clearly damaged Johnson's friendships with others in the unit. "Now, that trust has been fractured and not just a small hairline crack, but a severe fracture," Fischbach said. But the two soldiers still think it's a stretch to think that what happened in Afghanistan ultimately led Johnson to attack police officers in Dallas. "You take that to, 'I want to kill white police officers.' How do you tie those things together? It's inconceivable," Wallace said. An East Texas woman is alive after coming within hours of death and she's thanking her guardian angel, who had to make a life and death decision of her own to keep the woman alive. Brenda Jones, 69, had waited seven months to get the news that she's next on the list for a new liver, but then her doctors at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas had to ask her a question they say they've never asked a patient before: Would she be willing to give the liver to someone else? Jones's answer? Yes. "I had time to wait and she didn't have any time to wait, so that was just common sense," is how Jones described her decision to give the liver she was about to receive to a stranger, 23-year-old Abigail Flores of Quitman, Texas. At the same time Jones was prepping for her surgery in a few weeks, Flores was being air-lifted to Baylor Dallas with complete liver failure and doctors believed she would only survive a few hours if she didnt receive a new liver. "The doctor called me at 3:30 a.m. and he explained her situation and that she wouldn't be alive in a few hours, and that the liver I was going to get was a match for her," Jones said. "All I could think about was that I had more time to wait a little longer on a liver and she didn't have any time. If I had taken the liver, and she had died when I could have saved her and got another liver, I just knew that's what I had to do," explained Jones. "It makes me feel good because my husband and I, we just got married and we want to have kids. She gave me the opportunity to be able to do that later on in life," Flores said in tears. Jones's life saving decision was rewarded in a big way. Within four days later, doctors found her a match and she underwent liver transplant surgery. "Everything just kind of fell right into line. I mean, you have to wait for a liver a long time. I had to wait four days and I was able to save her," said Jones. Both have now received new livers and recovered in rooms across from one another at the hospital. NBC 5's Brian Curtis is in Rio de Janeiro, reporting for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. On Monday, Brian took us on a bird's eye view of the sprawling city from atop the Corcovado. Later, we headed down to the white sands of Copacabana beach, with a stop at a Texas Connection in the famous Selaron Steps. Tuesday, Brian's busy sharing even more the sights and sounds from Brazil on his Facebook page and Twitter page. This will be one of the busiest places in Rio - the Olympic Megastore at Copacabana. #Rio2016 @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/QrOUS4CqPY Brian Curtis (@BrianCurtisNBC5) August 2, 2016 Like Brian on Facebook | Follow Brian on Twitter As of Monday, Aug. 1, Texas will allow concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons into public university buildings, classrooms and dorms. Monday is also the 50th anniversary of the mass shooting at the University of Texas' landmark clock tower. The campus-carry law pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican legislative majority will make Texas one of a handful of states that guarantee the right to carry concealed handguns on campus. Here's a Q &A on how the law will work: WHO CAN HAVE A CONCEALED HANDGUN ON CAMPUS? Anyone who holds a Texas handgun license. To get one, a person must be at least 21 (18 if in the military) and pass both classroom and gun range training courses. There are also restrictions on convicted felons, people charged with felonies and high-level misdemeanors or people with a history of mental illness. Texas has more than 1 million concealed handgun license holders. ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON WHERE GUNS WILL BE ALLOWED? Generally speaking, the law allows guns in buildings, classrooms and dorms, but rules may differ from campus to campus, as each school is required to map that out. For example, at the University of Texas at Austin, where faculty and students vigorously protested the law, teachers will be allowed to declare their offices as gun-free zones, but most will post signs announcing it. Dorm residents can have guns in common areas, such as dining areas and lounges, but not sleeping rooms, where no storage of weapons is allowed. Exceptions to the room restrictions will be made for visiting family members who are licensed to carry handguns. At Texas A&M University in College Station, guns are allowed in dorm rooms and teachers must get permission from the administration to ban guns from their office. State law still bans weapons from some campus areas, such as hospitals and sporting events. WITH THE STATE'S OPEN CARRY LAW, WILL WEAPONS BE ON DISPLAY IN CLASS? No. The open carry law specifically does not apply to college campuses. Any handguns on campus must be holstered and kept out of sight. ARE GUNS ALLOWED AT PRIVATE SCHOOLS? COMMUNITY COLLEGES? Private schools like Baylor, Rice, Texas Christian and others can ban guns under the state law. Currently, Amberton University, which doesn't allow students under 21 and has a total enrollment under 2,000, is the only private school that has opted to allow guns. As for community colleges, they have until August 2017 to allow weapons, giving them more time to adjust for security and other measures. WHY IS THE LAW SO CONTROVERSIAL? Texas has allowed concealed handguns in public for 20 years. Gun rights advocates consider it an important protection, given the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as a key self-defense measure in cases of campus violence, such as the 1966 UT shootings and the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. Opponents of the law fear it will chill free speech on campus and lead to more campus suicide. The former dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture left for a position at the University of Pennsylvania because of his opposition to allowing guns on campus. WHAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AUG. 1 START DATE? It's unsettling for some because it falls on the anniversary of Charles Whitman's shooting rampage, in which the Marine-trained sniper opened fire from an observation deck on top of the school's landmark clock tower. It has come to be accepted as the nation's first mass shooting, with 17 deaths attributed to him. Among those who urged state lawmakers not to approve campus carry was Claire Wilson James, the first person Whitman shot. She was pregnant and was shot through the belly, killing her unborn child. Dallas Police Association leaders continue to pressure City Hall for funding to build perimeter fencing and secured parking at Dallas' seven police patrol stations. For now, there are visible checkpoints at most of those patrol stations, where visitors and vehicles are stopped to make sure the citizen is there to file a report, make a complaint or has a meeting scheduled with an officer. Police officers say the checkpoints continue to be necessary because over the past year there have been threats on individual officers and people trying to enter through back entrances. Police association leaders say despite two violent attacks on the department in a 13-month stretch, the city still isn't listening to their concerns. For at least 40 Dallas officers on a blistering Monday afternoon, their patrol shift won't involve much patrolling, but rather watching, guarding and checking. The officers try to stay out of the oppressive sun whenever possible. "Some guys don't mind it. They know it's a necessary evil that they have to be there to be the front lines against the individuals who may want to do harm to the officers inside the station," said Fraternal Order of Police President Michael Walton. "They recognize it's a job that must be done." Last summer James Boulware fired dozens of rounds into DPD Headquarters and through DPD cruisers. In the aftermath, police union leaders asked for secured fencing at the city's seven patrol stations. The city agreed to bring in consultants to analyze and study the idea, along with other security improvements at the patrol stations. Police association leaders said their officers felt unsafe parking their cars in unsecured lots. Police thought perimeter fencing or even requiring citizens late at night to be buzzed-in at the front entrances would prevent another attack. Some city leaders pushed back on the plan, fearing that fencing and locked-doors could prevent a crime victim from coming forward, or that too much security would make the police facilities look like unwelcome fortresses. Security was beefed up at DPD Headquarters and the city of Dallas paid about $150,000 to hire a consulting firm for site surveys and safety studies at other facilities. This infuriated many street cops and their association leaders, who warned of growing animosity and violence against officers. There's still no plan in place to give officers' secured parking at the patrol stations. This week, city council members are meeting with the city manager, Dallas Police Department chiefs and the various Dallas police unions to go over budget items for officer pay, new gear and weapons and improved police facility security. FOP President Michael Walton says he doubts the mayor or city manager will ever sign off on a plan to improve patrol station security. "The mayor said he doesn't want to make police facilities look like a fortress, where the public doesn't feel comfortable," he said. "But where the officers park and the squad cars are located, the public doesn't need access to those things. And my officers would feel safer if those areas were protected by a fence with secured entrances." For the last year, patrol station commanders have been authorized to hold back cops at the sub-stations for security. Usually it's two officers per shift. In the weeks after the deadly downtown ambush, though, sometimes there were double or triple that amount. "The officers obviously want to be there helping other individuals. Yes, it's just only two officers, but those two officers can make a difference if they were instead out responding to calls," Walton said. A former principal in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of child exploitation charges. Oscar Figueroa, 47, also faces a $17,600 fine, 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Figueroa is the former principal of Viridian Elementary School in Arlington. He was convicted in April of trying to lure a minor into a mall bathroom for sex, investigators said. Figueroa was taken into custody at Stonebriar Centre Mall in Frisco on July 7, 2015, after officers said he was communicating with detectives on Craigslist and via text that he thought were children. "An undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old boy contacted Figueroa and began exchanging text messages. Figueroa instructed the undercover officer to meet him at a particular place within the AMC Theatres at Stonebriar Centre. Frisco PD Officers arrived at the theater and discovered Figueroa, who directed an undercover officer to a bathroom for sexual activity," said the U.S. Department of Justice, in a news release. The DOJ said evidence entered at the trial included Figueroa's text messages with undercover agents, his interview with law enforcement, his Craigslist ads and the contents of his phone. Figueroa, who lived in Carrollton, had been the principal at the school since 2014. Before that, Figueroa was the principal at Hurst Hills Elementary School for two years. No evidence has been revealed that indicates any children at the schools were solicited by Figueroa. A Fort Worth family is among more than two dozen Gold Star families to sign a letter demanding an apology from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for questioning the grief of a fellow Gold Star mother who stood on stage at the Democratic National Convention last week. "Ours is a sacrifice you will never know," the open letter says. "Ours is a sacrifice we would never want you to know." Trump has questioned why Ghazala Khan stood by quietly as her husband Khizr Khan talked about their son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, at the DNC. Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier, died in Iraq in 2004 while saving his fellow soldiers from an attack. He was 27 years old. During his speech, Khizr Khan asked Trump if he'd ever read the United States Constitution, then pulled a copy from his jacket and said, "I'll gladly lend you my copy." Since then, Trump has come under fire from Democrats and some in his own party after he questioned why Khan's wife stood on stage and said nothing, suggesting maybe the Muslim mother wasn't allowed to have anything to say. "The man doesn't have an essence," said Beatriz Saldivar, whose nephew, Sgt. Daniel Torres, of Fort Worth, was killed in Iraq in 2005. "People deal very differently with grief," said Saldivar. "For Trump to say anything negative about the families of the fallen is a disgrace." Saldivar said she was speaking out because her sister, Torres' mother, could not bring herself to do it without breaking down. "Silence is the most valuable weapon of strength," Saldivar said. "And this is something that Trump doesn't even know." Saldivar's name, as well as Torres' parents, are on the open letter sent to Trump on Monday. "He doesn't know what it is to receive an American flag that has been folded and given to you as part of a funeral for the fallen," Saldivar said, trying to hold back her own emotions. "Let's demand better for ourselves, better than division, better than anger, better than hate." Authorities said a man was killed and a woman was injured after a vehicle crashed into a bridge column in Duncanville Tuesday morning. [[388914652,C]] Dallas County Sheriff's deputies said the vehicle crashed into a pillar on eastbound Interstate 20 near Duncanville Road just before 3 a.m. A male passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. Deputies said the female driver was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities said alcohol the crash was alcohol related. As of 3:30 a.m., all lanes eastbound lanes of I-20 were shut down. Authorities said they were preparing to open two lanes as of 4:30 a.m. A dance party is held every time a new national team arrives at the athletes' village in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Brazilian dancers dressed in green outfits dance to the rhythms of the Samba and Bossa nova. On Sunday it was the turn of the North Korean and Ugandan athletes, but their responses could not have been more different. While the Ugandan athletes danced happily along, the North Koreans shuffled quickly to their quarters. Only the top North Korean representatives including delegation head Yun Song-bom, watched the dancers with stony faces, clapping stiffly at times, and their lapels bearing pins of nation founder Kim Il-sung, former lead Kim Jong-il and the North Korean flag. Asked about his team's medal expectations, Yun gave reporters a graceless brush-off. "Does anyone come to the Olympics without goals?" he demanded testily. "We will live up to the expectations of the North Korean people." As the parents of fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan continue to voice their concerns about Donald Trump's candidacy for president and Trump defends his remarks about them visitors to Arlington National Cemetery are paying their respects where Khan was laid to rest. Several people visited Khan's grave on Monday, leaving flowers at his headstone while Khan's service to the country is at the heart of a national debate. Jake Dowell, of Chicago, went to the cemetery with his family to visit his grandfather's grave. When they learned about Khan, they wanted to honor him too, Dowell said. "He was willing to step up and save the lives of men who were different skin color, who were different religions. Because they were American, he was willing to sacrifice his life for them," Dowell said. "He just acted upon his patriotism." "He's an American hero. He served this country, died for this country," Dowell's father, Anthony Dowell, said. D.C. resident Sally Schwartz visited Khan's grave on Monday with her mother. "To go and see this captain that had sacrificed so much, it was really moving," she said. Khan, a Muslim from Bristow, Virginia, was on tour in Iraq when he was killed by a suicide bomber on June 8, 2004. He was 27. Khan posthumously received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He rose to national attention again last week, when his parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, appeared at the Democratic National Convention. In an emotional speech that received rapturous applause, Pakistan-born Khizr Khan asked if Trump had read the Constitution, and said if it were up to Trump, his son never would have been American or served in the military. "Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery?" he asked. "Go look at the graves of brave Americans who died defending United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. "You have sacrificed nothing and no one," Khizr Khan said to Trump. Trump disputed that. He said Saturday on ABC's "This Week" that he had given up a lot for his businesses. "I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures," he said, while also suggesting Ghazala Khan might not have been allowed to speak while she was on stage at the DNC. Trump's campaign later issued a statement calling Capt. Khan a hero but said Khizr Khan had no right to intimate Trump hasn't read the Constitution. That prompted further rebuke from the Khans and many more, including other military families and President Obama. On the "Today" show, Khizr Khan said he was grateful for all the support his family is receiving. "The good thing out of all this has come that there has been so much love, so much courtesy, so much support. I am just amazed," he said. "My belief in the goodness of America is reaffirmed." The mother of a British man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at a Las Vegas casino said her son had "a lifetime of mental health problems" and was on suicide watch in a Nevada jail, NBC News reported. Lynne Sandford said her son, 20-year-old Michael Sandford, has autism and Asperger's syndrome and watches children's cartoons. She said her son would not have understood the consequences of his actions. Michael Sanford is accused of attempting to grab a police officer's gun after asking for the Republican candidate's autograph on June 18. He faces charges of disrupting government business and being an illegal alien in possession of a gun. His U.K. lawyer argues he is unfit to enter a plea. Lynne Sandford said she feared her son would die inside a U.S. prison. "He is extremely vulnerable and would not survive," she said. "We want to try to bring him home from the U.S. to a secure place that will help him." The mother of an Air Force veteran who confronted Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence at a town hall in Carson City, Nevada, Monday night, said she felt "disrespected" by the crowd's overwhelming reaction to her question, NBC News reported. Catherine Byrne, the mother of Raymond Harmon, who is currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, asked Pence about Trump's treatment of Muslim parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, a decorated Army veteran, was killed in Iraq in 2004. "Will there ever be a point in time when you're able to look Trump in the eye and tell him enough is enough?" Byrne asked Pence, prompting boos from the crowd. Pence did attempt to quiet the jeers after she spoke, saying, "folks that's what freedom looks like and what freedom sounds like," to a smattering of applause. The Indiana governor added that he has never spent time around someone who is "more devoted" to military and to veterans than Trump. Republican nominee Donald Trump was given a Purple Heart by a veteran on Tuesday, prompting the Republican nominee to declare that this was "much easier" than serving in combat. Trump, who is embroiled in controversy over his criticism of the family of a slain soldier, said a man approached him before his event in Ashburn, Virginia, and handed him his medal, which is awarded to soldiers wounded in combat. "I said to him, 'Is that, like, the real one or is that a copy?'" Trump recounted. "And he said, 'That's my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you.' And I said, 'Man! That's like, that's like big stuff.'" "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier," continued the celebrity businessman, who has never served in the armed forces. "But I tell you, it was such an honor." The veteran, Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman, declined Trump's invitation to speak at Tuesday's town hall. He told NBC News before the rally it was actually a copy of his Purple Heart. On Monday, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a non-profit service organization with 1.7 million members, released a statement calling Trump out of bounds for tangling with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, a Muslim family whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. The fallen soldier was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. At last week's Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan criticized Trump's call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and accused Trump of sacrificing "nothing and no one." In response, Trump said he was "viciously attacked" by Khizr Khan and implied that Ghazala Khan, the soldier's mother, stood silently alongside her husband during the speech because as a Muslim, she was restricted from speaking. Trump, who has made helping veterans a centerpiece of his campaign, also drew criticism from some former servicemen when he was slow to produce millions of dollars he raised for veterans groups. The New York Times reported Monday that Trump received multiple student deferments and a medical deferment for a bone spur during the Vietnam War. "Our veterans are being treated horribly," Trump said Tuesday. "We're going to turn that around so fast your head is going to spin." Eric Trump defended his dad earlier Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" as "a great patriot" who "doesn't want to see more Americans dead." He said Donald Trump's comments were "honestly blown out of proportion." Eric Trump added that Pat Smith, the mother of a Benghazi attack victim who is highly critical of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, has not received the same amount of airtime as the Khan family. Clinton's policy, he said, "crippled Libya and Syria and Iraq." President Barack Obama, meanwhile, said Trump's criticism of the Khan family was the latest evidence that Trump is unfit to lead America. At a news conference Tuesday, Obama asked why Republicans in Congress are still endorsing Trump. Obama said there has to be a point when people break with the party's standard-bearer. Otherwise, he said, the denunciations are hollow. Another of Trump's light-hearted remarks at the Virginia event also produced double-takes. He was interrupted Tuesday by the wails of a child and Trump joked that he wanted the crying baby ejected from his rally. "Don't worry about that baby, I love babies," Trump said. "I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a beautiful baby." But when the baby continued to cry, Trump followed up by saying, "Actually, I was just kidding. You can get that baby out of here." Trump still appeared to be joking. It was unclear if the child's mother left the room or if the child just fell silent. Trump touched on other topics during Tuesday's event, telling supporters that without the U.S., "the Gulf states won't exist." If he is elected president, Trump said, he will require the Arab Gulf states to finance a safe zone in Syria. "They are going to pay," Trump told the crowd. The Arab gulf states, which make up a cooperative body called the Gulf Cooperation Council, are home to 20 percent of the world's oil supply. On the top of Clinton's donors, Trump claimed that 20 people have given his opponent $60 million and he would like to know who they are. Trump did not specify a time frame in which Clinton allegedly raised that money. Clinton's campaign said the Democratic nominee raised $63 million in July for her campaign. Trump's reference to Clinton drew a strong reaction from the crowd, with one child reacting by screaming "take the b---- down." The adults accompanying the child told NBC News after the rally they did not want to be interviewed but dismissed the behavior as "children being children." Activists submitted 1.2 million signatures on Monday calling for the ouster of Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky over a controversial jail sentence he gave former Stanford student Brock Turner for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The effort, the Mercury News reported, is led by Miami-area nurse Maria Ruiz. On Sunday, she tweeted Tomorrow is the big day!!!! #impeachpersky can't wait to see you all!!! The change.org petition was delivered by nearly 40 protesters at the courthouse around noon. This is a separate petition from the move.org petition, which was also signed by a million people. Both efforts are seeking to get Persky to leave his post. The change.org petition makes clear it is seeking to force impeachment hearings against the judge, and is not seeking a recall against him. In June, Persky sentenced the former Stanford swimmer to six months in jail rather than the minimum state prison term of two years for digitally penetrating an intoxicated unconscious woman outside a campus fraternity party. Persky has faced intense international criticism over the sentence, including a recall threat from Stanford law professor Michele Dauber and the national women's advocacy group UltraViolet. "We cannot let him continue," protestor S. Suresh of Saratoga said. District Attorney Jeff Rosen had wanted Turner to spend six years in state prison. But the judge followed probation officers' recommendation for a shorter sentence in jail, noting his youth, intoxication at the time and previously clean record. Legal experts said Monday's efforts will have little impact because Turner's sentence was still within legal guidelines and the judge has not committed an impeachable offense. Protest organizers disagree. "The bias part is basically what we are focusing on. He has shown to treat one group of people one way, and the other gorup of people another way," Ruiz said. "We hope they will see the pattern that we see." The protestors said until Persky is recalled, impeached or steps down on his own, they will continue to speak out to give victims a louder voice. Authorities Tuesday put out a call for public help to find a 24-year-old woman described as a "person of interest" in the "suspicious" death of her grandmother in Bell and whose own four young children are also missing. Sarah Montoya is being sought in connection with the death of Paula Montoya, whose body was discovered July 21 in her residence in the 6600 block of Pine Avenue. Sheriff's investigators said the 64-year-old woman was last seen alive three days earlier at her home. She was described in a sheriff's statement as an active member in her local church, a "doting grandmother of six children and an attentive great-grandmother to four children." Detectives did not release the cause of the woman's death. Her body was wrapped in a blanket and discovered by police responding to a request for a welfare check. "We believe that Paula's granddaughter, Sarah Montoya ... and her four children, ranging in age from 1 to 9, were the last ones to see Paula alive," sheriff's Lt. Mike Rosson said at a news conference. "The body was discovered in a way that was suspicious in nature. I can't describe specifics on the case at this time." Julia Isham also took part in the news conference, speaking directly to her daughter. "Sarah, I love you honey so much, and I pray that God keeps you and the babies in his hands," Julia Isham said. "Call me or one of your (aunts) please and we'll go pick you up wherever you are." Sarah's car apparently was found near the U.S./Mexico border, and detectives said she might have crossed into Mexico with her children. She was described as 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with long brown hair. Her children are named Elijah, Yosu, Joshua and Abagail. Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 980-5500. When Lisa Bloom and her husband Braden Pollock saw a story online a few months ago for a $2.3 million mansion in her favorite neighborhood, they jumped at a chance to own a piece of prime LA real estate. They weren't scared off that the 5,050-square-foot, four bedroom Spanish revival circa 1925 was the scene of a grisly murder-suicide in 1959 and is "haunted" by ghosts that lurk its hallways to this day. Mediums brought in by a documentarian crew recently assured the couple that the place was free from ghosts. "I don't really believe in ghosts and spooky spirits," said Bloom, the daughter of high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred and the former host of truTv's "Lisa Bloom: Open Court." "The house didn't do anything wrong. The house is innocent." The house has been the subject of much media coverage this year when it went on the block and wound up being sold in a probate sale. Some claim the Glendower Place has been visited by the ghost of Dr. Harold N. Perelson who in 1959 bludgeoned his wife to death with a hammer and attacked his 18-year-old daughter before killing himself. Bloom, who is also an NBC News legal analyst, talked about her plans for rewriting the mysterious mansion's history. "What we're really doing is overlaying a story of love over a story of hate," Bloom said, as workers remodeled. The idea to buy it came months ago when her husband read about it and sent a link to his wife with a note, "Want to move to your favorite neighborhood?" "She responded 'yes' with three exclamation points," Pollock said. "She doesn't just throw out three exclamation points for nothing." They plan to settle in after several months of renovating. The remake involves expanding rooms, transforming a ballroom into a home theater and adding front decks, while preserving the original architecture. "It's just a fantastic house," Pollock said. A man shot by police was hospitalized Tuesday morning after a confrontation at a Hollywood Walgreens. Officers responded to an attempted robbery call around 12:50 a.m. at a Walgreens pharmacy located on Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Station. The dispute involved a check that the man was attempting to cash. Based on surveillance footage, a suspect was engaged in a "full-on fight" with two officers, said Sgt. Frank Preciado in a news conference. The suspect was struck after an officer fired shots and was taken to a hospital, police said. The suspect survived. One officer sustained a gash over his forehead and was taken to a hospital, Preciado said. The cause of this injury was unknown. LAPD is reviewing surveillance footage. Interruptions to landline internet and telephone services still plagued residents in portions of the Hollywood Hills Monday evening in the wake of the latest water main break in a series over the years. The break Sunday sent torrents of water as much as a thousand gallons a minute cascading down Oak Glen Drive, across sidewalks and into homes, yards, and businesses below. The rupture has since been repaired, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. It's believed water from the break got into a below-ground AT&T equipment vault at the corner of Cahuenga and Oakshire Drive. "Due to a break in a water main, some customers in the Hollywood Hills area may be experiencing issues with their wireline service," said AT&T spokesperson Meredith Red. "Technicians are on-site working around the clock to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." Late Monday evening, AT&T reported that service had been restored "for the majority of our customers," and that work would continue "through the night until all our customers are back in service." The 8-inch main failed beneath the 3300 block of Glen Oak Drive. LADWP crews replaced a 10-foot section after finding a split in the cast iron pipe, said Marty Adams, Sr. Asst. General Manager. He said it had been installed in 1958. Oak Glen runs two curvy, hilly blocks between Oakshire and Broadlawn Drives. Previous breaks had occurred last summer, in 2011 and in 2005, Adams said. "It's not an indication the pipe is failing as a whole," Adams said. "But we're certainly looking at it and we're sending out engineers to make sure we don't have a bigger problem than we thought we did." The possibility of earth movement, which can strain pipes, will be investigated, Adams said. Last summer, at the north end of Oak Glen, the Vaughan family had watched water from another break rush over the sidewalk and through their front yard. Additional breaks in a separate main beneath Oakley Drive had also sent runoff down Oak Glen past the Vaughan home. Oakley Drive has experienced "multiple leaks since 1998," according to the LADWP. Oak Glen has a summit in the middle of its run, and Sunday's break sent water away from the Vaughan home. But Deb Vaughan heard about it. "I think it's an issue," Vaughan said of the multiple failures. "But hopefully not in our front yard again." For much of the 20th century, thanks to the visionary work of the legendary William Mulholland, LA's water delivery system had been recognized as a national model. But in recent decades, deferred maintenance has taken a toll, and in the past handful of years, the LADWP has begun ramping up replacement of critical water mains believed to be near the end of their service life. Like students, water mains are graded from "A" to "F." Of the 7,000 miles of mains in the LADWP system, it rates 440 miles as "D" or "F." Oak Glen's main has been given a "D," Adams said. This past year, LADWP replaced 31 miles of "F" pipes, including the main through Runyon Canyon, a project which required four months. The department plans to replace 35 miles in the coming year, and eventually expects to fix 50 miles per year, Adams said, acknowledging that even at this rate of progression, replacing all of the "F" pipes could still take another five years. Temperature extremes tend to lead to increasing rate of pipe failure, with spikes during both winter and summer. Adams said the rate of breaks had increased slightly at the beginning of this summer, then tapered off. "As we continue replacement, hopefully we'll see the number of breaks go down," Adams said. A pilot was killed Tuesday when the small plane he was in crashed into a building during takeoff from the Van Nuys Airport, officials said. The crash was reported at 1:38 p.m. at 16145 W. Hart St., an industrial section of Van Nuys near the general aviation airport, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. Van Nuys Airport spokeswoman Diana Sanchez said the plane was a light sport aircraft with one person on board. The plane was largely demolished when it slammed into the concrete structure near Woodley Avenue. Aerial footage showed debris from the plane strewn across a parking lot, with much of the fuselage pinned between two brick buildings. A power line had been sheared and a pickup truck was heavily damaged. Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane is believed to be an Arion Lightning, a light-sport kit-type aircraft. He said the pilot was apparently performing "touch-and-go" practice maneuvers at Van Nuys Airport when the crash occurred. City News Service contributed to this report. Seven-year-old Wyatt Seth Gillette died Sunday one day after being presented the title of Honorary Marine, his father said. Wyatt, who would have turned 8-years-old this month, received the title of Honorary Marine on Saturday in a ceremony at the School of Infantry-West Parade Deck at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego. Wyatt was born on Aug. 15, 2008 and was diagnosed with Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome when he was 4-years-old. Aicardi-Goutieres is a developmental disorder affects the brain, the immune system and the skin. The disease causes severe secondary medical problems and complications. Wyatts father, Sgt. Jeremiah Gillette, is a drill instructor with the Recruit Training Regimen. Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller agreed to make Wyatt an honorary Marine last week in response to an online petition. The honor is bestowed on just a few people every year and recognizes civilians who have made extraordinary contributions to the Marine Corps. Neller wrote on his official Twitter page that granting the petition was one of the easiest decisions he had to make as commandant. "Keep fighting, Wyatt! You are a Marine!" he posted Saturday. When the boy was undergoing dialysis last month, his father reached out to fellow Marines on social media for prayers. They started the online petition, which quickly gained supporters. Gillette said he believes his son, had he been healthy, could have joined the Marines someday. Wyatt was the 96th recipient of the award since the program first started in 1992. As Republican loyalists continue to flee, Donald Trump ignited new party tensions by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or a pair of senators seeking re-election, a remarkable display of party division just three months before Election Day. The Republican presidential nominee told The Washington Post Tuesday he's "just not quite there yet," when asked about an endorsement of Ryan, who faces a primary election next week. In doing so, he echoed the House speaker's comments of almost three months earlier, when the Wisconsin congressman was initially reluctant to embrace Trump as his party's standard bearer. A top GOP source told NBC News Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is "apopletic" over Trump's refusal to back Ryan and Sen. John McCain. Priebus called several Trump staffers to express his "extreme displeasure" with the nominee's comments and there was talk Tuesday that key Republicans could come out against Trump, the source said. Trump's statement comes amid intense fallout over his criticism of the family of the late Capt. Humayun Khan, a U.S. Army soldier who died in Iraq in 2004. Indeed, just two weeks after a Republican National Convention that tried to focus on party unity, the Trump-driven rifts inside the GOP appear to be intensifying. Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman came out in support of Hillary Clinton late Tuesday, saying that even as a Republican she could not support Trump, who she called a "demagogue," CNBC reported. Hours earlier, retiring New York Rep. Richard Hanna became the first Republican member of Congress to say he will vote for Clinton in November instead of Trump. "He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in a column published in The Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse, New York. "He is unrepentant in all things." Also Tuesday, the woman who helped shape New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's national image declared that she's voting for Clinton. "As someone who has worked to further the Republican Party's principles for the last 15 years, I believe that we are at a moment where silence isn't an option," former Christie senior aide Maria Comella told CNN. They join dozens of high-profile GOP leaders who have previously said they would not vote for Trump, including the party's 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. A day earlier, Sally Bradshaw, an architect of the Republican National Committee's 2013 "Growth and Opportunity" report, said she's leaving the GOP. While not a household name, her decision to leave the party rocked those who make politics their profession. Bradshaw was one of the five senior Republican strategists tasked with identifying the party's shortcomings and recommending ways it could win the White House after its losing 2012 presidential campaign. She said she will vote for the Democratic nominee if the race in her home state of Florida appears close come Election Day. "Trump has moved in exactly the opposite direction from our recommendations on how to make the party more inclusive," said Ari Fleischer, who worked with Bradshaw on the GOP's so-called post-election autopsy and was a senior adviser to President George W. Bush. Fleischer still supports Trump over Clinton. But Bradshaw and Comella are among a group of top Republican operatives, messengers, national committee members and donors who continue to decry Trump's tactics, highlighting almost daily with fewer than 100 days before the election the fissures created by the billionaire and his takeover of the party. Veterans and families of fallen soldiers continue to call on Trump to apologize for his treatment of the Khan family, who spoke out against Trump at last week's Democratic National Convention. Trump said the grieving father had "no right" to criticize him, only later acknowledging their son is a hero. "If @realDonaldTrump wants to be the Commander in Chief, he needs to act like one. And that can't start until he apologizes to the Khans," Dakota Meyer, one of a handful of living Medal of Honor recipients and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's son-in-law, wrote Tuesday on Twitter. Trump invited more tension Tuesday when he told The Washington Post he's not ready to endorse Ryan in next week's Republican primary contest against Paul Nehlen, praising the underdog for running "a very good campaign." Tensions were already running high between the two high-profile Republicans, who will have to work together closely should Trump win the presidency. Said Ryan's campaign spokesman Zack Roday, "Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless." In the Post interview, Trump also declined to support the re-election of Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Both had been among Trump's harshest critics in the wake of his comments about the Khan family, particularly McCain, a former prisoner of war who said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." McCain is a locked in a three-way race ahead of an August 30 primary. The primary for Ryan's House seat is next week and Ayotte's primary is next month. All three have said they would support Trump as the GOP presidential nominee. The Arizona senator and 2008 GOP nominee also reiterated Wednesday that he is not going back on his pledge to support Trump as the Republican Party's presidential nominee, despite Trump's recents comments. McCain declined to address Trump's statements that he would not support McCain's re-election because he hasn't done enough to help veterans. Christie, the New Jersey governor, continues to be one of Trump's biggest supporters. But Comella, his former aide, said the very survival of the party depends on stopping the celebrity businessman. "Instead of speaking out against instances of bigotry, racism and inflammatory rhetoric, whether it's been against women, immigrants or Muslims, we made a calculus that it was better to say nothing at all in the interest of politics and winning elections," she told CNN. "For me, if our party has a future, we have to change that trajectory and lead by example." For Republicans like Ryan, McCain and Ayotte, renouncing Trump might not yield much benefit beyond ensuring more headlines connecting them to Trump, something most want to avoid. Instead, vulnerable Senate Republicans like Ayotte and McCain are trying to focus on running their own races and hoping voters will make a distinction between them and Trump, something some polls suggest may be happening. "I call it like I see it, and I'm always going to stand up for our military families and what's best for the people of New Hampshire," was all Ayotte would say. For his part, Trump sent a Twitter post from @realDonaldTrump early Wednesday proclaiming, "There is greater unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before." Associated Press writers Julie Bykowicz, Jonathan Lemire and Bob Christie contributed to this report from Washington. All across South Florida on Tuesday, our local police departments will host their annual "National Night Out." It's an event which invites you at home to go out and meet your law enforcement officers with the aim of bridging the gap and encouraging safety starting at home For more than 30 years police departments across the country have been putting on "National Night Out" events. From Miami-Dade to Broward County, last year many coming out in record numbers and departments will again host "National Night Out" against crime Tuesday. The goal is for neighbors to meet, learn crime prevention tips and to promote neighborhood unity After last year's event, members in the community said to us that they think its important to shed a positive light on law enforcement "I think it's very good its actually a positive thing and it shows a positive light in law enforcement, some of the good things they do and they had some good demonstrations," says Ken Mills, attended event last year. Miami-Dade Police will be set-up at different parks and schools in each district across the county Events will begin as early as five and last until nine. Miami-Dade Police Department "National Night Out" Locations: Miami police are asking for the public's assistance in locating a man missing since April. Allen Lampkin, 66, was reported last seen from the 1200 block of northwest 60th Street in Miami. He was last seen wearing a brown and white t-shirt and white pants. Authorities say Lampkin suffers from schizophrenia and depression. Police urge anyone with information to contact Miami Police Department at 305-603-6300 or 305-603-6310 After a weekend tour of the city by the Consular General and his deputy from Washington D.C., one Florida city appears closer to becoming home for a Cuban Consulate office in the United States. According to NBC affiliate WFLA-TV, the delegation met with officials from St. Petersburg, including Mayor Rick Kriseman, for a tour of both the city and potential office locations for a future home. The city has spent much of the last year working to get the consulate office in Pinellas County. At the same time, a scheduled trip to Tampa did not take place. That citys mayor has said he would not block the consulate if they are chosen, but he will not actively pursue it out of an obligation to supporters that oppose Tampa being picked. While Miami has the most Cuban-American residents in the entire state, Mayor Tomas Regalado has said a consulate office would not be welcome. Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine championed his city, but that commission voted 4-3 against any potential location. Even if you can't make it all the way to South America for the Olympics, you can still get a taste of Brazil in South Florida. Only New York and Boston have larger Brazilian populations in the United States. But as we learned from local Brazilians who frequent Boteco in Miami, no city can offer the feel of Brazil quite like South Florida. "The weather, the beaches," answers Andre Postale when I asked him why he moved to Miami from Brazil 2 years ago. Postale now works at Boteco, where customers feel at home with authentic food, music and dancing. The Brazilians we spoke to at Boteco admitted they are concerned about their home country hosting the Olympics. They are fearful of Brazil's problems being exposed on the world stage. "It's a bad time in Brazil," said a patron named Elizabeth. "But we are welcoming people and they will overcome. We love to be (hosts)." South Florida has seen a surge in the Brazilian population recently, especially among the wealthy, with the country's economy struggling. And with current political turmoil and increasing crime, you can expect more Brazilians to migrate to Miami in the near future. What to Know NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill will take over as commissioner when Bratton leaves the post next month Bratton has served as commissioner of the NYPD since 2014, and is credited as one of the architects of "broken windows" policing His tenure has been marred by tensions with the public and a high-profile standoff between the NYPD's biggest union and the mayor NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is stepping down as the city's top cop and will be replaced by Chief of Department James O'Neill in September, Mayor de Blasio announced Tuesday. De Blasio lauded the commissioner's contributions to New York City since taking over the job in January 2014 and praised the man who will replace him, a veteran cop with more than 30 years on the force who grew up in the city and whose experience he said will advance the work of neighborhood policing. Under Bratton, the city already has made plans to shift toward that strategy, one predicated on building trust and working relationships between police and communities. O'Neill has been heavily involved in those efforts, and de Blasio said neighborhood policing would be in place in 51 precincts as of this fall. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More "I don't think anyone could've imagined a more productive 31 months. We will never forget or fail to honor the achievements of Bill Bratton," de Blasio said. Of O'Neill, he added, "Jimmy is the real thing in every way." Bratton will stay on with the department until mid-September to ease the transition, officials said. According to a news release from global consulting firm Teneo, Bratton will join the company as the senior managing director and executive chairman of a newly formed risk management division. Sources close to the commissioner told NBC 4 New York that the job was a "perfect fit" for financial and lifestyle reasons, and that Teneo wanted him sooner than he had planned to be available. De Blasio joked that Bratton would be able to "afford" to take him out to eat in the new job. Bratton did not address the new position at the resignation announcement Tuesday, but instead reflected on his long-standing relationship with New York City and the people and politicians within it. The Massachusetts native called himself a "proud adopted son" of New York City and touted O'Neill's prowess, saying he would help make a seamless transition that, in this age of terror and sometimes volatile race relations, is more important than ever. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said Tuesday he would step down in September, and indicated he could not be handing over the reins to a more capable colleague and exemplary department. The resignation comes days after Bratton told The New York Times in a widely cited interview that he wouldn't serve as the city's top cop after 2017. Law enforcement sources say he has been talking to de Blasio for at least a month about the possibility that he may vacate his office earlier. Bratton has served as the city's commissioner under de Blasio since January 2014 and was also the commissioner during the Giuliani administration. He is credited as one of the early proponents of the CompStat crime-tracking methodology and the "broken windows" policing philosophy, which prioritizes enforcement of minor offenses to prevent major violent crimes. He also served as the top cop in Los Angeles and Boston. De Blasio tapped Bratton for the job after campaigning on a promise to change police tactics and the department's relationship with New Yorkers. In announcing his resignation Tuesday, de Blasio vowed to continue that charge, and said O'Neill would be an extraordinary leader of the department. O'Neill said rather than look at the promotion as the culmination of the career "of an old transit cop like me," he said he sees it as an opportunity and invitation to advance all of the work Bratton has done in the last 31 months. "I love being a cop. I love this uniform. I love what it stands for," O'Neill said. "We are here for you, the people of this city." O'Neill spoke of his optimism for the future -- a hopefulness imparted to him by his mother. "Because of her I learned we can change the world into what we want it to be and that life is about much much more than just oneself, it's about all of us," O'Neill said, choking back tears. He also emphasized the importance of bridging the divide between communities and police, and reiterated that the department knows most of the crimes in the city are perpetrated by a few criminals. O'Neill said he would focus on zeroing in on those perpetrators as Bratton has done while working to protect the city from broader scale threats like terrorism. NYPD Chief of Department James P. ONeill will succeed Bill Bratton as NYPD commissioner after he resigns his post in September, Mayor de Blasio announced at a press conference Tuesday. Despite some of the lowest crime rates the city has seen in history, Bratton's latest tenure as the head of the NYPD has been marred by tumultuous relations with the public and a tense standoff between the department's rank-and-file union and de Blasio following the killings of two officers in late 2014. But sources close to the commissioner say he feels comfortable leaving the post with the crime rates as low as they are and in the capable hands of O'Neill. "I'm leaving because it's the right time," Bratton said Tuesday. The sources also said he wants to take more time for his three grandchildren, and that he wanted to leave before the next mayoral campaign. Ben Tucker, first deputy NYPD commissioner, will stay on, and Carlos Gomez, the NYPD's chief of patrol, who has been with the force since 1984, will take over as chief of department. Calling Gomez a great friend, O'Neill said he "has the will to make the change, the vision to make the change." The fate of others, including Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counter-terrorism John Miller and spokesman Stephen Davis are unclear. Bratton's resume is unmatched in local law enforcement. He first held the top NYPD post in 1994 and is credited with leading the development of CompStat, a crime-mapping database begun in New York City that has been copied by police in other cities. Crime dropped significantly during his tenure, but civilian complaints about police misconduct and brutality went up. Somewhat coincidentally, protesters had staged a demonstration outside City Hall Monday night and Tuesday to call for Bratton's resignation. One protester said that he was "very happy" to see Bratton step down and that he "will take anyone over Bratton, even a corpse." The head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the NYPD's largest union, said that he "wishes him well in his new endeavors." "We hope that Chief O'Neill will make supporting and protecting police officers on the street his first priority when he assumes his new role," said PBA President Patrick Lynch. "We look forward to working with him to make sure that New York City police officers are fully supported, with the fair compensation, staffing, equipment and training that we need to protect all New Yorkers. Bill Brattons police resume is hard to match: Hes run police departments in three of the countrys biggest cities and changed the way cops fight crime. Along the way and not by accident he also became a celebrity. Tom Llamas reports. Under Giuliani, Bratton was also remembered for his theatrics, including proposing a police parade on his birthday. He left the job for the private sector in 1996, creating his own law enforcement consulting business. Bratton, a Vietnam veteran who began his career as a Boston police officer, served as chief of the LAPD from 2002 to 2009, where he dramatically expanded the use of stop and frisk. On his watch as NYPD commissioner, the department drastically scaled back that strategy, but stepped up enforcement against of so-called "quality of life" offenses. Critics said that approach still unfairly targeted people of color. Bratton was also hired by Oakland, California, in 2013 to serve as a consultant to the citys troubled police department. Bruce Beck is in Rio to cover the Olympics! He shares his insights and observations from the Olympic Village, the streets of Rio and Brazil's iconic beaches. Watch Bruce on NBC 4 New York and keep up with him throughout the day by following @BruceBeck4NY on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. --- Bruce tries his hand at table tennis on the last day of Rio 2016. Going toe to toe in @usatabletennis with @twangsterr - two-time Olympian! I hung tough! A video posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 21, 2016 at 3:32pm PDT Getting into the spirit at the Gold Medal Game in Rio! @usabasketball @terrathedactyle @therealjamarcus A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 21, 2016 at 12:43pm PDT Bruce talks to members of the gold-medal winning women's basketball team! Great to catch up with @tina31charles of @nyliberty & Sue Bird of Syosset, NY after they captured gold in RIO! What a remarkable run for the @usabasketball women - 49 straight wins and 6 consecutive Gold medals! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 20, 2016 at 5:48pm PDT What does @ShakurStevenson think of his Silver Medal in boxing? We'll hear from him @NBCNewYork 4 at 6! pic.twitter.com/M6kJmIutHb Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 20, 2016 What does @ShakurStevenson think of his Silver Medal in boxing? We'll hear from him @NBCNewYork 4 at 6! pic.twitter.com/M6kJmIutHb Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 20, 2016 Bruce goes one-on-one with the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt! Another Gold for the World's Fastest Man @usainbolt_official! He might be the world's greatest showman too! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 18, 2016 at 8:07pm PDT Our gold medalist - Dalilah Muhammad from Jamaica, NY & Cardozo HS! we'll hear from her @NBCNewYork at 6! pic.twitter.com/GBRydjuoE3 Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 19, 2016 Bruce catches up with Dalilah Muhammad and her family as she goes for gold in the 400 meters hurdles! Big night for @dalilahmuhammad_ and her family as she goes for Gold in the 400 meters hurdles! Great local story - Jamaica, NY; Benjamin Cardozo HS; Novas Track Club; Rochdale Village! What an athlete! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 18, 2016 at 4:29pm PDT Bruce interviews a NJ high school phenom who made her debut in Rio. Sydney McLaughlin called it "Great experience!" Can't wait 2 see her win in Tokyo! @unioncatholichs @uctrack pic.twitter.com/qMWvIPo30J Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 17, 2016 Congratulations, grandpa-to-be! Bruce sits down with the most decorated Olympian of all time! We'll hear from gymnast @lauriehernandez_ tonight on @nbcnewyork 4! The pride of Old Bridge, NJ captured a silver medal today on the Balance Beam to go with her team gold! She's only 16! What a talent! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 15, 2016 at 7:04pm PDT Bruce watches Usain Bolt win the 100 meter race and the title of world's fastest man! My favorite event of the Olympics - The Men's 100 Meters! Usain Bolt looking for 3 straight gold! @justingatlin looking for a repeat of Athens in 2004! #World'sFastestMan A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 14, 2016 at 5:15pm PDT Wherever I work in the world - I run into @KennyAlbert who's calling track & field here in Rio! What a pro! pic.twitter.com/sW7sqH8RjO Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 14, 2016 Bruce celebrates bronze with the history-making women's fencing team and improvises with a little help from an ice cream vendor! Nothing like Athletics (Track & Field) at the Olympics! Tonight I took in mlive the Women's 100 Meter dash! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 13, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT Ice Cream and WNBC! Yes we got creative just moments ago and used the local Good Humor Man to help with the stand-ups! We were in need of an umbrella desperately to block the hot Rio sun so we hired our buddy to take the umbrella off his ice cream wagon and work in television for a few minutes! The shot looked great and cameraman @ed_alonzo is now looking to hire him full time in the future - lol! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 13, 2016 at 12:26pm PDT Bruce talks to Katie Ledecky's uncle, who is also the new owner of the New York Islanders. Nothing like Athletics (Track & Field) at the Olympics! Tonight I took in mlive the Women's 100 Meter dash! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 13, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT Ice Cream and WNBC! Yes we got creative just moments ago and used the local Good Humor Man to help with the stand-ups! We were in need of an umbrella desperately to block the hot Rio sun so we hired our buddy to take the umbrella off his ice cream wagon and work in television for a few minutes! The shot looked great and cameraman @ed_alonzo is now looking to hire him full time in the future - lol! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 13, 2016 at 12:26pm PDT Bruce gives us an update on Day 6 and catches up with Carmelo Anthony. Bruce interviews a fencer from the Bronx who won a silver medal. With legendary @StJohnsFencing Coach Yury Gelman! His pupil @DarylDHomer is in the semis in Sabre in Rio! pic.twitter.com/9CCRfgURcQ Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 10, 2016 Bruce meets a very courageous boy from New Jersey, and the face of NBC News. My favorite picture of the Olympics so far! It was with Darius Ziabakhsh who was invited to the Games by the @mcdonalds Olympics Kids Program! He suffers from a rare disorder that affects several vital organs. I did a feature on him about his experience in Rio which included attending the Opening Ceremony! What an inspirational and courageous kid from New Jersey. I just loved interviewing him. A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 8, 2016 at 3:47pm PDT Bruce keeps tabs on the winning women's field hockey team -- and gets a care package! Congrats Melissa Gonzalez & @usafieldhockey - taking the Olympics by storm! 2-0 with wins over Argentina & today, Australia! Great story brewing! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 8, 2016 at 1:46pm PDT Bruce meets with Team USA's silver medal-winning fencer Alexander Massialas. It's silver for @amassialas - so happy for the 22 year old from San Francisco! My 4th Olympics covering @usfencing! I root hard for this team! Can't wait to see my locals perform! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 7, 2016 at 5:10pm PDT On Day 1 of the Olympics, Bruce meets a broadcasting legend! A privilege & pleasure to talk Olympics, politics and baseball with NBC legend, Tom Brokaw! #rio2016 A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 6, 2016 at 11:59am PDT Bruce meets a New Jersey wrestler who is seeking redemption in Rio. Swimming Dream Team! The best swimming play by play team on the planet - getting set another @nbcolympics! Good luck @danhicksnbc & @rowdygaines! #rio2016 A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 5, 2016 at 2:44pm PDT The day before the Opening Ceremony, Bruce interviews a local Olympian who is breaking barriers and making history! We are Live on Copacabana Beach today on @nbcnewyork 4 st 4, 5 and 6! See you there! #rio2016 A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 4, 2016 at 12:52pm PDT With just two days until the Olympics begin, Bruce catches up with a star boxer from New Jersey. With the pride of Newark, NJ - @ShakurStevenson - a 2 time Amateur World Champ. Dynamic 19 yr old! @Usaboxing pic.twitter.com/bAp9l8moQs Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 3, 2016 We are live in Rio - literally now! First live shot in the books! Join us at 5 and 6 on @nbcnewyork 4! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 3, 2016 at 1:19pm PDT Three days until the Olympics! Bruce is getting ready by interviewing local athletes in Rio. On Monday, Bruce visited some of Brazil's top tourist sites: The Christ the Redeemer statute, which is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and Copacabana beach. Here are his dispatches as he explores Rio: LIVE on #Periscope: Live at Christ The Redeemer https://t.co/orZYWCGpHK Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) August 1, 2016 Finally made it to Copacabana Beach on a magnificent 80 degree in Rio! Prepping hard for Olympics! A photo posted by Bruce Beck (@brucebeck4ny) on Aug 1, 2016 at 12:18pm PDT Longtime local dairy plant Elmhurst Dairy, provider of the familiar milk cartons in New York City public schools, is shutting down. The plant will be closing in 90 days after nearly 100 years in business, officials said, citing a drop in demand for milk. In its heyday, Elmhurst Dairy processed nearly a million and a half gallons of milk a week. The silos were a fixture of the Jamaica, Queens, for as long as anyone can remember. The red-and-gold delivery truck still housed on the site provides a fleeting memory of the home deliveries of yesteryear. The plant has operated at the same location for eight decades, processing the raw milk produced and delivered from upstate dairy farms, much of the end product headed for New York City public schools. The 15-acre site was the largest milk processing facility in the city and for many years has been the only milk plant. A big part of the reason for closing: a drop in demand. "People for whatever reason are not consuming as much milk as they were 30 and 40 years ago," said Henry Schwartz, CEO of Elmhurst Dairy. The grandson of the Elmhurst Dairy founder says products with longer shelf lives -- like soy and almond milks -- soured the market for fresh milk. Now 273 employees are losing their jobs. "Hundreds of people work here. What are they going to do?" said Singh Hundal, who's worked at the plant 20 years. "I figure I'm going to move on," said a resigned Lorenzo Seguil, who's been at the plant 27 years. The company says it plans to bring new jobs into Jamaica by redeveloping the site, though just how is not yet certain. An engineering firm that was hired by insurance companies to evaluate damage caused by Sandy was charged Monday with illegally altering reports prepared by inspectors in the field. HiRise Engineering and one of the company's project managers, Matthew Pappalardo, were charged with felony fraud. Pappalardo also faces charges of practicing engineering without a license. He and the company have denied wrongdoing. They pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Nassau County. The charges are the result of an investigation opened in 2014 by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after lawyers for scores of New York and New Jersey homeowners filed civil lawsuits claiming that altered engineering reports had led to them getting less insurance money than they deserved. HiRise Engineering was one of several companies working for insurance companies that came under scrutiny. The company hired many subcontractors to inspect flooded homes and help insurers determine whether problems such as cracked foundations, sloping floors or buckled walls were caused by the storm surge or other factors not covered by flood insurance, such as strong winds or old age. In at least 25 cases, prosecutors allege that Pappalardo who was not an engineer had employees heavily edit field reports, sometimes in ways that substantially changed conclusions about the extent or cause of damage. The altered reports were submitted by HiRise without the approval of the engineers who actually inspected the homes, the attorney general's office said. Schneiderman said the alterations of the reports undermined the integrity of the federal flood insurance program. He added that his investigation also "uncovered evidence of other crimes which fall outside the scope" of his jurisdiction and that he referred those findings to federal prosecutors. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Pappalardo was released on $20,000 bail Monday. He declined to comment as he left court. His attorney, Avi Moskowitz, said his client looked forward to proving his innocence. Kenneth Murphy, an attorney for HiRise Engineering, said Monday that the company steadfastly maintains "there was never any intent to defraud any homeowner in the preparation of these reports." A website created by a Stanford University student purports to help New York City drivers beat parking tickets -- for free. The site, DoNotPay, is entirely automated and draws up template appeal letters based on a few identifying details entered by the driver, according to Crain's New York. The bot was invented by 19-year-old Joshua Browder, a rising sophomore at Stanford, when he received 30 parking tickets as a teen in London, he told Crain's. The tickets were often issued unfairly, and because the appeals process in the U.K. is so formulaic, Browder thought he could program a system to beat the tickets. The site launched in London in 2014, and then in New York City this past April, where it's still in its testing phase. Instead of fighting the city's parking violation codes, DoNotPay focuses on generating the appeal most likely to get a ticket overturned, Crain's reports. Browder estimated that of the 10,000 tickets fought so far in New York, about 40 percent have been overturned, with the majority in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Browder says he's gotten buyout offers from lawyers who specialize in these types of ticket appeals. But Browder says he doesn't plan on selling the site or turning it into a money maker. "Deep down, I think they're threatened," Browder told Crain's. "They've built their livelihood on fighting these parking tickets, and in reality, technology can do it for free. Lawyers would write a letter, probably copying and pasting from Microsoft Word. Whether you've done something or not you have to pay 50 percent, which is so extortionate." Starlin Castro hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees hardly resembled a team resigned to fading away after selling off their stars at the trade deadline, rallying past the Mets 6-5 on Monday night in their Subway Series opener. Didi Gregorius hit a tying single with two outs in the eighth and new closer Dellin Betances worked out of a major jam for his first save this season. Hours after trading slugger Carlos Beltran and pitcher Ivan Nova before the non-waiver deadline, the Yankees snapped a four-game slide and won for the seventh time in the past nine meetings with their crosstown rivals. Wilmer Flores and rookie Matt Reynolds homered for the skidding Mets, who lost their fifth in six games as fans in the sellout crowd of 42,125 traded chants throughout the night following a hectic afternoon at Citi Field. Earlier in the day, the defending NL champions completed deals to land All-Star outfielder Jay Bruce and reacquire left-hander Jon Niese. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a four-pitch walk from rookie Seth Lugo (0-1) leading off the 10th and went to second on Mark Teixeira's single. A fired-up Ellsbury beat Lugo's throw to third on pinch-hitter Ben Gamel's sacrifice, loading the bases. Gregorius struck out, but Ellsbury scored easily when Castro hit a long fly to the right-center warning track. Betances, now a closer after the Yankees traded predecessors Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller within the past week, came through in his first chance since those deals - but not without some tense moments. James Loney hit a leadoff double and the Mets had runners at the corners when Rene Rivera hit a comebacker for the second out. With two men in scoring position, Betances struck out Curtis Granderson on three pitches for his 11th career save. Adam Warren (1-0) worked two hitless innings for his first win for the Yankees since they reacquired him from the Chicago Cubs in the Chapman trade. Playing again without ailing slugger Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets took a 5-3 lead in the sixth when Reynolds - just recalled from the minors - connected for a three-run homer off CC Sabathia. Gregorius fought back from an 0-2 count and tied it at 5 with a two-run single off setup man Addison Reed after his costly wild pitch in the eighth. Reed had not allowed a run since June 25, a career-best streak that lasted more than 16 innings. During that stretch, he struck out 26 and gave up only seven hits. The third-place Mets dropped to 2-6 on their nine-game homestand and lost for the ninth time in their last 11 at Citi Field. Ellsbury and Brett Gardner both scored twice. Gardner hit an RBI double with two outs in the fifth, and Ellsbury followed with a run-scoring single that gave the Yankees a 3-1 advantage against starter Logan Verrett. The Subway Series got off to a bang when the speedy Gardner hit the second pitch to the center-field fence 408 feet away and tried for an inside-the-park home run after the ball caromed away from Mets center fielder Justin Ruggiano. Granderson, alertly backing up, started a 9-4-2 relay that cut down Gardner at the plate as he attempted to score with a headfirst slide. MATZ BATS With the banged-up Mets short on the bench, pitcher Steven Matz was sent up as a pinch-hitter in the sixth. He walked on a full count, ending Sabathia's night. ROSTER MOVES To replace Beltran and Nova on the roster, the Yankees recalled Gamel and RHP Nick Goody from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Goody retired No. 3 hitter Neil Walker on a shallow fly with the bases loaded to end the sixth, keeping the Yankees within two runs. ... Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said C Gary Sanchez, a touted prospect, is likely to be called up from the minors as soon as Wednesday. ... RHP Tyler Clippard, who pitched for the Mets in the World Series last season, made his first appearance for the Yankees since they reacquired him Sunday from Arizona. Clippard, who beat the Mets at Shea Stadium in his major league debut for the Yankees in May 2007, struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning. TRAINER'S ROOM Mets: Hampered by a strained right quadriceps that's been nagging him for weeks, Cespedes sat out for the second consecutive game. ... Ruggiano exited in the fourth with a mild strain of his left hamstring, the team said. Alejandro De Aza moved from left field to center, and Michael Conforto entered in left. Conforto had an RBI double in the fifth against Sabathia, a rare hit off a left-hander. ... Reynolds started at shortstop after Asdrubal Cabrera sustained a strained patellar tendon in his left knee Sunday against Colorado. ... RHP Zack Wheeler (Tommy John surgery) threw a simulated game in Florida. What to Know Chief James P. O'Neill will succeed Bill Bratton as NYPD commissioner. As the NYPD's Chief of Department, O'Neill introduced "community policing" tactics in precincts across the city. Bratton, Mayor de Blasio and O'Neill all credit community policing tactics with helping drop the city's crime rate to record lows. The architect of the NYPDs community policing program, Chief of Department James P. ONeill, will succeed Bill Bratton as NYPD commissioner after he vacates his post in September, Mayor de Blasio announced Tuesday. Jimmy ONeill has built a national model for bringing police and the community together to fight crime, de Blasio said. As the top-ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, Jimmy has spent each day ensuring that New York City remains the safest big city in America." O'Neill has served in the NYPD for more than 30 years, de Blasio said, beginning in the New York City Transit Police in 1983. He was appointed to chief of patrol in 2014. He then became chief of department later that year, when Philip Banks resigned his post. Top Tri-State News Photos As chief of department, O'Neill implemented community policing in precincts across the city. Under the program, officers were assigned to precincts with the goal of engaging the community to create trust between police and residents. The "neighborhood coordination officers" were assigned to precincts in every borough of the city. In a new community policing program, NYPD officers are getting to know the residents in their neighborhoods through an old-school approach and its helping to bring crime statistics down. Marc Santia walks the beat with two cops in Washington Heights, where residents have warmed to their local cops. Read more about the NYPDs new plan for neighborhood policing. Bratton, de Blasio and O'Neill all credit the neighborhood policing initiative with lowering crime across the city. "Few understand the human side of policing better than Jim O'Neill," Bratton said. "As chief, his innovative NCO program is not only making communities safer, it has brought police and the people together." O'Neill said the strategy lowers "crime, but not at the expense of losing the vital support of the people we are sworn to protect and serve." O'Neill is a New York native, born and raised in Brooklyn's East Flatbush neighborhood. He holds a master's degree in criminal justice from John Jay College and has taught criminal justice at CUNY Rockland. His rise to the NYPDs top position includes serving as commanding officer of the 25, 44 and Central Park Precincts, the NYPD's website says. He also served as the commanding officer of the Firearms Training Section, the Police Academy, Warrant Section and the Fugitive Enforcement Division. This is what some people were tweeting about the change at the head of the NYPD: UPDATE: The Merced County Coroner said on Wednesday that four people, not five, died in the bus crash. Four people died early Tuesday morning after a tour bus crashed into a sign on the highway in central California on its way up from Mexico, according to the California Highway Patrol. Fifteen people suffered serious to critical injuries, some of whom were trapped in the bus for hours, and a dozen had less serious injuries, according to CHP spokesman Stephen Weeke, who said only four people were not hurt. Fifteen people suffered serious to critical injuries, some of whom were trapped in the bus for hours, and a dozen had less serious injuries, according to CHP spokesman Stephen Weeke, who said only four on the bus were not hurt. The Van Hool bus slammed into the highway "Hammatt Avenue" sign on Highway 99 in Atwater, Merced County, at 3:25 a.m. with 30 people on board, according to CHP Officer Moises Onsurez. Atwater is a city of 28,000 people, about 65 miles northwest of Fresno. Onsurez said the pole sheared through the center of the white bus, with a California license plate, at an unknown speed. The bus originated in Mexico, Onsurez said, and was headed to Washington state with stops in Los Angeles, Livingston in Merced County and Sacramento along the way. There were no brake marks at the scene, meaning the bus hit the pole at full-speed, according to the CHP. Deadly Tour Bus Crash The CHP identified the driver as Mario David Vasquez, 57, Los Angeles, who suffered "major injuries." Six passengers were also airlifted to various hospitals, he said. Sgt. Luis Lara later said that about 10 "walking wounded" passengers were outside the bus when officers arrived. "It was a mess," Lara said. Some passengers were trapped inside, and firefighters cut them out. "We have every type of injury in that bus." Onsurez also said that the charter bus had no name on its side and he didn't immediately know who was operating the vehicle. "With this sort of tragedy there is a lot of triage involved," he said. Jennifer Rivera, 12, told NBC's sister station Telemundo that she was asleep when the bus crashed. She was thrown under the seats and was unable to see anything because her vision was blocked, she said. Waking to people crying, Jennifer recalled being stuck and getting scraped up as she "got out through a hole." The young girl, who was traveling with two uncles, had been living in Nayarit and was returning to the United States to study, she said. Meanwhile, Xiomara Huezo, the drivers daughter-in-law, became emotional because at first, the family had barely any information about Vasquez's condition. Initially, they thought Vasquez was dead and then were informed that he was, in fact, hospitalized with grave injuries. Vasquez is a good driver and a good man, who is grieving the loss of his wife, who recently died of cancer, Huezo said. He doesnt drink or smoke, she stressed, and has never had problems or been involved in accidents. The driver's granddaughter, Vanessa, also told reporters in Los Angeles that she and her family are hoping he is able to come home soon. "He's always been there for me ever since I was a little kid, never left my side," she said. KSEE DMV records indicate the 1998 bus is registered to Auto Buses Coordinados USA. No one answered the phone at the Los Angeles office Tuesday. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the bus company, which also lists locations in Oceanside and Fresno, has a "satisfactory" service record. But, the FMCSA does show that 30 percent of its bus inspections prompted the government to pull its vehicles out of service over the last two years above the national average of 20 percent. Federal records showed the company had more than 23 vehicle maintenance violations since 2014. At least eight of those were severe enough to force inspectors to pull the company's buses off the road, records show. Of those eight, three were for brake issues, federal records show. The latest inspection for the bus that was involved in Tuesday's crash occurred on April 28, when the federal safety agency found the VanHool had "no or defective brake warning device." Also, on Feb. 5, 2015, a driver in a vehicle with the same license plate was pulled out of service in Oregon for driving a commercial vehicle with a suspended license. California Secretary of State business records show that Marisela Castaneda is the "agent of service" for the company. A man who answered the phone number provided to federal inspectors associated with the company said Castaneda was not available to speak, but would pass the message along. While the cause of the crash is under investigation, the deadly scene quickly turned into a political talking point for the driver's union, the Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO. Larry Hanley, president of the ATU in Washington, D.C., had no direct knowledge of Tuesday's accident. But he said driver fatigue is the No. 1 cause of motor coach bus accidents and is an issue that is "plaguing our nation's bus companies." According to a report called "Sudden Death Overtime," the National Transportation Safety Board estimated that 36 percent of motor coach crash fatalities over the past decade have been due to driver fatigue, compared to road conditions (two percent) or inattention (six percent). There was no fog blanketing the highway at that time in the morning, weather radar shows. KSEE The union has been calling on Congress to pass the Driver Fatigue Prevention Act, introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, which would extend the overtime protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act to these bus drivers, who often work second jobs during their "rest periods." Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, introduced the same thing in the House last month. Under the legislation, drivers would be paid time and a half for the work they put in above 40 hours a week, making them less inclined to work other jobs and push "their bodies to the limit," Hanley said in a statement. Since 1990, the ATU has documented 250 tour bus crashes in the United States. NBC affiliate KSEE in Merced and Telemundo contributed to this report. Residents and local police departments throughout the country will come together on Tuesday for the National Night Out- a community-building campaign that promotes partnerships between police departments and residents. Townships in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are not missing out on the family-friendly event and invite everyone to come and build neighborhood camaraderie. The events offer residents a chance to have some fun with their neighbors while also meeting the local responders who are keeping them safe. Below are some events happening in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Don't see your township? Head over to the National Night Out website to find an event near you. Pennsylvania Kennett Square - 200 & 300 Block of East Linden Street, 5 7 p.m. Upper Darby Upper Darby High School, 5 8 p.m. Philadelphia Masjidullah Inc., 7401 Limekiln Pike, 5 8 p.m. Horsham Horsham Township Complex, 1025 Horsham Road, 6 9 p.m. Fox Chase Fox Chase Elementary School, 500 Rhawn Street, 6 8 p.m. New Jersey Atlantic City Pop Lloyd Stadium, 1200 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, 4 to 8 p.m. Egg Harbor Township Veterans Memorial Park, 5 to 8 p.m. Somers Point William Morrow Beach, 5 to 8 p.m. Maple Shade Forklanding Road & Brubaker Lane, 5 to 8 p.m. West Windsor West Windsor Township Community Park, 6 10 p.m. Overbrook Overbrook High School, 1200 Turnerville Rd, 6 p.m. Westampton Burlington County Safety Center, 6 9 p.m. Camden Fairview Neighborhood, 2940 Yorkship Square, 6 p.m. The driver of an SUV plowed into a young woman crossing a road in Atlantic County late Monday night, killing her, then left her dead in the street, police said. Now, police are searching for the SUV -- described as an older model silver Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban -- and the person who drove it at the time. Authorities said 27-year-old Aubrey Servis, of Little Egg Harbor, crossed White Horse Pike at 6th Avenue in Galloway Township about 10:20 p.m. Monday. As Servis walked across the road in the crosswalk, the SUV, which was traveling west in the left lane, ran a red light, police said, and struck her, throwing her forward. The SUV driver took off, and Servis died at the scene, police said. Witnesses who saw the crash provided information to police.. Police said the SUV they're searching may be a 1990s model and likely has damage to its front driver's side. They're asking that anyone with information on the SUV or its driver contact Galloway Township Police Officer Gorneau at 609-652-3705, ext. 095 or Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Det. Hutton at 609-909-7873. The day Trump Taj Mahal workers' strike hits the month-mark, dozens of the picketing employees will be joined by several New Jersey legislators to voice their support of a bill that would offer unemployment benefits after 30 days on strike. The group will be on the State House steps in Trenton Monday afternoon, according to Press of Atlantic City. While about 100 workers will travel to New Jersey's capital, other members of the UNITE HERE Local 54 union will remain in Atlantic City to continue their round-the-clock demonstration outside the Trump Taj Mahal casino and hotel. The approximately 1,000 Taj Mahal employees went on strike as the Fourth of July holiday weekend began. The casino, owned by Carl Icahn, as well as four others were warned of a possible strike. Ballys Atlantic City Hotel and Casino, HarrahsResort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino, and the Tropicana Casino, which is also owned by Icahn, came to terms with the union and avoided a strike. To read the full article, click here. For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal. The stadium sits empty, the balloons swept up. As thousands of delegates left Philadelphia and the Democratic National Convention, Noemi Tungui sat on a friend's couch grappling with what comes next. She wanted to decide what she would say, on her return home, to the more than 200 donors who helped her make her way to the convention. The 23-year-old California State University Northridge student was one of more than 1,800 Bernie Sanders delegates at this year's DNC. She raised more than $2,000 on GoFundMe and an additional $1,000 through fundraisers and selling homemade Bernie pins. But being at the convention that named Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president proved as difficult as getting there. Sanders supporters repeatedly said they felt denigrated by Clinton delegates. Natalie Higley, a 23-year-old Sanders delegate also from California, said she felt like an outsider. "It's a very high school atmosphere, like you're the unpopular kid and they're the cheerleaders," Higley said on the first day of the convention. Ninety percent of consistent Sanders supporters said in a recent Pew Research poll that they would back Clinton in the general election. But the fervent Sanders delegates at the convention were not so easily swayed. By the third day, California delegate Josephine Piarulli, 55, said the convention was a "love fest for Hillary." Clinton supporters treated her like a leper, she said. Tungui said she stood with her back to the stage during Clinton's acceptance speech. She said that after she had water thrown on her by a Clinton delegate, a security guard told her he would not do anything about it, because "this is Hillary's house." She and a group of delegates contacted the Sanders campaign who eventually got the delegate removed. NBC has reached out to the DNC for comment. Tungui said she felt support from fellow Sanders delegates whom she called her "Bernie family," a spirit of inclusion that drew her to Sanders when she first heard him speak at a rally in Los Angeles last August. She was planning to attend a Clinton campaign event but couldn't go when she realized the high cost to attend, she said. Then she saw two college-age friends post on Facebook about a Sanders event. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was full but she was able to watch Sanders' speech from a large television screen just outside. She said she was inspired by the speech and the like-minded people she met that day. "It was the first time I heard a politician talk about immigration in a way that made us feel like human beings, like we were welcome and like he was going to do something," Tungui said. Tungui's family moved from Mexico to the United States when she was 3 years old. Her parents are hard working, tax-paying permanent residents, but she is often the victim of discriminatory remarks because of her heritage, she said. After the August rally, inspired by Sanders, she began the process of becoming a U.S. citizen because she wanted to cast her vote in 2016. In Philadelphia she was among a group of delegates hoping to make Sanders the nominee. But on the first day of the convention Sanders sent a text to supporters urging them not to engage in protests on the convention floor. At the end of the formal roll call vote last week, Sanders moved to suspend the rules and nominate Hillary Clinton by acclamation, a symbol of unity within the party. The move left many Sanders delegates with a dilemma. Dozens of delegates, including Tungui and Piarulli, chose to walk out of the convention hall in protest. Tungui sat outside the arena with tape over her mouth to symbolize the silencing of her voice by the Democratic National Committee. Just before the start of the convention, a series of leaked emails suggested the DNC favored Clinton as the partys nominee despite a promise to remain neutral throughout the primary process. While Sanders has publicly endorsed Clinton, Tungui said it was important to her that the issues that his campaign addressed not be forgotten. "I came here to be change," Tungui said. "I'm not just going to sit down and stay quiet because that's what they expect us to do and I'm not going to do that. I hope Bernie respects that from me." "I'm sure there were people that told him not to do that," she said, pointing to Sanders' civil rights protests during his time at the University of Chicago. Throughout the four-day convention, speakers, including Clinton, President Barack Obama and Sanders himself, praised the Sanders campaign and its supporters for their organizing efforts and influence in creating a progressive platform. Still, speakers urged Sanders supporters to vote for Clinton. Samantha Rise Roberson, a Sanders delegate from Wyoming, said she would do just that, though she was disappointed Sanders had not won the nomination. "It's bittersweet to me," Roberson said shortly before Clinton's acceptance speech on the final day of the convention. "I'm nervous to go home to my constituents. There's a lot of Bernie or bust in my hometown. How do we reconcile these people who are hurting and feel left out?" But Roberson said she was excited that Sanders believed Clinton was the best candidate moving forward. "I am proud and honored to celebrate the first female president," she said. Many Sanders delegates said they were often told that uniting behind Clinton was the only way to defeat Donald Trump, but for some that was not enough. "We want to make our voices heard for a real democratic alternative," 41-year-old California delegate Joey Aszterbaum said on the first day of the convention. "Its not enough for the platform and the speakers to mention Trump all the time. Whats important is for us to stand for what we believe in." Piarulli described Clinton as the antithesis of the progressive agenda and said Sanders supporters who came out in favor of Clinton were "traitors." She said that by supporting Clinton the Democratic National Committee and by extension the party would "reap what they sow" if Trump was elected. Still, some Sanders delegates saw the convention as an opportunity to find out how serious Clinton was about enacting a progressive agenda. Sanders delegate Susan Posey of Virginia, where Tim Kaine served as governor and is now a U.S. senator, said she had not yet decided who to vote for in November. She said she was initially disappointed that Kaine was chosen as Clinton's running mate but she is optimistic after learning more about him at the convention. "It was a bit of a slap in the face because he's not progressive in his politics," said Posey, 45. "On the other hand, he is a nice guy and apparently has sort of a progressive heart. I have some hope he's a person we'll be able to work with," she said the morning after Kaine's DNC speech. For her part, Tungui said Thursday morning that she recognized the historic significance of the convention but thought that many of the speakers were pandering to various demographics, like touting 10-year-old Karla Ortiz, the child of undocumented immigrants, as proof that Clinton would fight for immigration reform. On Nov. 8, Tungui said, she likely could not vote for Clinton, someone who she feels flip flops on too many issues, including fracking and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Still, she said she does not believe that Clinton is the "evil criminal" that some paint her to be. She would like the Clinton campaign to apologize to the Sanders campaign and speak with Sanders' supporters about the issues important to them if Clinton wants to earn her vote. Tungui said she was pleasantly surprised that Clinton mentioned working with Sanders on an affordable college plan in her convention speech Thursday, but overall felt little unity throughout the convention. About two dozen Sanders delegates protested outside during Clinton's speech and occasional screams of "never Hillary" could be heard. Tungui said as the daughter of immigrants she would not cast a vote for Trump, but would likely vote for one of the third-party candidates, Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson or Green Party candidate Jill Stein. She said she had lost faith in the two-party system and hopes that working with third-party candidates can make a long-term difference even if neither wins the presidency. As the Democratic Party fights to unify behind Clinton, the Sanders campaign has begun to think about what comes next. It has launched an organization called "Our Revolution" which will aim to continue the message of the Sanders campaign and support progressive candidates for office. Tungui might count herself among those candidates in the near future. She said she still believes the country can elect honest political leaders and has been inspired by the Sanders campaign to have a role in shaping the country's democracy. "We have to be the leaders that we seek to elect," she said. Who doesnt love a good party? While some folks are a bit more awkward at parties than others (cough, me, cough), a little live music always seems to get the good times rolling more often than not. Where theres bands a-playin, theres fun to be had. When thinking about acts thatd be perfect for a summer party, there were a few that jumped out as obvious suspects (the Creepy Creeps, the Verigolds, the Schizophonics, etc.) since they seem to be San Diego's go-tos for sunny weekend good times (see nearly every outdoor San Diego fest lineup). But you know what? Theres plenty of great groups ready to take your party from meh to magical if you think outside the box. Know a killer band that always ups your party game? Let me know in the comments. [Bands listed alphabetically] Astral Touch: Want to be the coolest kid on the block with the freshest party? Whatever slang the kids are rockin' these days, your electro needs are signed, sealed and delivered by Astral Touch -- a one-man band (Nathan Leutzinger) of wicked riffs, laptop beats and tasty remixes (and he sometimes wears a mean headband too). Do yourself a favor and check out his tunes here. Behind the Wagon: When your kegger's got more whiskey flowing than beer, you'll need an equally reckless band to throw shots back with. And that band, folks, is Behind the Wagon. These rabble-rousers play the perfect brand of punkified country that'll have your guests streaking through the quad in no time. Big Bloom: Fresh off some love from Paste Magazine for their new video, Heavy Angel, Katie Howard and Co. dish out indie-rock that becomes the perfect soundtrack to epic all-night benders. They may not cause the hookups, hangovers or drunk ex texting, but theyll sure as hell sound good while its happening. [Listen/buy their new album here] Dani Bell & the Tarantist: Sometimes chill-out music takes different forms but in the case of Redwoods Music duo Dani Bell & the Tarantist, it appears as two Eyes Wide Shut-esque masked musicians (Dani Bell and Alfred Howard), homemade percussion trinkets, and old-school ghetto blasters. The music is criminally smooth, beautiful, eerie and just plain cool -- all at the same time. [Listen/buy their Dark West record here] The Donkeys: You knew this was coming. Is there a better party band in town than San Diego's beloved Donkeys? For my money -- and my house party -- I'd have these blue-eyed soul/rock/pop kings on speed dial. Mainly because every song of theirs sounds like a late-'60s, early-'70s AM radio hit you grew up sweating along with in the back of your parents station wagon, even though they're not. Are they the pinnacle of good times? You tell me: They play SoundDiego Summer Splash on Aug. 20 at Harrah's SoCal. Get info here. G Burns Jug Band: Maybe your party could use an old-timey feel or you just got a thing for suspenders, banjos and washboards -- but either way, plug in this ragtime-lovin' troupe (that's a joke cuz they don't need to be plugged in, bonus!) and let 'em go to town. Anyone not kickin' up some dust by the end of the night might just be dead inside. Weed the zombies outta your friends and give this group a call. [Listen/buy their latest album here] Juice Box: Sometimes parties are of the more laidback variety than all-night ragers, and for those, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better band to bring the non-ruckus than Juice Box. They specialize in smooth, complex jazz/soul that brings just the right amount of edge to the table, but fun enough to put a little pep in your strut and a cocktail in both of your hands. [Pick up their new album "Vol. 2" here] Los Shadows: If you like your surf-pop with a dash of 80s New Wave style and a sprinkle of punk attitude, youll do no better than these Chuck Records boys from Chula Vista. They're young, they're spry and they'll kick your fancy cowabunga party right into the sewer. [Check out the video for their infectious single, Chugger, here] Monarch: Long hair, don't care. Similar to their San Diego brethren Joy and Earthless, Monarch kick out the bongwater-rock jams that'll shake your backyard halfpipe right off its foundation. Do yourself a favor and pick up the band's excellent new album ("Two Isles") of '60s-influenced psychedelia, and then book 'em for guaranteed good times. The Tommy Mitchell Show: Who doesn't dig a little soul/funk/jam rock & roll when they're kickin' back under the sun with the crew and a brew? These dudes, who've made a name for themselves around town with their lively shows (usually at the Belly Up), are led by their namesake frontman -- an unusually cool cucumber on the mic/guitar -- and their ivory-tickler extraordinaire, Jody Bagley on organ/keys. You bring the gig, they'll bring the show. [Check out their tunes here] Dustin Lothspeich books The Merrow; plays in Diamond Lakes and Boy King; and runs the music-equipment-worshipping blog Gear and Loathing in San Diego. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly. San Diego's City Council is looking at another approach to handling its skybox tickets at Petco Park and Qualcomm Stadium. Actually, the taxpayers' skybox tickets -- which the council has controlled since 1967, when the stadium opened. It's been nearly a decade since a County Grand Jury first called out the Council's use, and giveaway, of skybox tickets as inappropriate -- if not unlawful. A few years later, another grand jury recommended the tickets be sold off to benefit the city treasury. But so far, no dice. "I could see them wanting to hold on to them, says Francine Maxwell, a community activist who lives in Encanto. But these political favors that are being handed out? People are going to the Beyonce concert at Qualcomm. Charger game after Charger game." Critics say for all too long, the city-owned skybox tickets at the stadium and ballpark were shared with Council cronies, donors and lobbyists, if not used by the members themselves. The seats could bring in upwards of a million dollars a year on the open market, according to a study by the citys Salary Setting Commission, which has investigated the Councils various "perks" of office. For the most part, in recent years, the tickets have been turned over to charities, veterans, law enforcement and youth groups. Now, the latest idea is to start a formal registry and prioritize requests from non-profit and community based groups and community organizations, with distribution overseen by the Council President's office. However, past grand jurors -- and even Mayor Kevin Faulconer, at one point have said the skyboxes are municipal revenue assets that should be removed from councilmembers' jurisdiction. "They have no clue what the people think about this, says attorney Robert Ottilie, who chairs the salary commission. But the average person knows, 'I don't have a thousand-dollar Charger ticket to give away to benefit me socially, professionally, politically. But you do'?" In at least one case, Ottilie noted, skybox tickets have wound up on Craigslist. The new distribution policy, which would prohibit resale or transfer of the seats, is scheduled for a Council vote on Tuesday. But in the absence of a city attorney's opinion on whether the ticket policy might be an unlawful "gift of public funds", it could be subject to a legal challenge if approved. Local families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty say the latest shooting of a San Diego police officer brings back memories. Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman was shot and killed on Thursday night during a traffic stop. He is survived by his wife and two children. His partner, Officer Wade Irwin, was seriously wounded but expected to survive. NBC 7 spoke with the father of a fallen officer who offered words of comfort for the family of De Guzman. Its never going to be right but it does get better every day and believe it or not, theres hope and joy in the future, Steve Bessant said. His son, Oceanside Police Officer Dan Bessant was shot and killed in December, 2008. Bessant told NBC 7 his faith and his 10-year old grandson gave him hope and comfort. Knowing that my ability to talk to Dan is done now on this Earth but we will have eternity together, he said. Bessant says it is also the support for the police and community that have helped him get through it all. Shawn Dee Hartless, who lost her husband Jerry Hartless in the line of duty in 1988 shared the same sentiment, saying that wounds dont go away but you just move on. San Diego Police Officer Jeremy Henwood, 36, died after a man pulled up next to his patrol car in City Heights and shot him in August 2011. He had served with the department for four years and had also been a Captain in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. In 2014, local leaders, law enforcement and Henwoods family dedicated a park in City Heights in his honor. On Monday, August 8, police are planning a commemorative barbecue at the park in honor of Officer Henwood. Some of Henwoods family who live in Texas will be attending. A local mom and pop donut shop is getting ready to face down a business giant in Carmel Mountain Ranch. Sesame Donuts, a donut shop off Interstate 15, will have a new neighbor just 100 feet away starting Tuesday: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Sesame Donuts has been in the same strip mall for 27 years, 17 of those years owned by the Kim family. NBC 7 San Diego first reported the story when the Kims learned their new next door neighbors would be Krispy Kreme. In the following weeks, the donut store had so much business they ran out of donuts. Loyal customers say they are standing by the store in the face of the new competition. "It's a local family store, and they treat us like family," said Sonya Gulati-Brown, a frequest Sesame Donuts customer. But Jennifer and Chin Kim are worried; their new competition is so close, you can see Krispy Kreme reflected on their store's front window. "So they'll get their business but I don't think that Sesame Donuts will do any worse because of it," predicted Gulati-Brown. She said she has been coming here for so long the Kims know her family well. She doesn't want to see the strip mall become too corporate. "Too many of the local businesses are getting pushed out by the big ones and i just want to support the Kims and the local people," said Matthew Golding, a loyal customer. He said he's going to keep supporting Sesame Donuts. He wants to show that big corporations can't come in and push out the local businesses. Tuesday, as Krispy Kreme celebrates their grand opening, Sesame Donuts will also be celebrating. Community members will be coming out to help to Kims celebrate the store's 27th anniversary. The family says they have hired three new employees to keep up with their recent uptick in demand, but Tuesday, the real test begins. Krispy Kreme is offering free donuts every week to the first 10 people in line and other deals for their Grand Opening. At the same time, the Kim's at Sesame donuts will have face painting, bouncy house and donut discounts. A San Diego mother says her 9-year old son, who is on the Autism spectrum, flew on Southwest Airlines as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) during delays caused by a computer glitch. But, according to the airline's website, no UM can be allowed to fly if there are delays or cancellations. Kendra Wingfield told NBC 7 that Southwest never told her this before putting her son on a plane from San Diego to Oklahoma City. On July 20, more than 900 Southwest Airline flights were grounded on July 20, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the U.S. Kendras son Jaxon was one of the passengers on Southwest Flight 1755 from San Diego to Oklahoma City, which had also been delayed due to the glitch. She told NBC 7 that her son has high-functioning Autism. It was his first time flying alone. When they got to the airport, they were told by Southwest Airlines that Jaxons flight was delayed three hours. But Kendra says the airline did not inform her of their policy to not allow UMs to travel during delays. When Jaxon arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, the connecting flight was also delayed and then canceled, leaving her son stranded at the airport. My 9-year old is calling me. He doesn't know whats going on, she said. She says it was the airlines responsibility to contact her or another family member to notify them of the delay but they did not receive any calls. Instead, it was her son who called her. I was on the phone with him when he asked a flight attendant to speak with me and they said they were too busy, she told NBC 7. Describing the situation as a heart wrenching, she said she was frantically calling Jaxons dad who lives in Oklahoma City and her mother-in-law to figure out how to bring her son home. I put my heart and soul on that plane and now we have no idea what's going on, she said. In a Facebook post, Kendra described the incident, saying that when she and Jaxons father arrived at the airport in Oklahoma City, no one from Southwest Airlines wanted to explain the situation to them. Kendra says what was supposed to be a three-hour trip, ended up being 12 hours for her son. Jaxon eventually made it to Oklahoma but she said so many things could have gone wrong. He was scared and I think any child put in that situation would feel the same way, she told NBC 7. Kendra has filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation and Southwest Airlines. In a statement the airline wrote: "We extend a heartfelt apology to all customers who were inconvenienced by the disruption in service our recent technology outage created. We appreciate their patience as we continue our work to make this right, individually reaching out to the thousands of customers impacted." In their latest response to Kendra, Southwest tweeted her saying they will respond to her within 30 days. [Jaxon] will not be flying on Southwest ever again. Ever again, Kendra said. But she told NBC 7 that she cant afford to buy another return flight for her son because Southwest has not given her a refund or compensation. A 21-year-old San Diego resident has been identified as one of three people who died at the HARD Summer Music Festival this past weekend. The festival took place at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on July 30 and 31, approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego, died early Sunday morning at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Fontana after she was transported from the music festival, the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office said. She had lived in Chula Vista and attended Olympian High School and San Diego State University. Paulo Cruz, a close family friend of Dominguez says he's heartbroken after learning of her death Monday morning. "She was just a really loving, caring girl," he told NBC 7. "Every time I was with her, she was just full of laughter, full of joy. And that's what kept everyone happy. Hearing her laugh kept us happy." Cruz had also been at the festival but says did not attend with Dominguez. "I really can't explain it. It's just so unreal. Just cause we were close, our families were close," he said. Cruz says Dominguez was well-known on social media because she did a lot of promotions for clothing brands. "I just want everybody to know that she was an amazing person," he said. "She's beautiful, loving and caring and she'll always be remembered and missed," Cruz said. Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco, died early Sunday at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center after attending the festival. Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills, died early Monday at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The Coroner's office said the deaths are under investigation. They are not believed to be related. The Festival was moved from its 2015 location at the Los Angeles County Fairground in Pomona to a new spot this year after two college students -- including a Coronado High School graduate -- died of drug overdoses. Nearly 150,000 people attended HARD Summer this year, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Nine people were transported from the festival over the weekend, including the three people that died. Authorities arrested 325 people over the weekend, mostly for public intoxication. No other information was immediately available. Law enforcement officers in San Diego County opened their doors to visitors Tuesday for the annual National Night Out. The event to bring communities and law enforcement together takes on special meaning this year after the fatal shooting of Officer Jonathan De Guzman from the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). De Guzman and Officer Wade Irwin were shot Thursday night in Southcrest. Many community members who attended the event in City Heights said they were there to show support for law enforcement officers. With the last two tragic situations that just happened currently, by the community coming together and showing the symbol of peace, love and hope is how we could cure, heal from our wounds and make things happen in a good manner, said Arthur Soriano, from a Youth Empowerment group in City Heights. Soriano said the event represented a "civic engagement" where police and the community could come together and work through differences. Were here to stay and were here to continue to build bridges, he said. Maria Cortez, a City Heights resident for 43 years told NBC 7 that the police department was like their family. We too depend on the police just as much as they depend on us, she said. SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman also attended the event. After what happened last week, I want our community to know that its our resolve to go out and protect our communities, Zimmerman said. She told NBC 7 that the community offered their condolences and words of encouragement to her and other officers. Our officers need to hear that, she said. SDPD attended the following events: Grape Day Park located at 321 N. Broadway in Escondido, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Colina Park, located at 5319 Orange Avenue, San Diego, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. National City Municipal Pool, located at 1800 E 22nd St., National City, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This is the 33rd National Night Out, an event celebrated in about 16,000 communities across the United States. [G] Local Police and Community Gather for National Night Out Events If you can't were not able to make it out to one of these events, the San Diego Sheriff's Department (SDSO) is asking that you leave your porch light on as a sign of solidarity. Dozens of public safety officers received free skin cancer screenings from Scripps Health on Monday. Scripps Health has offered free screenings to San Diego Lifeguards, firefighters and police officers for more than 10 years. Chris Van Gorder, President and CEO of Scripps Health told NBC 7 that as a former police officer, he knows how much time first responders spend in the sun, making it necessary to get the skin screening. Gorder says he had also developed skin cancer in his hand but it was caught in the early stages and treated successfully. He advised first responders to wear sunscreen and cover up when being exposed to the sun. Last year, I know we caught a couple of skin cancers, one significant one. And if we catch it early, we can get these public servants treated and back doing what they want to do and what they need to do for all of us, he said. Gorder told NBC 7 about 75 first responders, including firefighters and lifeguards were screened on Monday. But he says he would like to see more police officers. Part of this is an awareness thing. If we can remind our firefighters and public safety people to wear sunscreen, protect yourself, and get routine skin cancer screenings, then this should be a problem for you, he said. Rick Wurts, San Diego Lifeguard Chief says hes grateful for the free screenings since they do spend a lot of time in the sun, responding to rescues and emergency situations. [Scripps Health] volunteer their time and their talents and they come out here to work with lifeguards, firefighters, police officers -- have a look at their skin and then give them some advice about what they can do next to treat any problems they might have, Wurts said. Scripps Health will be doing screening for two more days. A mosque in Spotsylvania County may stay at its current location rather than build a bigger facility nearby after meeting resistance from residents who denounced Islam. Samer Shalaby, a trustee of The Islamic Center of Fredericksburg, tells the Free Lance-Star that the mosque is considering selling some its land to a homebuilder and using the proceeds for a possible addition at its current facility. The Islamic Center previously planned to build a new 8,000-square-foot mosque on the land now being considered to be put up for sale to a homebuilder. A community meeting in November to discuss the plans drew national attention after Shalaby was interrupted several times by residents who disparaged Islam. A sheriff's deputy halted the meeting after the discussion got heated. The chief executive of the Democratic National Committee and two other top officials have resigned in the wake of an email hack that embarrassed the party on the eve of its presidential nominating convention. CEO Amy Dacey, Chief Finance Officer Brad Marshall and Communications Director Luis Miranda left their jobs on Tuesday, the party said in a statement. The resignations are the latest fallout from the hacked emails, which exposed an apparent lack of neutrality in the primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with some party officials disparaging Sanders. Marshall wrote the most explosive email, questioning Sanders' Jewish faith and suggesting he could be portrayed as an atheist. He has apologized for the missive. Earlier, party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned her position and, after being booed at a pre-convention appearance last week in Philadelphia, chose not to speak from the convention stage. Longtime Democratic operative Donna Brazile is serving as the party's interim chair. Brazile said Tuesday that she has created a "transition team" to help prepare the party for its post-election mission. She said Tom McMahon, a former DNC executive director under then-Chair Howard Dean, will lead that group. Clinton operatives who moved over to party headquarters after she had effectively secured the nomination in June will continue in their roles; that group includes DNC chief of staff Brandon Davis. Additionally, veteran Democratic strategist Doug Thornell will serve as an interim senior adviser to the party. Dacey already has a new job. She has been hired by Squared Communications, a Democratic consulting firm based in Washington. "As one of the top campaign strategists in our party, and with our experiences together on presidential, Senate and congressional campaigns, Amy will help our firm's clients navigate this and future election cycles," Michael Meehan, founder and CEO Squared Communications, said in a statement. Before joining the DNC, Dacey was executive director of EMILY's List, which works to elect female Democrats. The cache of more than 19,000 messages was made public by the group WikiLeaks just before the convention. Democratic Party officials learned in late April that their systems had been attacked after they discovered malicious software on their computers. A cybersecurity firm they employed found traces of at least two sophisticated hacking groups on the Democrats' network both of which have ties to the Russian government. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority may be looking for a new home after a review of the property of their current headquarters showed a value between $56 million and $132 million. The Metro current headquarters is located at 600 5th Street, Northwest, in downtown Washington, right next to the Verizon Center and close to two Metrorail stations. The large range of the current market value takes into account the renovation of the existing building (the lower end) and demolition and redevelopment of the site (the higher end), according to a report from Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate advisory firm. Current zoning only allows Metro to use the 48,041 square foot property. If the transit agency decided to stay on 5th Street, the report said it would cost $75 million to $90 million to replace plumbing, heating and air conditioning, electrical, and safety systems, all of which are at the end of their useful lives. The choices facing Metro about its headquarters building are clear. Either expend millions to retrofit the existing building to bring it up to modern fire and life safety standards or sell the building at the top of its potential value range and use those proceeds to fund a relocation, said Metro General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld. News4s Adam Tuss said during the administration of former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, from 2007 to 2011, there was a serious proposal to sell the headquarters and move Metro to a new location in Anacostia. Wiedefeld is waiting for a rezoning of the location to high-density commercial redevelopment before making a determination about whether to move forward with the sale of the headquarters location. Members of the Boston Police Department are taking part in National Night Out, an event where police officers head out into the community and engage with people in hopes of fostering stronger relationships. Police and city officials got a head start on Monday with Operation Hoodsie Cup using a mobile truck and handing out free ice cream and food. "There's a lot going on in the world and we really appreciate it with the police," said Elizabeth Sullivan, of Brighton. Sullivan said she wanted to show her children that they should support their local police. "I want to teach them that people put their lives on the line for us everyday so it's wonderful that they give us the opportunity to come out," Sullivan said. The main goal of the two-day event is to foster relationships with law enforcement. "If you told me 32 years ago when I came on this job that my officers would be OK driving ice cream trucks, and giving out hoodies, I would say you were crazy," said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans. "But we get the need for this type of activity." Evans said people are often skeptical of the ice cream truck as a police tool. "When I explain the rationale of how it lets us meet the young kids, and how the young kids are where we have to go after to build trust, they understand," Evans said. Gatherings continue Tuesday across several Boston neighborhoods including Chinatown, the North End, the South End and East Boston. A South Boston community center will reopen to kids Tuesday, one week after the drowning death of a 7-year-old boy. Kyzr Willis wandered away from the Curley Community Center and he later drowned at a nearby beach. No foul play is suspected in his death. Kyzr's body was located about 15 yards from the shore behind a bathhouse that's part of the community center. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh met with parents Monday to reassure them of some changes to make sure this tragedy doesn't happen again. The changes include head counts throughout the day and more staff members to oversee the children. Thirty-four security cameras have been installed as well. Willis' family feels it's too soon. Walsh said, "Unfortunately, you have to open the camp, a lot of parents depend on it. There's probably no right time to open the camp for the parents. I can't imagine, I try to put myself in their shoes." Walsh said the city is doing everything they can for the Willis family. The center's director was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday. Kyzr will be laid to rest on Thursday. With the Centers for Disease Control warning pregnant woman to avoid a Zika-stricken part of Miami, travelers at Boston's Logan Airport are expressing concern. "It's scary, it's really scary and I hope it doesn't spread," said Marsha Maceachern, of Las Vegas Nevada. Maceachern, who is pregnant, was traveling Monday through Logan Airport. "We tried really hard to get where we are right now," Maceachern said. "It wasn't easy. We are so thrilled that we are pregnant and having our first kid." The mosquito-borne virus, which can cause severe birth defects, has infected 14 people in the United States so far. Although a tropical vacation has been tempting, many travelers said they aren't taking any chances. "We actually went on our baby moon a couple weeks ago and we chose Sedona because it's in the desert, far away from the Zika virus," Maceachern said. Dorothy Giard told necn that even though she lives in Orlando, it's still too close for her pregnant sister. "She's not going to come visit until after she has the baby now," said Giard. She and many others from Florida say the message is education Zika is mostly spread through mosquitoes but can be sexually transmitted. "I'm not really worried about it, the worst thing that could happen to a male is the flu flu like symptoms," said Andy Hetzel of Jacksonville, Florida. "If you're not planning on having a baby, I don't think you should be really scared about it. For those that are, yah, it's probably a concern." A 32-year-old Cranston, Rhode Island, man has been ordered held after being charged with murder in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend's current boyfriend. Fredi Lopez was arraigned in District Court on Monday. No plea was entered and a judge set a bail hearing for later this month. Police say Lopez went to his ex-girlfriend's apartment early Saturday and confronted 33-year-old Andres Arguijo-Acosta. At some point, investigators say Lopez grabbed a knife and stabbed Arguijo-Acosta, who later died at a hospital. Lopez was arrested at his Cranston home. His lawyer, Joseph Voccola, calls the case tragic. He says his client's family has called the allegations completely out of character for Lopez. A dentist in Worcester, Massachusetts, is facing indecent assault charges after a patient told police she was inappropriately touched. Authorities said a 35-year-old woman called police on Monday morning to say that Dr. Nikilkumar Patel had assaulted her during an appointment earlier in the day. The victim told police when she realized what was happening, she got up from the dentist chair and immediately left. The victim also told authorities that Patel had inappropriately touched her on several other occasions. After meeting with Patel, 54, of Shrewsbury, police arrested and charged him with indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. Patel will be arraigned at the Worcester County District Courthouse on Tuesday. A Massachusetts man was ordered held on $500-thousand cash bail at his arraignment on Friday after being charged on six counts of trafficking cocaine. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, state troopers had obtained information that Nicander Serna, 46, was distributing large amounts of cocaine in the Brighton area. Authorites said as part of the investigation, troopers arranged four cocaine transactions from Serna, also known as Luis Borja, between June 3 and June 19. In those transactions, troopers allegedly purchased more than 140 grams of cocaine from Serna. Only July 28, troopers arranged the purchase of another 250 grams of cocaine from Serna, according to authorities. It was then that Serna was taken into custody and a search warrant was executed at his Parsons Street apartment in Brighton. The district attorney's office said troopers seized an additional 25 grams of cocaine at the apartment, more than $8-thousand in cash, a digital scale, two cell phones, and notes allegedly related to drug transactions. Serna is due to return to Brighton Municipal Court on August 30. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report, citing the Essex County District Attorney's Office, stated that the two suspects had plotted to kill police officers. In court, the men faced weapons charges, with the district attorney's office saying the men had made reference to violence against police. Two men have been arraigned on gun and drug charges after one of them allegedly referenced shootings of police officers after being pulled over in Salem, Massachusetts. The Essex County Disitrict Attorney's Office confirms the arrests of Kelvin Mendoza and Emanuel Rodriguez-Shonyo. The suspects were stopped after going the wrong way on a one-way street. According to the police report, Mendoza, the driver, jumped out of the car and started shouting obscenities at the officers, making references to "police officers being 'shot all over the country' in a tone that we believed was intended to intimidate the scene officers." The police report also says an erratic Mendoza yelled at Rodriguez-Shonyo "Don't say nothing! Don't show them nothing!" The district attorney's office says Mendoza is on active duty with the Army Reserves, but according to the police report, he mentioned being discharged from the military. A search of the car, prosecutors say, turned up a loaded rifle and handgun. Police say they noticed that Rodriguez-Shonyo had been using an app on his phone as a police scanner to hear exactly where Salem Police officers were located. Both suspects face multiple charges, including carrying guns without licenses, possession of ammunition without FID cards and possession of Class C drugs. Mendoza is also charged with improperly operating a vehicle. The suspects were ordered to be held without bail. They are due back in court Aug. 10. Authorities in New Hampshire are asking for the public's help with finding a "Lone Ranger" burglar. Allenstown police say a resident called 911 around 2 a.m. on Monday after her security system alerted her to an open door. She reviewed the footage, which showed a man, about 40-60 years old, wearing a mask and blue gloves entering her home, taking a purse and then leaving through the same open door. The resident called police, and eventually officers, who were already in the area, found the stolen items, but not the burglar. Anyone with information is asked to call Allenstown police at 603-485-9500. Police in Wilmington, Massachusetts, are asking for the public's help in locating a missing female. Ira Jaan Simbulan was last seen in the area of 12 Glen Road Monday evening around 5 p.m. She is 5' tall, weighs 110 pounds and has a slender build. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 978-658-5071. President Barack Obama has lashed out at Donald Trump with his harshest critique yet. He said on Tuesday, I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. I said so last week, and he keeps on proving it." President Obama called out Trump for his attack on a Gold Star family adding that Trump does not have basic knowledge of critical world issues and is "woefully unprepared to be President." And the President posed this question to GOP leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? If this were any other election cycle, and any other time, to have a sitting president say something like that against a parties major nominee for president it would be a stop the presses moment, said New Hampshire political consultant Scott Spradling. With some Republican members of Congress including Hanna of New York and Dent of Pennsylvania now saying they can no longer support Trump, Spradling says many are watching to see what New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte will do. Ayotte, in a tight reelection bid against Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan - once again was distancing herself from Trump's latest tangle with a Muslim father whose son died in the Iraq war. "However, I do not believe that she can, in this race, politically, afford to completely turn her back on those Trump Republicans or she probably loses the race, said Spradling. Asked if Ayotte's support of Trump has evolved in recent weeks her campaign responded: "Kelly's focus is on doing what's right for New Hampshire and that's what she'll continue to do regardless of who is in the White House, unlike Governor Hassan who is in lockstep with Hillary Clinton and Washington Democrats." Ayotte released her own statement later: "I call it like I see it, and I'm always going to stand up for our military families and what's best for the people of New Hampshire," her statement read. And this story continues to evolve, Trump reportedly singled out Ayotte on Tuesday as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire. He's also refusing to back House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain in their primary battles saying, He is not quite there yet. The Trump campaign also released a statement saying that Obama-Clinton have single handedly destabilized the Middle East, betrayed our security and that Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. Two Massachusetts men were arraigned on multiple charges on Monday in connection with an ATM robbery operation that stretched from the Bay State to New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. David Barker, 39, and Efrain Montero, 40, were taken into custody by state and Lawrence Police following a 10-month long investigation. The Essex District Attorney's Office said the investigation started in October 2015 when an Apple Store in Mansfield, Massachusetts, reported a break-in. Authorities said stolen phones from the store were allegedly connected to Lawrence. Working with local police, authorities allegedly connected the suspects to multiple ATM break-ins in four states. Authorities said the investigation came to an end on Monday when three search warrants were executed at three separate locations. Police seized $82,400 in cash, a 9 mm firearm, tools, clothing and masks. "This case represents an extraordinary collaborative effort by all of the law enforcement agencies involved," District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. "By joining forces and building a single case against these defendants, we can more effectively dismantle this sophisticated criminal enterprise. I commend the hard-work and dedication of all the officers and their respective agencies for their contributions to this case." Both men are are scheduled to return to Lawrence District Court on August 29 for a probable Cause hearing. The Essex County DA's Office says a man has been charged with murder after allegedly strangling his estranged wife in an apparent domestic situation in Salem, Massachusetts. The incident happened early Tuesday morning at 11 Chandler St. The victim was a 48-year-old woman. Salem Police say the Douglas Steeves, 50, walked into the Salem Police Department and told police, "I killed my wife." Prior to the murder, the victim filed a restraining order against her estranged husband. Steeves is believed to be homeless. Police say the crime scene is still active. Steeves was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Salem District Court. He was ordered held without bail. A woman who found her 77-year-old husband crushed to death under an all-terrain vehicle when she brought him lunch at his job cannot sue his employer for severe emotional injuries she suffered, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. Justices issued a unanimous decision in an appeal filed by Jenny Velecela. Her husband, Austin Irwin, was under the large ATV doing repairs at All Habitat Services in Branford on July 16, 2011, when it slipped off a lift and killed him. Velecela found him a short time later. In an agreement with All Habitat Services, Velecela received $300,000 in workers' compensation benefits for her husband's death, but she also filed a lawsuit against the company alleging it was responsible for the emotional injuries she suffered when she found her husband's body. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that Connecticut's workers' compensation law bars people from suing for negligent infliction of emotional distress if they receive workers compensation benefits. The decision on Monday was similar to one the high court issued last week. In that case, justices said two workers injured in a power plant explosion that killed six other people in Middletown in 2010 could not sue a contractor for negligence because they had received workers' compensation benefits. Velecela's lawyer, Kevin Dehghani, argued that the state Workers' Compensation Act does not cover bystander emotional distress, so Velecela should be allowed to sue the company. Barring such claims would "leave a whole class of injuries uncompensated in Connecticut," Dehghani wrote. Dehghani said Monday that he was disappointed with the court's decision and the precedent it sets. Velecela could not be reached. A phone listing for her could not be found. An official with All Habitat Services did not immediately return a message Monday. The company's lawyer, Michael Deakin, said he and company officials express sympathy to Irwin's family. Deakin said the issue in the court case was straight forward. He said that under Connecticut and most other workers' compensation laws, people who receive workers' compensation benefits give up rights to pursue other claims against employers. Interpol has arrested a top Nigerian email scammer who stole more than US$60 million by tricking businesses into handing over funds by posing as trusted suppliers. The 40-year-old Nigerian, known as Mike, is allegedly the leader of a criminal ring that targeted hundreds of victims across the world, Interpol said on Monday. He and at least 40 other individuals pulled off their scheme by allegedly pretending to be CEOs or suppliers using hacked email accounts of legitimate companies. The criminals then sent fake emails, asking the victims to wire funds or send payment to bank accounts under the scammers control. The Nigerian at one point conned a victim into paying $15.4 million, Interpol said. To hack the email accounts, the scammers targeted small and medium businesses in the U.S., India, and Romania, among other countries. Authorities first became aware of Mike when, in late 2014, security firm Trend Micro began investigating the malware used in his scams. The malware was designed to steal email and web logins. By analyzing the malwares command-and-control infrastructure, Trend Micro managed to track the Nigerians location. Mike was then arrested in southern Nigeria in June and he faces charges for hacking, conspiracy, and obtaining money under false pretences. However, Interpol made no mention of the rest of his criminal ring. Its members also come from Nigeria, along with Malaysia and South Africa, Interpol said. These kinds of email scams, also known as CEO fraud or the supplier swindle, have become a growing problem. Businesses across the world have been duped into giving away at least $3.1 billion, according to the FBI. Interpol is advising businesses verify an email senders identity before wiring off any funds. To avoid hacking, emails accounts can also be better protected when using two-factor authentication. Being always-on, along with pressure to answer email out of work hours, is leading to dangerous levels of emotional exhaustion, a study has found. As a result, employees are experiencing burnout, absenteeism and low job productivity. The report suggests that managers are kidding themselves when they think workers checking email at home adds to productivity. The folks are, in fact, feeling like they never left the workspace and arent able to mentally detach from work, which is something experts say is necessary for family balance and emotional health. + Also on Network World: How to avoid becoming overwhelmed with email + The technology thats supposedly there to help them is failing them, the Lehigh University in Pennsylvania press release about report says. And modern workplace technologies may be hurting the very employees those technologies were designed to help. The researchersLiuba Belkin of Lehigh University, William Becker of Virginia Tech and Samantha A. Conroy of Colorado State Universitypolled 385 participants (with the technology industry making up 11 percent) and found in many cases, just the anticipation of email was enough to cause a job-stresser. The workers didnt need to do any actual work, even, to suffer. The mere expectation of email that might have to be addressed at home caused the destructive issue. The researchers say its serious, and they place it alongside high workload, interpersonal conflicts, physical environment or time pressure. Previous research has shown that in order to restore resources used during the day at work, employees must be able to detach both mentally and physically from work, the release explains. But thats not happening when employees have to deal with email in the evening and on the weekend. It leads to chronic stress, says Belkin, one of the papers authors. Weekend work email illegal in France And the researchers arent the only ones who say so. Weekend work email is now illegal in France for many companies, the New Yorker explained in a May article. The new French right to disconnect law is based on worker health. That information and communication technologies, if badly managed or regulated, can have an impact on the health of workers is part of the magazines translation of that law there. People who like highly segmented schedules have a worse time of it, the new study says. It refers to those who separate family and work more. Those who werent as rigid did better. The reason is that their personal preferences do not conflict with organizational expectations, Belkin says. And it was in the organizational expectations that something peculiar arose. While the state of anxiety studied was caused by perceived or anticipated threatsin other words, not the actual emailjust the thought of them, and presumably having to revisit work issues was stress-inducing. Additionally, the expectation from bosses that email needed to be seen to after work didnt have to be formalized to cause anxiety. The expectation does not have to be explicit or conveyed through a formal organizational policy, the report says. Standards for behavior in the organization can be enough. So, employees didn't have to actually receive email and there didn't have to be a written out-of-hours email acceptance policy to cause worry. The authors suggest banning email after work, and if thats not possible, then introduce email-free days or rotate after-hours email schedules. Another option would be to delete all email that comes in after work hours. Auto maker Daimler famously deletes vacation-received email for staff. It seems so simple, and I hope its not: Russia has invaded the U.S. and assaulted the U.S. presidential election, and they havent fired a single shot. It would seem all roads lead to the Russian government having their fingers in the U.S. Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Committee. And WikiLeaks now becomes the New New Gun poised at the collective heads of U.S. politiciansby their revelations and their intent. + Also on Network World: U.S. cyber incident directive follows DNC hack + The U.S. government is believed to have a playing hand full of Zero Days that theyve used to invade and perhaps harass foreign governments and their officials. Certainly German Chancellor Angela Merkel wasnt happy about talking into the ear of the NSA, or rather her smartphone, sometimes called a handy in Germany. Russia appears to have played a few of the cards themselves, handily feeding WikiLeaksand WikiLeaks is no friend of the U.S. As we continue to force Julian Assange to stay in the London embassy of the Ecuadorian government, so also did the U.S. cause Edward Snowden to find a new home in Russiain fear of his life and limb. Did we also forgive and forget Hillary Clintonalong with a long list of previous U.S. secretaries of statefor running their own mail. You fools! It is with profound sadness, long past amusement, to observe that the assets of the U.S. have been consistently and thoroughly compromised. Is this the new crux of politicsto see who can hack whom? Is MAD Magazines Spy vs. Spy now reduced to accidental reality? Is this the new crux of politicsto see who can hack whom? Yes, the systems security turf is long and wideand larger than can be imagined. So far, and with great luck, no ones fooled with the primary U.S. government funding mechanismstax collections. Will law enforcement be next? Will we start releasing prisoners from the Joliet Correctional Center randomly? Will executions and trials be dismissed? Will the grids go down? The first answer might be of course not. I dont believe that answer. This week Im in Las Vegas, attending the Black Hat and DEFCON security conferences. There will be few told ya sos because security researchers have been raising alarms for years. There will be new and amusing ways taught and learned in how incredibly brittle and vulnerable systems have been, are andwithout a lot of brains and effortswill be. It will be treated as business as usual. Except that Russia has tried to sway a U.S. election by hacking its assets. And the U.S. let them. And there are no Air Force bombers in the air, and nary a shot was firedbecause no bullets are necessary to break systems security. Instead, someone walked in the back door, grabbed the goods and embarrassed the U.S. populace. SolaQuaGen gains funding to develop desalination products Mark Hardiman SolaQuaGen International Ltd, based in Newbury, has announced the successful completion of first-round funding by a consortium of Chinese investors. The full commercial rollout of SolaQuaGens desalination and waste water treatment products in the UK and internationally is facilitated by the funding and linked sales opportunities in China. Successful trials of its prototype unit, funded by UK government agencies, demonstrated a capacity to generate 30,000 litres per day of pure water from brackish and contaminated water. China Ventures Ltd acted as advisor in the transaction. China Ventures is a leading UK strategy consultancy specialising in developing business between China and Western countries. It is working to coordinate a second funding round as well as developing strategic alliances with Chinese partners to support further growth of SolaQuaGen, which has offices in Oxford Road. Newbury MP Richard Benyon, chairman of the UK Water Partnership, has also taken an active interest in supporting SolaQuaGen. SolaQuaGens chief executive, Mark Hardiman, said: We are delighted to be working with China Ventures to both access investor funds and help open up the Chinese market for us, which is a major opportunity for SolaQuaGen. This investment also demonstrates the continued strong interest by foreign investors in the UK. The long-term support of the British Government has also been instrumental in assisting the development of our technology. In China our technology will assist in reducing carbon emissions and bringing clean safe water to Chinese citizens. SolaQuaGen has achieved a breakthrough in the clean technology field for desalination and treatment of waste/dirty water, reducing energy consumption and hence carbon emissions by 90 per cent compared to conventional processes. The resulting fresh water is produced, at an overall cost, 40 per cent lower than traditional processes. Early stage support to prove the concepts and build a commercial demonstrator have been provided by two grants from Innovate UK and one from the Department for Energy and Climate Changes Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. A full-scale demonstrator unit has been operational in the UK for the last 12 months. Newly-appointed head chef wins prestigious Acorn Award Robby Jenks, the newly-appointed head chef of The Vineyard at Stockcross, has won a prestigious Acorn Award. Affectionately known as the 30 under 30, the Acorn Awards are celebrating their 30th anniversary and have sought to recognise the brightest prospects in the hospitality industry. Since 1987, a total of 870 Acorn Awards have been presented to individuals including Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing and John Campbell, former head chef at the Vineyard who gained the property two Michelin stars. The Caterer (previously known as Caterer & Hotelkeeper) said that the awards aimed to turn the spotlight on men and women who had the best chance of becoming the greats of the next generation and Mr Jenks is fast becoming one of those greats. He has been at the helm of the kitchens at The Vineyard since February and has brought with him a wealth of experience and rich culinary background from working in some of the UKs most gastronomic hotels, including Gidleigh Park under Michael Caines and Whatley Manor with Martin Burge. Mr Jenks said: I am very proud of this fantastic recognition and hope that I am seen as an ambassador for young people. It just goes to show that if you work hard then great achievements can be made. It is so important to build solid foundations early on in your career, working in the right team under the right chefs. The Acorn Awards Ceremony was held on Monday, June 13, at Chewton Glen in Hampshire. A third car wash over a 2-mile stretch is being proposed in Middletown The Planning Board on Nov. 9 will take up a proposal for a 110-foot tunnel carwash with associated parking and vacuums. Home News Buzz Reddit India Is Losing It Over This Guy Who Forgot to Clear His Search History Lashkar-e-Toiba operative and 26/11 Mumbai attack plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, along with 6 other convicts have been sentenced to life in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. While two have been sentenced to 14 years in jail, three others have been sent to 8 years in jail. While holding the 12 guilty, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Court had on July 28 said that the larger conspiracy behind the arms haul case was to instil fear as well as attack the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia to avenge the Godhra riots. Apart from 12 convicted, 8 had been acquitted, one is absconding and one has turned an approver. The court had dropped MCOCA charges in the case, in which 22 people were arrested. In a shocking case of corporal punishment, a class-IV student was kept in chains at Nushrat Ali Islamic Madrasa in Haryana allegedly for not completing his homework. The boy was rescued by the police after his father lodged a complaint and demanded stern action against the teachers. Preliminary inquiry revealed that the student was chained to prevent him from bunking classes on a regular basis. The Madrasa teachers claimed that his son fled home from the Madrasa on Monday without completing his school work and thats why he had been chained as a disciplinary action. "We did it to stop him from fleeing home during school hours," teachers reportedly told the police. The police registered a case against two teachers of the madrasa including Sabir and Mubarak under various Sections of the IPC, including 506 (threatening to life) and the Juvenile Justice Act. No one has been arrested so far. Meanwhile, the chairperson of district child welfare committee Satpal Kaur has formed a team to probe the incident. #UPCM @yadavakhilesh also directed PS Home/DGP to ensure speedy investigation and ensure justice is delivered at the earliest. CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) August 2, 2016 Nearly four days after the highway gangrape of a woman and her teenaged daughter on NH-91 last week, there seems to be no headway in the investigation even though Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had announced that the case would be cracked within 24 hours.Questions have been raised by locals as to whether the three arrested men were really involved in Friday night's gory crime.Bulandshahar SSP Anees Ansari put all those doubts to rest in a press conference on Tuesday and assured everyone that they were on the right track.Meanwhile, on CM Yadav's instruction on Wednesday, IG Meerut Sujith Pandey has been asked to head the Bulandshahr case and PS Home/DGP has been directed to ensure speedy investigation and justice at the earliest.Earlier, Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh said the police arrested three persons in haste to fulfill the assurance of the CM Akhilesh Yadav.Innocent people are being harassed by the police, he alleged, adding that the real culprits are being spared under political pressure.The police had on Monday arrested three men who were presented before the local court, which sent them to 14 days in judicial custody in Bulandshahr jail.The suspects have been identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa Hapur; Rahees, a resident of Sutari Bulandshahr; and Jabar Singh, a resident of Rabupura in Gautam Budh Nagar."We are looking for other culprits whose role in the crime has been revealed during investigation," Deputy Inspector General of Police Laxmi Singh said.Meanwhile, the victims told IANS that the police was apathetic towards their plight and did not provide any medical treatment.Neither were there any counsellors to deal with their trauma, the victims said. It was only when the crime was reported in the media that the police swung into action, they added.(With inputs from IANS) Stockholm: A dip in the sex drive of couples in Sweden which made headlines in media recently will become a major 'political problem' if not addressed immediately, the government has said. In a bid to know why the nation's sex drive seems to be falling, the government has initiated a major study into the sex lives of its citizens and it is due to be completed in 2019. "It is important to find out how much less sex Swedes are having, and what is the reason," Gabriel Wikstrom, Sweden's Public Health Minister, was quoted as saying to Dagens Nyheter, the country's national daily. According to Wikstrom, it has been 20 years since the last in-depth study of the sex habits of the Scandinavian country and it is time for another survey. "If stress and other health issues are affecting Swedes' sex lives, then that makes it a political problem," Wikstrom added. The last study, conducted in 1996 and published in 2000, showed that male Swedes have had an average of 7.1 partners and females 4.6. The difference is mostly explained by the two genders using different criteria of who counts as a sexual partner, thelocal.se reported on Monday. Sexual health policy should be guided not just by the problems but also by the pleasurable aspects of sex, Wikstrom noted. "Sex is a political matter as well. We often discuss sex in negative terms, like, for example, we relate it to rape, we relate it to sexual abuse, but not to the positive thing that sex really is," Wikstrom said. New Delhi: A day after being cleared by the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA), wrestler Narsingh Yadav on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked him to focus on winning laurels for the country at the Olympics without any tension. The Prime Minister, who met the wrestler at his office in Parliament House soon after the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, also assured the wrestler that no injustice will be done to him. "The Prime Minister gave his best wishes to me and asked me to be carefree and participate in Olympics without any tension. He asked me to focus on winning medals for the country. He also assured me that no injustice will be done to me," Yadav said after the meeting. The wrestler, who had failed a dope test on June 25 and claimed that it was a conspiracy against him, said he wanted to leave behind the controversy and focus on his participation in the Olympics and winning a medal there. "I am thankful that the Prime Minister has met me and supported me. I am thankful to people for supporting me. I hope to live up to their expectations. I am also thankful for the support of the Wrestling Federation and the media for standing by me," he said. Asked if he would like those behind the doping row be punished, he said an inquiry is on and hoped that justice will be done. "This should not happen to any player, otherwise they will stop taking interest in sports," he said. Wrestling Federation of India President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh accompanied Narsingh during his meeting with the Prime Minister. Brijbhushan said, "The Prime Minister asked Narsingh not to take any tension and play freely and focus on winning laurels for the country." Yadav was on Monday exonerated of doping charges by the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA), which concluded that he was a victim of sabotage, paving the way for the wrestler's participation in the Rio Olympics. After more than a week of drama which began with Narsingh testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid methandienone in tests conducted on June 25, NADA DG Naveen Agarwal put an end to the suspense on the wrestler's fate by exonerating him. Art historian's ink works focus on mountains and rivers From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-08-02 09:36 Shao Dazhen, painter and art historian.[Photo provided to China Daily] As a well-known art historian, Shao Dazhen has written lots of books on modern art of the East and West as well as done reviews of countless artists' works for about half a century. Shao, 82, is also fond of using ink paintings to reveal his inner thoughts. He is now holding a solo show of his paintings at Beijing's Gauguin Gallery. On display are 20 landscape paintings Shao has done in recent years. "I think of nothing when I paint. I just follow my heart and paint freely," says Shao. Although he has done research on art history for decades and has produced many books, Shao says it is by experiencing painting himself that he understands art better. It's the second time that Shao is holding a solo show of his ink paintings. In 2004, he held his first show in the Chinese capital to celebrate his 70th birthday. Shao has been fascinated by ink painting since the 1990s. Apart from reading and writing, he spends hours painting as a kind of relaxation every day. The subject of his paintings are always mountains and rivers, which he says is a result of his personal experience and the "accumulation of ideas" in his mind. His love for mountains and rivers comes from a city along the Yangtze River called Zhenjiang, in East China's Jiangsu province, which is his hometown. Shao Dazhen's landscape ink paintings are now on display in Beijing.[Photo provided to China Daily] "I can only dedicate a small amount of time to painting in the course of a day as I need to read and write. That's why my ink paintings are small in size," the artist explains. Yin Shuangxi, an art critic and historian, says: "Shao's paintings are authentic literati paintings. They are simple, natural and reflect his spiritual world." "Literati painting" is a special term used to describe ink paintings by scholarly Chinese painters and official painters that lived after the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The works of many famous painters in ancient China like Dong Qichang and Mi Fu fall into this category. Having spent years on research of Western and Chinese art, Shao says his paintings are also influenced by Western art. Water and ink for him are a "kind of pen", but the more important thing is how to use that pen to express his emotions and ideas. Zhu Qingsheng, an art critic, says Shao has seen lots of masters' works and has made friends with many artists, and such interactions have given him a deep and unique understanding of art. This is also visible in the details of his paintings. Shao went to the former Soviet Union to learn art history in 1955. After returning to China in 1960, he taught art history at the Central Academy of Fine arts in Beijing. He has published many books on modern art, some of which are must-read for art students. The fire of Dalit anger against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have torched Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's career and reduced the party's prospects in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to ashes, but it has ignited AAP's hopes of becoming the political home for Indias oppressed castes. Just three months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attempting to appropriate Babasaheb Ambedkar with a powerful speech on the Dalit icon's 125th birth anniversary. But this effort came undone recently with the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan in Mumbai, the flogging of Dalit men by cow protectors in Gujarat and the slur on four-time Uttar Pradesh CM and Dalit powerhouse Mayawati by a BJP leader. All this has opened a door for AAP and Arvind Kejriwal intends to walk right in. The Delhi CM and AAP boss has been seen and heard on all Dalit issues of late. He called for prominent BJP MP Udit Raj and all other Dalit MPs of the saffron party to quit in protest "against the countrywide assault on Dalits by BJP goons". He has also taken a swipe at Modi, suggesting that the PM's Independence Day address focus on "Dalit atrocities, Gau Rakshaks, Kashmir, Akhlaq, Farmer suicides, Dal price." "People are dying to hear you on these," he added, for good measure. In Punjab, due to go the polls early next year, Dalits constitute a third of the state's population, and AAP will woo them with a 'Dalit manifesto' , likely in September. The manifesto will be built after a series of Dalit Dialogues. One of the AAP men in charge of Punjab, Durgesh Pathak said: "They use the name of Dalits to divide, we will use it unite people. Their issues are different. We have to accept that they are victims of injustice and have suffered systemic exploitation." Interestingly, of AAP's four Lok Sabha seats from Punjab, two are from reserved constituencies. Political analyst Badri Narayan said, "AAP is going to develop the Bhangis (manual scavengers) as a base vote of the Dalits, with the Chamars as a stepney vote. That may create problems for both the Akalis and the Congress." AAP's challenge is to unite the Dalit vote in Punjab, something even Mayawatis mentor Kanshi Ram could not achieve. As for Modi's den and Hindutva crucible Gujarat, AAP plans a mega rally on October 6 in Surat, at which Kejriwal will speak and probably launch his campaign for the state. AAP hopes to ride on the discontent among Muslims, Dalits and Patidars. Kejriwal has been to Gujarat twice in the month of July to visit the famous Somnath temple and to Una and Rajkot to meet Dalit victims of cow vigilantism and protesters. AAP doing well in Gujarat -- and theres every sign it will -- would be a blow to BJP's pride. AAP's engagement with Dalits is nothing new. In fact the partys broom or jhadoo symbol was launched amid the Valmiki community in central Delhi. AAP leader Ashish Talwar used numbers to illustrate AAP's hold on the Dalits: "In 2013 we won 75% of the seats in reserved constituencies compared to 35% of general seats. In 2015 we won 100% of reserved seats." "Dalits found new hope in Kejriwal, and the bonding seen in Delhi is seen in other states like Punjab and Gujarat," he said. Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's remark, that the Bulandshahr highway gangrape could be a political conspiracy to defame the Uttar Pradesh government, has been panned by his rivals and activists. This is the umpteenth time though that a leader from the SP, or for that matter any political party, has made such an outrageous remark on rape. Azam Khan's boss and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had crossed all limits during the campaign for the 2014 general elections when he said, "Boys make mistakes. They should not be hanged for this. We will revoke the anti-rape laws." When it comes to insensitive remarks, Yadav's son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav too wasn't far behind his party colleagues. When a reporter from a television channel once quizzed him about increasing rapes in the state he hit back at her asking, "You are safe, why are you bothered?" SP leader Abu Azmi told a newspaper, If rape happens with or without consent, it should be punished as prescribed in Islam. Any woman if, whether married or unmarried, goes along with a man, with or without her consent, should be hanged. Both should be hanged. It shouldnt be allowed even if a woman goes by consent. Leaders from the BJP, Congress and other political parties too were guilty of making bizarre statements on rape. Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is currently the serving national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said in 2013 that rapes happen when women cross the limits of morality. Babulal Gaur, Cabinet Minister for Madhya Pradesh from BJP said, "Rape is a social crime which depends on the man and the woman. It is sometimes right and sometimes wrong." Ram Sewak Paikra, minister in the ruling BJP government in Chhattisgarh said, "rapes do not happen deliberately. These kind of incidents happen accidentally." Among other parties, NCP leader and former Home Minister of Maharashtra, RR Patil, was quoted as saying in 2014: "Even if we provide one policeman per house we can't stop crimes against women...The rise in atrocities against women is due to obscene images used in advertisements." After the rape of a 22-year-old BPO employee shook Bengaluru in October 2015, former Karnataka Home Minister KJ George from the ruling Congress party suggested that two men raping a woman could not be termed gangrape. "Gangrape means four-five people," George had said. Dharamveer Goyat, a senior Congress minister from Haryana said in 2014, "I have no hesitation in saying that about 90% of the girls consensually go with men and then they end up meeting criminal minds and become targets of rape." Former chief minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala once backed a khap panchayat diktat which said the age-limit for marriage should be lowered to prevent rapes among women. And it was not just the men, this was what some of our women leaders said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in October 2012 reasoned that rape cases were on a rise in the country because men and women interact with each other more freely now. Mamata even blamed the media and said "Everyday rape incidents are being highlighted as if the entire state has become the land of rapists. Rape is sought to be glorified by these people. This will not be tolerated by people." Her party MP Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in December 2012 described Kolkata's Park Street rape case as a misunderstanding between the woman and her "client". Chennai: If America gets its first ever woman president this November whom should it thank first? Tamil Nadu Chief minister Puratchi Thalaivi J Jayalalithaa, according to an AIADMK MLA. The party's Coonoor MLA A Ramu claimed in the state assembly that Hillary Clinton decided to contest the US presidential elections after being inspired by - hold your breath - Jayalalithaa. He said Clinton's decision was the outcome of a meeting between the two in July 11 when she as US Secretary of State visited the country. "Today, the world is celebrating this meeting for its historical importance. Through this meeting, Hillary Clinton understood Amma's personality and was awestruck by her proficiency in English and her encouragement. Finally, accepting the assuring words of Respected Amma, an overwhelmed US Secretary of State went back to become the presidential candidate. I would like to record that the reason for this is Respected Amma," Ramu said. The MLA stuck to his statement outside the Assembly as well. "When Hillary Clinton met Amma, she was influenced by her leadership qualities and achievements and that inspired her to contest US presidential polls. Only after the meeting, did Hillary Clinton decide to take a significant step forward," he told CNN-News18. Ramu joined the AIADMK only as recently as 2014, which according to his political rivals was why he had to outdo other loyalists by trying to please Amma with such outlandish claims. Those who have been following politics in Tamil Nadu over the years were not very surprised. "This is not the first time that Tamil Nadu Assembly has heard such outlandish, untrue and cringe-worthy statements. As long as the political culture of Tamil Nadu centres around hero worship, and the leader has an iron grip over the party, airing of such sentiments will continue. I'm sure the Conoor MLA will be outdone in no time by someone else," said Radhakrishnan, a political analyst. Taking the battle to Prime Minister Narendra Modis turf, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched her partys campaign for the 2017 UP Assembly elections in the constituency. Her choice of starting the campaign from Varanasi for the Assembly elections scheduled in 2017 is significant given the fact that it sends a signal that Congress is daring Modi on his home turf. Congress is out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in last 27 years through a campaign called 27 saal UP behal. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to help and assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishore was earlier strategist of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in Bihar Assembly polls. Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here. New Delhi: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today deplored violence against dalits in the name of cow protection but maintained that their getting converted would not end prejudices, days after his ministerial colleague Ramdas Athawale suggested that members of the community should embrace Buddhism. Asserting that Hinduism does not sanction discrimination, the Minister said,"No person who discriminates against another human being could ever be called a Hindu." "If you respect cow it is great, but other human beings also have the right to live, right to do their work. If you want to respect a cow respect it. Nothing wrong in this,but that doesn't mean that you can kill anybody on that pretext. That is totally wrong," Naidu told reporters on the sidelines of an event to felicitate IAS topper Tina Dabi, a dalit. His remarks came in the backdrop of BJP facing flak over incidents of violence against dalits by cow vigilantes in various states including Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. He said some people have suggested that conversion can end this problem, but that has not happened. There have been cases where people came back saying they witnessed the same situation in other religions also, he said. "See, some converted, then they came back and said we are witnessing same situation there. Now they are complaining that they are not getting reservation as Constitution does not provide reservation on the basis of religion," Naidu said. Naidu's comments came days after the statement by Athawale, a dalit leader from Maharashtra, that people from the community should embrace Buddhism to avoid pressure or violence against them. There have also been reports of some dalit families, who have been protesting after being denied permission to attend a temple festival in Tamil Nadu's Karur region last week, threatening to convert to Islam. Emphasising on equality, Naidu said, "Bharat Mata ki jai means glory of all those who live in this country", adding that those who live in this country are Indians and they are equal in all aspects. : Attempting to resurrect a near moribund organisation in the Hindi heartland, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday stormed Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency accompanied by a feisty throng of 10,000 bikers.Sonias road show in Varanasi also alludes towards a tactical shift in Congress electoral strategy vis-a-vis Modi. The party has once again fallen back on its longest-serving President as against her son Rahul to shore up its dwindling political capital.High on symbolism, Sonias show started at the Circuit House. A Congress Seva Dal trope wearing inverted boat-shaped cap will present a formal guard of honour. It is another matter that this powerful motif of political mobilisation during British rule, ironically, is now associated more with the Aam Aadmi Party.Vande Mataram, Bankim Chandra's hymn in praise of the motherland, will be sung to its full glory. And winding through the narrow lanes of the temple town the procession will end at a park named after the former UP CM and son-of-the-soil Brahmin leader, Kamlapati Tripathi.Later in the evening, Congress President will visit and offer prayers at the Vishwanath temple before her departure to Delhi. That would be the end of Act I, Scene I.The larger narrative, however, in this script for Congress' revival is evident: that Congress in UP elections will be seeking to make a course-correction, attempting to regain its centrist position in the national polity. This refrain is likely to be heard in every speech, every political demonstration and program which the party plans in the run-up to the polls.For the Congress, its strength has always been the ability to take everyone along both the Left and Right of the spectrum. It's a tightrope walk, but then the party over the years mastered the art of spreading the arm wide to sweep along everything that comes its way. Barring few exceptions, the formula worked wonderfully well for the Grand Old Party (GOP) for many years. But the rise of the Right Wing force in the BJP disrupted this status quo.There is a section within, which has felt that in its effort to counter-balance the disruptive onslaught from the political Right, the Congress in public perception has moved too far to its Left. This drift has left very little scope for the GOP to manoeuvre past a highly polarised narrative a political cul-de-sac.A close look at the recent elections in Kerala and Assam exemplify Congress' current dilemma.In Assam, the Congress got sandwiched between the two Right Wing parties, the BJP and Badruddin Ajmal's All India United Democratic Front. One catering to the Hindu Right and other to the Muslim Right. Where does that leave the Congress? Nowhere, as was evident on the counting day.Kerala is even more interesting where Congress won just four seats more than its junior partner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The transfer of votes from IUML to the Congress, it seems, did not happen. Wherever the Muslim minorities felt the Left was in a better position to take on the BJP, they shifted base pretty fast.Evidently, in absence of a solid vote-base amongst the majority community, Congress's political capital has reduced to a level where even the minorities are fast losing trust in Congress' ability to fight the BJP. It happened in Delhi last year. It happened in West Bengal earlier this year.This Tuesday, when Sonia Gandhi makes a whirlwind tour of the PM's constituency, the effort at course-correction to regain its centrist position in the political landscape will be on display. Saddened that due to my ill health, I had to cut my visit to Varanasi short. I couldn't visit the Kashi Viswanath temple either. I will come back very soon," the Congress president said. After she complained of uneasiness and took a break, there was confusion for a couple of hours with some party leaders waiting for her at the final venue and others saying she would return to Delhi. Heard about Sonia jis ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2016 The march began with Sonia garlanding the statue of BR Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers criss-crossed lanes and bylanes of the temple town. : Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said she was saddened as she had to cut short her big roadshow in Varanasi after she took ill owing to high fever.Sonia, however promised to come back soon to visit the Kashi Viswanath temple and also address the people of Varanasi.Sonia had developed high fever midway through her roadshow and was advised by doctors not to go ahead with the final leg which included an address to the public and a visit to the Kasi Viswanath temple.Thereafter, Sonia immediately returned to Babatpur airport to take a return flight to Delhi but was admitted to the VIP lounge inside the airport premises and administered intravenous fluids.Before she called off her road trip the Congress president stood in an SUV greeting party supporters who gathered on the streets as her cavalcade drove through.The final decision was conveyed around 7 pm after she drove to the airport to take a special flight to DelhiAfter news of her ill health was confirmed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted expressing concern and wishing her a speedy recovery.Earlier, thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line, a distance of about eight kilometres.Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later moved to a vehicle with open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government.She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women.As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Sonia and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings.Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters saying '27 Saal, UP Behaal' (27 years of UP's distress), the Congress party's campaign line in the state. London: GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a novel field of medicine called bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences - known as Google's life sciences unit until last year - and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million pounds ($715 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. The new company, owned 55 per cent by GSK and 45 per cent by Verily, will be based at GSK's Stevenage research centre north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. It is GSK's second notable investment in Britain since the country voted to leave the European Union in June. Last week it announced plans to spend 275 million pounds on drug manufacturing. Galvani will develop miniaturised, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be treated using these tiny devices, which consist of a electronic collar that wraps around nerves. Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines using these implants to stimulate nerves could be submitted for regulatory approval by around 2023. "We have had really promising results in animal tests, where we've shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism, and now we are bringing that work into the clinic," he told Reuters. "Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years." GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. The tie-up shows the growing convergence of healthcare and technology. Verily already has several other medical projects in the works, including the development of a smart contact lens in partnership with the Swiss drugmaker Novartis that has an embedded glucose sensor to help monitor diabetes. Grain of Rice Famm said the first generation of implants coming to market would be around the size of a medical pill but the aim eventually was to make them as small or smaller than a grain of rice, using the latest advances in nanotechnology. Patients will be treated with keyhole surgery and the hope is that bioelectronic medicine could provide a one-off treatment, potentially lasting decades. Major challenges including making the devices ultra low-power so that they function reliably deep inside the body. The idea of treating serious disease with electrical impulses is not completely new. Large-scale electrical devices have been used for years as heart pacemakers and, more recently, deep brain stimulation has been applied to treat Parkinson's disease and severe depression, while EnteroMedics last year won U.S. approval for a device to help obese people control their appetite. Galvani, however, is taking electrical interventions to the micro level, using tiny implants to coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. Galvani will initially employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. The company will be chaired by Moncef Slaoui, GSK's vaccines head, who pioneered the drugmaker's drive into the bioelectronics field. Slaoui is retiring from GSK next March but will continue to steer Galvani after that date, a spokesman said. Galvani will be fully consolidated in GSK's financial statements, following the model of the group's majority-owned ViiV Healthcare business, which sells HIV medicines. The wait for Galaxy Note lovers is over as Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 at Unpacked 2016 in New York.The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will come with a curved 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and a pixel density of 518ppi. The device weighs just 169 gms.As expected the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will come with biometric authentication for security that will include a fingerprint scanner and an iris scanning technology . The company claims that the iris scanner on the phone allows you to unlock it with a blink of an eye.There is also a new S Pen with a 0.7mm tip and improved pressure sensitivity. The phone is powered by a 64-bit Octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and the other four at 1.6 GHz. The phone will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system and will be an IP68 water-and-dust resistant device.The Galaxy Note 7 has 4GB LPDDR4 RAM with 64GB internal storage that is expandable up to 256 GB.The device will also include a 3500mAh non-removable battery and will get a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. Just like the Galaxy Note 5 the new Note also supports wireless charging. And yes, it will also get a 3.5mm dedicated audio jack for headphones.The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 gets a similar Dual-Pixel camera seen on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge . The rear camera has a 12 megapixel, f1.7 camera with optical image stabalisation and for selfies you get a 5 megapixel, f1.7 front camera.The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be available starting on August 19; though the India launch date has not yet been specified by the company. The device will come in Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx colours. The company has not disclosed the price details for Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Vatican City: Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a commission to study the issue of female Church deacons in a move seen as a potential first step towards women entering the Catholic clergy. The 13-member commission, made up of seven men and six women, will examine the question with a particular focus on the history of women having played this role in the early years of the Church, the Vatican said in a statement revealing the commission members. The panel will be chaired by Spanish Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the secretary of the Vatican's theological watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A Jesuit, Ladaria is seen as a neutral figure without strong ties to either the progressive or conservative wings of the Vatican hierarchy. The establishment of the commission follows a pledge made by Francis in May during a question-and-answer session with members of female religious orders. That was warmly welcomed by Catholic feminist groups such as the US-based Women's Ordination Conference (WOC). But Francis subsequently complained that the media had blown his comments out of proportion, saying he had not raised the possibility of women serving as deacons. Advocates of such a move have long argued that women are pitifully under-represented in the Church's hierarchy and decision-making processes, despite the number of women in religious orders far outweighing the total of priests and monks combined. Allowing women to enter the clergy at a rank just below a priest would represent a first step towards correcting this imbalance, they argue. They also insist there is no theological obstacle to the move because of the precedent established by women performing the role in the early centuries of Christianity. Francis said in May that he was unclear about the history and that it "would do good for the Church to clarify this point." He made it clear that he did not see women becoming priests. That option was examined and categorically rejected by one of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II, in 1994. In 2001, a commission charged with looking into the term "deaconess" concluded there was no basis for ordaining women to the role. The Vatican did not set a deadline for the commission to reach conclusions on what is a vexed issue. Although deacons cannot celebrate mass on their own or hear confessions, they are ordained and can carry out many tasks in place of a priest, while remaining free to marry and have a family. Their tasks can include presiding over baptisms, weddings, funerals and prayer services. They often help with parish management and offer pastoral guidance to believers. Why Marvel Comics' Daredevil: Born Again may be difficult to adapt to the MCU Frank Miller's original comic book storyline will likely see significant changes for Marvel Studios Disney Plus version 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. Zhu Dajian: Green is an important target for future Shanghai By:Ding Yulan | From:english.eastday.com | 2016-07-28 18:33 Shanghai, July 28 Invest in Green FutureCSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Innovation 2016 Shanghai Summit was held on July 27. Expert panel leader Dr. Zhu Dajian told Eastday reporter that Shanghai was endeavoring to be World City and Green is an important target for future Shanghai. Shanghai is going to step on a new level in 2040-2050 and we are going to realize the Four Centers and the target of the establishment of international modern metropolis. We always say that great cities need great enterprises. When we talk about Seattle, we will think of Bill Gates. Vise verse, great enterprises also make great cities, so CSR is very important to the development of Shanghai. Zhu Dajian said. Zhu Dajian used graphs to demonstrate two curves of the economic development of future Shanghai. There were two curves in the graph: one was the social and economical development of Shanghai; the other was the environmental consumption of Shanghai. In the past decades, the two curves increased simultaneously. Nowadays, we need to reduce the environmental consumption while maintaining the healthy social and economical development. said Zhu Dajian. Zhu Dajian said that the green policies were very important for the development of Shanghai in the future 30 years. Shanghai had four policy base lines: population base line, resource base line, land base line, environment base line, adding safety base line. Regarding the result of CSR, foreign owned enterprises did best in environment protection and state-owned enterprises were better than private enterprises. Zhu expressed some regrets. We hope more and more native enterprises will do better in the future. Zhu Dajian said the traditional enterprises will also do a lot of environment protection works, but that often had nothing to do with their main business. Now we are looking for innovative enter-prises that can make profit from environment protection. We should find the needs of the society in green development.Zhu Dajian said. Midday outpatient service for white-collars provided By:Jiang Wenran | From:english.eastday.com | 2016-07-29 16:03 Shanghai, July 28- Difficulty getting medical service and time-consuming formalities were rather serious in large cities these days. Shanghai Changzheng Hospital today signed cooperative agreement with Middle Huaihai Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, jointly providing midday outpatient service for nearby white-collars. Middle Huaihai Road Subdistrict is the first cooperation partner of Shanghai Changzheng Hospitals Elite Express Program, providing a green channel of out-patient medical treatment for white-collars during 11:00 ~14:00 each Tuesday and Thursday, including one-stop service such as registration, treatment, examination and prescription-making. The population of permanent residents in central city is declining with the old district reconstruction, while white-collars are gathering due to more and more office buildings. Middle Huaihai Road Subdistrict, for example, has gathered over 2600 enterprises with more than 70,000 white-collar workers, according to Tang Hong, party committee secretary of the subdistrict. Tang introduced that surveys around white-collars demand were conducted last year in order to provide better service and found out that nearly 60% of them have strong demand for medical treatment and health care service. So we decided to initiate the midday outpatient service for white-collars program, Head of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital Zheng Xingdong told reporter from Eastday.com that the program has attracted numerous nearby white-collars since June and has provided medical service for 223 patients. Get the news faster. Tap to install our app. Access Newser even faster. Click here to install our app on your desktop. X Departments and ministries under the State Council, Chinas Cabinet, have responded to a series of public concerns in the past week, including on food safety, abnormal price fluctuations and healthcare reform. The National Development and Reform Commission, the countrys top pricing regulator, has issued fines of 2 million yuan ($301,700) apiece to six companies for raising prices since May, after the nation rolled out value-added tax reforms that cover construction, property service and other related industries. The companies include the Ritz Carlton and Crowne Plaza hotels in Beijing, New World Development, China World Trade Center in Shanghai and Heng Long Properties in Shenyang, Liaoning province. In response to concerns over food safety problems revealed by recent media coverage, the Food and Drug Administration said that China will enhance regulations, supervision, and cooperation with local governments in an effort to crack down on food safety violations. The local authorities in Yingkou, of Chinas northeast Liaoning province, shut down seven food factories for illegally adding toxic gelatin and sodium nitrite to food products such as sausages, according to recent media reports. The local police seized six tons of poisonous food products and 3.6 tons of illegal additives. In response to concerns over abnormal price fluctuations due to the recent floods, Gao Hucheng, minister of commerce, said last week that in the event of natural disasters, enterprises are allowed to limit prices for sale. Gao stressed that it is important to maintain a sufficient supply of emergency food relief and other materials in disaster-prone regions. In response to concerns over disaster relief in light of the recent heavy floods in the southern parts of China, Yang Xiaodong, deputy director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs disaster relief division, said they were working with the National Disaster Reduction Center to enhance real-time statistical analysis, disaster warning and emergency response systems, which operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The ministry will send out teams to carry out inspections on the local disaster relief process if serious natural disasters occur, Yang said. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said that China is stepping up efforts to improve the public healthcare system. Beijing, the Xinjiang Uygur and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions and Hebei, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guangxi provinces have submitted plans to reduce healthcare service disparities between urban and rural residents. So far, a total of 17 provinces and cities have either submitted plans for, or have adopted unified management of, the basic medical insurance system that allows both urban and rural residents to equally benefit from public healthcare. A unified system to manage the healthcare service helps reduce inequality caused by the household registration system, known as hukou, that prevents unregistered rural citizens benefiting from the urban healthcare service and social welfare, the ministry said. (Newser) For six years, a small team of Norwegians has worked tirelessly to recover a famous shipwreck in the remote hamlet of Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, a northern territory of Canadaand as of Saturday, they were finally able to lift it off the ocean floor thanks in large part to giant sausage-shaped balloons. "This is a milestone," Jan Wanggaard, project manager for the Norway-based organization Maud Returns Home, tells the CBC. "To actually see her releasing from the seabedit's a great experience." He says he was in the water inflating one of the balloons when it first lifted off the seabed and the water became dusty. "I thought, 'Ah, that's a bit strange,'" he says. "I came to the surface and I saw my friend with a big smile." The Maud belonged to Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen, who failed to cross the North Pole between 1918 and 1920, then went bankrupt and sold the ship to the Hudson Bay Company. From there, it was put to use as a floating warehouse before sinking off Cambridge Bay in 1930. Wanggaard hopes to return the Maud to Norway, where Amundsen remains a national hero, before cleaning it up and putting it on display, reports Nunatsiaq Online. For now, the team plans to fully lift the nearly 600,000-pound vessel by sinking a barge beneath the Maud, draining the barge's water tanks to make it float, and bringing it safely to the surface on the barge, giving it a chance to dry out over the winter before a return trip home. "If you were a kid, Im sure you would love [the challenge]," Wanggaard says. (Check out this summer's South Pole rescue attempt.) (Newser) Norway wants to get rid of gasoline-fueled cars, plans to become carbon neutral by 2030 and spends billions on helping poor countries reduce their carbon footprints. Meanwhile, it's pushing ever farther into the Arctic Ocean in search of more oil and gas, the AP reports. "We know there is a paradox," admits Vidar Helgesen, Norway's climate and energy minister. "We have been living well from oil and gas. But there is no country in the world that has done more to undermine the oil and gas industry than Norway." The Scandinavian country of 5 million people is torn between its ambition to be a global leader on climate change and the awareness that its wealth is linked to the world's dependence on fossil fuels. Norway is accused of environmental hypocrisy, grandstanding overseas with environmental projects while allowing its domestic oil and gas industry to pump ever-larger quantities of carbon into the atmosphere. Plans for carbon neutrality involve buying credits for helping reduce emissions abroad. "The plan has always been to buy carbon credits to allow us to continue polluting as a country," says Lars Haltbrekken, chairman of the Norwegian chapter of Friends of the Earth. Environmental activists bristle at exploration permits handed out to 13 oil companies in May to drill in a new area of the Norwegian Arctic. In June, Norway became one of the first countries to ratify last year's Paris Agreement on climate change. Haltbrekken says that any Norwegian contribution to this target that does not involve a reduction in oil and gas is empty. Helgesen disagrees: "Norway has the cleanest hydrocarbons anywhere in the world. And as long as the world needs oil and gas, we will provide it." (Read more Norway stories.) (Newser) Depending on where you live, you may have a new after-school option for your youngster this coming school year: the After School Satan Club. A group called the Satanic Temple has started a push to establish the clubs at public elementary schools as an alternative to Christian Good News Clubs found on thousands of campuses, the Washington Post reports. Its important that children be given an opportunity to realize that the evangelical materials now creeping into their schools are representative of but one religious opinion amongst many," Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves says in a press release. But the curriculum won't include donning a hooded robe and chanting in an attempt to conjure demonic forces. Greaves tells the Post that Satan is merely a "metaphorical construct." The group's actual focuses include scientific rationality and the separation of church and state. A monthly meeting of an After School Satan Club chapter will include a nutritious snack, puzzle solving, art, and other activities. "We're not the boogeymen, we are here to help, here to discuss and help learn," Boston Satanic Temple chapter founder Travis LeSaffre tells WFXT. Greaves tells USA Today that the group has already contacted school districts in nine states. A rep from the Good News Club, which has been around since 1937, calls the After School Satan Club a "stunt," adding that "schools and parents should not overreact. ... If you leave them alone, they'll go home." Ironically, the Satanic Temple is using a 2001 Supreme Court decision that found that excluding an after-school club, such as the Good News Club, from public campuses based on religion violates freedom of speech. (Read more Satanic Temple stories.) (Newser) Sweden is the land of meticulous recordkeeping that dates back to 1749, which makes it the perfect place to pull off large scientific studies. (The country recently discovered that for the first time in those nearly 300 years it has more men than women.) Now the Swedish government has decided to investigate the sex lives of its citizens in an attempt to get a more complete picture of the country's sexual health, reports the BBC. Health Minister Gabriel Wikstrom, who is 31 and an outspoken proponent of loud sex, says that studying only negative aspects of sex risks "distorting health policy." "Sex is an area that strongly influences peoples health, so we cant just talk about things like, for example, venereal disease, but also things that are positive and lust-filled about sex." To be conducted by the Swedish Public Health Agency, the three-year study will span social, cultural, and biological aspects of sex, reports the Digital Journal. In an opinion piece for Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Wikstrom says the study is in part a response to tabloid newspaper surveys suggesting that Swedes are having less sex than they used to, reports the Guardian: "Its important to investigate whether that is the case and, if so, what the reason is." Too much stress, or some other factor that would lead people to get it on less frequently, "is also a political problem," he adds, saying it is "paradoxical that, while our whole society seems permeated by sex, in everything from advertising and social media to much of daily life, the topic is still shrouded by shame ... and absent from the political debate." (More on Wikstrom here.) (Newser) Authorities say three people died after attending a weekend rave in Fontana, Calif., the AP reports. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller said Monday that nine people were transported from the HARD Summer Music Festival, and three were pronounced dead at local hospitals. Two deaths occurred Saturday and one on Sunday. Miller says the cause of each death remains unknown. Authorities identified the dead as 22-year-old Derek Lee of San Francisco, 21-year-old Alyssa Dominguez of San Diego, and 22-year-old Roxanne Ngo of Chino Hills. The electronic dance music festival was held at an outdoor venue about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. (This college student who died at a rave allegedly went without medical attention for half an hour.) (Newser) A beauty queen who had her sash and crown stripped from her last month is seeking $15 million in damages, People reports. Genesis Davila was named Miss Florida USA 2017 on July 16. Her reign lasted all of six days. Pageant executive director Grant Gravitt tells the Miami Herald he stripped Davila of her title after receiving "30 to 40 complaints" from other contestants. At issue is Davila possibly using her own professional hair and makeup team instead of the one provided by the pageant. Gravitt claims to have photographic proof of Davila breaking the rules. By losing her crown, Davila also loses the chance to compete in the Miss USA 2017 pageant and at least $100,000 in "endorsements and appearances." Now she's suing Gravitt and the other organizers of Miss Florida 2017 for defamation. Her lawyer says that Gravitt's photographic evidence comes from a week before the pageant and that he "acted maliciously and intentionally to defame and hurt my client." Davila, who is from Puerto Rico, also claims Gravitt accused her of not being a US citizen, the Sun-Sentinel reports. "I am innocent," People quotes Davila as saying. "I have faced many challenges in my life, but nothing like this." (Six runners-up sued a beauty pageant in Texas over the winner.) Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulation letter to those attending the opening of the 9th China-ASEAN Education Exchanges Week in Guiyang, capital of Southwest Chinas Guizhou province, on Aug 1, 2016. China and ASEAN countries are good neighbors and partners, and both sides have conducted all-round and multi-layer cooperation in the past 25 years since they set up dialogue relations, the Premier said. He said the people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including the education communication, have become the new pillar of bilateral relations with a bright development prospect. Premier Li pointed out in the letter that education is the fundamental way for humans to inherit civilization and knowledge, cultivate the younger generation, and create a better life. Nearly 300 activities will be held in major cities in China and ASEAN countries during the 2016 exchange year, the Premier said. China is glad to share learning and support with the ASEAN countries, and provide more talent support for the development of bilateral relations to build a more closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny, the Premier said. Vice-Premier Liu Yandong attended the exchange weeks opening ceremony in Guiyang. (Newser) A coalition of more than 60 groups, including Black Lives Matter, is demanding slavery reparationsencompassing free tuition to public universities, among other thingsin its first policy platform released Monday, reports the Los Angeles Times. The platform is the result of a years work and touches on everything from safe drinking water to military spending. It also calls for criminal justice reforms, the "demilitarization" of police, decriminalization of drug offenses and prostitution, the release of individuals convicted of those crimes, an end to capital punishment, investments in education and jobs for black Americans, and a reconstruction of the economy to ensure Black communities have collective ownership, not merely access, report Reuters and CBS News. "We seek radical transformation, not reactionary reform," says an activist. The goal is to stop "increasingly visible violence against Black communities," the Movement for Black Lives adds in a statement. "Neither mainstream political party has our interests at heart." the coalition says. Even some of the most progressive politicians are against slavery reparations, for example. But the platform is seen as a response to the racial justice movement's lack of specific policy proposals, for which it had been criticized by the likes of Hillary Clinton, who last year said "I don't believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws." While "we recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy," says one activist, "we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision, a world where freedom and justice is the reality." (Read more Black Lives Matter stories.) (Newser) If Alfred "Skip" Nichols had been a commercial airplane pilot, he probably would have been grounded long ago. Nichols, the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed over the weekend in Texas, killing 16, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunk driving and twice spending time in prisonpointing to gaps in oversight of hot air balloon pilots, the AP reports. Whether the pilot's drinking habits had anything to do with the crash is unclear. A former girlfriend described Nichols as a recovering alcoholic and said he had been sober for at least four years and never piloted a balloon after drinking. The Federal Aviation Administration might allow a recovering alcoholic to fly commercial jets if the pilot was being successfully treated, says an aviation safety expert. But the agency is unlikely to accept an airline pilot with convictions for driving under the influence, he adds. Nichols, 49, got his commercial license to pilot hot air balloons in Missouri in July 1996. His first drunk-driving conviction came in 1990, followed by two more convictions in 2002 and a fourth in 2010, according to online court records. He was also convicted of a drug crime in 2000 and spent about a year and a half in prison before being paroled. He was returned to prison in April 2010 after his parole was revoked because of his drunk-driving conviction that year. He was paroled again in January 2012. Nichols also had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997. Customers reported to the Better Business Bureau that their rides would get canceled at the last minute and their fees never refunded. Investigators say they do not yet know why the balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing early Saturday. (The victims included a newlywed couple celebrating a birthday.) (Newser) Defense attorneys say they will challenge the Justice Department's decision to pursue the death penalty for Dylann Roof, accused of killing nine people at a black church in Charleston, SC. "The facts of this case are indisputably grave," they say, per CNN. "But if, as we contend here, the [Federal Death Penalty Act] is unconstitutional, no one can be lawfully sentenced to death or executed under it, no matter what his crimes." Calling the death penalty "arbitrary, cruel and unusual punishment," the lawyers say Roof has offered to plead guilty and "accept multiple sentences of life imprisonment without possibility of release" if the capital punishment is taken off the table. He faces 33 federal charges, including hate crimes; South Carolina, which has charged Roof with murder, is also seeking the death penalty in the state's case, which will go to trial in January. "The federal death penalty constitutes a legally prohibited, arbitrary, cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by both the Fifth and Eighth Amendments," Roofs defense team says, per BuzzFeed. "The results of jurors' good-faith grappling with the lawarbitrary, biased, and erroneous death verdictsare intolerable as a matter of due process and proportional punishment." CNN notes only three people on federal death row have been executed since 1988. The defense team is also challenging the death qualification in jury selection, which allows only those willing to impose the death penalty to serve. Roof's lawyers say it "has no constitutional or statutory underpinnings, distorts the jury function, introduces arbitrariness into capital sentencing, and increases the influence of racism and sexism on the death determination." (Roof doesn't want a jury at all.) (Newser) As of Tuesday, there are 98 days to go until the electionbut perhaps not too much lower for the level of discourse to sink. Donald Trump took what the BBC calls an "unprecedented step" Monday when he came straight out and called Hillary Clinton the devil. Bernie Sanders "made a deal with the devil. She's the devil," Trump told a rally in Mechanicsburg, Pa., slamming Sanders for endorsing Clinton when he could have just stayed home and been a "hero." At an earlier rally in Ohio, he said he's "afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest." Trump has likened Clinton to the horned one in the past, saying Sanders had "done a deal with the devil," but this is the first time he has directly said she is Satan, NBC News notes. But he's not alone: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey, some 18% of voters are certain that Clinton has "ties to Lucifer" and another 21% have their suspicions but aren't sure. "Against that set of findings, it's simply not very likely that many Trump voters will be moving into the Clinton column," PPP notes. The poll did, however, put her ahead of Trump 46% to 41%, and Politico reports that other polls have put Clinton as much as 9 points ahead after the Democratic convention. (Warren Buffett issued a challenge to Trump on Monday night.) (Newser) The US government is $100 million richer after the latest ruling in a strange case involving some long-lost gold coins. In 2003, Pennsylvania's Joan Langbord says she found 10 "Double Eagle" coins from 1933 in a safe-deposit box that once belonged to her father, jeweler Israel Switt. The rare coins are worth up to $10 million each, per the Washington Post, but there was one big problem: They'd allegedly been smuggled out of the Philadelphia Mint decades earlier. After Langbord sent the coins for authentication in 2004, the government refused to return them, claiming the coins as its rightful property. In a 9-3 decision on Monday, a federal appeals court sided with the government. "Switt knew that the 1933 Double Eagles were embezzled or stolen and that it was illegal to possess them," a judge said, per Courthouse News. Some 445,500 Double Eagleswith Lady Liberty on the front and an eagle on the backwere struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1933 with a face value of $20, but most were melted into gold bars when Franklin Roosevelt abandoned the gold standard. Two were sent to the Smithsonian, but a rare few found their way to collectors, allegedly with the help of a cashier at the Mint. Monday's ruling "properly establishes that the United States is the lawful owner of the 1933 Double Eagle gold coins," says a US attorney. The decision backs up a 2012 court ruling, overturned in 2015 when an appeals court found the government missed a deadline to respond to Langbord's claim. The panel on Monday found that deadline didn't apply. A lawyer says Langbord will appeal to the Supreme Court, per Reuters. (A hiker found this incredibly rare coin.) (Newser) Apple has swapped out an emoji in what the Guardian describes as a reflection of "growing despair in America and worldwide" over gun violence. Starting in September, a neon-green water gun will replace the company's black-and-silver revolver, part of an iPhone and iPad iOS 10 update that "adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji," Apple says in a release. Although Apple didn't specifically note in the release that the water pistol would send the revolver into obscurity, sources tell the Guardian that is indeed the case. More than 100 new or revamped emoji characters are part of the update, in which Apple worked with the nonprofit Unicode Consortium to "reflect the diversity of people everywhere." Other new emojis in the group include a rainbow flag, single-parent families, and new female athletes. Per sources that spoke to BuzzFeed in June, resistance from Apple and other companies, including Microsoft, helped Unicode make its decision to drop a rifle from a list of new emoji candidates for 2016. And CNNMoney notes the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence group has been lobbying Apple since last year with its #DisarmTheiPhone campaign, designed to convince the company to drop the gun emoji. The decision to dump the revolver may even help keep some people out of trouble, as the use of weapon emojis in threatening messages and online posts has led to arrests. But some complain that cartoon representations of guns aren't the problem. "I'm so glad they did this now ALL THE CRIME IS GONE," tweeted conservative radio host Dana Loesch. (Some new Google-designed emojis aim to empower women.) (Newser) An FBI electronics technician with top security clearance pleaded guilty on Monday to funneling photographs of FBI documents and other sensitive information to China, the AP reports. Prosecutors in Manhattan federal court charged Kun Shan Chuna naturalized US citizen who goes by "Joey Chun"with making false statements in connection with his security clearance to cover up his connections to Chinese associates, which included at least one unnamed government official. Chun, 46, threatened American security by acting as an unauthorized foreign agent, US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. Because he was an FBI employee, the threat "was all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," the prosecutor added. There was no immediate response from the Chinese Embassy in Washington to a request for comment on the case. Court papers allege that after beginning work for the FBI's Computerized Central Monitoring Facility, Chun cultivated a relationship with Chinese associates seeking technological data and other info. In 2013, Chun downloaded an FBI organizational chart from his FBI computer in NYC and later turned it over to an unnamed Chinese official. About two years later, he "took photographs of documents displayed in a restricted area of the FBI's New York Field Office, which summarized sensitive details regarding multiple surveillance technologies used by the FBI," the papers say. He later used his personal cellphone to send the photos to China, they add. Authorities say Chun was rewarded with cash, free travel, and other favors for himself and his family; he told an undercover investigator that his associates sometimes paid for prostitutes for him, per the court docs. Chun declined to speak to reporters as he left the courthouse after his plea. His defense attorney said in a statement his client "deeply regrets" what he did and "loves the United States and never intended to cause it any harm." (Read more espionage stories.) (Newser) A charter bus veered off a central California freeway before dawn Tuesday and struck a pole head-on, killing five people and sending at least five others to hospitals, authorities say. The pole of a highway exit sign sliced the unmarked white bus nearly in half lengthwise, reports the AP. "The pole went through the center of the bus, and that's where the injuries were sustained," California Highway Patrol Officer Moi Onsurez says. Emergency workers climbed in through the windows to pull passengers out; about 30 were aboard. The five injured were airlifted to hospitals, Onsurez says. The bus was heading from Southern California to Sacramento on State Route 99 when it crashed around 3:30am between the cities of Atwater and Livingston, approximately 65 miles northwest of Fresno, Onsurez says. It isn't clear what caused the crash. (Read more bus crash stories.) (Newser) Once again, Patton Oswalt has offered a devastatingly honest peek into his mind following the sudden death of his wife, Michelle McNamara, in April. It's been 102 days, he wrote on Facebook Monday night, and he has nothing to show for it except "solid knowledge of fear, exhaustion, and a new appreciation for the randomness and horror of the universe." Well, that and the kindness he's been shown by family, friends, and even strangers who have sent him letters he reads again and again because of "how helpful they are." After weeks of being "face-down and frozen," now he's crawling, and maybe in another 102 days "I'll be walking," he writes. McNamara left behind "an amazing unfinished book, about a horrific series of murders that everyoneincluding the retired homicide detectives she worked withwas sure she'd solve," Oswalt writes. "The Golden State Killer. She gave him that name, in an article for Los Angeles Magazine. She was going to figure out the real name behind it." Instead, Oswalt is finishing the book, with help from others, and he assures fans it will be published. "It's all her," he writes. "We're just taking what's there and letting it tell us how to shape it. It's amazing." Read his full note, in which he promises to "start being funny again soon" because "what other choice do I have," here. (Read more Patton Oswalt stories.) (Newser) A third cop at the scene of a fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen in Chicago last week was relieved of his policing powers after an autopsy found 18-year-old Paul O'Neal had been shot in the back and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide, the AP reports. But another puzzling question is now emerging regarding the Thursday night shooting, per the Chicago Tribune: why, despite the gathering of police body cameras and squad car dashcams, the shooting wasn't captured on camera. O'Neal was behind the wheel of a supposedly stolen Jaguar when he's said to have crashed the car into two police vehicles. Police sources say two officers fired at him while he was still in the Jaguar (a dashcam reportedly captured one of the cops during that shooting), but O'Neal soon took off running, with a third officer fast behind him. It was that officer who shot O'Neal, killing him, but his bodycam did not capture the shooting. Police don't think the officer who shot O'Neal failed to activate the camera purposely, saying the lack of recording could have been due to officer distraction, damage from the car crash, or the officer's own unfamiliarity with the camera. The three officers had only started using their body cameras about a week before the shooting, and the head of the Fraternal Order of Police union says the "learning curve" for the equipment and "heavy-stress situation[s]" may cause an officer to neglect to turn the camera on. The attorney for O'Neal's family, which Monday filed a civil suit against the officers involved, scoffs at those explanations. "How convenient that they don't work," the attorney told reporters, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "If there is not a cover-up, I don't know where there is one." Bodycam use in Chicago has been given higher priority since the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by a Chicago cop. (Read more police shooting stories.) (Newser) Some of the world's last remaining woolly mammoths literally died of thirst, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The ancient animals were still living on a small island off the coast of Alaska until about 5,600 years agoor 5,000 or so years after most woolly mammoths had died off, the Alaska Dispatch News reports. The study concludes it was a lack of fresh water that finally did in the holdouts on St. Paul Island. According to the BBC, rising ocean levels at the end of the Ice Age not only shrank the woolly mammoths' island home, but inundated freshwater reservoirs with seawater. The study's author, Russ Graham, tells the Guardian there were probably only two watering holes left for the mammoths at the end, and those were shallower and saltier than before. The problem was exacerbated by more mammoths crowding around fewer water sources, trampling vegetation and eroding sediment into the water. Modern elephants can drink more than 50 gallons of water per day; woolly mammoths would likely have needed even more to keep their hairy bodies cool in a warming climate. With little fresh water left, the St. Paul mammoths were likely killed off by heat stress and dehydration. A professor at the Swedish Museum of Natural History says the study likely makes the mammoths' demise the "most well-described and best understood prehistoric extinction event." (A Michigan farmer was shocked to discover a giant mammoth on his property.) (Newser) More than 30 people were sickened Monday when a helicopter dropped toxic gas onto a Syrian town near where a Russian helicopter had been shot down hours earlier, NBC News reports. That information comes from Syrian Civil Defence, which claims 18 women and 10 children were showing "signs of severe respiratory distress" after the chemical attack in the rebel-held town of Saraqeb. The gas dropped in two barrels from a helicopter is believed to be chlorine, according to the BBC. "We know it's chlorine because we were hit by it in the past and we are familiar with its odor and symptoms," a local doctor says. The Syrian National Coalition claims President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for the attack, Reuters reports. But a state-run news agency later claimed the rebels were firing rockets armed with poisonous gas. Both the Syrian government and rebels have denied using chemical weapons. A Russian military helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb hours earlier Monday, killing five people on board. It's unclear who is responsible. Russia has sided with al-Assad against Syrian rebels. (Read more Syria stories.) (Newser) Chelsea Manning, currently three years into a 35-year prison sentence for passing information to WikiLeaks, gave an interview to Amnesty International in which she discusses the power of the government, her life in a military prison, and more. The Guardian has an exclusive excerpt from that interview, which will later be published in a book. In the interview, Manning says she is scared of the government, which is incredibly powerful, especially when compared to individuals. "I am always afraid," she says. "It is very terrifying to face the government alone." Manning tells Amnesty International she's no longer sure any good will come out of what she did, but she is "hopeful that, perhaps, the next time a democratic government thinks about committing military forces to the occupation of a country which is likely to lead to an insurgency, we can try and look back, and learn from the last time." As for her life in prison: "I try to stay as active and productive as possible," Manning says. "I dont have access to the internet, but I read books and newspapers a lot. I work hard at the job that I have in prisonwork with wood. I am also always trying to learn more, working on my education." Read the rest of the interview here. (Read more Chelsea Manning stories.) New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to bluntly ask Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and to rein in groups like LeT and JeM during the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers conference to be held in Islamabad on August 4. Official sources said Singh is unlikely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan separately as top echelons of the government feel that time is not conducive for a bilateral meeting. However, the Home Minister, in his speech at the SAARC meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistans support to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other groups based in that country. Singhs visit comes in the backdrop of growing strain in Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Burhan Wanis killing on July 8. Wani was a wanted terrorist of banned Hizbul Mujahideen. Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that Kashmir will one day become Pakistan, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country will not be realised even at the end of eternity. Singh is also likely to raise the issue of fake Indian currency notes being circulated at the behest of Pakistani agencies, sources said. Apart from terrorism, other key issues to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace. The three-tier meeting will begin at the joint secretary-level and then move on to Secretary and Home Minister-level meetings. The meeting will also focus on strengthening networking among police authorities of SAARC member-countries and also enhance information-sharing among law enforcement agencies. The last meeting of SAARC Interior/Home Ministers conference was held in Kathmandu in 2014 when the Home Minister had said that member nations of the group were facing common challenges and they should cooperate with each other to address them. The Home Minister had also voiced concern over the new threats of terrorism and violence to South Asia and asked SAARC countries to chalk out strategies to check radical groups and extremist ideologies. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Centre on Monday sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on alleged gangrape of a woman and her teenage daughter in Bulandshahr that created huge uproar. In a communication, the Home Ministry asked the state government to provide details of the incident and steps taken to nab all those involved in it, official sources said. The Uttar Pradesh government has been told to send the report as early as possible, sources said. A gang of dacoits had brutally raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur on Friday night. Uttar Pradesh Police had yesterday arrested the three accusedNaresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime. Facing flak from opposition, the state government had suspended five officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has claimed the credit for Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patels offer to resign, saying the partys soaring popularity in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state was the reason behind her move to relinquish the post. Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister who has set his eyes on the western state, said it was the triumph of AAPs fight against corruption in Gujarat. AAP spokesperson Ashutosh said Patels offer to resign was a mere drama and that she was actually being sacked. Anandibens resignation is the outcome of AAPs soaring popularity in Gujarat. BJP is badly scared in Gujarat. Her resignation is also the triumph of AAPs fight against corruption in Gujarat, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets. The AAP national convenor has visited Gujarat twice in the recent past. He had met the dalit men who were flogged for skinning a dead cow. In another tweet, he took a swipe at the prime minister, saying people were dying to hear him on a host of contentious issues. Sir, pl speak on dalit atrocities, gau rakshks, kashmir, akhlak, farmer suicides, daal price. Ppl dying to hear u on these (sic). Ashutosh said BJP was forced to change Patel as chief minister and that it was looking for a new leader as a scared Modi knows he is losing in his home turf. Anandi Ben is not resigning. It is drama. She is being sacked, Ashutosh said. He also put out a series of tweets saying Modi is rewarding Patel with governorship. BJP has to answer why Hardik (Patel) was in jail for treason? Why thousands of Patel women/kids were beaten in homes? BJP has to answer why dalits were beaten in Una, Rajula so brutally? Why Gau Rakshak Dal is roaming free? Why false cases against dalits? he said in a series of tweets. Patel has offered to resign requesting the BJP leadership to relieve her from the post as she is soon going to be 75. BJP for the first time is facing a tough challenge from opponents in Gujarat since Narendra Modi moved to the Centre. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Actor Akshay Kumar has said copntrary to media reports he is not doing sequels to his films, Hera Pheri 2, Awara Pagal Deewana and Baby. Akshay tickled the funny bone of audience with Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri as funny Raju. He even entertained the audience as the lovable don in Awara Pagal Deewana. And in Baby he played an intelligence officer. Gossip mills have been abuzz that the Khiladi Kumar would be part of upcoming sequels to these three films. The 48-year-old actor, rubbishing the rumours, said in an interview, I am not doing Hera Pheri 3, Awara Pagal Deewana 2 or Baby 2. There were reports that the Airlift actor will also be doing Nikhil Advanis Bazaar and a film with Divya Khosla Kumar but he denied that too. Now, Akshay is looking forward to the release of Rustom, Robot 2 and Jolly LLB 2. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Heavy floods in Assam wreak havoc as about 250 animals have died at Kaziranga National Park which has been badly hit by the floods. At least 20 one-horned rhinos have perished in the floods. Although forest officials managed to rescue over 200 animals, including nine rhino calves, officials said on Monday. Mobile Veternary Units of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) has so far rescued 62 hog deer, three eastern swamp deer, 10 Asian one-horned rhinoceros and eight rhinos calves separated from their mothers, according to a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) release. CWRC is wildlife rescue, care and rehabilitation facility run jointly by WTI, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Assam Forest Department (AFD). The death toll in the World Heritage Site, after river Brahmaputra unleashed its flood fury, was said to be 242 on Monday. Among the dead rhinos, most were calves. Forest teams managed to rescue at least nine rhinos, 90 Hog Deer, one Jungle Owlet, three Swamp deer, one Fishing Cat and one python, Subhasis Das, Divisional Forest Officer, Kaziranga told a news agency. Das added that the animals were rescued using boats, some manually and some with the help of tranquilisers. Besides, an official told a news agency that, No tiger deaths have been reported so far, nor have we found any tiger carcasses. Some tigers have reportedly moved towards human habitations. The dead animals included 20 rhinos, nine Swamp Deer, 185 Hog Deer, four Wild Buffalo, 12 Wild Boar, two Hog Badger, a Pelican, six Sambar deer, two porcupines and a python. However, officials said it was not only the floods that accounted for the death of animals. They said fourteen Hog Deer died after being hit by vehicles on National Highway-37, while eight animals, including four rhinos and a Hog Badger, are said to have died due to natural causes. Of those rescued, many, including one rhino and 60 Hog Deer, have been released back in the wild, officials added. Over 70 elevated platforms, or man-made highlands, in the park also helped save many animals. However, not all the elevated platforms could withstand this year's floods. We are planning to get more of these highlands in the park, Das told the agency. Besides, officials said the floods had begun to abate now, but their next fear is fodder scarcity that would push the animals to southern Kaziranga in search of food. The floods are followed by fodder scarcity for some time, then animals start moving towards the Karbi-Anglong Hills situated at the southern part of the forest, Das said. He added that since the southern boundary of the national highway is at a height, animals often move to take shelter there during floods. This also invites poachers. We have our teams there, we have many camps there and our guards will continue monitoring to keep poachers away, an official said. Every year, floods take over Kaziranga, but this year they have been aggressive, O.P. Pandey, former Wildlife Warden of Assam, told the news agency. Kaziranga National Park is home to 35 species of mammals and has 2400 one-horned rhinoceros, 20,000 hog deer, 100 tigers, 1000 elephants, 1500 wild buffaloes, 1000 swarm dear. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: 26/11 Mumbai attacks key plotter and Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was among seven persons sentenced to life imprisonment today by a special MCOCA court in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Besides Jundal, six other convictsMohammed Aamir Sheikh, Billal Ahmed, Sayed Akif, Afroz Khan, Mohammed Aslam Kashmiri and Faizal Ataur Rehman (who is on death row in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings case)-- were handed out life by designated Judge Shrikant Anekar. Prounoucing the sentence, the court said that all the seven convicts will serve imprisonment till their (natural) life. Also, two other convictsMohammed Mujaffar Tanvir and Dr Mohammed Sharifwere handed out 14 years of imprisonment while three othersMushtaq Ahmed, Javed Ahmed and Afzal Khan were awarded eight years imprisonment. The court while sentencing all the 12 convicted, today observed that it has taken into consideration the gravity of offence, lack of remorse (of the accused) and potential effect on common man in the case. On July 28, ten years after ATS recovered a huge haul of arms near Aurangabad, the special court had convicted 12 persons and acquitted eight others in the case but had dropped the stringent MCOCA charge against them. Out of total 22 accused in the case, the court last week acquitted eight others while trial of two accused was separated as one of them was declared hostile after he turned approver, while another accused is absconding. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. Jundal, allegedly driving the Indica, managed to give police the slip. The court had observed that the accused had a common thought process and wanted to wage jihad. The judge had also accepted prosecutions case that the accused wanted to strike terror in the minds of the people and wanted to eliminate public figures like (the then) Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Hindu leader Praveen Togadia (of VHP). The judge had also said that the accused wanted to avenge developments that unfolded after the 2002 Godhra riots. According to police, after the ATS intercepted the vehicles, Jundal, who hails from Beed district, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has called Anandiben Patel, who offered to quit as Gujarat Chief Minister, a scapegoat. He has also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holding him responsible for all Gujarat ills. Here are the top 5 stories at 1 PM on August 2: 1. Anandiben a 'scapegoat', Modi responsible for Gujarat ills, says Rahul Gandhi A day after Anandiben Patel decided to step down as Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi today said making her a scapegoat would not save the BJP in Gujarat as the 13-year Narendra Modi rule in the state was responsible for its burning. 2. GST Bill: BJP, Congress issue whip asking MPs to be present in Rajya Sabha tomorrow With the GST bill set to be tabled in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the Congress on Tuesday issed a three-line whip asking its members to be present in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Earlier on Monday, the BJP issued a whip to its members asking them to be present in the House for the next three days during which the party expects the legislation to be passed. 3. Arms haul case: Abu Jundal, 6 others get life imprisonment Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and 26/11 Mumbai attack plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and six others have been sentenced for life in the 2006 Aurangabad Arms Haul case. The special MCOCA court pronounced the quantum of sentence on Tuesday. 4. Bulandshahr gangrape: Punish them or three of us will commit suicide, says family Three days after a woman and her daughter were brutally gangraped in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr after being dragged out of their car, the family has threatened to commit suicide if the accused arew not punished. 5. Narsingh Yadav meets PM Modi, says will go for Rio Olympics and win medal for India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Wrestler Narsingh Yadav and asked him to participate in the Olympics without any tension and win laurels for the country. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan backtracked from his Uttar Pradesh remark, saying he was misinterpreted. He was embroiled in another controversy after his remarks over Bulandshahr gangrape case. "Didn't say virodhiyon ki shaazish, said that UP polls are close and so many such incidents are happening, needs to be investigated," said Azam Khan. Earlier, Azam Khan took a jibe at various BJP ministers visiting Bulandshahr to meet victim. "We need to investigate whether this is a conspiracy by opponents who want to defame the government," said Mr Khan, who is known to invite trouble with his loose talk. "For votes, people can stoop to any level. There can be a Muzaffarnagar, a Shamli and Kairana...why not this? For power, politicians can murder people, trigger riots, kill innocent people, so the truth has to be found out," he remarked. While, BJP retorted strongly to it and said, "If you have an ounce of humanity, then try and catch the accused." The party has demanded CBI enquiry in the matter. Ever since the matter came into light, there have been demands for Akhilesh Yadav's resignation from several political leaders. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Sydney: Apple iPhone 6 exploded in a man's back pocket. He has been identified as Gareth Clear, a management consultant from Sydney, Australia. Gareth suffered minor injuries in the incident. According to a report in newspaper, Clears phone in back pocket caught fire after he met with a bike accident, landing on his iPhone 6. "Seconds later he noticed smoke and a searing heat, before hearing an explosion as the phone he'd had for just six months ignited, melting through his shorts and two layers of skin on his upper right thigh," says the news report. The man then shared a picture of him in the social media and tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook in it saying he would now require a skin graft surgery. According to the report, Apple has assured serious investigations into the matter. In June 2015 too, a person called Kishan Yadav had claimed that his iPhone 6 exploded during a hands-free phone call. He is said to have survived unscathed after he threw his device out of his car's window. New Delhi : The Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacturing, sale and consumption at a national level, is currently running its last leg. It has been long pending issue to streamline all the different types of indirect taxes and implement a single taxation system. GST bill is set to be tabled in Rajya Sabha on August 3 and the Congress issued a three-line whip asking its members to be present in Upper House. The BJP-led NDA lacks a majority in the Upper House but has managed to get support of several regional parties on the GST bill. The NDA government couldn't get the GST Bill converted into a law during the Budget Session. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in his budget speech that the government is keen on implementing the GST by April 1, 2016 and hoped that the bill will be cleared by Parliament. Let us take a look at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bills journey so far: 1. Finance minister P. Chidambaram, in his 2006 budget speech, suggested the idea of moving towards a goods and services tax (GST) and set a deadline of 1 April 2010 for its implementation. He asked the empowered committee of state finance ministers to come up with a framework. 2. The empowered committee, headed by West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, released its first discussion paper on GST in November 2009 after consultations with the central government and within the states. 3. The thirteenth finance commission backed a consumption-based taxation approach with no exclusions and a low tax rate. 4. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government introduced the constitution amendment bill in the Lok Sabha in March 2011. 5. Parliament refered the GST bill to the standing committee for finance. 6. Sushil Kumar Modi was appointed as the new chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers in June 2012 to replace Asim Dasgupta, whose party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was voted out of power in West Bengal. 7. Finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Rahim Rather, took over from Sushil Kumar Modi after the latters resignation. 8. The standing committee submitted its recommendations in August 2013 after extensive talks with the centre and the states. It recommended that exclusions under GST be kept at a minimum to avoid distortions. 9. The central government and the states continued to hold deliberations but a trust deficit continued over the federal governments reluctance to pay compensation to states for losses from phasing out of central sales tax. 10. The constitutional amendment bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in May 2014. 11. The new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at New Delhi renewed efforts to strike a consensus with states and promises to pay central sales tax compensation to states. 12. After extensive talks with states, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced the revised constitution amendment bill in the Lok Sabha in December 2014. 13. Subsequently in March 2015, Kerala Finance Minister K.M. Mani was appointed as chairman of empowered committee, replacing Abdul Rahim Rather. 14. In May 2015, Lok Sabha passed GST bill. 15. The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to introduce a goods and services tax (GST) which will include various Central indirect taxes, including the Central Excise Duty, Countervailing Duty, Service Tax, etc. It also subsumes State value added tax (VAT), octroi and entry tax, luxury tax, etc. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Varanasi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched her partys campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election with a massive roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's-bastion Varanasi. Thousands of Congress supporters and workers took part in the roadshow from the Circuit House to Englishiya Line, a distance of about eight kilometers. The march began with Gandhi garlanding the statue of B R Ambedkar at the Circuit House and the marchers crisscrossed lanes and by lanes of the temple town. Gandhi, who was initially travelling in a car and later, moved to a vehicle with open sunroof, waved at the crowd which cheered and raised slogans against the Modi government. She came out of her vehicle several times to accept the greetings of the cheering supporters, including groups of Muslim women. As the road show passed through several localities, rose petals were showered on Gandhi and her cavalcade from adjoining buildings. Dozens of mini trucks prominently displayed posters with 27 Saal, UP Behaal (27 years of UPs distress) written on them. Placards carried by hundreds of workers also had the same slogan written on them. Besides the partys chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, state party chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh accompanied Gandhi. Earlier, Gandhi flew in here for a day-long programme in Modis constituency and was led by hundreds of bikers, waving party flags from the airport to the heart of the city.This is Gandhis first visit to Varanasi after Modi became Prime Minister. Gandhi is scheduled to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the evening to offer prayers. Congress has launched a campaign dard-e-Banaras to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Modi is representing for over two years in the Lok Sabha. Congress has been out of power for 27 years in Uttar Pradesh and is projecting that the state has gone from bad to worse in these years through a campaign, called 27 Saal, UP Behaal.Varanasi is a key place in eastern Uttar Pradesh having some 160 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state. Congress had only won two seatsAmethi and Rae Bareli In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while BJP and its ally Apna Dal secured 73 seats out of total 80. The UP Assembly elections outcome will also have ramifications for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress to assist the UPCC in the Assembly polls. Kishor had planned the campaign strategy of Modi in Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar in the Bihar Assembly polls. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kathmandu: Nepal Maoist chief Prachanda today filed his nomination for the election to the post of prime minister tomorrow that could bring political stability to the country. Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed the 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president as the candidate for new Prime Minister, while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded it. The crucial development comes a day after Nepals President Bidya Devi Bhandari gave a fresh call to all political parties to form a majority government when the deadline given to them for forging consensus expired without yielding any results. It is learnt that the Parliament has started preparation for beginning the procedure of electing the premier tomorrow. Speaker Onsari Gharti has called a meeting of the 596-member Parliament for 11 am to elect the new Prime Minister after embattled premier K P Oli resigned on July 24, triggering a fresh political turmoil in Nepal. Oli tendered his resignation after two key ruling alliance partners - Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum-Democratic and Rastriya Prajatantra Party - decided to support the no-confidence motion tabled against him by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-Maoist Centre led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. The Maoist chief and former premier known for his anti-India stance is expected to become Nepals 39th Prime Minister with the support of largest party Nepali Congress, the Madhesis and other fringe parties if there is no dramatic development. Three Madhesi leaders - Upendra Yadav of Social Forum-Nepal, Sarvendra Nath Shukla of Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party and Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhawana Party - have supported Prachandas candidacy. The Madhesi alliance decided to support Prachandas candidacy after a 3-point agreement with the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Centre) but will not join the government, Karna said. With the support of the alliance, which has 39 lawmakers, Prachandas election as the new prime minister has become almost certain. Meanwhile, the CPN-UML has decided not to field any candidate in the prime ministerial election but vote against Prachanda. The party of outgoing Prime Minister Oli decided to remain as the main opposition party. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who was taken ill during a roadshow in Varanasi and forced to return to the national capital, was today stable and has been shifted to Ganga Ram Hospital in west Delhi. Gandhi was admitted to the Armys Research and Referral Hospital here late last night due to high fever. The 69-year-old Congress chief returned here by a chartered flight close to midnight after she had to abandon the 8-km roadshow in Varanasi midway due to illness. Gandhi has been shifted to Gangaram Hospital as she had earlier also undergone treatment there, sources said. Earlier in the day, AICC media cell in-charge Randeep Surjewala had said that she is stable and is recovering under medical supervision. Yesterday itself, she had said that she would return to Varanasi to meet the people and to have darshan of the historical temple of Kashi Vishwanath Ji. On return, she was admitted to hospital in Delhi, is stable and is recovering under medical supervision, he had said in a statement. The Congress President is overwhelmed by the concern and affection of fellow countrymen and crores of Congressmen and has thanked everyone for their good wishes, he had said. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, were by her side. Her son-in-law Robert Vadra also visited her. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had yesterday said that her condition was stable after she suffered a bout of dehydration, vomited and had fever in Varanasi. PM Narendra Modi also offered to send a doctor and an aircraft to bring the Congress president back to Delhi, sources said. Congress sources said Sonia was running fever but decided to go ahead with the roadshow in Varanasi, where her condition worsened, as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last moment. In a statement, Sonia Gandhi regretted that she could not complete her visit to Varanasi due to illness but said she would come back soon for darshan of Kashi Vishwanath in the temple town. Due to illness, I could not complete my visit for which I regret. I could not seek the blessings of Kashi Vishwanth in the holy month of Savan. I will come back soon. I am thankful to all citizens of Varanasi and Congress workers for the love and affection, she said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : India is all set to celebrate its 70th year of Independence on 15th August this year, the Centre has planned an initiative to instill the spirit of patriotism among citizens. Cabinet ministers under PM Narendra Modi will help the citizens to recall the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. PM Narendra Modi discussed the blue-print of the programme in the parliamentary board meeting and it is named as 'Azadi 70 Saal-Yaad Karo Qurbani'. Around 75 ministers of the Union cabinet will be the flag bearers of this programme. They will recount the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and the turning point events that led to India's independence...From the Quit India movement to the Dandi March to Kakori Kand many moments of history will be recalled to inspire the younger generation. Following this, Ministers will fan out across the country visiting historical places and memorials associated with the struggle for Independence and will pay tributes to the great lives associated with this movement. BJP has announced it will launch Tiranga yatras on 15th August. I&B minister Venkaiah Naidu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the campaign on 9th August, on the occasion of 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lahore: A Jamaat-ud-Dawah caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, today staged a sit-in at the Line of Control at Chakothi, saying they will not leave unless India receives relief materials brought by them for Kashmiris. We will not leave from the LoC till India agrees to receive the relief goods and medicines we have brought for Kashmiris of Srinagar, said Hafiz Abdur Rauf, chairman of the Falayh-i-Insaniat Foundation, a sister organisation of JuD. Talking to PTI over phone from Chakothi, Rauf said the Pakistani army and police had stopped them near the LoC at Chakothi. We have requested the Pakistani authorities to speak to the Indian army to receive the relief goods, dry food and medicines we have brought here in more than 10 trucks for our injured Kashmiri brethren who are in dire need of it, he said. The JuD caravan left from Muzaffarabad for Chakothi this afternoon and reached its destination after getting a welcome at Ghari Habibullah, Natian Wala. According to Ahmad Nadeem, a JuD member who is also part of the caravan, all business activities remained closed in Chakothi and the people gave a warm welcome to them. He said it has been decided in principle that not a single participant will leave till our just demand is met. Tomorrow more people will join this sit-in to put pressure on the authorities concerned to persuade India to accept the relief goods, he said, adding that the FIF and JuD just want handing over the relief goods to the Kashmiris as no politics was involved in it. Talha read out the message of his father Hafiz Saeed to the participants of the rally expressing the resolve that Kashmir will become (part of) Pakistan. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. DANBURY Problems getting assistance to a police officer who was assaulted Saturday are typical of Danburys 911 dispatch center and could impact the publics safety, union officials claimed on Tuesday. Officer Bryan Reed, vice president of the Danbury Police Union, said that while wrong information is often sent to officers in the field by the dispatch center, it couldnt get much worse than the response on Saturday when officer Joe Pooler, who was the departments officer of the year in 2015, was assaulted near Jimmies Market. Employees with the center, which was outsourced by Mayor Mark Boughton last year to a private company, New Jersey-based IXP Corp., first dispatched Pooler to his own assault, according to the union. And then they sent backup officers to the wrong location three times before police are able to arrive on scene, Reed said, adding that it took about a minute and a half before officers were able to respond to the downtown location. Obviously we are not happy with IXPs performance on Saturday night, Reed said. It was a mess, and we cant let this happen again, but it keeps happening. Weve had a number of problems with IXP for some time and we are looking at this point for a solution to the problems. More News Danbury man arrested after assault on police officer IXP officially took over the dispatch center in February 2015. For years, Boughton had pushed for the privatization of the center in an effort to both save taxpayer dollars and get more police officers on the streets. Prior to IXP, the dispatch center was manned by police officers. A one and a half minute response time to a call in the city is pretty good, Boughton said Tuesday in response to the unions concerns. He added, however, that there were several issues with the call on Saturday, including that the GPS system in Poolers cruiser and three other cruisers in the city that night werent working. Pooler was dispatched to his own assault, Boughton said. Because of the issue with the GPS system, the dispatcher wasnt able to see that Pooler was the one being assaulted, and that was part of the problem. He added that former police Chief Al Baker, who retired earlier this year, had instituted a policy that prevented dispatchers and officers from issuing a signal five, which indicates an officer is in distress and all units should respond. Baker, Boughton said, preferred direct radio communications for officers in distress. Chief Patrick Ridenhour, who was sworn into the office earlier this month, has since rescinded that policy, Boughton noted. Union officials, however, say the problems on Saturday are characteristic of ongoing issues within the dispatch center that is impacting the safety of both the public and responding officers. Problems, he said, including the wrong addresses being provided and calls being mislabeled, such as a suspicious person complaint being dispatched as a motor vehicle accident. Its been a recurring problem, he said. IXP also has a high turnover rate and we see this as a big public safety issue. It could have easily been a citizen that this happened to on Saturday. Larry Consalvos, president and chief operating officer for IXP, said there will always be turnover at any job and that there is a full-time training officer assigned to each shift. Weve handled millions of calls throughout the country and we always meet our performance metrics, Consalvos said. I dont think anyone could have handled that call on Saturday better than our folks did. Consalvos said he reviewed the call in question and determined that it was 32 seconds before the dispatcher was able to send backup units to assist Pooler. Because of the GPS issues, he said, we had no way of knowing where the unit was. The officer had not called in to report that he was exiting his vehicle, he said. If we had that information it would have expedited the call even quicker. We got help to the officer as quickly as humanly possible. Ridenhour said that Saturdays attack could have been much worse, and that emotions are running high inside the department after the assault. This was a very serious incident and our thoughts go out to Pooler for a speedy recovery, he said. We will review both this incident and the operation as a whole to see what problems may need to be addressed, and well do that. There is no reason to believe that IXP would be resistant to any changes that might need to be made. Obviously nobody wants to compromise an officers safety and, more importantly, the publics safety. Reed said the new chief has been supportive of their efforts to have the matter addressed. The chief has been incredibly supportive and is working with us to help resolve these problems, he said. Police said officer Pooler was sitting in his patrol car on July 30 when city resident Pierre Elhayek, 20, approached the vehicle and began banging and kicking the car. Pooler, believing the assailant needed assistance, got of out of the car and was immediately attacked by Elhayek, police said. A violent struggle ensued, and Pooler, who had lost his Taser during the dispute, was not immediately able to get back into the cruiser or reach his radio to call for help. It was a witness to the attack who made the 911 call alerting authorities to the attack. Nearly $1 million in federal funding coming to Connecticut to combat Zika has local health officials relieved that the state will be better prepared to combat the virus. The state announced Tuesday that it will receive an additional $400,000, on top of $580,000 reported on Monday, from the Centers for Disease Control to support the states efforts to protect residents from the Zika virus and to monitor Zika-related birth defects. The state Department of Public Health will use the money to fund its Zika testing program for the next year and to enhance mosquito surveillance being done by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The funding will also be used to establish a monitoring program through DPHs Birth Registry that will track infants born with Zika-related birth defects. Without surveillance, we wont know what we are dealing with, said Laurie Brentlinger, a nurse and director of infection control and protection at the Western Connecticut Health Network. Without the ability to test, we wont be able to determine any individuals exposure to Zika. Supporting that, it is first and foremost at this point, Brentlinger continued. The health network includes Danbury, Norwalk and New Milford hospitals. Dr. Zane Saul, chief of infectious diseases at Bridgeport Hospital, agreed, and hopes the federal funding will mean more testing for those living in the state. This is going to help us ... the state really has been dictating our laboratory evaluation of Zika and they have been limiting it appropriately because there werent a lot of resources, Saul said. We need to stay on it proactively. The Zika virus is widespread in South and Central America and a few dozen U.S. territories. It has infected more than 1,650 U.S. residents, most of whom got the illness while traveling, though there have been some sexually transmitted cases. This additional aid for Connecticut is welcome and needed, but Congress must return to Washington to approve the full aid needed nationwide to combat the growing Zika epidemic, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, in a statement. Mosquitoes do not know red states from blue, and there should be nothing partisan about fighting this devastating disease. In Connecticut, 45 patients have tested positive for Zika all occurring because of travel to Zika-affected areas in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The virus commonly causes fever, rash, or other mild symptoms and, rarely, a paralyzing neurological illness called Guillain-Barre syndrome. In pregnant women, however, it has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, in which the babys head is smaller than average. This grant will continue to help Connecticut in our preparation efforts and ensure that our states residents are protected to the fullest extent possible. We are doing everything we can at the state level to prepare, said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a statement. The state has not seen any local transmission of the disease, but 14 people are believed to have become infected with the virus in Miami the first mosquito-transmitted cases on record in the mainland U.S. The CDC has added this area to its travel warning for Zika-affected areas. I encourage Connecticut women who are or plan to become pregnant and their partners to avoid this neighborhood, should they be traveling to Miami. While Zika virus causes only mild symptoms in most people, it can have devastating, lifelong consequences for unborn children, said Connecticut DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino in a statement. Pino added that the type of mosquito suspected of transmitting Zika in Miami is not found in Connecticut. But another mosquito capable of transmitting Zika, the Asian tiger mosquito, has been trapped in several Connecticut municipalities this summer Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, West Haven and South Windsor. Even with these findings, Theodore Andreadis, the director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said there is no immediate concern in the state, and that Connecticut will more likely see the disease transmitted sexually, rather than through mosquitoes. Andreadis said, out of the approximately 117,000 mosquitoes trapped, only 175 were Asian tiger mosquitoes which can transmit the virus, but arent as effective as spreading Zika as the other mosquito found in Florida and other tropical areas. In addition to the testing and surveillance being done now, Dr. James Sabetta, director of infectious diseases at Greenwich Hospital, said more needs to done to determine how frequently the virus causes complications. If you know what the true incidences are, you can make more intelligent recommendations, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Nearly all marketers agree on the importance of social media marketing for business growth. And considering that 33 percent of millennials today say social media is one of their preferred channels for communicating with businesses, I expect it will become even more important over time. That said, a lot of brands still dont know how to use social media to engage audiences and help their own bottom line. There is, however, a right -- and wrong -- way businesses can share their content on social media. Right: Selecting the right channels. The average social media user maintains five accounts, but that doesnt mean you should also. Businesses should share their content on the platforms where their target audience spends the most time. I recommend you do some research into the demographics of different platforms to make this decision. Related: 5 Trends Reshaping Social Media You may use several social platforms to promote your content, but dont stretch yourself too thin. One or two active social accounts will look better to your audience than six abandoned brand accounts. Wrong: Not optimizing for platforms. Even if you have the same end-goal for your content across social media, you should optimize it for each platforms characteristics and strengths. For example: Videos tend to outperform images on Facebook. Twitter posts, while no more than 140 characters, should be even shorter if youre including an image. (Luckily, that should be changing soon.) LinkedIn doesnt support hashtags, so dont use them. For Twitter and Instagram, hashtags are a necessity. Each platform also has ideal image dimensions, as this graphic shows: Take the time to format your posts elements to each social platform you share on. In my experience, it has a big impact. Right: Using visuals. Visuals can help your social posts on any platform, so theres no reason not to use them. Sixty-five percent of senior marketing executives believe that visual assets (photos, video, illustrations and infographics) are core to how their brand story is communicated. Moreover, visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content. Related: 5 Tips for Running Your Best Social Media Campaign Ever Many marketers fail to take advantage of all the different visual assets available on social media, especially Twitter cards. There are five types of Twitter cards that allow you to include unique visual assets with your tweets: Summary Card, Summary Card with Large Image, App Card, Player Card and Lead Generation Card. Use them to drive more engagement for your organic posts, and be on the lookout for other unique visual assets you can use (e.g. Carousel ads on Facebook and Instagram). Wrong: Not varying your content. Consumers say the three most important characteristics of a brands social posts are (in order): the brand shares new content; the content is relevant to the brand; and the brand engages with followers. And they mean it. Fifty-six percent of people unfollow brands on social media because their content is boring. Here are some best practices to vary your content and avoid being boring: Follow the 70/20/10 rule: 70 percent informative, 20 percent other peoples posts, 10 percent sales Show a personable side to your business Offer value with helpful how to posts Run social contests and giveaways Be a comedian Take a stand on polarizing issues (seriously) If you need some inspiration on how to vary your content and keep followers engaged, I recommend checking out General Electric, Cisco, Oracle, or Siemens on social media. They are all traditionally boring brands sharing great social content. Right: Sharing at optimum times. With the rise of paid social options, its no surprise that organic reach has become more difficult for brands. But you can still get the most out of your organic posts by sharing them at optimum times, which tend to vary by platform. Dont make the mistake of just sticking with the optimum times your social media automation tool sets for you. Those are often based on when most of your followers are online, but research has shown that for Facebook, at least, thats actually the worst time to post. Pay attention to the latest studies on which post times get businesses the most reach and engagement, and use that information to optimize your sharing times. Related: New Study Details Who Is Using Social Media and When Wrong: Spamming news feeds. Back in 2014, Facebook announced a crackdown on what it considered to be spammy content from brands. If they see you making the following mistakes, they may deliberately decrease your organic reach even more. Like-baiting are posts that include a request for likes, responses or other actions. This sample post says it all. Frequently circulated content breeds repetition. KissMetrics research found that sharing content at least three times on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ increases shares by more than 100%, but thats no reason to reshare the same content over and over. Spammy links are posts containing language and formatting designed to trick people into clicking links that arent related. A bad idea all around. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The office of Probate Judge requires an individual with impeccable character and competence. That is true simply because judgments impact individuals personally in matters of finance, family, and property. Often judgments determine the life course for the most innocent and vulnerable among us the children. The job of Probate Judge is not just about wills and estates! Therefore, I am writing in favor of Daniel OGrady for the office of Probate Judge for Ridgefield, Bethel, Newtown, and Redding. RZESZOW, Poland, LONDON and HONG KONG, Aug. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - G2A.COM the world's fastest growing digital marketplace, has played a key role in the first Forum Polonii Amerykanskiej (Polish-American Congress) convened outside of the United States. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160731/394393) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160731/394394) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160731/394395) Bartosz Skwarczek, the CEO and co-founder of G2A.COM, represented the company at the Congress Exhibition Centre in Rzeszow, Poland, on Tuesday and impressed the participants with the G2A story, detailing the company's journey from humble beginnings to becoming an award-winning international brand, as well as outlining G2A's goals, plans for the future, opportunities for further development, and the company's policy to always have an "open door" for collaboration with partners and developers. Top US business decision-makers learned about the top worldwide brands that work with G2A today and that over a million transactions are made on the G2A Marketplace every month. There was also keen interest in the story of the company which in five years has transformed from just a handful of employees to one which now employs over 640 professionals from 31 countries. This is the first time that the Polish-American Forum has taken part in this event in Poland. Participants of the congress included the Polish-American Contractor Builders Association and the Polish-American Chamber of Commerce. G2A presented their 3D printing solution G2A 3D+ and their Virtual Reality project called G2A Land which features a thrilling roller coaster experience, shooting range, cinema and an underwater world. The experience is enhanced through wearing the Oculus Glasses for a 3D impact. The final part of the event - the Open Discussion Panel: "How to make Poles leaders in the digital revolution". CEO, Bartosz Skwarczek, stated: "If we consider the near future, especially through the perspective of digitalization, we are not able to foresee what will happen in the next five or 10 years. This is because the internet is expanding rapidly and exponentially. The only thing we can do is to open our minds and interact with technology, embrace it and try it out." "G2A sees great potential in the Polish-American Congress, especially concerning its reach to people. When we started six years ago, we had to carve our own path. Now there is an amazing source of help and support for Polish people who want to start a global business, whether in the US, or any other country where there is a Polish community present." Emphasising the size and popularity of the digital gaming marketplace, The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York - Ms Sabina Klimek added: "The video game, The Witcher makes up five percent of Polish exports to the US." G2A's involvement with Polish-American initiatives is expansive and includes youth, with the success of young scientists from a local Subcarpathian, Polish school - Franciszek Leja State School- who came in the top ten in an edition of "BotBall" - an educational robotics program sponsored by NASA. This talented team from Grodzisko Gorne (Poland), sponsored and supported by G2A.COM, were recognised in two categories: Outstanding Engineering and Outstanding Robot Collaboration/Synchronisation. The final stage of the competition took place in Florida, US, and one of the biggest challenges for them was to fund the costs of traveling to the US. With this in mind, G2A seized the opportunity to support the initiative, as Bartosz Skwarczek said, "Money should never stand in the way of achieving goals". G2A.COM is the world's fastest growing digital gaming marketplace and a multi-award winning international company, scooping seven international awards so far in 2016. http://www.gbeawards.com http://www.stevieawards.com http://f-x-a.co.uk SOURCE G2A.com For further information: Jacqueline Purcell, [email protected] MONTREAL, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Horatio Alger Association of Canada announced today the opening of its online scholarship application process for students across Canada beginning their post-secondary studies in the fall of 2017. A total of 85 need-based scholarships will be awarded: 80 Horatio Alger Canadian Scholarships, valued at $5,000 each, to high school students in every province and territory, as well as CEGEP students in Quebec with plans to attend university, and; each, to high school students in every province and territory, as well as CEGEP students in with plans to attend university, and; 5 Horatio Alger National Entrepreneurial Scholarships, worth $10,000 each, targeted at outstanding applicants nation-wide who intend to pursue a business-related degree or have expressed a commitment to following an entrepreneurial career. Students are encouraged to file their applications before the October 25, 2016 deadline. The application form can be found on the Horatio Alger Association of Canada's website at http://www.horatioalger.ca. Horatio Alger scholarships are awarded to deserving students in financial need who have overcome significant adversity while demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, a commitment to pursuing higher education, as well as a desire to contribute to society. Funds can be used for both university or career and technical studies. Since 2012, more than $1.5 million in scholarships have been awarded to more than 300 deserving young Canadians. "We are thrilled to offer deserving students across this great country the opportunity to earn a post-secondary education," said Prem Watsa, President of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada and a Member since 2012. "Education is the key to prosperity, and as an Association, we believe these scholarships to be an investment in Canada's future." "This scholarship is a can't-miss opportunity," said Solomiya Salo, a fourth-year Ryerson University student who was awarded a Horatio Alger scholarship in 2012. "In my last year of high school, I had nobody left to rely on financially and I worried about how I would pay for my university studies. The Horatio Alger Association gave me the resources I needed to successfully continue my education and pursue my ambitions." About the Horatio Alger Association of Canada The Horatio Alger Association of Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., is a charitable organization dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honours the achievements of outstanding individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity by bestowing to them the Horatio Alger Award and granting them lifetime membership into the Association. Through the generosity of Horatio Alger Members, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada awards scholarships annually to deserving young people in every province and territory. Members of the Association include Dominic D'Alessandro, Murray Edwards, David Foster, Serge Godin, Wayne Gretzky, Rebecca MacDonald, the late G. Wallace F. McCain, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Jim Pattison, Gerald W. Schwartz, Isadore Sharp, Prem Watsa and Rick Waugh. For more information, visit www.horatioalger.ca. The Association can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Canada For further information: Tom Kott, HATLEY Strategy Advisors, 514.316.7082, [email protected] CALGARY, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Oryx Petroleum Corporation Limited ("Oryx Petroleum" or the "Corporation") will announce its financial and operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2016 on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 after the close of trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Mr. Vance Querio, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Scott Lewis, Head of Corporate Finance & Planning will host a conference call to discuss the Corporation's financial and operating results on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST, 11:00 EDT). Conference Call details: Date: Thursday August 4, 2016 Time: 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST, 11:00 EDT) Participant Access: Canada +1 514 841 2154 United States +1 212 444 0895 United Kingdom +44 (0) 20 3427 1907 France +33 (0) 1 76 77 22 22 Switzerland / Other +41 (0) 44 580 7216 Access code to join conference: 4170629 Playback will be available up to 14 days after the live call on: United States / Canada: +1 347 366 9565 United Kingdom: +44 (0) 20 3427 0598 France: +33 (0) 1 74 20 28 00 Switzerland / Other: +41 (0) 22 592 7553 Access code: 4170629 Playback will also be available on the Oryx Petroleum Website. This recording is the property of Oryx Petroleum. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Oryx Petroleum. Please contact our Investor Relations with any questions. ABOUT ORYX PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED Oryx Petroleum is an international oil exploration company focused in Africa and the Middle East. The Corporation's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "OXC". The Oryx Petroleum group of companies was founded in 2010 by The Addax and Oryx Group P.L.C. and key members of the former senior management team of Addax Petroleum Corporation. Oryx Petroleum has interests in seven license areas, two of which have yielded oil discoveries. The Corporation is the operator or technical partner in five of the seven license areas. Two license areas are located in the Kurdistan Region and the Wasit governorate (province) of Iraq and five license areas are located in West Africa in Nigeria, the AGC administrative area offshore Senegal and Guinea Bissau, and Congo (Brazzaville). Further information about Oryx Petroleum is available at www.oryxpetroleum.com or under Oryx Petroleum's profile at www.sedar.com. SOURCE Oryx Petroleum Corporation Limited For further information: Scott Lewis, Head of Corporate Finance & Planning, Tel.: +41 (0) 58 702 93 52, [email protected] TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW/ -- UL, a global safety science organization, announces an alliance with Marex Canada Limited to deliver field evaluation services for gas-fired equipment in the Province of Alberta. As an accredited Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Certification Body (CB), UL Canada will now work with Marex Canada Limited and industry owners and operators to help confirm their gas-fired equipment is in compliance with Provincial Regulatory requirements before the January 1, 2020 compliance requirement date. The collaboration between UL Canada and Marex will benefit the oil and gas industry in Alberta as the two organizations will offer enhanced local services by combining their engineering expertise and inspection capabilities. UL Canada's mission is to work for a safer world and for more than 95 years has been pioneering progress in safety science with the aim of providing comprehensive services to certify, validate, test, inspect, audit, advise and educate. As a Safety Codes agency accredited by the Alberta Safety Codes Council in accordance with the Safety Codes Act, Marex Canada Limited started out by specializing in the provision of regulatory compliance monitoring services for accredited organizations in accordance with their safety codes policies. "This new alliance, formed with the customer needs in mind, demonstrates both organizations' commitment to supporting the most important industry in the country," said Joe Hosey, General Manager of UL Canada. "We are very pleased that UL Canada and Marex will now be able to bring more value added services to the local market in a more timely manner, benefiting the fast growing oil & gas industry in Alberta." Marex Canada has been serving the oil and gas industry since 2002 by providing effective interpretation of codes and standards, seeking out and promoting innovative products, ideas and technologies, and identifying alternative design and installation solutions. "At Marex Canada Limited our mission of 'providing leadership in safety, by integrating our expertise to provide practical, value added solutions and by identifying, evaluating and promoting new practices, applications and technology' is very much in keeping with the mission of UL. This collaboration of services and expertise between Marex and UL gives the oil and gas industry more choices in meeting their safety needs and regulatory obligations," said Rene Leduc, President of Marex Canada Limited. "Teaming up with UL to give industry more options for meeting their Safety Codes regulatory obligations is a natural extension of what we do at Marex. We are looking forward to this new relationship with UL, one that will better serve our clients and industry as a whole." About UL UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for more than 120 years. Its nearly 11,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit http://www.UL.com. About Marex Canada Limited Since our incorporation in 2002, Marex Canada Limited (Marex) has earned a reputation as the premier safety codes services provider for accredited corporations, engaging highly qualified and competent safety codes officers with industry specific experience and knowledge in the disciplines of Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and Gas. Marex continues to seek opportunities to share its knowledge and experience in new business areas or create partnerships with likeminded organizations who share our "Commitment to Excellence." For more information about Marex Canada Limited's services view our website at http://www.marexcanada.net or contact us at [email protected]. CONTACT: Mr. Kevin Wu Marketing Manager UL Canada O: (416) 288-2269 C: (416) 427-4847, [email protected] CONTACT: Mr. Rene Leduc President Marex Canada Limited O: (403) 216-2543 C: (403) 815-9373, [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140721/129100 SOURCE UL LLC TORONTO, LONDON and ERBIL, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor travelled to northern Iraq last week to see how the conflicts sweeping across Iraq and Syria are devastating children's lives. Tens of thousands of children have been killed, injured, separated from their parents, forced to work, tortured and recruited into fighting. During his visit McGregor travelled to Debaga camp where he met with families that have escaped brutal violence currently taking place in areas surrounding Mosul in the north of the country. He also spent time with Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqi families in camps and communities around Erbil. The situation for children in Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Around 3.6 million children one in five are at serious risk of death, injury, sexual violence, abduction and recruitment into armed groups. Many are being ripped from their families and forced to flee on their own, often making dangerous journeys and falling into the hands of traffickers. "Children uprooted by conflict can find themselves alone, without family and in grave danger. No child should be alone. Many of the children I've met in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes, risking their lives on dangerous journeys and have been exposed to unimaginable horrors," said UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor. "The world is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis and we must do more to protect the extraordinary number of children who have been torn from their homes by violent conflict." "One girl I met called Mirna told me how her family slept in a disused, half-constructed shopping mall for over a year. The community donated food, clothes and supplies to her family and really came together to welcome displaced people. This act of humanity should be replicated everywhere, especially on our own doorsteps. It's up to us to tell our friends, our neighbours and our governments that refugees are welcome." This September world leaders will meet to discuss the global refugee crisis at two crucial summits in New York. UNICEF is urging leaders to be strong, compassionate and bold in their commitments to protect children on the move. McGregor witnessed how UNICEF is reaching families fleeing the Mosul area with lifesaving food and water, child protection services and healthcare. Many of the people he met, who had been previously trapped, had not had access to healthcare, education or basic services for over two years. UNICEF is working to protect children across Iraq and Syria, delivering life-saving food, clean water and vaccines, as well as providing education and psychological support. However humanitarian aid cannot keep pace with the tremendous needs of children. Note to editors Multimedia assets can be downloaded here: http://uni.cf/2aIxf9J About UNICEF UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. We work tirelessly to help children and their families, doing whatever it takes to ensure children survive. We provide children with healthcare and immunization, clean water, nutrition and food security, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, we are active in over 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.ca. SOURCE UNICEF Canada Image with caption: "UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor walks with Mirna, 10, inside an abandoned mall that she and her family used to live in, in Erbil, northern Iraq on July 29, 2016. McGregor travelled to northern Iraq to see how the conflicts sweeping Iraq and Syria are devastating the lives of children, tearing them from their homes and destroying their futures. UNICEF/UN026964/Modola (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160802_C2454_PHOTO_EN_746008.jpg For further information: To arrange interviews or for more information please contact: Stefanie Carmichael, UNICEF Canada, 416-482-6552 ext. 8866; 647-500-4230 (mobile), [email protected] Leaders and activists of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee thronged the ceremony to bid adieu to one of the party's staunch leaders. Donald Trump Donald Trump, shown speaking last week in Denver, will start getting top-secret intelligence briefings this week from the national intelligence directorate's office. This week, his campaign canceled a trip to Plattsburgh, N.Y. (AP file / Evan Vucci) PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. -- Donald Trump's campaign on Monday canceled his trip to Plattsburgh, the mayor told the Press Republican. The decision came just before the campaign was ready to sign a contract to rent a city facility. Story about Trump canceling Plattsburgh stop now online at https://t.co/XRdXckDL8E. Lois Clermont (@EditorLois) August 2, 2016 Trump's public schedule says he'll be in Maine at 2 p.m. Thursday. That was the time the campaign had previously said the Republican presidential candidate would be in Plattsburgh. Eddie Braun is going to jump that Snake River canyon in a rocket bike an almost perfect replica of the one Evel rode 42 years ago. The new bike, the Evel Spirit, has been built according to Bob Truaxs original blueprints; an emotional journey for Scott, who spent many hours working with his fathers original sketches, notes and calculations, as well as visiting the Evel Knievel museum in Canada where he measured every nut, bolt and rivet on the original test rocket. Building the Evel Spirit has been very much an exercise in walking in his fathers footprints, and Truax hopes to prove his fathers original design would have done the job if the chute didnt let go. Its a steam-powered rocket, slated to produce 6,000 pounds of thrust and some 10,000 horsepower as it blasts Braun upwards to 400 mph (644 km/h) in about 5 seconds The jump is scheduled for September 17 at the original launch spot near Twin Falls, Idaho, theres a Kickstarter in effect to help defray the costs Three former militants have graduated with first class degrees from universities in the United Kingdom. Three former militants have graduated with first class degrees from universities in the United Kingdom.The Nigerian high commission in the UK on Friday hosted the militants, who were sponsored by the Nigerian government under the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.Nicholas Goodness and Terubein Fawei graduated from the University of Bedfordshire with first class honours in public relations, telecommunication and networking engineering respectively, while Lucky Azibanagein graduated with first class in mechanical engineering and Robotic system from the University of Liverpool.Eighteen other students graduated with second class upper degrees in various UK universities.Paul Boroh, coordinator of the presidential amnesty programme, congratulated the ex-militants and reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensuring the sustenance of the amnesty programme.President Buhari is ever ready to implement the blueprint upon which the amnesty programme was established. The era of impunity and phoney contracts are gone for good, Boroh said, urging other militants, including the Niger Delta Avengers, to sheathe their swords and embrace education. Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has been pictured smoking a cigarette while on holiday in Italy just a fortnight ahead of the new Premier League campaign.The Italian was dining at the Strainer Restaurant on the Italian Riviera after enjoying a boating trip around the region on the coast of Portofino after being informed by manager Jurgen Klopp he had no role to play ahead of the upcoming season.Despite that, however, the images, published by the Daily Mail on Tuesday morning, will do the former Manchester City forwards chances of finding a new club no good at all with just under a month to complete a deal away before the transfer window closes.Balotelli has been spotted smoking cigarettes before, lighting up during a trip to Miami two years ago, before re-joining former club AC Milan on loan last summer.The report adds that Milan insisted on a good behaviour clause being inserted into the 25-year-olds loan agreement. Balotelli was banned from extravagant haircuts and smoking while all of his posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were monitored.Elmar Neveling, Klopps biographer, tells the tale of how Klopp apparently used Balotellis behaviour as an example to his Borussia Dortmund players in the past.Image credit: Splash news Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman of the house committee on appropriation, has been summoned by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman of the house committee on appropriation, has been summoned by the All Progressives Congress (APC).Jibrin is expected to appear at the national secretariat of the party on Tuesday, to explain his allegations of budget padding made against Yakubu Dogara, and 12 other lawmakers.In the letter written to Jibrin, the national leadership of the APC on Monday, asserted that Jibrin has brought dishonour to the party, owing to the public nature of his allegations.The letter of invitation to the lawmaker representing Kiru-Bebeji federal constituency, in Kano state, was signed by Lawal Shuaibu, the partys deputy national chairman for the north.As a disciplined party, the constitution of our party has made adequate provisions on ways of resolving any issue among our members.It behoves on the party to take all necessary steps in order to ensure that no member of the family brings dishonour to the party.To say the least, it is absolutely unacceptable to resort to media war as a means of settling scores without recourse to and/or exhausting the partys internal dispute resolution mechanism.You are, therefore, by this invitation, expected to appear before the undersigned at the APC National Secretariat on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2016, at 2 p.m.Kindly note that failure to and/or refusal to honour this invitation will amount to a decision you have made not to submit to the party. iStock/Thinkstock(ALEPPO, Syria) -- A Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria Monday after returning from delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo, according to Russia's defence ministry. All on board the Mi-8 transporter, including three crew and two officers, were killed. It was not immediately clear whether rebels shot down the helicopter as Russia claimed, but pictures on social media purported to show armed men around the burning wreckage and bodies, according to BBC. The incident marked Russia's deadliest single loss of life since launching its air campaign in Syria last September, according to BBC. The news comes after Russian and Syrian forces set up "humanitarian corridors" for citizens to exit out of the rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Russia said that 160 civilians left the area, a claim that opposition activists denied. They said few people had left because of fears of being targeted, according to BBC. According to the United Nations, 300,000 people are trapped in eastern Aleppo and food supplies could run out in a few weeks. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be paying former Niger Delta militants directly, as the President Muhammadu Buhari resumes amnesty ... The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be paying former Niger Delta militants directly, as the President Muhammadu Buhari resumes amnesty payments.Piriye Kiyaramo, the amnesty programmes media officer, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja, stating that the government will also be paying tuition for the ex-militants.Payments of stipends to the ex-militants resumed this Monday. The payments are done directly from the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) to their bank accounts, Reuters quoted Kiyaramo to have said.The payment also includes tuition for those studying abroad. Their last payment was in February this year. Now we are clearing all outstanding and the payments.In February, Nigeria stopped the payments for former militants who agreed under a 2009 amnesty to stop blowing up crude pipelines in exchange for cash, Kiyaramo added.Since the halt in the amnesty programme, Nigeria has recorded over 4,000 pipeline vandalisation activities, crippling the countrys production capacity.Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum, says the federal government has been holding talks with Niger Delta Avengers and other militants blowing up pipelines in the region.According to Kachikwu, they militants behind the new attacks on pipelines, are seen as costing Nigeria between 700,000 to 800,000 barrels of crude per day.Each of the former militant is entitled, under the amnesty deal, to N65,000 naira monthly (over three times the countrys minimum wage), in addition to a job training, while those schooling get more money for their tuition.Buhari had initially insisted on cutting the amnesty by two-thirds and limit cash payments in the face of dwindling revenues.On Monday, news broke that three ex-militants being sponsored by the amnesty programme bagged first class degrees from UK universities. Oil prices fell nearly four percent on Monday as marketers worry over oil glut, following the emergence of fresh data showing that the Org... Oil prices fell nearly four percent on Monday as marketers worry over oil glut, following the emergence of fresh data showing that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Corporation (OPEC) output peaked in July, 2016.West Texas intermediate (WTI) crude fell to $39.86 per barrel, its lowest since April 20, while Brent crude was down $1.43, representing 3.3 percent, at $42.10, after a session low at $41.87.According to OPEC secretariat, daily basket price stood at $38.97 a barrel Friday, July, 29 2016, compared with $39.79 the previous dayA Reuters survey on Friday found that output from the OPEC likely rose in July to its highest in recent history as Iraq pumped more and Nigeria squeezed out additional crude exports despite militant attacks on oil installations.Data on Friday also showed the US added 44 new oil drilling rigs in July, the most for a month in two years, intensifying concerns that global production could once again get to unmanageable levels like in 2014-2015.Morgan Stanley, an American financial services firm, projected on Sunday, that falling oil prices could possibly hit $35 a barrel before the end of 2016.Morgan Stanley blamed the drop in prices on a stronger dollar, oversupply of refined crude oil products, and new oil data.Nigerias budget 2016 is benchmarked against $38 oil, and projected at $42.5 for 2017 fiscal year. Mother of a rescued Chibok girl, Binta Ali, has expressed fear over her daughter, Aminas, welfare and future. Mother of a rescued Chibok girl, Binta Ali, has expressed fear over her daughter, Aminas, welfare and future.Binta said she is worried that her daughters life may never be like it used to.Recall that Amina, one of the over 200 girls abducted from a school in Chibok in April 2014, was found in the Sambisa Forest close to Nigerias border with Cameroon in May.She was found while breastfeeding her four-month-old baby and was rescued by soldiers working together with a civilian vigilante group.Upon her rescue, she met with President Muhammadu Buhari and has since been reportedly held for months by the Nigerian government and confined to a house in Abuja for a restoration process.But Binta, who has spent the last two months in the house with her daughter, told Reuters, Before she was kidnapped, she wanted to further her education, but now she is afraid of schooling, and she wants to be close to me at home. She wants a sewing machine so that she can start a business making clothes.The victims mother further noted that she was worried that her daughter was being pressured into following Islam, having been forced to convert from Christianity to Islam by Boko Haram terrorists during her captivity.She said, Amina herself does not want to remain a Muslim.An Islamic teacher once visited the house several times and told my daughter to maintain her new faith but she did not want to see him, although the teacher stopped visiting after she complained about him.Binta said she was shocked to hear about the hardships faced by her daughter as a captive of the Islamist group.She used to be very afraid. She would talk to herself during the night prior to her kidnap, but now she sleeps soundly. She is no longer afraid, Binta added.We learnt that Amina and the other girls, starving and with nothing to cook with, resorted to eating an entire bag of beans and maize raw. I cannot imagine how a human being can eat raw maize and beans like a goat. Other parents have been coming to visit me since I returned, but I have not told them anything, even though I know some of those whose daughters have died.Although Im worried about Aminas religion and education and uncertainty over when she will be allowed to return home, I still have reasons to be positive about my daughter, she added.Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buharis spokesman, Garba Shehu, according to the news wire, clarified that Aminas confinement in the house had nothing to do with religion. President Muhammadu Buhari has relieved Dibu Ojerinde, a professor, of his appointment as the registrar of the Joint Admission and Matricu... President Muhammadu Buhari has relieved Dibu Ojerinde, a professor, of his appointment as the registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).Bem Goong, deputy director of press at the ministry of education, disclosed this in a statement, saying Ishaq Oloyede, a former vice-chancellor (VC) of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), had been appointed the new registrar of the board.Goong said 16 chief executive officers of parastatals and agencies under the ministry of education had also been replaced.He listed the new CEOs and their agencies as:Abubakar Rasheed, National Universities Commission (NUC)Lilian Salami, Nigerian Institute For Educational Planning and AdministrationHameed Bobboyi, Universal Basic Education BoardLanre Aina, National Library of Nigeria.Charles Uwakwe, National Examination Council (NECO)Abba Haladu, National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult And Non-Formal EducationBashir Usman, Nomadic Education CommissionIfeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, National Business and Technical Examination BoardSunday Ajiboye, Teachers Registration Council of NigeriaAfolabi Aderinto, Computer Registration Council of NigeriaBappah Aliyu, National Commission For Colleges of EducationAbdullahi Baffa, Tertiary Education Tax Fund.Garba Azare, National Teachers InstituteMichael Afolabi, Librarian Registration Council of NigeriaSteven Onah, Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche, National Institute of Nigerian LanguagesGoong said the appointments were with immediate effect, adding that the new chief executives ere expected at the office of the minister of education at 12 noon on Tuesday. The Federal Government has sacked the Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde and 16 other chief exe... The Federal Government has sacked the Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde and 16 other chief executive officers in Ministry of Education that were appointed during former President Goodluck Jonathan administration .In the statement signed by the Deputy Director (Press), of the ministry, Mr. Benjamin Bem Goong, in Abuja announcing the sack, the government gave no reason for the action.Ojerinde whose tenure was suppose to end April 2017, might have been sacked over the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, irregularities from bordering on result multiplicity, centre relocation and system failure.Many people protested that the irregularities of the exercise underscored their their gaining admission this year, that the board was unprepared for the CBT it adopted three years ago.Not only were the 17 CEOS sacked by the Federal Government, they were immediately replaced.The appointments were for: the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed; Nigerian Institute For Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) Prof. Mrs. Lilian Salami; Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), Dr. Hameed Bobboyi; National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Prof. Lanre O. Aina; and National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Charles Uwakwe. Others were:National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult And Non-Formal Education (NCMLA&NE) , Prof. Abba Haladu; Nomadic Education Commission (NEC). Prof. Bashir H. Usman; National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Sunday Josiah Ajiboye; Computer Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Afolabi N. Aderinto; National Commission For Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Bappah Aliyu; and Tertiary Education Tax Fund (TETFund), Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa. The rest were: National Teachers Institute (NTI), Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare; Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN), Prof. Michael Afolabi; National Mathematical Centre, Sheda (NMC), Prof. Steven Ejugwu Onah; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Olarenwaju Oloyode; and National Institute of Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Prof. Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche.The following four Chief Executive Officers retained their positions. They are : Prof Samaila Junaidu of Nigeria Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC); Prof Raauf Adebisi, Nigerian French Language Village Badagry, (NFLV) ; Dr Masud A. Kazaure , National Board For Technical Education (NBTE) ; and Prof Muhammad Muaz of the National Arabic Language Village, Maiduguri, Borno State (NALV). Former Arsenal midfielder, Alex Song, has joined Russian side Rubin Kazan from Barcelona on a free transfer.The Cameroon international spent two seasons on loan at West Ham United after failing to establish himself in the Barcelona side he joined in the summer of 2012.He went on to win the 2012/2013 Spanish La Liga with Barcelona before going on loan to West Ham.The Spanish champions confirmed they and Song had reached an agreement for the 28-year-old to join Rubin Kazan.A statement on the club's website said: "FC Barcelona wishes the Cameroonian luck and much success in what follows of his professional career." The presidency has accused the UK Telegraph of strengthening Boko Haram insurgency in the country. The presidency has accused the UK Telegraph of strengthening Boko Haram insurgency in the country.The accusation of the presidency followed a report of the newspaper on the condition of internally displaced children in the northeast of the country.In the report, the London-based newspaper said 50,000 children in the northeast faced death by starvation as a result of the Nigerian governments faltering campaign to defeat Boko Haram Islamist militants.But in a statement on Monday titled Again, London Telegraph is strengthening Boko Haram terrorism, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, described the report as incorrect.Shehu invited Telegraph to visit Nigeria to witness firsthand the challenges of the government, so that it could stop writing stories that are untrue.The London Telegraphs article Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria (30th July) repeats a claim from an earlier piece Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute Presidents Political Foes (12th April) that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group Boko Haram towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the administration. This is as incorrect as it is unhelpful, he said.These claims in both articles are attributed to an unnamed source in the United States, and Western officials. Yet when the first article was published it drew the condemnation of the US embassy in Abuja as having drawn conclusions directly opposite to the position of the US government.To state the facts: the UK government does not give development aid to the Nigerian administration for use in military operations against Boko Haram. Where British military support such as intelligence is provided, it is precisely and only given for operations directly against Boko Haram.Similarly, the Nigerian government is in no position to divert aid monies used for emergency relief for refugees or IDP camps for any other purpose, as these are dispensed directly by DFID, USAID, the United Nations, the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and many other organisations with which we enjoy excellent relations.However, the presidential spokesman admitted that the humanitarian situation at the IDP camps is real.He said that the Buhari administration remained deeply concerned about the medical, health and nutrition challenges of the children, and that it was doing everything possible to improve their situation.However, the blame for the plight of refugees lies with Boko Haram. They are its cause, not the Nigerian government, Shehu said.In the light of ongoing efforts, we regret the recent attack on the UN humanitarian convoy in the Northeastern region and are encouraged by the world bodys determination to continue rendering assistance to the displaced victims. That the attack was repelled by Nigerian troops escorting the convoy shows precisely how the Government and humanitarian agencies are working together.As for claims that the administration is targeting Christians and the opposition, these are without foundation. Since assuming office, President Buhari has treated all Nigerians without bias for ethnicity or religion as the composition of his cabinet and the policies and programmes of his administration demonstrate.To suggest his government as deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines. Fighting this group is key priority of President Buharis Administration. Indeed the international community has widely acknowledged his determination to defeat terrorism in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad Basin.There is nothing to gain by attempting to mould public opinion against these facts. Therefore we invite The Telegraph to visit Nigeria: to witness first hand not only the challenges we face, but the Administrations determination to confront them. ATLANTIC CITY -- A driver pulled on to the curb and was then nearly dragged from her car during a dispute earlier this month on South Carolina and Adriatic avenues, the Press of Atlantic City reported. Security footage shows a damaged red car go onto the curb on the morning of July 11 as two men on bicycles ride by. The footage also shows one of the men trying to pull the driver from the car. The footage came from a surveillance camera belonging to a private citizen. The driver, Shauna Simpson, a 26-year-old city resident, struck several vehicles and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police are also searching for another city resident, Mikal Williams, 33, who allegedly assaulted Simpson before hitting the vehicles. Anyone with information on Williams is being asked to call the Atlantic City Police Department Detective Bureau at 609-347-5766. Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook. UPDATE: Man who saved boy: "I wish i could have done more" DOWNE TWP. -- A Lawrence Township man drowned Sunday afternoon jumping into the Delaware Bay to rescue his 12-year-old grandson. A bystander rescued a boy from the Delaware Bay in Fortescue on Sunday, July 31, 2016. His grandfather drowned attempting to rescue the boy. (Photo courtesy of Cliff Higbee) A nearby good Samaritan was able to jump in the water to rescue the boy but was not able to save his grandfather, 54-year-old John Hearn. Downe Township Rescue Dive Team was called Sunday around 4:20 p.m. to Forestescue Creek -- where it opens up into Delaware Bay -- for the drowning, according to Chief Cliff Higbee. Hearn and his grandson, who was either 12 or 13, spent the afternoon playing at the beach in Fortescue and, when Hearn went to go back to the car, his grandson went into the water and got caught in a current. The current dragged the boy 50 feet out from shore into the bay. Hearn went into the water to help the boy, Higbee said. While the grandfather and grandson were in the water, fishermen were at a nearby marina and heard the screams. One of the fishermen, Raymond Gallagher, of Williamstown, dived in and pulled the boy to shore. The boy was scraped from rocks at the nearby jetty but otherwise unharmed. When Hearn was pulled from the water, he was lying facedown and not responding. The fishermen attempted CPR on Hearn and rescue crews attempted to further resuscitate Hearn, going so far as to use a defibrillator. In addition to Downe Township Rescue Dive Team, responders included Millville Rescue Squad, New Jersey State Police, Lawrence Township EMS and Inspira Life Support. "Without the selfless efforts of Raymond Gallagher and his friends, there is no doubt two people would have drowned and the dive team would have spent a long time recovering the bodies," Higbee said. "So from the members of Downe Township Dive Team, thank you for acting, not watching." Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook. TRENTON -- New Jersey made gains in both PARCC participation and overall test scores in 2016, but the majority of students still failed to make the grade on each of the high school exams in math and English, the state announced Tuesday. Statewide, scores improved on every exam in the second year of testing with the exception of 11th-grade English. The best scores came on the seventh-grade English test, on which 56 percent of students performed well enough to meet expectations for college and career readiness. Students scored the lowest on the Algebra II test with just 25 percent earning the targeted score. Parents should receive score reports around the beginning of the school year. "Overall we are encouraged by the positive progress made by New Jersey students," Gov. Chris Christie said. "We still have a lot of work to do to make sure that all students are on the right path." While the improved scores are a positive for students, the state's largest teachers union still considers PARCC a flawed test that can't truly measure whether students are prepared for college and careers, said Steve Baker, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association. "The time and resources that are invested into PARCC really should be invested into providing greater education opportunities and better support for our students," Baker said. The computerized PARCC tests -- short for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers -- first debuted in 2015 and were administered in six states and the District of Columbia this spring. The tests stress critical thinking, problem solving and analytical writing, and New Jersey students in grades 3-11 participated. Students are scored on a scale of 1-5. Those who score a 4 or higher are considered to be meeting their grade level expectations for college and career readiness. Students who score a 3 are approaching those expectations and those with a 2 or lower are not. Education Commissioner David Hespe said he was especially pleased to see that fewer students scored a 2 or lower on every exam in the second year of testing. He also clarified that the overall scores for 11th-grade English likely dropped because the state excused high school juniors from taking the exam if they were enrolled in advanced-level English course. As with any new test, PARCC scores will be lower in the first few years and gradually improve, Hespe said. "Thanks to the tremendous job done by school administrators and teachers, these results are exactly what we would expect," Hespe said. High school scores, however, remain a concern, Hespe said. The state is expected to approve new high school graduation requirements tied to PARCC on Wednesday. Only 41 percent of students would have met the threshold for graduation in math and 44 percent in English. "Those are areas we know we have to work to do," Hespe said. State officials also announced an increase in students taking the exam following a major opt-out movement in 2015. An additional 56,000 students took the math exam over the previous year, Christie said. Participation in the English test grew by more than 60,000 students. NJ Advance Media Reporter Stephen Stirling contributed to this report Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The tiki bar is alive and well and serving plastic umbrella drinks and pu-pu platters all over New Jersey. This news may surprise those who thought the tiki bar went the way of the hula hoop and transistor radio. "Are there real tiki bars in New Jersey?'' someone asked me on Twitter. Yes! First off, a qualifier. "Tiki bar'' can mean two different things -- either the outdoor, thatched-roof variety, often overlooking a lake, river or ocean and usually down the Shore, or the 50s-style tiki bars, those timeless relics of kooky kitsch, featuring tiki god statues and drinks afire. The world's first tiki bar, Don the Beachcomber, opened in Los Angeles in 1934; America was in a tizzy over tiki in the 40s and 50s. My list of the state's best tiki bars includes both varieties -- thatched roofs, tiki gods, and everything in between. Have a favorite tiki bar? Tell me about it in the comments section. For behind-the-scenes photos of each bar, check out the gallery above. The list is in alphabetical order. Chan's Dragon Inn, Ridgefield. "Tacky fun decorations, workers who date back to ancient times and potent cocktails to wash down the food you are eating,'' Alyssa G. said on Facebook. "The one thing this place is HIGHLY known for are their Zombies! They are THE BEST. . . mysterious, unique and sinfully strong. They should come with a warning label.'' Consider yourself warned. 630 Broad Ave., Ridgefield; (201) 943-1276. Crabby Jack's, Somers Point. Located behind the immensely popular Crab Trap restaurant, Crabby Jack's offers a waterfront setting (that's Ocean City in the shimmering distance) and a scaled-down menu from the Crab Trap. Avoid the epic lines at the latter and kick back with a cold one and the awesome open-air views. 2 Broadway, Somers Point; (609) 927-7377. Donovan's Reef, Sea Bright. Shore legend was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy, but it's now up and running, great news to its legions of sun-loving fans. 1165 Ocean Ave., Sea Bright. Jakeabob's Bay, Union Beach. Another casualty of Sandy, Jakeabob's has re-opened in its original bayfront location, and town residents couldn't be happier. Owner Angelita Liguano-Dorr used doors from homes destroyed by Sandy and turned them into tables and chairs, creating a touching, inspiring display. 525 Front St., Union Beach; (732) 264-3730. King Bennie's Tiki Lounge at Nagoya, Berkeley Heights. Japanese restaurant/sushi bar downstairs, tiki lounge upstairs. "Best local bar, not a chain, can relax, not the ridiculous upscale vibe some local places push for and charge for,'' said a Facebook fan. 538 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights; (908) 898-1188. Lake Mohawk Tiki Bar, Lake Mohawk. The Lake Mohawk Country Club was created in 1927 as "an ideal place to develop healthy growth for the children amid the beauties of nature and congenial surroundings,'' according to owner Arthur D. Crane. Not sure how a tiki bar fits into that picture, but the one here features an idyllic setting, sandy beach, and live music. 21 The Boardwalk, Sparta; (973) 729-6156. Latitudes on the River, Forked River. Come by car or boat; you can tie up your pleasure yacht at the marina here. Indoor restaurant features steak, prime rib, seafood, and Italian fare, but the best spot is the outdoor Beach Bar, overlooking the river, with live music most nights. 361 Lacey Road, Forked River; (609) 242-2648. Lee's Hawaiian Islander, Lyndhurst. The gloriously tacky monument to tiki culture has all the essentials - tiki god statues, mini-tiki huts, and a renowned pu-pu platter (pu-pu is an assortment of Chinese or Hawaiian appetizers). One of many effusive testimonials on Facebook: "Turn back the clock 50 or 60 years to the days when Tiki culture was popular and throw in some authentic Hawaiian food, decorations and music you'd expect to see at a Luau on the Big Island, and you have Lee's Hawaiian Islander.'' 768 Stuyvesant Ave., Lyndhurst: (201) 939-3777. Little Buddy Hideaway, Asbury Park. The newest and coolest addition to the state's tiki bar scene, Little Buddy is a dizzy den decorated with tropical-themed chairs, thatched roof bar, banquettes and enough throw pillows to furnish a harem. Frozen mojitos, frozen Irish coffees, rum chuggies, even "tiki gummies,'' in Hurricane, Zombi and Mai Tai variations. 550 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park. Lun Wah Restaurant & Tiki Bar, Roselle. A tiki bar in Roselle? Why not? The eerie-red neon glow from the outside sign beckons you into a world awash in tiki touches: carved tiki heads, palm trees, blowfish-shaped lights, and don't forget the Volcano, a drink with light and dark rum and fruit juice in a big bowl set afire in front of you. 587 Raritan Road, Roselle; (908) 245-0656. Martell's Tiki Bar, Point Pleasant Beach. Only one bar in the world owns the tikibar.com domain, and it's Martell's. A sprawling complex of bars, decks and dining space, Martell's is far from cozy or intimate but it sure is fun, with tons of drink and food options, plus bands and a dance floor. Best place to eat: Martell's Shrimp Bar, just inside the entrance. 308 Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach; (732) 892-0131. Racks Pub & Grill, Atco. Popular restaurant/sports bar with outdoor tiki bar. 286 White Horse Pike, Atco: (856) 719-1500. Rusty Nail, Cape May. Famed surf bar dating to the 70s now a family-friendly oasis with sand, umbrella-topped tables and fire pits. Kids' meals are served on a souvenir Beach Shack Frisbee you can toss around later. Cape May was named the state's best beach in our recent competition. 205 Beach Ave., Cape May; (609) 884-0017. The Seashell Resort & Beach Club, Beach Haven. Anyone down the Shore with his/her TV on for more than ten minutes in the summer will come across a commercial for the "Shell,'' a two-acre playground with beach, palm trees, hotel, pool parties, bands, and nonstop fun and frivolity. It's even more enjoyable in person. 10 S. Atlantic Ave., Beach Haven; (609) 492-4611. Villari's Lakeside, Sicklerville. Many know it as a popular Italian restaurant and banquet facility. Not as many know there's also an outdoor tiki bar, with the requisite thatched roof, plus live music five nights a week. 2375 Sicklerville Road, Sicklerville; (856) 228-5244. Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram. NEWARK -- When Evelyn Ababio found out a woman was running for president in America, she knew she had to apply for citizenship. "I'm excited to vote. I knew we had a lady coming up," the 39-year-old mother of three from Ghana said. Ababio was one of 71 people from 32 different countries who took an oath of citizenship in the Rodino Federal Building on Tuesday. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the nation welcomes nearly 680,000 citizens during naturalization ceremonies each year. In 2014, the top countries of origin for naturalization were Mexico, India and the Philippines, USCIS said. In 2014, New York, Newark and Jersey City topped the list of metropolitan areas of residence for naturalized citizens. Friends and families filled the room, which looked out at the New York skyline and parts of New Jersey. They held American flag balloons, and took photos on their phones. The naturalized citizens waved tiny American flags while they sang the National Anthem. Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr., who represents the 10th Congressional District in New Jersey, addressed the crowd as his "fellow Americans." "Until today, you were Americans in every way, except on paper," he said. The crowd also received words of congratulations from President Barack Obama. "This is now officially your country," he said on a recording. "You've travelled a long path to get here." To be eligible for naturalization, applicants must fulfill a number of requirements, according to the US. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Those include being a green card holder, "be a person of good moral character" and have knowledge of national history and government. 51-year-old Jeffrey Ruttner's 11-year-old son helped him study. "He's a history buff," Ruttner said. Ruttner hails from Montreal, Canada, but he's lived in America since 2000. He says he's already involved in his community and works at an Essex County public school. Now, he wants his citizenship to be official. Like Ababio, he's also excited to vote in November's presidential elections. "It's important," he said. Kate Mishkin may be reached at kmishkin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KateMishkin. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- A 19-year-old Bloomfield man charged last week in connection with a fatal crash in May pleaded not guilty to the charge during his initial court appearance on Tuesday. Alan Faynzilberg is charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated assault in a May 27 crash that claimed the life of a 33-year-old Belleville man. On Tuesday, Judge Ronald Wigler of State Superior Court in Newark ordered Faynzilberg held at the Essex County Detention Center in Newark on $350,000 bail, with a bond or 10% cash option to apply. During the brief appearance, the teen appeared in orange prison garb, with his hands bound behind his back. The 8:30 p.m. crash on May 27 killed Luis Davila, who was driving in the opposite direction on Belleville Avenue when prosecutors say Faynzilberg crossed the divider and struck Davila's car head-on. A passenger in Faynzilberg's car, his 21-year-old girlfriend, was injured in the crash, which was the basis for the assault charge, said Tara Creegan, the assistant Essex County prosecutor handling the case. Authorities said Davila was pronounced dead around 9:40 p.m. at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- Calling it "one of the most heinous" crimes he had ever encountered, a judge on Tuesday sentenced an East Orange pair to years behind bars for their roles in the stabbing death and dismemberment of a 46-year-old woman who had taken them into her home. "This is one of the most heinous -- I would go so far as to say barbaric -- crimes I have ever seen," Judge Ronald Wigler of State Superior Court in Newark said during the first of back-to-back sentencing hearings for the pair. "I don't know how one goes about even doing such a thing." Danielle Small and Sherief Sims were renting rooms from Dana Jinks at her apartment in East Orange in March 2014, when an argument over rent broke out between Small and Jinks, Wigler told the courtroom, recounting a confession prosecutors say Small made as part of her guilty plea to manslaughter, weapons and desecration charges. The judge said Small admitted stabbing Jinks multiple times with a knife, then leaving her body in the bathtub of the apartment for three days. During that time, the judge said, Small enlisted Sims' aid in cutting off Jinks' feet and hand with a hatchet. The feet and hand were never found, after prosecutors say Sims admitted throwing them in the trash. However, Jinks' body was discovered shortly after prosecutors say the pair left it on the side of the building in garbage bags on March 10. Sims and Small were arrested on March 19, 2014, and have been held ever since. Sims, who prosecutors say cleaned the bathroom with bleach, pleaded guilty in January to desecration of a human body and hindering apprehension, while Small later pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, desecration and weapons charges. In separate but back-to-back sentencing hearings on Tuesday, Wigler first sentenced Sims to a term of 10 years in prison on the desecration charge and another 5 years for hindering, to run consecutively, for a total of 15 years in prison. He then sentenced Small to a 20-year term for manslaughter, with terms for the other charges to run concurrently. Under state guidelines, Small will serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars, plus 5 years probation upon her release. The 2-hour dual process was fraught with emotion, as family members and friends of both the defendants and the victim made statements before the judge, sometimes unable to heed his warning not to address the defendants directly. In a bizarre twist, when it came time for Small to speak, she shocked the courtroom by uttering in a barely intelligible voice that she had not committed the crime she had pleaded guilty to only months before, then remained silent when the judge asked her to clarify. "Are you trying to say that you did not commit this crime?" Wigler asked her, incredulous. However, Small did not elaborate, and instead remained silent, with the same steely expression she had worn throughout the ordeal. Wigler, who later expressed shock at what he termed Small's "lack of remorse," then invited Jinks' family to tell him how her death had affected them. The victim's youngest son, Darian Jinks, 24, a Navy veteran and reservist, told the judge he harbored "a lot of anger," which was only amplified by Small's lack of emotion. "To me, her whole demeanor seems to say she doesn't even care," Jinks said. Another son, Michael Jinks, 32, a Marine Corps staff sergeant, said he learned of his mother's death while stationed on the Pacific island of Okinawa. "My mother, like my brother said, wasn't a perfect person, but she was my mother," Michael Jinks said. "The only reason my mother is not here now is because she took in someone no one else would." The victim's sister, Shelley Jinks, who cried as she addressed the judge, said she could not grasp the callousness of someone who had lived in her sister's home for two years before the killing. "She left her in the tub for three days, Your Honor," she said. "What kind of a person does that?" Small's mother, Diane Everett, was also in tears as she addressed the judge and the Jinks family. "Whatever took place on that dark day, I can't imagine," Everett said. "I'm truly sorry. I'm truly sorry." Turning to her daughter, Everett said through sobs, "I love you with all my heart." Sims' mother was not present. Neither was his father. Both were crack addicts, his lawyer, Robert Guido, told the judge. Guido and Sims' grandmother, Sharon Jones, appealed to the judge for leniency based on Sims' difficult childhood, which led to an adulthood plagued by grief and homelessness. Even Jinks' sons expressed some sympathy for him. The judge was also sympathetic to Sims, but not enough to ignore the sentencing recommendation that was a part of his plea agreement with the Essex County Prosecutor's office, which was represented at the hearing by Assistant Prosecutor Naanzeen Khan. But Wigler expressed as little sympathy for Small as she had for the Jinks family. "What could motivate somebody to do this type of crime is unfathomable," Wigler said. "The fact that you showed zero remorse is also staggering, that you could just stand there fore the last hour and a half is just remarkable." "There are no smiles today in this courtroom," Wigler said. "This is a tragedy on both sides." Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAMDEN -- A former TD Bank official pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that she stole more than $600,000 from customers' dormant accounts and used it to pay for home renovations, lavish trips, two luxury BMW sedans and other items, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. Telisha Trent, 43, of Williamstown pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renee M. Bumb to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering, Fishman's office said. According to a court records, Trent, a financial services representative for TD Bank, used her position to identify dormant checking and savings accounts held primarily by elderly customers, it said. Trent researched the account holders to assess the risk of whether they would notice that the funds in the account were removed, it said. She transferred the funds into her account or had a cashier's check from the account issued in her name, it said. Trent allegedly transferred the funds through a series of accounts that she controlled, it said, and then she closed the dormant accounts. In pleading guilty, Trent admitted that she stole a total of $608,482 from eight accounts belonging to customers from New Jersey, Connecticut and Ohio over a 12-month period beginning in August, 2014, court records said. After discovering the fraud, TD Bank reimbursed the victims, Fishman's office said. The bank fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, and the money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, it said. Trent is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 7, Fishman's office said. Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook. FRANKLIN TWP. -- A South Jersey man has been indicted on charges that he held his ex-wife at knifepoint before cutting his own wrists in an April incident at Malaga Trailer Park. Michael W. Doyle, 50, was charged with various offenses after police say he forced his way into his ex-wife's trailer and held her at knifepoint. (Salem County Correctional Facility) Michael W. Doyle, 50, was arrested after police said he forced his way into the woman's trailer and argued with her before pulling out the knife. Doyle threatened to harm her and held the victim against her will, authorities reported. The woman then fled to another room and called police. When officers arrived on the scene, they said Doyle "caused several self-inflicted knife wounds in both wrists." Before he was taken into custody, Doyle was treated at the scene and taken to Cooper University Hospital for treatment. The woman was not injured. Doyle was indicted last week on charges including second-degree burglary, third-degree terroristic threats, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal restraint and third-degree violating the conditions of a special sentence. He remains in Salem County Correctional Facility, where he was jailed on $50,000 full cash bail following his arrest. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. William Canada Jr. of Luling was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, and booked with three counts of attempted murder in connection with shooting into the house of his estranged wife's parents. St. Charles Parish authorities say the woman's father-in-law was shot in the chest. (St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Off) Man wanted for 2013 burglary in Algiers turns himself in, NOPD says 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. Welcome to non league daily news now - your number one spot for all things relating to the National League System. Our dedicated reporters have come straight from the sidelines to bring you news fresh from the dugout - but not before theyve stopped off at the burger van first! We know that non league football fans are full of heart, passion, and belief. You trust the manager, you believe in the team, and, for some strange reason, you trust those rickety stands, too! Here at Non League Daily, we hope we can become your trusted non league news resource - a platform thats just as passionate about non league daily news now as you. Come rain or shine, well be out reporting on the latest non league fixtures. Well also be scouring the news, refreshing social media, and sourcing information from team websites in the hopes of finding the latest breaking non league daily news for our readers. As youll soon see, weve got exclusive match reports on the Vanarama National League, weve got transfer speculation thatll affect the National League South, weve found great stories thatll spice up the National League North, and weve even got news on the latest giant killers of the FA Cup. We may not be able to agree on who is going up this year, but we can all agree that any news on the NLS worth knowing will be published here, at Non League Daily. 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. A semi driver involved in a fatal crash on Interstate 80 was formally charged Tuesday with five counts of felony motor vehicle homicide and one count of misdemeanor reckless driving. Tony A. Weekly, 53, of Baker, Florida, appeared in Keith County Court. Weekly's bail was set at 10 percent of $1 million. Six people now have died as a result of the multiple-vehicle crash in Keith County on Sunday. A Minnesota couple and their three children died Sunday, and a sixth man was declared dead on Monday afternoon. The Jefferson County Colorado Coroners Office notified the Nebraska State Patrol that Terry Sullivan, 56, of Denver was declared dead Monday at 1:02 p.m. MDT. He remains on life support to facilitate donation of organs, the patrol said. Weekly was "inattentive and distracted by outside influences" when he rammed into a minivan ahead of him "at a high rate of speed," Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Darrell Crawford of Ogallala said in an arrest affidavit filed Monday in Keith County Court. Witnesses said Weekly's truck "did not slow down until hitting the first vehicle," Crawford said. The Minnesota couple killed in the crash had completed 14 days of missionary training and were heading into five more weeks of classes. Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both 29, and their children, Ezra, 3, Violet, almost 2, and 2-month-old Calvin were killed on Interstate 80 west of Brule when their westbound minivan was struck from behind by a semitrailer truck. The force of the collision pushed the two vehicles into three other westbound vehicles. The semi and van both became engulfed in flames. Weekly was driving for Bohren Logistics Inc. of Garrett, Indiana. A statement from the company said, "Those of us at Bohren Logistics are heartbroken by this tragic accident. We extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the relatives and friends of the Pals family for this devastating loss. We also wish the best and a speedy recovery for those injured in the accident. Bohren Logistics is committed to cooperating with law enforcement authorities investigating this accident." The Palses intended to serve as long-term missionaries in Nagoya, Japan. They were headed to Palmer Lake, Colorado, for a five-week session on learning a language and assimilating into another culture, said Dennis Vogan, an official with the ministry organization WorldVenture. After moving to Japan and becoming fluent in Japanese, they would work full-time with 13 other missionaries, he said. "The Palses fit perfectly within our organization," said Vogan, vice president of personnel development with WorldVenture. The missionaries in Japan "were thrilled and looking so forward to their coming," he said. "It's not just been devastating here, it's been devastating in Japan." The Palses previously completed a 10-day program on WorldVenture's operation and another four-day training session about how to raise financial support, Vogan said. The Palses had raised enough money to fund their mission work, which was to start in October, Vogan said. Rick Pals, Jamison's father, said Tuesday that funeral services will be held at Jamison and Kathryne's church Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Arrangements have not yet been finalized. He said the families of Jamison and Kathryne "have been very touched" by the "outpouring of sincere support" they have received. "We've heard from people from all over the country and all around the world," he said. "The president of Christ Bible Institute in (Nagoya) Japan is trying to make arrangements to be here for the funeral." Eventually, Rick Pals said, a foundation will be established to continue the missionary work that Jamison and Kathryne envisioned for themselves. For now, people can donate to www.gofundme.com/joyofjapan. As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, $12,650 had been raised toward the $15,000 goal. "The generosity has been wonderful," Rick Pals said. "Those donations and prayer are really what people can do to help us right now." Bethlehem Baptist Church posted a statement on its website addressing the deaths of the family. "We weep and mourn and ache together as their church family in a very specific way," the statement reads. "Some look at death and see a tragedy the tragic end of all their hopes and dreams. As Christians, we look death in the face and see ultimate victory, not tragedy, because Jesus defeated sin and death for all of his people. Facing death without Jesus is an eternal tragedy weeping that never ends. "And so, while we grieve, we rise up with resurrection faith as we embrace together our blessed hope that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. And so, we celebrate the fact that the Pals family is not dead, but more alive than ever because of the grace of God that is ours in Jesus Christ." Jamison Pals worked for just over three years as a grant writer for Feed My Starving Children. The Christian nonprofit out of Eagan, Minnesota, sends meals specially formulated for malnourished children to orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs around the world. Andy Carr, the group's vice president of marketing and development, said Jamison and Kathryne Pals were "amazing people" and good friends. "They were the most humble and selfless people that you could ever meet," Carr said. "In today's world where it's so much about me, me, me, it was never about them. It was always about others." Carr estimated that Jamison was responsible for writing grants that brought in "well over $1 million" to the organization. But his work didn't stop there. "We work with many small organizations that can't afford to have grant writers and whenever they had questions about how to proceed, we'd point them to Jamison," Carr said. "He would gladly assist them, and his impact went far beyond Feed My Starving Children." This report includes material from the World-Herald News Service. ArcelorMittal, the global behemoth that swooped in and took over many of Northwest Indianas big steel mills after the domestic steelmaking industry collapsed, marked its 10-year anniversary Monday. Steelmaking is our passion and it is this passion that will continue to drive ArcelorMittal for many years to come, ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal said in a statement. Mittal founded Mittal Steel in 1976, and it became the largest steelmaking company in the world when it merged with Belgium-based Arcelor in 2006. Mittal had swallowed up the former Inland Steel, LTV Steel and Bethlehem Steel mills in Northwest Indiana before that, creating a North-American steel colossus. Today ArcelorMittal remains one of the largest employers in the Region with more than 9,500 workers. Over the last decade, ArcelorMittal has made 890 million tons of steel thats been used in 160 countries around the world. The company estimated it has contributed more than $700 billion to the global economy. Much has changed since that time and many of the past ten years have been tough for commodity and industrial companies, including steel companies. But the logic of the merger is as sound today as it was in 2006 and I am convinced it helped us to navigate this highly challenging environment and remain the worlds leading steel and mining company, Mittal said. ArcelorMittal has invented more than 250 grades of steel after investing $2.5 billion in research and development, including the creation of new automotive steels at ArcelorMittal Global R&D in East Chicago. We have faced tough market conditions but in many ways we are a stronger company, better positioned for the future with world-class assets and a clear strategy that will enable us to outperform in all market conditions, Mittall said. ArcelorMittal is now the leading supplier of steel in all the major markets such as automotive, construction, appliances and packaging. MERRILLVILLE A local manufacturer of plastic containers has announced plans to invest $15 million to expand its operations, creating up to 100 new jobs by the end of 2017. Polycon Industries plans to construct and equip a 150,000-square-foot addition to its plant on Colorado Street, which it shares with its parent company, Crown Packaging, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The project, which began last month, will bring the facility to 325,000 square feet and enable Polycon to increase production of blow-molded, high-density polyethylene plastic containers. Operations in the new wing are scheduled to begin in February 2017. Polycon, which currently has more than 130 employees, plans to begin hiring skilled machine operators, processors and experienced mechanics this month. Applications and upcoming job fair information will be posted to Polycons website, www.crownpolycon.com, soon. Polycon Industries was founded in 1969 in Chicago and moved to Merrillville in 2000. The company manufactures plastic bottles used by the chemical, food and health care industries. With the help of a strong business climate at the state and local levels, we have the support we need to grow our business on an even larger scale, said David Blitstein, vice president and general manager of Polycon. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Polycon up to $635,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $30,000 in training grants based on the companys job creation plans. The company can claim the incentives as it hires new workers. The Lake County IN Economic Alliance helped facilitate the deal between Polycon, the Town of Merrillville, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The town of Merrillville approved a property tax abatement for the project. When quality companies like Polycon look to hire more employees at a good wage and make a significant investment in our community, we step up to help them prosper, Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said. HAMMOND A Calumet City man is expected to plead guilty in a crack cocaine case, federal court records show. Musonza "Moe" Musoni, 35, faces five to 40 years in prison, but the U.S. attorney's office has agreed to recommend a minimum sentence in exchange for his plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. Musoni also would be placed on four years of supervised release, according to a plea agreement. He is scheduled to enter his plea Friday. A court affidavit alleged an unidentified government source purchased crack cocaine from either Bobby "Cuz" Dejohnette, of Lockport, Illinois, Brandy K. Hero or Musoni during three separate transactions Nov. 18, Nov. 20 and Dec. 3 in Hammond. The government source paid between $400 and $1,200 for the drugs during each transaction, an indictment said. Hero pleaded guilty in March to dealing crack cocaine and transporting a person between Illinois and Indiana to engage in prostitution. Dejohnette has pleaded not guilty. VALPARAISO A jury was out for 11 minutes Tuesday before returning to find a Crown Point man guilty of a felony count of illegally voting in Hebron during last years primary election. Scott Crawley, of the 13000 block of Gibson Street, had moved from Hebron to Crown Point in 2012, yet signed when receiving his ballot on May 5, 2015 that he was still living at his Hebron address, according to Ethan Lowe, attorney for the Porter County Election Board. The Hebron house, located in the 100 block of Park Place, was awarded to his former wife and has since been sold to a third party, according to the charging information. Crawley is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 19 before Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa. The charge carries a potential penalty of between six months and two and a half years behind bars. The trial started Monday. GRIFFITH No serious injuries were suffered during a domestic disturbance that resulted in a stabbing. Police said they responded at about 1:54 a.m. Monday to the 700 block of North Indiana Street for a domestic disturbance between three people who live at the residence. According to police, the incident involved a man, his wife and her new boyfriend all of whom live at the address. Police said the investigation is ongoing due to conflicting stories and possible self-defense issues. The boyfriend went to a hospital, but was later released, police said. GARY Police are investigating an attempted robbery and stabbing and a robbery that occurred Friday about a mile apart. Police were dispatched about 8:15 p.m. to the 3600 block of Delaware Street, on the east side of Glen Park, after a 56-year-old Gary man was stabbed in the back while fighting off a would-be robber, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. He told police a man wearing all black and a face mask approached him as he got out of his vehicle, and he told the masked man, "Get the h--- out of here." As the victim walked away, the suspect moved closer and he felt a pain to his back. They fought, and the masked man ran to a white vehicle parked in an alley, Westerfield said. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment of a stab wound to his back, she said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Dan Callahan at (219) 881-1210. About an hour later, at 9:15 p.m., police responded to the west side of Glen Park after a 19-year-old Gary man reported he was robbed near 36th Avenue and Pierce Street. The man said he was walking in that area when five people got out of a dark-colored sedan parked in an alley, walked up to him with guns and told him to "give it up," police said. The five took the man's wallet and cellphone, got back into the sedan and drove off. The man ran to a nearby location to call police. No injuries were reported. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. William Fazekas at (219) 881-1210. Gary's anonymous crime tip line is (866) CRIME-GP. HAMMOND A member of the Imperial Gangsters street gang in East Chicago has lost his bid to overturn his convictions for murder and racketeering. A federal judge last week denied a motion filed on behalf of Richard Reyes, 44, of East Chicago, for a judgment of acquittal, arrest of judgment or new trial. U.S. District Chief Judge Philip Simon said in an opinion filed July 27 new evidence that came to light after Reyes was convicted in January 2014 likely would not produce a different verdict if the case were retried. Evidence at Reyes trial proved he was a large-scale marijuana and cocaine dealer who participated in a series of robberies and burglaries to further the interests of the Imperial Gangsters, the judge wrote. At issue was Reyes conviction in the murder of Rene Alonzo on Sept. 16, 2007, outside the U.S. Bar in East Chicago, Simon wrote. Several witnesses at Reyes trial testified that Reyes drove his maroon minivan near the front of the bar, a rival gang member threw a gang sign and Reyes opened fire, killing Alonzo and wounding one of the witnesses. Reyes son, Vincent Garza, told federal prosecutors in an interview eight months after the trial that Alfredo Cooch Alvarez told Garza in 2013 that Alvarez killed Alonzo, not Reyes, according to court records. During two evidentiary hearings Dec. 1 and Feb. 18, Garza further testified Alvarez claimed he killed Alonozo and Reyes took the fall for him. Alvarez, who could not be located by the U.S. attorneys office to testify at Reyes 2014 trial, was subsequently located and appeared at one of the evidentiary hearings. Instead of agreeing with Garza, he flatly denied both that he had any role in the shooting of Alonzo and that he ever made such a statement to Garza, the opinion said. In fact, Alvarez testified in a manner consistent with the governments theory at trial namely that Alvarez was not present for the shooting and that the shots were fired from Reyes maroon minivan, driven by Reyes, with Armando Ortega in the passenger seat and Pedro Ramirez seated behind them. Garzas other testimony about picking up Reyes van the day after the murder and Reyes visit to a Santeria priest is consistent with Ortegas testimony and tends to favor the prosecution, Simon wrote. The judge set Reyes sentencing for Nov. 28. MICHIGAN CITY Michigan City police were busy Monday relocating to a new $13 million facility with twice the space as the old station. Plans call for the old single-story police station near the lakefront to be torn down and possibly used for a hotel or some other private investment as part of the ongoing north end revitalization. One of the hopes is the new facility on U.S. 35, with features like a fitness center and virtual shooting range, acts as a crime deterrent along an economically challenged main entrance way. The city has spent millions beautifying it over the past several years to try and spur new investment. City Councilman Chris Schwanke said the new police station along with a $20 million assisted living facility that could start going up on the east side of U.S 35 late in the year should draw more prospective investors. People are going to really start noticing that corridor has become something, said Schwanke, whos hoping work will begin soon on demolishing some of the dilapidated buildings along U.S 35 to further the momentum. The new two-story facility containing more than 43,000 square feet is an upgrade over the former cramped police station designed more than a half century ago for a department with about half of the 90 officers presently on staff. Sgt. Chris Yagelski said no more will officers have to share office space and other quarters. We actually had guys working out of closets over there. Fortunately, this is very adequate for what we need, Yagelski said. Schwanke said the technology also is first-class. We have the finest, most state of the art police facility probably in Northwest Indiana, if not, all of Indiana, Schwanke said. Mayor Ron Meer said a new police station had been talked about for more than 20 years. It finally materialized after making public safety a priority of his since taking office in 2011 and sticking to a commitment to building a first-class facility at the lowest cost possible, he said. HAMMOND A Portage man accused of conspiring with several alleged members of the Two Six Nation street gang won a bid Monday to be tried separately from several co-defendants. Anthony C. P-Nut Aguilera, 39, of Portage, is now scheduled to stand trail beginning Sept. 6 on federal charges he participated in a racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracy from January 1992 to August 2014 that involved murder, robbery, kidnapping and drug trafficking. Co-defendant Frank Pumpkin Perez, 35, of Verona, Pa., is charged in the alleged racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracy and two additional counts related to the July 1999 murder of Jose Pena outside an arcade in Whiting. Perez recently sought to delay his trial, which is now set for April 10. Aguileras defense is that he withdrew from the alleged conspiracy in 2003 and a statute of limitations precludes his prosecution, U.S. District Chief Judge Philip Simon wrote in an opinion filed Monday. Aguilera previously was charged and pleaded guilty in state court for his involvement in the Pena homicide. He confessed to police in 2003 that he drove the getaway car after his fellow gang member, Perez, killed Pena, the opinion said. Federal criminal court rules say joint trials for defendants charged together are preferred because they promote efficiency and avoid the scandal and inequity of inconsistent verdicts. In this case, there is tension between Perezs right to cross-examine witnesses against him such as Aguilera, and Aguileras ability to fully present his defense while exercising his right against self-incrimination, the judge wrote In this case, the defendant wishes to offer his own out-of-court statements to show withdrawal from the conspiracy, and the more the statement is watered down, the less persuasive it will be, the judge wrote. The fact that Aguilera names as opposed to merely telling the authorities that some other gang member committed the Pena murder makes his defense much more potent. Aguilera cannot fully present his withdrawal defense with a diluted version of the story. Limiting Aguileras defense by redacting names or withholding details from his statement could jeopardize his right to due process, the opinion said. Under the unique circumstances of this case, the concern about judicial resources (does) not trump Aguileras right to fully present his defense theory to the jury, Simon wrote. Co-defendant Anthony Laviena, who was indicted in the case in December, is scheduled to stand trial with Perez next year. Laviena faces charges in the October 1999 slaying of rival gang member Alberto Greeny Guzman in East Chicago. VALPARAISO Krystal Tapia told jurors Tuesday morning she was on the telephone with a 911 operator when she watched her husband suffer a fatal gunshot wound outside their Portage home. She said her husband, Alexius Tapia, 36, hobbled back up to the front door of the house where he said, Babe, he shot me, before collapsing in front of her and the couples three young children. The testimony conflicted with a claim from the defense just a day earlier that Thomas Reichler, who was 18 at the time of the Dec. 12, 2014 shooting, had shot Alexius Tapia out of self defense because he feared for his life after Tapia caught him breaking into cars. Defense attorney Larry Rogers said Tapia hit Reichler with his gun, threatened to shoot him and dragged him back toward the house for an uncertain fate. Reichler, who is being held without bond, is on trial this week on felony counts of murder, two counts of theft and one count of attempted theft. The theft charges involve two handguns stolen from the Chesterton area, including the one used to shoot Tapia. Krystal Tapia said her husband was not dragging Reichler toward the house and she never saw him hitting Reichler. She said her husband was holding on to Reichler until police arrived. I heard my husband tell him to freeze, she said, as well as telling her to call 911. She then heard Reichler say, I dont want any trouble, which was followed by three sparks that turned out to be gunshots. Rogers told jurors during opening arguments Monday afternoon that Reichler fired his handgun during the scuffle in hopes of scaring off Tapia so he could flee. He shot Tapia once in the upper abdomen and Tapia shot Reichler in both arms before Reichler fled and was later found at a Michigan City hospital seeking treatment. Jurors have been told they will see the shooting, which was captured on Tapias home surveillance system installed a few months earlier after one of their childrens bicycles was stolen. Rogers portrayed Alexius Tapia as laying in wait for Reichler after seeing him on the home surveillance system more than an hour before the fatal shooting. Krystal Tapia testified that her husband did not want to call police when Reichler and two other young men were first spotted earlier that morning. I wanted to call, she said. It was my first instinct to call. But I trusted his judgement. When the young men were spotted outside the home a second time at about 5:30 a.m., Alexius Tapia ran outside with his gun to confront them, Krystal Tapia said. One of the other two men accused in the case, Nathaniel Sipe of Westville, faces charges of theft and assisting a criminal who committed a murder, according to court records. He is scheduled for trial Oct. 3. The third man, Korey Izynski of Clarksville, Indiana, pleaded guilty in May 2015 to two felony counts of theft and has since been charged with an unrelated count of felony burglary, according to court records. EAST CHICAGO City Councilman Juda Parks is resigning rather than fight a state law forbidding him to hold multiple municipal jobs. The Lake County clerks office said it received Parks official resignation letter Monday. Parks is forfeiting his third four-year term on the citys nine-member legislative body where he had served since 2007. The resignation permits him, under the new job restrictions, to retain his more lucrative city job as a master police officer on the East Chicago Police Department. It pays an annual salary of $59,971. He also was listed in 2015 as a security guard for the School City of East Chicago at a salary of $20,000, according to Indianas public employee compensation datebase. Democratic Party committeemen in the citys 31 precincts will name Parks replacement in the next 30 days. Parks departure could spark a run of candidates seeking his at-large council seat and its salary of more than $42,000. A 2015 Times survey of local government elected officials found East Chicago paid its council members the highest salary in the state more than five times the average salary of council members in 75 community governments surveyed by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. Parks becomes the second to leave the City Council this year. Robert Battle lost his seat May 16 when fellow council members decided Battle was unable to remain in office while incarcerated in jail where he is awaiting trial Nov. 29 in U.S. District Court on drug and homicide charges. Parks, former Hammond City Councilman Michael Opinker, Hammond City Councilman Scott Rakos, former Hobart City Councilman Matthew D. Claussen and former New Chicago Town Councilwoman Susan Pelfrey filed suit 17 months ago challenging the new prohibition on holding both elective offices and second jobs on their communities police, fire and municipal water departments. They argued the law violated their constitutional right to involvement in elective politics. Nevertheless, Lake Superior Court Judge William E. Davis ruled Wednesday the Indiana General Assembly had the authority to ban elected officials from having two paychecks from the same municipality and policy-making authority over their fellow employees. Opinker, Claussen and Pelfrey resigned last month. Rakos resigned last year as an assistant Hammond Fire Department chief prior to his successful run for the 6th District seat on the Hammond City Council. A federal judge in Hammond and the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled against the five earlier. Griffith Clerk-Treasurer George Jerome is resigning his office at the end of this month. Jerome didnt challenge the conflicts law. He is leaving to become director of finance and operations for the Griffith Public Schools at an annual salary of $105,000. CALUMET CITY The City Council adopted a budget last week after several finance meetings combing over the details. This years appropriated expenditures for all funds included in the appropriation ordinance total $59,796,152. Thats about $3.7 million less than last year. The corporate fund represents the budget set for Calumet City governments day-to-day spending and revenue. The citys corporate fund estimates $35,965,233 in revenue, a 3.3 percent increase over the estimate last year. Finance Director John Kasperek said the unaudited actual revenue received for the 2015-2016 fiscal year was $36,149,043, about $1.3 million more than estimated. Kasperek attributes the difference to unanticipated sale of land owned by the city, insurance claim reimbursements and real estate tax collections. Treasurer (Gerry Tarka) has always been very close to estimating revenues, including two years ago within 0.5 percent, Kasperek said. I feel his estimated revenues for the new fiscal year are reasonable. Corporate expenditures were set about 0.4 percent higher than a year ago at $36,456,409. The total increase is $146,384. While there was a $900,000 reduction in the budget due to the fire training station being nearly complete, there were other budgeted line items that had fairly large increases, Kasperek said. Those increases included police salary raises of about $320,000, health insurance costs of $330,000, telephone expenses of $160,000 costs and private scavenger costs of about $180,000. With corporate revenues and spending totaled and including a $470,000 transfer from the fire training center budget, the city is looking at a deficit of about $21,000. With expenditures appropriated at $36 million, the amount of the deficit is very minimal, Kasperek said. So from a practical standpoint, the city has a balanced budget for the corporate fund. The water and sewer budget is not included in the corporate fund. Tarka and Kasperek estimated the revenue this year at about $8.95 million with expenditures just a bit higher. Expected spending last year was about $4 million more, but bonds were issued to cover the cost of a water meter replacement program in 2015. In the past, the water fund has borrowed from the corporate fund. Kasperek said he doesnt expect that to be needed this year. The rest of the budget includes $1.5 million for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund which Kasperek expects to have no cash flow problems $2.9 million for police and fire pensions, just under $1 million for the fire and paramedic fund and $600,000 for the capital projects fund. Pence quieted a crowd that was booing a woman who asked Pence at a town hall meeting in Carson City Monday how he could tolerate Trump's disrespect for American servicemen. "Capt. Khan is an American hero," Pence told a crowd at a Reno hotel-casino later that evening, emphasizing that Trump shares his view. "Capt. Khan and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by all the people of the United States." The Republican nominee implied last week that Ghazala Khan, mother of Capt. Humayun Khan, stood silently alongside her husband at the Democratic National Convention because, as a Muslim, she was restricted her from speaking. That comment and others Trump made about the family prompted criticism from fellow Republicans and demands for an apology from the families of fallen soldiers. During his speech at last week's DNC, Humayun Khan's father, Khizr Khan, questioned whether Trump has read the Constitution, and said the billionaire businessman has "sacrificed nothing and no one," leading Trump to respond. Pence said he understands and appreciates the attention given to Khan's family. But he doesn't understand "why the media maligned and continues to ignore the moving mother of fallen Air Force veteran and diplomat Sean Smith." Pence said much of the same media criticizing Trump earlier condemned Patricia Smith's speech at the GOP convention about the U.S. information officer killed in the 2012 attack in Benghazi. "Let's demand the media listen to and honor all of the families of the fallen in this country," he said. On Tuesday, Trump's son, Eric Trump, said his father's comments have been "blown out of proportion." Speaking Tuesday to CBS This Morning, Eric Trump said his father is "a great patriot," who "doesn't want to see more Americans dead." MOSCOW Rebels in Syria shot down a Russian combat helicopter Monday amid fierce fighting around Aleppo, killing all five people on board in the deadliest single incident for the Russian military since it became embroiled in Syrias civil war 10 months ago. The helicopter downing came as the Syrian army, under Russian air cover, fought to repel a rebel attempt to break the governments siege of Aleppo, killing more than 800 militants, according to the Russian military. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province while returning to Hemeimeem air base on Syrias coast after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said all three crewmembers and two military officers on board died. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists showed the burning wreckage of a Russian helicopter in footage seemingly taken in the first moments after it crashed. In one video, men, some of them armed, were shown standing near the wreckage taking cellphone photos, some cheering and shouting Allahu Akbar, or God is great in Arabic. The body of one Russian soldier was seen being dragged by the legs while a man jumped on the half-naked body of another soldier. The helicopter appeared to have broken up as it crashed: Its tail could be seen lying separately from the aircrafts body in flames. A rocket pod was visible amid the wreckage, standard equipment for the Mi-8, a workhorse of the Russian air force which can be used for carrying troops and cargo and attacking ground targets. International human rights groups have repeatedly accused Russia of hitting civilians and using cluster munitions since it began its aerial campaign in Syria. The Russian military has denied hitting civilians, and also rejected claims that its aircraft targeted moderate elements of the Syrian opposition along with its declared targets, the Islamic State group and al-Qaidas branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters from both the Nusra Front and other groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assads forces. The Nusra Front announced last week that it was changing its name and relinquishing ties with al-Qaida in an attempt to undermine a potential U.S. and Russian air campaign against its fighters. The group is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. Russias air campaign in Syria, launched in September, has shored up Assads regime, which was on the verge of collapse after a series of military defeats last year, and helped it gain key ground around Aleppo and elsewhere. On Monday, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian militarys General Staff announced that the Syrian army, relying on Russian air cover, had fended off a massive militant attack intended to break the governments blockade of the rebel-held part of Aleppo. The offensive, launched late Sunday, involved some 5,000 militants, Rudskoi said, adding that the rebels lost more than 800 fighters, as well as 14 tanks, 10 other armored vehicles and over 60 gun trucks. His claims could not be independently confirmed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of militants and government troops were killed in the fighting, but didnt provide exact numbers. Syrian opposition activists said intense fighting was still ongoing in Aleppo on Monday. Rudskoi said 324 civilians had fled the militant-controlled part of Aleppo through corridors opened by the Syrian government on Thursday. He said 82 militants had also laid down their weapons. The U.N. estimates some 300,000 people are still trapped in the rebel-held section of Aleppo, with dwindling food and medical supplies. Its Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, warned last week that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks. The fierce fighting around Aleppo coincided with the passing of an Aug. 1 deadline for a U.N.-supported process to start a political transition in Syria. De Mistura is struggling to restart peace talks among the warring parties in Syria, even as the Syria war has increasingly been handled by diplomacy between the U.S. and Russia. De Mistura said last week that he aims to call a new round of talks between government and opposition envoys in Geneva toward the end of August, but added he wants to see the outcome of steps agreed upon in Moscow last week between the United States and Russia before setting a precise date. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. is focusing on efforts to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful. It is critical, obviously, that Russia restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations, he said. Mondays helicopter downing marks the deadliest single incident for the Russian military in the Syria campaign. It has brought the official Russian casualty toll to 19, 16 of whom were killed in enemy fire. Last month, two Russian airmen were killed in central Homs province when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were Islamic State fighters. A Mi-28N helicopter gunship crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members, but the Russian military said there was no evidence it came under fire. A Russian warplane was shot down by Turkey along the Syrian border in November, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting. Russia also lost a helicopter in a mission to rescue the planes second pilot, when a Russian marine was killed. ___ Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Lynn Berry in Moscow, Zeina Karam and Philip Issa in Beirut and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report. Donald Trump's exchange with the father of an Army captain killed in Iraq is still dominating political headlines, and it's causing more Republicans to distance themselves from their party's nominee. Josh Robin filed the following report. It was one of the dramatic moments of a presidential campaign already filled with drama: the parents of Humayun Khan, the Muslim U.S. army captain killed protecting fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in Iraq, speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Sunday, Trump was asked about their appearance. "His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. she had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me. But plenty of people have written that," he said. In fact, Ghazala Khan says she was too distraught to speak about her killed son. Trump found himself on the receiving end of bipartisan condemnation, from a protest outside his offices to outrage from Brian Duffy, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," Duffy said in a statement. Fellow Republican John McCain, a decorated former prisoner of war, also denounced Trump, along with other GOP senators, though none withdrew their endorsement. And President Barack Obama, speaking before disabled veterans in Atlanta, also spoke of Gold Star families, those who lost children in battle. "Our Gold Star families have made a sacrifice that most of us can not even begin to imagine," Obama said. "They represent the very best of our country." Hillary Clinton stumped with Warren Buffett in Omaha. He referenced the Red Scare of the 1950s. "I ask Donald Trump, 'Have you no sense of decency, Sir?'" Buffett said. Trump appeared in Ohio. He did not mention the Khan family. Instead, he predicted a disputed outcome in November. "And I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest," he said. When it comes to the Khans, Trump tweeted: This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 But some question whether politically, at least, it is smart for Trump to attack the family of a solider killed in war. Veterans and Muslim-American leaders upset by Donald Trumps comments about the family of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq rallied outside Trump Tower in Manhattan Monday. Trump is facing bipartisan criticism for his ongoing feud with the parents of a Muslim-American army captain killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Khizr Khan told his son's story last week during the Democratic National Convention, where he blasted Trump for his proposed ban on Muslims entering the country. Trump later implied Khan's wife was not allowed to speak because of their religion, which the family strongly refutes. At the rally, members of the group Veterans Against Hate said Trump consistently disrespects veterans and their families. "He has sacrificed absolutely nothing," said Katherine Scheirman, a retired Air Force colonel. "Ive seen the sacrifices that our troops made. We heard from Mrs. Khan the sacrifices that military families make." "They continue to say why Ms. Khan did not speak, and her silence spoke louder than any words," said Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. "We tell Donald Trump today, start running on a platform and stop running on hate." Trump Tower is Trumps base of operations. Trump left Trump Tower shortly after the rally ended, but he did not address the protesters. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan released statements condemning any criticism of Muslim-Americans, though neither denounced Trump by name. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, described their failure to drop endorsements of Trump as "cowardice." Police say a man who was shot by NYPD officers Monday in Queens has now been charged with burglary. Felix Perez, 37, is also charged with criminal possession of stolen property and resisting arrest. It happened Monday afternoon near 66th Street and Hull Avenue in Maspeth, when police say a woman called 911 when she spotted a man on a nanny camera inside her apartment. Police say a struggle broke out when officers found Perez. He was shot once in the groin and ran off, but was caught about a block away, according to police. Police say Perez, who's recovering from his injuries, has been arrested for burglary in the past. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is stepping down and will be replaced by Chief of Department James O'Neill. Dean Meminger filed the following report. After weeks of speculation and denials that William Bratton would be leaving as police commissioner imminently, he made it official Tuesday, standing with Mayor Bill de Blasio. "I made it quite clear that I would leave when I thought the time was right," Bratton said. Bratton is resigning after two-and-a-half years. "I worked very hard over the last couple years with the mayor to recognized that there would become a point in time, whether it is now or a year from now, that I would leave. Police is never done. It is always unfinished business." There was speculation Bratton is stepping down for multiple reasons, from the mayor firing him, to poor health, to federal investigations into the NYPD or because of community activists. "I've never had a concern about being fired by this mayor because effectively, we work so well together," Bratton said. Bratton has never been shy about saying he lost money to become police commissioner the second time around and was always going back to the private sector for financial reasons. This time he'll be working for a CEO advisory firm called Teneo. "I'm going into a related world where I'll be able to use the expertise that was developed, particularly over the past several years, dealing with cybercrime and terrorism and take that into the private sector," he said. Bratton will officially leave in September. The top bosses in the department will basically stay the same. Chief of Department James O'Neill will be bumped up to police commissioner. Carlos Gomez will be chief of department, and Ben Tucker will stay on as first deputy commissioner. "Better to leave at this juncture where there is a team that is capable, energetic and is creative and wants to engage, and you've met them and you know them," Bratton said. "We've all been a team together," de Blasio said. "This is something, again, that I cannot say enough about Bill Bratton's understanding of teamwork." Bratton leaves as overall crime remains at historic lows and additional officers are being added to the department with upgraded equipment. Although Bratton says the police department has accomplished a lot over the last two-and-a-half years, he admits there are still plenty of challenges ahead for the NYPD, especially with community-police relations. Activists cheered his departure as he left City Hall. But unlike when he was forced out as commissioner in the 90's by then mayor Giuliani, he says this time was on his terms and at the right time. "I'm leaving with reluctance," he said. "I wish I had more time chronologically to stay around for three or four years to work on the issues that are going to take that long to straighten out. I don't have that time." Bratton says he'll be staying in New York City but doesn't plan to meddle in police matters once his out the door. Members of the police union followed Mayor Bill de Blasio through Brooklyn Tuesday morning to protest a lack of pay raises. The Patrolman's Benevolent Association demonstrated outside a coffee shop in Park Slope where the mayor ate breakfast, and then followed him down the block to the Prospect Park YMCA, where he often goes to exercise. PBA President Pat Lynch says the Mayor has refused to hear officers out. "Usually we'd sit at a table and have him hear the message in negotiations. He hasn't heard it. So if he's gonna be here at the gym running city government from the gym, that's where we come. We want to go where we can solve problems. If this is the spot, this is where we'll be," Lynch said. The union is demanding higher pay and better equipment for officers, along with more legislative support from City Hall. A statement from the mayor's office said, "Our door has always been and continues to be open to the PBA to negotiate a long-term contract, as weve done with nearly the entire City workforce to date." No one had a radio. Our cellphones didnt work. And it was clear that no bikes would be coming back to get us. Image Suzanne Daley Credit... Lars Klove for The New York Times I was in one of the most beautiful settings on earth. But that fact intruded on my thoughts only occasionally. We walked for nine and a half hours, mostly in water. The poncho turned out to be porous. The new boots, soaking wet, were heavy and began to kill my toes. I had expected heat. But the water was cold. I was shivering. As with every other time I have ended up in a dangerous situation while reporting, my mind went over and over where I had made the stupid mistake that had landed me in such a spot. Eventually, some of the rangers who had gone ahead on bikes waded back to help us out of there. Perhaps because I was old enough to be their mother, the soldiers and rangers seemed unsure of how to deal with me. But one finally offered me his hand. I wondered later whether he regretted it. I did not let go of him for at least two hours as he inched forward first, trying to guide me to solid footing. Over the next two days (yes, one night turned into two) I watched these young men work so hard to do their job right. Some showed a deep knowledge and love of the rain forest they were trying to protect. But it was a shock to see how poorly equipped and vastly outmanned they were. Most spoke not a word of English. But even so, as I slipped down the 15-foot muddy embankment to get into a motorized canoe or got my boots stuck in the quicksand-like beach along the river, one of them always seemed there to hold my hand. My Fitbit didnt survive the soaking. The clothes I wore and slept in were so stained with gooey muck that they would go straight into the garbage. I am in the process of losing one of my toe nails. But as we headed for a different path home, I knew I had gotten what I wanted for my story. Going up the river away from the miners, we were in a still-pristine area. There, at dawn, we spotted a jaguar in the water swimming from shore to shore. The men turned off the boat engine to watch as the animal climbed out on a pebbly stretch. Then they burst out laughing. Our jaguar was fat. In this area of the reserve, at least for now, all was well. Yes, Mr. Ackman has lost a ton of money for his investors on his bet against Herbalife. But with the F.T.C. settlement, he has won a moral victory that could very well help hundreds of thousands of Herbalifes defrauded customers, who are mainly low-income immigrants who would most likely not have had any legal recourse had Mr. Ackman not loudly called the company into question. I have to admit I didnt fully appreciate the magnitude of Mr. Ackmans accomplishment until I watched a new documentary about his battle with Herbalife: Betting on Zero. The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April; its title is drawn from Mr. Ackmans prediction that the companys stock would one day be worth nothing. The film, directed by Theodore Braun, is remarkably poignant and is in negotiations for a distributor; it is being screened this Saturday in East Hampton. At the end of the movie, during the credits, Mr. Braun shows Edith Ramirez, head of the F.T.C., at a news conference last month announcing the settlement. Herbalife, she said, was responsible for deceiving hundreds of thousands of hopeful people. She described the dream portrayed by Herbalife as an illusion. She went on to say that the vast majority of Herbalife distributors found they could make little or no money selling Herbalife products. Worse still, Ms. Ramirez said, her agency had determined that people who leased space and opened a nutrition club and worked long hours made no money or lost money. And, she concluded: The small minority of Herbalife distributors who did make a lot of money were paid by Herbalife not for selling the companys products, but for buying the products themselves and then successfully recruiting large networks of others to do the same. WILMINGTON, Del. For decades, many of the nations biggest companies staked their futures far from the fraying downtowns of aging East Coast and Midwestern cities. One after another, they decamped for sprawling campuses in the suburbs and exurbs. Now, corporate America is moving in the other direction. In June, McDonalds joined a long list of companies that are returning to downtown Chicago from suburbs like Oak Brook, Northfield and Schaumburg. Later this month, the top executive team at General Electric whose 70-acre wooded campus in Fairfield, Conn., has embodied the quintessential suburban corporate office park since it opened in 1974 will move to downtown Boston. When the move is completed in 2018, the renovated red brick warehouses that will form part of G.E.s new headquarters wont even have a parking lot, let alone a spot reserved for the chief executive. But even as they establish new urban beachheads, business giants like G.E. are also changing the nature of their headquarters, staffing them with a few top white-collar employees and a smattering of digital talent, rather than recreating the endless Dilbert-like pods they once built in the burbs. PHILADELPHIA Elizabeth Holmes tried to salvage the reputation of her embattled blood-testing company here on Monday, discussing its technology and data at a scientific meeting for the first time. Instead of focusing on sins of the past, she made promises for the future. Ms. Holmes said that Theranos, the company she started, was developing a new version of its technology that she called the mini-laboratory, or miniLab. She said the technology would be able to perform multiple types of medical tests in a box that could be placed on a table in a doctors office. She said the company was seeking approval of a test to detect infection by the Zika virus. The presentation suggested that Theranos was shifting its business model toward selling medical testing machines, rather than strictly being a laboratory that performs tests by itself. This is an inflection point for our company and a new chapter as we introduce our technologies to the world, Ms. Holmes said, in addressing the annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. Elio Guaitolini, whose namesake restaurant on the Upper East Side, Elios, has served as an informal clubhouse for Manhattans social and media elite since opening in 1981, died on Sunday at his home in Manhattan. He was 83. The cause was complications of pneumonia, his wife, Colleen Croft, said. Mr. Guaitolini served apprenticeships at two celebrity hot spots, Portofino in Greenwich Village and Elaines on the Upper East Side, before striking out on his own in 1977 with Parma, a successful venture that he abandoned when relations with his partner, John Piscina, became rocky. Then came Elios, on Second Avenue near 84th Street, created in partnership with Anne Isaak, a former sous-chef at Chez Panisse. The concept was simple: classic Italian dishes served in warm, clubby surroundings, with a come-as-you-are atmosphere that Manhattans power players found congenial. From the day it opened, despite a dismissive review by Mimi Sheraton in The New York Times, Elios attracted an A-list following of writers, actors, producers and political heavyweights. It soon established itself as a lower-profile and tastier alternative to Elaines, just a few blocks away. Two former officials of Venezuelas federal antidrug agency have been charged in New York with taking part in an international narcotics ring that worked with traffickers to ship cocaine into the United States, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said. In a five-page indictment unsealed on Monday, prosecutors accused the two officials, Nestor Luis Reverol and Edylberto Jose Molina, of taking payments from drug lords to move their shipments out of Venezuela even while helping to run the countrys equivalent of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Mr. Reverol was a former general director of the antidrug agency, La Oficina Nacional Antidrogas, and a onetime commander in Venezuelas National Guard. Mr. Molina, who is currently Venezuelas military attache in Germany, had once served as the subdirector of the agency, prosecutors said. From the beginning of 2008 to the end of 2010, prosecutors said, Mr. Reverol and Mr. Molina helped alert the traffickers to pending raids and to locations where Venezuelan law-enforcement officers were planning drug interdiction operations. They also stopped or hindered antidrug investigations, allowing vehicles loaded with cocaine to leave the country, prosecutors said. On at least one occasion, the indictment says, the two men freed people who had been detained on suspicion of drug trafficking and arranged for the release of seized narcotics and drug-trafficking profits. They also prevented the arrest or deportation of a number of suspects who were being sought for prosecution in other countries, including the United States, the indictment says. Memos went unread. The mayor said he was in the dark. But one person understood how New Yorks bureaucracy could allow for a Manhattan nursing home to be sold to luxury condominium developers: Joel Landau, the man whose company flipped it for a $72 million profit. Mr. Landaus savviness in pulling the levers of city government on behalf of Allure Group, an owner of the for-profit nursing home company, was outlined in the greatest detail yet in a report on the transactions by the city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, that was released on Monday. Allure Group successfully lobbied for the city last year to remove a deed restriction on the property several months after buying it for $28 million; the company paid the city $16.15 million and then sold the property, known as Rivington House, to developers in February. The 28-page report faulted City Hall for breakdowns in communication between top mayoral aides and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which oversees the removal of deed restrictions, despite at least 48 meetings on the subject among various city officials, including the first deputy mayor, Anthony E. Shorris. What went down here was a failure of management on multiple layers of government, both in City Hall and at D.C.A.S., Mr. Stringer said at a news conference on Monday. Utility customers in New York State will pay nearly $500 million a year in subsidies aimed at keeping some upstate nuclear power plants operating, regulators in Albany decided on Monday. The subsidies were included in an order from the Public Service Commission to establish new rules on how power consumed in the state is generated. The policy, championed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, calls for half of the states electricity to come from renewable sources, such as solar or wind, by 2030. Mr. Cuomos ambition to have New York seen as a national leader in reducing pollution from power generation has been complicated by the declining fortunes of the operators of nuclear plants. A long slump in the price of natural gas, a fuel for other generators, has hurt the profits of many nuclear plants, prompting plans to shut down some in New York. Exelon has said it may have to close its R. E. Ginna and Nine Mile Point nuclear plants unless it receives financial help from the state. Another company, Entergy, had said that it would close the James A. FitzPatrick plant, which neighbors Nine Mile Point on the shore of Lake Ontario in Oswego County, by early next year. Back Story With one month until Labor Day weekend, time for a summer road trip is winding down. And your relaxation time will be even shorter if you get lost. That still happens in this age of GPS. Sometimes its even because of the technology. Image Hand-held GPS receivers became available in the 1980s. Credit... Stacey Cramp for The New York Times The most famous example might be the woman who drove 900 miles across several countries over two days, even though her destination was just 90 miles away in her own country, Belgium. The most tragic cases, when a device guides drivers down abandoned roads or uses outdated data, for example, can end in death, whether in a rural area like Death Valley National Park, or not far from Chicago. (Learn about GPS mishaps here and here.) A precursor to GPS, the Jones Live Map, had similar troubles keeping up with changes 100 years ago, though, it offered over 500 routes across the country. GPS, which stands for global positioning system, got its start in the U.S. military, which was trying to track Sputnik, the first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. Scientists learned they could figure out its orbit by measuring the changes in the frequency of its radio signal. Today, satellites controlled from Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado transmit a constant signal emitted by their atomic clocks. Billions of devices, including your smartphone, carry a receiver that locks onto the signals to calculate your location. The CeaseFire and Safe Neighborhoods programs have brought down crime, in the neighborhoods using them, and Safe Neighborhoods have been shown to lower recidivism among its participants. But only very rarely can any such program show a citywide effect. In many departments, procedural justice risks becoming one more in a series of halfhearted reform efforts; the police force institutes training and some rule changes, but makes no real attempt to integrate the programs into broader practices. And even if a force did employ it fully, crime rates would be unlikely to fall quickly. Meares compares it to fighting obesity. Imagine a successful, proven strategy to get people to lose weight by eating more fruits and vegetables. Now imagine that two years after that strategy began, many people using it were still obese. We wouldnt declare it a failure. We would recognize that obesity is a complex and long-term problem with multiple causes that requires many successful strategies at once. So we might even see a need to expand its use. Thats even more true of crime. Many things affect crime rates, and there is no agreement among experts about which factors have been most important in the two-decade drop in crime we are still enjoying. Common sense and decency tell us that procedural justice is a step in the right direction. We cant go back to treating entire communities as felonious. Police abuses are a different matter. Forces that use procedural justice well teach it to their entire force, integrate it into rules, consider it in evaluations and promotions can expect to see less everyday mistreatment. But other department policies also affect police behavior and community trust. Few are as harmful as widespread stop-and-frisk. In 2011 the New York Police Department carried out 650,000 such stops. More than 90 percent of those stopped were nonwhite. And a vast majority of stops were a waste of time: In 88 percent, the police found nothing. They found guns in just one of every 500 stops, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union. That was the peak, a decade into the mayoralty of Michael R. Bloomberg; but then it began a decline that accelerated in 2013 after a federal judge found such stops discriminatory. The judge ordered changes that included oversight by a federal monitor. Last year, instances of stop-and-frisk in the city dropped to 23,000 less than 4 percent of the 2011 number. And major crime hit another historic low, even though the most serious crimes, such as homicide, rape and robbery, rose slightly. (Homicides and shootings have resumed dropping this year.) Studio City, Calif. Has the tide against restrictive voting laws turned? In the last few weeks, voting rights groups, in some instances working with the Department of Justice, have posted a series of victories that seemed unlikely when their cases against these laws were first brought. The rights of hundreds of thousands of voters are at stake. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, perhaps the most conservative federal appeals court, ruled 9-6 last month that Texas strict voter identification law had a racially discriminatory effect on African-American and Latino voters. Not only did the Fifth Circuit send the case back to the trial court to establish a procedure to make it easier for those who lacked one of the narrow forms of identification to be able to vote, but also to decide if Texas had acted with racially discriminatory intent. Such a finding could lead the courts to put Texas back under direct federal supervision. Last Friday, a Fourth Circuit panel ruled that a North Carolina voting law, possibly the largest rollback of voting rights since the 1965 Voting Rights Act, was enacted with racially discriminatory intent. The court threw out not only the states strict voter ID law, but also other voting restrictions that could make it especially hard for minorities to vote. In the Seventh Circuit, a panel of conservative judges gave a trial court permission to soften Wisconsins strict voter identification law. In response, the trial court recently issued an order giving people who lacked one of the few IDs accepted for voting in Wisconsin the chance to vote by filling out an affidavit of identity. Then last week another federal court threw out more of Wisconsins strict voting laws. On Monday, a federal court told North Dakota to soften its ID law, which adversely affected Native Americans. Another day, another investigation into Mayor Bill de Blasios administration. While the mayor likes to boast that his administration is competent, transparent and accountable, the facts occasionally suggest an entirely different set of adjectives. A report released Monday by the office of Comptroller Scott Stringer examines the saga of Rivington House, a building on the Lower East Side that the city sold in 1992 to a nonprofit that ran it as a nursing home for people with H.I.V. and AIDS. The city recognized at the time that this was a valuable use of the property. It put a restriction on the deed requiring that the building be used as a nonprofit residential health care facility forever. But forever lasted only until 2015. Last year a developer paid the city to have the deed restriction lifted, before flipping it early this year to a builder of luxury condominiums for $116 million, netting a $72 million profit. My name is Destini, Destini spelled with an I, and I want to tell you my story. Every time I turn on the TV, I skip over the National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet, any channel that shows another animal being targeted. Somebody is always talking in the background, usually a white man with, yah know, green outfits and shorts on, and the boots. He would probably have an Australian voice. Thats usually what they sound like. We always see lions, jaguars, wild boars, and hyenas. Sometimes they show snakes, always the big ones, the most dangerous...... anacondas. It seems like on TV, danger is the only thing that exists in Africa. Probably because they never show nice animals living peacefully. - the giraffe, elephant, African deer. You know the ones. I cant think of the name. It starts with an A... antelopes. This is what I think of when I watch the news. My brothers not a lion. Hes a giraffe. Hes peaceful. Not all black men are lions, just as not all white men are Australians wearing oversized funny green outfits. I like to think there are two Durhams. One thats wealthy privileged, and the other where regular people work to get by. Half of the people in my class only talk about regional golf courses. The other half just look at them like, Really? I guess all they want to do is sound like their parents, talk about politics, even though they dont notice what is happening around them. They always have answers, dont ask any questions, and its like were living totally different lives. If they knew the stuff I would do on my weekends, they probably wouldnt talk to me, like Ide eat them, because theyre not exposed to real things. They havent experienced this. When my brother walks down a street, theres always heavy eyes on him. Plain T-shirts and jeans are always accused of either committing an offense or matching a description. Every person who put in prison comes from a family, but you never think of this when you see young people arrested on TV. Its kind of like youre tricked into believing that because somebody doesnt come from a fancy home, that theyre up to no good. Its like the light from the news reflects into their skin. Theres no light for people to grow, its fluorescent. Its hard and doesnt show your whole face. Everyone looks blue. In the holes, you see pain, worries, thoughts, but its like its in a different language and I cant understand it. I can never read whats missing. There are all types of people but I remember one man more than the others. He looked like an old man just sitting there. When we got home, I learned that it was my brothers uncle. I was afraid that my brother would turn into him. That his face would turn a little like his. The sad part about all of this is the longer my brother is in prison, the more I forget. Sometimes I cant even remember what he looks like. All my dad does is worry. It makes his nose bleed once or twice a week. I guess its a symptom of my dads love. He tries not to worry us but we still do. Cause if he cant control his high blood pressure from stressing, hell lose his job. My other brother Darius tries to cut everything out with music and video games. He builds a virtual world in his mind cause its the only place he can solve serious problems. My mom doesnt have time for her self anymore. Its like she has been running forever. She tries to be a cheerleader for everyone, and tries to make everything seem normal. She wants me to feel like a kid, but thats difficult. Grandma tries to find peace by going to church, or watching it on TV. The preacher is flashy with all his fancy California stuff. He asks for money. She sends. Shes trying to pray for a miracle. When were in court we constantly try to figure out whats going on. Its like reading a different language and the words dont fit into my ears. When you try to catch a word, some always falls out. After the courts, the prison visits, the meeting, the rallies, we have to go home. We just fix ourselves something to eat and look for what we lost. Were like that one puzzle in the back of the closet that has the missing piece... and were trying to find it. Just when it seems that Donald Trump could not display more ignorance and bad judgment or less of a moral compass, he comes up with another ignominy or two. This weekend he denigrated the parents of a fallen American military hero and suggested that if elected he might recognize Russias claims to Ukraine and end sanctions. Mr. Trumps divisive views helped him capture the Republican presidential nomination. And even as he creates a political whirlwind with each utterance, leading members of his own party havent the spine to rescind their support. Sure, some have come out with strong criticisms, but none have gone far enough. Repudiation of his candidacy is the only principled response. On Sunday on ABC, Mr. Trumps comments on Ukraine demonstrated even less knowledge about world affairs than suspected. His remarks also reinforced suspicions that he is sympathetic toward Vladimir Putin, Russias authoritarian, anti-Western president. Mr. Trump seemed confused about Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea and its efforts to wrest other parts of the country from Ukraines control. Hes not going into Ukraine, O.K., just so you understand, Mr. Trump said, apparently unaware that Mr. Putin sent troops there two years ago and that the international community still considers Crimea to be part of Ukraine. Russian troops have been seen, and sometimes killed, in Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine where an insurgency is fighting the Ukrainian government. FRONT PAGE Because of an editing error, an article on July 2 about the annulment of Austrias presidential runoff over procedural irregularities a decision that gave a far-right, anti-immigrant party a second chance to win used an erroneous standard of measurement to compare the 90,000 migrants who have applied for asylum in Austria with those who have applied in Germany. The proportion of asylum applicants in each country relative to the population is similar about 1 percent but the total numbers are different; Germany, with 10 times the population of Austria, has about a million asylum seekers. NATIONAL A picture caption on Monday with an article about the hazards of oil trains in the Northwest described imprecisely the train route shown. While the line is a route for oil trains, the rail cars shown are hopper cars, typically used to carry grain or coal not tank cars. Because of an editing error, an article on Sunday about a hot-air balloon crash in Texas that killed 16 misidentified a survivor of 2013 balloon accident in Egypt that killed 19. The survivor was the husband not wife of one of the 19 who died. NEW YORK A picture caption in some editions on Wednesday with an article about the arrest of a landlord accused of harassing his tenants in East Harlem reversed the identities of two of the three men shown seated during arraignment proceedings. The landlord, Ephraim Vashovsky, is in the center and Shaoul Ohana, also charged, is at the left. (The caption correctly identified Adam Cohen, at right, who was also indicted.) That has left us with a divide: Today, there is the Chinese internet, and there is the internet of the rest of the world. A network seen in its early days as a tool to foster financial and political unity across a fragmented planet has irrevocably cleaved into two completely separate spheres. Mr. Kalanick, a famously competitive and aggressive entrepreneur, had apparently studied these risks and seemed determined to bridge that gulf. He would try to take on China not as an afterthought, but as a central mission of his fledgling company. He would risk billions and spend a great deal of time in China to figure out the secrets of winning there. The goal seemed lofty, but the opportunity, after all, was eye-popping: Amazon has a market value of $365 billion, and Alibaba is worth about $200 billion. The ride-hailing business might one day grow to be as valuable as e-commerce, if not larger and wouldnt it be fantastic if you could own it all, everywhere? Well, you cant. The announcement on Monday that Uber will sell its Chinese operations to its rival Didi Chuxing, effectively ceding China to the homegrown favorite, cements an emerging global state of play: A kind of Chinese-American Cold War over the internet. Entrepreneurs across the globe can choose to win in China or the rest of the world. You can be Alibaba or you can be Amazon. You can be Uber or you can be Didi. But you cant be both. Given the rising Chinese market and increasing tension over the role of American tech firms in the rest of the globe, the gulf between the two sides promises to become one of the most important factors in determining the shape of global tech innovation. How exactly might the war play out? In some ways, being at the mercy of two poles of internet leadership could be good for citizens of planet Earth. In emerging markets like India, the Middle East and parts of Africa and South America, the giants of China and the United States are increasingly investing billions to compete for local customers in e-commerce, social networking, ride sharing and other markets. ATLANTA A Mississippi grand jury found on Monday that a white police officer had committed no crime when he fatally shot a black man he had been chasing after the man was pulled over in Tupelo. The shooting on June 18 brought the emotionally charged issue of the polices treatment of African-Americans, already roiling other parts of the United States, to a normally sleepy corner of northeastern Mississippi. John Weddle, the district attorney for Mississippis First Circuit Court District, said Monday that his office had presented the grand jury with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations findings on the shooting of Antwun Shumpert. Mr. Weddle said he could not discuss details of the bureaus investigation, its findings or the grand jurys deliberations. He said the police officer, Tyler Cook, had faced a potential charge of murder or manslaughter. As far as my office is concerned, the case is closed, Mr. Weddle said in a phone interview Monday. CHICAGO A Chicago officer whose police powers were suspended after the officer shot an African-American teenager in the back last week was wearing a body camera, but the device was not operating and did not record the fatal encounter, officials said on Monday. Advocates for the family of Paul ONeal, the 18-year-old who was killed on Thursday, reacted skeptically to claims of the faulty body camera, wondering aloud why the department had invested in the technology if it did not work. If there is not a cover-up here, I dont know where there is one, said Michael Oppenheimer, a lawyer who on Monday filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family. A federal judge on Monday barred North Dakota from enforcing the states strict voter identification-card law, adding to several recent federal court rulings that such laws may disenfranchise minority voters. Judge Daniel L. Hovland of the United States District Court for North Dakota issued a preliminary injunction against the law, which he said had made it difficult and sometimes impossible for some Native Americans on rural reservations to cast ballots. Judge Hovlands injunction did not strike down the law. But North Dakotas secretary of state, Alvin Jaeger, indicated in an interview that the state would not appeal the decision and that Novembers election would revert to using less restrictive identification rules that were in force before the 2013 law was enacted. After the election we have a legislative session coming up, and well see how we can address the issues then, he said. Many of New Yorks public figures remember the first time they incurred the wrath of Christine C. Quinn, the former City Council speaker known for her unapologetically forceful style. For Corey Lewandowski, that first time happened to occur on live national television. Mr. Lewandowski, the former campaign manager for Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, was visibly startled on Monday when Ms. Quinn cut him off during a heated exchange on the CNN show New Day. Ms. Quinn and Mr. Lewandowski, both paid contributors for the network who regularly appear together on the program, were discussing Mr. Trumps controversial remarks about the Khan family, the Muslim parents of an Army captain who was killed in Iraq more than a decade ago. Khizr Khan, the father, denounced Mr. Trump at the Democratic National Convention last week as his wife, Ghazala Khan, stood silently by his side. MECHANICSBURG, Pa. Donald J. Trump unabashedly trumpeted his support for warmer relations with Russia at a campaign rally here on Monday night, acidly mocking opponents who say he is too friendly to Vladimir V. Putin, the countrys strongman president. Mr. Trump, who has been under fire from Democrats and some conservative national security leaders for his accommodating stance toward Mr. Putin, cast his supportive remarks as a matter of practical necessity. By aligning itself with Russia, he said, the United States could more easily take on the Islamic State and other terrorist groups. That rising populism comes as a surprise to those in charge lends credence to populisms intuition: Elites arent listening; we need to shout louder. There were signs of growing dissatisfaction with the ruling class long before Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont ran an improbably strong socialist campaign in this seemingly socialism-proof country. There were signs of it before the billionaire developer Donald J. Trump called a senator Pocahontas, impugned a federal judge because of the judges Mexican ancestry, threatened to bar Muslims from the United States and otherwise regularly invoked race, ethnicity and gender in provocative and often disturbing ways. There were signs of it before he used a fervent antiglobalization message and America First language to stir nationalist sentiment. Among those signs were two books. One, Coming Apart, published in 2012 and written by Charles Murray, addressed the authors friends on the right. It warned of Americas once-solid middle class starting to struggle like its lower class, even as the countrys educated upper class sequestered itself in enclaves and formed a private arugula-and-lacrosse culture that leaves them ignorant about how much of the rest of the population lives. The other book, Our Kids, published in 2015 and written by Robert D. Putnam, addressed his friends on the left. It warned of the cursed course of our society, stressing especially the problem of social mobility that seems poised to plunge in the years ahead, shattering the American Dream. The books each made a splash. Then things went on as usual. And then the populist backlash began, and elites acted as though they had been taken by surprise. UNITED NATIONS More people are forcibly displaced from their homes today than at any time since the end of the Second World War. But the plight of these people is so politically contentious that after days of intense negotiations over a draft international agreement, the nations of the world have come up with virtually no concrete commitments to make their journeys any better or safer. Western European countries, along with Russia, resisted what many had hoped would be a pledge to resettle one-tenth of all the people fleeing war and persecution. And the United States balked at language that would have committed all countries to not detaining undocumented children who arrive at their borders. At issue is a 22-page draft outcome document that the 193 countries of the United Nations are trying to agree on before the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September. It is not legally binding. Still, the negotiations are so difficult that a draft text that had been expected to be adopted on Monday, after being postponed at least once before, was postponed again. WASHINGTON Donald J. Trumps statements on Russia tend to follow a pattern. He will say something in support of the country, praising its leader or promising to realign some aspect of American policy to its benefit. Foreign policy experts will express outrage, and Mr. Trump, ever defiant, will refuse to budge. But on Monday, he found a Russian policy he could not support: the countrys aggression against Ukraine, including its 2014 annexation of Crimea. It began on Sunday, when Mr. Trump said of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Hes not going into Ukraine, O.K., just so you understand. When pressed, he added: O.K., well, hes there in a certain way. But Im not there. The muddled comments left analysts to guess at Mr. Trumps meaning. Given his record of defending Russia, it seemed possible he was toeing the Kremlin line on Ukraine. ST.-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France It was the first time since a childhood school trip that Anissa Latroche had set foot in a church. Ms. Latroche, a sociology student who is Muslim, came to Mass in the Rouen Cathedral on Sunday to pay tribute to the Rev. Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed last week by two young men acting in the name of the Islamic State. They welcomed us very nicely, me and my friend, said Ms. Latroche, who was wearing a pale blue veil as she entered the church with a mixture of respect and shyness. She said she was shocked about what had happened to the priest, and even more so by the age of one of the killers, Adel Kermiche: 19, just like her. ROME Marta Marzotto, a fashion and jewelry designer, former model, countess and hostess to the famous, died on Friday in Milan. She was 85. Her family announced the death but did not specify the cause. Ms. Marzotto, a buoyant personality in Italy, both designed and wore sumptuous, boldly colorful garments and eye-catching accessories and costume jewelry. In the 1990s she designed a clothing line for the Standa department store. But she was probably best known for the glittering parties that she and her husband, Count Umberto Marzotto, the heir to a textile fortune, hosted, initially at their sprawling palazzo in Portogruaro, in northeast Italy. (She also had homes over the years in Cortina dAmpezzo, in the Italian Alps, as well as in Rome, Milan, Sardinia and Marrakesh, Morocco.) Dinner and party guests variously included Italian nobility and political leaders from around the world, including Richard M. Nixon and the Kennedys. The designers Giorgio Armani and Roberto Cavalli were friends. So was the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, with whom the Marzottos went hunting. Ms. Marzotto later attended the lavish wedding of Aisha el-Qaddafi, the daughter of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Irans top leader distanced himself on Monday from the nuclear agreement reached with major powers a year ago, accusing the United States of failing to honor pledges in the accord and citing the futility of negotiations with the Americans. In blunt remarks prominently featured in Irans state news media, the senior leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the talks that led to the nuclear agreement in July 2015 should be regarded as an instructive lesson on the dangers posed by interactions with governments he regards as enemies. Ayatollah Khamenei, who has the final word on Irans national security and other vital issues, did not suggest that he wanted to abandon the agreement, which took effect in January and sharply limited Irans nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of many Western economic sanctions. But his remarks indicated that he was hedging against any unraveling of the agreement. He had endorsed the accord despite many of his own public warnings of interactions with the United States. When it comes to art plundered in Europe during World War II, Ronald S. Lauder, chairman of the Commission for Art Recovery, has been very much the face, and soul, of the restitution movement. In June, he was center stage at a Senate hearing on a bill to ease the way for the return of art looted by the Nazis, testifying alongside the actress Helen Mirren, who last year starred in Woman in Gold, a film about a Jewish heirs struggle to retrieve her familys stolen possessions. Away from the spotlight, though, Mr. Lauder has been criticized for more than a decade by other restitution advocates and scholars. They say his own practices in detailing the provenance of works within a Manhattan museum he co-founded, the nonprofit Neue Galerie, and his private collection have not been as transparent as they should be. Now there are signs Mr. Lauder has heard the criticism. To elevate their research, he and his staff have hired additional experts, are overhauling the museums website to ensure that provenances are more detailed and soon plan to announce a surprising byproduct of their labors: One of the Neue Galeries major works has a clouded history and may be returned to people who say they are the rightful owners. SALZBURG, Austria Thousands of refugees are fleeing conflicts in the Middle East that once felt far away. Politicians making strident nationalist arguments are surging in polls. The problems coursing through Europe right now could hardly be more real. So it at first seems curious, even irresponsibly escapist, that the theme of this summers Salzburg Festival is the nature and power of dreams. But Helga Rabl-Stadler and Sven-Eric Bechtolf, the festivals organizers, write in the program that dreams can offer not just escape and consolation, but also idealized visions of how things could be upon waking. Could this theme be a way of professing political relevance without distressing Salzburgs gala audience? I think thats too cynical: From creative artists to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dreams have long been the language inspiring communal goals and more equitable policies. The festival tries to invest dreams with ethical and political weight in three opera productions this summer, especially in an enchanting new staging of Richard Strausss mythological romance Die Liebe der Danae, as well as in an exhilarating concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. The Philharmonic program opened with the premiere of an engrossing 55-minute oratorio by the Hungarian composer Peter Eotvos, conducted dynamically by Daniel Harding. Titled Halleluja, Oratorium Balbulum (Stammering Oratorio), the surreal text is by the eminent Hungarian writer Peter Esterhazy, who died of cancer on July 14 at 66. LENOX, Mass. Late on Thursday afternoon, the strains of a trumpeter rehearsing the opening bars of Mahlers Fifth Symphony drifted across the Tanglewood lawns here. It didnt sound quite confident enough to be the Boston Symphony Orchestras principal, Thomas Rolfs. And it wasnt it was the orchestras music director Andris Nelsons. Mr. Nelsons has picked up the instrument of his youth again, after receiving a trumpetas a gift from the leading virtuoso Hakan Hardenberger. I hadnt played a note for 15 years, Mr. Nelsons said in an interview. I started practicing a little, and got some lessons with Hakan and Tom. Its like yoga. Perhaps he could take a solo turn? Oh, but its a disaster. At least I can join in at trumpet parties. Mr. Nelsons suddenly has time on his hands, after a dramatic withdrawal from the Bayreuth Festivals new production of Wagners Parsifal at the end of June cleared much of his summer schedule. He went home to Latvia for a beach vacation with his family. If his superb weekend of concerts at Tanglewood, including an optimistic Mahler Ninth Symphony and a buoyant Beethoven Seventh, was originally planned as an in-and-out visit between Wagner performances in Germany, it could now unfold more leisurely. Why that withdrawal, though? Was Mr. Nelsons, who sees Parsifal as a fundamentally Christian drama, disturbed by the Islamic imagery in Uwe Eric Laufenbergs staging, as some suggested? Was he angry at the Bayreuth music director Christian Thielemanns interference in his rehearsals? What was the differing approach in various matters that led to an uncomfortable atmosphere, as his terse statement put it? At both the Democratic and Republican conventions, the nations biggest banks were again cast as the bad guys, criticized as being too big and too risky. This week, as the Olympic Games begin in Brazil, one of the big banks, Citigroup, is offering a rebuttal with a series of prime-time television and digital ads featuring images of sweaty athletes, the Space Shuttle and an early A.T.M. Our business is helping Americans make progress, the ads narrator says, as a runner with a prosthetic leg sprints down a track. Since the 2008 financial crisis, American banks have spent millions of dollars on advertising, consultants and social media initiatives, seeking to portray themselves as something other than greedy risk-takers. And yet, eight years later, anger and resentment persists. The fight over Viacom is digging in for years of litigation as each side holds on to its own self-righteous claim to the poorly performing media company. That was made clear by two court rulings last week in Massachusetts and Delaware. In both cases, the courts ruled against Viacoms controlling shareholder National Amusements as well as Sumner M. Redstone and his daughter, Shari. Both courts found that the issues raised required a trial to examine whether Mr. Redstone, 93, was competent to remove Philippe P. Dauman and George Abrams from the trust that will control Viacom and CBS on Mr. Redstones death or incapacity. Also at issue is the removal of Mr. Dauman, Mr. Abrams and three others as directors of Viacom. The trial will open up something of a Pandoras box. For years, the trust that controls Viacom and CBS its workings and operations was shrouded in mystery. This failure of disclosure suited all the parties in the current mess, at the expense of the minority shareholders. Now, the legal proceedings promise years of wrangling and messy outcomes. In the Massachusetts case, the Redstone familys best hope was that the case would be dismissed in light of proceedings in California, where Mr. Redstones choice of his daughter as his health care proxy had been approved. But the Massachusetts judge said that because the trust had been formed and was administered in Massachusetts, and some of the trustees, including Ms. Redstone, had ties to the state, the case could be heard there. It may be hard to remember, but Americans once appreciated the government that serves them. Thats long gone. Over the last six years, according to the Pew Research Center, four out of every five or more have said the government makes them feel either angry or frustrated. Last March, the ranks of the incensed included 78 percent of Bernie Sanderss supporters and a whopping 98 percent of those backing Donald J. Trump. More than half of voters including 61 percent of Mr. Trumps supporters feel they are not keeping up with the rising cost of living. Three-quarters of Mr. Trumps supporters feel that life for people like them is worse than it was 50 years ago. Some of this is caused by irreversible forces. The days when white men kept an uncontested hold on political power, when young adults without a college degree could easily find a well-paid job, are not coming back. Rush Limbaugh, the king of conservative talk radio, has renewed his contract with the distributor iHeartMedia, the company announced on Tuesday. In a statement, iHeartMedia declined to disclose specifics of the deal, calling it only a long-term, multiplatform agreement. During his program on Tuesday, Mr. Limbaugh said he wanted to keep the financial terms secret, but said he would be staying on four more years. I dont do this for any reason other than I love it, he said. He said his father had taught him to be discreet about pay. Vice Media announced on Tuesday that it will begin broadcasting its daily HBO half-hour newscast on Sept. 26. The show, called Vice News Tonight, will run weeknights for 48 weeks a year. Josh Tyrangiel, who was previously the editor of Bloomberg Businessweek and chief content officer for Bloomberg Media, was hired by Vice last October to oversee the show. The daily show is part of Vices broader ambitions to make its programming available across the media spectrum. The company, which started as a free punk magazine in Montreal in 1994, introduced its own cable channel, called Viceland, this year. It is not clear what size audience the channel attracts, but Vice plans to release ratings for it next month. Calvin Klein named its first chief creative officer on Tuesday as the fashion industrys extraordinary game of musical chairs at the top of major houses continues this season. The Belgian designer Raf Simons, formerly of Christian Dior, will take responsibility for all Calvin Klein lines, including runway, underwear and home goods. His appointment consolidates creative control for the company, which has not had just one such vision since its founder sold the brand in 2002. At a time when the New York fashion scene lacks direction, Mr. Simonss appointment at the top level of one of Americas most resonant brands is a potential game-changer for the industry. Rafs exceptional contributions have shaped and modernized fashion as we see it today, and, under his direction, Calvin Klein will further solidify its position as a leading global lifestyle brand, Steve Shiffman, the companys chief executive, said in a statement first published on Facebook. Though widely expected by the fashion world since Mr. Simons resigned as creative director at Dior in October, the appointment heralds a major strategy shift at Calvin Klein, which is owned by PVH. Mr. Bratton used the unit to hone his image within the department, producing videos for the rank and file, and producing commercials and public service messages for the public. When Mr. Bratton returned and was reunited with Mr. ONeill, it was a reunion of mutual benefit. After languishing for nearly a decade as a deputy chief under Raymond W. Kelly, the commissioner at the time, Chief ONeill was promoted twice in short order by Mr. Bratton, first to chief of patrol and then to chief of department. It was a remarkable career turn for Chief ONeill, who had been pushed out of his post as the commander of the departments narcotics operations after an internal sting operation found officers paying informants with drugs. Chief ONeill was one of several commanders transferred amid the scandal, which led prosecutors to dismiss many cases involving the officers implicated. The last two years have been quite different. Commissioner Bratton and Chief ONeill have enjoyed a warm relationship, with Mr. Bratton occasionally teasing Chief ONeill at news conferences. Those lighter moments including on Tuesday when Mr. Bratton ribbed Chief ONeill about his baldness elicit the friendlier side of a chief who can seem, with his starched uniform and military bearing, to be distant and cool. Some elected officials have said that they worked well with Chief ONeill as chief of department. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, an advocate of criminal justice reform, described the chief as very qualified, personable and open-minded. Chief ONeill is a good man, who has always had an open-door relationship with leaders of diverse backgrounds throughout the city, Mr. Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, said on Tuesday. To the Editor: Re Worthy of Our Contempt (column, Aug. 1): Paul Krugman said what I have been telling people here in West Michigan since May. I am a Republican surrounded by other Republicans in this largely conservative area. Most of those people could never imagine themselves voting for a Democrat, let alone one as distrusted as Hillary Clinton. But because I share Mr. Krugmans assessment of the risks associated with a Donald Trump presidency, I have done something I have never done before: reached out to my fellow Republicans to persuade them to vote not for their own partys candidate but for the opposing partys, even if that opposing-party candidate is herself no saint. While I trust that this will be the only time in the lives of todays Republican voters that we find ourselves in this position, integrity and conscience compel us not to place the countrys future in the hands of a candidate whose demonstrated values contradict in many important ways those that Republicans have long embraced. PAUL T. SORENSEN Grand Rapids, Mich. To the Editor: The question for rational Republicans and their leaders: Is your loyalty to your party or to your country? Video Title: How China Is Changing Your Internet Video Description: In China, a sheltered internet has given rise to a new breed of app, and American companies are taking notice. What was once known as the land of cheap rip-offs may now offer a glimpse at the future. PART I: Intro 1. If you are sitting in the United States or Europe right now, youve probably never used a Chinese app, but the reality is, if you want to know how the internet will develop, China, the land once known for its cheap rip-offs, has actually become a guide to the future. PART II: The creation of the Chinese Swamp Monster 2.1 You know, the internet is the internet, but for China the internet is more like an intranet. Its largely walled off from the Western world by this incredible complex system of filters and blocks that we call the Great Firewall. And basically the Great Firewall blocks any foreign site the Communist Party doesnt think it can control. 2.2 So that means there is no Facebook, no Twitter, no Google. Instead, what filled the internet vacuum was a generation of Chinese copycats that have grown into huge companies. 2.3 So for Google, you had Baidu; for YouTube, you had Youku; for Twitter, you had Sina Weibo, and the list goes on and on. 2.4 Its almost as if the Chinese internet is a lagoon as an aside to the greater ocean of the internet, and in that lagoon there are these swamp monster apps that bear some resemblance to the creatures in the ocean but are mutated in some ways because they evolved in a different kind of environment. PART III: The Chinese Swamp Monster Leaves the Pond 3.1 But things have started to shift, in the sense that before, no one outside of the lagoon really cared about the swamp monsters. But now all of a sudden, some of the features theyve developed are so amazing that Western apps are trying to copy them. And the greatest example of this is WeChat. 3.2 WeChat is an example of, for lack of a better word, a super-app. Its a Swiss Army knife that basically does everything for you. 3.3 Its your WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype and Uber. Its your Amazon, Instagram, Venmo and Tinder. But its other things we dont even have apps for. There are hospitals that have built out whole appointment booking systems. There are investment services. There are even heat maps that show how crowded a place is, be it your favorite shopping mall or a popular tourist site. The list of services goes on basically forever. 3.4 But its not the variety of things you can do on WeChat that makes it so powerful, its the fact that theyre all in one app. So why does that matter? PART IV: The Power of the Super-App 4.0 These are real people. Using the app in real ways. (We just made up the story.) 4.1 Hypothetically, imagine youre sitting at home and one day you notice your corgi is dirty. You open WeChat, hit a few buttons and a few hours later a man shows up at your door with some shampoo and a big vacuum. Your dog gets cleaned, and he looks great. You take a photo. You share it with your friends and tag the dog cleaning business. You havent left the app. 4.2 Your friend who likes Hello Kitty and works a boring office job is slacking off at work and looking at WeChat. She sees the photo of your clean corgi. She decides she wants her poodle cleaned. She clicks the tag on your photo and orders the same service. Within seconds the man with the big vacuum is on his way to her house. She pays him, and hes happy because he got paid instantly on WeChat. She starts chatting with you to thank you. Neither of you have left the app. 4.3 While chatting, she tells you about a new, hip noodle joint. She says, You have to come. Its a shlep, but you accept. She orders food while still at her desk. You order a taxi. She pays for the food. On the way to her house, the man with the big vacuum invests the money he earned from both of you into a wealth management product thats probably a little too risky. Neither of you, nor the man with the big vacuum, have left the app. 4.4 Both of you arrive, and the app tells the kitchen youre there. Your WeChat profile photo pops up on the wall. Its an old photo from that year you had that weird part in your hair. Of course, she makes a comment. Your food is served. You notice your meat is a bit overcooked, so you snap a photo and post a disparaging restaurant review. Youre already on your phone, and you remember you still owe your friend money because she paid. You transfer her money. Neither of you, the man with the big vacuum, nor the restaurant, have left the app. 4.5 At the restaurant: There are no menus. There are no waiters. There is no cashier. There is only WeChat. 4.6 By rolling so many functions into one single app, its altered the concept of virality. Its no longer just videos or images or tweets that can go viral its a dog washer, noodles, all sorts of companies and products that get the push of a social network. 4.7 Here in China, that network is 700 million people. Part V: The Costs of the Super-App 5.1 Sounds great, right? Well it is, but using a single app to find a date, schedule an oil change or notarize a document also enables WeChat to collect a staggering volume of personal data. 5.2 They know what you talk about, who you talk about it with, what you read, where you go, why youre going there, whos there, how you spend money when youre online, how you spend money when youre offline. The list goes on indefinitely. 5.3 For advertisers, this is miracle: Its the combined data of Facebook, Amazon, Google and PayPal, all in one place. The problem is, all of the data is information Chinese companies are forced to share with the Chinese government, which has a long record of human rights violations and isnt exactly shy about stalking its citizens. Part VI: Outro 6.1 So if youre not in China, why does this matter? It matters because were starting to see a number of Western tech companies attempt to replicate super-apps like WeChat. 6.2 For the companies, its incredibly powerful, and for you and me its a convenient and even transformative technology. 6.3 But of course, it could also be problematic. Concentrating so much data in so few hands could lay the groundwork for an Orwellian world where companies and governments can track every single movement you make. To get a good sense of tech in China, its useful to think about the last 5,000 years, particularly as they relate to a big event this week. China has 50 centuries of history, which along with its huge population can make the rest of us seem like something of a rounding error. Thats one of several things that often makes Chinas market unique in the world, along with a strong nationalist streak, local innovation and good old-fashioned protectionism. Whichever of these you consider paramount, they create a strangely familiar outcome in Ubers decision to sell its China operations to Didi Chuxing, the local version of Ubers ride-hailing service. As Paul Mozur and Mike Isaac write, Ubers $2 billion investment in China will yield a stake in the new Chinese company worth $7 billion. Its looking like a Bunuel bonanza in New York: The American musical-theater composer Stephen Sondheim and the British opera composer Thomas Ades have both written adaptations of the Surrealist Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuels 1962 dark comedy The Exterminating Angel, and both are hoping for productions in New York in late 2017. The Ades opera, also called The Exterminating Angel, had its premiere last week at the Salzburg Festival in Austria to strongly positive reviews, and it will travel to the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 2017. Mr. Sondheim has been working for several years with the playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur) on a musical based on two Bunuel films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel. In remarks on Saturday at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., he said he now hopes to finish the work so it can be presented at the Public Theater, an Off Broadway nonprofit, at the same time as the work by Mr. Ades. I called Ades and we talked about it, and I said, You know, for the five people in the world who really care about this sort of thing, itll be really interesting if the musical and the opera are done in the same year, which they are going to be, Mr. Sondheim said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Glimmerglass. Toms piece will be done at the Met next year and, if I can finish the score in time, our show will be done simultaneously at the Public Theater. And for people who are interested in the difference between operas and musicals, it ought to be an enlightening and provocative study. It was a theme seized on by Hillary Clinton, who said in her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last week that the increase in applicants to the Dallas force showed how Americans answer when the call for help goes out. The reaction comes at a particularly tense time for the police. Killings of police officers are 8 percent higher than a year ago, with a 78 percent increase in firearms-related officer fatalities, including ambush-style killings like those in Dallas. In his speech last month at the Republican National Convention, Donald J. Trump said that America was shocked to its core over the shootings in Dallas and a half-dozen other states. Some of the applicants said they were signing up because they wanted to help the police. Others said they wanted to serve in neighborhoods where police shootings of unarmed black men have hardened years of anger and distrust. They admitted they were stepping into policing at an anguished moment. A lot of people said: I dont want you to go into policing. Cant you find something else to do? said Jamile Owens, 29, who is African-American and had applied to the Dallas department about a month before the shooting. The increase in applications was prompted by a call to the public from Chief David O. Brown, who stepped in front of the microphones four days after the shooting and spoke candidly about the challenges of police work and the departments needs. Were hiring, Chief Brown said. Get off that protest line and put an application in. And well put you in your neighborhood, and we will help you resolve some of the problems youre protesting about. Lawyers representing Dylann Roof, the white man accused of killing nine black members of a historic Charleston, S.C., church last year, filed a motion challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty after federal prosecutors declined his offer to serve life without parole. In the 34-page motion filed late Monday in Federal District Court in Charleston, Mr. Roofs lawyers acknowledged that the facts of this case are indisputably grave. But they argued that the death penalty itself is unconstitutional, and that therefore no one can be lawfully sentenced to death or executed under it, no matter what his crimes. The challenge to the system stemmed from the governments refusal to accept guilty pleas from Mr. Roof in exchange for multiple sentences of life in prison without a possibility of parole, the filing said. Should the governments death notice be withdrawn at any point in the future, the filing said, Mr. Roof will withdraw this motion and plead guilty as charged to all counts in the indictment. In interviews, Muslim soldiers said they had all encountered at one time or another what one called knucklehead comments equating them with terrorists. Things got worse after 13 people were killed at Fort Hood in 2009 by a Muslim Army psychiatrist who said the United States wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were wars against all Muslims. Other problems come from the cultural barriers, like a ban on facial hair, and dealing with military food that is often rife with pork, forbidden by Islam. Few bases have Muslim prayer services, and only five of the Armys roughly 2,900 chaplains are imams. It can be challenging, said Mr. Rashid, whose family moved from Pakistan when he was 10. The nature of military service is not very conducive to practicing your faith, but Islam is flexible. I am here as an American, he added. I benefit from the liberty and opportunity of this country, and it is my obligation to serve this nation in some way. Thousands of Muslims have served in the military since at least the Civil War, but they make up a disproportionately small portion of the force. Just 3,939 troops currently list their faith as Islam, according to Pentagon data. They make up just 0.3 percent of the military; Muslims are estimated to make up about 1 percent of the civilian population. The shake-up at the Democratic National Committee after an embarrassing breach of its email system continued on Tuesday with the departure of three senior officials. Amy Dacey, the committees chief executive; Luis Miranda, its communications director; and Brad Marshall, its chief financial officer, will leave amid a reshuffling of leadership positions, said Donna Brazile, the interim chairwoman. The departures came more than a week after WikiLeaks posted almost 20,000 of the committees emails, a number of which revealed officials showing favoritism toward Hillary Clinton in her primary campaign against Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The messages confirmed the concerns expressed by Mr. Sanders throughout the campaign, cast a cloud over the start of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week and led to the resignation of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida as the committees chairwoman. Ms. Brazile praised the outgoing staff members and made no mention of the controversy. Thanks in part to the hard work of Amy, Luis, and Brad, the Democratic Party has adopted the most progressive platform in history, has put itself in financial position to win in November, and has begun the important work of investing in state party partnerships, she said in a statement. Im so grateful for their commitment to this cause, and I wish them continued success in the next chapter of their career. Representative Richard Hanna, Republican of New York, broke ranks with his party to endorse Hillary Clinton for president on Tuesday, denouncing Donald J. Trumps attacks on the Muslim parents of a soldier killed in Iraq and calling Mr. Trump unfit to serve. Mr. Hanna has long said he would not support Mr. Trump in the general election. By throwing his support to Mrs. Clinton, he becomes the first Republican member of Congress to go beyond disavowing Mr. Trump, and join forces with the Democrats against him. Mr. Hanna announced his plans in an interview and opinion column on Syracuse.com. He cited Mr. Trumps disrespectful comments about the soldiers parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, among the reasons for his defection. I was stunned by the callousness of his comments, Mr. Hanna said. I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes? Wyatt Gillette was only 4 when doctors told his family that he had Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome, a disease that affects the brain, immune system and skin. When it became clear that the condition of his little warrior was worsening, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Gillette, his father, reached out to fellow Marines through Facebook last month and asked for their prayers and support. They took that support further than anyone expected. On Saturday, after backing was gathered all the way to the Marines top officer, the terminally ill boy received the rare title of honorary Marine in a quickly assembled ceremony at the Marine Corps Base Camp in Pendleton, Calif. The Lakeland Police Department announced the charges on Friday after the medical examiner ruled that Mr. Wisham had died of mechanical asphyxia, or choking, from being restrained, and that he had 15 broken ribs. Image Kenneth Edgar Wisham Credit... Polk County Sheriff's Office Facing one manslaughter charge each were Nathan Allen Higgins, 35, a manager; Crucelis Nunez, 23, a customer service manager; and Randall Eugene Tomko, 58, a loss prevention officer, according to the police affidavits. The three appeared before a county judge on Friday after their arrest the day before. Mr. Higgins posted a $2,500 bond and was released on Saturday, his lawyer, James Franklin, said on Tuesday. An arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 30, but Mr. Franklin said a written plea of not guilty was entered. Lawyers for the other defendants could not be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment. A Walmart spokesman, Charles Crowson, said on Tuesday that the workers had been suspended and their job status was under review. He did not have immediate replies to questions about the companys policy and training on how workers should stop shoplifters, and whether this was the first time Walmart employees have been charged in such cases. Attempts to stop shoplifting suspects have come under scrutiny in cases where force is used or employees or bystanders have stepped in. In two separate cases in Indiana and Michigan last year, customers with guns saw store employees chasing shoplifters and tried to help by opening fire as the suspects drove off. DHAKA, Bangladesh The authorities in Bangladesh have offered cash bounties for two men believed to have planned recent Islamist attacks there, reflecting a sense of urgency as terror alert levels remain high. The first, Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, is believed to have planned the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, according to Shahidur Rahman, a police spokesman. In the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State, a team of gunmen raided a restaurant in Dhaka heavily frequented by foreigners, killing 22. BEIJING A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a human rights activist who had criticized the government to a suspended three-year term in prison, in the first of several trials apparently intended to showcase the Communist Partys hard-line attitude toward dissent. The activist, Zhai Yanmin, was arrested last year as part of a sweeping crackdown on human rights lawyers and their associates. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to subverting state power, according to state news media, reportedly telling the courtroom that he had organized protests and exaggerated grievances with the aim of undermining the government. Mr. Zhais supporters denounced the trial, saying it was scripted and inordinately secretive. Mr. Zhais wife was barred from attending the proceedings, and the government permitted only news outlets it had approved to observe the three-hour trial. If Chinese authorities are so confident in their cases against these human rights lawyers, why try them in secret? said Maya Wang, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong. Those lawyers allies around the world already know the case is a sham. MANILA Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines just over a month ago, promising to get tough on crime by having the police and the military kill drug suspects, 420 people have been killed in the campaign, according to tallies of police reports by the local news media. Most were killed in confrontations with the police, while 154 were killed by unidentified vigilantes. This has prompted 114,833 people to turn themselves in, as either drug addicts or dealers, since Mr. Duterte took office, according to national police logs. Addressing Congress last week in his first State of the Nation address, Mr. Duterte reiterated his take-no-prisoners approach, ordering the police to triple their efforts against crime. We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars or below the ground, if they so wish, he said. 1. Various exteriors of Salekhard regional hospital YAMALO-NENETS GOVERNMENT HANDOUT - AP CLIENTS ONLY Salekhard - 2 August 2016 2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Irina Shestakova, senior specialist of infectious diseases at the Russian ministry of health: Anthrax, as with any disease, can develop abruptly. And doctors arent to blame (for this). A patient could be ill with it (anthrax), and this disease has such a clinical course that the fatality could be within three to four hours from the manifestation (of the symptoms). AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Salekhard - 2 August 2016 3. Various city scenes 4. Various of the emergency hall of the Salekhard regional hospital YAMALO-NENETS GOVERNMENT HANDOUT - AP CLIENTS ONLY Salekhard - 2 August 2016 5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Lyudmila Volova, senior epidemiologist at the healthcare department of the Yamalo-Nenets government: We see here (in some patients), that there is no (case of) anthrax; but we take patients in with any marks on the skin, with minimal enlargement of the lymph nodes and a body temperature of 37.1 degrees (Celsius, 98.8 Fahrenheit). We take everybody away from the epicentre of the infection. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Salekhard - 2 August 2016 6. Various of people on the streets 7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) name not given, local resident: Thats frightening to be infected. I heard the city is planned to be closed for quarantine. 8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) name not given, local resident: Reindeers died, a child died. 9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) name not given, local resident: There are worries about myself and about kids. I dont know how to act in this kind of situation. 10. Wide of pharmacy 11. Various of the emergency hall of the Salekhard regional hospital 12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) name not given, local resident: (Answering a question about symptoms and vaccination) A fever, high temperature. This vaccination is hard to carry out. It makes sense to be vaccinated in extreme cases. So cook meat and dont drink raw blood. 13. SOUNDBITE (Russian) name not given, local resident: We remain calm. (Reporter (Russian): No panic?) Woman: No. 14. People on the street A 25-year-old mechanic and loner from a small Czech town, who tried to travel to Syria in January, was charged on Tuesday with attempted terrorism, in what the authorities said was the first known case of a Czech citizen trying to join the Islamic State. This is the first time a Czech citizen has been charged with this crime, said David Unger, a spokesman for the regional court in Plzen, in the western Czech Republic, which will rule on the next steps of the mans detention on Thursday. The case has stirred anxieties that homegrown Islamic radicalism may have migrated to Eastern and Central Europe. The regional prosecutors office in Plzen, which is handling the case, declined to provide further details. But Respekt, an influential Czech weekly that reported on the arrest this week, said that the man identified by the Czech news media as Jan S. had been arrested at an international airport in Turkey after the authorities there found him carrying a plane ticket to a Turkish town near the Syrian border. The magazine reported that the man had told the police that he planned to enter Syria and join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. After Turkish authorities sent him back to the Czech Republic, he was repeatedly questioned by police officers before being arrested two weeks ago. He was initially charged with participation in an armed criminal group. WARSAW Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, who succeeded John Paul II as archbishop of Krakow and was known for his work with the poor over his 27 years in the post, died on Monday in Krakow. He was 89. The archdiocese announced his death. He had been in a coma for a month after falling down stairs in his apartment. Pope Francis visited him shortly before his death. John Paul II put great trust in him when he chose him as his own successor in Krakow, the Rev. Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, a spokesman for the Conference of the Polish Episcopate, said in an interview. John Paul II died at 9:37 p.m.; Cardinal Macharski died at 9:37 a.m. He was following in his footsteps to the very end. Franciszek Macharski was born into a Krakow merchant family on May 20, 1927. During World War II, with the city under German occupation, he worked as a laborer. After the war he enrolled in a seminary and was ordained a priest in 1950. ISTANBUL A Turkish newspaper reported that an American academic and former State Department official had helped orchestrate a violent conspiracy to topple the Turkish government from a fancy hotel on an island in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul. The same newspaper, in a front-page headline, flat-out said the United States had tried to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed coup. When another pro-government newspaper asked Turks in a recent poll conducted on Twitter which part of the United States government had supported the coup plotters, the C.I.A. came in first, with 69 percent, and the White House was a distant second, with 20 percent. These conspiracy theories are not the product of a few cranks on the fringes of Turkish society. Turkey may be a deeply polarized country, but one thing Turks across all segments of society Islamists, secular people, liberals, nationalists seem to have come together on is that the United States was somehow wrapped up in the failed coup, either directly or simply because the man widely suspected to be the leader of the conspiracy, the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, lives in self-exile in the United States. Phyllis Zagano, a professor of religion at Hofstra University and the author of many books on women in the Catholic Church, was appointed by Francis to the commission. Ms. Zagano spoke with Laurie Goodstein, the national religion correspondent for The New York Times. Image Phyllis Zagano Credit... Hofstra University Q: Why is this an important issue for the Catholic Church now? A: Pope Francis has said repeatedly that he wants to see more women in more positions of authority, and there are certain offices that women cannot fully obtain because theyre not clerics. The ordinary means of entering the clerical state is by ordination to the diaconate. So its a simple way to have women who are trained, ordained and given faculties by their bishops to minister on behalf of the church. Q: What do you expect the commission to accomplish? A: I dont know that the commission itself would make any conclusion. It would make a recommendation to the Holy Father on what history has demonstrated. And history clearly demonstrates that women served in the diaconate. The pressing question is whether women can be admitted to sacramental ordination as deacons, and that is a deep theological question that should be undertaken. Q: What are your hopes for the commission? A: I hope to participate in a serious discussion about not only the history of women in the ordained diaconate in Christianity, but also the possibilities for the future. Since it made peace with Israel in 1979, Egypt has served as the fulcrum of American influence in the Arab world. The Egyptian and American militaries have cooperated closely for decades, and Egypt went to war against Saddam Hussein alongside United States forces in 1991. Cairo long served as an important mediator between Israel and the Palestinians (and among Palestinian factions), though it began to abdicate that role by backing Israel against Hamas in 2014. But Egypts withdrawal from regional matters has diminished its value to the United States, which has provided it with over $76 billion in foreign aid since 1948. Egypt is primarily seen in Washington as a problem and not as a source of solutions, said Issandr El Amrani, the North Africa project director for the International Crisis Group. If it wasnt for the military relationship and the Pentagons preference for having things like fast access through the Suez Canal, its clear there are elements of the Obama administration that dont care much for Sisi and his regime and its domestic pattern of repression and human rights abuses. Egypts influence was long a product of both its military and cultural might. It was a beacon of Arab unity after the tide of European colonialism ebbed in the 20th century, helping build up its neighbors and founding the Arab League, a pioneering effort at regional cooperation that today is seldom effective. Its writers, artists and filmmakers became iconic in the region. Its judges and clerics decided important matters of Islamic law. Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister and Arab League chief who ran for president in 2012, said he doubted there would be any more foreign adventures, given the major problems we are facing. That has to change, he added. The role of Egypt is a must, he said. It is a necessity in order to build a balance with Iran and with Turkey. But the only way to do that, he said, is the reform of Egypt itself and rebuilding its soft power. Joan Mussa, the director of public engagement at the organization, said donors sponsored 4.1 million children last year, to the tune of about $1.2 billion. The current roster includes about 40,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ibrahim Baraghit, who used to work for World Vision in the West Bank, said the organization spent about $1.5 million in Husan from 1996 to 2006, helping to dig wells, build greenhouses, fix roads, prepare land for planting and repair fences. The group built a community center and outfitted the four-story building that houses the village council. It was not difficult to find Othman in the village, whose residents mostly come from four extended families. I called a council member to ask if there was an Othman born in 1998, and quickly got the phone number of Naser Sabateen, whose nephew by that name was about the right age. But Mr. Sabateen, a 53-year-old butcher, was suspicious. Who had sent me? What did I really want? The notion of a police officers being behind the inquiry hardly helped. Eventually, we met at his shop, where a lump of meat was drying on a board as he and his nephew peered at the sponsorship card. The names did not quite match Othmans first middle name is Mohammad, while the card said Naser. But they had the same birthday, Aug. 1, and Othman recognized the cardigan. He rushed home to fetch a photo showing his childhood self in the same sweater. What had become of the boy Brendan sponsored? He liked playing Call of Duty, a popular video game. He flunked math on his final school exam, but was determined to retake it this summer so he could go to a university. He wanted a job involving cars. Marseille soap, or Savon de Marseille, is as French as wine and cheese, with a history that dates from the Middle Ages. Frenchwomen swear by the crude square blocks, which they use as a natural skin cleanser and, in a pinch, as anything from a toothpaste substitute to a moth repellent. In recent years, though, cheap Chinese and Turkish knockoffs have been flooding the market, and the soapmakers of Marseille are rallying to protect their products reputation. They banded together recently to ask the French government to grant them a label of authenticity, to distinguish the genuine stuff from the imitators. And that is where the trouble really began. The original Marseille soap had a specific olive-oil-based recipe that was considered so sacred that Louis XIV protected it with a royal edict. But a battle has erupted between two soapmaking factions over exactly what the modern rules should be for what constitutes a true Marseille soap. On one side are the soapmasters, based mainly in the Mediterranean port that gave the soap its name. They say that the label of authenticity should go only to products made strictly by the original Louis XIV-approved recipe. Its quite a process, involving heating a mix of soda ash, seawater and olive oil in large caldrons for several days, and then cooling it in open pits. The finished soap is dun-green and odorless. The cats in Cats are a diverse group. Victoria, the most elegant of the Jellicle tribe, wears white from head to paw, symbolizing purity and innocence. For Georgina Pazcoguin, the New York City Ballet soloist who plays Victoria in the current Broadway revival of that Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, the role fulfills a childhood dream. She grew up obsessed with a videotape of the Broadway production. Catholic school ended at 2 p.m., and my dance classes started at 4:30 or 5 p.m., she said. In between, she watched Cats. Now 31, Ms. Pazcoguin had some musical-theater experience before Cats. Along with playing Miss Turnstiles in the recent Broadway production of On the Town, she is admired for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story Suite at City Ballet. But with Victoria, she is performing against her usual type: strong and spirited. Ms. Pazcoguin, on leave from City Ballet, recently spoke about opening night, Sunday, at the Neil Simon Theater (the nerves!), the differences between ballet and Broadway, and what it is like to become Victoria. What follows are excerpts from that interview. How did your first opening night on Broadway measure up? I kept telling myself: Gina, youve done a lot of things. Take it down a notch. Pull yourself together. So Im not going to lie. I was really nervous. It was also a weird buildup. How so? On gala days at City Ballet, you get to expend some energy we run the ballet the day of. On Sunday, we had the whole day off [before the Cats opening night]. There are these traditions that happen like the Gypsy Robe ceremony an hour before we go onstage. For a quote-unquote mildly O.C.D. ballerina, my schedule for getting ready for the show is all messed up. Im honored by the response to the novel, but I was like, Can we just talk about the book? he said. Im not a representative of blackness, and Im not a healer. Still, he describes The Underground Railroad, which he began in earnest in the spring of 2014, as responding to a kind of inner pull. He was about to start another book with another existential black dude narrator, as he put it, but the Underground Railroad idea kept coming to mind. I thought, why not write the book that really scares you? he said. Mr. Whitehead dived into the subject, reading classic 19th-century slave narratives like Harriet Jacobss Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and oral histories of former slaves gathered by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Above his desk, next to an old-fashioned menu board with snap-on letters reading Next The Underground Railroad, is a mini-research library with scholarly works by Eric Foner and Edward Baptist, Toni Morrisons Beloved, a historical dictionary of African-American slang and Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow. After hed written 100 or so pages of the novel, he let himself watch the movie 12 Years a Slave, but turned it off in the middle. Seeing the movie really devastated me, he said. I could read about slave atrocities for days and days, but watching actors go through it was almost too much. I felt really messed up about what I was writing. Where books like John Henry Days, which centers on a cheesy festival celebrating a new John Henry postage stamp, have looked at the past through a distancing ironic lens, The Underground Railroad goes right into the heart of the African-American historical experience. Reading the book, I thought, hes written his Beloved, said the poet and critic Kevin Young, who has been close with Mr. Whitehead since their undergraduate days at Harvard. He really conjures up the ghost of slavery and embodies it in a way that is deeply historically accurate. But the book also has these amazing leaps of imagination that help us think about slavery not just in the past, but in the present. The internet did little to disrupt it. Globalization could not shut it down. But while the McCall Pattern Company, the home-sewing brand founded in 1863, may seem like a business that time forgot, it finds itself newly fashionable. The companys headquarters have the look of a corporate environment in the days before digital culture banished clutter. There on the 34th floor of the Equitable Building, a 1915 skyscraper in Manhattans financial district, you will find rooms filled with buttons and zippers, bolts of fabric on work tables and metal file drawers stuffed with paper pattern packets. There is a patternmaking room, where muslin is fitted to dress forms; a dressmaking room, where women at sewing machines make sample garments; and a photo studio, where models pose for simple shoots that emphasize the clothes, rather than sex or sizzle. For the 80 or so employees, home sewing is not so much a retro thing as it is a timeless pursuit. Ive done this long enough to know that people have it in their hearts, said Carolyne Cafaro, the creative director. There could be one pattern company left in the world, but I do think people will always sew. Jo Galvis was 15 years old when she got a tattoo on the center of her lower back. She had been fighting with her family and living at a friends house. What better way to infuriate her parents? Ms. Galvis, who now is 29 and lives in Queens, grew up in Colombia, where she just walked into a tattoo parlor in Bogota and glanced at a sheet of paper crammed with popular design choices that hung on the wall. She liked one design of a Japanese character (the meaning of which she did not know) and a tribal tattoo with a black curvy design (the cultural meaning of which she did not know). She chose the latter and had it placed at the center of her lower back. I didnt think very much about what I was getting, Ms. Galvis said. The novels landscape is both barren and lush: the Spanish coastal city of Almeria, where the sea, oily and rife with stinging jellyfish, and the land, wind-beaten and sun-baked, . . . cracked and dry, are equally inhospitable. Sofia has shucked her listless existence in London in order to accompany her mother, Rose, who suffers from undiagnosed and suspiciously evanescent ailments, to the Gomez Clinic, which is highly thought of, highly costly and under investigation by government health officials. Chilly, capricious Rose, who alternates between maintaining she is paralyzed and evincing the ability to walk, is not the only unreliable one in the family. Sofia, having spent the bulk of her 25 years in thrall to her mothers needs at times ministering to her, at times succumbing to sympathy pains is as unreliable as they come. She has trouble distinguishing men from women, the word beloved from the word beheaded, and the past from the present from the future. Indeed, she narrates with little regard for consistency of verb tense. She has trouble remembering to dress herself properly. She claims to be confused, then confesses: It wasnt clarity I was after. I wanted things to be less clear. She insists, I am not very good at studying myself. . . . I havent a clue about my own logic, yet she proves an obsessive self-studier, continually extracting (or concocting) meaning from every little thing. Worried she is insufficiently bold, she steals a fish, frees a dog, smashes a vase, takes a lover, then takes another. Repeatedly throughout the book she gets stung by jellyfish. In Spain these are called medusas, and much is made of their linguistic link to the monstrous, snake-haired Medusa of Greek mythology; of the fact that Sofias wayward father is Greek; of the fact that Sofia has wayward black curls; and of her fears that she is herself a kind of monster who could turn her own mother to stone. In Hot Milk think of mothers milk, the milk of human kindness, spoiled milk, long-life milk processed to last in hot climates and the breast-shaped marble dome of the Gomez Clinic Levy has spun a web of violent beauty and poetical ennui. As a series of images, the book exerts a seductive, arcane power, rather like a deck of tarot cards, every page seething with lavish, cryptic innuendo. Yet, as a narrative it is wanting. A symbol, wrote Victor Turner, another key figure in symbolic anthropology, is something that connects the unknown with the known. The symbols here, although entrancing individually, feel at once overdetermined and underpurposed. They never fully cohere into a satisfying web. At 42, David Muir is the youngest person to anchor a network evening newscast since Peter Jennings in the 1960s. In nearly two years in the chair at ABCs World News Tonight, Mr. Muir has overseen a ratings rise and scored high-profile sit-downs with President Obama, Tim Cook of Apple and Pope Francis. But it all began at the Roy H. Park School of Communication at Ithaca College in upstate New York, where Mr. Muir, class of 95, landed an anchor seat on the student newscast as a freshman. START EARLY Ive wanted to be a journalist since I was 12. I began writing to local journalists, and started interning at the TV station in Syracuse when I was 13. Id find myself carrying the equipment, sitting in the back seat, and going out in the field with reporters and photographers. The station was in between news directors. I believe to this day that the reason I was able to stick around was because there was no one there to tell me I couldnt. You dont have to know what it is you want to do at 12 or 13. But I did have a passion, and I always tell people to try to follow at least one of their passions, to turn an interest into a career. JPMorgan Chase, the nations largest bank, has shrunk since 2014, but it entered 2016 with 50 percent more assets than it had in 2007, in great part because of its acquisition (on the cheap) of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual in 2008. Early this spring, the top banking regulators announced that because of their size and complexity, five of the eight largest banks, including JPMorgan, still didnt have workable plans to avoid going out of business without taking the economy down with them suggesting that they would probably need to be bailed out if they began to collapse again. So are they headed toward failure? To judge the likelihood of that, the first thing to consider is what types of risk theyre taking on. And on that front, at least, the changes have been far more notable than most Americans realize. For starters, Dodd-Franks Volcker Rule forced the banks to get rid of the trading desks where they made enormous speculative bets for their own profit. There was some talk that the banks would find a way around the rule, but almost every bank has disbanded these trading teams or sold them to hedge funds. And this is just one of the risky businesses that the big banks have jettisoned in recent years. The most risky and profitable units at all the banks before the crisis were the so-called fixed-income divisions, where the banks created and traded bonds and derivatives. In 2006, these departments were the single largest sources of revenue at banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Today, by contrast, the amount of money the big banks make from their fixed-income divisions is less than half of what it was at the peak in 2009, and it continues to fall. There are multiple reasons for this evolution, including global economic shocks like the Greek debt crisis and the new trading rules in Dodd-Frank. But the greatest engine of change has been some rather arcane accounting rules, known as capital requirements, set by the central banks of governments around the world. Put most simply, capital requirements force banks to raise a specific amount of money (usually from investors) for every dollar they lend or trade. In 2010, central banks agreed that the large commercial banks needed to double or even triple their capital buffers. Riskier ventures require even more capital. The most immediate impact of these rules has been to serve as a sort of brake on business activity, given the hassle and cost of raising more capital. And indeed, when banks today explain why they are moving into or abandoning certain businesses, they almost always cite capital requirements as their main motivation. The Federal Reserve official in charge of these regulations, Daniel Tarullo, was recently called the most powerful man in banking by The Wall Street Journal. Tarullo is now pushing to raise the capital requirements even higher for the very largest banks, like JPMorgan and Citigroup, and there are signs that this could do what Bernie Sanders could not: force the biggest banks to split themselves up. Obviously, events still bring us together, even if only bickeringly. The fighting over an all-female Ghostbusters and the rubbernecking to behold the never-ending feud between the West-Kardashians and Taylor Swift are topics of national conversation as much as the renewed prominence of global terrorism is not. But theyre just not fit for national conversation. Im as guilty of romanticizing the import of conversation as anyone small-bore personal confession writ large, writ national. I miss Donahue and Oprah. I miss everyday Americans opening up on daytime television. I miss the national listening that it both entailed and engendered. Oprah Winfrey found her power as the public switchboard operator of our private fears, assumptions, wishes and curiosities. Her show coaxed a little betterment from our worst selves. To the extent that we ever had a regular, Clinton-style national conversation on anything, the daytime talk show was its forum. But those kinds of civilized, delegated, televised festivals of catharsis and confession have moved to the internet, which empowers more people to do more clashing and defending than discoursing. It fosters a debate society, on the one hand, and a war zone on the other thousands of national conversations shrouded behind screen names and encased in Twitter eggs. And few subjects start more internet wars than gender and race. The aspiration of national conversation makes no sense in the age of Reddit. In 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin, President Obama held an impromptu news conference on the atmosphere after the verdict, in which he declined a so-called national conversation on race: And then, finally, I think its going to be important for all of us to do some soul-searching. You know, theres been talk about, Should we convene a conversation on race? I havent seen that be particularly productive when, you know, politicians try to organize conversations. They end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have. On the other hand, in families and churches and workplaces, theres a possibility that people are a little bit more honest and at least you ask yourself your own questions about, Am I wringing as much bias out of myself as I can? Am I judging people as much as I can based on not the color of their skin, but the content of their character? That would, I think, be an appropriate exercise in the wake of this tragedy. In the presidents formulation, national conversation is a kind of hollow imperative. (And yet, in 2016, the term is so permanent that he finds himself headlining them anyway.) Its now a doctors prescription for every societal ill, the take two aspirin and call me in the morning of compassion the sugar pill, maybe. The phrase substitutes rhetoric for actual discourse and urges placation over protest. For one thing, the country is so far apart on race that an actual conversation, even in the well-meaning, optimistic Clinton mold, feels impossible. For another, a conversation, under these circumstances, is an intimate act that calls for more delicacy than be blunt. In 1997, Clinton, as a white liberal, was promoting the luxurious dream of racial healing. Nineteen years later, Obama, as a black liberal, is fully awake to the limits of that luxury. Alabama Republicans nominated Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Madison, as Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives. The nomination all but ensures McCutcheon will be elected as Alabama Speaker when the Legislature meets for a special session on Aug. 15 to consider Medicaid funding and a state lottery. McCutcheon was selected at a House Republican Caucus held today in Montgomery. His nomination was unanimous, according to a House Republican press release. McCutcheon was elected to his House District 25 seat in 2006. His leadership positions in the Legislature are as chairman of the House Rules Committee and his vice-chairman position on the Joint Transportation Committee, according to the Alabama Legislature website. "I'm humbled by the faith and confidence that my fellow Republicans have placed in me, and, if elected as Speaker, I pledge to preside in a manner that treats all members of both parties in a fair and honorable manner," McCutcheon said in a press release. "Our state faces many challenges ranging from education to ethics to ensuring adequate funding for even the most basic government services, and finding needed solutions will require all of us to work together." McCutcheon will fill the position vacated by former Speaker Mike Hubbard after his conviction on 12 felony ethics violations. Hubbard said he plans to appeal the conviction. McCutcheon supported Hubbard at a 2014 press conference held in Auburn after Hubbard was indicted. Before becoming a legislator, McCutcheon was a police officer with the Huntsville Police Department for 25 years. McCutcheon will oversee the Alabama House of Representatives as the House Judiciary Committee is investigating Gov. Robert Bentley for potential impeachment after 23 representatives signed an impeachment position. Meanwhile, Bentley is proposing a state lottery to pay for essential service such as Medicaid. A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against Fletcher Jones Motorcars in a which a woman accused the Newport Beach dealership of allowing a mechanic, who entered her home and attempted to rape her, to have access to her address through its computer system. The parties reached the agreement Friday as the 11th day of the trial was underway, prompting Orange County Superior Court Judge Andrew P. Banks to dismiss the case, according to court records. The settlements terms were not released. Attorneys for both parties were not available for comment Tuesday. In the trial, attorney Christopher Rudd said his client, then a 40-year-old nurse practitioner, was attacked by an intruder in her Newport Beach home on the night of May 20, 2005. It is the Registers policy to not name sexual assault victims. The woman fought off the intruder before he could rape her and the man fled with a broken hand, Rudd said. In 2011, police arrested Travis Dewayne Batten after he was linked to the attack through DNA. Batten was convicted and sentenced to 107 years in prison in 2014. Rudd said the woman had purchased a Mercedes-Benz at the Fletcher Jones dealership in 2003 and had it serviced there frequently. He alleged the dealerships computer system was carelessly designed to give employees access to customers personal information. The dealership maintained it took various precautions and was not responsible for the attack. The settlement was reached after Banks announced a tentative decision granting Fletcher Jones motion to have the judge direct the jury to reach a verdict in favor of the dealership, according to court documents. Contact the writer: 713-834-3773 or kpuente@ocregister.com TV highlights for this week: DONT MISS Summer Olympics opening ceremony Are you ready for some pomp and pageantry? Athletes from more than 200 countries are expected to compete over 17 days (Friday-Aug. 21) in the Rio games. But first comes what is expected to be a very festive celebration and the lighting of the cauldron. Ushering viewers through it all will be Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Hoda Kotb. 7:30 p.m. Friday, NBC. TONIGHT Its off to Mexico for Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, or as TV Guide calls it: Summer camp for scantily clad hotties. 8 p.m., ABC. Inspired by Daniel James Browns best-seller, American Experience: The Boys of 36 is a documentary that recalls the story of nine scrappy, working-class young men from the University of Washington who captured the gold medal in rowing at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. 9 p.m., PBS. WEDNESDAY Brett Eldredge and Thomas Rhett share hosting duties for CMA Music Festival: Countrys Night to Rock. The annual gala in Nashville features performances by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and more. 8 p.m., ABC. THURSDAY Killing the Colorado is an eye-opening new documentary that examines how drought conditions along with shortsighted policies and poor planning have greatly diminished the once-mighty Colorado River. Is this a water crisis that can be fixed? 9 p.m., Discovery. FRIDAY Heres a purr-fect viewing option: While human athletes prepare to compete in Rio, little felines will go at it in the Kitten Summer Games, which include gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling. No, really. 8 p.m., Hallmark. SATURDAY Pop open a cold one (or two) and check out The Bandit. Its an entertaining documentary about 1970s film superstar Burt Reynolds, his best pal Hal Needham and how they combined to make their unlikely smash hit Smokey & the Bandit. 10 p.m., CMT. LAGUNA BEACH Max McKoane couldnt contain himself when he saw the service dogs get up on the stage. He ran over to join them, struggling to pull himself up. Then he cuddled in. The 1-year-old wanted to be as close as he could to the dogs that sat around Sean Hanrahan, who was getting ready to read Raising a Hero, a book about a puppy that grows up to be a service dog. The book by New York Times best-selling author Laura Numeroff was featured Monday during Art and Story Time, new this year at the Festival of Arts grounds. The program combines book reading with an art project. Children colored after learning about service dogs. Putting together our Art and Story Time program seemed like a natural fit for engaging an age group at the festival that had not really been touched before and also exposing our community to art at an early age, said Ron Morrissette, the festivals exhibit director. Morrissette, who developed the program, selected the stories and authors to relate to art and the community. Raising a Hero ($17.95) will be available in stores next spring. It features dogs from Canine Companions for Independence, an Oceanside group that has raised and trained service dogs for 40 years. Numeroff and Hanrahan, the books editor and producer, researched raising service dogs with the group for technical accuracy. Fifteen percent of the books proceeds will go to the group. On Monday, Max and his sister, Mackenzie McKoane, 3, and their mom, Lynette Fabrizio of Dana Point, were among about 30 children and 20 adults from around Orange County eager to hear the story and watch it come alive by meeting the pups. But before they did, Denise Quinn, who is raising 7-month-old Saturn, her eighth service dog, explained what a service dog is and how it can change the life of a disabled child or adult. Quinn, of Irvine, explained that most dogs trained by Canine Companions are golden retrievers and yellow Labradors. In some cases, the females are a mix of the two breeds. Males are mostly purebred. The puppies are nurtured by volunteer caretakers until they are 8 weeks old. They spend the next 13 to 18 months with volunteer puppy raisers like Quinn, who care for them and provide basic obedience training and socialization. Quinn said she has taken dogs to Disneyland, SeaWorld and Angels games. She teaches her pups basic commands such as sit, stay, no jump and no bark. Then the dogs are sent to college for six to nine months of training with professional instructors in facilities such as the Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus in Oceanside. They learn 40 specialized commands before being matched with an adult or child with a disability. Service dogs are really smart they can open doors, turn on lights and pick things up off the ground, Quinn said. It helps children who may feel a little different make new friends, too, when other children come up and want to meet the dog. Quinn asked the kids what happens when they meet a service dog wearing a vest. You always have to ask if you can pet it, she reminded them. Tyler ORourke, 9, from Rancho Santa Margarita was at the event with his little brother, Jayden, 4. He loves dogs, he said, smiling, as Jayden raced over to pet a dog. I did a report on service dogs last year, he said. We also learned how they help the military. I think there should be more service dog breeds to help people. That way they can pick out the dog they like. The boys mother, Tammi ORourke, is a fourth-grade teacher at Arovista Elementary School in Brea. She found out about the Festival of Arts program on social media and thought the pairing of art and reading would be a perfect learning opportunity. She didnt know the dogs would be there and loved that Tyler could relate his school project to the real thing. It really brings the book to life like this, she said. Its so important to keep kids learning through summer. And learning sometimes comes in all different forms. Contact the writer: eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini The good news is that both political conventions are now behind us. The bad news is that the election is ahead of us. No one knows how this election will turn out, but given the awful presidential candidates in both parties the worst case scenario may be only marginally worse than the best case scenario. National polls may suggest a close election ahead, but presidential elections are not decided by who has a majority of the popular vote. In a country already divided, if not polarized, one candidate could win the popular vote and the other candidate win the Electoral College vote, which is what decides who goes to the White House. That could polarize us more than ever. Everything may depend on what happens in the battleground states where neither party has a decisive advantage. Until recently, Hillary Clinton seemed to have a clear lead in those states. But that difference has narrowed to within the margin of error in some state polls. Turnout is the wild card, in this election more than in most. There was booing in both conventions and there are other signs that those who lost are not taking it kindly. How the losers vote, or stay home on Election Day, may determine who the winner will be. If the Democrats lose this election and Trump beats Hillary, it may not be anything more than losing a given election, as happens regularly and Democrats can just regroup for the next election. But if the Republicans lose, it could be much more serious for them and for the country. If Clinton inspires distrust, Donald Trump inspires disgust, even among many Republicans. If Trump goes down to defeat, he could taint the whole Republican party, costing them the Senate now and future elections later. Even if Trump disappears from the political scene after defeat, his reckless, ugly and childish words will live on in innumerable videos that can be used for years to come to taint Republicans as the party that chose such a shallow egomaniac as its candidate for president. A President Trump could create a longer-lasting stigma. He might possibly be sobered up by the responsibilities of the presidency. But someone who has not matured in 70 years seems unlikely to grow up in the next four years. With Clinton as president and Democrats in control of the Senate, she can appoint Supreme Court justices with as much contempt for the law as she has demonstrated herself, and Senate Democrats would rubber-stamp her choices. Democrats have already shown their desire to stifle the free-speech rights of people who disagree with them on global warming and other issues. Clinton has made no secret of her desire to have the Supreme Court reverse its decision that corporations and labor unions both have free speech rights. The Obama Department of Justice has already been looking into ways that anti-racketeering laws can be used to threaten individuals and organizations that challenge the global warming scenario that has been used to promote more government control over what fuels can be used. The Second Amendment right to have a gun is at least as threatened as the First Amendment right to free speech would be if Clinton gets to pick Supreme Court justices. The lifetime tenure of federal judges means that whoever is in the White House for the next four years can change the course of American law for decades to come, putting us at risk of losing our freedoms irretrievably. Much has been made of Hillarys experience in politics. But is an experience of having proved to be wrong, time and time again. As a Senator she opposed the military surge in Iraq that rescued that country and defeated the terrorists. As secretary of state, Clinton carried out foreign policy decisions that led to major setbacks for American interests as far as the eye can see whether in Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, North Korea or China. This is the kind of experience we dont need to see repeated in the White House. Voting for an out-of-control egomaniac like Trump would be like playing Russian roulette with the future of this country. Voting for someone with a track record like Clintons is like putting a shotgun to your head and pulling the trigger. And not voting at all is just giving up. Nobody said that being a good citizen would be easy. RIO DE JANEIRO Popole Misenga broke down crying for the family in Congo that he hasnt seen in 15 years, and for all the worlds refugees who havent been as lucky as hes been. Competing in judo, Misenga is one of 10 refugee athletes who will march as a team behind the white Olympic flag when the Rio de Janeiro Games open on Friday at the opening ceremony, a first for any Olympics. Misenga began to cry Saturday as he told his story, which provided a rare upbeat moment in the difficult run-up to South Americas first games. I have two brothers and I havent seen them, explained Misenga, who has settled in Brazil. I dont know how they look anymore because we were separated since we were small. So I send hugs and kisses to my brothers. Rubbing tears from his eyes, the 24-year-old athlete delivered a message for his family: If you can see me on television now, you can see that your brother is here in Brazil and alive and well. Misenga, who hopes one day to afford to buy airplane tickets so his family can visit Brazil, said being on the refugee team means hes representing something bigger than his native country or national flag. Were fighting for all the refugees in the world, he said. Im not sad that Im not going to carry the flag of my country. I will carry a flag of many countries. Yolande Mabika also fled Congo, and is also a judo athlete. But shes in grief over losing her country. I will raise the Olympic flag, but Im a little bit sad in my heart and mind because I cannot march under the flag of my country, she said. She also cried as she described refugees as forgotten people. Everybody in the world talks about the refugees having no major importance, she said. We are going to show that the refugee is capable of doing everything that other people around the world do. The Olympic refugees are superb athletes, but no one expects a medal from them. But thats beside the point. Their country was broken, but they have the spirit of humanity, the spirit of athletes, said Tegla Loroupe, the head of the delegation and a three-time Olympian from Kenya. Yusra Mardini was a competitive swimmer in Syria until she left Damascus with her sister a year ago and settled in Berlin. She said she still dreams of representing Syria, but also recognizes a bigger mission of representing the biggest flag which is all countries. Were going to represent you guys in a really good way, she said, speaking to other anonymous refugees. I hope youre going to learn from our story: That you have to move on, because life will never stop for your problems. Fellow swimmer Rami Anis fled Syria five years to avoid being drafted into the army. He still talks of competing for his country of birth maybe at the next Olympics. I am representing people who lost their rights, who suffered injustice, he said. I hope in Tokyo in 2020 there will be no refugees and we will able to compete under our own flag. Misenga was even more upbeat. We are not sad anymore, we are very happy, he said. Now its different. Here are the athletes, with their country of origin and sport: Democratic Republic of the Congo: Yolande Bukasa Mabika (judo 70kg); Popole Misenga (judo 90kg) Ethiopa: Yonas Kinde (track marathon) South Sudan: Yiech Pur Biel (track 800m); James Nyang Chiengjiek (track 400m); Anjelina Nada Lohalith (track 1500m); Rose Nathike Lokonyen (track 800m); Paulo Amotun Lokoro (track 1500m) Syria: Rami Anis (swimming); Yusra Mardini (swimming). IRVINE Irvine apartment residents and businesses will likely be the first in Southern California to enjoy Google Fiber, a high-speed network provided by tech giant Google. Google announced Tuesday that it has teamed up with Irvine Co. to bring the gigabit network to apartment, commercial and retail properties in Irvine. The two companies are deciding which properties will receive the service, said Pete Albers, Google Fibers head of real estate partnerships. Were planning to begin work installing our infrastructure in buildings in the next month with the goal of delivering Google Fiber service in the coming months, Albers said in an email. This work does take time, but well move as quickly as were able, and the infrastructure investments Irvine Co. has made allow us to significantly speed up our time-to-deployment. Irvine Co. has been installing empty conduit between and in its properties since the mid-1980s, so the master planner could one day deliver future technology, according to its news release. This infrastructure was a key to bringing Google Fiber to Irvine, the release stated. We werent sure exactly what the future would hold, but we wanted to be ready for it, Timothy McClain, Irvine Co. vice president of technology and innovation, said in the release. Google is also working with the city and other real estate owners and developers to bring the service to other types of buildings, such as single-family homes, Albers said. The companys Google Fiber division announced in September that it added Irvine, a city known for its tech industry and educated and affluent residents, to its list of possible expansion cities. Google Fiber offers broadband speeds up to 1 gigabit, or 1000 megabits, per second. That means downloading a movie in seconds, rather than minutes (or longer). The average internet connection speed in the United States is about 15 megabits, according to Akamai Technologies State of the Internet report. Google Fiber is currently available in Atlanta, Austin in Texas, Kansas City in Missouri and Kansas, Provo and Salt Lake City in Utah, Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn. Prices are $50 per month for 100 megabits internet, $70 for 1 gigabit internet and $130 for internet and cable TV. Google already has a presence in Irvine with an office at 19510 Jamboree Road. The office houses Googles engineering and sales teams working on Google Analytics, as well as a suite of revenue and reporting projects that underpin the AdWords platform, according to the company website. Irvine residents can visit fiber.google.com/cities/irvine to get the latest information on Google Fiber. Contact the writer: 949-445-6397 or tshimura@ocregister.com SAN FRANCISCO Police who dismissed a California womans kidnapping as a hoax found her boyfriends account of the abduction doubtful and grew more skeptical when the woman refused to reunite with her family soon after she reappeared days later, attorneys for police said. The explanation by lawyers for the city of Vallejo and two city police officers came in a court document filed last month seeking to dismiss parts of a lawsuit filed by the kidnapping victim, Denise Huskins, and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. Their lawsuit, filed in March, accuses police of damaging their reputations by dismissing the 2015 kidnapping as a hoax akin to the Hollywood movie, Gone Girl. Federal prosecutors have since charged a disbarred Harvard University-trained attorney, Matthew Muller, with Huskins kidnapping from her Vallejo home, and the city has apologized to Huskins and Quinn. Muller has pleaded not guilty. Kevin Clune, an attorney for Huskins and Quinn, said the court filing showed the city was continuing its misguided approach of blaming the victim. Denise and Aaron have already experienced unimaginable horror at the hands of Vallejo, he said. We have complete faith that the court will hold Vallejo accountable for its outrageous tactics. Huskins turned up safe in her hometown of Huntington Beach, where she says she was dropped off, two days after Quinn reported her abduction. Laguna Beach As a young girl growing up in Massachusetts, public service was looked upon as something positive, said Planning Commissioner Anne Johnson. She started young and carried the mission throughout her life. Recently, Johnson was honored as Woman of the Year by the Womans Club of Laguna Beach. Since 1995, the Womans Club has annually honored a local woman for her consistent community volunteer service. We live in a beautiful place down here, Johnson said. We have a responsibility to take care of it. Johnson is in her 16th year on the Planning Commission. She started in the citys Recreation Committee and then moved moved on to the Vision Laguna 2030 Steering Committee. Eight years ago she started the Open For Business program to help new business owners navigate the city processes. The programs seminars are held four to five times a year. She also advocates for seniors as the commissions representative on the Senior Housing Task Force. For Johnson, the honor came as a surprise. She had nominated Rita Conn, who recently created the Secure Nuclear Waste Coalition and is chairwoman of Let Laguna Vote, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to government transparency. When they called me and said my nominee hadnt won, I wasnt happy, Johnson said. Then they told me I had been selected and I was embarrassed. I had not expected it and was deeply honored. During the awards ceremony, Johnson was honored by several members of the community and by her three granddaughters, Ariel Heyman, 29, Emma Williamson, 15, and Jana Heyman, 26 . There wasnt a dry eye in the clubhouse as Anne Johnsons granddaughters spoke of their admiration of their grandmother, said Womans Club president Barbara Crane. They shared how they adored her and how she taught them how to be women. They expressed how Anne shared with them the appreciation to the arts. Her granddaughters credited their completion of a college education to Annes confidence and being there for them. What has impressed me the most about Anne is her intellect and her ability to see the big-picture when it comes to meeting the challenges of, and opportunities for, the city, said Elizabeth Pearson, former Laguna Beach mayor and City Councilwoman. Those attributes, coupled with her can-do energy and her ability to persuade have truly made her a powerhouse during her years of service to our community. Councilman Bob Whalen said Johnson is passionate, smart, practical, persistent and always willing to speak her mind. She is devoted to preserving what is best in Laguna but also continually focused on making it better, he said. She is a tremendous asset to our city. We all owe her a huge thank you for countless hours dedicated to important city issues over many years. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini This is an odd election year, one where voters fear Hillary Clinton is lying about what she will do and are afraid Donald Trump is not. The only third party on the ballot in all 50 states this year will be the Libertarian ticket of former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Libertarians are polling at about 10 percent; if we can get to 15 percent, our guys can get into the debates with Hillary and The Donald. That would be a game changer. The #NeverTrump-eteers and the #NeverHillary folks now have a legitimate third party choice: an appealing Libertarian option occupying the middle of the huge gulf between these two flawed candidates ideologies. You can now #FeelTheJohnson. In a year when 40 percent of voters say they are independent, and both Republican and Democrat candidates are at historic unfavorable numbers, it might be time to consider Libertarians. Why must you choose between a left nut and a right nut, when you can have the Johnson? Johnson is a proven leader who was called Americas boldest governor by The Economist because he actually tried to do something about school choice. He vetoed more than 700 spending and regulatory bills and left New Mexico with a $1 billion budget surplus. The policies of minimal government, individual responsibility and fiscal responsibility of the Libertarians appealed to me. We have historically been housed uncomfortably within the GOP. Think of Reps. Ron Paul and Justin Amash and Sen. Rand Paul. Sadly, we Libertarians have about as much power in the GOP as the Log Cabin Republicans (but not nearly as fabulous Oscar parties). With his anti-immigration and protectionist populist leanings, Trump isnt very Libertarian. Actually, the Libertarian Party should appeal more to disenfranchised Bernie Sanders supporters. We have long been pro-gay marriage (we do not care what consenting folks do as long as they dont try to do it to us), pro-choice, against the wars of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan, against Gitmo, and against the failed federal War on Drugs, which means pro-prison reform. We also did not want to bail out the big banks, another leftist chant. If you think about it, we have been correct on pretty much everything, but being right in politics gets you nowhere. If disaffected Democrats are true to their main ideals, they should vote Libertarian. But Democrats today seldom vote with intellectual honesty. Most are party operatives who are takers, not makers; they want others to pay their way, and a leftist, nanny-state government is just their means to do so. We differ from Democrats in other areas: We like lower taxes, balanced budgets and the Second Amendment. We know that government is not the answer to every problem. To explain Libertarianism, I always say, Smoke all the crack you want, but dont expect us to pay for your rehab or not shoot you if you try to steal our lawnmowers. The closest thing Democrats had to authenticity was Bernie Sanders, the revolutionary who, like every great revolutionary when defeated, immediately endorsed his opponent and told his followers to be quiet and do what Hillary says. Democrats destroy their opponents personally; they do not win on workable or better ideas. They ascribe evil to those who disagree, all under the pretense of being tolerant. The place where Republicans get it wrong is that they espouse minimal government and maximal personal freedoms, except in the areas of your personal life, where they like to legislate what you can do. Once elected, Republicans seem like those mayors who want to outlaw dirty dancing in their towns on their first day in office. We Libertarians believe: Be as socially conservative as you want to be, just dont force it on me. Lets agree that you do not know what is right for me and I dont know what is right for you. Freedom to choose is the key. The hypocrisy of the GOP astounds me. At the family values RNC, you had Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Rudi Giuliani, all of whom I like, but they had about a bakers dozen of ex-wives among them. The RNC must be a great place to meet your fourth wife. Most of the Trump familys tributes to their dad were about his intense loyalty to all three wives. Libertarians should really appeal to #FeelTheBern liberals who were cheated by the DNC, or to anyone else wronged by Democrats people like Monica Lewinsky, for example. Shes been treated badly by a Democrat, and she might be predisposed to #FeelTheJohnson. Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, Ron is a frequent guest on CNN. He can be contacted at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter. Law enforcement officials from across Southern California and the nation will come together with their communities Tuesday night to share crime tips, eat barbecue, watch K-9 units practice their maneuvers and generally celebrate police. And, perhaps, have some tough conversations. As police agencies and residents convene at parks and neighborhood block parties for the annual National Night Out, they will do so amid a tense national conversation about the role of policing and the use of force in communities and recent law enforcement concerns about the targeting of police in the aftermath of shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and Dallas. The mission of National Night Out, in its 32nd year, has always been about humanizing police officers. But this year, law enforcement insiders say, provides a poignant opportunity for police and the community to engage in difficult conversations about their relationships, about how to decrease crime without making some members of the public feel unsafe and about how to create an environment where law enforcement officials feel respected and not targeted for wearing a badge. Whenever you begin to listen, thats where real growth comes in, said retired Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation, a national organization that aims to improve law-enforcement strategies. I think police departments dont realize they have relationships with the community similar to all of our interpersonal relationships, Bueermann said. Both sides have to listen and try to make the world a better place. Police officials typically look forward to National Night Out, held the first Tuesday of August. It began in 1984, with folks encouraged to light their porches in blue as a vigil for police. The evening evolved into neighborhood hangouts where law-enforcement officials could show their lighter sides. Today, National Night Out is also an opportunity for police to give a sales pitch about how to stay safe: Officials discuss Neighborhood Watch programs, fire departments set up booths and the police try to recruit cadets all with the goal of building trust. Community policing is at the forefront of the majority of what we do, said Sgt. Jon Radus of the Fullerton Police Department. It is a chance for us to get feedback and build better relationships with the community. For a civilian such as San Pedro resident Danny Farr, National Night Out is also a way to appreciate the improvements to community policing and to thank law enforcement. Theyre not robots, said Farr, a houseman for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Theyre people just like us, they have families to go home to, houses like you and me. I just feel like theyre really underappreciated. But 2016 along with 2015 and 2014 has frayed some peoples trust in police. Theres a different kind of energy out there than in past years because of whats gone on, said Mike Peskin, national project coordinator for the National Association of Town Watch, the organization that founded National Night Out. Peskin added, though, that he thinks relationships are generally better than high-profile police shootings lead people to believe. Weve made a lot of progress, he said. Its a lot better than it was 40 years ago. But Gaby Hernandez of Costa Mesa, an activist with Chicanos United, said she doesnt think events such as National Night Out will help build trust until police hold themselves more accountable. National Night Out is just a PR event for them. Staff writer Donna Littlejohn contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 714-796-6979 or chaire@scng.com SAN FRANCISCO Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to cut nearly all of a potential $562 million fine against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in a criminal case alleging pipeline safety violations before a deadly explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. The U.S. Attorneys Office made the request Tuesday in a court filing. Under the proposal, PG&E would face a maximum fine of $6 million if convicted of obstructing investigators in the wake of the 2010 blast in the city of San Bruno and 11 pipeline safety violations. The government did not provide an explanation in the filing for its request to lower the penalty. Abraham Simmons, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Francisco, said the office would have no comment. Mark in the Morning, the morning radio show that brought popular DJ Mark Thompson back on the air in Los Angeles in February 2015, will end on Wednesday after the Sound (KSWD-FM/100.3) decided it needed more music and less talk and comedy during its weekday mornings. As breakups go, this one seems to have gone down as amicably, if nonetheless teary, as one could hope. As described by Thompson and station officials on Tuesday, they love and respect each other but it was just time for a change. And so Thompson, who for 27 years until August 2012 co-hosted The Mark and Brian Show with Brian Phelps on KLOS-FM/95.5, will leave morning radio in L.A. for a second time. His influence on the Sound will continue,whether through talent he hired who will stay on including Gina Grad, a co-host in the morning, and his daughter Katie Thompson or possibly special programming he might do for the Sound in the future. Thompson, who frequently did the broadcast from his home in North Carolina, said he learned of the shows fate last week in a meeting with station general manager Peter W. Burton and program director Dave Beasing. Last week I was in L.A. and Peter and Dave and I had a meeting, Thompson said. And Peter goes, Im going to say something and youre not going to like it. I have learned when a conversation begins with that whatever is behind it is just not good. Thompson said that his bosses explained that their research showed they needed to play a lot more music in the morning than they were doing during Mark in the Morning, which as Thompson had done with the Mark and Brian Show, included interviews with celebrities, comedy bits, in-studio banter, and Katie Thompsons offbeat reports from out and about in Los Angeles. To which I replied, Well, you dont need me, which was the point of the conversation, Thompson said. There were tears. Not from Peter, hes a soulless pig to which everyone in the studio, including Burton, laughed. I will be stepping away, he continued, his voice choking up as he fought to control his emotions. Tomorrow is our last show. We did this right, hired all the best people. As I reflect back, what Im going to be proud of is how well we did. What I dont know is Thursday, when I get up, what am I gonna do? My heart hurts. Ive never had a job where there wasnt some (jerk) that I hated. I love every one of you. Thompson mentioned a few projects he might do, including Cool Stories In Music, a syndicated weekend show hell soon launch to dive deep into the stories behind a song, an album or a band, and which the Sound intends to pick up, according to a statement released by the station. Thank you for the last year and half, Burton told Thompson. Youre an incredible talent. You have an incredible family. Its been awesome getting to know you, and I hope this for us is not goodbye. I want very badly for you to still be involved here with us. Added Beasing: It gets said sometimes in business, Were family, were family. This station is family and you are forever a member of the Sound family. Thompson thanked them, and thanked them for letting him say goodbye before disappearing from the air, too. I will tell you, when you fire a guy you dont let him back in the control room, you dont let him near a mic because you dont know what he will say, Thompson noted. The final Mark In The Morning airs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Andy & Gina in the Morning will fill that the morning time slot starting Thursday, with Gina Grad and Andy Chanley, both of them former co-hosts of Mark in the Morning, playing a lot more music while retaining some of the elements from the previous show. Contact the writer: 714-796-7787 or plarsen@ocregister.com WASHINGTON President Barack Obama will use a visit from the prime minister of Singapore on Tuesday to launch a final public campaign for a landmark Asia Pacific trade accord, but proponents are losing hope that deal can survive the strong, anti-trade rancor among fellow Democrats. Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton forcefully reiterated her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the Democratic National Convention last week, a move intended to quell unrest among party liberals but an outcome that White House allies saw as a setback for the administration. Administration officials said that Obama intends to reassure Singapores Lee Hsien Loong during a White House meeting that Congress will ratify the TPP before the president leaves office in January. But the chances are increasingly grim. The White House is eying what is expected to be a brief lame duck session of Congress after the Nov. 8 elections as the final window, and even then the politics will be fraught. Last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called chances for the deal pretty slim this year. With time running out, Obama on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to the 12-nation deal and declared that he remains optimistic that Congress will ultimately support it. I know that the politics around trade can be very difficult, especially in an election year, Obama said in a written interview with the Straits Times of Singapore. Acknowledging the changes wrought by globalization for American workers, the president added: The answer isnt to turn inward and embrace protectionism. We cant just walk away from trade. In a global economy where our economies and supply chains are deeply integrated, its not even possible. Obamas campaign for TPP over the next few months, including making the case on a trip to Asia in September, puts him squarely at odds with Clinton. Her campaign moved last week to squelch a furor over remarks from a surrogate, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who suggested Clinton would drop her opposition to the deal after the election. Clinton supported the TPP while serving as secretary of state in Obamas first term. I can be definitive. She is against it before the election and after the election, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said last week. The unambiguous denunciation alarmed proponents who had hoped that Clintons move to the left on trade during a hard-fought primary campaign against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would soften during the general election. Instead, Clinton has reaffirmed her opposition as she moves to consolidate Sanders supporters and protect against attacks from Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has bucked GOP orthodoxy on trade and also opposes the TPP. The administration outwardly remains optimistic, said Miriam Sapiro, who served as the acting U.S. trade representative in 2013. But I sense more realism is creeping in. My view is that its getting harder each day. White House aides suggested the widespread anti-TPP rhetoric at the Democratic convention did not reflect the partys overall views on trade. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in July found that 60 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans support free trade and believe opening foreign markets is good for the U.S. economy. Administration officials also have said the small but important Democratic coalition in Congress that helped pass a bill last summer granting Obama greater trade powers remains committed to the TPP. But the White House has struggled to convince the public of the economic benefits of the trade pact, which is composed of nations that make up 36 percent of the worlds gross domestic product, including Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The sprawling pact addresses tariff reductions for agriculture and automobiles, as well as intellectual-property rights for movies and pharmaceutical drugs, the free flow of information on the Internet, wildlife conservation, online commerce and dispute settlement practices for multinational corporations. A study by the U.S. International Trade Commission said the TPP would have a marginal impact on the U.S. economy, adding $43 billion in 15 years and creating an estimated 128,000 jobs. Obamas meeting with Lee, which will feature a White House state dinner, offers an opportunity for the president to tout the geopolitical benefits of the TPP. Singapore, a tiny island nation, is an economic hub of Southeast Asia whose economy is largely built around free trade. Singapore was one of four countries with New Zealand, Chile and Brunei that began talks in 2005 for a regional free trade pact that ultimately grew into the TPP. Obama announced in 2011, during an Asia Pacific economic summit in Hawaii, that his administration would take a leading role in the accord. The White House has said the trade deal offers a bulwark against Chinas expanding influence in the region. China is pitching its own regional trade pact in Asia that U.S. officials said does not address labor, environmental and human rights protections that are included in the TPP. Retired Adm. Michael Mullen, who supports the TPP, said the trade accord is a crucial strategic initiative to build partnerships in Asia that could reduce conflicts and maintain national security. In an interview, Mullen added that if lawmakers fail to ratify the deal, it could be another decade before the United States musters the political will to get it done. The TPP involves parts of the world that Ive said for a decade are at the center of the economic universe for the 21st century, said Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his tenure, Obama has tried to shift attention and resources to Southeast Asia to try to maintain U.S. competitiveness in the face of Chinas rise. But Democratic opponents of the TPP, including Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have characterized the accord as a boon for corporations at the expense of American workers. Dozens of Sanders supporters carried anti-TPP signs inside the Wells Fargo Center during the Democratic convention in Philadelphia last week. Maybe someone in the White House saw it coming, but many people who have followed this closely are surprised by how explicit the anti-TPP sentiment has been, said David Adelman, a proponent of the pact and partner in the law firm Reed Smith who served as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore from 2010 to 2013. People are still talking about the lame-duck session, Adelman said. But, the politics on the presidential campaign trail would seem to make it very difficult for there to be enough votes. Theres so much heat, much more than anyone predicted. (c) 2016, The Washington Post. A closer look at the three players the Angels acquired in a pair of trades with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs on Monday Acquired from the Twins RHP RICKY NOLASCO Age: 33 Background: The Rialto High product was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round of 2001. He was traded to the Florida Marlins and spent the bulk of his career there. He has a career 4.58 ERA, starting 268 games in the majors. Scouting report: Nolasco throws a fastball around 91 mph and a slider and a curve. He rarely throws changeups. Nolasco is a fly ball pitcher. RHP ALEX MEYER Age: 26 Background: Meyer was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft, out of the University of Kentucky. He was traded by the Nationals to the Twins for Denard Span in 2012. He has pitched just 6-1/3 innings in the majors, but has a 3.40 ERA and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in the majors. He has missed much of this season with shoulder inflammation. Scouting report: Meyer throws 96 mph and has a big curveball, which is why the Angels scouts like him. His problem has been his control, which is why the Twins tried him in the bullpen. The Angels will give him a crack to be a starter, but at worst think he could be a late-inning reliever. Acquired from the Cubs RHP JESUS CASTILLO Age: 20 Background: Castillo was signed out of Venezuela by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then traded to the Cubs for Tony Campana. He spent the past three seasons pitching in short-season leagues in the U.S., after spending two years in Carribbean complex leagues. Scouting report: Castillo has a fastball that sits around 91 and touches 94, along with a good breaking ball. So far in his pro career he has issued too many walks, but he has stuff that misses bats. Contact the writer: jlfletcher@scng.com In another time, or another place, Wang Yus reappearance would have been good news. Wang, who is one of Chinas most respected human rights lawyers, was detained more than a year ago as part of a sweeping crackdown on the legal community. For more than a year, shes been kept from her son. For more than a year, shes been denied independent legal counsel. But a report published Monday that Wang is now free on bail is being treated with skepticism rather than relief because it came alongside what appears to be another tightly scripted public confession that her supporters believe was likely coerced. Recent examples include a missing Hong Kong booksellers absurd account of how he voluntarily smuggled himself to China to stand trial for a decades-old crime, a confession by a Swedish human rights worker broadcast on state television, and a highly suspect interview-slash-confession given by a legal assistant, Zhao Wei, who was reported free on bail but may still be in custody. The news that Wang has been released on bail was reported Monday by Hong Kongs Oriental Daily. In an exclusive interview, Wang, a skilled lawyer, delivers what is essentially the governments case against her using the governments favorite turns of phrase. Wang told Oriental Daily she and her colleagues were trained by unspecified foreign forces to attack and smear the Chinese government. The training sought to instill Western universal values and notions of democracy and human rights. Wang, who has been held without trial for a year, then goes on to accuse these forces, not Chinese authorities, of holding her hostage. They used my family and I, taking us hostage to smear the party and attack the Chinese government, she says. Denounces her human rights award? One of the strangest sections of the interview is when Wang, who has devoted much of her career to human rights, denounces a European human rights award she won. Wang told Oriental Daily she wont acknowledge, wont recognize and wont accept the award, a word-for-word echo of Chinas terse and much-repeated promise they wont acknowledge, wont recognize and wont accept the recent ruling on the South China Sea. I am Chinese, I only accept the leadership of the Chinese government. I dont accept the award now and wont accept it in the future, the lawyer said. William Nee, a China researcher at Amnesty International in Hong Kong, said news that Wang is free should be viewed with suspicion until the circumstances surrounding the interview, and the terms of her release, are clear. It makes you wonder: What happened to her in detention and what kind of pressure did they put on her and her family to get to the point where shes willing to say these phrases, these talking points, that almost everyone agrees she would never say? Nee asked. This fits a pattern of abusive tactics that the government is using to silence critics: forced confessions with compliant media after long detentions, as well as pressure on family and friends. Re: Let Gary Johnson debate [Opinion, July 31]: As an independent and a former registered Republican, I am intrigued by the Gary Johnson-Weld Libertarian presidential candidacy. They seem to offer a sane grown-up policy alternative to the Trump-Clinton duo. The country will be better served if Gary Johnson is included in the upcoming presidential debate. Otherwise, I am seriously consider not voting in the up-coming election. How do we independents get them over the 15 percent threshold? I, for one, havent and wont get myself into the polling telemarketing loop. Robin Suan Santa Ana Blame Reid for nuke waste Re: Residents ask for safe nuclear waste removal and storage [Opinion, Aug. 1]: Nuclear waste continues to pile up around the U.S., thanks to Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. The U.S. has spent billions of dollars to research and build the safest nuclear waste repository possible under the Nevada desert. Reid has successfully used his political power to kill the project. Now all these thousands of tons of waste are kept in far less secure, less safe locations all around the country. Harry Reid is symptomatic of what is wrong with America political agenda over common sense and decency. John Jaeger Irvine Not for the children Re: The battle to combat youth smoking is not over [Opinion, July 29]: I started smoking when I was 12, and there was no Marlboro Man or Joe Camel selling smokes at that time that influenced me. I stopped on my own 34 years later cold turkey, and again, it was no ones business but my own. It is not our job to protect the children. That is the job of parents. To discover the real reason for tobacco use taxes, gasoline taxes, or any other kind of special use tax, one needs only to follow the money trail. These taxes fund all types of special projects favored by politicians to influence voters and the recipients of the tax money, and there will never be an end to this. If the state really cared about youth smoking, it would not have made the possession of tobacco legal by youths when it changed the smoking age to 21. Now only the sellers will get fined, providing more money to the politicians for their pet projects. James David Jacobs Whittier Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie doesnt even pretend to hide his excitement about being on tour with Weezer. Though the 29-year-old vocalist has shared the bill with the L.A.-based rock band numerous times at festivals and radio-hosted events, Urie said he had to muster up his courage to suggest the possibility of their own tour. As a fan boy, I had mentioned it to Rivers Cuomo a few times, Urie said of carefully approaching Weezers frontman. Id be like, Hey man, it would be cool if we toured. Then Id just walk away. It was all about planting that seed, but in my mind I felt like Rivers would be like, Yeah, I bet it would be cool for you. The tour kicked off June 10 in Texas and will wrap up locally with stops at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista tonight and Santa Barbara Bowl on Friday and a sold-out evening at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Saturday. The stars began to align for the jaunt last year as the acts were separately in the studio working on new material. Both Panic! and Weezer had tapped producer Jake Sinclair to work on their respective albums, Weezers self-titled 10th release, also known as The White Album, which came out April 1; and Panic!s fifth studio effort, Death of a Bachelor, which dropped in January. When I found out they were on my same management team, I was like, I have to make this happen, Urie said, taking a swig of his bottled 805 blond ale backstage at KROQs Weenie Roast at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre back in May. Weezer was also on the bill that day, and with its dressing room/trailer just a few feet away, Urie lowered his voice and added, Im not a stalker or anything. I think Im just having my Waynes World moment right now. Im definitely not worthy. I told management that I would be willing to be the first of five acts to go on just to tour with Weezer because it would be amazing and the fans would love it. When it worked out, I was like, Oh my God. Im nervous about it and its weird, but Im kind of freaking out and thats exciting. When they were in the studio together, Sinclair played Urie a few samples of Weezers then-unreleased album and he was immediately smitten. As Urie sang a few lines from the single Do You Wanna Get High? he noted that the track took him back to the first time he heard the bands 1996 sophomore release, Pinkerton. It felt like El Scorcho, it felt like Pink Triangle. It really felt like that old Ric Ocasek production style and it just reminded me of why I fell in love with Weezer in the first place, he said. Even the songs on that album that sound nothing like old Weezer, I loved and Im happy to hear. Uries own material is also going over well with fans. Leading up to the release of the album, Panic! at the Disco put out a series of stunning music videos to accompany songs like Victorious, Emperors New Clothes, Death of a Bachelor and the lead single, Hallelujah. When performing those songs, Urie said, he gets inspired by the rabid fan reaction. It can change the way I perform something, he said. When I see them singing back the lyrics, I start putting in different dance moves and interpretive dances. I end up doing some weird stuff, but it makes every show a little different and it makes it fun. Their reaction, that just pushes me to try something new and to try to do even better production for that song. Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com 41-year-old Peter Cirk, from Holland, was recently hospitalized after spending 10 days at Changsha Airport, China, hoping to meet a Chinese girl he had met online. Cirk had met his 26-year-old love interest known only as Zhang on a social network, 2 months ago. The two apparently hit it off, and sick of having 4,500 miles between them, the Dutchman decided to apply for a Chinese visa and go meet Zhang for the first time. He told her he was coming, and even sent her a photo of his travel papers, but when he arrived at Changsha airport, she was nowhere to be seen. Convinced something was holding Zhang off, but that she would eventually arrive to meet him, Cirk decided to wait for her in the airport. Photos gone viral on Chinese social media show the Dutchman patiently waiting on one of the benches, barefoot and with his baggage by his side. With each passing day, his hopes of meeting his Chinese sweetheart deteriorated, and so did his health. After 10 days spent in Changsha airport, Peter Cirk was exhausted and had to be hospitalized. One photo shows him being taken away in a wheelchair with an IV drip in his arm. After this failed loved story went viral, Chinese reporters quickly tracken down Zhang and asked her why she didnt show up to meet her online boyfriend. She admitted that Cirk had told her he was coming to see her, but she thought he was only kidding. We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous toward me. One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly and I thought it was a joke, she claimed. He didnt contact me later. Only it turns out Peter had left her messages online, only he didnt know that she had traveled to another city for plastic surgery. She added that she still wanted to continue their romance, and would meet the Dutchman when she recovers from her operation. Meanwhile, Peter has already flown back to his native Netherlands and its unclear if he is willing to take a chance on Zhang again. via CCTV News Pedro Luca, a 79-year-old man from Argentina is what you would call a 21st century caveman. He has been living in a grotto high up in the mountains of Tucuman Province for the last 4 decades. Pedro says he had always wanted to live isolated in the middle of nature, even as a young boy. He was born and raised in San Pedro de Colalao, a small town about three-hours walking distance from his current home, but left home at 14 to make a living by transporting coal to Bolivia. When he cam back, 40 years ago, he decided to go through with his childhood dream, and set up camp in a mountain grotto, where he has been living ever since. Alcohol and violence can ruin a man, Pedro says, remembering his days spent in civilization. I prefer the wild. Now my only family are the animals. He shares his cave home with 11 chickens and 2 goats who roam the mountainside all day long and return to the cave at nigh, seeking shelter from mountain lions and other predators living in the area. Photo: La Gaceta The hermits day always begins at 3 a.m., when he wakes up to the crows of his roosters. The first thing he does is light the fire, and after eating his all-organic breakfast, he either picks up his rifle to go hunting through the mountains, or embarks on a three-hour trek to San Pedro de Colalao. For the small tourist town, Pedro Luca is a living legend and an inspiration. Every town he comes down from his cave, people welcome him with open arms, his nephew, Juan Carlos, says. He has never troubled anyone, he is a good man. After picking up his pension of around $100, Pedro buys supplies for himself and his animal companions, and mingles with the locals and tourists before heading back up to his mountain home. Its a long walk, but he enjoys it very much. Photo: La Gaceta While most people claim they couldnt survive without modern technology, Pedro Luca does it without basic amenities like electricity, gas, running water or telephone. His only gadget is an old battery-powered radio, which mostly serves a decorative purpose, as he can rarely catch a signal in the mountains. Ironically, even though he has always wanted to live in isolation, Pedro Luca gets plenty of visitors. His nephew told The Associated Press that people from all around the world travel to Tucuman just to see famous legendary modern-day caveman, and children from the local school go on organized trips to see him and gift him supplies. Their reaction is always the same: the legend is real. I never asked myself why I chose to live here, there was another cave nearby but I liked this one better, Pedro jokingly told AP reporters. Sometimes, I think that I would have liked to travel the world, see Europe. But theres a lot of sea in the middle of it all and you have to have the time to cross that sea. Pedro Luca isnt the first cave dweller weve featured on Oddity Central, although hes definitely doing it for longer than most. In 2012 we wrote about Daniel Suelo, who gave up money to live in the caves of the Utah Desert, and last year we posted the story of Du Meiying, a Chinese woman who had been living in a cave for two years. And then theres the 30 million Chinese living in cave homes known as yaodong. Sources: La Gaceta, The Associated Press Some 15 men line up, bags with their few belongings slung over their shoulders. Word is given and they troop out of the building in the afternoon heat to board a bus. The next stage of their journey has begun. But for the rest of the people at the Pozzallo closed registration centre in Sicily, it will most likely be another day of waiting to learn where they will be sent next in the migrant reception system by the Italian authorities. We were told by officials that they work very fast to ensure adults are transferred out in 48 hours, but many adults stay for much longer periods than that, and for unaccompanied children it is even more difficult as appropriate places to house them are in short supply, said Imma Guerras-Delgado, who was part of a UN Human Rights Office monitoring mission to Italy to assess the human rights situation of refugees and migrants. The Pozzallo centre is one of four so-called hotspots in southern Italy, where people rescued at sea are initially held while EU and Italian officials try to establish their age, nationality, identity and their reasons for migrating as part of evaluating what should happen to them. Some 207 guests, as officials referred to the migrants, were at the centre when Guerras-Delgado and seven colleagues from the UN Human Rights Office visited. Rows of bunk beds and mattresses on the floor took up about half of the large hangar-like building, with no clear division between sleeping areas for men, women and unaccompanied children. A TV high on the wall was on but few people were watching, preferring to rest on their bed or just stand around in groups. Several young Bangladeshi men sat in a circle and started singing and clapping to pass the time. At Pozzallo, some of the migrants can request day passes so they can go out. By contrast, migrants on the island of Lampedusa are not allowed to leave the hotspot a compound of several buildings with separate shelters for men, women, girls and boys. Adult migrants spend on average eight days at Lampedusa before being transferred. The difference in conditions and the lack of a clear legal framework for the operation of the hotspots were raised several times during the UN Human Rights Offices mission to Italy from 27 June to 1 July. The UN team heard concerns that the hotspots are currently being operated more as detention centres rather than registration centres. Immigration detention should be imposed only as a measure of last resort, but there are no mechanisms in place to assess the necessity of detaining migrants who arrive. The lack of clarity regarding the length of time migrants can be held and to what degree force can be used should a migrant refuse to be fingerprinted was particularly worrying, the UN team heard from international and national NGOs in Italy. Italy is currently not able to ensure equal standards for the protection of human rights across the migrant reception system. This is due to a combination of factors, including the migration policies the EU has imposed on Italy and the Italian governments contracting out of services without clear rules and regulations, said Pia Oberoi, the UN Human Rights Offices Migration Advisor. Italy, which has seen more than 90,000 people arrive by sea so far this year, increased the number of places it has in the migrant reception system, from some 22,118 available in 2013 to 120,000 by the end of 2015. Although the Ministry of Interior has the main responsibility for organising and coordinating the overall system, the running of the centres is outsourced, including to private businesses and charities. It is then up to those running the centres to decide how and on what they spend the government funds. We know that work is under way by the Italian Ministry of Interior and its international partners to improve and harmonise the way the hotspots are run. We think this is a good step. What we would urge is greater co-operation and agreements with UN agencies and civil society to provide additional medical and psycho-social services and recreational activities, and to allow them to monitor the hotspots to ensure greater emphasis on protection of the rights of migrants, including children, Oberoi said. At Pozzallo, a 16-year-old girl from Nigeria, was keeping herself occupied by doing a boys hair, wielding a plastic fork as a comb and expertly braiding his locks. The boy, also 16 and from Guinea, did his best not to cry in pain as she tugged his hair. Neither was much in the mood for talking. The UN team was preparing to leave Pozzallo when a young man approached Guerras-Delgado to ask if she would give him her watch. I didnt understand why he wanted it, its so cheap. Only later did I realise. There is no clock there, despite the efforts of a colleague from the UN Refugee Agency. So its hard for people to know the time, which must hang heavy, said Guerras-Delgado. I wish now I had given him my watch. This is the third article in a four-part series about the mission to Italy by UN Human Rights Office team from 27 June to 1 July. Read the other stories here: 2 August 2016 Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... NORTH PLATTE, Neb. Donna Eckhoff isnt ready to give up. In 2013, her fears were confirmed after she struggled to heal from a surgery and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The disease took her mother when Eckhoff was just a teen. Eckhoffs cancer was discovered when she was slow to recover after an unrelated surgery. It had gone undetected despite yearly checkups. A doctor later told Eckhoff that she would have needed a CT scan to detect the cancer. It totally uproots your life, she said. Cancer was no stranger to Eckhoff. Leukemia took her husband in 1999, and she lost a number of other relatives to the disease. But Eckhoff stayed positive that she would beat the cancer. And in 2014, she did. It was just like a great big weight lifted off my shoulder, she said. Then last September, Eckhoff had stomach problems and was told the cancer had come back. After chemotherapy only made her sick, she was given a year to live and told to go enjoy her life. I have nieces and nephews that are my pride and joy, she said. Realizing Im not going to see them grow up is really hard to do. Today, Eckhoff awaits a new drug that she says has a good chance of either eliminating the cancer or keeping it at bay. Meanwhile, she is often tired, with occasional stomach pains and limited appetite. At 52, Eckhoff is two years younger than her mother was when she lost her battle. She remembers those around her saying her mother would be OK, but seeing a different pain in her mothers eyes. Eckhoff said the pain that the person who suffers cancer feels is unimaginable until youre the one suffering. You have days you are positive, she said. Then you have days youre angry at everybody. The whole world. Why me? Why do I have to do this? Eckhoff remembers caring for her husband, who was angered after his cancer hit out of the blue he had no family history of cancer. She knows her family supports her; many of them have traveled with her around Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri, visiting waterfalls, caves and taking motorcycle rides. Still, Eckhoff feels like a burden when she must ask for help. She hated having to stop work, she said. Im not a whole person anymore, she said. Because I have to depend on everybody. Eckhoff tries to stay busy and has a hopeful outlook as Relay for Life nears. For three years, Eckhoff has walked with a team of mostly family, even the little kids. The event holds a place in her heart, because you can make a difference in peoples lives, and see the difference people have made, she said. Outside of the event itself, the American Cancer Society helps those with cancer travel, pay for wigs and make other living expenses less of a burden. Otherwise, youre wondering, what am I going to do? she said. Today, Eckhoff prepares to be reconfirmed at her church and isnt afraid of death. She believes that everything happens for a reason. But as she prepares for Aug. 13, were working toward a future where cancer doesnt exist anymore, she said. The semitrailer truck driver involved in a crash that claimed six lives on Interstate 80 was inattentive and distracted by outside influences when he rammed into a minivan at a high rate of speed, a Nebraska State Patrol trooper said in an arrest affidavit. The driver, Tony Weekly Jr., 53, of Baker, Florida, was charged in Keith County Court on Tuesday with five counts of felony motor vehicle homicide one for each member of the St. Paul, Minnesota, family who died Sunday in the fiery crash four miles west of Brules I-80 interchange and a single misdemeanor count of reckless driving. The sixth person, Terry Sullivan, 56, was declared dead Monday but was still on life support Tuesday. Weekly, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit, kept his head down as he entered the courtroom Tuesday. When Keith County Judge Edward Steenburg informed him of his right to hire an attorney and asked whether he had any assets, Weekly responded: Sir, I am a month away from losing my house and my car. The judge set an Aug. 29 preliminary hearing on whether he should face trial in Keith County District Court. Steenburg continued Weeklys bail at $1 million of which he must post 10 percent to be released pending a determination of whether he could afford a lesser bail. The crash occurred just before 11:30 a.m. MDT Sunday in a head-to-head crossover construction zone on Interstate 80. All of the vehicles involved were westbound on the Interstate. The construction zone has a posted temporary speed limit of 65 miles per hour. The normal speed limit is 75 mph. Witnesses said Weeklys truck did not slow down until hitting the first vehicle, Trooper Darrell Crawford said in the arrest affidavit. That vehicle was the minivan carrying the Pals family of Minnesota. Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their three children died as a direct result of the initial impact, Crawford said. Before coming to rest, the vehicles forward momentum pushed them into a Plymouth minivan driven by Sullivan, then a Nissan sport utility vehicle and finally a Ford van. Killed Sunday were: Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both 29, and their children, Ezra, 3; Violet, almost 2; and 2-month-old Calvin. Weekly had minor injuries and was taken to Sedgwick County Hospital in Julesburg, Colorado. Authorities drew blood from him but have declined to comment on what the results might reveal. Weekly was driving for Bohren Logistics Inc. of Garrett, Indiana. A statement from the company said: Those of us at Bohren Logistics are heartbroken by this tragic accident. We extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the relatives and friends of the Pals family for this devastating loss. We also wish the best and a speedy recovery for those injured in the accident. Bohren Logistics is committed to cooperating with law enforcement authorities investigating this accident. Fred Zwonechek of the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety said the Sunday crash was the worst in Nebraska since at least Nov. 6, 2006, when five people died in a two-vehicle, head-on crash on Interstate 80 just west of Shelton, between Grand Island and Kearney. The most fatalities from one crash on record in Nebraska occurred Aug. 8, 1976, when 11 people died, Zwonechek said. A train hit a church bus near Stratton, which is west of McCook. The Palses intended to serve as long-term missionaries in Nagoya, Japan. They were headed to Palmer Lake, Colorado, for a five-week session on learning a language and assimilating into another culture, said Dennis Vogan, vice president of personnel development of the ministry organization WorldVenture. The Palses fit perfectly within our organization, Vogan said. The missionaries in Japan were thrilled and looking so forward to their coming, he said. The Palses had raised enough money to fund their mission work, which was to start in October, he said. Rick Pals, Jamisons father, said Tuesday that funeral services would be held at Jamison and Kathrynes church, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. He said the families of Jamison and Kathryne have been very touched by the outpouring of sincere support they have received. Weve heard from people from all over the country and all around the world, he said. The president of Christ Bible Institute in (Nagoya) Japan is trying to make arrangements to be here for the funeral. Eventually, Rick Pals said, a foundation will be established to continue the missionary work that Jamison and Kathryne envisioned for themselves. For now, people can donate to www.gofundme.com/joyofjapan. As of Tuesday night, $16,500 had been raised toward the $20,000 goal. The generosity has been wonderful, Rick Pals said. Those donations and prayer are really what people can do to help us right now. Jamison Pals worked for just over three years as a grant writer for Feed My Starving Children. The Christian nonprofit based in Eagan, Minnesota, sends meals specially formulated for malnourished children to orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs around the world. Andy Carr, the groups vice president of marketing and development, said Jamison and Kathryne Pals were amazing people and good friends. They were the most humble and selfless people that you could ever meet, he said. In todays world where its so much about me, me, me, it was never about them. It was always about others. Carr estimated that Jamison was responsible for writing grants that brought in well over $1 million to the organization. But his work didnt stop there. We work with many small organizations that cant afford to have grant writers and whenever they had questions about how to proceed, wed point them to Jamison, he said. He would gladly assist them, and his impact went far beyond Feed My Starving Children. This report contains material from the World-Herald News Service. Contact the writer: 402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com Warren Buffett stepped away from his usual low-key approach to politics Monday to sharply criticize Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for comments about the family of a Muslim-American soldier, for not making his tax returns public and for what Buffett said were Trumps failures in business. The Omaha billionaire has supported Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons political ambitions and those of other Democrats over the years but had rarely criticized their opponents until now. Trumps campaign did not return an email seeking comment about Buffetts remarks. The final straw, Buffett told several thousand people while introducing Clinton at a campaign rally in the gymnasium at North High School, was Trumps comments about the family of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan. Khan was killed on duty in Iraq 12 years ago. At the Democratic National Convention last week, Khans parents criticized Trumps call for a ban on Muslims, and Trumps responses to the familys criticism included his claim that he had made sacrifices during his working career. Buffett said Trump was wrong to say that working hard, creating jobs and constructing some great structures represented sacrifices. I have made no sacrifices, Buffett said. No member of the Buffett family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. No member of the Trump family has gone to Iraq or Afghanistan. Donald Trump and I havent sacrificed anything. So how in the world could you stand up to a couple of parents whove lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings? Buffett said Trumps comments about the Khans and their Gold Star son reminded him of the excesses of the anti-communist campaign waged by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, which prompted Army attorney Joseph Welch to say to McCarthy during a congressional hearing, Have you no sense of decency, sir? And I ask Donald Trump, Have you no sense of decency, sir? Buffett said, adding that McCarthys political career went straight downhill after that. Buffett became the third well-known billionaire to criticize Trump in recent days, following former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the Democratic Convention and investor Mark Cuban in Pittsburgh over the weekend. On Monday, Buffett called on Trump to release his tax returns. Trump has said he wouldnt make them public in part because they are being audited. Buffett said his returns are being audited, too, but thats no reason for a presidential candidate not to make tax returns public. He said he would meet with Trump any time and place before the election to make both of their tax returns public and answer questions about the documents. You will learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he releases his income tax returns, Buffett said. Youre only afraid if youve got something to be afraid about. And hes not afraid because of the IRS. Hes afraid because of you. The audience cheered and applauded, one of many times they interrupted Buffetts introduction with cheers. Buffett mocked Trumps claims of business success, noting that Trump has declared bankruptcy six times with businesses financed with borrowed money. The only time he sold stock directly to the public was in 1995, when he formed Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Buffett said. Buffett is chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., an Omaha-based conglomerate whose stock has been publicly traded for about 50 years. Over 10 years, Buffett said, Trumps casino company lost money every year and Trump received $44 million in compensation. If a monkey had thrown a dart at the stock pages, the monkey, on average, would have made 150 percent during those 10 years, Buffett said. The people that believed in (Trump), who listened to his siren song, came away losing well over 90 cents on the dollar. They got back less than a dime. Buffett also said that he violently disagreed with Trumps assessment that the United States is in trouble, saying instead that the countrys future is bright and that the same factors that have made the country a success over the past 240 years are still present today. He quoted Trump as saying, No one knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. Well, la-di-da, you know, Buffett said. I didnt really realize we were in such grave danger. Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska joined other Republicans Monday in condemning Donald Trumps criticism of the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq. Uncalled for, said Fisher, a member of the Armed Services Committee. We show our military personnel respect, we honor our fallen military heroes, and we certainly show respect and gratitude, forever, to their families. Words between the family and Trump have escalated since the family spoke out against the Republican presidential nominee during last weeks Democratic National Convention. Fischers criticism of Trumps words follows that of numerous leading Republicans, among them Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Jeb Bush and John Kasich. During a wide-ranging interview in Omaha on Monday, Fischer also said she was bothered by Trump statements that suggest hes not fully committed to the NATO alliance. Nonetheless, she made it clear she supports the Republican nominee and believes its important that he defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in November. Just before accepting the GOP presidential nomination two weeks ago, Trump suggested he wouldnt automatically defend a NATO ally if it was attacked, saying he would first look at that nations financial contributions to the alliance. Fischer noted that the United States does expect financial contributions from NATO partners but also said the alliance is crucial to deterring aggression. She said the United States must stand firm in its commitment to NATOs Article 5, which states that an attack on one of the allies is an attack on them all. Fischer noted that on a visit to Eastern Europe a year ago, she met with the president of Estonia, a NATO member with real fears that Russian tanks are going to cross their border. Fischer is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putins ultimate goal is to rebuild the former Soviet empire. We cannot waver on Article 5, she said. Thats an opening for the Russians. Trumps relationship with Putin and Russias seizure of Crimea from the Ukraine have also become issues in the presidential campaign. At the behest of Trumps campaign, language in the GOP platform that called for sending defensive arms to Ukraine was watered down, though Trump now says it was done so without his knowledge. The platform move fueled Democrats claims that Trump has a cozy relationship with the Russians. Fischer said she thinks reports of a close relationship between Putin and Trump are based more on rumor than fact. But whoever was behind the platform language change, she said, it was a mistake. Fischer criticized the Obama administration for not doing more than send meals and blankets to Ukraine as the Russians seized and annexed Crimea. That inaction and the concern it has raised with U.S. allies in Eastern Europe has only served to exacerbate Trumps comments about NATO, she said. Theres unrest in that area not due to Donald Trumps comments, but due to the current situation and this administration, she said. Fischer also said she was disappointed with both presidential candidates for their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which she said is crucial to Nebraska agriculture. She said she had been hopeful that it could be passed by Congress after the election, but now shes not so sure. If we dont get a good, fair agreement, then the economy of Nebraska is going to suffer, she said. As a whole, people in the state understand that if ag doesnt do well, you arent going to do well in Omaha or Lincoln. For her own part, Fischer passed on a chance to speak at the GOP convention, saying shes more interested in policy than politics. Her overall comments on her partys nominee Monday were muted she said Trump has hit a chord and has a lot of Nebraskans who are supporting him. But she made it clear shes no fan of Clinton. She said Clinton was on talk shows Sunday morning misleading voters about her use of a private email server while secretary of state. I will do what I can to defeat Hillary Clinton, Fischer said. Contact the writer: 402-444-1130, henry.cordes@owh.com The first task of any political campaign is to frame the question it wants voters to answer. Donald Trump wants this election to be a referendum on change: Are you happy with the way things are going in America? Hillary Clinton wants the election to be a referendum on Trump: Are you ready to hand the nuclear codes to an authoritarian with a hair-trigger temper? Theres more to the campaign, of course: conflicting worldviews, competing policies. But the battle to frame the question was a significant part of what the conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia were about. Trumps message was that the United States is in crisis and that he alone can change its course; Clintons was that the countrys problems are solvable, but Trump doesnt have the temperament to be commander in chief. Both questions are potentially effective. The desire for Big Change is broad and deep; in the most recent Pew Research Center poll, 71 percent of Americans said they are unsatisfied with the countrys direction. Thats what has propelled Trumps candidacy. From the beginning, Trump has cast himself as an iconoclastic indeed, gleefully disruptive change-maker: a nonpolitician who denounced the establishments of both parties and promised to scrap traditional policies on everything from the federal debt to trade. The Pew poll found that 77 percent of voters were convinced that he would bring about real change although most of them thought the change would be for the worse. When it comes to change, Trump can fairly claim to own the brand. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, who works for Clintons Super PAC, Priorities USA, says satisfying the thirst for change is probably his candidates biggest challenge. He pointed to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in which 56 percent of voters said they preferred a candidate who will bring major changes to the way government operates, even if the changes are unpredictable; only 41 percent said they preferred a steady approach with fewer changes. Clintons task, he said, is to persuade voters that she will make (voters) lives better as president. That was, of course, a theme in Philadelphia but only one of many; its not clear that it broke through the clutter. Its an important pitch for two kinds of voters: white working-class men and women who have felt neglected by the Obama administration, and Bernie Sanders voters, especially young people, who arent enthusiastic about turning out for Clinton. But some are skeptical that she can get there at all. I dont think she can plausibly campaign as the candidate of change, David Axelrod, Barack Obamas chief strategist in 2008, told me. She has been a fixture in American politics for such a long time. Instead of change, Clinton wants to focus on Trumps temperament, his biggest flaw in voters eyes. In the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, voters said that was their top concern about the Republican; 65 percent called him too volatile, slightly ahead of the percentage who called him offensive and intolerant. (Clintons biggest flaw was dishonest, at 69 percent, followed by wont make needed changes.) This issue of temperament is central to the whole debate, Axelrod said. He cited a line from Clintons speech: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons. I really think the race comes down to this, Axelrod said. This is the critique I think that has the power to move the most people. Indeed, Clinton devoted more than twice as much time in her speech to lambasting Trump as to outlining her plans for the economy. Trump doesnt seem to notice that his bull-in-a-china-shop style makes voters worry that hed be a bad fit for the White House. His own wife has beseeched him to be more presidential, but hes ignored the advice. Instead, he has frequently disrupted his own campaign for instance, suggesting that Russia should hack into Clintons private email server. (He later said he was joking.) So it shouldnt be hard for Clinton and her surrogates to keep the question of his temperament alive. But that hasnt knocked him out of the race; far from it. Judging from the head-to-head polls, change is narrowly beating temperament as the top question on voters minds. As long as thats true, Trump for all his gargantuan flaws has a real chance to win. Contact the writer: doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com It wasnt always like this I envy todays young women who find the nomination of a woman for president of the United States to be no big deal. They are so very fortunate to have never had doors shut because they are female. In 1960, I graduated from high school and wished to major in music with the goal of becoming a high school band director. The University of Nebraska was out because there were no women in their marching band. My high school adviser informed me that the then-Kearney State College would accept women as music majors but only in choral, not instrumental, music. At that point, I changed my goals and went on with my life. What is upsetting now is that I just accepted the policies and did not even question them. It was just the way things were. Later, I was told I could not have a credit card in my name, only my husbands. This time I did question that policy and received a card in my own name. There were local organizations who would not accept women. To my husbands credit, he would not join those groups. Now gender is not an issue in most local organizations. Young women, be grateful for the almost limitless opportunities that you have. But please do not believe that it has always been this way. Kay Dalstrom, Omaha U.S. must honor NATO commitments I am a Republican with no love for Hillary Clinton. However, I am dismayed that GOP leaders, including Nebraskas congressional delegation, have chosen not to condemn Donald Trumps outrageous call for Russian interference in the presidential election. This appears to be far more than just Trump speaking off the cuff or being sarcastic. In his July 28 More Commentary (Russias finger on the campaign scale), Max Boot connected the dots between Russian hacking, Vladimir Putins desires to return Russia to its Soviet glory and Trumps business interests in Russia. Trump has praised Putin numerous times. He recently said he wont necessarily honor the NATO commitment to protect the Baltic nations from Russian aggression. Now hes in effect suggesting that Russian spies help him win. At best, he is under the thrall of a power-hungry Russian strongman who may be Americas most dangerous opponent. At worst, he is a creating a potential foreign policy that would seriously destabilize Europe and risk war to protect his own interests. Kirk Winkler, Omaha Another Kintner embarrassment After years of embarrassing our state, Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion has done it again (Gov. Ricketts says senator should resign if explicit content was in fact kept on his state-issued device, July 29 World-Herald). Kintners past makes these revelations no real surprise. He has done everything from using racial slurs during a floor debate, to throwing a pen during legislative proceedings, to claiming the pro-life high ground while opposing the expansion of Medicaid that would save the lives of 500 Nebraskans annually. What is surprising is that Gov. Pete Ricketts knew about Kintners alleged personal sex video for a year and did nothing. Kintner should publicly apologize to Nebraskans, officially apologize to the Legislature and resign from state office immediately. Then Ricketts should follow suit. Nancy Meyer, Cedar Bluffs, Neb. Ready for convention-free TV Since the television networks and the cable news channels have treated us to two weeks of reality comedy shows, do you think they might develop some family shows for us to watch? The American public might be ready for some wholesome viewing. I sure am. Joseph R. Dixon, Omaha Trump supporters love this country Donald Trump supporters appreciate straight, blunt, honest talk. They love America and have common sense. They believe in the Constitution and appreciate our military and law enforcement. They recognize the world is becoming a more dangerous place and want a survivable world for their children. We also realize an excellent businessman and born leader is perfect for the times. From my observations of Hillary Clinton, her recurrent difficulties with the truth, her real agenda and goals, she is simply not the person to rebuild what has been broken. Is Trump perfect in every way? Maybe not. Are you? Vote Trump and lets save America. Mark Jorgensen, Omaha Helping others to contribute to community I went to the Hy-Vee on Cass Street last Sunday, and there was a man on the median curb begging for money, for whatever his cause was. As I entered the store, there was a young blind man who was working passing out ads. Bravo to Hy-Vee for letting a person with disabilities to improve his life. This young man was increasing his awareness, esteem, pride and being a part of the regular workforce. Thanks, Hy-Vee, for giving this person an opportunity to be part of our community. Leo Yrkoski Jr., Omaha Gujarat: Will Vijay Rupani get his birthday gift today? Ahmedabad oi-Vicky Ahmedabad, Aug 2: In the wake of Anandiben Patel resigning as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the big question is who will replace her? There are four names doing the rounds, but the front runner for the post appears to be Vijay Rupani. Several BJP leaders that OneIndia spoke indicated that Rupani is the frontrunner for the post. Some BJP leaders said in lighter vein that it is Rupani's birthday today and the Parliamentary Board may give him his best birthday gift. The board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday and make an announcement. Rupani is a trusted aide of both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. He also shares a very good rapport with the RSS. The MLA from Rajkot has a good track record and is known to take all along while making decisions. Who will be Gujarat CM? The name of the other leader making the rounds is that of Parsottam Rupala. His oratory skills are an advantage and moreover he is a mass leader, a factor that is likely to help the BJP during the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. The names of Nitin Patel and Bikhubhai Dalsania too are making the rounds. Patel the senior most minister in Gujarat enjoys the trust of both Shah and Modi. He belongs to the Patel community and had said that he was ready to be the CM after Modi became the PM. Dalsania is in the running for the post, but chances appear to be grim. He is the general secretary of the BJP in Gujarat. He too is from the Patel community. However, what may go against him is his lack of administrative experience. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 9:55 [IST] #Justice Party Former Justice Party leader Lee Jeong-mi elected for 2nd term Lee Jeong-mi, a former chief of the minor progressive Justice Party (JP), was elected Friday for a second term to lead a major reform of the party reeling from recent election rout... #KBO Heroes reach Korean Series after eliminating Twins in KBO postseason For the first time in three years, the Kiwoom Heroes will be playing in the South Korean baseball championship series. Former big leaguer Yasiel Puig homered and knocked in two ... Suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma sent to 7-day ED custody Ahmedabad oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Aug 2: The special PMLA court here today remanded suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate for seven days. ED had yesterday arrested Sharma under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It had demanded his custody for 14 days, but PMLA court judge A C Joshi granted the agency his custody for seven days. Sharma was arrested after the Supreme Court vacated an interim stay on his arrest. The ED lawyer contended that he was not cooperating with the investigators so his custodial interrogation was necessary. Sharma was summoned to the ED office yesterday to record his statement and later arrested after the central agency claimed he gave "evasive replies" regarding his and his relatives' overseas bank accounts and transactions. The case pertains to allotment of government land in Bhuj for industrial use to Welspun India and its subsidiaries Welspun Power and Steel and Welspun Gujarat Style Roharan. Sharma sanctioned the allotment in 2004 when he was the collector of Kutch district and chairman of District Land Evaluation and Pricing Committee. The allotment was at a low price and it caused a loss of Rs 1.2 crore to the exchequer, ED has alleged. In return, he received around Rs 22 lakh in the name of his wife Shyamal P Sharma, it alleged. Sharma had crossed swords with the Gujarat government when Narendra Modi was the chief minister. He had claimed that he was being victimised by the BJP government for his knowledge of illegal surveillance on a woman by the state government agencies. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 12:48 [IST] 33 complaints received against Patanjali ads Business oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Aug 1: Over 30 complaints against advertisements of yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved Ltd were received between April 2015 and July 2016, parliament was told on Monday. In total there were 33 complaints received during last one year against Patanjali for self regulation of advertising content as per the findings of Consumer Complaints Council (CCC), Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The Department of Consumer Affairs has informed that 17 out of 21 advertisements complained against were considered to be in violation of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) code, he said. "Six product packaging communications were also considered to be in violation of ASCI code for self regulation of advertising content," the minister said. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 8:17 [IST] Video: Why Chinas former president was escorted out from stage China's Didi acquires Uber in USD 35 billion deal Business oi-PTI Beijing, Aug 2: Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi will take over Uber's China business, in a deal worth USD 35 billion as the US car-hailing firm gave in after fierce competition from its rival in the world's second largest economy. Uber will take a 5.89 per cent stake in Didi. Didi did not disclose the stake it will take in Uber. Uber China's on-demand mobility (ODM) service will continue to operate independently. The deal follows China's legalistion of ODM services. Uber's founder Travis Kalanick and Didi founder Cheng Wei will sit on each other's company boards. The two companies have been locked in a bitter battle for customers in China marked by huge customer discounts since last year. Post the merger of its Chinese business, Uber is expected to focus more aggressively on the Indian market, its third biggest market after the US and China, at present. Interestingly in India, Uber is locked in an intense battle with market leader Ola which counts Didi as an investor. Didi had picked up a stake in Bengaluru-based Ola last year as a part of the USD 500 million funding round. Last December, Didi Chuxing, along with Ola, US-based Lyft and GrabTaxi had also formed a global pact to share customers and technology across countries to compete with Uber. Uber has been pumping in substantial funds to fuel its growth in India. In July last year, Uber had announced an investment of USD 1 billion in India to expand its services here. It has also set up a response and support centre in Hyderabad with an investment of USD 50 million. India is also expected to be a major beneficiary of the USD 3.5-billion fund raised by Uber earlier this year as the US-based firm looks to overtake local rival Ola. There were also reports suggesting that Uber may buy Ola, though the Indian company rubbished those saying it has "no intentions of selling to Uber". Uber is one of very few foreign tech firms that has been able to compete with domestic rivals head-on in China. While Didi holds a majority share in China's ODM services, Uber has managed to establish a foothold, and has made inroads into lower-tier cities this year to further threaten Didi's dominance. The competition has seen the two companies locked in a discount war in an attempt to poach riders away from each other's platforms. In June, Didi announced it had secured USD 7.3 billion in equity and debt financing, including USD 1 billion from Apple which valued the start-up at around USD 28 billion. Uber has secured over USD 6 billion in its latest funding. Liu Zhen, Uber China head of strategy, said in June that most of the money raised will fund Uber's operations in China. While Uber has generated over USD 1 billion in profit from its top 30 cities worldwide, the company has not yet turned a profit in any Chinese city, even though it provides more trips in China than any other country, Kalanick said. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 13:04 [IST] IndiGo Q1 profit slides, mulls slower induction of A320 neos Business oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 2: Hit by "competitive" airfares, IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation on Monday posted over 7 per cent fall in net profit at Rs 591.77 crore in June quarter and plans to go slow on inducting A320 neos -- a move that is likely to adversely impact its ambitious growth plans. Admitting that A320 neos continue to pose "operational challenges", IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh said the airline is working with Airbus and engine maker Pratt & Whitney to resolve the issues. The largest carrier by domestic market share saw its quarterly net profit decline in the latest June quarter compared with Rs 638.89 crore posted in the year-ago period despite higher revenues. Total revenue during the April-June quarter rose 9.7 per cent to Rs 4,741.45 crore from Rs 4,211.54 crore in the same period a year ago. "Profitability was lower than last year primarily because of competitive fare pressures. We have reduced our debt by Rs 458.9 crore during the quarter," Ghosh said in a release. The drop in average fares does not change our view on the potential of Indian market, Ghosh said, adding "we are committed to add on profitable capacity in the market," he said during the post earnings analysts call. IndiGo's likely move to go slow on inducting the fuel-efficient A320 neos could have a significant negative fallout on the airline, whose ambitious future plans are majorly dependent on these new planes. "Operationally A320 neo continues to be a challenge. We are currently looking at a scenario where we would slow down the delivery of our A320 neo aircraft to allow (engine maker) Pratt & Whitney catch up with the production of updated engine," Ghosh said. Pratt & Whitney and Airbus remain focussed on fixing various technical issues that have been identified and "we are counting on them to stay focussed on resolving technical issue on a highest priority (basis)," he added. At present, IndiGo -- which operates five A320 neos -- plans to have a total of 24 such planes by March 2017. "We have seen a 14.3 per cent saving with neos compared to the classic A320s (in the latest June quarter)," he noted. Further, he emphasised that drop in average fares does not change its view on the potential of Indian market. Reflecting intense competition, IndiGo's average fare declined nearly 11 per cent to Rs 4,032 in the three months ended June. The same stood at Rs 4,524 in the year-ago period. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 8:50 [IST] AI Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight resumes tomorrow India oi-PTI Bhopal, Aug 2: Air India will re-start its Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight from tomorrow after Defence authorities in Pune granted permission for the same. Operations of the flight, launched on May 23, were stopped within four days after Ministry of Defence, which controls operations at the Pune Airport, discontinued the permission granted to AI for some reasons. "The Defence authorities have now granted permission to Air India to restart the flights to Pune w.e.f. August 3," an AI release said today. According to AI's Area Manager (MP-CG), Vishrut Acharya, the ATR-72 (70-seater) plane will be deployed on the route to provide much needed connectivity to Raipur and Pune thrice a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from Bhopal. The aircraft, AI 9865 will leave from Bhopal at 9.30 AM and reach Raipur at 11 AM. From Raipur, it will depart at 11.30 AM and reach Pune at 14.00 PM. From Pune, the flight AI 9866 will take off at 14.30 PM and arrive at Raipur at 17.00 PM, and from there it will fly at 17.30 PM and arrive Bhopal at 19.00 PM, the release said. Acharya said the response to the flight from the IT sector and students was overwhelming. Based on the response of passengers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Air India would be adding more flights on new sectors in the near future as part of the "Regional Connectivity" plan, he said. PTI Aurangabad arms haul: Lashkar-e-Taiba's Abu Jundal gets life term India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Aug 2: The special MCOCA court on Tuesday sentenced Abu Jundal, the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative to life imprisonment in the Aurangabad arms haul case. Six others too were handed out life imprisonments by the court. Two convicts were awarded a 14-year sentence while, 3 will have to do 8 years in jail. The counsel for the accused will prefer an appeal in the High Court against the verdict. In this case 8 people had been acquitted while one is absconding. The court had last week convicted all these persons under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, the Explosives Act and ndian Penal Code. The ATS on May 8, 2005 intercepted the vehicle and seized the arms. However, Jundal managed to escape under mysterious circumstances. The prosecution had submitted that the weapons seized during the raid at Aurangabad were procured from Pakistan. The entire plot was being hatched to eliminate Modi and Hindu leader, Praveen Togadia, the court observed. The accused wanted to shake and reduce the faith of the common man in an elected democratic government by undertaking large scale violence, the court further held. They also wanted to exploit the communal sentiments of the Muslims and provoke them in the name of religion, the judge also observed. After the plan was hatched it was decided to move the consignment into Gujarat. They had loaded the ammunition into a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica. Jundal was driving the Indica. The ATS howeve, on May 8 2005 intercepted the vehicle and seized the arms. However Jundal managed to escape under mysterious circumstances. OneIndia News Gone Viral! Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar goes shirtless in the pool Most ministers in Goa shown the door by voters No 'matka' gambling centre operating in Goa, says CM India oi-IANS By Ians English Panaji, August 2: There is no 'matka' gambling centre operating in Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the assembly on Tuesday against the backdrop of an ongoing police investigation into the matter. "There is no 'matka' booking centre in the state. However, whenever 'matka' gambling activities are noticed or upon receipt of reliable information, cases are registered by the police," Parsekar said in reply to a question by Francisco Pacheco, Goa Vikas Party legislator from Nuvem. The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court is currently overseeing a Crime Branch probe into the nexus between matka gambling lobby, the politicians and the police. Matka is an illegal form of gambling that has gained immense popularity in Mumbai and Konkan region since the 1970s. It functions six days a week, virtually like a lottery, where lucky numbers are generated thrice every day. Matka's popularity stems from the fact that one can wager as small an amount as one rupee. The matka industry in Goa alone is pegged at several thousand crore of rupees. Several legislators and ministers in successive state governments have demanded its legalisation. IANS Parliament passes bill for setting up NIT in Andhra India oi-PTI Andhra Pradesh/New Delhi, Aug 1: The Parliament today passed a bill for establishing the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Andhra Pradesh, on a day MPs of the ruling TDP from the state staged a protest to demand special category status. The National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on July 21. The bill aims at establishing the NIT in Andhra Pradesh as an institute of national importance. Replying to a debate on the Bill, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar assured the House that there would be no dearth of funds for establishing the NIT in Andhra Pradesh. "It is really a fulfilment (of promise)," he said against the backdrop of demands by TDP, an ally of ruling NDA, and some other parties for grant of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. "Let me remind my good friend Jairam Ramesh that it is not after two years we are starting, the second batch is already there. So the institute was formed but the bill, we are passing today," Javadekar said. "So the action has already started and as far as funding is concerned there will be no dearth of funding," he added. Stating that Rs 40 crore has been provided in the Budget for this NIT in AP as token, he said the DPR (detailed project report) would be ready in two months. "As soon it is there, the funds will be immediatly released and granted. So there will be no dearth of funding let me tell you," the minister said. On concern raised by some members over inadequate number of faculties, Javadekar said the government is making efforts to fill vacancies in all top institutes like IITs and NITs. "It is true that in even in country's premier institutes there is no 100 per cent faculty that is the truth and its a national mission...Still in NITs 75 per cent faculty is working and rest 25 per cent is not there. We are taking as a drive in IITs, NITs and all top institutes even in primary schools. Vacancy is a big problem and we should try to get trained faculties. There is good tendency that people want to become teachers aand we will also come with a concrete plan to so as to have trained faculty," Javadekar said. The minister informed the House that funding for NITs is increasing every year from Rs 2,100 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2,645 crore this year. "So its rising and I want to ensure that there will be no dearth of funds as far as projects, teaching, research is concerned. "For all top isntitutes there is requirement of large amount of funding. In natural course of action you cant provide it..so we are working on a new initiative FM has already announed in the Budget," Javadekar said. PTI Patna lady's arrest in ISIS case gives Kerala police vital clues India oi-Vicky Patna, Aug 2: The arrest of Yasmeen Mohammad, a lady from Patna has thrown up vital clues regarding the 21 missing persons from Kerala suspected to have joined the ISIS. The 28-year-old woman from Patna, Bihar was detained by the Delhi Police on the ground that she was attempting to join the ISIS. As per investigations, the woman was planning on flying to Kabul to meet with Kerala based Abdul Rashid who is said to have facilitated the departure of the 21 persons who had wanted to join the ISIS. Investigations have shown that she was working at school in Kollam and Kottakkal. The institution has been under the scanner of the Intelligence agencies for radical preachings. Further it was also ascertained that she was in touch with Rashid over phone. Rashid who is said to be in Afghanistan conversed with her and these intercepts were tracked which finally led to her arrest. On being questioned she said that she had wanted to leave India because should not practise Islam properly. "I wanted to live the life as per the Quran and that was not possible here," she also told the police. She landed at the Delhi airport along with her five year old child. The police say that she is linked one Abdul Rashid of Kerala who is believed to have facilitated the departure of 21 from Kerala last month. The Kerala police had issued a look out circular against her. The police say that she was to leave along with the 21 others. However, due to some hold up in her documents she was unable to do so. Upon landing at the Delhi airport, she was whisked away by immigration officials. Later on she was handed over to the Delhi police who in turn alerted their counterparts in Kerala. She was then produced before a court in Kasargod, Kerala and charged under the provisions of the Unlawaful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 16:06 [IST] Woman, her two children mowed down by train; Suicide not ruled out Rajasthan Minister's son among 6 named in FIR in murder case India oi-PTI Jaipur, Aug 2: A Rajasthan Minister's son is among six persons named in an FIR lodged in a murder case of a 45-year-old man here in Hanumangarh court. Harish Sindhi was shot dead yesterday by two accused Sukhbeer and Dharmendra in the court premises when he had gone for hearing of a murder case in which he was a witness. While the duo was arrested yesterday, police today named Water Resources Minister Rampratap's son Amit Sahu and three others, including Som Muni, Soma and Shrawan, in the FIR under various sections of IPC, including murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and 27 of Arms Act, police said. Heavy rain lashes several parts in Rajasthan The FIR was lodged by Monu Singh who was present with Sindhi in the court. Sahu, however, denied any link with the murder and alleged he was being dragged in the case for "political reasons". "I have no link with the matter. I am being falsely implicated. The allegations against me are baseless," Sahu said, adding he has not been approached by the police. "I was present in the court premises. I had gone to the office of the collector which is located near the court. My presence there had nothing to do with the case," he said. Rampratap could not be contacted as he was in the cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, Sindhi's funeral was performed today. Some of his relatives held a demonstration demanding arrest of all the accused. PTI BJP MP scolds official for cleaning Yamuna with 'poisonous chemical' ahead of Chhath News Flash: I pray for Sonia Gandhi quick recovery and good health, says PM Narendra Modi India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Bengaluru, Aug 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on August 9 launch a programme called '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Kurbani' (70 years of independence: Do recall the sacrifices). Get all the latest national and international news updates of Tuesday, August 2 here. 7.25 pm: Kerala CM says CPM not ready for political alliance with Cong. In Bengal alliance is for protection of democracy. Both are different. 7.18 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi leaves Varanasi (UP) for Delhi. 7.13 pm: Heard about Sonia's ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health, says PM Narendra Modi's tweet. 7.12 pm: She (Sonia Gandhi) will be completely fine and will see Modi Govt's eradication to its end, says Pramod Tiwari, Congress. 7.11 pm: Rhino strays out to NH37 after Kaziranga National Park faced deluge after heavy rainfall in Golaghat (Assam). 7.10 pm: Sonia Gandhi cuts short her Varanasi visit and returns to Delhi after being advised by the doctor to do so. 7.00 pm: 60 RR, CRPF and district police Chassana in Reasi (Jammu) in joint op in Kalaban forest today recovered cache of arms. 6.45 pm: Committee decided that a panel headed by a Rtd. Judge of SC assisted by three eminent counsels including the counsel of BCCI be formed. 6.35 pm: BCCI Working Committee deliberated the judgement delivered by SC in matter BCCI vs Cricket Association of Bihar and others. 6.30 pm: Negotiations with the Govt helped bring clarity, understanding and a near consensus on issues, says Anand Sharma, Congress on GST. 6.10 pm: During negotiations with the Govt, it is clear what we were saying had merit and justification, says Anand Sharma, Congress. 5.45 pm: We are the original authors, if the nation gets on GST, Congress would have made a notable contribution, says Anand Sharma, Congress. 5.25 pm: BCCI Working Committee approved the two T20 International matches against the West Indies on 27th & 28th August. 5.00 pm: Moving car in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) caught fire reportedly due to a short circuit, 3 people who were in car rescued. 4.44 pm: Investigation is underway but there seem to be 6-7 accused in Bulandshahr incident: Anees Ansari, SSP Bulandshahr. 4.30 pm: "Welcome the name change,but name should not be bongo, that is a musical instrument", says Babul Supriyo, Union Minister. 4.00 pm: Sensex falls 21.41 points to end at 27,981.71 3.25 pm: Delhi's Saket Court reserved it's order for 4th August on quantum of sentence for Director Mahmood Farooqui in rape case of American lady. 3.00 pm: Cabinet decided to change name of West Bengal, will be either Bangla or Bongo. In English it will be Bengal:Partha Chatterjee,WB Minister 2.35 pm: UP BJP President Keshav Maurya led-party delegation arrives in Noida to meet Bulandshahr rape victims and their family members. 2.30 pm: Do not be overawed by hierarchy. Be frank & fearless in your interaction with senior officers, says PM to Assistant Secretaries. 2.20 pm: PM addresses Assistant Secretaries, says "you should remain sensitive to circumstances/surroundings, in order to better connect with people". Sonia Gandhi led Congress roadshow begins in Varanasi (UP) pic.twitter.com/5q9dmJimpL ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 2.10 pm: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav to meet Bulandshahr gang rape victim's family on 4th August in Ghaziabad. 2.05 pm: "MoS General VK Singh is leaving for Jeddah tonight via Dubai. His on ground assessment will determine future course of action", says Vikas Swarup. 1:52 pm: Indian Embassy in Riyadh convened meeting of community social workers & volunteers yesterday: Vikas Swarup, MEA on situation in Saudi Arabia. 1:35 pm: 33 differently abled children of Sukhjeet Ashram, Kapurthala, Punjab suspected to consume adulterated food. 2 out of all have died: ANI. 1:30 pm: 6015 cases of loot and dacoity have been reported in Akhilesh regime, says Shrikant Sharma, BJP on law and order situation in UP. 1.26 pm: Punjab: Children have been hospitalised in Civil Hospital, three are in critical condition. 1.13 pm: Posters that were put up at Cong office building in Bhopal were later removed by the Municipal corporation and police. 1.11 pm: Posters put up at Congress office in Bhopal, alleging corruption during Simhastha kumbh in Madhya Pradesh. 1.08 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2pm. 12.57 pm: Difference of opinion in committee is on degree of punishment-reprimand or reprimand with debarring from Parliament session for specific time, says Sources. 12.56 pm: There is unanimity in the 9 member committee that action must be taken against Bhagwant Mann, say sources on Parliament security breach video. 12.30 pm: abu jundal gets life term. 2 convicts sentenced to 14 years of jail, 3 sentenced to 8 years of jail in Aurangabad arms haul case. 12.27 pm: 7 out of 12 convicts including Abu Jundal sentenced to life imprisonment in Aurangabad arms haul case. 12.12 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 12:30PM following TDP protest demanding special status to Andhra Pradesh. 12.00 noon: Spanish Talgo Train's final phase of trial run between Delhi & Mumbai: Train arrives in Mumbai. 11.48 am: Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrives in Varanasi, will lead party's road show here UP: Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrives in Varanasi, will lead party's road show here. pic.twitter.com/yk9h74Zj4s ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 11.20 am: Supreme Court directs Odisha Govt to give additional compensation to 2008 Kandhamal communal riot victims. 10.53 am: Congress gives adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha on Bulandshahr (UP) rape case. 10.35 am: Petrol bombs thrown at J&K Education minister Naeem Akhtar's house in Srinagar. He was not present in his house when the incident happened. 10.07 am: Vijay Mallya's assets worth Rs 7000 crores under hammer. Mallya's villa, jet and KFA logo to be auctioned. 10.00 am: Narsingh Yadav to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, report ANI. 9.40 am: BJP Parliamentary party meeting begins in Parliament. 9.35 am: State-wide bandh call given by YSRCP in Andhra over special status issue, supported by Left parties. YSRCP calls state-wide shutdown in Andhra Pradesh over special status issue,protest by YSRCP & Left parties in Vizag pic.twitter.com/2i2gpHJ2gs ANI (@ANI_news) August 2, 2016 9.10 am: Long distance trains from Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus rescheduled due to heavy rains and water on tracks between Vapi-Udwada. 8.45 am: Two dead after building collapse in Secunderabad. Police claim that the building collapsed due to heavy rain. 8.30 am: Rahul Gandhi lashes out at PM on Twitter, says 13 years of Modi rule responsible for Gujarat burning. 13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 2, 2016 7.57 am: Locals in flood-hit Tura area of Meghalaya in distress & agitated over delay in relief operations Locals in flood-hit Tura area of Meghalaya in distress & agitated over delay in relief operations pic.twitter.com/9WS5GBu4YJ ANI (@ANI_news) August 2, 2016 7.55 am: Congress President Sonia Gandhi to lead party's roadshow in Varanasi (UP) today. OneIndia News Court holds writ by Hindu petitioners in Gyanvapi case maintainable: What does this mean On camera: Varanasi folks in panic as 'ghost in white' goes for a walk on rooftops Sonia Gandhi to lead Congress roadshow in Varanasi today India oi-PTI Varanasi, Aug 2: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple after leading a roadshow organised by the party today. The party's chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Sheila Dikshit, said this at a press conference o Monday, adding that UP Congress chief Raj Babbar and senior leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Pramod Tiwari, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Zafar Ali, Sanjay Singh, Rana Goswami, Rajesh Mishra, Ajay Rai, Rajeshpati Tripathi etc. will take part in it. The roadshow will begin from Kachahari at 12 noon after party leaders garland the statue of BR Ambedkar and will cover a distance of around eight kilometers in three hours. It will conclude at Englishiyaline where Sonia is expected to deliver a short speech and garland the statue of former Union Minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister late Kamlapati Tripathi. Maintaining that the roadshow is a part of the party's '27 saal, UP Behaal' campaign, Dikshit launched an attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in the state for the recent Bulandshahr gangrape incident. "Law and order in the state under the SP has worsened and the recent incident of Bulandshahr was highly condemnable," she said, adding that the Congress wants to rid the state of "SP, BSP and BJP misrule of the last 27 years" and put it on the path towards development. Replying to a query, Dikshit, who claimed herself to be a "UP wallah", said her age was not an issue till the time she had the "will to work in public interest". "I became the Delhi Chief Minister at the age of 60. Even then, people used to talk about my age but I served for almost 15 years. "I will be fortunate to get a chance to serve my own state, Uttar Pradesh. I will put in my best efforts for its betterment. I am 78 but my age is not an issue till the time I am willing to work," she said. Dikshit claimed the development of Uttar Pradesh was visible 27 years ago when the Congress was in power in the state but subsequent governments led by the SP, BSP and BJP "misruled by playing out religion and caste-based politics". Lamenting the lack of job opportunities for the youth in the state, she claimed that her party would change the scenario by setting up industries if voted to power. Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Babbar claimed the party was confident of forming the government in the state in 2017. Defending Dikshit's selection as the party's chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, he attacked the BJP saying, "The Congress gives respect to its elder members, unlike another party that sidelines them." UP: Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrives in Varanasi, will lead party's road show here. pic.twitter.com/yk9h74Zj4s ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 2, 2016 PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 12:55 [IST] Special status: TDP MPs protest in Parliament India oi-IANS By Ians English Amaravati/Chennai, Aug 2: Unhappy over the Centre's stand on special status to Andhra Pradesh, TDP, a partner in NDA government, on Monday staged protests both inside and outside Parliament. Seeking immediate announcement for special status, the MPs of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) tried to disrupt the proceedings in the Lok Sabha. Holding placards and raising slogans in support of their demands, the TDP members in the Lok Sabha began the protest as soon as the house met for the day. They rushed to the speaker's podium, demanding that the government fulfill its commitments under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly appealed to members to return to their seats but they continued the protest. The Speaker conducted the proceedings amid the uproar before adjourning the proceedings till 2 p.m. Earlier, the TDP members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha staged a protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament complex. They held placards and raised slogan 'We want justice'. "We want justice for Andhra Pradesh. Save Andhra Pradesh," read one of the placards. Galla Jayadev, one of the Lok Sabha members, said they had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking special status and adequate help to the state. He said the Centre should fulfill the promises and assurances. "We are ready to whatever it takes. Leaving government or leaving our positions, it doesn't matter," the MP from Guntur said. TDP, a constituent of the NDA, has two ministers in the Union ministry. TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was monitoring the developments in Delhi over television at his office in Vijayawada. He was also issuing direction to the party MPs. The TDP decided to launch protest to bring pressure on the BJP-led government after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely told the Rajya Sabha last week that Andhra Pradesh can't be granted special status but the Centre would handhold the state until it became economically stable. Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, on Monday met the Prime Minister to brief him on the developments in the state. The senior BJP leader is believed to have conveyed to Modi that growing distance with an ally would not be good for the coalition. Later, Venkaiah Naidu along with TDP leader and central minister Y.S. Chowdary called on Jaitely to discuss the developments in the wake of TDP's protest in Parliament. In another development, Union Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh told the Rajya Sabha that Andhra Pradesh was so far given a central assistance of Rs 6,403 crore. This includes Rs 2,803 crore for bridging the revenue deficit. In reply to a question, he said seven backward districts of the state were provided Rs 700 crore while Rs 2,050 crore was given for the development of new state capital and Rs 850 crore for Polavaram project. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 10:04 [IST] BJP MP scolds official for cleaning Yamuna with 'poisonous chemical' ahead of Chhath VK Singh to leave for Saudi Arabia to help stuck Indian nationals India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Aug 2: In the wake of the food crisis facing Indian workers laid off by Saudi companies, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night. He will reach Jeddah early on August 3 and return to India two days later, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. On Saturday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India was making all efforts to bring back the over 10,000 Indian workers rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia and was providing them food in camps. My colleagues @Gen_VKSingh will go to Saudi Arabia to sort out these matters and @MJakbar will take up with Kuwait and Saudi authorities./5 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 30, 2016 She said the companies concerned had shut their factories and left. "We can't leave our workers there... We have asked the foreign office to authorise us to bring them (back) from Saudi Arabia," she said. IANS BJP MP scolds official for cleaning Yamuna with 'poisonous chemical' ahead of Chhath When a Baby Shark was spotted on Delhis road India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, Aug 2: A baby shark was spotted right besides the road in Delhi's R K Puram area on Tuesday. The shark was found swimming in the water-filled pothole, as per a media report. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Maken himself made a tweet, saying that a baby shark appeared in pothole near RK Puram, please don't Panick. It was later discovered that Congress was playing a prank by putting a toy(shark) in the pothole. Apparently, Congress is trying to highlight the fact that AAP govt is not doing enough to mend Delhi roads which are full of potholes. Earlier, similar attempts were made in Bengaluru to highlight such issues. A baby shark appeared in water filled pot hole near RK Puram! Please don't Panick- WakeUp Kejriwal-#JaagoYaBhaago pic.twitter.com/ablCM4zI5L Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) August 2, 2016 Taking a dig at AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Maken also said that Kejriwal was hoodwinking Delhites by saying that his government saved money on flyovers. The Congress saved Rs 495 crore while AAP govt spents extra rs 35 crore on flyovers, tweeted Maken. Delhi Flyovers- How Kejriwal is hoodwinking through Ad? Congress Regime Money Saved; Rs495cr AAP Extra Spent: Rs34cr pic.twitter.com/G1Knwu27m7 Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) July 23, 2016 On Saturday, a 45-year-old biker was trapped in a pothole near Square mall on Mehrauli-Mahipalpur road. He was crushed by a tanker truck while he was still stuck, killing him on the spot. OneIndia News Explained: Why did the ECI freeze the symbol of the Shiv Sena Not just future of Sena but democracy at stake, says Uddhav Will Maha BJP govt survive if it thinks of Vidarbha, asks Sena India oi-PTI Mumbai, Aug 1: Amplifying its opposition to any move aimed at carving out Vidarbha from Maharashtra, Shiv Sena today questioned if the BJP-led government in state would survive if separate statehood was even thought of. "...Why is the BJP thinking of bringing this misfortune to Maharashtra? Will your government survive if you think of a separate statehood for Vidarbha?" senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told reporters here. Earlier in the day, Sena, a junior ally in the BJP-led dispensations at Centre and in Maharashtra, tried to corner government on the issue in the Legislative Assembly and asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to clarify his government's stand. Raut said, "the Chief Minister is from Vidharbha, half of the Cabinet is from Vidharbha...then why you want separate Vidharbha?..For the last 60 years, the Sena has pinned people to the mat." Sena, a staunch votary of united Maharashtra, has renewed its aggression in the wake of a BJP MP moving a resolution in the Lok Sabha last week seeking formation of Vidarbha state. Meanwhile, a senior Sena leader said the issue of separate Vidarbha is purposefully brought on the anvil with an aim to divert attention from the allegations of corruption levelled against some BJP ministers. Taking a dig at Fadnavis, Yuva Sena president Aditya Thackeray in a series of tweets said, "a bill on division of Maharashtra by someone who is part of the government both at Centre-State, doubts the capacity of Governments to govern well. "The people of the state gave this government its strength to rule for development of all regions equally, not to dissect the state. I hope the Chief Minister reassures the people of this State that elected his government, on the unity of Maharashtra for development." PTI Cornered over Ukraine remark, Trump says what he meant to say International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New York, Aug 2: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is facing a double trouble both in the domestic (read his locking horns with the Khan family) and foreign (Ukraine remark) affairs, tried to explain his position on the latter issue. [Hillary slams Trump for "absolute allegiance" to Russia] On Monday (Aug 1), Trump tweeted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not go to Ukraine if he became the president of the US. In another tweet, the real-estate tycoon said: ""with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. That's what I said!" [Russia prefers Trump as next US president: Survey] Political observers felt Trump's explanation suggested that he wasn't aware of the fact that Russian troops were already in Ukraine while making his controversial remark on Sunday (July 31). When I said in an interview that Putin is "not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down," I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 "Putin won't go to Ukraine" On that occasion, he told in an interview to ABC that Putin would not make any military adventure into Ukraine while the reality is that he has already done that and took control of the country's Crimean Peninsula and earning condemnation from the western world. "He's not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want," Trump said in the interview on "This Week." When the interviewer, George Stephanopoulos pointed out the fact that the Russians have already entered into Ukraine, Trump turned the gun towards President Barack Obama. He said: "OK -- well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away. He takes Crimea." Also when facing criticism for his soft approach towards Putin, Trump asked whether it wouldn't be great if the US went along with Russia. Oneindia News Indian consulate in Saudi distributes over 15k kg food among crisis-hit workers International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Jeddah, Aug 2: The Indian consulate here reportedly distributed over 15,000 kilograms of food items among the crisis-affected Indians over the weekend with help of local Indian nationals. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said several Indians lost jobs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and were yet to get the wages from their employers. [India to bring back 10,000 workers from Saudi Arabia: Sushma Swaraj] She also assured on Twitter that not a single Indian worker would be left to starve and sent one of her deputy ministers VK Singh to the West Asian country. [Saudi Arabia's dreaded Kafala system which plagues Indian workers] Low oil prices have hit the economy forcing the Saudi Arabian government to cut down on spending as a result of which thousands of Indian workers employed in services, manufacturing and construction sectors lost their jobs. Around 3 million Indians are employed in the three abovementioned sectors in Saudi Arabia. Oneindia News Musharraf owning more properties than known: Report International oi-PTI Karachi, Aug 2: Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf owned more properties under defence housing schemes than previously thought, a media report said today, days after a top court ordered authorities to confiscate his bank accounts and property. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) confirmed three bungalows were named after the 72-year-old former President, who is currently said to be in Dubai for purported medical treatment. The DHA wrote a letter to the district and session court confirming their presence, Geo News reported today. According to details in the letter, Musharraf has a 2000- yard bungalow in Phase 8, Defence. He also owns two plots in DHA phase 8, DHA stated. However DHA has remained silent over a bungalow in Army Housing Scheme which is considered one of the main properties of the former military dictator. Quoting sources in DHA, the report said that Musharraf in fact has two properties in Army Housing Scheme, something that even the court was unaware of. District Judge South (Karachi) Nazir Amin Memon had initiated action based on the Special Court judge's ruling on July 19, in which the court had ordered freezing of Musharraf's assets and properties. The district judge had ordered seizing of four bungalows belonging to the former president for not appearing before it during proceedings of a high treason case despite repeated notices. The district judge in a letter had asked the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to take action and submit a response in three days over the matter. Musharraf flew to Dubai in March for purported medical treatment after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on his foreign trips and it is believed that he may never return to face a slew of several high-profile cases against him. The Special Court in one of its previous rulings had declared ex-president Musharraf a 'proclaimed offender'. In March 2014, Musharraf was formally indicted over treason charges for imposing emergency and the Provisional Constitutional Order on November 3, 2007. Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Facing impeachment following elections in 2008, he resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. He returned in 2013 to contest elections but was implicated in several high-profile cases. He is facing trial in illegal detention of judges in 2007. Musharraf has also been charged in connection with the 2007 assassination of prime minister Benazir Bhutto. PTI Accept mistake thats the only way: Prachanda faction to Oli My party-BJP have different ideologies but common aim of uplifting poor: Nepal ex-PM Prachanda Nepal's Prachanda files candidature for prime minister International oi-IANS By Ians English Kathmandu, Aug 2: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda on Tuesday filed his candidature for the Prime Minister's post as the country is all set to vote for its new premier on Wednesday. He filed his candidature papers at Parliamentary Secretariat backed by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, a prominent Madhesi leader. Maoist chief Prachanda set to become Nepal PM again However, Prachanda is the sole candidate for the post. Earlier, the second largest party in parliament, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) had decided to field a candidate but later the party decided not to. Likewise, the agitating Sanghiya Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha has also supported Prachanda's candidature. Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party leader Sarbendra Nath Sukla and Sadbhawana Party leader Laxman Lal Karna have supported Prachanda's bid for the Prime Minister's post. This will be his second come-back as Prime Minister. Earlier, Prachanda became the premier in 2008 and resigned after he failed in his attempt to sack the then Chief of the Army Staff Rukmangud Kutwal. In the 595-member parliament, Prachanda will require 298 votes to win the election. The Maoist Centre, the third largest party with 82 seats in parliament, has the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party with 207 seats. As per the time table for the election of the new premier set by the Parliament Secretariat, nominations should be filed between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the final list to be published at 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The final election, if any, will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. IANS Pak committing atrocities against people in PoK, will have to bear consequences: Rajnath Singh Why is 'Mr. Bean controversy trending on Twitter after Zimbabwe beat Pakistan? Pakistan police stops JuD caravan for Kashmir International oi-IANS By Ians English Lahore, Aug 2: A caravan of relief material mobilized by the JuD in Pakistan for distribution in the Kashmir Valley was halted on Tuesday (Aug 2) near the Line of Control (LoC), triggering protests, officials said. The caravan of dozens of trucks and ambulances left Muzzafarabad in Pakistani Kashmir early on Tuesday for Srinagar and was stopped by police in Chakothi village near the LoC. [Hafiz Saeed warns of countrywide protest if Rajnath Singh visits Pak] The vehicles are loaded with essential supplies like rice, oil, fresh and dry vegetables, clarified butter, baby food and medicines. There were also ambulances with doctors and para-medics. The relief materials and ambulances were put together by Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), charity wing of the proscribed Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Islamist group. The group is headed by Hafeez Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack for whose capture the US has announced a bounty of $10 million. Although the JuD is outlawed in Pakistan, it is known to operate more or less freely through its various fronts. Sayeed frequently addressed public rallies. People in the caravan staged a noisy demonstration in Chakothi, insisting that they be allowed to proceed to the Kashmir Valley in India, the FIF said. "The caravan will not leave this place till the material is sent to the Kashmiri people who are suffering from over three weeks due to the Indian atrocities," it said. Hafiz Abdul Rouf of FIF said markets in the Kashmir Valley were shut due to curfew and restrictions and that Kashmiris were suffering badly. "If the two countries can use this route for trade, why can't it be used for humanitarian relief?" he asked. The widespread protests in the Kashmir Valley following the killing of militant Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. IANS What does the US actually want in Syria? Syria: Rebels launch attack to break govt seige in Aleppo; 30 civilians killed in shelling International oi-IANS By Ians English Damascus, Aug 2: At least 30 civilians were killed and 210 others were wounded in rebel shelling on government-controlled areas in Syria's Aleppo city, the local media said on Monday (Aug 1). The rebels have been conducting an intensified shelling by rockets and mortar shells against government-held areas in the western part of Aleppo since Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. The shelling came in tandem with a wide-scale offensive by the rebels -- mainly the Jaish al-Fateh and the Jabhet Fateh al-Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front -- to break a government-imposed siege in the eastern part of Aleppo city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said the Syrian Army on Monday recaptured several points the rebels had taken during their offensive on Sunday in Aleppo. On Sunday (July 31), the al-Fateh Army announced in a video message the beginning of a big offensive to break the Syrian army's recent advance in Aleppo. Late last week, the Syrian Army stormed the Bani Zaid area, a main rebel stronghold in eastern Aleppo. The progress came a week after the army severed the last rebel-supply route connecting rebel-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo with rebel-controlled parts in the eastern part of the city. Army asks rebels to surrender With the progress made, the Syrian Army has fully besieged eastern Aleppo, urging the rebels to surrender themselves and the civilians to cooperate. President Assad announces amnesty for rebels Moreover, Syria President Bashar al-Assad announced an amnesty for the rebels who surrender with their weapons to the authorities. The Syrian authorities in cooperation with the Russians also opened three safe passages for civilians to leave eastern Aleppo. They also opened a fourth one for the rebels who would want to surrender. On Saturday (July 30), the local media said dozens of families evacuated eastern districts in Aleppo, amid reports that the rebels prevented many civilians from leaving. IANS Turkey backs Pak's stance of sending an OIC team to Kashmir International oi-PTI Islamabad, Aug 2: Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan, on Tuesday (Aug 2) hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue while backing Islamabad's stance to send an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations. "Turkey fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference here with Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz. Cavusoglu said Turkey is an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. Hopefully its next meeting would be held in September, he said. "I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said. Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and demanded sending a fact finding team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations there. Forty-nine people have been killed in Kashmir in clashes since security forces killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Cavusoglu, who is in Pakistan on an important visit after a failed military coup, thanked Islamabad for being the first country to denounce the coup attempt. He said Turkey was taking steps against those involved in the coup staged by supporters of US-based influential Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. He said Gulen's organisations pose a risk or threat to the security and stability of every country. "This terrorist organisation has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organisations. In the past, we supported them but we didn't know they had a hidden agenda, that they were trying to take over power in Turkey through such attempts," he said. He said that Pakistan and Turkey supported each other against terrorism. On his part, Aziz pledged Pakistan's unequivocal support for a democratic, peaceful and stable Turkey under the dynamic leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan. He noted with satisfaction that both sides have agreed to continue to tackle the menace of terrorism and defeat the scourge. The two sides also exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and the need for a lasting political solution. Aziz said the two countries share similar views on migration crisis and the plight of Syrian refugees. He said Pakistan and Turkey host the largest refugee population in the world. PTI International news brief: Series of earthquakes rattle Hawaii and more Turkey issues arrest warrants for 100 staff members at Ankara hospital International oi-PTI Istanbul, Aug 2: Turkey today issued arrest warrants for 100 staff members, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number. Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied. The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. "GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued," the official said. "There is strong evidence suggesting FETO members infiltrated this institution to slow down the career progress of their rivals within the military and fast-track their supporters." Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials have said exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey's generals were fired in the wake of the coup. Turkey has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the July 15 power grab attempt and launched a crackdown that has seen some 18,000 people detained. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in the clampdown, which has also hit journalists and academics. Under a previous decree, GATA and other military hospitals have been transferred to the control of the health ministry. AFP Warren Buffet tears into Trump, asks: "Have you no sense of decency?" International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Omaha, Aug 2: Billionaire investor Warren Buffet on Monday (Aug 1) launched a scathing attack on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally for the latter's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton here in Nebraska. [CNN is Clinton News Network, says Trump] US presidential election 2016 primary results Buffet, 85, tore into Trump over the latter's recent remarks against the parents of a fallen American-Muslim soldier and asked how he could say about sacrificing to them just because he built some buildings [see video below]. Buffet said though Trump told the slain soldier's parents that he sacrificed a lot, actually he and his family have sacrificed nothing. [Khizr Khan talks peace; Obama, McCain join chorus against Trump] "Building buildings is not sacrifice," said the billionaire investor. He asked Trump: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?", comparing the latest incident with the malicious anti-communist McCarthy hearings during the Cold War period of the 1950s. [Hillary regains lead over Trump in post-convention poll] Buffet's I-T googly at Trump Buffet, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, also used the occasion to ask Trump, also a super-rich real-estate businessman, to release his tax returns like all major presidential candidates in the US have done since 1980. Trump has refused to do it saying he is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). [Trump's "excesses" make one "want to retch", says French President Hollande] To this, Buffet said he is also under the IRS's audit and proposed a meeting with Trump at any time and place to go together over each other's tax returns. Buffet also added that Trump is not afraid because of the IRS but the people. Oneindia News Aircel-Maxis: Maran's likely to tamper evidence, says ED New Delhi oi-Vicky New Delhi, Aug 2: The hampering and tampering of evidence in the Aircel-Maxis case by the Maran brothers cannot be ruled out. This was one of the many submissions made by the Enforcement Directorate which is opposing the bail pleas of former Union Minister, Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi Maran. The matter will now come up for hearing on August 27. The case on hand pertains to a complaint lodged by the CBI. It is alleged that Rs. 742.85 crore was paid to Dayanidhi Maran by two Mauritius-based companies through Sun Direct TV Pvt. Ltd (SDTPL) and South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL). It was also alleged that the two companies are owned by Kalanidhi Maran and the money was used for their businesses. Can't rule out tampering with evidence The Maran brothers had moved the court seeking bail in this case. The ED however, opposed the same saying that the chance of them hampering the probe or tampering with the evidence cannot be ruled out. The grounds cited by them have no relevance and hence the bail needs to be rejected the ED also contended. Meanwhile, the CBI moved the special court seeking to issue arrest warrants against Ananda Krishnan, owner of Axis a Malaysian company and Augustus Ralph Marshall, a senior executive in the company. The warrants were sought after the CBI stated that the summons on the two could not be served. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 10:43 [IST] Rajnath Singh will raise cross border terror at SAARC meet New Delhi oi-Vicky New Delhi, Aug 2: The visit by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference is on track. At the meet there would be no bi-lateral with Pakistan, but Singh would raise issues such as cross border terrorism and the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir being caused by Islamabad. In the backdrop of Singh's visit, the Hizbul Mujahideen chief had threatened violence. The chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba too had said that there would be nation wide protests against Singh's visit. Home Ministry officials however, pointed out that the visit is on track and a host of issues would be raised during the meet. On the security aspect, the minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju had said that it is for Pakistan to deal with the security issue is anything arises. He also said that the meeting would be multilateral and not bilateral. On the agenda Although there would be no bilateral with Pakistan, the Home Ministry has worked out on an agenda paper. At the meet India would emphasise on the need for Pakistan to clean up their act in order to have a stable region. Issues such as cross border terror and infiltrations will be raised by Singh in a bid to convey a direct message to Pakistan. On the sidelines of the meet, Singh would raise with Pakistan the Pathankot probe. He would also raise the issue pertaining to the NIA's visit to that country. The NIA was supposed to visit Pakistan in connection with the probe, but no date has been fixed as yet. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 11:33 [IST] A couple has alleged that their two daughters are held captive by Coimbatore-based Isha Yoga centre and had been made sanyasins. He has now sought the help of the District Collector to set them free. A retired professor has filed a petition to the collector alleging his two daughters, aged 33 and 31, who had gone to the centre to learn yoga some time ago, were "brain washed" and forced to stay there. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 20 Sep 2022 In this video Eric Trump says the justice system is one sided and gives examples. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second-largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding members of Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance, formed in 1997. CBS 3 Philly 23 Mar 2021 Two young girls got quite the surprise in Cape May. And it was an extra special birthday for one of them! Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, and the two Google cofounders were all already millionaires before they turned 30. .. Business Insider 27 Feb 2020 Rumble 20 Aug 2022 SSG. Aaron Butler gave his life for our country fighting with the U.S. Army Special forces in Afghanistan, every year Aaron is.. Rumble 06 Sep 2022 The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Tropical Storm Earl could dump heavy rains with the potential for flooding in Puerto.. Kasek Galgal, a Physics tutor at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and band member of music group, Barefoot, departed Port Moresby on July 30 to represent Papua New Guinea at the Youth Excellence on Stage Academy ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia.He will participate in a two-week program alongside participants from the ten associations of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Hip Hop Lyricism, Performance and Music Production camp, as an observer nation representative.This program, supported by U.S. Embassy Port Moresby, is co-hosted by U.S. Embassy Jakarta, American Voices, and the Jakarta Institute of the Arts.Mr. Galgal, who was selected from a pool of strong applicants from Papua New Guinea, will be mentored by world-renowned artist and activist Fabian Farbeon Saucedo.Farbeon brings a community-based approach to the creative process that has inspired the young and old globally. His performance range includes the use of loop stations, effects pedals and live computer production.Farbeon also mentored Allan Aufamau, famously known as Sprigga Mek in Papua New Guinea. Allan was last years participant at the camp hosted in Bangkok, Thailand.The Youth Excellence on Stage (YES) Academy program serves as American Voices flagship cultural engagement program. The program was launched in 2007 to connect and inspire youth in areas of the world that lack opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue with the United States.The YES Academy program provides high-quality professional training and performances in some of Americas great cultural genres, including Broadway, Jazz, Hip-Hop & Breakdance and Classical Orchestra to work to inspire and motivate youth artistically, and train future teachers and leaders.Read more on >> PNG Education News Online Casexe Unveiled as Bronze Sponsor of CEEGC 2016 Published August 2, 2016 by Florin P Casexe sponsors the first edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference. The first edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference is scheduled for September 20, 2016. The event is expected to bring together industry leaders and provide participants with excellent networking opportunities. This conference is intended to encourage dialogue across Europe and bring the brightest minds together for the greater good. Major players in this line of work have announced their intention to support the event and Casexe was recently unveiled as the first bronze sponsor. A European Hotspot for the Gambling Market CEEGC 2016 will take place in Budapest, but will be attended by influential industry representatives from all over Europe. Central, Eastern and Northern European markets will enjoy special coverage. The emphasis is also on shedding more light on the Balkans gambling market and the legislative hurdles. Casexe was among the first to offer financial support to the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference 2016. Its CEO, Ivan Kondilenko confirmed the importance that the company he represents plays to the upcoming CEEGC 2016. They regard the convention as one of the most important gambling industry events in Europe in the second half of 2016. A Promising Start for the CEEGC An impressive lineup of speakers was announced for the first edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference. Zoltan Tundik, the head of business of the organizers of the event diligently worked towards making the confession a must-attend. In addition to bringing together specialists and expert speakers, they also tried to broaden the spectrum of sponsors. By having Casexe as of the first bronze sponsors of the CEEGC 2016 they hit two birds with one stone. On one hand, they have a reliable partner to support the event, on the other, participants will get the chance to hear Mr. Ivan Kodilenko speak. The Casexe CEO is expected to shed some light on the importance of Bitcoin in the online gambling industry and the future of the crypto currency in general. Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website Torture - America's Shame (Image by mariopiperni) Details DMCA Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released its report, "Extreme Measures: Abused Children Detained As National Security Threats." From my reading of the report, Israel and the US are the two worst abusers. Boko Haram is a distant third. Which country is the worst abuser, Israel or the US? Taking into account that the US is responsible for the violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria that has resulted in torture and detention, if we include these victims in the American total, then the US is the Number One torturer of children. As it is unlikely that Israel could get away with abuse of Palestinian children without Washington's support, we can add Israel's abuses to Washington's total. Guantanamo Bay is a great distance away from Washington's wars against Muslims in Afghanistan, North Africa and the Middle East. Yet even at Guantanamo, where the only violence is the violence that the US military inflicts on detainees, the US government tortured children, according to the Human Rights Watch report. What kind of military tortures children? The only answer that I can come up with is a military that has no self-respect. What kind of US government would pay two US psychologists $81 million to help the CIA devise torture techniques? Only a lawless government with no respect for US law and international law. Think back to the torture memos written by US Department of Justice (sic) officials John C. Yoo and Jay S. Bybee. These memos justifying the US government's torture of detainees despite the prohibition of torture by both US statutory law and international law to which the US is a signatory have been denounced by civil libertarians as the work of legal incompetents or criminals or both. Yet, John Yoo is a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, and for his service to the White House torturers Jay Bybee was appointed a US federal judge to the second highest court. If Hitlery becomes president, Bybee and Yoo could end up on the Supreme Court. The positions held by Yoo and Bybee tell the world all that is needed to know that the United States is a lawless entity and that this lawlessness is accepted by America's legal, political, and educational institutions and by the American people. What self-respecting parent would send a son or daughter to study law at a university that hosts a "legal scholar" who discounts law in behalf of torture? If you were a judge on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and a torturer was appointed to the court, would you welcome the criminal or resign in protest against a government that has no respect for its own laws? How many NSA officials have resigned over illegal spying on the American people? How many FBI officials have resigned over false flag frame-ups of "terrorists?" When the Democratic National Committee can hire Americans for $50 per night to fill up the empty seats at the Democratic convention, what does that tell you about the price of American integrity? Do you remember the 775 Guantanamo detainees described by the US Secretary of Defense and the Vice President of the US as the most dangerous, most violent men on earth? We will never know how many of these detainees were tortured in an effort to elicit a confession in support of the government's unfounded claims, but nine of them died in custody. We do know that despite torture and the assurances from the highest officials that the detainees were dangerous and violent, as of July 12, 2016, 90 percent of the detainees have been released without charges. Only 76 remain, and apparently there is no evidence that can be used to charge them. Apparently, they are being held only in order to save the US government from being 100 percent wrong. Being 90 percent wrong is close enough for government work. See: here and here. 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 The National Was it meant as an epic parody or an insult to his audience's intelligence? It was hard to tell. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to apologize for last year's notorious election-day comment, when he warned that "the Arabs are coming out to vote in droves" -- a reference to the fifth of Israel's population who are Palestinian. In videos released last week in English and Hebrew, Mr Netanyahu urged Palestinian citizens to become more active in public life. They needed to "work in droves, study in droves, thrive in droves," he said. "I am proud of the role Arabs play in Israel's success." Pointedly, Ayman Odeh, head of the Palestinian-dominated Joint List party, noted that 100,000 Bedouin citizens could not watch the video because Israel denies their communities electricity, internet connections and all other services. Swiftly and predictably, the reality of life for Israel's 1.7 million Palestinians upstaged Mr Netanyahu's fine words. In a radio interview, Moti Dotan, the head of the Lower Galilee regional council, sent a message to his Palestinian neighbors: "I don't want them at my [swimming] pools." Sounding like a mayor in the southern United States during the Jim Crow-era, he added: "Their culture of cleanliness isn't the same as ours. Why is that racist?" Dotan was no extremist, observed the liberal newspaper Haaretz. He represents the Israeli mainstream. Notably, Mr Netanyahu did not distance himself from Mr Dotan's remarks. At the same time, Samar Qupty, star of a new film on Palestinians in Israel called Junction 48, was questioned for two hours and then strip searched at Ben Gurion airport and denied her hand luggage before being allowed to fly to an international film festival. Stories of state-sponsored humiliation at the airport are routine for Israel's Palestinian academics, journalists, actors and community leaders -- in fact, for any Palestinian active in the public sphere. The list of restrictions on Palestinian citizens is long and growing. A database by the legal group Adalah shows that some 60 Israeli laws explicitly discriminate against non-Jews, with another 18 in the pipeline. Two laws passed last month intensify the repression of dissent. An Expulsion Law is designed to empower Israeli MPs to oust Palestinian lawmakers whose views offend them, while a Transparency Law stigmatises human rights groups working to protect Palestinian rights. Recently leaked protocols reveal that the police have secretly awarded themselves powers to use live fire against Palestinian protesters in Israel, even if they pose no danger. Yet another law threatens jail for any Palestinian citizen who tries to dissuade another from volunteering in the Israeli army. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Asian Icons of Real Estate felicitated by BERG Singapore Icons of Real Estate Industry from Asia Singapore-based Business Excellence & Research Group (BERG), hosted its signature award - Icons of Spaces the 3rd BERG Real Estate Awards on July 22, 2016 at the Raffles Town Club in Singapore. The Awards, in its third year, reached out to professionals in the real estate & construction sector across South Asia, South East Asia & Middle East.The Gala Awards Nite provided an ideal platform for developers, architects, interior designers to come together and offer critical insights from a different perspective.In his welcome address, Mr. Prashant Sutaria, a leading Architect and Founder of the Centre of Living and Planning for Tomorrow (CLPT) highlighted the importance of integrating design aspects at the project level itself and not as an after-thought. He stated that world is moving towards newer design concepts that factor in sustainability, safety and security at all levels. Mr. Prashant is also part of the Expert Group at Icons of Spaces and has supported the initiative since its inception.The Gala Awards Night also featured a power-packed panel discussion around Urbanisation & Sustainability in Construction and the keynote speech from the nodal building and construction players in Singapore. Some well known industry stalwarts from Singapore and other countries shared their views. Eminent panellists - Ms. Hemanti Sutaria Architect Mumbai, Ms. Uma Srinivasan Vice President, SNN Builders, Bangalore, Mr. Gordon Falconer, Director - Smart City Solutions, Schneider Electric and Mr. Bibhor Srivastava Publisher, ITP Publishing, India dwelt on the challenges around Urbanisation and Sustainability in the construction industry.While announcing the theme for the third edition of the premier event, Managing Partner of BERG, Mr Vishwesh Iyer said that this year the focus was on the booming international real estate sector. This time, the nomination process attracted a lot of interest from India and other countries in Asia as well, he stated.Icons of Spaces provided a unique platform for not just recognising the great work, but also knowledge sharing and business networking opportunities. Based on a selection process that encompasses integrity, transparency, consistency and fairness, the aim is to provide global benchmark and recognition, Mr. Iyer added.The BERG Real Estate Awards were introduced by Singapore-based organisation Business Excellence & Research Group Pte Ltd in 2014. The Awards, now called the ICONS OF SPACES, trans the spotlight on the high calibre work within the real estate industry, encompassing construction, architecture and interior design. With a professionally run evaluation system, they also bring the real estate industry of the participating countries to the world stage.Methods (India) was the Platinum Sponsor, while Construction Week, BrokersADDA, Architect & Interiors India, AsiaBizToday were among the other supporting partners to the awards.Business Excellence & Research Group Pte Ltd (BERG), is a Singapore-based entity committed to nurturing and promoting business excellence across diverse sectors. In this quest, BERG has gone on to establish thought leadership platforms in a host of domains since its inception in 2013. BERGs Advisory Board and Executive Team brings together people with diverse international experience. BERG has a presence across key emerging markets of Singapore, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Middle East.For further details write to contact@bizexcellence.com.sgBusiness Excellence & Research Group Pte Ltd (BERG), is a Singapore-based entity committed to nurturing and promoting business excellence across diverse sectors. In this quest, BERG has gone on to establish thought leadership platforms in a host of domains since its inception in 2013. BERGs Advisory Board and Executive Team brings together people with diverse international experience. BERG has a presence across key emerging markets of Singapore, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Middle East.Business Excellence & Research Group756 Upper Serangoon Road, Upp Serangoon Shopping Centre, Singapore 534626+6591018587contact@bizexcellence.com.sg Freight Trucking Market - Global Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends, Forecast 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13250 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Freight Trucking Market: OverviewFreight trucking is an extremely important activity in the supply chain market and transportation business. Effective working of freight trucks ensures proper communication between different business processes and brings them together. Freight trucks forms the nerve center of any manufacturing or industrial activities as freight trucks carries raw materials required for business from one place to another. Moreover, freight trucks also help in transportation of finished goods to the respective markets. The efficient movement of freight is acting as a driving factor in the growth of Freight Trucking Market. Freight trucking service is providing more advanced freight solution for the industry due to increased use of modern technology and effective communication.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Quality of service, reliability and timely delivery of goods along with proper freight management and logistics handling are the key factors on which the service of the freight trucks depends. There is a substantial growth in demand for heavy vehicles including trucks and trailers which acts as a driver for the freight trucking market. Moreover, adoption of latest technology in trucks such as use of hydraulics lifters and GPS navigation systems also drives the market for freight trucking. Moreover, safety in freight operations, reduction in cost and operational efficiency also increase the demand for freight trucks and thus drive the market.Freight Trucking Market: Region-wise InsightAsia-Pacific is the most attractive region for freight trucking market. Increase in infrastructural activities in the Asia-pacific region is mainly driving the freight trucking market as infrastructural development and construction activities requires transportation of equipments and goods from one place to another. In addition, the adoption of latest technology i.e. hydraulics lifters and automated doors used in freight trucks further also drives the freight trucking market in this region. Hydraulics lifters facilitate easy loading of goods in the freight trucks with less human effort. Automated doors act as a vacuum lock ensuring safety of goods and prevent unauthorized access to the valuable items in the trucks.Thus, increase in productivity and less time consumption without compromising on cost drives the market. Escalating demand of HCV (heavy commercial vehicle) in the emerging countries like India and China is also driving the freight trucking market. The North America and Europe market for freight trucking is expected to grow at a steady pace over the forecast period. Steady recovery from the recent economic meltdown is responsible for the growth of business activities and manufacturing operations in North America which is driving the market for freight trucking in the region.Presence of premium truck manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, DAF, Volvo and Renault is driving the freight trucking market in Europe. The freight trucking market in Europe is mainly driven by quality of service and timely delivery. Thus the market is expected to continue its growth at a steady pace over the forecast period. Europe market faced steep challenge in the recent economic meltdown and is recovering at a steady pace which also in turn increased the demand for freight trucking market due to increase in industrial activities.Freight Trucking Market: Key PlayersGlobal key participants in the industry include UPS, Descartes System Group, DSV, DHL, CEVA Logistics, JDA Software, SNCF Geodis, Manhattan Associates, Kuehne+Nagel Inc, and DB Schenkerand.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscapeAbout 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 Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Wafer Level Package Dielectrics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=9551 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Wafer Level Package (WLP) is a type of packaging used in the semiconductor industry for the packaging of Integrated Circuits (ICs) as it is very fragile in nature and highly susceptible to contamination, which can lead to improper working of the IC. WLP finds application in the ICs used in portable consumer electronic devices; for instance, smart phones. Increasing consumer demand for technologically advanced mobile devices that are capable of performing an array of functions in a single small-end product is a major factor propelling demand for wafer level packaging technology as compared to the conventional mode of packaging in case of semiconductors, thus boosting growth of the market for wafer level package dielectrics further. Comparatively, the low cost associated with the wafer level packaging as compared to the conventional packaging technology used in case of semiconductor packaging is also a major factor expected to boost growth of the market for wafer level package dielectrics over the forecast period.The wafer level package dielectrics market is expected to expand at a healthy CAGR over the forecast period, and the major driving factor responsible for growth of the wafer level package dielectrics market is the rising demand for compact electronic devices with high performance and cost effective packaging in the semiconductor packaging industry. In case of conventional packaging, such as die level packaging, with the variation in size of the ICs, the cost of packaging becomes more as compared to the production cost of the ICs. On the contrary, wafer level packaging is much more cost-efficient as compared to the conventional packaging or the production cost of the ICs. The technological advancements in IC design & production are also, to an extent, propelling growth of the wafer level package dielectrics market currently. The wafer level packaging technology has certain perks over the traditional packaging technology, such as minimized electricity consumption and long battery life in case of mobile phones, and its compactness helps manufacturers design and develop ultra-thin mobile phones. However, fluctuations in some of the physical properties of the technology, such as the coefficient of thermal expansion of the materials of wafer with respect to the material of ICs, are considered as a drawback of the wafer packaging technology, which in turn might restraint growth of the market for wafer level package dielectrics.Get Free Sample Report Copy :The global wafer level package dielectrics market is segmented on the basis of type of wafer level packaging, application, and region. On the basis of type, the global market for wafer level package dielectrics is segmented into FOWLP (Fan-Out Wafer Level Package), FIWLP (Fan-in Wafer Level Package), FIWLCSP (Fan-in Wafer Level Chip Scale Package), flip chip, and 3DFOWLP. On the basis of applications, the global market for wafer level package is segmented into consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, defense, and healthcare.On the basis of geography, the global rigid plastic packaging market is segmented into seven key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. Among the aforementioned regions, the Asia-Pacific market is projected to grow at a promising CAGR, which is attributed to the increase in demand for smart phones globally. For instance, recently, India become the second largest user of smart phones globally, beating the U.S. This is turn is expected to drive growth of the wafer level package dielectrics market in the country. Moreover, the presence of leading semiconductor manufacturers, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, among others, is expected to have a positive effect on growth of the wafer level package dielectrics market in APEJ over the forecast period.Some of the major players identified in the global wafer level package dielectrics market include ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC., STATS ChipPAC Ltd., IQE PLC, Amkor Technology Inc., TriQuint Semiconductor Inc., Deca Technologies, KLA-Tencor Corporation, Siliconware Precision Industries Co. Ltd., China Wafer Level CSP Co. Ltd., and Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.About TMRTMR 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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Whitening Ingredients Market - Global Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends, Forecast 2023 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=8473 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Most personal care products with skin whitening ingredients available in the market for unalterable skin lightening are formulated with synthetic ingredients. The global Whitening Ingredients Market is primarily driven by increasing expectations to possess a lightened, blemish free and radiant skin tone. Moreover, consumers in the Western countries are aware of the effectiveness of ingredients formulated in personal care products; hence, products with added features are expected to boost growth of the market. Consumers are now more health and environment conscious, and products with all-natural ingredients are supposed to be more effective; hence, more growth is expected from natural specialty ingredients. In addition, innovations in formulating products with different types of plant extracts with added features are expected to drive the market growth. Furthermore, robust growth of retail products is anticipated to drive future market potential. The growth of plant extracts and developing opportunities in the West are projected to drive the market. Additionally, the quest to improve efficiency through research and development is expected to continue to meet the consumers need.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Healthy skin radiance and glow can be maintained by choosing herbal, plant extracts and various other natural ingredients. In developed markets such as Western Europe and North America, consumers prefer premium products, and this preference drives the growth of the natural whitening ingredients market. Furthermore, Consumers' higher earning potential helps to provide additional revenue for expenses on premium products such as face cream and face masks among others. Phenolic-based ingredients are expected to hold major market share as a result of increasing and stable demand from the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, phenolic compounds are the ingredients predominantly used in skin whitening personal care products as they are cheaper in cost and are easily absorbed into the skin. Non-phenolic compounds used in personal care products are arbutin, kojic acid, vitamin E, vitamin C, and niacinamide.Global whitening ingredients market is segmented into chemistry type, end-product type and geography. Different types of ingredients are used in formulating personal care products, and each ingredient is functionally unique in action. The ingredients are majorly applied target skin whitening, skin lightening, and improved skin radiance Whitening ingredients are used in personal care products such as creams, lotions, gels, serums, face masks, bathing bar soaps, and bathing liquids. On the basis of end product type, the whitening ingredients market is bifurcated into skin whitening, teeth whitening among others.Asia Pacific is the largest market for whitening ingredients and products, followed by Europe and North America. China is expected to experience highest growth rate in the coming years. Rising disposable income of middle class people and increasing consumer awareness towards ingredients in developing countries such as India, China is boosting the demand of personal care products with whitening ingredients market worldwide. Moreover growing inspiration to charming and look young among aging population of western countries is keeping the growth rate steady in North American and Europe market. Huge demand from regional markets such as India, China, the Middle East and Brazil are expected to drive the total demand for whitening ingredients over the forecast period. Huge investments towards research, innovation and technology have resulted in development of many new whitening ingredient based personnel care product in recent years.Some of the Key Players operating in the whitening ingredients market are Beiersdorf AG (Germany), E. T. Browne Drug Company, Inc. (U.S.), Dabur India Limited (India), Company Limited (Japan), Clarins SA (France), CavinKare Pvt. Ltd. (India), Elder Health Care Ltd. (India), Jolen, Inc. (U.S.), Hindustan Unilever Ltd (India), Emami Limited (India), Kao Corporation (Japan), Shiseido Kanebo Cosmetics, Inc. (Japan), and the Procter & Gamble Company (U.S.) among others.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 Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Veterinary Examination Tables Market - Global Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2023 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=6568 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Veterinary care or animal care has experienced increased demand in the past few years. Animal health, especially farm animals has gained key focus after human invasion of animal viruses. Increased food safety and related government policies have fueled veterinary healthcare market globally. In addition, there is also a surge in regular check up of pets in the developed countries. According to American Veterinary Medical Association, in 2012, over 36% households owned dogs while 30% owned cats in the U.S. To meet these demands, it is expected that there would be an increase in veterinary practitioners.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Global Veterinary Examination Tables Market is anticipated to grow at a faster rate owing to worldwide increasing number of veterinary clinics. Various types of veterinary examination tables are available in the market which includes wall-mount, pedestal base exam table, fold-up exam table, hydraulic lift table and electric lift table. Wall-mount and fold-up examination tables are beneficial to manage clinic space. They provide flexibility and also avoid any accidents caused by animals. The market for veterinary examination tables has a wide product portfolio, thus providing most suitable options to veterinary doctors. Fragmented market with low product differentiation and easy availability of raw materials has reduced the barriers to entry. Currently the market is dominated by large number of local layers. In spite of such lucrative opportunities in the future, the market would suffer from low profit margins due to constant increasing competition. Low volume sales and numerous options to choose from, makes the market even competitive.North America leads the veterinary examination tables market. According to statistics published by American Pet Products Association (APPA), total United States pet industry expenditure increased from USD 32 billion in 2003 to over USD 55 billion in 2013. Of the total expenditure in 2013, approximately USD 27 billion was spent on supplies, OTC medicines and vet care. Another contributing factor is regular annual check-ups due to increasing awareness about animal diseases and their threat to human health. International Federation for Animal Health Europe published data suggesting that Europes animal health industry in 2012 was over 3% of the European human pharmaceutical industry. The data also mentions that in the EU there are more than 200 million pets of which 66 million are cats while 60 million are dogs. Thus a huge market opportunity exists for veterinary examination tables in these regions. Asia Pacific is expected to witness faster growth rate owing to changing life style and growing per capita income. Rising disposable income and increasing fear of acquiring animal diseases has also added to the market surge. A survey conducted in 2012, by the Pet Food Institute of Japan, reveals that over 25% of domestic households have a pet cat or dog. Various publications suggest that the pet industry in Japan is on the rise and has created lucrative opportunities for global veterinary medical care providers. Being the second largest healthcare market globally, Japan has been on the main focus for veterinary care market.Some of the Key Players in the global veterinary examination table market include Paragon Medical Supply, Inc., DRE Medical, Inc., VSSI, Inc., Olympic Veterinary, Midmark Corp., Alvo Medical, Shor-Line, Technik Technology, McDonald Veterinary Equipment and Diagnostic Imaging Systems.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 Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Ebola and Marburg Infections Market: Factsheet for Health Professional Ebola and Marburg Infections Market: Overview Ebola and Marburg infection is a type of hemorrhagic fever that affects multiple organs of the body and leads to severe illness. These two viruses are native to Africa where intermittent outbreaks of these infections have occurred for decades. Ebola and Marburg viruses live in animal hosts and humans get affected when they come in contact with that infected animal. After this initial transmission the viruses can spread from person to person through contact with contaminated needles and body fluids. According to World Health Organization (WHO), Marburg and Ebola viruses are the two members of Filoviridae family (filovirus). Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are clinically similar. Both diseases are rare and have the capacity to cause dramatic outbreaks with high fatality rates. The early sign and symptoms of these infections include fever, joint and muscle aches, severe headache, chills, weakness and sore throat. While in severe conditions major symptoms observed are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain and cough, stomach pain and excessive bleeding from the mouth, nose, ears, rectum and eye. The transmission of these viruses from animals was observed due to exposure of humans to infected animals body fluids. Transmission can happen through blood i.e. butchering or consuming infected animals can spread the virus while some of the veterinarians and scientists have also acquired this virus while operating any infected animal. Transmission through waste products of infected animals was observed in tourists visiting some African caves and also in mine workers that work underground possibly gets affected with Marburg virus. The high prevalence of Ebola and Marburg infection transmission from human to human was observed mostly in family members and doctors providing assistance especially witnessed in remote parts of Africa. The diagnosis of Ebola and Marburg infections is complex as the initial symptoms observed in patients are same as for other infections such as typhoid and malaria. In infected individuals high concentration of Ebola and Marburg virus is found in the blood which is analyzed in laboratories by carrying out enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). There is currently no drug treatment for Ebola and Marburg infections hence the treatment consists of supportive hospital care including fluids, adequate blood pressure maintenance, replacing blood loss and treating any other infections that develop. Ebola and Marburg Infections Market: Key Growth Enablers The major drivers of Ebola and Marburg infections are high awareness and initiated government program in Africa, high research and development investments in diagnostic and treatment studies and government and NGOs support for the market players to research effective treatment. The major restraint of this market is, infections are geography specific and are found in North-East Africa and Philippines very rare cases were observed apart from these regions. The regions those are more prone to Ebola and Marburg infections from Africa are Gabon, Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Angola. The drugs under pipeline are RC-EBODNA023-00-VP Vaccine + VRC-MARDNA025-00-VP Vaccine (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), ST-383 (SIGA Technologies Inc), Vaccine for Filovirus (Crucell N.V), Polyvalent DNA Vaccine (Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), MVA-BN-Filoviruses Vaccine (Bavarian Nordic A/S), Monoclonal Antibody to Inhibit Glycoprotein for Marburg Virus Infection, TKM-Ebola (Tekmira Pharmaceuticals) are among others. Download Complete Healthcare Analytical Brochure: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13244 Ebola and Marburg Infections Market: Key Players Most of the players of this market that are investing currently in R&D to come up with an effective treatment against Ebola and Marburg infections such as SIGA Technologies Inc., Bavarian Nordic A/S, NanoViricides, Inc., AlphaVax, Inc., Crucell N.V., Functional Genetics, Inc., Okairos AG, Immunovaccine, Inc., Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape. Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact us: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ This release was published on openPR. Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release. Dele Alimi heads up new Clarion Events West Africa office in Lagos Clarion Events is very excited to expand its footprint in West Africa http://www.clarionevents.com Dele Alimi has been appointed Managing Director of the new Clarion Events West Africa office (CEWA) that has opened in Lagos, Nigeria. Until recently Mr Alimi was the Director, Trade Promotion & International Relations, at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Lagos. Clarion Events is a global events and media company, headquartered in the UK.Joining an international brand like Clarion Events presents an opportunity to lead Nigerias foray into excellence in hosting of business events and exhibitions, which will help reposition the Nigerian economy and provide the much needed international investments by organising shows that will expose the deep potential of Africas largest economy says Dele Alimi.He continues: I believe the synergy between Clarions vast international experience and my tremendous knowledge of the Nigerian economy will break new ground and establish the brand as the number one show organiser in Africa.Vast experienceThe new CEWA MD has over two decades cognate professional experience which has seen him holding key positions in various organisations in sectors such as media, finance, marketing communication, manufacturing, trade promotion and the service industry before his present position as MD of Clarion Events West Africa.A journalist, marketer, communicator and administrator by training and vocation, Dele has vast experience in business event organisation, including being the arrow head of the hosting of West Africa largest and best organised trade fair, the annual Lagos International Trade Fair, for the last seven years.Expecting great things from CEWAClarions Group Director for Africa, David Ashdown, says Clarion Events West Africa will focus exclusively on quality trade exhibitions in the local market and region. We are very excited to realise this opportunity in Lagos where the market will rapidly develop in time with the local and regional economic growth. We are thrilled that Dele is joining us as he will be a great asset to the team and the group. We are expecting great things from CEWA.Lisa Hannant, Group Managing Director at Clarion Events agrees: Clarion Events is very excited to expand its footprint in West Africa. I believe our timing is perfect. Nigeria presents huge business potential for any investor and trade exhibitions have an important role to play in providing access to this market and creating networking business opportunities. With so much untapped potential, the Nigerian market is still wide open to investors.Nigerias economy was valued at $510billion in 2014 (The Economist) and is considered the largest economy in Africa. The country has an estimated population of 160million people and a landmass of 910,970km (2014).Upcoming events by Clarion Events West Africa: Multimodal West Africa, January 30 - February 1, 2017 (Landmark Centre, Lagos)- Focused on transport & logistics solutions. Nigeria Manufacturing and Equipment Expo feat. mPAD, March 14-16, 2017 (Landmark Centre, Lagos)- The inaugural Nigeria Manufacturing Expo in March this year welcomed more than 2600 manufacturing experts over three days. Kenya Manufacturing and Equipment Expo feat. mPAD, September 26-28, 2017 (KICC, Nairobi)Clarion Events employs more than 500 people based in ten offices worldwide and specialises in delivering first class marketing, networking, and information solutions in high value sectors, both in mature and emerging geographies.Clarion Events range of exhibitions, conferences, tradeshows, publications and websites enable its clients to target new business, demonstrate their products, build deeper relationships with their clients and identify new opportunities for performance improvement. The group operates in stable, long term vertical industries with significant international growth potential. Some of our most important core markets include energy, defence and security, telecoms, payments, retail, infrastructure, and resources.Senior Communications Manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Mobile: +27 82 562 7844Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.comWebsite:Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa Meet current trends with Bell Flavors & Fragrances range of innovative flavours for burger sauces www.bell-europe.com Leipzig, August 2016. Theres no end to the current burger hype! Whether classic smoky BBQ burgers, healthier alternatives with avocado and turkey patties or hip veggie burgers the heart of a burger is an exceptional and delicate sauce creation. With its theme A true Burger Lovestory Bell Flavors & Fragrances has created a concept inspired by current market and consumer trends to serve the growing burger market with fresh ideas for aromatic sauces.The market for burgers showed strong growth in the last three years and can be seen as the most popular menu section in restaurants. While the average American consumer eats about 150 burgers per year (which means three burgers per week), the average German consumer eats almost 100 burgers per year. In 57% of the cases the popular fast food item makes its way onto the plates of consumers at least once a week however the offerings should be anything else but boring. Statistically, nine out of ten burgers are made of beef, but the trend towards varieties such as veggie patties, premium Wagyu-Beef or low-fat turkey patties is growing rapidly. This development is perfectly in line with the growing interest in innovative toppings and limited-time-offers.Just like in the Craft-Beer segment, burgers get upgraded by a huge variety of new and exciting taste varieties, fueling up the burger boom even more. Burger customisation with build-your-own varieties is one of the main facets of this hype. Sauces play an important role in this context they can be easily adapted to existing menus and reflect major trends by the use of innovative and creative flavours and ingredients, making the whole burger even more authentic and craveable.A taste for varietyIts important to keep burger offerings current to entice adventurous eaters whether in the restaurant sector or with convenience and frozen products. Bell Flavors & Fragrances is fully prepared for this trend and presents unique and authentically aromatic flavour creations for innovative burger sauces based on mayonnaise or ketchup. As taste takes priority at Bell the portfolio consists of entirely natural flavours and has been developed to define burger sauces with an individual top-note or to simply round off the overall taste impression. Next to an Oriental Baharat sauce with notes of cloves, coriander, garlic and various exotic spices, Bell offers varieties such as its own flavoured Clubhouse sauce with notes of gherkins and aromatic smoke or the legendary Baconnaise an authentic, smoky taste experience that can be claimed as natural flavouring instead of smoke flavouring. Even sweet and savoury enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised. Bell combines sweet maple sirup with hearty bacon in its Maple Bacon variety and invigorates the market place with creations such as Craft Beer Sauce and Sriracha Sauce both megatrends that shouldnt be missed.About Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA:Bell Flavors & Fragrances is a leading supplier of flavours, fragrances, botanical extracts and ingredient specialities to the beverage and food industries, as well as the household care and personal care industries. As a private enter-prise with an effective corporate structure, we are in the position to render excellent service and to supply our extensive product portfolio. Bells affiliated companies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and China give us greater flexibility in the world market place and enable us to bring new trends quickly to customers attention. Our goal is to help our customers to place successful products on the market.Bell Flavors & Fragrances - your competitive advantage!Bell Flavors & FragrancesSchimmelstrasse 104205 LeipzigGermanyPress Contact:Antje WittichTel: +49.341.9451.1057E-mail: a.wittich@bell-europe.comWebsite: EMI ANALYST Software Adds Tape Wrapped Shields EMI Analyst http://www.emisoftware.com/ New analysis models add cable shields wrapped with conductive tape.Sedona, Arizona, USA, July 29, 2016. The latest release of EMI Analyst electromagnetic interference analysis software adds capability to model cable shields wrapped with conductive tape. Shields fabricated with metal foil tape or metalized fabric tape are used extensively in spacecraft and other applications where lightweight cable shielding is critical and must be added after cables are fabricated.The new tape wrapped shield models accommodate metal and fabric tapes, with or without adhesive backing. Adhesives may be conductive or non-conductive. Tape wrapped shields round out shield models for EMI Analyst which already provides braid, solid, and custom transfer impedance models for electrical cable shields.Shields fabricated with conductive tape are commonplace in spacecraft and other critical applications, says Steve Newson, EMC Consultant to EMI Software LLC. Having the ability to model shield transfer impedance of tape shields compliments EMI Analyst capabilities perfectly.EMI Analyst is an electromagnetic interference analysis software suite from EMI Software LLC, Sedona, Arizona. Since 1993 EMI Software has been providing circuit designers, packaging engineers, and EMC professionals with intuitive analysis tools that accurately predict electromagnetic interference.# # #If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Maria Flannigan at +1 (928) 592-5219 or email at mflannigan@emisoftware.com.Visit us at7000 AZ-179Sedona, AZ 86351USA SAP Business One at Be One Solutions by ProAxia Consultants SAP Business One has been designed to conform to the small and medium-sized businesses, and the requirements of large companies of the subsidiary, are integrated, and are reasonable business management applications.SAP Business One is designed exclusively to meet the needs of small and midsize businesses and for subsidiaries of large enterprises. SAP Business One is an integrated, affordable business management application.SAP Business One is designed exclusively to meet the needs of small and midsize businesses and for subsidiaries of large enterprises is an integrated, affordable business management application. Its a single system that can automate critical business operations, such as sales, finance, purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing. And it provides accurate, up-to-the-minute views of business data. SAP Business One is easy to buy, quick to install, and easy to use.With over 20,000 client implementations SAP Business One is the leading SME global business management system and the optimum solution for subsidiaries of large enterprises using mySAP. With significant built-in content and process based functions customers in over 40 countries are benefiting from a fully automated and integrated solution which delivers a real time unified view of their business.proaxia consulting provides open platform consulting services including development service on cutting edge technology and environment, and system design and development using .NET, JAVA, and other languages. Working with our SAP consultants, we also approach systems that have functions to support core system and support our customers at higher dimentions.Umeda East Bldg. 5F, Taiyuji-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0051 Why Most of Time Tracker Implementations Fail Within The First 3 Months? http://crocotime.com/en/ Time tracking is a useful solution for a many projects. It gives to project managers, CEOs and employees an opportunity to put their work in order, work more effectively, plan forward, finish work on time and within a budget. However most of time trackers implementation attempts fail within the first few months and while the companies and projects where time trackers are implemented are very different, the reasons why a time tracker doesn't work are more or less the same.Time trackers have developed a great deal from original timesheets that were used to calculate staffs payroll. While a time tracker is still used in that manner, many extra features like project time calculation, project costing, and employees productivity monitoring have been added. Despite all the advantages that a time tracker gives to a work team, there are still problems that administrators face when trying to implement it and the main problem they usually come upon is the human factor.Let's talk about itAs with every modern technology, your employees have to be ready to use a time tracker in daily work. And if a new time tracking solution and advantages that it is going to bring to work process are not correctly introduced to a company's team, they will likely not be on board with the idea.What happens in cases like that is that all of a sudden employees feel as if they are being constantly monitored. Not understanding why they must track their work time, employees think that their productivity is being measured and an employer puts them under a magnifying glass. Just as some members of staff can strive under pressure, others may crumble. Because of it before installing any time tracker, your employees have to be introduced to the idea and the reasoning behind it. This way the whole team will be on the same page and the misconceptions will be avoided.Use the automatic time trackerMost of the problems in the time trackers implementation do not stop here, another big issue arises from the method of time tracking. Usually, an extra tool is installed in order to track work time. But having yet another tool is not easy for the team and most of the time what happens is they forget to use it at all. And if staff does not track time, the tool will be of no use. Therefore, project managers should seek the time tracker that is or can be integrated with the solutions employees already use. The automatic time tracker (such as CrocoTime) allows it. Your team will adopt CrocoTime in no time.Another big potential problem that arises from using a specific time tracker is a need for the team to manually enter work time. It may seem not a big deal at first but the reality is quite different. After 2-4 weeks most companies find out that the information entered in the system manually does not match the reality. The reason for it is the freedom that employees get. Instead of actually tracking the work time they spend on the tasks, they guess the approximate values and enter it in the time tracker. It defies the reason of implementing a time tracker in the first place. The time tracker of CrocoTime is free from such issues as it monitors computer usage automatically and provides this data along with the data manually entered by employees. It also reminds employees of the tasks they did on computers, during meetings, and phone calls fast and easy.Try to UnderstandAnother problem of manual data entry is repetitiveness. What happens is that employees have to update the time tracking tool from time to time and they find this so boring. In turn, employees try to do it as rarely as it possible and do not enjoy the process. In that situation, a time tracker that allows quick and easy or even automatic time tracking is really your best choice! If you choose CrocoTime, make sure that all work time at the end of the day is relevant for specific projects.If the chosen time tracker does not fit the company's needs, it will be useless. For instance, a project that is all about completing individual tasks and the time spent on each of them will not benefit from a time tracker that just monitors hours that a user has been active on a computer in bulk. Instead, the time tracker of CrocoTime that tracks each of the tasks separately and in correspondence with projects, should be used.Well, in order to avoid errors when choosing and installing a time tracker in your office, it is very important to prepare your team for the change, to understand what information is important to get out of it and guarantee that the way this data is collected does not interrupt the work processes.Infomaximum was founded by Alexander Bochkin in 2008. Prior to founding the company and launching time tracking software CrocoTime Alexander ran a students scientific circle. It gave to the members of the team a valuable experience in creating fast and powerful code as well as several successful software projects.We aimed to create the software to track time, optimize workload of organizations and increase productivity of employees. We wanted the software to be useful, feature-rich, but at the same time fast, responsive, and intuitive.Today CrocoTime is approved by more than 500 of customers ranging from small companies to enterprises of different spheres of business: production companies, project companies, trading, and service companies have been using CrocoTime to become more productive and efficient.Our teams vast experience in fields of productivity, getting things done, time management, as well as close cooperation with customers, and attention to their needs allows us to constantly improve CrocoTime.3, Severo-Vostochnoy Ave., Saransk, Mordovia, Russia, 430000 Permanent Representatives to the International Organizations in Vienna visited Beloyarsk NPP and Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant On July 19-20, 2016, a delegation of the Permanent Representatives of foreign countries to the International Organizations in Vienna visited Russian nuclear industry enterprises -Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant and Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant.The list of the visit participants included 18 senior diplomats representing Argentina, Belgium, China, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Sudan, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The State of Israel and two international organizations - the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency.Within the first day of the program the foreign diplomats visited Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant, the world's largest enterprise on uranium enrichment (UEIP is part of Rosatoms TVEL fuel company). The participants saw the entire production chain of uranium enrichment being one of the most important parts of the nuclear fuel cycle of Rosatom.During the round table held at UEIP, Russia's Permanent Representative to the IAEA Vladimir Voronkov, said that that it is a record-breaking delegation of foreign diplomats in Russia, which means that interest to the Russian nuclear industry is increasing in the world each year.According to Rafael Mariano Grossi, Argentinas Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, the participants within the visit to the UEIP "have seen an outstanding facility for uranium enrichment, which I think is rather unique in the world"." What is really interesting is to see the excellent facilities that you have, the technological degree of excellence that Russia and Rosatom has acquired through the years and now it is open to international cooperation", said the diplomat.On July 20, 2016, the foreign delegation visited the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, where participants could learn about Russian operational experience of fast breeder reactors. The guests visited the new, innovative 4th unit 4th unit of Beloyarsk NPP - BN-800 - the most powerful sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor in the world.During the NPP visit, the foreign representatives participated at the round-table. They were informed about nuclear power technologies of the Unit on the basis of closed nuclear fuel cycle and advantages of "fast" energy in the future. Power units on fast neutrons will allow to close nuclear fuel cycle, and, with enlarged reproduction of the nuclear "fuel", substantially expand the fuel base of nuclear energy, as well as to reduce the volume of nuclear waste by burning up hazardous radionuclides.The diplomats also visited the 3rd Unit of Beloyarsk NPP with BN-600 reactor, predecessor of BN-800 reactor, successfully operated for more than 30 yearsThe members of the delegation noted the high level of reliability and safety of the innovative and high-tech Russian technologies applied at UEIP and Beloyarsk NPP. Hendrik Koets, the European Union's Permanent Representative to the IAEA noted that the members of the delegation "got a very good idea about the technologies." The diplomat also said: "I should say and I have said it earlier, that Russia, among other countries has a good record in the field of in safety security and safeguards, at least at the international arena. As a representative of the European Union, and representing Euratom as ex, I think that the way Russia is great defender of it. I think it is a good idea that together we have this platform".Juan Carlos Lentijo, IAEA Deputy Director General, Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, commented his own impressions: "What I have seen here is very high-level professionals who are really very-very committed to technology development, but also to development of a very good framework of safety and security (which is very important for me). I have seen also a very good interaction with the surrounding environment, especially with society close to these facilities. What impressed me more is this very close interaction between the company, the facility and society".Following the visit Olga Algaerova, Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the International Organizations in Vienna expressed gratitude to Beloyarsk nuclear power plant employees. "I would like to express my gratitude for the professionalism of Beloyarsk NPP staff. None of the questions that we asked them, including the accident prevention systems, were left unanswered. Therefore, we are convinced that fast breeder reactor technologies are safe, she said.Visits of Permanent Representatives of foreign countries to the International Organizations in Vienna to Russian nuclear facilities is arranged by the invitation of the Russian Federation annually since 2013. In particular, in July 2015, the delegation visited Rostov NPP and Atommash.ROSATOM is the Russian Federation national nuclear corporation bringing together circa 400 nuclear companies and R&D institutions that operate in the civilian and defense sectors. With 70 years' expertise in the nuclear field, we are a global leader in technologies and competencies offering cutting-edge industry solutions. We work on a global scale to provide comprehensive nuclear services that range from uranium enrichment to nuclear waste treatment.One Raffles Place, Tower 2 #19-61Singapore 048616 QYResearch Market Report:Japan Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016 http://www.qyresearchjapan.com http://www.qyresearchjapan.com Report SummaryThe Japan Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Laboratory Chemical Reagents industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Laboratory Chemical Reagents market analysis is provided for the Japan markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.The report focuses on Japan major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Laboratory Chemical Reagents industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.Key Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry OverviewChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Laboratory Chemical ReagentsChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants AnalysisChapter Four Sales Analysis of Laboratory Chemical Reagents by Regions, Product Type, and ApplicationsChapter Five Sales Revenue Analysis of Laboratory Chemical Reagents by Regions,Product Type, and ApplicationsChapter Six Analysis of Laboratory Chemical Reagents Production, Supply, Sales and Demand Market Status 2010-2016Chapter Seven Analysis of Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Key ManufacturersChapter Eight Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Laboratory Chemical ReagentsChapter Ten Analysis of Laboratory Chemical Reagents Production, Supply, Sales and Demand Development Forecast 2016-2020Chapter Eleven Industry Chain Suppliers of Laboratory Chemical Reagents with Contact InformationChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Laboratory Chemical ReagentsChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Japan Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Report 2016This report studies sales (consumption) of Laboratory Chemical Reagents in Japan market, focuses on top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in Japan, coveringMerckThermoTCIAmerican ElementSinopharmXilongchemicalABCRBOC SciencesWako-chemKantoScientific OEMGlentham Life SciencesJHDSRL ChemicalApplichemJUNSEIEuroasia Trans ContinentalAladdinJkchemicalRelated Reports:Global Industry Market Research Report 2016China Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016Europe Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016United States Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016India Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry Market Research Report 2016Note:We also offerGermany/Korea/Australia/Brazil/Russia/India/Indonesia/ Malaysia/Saudi Arabia/Middle East/Europe/Asia/Asia-Pacific/Southeast Asia/North America/ Latin America/South America/AMER/EMEA/Africa etc Countries/Regions and Sales/Industry Versions RespectivelyWoul like to place an order or have any question, please feel free to contact me~O(_)O~Contact : LemonEmail: lemon@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: 0081-345-704-342 or +86-20-8665 5165Web:About QYResearch LtdQYResearch Focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. the company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience). Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team).Contact : LemonApt 1408 1785 Riverside Drive Ottawa, ON, K1G 3T7 CanadaEmail: lemon@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: 0081-345-704-342 or +86-20-8665 5165Web: Bournemouth branding agency put Secondary1st with fundraising website for new breast cancer charity Secondary1st Founder, Elliot Choeuka www.secondary1st.org.uk www.cucocreative.co.uk An award-winning Bournemouth branding agency plays its part in launching new breast cancer charity, with the gift of a new website.In the UK alone, one thousand women die from secondary breast cancer every month. But under the patronage of Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi, Secondary1st is a new charity focused on raising funds to help find a cure for secondary breast cancer sooner.The charity was founded by Elliot Choeuka, in honour of his beloved wife Rosie a loving mother and a highly-talented lawyer who passed away from the terminal disease, at just 38 years of age, in June 2015.Christian Cutler, Creative Director of CuCo said, Once we heard about the set-up of Secondary1st, CuCo were eager to be involved and preserve Rosie's legacy whilst prolonging others lives.As a result, CuCo designed and built a fully responsive CMS website, coded and populated all in one month, as an extremely quick turnaround was needed to ensure the site was live for the July launch. We are proud to also be named a Corporate Patron of the charity.As the charity becomes established and begins to flourish, the site will expand to meet the charity's growing needs. Over time, the amount of content such as articles and fundraising stories will grow and in particular, more personal stories will be shared of people currently living with secondary breast cancer.Tony Cook said: It is our hope that the website will also serve as a platform to raise much needed funds towards finding a cure for secondary breast cancer, whilst also keeping Rosies memory alive.Find out more about Secondary1st -Find out more about CuCo -CuCo are an award-winning, independent strategic branding and digital agency based in the Silicon South of Bournemouth, Dorset. We are a brand-focused, strategy-driven and design-led marketing consultancy.CuCo Creative72 Gild HouseBournemouthBH2 6AWEmma Farrowhello@cucocreative.co.uk QYResearch:China Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016 http://qyresearchglobal.com/ http://qyresearchglobal.com/ Report SummaryThe China Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Lauryl Alcohol industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Lauryl Alcohol market analysis is provided for the China markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.The report focuses on China major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Lauryl Alcohol industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:lemon@qyresearchglobal.com or lemon@qyresearch.comKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry OverviewChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Lauryl AlcoholChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants AnalysisChapter Four Sales Analysis of Lauryl Alcohol by Regions, Product Type, and ApplicationsChapter Five Sales Revenue Analysis of Lauryl Alcohol by Regions,Product Type, and ApplicationsChapter Six Analysis of Lauryl Alcohol Production, Supply, Sales and Demand Market Status 2010-2016Chapter Seven Analysis of Lauryl Alcohol Industry Key ManufacturersChapter Eight Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Lauryl AlcoholChapter Ten Analysis of Lauryl Alcohol Production, Supply, Sales and Demand Development Forecast 2016-2020Chapter Eleven Industry Chain Suppliers of Lauryl Alcohol with Contact InformationChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Lauryl AlcoholChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the China Lauryl Alcohol Industry Report 2016The players list(Partly, Players you are interested in can also be added)Hangzhou Dayangchem Co., Ltd.Wuhan Fortuna Chemical Co., LtdSpectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp.Ecogreen GroupHUBEI XINMINGTAI PHARM CO.,LTDSHANGHAI BANGCHENG CHEMICAL CO.,LTD.SHAGNHAI KANGTUO CHEMICAL CO,.LTD.SHANGHAI RONGLI CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD.Related Reports:Global Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016United States Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016Europe Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016Japan Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016India Lauryl Alcohol Industry Market Research Report 2016Woul like to place an order or any question, please feel free to contact me~O(_)O~Contact : LemonEmail: lemon@qyresearchglobal.comMoblie No: 8613660469419Web:About QYResearch LtdQYResearch Focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. the company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience). Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team).Contact : LemonApt 1408 1785 Riverside Drive Ottawa, ON, K1G 3T7 CanadaEmail: lemon@qyresearchglobal.comMoblie No: 8613660469419Web: Protective Film Solutions chairman appointed to university leadership role Protective Film Solutions (PFS) chairman Mark Williams has been appointed to a leadership role at the University of East Anglia (UEA).Mark has been unveiled as the universitys new treasurer and brings with him a wealth of experience to the position following his work at the company.The Wakefield firm are a leading supplier and installer of protective and anti-solar gain and glare window films and are one of the worlds foremost experts in the use of window film and anchoring systems for blast protection.With more than 33 years experience in the industry, the company specialise in complex multi-site projects across Europe and provide detailed energy efficient surveys to a number of customers.After studying History and French between 1981 and 1985, Mark has a developed longstanding relationship with the university.Speaking on his appointment, Mark said: I am delighted to have accepted the role of treasurer at UEA.Giving something back to the institution which shaped me as a young undergraduate is both rewarding and exciting, especially at a time when UEA embarks on an ambitious growth and estate development plan over the next few years.Mark has also been joined at the university by Cafe Rouge founder Karen Jones CBE as UEAs new chancellor and former chair of Ford Britain, Joe Greenwell CBE who has become the new chair of UEA Council.About Protective Film Solutions:PFS are one of the worlds leading experts in the use of window film and anchoring systems for blast protection with more than 33 years experience in the industry.Head office: Suite 5, Evans Business CentreMonckton Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 7AS In Vitro Fertilization Market worth 756.7 Million USD by 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/in-vitro-fertilization-market-89198891.html http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=89198891 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=89198891 The report "In Vitro Fertilization Market by Product (Incubators, Cryosystem, Sperm Seperation System, Cryopreservation Media, Embryo Culture Media), Technology (Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis, Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) & End Users - Forecast to 2021", This report studies the global in vitro fertilization market for the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. This market is expected to reach USD 756.7 Million by 2021 from USD 468.3 Million in 2016, at a CAGR of 10.1%.Browse 100 market data Tables and 41 Figures spread through 159 Pages and in-depth TOC on "In Vitro Fertilization Market"Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.The In Vitro Fertilization Market analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints/challenges, opportunities, key players, competitive landscape, and geographical markets.Growth in the global in vitro fertilization market is mainly driven by declining fertility rates, growth in the media age of first-time motherhood, growing cases of male infertility, growth in healthcare expenditure, rise in consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, implementation of government initiatives and introduction of new and advanced products.Read More | Get the Sample Pages:The global in vitro fertilization market is segmented on the basis of technology, product, end user, and region. By technology, the in vitro fertilization market is categorized into intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, frozen embryo transplantation and others (assisted hatching, intrauterine insemination, donor insemination and in vitro maturation).On the basis of product, the market is segmented into reagents and equipment. Reagent is further categorized into cryopreservation media, sperm processing media, ovum processing media and embryo culture media. Equipment is further categorized into incubators, imaging systems, cabinets (workstation), ovum aspiration pump, sperm separation systems, micromanipulator systems, cryosystems, gas analyzers, laser systems, anti-vibration table and accessories.Download the PDF Brochure:On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into fertility and surgical centers, hospitals and research laboratories and cryobanks.On the basis of region, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of the in vitro fertilization market in 2016, followed by Europe and North America. The large share of the Asia-Pacific in vitro fertilization market can primarily be attributed to the high maternal age in Japan, abolishment of Chinas one child policy, rising fertility tourism in India and Thailand, growing surrogacy and high prevalence of PCOS in India and growing number of ART procedures in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Some of the key players in the health information exchange market are CooperSurgical, Inc. (U.S.), Vitrolife AB (Sweden), Cook Medical, Inc. (U.S.), Irvine Scientific (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), ESCO Micro Pte. Limited (Singapore), Genea Limited (Australia), The Baker Company (U.S.), IVFtech ApS (Denmark) and EMD Serono, Inc. (U.S.).About MarketsandMarketsMarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide 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 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. United States Lifting Column Market 2016 - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2021 Lifting Column http://goo.gl/Qp9wIF http://goo.gl/UldjzO United States Lifting Column Industry 2016The report provides a basic overview of Lifting Column industry including definitions, applications and industry chain structure. United States market analysis and Chinese domestic market analysis are provided with a focus on history, developments, trends and competitive landscape of the market. A comparison between the international and Chinese situation is also offered.United States Lifting Column Industry Research Report 2016 also focuses on development policies and plans for the industry as well as a consideration of a cost structure analysis. Capacity production, market share analysis, import and export consumption and price cost production value gross margins are discussed.Browse Full Report With TOC @A key feature of this report is it focus on major industry players, providing an overview, product specification, product capacity, production price and contact information for United States Top15 companies. This enables end users to gain a comprehensive insight into the structure of the international and Chinese Lifting Column industry. Development proposals and the feasibility of new investments are also analyzed. Companies and individuals interested in the structure and value of the Lifting Column industry should consult this report for guidance and direction.The report begins with a brief overview of the United States Lifting Column market and then moves on to evaluate the key trends of the market. The key trends shaping the dynamics of the United States Lifting Column market have been scrutinized along with the related current events, which is impacting the market. Drivers, restraints, opportunities, and threats of the United States Lifting Column market have been analyzed in the report. Moreover, the key segments and the sub-segments that constitutes the market is also explained in the report.Get Free Sample @Table of ContentsChapter One Lifting Column Industry Overview1.1 Lifting Column Definition(Product Picture and Specifications)1.2 Lifting Column Classification and Application1.3 Lifting Column Industry Chain Structure1.4 Lifting Column Industry Overview1.5 Lifting Column Industry History1.6 Lifting Column Industry Competitive Landscape1.7 Lifting Column Industry International and China Development ComparisonChapter Two Lifting Column Market Data Analysis2.1 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Price List2.2 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Gross Margin List2.3 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Capacity and Market Share List2.4 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Production and Market Share List2.5 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Production Value and Market Share ListChapter Three Lifting Column Technical Data Analysis3.1 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Product Quality List3.2 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Product Line Capacity and Commercial Production Date3.3 2016 Manufacturing Base(Factory) United States Regional Distribution3.4 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column R&D Status and Technology Sources3.5 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Equipment Investment and Performance3.6 2016 United States Key Manufacturers Lifting Column Raw Materials Sources AnalysisChapter Four Lifting Column Government Policy and News4.1 Government Related Policy Analysis4.2 Industry News Analysis4.3 Lifting Column Industry Development TrendAbout Us:MarketResearchStore.com 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: +1-386-310-3803 5 Star Rated Romantic Fiction Novel, 'Willow's Walk' Available Soon, Romantic Fiction Based On Social Media Relationships Romantic Fiction Author Rusty Blackwood http://www.rusty-blackwood.com After a short hiatus, the award-winning romantic fiction novel, 'Willow's Walk' by Indie author Rusty Blackwood is now available in a modified form. The novel features a protagonist named Willow who gets involved in a relationship via social media. That relationship goes awry and leads to circumstances that put her in real danger.Social media sites can be great places to form relationships. On the other hand, they can be fraught with danger for the unsuspecting. Nearly every day the media presents us with stories about relationships that innocently began on a social media site but ended in tragedy.In 'Willow's Walk' a mature woman / younger man relationship that begins in an Internet chat room leads to real trouble for the protagonist of the story. Romantic fiction novels based in fantasy can be interesting of course. However Blackwood chose to blend engaging romantic fiction story elements with events pulled from today's headlines. This approach brings a sense of realism to the novel and allows readers to relate to the story in ways that would not be possible in other forms of romantic fiction."From the time I began writing I set a standard of quality in every piece I released, whether it was a short story, poem, or a full length novel," stated Rusty Blackwood. "When I release my work, it must be presented properly. By this I mean all aspects surrounding the piece, and this very much includes copy-edit. Though authors strive for perfection it sometimes falls short of the intended goal, and this is what happened with Willow. I was not satisfied with the finished edit, which is why I pulled it back, and had it redone. It is my hope that when the new version returns, it will be welcomed back with acceptance and applause. An author, regardless of genre, should be proud of the work they produce, and I can honestly say that Willow's Walk now carries my name proudly."'Willow's Walk', follows the release of 'Passions in Paris: Revelations Of A Lost Diary'. Her first romantic fiction book is a sweeping saga written in the tradition of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and 'What Dreams May Come'. It has been compared to Erich Segal's 'Love Story' and Nicholas Sparks' 'The Notebook'.'Willow's Walk' is a gripping new tale, certain to hold readers captive from the very first page. Set in the beautiful city of Ottawa, Canada in 2003, this touching story centers on the life and times of a woman determined to prevail at all costs, regardless of what is set before her, the result of which is certain to leave the reader reeling in its wake.The path each person walks is entirely their own. The pitfalls along that path, as well as the way in which they are dealt with are entirely up to the individual. But Willow Sutherland Crosby walks a far-different path, and with her own agenda.Abuse, deception, intrigue, and a never ending quest for happiness and love - will she find these, or will her blind determination be her downfall?'Willow's Walk' has received a number of 5 star reviews from professional reviewers. Maria Beltran stated, "I highly recommend this book." Gisela Dixon said, ". . . I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the life of a person presented in such a wonderful manner." Another said, "I was touched by the bittersweet conclusion that sometimes purpose and happiness are only found through great tragedy ..."'Passions In Paris' has also received rave reviews. Linkk Kula Kane said, "Passions in Paris I think stands its ground with these other powerful romantic stories like 'The Notebook' by Nicolas Sparks." Reader Fred Pifer stated that 'Passions', " . . .is a fascinating book of a love story that seemed to be written with me in mind. In the book 'Love Story' by Erich Segal, he told of a deep abiding love story that reminds me of Cullen and Joys in Ms. Blackwoods book, but the twists of intrigue and mystery that she adds keeps the reader on edge throughout."Information on the new romantic fiction release, including a new book trailer, is available at Blackwood's site on the 'Willow' page. Readers can download paperback and Kindle versions of both books at Amazon sites worldwide, including Amazon.ca.Rusty Blackwood is available for interview in the Toronto and Niagara areas and can be reached using the information below or by email at writerrusty@hotmail.ca. More information is available at her website.Rusty Blackwood is a prolific Indie author of romantic fiction, short story comedies, contemporary and traditional poetry and children's books. Her first love is romantic fiction, but she crosses genres with ease.PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28459 Businesses Get Their Own Apps with MTOAG www.mtoag.com Mtoag, Stands for Moving Technology On a Go, is a leader in providing web and app based solutions to a plethora of companies. As a services company, we love to provide the following solutions:1. Mobile App Development2. Web Development3. E-commerce Development4. Website DesignWe are of the idea that the world is going digital now. From a small company to a well-known one, everyone needs to make their presence felt on the WWW. Everyone has a smartphone in his or her hand and they want it to be able to provide them with every damn thing right there. This is the reason why mobile applications (or apps- as we generally refer to them) came to inception. Apps give the brand or store a chance to connect to a wide range of customers who would otherwise find it hard to locate you as a business.But then just doing away with the thing and doing it in a nice professional way are two completely different things that make or break the image of the business. We at Mtoag understand the fine line between the two and try to offer you the best solutions for the same. Our professional approach and use of latest technologies help us deliver the world-class web and app solutions to you.The good thing is that we are experts in providing Mobile Apps Development Technology and have developed apps for the following industries-Taxi Mobile Apps Development- Booking a Cab or taxi over an app on your phone or tablet, when and where you like, has never been easier. We develop the app for the same Making life easy!Wearable Devices Apps Development- The arrival of the smartphone carried us the era of mobility and has already taken the world by storm. Leveraging this experience, were now extending our app development solutions to iOS and Android powered wearable devices.Grocery Shopping Apps Development- Why cares about going out just for grocery shopping? Simply pick your smartphone and get going Our apps make grocery shopping easy, all for you!So far we have been successful in delivering mobile apps to numerous known online grocery stores, taxi based services, and clothing stores. Delivering unique business solutions is our forte and we strive on the same. Outsourcing the projects to us means timely delivery, professional approach, workable solutions, and no burn in the pocket. So you could now easily grow your business by connecting with us. If your business needs a website re-do or a mobile based application, we are happy to help. Send us the details and query at info@mtoag.com and we will eagerly listen to all your details and come up with a solution you will surely love.Mtoag, established in 2009, a professional full service web development company specializes in rich internet applications, custom web development, truly interactive website design, ecommerce, mobile apps and product design and development.41, Mtoag House, Goverdhan Colony, NewSanganer Road Sodala, Jaipur 302019 INEmail: info@mtoag.comWebsite: Machine Condition Monitoring Market Bolsters by Demand for Predictive Maintenance across Industries http://bit.ly/29898hk http://bit.ly/28X54yo http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The transition from preventive to predictive maintenance in the process industry has proven extremely crucial to the growth witnessed by the global machine condition monitoring market. A new analysis by Transparency Market Research, titled Machine Condition Monitoring Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 2024 is aimed at studying the various factors influencing the markets growth trajectory. The report is intended to update the market stakeholders about the prevailing dynamics. It also presents insights into the growth drivers and restraints that the global machine condition monitoring market could witness during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024.Machine condition monitoring, also called machine health monitoring, is the process of monitoring parameters such as humidity, pressure, temperature, and others that determine an equipments performance. Functions of machine condition monitoring are considered indispensable for detecting changes or faults in any machine. Vibration, temperature, and noise measurements are the key indicators of the state of an equipment.Machine conditioning is therefore considered imperative for industries interested in evading loss incurred on capital invested on purchase of machines. It allows companies to enjoy the benefits of predictive maintenance.Free PDF For More Full Details and Technological breakthroughs is @In the last couple of years, the global machine monitoring market has been witnessing robust growth in demand from industries such as aerospace, automotive, defense, chemicals, automotive, oil and gas, energy and power, metal and mining, and others. Of these, the energy and power industry has been exhibiting the highest demand for machine condition monitoring, followed by the oil and gas segment.The most common services covered by machine condition monitoring include vibration monitoring, thermography, corrosion monitoring, ultrasound emission, motor current signature analysis, and lubricating oil analysis. Various components included in machine condition monitoring are vibration sensors, infrared sensors, spectrometers, corrosion probes, spectrum analyzers, and others.The report will present an in-depth analysis of the market, identifying the most lucrative opportunities for the aforementioned service segments. It will also provide detailed insights into the components that are in high demand in the market.Market Insight of Machine Condition Monitoring can be Viewed @The demand for machine condition monitoring has been gaining significantly from the increase use of wireless technology and remote monitoring. The rising demand for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning across smaller factories will also bolster demand from the global machine condition monitoring market.Despite witnessing growth at an impressive rate, the unpredictability of maintenance periods may restrain the market to an extent. Nevertheless, with the introduction of cloud technology across industries, the global machine condition monitoring market is expected to gain significant impetus in the near future.Regionally, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World constitute the major segments of the global machine condition monitoring market. Among these regions, Europe and North America are expected to exhibit considerably rising demand for machine condition monitoring services during the forecast period. The factors influencing the markets growth across these regional segments have been evaluated in the report in detail.It also presents a holistic analysis on the prevailing competitive landscape. Some of the leading companies operating in the market include Azima DLI Corp. (U.S.), Parker Hannifin (U.S.), General Electric Company (U.S.), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (U.S.), and others.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.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: At A CAGR Of 34.03% Global Solar Pumps Market Will Grow During The Period 2016-2020 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=668392 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=668392 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Solar Pumps Market 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.A solar pump runs on electricity generated by a solar PV array. The overall pump set is attached to the water source; the solar panel converts the solar energy into electricity, thereby operating the motor to pump water. These pumps eliminate the use of conventional fuel sources such as diesel. Also, they prove to be a cost-effective option for pumping water, especially in areas that face water scarcity and electricity shortage. Some of the major types of solar pumps are surface, submersible, and floating. These pumps are becoming more viable as their prices decline with increasing competition in the market. In addition, subsidies offered in various countries have also aided in lowering the costs of these pumps.Technavios analysts forecast the global solar pumps market to grow at a CAGR of 34.03% during the period 2016-2020.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global solar pumps market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the the demand for solar pumps from different end-users.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEANew report, Global Solar Pumps Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsBright SolarLORENTZShakti PumpsSunEdisonTata Power SolarOther prominent vendorsConergyCRI GroupDankoff SolarFlowserveGreenmax TechnologyGrundfosJain Irrigation SystemsUSLMarket driverInsufficient power supply in developing countriesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeHigh initial investmentFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendDemand for automated pump systemsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ ECG Market to Reach US$822.1 Million in 2016 due to Growing Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=740 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ecg-monitoring-systems-market.html We can expect to see a growth in the overall shipment of ECG monitoring systems to 374.8 thousand units in 2016, from its 2011 figure of 262.1 thousand units, said a TMR analyst, This is a potential CAGR of 7.4% from 2011 to 2016.He also said that of the various types of ECG monitoring systems used, rest ECG monitoring systems dominated the market in 2011 in terms of revenue. Stress ECG monitoring systems, on the other hand, had the highest selling price.The report says that the growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases around the world is the biggest driving factor of the global ECG monitoring systems market. It emphasizes the fact that cardiovascular diseases are the largest cause of deaths globally.Recieve ECG Market Report Brochure Include Table of Contents:Enhanced Precision, Lowered Workload Drive Demand for Digital Pathology SystemsThe prime driver for the global digital pathology systems market is the increased sophistication and efficiency it brings about it pathology processes. Digitization of labwork reduces the chances of manual error, making the process highly accurate. Digital pathology systems are also much faster at analyzing samples than human technicians, which results in an easier workload for pathologists. The shortage of skilled pathologists is thus a key driver for the digital pathology systems market.The increasing prevalence of cancer across the world has also encouraged the adoption of digital pathology systems. Digital pathology systems are used for the detection/diagnosis of several types of cancer, including breast, esophageal, and non-small-cell lung cancer. The high precision of digital pathology systems is crucial in dealing with progressive diseases such as cancer, since early diagnosis can significantly improve the chances of survival.While developed parts of the world house widespread digital pathology infrastructure, developing regions such as Asia Pacific are still lagging behind. This presents a crucial opportunity for manufacturers of digital pathology systems, as the incidence of cancer is increasing rapidly in countries such as China, Japan, and India. The steady economic development of such countries has also made it easier for healthcare agencies to introduce advanced solutions such as digital pathology systems.Virtual Microscopy to Exhibit Rapid Growth in Demand 2014-2020By technology, digital pathology systems are segmented into virtual microscopy and telepathology. While the latter is likely to retain its dominance in the market over the coming years, the virtual microscopy is expected to exhibit a higher growth rate in the 2014-2020 forecast period.Among the various applications of digital pathology systems, drug discovery/development and disease diagnosis were the leading contributors to the global market in 2013. While these two segments are likely to remain in the lead in the market, the application of digital pathology systems in academic research is likely to increase at a rapid 14% CAGR from 2014 to 2020.Geographically, North America is likely to remain the leading contributor to the global digital pathology systems market in the coming years, with the regional markets revenue expected to reach US$212.4 mn by 2020. The extensive drug development activities and presence of key players in the region are responsible for the regions dominant share in the global market. Europes contribution to the global digital pathology systems market is expected to be overtaken by Asia Pacific in the coming years, with the lucrative opportunities in India, China, Japan, and some ASEAN countries convincing many companies to expand their operations in Asia Pacific.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research 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:-Transparency 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 Marval accepted as G-Cloud 8 supplier for its service management software https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/ www.marval.co.uk Marval's IT Service Management (ITSM) Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, MSM, is listed on the United Kingdom's Governments Crown Commercial Service latest procurement framework, G-Cloud 8.Greg Pritchett, Managing Director of Marval explains, Marval MSM a powerful 100% web enabled ITSM software, available as either a cloud-based (SaaS) or an on-premise solution, provides the ultimate combination of value, ITSM process automation, ease of use, performance functionality and flexibility. With underpinning professional services and support, MSM has long been the choice of public sector organisations to deliver quality services with successful business outcomes.Marval MSM, is certified as ITIL process compliant to gold level under the AXELOS ITIL Software Scheme and assessed by PinkVERIFY - to 15 processes. The product has been designed to support ITSM good practice frameworks and standards and newer methodologies and reference architecture such as DevOps and IT4IT.G-Cloud, part of the UK government's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy, is a cross government programme that encourages the adoption of ICT Cloud Services into government departments, local authorities and the wider public sector. Its remit is to simplify how the public sector procures and delivers services by creating a digital marketplace of 'pay-as-you-go', subscription-based services that can be easily scaled up or down, based on the changing needs of an organisation and its users.Marval MSM can be purchased through digital marketplace at--ENDS--For more information please contact:T: +44 (0)1536 711999 E-mail: info@marval.co.uk W:About The Crown Commercial ServiceThe Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has brought together Governments central commercial capability into a single organisation, amalgamating Government Procurement Service with other commercial teams from the Cabinet Office and central government departments.CCS is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and operates as a trading fund under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973. Their remit is to work with both departments and organisations across the whole of the public sector to ensure maximum value is extracted fromevery commercial relationship and improve the quality of service delivery.The CCS goal is to become the go-to place for expert commercial and procurement services.With both service delivery and advisory capability, services include contract management and supplier performance management to ensure that the Government acts as a true, single customer; freeing up individual organisations to focus their procurement expertise on what is unique to them.About MarvalMarval is committed to the ongoing development of integrated ITSM software, backed by a mature implementation approach, finely honed after more than 26 years of delivering solutions worldwide. It is a single-source supplier for all ITSM needs, designed to improve service quality, productivity, customer satisfaction and reduce costs. The MSM solution is used by internal and external support teams, plus outsourcing and managed service providers.Marval is a major practitioner, innovator, thought leader and contributor to good practice and standards in ITSM and is co-author of ITIL and ISO/IEC 20000. It has been helping customers deliver service excellence since 1989 and understands what it takes to become a world-class service team.Marval is an ISO/IEC 20000 registered company supporting internal and external customers to international standards.Marval SoftwareStone Lodge, Rothwell Grange, Rothwell Road, Kettering, Northants, England, NN16 8XF eMachineShop accepted into Etsy Manufacturing Program eMachineShop Logo www.eMachineShop.com Mahwah, New Jersey - August , 2016 - eMachineShop has been officially accepted into Etsys Manufacturing program, and is now offering manufacturing services directly to Etsy sellers.Having been in the custom parts manufacturing business since 2003, and offering a free, easy-to-learn CAD software application to custom design parts, applying to be an Etsy approved manufacturer was an easy decision according to eMachineShop CEO Jim Lewis.Jim went on to say eMachineShop has supplied countless parts to artists and creative makers to help complete projects and grow businesses. Joining Etsy Manufacturing is part of eMachineShops natural progression and commitment to serving makers, creators, and designers.eMachineShop really is the perfect match for sellers using Etsy. Offering a wide range of materials to choose from, and the ability to have parts manufactured using processes such as water jet cutting, CNC machining, and 3D Printing, users can acquire a wide variety of custom parts.eMachineShop is a Mahwah, NJ based machine shop with a focus on making the process of designing and ordering parts as easy as possible for customers ranging from hobbyists and micropreneurs to large corporations.Nick Walker, Marketing SpecialisteMachineShop31 Industrial AveMahwah, NJ 07420United States(201) 962-7511 Global Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) Market Share, Size, Forecast and Trends 2016 Global Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) Market 2016 http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/QYR11821/global-automotive-headup-display-hud-industry-2015-market-research-report http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=qyr11821 www.marketintelreports.com The Global Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) Industry 2015 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Check Complete Report @Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Get Sample Brochure of the Report @the report focuses on global major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 214 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.About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Mayur SSales Manager2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statessales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343 What are the Must Haves in a Makerspace? Makerspace built by Formaspace https://formaspace.com/articles/education/must-haves-in-a-makerspace/?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=article-080116 Those of you old enough may remember the satisfaction of building a ham radio or an FM tuner using those well-documented do-it-yourself kits from Heathkit or electronic parts from RadioShack. For a decade or two, it seemed like building things yourself was out of fashion. Today the trend is 100% reversed creating your own"things" is more popular than ever and collective makerspaces have popped all over the world to help people discover the joy of invention.For many Americans, the long tradition of tinkering with mechanical and electronic parts seemed to die out during the 1970s. The venerable Heathkit company which sold incredibly well-documented 'do-it-yourself' kits was purchased by Zenith and then later a French conglomerate. Heathkit's hobby kits never a focus of the acquiring organizations fell victim to the increasingly globalized electronics marketplace, which drove the cost of new products down to the point they were actually cheaper to buy fully assembled than in kit form.Good-bye, kits.No longer did America make much in the way of electronics; the vast majority of TV and radio receiver production moved to Asia.Fortunately, the flame of do-it-yourself experimentation didn't die out entirely.Just like Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard had done decades earlier, Gordon French started something important in a Silicon Valley garage.In the spring of 1975, French organized the first meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club. Some of the biggest names in computing today were members of the club that started in French's garage, including the two Steves (Jobs and Wozniak, founders of Apple). A year later, Wozniak had built the Apple I, their first commercial product.As the PC revolution took off into the 1980s, software development stepped into the spotlight. Do-it-yourselfers and entrepreneurs created thousands if not millions of different kinds of programs for personal computers.As the maturing PC business morphed into the Internet revolution, the spirit of do-it-yourself collaboration spurred the open software movement. Once dismissed by commercial software vendors as bad for business, the open software movement has helped create the new business models, and foundational software infrastructure has fueled the rapid growth of the Internet as we know it today.How Did Makerspaces Come into Existence?During these 'go go' boom times in software development, there was a relative lack of interest by Americans in building "things" after all, just about everything hardware-wise was made overseas in Asia.Compared to software, there didn't seem to be that much money in it.Times have changed. Products like the iPhone and NEST have shown that software controlling mechanical objects makes hardware more interesting than ever before and connecting them to the Internet makes them even more interesting. This so-called Internet of Things (IoT) is inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs and experimenters like never before.As a result, makerspaces, also commonly known as sheds in the UK and Australia and hacker spaces in Germany and Austria, have become a worldwide phenomenon. They allow the public to have access to relatively expensive equipment that can be used to experiment and make prototype products and more.Some trace the roots of the modern makerspace back to the facility started in Berlin back in 1995. Known as C-Base, this collaborative facility was an offshoot of the German Chaos Computer Club (CCC).A decade later, Paul Baum got the ball rolling in a major way: Baum opened Metalab in Vienna, Austria in 2006, then promoted the concept widely through a website Hackerspaces.org. Now there are over 1,000 active makerspaces around the world. Check out this interactive map (themakermap.com) to find out which ones are located near you.Have You Visited Your Local Makerspace Lately?As you can see from the map, there are makerspaces all across the world sponsored by different types of organizations ranging from for-profit businesses to public libraries.Foundation-based MakerspacesProfessor Neil Gershenfeld from MIT's Media Lab created the Fab Lab Foundation to promote widespread access to modern tools used for invention in each of their member Fab Labs.For Profit MakerspacesTechShop, in contrast, is a chain of maker shops organized as a for-profit enterprise; it's supported by its members through a monthly fee.Business Accelerator Makerspacesmakerspaces also take the form of Business Accelerators, often organized by universities that want to leverage their research programs by bringing in investors interested in providing angel funding to budding entrepreneurs.School STEM/STEAM MakerspacesSchools that are interested in promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula in schools (commonly known as STEM) are kitting out makerspaces to promote hands-on learning. STEAM is a related acronym: it adds "Art" to the educational program.Public Library MakerspacesBack in a time when individual books were often beyond the means of ordinary members of the public, libraries were founded to share information and make it available to everyone. Similarly today, public libraries are purchasing expensive tools like 3-D printers to make them available to their patrons in newly constructed makerspaces.Ad Hoc MakerspacesThe advent of social media sites like MeetUp, software development sharing tools like Github, and crowdfunding tools like Kickstarter, have made it possible for people to gather at short notice at different locations to collaborate together on various initiatives, such as on software development projects (commonly called hackathons).What are You Likely to Find in a Makerspace?Because makerspaces serve so many different audiences, the equipment at any individual makerspace can vary quite a lot. Here are some typical types of equipment commonly found in many makerspaces:Read more...Formaspace advances the spirit of discovery and creation through the design and manufacture of custom business furniture. Our furniture marries form to function with flexible solutions for clients in the laboratory, industrial, and office environments.design.consultant@formaspace.com800.251.15051100 E. Howard Lane, Suite 400 Austin, TX 78753 Go Baby Go Oregon Portland State students are raising money to help disabled children in Brazil. The students hope to build toy cars like this one that help disabled kids move around. (Courtesy of PSU) Portland State students hope to ship modified toy cars to Brazil to help disabled children affected by the Zika virus. Graduate students in a PSU special education class are raising money this month to build specially modified toy cars designed to help children with Microcephaly in Brazil. The birth defect is being linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus in South America. The PSU effort comes as the Summer Olympics begin in Rio de Janeiro later this month. According to a press release, PSU students learned how to adapt the cars for children at an event in June hosted by an Oregon Health & Science University physical therapist. The "Go Baby Go" movement began in Delaware, where vehicles were altered to help children with disabilities, and has since expanded to Oregon and other states. The state's program is housed in Corvallis at Oregon State University, where it began in 2014. The toy cars cost roughly $200 to assemble, significantly less expensive than motorized wheelchairs or other devices that can cost thousands of dollars. Children as young as six months can fit in the vehicles. Sam Sennott, the PSU professor and director of the school's Universal Design Lab in the Graduate School of Education, said the Brazilian children face a challenging disability. "But let's look at what's possible and what else they can do through therapy," he said in a statement. The vehicles, "let kids be kids," he said. Hannah Wilson, a PSU student with family in Brazil, is helping the school raise money. In a statement, Wilson said it's cheaper to modify the cars in the United States, and that electronics are more expensive in Brazil, making it a huge barrier for families. A PSU spokeswoman said the school hadn't shipped any car to Brazil yet, but had made connections in the country. Here's a link to the PSU fundraising campaign. As of Tuesday, the class had raised $440. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen The Society of Chemical Industry, America Section, will award the 13th annual SCI Gordon E. Moore Medal to Abhishek Roy, Ph.d. from The Dow Chemical Co. Abhishek is the lead product research and development manager and technical platform leader for the reverse osmosis membrane chemistry platform of Dow Energy and Water Solutions. He is credited as the primary inventor of Dow FILMTEC ECO Reverse Osmosis Elements. The solution fights water scarcity by delivering 40 percent better purification with 30 percent less energy and has the potential to impact millions of lives. Elements require less energy to pump water through the membrane and less chemicals for cleaning. These combined benefits result in significant operational savings for customers, ranging from 16 to 19 percent. Besides water-energy nexus, Abhishek and his team have contributed toward addressing two of the most critical emerging needs: increasing availability of fresh drinking water in developing countries and taking steps toward making water reuse economical and practical. Introduction of the breakthrough residential tankless product has reduced the footprint cost and Dow FILMTEC XFRLE product is enabling low-energy operation under challenging water in water reuse applications. These technologies have enabled more than 10 new products over the last five years. The availability of clean water is one of the most difficult challenges Dow is helping to solve. Abhishek is the talented scientist behind the breakthrough innovation that will deliver a more sustainable water supply to the world, said A.N. Sreeram, Dow senior vice president and chief technology officer. We are proud that Abhisheks outstanding contributions have been honored with the Gordon E. Moore Medal. It is a fitting recognition for work that will improve the lives of people around the world. Abhishek was honored with the prestigious Dow Sustainability Innovator Award in 2014. The Dow FILMTEC ECO Reverse Osmosis element is a Breakthrough to World Challenges under Dows 2015 Sustainability Goals, recognition that the innovation played a significant role in the Company attaining these goals and that the product is both an ecological and commercial success. The Dow FILMTEC ECO Reverse Osmosis element is also a 2014 Edison Award winner in the Energy and Sustainability category. The SCI established the Gordon E. Moore Medal to recognize early-career success in innovation, as reflected both in market impact and improvement to quality of life. Abhishek will receive the award September 13, during a luncheon at the Chemical Heritage Foundation headquarters in Philadelphia as part of Innovation Day 2016. This event will be jointly hosted by SCI and CHF, bringing together more than 150 leading researchers from industrial laboratories to discuss current trends and issues in chemical research. Abhishek earned his PhD from Virginia Tech under the guidance of James E. McGrath in the macromolecular science and engineering program. He has authored 30 peer reviewed journal articles and holds 10 issued patents, with many pending on his RO work. Abhishek was recognized with numerous awards including Dows prestigious Sustainability Innovator Award and Virginia Techs outstanding recent alumnus award from the College of Science. He is the fourth Dow researcher to win the medal over the 13 years of its existence. He joins Jerzy Klosin (2013), Edmund M. Ted Carnahan (2008) and George Barclay (2004) as Moore medalists from Dow. At this time of the year I am often asked for recipes that contain no meat. As soon as the period known as Lent begins, there are people who abstain from meat on Fridays and other holy days. It is indeed an old tradition of fasting and preparing for the celebration of Easter. For some, the idea of a meal without meat seems unthinkable. But I have often been in places where dishes prepared with other ingredients are simply delicious. And the country that probably comes to mind first is Spain. The first time I traveled to Spain was in the late 70s when I was still a teenager. I had a wonderful time discovering the capital, Madrid, on my own and certainly enjoyed the many dishes I had during my short stay there. Back then, my budget meant I had to find very inexpensive places to eat. So I ate lots of rice, fried eggs and vegetable dishes All were tasty. Years later, my Danish wife Susanne and I participated in an overseas study program through Central Michigan University and spent a summer studying in Alicante. The city is located on the Mediterranean Sea and is the perfect size for me. It is big enough so that there is lots to see and discover but not overwhelming. Since Susanne and I were there for several weeks, we were both able to discover much about local culture including the culinary traditions. Both of us still remember the local markets full of all sorts of cured meats and sausages, fish and cheeses. But we also were amazed at the seemingly unending variety of fruits and vegetables. While in Alicante, we lived at the home of a very friendly Spanish lady named Ester. Once she found out I was interested in local cuisine she was more than happy to provide advice and cooking lessons. One of the most popular and typical dishes of the region is paella. Ester had several pans for preparing paella that she referred to using the same word although they can also be called pallero or pallera. The pan is rather flat and shallow, allowing for a thin layer of rice topped with all sorts ingredients. The first time she prepared rice for me she used rabbit and chicken (the latter because Susanne didnt particularly enjoy the idea of eating rabbit). After sauteeing vegetables, she added the medium grain rice and then bouillon and saffron. The sauteed rabbit and chicken pieces were added last. It was great. Ester told me that there we unending recipes using fish and vegetables and following the same basic method. On a trip to the same area years later during Lent, I discovered exactly what Ester meant. In one restaurant, I enjoyed a very delicious and almost creamy plate of rice with fresh tuna fish. The rice had been prepared following the same method Ester had used. And the rice and the nice chunks of freshly sauteed tuna fish were indeed very tasty. In another small restaurant I noticed rice with seasonal vegetables on the menu. Although I was wondering what seasonal vegetables could be during the cold months of the year I had to remember that the weather in that part of Spain does not get as cold as it does in Michigan. And the rice dish contained what I had seen in many local vegetable markets - carrots, onions, green and red bell peppers. It was wonderful and very filling. During that stay in Alicante, I also came across a dish that is very typical along much of the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands. It is called coca. It can best be described as similar to a thin crust pizza with all sorts of toppings but usually not cheese. And coca can also be prepared using sweet ingredients. I fell in love with coca because it is fairly easy to prepare and can be made with so many fresh products. The first slice of coca I ever ate was prepared with tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions and zucchini. It was actually served cold and was a wonderful accompaniment to a glass of local wine. I noticed cocas in all sorts of restaurants prepared with all sorts of vegetables they were all good. We may not be in Alicante and there are certainly no native palm trees growing outside. But one can still enjoy some very traditional foods from the area of Alicante here at home. If you dont have a traditional pan for preparing paella many local stores carry large, flat skillets made of stainless steel and with a handle on each side. Be sure to get one that has a lid. Such pans will do the job. And for the coca you simply need a large baking sheet. There is no reason why meatless foods cant be delicious. Enjoy the challenge and the cultural experience! Greg Lopez is a Midlander who loves food and travel. He combines both in a monthly column for the Daily News. Arroz con verduras - Rice with vegetables 3 tablespoons Spanish olive oil 1 tomato, skin removed and diced 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced 1 small onion, skin removed and finely diced 1 garlic clove, peeled 1 1/2 cups fresh cauliflower, cut into small pieces and washed and drained 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices 1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika 2 cups medium grain rice 4 1/2 cups warm vegetable bouillon 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron Pour the olive oil in the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion and garlic clove. Sautee for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is transparent. Add the cauliflower pieces and the carrots. Saute 15 seconds and the add the paprika. Pour in the rice and stir about 20 seconds. Add the bouillon and saffron and stir once and do not stir again. Cook over medium heat until the rice is completely cooked. This should take about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and place the lid on the pan and allow to sit for 20 minutes before serving. Coca de verduras - Vegetable coca 1 portion homemade pizza dough or bread dough 2 medium tomatoes, diced 1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and finely diced 1 red bell pepper, stem removed and finely diced 1 zucchini, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise and cut in thin slices 1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste 5-6 tablespoons Spanish olive oil Vegetable oil spray for the baking pan Spray a large baking sheet with a thin layer of oil. Roll out dough as thinly as possible and cover the baking sheet with dough. Put all of the vegetables, the paprika and oregano in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) and pepper and mix well. Sprinkle with oil and spread evenly over the dough. Bake in a preheated 380 degrees Fahrenheit oven in the middle of the oven about 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are completely cooked. Note: This is usually eaten cold but also tastes nice served warm. It is cut into slices like a pizza. The Dow Chemical Co. has named Melanie Kalmar as chief information officer, with responsibilities ranging from cyber security to chairing an executive steering team for information technology efforts. According to a company press release, Kalmar was previously the global director of Information Systems at Dow. As the new chief information officer, Kalmar will be in charge of developing and implementing information technology strategies, business process solutions and analytics for Dow. Her responsibilities will include Cyber Security and Risk Management, Reporting and Advanced Analytics, Facilities Management, and the Dow Services Business. Michigan man 'Lucky for Life' Using an online random number generator, a Michigan man became Lucky For Life, playing the... Start-up grants coming to childcare entrepreneurs in Michigan Childcare entrepreneurs will soon be able to apply for start-up grants, Michigan Gov. Gretchen... Monster mashes: Top 10 hair-raising songs to add to your... If you are in need of more songs to add to your scary playlist, or looking to go beyond staples... ATLANTA Officials still are trying to determine what led to a multiple-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on Interstate 55 in Logan County that killed two children and left a third child in critical condition at a Peoria hospital. The names of the children, ages 2 and 4, have not been released, but police confirmed the driver of the silver Honda van in which they were riding was David Roock, 40, from Chicago. The accident occurred about 3:02 p.m. Sunday in a construction zone at mile post 138 between Atlanta and McLean. Police said a semitrailer truck was traveling north when it struck the van, causing it to strike a sport utility vehicle, two cars and a pickup truck. Two children, who were passengers in the van, were pronounced dead at the scene, said Illinois State Police. A third was transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria and remains in critical condition, police said. Charges are pending against the semi driver, Taven Webster, 24, of Purcell, Mo., said state police. All drivers were wearing seat belts and the children were in child safety seats. The drivers of the other vehicles were Gwendolyn Fizer, 35, of Lansing; Jeffrey Phelan, 48, of Shorewood; Chad Stoner, 43, of Manhatten; and Donald Seibert, 71, of Ransom. Police said one other person was airlifted to an area hospital, but the name and condition was not available. The semi and four of the five other vehicles had extensive damage and had to be towed from the scene. The car driven by Seibert was able to drive from the scene, said ISP. The northbound lanes of I-55 were closed for several hours after the crash. The Atlanta Fire Department responded to the scene and was assisted by Lincoln Rural, city of Lincoln, Mount Hope/Funks Grove and Armington fire departments, the Logan County Paramedics Association and two Lifeflight helicopters. BLOOMINGTON A 25-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his parents in their home on Sunday will be examined by a psychiatrist to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial. Brian Petersen appeared disoriented at a hearing on Monday, when his bond was set at $600,035 on four counts of murder in the death of his mother, Nancy Petersen, and his father, Bruce Petersen. Nancy Petersen, 63, was stabbed three times in the chest as she sat in a chair in the couple's rural home west of Bloomington, according to a statement from McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers. Bruce Petersen, 68, was stabbed in the back, but managed to call 911 and speak with officers, identifying his son as the alleged assailant, said Chambers. Bruce Petersen died Sunday afternoon at a Peoria hospital where he had been airlifted from Advocate BroMenn Medical Center. Springfield psychiatrist Dr. Terry Killian was appointed to evaluate Brian Petersen, whose behavior during the bond hearing raised questions about his mental condition. Three correctional officers monitored Petersen as he waved his arms and rocked in a chair, seemingly unable to control himself, or respond appropriately to questions from Associate Judge Bill Yoder. During his arrest on Sunday, Petersen initially laid down on the ground as directed and was restrained by sheriff's deputies, but became aggressive as they attempted to transport him to jail, according to Sheriff Jon Sandage. If he is deemed unfit to stand trial, Petersen will be sent to a state facility for treatment. The state will determine if or when he is restored to fitness, meaning he understands the charges against him and is able to assist with his defense. Petersen lived with his parents in a home in the Lara Trace subdivision off of Illinois 9, west of Bloomington. A 2009 graduate of Olympia High School, he attended Augustana College in Rock Island where he was a member of the cross country team. He attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville from August 2010 to December 2011, according to the university. Most recently, Petersen worked at Linco Precision LLC in El Paso, but quit his job as a body shop painter last week. A staff member at the business declined to answer questions Tuesday about Petersen's employment. He is due back in court on Aug. 12 for an arraignment. BLOOMINGTON Three people were injured in shootings early Monday in the area of Washington and Howard streets on Bloomington's west side. At 12:48 a.m. Monday, Bloomington police responded to Washington and Howard streets after receiving multiple reports of shots fired. When they arrived, officers found a 43-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the arm and a 16-year-old male with a gunshot wound to a leg. Bloomington Fire Department Rescue transported the victims to hospitals. A third victim, a 19-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the arm, had been taken to a hospital before police arrived, BPD said. None of the shooting victims were identified on Monday and no arrests had been made. There was no description of who fired the shots. A woman who lives in the neighborhood said she's concerned about violence in the area. "I live about a block away and ride the bus to my job every day," said Markeisha Young. "I have kids who like to play outside. But there is a point where it gets too dangerous." Circumstances surrounding the shootings remain under investigation, police said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact detective Tim Power at 309-434-2579 or tpower@cityblm.org. If you want to remain anonymous, call McLean County Crime Stoppers at 309-828-1111. If your call leads to the arrest and indictment of a suspect or suspects, you may be eligible for a reward of as much as $1,000. In response to the letter that argues that politicians should use English only to represent all legal Americans, I ask if the link between citizenship and language has any historical substance? When Louisiana and the Western territories became part of the U.S., was citizenship linked to the English language? No. What was more important was what these residents would contribute to the nation. The same was asked of the Germans that rebuilt Chicago after the fire, the Swedes that created farming communities, the Italians and Eastern Europeans that worked the coal mines. What would they contribute? There are also those immigrants that served their adopted country in the Armed Forces. Most of the veterans that hailed from Hero Street in the Quad Cities are of Mexican ancestry. They earned their rights as citizens every day with their service. Citizenship was not reduced to language only. The letter concludes by suggesting that there is an inherent unfairness with politicians that speak to only one minority group at a time, and therefore, they should speak English only to address everyone. The logical fallacy at work here is all or nothing thinking. If you cant speak every single other language, speak English only. The problem here is that politicians represent local populations, and the speaker creates hypothetical minorities to prevent politician from addressing a real group of constituents. In effect, this erases the reality of politics as real communication between people and denies participation to a group of U.S. citizens. James J. Pancrazio, Normal Glatfelter Reports Second-Quarter 2016 Earnings Aug. 2, 2016 - Glatfelter (GLT) today reported second-quarter 2016 net income of $2.0 million, or $0.04 per diluted share compared with $2.8 million, or $0.06 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2015. Adjusted earnings for the second quarter of 2016 were $2.8 million, or $0.06 per diluted share compared with $1.8 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings is a non-GAAP measure for which a reconciliation is provided within this release. Consolidated net sales totaled $406.4 million and $410.8 million in the second quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Currency translation adjustments favorably impacted the year-over-year comparison by $0.7 million. Glatfelter's second-quarter performance was in line with our expectations and reflects higher shipments in all three of our business units, said Dante C. Parrini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Advanced Airlaid Materials' operating profit more than doubled driven by our continued ability to improve efficiencies to meet growing demand in key market segments. In Composite Fibers, shipments improved 3 percent, and 10 percent on a sequential quarter basis as we continued to see signs of stability in the wallcover markets. Our Specialty Papers business unit effectively executed its annual maintenance outages and continued to outperform the broader uncoated freesheet market. Mr. Parrini continued, Overall, Glatfelter delivered a solid first half of 2016 with adjusted earnings increasing 25 percent. We remain focused on continuous improvement and achieving operational excellence to support our growth as a leading global engineered materials business. I am pleased with the progress towards completing the significant investment we are making in a new airlaid facility to meet growing demand in key specialty wipes and hygiene markets. The strength of our balance sheet and consistent cash flow profile provide the flexibility to make targeted investments to support the business and pursue our growth strategy. Composite Fibers' net sales declined $4.0 million, or 2.9 percent, primarily due to $1.6 million from lower selling prices. Shipping volumes were higher in the comparison primarily due to improved demand for wallcover. Composite Fibers' second-quarter 2016 operating income totaled $15.3 million, a decrease of $1.4 million compared to the year-ago period. Operating results were adversely impacted by lower selling prices and a $1.0 million negative impact from currency exchange rates. Improved shipping volumes and lower raw material and energy prices benefited operating results by $1.5 million. Advanced Airlaid Materials' net sales increased $3.3 million in the year-over-year comparison as shipping volumes increased 7.8 percent primarily due to higher shipments of hygiene products. Lower selling prices impacted the comparison by $1.8 million. Second-quarter 2016 operating income totaled $6.8 million, more than double the same quarter a year ago. Operating income benefited by $2.3 million from lower raw material and energy costs partially offset by lower selling prices reflecting the impact of cost pass through arrangements. In addition, improved operational efficiency, largely due to lower downtime, and foreign currency translation favorably impacted the comparison by $2.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively. Specialty Papers' net sales decreased $3.7 million, or 1.7 percent, due to a $3.7 million impact from lower selling prices. Specialty Papers' operating loss narrowed by $4.2 million in the year-over-year comparison and totaled $5.8 million in the second quarter of 2016. Operating results for both quarters reflect the cost of annual maintenance outages at the Company's Chillicothe, OH and Spring Grove, PA facilities. The outages adversely impacted second-quarter 2016 results by $26.3 million, which was $7.1 million less than the cost of the outages in 2015. In addition, operating results were favorably impacted by $5.2 million of lower raw material and energy costs. These favorable factors were partially offset by lower average selling prices, lower pulp production and an increase in incentive compensation and other costs. Other Financial Information Pension expense totaled $1.6 million in the second quarter of 2016 and 2015. For 2016, full year pension expense is expected to be $5.5 million. Because the Company's qualified plan remains overfunded, a cash contribution is not expected for the foreseeable future. The Company's effective tax rate on adjusted earnings was 14.7 percent in the second quarter of 2016. In the second quarter of 2015, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $1.5 million on adjusted pre-tax earnings of $0.3 million, primarily reflecting the release of reserves related to the completion of tax audits. Outlook Composite Fibers' shipping volumes in the third quarter are expected to be slightly higher than the second quarter. Selling prices and raw material and energy prices are expected to be in-line with the second quarter. Advanced Airlaid Materials' shipping volumes are expected to increase slightly in the third quarter. Customer selling prices and raw material and energy prices are expected to be in-line with the second quarter. For Specialty Papers, the Company expects shipping volumes in the third quarter to increase by approximately five percent compared with the second quarter. Selling prices are expected to be slightly higher while increases in raw material and energy prices are expected to slightly outpace selling price increases. The Company also expects maintenance spending to decrease by approximately $23 million reflecting normal patterns of maintenance expense. Corporate costs are expected to be approximately $1 million to $2 million lower in the third quarter than in the second quarter. Headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, Glatfelter is a global supplier of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials. To learn more, please visit: www.glatfelter.com. SOURCE: Glatfelter Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has criticized the European Union for supporting anti-Israel groups. Speaking at the beginning of a cabinet meeting on Sunday (31 July), he said that the government was looking into the support of some EU Member States for, what he described, anti-Israel activities. Mr Netanyahu said that some European countries support organizations that are in favor of the activities of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS Movement) a global campaign attempting to increase economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the stated goals of the movement, such as the end of Israels occupation and colonization of Palestinian land and the Golan Heights, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and respect for the right of return of Palestinian refugees. The Israeli government has regularly condemned support given by foreign governments to those non-profits that criticize Israels policies towards the Palestinians. Last month, the Knesset adopted a law that requires all non-profits to declare aid they get from foreign governments. The move is seen as targeting left-wing groups. Mr Netanyahu also made a reference to the recent announcement by France that it would consider a temporary ban on foreign financing of mosques out of security concerns. We are also disturbed by such donations to organizations that deny the state of Israels right to exist, he said. Israel has recently experienced a series of attacks involving knives and guns, which claimed the lives of more than 250 people. Analysts say that the resurgence of violence from the Palestinian side is a result of a lack of progress in peace negotiations coupled with their own fractured leadership and the Israeli settlements being built in the West Bank. The BDS campaign was started in 2005 by more than 170 Palestinian NGOs and is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee. The scope, efficacy, and morality of the BDS movement is widely debated and criticized for being anti-Semitic and for promoting the de-legitimization of Israel, including its right to exist. The "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 premiere will come in the wake of a "GoT" 20th anniversary book release by "A Song Of Ice and Fire" (ASOIF) saga author George R.R. Martin. And well should "Game Of Thrones" be celebrated as fans are still uncovering secrets in both "ASOIF" and the HBO "GoT" series including that on Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington). According to The BBC, "GoT," which is the first book published by George R.R. Martin in his "A Song Of Ice and Fire" saga is celebrating with a "Game Of Thrones" 20th anniversary illustrated book release. The "Game Of Thrones" 20th anniversary book is a collaboration between George R.R. Martin and Bantam books. The Long Game... of Thrones https://t.co/bmXPmu9ARS George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) August 1, 2016 Of his journey that began with "Game Of Thrones," George R.R. Martin wrote a blog entry. George R.R. Martin released the "Game Of Thrones" novel in 1996, "A Clash Of Kings" in 1998, "A Storm Of Swords" in 2000, "A Feast For Crows" in 2005 and "A Dance With Dragons" in 2011. HBO picked up "A Song Of Ice And Fire" naming the series "Game Of Thrones" in 2011. "I had no idea when this all started where it would lead... or how long the road would be," George R.R. Martin wrote of his "Game Of Thrones" journey. The success of George R.R. Martin with his "A Song Of Ice And Fire" saga and his "Game Of Thrones" series owes much to strong fanbases that don't mind digging into the massive "GoT" and "ASOIF" lore that "GRRM" designed. Digital Spy cites one such digging that Ellie Kendrick, who plays Meera Reed in "Game Of Thrones," explained away for Jon Snow fans. After the "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 finale all but confirmed the R+L=J theory revealed where Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen were the real parents of Jon Snow, other "GoT" theories say that Jon Snow has a secret sister - Meera Reed. Citizens of the realm, its time to choose your alliances. Cast your vote for #GoT2016: https://t.co/y0A8HaCaVPhttps://t.co/szJKUtRpaj Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) August 1, 2016 According to Ellie Kendrick Meera Reed is not the sister of Jon Snow and no such revelation will com through in "Game Of Thrones" Season 7. Ellie Kendrick further says that the dark, curly locks that Meera Reed and Jon Snow share onscreen in the "Game Of Thrones" series is not the same in the "ASOIF" books. New York Times reports that HBO will air the "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 premiere in the summer of 2017. Meanwhile George R.R. Martin and Bantam will see a "Game Of Thrones" 20th anniversary book release date for this October 2016. Today, most women come to know of their pregnancy through the use of home pregnancy tests bought from stores. Through the efforts of a woman working in a pharmaceutical company, women have the convenience of learning if they are pregnant at home without having to go through doctors to find out. Margaret Crane worked at Organon Pharmaceuticals. In 1967, she saw test tubes, which were actually pregnancy tests, in their company. Back then, women had to send their urine to doctors, which would then be sent to laboratories for analysis, the results of which would be sent back to doctors who would then relay the results to patients, according to an article in the New York Times about Crane's invention Uproxx also reported on the article on Crane's journey in inventing the home pregnancy test to make it easier for women to know if they are pregnant. According to the report which quoted The Times' article, Crane made the model for the home pregnancy test using a clear plastic box that used to be a container for paper clips. The box held an eyedropper, a test tube and an eyedropper inside it. Women would reportedly have to squeeze urine in the test tube then look at the mirror to see the bottom of the test tube to see if after two hours, a red circle appeared which would mean she was pregnant. Crane showed her home pregnancy model to her bosses and they rejected it. Jezebel reported on the Crane article in The Times as well, quoting that Crane's home pregnancy test would not sit well with the doctors, the company's clients. They also had more scary consequences in mind, such as women committing suicide if they found out that they were pregnant. Unknown to Crane, her idea was presented to their parent company in the Netherlands and it was approved. Crane' model was eventually used and Crane was named inventor. The home pregnancy test was called Predictor and sold in Canada in 1971. It was sold in the United States in 1977 after much fear was raised such as use of teenagers and women's capability of using the home pregnancy test. "Hawaii Five-O" fans are alarmed with the reports claiming that season 7 is the last in the series make waves. In view of this, showrunner Peter M. Lenkov speaks up to clear the rumors and teases that "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 will not culminate the series yet because they are still far from wrapping up the police procedural drama TV series. According to Christian Times, Jimmy Buffet is concerned with his character, Frank Bama in "Hawaii Five-O" following the rumors that the series is ending. Per the reports, some sources claimed that "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 is the final season. To end the rumors claiming that "Hawaii Five-O" is canceled, showrunner Peter M. Lenkov addressed Jimmy Buffet's concern. "Hey @jimmybuffett - whoever gave you that info is wrong. Bama is alive and well... For many many MORE seasons. Good luck on the tour," Lenkov tweeted. Hey @jimmybuffett - whoever gave you that info is wrong. Bama is alive and well... For many many MORE seasons. Good luck on the tour. Peter M. Lenkov (@PLenkov) July 29, 2016 So there it is, "Hawaii Five-O" fans should not worry about the future of their favorite series because it is far from leaving the small screens. "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 is not final season because there is more to come in the procedural drama series. Meanwhile, CarterMatt reported that McGarrett's mom (Christine Lahti) will make a comeback in "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 for its special 150th episode. Aside from Lahti, the production will also have Catherine Rollins (Michelle Borth), McGarrett's former girlfriend and almost-fiance. Lenkov teases that there's a potential reconciliation for Catherine and McGarrett. "We're going to bring McGarrett's mom back to wrap up the mom/Wo Fat/father mythology, and then start some new storylines in the episode that follows," he told TV Line. Aside from the returning cast, "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 will include a new cast. Per TV Line, the new cast in the series includes Rosalind Chao as the new governor of Hawaii. The "American Crime" and "Dallas" alum Faraan Tahir will also appear in the upcoming season as a suave and wealthy Egyptian-born businessman. Are you happy that Christine Lahti and Michelle Borth will return in "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7? What else do you expect in the upcoming season? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. "Hawaii Five-O" Season 7 premieres on Friday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. EST on CBS. Fans can agree that "Criminal Minds" season 12 without Shemar Moore will be very different. Could the actor possibly return to the long-running show after his exit last season? In an interview, Moore explained his decision to leave "Criminal Minds" after 11 long years. The actor has been on the show since it started in 2005. "My mother sends me these great cards. ... She gave me this one card and I'm looking at it right now and it says, 'Leap and the net will appear,'" he told TV Guide. "That's what she did her whole life. She thought outside of the box and she never got too comfortable because she wanted to continue to grow. There's been other people in my life who are like that too. I don't want to be ordinary. I don't want to follow. I want to be bold and I want to see what I'm capable of. So yes, it was my decision." As for his rumored returned to the "Criminal Minds" set, Moore has not closed his doors on the possibility. In fact, he said that he would love to come back should his character be needed again. "Erica Messer refused to kill Derek Morgan," he said. "Those elevator doors closed. Am I going to sign a long-term contract? Probably not. But if they ask me to come back and dance, yes, I would be willing to do that. [But] not right away." Meanwhile, previous reports have already confirmed the return of a former regular. Fox News reported that actress Paget Brewster, who plays Prentiss on the show, will be guest-starring in a few episodes of "Criminal Minds" season 12. "We're excited to have Paget Brewster back for multiple episodes in our 12th season," showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer said, Fox noted. "The BAU can use more help this year since they've got a lot of known and unknown subjects to catch." "Criminal Minds" season 12 will see the return of other mainstays- Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Jennifer Jareau (A.J. Cook), and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). The upcoming run is slated to return to the small screens on September 28, 2016. Stay tuned for more "Criminal Minds" season 12 news and updates here! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women and their partners to avoid traveling to a small community in Miami, Florida. The CDC said the area is currently experiencing a Zika virus outbreak, with more than ten people affected with the disease at the moment. The 150-square-meter area, which is located north of downtown Miami, has an "actively circulating" Zika virus outbreak, CNN reported. A total of 14 people have been infected with Zika after getting bitten by the Aedes aegypti mosquito carrying the virus. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said Miami's "aggressive control measures" against Zika virus do not have successful results yet. They think it's because the mosquitoes have grown resistant to pesticides, or the insects could be hiding in breeding places that are hard to locate such as small amounts of standing water. Frieden said that Zika transmission occurs when travellers head to the U.S. after visiting countries with full-blown virus outbreaks including Brazil. These people might feel fine and are unaware that they're carrying Zika, but the virus could be living in their blood. When a mosquito bites them, the individuals can transfer Zika to the insects -- jumpstarting a cycle of transmission. The CDC advised people who travelled to countries affected with Zika to use insect repellent for at least three weeks after they return to the U.S. For those living within the Miami outbreak, the CDC advised pregnant women to get tested for Zika in the first and second trimesters even though they don't feel any symptoms of the virus. They also urged partners who travelled to countries affected by the Zika outbreak to wait for eight weeks before attempting to conceive. For pregnant women and their partners living in the affected area, the CDC advised them to prevent mosquito bites by applying insect repellent to uncovered skin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, use air-conditioning and screens on doors and windows, and by removing standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs. The CDC also advised them to use proper sexual protection for the entire pregnancy or to abstain from sex altogether so the likelihood of acquiring Zika would be lessened. Miami's Zika outbreak was the virus' first local transmission in the country, The Guardian reported. The affected area has temporarily suspended blood donations until all current samples underwent testing. As of late, there's no treatment or preventive vaccine for Zika. Other southern coastal U.S. states including Louisiana and Texas are also vulnerable to a Zika virus outbreak especially now that it's the middle of summer. "Rick and Morty" Season 3 is still in the middle of production, but the Adult Swim series recently released the official trailer for the new season. While the trailer is enough to excite a lot of fans and viewers, many were left wondering when the show would return on TV. This article contains spoilers. Read on if you want to learn more about the details of this story. "Rick and Morty" Season 3 return date appears to be in late 2016. TV Over Mind reports that series creator Dan Harmon has been teasing on the show's release in the later half of this year on Adult Swim. Harmon previously addressed rumors that "Rick and Morty" Season 3 will premiere in August. According to the creator, they are nowhere close to airing new episodes of the show in August; however, an earlier statement from Harmon seemingly confirms rumors that the series will premiere in late 2016. The publication also spoke with voice actor Chris Parnell who shared his thoughts on some of the most interesting parts of starring on "Rick and Morty" Season 3. The entire cast and crew also shared some interesting details during the San Diego Comic Con (2016), including the possible airing of an "Interdimensional Cable 3." As the "Rick and Morty" Season 3 release date is believed to come out in just a few months, iDigitalTimes notes that Adult Swim appears to be stepping up its marketing plans for the series. According to the publication, the network may team up with KungFuDork Studios to promote new episodes of the series. Rumors of Adult Swim and KungFuDork Studios' collaboration began after the series retweeted a sneak peek for "Rick and Morty" Season 3 on their official Twitter account. This led to speculations that new episodes for the series will drop anytime between November or December 2016. Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs have been engaged for over a year now but the couple remains quiet on the status of their relationship. This led to speculations that the couple has called it quits, but a recent report suggests that Kristen Stewart's recent announcement of her feelings for her girlfriend, Alicia Cargile, has strengthened Pattinson and FKA Twigs. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson will always have a place in the hearts of their fans, especially the "Twihard" fans. However, it is a reality that these two have already moved on with their lives and with their new respective partners. A recent report from Hollywood Life suggests that the 30-year-old actor is allegedly happy and "proud" when Stewart finally spoke about her feelings for her girlfriend, Alicia Cargile. The "Twilight" actor has reportedly known about the details of the interview before it even made rounds online. "Kristen gave Rob a heads up about the interview and he was very supportive," an insider told the publication. The publication also notes that everything seems to be well between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart despite their controversial breakup in 2013 after a scandal with Rupert Sanders. Pattinson is also happily engaged to FKA Twigs and it is believed that it is only a matter of time before the couple makes it to the altar. Stewart's recent interview with Elle UK, wherein she openly talked about her girlfriend, Cargile, has reportedly strengthened Pattinson and Twigs' relationship. Prior to the 26-year-old actress' interview, there have been reports claiming that Stewart and Pattinson are back together. Rumors about Pattinson and Stewart's reunion began after the two were allegedly spotted dating. However, no photos were provided to prove the claimed romantic reunion between the former lovers. Do you think Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs will make it to the altar after Kristen Stewart opened up about her girlfriend Alicia Cargile? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country would step down from its deal with the European Union on the return of migrants if Brussels does not deliver on its promise of visa-free travel for Turkish nationals. The visa-free travel has been the main enticement and motivation for Turkey to sign the deal but the legislation has been delayed on the EUs side due to disputes over Turkeys anti-terrorism legislation and in light of the recent failed coup. Mr Cavusoglu said that the deal that was choking off the influx of asylum seekers has only been working thanks to a series of difficult measures undertaken by the Turkish government. But all that is dependent on the cancellation of the visa requirement for our citizens, which is also an item in the agreement of 18 March, he said and added that if visa liberalization does not follow, we will be forced to back away from the deal on taking back (refugees) and the agreement of 18 March. He emphasized that Ankara was awaiting a precise date for the visa liberalization. It could be the beginning or middle of October but we are waiting for a firm date, he said. The European Commission commented that a smooth continuation and full implementation of the mutual deal is the priority. We expect the same from our Turkish partners. For our part, the Commission has continued to respect and accelerate the implementation of our commitments under the Statement over the past months. With the special measures adopted last week for example, we have already mobilized 2 out of 3 billion from the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, a Commissions spokesman said. The EU executive also reaffirmed that the EU continues to provide support for Turkey to accelerate the reforms to fulfill the remaining requirements. On August 1st, 1944, the single largest military resistance during World War II began in Warsaw, Poland. As World Youth Day concludes, an event filled with great joy and hope, today marks the seventy-second anniversary of a glorious uprising that ended tragically. Todays anniversary, as well as the events of World War II, remind us that evil is present in the world, and that evil can quickly and effectively take away our joy and hope (if we allow it to do so). The Warsaw Uprising lasted sixty-three days and resulted in the destruction of the city and the death of over 200,000 civilians. The Polish resistance fought bravely. The Soviet Army, which was encamped right outside Warsaw, never came to the aid of its supposed ally. Despite pleas presented to the the British by the Polish government in London, no assistance arrived. The Polish resistance would have to fight the Germans alone and eventually surrender. After the uprising, eighty-five percent of the city would be destroyed. In 1983, the statue of a young soldier was placed in downtown Warsaw commemorating the many child soldiers who fought during the Uprising. Today, I visited this statue and had lunch at a restaurant across the street from it. During the hour that I was there, people constantly visited the statue, especially groups of children and families with small children. Some left flowers, others lit candles to recall the memory of the many valiant men and women who resisted the Nazi regime. The joy and hope of World Youth Day seem to lessen when the recent history of Poland is considered. The Popes silent visit to Auschwitz was a somber reminder of the atrocities committed in this beautiful land. Only 3,ooo of 63,000 Jews who lived in Krakow in 1939 were alive in 1945. Of the 165 Jesuits who lived in Krakow, only six survived Nazi rule, all others were executed. The Nazis not only murdered the Jewish population, but wished to eradicate Polish culture as Poland became part of the German Fatherland. From the beginning, the Nazis executed Polish scholars, teachers, and clergy, as well as anyone who opposed their regime. In 1939, Warsaw had the largest Jewish population of the world with about 400,000. In 1945, there were 5,000 left, almost all having been killed in death camps. After World War II, the Soviets entered and until 1989, the Polish people endured the hardships of communist rule. Anyone familiar with the life of Saint John Paul II understands these difficult times. The Germans left, but the Soviets continued a brutal and totalitarian rule that committed innumerable injustices and took the lives of thousands. There has been great evil and suffering in these lands. It is a reminder that the wheat and the chaff do coexist: evil and goodness are both present in the world. The joy and hope of World Youth Day coexists with the deep suffering of the past. However, they do not just have to coexist, but Gods grace produces the joy and hope necessary to bring healing. Perhaps the best advice when confronted with this reality is the advice from Saint Paul who wrote, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest murdered by the government in 1984 (whose tomb I visited today), understood and lived out this advice, and made it his own by preaching often these words, fight evil with good. Living this way cost him his earthly life. May the souls of all those who died due to injustice, prejudice and hatred rest in peace. Podcast About 75% of military recruits arrive at a training base with no bank account and have to be bussed to a local bank to open one, says Jill Castilla, CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond. The bank's team is building a platform that will help service members save and build credit. Tehran rejects non-nuclear negotiations with Washington 08/02/16 Source: Tehran Times TEHRAN - Tehran has stressed it has had no dialogue with Washington on issues other than those related to Iran's nuclear program. CIA Director John Brennan had said in a session at the Aspen Institute that Washington and Tehran keep exchanging ideas on a wide range of issues. "The CIA director is not in the position to make irrelevant remarks about Iran's domestic affairs," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahran Qassemi on Monday. The spokesman branded such comments as "psycho war" which are aimed at "breeding division and bipolarity within the Iranian society." "We reject and condemn this," he added. Late July, Qassemi told the Kyodo news agency that while "there may have been some convergence on regional issues, but negotiations have been solely on the nuclear issue." He also put the prospect of an all-out diplomatic thaw between Washington and Tehran too distant, citing numerous hurdles on the path to normalization. Also, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized in a meeting with people from all walks of life that Iran has learnt from the nuclear deal that further negotiations with the U.S. on other issues are futile, citing the Americans' lack of commitment to their promises. Though Iran and the U.S. both fight Daesh and other terrorist groups, they hold divergent views on the Syrian conflict. Iran's Sayeh Theater Troupe to perform "The Door" in New York and Chicago 08/02/16 Source: Tehran Times The Sayeh Theater Troupe led by Iranian director Mehdi Mashhur will be performing the play "The Door" in the United States during August. The play will first go on stage at the New York International Fringe Festival (Fringe NYC), running from August 12 to 28, Mashhur told the Persian service of Honaronline on Monday. The Door at the New York International Fringe Festival (Fringe NYC) (buy tickets) (Sayeh Theater Group's facebook ) "We will have seven performances during the festival, in which over 1,000 performances from different countries will take place within 16 days," he added. "The troupe will later have performances for ten nights in Chicago," he remarked, adding that their next destination will be Sweden. Mashhur also said that the play will be performed in English, "I have made slight changes in the play and have shortened the dialogues." "How do you deal with this? You plan to travel, but your suitcase throws out everything... like there is anyone else... whatever you put in, she takes out. You want to leave, she wants to stay. Do you want to experience a dilemma?" reads the synopsis of the play. The play was staged in Iran last year under the title "It Was in Departures, Where Reyhaneh Was Lost". Opinion: Thanks to Trump, We Will Remember Humayun Khan 08/02/16 By Barbara Slavin, VOA Captain Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan (September 9, 1976 - June 8, 2004) In the year since he announced his candidacy for U.S. president, Donald Trump has insulted Mexicans, war heroes, women, disabled people, the children of immigrants and Muslims. So perhaps no one should have been surprised when he denigrated the parents of an immigrant Muslim American war hero, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, killed by a suicide car bomb in Iraq in 2004 while he was protecting those under his command. Just a week after accepting the Republican Partys nomination for president, Trump suggested that Khans mother was forced to stand by silently while her husband spoke at the Democratic National Convention. His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there, Trump told ABCs George Stephanopoulos in an interview broadcast on Sunday. She had nothing to say. She probably - maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. From This Week ABC News Interview with Donald Trump responding to criticism from Gold Star Father Khizr Khan Trumps implication was that the Khans Muslim faith or Pakistani origin obliged Ghalaza Khan to remain quiet. Mrs. Khan proved Trump wrong, appearing on television and writing a moving op-ed for The Washington Post. Trumps anger at the Khans eclipsed empathy for their loss. Incredibly, the 70-year-old real estate magnate, in the interview with Stephanopoulos, compared the sacrifices he said he had made as a businessman to that of the Khans in losing their 27-year-old son. Once again, it was clear that while Trump is quick to dish out criticism, he sure cant take it - not the most reassuring quality in someone seeking the most important and heavily scrutinized political office in the world. Predictably, Trumps comments blew up the internet and dominated social media for days. In a manner reminiscent of his inability - after clinching the necessary votes for the Republican nomination - to stopcomplaining about a judge, Gonzalo Curiel, who Trump alleged was incapable of ruling fairly because of his Mexican parentage, the GOP nominee unleashed a steady stream of statements and tweets about the Khans that only served to underline his thin skin and shaky grasp of democratic rights. Gold Star father Khizr Khan addresses the Democratic National Convention about Donald Trump July 28, 2016 Khizr Khan, Humayuns father, had asked at the Democratic convention whether Trump had read the U.S. Constitution and offered to lend him a copy; Trumps campaign replied in a statement that Khan has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, thereby proving Khans point. The first amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, as well as religion, the press and the right to peaceful protest. There are 10 such amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution also has seven articles; Trump once referred to a 12th article. When Khan pressed his critique of Trump in interviews on Sunday, Trump replied in a tweet: I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2016 There is a legitimate debate that could be had in this campaign about national security. Clintons support for the Iraq war and apparent greater readiness to intervene in foreign conflicts than Trump is a topic that needs to be addressed. When it comes to immigration and a U.S. plan to accept 10,000 refugees this year from Syria - a quota that is unlikely to be met but Clinton has said she would increase fivefold - it is reasonable to review the extensive vetting system already in place and ask if more can be done to weed out potential terrorists. Strained U.S. relations with Russia are also an important topic that should be raised if and when the Trump and Clinton campaigns can agree on dates for televised debates this fall. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which appears to stem, in part, from the Trumps belief that Putin has said that he likes the brash New Yorker. Or as Trump put it to Stephanopoulos, just so you understand, he [Putin] said very nice things about me. In the interview, Trump appeared not to know that Russia has intervened in the Ukraine to support ethnic separatists in the eastern part of the country. Trump also professed a lack of involvement in changing the platform of the Republican Party to exclude a call for sending weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russian aggression. Trump, who has had business ties with Russians for years, has already unnerved U.S. allies in Europe by demanding that many spend more on defense or risk the United States walking away from its historic commitments under the NATO treaty. The fury over Trumps comments about the Khans eclipsed a previous kerfuffle last week over his call on Russian intelligence to find 33,000 emails deleted from Clintons private server after she completed her term as secretary of state. Coming on the heels of the release by Wikileaks of emails apparently hacked by Russia from the Democratic National Committee, those remarks raised new concerns about Trumps credentials among both Republican and Democratic members of the national security and intelligence community. One hundred days out from the US elections, what bizarre new statements will Trump make and will they determine the fate of his iconoclastic candidacy? Are Americans experiencing so much pain and anxiety that many would vote for such a man? Barbara Slavin is is Acting Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council in Washington. Follow her on Twitter@barbaraslavin1 Today, a new Titan enters the next-gen graphics war. But while Nvidias new Titan X Pascal is no doubt the most potent gaming hardware ever releasedthe Titan X page on GeForce.com is plastered with lofty gaming performance claimsyou wont find too many reviews of the graphics card hitting the streets today. Instead, Nvidias focusing more on the graphics cards use for professional deep-learning AI applications. The Titan series has always been designed to bridge the gap between the consumer-centric GeForce lineup and pricier Quadro professional cards. The new Titan X Pascal, which gets its name from Nvidias cutting-edge 16nm Pascal graphics architecture, delivers 11 teraflops for single-precision floating-point performance. But Nvidias decision to surprise launch this card during an AI meetup in San Francisco, combined with its touted 44 TOPS INT8 performancea new deep learning inferencing instructionshows that the company expects the new Titan X to be used to bolster neural networks and machine learning. Make no mistake: Nvidia is pushing this new Titan as a compute card first and foremost. But most people reading PCWorld arent data scientists. Most people want to know how much ass the Titan X Pascal kicks in games. Titan X specs and gaming performance Sadly, Nvidia didnt send us a review unit. But we actually just received a Titan X-based system from Falcon Northwest and hope to post a review of that, including high-end gaming results, soon. UPDATE: Gordon Mah Ung burned the midnight oil to deliver 4K and 5K gaming performance results, which youll find in our decadent Titan X performance preview. Heres a sneak peek comparing a system with two new-look Titan Xs against another with a pair of liquid-cooled GTX 1080s: Far Cry Primal run at 5K resolution Be sure to read that article! But in this one, lets talk specs. The new Titan X Pascal packs in a lot more hardware than its predecessor, as you can see in the comparison chart below. The Titan X Pascal packs in 3,584 CUDA cores with a 1,417MHz base and 1,531 boost clock. Thats a face-melting half a gigahertz faster than the older Maxwell GPU-based Titan X, roughly speaking, and more than 1,000 CUDA cores greater than the ferocious new GeForce GTX 1080, which also uses Nvidias Pascal architecture. The new Titan X is no slouch in the memory department either, with 12GB of next-gen GDDR5X memory clocked at 10Gbps. Its connected to the GPU over a 384-bit bus, delivering a blistering 480GBps memory bandwidth aided by the new delta color compression system created for Pascal. You read that correctly; it doesnt have the super-fast high-bandwidth memory first featured in AMDs Fury cards. Some people expected the new Titan X to come equipped with it after HBM2 made its debut in Nvidias powerful P100 supercomputing card. But first-gen HBM is limited to 4GB, and second-gen HBM with higher capacities isnt expected to be ready until sometime around the end of the year. Fear not, though: 12GB of newer, faster GDDR5X memory definitely wont be a gaming bottleneck any time soon. Nvidias not providing any additional architectural details about the new GP102 processor beating at the heart of the Titan X. ROP and texture-unit counts arent being disclosed. So what does that mean in terms of pure performance? Nvidia says the Titan X Pascal will offer 60 percent greater performance than the previous Titan X. Considering that the GTX 1080 offered 25 to 30 percent greater performance than the last-gen Titan X, the new Titan X will likely offer about 30 percent higher frame rates than the GTX 1080. While we wont know for sure until we get our grubby paws on the card, theres a pretty decent chance that the Titan X Pascal will be able to play many of todays top games at damned near 60fps with high settings at 4K resolution. If that winds up being true, itll be a major milestone. While the original Titan X, GTX 980 Ti, and Radeon Fury X can all play games at 4K, doing so often requires graphical compromise and a FreeSync or G-Sync monitor to smooth out a sub-60fps frame rate. And get this: You can run two Titan X Pascal cards in a single system with Nvidias new SLI HB bridgethe hard bridge pictured below. That was a necessity for our Titan X SLI performance preview. Gordon Mah Ung Despite pushing far more pixels, the Titan X Pascal still draws the same 250 watts of power as the original Titan X, sipping the juice through 8-pin and 6-pin power connectors. The two-slot card measures 10.5-inches long by 4.376-inches wide, and features the same connections as the GTX 1080: DVI-D, an HDMI 2.0b port, and three DisplayPort 1.4 connections. The new Titan features the same vapor chamber cooling with a blower-style fan as the GTX 1080, along with a similarly angular metal shroudthough the Titan X Pascals is all black, rather than silver. The Titan X Pascal also packs all the various new features rolled out with Pascal, including simultaneous multi-projection, asynchronous compute enhancements, the Ansel super-screenshot tool, Fast Sync, GPU Boost 3.0, and more. You can read about all of the Pascal GPUs fresh goods in detail in our GTX 1080 review. Price and availability Though its pretty safe to say that the Titan X Pascal will be a beast of a gaming card, Id recommendas alwaysholding off on buying one until youre able to read in-depth reviews of its performance. If you do decide to pick one up, Nvidia will be the only manufacturer, so consumers in North America and Europe will have to buy the Titan X Pascal from GeForce.com, or get it as part of a custom system via a handful of boutique system builders (like Falcon Northwest and Origin PC). Itll roll out in Asia soon. In countries where you cant buy from Nvidia directly, the card will be offered by its partners, but theyll still be made by Nvidia. There are two points worth noting. First, the price: The Titan X Pascal is $1,200, or $200 more than the original Titan Xs MSRP. That continues the GTX 10-series trend of being priced higher than their Maxwell GPU-based predecessors. You have to wonder how much the inevitable GTX 1080 Tiwhich will likely be more gamer-focusedwill cost at launch. Second, availability is a question. The high-end GTX 1080 hasnt stayed in stock reliably since its launch, which in turn has resulted in inflated street prices. (The GTX 1070 and GTX 1060 have had more stock, but are still in high demand.) Dont expect Titan X Pascal prices to go sky-high since theyre being sold only by Nvidia, but stocks may very well be limited in the near term. Or not! Well have to see. The demand for a $1,200 card will no doubt be lower than for even a $600-plus card like the GTX 1080. Regardless, this thing looks like an utter monster. Theres a new Titan in town, and itll be the proverbial 800-pound gorilla for a whileAMDs enthusiast-class Vega cards with HBM2 arent expected until at least the end of the year, or possibly 2017. Microsoft has opened up sales of the HoloLens development kit to anyone with $3,000 to spare, a move that could significantly expand the community of developers building apps for the augmented reality headset. Until now, HoloLens was available only to developers and companies through Microsoft sales reps, but from Tuesday, anyone in the U.S. or Canada can buy up to five headsets online through the Microsoft Store. There was no word about availability in other countries. Technically, Microsoft has only made the HoloLens available to developers and business customers. But Microsoft has now also waived the requirement to submit an application, basically making the HoloLens freely available. HoloLens can overlay three-dimensional images onto the real world. By tracking the users movements, the 3D images can be continually redrawn to match the users perspective, making them appear like objects in real space. One such application was demonstrated at last months Worldwide Developer Conference in Toronto. Japan Airlines showed a HoloLens app that lets engineers get up close with a full scale, computerized model of a jet engine. The app can highlight engine parts and show how different components work together in a way not possible with a real engine. Yahoo users might want to reset their passwords. A hacker claims to have stolen the login information for 200 million Yahoo accounts and is selling them on the black market. The stolen records are up for sale on TheRealDeal, a darknet marketplace that offers illegal goods. For 3 bitcoins, or US$1,824, anyone can buy them. The hacker, known as peace_of_mind, has claimed to have previously sold login credentials for LinkedIn and Tumblr users. In a brief message, peace_of_mind said the Yahoo database came from a Russian group that breached LinkedIn and Tumblr, in addition to MySpace. In the case of the Yahoo accounts, the database most likely comes from 2012, the hacker said. Copies of the stolen Yahoo database have already been bought, peace_of_mind added. On Monday, Yahoo said it was aware that the stolen database was on sale, but it neither confirmed nor denied that the records were real. Our security team is working to determine the facts, the company said in an email. Back in 2012, Yahoo reported a breach, but of only 450,000 accounts. A hacking group called D33ds Company had claimed responsibility, but Yahoo said that most of the stolen passwords were invalid. Its unclear if that hack is connected with this sale of 200 million accounts. Other security researchers have also noticed a Russian hacker known as the Collector selling tens of millions of email logins from Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail. Peace_of_mind has posted a sample of the stolen Yahoo database, which includes user email addresses, along with passwords that have been hashed using the MD5 algorithm. Those passwords could easily be cracked using a MD5 decrypter available online. The database also contains backup email addresses, as well as the users birth dates. IDG News Service tried several email addresses from the stolen records and noticed that Yahoos login page recognized them and then asked for a password. However, other emails addresses were no longer valid. Although Yahoo hasnt confirmed the breach, users should still change their passwords, said Adam Levin, chairman of security firm IDT911, in an email. In addition, users should make sure they arent using the same passwords across Internet accounts, he added. Hard on the heels of its Demandware acquisition in June, Salesforce confirmed on Monday that its acquiring cloud collaboration software maker Quip. The purchase price is $582 million, plus the value of Salesforces previous investments in the company, according to a regulatory filing late last week. According to one estimate, the total value amounts to roughly $750 million. We can confirm Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Quip, the company said via email, but declined to provide further details. Founded in 2012, Quip makes cloud-based software designed to make team collaboration easier through capabilities such as chat-enabled documents and spreadsheets. As part of Salesforce, we will be able to expand our service more quickly and reach millions of people all over the world, Bret Taylor, Quips cofounder and CEO, said in a blog post. And, well be able to extend the Salesforce Customer Success Platform in powerful new ways with our next-generation productivity capabilities. The possibilities of mixing data, content and communication are amazing. As part of Salesforce, Quip will continue to serve its existing customers, he added. Taylor was a co-creator of Google Maps and also worked as CTO at Facebook, where he created the Like button. Cofounder Kevin Gibbs also hails from Google, where he created Google Suggest. He is now Quips head of engineering. The move is one more indication that Salesforce has yuge plans for its customer relationship management (CRM) software platform, said Denis Pombriant, managing principal at Beagle Research Group. A platform has to be universal and all-encompassing, because its mission is to be a complete one-stop shop for customers, Pombriant said. Competitors Microsoft and Google both have similar products, so Salesforce had to be able to check off that box. While Microsoft Word is fine for shorter documents, its tough to wrestle with when you want to do more, Pombriant said. I am betting they think Word is long in the tooth and document creation needs to be reimagined. Salesforce also went head-to-head with Microsoft recently in bidding wars over LinkedIn. Microsoft ultimately won that contest, but now Salesforce is dropping solidly into Office territory with a word processor, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group. This would imply a much stronger Office competitor in Salesforces future, he said. The head of Hewlett-Packard Enterprises cloud team is leaving the company in a reorg that will also see the creation of a new cloud division. Two other top executives are also departing: Manish Goel, the head of HPEs storage business, and Robert Vrij, managing director of sales for the Americas. The changes, announced in a blog post Monday, follow the news last month that Martin Fink, HPEs CTO and the head of HP Labs, will retire at the end of the year. HPE was formed last year when the old Hewlett-Packard split in two, with HP Inc. now selling its PCs and printers, and HPE its data center products and services. LIke its rival IBM, HP struggled to adapt to the new model of cloud computing, and its business was declining alongside sales of traditional on premises hardware and software. Eight months after the split, HPEs cloud business is a still work in progress. In January, it pulled the plug on its Helion public cloud services, to focus instead on selling private and managed cloud capabilities. And now Bill Hilf, whod been in charge of those cloud efforts, will be leaving HPE to pursue other opportunities, HPE said on Monday. The company will move its Helion OpenStack and Helion CloudSystem teams into a new division called the Software-Defined & Cloud Group, to be led by Ric Lewis, it said. By bringing these assets together, we create a single organization tasked with a common mission to provide best-in-class solutions that enable developers and operators to deploy their applications across traditional and cloud infrastructures, simply and effortlessly, HPE said. It positioned the news as a continuation of its announcement in May, when it said it would spin off its enterprise services business and merge it with CSC to create an IT services giant with US$26 billion in annual revenue. The U.S. Department of Commerce is not just rubber-stamping applications to join the new Privacy Shield data protection program: 24 hours after companies began certifying their compliance, the administrations website still listed no approvals. Microsoft was among the first businesses to certify that it complied with the new rules for transferring European Union citizens personal information to the U.S. when the Commerce Departments International Trade Administration began accepting applications on Monday. We expect it to be approved in the coming days, Microsoft Vice President for EU Government Affairs John Frank wrote on a company blog. The company isnt waiting for official approval to begin applying the new rules, he said. Going forward, any data which we will transfer from Europe to the U.S. will be protected by the Privacy Shields safeguards. Workday, a provider of cloud-based HR and finance services, also submitted its self-certification Monday, it said. The ITA will have its work cut out if all the organizations that self-certified under Privacy Shields predecessor, the Safe Harbor Framework, choose to re-register. Some 5,534 organizations signed up to Safe Harbor during its 16-year lifespan, with the certification status still listed as current for 3,375 of them. Safe Harbor was ruled inadequate by the Court of Justice of the EU last October, forcing EU and U.S. officials to come up with replacement rules to allow the transatlantic flow of personal information to continue legally. Many multinational businesses are reliant on such transfers for internal functions, such as payroll processing, or for processing customer information. EU and U.S. officials agreed the new rules on July 12, and the Commerce Department said it would begin accepting certifications from Aug. 1. It set out a five-point plan for organizations to ensure their self-certifications can be accepted. First up, they must be sure they are eligible to participate: Banks and telecommunications operators, for example, arent covered by the program. Next, they must develop a clear, concise privacy policy that meets all the Privacy Shield Principles. The policy must identify the independent recourse mechanism an organization will use in case of dispute, typically either a U.S.-based arbitration service or an agreement to work with European data protection authorities. Self-certifiers must also set out how they plan to verify they are in compliance. Finally, they must designate a Privacy Shield contact someone who will be able to respond to complaints within 45 days. Although businesses self-certify their compliance with the Privacy Shield rules, the process isnt free. The Commerce Department charges a fee for processing their annual applications and adding them to the register. The processing fee ranges from $250 for organizations with revenue under US$5 million up to $3,250 for those with revenue over $5 billion. On top of that, organizations will have to pay to join an arbitration service or to cover the costs of data protection authorities dealing with complaints. Remembering passwords can be a headache; instead, why not log into your computer with a scan of your eye? The hardware and software to make iris scanning a key feature is now reaching smartphones and PCs. The process is simple: An infrared scanner on a device will scan your iris, and verify its authenticity against encrypted information stored on the device. Its a notable feature in Samsungs Galaxy Note7 smartphone, which was announced on Tuesday. The smartphone has an iris scanner used to log in on top of its screen. Theres an uneasy feeling about the flash of light projected into your eye, but experts believe iris scanning is a more secure form of biometric authentication than fingerprints. The Galaxy Note7 isnt the first smartphone with the capability. Fujitsus Arrows NX F-04G and Microsofts Lumia 950 XL were both released last year. Iris scanners will likely reach Apples phones in 2018, said Asem Othman, a biometric scientist at Hoyos Labs. Microsoft is moving toward iris scanning as a way to log into Windows 10 PCs and smartphones as part of its Windows Hello biometric authentication system. Microsofts goal is to kill passwords with Windows Hello, which also offers fingerprint scanning and pattern authentication. Iris scanning has been used for years to verify identities, most notably at airports. But it has shortcomings. For example, bad lighting, or interference from things like eyelashes, could lead to wrong results, according to the SANS Institute. The iris is behind the eyes cornea and in front of the lens, and responsible for controlling the amount of light reaching the retina. It is the only internal organ readily visible from the outside of a person, Othman said. Unlike fingerprints, capturing the iris biometric is like taking a picture, and facial expressions and aging effects cannot easily alter its pattern, Othman said. Iris scanning is first appearing in premium smartphones. It could be expensive to put the NIR (near-infrared) lighting and sensors needed for iris scanning in budget smartphones, partly because the technology is new. A smartphone with the feature also requires a powerful processor. I think due to size and price limitation, adding this sensor to phones requires time, Othman said. Sensor manufacturers will need to build more suitable ones for smaller budget phones, he added. Acceptance of the technology is also a matter of making eye scanning palatable for regular users. Apple made fingerprint readers a trend with Touch ID, which can be used to log into an iPhone or make payments. Samsung is working with companies like Bank of America to integrate iris scanning into the mobile banking experience via Note7. It remains to be seen if iris scanning integrates effectively into other mobile applications, and whether it improves security. It will take a lot of effort to hack an iris scan, but its possible, said Andrew Zonenberg, a senior security consultant at IOActive. It will be difficult for common thieves to break into an iris locked device, he said. If youre a state-level adversary who can stalk the target for a while, its unlikely to pose a major barrier but at this point, you [the phone owner] probably have bigger problems to worry about, Zonenberg said. The iris is better than fingerprints because you dont leave its imprint on everything you look at, unlike fingerprint traces left behind, Zonenberg said. But research has shown that eye-scanning techniques can be cheated. Spoofing techniques can be used for systems to accept iris scans. To counter that, IARPA (the U.S. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity) will start funding the development of foolproof biometric authentication systems that can detect anyone trying to disguise their biometric identity. The health issues related to iris scanning are still unknown. But for Samsung executives, theyd rather have the iris scanning feature in Note7 than not, especially in a world where security is becoming a larger concern every day. Google parent company Alphabet will begin testing a drone delivery service in the U.S. in a bid to overcome any hurdles to rolling out the technology, the White House said Tuesday. Alphabet will kick off a research study for Project Wing at a Federal Aviation Administration test site to help regulators answer critical safety and human factors questions for drone deliveries, the White House said in a statement. Alphabet first tested its delivery drones in Queensland, Australia, in 2014, where the company delivered a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water to farmers. Google and Amazon are both developing drone delivery systems, but lots of questions remain about how the services will actually work, including how and where packages will be dropped off. The tests at the FAA site could help assuage the U.S. governments concerns about the safety of such systems and how they will operate. The Project Wing announcement was one of several made during a White House workshop on drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. The National Science Foundation said it would invest US$35 million in drone research over the next five years. The research is aimed at designing and controlling drones to be used for infrastructure inspection, disaster response, agricultural monitoring, and studying severe storms. The U.S. must avoid crippling the drone industry through slow-moving regulatory processes, FAA administrator Michael Huerta said during the White House workshop. This is an industry thats moving at the speed of Silicon Valley, he said. We at the FAA know that we cant respond at the speed of government. Updated 09-15-16: The Consumer Product Safety Commission has officially recalled the Samsung Galaxy Note7. For more information, including details on reimbursement, please read the language on the commissions website. Our original article proceeds below. Theres a lot to like in Samsungs new Galaxy Note 7, which will ship on Aug. 19. The sharp screen is accentuated by a slight curve on the edges that makes the device easy to handle. It has a snappy, 64-bit processor, and it can rock games and virtual reality with the companion Gear VR headset. Samsungs attention to smaller details makes it a fine device. Here are seven things you need to know about Note7: Many similarities with Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge The Galaxy Note7 is a large-screen version of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, with a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440-pixel display. The USB-C port is an improvement over S7s micro-USB 2.0 ports. Common features include a 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth and wireless charging. The Note 7 is pre-loaded with Android 6.0.1, weighs 169 grams and is 7.9 millimeters thick. It has 64GB of internal storage and an SD card slot. The iris scanner has its own camera A unique Note 7 security feature is the ability to scan the iris as a way to log users into the device. Heres how it works: Place your eyes in front of the iris scanneran IR camera located on top of the screenwhich will scan your eyes. It will match up the scan against encrypted iris information stored in a secure hardware layer on the phone. Iris scanner works in multiple light settings, but it wont work with sunglasses, Samsung said. What chip does your Note 7 have? In U.S., China, and Japan, the Galaxy Note 7 will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset; in other places, itll be Samsungs Exynos 8 Octa 8890 chip. The Snapdragon 820 has been modulated for cellular networks and spectrum bands in those countries, and U.S. carriers like Verizon prefer Qualcomms chips for backward compatibility of CDMA networks. The Samsung Exynos chip works on cellular networks in Asia and Europe. What chip is better? Qualcomms Snapdragon has a better modem and a slight edge in graphics over Samsungs Exynos. Regardless, the Note 7 delivers booming graphics and runs applications much faster than its predecessors. The LTE data download speeds could reach up to 600Mbps (bits per second) and upload speeds up to 150Mbps. Snapdragon is more versatile with support for LTE-U, which allows for faster data transfers over licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Old peripherals will work with the USB-C port in Note 7 The Note 7 has a USB-C port, a first in Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have micro-USB 2.0 ports, and many peripheralslike portable mobile phone chargers and storage devicesare designed to plug into that port. Those peripherals can be used with Note7 with a micro-USB 2.0 to USB-C connector that Samsung provides with the new handset. Note 7 will log you into your Samsung-based Windows PC Like Apple, Samsung wants its hardware devices to work seamlessly. Thats been difficult because Samsungs devices run on three OSes: Windows in most PCs, Android in mobile devices, and Tizen in wearables. The Note 7 shows some results of Samsungs effort to bridge that gap between devices. Users can swipe a finger on the Note 7 fingerprint reader to log into a Windows-based Galaxy TabPro S 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrid. Users can also login into a TabPro S by pattern authenticationby drawing specific shapeson a Note 7. Samsung Flow is different from Windows Hello, a Microsoft feature for biometric authentication to log into laptops, but a Samsung spokesman said the companies are working together to see how the features could be used together. No clarity if Note 7 will support Googles DayDream A great add-on to the Note 7 is the new Gear VR headset, in which the phablet can be fitted to virtually roam cities, play games, or ski down a mountain slope. Samsung declined to comment if Note 7 would work with Googles emerging DayDream VR platform, which will be available in specific handsets by the end of the year. Rather, it runs the same Oculus store and software as the Gear VR for current Samsung phones. The Gear VR headset and Note 7 could be combined for DayDream, which has minimum hardware requirements of a high-resolution screen, specific sensors, and strong graphics capabilities. Samsung said announcements on DayDream-compatible devices will come at a later date. Inland Regional Center executive director Lavinia Johnsons eyes beamed as she talked about the outpouring of support from the public, but there were times during a recent hourlong discussion when she became a bit reserved. Associate director Kevin Urtz was much more guarded, especially when it came to discussing the events of eight months ago, Dec. 2. In fact, both said they made an effort to avoid interviews because of concerns that sharing the littlest detail will cause their 600 employees to relive that day. Half a year later, the duo broke from their self-imposed silence to express appreciation for the cards, banners, stuffed toys, homemade cookies and all the sentiments of sympathies and well wishes that came with them. They have binders full of handwritten notes and colorful childrens drawings from complete strangers, as nearby as Patton State Hospital and the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, and as far away as the Connecticut-based Newton Action Alliance. We started receiving them in January, she said as she looked at a long conference table partially covered in mementos. The students from the Western Reserve School (in Ohio) would like to extend our banner of support for your recovery of the terrorist attack on Dec. 2. As Americans we must unite, thrive and triumph over the dreadful acts of terrorism. You are in our thoughts and prayers, she read aloud from a banner. The regional center provides services to people with developmental disabilities. The Dec. 2 attack killing 14 and wounding 22 was carried out in a conference room that had been rented by the San Bernardino County Department of Environmental Health for a training session followed by a holiday party. Federal authorities say the culprits, health inspector Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were radicalized Muslims inspired by the Islamic State. Immediately after the regional center reopened in January, it drew attention for a different reason. It was now the site where hundreds of items were delivered, each one letting the victims know the nation grieved with them. Were the location where it happened, but its really not about us. If it was directed toward us, then we kept it here, Urtz said. But if the correspondence was for the county employees at Environmental Health, it was sent on. That aside, the biggest message he took from the care packages is, San Bernardino is not alone in this. The staff took that to heart. They were very happy to know people are thinking of them, Johnson said. The tragedy took the life of Larry Daniel Kaufman, who worked with clients of the regional center, but the majority of the victims were county employees. Coping is different for Inland Regional Center employees, Johnson said. Healing is about not really dwelling on things, she said. June 2, the six-month anniversary, was just an ordinary day, which is what the staff wants. It helps them know that were OK and that were going to be OK. Urtz added: What were trying to focus on is providing services to our clients and trying to get back to as normal as possible. Working through tragedy Both Johnson and Urtz briefly recounted that December morning. They were talking to each other outside of the very conference room where the mementos now collect when alarms went off. We thought it was a drill. We looked at each other, Urtz said as his voice trailed off. The staff had recently gone through active-shooter training at the regional center. But we came in here and we could see the SWAT team and the helicopters, so we knew it was an active shooter, Johnson said. While most of the nation was glued to television screens, Johnson and Urtz said they initially had no clue that what was unfolding in a building just south of them was an act of terrorism. As SWAT escorted them out of the building, Urtz for a brief moment thought to himself there was no way the building would be opening the next day. In fact, it would be 32 days before they would be allowed to work there again. Although the building was shuttered all of December, it didnt mean the Inland Regional Center could cease to function. The center has clients in San Bernardino and Riverside counties who rely on their services almost year-round its closed only for major holidays. By Dec. 7, the duo had worked with their IT department to convert a much smaller case management office in Riverside which housed about 100 employees into the business operations for the regional center. It also became the temporary headquarters for operations, and the conference room was turned into a makeshift station for the IT department, which used the space to set up 350 iPads for employees. Our staff work with our clients in their homes, in their jobs. For us to be there with them is normal day-to-day business, he said. But they would return to the main San Bernardino center to file the necessary paperwork. With the building inaccessible, the regional center was forced to quickly deploy iPads so they could input their notes. Luckily, about 150 employees were already participating in the pilot program to work remotely, Urtz said. That meant bringing together small groups at time to the Norton Regional Events Center in San Bernardino to train them how to use the system, which allowed them to continue to do their fieldwork, he said. On Dec. 10, only eight days after the horrific attacks, staff were allowed to return to the regional center in groups to retrieve their personal belongings. Most pressing on Urtzs mind was how the staff would handle that first visit. They were apprehensive that day, he said. Protecting staff and clients On the day the regional center reopened, Jan. 4, the duo conducted media interviews outside a chain-link fence covered in green mesh as employees and clients were greeted by a new security checkpoint. We provide services to people with developmental disabilities, and we dont want to have a lot of people watching, Urtz said. Theyre anxious enough not having to be dealing with photographers. In the beginning, the site became a place where national media outlets set up and some members of the public came to gawk, while others paid tribute. We were kind of hoping the news would go away, he said, with nervous laughter. Both Johnson and Urtz compared that initial visit in December to that first day. When they came back on the 4th, their expressions were much happier, he said. Many voiced to him and Johnson how happy they were to see their co-workers. But there were noticeable differences, the most obvious the fence and new security measures. Some of those procedures have since been scaled back and will continue to change as the directors see fit. Johnson said they are not going to put a deadline on anything just yet. Were just being patient with all of this, because everybody is adjusting at a different time frame, we dont want to rush things, Urtz said. Even the neighbors feelings are considered now when the center practices drills. On the day of the shooting, the fire alarms were very loud, a destructive noise, as Urtz described it, followed by strobe lights. The center has conducted two fire drills since returning seven months ago. They waited about two to three months to even conduct a drill. But now it is their practice to warn the neighboring businesses and homes and law enforcement. We wanted to make sure the next time that happened the people were ready for it, he said. Healing wounds Counseling was made available on site for the first few months when employees returned. It was also available in December but off-site. It wasnt mandatory, but Urtz estimates 200 employees took them up on the offer. That was scaled back in April, Johnson and Urtz said. Other services included three pet therapy sessions, one as recent as late May, which included a visit from miniature horses. Wed love to go back to normal, and were heading in the direction, but were talking to see if everyone has adjusted. They seem to have adjusted very well, Urtz said. Contact the writer: lmarquez@scng.com Twitter: @JournaLiset A pair of Riverside-area churches gathered parishioners, pastors and a police chief recently to confront racial tension sweeping the nation in the wake of shootings in Texas, Louisiana and Minnesota. And more meetings are planned. Several pastors said they either organized or participated in discussions because they believe churches have a role to play in breaking down walls between people of different ethnicities. Racial reconciliation is the business of the church, said Pastor Matt Brown of Sandals Church, in introducing a panel discussion July 17. Racism is not a skin problem, its a sin problem, Brown said. The panel featured Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, Hemet Councilman Robert Youssef and five pastors from diverse backgrounds. Brown moderated the discussion. Justin Pardee, Sandals Church communications director, said close to 2,000 people attended the event titled, A Real Conversation About Race and the Church. ROOT OF PROBLEM Four days earlier, about 200 took part in an open-forum-style meeting titled, State of Emergency, at Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist Church. Lead Pastor Michael B. Kelly II directed that July 13 discussion. Attendees included a Loma Linda University official, local member of Black Lives Matter and a branch president of the NAACP, Kelly said. Kelly said he believes the unrest is a symptom of an underlying problem. The root of the problem is much deeper than what were seeing: racism, inequality, lack of economic opportunity for minorities, he said. And when you have those things, the Fergusons and the Minnesotas and the Louisianas are more likely to take place. At the meeting, he said, speakers suggested an array of solutions, including urging people to register to vote, building a positive relationship between police and minority communities, boosting opportunities for minorities to attend college and drafting new laws. Kelly scheduled a follow-up meeting for Aug. 17, at 7 p.m., to develop a plan of action. RACIAL PROFILING L. Kirk Sykes Jr., lead pastor/teacher at Cross Word Christian Church in Moreno Valley and a panelist at the Sandals Church event, said follow-up is key. He said his church has planned a town hall for 7 p.m., Aug. 15 at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center. Sykes said hes concerned the unrest could boil over. We need to realize that were at a tipping point, he said. Weve seen it, of course, already in Dallas and Baton Rouge. And its terrible. At the same time, Sykes said he supports the police. They need to be protected. They have a job to do, he said in a phone interview. But we need to address racial profiling. Diaz, the chief, indicated during the panel discussion that California police departments generally recruit officers whom they believe will treat people of different ethnic backgrounds fairly. LOOKING FOR BIAS When we hire people and we do backgrounds on them, were looking specifically for evidence of bias and cruelty towards others, Diaz said. And when bias surfaces in policing, he said, departments confront the problem. We hire good people and we employ largely good people, Diaz said. And when we find out that theyre not good I know that theres an opinion to the contrary but we try to weed them out. The chief had a request. Lets not forget, as we discuss this issue and analyze it and try to find solutions for it, we the police dont get to judge individuals based on collective guilt, Diaz said. And we would ask that the same courtesy be extended to us. Both July meetings received high marks. It was a good first step, Sykes said of the Sandals Church panel. CHURCH AT ITS BEST Matthew Young, an organizer for Black Lives Matter Inland Empire who attended the Mt. Rubidoux event, said he hadnt planned to talk until this question was asked: What does justice look like? After listening to a few answers, he jumped in. I felt they were beating around an obvious bush, Young said. No one mentioned what was on his mind, so he did: Hold police officers accountable for wrongdoing just as we are. Still, he characterized the meeting as thorough and productive. Gerald Winslow, professor of religion at Loma Linda University, gave a thumbs up for that meeting. I think this is the church at its best, when it tries to be a source of peacemaking in the community, Winslow said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9699 or ddowney@scng.com The California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death sentence of a Riverside man convicted of abducting and killing an 81-year-old woman and torturing and raping an 84-year-old woman in 2001. Bailey Lamar Jackson, 45, has been on death row for first-degree murder since October 2005. Jackson also was convicted of other crimes, including attempted murder, torture, rape, burglary and robbery, and was sentenced to 212 years to life for those offenses. While state Supreme Court justices upheld the death penalty, they called for a new jury trial to recalculate the noncapital portion of Jacksons sentence. Thats because the trial court imposed consecutive sentences for the sex crimes against the 84-year-old woman. A 2001 ruling in a separate case called for sentencing for sex crimes on a single victim during a single occasion to result in a single sentence. Geraldine Myers, 81, who lived near Riverside Plaza, disappeared May 13, 2001 Mothers Day. The following month, in the same neighborhood, the 84-year-old woman was robbed, tortured, raped and left for dead. The woman was severely injured but survived and called 911. Police found her purse a few houses away, inside a trash container near where Jackson was staying, and her stolen television in his room, according to trial testimony. The rape victim suffered a stroke and died in 2004. Myers body has never been found. Police did find her car the day after she disappeared a teenager admitted seeing it in a parking lot, key in the ignition, stealing it and driving it to North Las Vegas. A Macys bag with Myers blood on it was inside. Authorities linked Jackson to Myers disappearance by using scent evidence left on a crumpled envelope the victim kept money in. A bloodhound sniffed the envelope, then led her handler to Jackson, sitting in the police station a few days after his arrest. In December 2004, a jury convicted Jackson of all charges and the special circumstances that made him eligible for the death penalty. But those jurors deadlocked on Jacksons punishment, causing a mistrial in the penalty phase and prompting the Riverside County District Attorneys Office to retry that portion. While California has the death penalty, the state has not executed anyone in 10 years. Of the 747 people on death row, 89 about 12 percent were sent there from Riverside County, which has about 6 percent of the states population. Contact the writer: 951-368-9284 or atadayon@scng.comTwitter: @PE_alitadayon Amid a severe drought and dam reconstruction, Lake Perris is about as low as its been in its 43-year history, state officials say. On the bright side, the drinking water reservoir will not likely get any lower and, theres still plenty of room to make a splash, whether it be in a boat, on a board or taking a dip. Its still a very popular reservoir and weve got our numbers back up as far as attendance, said Superintendent John Rowe of the state Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the lake. About 650,000 visited last year, up from 500,000 the year before, Rowe said. This last Fourth of July, I dont think weve ever been this packed, Rowe said. We had around 12,000 to 13,000 people here, which is probably a record. Still, the annual numbers are about half of what the lake abutting the cities of Perris and Moreno Valley used to draw. That was before 2005, when the state lowered it by 25 feet as a precaution against the possibility that its dam could collapse during a powerful earthquake. The reservoir, which typically covers about 2,000 acres, is situated near the San Andreas fault. See a larger version of this graphic here. To eventually regain full use of the reservoir, the southernmost basin of the State Water Project system, the dam is being rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. The $141-million Lake Perris Dam Remediation Project commenced a year and a half ago and is targeted for completion by mid- to late 2017. It consists of strengthening a 5,000-foot-long section by mixing cement into the existing soil, placing a stability berm on top and excavating and extending the dams drainage system. So far so good, Royer said of the progress. (Contractors) are still estimating completing the project on time. In addition to the drawdown for seismic safety, the lake has been down an additional 14 to 17 feet over the last couple of years because of potable water demands during the drought. The state has allocated less water, while the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has drawn upon its allocation. State officials, however, have agreed to maintain the lake at its current elevation of about 1,546 feet above sea level, with a depth reaching up to about 70 feet. Were taking a minimal amount currently to deliver to a portion of our area, but the Water Resources Department is refilling it at the same (amount) were taking out, so the level is not changing, said Brent Yamasaki, the districts operations planning unit manager. When the dam is finished, Rowe anticipates the reservoir will be refilled close to its normal volume of 100,000 acre feet, more than double its current volume. Then, the park will recover full use of its fishing docks and boat launch ramps. Only one of four six-lane launches is in operation, and boat use is limited to about 200 at a time. As many as 500 could be on the lake before the water level dropped, Rowe said. Once the construction project is done, there will be a series of fill-ups because they have to test the work as well, he said. As a result of dam construction, a section of the lake that was popular among hikers the Bernasconi Day Use Area has been shut down. Also parts of the lake are not accessible to boaters because of its low level. Yet, because it is replenished with clean water and is deep, Lake Perris is not as susceptible to damaging algae blooms, like the ones plaguing Lake Elsinore. The latter has been temporarily shut down to recreation and some of its patrons are now heading to Lake Perris. Rowe said he is looking at ways to broaden the lakes recreational appeal. In addition to expanded hours, officials recently installed a water park. A $10 fee in addition to the $10 per vehicle day use fee entitles customers to a full day of fun on the weekends. Its one of the best kept secrets, Rowe said of Lake Perris. Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com After striking a tentative plea deal, a San Bernardino Superior Court judge Monday rescinded his offer to the man who drove a tour bus that crashed and killed eight people three years ago on Highway 38 in Yucaipa. Before the case went to trial July 1, the attorney for Norberto Perez, 56, of Tijuana and the court came to a plea agreement. Under the original terms, Perez would plead guilty to all eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, but instead of being sentenced to the maximum 15 years in state prison he would be placed on three years felony probation and have a suspended six-year prison term, said Simon Umscheid, chief deputy district attorney for the Central Division of the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office. Umscheid said his office did not agree with the deal. On Monday, the agreement was voided when Judge Harold T. Wilson decided not to accept the deal. Wilson said the defendant had pleaded guilty to the charges July 1 in order to get the deal. However, the probation report came back with new information that made the judge change his mind. He did not elaborate on what the new information was. I dont understand what happened, said Perezs wife, Guadalupe Bravo, who attended court Monday with her youngest son. She has attended all the hearings throughout her husbands case. My husband said he was culpable and I heard the judge say he could go home today. Perez is now scheduled to return to court Sept. 9 for trial readiness, and a trial could begin Sept. 12. We look forward to proceeding with the case and seeking justice on behalf of the victims, said District Attorney Mike Ramos. On Feb. 3, 2013, Perez was driving a tour bus from the Big Bear area back to Tijuana for Scapadas Magicas (Magical Escapes), a company based in National City. Thirty-eight people, many of them doctors and nurses working at a Tijuana hospital, boarded the bus for a day trip to the snowy San Bernardino Mountains. Investigators determined Perez lost control of the bus on Highway 38 near Bryant Street close to Yucaipa. Perez was arrested in November 2015. During his preliminary hearing, California Highway Patrol officials testified that several passengers told authorities they overheard Perez making phone calls on a speakerphone to Scapadas Magicas about a faulty brake valve. Another CHP official said he determined the brake system had many issues, including two brake drums in the vehicles front axle that were cracked before the trip began. Experts testified these issues should have been noticed during Perezs pre-trip inspection. Perez said he had done that inspection the morning of the fatal crash. A pre-trip inspection is required by the Department of Transportation. Bravo argued the owner of Scapadas Magicas, Ramon Ramirez Garcia, should be held criminally responsible, not her husband. According to a report, Scapadas Magicas failed 36 percent of its safety inspections in the two years before the crash. Of its 25 vehicles, only 16 had passed inspection. Five days after the crash, the federal government ordered the owners to shut down the company. Umscheid said the District Attorneys Office most likely will not seek criminal charges against the owners of the tour company because there wasnt enough evidence to try them at that time. He said nothing has changed since. Contact the writer: bvalenzuela@scng.comTwitter: @BeatrizVNews You dont connect safety with Slayer, the legendary heavy metal band with album titles like Reign in Blood and God Hates Us All. But Slayer guitarist and Riverside-area resident Kerry King described Hillary Clinton as the safe, correct choice in explaining why hell vote for the Democratic presidential nominee this November. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, King, 52, called Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a sideshow, adding Im not even going to apologize to all the Trump followers. (Trump is) the biggest liar Ive ever seen in politics, King was quoted as saying. I mean, most of them are liars, but he just outright in-your-face lies. King added that his opinion shouldnt matter to Slayers conservative fans. People just have to make up their minds and not be into things because their friends are into it or because their girlfriend or their spouse or whoever is into it, King told Rolling Stone. People have to be individuals. Sounds like Im talking about religion, doesnt it? State officials will continue closely watching water conservation efforts around California this summer after statewide savings dropped in June although some still praised the nearly 22 percent savings. State Water Resources Control Board leaders said Tuesday they are keeping an eye on water suppliers whose cutbacks have taken a hit after statewide residential water conservation reached only 21.5 percent savings in June compared with 27.5 percent a year ago and 28 percent in May. Felicia Marcus, who heads the board, questioned whether Californians will be able to save enough water without state-imposed conservation requirements, which were no longer required as of June. She said 21.5 percent savings is pretty darn good in the absence of a mandate yet added that officials must see how much water is conserved in July and August. One months savings levels dont tell the whole story, she added. Is the drop a trend and its going to keep on dropping, or is it an appropriate readjustment given where we find ourselves? she said. Relaxation is OK. Were just worried about it plummeting. The state saved 46.6 billion gallons of water, compared with 60.6 billion gallons in June 2015, according to figures released by the board in Sacramento. Since June 2015 when mandatory conservation began, Californians saved 71.2 billion gallons an amount that could provide enough water for 8.8 million people for a year. Cumulative average savings for the 13-month period was 24.2 percent. Effective June 1, state officials ended emergency drought restrictions requiring suppliers to save 25 percent statewide. Water suppliers were required to set their own conservation goals, based on their assessments of what their three-year water supply will be if the drought continues. State water officials said they will scrutinize suppliers data and claims about expected water supplies for accuracy. June conservation was all over the board throughout the state, although some savings were quite extraordinary, Marcus said. In the Inland region, customers of at least nine water suppliers saved more than previous state-required targets including Big Bear Community Services District, whose savings were 11.6 percentage points higher than it had been mandated, and East Valley Water District in Highland, whose savings were 9.4 percentage points higher. There were far more suppliers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties that fell short of former state targets. The worst among them: Yucaipa Valley Water District, which saved 7.9 percent in June after the state had previously required the district to save 34 percent. Seven others fell at least 10 percentage points below what their state targets had been. Norco saved 21.3 percent compared with June 2013, yet still fell 14.7 percentage points below its state goal, and Rancho California Water District in Temecula, at 18.7 percent savings, fell 13.3 percentage points below its goal. Following the emergency conservation efforts during the ongoing drought, state officials are working on longer-term water efficiency standards for indoor and outdoor use. As droughts become more common, efficient use of water through recycling waste water, desalination plants and other means isnt just good for the environment. Its also good for communities and the state because it saves so much money, Marcus said. Being more efficient just makes common sense for folks. Efficiency is cheaper than anything, she said. RELATED Experts: Why California should be stingy with water Researchers want to know: Does drought make people sick? Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com http://cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js It has emerged that the suspended National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Paul Afoko made a whopping over half a million dollars for fronting as a nominee director for an offshore company involved in the building of the five-star luxury Kempinski hotel in Accra. Leaked confidential documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca show how the Kufuor administration committed Ghana to an agreement with a foreign company for the development and operation of a five-star luxury hotel in Accra before seeking parliamentary approval. According to the leaked files, documents show that on 15 February 2006, the government of Ghana entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the 300 000m decommissioned Accra Racecourse site. Under former president John Kufuor, the Ghanaian government committed Cascade Development Company and its affiliates, the firm that constructed the Kempinski Hotel, to a preliminary outline plan to develop the site into a user complex. The site, once inhabited by squatters, would see development of a five-star hotel, along with an office building, residential buildings and a shopping mall. Former chief of staff under the Kufuor administration, Kojo Mpiani, says he signed the MoU because the developers showed serious intent. The supporting agreement between the government and Cascade Development Company was given executive approval afterwards. Mpiani explains that the deal didnt go through cabinet approval because the president had the power to approve such agreements if he was satisfied with the details after review, which explains why the support agreement sent to Parliament for approval was given executive approval. The leaked confidential document from the office of the president dated 21 October 2008 says: I refer to your request for executive approval on the above subject matter dated 14 October, 2008. His Excellency the President has given Executive approval for the support agreement between Government of Ghana and Cascade Development Company for the development of a five-star hotel at the Accra Race Course. 50-YEAR SUBLEASE In the agreement, the government committed to sublease the land for 50 years. The agreement also required Cascade Development Company to manage the Accra International Conference Centre. The final agreement was signed on 11 January 2007. Article 181(5) of the Ghanaian Constitution says that parliamentary approval is required in respect of international business transactions which the state of Ghana is a party to. The parliamentary approval, however, was sought a year after the government signed an agreement with the Cascade Development Company. Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance, James Avedzi, whose party was in opposition during the period, says the government erred in signing the agreement before seeking parliamentary approval. In the supporting agreement approved by Parliament, the government indemnified the Cascade Development Company and Gold Coast Resort International from any liability to pay any tax on the income, profits, whether actual or accrued, earned or made by Cascade Development Company and its affiliates in respect of each sub-phase for a period of five years from the completion of such relevant sub-phase. Avedzi says these exemptions were granted in line with governments vision of making Ghana a preferred tourist destination. Two months after the government of Ghana signed the MoU with the developers, Gold Coast Resorts International was incorporated, on 19 April 2006. It appointed Cascade Development Company. through its Ghana subsidiary, to develop the five-star hotel complex. Gold Coast Resorts is a web of offshore entities, with the largest shareholder of the company (45%) being Zakhem International SA, an entity registered in the tax haven of Luxembourg. At least two other shareholders of the Gold Coast Resorts Bethana Investments Inc and Uridor Investments SA were registered in Panama, another known tax haven. The government of Ghana, through the Ghana Tourist Board, owns 10% of Gold Coast Resorts. The Panama Papers confirm that Afoko, a leading member of the NPP and close friend of Kufuor was a shareholder in Gold Coast Resorts International. However, he transferred his shares to Zakhem International on 15 July, 2009. The transfer value of the shares was $640,000. The reason for the transfer is unclear, but Mr. Afoko is believed to have played a lead role in negotiations on behalf of an offshore company and the government during the period the NPP was in power. Afoko declined to comment on the story. Panama Papers HOTEL MANAGER The extent of the relationship between Afoko and Marwan Zakhem, a manager at Kempinski Hotel, are unclear, but Mossack Fonsecas records show that Zakhems name appears on the register of directors and officers of Afokos oil firm, the West African Petroleum Company. Afoko and Zakhem are shown in the documents as registered members of the company, which was registered in the British Virgin Islands. Zakhem had 250 shares, which were received on 13 January 2005. However he ceased to be a member of the company on 12 August 2010 and transferred his shares on the same date. Curiously, the Z2 Group Limited, which Zakhem is a director of, entered the register as member on 12 August 2010. In the leaked files, Zakhem is listed as a director GCC Resorts Limited, Zakhem Construction (Ghana) Limited and Cascade Development Company, the entity that constructed the five-star luxurious hotel. When officials of Kempinski Hotel were contacted, they too declined to comment, saying they only offer technical expertise to owners of the facility. On 15 July 2009, two months after Afoko was allocated his shares, he transferred them to Zakhem International SA for $640,000. Files show, however, that Afoko is still a shareholder in the company. When the company files were updated by on 26 November, 2012 by Bryan Scatliffe, the assistant secretary for and on behalf of Mossack Fonseca, Afokos name was still on the list with 576,000 shares. Panama Papers Source: kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana plans to sell Eurobonds of up to $1 billion by next week to fund the 2016 budget and refinance debt repayments due next year, government sources said yesterday. The country is expected to launch the bond, after meetings with investors in London and New York this week, three sources, including one at the Bank of Ghana and another in the Finance Ministry said, according to a Reuters report, The (Finance) Minister and the Central Bank governor are already in London as part of the road show and there could be a deal this week or next week, depending on market conditions, one of the sources said. Finance Minister Seth Terkper said last month that the government appointed Standard Chartered PLC, Citigroup Inc., and Bank of America Corp as advisors for this latest Eurobond transaction. The launch of the bond will be Ghanas fifth since a 2007 debut. Ghana exports cocoa, gold, and oil. It is currently under a three-year $918 million assistance programme from the International Monetary Fund to fix fiscal problems triggered by a fall in commodity prices and overspending by government in 2012, during an election year. The country issued a 15-year $1 billion Eurobond last October with a yield of 10.75 per cent, after having first targeted a $1.5 billion bond at 9.5 per cent. Source: The Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Morocco never left Africa, even when it was no longer a member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of Morocco to Ghana, Madam Nezha Alaoui Mhammdi, stated on the occasion of the commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the accession to the Throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The country is an African nation and will always be, and all of us Moroccans shall remain at the service of Africa. We shall be at the forefront of actions to preserve the dignity of African citizens and ensure respect for our Continent, the ambassador assured. By returning to the African family, the ambassador said Morocco sought to keep up its commitment to Africa and strengthen its involvement in all matters it feels strongly about. From within, Morocco will contribute to make the AU a more robust organisation; one that is both proud of its credibility and relieved of the trappings of an obsolete era. Madam Mhammdi stressed that the time of ideology was over and our people needed concrete and tangible actions. One can neither change geography, nor can one escape the burden of history. Morocco should not remain outside its African institutional family and should regain its natural and rightful place within the AU, she noted. She said cooperation, which is already intense with more than 40 African countries at the bilateral level, will be further expanded and revitalised. Moroccan know-how could, therefore be offered on an even broader scale and in a more streamlined framework. This is particularly true, she noted, regarding issues relating to security and the fight against terrorism. The Moroccan expertise, which was widely recognised at the international level and sought by many countries, including European states, would be leveraged to promote security and stability in all African countries, particularly those in West and Central Africa, Ambassador Mhammdi stated. The ambassador recalled the words of His Majesty King Hassan II in his message to the 20th OAU Summit on November 12, 1984 announcing Moroccos withdrawal. She said those words by the late king proved prophetic and the conclusion today was obvious, as Morocco had kept its promise. Three decades later, Africa has never been so much at the heart of Moroccos foreign policy and its international action as it is today, she pointed out. South-South cooperation Madam Mhammdi announced at the function, also known as The Feast of Throne, that the Kingdom had forged a unique, authentic and tangible south-south cooperation model which had made it possible not only to consolidate cooperation in the traditional areas of training and technical assistance, but also to engage in new, strategic sectors such as food security and infrastructural development. She said, This process will not be ending any time soon. And like it or not-- it is irreversible. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey has described whoever is condemning the sentencing of the three persons in the Montie 3 saga, as nation wreckers. Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, a presenter on NDC affiliated radio station Montie FM and two panelists Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, who recently appeared on the Pampaso show, were found guilty of scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the Supreme Court and bringing it into disrepute. The two on June 29, warned judges of Ghanas highest court to be wary of their conduct in the case involving the Electoral Commission and Mr Abu Ramadan if they did not want to suffer the fate of the three members of the bench who were shot to death and burnt on June 30, 1982 in the era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). The Supreme Court last week handed a four months jail term each to the three men. They were additionally fined GHC 10,000 each. The NDC has described the sentencing as harsh with party supporters mounting pressure on leaders of the party and President John Mahama to use his executive powers as enshrined in Article 72 of the constitution to grant the three jailed persons pardon. Supporters of the NDC who believe the sentencing is harsh have mounted pressure on leaders of the party and President John Mahama to use his executive powers as enshrined in Article 72 of the constitution to grant the three jailed persons pardon. The supporters besieged the party Headquarters in Adabraka on Thursday, demanding the immediate release of the three, during which some supporters defaced President Mahamas posters in anger. National Chairman of the NDC, Dr Kofi Portuphy has admitted to Kasapa FM that there is huge pressure on the National Executives to ensure the release of the trio. Several Ministers and high ranking government officials have signed a book opened to gather signatures to be presented to the President in this regard. But speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration service of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Logos Congregation at Achimota College, Rt. Rev. Prof. Martey stated that the court was right in exacting the four-month jail term to the trio, adding that the rule of law must work at all times. A nation is an entity, a people ruled by law; so if there are any people who are a lawless society then they are doomed. A country like America, when you break the law even if you are the President or a Presidential candidate and they get you, youll go to jail. I hear some people are saying what the Judges did was not right. Look, threatening to kill a Judge, it has happened before in Ghana, whoever has issues with the sentence of these three people are nation wreckers who must be condemned and not entertained. Source: kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A comment by a former president of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Sam Okudzeto, that the president would be planning his own funeral if he gave in to the pressure mounting on him to grant presidential pardon to the three Montie FM contemnors Godwin Ako Gunn, Alistair Nelson, and Salifu Maase is a threat to Ghanas democracy, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said. Mr Okudzeto had told Class News: They [contemnors] threatened judges, which is a criminal offence, the [Attorney General] refused to prosecute the people and, now, should he [Mr Mahama] free them, that is going to be his own funeral. What lesson will he be telling the people of Ghana? That if people commit a criminal offence, because they are his party people, therefore, he should go and pardon them. Is that a proper way to administer the pardon? That is my view. If he wants to do it, he should go ahead and do it, but they forget we are all in Ghana; it is not just me. He stressed: People have threatened to kill judges, which is a criminal offence, which is there in the criminal code and the Attorney General has not prosecuted them and he [President Mahama] wants to go and pardon? He should go ahead and pardon them because his party people want it, his party chairman said it, but as for me, I will not be a party to it. But Mr Asiedu Nketiah, in a statement, said: The NDC considers this statement from Mr Okudzeto not only as a threat to President Mahamas life but also a danger to the very foundation of the countrys Constitution, the people, and democracy, especially when such baseless and dangerous pronouncement is coming from a supposed seasoned and experienced legal practitioner of no mean repute. While condemning this unfortunate statement in no uncertain terms, the NDC also calls on the Police and the security agencies to invite Mr Okudzeto to answer for such reckless and irresponsible statement since it is pregnant with unimaginable provocation to lawlessness and chaos. Source: classfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Presidential Staffer and former MP for Adentan constituency, Kojo Adu Asare has condemned the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey for stoking his nose into issues without reference to Biblical principles. The outspoken former MP expressed disappointment at the speed with which Reverend Professor Martey condemns any wrong thing associated with government and the ruling party without recourse to due diligence to find out what the real issues are. Kojo Adu Asare was speaking on Accra-based Starr FM to a statement attributed to the Presby Church Moderator in which he reportedly condemned government appointees and all those appealing to the President to grant pardon to the three persons jailed for contempt by the Supreme Court. A nation is an entity, a people ruled by law; so if there are any people who are a lawless society then they are doomed. A country like America, when you break the law even if you are the President or a Presidential candidate and they get you, youll go to jail. I hear some people are saying what the Judges did was not right. "Look, threatening to kill a Judge, it has happened before in Ghana, whoever has issues with the sentence of these three people are nation wreckers who must be condemned and not entertained, Reverend Martey was quoted as saying. But the use of harsh comments and reference to threats to kill the Judges which was not the reason for the sentencing has surprised Mr. Adu Asare. I can only refer Reverend Martey to the scripture in the Bible, Luke Chapter 23:39-43 which reads, he said; One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: Arent you the Messiah? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked him. Dont you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise On the use of the phrase nation wreckers, Mr Adu Asare responded that sometimes the position of Reverend Martey on issues like these leaves much to desire and asked him to be mindful of his utterances. Nation Wreckers are supposed to be converted as they also need Christ in their lives. Christ never condemned anybody. "He condemned the acts of such people and not the individuals involved. Christ hates sin. He doesnt hate sinners, he counseled. He cautioned Reverend Professor Martey to be wary of his comments especially about government and the NDC when the same Presby Moderator goes silent on other very disturbing comments or threatening remarks by people on the other side of the political divide. Mr Adu Asare, unceremoniously decided to end the interview with Nii Ardey Clegg, Host of Starr FMs Morning show to avoid the temptation of using harsh comments against the Reverend Minister. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Melbourne graffiti artist Lushsux has now edited their contentious Hillary Clinton mural to depict a beautiful Muslim woman in a full-length niqab. The Footscray mural, which showed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a revealing one-piece bathing suit emblazoned with the American flag, made international press due to its controversial nature. It gained wide negative criticism, including from the local Maribyrnong Council. We believe it is offensive because of the depiction of a near-naked woman, not on the basis of disrespect to Hillary Clinton, in accordance with the Graffiti Prevention Act 2007, said Council chief executive Stephen Wall. He told ABC that the business owner had been asked to remove the mural. The graf artist has branded the calls for the mural to be removed as pathetic. Instead, they have now painted over Clintons body with a niqab, leaving only the politicians eyes visible, as well as the following message: IF THIS MUSLIM WOMAN OFFENDS U, U R A BIGOT, RACIST, SEXIST, ISLAMOPHOBE. The artist posted an image of the newly updated mural on Instagram with the caption: This is no longer a wall of a supposed offensive and near naked Hillary Clinton, it is now a depiction of a beautiful Muslim woman. No reasonable person would consider this offensive. If you do consider it offensive you are a sexist, racist, islamophobic, xenophobic, uncultured and ignorant bigot. The graffiti artists Instagram has now been fully reinstated (but is now set to private), after it was deleted recently. Lushsux told multiple media outlets that they believed it was censorship due to the Hillary mural, despite having recently gained infamy by painting a mural of Taylor Swift, who is notorious for issuing cease and desist letters for copyright breaches her image and name. And it looks like the artist has no plans to slow down with the current narrative. Mere hours ago, the artist posted an image to Instagram requesting mirror selfies from Muslim women: Looking for Muslim women to submit self shot [sic] mirror selfies while wearing a niqab, hijab, burka [sic] or any traditional dress for a huge mural wall painting So, were sure well see another of piece of recognisably Lushsux art up and around Melbs very shortly. Source: ABC / Instagram. Photo: @lushsux / Instagram. By now, you might have heard about the devastating death of 22-year-old Sydney woman Tanami Nayler, who was killed in a hit and run by a stolen car in Melbourne over the weekend. The young woman was using a pedestrian crossing in West Melbourne at around 2:15am on Friday night/Saturday morning, when a Corolla stolen from a nearby rental depot hit her and dragged her at least 70 metres. It has been reported that the car was doing 100km/h in a 60km/h zone. The driver, 21-year-old Nicholas Davison, ran away from the scene but was later found and charged with culpable driving, dangerous driving, fail to stop at the scene of an accident, fail to render assistance, burglary and theft. The story of Naylers death has been widely reported in relation to the fact that the young woman had been playing Pokemon Go, with headlines boldly proclaiming Pokemon Go death (Sunshine Coast Daily), Sydney woman died after playing Pokemon GO following -hit-and-run (Daily Mail) and Woman in Melbourne allegedly playing Pokemon Go dead after hit by stolen car and dragged 70 metres (International Business Times). Some headlines implied and led many to believe that if Nayler hadnt been focussing on the mobile game, she could have avoided the incident. They were misleading Naylers tragic death had nothing to do with her playing Pokemon Go, despite original police statements, and none of the onus should be placed on the young woman. In fact, she wasnt even holding her phone at the time. Its been confirmed that she had previously been playing it that night, but her phone was in her pocket when she was hit by the car. Her cousin gave a statement, saying, Its one of those senseless things, you cant predict something like that. Tanamis friends and family have paid tribute to the young woman on social media, stating that she was perfect and very loved: Source: Newscorp. Photo: Facebook. Kanye West wants to work with IKEA. Out of all the ridiculous, unreal, plethora of flotsam & jetsam permeating the news cycle today, that has been the one sentence that Ive been unable to shake from my considerably-sized scone since reading it earlier this morning. Kanye West. That man. He wants to work with IKEA. For those of you who somehow missed it earlier on, West appeared on BBC Radio 1 to discuss a typically large amount of different topics in rapid succession. But it was his desire to collaborate with the Swedish blood pressure-raiser that caught the most attention, with Ye suggesting that students would froth on the minimalist-style designs he would create for the brand. I have to work with Ikea make furniture for interior design, for architecture. [Students would be saying] Yo Ikea, allow Kanye to create, allow him to make this thing because you know what, I want a bed that he makes, I want a chair that he makes.' Kanyes desire to build a bed isnt necessarily new. The artist formally known as Ye has posted a pair of his uh designs for a bed to Twitter earlier in the year. Ive been trying to figure out the bed design for the master bedroom at our Hidden Hills compound pic.twitter.com/aEPqoBGY4b KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 2, 2016 Royere doesnt make a Polar bear bed but the Polar bear couch is my favorite piece of furniture we own pic.twitter.com/tSJgikAUmT KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 2, 2016 And look, I dont claim to be around the thought processes of West any more than anyone else. But thats a Malm, m8. IKEA already has plenty of em. Students already froth on them, too. Theyre sturdy as shit, reasonably affordable, can be pulled apart in under half an hour, and are hella easy on the eyes. Outside of meatballs, the Malms probably the leading cause of people actually visiting an IKEA. Anyway, because the internet never let a joke setup slip it by, particularly when brand awareness is job number one, IKEA Australia have now fired back at Yeezy with a tasty little bit of content of their own. Whilst its probably not gonna put any IKEA Hackers minds to work, would ya just look at all them Malms? My god. Three in a row. Bolted together, too! Glorious. So sturdy. So moveable. So many spare allen keys. Life-sized nude wax figures of celebrities and subsequent Snapchat scandal sold separately, for obvious reasons. Source: IKEA Australia. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty. Make no bones about it: were heading very rapidly toward a world of driverless cars. Driving cars is a nasty business, when it comes down to it. According to the World Health Organisation, 1.25 million people died in road traffic accidents in 2015, and progress toward reducing that number has been excruciatingly slow. A renewed focus on public transport is one obvious solution but the world decided collectively in the 20th century that we were going to build a helluva lot of roads, and spread our cities out like giant spiderwebs. Now we have to live with that infrastructure decision and work around it somehow. Driverless cars often bubble up as a solution here. Maybe we should cut out that pesky human element and just have our roads run with algorithms. Maybe then everything will look like that insane intersection in Ethiopia, which seems to work fine: what the hell is this But people are skittish about the concept of handing over the autonomy of their vehicle to a computer. Maybe rightfully so, too. Tesla Motors announced recently that one of its cars, operating in autopilot mode, had been involved in a crash which killed its driver. Its important to note that Teslas autopilot isnt a true self-driving mode: its an an assisted driving mode which is very much in beta and requires you to keep your hands on the wheel at all times. But its still a concern, and it feels a bit icky. When a person dies in a regular car accident, theres usually something to blame. Either one or both drivers made an error, or there was a failure in the vehicle, or the traffic design was inadequate. When we inevitably begin seeing fatal car accidents caused by an software error, well have to ask whether the software provider is culpable, or if this is just a margin of error were willing to accept as a society. It wont just be errors, either. An article by The Guardians science editor Ian Sample asks a pretty startling question: should a driverless car be willing to cause the deaths of other people to save its occupant? If it would save your life to have your car plow through a gaggle of pedestrians, what should the car do? Or think about it the other way: if your car could save the lives of ten pedestrians by steering directly into a wall and killing you, should it do that? Thats even thornier, but these are absolutely the moral questions that designers of self-driving cars are thinking about right bloody now. Would people even buy a car that would do that? buckled up for some moral philosophy Jean-Francois Bonnefon at the Toulouse School of Economics reckons that its even more complex than that, and demands info that a self-driving car may not be able to accurately collect: Is it acceptable for an autonomous vehicle to avoid a motorcycle by swerving into a wall, considering that the probability of survival is greater for the passenger of the car, than for the rider of the motorcycle? Should different decisions be made when children are on board, since they both have a longer time ahead of them than adults, and had less agency in being in the car in the first place? If a manufacturer offers different versions of its moral algorithm, and a buyer knowingly chose one of them, is the buyer to blame for the harmful consequences of the algorithms decisions? Wild stuff. My take: nobody should be keen on some libertarian hell dystopia where self-driving cars only seek to preserve to life of the person who paid for it. Thats kinda not how society works. Besides, wed certainly be morally troubled if a person made that decision, let alone an algorithm. Are we just too skittish about technology? But at the end of the day, when accidents happen when a car is in autopilot, we need to decide if someone is morally and legally culpable. Tesla made a statement via its blog to the effect that accidents are essentially inevitable, but that its autopilot mode are still massively safer: That given its nature as a driver assistance system, a collision on Autopilot was a statistical inevitability, though by this point, not one that would alter the conclusion already borne out over millions of miles that the system provided a net safety benefit to society. Theres definitely a question to be asked as to whether Tesla should be beta-testing its autopilot software on customers. Even if they did consent to it via the terms and conditions, its still a tiny bit questionable. If this kinda thing was in a lab environment, itd be subject to a shitload of ethics oversight. These tests most certainly are not. As we move forward with driverless cars, were going to have to decide on solid principles as to who is responsible when cars crash. Do we assume someone is at fault, like we do in a regular accident with human drivers? Or do we accept Tesla and Googles assertion that self-driving cars are extremely safe, and accidents are just an unfortunate statistical necessity? Photo: Minority Report. Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick talks about recent homicides in Harrisburg Dauphin County Coroner, Graham Hetrick holds a press conference Oct. 29, 2015, to discuss two homicides in Harrisburg. (Sean Simmers | PennLive.com) The second suspect in the 1996 murder of Kevin Beam and Linda Arnold was never charged, but Dauphin County coroner Graham Hetrick said he was "convicted by life itself." The most recent episode of "The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead" detailed the couple's murder March 6, 1996, at their home in the 1000 block of North Mountain Road in Linglestown. Firefighters initially responded to a report of a fire at the property and later discovered them dead, according to the television program. Linda, 38, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the back bedroom, and Kevin, 40, was found beaten to death in an adjacent room, according to previous reporting by PennLive.com. Police believed then that someone started the fire in the bedroom to conceal evidence. Norman Cadmus, 53, of Upper Allen Twp., pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to two life sentences March 21, 2002. Norman is a New Jersey native and Vietnam veteran who has a history of drug and psychiatric problems, his public defender Paul Muller said in a previous report by PennLive.com. Norman named a second suspect, who went by the alias William Lightfeather, in the slaying; but police did not have enough evidence to charge him. William later died of a heart attack Dec. 19, 2005. William knew the couple because he lived with Phyllis George, Linda's mother, according to previous reporting by PennLive.com. Phyllis also knew Norman because she used to do his taxes. An affidavit of probable cause read that they went to Linda and Kevin's house to collect money that was owed to William, according to previous reporting by PennLive.com. Norman waited outside while William used a key to enter the house, which was only occupied by Linda at the time. After Kevin returned home, Norman said he heard arguing. When he entered the house, he saw William fighting Kevin. Court documents later read that Norman struck Kevin with a liquor bottle and William shot Linda "because she was a witness." They failed to find what Norman called "strong boxes" and later decided to set the house on fire. "Killers think fire is their friend," Hetrick said at the beginning of the episode. "A way of covering up their crimes, but they're wrong." The third episode of "The Coroner" touched on some of the science used in the investigation, such as the carboxyhemoglobin test that Hetrick used to determine how much carbon monoxide Linda or Kevin had breathed in. Hetrick was able to tell that Linda died before the fire started because of her normal carboxyhemoglobin levels. Kevin, on the other hand, was possibly unconscious when the house was being torched. Family members also appeared on the show to talk about what Kevin and Linda were like. "Kevin was well-liked," his brother Sam Beam said. "If he was your friend, you had a good friend." The couple mostly kept to themselves, neighbors told PennLive.com. Linda ran her own accounting business Arnold Financial Services out of the house. She had to use a wheelchair and walker to get around, but Kevin was there to take care of her, according to the television series. Even though police said there wasn't enough evidence to charge William, Sam said he got justice. "If it wasn't with the courts of Pennsylvania, then it was with God," he said. "The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead" will look at another one of Hetrick's cases next week, which will involve decades-old missing persons cases and several unidentified victims. The episode, titled "Unburying the Truth," will air at 10 p.m. Monday on Investigation Discovery. pipeline.jpg This map shows the route through the proposed Mariner East II pipeline will take through Pennsylvania. (Sunoco Logistics) Will a liquid natural-gas pipeline run under the farmland of three Upper Frankford Township property owners? A recent Cumberland County Court ruling gave Sunoco Pipeline the go ahead to exercise the power of eminent domain to take a portion of that land for the Mariner East II pipeline project. But it's not a sure thing yet. On Friday, the landowners' attorney filed a notice that he is appealing that decision to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Property owners Rolfe Blume, John Perry and Alan Waters were in court in February, arguing through their attorney, Mike Faherty, that Sunoco Pipeline does not have the authority to take a piece of their land for the pipeline. Faherty told the court that under state law, eminent domain cannot be used for private enterprise, even if there is an element of public use, which he said is the situation here. The pipeline will move liquid natural gas from Ohio through Pennsylvania to the Delaware River for shipment overseas, making it subject to federal regulations and not the state regulations that allow for eminent domain, he said. But judges in Huntingdon and Washington counties, as well in another Cumberland County case with different property owners, have sided with Sunoco Pipeline and ruled it is indeed a public utility with the power to exercise eminent domain. And a divided Commonwealth Court last month backed the Cumberland County ruling in that earlier case. In the current case, Cumberland County Judge M.L. Ebert on July 18 overruled the preliminary objections filed by the property owners, and on Friday, Fahrety filed notice of his intent to appeal the ruling. Pipeline officials earlier said the current Mariner East pipeline does not have the necessary capacity to ship the current need for liquid natural gas, making the proposed pipeline running alongside it a public need that benefits the people of Pennsylvania. Sunoco Pipeline vice president of business development Aaron Alexander testified in February that pipelines are safer and cheaper than shipping by highway or railroad. It would take 500 trucks daily to ship the proposed pipeline's capacity of 275,000 barrels per day at a cost of 20 to 30 cents per barrel, compared to 7 cents per barrel via pipeline. And though some of the liquid natural-gas could be shipped overseas, much of it will be used by Pennsylvania customers, he testified. Fahrety and pipeline officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. Donald Trump has received a lot of flak in the media regarding his comments on Khizr Khan. Khan, whose son died while serving in Iraq, offered to lend Trump his copy of the U.S. Constitution after criticizing the Republican presidential candidate's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Trump had responded by implying Khan's wife, Ghazala Khan, was not permitted to speak. Ghazala Khan has since written an op-ed in the Washington Post, stating she chose not to speak because of the amount of emotion she has about her son. Trump has been criticized for his response, including by Sen. John McCain. "It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party," McCain said in a statement. "While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." Trump fans at a rally in Mechanicsburg on Aug. 1, however, were not deterred from support for their candidate. "The media is spinning everything around," said Dana Robinson of New Kensington. Congressman Tom Marino (U.S. Rep. for Pa. 10th district) criticized the Hillary Clinton campaign for using Khan. "The Clinton machine ... they don't care who they use, they just use them," he said. Watch more of the responses in the video above. FEASTERVILLE -- The 18-year-old who police say was "gifted" to a much older man by her ex-Amish parents at the age of 14, testified in a preliminary hearing here for all 3 adults on Tuesday, saying her parents knew she had gotten pregnant by 51-year-old Lee Kaplan and had given birth to two children by him. The 18-year-old said her parents -- Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus of Quarryville, Lancaster County -- knew the nature of her relationship with Kaplan. Her mother even helped deliver one of the two children she had with him, the teen testified. The children were born in a bedroom of Kaplan's Old Street Road home in Feasterville, she added. It was there in that home that the teen, her two children, her mother and nearly 10 female siblings, all under the age of 18, were found living in June by police officers responding to complaints and calls from concerned neighbors. PennLive does not identify the victims of sexual abuse. In her testimony Tuesday, the 18-year-old spoke softly in describing her time spent living at Kaplan's home, beginning when she was 14 and when he was 47 or 48. She had waist-length hair and a plain-style floral sundress, and struggled occasionally to comprehend the questions posed to her by prosecutors and defense attorneys. On direct examination by the prosecution, which called on her to testify, the teen said she lived at Kaplan's home for nearly 4 years, and shared a bed with him, even though, she said, they were not legally married. On cross examination by the defense attorneys representing Kaplan and her parents, the teen said she often helped with housework at Kaplan's home and does not recall ever having been locked inside the home. She said Kaplan was trusting and that she knew she was free to go at anytime. "And you still trust him?" Kaplan's attorney Ryan Hyde asked. "Yes," the teen answered. "And do you still care for Mr. Kaplan?" Hyde followed up. "Yes," the teen responded, glancing across the courtroom to where Kaplan sat with her parents in shackles and prison issue jumpsuits. The defense also sought to challenge the teen's ability to assess her marital status or age, saying because of her birth into a religious order, like the Amish church, standard documentation does not exist. Her parents split with the Amish church around the time her father first met Kaplan, previously published reports indicate. The attorneys also challenged the prosecution's claims that the Stoltzfuses "gifted" their daughter to Kaplan, saying they may have intended for her to marry him, but not to begin a sexual relationship at the age of 14. Once they found out she was pregnant by Kaplan, the defense said, the parents did what any others would: help in any way possible. But beyond that, they said, there is no proof they ever intended for a sexual relationship with Kaplan to take place before then. The teen ultimately gave birth to two children by Kaplan, one now six months old and the other 3 years. "We're not here to decide if that was a great decision for a parent to make," Daniel Stoltzfus's attorney, Timothy Barton, said of his client's decision to encourage a relationship between his underage daughter and an older man. "What you didn't hear, though, was that he [Daniel Stoltzfus] was giving his daughter to Kaplan in order for Kaplan to have sex with her." Daniel Stoltzfus has previously told police he thought the arrangement was legal and said it involved "gifting" his daughter to Kaplan in exchange for or following Kaplan's financial assistance to the Stoltzfus family. Now, defense attorneys are looking to parse those words, saying what Stoltzfus meant by "gifting" or "giving" his daughter to Kaplan wasn't necessarily what ended up happening. Barton added that Daniel Stoltzfus remained on the family's Lancaster County farm even after his daughters and wife had gone to live with Kaplan, leaving him somewhat disconnected from the situation. Savilla Stoltzfus's attorney, William Craig Penglase, said Savilla moved in with Kaplan after learning that her daughter was pregnant by him. But Detective Gerald Scott of the Lower Souhtampton Police said when he first interviewed Daniel after the June raid at Kaplan's home, Daniel admitted he had "given" his daughter to Kaplan, by that point his business partner, for the purposes of a "relationship." Scott said Stoltzfus told him he had met Kaplan 13 years earlier and that Kaplan had come to know his now 18-year-old daughter as she grew up. "Daniel said in his 13-year relationship with Kaplan, [his daughter] established a relationship with Kaplan and had grown up with Kaplan nearby," Scott testified. "He and Savilla noticed [the bond] and decided together they would give their daughter to him [Kaplan]." The detective admitted he had not asked Stoltzfus what exactly he meant by "give," but said it was implied, and that Stoltzfus told him he allowed his daughter to go with Kaplan at the age of 14 and was aware of her pregnancy by him and aware of the child births once they had occurred. For prosecutors, the issue at hand is that Daniel Stoltzfus and his wife, whatever their intentions may have been, eventually discovered evidence of Kaplan's sexual relationship with their underage daughter and failed to contact authorities. Another Lower Southampton detective, Shane Hearn, said when he interviewed Kaplan after his June arrest, Kaplan admitted to a relationship with one of the Stoltzfus girls, but claimed she was 16 when their relationship began, not 14. When confronted with evidence to the contrary, Hearn said of Kaplan, "His head dropped and he had a look on his face of resignation. That's when he finally started telling me the truth." Hearn said Kaplan was also still married to his first wife at the time and therefore could not have been legally married to the Stoltzfus girl. Issues of marital status and age are crucial components of the statutory sexual assault charges against Kaplan, and a related conspiracy count against Daniel Stoltzfus. Hearn also said Savilla Stoltzfus was evasive during their interviews with her after the June police raid. Hearn said she lied about how many children were in the Kaplan home and claimed her grandchildren -- the two fathered by Kaplan - were her own children. "She appeared to be hiding something," Hearn said. "She was also evasive about the ages of the children." Tuesday's hearing ended with all criminal charges against the Stoltzfus parents and Kaplan being upheld by district judge John Waltman. This includes felony charges of statutory sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault against Kaplan, felony charges of conspiracy to commit statutory sexual assault and child endangerment against Daniel Stoltzfus, and a single felony count of endangering the welfare of a minor against his wife. All 3 defendants have been ordered to appear for arraignment in a Bucks County Court of Common Pleas at noon on Sept. 2. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine Campaign Stop in Pittsburgh Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally with democratic vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen Tim Kaine (D-VA) at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on July 30, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Justin Berl, For PennLive.com (Justin Berl) A former Pennsylvania lawmaker turned conservative evangelical pastor is invoking the Bible to argue that a woman is unfit to be president. Sam Rohrer, president of the American Pastors Network, is making the argument that Hillary Clinton is unfit to be the 45th president of the U.S. based on a biblical verse that, he believes suggests a woman should not be commander-in-chief. "President Barack Obama has said that he's had a front-row seat to see Hillary Clinton's honesty, truth and integrity and how those qualities qualify her to be President," said Rohrer in a recent edition of the group's daily radio show "Stand in the Gap Today." "That statement alone calls into question his own judgment, but beyond that, Christians must ask themselves what the Bible says about a nation's leaders," Rohrer said. He quoted Isaiah 3:12, which, he said, in the King James Bible notes that: "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Said Rohrer: "This verse has been used by many as a scriptural condemnation of women serving in places of leadership. There are obviously a number of interpretations of this verse, but the real question remains: Is that verse specifically a condemnation that a woman should never be in a place of political leadership, especially president of the United States?" Sam Rohrer, president of the American Pastors Network, is making a Biblical case for why Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president because she is a woman. This file photo was taken in the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2008. Clinton's campaign declined to comment. Rohrer, a former nine-term Republican representative in the General Assembly, in 2009 threw his name in for candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor. As a lawmaker, Rohrer was a fiscal conservative, and in recent years has become increasingly vocally ultra-conservative as the head of the evangelical pastors group. He has pushed for repeal of abortion and gay marriage rights. Speaking on the radio show along with other guests, Rohrer noted that in the context of that verse from Isaiah, God's judgement was "being brought upon Jerusalem and the nation." "Whether that was the cause for women leading them or that itself brought on the wickedness within the nation is to be debated, but it certainly does at least imply that maybe women should not be in high political positions, particularly when you compare scripture with scripture," said Gary Dull, executive director of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network. The Rev. Kelly Wiant, of Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, dismissed Rohrer's claims. "People have misinterpreted scripture from time immemorial," she said. "Any smart reading of scriptures shows that that line of thinking is ridiculous." Wiant pointed out how the Bible - including both the Old and New Testaments - abounded with examples of women in leadership roles. "Jesus himself lifted up women in leadership," she said. Wiant said that scriptures as the word of God is a "living and active" document. "This is the 21st century. We read scriptures as a living document not one that is static but one that speaks to our time," she said. "We need to take scriptures seriously not literally." Wiant chided Rohrer for offering an irresponsible interpretation of a Biblical verse, for "making it say what you want" instead of "engaging in the complexity of scriptures." "I don't think it's a careful reading of scriptures," she said. "To take a passage and throw it out as if that is all of scriptures is not authentic or helpful. Scriptures is much more than just the verse that he picked out." Said Rohrer of the passage: "It's not that women don't have the ability. It's a matter of order and structure that is the key point. Isaiah 3:12 is not a condemnation of women being in a places of leadership, but rather, of men rising up to be the kind of leaders God intended." According to a PennLive analysis, 46 people died in Pennsylvania nursing homes in care-related incidents investigated by the state Department of Health between 2013 to 2015. Those deaths include a diabetic resident who wasn't given insulin, a resident with Down's syndrome who died after his ventilator became disconnected and staff didn't respond to the alarm for nearly an hour, residents with swallowing problems who choked after being given the wrong foods, and unsupervised residents with dementia who wandered out of nursing homes and fatally injured themselves. How did PennLive find those deaths? It wasn't easy. Scouring inspection reports Nursing homes are required to report to the health department when residents die from incidents like malnutrition or medication errors. The department calls these events "adverse incidents" and it is required to investigate the nursing home to determine whether it caused the resident's death. To help assess the quality of Pennsylvania nursing homes, PennLive asked the department in April how many death-related adverse incident reports it had received in recent years. But the department told PennLive that the contents of those reports were confidential and that it couldn't provide numbers. "At this time we do not collect the information you are requesting in a way to provide that in bulk," Wesley Culp, a spokesman, wrote in a statement. Without that data, PennLive had to take a different approach to track down avoidable nursing home deaths: its reporters pored over state inspection reports. The department publishes more than a thousand inspection reports online each year on Pennsylvania's 699 nursing homes. Those reports are written after annual inspections or complaint inspections. The problems identified in the average report can run the gamut from minor paperwork problems to serious health and safety violations. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to isolate inspection reports where residents have died due to abuse or neglect. The reports on the state website are organized by individual nursing homes, aren't searchable, and are often difficult to read. Those reports also are posted on the website of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where they are equally difficult to sift through. To help find fatal incidents, PennLive used a tool created by ProPublica, a non-profit journalism outlet, which allows users to search nursing home inspection reports in individual states based on keywords. PennLive used that tool to search Pennsylvania nursing home reports from 2013 to 2015 for death-related keywords like "deceased," "death," "die," "died," "dead" and "expire." Those queries helped narrowed PennLive's search for death-related citations from thousands to hundreds. PennLive reporters then read through those death-related reports to find incidents involving fatal errors (e.g., a ventilator that was wrongly disconnected) and filtered out reports that weren't (e.g., a citation to a nursing home for failing to close a resident's bank account after they died from natural causes). PennLive ultimately found 46 deaths that appeared, based on the findings of state inspectors, to be partly or wholly the result of failures by individual nursing homes. You can view a full list of those deaths here. With those deaths identified, PennLive reporters were then able to identify trends and patterns that became key findings for its stories. For instance, it found that the majority of deaths - 32 of the 46 - took place in for-profit nursing homes. Breathing life into the data As with all stories, PennLive's reporters wanted to provide readers with more than just statistics. They wanted to tell readers about each of the people who died and what their death meant to their family. But here, too, PennLive faced a major obstacle: the names of residents are redacted from inspection reports. Reporters tried contacting county coroner offices to find more information about the deceased. In some cases, with the limited details PennLive had, coroners were able to provide names. In other cases, however, deaths weren't reported to the coroner or PennLive didn't have enough information for coroners to match deaths to names. To track down more information, PennLive again took a different approach: Reporters isolated the death dates of residents in each report and then searched newspaper obituaries for people who died on those dates. Reporters then filtered those obituaries by city and gender.. When reporters found a likely match, they searched for contact details of the family and then called to ask whether their loved one had died from the circumstances described in the inspection report. The process was slow-going. In some cases, reporters struggled to find recent contact information for families. In many other cases, families didn't wish to speak or didn't return calls. Attorneys and senior care advocates interviewed during the course of PennLive's reporting said that families might be unwilling to speak because they have reached legal settlements with nursing homes that include confidentiality provisions. Additionally, they said, others might have pending lawsuits that they fear could be compromised by discussing their case. After several weeks of cold calls, PennLive found two families who were willing to speak on the record about the death of their loved ones. Those deceased residents, DeWitt Whittaker, a 92-year-old with dementia who died after he was left unsupervised and wandered out of his nursing home, and Emelene Gabel, an 86-year-old who died after staff failed to notice and react to her rapidly deteriorating health, became central figures in PennLive's series. A discrepancy between state death data Once PennLive had tallied care-related deaths from state inspection reports it was faced with a new question: Were there other avoidable deaths that were overlooked by state inspectors? While PennLive was never able to clearly answer that question, it found evidence that suggested its tally of 46 avoidable deaths might have only scratched the surface. In July, following subsequent requests for information about resident deaths, the health department finally released statistics to PennLive on death-related adverse incidents. Those were the same statistics that PennLive requested in April that the department told PennLive it couldn't provide. The department's data showed it received 259 death-related adverse incident reports from 2013 to 2015. Those deaths were grouped under three different categories: deaths due to medication errors or because of an adverse reaction to medication (7); deaths due to injury, suicide, or unusual circumstances (177); and deaths due to malnutrition, dehydration or sepsis (75). The department added that it might have received more than 259 death-related reports, but because of the way it categorizes certain adverse incidents it couldn't determine how many additional deaths that might include. To determine whether nursing homes contributed to those deaths, PennLive asked the department for more details about each incident. But the department said state regulations barred it from releasing the contents of individual reports. PennLive also asked for a breakdown of deaths in each of its three categories (e.g., the number of suicides, the number of deaths due to injuries), but the department said it wasn't able to provide those numbers either. Without details about each death, PennLive reporters couldn't determine how many incidents were caused by facility failures and how many were caused by unavoidable circumstances. Although deaths from malnutrition, for instance, are often associated with negligence, that isn't always the case. A resident with a terminal illness who becomes incommunicable might die of malnutrition because he or she has a living will that says he or she wants the nursing home to withhold food. But experts interviewed by PennLive - including attorneys, advocates and researchers - said they would expect those unavoidable deaths to be a rarity among the types of deaths that homes are required to report under state regulations. Deaths by incidents like malnutrition, dehydration and injuries, they said, are far more commonly associated with abuse or negligence. Even deaths by causes like suicide, they said, are frequently avoidable because most residents are too frail to take their lives easily. In addition, suicidal residents typically exhibit symptoms that should have led to interventions. Responding to follow-up questions, the department confirmed to PennLive that it investigated all 259 death-related adverse incidents. That means, based on PennLive's tally of 46 care-related deaths from state inspection reports, the department didn't find homes at fault in 213 of 259 cases where residents died due to circumstances typically associated with abuse or negligence. Some advocates believe that discrepancy is improbably large. They believe it suggests that the department has failed to properly investigate or cite deadly failures by nursing homes. Matching sanction data Regardless of whether avoidable deaths might have been overlooked by the state, PennLive wanted to know how the department was penalizing nursing homes for the errors it did catch. But figuring that out also wasn't as easy as it sounds. In Pennsylvania, as with about half of all states, penalties consist of two parts: First, a federal penalty, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services but recommended by the health department and, second, a state penalty issued by the health department itself. Data on federal penalties are kept in a separate dataset from citations. To figure out what federal penalties were issued for particular citations, PennLive had to match the datasets together using nursing home names and inspection dates. Meanwhile, state-issued penalties are unavailable on the website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the state health department's website. To get that data, PennLive had to specifically request it from the health department and then, like the federal data, match nursing home names and inspection dates with its citation data. By combining that information together, PennLive was able to see that the health department rarely issued penalties against nursing homes for contributing to resident deaths. Additionally, it rarely recommended that the federal government issue its own penalties. Checking our data Finally, to ensure the accuracy of our data, PennLive sent its list of care-related deaths with their accompanying penalties to the health department. PennLive asked the department whether it had missed any citations for deaths due to negligence. The department didn't dispute PennLive's findings. However, the department highlighted four cases where penalty information was missing from PennLive's data. That information were absent due to inconsistencies in state and federal datasets. Those incidents involved the following nursing homes: Hearthside Rehabilitation and Nursing Center; Golden LivingCenter-Waynesburg; Golden LivingCenter-Rosemont, and Harrison Senior Living of Christiana. PennLive updated its data accordingly before conducting its final analyses. China said to create two State steel giants Updated: 2016-08-02 07:26 (China Daily) A worker in a steel plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY China is considering a sweeping overhaul of its steel industry that would consolidate major steel producers into two giants, with one located in the north and the other in the south, according to people familiar with the plan. Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp and Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp will be merged into Southern China Steel Group, while Shougang Group and Hebei Iron & Steel Group will combine into Northern China Steel Group, said the people, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential. The combinations will give Chinese steel mills the scale to rival global giants such as ArcelorMittal SA. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration didn't respond to a request for comment, while a Baosteel Group spokesman declined to comment when reached by Bloomberg. The mergers would enhance government efforts to reduce capacity in the world's biggest producer as part of its drive to overhaul an inefficient sector and bolster an economy growing at its slowest in decades. China's crude steel-producing capacity reached a record of 1.2 billion tons at the end of 2015, according to the China Iron & Steel Association. The plan "will help accelerate eliminating excess steel capacities as the companies will remove duplicated products," Helen Lau, an analyst at Argonaut Securities Asia Ltd, said from Hong Kong. Bloomberg Though the Carlisle attorney who pleaded guilty to bilking numerous clients to feed a gambling addiction won't be sentenced until Thursday, more than $500,000 has already been reimbursed to his victims. That makes up most of the client funds that Karl Rominger, 43, was charged with misusing. The reimbursed funds have come from a state program that protects clients from such thefts. Rominger is set for sentencing at 9 a.m. Thursday in Cumberland County Court on one count of theft by deception and 18 counts of misappropriation of entrusted funds. Rominger also pleaded guilty last month in federal court to tax-evasion charges. Meanwhile, Carlisle-based attorney and president of the Cumberland County Bar Association Hubert Gilroy said the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security has reimbursed much of the $767,000-plus that Rominger owes in restitution. And some local attorneys, including Gilroy, have been working to make sure the victims get the money they are owed in this complex case that took intense forensic-accounting to unravel. "A number of attorneys in Cumberland County have stepped up and worked with a number of these victims to help them make applications to the client security fund, and we're doing that on a pro bono basis. We're not charging them anything," Gilroy said. "We police our own profession and take care of these victims as soon as possible." So far, the fund has paid out $573,783.06 to Rominger's victims, said the fund's executive director, Kathryn Peifer Morgan. The organization is funded through a portion of the annual licensing fee attorneys pay, she explained. Disbarred or suspended attorneys whose former clients are paid back through the fund must reimburse the fund - plus 10 percent interest - before they can be considered for reinstatement, she added. And getting one's law license back is no easy feat. Elaine Bixler of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania said attorneys who have been disbarred must wait a minimum of five years before applying for reinstatement. Even then, they have at least a year to go through the reinstatement process, and that petition has to go through a hearing committee, which, in turn, will give a recommendation to the disciplinary board. The state Supreme Court ultimately has the final say, she said. A number of factors are taken into account when considering whether or not to allow a disbarred attorney to practice law again. Much of it has to do with the egregiousness of the conduct that led to them losing their license in the first place and whether or not restitution has been paid. Rominger could face a maximum sentence of 56 years in prison. When Rominger pleaded guilty in May, Cumberland County First Assistant District Attorney Jaime Keating said he wasn't yet sure what range of a sentence he would recommend to Adams County Judge Michael George, who was brought in to hear the case. The federal case could net Rominger 6 years in prison on top of his forthcoming Cumberland County sentence. Rominger was a prominent area attorney who took on many high-profile cases, including being part of the defense team in the Jerry Sandusky child-sex case. do not use Jessica Watsula and daughter, Sarah (submitted) A celebration of life service for the 35-year-old Lebanon woman who was swept away in a flash flood Saturday in Ellicott City, Md. will be held Friday. Jessica Watsula had been spending an evening with relatives when she was washed away in floodwaters Saturday in Ellicott City, Md. A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Andrew T. Scheid Funeral Home, 121 S. Prince St., Lancaster. Viewings will be held at the home between 6-8 p.m. Thursday and from 10-11 a.m. Friday. Watsula had driven to Maryland to meet her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law for dinner and a painting class in the historic downtown, her brother, Curtis Brubaker Jr., told the Baltimore Sun. As they left a restaurant on Main Street, floodwaters began to sweep the car down the street, said the report. Three of them were able to hold onto a telephone pole as waist-high water washed down the street, but Watsula was swept away, he said. Brubaker said he drove to Maryland and helped search for his sister, who was found around 2:20 a.m. Sunday on banks of the Patapsco River on the Baltimore County side, near the Ilchester Road bridge, said the report. She was one of two people who died in Saturday's flooding. The other person who died was Joseph Anthony Blevins, 38, of Windsor Mill, Md. Watsula, formerly Jessica Brubaker, was born and raised in Lancaster County. Formerly of Marticville, she is a 1999 graduate of Penn Manor High School, and worked at Famous Footwear in Lebanon. Brubaker described her as "all-around sweet girl with a big heart," and said she was a hard worker who loved animals and the outdoors. "Jessica was a very upbeat, very bubbly person who had a smile that was contagious that you could see coming a mile away," said the Rev. Dean Cover of Living Waters Chapel in Lebanon, where Watsula was a member for eight years. "She was devoted to her daughter - her life was her daughter," he added, regarding Watsula's daughter Sarah Grace, 10. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to a college fund for her daughter, for which details will be announced later. Cover said Watsula lived in the Lebanon area, and worked at Famous Footwear. Truck bomb kills 4 in Kabul Updated: 2016-08-02 00:44 (Xinhua) KABUL -- At least four people including a policeman and three attackers were killed, and three policemen were injured in a truck bomb targeting a foreign guest house in Kabul, police said on Monday. The attack took place in Pul-e-Charkhi locality in the eastern edge of Kabul city, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. One militant exploded his explosive-laden truck next to North Gate Hotel, a foreign guest house, at 01:30 a.m. local time, Rahimi told reporters at the site of the blast. A police personnel and an attacker were killed in the blast and three others injured. The police also gunned down two more terrorists who took position at a nearby building, Rahimi said. According to Rahimi no civilians were injured. The guest house next to the bombing site was frequented by foreigners. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack. Zabihullah Majahid, who claimed to speak for the Taliban outfit in contact with media outlets, said the attack killed several foreigners. He said the bombing, followed by gunshots, was targeting North Gate Hotel which was frequented by U.S. citizens. Locals at the site, however, reported higher number of casualties than announced by Kabul police chief. Dozens of houses and shops around the blast site were also destroyed or badly damaged. What would you do with Prince Harrys phone number? Call him to read Shakespeares sonnets? Text him daily marriage proposals? Sell it to the highest bidder? If youre Margot Robbie, its none of the above. In fact, the Suicide Squad star takes days sometimes weeks to text the royal back. Robbie revealed her very important phone contact in an interview with E! News. She was first introduced to the prince by her Suicide Squad co-star (and royal pal) Cara Delevingne. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. Theyve know each other for years, and we met through friends, Robbie said. Although, when they first met, at Suki Waterhouses housewarming party, Robbie didnt recognize Harry, and thought he was another famous ginger-haired Brit instead: Ed Sheeran. He got really offended, she told Jimmy Fallon back in March. She tried to defend herself, saying: He wasnt wearing a crown though! Like, I dont know its a prince! Clearly, Harry didnt hold it against her, nor does he begrudge her delayed responses to his messages. WATCH: Is Margot Robbie a Perfect Match for Prince Harry? Hes pretty quick on text actually, Robbie told Extra. Unlike me I write back four days later, weeks later sometimes. And no, shes not playing hard to get: Robbie lives with her boyfriend Tom Ackerley in London. And if shes going to keep living in the city, she might want to brush up on her royal knowledge mixing up Harry is one thing, but she wouldnt want to run into the Queen and mistake her for Helen Mirren! 5 feared dead as Russian helicopter shot down Updated: 2016-08-02 01:34 (AGENCIES) The wreckage of a Russian helicopter lies smoldering in Syria's Idlib province after it was shot down on Monday. [Photo/Agencies] All five people on board a Russian military helicopter that was shot down over Syria on Monday are believed to have died, the Kremlin said. The Russian Defense Ministry said the helicopter was shot down over the Syrian province of Idlib. "A Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down from the ground in Idlib province after delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo," the ministry said in a statement. "There were three crew members and two officers from the Russian reconciliation center in Syria on board," it said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed condolences over the deaths of the five soldiers. "As far as we know from the information we've had from the Defense Ministry, those in the helicopter died. They died heroically, because they were trying to move the aircraft away to minimize victims on the ground," he said. Photos shared widely on social networks by Syrian opposition activists on Monday purported to depict the smoking aircraft in the desert and personal belongings of those inside, including Russian driver's licenses, passports and insurance cards, as well as Orthodox Christian icons. The authenticity of the pictures could not be independently confirmed. It was the third Russian helicopter lost in action in Syria this year. In July, an Mi-25 attack helicopter was shot down near Palmyra, killing two Russian pilots. The aircraft had been engaging advancing Islamic State militants at the Syrian Army's request when it was taken down, the Russian Defense Ministry said. In April, an Mi-28N attack helicopter crashed while flying near the city of Homs, with the Defense Ministry stressing it was not shot down. The crash killed both pilots, with technical failure cited by Moscow as the likely cause of the accident. Monday's helicopter downing was the deadliest for the Russians since Moscow began carrying out airstrikes in Syria last September. Director of U.S. Office of Indian Education visits East Jordan schools Julian Guerrero Jr. visited the district to discuss their Title VI policies and see their Native American education opportunities. China influence can soften blow of Brexit Updated: 2016-08-02 07:54 By Sophie He in Hong Kong(HK Edition) David Dodwell (left), executive director of Hong Kong-APEC Trade Policy Study Group, believes that China is a stabilizing force for the global economy in the aftermath of Brexit. The outcome of Brexit is expected to be catastrophic for Britain, and the price paid will be substantial for a very long time, David Dodwell, executive director of Hong Kong-APEC Trade Policy Study Group, told a roundtable forum on Friday in Hong Kong. Dodwell told China Daily that it is not the phenomenon of Brexit that will worry investors, it is that Brexit is the product of a rather disturbing political and social development that is occurring across a large number of economies. If the malaise continues to get worse, it will hurt all of us, Dodwell warned. Brexit is a setback for a lot of aspects of the British economy, Dodwell said. He mentioned that the UK will have to face the substantial challenge of renegotiating trading agreements with other countries and regions; meanwhile, the situation will make it very difficult for labor to move around Europe. "People moving around is positive to the economy, as labor can match their skills against needs," he explained. But Dodwell pointed out that China is a stabilizing force for the world, and he believes that the British government as well as British companies are hoping that despite the difficult situation they have created, still the buoyant companies from China can create jobs and help stabilize things in the UK. "From a bilateral point of view, I see China beneficially impacting the UK to help them in a rather difficult situation. I don't see the UK has such powerful influence over China, since China is a much bigger economy." He said that going forward, the best thing that the Chinese mainland can do is to continue to grow, focusing on stimulus economic growth. As a large economy like the Chinese mainland grows steadily, small and specialized economies like Hong Kong will continue to benefit from it. Dodwell warned that it is irrational to talk about shutting the doors to the Chinese mainland due to the anxiety and depression that people have been feeling from economic setbacks, as a free flow of business can only be beneficial to Hong Kong people. He suggested that there are some things that the central government can do to help Hong Kong, such as inclusion of more mainland cities into the Individual Visit Scheme. Mainland residents who are not eligible to apply for the endorsement under the visiting program have to come to Hong Kong in groups, Dodwell said. "Think about it, when tourists have to move in groups, they are very noticeable and will attract a lot of attention," he said, adding that if they come as couples or families they will be less noticeable and likely to spend more, which will help tourism and the retail industry in the city. sophiehe@chinadailyhk.com The thin air and long fast tracks demanded the absolute best of the riders physical abilities with the challenge of Colorado, very different to the last round in the Italian Alps. Richard Cunynghame guides you through the two days of racing. Poker in Lima, Peru: Reviews of the Fiesta, Majestic, and Atlantic City August 02, 2016 Ashley Adams If you're headed to Peru any time soon, we've got good news for you. There's legal poker in Peru. Yep! You can still get your poker fix when in Peru. Phew! It is spread in three poker rooms in Lima, the nation's capital. All three rooms are conveniently located within an easy walk of one another, in the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores. Two are less than a block apart, making it possible to sample them all during even a brief stay in the city. Peru uses the sol for currency. Currently the conversion rate is a little over 3 soles to $1 USD. Even so, some of the poker that's spread is spread in dollars. Following Peruvian usage, I will use "S/." to indicate soles (and "$" for dollars). Changing dollars into soles and back again is very easy, and with little to no risk of getting a bad rate. The casinos all offer the official bank rate when you buy your soles (provided you are planning on using the currency in the casino). They also give you the bank rate when you buy back your dollars, even without a receipt for the original transaction. That's exactly what I did. In other words, unlike in other casinos around the world, no money was lost as a result of changing money from one currency into the other. The three rooms in Lima are the Fiesta, the Majestic, and the Atlantic City. I visited them all during a recent three-day stay in the city, and here's my report on each of them. The Fiesta Hotel & Casino 509 Benavides Avenue Miraflores, Lima +51 (511) 610-4150 The Fiesta is the least appealing of the rooms, though not for reasons of ambience. It's a nicely appointed, small segregated room up on the second floor to the right as you enter the casino. The problem at the Fiesta is that they may not have a game going. Though the announced official opening hour of the poker room was listed as 6 p.m., and though the poker room manager said that poker would be definitely be underway by 8 p.m. on Saturday night, I waited until 9:30 p.m. and they had nothing, just a dealer and a room manager. They did offer me a free beverage and even a meal, but alas, not a game. When they do have a game, it's S/.5/5 no limit with a S/.200 minimum and no maximum, with a 4% rake up to S/.70 maximum per hand. They do not offer tournaments at this time. Casino Majestic 615 Malecon De la Reserva Miraflores, Lima +51 (511) 217-7000 The Majestic, nicely located right by the water, offers an active poker room. They start their action at 7:30 p.m. or so, with the last game tending to end around 2-3 a.m. although officially the room is open for play from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. They have five tables altogether, two of which were in action on the Saturday night I visited. They spread S/.5/5 no limit with a S/.300 minimum and no maximum. About half the players had at or near the minimum in our game, while a few players had many thousands of soles. I'd guess that the average stack was between S./500 and S./600 (or about $150-$180 USD). Their rake is a seemingly modest 4%, but they rake the pot up to a maximum of S./70. Straddles of any amount are allowed from any position, including a Mississippi straddle from the button. Typically, players straddle for S/.10 on the button, though I saw a S/.20 and S/.50 straddle while I watched. There are twice-weekly tournaments, modestly priced at S/.50 but just "for the ladies." The room offers active players a free full plate of food and unlimited complimentary beverages, served at the table. Atlantic City Casino 430 Benavides Avenue Miraflores, Lima +51 (511) 705-4400 The Atlantic City is, without question, the most active poker room of the three in Lima. This is where PokerStars' Latin American Poker Tour has made frequent visits in the past. Their games always go off as scheduled at 6 p.m. They always have cash games, put on daily tournaments, and feature a large base of players. The night I visited, at six o'clock they had three satellites going for their 8 p.m. tournament, and a S/.5/5 cash game going. Later in the evening they had two S/.5/5 games running, and I was told they sometimes have three or four such games going later in the evening, once the tournament is over. I was also told they occasionally spread a $25/$50 cash game, with a $5,000 minimum buy-in, but that wasn't going on the Sunday I played. The 8 p.m. tourney ended up with four full tables. That didn't put a dent in the cash game which had a few players on a waiting list even as the tournament got started. The Atlantic City claims to have "the lowest rake in all of South America." I can't verify that, not having checked on all the rooms on the continent, but it surely is the lowest rake in Lima, at 3% with a S/.52 maximum. I played in both the $110 tournament ($100 into the prize pool; $10 to the house) and in the cash game three hours in the former and four hours in the latter. I found the play to be roughly the same in both games. Both tournament and the cash game had one or two strong, tight-aggressive, hard-to-read players at the table who regularly bombarded the pot with raises. Meanwhile the rest of the players were moderately tight, timid, easy to read, and easy to manipulate. If it wasn't the easiest casino game I've seen in the last ten years, it was surely at the very top of the list. It reminded me of no-limit cash games when they first started to be spread online that is, before so many people learned what no-limit hold'em was all about. Even with the large total amount of rake coming out of large pots, I think a solid player would have a very good chance of winning money in this room surely in the cash game, and maybe even in the tournaments. They also had a very nice perk. They spread a modest buffet of chicken fried rice, vegetables, and flan for dessert that was free to any players in the room. All three of the casinos, including their poker rooms, are non-smoking as a matter of Peruvian law. Though the casinos operate on a 24/7 basis, the poker rooms and other table games are only allowed to be open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Though I wouldn't put Lima on my list of places to visit strictly for poker, it's nice to know there is some really good poker in the city if you happen to be there for other purposes. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! A Springville, AL, police officer was rushed to the hospital Sunday night after his car was hit while he was working on Interstate 59, reports AL.com. Springville Fire Chief Richard Harvey said the officer, whose name hasn't been released, was working traffic control for firefighters who were battling a car blaze. The location of the scene was on I-59 at mile marker 155 between the two Springville exits, and the crash happened about 5:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes. An oncoming motorist topped the hill and crashed into the officer's vehicle from behind, Harvey said. The officer was taken to UAB Hospital. The fire chief said the injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. The motorist who struck the officer was taken to St. Vincent's. Senior Trooper Chuck Daniel said three other vehicles crashed following that accident, but no additional injuries were reported. A former police officer killed himself Saturday night after a highway chase with New Jersey State police, who later discovered the body of the man's wife in the vehicle's trunk, reports the Associated Press. Franklin Osgood, 61, a former police officer in Providence, RI, was pronounced dead at about 11:30 p.m. at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. His wife, Mary Jo Osgood, was pronounced dead at the scene about two hours later. New Jersey State Troopers located the car Osgood was driving Saturday night. Osgood refused to pull over and eventually ran off the road, hit a guardrail, and struck a car driven by a trooper. Troopers found Osgood with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when they approached the car. Mary Jo Osgood's body was discovered in the trunk. K-9 Hyde was stabbed twice. (Photo: Lakeland PD) A man suspected of aggravated assault is being charged with stabbing a Lakeland (FL) Police Department K-9 while fleeing police. Lakeland police responded to a report of an aggravated assault at the Crestwood Hotel Friday night. Upon arrival, officers interviewed a female victim, 24-year-old Raquel Rios, that had been strangled with a dog leash. The suspect, 42-year-old Reuben B. Smith, had already fled the scene in a vehicle headed to Hillsborough County, armed with a knife. At approximately 3:00 a.m., Smith had returned to Lakeland and was spotted driving eastbound on George Jenkins Boulevard. After seeing officers, Smith sped off and a vehicle pursuit began. During the pursuit, Smith intentionally drove off the roadway on Swindell Road at the Interstate 4 overpass. He rammed the barrier fence attempting to drive onto the interstate but disabled his vehicle upon hitting the ditch. Smith then fled on foot, running eastbound along the shoulder of the interstate for several hundred yards before ducking into a wooded area. Canine Officer Jeremy Williams and his K-9 partner Hyde responded to the area and began tracking Smith. Officer Williams briefly lost sight of Hyde in the wooded area and attempted to call him back, but Hyde did not return. Moments later Officer Williams found Smith holding the K-9 down. Hyde had been stabbed twice, once in the left front leg and once in the left side chest. Both injuries required sutures but appeared to be non-life threatening. K-9 Hyde was released after treatment. Smith continued resisting arrest, but was taken into custody. Trentan Nace, 18, and Marquell Rentas, 17, are being charged with attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer. A 17-year-old has been charged with attempting to shoot and kill four police officers in Columbia in Lancaster County, PA, early Friday morning. After he was found and taken into custody, Marquell Rentas, 17, of Columbia, told police, "I was shooting at you; F-you, police," Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said during a news conference Saturday morning. Stedman said the incident was "senseless" and "the facts are chilling," reports the Patriot-News. A second man, Trenton Nace, 18, of Columbia, has been charged with helping Rentas carry out the shootings. Stedman said Nace was handing bullets to Rentas and picking up the spent shell casings. Officers were called to the area just before 3:30 a.m. after receiving a call about shots fired. More than a half-dozen shots were fired at officers responding to the scene. The shooting stopped at about 4:10 a.m. No injuries were reported. "What's clear is, as the police officers arrived, they are the intended targets," Stedman said. Both Rentas and Nace have been charged with four counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, assault of a law-enforcement officer, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment. Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca withdrew his guilty plea Monday to a charge of lying during an FBI investigation into the county's jails, opting instead for a trial, reports the Los Angeles Times. In deciding to walk away from the agreement he struck with federal prosecutors, Baca opened the door to the government bringing a broader and more serious case against him that could include charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy in addition to the lying allegation. Michael Zweiback, one of Baca's attorneys, said he expected prosecutors to level the more serious charges, which mirror those brought against Baca's former second-in-command, Paul Tanaka, who was convicted earlier this year in an obstruction-of-justice case stemming from the same FBI investigation. Baca's decision came after U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said last month that he would reject the plea deal, which had limited the former sheriff's prison time to a maximum of six months. Anderson had sentenced Tanaka to five years in prison. After withdrawing his plea, Baca told a horde of reporters on the steps of the downtown courthouse that he had done so because of "untruthful statements" made by the judge and prosecutors about his involvement in a scheme by sheriff's officials to thwart the FBI's jail probe. He did not specify what was untruthful. Instead, reading from a prepared statement, Baca referenced his recent diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease and said the inevitable progression of the illness had injected an element of urgency into the case. "I need to set the record straight about me and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on the misleading aspects of the federal investigation while I am capable of doing so," said Baca, who retired in 2014. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Hillary Clinton held a rally in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday. No, thats not a typo she really campaigned in the deeply red state. Now, dont get too carried away: Nebraska is a safe Republican state and thats not likely to change in 2016. John McCain won it by 15 points in 2008 and Romney beat President Obama there by a whopping 22 percentage points in 2012. So why is Clinton rallying voters in the Cornhusker State? Well, according to The Washington Post: Nebraska is one of only two states that awards part of its electoral votes based on outcomes in congressional districts. The other is Maine. In Nebraskas case, two of the states five electoral votes go to the statewide winner. That is almost certain to be Trump. The other three are distributed on the basis of performance in Nebraskas three congressional districts. One of those districts the 2nd is more moderate than the rest of the state, giving Clinton an opening to steal an electoral vote from Trump. Obama was able to win the district over McCain in 2008, despite losing the state overall. Joining the Democratic nominee in Omaha was billionaire Warren Buffet who skewered Trump, particularly on the issue of his tax returns. Video: Warren Buffet challenges Donald Trump to show his tax returns, says he's 'afraid.' https://t.co/QJShktYKothttps://t.co/xyoB4UUSvG ABC News (@ABC) August 1, 2016 Buffet challenged Trump to release his tax returns: I would be delighted to meet him any place, anytime between now and election. Ill bring my tax return, he can bring his tax return. Nobodys gonna arrest us. The billionaire accused the Republican nominee of being afraid to release the documents, saying, Youre only afraid if youve got something to be afraid about. Clintons appearance in Nebraska is the latest example that the Democrats hope to put in play traditionally conservative areas of the country, and that she is fighting for every last electoral vote. Just today, in fact, a Landmark/Rosetta Stone poll of Georgia shows Clinton and Trump tied in the state, 45-45. With the minority population in the Peach State topping 40 percent and Trumps numbers underwater with all non-white voting groups, this is another state where the Democratic nominee could possibly pick off in November. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trump fuming like a child who had a toy taken from him continued to spiral out of control on Monday night at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he called Hillary Clinton the devil. Yes, he actually said that. Video: .@realDonaldTrump says @BernieSanders made "a deal with the devil" in Hillary Clinton: "She's the devil" https://t.co/8F9I4kLbHo ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 2, 2016 Referring to Bernie Sanders throwing his full support behind the Democratic nominee, Trump said the Vermont senator made a deal with the devil. Shes the devil, the spray-tanned buffoon added, much to the delight of the torch-wielding mob in attendance. Though its become difficult to be shocked by anything Trump says at this point, his harsh and disgusting attack on Clinton was still surprising. This tweet from NBC News reporter Ali Vitali sums is up quite well: A few of us here just had to check. Yes, Trump just called Hillary Clinton the devil. Ali Vitali (@alivitali) August 2, 2016 The Republican nominees increasingly hateful campaign rhetoric comes as he continues to double down on his attacks on Gold Star parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Whats clear by the last several days is that Trump is making no effort to appeal to anyone outside of his angry, white, low-information base of supporters. They eat this disgusting rhetoric up, but it does nothing to appeal to sane, middle-of-the-road Americans who want a president that doesnt act out like a child. Its those voters who will be central to choosing the next president not those foolishly shouting lock her up. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print It looks like Donald Trump is already generating excuses for his probable loss to Hillary Clinton this fall. During a speech in Columbus, Ohio, Trump expressed his fear that the November election is going to be rigged, essentially giving his supporters permission to question the legitimacy of the results if Clinton ends up winning something likely to happen if the current odds are any indicator. Video: .@realDonaldTrump on general election: Im afraid the elections going to be rigged. https://t.co/kWyyUU03lX ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 1, 2016 Trump said, Im afraid the elections going to be rigged. I have to be honest. Why start being honest now, Don? The truth is that Donald Trump and the GOP are increasingly worried that they are headed for a loss to Hillary Clinton this fall. According to The New York Times: Even as Mr. Trump has ticked up in national polls in recent weeks, senior Republicans say his path to the 270 Electoral College votes needed for election has remained narrow and may have grown even more precarious. It now looks exceedingly difficult for him to assemble even the barest Electoral College majority without beating Hillary Clinton in a trifecta of the biggest swing states: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. President Obama won all three states in 2008 and 2012, and no Republican has won Pennsylvania in nearly three decades. Most folks understand that the odds of a Donald Trump presidency are slim (although still possible), and the Republican nominee is just planning ahead. His hateful rhetoric, lack of policy knowledge, and childish temperament have nothing to do with why he would lose to Clinton its all the result of a rigged election system. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trumps bad day keeps getting worse as the Republican nominee released a statement throwing a fit on Facebook after President Obama called him unfit for the White House. The Trump campaign didnt apologize for kicking a baby out of a rally. Instead, they pulled the Republican version of, hey, look at this instead, by releasing a statement on Facebook about Clinton and Obamas failed leadership: Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi. Then they put Iran on the path to nuclear weapons. Then they allowed dozens of veterans to die waiting for medical care that never came. Hillary Clinton put the whole country at risk with her illegal email server, deleted evidence of her crime, and lied repeatedly about her conduct which endangered us all. They released criminal aliens into our country who killed one innocent American after another like Sarah Root and Kate Steinle and have repeatedly admitted migrants later implicated in terrorism. They have produced the worst recovery since the Great Depression. They have shipped millions of our best jobs overseas to appease their global special interests. They have betrayed our security and our workers, and Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. She is reckless with her emails, reckless with regime change, and reckless with American lives. Our nation has been humiliated abroad and compromised by radical Islam brought onto our shores. We need change now. Trump KICKED A CRYING BABY OUT OF A RALLY, and he has the nerve to claim that President Obama is a failed president, and Hillary Clinton unfit for the White House. The Trump campaign is being overwhelmed. They cant keep up with the scandals their own candidate is generating, and the Democratic campaign for the White House. Donald Trump is micromanager of the highest degree, so it clear that the I know you are, but what am I type of statement put out by the Trump campaign after President Obamas comments came at the direction of the candidate. Trump had a horrible weekend after he attacked the Gold Star Khan family, but he has found a way to make the situation even worse. The Republican nominee is losing the presidential election, and he is throwing tantrums in every direction as his White House dream is being ground into dust. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print *The following is an opinion column by R Muse* Nearly every four years Americans hear a phrase, elections can be dirty affairs. Its a phrase that should never be applicable in a representative democracy, and not just regarding nasty candidates resorting to mudslinging to demean their opponents character. Likely one of defining moments elucidating that phrases veracity was the Nixon-era Watergate scandal that brought a sitting president so low he was forced to resign in shame. Today that could never happen because regardless the treasonous scandal, Republicans are incapable of having any shame. America is in the midst of a dirtier affair in 2016 than the Watergate scandal because today a political candidate received, and is openly seeking more, campaign assistance from a hostile foreign government with little response or condemnation from the Republican Partys leaders. Now it appears there is a good reason why the RNC or congressional Republicans have not condemned Donald Trumps allegiance to Russia, or his willingness to assist Vladimir Putting neuter American or NATO resistance to Russian aggression and imperialism. There is every reason to believe, based on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps own statements, that the campaign aid rolling in from Russia is an investment to assure Vladimir Putin that America will allow Russia unrestricted access to rebuild the dreaded former Soviet Union. There is a world of noise about Donald Trumps embrace of Vladimir Putin, particularly his obvious eagerness to help Russia annex NATO members, including a nation aspiring to NATO membership, Ukraine. It has been curious, and a mystery really, that none of the Republicans in Congress clamoring for the Obama Administration to engage Russia with militarily aid to assist in the defense of Ukraine a couple of years ago, and Georgia for that matter, have not condemned Trumps cozy Russian relationship. It is not a mystery any longer. A damning article in the Guardian revealed that not only is Donald Trump in bed with Russia, a key figure at the Republican national convention has strong business ties with Ukraine, and that the official RNC party platform astonishingly removed references to arming Ukraine in its fight against pro-Russia rebels; rebels who are and have been receiving material support from the Vladimir Putin. The article states: Analysts suggest[a] primary motivation for the WikiLeaks email dump [is] doing harm to Clinton; and boosting Trump who broke from Republican policy by suggesting the US would not automatically come to the aid of NATO allies [under attack]. Also, it is very important to remember that Trump said that if elected he would recognize that part of Ukraine, Crimea, is Russian territory. The reason a pro-Russian policy was included in the official RNC platform is because the coordinator of the Washington diplomatic corps for the Republicans in Cleveland was Frank Mermoud, a former state department official involved in various business ventures in Ukraine. Not surprising, pro-Russia Mermoud has longstanding ties to Trumps campaign chairman, Paul Manafort who worked as a campaign adviser to a former disgraced pro-Russia Ukrainian president and Vladimir Putin ally who now lives in exile in Russia. The Guardian report noted that Manafort was brought in to oversee the convention operations and that his pro-Russian cohort Frank Mermoud was a key figure at the Republican convention; most likely because he has strong business ties with Ukraine, to which others in Trumps orbit have been linked. This business-tie link to pro-Russia Ukrainians is particularly damning as questions of Donald Trumps patriotism and loyalty to Russia and its president continue to grow. The question about why no Republican has come out and condemned Trump for his allegiance to Russia and apparent willingness to lead an American role in Russian aggression and annexation crusade is now abundantly clear; it is the official foreign policy position of the RNC. The harshest criticism of the RNCs no aid to Ukraine policy came not from any Republican, but from Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. Mook said, It was concerning that Donald Trump changed the Republican platform to become what some experts would regard as pro-Russian. One veteran Republican Party operative and lobbyist, Charlie Black, said that the new position in the platform doesnt have much support from Republicans and he added that the sudden shift in GOP foreign policy was unusual. The official RNC aid Russias annexation of Ukraine policy is a stunning reversal, and it was said to be condemned by some Republicans, but only Ohio Senator Rob Portman spoke out and described it as deeply troubling. Still, it was not troubling enough to purge it from the partys official foreign policy agenda and not troubling enough for typically pro-defend our allies Republicans to condemn. It is abundantly clear now that no leading Republican is going to criticize Trumps embrace of Russia, or his pledge that if elected he will bow to the will of Vladimir Putin. How can they? It is written into the official RNC platform to aid Putins annexation of Ukraine by refusing to assist the nation in defending itself from Russian aggression. This is a shocking reversal for the Republican Party, but an indication that Donald Trump and his pro-Putin operatives now control the GOPs foreign policy agenda. If Trump was not the undisputed leader of the party, Republicans who are typically strong on aiding Americas allies like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, or even Tom Cotton would have banned the inclusion of a blatant pro-Russian policy in the official party platform; but they didnt. And they didnt because now that Trump and his pro-Russia operatives have seized control of the party, coupled with the tacit approval of the establishment, it is clear that the official RNC is as much in bed with Russia as its pro-Putin leader Donald Trump, and if they arent, why is there no outrage from leading Republicans in Congress? Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Every presidential election has defining moments, and when Donald Trump kicked a baby out of his rally in Virginia, he may have defined this election in a clear way that will lead to Hillary Clinton being elected president. At first, Donald Trump said all the right things about a mom who was trying to get her crying baby to settle down, but as the baby continued to cry, Trump couldnt help himself and let his real character show. Video: Baby cries Trump: "I hear that baby crying, I like it! MOMENTS LATER Trump: "you can get the baby outta here" https://t.co/hygTDAakzO Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) August 2, 2016 When Trump told the woman with the baby to leave his rally, it was Mitt Romneys 47% moment. It was John McCain saying the fundamentals of our economy are strong as the economy melted down around him. Trumps behavior was a confirmation of what most voters long suspected about the Republican nominee. In less than two minutes, perception became reality. Donald Trump confirmed that the only person on this planet that he cares about is Donald Trump. If this was an isolated gaffe, Trump might be given a break, but the coldness he showed towards to a baby is part of an ongoing long-term pattern of behavior. Trump objectifies women, treats minorities like they are criminals, mocks people with disabilities, attacks families who lost their children in combat, and now has kicked a baby out of his rally. Hillary Clinton talks with joy about being a grandmother anytime she is asked, while Donald Trump tosses crying babies out of his rallies. If Trump will toss a baby out of his event, it is easy to imagine what he would do as president to other vulnerable members of American society. If Trump cant treat a baby with compassion, he cant be expected to show any compassion to our veterans, elder Americans, the disabled, the poor, the uninsured, the underpaid, immigrants, or anyone in American society who is not a rich white man like Donald Trump. Trump turned perception into reality when he kicked out the baby, and in the process may have just gotten Hillary Clinton elected president. WASHINGTON American factories expanded for a fifth straight month in July, another sign that U.S. manufacturers are recovering from damage caused by a strong dollar. But a measure of factory employment fell. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its manufacturing index last month read 52.6. That's down from 53.2 in June, but anything higher than 50 signals growth. Production grew faster. New orders grew at a slightly slower pace. But the ISM, a trade group of purchasing managers, said employment contracted in July after having risen modestly in June. It has now dropped in seven of the past eight months. A separate report by the Labor Department shows that U.S. factories have shed 29,000 jobs over the past year. "Things are solid now but not robust," said Brad Holcomb, chair of the ISM's manufacturing survey committee. "You just don't want to add permanent employees until have to and until you see that things are even stronger." ADVERTISEMENT Still, U.S. factory activity overall has recovered after being pounded by economic weakness overseas and a strong dollar, which made their goods costlier in foreign markets. The ISM index stayed below 50 from October through February before turning positive in March. "Overall, this suggests that the manufacturing sector is continuing to gradually recover," Andrew Hunter, U.S. economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note. But he added that continuing global economic weakness means that "a strong recovery in manufacturing activity remains unlikely in the near term." Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union has created a major uncertainty for American manufacturers. A separate ISM survey last month found that 38 percent of manufacturers expect the so-called Brexit vote to hurt their business. The decision raises doubts about the future of trade between Britain and the EU. The Commerce Department reported last week that orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods fell in June by the largest amount in nearly two years. But the details were a bit better. The figure was dragged down by a big drop in the volatile commercial aircraft category. And a category viewed as a proxy for business investment plans rose in June after two months of declines. The government reported Friday that the U.S. economy expanded at a disappointing 1.2 percent annual rate in the second quarter after growing just 0.8 percent the first three months of the year. Business investment fell for the third straight quarter from April through June. MASON CITY, Iowa A former Iowa State Patrol supervisor has pleaded not guilty to accusations that he stole prescription medications seized during criminal investigations. Online court records say 31-year-old Michael Haugen, of Forest City, entered the plea Monday in Cerro Gordo County. A trial starting date has not been set. A court affidavit says Haugen has acknowledged removing pills from evidence bags about 18 times in up to eight different cases between late 2014 and April. An investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation found that he stole roughly 150 pills. Haugen acknowledged that he developed an addiction to painkillers while battling intestinal problems. Seniors and others who check their Social Security information online now are required to use "a text-enabled cell phone" to access their personal information. The more than 26 million Social Security account holders were notified of this new rule, which took effect Monday, by email late last week. A detailed statement about the change was posted on the Social Security website on Saturday. "Now, all new and current my Social Security account holders will need to provide a cell phone number able to receive text messages. People will not be able to access their personal my Social Security account if they do not have a cell phone or do not wish to provide the cell phone number," according to the announcement. This new rule is frustrating for people like Mary Pat Adams of Rochester. "I don't do text messaging, though I do have a cell phone. This means I can't log in online to see my account," she said Friday. "This is going to be a problem for a lot of people." ADVERTISEMENT The new "multifactor authentication" has users login into their "My Social Security" with their username and password, as before. However, it adds an additional step. Once a user logs into their account, a unique, one-time code is automatically sent to their cell phone via text. Then user must then enter that code within 10 minutes to access their personal information. The code expires after 10 minutes. The change is described as being necessary "to comply with Executive Order 13681, which requires federal agencies to provide more secure authentication for their online services." The abruptness of the change has caught more than just Adams by surprise. Local Social Security employees were not aware of the rule on Friday, even though it went into effect three days later. When called, one Rochester Social Security staffer struggled to find any reference to the new rule. He checked the administration's web site, which had no mention of the rule. Eventually, he came across a message about it on his office's intranet system. The worker, who did not want his name used, said there had been no mention of the change at any of the Rochester office's weekly employee briefings. The manager of the Rochester office referred all questions the Social Security office in Chicago. Doug Nguyen, Social Security's regional communications director, did not respond to questions on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, he sent an email with a link to a new statement posted on Social Security's website explaining the change. The abruptness of the change plus the lack of knowledge by staff made Adams suspicious. ADVERTISEMENT On Friday, she called a number on the email. The phone system required her to give personal information to reach to a person. Once she reached a live person, the woman did not know anything about the change. Adams became worried that she was being tricked and hung up. Her next step was to pack up the four visiting grandchildren staying with her and drive to Rochester's Social Security officer to ask about the new cell phone requirement. "When I finally saw someone, they were chagrined about the whole thing," she said. It turned out the staff had not been informed yet, but the Social Security worker talking to Adams had received the same email and was worried about how it wouaffect his mother. The 73-year-old Adams says many of her friends do not have cell phones or don't text with them. She feels this change is going to be "a real challenge" for many and will limit their access to information about their accounts. The Social Security statement acknowledges that this might cause problems for some people. "We are limited to text messages for the initial MFA implementation due to technical and resource constraints, but we expect to provide additional options in the future," according to the statement. "We understand that not everyone may have a cell phone or cell service. However, research shows that an overwhelming majority of American adults have cell phones and use them for texting." A 2015 Pew Research Center study found that 78 percent of U.S. adults ages 65 and older own a cellphone. The same study found that only 20 percent of U.S. adults ages 65 and older owned smartphones in 2015. Lower than expected project costs and new funding sources could give Rochester International Airport the lift it needs to get a needed project off the ground. The airport's current customs facility no longer meets the requirements of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to maintain its status as an international point of entry. Plans to increase the airport's customs facility from its current 450 square feet to a 20,000-square-foot facility in the main terminal hit a wall in June when the Minnesota Legislature left $5 million in requested project funding wrapped up in bonding bill that stalled at the end of the session. Airport Executive Director John Reed in June applied for funding assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration, though the project lacked the needed matching funds. That application returned a preliminary commitment for $7.3 million in federal discretionary funds, Reed said at a Monday night Rochester City Council meeting. Recent construction bids also came back with positive news for the airport: the project was estimated at a cost of about $15 million but the low bid for construction, from Kraus-Anderson, came in under $11.2 million. The total project cost is just over $12 million. ADVERTISEMENT The city of Rochester increased its commitment to the project at a Monday night meeting, from about $2.8 million to $3.8 million to bridge the funding gap. A final piece of funding came from the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics a preliminary commitment for $790,000. Reed said Monday the project had been scaled back to the bare minimum to keep the airport's international status. "We've pared this back down to what is absolutely necessary for us to continue to operate as an international facility," he said. The airport serves about 1,300 people annually in international flights; those travelers stay in Rochester an average of four days and spend about $625 a day in the city for non-medical expenses, Reed said. That comes out to about $3.25 million in annual spending in the city. International flights also purchased about 1.5 million gallons in fuel, Reed added. Council member Sandra Means said the project was "so essential" to Rochester to continue serving international guests. The city also hopes the state legislature is able to pass its bonding bill in a special session. If it does, the city would stand to recoup the additional $1 million it added in funding to the project. With the council's actions Monday evening, Reed said the federal and state funding sources could come through by late this month or early September, and the improvements would take place as quickly as possible. After a year holding the red ribbon, Mayo Clinic has reclaimed the coveted top spot in U.S. News & World Reports Best Hospitals rankings. The new rankings, released today, recognized the Rochester-based health care facility for its "breadth of excellence." Mayo finished No. 1 in eight of the 12 specialties, while also claiming the top spot for such categories as reputation, mortality index, patient safety, nurse staffing and Magnet status, patient services and technology. Massachusetts General Hospital earned the top spot in last year's rankings, while Mayo finished second. Massachusetts General is third in this year's rankings. Cleveland Clinic is ranked No. 2. Johns Hopkins Hospital is No. 4. Mayo received 418 points in U.S. News' scoring system. Cleveland Clinic had 378 points, Massachusetts General 371 points, and Johns Hopkins 349 points. Mayo CEO John Noseworthy says the new ranking "affirms the Mayo care model." ADVERTISEMENT "This basically demonstrates why Mayo has the most trusted name in health care globally," Noseworthy said. "That's why patients come from 140 countries and 50 states." Mayo sits atop the rankings thanks to its stellar performance in the individual specialties that were measured by the magazine. It ranked first in more specialties than any other hospital in the country, including diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology, and urology. Additionally, Mayo ranked second in orthopedics, cardiology and heart surgery, and ear, nose, and throat care. It finished third in cancer care. Noseworthy says he's most proud of Mayo's team-based care model, rather than the work of any specific discipline. "What we're really really good at is this physician-led team where all these experts work together," Noseworthy said. "That's the system we've engineered over the past (150) years. That's really our sweet spot. "You don't have to beg from favors from your colleagues because you're all working toward the same goal. That's really the secret sauce for our success." U.S. News & World Report has been compiling its list of best hospitals for 27 years, but didn't actually declare an overall No. 1 until 2014. Mayo has claimed top honors in two of the three years since then. Mayo was ranked as the top health care facility in three different states: Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. While the main Minnesota campus is in the midst of an ambitious $6 billion, 20-year expansion project dubbed Destination Medical Center, Noseworthy specifically cited Mayo's Florida campus as a site that's made major strides in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks largely to an aggressive recruiting effort for highly trained specialists made at the Jacksonville site, Mayo's ranking in Florida has risen from fifth in 2014 to fourth in 2015, to No. 1 in the latest analysis. "We've been steadily working on (working) together across the disciplines across the sites," Noseworthy said. "There's been a strong refocus in Florida and Arizona to establish them as regional, national and international care centers." Noseworthy said that the new rankings will be shared with Mayo staff right away, and banners will be hung at some facilities to mark the occasion. He says Mayo's top rankings are critical to attracting new patients from across the globe, many of whom consult the U.S. News & World Report rankings before deciding where to seek treatment. However, the news won't change anything from the initial vision and mission of the Mayo brothers. "We've been the most trusted name in health care for a very long time, according to market research," Noseworthy said. "This ranking, it's wonderful to have achieved it and earned it, but it's not going to change anything we do." Brian Conner Age: 58 Education: Graduated from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis., with two degrees Occupation: Benchmark Electronics Inc., senior supplier development engineer Political experience: None ADVERTISEMENT Community involvement: Active church member, DNR youth gun safety instructor, 4-H leader. Website: None Top three priorities: 1. Ensuring the health, safety and welfare of county residents. 2. Maintain a safe infrastructure throughout Winona County. 3. Protect the environment for future generations. What is your position on the frac sand issue? The state of Minnesota does not endorse a ban; the Winona Township Officers do not endorse a ban; nor does the Winona Planning Committee. I support the compromise set forth by the Winona Planning Committee. It is fair for both sides, and it mirrors what Goodhue County has established. That being said, I do not expect any more frac sand mines in Winona, other than the two we currently have. It is not economically feasible. ADVERTISEMENT What should be done, if anything, to upgrade the Winona County Detention Facility? This is a challenge that I will have to look into when I become the District 4 commissioner. Upgrading is an option, but there is limited space to conform to the newest MN DOC requirements. In my opinion, Winona County will have to look at building a new jail in the near future or transport more inmates to surrounding county jails. It will come down to the cost associated with upgrading; new jail or increased transportation of inmates. How should road and bridge repairs be paid for in Winona County? Although the county commissioners recently passed a half-cent sales tax geared to providing funds for the infrastructure of the county, it is only a stopgap between the lack of funds from the Minnesota Legislature. With escalating costs associated with infrastructure maintenance, the county needs to push back on the Legislature as to the need for long-term revenue requirements. Greg Olson Age: 52 Education: Minnesota State College Southeast Technical Occupation: Facilities foreman, Houston County ADVERTISEMENT Political experience: Winona County Commissioner since 2009 Community involvement: WSU Neighborhood mentor, adopt a block committee, volunteer firefighter, annual spring cleanup, flood volunteer, Semcac board, workforce investment board, neighborhood watch. Website: None What are your top three priorities? 1. Effective and efficient government operations. 2. Bluff protection. 3. Health safety and welfare of county residents. What is your position on the frac sand issue? I worked on the introduction of the industrial silica sand ban proposal at the county board level. The public hearing process and public input process have been overwhelmingly in favor of a ban. The public has a clear message: Winona County should not compromise on the protection of our bluffs, groundwater, air or roads. The health, safety and welfare of the public should be our No. 1 priority. What should be done, if anything, to upgrade the Winona County Detention Facility? I believe a plan that utilizes our current facility along with any needed upgrades or additions would best serve both our current and future needs. We have received input via a facility analysis and report from the National Institute of Corrections, and we will continue to work with our CJCC to identify specific goals and trends that will best serve our citizens and our responsibility. How should road and bridge repairs be paid for in Winona County? I did not support the half-cent sales tax motion or language for funding of our infrastructure needs. The funding mechanisms of the state gas tax allocations and local levy are the traditional methods. The state Legislature needs to address this mandate via the gas tax and transportation funding. We need to keep applying pressure at the state level for necessary funding of our public road and bridge infrastructure. Soil and Water Supervisor, District 3 Bill Rowekamp Soil and Water Supervisor, District 5 Andy Kronebusch Terry Lane Now that the presidential race is truly on, anyone who cares about America's foreign policy and national security has no option but to vote for Hillary Clinton. The most urgent reason is the need to prevent a mercurial, ill-informed hot head from ever having his hand on the nuclear button. The second reason is that Clinton has a particular skill set that is vital for these unstable times. Donald Trump has demonstrated over and over again that he doesn't have the temperament to be commander-in-chief. He flies off the handle at criticism and shoots off his mouth with reckless abandon (like his call for Russia to hack and release Clinton's emails). Many Trump supporters appear to believe he can compensate for his flaws by surrounding himself with foreign policy heavy hitters. But he's failed to do so. Whereas Ronald Reagan, to whom Trump compares himself, had a vast array of foreign policy advisers and a clear ideology when he ran for president, Trump has neither. Trump has already terrified America's allies and thrilled our adversaries with his talk of dismantling our key alliances with NATO, Japan and South Korea, and his praise for authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. He has suggested ditching an array of treaties that would undercut important international institutions. ADVERTISEMENT Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking last week at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, tried to imagine the situation if Trump were elected, and could hardly get the words out. "To think that someone like Donald Trump could become president," Panetta said, "and could back off our alliances, could say troops ought to torture, and that we ought to spread nuclear weapons and ban all Muslims this is crazy. "He has already jeopardized our national security, has already raised questions about where the United States is and will be." Which brings us to Clinton. No one can contest the breadth of her foreign experience, as first lady, senator and secretary of state. She understands the critical need for the United States to maintain its role as a global leader at a time when Western democracies are in turmoil. She grasps as Trump doesn't that "Americanism" and "globalism" can't be separated. Prosperity at home requires stability abroad. Moreover, Clinton recognizes that the global challenge to democracies from Moscow, Beijing, and the Islamic State requires that alliances be solidified, not broken. Yes, she has made mistakes (who wouldn't have in decades of public service). Her staffing choices have not always been wise. Her use of a public email server was clearly unwise (although only a few dozen of 30,000 emails examined by the FBI had classified information). The Libya intervention ended poorly (although the options were all bad). And the closely held White House foreign policy team left her little space to shape policy during her years as secretary of state. But what came through during her tenure was her toughness when confronting adversaries. In summer 2012, she along with Panetta, CIA chief David Petraeus and top army brass, wanted to arm moderate Syrian rebels (when they truly existed) as leverage to force Damascus to the bargaining table a move that might have ended the Syrian conflict. The Obama team refused. Clinton has taken a firmer stand than Obama toward Russia's hybrid warfare in Ukraine. She has advocated a more forceful effort to end the Islamic State caliphate (without sending U.S. ground troops). Yet her stance is far different from the reckless Trump rhetoric, which promises to defeat the Islamic State overnight but gives no details. As Clinton ruefully admitted at the Democratic convention, she is a stickler for details. Of course, this is a bizarre election year when the isolationist Trump has pulled GOP foreign policy to the left of Obama, and Democrats have taken on the mantle of patriotism. Clinton has the support of retired Gen. John Allen, and other retired brass, and clearly is comfortable dealing with the military. Yet some Americans may fear an activist Clinton foreign policy will pull the country into another conflict. ADVERTISEMENT But the Democratic candidate has made clear that, whenever possible, she prefers tough diplomacy to force. She showed her chops when she maneuvered Europe, Russia, and China into supporting tough sanctions against Iran. The final Iran deal was negotiated after she left office, but she has pledged to hold Iran to every detail. Trump, on the other hand, wants to junk the deal, which would lead either to an Iranian nuke or another Mideast war. Indeed, the irony of this election year is that the GOP, which was once the party dedicated to keeping America safe, has put forward a candidate whose temperament would gravely endanger U.S. security. That's why whether or not you like Clinton it's so essential that she be elected to the job. Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 26, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood/File Photo Amazon disclosed in its latest quarterly filing that it discovered an additional sales of products worth $120,000 to Iranian government officials. Some of those transactions were covered by US regulations that prohibit transactions with people or entities connected with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, Amazon acknowledged in the filing. The company said it will stop selling to the accounts that made those purchases. The new amount is separate from the Iranian embassies' $110,000 in purchases disclosed by Amazon last quarter for similar reasons. The filing states that these accounts purchased consumer products including books, music, apparel, jewelry, software, and automotive products. Approximately $96,000 worth of products were sold to Iranian government officials located outside the country, while another $1,600 worth of purchases were made by "two entities considered to be owned or controlled by the Iranian government." Roughly $23,000 worth of consumer products were sold to accounts "designated under Executive Order 13382 or Executive Order 13224 and owned or controlled by the Iranian government." According to the State Department, Executive Order 13382 is "aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters, and isolating them financially," while Executive Order 13224 is designed to prohibit "transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism." Amazon declined to comment. Here's the full text of the disclosure: "We recently determined that, between January 2012 and June 2016, we processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act ('ITRA'), in addition to those we have previously disclosed, as follows: consumer products valued at approximately $96,000 for individuals who may have been acting on behalf of Iranian embassies and diplomatic organizations located in countries other than Iran; consumer products valued at approximately $1,600 for two entities considered to be owned or controlled by the Iranian government; and consumer products valued at approximately $23,000 for one individual and three entities designated under Executive Order 13382 or Executive Order 13224 and owned or controlled by the Iranian government. Story continues "The consumer products included books, music, other media, apparel, home and kitchen, health and beauty, jewelry, office, consumer electronics, software, lawn and patio, grocery, and automotive products. We are unable accurately to calculate the net profit attributable to these transactions. We do not plan to continue selling to these accounts in the future. Our review is ongoing and we are enhancing our processes designed to identify transactions associated with individuals and entities covered by the ITRA." NOW WATCH: How to find Pokemon in 'Pokemon Go' More From Business Insider Recent polls show that Hillary Clinton clearly in the lead over Donald Trump. Shes ahead in all four polls in the RCP list that were taken since the end of the Democratic convention. Here are the results: PPP (7/29-30) Clinton +5 (1,267 LV) CBS (7/29-31) Clinton +6 (1,131 RV) CNN (7/29-31) Clinton +9 (894 RV) YouGov (7/30-8/1) Clinton +3 (933 RV) (Note that three of the four polls are of registered voters as opposed to likely ones. Conventional wisdom still holds, I think, that when registered voters are polled the results tend to favor the Democrats. However, Trumps supporters claim that he will attract vast numbers of folks who typically dont vote. If one believes this, then polling registered voters shouldnt favor Clinton.) These four polls suggest that Clinton is 6 points ahead of Trump. The RCP average, which includes four polls taken during the Democratic convention, gives Clinton a 4.4 point lead. Based on the latest polls, Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight gives Clinton a 66 percent chance of winning the election. For what its worth, I see Clintons prospects as somewhat better than that. It looks from the poll numbers like Clinton got a bigger bounce from the Democratic convention than Trump got from the Republican one. However, Clinton may also be benefiting from Trumps comments over the weekend about the parents of Cpt. Humayun Khan, the Muslim soldier who died heroically fighting for the U.S. in Iraq (and perhaps also from Trumps joke about Russia finding Clintons deleted emails). Clinton may continue to benefit from Trumps remarks about Khans parents. Polls taken during the weekend probably do not fully account for the negative effect of this error on Trumps campaign. Id like to say Trumps error was unforced. In reality, though, it was forced by Trumps horrible personality, which was on full display during the primary season. Something like this was inevitable, and it wont be his last such manifestation. We all know that Hillary Clinton isnt a good candidate; far from it. But in politics its often better to be lucky than good. With Donald Trump as her opponent, Clinton could hardly be luckier. Donald Trump induced some kind of a nervous breakdown in the Democrat/Media Complex last week with his invitation that Russia release its putative trove of deleted Clinton emails. The Democrats hysteria constituted an exercise in bad faith, the Medias hysteria an exercise in servile stupidity. Thats just the way it is. They have moved on. They now seek to exploit Donald Trumps refusal to abide by the first law of holes in the case of Khizr Khan. In Trumps view, the first law of holes doesnt apply to him. Gordon Crovitz writes the weekly Information Age column for the Wall Street Journal. Writing on a weekly schedule, Crovitz hasnt moved on yet. This week he devoted his column to Putins infowar on America (accessible via Google here). Crovitz makes several interesting points in his conclusion: Liberals who long treated Edward Snowden and Julian Assange as heroes are now offended that WikiLeaks distributed the Russian hacks of the DNC. Journalist Franklin Foer complained in Slate last week that the breathtaking transgression of privacy of Democratic Party officials will have a chilling effect undermining the ability to communicate honestly. That was the exact purpose of the hacks of hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables distributed by WikiLeaks in 2011 through the New York Times and Londons Guardian. It is not our goal to achieve a more transparent society, Mr. Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, told Time in 2010. Instead, the objective is to force U.S. officials to lock down internally and to balkanize so they will cease to be as efficient as they were. What can be done about infowar? Donald Trump was criticized last week for encouraging Russia to disclose Mrs. Clintons emails, but making them public would be the best way to deprive Mr. Putin of the advantage he gains by holding them. A U.S. ally that spies on Washington as much as Washington spies on it, such as Israel or France, would do Americans a favor by making public its copy of Mrs. Clintons emails. Otherwise, Moscow can drip the emails out on its schedule with its spinor hold them back as blackmail against Mrs. Clinton should she reach the White House. American voters should know what Mr. Putin knows. The Obama administration has been passive in response to Russias infowareven reluctant to admit its existence officially. Washingtons best deterrence would be to reply in kind. The U.S. could hack and release Mr. Putins bank accounts detailing how rich he has become in office. U.S. prosecutors could use hacked information to indict Putin business cronies and deny visas to their associates and relatives. Despite Russias audacious hacking, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper last week would only go as far as to concede: Its fair to say Vladimir Putin feels like he is fighting a low-level, asymmetric war with the U.S. Because of the Obama administrations failure to fight back, Mr. Putin is enjoying many victories. Whole thing accessible here. Carly Hoilman of the Blaze says Fox News Trace Gallagher is reporting that leaked text messages between one of Marilyn Mosbys deputies and the lead investigator in the Freddie Gray case raise new concerns about Mosbys honesty and good faith in deciding to charge six officers with Grays death. The leaked messages reportedly suggest that the prosecutors planned to charge the officers regardless of what the evidence showed. Detective Dawnyell Taylor reportedly revealed in case notes that she was handed a narrative by the prosecution to read to the grand jury. She wrote that the narrative had several things that I found to be inconsistent with our investigation. Taylor added, I thought the statements in the narrative were misquoted. In one of the leaked text messages, Taylor also reportedly told the lead investigator she didnt feel comfortable reading the script provided to her. Im fine with finding the facts but between us I believe we omitted key things from their combined statements, she explained. In a related development, Fox News reports that George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf has filed complaints against Marilyn Mosby with the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland. He alleges that Mosby and two deputies committed ethics violations, used fraudulent or misleading tactics, withheld evidence from the defense, and brought charges without probable cause against the six Baltimore police officers. Banzhaf is a long time critic of prosecutors. He started out as a man of the left and may still be for all I know. However, he has attacked prosecutors of all political stripes including, perhaps most notably, the infamous Mike Nifong, who was disbarred for the way he handled the 2006 Duke lacrosse case. The leaked text messages discussed above, if accurately reported, figure to bolster Banzhafs complaints. Finally, in yet another Freddy Gray related development, the Baltimore Sun reports that Lisa Phelps, a 15-year veteran prosecutor who objected to continuing the prosecution of one of the six officers involved with Gray, has resigned. Phelps was assigned to prosecute Officer Garrett Miller and to handle the retrial of Officer William Porter. She reportedly raised concerns over whether the trial of Miller, which was set to begin last week, should proceed. It didnt. Mosby dropped all charges against Miller, Porter, and Sgt. Alicia White. Phelps resigned anyway, just two days after Mosby dropped the charges. Phelps declined to say why she resigned. Michael Schatzow, Mosbys chief deputy, wouldnt answer directly the question of whether Phelps had expressed reservations about the cases. He did say: Everybody has moments where they question the witness, they question the legal theory, question something else. For us to start talking about work product conversations thats not conducive. Its not how we run this office. Exactly how Mosby does run her office is a question that likely will receive plenty of scrutiny in the coming weeks. Back at the end of June, I shared the insights of French political philosopher Pierre Manent about the significance of Brexit (which he was for). Yesterday, the good folks at First Things posted a translation of a recent interview Manent gave to the Italian newspaper Il Foglio about the lessons of the recent Islamist attack on the French church. Theres one especially arresting question and answer that sounds like it could apply with equal measure to the United States. As you read this, simply swap out America for every mention of France or Europe, and see if you dont agree: Il Foglio: France looks exhausted. What are Frances mistakes, especially those of the elite media and intellectuals, and what is the nature of its malaise? Pierre Manent: The French are exhausted, but they are first of all perplexed, lost. Things were not supposed to happen this way. We had supposedly entered into the final stage of democracy where human rights would reign, ever more rights ever more rigorously observed. We had left behind the age of nations as well as that of religions, and we would henceforth be free individuals moving frictionless over the surface of the planet. And now we see that religious affiliations and other collective attachments not only survive but return with a particular intensity. Everyone can see and feel this, but how can it be expressed when the only authorized language is that of individual rights? We have become supremely incapable of seeing what is right before our eyes. Meanwhile the ruling class, which is not a political but an ideological class, one that commands not what must be done but what must be said, goes on indefinitely about values, the values of the republic, the values of democracy, the values of Europe. This class has been largely discredited in the eyes of citizens, but it occupies all the positions of institutional responsibility, especially in the media, and nowhere does one find groups or individuals who give the impression of understanding what is happening or of being able to stand up to it. We have no more confidence in those who lead us than in ourselves. It is neither an excuse nor a consolation to say it, but the faults of the French are those of Europeans in general. . . We invite catastrophe by falling for an ideological representation of the world such as the one that is ours today. We invite catastrophe by sincerely believing that the religious affiliation of a citizen has no political bearing or effect. We invite catastrophe by excluding from authorized debate on Turkeys possible joining the European Union the fact that Turkey is a massively Muslim country. We invite catastrophe when we confuse the obligation to rescue a person who is drowning with that persons right to become a citizen of our country. We invite catastrophe when, in the name of charity or mercy, we require old Christian nations to open their borders to all who wish to enter. (Emphasis added.) Rohini Sethi is the student body Vice President at the University of Houston. After the assassination of five Dallas police officers at a Black Lives Matter inspired rally, she wrote on Facebook: Forget #BlackLivesMatter; more like #AllLivesMatter. Sethi quickly deleted the comment, but it nonetheless generated outrage. In response, Sethi issued a statement in which she called her comment inappropriate. She said it was an emotional response to the tragic killings in Dallas. She ended with the message: #LetsTalkUnity. You can read her full statement here. Theres no reason to think it is insincere. Sethis statement wasnt enough to avoid punishment. Student body president Shane Smith suspended her for 50 days and ordered her to take a diversity seminar as condition of being reinstated. In addition, Smith ordered Sethi to: Attend three UH cultural events each month from September through March, excluding December. Write a letter of reflection about how her harmful actions have impacted SGA and the UH student body. Put on a public presentation Sept. 28 detailing the knowledge she has gained about cultural issues facing our society. In effect, Smith has, in the Stalinist tradition, ordered Sethi to submit to reeducation and public self-criticism. All for expressing a political opinion he and some others disagree with. In an understatement, Smith declared that First Amendment considerations didnt enter into his decision. He explained: The first amendment prevents a person from being jailed by the government for what they say. But [it] does not prevent people from receiving other consequences for what they say. Actually, the First Amendment does much more than prevent people from being jailed. Smith doesnt know what hes talking about. More importantly, he has begged the question of what consequences people ought to receive for what they say. Surely Smith, student Stalinist though he is, would agree that Sethi should not be shot for making her statement; that would be an unacceptable other consequence. So is forced indoctrination/public self criticism. It is unacceptable in a free society to condition holding a student government position on adherence (in this case slavish adherence that doesnt permit a moments deviation even in exceptional circumstances) to a particular political position or slogan. And it is even more objectionable to condition student office on political reeducation and public humiliation. Smith defended his decision this way: I have not felt that [Sethi] has understood or respected how her actions have affected the people around her, as well as the reputation of SGA and the university. A commissar in Prague circa 1950 wouldnt have said it much differently. Sethi has expressed her disagreement with her surreal punishment in posts on Facebook, but says she will abide by Smiths decision. Thats understandable. She feels bad about her original statement and would like to stay on as student body vice president. However, I hope she will reconsider sometime between now and, say, late September when she must deliver in public a presentation detailing the knowledge she has gained about cultural issues facing our society. Surely, serving as vice president under Commissar Smith isnt worth the price. And its important that someone stand up to the Stalinists and fledgling fascists who increasingly call the shots on college campuses. PR-Inside.com: 2016-08-03 00:17:01 Software Industry Veteran Glenn Aspden Tapped to Oversee APAC Operations MapAnything Opens New Office in Sydney, Australia MapAnything, Inc. Cindy Akus, 704-271-1125 cakus@mapanything.com MapAnything, Inc., a mapping, geo-analytics and location intelligence solution provider for users of Salesforce, today announced the opening of a new office in Sydney, Australia. Software industry veteran Glenn Aspden has joined MapAnything as Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand and will lead Asia-Pacific (APAC) operations. This is the fourth office for MapAnything, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and London, United Kingdom. The Sydney office is located at 201 Sussex Street, Darling Park Tower 2, Level 20. The company's product, MapAnything, provides mapping, schedule planning, route optimization, real time geo-location, territory management, geo-analytics and gives Salesforce users an interactive Map-Centric experience. With an existing customer base and interest in our product growing rapidly throughout APAC, it made perfect sense to open an office in Sydney. Glenn understands the marketplace and the unique needs of the region and has a track record of launching growing software companies in the APAC market, said MapAnything CEO, John Stewart. Prior to joining MapAnything, Aspden was at NewVoiceMedia, a leading telephony solution for Salesforce users. As Vice President of Services APAC, he successfully grew business throughout the region. Prior to that, he was Operations Manager, Contact Centre Technologies at the National Bank of Australia. MapAnything is a fast growing company with strong brand recognition in the Salesforce ecosystem. Having an office in Sydney enables me to play a pivotal role in landing new business and ultimately expanding their footprint throughout APAC, shared Glenn Aspden, MapAnything Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand. About MapAnything, Inc. Founded in 2009, MapAnything, Inc. is a Gold Salesforce ISV Partner. The company has been included on the Inc. 500 the annual list of the fastest growing private companies. With more than 1,000 customers globally, ranging in all sizes and industries from small businesses to international enterprises, the company offers its mapping and geo-analytics solution to Salesforce users through the Salesforce AppExchange. It has been named a Customers Choice Highly Reviewed App by Salesforce users. To learn more, visit www.mapanything.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201608020070 The concessionaire of the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Global Steel Holdings Limited, is to submit its business plan for governments approval within the next 105 days. The agreement came following Mondays signing of the modified NIOMCO agreement between the company and the Nigerian government. The submission and approval of the business plan is to come after the release of claims by GSHL. Under the new arrangement, the concessionaire is to implement the business plan as approved by the government. The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, had, while presiding over the signing ceremony on Monday, urged both parties to keep to the various deadlines contained in the agreement in the spirit of mediation. According to the timeline released by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, GSHL would within 48 hours of the signing of the agreement gain access to NIOMCO plant at Itakpe, Kogi State, for due diligence. Also, an independent audit of the Joint Audit Report is to be carried out within the next 65 days. The terms of reference of the auditors of the audit would be to cross check and verify the report and not to re-do the audit all over again. The ratification of the Joint Audit Report by the Attorney General of the Federation and GSHL is to be carried out shortly after, specifically within 80 days of the agreement signing. The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, said getting NIOMCO and Ajaokuta working would move Nigeria from just being a mineral-rich country to a mining nation. Once the first phase of the agreement is accomplished, it is the intention of the federal government to quickly move into accomplishing the objectives of concessioning the Ajaokuta Steel Plant to the most competent operator, said Mr. Fayemi. Through this, we would be able to process, beneficiate and add value to what we have. The All Progressives Congress on Monday fired a letter to Abdulmumuni Jibrin, a former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation and member of the party, summoning him to appear before a disciplinary committee at the partys national secretariat in Abuja not later than Tuesday afternoon. In the letter, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained, the ruling party said all attempts to reach Mr. Jibrin (who has remained underground for almost two weeks) by telephone calls and text messages were unsuccessful, leaving the party with no choice than to write to him. In the letter, dated August 1, 2016, and signed by the partys Deputy National Chairman for the Northern Zone, Lawal Shuaibu, the APC expressed cautioned Mr. Jibrins over his media campaign against the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other principal officers over allegation of budget fraud. To say the least, it is absolutely unacceptable to resort to media war as a means of settling scores without recourse to and/or exhausting the partys internal dispute resolution mechanism, the party said. Mr. Jibrin was removed as chairman of the Appropriation Committee in controversial circumstances on July 20 on allegations of betrayal of trust. The lawmaker fought back, embarking on a vicious media campaign to have Mr. Dogara; his deputy, Yusuf Lasun; House Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, removed from office. (Mr. Ogor is the only PDP member of the four.) Mr. Jibrins campaign has seen him release details of how the passage of the 2016 budget was handled by lawmakers in a way that portrayed them as fraudulent. On July 29, he disclosed that he had dispatched incriminating documents to the anti-graft agencies, who immediately swung into action. By July 30, the State Security Service sealed the Appropriation Committee Secretariat in the White House Building of the National Assembly. On Monday afternoon, Mr. Jibrin posted on his Twitter page that he had visited the EFCC, the ICPC, the SSS and police headquarters to personally submit petitions against Mr. Dogara and his colleagues. In the APCs letter to Mr. Jibrin, the party said the Kano lawmakers action underscored a blatant disregard for party supremacy and its existing dispute resolution mechanism, adding that it would work to ensure that it instilled discipline on all members. As a disciplined party, the constitution of our party has made adequate provisions on ways of resolving any issue among our members, Mr. Shuaibu said. It behoves on the party to take all necessary steps in order to ensure that no member of the Family brings dishonour to the party. The APC, therefore, reiterated its notice for Mr. Jibrin to appear before the party tomorrow, urging him to be guided accordingly as he digested the content of the letter. You are, therefore, by this invitation, expected to appear before the undersigned at the APC National Secretariat on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2016, at 2 p.m. Kindly note that failure to and/or refusal to honour this invitation will amount to a decision you have made not to submit to the party. Shortly after Mr. Jibrin announced his visits to law enforcement agencies offices where he submitted petitions, Mr. Ogor immediately welcomed the move. Its a welcome development, Mr. Ogor told PREMIUM TIMES. Now that he has pushed the matter to the EFCC, then Nigerians should exercise patience to see what the truth of the matter is. Another lawmaker, Adams Jagaba, on Monday said Mr. Jibrin should desist from further defaming him and other lawmakers with the budget padding mess. Mr. Jagaba said the warning became necessary after he learnt that Mr. Jibrin had named him alongside others who he accused of attempting to fraudulently inflate the 2016 budget figures, saying he had been a long time proponent of selflessness in public service. Mr. Jagaba, chairman of House Committee on Interior, said he lived a modest life, unlike Mr. Jibrin who allegedly occupied posh personal apartment at the highbrow Maitama District of Abuja with very expensive automobiles. Mr. Jagaba said Mr. Jibrins car fleet included Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs and Range Rover vehicles, adding that he moved around with a very long convoy of expensive cars with host of security guards armed to the teeth. Mr. Jagaba said his distaste for corruption dated back to his days as the chairman of teh House Committee on Anti-Corruption, saying he was amongst those who championed the course for a total rejection of bribes allegedly given to lawmakers by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a tenet he said he had continued to uphold ever since. Ordinarily, I would have ignored the said publication, but I am compelled to respond for posterity sake. Without sounding immodest, my anti-corruption crusade dates back to my first term between 1999 and 2003, when I exposed the plot of the Presidency which attempted to bribe Honourable Members for the purposes of effecting a leadership change in the House of Representatives. As Chairman, House Committee on Anti-Corruption then, I exhibited the money meant for that plot on the floor of the House at plenary. Again, in 2012, during the scandal that was referred to as FAROUKGATE, my name was mentioned. However, after thorough investigation by the Police and other relevant agencies, I was exonerated and given a clean bill of health, Mr. Jagaba said. Mr. Jagaba said he had continued to maintain a 2013 Toyota RAV4 mid-size SUV, saying Mr. Jibrin is the one who allegedly had cause to be afraid of facing consequences of his action. It amazes me, therefore, for Hon. Abdulmumini to petition the EFCC to investigate me for living above my means without giving any proof. As a third term member of the House of Representatives, I live in a rented three-bedroom apartment that has no Boys Quarters. Amongst the cars I drive, the most expensive one is a 2013 Toyota RAV4 2.2 litre engine. I do not move around with a convoy of expensive cars. If as a third termer and at fifty-six (56) years of age this is a summary of my life-style as stated above, I have nothing to fear. Can this be said of Hon. Abdulmumini who is less than forty (40) years old and only a second termer? Certainly not, Mr. Jagaba said Hon. Abdulmumini may claim that he has been into business for a long time. But the question remains, what type of business? Before his election in 2011, he was a lecturer. It is a known fact that he was arraigned by the EFCC in 2012 for some shady deals he got involved. It is characters like him who should tremble in fear at the mention of the name of EFCC. I hope I should not have cause to pick up my pen on this issue again, as Hon. Abdulmumini may not find it palatable. My counsel to him, therefore, is: Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Mr. Jibrin could not be reached for comment for this story. Mr. Jibrin has repeatedly rejected calls for him to back down on his campaign, saying he wont retreat. The Nigerian military says it deployed troops and equipment in Bayelsa State on Monday to forestall the threat of secession. A group known as the Adaka Boro Avengers had threatened to declare independence on Monday, but said it shelved the plan after the intervention of leaders including former President Goodluck Jonathan. The joint military force responsible for security in the Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe, said on Tuesday that it would however remain professional and civil in dealing with security threats by militant groups in the area. Joseph Okojie, a Rear Admiral and commander of the joint operation, who said this in Yenagoa, added that the deployment of troops and equipment noticed on Monday at Kaiama in Bayelsa was part of normal operations to keep the region safe. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that troops and military hardware were deployed to Kaiama in Bayelsa following threats by a militant group to take control of the area. Mr. Okojie, who briefed journalists after a meeting with unit commanders within Operation Delta Safe in Yenagoa, said the military had the freedom to be in any part of the country. The Federal Republic of Nigeria belongs to all of us and the armed forces have the freedom to be at any part of Nigeria at any time, we are merely doing our normal duty within our mandate. We were in Kaiama to show that Operation Delta Safe was on ground to ensure that the report by some faceless organisations about creating a territory to themselves is not allowed to happen. The heavy presence being noticed in parts of the Niger Delta is part of our routine duties to guarantee the safety of law abiding that people of Niger Delta and ensure atmosphere conducive for economic activities. I am sure that we did not molest or intimidate anyone, we shall be professional and civil in the discharge of our duties. Our presence is part of our normal duty to reassure the people that there is no cause for alarm, Mr. Okojie said. Mr. Okojie said the meeting with Component Commanders of Operation Delta Safe was to review the achievements of the operation to ensure that they were mission-oriented. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buharis Economic Management Team met with top economists and financial experts in Abuja on Tuesday in continuation of its consultations towards tackling the countrys economic recession. The meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had in attendance Bismarck Rewane, Akpan Ekpo, Ayo Teriba, Badeye Sani and Bode Augusto. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, told State House Correspondents after the meeting that the economic team was in the middle of consultations to develop a mid-term economic framework. He said the experts made presentations to the Economic Management Team on their response to the draft Medium Term Economic Framework (MTEF), which was still a consultative document. It is part of a comprehensive consultation process that we are embarking on to make sure that we reach out to a wide spectrum of Nigerians to get a feed back in terms of how best to make sure that we come out of this recession. That we get the best possible MTEF (Medium Term Economic Framework). The Fiscal Responsibility Act requires us to do so. On Thursday, we will be meeting in Lagos with private sector to continue with the consultations, Mr. Udoma said. He acknowledged that the Economic Team had met with some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) last week and would hold similar consultations with members of the organised private sector. The Minister said that at the end of the consultations the Federal Government would come out with a programme which had received the buy-in of many Nigerians. That was what this process was about, he added. (NAN) Access to Justice, an advocacy group that promotes integrity and accountability in legal and judicial institutions, has slammed the Kaduna State government for its failure to prosecute army officers involved in the killing of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. In a statement issued Monday, the group said the government had gone ahead to commence prosecution of over 200 members of the Shiite group way before a judicial panel it instituted submitted its final report. It is extremely disquieting that the Kaduna government would rather arrest and prosecute over 200 persons for the death of one soldier, than charge one soldier for the death of well over 348 residents of Kaduna State, Access to Justice said in the statement issued by its Executive Director, Joseph Otteh. The lives of hundreds of IMN members who were brutally killed by Nigerian soldiers are worth protecting the same way the life of one soldier is worth protecting. A democratic, constitutional government means that the government is not at liberty to prefer one life above another, or to make judgments on the value of each persons life based on ethnicity, faith, status or institutional affiliations, but must offer equal protection to Nigerian citizens. It means that the government must provide equal protection of the law to all citizens and, therefore, hold accountable in equal measure, any persons who have caused or contributed to the loss of any life. A deadly clash between and army convoy and members of the IMN left hundreds of the sect members dead. A judicial panel set up by the Kaduna State governmemt following the incident submitted its findings on July 15th, stating that the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Armys 1st Division, Adeniyi Oyebade, a major general, authorized a military operation that massacred at least 347 members of the Shia Muslim group. According to details of the panels report published exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, the commission recommended that Mr. Oyebade, A.K Ibraheem, a colonel, and other military officers be brought to trial before a court of competent jurisdiction. Already, the Kaduna State government has arraigned 81 members of the Islamic sect before a High Court in the state over charges of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disturbance of public peace, and wrongful restrain punishable under the Penal Code Law and Laws of Kaduna State, 1999. The trial began amidst concerns by the sect over the deteriorating health of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, who has been held by the government since December last year. Access to Justice said the government must begin the prosecution of indicted military officers with the same vigour it had done members of the Shiite movement. The government cannot determine which life is worthy of protection and whose is not, the group said. It means the government is not at liberty to let some citizens live above the law and outside of it, and compel others to live under it. It means that there are no second class citizens of Nigeria. It means that justice must be equally and evenly rationed to all citizens alike, whether they are soldiers or civilians. Unfortunately, the Kaduna State government, by prosecuting only members of the Shiite movement for the death of one soldier and remaining taciturn over the countervailing claims of justice for the deaths of hundreds of Shiite members shows it has taken sides, not only in the conflict, but in how to account for the horrendous loss of lives in that conflict. The group also said using the criminal justice system to express and reflect bias is deeply unfortunate. The Kaduna State government must now bring criminal charges for unlawful killing against the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army 1st Division in Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, and Colonel A.K. Ibraheem as well as others who the Justice Garba Panel implicated in the deaths of hundreds of IMN members. This is the only path to justice following from this unfortunate incident. A failure to prosecute Military Officers Implicated in Shiite Killings will be grave, atrocious injustice. Nigeria cannot adopt an apartheid system of justice in a constitutional democracy. A former chairman of House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, on Tuesday said he will appear before his partys disciplinary panel after being summoned on Monday over the unfolding budget padding scandal. Mr. Jibrin was summoned by the ruling All Progressives Congress to appear at the partys national secretariat in Abuja no later than 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The lawmaker, who represents Kano in the House, has been locked in media and political battle with the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other lawmakers he accuses of manipulating the 2016 budget. In the letter, which was exclusively obtained and published by PREMIUM TIMES Monday night, the APC said the writ became necessary after Mr. Jibrin frustrated all efforts to reach him by telephone or text messages. The letter was signed Lawal Shuaibu, the partys Deputy National Chairman, North, and it appeared a clear warning to Mr. Jibrin that the APC would not tolerate indiscipline within its ranks. In an emailed statement to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday morning, Mr. Jibrin acknowledged receipt of the letter and said he would honour the summons. He, however, denied that he deliberately ignored party leaders attempts to reach him. Mr. Jibrin also denied that the partys committee was of a disciplinary nature. The letter did not in anyway indicate it is a disciplinary committee, Mr. Jibrin said. For two weeks running, Mr. Jibrin has placed the House on the defensive after he was removed as chair of the Appropriation Committee on allegations of betrayal of trust, a charge he had repeatedly declined. A sex tape saga that affected Turkeys opposition parties several years back has returned to the headlines, as detention orders were issued Tuesday for 120 people in connection with the video. A media report in Istanbul said that sex tape engulfed the centre-left Peoples Republican Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on the right and has been linked to the same movement of an Islamic cleric that the government blames for the failed coup attempt on July 15. It said that so far, authorities detained 34 members of the police force and two others in what is known as the cassette case. Deniz Baykal, who was the leader of the CHP, was forced to resign as party chair in 2010 over a video leaked online which showed him having sex with a female party member. MHP politicians had similar problems. The government and both of these opposition parties blame Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in the U.S. for the July 15 failed putsch. They also blame his followers for a series of wiretappings and leaks which have wreaked havoc on the Turkish political scene for years, including the sex tapes targeting the opposition and, three years later, leaks purporting to show corruption in government circles. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gulen were long-time allies and government critics blame the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for letting Gulens followers infiltrate the state structures over the years. At the time, some members of the opposition accused the AKP of being behind or at least complacent in the sex tapes leak. (dpa/NAN) The United Nations has raised alarm over the illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Nigeria with over 350 million or 70 per cent of an estimated 500 million of such weapons said to be circulating in West Africa be in the country. The director of United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), Olatokunbo Ige, gave this statistics at the ongoing National Consultation on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in Abuja, organised by the Agency and Presidential Committee on Smalls Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM). Ms. Ige said the country is awash with illicit weapons, which have found its way into unauthorised hands on non-state actors that are threatening the existence of the country, as well lives and properties of the people. The illicit proliferation of SALW has had a dramatic impact on peace and security in Africa, threatening not only the existence of the state, but also the livelihoods of millions of people across the continent, she said. Nigeria is one of the countries that is experiencing some of the most devastating effects of the proliferation of SALW as a result of spillover effect of the recent crises in Libya, and Mali as well as unresolved internal conflicts in different parts of the country especially in the North East, Niger Delta and Southern regions. While reliable data on the numbers of these weapons circulating freely in the country is unavailable, analysts have in recent times estimated that of the about 500 million weapons that may be circulating in West Africa in 2010, some 70 per cent of these could be found in Nigeria, she added. She warned that as alarming as these figures seem, it is very clear that if left unchecked, this scourge will not only jeopardise the developmental gains achieved over the last 50 years, but will also impede the nations capacity to achieve its developmental targets and therefore, negatively impact on the future generations. According to Ms. Ige, this has highlighted, more than ever before the critical need not only to control the flow of arms in the non-state sector, but also the state owned actors through the effective management of the armoury and weapon stockpiles. It is widely acknowledged that one of the major factors contributing to the illicit proliferation of arms is the ineffective stockpile management, she noted. The UNREC boss stressed that unsecured stocks and ineffectively managed stockpiles are a major contributing factor to the trafficking and diversion of arms into the illicit market and their subsequent flow to the terrorists and other criminal groups like Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants. She said that part of the activities programmed under the PSSM in the Sahel project in the context of the UN and European Union (EU) is to support security and stability in the region. Ms. Ige explained that the project, which is funded by the EU, has been developed jointly by the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) for the benefit of the six Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. This project aims to support states in the region to prevent diversion and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition, by improving the PSSM of national stockpiles, she stated. Also speaking, the Chairman of PRESCOM, Emmanuel Imohe, said Nigerias Firearms law was obsolete and ineffective in the face of the 21st century security challenges. Imohe said that PRESCOM has to generate a new document in collaboration with relevant agencies for over six months to come out with a repeal of the firearms bill that is yet to be attended at the National Assembly. The 1959 Firearms Act is obsolete and using the 1959 law to tackle the 21st century security challenges is ineffective, he said. In the same vein, the Resident Coordinator of the UN Systems in Nigeria, Jean Gough, said the elaboration of laws and procedures which are adapted to the current reality, aiming to provide the necessary framework to better prevent the occurrence of eventual theft, loss, diversion and explosions in national weapons and ammunition storage has become an essential requirement. Through the provision of technical assistance and the necessary resources to this effect, technical and financial partners have committed to support the beneficiary member states of this project in this endeavour. Ms. Gough however noted that the major challenges in the fight against the illegal and abusive use of SALW remains the issue of the illicit transfer of such weapons to non-state actors, including among others, armed groups, terrorists and criminals. The Nigerian Army on Monday announced that its troops blocked an attempt by the extremist Boko Haram sect to attack a village in the North Eastern state of Borno. The spokesperson for the Army, Sani Usman, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, Today, Monday 1st August 2016, at about 8.00pm, troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE accompanied by Civilian JTF successfully thwarted an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists on Yauri Community at the outskirts of Maiduguri city, Borno State. In the encounter, the troops killed five of the attackers and recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 1 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), one 60mm Mortar Tube, 1 Fabrique Nationale (FN) rifle, 2 Dane Guns, 2 AK-47 rifle magazines, 2 FN rifle magazines, 131 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 31 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunitions, a 60mm Bomb and the sum of N31,275.00 from the terrorists. We are glad to inform the public that the general area is calm, while troops have deployed to maintain security in the village and environs. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. DUBLIN, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Cambodia Garment Manufacturing Industry Overview, 2011-2020" report to their offering. Cambodia, situated in the core area of south-east Asia, is one of the least developing countries in the world. It is experiencing a relatively rapid growth in recent years. From 2010, the economy remained an annual growth rate of over 6% in Cambodia. From 2013, the economic annual growth rate remained above 7%. The Cambodian government claimed to maintain an annual growth rate of above 7% by 2018 in the newly developed 2015-2025 Industry Development Plan. Under the context of free economic system, Cambodia is one of the most open economies in Asia. Products manufactured by Cambodia can be exported with generalized system of preference (GSP) and most favored nations (MFN) treatment in many countries such as the U.S.A., Europe and Japan. Particularly, with regards to textile and garment products imported by Cambodia, the U.S.A. gives looser quotas and cuts raised import tariffs, the European Nations have no barriers and Canada provides preferential measures such as granting the exemption of import duties. Garment manufacturing industry is one of the mainstay industries in Cambodia. By the end of 2015, garment manufacturing enterprises registered in Cambodia reached over 1,400. According to the report, about 1,100 enterprises among them are in normal operation. Garment manufacturing enterprises in Cambodia mainly operate with foreign capital from areas such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. They mainly concentrate in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville with convenient traffic. Most raw materials of garments and foot-wears in Cambodia are mainly imported from Asian countries, especially from China, Japan and South Korea. At present, Cambodia garment factories can manufacture garments with technics of washing, tie-dyeing and embroidering, but still lack dyeing and finishing skills. In 2015, the minimum wage of garment manufacturing industry is USD 140 per month, increased by USD 12 per month, but is still at a relatively low level in the world. Garment manufacturing industry provides over 700 thousand jobs for Cambodia, and creates plentiful indirect job offers as the primary pillar industry of Cambodia. In Cambodia, there are many newly established garment manufacturing enterprises as well as dozens of bankrupting ones each year mainly for weak competitiveness, strike issues and rising costs. In 2015, the product export value of garments in Cambodia reaches USD 6 billion, accounting for approximately 70% in the total export value. The major export markets of Cambodia textile garments and foot-wears include Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada. Cambodia is ready to join TPP in the future. It is estimated that the Cambodia garment manufacturing industry will be confronted with more development plans in the next few years. Key Topics Covered: 1 Relevant Concepts of Garment Manufacturing Industry 2 Analysis on Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2011-2015 3 Competition Status of Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2013-2015 4 Analysis on Top 5 Garment Manufacturers in Cambodia, 2013-2015 5 Analysis on the Cost and Garment Price in Garment Manufacturing Industry in Cambodia, 2013-2015 6 Prediction on the Development of Garment Industry in Cambodia, 2016-2020 Companies Mentioned - Grand Twin International (Cambodia) Plc. - M & V International Manufacturing Ltd. - Shen Zhou (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. - T Y Fashion (Cambodia) Plc. - Tak Fook (Cambodia) Garment Ltd. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/bdgzfw/cambodia_garment 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets PEORIA, Illinois, August 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT/Euronext: CATR) informs its stockholders that today, in accordance with Section 16(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, 1 Form 4 (the report on Form 4 being a statement of beneficial ownership of its officers, directors and 10% owners) was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Caterpillar files electronically with the SEC required reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and Form 11-K; proxy materials; ownership reports for insiders as required by Section 16(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and registration statements on Forms S-3 and S-8, as necessary; and other forms or reports, as required. All of the forms and reports filed electronically with the SEC are available on the SEC Internet site (http://www.sec.gov ). Caterpillar also maintains an Internet site (www.Caterpillar.com) and copies of its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished with the SEC are available free of charge through Caterpillar's Internet site (http://www.Caterpillar.com/secfilings ) as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant document has been filed with the SEC. CONTACT: Rachel Potts, Corporate Public Affairs, +1-309-675-6892 This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire. SOURCE Caterpillar Inc. Rapid deployment & frictionless integration bring new payment methods to market quickly, enabling airlines to capture passenger revenues from the mobile-first travel marketplace SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CellPoint Mobile (www.cellpointmobile.com), a provider of comprehensive and powerful commerce and payment solutions for global airlines, is offering a new product called Velocity, the payment industry's first Mobile PSP-as-a-Service (MPaaS) solution to help airlines deploy popular mobile payment solutions, payment apps, and alternative payment methods (APMs) quickly, profitably, securely and without friction to existing financial systems. Created specifically for airlines and travel operators, CellPoint Mobile's Velocity turns Payment Service Provider (PSP) functionality into a plug-and-play business service, enabling airlines to leverage the revenue potential that arises from the unparalleled growth and promotion of mobile payment technologies, while meeting rising passenger demand for secure and very convenient shopping on payment-enabled smartphones, wearables and mobile devices. Velocity's three scalable service options Engage, Accelerate and Advance let airlines align mobile payment functionality with their immediate business needs, markets and revenue goals. Engage, for example, supports the rapid roll-out of two popular global consumer wallets or payment apps, Accelerate supports three more APMs and added payment functionality, and Advance integrates up to 10 payment methods per market and full reporting capabilities for airlines interested in robust mobile payment strategies. Built-for-mobile solutions, deployable in weeks "Bolting mobile-centric payment capabilities onto legacy commerce systems is not a viable or profitable strategy in a marketplace that is rapidly shifting toward a mobile-first, mobile-only airline passenger," says Kristian Gjerding, CEO of CellPoint Mobile. "Our solutions and platform have been built specifically for the mobile environment, making it both easy and quick for us to offer PSP functionality and APM support to airlines - regardless of a passenger's device, channel, preferred payment method or currency. With Velocity, airlines can stay current with the speed of innovation by such industry players as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, PayPal and device manufacturers." CellPoint Mobile rolled out Apple Pay functionality with an international carrier in August 2015 and it was also the first provider to integrate the Android Pay in-app solution in a major airlines app with Emirates in May 2016. "Integrating Android Pay with CellPoint Mobile will make it easier for even more businesses of all sizes to further streamline their checkout experience by offering their customers a simpler, faster in-app payment experience," said Spencer Spinnell, Director of Business Development for Google. Turn "lookers" into "bookers," capture mobile revenues Immediate benefits of a Velocity engagement, Gjerding says, are increased conversions from the mobile channel by turning "lookers into bookers;" reduced implementation costs and quicker time to market from months to weeks for some of the world's most popular wallets, apps and payment methods; and near-immediate access to new mobile revenue streams from direct-channel sales and ancillary products. Key features of Velocity include: Immediate access to multiple PSPs, acquirers, payment apps and value-added services A PCI DSS Level 1 certified card vault and an APM aggregator solution to support and roll out APMs quickly and easily A central, self-service platform for payment configuration, reconciliation, customer service and reporting across all business and sales channels Flexibility around choosing, editing and updating the right mix of PSPs and acquirers to take advantage of best rates and direct-channel sales. "Airline finance executives know they need to leverage the mobile marketplace in order to protect existing revenues and create new revenue streams from passengers who want to pay from their smartphones as they travel," Gjerding acknowledges. "Until now, they have not been able to achieve or maintain parity with a marketplace in which devices, technologies, consumer behaviors and new payments methods evolve rapidly. Velocity delivers the parity and flexibility airlines seek, and it positions them for success in a rapidly changing, moving-to-mobile marketplace." CellPoint Mobile also supports MasterPass, Mobile Pay, Samsung Pay and Visa Checkout; it can add dozens of other APMs as needed by airlines. About CellPoint Mobile CellPoint Mobile (www.cellpointmobile.com) provides comprehensive and powerful commerce and payment solutions for global airlines, supporting all payment methods, all channels, all currencies and all devices. Since 2007, it has helped clients in transportation, retail and financial service sectors achieve an average 4.5% increase in incremental, direct-channel revenues. CellPoint Mobile has offices in London, Dubai, Pune, Miami and Copenhagen. Related Links http://www.cellpoint.com SOURCE CellPoint Mobile NEW YORK, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to market research "Global Cleanroom Consumables Market Size, Share, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2022 - Industry Insights by Type (Apparel, Cleaning Products, Stationary, Wipers, Gloves, and Adhesive Mats), and by End-User (Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry, Medical Device Industry, Electronic Industry, and Laboratories)" by P&S Market Research, the global cleanroom consumables market was valued at $7,938.7 million in 2015, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during the period 2016 - 2022. The cleanroom consumables market is growing due to increasing utilization of cleanroom consumables in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry, medical device industry, and electronics industry. In addition, the increasing utilization of cleanroom consumables in nanotechnology industry is also driving the growth of global cleanroom consumables market. Among the different type, the gloves segment is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Among the various end-user, the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry held the largest share in the global market in 2015, and it is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Request to Access Full Report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-consumables-market Cleanroom consumables are required during handling, assembly and manufacturing of different products. The utilization of cleanroom consumables assist in maintaing the quality of products and increasing process yield. As a result, the demand for cleanroom consumables, such as cleanroom apparel, cleaning products, stationary, wipers, gloves, and adhesive mats is expected to increase. They are also being used across various industries, such as optical industry, aerospace industry, defence and food industry leading to growth of global cleanroom consumables market. As a result, the demand for cleanroom consumables is expected to increase leading to growth of the global cleanroom consumables market. Request for Sample Pages: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-consumables-market/report-sample In addition, the growth of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry in various countries across the globe are increasing the demand for cleanroom consumables. Nanotechnology deals with miniscule components, which are susceptible to contamination by particulate material. In addition to nanotechnology industry, the electronic industry requires development of small sized high efficiency components, thus necessitating contaminant free environment. Medical device industry requires contamination free environment as these products may be implanted in the body leading to infection or loss of funcntion. Thus, the necessity to maintain high quality of products is expected to increase the demand for cleanroom consumables across the globe. Explore Related Research: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/industry-report/healthcare Some of the key companies operating in the global cleanroom consumable market include Micronova Manufacturing Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Berkshire Corporation, Valutek, ITW Texwipe, Nitritex Ltd., KM Corporation, Contec Inc., and Cantel Medical Corporation. GLOBAL CLEANROOM CONSUMABLES MARKET SEGMENTATION By Type - Apparel Market > Coverall > Lab Coats > Boot Cover > Shoe Cover > Bouffant > Sleeves - Cleaning Products Market > Cleanroom Mops > Buckets, Wringers, Squeegees > Cleanroom Swabs > Cleaning Chemicals - Stationary Market > Paper > Notebook and Adhesive Pads > Binders and Clipboards > Labels - Wipers Market > Dry Wipers > Wet Wipers - Gloves Market - Adhesive Mats Market - By End-User > Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry > Medical Device Industry > Electronic Industry > Laboratories - By Geography > North America- U.S. and Rest of North America > Europe- U.K., Germany, France and Rest of Europe > Asia-Pacific - China, Japan, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific > Rest of the World (RoW)- Brazil and Rest of Rest of the World Other Published Report by P&S Market Research Global Cleanroom Technology Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-technology-market Global Digital Health Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/digital-health-market Global Telemedicine Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/telemedicine-market About P&S Market Research P&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals. As one of the top growing market research agency, we're keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions. Contact: Deep Assistant - Client Partner 347, 5th Ave. #1402 New York City, NY - 10016 Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada) Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com SOURCE P&S Market Research PUNE, India, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global connected health market 2016-2020 research report says development of virtual nurses will be a key trend for market growth as these groups of relational agents act as a stand-in for front-line staff in hospitals. Their responsibility includes guiding patients on medication and other precautions necessary for their conditions. The virtual nurse created by Northeastern University, named Elizabeth, is being trialed at the Boston Medical Center. A San Francisco-based start-up will undertake its commercialization following the successful completion of trials. Virtual nurses will become an integral part of medical infrastructure in the future. Patients can interact with virtual nurses through on-screen options and contact real-life nurses in case of any doubts. Complete report on connected health market spread across 70 pages, analyzing 5 major companies and providing 24 data exhibits now available at http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-connected-health-market-2016-2020.html . The analysts forecast global connected health market to grow at a CAGR of 26.54% during the period 2016-2020. According to the 2016 global connected health market report, growth in older population is a one of the major drivers in market growth. Older people are more likely to develop age-related diseases or chronic diseases due to their low immunity levels. The top three causes of death among people aged 65 and over are cardiac arrest, cancer, and strokes. In the Americas, four out of five older people are diagnosed with at least one chronic condition. Over 40% of the older population in North America has high blood pressure, more than one in four have high cholesterol, 20% have some form of mental disorder, and 15% have diabetes. The growth of global connected health market can be accredited to the increased support from governments across the world. Many governments are encouraging the idea of connected health through various incentives and policies. Such healthcare regulations encourage hospitals and clinics to convert traditional medical records into electronic ones. During 2015, North America dominated the global connected health market with a market share of more than 36%. The market in this region is anticipated to showcase substantial growth during the forecast period owing to growing awareness, expanding mobile coverage, and rising incidence of chronic diseases. By 2020, the global connected health market will continue to be dominated by the monitoring devices segment with a share of almost 62%. Monitoring devices are used to display, measure, and document physiological information that is obtained at regular intervals from sensors attached to the patient or other input devices. Increased public knowledge and awareness of the advantages of using self-care devices such as glucose monitors and insulin pumps coupled with awareness programs organized by various medical associations are factors contributing to the growth of this segment over the next four years. The following companies are the key players in the global connected health market: Allscripts, Apple, athenahealth, Cerner, GE Healthcare, and Philips Healthcare. Other prominent vendors in the market are: AeroScout (Stanley Healthcare Solutions), Abbott, Agfa-Gevaert, Alcatel-Lucent, Cardio Net, Epic Systems, Evolent Health, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Google, Honeywell Life Care Solutions, HP, Huawei, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Microsoft, Misfit, OMRON, Proteus Digital Health, Qualcomm, Skyscape, Voxiva, Warby Parker, WellDoc, and Zebra Technologies. Order a copy of Global Connected Health Market 2016-2020 report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/purchase?rname=58443 . Global Connected Health Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global connected health market for 2016-2020. Another related report is Global Healthcare IT Market 2016-2020, a key growth driver is the changing government regulations as they pertain to the healthcare industry. Governments of many countries revise their regulations to make the healthcare sector more customer-oriented. WHO introduced guidelines for international classification of diseases (ICD), a standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management, and for clinical purposes. Browse complete report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-healthcare-it-market-2016-2020.html . Explore other new reports on Healthcare Market @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/market-research/pharmaceutical/pharmaceuticals-and-healthcare . About Us: SandlerResearch.org is your go-to source for all market research needs. Our database includes thousands of market research reports from over multiple leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over several micro markets. With comprehensive information about the publishers and the industries for which they publish market research reports, we help you in your purchase decision by mapping your information needs with our huge collection of reports. Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. +1 888 391 5441 sales@sandlerresearch.org Connect with Us: G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/106598308303011242341/posts Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandlerResearch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandler-Research/524957830948790 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQLoqvZE2Py7AxNeNlBXoA Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SandlerResearch/ SOURCE Sandler Research SANTA CLARA, California, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Bioscience, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience International (TWSE: ticker 6554) and a global drug discovery and development services company providing translational platforms to advance oncology and metabolic disease research, announced the milestone of completing 110 client projects on blood cancer treatments using models from their HuKemia collection. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160405/351602LOGO "We are very proud to announce this accomplishment," says Dr. Henry Li, Vice President of Translational Oncology. "CrownBio's ALL and AML patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of different leukemia subtypes are unique in the commercial world, in that they are validated, stable models with typical leukemia symptoms and eventual mortality, and are truly representative of the human condition. Other commercially available models are transient, non-transferable through passages (not renewable) and without disease symptom and mortality. While they can provide a gross measure of response, they have a finite banked leukemia source from patients. Thanks to the high quality of our models we keep registering a consistent growth in demand, which we are happy to meet with the highest standard of data quality," said Li. CrownBio's permanent HuKemia models allow clients to follow disease recurrence after initial treatment challenge to test the efficacy of novel agents against drug resistance. "Transient models simply provide a one-shot study, whereas we have the ability to study both efficacy against primary and relapsed disease," commented Li. CrownBio plans to publish further papers on the latest results from the HuKemia collection in the near future. In the meantime, clients can access published data on all HuKemia models via HuBase, CrownBio's proprietary database of PDX models. For more information on CrownBio's commitment to furthering the field of oncology and metabolic disease drug discovery, visit www.crownbio.com. About Crown Bioscience Inc. Crown Bioscience is a global drug discovery and development solutions company providing translational platforms to advance oncology and metabolic disease research. With an extensive portfolio of relevant models and predictive tools, Crown Bioscience enables clients to deliver superior clinical candidates. For more information, please visit www.crownbio.com. Related Links http://www.crownbio.com SOURCE Crown Bioscience LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Boardroom today releases a new report on the Oil and Gas sector in Tanzania, 'Inside Oil & Gas Tanzania'. Huge 55tcf gas discoveries have turned Tanzania from what was once an oft overlooked backwater in terms of hydrocarbons investment into one of the hottest properties in global energy. Multinationals are now jostling for position to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities in the country. The report is an authoritative and up-to-date assessment of the major sector in this strategically important oil and gas producing country. Themes covered include Tanzania in East Africa Neighboring Mozambique and Kenya also possess the potential to develop into regional energy heavyweights. We assess Tanzania's strengths and weaknesses compared to its East African neighbors and the importance of the contract to transport landlocked Uganda's oil to the coast. LNG: A Game Changer? After years of bureaucratic delays, Tanzania is finally poised to build an LNG plant in the Southern port of Lindi and begin to capitalize on its gas reserves through export to international markets. We take a detailed look at this project and its potential to transform Tanzania. Regulatory Reform 2015 was a big year for Tanzanian oil and gas, with the election of President John Magufuli and the roll-out of the Tanzania Petroleum Act. We assess the impact of Magufuli's early tenure on the industry and introduce the reformed constellation of actors created by the new legislation. The Big Scramble Our in-depth cover story, 'Braced for the Big Scramble' examines the international oil and gas operators, large and small, making moves in Tanzanian oil and gas. We look at their respective strategies, successes, and failures, to paint a detailed picture of the opportunities in Tanzania. Energy Boardroom's Tanzania Oil & Gas Report features in-depth interviews with: James Mataragio, TPDC Jamidu Katima, EWURA ystein Michelsen, Statoil Neil Ritson , Solo Oil , Solo Oil Salim Bashir , KPMG Quotes "We have, to date, barely explored half of the country, yet from what we have witnessed so far, the potential is absolutely enormous" James Mataragio, TPDC "We are witnessing the dawn of a brave new economic trajectory for our country. There is much to be optimistic about. The future of the Tanzanian oil and gas industry is unquestionably bright!" Jamidu Katima, EWURA "[The LNG plant project in Lindi] is emblematic of the dawning of a new era in East African gas and of the resolve to make Tanzania an important player in the gas space." ystein Michelsen, Statoil "There's a real race underway to become Africa's newest LNG exporter and each side is on the lookout for any possible advantage they can gain." Ronke Luke , Oilprice Download Download the report at http://www.energyboardroom.com/oil_and_gas_report/tanzania-inside-oil-gas-report and visit energyboardroom.com for up-to-date reports, news, articles, interviews, and facts and figures from a wide range of global oil and gas markets. SOURCE Energyboardroom DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of Wintergreen Research, Inc's new report "Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgical Robots: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016-2022" to their offering. The complete report provides a comprehensive analysis including procedure numbers, units sold, market value, forecasts, as well as a detailed competitive market shares and analysis of major players' success, challenges, and strategies in each segment and sub-segment. The reports cover markets for knee and hip robotic orthopedic surgery medical specialties and sub-specialties. Worldwide Hip and Knee Orthopedic surgical robot markets are poised to achieve significant growth. The accuracy provided by the robot is not reproducible by the human surgeon, so ultimately all surgeons will want to perform the orthopedic implants using this technology. Robot assisted medial knee arthroplasty: orthopedic surgical robots are poised to take knee and hip surgery quality far beyond what has previously been available. The quality of knee arthroplasty is improved with robotic capability. All the advantages of surgical robots carry into the Stryker Mako orthopedic reconstruction surgical products. When the knee and hip surgical robots are used, patients have less bleeding, reduction of post-operative pain, fewer re-admissions to hospital and faster recovery. Robots support high-precision surgery. A clinic in Switzerland, La Source, has reported a reduction in the average days of hospitalization from 10 to 6. Knee and hip surgical robots provide consistent reproducible precision. This capability is so significant for implant surgery that the robots are positioned to become the defacto standard of care for knee and hip surgery within five years. Any one getting a knee or hip replaced will demand attention to quality of life, to maintenance of lifestyle provided by a robot when they have a joint replacement. As next generation systems, hip and knee robotic units provide a way to improve traditional orthopedic hip and knee replacement surgery. Total hip replacement surgery has evolved dramatically as advances in technology have brought improved surgical techniques. Surgical robots are a significany part of that advance. Once, the penetration achieves this 35% level, all orthopedic surgeons will demand that hospitals offer robotic orthopedic surgical capability because the outcomes are more predictable and better. If the hospital does not offer the robot, the surgeon will move to a more modern facility. Knee and Hip Surgical Robots have been impacted by the reduction in insurance payments. Payment reductions have forced hospitals to start acting as businesses. The cost of delivering care has become as much a factor as providing quality care when making decisions about patient improvement in condition. Cost-cutting has been made in the supply chain. Suppliers were examined closely for quality and cost. The number of suppliers is reduced to put pressure on the ones that remain. Those remaining are pressured to improve prices and efficiencies. Hospitals, physicians, and care providers have been financially incentivized to create accountable care organizations (ACOs). Coordinated patient care plans and value-based purchasing were rewarded. The med device buyer shifted from physicians to the ACOs and smart buying groups. Key Topics Covered: 1. Knee and Hip Surgical Robots Market Description and Market Dynamics 2. Knee and Hip Surgical Robots Market Shares and Market Forecasts 3. Knee and Hip Surgical Robot Products 4. Knee and Hip Surgery Company Descriptions 5. Knee and Hip Surgical Company Descriptions Companies Mentioned - Johnson & Johnson / DePuy - Shenzhen Advanced Institute - Smith & Nephew - Spinal Surgical Robot - Stryker / Mako - Synthes - THINK Surgical - Wright Medical Technology - Zimmer Biomet For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xg9wkk/hip_and_knee Source: Wintergreen Research, Inc 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global IT Spending in Railways Market 2016-2020" report to their offering. The report forecasts the global IT spending on railways market to grow at a CAGR of 15.93% during the period 2016-2020. Railways worldwide use cloud computing and big data analysis to evaluate customer requirements. Through these technologies, railway operators get a broader view of the freight, passenger, and logistics operations. For example, Slovenian Railways uses IBM's SmartCloud solution to build smarter railway systems. Hitachi is another major vendor that provides cloud computing and big data services to the railways sector. According to the report, the global railways passenger and freight traffic are growing due to plummeting oil prices and increase in industrial activities. Latest offerings (such as mobile ticketing) coupled with the rise in the use of personal computing devices (like smartphones and tablets) are boosting the railway passenger volume. Further, the report states that the costs involved in implementing IT in railways include licensing fees and expenses for system design and customization, implementation, training, maintenance, and upgrade. After purchasing the license, railway authorities need to hire experts for the proper implementation of the software. Moreover, the integration of these applications with the existing operational processes of the railway network can be quite challenging at times. Key vendors: Accenture plc ALTEN SA Altran Technologies SA IBM Corp. SAP SE Key Topics Covered: PART 01: Executive summary PART 02: Scope of the report PART 03: Market research methodology PART 04: Introduction PART 05: Economic overview PART 06: Market landscape PART 07: Market segmentation by category PART 08: Geographical segmentation 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 For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9bwmdj/global_it 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Inline Policy, the consultancy for innovative and fast-growing businesses looking to engage with Government has launched a specialist Brexit Advisory Unit following the result of the recent referendum. The Brexit Advisory Unit will work with organisations to advise them on how the impact of Brexit will affect their business, including policy and regulatory implications. The 10 strong team will work with clients to engage with the Government and relevant policymakers, ensuring that their voice is heard to help shape the negotiation and transition process. The unit will be headed up by William Bain: EU expert, former shadow minister, and Parliamentarian. William brings extensive knowledge of key economic, strategic, and regulatory matters having been a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, with particular interests in industrial and financial services policies. The team has considerable experience across Government, business and commercial activity in the UK and EU with specialised regulatory expertise in London and Brussels. William Bain, said: "The next few years will see significant change in how UK businesses trade, operate, invest, employ people, and use data, as the UK prepares to depart from the EU and build new relationships in Europe and around the world. "The process of leaving the EU could mean that the future of passporting for UK financial services businesses across the Single Market area will be on the table for debate. We also wait to see what the climate for jobs, trade and investment will be in the UK once the new journey outside of EU membership begins." Shomik Panda, Inline's Managing Director, said: "Inline's Brexit Advisory Unit will work with businesses to help steer them through this time of significant change in our economy. UK businesses now have a unique opportunity to help shape a post-Brexit regulatory environment that will promote innovation, jobs and growth. We will work alongside our clients to ensure they are in the best possible position to be part of the conversation with the key decision makers." About Inline Policy Inline Policy (@InlinePolicy) based in London and Brussels is a political consultancy for innovative and fast-growing businesses. Based in London and Brussels, it advises clients on policy and regulatory issues across global markets, with expertise at local, national and international levels. The Brexit Advisory Unit works with organisations to advise on policy and regulatory implications of the EU withdrawal process. The team has experience across Government, business and commercial activity in the UK and EU with specialised regulatory expertise in London and Brussels. Working alongside its clients, Inline Policy provides advice on the impact of Brexit, helping to execute effective engagement campaigns with Government to ensure opinions are heard by policymakers. William Bain joined Inline Policy in March 2016 having spent five and a half years serving as Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East. He was also a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, with particular interests in economic, industrial, and financial services policies. Prior to this, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State, Sadiq Khan, at the Department for Transport in 2010, and served as Shadow Minister for Transport; Food, Farming and Fisheries; and Scotland, after the 2010 General Election. Before entering Parliament he was a senior lecturer in Public and EU Law at London South Bank University and also taught at other institutions in the higher education sector. Contact: Lianne Robinson, lianne@commscrowd.com SOURCE Inline Policy THE HEMORRWEDGE is a radical, non-invasive new treatment for the painful and debilitating condition of hemorrhoids. HEMORRWEDGE is a specially-designed, ergonomic, silicone covered gel ice-pack that provides fast relief from the irritation and discomfort of hemorrhoids. Doctors have long recommended the benefits of icing the affected area as the most effective way to reduce the uncomfortable swelling of the veins. But using bagged ice cubes to apply to the hemorrhoids can, in itself, be uncomfortable and messy as they melt. HEMORRWEDGE'S inventor (patent pending) took the idea of the silicone-gel ice-pack used to treat sporting or other swelling injuries and created this special and unique product. Ointments and suppositories alone used to treat hemorrhoids invariably are only a means of easing the pain and discomfort, in the hope the condition will resolve itself. The HEMORRWEDGE, which has secured Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification, could be used to complement other treatments. Because of its convenient and discreet design, the HEMORRWEDGE will allow sufferers to go about their daily lives almost unhindered. Primarily aimed at external hemorrhoids though it can be used externally on internal hemorrhoids the HEMORRWEDGE shrinks swelling within three to seven days, while providing relief from the irritation. Applied early enough on internal hemorrhoids, the HEMORRWEDGE can prevent painful prolapsing. HEMORRWEDGE comes in a set of two so that one which should be washed in warm soapy water after each use can be cooling in the freezer in its hygienic, sealed case. It is recommended that the HEMORRWEDGE, which emerges from the freezer solid, is applied to the affected area for just 20 minutes. The sufferer should then find relief for at least an hour before the other HEMORRWEDGE gel pack is placed on the affected area. HEMORRWEDGE can also provide effective relief for mothers suffering from postpartum pain after giving birth. HEMORRWEDGE'S inventor hit on the idea after suffering painful and long-lasting hemorrhoids caused by lifting heavy boxes, though the condition can just as easily be brought on by straining during a bowel movement or in child-birth for women. He eventually found that icing the hemorrhoids was by far the most effective treatment, but discovered it inconvenient to apply ice cubes. He set about designing and having manufactured samples, eventually arriving at the durable, hygienic and effective HEMORRWEDGE. Hemorrhoid signs and symptoms include: Painless bleeding during bowel movements you might notice small amounts of bright red blood Itching or irritation in your anal region Pain or discomfort Swelling around your anus A lump near your anus, which may be sensitive or painful Leakage of feces Hemorrhoid causes include: Straining during bowel movements Sitting for long periods of time Chronic diarrhea or constipation Obesity Pregnancy and child birth Heavy lifting Anal intercourse Low-fiber diet FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND PURCHASE: Amazon USA - https://goo.gl/1Ach24 Amazon UK https://goo.gl/ycKBCm Website - http://www.hemorrwedge.com/ Video - https://youtu.be/CW9ru3vejxs Related Links http://www.hemorrwedge.com SOURCE HEMORRWEDGE PUNE, India, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Plastic Additives Market by Type (Plasticizers, Stabilizers, Flame Retardants, Impact Modifiers), Plastic (Commodity, Engineering, and High Performance Plastic), and by Application (Packaging, Construction, Consumer Goods, Automotive) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, The market size is projected to reach USD 50.86 Billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 4.9% between 2016 and 2021. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302) Browse 87 market data Tables and 55 Figures spread through 188 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Plastic Additives Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/plastic-additives-market-722.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The growth of the plastic additives market is triggered by the rising demand from the packaging industry. Plastic additives are widely used for industrial and household purposes. Change in lifestyle and globalization have triggered the growth of the packaging industry which drives the plastic additives market. Plasticizers segment to account for major share of the plastic additives market The plastic additives market is segmented on the basis of type as plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardants, impact modifiers, and others. Plasticizers account for a major share of the plastic additives market as it is extensively used to process polymers and are less expensive than other additives. They are usually combined with PVC or other polymers to impart unique physical properties for use in various applications such as cable jacketing, floor & wall coverings, and coating fabrics. Commodity plastic dominating the plastic additives market Plastic additives are widely used in commodity plastic for various end-use products. Some of the commodity plastics are polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, and others. These are used to impart specific resin properties to processed polymers. Polyethylene products are mostly used in various end-use applications such as packaging bags, general plastic films, medical packaging, mulch films, green house & tunnel films, and pipes. Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=722 Packaging industry is the largest consumer of plastic additives The packaging sector is the dominating application segment of the Plastic Additives Market. Packaging is widely used for industrial and household purposes. Change in lifestyle and globalization have triggered the demand plastic additives from the packaging industry. Increasing use of plastics in consumer goods is also expected to drive the growth of the plastic additives market. Asia-Pacific to be the largest market during forecast period The plastic additives market is broadly segmented into five regions, namely, Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and South America. Asia-Pacific is the largest market of plastic additives, in terms of volume. The growing packaging industry coupled with the increasing demand from the retail industry drives the market of plastic additives in the region. Polymer industries are witnessing high growth in developing countries such as India and Brazil Currently, the global plastic additives market is dominated by various market players, such as Songwon Industrial Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Albemarle Corporation (U.S.), Clariant AG (Switzerland), BASF SE (Germany), and The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), among others. The leading players mainly concentrate on new product development to enhance their market reach and make innovative products available to a large number of customers. Browse Related Reports: Flame Retardant Market by Type (ATH, Antimony Oxide, Brominated, Chlorinated, Phosphorous), Application (Epoxy, Polyolefins), and End-use Industry (Building & Construction, Electronics & Appliances, Wire & Cables, Automotive) - Global Forecast to 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/flame-retardant-chemicals-market-686.html Plasticizers Market by Type (Low Phthalates, High Phthalates, and Non-Phthalates), Sub-Type (DOP, DINP/DIDP, DOTP, Bio-Based, & Others) & Geography - Trends and Forecasts to 2019 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/plasticizers-market-688.html Know More About our Knowledge Store @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide 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 Tel: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets LIVERPOOL, England, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Gleam Ltd, the leading window cleaning service in Liverpool and the Merseyside area, has announced its complete transition to an innovative water fed pole system which benefits from the latest pure filtration technology. The commercial window cleaning and residential window cleaning specialists will now do away with ladders and other traditional window cleaning apparatus entirely to focus on servicing clients using exclusively telescopic fed water poles. The decision to switch to a water fed pole system has been made due to a number of business and ethical factors, Pure Gleam Ltd has confirmed. By avoiding the minerals and sediments typically associated with standard tap water, and using only purified water, the 'streaking' that sometimes occurs when water is left to dry does not occur. That means Pure Gleam personnel will not spend time manually drying and squeegeeing, and will be able to offer clients an even more efficient service. Using natural reverse osmosis processes, Pure Gleam Ltd passes water through several resins and filters to purify it, before it is ready for storage and use by the company's on-site teams. The time saving capabilities of water fed pole systems are expected by Pure Gleam Ltd to translate into a more budget-friendly service for clients with less disruption to on site activities. In terms of its own business, Pure Gleam Ltd are now happy to be able to make more appointments available to new and existing clients, such is the added speed with which the new system will provide to its service operators. An unmatched level of thoroughness is achieved through cleaning thanks to telescopic poles and brushes that can reach as high as 65 feet, making them suitable for multi storey commercial and domestic premises. Scrubbing and rinsing with the purified water leads to a sparkling, glimmering finish that is unattainable using the more traditional window cleaning techniques. On the environmental front, the pure water means less chance of damaging a property and its surroundings with the use of detergents and chemicals. Pure Gleam Ltd is also satisfied that its work force will be at less risk of the injuries that is posed by the use of ladders at height. With water fed pole cleaning, the feet of the operator stay firmly on the ground, providing a solid base while working. There is also the potential of repetitive strain injuries from the continued execution of manual cleaning techniques associated with traditional methods. This will be eliminated thanks to the enhanced cleaning process afforded by the telescopic system that will now be used by Pure Gleam. When it comes to accessibility, Pure Gleam Ltd will now be able to service properties with windows and other features which were previously unreachable using ladders, such as roof lights, as well as clean frames, better than ever before. The superb service standards achieved by Pure Gleam teams for window cleaning will also be applied to solar panels, gutter cleaning, conservatory roofs, signage and other features of buildings using the water fed pole system. Heralding the decision to go water fed, a spokesperson for Pure Gleam Ltd said the company were proud at leading the way for modern window cleaning: "we are part of the new wave of window cleaning services that are committed to offering clients an environmentally friendly, efficient and effective option for building exterior cleaning. We believe this significant investment in the latest pure water filtering and telescopic cleaning techniques will prove justified over the coming months and years, as more businesses and homeowners switch onto the benefits of water fed pole systems, which are certainly the future of our trade." Contact: Pure Gleam Ltd 4 Podium Road Liverpool L13 6SB +44-(0)7585976153 contact@puregleamltd.co.uk http://puregleamltd.co.uk SOURCE Pure Gleam Ltd HATFIELD, England, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- People with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAI-R DTC) are overlooked as Lenvima (lenvatinib) is not scheduled for evaluation by NICE or the new Cancer Drugs Fund People with an advanced form of thyroid cancer have to wait up to two to three years before being able to access Lenvima (lenvatinib) in England, due to failures in the new Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) procedure launched on 29 July. Lenvatinib can significantly slow the progression of disease; in its pivotal trial, the treatment provided a significant median progression free survival benefit of 18.3 months versus 3.6 months for placebo (p<0.0001) in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.[1] Further, nearly two-thirds of patients responded (ORR measure) to the treatment with a significant objective response rate (ORR) of 64.8% versus placebo 1.5% (p<0.0001). The treatment also demonstrated a rapid response, with a median time to first objective response of only two months. Adverse events were seen in nearly all lenvatinib patients (97.3% on lenvatinib versus 59.5% on placebo) and the most common were hypertension, diarrhoea, fatigue, decreased appetite, decreased weight and nausea.[1] Lenvatinib is indicated for the treatment of adults with progressive locally advanced or metastatic, differentiated (papillary, follicular, Hurthle cell) thyroid carcinoma (DTC), refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI-R)[2] and was granted an accelerated assessment and approved by the European Commission in May 2015. It is available in many countries in Europe already, including Germany where it has been available from May 2015. Lenvatinib is not listed on the relaunched CDF and NICE has indicated it will not be able to issue final guidance on the treatment until around June 2018. Lenvatinib has been in limbo ever since 2015, when it was refused entry to the CDF as it was closed to new medicines and was not scheduled for assessment by NICE due to its low budget impact. To compound this situation, Eisai is aware of at least twenty individual funding requests made by clinicians in England for the use of lenvatinib in eligible patients, and no patient has yet received the treatment. Eisai calls for a flexible solution in the form of urgent transitional arrangements that would ensure patients can access lenvatinib through the CDF. Eisai has met with NHS England and NICE but despite extensive dialogue, to date no agreement has been made. "As a clinician I am now in the difficult position of having to explain to my patients why I cannot prescribe a drug that is available in other European countries. This is obviously very disappointing given the significant progression free survival benefit demonstrated by lenvatinib for patients with radioiodine refractory DTC and my colleagues and I will not be able to do so in the immediate foreseeable future," comments Dr Nick Reed, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow, UK. "On behalf of patients with advanced thyroid cancer, we have no option but to fight this inequitable situation. For once this is not about cost as we have not been asked to be evaluated for clinical or cost effectiveness but we would welcome the opportunity to do so but also the new CDF is underwritten by the pharmaceutical industry where we take 100% of the financial risk associated with the Fund. This situation would indicate that England is turning the clock back and fast becoming the sick child of Europe in terms of access to innovative cancer drugs. Eisai will therefore fight aggressively for the rights of patients, which may include taking legal action. "Lenvatinib was developed in the UK and is now manufactured in Hertfordshire in our state of the art facility. With no access to lenvatinib for people with advanced thyroid cancer in the UK for possibly three years, we may be forced to reconsider our future investments here, The NHS is one of the best healthcare systems in the world and so there simply must be a solution for patients," comments Gary Hendler, Chairman and CEO Eisai EMEA. Notes to Editors About Thyroid Cancer 2,800 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year in England,[3] and approximately 250 will not respond to radioiodine treatment and develop RAI-R DTC.[2],[4]People with RAI-R DTC and distant metastases have a median survival of 2.5-3.5 years[3] and few treatment options are currently available on the NHS in England Thyroid cancer refers to cancer that forms in the tissues of the thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat near the trachea.[5] The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased significantly in the last decade by 69% and 65% in men and women, respectively.[6] The most common types of thyroid cancer, papillary and follicular (including Hurthle cell), are classified as differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and account for approximately 90% of all cases.[6] The remaining cases are classified as either medullary (5-7% of cases) or anaplastic (1-2% of cases).[7] About SELECT[1] The decision by the EC was based on the results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study (the SELECT study) on progressive RAI refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.[1] The study's primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). About Eisai Co., Ltd. Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com. References 1. Schlumberger M et al. Lenvatinib versus placebo in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. NEJM 2015; 372: 621-630. Available at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1406470 Accessed: August 2016 2. Summary of Product Characteristics Lenvima. 2015. 3. Cancer Research UK. Thyroid Cancer Incidence Statistics. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/thyroid/incidence/uk-thyroid-cancer-incidence-statistics Accessed: August 2016 4. Durante 2006. J. Clin. Endo & Met. 91(8):2892-2899 5. National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/thyroid/Patient/page1/AllPages#1 . Accessed: August 2016 6. Cabanillas ME., Dadu R. Optimizing therapy for radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer: Current state of the art and future directions. Minerva Endocrinol 2012 Dec; 37(4): 335-356. 7. Thyroid Cancer Basics. 2011. Available at: http://www.thyca.org . Accessed: August 2016 SOURCE Eisai VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: RQHTF) (TSXV: RHT) ("Reliq" or the "Company"), a technology company focused on developing innovative mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions for Community-Based Healthcare, is pleased to announce that it has been accepted into the National Health Service (NHS) United Kingdom's (UK's) Test Beds program and will begin piloting its virtual care technology with a London-area hospital in Q4 2016. "We are very excited to be piloting Reliq's community care platform in the UK. Our technology is strongly aligned with NHS England's ongoing initiative to improve the management of long term conditions in the community." said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health. "Our platform uses a high tech, low touch approach to provide high quality healthcare in the home, reducing exacerbations and disease-related complications, decreasing healthcare costs and enhancing patient and family satisfaction. We look forward to participating in the NHS Test Beds program to demonstrate the value of Reliq Health's technology to patients, caregivers and the health system in the UK." The pilot will focus on two of the most common chronic conditions in the UK, congestive heart failure (CHF) and diabetes. Currently there are over 15 million people in England living with at least one long-term health condition. In addition to the impact on people's lives, long-term condition management accounts for half of all General Practitioner appointments and 70% of hospital bed days in the UK. Reliq Health's proprietary hardware and software supports patients and their caregivers in the home, providing remote vitals monitoring with alerts to clinicians as needed, audible reminders to improve patient compliance with prescribed medication regimens and lifestyle changes, tailored patient education and secure communication with the entire care team. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Dr. Lisa Crossley" CEO and Director For further information: CORE Capital Partners at +1-604-566-9233 or investors@ccpartnersinc.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. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements". We caution you that such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to commercial operations, including technology development, anticipated revenues, projected size of market, and other information that is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (the "Company") does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, technology development and marketing activities, the Company's historical experience with technology development, uninsured risks. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Reliq Health Technologies Inc. #1128 - 789 West Pender Street Vancouver, B.C., V6C 1H2 Phone: +1-778-707-6673 Fax: +1-604-608-3906 SOURCE Reliq Health Technologies Inc. TOKYO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricksoft Inc. announced on August 2 that it has launched "Alfresco connector for JIRA," an add-on product by bringing together Alfresco, an enterprise contents management product, and JIRA Software, an Atlassian tool used worldwide for project management, process management and bug tracking. For the full news release, please visit our website: https://en.ricksoft.jp/products/alfresco.php Ricksoft is an authorized Atlassian Platinum Partner and Enterprise Expert. Ricksoft not only installs Atlassian products but also provides a host of expert services to help customers take advantage of Atlassian's tools, including training, help desk, and introduction support. 1. Outline "Alfresco connector for JIRA" is an add-on product which makes it possible to manage contents generated at work, such as deliverable products, reports and files, according to processes, such as when, who and what. The product puts together Atlassian's JIRA Software team planning and project management around the world and Alfresco's namesake ECM product. The product is capable of associating tasks executed in various processes with relevant deliverables and tracking down the contents to see the timing of their generation. 2. Features of the services Please visit our website (https://en.ricksoft.jp/products/alfresco.php) to find out more about "Alfresco connector for JIRA" aligning Atlassian's JIRA Software with Alfresco. About Ricksoft Inc. Ricksoft is a major software company very active in the Asia-Pacific region, handling products ranging from "Atlassian Confluence," a knowledge sharing and management tool, to Atlassian products such as project management tool "JIRA Software." Authorized as an Atlassian Platinum Expert, Ricksoft employs dedicated engineers to provide a range of services from Atlassian product installation to add-on development and cloud services. The company provides wide-ranging services and support, including Atlassian product installation and plug-in development, for customers in manufacturing, finance and insurance, Internet services and communications, and public sector. Its head office is in Tokyo and Chief Executive Officer is Hiroshi Ohnuki. Ricksoft website: https://en.ricksoft.jp/ Company names and product names which are herein indicated are the registered trademarks or trademarks of each company. Related Links https://en.ricksoft.jp/ SOURCE Ricksoft Inc. NEW YORK, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding vehicle fleet coupled with anticipated increase in vehicle sales to boost tire sales in Switzerland through 2021 According to TechSci Research report, "Switzerland Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021", tire market in Switzerland is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 6% during 2016 - 2021 on account of expanding automotive fleet, especially of the passenger car segment in the country. In 2015, the country's tire market was majorly dominated by the passenger car tire segment, followed by two wheeler and commercial vehicle tire segments. Key reason for continuously rising sales of passenger cars in the country can be attributed to high per capita disposable income. Anticipated increase in small, medium & heavy commercial vehicles is also expected to boost tire sales in the country over the next five years. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) Browse 12 market data Tables and 26 Figures spread through 107 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Switzerland Tire Market " https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/switzerland-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/746.html Continental, Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli are the largest tire players operating in Switzerland, accounting for a cumulative share of over 90% in the country's tire market. Over the next five years, these five tire majors are expected to continue their dominance in Switzerland. Espace Mittelland and Lake Geneva Region are the two largest regional tire markets in the country, followed by Zurich, Eastern Switzerland and Northwestern Switzerland. In 2015, Espace Mittelland and Lake Geneva Region, cumulatively grabbed a market share of around 45% in the country's tire market. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=746 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. "Continuing growth in winter tire market in Switzerland on account of harsh climatic conditions and increasing consumer awareness, has been positively influencing the country's tire market over the last few years. Winter tires or Snow tires are specially designed tires, that use modern silicon compound technology and improved tread pattern design offering hassle-free and safe driving experience on icy, wet surfaces and snow laden roads. Moreover, tire demand in Switzerland is solely met through imports, owing to absence of tire manufacturing plants in the country. Also, tire demand in the country is completely replacement driven as there are no automobile production units in the country as of now.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "Switzerland Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of tire market in Switzerland, and provides statistics and information on market size, 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 the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in Switzerland tire market. Browse Related Reports Mexico Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021 http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/mexico-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/660.html Global Autonomous Car Technology Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2035 - ADAS, Semi-Autonomous, Fully-Autonomous http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-autonomous-car-technology-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2035-adas-semi-autonomous-fully-autonomous/124.html Global OTR Tire Market By Vehicle Type (Mining, Construction and Industrial Equipment, Agriculture Vehicles, and Others), By Demand Category (OEM Vs. Replacement), By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-otr-tire-market-by-vehicle-type-mining-construction-and-industrial-equipment-agriculture-vehicles-and-others-by-demand-category-oem-vs-replacement-by-region-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/637.html United States Radio Taxi Services Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021 http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/united-states-radio-taxi-services-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2021/617.html United Kingdom Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/united-kingdom-tire-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2021/624.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 SOURCE TechSci Research CASTLEFORD, England, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Acquisition Reinforces Teva's Strategy and Opens New Possibilities for the Company in Generics and Specialty; Serving 250 Million People, Every Day Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) and Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) today announced that Teva has completed its acquisition of Allergan's generics business ("Actavis Generics"). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150824/260497LOGO ) This strategic acquisition brings together two leading generics businesses with complementary strengths, R&D capabilities, product pipelines and portfolios, geographical footprints, operational networks and cultures. The result is a stronger, more competitive Teva, well positioned to thrive in an evolving global marketplace to realise the opportunities the very attractive global and US generics markets offer, and to deliver the highest-quality generic medicines at the most competitive prices, unlocking value to patients, healthcare systems and investors around the world. "The acquisition of Actavis Generics comes at a time when Teva is stronger than ever - in both our generics and specialty businesses," said Erez Vigodman, President and CEO, Teva. "Through our acquisition of Actavis Generics, we are creating a new Teva with a strong foundation, significantly enhanced financial profile and more diversified revenue source and profit streams backed by strong product development engines in both generics and specialty. This is a platform that is expected to generate multi-year top-line and bottom-line growth as well as significant cash flow." As part of the approval from the European Commission, and in order to guarantee continuity of competition in the UK and Irish markets, the Commission instructed Teva to divest a viable standalone business operation based around Actavis' assets. This includes a portfolio of generic molecules, Actavis' Barnstaple manufacturing plant, and the management and people to run this business unit in the UK and Ireland. This standalone operation will be sold in the near future. The remainder of Allergan's generics business in the UK and Ireland is to be integrated with Teva's operation in line with the global transaction. Richard Daniell, UK General Manager and Chief Integration Officer, said: "We are really pleased to have reached Day One of this acquisition and are delighted to be welcoming so many talented individuals to our expanded organisation. Our job now is to embrace the new opportunities available to us and continue to work to deliver positive outcomes for both patients and the NHS." In the UK, 33 roles are transitioning from Actavis into the Teva UK business, as well as several generic lines, medicines to treat cystic fibrosis and some over-the-counter products. We now employ over 1,300 people in the UK across multiple locations focussing on the research and development, manufacturing, production, packaging and marketing of devices used in the UK and across the world. For the Global press release, please visit http://www.tevapharm.com/news About Teva UK Limited Teva UK Limited is one of the UK's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a presence in the generics, branded respiratory, CNS and hospitals markets. It has the widest range of any UK generic pharmaceutical company and markets solid and liquid dose, injectable and respiratory medicines to healthcare professionals. The company is part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. For more information, visit http://www.tevauk.com. About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions used by millions of patients every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,000 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has a world-leading position in innovative treatments for disorders of the central nervous system, including pain, as well as a strong portfolio of respiratory products. Teva integrates its generics and specialty capabilities in its global research and development division to create new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development capabilities with devices, services and technologies. Teva's net revenues in 2015 amounted to $19.7 billion. For more information, visit http://www.tevapharm.com. Teva's Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products; competition for our specialty products, especially Copaxone (which faces competition from orally-administered alternatives and a generic version); our ability to consummate the acquisition of Allergan plc's worldwide generic pharmaceuticals business ("Actavis Generics") and to realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisition (and the timing of realizing such benefits); the fact that following the consummation of the Actavis Generics acquisition, we will be dependent to a much larger extent than previously on our generic pharmaceutical business; potential restrictions on our ability to engage in additional transactions or incur additional indebtedness as a result of the substantial amount of debt we will incur to finance the Actavis Generics acquisition; the fact that for a period of time following the consummation of the Actavis Generics acquisition, we will have significantly less cash on hand than previously, which could adversely affect our ability to grow; the possibility of material fines, penalties and other sanctions and other adverse consequences arising out of our ongoing FCPA investigations and related matters; our ability to achieve expected results from investments in our pipeline of specialty and other products; our ability to identify and successfully bid for suitable acquisition targets or licensing opportunities, or to consummate and integrate acquisitions; the extent to which any manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for quality production and require costly remediation; increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of our patent settlement agreements; our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit risks; the effectiveness of our patents, confidentiality agreements and other measures to protect the intellectual property rights of our specialty medicines; the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation and pharmaceutical pricing, reimbursement and coverage; competition for our generic products, both from other pharmaceutical companies and as a result of increased governmental pricing pressures; governmental investigations into sales and marketing practices, particularly for our specialty pharmaceutical products; adverse effects of political or economic instability, major hostilities or acts of terrorism on our significant worldwide operations; interruptions in our supply chain or problems with internal or third-party information technology systems that adversely affect our complex manufacturing processes; significant disruptions of our information technology systems or breaches of our data security; competition for our specialty pharmaceutical businesses from companies with greater resources and capabilities; the impact of continuing consolidation of our distributors and customers; decreased opportunities to obtain U.S. market exclusivity for significant new generic products; potential liability in the U.S., Europe and other markets for sales of generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent litigation; our potential exposure to product liability claims that are not covered by insurance; any failure to recruit or retain key personnel, or to attract additional executive and managerial talent; any failures to comply with complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and payment obligations; significant impairment charges relating to intangible assets, goodwill and property, plant and equipment; the effects of increased leverage and our resulting reliance on access to the capital markets; potentially significant increases in tax liabilities; the effect on our overall effective tax rate of the termination or expiration of governmental programs or tax benefits, or of a change in our business; variations in patent laws that may adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products in the most efficient manner; environmental risks; and other factors that are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Teva UK Limited DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the " Worldwide IoT Managed Services Market - Managed Services Types (Managed Security Services, Managed Networks, Managed Devices, Managed Infrastructure Services), Verticals, Regions - Drivers, Opportunities, Trends, and Forecasts, 2016-2022" report to their offering. Globally, the rising adoption rate of smart technologies in various industries has led the demand for the IoT technologies. Most of the businesses today are spending on smart technologies to improve their customer satisfaction, reduce the operational costs, and increase the ROI. Within few years, billions of devices will be connecting to the internet from various industries. The increase in the number of connected devices will lead to high demand for the managed services. To run the IoT technologies successfully, a properly managed service in each layer of IoT ecosystem is required. The IoT consists of devices, connectivity, security, applications and a properly managed service is required to manage these in an effective way. Hence managed services will play a major role in the IoT market. The increasing adoption of digital technologies, changing business models, government initiatives, increasing IT spending on security services, significantly growing mobile subscriber base and rising adoption of connected devices in consumers and business landscape are expected to drive the IoT managed services market growth in the next 6-7 years. The IoT managed services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.3% during the forecast period 2016-2022. The IoT managed services market is analysed based on three segments: managed services types, regions, and verticals. The managed services types segment consists of managed devices, managed security services, managed networks, and managed infrastructures. The managed security services are expected to play a key role in the IoT managed services market. The IoT managed services are analysed by verticals that include Manufacturing, BFSI, Retail & Consumer Electronics, Education, Healthcare, Transportation, IT & Telecom, Energy & Utilities and others. The manufacturing industry is set to be the leading vertical for IoT managed services market and healthcare and education industries are set to be the emerging verticals for the market growth. The region segment covers North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Central Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. North America is expected to outperform in the IoT managed services market growth and Asia Pacific is set to hold huge business opportunities in IoT managed services market. The report also helps in getting the complete picture (vertical market opportunity, regional market opportunity, challenges, current market trends, future market trends, evolution, technology roadmap, etc.) of the IoT managed services. The key players covered in this report are IBM, Google, Apple, Intel, HP, AT&T, Accenture, Microsoft. Key Topics Covered: 1 Industry Outlook 2 Report Outline 3 Market Snapshot 4 Market Outlook 5 Market Characteristics 6 Managed Services Types: Market Size and Analysis 7 Verticals: Market Size and Analysis 8 Regions: Market Size and Analysis 9 Vendor Profiles 10 Global Generalist 11 Competitive Landscape 12 Expert's Views Companies Mentioned - Accenture Plc. - Apple Inc. - AT & T Inc. - Cisco System Inc. - Google Inc. - HP Inc - Intel Corporation - International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) - Microsoft Corporation - Qualcomm Inc. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/88rxl4/_worldwide_iot 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As a leading and innovative broker in the binary options industry, 23Traders has made it a key part of its strategy to be available to their traders, regardless of their history or experience in binary options trading. This is because the broker understands that if a trader does not work within a defined strategy, they will flounder and continuously suffer from poor trading results. In addition, a logical and workable strategy that can be applied profitably to the underlying markets in binary options trading can only be devised through effective trader training. For these reasons, 23Traders has decided to increase its trader education focus by partnering with GoToWebinar, a leader in live webinar software development, to offer educational sessions on its website. The webinars provide the broker's clients with an amazing audiovisual experience, where they can view their trainers' trading screens, talk to them in one-on-one sessions and share documents in a collaborative environment. The webinars consist of a large variety of courses and live lessons for traders who will receive tips from the broker's highly experienced team as well as valuable insights on market trends. The webinar sessions prepare traders for effective trading, regardless of the asset classes they choose from the extensive range offered by 23Traders, whether stocks, indices, currencies or commodities. 23Traders hosts at least one webinar each week that is open to everyone who is registered with the broker. All that a trader needs to do is log in to the trading platform and select the webinar that is of interest to them. The team of specialists in the finance and investment fields, led by Mr. Beri Norman, will provide live training covering all aspects of trading, including an introduction to 23Traders' trading platform as well as technical analysis techniques. There are also special live trading sessions offered by 23Traders to selected clients and VIPs. Traders can get in touch with the broker's support if they would like to gain access to these live sessions. There is also training on live trading signals, which helps traders to identify and manage the real-time market information they receive at 23Traders to maximum advantage. Live access to trainers via the webinars also offers an opportunity for traders to take part in in-depth discussions regarding any of the educational materials provided by the broker. Daniel Diehl, the lead analyst at 23Traders, explains why it was so important for the broker to launch webinars as part of their services to its clients: "When a trader is educated, they trade smarter, and as a result, they are more successful. The basis of all trading success is having the required knowledge of the platform and markets. By offering a vast array of education and training tools that include eBooks, videos and now webinars that offer one-on-one training from our experts, we empower our traders to achieve much more success when trading online." About 23Traders Since its launch in 2013, 23Traders has quickly established itself as one of the best providers of online financial trading services. The broker offers a large selection of tradable assets within a flexible, powerful and user-friendly platform that makes it easy for both new and experienced traders to manage their investments and trade easily. The 23Traders brand is owned and managed by Hermes Ventures Limited which is authorized and regulated by the Vanuatu International Financial Services Commission. For more information on 23Traders and its training features, please visit http://www.23Traders.com SOURCE 23Traders FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Two-year-old Abigail Belzi will never know her mother. Plantation General Hospital accepted responsibility for the untimely death of twenty-four year old Patricia Belzi, who was 33 weeks pregnant when she came to the hospital in August of 2014 with nothing more than shortness of breath. As a result Florida's tort-reformed medical malpractice laws, the Belzi family had no real choice other than to forego their constitutional right to a jury trial, and accept the hospital's offer to enter into binding arbitration. Pursuant to Florida law, Abigail's non-economic claim in the arbitration for the lifetime loss of her mother's companionship, instruction and guidance was severely capped by Florida Statutes at only $250,000.00. "Given the unfair cap on non-economic damages, our primary goal in this case," said Bonnie Navin, attorney for the family, "was to creatively build a credible and legal case for the amount of the family's economic losses as a result of Patricia's death." This was difficult, said Navin, because of Patricia's young age, and the fact that she had not yet completed her education in the field - ironically of nursing. The arbitration panel consisted of Administrative Judge June McKinney from Tallahassee, retired Circuit Judge, Israel Reyes, from Coral Gables, and attorney, David Prather, from Jupiter. The arbitration, which took place in Fort Lauderdale, lasted for three days, according to Kimberly Wald who assisted Navin in the arbitration. "I think Bonnie did a great job in helping the arbitrators understand and appreciate the immense economic value a woman has as both a mother and a wife," said Wald, "and the expert testimony offered by the plaintiffs on that issue was both compelling and convincing." On August 8, 2014, Patricia Belzi, presented to Plantation General Hospital with shortness of breath. Eight hours later, she suffered a loss of oxygen and was later diagnosed with a brain injury leaving her in a vegetative state for nearly three months. Doctors failed to recognize her increasing loss of oxygen for so long her brain lacked oxygen leading to a brain injury. Abigail was born by "slash and dash" in the emergency room with no sterility or anesthesia all in an effort to save the baby before losing Patricia. Patricia remained in a vegetative state from August 8, 2014 until she passed on November 18, 2014. Abigail is being raised by her father, Pastor Bernard Belzi, of Fort Lauderdale. "Although we are satisfied with the award," said Robert W. Kelley, whose firm represented the family, "this unjust one-sided law capping the family's non-economic damages is outdated and just plain wrong." Kelley said he has advised the hospital's attorneys that if the hospital appeals the arbitrators' award, his firm will cross-appeal and ask the appellate court to toss out the cap on non-economic damages as unconstitutional. "On a level playing field," said Kelley, "this would be a ten million dollar case, or more. The hospital better be careful what it asks for." The arbitration panel unanimously awarded $4,290,622.72 in damages to the family last Friday, July 29, 2016. Kelley/Uustal is a leading personal injury and medical malpractice law firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm handles the full range of personal injury and wrongful death cases, and is backed by more than 200 years of experience and a proven track record of success. To learn more about the types of cases the firm handles, please visit www.justiceforall.com. SOURCE Kelley/Uustal Related Links http://www.justiceforall.com "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Alain to the Optime Team. He is a proven leader with an outstanding track record of achieving breakthrough results in highly competitive business environments within Fortune 100 companies," said Gibeault. "Alain has been a valued client, a true Champion for sales capability, and is one of the very best customer-driven business leaders I have had the opportunity to interact with. To have him join Optime is a testament to the momentum and results we have achieved with our clients, and our outstanding colleagues," Gibeault continued. Alain will assume his duties effective September 1st, and will operate out of Optime's Montreal and Toronto offices. Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Champagne said: "I have been so impressed with the Optime team and their ability to drive results with my sales teams over the past 18 years ... that I decided to join the company." "I'm thrilled with the unique opportunity to bring my expertise to the company, and the potential of contributing to our clients' revenue acceleration." Until recently, Alain Champagne held the position of President of McKesson Canada. In this capacity, Mr. Champagne was responsible for leading the development and execution of the Company's overall strategy. Supported by his Executive Team, he oversaw McKesson's operations in Canada, which included the following divisions: Pharmaceutical Distribution, Retail Banner Management and Technology Solutions. Prior to joining McKesson Canada in 2010 as SVP Pharmaceutical Distribution and Operations, he held various executive roles with Frito Lay Canada and Procter & Gamble. Mr. Champagne holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). Mr. Champagne is actively involved in charitable organizations, including Board roles with the United Way/Centraide and Leucan. About Optime Optime was co-founded in 1994 by Tom Blake and Hugues Gibeault. The company is a sales training and development leader with a proven track record of helping Fortune 500 companies improve sales performance and business results. Over the past two decades, forward-thinking companies like AT&T, Procter & Gamble, TD Bank, PepsiCo, Finning/CAT, Great-West Life and McKesson have called on Optime to build sales capability and effectiveness, and win with their customers. SOURCE Optime "This contract announcement reinforces AM General's position as the global leader in Light Tactical Vehicles. Our international partners continue to rely on us to meet the most diverse range of mission capabilities offered by the most adaptable, affordable Light Tactical Vehicles on the planet," said AM General President and CEO Andy Hove. "We pride ourselves on developing and delivering these solutions to our customers with the speed, efficiency, and reliability only our company can offer." As the U.S. Government and foreign countries engage in more rapid, dispersed and challenging missions around the globe, deployability and readiness are key determinants of success. AM General's HMMWV platform has been the answer for more than three decades, delivering the modular design with unmatched reliability and innovation to achieve the mission. Global demand for new production and remanufactured Light Tactical Vehicles, automotive kits, spare parts and training services is as strong today as ever. AM General's robust pipeline of international sales is testament to its best in class workforce, manufacturing processes, and management team. About AM General AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide. Through its military business, the company is widely recognized as the world leader in design, engineer, manufacture and support of Light Tactical Vehicles, having produced and sustained more than 300,000 vehicles in over 60 countries. Its growing Commercial business includes its wholly owned subsidiary, Mobility Ventures, designer and manufacturer of the acclaimed MV-1, the only American made vehicle specifically engineered from the ground up in support of wheelchair users and people with disabilities. AM General is also proud to have been selected by Mercedes-Benz to be its only contract manufacturer in the United States, producing the R-Class vehicle in Mishawaka, Indiana. AM General has more than five decades of experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by its employees at major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states. Please see more information about AM General at www.amgeneral.com. Media Contact: Jeff Adams Global Communications & Marketing / AM General Phone: 703-347-2276 E-mail: [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394554 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394555 SOURCE AM General Related Links http://www.amgeneral.com AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH), a leading provider of high quality single-family homes for rent, today announced that the Board of Trustees elected Tamara Hughes Gustavson to the Board, effective August 2, 2016. Ms. Gustavson, the daughter of our Chairman of the Board, is a real estate investor and philanthropist and, together with her family, currently owns approximately 25% of the American Homes 4 Rent outstanding common shares and units of its operating partnership. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Public Storage, the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California and the Board of Trustees of the William Lawrence and Blanche Hughes Foundation. During the past five years, in addition to her board responsibilities, Ms. Gustavson has been managing her real estate investments and engaging in charitable activities. "We welcome Tamara Gustavson to the American Homes 4 Rent Board of Trustees," said David P. Singelyn, Chief Exective Officer of American Homes 4 Rent. "We expect to benefit from Tamara's ongoing investment and charitable board experience. She will also provide a shareholder's perspective in Board discussions about our operations and strategic direction." About American Homes 4 Rent American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand for rental homes, known for high quality, good value and tenant satisfaction. We are an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust, or REIT, focused on acquiring, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties. As of March 31, 2016, we owned 47,955 single-family properties in selected submarkets in 22 states. Additional information about American Homes 4 Rent is available on our website at www.americanhomes4rent.com. Contact: American Homes 4 Rent Investor Relations Phone: (855) 794-2447 Email: [email protected] SOURCE American Homes 4 Rent Related Links http://www.americanhomes4rent.com APPLETON, Wis., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Appvion, Inc. will report its second quarter 2016 financial results after market close on August 9. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gilligan and Chief Financial Officer Tom Ferree will host a teleconference to discuss those results with the investment community on August 10 at 11:00 a.m. ET. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet. A webcast link and presentation slides will be available in the investor section/events & presentations of the Appvion website at www.appvion.com. The broadcast will also be archived on that same page of the company website. A playback of the teleconference will also be available by telephone from approximately 1:00 p.m. ET August 10 through August 16. To access the playback, please dial 855-859-2056 and use the access code 45142629. About Appvion Appvion creates product solutions through its development and use of coating formulations and applications. The company produces thermal, carbonless, security, inkjet, digital specialty, and colored papers. Appvion, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, has manufacturing operations in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania, employs approximately 1,400 people and is 100 percent employee-owned. For more information, visit www.appvion.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130513/CG12038LOGO SOURCE Appvion, Inc. Related Links http://www.appvion.com WARREN, Mich., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Art Van Furniture is celebrating one of the Motor City's favorite traditions with an Art Van Pit Stop during the Woodward Dream Cruise! The annual classic car event draws about 1.5 million people each year, with more than 40,000 cars driving past the Art Van Furniture showroom located at 32301 Woodward Avenue in Royal Oakat the epicenter of the Dream Cruise. The Midwest's number one furniture and mattress retailer will host an all-day cruise bash for spectators to join in the fun on Saturday, Aug. 20. The Art Van Pit Stop is open to the public and will display a Trans AM SE Bandit Edition, an updated version of the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Tran Am made famous by Burt Reynolds in the cult classic Smokey and the Bandit. The car is one of only 77 Bandit Editions built and will be shown courtesy of media sponsor 94.7 WCSX radio, which will be broadcasting live on-site all day playing classic rock favorites. "The Woodward Dream Cruise is one of the highlights of a Detroit summer," said Kim Yost, CEO of Art Van Furniture. "We are proud to be a community partner and support this great annual event. Our team is looking forward to welcoming members of the public to a fun event at a fantastic location, and watching thousands of incredible classic cars cruise by!" The Art Van Pit Stop will also feature games, giveaways, a relaxation station, and refreshments from Detroit Water Icethe popular philanthropic dessert company founded by bestselling author and journalist Mitch Albom. Art Van PureSleep will also give away a free souvenir gift to guests who take the exclusive five-minute sleep diagnostic test. For more information, visit artvan.com. About Art Van Furniture Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer and America's largest independent furniture retailer. The company operates 100 stores throughout Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, including freestanding Art Van PureSleep mattress stores, Art Van Flooring stores, and Art Van Furniture franchise locations as well as a full service e-commerce website. Founded in 1959, the company is family-owned and headquartered in Warren, Michigan. Visit artvan.com for more information. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150130/172502LOGO SOURCE Art Van Furniture Related Links http://www.artvan.com ITASCA, Ill., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced the acquisition of Victory Insurance Agency, Inc. based in Pearland, Texas. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1983, Victory Insurance Agency (Victory) is a retail insurance broker providing commercial property/casualty, employee benefits, risk management consulting and personal lines insurance services to clients throughout the south central United States. They specialize in coverages for public entities and school districts as well as the real estate, manufacturing, distribution, energy, marine, technology, transportation and construction industries. Roger Montemayor and his associates will continue to operate from their Pearland and Lake Jackson, Texas locations under the direction of Bret VanderVoort, head of Gallagher's South Central retail property/casualty brokerage operations, and John Neumaier, head of Gallagher's South Central employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations. "Victory has a great reputation for its level of expertise, outstanding client service and middle-market client focus," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "Their Houston-area presence and strong carrier relationships will help expand our Texas footprint. Victory will be a terrific addition to our South Central region, and we are extremely pleased to welcome Roger and his team to our growing Gallagher family of professionals." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 33 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Marsha J. Akin Media: Linda J. Collins Director Investor Relations VP Corporate Communications 630-285-3501/ [email protected] 630-285-4009/ [email protected] SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Related Links http://www.ajg.com TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AudioEye, Inc. (OTCQB: AEYE) ("AudioEye" or the "Company") surpassed $1M ($1,153,572 YTD) in unaudited cash contract sales bookings for year-to-date 2016. Complete with a new management team and a fully productized set of service offerings for all sectors, the Company expanded its footprint in the federal government space and achieved significant traction in mid-to-large corporate entities in several key target market verticals across the U.S., including, but not limited to: Education, Retail, Restaurant/Food & Beverage, Banking & Finance, and Healthcare. "We have created a service offering with credible pricing that provides digital accessibility and inclusion solutions for businesses and organizations looking to conform with ADA-related initiatives, policies and mandates," stated Chief Executive Officer, Todd Bankofier. "Equally significant and core to our corporate mission, we provide our customer's users with adaptive web enhancement tools that make the user experience personalized, universal, and much more inclusive for a much broader audience of people, including the ever-growing population of individuals with disabilities." Settlement of Shareholder Litigation AudioEye also announced today that it reached an agreement in principle to settle the consolidated securities class action lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, titled In re AudioEye, Inc. Sec. Litig. The consolidated case was brought against the Company and two former officers following the restatement of the Company's 2015 quarterly financial statements. The agreement was reached in connection with a voluntary mediation led by Bob Meyer, a mediator with JAMS in Los Angeles. The settlement agreement is subject to definitive documentation, shareholder notice, and court approval. The terms of the agreement include a settlement payment to the class from the Company's insurer, with no admission of liability by any party. "We are pleased to reach a settlement agreement on the securities class action and believe it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders," said Dr. Carr Bettis, Executive Chairman of AudioEye. About AudioEye, Inc. Incorporated in 2005, AudioEye provides enhanced web access and usability for its clients' customers through AudioEye's Ally platform. The Ally+ product allows AudioEye's clients to reach more customers , build more brand loyalty , retain more customers and secure more repeat business . AudioEye's common stock trades on the OTCQB under the symbol "AEYE". The Company maintains offices in Tucson and Atlanta. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements in this press release about AudioEye's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, prospects, financial condition, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under the federal securities laws. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe", "anticipate", "should", "intend", "plan", "will", "expects", "estimates", "projects", "positioned", "strategy", "outlook" and similar words. You should read the statements that contain these types of words carefully. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. There may be events in the future that AudioEye is not able to predict accurately or over which AudioEye has no control. Other risks are described more fully in AudioEye's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements reflect management's analysis as of the date of this press release and AudioEye urges you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. AudioEye does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events or uncertainties after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Non-GAAP Financial Measures AudioEye has provided in this release information related to bookings that has not been prepared in accordance with GAAP. AudioEye uses this non-GAAP financial measure internally in analyzing its financial results and believes it is useful to investors, as a supplement to GAAP measures, in evaluating our ongoing operational performance. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our use of non-GAAP financial measures may not be consistent with the presentations by similar companies in our industry. Bookings are comprised of the total value of new customer contracts closed during a specified period, including license, maintenance, services, term license and subscription renewals, that we believe to be firm commitments to provide our software solutions and related services. Bookings by their nature are significantly based on estimates and judgments that we make regarding total contract values, and our bookings growth projections are not meant as a substitute measure for revenue in accordance with GAAP. We believe our annual bookings growth projection is useful to investors as an additional means to reflect our annual business performance. These non-GAAP estimates are not measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP, and we are unable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their directly comparable GAAP financial measures because the information described above which is needed to complete a reconciliation is unavailable at this time without unreasonable effort. For further information, please contact: David Kovacs Strategic Consultant AudioEye, Inc. (866) 331-5324 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160217/334212LOGO SOURCE AudioEye, Inc. Related Links http://www.audioeye.com SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company for devices, data and people, today announced the availability of AVG Family Graph to Tigo mobile customers in Latin America, released as Ubicame por AVG in Guatemala. Announced at Futurecom 2015, AVG Family Graph lets subscribers locate family members' phones, even if each is with a different mobile operator, effectively creating a family plan by connecting all phones on one Family Graph account. With Family Graph, Tigo Guatemala can better attract, serve and retain valuable family customers. AVG Family Graph is built by Location Labs by AVG, the leading provider of mobile family locator software in the US, with mobile operator partners including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. The de facto family plan behavior Family Graph creates leads to longer subscriber lifetimes and higher user engagement. In the US, where more than two-thirds of consumer lines are on family plans, evidence suggests subscribers who increase from 1 to 4 lines stay with their mobile operator as much as 4 times longer. "By partnering with us to launch AVG Family Graph, Tigo Guatemala proves their commitment to attracting and retaining families by offering products that help customers keep loved ones more secure," said Todd Simpson, Chief Strategy Officer, AVG Technologies. "We look forward to helping Tigo Guatemala bring vital mobile experiences to millions more families and increase their own value by acquiring entire families of mobile subscribers." "We want our mobile services to help subscribers stay connected with the most important people in their lives adopting a digital lifestyle," said Jorge Matamoros, Digital Business Manager from Tigo Guatemala. Launching Family Graph with AVG means we are making it easier than ever for families, no matter their mobile operator, to communicate more easily, locate each other and keep each other safer." AVG Family Graph is available first to Tigo subscribers in Guatemala, a significant local market in the valuable Latin American region, where the mobile market in South America alone is expected to reach $275 billion USD by 2020. About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG) AVG is the leading provider of software services to secure devices, data and people. AVG's award-winning consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, location services, data controls and insights, and privacy and identity protection, for mobile devices and desktops. The award-winning AVG Business portfolio, delivered through a global partner network, provides cloud security and remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions that protect small and medium businesses around the world. For more information visit www.avg.com. About Comunicaciones Celulares, S.A. Comunicaciones Celulares, S.A., is a leading telecommunications and media company dedicated to emerging markets in Guatemala. Comunicaciones Celulares, S.A. operates in Guatemala using the Tigo brand, serving almost 9 million customers. In 1992 Tigo was the first company to offer mobile services in Guatemala, and now Tigo is the market leader providing mobile, Internet, fixed broadband, and cable TV to its customers. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120306/SF65434LOGO SOURCE AVG Technologies N.V. Related Links http://www.avg.com DAVIE, Fla., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bankers Healthcare Group, a leading provider of financial solutions for healthcare professionals, has once again been recognized on the annual Top 100 South Florida Private Companies list published by the South Florida Business Journal. The company ranked no. 37 on the 2016 list, rising from no. 43 last year. "Bankers Healthcare Group is proud to be recognized among the top private companies of South Florida," said Bankers Healthcare Group President Bob Castro. "The organizations on this year's list have done so much to enrich our regional economy. We're delighted to be a part of it." Bankers Healthcare Group works with healthcare professionals exclusively, offering them financial solutions including working capital loans, credit cards and insurance services. The company has funded over $2 billion dollars to healthcare professionals and will celebrate its 15th anniversary this October. Earlier this year, Bankers Healthcare Group was recognized as a winner in South Florida Business Journal's Business of the Year and Best Places to Work programs. South Florida Business Journal Research Director Gilberto Medina conducts the research and ranks companies by 2015 South Florida revenue. For more information about the list, please refer to the South Florida Business Journal. About Bankers Healthcare Group Since 2001, Bankers Healthcare Group has been committed to providing hassle-free financial solutions to healthcare professionals, including working capital loans, credit cards and insurance services. BHG has provided more than $2 billion in funding to thousands of satisfied customers nationwide. Inc. has recognized the company ten times for growth and job creation. For more information, visit www.bhg-inc.com. Contact: Pat Harrigan (315) 671-4129 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150323/183766LOGO SOURCE Bankers Healthcare Group Related Links http://www.bhg-inc.com "We're honored to receive this award and I'm humbled by our hardworking team at our 27 stores," said Lisa Senafe, CEO and co-founder of Bentley's Pet Stuff. "We hand select all of the items in our stores through thorough research and testing." Each year, Pet Product News awards a Retailer of the Year, sponsored by World Pet Association. Senafe started Bentley's Pet Stuff in 2008 after struggling to find a nearby store that offered the quality products her dog Bentley needed. She opened her first storefront in downtown Arlington Heights, Ill., with a simple goal: To help pets (and their pet parents) achieve great lives. More about Bentley's Pet Stuff Bentley's Pet Stuff is a family-owned business with 27 store locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado, with 100 projected stores by March, 2017. In November 2015, Bentley's Corner Barkery acquired Pet Stuff and the newly formed company, Bentley's Pet Stuff, now features 19 locations across Chicagoland. Bentley's is one of the largest independent natural pet supply retailers. It opened in 2008 with a mission to feed animal lovers' pets genuine high quality ingredients. Started from a single retail store, Bentley's Pet Stuff offers natural pet food, a variety of treats, toys, and more. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394821 SOURCE Bentleys Pet Stuff Related Links https://www.petstuff.com ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg BNA today announced the availability of the Environmental & Safety Practice Center on Bloomberg Law. Designed specifically for environmental attorneys and in-house compliance departments, Bloomberg Law's eleventh practice center integrates in-depth legal analysis, commentary and news with key primary sources to provide practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of current and emerging environmental and safety issues. "At Bloomberg Law, we are committed to listening to our customers and investing in the platform to ensure that it continues to evolve and expand along with their needs," said David Perla, President of Bloomberg Law. "Environmental practice groups have been expanding and Bloomberg Law now offers these groups and in-house compliance departments a dedicated resource that addresses their specific needs, all in a centralized location." The Environmental & Safety Practice Center incorporates Bloomberg BNA's environment and safety news, laws and regulations, agency and guidance documents, environmental opinions and dockets, and books and treatises. For more information on the Environmental and Safety Practice Center on Bloomberg Law and to request a trial, visit http://on.bna.com/7wzh302NWs4. About Bloomberg BNA Bloomberg BNA provides legal, tax and compliance professionals with critical information, practical guidance and workflow solutions. We leverage leading technology and a global network of experts to deliver a unique combination of news and authoritative analysis, comprehensive research solutions, innovative practice tools, and proprietary business data and analytics. Bloomberg BNA is wholly-owned by Bloomberg L.P., the global business, financial information and news leader. For more information, visit www.bna.com. About Bloomberg Law Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of practical guidance, comprehensive primary and secondary source material, trusted content from Bloomberg BNA, news, time-saving practice tools, market data and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.bna.com/bloomberglaw. SOURCE Bloomberg BNA Related Links http://www.bna.com BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Buffalo Computer Graphics (BCG), developer of DisasterLAN (DLAN) Incident Management Software, has appointed Brian Carrier as the new Director of Client Services in their Incident Management Division. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394642 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394643LOGO Since joining BCG five years ago, Carrier has played an instrumental role in the growth and expansion of DLAN as a Program Manager. In this role, he was on site for several DLAN deployments including Hurricane Sandy at the Albany Emergency Management Operations Center, multiple FEMA Indian Point deployments, Erie County Storm Activations, and multiple Ride for Roswell deployments. In addition to these tasks, Carrier has offered both customer and in house support for all major and minor software versions, and has overseen the development and implementation of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) GPS tracking devices for all DLAN customers. Carrier's established experience and in-depth knowledge of DLAN will be essential in his new role as the Director of Client Services, where he will be responsible for maintaining effective support for all BCG DLAN customers. Carrier will develop and implement all policies and procedures for customer service, manage the client services team and the 24/7 after hours support team, and oversee all customer issues to ensure effective and long-term problem resolution. As Director, Carrier will manage all employees within the department and will be responsible for performance management and hiring. He will also play a major role in scheduling and implementing DLAN installations for new and existing customers. "My main goal as the new Director of Client Services is to make customers happy," he says. "In the field of emergency management, when a major incident occurs, 24/7 support is critical to protect lives and property. That is what we do." About DisasterLAN: DisasterLAN is a web-based incident management system designed for use in emergency operations centers to manage both planned events and disasters using ICS and NIMS standards. About Buffalo Computer Graphics: BCG is a global provider of Incident Management Software, Mass Notification Systems, Maritime Training Solutions, and Custom Hardware & Software Engineering. Contact : Nancy Kensy Director of Marketing Buffalo Computer Graphics (716) 822-8668 Email www.disasterlan.com SOURCE Buffalo Computer Graphics BANGKOK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers throughout the world are drinking more coffee, with demand projected by the International Coffee Organization to soar in the next few years. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160724/392380 This trend is evident as cafes pop up in major cities throughout the world, with wide range of new coffee machines launched so that consumers can get their caffeine fix at home, in the office, at coffee shops or on the move. This encouraged Bangkok-based FUSE Coffee Company, a start-up by two young engineers to kick-start a radical approach with the launch of their coffee-gadget FUSE Modular Coffee Press system. FUSE Coffee Press relies on a series of twist-on modules that currently includes a ceramic burr for grinding roasted beans right before the brew, and a milk frother for that latte or cappuccino. This new technology is the brainchild of coffee lover and CEO Kenneth Chai, who took his search for a caffeine fix to a new level. While working as a petroleum field engineer in rural Asia, the creator of FUSE realised how difficult it was to get a good cup of coffee on-the-go, having tried a myriad of ways including bringing his own coffee machines across international borders. "I consider myself an average coffee drinker, but I don't just want your typical instant powder from a pack. I love a good grind and brew to start my day off." "One day, my work found me in the middle of the Mongolian desert and I had woken up every morning with no access to clean water or electricity -- but all I wanted was a hot cup of good coffee!" "It was then and there that this idea came to me." Nothing quite cuts the fact of grinding fresh beans on the spot and brewing it right away for that good cuppa joe -- thus, Chai embarked on his quest to create a fully robust, easy to clean, portable and modular system that let users grind, brew and froth milk on the move. The result is the FUSE portable system: fully modular, the core of the system is a 1-lb (450-g), 4.8 x 3.1-in (122 x 80-mm) chamber and plunger. The hand-held plunger presses down hot water into a stainless steel coffee chamber at 5 to 6 bar (73 to 87 psi) of pressure before coffee escapes into a cup. Coffee strength can also be adjusted with a twist of the chamber. "With FUSE, all you have to do is add your beans, screw on the plunger, add hot water and press. The rest is you and your instant mental clarity." "It is sort of like LEGO. You want to grind your beans, get the Grinder. You like Latte? Get the Frother. You don't feel like moving a muscle? Get the PowerPress and PowerGrinder. Camping? Don't forget the PowerCore." The company is currently crowd-funding this project on Indiegogo with 48 days to go. Interested buyers are encouraged to check out the limited offer packages and deals on the site. The main unit can now be pre-ordered at $49, limited runs of the FUSE plus Grinder package is also available for avid coffee lovers at a combined discounted price of $119. The team hopes to ship out their first unit before Christmas. Other twist-on modules in development are: Battery operated PowerGrinder and PowerPress that grinds the bean and pushes the hot water with a press of a button. and that grinds the bean and pushes the hot water with a press of a button. TimeGrip , an add-on grip that features a timer for those who brew their coffee by the mili-seconds. , an add-on grip that features a timer for those who brew their coffee by the mili-seconds. PowerCore, a powered thermo-flask that fits in a bicycle bottle cage, perfect for the outdoor enthusiasts or cyclists. All the modules are still in early development and part of their crowd-funding stretch goals. For more information and latest update please like FUSE's Facebook page or follow them on Twitter or subscribe to their mailing list at the official FUSE website. Related Files Animations.zip HQImages.zip Related Images image1.jpg image2.png image3.jpg image4.jpg This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE FUSE Coffee Co., Ltd. Related Links http://fuse.coffee From August 1 st until August 31 st , Calypso will place specially-marked "Entry Bottles" of its Original Lemonade in retail locations around the country. Lucky consumers who find a special Entry Bottle will find an entry code on the bottle label that will unlock a treasure chest on the Island of Treasure page of the Calypso website . After unlocking the treasure chest with the special bottle code, customers will have a chance to win an item from the variety of prizes contained in the chest. Treasure chest prizes include a PlayStation 4, Bose Headphones, GoPro Hero 4, Hoverboard, VR Headset, $10-$250 gift cards, and a wide variety of Calypso merchandise. Calypso's Island of Treasure Sweepstakes is part of Calypso Lemonade Month (#CalypsoLemonadeMonth), in which the Company is featuring a different Calypso lemonade flavor every day on social media and is holding daily giveaways with trivia, games and other contests. The month-long celebration culminates on National Lemonade Day Saturday, August 20th - when the brand will giveaway a Year Supply of Calypso Lemonades to one lucky person and surprise other lemonade fans with prizes on social media. Fans of Calypso Lemonade can enter the Year Supply Sweepstakes HERE. "National Lemonade Day is a fun celebration of lemonade in America, and with so many different and unique Calypso lemonade flavors in our product line, we enjoy devoting an entire month to lemonade with Calypso Lemonade Month," said Calypso Brands President, Jeff Outlaw. "Our Island of Treasure Sweepstakes is a great way to give back to our customers and highlights our 'Taste of the Islands' identity. In addition, Calypso Lemonade Month allows us to feature and have fun interactions with consumers around each of Calypso's lemonade flavors, including our newest addition, Paradise Punch Lemonade. It's all a great way to join in together around our shared love of lemonade." For more information on Calypso's Island of Treasure Sweepstakes and other activities surrounding National Lemonade Day and Calypso Lemonade Month, please visit DrinkCalypso.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160726/393193 SOURCE Calypso Lemonades Related Links http://www.drinkcalypso.com Dobbs comes to Camp Southern Ground with over 25 years of leadership experience with companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 and has a broad background in marketing, sales, development, real estate, architecture, construction and general management. He has also enjoyed board and committee roles in working with non-profits such as Skyland Trail, The Westminster Schools, Metro Atlanta YMCA, Zoo Atlanta and Young Life. His passion is in transforming visions into reality and serving others. Located on over 400 acres in Fayetteville, GA, Camp Southern Ground is the passion-project of GRAMMY Award-winning artist Zac Brown and his wife, Shelly. Inspired by his own experience as a camp counselor, Zac's vision is to create a state-of-the-art facility that is more than the typical camp experience. "I am honored to be able to share this vision with Zac and Shelly and be a part of building something that is unique and will positively impact the lives of children for generations to come," commented Dobbs. Camp Southern Ground will focus on children with neurobehavioral challenges - specifically Autism, Dyslexia, Asperger's and Attention Deficit Disorder. Camp will also act as a respite center for military families struggling with post-deployment issues, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "Mike is a proven, connected and passionate leader. He embraces the mission and is a key player to help Camp Southern Ground exceed all expectations. We are proud to have him," stated Zac. Dobbs is originally from Mobile, Alabama and has resided in Atlanta for over 30 years with his wife Jenifer and their two children. He is a graduate of Auburn University and holds degrees in both Architecture and Building Sciences. ABOUT CAMP SOUTHERN GROUND Mission-driven, Camp Southern Ground offers children a world-class campus in a beautiful natural setting, with groundbreaking programs that inspire children to magnify their gifts, enhance their perspectives of self, empower them to overcome limitations, and spread love to impact their world. With state-of-the-art buildings and outdoor spaces, Camp Southern Ground is a one-of-a-kind place of learning and growth designed with children of diverse abilities and skill sets in mind, and will become a timeless institution that is the cornerstone of research and innovation. Camp Southern Ground is registered non-profit, 501(c)(3). Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394509 SOURCE Southern Ground AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Catapult, a leading IT consulting firm, announced today that it has placed as a finalist in the 2016 Greater Austin Business Awards in the Executive Leadership category. Organized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the award recognizes the leadership efforts of Catapult's Chief Executive Officer, David Fuess. This award comes at a time when information technology is fundamentally changing, making it difficult for a company's IT department to keep up with new trends that ultimately transform them to a digital workplace. At Catapult's helm, Mr. Fuess formed a new vision for the organization, transforming the way Catapult provides technology services. At the onset of this transformation, Mr. Fuess met with every employee, challenging each of them to think of new ways to contribute. "We believe in our employees and look to them to influence how Catapult grows as a company," said David Fuess, Chief Executive Officer of Catapult. "This means that each employee is a key stakeholder on our transformation journey, and is encouraged to take part in the generation of new ideas that propel Catapult. I am incredibly honored to not only be nominated, but to be chosen as a finalist by the Austin Chamber of Commerce." The final ranking of the Greater Austin Business Awards list will be announced at a ceremony that is being organized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, September 1 at the Hyatt Regency downtown. At the event, the Austin Chamber of Commerce will share the winning characteristics including organizational achievements, community contributions, and milestones. The largest event of its kind in Central Texas, the Greater Austin Business Awards brings over 1,000 business leaders, entrepreneurs, organizations and government officials. ABOUT CATAPULT Catapult is a full-service consulting firm that uses technology to solve complex business challenges, delivering exceptional value to our clients based on their priorities and timeframes. Recognized as the 2016 Microsoft Partner of the Year (U.S.), Catapult specializes in digital transformation and cloud-based technologies. We work on behalf of our clients to imagine, build, and sustain IT-enabled business solutions that people love to use. Catapult has offices in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tampa and Washington, D.C. Press Contact: Jessica Cowan Marketing Communications Manager Catapult Systems 512-605-3903 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151202/292819LOGO SOURCE Catapult Related Links http://www.catapultsystems.com BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheetah Mobile Inc. (NYSE: CMCM) ("Cheetah Mobile" or the "Company"), a leading mobile Internet company that provides mission critical applications to help make the Internet and mobile experience speedier, simpler, and safer for users worldwide, today announced that it plans to release its second quarter 2016 financial results on Friday, August 19, 2016 before market opens. The Company will hold a conference call on Friday, August 19, 2016 at 8:00 am Eastern Time or 8:00 pm Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers: International: +1-412-902-4272 United States Toll Free: +1-888-346-8982 China Toll Free: 4001-201203 Hong Kong Toll Free: 800-905945 Conference ID: Cheetah Mobile The replay will be accessible through August 26, 2016 by dialing the following numbers: United States Toll Free: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Access Code: 10090648 A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.cmcm.com. About Cheetah Mobile Inc. Cheetah Mobile is a leading mobile internet company. It aims to provide the best apps for mobile users worldwide, while building a leading global mobile ad platform for advertisers. Cheetah Mobile had approximately 651 million global mobile monthly active users in March 2016. Its mission critical applications, including Clean Master, CM Security, Battery Doctor and Duba Anti-virus, help make the internet and mobile experience speedier, simpler, and safer for users worldwide. The Company also provides multiple user traffic entry points and global content promotional channels capable of delivering targeted content to hundreds of millions of users. Its customers include direct advertisers and mobile advertising networks through which advertisers place their advertisements. Investor Relations Contact Cheetah Mobile Inc. Helen Jing Zhu Tel: +8610 6292 7779 ext. 1600 Email: [email protected] ICR, Inc. Vera Tang Tel: +1 (646) 417-5395 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Cheetah Mobile Related Links http://ir.cmcm.com SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chegg, Inc. (NYSE: CHGG), the Student Hub, today reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2016. "Chegg had an excellent Q2, led by 41% year over year subscriber growth in Chegg Services. We have over 40 million unique visitors annually who come to Chegg to save time, save money and get smarter and we believe we are on track for a great second half," said Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg. "We have become one of the largest direct-to-student education companies with more than 10 million monthly unique visitors as students increasingly seek high quality, affordable, online, on-demand help and Chegg meets those needs." An updated investor video and presentation and an investor data sheet can be found on Chegg's Investor Relations website http://investor.chegg.com. Over 40 million annual unique visitors is based on comScore U.S. Annual Unique Visitors (Custom Analytics), April 2015 March 2016. Over 10 million monthly unique visitors is based on comScore U.S. Monthly Unique Visitors (Custom Analytics), March 2016. Q2 2016 Financial Highlights: Total Net Revenues of $53.0 million, a decrease of 21% compared to Q2 2015; Non-GAAP Total Net Revenues of $40.7 million, an increase of 16% compared to Q2 2015; Chegg Services Revenues grew 33% year-over-year to $29.9 million, or 56% of total net revenues compared to 34% in Q2 2015; Required Materials Revenues of $23.1 million compared to $44.5 million in Q2 2015; Gross Profit was $31.6 million; Non-GAAP Gross Profit was $31.7 million; Net Loss was $9.0 million; Non-GAAP Net Income was $4.2 million; and Adjusted EBITDA was $7.2 million. Non-GAAP total net revenues and the related year-over-year percentage increase presents total net revenues as if the transition of textbook inventory investment and textbook logistics and fulfillment functions for Chegg's print textbook business to Ingram Content Group (Ingram) was complete and the revenues from print textbook business was entirely commission-based. For more information about Non-GAAP total net revenues and a reconciliation of Non-GAAP total net revenues to total net revenues, see the sections of the press release titled "Use of Non-GAAP Measures" and "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures." Q2 2016 Business Highlights: 760,000: number of Chegg Services subscribers in Q2; 78%: renewal rate for Chegg Study subscribers in Q2; Over 3.6 million: questions viewed in Chegg Study in Q2; Over 70%: growth in tutoring minutes from Q2 2015; and $11.8 million: remaining Chegg textbook library. Business Outlook: Our revenues are comprised of two revenue streams: Required Materials revenues, which includes print textbooks, eTextbooks, and Ingram commission revenues; and Chegg Services revenues, which includes Chegg Study, Chegg Tutors, Enrollment Marketing, Brand Partnerships, Writing Tools and Careers. Third Quarter 2016 Total Net Revenues in the range of $65 million and $70 million; Non-GAAP Total Net Revenues in the range of $48 million and $52 million; Chegg Services Revenues in the range of $28 million and $30 million; Gross Margin between 38% and 40%; and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $(2) million and breakeven. Adjusted EBITDA guidance for the third quarter includes approximately $1.9 million for textbook depreciation and excludes approximately $10.5 million for stock-based compensation expense, $1.4 million for amortization of intangible assets; and $1.5 million for acquisition-related compensation costs. It assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructuring actions, or legal settlements are concluded and that there are no further revisions to share-based compensation estimates. Fiscal Year 2016 Total Net Revenues in the range of $240 million and $255 million; Non-GAAP Total Net Revenues in the range of $182 million and $192 million; Chegg Services Revenues in the range of $124 million and $132 million; Gross Margin between 49% and 51%; and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $16 million and $21 million. Adjusted EBITDA guidance for fiscal year 2016 includes approximately $10.5 million for textbook depreciation and excludes approximately $43 million for stock-based compensation expense; $4.6 million for amortization of intangible assets; $(0.2) million for restructuring charges; and $5.0 million for acquisition-related compensation costs. It assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructuring actions, or legal settlements are concluded and that there are no further revisions to share-based compensation estimates. Prepared Remarks Dan Rosensweig, CEO Chegg Inc. Thanks Dave and good afternoon everyone! We had an excellent Q2 and a great first half overall. We enter the second half of the year excited as we believe we are on track to meet our full year revenue, subscriber and adjusted EBITDA expectations. And after two years of hard work, this is the semester in which we expect to complete our textbook transition as planned and exit the year as a 100% digital business. It's a very exciting time in the education industry and for Chegg. On today's call we will cover: The macro trends in education that we believe favor Chegg's direct-to-student model for affordable, high quality, on-demand services; Walk you through some of our key business drivers to help you better understand the business; Provide an update on our two newest businesses Imagine Easy's writing tools and Chegg Test Prep; Give an overview of our textbook business and the back-to-school season; and As always, Andy will take you through our Q2 financials and guidance for Q3 and the rest of the year. To appreciate how big the opportunity is for Chegg, it is important to understand the size of the market, how influential Chegg has become, how dramatically the industry is changing, and how these changes uniquely advantage Chegg. In the United States today, about 15% of the population is a student in middle school, high school or higher education, and as a nation we will spend in excess of $1 trillion this year on the sector, or more than 5% of total GDP. According to comScore, Chegg now reaches more than 40 million unique visitors annually, 10 million visitors monthly, and we are growing in part because the current education system which is not built to serve today's modern learner. From mastering basic writing and math skills, to navigating a college landscape decimated by budget cuts and bureaucratic resistance, students today face higher costs, fewer teachers, and less support from their schools, both in and out of the classroom. And while colleges seem unable to keep pace, the fact is that the rate of change driven by technology and by students is accelerating. Consider the incoming class of 2020: born the same year as Google, raised on the Internet and services like Spotify, Uber, and the iPhone. Their experiences growing up and learning are very different than our own, and faced with rising costs and diminishing resources in higher ed, today's student has an entirely different view of what they need to learn, how they can learn it, where they can learn it, how long it should take, and how much it should cost. To serve their evolving needs, Chegg reaches students starting in middle school, and we stay with them into their early careers. Our direct-to-student services include writing help, test prep, college matching, required materials for less, online homework help, on-demand live tutoring, internship search and soon careers. We believe our strategy of putting the student first and making all of our services affordable, online, and on-demand is positively impacting our business. In Q2, Chegg Services subscribers grew faster than it did in Q1 reaching 760,000 active subscribers in the quarter, setting a record for subscribers. As students return to their studies this fall, we expect to see similar growth in the second half of the year, further demonstrating the strength of Chegg Services. Our largest Chegg Service, Chegg Study, is considered indispensable by students because they know it helps them master their subjects, pass their classes, and ultimately graduate. We base this on monthly renewal rate that hovers around 80% and from the direct feedback students give us in social posts and on surveys where 90% of students' report that Chegg Study helped them get a better grade. Chegg Study today has a massive audience and a fast growing reach and fast growing engagement, with students continuing to access it about once per week on average while consuming more than 80 expert answers and textbook solutions per student in each quarter. For a little color on how rapidly we are becoming core to the learning experience, in the first half of this year, students asked and accessed more questions and answers than they did for all of 2015. And when students prefer or need the help of a live human being, they are increasingly turning to Chegg Tutors, where we continue to see growth in students, tutors, and overall tutoring minutes, which grew over 65% in Q2 alone. We believe these numbers reflect the increasing popularity of online, on-demand human help for learning at the college and high school levels. As a result, we anticipate Chegg Tutors will be our fastest growing business over the next few years as students become more familiar with the service and we are able to offer even more tutors across even more subjects while keeping it incredibly affordable for students, who pay as little as $0.40 a minute. Right now, a student can find a tutor on Chegg for everything from Astronomy to Zoology and believe it or not, one of our most popular subjects is Computer Science, where we are proud of the fact that we tutored nearly three times as many students in Computer Science in the first half of this year than Caltech's entire student population. And we are just getting started. As I mentioned earlier, writing continues to be one of the most challenging areas for students in high school and college and with Imagine Easy we now offer a service that we believe is already indispensable to tens of millions of students. We are very pleased with the integration thus far and continue to be excited about the potential upside this business has to offer. Although many of you may not have heard of these services, ask a student about EasyBib for example, and are likely to hear that they not only know it, but they rely on it, with the average user sessions lasting more than eight minutes. It's clear given the popularity and time spent with Imagine Easy that students value Chegg's writing tools, so let me articulate what they mean for Chegg shareholders. The acquisition of Imagine Easy nearly doubles Chegg's reach to 40 million unique visitors annually, and expanding our brand into junior high and high school, therefore extending the duration of the relationship we can have with students. As a result, Chegg now has the opportunity to acquire customers even more efficiently, continue to scale our brand, and cross-promote the Chegg Services that students use to improve their outcomes. And we continue to see great success cross-promoting Chegg Services on our network. To highlight just a couple of examples: the attach rate for Chegg Study from our print customers grew by nearly 30% year over year in Q2 and we continue to see about 50% of Chegg Tutors' customers coming directly from Chegg Study, again showing what we believe is the power of the Chegg connected learning network and how these services complement each other. Test Prep, which we launched earlier this year, is another excellent example of a service that will benefit from our increased reach into middle school and high school students, allowing us to acquire customers faster and at a lower cost. On July 5th we moved our ACT test prep product from out of beta to a paid service. We launched this service in the middle of the summer to ensure that it is ready for students before the big test taking season which occurs in the fall. As we've noted before, this is a brand new service so we have not assigned any near-term financial expectations. We are investing in the service this year with the expectation that that it can build scale in 2017 and become a meaningful revenue and profit contributor in 2018. Finally, we are just a few weeks away from our next textbook rush, which we expect will be the last rush where we actually own a physical textbook. It's been a long and challenging road, but we continue to see our textbook business as a cost-effective way to build our brand, acquire customers, own the direct-to-student relationship, and add to our data platform. On top of that, the bright orange boxes in which we ship textbooks are a great branding vehicle for Chegg and have proven to be a very valuable channel for brand partners to reach our coveted demographic. This fall, we are proud to be partnered with Tide, Ulta, Zipcar, and Shutterfly just to name a few of the brands who are helping us deliver the little extra surprise and delight that students love and look forward to from Chegg. We are very excited as we complete our transition to an all-digital business by the end of this year, we believe that the growth we've seen in the size of our network which now reaches 40 million unique visitors annually, the more than 30% growth we are seeing in Chegg Services, and the substantial growth we have seen in our adjusted EBITDA reflect that our strategy of putting the student first and going all digital is paying off. We believe the academic and economic trends favor Chegg's approach of offering affordably priced, high quality, on-demand digital services directly to the students. Our brand, our reach and the power of our network are already driving high growth and high margins within Chegg Services and we expect and look forward to even better results moving forward. And with that, I will turn it over to Andy to take you through our financial performance in more detail. Andy. Prepared Remarks Andy Brown, CFO Chegg Inc. Thanks Dan and good afternoon everyone. Today I will discuss our financial performance for the second quarter and our outlook for the third quarter and the full year 2016. I will also be discussing certain items that can be viewed on the investor presentation that is posted on our IR website. The momentum that we saw in the first quarter continued into Q2, and it seems clear that the investments we are making in brand, reach, on-demand services and our data platform, along with the important transition to a pure commission-based textbook model are paying off. As a result, revenue and adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter came in at the higher end of our expectations. For Q2 non-GAAP revenue of $40.7 million was primarily driven by growth of Chegg Services revenue of 33% to $29.9 million. We continue to see strong subscriber growth and engagement, particularly in Chegg Study, with growth rates similar to fiscal 2015, but on top of a much larger user base. For those investors new to the Chegg story, when we entered 2016 we said we would be modeling our revenue on a non-GAAP basis. This is due to the transition from owning print textbooks, where we record 100% of the transaction value, to a new revenue model where our partner Ingram will own the print textbook inventory and we will record an approximate 20% commission from each transaction. We expect that this textbook ownership transition, which started in 2014, will be completed by the end of this year, at which time both revenue and non-GAAP revenue will be the same. We did this to make it easier for investors to monitor the underlying growth of the business under the new model. This demonstrates the real growth of our business despite declining GAAP revenues. We believe that the financial benefits of this transition have been meaningful for Chegg, freeing up capital once used to purchase print textbooks and allowing us to invest in future growth opportunities. At the same time, we reap all the benefits of delivering millions of textbooks to students, including low-cost customer acquisition and building the Chegg brand, while improving gross margins. In fact, our gross margins were higher than expected at 59.7% in Q2, resulting from increased benefits and synergies from our learning services with much of the incremental revenue going straight to the gross margin line as services like Chegg Study have relatively fixed cost structure. In other words, as the services grow and get to scale, our margins should continue to increase. As a result of the strong revenue and gross margin performance, our adjusted EBITDA came in at $7.2 million, more than double the prior year and another proof point that our new business model is working. Looking at the balance sheet, we ended the quarter with cash and investments of $50 million; down from $64 million in Q1, primarily as a result of the $25 million we used to purchase Imagine Easy Solutions. In addition, the receivables balance with our partner Ingram was $36 million, much of which will convert into cash in early 2017 per the contract terms. As expected, Chegg's legacy print textbook inventory declined to $12 million from $21 million in Q1, and we expect the balance to be substantially liquidated by year-end. Overall it's been a great first half, Chegg Services continue to drive our revenue and profitability growth, the transition to an all-digital model is almost complete and we enter the second half of the year with great momentum as the new school year starts later this month. As we look to the remainder of 2016, we feel confident that the success we have achieved in the first half will continue for the remainder of the year. Specifically, for Q3, we expect, Total revenue between $65 and $70 million, Non-GAAP revenue between $48 and $52 million with Chegg Services revenue between $28 and $30 million Gross margin between 38% and 40% And adjusted EBITDA between a loss of $2 million to breakeven. For fiscal 2016 we expect: Total revenue between $240 and $255 million, Non-GAAP revenue between $182 and $192 million, with Chegg Services revenue between $124 and $132 million Gross margin between 49% and 51% And adjusted EBITDA between $16 and $21 million, more than tripling what we achieved in 2015. In closing, I'd like to reiterate Dan's comments. It's a great time to be part of the Chegg story. Already millions of students are realizing our unique value proposition of delivering high quality, low cost, on-demand services that are improving their outcomes. As a result, we are seeing continued growth for Chegg Services and believe we are just at the beginning of what Chegg can offer students. We are changing the educational paradigm as each new class of students are able to access our services anytime, anywhere. We believe all of this supports our long-term financial model of greater than 30% Chegg Services revenue growth, greater than 60% gross margins and at least 25% adjusted EBITDA margins. With that, I'll turn the call over to the operator for your questions. Conference Call and Webcast Information To access the call, please dial (877) 407-4018, or outside the U.S. +1 (201) 689-8471, five minutes prior to 1:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (or 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) on August 1, 2016. A live webcast of the call will also be available at http://investor.chegg.com under the Events & Presentations menu. An audio replay will be available beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time August 1, 2016, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time August 8, 2016, by calling (877) 870-5176 or +1 (858) 384-5517, with Conference ID 13640791. An audio archive of the call will also be available at http://investor.chegg.com. Use of Investor Relations Website for Regulation FD Purposes Chegg also uses its media center website, http://www.chegg.com/mediacenter, as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor http://www.chegg.com/mediacenter, in addition to following press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public conference calls and webcasts. About Chegg Chegg puts students first. As the leading student-first connected learning platform, Chegg makes higher education more affordable, more accessible, and more successful for students. Chegg is a publicly-held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com. Use of Non-GAAP Measures To supplement Chegg's financial results presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this press release and the accompanying tables and the related earnings conference call contain non-GAAP financial measures, including Non-GAAP total net revenues, adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP gross profit and margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per share. For reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, please see the section of the accompanying tables titled, "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA." The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Chegg defines (1) non-GAAP total net revenues as total net revenues as if it had already transitioned to a fully commission-based revenue model with Ingram for its print textbook business, (2) adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, adjusted to include textbook depreciation and to exclude stock-based compensation expense, acquisition-related compensation costs, restructuring (credits) charges, transitional logistic charges and other (expense) income, net, (3) non-GAAP gross profit as gross profit excluding share-based compensation and transitional logistic charges, (4) non-GAAP gross margin as non-GAAP gross profit divided by total net revenues, (5) non-GAAP net loss as net loss excluding share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition related compensation costs, restructuring (credits) charges and transitional logistic charges and (6) non-GAAP net loss per share is defined as non-GAAP net loss divided by weighted-average shares outstanding. To the extent additional significant non-recurring items arise in the future, Chegg may consider whether to exclude such items in calculating the non-GAAP financial measures it uses. Chegg believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide meaningful supplemental information regarding Chegg's performance by excluding items that may not be indicative of Chegg's core business, operating results or future outlook. Chegg management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing Chegg's operating results, as well as when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods and believes that such measures enhance investors' overall understanding of our current financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate comparisons of Chegg's performance to prior periods. As presented in the "Reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA" and "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" tables below, each of the non-GAAP financial measures excludes one or more of the following items: Non-GAAP total net revenues adjustments. Chegg is in the process of transitioning ownership of the print textbook library, print textbook logistics and fulfillment functions for its required materials business to Ingram. Upon completion of that transition, all revenues from its print textbook business will be digital revenues representing an approximately 20% commission from each such transaction. During the transition, Chegg reports print textbook revenues for orders that are fulfilled with textbooks owned by Chegg and commission-based revenues for orders that are fulfilled with textbooks owned by Ingram. Chegg expects the transition to a fully commission-based model with Ingram to be complete in 2017. The non-GAAP revenue adjustments present total net revenues "as if" Ingram already owned all textbooks and managed all logistics and order fulfillment. Management believes that presenting revenues as if Chegg had already fully transitioned to the commission-based model with Ingram provides investors with a better understanding of Chegg's results of operations in light of the ongoing changes to its business model by facilitating period over period revenue comparisons during the transition period. The adjustments to total net revenues provided below reflect a number of estimates, assumptions and other uncertainties, and are approximate in nature. Share-based compensation expense. Share-based compensation is a non-cash expense that varies in amount from period to period and is dependent on market forces that are often beyond Chegg's control. As a result, management excludes this item from Chegg's internal operating forecasts and models. Management believes that non-GAAP measures adjusted for share-based compensation provide investors with a basis to measure Chegg's core performance against the performance of other companies without the variability created by share-based compensation as a result of the variety of equity awards used by other companies and the varying methodologies and assumptions used. Restructuring (credits) charges. Restructuring (credits) charges primarily relate to expenses incurred in making infrastructure-related changes as a result of transitioning Chegg's fulfillment obligations for the print textbook business to Ingram, as well as expenses related to the exit of Chegg's print coupon business. These restructuring (credits) charges are excluded from non-GAAP financial measures because they are the result of discrete events that are not considered core-operating activities. Chegg believes that it is appropriate to exclude restructuring (credits) charges from non-GAAP financial measures because it enables the comparison of period-over-period operating results from continuing operations. Transitional logistic charges. Transitional logistic charges related primarily to the closure of our warehouse and as we transitioned to Ingram's distribution centers, which resulted in duplicative logistic charges. The duplicative logistic charges were incurred throughout 2015 until the completion of our transition of our logistics and fulfillment obligations for our print textbook business to Ingram. Chegg believes that it is appropriate to exclude transitional logistic charges from non-GAAP financial measures because it enables the comparison of period-over-period operating results from continuing operations. Acquisition-related compensation costs. Acquisition-related compensation costs include: (1) compensation expense resulting from the employment retention of certain key employees established in accordance with the terms of the Imagine Easy and InstaEDU acquisitions, (2) the remaining pay-out related to the Bookstep acquisition and (3) adjustments to previously recognized earn-out liability on contingent compensation expense related to acquisitions. In most cases, these acquisition-related compensation costs are not factored into management's evaluation of potential acquisitions or Chegg's performance after completion of acquisitions, because they are not related to Chegg's core operating performance. In addition, the frequency and amount of such charges can vary significantly based on the size and timing of acquisitions and the maturities of the businesses being acquired. Excluding acquisition-related compensation costs from non-GAAP measures provides investors with a basis to compare Chegg's results against those of other companies without the variability caused by purchase accounting. Amortization of intangible assets. Chegg amortizes intangible assets that it acquires in conjunction with business combinations, which results in noncash operating expenses that would not otherwise have been incurred had Chegg internally developed such intangible assets. Chegg believes excluding the accounting expense associated with acquired intangible asset from non-GAAP measures allows for a more accurate assessment of its ongoing operations. In addition, this press release includes forward-looking third quarter and fiscal year 2016 non-GAAP total revenues and adjusted EBITDA. Reconciliations of forward-looking non-GAAP total net revenues to total net revenues and adjusted EBITDA to net loss, respectively, are not available without unreasonable effort due to the unavailability of certain information needed to calculate certain reconciling items, including the split of print textbook rentals between Chegg and Ingram and the gain (loss) on liquidation of textbooks as we exit owning a textbook library due to the variability, complexity and limited visibility of the adjusting items that would be excluded from the non-GAAP measures in future periods. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include, without limitation those included in the investor presentation referenced above, and all statements about Chegg's outlook under "Business Outlook." The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project," "endeavor," "will," "should," "future," "transition," "outlook" and similar expressions, as they relate to Chegg, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and are based on management's expectations as of the date of this press release and assumptions that are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include the following: Chegg's anticipated complete transition to a fully commission-based model with Ingram by 2017; the impact of Chegg's acquisition of Imagine Easy Solutions and Chegg's expectation that such acquisition will be accretive to Chegg's fiscal year 2016 revenues and earnings and benefit students; Chegg's ability to attract new students, increase engagement and increase monetization; competitive developments, including pricing pressures; Chegg's anticipated growth of Chegg Services; Chegg's ability to build and expand its services offerings; Chegg's ability to develop new products and services on a cost-effective basis and to integrate acquired businesses and assets; the impact of seasonality on the business; Chegg's partnership with Ingram and the parties' ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the partnership, including the potential impact of the economic risk-sharing arrangements between Chegg and Ingram on Chegg's results of operations; Chegg's ability to effectively control operating costs; changes in Chegg's addressable market; changes in the education market; and general economic and industry conditions. All information provided in this release and in the conference call is as of the date hereof and Chegg undertakes no duty to update this information except as required by law. These and other important risk factors are described more fully in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Chegg's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3, 2016, and could cause actual results to vary from expectations. CHEGG, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except for number of shares and par value) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (unaudited) * Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 49,679 $ 67,029 Short-term investments 17,800 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $287 and $378 at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively 12,919 13,157 Prepaid expenses 5,608 3,117 Other current assets 40,224 31,732 Total current assets 108,430 132,835 Long-term investments 4,229 Textbook library, net 11,834 29,728 Property and equipment, net 29,356 19,971 Goodwill 114,980 91,301 Intangible assets, net 23,061 8,865 Other assets 5,227 4,427 Total assets $ 292,888 $ 291,356 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities Accounts payable $ 6,260 $ 5,860 Deferred revenue 14,458 14,971 Accrued liabilities 46,427 35,280 Total current liabilities 67,145 56,111 Long-term liabilities Total other long-term liabilities 4,010 4,170 Total liabilities 71,155 60,281 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value 10,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding Common stock, $0.001 par value 400,000,000 shares authorized; 90,893,175 and 88,099,983 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively 91 88 Additional paid-in capital 575,601 560,242 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (183) (172) Accumulated deficit (353,776) (329,083) Total stockholders' equity 221,733 231,075 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 292,888 $ 291,356 * Derived from audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015. CHEGG, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net revenues: Rental $ 12,006 $ 32,782 $ 26,570 $ 70,496 Services 37,668 29,276 77,030 60,643 Sales 3,362 5,003 16,090 20,794 Total net revenues 53,036 67,061 119,690 151,933 Cost of revenues(1): Rental 5,346 21,238 18,859 59,793 Services 12,332 9,975 25,807 21,812 Sales 3,729 5,043 15,664 20,144 Total cost of revenues 21,407 36,256 60,330 101,749 Gross profit 31,629 30,805 59,360 50,184 Operating expenses: Technology and development (1) 16,033 13,268 32,991 29,412 Sales and marketing (1) 11,747 12,382 26,193 33,774 General and administrative (1) 14,569 11,943 27,235 23,720 Restructuring (credits) charges (154) 464 (198) 2,978 (Gain) loss on liquidation of textbooks (2,191) 2,445 (3,196) (1,740) Total operating expenses 40,004 40,502 83,025 88,144 Loss from operations (8,375) (9,697) (23,665) (37,960) Interest expense and other (expense) income, net: Interest expense, net (61) (60) (121) (121) Other (expense) income, net (63) 56 2 132 Total interest expense and other (expense) income, net (124) (4) (119) 11 Loss before provision for income taxes (8,499) (9,701) (23,784) (37,949) Provision for income taxes 509 430 909 724 Net loss $ (9,008) $ (10,131) $ (24,693) $ (38,673) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.10) $ (0.12) $ (0.28) $ (0.45) Weighted average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted 90,416 86,741 89,767 85,771 (1) Includes share-based compensation expense as follows: Cost of revenues $ 41 $ 81 $ 69 $ 215 Technology and development 3,632 1,273 7,758 5,980 Sales and marketing 1,958 1,034 3,851 6,088 General and administrative 5,590 5,443 10,813 10,568 Total share-based compensation expense $ 11,221 $ 7,831 $ 22,491 $ 22,851 CHEGG, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands) (unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities Net loss $ (24,693) $ (38,673) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Textbook library depreciation expense 7,220 27,476 Other depreciation and amortization expense 6,068 6,413 Share-based compensation expense 22,491 22,851 Gain on liquidation of textbooks (3,196) (1,740) Loss from write-offs of textbooks 473 3,611 Other non-cash items (18) 719 Change in assets and liabilities, net of acquisition of business: Accounts receivable 2,607 116 Prepaid expenses and other current assets (10,908) (17,405) Other assets (398) (253) Accounts payable 1,016 (6,150) Deferred revenue (650) (4,839) Accrued liabilities (6,942) (5,574) Other liabilities (193) 389 Net cash used in operating activities (7,123) (13,059) Cash flows from investing activities Purchases of textbooks (551) (31,275) Proceeds from liquidations of textbooks 14,794 22,693 Purchases of marketable securities (7,633) (17,127) Proceeds from sale of marketable securities 22,830 Maturities of marketable securities 6,844 19,690 Purchases of property and equipment (14,217) (4,146) Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired (25,164) Net cash used in investing activities (3,097) (10,165) Cash flows from financing activities Common stock issued under stock plans, net 1,110 11,929 Payment of taxes related to the net share settlement of RSUs (8,240) (7,472) Repurchase of common stock (2,263) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (7,130) 2,194 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (17,350) (21,030) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 67,029 56,117 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 49,679 $ 35,087 Supplemental cash flow data Cash paid during the period for: Interest $ 19 $ 50 Income taxes $ 252 $ 571 Non-cash investing and financing activities: Accrued purchases of long-lived assets $ 1,193 $ 3,805 Issuance of common stock related to prior acquisition $ - $ 825 Accrued deferred cash consideration related to acquisition $ 16,484 $ - CHEGG, INC. RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA (in thousands) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net loss $ (9,008) $ (10,131) $ (24,693) $ (38,673) Interest expense, net 61 60 121 121 Provision for income taxes 509 430 909 724 Textbook library depreciation expense 2,724 12,802 7,220 27,476 Other depreciation and amortization expense 3,491 3,241 6,068 6,413 EBITDA (2,223) 6,402 (10,375) (3,939) Textbook library depreciation expense (2,724) (12,802) (7,220) (27,476) Share-based compensation expense 11,221 7,831 22,491 22,851 Other expense (income), net 63 (56) (2) (132) Restructuring (credits) charges (154) 464 (198) 2,978 Transitional logistic charges 707 3,190 Acquisition related compensation costs 1,000 660 1,988 1,455 Adjusted EBITDA $ 7,183 $ 3,206 $ 6,684 $ (1,073) CHEGG, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (in thousands, except percentages) (unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Total net revenues $ 53,036 $ 67,061 $ 119,690 $ 151,933 Adjustment as if transition to Ingram is complete (12,333) (33,257) (32,188) (72,337) Non-GAAP total net revenues $ 40,703 $ 33,804 $ 87,502 $ 79,596 Gross profit $ 31,629 $ 30,805 $ 59,360 $ 50,184 Share-based compensation expense 41 81 69 215 Transitional logistic charges 707 3,190 Non-GAAP gross profit $ 31,670 $ 31,593 $ 59,429 $ 53,589 Gross margin % 59.6% 45.9% 49.6% 33.0% Non-GAAP gross margin % 59.7% 47.1% 49.7% 35.3% Operating expenses $ 40,004 $ 40,502 $ 83,025 $ 88,144 Share-based compensation expense (11,180) (7,750) (22,422) (22,636) Amortization of intangible assets (1,186) (1,437) (1,814) (2,997) Restructuring credits (charges) 154 (464) 198 (2,978) Acquisition related compensation costs (1,000) (660) (1,988) (1,455) Non-GAAP operating expenses $ 26,792 $ 30,191 $ 56,999 $ 58,078 Operating expenses as a percent of total net revenues 75.4% 60.4% 69.4% 58.0% Non-GAAP operating expenses as a percent of total net revenues 50.5% 45.0% 47.6% 38.2% Operating loss $ (8,375) $ (9,697) $ (23,665) $ (37,960) Share-based compensation expense 11,221 7,831 22,491 22,851 Amortization of intangible assets 1,186 1,437 1,814 2,997 Restructuring (credits) charges (154) 464 (198) 2,978 Transitional logistic charges 707 3,190 Acquisition related compensation costs 1,000 660 1,988 1,455 Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ 4,878 $ 1,402 $ 2,430 $ (4,489) Net loss $ (9,008) $ (10,131) $ (24,693) $ (38,673) Share-based compensation expense 11,221 7,831 22,491 22,851 Amortization of intangible assets 1,186 1,437 1,814 2,997 Restructuring (credits) charges (154) 464 (198) 2,978 Transitional logistic charges 707 3,190 Acquisition related compensation costs 1,000 660 1,988 1,455 Non-GAAP net income (loss) $ 4,245 $ 968 $ 1,402 $ (5,202) Weighted average shares used to compute net loss per share 90,416 86,741 89,767 85,771 Effect of dilutive options, restricted stock units and warrants 2,468 5,863 3,291 Non-GAAP weighted average shares used to compute non-GAAP net income (loss) per share 92,884 92,604 93,058 85,771 Net loss per share $ (0.10) $ (0.12) $ (0.28) $ (0.45) Adjustments 0.15 0.13 $ 0.30 $ 0.39 Non-GAAP net income (loss) per share $ 0.05 $ 0.01 $ 0.02 $ (0.06) Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140116/NY47534LOGO SOURCE Chegg Related Links http://www.chegg.com "We are pleased with our results for the second quarter, which were highlighted by a 15 percent increase in adjusted diluted earnings per share," said Stephen P. Joyce, chief executive officer, Choice Hotels. "In addition, we delivered strong RevPAR gains to our domestic franchise system which continue to exceed the growth levels experienced by the overall industry and primary chain scale segments in which we compete. Demand for our brands remains strong and we will continue to invest in programs designed to drive more reservations through our central channels, improve guest loyalty and improve the value of our brands in an effort to drive incremental business to our franchisees." Special Item During the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the company recorded an executive termination benefit charge of approximately $2.2 million. This special item impacted diluted EPS by $0.03 and $0.02 per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. The company evaluates certain non-GAAP measures that exclude executive termination benefits because those non-GAAP measures allow for period-over-period comparison of on-going core operations before the impact of these charges. These non-GAAP measures, which are reconciled to the comparable GAAP measures in Exhibit 8, include adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted hotel franchising selling, general and administrative expenses, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted hotel franchising margins. Adoption of New Accounting Standard On April 1, 2016, the company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") CompensationStock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting ("ASU No. 2016-09"), which requires that excess tax benefits and deficiencies related to stock compensation be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the company's income statement. Adoption of the standard required that the company retrospectively apply the requirement to the beginning of the year of adoption, January 1, 2016. As a result, the company has reduced is previously reported income tax expense for the first quarter of 2016 by $1.6 million. Use of Cash Flows Dividends During the six months ended June 30, 2016, the company paid cash dividends totaling approximately $23 million. Based on the current quarterly dividend rate of $0.205 per common share, the company expects to pay dividends of approximately $46 million during 2016. Share Repurchases The company repurchased 0.5 million shares of common stock under its share repurchase program during the six months ended June 30, 2016, at a total cost of approximately $23 million. The company currently has authorization to purchase up to 1.1 million additional shares under this program. Hotel Development & Financing Pursuant to its program to encourage acceleration of the growth of our upscale select-service Cambria hotels & suites brand, the company advanced approximately $67 million in support of the Cambria brand during the six months ended June 30, 2016. The company also recycled approximately $18 million of investments in support of Cambria resulting in net advances of $49 million for the current year. These advances are primarily in the form of joint venture investments, forgivable key money loans, senior and mezzanine lending and site acquisitions. At June 30, 2016, the company had approximately $176 million reflected in its consolidated balance sheet pursuant to these financial support activities. With respect to lending and joint venture investments, the company generally expects to recycle these loans and investments within a five year period. Outlook The company's consolidated 2016 outlook reflects the following assumptions: Hotel Franchising Adjusted EBITDA from franchising activities for full-year 2016 are expected to range between $270 million and $274 million ; ; Net domestic unit growth for 2016 is expected to be between 2% and 3%; RevPAR is expected to increase between 3.5% and 4.0% for third quarter and range between 3.5% and 4.0% for full-year 2016; and The effective royalty rate is expected to increase between 7 and 9 basis points for full-year 2016 as compared to full-year 2015. Non-Hotel Franchising Activities Net reductions in full-year 2016 EBITDA relating to our non-hotel franchising operations, which primarily relate to SkyTouch and vacation rental activities are expected to range between approximately $16 million and $19 million . Other Items The effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 32.5% and 31.7% for the third quarter and full-year 2016. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS estimates exclude executive termination benefits incurred in the second quarter of 2016 as discussed above under Special Item. Diluted EPS estimates are based on the current number of shares outstanding and thus do not factor in any changes that may occur due to new equity grants or any further repurchases of common stock under the company's share repurchase program. Consolidated Outlook The company's third quarter 2016 diluted EPS is expected to be at least $0.78. The company expects full-year 2016 adjusted diluted EPS to range between $2.38 and $2.43 and full year 2016 adjusted EBITDA to range between $252 million and $256 million. The adjusted EPS and adjusted consolidated EBITDA estimates assume that we incur net reductions in EBITDA related to non-hotel franchising activities at the midpoint of the range for these investments. Conference Call Choice will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. EDT to discuss the company's second quarter 2016 results. The dial-in number to listen to the call domestically is 1-855-638-5678 and the number for international participants is 1-404-537-3406. The conference call also will be webcast simultaneously via the company's website, www.choicehotels.com. Interested investors and other parties wishing to access the call via the webcast should go to the website and click on the Investor Info link. The Investor page will feature a conference call microphone icon to access the call. The call will be recorded and available for replay beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 by calling 1-855-859-2056 (domestic) or 1-404-537-3406 (international) and entering access code 50406350. In addition, the call will be archived and available on choicehotels.com via the Investor Info link. About Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the world's largest lodging companies. With more than 6,400 hotels franchised in more than 40 countries and territories, Choice Hotels International represents more than 500,000 rooms around the globe. As of June 30, 2016, 673 hotels were in our development pipeline. Our company's Ascend Hotel Collection, Cambria hotels & suites, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, and Vacation Rentals by Choice Hotels brands provide a spectrum of lodging choices to meet guests' needs. With more than 27 million members and counting, our Choice Privileges rewards program enhances every trip a guest takes, with benefits ranging from instant, every day rewards to exceptional experiences, starting right when they join. All hotels and vacation rentals are independently owned and operated. Visit us at www.choicehotels.com for more information. SkyTouch Technology is a business division of Choice Hotels that develops and markets cloud-based technology products, including inventory management, pricing and connectivity to third party channels, to hoteliers not under franchise agreements with the company. Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, our use of words such as "expect," "estimate," "believe," "anticipate," "should," "will," "forecast," "plan," "project," "assume" or similar words of futurity identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current beliefs, assumptions and expectations regarding future events, which in turn are based on information currently available to management. Such statements may relate to projections of the company's revenue, earnings and other financial and operational measures, company debt levels, ability to repay outstanding indebtedness, payment of dividends, repurchases of common stock and future operations, among other matters. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Several factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the company to differ materially from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, changes to general, domestic and foreign economic conditions; foreign currency fluctuations; operating risks common in the lodging and franchising industries; changes to the desirability of our brands as viewed by hotel operators and customers; changes to the terms or termination of our contracts with franchisees; our ability to keep pace with improvements in technology utilized for marketing and reservations systems and other operating systems; our ability to grow our franchise system; exposure to risks related to development activities; fluctuations in the supply and demand for hotels rooms; our ability to realize anticipated benefits from acquired businesses; the level of acceptance of alternative growth strategies we may implement; operating risks associated with our international operations; the outcome of litigation; and our ability to manage our indebtedness. These and other risk factors are discussed in detail in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our annual reports on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Statement Concerning Non-GAAP Financial Measurements Presented in this Press Release Adjusted EBITDA, franchising revenues, adjusted hotel franchising SG&A, Adjusted EBITDA from hotel franchising activities and adjusted hotel franchising margins are non-GAAP financial measurements. These measures should not be considered as an alternative to any measure of performance or liquidity as promulgated under or authorized by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"), such as net income, total revenues and operating margins. The company's calculation of these measurements may be different from the calculations used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. The company has included an exhibit accompanying this release that reconciles these items to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. We discuss management's reasons for reporting these non-GAAP measures below. Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization: Adjusted EBITDA reflects net income excluding the impact of interest expense, interest income, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, other (gains) and losses, equity in net income of unconsolidated affiliates and executive termination benefits. We consider adjusted EBITDA to be an indicator of operating performance because we use it to measure our ability to service debt, fund capital expenditures, and expand our business. We also use adjusted EBITDA, as do analysts, lenders, investors and others, to evaluate companies because it excludes certain items that can vary widely across different industries or among companies within the same industry. For example, interest expense can be dependent on a company's capital structure, debt levels and credit ratings. Accordingly, the impact of interest expense on earnings can vary significantly among companies. The tax positions of companies can also vary because of their differing abilities to take advantage of tax benefits and because of the tax policies of the jurisdictions in which they operate. As a result, effective tax rates and provision for income taxes can vary considerably among companies. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes depreciation and amortization because companies utilize productive assets of different ages and use different methods of both acquiring and depreciating productive assets. These differences can result in considerable variability in the relative costs of productive assets and the depreciation and amortization expense among companies. Franchising Revenues, Adjusted Hotel Franchising EBITDA, Adjusted Hotel Franchising SG&A and Margins: The company reports franchising revenues, adjusted hotel franchising EBITDA, adjusted franchising hotel SG&A and margins which exclude marketing and reservation revenues; the SkyTouch Technology division; recently acquired operations that provide Software as a Service ("SaaS") technology solutions to vacation rental management companies; revenue generated from the ownership of an office building that is leased to a third-party and executive termination benefits. These non-GAAP measures are a commonly used measure of performance in our industry and facilitate comparisons between the company and its competitors. Marketing and reservation activities are excluded since the company is required by its franchise agreements to use the fees collected for marketing and reservation activities; as such, no income or loss to the company is generated. Cumulative marketing and reservation system fees not expended are recorded as a liability in the company's financial statements and are carried over to the next year and expended in accordance with the franchise agreements. Cumulative marketing and reservation expenditures in excess of fees collected for marketing and reservation activities are deferred and recorded as an asset in the company's financial statements and recovered in future periods. SkyTouch Technology is a division of the company that develops and markets cloud-based technology products, including inventory management, pricing and connectivity to third party channels, to hoteliers not under franchise agreements with the company. The operations for SkyTouch Technology and our vacation rental technology solutions provider are excluded since they do not reflect the company's core franchising business but are adjacent, complementary lines of business. 2016 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved. Choice Hotels International, Inc. Exhibit 1 Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, Variance Variance 2016 2015 $ % 2016* 2015 $ % (In thousands, except per share amounts) REVENUES: Royalty fees $ 86,195 $ 81,183 $ 5,012 6% $ 151,054 $ 143,614 $ 7,440 5% Initial franchise and relicensing fees 5,706 5,816 (110) (2%) 10,862 11,533 (671) (6%) Procurement services 10,308 8,589 1,719 20% 16,104 13,396 2,708 20% Marketing and reservation system 133,814 133,122 692 1% 260,175 231,835 28,340 12% Other 5,728 3,446 2,282 66% 10,674 7,023 3,651 52% Total revenues 241,751 232,156 9,595 4% 448,869 407,401 41,468 10% OPERATING EXPENSES: Selling, general and administrative 40,039 33,122 6,917 21% 75,158 65,560 9,598 15% Depreciation and amortization 2,956 2,995 (39) (1%) 5,721 5,685 36 1% Marketing and reservation system 133,814 133,122 692 1% 260,175 231,835 28,340 12% Total operating expenses 176,809 169,239 7,570 4% 341,054 303,080 37,974 13% Operating income 64,942 62,917 2,025 3% 107,815 104,321 3,494 3% OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES, NET: Interest expense 11,224 11,057 167 2% 22,316 21,236 1,080 5% Interest income (827) (277) (550) 199% (1,666) (623) (1,043) 167% Other gains (321) (1,173) 852 (73%) (259) (1,641) 1,382 (84%) Equity in net (income) loss of affiliates (744) 431 (1,175) (273%) 1,436 1,436 - 0% Total other income and expenses, net 9,332 10,038 (706) (7%) 21,827 20,408 1,419 7% Income before income taxes 55,610 52,879 2,731 5% 85,988 83,913 2,075 2% Income taxes 16,788 17,066 (278) (2%) 26,003 26,506 (503) (2%) Net income $ 38,822 $ 35,813 $ 3,009 8% $ 59,985 $ 57,407 $ 2,578 4% Basic earnings per share $ 0.69 $ 0.62 $ 0.07 11% $ 1.06 $ 1.00 $ 0.06 6% Diluted earnings per share $ 0.68 $ 0.62 $ 0.06 10% $ 1.06 $ 0.99 $ 0.07 7% * Year to date results for June 30, 2016 reflect the adoption of Accounting Standards Update Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting ("ASU No. 2016-09"), which requires companies to recognize excess tax benefits and deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. Adoption of the standard required that the company retrospectively apply the requirement to the beginning of the year of adoption, January 1, 2016. As a result, the company has reduced its previously reported income tax expense for the first quarter of 2016 by $1.6 million. Choice Hotels International, Inc. Exhibit 2 Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands, except per share amounts) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 (Unaudited) ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 207,888 $ 193,441 Accounts receivable, net 126,689 89,352 Other current assets 43,466 28,160 Total current assets 378,043 310,953 Fixed assets and intangibles, net 178,089 179,433 Notes receivable, net of allowances 92,195 82,572 Investments in unconsolidated entities 78,801 67,037 Investments, employee benefit plans, at fair value 16,516 17,674 Other assets 99,746 59,341 Total assets $ 843,390 $ 717,010 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT Accounts payable $ 74,925 $ 64,431 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 69,776 70,807 Deferred revenue 113,763 71,587 Current portion of long-term debt 833 1,191 Total current liabilities 259,297 208,016 Long-term debt 901,352 812,945 Deferred compensation & retirement plan obligations 20,873 22,859 Other liabilities 35,696 69,089 Total liabilities 1,217,218 1,112,909 Total shareholders' deficit (373,828) (395,899) Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit $ 843,390 $ 717,010 Choice Hotels International, Inc. Exhibit 3 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (In thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015* CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net income $ 59,985 $ 57,407 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 5,721 5,685 (Gain) loss on sale of assets 7 (1,595) Provision for bad debts, net 962 1,197 Non-cash stock compensation and other charges 7,966 5,399 Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 1,404 4,613 Non-cash interest and other (income) loss 958 1,340 Deferred income taxes 4,030 (2,095) Equity (earnings) losses from unconsolidated joint ventures, net of distributions received 2,193 2,781 Changes in assets and liabilities: Receivables (39,058) (28,856) Advances to/from marketing and reservation activities, net (42,671) 3,724 Forgivable notes receivable, net (13,174) (19,186) Accounts payable 10,567 16,990 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (8,842) (6,969) Income taxes payable/receivable 9,059 2,450 Deferred revenue 42,164 4,041 Other assets (10,834) (5,152) Other liabilities (2,576) 769 NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES 27,861 42,543 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Investment in property and equipment (10,912) (14,554) Proceeds from sales of assets 1,700 6,283 Acquisitions of real estate (25,389) - Contributions to equity method investments (19,688) (2,446) Distributions from equity method investments 3,619 270 Purchases of investments, employee benefit plans (1,140) (1,736) Proceeds from sales of investments, employee benefit plans 1,136 1,087 Issuance of mezzanine and other notes receivable (13,048) (1,500) Collections of mezzanine and other notes receivable 10,158 3,567 Other items, net (311) (261) NET CASH USED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES (53,875) (9,290) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Net borrowings pursuant to revolving credit facilities 87,950 13,000 Principal payments on long-term debt (623) (6,169) Purchases of treasury stock (28,278) (6,244) Dividends paid (23,193) (22,940) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 4,234 5,696 NET CASH PROVIDED (USED) BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES 40,090 (16,657) Net change in cash and cash equivalents 14,076 16,596 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 371 (825) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 193,441 214,879 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 207,888 $ 230,650 * Year to date results for June 30, 2015 reflect the adoption of ASU No. 2016-09, which requires companies to recognize excess tax benefits related to the exercise of share based awards as operating activities in the statement of cash flows. The company has elected to apply the ASU retrospectively and as a result excess tax benefits totaling $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015 have been reclassified from cash flows from financing activities to cash flows from operating activities. CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Exhibit 4 SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATING INFORMATION DOMESTIC HOTEL SYSTEM (UNAUDITED) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2015 Change Average Daily Average Daily Average Daily Rate Occupancy RevPAR Rate Occupancy RevPAR Rate Occupancy RevPAR Comfort Inn $ 90.11 64.0% $ 57.67 $ 87.35 63.5% $ 55.48 3.2% 50 bps 3.9% Comfort Suites 95.51 68.9% 65.80 93.06 68.2% 63.43 2.6% 70 bps 3.7% Sleep 81.13 64.2% 52.08 79.60 64.0% 50.93 1.9% 20 bps 2.3% Quality 75.79 57.9% 43.88 73.16 57.5% 42.05 3.6% 40 bps 4.4% Clarion 80.52 56.3% 45.35 78.25 56.3% 44.07 2.9% - bps 2.9% Econo Lodge 59.24 52.4% 31.03 57.47 52.4% 30.13 3.1% - bps 3.0% Rodeway 60.72 54.6% 33.15 57.22 55.8% 31.90 6.1% (120) bps 3.9% MainStay 75.80 63.4% 48.02 76.24 68.5% 52.23 (0.6%) (510) bps (8.1%) Suburban 49.67 74.9% 37.21 47.25 76.5% 36.15 5.1% (160) bps 2.9% Ascend Hotel Collection 125.21 56.9% 71.28 122.78 59.8% 73.45 2.0% (290) bps (3.0%) Total $ 80.26 60.3% $ 48.43 $ 78.08 60.4% $ 47.15 2.8% (10) bps 2.7% For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2015 Change Average Daily Average Daily Average Daily Rate Occupancy RevPAR Rate Occupancy RevPAR Rate Occupancy RevPAR Comfort Inn $ 93.87 70.1% $ 65.84 $ 90.92 69.5% $ 63.16 3.2% 60 bps 4.2% Comfort Suites 98.19 73.6% 72.24 95.59 71.8% 68.64 2.7% 180 bps 5.2% Sleep 83.93 69.5% 58.35 82.23 68.3% 56.11 2.1% 120 bps 4.0% Quality 78.61 63.3% 49.79 75.52 62.0% 46.83 4.1% 130 bps 6.3% Clarion 84.14 62.3% 52.46 80.54 60.8% 48.95 4.5% 150 bps 7.2% Econo Lodge 61.84 57.3% 35.46 59.86 56.6% 33.87 3.3% 70 bps 4.7% Rodeway 63.13 57.9% 36.56 59.92 58.4% 35.01 5.4% (50) bps 4.4% MainStay 78.07 68.4% 53.40 78.53 70.4% 55.32 (0.6%) (200) bps (3.5%) Suburban 51.07 76.9% 39.27 47.96 78.9% 37.86 6.5% (200) bps 3.7% Ascend Hotel Collection 133.28 60.0% 79.94 129.04 59.2% 76.41 3.3% 80 bps 4.6% Total $ 83.35 65.5% $ 54.61 $ 80.89 64.7% $ 52.36 3.0% 80 bps 4.3% For the Quarter Ended For the Six Months Ended 6/30/2016 6/30/2015 6/30/2016 6/30/2015 System-wide effective royalty rate 4.40% 4.28% 4.39% 4.29% CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Exhibit 5 SUPPLEMENTAL HOTEL AND ROOM SUPPLY DATA (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 Variance Hotels Rooms Hotels Rooms Hotels Rooms % % Comfort Inn 1,138 88,085 1,215 93,904 (77) (5,819) (6.3%) (6.2%) Comfort Suites 564 43,522 575 44,447 (11) (925) (1.9%) (2.1%) Sleep 380 27,188 377 27,207 3 (19) 0.8% (0.1%) Quality 1,395 110,952 1,311 105,761 84 5,191 6.4% 4.9% Clarion 168 23,033 175 24,587 (7) (1,554) (4.0%) (6.3%) Econo Lodge 847 52,385 853 52,835 (6) (450) (0.7%) (0.9%) Rodeway 528 29,771 481 26,544 47 3,227 9.8% 12.2% MainStay 54 4,020 47 3,629 7 391 14.9% 10.8% Suburban 58 6,471 62 6,959 (4) (488) (6.5%) (7.0%) Ascend Hotel Collection 116 9,650 110 9,408 6 242 5.5% 2.6% Cambria hotel & suites 25 3,113 24 2,917 1 196 4.2% 6.7% Domestic Franchises 5,273 398,190 5,230 398,198 43 (8) 0.8% (0.0%) International Franchises 1,156 111,366 1,146 106,763 10 4,603 0.9% 4.3% Total Franchises 6,429 509,556 6,376 504,961 53 4,595 0.8% 0.9% Exhibit 6 CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION BY BRAND DEVELOPMENT RESULTS -- DOMESTIC NEW HOTEL CONTRACTS (UNAUDITED) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2015 % Change New New New Construction Conversion Total Construction Conversion Total Construction Conversion Total Comfort Inn 12 14 26 13 20 33 (8%) (30%) (21%) Comfort Suites 8 1 9 13 2 15 (38%) (50%) (40%) Sleep 14 - 14 9 - 9 56% NM 56% Quality - 73 73 3 75 78 (100%) (3%) (6%) Clarion 3 9 12 - 6 6 NM 50% 100% Econo Lodge 1 29 30 - 28 28 NM 4% 7% Rodeway - 27 27 - 35 35 NM (23%) (23%) MainStay 6 - 6 6 - 6 0% NM 0% Suburban - 1 1 1 3 4 (100%) (67%) (75%) Ascend Hotel Collection 2 6 8 1 16 17 100% (63%) (53%) Cambria hotel & suites 11 - 11 7 - 7 57% NM 57% Total Domestic System 57 160 217 53 185 238 8% (14%) (9%) For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2015 % Change New New New Construction Conversion Total Construction Conversion Total Construction Conversion Total Comfort Inn 6 10 16 9 13 22 (33%) (23%) (27%) Comfort Suites 6 1 7 8 - 8 (25%) NM (13%) Sleep 12 - 12 4 - 4 200% NM 200% Quality - 50 50 1 46 47 (100%) 9% 6% Clarion 2 6 8 - 3 3 NM 100% 167% Econo Lodge 1 15 16 - 19 19 NM (21%) (16%) Rodeway - 17 17 - 21 21 NM (19%) (19%) MainStay 5 - 5 2 - 2 150% NM 150% Suburban - 1 1 1 1 2 (100%) 0% (50%) Ascend Hotel Collection 1 5 6 - 6 6 NM (17%) 0% Cambria hotel & suites 9 - 9 5 - 5 80% NM 80% Total Domestic System 42 105 147 30 109 139 40% (4%) 6% Exhibit 7 CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. DOMESTIC PIPELINE OF HOTELS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AWAITING CONVERSION OR APPROVED FOR DEVELOPMENT (UNAUDITED) A hotel in the domestic pipeline does not always result in an open and operating hotel due to various factors. Variance June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 Units Units Conversion New Construction Total Conversion New Construction Total Conversion New Construction Total Units % Units % Units % Comfort Inn 34 80 114 38 64 102 (4) (11%) 16 25% 12 12% Comfort Suites 4 95 99 3 76 79 1 33% 19 25% 20 25% Sleep Inn - 83 83 1 65 66 (1) (100%) 18 28% 17 26% Quality 47 5 52 54 5 59 (7) (13%) - 0% (7) (12%) Clarion 9 5 14 11 2 13 (2) (18%) 3 150% 1 8% Econo Lodge 26 3 29 24 4 28 2 8% (1) (25%) 1 4% Rodeway 29 2 31 34 3 37 (5) (15%) (1) (33%) (6) (16%) MainStay - 57 57 1 47 48 (1) (100%) 10 21% 9 19% Suburban 5 6 11 6 12 18 (1) (17%) (6) (50%) (7) (39%) Ascend Hotel Collection 29 19 48 25 18 43 4 16% 1 6% 5 12% Cambria hotel & suites 5 48 53 - 25 25 5 NM 23 92% 28 112% 188 403 591 197 321 518 (9) (5%) 82 26% 73 14% CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Exhibit 8 SUPPLEMENTAL NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) HOTEL FRANCHISING REVENUES AND ADJUSTED HOTEL FRANCHISING MARGINS (dollar amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Hotel Franchising Revenues: Total Revenues $ 241,751 $ 232,156 $ 448,869 $ 407,401 Adjustments: Marketing and reservation system revenues (133,814) (133,122) (260,175) (231,835) Non-hotel franchising activities (2,068) (411) (4,097) (1,014) Hotel Franchising Revenues $ 105,869 $ 98,623 $ 184,597 $ 174,552 Adjusted Hotel Franchising Margins: Operating Margin: Total Revenues $ 241,751 $ 232,156 $ 448,869 $ 407,401 Operating Income $ 64,942 $ 62,917 $ 107,815 $ 104,321 Operating Margin 26.9% 27.1% 24.0% 25.6% Adjusted Hotel Franchising Margin: Hotel Franchising Revenues $ 105,869 $ 98,623 $ 184,597 $ 174,552 Operating Income $ 64,942 $ 62,917 $ 107,815 $ 104,321 Executive termination benefits 2,206 - 2,206 - Non-hotel franchising activities operating loss 6,084 4,699 11,740 10,000 $ 73,232 $ 67,616 $ 121,761 $ 114,321 Adjusted Hotel Franchising Margins 69.2% 68.6% 66.0% 65.5% ADJUSTED HOTEL FRANCHISING SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES (dollar amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Total Selling, General and Administrative Expenses $ 40,039 $ 33,122 $ 75,158 $ 65,560 Executive termination benefits (2,206) - (2,206) - Non-hotel franchising activities (7,045) (4,638) (13,715) (10,133) Adjusted Hotel Franchising Selling, General and Administration Expenses $ 30,788 $ 28,484 $ 59,237 $ 55,427 ADJUSTED EARNINGS BEFORE INTEREST, TAXES, DEPRECIATION AND AMORTIZATION ("EBITDA") (dollar amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net income $ 38,822 $ 35,813 $ 59,985 $ 57,407 Income taxes 16,788 17,066 26,003 26,506 Interest expense 11,224 11,057 22,316 21,236 Interest income (827) (277) (1,666) (623) Other gains (321) (1,173) (259) (1,641) Equity in net (income) loss of affiliates (744) 431 1,436 1,436 Depreciation and amortization 2,956 2,995 5,721 5,685 Executive termination benefits 2,206 - 2,206 - Adjusted EBITDA $ 70,104 $ 65,912 $ 115,742 $ 110,006 Hotel franchising $ 75,082 $ 70,138 $ 125,361 $ 119,124 Non-hotel franchising activities (4,978) (4,226) (9,619) (9,118) $ 70,104 $ 65,912 $ 115,742 $ 110,006 ADJUSTED NET INCOME AND ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE (EPS) (dollar amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net Income $ 38,822 $ 35,813 $ 59,985 $ 57,407 Adjustments: Executive termination benefits 1,394 - 1,394 - Adjusted Net Income $ 40,216 $ 35,813 $ 61,379 $ 57,407 Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 0.68 $ 0.62 $ 1.06 $ 0.99 Adjustments: Executive termination benefits 0.03 - 0.02 - Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) $ 0.71 $ 0.62 $ 1.08 $ 0.99 ADJUSTED EBITDA AND DILUTED EPS FULL YEAR FORECAST (dollar amounts in thousands) Range Estimated Adjusted EBITDA Fiscal Year 2016 Net income $ 133,500 $ 136,300 Income taxes 62,000 63,200 Interest expense 45,600 45,600 Interest income (3,200) (3,200) Other gains (600) (600) Equity in net loss of affiliates 500 500 Depreciation and amortization 12,000 12,000 Executive termination benefits 2,200 2,200 Adjusted EBITDA $ 252,000 $ 256,000 Hotel franchising $ 269,500 $ 273,500 Non-hotel franchising activities (17,500) (17,500) $ 252,000 $ 256,000 Range Estimated Adjusted Diluted EPS Fiscal Year 2016 Diluted EPS $ 2.36 $ 2.41 Adjustments: Executive termination benefits 0.02 0.02 Adjusted Diluted EPS $ 2.38 $ 2.43 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140807/134515 SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc. Related Links http://www.choicehotels.com NEW YORK, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to market research "Global Cleanroom Consumables Market Size, Share, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2022 - Industry Insights by Type (Apparel, Cleaning Products, Stationary, Wipers, Gloves, and Adhesive Mats), and by End-User (Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry, Medical Device Industry, Electronic Industry, and Laboratories)" by P&S Market Research, the global cleanroom consumables market was valued at $7,938.7 million in 2015, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during the period 2016 - 2022. The cleanroom consumables market is growing due to increasing utilization of cleanroom consumables in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry, medical device industry, and electronics industry. In addition, the increasing utilization of cleanroom consumables in nanotechnology industry is also driving the growth of global cleanroom consumables market. Among the different type, the gloves segment is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Among the various end-user, the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry held the largest share in the global market in 2015, and it is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Request to Access Full Report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-consumables-market Cleanroom consumables are required during handling, assembly and manufacturing of different products. The utilization of cleanroom consumables assist in maintaing the quality of products and increasing process yield. As a result, the demand for cleanroom consumables, such as cleanroom apparel, cleaning products, stationary, wipers, gloves, and adhesive mats is expected to increase. They are also being used across various industries, such as optical industry, aerospace industry, defence and food industry leading to growth of global cleanroom consumables market. As a result, the demand for cleanroom consumables is expected to increase leading to growth of the global cleanroom consumables market. Request for Sample Pages: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-consumables-market/report-sample In addition, the growth of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry in various countries across the globe are increasing the demand for cleanroom consumables. Nanotechnology deals with miniscule components, which are susceptible to contamination by particulate material. In addition to nanotechnology industry, the electronic industry requires development of small sized high efficiency components, thus necessitating contaminant free environment. Medical device industry requires contamination free environment as these products may be implanted in the body leading to infection or loss of funcntion. Thus, the necessity to maintain high quality of products is expected to increase the demand for cleanroom consumables across the globe. Explore Related Research: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/industry-report/healthcare Some of the key companies operating in the global cleanroom consumable market include Micronova Manufacturing Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Berkshire Corporation, Valutek, ITW Texwipe, Nitritex Ltd., KM Corporation, Contec Inc., and Cantel Medical Corporation. GLOBAL CLEANROOM CONSUMABLES MARKET SEGMENTATION By Type - Apparel Market > Coverall > Lab Coats > Boot Cover > Shoe Cover > Bouffant > Sleeves - Cleaning Products Market > Cleanroom Mops > Buckets, Wringers, Squeegees > Cleanroom Swabs > Cleaning Chemicals - Stationary Market > Paper > Notebook and Adhesive Pads > Binders and Clipboards > Labels - Wipers Market > Dry Wipers > Wet Wipers - Gloves Market - Adhesive Mats Market - By End-User > Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry > Medical Device Industry > Electronic Industry > Laboratories - By Geography > North America- U.S. and Rest of North America > Europe- U.K., Germany, France and Rest of Europe > Asia-Pacific - China, Japan, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific > Rest of the World (RoW)- Brazil and Rest of Rest of the World Other Published Report by P&S Market Research Global Cleanroom Technology Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-technology-market Global Digital Health Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/digital-health-market Global Telemedicine Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/telemedicine-market About P&S Market Research P&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals. As one of the top growing market research agency, we're keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions. Contact: Deep Assistant - Client Partner 347, 5th Ave. #1402 New York City, NY - 10016 Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada) Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com SOURCE P&S Market Research STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Point6 and Cocona announced today an exclusive partnership for wool socks powered by 37.5 technology. Merino wool is one of the top performance fabrics in the outdoor industry, so combining wool with 37.5 nylon creates a higher level of performance sock that delays the onset of sweat, dries faster, increases comfort, and helps control odor. "Wool is Mother Nature's miracle fiber, thanks to moisture, temperature, and odor controlling properties," says Peter Duke, Point6 CEO. "Bringing 37.5 technology fiber into the mix elevates wool's benefits to a whole new level." Managing the microclimate next to the foot extends the user's comfort range and improves cooling. An in-depth study conducted by the Department of Physiology at the University of Colorado, Boulder reported that by changing from a wicking shirt to a 37.5 shirt athletes extended their performance and reduced their core temperature build up. This same technology can now be found in socks. The team at Point6 worked with scientists from Cocona to perfect the combination of 37.5 particles with nylon. By layering the 37.5 nylon between 100% compact spun New Zealand Merino wool, Point6 can make a sock that maintains a comfortable level of humidity by delaying the onset of sweat and drying faster, even during high-intensity exercise. "Peter Duke has had a long and successful history as an innovator with merino wool, so it was exciting to partner with Point 6 on this development," said Jeff Bowman, CEO of Cocona Inc. "The product they've created is fantastic; 37.5 fibers pair very well with natural fibers, turbocharging the inherent properties of merino." The active particles in patented 37.5 fiber are permanently embedded in the nylon fabric of the socks and won't wash out. These active particles provide 800% more surface area to the fiber, while providing a unique driving force to remove moisture vapor unlike any other technology. The particles, naturally derived from coconut shells and volcanic sand, capture heat from the body's infrared energy to speed evaporation and significantly reduce dry-time. "Adding 37.5 technology to our socks makes Point6 a far superior product to all other wool socks," says Duke. "Period!" Point6 will introduce nine styles powered by 37.5 technology for Spring 2017, plus several tactical styles that are being developed for the military. About Point6 (www.point6.com) Point6 is a wool innovator, committed to bringing moisture controlling comfort and style to the lives of customers so they can enjoy escaping to their playground. Point6 is focused on manufacturing the best wool products on the market. Point6 is headquartered in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. About 37.5 (www.thirtysevenfive.com) 37.5 technology was created by Cocona Inc., a world leader in active particle technologies currently used to enhance the technical performance of clothing, footwear and sleep systems. The Company is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. SOURCE Cocona Inc. "Our cognitive cloud software pairs man and machine so they can achieve something new and exponentially valuable together: intelligent user engagement and business processes that get smarter and more useful with time," said Manoj Saxena, Executive Chairman of CognitiveScale. "This funding will accelerate our mission to bring scalable, practical AI to the enterprise." Since emerging from stealth mode in October 2014, CognitiveScale has successfully deployed its products with Fortune 100 companies in financial services, healthcare, and commerce. With more than 60 patents filed around its Deep Cognition Engine, CognitiveScale's industry specific artificial intelligence algorithms understand and adapt to changing user and market conditions while continuously reprogramming themselves to improve the quality of the insights they produce. "CognitiveScale is reimagining enterprise engagement with machine intelligence and its tailored solutions are serving as the linchpin for engagement and productivity," said Promod Haque, senior managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "Not only is CognitiveScale's technology helping solve core problems for the enterprise, but its executive team is top notch, and we have complete confidence that they'll continue to innovate and move the AI industry forward." The CognitiveScale team combines management expertise in key industry verticals as well as deep experience in both enterprise software and machine learning. The firm is led by industry leaders and serial entrepreneurs, including Saxena, CognitiveScale's Executive Chairman who was the first general manager of the IBM Watson division; Chief Executive Officer Akshay Sabhikhi, who was previously the global leader for IBM's Smarter Care; and Matt Sanchez, who led Watson Labs before becoming CognitiveScale's Founder and Chief Technology Officer. They were inspired by Watson's potential and wanted to innovate and scale a new class of industry-specific AI that could address critical problems in industries such as financial services, retail, and healthcare. "The impact of artificial intelligence continues to grow as we improve a machine's ability to learn and predict using large amounts of data," said Michael Greene, corporate vice president, Intel Software and Services Group and general manager of System Technologies and Optimization. "Machine intelligence systems that actively discover, act and learn from multi-structured data, like the one from CognitiveScale, will bring new innovations to the marketplace and complement technology initiatives such as the optimization of Spark analytics for Intel-based platforms." CognitiveScale is the sixth investment from the Intel Capital Diversity Fund. Two Industry-Specific AI Products Power User Engagement and Process Intelligence CognitiveScale provides two flagship products called ENGAGE and AMPLIFY that interpret multi-structured big data and weave knowledge and learning across the enterprisefrom the front office to back office to mission critical core functions. ENGAGE focuses on transforming customer experience at the edge of the business through any digital touch point. It interprets user goals, preferences, and context and delivers individualized insights by reasoning across billions of curated industry data points while learning continuously. While ENGAGE works at the edge, AMPLIFY works at the core of an organization. It helps augment knowledge workers with contextual insights and helps deploy self-learning autonomous processes modeled after human cognitive architecture. Both products learn from new data and customer interactions and deliver future insights and advice that accounts for dynamic changes in goals, preferences, and the business environment. They are deployed through CognitiveScale's secure and hybrid cognitive cloud foundation which can be implemented and scaled over IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft cloud infrastructures. For further reading: About CognitiveScale CognitiveScale enables businesses to win with machine intelligence. The company's productsCognitiveScale ENGAGE and CognitiveScale AMPLIFY help enterprises transform customer engagement, improve decision-making, and deploy self-learning business processes. CognitiveScale has successfully deployed its industry cognitive clouds with Global 500 companies in financial services, healthcare, and commerce. CognitiveScale was founded in 2013 by highly successful serial entrepreneurs and senior executives with deep expertise in vertical enterprise software, cloud computing, and machine learning. The company has won numerous awards and featured in prominent research and publications. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in the United Kingdom and India, and has strategic partnerships with IBM and Deloitte. To learn more, please visit www.cognitivescale.com or follow @cognitivescale. About Norwest Venture Partners Norwest Venture Partners is a global venture capital and growth equity investment firm that manages more than $6 billion in capital. The firm targets early to late stage venture and growth equity investments across a wide range of sectors including: technology, information services, business services, financial services, consumer products/services and healthcare. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Norwest has offices in San Francisco and New York, and subsidiaries in Mumbai and Bengaluru, India and Herzelia, Israel. The firm has funded more than 575 companies since inception. For more information, please visit www.nvp.com. Follow Norwest on Twitter @NorwestVP. About Intel Capital Intel Capital, Intel's strategic investment and M&A organization, backs innovative startups targeting computing and smart devices, cloud, datacenter, security, the Internet of Things, wearable and robotic technologies and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested US$11.7 billion in 1,447 companies in 57 countries; in that timeframe, 605 portfolio companies have gone public or been acquired. Through its business development programs, Intel Capital curates thousands of introductions each year between its portfolio executives and Intel's customers and partners in the Global 2000. For more information on what makes Intel Capital one of the world's most powerful venture capital firms, visit www.intelcapital.com or follow @Intelcapital. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394856-INFO SOURCE CognitiveScale Related Links http://www.cognitivescale.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and BALTIMORE, Md., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cure Forward and Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. (PGDx), a provider of advanced cancer genome testing products and services, today announced an agreement that will enable cancer patients using the Cure Forward Patient Activation platform to select PGDx as their genomic testing service provider. Under the terms of the agreement, PGDx will make its genomic testing results directly available to cancer patients through the Cure Forward platform. The data will be provided in interoperable formats, so that it can be directly applied by patients to further their own care. Further details of the non-exclusive agreement were not disclosed. At Cure Forward, patients and their families can retrieve and use molecular profiling data to understand their disease, connect with others who share their specific diagnosis and treatment history, and connect to clinical trials. The centerpiece of the Cure Forward platform is its Clinical Trial Exchange, where patients can post relevant information about themselves. Clinical trial recruiters can then view patients' anonymized profiles and invite them to apply for inclusion in relevant trials. The mechanism is designed to facilitate the process by presenting patient data in a format that can be compared against the inclusion and exclusion criteria provided by trial recruiters in their searches, including DNA biomarker criteria. "PGDx was established by cancer researchers at Johns Hopkins in response to requests from patients and their physicians for access to advanced genomic testing. We are committed to working with other innovative companies to expand that access, and it is accordingly fitting for us to join forces with Cure Forward, whose innovative platform is designed to empower patients with the DNA biomarker data that is essential for optimizing their cancer treatment," said Douglas Ward, Chief Executive Officer at PGDx. "Cure Forward believes that adoption of precision medicine is enhanced when patients are able to participate directly, and we welcome the opportunity to support their efforts." Results from PGDx tests will be reported to ordering physicians through diagnostic reports and patients will then be able to use information from the reports to request and receive their data through the Cure Forward platform. Receiving one's data is a legal right of all patients in the US through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This collaboration makes it easier for patients to access and use their genomic data quickly while keeping their physicians involved in the process. "At Cure Forward, we want every patient to be able to address their disease with the best possible science. We believe that clinical trials are an important consideration at every stage of a person's care, and we want to make it easy for people to identify trial options," said Martin Naley, Cure Forward's Founder and Chief Strategy Officer. "PGDx is a well-known cancer genomic testing pioneer who is committed to providing the most advanced services to patients and their physicians. This collaboration with PGDx further ensures that patients using our platform will have rapid access to their data from the highest quality genomic testing services. This can help individual patients find the best options for their care and could also accelerate research toward improved treatments and cures." PGDx offers a complete range of cancer genome analysis tools, including exome and targeted approaches for tissue specimens, targeted approaches for plasma samples and a variety of custom tissue and plasma-based options designed to address the specific research needs of cancer researchers and drug developers. It was established in 2010 by researchers from Johns Hopkins University who are pioneers in cancer genome sequencing and liquid biopsy technologies. Under the leadership of founders Drs. Luis Diaz and Victor Velculescu, the company has achieved consistent growth by successfully commercializing novel clinical and investigational products and services for researchers, drug developers, molecular testing laboratories and physicians and patients. PGDx's service offerings for researchers and testing labs are complemented by the clinical services it provides through its CLIA-certified laboratory. About Personal Genome Diagnostics Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) advances the frontiers of cancer medicine through innovative genomic technologies for oncology researchers, drug developers, clinicians and patients. The expert team at PGDx draws on a deep understanding of cancer biology, extensive experience in cancer genomics and clinical oncology, and the company's distinctive technologies. These novel technologies precisely identify and characterize unique genomic alterations in tumors. PGDx is working toward broad patient access to its genomic approaches, through a CLIA-certified facility providing comprehensive genomic services, as well as a technology transfer solution enabling other molecular laboratories to easily internalize testing. For additional information, visit personalgenome.com. About Cure Forward Cure Forward is the first online matching service that connects cancer patients with precision medicine so they can access the targeted therapies and advanced treatments that may be best suited for their care. Our Clinical Trial Exchange connects patients to trials they might never have found and solves critical business needs for diagnostic laboratories, health care providers and clinical trial recruiters. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cure Forward was incubated and launched by Apple Tree Partners, New York City. The company's platform is in beta release at cureforward.com. If you or someone you love has cancer you need to know all of your options. PGDx Contacts PGDx Corporate: Media: Melody Gretz Barbara Lindheim 973 598-5515 BLL Partners LLC [email protected] 212 584-2276 [email protected] Cure Forward Contacts Cure Forward Corporate: Media: Stacey Santo Jennifer Webb 617 863-3818 Coltrin &Associates [email protected] 212 221-1616 [email protected] SOURCE Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. Related Links http://personalgenome.com Net revenues increased 17.6% to $43.7 billion GAAP operating profit increased 3.9% to $2.4 billion ; operating profit excluding acquisition-related transaction and integration costs increased 6.5% GAAP diluted EPS decreased from $1.12 to $0.86 , primarily driven by a loss on early extinguishment of debt and acquisition-related integration costs Adjusted EPS increased 8.3% to $1.32 Year-to-date Highlights: Cash flow from operations of $4.0 billion Generated free cash flow of $2.9 billion 2016 Guidance: Full year GAAP diluted EPS revised to $4.92 to $5.00 from $5.24 to $5.39 , to reflect the impact of the loss on early extinguishment of debt and second quarter acquisition-related integration costs Full year Adjusted EPS raised and narrowed to $5.81 to $5.89 from $5.73 to $5.88 Provided third quarter GAAP diluted EPS of $1.38 to $1.41 , including a loss on early extinguishment of debt and excluding acquisition-related integration costs Provided third quarter Adjusted EPS of $1.55 to $1.58 Raised full year cash flow from operations to $8.8 to $9.1 billion from $7.6 to $7.9 billion ; free cash flow raised to $6.3 to $6.6 billion from $5.3 to $5.6 billion CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) today announced operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2016. Revenues Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2016 increased 17.6%, or $6.6 billion, to $43.7 billion, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2015. Revenues in the Pharmacy Services Segment increased 20.7%, or $5.1 billion, to $29.5 billion in the three months ended June 30, 2016. The increase was primarily driven by increased pharmacy network claim volume and growth in specialty pharmacy. Pharmacy network claims processed during the three months ended June 30, 2016 increased 22.6% to 280.5 million, compared to 228.8 million in the prior year. The increase in pharmacy network claim volume was primarily due to the growth in net new business. Mail choice claims processed during the three months ended June 30, 2016, increased 3.9%, to 22.2 million, compared to 21.3 million in the prior year. The increase in mail choice claims was primarily driven by the continued adoption of our Maintenance Choice offerings. Revenues in the Retail/LTC Segment increased 16.0%, or $2.8 billion, to approximately $20.0 billion, in the three months ended June 30, 2016. The increase was primarily driven by the addition of the long-term care ("LTC") pharmacy operations acquired as part of the acquisition of Omnicare, Inc. ("Omnicare") in August 2015, the addition of the pharmacies and clinics of Target Corporation ("Target") acquired in December 2015 and pharmacy same store sales growth. Same store sales increased 2.1% versus the second quarter of 2015. Pharmacy same store sales rose 3.9% and pharmacy same store prescription volumes rose 3.5% on a 30-day equivalent basis. Pharmacy same store sales were negatively affected by approximately 355 basis points from recent generic drug introductions. Front store same store sales decreased 2.5%, including the effect of the shift of Easter from April in 2015 to March in 2016, which resulted in a decrease in front store same store sales of approximately 80 basis points. Front store same store sales were also negatively affected by softer customer traffic, partially offset by an increase in basket size. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, the generic dispensing rate increased approximately 155 basis points to 85.4% in the Pharmacy Services Segment and increased approximately 110 basis points to 86.1% in the Retail/LTC Segment. Operating Profit For the three months ended June 30, 2016, consolidated operating profit increased $88 million, or 3.9%. Excluding acquisition-related integration costs of $81 million in 2016 and acquisition-related transaction costs of $21 million in 2015, consolidated operating profit increased $148 million, or 6.5%, from $2,283 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015 to $2,431 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, operating profit increased by $98 million, or 10.4%, in the Pharmacy Services Segment and by $24 million, or 1.4%, in the Retail/LTC Segment. Excluding acquisition-related integration costs of $81 million, the Retail/LTC Segment operating profit grew $105 million, or 6.2%, from $1,681 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015 to $1,786 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016. Both segments benefited from the Omnicare acquisition and increased generic drugs dispensed. The Pharmacy Services Segment was also positively affected by growth in specialty pharmacy, growth in Medicare Part D lives and favorable purchasing economics. The Retail/LTC Segment was also positively affected by the acquisition of the pharmacies and clinics of Target and an improved front store margin rate. These positive factors for both segments were partially offset by continued pricing and reimbursement pressure. Net Income and Earnings Per Share Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2016 was $0.9 billion, a decrease of $348 million or 27.3%. The decrease was primarily driven by a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $542 million, an increase in interest expense of $114 million and $81 million of acquisition-related integration costs, partially offset by an increase in operating profit. The increase in interest expense is primarily due to the issuance of $15 billion of long-term debt in July 2015 that was used to acquire Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target, as well as the debt assumed through the acquisition of Omnicare in August 2015. GAAP earnings per diluted share ("GAAP diluted EPS") for the three months ended June 30, 2016 was $0.86, compared to $1.12 in the prior year. Adjusted earnings per share ("Adjusted EPS") for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, was $1.32 and $1.22, respectively. Adjusted EPS excludes $197 million and $131 million of intangible asset amortization for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Adjusted EPS for the three months ended June 30, 2016 also excludes $81 million of acquisition-related integration costs and the loss on early extinguishment of debt of $542 million. Adjusted EPS for the three months ended June 30, 2015 also excludes $21 million of acquisition-related transaction costs and $36 million of acquisition-related bridge financing costs. Further detail is shown in the Adjusted Earnings Per Share reconciliation later in this release. President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Merlo stated, "I'm very pleased with our solid second quarter results across the enterprise. Operating profit in the Retail/LTC Segment was in line with expectations while operating profit in the Pharmacy Services Segment exceeded expectations. At the same time, we have generated substantial free cash flow year-to-date and continued to return significant value to our shareholders through dividends and share repurchases." Mr. Merlo continued, "With our differentiated value proposition, we see 2017 shaping up to be another very successful PBM selling season, with substantial gross and net new business to date. Given our outperformance in the second quarter and confidence in our expectations for the back half of this year, we are raising and narrowing our Adjusted EPS guidance and also raising our free cash flow guidance for 2016." Guidance The Company revised full year GAAP diluted EPS to $4.92 to $5.00 from $5.24 to $5.39 to reflect the impact of the loss on early extinguishment of debt and second quarter acquisition-related integration costs. When the Company reports subsequent quarters, full-year 2016 GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be revised downward to reflect the impact from future acquisition-related integration costs that are not currently included in guidance. The Company raised and narrowed full year Adjusted EPS to $5.81 to $5.89 from $5.73 to $5.88, which excludes the loss on early extinguishment of debt and acquisition-related integration costs. Further detail is shown in the Adjusted Earnings Per Share Guidance reconciliation later in this release. In the third quarter of 2016, the Company expects to deliver GAAP diluted EPS of $1.38 to $1.41, including a loss on early extinguishment of debt from a debt redemption that was completed in July 2016 and excluding acquisition-related integration costs. The Company expects to deliver Adjusted EPS of $1.55 to $1.58, which excludes the loss on early extinguishment of debt and acquisition-related integration costs. Further detail is shown in the Adjusted Earnings Per Share Guidance reconciliation later in this release. The Company raised cash flow guidance for 2016 and now expects to deliver cash flow from operations of $8.8 billion to $9.1 billion, up from $7.6 billion to $7.9 billion, and 2016 free cash flow of $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion, up from $5.3 billion to $5.6 billion. Further detail is shown in the Free Cash Flow Guidance reconciliation later in this release. Real Estate Program During the three months ended June 30, 2016, the Company opened 20 new retail stores, two onsite pharmacies and closed 10 retail stores. In addition, the Company relocated 9 retail stores. As of June 30, 2016, the Company operated 9,652 retail stores, including pharmacies in Target stores, in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Teleconference and Webcast The Company will be holding a conference call today for the investment community at 8:30 am (ET) to discuss its quarterly results. An audio webcast of the call will be broadcast simultaneously for all interested parties through the Investor Relations section of the CVS Health website at http://investors.cvshealth.com . This webcast will be archived and available on the website for a one-year period following the conference call. About the Company CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements for a number of reasons as described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the section entitled "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Tables Follow CVS HEALTH CORPORATION Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In millions, except per share amounts 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net revenues $ 43,725 $ 37,169 $ 86,940 $ 73,501 Cost of revenues 36,710 30,767 73,181 60,935 Gross profit 7,015 6,402 13,759 12,566 Operating expenses 4,665 4,140 9,233 8,172 Operating profit 2,350 2,262 4,526 4,394 Interest expense, net 280 166 563 300 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 542 542 Income before income tax provision 1,528 2,096 3,421 4,094 Income tax provision 604 824 1,350 1,601 Net income 924 1,272 2,071 2,493 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (1) Net income attributable to CVS Health $ 924 $ 1,272 $ 2,070 $ 2,493 Net income per share attributable to CVS Health: Basic $ 0.86 $ 1.13 $ 1.91 $ 2.20 Diluted $ 0.86 $ 1.12 $ 1.90 $ 2.19 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 1,070 1,124 1,081 1,126 Diluted 1,075 1,132 1,087 1,134 Dividends declared per share $ 0.425 $ 0.350 $ 0.850 $ 0.700 CVS HEALTH CORPORATION Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) June 30, December 31, In millions, except per share amounts 2016 2015 Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,127 $ 2,459 Short-term investments 80 88 Accounts receivable, net 13,183 11,888 Inventories 14,177 14,001 Other current assets 881 722 Total current assets 29,448 29,158 Property and equipment, net 9,981 9,855 Goodwill 38,190 38,106 Intangible assets, net 13,639 13,878 Other assets 1,490 1,440 Total assets $ 92,748 $ 92,437 Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 7,351 $ 7,490 Claims and discounts payable 8,938 7,653 Accrued expenses 7,244 6,829 Short-term debt 745 Current portion of long-term debt 2,291 1,197 Total current liabilities 26,569 23,169 Long-term debt 25,600 26,267 Deferred income taxes 4,260 4,217 Other long-term liabilities 1,553 1,542 Commitments and contingencies Redeemable noncontrolling interest 39 Shareholders' equity: CVS Health shareholders' equity: Preferred stock, par value $0.01: 0.1 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding Common stock, par value $0.01: 3,200 shares authorized; 1,704 shares issued and 1,065 shares outstanding at June 30, 2016 and 1,699 shares issued and 1,101 shares outstanding at December 31, 2015 17 17 Treasury stock, at cost: 638 shares at June 30, 2016 and 597 shares at December 31, 2015 (33,010) (28,886) Shares held in trust: 1 share at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (31) (31) Capital surplus 31,454 30,948 Retained earnings 36,647 35,506 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (317) (358) Total CVS Health shareholders' equity 34,760 37,196 Noncontrolling interest 6 7 Total shareholders' equity 34,766 37,203 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 92,748 $ 92,437 CVS HEALTH CORPORATION Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, In millions 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities: Cash receipts from customers $ 84,324 $ 71,014 Cash paid for inventory and prescriptions dispensed by retail network pharmacies (70,851) (58,129) Cash paid to other suppliers and employees (7,082) (7,935) Interest received 9 9 Interest paid (615) (311) Income taxes paid (1,762) (1,627) Net cash provided by operating activities 4,023 3,021 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases of property and equipment (1,102) (942) Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions 34 Proceeds from sale of property and equipment and other assets 11 14 Acquisitions (net of cash acquired) and other investments (168) (112) Purchase of available-for-sale investments (39) (124) Sale or maturity of available-for-sale investments 67 40 Net cash used in investing activities (1,231) (1,090) Cash flows from financing activities: Increase in short-term debt 745 803 Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt 3,455 Repayments of long-term debt (3,579) (550) Purchase of noncontrolling interest in subsidiary (39) Dividends paid (929) (794) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 122 211 Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 63 97 Repurchase of common stock (3,960) (2,934) Other (4) Net cash used in financing activities (4,126) (3,167) Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents 2 (1) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (1,332) (1,237) Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 2,459 2,481 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period $ 1,127 $ 1,244 Reconciliation of net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Net income $ 2,071 $ 2,493 Adjustments required to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 1,236 978 Stock-based compensation 107 88 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 542 Deferred income taxes and other non-cash items 75 6 Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions: Accounts receivable, net (1,279) (1,211) Inventories (167) (465) Other current assets (170) 131 Other assets (53) (48) Accounts payable and claims and discounts payable 1,164 1,383 Accrued expenses 492 (241) Other long-term liabilities 5 (93) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 4,023 $ 3,021 Non-GAAP Financial Measures The following provides reconciliations of certain non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company uses the non-GAAP measures "Adjusted EPS" and "Free Cash Flow" to assess and analyze underlying business performance and trends. Management believes that providing these non-GAAP measures enhances investors' understanding of the Company's performance. Adjusted Earnings per Share, or Adjusted EPS, is net income excluding the impact of the amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, acquisition-related bridge financing costs, charge related to a disputed 1999 legal settlement and loss on early extinguishment of debt divided by the Company's weighted average diluted shares outstanding. The Company believes that this measure enhances investors' ability to compare the Company's past financial performance with its current performance. The Company defines Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by operating activities less net additions to properties and equipment (i.e., additions to property and equipment plus proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions). Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure for internal comparisons and finds it useful in assessing year-over-year cash flow performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as supplemental information to the financial measures presented in this press release that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EPS should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, income before income tax provision as a measure of our performance. Free Cash Flow should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. The Company's definitions of Adjusted EPS and Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measurements reported by other companies. Adjusted Earnings Per Share (Unaudited) The following is a reconciliation of income before income tax provision to Adjusted EPS: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In millions, except per share amounts 2016 2015 2016 2015 Income before income tax provision $ 1,528 $ 2,096 $ 3,421 $ 4,094 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization of intangible assets 197 131 396 260 Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs(1) 81 21 142 21 Acquisition-related bridge financing costs(1) 36 36 Charge related to a disputed 1999 legal settlement 3 Loss on early extinguishment of debt 542 542 Adjusted income before income tax provision 2,348 2,284 4,504 4,411 Adjusted income tax provision 923 897 1,770 1,724 Adjusted net income 1,425 1,387 2,734 2,687 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (1) Income allocable to participating securities (6) (7) (13) (12) Adjusted net income attributable to CVS Health $ 1,419 $ 1,380 $ 2,720 $ 2,675 Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 1,075 1,132 1,087 1,134 Adjusted EPS $ 1.32 $ 1.22 $ 2.50 $ 2.36 (1) Costs associated with the acquisitions of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target. Free Cash Flow (Unaudited) The following is a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow: Six Months Ended June 30, In millions 2016 2015 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 4,023 $ 3,021 Subtract: Additions to property and equipment (1,102) (942) Add: Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions 34 Free cash flow $ 2,921 $ 2,113 Supplemental Information (Unaudited) The Company evaluates its Pharmacy Services Segment and Retail/LTC Segment performance based on net revenue, gross profit and operating profit before the effect of nonrecurring charges and gains and certain intersegment activities. The Company evaluates the performance of its Corporate Segment based on operating expenses before the effect of nonrecurring charges and gains and certain intersegment activities. The following is a reconciliation of the Company's segments to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements: In millions Pharmacy Services Segment(1) Retail/LTC Segment Corporate Segment Intersegment Eliminations(2) Consolidated Totals Three Months Ended June 30, 2016: Net revenues $ 29,510 $ 19,998 $ $ (5,783) $ 43,725 Gross profit(3) 1,367 5,837 (189) 7,015 Operating profit (loss)(3) 1,038 1,705 (220) (173) 2,350 June 30, 2015: Net revenues 24,442 17,242 (4,515) 37,169 Gross profit 1,241 5,322 (161) 6,402 Operating profit (loss)(4) 940 1,681 (215) (144) 2,262 Six Months Ended June 30, 2016: Net revenues 58,275 40,110 (11,445) 86,940 Gross profit(3) 2,469 11,667 (377) 13,759 Operating profit (loss)(3) 1,820 3,482 (432) (344) 4,526 June 30, 2015: Net revenues 48,321 34,193 (9,013) 73,501 Gross profit 2,267 10,617 (318) 12,566 Operating profit (loss)(4) 1,675 3,408 (404) (285) 4,394 (1) Net revenues of the Pharmacy Services Segment include approximately $2.6 billion and $2.2 billion of retail co-payments for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, as well as $5.6 billion and $4.7 billion of retail co-payments for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. (2) Intersegment eliminations relate to intersegment revenue generating activities that occur between the Pharmacy Services Segment and the Retail/LTC Segment. These occur in the following ways: when members of Pharmacy Services Segment clients ("members") fill prescriptions at our retail stores to purchase covered products, when members enrolled in programs such as Maintenance Choice elect to pick up maintenance prescriptions at one of our retail stores instead of receiving them through the mail, or when members have prescriptions filled at our long-term care pharmacies. When these occur, both the Pharmacy Services and Retail/LTC segments record the revenues, gross profit and operating profit on a standalone basis. (3) The Retail/LTC Segment gross profit and operating profit for the three months ended June 30, 2016 includes $6 million and $81 million, respectively, of acquisition-related integration costs. The Retail/LTC Segment gross profit and operating profit for the six months ended June 30, 2016 includes $10 million and $142 million, respectively, of acquisition-related integration costs. The integration costs are related to the acquisitions of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target. (4) The Corporate Segment operating loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 includes $21 million of acquisition-related transaction costs. Supplemental Information (Unaudited) Pharmacy Services Segment The following table summarizes the Pharmacy Services Segment's performance for the respective periods: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In millions 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net revenues $ 29,510 $ 24,442 $ 58,275 $ 48,321 Gross profit 1,367 1,241 2,469 2,267 Gross profit % of net revenues 4.6 % 5.1 % 4.2 % 4.7 % Operating expenses 329 301 649 592 Operating expense % of net revenues 1.1 % 1.2 % 1.1 % 1.2 % Operating profit 1,038 940 1,820 1,675 Operating profit % of net revenues 3.5 % 3.8 % 3.1 % 3.5 % Net revenues: Mail choice(1) $ 10,646 $ 9,107 $ 20,796 $ 17,857 Pharmacy network(2) 18,778 15,267 37,314 30,326 Other 86 68 165 138 Pharmacy claims processed: Total 302.7 250.1 607.4 501.3 Mail choice(1) 22.2 21.3 43.8 41.7 Pharmacy network(2) 280.5 228.8 563.6 459.6 Generic dispensing rate: Total 85.4 % 83.9 % 85.3 % 83.7 % Mail choice(1) 78.0 % 76.3 % 77.7 % 76.2 % Pharmacy network(2) 86.0 % 84.6 % 85.9 % 84.4 % Mail choice penetration rate 18.1 % 20.7 % 17.9 % 20.2 % (1) Mail choice is defined as claims filled at a Pharmacy Services mail facility, which include specialty mail claims inclusive of Specialty Connect claims filled at our retail stores, as well as prescriptions filled at our retail stores under the Maintenance Choice program. (2) Pharmacy network net revenues, claims processed and generic dispensing rates do not include Maintenance Choice, which are included within the mail choice category. Pharmacy network is defined as claims filled at retail stores and specialty retail pharmacies, including our retail stores and long-term care pharmacies, but excluding Maintenance Choice activity. Supplemental Information (Unaudited) Retail/LTC Segment The following table summarizes the Retail/LTC Segment's performance for the respective periods: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In millions 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net revenues $ 19,998 $ 17,242 $ 40,110 $ 34,193 Gross profit(1) 5,837 5,322 11,667 10,617 Gross profit % of net revenues 29.2 % 30.9 % 29.1 % 31.0 % Operating expenses(1) 4,132 3,641 8,185 7,209 Operating expense % of net revenues 20.7 % 21.1 % 20.4 % 21.1 % Operating profit 1,705 1,681 3,482 3,408 Operating profit % of net revenues 8.5 % 9.7 % 8.7 % 10.0 % Prescriptions filled (90 Day = 3 Rx)(2) 300.9 244.1 606.0 485.5 Net revenue increase (decrease): Total 16.0 % 2.2 % 17.3 % 2.5 % Pharmacy 21.2 % 5.2 % 22.4 % 5.2 % Front store (0.6) % (5.1) % 1.0 % (4.4) % Total prescription volume (90 Day = 3 Rx)(2) 23.2 % 6.0 % 24.8 % 6.1 % Same store increase (decrease)(3): Total sales 2.1 % 0.5 % 3.1 % 0.8 % Pharmacy sales 3.9 % 4.1 % 4.7 % 4.2 % Front store sales (2.5) % (7.8) % (0.9) % (7.0) % Prescription volume (90 Day = 3 Rx)(2) 3.5 % 4.8 % 4.7 % 4.9 % Generic dispensing rate 86.1 % 85.0 % 85.9 % 84.7 % Pharmacy % of total revenues 74.8 % 71.6 % 74.7 % 71.6 % (1) Gross profit and operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2016 include $6 million and $75 million, respectively, of acquisition-related integration costs related to the acquisitions of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target. Gross profit and operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2016 include $10 million and $132 million, respectively, of acquisition-related integration costs related to the acquisitions of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target. (2) Includes the adjustment to convert 90-day, non-specialty prescriptions to the equivalent of three 30-day prescriptions. This adjustment reflects the fact that these prescriptions include approximately three times the amount of product days supplied compared to a normal prescription. (3) Same store sales and prescriptions exclude revenues from MinuteClinic, and revenue and prescriptions from stores in Brazil, long-term care operations and from commercialization services. Adjusted Earnings Per Share Guidance (Unaudited) The following reconciliation of estimated income before income tax provision to estimated adjusted earnings per share contains forward-looking information. All forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking information for a number of reasons as described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the section entitled "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. See also "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for more information on how we calculate Adjusted EPS. In millions, except per share amounts Year Ending December 31, 2016 Income before income tax provision(1) $ 8,746 $ 8,921 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization of intangible assets 795 795 Acquisition-related integration costs(1) 142 142 Charge related to a disputed 1999 legal settlement 3 3 Loss on early extinguishment of debt(2) 644 644 Adjusted income before income tax provision 10,330 10,505 Adjusted income tax provision 4,017 4,103 Adjusted net income 6,313 6,402 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (2) (2) Income allocable to participating securities (33) (33) Adjusted net income attributable to CVS Health $ 6,278 $ 6,367 Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 1,081 1,081 Adjusted earnings per share $ 5.81 $ 5.89 In millions, except per share amounts Three Months Ending September 30, 2016 Income before income tax provision(1) $ 2,459 $ 2,526 Non-GAAP adjustments: Amortization of intangible assets 195 195 Loss on early extinguishment of debt(3) 102 102 Adjusted income before income tax provision 2,756 2,823 Adjusted income tax provision 1,087 1,115 Adjusted net income 1,669 1,708 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (1) (1) Income allocable to participating securities (8) (9) Adjusted net income attributable to CVS Health $ 1,660 $ 1,698 Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 1,075 1,075 Adjusted earnings per share $ 1.55 $ 1.58 (1) Excludes anticipated acquisition-related integration costs for the acquisitions of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target for the period from July 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016. (2) Includes $542 million loss on early extinguishment of debt from the tender offers that closed in June 2016, as well as the approximately $102 million loss on early extinguishment of debt from the redemption of certain senior notes in June 2016 that closed in July 2016. See Note 5, "Borrowings" in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 for further information. (3) Includes approximately $102 million loss on early extinguishment of debt from the redemption of certain senior notes in June 2016 that closed in July 2016. See Note 5, "Borrowings" in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 for further information. Free Cash Flow Guidance (Unaudited) The following reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow contains forward-looking information. All forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking information for a number of reasons as described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the section entitled "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. See also "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for more information on how we calculate Free Cash Flow. In millions Year Ending December 31, 2016 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 8,775 $ 9,075 Subtract: Additions to property and equipment (2,750) (2,650) Add: Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions 275 175 Free cash flow $ 6,300 $ 6,600 Investor Nancy Christal Media Carolyn Castel Contact: Senior Vice President Contact: Vice President Investor Relations Corporate Communications (914) 722-4704 (401) 770-5717 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140905/143455 SOURCE CVS Health Corporation Related Links https://www.cvshealth.com BOSTON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberX, the leading provider of cybersecurity solutions for the Industrial IoT, announced today the completion of a $9M USD funding round. The round was led by Flint Capital, including existing investors Glilot Capital Partners, Swarth Group, GlenRock, newly joined ff Venture Capital (ffVC) and additional angel investors. CyberX was founded by Omer Schneider and Nir Giller, both veterans of the Israeli Elite Cyber Security Unit. CyberX has experienced rapid growth since its founding, with dozens of major deployments and a worldwide customer base in North America, EMEA and APAC. The company's technology is currently being successfully used in dozens of industrial and production environments worldwide. This rapid growth is attributed to the company's ability to deliver its unprecedented Industrial Finite State Machine (IFSM) technology, while preserving and providing immediate cyber and operational value to its customers. "Along with our long list of satisfied customers, this round further validates our innovative solution and execution to date," said Omer Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of CyberX. "We are excited to have Flint Capital onboard and look forward to working together as we continue expanding our operations worldwide and in particular in North America." With the rise of the Industrial Internet revolution, increased Machine-to-Machine connectivity and the appearance of new IIoT business models, the security challenges are growing rapidly, making the deployment of cyber security solutions a much higher priority among C-level decision makers at the world's largest manufacturers. "I'm excited to support the growth of CyberX in North America and worldwide," said Sergey Gribov, partner at Flint Capital. "I believe that the combination of management focus in the US, along with the company's choice to set its HQ in Boston - the business center for cyber security and IIoT - will significantly help CyberX's growth trajectory." "CyberX's core technology has been achieving unparalleled detection results within industrial environments," said Nir Giller, CTO & Co-founder of CyberX. "Using our dedicated Industrial IoT detection technology, IFSM, we have discovered multiple attacks, as well as critical zero-day vulnerabilities in industrial equipment. At times, this was accomplished within hours. More specifically, IIoT vendors can harness our technology to execute their go-to-market strategy without worrying about getting caught off-guard." With its field-proven technology being adopted across verticals, ranging from Manufacturing and Energy to IIoT environments, CyberX is positioned as the leader in the Industrial IoT security revolution. "XSense IFSM technology provided us unique insights regarding our industrial environment," said Frits van Rooij, Senior Instrumentation & Control Engineer for IDE Americas. "We believe it is a must-have technology for every industrial network. About CyberX CyberX leads the way in securing the Industrial Internet by providing complete visibility into the IIoT environment as well as real-time detection and alerts of operational incidents, cyber threats and system tampering, thus minimizing disruption to operations and downtime. Seamlessly connecting to any IIoT environment, our flagship platform XSense, which harnesses IFSM technology, provides immediate results by collecting data across the IIoT environment and utilizing Big Data and Machine Learning to optimize the detection of anomalous behaviors. Serving customers worldwide, CyberX is a member of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and ICS-ISAC and was recognized by Gartner as a 2015 Cool Vendor in Security for Technology and Service Providers. Named "Best Product in ICS/SCADA Security Solution of 2016" by Cyber Defense Magazine at RSA, its research is considered cutting edge, contributing zero-day vulnerability discoveries to both the US Department of Homeland Security and industrial vendors. CyberX is also a member of the Israeli national consortium chosen to provide cyber solutions for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, which is supported by Foreign Trade Administration of the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Israel's National Cyber Bureau of the Prime Minister's Office. Media Contact: Romit Barratson Sagi Director of Marketing CyberX [email protected] +972-54-4483476 SOURCE CyberX SHANGHAI, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated's (NYSE: DAN) Spicer Rui Ma brand of drivetrain solutions has received the 2016 Shanghai CSR Excellence Award, which was presented today during the CSR and Innovation 2016 Shanghai Summit. The honor recognizes outstanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) and successes in green innovation. This is the second-consecutive year that the Spicer Rui Ma brand has been recognized for its achievements in CSR and for its creation and implementation of environmentally friendly business practices. In 2015, Spicer Rui Ma received the Xuhui District Corporate Social Responsibility Award. "We are truly honored to receive this award, which reflects our company's core values and strong commitment to people, the environment, and innovation," said Aziz Aghili, president, Dana Off-highway Driveline Technologies. "Our team has excelled in manufacturing technologically advanced products and providing outstanding service for customers within the region. We have also been highly successful in nurturing local engineering talent and implementing eco-friendly business practices, making Dana a great place to work." The CSR Excellence Awards program, a municipal-level recognition, is guided by Shanghai Information Office, Shanghai Commission of Commerce, and Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau. It is supported by the Shanghai Daily Multinational Companies Club, Jiefang Daily Enterprise Innovation and Development Research Center, Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment and Shanghai Association of International Economic and Technological Cooperation. Spicer Rui Ma is a class of transmissions and axles designed and manufactured in China for off-highway vehicles. The brand provides an optimized blend of product features, performance, dependability, and cost, while reducing the industry's impact on the environment. Dana serves more than 100 vehicle manufacturers in China, including BMW, Daimler, Deere, Dongfeng Motor, Ford, GM, Jeep, Jinbei, Nissan, SAIC, Sany, VW Group, XCMG, and Zoomlion. About Dana Incorporated Dana is a world leader in the supply of highly engineered drivetrain, sealing, and thermal-management technologies that improve the efficiency and performance of vehicles with both conventional and alternative-energy powertrains. Serving three primary markets passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway equipment Dana provides the world's original-equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket with local product and service support through a network of nearly 100 engineering, manufacturing, and distribution facilities. Founded in 1904 and based in Maumee, Ohio, the company employs more than 23,000 people in 25 countries on six continents. In 2015, Dana generated sales of nearly $6.1 billion. Forbes Magazine has again selected Dana as one of America's 100 Most Trustworthy Companies for 2016. For more information, please visit dana.com. SOURCE Dana Incorporated Related Links http://www.dana.com PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delphic Digital, a leading full-service digital agency, announced today that it is the recipient of the Sitecore North America Experience Award for Best Use of Contextual Intelligence, for their partnership with Sunrise Senior Living. Organized by Sitecore, the global leader in customer experience management software, the Experience Awards is an annual international competition honoring Sitecore customers and their partners. Winners are selected in several categories within each region based on how they are using Sitecore to create incredible user experiences that feel personal to every customer and create a powerful and comprehensive brand halo that delivers real business results. Sunrise Senior Living conducted a study that found that potential clients were unsure of the type of care that is appropriate for their loved one. Working with Sitecore partner Delphic Digital, Sunrise set out to improve the process of selecting a care type. The solution was a Care Questionnaire that is today the centerpiece of Sunrise's digital presence. By presenting a short survey and leveraging Sitecore's experience platform, Sunrise helps people focus their research towards the appropriate type of senior care. This, in turn, gives the Sunrise sales team a valuable starting point in what can be a delicate sales cycle, allowing them to personalize conversations at the beginning of the caring process. "As a Sitecore Marketing Agency, we strive to partner with our clients to guide them to leverage the best marketing technology to support dynamic, personalized user experiences and data-driven strategies that help them reach their business goals. The great success of our close partnership with Sunrise is a shining example of that goal in action," shared Delphic Digital's Managing Partner, Mark Patten. "This award also signifies the strength of another great partnership, between Delphic and Sitecore. From being the first Certified Partner headquartered in the Philadelphia metro area eight years ago, to our recognition as a Gold Implementation Partner last year, to today's award for Contextual Intelligence, each new accolade marks the increase in depth and breadth of both our offerings within Sitecore and our partnership with the team." About Delphic Digital: Founded in 2004, Delphic is a full-service digital agency that serves an impressive roster of middle market to enterprise clients in the hospitality, consumers goods, healthcare and financial services verticals. Delphic solutions fuse data, storytelling and technology to build digital bridges between our client's brand and their customers. For more information, press only: Mark Patten, Delphic Digital, (215) 508-1800 x105, [email protected], www.delphicdigital.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/395109LOGO SOURCE Delphic Digital Related Links http://delphicdigital.com CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts forecast mobile applications and telemedicine to become one of the paramount factions of the healthcare industry as convenience and efficiency improve with enhanced technologies. The Telemedicine market alone is forecasted to double in size within next five years as mobile health applications & technologies become more user friend in the Community-Based Healthcare Sector. HealthCare companies in the sector today to watch are Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (OTC: RQHTF) (TSXV: RHT), Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI), Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) & UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH). Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (OTCQB:RQHTF) (RHT.V), a technology company focused on developing innovative mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions for Community-Based Healthcare, is pleased to announce that it has been accepted into the National Health Service (NHS) United Kingdom's (UK's) Test Beds program and will begin piloting its virtual care technology with a London-area hospital in Q4 2016. "We are very excited to be piloting Reliq's community care platform in the UK. Our technology is strongly aligned with the NHS England's ongoing initiative to improve the management of long term conditions in the community." said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health. "Our platform uses a high tech, low touch approach to provide high quality healthcare in the home, reducing exacerbations and disease-related complications, decreasing healthcare costs and enhancing patient and family satisfaction. We look forward to participating in the NHS Test Beds program to demonstrate the value of Reliq Health's technology to patients, caregivers and the health system in the UK". Read the full Reliq Health (RQHTF) (RHT.V) Press Release at: http://financialnewsmedia.com/profiles/rqhtf.html The pilot will focus on two of the most common chronic conditions in the UK, congestive heart failure (CHF) and diabetes. Currently there are over 15 million people in England living with at least one long-term health condition. In addition to the impact on people's lives, long-term condition management accounts for half of all General Practitioner appointments and 70% of hospital bed days in the UK. Reliq Health's proprietary hardware and software supports patients and their caregivers in the home, providing remote vitals monitoring with alerts to clinicians as needed, audible reminders to improve patient compliance with prescribed medication regimens and lifestyle changes, tailored patient education and secure communication with the entire care team. In other HealthCare News and developments of importance in the markets: Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI) unveiled its first ever regional brand campaign for key international markets, designed to showcase the company's capabilities and the solutions it delivers for customers. The campaign, themed "All The Way, Means All The Way," builds on Cigna's global wellness mission to improve customers' health, well-being and sense of security and is being rolled out in an integrated digital marketing format across multiple markets internationally. Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) was informed last month by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that it has been awarded the contract for the TRICARE East Region. TRICARE is the military health care program that provides benefits to military service members, retirees and their families. Under the terms of the award, Humana's service area would cover approximately 6 million beneficiaries in a 30-state region. In further developments: Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) and Humana Inc. recently announced plans to vigorously defend the companies' pending merger in response to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit seeking to block the transaction. A combined company is in the best interest of consumers, particularly seniors seeking affordable, high-quality Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) News: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine and United Health Foundation introduced "Unimovil" recently at a dedication ceremony. UTRGV Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Havidan Rodriguez; UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas CEO Don Langer; and other UTRGV, United Health Foundation and community leaders unveiled the new mobile health clinic, which medical professionals will use to serve community residents. FinancialNewsMedia.com is leading provider of third party publishing & news dissemination services. If you would like more information regarding our news coverage solutions, please visit financialnewsmedia.com for more details. Get an edge on the market with our Premium News Alerts that are FREE for a limited time at financialnewsmedia.com. Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/financialnewsmedia and Twitter: twitter.com/FNMgroup. DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNMG) is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNMG is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNMG and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNMG's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNMG is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNMG has been compensated three thousand nine hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued by Reliq Health Technologies Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNMG HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE. This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNMG undertakes no obligation to update such statements. Contact Information: Company: FN Media Group, LLC Contact email: [email protected] U.S. Phone: +1-(954)345-0611 URL: http://www.financialnewsmedia.com SOURCE FN Media Group LLC "I am thrilled to receive this tremendous honor from PR Week, and excited to see my name on such a prestigious list alongside some of the industry's greatest talents," said Morgan. "I've experienced remarkable personal and professional growth since I entered the industry more than thirteen years ago, and I am thankful to all of my colleagues and clients who throughout the years have taught me countless lessons, and have helped me evolve as a professional." In her previous roles, Morgan supervised global and regional beauty and wellness brands, including development of end-to-end strategies. She directs team collaboration with clients and partners in NA, GC, AAIJK, EMEA/IMEA to ensure cultural relevance and big-idea co-creation with a variety of influencers including media, v/bloggers, celebrities, fashion designers, make-up artists and more. Morgan also manages Samsung Mobile's global lifestyle positioning strategy to drive relevancy outside of the tech category. Over the course of her career, Morgan has worked with a diverse range of consumer lifestyle clients, from ePhillips Consumer Electronics and Jo Malone to Kao Brands. "Laura is a true global leader with universal perspective, in-depth understanding of the international media landscape and keen eye for identifying relevant cultural insights that drive breakthrough campaigns," said Heidi Hovland, Chief Executive Officer, DeVries Global. "Time and time again she has shown that she can meet any challenge and execute at the highest level while fueling our curiously creative culture. I'm delighted she's being recognized by PR Week for her accomplishments and future potential." Prior to joining DeVries Global, Laura held positions at Medical Dynamics, where she launched Merz aesthetic fillers to global trade and lifestyle media, and at public relations firm, MS&L, in London. Outside of public relations, Morgan is passionate about raising money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research, due to a close friend living with the disease. About DeVries Global DeVries Global, headquartered in New York City, is an international communications micro-network with additional offices in London (DeVries SLAM), Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore and Mumbai. The company's longstanding heritage of excellence in consumer marketing and communication includes winning work with respected brands across beauty, fashion and wellness as well as consumer packaged goods (CPG), travel and tourism, wine and spirits, and food and beverage. DeVries Global offers seamless global capabilities, while maintaining a boutique sensibility and Curiously Creative culture that preserve the ability to move quickly, nimbly, and with high-impact precision. DeVries Global is part of Interpublic Group (IPG). Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394897 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394896LOGO SOURCE DeVries Global Related Links http://DeVriesGlobal.com SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuesday August 2, 2016 in Shenzhen, China, DHgate.com and the APEC Business Advisory Council co-hosted the APEC Luncheon for Women's Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy. Key speakers at the luncheon included Facebook's Head of Public Policy in Asia Ms. Elizabeth Hernandez; former CEO of the ZESPRI Group Mr. Tony Nowell; Mr. Robert Milliner Senior Advisor of International Affairs at Wesfarmers Limited; and a female entrepreneur who sells on DHgate.com, the CEO of Baby Online Ms. Shen Lin. These mainly female executives and entrepreneurs shared their experiences and insights, on the challenges they've faced and how they were able to leverage the digital economy to overcome them. The resounding message these speakers conveyed to attendees was: women are just as capable as men, and we are all working toward a world where in the future there will be no "female leaders" or "women executives," just leaders and executives. 'TESTIMONIALS' Ms. Shen Lin explained how her life has been changed thanks to DHgate.com, which allowed her to start a small business when she was only in her 20's, and then scaled it up in size until she became a top seller, without having to sacrifice time with her children. In just four years of development, her company's annual sales are over 1.4 million US dollars, her business covers over 200 markets, has its own factory, and needs only 70 employees to operate. 60% of her orders come from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Speakers then participated in a panel discussion where they highlighted the obstacles to enabling more women to leverage the digital economy to become entrepreneurs. Stories were told about a diverse group of females from all over the APEC region, who leveraged technology, either to upgrade their traditional businesses, or embraced the trend of globalization through digitalization to reach global markets, especially through digital platforms like DHgate.com, where half of the 1.4 million active sellers are women. 'CALL TO ACTION' Co-Chair of the APEC Women Leadership Forum and DHgate.com CEO Diane Wang said, "The answer to empower more women to succeed in business starts with (1) promoting the stories of role model female entrepreneurs to help women break through inhibiting mental barriers to develop the mindset that they too can succeed in business, (2) providing capacity building programs to teach women relevant skill sets for today's digital economy, and (3) motivating women with incentives and effective award mechanisms, especially small scale-entrepreneurs in developing countries: to participate in capacity building programs; to start their own businesses; and to not give up." ABOUT DHgate.com DHgate.com is the first to market and the biggest transactional cross-border B2B e-commerce marketplace in China, aiming to provide global buyers with quality products at competitive prices. Founded in 2004, DHgate.com has approximately 10 million global buyers from 230 countries and regions, with 1.2 million global sellers offering 33 million products. DHgate.com's business enables buyers to directly access global manufacturers of the world's top brands with rich product selections. DHgate.com is an all-in-one platform with integrated services for international logistics, cross-border payments, internet financing, etc. DHgate.com's US product distribution warehouses allow for 24 hour delivery and convenient product returns & refunds, bringing great convenience to buyers at http://www.dhgate.com. SOURCE DHgate.com Related Links http://www.dhgate.com VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Virginia Power, the Department of the Navy and the Commonwealth of Virginia today reached an agreement to construct a 21-megawatt direct current (18- megawatt alternating current) solar energy facility at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va. "Solar is an integral part of Dominion's commitment to renewable energy," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and CEO. "The Oceana solar facility, along with four other large solar facilities we have announced in Virginia, will bring clean energy to the state, new jobs and other economic benefits. Partnerships like the ones highlighted with the Department of Navy and the Commonwealth help to make our state a more attractive place to live, work and do business. We are very proud of what we have collectively accomplished today." Dominion filed a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity permit with the State Corporation Commission on Aug. 1, 2016. The facility is expected to be completed and operational in late 2017. In exchange for the nearly 100 acres that will house the 179,000 solar panels, the Navy will receive an alternative electric feed, which will increase energy resiliency on the base. The facility will produce enough electricity at peak to power about 4,400 homes. This is the second solar project Dominion has collaborated on with the Navy. In December 2015, construction was completed at Morgans Corner, a fixed-tilt 25-megawatt direct current (20-megawatt alternating current) facility spanning 110 acres and consisting of 81,054 solar panels located in Pasquotank County, N.C. The project is under a power purchase agreement. "Not only did we meet the one gigawatt (GW) goal ashore five years early, we surpassed it reaching 1.1 GW by the end of last year. In doing so we've achieved $90 million in nominal energy cost savings, $62 million in energy security hardware upgrades to bases, 170 megawatts of access to power during outages and 22 million tons of CO2 abated. And we are just getting started," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "Today, the State of Virginia, the Hampton Roads community, Dominion Virginia Power and our Navy and Marine Corps are joining together to add to our success, to protect the future of NS Norfolk and NAS Oceana, and to enhance national security for the American people." "Today marks a historic day for both the Commonwealth and the Navy," said Gov. Terry McAuliffe. "This announcement shows that the Commonwealth is leading by example in driving the clean energy economy forward in Virginia and working to combat climate change. It also highlights the importance my administration places on working with our most important economic partners like the U.S. Department of the Navy." Dominion will retire, on the Commonwealth's behalf, renewable energy certificates in an amount equivalent to the amount of RECs generated by the Oceana solar facility. Dominion Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy. Dominion provides energy or products and services to more than 5 million customers in 14 states. It has a portfolio of approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, including more than 1,100 megawatts of renewable generation, and 6,500 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion also operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 933 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com. SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power Related Links http://www.dom.com COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dystopian fiction has taken off among young adult readers, and Hollywood has responded with film versions of "The Giver," "Hunger Games," "Divergent" and "Maze Runner." High school English teachers will draw upon the same genre this fall to spark conversations on enterprise and markets, using lesson plans developed July 26-29 at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "High school students think a lot in terms of right and wrong," said Smith School professor Rajshree Agarwal, director of the Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets. "They think philosophically about what kind of world they live in, and what kind of world they want to live in." Young adults confront these questions when they see fictional protagonists controlled by do-gooders who impose their values on others. "Dystopian novels provide a compelling way to teach important life lessons to kids," Agarwal said. Rather than going to high schools to impart these lessons herself, Agarwal and her team bring master teachers to College Park for Enterprise Through Literature, a Snider Center workshop launched in 2015. "The teachers are our channels to future leaders," Agarwal said. During the program's most recent iteration, 25 high school educators from 17 states and Canada collaborated on lesson plans aligned with the theme, "Individual Identity in Utopia and Dystopia." By the time the teachers returned home, they had material stockpiled for teaching "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, "1984" by George Orwell, "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, along with books by other authors. "It's good for me to see literature from a business perspective because I don't normally think that way," said workshop participant Narci Drossos, an International Baccalaureate teacher at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Ga. "Anytime I can broaden my own perspectives, I can broaden the perspectives of my students." Participants also welcomed the chance to network with secondary education colleagues. "I could actually have conversations with people who knew exactly what I was talking about," said Bianca Rodriguez, an English teacher at Harlingen School of Health Professions in Harlingen, Texas. Gina Licciardi, a languages teacher at Archimedean Middle Conservatory in Miami, benefited in two ways. "I gained personally and professionally," she said. Rather than shying away from difficult topics, the teachers designed lessons that will force students to confront competing values. Many teenagers resent being told what to do by authority figures, for example, yet they support rules and regulations for other people. "They're facing all kinds of conflicting ideologies that pit the self against the society," Agarwal said. She said the themes align with the Snider Center's focus on the philosophical underpinnings of enterprise and markets. "How do you drive upward mobility? How do you create entrepreneurial individuals? It fits right in there," Agarwal said. About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Media Contact Greg Muraski [email protected] 301-892-0973 SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business Related Links http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu NEW YORK, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasing urbanization, growing demand for high rise buildings and rising government initiatives such as smart cities and AMRUT cites to drive elevators and escalators market in India New Age TechSci Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/New Age TechSci Research) According to TechSci Research report, "India Elevators and Escalators Market By Type of Carriage, By Elevator Door Type, By End Use Sector, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021", elevators market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% during 2016 - 2021, due to increasing urbanization, rising construction of high rise buildings, growing real estate sector coupled with rising investments on improvement of public infrastructure across various major cities in the country. Increasing government focus towards building high class infrastructure coupled with rising government initiatives such as 'Smart City' and AMRUT is also expected to driving demand for elevators in the country. Further, Government of India is also focusing towards modernization of airports and railway stations, and this is also projected to drive elevators and escalators market in the country during forecast period. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) India Phase Wise Total Number of Cities under 'Housing for All by 2022' Scheme Phase Total Cities Time Duration April 2015 - March Phase 1 100 2017 April 2017 - March Phase 2 200 2019 April 2019 - March Phase 3 - 2022 Source: Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Browse 25 market data Tables and 92 Figures spread through 2014 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "India Elevators Market" https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-elevators-and-escalators-market-by-type-of-carriage-passenger-freight-others-by-elevator-door-type-manual-automatic-by-end-use-sector-residential-commercial-government-institutions-industrial-competition-forecast-opportunities-2011-2021/747.html By 2015, passenger elevator segment dominated India elevators market, followed by freight elevators. Increasing number of high rise buildings is driving demand for passenger elevators across different end user segment including residential, commercial, industrial and government institutions. Major companies operating in India elevators market include Kone India, Otis, Schindler India, Johnson Lifts, ThyssenKrupp, etc. South region dominated India elevators market on account of increasing infrastructure projects in the region and growing focus on real estate construction. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai are the major demand generators for elevators and escalators in the country. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=747 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. "Growing number of high rise buildings is driving demand for high speed and energy efficient elevators. This is in turn boosting demand for traction machine elevators over hydraulic machine elevators. Further, changing lifestyles and government policies, and growing need to reduce accidents associated with manual door elevators is propelling demand for auto-door enabled elevators. In addition, companies involved in manufacturing elevators are increasingly focusing on smart and energy efficient elevators in order to attract consumer attention across various end use segments.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "India Elevators and Escalators Market By Type of Carriage, By Elevator Door Type, By End Use Sector, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of India elevator and escalators market and provides statistics and information on market size, structure and future market growth. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in India elevators and escalators market. Browse Related Reports United States Sensor Market By Type (Touch Sensors, Image Sensors, Pressure Sensors, Motion Sensors, etc.), and By Application (Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Automotive, etc.) Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/united-states-sensor-market-by-type-touch-sensors-image-sensors-pressure-sensors-motion-sensors-etc-and-by-application-consumer-electronics-healthcare-automotive-etc-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/711.html Global Biochemical Sensors Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-biochemical-sensors-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/421.html United States Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020 http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/united-states-augmented-reality-and-virtual-reality-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/452.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: [email protected] Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research SOURCE TechSci Research SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Empresa Nacional del Petroleo ("ENAP" or the "Issuer") and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (the "Offeror" or "Dealer Manager") today announced the results of the early tenders under the previously announced offer by the Offeror to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offer") up to a maximum amount of U.S.$600,000,000 (the "Aggregate Maximum Tender Consideration") (including the Early Tender Payment, if applicable, and accrued and unpaid interest) of the outstanding 6.25% Notes due 2019 (the "2019 Notes"), 5.25% Notes due 2020 (the "2020 Notes") and 4.75% Notes due 2021 (the "2021 Notes", and together with the 2019 Notes and the 2020 Notes, the "Notes" and each, a "series" of Notes) issued by ENAP. The Tender Offer is subject to the priority set forth in the table below (and proration) and is subject to the terms and conditions as described in the offer to purchase dated July 19, 2016 (the "Offer to Purchase"). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this press release shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer was fully subscribed as of 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on August 1, 2016 (the "Early Tender Date"). Accordingly, the Offeror will not accept for purchase any additional Notes tendered after the Early Tender Date. The Tender Offer was oversubscribed and, accordingly, Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date were accepted in accordance with the Acceptance Priority Level (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and proration (in respect of the 2021 Notes), in the amounts set forth in the table below. The Offeror also announced that it has increased the Aggregate Maximum Tender Consideration from U.S.$600,000,000 to U.S.$679,085,207. The principal amount of each series of Notes that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the Tender Offer as of the Early Tender Date and the principal amount of each series of Notes that have been accepted for purchase by the Offeror are set forth in the table below. Title of Security CUSIP/ ISIN Nos. Outstanding Principal Amount Acceptance Priority Level Principal Amount Tendered Principal Amount Accepted 6.25% Notes due 2019 P37110AD8 / USP37110AD80 29245JAD4 / US29245JAD46 U.S.$300,000,000 1 U.S.$184,692,000 U.S.$184,692,000 5.25% Notes due 2020 P37110AF3 / USP37110AF39 29245JAE2 / US29245JAE29 U.S.$500,000,000 2 U.S.$325,589,000 U.S.$325,589,000 4.75% Notes due 2021 P37110AG1 / USP37110AG12 29245JAF9 / US29245JAF93 U.S.$500,000,000 3 U.S.$318,471,000 U.S.$89,719,000 The Tender Offer is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions as set forth in the Offer to Purchase. In particular, the Financing Condition (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) has been met and the New Offering is expected to close on the business day after the early settlement date for the Tender Offer. Holders that validly tendered prior to the Early Tender Date, and whose Notes were accepted for purchase, will be entitled to receive total consideration (the "Total Consideration") of (i) U.S.$1,130.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the 2019 Notes, (ii) U.S.$1,115.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the 2020 Notes, and (iii) U.S.$1,087.50 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the 2021 Notes, which includes, in each case, an early tender payment (the "Early Tender Payment") of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including the early settlement date for the Tender Offer, which is expected to be on August 4, 2016. The Tender Offer will expire at 11:59 P.M., New York City time, on August 15, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated. The withdrawal deadline for the Tender Offer was 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on August 1, 2016, and so has passed. Accordingly, Notes tendered (in the past or future) in the Tender Offer may no longer be withdrawn, except if required by applicable law. The Information and Tender Agent for the Tender Offer is Global Bondholder Services Corporation. To contact the Information and Tender Agent, banks and brokers may call (212) 430-3774, and others may call U.S. toll-free: (866) 470-4200. The sole Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer is Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Any questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Dealer Manager at Collect: (212) 723-6106 or U.S. Toll-Free: (800) 558-3745. In addition, holders may contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the Tender Offer. This notice does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, the Notes or any other securities in the United States or any other country, nor shall it or any part of it, or the fact of its release, form the basis of, or be relied on or in connection with, any contract therefor. The Tender Offer is made only by and pursuant to the terms of the Offer to Purchase and the information in this notice is qualified by reference to the Offer to Purchase. None of the Offeror, ENAP or the Information and Tender Agent make any recommendations as to whether holders should tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer. This notice to the market does not represent an offer to sell securities or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States or in any other country. The New Offering was not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), as amended. Consequently, the notes issued in the New Offering are prohibited from being offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. citizens without the applicable registration or exemption from registration required under the Securities Act or applicable laws of other jurisdictions. This notice to the market is released for disclosure purposes only, in accordance with applicable legislation. It not does not constitute marketing material, and should not be interpreted as advertising an offer to sell or soliciting any offer to buy securities issued by the Issuer. This notice to the market is not for distribution in or into or to any person located or resident in the United States, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia or in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful to release, publish or distribute this announcement, other than any exemption thereunder. Forward-Looking Statements This notice includes and references "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may relate to, among other things, the Issuer's business strategy, goals and expectations concerning its market position, future operations, margins and profitability. Although ENAP believes the assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of these assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions could be incorrect. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and trends to differ materially from those made, projected, or implied in or by the forward-looking statements depending on a variety of uncertainties or other factors. ENAP undertakes no obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements. About Empresa Nacional del Petroleo Empresa Nacional del Petroleo is a Chilean state-owned enterprise of the Republic of Chile, engaged in a broad range of petroleum-related activities, including the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas, the transportation and storage of crude oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG") and natural gas, petroleum refining and the wholesale marketing of refined petroleum products, petroleum derivatives, LPG, crude oil and natural gas. ENAP also participates in the energy generation sector. ENAP's principal source of revenue is the sale of refined petroleum products in Chile. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160719/391229LOGO SOURCE Empresa Nacional del Petroleo Related Links http://www.enap.cl ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ENAVATE, a leading Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM provider, recently achieved a place in the 2016 President's Club for Microsoft Dynamics. "It is an honor to receive this type of recognition after forming ENAVATE less than two years ago," said ENAVATE Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Ajspur. "Being awarded to be part of such an esteemed group of Microsoft partners is proof that our Vision 2020 is valid and we are heading in the right direction." This prestigious recognition came during the recent Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2016, in Toronto. The President's Club for Microsoft Dynamics represents the top 5 percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide who achieve strategic business milestones while maintaining a consistently strong commitment to high levels of customer satisfaction and an active pursuit of technologically advancing their solutions and services. "Each year we recognize and honor Microsoft Dynamics partners from around the world for exemplary performance," said Frank Holland, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Business Solutions Sales & Partners. "The award-winning partners clearly demonstrate their dedication to their customers' business success through their exceptional commitment and expertise. Microsoft is honored to recognize ENAVATE for their achievements this past year and for their dedication and support of Microsoft Dynamics applications." ENAVATE works closely with Microsoft to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM platforms. This knowledge, combined with a deep understanding of customers' business needs in the Global Distribution industry, enables ENAVATE to help customers leverage the full value of their Microsoft investments and achieve the enhanced customer service, productivity and operational efficiency that promote growth and competitive advantage. About ENAVATE ENAVATE provides business consulting and industry-focused enterprise software solutions based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM platforms, with a full range of services including professional services, maintenance and support. Through ENAVATE Global Services, the company also provides consulting and software development services to Microsoft Dynamics enterprise clients, ISVs and VARs worldwide. For additional information contact: Mike Frauenhoffer VP, Sales & Marketing [email protected] +1 480-294-3116 SOURCE ENAVATE The bi-coastal experts joined together to address entanglements, one of the greatest human-caused threats to seals and sea lions. Entanglements, often caused by fishing gear or human sources of marine debris, cause life-threatening constrictions around the necks and bodies of these marine mammals. As seal populations re-establish in New England; there is risk of an increased number of seals becoming entangled. "In 2001, reports of seal entanglements started to become common," said Kristen Patchett, Stranding Coordinator for IFAW. "Since then, we have been working to develop a safe and effective method of capturing and disentangling seals. While we've had some successes, more reliable techniques will allow us to save more entangled seals." Working in cooperation with the local fishing community and seal watch operators, the IFAW team has made several attempts to capture and disentangle seals with life threatening entanglements, but without reliably repeatable success. "Our innovative darting technique increases the effectiveness of sedation, tracking, and rescue of seals and sea lions entangled by fishing gear," said Dr. Shawn Johnson, Director of Veterinary Science at The Marine Mammal Center. "The success of this acoustic tracking dart will have a significant impact on future rescue operations." The new method of using remote sedation shows the most promise. It involves darting a seal from a distance of approximately 60 feet and then tracking the seal as it flushes into the water. In order to track the seal, the Center has devised a novel method of incorporating a small acoustic transmitter in the dart to allow responders to track the seal while waiting for the sedative drugs to take effect. In addition to tracking, another major challenge is that properly sedating seals can be difficult. Field conditions make it even more risky. To ensure best practices, the team has been consulting with additional experts to determine the safest, most effective drugs and dosages for these captures. Last week's successful sedation, capture, disentanglement, and release is a significant step forward in responding to entangled seals locally, but also has national and international implications in addressing entanglements. The information gathered on drug efficacy, capture tools and techniques may even be used in the future for seals from threatened or endangered populations in other parts of the world. Prior to release, the disentangled gray seal was affixed with a small, temporary satellite tag that will allow IFAW staff the opportunity to track the seal over the coming months to monitor its recovery and document the healing of the deep lacerations caused by the entanglement. This work was made possible by IFAW, the Center and a federal John H. Prescott grant issued to IFAW. The team was joined by responders from the Center for Coastal Studies, National Marine Life Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. About International Fund for Animal Welfare Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook/IFAW and Twitter @action4ifaw About The Marine Mammal Center The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary hospital, research and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured marine mammals and to the study of their health. Since 1975, the Center has been headquartered in the Marin Headlands, Sausalito, Calif., within the Golden Gate National Parks and has rescued and treated more than 20,000 marine mammals. In 2014, the Center opened Ke Kai Ola, a hospital for the rehabilitation of the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. For more information, please visit www.marinemammalcenter.org. Follow us on Facebook/themarinemammalcenter and Twitter @TMMC Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/395078 SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare Related Links http://www.ifaw.org REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Envestnet | Yodlee (NYSE: ENV), a leading data aggregation and data analytics platform powering dynamic, cloud-based innovation for digital financial services, today announced a strategic partnership with United Capital, one of the fastest-growing and most innovative registered investment advisory (RIA) firms in the nation, to power United Capital's FlexScore solution with Envestnet | Yodlee's industry-leading data aggregation offering. The strategic partnership between Envestnet | Yodlee and United Capital comes at a transformational time. Earlier this year, United Capital acquired FlexScore, a patented digitized financial planning solution. To power the FlexScore solution and further accelerate business growth, United Capital's need to partner with a data aggregation provider led to the selection of Envestnet | Yodlee as FlexScore's primary account data aggregation solution. "Envestnet | Yodlee is pleased to be joining forces with United Capital to become its primary account data aggregation partner for the FlexScore solution," said Julie Solomon, Vice President of Financial Institution Solutions, the Americas at Envestnet | Yodlee. "By delivering innovative financial planning solutions and new data-driven insights, our partnership will empower FlexScore users to take control of their financial destiny." Under this partnership, the fully RESTful Envestnet | Yodlee API with FastLink will enhance the FlexScore user experience by securely linking accounts from financial institutions in a seamless onboarding process and aggregating data to generate a numerical score of an individual's financial health. United Capital will begin offering FlexScore as part of FinLife Partners, a white labeled advice and planning platform that allows independent advisers access to the firm's proprietary Financial Life Management system, in the very near future. Envestnet | Yodlee will serve as the primary data aggregator for these solutions. "Our business has helped transform the traditional wealth management industry. For us to continue innovating and benefiting customers, we needed a proven data-aggregation partner that could provide the tools our customers need to take control of their financial lives," said Mike Capelle, Head of Platform at United Capital. "Together with Envestnet | Yodlee, we are confident that we can provide consumers with the data they need to make informed decisions regarding their financial health." About Envestnet Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) is a leading provider of unified wealth management technology and services to investment advisors. Our open-architecture platforms unify and fortify the wealth management process, delivering unparalleled flexibility, accuracy, performance, and value. Envestnet solutions enable the transformation of wealth management into a transparent, independent, objective, and fully-aligned standard of care, and empower advisors to deliver better outcomes. Envestnet | Yodlee is a leading data aggregation and data analytics platform powering dynamic, cloud-based innovation for digital financial services. More than 1,000 companies, including 11 of the 20 largest U.S. banks and hundreds of Internet services companies, subscribe to the Envestnet | Yodlee platform to power personalized financial apps and services for millions of consumers. Envestnet | Yodlee solutions help transform the speed and delivery of financial innovation, improve digital customer experiences, and drive better outcomes for our clients and their customers. Envestnet | Yodlee is headquartered in Redwood City, CA with global offices in London and Bangalore. For more information, visit www.yodlee.com. About United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC ("United Capital") is an independent financial life management firm. United Capital is a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) offering clients objective advice and an open architecture platform that enables a wide array of investment management solutions tailored specifically to client needs. Today, United Capital has approximately $16 billion in assets under management and 81 offices nationwide. For more information, please visit www.unitedcp.com or www.joinuc.com. FinLife Partners is a dba of United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC. SOURCE Envestnet | Yodlee Related Links http://www.yodlee.com NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "Environmental testing market projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9%" The environmental testing market is projected to reach USD 11.82 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2016 to 2021. The market is driven by factors such as deteriorating environment, privatization of environmental testing services, and increasing regulations regarding environment protection. The high growth potential in emerging markets and untapped regions provides new opportunities for market players. "Organic contaminant segment expected to be the largest contaminant type in the environmental testing market through 2021" The organic contaminant type was the largest market in 2015. Testing for organic compounds basically includes tests of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The risk of health problems is most likely to increase by breathing low levels of VOCs for a long period of time. Several studies have suggested that exposure to VOCs may worsen the symptoms in people who are asthmatic or are sensitive to chemicals. The effect of every chemical is different and is attributed to its toxicity. The rising concerns over health issues due to organic contaminants are expected to drive its testing services market. "Rapid technology led the market with the largest share in 2015" On the basis of technology, the environmental testing market was led by the rapid technology segment in 2015. The market is growing due to the requirement of quick, accurate, easy-to-use, and reduced total cost method of testing. "North America led the market with the largest share in 2015" North America was the largest environmental testing market in 2015. Governing organizations are present in the market and have enforced various environment protection policies. The North American environmental testing market addresses various environmental issues such as climate change, acid rain reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions. The Asia-Pacific market is projected to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. The breakdown of the primaries on the basis of company, designation, and region, conducted during the research study, is as mentioned below. By Company Type: Tier 1 35%, Tier 2 45%, and Tier 3 20% By Designation: C Level 35%, Director Level 25%, and Others 40% By Region: North America 45%, Europe 30%, Asia-Pacific 20%, and RoW 05% Major players include: - Eurofins Scientific S.E (Luxembourg) - AB Sciex LLC (U.S.) - SGS S.A. (Switzerland) - Bureau Veritas S.A. (France) - Agilent Technologies Inc. (U.S.) The above-mentioned companies have collectively accounted for the largest portion of the environmental testing market in 2015. Other players also have a strong presence in this market. These include: - Intertek Group PLC (U.K.) - ALS Limited (U.S.), - AssureQuality (New Zealand) - Romer Labs (U.S.) - R.J Hill Laboratories Ltd. (New Zealand) Reasons to buy this report: From an insight perspective, this research report has focused on various levels of analysesindustry analysis (industry trends), market share analysis of top players, supply chain analysis, and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the competitive landscape; emerging and high-growth segments of the global environmental testing market; high-growth regions; and market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. The report provides insights on the following pointers: - Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on agricultural fumigants offered by the top players in the global market - Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the environmental testing market - Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging marketsthe report analyzes the markets for environmental testing across regions - Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the global environmental testing market - Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market share, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the global environmental testing market Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03992172-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com SAN FRANCISCO and PETALUMA, Calif., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC), a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today the sale of their Petaluma branch office and its book of business to Sacramento-based InterWest Insurance Services. Both EPIC and InterWest are anticipating a seamless, "business as usual" transition, maintaining the same Petaluma location as well as existing employees who will continue to serve and support their current North Bay clients. The transaction closed on July 31, 2016. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Said InterWest President & CEO Keith Schuler, "While the name on the building may be changing from EPIC to InterWest, we have approached this change very carefully and collaboratively with EPIC leadership, respecting EPIC's 'people first' values and putting the needs and best interests of their clients who are now our clients - at the forefront. All of these clients can expect to continue receiving the same exceptional service from the same terrific team of people, now supported by the InterWest team in Santa Rosa and elsewhere across Northern and Central California." Founded in 1992 with the merger of three large, successful Northern California Insurance Brokerage firms, InterWest has grown to 8 offices in the North Bay, San Francisco Bay Area and Central California. The new Petaluma office acquired from EPIC will be their 9th, extending and complementing existing North Bay operations in Santa Rosa. EPIC West Region President Tom O'Neil noted, "This was very much a mutual decision with our North Bay leadership team. EPIC has been evolving toward national specialty practices and resource teams, supporting larger regional operations here in the West and across the country. InterWest has built a very successful business by focusing on smaller niche regional markets like the North Bay. We have known Keith Schuler and the InterWest organization for many years and recognized a unique opportunity to create a 'win/win' outcome for all parties, particularly our clients in the North Bay, whose needs have always been our top priority." About EPIC: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally. EPIC now has more than 850 team members operating from offices across the U.S., providing Property Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 13,000 clients. With more than $200 Million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by the Carlyle Group, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit www.epicbrokers.com. About InterWest Insurance Services: InterWest Insurance Services was founded in 1992 as a result of the merger of three large successful insurance brokerage firms located in Northern California. Our aggressive marketing and acquisition efforts have extended our influence into Central California and the San Francisco Bay Area. During the past 25 years, we have successfully unified into a single seamlessly integrated organization with 8 offices throughout California. We've grown in size from $10 Million in annual revenue in 1992 to over roughly $60 Million in revenue. InterWest was recognized as one of 35 Elite Agencies in the U.S. for 2015 by Insurance Business America. Elite Agencies are distinguished by their Best Practices, knowledgeable professional staff, exemplary customer service, quality technology, inward focus on education & mentorship and an unwavering commitment to serving their communities. We were identified as an Elite leader from approximately 39,000 independent agencies across the U.S. InterWest was awarded "Best Practices" designation for 2013, 2014 and 2015, which is a recognition of our being one of the top-performing agencies in the U.S. To be considered, we were nominated by one of our carrier partners and then qualified based on our actual outstanding client retention, growth, stability and financial management results. Of the 1,100 agencies nominated, InterWest was one of only 35 in our class who scored high enough on the performance factors to receive the Best Practices status. For additional information, please visit http://www.iwins.com/. *LOGO for media: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/16-0308-epic-insurance-300dpi.jpg MEDIA CONTACTS: David Hock, of EPIC 650-295-4608 [email protected] Nicole Conley 650-422-3156 [email protected] This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants Related Links http://www.epicbrokers.com NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- An exclusive 10-week digital series, SOUTHERN HALO, will launch today across Radio Disney Country digital platforms. Fans of the cutting-edge Country sibling trio Southern Halo will be able to view Episode 1 today on the Radio Disney app, RadioDisneyCountry.com, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages. A new episode will be available every Monday at 12 noon PDT. Phil Guerini, Vice President, Music Strategy, Disney Channels Worldwide and General Manager, Radio Disney Networks, said, "Having been early supporters of their music, we're excited for our audiences to get to know this talented group even better and are glad to have them as part of the Radio Disney Country family." The series was produced by Nashville's Artist Integration. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394738LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394739 "SOUTHERN HALO is sort of like a back-stage pass to our lives," notes the group's spokesperson, Natalia. "Episode 1 covers everything surrounding a radio promo trip to Nashville we made in support of our debut single, 'Little White Dress.' It includes everything from discussions on what to pack, to hair and makeup, the travel, clips of interviews we did with various media outlets, and even our appearance at the Radio Disney Country Stage at CMA Fest Fan Fair X. The whole series is an in-depth look at who we are as individuals, sisters, musicians and music fans." With their newest single, "Rewind," currently rising on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart (#64) and a well-received debut performance at CMA Music Festival last month, Southern Halo is bringing a new energy and a new sound to Country. WATCH SOUTHERN HALO SERIES: RadioDisneyCountry.com: http://radiodisneycountry.com/ RDC Facebook: http://Facebook.com/RadioDisneyCountry Radio Disney APP: http://radiodisneyapp.com RDC Twitter: https://twitter.com/rdcountry RDC YouTube: https://youtu.be/2o4qDYWOa5M ABOUT SOUTHERN HALO This soulful sister trio hails from the small town of Cleveland, Mississippi and features Natalia, Christina and Hannah Morris. Natalia, 19 years old, is the principal songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist, while 17-year-old Christina plays drums. Younger sister Hannah, 16, is the group's bassist. Since landing in the National finals of the 2014 Texaco Country Showdown, these Mississippi Delta natives have worked hard honing their craft. They recorded their first EP with Alabama's Jeff Cook, and their fall 2015 CD, SOUTHERN HALO, with SESAC's 2012 Writer of the Year Catt Gravitt (Kelly Clarkson, Jake Owen) and Gerald O'Brien (writer of hits for Martina McBride, Trace Adkins) at the helm. They headlined Sara Evans' Rock The South Festival in Cullman, Alabama, performed at an elite pre-GRAMMY Awards show on the rooftop terrace of the GRAMMY Museum at LA Live in Los Angeles and launched Townsquare Media's "Say It With Pepsi" Concert Series in Illinois. Stay Social with Southern Halo: Website: www.southernhalo.net FB: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHalo Twitter: @3halos https://twitter.com/3halos Instagram: officialsouthernhalo YouTube: southernhalorocks SOUTHERN HALO Contact: Martha Moore / Email / 615-202-1313 SOURCE Southern Halo Related Links http://www.southernhalo.net COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian, the leading global information services company, today released Contact Monitor to help businesses reduce wrong-party contact that supports compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This new product provides an efficient process for verifying contact lists; keeping them up to date by monitoring and sending daily notifications of phone ownership and carrier changes; and porting from landline to mobile and voice over IP (VoIP). "With the significant changes and uncertainty brought forth by the TCPA and the Federal Communications Commission's order, it's important to understand the critical nature of increasing the accuracy of right-party contact for customer communications," said Paul DeSaulniers, Experian's senior director for risk scoring and trended data solutions. "Contact Monitor is a leading product in the market that can match customer contact details with the correct consumer and monitor for phone ownership changes within hours. That is invaluable data that can reduce the risk of TCPA liability." Experian's technology streamlines data aggregation by allowing organizations to verify their current contact information against 5,000 Local Exchange Carriers, supplemented by Experian's core File OneSM credit database and exclusive data sources. In addition, Contact Monitor uses a sophisticated algorithm to provide a match score, delivering an A to F rating on the quality of the contact's phone number, increasing confidence in the data's accuracy. "Express consent is now required to send a text message or use an auto-dialer to call a wireless phone number. This means all businesses should re-evaluate how they are communicating to their customer base, as these rulings are not being limited to debt collections," said DeSaulniers. With Contact Monitor, businesses can take a strategic approach to ensuring customer contact details are updated and accurate, mitigating the risk of hefty fines. Contact Monitor delivers: Phone owner returns the phone owner name as reported by the current carrier Current carrier name provides the phone carrier name and the date of the last change Match score gives a detailed, easy-to-interpret numeric score to support your contact strategy Current phone type identifies the current phone type (landline, cell, VoIP, etc.) Time stamp provides the time of the scrub or update Daily monitoring - gives the user the ability to select which verified contacts to monitor for daily changes in ownership, carriers and/or line type To learn more about Contact Monitor, as well as Experian's other portfolio management products, visit http://www.experian.com/tcpa. About Experian We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. We also help people to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft. In 2015, we were named one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" by Forbes magazine. We employ approximately 17,000 people in 37 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2016, was US$4.6 billion. To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, "Inside Experian." Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Contact: Kristine Snyder Experian Public Relations 1 714 830 5192 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130131/LA51658LOGO SOURCE Experian Related Links http://www.experian.com SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Last month Extraordinary Conceptions, which is considered a leading international surrogacy and egg donor agency headquartered in Southern California, received an overwhelming response to its Christmas in July Double Signing Bonus for new surrogates. After such a response, its executive team members agreed to extend the double signing bonus, as well as adding another extraordinary incentive. "Our 'Double Surrogate Signing Bonus,' enables our qualified applicants from the United States and Canada to receive $750 once medical clearance is issued and another $750 once legal clearance is issued," said Mario Caballero, chief executive officer of Extraordinary Conceptions. "In addition to the Double Surrogate Signing Bonus, during the month of August we are offering repeat surrogates who re-interview and/or apply, even if they were with a different agency than Extraordinary Conceptions with a $3,000 Signing Bonus. These repeat surrogates must be ready to start the process immediately, in order to qualify for the $3,000 signing bonus. The monies from this particular incentive will be dispersed after all screenings and legal contracts are signed." In addition to a signing bonus incentive, complete benefit packages for surrogates start at $40,000 and above. Caballero noted that the positive feedback their agency received from their Christmas in July Double Signing Bonus was both heartwarming and exceptional. Women are stepping forward to help individuals and couples build a family that they could not have without the help of a compassionate surrogate. "As the need for more surrogates rise with each passing day, more women are answering this kindhearted call. We want to continue this wonderful momentum with our bonus incentives so intending parents who have yearned to have a child of their own can experience the love of a child through surrogacy," Caballero said. Women who are interested in becoming a surrogate have already completed their own families. "While new surrogates help make parenthood dreams come true, the memories of a surrogacy journey is rife with indelible memories," Caballero said. Bonus Incentives Eligibility To qualify for these August Bonus Incentives, applicants must complete the application/registration by August 31, 2016. Qualified applicants will receive their particular bonuses per agency guidelines. Applicants are encouraged to provide a referral's name, if applicable. To begin the application process, please visit our surrogate application page at www.extraconceptions.com or call 760-438-2265. Contact: Erica Hawkesworth [email protected] SOURCE Extraordinary Conceptions Related Links http://www.extraconceptions.com BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- G2 Capital Advisors announced today that Jack Shields has joined the firm as Managing Director and Practice Lead for Industrials and Manufacturing. He will be based in Virginia, and will focus on the manufacturing/distribution, flooring, plastics/packaging, consumer products and metals sectors. Jack has held C-level and Board positions, including Chairmanships, with 11 different companies with domestic and international operations. Jack has a strong operational background across a broad variety of industries, with a focus on the industrial and consumer product sectors. Jack most recently held a role as an Operating Principal within American Capital, Ltd. a private equity company that has invested over $37B in over 730 portfolio companies. He had responsibility for a total of 14 different investments over the course of his tenure with the firm, including serving as Chairman for two of the top five largest portfolio companies. Jack worked side-by-side with management to build value for both the management teams and shareholders. Prior to American Capital, Jack served as President of Webster Industries, a manufacturer of store brand private label plastic food storage solutions generating $200 million in annual revenue. Prior to Webster Industries, Jack worked at Nutramax, a Massachusetts based OTC Pharmaceutical company, "We are thrilled we have attracted such a unique and talented senior leader to our team," said Jeffrey Unger, CEO of G2. "His extensive background of industrial sector leadership positions, coupled with his capital markets experience make for an ideal Practice Leader for G2." Jack began his career as a Mechanical Engineer with The Union Carbide Corporation. Jack held various manufacturing leadership positions within Union Carbide, which later became known as First Brands Corporation. Jack later left The Clorox Company, and partnered with six former Union Carbide Executives to acquire six independent companies that were then operated under one corporate umbrella. Jack has served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Governors' School for Science and Technology, the Board of Directors for Christmas in April, and was elected to two Boards of Education in the state of Connecticut. SOURCE G2 Capital Advisors Related Links http://www.g2cap.com DUBLIN, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Belt Drives - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering. This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Belt Drives in US$ Million. The US market is further analyzed by the following Product Segments: Industrial Belts (V-Belts, Timing Belts, Flat Belts, & Variable Speed Belts), and Industrial Pulleys. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2015 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. The report profiles 89 companies including many key and niche players such as Arntz Optibelt GmbH ( Germany ) ) Colmant-Cuvelier ( France ) ) ContiTech AG ( Germany ) ) Dayco Products, LLC (US) DESCH Antriebstechnik GmbH & Co. KG ( Germany ) ) Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (US) Fenner PLC (UK) Gates Corporation (US) Regina Industria SpA ( Italy ) ) The Timken Company (US) Tsubakimoto UK Ltd. (UK) Key Topics Covered: 1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW Belt Drives A Preview Soft Recovery in Global Manufacturing PMI to Encourage Sales Growth Outlook Export Import Statistics 2. GROWTH DRIVERS, TRENDS AND ISSUES Heavy Industrial Equipment/Machinery Manufacturing Industry Sets the Stage for Demand Stable Outlook for Oil & Gas Bodes Well for Drilling Equipment Supports Prospects for Belt Drive Steady Growth in Global Power Generation Activity Spurs Demand Strong Demand for Conveyor Equipment Promotes Market for Belt Drives Factors Influencing Demand for Conveyors Robust Demand for Construction Equipment Offers Growth Opportunities Mechanization of Agriculture Spurs Growth Technology Advances to Spur Growth Opportunities Metal Belts on the Rise New Materials to Drive Opportunities for Timing Belts Timing Belts Emerge as Ideal Solution for Food Industry Optibelt Designs Award Winning Multi-Rib V-Belt Featuring Replacement Indicator Focus on Easy Maintenance Promotes Belt Drives over Chain Drives in Food Manufacturing Improving Energy Efficiency A Vital Goal for Belt Drives Strong Demand for CVT Technology Spurs Opportunity for Belt Drives in the Automotive Sector Component Manufacturers Lead Drive Belt Innovations to Comply with Changing Automotive Manufacturing Requirements Focus on Fuel Efficiency Promotes Interest in Belt Drives Growing Focus on Hybrid Vehicles Spurs Improvements in Belt Drives Primped as the Future of Automotive Technology, Drive by Wire Poses a Threat to Belt Drive Belt Drive The Future of eBikes/Bicycles 3. AN OVERVIEW OF BELT DRIVES Belt Drive Definition Factors Determining Drive Type Advantages of Belt Drives Disadvantages of Belt Drives Types of Belt Drives Belt Type of Belts V-Belts Timing Belts Advantages of Timing Belts Flat Belts Variable Speed Belts Other Belts Available in the Market Poly-Vee Belts Vee Link Belts Film Belts Round Belt Common Belt Materials Pulley Flat Belt Pulleys V-Belt Pulleys Synchronous Pulleys 4. RECENT INDUSTRY ACTIVITY Timken Takes over Carlstar Belts Business Carlisle Belts and TSL Enter Distribution Partnership Dayco Secures 3-Year Deal as Official Belt Partner for CSRA ContiTech Acquires Taizhou Fuju Rubber Belt Manufacture Co. ContiTech Joins Forces with Benchmark Drive to Design New Drive Systems 5. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS/ INTRODUCTIONS Continental Unveils Belt Drives for e-Cargo Bikes Gates to Unveil Cost-Effective Belt Drive ACDelco Rolls Out V-Ribbed Aramid Belts Gates Corporation Unveils Micro V Aramid Belt Jason Industries Introduces Accu-Link V-Belt MISUMI Rolls Out MSA Line of Belt Drive Actuators Carlisle Unveils New Hypermax Line of ATV Belts 6. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 7. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Total Companies Profiled: 89 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries 104) The United States (34) (34) Canada (1) (1) Japan (4) (4) Europe (44) (44) - France (5) (5) - Germany (11) (11) - The United Kingdom (15) (15) - Italy (5) (5) - Spain (2) (2) - Rest of Europe (6) (6) Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (20) (Excluding Japan) (20) Africa (1) For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vhlbjq/belt_drives Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DUBLIN, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Lithium-ion Battery Market By Type (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Li-NMC), Lithium Iron Phosphate (Li-IP), Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Li-CO), etc.), By End User, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering. "Global Lithium-ion Battery Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 17% during 2016-2021. Globally, demand for energy registered a y-o-y growth of 2.3% in 2014. Moreover, the energy demand is expected to increase from 12928.4 Million Ton Oil Equivalent (MTOE) in 2014 to 17,000 MTOE by 2020. Consequently, adoption of lithium-ion battery is expected to witness robust growth due to its various advantages such as cost efficiency, high energy density, high response time, better safety and long life cycle. Reviving global economic conditions, rising disposable income, growing levels of pollution and surging demand for quality & uninterrupted power are few of the major factors anticipated to boost demand for lithium-ion battery during 2016-2021. Moreover, increasing portable and stationary energy storage demand and escalating number of solar & wind projects are some other factors expected to impart growth in lithium-ion battery market over the next five years. On the basis of material used as the cathode, global lithium-ion battery market has been segmented into five categories, Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Titanate Oxide and Others. Among these categories, Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Li-NMC) dominated the global lithium-ion battery market in 2015. The segment is anticipated to maintain its dominance over the next five years as well owing to surging demand for Li-NMC batteries in automobile industry. In 2015, Asia-Pacific dominated the global lithium-ion battery market, followed by North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and South America. Global Lithium-ion Battery Market discusses the following aspects of the global lithium-ion battery market: New Lithium Battery Technologies Transparent Lithium-ion Batteries Increasing Energy Density of Lithium-ion Batteries Increasing Penetration of Electric Vehicles Government Subsidies Booming Building Energy Management Solutions Market Investor Confidence Portable Battery Demand Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Analyst View 4. Global Lithium-ion Battery Market Outlook 5. Asia Pacific Lithium-ion Battery Market Outlook 6. North America Lithium-ion Battery Market Outlook 7. Europe Lithium-ion Battery Market Outlook 8. South America Lithium-ion Battery Market Overview 9. Middle East and Africa Lithium-ion Battery Market Outlook 10. Global Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Li-NMC) Battery Market Outlook 11. Global Lithium Iron Phosphate (Li-IP) Battery Market Outlook 12. Global Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Li-CO) Battery Market Outlook 13. Global Lithium Titanate Battery Market Outlook 14. Industry Stakeholder Analysis 15. Value Chain Analysis 16. Market Attractiveness Index 17. Market Dynamics 18. Markets Trends & Developments 19. Competitive Landscape 20. Strategic Recommendations Companies Mentioned - A123 Systems LLC - Advanced Battery Technologies Inc. - Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. - Amperex Technology Limited - Automotive Energy Supply Corporation - BYD Company Limited - China BAK Battery, Inc. - Daimler AG - GS Yuasa Corp - Hitachi Ltd - Johnson Controls Inc. - LG Chem Ltd - Panasonic Corporation - Saft Groupe SA - Samsung SDI - Siemens Energy Management - Sony Corp - Tesla Motors, Inc. - Toshiba Corp - Valence Technology Inc. - XALT Energy LLC For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3qnbnb/global Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Globalization Partners International (GPI), a leading provider of document, software and website translation services, announced today it will be presenting a Sitecore Summer School Webinar entitled "Adopting the Right Approach to Website Translation". The webinar will run sessions on August 17th at 10 a.m. GMT (6 a.m. EST) and 3 p.m. GMT (11 a.m. EST). Digital marketing and content management system professionals can sign up at: http://www.sitecoresummerschool.com/. "The Sitecore Experience Platform is ideal for authoring and publishing multi-language websites that allow customers around the world to engage in their native languages," says Natalie Williams, Global Digital Marketing Manager, GPI. "The GPI webinar will discuss several different approaches when managing multi-language websites within Sitecore, so viewers can understand the process, implications and alternatives and compare the relative trade-offs of various website localization workflows using Sitecore." GPI's Sitecore Summer School Webinar will cover: Overview of website localization process Import/export processes for Sitecore content translation workflows Pros and cons of each website translation workflow Using a translation connector plug-in for Sitecore "The Sitecore Summer School will host over 80 webinars on a range of topics including commerce, content management, context marketing, contextual intelligence, email marketing, mobile experience, optimization, personalization, social and managing content at scale," says West Gass, Senior Director, North American Marketing, Sitecore. "The GPI webinar is geared toward any professional who is part of a Sitecore website localization project team including both digital marketing and CMS technical staff." About Globalization Partners International (GPI) Globalization Partners International, LLC provides document, software and website translation services into over 100 languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. GPI specializes in helping clients launch and manage multilingual websites, configure web content management systems (WCMS), deploy Translation Services Connectors and Plug-ins, as well as provides website localization and global search engine marketing services. For more information please visit www.translationplugin.com or www.globalizationpartners.com. About Sitecore Sitecore is the global leader in experience management software that enables context marketing. The Sitecore Experience Platform manages content, supplies contextual intelligence, and automates communications, at scale. It empowers marketers to deliver content in context of how customers have engaged with their brand, across every channel, in real time. More than 4,600 customersincluding American Express, Carnival Cruise Lines, easyJet, and L'Orealtrust Sitecore for context marketing to deliver the personalized interactions that delight audiences, build loyalty, and drive revenue. For more information, follow us at @sitecore or visit: sitecore.net. Contact: Natalie Williams [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141016/152866LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394648LOGO SOURCE Globalization Partners International Related Links http://www.globalizationpartners.com The Buick Y-Job was created under the direction of GM's legendary design chief, Harley J. Earl. The car was described at the time as a "convertible coupe" hand-built on a custom Buick chassis and powered by a Buick Series 50 engine with special experimental features. The Y-Job foreshadowed many design features that were adopted over the next several decades. The low and wider design eliminated the need for running boards and improved stability. The car incorporated 13" wheels and brakes with features used on airplanes at the time. The body was beautifully streamlined and extended front fenders into doors. The rear of the car featured a fully concealed convertible top, boat tail design, and the hint of the tailfins that became iconic design elements of cars in the 1950s. The grill was far lower and wider than what was typical of the period and included novel retractable headlamps. The hood was described as "alligator-type" of one piece that was a departure from the two piece hoods from the time. "Harley Earl and the Buick Y-Job expanded the boundaries of car design and drew the blueprint for concept vehicle design and execution," said GM Global Design Vice President Michael Simcoe. "We thank the HVA for ensuring the world's first concept car is documented and preserved for future generations." The Buick Y-Job was documented during the grand opening of the HVA National Laboratory in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The laboratory is a pristine, purpose-built, state-of-the art facility for automotive photography, photogrammetry, 3D scanning, videography and the HVA's growing physical and digital archives. The laboratory was built to standardize and streamline the expansion of the National Historic Vehicle Register program. The laboratory environment includes a large 40 ft. x 40 ft. white room with infinity walls on all sides and turntable integrated into the floor to efficiently rotate historic automobiles during photography. The facility is believed to be the only facility of its kind in the world. The work done here will provide current and future generations a highly detailed, accurate and consistent record of some of the nation's most significant automotive treasures. "The Buick Y-Job is a true American design treasure and an incredibly appropriate vehicle to document during our National Laboratory grand opening," said HVA President Mark Gessler. The HVA National Laboratory is located adjacent to the 27 Acre NB Center for American Automotive Heritage that includes a half-mile circular track, conference facilities and full-time staff dedicated to automotive restoration, preservation and collection curation. The HVA recently used the track facility to record movement and sounds of the first Camaro built and Thomas Flyer that won the New York to Paris Round the World Race in 1908. The design, development, construction and ongoing maintenance of the HVA National Laboratory have been underwritten through the generous support of the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage. The documentation of the Buick Y-Job on the National Historic Vehicle Register is being organized by the Historic Vehicle Association and underwritten by the GM Design Center, Hagerty, and Shell (including their Pennzoil and Quaker State brands). For additional images, click here About the Historic Vehicle Association The HVA is dedicated to preserving and sharing America's automotive heritage. In 2014, the HVA established the National Historic Vehicle Register. Working with the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Heritage Documentation Programs and Library of Congress, their aim is to document historically significant automobiles in America's past. The HVA is supported by over 400,000 individual historic vehicle owners, key stakeholders and corporations such as Shell (including their Pennzoil and Quaker State brands), Hagerty, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, as well as individual benefactors. Please visit: historicvehicle.org Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394662 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160518/369280LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160518/369297LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160518/369303LOGO SOURCE Historic Vehicle Association Related Links https://www.historicvehicle.org AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, the Venezuelan government seized control of Guardian's operations in Venezuela by military force. Guardian has operated proudly in Venezuela for decades. We have been fully committed to ensuring the safety of our employees, and have acted in compliance with all applicable laws and with respect for the community. The safety of the employees and management of Guardian de Venezuela's operations are now in the control of the Venezuelan government. About Guardian Industries Corp.: Guardian Industries Corp. is a privately held, diversified, global company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Guardian, and its family of companies, employ 17,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, with a vision to create value for customers and society through constant innovation using fewer resources. Guardian Glass is a leading international manufacturer of float, value-added, and fabricated glass products and solutions for architectural, residential, interior, transportation and technical glass applications. SRG Global is one of the world's largest manufacturers of advanced, high value coatings on plastics for the automotive, commercial truck and consumer goods industries, providing solutions for greater surface durability, structural integrity, functionality, vehicle efficiency and design flexibility. Guardian Building Products is a leading U.S. based distributor of specialty building products. Visit www.guardian.com. SOURCE Guardian Industries Corp. Related Links http://www.guardian.com PARSIPPANY, N.J., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Guidemark Health, a full-service, healthcare communications agency, announced today its Chief Behavioral and Engagement Officer, Fred Petito, has been named to the prestigious PharmaVOICE 100 list of the most inspiring leaders in the healthcare sector. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394666 Selected from among hundreds of colleague- and client-submitted nominees, Petito was recognized for his positive contributions to the life-sciences industry, most notably his innovations in integrating behavioral insights, analytics, and emerging media into brand experiences. In 2015, under Fred Petito's guidance, Guidemark Health launched Praedicis, a proprietary methodology that draws on decades of research from the social, cognitive, and decision sciences to more deeply understand the factors influencing the decisions and behaviors of all healthcare constituents. A recent presenter at the Cannes Lions Health Festival, Fred Petito is a seasoned digital and multichannel marketer with nearly 20 years' experience planning and implementing communications programs for clients in a range of industries and at leading agencies such as Ogilvy, Grey, R/GA, and Young & Rubicam. Petito is the third Guidemark Health leader to be honored as a PharmaVOICE 100. Both CEO, Matt Brown, and CCO, Tina Fascetti, were honorees in 2014. Petito's award was announced in the July/August 2016 issue of PharmaVOICE magazine. Guidemark Health is a midsize, full-service, healthcare communications agency headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with multiple offices strategically located along the pharmaceutical corridor from Stamford, Connecticut, to Princeton, New Jersey. With decades of experience, knowledge, and passion for healthcare communications, our mission is to guide our clients through the challenges of building lasting connections with customers. Through innovative, inspiring, and creative engagement strategies combined with extraordinary content, we deliver meaningful healthcare experiences that change lives for the better. Contact Matt Brown (201-740-6160/Email) or Vic Zambrotta (201-740-6104) for more information. Visit Guidemark Health online, www.guidemarkhealth.com. SOURCE Guidemark Health Related Links http://www.guidemarkhealth.com NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hankook Tire participated in DAV's (Disabled American Veterans) 95th National Convention in Atlanta yesterday, demonstrating its continued partnership with DAV and commitment to supporting the veteran community. At the Convention, Hankook Tire Vice Chairman and CEO Seung Hwa Suh met with President Barack Obama at an exclusive meet and greet prior to President Obama's keynote speech at the convention. President Obama's keynote speech underscored the obligation to ensure America's veterans receive the benefits they've earned through military service, and Hankook is proud to support DAV's mission to fulfill this promise. Hankook, one of the fastest growing tire companies in the world, continues to build its U.S. presence and increase its support for America's veterans ahead of the impending opening of Hankook's first U.S. plant in Clarksville, Tenn. To further recognize the men and women who have served our country, Hankook hosts the Hankook Heroes recognition program through Aug. 7, where anyone can share a photo and brief story about their military hero to the online gallery at HankookHeroes.com, which also enters the hero for a chance to receive a set of Hankook tires. "Hankook is dedicated to honoring veterans and helping provide them with access to the benefits and services they deserve," said Seung Hwa Suh, vice chairman and CEO, Hankook Tire. "Now in the second year of our partnership with DAV, we're honored to have been able to participate in DAV's National Convention, and recognize veterans for their service and the sacrifices they have made." As part of Hankook's partnership with DAV, Hankook will utilize mobility to help bring free services to veterans of all generations where they live, by hosting four of this year's DAV Mobile Service Office (MSO) stops. The DAV MSO vehicle will be at the following locations this fall: Discount Tire in Phoenix on Sept. 14; Gateway Tire in Gallatin, Tenn. on Sept. 15; Gateway Tire in Clarksville, Tenn. on Sept. 16; and CJ's Tire in Philadelphia on Oct. 12. Additionally, Hankook is sponsoring 10 of DAV's RecruitMilitary veteran job fairs, as well as the DAV 5K Atlanta on Nov. 5. "We're so appreciative of Hankook's growing partnership with DAV and value their involvement in this year's convention," said Marc Burgess, DAV National Adjutant and CEO. "With Hankook's continued partnership, we're able to better serve more and more veterans every year." For more information on Hankook and DAV's continued partnership visit dav.org/hankook. About Hankook Tire America Corp. Hankook Tire America Corp. is a growing leader in the U.S. tire market, leveraging investments in technology, manufacturing and marketing to deliver high quality, reliable products that are safer for consumers and the environment. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Hankook Tire markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires in the United States. About DAV DAV is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. It provides more than 700,000 rides for veterans attending medical appointments annually, assists veterans with more than 300,000 claims for benefits and helped them attain more than $4 billion in new and retroactive benefits in 2015 so they can care for their families. DAV is also a leader in connecting veterans with meaningful employment, hosting job fairs and providing resources to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in the American Dream their sacrifices made possible. With 1.3 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters, DAV empowers our nation's heroes, their families and survivors with the resources they need and ensures our nation keeps the promises made to them. For more information, please visit www.DAV.org. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141223/166002LOGO SOURCE Hankook Tire America Corp. LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Helen Doron, the Leader in English as a Second Language Franchising, Readies to Meet Global Growth in the Educational Franchising Sector When the last shipment of Helen Doron English supplies for the 2016-2017 school year has been sent, over one million back-to-school supplies will reach Helen Doron English students from 36 countries across 5 continents. More than 150,000 student learning sets, filled with backpacks, books and CDs will have been wrapped, sorted, packaged and labelled to meet the demand. The company forecasts a 10% growth in student numbers since last summer's shipments. "What began in 1985 as a small business stocked with home-made materials has grown to a full-scale warehouse operation that meets the pedagogic needs of the company's 90 Master Franchisors, 900 franchisees and 4000 active teachers," Judith Pelli, Chief Operations Officer, remarks. "The warehouse accommodates all the educational items used in Helen Doron English's extensive curriculum including books and workbooks filled with original augmented reality that supplement our exclusive apps." The warehouse's broad inventory contains props, dolls, flashcards, CDs and DVDs filled with original and innovative songs and stories to supplement a rich and varied educational curriculum for students, ages 3 months to 19 years. The home-based business has grown into a global leader with a reputation for innovation and excellence. "Helen Doron has added France to its list of franchised countries and continues to expand throughout Asia," adds Anne Gordon, Vice President of Customer Business Development. "The growing demand for high quality English courses for children to supplement existing school English programmes, as well as pre-schoolers looking to become bilingual, continue to fuel Helen Doron English's impressive growth." Find out more about Helen Doron English at http://www.HelenDoron.com About the Helen Doron Educational Group The Helen Doron Educational Group stands at the forefront of innovative educational systems, providing exclusive learning programmes and quality educational materials for babies, children and adolescents the world over since 1985. The company's flagship franchise, Helen Doron English, along with Helen Doron Kindergarten, MathRiders, Ready Steady Move! franchises today encompass almost 900 learning centres in over 36 countries in Europe, Asia and South America. Today, more than two million children have learnt with the unique Helen Doron methodology. The Helen Doron Educational Group invites entrepreneurs to join a successful business operation that benefits children around the world. Visit us at http://www.helendorongroup.com Contact Marilyn Glazier Social Media Manager +972-523858518 [email protected] SOURCE Helen Doron Educational Group "The careful selection of artists and works for our anniversary exhibit reflect the gallery's distinct philosophical and aesthetic approach as well as key values that have guided us since inception," said Todd Hosfelt "This includes a fearless commitment to artists whose work may be challenging or beyond current trends. We also look for artists who understand history be it artistic, literary, social, political or intellectual and from that place, make work that is entirely original. Through their understanding of the past, they shed light on the present and open a window onto the future." The exhibition will open on Saturday, September 10, 2016 with a public reception from 4 to 6 pm, and can be seen at Hosfelt Gallery through October 8, 2016. The gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 am-5:30 pm, and Thursday 11 am-7 pm. Private appointments are also available by calling 415-495-5454. For more information, including photos and a description of the exhibition, visit www.hosfeltgallery.com. About Hosfelt Gallery Founded 20 years ago -- in September of 1996 -- Hosfelt Gallery has distinguished itself as a pioneer, both in its consistent introductions of exceptional new artists from around the world, and its unconventional exhibition spaces. Hosfelt Gallery's trailblazing move to its current location established the nucleus of what is now San Francisco's newest and most vibrant arts district, DoReMi. With 9,000 square feet of sky-lit exhibition space in a former door factory, the gallery's integration of distinctive contemporary design with unaltered remnants of the building's prior function mirrors its programmatic emphasis on innovative expression born out of a deep understanding of social, political, and/or cultural history. In 2015, Hosfelt Gallery founded the first Digital Media Conservation Lab to address the growing need for the preservation of digital and electronic art. Hosfelt Gallery is a member of the Art Dealers Association of America. For information on current and upcoming exhibitions and artists represented, visit www.hosfeltgallery.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394858 SOURCE Hosfelt Gallery Related Links http://www.hosfeltgallery.com Donald Trump Donald Trump took to Twitter on Monday in an attempt to clear up a statement he made on ABC's "This Week" that Russia was "not going to go into Ukraine." "When I said in an interview that Putin is 'not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down,' I am saying if I am President," the Republican nominee tweeted. "Already in Crimea!" "So with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push," he added. "That's what I said!" The Manhattan billionaire's comments, which appeared to mean Russia would not advance farther into Ukraine under a Trump administration, came after ABC host George Stephanopoulos corrected Trump mid-interview after he made an incorrect assertion about Russian involvement in Ukraine. Trump asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not going to invade Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels and some Russian special forces have been operating for several years, despite Putin's reluctance to acknowledge any role. "He's not going into Ukraine, just so you understand. He's not going to go to Ukraine," Trump said. "Well, he's already there, isn't he?" Stephanopoulos replied. Trump responded by both criticizing the US' decision not to intervene to stop the annexation of Crimea, a former Ukrainian territory seized by Russia in 2014, and noting that many citizens of Crimea were allegedly supportive of Russia's decision to invade. "Well, he's there in a certain way, but I'm not there. You have Obama there," Trump said. "And frankly that part of the world is mess, under Obama. With all the strength that you're talking about, and with all the power of NATO, and all of this, in the mean time, [Putin] takes Crimea." "You know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, and you have to look at that also," he added. Earlier in the interview, he shrugged off his campaign's influence in removing a provision of the Republican Party platform that would've advocated providing arms to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian aggression. Story continues "I was not involved in that," he said. "I'd have to take a look at it, but I was not involved in that." Trump has come under scrutiny this past week for his relationship with Russia following his suggestion that Russian hackers find emails that Hillary Clinton deleted after serving as secretary of state. He claimed he was just being sarcastic. Maxwell Tani contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: Trump now says he never met Putin here's footage of when he said the opposite More From Business Insider NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM will be a Founding Global Sponsor of Out Leadership's initiative OutWOMEN, which convenes LGBT women in business, for 2016, the companies announced today. "We estimate that only about 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs, and fewer than 1% of FTSE 250 CEOs are women," said Out Leadership Managing Director Stephanie Sandberg. "Of the Financial Times' 2015 list of global leading LGBT executives, only 24% were women. But we know that diversity in senior leadership improves corporate performance and market opportunities. OutWOMEN seeks to give leading LGBT women a platform to champion their accomplishments, as well as to foster future generations of female leadership who will drive both equality and business results." OutWOMEN launched in March 2016 in response to a perceived desire for connection and role models among LGBT women in business. The initiative hosts private dinners for senior-level executive women to convene in cities around the globe, including New York, Hong Kong, and London. OutWOMEN also hosts breakfasts and lunch panels at Out Leadership global summits, which are open to women with less executive seniority. "At IBM, we support the business case for executive diversity and LGBT representation," said Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, IBM Chief Diversity Officer. "The company has been committed to gender equality and LGBT-inclusivity for decades, and we look forward to working with OutWOMEN and furthering our position as a global leader in workplace diversity and inclusion." ABOUT OUT LEADERSHIP Out Leadership is a global LGBT business advisory that partners with the world's most influential companies to build business opportunities, cultivate talent, and drive LGBT equality forward. We believe that LGBT inclusion positively impacts business results, and that including LGBT people at the most senior level of executive leadership builds business. We call this idea Return on Equality. Comprised of 72 member firms from the financial services, technology, legal and insurance industries, and dedicated to cross-industry collaboration, Out Leadership is a certified B Corporation. Out Leadership operates two industry-specific business initiatives: Out on the Street and Out in Law, and three talent initiatives: Quorum, which aims to increase LGBT representation on corporate boards; OutNEXT, the first global talent development program for emerging LGBT leaders; and OutWOMEN, connecting senior level LGBT women in business. For more information, please visit www.outleadership.com For more information about IBM, go to IBM.com/diversity SOURCE Out Leadership NEW YORK, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising construction and infrastructure development activities coupled with growing urbanization and commercialization to drive India naphthalene and polycarboxylate (PCE) admixtures market through 2021 New Age TechSci Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/New Age TechSci Research) According to TechSci Research report, "Ind ia Naphthalene and PCE based Admixtures Market By Type, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021", naphthalene and polycarboxylate (PCE) admixtures market in India is projected to reach US$ 683 million by 2021. Strong growth in construction sector, increasing government emphasis on infrastructure development and implementation of stringent regulatory norms is expected to continue boosting demand for naphthalene and polycarboxylate (PCE) based admixtures in India over the next five years. Government of India announced plans to invest US$14.7 billion for development of 100 smart cities and 500 cities under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) program. Additionally, under "Housing for All by 2022" scheme, government plans to construct houses in rural areas of the country. This is projected to drive demand for concrete admixtures in India through 2021. Few of the major naphthalene and PCE based admixtures manufacturers operating in the country include BASF, SIKA and Fosroc, among others. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) Browse 23 market data Tables and 60 Figures spread through 124 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "India Naphthalene & PCE Based Admixtures Market" https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-naphthalene-and-pce-based-admixtures-market-by-type-polycarbxylate-ether-and-sulphonated-naphthalene-formaldehyde-snf-and-sulphonated-melamine-formaldehyde-smf-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/742.html Real estate sector in India stood at US$113.4 billion and is expected to reach US$158 billion by 2017, on account of increasing construction of multi-storey residential buildings as well as non-residential buildings including hospitals, educational institutions and offices. Easing FDI norms in the construction sector is also positively influencing demand for naphthalene and PCE based admixtures in India. In 2015, infrastructure sector in India was valued at around US$ 93 billion and the sector is expected to grow further on account of increasing government investments. In the Union Budget, 2016-2017, Government of India has planned an outlay of US$ 14.5 billion for the road sector. On account of large investments being made on infrastructural developments, demand for construction material as well as concrete admixtures is expected to increase through 2021. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=742 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. "India concrete admixture market is dominated by PCE based admixtures due to their ability to provide relatively higher strength to concrete, durability to structures and reduce water consumption in construction materials as compared to naphthalene based concrete admixtures. PCE based concrete admixtures are preferred over naphthalene based as they can be used with various grades of concrete. Additionally, increasing shortage of residential facilities in metropolitan cities has propelled construction of multi-storey residential buildings and this is accelerating consumption of PCE based admixtures in the country.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "India Naphthalene and PCE based Admixtures Market By Type, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of India naphthalene and polycarboxylate (PCE) admixtures market and provides statistics and information on market size, structure and future market growth. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in India naphthalene and polycarboxylate (PCE) admixtures market. Browse Related Reports GCC Construction Chemicals Market By Type (Concrete Admixtures, Waterproofing, Protective Coatings, Adhesives, etc.), By End User, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman & Bahrain https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/gcc-construction-chemicals-market-by-type-concrete-admixtures-waterproofing-protective-coatings-adhesives-etc-by-end-user-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021-saudi-arabia-uae-qatar-kuwait-oman-bahrain/613.html India Construction Chemicals Market By Type (Concrete Admixtures, Waterproofing Chemicals, Flooring Chemicals, Repair & Rehabilitation Chemicals and Others), By Application and Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2010 - 2020 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-construction-chemicals-market-by-type-concrete-admixtures-waterproofing-chemicals-flooring-chemicals-repair-rehabilitation-chemicals-and-others-by-application-and-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2010-2020/596.html South Africa Construction Chemicals Market By Type (Concrete Construction Chemicals, Flooring Chemicals and Waterproofing Chemicals), By End User (Commercial, Infrastructure and Residential), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2010 - 2020 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/south-africa-construction-chemicals-market-by-type-concrete-construction-chemicals-flooring-chemicals-and-waterproofing-chemicals-by-end-user-commercial-infrastructure-and-residential-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2010-2020/603.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: [email protected] Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research SOURCE TechSci Research LONDON, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Inline Policy, the consultancy for innovative and fast-growing businesses looking to engage with Government has launched a specialist Brexit Advisory Unit following the result of the recent referendum. The Brexit Advisory Unit will work with organisations to advise them on how the impact of Brexit will affect their business, including policy and regulatory implications. The 10 strong team will work with clients to engage with the Government and relevant policymakers, ensuring that their voice is heard to help shape the negotiation and transition process. The unit will be headed up by William Bain: EU expert, former shadow minister, and Parliamentarian. William brings extensive knowledge of key economic, strategic, and regulatory matters having been a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, with particular interests in industrial and financial services policies. The team has considerable experience across Government, business and commercial activity in the UK and EU with specialised regulatory expertise in London and Brussels. William Bain, said: "The next few years will see significant change in how UK businesses trade, operate, invest, employ people, and use data, as the UK prepares to depart from the EU and build new relationships in Europe and around the world. "The process of leaving the EU could mean that the future of passporting for UK financial services businesses across the Single Market area will be on the table for debate. We also wait to see what the climate for jobs, trade and investment will be in the UK once the new journey outside of EU membership begins." Shomik Panda, Inline's Managing Director, said: "Inline's Brexit Advisory Unit will work with businesses to help steer them through this time of significant change in our economy. UK businesses now have a unique opportunity to help shape a post-Brexit regulatory environment that will promote innovation, jobs and growth. We will work alongside our clients to ensure they are in the best possible position to be part of the conversation with the key decision makers." About Inline Policy Inline Policy (@InlinePolicy) based in London and Brussels is a political consultancy for innovative and fast-growing businesses. Based in London and Brussels, it advises clients on policy and regulatory issues across global markets, with expertise at local, national and international levels. The Brexit Advisory Unit works with organisations to advise on policy and regulatory implications of the EU withdrawal process. The team has experience across Government, business and commercial activity in the UK and EU with specialised regulatory expertise in London and Brussels. Working alongside its clients, Inline Policy provides advice on the impact of Brexit, helping to execute effective engagement campaigns with Government to ensure opinions are heard by policymakers. William Bain joined Inline Policy in March 2016 having spent five and a half years serving as Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East. He was also a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, with particular interests in economic, industrial, and financial services policies. Prior to this, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State, Sadiq Khan, at the Department for Transport in 2010, and served as Shadow Minister for Transport; Food, Farming and Fisheries; and Scotland, after the 2010 General Election. Before entering Parliament he was a senior lecturer in Public and EU Law at London South Bank University and also taught at other institutions in the higher education sector. Contact: Lianne Robinson, [email protected] SOURCE Inline Policy ST. PAUL, Minn. and NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovative Blood Resources (IBR) and New York Blood Center (NYBC) announced today that they are combining their operations to create one of the nation's leading blood centers, serving patients and hospitals in the Northeast, Midwest and nationally. The combination of the strengths of IBR and NYBC provides the opportunity for greater breadth of services, efficiency and financial stability. The goal is to continue to provide the highest level of blood and hematology related products and services in a fast-changing environment for community blood centers nationwide. The new partnership with IBR comes on the heels of NYBC's highly successful 2014 alliance with Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City (CBC). IBR is one of the leading blood centers in the Midwest. IBR was formed in 2012 through the combination of two strong, nationally recognized, community-based nonprofit blood centers: Minnesota-based Memorial Blood Centers and Nebraska Community Blood Bank. With a combined 100 years of blood industry experience, IBR provides comprehensive product and service capabilities focusing on value-driven solutions for patients, hospitals, physicians, researchers, and other health care partners. Andrew Detlefsen, Chair of IBR's Board of Directors, said: "We are very pleased with the partnership with New York Blood Center and what it means for Innovative Blood Resources' donors, partners, hospitals, volunteers, staff, and supporters. The depth and strength of the NYBC organization will enhance IBR's service offerings, and lead to future growth for the combined organization." "The clinical and research strength of New York Blood Center is unparalleled, and I look forward to working with their incredible team of professionals," Donald C. Berglund, M.H.A., Chief Executive Officer of Innovative Blood Resources, said. "Our combined organization will benefit IBR in many ways, and I look forward to developing the next chapter in serving our communities with a safe and reliable blood supply." New York Blood Center Chairman Howard P. Milstein said: "IBR is an ideal partner for our Center, and we welcome them to the NYBC family. As the market for blood services and products evolves, we believe this combination will be of great benefit to both organizations as we continue to provide the highest quality blood products, services and cutting-edge research and development." Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., President and CEO of NYBC, said: "We're extremely pleased to be partnering with such an excellent blood center. NYBC and IBR have a remarkable alignment of mission, vision and talent. We look forward to working together to ensure the finest customer-focused service for our hospitals and patients." Mark Schmidtlein, NYBC board member and former Chairman of CBC, said: "We in Kansas City are excited to have our Midwest neighbors join our family. Based on our very successful partnership with NYBC, we know that our combined organizations will bring great benefit to patients in all the communities we serve." IBR's donors and volunteers will continue to receive the excellent service they've come to expect from the organization. Moreover, hospital customers will have access to an even broader range of blood products and services as a result of the partnership. The long-term goal of both organizations will be to maximize the operational synergies between the two organizations to the benefit of all members of the community. In an exciting expansion of IBR offerings, NYBC's cutting-edge medical, laboratory and testing services are expected to become part of the organization's offering to current and future customers. About Innovative Blood Resources Innovative Blood Resources is a non-profit community blood center that was formed in 2012 through the combination of two strong, nationally-recognized, community-based nonprofit blood centers: Minnesota-based Memorial Blood Centers, and Nebraska Community Blood Bank. With a combined 100 years of blood industry experience, IBR provides comprehensive product and service capabilities focusing on value-driven solutions for patients, hospitals, physicians, researchers, and other health care partners. IBR is also home to IBR Biomedical Services, which grew from the nationally recognized research and clinical trial contributions of Memorial Blood Centers' physicians and clinicians in blood banking and transfusion services. IBR Biomedical Services offers expertise in the areas of cellular therapy, clinical trial support, as well as regulatory and quality systems consulting. Website: www.innovativebloodresources.org About New York Blood Center Now more than 50 years old, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is one of the largest independent, nonprofit community-based blood centers in the country, serving the more than 25 million people who live in the New York metropolitan area. Each year, NYBC provides approximately one million blood products to nearly 200 hospitals in the Northeast. In addition, Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City (CBC) serves hospitals in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as eastern Kansas and western Missouri. CBC provides nearly 200,000 blood products per year to approximately 70 area hospitals. NYBC also provides a wide array of transfusion-related medical services. NYBC is also home to the world's largest public cord blood bank, which provides stem cells for transplant in many countries, and a renowned research institute, which-among other milestones-developed the Hepatitis B vaccine and innovative blood purification technology. Website: www.nybloodcenter.org SOURCE New York Blood Center Related Links http://www.nybloodcenter.org Ekhteraei, who created a program to teach English to low-income students in her native Iran, recently graduated from the George School, a private school in Newtown, Pennsylvania. She will soon enter the University of Southern California. Park created a nonprofit organization that has sent e-readers and more than 33,000 e-books to low-income children in six countries, along with schools and youth crisis centers in the U.S. He recently completed 8th grade at Harris Road Middle School in Concord, North Carolina. He will enroll in the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, for the fall semester. "At an age when many young people are preparing for future accomplishments, Olya Yarychkivska, Setareh Ekhteraei and Samuel Park have already accomplished great things and changed lives for the better with their dedication to helping others," Levy said. "We're proud of them and proud that the Cooke Foundation's investment in their educations has benefited so many others. And I'm confident they will accomplish many more great things in the future." The Matthew J. Quinn Prize, named to honor the Cooke Foundation's founding executive director, is given annually to one or more Cooke Scholars currently in college or graduate school, or to Cooke alumni. The Matthew J. Quinn Youth Leadership Award is given annually to one or more current Cooke Young Scholars. Here is more information on the Cooke Scholars honored this year: Olya Yarychkivska has received both a Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship and a Cooke Graduate Scholarship. She holds an associate degree in biological sciences from Manor College near Philadelphia, a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Drexel University in Philadelphia, two master's degrees in genetics and development from Columbia University, and expects to receive her doctorate in genetics and development from Columbia later this year. She hopes to devote her career to saving lives by finding cures for devastating diseases. In 2014 Yarychkivska helped found the non-profit organization Razom (meaning "together" in Ukrainian), which organized an international network of more than 200 volunteers to work to rebuild democracy and civil society in Ukraine. The group led rallies outside the U.N. and met with diplomats at the U.N. from many countries to discuss the Russian annexation of Crimea and human rights issues. It has also provided food assistance to families displaced by fighting and to families of soldiers who have died. Yarychkivska said she became an activist because she was inspired by the example of other Cooke Scholars "to do something to change the world and help people." Setareh Ekhteraei teaches English during summers in her native country of Iran to low-income students and has collected school supplies to bring to the children, working with the SoLook Charity. In addition, she designed a curriculum and created educational booklets for her students and keeps in touch with them during the school year by phone. She has also tutored students in Spanish at the George School. Samuel Park founded 1KL, an organization "that strives to make a change in the world by giving e-books and educational software on e-readers and PCs to kids in need." He has also volunteered and raised funds for a number of charitable causes, including schools and orphanages in Africa, as well as charities in North Carolina. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. It offers the largest scholarships in the U.S., comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from 8th grade to graduate school. Since 2000 it has awarded about $147 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 students and $90 million in grants to organizations that serve outstanding low-income students. www.jkcf.org Media Contact: David Egner 202-779-1743 [email protected] Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei3L_eg6Tdw SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Related Links http://www.jkcf.org PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers have successfully tested a new method for the early diagnosis in children and teenagers of diabetic nephropathy, a serious complication of diabetes that can increase risk of death. This new method, unveiled today at the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, would help pediatric patients get necessary treatment in a more timely manner. Diabetic nephropathy affects 2040% of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients. In type 1 diabetic patients who have progressed to the final stages of nephropathy, kidney failure eventually develops in 50% of individuals within 10 years after the onset of overt nephropathy and in >75% by the 20 year mark. Currently, this condition is diagnosed through the detection of increased urinary albumin excretion, but a growing body of evidence suggests that the risk for developing diabetic nephropathy starts when urinary albumin excretion levels are still within the normal range. If the onset of nephropathy could be detected before urinary albumin rises, patients could potentially be placed on treatment to prevent its development. A team of researchers led by Ioannis Papassotiriou, PhD, of Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital in Athens, Greece, has determined that two proteinsgrowth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40)could be used to detect diabetic nephropathy early. In 56 type 1 diabetes patients ages 915 and 49 healthy controls ages 619, the researchers tested for GDF-15 and YKL-40 at time of enrollment in the study and after 1215 months. Also at these two time points, they evaluated subjects' kidney function by measuring cystatin C to determine estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and measuring neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL). After 1215 months, the researchers found that GDF-15 levels in diabetes patients were significantly higher (366.7 pg/mL) than in healthy controls (278.6 pg/mL). Initially, no significant difference in YKL-40 measurements was observed between diabetes patients and controls at time of enrollment, but over the course of the study, mean YKL-40 levels in diabetes patients proceeded to increase (from 17.4 ng/mL to 20.5 ng/mL). GDF-15 levels also correlated negatively with eGFR values, while YKL-40 levels correlated positively with NGAL and GDF-15, indicating that rises in both proteins reflect a decline in kidney function. "This is the first study to demonstrate a predictive role for serum GDF-15 and YKL-40 as early markers of diabetic nephropathy in children and adolescents with [type 1 diabetes] before severe overt nephropathy occurs," said Papassotiriou. "Defining new predictors as supplementary tests to urinary albumin excretion for the early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy could accelerate effective management and treatment approaches needed to minimize the rates of severe renal morbidity and mortality in young patients with [type 1 diabetes]." In addition to this study, researchers will present the latest in diabetes testing at the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, including: Preliminary findings that circular RNAs could potentially predict the development of metabolic disease during pregnancywhich primarily includes gestational diabetes and hypertensive disease of pregnancybefore its onset. " CircRNAs in metabolic disease during pregnancy " (A-138) Research showing that changes in the criteria used to diagnose gestational diabetes in pregnant women could eliminate unnecessary confirmatory glucose tolerance testing in 198 patients annually. " Modified fasting glucose cutpoints reduce unnecessary tolerance testing in pregnant women from a large urban and rural population " (A-155) A new study investigating how five testing systems for hemoglobin A1c (a biochemical marker used for the management of diabetes) perform in patients who are missing hemoglobin A, the precursor to hemoglobin A1c. "Do samples without HbA have detected HbA1c?" (A-129) Session Information AACC Annual Scientific Meeting registration is free for members of the media. Reporters can register online here: https://www.xpressreg.net/register/aacc0716/media/landing.asp Abstract B-220: Evaluation of GDF-15 and YKL-40 as early markers of subclinical diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular morbidity in young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus will be presented during Session 33101: Breakthroughs in Maternal, Fetal, and Pediatric Medicine Tuesday, August 2 10:30 a.m. Noon Room 105AB Scientific Posters A-129, A-138, and A-155 Tuesday, August 2 9:30 a.m. 5 p.m. (presenting authors in attendance from 12:301:30 p.m.) Terrace Ballroom All sessions and scientific posters will be presented at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. About the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo The AACC Annual Scientific Meeting offers 5 days packed with opportunities to learn about exciting science from July 31August 4. Plenary sessions feature the latest research on the use of and testing for cannabis, combating premature death due to preventable causes such as tobacco and alcohol, the development of an "intelligent" surgical knife, programmable bio-nano-chips, and the epigenetic causes of disease. At the AACC Clinical Lab Expo, more than 750 exhibitors will fill the show floor of Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center, with displays of the latest diagnostic technology, including but not limited to mobile health, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, point-of-care, and automation. About AACC Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, AACC brings together more than 50,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, AACC has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.aacc.org. Christine DeLong AACC Manager, Communications & PR (p) 202.835.8722 [email protected] Molly Polen AACC Director, Communications & PR (p) 202.420.7612 (c) 703.598.0472 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130701/PH41045LOGO SOURCE AACC Related Links http://www.aacc.org DENVER, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX: IMP) Intermap Technologies Corporation ("Intermap" or the "Company"), a leading provider of location-based solutions, today announces that Patrick A. Blott has been elected Chairman of the Board and Michael A. Hoehn has been elected as Chairman of the Audit Committee. John C. Curlander has resigned as a director of the Company effective July 29, 2016. The Board of Directors of Intermap wishes to thank Mr. Curlander for his contributions on behalf of the Company. "John has been a trusted advisor to the Intermap leadership team and every member of the board for nearly five years," said Todd Oseth, president and chief executive officer of Intermap. "We wish John the very best." About Intermap Technologies Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap is a leading provider of geospatial solutions on demand with its secure, cloud-based Orion Platform. Through its powerful suite of software applications and proprietary development of contiguous databases that fuse volumes of geospatial data into a single source, the Orion Platform is able to provide location-based solutions for customers in diverse markets around the world. For additional information, please visit www.intermap.com. SOURCE Intermap Technologies Corporation VANCOUVER, B.C., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you are an entrepreneur or seasoned business professional, Steven Simonyi-Gindele's lifetime of experience provides new insight into the world of risk taking in business. In his upcoming book, he lays out the core principles that have guided his decision making through strategic partnerships, creative financing, and diverse business ventures. Steven shares pragmatic information on: - How to partner with the big players who initially don't wish to partner with you. - How to cut out the middleman and be among the first to learn about new opportunities. - Little known laws that open doors and how to find them. - Secrets of Micro Investor Meet-Ups for learning critical information. - How to publicize your successes so that investors flock to you. - Why we are on the verge of a new oil boom and how to be an instant insider. As a co-founder and director of early stage ventures from The Capitalist Reporter, Free Enterprise Magazine, Glamis Gold, Petrohunter Energy to CIS Technologies and Amswiss Scientific, Steven has spent his career taking calculated risks to become an expert in raising capital and team building. With the success of his most recent venture, iD Security Experts Inc., Steven has reflected on his career and feels it is time to pass along what he has learned about successful risk taking which could not be more applicable than it is today. More about the Author Born in Hungary, Steven Simonyi-Gindele escaped during the revolution and immigrated to Canada. Starting in his late teens, he launched a number of successful businesses and ventures in the U.S. and Canada. By age 26, he was a publisher and later an oil lease explorer in addition to launching numerous businesses in a variety of industries. Looking back on a half century of successes, Steven has great advice to share. For more information on Steven's upcoming book, "Intelligent Risk", please visit www.intelligentrisktaker.com. To interview Steven, contact: Richard Berman 914-572-2707 Email SOURCE Steven Simonyi-Gindele NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- While the majority of advisory firms have seen their revenue levels stall, a group of "Elite" registered investment advisers have experienced significant growth as the result of superior and strategic management, according to the 2016 Elite RIA Study from InvestmentNews Research and BlackRock. The 2016 study finds that the industry's largest and most productive RIAs increased their revenues by 23% over the last year, while the typical independent firm's business remained flat. This year's study specifically highlights the primary drivers of this exceptional growth for industry's Elite RIAs, and also looks ahead at strategies that will likely drive future success in the business. "While the regulatory environment and markets have created headwinds for most firms, the truly Elite RIAs are starting to pull away from the pack," said Mark Bruno, associate publisher of InvestmentNews. "They see an opportunity to differentiate their business right now whether it's through the services they deliver, or their internal operations and they are making aggressive moves to increase their market share." In particular, the study notes that Elite RIAs are highly focused on going upstream with their client base, placing a clear emphasis on pursuing ultra-high-net-worth and institutional clients. At the same time, they are also strategically leveraging technology, and employing unique and scalable organizational structures that allow for superior client service and support as well as the potential to absorb new advisers and clients through mergers and acquisitions. Key findings from the 2016 Elite RIA Study include: Over the last year, the percentage of Elite RIAs that rely on teaming increased from 44% to 56%. Elite RIAs are investing in dedicated operations and compliance specialists: Nearly twice as many Elite RIAs support a dedicated compliance role compared with all other firms (58% vs. 34%). 73% of Elite RIAs build and manage custom investment portfolios for each client, compared with 54% of all other firms a core part of their value proposition and competitive differentiators. "Effective use of technology" (57% reporting) and "Growth and retention of existing clients" (51%) are the two factors most cited by Elite RIAs as the drivers of future success over the next 12-24 months. One in four Elite RIAs are considering an acquisition in the next 12-18 months. 48% of advisers view robo technology as an opportunity, up from 39% just a year ago. "The 2016 data is particularly noteworthy with regard to the deployment of technology and compliance," said Hollie Fagan, head of BlackRock's dedicated Registered Investment Advisor and Retail Investor Platforms. "Elite advisers have paid attention to an important lesson implicit in the continued emergence of robo-advisory: that technology, thoughtfully configured and deployed, can enhance the client experience and provide a critical tool with which to segment and scale a book of business." "At the same time, Elite RIAs view the renewed focus on compliance resulting from the DOL's fiduciary rule-making as a significant opportunity, understanding that working with greater transparency and alignment is good for both their clients and the growth and vitality of their business," Fagan said. Additionally, the 2016 Elite RIA Study provides both short- and long-term strategies for advisers to activate and take their businesses to "elite" levels. For more information and to download the study, visit InvestmentNews.com/2016elite To support this research, a survey was distributed to InvestmentNews' audience between March 10 and May 10, 2016. We received responses from 401 firms. RIA-affiliated firms with (a) more than $250 million in assets under management and (b) that ranked in the 50th or higher percentile in a blended score of firm productivity metrics were deemed Elite RIAs. About InvestmentNews Research The mission of InvestmentNews Research is to provide financial advisers with the industry's most informative practice management studies and benchmarking reports. Our benchmarking studies are a leading source of market intelligence for advisory firms and industry partners, such as custodians, broker-dealers, service providers and professional organizations. In 2009, InvestmentNews acquired two bellwether benchmarking studies from Moss Adams LLP the Adviser Compensation & Staffing Study and the Financial Performance Study of Advisory Firms. We continue to improve and expand these two critical industry studies, while we have also introduced new studies, such as this study on Elite RIAs, that support the growth and development of financial advisory firms. About BlackRock BlackRock is a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At June 30, 2016, BlackRock's AUM was $4.890 trillion. BlackRock helps clients around the world meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. As of June 30, 2016, the firm had approximately 12,700 employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com | Twitter: @blackrock_news | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock Contact: Mark Bruno InvestmentNews [email protected] 212-210-0116 SOURCE InvestmentNews HOUSTON, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ION Geophysical Corporation (NYSE: IO) today announced that it will release its second quarter 2016 financial results on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 after the market closes. In conjunction with the release, ION has scheduled a conference call, which will be broadcast live over the Internet, for Thursday, August 4 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (9:00 a.m. Central Time). What: ION Second Quarter 2016 Earnings Conference Call When: Thursday, August 4, 2016 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time How: Live via phone - By dialing (877) 407-0672 and asking for the ION call a few minutes prior to the start time. Live over the Internet - by logging on to the web at the address below. Where: http://investorrelations.i-o.com. The webcast, which will be accompanied by a slide presentation, can be accessed from the ION home page or by clicking on the link listed above. For those who cannot listen to the live call, a telephonic replay will be available through August 18, 2016 and may be accessed by calling (877) 660-6853 using pass code 13640095#. Also, an archive of the webcast will be available shortly after the call on the company's website at http://investorrelations.i-o.com for approximately 12 months. About ION ION is a leading provider of technology-driven solutions to the global oil & gas industry. ION's offerings are designed to help companies reduce risk and optimize assets throughout the E&P lifecycle. For more information, visit www.iongeo.com. Contact Steve A. Bate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer +1.281.552-3011 SOURCE ION Geophysical Corporation Related Links http://www.iongeo.com Cloudride's e-juice flavors are developed by Jason Stevens who won the America's Classic James Beard Award in 2011 for his work as Executive Chef of Watts Tea Shop in Milwaukee. The James Beard Awards are the highest honor in the culinary space and commonly referred to as 'the Oscars for food'. Mr. Stevens has taken his passion for unique flavor combinations in an entirely new direction and injected a level of sophistication and quality heretofore unseen in the vape juice industry. "Being a longtime smoker and chef, I was instantly intrigued at the possibilities provided by e-liquids," says Mr. Stevens. "I've always loved experimenting with different flavors and tastes, and I immediately gravitated towards making my own vape juice when I decided to switch from cigarettes to using a vaporizer. With Cloudride I feel like I'm giving people the opportunity to combine an exciting tasting experience with a better life choice and it has truly taken my creativity to new heights." Available in 18 flavors between 2 distinct collections, Cloudride offers something for nearly every palate and budget. The C9 Collection is a premium offering of 6 one of a kind vape juice flavors like Tabac Elope, a cured Virginia tobacco mixed with cantaloupe and butterscotch, and Tale of Taro which blends the taro root with creme fraiche and strawberries. The Classic Collection offers a more economical choice of e-liquid with 12 crowd pleasing flavors like Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Lemonade, and Watermelon Menthol. All Cloudride flavors are free from diacetyl, acetoin, acetyl propionyl, and other diketones, and the company has pledged to comply with all FDA regulations both now and in the future. Cloudride is now available to consumers directly at www.cloudridevapor.com and to interested retailers and distributors. The company has already secured numerous distribution deals and expects to be widely available in vape shops, convenience stores, and other retailers nationwide within the next few months. ABOUT CLOUDRIDE Cloudride is the first line of vape juice developed by a James Beard Award winning chef. We strive to make the best tasting and safest e-liquid available. Based in NJ, Cloudride e-liquid is 100% made in the USA and follows cGMP standards. With 18 flavors across 2 lines Cloudride has a taste for nearly every e-juice fan. Experience Cloudride for yourself at www.cloudridevapor.com. Created by chefs. Tested by scientists. Loved by vapors. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160729/394118 SOURCE Cloudride Related Links http://www.cloudridevapor.com HARRISON, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) today announced that representatives of its management team will be presenting at DEF CON 24 in Las Vegas on Thursday, August 4 - 7, 2016. MGT Capital will also celebrate the release of Demonsaw 3.0 on Friday, August 5th, 2016. "DEF CON is the premier hacker convention in the world. Once every year the greatest hacking, programming, and maker minds come together for four days of camaraderie, competition, and an open willingness to share information. All ages attend DEF CON, bringing together a unique and timeless blend of creativity, curiosity and free and open dialogue about the subjects that matter most to us. There is no judgment, and very few rules. It is within these walls that issues like privacy, warrantless wiretapping, personal liberties, and freedom of digital expression are discussed. Some of the greatest minds living today will wander the halls of this convention, some dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and others in business casual. But make no mistake, we are all here to learn," stated Eric "Eijah" Anderson, founder of Demonsaw and proposed Chief Technology Officer of MGT Capital. "MGT represents the future of cyber-security as much as the DEF CON audience. We are taking the lead and are forever in the debt of the staff, volunteers, and "Goons" at DEF CON for uniting such an incredible group of thinkers and tinkerers. We invite you all to an exclusive Demonsaw 3.0 event that will welcome the best and brightest of the DEF CON community to an evening of celebration," concluded Eijah. To register for Eric "Eijah" Anderson's Thursday workshops, DEF CON participants should arrive at the 3rd floor of the Bally's Jubilee Tower to register on site. Workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Las Vegas Ballrooms 1-7. For further details and to register for the Demonsaw 3.0 celebration, attendees can visit: https://demonsaw.splashthat.com/ In its 24th year, DEF CON is one of the world's largest annual hacker conventions. Attendees include anyone with a general interest in software, computer architecture, phone phreaking, hardware modification, and anything else that can be "cracked." DEF CON consists of several tracks of well-known hackers speakers about computer and cracking-related subjects, as well as social events and contests. This year's event is being hosted at the Paris & Bally's in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are available at the door, and there is no pre-registration. About MGT Capital Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) is in the process of acquiring a diverse portfolio of cyber security technologies. With cyber security industry pioneer, John McAfee, at its helm, MGT Capital is positioned to address various cyber threats through advanced protection technologies for mobile and personal tech devices, including tablets and smart phones. The Company is currently in the process of acquiring D-Vasive, a provider of leading edge anti-spy software, and Demonsaw, a provider of a secure and anonymous file sharing software platform. MGT Capital intends to change its corporate name to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc." upon closing of the D-Vasive transaction. For more information on the Company, please visit http://ir.stockpr.com/mgtci. Forwardlooking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." MGT's financial and operational results reflected above should not be construed by any means as representative of the current or future value of its common stock. All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investor Contact Garth Russell Managing Director KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] 212.896.1250 Media Contact Tiffany Madison Director of Corporate Communications MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [email protected] 469.236.9569 SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Related Links http://www.mgtci.com SAO PAOLO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Real Assets today announced the appointment of Rossano Nonino as Chief Investment Officer and Head of Real Estate Brazil. In this newly created role, Nonino will be based in the Sao Paolo office of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and responsible for leading the firm's Brazil-based real estate investment team that includes eight professionals. He will report to Kevin Faxon, Head of Real Estate Americas, and locally to Vital Menezes, CEO of Global Investment Management LATAM. J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Real Assets has more than 400 professionals in 19 offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. "Brazil's political and economic structural upheaval has contributed to a 50% decline in real estate values in local currency terms since the market peak in 2011," said Joe Azelby, Head of Global Real Assets, J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "As the dominant economy in Latin America, we see opportunity in this market. With more than 16 years of experience and a proven track record of success in Brazil, Rossano will help our clients access local investment opportunities, while growing our regional presence." Rossano founded Gavea Real Estate, the real estate investment arm of Gavea Investimentos, in 2012. At Gavea, Rossano oversaw more than BRL 1 billion real estate investments in properties, development projects and real estate securities. From 2002 to 2012, Rossano was managing director at Brazilian Capital and responsible for the management of over BRL 3 billion in real estate investment funds in Brazil for international and domestic institutional investors. Earlier in his career, Rossano was a managing director and partner at Rio Bravo Investimentos Group responsible for the structuring of Brazilian real estate investment funds and mortgage backed securities. Rossano received a BA in business administration from EAESP- Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo and a MBA from INSEAD in France. About J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Real Assets J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Real Assets has more than $90 billion in assets under management and more than 400 professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific, as of March 31, 2016. With a 45-plus year history of successful investing, J.P. Morgan Asset Management Global Real Assets' broad capabilities provide many of the world's most sophisticated investors with a global platform of real estate, infrastructure and transportation strategies driven by local investment talent with disciplined investment processes consistently implemented across asset types and regions. For more information: www.jpmorgan.com/institutional/global_real_assets. About J.P. Morgan Asset Management J.P. Morgan Asset Management, with assets under management of $1.7 trillion, is a global leader in investment management. J.P. Morgan Asset Management's clients include institutions, retail investors and high net worth individuals in every major market throughout the world. J.P. Morgan Asset Management offers global investment management in equities, fixed income, real estate, hedge funds, private equity and liquidity. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), the parent company of J.P. Morgan Asset Management, is a leading global asset management firm with assets of approximately $2.4 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com. J.P. Morgan Asset Management is the marketing name for the asset management businesses of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates worldwide. SOURCE J.P. Morgan Asset Management Related Links http://www.jpmorganchase.com NEW YORK and LONDON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ketchum, one of the world's leading communications consultancies, today announced that Mark Hume has been appointed chief operating officer in Europe, effective immediately. In his new position, Hume will partner with Ketchum Chairman and CEO Rob Flaherty to oversee the agency's European operations, which includes some of the largest markets in the agency's portfolio. In addition, Hume continues as CFO for the region. He moved into the regional CFO role in 2009, working side-by-side with then-CEO of Europe David Gallagher to manage the business. Earlier today, it was announced that Gallagher has been named president, growth and development, international at Omnicom Public Relations Group. "Mark Hume is a trusted and respected leader, a multi-faceted finance and operations executive with a keen understanding of the communications industry and a proven track record of growth; he has been instrumental in the acquisition and development of each of our European businesses," said Flaherty. "Ketchum's European network is one of the industry's largest, which is a direct result of Mark and David's leadership and partnership with regional and local leaders to drive business, producing exceptional results. In fact, we have had one of our strongest new business starts this year, with dozens of new clients and projects already won. I look forward to partnering with Mark to continue to focus on our clients and also drive the business forward." This news is the latest in a series of leadership announcements at Ketchum, including the appointment of Barri Rafferty to worldwide president, and the creation of the agency's new Global Leadership Council, to which Hume was named when it launched in June. "I have enjoyed partnering with David and our European leadership team for more than 15 years to grow Ketchum's business and reach in Europe, and I'm looking forward to continuing to best meet our clients' needs and attract and develop the region's top talent," Hume said. Hume joined Ketchum in 1996 as finance director, U.K., through Ketchum's acquisition of Scope Communications. He was named chief operating officer, U.K. in 2001, and was appointed European commercial director in 2004, managing all aspects of commercial and operational development for Ketchum's offices and affiliates across the region. Hume was named a Ketchum partner in 2005. "Mark has been an exceptional partner to me and to Ketchum's European and worldwide leadership teams as we have worked to grow Ketchum's reputation and deliver solid performance," said Gallagher. "Mark played a critical role in the Ketchum Pleon merger, the Brandzeichen acquisition and the recently announced alignment of our brands in Germany, and I am pleased we will continue to work together in our new positions." Gallagher was named partner and CEO, Europe, for Ketchum in 2011. Prior to that, he was head of Ketchum's U.K. office and led the agency's European healthcare practice. Gallagher joined Ketchum in 1994 and served as head of the healthcare group in Washington, D.C., and a member of that office's leadership team prior to relocating to London in 2000. "David has been an exceptional leader, helping to grow and develop our business in tandem with our people and working in partnership with Mark for more than 15 years to ensure our many successes in Europe," Flaherty said. "We are grateful to David for his stewardship of our brand and our profession, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new OPRG role." About Ketchum Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. The winner of 19 Cannes Lions and an unprecedented five PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a part of the DAS Group of Companies, visit www.ketchum.com. About Omnicom Public Relations Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, public health and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. SOURCE Ketchum Related Links http://www.ketchum.com CINCINNATI, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced that it will hold open interviews in its stores nationwide on Tuesday, August 9. To make applying online even easier, Kroger launched "mobile apply" which allows job-seekers to submit applications through their smartphones or tablet devices. Interested candidates may apply at jobs.kroger.com and simply return to a store on August 9 between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., no appointment necessary. "Our growth continues to create job openings across the country for friendly, hard-working associates to join our team, including many roles on our new ClickList teams," said Tim Massa, Kroger's group vice president of human resources and labor relations. "Our stores are filled with incredible opportunities to advance and a variety of career paths. If you love people and love food, Kroger just might be the place for you. Applying to work at our family of stores is easier than ever with open interviews and the ability to apply from anywhere." This is the second one-day hiring event Kroger is hosting this year. The company hired more than 11,496 new associates during its May 14 event. Kroger plans a third hiring event, open exclusively to military veterans and their family members, in November. Over the last eight years, Kroger has created more than 74,000 permanent, new jobs. This figure does not include jobs created as a result of capital investment, such as temporary construction jobs, nor does it include increases due to the company's mergers. Kroger's total active workforce grew by more than 9,000 during 2015. More than 90 percent of the new jobs are in the company's supermarket divisions, ranging from full-time department heads and assistant store managers to part-time courtesy clerks and cashiers. The company hired more than 7,000 veterans in 2015, and has hired more than 35,000 veterans since 2009. Every day, the Kroger Family of Companies makes a difference in the lives of eight and a half million customers and 431,000 associates who shop or serve in 2,778 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and its subsidiaries operate an expanding ClickList offering a personalized, order online, pick up at the store service in addition to 2,230 pharmacies, 785 convenience stores, 323 fine jewelry stores, 1,400 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger is recognized as one of America's most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150408/197347LOGO SOURCE The Kroger Co. Related Links http://www.kroger.com SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kuper Sotheby's International Realty is committed to positively impacting the communities we call home through our Kuper Impact program. Kuper Impact is a yearly charitable program that allows our exceptional real estate agents, and the company as a whole, to support local organizations. Each of Kuper Sotheby's International Realty's nine offices across Austin and San Antonio has picked a specific group to contribute to, spanning a variety of noteworthy causes. For the duration of one year, Kuper Sotheby's International Realty will set aside $5 from every completed transaction with the opportunity for agents to match that or donate a different amount. At the end of the year, the funds collected from each office will be donated to their selected organization! To date Kuper Impact has raised over $4,000. For 2016, Kuper Impact is supporting Child Advocates of San Antonio, Dominion Animal Advocates Group, Foundation Communities, Helping Hand Home for Children, Kendall County Womens Shelter, Lake Travis Crisis Ministries, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio. Whether it's through Kuper Impact or any other philanthropic initiative, Kuper Sotheby's International Realty is determined to make a positive impact on the world! For more information on Kuper Impact and to learn about the 2016 charities visit http://www.kuperimpact.com. About Kuper Sotheby's International Realty: Kuper Sotheby's International Realty is the leading real estate brokerage firm for Central and South Texas. Since its affiliation with Sotheby's International Realty, Kuper Sotheby's International Realty is part of an international collection of real estate companies expressly chosen for their history and reputation for providing high levels of integrity, service and client satisfaction. Whether it be residential, farm & ranch, lake or urban living, the company and its agents are attuned to the local real estate markets and are positioned to serve any and all of our client's needs. SOURCE Kuper Sotheby's International Realty Related Links http://www.kuperimpact.com ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lalabu, the family-owned business that created the Lalabu Soothe Shirt, launched a crowdfunding campaign today to support the new Lalabu Dad Shirt. The first babywearing shirt designed exclusively for men, the Lalabu Dad Shirt will be available to ship this fall. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394538 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394539 In 2013 Lalabu created the Soothe Shirt, an innovative babywearing shirt that's both a nursing tank for moms and a cozy carrying pouch for newborns. Unique because it requires no wrapping, adjusting, or tying, the Lalabu Soothe Shirt makes babywearing simple for new moms. Since 2013, Lalabu has sold over 15,000 Soothe Shirts and donated to over 600 women entrepreneurs in Africa through their 2% for moms giving model (http://www.lalabu.com/2-percent-for-moms). Now, the Lalabu Dad Shirt brings the babywearing experience to dads. Designed specifically for men, the Dad Shirt has an integrated pouch that helps dads bond with and calm their newborn. "I felt left out when my babies were newborns, because there weren't babywearing products designed for me," says Brian Fosse, Lalabu co-founder and father of two. "The Lalabu Dad Shirt makes it easy to win as a new dad." The Lalabu Dad Shirt is currently available for discounted pre-order through the crowdfunding campaign on the Lalabu website, http://www.lalabu.com. The crowdfunding launch coincides with World Breastfeeding Week and also includes a new updated version of the Lalabu Soothe Shirt for moms. Both shirts will retail for $75 and will begin shipping October 2016. For more information, visit the crowdfunding campaign at http://www.lalabu.com/launch. Contact: Lisa Baker 678-632-4111 Email 655 North Highland Ave NE #12 Atlanta, Georgia 30312 SOURCE Lalabu Related Links http://www.lalabu.com BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Ballot announced today that Lane County, Oregon has signed a contract to implement the ClearVote voting system for all future elections. Clear Ballot uses commercially available hardware paired with modern software to provide a more affordable and scalable solution to all counties. Lane County will be the eighth county in Oregon to implement ClearVote, increasing the percent of registered voters that will be using the new technology in the state to 52 percent. The seven other counties using ClearVote in the state include Multnomah, Josephine, Linn, Harney, Washington, Klamath and Coos County. All seven counties successfully conducted the 2016 Primary Election using ClearVote. "Lane County is excited to begin using the ClearVote system," said County Clerk Cheryl Betschart. "We continuously look for ways to improve voter engagement, provide a high level of service in an efficient manner and strengthen our own processes. We are confident that ClearVote can help us do just that." Clear Ballot began working with Oregon counties in 2015 by winning the bid with Multnomah (Portland) County as part of a competitive procurement process. Shortly thereafter ClearVote was certified in Oregon and several other counties quickly adopted the technology as clerks began hearing of the vast improvements ClearVote brings to the election process. Clear Ballot is dedicated to continuous innovation. Since the initial ClearVote certification enhancements to the voting system were subsequently certified in September 2015, and a third version was certified in March 2016 providing Oregon counties with constant upgrades by incorporating customer feedback into product development. "Clear Ballot is very pleased to have Lane County join the Oregon counties that now represent over half of the Oregon electorate," said CEO Larry Moore. "They join their sister counties that have already taken advantage of the transparency and cost-saving efficiencies of ClearVote. Many of these counties have discovered how much money can be saved on ballot printing based on how easy and quick it is to design their own ballots with real-time, fully secure online support from Clear Ballot's staff. With the unprecedented interest in this Presidential Election and the possibility of numerous close contests, Clear Ballot's customers are fully prepared to provide the most timely and transparent election results in the country." About Clear Ballot: Clear Ballot is an emerging leader in election management innovation. Clear Ballot has introduced modern software solutions with the speed, accuracy and transparency that has been lacking in the industry. Designed for low cost and ease-of-use, Clear Ballot's browser-based software, used with commercially available scanning hardware, scales to election jurisdictions of all sizes, responding directly to the budgetary realities of America's counties and municipalities. For more information about Clear Ballot, please visit: www.clearballot.com. Contact Hillary Lincoln Clear Ballot [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150518/216827LOGO SOURCE Clear Ballot Related Links http://www.clearballot.com LONDON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Next generation law enforcement robots are being implemented as platforms. Platforms are useful for accepting a range of components quickly to repurpose units on the fly. Law enforcement robots leverage better materials, more sophisticated designs, software technology, and tablet remote controls. They are communication devices that support high quality data gathering. Communications are implemented in difficult situations. The study has 649 pages and 327 tables and figures. Law enforcement robotics are slated to increase in value to cities and local communities providing low cost protection and high value capabilities. With the active threat of terrorists attacking civilian populations in every country, law enforcement has become the new military. As terrorists operate outside nationalistic borders and infiltrate into the community, robot systems are needed by local police forces, not just the military. The national priority in every country is to increase the budgets for regional and local law enforcement robotic response. Response to emergency situations with robots include response to natural disasters, hostage taking, barricaded law breakers, and terrorists. These situations have not been a problem inside local communities, previously dealt with by national authorities. With the rise of international terrorism, experienced through the news media in most local communities and cities, the threat of local terrorism is becoming more real and unfortunately more common. The robots offer al level of protection to the human by letting the police officers do some of their job remotely. Law enforcement robots are mobile automated process platforms that are responsive to homeland security needs. They are emerging in the context of globalization and smart phone devices that provide connectedness in every aspect of people and things worldwide. Law enforcement robots are evolving in the context of the smart phone apps that support the systems of engagement. This global aspect of the law enforcement robots means that the devices have a presence in every part of the world. Law enforcement robots are inherently local, they are used locally, they are needed by security personnel in particularly dangerous local situations. Systems of engagement apps are evolving as specially designed ground robot networks used to address terrorism and local law enforcement and fire department needs to support community and cities safety patrol. Bomb squads need robots, they need robot technology, more flexibility, better maneuverability. The robots can be tuned to the specific activity in which they are being used. Modular systems represent platform technology of choice for robots. Modules can be highly targeted to specific situations. Robots make police organizations more functional. Robots improve performance, they work remotely. According to Susan Eustis, leader of the team that prepared the study, "Robots for law enforcement rely on maneuverability. Security technology is becoming mobile, changing the old security camera approach to allowing a more proactive approach to security. The robot can go out and look around." The aim of using law enforcement robots is to secure the safety of the officers in the field. Robots are pretty good at this as it turns out. Police are forced to function in dangerous situations. Law enforcement robots make a manned police force able to function more effectively. Robots can carry video cameras. Video facilitates communicating with a dangerous criminal. Law enforcement robots have become more affordable. Market growth comes from economies of scale that bring the lower costs for more functionality. Law enforcement robot markets at $1 billion in 2015 are anticipated to reach $5.7 billion by 2022. Market growth comes as every law enforcement agency faces the prospect of dealing with terrorists. With technology maturity and economies of scale, price points decline rapidly and affordability continues to drive significant market growth. The companies that have achieved measurable market share early in the evolution of the market are likely to maintain a strong presence in markets. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4002079/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com NEW YORK and DALLAS and WICHITA, Kan., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Hall Capital Partners ("Liberty Hall"), a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry, announced today the acquisition of ZTM, Inc. ("ZTM"), a Tier II supplier of large, complex metallic parts and assemblies for the global aerospace industry. ZTM will be integrated into Accurus Aerospace Corporation ("Accurus"), a leading Tier II supplier of highly engineered machined parts, kits and assemblies and processing services, focused on the highest value aircraft platforms. Liberty Hall's investment partners in Accurus are Hamilton Lane and other leading institutional investors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "ZTM not only expands Accurus's content on the key 737 and 787 platforms, reinforces our strong relationships with our largest customers and extends Accurus's geographic presence into Wichita, but also, importantly, provides Accurus with proven capabilities for delivery of large complex assemblies," said Rowan Taylor, Liberty Hall's founding Partner. "In its 27-year history, ZTM has built a reputation for providing customers with large complex machined parts and assemblies while achieving impeccable quality and delivery standards. The addition of ZTM marks the fifth acquisition for Accurus and a critical step forward as we execute our strategy to build a leading, fully capable, diversified Tier II aerostructures supplier." Founded in 1989, and owned by Brad Julius, Wichita-based ZTM supplies several of the highest value Boeing commercial aerospace platforms, including the 737 and 787. ZTM's largest customers are The Boeing Company and Spirit AeroSystems. In addition to expanding Accurus's content on these key aircraft platforms, ZTM further diversifies Accurus's customer mix and expands Accurus's geographic presence in the central U.S. to Wichita, one of the key aerospace supply regions in the United States. Accurus was formed by Liberty Hall in 2013 and, since its formation, has completed four strategic acquisitions: Precise Machining & Manufacturing (2013), McCann Aerospace Machining (2014), LaCroix Industries (2015) and J&M Machine (2016). Jim Gibson, President and CEO of Accurus, said: "ZTM is a world class supplier of large complex metallic machined parts and assemblies in the central U.S. that has been recognized for superior performance through industry recognitions, such Spirit AeroSystem's Platinum Supplier of the Year Award. We are pleased to be able to substantively expand the Accurus platform in this important region and, with the addition of ZTM's strong, proven assembly capabilities, allow Accurus to extend our now broadened machining and assembly capabilities to our global base of customers." Financing for the acquisition was provided by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citizens Bank. Legal advice to Liberty Hall and Accurus was provided by Schulte Roth & Zabel and Pillsbury. ZTM was advised by Koch Siedhoff Hand & Dunn and Stinson Leonard Street. About Liberty Hall Capital Partners Liberty Hall Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. Liberty Hall's principals have led the investment of $2.3 billion in equity capital in businesses serving multiple segments of the aerospace and defense industry and complementary industrial markets. Liberty Hall develops actionable investment strategies for attractive segments of the aerospace and defense industry and then partners with entrepreneurs and management teams to acquire leading businesses serving these segments and, together with them, develops sound, long-term strategic plans to build these businesses through a combination of strategic investments and strategic acquisitions. For more information, please visit http://www.libertyhallcapital.com/. About Accurus Aerospace Corporation Accurus Aerospace Corporation is a leading Tier II supplier of highly engineered machined parts, kits and assemblies and processing services to the global aerospace and defense industry focused on the highest value aircraft platforms. Accurus was formed in November 2013 to acquire the business of Precise Machining & Manufacturing, and then acquired McCann Aerospace Machining in March 2014, LaCroix Industries in July 2015 and J&M Machine in May 2016. The company possesses highly complementary capabilities that allow Accurus to deliver its products to its customers with optimal cost, quality and delivery. Accurus is currently executing a strategic plan to build its business through strategic investments. For more information, please visit http://www.accurusaero.com/. SOURCE Liberty Hall Capital Partners Related Links http://www.libertyhallcapital.com SAN DIEGO, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SourcingLink.net Inc. (OTC Pink: SNET) Tesla recently accelerated production of their $5B "Gigafactory" in anticipation of increased demand for lithium, ahead of the release of their new Model 3 sedan, as discussed in this recent Wall Street Journal article: http://www.wsj.com/article_email/tesla-races-to-finish-gigafactory-in-time-for-model-3-rollout-1469404142-lMyQjAxMTA2MTI2OTUyOTk4Wj This article not only demonstrates the increase in lithium demand, but also represents a major push to bring lithium battery production to the United States. All of this could be good news for SNET, which may be well positioned with is recent acquisition of the Lac Fire Lithium property in Quebec, Canada. About The Eldor Project: SourcingLink.net, Inc. acquired 8 new lithium-tantalum claims in James Bay, Quebec, Canada. The block of 8 new claims share a 12 km boundary which is on three sides with the Rose Lithium Tantalum Property of Critical Elements Corp. The new Lac Fire property was staked to strategically cover ground that may be on strike and have similar geology to the Rose Lithium Tantalum Resource. The company has signed an agreement to acquire 100% interest in the Eldor Rare Earth Property Claims (The Eldor Project) located in Northern Quebec, Canada (one of the most favorable mining jurisdictions in the world). The Eldor Project consists of 34 mineral claims covering approximately 3951 acres and is located in Northern Quebec which is considered one of the most favorable mining jurisdictions in the world. About SourcingLink.net, Inc.: SourcingLink.net is a U.S. based publicly traded exploration and development company. Their focus in on rare metals and rare earth elements which are among the primary input materials for the 21st Century technology. Forward-looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which contain words such as "expect," "believe" or "plan," by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. These uncertainties may cause actual future events to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements. Contact: SourcingLink.net 12526 High Bluff Drive, Ste 300 San Diego, CA 92130 Phone +1-855-726-RARE (7273) Website: http://www.sourcinglink.org Email: [email protected] SOURCE SourcingLink.net, Inc. LONDON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This report examines a decade of lithium-ion batteries and beyond. It analyses needs, applications, technology, future winners, losers, alternatives, competition and profit with 10 year sales forecasts and 400+ suppliers' technology and applications listed. Their cost, safety and performance tradeoff is unchallenged in an increasing number of large new applications including wearable electronics, land, water, airborne vehicles, buildings, off-grid power. Understand how flexible, stretchable, transparent and load-bearing versions will succeed. This report has over 170 detailed slide-format pages of new forecasts, analysis and infographics seeing the future with depth on technology trends, needs and market forecasts. The emphasis is almost entirely on the present and the future such as how parameters will improve and lower costs, new shapes and mechanical properties, improved safety and non-flammable non-toxic versions will open up new markets. Over 450 manufacturers are compared in chemistry, assembly and sales thrust. There is depth on the next technology breakthroughs such as silicon anodes. The key parts of recent presentations by all the key players are embedded in this work, almost entirely researched in 2016 by award winning PhD level IDTechEx analysts travelling worldwide. Interviews, IDTechEx databases, web searches and conference attendance were extensively used. The structure of the report is a comprehensive Executive Summary and Conclusions with forecasts, issues, roadmaps etc. then Introduction looking at battery basics and lithium-ion in particular. An Applications chapter maps parameters and solutions with detail on the largest market of the coming decade - the trillion dollar electric vehicle business in 2026. Subsequent chapters delve into the new characteristics needed and the technology to achieve them, notably "Li-ion for high energy density, low cost, long life" then "Li-ion becomes thin, flexible, stretchable". After that we look closely at, "Li-ion becomes non-flammable, non-toxic, structural" with some extra achievements such as transparency. Finally, the report has a unique new listing of over 450 manufacturers of Li-ion cells by country, anode, cathode, electrolyte, structure and application where data are established. Some of the key findings that are detailed and explained are: The main market value has recently changed to large versions and electric vehicles and this will continue. This creates a paradox where the number of manufacturers is proliferating past 450 but only a few can make relatively safe, acceptable, affordable large versions - the main market demand. This is because it is easy to make small versions of limited life using primitive factory conditions. The Japanese and Koreans are named that control the key technology and, with the Chinese, the production. The Tesla Gigafactory using Japanese Panasonic Technology will exceed all this capacity but our calculations show that many gigafactories will be needed in the decade. We say who will build others. We explain why competitive advantage in Li-ion batteries will primarily be based on energy density, safety record, cost, production capacity and being in the protected large market of China. Competitive disadvantages are detailed. We explain which alternatives to Li-ion are strongest. We detail a feeding frenzy building up with purchasers coming from more widely afield in both territory and interest. We identify how successful niche players are proliferating and attracting bidders. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3961623/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world where terrorist attacks, police killings, killing of police, military coups, political unrest and divorce are at an all time high, it is time we slow down and help the world get back into "Harmony." Recent scientific studies have made a miraculous discovery - an audio frequency of 528 Hz exists as the scientific "sound of love"...a specific sound wave that literally spreads love around the world. JP Vance Now, for the first time ever, a song has been created that rides this love wave. "Love is 528", written and produced by up and coming producer Jesse Pacheco and sung by young pop artist JP Vance, uses the 528 Hz frequency as the base for the song. It is a song that addresses the measurable power of love and hope that brings the world together at all levels. The core of the song is romantic love, family love and self love as Jesse and JP believe it is these elements that drive world love and world peace. They believe that all love starts at home and then can be multiplied to positively influence all things in the universe. Jesse and JP dream that "Love is 528" will be a force that will make the world take a moment to realize its imbalances, and bring everyone back into a peaceful equilibrium and harmony. The hope is that the song will cause people to rethink what is really important in life. Jesse and JP go as far as to guarantee every time you listen to Love is 528 that you will experience positive changes in your life. Something as simple and powerful as the proof that love has real scientific backing, can spawn an evolution of understanding that love is what unites us all as human beings. JP and Jesse hope that Love is 528 can help cure world problems, and cause people to fall in love and stay in love. Jesse and JP's mission is to make "Love is 528" a world anthem for love. JP Vance is a 15-year-old international artist who grew up in both Beijing and America. He is an American kid who speaks, reads and writes Chinese just as fluently as he does English. He is of Asian and Caucasian descent, appealing to both the American and Chinese markets. JP's Chinese name is Jiang Zi Long. At the age of 12, he had a number one song in China. The music duo has created a 10-point doctrine for "Love is 528" to achieve several missions for all of humanity, wherever it is heard: - - To bring people together to find lasting love. - - To make a strong relationship even stronger for couples already in love. - - To help reduce divorce and to once again enjoy a loving relationship with your family and friends. - - To help people relax, heal old wounds and better love themselves so they can spread that love to others. - - To have romantic love that enjoys good communication, caring, commitment and forgiveness. - - For people to consciously be thankful and appreciative for what they already have before reaching for more. - - To make people see past the color of skin and other differences. - - To stop terrorists from using terror to convey their message. - - To be empathetic by listening better and taking the time to see the other person's point of view. - - To understand that love is the base of all things in life. This song is all these things and so much more. The 528 Hz frequency is used throughout "Love is 528" as its base. JP and Jesse dream that whoever listens to the song will make changes in their life, and go on to spread those same changes in others, one person at a time. This domino effect is setting off a new wave of harmony that will make every day Valentine's Day - a world of romance, love and appreciation year round. "Love is 528" is set to drop on the heels of the upcoming 2016 Summer Games. The song's core values go hand-in-hand with what the Summer Games represent: World Unity. To emulate this sentiment, JP and Jesse will be launching the song's debut primarily on YouTube so that people around the world may have access to it. They also hope that radio stations will play the song to change the world for the better. The song can be found online by searching "Love is 528" or "JP Vance" on YouTube.com & YouKu.com. The song can also be purchased on ITunes and CdBaby. Contact: John Michael Pense Email 747-477-9258, Instagram: jpvancemusic Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394677 SOURCE Jesse Pacheco and JP Vance " All around the globe, consumers are shifting away from long, large meals, and towards quick small bites, resulting in the snacking boom. Snacking is not only big business, but a fast growing one. Based on a Nielsen report, global snacks sales grossed almost $4 billion annually, " said Aihui Ong, Founder and CEO of Love With Food. " Hence, the decision for us to go global was more of a ' when ' rather than an ' if ' . We ' ve received tens of thousands of requests asking for Love With Food from all over the world, so meeting this demand from our international fans has been a major priority for us. We ' re very excited to finally offer Love With Food to people around the world who want to discover new all-natural snacks. " International consumers will now have the opportunity to try mostly North American snacks and brands previously unavailable in their local markets in the comfort of their homes. This expansion will also allow North American food companies to reach new international consumers effortlessly. "Our mission is to help consumers discover the latest and greatest healthier snack options easily and this expansion will establish Love With Food as a global trusted brand beyond the U.S," Ong said. Love With Food's international customers will have the option to order The Deluxe Box, a sampling of 16-20 new surprise snacks starting at $16.50 USD/month, or The Gluten-Free Box, a sampling of 10-12 surprise celiac-safe and mostly dairy-free snacks starting at $19.99 USD/month. In addition, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to international food banks to help fight world hunger. Love With Food is offering an introductory shipping cost of $3.99 for the first 5,000 international customers to sign up. International shipping will begin with over 25 select countries, but the company plans to expand around the rest of the world shortly after. To subscribe and learn more about this tasty discovery service, visit www.lovewithfood.com. About Love With Food: Founded in 2012, Love With Food is the leading direct-to-consumer channel that connects food brands with health conscious consumers. It's a monthly delivery service of personalized products that helps healthy conscious consumers discover and try new, organic, natural or gluten-free snacks in their homes. This channel benefits brands by helping them reach the right target audience and tap into valuable customer intelligence data. Love With Food is headquartered in Foster City, CA and operates in 27 countries. Love With Food donates meals to fight world hunger. To date, it has donated more than ONE MILLION meals to food banks. To learn more, visit LoveWithFood.com. For further information contact: Melody O'Flaherty, [email protected], (646) 669-9585 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160730/394374 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160730/394375LOGO SOURCE Love With Food Related Links http://www.lovewithfood.com CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, today reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 20161. Unless otherwise noted, all comparisons of fiscal 2016 third quarter or year-to-date performance are to the comparable periods of fiscal 2015. Total Mallinckrodt net sales were $970.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2016, up 10.6%, or 10.8% on a constant-currency basis. Specialty Brands segment revenue was up 32.1% and was the primary component of overall net sales acceleration. Results were led by solid volume growth in H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticosteroid injection), unusually strong net sales results for INOMAX (nitric oxide) gas, for inhalation, and incremental volume growth for OFIRMEV (acetaminophen) injection and for the Therakos immunotherapy platform. Specialty Brands results were partially offset by decreased net sales within the Specialty Generics and Nuclear Imaging segments. GAAP2 net income from continuing operations for the quarter was $195.7 million, or $1.79 per diluted share, compared with $55.6 million, or $0.47 per diluted share. The increase principally reflects higher net sales and profits from acquired assets in the Specialty Brands segment and strong net sales and profit contribution from Acthar. In addition, selling, general and administrative (SG&A) costs decreased due to 2015 charges that did not recur in fiscal 2016. These factors were partially offset by higher interest expense resulting primarily from the debt associated with the acquisitions of INOMAX and Therakos. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.20, up 8.9% from $2.02. "Mallinckrodt's strong performance in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 reflects an ongoing focus on execution in Specialty Brands -- particularly in our commercial and scientific organizations. We continue to generate compelling new data and clinical evidence for key brands, and are working to bring this data to new physicians and patients - clear evidence that our Acquire to Invest strategy is creating performance momentum," said Mark Trudeau, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are particularly pleased with the results in the quarter from Acthar - driven solely by volume gains - and INOMAX, with OFIRMEV and Therakos continuing to contribute notable advances. By following our strategy and focusing on execution, we are making steady progress in building a leading specialty pharmaceutical company and are creating near- and long-term value for patients and shareholders." GAAP gross profit was $541.3 million for the quarter, up 7.4% over $503.8 million. This growth resulted from the performance of Acthar, the full quarter inclusion and performance of INOMAX, the performance of OFIRMEV, and the inclusion and performance of Therakos, partially offset by decreased gross profit from the Specialty Generics segment. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 55.8% compared with 57.4%, reflecting increased amortization expense. Adjusted gross profit was $718.5 million for the quarter, up 9.7% over $654.9 million. Adjusted gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 74.0% versus 74.6%. GAAP SG&A expenses for the quarter were $248.4 million, compared with $295.0 million, representing 25.6% and 33.6% of net sales, respectively. The decrease in absolute SG&A expenses is due to fiscal 2015 legal and stock compensation costs that did not recur in fiscal 2016, and lower transaction costs in the current year. Adjusted SG&A expenses for the quarter were $250.1 million, compared with $234.5 million, principally driven by the additions of INOMAX and Therakos. Adjusted SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales for the quarter were 25.8%, an improvement of 90 basis points. Income tax benefit in the third quarter was $89.3 million, versus a benefit of $1.2 million, resulting in GAAP effective rates of negative 83.9% and 2.2%, respectively. The adjusted effective tax rate was 18.6% compared with 16.8%. The variance between the GAAP and non-GAAP effective tax rate relates to the tax effect on pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments and deferred tax benefits recognized upon pay down of intercompany installment notes created by internal sales of acquired intangible assets. Nine-Month Fiscal 2016 Results Net sales were $2.803 billion, up 13.8% compared with $2.465 billion. The increase came primarily through continued volume-driven net sales performance for Acthar, the inclusion and performance of INOMAX, performance for OFIRMEV, and the inclusion and performance of Therakos. Specialty Brands results were partially offset by decreased net sales within the Specialty Generics segment. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $3.84 compared with $1.85, an increase of 107.6%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $6.29, compared with $5.52, an increase of 13.9%. Liquidity During the fiscal third quarter, the company repurchased 1.7 million ordinary shares under its share repurchase program for $100.3 million and repaid $150.0 million of the company's revolving credit facility. In the first nine months of fiscal 2016, Mallinckrodt generated $994.4 million in operating cash flow and $860.9 million in free cash flow, with $412.2 million in free cash flow in the third quarter alone. The company used a portion of this strong nine-month cash generation and the cash received from the divestiture of the CMDS business to repurchase $600.2 million of ordinary shares under our authorized program, reduce debt by $208.8 million, and acquire the Hemostasis products for $173.5 million. Mallinckrodt's cash balance at the end of the fiscal third quarter was $521.9 million. In July, after the close of the fiscal third quarter, the company paid off the remaining balance of $250.0 million on its revolving credit facility, which is now undrawn. The company's liquidity position remains quite strong and management remains focused primarily on allocating capital to share repurchases, further debt reduction and additional business development. BUSINESS SEGMENT RESULTS Specialty Brands Segment The segment benefited from strong commercial execution throughout the third quarter with net sales increasing to $589.3 million, compared with $446.2 million, an increase of 32.1%, or 32.3% on a constant-currency basis. Acthar net sales were $298.3 million in the quarter, an 11.0% increase over $268.7 million. Mallinckrodt's second largest product, INOMAX, generated net sales of $121.1 million, up 48.6% over $81.5 million, with constant-currency pro forma basis growth of 23.5%. OFIRMEV net sales were $70.7 million compared with $62.1 million, an increase of 13.8%. Net sales of the Therakos immunotherapy product line were $52.5 million, with constant-currency pro forma basis growth of 15.7%. Specialty Generics Segment Net sales for the segment in the third quarter decreased 14.5% to $263.4 million, compared with $307.9 million, driven principally by net sales declines in various product categories due to increased competition negatively impacting both volume and price. On a constant-currency basis, segment net sales declined 14.3%. Management continues to expect decreased net sales in this segment in coming quarters. Nuclear Imaging Segment Net sales for the third quarter fiscal 2016 for the Nuclear Imaging segment were $104.0 million, compared with $108.8 million, a 4.4% decline, or 4.7% on a constant-currency basis. GUIDANCE UPDATE Management provided an adjusted diluted earnings guidance range for calendar year 2016 (the 53-week period ending December 30, 2016) of $8.50 to $8.80 per share. Management also noted they now expect results from fiscal year 2016 (the period ending September 30, 2016) to come in above the high end of the previously provided range of $8.15 to $8.50 per share. Mallinckrodt does not provide guidance on GAAP diluted earnings per share because it is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the following items without unreasonable effort: intangible asset amortization, restructuring and related charges, inventory step-up expense, non-restructuring impairment charges, changes in contingent consideration fair value, acquisition-related expenses, and legal and environmental charges. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors and could be material to Mallinckrodt's GAAP diluted earnings per share. CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST Mallinckrodt will hold a conference call for investors on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, beginning at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. This call can be accessed in three ways: At the Mallinckrodt website: http://www.mallinckrodt.com/investors. website: http://www.mallinckrodt.com/investors. By telephone: For both listen-only participants and those who wish to take part in the question-and-answer portion of the call, the telephone dial-in number in the U.S. is (877) 359-9508. For participants outside the U.S., the dial-in number is (224) 357-2393. Callers will need to provide the Conference ID of 34055287. Through an audio replay: A replay of the call will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 , and ending at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Aug.16, 2016. Dial-in numbers for U.S.-based participants are (855) 859-2056 or (800) 585-8367. Participants outside the U.S. should use the replay dial-in number (404) 537-3406. All callers will be required to provide the Conference ID of 34055287. ABOUT MALLINCKRODT Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products and therapies, as well as nuclear imaging products. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and hemostasis products; and central nervous system drugs. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines; its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing; and the Nuclear Imaging segment includes nuclear imaging agents. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com . Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES This press release contains financial measures, including adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted gross profit, adjusted SG&A, net sales growth on a constant-currency basis, adjusted effective tax rate, pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015 INOMAX net sales, pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015 Therakos net sales, and free cash flow, which are considered "non-GAAP" financial measures under applicable SEC rules and regulations. Adjusted net income, adjusted gross profit and adjusted SG&A represent amounts prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (GAAP) and adjusted for certain items that management believes are not reflective of the operational performance of the business. The adjustments for these items are on a pre-tax basis for adjusted gross profit and adjusted SG&A and on an after-tax basis for adjusted net income. Adjustments to GAAP amounts include, as applicable to each measure, restructuring and related charges, net; amortization and impairment charges; discontinued operations; acquisition-related expenses; changes in fair value of contingent consideration obligations; inventory step-up expenses; significant legal and environmental charges; recurrent cash tax payments to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service associated with internal installment sales transactions; and other items identified by the company. Adjusted diluted earnings per share represent adjusted net income divided by the number of diluted shares. The adjusted effective tax rate is calculated as the income tax effects on continuing and discontinued operations plus the income tax impact included in Mallinckrodt's reconciliation of net income, divided by income from continuing and discontinued operations plus the pre-tax, non-income, tax-related adjustments included in its reconciliation of adjusted net income (excluding dilutive share impact). The income tax impact item included in its reconciliation of adjusted net income primarily represents the tax impact of adjustments between net income and adjusted net income as well as U.S. tax payments associated with internal installment sale transactions. Net sales growth on a constant-currency basis measures the change in net sales between current- and prior-year periods using a constant currency, the exchange rate in effect during the applicable prior-year period. Pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015 INOMAX net sales represent $98.1 million of INOMAX net sales, which represents $16.6 million under its prior ownership and $81.5 million under Mallinckrodt subsequent to the Apr. 16, 2015 acquisition. INOMAX growth in the third quarter fiscal 2016 represented 23.4% over pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015. The growth was negatively impacted by 0.1% due to currency impacts. Pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015 Therakos net sales represent $46.2 million of its net sales under prior ownership. Therakos growth in the third quarter fiscal 2016 was 13.6% over pro forma third quarter fiscal 2015. The growth was negatively offset by 2.1% due to currency impacts. Free cash flow for the first nine months of fiscal 2016 represents net cash provided by operating activities of $994.4 million less capital expenditures of $133.5 million, each as prepared in accordance with GAAP. For the third quarter, the company generated $454.3 million in net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures of $42.1 million. The company has provided these adjusted financial measures because they are used by management, along with financial measures in accordance with GAAP, to evaluate the company's operating performance. In addition, the company believes that they will be used by certain investors to measure Mallinckrodt's operating results. Management believes that presenting these adjusted measures provides useful information about the company's performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that the company does not believe are indicative of its core operating performance. These adjusted measures should be considered supplemental to and not a substitute for financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The company's definition of these adjusted measures may differ from similarly titled measures used by others. Because adjusted financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the company's reported results of operations, management strongly encourages investors to review the company's consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. A reconciliation of certain of these historical adjusted financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables accompanying this release. Further information regarding non-GAAP financial measures can be found on the Investor Relations page of the company's website. Cautionary Statements Related to Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this document that are not strictly historical, including statements regarding future financial condition and operating results, economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting Mallinckrodt's businesses and any other statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future, may be "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things; general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which Mallinckrodt operates; the commercial success of Mallinckrodt's products; Mallinckrodt's ability to realize anticipated growth, synergies and cost savings from acquisitions; conditions that could necessitate an evaluation of Mallinckrodt's goodwill and/or intangible assets for possible impairment; changes in laws and regulations; Mallinckrodt's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions of operations, technology, products and businesses generally and to realize anticipated growth, synergies and cost savings; Mallinckrodt's ability to successfully develop or commercialize new products; Mallinckrodt's ability to protect intellectual property rights; Mallinckrodt's ability to receive procurement and production quotas granted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; customer concentration; Mallinckrodt's reliance on certain individual products that are material to its financial performance; cost containment efforts of customers, purchasing groups, third-party payers and governmental organizations; the reimbursement practices of a small number of public or private insurers; pricing pressure on certain of Mallinckrodt's products due to legal changes or changes in insurers' reimbursement practices resulting from recent increased public scrutiny of healthcare and pharmaceutical costs; limited clinical trial data for H.P. Acthar Gel; complex reporting and payment obligations under healthcare rebate programs; Mallinckrodt's ability to navigate price fluctuations; future changes to U.S. and foreign tax laws; Mallinckrodt's ability to achieve expected benefits from restructuring activities; complex manufacturing processes; competition; product liability losses and other litigation liability; ongoing governmental investigations; material health, safety and environmental liabilities; retention of key personnel; conducting business internationally; and the effectiveness of information technology infrastructure. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" sections of Mallinckrodt's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 25, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 25, 2016. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law. CONTACTS Investor Relations Coleman N. Lannum, CFA Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO 314-654-6649 [email protected] Daniel J. Speciale, CPA Director, Investor Relations 314-654-3638 [email protected] Media Rhonda Sciarra Senior Communications Manager 314-654-8618 [email protected] Meredith Fischer Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs 314-654-3318 [email protected] MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (unaudited, in millions, except per share data) Three Months Ended June 24, 2016 Percent of Net sales June 26, 2015 Percent of Net sales Net sales $ 970.6 100.0 % $ 877.3 100.0 % Cost of sales 429.3 44.2 373.5 42.6 Gross profit 541.3 55.8 503.8 57.4 Selling, general and administrative expenses 248.4 25.6 295.0 33.6 Research and development expenses 76.1 7.8 59.9 6.8 Restructuring charges, net 14.1 1.5 22.7 2.6 Gains on divestiture and license (0.2) (0.9) (0.1) Operating income 202.9 20.9 127.1 14.5 Interest expense (95.6) (9.8) (72.5) (8.3) Interest income 0.4 0.2 Other income (loss), net (1.3) (0.1) (0.4) Income from continuing operations before income taxes 106.4 11.0 54.4 6.2 Income tax benefit (89.3) (9.2) (1.2) (0.1) Income from continuing operations 195.7 20.2 55.6 6.3 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes 3.6 0.4 2.4 0.3 Net income $ 199.3 20.5 % $ 58.0 6.6 % Basic earnings per share: Income from continuing operations $ 1.80 $ 0.47 Income (loss) from discontinued operations 0.03 0.02 Net income 1.84 0.50 Diluted earnings per share: Income from continuing operations $ 1.79 $ 0.47 Income (loss) from discontinued operations 0.03 0.02 Net income 1.82 0.49 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding: Basic 108.6 116.3 Diluted 109.4 117.8 MALLINCKRODT PLC NON-GAAP MEASURES (unaudited, in millions except per share data) Three Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Gross profit Selling, general and administrative expenses Net income Diluted net income per share Gross profit Selling, general and administrative expenses Net income Diluted net income per share GAAP $ 541.3 $ 248.4 $ 199.3 $ 1.82 $ 503.8 $ 295.0 $ 58.0 $ 0.49 Adjustments: Intangible asset amortization 174.0 (1.8) 175.8 1.61 147.1 (1.9) 149.0 1.26 Restructuring and related charges, net (1) 0.6 (0.7) 15.3 0.14 22.7 0.19 Inventory step-up expense 2.6 2.6 0.02 4.0 4.0 0.03 Incremental equity conversion costs (19.6) 19.6 0.17 Loss (income) from discontinued operations (3.6) (0.03) (2.4) (0.02) Change in contingent consideration fair value 4.3 (4.3) (0.04) Acquisition related expenses (0.1) 0.1 (23.5) 23.5 0.20 Significant legal and environmental changes (15.5) 15.5 0.13 Income taxes (2) (144.4) (1.32) (49.6) (0.42) Dilutive share impact (3) (1.8) (0.01) As adjusted $ 718.5 $ 250.1 $ 240.8 $ 2.20 $ 654.9 $ 234.5 $ 238.5 $ 2.02 Percent of net sales 74.0 % 25.8 % 24.8 % 74.6 % 26.7 % 27.2 % (1) Includes pre-tax accelerated depreciation. (2) Includes tax effects of above adjustments as well as the elimination of deferred tax benefits recognized upon pay downof intercompany installment notes created by internal sales of acquired intangible assets. (3) For the three months ended June 26, 2015, the diluted net income per share on a GAAP basis was required to be calculated using the two-class method of calculating net income per share. This method required $0.4 million of net income be allocated to participating securities for the three months ended June 26, 2015. This adjustment reflects this allocation and a similar allocation of the above adjustments. Using the two-class method, the weighted-average number of shares were 117.8 million for the three months ended June 26, 2015. Due to the fiscal 2015 vesting of equity awards that qualified as participating securities, the Company is no longer required to use the two-class method, and therefore applied the treasury stock method for the three months ended June 26, 2016. MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Three Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands $ 589.3 $ 446.2 32.1 % (0.2) % 32.3 % Specialty Generics 263.4 307.9 (14.5) (0.2) (14.3) Nuclear Imaging 104.0 108.8 (4.4) 0.3 (4.7) 956.7 862.9 10.9 (0.2) 11.1 Other(1) 13.9 14.4 (3.5) (3.5) Net sales $ 970.6 $ 877.3 10.6 % (0.2) % 10.8 % (1) Represents net sales from an ongoing, post-divestiture supply agreement with the acquirer of the CMDS business. Amounts for periods prior to the divestiture represent the reclassification of intercompany sales to third-party sales to conform with the expected presentation of the ongoing supply agreement. MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES (unaudited, in millions) Three Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands Acthar $ 298.3 $ 268.7 11.0 % % 11.0 % Inomax 121.1 81.5 48.6 (0.1) 48.7 % Ofirmev 70.7 62.1 13.8 13.8 % Therakos immunotherapy 52.5 % Hemostasis 13.9 % Other 32.8 33.9 (3.2) 0.2 (3.4) % Specialty Brands Total $ 589.3 $ 446.2 32.1 % (0.2) % 32.3 % Specialty Generics Hydrocodone (API) and hydrocodone-containing tablets $ 38.2 $ 37.4 2.1 % % 2.1 % Oxycodone (API) and oxycodone-containing tablets 30.6 31.6 (3.2) (3.2) Methylphenidate ER 24.3 30.0 (19.0) (19.0) Other controlled substances 124.7 157.4 (20.8) (20.8) Other 45.6 51.5 (11.5) (1.3) (10.2) Specialty Generics Total $ 263.4 $ 307.9 (14.5) % (0.2) % (14.3) % Nuclear Imaging Total $ 104.0 $ 108.8 (4.4) % 0.3 % (4.7) % MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (unaudited, in millions, except per share data) Nine Months Ended June 24, 2016 Percent of Net sales June 26, 2015 Percent of Net sales Net sales $ 2,803.4 100.0 % $ 2,464.5 100.0 % Cost of sales 1,290.8 46.0 1,093.0 44.3 Gross profit 1,512.6 54.0 1,371.5 55.7 Selling, general and administrative expenses 722.1 25.8 827.5 33.6 Research and development expenses 198.3 7.1 170.6 6.9 Restructuring charges, net 29.1 1.0 33.4 1.4 Non-restructuring impairment charges 16.9 0.6 Gains on divestiture and license (0.5) (2.6) (0.1) Operating income 546.7 19.5 342.6 13.9 Interest expense (290.6) (10.4) (178.7) (7.3) Interest income 0.8 0.7 Other income, net 8.0 0.3 Income from continuing operations before income taxes 256.9 9.2 172.6 7.0 Income tax benefit (175.0) (6.2) (45.6) (1.9) Income from continuing operations 431.9 15.4 218.2 8.9 Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes 96.8 3.5 31.3 1.3 Net income $ 528.7 18.9 % $ 249.5 10.1 % Basic earnings per share: Income from continuing operations $ 3.87 $ 1.87 Income from discontinued operations 0.87 0.27 Net income 4.73 2.14 Diluted earnings per share: Income from continuing operations $ 3.84 $ 1.85 Income from discontinued operations 0.86 0.26 Net income 4.70 2.11 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding: Basic 111.7 115.5 Diluted 112.6 117.1 MALLINCKRODT PLC NON-GAAP MEASURES (unaudited, in millions except per share data) Nine Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Gross profit Selling, general and administrative expenses Net income Diluted net income per share Gross profit Selling, general and administrative expenses Net income Diluted net income per share GAAP $ 1,512.6 $ 722.1 $ 528.7 $ 4.70 $ 1,371.5 $ 827.5 $ 249.5 $ 2.11 Adjustments: Intangible asset amortization 518.8 (5.4) 524.2 4.66 392.4 (4.3) 396.7 3.39 Restructuring and related charges, net (1) 1.2 (1.8) 32.1 0.29 33.6 0.29 Inventory step-up expense 20.9 20.9 0.19 39.2 39.2 0.33 Incremental equity conversion costs (65.0) 65.0 0.56 Income from discontinued operations (96.8) (0.86) (31.3) (0.27) Non-restructuring impairment charges 16.9 0.15 Change in contingent consideration fair value 10.6 (10.6) (0.09) Acquisition related expenses (3.1) 3.1 0.03 (30.6) 30.6 0.26 Significant legal and environmental changes (11.5) 11.5 0.10 (66.8) 66.8 0.57 Income taxes (2) (321.7) (2.86) (197.9) (1.69) Dilutive share impact (3) (5.9) (0.02) As adjusted $ 2,053.5 $ 710.9 $ 708.3 $ 6.29 $ 1,803.1 $ 660.8 $ 646.3 $ 5.52 Percent of net sales 73.3 % 25.4 % 25.3 % 73.2 % 26.8 % 26.2 % (1) Includes pre-tax accelerated depreciation. (2) Includes tax effects of above adjustments as well as the elimination of deferred tax benefits recognized upon pay downof intercompany installment notes created by internal sales of acquired intangible assets. (3) For the nine months ended June 26, 2015, the diluted net income per share on a GAAP basis was required to be calculated using the two-class method of calculating net income per share. This method required $2.3 million of net income be allocated to participating securities for the nine months ended June 26, 2015. This adjustment reflects this allocation and a similar allocation of the above adjustments. Using the two-class method, the weighted-average number of shares were 117.1 million for the nine months ended June 26, 2015. Due to the fiscal 2015 vesting of equity awards that qualified as participating securities, the Company is no longer required to use the two-class method, and therefore applied the treasury stock method for the nine months ended June 26, 2015. MALLINCKRODT PLC SEGMENT NET SALES AND CONSTANT-CURRENCY GROWTH (unaudited, in millions) Nine Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands $ 1,667.5 $ 1,154.1 44.5 % (0.3) % 44.8 % Specialty Generics 785.4 954.9 (17.8) (0.6) (17.2) Nuclear Imaging 309.8 320.2 (3.2) (1.8) (1.4) 2,762.7 2,429.2 13.7 (0.6) 14.3 Other(1) 40.7 35.3 15.3 15.3 Net sales $ 2,803.4 $ 2,464.5 13.8 % (0.6) % 14.4 % (1) Represents net sales from an ongoing, post-divestiture supply agreement with the acquirer of the CMDS business. Amounts for periods prior to the divestiture represent the reclassification of intercompany sales to third-party sales to conform with the expected presentation of the ongoing supply agreement. MALLINCKRODT PLC SELECT PRODUCT LINE NET SALES (unaudited, in millions) Nine Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Percent change Currency impact Constant- currency growth Specialty Brands Acthar $ 833.4 $ 763.1 9.2 % % 9.2 % Inomax 347.4 81.5 326.3 (0.6) 326.9 % Ofirmev 208.7 201.6 3.5 3.5 % Therakos immunotherapy 153.1 % Hemostasis 25.3 % Other 99.6 107.9 (7.7) (0.2) (7.5) % Specialty Brands Total $ 1,667.5 $ 1,154.1 44.5 % (0.3) % 44.8 % Specialty Generics Hydrocodone (API) and hydrocodone-containing tablets $ 115.7 $ 138.0 (16.2) % % (16.2) % Oxycodone (API) and oxycodone-containing tablets 97.4 127.2 (23.4) (23.4) Methylphenidate ER 80.1 112.6 (28.9) (28.9) Other controlled substances 356.3 414.7 (14.1) (14.1) Other 135.9 162.4 (16.3) (3.7) (12.6) Specialty Generics Total $ 785.4 $ 954.9 (17.8) % (0.6) % (17.2) % Nuclear Imaging Total $ 309.8 $ 320.2 (3.2) % (1.8) % (1.4) % MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited, in millions) June 24, 2016 September 25, 2015 Assets Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 521.9 $ 365.9 Accounts receivable, net 500.0 548.5 Inventories 357.7 281.8 Deferred income taxes 115.7 142.7 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 131.0 207.3 Current assets held for sale 299.9 Total current assets 1,626.3 1,846.1 Property, plant and equipment, net 1,012.0 991.3 Goodwill 3,645.5 3,649.4 Intangible assets, net 9,258.5 9,666.3 Other assets 290.9 251.0 Total Assets $ 15,833.2 $ 16,404.1 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current Liabilities: Current maturities of long-term debt $ 21.7 $ 22.3 Accounts payable 125.4 133.0 Accrued payroll and payroll-related costs 110.5 103.7 Accrued interest 69.9 80.2 Accrued and other current liabilities 642.0 517.4 Current liabilities held for sale 72.8 Total current liabilities 969.5 929.4 Long-term debt 6,279.0 6,474.3 Pension and postretirement benefits 136.4 116.7 Environmental liabilities 73.2 73.3 Deferred income taxes 2,772.5 3,132.4 Other income tax liabilities 95.3 121.3 Other liabilities 298.5 245.5 Total Liabilities 10,624.4 11,092.9 Shareholders' Equity: Preferred shares Ordinary shares 23.6 23.5 Ordinary shares held in treasury at cost (711.7) (109.7) Additional paid-in capital 5,395.0 5,357.6 Retained earnings 567.6 38.9 Accumulated other comprehensive income (65.7) 0.9 Total Shareholders' Equity 5,208.8 5,311.2 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity $ 15,833.2 $ 16,404.1 MALLINCKRODT PLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited, in millions) Nine Months Ended June 24, 2016 June 26, 2015 Cash Flows From Operating Activities: Net income $ 528.7 $ 249.5 Adjustments to reconcile net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 625.0 481.2 Share-based compensation 30.6 93.9 Deferred income taxes (324.3) (135.2) Non-cash impairment charges 16.9 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations (99.1) Other non-cash items 22.7 (61.2) Changes in assets and liabilities, net of the effects of acquisitions: Accounts receivable, net 51.2 (22.9) Inventories (6.5) 36.9 Accounts payable (8.6) 16.5 Income taxes 140.7 61.6 Other 17.1 (161.1) Net cash provided by operating activities 994.4 559.2 Cash Flows From Investing Activities: Capital expenditures (133.5) (92.5) Acquisitions and intangibles, net of cash acquired (169.5) (1,176.3) Proceeds from disposal of discontinued operations, net of cash 267.0 Restricted cash 47.1 (21.9) Other 5.3 2.6 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 16.4 (1,288.1) Cash Flows From Financing Activities: Issuance of external debt 98.3 1,720.0 Repayment of external debt and capital leases (307.1) (1,457.8) Debt financing costs (0.1) (25.3) Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation 30.4 Proceeds from exercise of share options 8.5 29.7 Repurchase of shares (602.0) (15.4) Other (53.0) (28.1) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (855.4) 253.5 Effect of currency rate changes on cash 0.6 (7.1) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 156.0 (482.5) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 365.9 707.8 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 521.9 $ 225.3 1 Amounts reported reflect presentation of the company's former contrast media and delivery systems (CMDS) business as a discontinued operation. 2 Generally accepted accounting principles Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/167103LOGO SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com TORONTO, ON and SAN DIEGO, CA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife's Lab of Forward Thinking (LOFT) is collaborating with Nervana Systems, a company that is building the next generation of intelligent applications. Manulife's LOFT will use these applications to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning tool to analyze the high volume of online information, financial news, emails and documents that portfolio managers receive each day when researching investments. "The complexity of the financial markets and vast amount of data generated make deep learning an ideal fit for financial services companies," said Naveen Rao, CEO, Nervana Systems. "Nervana Cloud will help Manulife's portfolio managers quickly organize, search and analyze new and historical financial data to make faster and more accurate investment decisions." Manulife's LOFT is using deep learning to train a computer system so it can decipher natural language. By analyzing information, the computer then processes terms and words to infer meaning. It then has the capability to learn from that information, continuously improving itself. The Manulife LOFT project will utilize a deep learning-based natural language processing engine. Using deep learning, Manulife will be able to analyze data and present recommendations that could help investment advisors and other professionals make informed decisions faster than ever before. Manulife - and under its John Hancock brand in the United States has established a global network of LOFTs in Boston, Toronto and Singapore. The Toronto LOFT located in the C-Suite (fintech cluster) at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto will be leading the project. "This partnership with Nervana accelerates our development efforts and our understanding of this new technology," said Greg Framke, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Manulife. "Deep learning and artificial intelligence technologies have the potential to enhance research efforts in virtually all areas of the company." About Nervana Systems Based in Palo Alto and San Diego, CA, Nervana Systems has developed a full-stack deep learning solution that enables organizations of all sizes to quickly build and deploy state-of-the-art deep learning-based AI solutions. Founded by experts in machine learning, neuroscience, and computer engineering, Nervana has assembled experienced data scientists, engineers, and business professionals from the best institutions, research labs, and high-growth technology companies in the world including Brown, Caltech, Duke, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Qualcomm, and Goldman Sachs. The company is backed by leading VC firms including DFJ, DCVC, Allen & Co, AME Cloud Ventures, Playground Global, CME Group, Fuel Capital, Lux Capital, and Omidyar Network. To learn more about the Nervana Cloud, please email us at [email protected]. About the Lab of Forward Thinking Manulife and John Hancock's Lab of Forward Thinking (LOFT) explores emerging technologies, new business processes and consumer needs to deliver innovative solutions. Through LOFT labs in Boston, Singapore and Toronto, teams discover, incubate and accelerate new technologies, products, services and processes. The fail-fast culture gives every idea a fighting chance to succeed. Follow the LOFT on Facebook, as well as on Twitter and Instagram at @InnovateForward. About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group providing forward-thinking solutions to help people with their big financial decisions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2015, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 63,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers. At the end of March 2016, we had $904 billion (US$697 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $24.9 billion in benefits, interest and other payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. Follow Manulife on Twitter @ManulifeNews or visit www.manulife.com or www.johnhancock.com. SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation Related Links http://www.manulife.com SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) today announced the appointment of Maria Thomas to its board of directors, effective August 15, 2016. Thomas replaces Kathleen Foley Feldstein, a long-standing member of the board, who retired at McClatchy's annual meeting on May 18, 2016. Thomas was an early product leader at Amazon.com and has been building innovative digital business models and lasting consumer brands ever since. She spent seven years leading NPR Digital and most recently served as the interim CEO and strategic advisor to Glamsquad, a NYC-based startup offering beauty services on demand. Thomas has held executive roles with other successful startups like Etsy and SmartThings, as well as with more established brands like American Express. "I am thrilled to welcome Maria to McClatchy's board of directors," said Kevin McClatchy. "Maria has a talent for taking companies from startup to success. I look forward to the impact she can make in helping the company develop its digital strategies further and continuing its strong digital execution." Thomas was the first non-founder CEO at Etsy from 2008 to 2010. She led the young company through a period of extraordinary growth and into profitability. Under her leadership, Etsy became a trusted global brand embraced by seven million customers and a trusted e-commerce platform serving hundreds of thousands of sellers with gross merchandise sales of more than $300 million. Subsequently, Thomas served as Chief Marketing and Consumer Officer for SmartThings, a pioneer in the consumer Internet of Things arena. She helped SmartThings navigate its two year journey from launch on Kickstarter to a $200 million sale to Samsung. Thomas broke similar ground in the news industry where, from 2001-2008, she was SVP and GM of NPR Digital. She was a driving force behind NPR's successful transformation from a radio-only company to a best-in-class, multimedia enterprise. Thomas currently serves on the board of the privately held digital textile printing and e-commerce company, Spoonflower. She served three years on the board of online grocery company Relay Foods before its merger with Door-to-Door Organics. Thomas is also an angel investor in several start-ups. "I am excited to join the McClatchy board at such a transformative juncture for the company," Thomas said. "They are tackling the challenges of our digital world head-on while staying true to their 159-year record of community service journalism." McClatchy president and CEO Pat Talamantes said, "Maria's deep digital management and product experience, her work with investors and venture capitalists, and background in media make her uniquely suited to helping McClatchy develop new business models for public service journalism. She will be a tremendous addition to the board and a great resource for the management team." Thomas holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Boston University and earned her MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. She started her career on Wall Street as a financial analyst and spent seven years with World Bank Group as an Investment Officer with the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private sector arm. With the appointment of Thomas, McClatchy's board of directors now consists of 11 members including 3 Class A directors and 8 Class B directors. About McClatchy : McClatchy is a 21st century news and information leader, publisher of iconic brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News and Observer, and the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. McClatchy operates media companies in 28 U.S. markets in 14 states, providing each of its communities with high-quality news and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394690LOGO SOURCE McClatchy Related Links http://www.mcclatchy.com Grieve, who started his journalism career as a reporter at The Sacramento Bee , returned to McClatchy last year to lead the company's digital readership efforts. A graduate of Stanford University and the Georgetown University Law Center, Grieve, 52, was previously editor-in-chief of National Journal and served in multiple leadership roles at POLITICO, including Congressional bureau chief, managing editor and founding editor of POLITICO Pro. Gyllenhaal, 64, has been McClatchy's vice president, news, and Washington editor since 2010. He will leave the vice president position in October in accordance with retirement policies for corporate officers. After a brief hiatus, he will return in a new role as senior editor and director of leadership and development. Grieve will move into the vice president role on October 4, 2016. President and CEO Patrick Talamantes said the company is delighted to have found a leader with a deep knowledge of both digital publishing and the McClatchy tradition. "Tim has a reputation for being aggressively transformative while sticking to his journalistic guns," he said. "His initiatives have continued to grow our digital audience and his arrival provided the company with some much needed and strategic bench strength." Grieve, who has been working in Washington, D.C., for the past decade, will return to live and work in Sacramento. "This is a homecoming for me, but it's not about nostalgia," said Grieve. "McClatchy is in the midst of a massive digital transformation, and I'm thrilled to play a role in it -- not just in building readership, but in the daily quest to produce powerful public-service journalism that holds our leaders accountable and makes our communities better." Talamantes said that the new role for Gyllenhaal will take advantage of his extensive experience and knowledge of both the industry and media leadership. Among his duties will be expanding the company's leadership development programs, establishing an ambitious recruiting operation and taking on special projects. "There is no one better suited in the country than Anders to help us build the kind of leaders and culture we will need for the future," said Talamantes. "Anders is a great developer of talent and is well respected throughout the industry." Prior to becoming vice president, news and Washington editor, Gyllenhaal was the senior vice president and executive editor of the Miami Herald from 2007 to 2010. He led two other McClatchy newsrooms over his career: from 2002 to 2007 he was editor and senior vice president of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and from 1997 to 2002 he was executive editor of The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. Before that, he held a series of reporting and editing jobs at The Herald, The Press of Atlantic City and the Daily News Record. A graduate of George Washington University, Gyllenhaal is chair of the Poynter Institute's National Advisory Board and is on the board of the American Society of News Editors and the Inter American Press Association, and has chaired and served on the boards of the Pulitzer Prize, the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and several journalism schools. He has been a long-time advocate for press freedom and government openness. "It's been a true honor to help lead our editors and these terrific newsrooms at a time when so much is at stake,'' said Gyllenhaal. "Tim will be a superb leader and I very much look forward to working with him.'' About McClatchy McClatchy is a 21st century news and information leader, publisher of iconic brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. McClatchy operates media companies in 28 U.S. markets in 14 states, providing each of its communities with high-quality news and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394656 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394658 SOURCE McClatchy Related Links http://www.mcclatchy.com "The world of rehabilitation is always changing and, through that, TIRR Memorial Hermann has continued to set the standard for high-quality, evidence-based rehabilitation and cutting-edge research," said Carl Josehart, Senior Vice President and CEO, TIRR Memorial Hermann . "Our staff is dedicated to changing lives for the better and providing the highest level of care to each patient who comes through our doors. Receiving this acknowledgement from such a reputable organization reaffirms that commitment." In addition to TIRR Memorial Hermann's recognition, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center ranked No. 2 overall hospital in Texas, which is an honor given only to hospitals that were high-performing across multiple areas of care. Specific Memorial Hermann service lines honored by U.S. News and World Report with national rankings included the following: The recognition of Memorial Hermann's complete neuroscience program, which includes acute care services for pediatric and adult patients, in addition to the rehabilitation services at TIRR Memorial Hermann is indicative of the System's commitment to the full continuum of care. "Since joining Memorial Hermann, I continue to be impressed with the passionate staff, exemplary care and commitment to overall safety and quality," said Dr. Benjamin K. Chu, President and CEO, Memorial Hermann Health System. "I am incredibly proud of the patient-centered work I have witnessed throughout the entire system and congratulate our employees and affiliated physicians for receiving such well-deserved recognition." The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 27th year, help guide patients to hospitals that deliver outstanding care across 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. The Best Hospitals methodologies include objective measures such as patient survival, the number of times a given procedure is performed, infection rates, adequacy of nurse staffing and more. "U.S. News evaluates nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. "A hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of." For 2016-2017, 153 hospitals were nationally ranked in at least one specialty, while 1,628 received a high performing rating in one or more specialties, procedures or conditions. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals that were high-performing across multiple areas of care. Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Media Contact: Glenn Willey 713.242.2581 (Office) 919.622.0623 (Mobile) [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394906 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140923/147994 SOURCE Memorial Hermann Health System Related Links http://www.memorialhermann.org/ HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nabors Industries Ltd. ("Nabors") (NYSE: NBR) today reported second quarter 2016 operating revenues of $571.6 million, compared to operating revenues of $597.6 million in the first quarter. Net income from continuing operations for the quarter was a loss of $186.6 million, or ($0.65) per diluted share, compared to a loss of $396.6 million, or ($1.41) per diluted share, last quarter. Net income from continuing operations for the second quarter includes a loss of $0.39 per share due to impairments and losses related to disposed businesses and assets. The largest component, totaling $0.34 per share, is comprised of an impairment to the carrying value of the Company's investment in C&J Energy Services Ltd. ("C&J") and its proportionate share of C&J losses from the prior quarter. In addition, the second quarter benefitted from the renegotiation of two contracts, as well as early termination revenue that improved reported net income by $24.1 million or $0.09 per share. Anthony Petrello, Nabors' Chairman, President, and CEO, commented, "Thanks to our global market position, stringent cost management and incremental revenue from two contract renegotiations, we were able to achieve a sequential increase in adjusted EBITDA, despite lower activity and pricing. Additionally, continued focus on capital expenditures and expense control has led to a reduction in net debt of nearly $140 million year-to-date. "Operating income for the Company remained flat quarter over quarter, largely attributable to favorable results in the Gulf of Mexico and our international business, offset by declines in Rig Services, Alaska and Canada. Our Gulf of Mexico results reflect amended contract terms for the MODS 400 deepwater platform rig, which include partial recovery of standby revenue for past quarters. "We completed two of our three recently introduced PACE-M800 AC rigs under construction, with completion of the third expected by the end of September. We have executed a contract for the first rig and are finalizing contracts for the other two. Our pad-optimized PACE-X rig also continues to set new performance records. "We remain diligent in managing the current cycle, particularly in light of the recent pullback in oil prices, while maintaining our flexibility to capitalize on opportunities." Segment Results Adjusted operating income for the second quarter was a loss of $53.4 million, essentially flat from the first quarter. During the second quarter the Company concluded negotiations on a contract amendment to the MODS 400 platform rig in the Gulf of Mexico and resolved a contract dispute in Angola. In addition, early termination revenue totaled approximately $14.3 million. These items had a combined favorable impact on results of $29.7 million, as compared to $3.6 million for early termination revenue in the first quarter. Drilling and Rig Services adjusted operating income was a loss of $25.0 million compared to a loss of $18.6 million in the first quarter. Quarterly adjusted EBITDA in these business lines decreased sequentially to $193.4 million, a 3% decline from the previous quarter. For the quarter, the Company averaged 159.1 rigs operating at an average gross margin of $15,850 per rig day, compared to 187.9 rigs at $13,407 per rig day in the first quarter. The Company expects additional declines in near-term volume and pricing, as term contracts expire and adjust to spot market rates in the lower 48, and international markets continue to adjust to commodity prices. International adjusted operating income increased by 15% sequentially to $53.9 million due to several beneficial revenue items and cost improvements. Quarterly adjusted EBITDA in this segment increased by 2% sequentially to $150.6 million. Compared to the second quarter, the Company expects decreasing quarterly income in the near term, reflecting activity declines and the absence of specific revenue events of the second quarter. Increased bidding activity in the Middle East and planned 2017 budget increases by certain Latin American customers imply an upturn is possible in the first half of next year. In Canada, the usual sequential decrease in results due to the annual second quarter break up was minimized by the historically low first quarter rig counts. Subsequent quarterly results should reflect a modest improvement. The U.S. Drilling segment posted an adjusted operating loss of $48.3 million for the quarter, reflecting further activity declines and margin erosion offset by the additional standby revenue agreed with our customer for the delayed startup of the MODS 400 platform rig. The Lower 48 operation saw 18% fewer rigs working compared to the first quarter, with an average rig count of 44. A rig count improvement late in the quarter implies a bottoming in activity. Provided oil prices stabilize into the $50 per barrel range, the Company expects the near-term rig count to increase gradually, albeit at lower average margins, as legacy contracts renew at current spot day rates. Subsequent to quarter end, the Company commenced mobilization of its second arctic coiled tubing drilling rig to the North Slope of Alaska with startup anticipated to occur in late third quarter. Rig Services, which consists of the Company's manufacturing, directional drilling, and complementary services, reported an adjusted operating loss of $19.7 million. While the broader market continues to struggle in these segments, the Company is encouraged by customers' adoption of its technologies and interest in its comprehensive offerings. William Restrepo, Nabors' Chief Financial Officer, stated, "Our company's strategy and preparation continue to contain the damage inflicted by the severity and length of the current downturn. Capital allocation over the past five years to international markets with lower cost reservoirs, as well as intense focus on developing advanced drilling technologies, have helped us continue to perform well nearly two years into this downturn. Early actions to control cost and capital expenditures have also contributed to the positive free cash flow that we had anticipated. Finally, the steps taken to strengthen our liquidity position before the start of this downturn have proven extremely valuable and have prevented the need for onerous capital market transactions in a very unfavorable environment. In addition to our current cash balances, our $2.25 billion revolver remains undrawn. And although we see signs of improvement in both international and U.S. markets, we remain committed to maintaining liquidity and financial discipline, while targeting positive free cash flow during the remainder of the year." Mr. Petrello concluded, "I am pleased with our results this quarter in light of historically low rig counts and the most challenging drilling market in decades. Since this downturn began in 2014, Nabors' unique best-in-class global footprint and technological innovations have allowed us to mitigate the impact of the implosion in North American activity, preserve our sizeable liquidity, and position the Company for further growth." About Nabors Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR) owns and operates the world's largest land-based drilling rig fleet and is a leading provider of offshore platform rigs in the United States and multiple international markets. Nabors also provides directional drilling services, performance tools, and innovative technologies throughout the world's most significant oil and gas markets. Leveraging our advanced drilling automation capabilities, Nabors' highly skilled workforce continues to set new standards for operational excellence and transform our industry. Forward-looking Statements The information above includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, as disclosed by Nabors from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of these factors, Nabors' actual results may differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect management's estimates and beliefs as of the date of this press release. Nabors does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. Non-GAAP Disclaimer This press release presents certain "non-GAAP" financial measures. The components of these non-GAAP measures are computed by using amounts that are determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Adjusted EBITDA is computed by subtracting the sum of direct costs, general and administrative expenses and research and engineering expenses from operating revenues. Adjusted operating income (loss) is computed similarly, but also subtracts depreciation and amortization expenses from operating revenues. Net debt is computed by subtracting the sum of cash and short-term investments from total debt. None of these measures should be used in isolation or as a substitute for the amounts reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management evaluates the performance of our operating segments and the consolidated company based on several criteria, including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating income (loss), and net debt, because it believes that these financial measures accurately reflect our ongoing profitability and performance. In addition, securities analysts and investors use these measures as some of the metrics on which they analyze the company's performance. Other companies in our industry may compute these measures differently. A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss) to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and net debt to total debt, which are their nearest comparable GAAP financial measures, are included elsewhere in this press release. Media Contact: Dennis A. Smith, Vice President of Corporate Development & Investor Relations, +1 281-775-8038. To request investor materials, contact Nabors' corporate headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda at +441-292-1510 or via e-mail at [email protected] NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Revenues and other income: Operating revenues $ 571,591 $ 863,305 $ 597,571 $ 1,169,162 $ 2,278,012 Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates (54,769) (1,116) (167,151) (221,920) 5,386 Investment income (loss) 270 1,181 343 613 2,150 Total revenues and other income 517,092 863,370 430,763 947,855 2,285,548 Costs and other deductions: Direct costs 341,279 488,522 365,023 706,302 1,408,132 General and administrative expenses 56,624 75,810 62,334 118,958 191,240 Research and engineering 8,180 10,480 8,162 16,342 22,183 Depreciation and amortization 218,913 218,196 215,818 434,731 499,215 Interest expense 45,237 44,469 45,730 90,967 91,070 Other, net 74,607 1,338 182,404 257,011 (54,504) Total costs and other deductions 744,840 838,815 879,471 1,624,311 2,157,336 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (227,748) 24,555 (448,708) (676,456) 128,212 Income tax expense (benefit) (41,183) 66,445 (52,064) (93,247) 45,740 Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax (186,565) (41,890) (396,644) (583,209) 82,472 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax (984) 5,025 (926) (1,910) 4,208 Net income (loss) (187,549) (36,865) (397,570) (585,119) 86,680 Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest 2,899 44 (724) 2,175 133 Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors $(184,650) $ (36,821) $(398,294) $ (582,944) $ 86,813 Earnings (losses) per share: Basic from continuing operations $ (.65) $ (.14) $ (1.41) $ (2.06) $ .28 Basic from discontinued operations - .01 - (.01) .02 Basic $ (.65) $ (.13) $ (1.41) $ (2.07) $ .30 Diluted from continuing operations $ (.65) $ (.14) $ (1.41) $ (2.06) $ .28 Diluted from discontinued operations - .01 - (.01) .02 Diluted $ (.65) $ (.13) $ (1.41) $ (2.07) $ .30 Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding: Basic 276,550 286,085 275,851 276,201 285,723 Diluted 276,550 286,085 275,851 276,201 286,701 Adjusted EBITDA (1) $ 165,508 $ 288,493 $ 162,052 $ 327,560 $ 656,457 Adjusted operating income (loss) (2) $ (53,405) $ 70,297 $ (53,766) $ (107,171) $ 157,242 (1) Adjusted EBITDA is computed by subtracting the sum of direct costs, general and administrative expenses and research and engineering expenses from operating revenues. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for the amounts reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management evaluates the performance of our operating segments and the consolidated company based on several criteria, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss), because it believes that these financial measures accurately reflect our ongoing profitability and performance. In addition, securities analysts and investors use this measure as one of the metrics on which they analyze our performance. Other companies in our industry may compute these measures differently. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, which is a GAAP measure, is provided in the table set forth immediately following the heading "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Income (loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes". (2) Adjusted operating income (loss) is computed by subtracting the sum of direct costs, general and administrative expenses, research and engineering expenses and depreciation and amortization from operating revenues. Adjusted operating income (loss) is a non-GAAP measure and should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for the amounts reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management evaluates the performance of our operating segments and the consolidated company based on several criteria, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss), because it believes that these financial measures accurately reflect our ongoing profitability and performance. In addition, securities analysts and investors use this measure as one of the metrics on which they analyze our performance. Other companies in our industry may compute these measures differently. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, which is a GAAP measure, is provided in the table set forth immediately following the heading "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Income (loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes". NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS June 30, March 31, December 31, (In thousands) 2016 2016 2015 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and short-term investments $ 255,856 $ 221,501 $ 274,589 Accounts receivable, net 504,099 594,506 784,671 Assets held for sale 86,608 80,100 75,678 Other current assets 344,680 363,280 340,959 Total current assets 1,191,243 1,259,387 1,475,897 Property, plant and equipment, net 6,765,257 6,942,315 7,027,802 Goodwill 167,275 167,217 166,659 Investment in unconsolidated affiliates 888 94,657 415,177 Other long-term assets 531,642 486,755 452,305 Total assets $ 8,656,305 $ 8,950,331 $ 9,537,840 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Current debt $ 175 $ 5,880 $ 6,508 Other current liabilities 868,000 865,388 999,991 Total current liabilities 868,175 871,268 1,006,499 Long-term debt 3,503,172 3,584,402 3,655,200 Other long-term liabilities 562,260 578,464 582,273 Total liabilities 4,933,607 5,034,134 5,243,972 Equity: Shareholders' equity 3,715,850 3,904,320 4,282,710 Noncontrolling interest 6,848 11,877 11,158 Total equity 3,722,698 3,916,197 4,293,868 Total liabilities and equity $ 8,656,305 $ 8,950,331 $ 9,537,840 NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES SEGMENT REPORTING (Unaudited) The following tables set forth certain information with respect to our reportable segments and rig activity: Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, (In thousands, except rig activity) 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Operating revenues: Drilling & Rig Services: U.S. $ 140,342 $ 321,169 $ 148,676 $ 289,018 $ 774,990 Canada 6,617 21,413 17,494 24,111 79,253 International 401,024 458,545 401,055 802,079 897,706 Rig Services (1) 39,248 100,599 53,853 93,101 244,683 Subtotal Drilling & Rig Services 587,231 901,726 621,078 1,208,309 1,996,632 Completion & Production Services: Completion Services - - - - 207,860 Production Services - - - - 158,512 Subtotal Completion & Production Services - - - - 366,372 Other reconciling items (2) (15,640) (38,421) (23,507) (39,147) (84,992) Total operating revenues $ 571,591 $ 863,305 $ 597,571 $ 1,169,162 $ 2,278,012 Adjusted EBITDA: (3) Drilling & Rig Services: U.S. $ 52,878 $ 136,499 $ 51,235 $ 104,113 $ 324,244 Canada 360 3,732 2,122 2,482 22,200 International 150,618 177,310 148,309 298,927 372,099 Rig Services (1) (10,433) 6,341 (1,481) (11,914) 27,924 Subtotal Drilling & Rig Services 193,423 323,882 200,185 393,608 746,467 Completion & Production Services: Completion Services - - - - (28,110) Production Services - - - - 23,043 Subtotal Completion & Production Services - - - - (5,067) Other reconciling items (4) (27,915) (35,389) (38,133) (66,048) (84,943) Total adjusted EBITDA $ 165,508 $ 288,493 $ 162,052 $ 327,560 $ 656,457 Adjusted operating income (loss): (5) Drilling & Rig Services: U.S. $ (48,328) $ 31,445 $ (47,559) $ (95,887) $ 108,483 Canada (10,831) (8,268) (7,278) (18,109) (1,910) International 53,859 83,571 46,872 100,731 182,373 Rig Services (1) (19,657) (1,575) (10,644) (30,301) 11,298 Subtotal Drilling & Rig Services (24,957) 105,173 (18,609) (43,566) 300,244 Completion & Production Services: Completion Services - - - - (55,243) Production Services - - - - (3,559) Subtotal Completion & Production Services - - - - (58,802) Other reconciling items (4) (28,448) (34,876) (35,157) (63,605) (84,200) Total adjusted operating income (loss) $ (53,405) $ 70,297 $ (53,766) $ (107,171) $ 157,242 Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates (6) $ (54,769) $ (1,116) $(167,151) $ (221,920) $ 5,386 Rig activity: Rig years: (7) U.S. 53.7 119.5 64.9 59.3 143.4 Canada 4.2 9.7 12.5 8.3 17.6 International (8) 101.2 127.1 110.5 105.9 128.6 Total rig years 159.1 256.3 187.9 173.5 289.6 Rig hours: (9) U.S. Production Services - - - - 129,652 Canada Production Services - - - - 23,947 Total rig hours - - - - 153,599 (1) Includes our other services comprised of our drilling technology and top drive manufacturing, directional drilling, rig instrumentation and software services. (2) Represents the elimination of inter-segment transactions. (3) Adjusted EBITDA is computed by subtracting the sum of direct costs, general and administrative expenses and research and engineering expenses from operating revenues. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for the amounts reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management evaluates the performance of our operating segments and the consolidated company based on several criteria, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss), because it believes that these financial measures accurately reflect our ongoing profitability and performance. In addition, securities analysts and investors use this measure as one of the metrics on which they analyze our performance. Other companies in our industry may compute these measures differently. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, which is a GAAP measure, is provided in the table set forth immediately following the heading "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Income (loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes". (4) Represents the elimination of inter-segment transactions and unallocated corporate expenses. (5) Adjusted operating income (loss) is computed by subtracting the sum of direct costs, general and administrative expenses, research and engineering expenses and depreciation and amortization from operating revenues. Adjusted operating income (loss) is a non-GAAP measure and should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for the amounts reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management evaluates the performance of our operating segments and the consolidated company based on several criteria, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted operating income (loss), because it believes that these financial measures accurately reflect our ongoing profitability and performance. In addition, securities analysts and investors use this measure as one of the metrics on which they analyze our performance. Other companies in our industry may compute these measures differently. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, which is a GAAP measure, is provided in the table set forth immediately following the heading "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Income (loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes". (6) Represents our share of the net income (loss), as adjusted for our basis difference, of our unconsolidated affiliates accounted for by the equity method, including losses of $54.8 million, $.8 million and $167.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively, and $221.9 million and $.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 related to our share of the net loss of C&J, which we report on a quarter lag. (7) Excludes well-servicing rigs, which are measured in rig hours. Includes our equivalent percentage ownership of rigs owned by unconsolidated affiliates. Rig years represent a measure of the number of equivalent rigs operating during a given period. For example, one rig operating 182.5 days during a 365-day period represents 0.5 rig years. (8) International rig years includes our equivalent percentage ownership of rigs owned by unconsolidated affiliates, which totaled 2.5 years during the three months ended March 31, 2015. As of May 24, 2015, this was no longer an unconsolidated affiliate. (9) Rig hours represents the number of hours that our well-servicing rig fleet operated during the period. This fleet was included in the Completion & Production Services business that was merged with C&J Energy Services, Inc. in March 2015 and we will therefore no longer report this performance metric. NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES TO INCOME (LOSS) FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, (In thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Adjusted EBITDA $ 165,508 $ 288,493 $ 162,052 $ 327,560 $ 656,457 Depreciation and amortization (218,913) (218,196) (215,818) (434,731) (499,215) Adjusted operating income (loss) (53,405) 70,297 (53,766) (107,171) 157,242 Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates (54,769) (1,116) (167,151) (221,920) 5,386 Investment income (loss) 270 1,181 343 613 2,150 Interest expense (45,237) (44,469) (45,730) (90,967) (91,070) Other, net (74,607) (1,338) (182,404) (257,011) 54,504 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $(227,748) $ 24,555 $(448,708) $(676,456) $ 128,212 NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF NET DEBT TO TOTAL DEBT June 30, March 31, December 31, (In thousands) 2016 2016 2015 (Unaudited) Current debt $ 175 $ 5,880 $ 6,508 Long-term debt 3,503,172 3,584,402 3,655,200 Total Debt 3,503,347 3,590,282 3,661,708 Less: Cash and short-term investments 255,856 221,501 274,589 Net Debt $ 3,247,491 $ 3,368,781 $ 3,387,119 NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS) ITEMS EXCLUDING CERTAIN NON-CASH CHARGES AND OTHER NON-OPERATIONAL ITEMS (NON-GAAP) (Unaudited) Charges and Non-Operational As adjusted (In thousands, except per share amounts) Actuals Items (Non-GAAP) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax $ (186,565) $ (111,561) $ (75,004) Diluted earnings (losses) per share from continuing operations $ (0.65) $ (0.39) $ (0.26) NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES SCHEDULE OF NON-CASH CHARGES AND OTHER NON-OPERATIONAL ITEMS (NON-GAAP) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Per Diluted (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2016 Share Equity-method investment impairments and losses (1) $ 95,784 $ .34 Other impairments and losses (2) $ 15,777 $ .05 Total Adjustments, net of tax $ 111,561 $ .39 (1) Represents impairments to the carrying value of our C&J holdings and earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates, which represents our proportionate share of C&J's losses from the prior quarter, net of tax of $1.9 million. (2) Represents impairments and losses related to disposed businesses and assets, net of tax of $7.7 million. SOURCE Nabors Industries Ltd. "Sixty percent of eligible voters do not vote," asserts Becky Kip, Founder of Hear My Voice. "That's not democracy. That's not making our voices heard. Registering to vote and accessing nonpartisan political information should be as simple as ordering a coffee on your phone. The Hear My Voice app puts democracy back in the hands of the people literally." Kip realized the need for an unbiased civic engagement platform after years as a media executive in television and radio. "I witnessed firsthand how political news stories are pieced together," continues Kip. "We're only given one side of a story. We're disillusioned by this bias, so we tend to disengage from politics altogether. There needs to be a convenient alternative to mainstream news media." Designed to be an inclusive platform for political and voter information, Hear My Voice educates users on upcoming bills and political issues with side-by-side comparisons in a neutral, nonpartisan space. Further, the app makes it easy to take meaningful action by emailing or calling your representatives, securely donating to organizations and, of course, registering to vote. Hear My Voice is available for free download on Google Play and the Apple App Store. About Hear My Voice Hear My Voice is a civic engagement platform that puts democracy back in the hands of the people. With its smartphone app and website, Hear My Voice makes issue voting easy by presenting side-by-side comparisons in a nonpartisan space. Hear My Voice wants to educate and inspire meaningful actions. Contact your representatives, donate to organizations and register to vote all in one place. No extensive Google searches required. The company was built on the belief that everyone's voice should be heard. Follow @hearmyvoiceapp on Twitter and use #VoteToVoice to tell us the issues that matter to you! For more information, please visit http://www.hearmyvoice.com. Contact: Adam Singleton Digital Public Relations Director [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160729/394198 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160729/394199LOGO SOURCE Hear My Voice Related Links https://www.hearmyvoice.com To help Kubala and others like her, the American Heart Association has launched a new educational campaign aimed at reducing the number of repeat or recurrent heart attacks. The plan is to arm survivors with a few simple, but effective action steps that can lower their risk of having another heart attack. "Our message is simple: don't wait for a second heart attack," said Alice Jacobs, M.D., former AHA president and chair of the advisory group overseeing the new initiative. "Research shows there are some very clear things you can do to lower your chances of having another event." Take medication as directed More than a third of heart disease patients don't follow their medication treatment plans; more than a third of medication-related hospital readmissions are caused by people not taking their medicine as they should. More than a third of heart disease patients don't follow their medication treatment plans; more than a third of medication-related hospital readmissions are caused by people not taking their medicine as they should. Have a follow-up doctor's appointment Heart attack survivors who don't have a timely follow-up with their doctor may be up to 10 times more likely to be rehospitalized. Heart attack survivors who don't have a timely follow-up with their doctor may be up to 10 times more likely to be rehospitalized. Complete a cardiac rehabilitation program One study found that heart patients who completed cardiac rehab were 42 percent less likely to die than those who did not. One study found that heart patients who completed cardiac rehab were 42 percent less likely to die than those who did not. Manage risk factors Reducing risk factors like physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and obesity lowers the chance of having a heart attack or needing heart surgery. Reducing risk factors like physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and obesity lowers the chance of having a heart attack or needing heart surgery. Develop a strong support system People with low perceived social support have worse outcomes after a heart attack, including higher likelihood of death or other cardiac events. Kubala, 48, of Superior, Wisconsin, is only four months out from her heart attack. She goes to cardiac rehab and is learning the importance of being proactive to take control of her health. "I knew my family history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes. What hadn't really hit me was our family history of heart disease, or how all of that can be related," she said. "I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Now I'm determined to do all I can to get healthy and to stay healthy, but it's not easy to keep on top of everything." Jacobs, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine at Boston University Medical Center, said making it easier for patients and their healthcare providers to know, understand and follow research-based clinical guidelines is a key element of the association's Guidelines Transformation and Optimization initiative, under which the new heart attack campaign falls. "Having a heart attack can obviously be very traumatic, and afterwards patients and families can have a difficult time processing all that has happened, and all that needs to happen to get better," Jacobs said. "All the questions to answer, the instructions to remember and the medical terms to understand can be overwhelming. We want to help by providing simple, easy to follow steps, easy to use tools and trackers that can help people not just recover fully from this heart attack, but prevent a future one." Information and tools for patients, their families and their healthcare teams will be developed and rolled out over the next year at Heart.org/HeartAttackRecovery. The American Heart Association's Guideline Transformation and Optimization initiative is a comprehensive, coordinated approach to accelerate guidelines into clinical practice. By activating medical professionals to leverage science faster and measure clinical effectiveness, while empowering patients and caregivers to better manage health and participate in care coordination, the American Heart Association will help to drive better health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The initiative is supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding mostly from individuals. Foundations and corporations donate as well, and fund specific programs and events. Strict policies are enforced to prevent these relationships from influencing the association's science content. Financial information for the American Heart Association, including a list of contributions from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, is available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394999 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/395000 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296712LOGO SOURCE American Heart Association Related Links http://www.heart.org NEW YORK and LONDON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Public Relations Group today announced the appointment of David Gallagher to president, growth and development, international. In this new position, Gallagher will lead initiatives to deliver enhanced connection amongst the group's agency brands internationally. He will be focused on areas including building integrated client teams, talent development, new business development and new client service propositions, working closely with agency leadership teams to optimize the group's performance. Gallagher will report to Omnicom Public Relations Group CEO Karen van Bergen, and will be based in London. "David brings a global mindset and proven success facilitating connection and collaboration amongst a diverse set of agencies, leading to expansion and growth," said van Bergen. "His experience and expertise will be instrumental as we bring heightened focus to our international presence across all Omnicom PR Group agencies. We're thrilled to welcome him to the team." Gallagher joins Omnicom Public Relations Group from Ketchum, where he has served as a partner and European CEO since 2011. Under his leadership, Ketchum's network in Europe has grown and developed into one of the region's largest and most awarded, including being named Large Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report in 2010, and EMEA network of the year for 2013 by the same publication. Prior to leading Ketchum in Europe, Gallagher ran the agency's London office and served as head of its European healthcare practice. He joined Ketchum in Europe in 2000, after running the agency's healthcare group in Washington, DC since 1994. "David has been a driving force in Ketchum's European region for more than 16 years, and within our global network since 1994," said Rob Flaherty, CEO and chairman, Ketchum. "We have been fortunate to benefit from his steadfast leadership over that time, and couldn't be more proud to see him bring his talents to the larger group within Omnicom Public Relations Group, where we will no doubt continue to benefit from his smart, progressive vision for this business. I'm confident he'll accomplish a great deal in this new role and I look forward to working with him for years to come." Gallagher is recognized as an industry thought-leader, championing innovation, collaboration and social responsibility within Ketchum and the wider marketing services community. He chaired the UK Public Relations Consultants Association from 2008-10 and currently chairs that organization's board of fellows. He was president of the global PR agency trade body, the International Communications Consultancy Organization from 2013-15, and currently serves as vice president. He was PR jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2013, and helped establish Creative For Good, a digital initiative to showcase public education initiatives in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Advertising Council. He received the Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement in International PR in 2014, the Mark Mellor Medal from the UK PRCA for industry leadership 2014 and the SABRE Individual Achievement Award from the Holmes Report earlier this year. "Omnicom Public Relations Group has the scale and assets in its brands to transform the public relations business around the world, and I am delighted to be offered this opportunity to play a role," Gallagher said. "This is a new chapter for me but happily one that continues long lines of friendship and collaboration with so many brilliant people in the group, and I'm looking forward to charting new territory with them all." About Omnicom Public Relations Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, public health and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies. About the DAS Group of Companies The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries. SOURCE Omnicom Public Relations Group Related Links http://www.omnicomgroup.com HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Drilling Company (NYSE: PKD) today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016, including a reported net loss of $39.8 million, or a $0.32 loss per share, on revenues of $105.3 million. Second quarter adjusted EBITDA was $8.1 million, compared with $12.6 million for the preceding quarter. "The current business environment continues to be very challenging despite signs that industry fundamentals are beginning to improve," said Gary Rich, the Company's Chairman, President and CEO. "As a result, our second quarter results were lower than the first quarter, as expected. "However, during the second quarter we secured important contract successes. In our Sakhalin Island, Russia operations, we extended an operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for three customer-owned rigs from June 2017 to June 2019 while adding a fourth, newly constructed, customer-owned rig to the contract. In Canada, we signed a new 7-year O&M contract for the offshore customer-owned Hibernia rig. As a result of the new contracts, our contracted backlog increased from $228 million at the end of the first quarter to $446 million as of June 30. "Finally, we amended our credit facility and secured significant covenant relief that provides us good runway and flexibility. We currently have nearly $200 million in liquidity with $109 million in cash and an undrawn revolver," concluded Rich. Second Quarter Review Parker Drilling's revenues for the 2016 second quarter, compared with the 2016 first quarter, decreased 19.3 percent to $105.3 million from $130.5 million, operating gross margin excluding depreciation and amortization expense (gross margin) decreased 28.1 percent to $16.1 million from $22.4 million and gross margin as a percentage of revenues was 15.3 percent, compared with 17.2 percent for the prior period. Drilling Services For the Company's Drilling Services business, which is comprised of the U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling and International & Alaska Drilling segments, second quarter revenues decreased 19.5 percent to $73.0 million from $90.7 million, gross margin decreased 10.9 percent to $13.9 million from $15.6 million, and gross margin as a percentage of revenues was 19.0 percent, compared with 17.2 percent for the first quarter of 2016. U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling segment revenues were $1.1 million compared to $2.1 million in the 2016 first quarter. Gross margin was a $3.9 million loss as compared with a 2016 first quarter loss of $3.3 million. The declines in revenues and gross margin were primarily the result of lower utilization. International & Alaska Drilling International & Alaska Drilling segment revenues were $71.9 million, an 18.8 percent decrease from 2016 first quarter revenues of $88.6 million. Gross margin was $17.8 million, a 5.8 percent decrease from 2016 first quarter gross margin of $18.9 million. Gross margin as a percentage of revenues was 24.8 percent as compared with 21.3 percent in the 2016 first quarter. The decrease in revenues and gross margin were attributable to lower rig utilization, increased standby days, and reduced project services activity, partially offset by a rig contract early termination fee and the release of accruals related to the wind down of operations in certain locations. Rental Tools Services Rental Tools segment revenues were $32.3 million, an 18.8 percent decrease from 2016 first quarter revenues of $39.8 million. Gross margin was $2.2 million, a 67.6 percent decrease from 2016 first quarter gross margin of $6.8 million. Gross margin as a percentage of revenues was 6.8 percent as compared with 17.1 percent in the 2016 first quarter. Reduced revenues and gross margin were primarily due to price competition, lower utilization, and work that was either delayed or canceled in both our U.S. and international locations. Consolidated General and Administrative expenses were $8.0 million for the 2016 second quarter, down from $9.8 million for the 2016 first quarter. The decrease was primarily due to lower professional fees and incentive plan adjustments. Capital expenditures in the second quarter were $8.4 million, and year-to-date through June 30, 2016 were $16.3 million. Conference Call Parker Drilling has scheduled a conference call for 10:00 a.m. Central Time (11:00 a.m. Eastern Time) on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, to review second quarter results. The call will be available by telephone by dialing +1 (412) 902-0003 and asking for the Parker Drilling Second Quarter Conference Call. The call can also be accessed through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. A replay of the call can be accessed on the Company's website for 12 months and will be available by telephone through August 10, 2016 at +1 (201) 612-7415, conference ID 13640306. Cautionary Statement This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical facts addressing activities, events or developments the Company expects, projects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about anticipated future financial or operational results; the outlook for rental tools utilization and rig utilization and dayrates; the results of past capital expenditures; scheduled start-ups of rigs; general industry conditions such as the demand for drilling and the factors affecting demand; competitive advantages such as technological innovation; future operating results of the Company's rigs, rental tools operations and projects under management; future capital expenditures; expansion and growth opportunities; acquisitions or joint ventures; asset purchases and sales; successful negotiation and execution of contracts; scheduled delivery of drilling rigs or rental equipment for operation; the Company's financial position; changes in utilization or market share; outcomes of legal proceedings; compliance with credit facility and indenture covenants; and similar matters. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Company based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, anticipated future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Although the Company believes its expectations stated in this press release are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. These include risks relating to changes in worldwide economic and business conditions, fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices, compliance with existing laws and changes in laws or government regulations, the failure to realize the benefits of, and other risks relating to, acquisitions, the risk of cost overruns, our ability to refinance our debt and other important factors, many of which could adversely affect market conditions, demand for our services, and costs, and all or any one of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. For more information, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission and other public filings and press releases. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Company Description Parker Drilling provides drilling services and rental tools to the energy industry. The Company's Drilling Services business serves operators in the inland waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico utilizing Parker Drilling's barge rig fleet and in select international markets and harsh-environment regions utilizing Parker-owned and customer-owned equipment. The Company's Rental Tools Services business supplies premium equipment and well services to operators on land and offshore in the U.S. and international markets. More information about Parker Drilling can be found on the Company's website at www.parkerdrilling.com. CONTACT: Jason Geach, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development, (+1) (281) 406-2310, [email protected]. PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (Dollars in Thousands) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (Unaudited) Assets Current Assets Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 109,034 $ 134,294 Accounts and Notes Receivable, net 153,189 175,105 Rig Materials and Supplies 32,615 34,937 Other Current Assets 26,805 22,405 Total Current Assets 321,643 366,741 Property, Plant and Equipment, net 747,017 805,841 Other Assets Deferred Income Taxes 87,311 139,282 Other Assets 56,800 54,838 Total Other Assets 144,111 194,120 Total Assets $ 1,212,771 $ 1,366,702 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current Liabilities Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities $ 114,868 $ 136,121 Total Current Liabilities 114,868 136,121 Long-Term Debt, net of debt issuance costs 575,548 574,798 Long-Term Deferred Tax Liability 76,475 68,654 Other Long-Term Liabilities 15,049 18,617 Total Stockholders' Equity 430,831 568,512 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 1,212,771 $ 1,366,702 PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Consolidated Statement Of Operations (Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Three Months Ended June 30, March 31, 2016 2015 2016 Revenues $ 105,287 $ 185,941 $ 130,503 Expenses: Operating Expenses 89,195 143,569 108,117 Depreciation and Amortization 36,317 38,351 35,814 125,512 181,920 143,931 Total Operating Gross Margin (20,225) 4,021 (13,428) General and Administrative Expense (7,995) (9,511) (9,781) Provision for Reduction in Carrying Value of Certain Assets (2,316) Loss on Disposition of Assets, net (2) (138) (60) Total Operating Loss (28,222) (7,944) (23,269) Other Income and (Expense) Interest Expense (12,187) (11,396) (11,562) Interest Income 32 19 7 Other (358) (1,529) 2,485 Total Other Expense (12,513) (12,906) (9,070) Loss before Income Taxes (40,735) (20,850) (32,339) Income Tax Expense (Benefit) (913) (6,916) 63,496 Net Loss (39,822) (13,934) (95,835) Less: Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest 95 Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest $ (39,822) $ (14,029) $ (95,835) Loss per Share - Basic Net Loss $ (0.32) $ (0.11) $ (0.78) Loss per Share - Diluted Net Loss $ (0.32) $ (0.11) $ (0.78) Number of common shares used in computing earnings per share: Basic 124,101,349 122,481,425 123,090,238 Diluted 124,101,349 122,481,425 123,090,238 PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Consolidated Statement Of Operations (Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data) (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Revenues $ 235,790 $ 390,017 Expenses: Operating Expenses 197,312 282,839 Depreciation and Amortization 72,131 78,890 269,443 361,729 Total Operating Gross Margin (33,653) 28,288 General and Administrative Expense (17,776) (20,348) Provision for Reduction in Carrying Value of Certain Assets (2,316) Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets, net (62) 2,303 Total Operating Income (Loss) (51,491) 7,927 Other Income and (Expense) Interest Expense (23,749) (22,474) Interest Income 39 202 Other 2,127 (2,909) Total Other Expense (21,583) (25,181) Loss before Income Taxes (73,074) (17,254) Income Tax Expense (Benefit) 62,583 (7,098) Net Loss (135,657) (10,156) Less: Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest 651 Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest $ (135,657) $ (10,807) Loss per Share - Basic Net Loss $ (1.10) $ (0.09) Loss per Share - Diluted Net Loss $ (1.10) $ (0.09) Number of common shares used in computing earnings per share: Basic 123,595,793 122,175,511 Diluted 123,595,793 122,175,511 PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Selected Financial Data (Dollars in Thousands) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, March 31, 2016 2015 2016 Revenues: Drilling Services: U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling $ 1,065 $ 6,848 $ 2,085 International & Alaska Drilling 71,926 114,969 88,619 Total Drilling Services 72,991 121,817 90,704 Rental Tools 32,296 64,124 39,799 Total Revenues $ 105,287 $ 185,941 $ 130,503 Operating Expenses: Drilling Services: U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling $ 4,967 $ 8,829 $ 5,422 International & Alaska Drilling 54,110 92,329 69,725 Total Drilling Services 59,077 101,158 75,147 Rental Tools 30,118 42,411 32,970 Total Operating Expenses $ 89,195 $ 143,569 $ 108,117 Operating Gross Margin: Drilling Services: U.S. (Lower 48) Drilling $ (3,902) $ (1,981) $ (3,337) International & Alaska Drilling 17,816 22,640 18,894 Total Drilling Services 13,914 20,659 15,557 Rental Tools 2,178 21,713 6,829 Depreciation and Amortization (36,317) (38,351) (35,814) Total Operating Gross Margin $ (20,225) $ 4,021 $ (13,428) PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Adjusted EBITDA (1) (Dollars in Thousands) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 March 31, 2016 December 31, 2015 September 30, 2015 June 30, 2015 Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest $ (39,822) $ (95,835) $ (35,646) $ (48,620) $ (14,029) Interest Expense 12,187 11,562 11,388 11,293 11,396 Income Tax (Benefit) Expense (913) 63,496 (2,519) 31,930 (6,916) Depreciation and Amortization 36,317 35,814 37,720 39,584 38,351 EBITDA 7,769 15,037 10,943 34,187 28,802 Adjustments: Other Income and Expense 326 (2,492) 6,059 712 1,510 (Gain) Loss on Disposition of Assets, net 2 60 1,043 (383) 138 Provision for Reduction in Carrying Value of Certain Assets 9,268 906 2,316 Special items (2) 1,265 Adjusted EBITDA $ 8,097 $ 12,605 $ 28,578 $ 35,422 $ 32,766 (1) We believe Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure of operating performance because it allows management, investors and others to evaluate and compare our core operating results from period to period by removing the impact of our capital structure (interest expense from our outstanding debt), asset base (depreciation and amortization), remeasurement of foreign currency transactions, tax consequences, impairment and other special items. Special items include items impacting operating expenses that management believes detract from an understanding of normal operating performance. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to review current period operating performance and period to period comparisons. Our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company because other entities may not calculate EBITDA in the same manner. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of financial performance under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to operating income or loss, net income or loss, cash flows provided by or used in operating, investing and financing activities, or other income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. (2) For the three months ended December 31, 2015, special items include a $1.3 million write-off of inventory associated with our decision to no longer provide drilling services in Colombia. PARKER DRILLING COMPANY Reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings Per Share (Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, March 31, 2016 2015 2016 Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest $ (39,822) $ (14,029) $ (95,835) Loss per Diluted Share $ (0.32) $ (0.11) $ (0.78) Adjustments: Provision for Reduction in Carrying Value of Certain Assets 2,316 Valuation Allowance 73,125 Total adjustments 2,316 73,125 Tax effect of adjustments (443) Net adjustments 1,873 73,125 Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest (1) $ (39,822) $ (12,156) $ (22,710) Adjusted Loss per Diluted Share (1) $ (0.32) $ (0.10) $ (0.18) (1) We believe Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest and Adjusted Loss per Diluted Share are useful financial measures for investors to assess and understand operating performance for period to period comparisons. Management views the adjustments to Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest and Loss per Diluted Share to be items outside of the Company's normal operating results. Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to Controlling Interest and Adjusted Loss per Diluted Share are not measures of financial performance under GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to Net Loss or Loss per Diluted Share. SOURCE Parker Drilling Company Related Links http://www.parkerdrilling.com HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Wolf announced today that state agencies saved over $156 million through the Governor's Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency (GO-TIME), exceeding the $150 million savings goal for the 15-16 fiscal year. "Across our departments, leaders and employees are working together and sharing ideas to be more efficient, provide better service, and reduce costs," said Wolf. "Many of these improvements will continue to generate savings and other benefits for years to come." "There is more that we can do. That is why I am now challenging GO-TIME to save $500 million by 2020." The Governor was joined today by state employees who worked on projects that contributed to the $156 million savings total. The employees were recognized for their efforts at a ceremony earlier in the day. "I want to thank our state employees for all of their work to achieve this milestone for taxpayers," said Wolf. "From clerks to cabinet secretaries, all of us have a role to play in making government work better for the people of Pennsylvania." Some examples of projects contributing to the $150 million in savings goal include: Improving Procurement Strategies. The Department of General Services (DGS) saved state agencies over $68 million in 15/16 on purchases of goods and services through negotiated price reductions, contract renewals and reverse auctions. The Department of General Services (DGS) saved state agencies over in 15/16 on purchases of goods and services through negotiated price reductions, contract renewals and reverse auctions. Consolidating Mailrooms and Services. The consolidation of outgoing mail services by DGS will save $2.5 million annually through presorting, volume discounts, reductions in staffing and equipment and repurposing space previously used for mail activities. Changes to mail routes and equipment reductions will further reduce operating costs by over $1 million . The consolidation of outgoing mail services by DGS will save annually through presorting, volume discounts, reductions in staffing and equipment and repurposing space previously used for mail activities. Changes to mail routes and equipment reductions will further reduce operating costs by over . Updating the Online Park Reservation System. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources updated the online state park reservation system to be more user-friendly and lower its transaction costs, saving the department over $100,000 per year while increasing online reservations by 5 percent. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources updated the online state park reservation system to be more user-friendly and lower its transaction costs, saving the department over per year while increasing online reservations by 5 percent. Reducing Inmate Transportation Costs. The Department of Corrections is saving more than $500,000 a year in transportation costs by temporarily relocating inmates receiving radiation treatment to a single facility. The Department of Corrections is saving more than a year in transportation costs by temporarily relocating inmates receiving radiation treatment to a single facility. Online Voter Registration. This new system launched by the Department of State allows eligible citizens to register to vote and update their voter information online, providing added convenience for citizens, greater engagement in the democratic process, as well as improved data accuracy and reduced costs for counties. This new system launched by the Department of State allows eligible citizens to register to vote and update their voter information online, providing added convenience for citizens, greater engagement in the democratic process, as well as improved data accuracy and reduced costs for counties. Providing Mobile Technology to Construction Inspectors. PennDOT deployed mobile applications to its 380 construction inspectors, increasing productivity by $11 million by eliminating the need to travel back to the office to input data and access project documents and enabling them to spend more time engaged in valuable inspection and quality assurance. PennDOT deployed mobile applications to its 380 construction inspectors, increasing productivity by by eliminating the need to travel back to the office to input data and access project documents and enabling them to spend more time engaged in valuable inspection and quality assurance. Using Technology to Improve Public Safety. PennDOT outfitted over 700 of its plow trucks with vehicle location devices in order to respond more quickly to changing winter storm conditions and reduce salt usage, saving an expected $1.4 million over the next four to six years. The public can also monitor plow truck locations using the 511PA traveler information website. To date, GO-TIME has identified over 200 initiatives by departments to modernize operations through process improvements, using technology and identifying opportunities to collaborate and share resources. To learn more about GO-TIME, visit www.governor.pa.gov/go-time. Media contact: Dan Egan (OA), 717-772-4237 SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Related Links http://www.governor.state.pa.us LAFAYETTE, La., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PetroQuest Energy, Inc. (the "Company") today announced a loss available to common stockholders for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 of $24,143,000, or $1.38 per share, compared to second quarter 2015 loss available to common stockholders of $61,083,000, or $3.77 per share. For the first six months of 2016, the Company reported a loss available to common stockholders of $63,280,000, or $3.67 per share, compared to a loss available to common stockholders of $183,323,000, or $11.31 per share, for the 2015 period. The losses during the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 and June 30, 2015 included non-cash ceiling test write-downs totaling $12,782,000 and $31,639,000, respectively, and $65,495,000 and $174,406,000, respectively. Discretionary cash flow for the second quarter of 2016 was $(991,000), as compared to $7,257,000 for the comparable 2015 period. For the first six months of 2016, discretionary cash flow was $(3,201,000), as compared to $17,863,000, for the first six months of 2015. See the attached schedule for a reconciliation of net cash flow provided by operating activities to discretionary cash flow. Production for the second quarter of 2016 was 6.0 Bcfe, compared to 9.7 Bcfe for the comparable period of 2015. For the first six months of 2016, production was 13.6 Bcfe, compared to 20.0 Bcfe for the comparable period of 2015. The reduction in production volumes during the 2016 periods is primarily attributable to the sale of the Company's Arkoma assets in June of 2015 and April of 2016 as well as substantially reduced capital spending as compared to 2015. Stated on an Mcfe basis, unit prices including the effects of hedges for the second quarter of 2016 were $2.64 per Mcfe, as compared to $3.37 per Mcfe in the second quarter of 2015. For the first six months of 2016, unit prices including the effects of hedges, were $2.43 per Mcfe, as compared to $3.29 per Mcfe for the first six months of 2015. Oil and gas sales during the second quarter of 2016 were $15,824,000, as compared to $32,550,000 in the second quarter of 2015. For the first six months of 2016, oil and gas sales were $33,144,000 as compared to oil and gas sales of $66,001,000 for the first six months of 2015. Lease operating expenses ("LOE") for the second quarter of 2016 decreased to $6,864,000, as compared to $11,191,000 in the second quarter of 2015. Lease operating expenses decreased during the three months ended June 30, 2016 primarily as result of the Company's 2015 Oklahoma divestiture. LOE per Mcfe was $1.14 for the second quarter of 2016, as compared to $1.16 in the second quarter of 2015. For the first six months of 2016, lease operating expenses were $1.10 per Mcfe compared to $1.10 per Mcfe in the first six months of 2015. Depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A") on oil and gas properties for the second quarter of 2016 was $1.17 per Mcfe, as compared to $1.86 per Mcfe in the second quarter of 2015. For the first six months of 2016, DD&A on oil and gas properties was $1.24 per Mcfe compared to $1.91 per Mcfe for the comparable period of 2015. The decrease in the per unit DD&A rate during the 2016 periods is primarily the result of ceiling test write-downs during the second half of 2015 totaling $92,156,000. Interest expense for the second quarter of 2016 decreased to $6,503,000, as compared to $8,596,000 in the second quarter of 2015. During the three month period ended June 30, 2016, capitalized interest totaled $247,000, as compared to $1,379,000 during the 2015 period. For the first six months of 2016, interest expense was $14,760,000, compared to $16,470,000 for the comparable period of 2015. During the six month period ended June 30, 2016, capitalized interest totaled $555,000, as compared to $3,376,000 during the 2015 period. The decrease in interest expense during the 2016 periods is primarily attributable a lower debt balance after the completion of the Company's debt exchange in February 2016 as well as the repayment of the Company's bank debt in June 2015. General and administrative expenses during the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 totaled $3,871,000 and $12,470,000, respectively, as compared to $6,519,000 and $11,858,000 during the comparable 2015 periods. Capitalized general and administrative costs during the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 totaled $1,634,000, and $3,188,000, respectively, as compared to costs of $2,357,000 and $4,597,000 during the comparable 2015 periods. The decrease in general and administrative expenses during the quarter ended June 30, 2016 is primarily due to lower employee related costs. General and administrative expenses for the six month 2016 period included $4.8 million in costs related to the Company's debt exchange in February 2016. The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the oil and gas operations of the Company for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Production: Oil (Bbls) 114,319 151,223 254,308 298,437 Gas (Mcf) 4,272,820 7,167,270 9,820,297 15,082,774 Ngl (Mcfe) 1,045,858 1,584,284 2,292,490 3,160,826 Total Production (Mcfe) 6,004,592 9,658,892 13,638,635 20,034,222 Avg. Daily Production (MMcfe/d) 66.0 106.1 74.9 110.7 Sales: Total oil sales $ 4,936,757 $ 8,587,332 $ 9,295,501 $ 15,540,233 Total gas sales 8,853,527 19,927,230 19,571,735 41,577,325 Total ngl sales 2,034,342 4,035,571 4,277,104 8,883,616 Total oil and gas sales $ 15,824,626 $ 32,550,133 $ 33,144,340 $ 66,001,174 Average sales prices: Oil (per Bbl) $ 43.18 $ 56.79 $ 36.55 $ 52.07 Gas (per Mcf) 2.07 2.78 1.99 2.76 Ngl (per Mcfe) 1.95 2.55 1.87 2.81 Per Mcfe 2.64 3.37 2.43 3.29 The above sales and average sales prices include increases (decreases) to revenues related to the settlement of gas hedges of $1,155,000 and $4,181,000, oil hedges of zero and ($288,000) and Ngl hedges of zero and $136,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The above sales and average sales prices include increase (decreases) to revenues related to the settlement of gas hedges of $2,187,000 and $6,505,000, oil hedges of zero and ($261,000), and Ngl hedges of zero and $157,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The following provides guidance for the third quarter of 2016: Guidance for Description 3rd Quarter 2016 Production volumes (MMcfe/d) 52-56 Percent Gas 70 % Percent Oil 13 % Percent NGL 17 % Expenses: Lease operating expenses (per Mcfe) $1.25 - $1.35 Production taxes (per Mcfe) $0.04 - $0.07 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (per Mcfe) $1.20 - $1.30 General and administrative (in millions)* $3.5 - $3.9 Interest expense (in millions) $6.3 - $6.7 * Includes non-cash stock compensation estimate of approximately $0.5 million Balance Sheet/Liquidity Update The Company continues to analyze a variety of options to address its liquidity needs, to extend the maturity on its 2017 Notes, and to reduce its overall financial leverage while maintaining a focus on reducing costs and preserving liquidity. To assist the Board of Directors and management team in evaluating these options, the Company has retained Jefferies LLC and Seaport Global as its financial advisors and Porter Hedges LLP as its legal advisor. Management's Comment "Our second quarter 2016 results reflect the impact of our cost cutting efforts. When compared to the second quarter of 2015, we realized an approximately 36% reduction in cash costs, or nearly $11 million," said Charles T. Goodson, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. "We continue to work on capturing additional cost savings throughout our organization. In addition, we have retained advisors to assist us in evaluating certain high-priority projects, most notably extending the maturity on our remaining 2017 Notes." About the Company PetroQuest Energy, Inc. is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, acquisition and production of oil and natural gas reserves in the Texas, Louisiana and the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. PetroQuest's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PQ. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements are based upon assumptions and anticipated results that are subject to numerous uncertainties and risks. Actual results may vary significantly from those anticipated due to many factors, including the volatility of oil and natural gas prices and significantly depressed oil prices since the end of 2014; our indebtedness and the significant amount of cash required to service our indebtedness; our ability to improve our liquidity position and refinance or restructure our indebtedness, including our remaining 2017 Notes; the potential need to sell assets or seek bankruptcy protection; our estimate of the sufficiency of our existing capital sources, including availability under our bank credit facility and the result of any borrowing base redetermination; our ability to post additional collateral to satisfy our offshore decommissioning obligations; our ability to hedge future production to reduce our exposure to price volatility in the current commodity pricing market; ceiling test write-downs resulting, and that could result in the future, from lower oil and natural gas prices; our ability to raise additional capital to fund cash requirements for future operations; limits on our growth and our ability to finance our operations, fund our capital needs and respond to changing conditions imposed by our bank credit facility and restrictive debt covenants; our ability to find, develop and produce oil and natural gas reserves that are economically recoverable and to replace reserves and sustain production; approximately 50% of our production being exposed to the additional risk of severe weather, including hurricanes, tropical storms and flooding, and natural disasters; losses and liabilities from uninsured or underinsured drilling and operating activities; changes in laws and governmental regulations as they relate to our operations; the operating hazards attendant to the oil and gas business; the volatility of our stock price; and our ability to meet the continued listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange with respect to our common stock or to cure any deficiency with respect thereto. In particular, careful consideration should be given to cautionary statements made in the various reports the Company has filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no duty to update or revise these forward-looking statements. PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC. Consolidated Balance Sheets (Amounts in Thousands) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 68,896 $ 148,013 Revenue receivable 6,452 6,476 Joint interest billing receivable 18,560 49,374 Derivative asset 1,508 Other current assets 5,219 3,874 Total current assets 99,127 209,245 Property and equipment: Oil and gas properties: Oil and gas properties, full cost method 1,318,737 1,310,891 Unevaluated oil and gas properties 6,000 12,516 Accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization (1,223,051) (1,157,455) Oil and gas properties, net 101,686 165,952 Other property and equipment 11,257 11,229 Accumulated depreciation of other property and equipment (10,020) (8,737) Total property and equipment 102,923 168,444 Other assets, net of accumulated amortization of $4,005 and $3,842, respectively 6,674 1,630 Total assets $ 208,724 $ 379,319 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable to vendors $ 54,379 $ 97,999 Advances from co-owners 577 16,118 Oil and gas revenue payable 29,386 18,911 Accrued interest and preferred stock dividend 9,938 12,795 Asset retirement obligation 1,496 6,015 Derivative liability 473 Accrued acquisition cost 4,409 Other accrued liabilities 3,131 2,537 Total current liabilities 99,380 158,784 10% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2017 134,766 347,008 10% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 156,524 Asset retirement obligation 39,986 36,541 Other long-term liabilities 2,670 53 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $.001 par value; authorized 5,000 shares; issued and outstanding 1,495 shares 1 1 Common stock, $.001 par value; authorized 150,000 shares; issued and outstanding 17,548 and 16,411 shares, respectively 18 16 Paid-in capital 293,595 290,432 Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (473) 947 Accumulated deficit (517,743) (454,463) Total stockholders' equity (224,602) (163,067) Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 208,724 $ 379,319 PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC. Consolidated Statements of Operations (Amounts in Thousands, Except Per Share Data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenues: Oil and gas sales $ 15,824 $ 32,550 $ 33,144 $ 66,001 Expenses: Lease operating expenses 6,864 11,191 15,041 22,093 Production taxes (48) 948 290 1,904 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 7,193 18,345 17,331 38,999 Ceiling test write-down 12,782 65,495 31,639 174,406 General and administrative 3,871 6,519 12,470 11,858 Accretion of asset retirement obligation 618 823 1,226 1,682 Interest expense 6,503 8,596 14,760 16,470 37,783 111,917 92,757 267,412 Other income (expense): Gain on sale of oil and gas properties 21,531 21,531 Other income (424) 40 (327) 197 (424) 21,571 (327) 21,728 Loss from operations (22,383) (57,796) (59,940) (179,683) Income tax expense 475 2,000 561 1,073 Net loss (22,858) (59,796) (60,501) (180,756) Preferred stock dividend 1,285 1,287 2,779 2,567 Loss available to common stockholders $ (24,143) $ (61,083) $ (63,280) $ (183,323) Loss per common share: Basic Net loss per share $ (1.38) $ (3.77) $ (3.67) $ (11.31) Diluted Net loss per share $ (1.38) $ (3.77) $ (3.67) $ (11.31) Weighted average number of common shares: Basic 17,539 16,223 17,248 16,208 Diluted 17,539 16,223 17,248 16,208 PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Amounts in Thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ (60,501) $ (180,756) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities: Deferred tax expense 561 1,073 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 17,331 38,999 Ceiling test writedown 31,639 174,406 Accretion of asset retirement obligation 1,226 1,682 Share-based compensation expense 925 2,828 Amortization costs and other 810 1,162 Payments to settle asset retirement obligations (2,515) (1,186) Gain on sale of oil and gas properties (21,531) Costs incurred to issue 2021 Notes 4,808 Changes in working capital accounts: Revenue receivable 24 8,735 Joint interest billing receivable 30,814 (1,171) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (31,260) (36,051) Advances from co-owners (15,541) 17,846 Other (4,387) (410) Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (26,066) 5,626 Cash flows provided by investing activities: Investment in oil and gas properties (18,166) (62,451) Investment in other property and equipment (28) (134) Sale of oil and gas properties 24,909 257,698 Net cash provided by investing activities 6,715 195,113 Cash flows used in financing activities: Net proceeds for share based compensation 52 432 Deferred financing costs (100) (829) Payment of preferred stock dividend (1,284) (2,569) Redemption of 2017 Notes (53,626) Costs incurred to issue 2021 Notes (4,808) Proceeds from bank borrowings 70,000 Repayment of bank borrowings (145,000) Net cash used in financing activities (59,766) (77,966) Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (79,117) 122,773 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 148,013 18,243 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 68,896 $ 141,016 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash paid during the period for: Interest $ 16,783 $ 18,626 Income taxes $ $ (26) PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC. Non-GAAP Disclosure Reconciliation (Amounts In Thousands) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net loss $ (22,858) $ (59,796) $ (60,501) $ (180,756) Reconciling items: Deferred tax expense 475 2,000 561 1,073 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 7,193 18,345 17,331 38,999 Ceiling test writedown 12,782 65,495 31,639 174,406 Gain on Asset Sale (21,531) (21,531) Accretion of asset retirement obligation 618 823 1,226 1,682 Non-cash share based compensation expense 483 1,350 925 2,828 Amortization costs and other 248 571 810 1,162 Costs incurred to issue 2021 Notes 68 4,808 Discretionary cash flow (991) 7,257 (3,201) 17,863 Changes in working capital accounts 3,166 (24,570) (20,350) (11,051) Settlement of asset retirement obligations (2,051) (292) (2,515) (1,186) Net cash flow provided by (used in) operating activities $ 124 $ (17,605) $ (26,066) $ 5,626 Note: Management believes that discretionary cash flow is relevant and useful information, which is commonly used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in the oil and gas industry as a financial indicator of an oil and gas company's ability to generate cash used to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service debt. Discretionary cash flow is not a measure of financial performance prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net cash flow provided by operating activities. In addition, since discretionary cash flow is not a term defined by GAAP, it might not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. SOURCE PetroQuest Energy, Inc. Related Links http://www.petroquest.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, eight groups representing a broad spectrum of biologic prescribers Alliance for Patient Access, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Rheumatology, American Gastroenterological Association, Biologics Prescribers Collaborative, Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations, Endocrine Society, and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition commented on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) draft guidance "Labeling for Biosimilar Products; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability", commending the agency on acknowledging the distinctions between the labeling needed for a biosimilar and a generic drug, especially for adding in a statement of biosimilarity. Dr. David Charles, chairman of the Alliance for Patient Access and co-convener of the Biologics Prescribers Collaborative, shares the physician perspective on proper and transparent biologic and biosimilar labeling. Graphic depicting transparent biosimilar labeling. The comment letter states that "the label of a biosimilar product should be transparent and facilitate access to data used in support of the biosimilar application." As such, the physician groups urge FDA to consider additional provisions in its final guidance to enhance transparency and patient safety. Requested enhanced provisions include: The label should include a statement of whether the biosimilar is interchangeable with the reference product and/or other biosimilars on the market. The label should provide either a summary of the full clinical data submitted in support of biosimilar approval or a hyperlink to the FDA's summary basis of approval. The label should ensure that all mentions of either the reference biologic or the biosimilar should include both the proprietary name (if available) and the non-proprietary name. The final guidance should indicate how FDA plans to address labeling for biologic and biosimilar transitional products, originally approved as drugs under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), that will be replaced as a licensed biologic under section 351(a) or 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) by March 23 , 2020. As biosimilars continue to emerge on the market, providing additional therapeutic options to patients, and due to the product label being a critical tool for physicians to make the best prescribing decisions, the groups call for FDA to give full consideration to the needs of physicians when considering future labels. As such, the groups urge for FDA to consider these provisions that will "build prescriber confidence in this new class of medicine" by providing all needed data for physicians to make appropriate prescribing decisions for their patients. The comment can be found below. RELATED LINK: http://biologicsprescribers.org August 2, 2016 Robert M. Califf, M.D. Commissioner U.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993 RE: Comment on Food and Drug Administration Draft Guidance "Labeling for Biosimilar Products; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability" [Docket ID FDA-2016-D-0643-0003] Dear Commissioner Califf: As members of the Biologics Prescribers Collaborative (BPC) and professional organizations with biologics prescribers, we welcome the availability of biosimilars in the U.S. Biosimilars will provide greater access to more therapeutic options for the thousands of patient who rely on biologic medicines. We thank the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its thoughtful draft guidance "Labeling for Biosimilar Products" that makes important distinctions between the labeling needed for a biosimilar and a generic drug, especially for adding in a statement of biosimilarity. We believe the label of a biosimilar product should be transparent and facilitate access to data used in support of the biosimilar application. Doing so will build prescriber confidence in this new class of medicine which is paramount to a successful biosimilars market. To that end, we ask FDA to consider these additional provisions in its final guidance, which promote transparency and, ultimately, are essential to upholding patient safety: The label should include a statement of whether the biosimilar is interchangeable with the reference product and/or other biosimilars on the market . We know that many health care providers will confuse a finding of biosimilarity with a finding of interchangeability. Explicit labeling and transparent communications are needed to ensure the appropriate use of biosimilars in accordance with the statute. . We know that many health care providers will confuse a finding of biosimilarity with a finding of interchangeability. Explicit labeling and transparent communications are needed to ensure the appropriate use of biosimilars in accordance with the statute. The label should provide either a summary of the full clinical data submitted in support of biosimilar approval or a hyperlink to the FDA's summary basis of approval . As prescribers, we know physicians will have questions about the data used to support a biosimilar's approval. This becomes especially important regarding the indications for which the biosimilar is approved to treat and/or immunogenic effects. . As prescribers, we know physicians will have questions about the data used to support a biosimilar's approval. This becomes especially important regarding the indications for which the biosimilar is approved to treat and/or immunogenic effects. The label should ensure that all mentions of either the reference biologic or the biosimilar should include both the proprietary name (if available) and the non-proprietary name. As prescribers, we believe that pharmacovigilance is best achieved through the use of memorable and distinguishable non-proprietary names for all biologics. In contrast, FDA's decision to use a four letter randomized suffix when approving the second biosimilar (infliximab-dyyb) raises concerns and we would like FDA to consider and prioritize patient safety by requiring meaningful and distinguishable names, such as the manufacturer's name. As prescribers, we believe that pharmacovigilance is best achieved through the use of memorable and distinguishable non-proprietary names for all biologics. In contrast, FDA's decision to use a four letter randomized suffix when approving the second biosimilar (infliximab-dyyb) raises concerns and we would like FDA to consider and prioritize patient safety by requiring meaningful and distinguishable names, such as the manufacturer's name. The final guidance should indicate how FDA plans to address labeling for biologic and biosimilar transitional products, originally approved as drugs under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), that will be replaced as a licensed biologic under section 351(a) or 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) by March 23, 2020 . Currently, it is unclear how the agency will address discrepancies between the labeling requirements under FDCA and PHSA. As this transition occurs, we believe that the labeling for these products should be clear, consistent and contain complete information to ensure prescribers are able to make the best treatment decisions for their patients. The product label is a critical tool for physicians to make the best prescribing decisions and we commend FDA for its careful consideration of the guidance needed to optimize the biosimilar label. We request the Agency finalize its guidance to support fully transparent and clear labels for biosimilars. Respectfully, Alliance for Patient Access American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists American College of Rheumatology American Gastroenterological Association Biologics Prescribers Collaborative Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations Endocrine Society North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition CC: Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Dr. John Jenkins, Director, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Dr. Leah Christl, Associate Director, Therapeutic Biologics Dr. Steven Kozlowski, Director, Office of Biotechnology Products, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/EDEL16001.mp4 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/395080 SOURCE Biologics Prescribers Collaborative LONDON, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This report provides forecast and analysis of the plastic bags & sacks market on the global and regional levels. It provides historical data of 2015 along with forecast from 2016 to 2024 in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) and volume ('000 metric tons). The report also includes macroeconomic indicators along with an outlook on plastics consumption globally. It includes drivers and restraints of the plastic bags & sacks market and their impact on each region during the forecast period. The report also comprises the study of current issues with end users and opportunities for plastic bags & sacks manufacturers. It also includes detailed pricing analysis by material type and value chain analysis with a list of vendors/suppliers and industry stakeholders at each node in the value chain. In order to provide users of this report with comprehensive view of the market, we have included detailed competitiveness analysis and company players with unique selling propositions. The dashboard provides detailed comparison of plastic bag manufacturers on parameters such as operating margin, unique selling propositions, collective market share, and geographic concentration. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, by material type, product type, application type, and region. The report includes consumption of plastic bags & sacks and the revenue generated from sales of plastic bags & sacks in all regions and important countries in these regions. By material, the global plastic bags & sacks market has been segmented into biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Biodegradable segment is further sub-segmented into polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), starch blend, and others. Non-biodegradable segment is sub-segmented into high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and others. By product type, the market is segmented into T-shirt bags, gusseted bags, lay flat bags, trash bags, rubble sacks, woven sacks, and other bags. On the basis of application, the global plastic bags & sacks market is segmented into retail & consumer, institutional, and industrial. Retail & consumer segment is further sub-segmented into grocery products, food & beverage, clothing & apparel, and others. Retail & consumer application segment is further sub-segmented into grocery products, food & beverage, clothing & apparel and others. Furthermore, institutional segment is sub-segmented into hospitality, hospitals & healthcare, and others. Market numbers have been estimated based on average consumption and weighted average pricing of plastic bags & sacks by material type and the revenue is derived through regional pricing trends. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets. The plastic bags & sacks market has been analyzed based on expected demand. Prices considered for the calculation of revenue are average regional prices obtained through primary quotes from numerous regional plastic bags & sacks manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors. All key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents. Regional demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of plastic bags & sacks in different regions. Top-down approach has been used to estimate the plastic bags & sacks market by regions. Market numbers for global material type, product type, and application segments have been derived using the bottom-up approach, which is cumulative of each region's demand. Company-level market share has been derived on the basis of revenues reported by key manufacturers. The market has been forecast based on constant currency rates. A number of primary and secondary sources were consulted during the course of the study. Secondary sources include Factiva, World Bank, Packaging Digest, Plastic Manufacturers Association, Society of the Plastics Industry, Plastics Europe, and Hoover's, and company annual reports and publications. The report provides detailed competitive and company profiles of key participants operating in the global market. Key players in the global plastic bags & sacks market include AEP Industries Inc, Mondi Group, Berry Plastics Inc, Alpha Poly, Novolex, Ampac Holdings LLC, Bischof & Klein GmbH & Co, Interplast Group, Starlinger & Co, Gesellschaft GmbH, Da Nang Plastic Joint Stock Company, Hanoi Plastic Bag JSC, Arihant Packaging, Goglio Group, and Schur Flexibles Group The market has been segmented as below: Global Plastic Bags & Sacks Market By Material Non-biodegradable HDPE LDPE LLDPE PP PS Others Biodegradable PLA PHA Starch Blends Others Global Plastic bags & sacks Market By Product Type T-shirt Bags Gusseted Bags Lay Flat Bags Trash Bags Rubble Sacks Woven Sacks Others Global Plastic bags & sacks Market By Application Retail & Consumer Grocery Products Food & Beverage Clothing & Apparel Others Institutional Hospitality Hospitals & Healthcare Facility Others Industrial Global Plastic bags & sacks Market By Region North America U.S. Canada Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America Europe EU-5 Russia Nordic Benelux Poland Rest of Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) China India Japan ASEAN Oceania Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa (MEA) GCC Countries South Africa North Africa Rest of MEA Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4002258/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com MONONA, Wis., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Nuclear Labs (PNL) announced today that it has been awarded multiple contracts by the U.S. Army totaling $3.6 million. Under these contracts, PNL will build an advanced neutron radiography system to detect defective munitions and demonstrate the ability to use their neutron generators to detect and identify concealed explosive threats. The company will deliver an upgraded, pilot production neutron radiography system that will be the first such system to be installed in a munitions production facility. The new system is expected to produce 10 times higher neutron yield, enabling faster performance and higher resolution. It will be capable of producing digital images that will improve the system's ability to analyze and store data. In parallel, the Neutron-Emitting Mobile Explosives Sensing and Identification System (NEMESIS) will utilize PNL's commercial neutron generator technology to demonstrate active neutron interrogation for explosive threat detection. The strong, compact neutron generator developed by PNL over the last 11 years is the enabling technology for mobile explosive threat detection from large standoff distances, greatly enhancing existing warfighter capabilities. "The Army's support for PNL's technology over the last 8 years has been tremendous," said Evan Sengbusch, PNL's vice president of business development. "Beginning to deploy our technology in the field to save warfighter lives is very rewarding." Ross Radel, PNL's president, credited the Wisconsin congressional delegation with providing strong support for these mission-critical technologies. "Advocacy from Sen. Tammy Baldwin, DWis., and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., has been vitally important in getting a small company like PNL in front of big customers like the Army," he said. Sen. Baldwin said, "I'm proud to be a strong supporter of made in Wisconsin innovation that is strengthening our national security." Neutron radiography is a nondestructive inspection technique similar to X-rays. However, neutrons, unlike X-rays, are able to deeply penetrate high-density materials such as shell casings and other metallic objects and visualize lower-density materials such as carbon or hydrogen. The Army has been seeking neutron radiography capabilities for decades, but until now only nuclear reactors could produce enough neutrons to take images in practical time periods. PNL's technical innovations have led to a 100-fold increases in neutron yield compared to existing off-the-shelf technologies without the safety risks associated with nuclear reactors. The PNL neutron radiography platform is the first system capable of bringing neutron radiography out of an R&D environment and into a production setting, similar to industrial X-ray systems. This technology has the potential to greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of defense and aerospace components such as munitions, aircraft components, and composite materials. Similarly, neutron-based explosives detection has been studied for decades, and the technique has been shown to be, in principle, a very powerful method suitable for rapid explosives detection and identification. However, attempts to field neutron-based interrogation systems have had limited success due to the low neutron yield of existing sources. The much higher neutron yield provided by the PNL generator offers a significant leap in explosives detection speed and standoff distance. About Phoenix Nuclear Labs Founded in 2005 in Middleton, Wis., Phoenix Nuclear Labs has developed a proprietary, particle accelerator-driven, nuclear fusion technology that has applications ranging from medicine to national defense. The company is focused on commercializing its core accelerator technology for near-term applications, including neutron radiography imaging for the nondestructive evaluation and quality control of military and aerospace components, medical isotope production, semiconductor processing, and the detection of explosive devices. For more information, visit: http://phoenixnuclearlabs.com. CONTACT: Evan Sengbusch, PhD, MBA VP of Business Development [email protected] (608) 210-3060 SOURCE Phoenix Nuclear Labs Related Links http://phoenixnuclearlabs.com TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter of greeting to the Knights of Columbus (K of C), Pope Francis praised the organization for its charity, especially on behalf of Christian refugees, for its missionary spirit and for its commitment to strengthening the faith of its members. In reference to the Knights' efforts on behalf of persecuted and marginalized Christians in the Middle East, the letter stated: "especially close to the Holy Father's heart in these days are the afflictions of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world suffering from poverty, injustice, exile and, increasingly, violent persecution." The letter noted the "strenuous efforts being made" by the Knights "to defend their human rights and legitimate aspirations in the public forum and to provide for their needs, particularly through the [K of C] Christian Refugee Relief Fund and numerous other initiatives of practical support and solidarity." It asked "the Knights and their families to pray in a particular way for an outpouring of God's mercy and the grace of conversion upon all those whose hearts have been darkened by hatred, brutality and ruthless disregard for human life and dignity." The convention's theme, "A Light to all Nations," was a missionary one, and the papal greeting noted that: "In fidelity to the vision of Venerable Michael McGivney, the Knights have consistently sought to embody the missionary dimension of our Christian faith, which finds its highest expression in service to the Lord in the least of his brothers and sisters." The letter also thanked the Knights for their work on behalf of the family, noting: "At every level, the Knights of Columbus has always been concerned to accompany men in their Christian vocation, especially as husbands and fathers, and to support the Church's efforts to build strong Catholic families." Thanking the K of C for the support of the World Meeting of Families and the Synod of Bishops on the Family, the letter continued: "At a time when the natural institution of marriage is gravely threatened, not least by legislative proposals that disregard its specific character, this witness is essential for the defense of the family and the strengthening of its indispensable role in fostering the growth of individuals in maturity, the cultivation of community values and the moral progress of society as a whole." The letter also applauded a new K of C-initiative, stating that Pope Francis "trusts that the Knights' new initiative Building the Domestic Church While Strengthening Our Parish will assist parents in their efforts to foster an environment of prayer and closeness to the Lord at home and to participate actively as a family in the liturgical and apostolic life of the local Church." The pope's message was conveyed in a letter from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Nearly 100 bishops including almost a dozen cardinals were present along with more than 2000 attendees at the convention as the letter was read at the opening business session on Tuesday. SOURCE Knights of Columbus Mr. Fior brings more than 30 years of public and private company experience. He will be responsible for all finance and information technology functions at Quotient, including accounting, capital structure, and tax and treasury reporting. He will report to Steven Boal, founder and CEO. Most recently, Mr. Fior was CFO of Good Technology, a mobile security software company that was acquired by BlackBerry Inc. in 2015. "Ron is a seasoned executive, and I'm thrilled to welcome him to Quotient," said Steven Boal, Founder and CEO of Quotient. "His operational, international and deep finance experience will be instrumental as we continue to expand our business." "This is an exciting time for Quotient," said Mr. Fior. "The company is changing the way brands and retailers reach shoppers in the digital age and it's a privilege to join the team." Prior to Good Technology, Mr. Fior spent a decade as CFO at Callidus Software, doing business as CallidusCloud. During his tenure, the company went public and also transitioned from a perpetual license model to a software as a service (SaaS) recurring revenue model. Mr. Fior has held additional CFO positions at various technology companies, including at Remedy Corporation. He also spent 13 years at the Thomson Corporation, now Thomson Reuters, as a Vice President and group CFO of several companies and divisions. Mr. Fior holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. He serves on the board of the YMCA of Silicon Valley and is a Chartered Accountant. About Quotient Technology Inc. Quotient Technology Inc. (NYSE: QUOT), formerly Coupons.com Incorporated, is a leading digital promotion and media company that connects brands, retailers and consumers. We distribute digital coupons and media through a variety of products, including: digital printable coupons, digital paperless coupons, coupon codes and card linked offers. We operate Retailer iQ, a real-time digital coupon platform that connects into a retailer's point-of-sale system and provides targeting and analytics for manufacturers and retailers. We also power digital coupon initiatives in online marketing campaigns, including display and video advertising. Our distribution network includes our flagship site, Coupons.com, our mobile applications, Coupons.com, Grocery iQ, Shopmium, and the more than 30,000 publisher partners that have registered with us. Clients include hundreds of consumer packaged goods companies, such as Clorox, Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Kellogg's, as well as top retailers like Albertsons-Safeway, CVS, Dollar General, Kroger, and Walgreens. Founded in 1998, Quotient is based in Mountain View, Calif., and is bringing the multi-billion dollar offline promotions industry into the digital world. Learn more about the company at http://quotient.com or follow us on Twitter @Quotient. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151022/279702LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/395102 SOURCE Quotient Technology Inc. Related Links http://www.couponsinc.com CRESSKILL, N.J., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The RD Companies announced today that hedge fund industry veteran Amy B. Hirsch, has been hired to fill the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394570LOGO Expanding the build-out of its New York office, and further strengthening the infrastructure, Mr. Phillip H. Kwon has been hired as General Counsel, and Ms. Linda Zheng, CPA as Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Hirsch, CEO and CIO of Paradigm Consulting Services, LLC. brings 35 years of experience in Alternative Investments & Hedge Funds including due diligence, operations, and asset management. She has been responsible for managing in excess of one billion dollars of hedge fund-of-funds products and has conducted operational and investment due diligence on innumerable alternative investment firms. She started her career at Merrill Lynch Commodities where she was Vice President of Trading Services for ML Futures Investment Partners before becoming Senior Vice President at Smith Barney in their Managed Futures Group. She was Chief Operating Officer at Link Strategic Investments prior to becoming one of the four partners that launched Paradigm LDC. Ms. Hirsch has been the sole owner of Paradigm Consulting Services, LLC. since 1996. Mr. Kwon brings twenty-two years of legal experience, most recently and notably federal- and state government litigation and regulatory practice. He was, most recently, First Assistant Attorney General of the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, and held the positions of Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division and Special Prosecutions Division, Chief of the Violent Crimes Division, and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Kwon was awarded the FBI, Newark Division Award for Outstanding Prosecution Skills. Ms. Zheng joins the RD Companies from Premium Point Investments L.P. where she was the Director of Finance. Prior to Premium Point, she spent nine and a half years at Fortress Investment Group LLC, most recently as Deputy Chief Financial officer and Managing Director with responsibility for the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund. Prior to Fortress, Ms. Zheng was Manager, Financial Services Industry at Ernst & Young LLP, and started her career at Siguler Guff and Company, LLC where she was a Senior Accountant. About the RD Companies The RD Companies are comprised of RD Legal Funding, LLC, RD Legal Capital, LLC and RD Legal Group, LLC. The RD Companies together are in the business of originating legal receivables and managing investment vehicles that invest in these assets. Media contact: Roni Dersovitz Email 201-568-9007 SOURCE RD Legal Companies DENVER, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 3rd, 2016, a coalition of business and community leaders from across Colorado will come together to launch the Reason for Reform campaign. The press conference event, hosted by the Partnership for a New American Economy (NAE) and the Colorado Business Roundtable, will highlight the need for immigration reform and present new Colorado-specific data on the contributions of immigrants. The Reason for Reform campaign will kick off with the release of 51 new reports (one for every state + Washington DC) and more than 55 events in all 50 states urging Congress to take action on immigration reform. WHO: Brad Feld, Colorado Business Roundtable Congressman Jared Polis WHAT: Reason for Reform Colorado Day of Action Press Conference WHEN: August 3rd, 2016 at 3:00 PM MT WHERE: Colorado Business Roundtable 4100 Jackson Street Denver, CO 80216 About the Partnership for a New American Economy The Partnership for a New American Economy brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. The Partnership's members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from Agriculture to Aerospace, Hospitality to High Tech and Media to Manufacturing. Partnership members understand that immigration is essential to maintaining the productive, diverse and flexible workforce that America needs to ensure prosperity over the coming generations. Learn more at www.RenewOurEconomy.org. SOURCE Partnership for a New American Economy Related Links http://www.RenewOurEconomy.org DUBLIN, August 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "India Industrial Gases Market By Type (Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen), By End User (Metallurgy, Medical, Petrochemicals, Welding, etc.), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering. The market for industrial gases in India is projected to reach US $ 2.2 billion by 2021 Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon are the most commonly used industrial gases. They are used in a wide range of industries, which include oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, power, mining, steelmaking, metals, environmental protection, medicine, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food, water, fertilizers, nuclear power, electronics and aerospace. With increasing government initiatives towards developing India's manufacturing sector, coupled with rapid industrialization, demand for industrial gases is anticipated to grow at a robust pace over the next five years. Petrochemical sector, which is one of the major end users of industrial gases, is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 13% during 2015-2020, thereby boosting demand for industrial gases in India over the next five years. Owing to increasing demand and rising competition, an increasing number of industrial gases companies in India are investing heavily on capacity additions at existing as well as new end user facilities. Additionally, an increasing number of large-scale end users are also installing industrial gas production units within their premises for ensuring continuous supply of industrial gases. Few major end use consumers of industrial gases in India include Tata Steel, JSW, Bhusan Steel and Vedanta. India Industrial Gases Market Report discusses the following aspects of industrial gases market in India: Expansion by Steel Companies Growing Demand for Packaged Food Oil & Gas Sector to Drive Growth Growth in Healthcare Sector Rising Demand for Industrial Gases from Human Blood Preservation Applications Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Analyst View 4. Global Industrial Gases Market Overview 5. India Industrial Gases Market Outlook 6. List of Air Separation Units with Capacity 7. India Oxygen Industrial Gas Market Outlook 8. India Nitrogen Industrial Gas Market Outlook 9. India Argon Industrial Gas Market Outlook 10. Import-Export Analysis 11. Market Dynamics 12. Market Trends & Developments 13. Voice of Customers 14. Channel Partner Analysis 15. Policy & Regulatory Landscape 16. India Economic Profile 17. Competitive Landscape - Air Liquide India - Bhagirathi industrial gases Pvt. Ltd. - Bhagwati Oxygen Company - Bhoruka Gases - Bombay Oxygen Corporation Ltd. - Ellenbarrie Industrial Gases Ltd. - Inox Air Products - K Air Speciality Gases Pvt. Ltd. - Linde India Limited - Praxair India For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2z9q93/india_industrial Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com "The CFP certification represents the highest standard in ethical and competent financial planning and more Americans need access to this valuable service," said Salmen, who has been a CFP professional since 2000. "I look forward to working with my Board colleagues, CFP Board staff and our CFP professional community to help develop the next generation of CFP professionals who will help secure American's financial future." Before becoming CEO of Northern Financial Advisors, Salmen spent nearly 16 years at BOK Financial, overseeing the firm's financial planning practice. Salmen also served in the Army and Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Captain. For nearly 25 years, Salmen was also an air traffic controller in Kansas until his retirement in 2013. Salmen has an MBA from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. "We are very fortunate to have Richard serving as our 2017 Chair-elect. He brings to the position a great amount of knowledge, wisdom and passion for the financial planning profession," said current Board of Directors Chair Mike Greene, CFP. The Board of Directors elected Salmen to the new role at its July 2016 meeting. Current Chair-elect Blaine Aikin, CFP will serve as Chair of the Board of Directors in 2017 and Salmen will become Chair of the Board in 2018. ABOUT CFP BOARD The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board's mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP, Certified Financial Planner, and the federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFP Board currently authorizes more than 74,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394928 SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Related Links http://www.cfp.net In the context of California's End-of-Life Option Act and similar legislation through which society has given its approval of physician-assisted suicide and amid the current unmet needs of terminally ill people and well-recognized barriers to high quality palliative and hospice care, the exhibit also challenges us to reflect on our mortality and basic responsibilities to one another. "'Right, before I die' creates the space for us to explore the possibility of well-being even as we are dying," said Ira Byock, M.D., chief medical officer at the Institute for Human Caring, "and illuminates the potential to reclaim a rich part of living through the twilight of our lives." The six-week exhibit will feature special events, including: An evening with TED Talk megastar Dr. BJ Miller, Sept. 13 . Miller will explore healthcare's dysfunctional relationship with death. Miller's passion for palliative care stems from personal experience a near-fatal injury suffered while a Princeton undergraduate that cost him three limbs. . Miller will explore healthcare's dysfunctional relationship with death. Miller's passion for palliative care stems from personal experience a near-fatal injury suffered while a undergraduate that cost him three limbs. Interfaith symposium creating a culture of compassion, Sept. 28 . This event will feature leaders from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles , as well as national figures from the Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist faiths. . This event will feature leaders from the Archdiocese of , as well as national figures from the Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist faiths. This Is Your Life win an iPad mini and healthy-living prizes during the Institute for Human Caring's social media event. Details will be announced Aug. 15 . Most of the people in the collection were patients of Marwa Kilani, M.D., medical director of palliative care at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. The work "has presented us with the challenge to examine our own lives and re-evaluate our priorities in hopes of minimizing regrets," Dr. Kilani said. @Human_Caring #RBID2016 About the Museum of Tolerance: The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an internationally renowned Jewish human rights organization. The only museum of its kind in the world, the MOT is dedicated to challenging visitors to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts and confront all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today. Established in 1993, the MOT has welcomed more than five million visitors, mostly middle and high school students. Visitors become witnesses to history and explore the dynamics of bigotry and discrimination that are still embedded in society today. Through interactive exhibits, special events, and customized programs for youths and adults, the MOT engages visitors' hearts and minds, while challenging them to assume personal responsibility for positive change. About the Providence Institute for Human Caring: The Providence Institute for Human Caring seeks to transform health care and strengthen ties to the communities Providence Health & Services serves. We are clinicians, educators, and health systems experts who believe everyone deserves the best care possible for physical health as well as for emotional, social and spiritual well-being. The Institute's goal: change health care culture to make caring for whole persons and their families the new normal. Serious illness not only affects people physically, it frequently robs them of their sense of security. People living with life-threatening medical conditions often say they feel lonely, frightened, confused and depressed. Whole person care melds state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatment with expertise and services to address their emotional, social and spiritual needs. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160729/394316 SOURCE Providence Institute for Human Caring Related Links http://www.providence.org BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE: BFS), an equity real estate investment trust ("REIT"), announced its operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 ("2016 Quarter"). Total revenue for the 2016 Quarter increased to $52.7 million from $51.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 ("2015 Quarter"). Operating income, which is net income before the impact of change in fair value of derivatives, loss on early extinguishment of debt and gains on sales of property and casualty settlements, if any, increased to $13.3 million for the 2016 Quarter from $12.9 million for the 2015 Quarter. The Park Van Ness mixed-use development opened in May, and as of July 31, 2016, 130 apartment leases have been executed (48.0%). Concurrent with the opening in May, interest, real estate taxes and all other costs associated with the property, including depreciation, began to be charged to expense while revenue continues to grow as occupancy increases. As a result, net income for the 2016 Quarter was adversely impacted by $1.1 million. Net income attributable to common stockholders increased to $7.5 million ($0.35 per diluted share) for the 2016 Quarter compared to $7.3 million ($0.35 per diluted share) for the 2015 Quarter. Same property revenue increased $1.0 million (1.9%) and same property operating income increased $1.3 million (3.3%) for the 2016 Quarter compared to the 2015 Quarter. Same property operating income equals property revenue minus the sum of (a) property operating expenses, (b) provision for credit losses and (c) real estate taxes and the comparisons exclude the results of properties not in operation for the entirety of the comparable reporting periods. Shopping center same property operating income increased $0.5 million (1.6%) primarily due to increased base rent. Mixed-use same property operating income increased $0.8 million (8.9%) primarily due to (a) higher other income ($0.3 million) and (b) lower provision for credit losses ($0.2 million). As of June 30, 2016, 94.9% of the commercial portfolio was leased (not including the apartments at Clarendon Center and Park Van Ness), compared to 95.0% at June 30, 2015. On a same property basis, 95.1% of the portfolio was leased as of June 30, 2016, compared to 95.0% at June 30, 2015. The apartments at Clarendon Center were 97.1% leased as of June 30, 2016 compared to 98.8% as of June 30, 2015. The apartments at Park Van Ness were 34.7% leased as of June 30, 2016. For the six months ended June 30, 2016 ("2016 Period"), total revenue increased to $109.6 million from $103.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015 ("2015 Period"). Operating income increased to $29.6 million for the 2016 Period from $25.6 million for the 2015 Period. The increase in operating income was primarily due to (a) the net impact of a lease termination at 11503 Rockville Pike ($2.4 million) and (b) higher property operating income, exclusive of the above lease termination ($2.8 million), partially offset by (c) higher depreciation and amortization of deferred leasing costs ($0.6 million) and (d) higher general and administrative expense ($0.6 million). Net income attributable to common stockholders increased to $17.4 million ($0.81 per diluted share) for the 2016 Period compared to $14.4 million ($0.68 per diluted share) for the 2015 Period. The increase in net income attributable to common stockholders was primarily due to (a) the net impact of a lease termination at 11503 Rockville Pike ($2.4 million) and (b) higher property operating income, exclusive of the above lease termination ($2.8 million), partially offset by (c) higher noncontrolling interests ($1.0 million), (d) higher depreciation and amortization of deferred leasing costs ($0.6 million) and (e) higher general and administrative expense ($0.6 million). Same property revenue increased 5.6% and same property operating income increased 7.2% for the 2016 Period compared to the 2015 Period. Shopping center same property operating income increased 6.6% and mixed-use same property operating income increased 9.3%. Shopping center operating income increased primarily due to (a) the net impact of a lease termination at 11503 Rockville Pike ($2.4 million) and (b) higher base rent throughout the remainder of the portfolio ($1.6 million). Avenel Business Park was the primary contributor to improved mixed-use property operating income. Funds from operations ("FFO") available to common stockholders and noncontrolling interests (after deducting preferred stock dividends) increased 1.6% to $21.0 million ($0.73 per diluted share) in the 2016 Quarter from $20.6 million ($0.73 per diluted share) in the 2015 Quarter. Concurrent with the opening of Park Van Ness in May, interest, real estate taxes and all other costs associated with the property began to be charged to expense while revenue continues to grow as occupancy increases. As a result, FFO for the 2016 Quarter was adversely impacted by $0.7 million. FFO, a widely accepted non-GAAP financial measure of operating performance for REITs, is defined as net income plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and excluding gains and losses from property dispositions, impairment charges on depreciable real estate assets and extraordinary items. FFO available to common stockholders and noncontrolling interests (after deducting preferred stock dividends and the impact of preferred stock redemptions) increased 11.4% to $45.3 million ($1.57 per diluted share) in the 2016 Period from $40.7 million ($1.43 per diluted share) in the 2015 Period. FFO available to common shareholders increased primarily due to (a) the net impact of a lease termination at 11503 Rockville Pike ($2.4 million) and (b) higher property operating income, exclusive of the above lease termination ($2.8 million), partially offset by (c) higher general and administrative expenses ($0.6 million). Saul Centers is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, which currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio of 59 properties which includes (a) 50 community and neighborhood shopping centers and seven mixed-use properties with approximately 9.6 million square feet of leasable area and (b) two land and development properties. Approximately 85% of the Saul Centers' property operating income is generated by properties in the metropolitan Washington, DC/Baltimore area. Saul Centers, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (Unaudited) Assets Real estate investments Land $ 427,112 $ 424,837 Buildings and equipment 1,206,307 1,114,357 Construction in progress 7,327 83,516 1,640,746 1,622,710 Accumulated depreciation (440,499) (425,370) 1,200,247 1,197,340 Cash and cash equivalents 10,981 10,003 Accounts receivable and accrued income, net 48,508 51,076 Deferred leasing costs, net 26,371 26,919 Prepaid expenses, net 1,892 4,663 Other assets 7,456 5,407 Total assets $ 1,295,455 $ 1,295,408 Liabilities Notes payable $ 784,402 $ 796,169 Revolving credit facility payable 10,956 26,695 Construction loan payable 61,460 43,641 Dividends and distributions payable 16,684 15,380 Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities 25,865 27,687 Deferred income 29,658 32,109 Total liabilities 929,025 941,681 Stockholders' equity Preferred stock 180,000 180,000 Common stock 215 213 Additional paid-in capital 318,778 305,008 Accumulated deficit and other comprehensive loss (185,262) (181,893) Total Saul Centers, Inc. stockholders' equity 313,731 303,328 Noncontrolling interests 52,699 50,399 Total stockholders' equity 366,430 353,727 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,295,455 $ 1,295,408 Saul Centers, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenue (unaudited) (unaudited) Base rent $ 42,580 $ 41,876 $ 85,187 $ 83,355 Expense recoveries 7,892 7,797 17,450 16,529 Percentage rent 596 558 959 996 Other 1,642 1,480 6,040 2,919 Total revenue 52,710 51,711 109,636 103,799 Operating expenses Property operating expenses 6,060 6,196 14,055 13,812 Provision for credit losses 384 414 816 660 Real estate taxes 6,137 5,876 12,071 11,777 Interest expense and amortization of deferred debt costs 11,655 11,353 22,744 22,759 Depreciation and amortization of deferred leasing costs 10,817 10,811 21,852 21,251 General and administrative 4,407 4,139 8,467 7,910 Acquisition related costs 21 Total operating expenses 39,460 38,789 80,005 78,190 Operating income 13,250 12,922 29,631 25,609 Change in fair value of derivatives (3) (10) (6) Gain on sale of property 11 11 Net Income 13,247 12,933 29,621 25,614 Income attributable to noncontrolling interests (2,620) (2,537) (6,046) (5,011) Net income attributable to Saul Centers, Inc. 10,627 10,396 23,575 20,603 Preferred stock dividends (3,094) (3,094) (6,188) (6,188) Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 7,533 $ 7,302 $ 17,387 $ 14,415 Per share net income attributable to common stockholders Basic and diluted $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.81 $ 0.68 Weighted Average Common Stock: Common stock 21,443 21,098 21,374 21,058 Effect of dilutive options 73 45 52 82 Diluted weighted average common stock 21,516 21,143 21,426 21,140 Reconciliation of net income to FFO attributable to common stockholders and noncontrolling interests (1) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2016 2015 2016 2015 (unaudited) (unaudited) Net income $ 13,247 $ 12,933 $ 29,621 $ 25,614 Subtract: Gain on sale of property (11) (11) Add: Real estate depreciation and amortization 10,817 10,811 21,852 21,251 FFO 24,064 23,733 51,473 46,854 Subtract: Preferred stock dividends (3,094) (3,094) (6,188) (6,188) FFO available to common stockholders and noncontrolling interests $ 20,970 $ 20,639 $ 45,285 $ 40,666 Weighted average shares: Diluted weighted average common stock 21,516 21,143 21,426 21,140 Convertible limited partnership units 7,361 7,237 7,345 7,225 Average shares and units used to compute FFO per share 28,877 28,380 28,771 28,365 FFO per share available to common stockholders and noncontrolling interests $ 0.73 $ 0.73 $ 1.57 $ 1.43 (1) The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) developed FFO as a relative non-GAAP financial measure of performance of an equity REIT in order to recognize that income-producing real estate historically has not depreciated on the basis determined under GAAP. FFO is defined by NAREIT as net income, computed in accordance with GAAP, plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and excluding extraordinary items, impairment charges on depreciable real estate assets and gains or losses from property dispositions. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs, which is disclosed in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the applicable periods. There are no material legal or functional restrictions on the use of FFO. FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income, its most directly comparable GAAP measure, as an indicator of the Company's operating performance, or as an alternative to cash flows as a measure of liquidity. Management considers FFO a meaningful supplemental measure of operating performance because it primarily excludes the assumption that the value of the real estate assets diminishes predictably over time (i.e. depreciation), which is contrary to what the Company believes occurs with its assets, and because industry analysts have accepted it as a performance measure. FFO may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other REITs. Reconciliation of net income to same property operating income Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 (unaudited) (unaudited) Net income $ 13,247 $ 12,933 $ 29,621 $ 25,614 Add: Interest expense and amortization of deferred debt costs 11,655 11,353 22,744 22,759 Add: Depreciation and amortization of deferred leasing costs 10,817 10,811 21,852 21,251 Add: General and administrative 4,407 4,139 8,467 7,910 Add: Acquisition related costs 21 Add: Change in fair value of derivatives 3 10 6 Less: Gains on sale of property (11) (11) Less: Interest income (12) (13) (25) (26) Property operating income 40,117 39,212 82,669 77,524 (Add) Less: Acquisitions, dispositions and development property (51) 327 121 509 Total same property operating income $ 40,168 $ 38,885 $ 82,548 $ 77,015 Shopping centers $ 30,509 $ 30,019 $ 63,584 $ 59,665 Mixed-Use properties 9,659 8,866 18,964 17,350 Total same property operating income $ 40,168 $ 38,885 $ 82,548 $ 77,015 SOURCE Saul Centers, Inc. Related Links http://www.saulcenters.com CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Meet Dr. Z. He hates ED. He hates Peyronie's Disease. He hates pretty much any form of sexual dysfunction, and has dedicated his practice and his life to helping patients regain their confidence through biologic therapies. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394480 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394481LOGO This fall at the annual Scientific Meeting of the Sexual Medical Society of North America, Dr. Zahalsky will present findings from his work the past few years on biologics therapy for erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's Disease. Dr. Zahalsky has put together a world renowned team of Urologists to assist in the research and education of biological products in Urology. Dr. Rafael Carrion, part of Dr. Zahalsky's respected team of UroCellZ Researchers, is currently leading an IRB-approved study. "As I personally continue to see the success of our biologics research and treatment for sexual dysfunction, I want to shout from the rooftops how exciting this news is for a very large segment of our population," says Dr. Zahalsky. "When we get to share our studies with other medical experts from around the world, it's especially gratifying, educating peers and potentially changing the lives of patients." Previously, Dr. Zahalsky has presented his results at the American Urological Association Annual meeting and at the World Congress of Medical Sexology. But Dr. Z also realizes action is just as important as information dissemination. That is why UroCellZ Research has teamed up with Atlanta, Georgia-based Vivex Biomedical, an authority on biological products and owner of the University of Miami Tissue Bank, the oldest civilian tissue bank in the country. Previously, Vivex's products have been used to treat orthopedic, spine, wound, and soft tissue injuries. UroCellZ Research, believes that these same products and techniques can be used to help millions of people suffering from Urological conditions, especially male and female sexual dysfunction, but need to be studied appropriately first. About Dr. Zahalsky & UroCellZ Research Dr. Zahalsky is a respected Urologist, dual fellowship trained at Boston University and MIT in Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction. Prior, he obtained his medical degree and a Masters in Epidemiology from Brown University. He currently runs a large Urology practice in South Florida, Z Urology, lectures regularly on the applications of Biologics for Sexual Dysfunction and all of Urology, and has authored Peer Reviewed articles and is a reviewer for multiple medical journals. UroCellZ Research is a clinical research group of 20 Sexual Dysfunction experts from around the United States who focus on advancing research and education in the rapidly growing field of Regenerative Medicine and Urology. About Vivex Biomedical Vivex Biomedical is a privately held company based out of Atlanta, Georgia focused on biologically active tissue forms that treat orthopedic, spine, wound and soft tissue indications. Vivex and its wholly owned subsidiary, UMTB Biomedical, Inc., own and hold exclusive rights to proprietary technologies in the field of biomedicine, stem cells, and orthopedic implant surface modification. Contact: Michael Zahalsky, MD 954-714-8200 Email SOURCE UroCellZ NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. ("Keryx" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: KERX). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. [Click here to join a class action] The investigation concerns whether Keryx and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. On August 1, 2016, Keryx announced that a "production-related issue" at the Company's contract manufacturer will cause an interruption in the supply of the Company's Auryxia tablets. Keryx acknowledged that "current inventories of Auryxia are not sufficient to ensure uninterrupted patient access." Keryx also withdrew its guidance for the year. On this news, Keryx's share price fell $2.63, or 35.78%, to close at $4.72 on August 1, 2016. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Related Links http://www.pomerantzlaw.com PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Aug 1, 2016 SimpleTire changes the tire buying industry forever. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394551 NEW TIRES. EVERY VEHICLE. BEST PRICES. Free Shipping on Popular Brands! The last barrier to buying tires on the Internet has come down! The cost of shipping is no longer an issue. SimpleTire now ships popular brand tires to an installer or home, WITHOUT a delivery charge. More than 5,000 SKUs from the most popular tires brands qualify for FREE SHIPPING. They include BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Falken, Firestone, Fuzion, General, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly Tires, Kumho, Michelin, Nitto, Pirelli, Toyo, and Yokohama. Customers get the best prices and free shipping on popular brands because of a unique low-cost, high-volume business model. Instead of buying and reselling tires like other retailers, SimpleTire uses data and technology to aggregate tire inventory, for every type of vehicle, from more than 500 suppliers across the country. As COO Josh Chalofsky says, "We're often referred to as the 'Expedia of the tire industry' because of the way we source tires and the effort we've put into building relationships with suppliers." The suppliers, that SimpleTire has partnered with, compete with each other on price and selection so that SimpleTire customers get the best deals. Mr. Chalofsky adds, "Our mission is to provide people with the best prices on new tires and take the hassle out of the buying & installation process. Now with free shipping, we have made enormous progress in achieving that." With other tire retailers having a limited tire selection and the expense of maintaining inventory, they are at a significant disadvantage when compared to SimpleTire's business model. In the $38 billion market, currently 5% of tires are purchased online. That share is now poised to grow quickly thanks to the ease of price comparison shopping and convenient delivery. About SimpleTire SimpleTire gets people new tires for every vehicle at the best price, and with free shipping. www.SimpleTire.com Contact: Kevin Burke SimpleTire.com Email 888-410-0604 SOURCE SimpleTire.com Related Links http://www.simpletire.com HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- China is a big country in the area of foreign trade, with 600,000 registered import and export companies according to the customs record. How do Chinese foreign traders do business with overseas buyers? How do suppliers and buyers find each other? For many Chinese foreign traders there was no such a thing as marketing or online marketing, especially before 2008. They just attended Canton Fair and other big fairs of their own industries, waiting for buyers. This stage can be thought of as phase 1.0 of Chinese foreign trade. But since the big economic crisis in Europe and the Americas, the case became totally different, waiting at fairs no longer worked that well. And then Alibaba.com saved many small and medium-sized foreign traders followed by made-in-china.com and other B2B platforms. Suppliers and buyers were able to meet together and discuss every detail without any geographic or cultural barriers, saving time and communicating efficiently. Most importantly, foreign traders got their customers and orders, maybe not so easily but they survived. This is Phase 2.0 of Chinese foreign trade, during which internet began to play a big part. As more and more suppliers and manufacturers swarmed to the platforms and the volume of purchasing grew slowly or stopped growing, the competition between suppliers on B2B platforms thus became more and more fierce. To win more customers and orders, foreign traders needed to renew their mindset and marketing strategies as online marketing includes more than B2B platforms, They began to do email marketing, content marketing, big data marketing, search engine PPC, social media marketing, and so on. This is Phase 3.0 of Chinese foreign trade, during which the internet is fully used and online marketing also plays a big part. We are currently in Phase 3.0 of Chinese foreign trade, it's the time of online marketing. There are many ways you can be visible online. But the thing is what would your potential buyers see you online? Your B2B platform profiles and your Facebook profiles? Yes they are working well for you and in good hands, but they are not in your own hands, what if the rules of B2B platforms and social media change? You have to have something in your own hands! And that something is your own official website! In China there is an online marketing service provider named Siyiou (www.seo.com.cn) founded by Mr. HE Xumin and his partners. According to Mr. HE, online marketing system based on foreign traders' official websites is Phase 4.0 of Chinese foreign trade. "As a leading online marketing service provider for Chinese exporting companies, we are supposed to see the trend before foreign traders do", Mr. HE said. "It is our responsibility to picture Phase 4.0 for them and help them to grow out of the old phase and face the future." Siyiou is short for Siyiou Network Technology Co., Ltd. With its headquarters in Hangzhou, China, Siyiou has been providing SEO (short for Search Engine Optimization) service to all kinds of industries and Chinese companies of any scale since 2003. As one of the initial SEO service providers of China, Siyiou still commits itself to the SEO industry, and in order to serve this industry better, it keeps a technology team of 500 senior IT engineers and SEO experts. Mr. HE Xumin is a creative person, and so his team is creative and innovative and always sees and acts along with the trend. In this new time, SEO service by itself cannot help Chinese foreign traders to go far, they need new tools. In December 2013, Siyiou successfully developed Foreign Trade Express, and in early 2014, Foreign Trade Express was put into China market with Hangzhou as a start. Foreign Trade Express is a one-stop smart network marketing system, which is developed on the basis of advanced SEO technology and online marketing skills and especially for Chinese foreign traders. Using Foreign Trade Express, foreign traders can develop their own official English website and websites in 47 other languages, and for each PC website there is a mobile version that was developed in accordance with a Google Mobile-friendly algorithm. Before website development, foreign traders only have to define and make a list of keywords and terms according to product features and potential customers searching possibilities, and provide content of high relevance. When websites are ready, SEO begins automatically. With 1 to 3 months after that, as Siyiou guaranteed, the website will rank in the top 10 in Google SERPs for 50 to 1000 keywords and terms. Not only helping with Google SEO, Foreign Trade Express also helps Chinese foreign traders share their products information with hundreds of B2B and B2C platforms, and social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and so on. And, with other marketing tools within the same system, foreign traders can easily find where the potential customers are and what they prefer, and with the detailed information, foreign traders can do email marketing and content marketing accordingly. Thus, Foreign Trade Express is called a smart online marketing system. With the help of Foreign Trade Express, nearly 10,000 small and medium-sized Chinese foreign traders established their own online marketing system based on their own official websites. They are now not only focusing on the traditional English-speaking market, but are also develop their non-English speaking market. With the big picture of traditional market and emerging market, small and medium-sized Chinese foreign traders can also go global, not only in business but also in mindset and marketing strategies. They are ready for Phase 4.0 of Chinese foreign trade. Siyiou is a company which never stops surprising customers with amazing services and products. Visit their website at www.seo.com.cn. To find out more about Foreign Trade Express, an amazing product which never stops updating with more amazing features, visit kc.seo.com.cn. SOURCE Siyiou NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EY announces that the team from Society Consulting, a US-based market-leading analytics and big data consulting firm in Seattle, Washington, has joined Ernst & Young LLP in the US. Society Consulting is known for aggregating, organizing and visualizing companies' data to improve the customer experience for its clients across a variety of media channels, and creating scalable, actionable analytics solutions that span all customer touch points. Its services include web development, dynamic content strategy, content management, personalization, segmentation and campaign execution. The Society Consulting team brings new depth to EY's market-leading offerings in digital analytics, analytics managed services and big data services. EY will leverage the Society Consulting team's experience to help clients design, build and deploy a complete set of experiences for customers, employees, providers and other stakeholders. Saj Usman, EY Americas Advisory Data and Analytics Leader, says: "Our clients want to become more data-driven and often ask for the best way to leverage all their data, how to make sense of it, and what capabilities they need to transform their company and drive consistent, sustained value by becoming a more data-driven business. With the Society Consulting team as part of EY, we can enhance clients' digital experiences by harnessing world class technology delivery, data science and data architecture capabilities." Chad Richeson, formerly CEO of Society Consulting, says: "In today's market, it's not good enough to have a digital strategy or merely act like a digital company. It's about having a business strategy that's built to operate in a digital world. By joining EY, we can reach out to more clients, helping them to reach knowledge-based, insight-driven decisions and make the most of their troves of data to improve experiences across the board." Steve Watson, EY Global Performance Improvement Leader, Advisory Services, says: "With the Society Consulting team joining EY, we further enhance our ability to help clients maximize the value of their data for knowledge-based, insight-driven decisions that enable them to deliver exceptional experiences to their customers, employees, suppliers and business partners. Through other highly synergistic combinations including with Seren, NorthPoint Digital, Intuitive Company, Bedrock Consultants, Bluestone Consulting, C3 and others EY has developed a wide breadth of services in the digital space." Notes to editors About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that also provides services to clients in the US. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130701/NY40565LOGO-b SOURCE EY Related Links http://www.ey.com CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stout Risius Ross, Inc. (SRR), a global advisory firm specializing in Investment Banking, Valuation & Financial Opinions, and Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services is proud to announce that Mr. Carsten Hoffmann has joined the firm as a Managing Director, co-head of the Trust & Estate Valuation Services practice, and head of its new Irvine, California office. Mr. Hoffmann has more than two decades of valuation expertise and is a highly regarded expert on a range of complex valuation issues related to estate and gift tax, income tax, litigation support and dispute resolution including the quantification of discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability pertaining to business and real property interests. As a leader in the valuation industry, Mr. Hoffmann has testified in U.S. Tax Court as a valuation expert, has authored numerous articles, and regularly presents on valuation issues nationally. "We are thrilled to welcome Carsten to our firm," said Craige Stout, Chairman and CEO of SRR. "He is highly regarded in the trust and estate community and has a proven track record of building lasting relationships with clients. His expertise will be an invaluable asset to our clients and his leadership will help us continue to grow our Trust & Estate Valuation practice." Prior to joining SRR, Mr. Hoffmann was a Managing Director of FMV Opinions, where he managed the national valuation group, as well as the operations of the Irvine, California office. Mr. Hoffmann received his Master's degree in Business Administration and his Bachelor of Arts degree in German and English from the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Hoffmann is a Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers and a Trust and Estate Practitioner. He holds active memberships in Young Presidents' Organization and the Orange County Estate Planning Council. Mr. Hoffmann is a Series 63 and 79 Registered Securities Representative. About SRR's Trust & Estate Valuation Services practice SRR has built the premier Trust & Estate valuation services practice in the United States providing the following services: valuation of closely held business and real estate interests, FLP/LLC valuation discount studies, carried interest valuation, complex security valuation, restricted stock and blockage discount opinions, promissory note valuation, valuation of undivided interests in real estate, valuation of intellectual property, tax controversy consulting and expert testimony. Our clients and their advisors rely on our premier expertise, deep industry knowledge, and unparalleled responsiveness on complex financial matters. For more information, visit www.SRR.com, follow us on Twitter @StoutRisiusRoss and/or connect with us on LinkedIn. SRR is a trade name for Stout Risius Ross, Inc. and Stout Risius Ross Advisors, LLC, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm. SOURCE Stout Risius Ross, Inc. Related Links http://www.srr.com TOPEKA, Kan., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Orion Health announced today that Stormont Vail Health (SVH) has selected Orion Health's Rhapsody Integration Engine to replace a legacy engine that could no longer meet their integration and interoperability needs. Rhapsody achieves rapid interoperability between healthcare IT systems, which enables connected solutions in less time and at a lower cost. Rhapsody can support all healthcare message formats and standards, which include HL7 (v2 and v3), HL7 FHIR, CCDA, NCPDP, X12, IHE, DICOM, XML, binary, delimited and legacy formats. Based in Topeka, Kansas, SVH is made up of providers, primary care and specialty physician clinics, a 586-bed acute care hospital and other services. In January 2016, the IT team at SVH undertook a rigorous selection process in which they reviewed the top vendors listed by KLAS and then narrowed it down to their top two. After running parallel Proof of Concept (POC) projects and in-depth due diligence into the shortlisted candidates, Rhapsody was selected as the Integration Engine to which SVH will migrate over all of their interfaces. "I wanted a product that my team would enjoy using every day," said Judy Corzine, administrative director and CIO of SVH. "My team was much more comfortable with Rhapsody's Integrated Development Environment (IDE) than anything else they had seen and they were very confident that they would be able to migrate all of the interfaces to Rhapsody without the need to hire any additional IT staff." Corzine added that Rhapsody gives SVH the ability to expand functionalities and components without incurring additional capital expenses. SVH also felt more assured with Orion Health's migration strategy, which includes a conversion tool that will help convert its legacy interfaces (written in Monk) into new Rhapsody interfaces with minimal changes. Orion Health's training plan includes both in-person and online (certification) programs, with simple to understand and engaging self-paced learning. Further, Rhapsody gives users an online wiki (called "Doki") where users can quickly and easily access documentation and answers, rather than having to search an index-based help file. SVH's vision is to be a national leader in providing compassionate, high-quality and efficient integrated care through collaboration that results in a healthier community. SVH leaders recognized that leveraging the right technology is a critical factor in achieving effective and efficient coordinated care, which helped drive their decision to choose Rhapsody. "The pricingwhich includes an unlimited licensemet my expectations," said Corzine. "I was very happy with the contracting process and feel that we have chosen a stable, long-term partner." "We are privileged to be selected by SVH to help fulfill their vision with the right technology to meet their integration and interoperability needs," said Baz Patel, sales director at Orion Health. "Rhapsody provides a comprehensive set of tools that will help SVH with their current requirements to get off their legacy engine with zero risk, and the same platform will accommodate any new and future requirements." About Stormont Vail Health Stormont Vail Health is a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system based in Topeka, Kansas. It is comprised of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care center, and Cotton O'Neil, a multi-specialty physician group with 230 primary care and specialty care physicians. More than 4,500 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 27 other locations, including the Cotton O'Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center and multiple primary care clinics throughout northeast Kansas. Stormont Vail Health has achieved and maintained Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Stormont Vail Hospital has the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care and only verified trauma center. About Orion Health Orion Health is a technology company that provides solutions that enable healthcare to over 100 million patients in more than 25 countries. Its open technology platform seamlessly integrates all forms of relevant data to deliver population health and precision medicine solutions across the entire health community. Orion Health makes healthcare information available anywhere by providing healthcare IT connectivity in every U.S. state and in over 30 countries worldwide. With an inherent ability to interconnect a wide variety of healthcare information systems, Orion Health's Amadeus, with the Rhapsody Integration Engine, facilitates data acquisition and aggregation within and among payer and provider organizations, accountable care organizations, governments and health information exchanges. The company employs more than 1,250 people globally and is committed to continual innovation, investing over 30 percent of total operating revenue year to date in research and development, to cement its position at the forefront of precision medicine. For more information, visit www.orionhealth.com/us and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Media Contact Marcia Rhodes Amendola Communications for Orion Health 480.664.8412 ext. 15 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160321/346575LOGO SOURCE Orion Health Related Links http://www.orionhealth.com/ CHICAGO, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- James Hardie Building Products Inc., the leader in fiber cement siding, today announced 10 years of earning the nationally-recognized "A,A" Partners of Choice Award for outstanding Quality and Service from David Weekley Homes, the nation's largest privately-held home builder. Each year, David Weekley Homes recognizes the best-of-breed companies that provide an exemplary combination of quality and service, according to the results of a rigorous supplier evaluation platform. A large component of this process is the National Trading Partner Survey, a quarterly survey that is used to impact change, which includes reducing channel costs and improving customer service with the end goal of achieving the highest level of homeowner satisfaction. Companies ranked the highest are presented with the nationally-acclaimed Partners of Choice Award. Award winners are divided into two categories: "A,A" for excellence in both quality and service or "A" for excellence in either category. James Hardie stands out among the 200 participating companies as only one of 14 to earn the highly coveted "A,A" Award, achieving excellence in both quality and service, and one of only three companies to earn this distinction for 10 or more years. "When homeowners choose David Weekley Homes with James Hardie siding, they receive an exceptionally beautiful, durable and authentic exterior," said Sean Gadd, chief marketing officer for James Hardie Building Products. "We're honored to earn this award for the 10th year and we look forward to delivering David Weekley Homes with high-quality products and first class service for many more years." Gadd also noted that the "A" award for service is a testament to the dedication and superior customer support consistently delivered by the company's valued channel partners. "The National Trading Partner Survey is an end-to-end process in which we not only evaluate the performance of our suppliers, but also their ability to influence the supply chain," said Bill Justus, vice president of supply chain for David Weekley Homes and primary driver of the world class evaluation platform. "At David Weekley Homes, we set the highest expectations for our team members and expect the very same from our trading partners. For 10 years, James Hardie has undoubtedly demonstrated world-class excellence and fully embraces our goal of delivering outstanding customer satisfaction to our home buyers." For more information about the award, visit: davidweekleyhomes.com. To learn more about James Hardie, visit jameshardie.com. About James Hardie Building Products Inc. James Hardie is the global leader in fiber cement technology, and has been furthering founder James Hardie's innovative, entrepreneurial legacy around the world for more than 125 years. It invented fiber cement siding products in the early 1980s as a durable, lower-maintenance alternative to wood and vinyl. Its products combine innovation and versatility to offer a variety of design possibilities, matched with specific performance attributes relative to the climate where the product is being used. Currently installed on more than 5.5 million homes in North America, James Hardie has earned a favorable reputation within the industry and has been specified in some of the country's most prestigious projects. For more information about James Hardie visit www.jameshardie.com. About David Weekley Homes David Weekley Homes, the nation's largest privately-held home builder, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016. Headquartered in Houston, the company operates in 24 cities and 13 states across the United States. David Weekley Homes was the first builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes "America's Best Builder," "National Housing Quality Award" and "National Builder of the Year." David Weekley Homes has also appeared 10 times on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. Since 1976, the company has closed more than 80,000 homes. For more information, visit www.davidweekleyhomes.com. Contact: Sarah Flagg CBD Marketing Office: 312-661-1050 Email: [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150805/255667LOGO SOURCE James Hardie Building Products Inc. Related Links http://www.jameshardie.com PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. Performance Summary* (U.S. dollars in millions, except per share data) Highlights Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, GAAP Results 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net sales $420.8 $454.1 $850.6 $966.2 Gross profit $81.5 $86.5 $164.9 $173.6 Gross margin 19.4% 19.0% 19.4% 18.0% Operating income (loss) $1.1 $(16.7) $0.6 $(28.8) Operating margin 0.3% (3.7)% 0.1% (3.0)% Net income (loss) from continuing operations $(2.0) $(16.7) $(3.1) $(38.5) Net income (loss) per share from continuing operations $(0.05) $(0.45) $(0.08) $(1.04) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations $(5.4) $(11.7) $(21.6) $(18.5) Net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations $(0.15) $(0.32) $(0.58) $(0.50) Non-GAAP Results** Net sales $420.8 $434.9 $850.6 $867.9 Gross profit $81.5 $85.1 $164.9 $163.6 Gross margin 19.4% 19.6% 19.4% 18.9% Operating income $2.3 $7.3 $4.2 $8.9 Operating margin 0.5% 1.7% 0.5% 1.0% Net income (loss) from continuing operations $0.8 $5.5 $2.9 $1.8 Net income (loss) per share from continuing operations $0.02 $0.15 $0.08 $0.05 Net income (loss) from discontinued operations $(6.0) $(36.3) $(24.0) $(55.2) Net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations $(0.16) $(0.98) $(0.65) $(1.49) * The actual fiscal quarter ended on July 2, 2016. The second quarters of both 2016 and 2015 included 13 weeks, respectively. ** On December 1, 2015 the Company closed on the sale of certain assets of its North American Technology Group ("NATG"). Pursuant to this transaction, the Company is winding down the remaining operations of NATG during 2016. Recently revised United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") prevent the Company from presenting the entire NATG segment as a "discontinued operation" despite the entire NATG segment being discontinued. In the GAAP presentation, the retail operations which were discontinued by the Company prior to the transaction, along with allocations of common distribution and back office costs, are presented as part of the Company's continuing operations for all periods; other NATG operations that were sold as well as the remaining retail operations that existed at the time of the transaction (and were subsequently discontinued by the Company) are presented as discontinued operations for all periods. The Company believes that the non-GAAP presentation conveys additional meaningful information to investors. The non-GAAP results reflect the entire NATG segment as a discontinued operation for all periods presented as well as adjustments for non-recurring items, intangible amortization, equity compensation and a normalized effective tax rate in recurring operations. See accompanying GAAP reconciliation tables. GAAP Second Quarter 2016 Financial Summary: Consolidated sales decreased 7.3% to $420.8 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 7.2%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 7.2%. Industrial Products Group sales grew 0.5% to $181.8 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 0.8%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 0.8%. EMEA Technology Products Group sales decreased 5.7% to $238.1 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 5.6%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 5.6%. Consolidated operating income was $1.1 million compared to a loss of $16.7 million last year. compared to a loss of last year. Diluted net loss per share from continuing operations was $0.05 . Non-GAAP Second Quarter 2016 Continuing Operations Financial Summary: Consolidated sales decreased 3.2% to $420.8 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.1%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.1%. Industrial Products Group sales grew 0.5% to $181.8 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 0.8%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 0.8%. EMEA Technology Products Group sales decreased 5.7% to $238.1 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 5.6%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 5.6%. Consolidated operating income was $2.3 million compared to $7.3 million last year. compared to last year. Diluted net income per share was $0.02 . GAAP Six Months 2016 Financial Summary: Consolidated sales decreased 12.0% to $850.6 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the January 2015 acquisition of the Plant Equipment Group (P.E.G.) in North America , sales decreased 11.6%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the acquisition of the Plant Equipment Group (P.E.G.) in , sales decreased 11.6%. Industrial Products Group sales grew 3.7% to $352.4 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the January 2015 acquisition of P.E.G., sales grew 2.1%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the acquisition of P.E.G., sales grew 2.1%. EMEA Technology Products Group sales decreased 5.5% to $496.3 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.9%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.9%. Consolidated operating income was $0.6 million compared to a loss of $28.8 million last year. compared to a loss of last year. Diluted net loss per share was $0.08 . Non-GAAP Six Months 2016 Continuing Operations Financial Summary: Consolidated sales decreased 2.0% to $850.6 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the January 2015 acquisition of P.E.G., sales decreased 1.6%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding the acquisition of P.E.G., sales decreased 1.6%. Industrial Products Group sales grew 3.7% to $352.4 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding P.E.G., sales grew 2.1%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis and excluding P.E.G., sales grew 2.1%. EMEA Technology Products Group sales decreased 5.5% to $496.3 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.9%. in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales decreased 3.9%. Consolidated operating income was $4.2 million compared to $8.9 million last year. compared to last year. Diluted net income per share was $0.08 . Larry Reinhold, Chief Executive Officer, said, "In the quarter we continued to streamline our business, optimize our operations and took additional steps to improve our long-term profitability. Industrial extended its revenue growth streak to 26 consecutive quarters despite a soft North American MRO market, improved efficiencies in its distribution network, and implemented a cost reduction initiative which will lower its annual cost structure by approximately $4 million. Quarterly results include approximately $2.9 million in one-time costs associated with the cost reduction initiative and an inventory adjustment the Company gained visibility into during an IT system conversion." "In Europe, our largest market France delivered its 10th consecutive quarter of double digit growth despite a soft IT market, and our Netherlands Solutions business generated double digit growth for the second consecutive quarter, which were offset by declines in other markets. In the U.K., turnaround efforts are moving forward and we successfully established a new sales office in north London, which included the recruitment of several senior sales executives. In Netherlands we completed the consolidation of our offices to a new shared facility in Amstelveen which houses our employees from both the Solutions as well as the reseller business. During the quarter we also initiated a strategic review of our German business which concluded successfully with the recently announced sale." "During the quarter, we made additional progress in winding down the former North American Technology Group business which included vacating the Miami office. Remaining shut down activities relate primarily to collecting accounts receivable and settling leases and other contingencies." "As a result of the strategic initiatives we have accomplished in the past year, the Company has significantly simplified its structure, reported non-gaap operating profits and maintained a strong balance sheet. Accordingly, our board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.05 per share of common stock to shareholders of record at the close of August 19, 2016, payable on August 29, 2016. We anticipate continuing a regular quarterly dividend in the future. With a strong balance sheet we have the flexibility to return capital to shareholders, execute on our business plans and continue investing in our growth opportunities." "At June 30, 2016, the Company had total working capital of $199.3 million, cash and cash equivalents of $165.2 million and excess availability under its credit facility of approximately $39.0 million," Reinhold concluded. Earnings Conference Call Details Systemax Inc. will provide pre-recorded remarks on its second quarter 2016 results today, August 2, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the remarks will be available on the Company's website at www.systemax.com in the investor relations section. The webcast will also be archived on www.systemax.com for approximately 90 days. About Systemax Inc. Systemax Inc. (www.systemax.com), a Fortune 1000 company, sells industrial and technology products through a system of branded e-Commerce websites and relationship marketers in North America and Europe. The primary brands are Global Industrial, C&H, MISCO and Inmac Wstore. Forward Looking Statements. This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of that term in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Additional written or oral forward looking statements may be made by the Company from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission or otherwise. Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company assumes no obligation to update these statements. Forward looking statements may include, but are not limited to, projections or estimates of revenue, income or loss, exit costs, cash flow needs and capital expenditures, statements regarding future operations, expansion or restructuring plans, including our recent exit from and winding down of our NATG operations, financing needs, compliance with financial covenants in loan agreements, the implementation or performance of technology systems discussed below, the turnaround plans for our UK operations, the performance of our shared service center in Hungary, fluctuations in economic conditions and exchange rates, including factors impacting our substantial international operations, plans for acquisition or sale of assets or businesses, consolidation and integration of operations of recently acquired businesses, plans relating to products or services of the Company, assessments of materiality, predictions of future events and the effects of pending and possible litigation, as well as assumptions relating to the foregoing. In addition, when used in this release, the words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," and "plans" and variations thereof and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. Other factors that may affect our future results of operations and financial condition include, but are not limited to, unanticipated developments in any one or more of the following areas, as well as other factors which may be detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings: risks involved with e-commerce, including possible loss of business and customer dissatisfaction if outages or other computer-related problems should preclude customer access to our products and services; our ability to timely and efficiently exit and wind down our discontinued NATG business; our ability to timely and efficiently integrate recently acquired businesses, the Company's management information systems and other technology platforms supporting our sales, procurement and other operations are critical to our operations and disruptions or delays, particularly as we continue to transition certain functions from our existing platforms to a new platform specifically developed for our needs, have occurred and could occur in the future, and if not timely addressed would have a material adverse effect on us; general economic conditions, will continue to impact our business; technological change, such as the effect of mobile devices on sales of PCs and laptop computers, have had and can continue to have a material effect on our product mix and results of operations; sales tax laws or government enforcement priorities may be changed which could result in ecommerce and direct mail retailers having to collect sales taxes in states where the current laws and interpretations do not require us to do so; our substantial international operations are subject to risks such as fluctuations in currency rates, foreign regulatory requirements, political uncertainty and the management of our expanding international operations infrastructure including our ability to timely and effectively operate our shared services center in Hungary; and managing various inventory risks, such as being unable to profitably resell excess or obsolete inventory and/or the loss of product return rights and price protection from our vendors. Investor/Media Contacts: Mike Smargiassi / Nancy Zakhary Brainerd Communicators, Inc. 212-986-6667 [email protected] [email protected] Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations GAAP - Unaudited (In millions, except per share amounts) Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net sales $420.8 $454.1 $850.6 $966.2 Cost of sales 339.3 367.6 $685.7 $792.6 Gross profit $81.5 $86.5 $164.9 $173.6 Gross margin 19.4% 19.0% 19.4% 18.0% Selling, general and administrative expenses 80.1 82.7 $162.4 $176.6 Special charges 0.3 20.5 $1.9 $25.8 Operating income (loss) from continuing operations $1.1 $(16.7) $0.6 ($28.8) Operating margin 0.3% (3.7)% 0.1% (3.0)% Interest and other (income) expense, net 1.0 (1.2) ($0.3) $7.0 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $0.1 ($15.5) $0.9 $(35.8) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 2.1 1.2 $4.0 $2.7 Net income (loss) from continuing operations $(2.0) ($16.7) $(3.1) ($38.5) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations ($5.4) ($11.7) ($21.6) ($18.5) Net income (loss) ($7.4) ($28.4) ($24.7) ($57.0) Net income (loss) per common share from continuing operations: Basic $(0.05) $(0.45) $(0.08) $(1.04) Diluted $(0.05) $(0.45) $(0.08) $(1.04) Net income (loss) per common share from discontinued operations: Basic $(0.15) $(0.32) $(0.58) $(0.50) Diluted $(0.15) $(0.32) $(0.58) $(0.50) Weighted average common and common equivalent shares: Basic 37.2 37.1 37.2 37.1 Diluted 37.2 37.1 37.2 37.1 SYSTEMAX INC. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets GAAP - Unaudited (In millions) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $165.2 $215.1 Accounts receivable, net 228.0 266.3 Inventories 126.4 144.4 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 9.9 14.5 Total current assets 529.5 640.3 Property, plant and equipment, net 34.4 38.3 Goodwill, intangibles and other assets 29.3 31.5 Total assets $593.2 $710.1 Current liabilities: Short-term debt $0.2 $0.6 Accounts payable and accrued expenses 330.0 425.5 Total current liabilities 330.2 426.1 Long-term debt 0.1 0.4 Other liabilities 33.9 29.7 Shareholders' equity 229.0 253.9 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $593.2 $710.1 * Systemax manages its business and reports using a 52-53 week fiscal year that ends at midnight on the Saturday closest to December 31. For clarity of presentation, fiscal years and quarters are described as if they ended on the last day of the respective calendar month. The actual fiscal quarter ended on July 2, 2016. The second quarters of both 2016 and 2015 included 13 weeks. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. SYSTEMAX INC. Supplemental Non-GAAP Continuing Operation Business Unit Summary Results** - Unaudited Industrial Products Group Quarter Ended June 30,* Six Months Ended June 30,* 2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change Sales $ 181.8 $ 180.9 0.5% $ 352.4 $ 339.8 3.7% Gross profit $ 49.8 $ 51.7 (3.7)% $ 98.5 $ 97.2 1.3% Gross margin 27.4% 28.6% 28.0% 28.6% Operating income $ 8.8 $ 13.3 (33.8)% $ 16.9 $ 23.7 (28.7)% Operating margin 4.8% 7.4% 4.8% 7.0% EMEA Technology Products Group Quarter Ended June 30,* Six Months Ended June 30,* 2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change Sales $ 238.1 $ 252.6 (5.7)% $ 496.3 $ 525.2 (5.5)% Gross profit $ 31.3 $ 32.5 (3.7)% $ 65.4 $ 64.4 1.6% Gross margin 13.1% 12.9% 13.2% 12.3% Operating loss $ (2.2) $ (0.8) (175.0)% $ (2.9) $ (5.2) 44.2% Operating margin (0.9)% (0.3)% (0.6)% (1.0)% Corporate & Other Quarter Ended June 30,* Six Months Ended June 30,* 2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change Sales $ 0.9 $ 1.4 (35.7)% $ 1.9 $ 2.9 (34.5)% Gross profit $ 0.4 $ 0.9 (55.6)% $ 1.0 $ 2.0 (50.0)% Gross margin 44.4% 64.3% 52.6% 69.0% Operating loss $ (4.3) $ (5.2) 17.3% $ (9.8) $ (9.6) (2.1)% Consolidated Quarter Ended June 30,* Six Months Ended June 30,* 2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change Sales $ 420.8 $ 434.9 (3.2)% $ 850.6 $ 867.9 (2.0)% Gross profit $ 81.5 $ 85.1 (4.2)% $ 164.9 $ 163.6 0.8% Gross margin 19.4% 19.6% 19.4% 18.9% Operating income $ 2.3 $ 7.3 (68.5)% $ 4.2 $ 8.9 (52.8)% Operating margin 0.5% 1.7% 0.5% 1.0% * Systemax manages its business and reports using a 52-53 week fiscal year that ends at midnight on the Saturday closest to December 31. For clarity of presentation, fiscal years and quarters are described as if they ended on the last day of the respective calendar month. The actual fiscal quarter ended on July 2, 2016. The second quarters of both 2016 and 2015 included 13 weeks. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. ** On December 1, 2015 the Company closed on the sale of certain assets of its North American Technology Group ("NATG"). Pursuant to this transaction, the Company is winding down the remaining operations of NATG during 2016. Recently revised United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") prevent the Company from presenting the entire NATG segment as a "discontinued operation" despite the entire NATG segment being discontinued. In the GAAP presentation, the retail operations which were discontinued by the Company prior to the transaction, along with allocations of common distribution and back office costs, are presented as part of the Company's continuing operations for all periods; other NATG operations that were sold as well as the remaining retail operations that existed at the time of the transaction (and were subsequently discontinued by the Company) are presented as discontinued operations for all periods. The Company believes that the non-GAAP presentation conveys additional meaningful information to investors. The non-GAAP results reflect the entire NATG segment as a discontinued operation for all periods presented as well as adjustments for non-recurring items, intangible amortization, equity compensation and a normalized effective tax rate in recurring operations. See accompanying GAAP reconciliation tables. SYSTEMAX INC. Reconciliation of Segment GAAP Operating Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations to Non-GAAP Operating Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Unaudited (In millions) Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Industrial Products $8.6 $14.0 $16.5 $23.7 Technology Products - EMEA (2.4) (1.6) (3.2) (6.4) Technology Products - NATG (0.6) (23.8) (2.4) (36.1) Corporate and Other (4.5) (5.3) (10.3) (10.0) GAAP operating income (loss) 1.1 (16.7) 0.6 (28.8) Non-GAAP adjustments: Industrial Products: Integration Costs 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 Intangible asset amortization 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 Stock based and other special compensation 0.1 (0.8) 0.2 (0.5) Total Non-GAAP Adjustments Industrial Products 0.2 (0.7) 0.4 0.0 Technology Products - EMEA: Severance and other reorganization charges 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.7 Asset Impairment Charges 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 Intangible asset amortization 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 Stock based compensation 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 Total Non-GAAP Adjustments: Technology Products EMEA 0.2 0.8 0.3 1.2 Technology Products - NA: Reverse results of NATG included in GAAP continuing operations 0.6 23.8 2.4 36.1 Total Non-GAAP Adjustments : Technology Products NA 0.6 23.8 2.4 36.1 Corporate and Other: Stock based compensation 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.4 Total Non-GAAP Adjustments: Corporate and Other 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.4 Industrial Products 8.8 13.3 16.9 23.7 Technology Products- EMEA (2.2) (0.8) (2.9) (5.2) Technology Products- NA 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Corporate and Other (4.3) (5.2) (9.8) (9.6) Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $2.3 $7.3 $4.2 $8.9 SYSTEMAX INC. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations to Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Unaudited (In millions) Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 GAAP Net income (loss) from continuing operations $(2.0) $(16.7) $(3.1) $(38.5) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes from continuing operations 2.1 1.2 4.0 2.7 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 0.1 (15.5) 0.9 (35.8) Interest and other (income) expense from continuing operations, net 1.0 (1.2) (0.3) 7.0 Operating income (loss) from continuing operations 1.1 (16.7) 0.6 (28.8) Non-GAAP Reverse results of NATG included in GAAP operating income from continuing operations 0.6 23.8 2.4 36.1 Non-recurring adjustments 0.0 0.7 0.0 1.4 Recurring adjustments 0.6 (0.5) 1.2 0.2 Adjusted operating income (loss) 2.3 7.3 4.2 8.9 Interest and other expense (income), net 1.0 (1.2) (0.3) 7.0 Reverse results of NATG included in GAAP interest and other expense (income), net 0.0 0.0. 0.0 (0.8) Income before income taxes 1.3 8.5 4.5 2.7 Normalized provision for (benefit from) income taxes 0.5 3.0 1.6 0.9 Normalized effective tax rate(1) 35.0% 35.0% 35.0% 35.0% Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations $0.8 $5.5 $2.9 $1.8 GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share from continuing operations $(0.05) $(0.45) $(0.08) $(1.04) Non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share from continuing operations $0.02 $0.15 $0.08 $0.05 (1) Effective tax rate of 35% used in all periods. SYSTEMAX INC. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations to Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations Unaudited (In millions) Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 GAAP Net income (loss) from discontinued operations $(5.4) $(11.7) $(21.6) $(18.5) Non-GAAP Results of NATG included in GAAP operating income from continuing operations (0.6) (23.8) (2.4) (36.1) NATG net tax adjustments 0.0 (0.8) 0.0 0.2 Reverse NATG interest and other expense (income), net from continuing operations 0.0 0.0 0.0 (0.8) Total Non-GAAP adjustments (0.6) (24.6) (2.4) (36.7) Non-GAAP net income (loss) from discontinued operations $(6.0) $(36.3) $(24.0) $(55.2) GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share from discontinued operations $(0.15) $(0.32) $(0.58) $(0.50) Non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share from discontinued operations $(0.16) $(0.98) $(0.65) $(1.49) SOURCE Systemax Inc. Related Links http://www.systemax.com "When we created the jcoco brand, giving back to local American communities was and still is at the heart of the brand's mission," said Seattle Chocolate Company owner and CEO Jean (the "j" in jcoco) Thompson. "We've been very fortunate to have amazing food bank partners coast to coast, and sincerely thank everyone who has purchased jcoco bars and participated in #chocolategives to help give back and fight hunger in America. Of course, we're not stopping here, and we're already setting our sights on reaching ten million servings donated!" In an effort to further raise awareness for food instability in America, the company also hosts an annual #chocolategives campaign during the holiday months when food bank demand is the greatest. This season's campaign extends the fresh food donation to include purchases of the Seattle Chocolates new "Comfort & Joy" truffle bar holiday line during November and December, offering true "gifts that give back." Additional food serving donations are also made for each use of #chocolategives on social media channels during the holiday season. In 2014, 48 million Americans lived in food insecure households. Seattle Chocolate Company created a video, available at http://www.seattlechocolates.com, to showcase its commitment to helping hungry Americans, in association with its food bank partners across the country. "We depend greatly on generous partners like Seattle Chocolate Company, who both donate and help raise awareness, through campaigns like chocolate gives," said Margarette Purvis, CEO of the Food Bank for New York City. "We are thrilled to collaborate with them." jcoco chocolates are curated with meticulous attention to every detail from the globally sourced inclusions in each bar to the vibrant shades and velvety texture of the exterior packaging. The line incorporates intriguing ingredients to create distinctive flavors that complement the extraordinary chocolate, and is available in the following varieties: NEW bali sea salt toffee, vanuatu coconut pecan, black fig pistachio, edamame sea salt, agave quinoa sesame, sea salt toffee (in perfectly proportioned 1oz. servings), noble dark (featuring the finest Belgian 72-percent cacao couverture dark chocolate) and cayenne veracruz orange. Earlier this year, the company also launched a new, waste-free chocolate bar infused with CoffeeFlour, the nutrient-dense super-ingredient made from dried coffee cherry pulp and ground coffee beans - jcoco arabica cherry espresso in dark chocolate. To learn more about Seattle Chocolates and jcoco, along with the brand's dedication to fighting hunger in America, please visit www.seattlechocolates.com and www.jcocochocolate.com. About Seattle Chocolate Company Creating our first chocolate in 1991, Seattle Chocolate Company celebrates the innovation and local flavors the Pacific Northwest is known for. Available at retailers nationwide, Seattle Chocolate Company offers a full line of premium chocolates that includes Seattle Chocolates truffle bars, award-winning Seattle Chocolates truffles, jcoco chocolate bars, and a selection of seasonal and special occasion products. Using only the finest all-natural ingredients, many inspired by our Northwest heritage and artisanal spirit, to create fresh, approachable flavor-combinations, our small and mighty company is owned and led by CEO Jean Thompson, a seasoned and self-taught chocolatier. Our entire chocolate line is certified Kosher, and many varieties are also gluten-free and vegan. Coast to coast, we support neighborhood food banks and non-profit organizations focused on bettering the lives of women and their families, specifically in the fight against hunger. To learn more about our company, our chocolates and our giving philosophy, visit http://www.seattlechocolates.com and http://www.jcocochocolate.com. Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=OyxoslVG_1M SOURCE Seattle Chocolate Company Related Links http://www.seattlechocolates.com MONTREAL, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Telesta Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: TST)(PNK: BNHLF) Telesta Therapeutics today announced concrete actions and decisions stemming from its ongoing strategic review process focussed on preserving shareholder capital and growing shareholder value. These decisions and actions can be summarized as follows: Termination of future expenditures on MCNA 1 ; ; Significant streamlining of the Company's workforce; Additional cost reductions and ongoing efforts to maximize asset sale proceeds; Continuing evaluation of strategic options. MCNA Program Telesta today announced that it has executed a Termination Agreement with its European partner, Ipsen, which provides for the return of all of the former rights granted to Ipsen for the MCNA program in Europe and some other jurisdictions. Since Telesta's End of Review Type A meeting with the FDA in April, Telesta has determined that there is no reasonable assurance that a development partner in any region of the world can be found for MCNA in the short term. As such, Telesta will cease to expend any significant effort or funds to find a partner or further develop this asset and Telesta will close its Montreal-based manufacturing facility, seeking a buyer for this facility while reducing ongoing intellectual property expenditures to a minimum. Workforce Reduction Telesta has implemented a significant workforce reduction that will decrease its operational workforce, to 15 full time employees from 50 people at March 31, 2016 and 32 as at June 30th. Another 4 employees will be maintained at the Company's two manufacturing facilities during the time required to monetize these facilities. Cost Reductions/Asset Sales In addition to the workforce reductions discussed above, Telesta has implemented significant expenditure controls to ensure that all spending is directed to contractual obligations, the costs of operating a public company and the costs required to continue the ongoing evaluation of strategic options. Additional information on the magnitude of these efforts and the estimated ongoing monthly operational burn will be provided in the press release accompanying the release of our 4th quarter and annual results, which is projected to be during the 3rd week of September. Telesta is seeking to monetize two former manufacturing assets, the Belleville Ontario-based "Vaccine Manufacturing Centre" (VMC) and the Montreal MCNA manufacturing site. There has been renewed interest in the Belleville facility, where Telesta will continue to work with its broker, Pharmabiosource, to identify a pharmaceutical buyer. Telesta has recently renewed its lease with a 3rd party for a portion of the VMC through April 2018, and the continued operation of this facility remains cash neutral for Telesta. As such, it is rational to work to find the right buyer, even though the sales process had taken longer than originally envisaged. Telesta is interviewing brokers for the smaller Montreal facility, and will take the time necessary to ensure that an optimal sales price is achieved. ______________ 1 Mycobacterium phlei cell wall-nucleic acid complex Strategic Review Process Over the last 120 days, Telesta's management team and Board of Directors have carefully evaluated multiple strategic options, in parallel with their efforts to determine the ongoing value of the MCNA program and to optimize the sales proceeds from the disposition of non-core assets. While Telesta will continue to evaluate all of its strategic options, Telesta's Board of Directors has determined that selling Telesta for its net cash and public listing or liquidating the company for the distributable cash, does not provide Telesta's shareholders with a return that is meaningfully different from current price levels, after accounting for related fees, severances and uncertainty concerning the value to be received from non-monetized assets. To that end, Telesta will: Continue to identify opportunities to reduce monthly operating expenditures to conserve cash balances; Conduct a process to optimize proceeds from the sale of non-core assets to increase cash balances; Seek to in-license or acquire clinical or near clinical therapeutic assets that can be driven to significant valuation enhancement points; Continue to review acquisition/merger opportunities that could provide significant upside for Telesta shareholders. About Telesta Therapeutics Inc. Telesta is a Montreal-based biotechnology company focused on the licensing/acquisition and development of transformational therapeutics for the treatment of serious human diseases such as cancer, immune diseases and targeted rare diseases. We are agile, pragmatic, efficient, and driven by a passion for breakthrough science, drug development and making a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Through our strong convictions, work ethics, and collaboration-driven approach, we are leveraging our deep expertise and skillsets to bring transformational medicines to patients and their physicians. Except for historical information, this news release may contain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while, considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. These forward-looking statements and information involve risk and uncertainties, which may cause, but are not limited to, changing market conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's ongoing quarterly and annual reporting. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All written and oral forward-looking statements and information attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. SOURCE Telesta Therapeutics Inc. Related Links http://www.telestatherapeutics.com/ "We are so pleased to present the Addario Lectureship Award this year to Dr. Scagliotti for his incredible leadership, research, and long-term dedication to the treatment of lung cancer," said Bonnie J. Addario, 10-year lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. Each year the ALCF recognizes one special leader who is making great strides to eradicate lung cancer and fight for the lives affected by this disease. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 228,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed this year with lung cancer, and nearly 160,000 lung cancer patients will die. Cancer UK estimates that worldwide, nearly two million people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. Dr. Scagliotti earned his medical degree and completed postgraduate training in respiratory medicine, internal medicine, and medical oncology at the University of Torino. Dr. Scagliotti is a member of several scientific societies, including the Italian Society of Respiratory Medicine, The Italian Association of Medical Oncology, the European Respiratory Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. From 2002 to 2005 he was member of the International Affair Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and from 2003-07 Executive Board member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. He is currently serving on the Publication Committee and he served in Program Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in the period 2005-07. Dr. Scagliotti is a manuscript reviewer for several scientific journals. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Critical Review in Oncology and Hematology, and Oncology News. He is Associate Editor for Journal of Thoracic Oncology and International Editor for Clinical Lung Cancer. He is the author or co-author of more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals. "Dr. Scagliotti's work to bring together the international world of lung cancer research is inspiring to us all and we are so pleased to recognize and elevate his work through the Addario Lectureship Award," said Addario. Past Addario Lectureship Award recipients include: 2015 Recipient: , Fred R. Hirsch , M.D., Ph.D, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISLAC) , , M.D., Ph.D, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISLAC) 2014 Recipient: Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center 2013 Recipient: Tony Mok, M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong in Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong Tony Mok, M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, in Prince of Wales Hospital in 2012 Recipient: D. Ross Camidge , M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Colorado University Cancer Center , M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Cancer Center 2011 Recipient: William Pao , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center William Pao , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center 2010 Recipient: David R. Gandara , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center David R. Gandara , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center 2009 Recipient: Harvey Pass , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, New York University Medical Center Harvey Pass , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Medical Center 2008 Recipient: Paul A. Bunn, Jr. M.D., Principal Investigator and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center "Giorgio Scagliotti is a modern day man for all seasons, a truly remarkable depth and breadth of expertise," said Dr. Gandra, 2010 award recipient. The ALCF has supported the Lung Cancer Congress for the past nine years and serves as a co-sponsor along with the IASLC. The annual three-day event provides physicians with practical information about the clinical implications of lung cancer screening, the latest clinical data impacting the treatment of lung cancer and novel agents and strategies that are changing the future of lung cancer therapy. About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) is one of the largest international philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating lung cancer through research, early detection, education and treatment. The Foundation's goal is to work with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, patients, survivors and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change and turn lung cancer into a chronically managed disease by 2023. The ALCF was established on March 1, 2006, as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $30 million for lung cancer research and related programs. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394806 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160225/337506LOGO SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Chemours is announcing that it will locate its global headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. "While we like to think of ourselves as a 200-year-old start-up, we've been an independent, publicly traded company for only just over a year now," said President and CEO Mark Vergnano. "We've accomplished a good deal in a short time, standing up Chemours and making a host of decisions that ensure a sound and prosperous future. We have considered a number of locations for our world headquarters, but in the end it came down to what locale makes the most financial sense, offers our current workforce the right combination of amenities and conveniences, and allows us to attract great talent. Wilmington is that place, and we look forward to being part of its future growth." Chemours began evaluating headquarters location options more than 6 months ago with Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all under active consideration. The company followed a disciplined evaluation process against a range of criteria, including quality of life for employees, access to a strong talent pool, and a positive, long-term financial case for the company. "Chemours has a first-rate workforce, and the state of Delaware has a rich talent pool, so we believe Delaware's a great place for maintaining our superb employee base. That's a competitive advantage for us," Vergnano added. Recent changes to the state's corporate tax structure brought about by the Delaware Competes Act, which was approved earlier this year with overwhelming, bi-partisan support of the Delaware legislature, were key components in Chemours' decision. "Today's announcement is the result of strong support from Delaware's elected officials at the federal, state and local levels, notably Governor Jack Markell, who spearheaded passage of the Delaware Competes Act along with Senate President Pro-Tem Patricia Blevins and House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst. Solid relationships with Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams, United States Senators Tom Carper, and Chris Coons, as well as Congressman John Carney also helped drive our decision. Chemours has enjoyed substantive dialogue with these leaders about issues of importance to our company, employees and future," said Vergnano. About The Chemours Company The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC) helps create a colorful, capable and cleaner world through the power of chemistry. Chemours is a global leader in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions, providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. Chemours ingredients are found in plastics and coatings, refrigeration and air conditioning, mining and oil refining operations and general industrial manufacturing. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Teflon, Ti-Pure, Krytox, Viton, Opteon and Nafion. Chemours has approximately 8,000 employees across 35 manufacturing sites serving more than 5,000 customers in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC. For more information please visit chemours.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, which often may be identified by their use of words like "plans," "expects," "will," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "anticipates" or other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address, among other things, our anticipated future operating and financial performance, business plans and prospects, transformation plans, resolution of environmental liabilities, litigation and other contingencies, plans to increase profitability, our ability to pay or the amount of any dividend, and target leverage that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be realized. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements also are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements, as further described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Chemours undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements. CONTACT: MEDIA: Alvenia Scarborough Director of Brand and Communications +1.302.773.4507 [email protected] INVESTORS: Alisha Bellezza Director of Investor Relations +1.302.773.2263 [email protected] SOURCE The Chemours Company Three research grants of $10,000 each are available for REI fellows whose work reflects the mission and goals of the SAB of Vivere to bring young people to thought leaders by support of residents/fellows in scientific research and knowledge. Fellows who will be presenting (oral or poster presentations) at this year's 2016 American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, are also eligible to apply for one of 10 $1,500 grants. The grants were designed to help with the cost of registration, travel arrangements and hotel accommodations at the conference. Special consideration will be given to grant applicants that contain business or economic models to improve REI business practices. "I am so grateful to Vivere's Scientific Advisory Board of Vivere for awarding me a fellowship research grant," said Molly Quinn, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, who received a grant last year. "With this funding, I was able to initiate a research project investigating the association between Bisphenol A levels and ovarian aging. I am honored to be presenting preliminary findings at the ASRM annual meeting this fall." Jennifer F. Knudtson, M.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, agreed that the SAB of Vivere grant she received last year granted her a unique opportunity to pursue her research goals. "From this research experience, I was able to further my career through presentations, publications and increased my research support. Thank you SAB of Vivere!" she said. To apply for the grants, please visit our website at www.sabgrants.com and choose "Awards and Grants". Online application submissions will be accepted until late August. Grant recipients will be announced at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's annual meeting in October. About The Scientific Advisory Board of Vivere The Scientific Advisory Board of Vivere is a five-member group of independent fertility and reproductive health experts. These clinical advisors are nationally distinguished specialists dedicated to shaping the future of women's health and reproductive medicine. Vivere is the group's founding sponsor. The group's founding sponsor is Vivere, a fertility management and equity partner that turns growing practices into successful businesses. The Scientific Advisory Board of Vivere's mission is to support residents and fellows in their education and scientific research, so that they may become thought leaders in their fields. The goals of the board include supporting residents/fellow attendance at national meetings/programs, supporting education programs, supporting scientific research and promoting business aspects of Reproductive Endocrinology Infertility. Media Contact: Jera Sangworn (615-550-7354) Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140421/76746 SOURCE The Scientific Advisory Board of Vivere Related Links http://www.viverepartner.com ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The smart fortwo is rolling into San Diego this weekend to give city dwellers a few 'smart' options for their travels around the 905. At the Fashion Valley Shopping Center on Saturday, August 6th and Sunday, August 7th from 10 a.m 6 p.m., participants will be able to see firsthand how the smart fortwo could be the answer to their transportation needs. This summer, a selection of smart fortwo coupes and cabrios will road trip across the U.S., stopping in a different city every weekend to allow residents to take the smart for a spin. Test drives will take place in well-known city shopping malls or other high-traffic urban locations, where drivers who complete the test drive will earn a complimentary $20 gift card. San Diego holds a special place in the smart fortwo's heartbetter known as a 3-cylinder turbocharged engineas it is one of the key cities in the U.S. supporting car2go, a Daimler subsidiary that provides carsharing services in select cities around the globe utilizing smart fortwos. For city dwellers, car2go offers smart fortwo owners perks of convenient parking and ride sharing. The new smart fortwo cabriolet allows passengers to fully experience the fresh California air as they drive along the Pacific Coastline. Participants can enjoy the convenience of convertible life at the touch of a button as the smart fortwo cabriolet top opens up like a large sliding canvas sunroof. If the canvas sunroof leaves participants asking for more, they can experience the full-fledged top-down experience with the soft top completely open and roof rails completely removed. The smart fortwo offers an extensive suite of driver assistance systems including forward collision warning to help prevent rear-end collisions, Crosswind Assist to keep the vehicle in its lane in poor weather conditions and Lane Keeping Assist to better navigate traffic jams in city streets. The all-new smart fortwo was redesigned from the ground up to provide ultimate urban mobility and self-expression. With a length of just 8.8 feet and a turning circle of 22.8 feet, the smart fortwo sets new benchmarks in maneuverabilityperfect for urban driving. For increased comfort and convenience, the smart fortwo includes the exclusive cross connect mobile app, standard Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free calling, a multifunction steering wheel, cruise control, automatic climate control, 3.5" color display and alarm. As an extension of the Mercedes-Benz product portfolio, the smart fortwo offers personalization, convenience, safety, efficiency and affordabilitythe 2016 smart fortwo coupe starts at $14,650 and the all-new smart cabrio starts at $18,900. Take a break from trying to park your truck into compact parking spots and learn how to better fit into city life with with the smart fortwo. Learn more about the smart Roadshow and where it's stopping next by visiting www.smartusa.com/2016-smart-roadshow. About smart smart, a part of the Mercedes-Benz, USA portfolio, is headquartered in Atlanta. The smart line consists of fortwo models in coupe, cabrio and electric. All smart models sold in the U.S. are covered by a four-year, 50,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty. Classified as ultra-low emissions vehicles by the State of California Air Resources Board, smart models are 8.8 feet long and just over 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide. Despite their microcar exterior dimensions, smart vehicles are surprisingly roomy inside and have a full array of technological and safety features including the patented tridion safety cell, and eight airbags in the coupe and six airbags in the cabriolet, which is designed to protect occupants in the event of a collision. All smart vehicles, designed to be 85% recyclable and over 95% reclaimable, are produced in the environmentally oriented "smartville" factory in Hambach, France. Further information about smart is available online at www.media.mbusa.com and www.smart.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160630/385298LOGO SOURCE Mercedes-Benz USA Related Links http://www.mbusa.com LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TMP Worldwide, a global leader in talent acquisition technologies, today announced the appointment of Matt Shields as Director of Business Development, Southwest. Matt is based in Glendale and responsible for growing new business for TMP across all of the Southwest Region. Prior to joining TMP, Shields was the Head of Business Development for the Southwest for several SaaS companies in the Talent Acquisition space over the course of 10 years including SmartRecruiters, Bullhorn and Cornerstone onDemand. In each of these roles, Matt was responsible for developing new business relationships and identifying solutions to solve customer challenges. During this period, he also served for nearly 3 years as a Senior Associate with Signal Peak Ventures, a $500M early technology VC firm based in Salt Lake City, UT. "Matt brings a wealth of Recruitment Technology experience to our team and a consultative approach to understanding client needs, building relationships, and solving challenges that will further enhance TMP's position in the Southwest," said Fred Pratt, Vice President of Enterprise Sales, North America for TMP. "Top companies today compete on ideas more than anything else. Look at Google, Apple, and Nike. These brands win because they know how to consistently attract and retain the most talented people in the market. Recruiting is a competition," said Matt Shields. "With 80 million millennials entering the job market in the years ahead, companies that put strategy and technology in place and recognize that their biggest opportunity to differentiate is with their people, will be the biggest winners of this competition of tomorrow." About TMP Worldwide TMP Worldwide is a global leader in talent acquisition technologies, committed to finding new ways to leverage software, strategy and creative to build talent and enhance our clients' employer brands across every connection point. Over the past 10 years from healthcare to government to retail to technology and everything in between we've revolutionized the way companies and candidates connect. Note to editors: Trademarks and registered trademarks referenced herein remain the property of their respective owners. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352899LOGO SOURCE TMP Worldwide Related Links http://www.tmp.com IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division today announced Clarify Call Recording for Toshiba's unified communications platforms IPedge and Strata CIX with IPedge App Server. Clarify is a powerful yet easy-to-use call recording solution that helps ensure call quality and compliance in any business, including contact centers or sales desks concerned with customer relations as well as financial, medical, emergency or other service companies that must comply with legal regulations. "Maintaining an edge in today's competitive business environment requires a high level of customer service. With Clarify Call Recording, organizations can easily monitor staff-customer conversations, evaluate staff performance on calls, verify transactions made during a call and demonstrate call compliance with regulatory guidelines," said Mark Carpenter, vice president of Technology & Product Management for Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division. "Call recording functions make employees more productive, improve customer service, minimize legal risk and, ultimately, help any business operation thrive and grow," added David Ansehl, director of Sales for Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division. Now available from Authorized Toshiba Dealers, Clarify offers innovative features that let users securely record, archive, search, play and share telephone calls.* This includes support for agents and agent groups in a contact center environment through a tight integration with Toshiba IPedge systems and Strata CIX systems that have an IPedge Application Server. Clarify's easy-to-use Web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) provides a powerful tool for simple system configuration and automatic imports of agent and extension information. Users can configure Clarify to record (or not record) particular calls based on Agent, Extension, Caller ID or other criteria from a drop-down menu. The dashboard displays a list of ongoing calls being recorded, allowing users to easily select a call to start monitoring. In addition to trunk and station-side recording, remote users and agents will also be able to start, stop and forward recordings via Toshiba's UCedge client software 2.6 that runs on iOS and Android mobile devices, Windows PCs and Mac computers.** Encrypted recordings along with tight security measures ensure compliance with industry regulatory requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). An SDK (Software Development Kit) allows system integrators to tie in external databases or popular CRM programs for development of customized applications to meet a variety of business needs. For a full list of Clarify features and specifications, visit http://www.telecom.toshiba.com/Telephone_Systems_Resources/Product_Brochures/pdf/Call-Recording-Data-Sheet.pdf. *Review local law regarding recording of calls prior to use of this feature. **Clarify will integrate with Toshiba's UCedge 2.6 or higher client software, coming soon, which runs on Android and iOS mobile devices, Windows PCs and Mac computers, as well as the Call Manager client running on a Windows PC. About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Telecommunication Systems Division (TSD) Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division is one of the six business units of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS) and offers business communication solutions for SMB enterprises and enterprises with multi-site or regional locations. Toshiba's VIPedge cloud-based business telephone solution supports up to 500 users, and the IPedge and Strata CIX systems support from 8 to 1,000 users and offer Voice over IP, voice mail and unified messaging, conferencing and collaboration, unified communications applications, networking, mobility and more. Together with Toshiba's PCs, tablets, copiers, and surveillance video cameras/recorders, Toshiba's Telecommunication Systems Division helps enterprises maximize business efficiency in communications and mobility. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation. For more information, visit www.Telecom.Toshiba.com. About Toshiba Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into three focus business fields: Energy that sustains everyday life, that is cleaner and safer; Infrastructure that sustains quality of life; and Storage that sustains the advanced information society. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, "Committed to People, Committed to the Future," Toshiba promotes global operations and is contributing to the realization of a world where generations to come can live better lives. Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today's Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of 550 consolidated companies employing 188,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 5.6 trillion yen (US$50 billion) (as of March 31, 2016). To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm. For additional information, or to purchase Toshiba telecommunication products, visit http://www.telecom.toshiba.com for an Authorized Toshiba Dealer. Follow us on Facebook (ToshibaPhoneSystems), Twitter (toshibaphonesys) and LinkedIn (Toshiba-telecommunication-systems-division). 2016 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including, without limitation, product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice. Toshiba PR Contact: Teri Sawyer, T&Co. 714-801-1687 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150408/197413LOGO SOURCE Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division Related Links http://www.Telecom.Toshiba.com The 27th annual rankings and ratings, considered to provide an objective assessment of hospital care excellence, are based on evaluation of the nearly 5,000 medical centers nationwide. This study is intended to help guide patients to hospitals that deliver outstanding care across 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. Best Hospitals uses objective measures such as patient survival, the number of times a given procedure is performed, infection rates, adequacy of nurse staffing and more. Five Kaiser Permanente hospitals in California are among the state's Top 50 for overall care: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Clara and Fontana. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente in Clackamas is ranked the fourth-best hospital in Oregon. While choosing the right hospital for the right procedure is a complex decision, Kaiser Permanente stands out for several specialties, procedures and conditions, including cardiac care. Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, for the second year in a row, is among the Top 50 in the nation for the specialty of "cardiac care and heart surgery." In addition, 26 Kaiser Permanente hospitals are "high-performing," the highest rating given, for congestive heart failure treatment, four are "high-performing" for heart bypass graft, and three are "high-performing" for aortic valve replacement. "Kaiser Permanente's commitment to world-class quality care is supported by this latest report from U.S. News & World Report," said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. "This recognition of our specialty care is directly attributable to Kaiser Permanente's culture of continuous improvement, evidence-based practices and personalized service." "High-Performing" across 18 of the 25 specialties, procedures and conditions In all, Kaiser Permanente facilities are rated "high-performing" in 18 of the 25 different specialties, procedures and conditions. "We're gratified to hear the latest report from U.S. News & World Report places us within the top tier of hospitals nationwide," said Michael Kanter, MD, executive vice president and chief quality officer, The Permanente Federation, the national umbrella organization for nearly 18,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente's more than 10.6 million members. "Our tens of thousands of dedicated physicians, nurses, clinicians and care teams strive to put our patients at the center of everything we do, and these results validate that our quality care is working." In addition to the 28 Kaiser Permanente hospitals named in the report, four others in California (Richmond, Manteca, Irvine and Ontario) are included in the U.S. News calculations as a result of shared licenses and combined data (see accompanying chart). For more information and complete rankings, visit U.S. News. Hospital High Performing Designations Anaheim/Irvine (CA) Orthopedics, Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement Antioch (CA) Heart Failure, Hip Replacement Baldwin Park (CA) Heart Failure Downey (CA) Heart Failure Fontana/Ontario (CA) Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hip Replacement Fresno (CA) Heart Failure Los Angeles (CA) Diabetes and Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Urology, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Failure, Heart Bypass Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Lung Cancer Surgery Manteca/Modesto (CA) Heart Failure Moreno Valley (CA) Heart Failure Oakland/Richmond (CA) Heart Failure, Hip Replacement Panorama City (CA) Heart Failure Riverside (CA) Orthopedics, Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Roseville (CA) Heart Failure, Hip Replacement Sacramento (CA) Cancer, Gynecology San Diego (CA) Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) San Francisco (CA) Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Cancer, Gastroenterology and GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement San Jose (CA) Heart Failure San Rafael (CA) Urology Santa Clara (CA) Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement South Bay (CA) Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) South Sacramento (CA) Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery South San Francisco (CA) Heart Failure Vallejo (CA) Heart Failure Walnut Creek (CA) Heart Failure West Los Angeles (CA) Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Woodland Hills (CA) Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hip Replacement Moanalua (HI) Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Sunnyside (OR) Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Colon Cancer Surgery, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement About Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 10.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to kp.org/share. For more information, contact: Margot Hardy: [email protected] 510-271-6688 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394852 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160802/394851 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/SF49717LOGO SOURCE Kaiser Permanente Related Links http://www.kaiserpermanente.org COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland announces the appointment of Dr. Keith Marzullo as Dean of the College of Information Studies (iSchool). Dr. Marzullo officially begins his position on August 1, 2016. As Dean, Dr. Marzullo will build upon his extensive background in computer science and cybersecurity to elevate the iSchool's leadership in information management, libraries and archives, and human-computer interaction. "Dr. Marzullo is an impressive addition to the University of Maryland family," says Mary Ann Rankin, UMD's senior vice president and provost. "His deep expertise and innovative vision for the iSchool are a tremendous asset to the College of Information Studies and to the greater University." Dr. Marzullo will join the university from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he served as the Director of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. Prior to that, Dr. Marzullo was at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for five years, where he served as Director of the Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate. In this role, he provided leadership in cybersecurity, networking, computer systems, and cyber physical systems. "It is a great honor, privilege, and pleasure to join the ranks of the University of Maryland's iSchool, and to have the opportunity to build upon the college's recent successes and increasingly stellar reputation," says Dr. Marzullo. "I look forward to bringing my technological and administrative aptitudes to a college that is helping to meet the world's burgeoning needs for library and information science, information management, and human-computer interaction advancements." Dr. Marzullo previously held faculty positions at the University of California, San Diego, the University of Troms, Norway, and at Cornell University. Dr. Marzullo received an A.B. in physics from Occidental College, Los Angeles, and a M.S. in applied physics and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, both from Stanford University. His dissertation research involved development of the Xerox Research Internet Clock Synchronization protocol, one of the first practical fault-tolerant protocols addressing this problem. His more recent research, prior to his administrative service, focused on issues in the foundations of distributed systems and cybersecurity. About the University of Maryland The University of Maryland is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 37,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 250 academic programs. Its faculty includes three Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 56 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution has a $1.8 billion operating budget and secures $500 million annually in external research funding. For more information about the University of Maryland, visit www.umd.edu. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130808/DC61542LOGO SOURCE University of Maryland Related Links http://www.umd.edu FREDERICK, Md., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA) today announced a net loss of $12.0 million or $(0.19) per basic and diluted share for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016 compared with net income of $10.0 million or $0.19 per basic share and $0.18 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2015. The second quarter results were negatively impacted by $1.1 million in restructuring costs for actions designed to help bring the business more in line with current market conditions and $0.9 million of business development-related expense. Excluding these expenses, EPS was $(0.17) per basic share for the quarter. "I'm very pleased with our overall performance in the quarter, especially given the continued headwinds we are facing in our oil and gas business,'' said Bryan Shinn, president and chief executive officer. "Our industrial business had one of the best quarters in its 116-year history, we generated positive operating cash flow and subsequent to the end of the quarter used our best-in-class balance sheet to facilitate an accretive acquisition that enables us to profitably increase our market share in oil and gas.'' Second Quarter 2016 Highlights Total Company Revenue totaled $117.0 million compared with $147.5 million for the same period last year, a decrease of 21% on a year-over-year basis and a decrease of 5% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. compared with for the same period last year, a decrease of 21% on a year-over-year basis and a decrease of 5% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. Overall tons sold totaled 2.2 million, down 1% compared with the 2.3 million tons sold in the second quarter of 2015 and a decrease of 2% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. Contribution margin for the quarter was $15.5 million , down 53% compared with $32.8 million in the same period of the prior year and down 13% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. , down 53% compared with in the same period of the prior year and down 13% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. Adjusted EBITDA was $5.4 million compared with Adjusted EBITDA of $23.4 million for the same period last year, a decrease of 77% on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 2% sequentially compared with the first quarter of 2016. Oil and Gas Revenue for the quarter totaled $64.9 million compared with $90.9 million in the same period in 2015, a decrease of 29% on a year-over-year basis and a decrease of 12% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. compared with in the same period in 2015, a decrease of 29% on a year-over-year basis and a decrease of 12% sequentially from the first quarter of 2016. Tons sold totaled 1.3 million, an increase of 9% compared with 1.2 million tons sold in the second quarter of 2015 and a decrease of 6% sequentially compared with the tons sold in the first quarter of 2016. 55% of tons were sold in basin compared with 62% sold in basin in the second quarter of 2015, and 49% for the first quarter of 2016 Segment contribution margin was a loss of $6.0 million versus a profit of $13.3 million in the second quarter of 2015, a decrease of 145% on a year-over-year basis. Industrial and Specialty Products Revenue for the quarter totaled $52.1 million compared with $56.7 million for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 8% on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 7% on a sequential basis from the first quarter of 2016. compared with for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 8% on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 7% on a sequential basis from the first quarter of 2016. Tons sold totaled 0.9 million, a decrease of 13% on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 5% on a sequential basis compared with the first quarter of 2016. Segment contribution margin was $21.5 million compared with $19.5 million in the second quarter of 2015, an increase of 10% on a year-over-year basis and up 27% sequentially compared with the first quarter of 2016. Capital Update As of June 30, 2016, the Company had $454.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and $46.7 million available under its credit facilities. Total debt at June 30, 2016 was $490 million. Capital expenditures in the second quarter totaled $17.3 million and were associated largely with the Company's purchase of reserves adjacent to its Ottawa, Illinois, facility and investments in various maintenance, expansion and cost improvement projects. On July 15, 2016, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of New Birmingham, Inc., a low cost, regional frac sand producer with more than 20 years of quality reserves located near Tyler, Texas, for approximately $210 million, subject to customary adjustments at closing. The transaction is expected to close in August 2016. Outlook and Guidance Due to the current lack of visibility in its Oil and Gas business, the Company will continue to refrain from providing guidance for Adjusted EBITDA until such time as it can gain more clarity around our customers' business activity levels and the associated demand for our products. Based on current market conditions, the Company anticipates that its capital expenditures for 2016, including the aforementioned reserves purchase, will be in the range of $28 million to $33 million. Conference Call U.S. Silica will host a conference call for investors tomorrow, Aug. 3, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. Hosting the call will be Bryan Shinn, president and chief executive officer and Don Merril, vice president and chief financial officer. Investors are invited to listen to a live webcast of the conference call by visiting the "Investor Resources" section of the Company's website at www.ussilica.com. The webcast will be archived for one year. The call can also be accessed live over the telephone by dialing (877) 869-3847 or for international callers, (201) 689-8261. A replay will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by dialing (877) 660-6853 or for international callers (201) 612-7415. The conference ID number for the replay is 13640925. The replay of the call will be available through Sept. 2, 2016. About U.S. Silica U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc., a member of the Russell 2000, is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry, and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 116-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver over 260 products to customers across our end markets. The Company currently operates nine industrial sand production plants and eight oil and gas sand production plants. The Company is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland and also has offices located in Chicago, Illinois, and Houston, Texas. Forward-looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and speak only as of this date. Forward-looking statements made include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding U.S. Silica's growth opportunities, strategy, future financial results, forecasts, projections, plans and capital expenditures, and the commercial silica industry. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are: (1) fluctuations in demand for commercial silica; (2) the cyclical nature of our customers' businesses; (3) operating risks that are beyond our control; (4) federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing; (5) our ability to implement our capacity expansion plans within our current timetable and budget; (6) loss of, or reduction in, business from our largest customers or failure of our customers to pay amounts due to us; (7) increasing costs or a lack of dependability or availability of transportation services or infrastructure; (8) our substantial indebtedness and pension obligations; (9) our ability to attract and retain key personnel; (10) silica-related health issues and corresponding litigation; (11) seasonal and severe weather conditions; and (12) extensive and evolving environmental, mining, health and safety, licensing, reclamation and other regulation (and changes in their enforcement or interpretation). Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in U.S. Silica's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited; dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Sales $ 116,994 $ 147,511 Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) 102,707 117,200 Operating expenses Selling, general and administrative 14,585 6,575 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 15,209 13,695 29,794 20,270 Operating income (loss) (15,507) 10,041 Other income (expense) Interest expense (6,647) (6,928) Other income, net, including interest income 608 498 (6,039) (6,430) Income (loss) before income taxes (21,546) 3,611 Income tax benefit 9,555 6,342 Net income (loss) $ (11,991) $ 9,953 Earnings (loss) per share: Basic ($0.19) $0.19 Diluted ($0.19) $0.18 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 63,417 53,303 Diluted 63,417 53,857 Dividends declared per share $0.06 $0.13 U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (dollars in thousands) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (unaudited) (audited) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 454,208 $ 277,077 Short-term investments 21,849 Accounts receivable, net 54,293 58,706 Inventories, net 67,158 65,004 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 8,899 9,921 Income tax deposits 1,145 6,583 Total current assets 585,703 439,140 Property, plant and mine development, net 555,487 561,196 Goodwill 68,647 68,647 Trade names 14,474 14,474 Customer relationships, net 6,205 6,453 Deferred income taxes, net 1,314 Other assets 17,323 18,709 Total assets $ 1,249,153 $ 1,108,619 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 48,217 $ 49,631 Dividends payable 4,080 3,453 Accrued liabilities 11,538 11,708 Accrued interest 57 58 Current portion of long-term debt 3,336 3,330 Deferred revenue 4,622 15,738 Total current liabilities 71,850 83,918 Long-term debt 486,705 488,375 Deferred revenue 67,537 59,676 Liability for pension and other post-retirement benefits 63,887 55,893 Deferred income taxes, net 19,513 Other long-term obligations 17,828 17,077 Total liabilities 707,807 724,452 Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock Common stock 639 539 Additional paid-in capital 381,349 194,670 Retained earnings 190,964 220,974 Treasury stock, at cost (10,850) (15,845) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (20,756) (16,171) Total stockholders' equity 541,346 384,167 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,249,153 $ 1,108,619 Non-GAAP Financial Measures Segment Contribution Margin Segment contribution margin is a key metric that management uses to evaluate our operating performance and to determine resource allocation between segments. Segment contribution margin excludes certain corporate costs not associated with the operations of the segment. These unallocated costs include costs related to corporate functional areas such as sales, production and engineering, corporate purchasing, accounting, treasury, information technology, legal and human resources. The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to segment contribution margin. For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 (unaudited; in thousands) Sales: Oil & Gas Proppants $ 64,926 $ 90,855 Industrial & Specialty Products 52,068 56,656 Total Sales 116,994 147,511 Segment contribution margin: Oil & Gas Proppants (5,995) 13,257 Industrial & Specialty Products 21,486 19,531 Total segment contribution margin 15,491 32,788 Operating activities excluded from segment cost of goods sold (1,204) (2,477) Selling, general and administrative (14,585) (6,575) Depreciation, depletion and amortization (15,209) (13,695) Interest expense (6,647) (6,928) Other income, net, including interest income 608 498 Income tax benefit 9,555 6,342 Net income (loss) $ (11,991) $ 9,953 Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of our financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) as a measure of operating performance, cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for management's discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements. Adjusted EBITDA contains certain other limitations, including the failure to reflect our cash expenditures, cash requirements for working capital needs and cash costs to replace assets being depreciated and amortized, and excludes certain non-recurring charges that may recur in the future. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and by using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. Our measure of Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation. The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA: For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 (unaudited; in thousands) Net income (loss) $ (11,991) $ 9,953 Total interest expense, net of interest income 6,150 6,537 Provision for taxes (9,555) (6,342) Total depreciation, depletion and amortization expenses 15,209 13,695 EBITDA (187) 23,843 Non-cash incentive compensation (1) 3,449 (2,179) Post-employment expenses (excluding service costs) (2) 199 868 Business development related expenses (3) 861 (375) Other adjustments allowable under our existing credit agreement (4) 1,051 1,286 Adjusted EBITDA $ 5,373 $ 23,443 (1) Reflects equity-based compensation expense. (2) Includes net pension cost and net post-retirement cost relating to pension and other post-retirement benefit obligations during the applicable period, but in each case excluding the service cost relating to benefits earned during such period. See Note K - Pension and Post-retirement Benefits to our Financial Statements in Part 1, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. (3) Reflects expenses related to business development activities in connection with our growth and expansion initiatives. (4) Reflects miscellaneous adjustments permitted under our existing credit agreement, including such items as restructuring costs for actions that will provide future cost savings. Restructuring costs were $1.1 million and $0.8 million, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Michael Lawson Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications (301) 682-0304 [email protected] SOURCE U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.ussilica.com FREDERICK, Md., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sandbox Enterprises LLC, a leading provider of innovative logistics solutions and technology for the transportation of proppant used in hydraulic fracturing in the oil and gas industry. The transaction will be financed using a combination of $75 million of cash on hand and approximately 4.2 million U.S. Silica common shares. Based on the U.S. Silica closing price on Aug. 2, 2016 the transaction is valued at $218.3 million. The acquisition is expected to be modestly accretive to 2016 EPS and generate EPS accretion of $0.20 to $0.30 in 2017. The transaction is expected to close later this month, subject to receiving certain regulatory approvals. ''This transformative acquisition enables us to offer customers significantly improved transportation and operating efficiencies, a safer work environment and significant cost savings relative to current proppant delivery systems,'' said Bryan Shinn, U.S. Silica president and chief executive officer. "Sandbox's proprietary delivery solution is critical to addressing the growing logistical challenges our customers face as E&P operators continue to increase the amount of proppant they use per well.'' Sandbox utilizes specially designed, patent-protected equipment and processes to service wellsite operations. In addition, the company provides field personnel for installation, training and operation as required. The typical Sandbox system includes: Steel, weatherproof Sandbox containers , which can hold up to 22.5 tons of sand and are gravity fed to reduce silica dust. They can be stacked nine high empty or two high full, offering a reduced footprint relative to competing products and can be easily stacked at nearby locations to provide additional storage for remote wellsite operations. Sandbox containers can also serve as mobile transloading facilities. , which can hold up to 22.5 tons of sand and are gravity fed to reduce silica dust. They can be stacked nine high empty or two high full, offering a reduced footprint relative to competing products and can be easily stacked at nearby locations to provide additional storage for remote wellsite operations. Sandbox containers can also serve as mobile transloading facilities. Specially designed truck chassis , which offer highly efficient delivery and represent a 60% lower investment than pneumatic equipment. Each chassis holds one full or two empty Sandbox containers, allowing efficient transportation of mass quantities of sand. The chassis are an effective replacement for pneumatic trailers, which require expensive power take-off units, blowers and related equipment and cause congestion at the wellsite due to long unloading times. , which offer highly efficient delivery and represent a 60% lower investment than pneumatic equipment. Each chassis holds one full or two empty Sandbox containers, allowing efficient transportation of mass quantities of sand. The chassis are an effective replacement for pneumatic trailers, which require expensive power take-off units, blowers and related equipment and cause congestion at the wellsite due to long unloading times. Customized conveyor cradles, which deliver proppant directly into the blender hopper. Each conveyor can hold four Sandbox containers. The containers are lifted by forklift onto the conveyor cradle, which has a maximum throughput of 25,000 lbs. per minute. The ability to continuously feed proppant to the conveyor enables maximum sand volumes to be pumped downhole. U.S. Silica Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Brad Casper said, ''The acquisition of Sandbox aligns with our strategy of managing the entire supply chain of frac sand from the mine to the well site. Containerized delivery increases transportation efficiency and lowers delivered costs through faster truck turns and reduced jobsite congestion.'' Casper added, "We believe Sandbox has significant runway to grow its existing markets through partnerships with leading service companies, while at the same time making U.S. Silica's logistics network even more efficient with capabilities for mobile transloading and in-basin proppant staging." The Company also noted it expects to achieve other potential synergies through direct loading of sand into containers from the Company's Oklahoma and Texas-based regional sand mines for truck distribution to the wells and the ability to transload from any rail spur in the country. The Company will discuss the Sandbox acquisition tomorrow on its second quarter 2016 earnings call at 9:00 a.m. ET. Investors are invited to listen to a live webcast of the conference call by visiting the "Investor Resources" section of the Company's website at www.ussilica.com. The webcast will be archived for one year. The call can also be accessed live over the telephone by dialing (877) 869-3847 or for international callers, (201) 689-8261. A replay will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by dialing (877) 660-6853 or for international callers, (201) 612-7415. The conference ID for the replay is 13640925. The replay will be available through Sept. 2, 2016. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Piper Jaffray & Co., through its Simmons & Company International division, acted as exclusive financial advisor to Sandbox Enterprises, LLC in this transaction. Forward-looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and speak only as of this date. Forward-looking statements made include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding U.S. Silica's growth opportunities, strategy, future financial results, forecasts, projections, plans and capital expenditures, and the commercial silica industry. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are: (1) fluctuations in demand for commercial silica; (2) the cyclical nature of our customers' businesses; (3) operating risks that are beyond our control; (4) federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing; (5) our ability to integrate the acquired business; (6) loss of, or reduction in, business from our largest customers; (7) increasing costs or a lack of dependability or availability of transportation services or infrastructure; (8) our substantial indebtedness and pension obligations; (9) our ability to attract and retain key personnel; (10) silica-related health issues and corresponding litigation; (11) seasonal and severe weather conditions; and (12) extensive and evolving environmental, mining, health and safety, licensing, reclamation and other regulation (and changes in their enforcement or interpretation). Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in U.S. Silica's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. About U.S. Silica U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc., a member of the Russell 2000, is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry, and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 116-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver over 260 products to customers across our end markets. The Company currently operates nine industrial sand production plants and eight oil and gas sand production plants. The Company is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland and also has offices located in Chicago, Illinois, and Houston, Texas. U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Michael Lawson Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications (301) 682-0304 [email protected] About Sandbox Sandbox was founded in 2012. The privately-held company employees approximately 300 people at its six locations in the U.S. The company is active in all of the major shale plays including the Permian, the Eagle Ford, the Bakken, the DJ and the Marcellus basins. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information about Sandbox, please visit their website at www.sandboxlogistics.com SOURCE U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.ussilica.com ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Valpak, a leader in local print and digital coupons, announced today it is looking to further expand its brand footprint in Madison, Wisconsin. The company is seeking a sales-driven entrepreneur to invest in this franchise opportunity and continue to strengthen its market presence. There are more than 130,000 households in Madison that are currently receiving the consumer savings Valpak brings to the area. The expansion comes at an opportune time of growth for the Madison market. In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics released preliminary state job totals and claimed a 1.85 percent growth for the area, which ranked 20th in the country. The report boasts Wisconsin's highest ranking in annual job growth since November 2010 and showcases its progressive business strides. "Fostering entrepreneurial success is a key component of our franchise development strategy as we look to grow our brand across the country," said Shak Turner, Valpak's director of franchise sales. "While Valpak is most widely known for its array of print coupons, we are also looking to attract the millennial market in Madison with our impressive mobile offerings. Currently, studies show that 42 percent of millennials use coupons sent via email so, we definitely want to capitalize on this opportunity." With more than 25 million Americans using couponing apps each month, Valpak's digital offerings have been a big draw for new franchisees. Digital coupon use is on the rise, and ample gains are projected in 2016. In the past year, Valpak's print offerings have also expanded with on-envelope advertising and circulars. A leader in cooperative direct mail, Valpak mails coupons to nearly 39 million demographically targeted households per month in 45 states and four Canadian provinces. Today, in addition to its flagship Blue Envelope, Valpak offers its advertisers an impressive portfolio of digital advertising products including valpak.com, Smartphone apps, Google partnerships, website development, mobile web optimization and reputation management. Ideal candidates for Valpak franchise ownership should possess a desire to join a trusted, industry-leading brand, work within a proven franchise system, develop relationships with local businesses and have a comfort level with selling new, digital technologies. Franchisees should also possess a minimum liquidity of $75,000, and a minimum net worth of $150,000. For more information on Valpak franchise opportunities, please contact Shak Turner at [email protected] or 727-399-3091 or visit www.valpakfranchising.com. About Valpak Based in St. Petersburg, FL, Valpak is one of the leading direct marketing companies in the U.S. and Canada. We provide print and digital advertising through a network of 160 local franchises. From mailbox to mobile phone, Valpak brings exciting local business offers and opportunities to millions of consumers. Each month, our well-known Blue Envelope of savings is mailed to about 39 million demographically targeted households in 45 states and in four Canadian provinces. Our digital suite of products, including valpak.com, reaches more than 110 million users. Founded in 1968, Valpak is owned by Cox Target Media, a subsidiary of Cox Media Group in Atlanta. CONTACT: Samantha Rego Valpak 727-399-3139 [email protected] Sloane Fistel Fish Consulting (954) 893-9150 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150212/175295LOGO SOURCE Valpak Related Links https://www.valpak.com QUEEN CREEK, Ariz., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vendors from across the nation of all things vintage are invited to apply for one of only 87 exclusive booth spaces and sell their wares when The Salvage Company brings its Vintage Roadshow to Queen Creek's Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center (HPEC) on the three busiest shopping days of the year: November 25, 26, and 27. Whether it's furniture and home decor, clothing and accessories, jewelry, antiques and collectibles, musical instruments, motorcycles, or anything else that falls under the broad umbrella of vintage, interested vendors who want to take advantage of this unique opportunity may apply here http://www.vintageroadshows.com/. To date, vendors from CA, AZ, CO, and KS have already been accepted, but spaces are still available. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394627-INFO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394628-INFO VIDEO - Vintage Roadshow 2016 Vendor Registration (Official Commercial) https://youtu.be/CLIhMW47EWI When asked why only 87 vendors, Salvage Company founder and event presenter Patricia Dickenson noted, "We're not trying to produce the biggest show, we just want it to be the best, with a never before seen mix of one-of-a-kind offerings." Regarding site selection for the show, Dickenson said, "Whenever I'm picking in Southern Arizona or New Mexico, I always end up stopping in Queen Creek and just love it, especially HPEC. It's the perfect venue for Vintage Roadshow." Holding the event inside their main arena means vendors won't have to deal with the logistics of tents or unpredictable weather during the holiday season. There will also be plenty of RV parking spaces along with full hook-ups for those who want that option. Beginning at 8 AM on Friday, November 25 with a 2-hour VIP-only shopping experience and concluding on Sunday, November 27 at 4 PM, Vintage Roadshow will offer shoppers three big days of excitement. The event will be open to the general public from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. Lovers of all things vintage can stay up to date on the latest news and special offers, including information on how to purchase VIP tickets here http://www.vintageroadshows.com/email-sign-up Dickenson got into shabby chic, architectural salvage, French country home furnishings, and home decor created from authentic found vintage materials more than 25 years ago, long before it became all the rage it is today. She operates The Salvage Co. with daughter-in-law, Jodi Helmer and both are thankful that business is booming. In addition to retail locations in Phoenix and historic Superior, Ariz., the company also offers complete design and makeover services. Learn more at their website http://www.thesalvageco.com/. Media Contact: Patricia Dickenson 602-418-6037 Email SOURCE Vintage Roadshow Related Links http://www.vintageroadshows.com "I'm excited to be part of this important initiative to drive innovation and adoption of telehealth programs," said Miller, who in addition to overseeing overall plan operations in Florida is a certified registered nurse practitioner. "Telehealth can increase access and convenience of care for Floridians, especially those living in rural areas. It can also mitigate the impact of physician shortages by extending the reach of individual practitioners." As part of the company's efforts to increase telehealth options for its members, WellCare of Florida offers a behavioral health telehealth program for its Medicaid members. This program allows members to video conference with their clinicians using a computer or tablet from the comfort of their homes. This convenient option eliminates the time and cost associated with traveling to appointments and missed work or school. The program can also lead to increased income for providers by decreasing the number of patients who don't show up for appointments, a problem common in the industry, and by extending their geographical reach. "I want to congratulate all of the members selected to serve on the Telehealth Advisory Council," said Elizabeth Dudek, secretary of the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA). "The members of the council have a proven track record of innovation in the field of medicine, and I look forward to working with them over the next year to examine the best uses of telemedicine to provide healthcare for Floridians." The council was created as part of House Bill 7087, which was designed to set the stage for commercial insurance coverage in the state, and will present its findings to the governor, senate president and house speaker by Oct. 31, 2017. As of March 31, 2016, WellCare serves approximately 772,000 Medicaid members, 57,000 Florida Healthy Kids members, 92,000 Medicare Advantage members, and 31,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in Florida. About WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The company serves approximately 3.7 million members nationwide as of March 31, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394730 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150701/227667LOGO SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Related Links http://www.wellcare.com CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Data from Technomic's Digital Resource Library shows that some of the fastest-growing limited-service chains are chicken brands. Year-over-year sales in 2015 for the chicken industry rose 8%, and Technomic predicts the chicken industry to sustain that rate of growth for 2016. Consumers are flocking to these chicken restaurants for better-for-you takes on an American favorite, whether that's never-frozen chicken tenders or marinated grilled chicken. Three prime examples of fast-growing chicken concepts are Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, PDQ and Nando's. Each brand has its own unique approach, from innovative menu offerings to eclectic ambiance. Key takeaways from these findings include: -Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers has a simple, approachable menu of fresh food combined with a family-friendly, pop culture-themed setting has propelled Raising Cane's growth, with 2015 year-over-year sales number of units up 26% and 18%, respectively. -PDQ operates primarily in the south but is expanding to the north and west, leading to a 2015 year-over-year growth in sales and units of 61% and 52%, respectively. -Nando's has been expanding in the U.S., with year-over-year U.S. sales and unit growths of 33% and 40%, respectively, specializing in peri peri chicken in a range of spice levels. With a database of 1,500 commercial operator profiles, as well as 1,500+ noncommercial profiles, the Digital Resource Library serves as a guide for foodservice operators and suppliers to leverage industry intelligence and stay competitive in the foodservice landscape. To learn more, please visit Technomic.com or contact one of the individuals listed below. Contacts: Press Inquiries: Please call (312) 506-4060, or [email protected] Purchasing Details: Patrick Noone, (312) 506-3852, or [email protected] About Technomic Only Technomic, a Winsight company, delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry. We impact growth and profitability for our clients by providing consumer-grounded vision and channel-relevant strategic insights. Our services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry. Visit us at technomic.com. About Winsight, LLC Winsight, LLC is a business-to-business media and information services company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio including four publications, CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferencesRestaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirectionsin addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic, Inc., a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services. Winsight is a recognized leader in the markets it serves. For more information on Winsight and its brands, go to WinsightMedia.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/CG90692LOGO SOURCE Technomic Related Links http://www.technomic.com BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The world's largest student-run cyber security event, founded 13 years ago by the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, will expand this year to NYU Abu Dhabi and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where finalists from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States will compete simultaneously in November 2016. The schools also announced they are accepting registrations for the Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) elimination rounds in August and September, which last year pitted nearly 20,000 students from high schools through doctoral programs against global competitors, all working from their own computers. The competitions will challenge their knowledge of virtually every aspect of information security, from hardware and software penetration testing and protection to digital forensics and government policy. This year the best students from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States will earn travel awards to participate in the final rounds, which will be held November 10-12, 2016 at IIT Kanpur, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Tandon. At the regional CSAW campuses, students will network with top professionals who serve as judges, hear experts address emerging issues, meet recruiters eager to fill what is expected to be a shortfall of 1.5 million cyber security professionals by 2020, and face tough competition from teams from other schools. The CSAW games were founded by Professor Nasir Memon, now chair of the NYU Tandon Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and his students. Students continue to design the contests under the mentorship of information security professionals and faculty and run them from NYU Tandon's student-led Offensive Security, Incident Response and Internet Security (OSIRIS) lab, home also to weekly Hack Nights. "Data security is a critical global issue. Attackers know no national boundaries, and neither should those who protect our personal privacy and institutions," Memon said. "We are pleased that IIT Kanpur, a world-leading engineering school, recognized the ability of CSAW to engage and educate information security students and decided to introduce the contests to students throughout India. I am equally excited about the role that NYU Abu Dhabi will play this year. In the past CSAW brought high school teams to New York. This year, thanks to the leadership of students and faculty, it will expand its reach to high school and university students across the Middle East and North Africa." Memon heads NYU Abu Dhabi's cyber security program, as well as NYU Tandon's. "With hobby hackers, foreign state actors, terrorist organizations and other adversaries abounding, cyber security is not just a computer science issue but a national security issue. IIT Kanpur is delighted to join hands with the New York University Tandon School of Engineering to bring the cyber security awareness competitions to India. We hope that Indian institutes and universities will participate in large numbers and show their competitiveness against the teams from all over the world," said Manindra Agrawal, the N. Rama Rao Professor in the IIT Kanpur's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Each of the regional finalist competitions will vary slightly in the content. Winners of the final rounds can walk away with cash prizes, scholarships, and more. Bragging rights are often the biggest motivator CSAW has become a boldface line for recruiters and university admissions officers. This year, CSAW will include: Capture the Flag (CTF) hacking competition This cornerstone challenge attracts upwards of 10,000 remote players each year and provides entry- and mid-level problems to solve at the preliminary stage. Students find themselves competing against professionals and amateurs of all ages in the September remote round, but only the best undergraduate teams qualify for the 30-hour-long marathon of the final round, which is notoriously difficult. High School Forensics The entryway into cyber security, this competition attracts students who enjoy solving puzzles, in this case a fictional murder mystery. To encourage newcomers, NYU Tandon students and their mentors developed an online, self-taught curriculum and offer digital workshops. Embedded Security Challenge In the world's oldest hardware hacking contest, a Blue Team from NYU Tandon designs a target system. Everyone else Red Teams will hack it, to mimic real-world attacks. The finalists will present their findings to security experts in this challenging, research-oriented contest. Applied Research Competition To participate in what is recognized as the most prestigious Best Paper Award for young researchers, doctoral students must submit papers that have already been published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at conferences. Policy Competition Challenging contestants to think about the big picture of law, policy, economics, and governance, this competition requires students to develop a policy paper proposing how to overcome market failures in cyber security and better protect consumer privacy and critical infrastructure. Department of Homeland Security Quiz Held during the finals, this trivia contest challenges students on technical knowledge as well as history and current events. This year players can use their own smartphones thanks to an app written by former CSAW student team leader Kevin Chung . . Security: Open Source This new, one-day workshop for professionals, organized by NYU Tandon Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Brendan Dolan-Gavitt, will bring open-source software authors to NYU Tandon and NYU Abu Dhabi to explain their tools. Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition Competitors will be invited to pitch commercially viable ideas for real-world security problems to potential funders. The 2016 CSAW is supported by Gold Sponsors Palo Alto Networks and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Silver Sponsor IBM; Bronze Sponsors Navy Civilian Careers-U.S. Navy, NCC Group and Raytheon; and Supporting Sponsors Bloomberg, Cubic Corporation, and Intel. For more information and to register, visit https://csaw.engineering.nyu.edu. Follow @CSAW_NYUTandon. Preliminary rounds for the Embedded Security Challenge will be held in August; the other preliminary challenges will be in September. About the NYU Tandon School of Engineering The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, when the NYU School of Civil Engineering and Architecture as well as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly) were founded. Their successor institutions merged in January 2014 to create a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. In addition to programs at its main campus in downtown Brooklyn, it is closely connected to engineering programs in NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, and it operates business incubators in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu. About IIT Kanpur Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, is one of the premier institutions set up by the Government of India. Registered in 1959, the institute was assisted by nine leading institutions of U.S.A in the setting up of its academic programs and laboratories during the period 1962-72. With its record of path-breaking innovations and cutting edge research, the institute is known the world over as a learning centre of repute in engineering, science and several inter-disciplinary areas. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government. For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in. About NYU Abu Dhabi NYU Abu Dhabi consists of a highly selective liberal arts and science college (including engineering), and a world center for advanced research and scholarship all fully integrated with each other and connected to NYU in New York. Together, NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global network university, with faculty and students from each campus spending "semesters away" at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents. For more information, visit http://nyuad.nyu.edu/en. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151013/276541LOGO SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering Related Links http://www.poly.edu REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent Xtime data has revealed that transparent cost estimates are the most critical concern for today's automotive customers when setting service appointments. In a 2016 study of 668 respondents, more than 70 percent considered cost estimates "extremely important" or "very important" when setting appointments.1 This outranked all other factors surveyed, including the ability to choose the time or day of the appointment, the availability of transportation options and the option of choosing among different service advisors. By aligning their service strategy with this research, dealers can position themselves to win more business and retain more customers in the service department. Today, only 30 percent of service visits take place in dealerships,2 partly because customers believe dealership service departments are more expensive than independent repair shops. The reality is that the average cost of routine maintenance at a dealership is comparable to third-party providers.3 Therefore, by providing cost estimates during the scheduling process, dealers can alleviate the misconception of having higher costs, create a transparent and trustworthy ownership experience for customers, and increase their odds of winning more service appointments. "This research shows price transparency is a big way for dealers to deliver a high-quality ownership experience that keeps customers coming back to the service drive," said Jim Roche, senior vice president of marketing and managed services at Xtime. "Spectrum, Xtime's cloud-based service experience platform, already allows dealers to act on these new findings. Since 94 percent of dealers state that the ownership experience is more important than the service itself,4 dealers must look to technology in order to deliver that superior experience. With Spectrum, customers can conveniently schedule their appointments online and know how much they'll pay before they arrive. This improves convenience and trust, enhances the ownership experience, and increases service retention by an average of 7.5 percent."5 To learn more about how Xtime's solutions help dealers deliver a higher-quality ownership experience, visit Xtime.com. About Xtime Xtime delivers retention solutions for the automotive retail industry. Xtime, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is the exclusive or preferred provider for 24 major global automotive manufacturers in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as leading dealership groups, and services 7,000 dealerships. Xtime is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit Xtime.com. About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto, Xtime and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com. 1. Xtime Market Research: 2016 2. Cox Automotive Maintenance & Repair Study: March 2016 3. Ibid. 4. Xtime Market Research: February 2016 5. Xtime Market Research: 2016 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160801/394603LOGO SOURCE Xtime If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Mumbai, July 28 : A special MCOCA Court is expected to pronounce its verdict later Thursday in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case in which one of the 22 accused is Lashkar-Taiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. The trial, which had resumed in 2013 after Abu Jundal's arrest, had concluded in March this year before the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Special Court here. It pertains to the May 8, 2006 operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad in which three terror suspects travelling in a car were nabbed on the Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad. The ATS recovered from them 30 kg RDX, 10 AK-47 army assault rifles, 3,200 rounds of ammuniton and other things, which were reportedly intended for carrying out terror strikes in the country. Another suspect vehicle managed to give the slip to the ATS. It was believed to have been driven by Abu Jundal who escaped to Pakistan. After Abu Jundal was nabbed in 2013, he revealed to the ATS another hideout from where they recovered 13 kg RDX, 1200 cartridges, 50 hand grenades, 22 magazine rounds. A total of 22 accused were arrested, including Abu Jundal who is accused plotting the 26/11 terror attacks. Earlier, the trial had been stayed by Supreme Court after one of the accused had challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions in the MCOCA invoked on the accused. The stay was lifted in 2009. In 2013 the ATS filed a charge-sheet against all the accused for plotting various terror strikes since 2006. Dhaka, July 28 : Death sentences awarded to six militants were upheld on Thursday over the deadly bombings in 2005 at a Bangladeshi court that killed eight people including four lawyers. The High Court Division bench delivered the verdict. The six militants, Enayet Ullah, Arifur Rahman, Saidur Rahman Munsi, Abdullah Al Sohain, Nizam Uddin Reza and Taibur Rahman Hassan, were affiliated with the banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Xinhua news agency reported. The bench also ordered life imprisonment to two others and acquitted two. According to case details, the gang detonated bombs at a Bar Association office at the Gazipur court premises on November 29, 2005. The blasts killed the association's General Secretary Amzad Hossain, lawyers Golam Faruque, Nurul Huda and Anwarul Azim as well as four clients. A speedy trial tribunal in June 2013 sentenced 10 JMB operatives to death. The JMB, which seeks Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bomb attacks in 63 of the country's 64 districts, including Dhaka, on August 17, 2005. United Nations, July 28 : India's hopes for a permanent seat on the Security Council were dampened as the General Assembly decided to push further negotiations on reforms to the next session after discussions this year failed to make headway. The Assembly on Wednesday unanimously approved the decision to roll over further action and to set up an "open-ended working group" on Council reforms. "It is unfortunate that the 70th anniversary of the United Nations was not able to build up momentum with a view to reaching an agreement on this important item of the agenda of the General Assembly," India and its reforms allies, Brazil, Japan and Germany, said in a joint statement. Speaking on behalf of the four nations, Brazil's Permanent Antonio Patriota told the Assembly: "The longer we postpone a decision on the reform of the Security Council, the greater discredit brought upon the United Nations in its core function of promoting peace and security." The four countries jointly work for expanding the Council's permanent membership and mutually support each other for permanent seats and are known as G4. After more than 20 years of stalling, the Council reform process gained momentum last year when a negotiating text was adopted by the General Assembly overcoming sustained opposition to it from a determined small group of countries like Pakistan and Italy. The adoption of the text was a breakthrough as meaningful negotiations could not be held without such a document. It had been expected that the momentum would continue and the reforms would be adopted in the current year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the world body. The negotiating text was created on the basis of a survey carried out by Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica, the previous chair of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reform, and it was adopted by the Assembly due to the insistence of Sam Kutesa, the president of the last session of the Assembly. Luxembourg's Permanent Representative Sylvie Lucas, who heads the IGN now, said the discussions held this year produced elements of convergence on two of the five issues -- the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly and the size of an enlarged Council and its working methods. Most members supported increasing the total number of Council members from 15 to the mid-20s and for making the Council's working more transparent and involving non-member countries in its activities. Patriota contested Lucas's contention that there was no "convergence" on the other three issues, the most crucial of which is expanding the permanent membership. "We regret, however, that other important patterns on the remaining three clusters were not reflected as leading towards convergence," he said. "It is obvious to any observer that a growing majority of Member-States supports expansion of the Security Council in both categories (of permanent and non-permanent). Yet we failed to register such an evident and quantifiable convergence in writing. "Member-States also argued that the issue of under-representation of developing countries in the current format of the Security Council should be addressed. Such a suggestion was not captured either," he added. "We would have preferred to see Elements that reflected the positions of participants in a comprehensive manner." In May, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the negotiations that of the 122 countries that made written submissions for Rattray's survey, 113 - or more than 90 percent - supported expanding both categories of Council membership. They include the 54 members of the African Union, 42 from the L.69, which is a group supporting reforms, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members, the G4 and 21 others, in addition to two permanent members, Britain and France, he said. The 13-member group known as Uniting for Consensus (UfC), which included Pakistan and is led by Italy, is opposed to adding permanent members. The current 15-member Council has five permanent members with veto powers and none of them are from Africa or Latin America. The UN began in 1945 with five permanent and six elected members on Security Council when the world population was 2.35 billion and the organisation had 51 member nations. Four more non-permanent members were added in 1965 and there has been no further changes, except for replacing Taiwan with China as a permanent member in 1971. Meanwhile, the wave of independence that followed the collapse of colonialism took UN's membership to 193 countries. The global population is now more than 7.3 billion. Washington, July 28 : Despite all the controversy surrounding Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, she has one secret weapon -- her husband, former US President Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton, one of the country's most popular presidents, spoke on her behalf on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and experts said that will help Hillary in the race for the White House, Xinhua news agency reports. "Bill Clinton did a terrific job presenting the human side of his wife. He showed how she is a change agent and has a demonstrated record of impact throughout her life," said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution. The folksy Bill Clinton is an asset to Hillary in that he is comfortable and at ease in front of an audience and has thrived on connecting with large audiences during his nearly 40-year career in politics. While Hillary is often criticized as stiff and robotic in public, Bill is relaxed and adept at reading audiences and understanding what resonates with them. In a bid to humanize Hillary, he spoke at length about how the two met 40 years ago, both being students at Yale law school. Cracking jokes from time to time in the self-deprecating style he's known for, Bill Clinton told the enthusiastic crowd how he pursued and eventually married Hillary. The speech resonated with the crowd, and experts said it will help Hillary in her bid to capture the country's highest political office. "Bill provides an unparalleled amount of expertise and political charisma to the campaign -- if he remains disciplined and on message," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua. Bill could also help Hillary peel off some of the white working-class voters on whom Trump is depending to whisk him into the White House. Analysts said Trump needs around 92 percent or 93 percent of rank-and-file Republican voters -- many of whom are white blue collar males -- in order to clinch the White House. If Bill Clinton could make more inroads with this group, who supported him while he was president, that could bode well for Hillary. Moreover, Bill Clinton's White House oversaw one of the largest economic expansions in US history although critics argued that the invisible hand of the market -- particularly the rise of the Internet and technology -- was responsible, not the government. But whatever the case, many voters over age 40 hold fond memories of the Bill Clinton years and feel the idea of Bill being back in the White House -- this time as first husband -- is appealing. Bill Clinton is also one of Washington's most talented fundraisers, and could be of enormous help in that area. "He will help on the fundraising front. A former president brings star talent to an event and helps to raise cash for the campaign," West said. New Delhi, July 28 : At least four unidentified persons robbed around Rs 80 lakh from two staff members of a rice trader who were returning to their shop after collecting the money from a market in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area on Thursday, police said. The robbery took place near an underpass at Shakur Basti in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area around 10.40 a.m. when the two staffers were coming back from the market after collecting the money from traders, a senior police officer told IANS. "About four unidentified persons intercepted the vehicle of the staff and snatched the bag with the cash," the officer said. The police was informed around 12.30 p.m., the police officer said. According to the police, the trader's staffers had about Rs 80 lakh in cash with them in the bag. The staff members were identified as Aman and Sonu, both in their 20s. They are the relatives of rice trader Ved Prakash. The police also said that they are investigating the robbery and questioning both the staff members of the shop. New Delhi, July 31 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cautioned citizens against falling victim to frauds perpetrated through the use of mobile phones and internet. "People receive tempting offers of gift prizes and other swindling schemes over their mobile phones or via internet," Modi said in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' address over the radio, referring to reports of a women committing suicide after being duped in this manner. "These are new ways thrown up by technology to loot the public. I know of a retired person with a daughter to marry off and a home to build, who received such a gift offer from abroad, asking that he first deposit Rs 2 lakh in a bank as customs duty for receiving the item," he said. "A new way of digital crime is where criminals falsely get your bank, credit card details and soon find their accounts emptied of money. People should become aware and not fall into the trap of such tempting offers," the Prime Minister added. Mumbai, Aug 1 : Profit booking, along with lower crude oil prices and upcoming global events risks, dragged the Indian equity markets lower during the mid-afternoon trade session on Monday. The key indices receded after touching their new intra-day highs in almost a year, as heavy selling pressure was witnessed in capital goods and banking stocks. The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped by 3.10 points or 0.04 per cent to 8,635.40 points. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 28,083.08 points, traded at 28,017.35 points (at 2.00 p.m.) -- down 34.51 points or 0.12 per cent from the previous close at 28,051.86 points. The Sensex has so far touched a high of 28,284.85 points and a low of 27,873.53 points during the intra-day trade. The BSE market breadth was tilted in favour of the bears -- with 1,545 declines and 1,067 advances. On Friday, the benchmark indices closed the day's trade in the negative territory due to profit booking, negative global cues and foreign fund outflows. The barometer index plunged 156.76 points or 0.56 per cent, while the Nifty slipped by 27.80 points or 0.32 per cent. Initially on Monday, the benchmark indices opened on a higher note, in sync with their Asian peers. The upward trajectory also got a boost from the increased chances of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Bill getting passed during parliament's ongoing monsoon session. Investors are hopeful about the bill's passage after the Union Cabinet last week approved key changes in the proposed legislation. The pan-India tax reform has been passed by the Lok Sabha but is stuck in the Rajya Sabha, where the government lacks a majority. Besides, positive macro economic data -- the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) -- which showed an acceleration in manufacturing sector's growth, unleashed fresh buying spree. However, profit booking, lower crude oil prices and anxiety over upcoming macro-economic data dragged the equity markets lower. In addition, depreciation in rupee's value and caution ahead of major global events risks such as Bank of England's (BoE) monetary policy review and US jobs data subdued investors' sentiments. "Profit booking and a steep decline in banking sector stocks dragged the equity markets lower," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. "However, the key indices opened on a higher note, aided by positive Asian markets, strong closing from last week and expectations of GST bill getting through." According to Dhruv Desai, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Tradebulls, CNX Nifty faced profit booking at higher levels. "Bank Nifty and most pharma stocks traded down due to profit booking, while IT sector stocks held the initial gains on back of fresh buying support," Desai noted. "Sugar and aviation stocks traded with mixed sentiments due to profit booking. However, lower USD/INR prices are likely to limit the downside." Mumbai, Aug 1 : Both houses of Maharashtra legislature were adjourned on Monday over the issue of a separate state of Vidarbha even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis categorically denied any such moves were on. "There is no such proposal by the state or the Centre. Carving out smaller states is a subject handled by the Centre," Fadnavis asserted amidst noisy scenes and slogan-shouting by legislators of all opposition parties, besides Bharatiya Janata Party's ruling coalition partner Shiv Sena. "It is the Centre's prerogative to decide on this and the state has no role. The state government is not considering this (Vidarbha) issue nor has any such proposal been sent to the Centre," Fadnavis said. The Chief Minister came on the firing line of the Shiv Sena, the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party besides other parties for the second time since Friday when the issue first rocked the legislature during the ongoing monsoon session. Opposition leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (in the assembly) and Dhananjay Munde (in the council), and former Chief Ministers Narayan Rane and Prithviraj Chavan were among those who lashed out at the BJP-led government for not making its stance on the separate Vidarbha state issue clear and demanded Fadnavis's resignation. "The Chief Minister says there is no plan for it (Vidarbha state). Then let's bring in a resolution for a unified Maharashtra. If he has any problem, we can do it, the Shiv Sena can do it," Chavan said -- a demand later voiced by Vikhe-Patil. Shiv Sena's member of legislative council Neelam Gorhe and other party legislators shouted that they would not allow carving out a separate Vidarbha and waved a banner terming BJP's parliament member Nana Patole as "Shaikhchilli" for moving a resolution in the Lok Sabha last week, demanding Vidarbha state. While Sena's member of assembly Prakash Abitkar asked Fadnavis to clarify his stand, Vikhe-Patil claimed it was a "fix" between the two ruling allies as the issue hotted up again after Friday. Vikhe-Patil said Maharashtra was formed after the sacrifices of 105 martyrs in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and "the BJP has insulted the people of the state by making and backing the demands for a separate Vidarbha". Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 1 : Three suspects, arrested in the sensational Bulandshahr gang rape case, were produced before a court here which sent them to 14 days judicial custody and a hunt was on for the other accused, police said on Monday, even as the victims narrated their night of horror and the "unhelpful attitude" of police. The three suspects were identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa, Hapur, Rahees, a resident of Sutari, Bulandshahr and Jabar Singh, a resident of Noida. "We are in hunt of other criminals whom the criminals, during interrogation, revealed their role," said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Meerut, Laxmi Singh. The sensational crime, that has sparked off attacks on the state's Akhilesh Yadav government on the law and order situation, occurred near Dastampur village on National Highway-91 (Delhi-Kanpur) on Saturday night, when a gang of eight criminals stopped the car in which a family from Ghaziabad's Khoda locality to their village for some rituals following a death, robbed them and raped a woman and her daughter. The criminals employed a unique ruse to stop the car, creating an obstacle that made it seem the car had a defect, and when the driver stopped to check, the gang members burst out and held the family at gun-point. While one of the eight criminals put the pistol at the driver's head and took the all male members to a sugarcane field where they were kept restrained, the other accomplices took the two women - a 39-year-old and her 13-year-old daughter - to the other side and gang raped them. The distraught father said his daughter kept crying out for help and repeating his name but he could do nothing, since he was being held at gun point. They victims saw a police patrol vehicle pass through the highway but could not shout for help due to the presence of the armed criminals. The victims phoned police on the 100 number four times but got no response, and finally phoned their friend in Noida who contacted Bulandshahr's Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna and provided his number to them. They got through to him and told him the sordid story, but it still took half-an-hour before a police team reached the spot. The victims told this reporter they walked to the police station after covering over 5 to 6 km but police's response remained apathetic. The women were not given a proper medical treatment and there was no provision of counsellors. Police remained unhelpful throughout the entire process of legal formalities, added one of victims. Next day when the news was flashed in the media, Director General of Police Javed Ahmad and Principal Secretary, Home Devashish Panda rushed the crime spot and started a damage control measures. Subsequently, police had face the wrath of the public which tried to assault the criminals. Patna, Aug 1 : The Bihar assembly on Monday passed a new Prohibition and Excise Bill, 2016, which has stringent provisions for ensuring a total ban on consumption of liquor in the state. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party dubbed it a "black law" and a "draconian" measure. The party legislators introduced a series of amendments but all were defeated by a voice vote in the assembly during discussion. In the face of the BJP opposition, the ruling Grand Alliance of the Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress supported the bill. Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed to the BJP and its allies to support the draft legislation in the assembly as they had backed total prohibition in the budget session in early April. But the BJP and its allies opposed the bill in the assembly on Monday. Nitish Kumar, during his reply to the discussion on the new bill in the assembly, said the new legislation was not draconian but framed after much deliberations to effectively implement the liquor ban in Bihar. The Chief Minister said the new legislation was required to plug gaping holes in the previous act that facilitated the liquor ban in the state with effect from from April 1. Aizawl, Aug 2 : The Mizoram government has taken preventive measures to thwart the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis following reports of the disease in neighbouring Mnaipur, officials said here on Tuesday. "Senior health department officials met here on Monday and decided to take rapid preventive measure across the state," an official of the health department said. He said that as part of the measures, Aizawl Civil hospital was designated as sentinel site hospital. Necessary equipments and trained health workers have been posted in the hospital. Expert groups were sent to Manipur to conduct in-depth study on the disease. The official said that anti-larval spray is being done in and around residential houses along with animal rearing areas. There has been no report of any Japanese encephalitis case in Mizoram so far. Japanese encephalitis has claimed two lives in Manipur last week while over 25 persons were hospitalised. Los Angeles, Aug 2 : "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" actress Ellie Kemper and her writer-producer husband Michael Koman have welcomed their first child. No further details surrounding the child's birth and gender have been released, reports people.com. Kemper and Koman got married in 2012. In April, Kemper announced her pregnancy on "The Tonight Show". Kemper, 36, is also known for playing receptionist Erin Hannon in "The Office" and appearing in "Bridesmaids". New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday that the central government at present has no proposal to impose liquor prohibition across the country. Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir was replying to a supplementary by Janata Dal-United member Kaushelendra Kumar, who wanted to know whether the centre will emulate the steps taken by the Bihar government and bringing about liquor prohibition across the country. The minister, however, agreed that ever since the prohibition was imposed in Bihar, the number of casualties due to consumption of hooch liquor has definitely declined. "We have no proposal to impose countrywide prohibition. But this is essentially a state subject and so states have the liberty to impose prohibition laws according to their requirements. For instance, Gujarat state already has prohibition," Ahir said. The minister assured that once various state governments decide to bring in prohibition laws, the central government will extend cooperation to them. Among others, Biju Janata Dal member from Sambhalpur, Nagendra Kumar Pradhan demanded prohibition in the country and recalled that prior to country's independence even Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi had once said that his first priority would be liquor prohibition and then the liberation of the country. "So we have the opinion of the Father of the nation in favour of the prohibition," Pradhan said. BJP member Kirit Solanki also expressed concerned on the dying number of people across the country due to consumption of hooch liquor. New York, Aug 2 : Taking a cue from the mechanism that trees use to convert carbon dioxide into sugars, researchers have found a similar way to turn the gas produced by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and car engines into a usable energy source using sunlight. As scientists and policymakers around the world try to combat the increasing rate of climate change, they have focused on the chief culprit -- carbon dioxide. "In photosynthesis, trees need energy from light, water and carbon dioxide in order to make their fuel; in our experiment, the ingredients are the same, but the product is different," said one of the study authors Larry Curtiss from US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. While plants use their catalysts to make sugar, the researchers used theirs to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is also a greenhouse gas, it is much more reactive than carbon dioxide and scientists already have ways of converting carbon monoxide into usable fuel, such as methanol. Although the reaction to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is different from anything found in nature, it requires the same basic inputs as photosynthesis, showed the study published in the journal Science. One of the chief challenges of sequestering carbon dioxide is that it is relatively chemically unreactive. "On its own, it is quite difficult to convert carbon dioxide into something else," Curtiss said. To make carbon dioxide into something that could be a usable fuel, Curtiss and his colleagues from University of Illinois at Chicago needed to find a catalyst - a particular compound that could make carbon dioxide react more readily. When converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into a sugar, plants use an organic catalyst called an enzyme. The researchers used a metal compound called tungsten diselenide, which they fashioned into nanosized flakes to maximise the surface area and to expose its reactive edges and ultimately create carbon monoxide. Italy's Renzi vows to win referendum seen as crucial for future of Europe Despite facing what is effectively a vote of confidence in his leadership come October when a referendum on constitutional reform is due to take place, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told CNBC that he was sure of a win. "I am sure we (will) win," Renzi told CNBC in an exclusive interview in Rome on Monday. "This referendum is about the future of the country and I am sure the Italian people, if (they) read the question in the ballot in the electoral place, will vote for change," he said. Voters will go to the polls in October to make the final decision on whether they approve constitutional reforms long championed by Renzi, including a plan to strip the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, of most of its power and radically cuts its numbers. The vote is potentially very destabilizing as Renzi has pledged to resign if the public votes "no." The prime minister was keen to distance the vote from being about his leadership, however. "Our strategy in the next weeks will be (to promote the fact that) this is not Renzi's referendum. This is a referendum," he said. Asked if he would resign if he lost the vote, Renzi would not answer the question directly and was adamant of victory, repeating "I will win." Renzi might appear confident but as recent history has proved in the U.K., public opinion and referendum results can be hard to predict. As with the U.K.'s referendum on membership of the European Union (EU) that was held in June, Italy's referendum is also seen as close run with many voters undecided. Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group puts a 60 percent probability on the Italian referendum passing. However, it says polls have narrowed sharply since April, making a no vote more likely as the government's popularity wanes. A no vote would likely cause the Renzi government to collapse, according to Eurasia. "A debilitated Renzi would come under intense pressure to resign; he may himself not wish to cling on to power," analysts Federico Santi and Mujtaba Rahman said on Friday in a report. Story continues Aside from the referendum, Renzi is facing another serious challenge on the political front with the rise in popularity of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. The Five Star Movement is critical of EU institutions as are many of the populist parties propagating across Europe and poses a challenge to Renzi's Democratic Party, scoring a major victory Party in June when it won mayoral elections in Rome and Turin results which Renzi played down. "I am really confident for the future of my country and let me be very clear, also of my party. Because the Democratic Party at this moment in Europe is the only party in the Socialist field who really gives a very strong message of radical change," he told CNBC. Rather than worrying over the threat to political stability within his own country, Renzi told CNBC that Europe's leaders had to learn from the U.K.'s recent vote to quit the European Union (EU) or risk placing the bloc in further jeopardy. "There are (will be) a lot of problems around Europe, if Europe doesn't consider Brexit an incredible wake up." The U.K.'s referendum has raised questions about the long-term sustainability of the 28-country union and how its politicians engage with voters. "I think the priority is to really change the relation between Europe and citizens. If we don't change, the risk will be Europe becomes responsible (in the eyes of citizens) for every problem in this continent," he later added. Most important, in Renzi's opinion, was shaking off the "religion of austerity" and embracing public and private investment. No names were mentioned, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a strong advocate of fiscal austerity since the euro zones economic crisis in 2010. "If Europe continues to only discuss (economic) technocrats, the role of technicians, Europe is finished. So the question is how everyone could help their respective countries to consider Europe as a great place for the future for democracy and ideals," Renzi said. In order to overhaul the euro zone economies, countries embarked on a program of strict austerity: raising and reforming taxes and cutting public investment significantly from 2010 onward. The so-called peripheral economies Italy, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain state spending declined by around 7-10 percent in real terms per year between 2010 and 2015, according to research firm Oxford Economics. These austerity programs also had a dampening effect on growth with some international organizations, like the International Monetary Fund, are arguing for more expansionary fiscal policies. "I am totally sure if we choose a different Europe in which there is not only austerity, but investment I think with every effort we can change this direction (of countries considering leaving the EU)," Renzi said. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC Barcelona, Aug 2 : Barcelona's full-back Martin Montoya has joined Valencia on a four-year deal, the two clubs have confirmed. "Valencia CF and Martin Montoya have reached an agreement with the player, who joins the club for the next four seasons," Valencia said in a statement on Monday, reports Xinhua. Montoya entered the first team at the Camp Nou in 2011, but only made 45 La Liga appearances for Barca in five seasons. The 25-year-old Spaniard was loaned to Inter Milan and Real Betis last season. Valencia got a disappointing finish of 12th place in La Liga last season. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The government might have launched a Skill India mission with much fanfare but a defence ministry scheme to train ex-servicemen for a second career has failed to fulfill its objectives with no new initiatives introduced in the last 10 years, an audit report says. A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in parliament last week "observed" that the Director General Resettlement (DGR) was not able to meet its objectives in ensuring the re-employment of or rehabilitating the ex-servicemen. "...thereby expectations of nearly 60,000 service personnel retiring each year could not be fully met," the CAG report said. "After incurring an expenditure of Rs. 90.98 crore on training during last five years, there was no mechanism in place to ensure that the trained personnel could eventually find re-employment. The existing employment and self-employment schemes being run by DGR were more than 10 years old and had therefore lost their effectiveness in the changing work environment," the CAG report said. "We found no fresh employment or self-employment schemes were introduced in the last 10 years," it said. The DGR is an inter-services organization functioning under the Defence Ministry's Department of Ex-Servicemen's Welfare. It was formed to empower retired service personnel with additional skills so that they could find a second career. The report also pointed out that most of those retiring were in the comparatively younger age bracket of 35 to 45 years and 50 to 55 years on the higher side and require a second career. Referring to the ongoing schemes, the report said that except the one related to the Mother Dairy started in 1974 for running booths to sell milk and related products, the others have not proved encouraging. As for a scheme for the allotment of surplus vehicle, the CAG found a steep decline in registrations from 1,082 in 2010 to a mere 67 in 2014, showing the ex-servicemen's lack of interest. In certain cases, the waiting time for the vehicles ranged from 10 to 20 years, forcing applicants to cancel their requests. There is also an ESM (ex-servicemen) Coal Loading and Transportation Companies scheme launched by the erstwhile Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Defence in 1979. The scheme was to operate in six Subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) for operation of ESM Coal Loading and Transport Companies. The CAG report pointed out that only three subsidiaries are making demands on these companies. A scheme for allotting cooking agencies and outlets for products of oil companies, the report said, is not effective as the eight per cent reservation for defence personnel had been diluted by extending it to paramilitary personnel and employees of the central and state governments and central and state public sector undertakings (PSUs). (Anjali Ojha can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in) New Delhi : The Indian economy is heading for interesting times. With the government trying to push key legislation like GST -- possibly on Aug 3 -- the future of the Indian economy is a topic on which a lot of consideration is presently being given. A recent World Bank report titled 'India Development Update-June 2016' sheds light on some of the pertinent aspects of the Indian economy. First, it puts into perspective the present growth. The Indian economy has seen an acceleration of growth up to 7.6 per cent y/y in FY2016, up from an average of 6.5 percent from FY13-15. For continuing the momentum, the report stresses on the need to tackle four risks. These include what may arise out of a deficient monsoon (which seems unlikely at present -- given the flood like situation in several parts of India including the northeast and Assam). Second, even if the monsoon is normal, boosting rural consumption, especially after two years of deficient rainfall, seems a little difficult. Third, given the waning oil dividend, the government may find it difficult to meet the fiscal consolidation target to which it has stuck in the past. Finally, the export demand may continue to deteriorate amidst a tepid recovery in global economy. These four risks will have to be tackled effectively to be able to grow and exceed the present growth rate that India is witnessing. Second, the update focuses on the financial sector and its capability to finance double-digit growth. This includes looking at two related issues: a structural transformation of the financial sector into a more market-oriented and competitive one and addressing the issues of public sector banks (PSBs), most notably that of non-performing assets (NPAs) in the coming months. Both these issues are important, especially considering the fact that the Indian financial sector, in spite of liberalisation, is still largely in the hands of the public sector. The problem of bad debt is one of the most pressing problems in the sector and will need solutions before it can look to finance double-digit growth. The update also focusses on the impact of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) on the state budgets and expenditure. The update has analysed the budgets of 20 states which account for more than 90 per cent of India's GDP. The analysis tells us that total transfers to the states increased from 5.5 per cent of GDP (actuals) to 6.2 percent (budgeted estimates) in 2016-17. The exercise also looked at three effects of implementing the FFC's recommendations. These included the overall devolution effect (ODE), share effect (SE) and grant effect (GE). The analysis shows that all states gained but the extent of this varied significantly: from 0.06 percent of the GSDP in the case of Andhra Pradesh to 5.34 percent in the case of Mizoram. Also, health and education expenditure increased in 13 of the 14 states for which data was available. This is in contrast to what has been a general perception on decreasing allocations to health and education. Rajasthan and Kerala stand out as spending the equivalent of 70 percent of additional resources on health, education and infrastructure. The update also has some key suggestions. These include accelerating the development of capital markets in India, along with resolving the issues of road and power sector, which have resulted in the problems of accumulated NPAs in the past. Also, there is need is to look at increasing the commercial orientation of the banking sector. Over the next few years, Indian policymakers should incorporate some of the key suggestions and aim at increasing India's growth rate while addressing its imminent risks and challenges. (02.08.2016. The article is co-authored with Sankalp Sharma, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Competitiveness, India. Amit Kapoor is Chair, Institute for Competitiveness & Editor of Thinkers. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit@amitkapoor.com and tweets @kautiliya) New Delhi, Aug 2 : A court here on Tuesday fixed August 4 for pronouncing the quantum of punishment for movie director Mahmood Farooqui, convicted for the rape of an American woman, after her counsel said his act had damaged the country's image. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain reserved his order on Farooqui -- the co-director of the 2010 Hindi film 'Peepli Live' -- after the defence and prosecution concluded their arguments on the quantum of punishment. Farooqui, 44, was convicted of rape on July 30. The prosecution demanded maximum punishment, saying he had committed a grave offence. The complainant's counsel also told the court that Farooqui must be awarded the maximum punishment as he had raped a foreign woman he had invited to dinner and thus had "betrayed the friendship and trust of the woman". Farooqui has raped an American scholar, who had come to India for research, at his house and his act had damaged the country's image, the complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover told the court. The counsel said Farooqui is a prominent figure in academic and cultural fields and of high social standing and therefore must not be shown leniency while handing of the sentence. On the other hand, Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan sought leniency, saying the convict had maintained good conduct during the trial and also not tried to intimidate the victim. Farooqui's counsel also apprised the court that he is not facing any other criminal charge and cited his clean antecedents. She said the complainant's version of the rape deserved no sympathy and added that the judiciary must consider his character. Farooqui was charged with the rape of the 35-year-old woman from Columbia University who was in India for research on her doctoral thesis. The woman moved to Delhi in June 2014 and was looking for contacts for her work in Gorakhpur. She came in contact with Farooqui through a common friend. The crime dates back to March 28, 2015, when Farooqui invited her for dinner at his house. Police said in its chargesheet that she reached the director's house at 9 p.m. on that date and found him very intoxicated. He asked her to go to his office in the other room. He later forced himself on her, the prosecution said, adding the woman was scared after the incident. During the trial, the American researcher stood by her complaint and reiterated that Farooqui raped her. He denied the charge and claimed he was falsely implicated. Ankara, Aug 2 : Turkey has sent a second request to the US for the extradition of US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, who is blamed for the failed July 15 coup attempt, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Tuesday. Bozdag said the relations between Washington and Ankara would be affected if Gulen was not extradited, Xinhua news agency reported. Turkey on July 19 sent four dossiers to Washington demanding Gulen's extradition. The minister said that Gulen could not go abroad without a US permit. Gulen, who -- according to the Turkish government -- heads the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), has been residing in Pennsylvania since 1999. The Turkish government has repeatedly said the coup attempt was organised by the followers of Gulen. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi government to soon ban Chinese kite string and permit string made only of cotton or other natural fibre. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal sought to know the status of the Aam Aadmi Party government's notification to ban the Chinese string made of nylon. Noting that the kite-flying festival, celebrated in Delhi on August 15, was around the corner, the court asked the government to inform it by when the notification will be issued. The government told the bench that the notification was pending before Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung for approval. On Monday, the government told the high court that it will soon issue a notification to ban the Chinese 'manja' (string) and allow the use of string made only of cotton or other natural fibre. The government said it was conscious of the injuries caused by kite-flying thread made of nylon. The government's response came on a public interest litigation to demand immediate a ban on Chinese kite string. The petitioner had called for a ban on the manufacture, sale, use and purchase of the nylon 'manja', alleging it is "razor sharp" and has caused several deaths across the country and can slice through human skin. Petitioner Zulfiqar Hussain said earlier that the victims of the synthetic thread were mostly birds "but now humans are also under threat". New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Lok Sabha panel constituted by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to probe Bhagwant Mann's alleged breach of parliament security is of unanimous view that the Aam Aadmi Party MP is "misusing the issue" but the panel has not yet decided that what action should it recommend. The nine-member panel, headed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, has been asked by Speaker Mahajan to submit its report by August 3. Sources said that no decision has been taken yet in this regard but there is unanimity in the panel that Mann is "misusing the issue" and is now "politicising" it by deliberately dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the controversy. The panel has also taken cognizance of the letter written by three Lok Sabha members -- Mahesh Girri of the BJP, Prem Singh Chandumajra of the Akali Dal and suspended AAP lawmaker Harinder Singh Khalsa -- demanding Mann to be sent to rehabilitation centre for de-addiction. "The panel may take notice of the letter also before presenting its report to the Lok Sabha Speaker. We will again sit tomorrow morning before submitting the report," an informed source said. The panel has earlier expressed its displeasure over Mann's response, saying the AAP leader had mixed up his unconditional apology with references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot. In a five-page letter to the panel, Mann said if the committee felt he had made a mistake, he was ready to tender unconditional apology. But Mann insisted that Prime Minister Modi should also be summoned by the committee as he had allowed Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI to visit the Pathankot airbase after the terror attack. The Speaker, who on Monday set up the panel, "advised" Mann not to attend the house till the issue is resolved, saying his act had put "security of parliament in peril". Mann is an Aam Aadmi Party's member of the Lok Sabha from Sangrur, Punjab. The inquiry committee will inquire into the security implications and related aspects arising out of Mann making the audio-visual recording of his entry into Parliament House. Beirut, Aug 2 : Rival political leaders in Lebanon on Tuesday gathered in Ain al-Tineh for a three-day dialogue aimed at breaking the deadlock in the government. At the beginning of the session, Speaker Nabih Berri urged all rivals to agree on an all-inclusive solution starting with electing a new president, the media reported. "It is a chance to reach consensus, and might be our last," Xinhua news agency quoted Berri as saying. He warned that the sessions presented the "last of a very important opportunity to break the current deadlock and revive the state's paralysed institutions". But the Lebanese Forces, the only party that boycotts the dialogue, dismissed it as "a waste of time". Nevertheless, Centrist Progressive Socialist Party's leader Walid Jumblatt described the meeting as positive. "Iran supports Lebanon's unity and dialogue and we are ready for any measure that fortifies ties between the two countries," top Iranian policy official Alaeddin Boroujerdi said. However, expectations for feuding parties to reach understanding were low, as they have failed to elect a President and endorse an electoral law since 2014. Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, 2014 the day former President Michel Suleiman ended his tenure. New Delhi, Aug 2 : A CBI court here on Tuesday granted bail to Tarun Sharma, the former Assistant Director of Value Added Tax Department, in a corruption case involving the Delhi Chief Minister's former Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar. Granting bail to Sharma, CBI Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed him not to leave Delhi without permission, not to tamper with evidence or try to influence witnesses in the case and also to join the investigations whenever required. The court asked the accused to furnish a personal bond and surety of Rs one lakh. Rajendra Kumar, who was arrested on July 4 on the charge of involvement in the corruption case, was granted bail by the court on July 26. R.S. Kaushik, who is the Managing Director of Intelligent Communication System India Ltd, and Ashok Kumar, who is an aide of Rajendra Kumar, were granted bail on Monday. Kumar, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory cadre, was accused of abusing his official position in awarding Delhi government contracts totalling Rs 9.5 crore to private firm Endeavour Systems Private Ltd. Former Managing Director of Intelligent Communication G.K. Nanda, Directors of Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd. Sandeep Kumar and Dinesh Kumar Gupta are other accused in the case. Their bail pleas will be decided on Wednesday. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The much delayed bill to amend the constitution and introduce a Goods and Services Tax is scheduled to be moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, with the government hoping it will sail through after the additional levy of 1 percent proposed earlier was scrapped. The bill, technically called the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, will make provision for introduction of Goods and Services Tax in the Constitution. The government on Tuesday appeared confident of getting the bill through the upper house, where it is in minority, saying it was positive that all parties will support the bill. "There is a consensus among all parties regarding the importance and requirement for the GST bill. The bill is coming after much deliberation and we are positive about the outcome. We are confident all parties will come together to get the bill passed," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar. A slew of amendments have been proposed in the existing bill, with a key one deleting Clause 18 that intended to compensate the manufacturing states with one per cent additional duty for a period of two years or more for revenue losses. The additional levy was also among the main objections of the opposition Congress party, whose support is necessary for the bill's passage since the National Democratic Alliance government lacks a clear majority in the upper house of parliament. Also Clause 19 dealing with compensation to states for a period of five years or more towards the losses they may suffer due to a shift to the new regime, has been made more specific. It now says parliament by law "shall" compensate states, as opposed to the word "may" that was used earlier. Clause 12, which deals with dispute resolution between and among the Centre and states, and again was a bone of contention since the original bill left this to the GST Council has been reinforced, with the amendment calling for a standing mechanism to adjudicate disputes. However, another Congress demand, to specify the GST rate in the statute, has not been accepted. Last week, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra chaired a GST panel meet in which all states agreed to keep the GST rate out of the bill. On Tuesday, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party would be in favour of passing the bill if there are no "obstacles". "If there isn't any obstacle, the GST Bill will be approved tomorrow (Wednesday)," he told reporters outside the Parliament House, but did not elaborate what the "obstacles" could be. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury, meanwhile, said the bill that was coming on Wednesday was just to make a provision for introducing GST and they will wait for the GST bill, while Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav came out in support of the bill. The GST bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014, and was passed by the Lok Sabha five months later on May 6. It was then referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha which submitted its report on July 22. These amendments will need to get the nod of the Lok Sabha again, following which at least 50 per cent of the states need to ratify the bill for it to become a law. This again could be a long-drawn process, since the states will have their own sets of issues and queries. The new regime, termed as the most radical tax reform since Independence, seeks to subsume all central indirect taxes like excise duty, countervailing duty and service tax, as also the state levies like VAT, entry tax and luxury tax, to create a single, pan-India market. Ranchi, Aug 2 : Unidentified armed criminals looted Rs 6.84 lakh from a State Bank of India branch in Jharkhand's Giridih at gun point on Tuesday, police said. According to police, eight men entered the SBI bank situated at Pachamba in Giridih, pretending to be customers before flashing guns at the staff and escaping with the money. Police have launched an operation to arrest the criminals. On Monday, Rs 2 lakh was looted from a bank in Bokaro district. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The government has planned an elaborate fortnight-long programme to commemorate the country's 70th Independence Day, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the programme '70 Saal Azadi -- Zara Yaad Karo Qurbani' (70 years of Independence -- Let's recall the sacrifices) on August 9, that will continue till August 23. Naidu said the 15-day event will showcase the plurality and diversity of India through various modes and platforms and incorporating the voices and sentiments of the people. As part of the campaign, cultural programmes based on the biographies of our national icons and stories of freedom struggle will be organised all over the country. The celebrations will also infuse patriotic fervour in the hearts and minds of the youth and children of the country, he said. Briefing the media here, Naidu said Union ministers will visit the birthplaces of the national icons and places of historical importance related to India's independence movement, such as Jallianwala Bagh (Punjab), Chauri Chaura (Uttar Pradesh), Cellular Jail (Andaman islands), Sabarmati Ashram and Dandi (both in Gujarat) etc. "It is the 75th year of 'Quit India' movement. All ministers will visit places associated with our freedom struggle, such as the Jallianwala Bagh, Cellular Jail, Sabarmati Ashram and Dandi etc. Each minister will visit at least two places," he said. The minister said the campaign is also aimed at developing the feeling of "nation first". "The visiting ministers will highlight various initiatives of the Narendra Modi government in the last two years. Independence means from 'swaraj' (self-rule) to 'suraaj' (good governance)," Naidu said. Giving details of various activities that aim to capture the festive spirit on the occasion, Naidu said all important monuments in the country will be illuminated in tricolour, the use of 'khadi' (handspun cotton cloth) will be promoted in a big way, and Independence Day fairs and exhibitions held to enable local artisans to display their products. Naidu said the participation of sport icons and celebrities in India was being solicited to capture the popular sentiment of the country. A week-long 'Tiranga Yatra' to evoke feelings of nationalism and patriotism will also be undertaken from the Independence Day on August 15, he said. Members of parliament and state legislatures have been asked to participate in the Yatra carrying the Tricolour and visit their constituencies. Naidu said that the social media will be used extensively to promote the spirit of participation and position interactive campaigns. Kolkata, Aug 2 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday issued strict instructions to police to take stern steps against promoters and all others filling up water bodies in the state, and said no one should not be spared even if they took her name. "If anybody fills up a water body, police will deal with it. Police have been told to control the miscreants strictly. Often promoters fill up water bodies in the darkness of the night," Banerjee said after a high level meeting attended by ministers and top police officers at the state secretariat Nabanna. "We have told the police if the allegations are correct, strong action has to be taken. Even if the accused take my name, they shouldn't be spared," she said. Responding to media criticism faced by the government and the ruling Trinamool Congress regarding extortion demands faced by those endeavouring to construct houses or extend their residences, Banerjee said: "It is not my job to find out who is extorting. The administration is there for this." She said if a "genuine wrong" has been committed, the media should bring it to the knowledge of the police, but warned against false reports being published in the media to protect the interests of unscrupulous promoters. "There are some people who for the sake of politics are organising demonstrations. That is also not right." Refering to her party Trinamool, she said: "If even one or two people commit wrongs, we take strong action. Police also have been taking strong action, and will continue to do so in future." Conceding that some people are expanding their business by taking the name of Trinamool, she said: "We won't allow that also." Banerjee said the municipal corporations, municipalities, the Urban Development Department and police have been told to come down with a heavy hand to stop illegal promoting. Alleged some unscrupulous promoters try to give a communal colour to protect their interests, she asserted that no such attempts will be allowed. The state's opposition parties had made extortion and activities of syndicates (cartels said to force promoters and contractors to buy construction materials often of inferior quality at high prices) a major issue during the assembly polls earlier this years. After her party returned to power, Banerjee expressed her displeasure over law and order and asked police to curb the illegal syndicate business. Last month, Trinamool councillor of Bidhannagar municipality, Anindya Chatterjee, was arrested and remanded to custody on charges of extortion in North 24 Parganas district. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Thirteen rounds of talks have been held between India and Pakistan on the issue of withdrawing troops from Siachen and New Delhi has made it clear that it is part of the larger issue of Islamabad supporting terrorism in India, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. "Thirteen rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between government of the two countries, led by the respective defence secretaries. "Indian Government has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan's support to terrorism in India," Parrikar said in written reply. The minister said that on December 9, 2015, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swraj met the Pakistani leadership in Islamabad on the side-lines of the Heart of Asia process for regional cooperation on Afghanistan. "These discussions directed the foreign secretaries of both countries to work out the modalities and schedule of the meetings under the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue on various issues including Siachen," Parrikar said. The minister said soldiers are deployed in extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions but are fully equipped and properly trained to undertake the operational challenges and carry out their mandated tasks. "The soldiers deployed at Siachen Glacier are provided with quality winter clothing including 'Extreme Cold Climate' clothing. Besides, they are provided with prefabricated insulated shelters and wherever it is not possible to construct such shelters due to technical difficulties, insulated tents are provided which can withstand low temperatures," said the minister. He said the units are self-sufficient for a period of 240 days of supplies. New Delhi, Aug 2 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday received a copy of the book 'Grassroots Innovation' and said the "government should provide institutional support to the grassroots innovators". The book is authored by Anil K. Gupta of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. He is also Vice-Chairman of National Innovation Foundation at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mukherjee also conveyed his best wishes to Gupta and his team "to continue their march in adding value to the ideas and innovations of communities at grassroots level". Congratulating Gupta, Mukherjee said he was deeply appreciative of his efforts and painstaking work about the innate creativity and innovative potential of people. "Dr. Gupta's book was about stories of extraordinary men and women who are silently contributing in the innovation movement for the economic development and advancement of society," said Mukherjee. "The Government should provide institutional support to the grass root innovators. Their efforts will not be appreciated if necessary linkages between the relevant stakeholders are not established," he added. The Festival of Innovations which is organised by Rashtrapati Bhavan in collaboration with National Innovation Foundation has helped to bring together creative energy from different domains, further added Mukherjee. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Eight members of an international drug syndicate have been arrested and 14.2 kg of party drug Mephedrone, popularly known as "Meow Meow", worth Rs 25 crore seized from them, Delhi Police said on Tuesday. Those arrested are Mohammad Faizan Ahmed Supariwala, 36, a resident of Mumbai, Surender Singh aka Sunny, 34, Rishi Koli, 35, Manoj Sengar, 46, Sanjay Khanna, 43, Guddu Yadav, 33, Deepak Parashar, 38, and Mahender Singh Rana, 53, all residents of Delhi. 'Meow Meow' drug is commonly used as a substitute for cocaine, especially at rave parties in Delhi, Mumbai and other metros. Cost of one gram varies from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000, police said. "Faizan was arrested on July 23, when he arrived in the city to receive the consignment of drugs from his gang members," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav told reporters. Two kilograms of 'Meow Meow' was recovered from his possession. He was arrested from Greater Kailash area of south Delhi. The remaining members of the syndicate were arrested from different areas of Delhi after interrogation of Faizan. According to police, the gang was involved in the business for long time but seizure of a big consignment in Mumbai gave the police some clue of the drug ring, police said. The officer also said that the gang was helped by an Inspector-rank officer in the Customs Department in Delhi. "We seized nine kilograms of narcotics from Mahender Singh Rana. During interrogation he said that he received the drugs through a customs officer," Yadav said. "Rana had received 21 kg of drugs from the officer, of which he had sold around 12 kg and the remaining nine kg were left with him," the DCP added. According to police, the customs department officer has not reported for duty for the past two days and his house was also found locked. "We have informed his office, and we are waiting for details," the DCP added. Explaining the international connection of the syndicate, Yadav said: "The gang was operated by one of its masterminds named Kailash, who is settled in Dubai." "He used to control the entire operation of drugs from Dubai," Yadav said, adding, "He is also wanted in a case of drugs in Mumbai." Kailash's brother is currently lodged in jail in Mumbai in a drug smuggling case. Yadav said that the drugs were sent to European and Gulf countries through courier and cargo. A senior police officer related to the probe requesting anonymity told IANS: "We will soon conduct a raid in Mumbai to find out the details of Arif, whose name appeared during investigation." According to police, Arif is a close associate of Kailash, who used to supply the drugs to European and Gulf countries through his contacts. Chandigarh, Aug 2 : The Haryana government will start work to set up an Integrated Aviation Hub at Hisar town to coincide with the 'Swaran Jayanti' (golden jubilee) celebrations of creation of the state. Haryana will mark 50 years of its creation on November 1. The aviation hub would be developed over an area of over 3,000 acres, Haryana Civil Aviation minister Narbir Singh said on Tuesday. "A series of activities to be undertaken in first phase of this project include expansion of the existing runway from 4,000 feet to 7,000 feet, provision of night landing facility, construction of additional hangers for Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) activities and renovation of the terminal building," the minister said. "A budget provision of Rs 50 crore has been made in the current financial year for this purpose," he said. At present, Haryana does not have any regular airport of its own. The state's needs are catered by the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport at Delhi, adjoining Gurgaon in Haryana and the Chandigarh international airport. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has demanded that the Hisar aerodrome should be elevated as an international airport Singh said that the Haryana Government has already engaged M/s Frost and Sullivan India Private Limited, Chennai, as consultant for development of Hisar aerodrome as an Integrated Aviation Hub. Islamabad, Aug 2 : Turkey on Tuesday voiced support for Pakistan's demand to send an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) team to Jammu and Kashmir to probe "human rights violations". Visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, addressing a joint presser with Pakistan's foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz, also hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue. "Turkey fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu said Turkey is an active member of the OIC Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. "I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said. Widespread protests in Jammu and Kashmir following the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani has claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 3,000 people. Rome, Aug 2 : Italy's banks are solid, Premier Matteo Renzi claimed on Tuesday, saying he wanted to avoid a European Union bail-in or the use of creditors' or depositors' money to restructure lenders. "My view is that Italian banks are good," Renzi told US broadcaster CNBC. His comments came as trading in shares in several banks was halted during the second day of turmoil on the Milan stock following results of European stress tests last week which have spooked investors. "For me Italy is totally fighting to avoid bail-in because even a soft bail-in could be a disaster for credibility and of course for confidence," Renzi said. Using the EU bail-in rules now could expose Renzi to political risk ahead of a crucial referendum later to create more stable government and streamline lawmaking. He has staked his job on the vote. Renzi told CNBC he was satisfied with a privately-funded bail-out plan announced on Friday by Italy's most troubled bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, just hours after it came bottom of 51 lenders tested by the European Banking Authority. "If now, without bad loans, with a clear strategy, I think this bank could be a very good bank for the future," said Renzi. He called MPS - the world's oldest lender which was founded in 1472 - "a brand". Italy's largest lender Unicredit was ranked as one of the five weakest European banks in the stress tests and was especially badly hit by share sell-offs this week. It scraped through Friday's stress tests and needs fresh funds, either through recapitalisation or the sell-off of assets. Italian banks are weighed down by bad loans, the legacy of Italy's longest post-war recession and poor management decisions, according to analysts. Varanasi/New Delhi, Aug 2 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said that Uttar Pradesh, facing years of exploitation, needs experienced leadership to improve the condition of people which can only be provided by her party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit. In her concluding remarks after her roadshow in Varanasi, which she had to discontinue midway due to ill-health, she expressed hope that Congress will form a government in Uttar Pradesh after the next assembly polls due early next year. "Our party will fight the polls to end exploitation in the state of 27 years and to improve conditions of people. Each worker will put in his best," she said. The concluding remarks were released by the Congress office in New Delhi late Tuesday evening. Gandhi regretted that due to ill health, she could not complete her engagements in Varanasi, which included a visit to the historic Kashi Vishwanath temple and promised that she would return "very soon" to visit the temple. "Uttar Pradesh has seen governments of several parties in the last 27 years, which garnered votes through the politics of caste and communalism. The state which used to be a well-developed state once has been left far behind in development due to such politics. "Uttar Pradesh needs a government of development, of experience which only Congress and Sheila Dikshit can provide," Gandhi said. She branded the Narendra Modi government as the "government for a select few, rich industrialists" which was constantly neglecting the poor, the marginalised and the minorities. "A large section of population today is feeling deprived and left out and is worried about their future. The house built on the foundation of lies and deceit would not last long," she said. Bengaluru, Aug 2 : Farmers' associations in Karnataka on Tuesday threatened to launch a mass agitation if protestors were not released and senior police officers not suspended for the assault on women and children in Dharwad district during the July 30 shutdown. "As part of the mass stir, we will first stage a demonstration on August 5 at the residence of the home minister (G. Parameshwara) here if our demands are not met by Thursday," Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (state farmers body) Kodhihalli Chandrashekar told reporters at Dharwad, about 430km from here. About 160 protesters, including farmers and traders, were arrested from Nargund and Navalgund towns in the district for allegedly attacking government offices and damaging public property during the shutdown. The shutdown was observed in protest against an inter-state tribunal's rejection of the state's interim plea for releasing 7.6 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water from Mahadayi river to four drought-prone districts in the state's northern region. "False cases of arson and rioting were booked against the protestors after they were caned and arrested. They are jailed in neighbouring districts. They are poor people who cannot afford to pay for bail," said Chandrashekar, an independent lawmaker from Hassan assembly segment. If the demands are not met after the demonstration on August 5 here, the associations have decided to organise a mass rally on foot from Tiptur in Tumakuru district to Bengaluru on August 10, covering 150 km in five days to mark the Independence Day as a "black day". Tiptur is the hometown of Parameshwara, who is also the state unit president of the ruling Congress party. Pro-Kannada organisations, including Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV), which led the shutdown, will join the agitation if their demands are not met. "Suspending nine constables and sub-inspectors is not enough for the brutal attack on women, children and aged farmers in Yamanur and Alagawadi villages in the district. We want the district police superintendent and senior officers who ordered caning the victims also be suspended and a judicial inquiry by a high court judge," KRV president Narayana Gowda told reporters. Parameshwara apologised on July 31 for the alleged police brutality, ordered a departmental inquiry, transferred the district's deputy police superintendent and suspended Navalgund circle inspector after video footage and pictures of the assault went viral in social media and were aired by news channels. New Delhi, Aug 3 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who had to break off her road show in Varanasi on Tuesday after she fell ill, returned to the national capital late night and was taken to Army Research And Referral Hospital for a check-up, party leaders said. Congress General Secretary and UP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters at the airport that she was suffering from dehydration. Gandhi, who reached Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier on Tuesday to a rousing reception, took ill midway through her road show and had to abort it. She was taken to a lodge where doctors attended on her and advised her rest. Ghanshyam Srivastava, a doctor who attended on her, said she was feeling dehydrated and running high blood pressure (88-172) as well as fever. Washington, Aug 3 : US President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "unfit" to serve as President and lambasted Republicans for sticking with the businessman-turned-politician. The strong rebuke came after Trump's criticism of the family of a slain Muslim US soldier, along with comments that displayed apparent confusion related to the Russian incursion into Ukraine, CNN reported. "The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as President," Obama said at a White House news conference with the Prime Minister of Singapore. "He keeps on proving it." The Trump campaign responded by going after the Democratic nominee as well as the President. "Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office," a Trump statement said, listing a number of policy concerns. "Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilised the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi." Obama on Tuesday described his feelings about Trump as unprecedented, recalling disagreements with previous GOP presidential nominees Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney -- but never an outright sense they were unfit to serve. "The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge of critical issues in Europe, the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," CNN quoted Obama as saying. Speaking alongside Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the White House East Room, Obama said there are now weekly episodes in which even Republican party leaders distance themselves from Trump. "There has to be a point at which you say, 'Enough'," Obama said. Obama placed responsibility for Trump's statements squarely on his fellow Republicans, many of whom denounced his statements on the slain soldier's family but didn't withdraw their support. Obama asked of GOP leaders, "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point at which you say, 'This is not somebody I can support for President of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party'." Obama said that denunciations from Republicans of Trump's remarks "ring hollow" without an accompanying withdrawal of support. "I don't doubt their sincerity. I don't doubt they were outraged by some of the statements that Mr. Trump and his supporters made about the Khan family," Obama said. "But there has to come a point in which you say, 'Somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world'," CNN quoted Obama as saying. Trump and the family of the slain soldier have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute over Muslims in America and the nature of patriotic sacrifice. After Khizir Khan, who lost his son in a suicide bombing in Iraq, declared at last week's Democratic National Convention that Trump had "sacrificed nothing", the Republican nominee claimed he'd been "viciously attacked" and questioned why Khan's wife, Ghazala, didn't make her own remarks. Trump has also taken flak for appearing unaware that Russian forces had annexed Crimea in early 2014, saying on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that President Vladimir Putin is "not going into Ukraine". Later, he argued that the people of Crimea "would rather be with Russia than where they were" -- an argument that Putin himself has made in justifying his annexation of the disputed Ukrainian territory. Timon LeDain, Director Internet of Things, Macadamian We are grateful for NRC-IRAPs support and are excited to work with clients across key sectors of the economy as they leverage the Internet of Things to transform their businesses." said Timon LeDain, Director, Internet of Things, Macadamian. This contribution represents up to $766,028 in NRC-IRAP funding to date. The additional funding will be used for further research and development on Macadamians feature rich IoT platform that will accelerate the development of custom IoT applications. The platform facilitates end-to-end connectivity to send and receive data from the Cloud from a range of devices connected over WiFi, BLE, and cellular communications. It will help to uniquely position Macadamian as a leading solutions provider of complex Internet of Things applications in the Healthcare, Cleantech and Industrial markets. We are grateful for NRC-IRAPs continued support and are excited to be working with clients across key sectors of the economy as they leverage the Internet of Things to transform their businesses. NRC-IRAP is instrumental in building this capacity in Canada, said Timon LeDain, Director, Internet of Things, Macadamian. This investment is in addition to the $370,000 previously provided in support of the Macadamian Mobile Office, a framework for the development of mobile applications across multiple platforms, which was followed by the development of the HealthConnect platform, the Alexa skills development platform, and an IoT JumpStart kit for the rapid development of proof of concepts. Securing a second round of NRC-IRAP funding of this magnitude has been driven by the successful launch of Macadamians HealthConnect platform which provides a core user management model and auditing capability needed by healthcare applications that deal with patient data. The user management model maps the relationships between patients and their care team, and the security features ensure regulatory compliance right out of the box. Once the framework is in place, Macadamians application developers can focus on custom feature development and not on developing the complex underlying framework, saving clients money while accelerating their path to commercialization. About Macadamian Macadamian is a full service software design and development firm. From product ideation to market ready and everything in between, they provide a complete range of usability, design and engineering services. From big consumer brands to enterprise, telecom, and healthcare; our solutions are founded in research-informed design first while leveraging the cloud, big data, and Internet of Things to deliver context-aware and adaptive experiences. Macadamian is headquartered in Gatineau, Canada, and also has offices in the United States, Armenia, and Romania. ### SOURCE MACADAMIAN TECHNOLOGIES For further information: Macadamian Vani Edwardson Vice President, Marketing Tel: +1 819 772 0300 Email: vedwardson(at)macadamian(dot)com The Groom's Room at Hotel Viking's Kay Chapel in Newport, Rhode Island The Groom's Room is a place to relax before the wedding and makes a unique backdrop for pre-ceremony photos of the groom and his friends. The waiting is the hardest part. Thats especially true when youre the groom and its your wedding day. With that in mind, Hotel Viking in Newport, R.I. created the Grooms Room. A comfortable salon located in the hotels on-site non-ecumenical chapel, the Grooms Room is a wedding-day man cave outfitted with comfortable seating, a 55-inch flat-screen television, XBOX with over 15 games and wireless controllers; a poker set and playing cards; and an indoor putting green. Groomsmen can pre-order snacks and stock the mini-fridge and bar with the grooms favorite beverages. Its a private hangout where the groom and his groomsmen can kick back while they await the brides arrival. No one else in the area offers this kind of space designed specifically for the groom, said Keith Chouinard, director of sales and marketing, Hotel Viking. Its a place to relax before the wedding and makes a unique backdrop for pre-ceremony photos of the groom and his friends. Its fun to watch the grooms reactions when were showing the space, said Nancy Rusiloski, catering sales manager, Hotel Viking. Their eyes light up when they realize the Grooms Room is designed specifically for them. Having the Grooms Room on site definitely tilts venue selection in our favor, agreed Linda Ferguson, catering sales manager, Hotel Viking. Dating to 1869, Kay Chapel is a historic Newport landmark. After it was officially closed in the 1970s, Hotel Viking purchased and restored the non-ecumenical chapel. Today, its one of Newports most unique private settings for intimate weddings. Located adjacent to Hotel Viking at One Bellevue Avenue in Newport, R.I., Kay Chapel accommodates in excess of 200 guests. In addition to weddings, the space is available for retreats, concerts and seminars. For information, contact Hotel Vikings catering sales managers at 401-847-3300. Follow @HotelViking on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates, photos, contests and to keep up to date on events and more. About Hotel Viking: Hotel Viking, a member of the Historic Hotels of America, is located at One Bellevue Avenue in Newport, RI. Hotel Viking offers 208 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites. Hotel Viking is a 30-minute drive from TF Green Airport (27 miles) and Amtraks Providence station. The hotel is an easy drive from Boston (70 miles) and New York City (170 miles). For information, contact Hotel Viking at 401-847-3300 or visit http://www.hotelviking.com. Be social with #HotelViking at http://www.facebook.com/HotelViking, http://www.instagram.com/hotelviking and http://www.twitter.com/HotelViking. About Pyramid Hotel Group Boston-based Pyramid Hotel Group is one of the predominant hotel management companies in the U.S., managing and asset managing a diverse portfolio of more than 80 hotels and resorts in destinations throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. For additional information, visit http://www.pyramidhotelgroup.com. Photo credit: WeWork / Lauren Kallen Boston will be a prime business location for us. Custom mobile app development company Zco Corporation, headquartered in Nashua, NH, is announcing an expansion to Boston, MA. Its new satellite office is in the WeWork South Station community at 745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111. In order to better serve its growing client base, Zco Corporation has opened the new space about 40 miles southeast of its headquarters. The new office will give its clients and prospects south of Boston more convenient face-to-face time. Zco Corporation chose the WeWork co-working space because it is an innovative, creative community where Zco can network with other entrepreneurial companies and learn more about the latest and greatest in technology. The WeWork space is located in Bostons historic Leather District across from South Station. It includes ample conference space, lounges, and stunning interior design. Boston will be a prime business location for us, says Zco Corporations Chief Financial Officer Linda Reilly. Being part of the Boston hub will allow us to take advantage of the flourishing economic industry Boston has to offer. By hosting networking events and launch parties for our customers we will quickly become an integral part of the Boston community. This is a wonderful expansion opportunity for Zco and a direct reflection of our continued growth and success! The space has great energy and will be a perfect place to network and meet clients from Boston, says Zcos Territory Sales Account Executive, George Markwell. The new office will be convenient for Zco employees, who will be able to take the bus from its headquarters in Nashua right to South Station where the office is located. As a mobile app technology company, Zco will be one of many technology companies growing in Bostons technology/start up hub. To learn more about Zco Corporation, visit: http://www.zco.com. ABOUT ZCO CORPORATION Founded in 1989, Zco Corporation is a custom software development company specializing in mobile app development. It has been top ranked by several industry guides as one of the best app development companies in Boston and the USA. More information about Zco Corporation can be found at http://www.zco.com. ... I'm excited and honored to help Boot Campaign shape the ReBOOT initiative that will provide a more comprehensive program veterans can count on. -- Morgan Luttrell Boot Campaign is unveiling a ground-breaking new veteran assistance program ReBOOT designed to provide a comprehensive, individualized, multi-disciplined approach to increasing mental and physical well-being for America's valued military heroes, it was announced today by Boot Campaign CEO Robyn Payne. Whether combating traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression or other transitional issues, ReBOOT tackles the root cause of the struggles affecting so many of our brave servicemen and women. Lieutenant (Ret.) Morgan Luttrell, U.S. Navy, a cognitive neuroscientist and Boot Campaigns new director of development, will guide the ReBOOT initiative. This pioneering new Boot Campaign program brings together world class mental and physical treatment partners thorough diagnostic evaluations, so each veteran gets specific care needed to live a fulfilling life. The program includes, but is not limited to, ReBOOT brain treatment partner's Brain Treatment Center, Center For Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas, Brian Performance Institute, University of Texas, Southwestern and ReBOOT nutrition and fitness partners Virginia High Performance and EXOS and ReBOOT brain treatment coalition partners Infinite Hero Foundation, Team Never Quit, 22 Kill and Airpower Foundation. "We're proud to launch the ReBOOT assistance program, which is a new focus for Boot Campaign that was determined through careful consideration and months researching where the donations of our many generous supporters can be best utilized in accordance with our mission," says Payne. "The commitment to our veterans and this program by our treatment partners is extremely gratifying and gets us off to a great start, and we welcome the support of the public and private sectors to make this important initiative a resounding success." Veteran advocate Luttrell, who completed more than 14 years of military service, including nine tours to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations, helped design a program to foster a confluence of partners to address the current needs of our veterans. Since retiring from service in 2014, Luttrell joined the Brain Performance Institute and the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he currently serves as a research scientist while pursuing an advanced degree in cognitive neuroscience. "Since retiring from the Navy, it's been a passion of mine to pursue opportunities of finding a better way to treat veterans and first responders in traumatic brain injury," says Luttrell, and Im excited and honored to help Boot Campaign shape the ReBOOT initiative that will provide a more comprehensive program veterans can count on. Fundamentally, ReBOOT is an innovative pipeline to "reboot" and remove all financial barriers related to treatment and conditioning for overall mental and physical health and well-being for veterans. The ReBOOT protocol is a multi-discipline approach to treating veterans with TBI and other combat-related issues. Because brain injuries are so complex and different for each person, an Omni directional approach is necessary. To date there are no known cures for TBI, PTS and other brain disease, but there are a number of veteran-run institutes, centers and facilities that are moving the needle in the right direction to decrease the various issues plaguing America's service member and give them and their families back what they lost during their service to this great nation. The ReBOOT protocol brings forward the best TBI facilities in the country that offer a veteran-based treatment program and strategically aligns them with the veteran's needs. The program begins with a pre-cognitive assessment so the candidate has a baseline to build on. The candidate will visit the appropriate center for valuable treatment and training protocols for their particular issues. Additionally, the candidates will have the opportunity to visit a high performance institutes to balance out their nutrition and get their bodies back into physical shape. The last stop in the pipeline is to conduct a post-cognitive assessment in order to measure how far the candidate has come. The amazing part about this concept is the science and treatment is there, the ReBOOT program is connecting the dots. "The pipeline is a living, breathing, ever-changing design that ebbs and flows with the times," explains Luttrell. "If one particular treatment is not working any longer we replace it with the latest and greatest cutting-edge science. ReBOOT is all about the veterans and bringing them back!" Donations in support of ReBOOT go to veteran grants for everything they need to regain positive mental health, including treatment at an innovative brain treatment center, travel costs, living expenses and lost income replacement. Approximately 22 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom combat wounds are brain injuries, and Boot Campaign believes financial concerns should NOT be the barrier between a warrior and necessary treatment. The average cost for a veteran to receive individual health and wellness care can run from up to $100,000. For more information on Boot Campaigns ReBOOT assistance program, please visit the website at: http://www.bootcampaign.org/reboot/. About Boot Campaign Established in 2009, Boot Campaign is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to promoting patriotism for America and our military community; raising awareness of the unique challenges service members face during and post-service; and providing assistance to military personnel, past and present, and their families. Retail sales of combat boots, apparel and mission-focused merchandise, general public donations and corporate sponsorships fund programs that support military families. Learn more at BootCampaign.org and join the #BootsOn community on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Bootcampaign. Atlanta, Georgia: Visionary Legal Technologies is pleased to announce a partnership with Amplify, to offer Visionary clients access to the Amplify cost savings platform. Amplify works exclusively with organizations and associations to deliver cost savings on every day back office items, all with no minimum spending levels and no fees. Access to the platform is complimentary for clients of Visionary. In particular, the offerings from Amplify most applicable to Visionary clients are: Discounts of up to 40% on overnight shipping (together with international and other discounts), Discounts on office supplies, an of average 50% on the top 100 items purchased by firms in the legal space, together with discounts across all categories of spend, Discounts on conference rooms of 5% with Davinci Meeting Rooms, including waived cancellation fees up to 24 hours before the reservation time. Amplifys CEO and Founder, Andrew Sims, said: I am excited to be working with Visionary and their client base. For years Jim McCranie and Visionary have led the legal industry in providing high quality and cost effective technology solutions to both law firms and court reporting agencies two of the groups that Amplify works closely with. Amplify sees this partnership as an exciting new avenue to continue to support the Visionary solution. Visionarys CEO, Jim McCranie, said: Visionary has been testing the Amplify platform for the last 6 months and found not just significant savings but also incredible value in Amplifys easy to use and implement solutions. With no minimums or membership fees, with the use of Visionary products, we believe this is an offering all our clients should be taking advantage of and benefiting from". For more information, please visit: https://www.amplifysavings.com/visionary/ Kaufman Hall, a leading provider of strategic, capital and financial advisory services and software tools to healthcare organizations, today announced that East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH), a not-for-profit community hospital in Louisiana, has expanded its partnership with the company. A longtime consulting customer, EJGH recently implemented Kaufman Halls Axiom Software solutions for Budgeting, Long-Range Planning, Capital Planning and Performance Reporting all delivered on a single, integrated platform. Axiom Software will empower EJGH to analyze results, model the future and optimize organizational decision-making. EJGH selected Kaufman Halls solutions based on the companys proven track record of superior customer service, as demonstrated by the highest satisfaction ratings in three categories in Gartners annual corporate performance management report for the past two consecutive years. Kaufman Hall has demonstrated time and again its competence in providing us with solid, strategic advice, firmly establishing itself as trusted partner, said James Revels, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at EJGH. Our experience, coupled with the companys reputation for a high level of personalized customer attention, has made us very confident in its ability to further support our evolving financial management needs with its software. With Kaufman Halls Axiom budgeting solution, EJGH can drive efficient, accurate, and transparent budget development and deliver results that management can trust. Further, with the companys capital planning solution, EJGH has a more structured and disciplined approach to the allocation and management of capital, allowing the organization to decipher which requests for capital warrant funding and provide the strongest business benefits. Our partnership with EJGH has grown significantly since our initial engagement, which we view as a testament to our unwavering commitment to quality and service, said Kaufman Halls Executive Vice President, James Bodan. With our software solutions, EJGH is better equipped than ever to address a wide range of strategic and financial concerns associated with the shift to value-based care. About East Jefferson General Hospital East Jefferson General Hospital is a publicly-owned, not-for-profit community hospital. This service district hospital, formed in 1965, receives no tax support from Jefferson Parish. The 420-bed hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is Louisiana's first Nurse Magnet hospital. For more information on East Jefferson General Hospital, visit online at http://www.ejgh.org. About Kaufman Hall Leveraging 30 years of experience, Kaufman Hall helps hospitals and health systems implement best practices in management that integrate strategy, finances, and operations to empower organizations to reach their full potential. Management consulting services and enterprise performance management software enable data-driven analysis and quantify the financial impact of plans, scenarios, and actions to improve organizational decision making. Kaufman Halls Axiom Healthcare Suite provides sophisticated, integrated, and intuitive solutions for budgeting and forecasting, long-range planning, capital planning & management, performance reporting, and decision support and analytics delivered via the cloud or on premise. To learn more, visit http://www.kaufmanhall.com. The Lung Institute will host a seminar at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on August 9 to inform people with chronic lung diseases on the benefits of stem cell therapy for lung disease. Jack Coleman, Jr., M.D., will lead the presentation, explaining how autologous stem cell therapy helps people with lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. After the presentation, seminar participants can receive a free consultation with Dr. Coleman to discuss their candidacy for stem cell therapy for lung diseases. Dr. Coleman is the medical director of the Lung Institute clinic in Nashville, Tenn. The Lung Institute celebrated its three-year anniversary in May. With five clinics in Nashville, Tampa, Scottsdale, Dallas and Pittsburgh, the Lung Institute has treated over 2,500 patients. According to a recent white paper, 82 percent of Lung Institute patients who participated in a study reported an improvement in their quality of life after receiving stem cell therapy from the Lung Institute. A portion of those patients received a pulmonary function test, and of those tested, 48 percent saw an improvement of 10 percent or higher in their pulmonary function scores. COPD is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, claiming around 120,000 lives annually. People who have been diagnosed with COPD often feel stigmatized, and, according to a publication in the Western Journal of Nursing Research, COPD patients, in addition to suffering from a sense of guilt, often feel that they are held responsible for their own illness by others, including healthcare providers. Some believe the stigma associated with COPD has slowed the progress of research for a cure. Traditional treatment options had remained unchanged for several decades, until now. Stem cell therapy for lung disease is perhaps the greatest advancement since the advent of the lung transplant. If youre in the Knoxville area, https://lunginstitute.com/event/knoxville/08-09-16/ to register for the seminar on August 9 at 2:00 pm. The seminar is held at the UT Conference Center, located at 600 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. About the Lung Institute The Lung Institute is a leading medical provider of regenerative cellular therapy for lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease in the United States. To date the organization has treated over 2,500 patients, 82 percent of which report an improved quality of life. Founded in 2013 in Tampa, Fla., the Lung Institute currently has clinics in Nashville, Tenn., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Pittsburgh, Pa., and Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.lunginstitute.com or call (800) 382-8095. The Data Mining Group is proud to announce the release of PMML v4.3. PMML is an application and system independent XML interchange format for statistical and data mining models. The goal of the PMML standard is to encapsulate a model independent of applications or systems using an XML configuration file so that two different applications (the PMML Producer and Consumer) can use it. "The PMML standard delivers true interoperability, enabling machine learning and predictive models to be deployed across IT platforms, says Michael Zeller, CEO of Zementis, Inc. A common standard ensures efficiency and fosters collaboration across organizational boundaries which is essential for data science to scale beyond its current use cases. With its latest release, PMML has matured to the point where it not only has extensive vendor support but also has become the backbone of many big data and streaming analytics applications." As predictive analytics and data mining continue to gain momentum in industry and business applications across the internet of things, industrial internet, and instrumented environments, open standards like PMML provide a key platform to operationalize analytic models. Though the surge of interest in predictive analytics is relatively new, the Data Mining Group and the PMML standard have been supporting the data science community nearly 20 years. PMML v0.7 was first introduced in 1997. DMG members active in the PMML working group that developed v4.3 include IBM, SAS, Zementis, Salford Systems, and NIST. We at IBM are very happy to see PMML 4.3 release adding significant new model classes for Bayesian Networks, says Jean-Francois Puget, PhD, a Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect at IBM Analytics Solutions. Those new features will help us to further improve client experience. IBM has provided continued support for PMML since its inception. We use it both as an internal model and transformation representation, and as a way to import/export models between our products and to third party platforms. Jonathan Wexler, Principal Product Manager of SAS Analytics Product Management says, Time to value is critical for analytical applications. Using SAS Enterprise Miner, users can not only generate PMML, but consume PMML as part of a governed, automated system. SAS Model Manager enables users to both consume and manage PMML models, in addition to other Open Source models. We are excited about the latest release of PMML. "NIST is pleased to have contributed to this new version of the already adopted PMML standard. We are particularly excited about the two new probabilistic models that appear in PMML v4.3: Gaussian Process Regression and Bayesian Networks. These new models provide two critical pieces of information never available before - confidence bounds and distribution for the predictive estimations. Both are needed to provide the foundation for uncertainty quantification analysis. We believe that the two models expressed in PMML will aid predictive modeling and improve decision-making in engineering, manufacturing, and other industries," says Tina Lee, Project Leader of the Data Analytics for Smart Manufacturing Systems Project in National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) Smart Manufacturing Systems Design and Analysis Program. Salford Systems is proud to have been a contributing member of the PMML community since 2001, serving actively on the development team for many of the last 15 years, says Dr. Dan Steinberg, Founder and CEO of Salford Systems. Much of our work has involved enhancing the representation of decision trees, and ensembles, to include the Transformations specification, which facilitates such things as linear combination splits in decision trees, and the basis functions used by MARS. We applaud the contributing members of the DMG for their superb work in the construction of this important set of standards and look forward to implementing the latest versions in our own software. Some of the elements that are new to PMML v4.3 include: Improved support for post-processing, model types, and model elements New models for Gaussian Process and Bayesian Networks New built-in functions for multiple probability distributions A full list of updates can be found at: http://dmg.org/pmml/v4-3/Changes.html The DMG has actively partnered with ACM SIGKDD to promote awareness of available standards for predictive analytics as part . There will be a Special Session on Standards in Predictive Analytics on Tuesday, Aug 16th during the KDD 2016 conference in San Francisco, CA. About the Special Session at KDD2016: This special applied data science session on Standards for Predictive Analytics will cover available standards, discuss their adoption, and explore any needs unmet by existing standards. This event forms part of a broader SIGKDD Standards Initiative and will be of particular interest to KDD attendees focused on the operational application of data mining. For more information, visit: http://dmg.org/kdd2016.html About DMG: The Data Mining Group (DMG) is an independent, vendor led consortium that develops data mining standards, such as the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML) and Portable Format for Analytics (PFA). The NC-5000 line is the perfect solution for businesses, hotels and similar organizations wanting to offer complimentary charging as an amenity NovaCharge LLC, a leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions, today announced the general availability of the NovaCharger NC-5000 series of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The NC-5000 series boasts a sophisticated, compact design, and features a customizable front panel enabling businesses to showcase their brand to its customers and employees. This level-2 EV charger features a rugged housing and a hardened rubber charging gun making the unit ideal for all weather environments. The NC-5000 line is built for heavy usage, and is available in both wall and pole mount configurations. This product launch serves as a tremendous milestone for NovaCharge, said Helda Rodriguez, President of NovaCharge. The NC-5000 line is the perfect solution for businesses, hotels and similar organizations wanting to offer complimentary charging as an amenity to their customers and employees. It is also a differentiator, allowing businesses to brand these chargers, while promoting their commitment to environmental sustainability. These high performance stations rival competitive models, at a fraction of the cost. The NC-5000 line has been installed at a wide variety of customer locations throughout the U.S. over the past year. Most recently, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) selected the NC-5000 charging stations, installing four units in their short term parking lot allowing customers and travelers with EVs to easily recharge their cars. The EV charging stations are complimentary for SRQ customers parking an electric vehicle in the short term lot. We selected the NC-5000 due its compact design and the ability to customize it to include SRQ branding, said Rick Piccolo, SRQs President and Chief Executive Officer. Providing these charging stations further supports our initiatives in integrating sustainability throughout the airport while offering our customers a stress free travel experience. About NovaCharge, LLC: NovaCharge, LLC was founded in 2008 to address the need for a next-generation electric vehicle (E/V) charging infrastructure. As a leading provider of E/V networked and non-networked charging solutions, NovaCharge is dedicated to enabling a better environment for future generations by supporting a zero-emission transportation infrastructure, offering convenient, affordable, grid-friendly charging stations that enable access across both public and private locations. NovaCharge is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and is a Certified Minority/Woman owned business. For more information, please visit http://www.NovaCharge.net Ascert has released a new version of its VersaTest Driver for China UnionPay (CUP) to support the latest mandates for the protocol. The driver supports both functional and performance testing and is available for standalone use with VersaTest Simulator, or with VersaTest Automator, for more complex, integrated testing environments. Weve had a large number of new subscribers to the new version of the Union Pay Host Driver over the last several months, said Mike Wainwright, Business Development Director in Ascerts EMEA operation. Its continued growth worldwide with an emphasis in Southeast Asia has been a driving demand factor for testing. Union Pay continues it exponential growth in 2016 with over 58 million cards issued in 40 countries outside of mainland China. The advent of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay utilizing UnionPays QuickPass technology in China has enabled the company to recapture market share and has contributed to the increased popularity of the brand. The new UnionPay Driver from Ascert has been included in the rapidly expanding VersaTest library of drivers for use on-premise and in the Ascertified cloud based testing service. The new driver assists merchants and service providers to test transactions in preparation for certification. To find out more about the VersaTest China UnionPay Simulator, visit http://www.ascert.com or contact one of the Ascert offices. About Ascert: Ascert is recognized as a leading provider of premier testing software solutions. Ascert was founded in 1992 to provide automated software testing solutions that help companies measure the performance, reliability and scalability of their mission-critical back-end servers and applications. With over 100 clients worldwide, Ascert's products and services are used at some of the world's most successful companies. Off-the-shelf simulators include solutions for EFT testing, POS testing, stress testing, ATM testing, Fraud testing, IFX testing, EMV/chip card testing, ISO8583 testing and 3270 & 6530 terminal testing. Ascerts custom simulators have been used for testing air traffic control systems and biometric payment systems. Ascert delivers flexible solutions that are either customer site installed or accessed via Ascerts Remote Testing Services. Ascert's products assist testing professionals across industry segments to better manage their testing processes and environments through an end-to-end tool set. For inquiries in the Americas and Asia-Pacific: Richard B. Greene Ascert, LLC 759 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965, USA Telephone: 1-415-339-8500 Toll Free:1-877-ASCERT-IT Fax: 1-415-339-8501 E-mail: info(at)ascert(dot)com http://www.ascert.com For inquiries in Europe, Middle East, and Africa: Mike Wainwright Ascert Limited 3rd Floor Signet House 49 - 51 Farringdon Road London EC1M 3JP England Telephone: +44 (20) 7488 3470 Fax: +44 (20) 7488 3477 E-mail: ukinfo(at)ascert(dot)com http://www.ascert.com Alki-Drinks-Night Year after year, Dukes is filling plates with delectable dishes and filling minds with the importance of seafood conservation, ocean preservation, and sustainable sourcing. The Greater Seattle area is Ready Anytime for Seafood from Dukes Chowder House. Just this last week, The Seattle Times shined a spotlight on Duke Moscrip, Seattles unsung hero for fish and foodies alike. Duke caught onto the idea of serving only the highest-quality, sustainable wild seafood about 30 years ago and has spun quite the restaurateur legacy in Puget Sound ever since. But Duke doesnt only search for the best seafood, (already a difficult task). The Dukes Chowder House brand strives to be the best and then, challenges itself to become better still. Just last year, Dukes was voted Best Seafood Restaurant in Seattle by KING5s The Best of Western Washington viewers. In addition, and more recently, Dukes grabbed a trifecta of titles from 425 Magazine for Best Restaurant, Best Lunch, and Best Happy Hour. Hungry guests seeking a room with a view need look no further than the Tacoma waterfront where Dukes Chowder House sits comfortably as one of the Top 10 Waterside Restaurants in Washington State, according to The Culture Trip. And the list continues to grow. Dukes Tacoma Chowder House takes the cake again for outdoor dining highlighted in Travel Tacoma, a travel blog for Pierce County, Washington. Dukes Green Lake Chowder House hosts a Happy Hour on a higher level, recognized by Ville Magazines article, Raise the Roof: Best of Seattle Rooftops. Dukes Alki Chowder House was featured in Sunset, a resource that celebrates Western Washington lifestyle, for a tasty take on a seafood staple: fish and chips. Sunset also mentioned that Dukes Alki has a birds-eye view over Elliott Bay and a delightful summer salad. Food Writer, Rebekah Denn's news story in The Seattle Times, Seattle Writer Chronicles Top Picks for Northwest Seafood, outlined an email exchange with Former Seattle Times writer Karen Gaudette Brewer about her book, Seafood Lovers Pacific Northwest. Karen commenting on Dukes on Alki wrote theres nothing more summery than to sit on their upstairs deck, cocktail in hand, with whatever wild salmon special is cooking, and watch the crowds cavort and the ferries lumber past as the sun sets behind the Olympics. Dukes Lake Union Chowder House left hungry customers happier with Halibut they werent afraid to express their satisfaction on Foursquare, a popular app that unites geography and experience. OpenTable, a popular online restaurant reservation service ranked Dukes Tacoma Chowder House among its Top 100 of 10 Washington restaurants and one of two local restaurants among America's 'most scenic', July 27, 2016. All six Dukes Chowder House locations reported as Top Sustainable Restaurant Group in the U.S., according to fish2fork.com in "Fall Flavors Found" in South Sound Talk. all of which are favorite seafood spots for dining local around the Puget Sound. Since 1976, Duke Moscrip has worked hard to craft a seafood legacy that will sustain itself so that his grandchildren and his grandchildrens grandchildren will also experience Sustainable Seafood forevermore. About Dukes Chowder House Dukes Chowder House is a family owned and operated enterprise with six different locations throughout the Puget Sound region. Renowned for its Award Winning Clam Chowder, Dukes menu is filled with delectable seafood dishes crafted by Duke and Dukes very own Executive Chef Wild Bill Rannigera proclaimed culinary genius in the region. Founder and Owner Duke Moscrip together with his son and partner John Moscrip continue their passionate journey to source wild, natural, healthy and fresh tasting ingredients that are free of hormones, antibiotics and harmful chemicals. Guests sum up their favorable assessment of what Dukes Chowder House has to offer with three words: Its sooo good! Dukes is honored to have received the highest seafood restaurant rating in the State of Washington by Fish2Fork, a leading evaluator of worldwide seafood restaurants, garnering a 4.5 out of 5 (no higher rating in the world). Duke's is equally honored to be among the first restaurants in Seattle to be recognized with a 100 percent volume compliance sustainable seafood rating from Smart Catch, a program designed to promote sustainability and raise consumer awareness regarding sustainable seafood options. For more information, visit http://www.dukeschowderhouse.com/. Centers of Excellence Centers of Excellence raise the bar for all nursing programs by serving as role models of visionary leadership and inclusive excellence that nurture the next generation of nurses. NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone Fifteen nursing programs in schools and in hospitals, have been chosen NLN Centers of Excellence, the National League for Nursing has announced. These programs will be formally recognized at the NLNs 2016 Education Summit in Orlando, Florida, part of a special honors convocation that precedes the gala Presidents Reception Farewell to Summit 2016 on Friday evening, September 23. The annual Summit draws a capacity crowd of nurse faculty, deans, and administrators, and professionals from allied health organizations. The COE presentation is followed by the induction of new fellows into the NLNs Academy of Nursing Education, and the bestowal of the prestigious NLN Awards. "I eagerly anticipate the occasion to publicly applaud the 2016 COE designees, celebrating their contributions to excellence in nursing education and highlighting the outstanding faculty, deans, and health care professionals who make achieving this coveted status possible, said NLN president Anne R. Bavier, PhD, RN, FAAN, who is dean and professor at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington. Added CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN: Centers of Excellence raise the bar for all nursing programs by serving as role models of visionary leadership and inclusive excellence that nurture the next generation of nurses. More than half of the previously named COE institutions have again earned designations: Community College of Philadelphia, Excelsior College, and New York University for Enhancing Student Learning and Professional Development; Indiana University School of Nursing-Indianapolis for Advancing the Science of Nursing Education); Duke University Health System, Trinitas Regional Medical Center, and the University of Kansas Hospital for Promoting Academic Progression of Nurses; and for the fourth time, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro for Promoting the Pedagogical Expertise of Faculty. First-time COEs are: Chamberlain College of Nursing and Francis Marion University, both for Promoting the Pedagogical Expertise of Faculty; and St. Josephs College of Nursing, Texas A&M University, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, University of Scranton, and Wallace State Community College, all in the category, Enhancing Student Learning and Professional Development. A research brief (online in advance of print) in the September-October edition of Nursing Education Perspectives, Intersection of Quality and Excellence: Characteristics of Redesignated NLN Centers of Excellence (Deborah Merriman, et al), examines strategies and resources utilized by six schools that have had repeated success. The article demonstrates how these COEs have sustained environments that enhance student learning and professional development. NLN Centers of Excellence are expected to exemplify the Leagues core values: caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence. COE faculty bear a responsibility to share their experience, knowledge, and wisdom for the benefit of everyone in nursing education. They are expected to provide guidance and be available as sounding boards to other nursing programs that aim to achieve COE status. Each year, students enrolled in COE schools have an opportunity to express their thoughts on what it means to them to be part of a COE-designated nursing program and why. The 2016 winner of the Student Excellence Paper Competition, Laura Knepper from Saint Xavier University in Chicago will be acknowledged at the COE presentation. Excellence in Compassion: What It Means to Me to Attend a Center of Excellence School will be published in the fall issue of the NLN Report. >Applications for 2017 COE designation.. About the NLN Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its more than 40,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations. ### For professional breeders, there should be no more important business practice than ensuring the health and well-being of their dogs, said Dr. Candace Croney, director of Purdues Center for Animal Welfare Science. Recognized animal health and well-being experts and animal scientists from academia, along with leaders representing the pet industry, veterinary medicine and animal welfare organizations, today joined together to introduce a new national certification program for the care of dogs and puppies by professional breeders. Canine Care Certified, a national, voluntary program that sets rigorous standards for professional breeders, was developed after three years of research at Purdue Universitys Center for Animal Welfare Science and was peer-reviewed by animal scientists and canine welfare experts from major academic institutions. This is a program with expansive reach, deep substance, and pilot testing to ensure it works. For professional breeders, there should be no more important business practice than ensuring the health and well-being of their dogs, said Dr. Candace Croney, director of Purdues Center for Animal Welfare Science. We took a hard, thorough look at public expectations, the relationship of breeders with their dogs and what those mean for dogs long-term physical and behavioral health. Then, we framed that relationship in the context of a comprehensive and truly unprecedented program that can be continuously improved and strengthened. The fact that participation is voluntary indicates the level to which participating breeders are committed to doing right by their dogs and the public. The certification program standards address five pillars of care, which include physical health; environment; behavioral health; breeding life and retirement; and caretaker expectations. While a number of other canine welfare programs address basic physical needs and genetic health, Canine Care Certified goes above and beyond those programs by also providing detailed standards in critically important areas of animal behavior, including socialization. Further, the certification program also addresses challenging issues of professional breeding, including breeding ages, litter limits, and transparency. Unlike most programs that exist today, the standards are based on current scientific research by Purdue University and will incorporate ongoing and new canine welfare research findings. No other program sets standards that are as rigorous or as comprehensive as those provided by Canine Care Certified. Regulatory programs often provide a one-size-fits-all minimum level of standards as required by law, none of which fully address areas such as behavior or socialization. Other voluntary programs do not have substantive measurement and evaluation provisions. In addition, the Canine Care Certified program is available to any breeder, regardless of size, that commits to meeting the standards, potentially expanding the scope of the program beyond just licensed breeders. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) licensing only applies to breeders with a certain number of dogs. Research conducted by the Center for Animal Welfare Science at Purdue University acknowledges consumer concern about breeding practices and the need for transparency in breeder operations. The certification program has been pilot tested with 16 professional breeders since early 2015. The confidential research project provided additional learnings for the standards development process. There are more than 1,500 USDA-licensed breeders in the United States. To request certification, breeders complete a pre-certification application and, upon approval, undergo an audit by an independent auditing firm. Breeders who meet the criteria for certification and successfully pass the third-party audit will be designated as Canine Care Certified. While a full team of auditors still must be trained in the specific program standards, the goal is to audit breeders no less than bi-annually. The Canine Care Certified professional breeder program will have a corresponding consumer-facing campaign to reinforce the need for breeder certification. The consumer campaign will launch at a later date as initial certified breeder participants have animals available for sale that are raised under the new standards. The campaign will raise awareness that dogs and puppies from certified breeders have been raised in a manner that focuses on care of the animals physical, psychological and behavioral needs. While the animals will still display typical puppy and dog behaviors (potty training needs, chewing, etc.), the unique standards for behavior and socialization of puppies and dogs raised by a Canine Care Certified breeder should ease the animals adjustment to home and family life. It is anticipated that the voluntary nature of the Canine Care Certified program, combined with consumer demand for dogs raised in this manner, will lead to high motivation for participation and compliance by breeders. The Canine Care Certified designation will only be available for use by breeders and by retail locations that sell dogs from certified breeders. The Canine Care Certified program is administered by the Center for Canine Welfare, a newly established non-profit organization. The program is supported by major pet and breeder organizations, including The World Pet Association, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and Pet Food Institute; however, these organizations had no direct or indirect involvement in research or standards development. Ongoing program operational costs will be addressed by funders and by certification fees from breeders. Breeders that wish to learn more about the program, or those seeking to request certification of a professional breeder business, can visit CanineCareCertified.org to register. By partnering with BookingPal, we are very glad to expand our distribution network to millions of travelers and add more services to help save precious time while providing a better service." said Sebastien Grosjean, CEO and Founder of BookingSync BookingPal, one of the leading global vacation rental distribution networks, would like to announce a new partnership with BookingSync. BookingSync is a cloud based vacation rental management platform centered around simplicity and ease of use. This new partnership will allow vacation rental and holiday letting managers that utilize the BookingSync platform to have their inventory displayed on and distributed via BookingPals global network of online channel partners and offline travel agents that specialize in vacation rental properties. This expanded distribution capability enables the BookingSync clients to increase their propertys exposure and drive more occupancy, bookings and revenue while reaching new guests. "BookingSync keeps delivering solutions for vacation rentals managers to save time and book more. By partnering with BookingPal, we are very glad to expand our distribution network to millions of travelers and add more services to help save precious time while providing a better service." said Sebastien Grosjean, CEO and Founder of BookingSync We are excited to partner with BookingSync, said Brian Brown, Vice President of Sales. The partnership and integration between BookingPal and BookingSync will leverage the power of the BookingPal distribution network on European and American consumer travel websites with the diverse and unique inventory on the BookingSync platform. About BookingPal BookingPal is a cloud-based travel technology company providing the vacation rental and holiday letting industry with a global distribution platform that features real-time connectivity between the leading property management software systems and top consumer travel websites in the world. The BookingPal platform offers Vacation Rental Managers and Property Owners superior revenue opportunities by utilizing proprietary products to optimize distribution capabilities including myOptimize which calculates listing quality and provides key feedback to achieve optimal channel placement and conversion and myInquiry which provides a qualified team of reservation agents to handle guest reservation communications. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Irvine, California, BookingPal seamlessly connects over 180,000 rentals located on 5 continents, from 10 different property management software systems to over 35 online global consumer travel websites and the travel agent industry. About BookingSync BookingSync is a French startup and cloud-based vacation rental management platform. Our goal is to make the lives of vacation rental owners, managers and agencies easier. Whether its managing your booking, generating an invoice, accepting a payment, or issuing a contract, BookingSync can handle it. Centered around simplicity and ease of use, weve developed an intuitive software that is a friend to owners and managers during each step of the vacation rental management process. BookingSync disrupted the space with portal synchronization functionality which allows users to maintain a centralized calendar that automatically updates websites and supported portals like Airbnb, FlipKey, HomeAway, VRBO, among others. Weve also built a developer API, and with it, a flexible and versatile product. Developers can easily add extra services on top of the software so that BookingSync works best for you. At heart, we provide a product that is simple, reliable, fast, and fun. Website: http://www.mybookingpal.com CCS congratulates the Archdiocese of Toronto on the completion of its $105 million Family of Faith campaign, an effort to support new parishes, the restoration of St. Michaels Cathedral, Catholic formation and leadership, youth and young adult ministry, and campus chaplaincy in addition to local parish projects. CCS supported the planning and management of this important campaign that has raised over $164 million in cash and pledges, or 156% of its original goal. The Family of Faith campaign now bears the distinction of the most funds raised by any faith-based fundraising initiative in Canadian history. All together more than 3,000 volunteers from among 225 parishes were recruited, all of whom helped solicit a total of 41,821 gifts. Campaign materials translated into 15 languages ensured that this culturally diverse faith community had the opportunity to dedicate their time and treasure to the campaign. Notable campaign highlights include two $5 million gifts and six $1 million gifts. It has been a pleasure to partner with CCS for our Family of Faith campaign, said His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins. We are grateful for the expertise, organization, and strategic leadership CCS has brought to our diverse faith community, paving the way for a tremendous fundraising effort. The campaign was truly a team effort driven by the Archdiocese of Torontos distinctive Pastoral Plan that seeks to engage the family, especially youth; celebrate their cultural diversity; and enhance the collective voice of the Catholic community. The Archdiocese has already disbursed funds to key campaign projects such as the restoration of the Cathedral, upgrades to Ryerson Universitys Hogan House for the campus chaplaincy, and parish repairs. For the past five years, it has been our honour and privilege to partner with the Archdiocese on this exceptional campaign, said Tom Kissane, Principal and Managing Director, CCS. The communitys generosity and faithful commitment helped it realize an inspiring and ambitious vision. The Archdiocese of Toronto is home to a diverse community of faith and has experienced tremendous growth in the past quarter century. During this period, the Archdiocese's Catholic population doubled to nearly two million parishioners faithfully served by 800 diocesan and religious priests, more than 110 permanent deacons, and over 500 religious sisters and brothers. Mass is celebrated in more than 30 languages each week in the most multicultural region in Canada. About CCS Established in 1947, CCS is a strategic fundraising firm that partners with non-profits to raise funds today and strengthen organizations for the future. With a perspective and presence that spans philanthropic sectors and the globe, CCS works closely with clients to effectively plan, manage, and implement programs that achieve fundraising goals and mission impact. Members of the CCS team are experts in strategic planning, research, development, planned giving, and on-the-ground campaign support. Headquartered in New York, the firm has over 250 professionals and 12 offices throughout the United States and Europe. Learn more at ccsfundraising.com. BVoIP today announced it is exhibiting at CompTIA ChannelCon 2016 Breaking Boundaries, the premier collaboration, education and networking event for IT vendors, distributors and channel partners, August 1-3 at The Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla. Hosted annually by CompTIA, ChannelCon is attended by technology vendors, distributors and solution providers, as well as industry influencers, press and analysts from across the IT channel. More event details, including registration, are available here. Follow BVoIP and CompTIA ChannelCon via Twitter using hashtag #ChannelCon16. Throughout CompTIA ChannelCon 2016, BVoIP will engage with hundreds of IT professionals and highlight its MSP Communications Platform, which is available to channel partners worldwide. To secure an appointment with BVoIPs CEO, George Bardissi, at ChannelCon, please email cdow(at)bvoip(dot)com or call 215-402-7200 ext 654/ Event attendees are encouraged to visit BVoIP at booth number 318 during the Technology Vendor Fair. We are thrilled to be attending our first ChannelCon this year, said George Bardissi, President & CEO, BVoIP, LLC. Being involved in such a far reaching event in the IT industry gives you real insight into the heart beat of the industry. CompTIA is great at creating an atmosphere where our colleagues from around the tech world can connect and collaborate. We are honored to be a part of the story and work together to advance the IT industry. CompTIA ChannelCon attracts the industrys best and brightest minds, delivering exceptional business value through high-impact training, educational sessions, industry panels, keynotes, networking opportunities and working groups on the most important topics and trends affecting the technology industry, said Kelly Ricker, senior vice president, events and education, CompTIA. Were delighted to have BVoIP demonstrate its success and share market perspective with this years ChannelCon attendees. For more information about BVoIP, please visit http://www.bvoip.com or on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and Google+. More information on the complete CompTIA ChannelCon 2016 program, including keynotes, panels and educational sessions, is included in the event agenda available here. Registration for CompTIA ChannelCon and the ChannelCon Vendor Summit is open and available online. Media and IT industry analysts are encouraged to attend the conference. Highlights from CompTIA ChannelCon will be available on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #ChannelCon16. About CompTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a non-profit trade association serving as the voice of the information technology industry. With approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners, 80,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued, CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. To learn more, visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. About BVoIP BVoIP helps IT and Managed Service Providers attack voice and unified communications worldwide. Having come out of the MSP space, BVoIP designed its program to not only automate how MSPs interact with their existing systems and tools but to also assist MSPs with an offering to standardize their Unified Communications offering to their customers. BVoIP has built integration with MSP industry solutions from Autotask, ConnectWise, ConnectBooster, DeskDirector, BrightGauge, JoomConnect, and others. BVoIP is currently available in North America, Europe, and the Australian / New Zealand Regions. # # # Press contacts: Chris Dow BVoIP 215-402-2700 ext 654 cdow(at)bvoip(dot)com Steven Ostrowski CompTIA 630-678-8468 sostrowski(at)comptia(dot)org Marie Rourke WhiteFox Marketing (for CompTIA) Marie(at)whitefoxpr(dot)com 714-292-2199 Courtroom Insight, the leading litigation knowledge management solution for sharing critical information about experts, arbitrators, judges and attorneys, is proud to announce Sheppard Mullin as its newest law firm client. Sheppard Mullins Chief Knowledge Officer, Dora Tynes, is a long-time supporter of improving knowledge sharing methods within the firm. Ms. Tynes explains that by signing up our library staff, I am able to provide a central repository of key information about experts and other litigation professionals. I particularly like the way expanded research and expert witness search services are made available directly from the product interface. Ms. Tynes works closely with the Firms Director of Research & Library Services, Martin Korn, to ensure the Firm is leveraging solutions that help the team provide the right information at the right time. Mr. Korn states Im excited to add Courtroom Insight to our arsenal of resources and expect it to enhance the background reports we regularly deliver to our attorneys. This is yet another way in which we can add value to the services we provide our clients. Courtroom Insight Chief Executive Officer Mark Torchiana notes that this partnership with Sheppard Mullin enhances the librarys ability to provide current and relevant information to their attorneys, which benefits both the firm and their clients. We are excited to welcome Sheppard Mullin as a client. About Courtroom Insight Courtroom Insight is the largest online directory featuring attorney and peer reviews of expert witnesses, mediators, arbitrators, judges and attorneys. In addition to public listings, the company offers private knowledge management solutions to law firms and corporate counsel. Courtroom Insight was founded in 2009, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit http://www.courtroominsight.com. About Sheppard Mullin Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm handling corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. From 15 offices in North America, Europe and Asia, the firm offers global solutions to clients around the world, providing seamless representation in multiple jurisdictions. For more information, visit http://www.sheppardmullin.com. MadgeTech President to Attend TAMP Convention At the show, MadgeTech will be showcasing several data logging devices and systems specifically designed for meat processing applications and help them comply with HACCP regulations and USDA standards. MadgeTech offers a selection of wireless monitoring solutions, to continuously measure and record cooking, cooling and storage processes. The rugged line of stainless steel, submersible data loggers can withstand high temperature exposure and offer a multitude of probe options and styles. An industry favorite is MadgeTechs RFOT wireless meat temperature data logger. The RFOT is designed to hang alongside of meat in temperatures as high as 100 C (212 F) and as low as -20 C (-4 F). The RFOT is equipped with a built in piecing probe for measuring internal product temperatures, making it the perfect solution for the constant monitoring throughout the entire production process. Accessing data has never been easier than with the RFOT. Two-way wireless communication allows users to access real-time data without ever having to connect the logger to a computer. Used in conjunction with the RFOT, MadgeTechs RFC1000 Cloud Relay transmits data instantly to the MadgeTech Cloud, giving users the power to view data instantly and remotely from any internet enabled device, anywhere in the world. Not only does the MadgeTech Cloud make it easy to keep a close eye on the product 24/7, but it also allows users set up email alerts and text notifications to fit the needs or each process! For cooking cycles that require extremely high temperatures, meat processors turn to the HiTemp140 data logger series. Stop by the booth to see the rugged quality of these data loggers made of food-grade stainless steel, and able to withstand and record in temperatures up to 284 F (140 C). The HiTemp140 data loggers are completely submersible and are available with seven custom probe lengths to choose from. Meat industry professionals rely upon the powerful features included with the MadgeTech 4 Software. The software streamlines the data, giving users the ability to create, charts, graphs and reports required for regulatory compliance. Meat processors benefit greatly from the cooling flag feature, which visually specifies when certain temperature requirements are met during cooling cycles, and can alert the user if the temperature fluctuates outside of the acceptable range during the period, preventing product loss or damage. To get a feel for the data loggers and how they can make a difference in regulatory compliance and record keeping, stop by the TAMP Convention, Norman will be on hand to answer all data logging questions and help find the perfect solution based on your needs. We hope to see you at the show! For more information on data loggers and MadgeTech Cloud Services for meat processors, please call MadgeTech at (603) 456-2011, or email info@madgetech.com. Our connected platform of job boards, learning management systems and association management software helps nearly half of all bar associations nationwide to gain knowledge and experience, match talent with opportunity, and grow association revenue. YourMembership (YM), a leading cloud-based software provider for associations and member-based organizations worldwide, today announced that it is attending, exhibiting and engaging legal profession leaders at the 2016 NABE Annual Meeting. This marks the sixth consecutive year YourMembership is participating at the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) and National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) prestigious event, which takes place August 2 - 6, 2016 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco. We are proud to be a sponsor and supporter of the NABE mission to enhance the skills and enrich the careers of bar association members and professionals, said JP Guilbault, CEO of YourMembership. Our connected platform of job boards, learning management systems and association management software helps nearly half of all bar associations nationwide, including the ABA, to gain knowledge and experience, match talent with opportunity, and grow association revenue. The NABE organization has utilized YourMemberships association management and website services during the past three years, said John Bo Landrum, 2016-17 NABE Sponsorship Chair. In that time, YM has been a valuable partner supporting NABE. Landrum added: With YM, our website is easier for members to use and register for events, and has increased collaboration within the online communities, while giving our staff insight from data and the ability to efficiently make changes and decisions quickly. To date, YourMembership is partnering with nearly half of the more than 250 local, state and national bar associations across the country, while touching hundreds of thousands of judges, attorneys and legal professionals. Among YMs partners is the American Bar Association (ABA), for which YM powers the ABAs Legal Career Central job board, including outsourced recruitment advertising and additional non-dues revenue generating services. At the annual meeting, YMa gold sponsor of NCBP and a silver sponsor of NABEwill: Address bar executives and presidents during a breakfast about YMs support for their industry and enlighten them on what new technology is coming to grow their profession. Hold one-on-one onsite chats to promote training and the significance of leveraging not only membership management and career center solutions, but also learning management software and programmatic advertising products to help them deliver more value to their members, drive non-dues revenue and increase their relevance using ground-breaking engagement tools. For more information about YourMembership and its portfolio of products for membership management, career centers, learning programs and advertising solutions, visit us at YourMembership.com. About YourMembership YourMembership, established in 1998, empowers associations, organizations, nonprofits and other companies worldwide to deliver more value to their users, drive non-dues revenue through innovative career centers and buyers guides, increase their relevance using ground-breaking engagement tools, and enhance overall operational efficiencies. YourMembership's cloud-based membership management solution enables associations to effectively brand their organizations, engage their customer bases, and streamline their administrative processes. As the worlds largest provider of membership and company management software, YourMembership provides comprehensive membership solutions to more than 5,000 customers in 32 countries. For more information, visit YourMembership.com. To learn more now, call 1-727-827-0046. To get the latest industry updates, read our blog at yourmembership.com/resource-library/blog/. Get social with YM on Facebook at facebook.com/yourmembership/, on Twitter at twitter.com/yourmembership, on Google+ at plus.google.com/u/0/+Yourmembership/posts and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/yourmembership-com. About the National Association of Bar Executives The National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) was founded in 1941 to serve the management staff of bar associations and law-related organizations. NABE is an affiliate of the American Bar Association and has received administrative services through the ABA since 1953. The mission of the National Association of Bar Executives is to enhance the skills and enrich the professional lives of bar association executives. For more information, visit its website at http://www.nabenet.org. This partnership with MCCC is a win-win for both institutions. Our students gain access to classrooms and computer labs, and MCCCs students will have a chance to complete their education without having to relocate." -Josh Wymore, exec. director, Toledo Spring Arbor University (SAU), a faith-based, top-tier academic university with its campus located in Spring Arbor, Mich., has relocated its Metro-Toledo site to Monroe County Community Colleges Whitman Center location in Temperance, Mich. The move was made to improve the quality and size of facilities available to SAU students. The shift also will provide MCCC students who attend classes at Whitman Center and the Bedford community with convenient and affordable access to bachelor and master degree programs on-site. We couldnt be more excited about this move, said Josh Wymore, executive director of Spring Arbors Metro-Toledo site. This partnership with MCCC is a win-win for both institutions. Our students gain access to classrooms and computer labs that are twice as nice as those currently used, and MCCCs students will have a chance to complete their education without having to relocate. Everybody benefits. We are thrilled to partner with Spring Arbor University to provide such a wide range of higher educational offerings and services to the Bedford community and beyond conveniently under one roof, said Joe Verkennes, director of marketing and communications at MCCC. With this move, the Whitman Center location will not only provide opportunities for area students to complete course work at the associate-degree level through MCCC, but also at the bachelors- and masters-degree levels through SAU. To commemorate this partnership between SAU and MCCC, a grand opening celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3. Formal remarks will be made by SAU President Brent Ellis and Monroe County Community College President Kojo A. Quartey, followed by refreshments and an open house that members of the community are invited to attend. The Whitman Center location has seen less activity in recent years as enrollment at MCCC has ebbed. By hosting SAU in its facility, the community college can offset its overhead costs while also attracting SAU students, who need to build credit before starting their degree completion programs. Likewise, Spring Arbor University gains a natural pipeline of community college students who want to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. The Christian liberal arts university will offer five degrees at the Whitman Center in the next academic year: bachelor degrees in social work, nursing and business, as well as master degrees in social work, counseling and nursing. Other options, such as management, family life education and business administration, are also on the horizon. Spring Arbor University has been a mainstay in the Toledo area since the university first offered classes at its Secor Road location in the early 1990s. The university quickly outgrew the small facility and began offering overflow classes at Owens Community College, Davis College, Smith Road Elementary and Terra Community College. By moving into the Whitman Center, the university now can house a majority of its cohorts in a single place. Spring Arbor University plans to continue offering programs at Owens Community College and Davis College to better serve the south side of the Metro-Toledo area. The accelerated format and convenience of Spring Arbor Universitys programs has contributed to its rapid growth. Each of the bachelor and master degrees offered at the Metro-Toledo site can be completed by attending classes one night a week. This design has allowed thousands of working adults across the state to pursue their education while continuing to live their lives. Coupled with the caring Christian faculty and the strong sense of community that students gain from their cohorts, this convenient format has made SAU the university of choice for hundreds of students in the Toledo area. MCCCs 210-acre Main Campus is located in Monroe. The college, which serves more than 3,000 credit students annually, opened the Whitman Center in 1991 near the Ohio-Michigan border in Temperance. For more information about Spring Arbor University, visit http://www.Arbor.Edu. For more information about Monroe County Community College, please go to http://www.monroeccc.edu. Founded in 1873, Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a Christian liberal arts university located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. SAU offers more than 70 majors and programs to undergraduate students. As a leader in adult and professional studies, SAU continues to reach out to working adults who wish to complete associate, bachelor or master degrees. With programs offered throughout locations in Michigan, Ohio and online, the University continues to meet the growing needs of its students. For more information visit arbor.edu. Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition. The colleges mission is to enrich and transform lives by providing opportunities and excellence in higher education. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located in Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at http://www.monroeccc.edu. # # # FixtHub CEO Brian Lane announces that the New York-based technology company has closed a Series A financing transaction with Cerium Technology, a leading venture capital firm. The investment will accelerate FixtHubs plans to develop a new generation of fixed income technology specifically designed to decrease information fragmentation and improve data flow to market participants. "We are very excited to receive funding from Cerium Technology. They see the same potential for dramatic growth in the market that we do. They have a strong commitment to innovative technology, and their knowledge and experience in growing startups swiftly into major companies is going to be invaluable to our success." FixtHub is developing their debut product, which will take advantage of data issues in fixed income markets. Data has increasingly become problematic in fixed income, which has been exacerbated by the effects of balance sheet decline, increased regulation, reduced margins and market illiquidity. FixtHub utilizes data analytics technology to connect users across the market. FixtHub uses data to understand users interests, and then translates that data into user-specific, actionable streams of intelligence," said Lane. Further, Lane says, "Information in fixed income markets has become so fragmented that participants are unable to have any real insight. Every market participant, whether a dealer, buyside firm, ATS or data provider has either side of one fundamental issue: How do we drive more traffic to our valuable content, or how do we find the right content amongst the noise? The market suffers from a lack of liquidity, but the truth is that there are innumerable liquidity opportunities that exist and are never found. With technology, we can solve that.. FixtHub has developed a truly unique approach using big data analytics to improve fixed income liquidity. We believe that FixtHub is well positioned to become the market leader and we are committed to providing resources to make the company highly successful said Eldon Klaassen, Managing Director at Cerium Technology, who has been appointed Chairman of the Board. Klaassen has more than 35 years experience as a successful entrepreneur, innovator, and investor in financial technology. About FixtHub FixtHub is an enterprise software firm focused on aggregating and providing intelligence on the many disparate sources of information in fixed income markets. Its proprietary SaaS technology addresses the needs of buy side and sell side participants in institutional fixed income markets. FixtHub is based in New York City. For additional information, visit http://www.fixthub.com About Cerium Technology Cerium Technology is a venture capital firm that invests in early stage companies providing technology for energy or capital markets. With an investment focus on seed and early stage financing, Cerium enables entrepreneurs to execute on their vision. Based in New York and Dallas, the firm brings decades of experience building technology companies, and provides the operational expertise to transform great concepts into the successful enterprises of the future. For additional information, visit http://www.cerium-technology.com.